In this article we will explore how to create a Strength and Conditioning program. Before doing so, let us clarify what is meant by Strength and Conditioning.
Strength and Conditioning is a specific profession whereby Strength and Conditioning Coaches work with athletes and sports teams as part of a wider support network. A Strength and Conditioning Coach is a coach who develops the physical capabilities of athlete populations. Fitness training for the general population is not in the Scope of Practice of Strength and Conditioning Coaches. In turn, physical preparation of athletic populations is not in the Scope of Practice of personal trainers that do not have additional training within the field of Strength and Conditioning.
In order for a Strength and Conditioning Coach to effectively develop the physical capabilities of athlete populations, there must be a significant element of planning involved. It is this planning stage that results in the creation of a strength and conditioning program. But how does a coach go about this?
How to Create a Strength and Conditioning Needs Analysis
Enter the Needs Analysis.
Conducting a thorough analysis of the demands of the sport and the physical profile of the athlete is referred to as a needs analysis. So already, we can break this analysis down into two parts:
- Demands of the sport (Sport Analysis)
- Physical profile of the athlete (Athlete Analysis)
The Sport Analysis can be further broken down into three parts. Firstly there is the physiological demands of the sport. Secondly there is the biomechanical characteristics of the sport. Finally there is an analysis of the most common injuries incurred within the sport.
The Athlete Analysis will involve gathering information regarding an athletes strengths and weaknesses, their injury history, their training history, and their personal goals. Once the Sport Analysis and the Athlete Analysis have both been conducted, a comparative analysis should be undertaken. A comparative analysis will help to determine any gaps between the demands of the sport and the profile of the athlete. Once these gaps are identified, it is possible to identify areas to focus on in the Strength and Conditioning programme.
Creating a Strength and Conditioning Programme
We have established the importance of a needs analysis as a preliminary step in creating Strength and Conditioning programmes. At this point, the best way of explaining how to create a Strength and Conditioning program is to work through an example needs analysis.
I will use the example of a female semi-professional Rugby League player.
First we must determine the physiological demands of Rugby League.
Rugby League is a collision sport. A key performance indicator of success is the outcome of these collisions. A team that comes out on top in more of the collisions is more likely to win a game. An individual player that wins the majority of collisions will be a more successful player. A primary determinant of success in collisions within Rugby League is a quality that has been termed Sprint Momentum.
Sprint Momentum = Sprint Speed X Body Mass
This gives us a clear idea of the physical characteristics that are necessary for professional rugby league. Specifically, the following traits are required: good sprint speed over short distances, high levels lean body mass, high levels of muscular strength and power. The importance of having high levels of lean body mass is due to the fact that we are ultimately interested in momentum. If a players high body mass is due to an excessive body fat percentage, this will negatively impact on sprint speed. If a players high body mass is due to muscularity, this will result in increased strength and power, which can positively impact sprint speed.
Biomechanical Characteristics of the Sport
We have determined Rugby League players require the following characteristics: good sprint speed, high body mass, high muscular strength and power. Now we must identify biomechanical characteristics, which will determine exactly how those physical traits should be trained.
With sprint speed, the key consideration is that we a looking at very short distances. Sprint Momentum is a key performance indicator in Rugby, specifically when a 10 metre acceleration test is used to measure sprint speed. The biomechanics of short accelerations are quite different to the biomechanics of top flight sprinting. Here are some key points relating to the biomechanics of short accelerations:
- Ground Contact Times of around 0.2 seconds
- More acute lower limb joint angles during ground contact
- Full triple extension forces through the hip, knee and ankle joints
- Force production primarily through concentric muscle action
These key points differentiate short accelerations from maximum speed sprinting. Top speed sprinting involves shorter ground contact times, incomplete triple extension, and a greater emphasis on eccentric muscle action. Rugby League players need to train for acceleration, not maximum speed. In terms of actual sprint work, this is achieved by keeping repetitions to very short distances. It also has implications in the weights room. Power exercises should be capable of increasing output within a 0.2 second timeframe. Exercises should develop the musculature through an appropriate range of motion. There should be a big focus on concentric force production.
Athlete Analysis
For the Athlete Analysis, it is useful to perform some athlete testing. In particular, we want to know the athletes 10 metre sprint speed. We also want to know the athletes body mass. From these two pieces of information we will be able to calculate Sprint Momentum.
So that we can work through an example, let’s present some hypothetical values for our athlete:
- 10 metre sprint speed – 5.94 metres per second
- Body Mass – 75Kg
- Sprint Momentum – 445.5 kg per metres per second
Comparative Analysis for Creating a Strength and Conditioning Program
For the Comparative Analysis, it is useful to look at normative data. In particular, we want to know what 10 metre sprint speeds are typical of professional female Rugby League players. We also want to know what level of body mass is typical for professional female Rugby League players. Knowledge of these two areas will also give us information on Sprint Momentum in professional players.
Fortunately, this information is available. In the Laboratory Manual for Strength and Conditioning, research data is presented for 10 metre sprint, speed, body mass, and momentum of international female rugby league players.
