The first aspect of training is to make sure the body can adapt to the training easily. One big mistake that is made is to be in a weight room, stack the weights, and then crank it out. The body must be prepared for the stress it will have to be under. An example is you wouldn’t go out and take 200 shots on net without small increases each time out. In order to do this you must get the body acclimated to handle stress. One of the first things I do with my lax players is start with an Active Dynamic Warm-up. I make it last 20-30 minutes, to condition the body with low stress levels on it. The next step is to move into body weight exercises. This teaches control and builds strength quickly. Also, it conditions the joints and muscles before the heavier loads are taken on. Furthermore these exercises can be done almost anywhere and are sometimes the ones forgotten when an athlete works out. I keep it basic and simple. Too many times I see athletes looking to do the “Crazy” exercise because it looks cool. Think of your training body as building a house. The first thing that is built is the foundation, then the framing, roof, walls, and then the materials inside. If you do not set a good strength foundation everything else will suffer as it would in a house. Base level strength can be defined as the ability of muscles to produce tension and exert resistance against outside forces. What does that mean?? It means the ability to produce movement with your body.

There are many different types of strength; we are going to focus on Absolute Strength. This is defined as the maximum force an athlete can produce, in respect to their body weight. Bodyweight and performance are closely related in sports. One of the best tests you can use on yourself is Maximum Chin-ups. If you take a group of athletes and have them all perform a maximum chin-up test, the odds are the ones who do the most chin-ups will run the fastest. I know you’re probably saying to yourself,” chin-ups are arms, but I run with my legs.” The fact is that relative to your body weight you need to be strong, as well as have your upper body producing power when running. A good guideline is: for boys 12 and under, 5-8 is good; girls 12 and under, 1-2 is good; boys 13 and up, 8-10 is good; girls 13 and up, 2-5 is good. If you want to get faster you need to get stronger!! Ok, now on to the Strength Program. Give yourself 1-2 days to recover between these workouts. Also make sure you are doing your speed work. Good Luck!!!

Here is a 2-day Beginner Program:
Day 1
Active Dynamic Warm-up 15 minutes

1. Push-ups: 2 sets of 15
2. Chin-ups: 1 set of maximum
3. Dumbbell squats: 2 sets of 10
4. Dumbbell Lunges: 2 sets of 10 each leg
5. Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 2 sets of 10
6. Core- Toe Touches: 2 sets of 20, Leg Lowering: 2 sets of 10 seconds each
7. TAKE 45 seconds to1 minute rests between sets
8. Stretch

Day 2
Active Dynamic Warm-up 15 minutes

1. Dumbbe1l Side Lunge: 2 sets of 10
2. Dumbbell Step-up (on a box or bench @ knee height or above) 2 sets of 10
3. Dumbbell Bench press: 2 sets of 10
4. Push-ups: 2 sets of Max
5. Chin-ups: 2 sets of Max
6. Dumbbell Curls: 2 sets of 12 supersetted with plate holds
7. Core- Seated Rotations: 2 sets of 20 each side, Standing woodchoppers 2 sets of 10
8. TAKE 45 seconds to 1 minute rest between sets
9. Stretch