S B Coaches College - Tip of the Month June 2006




		S B Coaches College Tip of the Month June 2006

If I told you that I could show you a way to instantly bump your training weights up at least 2%, would you be excited? How about if I told you could also potentially increase your vertical jump by an ½ inch, or decrease your 40 yard time by almost .1 second? Would that get you even more excited?

The little trick that I’m going to teach you is nothing more than “tricking” your nervous system into increasing its output potential. This response is called Post-Activation Potentiation. The most familiar way of implementing this phenomenon is through wave-training. If you haven’t read Robb’s article regarding this method, check it out here.

Post-activation potentiation is one of the most effective methods to increase maximal strength, speed and power instantly. The response is typically acute, meaning it will last for a couple minutes and not months. But if it can allow you to train at a higher level, then you will be closer to reaching higher and higher levels of performance. Remember that training should be long term and not for instant gratification. It’s all about the journey.

Okay, enough of the theory, here’s how to implement it with a different example for the bench press, 20 yard sprint, and vertical jump.

Bench Press (percentages are off of 1RM; reps are after the slash)

70%/5

75%/3

85%/3

Hold 120% for 6 seconds just short of lockout

90%/as many as possible
Hold 120% for 6 seconds just short of lockout
90%/as many as possible

Rest 2-4 minutes between sets

20 yard Sprint (percentage is from lean body mass/distance after slash)
Sled Runs
20%/10 yds
30%/10 yds

40%/10 yds

50%/10 yds

Free Sprint 4x20 yds

Rest 2-3 minutes between reps

Vertical Jump
3 Vertical Jumps

2x3 Depth Jumps (drop from 18 inch box, quickly jump up to a 24 inch box or higher)

3 Vertical Jumps

Rest 2-4 Minutes between sets & exercises/20-30 seconds rest between reps

There are three ways to implement the phenomenon of post-activation potentiation into your programs. This is extremely intense upon the central nervous system and should not be used continuously for more than 2 times a week and 4 continuous weeks.