Q: I have several tennis players and soccer players as clients. They all need more strength. I am thinking that I might be able to copy some of the training principles used by powerlifters or Olympic weightlifters in my training of those athletes?

A: The strength and power sports like powerlifting, Olympic weighlifting, track and field, strongman sports and kettlebell lifting all have unique qualities to offer other athletes.

However, over the years I have seen various mistakes happening when trainers try to integrate features from those sports into the training of other types of athletes.

The trainer has his/hers consciousness in the power sport as the program is being made and does not create the program from the point of view of the other sport.

Example 1:  I watched the strength training of a group of international level sailors for a period of a couple of years. Initially, their strength coach had an Olympic weightlifting background – the first exercise in the sailors' programs were a barbell power clean. Later on the sailors got a new strength coach with a climbing background – now, the first exercises were different hangs and different types of isolated grip work.

Both approaches might be right - I don't know, I have never analysed the demands of sailing. But the story definitely reflects a bias on behalf of the trainer.

Example 2: I have observed, several times, coaches with an Olympic weightlifting background let athletes squat with blocks under their heels if they can’t go deep in the squat. This is cool if the weightlifting platform and the weightlifting shoes is the condition you are training for, but if you are training for soccer, racquet sports or martial arts and need to accelerate, change directions from awkward positions, full range of motion in the ankle joint is needed.

One of my best Danish collegues is aware of this, so he gradually reduces the height of the blocks.

Example 3: One of the top strength coaches in Denmark (he was from Iceland) has stated that “powerlifters are strong, so if you want to be strong you should train like a powerlifter. Weightlifters are powerful, so if you want to be powerful you should train like a weightlifter.”

Granted, you can create good athletes with that strategy, but the logic is deceiving.

It is all about your starting point as you create the program. If you consciously or unconsciously are trying to apply powerlifting principles to a soccer player, you run the huge risk of not beginning with the soccer player's needs in mind.

You should always begin with the needs analysis of the sport, then the profile and goals of the athlete and then pick the best tools and methods to accomplish those goals.

The difference might be subtle, but it is crucial to create truly individually targeted programs.

Move with passion
Karsten Jensen

NB1: Check out my article on "How to Create a Training Program" part 1 and 2 to learn more about program design.

NB2: Start challenging yourself as you create your training programs. For each step in the creation ask yourself, "Why?" "Why exercise A and not B?" "Why method A and not B?"