For Forwards in international female rugby league, the following data is representative of the population:
- 10 metre sprint speed – 5.95 metres per second
- Body Mass – 80.7Kg
- Sprint Momentum – 480 kg per metres per second
For Backs in international female rugby league, the following data is representative of the population:
- 10 metre sprint speed – 6.25 metres per second
- Body Mass – 66Kg
- Sprint Momentum – 413 kg per metres per second
Sprint Momentum for Rugby League Players
We are now able to compare this research data against the data collected for our specific athlete. This is the essence of the comparative analysis. The athlete analysis reports a Sprint Momentum of 445.5 Kg per metres per second. This compares very favourably to the figures reported for international female rugby league players. It is higher than the figures reported for Backs, but lower than the figure reported for forwards. This is to be expected, as she is already a semi-professional rugby league player. What will inform training decisions to a greater extent, is the relative contributions of sprint speed and body mass to the momentum score.
The athlete analysis reveals a 10 metre sprint speed of 5.94 metres per second. This is almost as fast as the typical sprint speed from Forwards in international female rugby league. It is however, significantly slower than the sprint speed of Backs in international female rugby league. The athlete analysis reveals a Body Mass of 75Kg. This is in between the reported Body Mass values for Forwards and Backs in international female rugby league. However, it is clearly closer the reported value for Forwards.
Create a Strength and Conditioning Program
From this comparative analysis it is clear that the focus in training needs to be on increasing Body Mass without losing speed.
With a Body Mass that is consistent with that of international Forwards, the Sprint Momentum of this athlete will also become consistent with this population.
We have now identified the needs of the athlete. At this point, we actually need to create a strength and conditioning program that addresses those needs.
A priority must be strength training in the gym. Along with adequate nutrition, this is what will allow the athlete to put on muscle and increase body mass. But we must remember, we can not afford to lose sprint speed. The athlete has around 5Kg of muscle mass to gain in order to be in line with the Body Mass of International female Forwards in Rugby League. So we need to add 5Kg of mass in a manner that will not slow the athlete down. With this in mind, the priority should be strength, power and hypertrophy training of the lower body. Sprint training must also feature prominently in the programme in order to maintain speed, despite an increase in body mass. Some upper body strength and hypertrophy work should be kept in the programme. This is to maintain rather than increase upper body strength and mass.
At this point, we now have a top three list of training priorities:
- Lower Body Strength and Hypertrophy development
- Short distance sprint work
- Upper Body Strength and Hypertrophy work
The frequency with which different types of training are performed in the programme should reflect the priority level we have given to that type of training. This now puts us in a place where we can map out what an example training week might look like. So here goes:
Rugby and Strength & Conditioning Program
| A.M. | P.M. | |
| Monday | SPRINT SESSION (eg. 10 x 20 metre sprints + 10 x 30m sled pulls) | Gym (Lower Body Strength & Power) |
| Tuesday | Rugby technical + tactical training | Gym (Full Body Hypertrophy) |
| Wednesday | Rugby technical + tactical training | Rugby technical + tactical training |
| Thursday | SPRINT SESSION (eg. 10 x 20 metre sprints + 10 x 10 second hill sprints) | Gym (Lower Body Strength & Power) |
| Friday | Rugby technical + tactical training | Gym (Upper Body Strength & Power) |
| Saturday | Rugby technical + tactical training | Gym (Lower Body Hypertrophy) |
| Sunday | Rest | Rest |
Periodisation in Strength and Conditioning
The first thing to mention is that this is just an example training week. A key principle of training is variation. Not all training weeks will be the same. The theory of periodisation relates to introducing variation into a strength and conditioning programme in a logical and progressive manner. There are many different models of periodisation. These include: linear periodisation, undulating periodisation, block periodisation and conjugate periodisation (to name a few). Each different style of periodisation has its advantages, depending on the situation. The key thing to appreciate for now is that training will vary over time.
The next consideration is the content of the gym sessions. For the sake of brevity, I have not gone in to details on sets, reps, recovery periods or exercise selection. Of course, these are all important considerations though. Factors discussed in the section on the biomechanical characteristics of the sport, will heavily influence exercise selection. You will also remember that we mentioned an injury analysis should form a part of the needs analysis. Again, for brevity, we have not covered a detailed injury analysis. However, if certain injuries are common in the sport (or if the athlete has a history of certain injuries), then this information will also be likely to influence exercise selection.
Another important consideration is collaboration with other members of the coaching staff. Depending on the nature and scheduling of the Rugby technical and tactical sessions, the above example strength and conditioning schedule may not work. The plans must be adaptable to the individual environment.
York Strength and Conditioning Coach
So, there is a lot to consider when you are looking to create a strength and conditioning program. This article is a useful guide for creating your own strength and conditioning programme. However, if you want to take the guess work out of it and make sure your strength and conditioning training is optimised for you, then get in touch!
I am based in York, at Egerton’s Garage Gym. This is an elite, completely private strength and conditioning facility. I specialise in strength and conditioning for runners. My background is in elite level middle distance running. I have worked with Olympic athletes, world champions, Commonwealth Games medallists and world record holders. So, if you are York based and you are an elite or sub-elite level athlete, I can help you to improve performance, reduce injuries and move up to the next level in your sport.
You can learn more about strength and conditioning coaching with myself by clicking on the following link:
York Strength and Conditioning Coach
I will work with you to create a Strength and Conditioning program that is executed to an elite standard. We will ensure that the sessions are adapted in accordance with your needs. Technique will be given the level of attention that you expect from a world class strength and conditioning coach. We will have a lot of fun along the way as well!
If this sounds like what you are looking for, then I look forward to hearing from you.
Tim Egerton, Foxwood Personal Training, Egerton’s Garage Gym, York.