Article 2: Off-season Training for Lacrosse the Frank Giannantonio Way
As a strength coach, one of the toughest jobs is listening to the increasing amount of misinformation on how to train energy systems for each specific sport. More specifically, lacrosse is one sport that athletes do not train properly for. Lacrosse players spend hours in the gym preparing for an upcoming season only to loose quality muscle mass when they begin a running program. Of course, a running program is an essential part of lacrosse training. However, such a program needs to be implemented appropriately to prevent muscle loss.
Many coaches and parents encourage lacrosse players to join a cross country team during the off-season. From a strength and conditioning coach’s perspective, this is one of worst sports a lacrosse athlete can participate in. Any gains in muscle mass made in the off-season go to waste over the course of a cross country season. Instead, lacrosse athletes should strive to maximize their strength and muscular development while simultaneously developing force production.
At F.O.R.C.E. Performance Training our goal is to target the posterior chain as well as develop a strong number of squat variations, dead lift variations and Olympic lifts. Olympic lifts including kettle bell snatches, cleans and variations of cleans are pivotal to increasing an athlete’s force production. Throughout my experience as a strength and conditioning specialist I have seen a strong correlation between the force in a lacrosse player’s shot and an increase in their power clean. An Olympic program can also increase a player’s ability to utilize the strength of his/her lower body and transfer the force to his upper body during a lacrosse shot.
As the lacrosse off-season comes to a close athletes should begin to focus on running in variations of the 10, 20, 40 and 100 yard dashes. As an athlete progresses, the rest intervals between runs are varied so the athlete gets some crossover in energy systems. Their plyometric routine will incorporate more dynamic and explosive exercises.
Deceleration mechanics are also an important aspect of a lacrosse athlete’s training regimen. Deceleration mechanics focusing on pre-activation of the posterior chain ensures that an athlete’s joints and muscles are prepared for a sudden change of direction while preserving joint integrity.
At F.O.R.C.E., our lacrosse players are constantly weight training. This ensures that they are constantly building and maintaining muscle mass while staying in shape for the lacrosse season.