SDAC Athlete Development Program Athlete Conditioning Exercises for Power Development Speed, strength and power are vital to the success of all track and field athletes whether you are competing in the sprints, jumps, throws or endurance events. In addition to the event specific training that you are doing, a conditioning program designed to help you slowly build strength, speed and power is recommended. This will also help protect you against injury. Power is really important to understand. By definition, power = strength X speed. Power helps you run faster, jump longer/higher and throw further. If you get stronger you can apply more power. If you move an implement with more speed you apply more power. If you get both stronger and faster, you can apply heaps more power!! Athletics is all about the efficient application of strength at speed. You should work hard on your technique with your coach and by studying accomplished athletes (technique is how the power is applied in the event). As an example of how speed, strength and technique interact in athletics, if you can move a shot put even 10% faster (by using more power and with good technique) during the delivery the resultant distance is around 20% further. This holds true for all throwing and jumping events. When you run, more power means longer stride lengths and more explosive ground contacts. The best way begin to build power is to use basic, bodyweight, medicine ball and Plyometric exercises, 3 sessions per week for around 15-20 minutes per session. These exercises will also slowly develop strength in your tendons and ligaments etc which will help with injury prevention and your overall strength. Note: This program assumes that the athlete has no/little prior strength conditioning experience. Older athletes and experienced athletes may benefit from the introduction of free weight/machine exercises under supervision. Any conditioning program needs to tailored to the individual athlete. For each session, choose:   

2 body weight exercises (one upper body, one lower body) 2 medicine ball exercises 2 plyometric exercises

2-3 sessions per week!

Do 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions of each of the body weight exercises and the medicine ball exercises. The number of Plyometric repetitions will vary by exercise, your coach will advise you. This can slowly be increased over time under the guidance of your coach (progressive over-load). Vary the exercise choices and the combinations regularly. The session should only take 15-20 minutes if you focus. All sessions should be preceded by an appropriate warm up (light job, bike ride), be done in solid, well fitted sports footwear, loose, comfortable clothing and not continued if any pain is caused. The exercises we have recommended are suitable for growing bodies and will not overly tax your nervous system. Over time you can add more weight and get more advanced but you should focus on these exercises for at least 12-24 months to properly condition your body. Equipment Needed:  Skipping Rope  Medicine ball (start with a 2kg ball)  Rubber resistance bands/cords (optional) The additional benefit of focusing on these types of exercises is that they develop your core muscles. These muscles include your thighs, hamstrings, butt, abs and back. You don’t develop a strong core by just doing sit ups. A strong core will help you apply your strength and speed efficiently, it will stop you wobbling around and give your arms and legs a solid base against which they can move. This means that you will run, jump and throw more efficiently and with more power. These exercises should be accompanied by dynamic and static stretching. As your muscles strengthen they will shorten so you need to stay flexible. Your coach will advise you.

Recommended Body Weight Exercises: Make sure you get your coach or a fitness professional to demonstrate how to do these with good technique. Body Weight Squats Stand upright with your feet hip width apart and toes pointing slightly outward. Place your hands on your hips or straight out in front of you. Slowly bend your ankles, knees and hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep your back flat, head up and eyes fixed straight ahead. Do not let your knees move forward past your toes. Pause briefly in bottom position and return to starting position by slowly straightening your knees and hips. Inhale during the downward phase and exhale during the upward phase. Avoid leaning forward and keep head up. Walking Lunges Begin by standing upright with your feet about hip width apart. Hold your arms at your sides and look straight forward. Take a long step forward with your right leg. Bend the knee of the right leg and lower your body, the thigh of the right leg should be close to parallel to the floor and the right knee should be over the ankle of the right foot. Bend the left knee slightly. Then lift your body upward slightly and step forward with your left leg until legs are together. Repeat on alternate legs for the required number of repetitions. Keep head up, back upright and shoulders over the hips. Move slowly, don’t bounce. Push Ups Lie face down on the floor with your body straight, legs slightly apart and hands just more than shoulder width apart facing forward. Lift your body onto your hands and toes (you may need to start on your hands and knees) While keeping your back flat, slowly lower your body by bending your elbows until your chest touches the floor. Pause briefly, then push away from the floor until your arms are fully extended. Inhale during the downward phase and exhale during the upward phase. Keep back and legs straight throughout exercise. Chin Ups Grab a bar overhead (you can buy doorway chin up bars or use the hills hoist if it is safe) Hands should be about shoulder width apart and palms should face your body Pull your body upward until your chin is above the bar, then lower your body to starting position. Inhale during the downward phase and exhale during the upward phase. Until you get stronger, you may need a spotter to help lift you These exercises are proven, whole body strength/conditioning exercises. The athlete may consider also resistance exercises using rubber bands/cords to work specific muscles as a safe addition to the above. Ask your coach about these exercises.

