Articles & Resources

By Brijesh Patel, MA, CSCS

Single-leg strength is a quality that has frequently been ignored in strength programs, but is essential to the improvement of speed, development of balance, and prevention of injury. Unfortunately, most strength programs focus on conventional double-leg exercises like squats, leg presses, or even worse, nonfunctional leg exercises such as leg extensions and leg curls. A closer look, however, reveals that most sport skills are performed on one leg.

Any sport that involves running, jumping, or throwing involves performance on one leg. In contrast, the double-leg squat distributes the load to two legs. While this is a good exercise to develop lower body strength, it does not contribute to single-leg strength and balance as much as purely single leg exercises, such as the single-leg squat, do. The actions of the pelvic stabilizers are different in a single-leg stance than in a double-leg stance. Single-leg exercises force the glute medius to operate as a stabilizer, which is critical in sport skills.

The one-leg squat places a high proprioceptive demand upon the body. It challenges the joint and muscle receptors of the lower body to provide feedback regarding joint and limb position and reposition them accordingly. The proprioceptors assist the body to generate movement in a form that is appropriate to the demands placed upon the body. If exercises are of low proprioceptive demand, the body will quickly adapt and will not be prepared for the greater demands called for in the game. That is why the single-leg squat has been called "the king" of all single-leg exercises.

Initially, many people will not be able to perform the single leg squat. This is mostly due to a lack of ankle, knee, and hip flexibility, balance, or leg strength. There is, however, a particular progression that can help anyone to perform the single-leg squat. While it will take some time, about three to four weeks on each exercise before progressing, the program should allow anybody, with no lower body injuries, to perform the exercise.

The first exercise in the progression is the split squat. In this exercise the athlete assumes a long lunge position with their hands on their head. In this position the athlete has two stable points on the ground. From this position the athlete attempts to touch the back knee to the floor while keeping the front knee over the ankle. Some things to look for are, to make sure the athlete can maintain an erect posture, proper balance, and control. An athlete that lacks control will not be able to lower themselves without banging their back knee into the ground. This is an indicator of poor yielding/eccentric strength. This will improve over time and with this exercise. This exercise then progresses to the lunge.
In a lunge, the athlete begins with both feet together and hands on their head. Next, the athlete should take a long step out with one leg and touch the back knee to the floor while keeping the front knee over the ankle. Finally, the athlete should push off of that leg and return to the starting position and switch legs. The things to look for in the lunge are similar to the split squat. The lunge then progresses to the single-leg bench squat.

When performing this movement the athlete will get into a position similar to the split squat, except that the back foot is placed on top of a bench behind them. From this position, the athlete descends into a position where the front thigh is parallel to the floor. Once again, this exercise is done with no movement and, as in the split squat, the dynamic flexibility of the hip flexors will be improved. Things to look for in this exercise are similar to the exercises above. You will notice that many people who are extremely tight through their hip flexors will exhibit a lack of range of motion.

The movement finally progresses into the single-leg squat. This exercise forces the athlete to use the leg without any contribution from the opposite leg for balance. The pelvic muscles must now function as stabilizers without the benefit of the opposite leg touching the ground or a bench.

This twelve-week progression, three weeks on each exercise, can help anybody to perform the single-leg squat. A well-designed program should also include other exercises to help strengthen pelvic stabilizers such as the glute medius, which will assist in the performance of the single-leg squat.

I would like to acknowledge Mike Boyle on his thoughts, ideas and progression of single leg training.

By Brijesh Patel, MA, CSCS


It's around that time of the year where those of us in the collegiate setting have to sit down and write summer strength and conditioning programs for our athletes. This can often be a daunting feat but this article is geared towards making the process simpler so that no stone is left unturned and you can provide the best possible program for your athletes. This article is not about sets and reps so I don't plan on going into specifics about how much to do, but the goal is for you to have all your bases covered as you begin to put your summer program together.

The Summer Program
The summer strength and conditioning program is important to the development of the student-athlete. The summer is typically a time where an athlete can train without having to worry about an academic load which can often impact stress and recovery levels. This often allows them to train with a greater intensity and effort. The only other responsibility that the student-athlete may have is a summer job or internship, which still leaves time for training if they make the effort.

The summer program will be different depending upon the sport and their season. Programs for fall (football, soccer, volleyball, field hockey) sports should prepare them to get ready for pre-season as that is their most stressful time of the year. The program will include more specific conditioning as the summer progresses. Programs for winter sports (basketball, hockey, swimming, wrestling) can focus more time on developing strength, speed, and hypertrophy and power because their pre-seasons are when school is in session. Programs for spring sports (baseball, softball, lacrosse, rowing) can also focus on developing strength, speed, hypertrophy and power but has a non traditional season in the fall, so some specific conditioning needs to be added in as the summer progresses.

