The Strength Report: Lower Body Training

by: Ron McKeefery
Asst. Athletic Director, Strength & Conditioning, University of South Florida
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In the last article I discussed the importance of training in both a multiple joint and single joint fashion. Multiple joint movements help to train the body to coordinate several muscle groups synergistically; protect the body from injury; and pre-fatigue muscle so that athletes don’t have to add extra stress by increasing workloads. Single joint movements are used to train the weak link in sport movement and identify muscular imbalances. Both provide necessary feedback to the strength coach to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. The body is divided up into five major areas: Neck, Hips and Legs, Mid Section, Torso and Arms. In this article we will be discussing the Hips and Legs.

Hips and Legs:
Our athletes will make more gains with their lower body training than any other area. I believe this because we train all the major muscles of the lower body in both a multiple joint and single joint fashion. We have found that typically this is not done prior to their arrival on campus. The lower body major muscle groups are: Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, Abductor/Adductor Complex, and Calves.

Multiple Joint Movements:
Most coaches do a great job with utilizing the multiple joint movements for the lower body. Some great examples of these are the Squat and its variations: Dead Lift, Lunge, Step Up, and Leg Press. Each of these provide varying degrees of the amount that they train the major muscle groups of the lower body. But they all do train each of those areas. When deciding which to use, it is important to remember that it is movement you are looking for and not muscle. Therefore they all are multiple joint movements and have the same joint actions. In our weight room we routinely rotate among these exercises to keep variety in our program to prevent plateaus. I have met strength coaches over the years that have said if you can’t squat you might as well go train with the athletic trainers.

One of the most challenging obstacles to working with collegiate athletes is that you very rarely get one that is 100% healthy, especially in-season. Always my question back to those coaches is what happens when you get an incoming freshman that has a bulging disc or may have had a sports hernia? Will you Squat that kid? Or, what happens when they sprain their ankle in week two? I have seen some examples where the coach just lifts them for upper body training and does no lower body training. Our athletes always train. They have a whole other side that can keep training. I would subscribe that the Squat is the most challenging exercise; but if you are following up your multiple joint exercises with single joint exercises for each muscle group you will get more than just preparing the athlete.

Single Joint Movements:
The gluteus maximus is responsible for hip extension. This is key for running, jumping, tackling, etc. This muscle is mostly trained in multiple joint lower body exercises but it is also important to train it independently in a single joint fashion. The two ways we train this exercise are on the Lifefitness 4-way hip with straight leg hip extension and with the Lifefitness Dual Adjustable Pulley by strapping the foot to the cable and performing straight leg hip extension. Both exercises are great for identifying any muscular weakness and imbalances from side to side. By having an underdeveloped glute, you could put more stress on the hamstring which could lead to a hamstring pull.

The hamstring assists with hip extension and performs knee flexion. Both are performed within running mechanics. We perform mostly leg curl variations to train the hamstrings in a single joint fashion. We utilize the Hammer Iso Leg Curl, Seated Leg Curl and Physioball Single Leg Curls. Additionally we utilize a Glute Ham to train both the glutes and the hamstrings.

The quadriceps is one of the more underdeveloped muscle groups. These muscles perform knee extension but also serve to decelerate the lower body. As coaches we have all been witness to injury that has happened when an athlete cannot stop. Typically this is why there is a breakdown in squat technique and you see knees tilting in or out. To train the quads we perform mostly leg extension variations. We will train them bilaterally, isolaterally and combinations of both. We will also perform the eccentric portion of the step up.

The Abductor/Adductor complex often gets missed in workouts that I evaluate. The abductor pulls the leg away from the midline and the adductor brings the leg toward the midline. These are the muscles that are responsible for lateral movement. Take a second and think about all the positions on the football field that require lateral movement. If these muscles are weak for a running back or linebacker, we have problems.

To train the Abductor and Adductor complex we perform abduction/adduction on the Lifefitness 4-way hip; Manual Resistance Abduction/Adduction; and Lateral Lunges and step-ups. You can also use Theraband from your training room and do lateral walks. If you have the room in your facility, there are also companies that make equipment specifically for those two movements. Take a second and evaluate your program to see if you are training the Abductor/Adductor complex. I guarantee if you are not and start, you will see great results with your lateral speed and agility.

From time to time I get questioned why we train the calves. ‘Isn’t that a bodybuilder lift?’ My response is always ‘Where is the guy sitting during the game that has a pulled calf?’ The same place that the guy with a torn hamstring is...the sideline. Our job as strength and conditioning professionals is to keep the athletes on the field. Any type of injury affects performance. We train the calves by performing heel extensions with anything we can get our hands on: barbells, dumbbells, sand bags, etc.

We have had great results with including both multiple joint and single joint exercises in our lower body training. By performing the movements they will encounter on the field and identifying any weakness or muscular imbalances, we are able to address that in our training protocols. I would encourage you to write out as many exercises as you can think of for each of these muscle groups to create templates for you to design your programs with. This will help to make sure no area is missed and you are protecting your athlete from possible injury.

This is the fifth in a series of Strength Report articles written by Coach McKeefery, exclusively for AFM. July’s subject: Neck, Trap & Grip Exercises.

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