Top 10 Athlete's Strength and Power Training Techniques

As an athlete, you need certain strength and power training techniques to help you succeed in your sport. It is not enough to train hard. You must train smart also.

One important thing to remember about sports fitness training is that it is not a strongman contest!  Too many times there is too much emphasis placed on "maxing out" with the weights.

To continually get stronger without an increase in speed, power and athleticism will do you no good. An overall athletic training framework for you to follow is.....

1. Train your body in all 3 planes of motion. Many athletic movements happen in the transverse plane (rotations, turning, twisting, etc.) and frontal plane (side-to-side, lateral).

Machine-based training concentrates on the sagittal plane (up- down, forward-backward movements). Do miminal athletic training on machines because they limit your natural movement patterns.

2. Train on your feet because most athletic movements in games are done standing and running.

3. Stabilize and strengthen the core first and limbs (arms and legs) later.

This can be done using exercises like bridges, planks, bird dogs, cobras, supermans and back extensions. You would later progress to full speed core exercises on your feet like medicine ball chops, medicine ball slams, 2-arm and 1-arm medicine ball throws and medicine ball rotational throws.

4. The same holds true for body strength exercises. Start with dumbbells to stabilize your joints.Dumbbells also don't allow you to cheat when 1 arm or 1 leg is weaker than the other.

Also, bodyweight exercises work well to stabilize your body strength. You can get to the heavier weights once your joints and muscles are stabilized and balanced. If you can't do bodyweight squats correctly then you won't do heavyweight squats correctly.

5. Continuing with strength exercises....concentrate on compound (multi-joint) exercises like squats of all types, lunges of all types, bench press, rows, step ups, and deadlifts.

One-legged squats, step ups and lunges improve your running strength and power because about 80% of running is done on one leg. Do less single-joint exercises like bicep curls, calf raises and leg extensions because you get little benefit.

6. And, improve your muscular balance. Quadriceps shouldn't be significantly stronger than hamstrings. Likewise, the frontside of your upper body should have muscular balance with the backside of your upper body.

7. Train your muscles with all contraction types (eccentric, isometric, concentric). All muscles function eccentrically (reduces force or deceleration), isometrically (stabilizes force) and concentrically (produces force).

Eccentric contractions are able to produce the most tension development followed by isometric contractions and lastly, concentric contractions. If eccentric contractions are able to produce the greatest tension development, then more time should be devoted during training for eccentric contractions to reduce the risk of injuries such as knee ACL tears.

Also, strong eccentric contractions are critical for athletes to produce maximal power since all force production (concentric) must be preceded by force reduction (eccentric).

8. Improve your flexibility and correct postural problems in the early stages of your training to avoid injuries when you get to more intense training.

9. Progress to more intense exercises like plyometrics, speed training and full-speed sport specific exercises after you have stabilized and strengthened your core, joints and overall muscle structure.

At this stage, you will train athletic movements in your sport (transfer-of-training effect) and not just muscles.YOU MUST TRAIN FAST AND EXPLOSIVE TO GET FASTER AND MORE EXPLOSIVE.

10. Rate-of-force production (how fast your muscles produce force) and dynamic balance are the two best physical predictors of athletic success. Your training program (strength, power, speed, flexibility, etc.) should be pointed toward improving these 2 physical traits.

Train harder, smarter and safely!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Sports Fitness Hut

Scapular Wall Slides

Scapular wall slides will locate and correct problems with your posture at the same time....it will help to keep your shoulders from slouching forward (rounding).

Scapular wall slides are great for working your low trap muscles. The low traps are often under-worked by many people. There has been more than one shoulder injury because of scapular problems. It also helps to improve your posture because you have to keep your chest up and shoulder blades down and back. Many people's shoulder blades are spread out too far and misaligned.



1. Lean back against a wall with your feet about 8 inches from the wall.

2. Keep your shoulders, arms, hips and head against the wall at all times.

3. Keep your arms up and slide your forearms on the wall. At the bottom of the slide, you should feel a pinching sensation between your shoulder blades. Hold for 3 counts and return to the starting position by sliding your arms back up the wall.

Use scapular wall slides as a warmup or as an exercise during your workout.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workout and start changing your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and Treatment

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome is caused by the excessive squeezing or rubbing of the rotator cuff and shoulder blade.

The pain is a result of an inflamed bursa sac over the rotator cuff, and/or inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons, and/or calcium deposits in tendons due to wear and tear. Shoulder impingement syndrome can lead to a torn rotator cuff.



Shoulder Impingement Syndrome needs to be treated---usually with anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen or naproxen.

You must consistently take the medication for about eight weeks for it to be effective. Taking anti-inflammatory medications for a short period of time will treat the pain, but it will not treat the problem and symptoms will come back. You may have to try different medications to see which one will work for you.

Daily stretching in warm water will also help. You should try to reach your thumb up and behind your back. Rest is critical---so no baseball throwing/pitching, playing tennis or lacrosse. Also, don't do any activity where your elbow moves above shoulder level.

For most athletes, medication, stretching exercises and rest will do the trick.