What do I do first?
The first step in developing your summer program is to find out when your athletes return to school and work backwards. This will give you starting date for your summer program, which is typically 12 weeks in length. If you are writing a program for a fall sport, check with the sport coach to see when they will arrive for pre-season in August.
You will also have to speak with the sport coach about specific conditioning tests and/or goals that they are looking for in their athletes. Some coach's will want their athletes to increase a certain percentage in their lifts or pass a conditioning test and your program must be designed so that these requirements can be attained. The sport coach may also want to include skill specific work into the program and that will have to implemented into the overall plan outline of the program.

Once you have your dates and calendar made up, you can now proceed into actually writing your program and deciding what exercises to choose and how you will split up the program.

Things to consider
As you begin to outline your program and think about how to organize it, there are some important things to consider. Most college athletes will be performing their workouts in commercial gyms, which may not have medicine ball wall to throw off of, nor may have sleds, resistive belts, slideboards, Olympic lifting platforms, and other things that are common to strength and conditioning facilities but not for the general fitness facilities. The program should be able to perform in any basic facility. You have to choose basic exercises, which every facility has access to:

1. Dumbbells
2. Barbells
3. Pull-up bar
4. Cables

That means there may not be as much variation as in the program as compared to the school year off-season program. The key to prevent boredom and getting stagnant is to change with variation. You can vary the implement, grip, limb involvement and stance to keep the movement the still change the exercise. For example, one phase you may do 1 Arm Cable Row's with your feet parallel, and then progress that to feet staggered and then to 1 Arm 1 Leg. The movement is still the same, but the exercise changes.
This allows you to keep your program fresh, but have some consistency.
Another thing to consider is to prescribe exercises that your athletes know how to perform. It is not a wise decision to include exercises that you're athletes have never performed without you. You want to include exercises that they are comfortable with and have experience with. This will minimize the chance that they can get hurt with poor technique with an unfamiliar exercise.

When writing the summer program for your upperclassmen, you also have to think about prescribing a routine for your incoming freshman. The key thing here is to keep things as simple as possible, which could mean no exercise variation and you only vary the loads and repetitions. Do not include technically challenging lifts, such as clean and or snatches. The last thing you want to do is overload your program and make it confusing to the point where the athlete won't even do the program.
Every athlete should be able to find a gym to train in the summer time. Many places offer 3 month specials specifically for college students. Most colleges also may allow other student-athletes from different schools to use their facilities during their slow hours of the day out of courtesy. If your student-athletes live near a college with a strength and conditioning program, give the head strength coach a call to see what their policy is and what their open hours are during the summer and if it's possible to let your athletes train there. Sometimes this is a good option because they'll be in a like minded training environment and have access to common equipment.

Technology
Once you've got your program written out and put together, you've got a couple options on how you can package it to your athletes. You can do it the old fashioned way and print off each athletes program individually (with their prescribed loads) and get them bound up at the print shop on campus or you can use newer forms of technology.
One easy way is to simply email the program (in excel or word) to your athletes. You can also create a CD-ROM or DVD that has all the exercise videos and program for the athlete to download right off the disc. This allows them to put their name and maxes into their sheet (if active with formulas) and allows them to directly print it out. Another option is to talk with your school's web development area and see if they would be able to create a strength and conditioning page and space on the server for your files.

The latter is not a very difficult project but time consuming on the front end. Having your own page can be extremely beneficial for your student-athletes, recruits and potential interns. You can put your programs on that page and give your athletes the password so they only have access to it, you can put all of your nutritional information that you give as well as exercise video clips that serve as reminders on how to perform certain exercises. Setting up a web page where you can update and upload files will make the process much easier in the long run and saves time, energy and paper.

The summers are a great time to make some gains in strength, speed and power and can really prepare athletes for their seasons. Be sure that you're providing the most efficient program and helping them to accomplish what they need to during this time period. Coach them to train hard, with good technique and this will carry over when they have to train on their own.

By Ray Eady, M.Ed, CSCS, PES

It's simple, female basketball players need to get strong!

It's not uncommon to hear the following from players after a long competitive season, "Coach, what can I do to..."

1. Jump higher?
2. Improve my jump shot?
3. Play better defense? (defensive stance)
4. Run faster?
5. Move quicker?
6. Etc., Etc., Etc.

My response is usually, "Get stronger!"

Likewise, coaches often approach me stating, "We need to..?

1. Get more athletic!
2. Play better defense! (defensive stance)
3. Run faster!
4. Move quicker!
5. Get in better condition!
6. Etc., Etc., Etc.

My response is usually, "Coach, let's continue to get stronger!"

Let's be honest, today's athletes are consistently looking for a quick fix. Most want to get better at playing their sport but very few are willing to do the things that can really improve their game. When a player asks me what they can do to improve their athleticism, I simply tell them to get stronger. Of course, a well-designed training program is going to include soft tissue work, mobility work, core work, speed work, plyometrics, explosive training, corrective exercises, and other forms of training to enhance athleticism. However, for the purpose of this article, I want to talk about the importance of building pure strength.

