This article was provided by Training & Conditioning

Volleyball players need to be able to jump with explosive power. One of the best ways to make this happen is by incorporating plyometric exercises into your training. The following exercises require only basic equipment but can lead to serious results.

When incorporating plyometrics into your training, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. According to RJ Anderson of Sports Fitness Advisor, explosive power is a function of both strength and speed of muscular contraction. Performing these movements will help volleyball players condition their neuromuscular system to apply a greater level of force in a shorter period of time. However, athletes will first need to build up basic strength if these exercises are going to be effective.

Anderson recommends doing two plyometric sessions per week, which is perfectly adequate to build the desired strength and power. This type of training can put a lot of stress on the body, so it’s important to not go overboard. Anderson also suggests incorporating these exercises during the mid to late preseason so that athletes can spend the early preseason building up the necessary base of strength. The goal is for the exercises to be done with maximal effort and high quality explosive movements, which means that if the weight is too heavy or the athletes are too fatigued it’s time to make the necessary adjustments.

Depth Jumps:

Stand on a plyo box with your toes close to the edge. Step off the box, land on both feet, and immediately jump straight up and reach with both hands towards the sky. Landings should be soft and you should explode into the jump as quickly as possible.

Over the Back Toss:

With a medicine in your hands, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, while a partner stands about 10-15 yards behind you. Lower your body into a semi-squat position, explode up, and throw the ball up and over your head. The goal is to the throw the ball as far as possible while generating power through the legs. Your partner will then bounce the ball back to you so you can toss it again.

Lateral High Hops:

Stand to the right of the box and put your left foot on top of the box. Then push off the box using your left leg and explode vertically as high as possible, driving your arms forward and up to achieve maximum height. Land on the box with your opposite foot and repeat with the other foot on the other side.

Squat Throws From Chest:

Start with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. While holding a medicine ball at chest level, squat down to a parallel position. Then explode up as quickly as possible and jump as high as you can, throwing the medicine ball up as you start your jump. Instead of catching the ball, let it bounce away from you and then pick it up and repeat.

Single Arm Throws:

While standing with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, place you hand under a medicine ball and lower your body into a semi-squat position. Explode up and extend the entire body as you throw the medicine ball into the air. Try to throw it as high as possible while generating power through the legs.

Hurdle Jumps:

Start in a semi-squat position with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Drive your arms up and jump over the hurdle, landing softly and quickly jumping over the next hurdle.

Wall Throws:

While facing a wall, stand with either one foot in front or with feet together and knees slightly bent. With both hands, lift the medicine ball back behind your head and forcefully throw it as far as possible into the wall. Catch the ball on the bounce and repeat.

Lateral Barrier Jumps:

Place a barrier next to you (i.e. a hurdle or small box) and stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart with right side of body facing the barrier. Then use both feet to hop to the right over the barrier and quickly jump back to the starting point.

This post was provided by Training-Conditioning

By Brad Schmidt,

Brad Schmidt, MS, CSCS, USAW, is Associate Head Coach for Athletic Performance at Creighton University, working with the volleyball, women’s basketball, and baseball teams. He can be reached at: [email protected]

A lot has changed for Creighton University volleyball since my arrival in January of 2012. We moved from the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) to the Big East Conference, doubled the size of our weightroom to 6,000 square feet, and made the program’s first Elite Eight appearance.

The catalyst for this success was the 2012 offseason. We had a talented team, but the players needed to significantly improve their maximal strength and power outputs. In addition, Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth’s number one priority was keeping the squad healthy. Taking these factors into account, we implemented a simple, linear model of periodization where we pushed the athletes to improve their work capacities, power production, and overall strength. As a result, the team went 29-4 that fall, won the MVC, and defeated Marquette University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Those accomplishments set the foundation for my relationship with Coach Booth and her staff. They also formed the basis for our strength and conditioning mindset and standards that continue to this day.

For example, in January of 2016, the team’s seniors and I set a goal of focusing on resilience for the upcoming offseason. We wanted to push the players to their limits&emdash;if not beyond&emdash;and see if they were capable of bouncing back.

