Athletes exhibit a tremendous amount of mental and physical toughness, which is necessary during game time and in life. As a result, they maintain some of the strongest and leanest bodies in the world. I previously covered how to train like soccer and football players. Now with the help of Matt Nein and Coach Margie Knight, I present to you the next installment of this series for the fall semester: sports specific training for volleyball athletes.
Movement Patterns of Volleyball Players
The majority of the physiological and metabolic demands for volleyball players reflect the fact that there’s a tremendous amount of jumping involved on the court. “The ultimate goal of any [strength and conditioning] program for volleyball players is to get them jumping higher than blockers,” Nein said. “So it’s important to make them progressively forceful through their [core] by increasing their lower body power as well as their rotational power.”
The movement patterns of jumping higher and hitting harder thus make the volleyball player harder to defend during the game. According to Nein and Coach Knight, volleyball players are already very athletic even before they begin any new progressive training program. However, the following concepts are progressed individually amongst players to make them harder to defend come game time.
In no particular order, Nein says that plyometrics, rotational stability work, mobility work and lower body development make up the core of what needs to be accomplished from a strength and conditioning standpoint. As far as upper body training goes, the two main goals are strength and power work for the back anterior. “The back acts as an arm decelerator when hitting the ball,” Nein said. “By incorporating power work for the back anterior, we generate scapular stabilization and strengthen the rotator cuff muscles, [both of which are necessary for movement patterns on the volleyball court].”
What Volleyball Coaches Look For
Although volleyball players seem to be very athletic and quick individuals to begin with, coaches still look for lots of explosive development overall—especially during the season. “I look for explosive power and quickness, along with the ability to recover quickly,” Knight said.
According to Knight, the team really started to train seriously about six years ago. Their records over that period definitely tell no lies, as the team went from 25-12 (6-1 CAC) in 2004 to 32-5 (8-0 CAC) in 2009. Certainly an optimal strength and conditioning experience has facilitated such success. “We can play for five hours with just a 30 minute break and still play at a high level,” Knight said. “This is the tournament format the entire season where we play back-to-back matches.”
How to Train Like a Volleyball Athlete
If you think you have what it takes to train like a volleyball athlete, give the following sample warm-up and workout a shot. Focus on rep quality by maintaining explosive power on the lifting (concentric) portion and a controlled but quick lowering (eccentric) of the weight on each movement.
A2. Reverse Rotational Lunges + Bench Step-Up with Knee Drive + Overhead Press (Leftside #1)
A2. Reverse Rotational Lunges + Bench Step-Up with Knee Drive + Overhead Press (Leftside #2)
A2. Reverse Rotational Lunges + Bench Step-Up with Knee Drive + Overhead Press (Rightside #1)
A2. Reverse Rotational Lunges + Bench Step-Up with Knee Drive + Overhead Press (Rightside #2)
B2. Cable Face Pull (with Rope Attachment)
C1. 90-Degree Bent-Over Barbell Row
D1. Narrow-Grip V-Ups to Waist
D3. Resistance Band Core Twists
At Salisbury University (SU), Knight is the women’s volleyball coach, and Nein is the manager of facilities and fitness programs at SU, a strength and conditioning coach, and a CSCS*D and SPARQ National Trainer.
There are no shortcuts in the fitness world, but there are useful dietary strategies for helping you reach your goals without exercise. The following tips may help boost your metabolism naturally, thereby increasing your body’s ability to store nutrients from the foods you eat rather than fat.
Increase amino acid intake.
We all should know by now that amino acids are the building blocks of protein. What may not be so obvious is the fact that amino acids themselves are not calorie dense. In fact, there is absolutely no caloric value attached to amino acids. So, what’s the point in consuming them for energy?
Amino acids indirectly supply energy once they enter the bloodstream by increasing the functions of the various systems in your body. For example, the skeletal system supports the muscles in your body while the cardiovascular system promotes blood flow needed during your daily activities.
