What Should A Strength Program Include: Performance Principles

crystlemc said:

First off, you need to consider whether you're a powerlifter or a bodybuilder.

Click to expand...

Most teenage softball players are neither. Increasing strength is key, but the teen athletes I've worked with generally want a program that incorporates the explosive movements seen in Olympic lifting. Powerlifters are strong, but train to achieve one rep maximums in their competitive lifts. Bodybuilders are often stronger than the average workout warrior, but train off-season to achieve maximum muscle hypertrophy, then transition more into shaping movements leading up to competition.

If she consulted with me, I wouldn't advise a softball player to decide whether she's a powerlifter or bodybuilder before beginning a weight training program, but would attempt to steer her towards working on core strength and explosiveness.

This information doesn't only apply to power lifters or bodybuilders. It applies to any athlete who squats. And obviously, a female softball player is going to squat considerably less than a bodybuilder, so there is even less "risk" involved.

And just to point out, leg strength contributes to lower body explosiveness.

Referring to toddlers and young children, ligaments and tendons are very lax at this age, allowing for more joint motion. As you age, the stiffness of ligaments and tendons increase or another way of saying this, there is a decrease in the properties of ligaments and tendons. This is why young children and toddlers can sit and touch their butt to the ground.

In regards to Cressey's article, I agree with these statements:

It's important to also note that squatting depth should be determined by the athlete's flexibility and goals, as well as the nature of his sport. If one doesn't have the flexibility to get below parallel safely, then the rock-bottom squat shouldn't be part of his arsenal; this athlete's attention would be better devoted elsewhere and possibly supplemented with squats at or above parallel.

It stands to reason that different athletes will have different goals in light of the demands of their sports, too. For instance, Olympic lifters and rock climbers would require positions of deep closed-chain knee flexion more often that offensive linemen and marathoners. Then again, the nature of some sports requires that deep squatting be used to offset the imbalances that result from always working the knee extensors in the 1/4 and 1/2 squat positions; this is one reason that cyclists, hockey players, and athletes who do significant amounts of running (e.g. soccer players, marathoners) ought to prioritize deep squatting and single-leg movements early in the off-season.


However, the study that he presented did not go into depth about the structures that could be compromised with the deep squat in healthy individuals such as the menisci and cruciate and collateral ligaments. The link below is a study performed by the Human Performance Lab, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center. According to this study performed:

The squat was shown to be an effective exercise to employ during cruciate ligament or patellofemoral rehabilitation. For athletes with healthy knees, performing the parallel squat is recommended over the deep squat, because injury potential to the menisci and cruciate and collateral ligaments may increase with the deep squat. The squat does not compromise knee stability, and can enhance stability if performed correctly. Finally, the squat can be effective in developing hip, knee, and ankle musculature, because moderate to high quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius activity were produced during the squat.

http://productosfortia.com/knee-biomechanic.pdf

I'm just trying to figure out if adding a deep squat to certain athletes will be beneficial or harmful. Again, in some sports, the position of being below parallel is required so training in that aspect would make sense. I'm always trying to get better as a Strength Coach and trying to reason through specific movements. I've thought about using Isometric Holds at that deep squat position for better control at that position while taking stress off the knees or using eccentric movements only to a position that resembles the deep squat. I've also used the Functional Squat or Reverse Squat Exercise in order to try and de-activate a really active low back, inefficient utilization of the glutes or athletes who anterior pelvic tilt like crazy during a squat. This would be similar to a deep squat, but this is done with body weight. If Im thinking about Catchers, granted they're squatting the whole game, but only in a deep squat position when there are no runners on. Their position changes when a runner is on, almost in a parallel squat position. Just a few thoughts...