Program Design for Exercises

Program Design: Exercises

• Program design for exercises covers various aspects to create effective training plans
• Exercise selection considers core and assistance, movement analysis of the sport, sport-specific exercises, muscle balance, exercise experience, equipment availability, and training time per session
• Core exercises engage multiple large muscles and joints, prioritized for sport improvement; assistance exercises focus on smaller muscle groups and single joints, aiding injury prevention and rehabilitation

Exercise Type

• Core exercises recruit one or more large muscle areas, multi-joint, and receive top priority for sport improvement.
• Assistance exercises work smaller muscle areas, single-joint; less critical for improving sport performance, but key for injury prevention and rehabilitation
• Structural exercises focus on spine loading directly or indirectly
• Power exercises are structural movements done quickly or explosively

Movement Analysis of the Sport

• The more a training activity mirrors sport movement, the higher the positive transfer will be
• Training specificity (SAID Principle) considers the movement plane, muscles, and speed involved in a sport
• Jumping specificity examples include power cleans, back squats, leg presses, and plyometrics

Muscle Balance

• Muscle balance involves equal strength across joints and opposing muscle groups
• Agonist is the muscle that actively creates movement
• Antagonist is a passive muscle on the opposite side of the limb
• Muscle balance does not require equal strength; rather a proper ratio of strength, power, or endurance

Exercise Technique Experience

• Avoid presuming athletes can perform exercises correctly.
• Have athletes demonstrate exercises and provide specific instructions if needed

Exercise Order

• Power, Core, Then Assistance: Focus on power movements (e.g., power clean, push jerk, plyometrics) followed by core exercises (e.g., bench press, squats), then assistance exercises (e.g., arm curls, knee extensions)
• Upper and Lower Body Exercises (Alternated): Alternating upper and lower body exercises allows for better recovery
• "Push" and "Pull" Exercises (Alternated): Alternating pushing and pulling exercises improves recovery and recruitment between exercises
• Supersets and Compound Sets: Supersets work opposing muscles sequentially; compound sets work two different exercises for the same muscle group

Training Frequency

• Training frequency, the number of sessions per specified time, is influenced by training status, sport season demands, training load and exercise type, and other training factors such as aerobic/anaerobic training, practice, and/or job-related physical activity.
• Novice, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced athletes have different suggested weekly ranges of sessions in a training program.
• Generally, one rest or recovery day should be scheduled between sessions to avoid overworking the same set of muscles.
• More experienced athletes may utilize 'split routines' for their workouts and train different muscle groups on distinct days.