Complete Coach

Using mental muscle takes the load off weight room decisions
by: Rod Smith
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WHETHER YOU'RE ENJOYING THE WARMTH OF southern California or you're in the snowbound regions of the Northeast, most football programs across the nation have one thing in common this time of year: all are in the throes of off-season conditioning.

Since next month's issue of American Football Monthly will be dedicated entirely to strength and conditioning, we decided to kick off discussion of the weighty issue by offering some advice for selecting and maintaining equipment and addressing the age-old debate of free weights vs. machines.

WEIGHTY FUNDAMENTALS

Whether you're a first-year coach or a veteran, you probably understand and preach the importance of off-season conditioning. Truth is there is no better time for players to improve size, strength and speed. Moreover, proper strength training - whether during the off-season or during the season - can lessen the chance of injury and enhance performance. Players will also improve their flexibility, increase their lean body mass and increase their confidence.

According to Fred Cantor, strength and conditioning coordinator at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, there is much debate among coaches about what constitutes a successful weight program. Some believe that players benefit more from free weights or plate-loaded machines. Others, however, contend that using ballistic movements such as Olympic lifts will result in more dramatic muscle gains as well as increased explosiveness.

But whatever system you favor, Cantor says every strength and conditioning program must include the following three components to be successful:

1. Intensity. This is benchmark of how hard an athlete is working. If can be a percentage of a maximum.

2. Overload. This means doing something more, such as adding sets, repetitions or weight or decreasing recovery time between sets.

3. Progression. Showing consistent improvement in an exercise. The criteria used to measure this variable must remain the same.

"Strength training is simple - no not the training itself, which needs to be brutally hard - but the principles behind the training," says Cantor, who has worked with high school, collegiate and professional football players. "If you don't have (intensity, overload, and progression), no philosophy, no equipment, no methodology, and no supplement will make the program effective. The flip side, of course, is that if there is progression, overload, and intensity, every program will get good results."

To ensure that your strength and conditioning program has intensity, overload and progression, it must be designed correctly.

Cantor, who believes there are no secrets for weightroom success, offers six questions that coaches can ask themselves when designing a conditioning program:

1. Is the program safe? According to Cantor, this should be the No. 1 priority. Teaching proper form and technique as well as keeping the weight room clean can help ensure safety.

2. Is it effective? When your athletes show the desired results, then the program is effective.

3. Is it efficient? Your goal should be to get as much work done in as short amount of time as possible. Work hard and short, not long and easy, Cantor says.

4. Is it practical? Take into consideration the equipment you have, the number of athletes using the facility, and the size of the room. Can you get through the workout in the time allotted?

5. Is it purposeful? Don't waste any sets or repetitions. All lifts, sets and reps should improve the strength and endurance of the athlete.

6. Is it balanced? Most injuries occur as a result of an imbalance of muscular strength. Every exercise should be complemented with an exercise that works a muscle's counterpart. For example, leg curls should be combined with leg extensions and lateral pull downs should be done with the shoulder press.

Cantor insists that there is no place for "being comfortable" in the weight room. If a player is comfortable then he must not be pushing himself to his physical limits, he says. Other keys to weight room success include choosing functional, productive exercises, performing "perfect repetitions with maximum effort," and reducing the duration and frequency of workouts as the intensity increases.

CHOOSING EQUIPMENT

Selecting the right equipment is a key ingredient in a strength and conditioning recipe. Budget, price, quality, design and performance are all aspects you will need to consider whether equipping a new weight room or simply upgrading your current facility.

John Yager, of Pro Maxima Manufacturing, says coaches should consider how much room they have available, how many athletes will be using the facility and decide exactly what they want to accomplish. Before selecting equipment, coaches should ask themselves three basic question: How big is the area? What teams will be using the weight room? What do I want the athletes to achieve?

Once coaches answer those questions, equipment manufacturers will be better able to help them buy what they need. Yager says reputable manufacturers will advise coaches about each step of the process, supplying drawings detailing prospective layouts of the facility, providing warranties with maintenance coverage, and standing behind their products with product liability insurance.

"You don't really want to cut corners," Yager says. "If you spend the money and look for a direct manufacturer who sells factory-direct to the school market, you can find full-grade commercial equipment at wholesale prices. And you won't have to be replacing the equipment every one to two years."

Unlike new uniforms, coaches can purchase weight room equipment year-round. There are no high or low turn-around times or in-stock or out-of-stock hassles.

However, John Omohundro Jr., of Samson Equipment, warns coaches to allow six to eight weeks any equipment order. "Most of the time, orders can be filled before this, but you would like to make sure," Omohundro says. "Don't wait until the last minute to place your order."

But timing and space limitations are the easy part. With all the different equipment and companies to choose from, selecting weight room equipment can be a daunting task for any coach. Be sure the equipment you buy is high quality, low maintenance and is backed by a manufacturer's warranty.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

To ensure quality, make sure the company you are purchasing from is also the manufacturer of the equipment, Pro Maxima's Yager suggests. Find out how long the company has been in business. Generally, the longer, the better. If you are setting up an entire weight room, get the names of similar-sized schools who have purchased equipment from the company and call them to ask whether they are satisified with the equipment.

But don't just take someone else's word for it. Coaches must "educate themselves on the different degrees of quality," says Omohundro. For example, coaches should know about such things as steel gauge thickness, padding thickness and density, upholstery weight, and the quality of wood on Olympic platforms. Variables in materials are often what accounts for differences in quality and therefore price.