Since amino acids play a key role in protein synthesis, the muscular skeletal system’s functions are enhanced to increase lean tissue accrual, and in turn, burn more calories at rest. Likewise, increased blood flow and circulation in the cardiovascular system means a higher metabolic capacity and thus greater caloric expenditure.
How to apply this tip: Mix branch chain amino acids (or just l-leucine) in water with crystal light on-the-go packets (optional-for flavor). Drink prior to breakfast, or sip leisurely throughout the day. They also do a protein shake justice.
Drink lots of cold water.
The recommended eight glasses of water a day is so 20th Century. When I say drink lots of water, think more like a gallon or two a day. It’s especially important that you consume water upon waking in the morning, before and after meals or around times of increased physical activity. Thirst quenching is needed at these times. And since a large percentage of the human body is made up of water, why choose carbonated or caffeine-loaded beverages to quench your thirst? If this was common sense for you, consider the following. Water acts as an appetite suppressant because it boosts metabolism. Energy is necessary to heat any cold water you consume before excreting it in the form of urine. Your body burns calories in this warming process.
How to apply this tip: Be sure to add water into your diet — especially after waking up, around mealtimes and times of increased physical activity.
Eat clean foods.
Smaller meals more often are the optimal way for increasing your metabolism without exercise, especially if your nutrition isn’t always the best. But you can also boost your metabolism by just eating when you’re hungry—or basically by incorporating the old three meals a day approach. The only way the three meals a day strategy works is if you eat clean, though. This means that every one of your three meals must consist of real food. I’m talking about food that actually takes time to prepare and chew up rather than from a box on the shelf or freezer. Clean foods do the work for you and thus have healthier affects on digestion and metabolism.
How to apply this tip: Have a lunch or dinner consisting of lean meat, green veggies, and some healthy fat (such as olive oil or raw/unsalted nuts).
Have you ever had the urge to train like an athlete? Regardless of your answer, you can definitely learn a lot from them. Athletes exhibit a tremendous amount of mental and physical toughness, which is necessary in life and when on the field. As a result, they maintain some of the strongest and leanest bodies in the world. I want to help you understand why as this series continues to unfold.
Last time I covered how to train like a soccer athlete. You can head over to this page to view that post. Now with the help of Matt Nein, Head Football Coach Sherman Wood, and Assistant Head Coach Robb Disbennett, I present to you the second installment of this series for the fall semester: sports specific training for football athletes.
Movement Patterns of Football Players
After the needs analysis is performed for the physiological and metabolic demands on the football field, movement patterns are sub-divided into groups of players due to the large range of positions. According to Nein, the SU Strength & Conditioning Program uses four groups when designing an optimal training plan. “When designing their yearly plan, our main focus is on size, strength, and power,” Nein said. “These three main components are broken down into four groups to be consistent with their respective movement patterns.”
The first group consists of the offensive line, defensive line, inside linebackers, and long-snappers. The second group includes quarterbacks, kickers, and punters. The third group contains slots, super-backs (AKA full-backs), and “dawgs.” The fourth and final group is comprised of wide receivers, defensive backs, cornerbacks, and safetys.
Nein says each group is basically examined individually to consider what needs to be accomplished from a strength and conditioning perspective. For example, “size, strength, and power are equally important in group one while group two primarily involves a mix of strength and power,” Nein said. Groups three and four both depend on power and size; however, the former outweighs the latter in group three.
“We’re trying to see how power [from muscles used in sprint speed especially] dominates the explosive spectrum for the fourth group, while in group three, power is still important but hypertrophy plays the greater role,” Nein said. “For example, super-backs [from group three] are going to need that size to get through a defensive line in a game whereas a wide receiver [from group four] is going to need that speed and agility from their explosive power once they catch the ball.”
What Football Coaches Look For
In terms of being physically strong and prepared, football coaches essentially look for overall endurance and work ethic. According to Head Coach Sherman Wood, football players need to be able to maintain that high level of energy during the end of the game as when they started.
“We all want them to be physically strong; but in addition, I like for more of my players to have plenty of endurance (high rep/low weight) as well,” Wood said. “I would like for our players to be strong and well conditioned in the first and fourth quarters.”
