When in comes to high school strength and conditioning how much weight athletes are using over an extended period of time will drastically influence their ceiling for athletic performance. With that being said different approaches must be taken depending on the training age of the athlete. For example, athletes in the eight and ninth grade who have never lifted weights before will see linear increases for about a year before they plateau. Less variety and more consistency in training is needed.
In this scenario we have found that using the same exercises for a twelve week period will help instill confidence and increases in strength by about 100% can be demonstrated. In week one we recommend slowly working up to a challenging set of 12 reps which will provide a great starting point. In week two we recommend the athlete use the starting point weight which was found in week one across all four sets. If all sets are performed perfectly the athlete will increase weight by 2.5 lbs in week three. Here is an example:
Exercise: Barbell Zercher Squat
Volume WK 1-6: 4×12
Volume WK 7-12: 5×8
Tempo: 4-0-1-0
Rest: 90 seconds
WK 1: 45 lbs, WK 2: 47.5 lbs, WK 3: 50 lbs, WK 4: 52.5 lbs, WK 5: 55 lbs, WK 6: 57.5 lbs
In weeks 7-12 our rep scheme will alter the sets and reps we are using so that the athlete has a chance to increase the amount of weight being used. For athletes with a training age of under one year we equate one repetition to five lbs. In this scenario where we are looking to progress in a linear fashion so we look at the decrease in four reps and multiply that by five which gives us our new starting point for week 7 of 77.5 lbs. The tempo and exercise stay the same but now we are priming the nervous system for gradually more weight.
WK 7: 77.5 lbs, WK 8: 80 lbs, WK 9: 82.5 lbs, WK 10: 84 lbs, WK 11: 87.5 lbs, and WK 12: 90 lbs.
The small incremental jumps would allow for safe and effective increases.
Based on our force plate data we have found that this simple approach quickly increases power, explosiveness, and lean body mass. Yes, there are a ton of methods that would look way cooler on instagram. However, advanced methods are earned not given. If you are just starting out try using this standard loading method and you will not be disappointed with the results.
Simple and effective always wins!
