USIL - US Indoor Lacrosse

LAX FITNESS - TRAINING PLANS

January 01, 2003

-Lacrosse is a very dynamic sport requiring power, strength, agility, footwork, flexibility, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. Therfore, as a Lacrosse player, you should train all of these facets to be as effective as possible and to sustain the whole 60+ minutes of the game.

-Lacrosse is a collision sport and preparing ones body for the rigors and demands of Lacrosse should be of utmost importance for individuals and teams. If you are under prepared then you stand a great potential for injury and a reduction in performance.

-In my opinion a lot of the common injuries (to both the upper and lower extremities) and lack of performance can be prevented if the team and individuals follow a scientific-based strength and conditioning program. So within this first edition of USIL News, I will provide you with the basics of a program that you and your team can follow.


IT STARTS WITH CONDITIONING...

-Performing 45 minutes of hard, Lacrosse-specific conditioning at the start of your Tuesday practice instead of at the end will yield better results, allowing you to do your skill work whilst tired and more game specific training towards the end. Then on Thursday nights performing more of a speed/sprint session will better prepare the team for the game on Saturday.

-You cannot advance your training, agility, plyometrics and power without an aerobic base. Aerobic conditioning allows recovery from bouts of work and the ability to sustain effort throughout the entire game. Aerobic conditioning should be done in the off-season or pre-season period and then move on to more interval and speed work with varying distances and shorter rest periods to make the conditioning more Lacrosse specific.

-Click here for the four week All-American pre-season conditioning sessions that you can use to increase speed and endurance in time for regular season play. Click here for a weekly training schedule for 7s athletes. Make sure to prepare with a thorough warm-up and cool down to ensure maximum post-workout recovery.

-Click here for five different in-season conditioning sessions that you or your team can choose from. Remember that you should make Tuesday night a conditioning workout, and a Thursday night a speed session. And, always start with a full progressive dynamic warm-up.


STRENGTH TRAIN LIKE A LACROSSE PLAYER, NOT LIKE A BODYBUILDER...

-For the strength-training portion of training all you need is a power rack for Olympic lifts or a squat rack with rubber flooring for softer landings, a Swiss/stability ball, weight plates, dumbbells and an adjustable bench, and then commitment to sticking to the plan. As stated earlier in the first paragraph, Lacrosse is a highly demanding sport demanding use of the whole body. Athletes should not train like bodybuilders; they should train movements and not muscles. Yes, you can bench and squat all you like, but if you are neglecting the supporting musculature you will stand a greater chance of sustaining an injury. Performing pre-rehabilitation (exercises that you would perform in physical therapy for rehab, but perform in training to reduce injury potential) exercises for the rotator cuff and knee for example will significantly reduce the chance of a shoulder injury and ACL tears.

-If you think seriously about Lacrosse, you mainly use your legs, therefore performing a full body workout three to four times a week in the off-season and twice a week in-season with a little more emphasis on lower extremity power, strength and injury prevention will better serve you and prepare you better. Everybody should be able to squat, lunge forward, back and laterally with excellent biomechanical form to enhance lateral power and agility. Working on muscles you can not see in the mirror, specifically your hamstrings (with RDL’s, Swiss ball hamstring curls, step-ups, lunging) and lower and upper back muscels, will make you less susceptible to injury and hence a better athlete.

-When lifting, always perform a core warm-up prior to lifting as these are the muscles you are going to use when you lift, instead of running on a treadmill or sitting on a bike for five minutes. The use of Swiss balls adds balance and coordination to any movement, thus engaging more core stabilizing muscles. If you can do core exercises standing up which is much more specific as opposed to sitting/lying down. Then move onto your explosive Olympic lifts, squatting, and chest and work your way from major muscles to smaller supplemental muscles and lifts.

-There are many ways to train an athlete that is why the Strength and Conditioning profession is constantly evolving and more workouts come on to the market. All of them have their benefits. You have to adhere to the core principles of training and maintain your form over trying to get more weight lifted. The training has to be specific and demanding to the challenges that you are going to face. You have to build a base of strength and conditioning prior to moving on to any further training programs. If you skip phases or progressions of exercises you risk potential of injury.

-Click here for a basic in-season strength training program that can benefit everybody. Click here for a four-week strength training program geared toward 7s athletes. And NOW, as an Page 17 added feature, US Indoor Lacrosse Has included video clips to correspond with the strength training programs. Click here to search through all the clips for a specific exercise.

-To work your muscles in the off-season, click here for a six-week All-American strength training program, with unique workouts for weeks 1-3 and weeks 4-6 and an additional upper body training plan.


CIRCUIT TRAINING IS A GREAT ALTERNATIVE...

-Circuit training is a great year round training tool for all positions as an alternative lifting day or a metabolic session. It is also great to do as a team as there are many different exercises in quick succession.

-Click here for five different circuit training workouts for you and your team to choose from.

-Also, check out USIL’s newest prehab training exercises.

-REMEMBER: You are only as strong as your weakest link.

-Training should be a routine and not sporadic. There can be many excuses, but to be the best you have to make some sacrifices. If you can’t train after work, get up earlier and go before and get a training partner if possible. Higher-level athletes should be training six days a week and doubling up on some days as well to become more conditioned. Always remember it is not over-training, but under rest, rest and sleep (seven to nine hours a night) are imperative for the body to repair, recovery and become bigger, faster and stronger and an overall better athlete – the aim of any strength and conditioning program.