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Strength can be whole-body strength, as in general conditioning, and specific strength, most effective within the range of motion of a given event. Strength is critical to every sport for both men and women. The level of strength has a positive effect on both speed and endurance.
The order of strength training exercises is critical in two aspects. First, the larger muscle groups should be exercised before the smaller ones. Otherwise, over-loading the large muscles is difficult because the smaller muscle groups tire more quickly. Second, no two exercises should train the same group of muscles consecutively, for the muscles will have too little recovery time.
The principle of specificity is extremely important. Strength development is specific to both the muscle group exercised and the pattern of movement used. You should duplicate the event movement pattern as closely as possible in the strength-training program. This specificity includes the joint angle at which the muscle is exercised and the type of contraction performed. This affects isometric training more because the major strength gain in isometrics is only at the angle used in exercising the muscle.
Exercises are measured in repetitions (reps), usually divided into larger groups called sets. One set is a number of reps performed without interruption. Three sets of five reps (3X5) means to repeat the exercise five times without stopping, take recovery rest, perform the exercise five more times, take rest, then perform the exercise for a final five times, completing the three sets.
Resistance exercises are generally used three times a week, on alternating days to permit the muscles to recover. Strength specialists may train every day, but the muscle groups are divided so that no muscle group is trained on consecutive days.
Intensity is also a factor in strength activities. To lessen fatigue and improve efficiency, active rest is useful between lifts at higher intensities. This involves light or no-lifting movements directed toward other parts of the body after an intense exercise is completed.
Every athlete encounters “sticking points” performance plateaus that the athlete cannot easily pass. These can result from both overtraining and under training. Often a change in the workout loads helps. Other causes may be poor diet or physical or mental fatigue.
Starting weights are largely a matter of opinion and personal feeling. Strength training emphasizes either body development (hypertrophy) or strength, depending upon the weight and number of repetitions of an exercise (see table below).
| Load | % of max | Number of reps | Training emphasis |
| Heavy | 90 | 1-3 | Strength |
| Medium | 80 | 5-6 | Muscular endurance |
| Light | 70 | 8-12 | Muscular endurance |
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