To reiterate from the last article, strength can be defined as the force applied to a resistance in order to overcome that resistance. One very effective method of developing that strength is attained on the premise of overload.

Special sensors, or neurons, located in the musculature, communicate with a part of the brain, whose sole purpose is to identify the amount, speed, and type of muscle fiber needed for a given task. This is referred to as muscle fiber recruitment. Simply put, the heavier the load, the more muscle is recruited.

In time, certain physiological changes occur in that muscle as the body adapts to the given load. As we progressively then increase the load, this adaptation process translates itself to us as an increase in strength.

In multi joint exercises especially, the increased strength is seen not only in the muscles, but also in the tendinous and ligamentous attachments around the major joints and goes a long way to increase integrity in those areas.(hips, knees, ankles).

For the most part, strength should be established in the off season, hopefully converted, by design, into power in the pre season, and then maintained and applied during the in season. A person more experienced in the areas of strength training could continue to increase development during the season (competitive phase) also.

What follows is a suggested routine for strength development. The amount of weight you use for any given lift will be based on your ability (initially through trial and error until you have a point of reference weight wise) to find the weight that allows you ideally to perform the given amount of repetitions, and no more.

This criteria will allow you always to perform to your maximum capacity on any given day, thus allowing for the inevitable fluctuations in performance which you will periodically experience.

First 5 weeks

Day 1
Upright Row
Push Press
Seated Row
Inclined Dumbbell Press
Lat Pull Down
Bench Press

Day 2
Deadlift or Squat
Hamstring Curls
Quad Extensions

Day 3
Off Weights

Day 4 same as Day 1

Day 5 same as Day 2

Next 2 days off then begin again!

Weeks 1 & 2.......4 x 8
Weeks 3 & 4.......5 x 5
Week 5..............3 x 15

Next 5 weeks

Day 1
Same as Day 1 (First 5 weeks) except substitute Upright Row with Hi Pulls

Day 2
Same as Day 2 (First 5 weeks) but include Jumping Dumbbell Squats

Weeks 1 & 2...............4 x 8
Weeks 3 & 4...............5 x 5
Week 5 .....................1 x 12, 1 x 8, 2 x 5, 2 x 3
Week 6 .....................5 x 5

Hi Pull...think of this as an upright row, except with the assistance of the legs.
Go into a 1/4 sqt, extend the legs explosively to initiate upward movement of the bar, then continue momentum created by the legs, by pulling as in an upright row.

Jumping Dumbbell Squats
Hold dumbbells at your side. Go into a 1/4 squat, extend legs explosively and jump. Adopt same criteria as if you were doing a full squat, that is... Feel the weight in your heels, back straight, look straight ahead (NOT an exaggerated upward look, tilting head backwards)...as you land, bend knees to absorb shock.