Strength and Conditioning
Strength & Conditioning Staff
- Head Strength Coach:
Bobby Harmston
Bio • EMAIL
Phone: (310) 338-7690
- Assistant Strength Coach:
Ciara Carl
Bio • EMAIL Phone: (310) 338-5796
- Assistant Strength Coach:
Geno del Rosario
Bio • EMAIL
Phone: (310) 338-5796
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The strength and conditioning program at Loyola Marymount University is an essential component of the Athletic department's quest for Building Champions. Leading the way in developing a strength and conditioning program that will be the basic building blocks to forming champions is Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Bobby Harmston, who is in his first year at the helm of the program at LMU.
"We are here to train our student-athletes to be, first and foremost, the best athletically they can be," said Harmston, who came to LMU in the summer of 2009. "We will be based around training the student-athletes at LMU to be fit across all 10 physical skills. We then will be training them to be sport specific athletes after we develop them as an overall athlete."
Harmston, and his staff of assistant coaches Ciara Carl and Geno del Rosario, have developed a mission statement that is based around the 10 recognized physical skills.
LMU Strength and Conditioning Mission Statement
The LMU Strength and Conditioning Department will help all student-athletes reach their full athletic potential by developing all aspects of their physical and mental fitness. The ten recognized physical skills to be developed are Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy. We will develop these skills by using the following methods: Olympic lifting, strength lifting, body weight calisthenics, plyometrics, medicine ball throws, agility work, speed work, stretching, tumbling routines, metabolic conditioning, and CrossFit workouts. LMU's facility and program reflect the total fitness philosophy of the Lion Strength & Conditioning staff.
"An athlete is only as fit as their weakest skill among the 10 skill sets. We are going to make sure the student-athlete is prepared for every possible physical contingincy that can come up during their time as an athlete. If agility is their weakest area, they will only be as fit as their agility allows them to be," said Harmston. "Our philosophy will be based around 100-percent intensity no matter the work out so that they can maximize all 10 of the physical skill sets."
While Harmston states intensity is the core to the program, he has developed a 10-part philosophy (credited to Ethan Reeve, Director of Strength and Conditioning at Wake Forest University), which includes:
1. Emphasize Core Strength
2. Train with Ground-Based Lifts and Bodyweight Calisthenics
3. Incorporation, Not Isolation, Train Movement, Not Muscles
4. Train for Power - Power is the Function of Strength and Speed
5. Train Athleticism
6. Train Attitude
7. Train the Push and Pull Together
8. Utilize Both Single and Double-Limb Lifts
9. Make Workouts Short and Intense
10. Encourage Self Motivation
"Our vision for the first year is to start everyone off at day one, of week one in year one so that we can establish a proper foundation for the student-athletes strength and conditioning," said Harmston. "We want to slowly implement the program and create the environment that is indicative of a Division-I athletic program. The short term is to get the program implemented. The long term is to have the fittest athletes in college athletics. We have the program, staff and support to do that here at LMU."
LMU Strength & Conditioning Philosophy
1. Emphasize Core Strength
The center of all power and strength in the human body originates in the core of the body. Imagine the human body broken down into three links of a chain: the upper body, lower body, and core body. The movements performed in this core are: hip extension, hip flexion, abdominal flexion, back extension, torso rotation, lateral extension and flexion, hip adduction and hip abduction. An athlete is only as strong as his/her weakest link. If an athlete is weak or inflexible in this core he/she will have little chance of maximizing his/her athletic potential. The core body is the center that coordinates all ground-based human movements. Focusing strength-training attention on this core body is of the greatest importance. This core body consists of these muscle groups: abdominals, obliques, erectors of lower back, gluteals, upper quadriceps, upper hamstrings, hip flexors, and groin area. The more "quality" training performed with this core body in the standing position and with ground-based calisthenics the more potential the athlete has to transfer the training to the athletic arena.
2. Train With Ground-Based Lifts and Bodyweight Calisthenics
Most athletes participate in standup power sports. Most sport skills are initiated with the feet applied to the ground. The more force the athlete can apply to the ground, with good balance, the greater the potential for speed and power. Even swimmers and other non-ground based athletes will benefit from ground-based training. Training this way incorporates the use of more joints, bones, prime mover muscles, synergistic muscles, stabilizer muscles, tendons, and ligaments together. Therefore, the training of athletes on their feet and with ground-based calisthenics trains the athlete similarly to what happens in sport. Ground based training develops more athletic abilities. The more athletic abilities developed the greater the chances the athlete will maximize his/her potential, provided the specific sport skills have also been developed. The ground based lifts and activities used are: power clean, power snatch, hang clean, dead-lift, push press, front squat, back squat, one leg squat, pushups, handstands, handstand pushups, cone drills, ladder drills, line drills, dot drills, tumbling drills, bleacher runs, and more.
