Author - Alex Adams

Strength underpins all movements in sport performance and the improvement of strength has been shown to reduce injury risk (Scuchomel, Nimphius & Stone, 2016). Every time we move as athletes, and humans, we require force production. The more force production capability we have, the easier it is for us both consciously and more automatically to over come whatever force is preventing our movement. Even gravity is something we have to overcome constantly. To understand in more depth how strength is a skill in and of itself read here. Strength training should definitely be something complimenting all sports performance so with that in mind, here are our top 5 strength training exercises.

1.Nordic hamstring curls (NHC)

The nordic hamstring curl has been repeatedly shown to aid in protecting against hamstring injury (Petersen et al., 2011). That alone is the reason many coaches frequently programme this exercise for sports requiring high speed running. Delving deeper than that however, we can look at possible mechanisms for why this is such a useful movement.

The NHC is performed by kneeling and fixing the feet in place before tipping forwards under the control of the hamstrings. It is extremely versatile and can be performed myriad ways. The NHC requires little to no equipment (a cushion under the knees is usually preferred) making it a good field training exercise as well as a gym based one. The lowering portion of the exercise (eccentric contraction where the muscle lengthens whilst also increasing tension) is where most benefit occurs as the hamstrings in particular require high levels of strength while being lengthened (a common cause of injury is when the hamstrings lengthen rapidly and cannot handle the level of tension). It is noted that due to the high demand of strength in the NHC it should be done separate to other types of training (Marshall et al,. 2015).

The NHC can be manipulated to accentuate the lowering phase, to prioritise the knee flexion force or the hip extension force, can be overloaded with external weights, aided with bands or training partners. It’s a recommended staple in any lower body strength programme.

2.Front squat (FSq)

People know about squatting and its purported benefits. It allows the most weight to be lifted with the legs apart from the deadlift. Most people however only perform the back squat, and while this is a fantastic movement, the Front Squat is more appropriate for most sports.

The FSq is performed with the barbell across the front of the shoulders rather than across the upper back. Done properly (the original olympic lift variant) the elbows will point directly forwards and hands loosely on the bar just wider than shoulder width. This version is most useful when also including cleans in your training programme as you’ll end up in the same receiving position. For many athletes who aren't required to do cleans, this position isn't essential and you can cross the hands in front of the body keeping the bar upon the shoulders which tends to be easier as it requires less flexibility.

The advantages of front squatting are numerous; high load leg strength training, big demands on the trunk for supporting the load, it can’t easily be cheated and so chances of injury are lower through poor technique. Due to not being able to lift quite as much when compared to a back squat, we can also modulate how much load athletes are exposed to whilst also making them stronger. All squat variations will help you jump higher, run faster, change direction quicker but the front squat can do this AND expose you to lower risk.

3.Bulgarian split squat (BSSq)

Many of the most ‘uncomfortable’ exercises have an Eastern European connotation in the name. Just an observation… The Bulgarian split squat is no different. It may look more like a lunge than a squat to many athletes but whenever the feet remain in place for all the required repetitions we refer to this group of movements as a split squat variation. The BSSq is different in that the back leg is elevated quite high - around the height of the average gym bench - and the weight is all place through the front foot. Think of it as a single leg squat but with a balance leg which helpfully gets a massive and very uncomfortable stretch!

Unilateral leg training - where one leg works at a time - is extremely important in sports that require different things of each leg (think running, cutting & kicking). Strength in the BSSq has shown to be highly correlated with acceleration and cutting ability. However, athletes can become dominant on one side from lots of sport training, which can lead to all kinds of problems with unequal joint forces. Unilateral training helps to address these imbalances and to increase the robustness of the athlete. I’d pick the BSSq over other variants because of the increased stretch on the back leg and bigger requirement from the front leg.

