Editors Note: My new site is now at www.just-fly-sports.com Check it out for a wealth of information on jumping higher and running faster, all backed by research and practical experience!
I don't write much online anymore. Maybe it is because I ran out of good ideas, or maybe it is because I feel like these journals are not as well read as I would hope for my current level of professionalism.....but really I don't think either is the case. I think the real matter is I have just gotten comfortable with my job and a bit lazy with the "self promotion" of the blogosphere. Anyhow, I do need to write a bit more, and so....due to the lack of frequency in my posts, I would like to try and put a bit "extra" in for this particular post, in the form of 10 ways to make your training better. Despite the fact that I am in my 14th year of my own training, and my 4th year of training other athletes, I am still learning new things on a fairly regular basis. So, here goes, 10 ways to make your training better in 2010. I mean you only have 2 years now until the world ends, so better make it good! Actually I think what is really going to happen in 2012 is that the Gazelle is going to make a world-wide comeback.
On to the training:
Number 1> Progress your training volume. Basically, if you did 5,000 meters of bounding last year, and lifted 20,000 tonnes of weights, do 6,000 meters this year and lift 22,000 tonnes of weights. It's really that simple. A gradual increase in volume from year to year will produce results. Try to look at old training logs, and just put a small bit of extra volume in from what you did last year, or, try to gradually progress to slightly higher volume in workouts a few months down the road. A nice way to increase your training volume, if you have the time, is to divide up your workouts into AM and PM work. I enjoy doing weight training in the morning and then sprints at night. The day after this I might do upper body weights in the morning and hills at night. It tends to work a lot better than cramming it all into one session.
Number 2> Increase your plyometric and jumping volume. The problem with doing high CNS type work and not a lot else is that your muscle-tendon structure won't really adapt well to the high powered changes that your CNS is making. One thing that I have noticed is that a high volume of bounding, hurdle hops, depth jumps, etc... is that this not only will tune up the CNS and make it more powerful (if you don't overtrain by too much too soon) but it will tune your muscle-tendon structure into a jumping machine. It is by this principle that something like "air alert" could produce at least some results (although it is hell on developing a powerful nervous system). One thing that is a downfall of a lot of weights and little jumping/sprinting is a severe structural hit in terms of spring and elasticity. When you do a lot of jumping or sprinting, you are training your natural body structure to be powerful. Just be careful in terms of building up to high volumes.
Number 3> Work on your core more. You know what, squats/oly's/deadlifts are good for the core....BUT....they come far short of what I would call optimal core development. To develop the core well, try a large volume of trunk flexion, extension and rotational work. You can also take these core routines and link them up into circuits to help with overall fitness. If you want some great core routines, check out Dan Pfaff's general strength DVD. My personal favorite is the "pedestal circuit". A lot of athletes who seem strong can turn into glass when it comes to these types of circuits.
Number 4> Get in killer shape. This seems obvious, but is it really? What is killer shape? Basically, it is this.....if you want to be a great athlete, you should have (in addition to a powerful CNS) a great endocrine/cardio system and low bodyfat levels. How does having a good endocrine/cardio system help the CNS? Well honestly, it probably doesn't much, but it does help your movement tissue become stronger and recover faster. It also is going to lead to lower bodyfat levels, which means a better power to weight ratio. I think a lot of people are just afraid of doing too much work past the 30 second window because it doesn't develop the CNS, but this work is vital to helping overall fitness. An example of this might be running repeated 100-200m sprints, a 10 minute light jog on a cross country course, 50 yard sprints followed by pushups, weight training circuits with 50% 1RM, 20 minutes of sprint drills/jumps in a pool and anything else you can creatively come up with that isn't just straight cardio on a machine.
Number 5> Get some sleep. 8 hours a night. At least. This will most likely be easier if you single and don't have a lot of other committments, but for what it's worth. Sleep=recovery. Oh yeah and while you are at it, try to watch your alcohol consumption and stress levels.
Number 6> Try using some tempo in your strength training routines. A lot of athletes freak out at tempo because, well, its SLOW and sport movement is FAST. Plus, I mean we want to make our strength training specific to sports right? Well, yeah sort of.....but, basically a lot of research has shown that the specificity of weightlifting to actual ballistic movements is like apples and oranges. The muscle-tendon interaction and muscle firing sequence is VERY different between doing squats and jumping for a rebound in basketball....even though the joints involved are similar. Now....I was one myself who really shied away from tempo in training for a long time, but I was forced to use it after a back injury from squatting. Anyways, long story short, I set a standing vertical jump record after only about a month of tempo based squatting movements. I feel like tempo is a great option in training, but I would make sure that there are fast or olympic type movements in the program as well. Here are some example tempos that can spice your training up a bit: 3-0-1, 5-0-1, 2-3-x, 4-0-2. (tempo is read E-I-C, or eccentric, isometric, concentric). Research has been positive when it comes to tempo work, and other benefits of tempo style work is increased muscle cross-sectional gain and hormonal response to training. You will also have a lower chance of injuring yourself.
Number 7> Find a glute-ham machine. Get on the glute-ham machine. Do glute-ham raises. Jump higher/Run faster.
Number 8> Change your sets/reps on olympic lifts. I picked this one up from HPC sport. Instead of doing something like 6x3 or 4x5 for your olympic lifts, try 20x1. Ever since I have switched the set/rep schemes, I have put 20 lbs on my clean in 6 weeks and don't feel like going back to 6x3 any time soon. I use 45 seconds between reps, and about 80% of my 1RM although I go a bit heavier on some of the last sets. Each rep should be all out power, just like plyometrics.
Number 9> Work some hill training into your routine. Especially in the early training months. Hill training, isn't really what I would consider a special form of training any biomotor ability, but blends a lot of them together nicely. It also is a really great stimulus for the posterior chain and hips when it comes to developing sprint speed. Some examples of good hill workouts would be 2x(6x30m) all out with walkdown recovery, or for more of an aerobic effect, 3x(3x100m) with slow jog down recovery.
Number 10> Keep it simple. There is no need to jump way off the training templates that you have found work well for you. There are really only small changes that need to be made in the course of a training program. Back squats to front squats, 2-0-1 tempo to 5-0-x tempo and hurdle hops to depth jumps are examples of small changes that can go a long way.
