Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities 1...Designing Strength Training Programs and...

Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities 1

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Acknowledgements In Functional Training for Sports I was able to acknowledge all of the people who have been so influential in my development as a coach. As I finish my second book I realize that some people are responsible for your development as a person. My family and I journeyed across the country to have what I have come to describe as “The Wizard of Oz’ experience. At the end of the movie Dorothy realizes that everything she wanted was right in her own backyard. My family and I now know the same thing. I want to thank all those who make it possible for me to think and write and speak. It is a joy to do something you love every day. I would also like to thank Laura Hambly, an intelligent and wonderful editor. Last, Cindy, Michaela and Mark who make me realize that it’s not about money or fame but about being with the ones you love.


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Introduction Chapter 1- Designing and Equipping Your Facility Chapter 2- Building a Strong Foundation Chapter 3- Designing the Perfect Program Chapter 4- Core Training Chapter 5- Explosive Training Chapter 6- Knee-Dominant Exercises Chapter 7- Hip-Dominant Exercises Chapter 8- Upper-Body Pulling and Pressing Exercises Chapter 9- Choosing a System of Training Chapter 10- Creating Effective Workouts Chapter 11- Conditioning Chapter 12- Computerizing Your Program Chapter 13- Designing Programs for Teams or Groups


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Remember, you can’t believe everything you read, and you shouldn’t read only what you believe.


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Preface This is the book I always wanted to write: A serious strength training manual for coaches who want to get the most out of their athletes. My previous book, Functional Training for Sports, was meant to be a more mainstream piece intended for athletes, coaches and trainers. Although I believe that I succeeded with Functional Training for Sports I wanted to write a book for those serious strength and conditioning professionals that I consider my peers. I will intentionally not go into great detail about areas that I feel I covered well in the first book. I do, however, update areas that I feel differently about now than I did 2 years ago when the majority of my first book was written. Instead the focus of this book is on how to put a program together. I hope that this book will be the type of book I coveted in my early years. The Charlie Francis Training System (now Training for Speed) and Bill Starr’s The Strong Shall Survive hold those places in my mind. I believe that those works formed the foundation of my thought process for 20 plus years. I hope you enjoy.


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Introduction Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities is a “how to” book. The book moves from the task of equipping a weight room, through a discussion of programming concepts, and eventually into actual workouts with detailed explanation. I hope that this book will be what every aspiring, strength and conditioning coach is looking for. A basic primer on how to get things done and why. The concepts are meant to be simple and utilitarian. What equipment do I need? How many plates do I need? How much space do I need? How many sets and reps should I have my athletes do? What exercises work best? All of these questions will be answered in one place. The information in this book is one mans opinion. However, it is opinion based on over twenty years of working in rooms that were not perfect, with budgets that were small or nonexistent. I’m not trying to say this is the only way to do things, only to say that the advice in this book might be most efficient and effective way to do things. This book is perfect for the high school coach or small college coach who has to deal with the realities of time, space and money. When reading this book it is very important that you put aside any preconceived notions about the process of strength and conditioning. Think about practicing the art of common sense. While you read keep your mind open. Often good ideas seem so simple that we discount them based only on their simplicity. As coaches and as personal trainers we continue to jump on and off the latest bandwagons. Try to stay with ideas that work and, be wary of anything that seems too good to be true; it probably is. This book is based on the belief that athletes are not limited by genetics. Speed, movement ability, strength and power are all qualities that can and should be improved. Good strength and conditioning coaches are constantly scrutinizing their programs.


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Every day I learn something that makes me change the program. These are not knee jerk reactions but rather the acceptance that there are many coaches and therapists pushing the envelope and developing better techniques. Although my previous book, Functional Training for Sports has been in print for less than two years, this book contains numerous updates. If an exercise appears in both books it is to provide new information or updates since Functional Training for Sports was written. The attempt is not to replace my previous book but, to update and expand on the ideas. No attempts are made to copy the programs of successful teams or athletes. Instead I evaluate each technique or concept for inclusion. Many coaches simply attempt to duplicate the program of the most successful team. Remember that much of that success may be due to recruiting, coaching or genetics. Instead of copying successful teams or individuals, seek out the techniques of those who consistently produce great results in less than great situations. Another warning. Don’t copy the muscle magazine routines. Often coaches make the mistake of trying to use workouts designed by people using performance-enhancing drugs for people using performance enhancing drugs. Usually this is based on the “So-and-so does this exact same routine” Athletes using performance enhancing drugs can tolerate higher loads, higher volumes, and more frequent training. MORE IS NOT BETTER. Most young athletes and many young coaches feel that if two sets are good then four sets are obviously better. In truth you may be overtaxing the body and disrupting the recuperative process. When you think of a strength program try to remind yourself that strength training is a simple game of stimulus-response. The actual workout is a stimulus. The response occurs after the workout. The response is affected by the quality of the workout and by the quality of the recovery. Rest and nutrition have as much to do with your success as does the program.


