Most athletes do strength training to “get in shape” and to get stronger. This is especially evident on the collegiate and professional levels. However, it is also happening with increasing frequency on the high school level. This is great to see as strength training and general conditioning are needed as a foundation to enable athletes to play their best.
To make the strength training even more effective it must be differentiated by the different athletic levels and according to each athlete and his or her development. For example, if you are a novice and have never weight trained before, then it matters little exactly which exercises you use or how many sets and repetitions are involved. Simply doing a variety of strength exercises and some aerobic activities will get you in better physical condition. This should be considered base training.
As you continue your training and have an established strength base, then your training should become more specific. At this time, the exercises, sets and reps begin to play very important roles as to the development that you will receive. In other words, the way you train will give you specific results in relation to that training. However, to get the benefits from this specific training, you must first establish a general strength base as described above.
The main exercises done in specific training are highly specialized. This means that each exercise duplicates the exact technique used in execution of the skill or a portion of the skill. In other words, it has the same neuromuscular pathway as seen in execution of the skill. In this way you develop strength in exactly the way it is used in execution of the skill. This is a very important distinction between a specialized exercise and a general exercise which does not duplicate what occurs in execution of the skill.
These exercises are mainly for higher-level athletes who have a well-developed fitness base. They are used to prepare the athlete for competition. When the athlete does these specialized exercises he will see almost immediate improvement in his skill execution on the field, ring or court. They are extremely effective in improving player performance. The benefits of these exercises are much greater than any benefits received from more fitness training, regardless of the volume used.
High school players for the most part should do general conditioning as it has the greatest impact on growth and development and playing ability. Most young players improve because of the playing and maturation. However, as the body becomes fully mature and you have an established strength and conditioning base, then the training must be very specific in order to improve your abilities. In early high school years the intensity and volume of training should not be very high. When it is, the amount of development is diminished and increases in strength, speed, power, etc. are not as great as they can be with less volume and intensity.
In general strength and conditioning training, it is important that you develop all of the major muscles and joints of the body. Because of this, you should do many individual exercises that hit each area. To adequately cover the entire body over 20 different exercises are usually required. For example, a sample program can be as follows: (1) calf (heel) raises, (2) toe raises, (3) leg extensions, (4) knee curls, (5) squat, (6) hip extension with Active Cords, (7) hip abduction with Active Cords, (8) 45º sit-up (crunch), (9) reverse sit-up, (10) reverse trunk twist, (11) back raises, (12) full range lateral arm raises, (13) full range front arm raises, (14) overhead press, (15) lat pulldown, (16) bench press, (17) reverse fly or bent over dumbbell row, (18) biceps curl, (19) triceps pushdown, (20) supination/pronation, (21) wrist curls, (22) reverse curls, (23) finger exercises with ExerRings.
Not all of these exercises have to be done in one workout. For example, some of the finger and hand exercises and those with the Total Athlete System™ can be done at home in the evening while those requiring major equipment should be done at school or in the gym. Because of the volume of exercises, you only do one set working up to 15-20 maximum repetitions. When first getting started, do only 5 or 6 repetitions to get the feel for the exercise and learn how to do it correctly. If you need a good source of instruction, see Kinesiology of Exercise, the most detailed and comprehensive book on execution of strength exercises presently available. As you become familiar with and accustomed to each exercise, gradually increase the number of repetitions until you reach 20 consistently for two or three workouts. At this time, increase the resistance which will bring you back down to approximately 14-15 repetitions and then gradually work up again.
You will find that you do not improve in each exercise at the same rate of speed. Thus, the number of repetitions will vary greatly from one exercise to the other. As you complete this phase of training, which can take anywhere from 2 to 4 months, you will then be ready to start more specialized exercises and training. The intensity increases at this time but the volume must be adjusted to each individual athlete. The same concept holds true when developing the aerobic and anaerobic abilities.
For more information read Build a Better Athlete.