The Strength Report: Goals & Principals of a Strength Training Program

by: Ron McKeefery
Asst. Athletic Director, Strength & Conditioning, University of South Florida
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I am often asked about our off season strength and conditioning programs. At the University of South Florida we are very fortunate to have a fully outfitted weight room and five professional strength coaches working with our athletes. What we do at USF is not always available to others. Therefore it is important that I educate coaches so that they may be able to look at their current situation and make the most of it. It is my goal to provide coaches with a sound strength and conditioning program that you may be able to implement into your current situation. Over the next series of articles I will break down our daily training schedule:

I. Static Stretching/Dynamic Warm Up
II. Total Body Movements
III. Multiple Joint Movements
IV. Single Joint Movements
V. Core
VI. Grip
VII. Neck
VIII. Skill Development
IX. Prehab/Rehab

Program Goals: Before designing a strength and conditioning program, it is most important to define what it is you are trying to accomplish. Every team is different and may have different goals. Often coaches will use programs from other places but do not have the same results due to different goals. At South Florida we have five program goals:

1. To maximize the genetic potential in all the components of athleticism.

2. To decrease the risk of injury and enhance the rehab process.

3. To design strength and conditioning programs that are sport, position, and player specific.

4. To be safe in all aspects of our strength and conditioning program.

5. To run a very intense program.

Principles: Over the past five years the amount of strength and conditioning information available has multiplied. There is quite a bit of information available to someone designing a program. Once you have established your goals it is very important to decide what principles you believe in. When asked what our philosophy is, I often reply with “we are principle based and not philosophy based.” Many coaches try to cram different concepts into a set philosophy but the truth is many philosophies agree on certain principles. And most philosophies have good aspects. Strength coaches often get into heated discussions on what philosophy is best. By establishing principles I eliminate having arguments about philosophies. At USF we have 10 principles:

1. Overload - For a muscle to have an adaptative response it must be stressed with a load that is beyond its current capacity.

2. Progression - Once a muscle has been subjected to a response that creates the need for a new adaptation, there must be a progression. This may occur by increasing the weight, reps or distance. Additionally, you can decrease the rest interval.

3. Balanced Development - Total body development is essential for a football player. We tell our players that every time they walk across the sideline they expose their entire body to injury. Therefore we must train and condition the entire body. There are five major segments of the body:

A. Neck
1. Flexors
2. Extensors
3. Lateral Flexors
4. Traps

B. Hips & Legs
1. Glutes
2. Quadriceps
3. Hamstrings
4. Abductors/Adductors
5. Calves

C. Mid Section
1. Rectus Abdominals
2. Transverse Abdominals
3. Internal/External Oblique
4. Erector Spinae

D. Torso
1. Upper Back/Lats
2. Pectorals
3. Deltoids

E. Arm
1. Triceps
2. Biceps
3. Hands & Forearms

Exercises for each of these segments are classified into two different categories: Multi-Joint exercises and Isolation exercises. A multi-joint exercise (ex. Leg Press or Squat) involves more than one joint and incorporates more than one muscle group. An isolation exercise (e.g. Leg Extension or Bicep Curl) isolates a muscle group or an area of the body. The muscle group executing the exercise is forced to perform all the work. Both types of exercises are incorporated to ensure total body development.

4. Perfect Technique - The foundation of all strength and conditioning programs is the repetition. It's how you perform each rep that stimulates gains. There are two phases to a repetition: the raising (positive or concentric muscle action) and the lowering (negative or eccentric muscle action). The weight must be lifted in a deliberate and controlled manner that forces the muscle to do the work. Research has stated that the optimal cadence for a concentric muscle action should be 1-2 seconds with a brief pause at the fully contracted position, followed by a 3-4 second cadence for the eccentric muscle action. Our program is based on time under tension principles. It is not based on a certain number of sets or repetitions. There are no magic formulas for set/rep schemes that create muscle overload. It is the amount of time a muscle is exposed to an exercise and the intensity of the exercise. Research has stated that to produce the best results a muscle must be exposed for 90-120 seconds for Hips/Glutes; 60-90 seconds for the lower body; and 40-70 seconds for the upper torso.

5. Reversibility - Training, if terminated for a sufficient period of time (i.e. more than 96 hours), will cause the body to begin to return to its previous level of strength. If this termination of weight training or conditioning is lengthy (i.e. weeks), the athlete will gradually lose strength until he/she reaches his pre-training level. Muscle is ‘Use it or Lose it.’ Training must be year round. There is no such thing as saving yourself for a big game or being trained enough.

6. Specificity - States that you are doing the exact skill or not at all.

7. Supervision - Accountability is critical in successful strength and conditioning programs.

8. Periodization - Planned, variegated training program where changes are made to ensure long term development.

9. Evaluation - Gives you a measuring tool to see if your program is working. Often times coaches will compare athletes to other similar athletes. We have the motto that we don't compare, we prepare.

10. Variety - Variety will make your workouts more challenging and enjoyable. It will help to prevent monotony and over training. Types of variety include:

A. Different modalities.
B. Different workouts.
C. Change the order of the exercise.
D. Change the execution of the exercise
– isolaterally or bilaterally.
E. Overload protocols.
F. Workout finishers.

This is the first in a series of Strength Report articles written by Coach McKeefery, exclusively for AFM. February’s subject: Static Stretching/ Dynamic Warm Up.

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