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The real key to a successful strength program is injury reduction. I used to use the term “injury prevention” but, in reality only divine intervention can prevent injury. “Injury reduction” is a better representation of the goal. Semantics aside, statistics don’t lie. If your injuries decrease and your wins increase you’re being successful. Wins can obviously be affected by talent and coaching but in general injury trends will not be as affected by these factors. Just remember your number one goal is injury reduction, and your number two goal is performance enhancement. During my 15 years of college coaching I noticed an interesting trend. As we evolved from a traditional power/ Olympic lifting based program to a more functionally-based program, our strength numbers stayed consistent but our injury incidence decreased drastically. Think about this fact as you read.


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Chapter 1- Designing and Equipping Your Facility

The first chapter is about equipping a facility because mistakes at this point will determine how well you will be able to design a program. Great ideas are simply great ideas if the logistics of the facility prevent them from being turned into great programs. Mistakes in choosing equipment are expensive to undo. In order to properly equip a facility a coach or athletic trainer needs to consider usage and subsequent traffic flow. It is clear that the self-

contained power area approach yields the greatest weight room usage per square foot. I don’t know any coach who thinks that he or she has enough space. With the emphasis on functional training, space has become more important than equipment. This means that equipment must in our current computer dominated

language “multitask”. In simplest terms the self contained power area (SCPA) is a power rack (Figure 1.2), an adjustable flat to incline bench (Figure 1.1), and a set of Olympic lifting blocks (Figure 1.3). This combination when used properly can allow athletes to perform almost any exercise desired in a small area and, with proper planning makes for great use per square

Figure 1.1- Adjustable Flat to Incline Bench

Figure 1.2- Power Rack


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foot. Each SCPA takes up approximately 50 sq ft but, projections should be for 100 sq. ft per station (more on this later). One important suggestion, don’t buy the currently popular half- racks (Figure 1.4). Half-racks have become increasingly popular over the past five years but, the truth is a half-rack is actually a half of a power rack that doesn’t cost half as much but is in fact half as useful. Half-racks are designed with pull-up bars but, the reality is that you can’t simultaneously use the rack for squats and pull-ups because the squat bar is in the way. With a full power rack athletes can pair (more on this concept when we get to the actual workouts) a squatting movement with a chinning movement and actually use the front and back of the rack. Half racks look good but function poorly. Pay a few extra bucks and get full power racks. Figure 1.5 clearly shows how utilitarian a weight room can be when properly designed. A room designed around the self-contained power area concept is literally made for team or group usage. This is in

Figure1.4- Half Rack- Same price, half as useful

Figure 1.3- Pulling blocks for performing Olympic lifts from Hang Positions


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contrast to the weight rooms of the ‘80s and ‘90s that were often designed in what I would call “Noah’s Ark” style. In the Noah’s Ark weight room, the coach simply ordered two of everything. The rooms often resembled Gold’s Gym more than a strength and conditioning facility. These types of facilities were not at all conducive to team or group training. In fact a facility designed with too much machinery actually causes bottlenecks as athletes wait for a particular piece of equipment that is in short supply. With a self contained power area and a large supply of dumbbells athletes will never wait for equipment.

Figure 1.5- The picture of efficiency with 10 SCPA’s


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The next illustration ( figure 1.6) is potentially the most space efficient. The rack depicted can be combined with 2 adjustable benches and 2 sets of clean blocks to provide maximum usage per square foot.

The down side to this type of setup is that athletes will need to share a mirror. On the plus side, 6-8 athletes can perform their entire workout in this small space. The athletes working on the side closest to the mirror would Olympic lift from clean blocks while the athletes farthest from the mirror would Olympic lift from technique scoops. ( see Figure 1.7)

Figure 1.6 – Custom designed two-sided rack from Pro Star Sports


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Figure 1.7- Technique Scoops

Think about equipping each side of the rack as a separate area. Two bars, a bench, a full set of dumbbells, and all of the little tools like balance pads and mini-slideboards should be purchased for each rack. Essential Equipment List The following is a sample equipment list. I have included what I feel are the necessary items for a moderate budget facility. I have also included things like bands and medicine balls. These items should be included when you do your budget for one simple reason. You may not get a second chance. Purchasing is a funny thing. You seem to get one large shot. In university settings you don’t score any extra points for coming in under budget. The only thing coming in under budget ever gets you is a smaller budget. Spend every cent. In fact go over. Be a little extravagant. It will give you room if they ask you to cut the proposed budget.


