Strength & Power

Athletes lift weights in order to facilitate the ability to move efficiently and to learn to produce the greatest amount of force in the least amount of time. In order to produce truly efficient movement, the athlete must be able to coordinate the rapid activation and deactivation of all muscles involved with a specific muscular action or movement. It is important to remember that our goal in training is to develop strength and power not to simply display it. Choosing optimal weights as opposed to maximal weights is a key step in this process. All lifts must be performed through a full range of motion with proper technique and excellent bar speed. You must train athletically to prepare to perform in athletics.

Traditional strength exercises (Squat, Bench Press, and Barbell Press) and variations of the Olympic lifts (Clean, Snatch, and Jerk) will comprise the bulk of training. You have to lift heavy weights to get strong and the traditional strength exercises allow the athlete to move heavy weight. The constant attempt to accelerate an increasing load is an ideal way to simulate doing battle with an opponent. The explosiveness against an external resistance that is executed during the Olympic lifts is the best way to simulate the violence of sport. The focus and intensity required to properly perform the Olympic lifts and their variations is unmatched in any other form of training. The high technical difficulty of the lifts demand the athletes complete attention and effort. Our training will remain high in intensity (heavy) all year while the volume will vary depending on time of year and sport responsibilities.

Work capacity can and will be trained in the weight room, not just on the field or track. We strive to continually increase the amount of high quality work that can be done in a given time frame. Keeping a high tempo during strength training, very specifically conditions the athletes to produce repeated high intensity, high power efforts. The ability to continually produce high levels of force is a key factor to an athlete’s on field success.

The environment in the weight room must be one of high effort, intensity and excitement. An attitude will be established through training that will carry over onto the playing field. Discipline, hard work and vigor will become permanent traits of the athletes.