By healthiergang writer , former competitive athlete and currently Bodybuilding athlete (Bikini category).
Volleyball Exercises: Training and preparation
Training in the gym is a type of work that, over the years, has become increasingly important as an auxiliary to training in more technical sports.
This is because we have seen how the use of weights (the so-called resistance training) could prove to be functional to work on the field, allowing athletes to cope with any technical deficits. All obviously planning a long-term work that can perfectly complement the game.
As a competitive volleyball player I experienced this phenomenon firsthand, finding the usefulness and effectiveness of this approach. It is no coincidence that the mere variation of the training protocol in the gym led, in most cases, to a strong variation of the performance on the field, often making the difference between victory or defeat.
In light of this, let's see what are the guidelines to follow to set up a training protocol for volleyball. Let's start by giving some general concepts and then let's see a practical example.
Volleyball Exercises: General Concepts
The first analysis we have to do concerns the gestures we find on the pitch.
Volleyball is a power sport. Basically the gestures in which this adaptive component is expressed are two:
The dunk or beat. With this gesture we will activate the anterior kinetic chain composed of the pectoral grandis, the anterior deltoid and the biceps.
The jump. Here we have a reproduction of what the squat movement is, a movement that will be reproduced on the field in an explosive way and will include a loading phase (squatting) and an unloading phase (jump).
In light of this, it is worthwhile to enhance these gestures by seeking work on the aforementioned motor patterns. Specifically, the work must be periodized in order to achieve, in the end, an improvement in the power of the gesture, especially close to the competition (we will see it shortly).
The second analysis to do concerns the postural result that we will have in volleyball athletes (or athletes). In fact, the repetition of this type of gestures, motor patterns and posture (think of the one in reception) will lead to the establishment of a predominantly kyphotic attitude.
This attitude, however, should not be compensated for as it is functional to the game. Instead, we will have to try to always maintain awareness of the posterior muscles (rear deltoids, external rotators, etc.) through a correct execution of the pushing movements as well.
For example, learning the correct motor pattern of the flat bench (adduction and scapular depression) is extremely functional in this sense.
Single Workout Example
Specifically, the preparation of my team consisted of two different but complementary realities. The bulk of the training took place clearly on the pitch and lasted for over three hours. But we will focus on the work to be done in the gym.
It always started with 10 '/ 15' of heating to choose between exercise bike and treadmill.
One day a week was dedicated to the lower body, the other to the upper body. Let's see an example of the first.
Volleyball Exercises
The training was divided as follows:
Hyperextension 3 x 10
Squat with 3 x 8/10 barbell
Leg extension 4 x 8/10
Circuit to be repeated 3 or 4 times consisting of
1. Press high feet for 10/12 repetitions
2. Dumbbell lunges 8/10 reps per leg
3. Jump squat on overlapping steps 10 repetitions
4. Crunch, oblique crunch and reverse crunch
5. Stretching
This protocol was followed in a standard way by the whole team. Then logically, as we have said and we will see, in the event that it was necessary (and in most cases it was) for a particular subject to intervene on specific skills, then the work in the gym was modified for the athlete. So we found ourselves doing functional work to a certain gesture or skill to be implemented.
Periodization example
The work must, as mentioned, be periodized. In light of this, we try to understand how to set up a correct long-term programming (for example annual in view of summer competitions such as the Olympics, given that we are on the subject!).
Therefore the purpose of the periodization is to allow the athletes to improve the functional gesture in the field and to reach this peak of performance close to the competition [1] [2] [3] [4].
The gesture that interests us will depend on the role and function of the athlete (in truth we are not particularly interested here). What is most useful is to understand how to improve the power of the gesture. Power is given by the product of force and speed. It is therefore inversely proportional to the time taken [7].
P = F x v
P = F x space / time
In order to improve the power of the gesture, it will therefore be convenient for us to work on improving the Strength. In turn, the improvement in strength can be achieved thanks to an improvement in terms of muscle hypertrophy. Different phases (mesocycles) of periodization begin to take shape and our game begins to be understood, right?
So let's see a practical example:
Mesocycle 1: Hypertrophy work. 8-12 rep range, 40-50 '' TUT
Mesocycle 2: Strength work. Range of 3-5 repetitions, TUT of 5-15 ''
Mesocycle 3: work of Power. Range of 10-15 repetitions, TUT of 20-30 ''
In this last type of work we will reduce the load while maintaining an execution as explosive as possible. Close to the competition we will instead carry out a tapering [5] [6] to search for the peak performance.
Specific interventions
We can also identify some specific interventions that can (or rather must!) Be made in some cases. These are contexts in which there is a particular deficiency in a specific action.
For example, a partner of mine found herself rather lacking in resuming the position and possibly in jumping, after a reception that had forced her to the ground.
In this case the work in the gym was focused on the execution of Squats or Jump Squats starting from a pre-fatigue work that could be push-ups, pull-ups or other. In this way, the girl's ability to quickly take the position of the motor pattern even in disadvantageous conditions was improved.
As we can see, therefore, the work in the gym can be quite varied to intervene on the problems that may arise in the field and is very necessary and effective in order to improve the performance of the team.
Conclusion
With this article we have seen the volleyball exercises that will improve your technique and your strength.
Our articles should be used for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to be taken as medical advice. If you are concerned, consult a health professional before taking dietary supplements or making major changes to your diet.
