We’ve put together protocols for weight training programs and how to track your student/athlete’s weight training progress. There is a downloadable sheet for you to use, which can be accessed as a Drive download here or a PDF version here.
Instructions and protocols for weight training program & progress tracking:
- Flexibility is measured in two areas, upper and lower body.
- Lower extremity flexibility is measured with the student/athlete in long sitting. Without bouncing or assistance they leans forward with hands on the floor, palms down as far as possible. Measure the distance ( D -distance, P -past, F -foot), plus or minus, between the tip of the middle fingers and the soles of the feet at the heal. If they are even it is -0-. If they are 1″ past the foot it is +1. If they are 1″ short of the bottom it is -1.
- Upper extremity flexibility is measured with the athlete lying down in the prone position. Their arms are stretched out to the sides at a 90° angle with the torso. Without assistance he/she lifts arms off the floor as far as possible. Measure the distance ( D -distance, O -off, F -floor) between the floor and the wrist.
- We recommend that the measurements are done when the athlete is properly warmed up. A good measure for this is if they are sweating before hand. Jogging, running bleachers, jumping rope, etc. are all great warm-up options.
What will this accomplish?
- Each of the weight lifting components of the Progress Tracking measure where the athlete is at this juncture in the school year. They will be encouraged to increase the amount of weight they lift when the last repetition of the last set becomes easy. This promotes a progressive challenge, and will help in making gains to strength and endurance. Additionally, it will also eliminate the need to “max out,” which is where most injuries occur during weight training regimens.
- The varied components of this Progress Tracking allow the coach to ensure progress in all of the areas that are essential in any athletic endeavor. Whether the sport is football, baseball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, or golf a combination of speed, quickness, vertical leap, flexibility, and arm speed are areas that define athleticism.
- Please pass these records on to the athlete’s coach for his or her next school year. This way they will be able to track and see the progress their new athlete has made over time!
Keep this in mind
When an athlete is trying out for a college football team, the strength test isn’t how much you can lift. The test is how many times you can lift 185 pounds.
For professional football teams, it’s how many times can you lift 225 pounds. The focus is not only the amount, but the ability to perform repetitions because you need strength and stamina to succeed at those levels.
If we could build a weight training program in middle and high schools that focus on proper form, stamina, strength and flexibility, you would see an enormous decrease in injuries each year. There would also be a massive increase in athleticism!
Imagine having kids do the standard lifts but with the amount of weight they could do 35 times with good form. Then continue lifting that amount until they could do it 50 times with good form.
At that point, increase the weight by 5 or 10 pounds and continue lifting that weight until they could again lift it 50 times with good form. By the time these kids were seniors in High School, they would be absolute beasts.
If you also included kettle bells, heavy balls, heavy bag and plyometric workouts along with daily stretching these kids would be reaching their optimal athletic performance and be able to out work and out perform anyone they were competing with.
We have a workout available that is designed to be progressive. Check it out here.
The status quo of goals based on the old Nebraska weight training/maxing out should be done away with forever. This tired, outdated routine has caused injuries and limited the potential of many high school athletes. Any intelligent, thoughtful coach knows that something new needs to be adopted. If you are a coach, I hope that you will make that change for the sake of your athletes.