I work with the women's basketball team at the University of Wisconsin and every off-season my goal is to get our team stronger than the previous year. Why? Because if there is one physical attribute that a female basketball player needs more than any other it's strength. On the other hand, I am still amazed that some basketball coaches continue to underestimate the importance of strength.

I was talking with a strength coach who was frustrated at his head coach because she wants her players to run during the post-season. The reason; "We need to get in better condition". I do not profess to have all the answers but why do players need to be in "basketball" shape in April, May or June for that matter? Official basketball practice does not start until mid-October. I'll be honest; I am not a fan of players running or conditioning in the post-season. I believe the post-season is a time to heal from the long competitive season and for preparing your athletes for off-season training. The last thing basketball players need in the off-season is pre-season style conditioning. However, basketball players do need lots of strength work and this especially holds true for female athletes.

The myths surrounding females and strength training are quite disturbing and in some cases have negatively impacted our ability to train women despite the tremendous amount of research on the topic. These myths include:

1. Women can't get strong
2. Strength training will make women look bulky and masculine
3. Women should avoid high-intensity training or high-load training
4. Women should train differently than men
5. Women only need to do cardio and if they decide to lift weights, they should be very light.

As strength and conditioning professionals, it is imperative that we educate our coaches and athletes on the benefits of strength training, particularly when dealing with female athletes. This is extremely important when we are introduced to new recruits (freshmen) with limited strength training experiences.

Some people will argue what exactly is strength? Is a female capable of performing a 20-rep squat at 60 percent of their one-rep max a form of strength? Or is a female capable of squatting 1.5 times her bodyweight a form of strength? I would say both scenarios are examples of strength (strength endurance versus maximal strength).

However, the basis of this article is to discuss maximal strength development of which female athletes don't do enough of. Now don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of movement and function and I don't see the world through the hole of a 45-pound plate (a great article posted previously on this blog). However, it's okay to challenge and encourage your female players to lift heavier weights during a training session to develop the strength needed to effectively compete in their sport.

As quoted by Lou Schuler in his book entitled The New Rules of Lifting for Women, "results come from hard work and hard work occasionally includes lifting heavier weights." Basically, it's alright for females (if capable and taught proficiently) to squat heavy, deadlift heavy, perform chin-ups/pull-ups, perform sled work, perform kettlebell work and the list goes on!

So what are the benefits for getting strong? (I am sure this comes to no surprise for those reading this article.) First and foremost, we all know that female athletes are more prone to sport-related injuries when compared to male athletes. Therefore, the stronger females can become, the less likely they will get injured. Second, strength is the foundation for improving movement efficiency, central nervous system efficiency, balance, coordination, stability, power, speed, elasticity, acceleration, deceleration, quickness, reaction, and conditioning.

Basically, strength is one of the catalysts for enhancing athleticism. Athleticism is the catalyst for providing a solid foundation for developing a skill. Therefore, if you want to improve your ability to post up a defender - get strong; if you want to improve your rebounding capabilities - get strong; if you want to improve your ability to play man-to-man defense - get strong; if you want to improve your ability to absorb contact when driving to the basket - get strong; if you want to set hard screens or get through screens - get strong, if you want to improve your jump shot - get strong! I think you get the point!

Third, all basketball players need to play at an optimal weight/body composition regardless of position. Researchers found that unlike men, women typically don't gain size from strength training, because compared to men; women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscle hypertrophy. So, lifting heavier weights will develop functional strength without the expense of adding unwanted size.

I believe there is also a psychological benefit for females when developing strength. When a female athlete becomes stronger, they become more confident and their self-esteem soars through the roof. Confidence translates into toughness. Toughness is an attribute that is needed to win games. Why, because you need toughness to play defense, to dive on the floor for loose balls, to make free throws, to run your offensive sets, to erase a ten point deficit or to maintain a 10-point lead.

Within a team environment, getting stronger can foster team unity and enhance team toughness simply by having players push themselves (and each other) in the weight room. Make no mistake, female athletes want to be challenged and in most cases; in the same manner as a male athlete. They want to train in an intense and competitive environment and some relish the experience.

Lastly, studies have shown that strength training (strength work) reduced depression symptoms and anxiety levels more successfully than standard counseling sessions. Newly released studies show that after a strength training session, endorphin levels (feel good hormones) are increased by more than 60 percent leaving you feeling rejuvenated and even euphoric, keeping your mind trouble-free.

Mentally, players have to prepare for a long season which can be quite stressful. Players are under extreme stress because of classes, study sessions, and practices. Games are normally played on Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and during winter break sessions. Social activities with friends and family are at a minimal. If you ever been to Madison, Wisconsin the cold weather and snow can sometimes make life miserable. Let's not forget, losing streaks are stressful as well. Stress can make or break a season! Weight training can be quite therapeutic.

So remember, if you want your female players to be athletic, lean, competitive, self-confident, tough and stress free; lift some heavy stuff once in awhile!