How many times have we heard this phrase? Well, it’s true. The U.S. Army is testing out an “exoskeleton” robotic suit which amplifies a person’s strength and endurance by 20 times. This would transform the US military into an unstoppable force of “Super Soldiers.” Think Terminator? Remember how the Internet began as a military project, then went public? We might one day see these suits on sale at our local dealers for a few grand. It may just replace cars, giving us even less of a reason to workout, eat right, and follow a healthy lifestyle. Oh well, I guess certain things are inevitable. But this isn’t going to change my views. I’ll still be running sprints come Monday morning.
Every sport needs to be supplemented with resistance training. If you’re on this site, you know this to be a fact. However training for sport is much different than bodybuilding training.
• Use large, compound lifts
• Train fast, resting little between each set
• Train every muscle group in each session
• Generate power, not strength
Compound lifts include lifts that stress more than one muscle group. For example, a Dumbbell Swing is a great compound exercises since it works the lower back, hamstrings, shoulders, and glutes. However, an exercise like the dumbbell front raise has no use being in a sports-specific program since it isolates the shoulder muscles.
When training for sport, one must realize that the body works as one unit. Your power is generated from the ground up when you throw a punch in boxing. You use more than just your arms when you tackle an opponent or throw a ball in football. If you can start to see your training as “movements” as opposed to “body parts,” you can start to create workouts centered around your specific sport.
One of the most important things about sports-specific training is to be able to develop explosive strength. For maximum explosiveness, you need maximum power. Power is an element of strength and speed. Simple physics tells use that power is equal to force times velocity. Hence, the faster you can move a heavier weight, the more powerful and explosive you will become.
Top compound exercises for power:
• Power Cleans
• Power Snatched
• Dumbbell Swings
• Burpees
• Power Clean & Press
• Deadlift
• Push Press
• Squat Jump
In order to generate power, you need to choose the right exercises. Compound exercises should be the first aspect of choosing the proper movements. The next step is to think in terms of carry over. Which movements mimics movements that you would perform on the field? In martial arts, every time you throw a punch or kick,, you are using your legs and hips to generate power. Hence, all movements should have me standing up and using my hips. Power cleans and snatches should be the fundamentals of my training program.
When developing your own specific program keep in mind that you are training for a sport, and that everything that you do in terms of training should have carry over to your sport.
“Science follows Science Fiction.”
