Introduction:

Hello and welcome to the F.A.S.T. “Advanced” Elementary School Athlete Training program. This program is the “next level” program after you’ve completed our foundational program – F.A.S.T. Elementary School Athlete program.

While it may be tempting to just jump right in with the advanced program, we highly recommend that you begin with the original program and successfully complete before going through this advanced program. The original program lays a foundation from which your training will evolve from. You’ll be a better overall athlete by performing the programs in the suggested order because you will be developing the essential muscles in an athletic way.

The F.A.S.T. Advanced program differs from the original because now we are working on specific energy systems:

• Speed and Power
• Conditioning
• Strength and Muscle-Building

Speed and Power: These workouts are designed to push your entire body to work synergistically to help you move better as an athlete. The exercises included are going to push you to be more explosive and use more of your muscles when playing sports. You will maximize your potential with these programs.

Conditioning: Sport-specific conditioning isn’t going for long jogs. In fact, that is counter-productive to proper athletic conditioning. You’ll be performing anaerobic conditioning workouts that will push you to the edge and also develop your mental toughness. These workouts will prepare you to be going strong the entire game all season long.

Strength and Muscle-Building: These workouts are designed to add functional, lean muscle and strength in order to make you more athletic. You’ll be using a combination of traditional strength training and unique bodyweight exercises that combine to increase your performance while reducing injuries during sports.

Disclaimer:

You must get your physicianʼs approval before beginning this exercise program.
These recommendations are not medical guidelines but are for education purposes only. You must consult your physician prior to starting this program or if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates physical activity. This program is designed for healthy athletes who have passed all physicals related to sports and activities.

The information in this report is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise and training programs pose some inherent risks. The author, editor and publisher recommend that all readers who embark on this program know their physical limitations. Before practicing the exercises and program in this book, be sure your equipment is properly secured, maintained and in working order.

Donʼt lift heavy weights if you are alone, without sufficient spotting, inexperienced, tired or injured. Be sure to learn proper form on all exercises with the support of a qualified trainer or coach. Always ask for instruction and assistance when lifting. Always warm up prior to each workout and each exercise within your workout.

Consult your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you are taking any medications, you must consult your physician prior to beginning any exercise program, including any of the workouts in the F.A.S.T. athlete programs. If you experience dizziness, shortness of breath, or lightheadedness stop exercising immediately, and consult a physician.

10 Rules of Strength Training for Athletes

1. Donʼt ever perform an exercise unless you are properly instructed on how to do it first. Start light and develop a healthy movement pattern before adding weight.

2. Donʼt ever perform an exercise that hurts. Listen to your body. Some exercises work for some people but not for others. There are always alternative exercises for each of my programs. Just ask me on the Youth Athlete Training forum for substitutions at www.youthathletetraining.com

3. If in doubt, go light. You canʼt force growth and strength. The first week of any program is meant to give you a neuromuscular connection. Go through the motions with lighter weight, than work up in weight accordingly.

4. If you feel sore, tired or burnt out, take an extra day or two of rest. The key is to prevent overtraining from occurring. You only have so much energy in your tank, and you canʼt use it up and still expect to get stronger. Moderation is best.

5. Use a spotter for heavy training. Never perform a Squat or Press of any kind without proper spotting.

6. Think of strength training as controlled rage. You need to give it your 100% effort and intensity while maintaining perfect form.

7. Donʼt overdo cardio. In other words, donʼt do more cardio than strength training, or you will lose muscle.

8. Never skip a warm-up. Your muscles need to loosen up prior to each exercise within a workout or before wrestling.

9. Change up your training after 4 weeks. You will get stronger, plus youʼll avoid the nagging injuries (such as tendonitis) that occur by doing the same thing repetitiously.

10. Be sure youʼre cleared to train by a doctor before starting any exercise or nutrition program.

Phase 1: Weeks 1-4

• Bodyweight Warm-up Circuit
  Squeeze the muscle being worked at the end of every repetition.

Day 1: Power and Speed

1) Elevated Dive-­‐Bomber Pushups -­‐ 5 x submax reps (60 second rest)

2A) Box Jumps -­‐ 5 x 3 reps

2B) DB Squats -­‐ 5 x 10 reps  (rest 60 seconds and repeat for 5 total sets)

3) Jump Rope 5 x 50 fast reps (30 seconds rest)

4A) Mixed Grip Pullups -­‐ 2 sets submax reps + 2 sets max reps each side
4B) Weighted Pushups -­‐ 4 sets of max reps (60 second rest)

5A) Forward Sprints -­ 20 yards
5B) Backwards Sprints -­20 yards (Rest 60 seconds and repeat 3x)

Day 2 Conditioning

1A) 15 Burpees
1B) 50 Bodyweight Squats
1C) 25 Pushups
1D) 10 Front Grip Pullups
1E) 25 Situps
*No rest between exercises in this circuit. Perform circuit 5 times through

Day 3 Strength and Muscle Building

1A) Dips -­‐ 3 x 15 reps (first 5 reps slow and controlled, next 5 reps fast, last 5 reps as slow as possible)
1B) Reverse Grip Chinup -­‐ 3 x 10 reps (first 5 reps slow and controlled, next 5 reps fast)  (Rest 60 seconds and 2 more times for 3 sets each)

2) 1 Leg Squat 5 sets x AMAP each leg

3) Bodyweight Squats x 100 reps

4) Step Up ‐ 3 sets x 12 reps each leg

Phase 2: Weeks 5-8

Day 1: Power and Speed

• Bodyweight Warm-up Circuit
  Squeeze the muscle being worked at the end of every repetition.

