Strength Training for young athletes
Some coaches and medical scientists had concerns with resistance training for young people because of the potential damage to long bone growth plates and repetitive soft-tissue injury. However
research supports that whilst this type of training does carry some degree of musculoskeletal injury, there are very few reports of this being the case.
Weight training does enhance muscular function.
For beginners of any age just starting out they would be expected to do some technique training first, which would typically start with a weight-lifting routine twice weekly to develop the basic physical adaptations the body needs to make as we learn to stabilise balance and develop good technique.
A sample session could be the following exercises all at between 10-12 reps x 3 sets with the focus on technical development.
- Squats
- Push press
- Upright rowing
- Dead lift
- Bench press
Ensure the initial weight being lifted in any single lift or pull is less than 20% of the overall body weight of the athlete and for adolescents keep the weight lifted quite low (as little as 10%) until the technique starts to develop. After 5 to 6 weeks expect to slowly increase the weight so that the body has to keep on re-adapting. Whilst also commencing technique development on the other weightlifting lifts and pulls i.e. cleans and clean & jerk, front squat etc.
Developmental pathway
At age 11-13 teach basic exercise techniques with a gradual increase in training volume and emphasis on technique. Introduce new exercises with little or no resistance and start to progress to more advanced and sport-specific resistance exercises.
At age 14-15 continue the process with more advanced and sport-specific resistance exercises.
At age 16 athletes should be ready to move onto an adult program provided they have attained a basic level of training experience. Three training sessions a week are considered optimal for developing maximal gains in power and strength.
Strength Training for experienced adult lifter
Most experienced athletes cycle their weight training into power (legs and pulls) days and strength (upper body) days. For example Monday and Thursday can be power days, and Tuesday and Friday can be strength days.
The first element of a power day should always be a pull. The second element should be legs and the third element abdominals.
On a strength day it is more common to use a grouping strategy. The first strength exercise should be chest and back (can alternate or do separately), the second element ancillary chest/back/shoulder work, and finally the third element should be arms i.e. finish with one biceps and triceps exercise
The following list of exercises are not exhaustive and there are others that can be added to a training routine, however, these are the main exercises used by elite throws athletes. Research also supports that exercise variation for same muscle groups provides for greater increases in strength and power
Power Day
Pulls are the foundation of power training.
- Dead lift use power grip, not reverse grip and ensure head up and back flat hips are fulcrum
- Power Clean lift from the floor again use power grip and ensure head up and back flat
- Hang Clean lower bar so just over knees then pull and clean to chest
- Snatch as hang clean above in standing position but wide grip and for hang snatch lower bar to just below knees
- High pulls as power clean but pulled for height, elite athletes can load bar with extra 30-50lbs
Leg development
- Squats
- Lunges - Bondachuk lunge with barbell between legs, do not put weights down must maintain tension on the lift, likewise cannot do a full extension
- Box steps - Can do with dumb-bells or barbell, ensure back kept straight and do not bend into the exercise. High box step when foot is on box and driving leg (thigh) is parallel with the ground
- Semi-stiff legged dead lift - Learn movement with dumb-bells before moving to barbells. In standing position run dumb-bells down legs to ankles with back kept flat and head up, do not lock the knees on this exercise. Can also do same movement with a bar and keep tight to the legs. Normally done on a box (small) to get a little longer range. Work the hips on the rise
Abdominals
Strength Day
Ancillary exercises
Arm exercises
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