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LAST UPDATED ON Friday October 31 2003 |
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Articles |
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LAST UPDATED ON Friday October 31 2003
LOUIE SIMMONS TRAINING PROGRAMby Paul BrueskeLet me start by saying I think Louie SImmons is in fact an strength training genius. I feel his training program is ideal for powerlifters and there is no doubt it is an effective training routine for anyone seeking to improve their strength and power. However, after studying Louie's program extensively I have found many reasons why high school coaches and in many cases college coaches should not use his routine with their student athletes. 1. In the typical high school strength program there is usually a large number of student- athletes training at once. Moreover, coaches oftentimes must work under the time constraints of a class period. Therefore, using chains, bands and many Louie's special exericses is simply not practical in this type of setting. 2. Louie doesn't feel olympic style lifting is needed. Maybe not for powerlifting but in throwing its a must. Throwing and the sport of weightlifting are total-body efforts in which proficient performance is directly related to full extension of the hips, knees, and ankles. Olympic style lifting is the most sport-specific lifting a thrower can do. Not only do the olympic lifts require strength, they also require coordination, balance, flexibility, technique. (The same ingredients a successful thrower must have) The traditional powerlifts DO NOT incorporate these concepts to the extent that the olympic lifts do. Virtually all top throwers are also very accomplished in the Olympic lifts. Ask any world class thrower what lifts they feel are the most beneficial and you will undoubtedly hear the "olympic style lifts "mentioned. 3. Louie's training program is individualized in that it targets an individual's weaknesses. This is a very sound concept. However, when your supervising a group of 60-100+ athletes at once it is practically impossible to design an individualized routine for that number. In a high school setting, you might be able to target general weaknesses that several members of a team share such as lack of explosive power, but it is not possible to effectively tailor a routine for each athlete and still run an efficient and organized weight lifting class period. It is just not practical. 4. Budget constraints. Equipment such as Louie's reverse hyperextension machine, chains, bands, manta ray bars costs money. Most high school budgets are already spread thin. 4. Louie does not believe in periodization. How can you go straight in to a Max effort- Speed spilt routine after a long punishing football season where many of your athletes are still physically beat-up? I will say that some of Louie's exercises are very beneficial and practical in a high school setting. I love partial high rep deadlifts, box squat, speed bench, hyperextensions, reverse hypers. Furthermore, I have gotten a lot of good ideas from SImmons program. However, I do feel that his program should be altered for the above mentioned reasons when training athletes in a typical high school setting. -Paul Brueske Assistant Track & FIeld / Assistant Football Coach McGill-Toolen High School ( Mobile, Alabama) If you have articles or info you would like to a shareplease let us know by using our submission form or emailing Larry Steinke [ MEET INFORMATION ] [ ANALYSIS & TIPS ] [ THROWS ARTICLES ] [ INTERVIEWS ] [ RECORDS ] [ RESULTS ] [ CLASSIFIEDS ] [ HOT LINK ARCHIVE ] [ DISCUSSION FORUM ] [ SUBMISSIONS ] [ THROWERS QUIZ ] [ GUESTBOOK ] | ||