3. Incorporation, Not Isolation, Train Movement Not Muscles
Athletes of all sports will never isolate a single muscle group or joint in competition. Athletes use their whole body in a natural way. The superior athlete is the one that can use his/her whole body. It is, in many cases, not how strong and powerful the athlete is but how he/she best uses his/her strength and power that determines athletic success. When athletes train with lifts, drills, and calisthenics that incorporate many muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones in a natural progression, they are better prepared to use their whole body in sports skills. It is of utmost importance that athlete's strength train incorporating the use of their whole body. When using weight machines, you are using one plane, one dimension of movement. In many instances, there is isolation of one joint or one group of muscles without having to balance or stabilize another body part. Only prime mover muscles are used and not stabilizer muscles. Free weight training is multi-plane, multidimensional, as in sport skills. Therefore, you are using prime movers, stabilizers, and synergistic muscles. It becomes important to stabilize and balance your body in order for the prime mover muscles to perform. One can get strong using almost any type of strength training. However, it is best to have athletes perform ground-based lifts and bodyweight calisthenics during required team workouts while encouraging extra volunteer workouts. It is during these volunteer workouts where athletes may do isolation lifts. This is done because of time constraints and the functionality of ground-based training for athletics.
4. Train for Power - Power is the Function of Strength and Speed
Power= Mass Moved (Force-Strength) x Distance / Time
You know the saying. Speed Kills! In all sport skills speed of movement is a desired commodity. Along with the "feel for the game" and "mental toughness" sport coaches are in search of athletes with great speed. It is the duty of the strength coach to develop all athletic qualities, especially speed of movement. As you can see in the above formula an increase in speed of movement (decrease in time) results in an increase in power. This is important to the athlete due to his/her own bodyweight, gravity, opponent's resistance and weighted implements and other resistances that athletes must deal with in competition. Increasing speed of movement with the same mass lifted improves power. Increasing mass lifted and maintaining the speed of movement will increase power. The less time it takes to move a mass a certain distance the higher the power output. By effectively using explosive lifts, squatting movements, medicine balls, agility drills, bleacher sprints, and speed drills you can greatly increase the potential for developing powerful athletes in sport. The power clean, hang clean, power snatch, hang snatch, and jerk are the lifts with the highest potential for developing powerful athletes. No other lifts even come close. Olympic lifters, on average, have highest vertical jumps of all other athletes (36"-42") and are the fastest of all athletes excluding 100 meter dash sprinters in a 25-meter sprint. The Olympic lifters perform predominately explosive lifts and deep front and back squats in their training.
5. Train Athleticism
The strength coaches' purpose is to train athletes for their maximal performance in athletic competition so it is important to train their athleticism. The positive qualities of the superior athlete are: strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, coordination, kinesthetic awareness, rapid reorientation from disorientation, rapid gathering from poor positions, sport specific conditioning, skill expertise, mental toughness, and being goal driven. It is the goal of the strength coach to maximize the athletic potential of the athletes in his/her care. So, the enhancement of these must be part of any strength program regardless of the particular sport. The intensity and volume level of each quality will be determined sport by sport.
