A REGIMEN FOR THE YOUNG ATHLETE.

She will gain strength and ball velocity in the course of her normal maturation, and I would not do anything to discourage her enthusiasm for training. Her best gains will evolve through the maturation process.

Lifting is hard work and not much fun. Some athletes have the makeup to begin strength training at a young age and keep working at it throughout their career. Many others lose interest quickly and let it become a non-factor in their lives.

Coaches should exercise good judgement in initiating a strength program. Due to their lower hormonal levels, young people will often achieve only insignificant gains. They will begin improving as they grow older and begin increasing their hormonal growth levels.

The younger athletes shouldn't be exposed to long and tedious workouts. They can become discouraged by their lack of progress and failure to improve as rapidly as some of the older athletes.

Another discouraging factor can be their failure to recover from exercise as efficiently as the older or more physically mature athletes.

The coach should use these early training years as a springboard for basic concepts that will pay dividends as the athlete begins to mature physically.

With younger athletes, we suggest beginning with just a few basic exercises and increasing the number as the athletes mature. When the progress comes to a halt, it will be wise to cut back on the amount of work or allow more recovery between workouts.

The list of basic movements above will directly or indirectly develop many of the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body. For older athletes, I would expand the number of exercises performed.

Pitching and throwing a ball, punting and kicking a football, serving and hitting a tennis ball, and throwing javelin are some of the activities performed by the dominant side of the body. These muscles are over-used and may become over-developed. This can create a strength imbalance and lead to potential physical problems.

To develop each side of the body equally, select exercises that force each side of the body to work equally. Alternate barbells and dumbbells each workout or look for equipment designed to isolate each side of the body.

While developing the lower body, perform leg presses with both legs simultaneously (Photos 1-2) and (in the next workout) leg presses with each leg individually (Photos 3-4).

If a leg press machine is unavailable, try using a Smith machine to squat with both legs or with each leg separately (Photo 5).

Leg extensions (Photos 6-7), leg curls (Photos 8-9), and calf raises (Photo 10) should also be performed simultaneously and independently.

Finally, counsel young athletes to be patient. Their hard work will not stimulate significant changes immediately and could result in frustration.

We do not employ the quick lifts, but many successful high school, college, and professional strength coaches do advocate Olympic-style lifting. Before abandoning a system you have used for many years, we'd suggest contacting some quick-lift experts for an evaluation of the system you are now using.

We truly believe you can generate gains with any system by observing a few basic concepts:

1. Establish the lifting technique you desire for each rep performed: how to lift the weight and how to lower it.

2. Determine the number of reps that should be executed.

3. Document the amount of weight used and the number of good reps completed for each exercise performed.

4. Make sure your athletes attempt to lift more weight and/or more reps each time they perform an exercise (until they level off).

5. Perform as little exercise as needed to stimulate the best gains. (Many athletes perform too much exercise and prevent complete recovery.)

6. Get proper amount of rest and food.

7. Place the most emphasis on building and maintaining strength during the competitive season.

8. Incorporate a variety of exercises to develop every major muscle group. (Many strength programs include a few basic "core" exercises and ignore some muscles.)

You would have to invest a significant amount of time to learn a new system and to teach it to your players. It is often difficult to find reliable information on high-intensity exercise. Rather than overhaul your entire program, try using high-intensity concepts with one or two basic exercises. You might consider using the best of various training systems to take advantage of what each has to offer.

Specific genetic assets are needed to significantly increase muscle mass. Keep in mind that the average high school athlete isn't going to generate massive gains in muscle. You will be lucky to have just a few such athletes. Their best developing years will occur in college (even if they continue to use the same program they used in high school).

Coaching Point: Your program is not the key. All systems work. The real key is the genetic makeup of the population using the system.

Don't blame yourself, the system, or the effort by your players. Some of the same players will add significant muscle after they leave high school simply because they have good potential and the time to mature physically.

May the Power be with you!

                              BASIC MOVEMENT
EXERCISE                BODY PART
Leg extension          quadriceps
Leg curl               hamstrings
Leg press             hips & legs
Calf raises                calves
Abdominal work         midsection
Bench press     chest, shoulders,
                          triceps
Lat pulldown   upper back, biceps
Seated press   shoulders, triceps
Seated or
bent-over row  upper back, biceps