It worked. By Thanksgiving, we had completed an undefeated conference slate. And by Dec. 9, we had won NCAA Tournament matches against the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Kansas, and the University of Michigan to claim our first spot in the Elite Eight. So yes, many things have changed for Creighton volleyball since 2012. But we still attack every offseason with the same mindset and standards that were established that first year.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Our offseasons begin with an annual meeting of the volleyball coaching and performance staffs, where we discuss our goals, practice schedules, and training intensities for the months to come. We have agreed to emphasize strength and conditioning from January to February and again in June and July. During March and April, we focus more on volleyball skills. Defining this framework lets me know when I can push the athletes and when I need to respect the work they’re doing on the court. It also helps limit injuries and avoid burnout.

From there, we shape the offseason according to our philosophy, which is simple: assess and address the needs of our current roster. We don’t focus on past programs or previous goals. Instead, we look to improve the hand we’ve been dealt.

Often, this requires incorporating many different strategies from my strength coach’s toolbox. There are countless training tactics out there, and I don’t hesitate to try new ones if I think they will help us reach our goals.

For instance, a simple, linear-style periodization model was successful in improving players’ max strength and power outputs in 2012. But in 2013, we introduced Tendo units and spent a few weeks on speed-strength. In the years since, we’ve experimented with velocity-based training (VBT) and EliteForm in a concurrent program with max strength because that’s what the team needed.

FOUNDATION OF STRENGTH

That leads us to our current offseason strength and conditioning program. Starting in the winter months, we lift four days per week.

In January, we focus on recovering from any lingering injuries that occurred in the fall, enhancing power production, and reintroducing and improving our foundational movements. These consist of Olympic lifts and their variants, including cleans, clean pulls, snatches, snatch pulls, trap bar dead lifts, front squats, and back squats, as well as a variety of push-ups, Turkish get-ups, and pulling variations. We use these exercises because they significantly improve power output, and, more specifically, vertical jump. Meanwhile, the pushing and pulling movements contribute to scapular stabilization, scapulo-thoracic rhythm, and the balancing of posterior upper-body strength.

At this early stage in the offseason, we keep most of the exercises simple and bilateral, emphasizing the eccentric and isometric portions of the lifts to improve body control and joint stability. This creates a foundation of strength that will directly contribute to our later success.

As February arrives, we increase our working intensities and shift our focus to maximal strength. Over the years, we have utilized a variety of methods during this phase. In 2016, we went with Autoregulating Progressive Resistance Exercise (APRE), a time-efficient and proven method to improve maximal strength. To implement APRE, I used the EliteForm system to set a velocity standard that called for submaximal effort in every third set, and I adjusted the velocity standard on every fourth set to provide for near-maximal effort. These velocity standards ensured that we would train maximal strength at a lower working volume.

We used APRE for trap bar dead lift or back squat, depending on each athlete’s femur length. Players with longer femurs performed APRE with the trap bar dead lift. These athletes tend to have a greater forward lean when completing the back squat, which can increase stress on the spine, but they usually don’t encounter this problem when doing dead lifts. Shorter-femur athletes used the back squat.

Following spring break, we switch to three days of lifting per week. This is also when we have a short spring mini-season, so we use a hybrid offseason/in-season program to accommodate the increase in on-court time.

In 2016, we used this phase to experiment with testing athletes’ power outputs on hang clean, hang clean pull, front squat, and/or trap bar dead lift via EliteForm, with loads ranging from 50 to 90 percent. We then looked at the data to determine where each player was peaking in each lift. Based on these results, we used different wave periodization protocols over the next five weeks (mid-March through April) to assign loads for lifts.

Most of our players spend the month of May at home training on their own. During these four weeks, they focus on the bilateral exercises from our January training, incorporating high volumes and low intensities. These simple movements are assigned at this stage because the players typically train without supervision at home, and it’s important that they can perform the exercises correctly. Core stability work is scheduled, as well, to give athletes a break from the rotation and flexion/extension work that occurs during the spring mini-season.

