Functional Weight Training Routines, Programs, Workouts, Equipment

LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR
WEIGHT TRAINING ROUTINES
MORE FUNCTIONAL

JOIN OTHER STRENGTH ENTHUSIASTS
JUST LIKE YOU WHO WANT TO
GET STRONGER AND PERFORM BETTER !

If YOU are truly serious about optimizing the use of your weight training routines, ask yourself two direct questions -- "What kind of strength do I need to develop?" and "How much of that strength is needed to achieve optimum results?" According to Juan Carlos "JC" Santana, Med, CSCS "Strength is the quintessential quality most sought by athletes and coaches. Look at any performance enhancement program and you will usually see the development of strength at the forefront of its objectives. Listen in on any conversation between coaches or between athletes, and you will hear a repeating theme: how much can you lift? Strength is one thing everyone can't get enough of."

"DEVELOP STRENGTH YOU CAN USE"

"Is your current strength training objectives getting YOU and your ATHLETES where YOU want and need to be?"

I have learned that there is no magic formula out there. The direction for your success is centered around the common sense approach. Yes, YOU need to follow and learn from the experts. An expert is one who has already made the mistakes from the process of trial and error. They know what works and what doesn't! Look at it this way, they have made the mistakes so YOU don't have to. I am one of those "mistake makers" for your benefit. "Are YOU ready to know what works"?

The only point for using weight training routines that work is based on developing functional strength. In other words, "strength that YOU can use!"

"WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH?"

* Strength that optimally enhances the body's kinetic duty or purpose and provides significant transfer to target activities (sport specific activities)

* Strength that familiarizes the body with its operational environment. Using gravity, momentum, ground reaction forces and 360 degree movement freedom.

Right here and now, let's get right to the discussion of the different forms of strength and its development.

"3 BASIC PHASES OF FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH"

If our weight training routines are going to work optimally, we need to understand strength development from 3 basic phases. The 3 basic phases of strength are:

GENERAL STRENGTH: (developed with standard weight training equipment, body weight exercises, etc...) General strength training does not mimic any specific athletic movement. The main objective is to create anatomical adaptations focused on increasing maximum strength and work capacity. Using exercises such as cleans, squats, and bench presses are examples of weight training exercises used for developing general strength.

SPECIAL STRENGTH: enhanced by exercises that closely resemble the actual mechanics of athletic movements targeted for improvement. Many of the training routines used in this phase have been classified as functional exercise. This strength phase begins the transfer of general strength to a more specific form. Basic medicine ball exercises and plyometrics are just a few examples.

SPECIFIC STRENGTH: Necessary to optimize the transfer of general and special strength to the targeted activity.

This training phase tries to closely mimic athletic movements targeted for improvement, down to their exact speed, load, and mechanics.

Examples of these specific training exercises are hitting a blocking sled, throwing a weighted ball, swinging a weighted bat, and performing sport specific movements with resistance bands.

"TRAINING FOR THE MOMENT OF TRUTH...!"

Athletic skills and movement requirements like running speed, vertical jump capability, and throwing speed are just some of the athletic components that will improve after the application of general strength training. We must be careful not to overemphasize strength development as any weight training routines primary objective. According to Juan Carlos "JC" Santana, Med, CSCS "Problems will arise when the expression of maximum strength begins to "dominate" your functional performance objectives; when strength is developed for the sake of strength and not for what it can do for you and your programs."

We must ask ourselves 2 very important questions given the information you just read about strength training.

(1) "Will the time that I invest in my weight training routines build additional strength and yield improved performance?"

(2) " Would I better serve the needs of my athletes by maintaining reasonable strength levels and work on functional qualities that will significantly improve athletic performance?"

If you understand the above information, the answers should be quite simple. If your athlete or athletes demonstrate that there is enough absolute strength, focus on their ability to transfer and apply it towards your targeted activities (sport specific activities). It would be a great mistake to spend weeks or months increasing maximum strength by 8% and not be able to functionally use it. Here is something to seriously think about. A 70% explosive application of a 300-lb squat will result in 210-lbs of devastating force. Another way to see it, 40% transfer of a 275-lb yields 110-lbs of bench press capacity. "What situation would you like to see your offensive lineman too be in during that moment of truth?"

DO YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR
WEIGHT TRAINING TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

Eating To Optimize Health and Performance
Feeding your body the best muscle building foods is the foundation of good health first and foremost. The quality of food that you allow to enter into your body will determine the health of every cell and organ. The truth is, many athletes are inconsistent, negligent, and downright lazy when it comes right down to it...

Weight Training Equipment - "Taking Your Efforts To The Next Level"
The keys to successful weight training lay in choosing the best weight training equipment and using it properly. Shopping for weight equipment can be daunting as it is usually the least understood portion of exercise. One of the surest ways to buy right is to go with a manufacturer that has a history of quality..!

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weight training routines