| Strength training is an essential element of fitness for | | | | complete exhaustion. A physiological analysis of any |
| virtually every sports man and woman. Long gone | | | | game or event will confirm that most athletes require |
| are the days when coaches believed resistance | | | | explosive power, muscular endurance, maximal |
| exercises only added unnecessary bulk to the | | | | strength or some combination of all three in order to |
| athlete, hindering their ability to execute skill. | | | | excel. Rarely is pure muscle bulk the primary concern |
| There is no longer any doubt that effective, targeted | | | | and when it is, other elements of strength are equally |
| resistance training is not just beneficial but critical to | | | | as important. |
| improvements in sports performance. Sports such as | | | | Maximal strength is the highest level of force an |
| rugby, American Football, and rowing have employed | | | | athlete can possibly generate. Its importance will vary |
| weightlifting techniques of some form for what | | | | between sports but this relates more to the length |
| seems like forever. However, these are sports | | | | of the maximal strength training phase than whether |
| where the size of the athlete has in the past been | | | | it should be included or not. The greater an |
| viewed as bigger is better hence the enthusiasm for | | | | athlete’s maximal strength to begin with, the |
| lifting weights. | | | | more of it can be converted into sport-specific |
| The benefits of strength training to athletic | | | | strength endurance or explosive power. |
| performance are enormous and many. Not only is it | | | | The right nutrition is very important when training in |
| an integral conditioning component for power athletes | | | | any sport, if you desire to see the best results and |
| such as football and rugby players, performance in | | | | intend to do you very best. Just like training for |
| the pure endurance events can be improved with a | | | | different sports will require different alterations to |
| well structured strength routine. | | | | your strength training routine, your body will require |
| Fortunately now, even coaches in sports which have | | | | different types of nutrients to help you train harder |
| traditionally ignored weight training for fear of bulking | | | | and perform better in your chosen sport field. |
| up realise that weight training can be programmed in | | | | I interested in giving you the practical knowledge you |
| such a way as to cause dramatic improvements in | | | | need to train hard and effectively whether you have |
| performance without large increases in muscle mass. | | | | a keen interest in a particular sport or just want to |
| However, aside from perhaps bodybuilders, sport | | | | find the most effective, time efficient ways to |
| specific resistance training requires a more refined | | | | achieve particular fitness goals. |
| approach than simply lifting heavy weights to | | | | |