If the symptoms do not go away after using anti-inflammatory medicines, your doctor might give you a cortisone-type injection. Cortisone is a very potent anti-inflammatory medication which can weaken muscles and tendons.

So, it should be used only in serious situations. Many times, professional athletes will take cortisone injections to "play through the pain" during the season (to temporarily put off needed surgery).

Your doctor might also perform an MRI or arthrogram to check for a rotator cuff tear. If the rotator cuff is torn, surgery will probably be needed to repair it.

Train hard and smart!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Level Sight Lines Are Needed For Many Sports

For an athlete to reach optimal strength, flexibility, balance and power, postural imbalances and dysfunctions must be corrected as much as possible.

One common postural dysfunction is called the Upper-Extremity Postural Distortion. This distortion is seen in a person with rounded shoulders (chest caves in) or a forward head posture as shown below.



Flexibility deficiencies with this postural distortion include tightness in the upper trapezius, neck muscles, latissimus dorsi and chest muscles (pectoralis major/minor).

Common injuries include headaches, biceps tendonitis and shoulder injuries. Important core stabilization exercises for this distortion include prone cobras and cervical retraction.

Athletes who depend on level sight lines to be successful should correct this postural distortion as soon as possible. Because the head is not in proper alignment, this affects players in sports such as baseball/softball, basketball, football, lacrosse, tennis, etc. Hand/eye coordination will be affected if the athlete's sight lines are not level.

We hear about the glamourous attributes that athletes need like speed, power, explosion, etc. all the time. I would argue that posture also needs to be discussed in the same sentence as the other athletic attributes. It is impossible to have optimal speed and power if you have postural dysfunctions.

Every athlete needs a postural assessment performed by a fitness professional. Then, steps can be taken to correct them.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Muscle Imbalances Need Correction To Improve Sports Performance

Achieving optimal muscular fitness requires flexibility, strength, endurance, power, and speed.

These components should be included in an integrated sports training program. In some sports, such as baseball and tennis, the dominant side of the upper body develops more than the non-dominant side.

Other sports such as running, soccer, and cycling may emphasize the lower body more than the upper body. And, if certain patterns or muscular actions are performed repeatedly, muscles develop more in either the front of the body (football offensive linemen) or the back of the body (rowers).

Competitors in all sports benefit from an integrated sports training program focusing on 3-dimensional muscular balance. An integrated sports training program will help overall athleticism, prevent injuries and enhance performance.

Opposing muscle groups should be in balance. For example, the quadriceps group/hamstring group should be in balance (or the quads should not be significantly stronger than the hamstrings).

Female athletes, in particular, generally have lesser levels of hamstring strength because they dominate more with the quadriceps (when walking or running). Research has proven that inadequate hamstring strength contributes to knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

To avoid developing muscle imbalances or to correct muscle imbalances, you should do the following:

1) Have a postural assessment performed by a fitness professional. This assessment will indicate where your muscles are tight, weak or lengthened.

It will also indicate patterns of postural dysfunction called postural distortion patterns. Distortion patterns occur because the structural integrity of the kinetic chain (human movement system) is compromised due to the misalignment of one or more of its components.

2) Develop a comprehensive flexibility routine.

3) Weight training should focus on the total body to avoid muscle imbalances.

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Improve Athletic Performance By Correcting Your Posture

It is critical for athletes to correct body postural distortions. Failure to do so will lead to injuries and average athletic performance.
Common postural distortions are:

1. Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Postural Distortion - This distortion causes you to have increased lumbar lordosis and an anterior pelvic tilt as shown below.

Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip postural distortions are characterized by increased lumbar extension and decreased hip extension. Flexibility deficiencies for this distortion are tight calves, adductors, erector spinae, rectus femoris (quad), latissimus dorsi and iliopsoas.

Common injuries caused by this distortion are hamstring strains, groin strains and low back pain. Core stabilization exercises such as tube walking, bridges, planks and abdominal ball crunches are also very important.

2. Upper-Extremity Postural Distortion - This distortion is seen in a person with rounded shoulders or a forward head posture as shown below.

Flexibility deficiencies include tightness in the upper trapezius, neck muscles, latissimus dorsi and chest muscles (pectoralis major/minor). Common injuries include headaches, biceps tendonitis and shoulder injuries. Important core stabilization exercises for this distortion include prone cobras and cervical retraction.

3. Lower-Extremity Postural Distortion - A person with this distortion often has flat feet (pronation), feet pointed outward (slew-footed) and internal rotation of the knees (knock-kneed). During the squat exercise the knees will collapse and the heels will rise off the ground.

Flexibility deficiencies are tightness in the calves, peroneals, adductors, iliotibial band (IT), Iliopsoas and rectus femoris (quad). Common injuries for this distortion are plantar fascitis, shin splints and patellar tendonitis (jumper's knee). Core stabilization exercises that can be performed are tube walking, bridges, planks and abdominal ball crunches.



Stop me if you have heard this before---flexibility and core strength are critical! They are the main problems behind the postural distortions that we have. Now, get that posture corrected!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs