By Tyler Franklin M.Ed., HSSCC
We do all of our programming in nine-week increments. I have a lot of students that play either multiple sports or year-round club sports, so we do not hammer too much volume when it comes to any aspect of our training. Everything is subject to change and nothing is concrete; hence the name “outline.”
I see my athletes 50 minutes a day (really about 30 minutes after you allow time for changing into workout gear), five days a week year-round, and a majority of them over the summer break. We all do the same program with volume and intensity manipulated for in-season accommodations.
We put a high emphasis on being focused on the big picture and stacking quality work throughout the year. This outline is what I have found to work best for my athletes and my logistics and is no way speaking in absolutes when it comes to programming or how anyone else should conduct their program. This is the current nine-week cycle that we are on. The outline has been the same throughout this year with tweaks to movements and logistics on any given day.
We start each of the nine-week periods with smaller sets because there is usually a break between each quarter. We perform the same movement patterns for nine weeks at a time to hammer the patterns and try to master them before switching the movements. Progressions and regressions are all made based on what I see with their current movement patterns, injury history, in- and off-season schedule or club team schedule.
We also started doing accessory work/primers before our main sets and it is going well for us so far. For sequence “A,” perform all letters together with 10″ between letters and 10-20” between sets. For sequence “B,” perform all movements back to back then take a big rest (90-120 seconds) before we come back to the main movement, which is indicated in Table B1. We use Rack Coach for our delivery and timing system so our rest periods are all mapped out and timed. We use an RPE system for the weight prescribed. I do so to try to have students gain some type of autonomy and begin to understand their effort on a given day.
Monday
Our Mondays are always full body with an upper-body emphasis to make sure we are fresh as can be for our sprint work on Tuesday. Also, students give more effort when they come in and know we have some form of bench press. Students have the option of dumbbell or barbell for bench press.
Accessory/ Primer
A1: High Plank to A Frame
A2: DB Curl and Press
A3: Copenhagen Planks
A4: YWT
Main Set
B1: Bench Press
B2: Single Arm DB Row
B3: Rest/ Foam Roll/ Mobility
B4: Make someone’s day better
Tuesday & Thursday
Tuesday is our max velocity/vertical plyo day because I have found it to be the sweet spot for high outputs with my population. Thursday is our acceleration/horizontal plyo day. But every Tuesday and Thursday, we are going to hit some extensive plyo work. We have access to our main basketball gym. We execute the top half of the movements from sideline to sideline, while the bottom half of the movements are performed baseline to baseline. We perform movements in sequence of how they’re written below.
Sometimes I will add an extra set or different movements to test out, but for the most part it’s a straight shot down the list with a little nuance here and there. There is some exercise we do that are not on the list, and there are times I skip over parts of the list depending on athletes’ body language and just watching them move. I try to incorporate some sort of chase or partner tag game into each session. We time 30-10 fly’s and measure vertical jumps on Tuesday. On Thursday, we time 5-10 fly’s (pro agility timed once a month) and measure broad jumps. The more opportunity to measure, the more opportunity to see tangible improvement and track progress, but ultimately I am using my coaches’ eyes to track their progress. We will also throw in some different tests on different days (Med Bll Slam, RSI…) Again, this protocol is a guideline and is what I have found to work best for my situation.
Wednesday
Our Wednesdays are always a full-body workout with emphasis on the lower part of the body. RDL (Romanian Deadlift) is our main movement because it is the king of all movements. Students have the option to use dumbbells or the bar. Pull-Ups stay the same reps throughout, and I have students add weight if the reps are easy to achieve. We do not use bands for those who struggle with pull-ups; instead we use a timed eccentric progression. Again, modifications and progressions are made as I see fit.
Wednesday:
Accessory/ Primer
A1: RDL and Reach
A2: 90/90 Hip Switches w/ Raise
A3: Pogos
A4: Lateral Lunge
Main Set
B1: RDL
B2: Pull-Up
B3: Rest/ Foam Roll/ Mobility
B4: Make someone’s day better
Friday
Our Fridays are always full-body training with an emphasis on the lower body. Bilateral Squat is our main movement. Students have the option of any variation of bilateral squat with my guidance. Followed by Dumbbell Split Squat Jump. Push-Ups stay the same reps throughout, and I have students add weight with a plate or band if the reps are easy to achieve. We use eccentric timed regression for those who struggle with push-ups. Again, modifications and progressions are made as I see fit. Accessory lifts add weight every fourth week.
Friday:
Accessory/ Primer
A1: Pendulum Lunge
A2: Landmine Lateral Flexion Press
A3: Oscillating Split Squat Jumps
A4: Squat Hold @ Bottom on Wedge w/ Dumbbell
Main Set
B1: Bilateral Squat
B2: DB Split Squat Jump
B3: Push-Up
B4: Make someone’s day better
I hope you find something insightful from this little guideline. Thanks for taking the time to skim over the information I presented–I hope it helps someone in some way.
Tyler Franklin is Director of Athletic Performance at Murray High School in Kentucky. He is the NHSSCA Kentucky State Director.