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Number Item Cost Total4 Power Racks 600 2400

4 Adjustable Benches 400 16008 Olympic Sets 500 40009 Plate Trees 495 44551 Dumbbells 5-120(2.5 incr.) 4000 40004 Adjustable Cable Columns 1500 60008 Clean Blocks 100 8004 Slideboards 400 16004 Double Dumbbell Racks 300 1200

16 20 K Bumpers 100 16008 10 K Bumpers 75 6005 Airex Pads 45 225

10 Airex Mats 45 45015 Flexbands 15 22515 Lateral Resistors 15 22520 Medicine Balls 30 600

3 DynaMax Medicine Balls 80 2402 Med Ball Racks 200 4005 Stability Balls 30 150

30 Foam Rollers 15 4502 ABC Ladders 90 180

24 Flat Rings 4 962 Cat Overspeed 75 1503 Sleds 150 4501 Functional Training Grids 230 2301 Pro BodyBlade 199 1993 Calf Roller 50 1505 30" Hurdles 80 400

10 12" Hurdles 10 10010 6" Hurdles 10 10010 Hurdle Extenders 7 70

6 Belts 15 906 Dip Belts 30 1801 Extreme Balance Boards 100 1002 Weight Vests 90 1802 Sandbags 35 701 Scale 300 3002 Back Extension Benches 600 12001 Set Plyo Boxes 500 5001 Precor Elliptical 4000 40001 StepMill 2000 20003 Treadmills 6000 18000

59965


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Facility Design Guidelines Bill Kroll wrote an excellent series of articles for the NSCA journal in the 80’s on facility design that is still unmatched in my mind. The concepts Kroll advocated have dictated how I designed and redesigned weight rooms for the last 10 years. ( see recommended readings) In simple terms Kroll advocated the self contained power areas discussed previously and gave very specific guidelines for design of the room. 100 square feet of space per person- This means if you have a team of 25 players that you would like to train at the same time, you would need a minimum of 2500 sq. ft. This is a minimum for a facility using the self-contained power area concept and minimal machines or cardiovascular pieces. This is the number one mistake that strength coaches, or anyone else planning a facility makes. One hundred square feet accounts for people plus essential equipment. Architects will often feel that the room size allotted is too large, but they are not thinking about the combination of people and equipment. This is a common mistake made in many arena weight rooms when architects become involved. Use 100 sq. ft per team member as a bare minimum. Use a larger number like 150 if you plan on having a large amount of single station equipment. If you would like a large open space for warm-up or post workout stretching, budget this in also. You will never get a second chance to add more space unless you move to a new facility. Get as much space as possible and don’t worry about equipping it. The old weight room philosophy was to set up a health club like environment. I previously referred to this as the Noah’s Ark weight room. In reality having one or two of any piece of equipment only creates problems and bottlenecks. My feeling is that you need to have at least four of something to use it in a team program, otherwise you create funnels. This is what makes the self-contained


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power area so attractive. I would advocate having as many of these set-ups as you can fit and having little else. As Much Ceiling Height as Possible- Specify at least 12 feet. 10 feet is the bare minimum for six foot tall athletes to perform overhead lifts. Remember that you have to factor in athlete height, athlete arm length, platform height and the diameter of a 20 kilogram or 45 pound plate. Architects will not think about these factors. In addition a room with a lot of ceiling height is more aesthetically pleasing. Mirrors 24 inches off the floor- This means that no one will ever lean a plate and break a mirror. I know that athletes aren’t supposed to lean plates against the wall but, they always do and low mirrors get broken. Don’t let your architect fir out your walls- What does this mean? For aesthetic reasons architects will often want to cover a block wall with sheetrock. Don’t let them. With current trends in Medicine Ball training you can never have enough walls to throw against. Throwing a medicine ball with a partner does not compare to throwing against a wall. Equipment Guidelines 10 ft per Olympic Bar- People will always counter with statements like “An Olympic bar is only 7 feet long” but again they are not thinking about having space between bars to load and unload plates. Allotting 10 feet per bar means that each bar will have a three foot space between the ends. This means that there will be no accidents loading and unloading bars. To make it simple you would need 40 feet of uninterrupted wall space for four self contained power areas. The only exception here is that you can have one-and-a half feet at the beginning or end of any row of racks and still have a safe environment.


