Strength Agenda Performance at The Strength Agenda

Reps on reps on reps hammering the basics for our throwers during Throws Club. Throws Club meets every Wednesday at 5pm and is open to all levels actively competing in Shot Put/Discus in middle school/high school or Shot Put/Discus/Hammer/Javelin in college. There is not a better collection of throws coaches in the area than our staff so message us for drop in and monthly rates for training!

A stronger athlete is a better athlete. Adrian trains alongside our weightlifting team normally but is currently following our Sports Performance In Season Protocol during his football season at Wheaton North. As a Junior guard he’s a bit undersized for position, but a 240 # Sn**ch, 325 # Clean, and a 500 # Back Squat are some great tools to have when your job on the field requires you to move other humans around. Congrats to Adrian and Wheaton North on your 2-0 start to the season. It’s kind of weird to have Friday Night Lights in March, but our athletes are ready for it!

One of the best exercises to increase strength, speed, flexibility and mobility is the barbell Sn**ch. Our entire staff is certified across various levels within USA Weightlifting in order to teach our athletes the nuances and proper mechanics needed to execute Sn**ches and Cleans in our program. If you’re athlete is looking for that extra advantage to help them off the field, message is about a free intro class today!

Happy Holidays from all of us at Strength Agenda Sports Performance.

Youth athletes need GPP (General Physical Preparedness) in every training session. With specialization in sports becoming a bigger and bigger issue each year, kids are not allowed to play a variety of sports and build strengths and skills that create a more balanced athlete like most adults had the opportunity to do when they were younger. This is why some form of GPP work needs to be involved in every youth’s training program. We have a variety of methods to accomplish this and one of our go to methods is Escalated Density Training, or EDT. EDT consists of a couplet of movements that are antagonist/protagonist in nature and are performed at lower intensities in order to allow the athlete to superset one rep of each movement for 5 minutes straight. We like to use the same couplets for four week blocks with the same weight and challenge the athlete increase their total reps achieved in 5 minutes each week. If an athlete can improve their rep total their conditioning is also improving. Obi is a 7th grade football player and Jujitsu athlete performing a 50 # med ball over the shoulder and 30 # slam ball couplet to wrap up a sessions of Clean and Jerks and upper body accessory work. Are your athletes getting the most out of their training every session?

Brenna is a Lacrosse player at York High School and has been crushing her Olympic lifts as of late. Three weeks ago we introduced the lifts into her program after a GPP Phase and she’s catching on quickly. In order for young athletes to be able to handle the demands of the lifts they need two things:

1) A solid base of GPP (General Physical Preparedness) in order to handle and recover properly from the stimulus created from heavier barbell training.

2) The lifters need a ton of reps in the 50-70% effort range in order to engrain proper movement patterns and build up the required balance and mobility needed in these positions. Mark our words, a year from now Brenna will Power Clean way above her body weight with ease making her even more explosive on the field than she’s already become.

Escalated Density Training, or EDT, is a staple at The Strength Agenda for our way of conditioning strength athletes without being too taxing on the joints and body. Conditioning and cardiovascular endurance are a must in your training no matter the goals or sport but it can often be done wrong so this is our solution for safe, effective, conditioning work that can be done anywhere.

Another added bonus of this work is an increase in General Physical Preparedness, or GPP. Since we choose compound movements, some utilizing a barbell (or other objects) and some are simple bodyweight movements. But if done over time you are accumulating reps and volume at various tendencies when at the end of the day, if you add up all the reps you are getting more work done in a short range of time without feeling absolutely destroyed.

This is safe and effective for our kids and still allows the time on build strength over time while refining technique with the barbell. In our gym this is done as stand alone work OR after main lifting g has concluded for the day. Each couplet is comprised of two contradicting movements (push-pull, upper-lower, extension-flexion, etc.) and done as an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) for 5 minutes. The goal is to not stop during this time, so the athlete needs to pace themselves. If more than one couplet is performed, you rest 3 minutes before the next one. No matter the age, skill, or fitness level, these are a great conditioning tool for all!

16 year old Matt hits 110/242 # x5 on the back squat working on full ROM each and every rep of this workout.

The research available to us today, sheds new light on optimal squat depth. We have evidence that not only disproves findings that deep squats increase instability in the knee, but also shows that deep squatting is beneficial for joint and muscular health.

The deeper the squat, the higher the contact area between the muscles and bones which distributes the forces applied to the knee in a uniform, safe way. This is referred to as the “wrapping effect”. The wrapping effect minimizes shear force on the ligamentous structures of the knee, specifically to the anterior and posterior cruciate ligament. Shear force is defined as the lateral movement of one structure in one direction against another structure moving, laterally, in the opposite direction. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), serves to help the lower leg bone (the tibia) resist sliding forward and rotating inward relative to the upper thigh bone (the femur). The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) serves to help the femur resist sliding forward of the tibia and to help the tibia resist slipping backwards from the femur.

In laments terms, if you’re an athlete or you work with athlete and have then squat high, you are doing them a disservice. Push ROM as safely and effectively every time you get under the bar. Stronger knees are happier knees!

If you want to go faster, go alone. But if you want to go further, go together... Contrary to popular belief IC and York athletes can coexist in training push each to be the best versions of themselves. Jack (York ‘23) and Owen (IC ‘24) have been with us for three years now, often training together and pushing each other no matter the exercises. The end result: better performance on the field. So are you helping push your training partners to be better or are you trying to tear them down for your gain?

The Sn**ch and the Clean are staples in our training program regardless of skill level. We have the best coaching staff in the area to teach the proper technique to athletes and now we have the best tools to do so. A huge shout out to Intek Strength for coming out with 2.5/5.5 # and 5kg/11 # training and technique bars for youth athletes. We were honored to put their prototypes through some grueling workouts and are excited for their release in 6 weeks. If you are working with young lifters and need training bars lighter than the standard 10kg/22 #, 15kg/33 #, and 20kg/44 #, these are great option!

Any questions about the bar and purchasing for your gym can be sent to: [email protected]

Good, better, best, never let them rest. Until your good is better, and your better best! This kid is going to be ready to go when the Stay At Home Order is lifter and we couldn’t be prouder to have Santino representing ESP!