Designing and implementing an efficient resistance training program for an individual can be broken down into 7 steps. I will detail each step individually and explain some reasons and examples of each.
Step 1: Needs Analysis
A needs analysis is a 2-stage approach based upon an assessment of an athlete or individual and the characteristics of the sport or goals of said individual.
Evaluation of the Sport/Goals
Once a specific goal has been determined from an athlete or individual, specific needs for those goals can be assessed and addressed. For example, if an athlete is a football linebacker, an analysis of their specific movements as well as physiological improvements can be evaluated.Not only that, but common points of injury can also be involved in the program design.
Power athletes (such as football lineman, shotputters, etc.) may improve performance from muscular hypertrophy (growth) because of the increased cross-sectional size of the muscles contributing to their muscular power. However, other athletes competing in endurance type events would find muscular hypertrophy detrimental to their performance.
Assessment of the Athlete/Individual
This is where testing and evaluation of an athlete is most important to determine an individual's current fitness level and what type of training experience they have. For example, the athlete may have just completed an extensive 6-week speed and agility program and now needs to try and improve their strength and flexibility. Or maybe they just came off their recovery period of a month of sitting on the couch not doing much of anything. All of these factors need to be factored in when designing the resistance training program.
Once an individual's status is understood, the primary training goals can then aid in designing a proper resistance training program.
-Tyler Robbins
B.Sc. PTS
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