Recommended Medicine Ball Exercises: Make sure you get your coach or a fitness professional to demonstrate how to do these with good technique. If you don’t have a medicine ball many of these exercises can be done with sandbags or other weighted objects (around 2kg). Your coach can also show you very basic core exercises such as crunches, bridges and planks or physioball exercises if you can’t use a medicine ball for any reason. Note that medicine balls can be heavy to catch so let the ball bounce before catching until you are used to it and let your body absorb the impact. Squat Throw (full body) Get into squat position with trunk flexed forward and ball held between legs. Arms should be slightly bent. Perform underhand toss as high as you can, using the legs to explode up. Have partner catch ball on the bounce and return the ball. Athlete should catch ball after a bounce and repeat as prescribed. Over the Back Toss Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Have a partner or trainer stand approximately 10-15 yards behind you. Grasp ball and lower body into a semi-squat position. Explode up extending the entire body and throwing medicine ball up and over the body. The goal is to throw the ball behind you as far as you can generating most of the power from the legs. Catch ball on the bounce from your partner and repeat according to prescribed repetitions. Explosive Start Throws Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Knees should be slightly bent. Pick medicine ball up to chest level. Quickly explode up and press the ball straight out as far and fast as you can. As you press the ball forward explode with either leg so that you actually sprint forward about 10 steps chasing the ball. Repeat for required repetitions. Modified Hammer Throw Stand with feet hip-width apart; place right foot approximately 30cm in front of left foot. Hold medicine ball with both hands and arms only slightly bent. Swing ball over to the left hip and forcefully underhand toss ball forward to a partner or wall. Catch ball on the bounce from your partner and repeat for required repetitions on both sides. One Step Wall Throws Stand with both feet parallel with knees slightly bent. A partner or wall should stand approximately 5-10 yards away. Pull medicine ball back behind head, take one step forward and forcefully throw ball forward as far as possible. Catch ball on the bounce from your partner or wall and repeat according to prescribed repetitions. Go to http://www.athletesacceleration.com/medicineballexercises.html for animations of these exercises.

Recommended Medicine Ball Exercises (continued): Kneel to Push Ups Start Position: Your body will be in an upright position sitting on your knees. Hold medicine ball at chest level. Keeping your torso erect fall forward and chest press the medicine ball to a partner or a wall. Upon releasing the ball drop your hands to the floor and immediately complete a push-up. Advanced athletes: To make this more challenging have a partner throw the ball back to you. You will have to explode up with the push-up so that you are back in the seated upright position on your knees before the ball gets back to you. Repeat for required repetitions

Chest Wall Pass Stand a about 5 metres from a solid wall (or partner). Holding the medicine ball with two hands (hands behind the ball) explosively push the ball forwards from your chest, fully extending your arms in the direction of the throw. Once the ball has hit the wall, allow it to bounce before attempting to catch it. When catching the returning ball, absorb the impact from the returning ball by flexing your arms and legs as you catch it. Repeat for required repetitions Seated V Throw Lie on the ground with your legs extended and your arms above your head. Simultaneously lift arms and legs off the ground into a tuck (V) position. Have a partner throw the medicine ball to you from one side, a short distance away. Catch the ball, absorbing the impact and throw it back to them. This is a fairly advanced exercise and quite hard. Repeat for required repetitions Wood Chops Stand tall with medicine ball in hands. Bending at the knees; lower the ball down to touch your left foot. Immediately straighten your knees lifting your body up and reaching up and out to the right. Repeat on the other side. Repeat for required repetitions Walking Overhead Lifts Holding medicine ball at waist level take a step forward with your right leg, at the same time lift the medicine ball up out in front until it is overhead with arms fully extended. Repeat for required repetitions using alternate legs to step forward. Walking Wide Twists Holding medicine ball at waist level take a step forward with right leg, at the same time twisting the medicine ball to the right with arms fully extended. Turn your shoulder with your arms. Repeat with the left leg, twisting to the left as you step. Continue walking alternating legs. Repeat for required repetitions Walking Tight Twists As above but keeping the medicine ball in close to your waist when you twist. Bands and Physioballs. You can also use purpose made rubber resistance bands for many of these activities to add variation or do some of them seated on a physioball or standing on a balance board. Ask your coach for details.

