CrossFit For Strength & Conditioning

The CrossFit method establishes a hierarchy for the development of an athlete. Each component relies on an athlete’s competency in the level(s) below it. For example, you cannot utilize your full Weightlifting potential without establishing a full range of motion with Gymnastic work. Likewise, no conditioning – Metabolic, Gymnastic or otherwise – would be complete without a solid nutritional base.

Our Training Recommendations

At Champlain Valley Community Fitness, we recommend making Strength & Conditioning the main weekly focus in the off-season while spending 1-2 days a week on technical aspect of the sport. During preseason, the most effective way to train in preparation for the season is to have an even blend of technique and physical training. When the season finally rolls around, most of the time is obviously spent playing the sport, but we highly encourage our athletes to continue devoting some time each week to strength & conditioning. While the conditioning aspect may not be as key, we feel it’s imperative to continue strength training to maintain that competitive edge and prevent any loss of power.

Anaerobic Power Systems

Anaerobic Power Systems “APS” Is a Strength and Conditioning program especially designed to mimic the rigorous demands placed on an athlete regardless of sport. This type of training replicates the stresses placed on the body and the mind on the field during an actual game, by combining high intensity movements with a comprehensive strength and speed program.

Our mission is to provide every athlete with a comprehensive approach to training and injury prevention. Our training approach is designed to address the needs of every team & athlete on a case-by-case basis. We teach athletes how to move properly and develop proper technique in all aspects of what we do. There is an incorporation of five major components in the Anaerobic Power Systems Program: Strength, Speed, Power, Olympic lifting, and Flexibility.

Strength

Strength training is a vital part of complete conditioning that determines how much faster an athlete will run, the higher they will jump, the further they will throw/kick, and harder he or she will hit. It’s that simple! An added bonus of strength training is injury prevention. Athletes who strength train tend to have fewer injuries. This is because strength training bolsters the muscle attachments and increases the density of bones at muscle origin sites and insertions. Athletes who still manage to get injured, but have been strength training properly, will likely experience reduced symptoms and heal in a shorter amount of time.

Speed and Power

Speed in almost any sport takes place in short bursts of maximal speed, usually starting as quickly as possible from a stationary position and often involving acute and precise changes of direction. The Incorporation of speed and agility drills gives the player the competitive edge and the ability to go from a full sprint from a still position as required.

Olympic Lifting

Olympic Lifting teaches an athlete how to explode, activating a maximum number of muscle units rapidly and simultaneously. The practice of proper technique in the Olympic lifts teaches an athlete to apply force with his or her muscle groups in the proper sequences (i.e., from the center of the body to its extremities). This is a valuable technical lesson that can be of benefit to any athlete who needs to impart force to another person or object, a necessity in virtually every sport. The athlete learns to receive force from another moving body effectively and becomes conditioned to accept such forces if required. The actual movements performed while executing the Olympic lifts are among the most common and fundamental in athletics.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in a specific sport. Plyometric movements, in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength and elasticity of muscle to jump higher, run faster, throw farther, or hit harder, depending on the desired training goal. Plyometrics is used to increase the speed or force of muscular contractions, often with the goal of increasing the height of a jump or the speed of a punch or throw. Over time plyometrics increases the amount of force your muscles can create and therefore makes you able to move more explosively. This will improve your sprint times, jumping height and overall sporting performance. It will also improve your coordination.

Desire, Mental acuity and Functional Strength are crucial elements for any successful athlete. Explosive power and speed are secondary elements. Lastly, athletes needs to be able to play past the point of mental exhaustion and physical comfort, to be able to “dig deep” during the competition and still have their power and mental sharpness intact.

Relevance of Our Program to Your Training

We think that the following sums up a lot of what we are trying to convey to a public that has a hard time accepting new things, especially when they are fundamentally contrarian to the way things have been… We borrow this from Mark Rippetoe, a very well respected friend and colleague….

“First thing we need to get out of the way: strength is the basis of athletic ability. If you are a good athlete, you are stronger than a less-good athlete. If you want to be a better athlete, you get stronger. If you are already very strong, there is room in your training for the development of other aspects of performance. But there is a very high likelihood that you are not that strong, since most people are not. You may think you’re very strong, but really, you know you could get stronger, don’t you? Sure you do. You may have convinced everybody else that you’re strong enough; you may even be convinced of this yourself. This is not productive, because if you can get stronger you should do so, and a lack of strength may be why you’re not performing as well as you know you should be. If your progress is stuck, and has been for a while, get stronger and see what happens. It works every time, and this is why I know it’s true.