This is what you call a Balanced Strength Training

Some athletes don’t have a balanced strength training program. Such mistake could lead to injuries in the long run. For most athletes, the programs only focuses on the upper body horizontal pushing dominant as they neglected the horizontal pulling and most commonly, totally avoiding lower body work (especially hip dominant movements). However, this could lead to disaster as the consequence could follow you outside the weight room because the muscular imbalances create instability and contribute to poor performance. It is advisable to have equal amounts of sets and reps (volume) in the following areas:

Upper Body

Horizontal Pushing – ex: Bench Press, Push Ups, Chain Push Ups, etc.

Horizontal Pulling – ex: BB Rows, Inverted Rows, DB Rows, etc.

Vertical Pushing – ex: Military Press, DB Military Press, etc.

Vertical Pulling – ex: Pull Ups, Chin Ups, Weighted Pull Ups

Elbow Flexion – Bicep Curls, Cable Curls etc.

Elbow Extension – Skull crushers, Rope Pull Downs

Lower

Knee Dominant (Bilateral) – Squat Variations, etc.

Knee Dominant (Unilateral) – Forward lunges, 1 legged split squats, Step-Ups, Single Leg Squats, etc.

Hip Dominant (Bilateral) – Dead Lift etc.

Hip Dominant (Unilateral) – 1 legged DB RDL etc.

Knee Flexion – Leg Curls

Knee Extension – Leg Extensions

A power-based movement is highly recommendable; they must be done prior to strength training. For example, prior to an athlete’s horizontal pushing day, he/she must do some plyometric push ups and just prior to his/her hip dominant work he/she need to do hang cleans. These exercises are needed to prepare you to becoming a powerful athlete. One side note is to keep your power movements short and fast, under 5 reps.

The workout program must be split depending on how many days you spend in the weight room. If you train four days a week, It is recommended to do these exercises:

Monday

Horizontal Pushing

Horizontal Pulling

Elbow Extension

Tuesday

Knee Dominant (Bilateral)

Knee Dominant (Unilateral)

Knee Extension

Thursday

Vertical Pushing

Vertical Pulling

Elbow Flexion

Friday

Hip Dominant (Bilateral)

Hip Dominant (Unilateral)

Knee Flexion

During the season; managing, training and recovery becomes even more important. In addition to your training routine, you need to make sure your nutrition is appropriate for your workout.