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Guys, Any Progs Or Ideas For Training Legs For Size & Power Without Using Squats, My Athlete Has Long Standing Lower Back Issues.
ThanksI have found the best method is to belt squat as this takes all the stress off of the lower back, the best belt squat harness can be found at http://www.ironmind.com the publishers of Milo magazine, they have the belt in various sizes and carrabiners, so you can load quite heavily and only stress the legs, cheers,ashley
Just checked out the Milo site myself, if you want a good set up for belt squats I would go with:
1220 super squats hip belt, small/med/large/X large $99.95 USD
1220a daisy chains to connect to a bar $15.95 per pair
1314a large carabiner $6.00
1314c Olympic plate holder $36.95
1200 Super Squats book $16.95
so for $175.80 postage you will be set up nicely, cheers, ash
Don’t underestimate the value of bodyweight exercises, particularly single leg variations such as single leg squats off a box, high box step ups, single leg squat (touching floor in front) etc. These can still be progressed with DB’s or weight vests which allow for leg loading without the same loading on the spine as barbell squats. These can be combined into little circuits which are good in the GPP. For example, i quite often utilise this little Vern Gambetta Circuit
Squat x 20
Alt. Lunge x 10es
Step Ups or Step Up Jumps x 10es
Squat Jumps x 10Try and get them all done within 90sec and then have 60-90sec recovery. After doing a few sets of these try telling me that they won’t get some gains in leg size!
Cheers
Damian
Yeh … I think the lactate levels (perhaps then subsequent GH increase) work pretty good with those!
Nice Damian, have used your circuit suggestion from Gambetta as well and it is brutal, also if you have not been to www,combatconditioning,com with Matt Furey check his porgams out for using bodyweight exercises, his Royal Court of Hindu Squats – 500 reps, Hindu Push Ups – 250 reps and Reverse Bridging, is an excellent little combo, I had one player a few years ago who was so unmotivated to train in the gym I substituted a range of Combat Conditiong exercises and he jumped on board and did them regularly, working up to the full 500/250 combination in a little under 34 minutes, ash
I’ve never done that kind of work in the gym … never.
It’s probably because I’ve never worked in that domain of higher reps, but I must check it out – probably a darn fast way to lean up too!Great for older players who have tried many different things over their career’s it is a challenge and all rugby players like competition, just keeping body, mind and spirit together, in his last year so that was worth a try and it seemed to do the trick, plus he just hated the gym with a passion, ash
Ok … so max strength then isn’t as big an issue.
Good advice (another tool for the tool box!)It’s all just a means to an end. As we know the best program is the one the player embraces.
I agree guys variations on a theme, although the gambetta routine is tough, how long would you stick with it? Obviously when you want to do speed and power this routine might not be appropriate? plyos are out for this guy at least in big nos, the trauma on his back is too great. Where would you go with him for power and speed?
Tks
JMC404Tough one that one, just start with skipping and see if he tolerates that then progress up the list of plyomentrics, go to the NSCA web site there is a Plyometric Continuum there somewhere from memory that you can progress your athlete and use a variety of movements and assess his level of tolerance to the stress and hasten slowly, speed same deal very little stress maybe form running and assess for progression based on player’s opinion, cheers,a sh
I phase the Gambetta routine in and out for 3-4 weeks. I may come back and revisit it occasionally throughout the year. Call me simplistic but just doing sprint work may be the best speed/power work you can do with this player. That’s the most specific plyometric training!
Sounds good enough to me, remember as Thibideau says, “complexity is the language of simple minds”, I will sometimes use that Gambetta complex as a finishing blast on some programs, or also as I am on a Summer training camp with no gym at all we will use it as a change of pace alternative out of necessity, ash
In terms of work towards the strength aspect there is much strongman work without loading ther spine vertically that can be done.
Heavy sled work with the belt around the waist is also a great option – (and again here there is a continuum also to lighter/faster puls)
There is also hill work which I think is completely underrated.
So all those will develop strength-power
As far as plyometrics as Damian rightly said the most plyometric activity is in fact sprinting (which is why I often never see a need to do conventional plyometric bounding etc. with many players)
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