TOP 3 STRENGTH METHODS FOR ATHLETES
- Max Daigle
- Feb 19, 2024
- 7 min read
There are many approaches to getting an athlete stronger or to teach them to produce more force, but if I were to narrow it down to my three favorite methods, I would say they would be:
Wave Loading
Overload Methods
Cluster Sets
Before I go into more detail about the three methods, I just want to say that, even though these are very effective for improving strength, it doesn’t mean all of them are included within a training plan. Each one must be strategically planned according to the athlete’s progression and what is needed for them to push progress.
Wave Loading
Wave Loading is a repetition scheme in which you progressively increase the weight and decrease the number of repetitions each set, then go back to redo the “wave”. For example, a wave may look like the following:
Set 1 – 5 repetitions.
Set 2 – 4 repetitions.
Set 3 – 3 repetitions.
After the third set, repeat the wave by starting back at 5 repetitions.
What is the point of this?
In its simplest form, it is “tricking” the nervous system into lifter progressively heavier weights with each subsequent wave. What I mean by that is, you should essentially be able to lift heavier loads for each respective number of repetitions.
If we were to go back to the example I gave before, a full session may look like this:
Wave #1 – 225lbs x 5 reps, 245lbs x 4 reps, 265lbs x 3 reps
Wave #2 – 235lbs x 5 reps, 255lbs x 4 reps, 275lbs x 3 reps
*Wave #3 – 245lbs x 5 reps, 265lbs x 3 reps, 285lbs x 3 reps
*If you get to a third wave. Ideally, you repeat a wave until each set is your training max for that day.
As you can see, with each wave, you’re able to use 10lbs heavier than the previous wave for the same number of repetitions.
The way this works is through a concept known as post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE). This concept refers to improvements in voluntary performance following a “conditioning activity”, or training stimulus. PAPE is essentially a balancing act between potentiation (improved performance) and fatigue. With Wave Loading, you are progressively increasing the weight or intensity, while limiting fatigue build up by reducing the number of repetitions per set, thus improving the nervous system’s readiness to perform. When starting a new wave, the body and nervous system were just recently exposed to a heavier load and are therefore expecting and preparing for the same load. However, the nervous system does not know that you reduced the weight to start the new wave. This means that you’d be lifting 235lbs as though it was 265lbs. The increased neurological output thus 1) improves the quality of the repetitions (greater intent) and 2) allows you to handle heavier loads for a given number of repetitions.
COACH MAX TIP
If you want to feel the effectiveness of PAPE and the principle behind Wave Loading, next time you are doing sets of 3 to 5 repetitions, warm up to your starting weight or slightly above using minimal repetitions (1-2 reps per warm up set). For example, if your first set of squats is at 315lbs for 5 repetitions, do your last warm up with a weight between 315lbs and 335lbs for a single repetition, performed as explosively as possible. Take a 3-minute rest before starting and you should notice the weight feels significantly lighter than your last warm up. That is a sign that the nervous system is now “primed” or “awake”.
Want to try Wave Loading? The 9-Week "POWERLIFTING REPAIR SHOP" Program includes a phase of Wave Loading. Click the link below to check it out.
Overload (Partials, Chains, Bands)
Overload isn’t a method per se because it can be implemented in many ways. However, the principle of overloading the nervous system or using loads that are supra-maximal is a method of training I find very effective for increasing an athletes force generating capacity.
Training for strength is essentially about silencing our body’s inhibitory influence on generating force and tension. Signals about the amount of tension and length are sent from the muscles and tendons to the brain, which then get interpreted and signaled back to the muscles as either safe or unsafe (very simplified explanation). By manipulating exercises to use loads that are greater than our maximum, we are teaching the nervous system to be comfortable generating greater amounts of tension and force. Over time, the threshold for an unsafe-signal increases and allows the body to produce more force.
Some of my preferred ways of overloading include the use of accommodating resistance (bands or chains) and using partial ranges of motion, both for slightly different reasons.
Accommodating Resistance
The whole premise behind accommodating resistance is that as you move into more mechanically advantageous positions during an exercise, the load on the bar increases, thus matching the strength curve of the movement. For example, the majority of people miss the bench press at the bottom. However, if you place chains on the bar, the load at the bottom is less than at the top. This then eliminates the limiting factor for the bench press and allows you to increase the intensity (percentage of 1RM). So rather than doing 225lbs for 5 reps, you’re able to use 255lbs (215lbs bar weight + 40lbs of chain) for 5 reps.