According to Assistant Head Coach Robb DisBennett, the extent to which players are exposed to proper strength and conditioning programs at the high school level helps show whether the athlete is physically ready. Basically, the guys with more experience are able to start faster while those with less exposure often need to be taken to the next level with the SU Strength & Conditioning Program first. “Freshman often realize right from the start that they’ll have to become bigger, faster, and stronger in order to compete with other players,” Disbennett said.
Coach Wood summarized physical preparation in the following manner. “Team organization, training smart, proper nutrition, injury prevention and mental toughness are all key components of physical preparation,” Wood said. “The [SU Strength & Conditioning] programs prepare our players through these examples . . . if you are consistent in these areas, you will be well prepared for games.”
Coach Disbennet reinforced relative strength and game preparation in the following manner. “Ultimately, it comes down to the individual level,” Disbennett said. “Do they have good work ethic, and are they willing to do what it takes to be successful?”
How to Train like a Football Athlete
Considering the large range of positions in football and the input from Nein, Coach Wood, and Coach Disbennett, I’ve decided to compile a weekly hybrid workout plan that incorporates those three main components necessary on the field. More specifically, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays consist of (high-threshold hypertrophy-based) full body workouts to facilitate strength and size development in the football athlete. Tuesdays and Thursdays involve explosiveness and strength endurance workouts to improve the power and agility in the football player. In both cases, you’ll notice that a great deal of work ethic is necessary. The following are sample workouts for Monday and Tuesday with their respective training components.
Glute Bridge (5 sec. holds – Dynamic Activation)
Plyometric (Explosive) Push-Up (Dynamic Activation)
IA. Quadriceps Potentiation: Barbell Ballistic (Jump) Squats
IB. Quadriceps Stimulation: Barbell Front Squat (clean grip)
Bodyweight Bench Dips (strength endurance)
At Salisbury University (SU), Wood and Disbennett are the men’s head and assistant head coaches, respectively, and Nein is the manager of facilities and fitness programs at SU, a strength and conditioning coach, and a CSCS*D and SPARQ National Trainer.
A widely known fact is that breakfast represents the most important meal of the day. Too bad this isn’t much of a fact. I’ve realized that people who generally seek the path of least resistance are the same ones who think breakfast is the most important meal of the day. These are the same people who tend to be more interested in the quick fix, short term fitness success and rely on exercise as a means of burning calories more than becoming better.
On the other hand, people who go that extra mile and use nutrition to fuel their fitness goals are the same ones who believe workout nutrition is the most important energy period of the day. These are the same people who tend to be more interested in achieving long term fitness success, and focus on becoming better during a workout. Long term fitness only starts with breakfast and is put into full force once nutrition and workouts become consistent.
The real purpose of breakfast
The way you start your day from a nutritional standpoint is one of the best indicators of how the rest of your day is going to go. If your breakfast primarily consists of the quick fix, finger foods and/or packaged snacks and sugar coated cereal, you’re setting yourself up for nutritional failure throughout the rest of the day. Why? Your artificially induced pleasure from foods that aren’t real give you a craving for more of the bad stuff throughout the remainder of the day. Thus, the real purpose of breakfast is to break into optimal nutrition habits right away from your fasted state after waking.
Eating the good stuff first
You don’t have to be perfect. It’s ok to treat yourself to an unhealthy food choice once or twice a week. Just don’t make it an everyday thing. Instead, start making a habit out of eating the good stuff first. This doesn’t mean to purposely leave just enough room for indulging in unhealthy items after a good meal. Load up and actually feel full on the good stuff first. The more you focus of real foods rather than artificial and refined ones, the more you will experience a lifestyle full of quality.
Pre, peri, and post workout nutrition
The timeframe just before, during, and after your workout isn’t called the “window of opportunity” for no reason. We’ve all heard the cliché that you are what you eat. Well, in a similar manner, what you eat is what you’ll produce. If you eat junk, you will produce junk during your workout. And if you eat any junk after your workout, that will simply act as carryover for future exercise. Therefore, the most important nutritional period throughout the day is what you consume before, during, and after a productive workout. So, how do you take advantage of this most important nutritional period throughout the day?
