Overtraining Young Athletes - Part II
(Page 2)
Technique Development (15 minutes)
I will demonstrate one lift (likely using a whole-part-whole method). Each athlete will then take there time and attempt the lift themselves (bar is un-weighted and all other athletes in this group are actively watching the lift in order to provide constructive comments and/or learn visually)
Once the lift feels good for everyone, we will try it un-weighted within a Hybrid sequence. For example - today, I taught my athletes the staggered stance push-push. Once everyone tried it and began to fee comfortable, we add it to a sequence of exercises -
Hang Clean/Front Squat/Push-Press
Everyone will perform this once or twice until it feels comfortable
Training Time (15 minutes)
Now, we can use our new technique is a training sequence (keeping both the volume, intensity and load moderate).
Sequence (with 4 athletes) -
1. Hybrid Sequence - 1 set, 5 reps total
2. Stretch Piraformis (statically) - 30 seconds/leg
3. Posterior Reaches - 1 set, 15 reps
Athletes rotate through this sequence until everyone has gone through it 3 times.
We would then proceed to a cool-down.
So... we’ve had an hour training session that:
- Wasn’t high intensity
- Didn’t work hard at increasing a vertical jump
- Didn’t impact the athletes’ 40 time
But it was:
- Effective at not eliciting an overtraining response
- Taught a young athlete a new lift that now can be utilized whenever needed
- Worked to increase hip ROM and strength (which is HUGE)
• You must as a coach inquire and keep records as to your athletes RPE during a workout - not so much during each rep, but certainly per session and perhaps per set. It is so much more than physical numbers that must be followed when constructing a training program. Correlate your athletes RPE responses to the time of day, portion of the week, part of the year - ascertain why at certain times they may be less ‘upbeat’ than others. This type of subjective reading is crucial in making the program as cohesive as possible for the athlete. Objective numbers just don’t tell the whole story and in fact, incorporating subjectivity into your analysis and dynamic adherence to a training program is often called Cybernetic Periodization.
• Also record how skillfully exercises are performed. Although next week you are scheduled to reach for a max effort with your athletes, if you truly take a strong look at how well they are performing each exercise, you may opt to change or ratify your agenda. Create a rating of technique scale within which you record how well the exercise is being executed. This type of subject feedback is crucial in monitoring the effectiveness of a training protocol. Don’t make this scale terribly difficult to incorporate - design it as a scale ranging from 1 - 5 and define what each scores means so you have a working and practical measurement.
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Brian Grasso currently serves as Executive Director for the International Youth Conditioning Association and is a sought after expert in the realm of young athlete development and youth fitness worldwide. He presents educational seminars to Personal Trainers and Coaches throughout North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim. You can find Brian’s groundbreaking Free Resource Center at DevelopingAthletics.com
