Low volume for lacrosse strength training
Lately, I’ve been lurking on the forums at Inside Lacrosse. More specifically, the training section. Every 10-15 posts, someone says they want to put on size and strength and posts a program for all to evaluate. This program ends up being some sort of split program where the upper body day has three exercises for every body part and the lower body has the same. I remember seeing these programs in the old Muscle & Fitness magazines in the 80′s. (Yes, I’m that old)
What we fail to understand is the body simply cannot handle the volume of work prescribed without some pharmacological help. Some of these programs were designed by those using anabolics for those taking anabolics. You’d need the drugs to recover from a program like this.
If you’re like most lacrosse players, your nutrition is barely on point, so recovery from training is challenged as it is. That being the case, you can get a great training effect from a program with a lower volume of exercise. I believe in whole body training, one exercise per movement. I have friends who subscribe to the Westside, Conjugate, Skinny Bastards method, and even they only do one heavy exercise per workout session.
The take home message is get your nose out of body building magazines and seek out the advice of a professional strength coach who has your best interests at heart.
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Comments on Low volume for lacrosse strength training
Hey Pete
I hear that same question over and over again. I always point them to Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 program. I’ve been using it myself for about a year and haven’t gotten bored or hurt with it yet.
That’s a great point, John. Some athletes tend to dismiss the programs from Elite FTS, Westside, etc, because the powerlifters simply have different goals. Honestly, they don’t care about being athletic. They just want to lift heavy weight. But regardless, the program you talk about is great for younger guys trying to get strong. Thanks for your input.
Pete