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1.5 7ft 3ft 7ft 3ft 7ft 3ft 7ft 1.5 ft Bar Bar Bar Bar __ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ __ This diagram shows how a four-rack layout would work on forty foot wall. One-and-a half feet is fine at either end of a run, but three feet is essential between bars. No 35 pound plates- This is a simple money saver. 35’s take up rack space, make your racks unorganized and provide no benefit. You just need 25’s and 10’s. Save your money, don’t buy 35’s. Twice as many 10 pound plates as 25’s, 5’s and 2.5’s- Why you ask? Simple. Many weight combinations will require two ten pound plates on each end of the bar. This is never the case with twenty five pound plates, five pound plates or 2.5 pound plates. Two 10s make a 20, not a 25. As result you always need twice as many 10s as 25’s,5’s or 2.5’s. Compressed and welded dumbbells in 2.5 lb increments or PowerBlock dumbbells- Dumbbells are normally sold in five pound increments. This seems standard. However, a few companies notably Samson Equipment and Sorinex, manufacture their own dumbbells in 2.5 - pound increments. Why is this such a big deal you ask? Custom-manufactured dumbbells in 2.5-pound increments are ideal. Five-pound increments do not allow younger or less-trained athletes to progress at reasonable rates. For example when less-experienced athletes advance from two 15-pound dumbbells to two 20-pound dumbbells, they are progressing from 30 pounds to 40 pounds, an increase of 33 percent. Would you ask a stronger athlete to go from 60-pound dumbbells to 80-pound dumbbells in one week? My experience with Athletes’


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Performance has made me a fan of the PowerBlock and SportBlock systems. Although potentially more expensive than conventional dumbbells PowerBlocks and SportBlocks save space and eliminate the problem of “who’s using the tens?”. With the adjustable dumbbell system every set has the capacity to provide an interchangeable weight. For anyone contemplating outfitting a home gym this is clearly the route to go.

15-, 25-, and 35-pound Olympic Bars—Many young and or female athletes have little or no strength training background and may need lighter bars to begin with. Buy Olympic bars that take Olympic plates. Many companies now stock these new bars. Don’t use conventional bars and one-inch-hole plates. Younger athletes should look like everyone else in the weight room. Why is this important? In the psychology of a strength training facility younger or weaker athletes are often intimidated just by being in the facility. Providing them with equipment that allows them to “fit in” drastically increase enjoyment and compliance. 1.25-pound PlateMates®—If you have only five-pound-increment dumbbells, Plate-Mates are the solution. PlateMates are simply 1.25-pound magnets that allow you to increase a dumbbell’s weight by 2.5 pounds (one PlateMate on each side). Make sure to purchase the proper PlateMates for your style of dumbbell, hexagonal or round. Round PlateMates do not work well on hexagonal dumbbells and could pose a safety hazard 1.25-pound Olympic plates—1.25-pound Olympic plates are not common but can be purchased. The same logic described earlier applies. Moving from 45 pounds to 50 pounds is only a 5-pound jump, but it is also a 10 percent jump. Many female athletes will not be able to make this type of progression. The


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male example again illustrates this point. Ask a male athlete to jump from 300 to 330 on the bench press in one week. This is only a 10 percent jump, but would be impossible for any athlete. The key to designing and equipping a facility is to think about who you are going to train. How many people will use the facility and at what times? You need to look at age, gender and level of experience. You need to design the facility with success in mind. When designing think about multi-purpose, user-friendly equipment and lots of space. Those are the keys. Success is not about fancy equipment but, about facility function. Think of your facility as a factory to produce strength, speed, and power.


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About the Author Michael Boyle has a talent for making complex topics simple. In Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities Boyle simplifies the job of strength and conditioning coach, personal trainer or facility owner. From equipment selection through program design Boyle breaks down complex topics in simple easy to understand and implement pieces. Boyle’s first book Functional Training for Sports has been called “the best book written on the topic” and Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities takes the concepts a step further. Boyle has over twenty years experience in the field of elite athlete preparation with both male and female athletes from every professional league. Boyle is a featured speaker at conferences across the country in the area of strength and conditioning, athlete rehabilitation and personal training. In addition he has produced fourteen instructional videos available through Perform Better at www.performbetter.com. Michael is available for a limited number of speaking engagements each year and can be contacted at [email protected].

Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities 1...Designing Strength Training Programs and...

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