50 Tips for Serious Athletes
by Jeremy Frisch

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50 Tips for Serious Athletes
by Jeremy Frisch


Note: Jeremy Frisch is the performance director at the Competitive Athlete Training Zone in Acton, Massachusetts, where he works with athletes from age six to college level.


50 Training Tips for Serious Athletes!

1. Wanna get faster for your sport? You need to sprint. Work on your acceleration first with short sprints of 5-25 yards. Later on, extend those distances to 40-60 yards or more.

The old school mentality of doing long distance work first to "get in shape," then lower your distances and sprint later, is flawed.

To get fast we need to sprint, and to get to top speed we first need to accelerate. Working on acceleration speed and mechanics should be the first thing an athlete does to get faster.

2. In sprinting, ground force production is the name of the game. Speed is a direct result of strength, which is why athletes need to get strong in order to produce enough force to run fast and be athletic.

Basic multi-joint lifts such as back squats, front squats, overhead squats, trap bar deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, and Olympic lift variations will help build the type of strength needed to improve speed.

The trap bar deadlift

3. As an added bonus, each of the lifts mentioned above will also add slabs of functional muscle to your body. These lifts are especially effective at adding strength and size in some of the body's most important areas including the glutes, hamstrings, erectors, and traps. When focusing on sprinting and jumping, these muscles are responsible for propelling the body forward and upward.

4. Technique is first and foremost in the weightroom. Don't just dismiss a lift or technique because it's difficult or tedious. You should learn proper form on the major lifts such as cleans and back squats regardless of your feelings about them. The more tools you have in your toolbox, the more complete of an athlete you'll become.

5. Add emphasis to the lifts you like the least. Switching your focus to those lifts you often leave out can be beneficial. Few people really enjoy squatting, but we all know how crucial squats are to athletes. Learn how to do them, master them, get strong at them, and see what happens.

6. If you're looking for a great way to work speed, leg strength, technique, and conditioning all in one workout, look no further than hill sprints.

Hill sprints can be done anytime and anywhere there's a big scary hill. For early off-season workouts there really is no better way to build a base in each of the aspects listed above. Find a 40-60 yard hill and rip it!

7. Jump! Implementing jumps in your workout is a must. Don't go crazy, but a few strategically placed sets of broad jumps or squat jumps before sprint sessions or lifts will not only help your body develop explosive strength, but also help with deceleration. As a bonus, they'll also prime the nervous system for the workout that follows.

8. Progress your jump work gradually. Don't simply throw in depth jumps from your roof on a whim. Plan them and progress them intelligently.

An example of a progression would be starting with box jumps (jump onto box) for a few weeks, then vertical jumps, followed by broad jumps and finishing with low box depth jumps. From there you can progress even further, but make sure you establish a base to start. Use them correctly and wisely and jumps can be a real asset in your training regimen.

9. If your goal is to look stronger and bigger, then you best be doing your squats and deadlifts with heavy weight. Somewhere in the 4-6 rep range will be ideal for this desired outcome.

For real athletes and anyone serious about training, the size you desire accompanies the strength attached to it. I always say to my athletes, "You'll look like you can squat 450 pounds when you can squat 450 pounds." Size and appearance really mean nothing if you can't back it up with actual strength and power.

10. Want big guns? Don't even talk to me about getting you arms bigger until you can do chin-ups with 30-plus pounds for 6 reps. Similar to my point above, you'll have big arms when your arms can move serious weight.

11. Many sports require grip strength. Football, baseball, tennis, field hockey, and wrestling are just a few of them. However, grip strength is often forgotten or under-utilized in a training program.

Grip strength is important and it needs to be worked along with all other strength points in the body. Build your hand strength through farmer's walks, chin-up holds, thick bar usage, wrist rollers, reverse curls, and plate pinches.

12. Utilize unilateral work. Single-leg squats are one of the best exercises an athlete can use for injury prevention, strength for sprinting, and balance. Work up to 100 pounds of external load in the single-leg squat, then watch your back squat poundages go up.

Use dumbbells for upper body unilateral work as well: one-arm presses, one-arm push presses, one-arm bench presses, one-arm dumbbell rows without supporting your body against anything, etc.

13. Want scary looking traps? Then learn how to do cleans, snatches, and high pulls. These exercises will literally transform your upper back musculature. Oh yeah, they've also been known to increase power, vertical jumping ability, and speed... just in case those things matter to any athletes out there.

The high pull

14. A great exercise for the lower body that nobody uses: snatch grip deadlift! This gem of an exercise works the posterior chain from traps to Achilles as well as the grip.

15. In between your main training sessions, use smaller sessions to help your body recover or promote growth.

I love doing dynamic stretching on my off days, prepping my body like I'm going to workout, and then backing off. This really helps my recovery. You could swim to unload the body, or do a few extra sets of an exercise to bring up a lagging body part.

16. Regeneration is important for an athlete, making off day work very critical. For this reason, I always carry my small foam roller (or a tennis ball) and a Jump Stretch band with me to do some soft tissue work and static stretching when I feel the need. An athlete who tends to feel constantly tight should try to roll and static stretch a couple of days a week.

17. Ever do hip mobility work? This is underappreciated by many athletes. I love it so much I actually bought my own set of track hurdles. Step-overs, step-unders, lateral movements, and leg kicks in whatever combination you see fit will work range of motion in the hips, which is necessary for proper running technique.

18. Adding another variation, if you don't have hurdles you can use the power rack for the same purpose. By setting up a couple of barbells across the safety pins you can do the step-overs and step-unders and get the same hip mobility.

19. Use medicine balls. Whether you're performing low intensity abdominal work or power development through multi-throws/heaves, the use of med balls can step your workout up a level. All athletes should have a few of these around their gym.

20. Don't like the Olympic lifts but seek power development? Then utilize the dynamic method popularized by the Westside Barbell Club. Take 50-60% of your one rep max and move this weight as fast as possible for a couple of reps per set. This emphasizes bar speed, not weight, and is great for developing explosive power.

21. Are you a young developing athlete? Than go out and compete for your school's track & field team. You get to sprint, jump, and throw heavy objects. These are the exact skills and drills that young athletes should be doing to develop all around speed, strength, and coordination.

22. The overhead squat is by far one of the most humbling exercises an athlete can do. Initially, even with the lightest of weights, you'll twist, turn, and wince from discomfort. But when performed correctly, they're great for mobility in the hip and shoulder complex and can build unbelievable supporting strength throughout the entire back and legs. Learn them, love them, live them.

The overhead squat

23. Don't be afraid to put down the barbell and pick up some dumbbells. They're a great substitute in almost any lift. Try doing dumbbell sumo deadlifts or dumbbell squats with two heavy dumbbells. These will challenge the body in a way far different than a barbell.

24. Use dumbbells for Olympic-style lifts as well: cleans, one and two-arm snatches, split snatches, high pulls, alternating high pulls, alternating push presses, one-arm clean and jerks, split jerks, alternating split jerks, and so on. The list is endless.

Using these later in the workout is especially important. For athletes, being explosive late in a game (or workout) is crucial and doing the dumbbell Olympic lifts in such a way will be highly beneficial.