After Memorial Day, most players return to campus, and we increase to four days of lifting per week. Our defensive specialists/liberos also began performing APRE with bench press at this stage. These players spend a lot of time diving for the ball, and the additional muscle mass developed by bench pressing creates a shield for their body every time they hit the floor.

Middles, hitters, and right sides spend plenty of time during practice producing anterior movements with their upper body, so we avoid bench press with these players during June. Instead, they do variations of landmine presses. They do not use APRE with this exercise so we can more closely regulate their overhead pressing volume.

July, our final month of offseason training, focuses on maximizing power output with our primary strength movements and utilizing VBT with our Olympic lifts. The goal at this time is to progress from strength-speed to speed-strength parameters to more closely mimic the velocity of volleyball.

FULL SPEED AHEAD

Our offseason training is about more than just lifting, however. Beyond our weightroom work, we have a detailed agility, conditioning, and plyometrics program.

From January through early March, we spend two days per week on agility and plyometrics and two other days on conditioning. Following spring break, we eliminate plyometrics to avoid overuse injuries and drop to one day each of agility and conditioning. But in the summer, we return to two days of plyometrics and agility and two days of conditioning.

When training agility, we take a motor-control approach. This means that athletes begin by practicing their first step with a variety of movements&emdash;back drop, side step, sprint step, and so on. We encourage them to be conscious in their approach and finish in a position where they can easily transition into another movement. Then, we add steps and transitions to these progressions.

After footwork exercises, we integrate agility drills that encompass a variety of our practiced movements. One of my favorites is the funnel drill, which requires three pairs of cones. The first pair is placed approximately six to eight yards apart, the next pair is four to six yards apart, and the final pair is two to four yards apart. There is about five yards between each pair of cones.

To complete the drill, the players sprint between the first pair of cones, focusing on quick acceleration and immediate deceleration. They then move to the second and third pairs, incorporating different movement patterns at each one, such as a back drop between the first and second pair.

The funnel drill replicates the positioning and footwork that takes place on the court. When performing it, I encourage front-line players to imagine running at the net and then retreating. For back-line players, I have them think about the different reads they may see on each ball and how their movements would have to change accordingly.

By the summer, our agility work progresses to three-line drills focusing on acceleration/deceleration transitions and side-step transitions. We also use the zigzag drill and funnel drill to work on the integration of movement patterns and transition steps.

In July, we integrate auditory and visual cues in agility work to train reaction. The goal is to make our agility drills mimic what players will encounter on the court.

As for our conditioning work, we start broad and gradually get more specific to volleyball. Beginning in January, we perform High Intensity Continuous Training (HICT) and sprints of 60 yards or more. These methods allow us to improve athletes’ aerobic systems without compromising their fast-twitch muscle fibers. When completing HICT, we use resistance bands to do forward marches, back drops, and shuffles. We perform each movement for a specific amount of time and use active rest periods to maintain a heart rate between 150 to 160 beats per minute. With the sprints, we use a 1:5 or 1:6 work-to-rest ratio.

For February and March, we use a variety of methods to stress the athletes’ lactic systems. The greater their lactic threshold, the longer they can compete without feeling a significant amount of peripheral fatigue. This allows them to perform at higher levels for a greater period of time.

One example of this strategy in action is our Lactic Power Intervals (LPI), a series of short shuttles that contain specific movements (i.e., sprint, backpedal, and shuffle). The goal is for our athletes to perform as much work as possible in a set amount of time. The work period starts at 20 seconds and progresses to 40 seconds, with one to three minutes of rest between reps.

As we approach our spring season in late March and April, we include one day of alactic conditioning per week by focusing on Alactic Power Intervals (API). These help to increase power output for fast-twitch muscle fibers, which improves a variety of volleyball-specific skills. Each API requires athletes to perform five repetitions of resisted sprints for approximately 30 yards each. I use the term “approximately” because the goal is to perform each sprint in seven to 10 seconds, and we vary the distance based on the goal time assigned for that week.

