By Dr. Tudor Bompa
and Michael Carrera, MSc.

Athletes often make the mistake of training with determination and vigor for months prior to the start of their competitive season, and then abruptly stopping a strength training program when the season starts. Gains in maximum strength, power and athletic performance will not be maximized for the duration of the season if the acquired levels of strength are not maintained throughout the competitive season.

Strength Training During the Competitive Phase
The benefits of strength to a volleyball player are maintained for as long as the neuromuscular system maintains the adaptations induced by strength training. When strength training ends, the muscles ability to contract forcefully diminish as the athlete begins to enter a detraining state and a visible decrease in the contribution of strength to athletic performance is noted. In order to avoid detraining and systematically maintain a firm physiological base during the competitive phase, you must plan a volleyball-specific strength program. The maintenance of strength during the competitive phase is a crucial element in volleyball. You must design a maintenance program that is once again in sync with the dominant abilities required in the sport. For instance, since volleyball requires some elements of maximum strength (MxS), power (P) and power endurance (PE), the most important decision for designing the program is not to decide which of the three elements should be maintained, but rather in what proportion and how to best integrate them in training.

In volleyball, where P is the dominant ability, both MxS and P should be maintained. As far as PE is concerned, the specific training of repetitive spiking and blocking, plus P training in the gym, would suffice to meet the particular ability required in volleyball. Therefore, a maintenance program should consider MxS and P with 20% of the time devoted to maximum strength and 80% to power training. The training methodology does not change during the maintenance phase, but the volume of strength training as compared to the technical and tactical training is altered. The maintenance of strength is performed in addition to the above-noted types of training, which ought to be dominant during the competitive phase. The number of exercises performed must be minimal (four to six exercises) and the movements must address the specific prime movers and skills used in volleyball. Squats, incline bench press and bounding exercises are prime examples of exercises that should be used in a maintenance program.

An effective maintenance program can be accomplished by training two to three days per week for 20 to 30 minutes per session. Obviously, the frequency of strength training sessions depends on the competition schedule. If no games are scheduled on the weekend, you may perform two, or possibly three, strength training sessions. If a game is planned on the weekend, then a short strength training session can be planned for the early part of the week. The number of sets performed usually falls between one and four, depending on whether P or PE is trained. For P and MxS, two to four sets are possible due to the low number of required repetitions. The rest interval should be longer than normally suggested, mainly because the athlete should recover almost entirely during the break. The intent of the maintenance phase is stabilization of performance and not the aggravation of the state of fatigue. Therefore, a longer rest interval is required for full recovery.

Strength Training During the Transition Phase
The transition phase, which is often inappropriately called the “off-season”, represents a link between two annual cycles. Its major objective is to facilitate psychological rest, relaxation and biological regeneration as well as to maintain an acceptable level of general physical preparation. Therefore, the duration of this phase cannot be longer than four to six weeks because the athletes will inevitably enter a state of detraining.

During the transition phase, athletes should train two to three times per week. Maintaining an adequate level of fitness will make the start of training camp more efficient as the athletes resume normal training patterns. From a strength training point of view, the athlete should perform compensation work during transition to actively involve the muscle groups that are not usually in action throughout the preparatory and competitive phases. As such, attention should be paid to the muscles of the abdominals, lower back and shoulders. It is not necessary for the program to be stressful; rather, it should be relaxed. Stress is undesirable during the transition phase. Therefore, a formal program with specific loads, number of repetitions and sets is not necessary.

Read part I of this series.