Saturday, September 13, 2008

Work Capacity...possibly your missing link

Just like every other S&C coach out there, I often get ahead of myself. I want to coach so many things up that I forget about the very foundation of it all...work capacity. When I was a redshirt at Texas A&M Mike Clark put us through what he called "Complex is Life Training". It was the battle cry of every redshirt and we had the t-shirts to prove it.

Coach Clark taught me that there are four basic qualities that we are trying to develop: Strength, Power, Speed and Work Capacity. Strength is improved week by week, power month by month, speed month by month and work capacity is year by year. At Westside they call this GPP. Whatever you call it, it is a vital component to improving performance.

Work Capacity training is designed to improve the structural integrity of the musculoskeletal system. Muscles strengthen much faster than tendons and ligaments and if the whole system is not strengthened equally there will be a greater chance for injury. In addition, work capacity training improves aerobic capacity via anaerobic means.

The adaptations seen by performing aerobic training (increased mitochondrial density, capillary density, myoglobin ect) are improved by performing anaerobic work capacity training. This is great considering large amounts of aerobic training decrease overall power production.

Methods for Developing WC:
Complex's: See Javorek's Complex Conditioning
Circuit Training
HIIT
Sleg Dragging

Favorite Complex's

BB Squat Complex: Lunge x 5, Step Up x 5, Squat to Push Press x 5, Squat x 5, BW Squat Jump x 10
DB Complex: High Pull Snatch x 5, Squat to PP x 5, BO Row x 5, Upright Row x 5, High Pull Snatch x 5
Clean Complex: Hang Clean x 5, RDL x 5, Front Squat x 5, BO Row x 5, Hang Clean x 5

If it has been a while since you incorporated WC Training in your program work it back in. I promise that your quality of Strength and Power work will improve.

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