1A) Bulgarian Split Squat Jumps 2 sets x 10 each leg
1B) One Leg Hip Extension 2 sets x 10-­‐15 each leg
* Perform back to back and rest 60 seconds and repeat a second time.

2) Burpee to Chinup 5 sets of 5 reps
3A) Divebomber Pushups 2 sets x max reps
3B) Inverted Row 2 sets x max reps

4) Jumping Squats 4 sets x 30 seconds

5) Reverse Crunch 2 sets x 15-­‐20 reps

Day 2: Conditioning

1A) 10 Burpees
1B) 50 Bodyweight Squats
1C) 25 Pushups
1D) 10 Pullups
1E) 25 Situps

*Perform full circuit with no rest in between exercises. Rest 1 minute and repeat. Perform 4-­‐5 circuits.

Day 3: Strength and Muscle Building

Bodyweight Squats 4 sets x 15 reps (first five reps slow and         controlled, the next five as fast as possible, and the last 5 slow         and controlled)

2)  Pushups 3 sets x 15 reps (first five reps slow and controlled, the next five as fast as possible, and the last 5 slow and controlled)

3)  One Leg SLDL 3 sets x 15 reps (first 5 controlled, then hold for 5‐10 seconds, then finish final reps)

4)  Chinups 3 sets of 5 reps (first 5 reps controlled, then hold for         5‐10 seconds)

5)  Lunges 3 sets of 10 reps (first 5 reps controlled, then hold for         5‐10 seconds each leg, then finish reps for each leg)

6)  Supermans 4 sets x 15 reps (first 5 reps slow and controlled, the next 5 as fast as possible, and the last 5 reps slow and         controlled)

Conditioning for Youth Athletes

It certainly seems at times that younger wrestlers between ages 6-13 have endless energy, doesn’t it?

They can seemingly go from zero to 100 in no time flat and keep it up to the end of the game…

But many sports teams like to send their young athletes for long jogs to get them into condition for the season…

This is not only counter-productive, but it’s a sure path to burnout over the long haul. First, jogging elicits an aerobic energy requirement from your body. Most teams sports are anaerobic in nature. Therefore, jogging is severely overrated as a means to achieve ‘sport-specific’ conditioning for the requirements of a athletic performance.

It’s even worse to mindlessly send the youth athletes out for long jogs because of their phase of growth and development. Remember, when working with youth athletes you are not working with ‘young athletes’… you are working with ‘developing young athletes.’ I can tell you from years of experience, that if you want to burn a kid out and lose them mentally… just send them for jogs all the time.

Another important consideration when training athletes 6-13 is that their overall ability to gain absolute strength is not as much from a killer strength training program as much as from increasing their overall coordination. That’s not to say that strength training programs for youth athletes are completely ineffective. It simply means that incorporating the right kind of strength training program along with efforts to improve overall coordination and gross motor skills will be most-effective.

Youth athletes can best get into condition for sports with game-oriented activities…

The way a young mind works necessitates ‘fun’ activities while conditioning. Here are some ideas of things you can add to practices when working with youth athletes to improve their overall conditioning in a competitive game-like setting:

Relay Races – I don’t think I’ve ever met a youth athlete that didn’t get ‘pumped up’ when they found out that they were going to compete in a relay race. Relay Races that employ different gross motor skills serve the young athlete with multiple benefits:

• They train the anaerobic energy system of the athlete, similar to that required in sports
• They promote teamwork
• They can be used to promote skills without constant ‘drilling’

The key behind effective Relay Races in order to develop young athletes into well- conditioned athletes is to define your goals, and thoroughly explain what you want to see. Let them know that quality comes first and you want to see the skill perfected. Here’s an example:

You can start out with a Ring Relay. Divide your athletes into teams of 4. Have each team of 4 sit one behind the other behind the starting line. The first person in each line will have a rubber ring (or anything that they can run with in their hand). On the command of the ‘whistle’ (I like to use a whistle so that they get used to reacting to that sound since it’s common in athletic competition) the first person runs across the gym to a line on the other side where they drop the ring. They immediately turn and run back to their team and ‘High 5’ the next person in line. The second person immediately runs across the gym where they pick up the ring and immediately run back to their line. When the second person gets back to their line they hand the ring to the next person who proceeds to run the ring across the gym, drop it off on the finish line and run back etc.