During May, the players perform tempo runs and non-impact conditioning on their own. When they return to campus in June, we resume LPIs and add circuits for aerobic explosive repeats that include squat jumps, med ball slams, and push-up sprints. We begin by performing at a work-to-rest ratio of 1:5 and progress to 1:3.

In July, we shift our conditioning focus to lactic explosive repeats using a similar circuit style as our aerobic explosive repeats. However, our work-to-rest ratio changes to 1:1 and, eventually, 3:1. We also focus on alactic intervals using 60-yard shuttles that incorporate cutting.

Like our conditioning, offseason plyometric work progresses from general to sport specific. In January, we begin with simple movements such as counter jump holds, single-leg linear/lateral hurdle hops with squat touches, pogo hops, and the like. We increase volume over the month to prepare for higher intensities in February. Then in March and April, we skip plyos due to the increased jumping volume players experience on the court.

When the athletes go home in May, we reintroduce the plyo exercises that we started with in January. Once on campus again in June, the athletes perform linear and lateral variations of pogo hops and hurdle hops, focusing on minimal ground contact time and dorsiflexion of the ankle. In addition, we perform standing long jumps, two hurdle reaction jumps, lateral bounds with squat touches, VertiMax counter jumps, and box drop counter holds.

Finally, in July, we increase the reactive portion of our plyometrics. This entails VertiMax response jumps, depth jumps, and standing long jumps with vertical jumps.

COMPETITIVE FIRE

Beyond standard lifting and conditioning work, I like to incorporate some fun, competitive elements into our offseason. This started in the spring of 2014, when the coaching staff and I decided to include daily contests to increase the players’ competitiveness and ability to push through challenges.

Every January, I meet with our seniors, and we divide the roster into two squads that battle for the title of “Offseason Champions.” We have a competition each day, and the winner is awarded points. At the end of the offseason, players on the winning team receive T-shirts.

The events on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays involve lifting, plyos, agility work, or conditioning drills. On Fridays, the activity is always something outside of the box. For example, we’ve played dodgeball, knockout, foam roller bowling, and Quidditch, and we’ve also incorporated reading and drawing competitions.

In tandem with our Offseason Champions initiative, we hold a “Queen of the Week” contest. We bestow this honor on the player who demonstrates effort, leadership, and intensity during workouts that week. She is awarded a tiara, which she is required to wear during warm-ups, and 10 points for her team.

After previously selecting the Queen of the Week myself, we now have the athletes vote anonymously for the winner. Allowing them this task has shown me how much they recognize the hard work put forth by their teammates. For instance, we had 12 players on our roster in 2016, and the Queen typically received eight to 10 votes each week. It was clear that the team knew who was working at the highest level.

Another new twist is that the Queen now gets to decide the weightroom attire on Fridays. This has resulted in many interesting themed dress-up days, including “American Friday,” “Ninja Friday,” “Disney Friday,” “Flannel Friday,” and many others.

Going hand in hand with our Offseason Champions and Queen of the Week initiatives is another activity that we introduced in 2014 when Coach Booth felt we needed to improve the team’s aggressiveness and mental toughness. As a result, we decided to institute one day per offseason where the players’ primary goal was to “survive and thrive.” From this, our “Death Day” was born.

Death Day consists of a number of physically demanding exercises or conditioning drills that push the athletes to their limits. We work it into the Offseason Champions competition and award points to the best team, individual, and leader.

The exercises for Death Day are usually formatted in a circuit, including battle ropes, weighted shuttle runs, push-up holds, and farmer’s walks. The circuits have three to six rounds. Following each round, we perform some type of “finisher.” Through the years, these have included towel pushes, army crawls, court suicides, and burpee waterfalls, but one of my favorites is the weighted wall sit competition. For this activity, each team selects a player to perform a 90-degree wall sit for maximal time. We add a 45-pound plate to the players’ laps every minute, up to a five-plate max. At that point, it comes down to who quits first.