Pro Maxima's Yager says equipment constructed of 11-gauge steel is the most durable. Weight stacks on machines should be made of solid steel, not cast iron, he says. Solid steel won't crack from excessive banging. Also the weight stacks should sit on solid rubber. Rubber stoppers are not only easier to replace but won't compress over time like springs. Finally, for machines with guide rods, look for one-inch thick, solid steel, chrome-plated rods. This will ensure that they won't bend.

When purchasing machines with special cables, belts, pulleys, bearings or other parts, ask the manufacturer whether other companies use similar systems. If the company you purchase the equipment from goes out of business, you'll need to know whether you'll be able to repair a machine if an odd part breaks.

Finally, Samson's Omohundro encourages coaches to compare specs between companies and request samples of steel, bearings, padding, and upholstery so they can actually see what they are considering buying.

"I think you're doing yourself a disservice when you say,
'I'm free weights only and that's a machine,
so I'm not willing to take a look at that,' or vice versa."

KEEPING UP WITH THE UPKEEP

Like any product made up of more than one component, weight machines are only as durable and reliable as the sum of their parts. To keep them working properly, you will need to do regular maintenance.

Machines with cables, belts, and other movable parts should be checked periodically for signs of wear. If the nylon coating on cables shows any wear, replace the cables. Make sure belts are fastened tightly. On machines with guide rods, do not use oil or grease as a lubricant. Instead use a dry lubricant silicone. It dries automatically leaving a smooth surface, while oil or grease causes dirt and dust to build up which creates a dragging, jerky motion.

Remember that welded joints are stronger than bolted ones. But also keep in mind where the equipment is going or how it will have to be moved.

PROTECTING YOURSELF

Like other sports activities, there is the potential for injury when lifting weights. As a coach you should do everything you can to ensure that your facility and equipment is maintained properly and is as safe as possible. But even then, accidents happen. That's why Pro Maxima's Yager believes it is important to purchase equipment from companies that offer their customers product liability insurance.

While it's hard to say how much insurance is enough, the worst case scenario is when an injured athlete sues the school, and the school has to pay a huge settlement because it purchased equipment from a company that didn't provide sufficient liability insurance.

KEEPING THINGS INTERESTING

A weightroom that is versatile will not only keep athletes from wasting valuable lifting time but also keep them from becoming bored. Omohundro says creating stations where athletes can incorporate a number of different exercises in one area will improve the versatility of your strength facility.

"Power racks can be mounted on Olympic lifting platforms with benches and allow athletes to take care of core exercises in one area," Omohundro says. "It saves space in the room as well. You don't have to set aside space for bench, shoulder press, incline press and Olympic platforms."

THE BIG DEBATE

Perhaps one of the longest running philosophical debates among weight room experts centers on free weights vs. machines. Which is

better? Do you need both? Can you get similar results from either method? Preferences for one over the other can often be traced to a coach's weight room philosophy. In other cases, though, it's simply a matter of preference.

Michigan State's Ken Mannie describes himself as "down the middle." In his 26 years in the strength and conditioning field, Mannie says he has encountered many coaches who tend to dwell on the negatives of one method or the other instead of focusing on the advantages of both.

"Strength training is for the long haul," says Mannie, who estimates Michigan State's weight room is about 40 percent free weight and 60 percent machine or plate-loaded equipment. "I think you have to be open-minded because there is so much good equipment out there. And I think you're doing yourself a disservice when you say, 'I'm free weights only and that's a machine, so I'm not willing to take a look at that,' or vice versa."

Mannie uses both free weight and machine exercises to build the most comprehensive program he can. For him, the variety is more important than the means.

According to Mannie, free weights force the athlete to balance and control the weight through the entire range of motion. Because there are no rods, levers or cams to guide the weight, the athlete's movement requires muscles other than the target muscles to be used "synergistically." While the exact rate and involvement of the synergistic muscles is open for debate, the extra muscle recruitment during free weight lifting is mandatory for balance and control, especially during multi-joint exercises. Another advantage of free weights is the inherent diversity of activity. While machines are generally designed to perform one specific activity, dumbbells and other free weights allow athletes to perform a variety of exercises without switching stations or wasting valuable time.

Finally, one advantage of free weights is price. Generally speaking, free weights are less expensive, and require less maintenance or upkeep than machines.

"High school coaches who have a limited budget and are looking to purchase a lot of equipment - get more bang for their buck, so to speak - are probably going to be able to buy more free weight type

equipment such as barbells, dumbbells, the benches and squat racks or multi-purpose racks that go along with them," Mannie says.

Meanwhile, using machines allows athletes to "target specific muscles in an intense manner with resistance that adjusts to the athletes' needs along the strength curve."

In other words, machines help work the entire range of motion - equally. They can also help athletes isolate weak areas. This reversing of the synergistic effect of free weights forces athletes to develop, instead of neglect, weaker muscle groups. For certain lifts such as leg extensions and leg curls, machines are absolute necessities. For others, such as neck exercises, they simply provide more efficient resistance than the alternative which is manual resistance or some type of harness apparatus.

Finally, when dealing with injuries or rehabilitation, machines can provide athletes with alternative exercises so they won't have to sit out all or part of a workout. In the case of rehab, machines provide a reliable means of measuring and documenting recovery levels.

"You have to accommodate different situations that arise during the course of the year," Mannie says, "especially during the season when guys get nicked up. You must have alternatives."

A well-designed strength facility, an open-minded and indepth strength training philosophy, and hard-working athletes are three elements of a successful strength and conditioning program. When properly combined, everyone benefits.

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