The first team to finish is the winner… The last team to finish is eliminated.
You immediately begin another round with the teams that are still in. This continues until you have 1 team left as your overall winner.

This is a great way to add overall conditioning to your young athletes… I like to do this with different skills too. Use your imagination…

You can do Relay Races with:

• Crab Walks
• Bear Crawls
• Frog Leaps
• Duckwalks
• Spider Crawls

The gross motor patterns that are trained during this activity with enhance the overall progress in your youth athletes in so many ways. If you aren’t using Relays, do so.

Reaction Drills – Having youth athletes work on reaction drills is another very important training consideration when planning practices and training for youth athletes. You can increase the young athletes’ ability to react off the whistle by also having them react to visual cues, as well as different auditory cues.

Visual Cues Training – Although many athletes have to react to the sound of a whistle when in a game, you can increase their reaction time to the auditory stimulus (the whistle) by training their ability to react to visual stimulus.

One way to work on speed of reaction visually is the Ball Drop Drill. In this drill you have 2 partners face off a few feet apart in an athletic stance. One partner holds a tennis ball. The partner with the ball drops the ball, and the other partner must react by catching the ball.

Verbal Reaction Training – Verbal reaction training is another favorite of mine when working with young athletes. In this type of reaction training the athlete begins in an athletic stance. The coach then yells out one of 3 commands,”KNEEL”, “BELLY” or “BACK.” The athlete must either kneel, lie on their belly, or lie on their back as quickly as possible following the command. This reaction training develops the overall speed of a young athlete incredibly well without the need for strength training simply because at this young age their muscles adapt to training with ‘cues’ more than weights.

Sprint Reaction Training – Another great way to build more speed and power from youth athletes is to employ Sprint Reaction Training. You begin by having your athletes lined up next to each other on a line. You have them start in one of the following ways:

• Kneeling
• Lying on stomach with arms stretched overhead
• Lying on back with arms stretched overhead
• Hands and knees

The coach then blows the whistle, and the athletes react by scrambling to their feet as quickly as possible and sprint across the field or gym. This is done rapidly with athletes running back to end of their line to await their next turn.

This type of reaction training helps develop the neuromuscular connection in the Posterior Chain muscle group – Hips, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Glutes and Core. This is the basis for developing incredible strength and coordination for sports speed.


Stretching for Youth Athletes

As I alluded to in the previous section, youth athletes between ages 6 and 13 benefit in their overall strength by improving their gross motor coordination and reaction time. Absolute strength appears to increase more than it actually does (or can) at this level when you increase overall coordination.

Another important thing to note at this level is that Stretching must be age-appropriate.

To begin, there are 3 types of stretching that athletes should be familiar with: Static Flexibility Training, Dynamic Flexibility Training, and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching (PNF Stretching).

Static Flexibility Training – Static Flexibility Training is the type of stretching that is performed by getting into a stretched position and ‘holding the stretch’ for periods of 30 seconds to 60 seconds or more. This type of flexibility training is used at least 2-3 hours before training, after training or before bed. But here’s the important thing:

Static Flexibility Training Should NOT Be Used With Athletes In The 6-13 Age Group!

The youth athlete has delicate connections between the soft tissue (muscles, tendons and ligaments) and bones. Static stretching serves the purpose of permanently increasing the length of short muscles such as with previously injured areas and basic muscle imbalances. Static stretching is contraindicated until the athlete reaches the 14+ age group as with High School athletes.

PNF Flexibility Training – PNF Stretching is a type of stretch where the muscles are taken through periods of repeated relaxation and stretching to achieve an overall increased range of motion in a joint. PNF Stretching is the most effective for permanently lengthening a muscle.

PNF is performed either alone or with a partner. It can be performed before or after exercise, unlike Static Flexibility Stretching. However, PNF Stretching like Static Flexibility Stretching should not be performed by youth athletes.

Dynamic Flexibility Training – Dynamic Flexibility Training is an active type of stretching of the muscles. In this form of stretching, the body is taken through full ranges of motion without holding any positions.

This type of flexibility training serves numerous purposes:

• Raises your body core temperature to loosen up for training, a match or practice
  Increases the viscosity within joints to reduce wear and tear and help prevent unnecessary injury
• Increases muscular strength throughout the full range of motion of a joint

Dynamic Flexibility Training is advocated for Youth athletes both as a warmup for training, practice or matches AND as a cool-down after these events. This type of flexibility training helps a youth athlete prevent injury and ‘safely’ keep a full range of motion in a joint. This sets the stage for more pronounced strength gains once the athlete reaches High School.

The following workout is a thorough Dynamic Warm-up Routine that can be effectively used by athletes of any age. The only difference is that the older athletes in High School is the addition of other stretching protocols.