Recommended Plyometric Exercises: All plyometric exercises should be done as explosively as possible but in a controlled manner on a firm surface wearing good footwear. Tuck Jumps: Stand on a flat surface (wearing good quality running shoes). Keeping head up, looking straight ahead crouch down slightly and explode upwards, bringing your knees to your chest while in the air. Drop legs down to land softly on feet. Do continuously or with short break between each jump depending on your fitness level. Make sure all your jumps are as explosive as possible and that you are extending your ankles, knees and hips fully as you jump and that you absorb the landing impact by flexing your ankles, knees and hips. Jump Ups: Position yourself in font of a raised surface such as a solid box, retaining wall, steps etc. Explosively jump up onto the surface, extending fully at the ankle, knee and hip. When you land, balance for a few seconds before stepping back down to ground level to jump up again. These are a good, low impact exercise. Rope Skipping: Rope skipping is making a comeback as a great, do anywhere conditioning exercise. Skipping for just 10minutes a day will have aerobic benefit and strengthen muscles, tendons and ligaments as well as developing elastic strength in the lower body. Rope skipping builds agility and co-ordination. Some moves include: Double leg jumps: Jump with both feet simultaneously. Do at speed with one jump per revolution or slower with a jump and a bounce between each revolution. Alternate leg jumps: Jump over the rope with one leg at a time. First you jump with your right foot, then the next revolution you jump with your left foot. Only one foot should be kept on the ground at all times. This technique is even better for balance and will also make your calves stronger. Single leg high knees: Jump rope one leg at a time raising your knees as high as possible with each revolution of the rope. Go as fast as you can. Single leg high knees are great for sprinters and for strengthening the lower abs. This one will also give you a higher level cardiovascular workout. Double leg high knees: Same idea as the single leg high knee jumps, except you launch yourself off the ground with both feet at once, bringing your knees to your chest. This is a great exercise for basketball players, track and field athletes, skiers, or pretty much anyone else that utilizes a high force output from their legs. Be careful if you are not conditioned because this one will wipe you out quick! Criss cross: This is a tricky movement for the advanced jump rope enthusiast. After the rope passes under your feet and is over your head, cross your elbows over each other at about the middle of your torso and jump through the rope as you would normally. The twist must be done quickly and accurately in order to make the jump. You really need to extend the elbows over each other to make the hole big enough to jump through.

Recommended Plyometric Exercises (continued): Hopping: Balancing on one leg, flex at the knee and explosively hop forward to land on the same leg. At landing, try to “stick” the landing and absorb the impact by flexing the knee. Don’t try to hop too far to begin with. Repeat for required repetitions Bounding; Jog forward slowly and then explosively push off one leg, bounding forward as far as possible to land on the other leg. Without delay, bound again, continuously for the required number of repetitions. Keep the contact time with the ground as short as possible. You will improve this over time. Standing Long Jump: Best done into a long jump pit or onto a soft surface. Stand with feet together, bending at the knees until thighs are parallel to the ground. With a vigorous pump of the arms, fully extend the ankles, knees and hips, exploding upward and forwards for distance. Land absorbing the impact and balancing for a few seconds. Repeat for required repetitions Vertical jump for height: Standing tall next to a wall, drop into a half-squat and jump as high as possible. A mark can be made on the wall (with chalked fingers) to measure the height of the jumps. Repeat for required repetitions Lateral bounds: Standing with feet shoulder width apart, flex slightly at the knees and jump explosively to the right. Immediately upon landing, jump explosively to the left. A low hurdle or similar barrier can be used to jump over. Repeat for required repetitions Line Bounces: Position yourself a few inches behind a line marked on the ground. Flexing at the knees slightly, do a low jump over the line (using arms to initiate the jump), landing a few inches on the other side. Immediately jump backwards back over the line. Continue repeatedly for a set time or number of repetitions. Up and Go: Great exercise for building reaction speed. Lie face down facing away from running direction. At a given signal (whistle, hand clap etc), spring to your feet, turn quickly and sprint for 10m focusing on accelerating quickly and smoothly. Repeat for required repetitions. Too wet to train? Got a little injury and can’t get onto the track? Here are some cross-training ideas to ensure that you maintain your fitness:    

Bike riding (various speeds, pushing up hills) Swimming (various speeds) Deep water pool running (great for co-ordination and strength) Hill running (short hills, fast, focus on leg drive)