6. Train Attitude
When teams lift together it provides another opportunity to develop chemistry, teamwork, leadership skills, and a competitive environment. When the strength workout is run like a sport practice the economy of time is well spent. The strength coach can keep the pace moving with good discipline and positive results. Attack the weights! Attacking the weights means using correct technique and lots of hard work. The athlete should focus on getting better in all areas of each workout. Everyday better and better! The strength coach should expect and demand mental toughness, discipline, focus, and intensity. The athlete should give 100% effort and perform exactly as the strength coach advises. It is the role of the strength coach to give the athlete the best workouts available to maximize athletic potential. The nature of competitors in sport is to attack the weakness of their opponents whether it be their conditioning, tactical expertise, skill level, or mental toughness. The athletes should not only search and capitalize on the weaknesses of their opponents but also be able to handle "pressure" when it is applied to them. Weakness displayed by athletes in the strength room and practice field can cause the athlete to develop patterns of weakness that will be used by opponents in competition. Some negative displays are: negative facial, verbal, and body language, whining, bellyaching, displaying disrespect and spreading negativity. The strength coach and sport coach have an obligation to not allow such weakness to permeate a team. When the sport coach and strength coach work together to help athletes see their mental weaknesses and help them to emphasize a positive attitude this will have a positive effect on the success of the team as well as the individual athlete. Maintaining a positive attitude in each athlete is of the utmost importance. This is why strength training workouts should be productive and fun for the athletes. The strength coach can plan workouts so the athlete will want to come back to the strength room to get better and not dread it. Training athletes to maximize their potential requires lots of hard work and all workouts will not be fun. Since workouts can't always be fun they are made brief, intense, and challenging.
7. Train the Push and Pull Together
As much as possible workouts are developed to train the upper body pressing with the upper body pulling. Two birds can be killed with one stone. This is done in the same time it would take to do one lift in most programs. It also has little negative effect on each lift because you are using opposing muscles. Some examples are: bench and chins, military and bent rows, dumbbell press and dumbbell rows
8. Utilize Both Single and Double-Limb Lifts
In many sport skills athletes will transfer weight from one leg to another and from one arm to another in a natural way. For athletes it is as important to have strength, balance, and coordination on one foot as it is on two feet. Training one leg at a time and one arm at a time also brings into play more of the core of the body to help stabilize while the single limb performs its skill. Some examples of single limb lifts are: one arm dumbbell incline, bench, or military press, one leg squat, walking lunge, step-ups, lunge, and one arm dumbbell rows. One arm dumbbell or kettlebell swings, snatches, cleans, and jerks are also great exercises.
9. Make Workouts Short and Intense
Some of the most powerful human beings of all time have trained under the tutelage of Ivan Abadjiev, the Bulgarian Olympic weight lifting coach. Also, today many other Olympic weightlifting teams and individual lifters throughout the world have been influenced by his methods of training. Some of the strongest power-lifters of all time have trained with power-lifter/coach, Louie Simmons, at Westside Barbell Club. Many strongmen today uses a method of training called "Dinosaur Training" created by Brooks Kubik. There are many bodybuilders and athletes today using a method of training called "High Intensity" promoted by former Olympic/power lifter Ken Leistner and former bodybuilder, Mike Mentzer. Boyd Epley at the University of Nebraska, using his unique training methods, has trained many great and powerful football teams. The Bigger, Faster, Stronger Philosophy, created by Greg Shepard, has been used by thousands of athletes and championship teams, in all sports, from Jr. High through the professional ranks. Although there are some differences in these methods of training there are three common threads that run throughout all of them. The workouts prescribed and implemented in all of these different systems of training are: 1) highly organized 2) short in duration and 3) extremely intense. Recommendations for athletes concerning days and times of strength training including warm up:
In Season-2-4 days/week-15-30mins./workout
Post Season-3-4 days/week-45-60mins./workout
Pre Season-3-4 days/week-30-60 mins./workout
10. Encourage Self Motivation
Although team strength training workouts are very important, the success or downfall of the athlete has a lot to do with what the athlete does between the strength workouts. Habits dealing with sleep, diet, alcohol, drugs, study, and social life play an important role in the athlete's success. If the athlete has "lost control" in any of these areas he will greatly diminish his chances of reaching his athletic potential. The champion athlete will evaluate him/herself for weaknesses and do the extra workouts to fill in the deficiencies. If he is inflexible he will work on becoming more flexible. If she is not strong enough in the upper body she will spend more time improving upper body strength. If foot speed or agility is a problem the champion will spend extra time bettering his foot speed or agility. The strength coach or sport coach will never "make" an athlete into a champion nor "prevent" an athlete from becoming a champion. The athlete makes a concrete decision to make him/herself into a champion. Workouts designed and implemented by the strength coach should allow for the athlete to have the energy and desire to do extra workouts on their own. This allows the athlete to develop creativity, individuality, leadership, and ownership in their own success. In the long run, this will have a positive effect on the whole team when strongly encouraged by the strength and sport coaches.
Credited to Ethan Reeve, Director of Strength and Conditioning at Wake Forest University
- GO LIONS -
Udpated: AUg. 19, 2009
