What Is Explosive Training?

Explosiveness
Defined as the ability of an athlete to exert as much
force as possible in a limited amount of time
Related to, but distinctly different from maximum
strength
Seen when performing such activities as jumping,
sprinting, throwing, kicking, punching, tackling
A key ingredient of success in most sports
In order to become explosive you must train
explosively

What Is Explosive Training?

Comparison to maximum strength
Maximum strength, in and of itself, is a highly soughtafter capability in athletics, but possessing incredible
strength and the ability to produce it rapidly are quite
different
Being strong does not necessarily mean that one is
fast as well
Athletes usually do not have enough time to develop
maximum force in actual sporting movements

What Is Explosive Training?

Example: Shot Put Thrower
Shot putters may have a bench press maximum
exceeding 180 kg
The force required to move a barbell that heavy is
far more than what is required to throw a 7.26 kg
shot, and takes considerably more time
The most critical aspect of the event is how much
force is developed during the short amount of
time that the shot is in the athletes hand
Increasing maximum strength will only help early
in the athletes career, after which explosiveness
becomes more important

Explosive Training Methods

Many different ways to train
explosiveness

Olympic Lifts
Plyometrics
Combination Training
Accommodated/Accelerated Resistance

The Olympic Lifts

Snatch
165 kg (364 lbs)

Clean and Jerk

205 kg (452 lbs)

The Olympic Lifts

Snatch
125 kg (276 lbs)

Clean and Jerk

155 kg (342 lbs)

The Olympic Lifts

Typically partial Olympic lifts are used in
training for explosive sports
Football, track and field, volleyball, basketball

Has much support in research and in practice

Decades of research in the former Soviet Union and
the United States

Variations most often included:

Power Clean
Power Snatch
Split Jerk
Power Jerk

Why Use Olympic Lifts?

When performed properly, the Olympic lifts are
some of the most effective and safest means of
developing explosive strength and power
Used to improve sports performance

Increased Force Output

Improved Speed
Increased Power
Improved Motor Skill
Prevention of Injury

Common Misconceptions
The Olympic lifts are dangerous with high
injury rates
Proper technique makes the Olympic lifts some
of the safest exercises in existence
The rate of injury for weightlifters has been
shown to be as low as 0.17% injuries per 100
hours of participation
Basketball has a 30% chance of injury per 100 hours,
and track and field has 57% chance of injury per 100
hours

Much more likely to be injured in a collision

sport such as football or hockey than training
with the Olympic lifts

Programming Guidelines
Similar to other forms of training for
power or explosiveness, the focus is on
QUALITY and not quantity
Best results are received when giving
maximum effort for each rep
In order to give maximum effort, you must
be fresh
The Olympic Lifts should be done near the
beginning of the workout, with lower reps
and sets, but very high intensity and effort

Programming Guidelines
Volume
Classic lifts (Snatch and Clean & Jerk)
1 to 3 reps, with the majority being 2 reps

Partial lifts (Power Styles)

1 to 5 reps, depending on intensity and exercise

Intensity
Weights of 70% to 85% for speed-specific
training
Weights of 85%+ for maximum strength and
power performance

Why Not Use The Olympic Lifts?

There are many instances where using the
Olympic lifts may not be the best method to
choose
A coach has no background teaching the lifts
The athletes have reached collegiate or
professional ranks of sport without learning
them
Athletes who lack the basic structural/functional
qualities needed to negotiate the lifts
Lack of desire to learn

Plyometrics
Plyometric training involves the use of
explosive/impact activities such as jumping or
throwing
Similar to the Olympic lifts, plyometrics train the
neuromuscular system
The myotatic reflex occurs when muscles are suddenly
stretched, such as when preparing to jump or landing
from a jump
An effective stretch-shortening reflex helps increase force
production, making the movement more explosive

Series elastic component of musculature

Plyometrics
Plyometrics are highly specific and effective
at developing explosiveness
The must be used sparingly, as the effect is
quite powerful
Easy to over train with plyometrics
Impact training is safe, as long as it is not
overdone
It is not a type of activity that makes one feel
fatigued in a traditional sense, but the
neuromuscular system will easily tire

