Building up your female throwers part I.

Who says females are the weaker sex? In a decorated niche of the track and field world, the lady throwers of the University of Florida have consistently outshined their male counter parts.

Over the last five years, the Lady Gators have dominated, helping win three SEC Championships and place second in the indoor NCAA Division I championships three years in a row. Ten of the athletes have earned All-American honors, including two national champions, three Olympians, and three collegiate record-breakers. To what do they owe their success?

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The Gators not only work hard, but they work smart. Workouts to extract maximum strength potential from females are tailored to female work potential often at greater pace than males. The training plan is designed to accommodate the athlete's needs throughout a full calendar year detailing a peak phase strictly for female competitors in the championship season.

Resistance training principles suggest that the frequency of training should be as high a possible without causing adverse effects. It is important for the coach to understand individual differences among athletes who are involved in a resistance-training program. I have found that female athletes can actually be worked as hard or even harder than their male counterparts. Factors like resistance training experience, and the ratio of body weight to weight lifted can be used as measures that can have an effect on recovery time. I examine the intensity of the weight lifted compared to the athlete's body mass and lean body mass, when constructing the annual plan. At first, many females will likely have a low intensity relative to body mass and lean body mass and consequently can increase the frequency and intensity of workouts. It is important for coaches to understand this concept in order to get the full strength potential out of their athletes. If females are trained like their male counterparts, they may be shortchanging themselves out of additional strength gains that could be achieved with increased frequency and intensity.

Coaches also must be cautioned to be aware of the law of reversibility when training and especially when peaking female athletes. The law or reversibility simply states, "If you don't use it you lose it." Because of differences in the amount of muscle mass, distribution of muscle and hormonal levels, females may be subject to reversibility at a faster pace than the males.

Female throwers may be able to be trained harder than their male counterparts but female athletes will also lose their strength more rapidly than males if the volume, intensity and specificity decline. This may explain why women are backed off much closer to championship competitions and should be given less rest than males.

An over-rested female thrower may actually lose a significant amount of strength and not achieve optimal performance. Coaches should modify the standard protocol used when peaking female throwers to keep them sharp. Following is the method that we used with the female throwers at the University of Florida.

Using two carefully constructed macrocycles, athletes are set up to perform when it counts at the big meets indoors and outdoors. The first extends through the indoor season, peaking for the indoor national championships, and the second extends through the outdoor season peaking for the outdoor nationals.

Each macrocycle is then broken up into three phases, emphasizing general training exercises, special training exercises, and competition-specific exercises.

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The Lady Gator throwers are trained as complete athletes, however, throughout all the training, we pay special attention to the development of the basic neuromuscular and biomechanical qualities required in throwing. The physical components periodized over the year include resistance training, medicine-ball throws, running, plyometrics, bodyweight circuits, and throws in the different events. Throughout all the training, we pay special attention to the development of the basic neuromuscular and biomechanical qualities required in throwing.

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We are careful to develop our athletes in a balanced manner. The overdevelopment of a given quality at the expense of other important qualities will have a detrimental effect on performance. During the general preparation period, many coaches tend too over-emphasize the development of endurance at the sacrifice of the crucial explosive qualities needed for the throws. Many coaches get impatient with athletes because they cannot perform the ideal technique and the coach fails to realize the true cause of an athlete's technical difficulties: the training plan. Mixed training brings mixed results.

Aside from throwing, the building block of our success has been strength training. Stronger athletes are able to hold the positions necessary as technique can only be mastered if muscle contractions, and relaxations, can be coordinated and synchronized to produce maximum acceleration of the implement.

Therefore the weight room remains a crucial factor in each training phase. The percentage of strength and power movements in the resistance-training program will vary based on the stage of training, but strength training will always remain a major element of the training program.

Specificity is a vital concept in all track and field training. The exercises must be specifically designed for the demands of the event. Emphasize the things that are going to make athletes better technicians given their individual physical capabilities and present levels of training. An effective program design must consider bioenergetics, metabolic parameters and movement characteristics specific to throwing such as: force, magnitude, velocity, power, movement patterns, and time factors.

We make extensive use of Olympic lifts and Olympic lift variations, which are ideal in developing functional hypertrophy, strength, speed, speed-strength, coordination, balance, and kinesthetic awareness.

One of the great sport-specific exercises for the female thrower is the mid-thigh high pull. It is a derivative of the power clean, where the athlete performs an explosive shrug from the mid-thigh position, allowing for maximum power development. Heavy weights can be handled in training without the wear and tear of the full movement.

THE TRAINING CYCLES

Good training plans include very specific, less specific and general exercises. How much of each in a quality training plan will depend upon the athlete's training age, her strengths and weaknesses, the phase of the training year, as well as many other factors. One thing that is universal in all training plans that I construct is some amount of very specific work. Through the training year, we sequence exercises from high volume to low volume and from less to more sport-specific. The total program is based on the premise that emphasizing specific training variables can develop specific physiological/performance characteristics.

We structure our phases of training throughout the year as follows:

1. I begin with a general preparation (Table 2) phase in the fall. Athletes perform 10 repetitions of strength lifts and 5 repetitions on the Olympic lifts.

2. The special preparation phase extends through October and November. Repetitions for strength lifts go down to 6 and for Olympic lifts, drop to 3.

3. December is the specific preparation phase. The number of repetitions goes up slightly from the previous phase to rebuild the base just prior to the start of the indoor season. Repetitions for strength lifts go up to 7 and for Olympic lifts, up to 5.

4. January and February are the months of the precompetitive phase, when strength development is the focus. Athletes perform 5 repetitions on the strength lifts and 3 repetitions of Olympic lifts.

