At IBSA, we believe that strength training is an integral part of your development as an athlete. We also understand how busy the life of a student-athlete is. You have school, homework, team practice, IBSA Skills Academy, individual skills training, games, meals, sleep, your social life, and potential commitments to other sports We can’t advise everyone to add 45-60 minute strength training sessions 3-4X/week. Even though that would be ideal for your development the reality is that most won’t be able to fit it into their schedule, and trading sleep/recovery for added stress on your body is a recipe for disaster.
Does that mean the solution is to ignore strength training and limit your own potential as an athlete? Of course not. Fortunately for you, there are ways to make strength training easy and time efficient.
Method 1: Make Strength Training Easy
It is possible to perform a full strength training routine with little to no equipment; allowing you to train from the comfort of your home, at the gym after practice, or outside.
The trick is to utilize your body weight and some readily available equipment as resistance. It is quite easy to use your body weight for most pushing movements (push ups, squats, lunges, etc.), but it becomes difficult to find ways to train pulling movements (rows, pull ups, etc.). Both are required for achieving muscular balance and improving performance.
Lateral split squat or side lunge
It doesn’t take much to add pulling movements to your routine with the simple addition of a resistance band and/or a pull up bar. Both are highly versatile and mobile, particularly the resistance band. This small investment can add an immense amount of options when it comes to your training.
Below is a list of exercises that can be done from home with varying levels of equipment. These exercises cover the main movements and muscle groups, but there are plenty of other options if you’re creative with it. A quick Google search will show you what each should look like if you’re unsure.
Method 2: Make Strength Training Time Efficient
When strength training, do you spend more time working or resting? If you’re utilizing proper rest, allowing yourself to recover sufficiently to give a large effort on the following set, then you probably spend much more time resting than working. Utilizing supersets allow you to limit rest time without hurting your recovery giving you a much shorter workout that is just as effective.
A superset is performed by doing two exercises back to back with little to no rest.
Here’s an example:
Single leg hip bridge
To maximize the effectiveness of a superset, exercise 1 and exercise 2 should be working different muscle groups. While you’re performing exercise 1, the muscles required for exercise 2 are recovering – That’s why you can take away rest time without limiting your recovery.
Try the sample training program below to see how supersets maximize your time efficiency, then try some of the other exercises listed above.
Strength training is vital for maximizing your performance and avoiding injuries. Using the strategies outlined above you don’t have to let the busyness that comes with being a student-athlete take away from your development.
