Improve Leg Drive and Mental Toughness for Athletes
By Jim Smith, CSCS
Here are some clips of the heavy prowler finishers we have been doing after our workouts. Finishers are a great way to jack up the intensity when everyone is dragging ass after the workout. You turn the finishers into “challenges” between the training group.
Prowlers, sleds, dumbbells, kettlebells, bodyweight and everything else under the sun are used to build serious complexes that are done for time or for a certain number of reps.
Nobody is tougher than Dalton son!
Finishers are a great way to also build mental toughness. This is something that many young athletes lack and I really feel it can be learned in the weight room. As a former wrestler, I used to only say wrestling built character and mental toughness. But since I’ve been away from competition for so long, finishers have really stepped in to show not only me, but those I train with, what it means to be tough.
With winter coming, I hope you have a great training facility where you can do prowler inside. If you don’t, you still have tons of complexes (multiple implements) you can design to create a killer finisher for you and your athletes.
Finally, a new video compilation of training here at the compound. I haven’t made one in years, but the last video compilation I made inspired so many.
Hopefully this new video will do the same. It contains some never-before-seen footage and exercises guaranteed to kick your training programs in overdrive.
As always, please click on the video itself and when it takes you to YouTube, please “LIKE” the video at the bottom left. It really helps with ranking!
Explosive Lower Body Training for Strength and Power
As we move from the strength phase of our training it becomes necessary to start incorporating movements that build strength endurance and stability. We must also engage in exercises that allow us to transition to more dynamic movements; such as submaximal plyometrics. This is in preparation to handle the ballistic forces in the upcoming explosive / jump training phase.
Dynamic Isometrics
It is true that isometric exercises strengthen +/- 15-20 degrees of the joint angle being engaged (2). What happens if we incorporate isometrics all along the strength training movement pattern through the eccentric (lowering / yielding) phase. We get dynamic isometrics.
“Dynamic isometrics is now known as explosive isometrics. “ The explosiveness comes from the fact that after the isometrics are engaged, compensatory acceleration (CAT) is attempted. CAT is taking the weight and moving it as hard and as fast as you can (think tempo “x”).
As you can see in these images and this video, we utilize a giant cambered bar for our squats. This is essential when working with all athletes to prevent shoulder irritation and gain a proficient squat while you are still working to improve thoracic mobility.
Each position is held for 3 seconds and there are 3 position for each repetition. Approximate time under tension (TUT) is around 30 seconds each set.
Dynamic Isometrics – Position 1 (45 degrees)
Dynamic Isometrics – Position 2 (Parallel)
Dynamic Isometrics – Position 3 (Full)
Altitude Drops
An altitude drop is a abbreviated form of a depth jumps (Verkhoshanksy). You step off of a box and land and stop the movement as quickly as you can. We do NOT ask the athlete to reverse the movement, ONLY absorb. Remember, we are using this submaximal plyometric to prepare for the next phase which will include the full execution of the depth jump AND many other upper and lower body explosive movements. In our example, we are also modifying it slightly to increase its benefit for the athlete.
Benefits of Altitude Drops
develops eccentric (yielding) strength (2)
dynamically stretches the hips and ankles
drills landing mechanics
strong excitation of CNS (2)
As you can see in the pictures and video, I modified the altitude drops two ways and improved its base benefit profile.
1. I did not have the athletes stop immediately on the landing. We are still in preparation mode for our plyometric phase and the athletes are still learning to land proficiently. So we want to reinforce the landing mechanics and develop the eccentric strength to absorb the impact. We ask the athletes to land softly. This is a great transition to the full execution of the movement.
2. I also did not start the movement just by dropping off the box. I added specificity to the altitude drop by preceding it with a dynamic step up. The goal was to get the knee higher than the hip to promote not only hip mobility but strength mobility (ie. strength in this new ROM). This is an amazing modification.
Depth Drops Preceded with Dynamic Step-up 1
Depth Drops Preceded with Dynamic Step-up 2
Depth Drops Preceded with Dynamic Step-up 3
SPECIAL NOTES:
You can also see the movements were performed in bare feet and the athletes were landing on a soft platform, ie. a wrestling mat. The athlete must possess a solid strength foundation before attempting either dynamic isometrics or shock training. Finally, volume is of concern for both of these heavily CNS intensive exercises, so monitor carefully.
VOLUME
Dynamic Isometric Squats, 3×3
Altitude Drops (with Diesel modification), 3×5 each leg
This video shows Martin Rooney discussing the need for athletic movements in your program. It is not enough to just perform strength training movements. You have to be able to express strength, power, agility, balance, coordination and optimal movement as well.
Sometimes your strength programs works against this goal because a lifter doesn’t perform mobility movements, a good warm-up, static stretching and they lose the ability to move freely.
Within the last 1o years you’ve probably seen kettlebells popping up more and more in your commercial gyms. If you don’t train at a commercial gym, I would guess that you even have a few kettlebells in your warehouse or garage gym.
The reason is quite simple. Kettlebells are an amazing tool. With their offset mass and versatility, kettlebell movements can range from simple to complex and provide a variety of benefits.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP (more…)
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