Besides matching the strength curve, it also teaches an athlete to accelerate throughout the complete range of motion and prevents deceleration. Without accommodating resistance, there is a natural tendency and protective mechanism to decelerate a load towards the end of the motion. Simply by placing chains or bands on the bar, the athlete is forced to accelerate until lockout or else they won’t complete the lift.
Dynamic Effort Work - Sumo Deadlift vs. Bands
Partial Ranges of Motion
Similar to the accommodating resistance, by limiting the range of motion, the athlete is in a mechanically stronger position, thus allowing them to handle heavier loads. For example, your BB Box Squat is stronger than your full depth BB Squat because most people fail a squat at the bottom.
When it comes to sports performance and transferring what is done in the weight room to the field/court/ice, partial range of motion training is very effective. In the case of a squat, an athlete rarely generates power in a bottom squat position. Many times, they are in a parallel or slightly above parallel position when competing (ex. Skating stride, sprinter pose). By using ranges more specific to the individuals sporting demands, there is a greater likelihood of transferring the force generating capacity of the weight room exercises to the sport itself.
Overall, including some partial ranges of motion allows for higher intensities to be used, which improves motor unit recruitment and neural activation, and improved force production in sport-specific positions.
Cluster Sets
I saved the best for last…
Cluster Sets are my absolute favorite for improving strength rapidly. However, like the other methods, the intensity is very high and needs to be strategically placed within a training plan.
What are Cluster Sets?
There are many ways of organizing them, but the overarching principle is performing multiple mini sets with short recovery periods within a set. For example, you may perform 5 repetitions, with 20-seconds of rest in between each repetition (in other words, a set involves performing 5 singles with 20-seconds rest).
I mentioned earlier that the intensity is very high, and it is an extremely taxing method on the nervous system because you are essentially performing more repetitions than your current repetition maximum for a specific load. With the example I gave above, you may use your 3- or 4-repetition maximum for 5 repetitions per set. Because of this, volume and frequency need to be properly managed.
Why do I enjoy Cluster Sets so much?
Similar to the previous methods, these form of sets provide a strong stimulus for the nervous system and allows the body to get accustomed to producing larger amounts of force than it was previously used to. With the use of short intra-set rest periods, the quality of the repetitions is also much higher. First, technical breakdown normally occurs after multiple repetitions, resulting in 1) increased risk of injury and 2) poor ability to display maximal force in the proper positions/postures. Secondly, the athlete can give a greater output with each repetition because the rest periods allow some recovery to occur.
Here are a few ways I like to program Cluster Sets with the athletes I work with:
3-5 sets x 5 singles (with 20-30 seconds rest in between repetitions), 3-4 minutes rest between sets
8-12 sets x 2-3 repetitions, 30-45 seconds rest between sets
This is the classic Westside Barbell Dynamic Effort work. If using percentages, I typically wave between 55-70% of 1RM. Although the weight is submaximal, intent to move the load with maximal velocity is imperative for improving force production.
1-2 sets x as many mini sets x 1-3 repetitions (30-seconds rest between mini sets), 4-5 minutes between sets (if doing 2 sets).
Prescribe a specific load (ex. 85% of 1RM) and perform as many mini sets as possible (with 30-seconds rest) until you can’t complete the all repetitions of a given mini-set. This essentially acts as a form of autoregulation.
If you have access to a velocity tracker (ex. GymAware, Vitruve), perform as many mini sets as possible with a given weight until the bar velocity drops below a certain threshold. For example, work up to a load that averages 0.75-0.8m/s per set. Set the threshold at 0.7m/s, and as soon as the average mini set velocity is at or below 0.7m/s, the set is finished.
STORY TIME
I used the velocity threshold with one of my athletes for two weeks last summer and they performed approximately 15 mini sets of 3 repetitions for BB Pin Squat with Chains before dropping below 0.7m/s… After a 4-minute rest period, they were able to repeat the same number of mini sets. That is close to a total of 90 QUALITY repetitions! Sure, it seems like a lot of volume, but they were able to recover and their vertical went up a full inch in just two weeks so who really cares (tbh)?
Want to try Cluster Sets? The 9-Week "GROWTH SEASON" Hypertrophy Program includes a phase of Cluster Sets. Click the link below to check it out.
I encourage you to try these methods out and to plan them within your long-term training plan as they are very effective for increasing strength. However, these are TOOLS and thus need to be used at the correct moments. If you want to try some of these out but aren’t sure how to implement them to get the best results, just shoot me a message.
Train hard folks.
Coach Max
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