Why General Strength Exercises Should Be Part of Your Training Regimen
General strength exercises are among the most valuable and versatile in athletic training. In fact, they’re key to developing a well-rounded athlete.
Endurance, coordination, balance, and more, can all be improved with the help of a few general strength exercises – as long as they’re implemented the correct way.
What are general strength exercises?
General strength exercises develop strength with no external load applied. In other words, the athlete’s bodyweight is the sole load or resistance. You’re probably familiar with the basic pushup and situp – but general strength exercises can get much more advanced to target highly specific goals.
Types of general strength exercises
Here are a few of the most common types of general strength exercises.
Calisthenics
Simple, gross body movements that often create resistance or challenge ranges of motion.
Usually arranged into circuits with specified work and rest intervals.
Commonly used to develop basic general strength qualities, coordination, and energy system fitness.
Abdominal/Spinal Work
Calisthenic exercises designed to address the abdomen and spine.
Usually addressed in programs designed specifically for this body region because of how important it is to performance.
Stabilization Routines
Exercises that require joints or body parts to remain stationary under circumstances of loading or instability. At other times they may require very slow, uniform movements of body parts.
Develop the ability to stabilize joints and large muscle groups during activity.
Require a minimum level of strength endurance to perform.
Strengthen the postural muscles and improve of coordination, flexibility and balance.
Connective Tissue Routines
Exercises that create significant tension in the connective tissue under conditions of very slow movement.
Address muscle tissue as well, and help to improve flexibility, muscular strength and endurance as well as connective tissue strength.
The benefits of general strength exercises
Though they’re known as “strength exercises,” they can do much more than improve just strength. Here are a few of the biggest benefits of using general strength in the training regimen.
Build strength without the risk
Of course, the most obvious benefit of general strength exercises is that they build strength. But it’s how they build strength that make them particularly valuable to the young developing athlete.
Without external loading, you keep injury risk to a minimum. Also, unlike weight training, general strength work is safe enough that a large number of athletes can undertake it with minimal supervision. With a wide range of exercises at your disposal, you can make the program as easy or as hard as you like.
Improve coordination and body awareness
Since general strength exercises use the athlete’s bodyweight as the primary resistance load, the more they’re performed, the better athletes become at manipulating their bodies. This can enhance their general flexibility and technique in any sport. As a result, many coaches consider general strength work as a mix of strength and coordination training.
Boost agility and balance without overtraining
Unlike many other strength training methods, general strength work can activate, train, and strengthen small muscles and corresponding muscle groups. As a result, the athlete can see a boost in agility, mobility, overall balance, and many other benefits.
What’s more, since general strength exercises don’t require any external load, the possibilities of overtraining or developing muscle imbalances are virtually eliminated.
Accelerate the body’s recovery process
When executed in certain ways, general strength exercises can boost production of hormones related to recovery from exercise. Many coaches, when they want to accelerate recovery from the previous day’s workout, will work general strength exercises into a recovery-themed day.
Develop endurance through circuits
When you combine general strength exercises into circuits or groups, you can challenge and develop an athlete’s endurance. Within these groups, carefully chosen rest periods and intervals enable a knowledgeable coach to train either aerobic or anaerobic fitness.
Very short sprints can be mixed in to increase demand. These circuits can be made as easy or as difficult as desired.
Avoid repetitive movement syndromes
Using running workouts to develop endurance in an athlete too often results in repetitive movement syndromes. Since general strength training involves a variety of movements, the likelihood of an athlete sustaining an overuse injury is far less. In addition, fatigue-related degradation of running mechanics is eliminated.
Examples of general strength applications
Scramble Circuit
This is a good way to train basic general strength and endurance.
The athletes are placed on a start line, facing in the same direction, with another line 10 meters from the start line.
The coach gives a start command, and the athlete begins to perform a designated general strength exercise.
After the work interval, the coach shouts “sprint”, and the athletes quickly get to their feet and sprint 10 meters to the next line.
Then they walk back and reset for the next exercise.
Performing pushups, squats, situps, and back hyperextensions (3 sets of each) is recommended, though nearly any simple movement can be used.
The circuit should include 12 total sets of work, with 20 seconds of work/40 seconds of rest being a good starting point for most levels of athletes.
Burnouts
In this exercise…
The athlete is asked to perform 10 squats, 10 lunges, then 10 squat jumps continuously at a consistent cadence.
After a rest period of 2 minutes, another set is performed.
The workout can consist of 2 or 3 sets. The same concept can be applied to the upper body, choosing exercises for the arms, chest, and upper back.
Pillar Circuit
This circuit should include a variety of exercises that concentrate on the abdominals, the lumbar spine, and the obliques. Consider including situps, crunches, back hyperextensions, sideways situps, crunches and hyperextensions combined with twisting movements, etc.
A good starting point is 12-16 total sets, with 20 seconds work/20 seconds rest.
Duck Walks
These exercises are a good but simple way to train connective tissue.
Athletes assume a deep squat position
Without rising, they walk 10 meters at a slow but consistent pace.
The entire circuit consists of 2 sets of 10 meters each of forward walks, backwards walks, and lateral walks to each side.
Planks
Plank exercises require an athlete to maintain a stable posture while assuming an inherently unstable position.
For example, an athlete might assume a pushup position, prone, with weight on the hands and feet and the body held straight.
Once assuming this position, the athlete slowly raises and lowers one foot while maintaining stability in the remainder of the body. Other variations might place the body in a supine position or on the side, with the hands or elbows supporting body weight.
8-10 exercises, using 15 seconds of work with each leg, followed by 15 seconds of rest are suggested.
Learn more about general strength training in the Ascent Track ‘Season in Full’ Workshop
These by no means are representative of all of the variety of exercises and workout constructs available to the coach, but are meant as a starting point to demonstrate potential applications of this type of work. Once the coach gains experience in administering circuits like these, one can quickly adapt them to a variety of goals by choosing different exercises, work intervals, and rest intervals.
If you want to learn more about general strength training and its application, sign up for the Ascent Track Season in Full workshop (Boo Schexnayder is the Lead Coach in the Hurdles and LJ/TJ sections).
Throughout four online coaching sessions that span the entire outdoor track and field season, you’ll learn everything you need to know to create an environment that empowers your athletes to succeed. From general strength training applications and proper warm-up routines, to event-specific periodization and effective data collection methods, the Season in Full workshop has it all. Spots are limited to 14 per event group, so secure yours today!