Specificity is manifested in both the ability of the athlete to express their

strength in a particular athletic movement and the capacity for a particular

mode of strength training to carry over to sports performance. Fundamentally, a
player’s strength capabilities when lifting in the weights room is of less relevance
than their ability to express that strength when executing athletic and skilled
movements on the field of play.
A foundation of strength training is described by the acronym SAID:
Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (Baechle et al., 2000). Simply, any
physiological adaptation produced is dependent on the specific form of overload
provided by the strength training stimulus (Stone et al., 2003). The obvious
application of specificity with regard to strength training is exercise selection.
Biomechanically, the closer the particular training exercise to the movement
patterns and velocity of the sports-related action, the greater the degree of
carry-over is likely to be (Stone, 1993). For this reason, lifts that are closer to
what the player faces on the field of play are viewed as preferential to alternative
exercises for the same muscle group(s).
In turn, the requirement for a particular strength quality for a team
sports player will depend on the typical demands placed upon them during
competition. It follows that sport-specific and position-specific considerations
should be addressed in the design of the player’s strength training, in order to
develop the required combination of strength qualities for the sport and playing
position.
The final consideration for strength and conditioning specialists is that
strength training design should also be specific to the needs of the player.
From this viewpoint a starting point in attempts to tailor a programme for a
player might include musculoskeletal and movement profiling, in combination
STRENGTH TRAINING 39
with a battery of performance tests to identify any areas in need of particular
attention.
Components of strength
Strength is typically defined in terms of the greatest amount of force or torque
an individual can generate during a maximum voluntary contraction under a
given set of conditions (Abernethy et al., 1995). Individual testable qualities
can be isolated that comprise the global term strength (Newton and Dugan,
2002). For instance, there is a distinction between force-generating capacities
(i.e. strength) at faster movement velocities and slow velocity or zero velocity.
High-velocity strength comprises force-generating capacities at faster
contraction velocities (Newton and Dugan, 2002).
There is a further distinction between slow velocity maximum strength
and isometric strength.
Slow-velocity strength is defined as the maximum weight that can be lifted
in a dynamic fashion, such as during an isoinertial lift (squat, deadlift, bench
press, etc.).
Isometric strength is quantified as the maximum force that can be applied
under static conditions.
At negative movement velocities – i.e. when the muscle is lengthening
while contacting, as happens during braking and lowering movements –
maximal torques are described in terms of eccentric strength. For example,
eccentric strength can be quantified as the maximum weight an athlete is able
to lower through the full range of motion for a strength training exercise for a
specified period (e.g. 5 seconds). Eccentric strength has the greatest magnitude
of force of all strength components.
The combination of eccentric and concentric strength yields a further
component, termed ‘reactive strength’. Depending on the time interval across
which force is applied this capability also involves stretch-shortening cycle
(SSC) components. These can be further subdivided into fast SSC and slow
SSC performance. Fast SSC reactive strength is demonstrated in tasks with very
brief contact time (100–200ms) – such as sprinting. Slow SSC reactive strength
is exhibited when time for force application is relatively longer (300–500ms) –
for example, a countermovement jump.
All of the separate strength components described can be developed by
strength training; the particular combination of strength training variables
employed will determine the qualities that are developed. Training intensity,
repetition scheme, and volume all interact to influence the specific strength
training response (Baechle et al., 2000). The mode of strength training is another
training parameter that greatly impacts strength training outcomes. Particular
modes of strength training have greater transfer of training effect for a given
strength quality than others, based upon the mechanics and kinetics of the
training exercise (Stone et al., 2000a). Such factors determine the requirements
for both intramuscular and intermuscular co-ordination. In turn, this influences
the nature of the training adaptation elicited (Young, 2006) – for example, slow
velocity strength versus high velocity strength (Baker and Nance, 1999).