I’m always amazed by the comments from the athletes following Death Day. They usually go like this: “That was awful, but I can’t believe how incredible I felt after,” or “I did way more than I thought I was capable of, and I never knew I had that in me.” I didn’t foresee these results back in 2014, but the team begs for Death Day every year now. It’s taken on its own identity, and many of our players see it as an offseason rite of passage.

The key to getting results when implementing these types of competitive activities is maintaining the line between having fun and losing control. Our players take pride in knowing when it’s time to work, and I ensure that they understand when it’s okay to have fun (i.e., playing dodgeball) and when they must be focused (i.e., APRE back squat).

Overall, the daily competitions are a big hit with the team and break up the monotony of lifting multiple times a week for months. In addition, they improve team culture. As we progress through the contests, players take ownership of their performances. This translates to the court and creates an understanding that they will only be as successful as they are willing to push themselves.

Our competitive efforts have also improved athletes’ focus and intensity in the weightroom. When they show up for training, all they want to talk about is the competition for the day and who is going to beat who. Their attitudes have changed from “Get in and get out!” to “How can I be my best today?”

During the offseason, we continually strive to learn and push our student-athletes forward. An offseason program will never guarantee a conference championship or an Elite Eight appearance. However, it’s a vital part of the road that can get us there.

SUMMER STRENGTH

Here’s an example of a June offseason workout for a Creighton University volleyball libero/defensive specialist.

AGILITY (Two rounds)

Base position x2 with shift

Base position and shuffle step x2 per side with shift

Base position and back step x2 per side with shift

Base position and sprint step x2 per side with shift

Base position and crossover x2 per side with shift

Integration with partner x2 (1 react, 1 lead)

PLYOS (Two rounds)

Pogo hops: Linear/lateral x 10 (linear) + 5 (lateral)

Standing long jump with stick: x3

Two-leg hurdles: Forward/backward and right/left x10 contacts each

Lateral bounds with squat touch: x4 per leg

LIFT

1A. Clean (from floor): Warm-up set of 5 at 55% of 1RM

2×8 (4 clusters of 2 reps) at 65% of 1RM (15-second rest between clusters)

1B. Pec minor release with lacrosse ball: 3×20 seconds per side

2A. Barbell Bulgarian squat: 4×6 per leg at 60/70/80/80% of 1RM

2B. Dumbbell dead-stop row: 4×5 per arm, self-selected load

3A. Dumbbell farmer’s walk: 3×15 yards and back, self-selected load

3B. Single-leg squat: 3×5 per leg with bodyweight, weighted vest, or dumbbells

This article was provided by Training-Conditioning

By Dr. Erin Hassler, DAT, MS, ATC, LAT, PES

Athletes, coaches, parents and fans want thee winning edge. Well, as athletic trainers, we can be that edge. The level of care that we are able to provide for our athletes and patients, can be the difference in the next touchdown, buzzer beater or first place medal. In order to provide this care, athletic trainers must stay abreast of the latest information and current standards in healthcare.

One of the things that makes athletic training so unique is the ability to develop your own approach to an injury. Let’s take a lateral ankle sprain for example. Athletic trainer “A” may choose to apply pre-wrap, while Athletic Trainer “B” applies the tape to bare skin. AT “A” may choose to apply the figure-8 first, while AT “B” opts for the stirrups and horseshoes first. Both clinicians provide a reliable form of protection and support to the ankle, but is one better than the other?

ankle injuryHow many of us are asked questions like this in our everyday lives? Last week at my son’s basketball game, another player sustained a lateral ankle sprain. Because you know who always has a fully stocked kit and table in the “mommy wagon”, and I am an awful spectator, of course I performed a quick evaluation and taped this player. It was then that he told me that this was a reinjury.

After the game, I gave the care instructions to the parents. I recommended that the ankle needed to be protected and supported by ankle tape or bracing for at least the rest of the season. From the crowd of surrounding parents came a load of comments and suggestions on care like:

• “Soak it in Epsom salt.”

• “Don’t walk on it.”

• “Make sure to ice it.”

• “Braces make your ankles weak.”