The position and weight distribution due to having such a high back foot means that most of our work goes through the front foot. The more weight we have on just one leg, the more beneficial the exercise is at improving single leg stability. The muscles of the ankle and hip work hard to stabilise our joints as we flex/extend through our knee. This gives the exercise a place in most ankle and hip rehab protocols too as we want to increase the proprioception at these joints after they become injured. Proprioception refers to the ability to sense our joint placement and make minor adjustments to keep us balanced. It requires both the appropriate strength in the muscles that aid this as well as practice in single leg stances of different varieties. That said, why wait until you’re injured and those muscles become inhibited when we can use these exercises to great effect in our regular strength training? It isn't all about our prime movers, the quadriceps…

The muscles of the quads are complex in that some cross just the knee while others cross the hip as well. This means that during running there are two different actions going on as one leg extends at the hip and knee while the other leg flexes at the hip and knee. There is a lot of cross over in these actions just running in a straight line so throw in a ball, an opponent and a change of direction and you can see how things might get tricky. Having tight hip flexor muscles and quads can alter how well the pelvis moves and consequently how the hamstrings can operate. The BSSq can help address the length of the quads and hip flexors and does so with the pelvis in opposing positions - one leg flexed deep and the other extended largely. For me, this makes it a great exercise for sprinting, and therefore many sports.

4.Single arm landmine press

The upper body doesn't always get much attention in field sports such as football whereas is often over exaggerated in sports like rugby. Don’t under estimate how the ability to move heavy loads with the arms can improve how the whole body functions as an athletic unit. The landmine press requires just a normal barbell and a corner of a wall but there are some great devices to make it portable too.

The single arm landmine press improves shoulder and trunk stability, helps balance out right and left sides of upper body strength and obviously improves upper body pressing strength. It also allows for variations in stance so we can overload different trunk muscles. Going even further, we can use this position to develop whole body power and explosive strength if we wanted.

Preference for a single arm press comes from the following advantages;

-    more variation on grip and arm position means more athletes can find a comfortable pressing position overhead. Not everyone has the mobility to press a straight barbell overhead safely. Using a landmine can get around this by moving the shoulder into a more stable position.

-    unilateral arm training helps even out left/right imbalances decreasing injury risk.

-    whilst less overall load can be moved, the increased shoulder stabilising effect of one arm working at a time means safer, stronger rotator cuffs.

-    increased specificity: its rare to get a stable and equal load applied against us in the upper body during sports. Single arm training can help our whole body proprioception and timing and coordination of muscle actions.

5.Pull up

In contrast to the single arm nature of the exercise above, if I could only pick one movement for the upper body it would be the strict pull up. Pull ups use an overhand grip whereas their close relatives chin ups use a mixed or underhand grip.

The pull up is hugely useful as it is both versatile and hard. It makes for a great test of strength and is easy to be strict over form. We can use bands to make it easier or could only perform the lowering phase if necessary. To make it harder we just add some external weight (vest, belt + disc, dumbbell between the legs - limited only by how much you can squeeze!) or we can make it slower more controlled.

The pull up requires minimal equipment and is easily portable nowadays too. There really isn't a good reason to exclude them barring an injury that makes them painful or contraindicated. There isn't an athlete in the world that wouldn't be made stronger or more athletic by getting stronger on pull ups. The transfer to team sports isn’t immediately obvious though granted.

Pulling strength comes from the larger muscles of the back and the flexors of the elbows (yes, including everybody's favourite muscle - biceps). Luckily we can justify training these muscles because they play a role in acceleration, in tackling, in throwing, and of course pulling. As important, is the fact that full range at the shoulder complex is a great thing to have strength throughout whether we are athletes or not.

Including these 5 exercises in your strength training programme will make for a more athletic, more balanced and all round stronger physique.

References: 

Brorsson, S., Olsson, M. C., Bengtsson, O., & Petersson, J. (2010). Maximal strength in one leg squat correlates with acceleration capacity and agility. In Nordic conference 2010, Interdisciplinary perspectives on health, participation and effects of sport and exercise, 28-30 October 2010, Odense, Denmark.

Marshall, P. W., Lovell, R., Knox, M. F., Brennan, S. L., & Siegler, J. C. (2015). Hamstring fatigue and muscle activation changes during six sets of Nordic hamstring exercise in amateur soccer players. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(11), 3124-3133.

Petersen, J., Thorborg, K., Nielsen, M. B., Budtz-Jørgensen, E., & Hölmich, P. (2011). Preventive effect of eccentric training on acute hamstring injuries in men’s soccer: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. The American journal of sports medicine, 39(11), 2296-2303.

Suchomel, T. J., Nimphius, S., & Stone, M. H. (2016). The importance of muscular strength in athletic performance. Sports medicine, 46(10), 1419-1449.