IMPROVED PERFORMANCE THROUGH CROSS-TRAINING TECHNIQUES

By Greg Brislin, M.S., C.S.C.S.

(Published in 1998 Winter Sidelines)

Introduction

In today's training nomenclature the term cross training implies utilizing a variety of techniques to achieve a single purpose. That purpose is to improve athletic performance. Besides technical and tactical expertise, an athlete requires a variety of physical qualities to excel at the sport of volleyball. He/she must be quick, agile, strong, powerful and possess both anaerobic and aerobic endurance. In order to positively affect these physiological factors, a wide variety of training techniques are often implemented throughout the course of an athlete's training cycle.

In order to achieve peak performance at the most critical time of the year (tournament), a coach must balance training programs around practices, matches, travel, and through pre-season, in-season and off-season. A coach must truly raise his/her level of planning to that of an art form. Placing the right emphasis at the right time while accounting for a variety of variables is indeed a challenging task. Recent research offers some new insight into meeting this challenge.

Strength Training and Endurance Training Adaptations

Different training techniques produce different muscular adaptations. Strength training traditionally involves weight lifting techniques using high load with low repetitions. It is well documented that resistance training can produce increases in muscular strength, power, size and anaerobic endurance. Physiological changes in the muscle include increased cross-sectional size through hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia (fiber number), increased muscular protein, improved contractile properties and increased glycogen levels (MacDougall).

In contrast, endurance training utilizes low loads and high repetitions through exercises such as running or cycling. These types of training protocols dramatically increase aerobic endurance and cardiopulmonary efficiency. Physiologically endurance training improves VO2max (a marker of maximal oxygen uptake), lactate threshold, long term endurance capacity and increased mitochondrial density (Holloszy).

As is the case in most periodization plans, several training protocols are in place at the same time during different periods of the year. Research in multi-use of training protocols has focused on concurrent strength training and aerobic endurance training programs. Results of these studies agree that when trained at the same time, there is a positive affect on VO2max but negative affects on strength and anaerobic power (Dudley, Hickson). Although the mechanism for the attenuation of strength and power is not known, data indicates that concurrent training promotes changes in the musculature similar to that seen in aerobic training alone (Kraemer).

A Different Approach

A recent study by Jensen, et al. approached this problem by placing an emphasis on one aspect of training during a multi-protocol phase. The study was performed on members of the Norwegian female national handball team. A training program was developed for the team's pre-season and in-season and was divided into three phases each designed to develop strength, speed and endurance. The first phase (nine weeks of the pre-season) emphasized strength training. Athletes met two to three times per week for dynamic strength training with workloads ranging from 60 percent of one RM to 80-90 percent of one RM. During the same period, athletes also performed one to two sprint sessions and one 60-minute steady state endurance workout per week. Athletes also had organized practice five to seven times during the week.

Phase 2 (six weeks of the pre-season) placed the priority on endurance and sprint training. Athletes performed two to three sessions of endurance training consisting of steady state, fartlek and interval training. The team continued to sprint train and jump train twice a week and had one to two strength training workouts at 75-85 percent of one RM. Practice sessions increased to seven to 10 weekly.

Phase 3 (seven weeks of in-season) focused on game play. Athletes played one to three games and had five to seven practices sessions weekly. Interval endurance training was held one to two times weekly, zero to one strength-training sessions at 75-85 percent of one RM and zero to one sprint and jump training sessions were also performed.

Testing and Results

The athlete's maximal oxygen uptake, maximal isometric strength and maximal running velocity were measured on the team prior to implementation of the program (Tl), at the midpoint of the pre-season - the changeover to the endurance phase (T2) - the beginning of the season (T3) and prior to tournament play (T4).

Measures of maximal oxygen uptake, VO2max, failed to increase during the strength training phase but showed significant improvement during Phase 2 and remained high prior to tournament play. Maximal isometric strength values increased significantly through the Pre-season but decreased when observed at the T3 testing period. Strength values at T4 remained higher than those at T3 or Tl testing periods, however. Maximum running velocity initially decreased in all subjects after the strength-training phase, but increased after the second two phases reaching its highest point prior to tournament play. Interestingly, there was a correlation between maximal isometric strength and maximal running velocity, but none between the other measures.

Discussion

VO2max and maximal isometric strength showed significant increases during their respective periods of emphasis where maximal running velocity showed its highest development prior to tournament time. Jensen et al. were able to maintain these measures during the in-season period despite decreases in specific training workouts and intensities and increases in game/practice time. Surprisingly, the authors discovered that maximal running velocity increased during the season. They surmised that the decrease in the volume of physical training at that point in the season actually aided sprint performance.

Although the subjects of this study do not participate in volleyball, the problem of developing a program to most effectively impact the athlete's physical development is the same. As mentioned above, concurrent strength and endurance training programs rarely solicit strength related gains and if improperly designed could negate a great deal of work to develop these physiological aspects. By placing the strength-training phase prior to the endurance phase, instead of trying to improve both at the same time, Jensen, et al. was able to have a positive impact on both measures and maintain their levels throughout a season. In this study, endurance training did not attenuate strength gains even though both were trained during the same phases. This result was probably due to the fact that during the strength phase endurance training was held to one time weekly at a low intensity.

Coaching Applications

1. Determine what aspects of athletic performance play a significant role at the level of play of your athletes.

2. Develop a year-round plan that has distinct phases of training that focus on the needs of your athletes.

3. As suggested in this study, placing strength development periods prior to high endurance training may help retain strength and power gains during endurance phases.

4. Understand that properly designed maintenance programs adhered to during a season should effectively maintain strength and endurance levels into tournament play.

References

1. Dudley, G.A., S.J. Fleck. "Strength and endurance training. Are they mutually exclusive?" Sports Med. 4 (1987): 79-85.

2. Hickson, R.C. "Interference of strength development by simultaneously training for strength and endurance." Eur. J. AppI. Phys. 45:255-63, 1980.

3. Holloszy, J.0., EF Coyle. "Adaptations of skeletal muscle to endurance exercise and their metabolic consequences." J. Appl. Phys. 56: 250-3, 1984.

4. Jensen, J. S.T. Jacobsen, S. Hetland, P. Tveit. "Effect of combined endurance, strength and sprint training on maximal oxygen uptake, isometric strength and sprint performance in female elite handball players during a season." Int. J. Sports Med. 18:354-58, 1997.

5. Kraemer, W.J., J.F. Patton, S.E. Gordon. "Compatibility of high-intensity strength and endurance training on hormonal and skeletal muscle adaptations." J. AppI. Phys. 78:976-89, 1995.

6. MacDougall, J.D. "Morphological changes in human skeletal muscle following strength training and immobilization." Human muscle power. In: Jones, NL., N. McCartney, A.J. McComas. editors. Champaign (IL): Human Kinetics Publishers pp: 269-85, 1986.