Enough! I was reminded at this point how athletic trainers are sorely missed at the youth sports level. The opportunity to change the trajectory of these athletes and keep them healthy by educating them and their parents is wide open. So I’ll get the ball rolling.

Here are Doc’s 5 Tips on ankle injury care and prevention for youth athletes:

Prepare – Do your homework. No matter whose name is on the shoe, injury prevention is no guarantee. Most athletic shoes are mass produced and designed to fit a wide range of people. It is important to know what shoe is appropriate for what sport. For example, using a running shoe in a court sport is not wise. It places the foot in a less stable position when landing from a jump. Does the athlete pronate or have a narrow foot? An off the shelf orthotic or heel cup may lend some stability to things.

Protect, protect, protect – By ensuring that an ankle is taped or braced in high impact sports, the severity of injury is reduced. One of the great debates is whether this weakens the ankles or not. Regardless of varying opinions on the matter, I recommend that an injured ankle be taped or braced during athletic activity until full strength has returned. Ligaments are generally slow to heal and the athlete may need to play with tape or bracing the entire season. The opportunity to be taped properly prior to a youth competition may be difficult based on access to the properly trained professionals. In the interim, ankle braces a reasonable alternative. One of the benefits is that the braces can be applied whenever and wherever, no professional required.

R.C.E. – No, it’s not a typo. The acronym R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression and elevation) has been used to manage acute injuries. Recently in my clinical practice, I have relied less heavily on the application of ice. While ice is useful for the reduction of pain, I have found that many my athletes and patients respond and recover more quickly with early active rest, compression and elevation without ice application. The goal for me is to keep the body’s natural inflammatory process going and allow the blood flow to continue carrying the healing agents to the injury. Lowering the temperature at the site can slow this process.

Put in the work – The mobility of the ankle and power that can be generated at the joint is dependent upon the development and training of the surrounding tissues. This can be accomplished by incorporating flexibility, balance and strength rehabilitative exercises into a training regimen.

Advocate – Properly credentialed athletic trainers can be the difference in not only the outcome of a competition but the outcome of the athletes. By requesting that athletic trainers be employed for youth sporting events, injury prevention and safe competition become more of a priority and not an afterthought.

Dr. Erin Hassler has almost 2 decades of hands-on experience at multiple levels of Sports Medicine and Sports Performance Enhancement. Credentials include but are not limited to: Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers, Board of Certification and National Academy of Sports Medicine Performance Enhancement Specialist.

Twitter: @drhassler

Facebook: @drerinhassler

Instagram: @drerinhassler

This post was provided by Training-Conditioning

For most sports, enhancing hip strength and power is a key aspect of improving performance. Strong hips are required to transfer force effectively from the lower body to the upper body in many sports, including volleyball, basketball, soccer, field hockey, throwing events in track and field, and football.

Furthermore, hip strength is also important for injury prevention. While athletes may not suffer injuries to their hips as often as their knees or shoulders, just like other joints, the hip joint is susceptible to injury when weak.

Working on this overlooked area isn’t difficult, and can be accomplished as part of a well-rounded plan. The key is picking the right exercises and making sure they’re done correctly. An article from Allen Hedrick on the Training & Conditioning website, MA, CSCS*D, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Colorado State University-Pueblo, provides information on exercises to consider.

Hedrick is a strong believer in specificity of training and selecting exercises that mimic in-game movements as much as possible. He wrote, “I keep three things in mind when designing any training program, including one that involves hip strengthening exercises.

“First, because most of the athletes I train are playing their sport in a standing position, we rarely (if ever) train the hips in a seated or prone position. This eliminates most machine exercises and all stability ball exercises from our programs for hip strength. The only exception occurs when an athlete is injured and using a machine is the only viable training option.

“I also limit exercises that involve movement at only one joint. Training one joint in isolation does not reflect what occurs during athletic movements. As I tell my athletes, even throwing a dart involves movement at more than one joint. As a result, performing hip flexion and extension movements on a multi-hip machine are not a point of emphasis. Instead, I select exercises that involve multiple muscle groups.