Plyometrics
Plyometric training is most effective when the
body is fresh
The athletes will not improve explosiveness if they
are unable to give a maximum effort
Only maximum efforts will force the body to
adapt to a higher level

Plyometrics should be performed toward the

beginning of the workout after a dynamic
warm up

Plyometrics
Examples:

Squat Jump
Hurdle Hop
Box Jump
Russian Plyo Box
Clap Push Up
Bench Press Throw

Execute each drill with maximum intensity

Change direction as fast as possible
Do not absorb impact RESIST it

Plyometrics
Volume should be kept low
From 2 to 6 reps for 3 to 5 sets
Movements that involve more impact (such as
from higher heights or with weight added) should
use even lower volume
1 to 3 reps

Rest intervals should allow for complete

recovery
Need not be included year-round
Should intersperse it at different times of the year
Avoid overtraining

Plyometrics
Very effective on their own for development
or maintenance of explosiveness
When combined with other methods, such as
the Olympic lifts or Combination Training
(to follow), they are even MORE effective

Combination Training
The combination of traditional strength
training with plyometrics
Elicits a very powerful response
A set of heavy lifting will prime the muscles to
produce a more powerful explosive response
during plyometric activity
Sprinters who perform 1 RM prior to sprinting

Must be careful with volume and loading

Overtraining can easily occur

Must be fresh when performing this type of

activity

Combination Training
Takes four predominant forms
Traditional Combination Training
Perform explosive exercise (plyometrics) prior to
strength training (squats)

Compound Training
Explosive training on one day, strength training on the
next

Complex Training
Several sets of strength training followed by several
sets of explosive training

Contrast Training
Alternate strength training with explosive training

Combination Training
Traditional Combination Training
Training power exercises at the beginning of a
workout session prior to strength exercises
- This type of training has been shown to be highly
effective in developing explosiveness in the short
term
- Effective with beginners and athletes with low
levels of strength

Combination Training
Compound Training
Separating strength and explosive training by
days
Ensures enough rest in between different types of
training
There is support for using traditional
combination and compound training with
beginner athletes with lower levels of strength

Combination Training
Complex Training
The planning of several sets of heavy strength
training repetitions, such as the back squat,
followed by lighter power movements, such as
jumping or jump squats
Goes against research suggesting that power
movements should be performed prior to
strength exercises
Less effective for developing explosiveness
Fatiguing of the neuromuscular system

Combination Training
Contrast Training
Alternating strength exercise with explosive
training from set to set
An example of contrast training would be
performing a set of back squats, followed by a set of
lighter jump squats, and then alternating between
these two types of exercises.

Highly effective at improving explosiveness

Advanced athletes or those possessing higher
levels of strength have been shown to benefit
most from this form of training

Combination Training
Best results are with a primary exercise, such
as the squat, paired with loaded and
unloaded plyometrics
Loads should be high for the strength
movement, while the plyometrics should have
a light load or no load at all
Contrast Training Example:
Back Squat 3 reps at 85%, followed by 4 reps of
weighted squat jump @ 50% bodyweight,
followed by 4 hurdle hops, then rest

In Detail: Contrast Training

Research into contrast training
Supports its effects acutely or immediately
Long-term or chronic effects are less clear

University of Minnesota Cal Dietz

Anecdotally, chronic results have been
exceptional
Also has found success when combined with
Olympic lifts and their variants
Simple to set up and execute
Overtraining may be a concern

Accommodated/Accelerated
Resistance
Involves the use of chains, bands, and weight
releasers
These tools will overload certain parts of a
movement, while releasing tension at others
Can be used to accelerate movements as well
Overspeed training

Forces the athlete to give a maximal effort

throughout the entire range of motion
Contributes to explosiveness

Accommodated/Accelerated
Resistance
Combined with other methods, such as
Olympic lifts and Combination Training may
improve results further
An excellent way of adding a novel stimulus to
exercises that have long since been mastered
and adapted to, such as squats
Makes the lift much more challenging

Accommodated/Accelerated
Resistance
Examples:

Back Squat With Bands

Incline Dumbbell Press With Bands
Piston Squat With Bands
Back Squat With Chains
Bench Press With Chains

Questions?
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