Nutrient timing is all about properly spacing out your macronutrients – and thus calories – in such a manner to help you perform optimally. Simply put, you consume slower digesting foods farther away from your workout time and faster absorbing items closer to and during the time you exercise. I’ve provided a basic sample template for your reference. Adjust portion sizes to accommodate your fitness goals and caloric needs.
Basic Strength Training Workout Nutrition Template
Have you ever had the urge to train like an athlete? Regardless of your answer, you can definitely learn a lot from them. Athletes exhibit a tremendous amount of mental and physical toughness, which is necessary in life and when on the field. As a result, they maintain some of the strongest and leanest bodies in the world.
With the help of Matt Nein, Coach Jim Nestor and Coach Gerry DiBartolo, I present to you the first installment of this series for the fall semester: sports-specific training for soccer athletes.
Movement patterns of soccer players
If you’re going to practice the way you play, it makes sense to train in a similar fashion. Where do you begin, though? As with any training program, it’s essential to first know where the athlete is coming from before identifying where they’re headed. “A needs analysis for all teams is performed first to consider what the greatest physiological and metabolic demands are coming from on the field,” Nein said. “Common injury sites and other important considerations like speed and agility are also noted.”
The results of this needs analysis are then broken down to form the optimal training program that’s consistent with the movement patterns of soccer players. There’s obviously a great deal of running and kicking involved on the field. Both aspects incorporate explosiveness into the soccer athlete. “It’s just a matter of where on that explosive spectrum the [soccer players] fit,” Nein said.
What’s not so obvious is the strength needed in the posterior chain (back side) of soccer players to help facilitate those frontward-dominant movement patterns on the field. So for the SU Strength & Conditioning Program, “the focus is to create power from the hips,” Nein said. “The mechanics of running and kicking are strengthened while minimizing risk of injury on the back side.”
What soccer coaches look for
In terms of being physically strong and prepared, soccer coaches essentially look for overall quickness. “We look for athletes that are quick (within 10 yards), who have longer distance speed (over 20 yards), and who can withstand the challenge of holding off players (upper body and leg strength) as they battle for the ball,” DiBartolo said.
Quickness is broken down into speed and agility from the perspective of the women’s soccer coach, who explains why the ability to hold off other players is incorporated into SU’s Strength and Conditioning Program. “The strength of the player overall, particularly the cardio aspect, is something we look at to evaluate speed and agility—which are two important factors on the field,” Nestor said. “Nein knows the importance of not being knocked off the ball since his brother is a soccer coach.”
Undoubtedly, such explosive characteristics can only be developed over time. According to both coaches, how long those skills take to acquire is entirely dependent on the consistency and level of commitment by the player. In any case, the SU Strength & Conditioning Program becomes quite essential for increasing the soccer athlete’s preparedness during game time.
“The SU Strength & Conditioning Program has been an outstanding resource for our players both during the season and throughout the off-season with training sessions,” DiBartolo said. “The rate of improvement in the strength and fitness of our players from their first to second year is directly related to the program developed by Matt Nein and the SU Strength & Conditioning Program.”
How to train like a soccer athlete
The following represents an example of a typical warm-up and workout for a soccer player, depending on the level of experience and whether the training is during or out of season. So if your answer to my first question was yes, here’s your fix! Otherwise, I still encourage you to check out the training routines for ideas on how to spice up your own routine.
A1. Single-Leg Deadlift
A1. Substitute – Good Morning
B2. Dumbbell Reverse Lunges
C2. (First) Substitute – Narrow Grip Eccentric Pull-Ups
D2. Inverted Row (Supinated Grip)
At Salisbury University (SU), Nestor and DiBartolo are the women’s and men’s soccer coaches, respectively, and Nein is the manager of facilities and fitness programs at SU, a strength and conditioning coach, and a CSCS*D and SPARQ National Trainer.
