I am often asked how we adjust the strength and conditioning program for our women athletes. The short answer is that we don’t. Our women athletes, are athletes… many of them very good athletes! The dynamic strength training program that I have shared in a previous post (A Weekly (not weakly!) Workout) does make adjustments, and is individualized, based on strength levels, but does not differentiate between gender. We ask our women athletes to go through the same “Core” lifting program that we use to train our male athletes. We do make adjustments based on in-season/ off-season, and make allowances on days of competition, as well as having sport specific supplemental lifts. Each sport (men and women) also has their own battery of sport specific conditioning and quickness drills that they use. But the basic “Core” part of our program, the weekly rotation of our four core lifts, Bench, Squat, Clean and Push Press, is identical for both our men and women athletes.
The women athletes at our school have enjoyed great success recently. Our softball team was 2012 Missouri State 5A Champions and our basketball team is currently undefeated and ranked #1 in the state (Missouri 5A)!. Our Volleyball team is right on the cusp of competing for a state championship. While the strength and conditioning program at our school is only a small piece of this success (these programs have very good athletes that work hard and are very well coached), our coaches have “bought in” and believe it is still an important piece of the puzzle. It is the expectation that the women on our school’s athletic teams will participate in the strength and conditioning program, either during school in one of our classes, after school, and also during the summer session.
Here is what our coaches have said about our strength and conditioning program, A Weekly (not weakly!) Workout, that we put our women athletes through:
“The strength and conditioning program may be the single biggest improvement we have made in our program. It has done as much for the development of my players as any position work or practice. We are bigger, stronger, and faster than we used to be, and that has translated to a 19-0 start and a #1 state ranking. The girls have a confidence that comes with strength. You can’t get that feeling from anything else.” – Steve Cassity – Head Girls Basketball Coach, Truman High School
“The progress my athletes have made by utilizing the four core lifts alone, has been remarkable. Our overall strength the past two years has made a dramatic impact in our on-field performance. My kids have more power at the plate and increased explosiveness in the field. This system works for our athletes… male and female alike” – Amy Temples – Head Girls Softball Coach, Truman High School
“What I have seen more than anything else is the explosion that the strength and conditioning program has provided for our female athletes.”
Denise Craig – Head Girls Volleyball Coach, Truman High School
Here is a short video showing some of our female athletes, that participate in a variety of sports, in our Strength and Conditioning Class.
In the next few days we will be taking a look at the NCAA and NAIA Clearinghouse, and detailing the next of our 4 Core lifts, the Squat.
Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.co,