5. A three-week peaking and competitive phase coincides with the climax of the indoor season at the end of February and the beginning of March. In this phase, the repetitions go down from the previous phase: Sets of four on the strength lifts and doubles on the Olympic lifts.

6. Another general preparation phase occurs in late March and early April.

7. A special preparation phase occurs in April.

8. A precompetitive phase follows in May.

9. A competitive / peaking phase winds up the outdoor season in June

10. A transition phase will follow the last peaking phase that extends through the summer.

TABLE 1. SAMPLE GENERAL PREPARATION PHASE MICROCYCLE

The following is an example of a one-week microcyle during the general
preparation phase for throwers.

Monday: Warm Up, Form Drills, Plyometrics, Technique, Long Sprints,
Weights, Flexibility, Cool Down.

Tuesday: Warm Up, Strength Circuit, Technique, Medicine Ball,
Short Sprints, Weights, Flexibility, Cool Down.

Wednesday: Warm Up, Cold Whirlpool (10 minutes), Active Rest

Thursday: Warm Up, Strength Circuit, Technique, Medicine Ball,
Short Sprints, Weights, Flexibility, Cool Down.

Friday: Warm Up, Form Drills, Plyometrics, Technique, Long Sprints,
Weights, Flexibility, Cool Down.

Saturday: Warm Up, Flexibility, Time Trial, Weights.

Sunday: 10-15 Min. Easy Run Hr<100.

TABLE 2. EXERCISE SELECTION AUGUST/SEPTEMBER. General Preparation Phase
Mesocycle

    MONDAY           TUESDAY         WEDNESDAY        THURSDAY

Core/Abdominals  Core/Abdominals  Core/Abdominals  Core/Abs. 3/sets
   (3 sets)          3/sets           3/sets

4 Stage Pull 2    Push Press %    Power Snatch %    Power Cleans %
     sets

Power Cleans %       Bench %      Snatch Pulls 3   High Bar Squats %
                                       x 10

High Bar Squats  Incline Bench 3   Shrugs 3 x 10      Lunges 2X10
       %              x 10

 Leg Ext. 3X10    Pullover 3X10   D.B. Press 3X8     Leg Ext. 3X10

 Leg Curl 3X10     Close Grip     Lat Pulls 3X10     Leg Curl 3X10
                  Bench 3 x 10

Calf Raise 3X15  Push Downs 3X10   D.B. Row 3X8     Calf Ext. 3X15

                                   Pr. Curl 3X8

                                   D.B. Curl 3X8

  FRIDAY     SATURDAY

Core/Abs.    Core/Abs.
 3/sets       3/sets

Push Press  Power Snatch
    %         (see %)

 Bench %    Snatch Pulls
               3 x 10

 Incline     BNP 10,8,6
Bench 3X10

Close Grip   Lat Raise
Bench 3 x       3X8
   10

  French     Lat Pulls
Curls 3X10      4X8

Bench Dips   Cable Row
   3X10         3X8

             Pr. Curls
                3X12

             D.B. Curls
                3X10

PERCENTAGE FOR BENCH AND HIGH BAR
SQUAT (ESTIMATE 10 REP. MAX)

       WORKOUT 1         WORKOUT 2

WEEK1     75%     4x10   85%   4x10
WEEK2     80%     4x10   90%   3x10
WEEK3     85%     4x10   95%   2x10
WEEK4     80%     4x10  100%   1x10

PERCENTAGE FOR PUSH PRESS, POWER CLEANS AND POWER SNATCH
FROM THE FLOOR (ESTIMATE 5 REP. MAX)

WEEK1     75%     4x5    85%   4x5
WEEK2     80%     4x5    90%   3x5
WEEK3     85%     4x5    95%   2x5
WEEK4     80%     4x5   100%   1x5

TABLE 3. EXERCISE SELECTION APRIL/MAY. Precompetitive/Competitive Phase
Mesocycle

   SUNDAY            TUESDAY            THURSDAY

Crunches 3X30  Hang Snatch (see %)  Sit-ups w/ weight
 with weight                               3X15

 Bench Press   Mid Thigh High Pull    Dumbell Bench
   (see %)            5 x 3            Press 3 x 5

 Hang Clean       Shrugs 3 x 6      Narrow Grip Snatch
   (see %)                           3 x 5 50% (light
                                        and fast)

 Close Grip    Incline Bench Press   B.N. Push Jerks
 Bench 3 x 5         (see %)             (see %)

 Low Bar            Lunge 3X8       Tricep Pushdown 3
 Squats                                    x 8
(see %)

Dumbell Row 3    Lat Pulls 5 x 8      Step-ups 3X6 /
     x 8                              Seated Dumbell
                                        Twist 3X8

   Russian     Dumbell Curls 3 x 8         Back
 Twists 3X10                        Hyperextensions 3
                                           x 10

 Hanging Leg    Plate Walk 3 x 10   Weighted V-ups 3 x
Raises 3 x 10         steps                 10

PERCENTAGE FOR BENCH PRESS, INCLINE BENCH PRESS AND
LOW BAR SQUAT (ESTIMATE 5 REP. MAX)

        WORKOUT 1

WEEK1      4x5       85 PERCENT
WEEK2      4x5       90 PERCENT
WEEK3      3x5       95 PERCENT
WEEK4      1x5      100 PERCENT

PERCENTAGE FOR HANG CLEANS, HANG SNATCH AND BEHIND THE NECK
PUSH JERKS (ESTIMATE 3 REP.MAX)

WEEK1      85%          4x3
WEEK2      90%          3x3
WEEK3      95%          2x3
WEEK4     100%          1x3

By Larry W. Judge, Ph.D., C.S.C.S.