“Finally, since my ultimate goal as a strength coach is to help athletes become as powerful as possible, I select exercises that are performed explosively. The more an athlete trains like they play, the better gains they will make, and this usually means training for explosiveness.”

Based on these three stipulations, Hedrick’s preferred hip strengthening exercises are the weightlifting movements (cleans, jerks, snatches, and associated variations), performed either with a barbell or a dumbbell. No other human activity develops as much power output as the weightlifting movements. These exercises also develop eccentric strength in the hips because during the catch phase, the athlete has to slow down, control, and stop the barbell on its downward path.

The jump squat is another option that meets all three criteria, especially when training for high power output. As a safety measure, I prefer to have my athletes perform jump squats with dumbbells instead of barbells because it eliminates the opportunity for the barbell to bounce on an athlete’s back.

Squats–back, front, single-leg, and lateral–are all great hip strength developers. Back and front squats are not fancy or new, but they are tried and true exercises that add mucle mass and make athletes stronger. In short, they work.

When choosing which squats to use, Hedrick prefers to progress from less specific exercises to more specific exercises as an athlete’s competitive season approaches. He usually adds single-leg squats to an athlete’s program when they are three to four months away from their competition phase.

Lateral squats are important because most sports involve lateral movement. They wouldn’t be high on my list for a 100-meter sprinter, but they are for virtually every other athlete. Performed with a wide stance, our athletes alternate sides with each repetition.

Lunges–front, back, arch, and side–are also great exercises for hip strength. Lunges force athletes into a single-leg support position, which occurs in competition often. As useful as front lunges are, most athletes don’t always step directly forward in competition, so Hedrick makes sure to include side and arch lunges as well.

These exercises make up the core of any program Hedrick designs for hip strength. However, because the ultimate goal is to make athletes as powerful as possible, He also incorporates plyometric training to help facilitate the transfer of increases in strength to increases in power.

The primary plyometric drills to use for power development in the hips include box jumps, lateral box jumps, drop jumps to box jumps, and lateral drop jumps to lateral box jumps. In each exercise, emphasis should be placed on getting great speed off the floor and assuming an athletic stance upon landing.

Instead of having athletes perform plyometrics as a stand-alone activity, Hedrick has them use complex training, which means they move directly from a strength training activity to a plyometric activity. For example, they will do squats followed immediately by a set of box jumps.

Hedrick does this for two reasons. First, evidence suggests that complex training may produce superior results when compared to plyometric training alone. Second, we have a small space with a limited number of boxes for use. Complex training allows two athletes to work at each station at once since one athlete is jumping while the other athlete is performing the associated strength/power training movement.

Though developing strong, powerful hips is a key to improving performance, great strength and power in the hips without flexibility is of little value for an athlete. Simply stated, high quality movement is not possible without good hip flexibility.

The ability to move quickly and efficiently is directly related to hip flexibility. Moving the body occurs by moving the legs and movement of the legs occurs at the hip joints.

Having good hip flexibility is also important for athletes because the ability to correctly perform many exercises that strengthen the hips is dependent on it. Exercises such as cleans, snatches, squats, front squats, single-leg squats, lateral squats, and lunges all require a good level of flexibility if they are to be performed correctly.

Hedrick emphasizes that all of the exercises be taken through a full range of motion. For example, when an athlete cleans, squats, or lunges, he looks for their hips to go lower than the knee joint, and this requires a high degree of flexibility.

Because dynamic flexibility is more specific to athletic performance than static flexibility, and because static flexibility has negative consequences to subsequent dynamic activities, we emphasize dynamic flexibility prior to activity and static flexibility post-activity. Walking lunges, reverse lunges, side lunges, and crossover lunges are all examples of dynamic flexibility movements we use to increase range of motion in the hips.

Static flexibility is effective at increasing flexibility and is appropriate as a post exercise activity for athletes. These movements include static knee tucks, lunges, and butterflies.

While it may not be glamorous, developing hip strength, power, and flexibility is critical for most athletes. Once athletes begin to understand why, you just may hear them walk into the weightroom and say they are ready to work on their hip strength.