Sports Performance Training – Starting Over

Many times it is important for an athlete to start over. At the end of a season for example the athlete may have developed strength imbalances. General fatigue from the season may result in the need to unload. Injury and inflammation may restrict range of motion. The bodies natural ability to find the most efficient movement pattern may have over ridden the correct movement pattern ythe athlete was trying to instil during the past off season. In these instances you may need to press the reset button.

How do you do this?

Simple. Plug the athlete into a GPP template. Some call this anatomical adaptation. The aims are the same: deload from the season, correct imbalances and movement patterns, improve ROM, etc… The GPP template includes strength and quickness exercises performed for durations lasting between 30 and 50 seconds.  You can separate each method on to different training days or you may combine both into one training session.  The example below combines both into 1 training session.

Now that we have an idea of the template that we should use lets begin by constructing a workout.

Warm Up

Mobility

For mobility we have begun playing with Z-Health’s neural warm up. To my surprise it is very similar to the intu-flow warm up found here (get past the cheesy cover photo, Right Click ‘Save As’). This mobility routine takes pretty much every joint in the body through its complete range of motion in all planes of movement. This results in increased body awareness, coordination, and through higher repetition ranges improvements in connective tissue quality. Finally, is has been suggested that this can also eliminate pain and inflammation.

Here is my understanding of the concept. Say you injure your anlkle. Your body responds by increasing the pain signal as a protective mechanism so you do not place your ankle in that position until the injury is healed. Pain also triggers inflammation, which triggers more pain. Once healed all is well correct? Well in many cases the pain protective mechanism has not been turned off. So your ankle may be fully healed but your body is still trying to protect your ankle. When performing the warm up in pain free ranges of motion you start teaching the CNS that the ranges of motion are safe again. Just like with isometric exercise there is a neural carryover of 10-15 degrees of ROM. So your body learns the pain free ROM is safe PLUS 10-15 degrees beyond that pin free ROM. Additionally, since the movement is multi-planar the carryover to the pain center is even greater than when working in a single plane leading to an even faster shutdown of the pain/inflammation cycle.

Workout – ***ALL Set durations should last from 30-50 seconds***

Core – Lumbo Pelvic Stability

Non Tripod-Dead Bug Progression

Prone Glute-Bird Dog Progression

Chair

Feet

Foot Arch Development Progression found here

Ankle Rocker Progression found here

Strength Training Day 1

Lower Body

LDISO Lunge

Shuffle Run

LDISO Glute Ham

OI Glute Ham

Upper Body

LDISO Push Up

LDISO Pull Up

Rebound Front Delt

Rebound Rear Lateral Delt

Strength Training Day 2

Lower Body

LDISO Squat

Low Squat Jump

LDISO Good Morning

Swing Jumps

Upper Body

30 Sec ISO+OI DB Bench Press

30 Sec ISO+OI Row

Cooldown

Z-Health Neural Warm Up/Intuflow

Static Stretch

Calf

Glute

Quad/Hip Flexor

Hamstring

Pec

Lat

Rear Delt

Bicep

*Note, AREG all exercises in the workout. Of course this is a whole body routine so adjust drop off’s accordingly. If training daily, use a 5-10% drop off depending on the athlete.

**Note many of the exercises listed can be found in our exercise index

Enjoy!

- Alex