When designing training programs for athletes, exercise selection and classification are critical for optimizing performance. By referencing the work of Chad Wesley Smith, Yuri Verkhoshansky, and Anatoliy Bondarchuk, we can develop a structured approach to ensure each exercise serves a purpose. These experts provide frameworks to blend foundational strength, sport-specific movements, and measurable transfer to athletic performance.
Foundations for Athletic Strength
Chad Wesley Smith emphasizes the importance of general physical preparedness (GPP) as the cornerstone of athletic training. His focus is on building fundamental strength while progressing to sport-specific adaptations.
Key Principles:
- Foundational Movements First: Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and presses create a robust physical foundation.
- Progressive Overload with Variability: Smith integrates tempo work, pauses, and variations to address weaknesses and improve mechanics.
- Blending GPP with Specificity: Athletes gradually shift from general movements to exercises that mirror their sport’s demands.
Application Example: For a soccer player, Smith would focus on squats and Romanian deadlifts for foundational strength, transitioning to lateral step-ups or sled pushes to bridge into sport-specific strength.
The Hierarchy of Specificity
Yuri Verkhoshansky, known as the “Father of Plyometrics,” categorized exercises based on their relationship to sport performance. His hierarchical framework ensures athletes progress from general preparation to peak competition readiness.
Exercise Classification:
- General Preparatory Exercises (GPE): Build foundational qualities like strength and endurance (e.g., squats, lunges).
- Special Preparatory Exercises (SPE): Mimic sport patterns but are not exact replicas (e.g., weighted jumps for a sprinter).
- Special Development Exercises (SDE): Closely replicate sport-specific biomechanics (e.g., depth jumps for a high jumper).
- Competitive Exercises (CE): Direct execution of the sport movement under competitive conditions.
Application Example: For a basketball player:
- GPE: Weighted squats.
- SPE: Bounding or vertical jump training.
- SDE: Depth jumps or plyometric box drills.
- CE: Actual jumping drills during gameplay simulations.
Transfer of Training
Anatoliy Bondarchuk’s work focuses on identifying which exercises most effectively transfer to athletic performance. He developed a detailed framework to classify exercises based on their carryover to competition.
Bondarchuk’s Exercise Classification:
- General Exercises (GE): Improve overall physical qualities but have no direct transfer to the sport. Examples: running, general weightlifting.
- Specific Preparatory Exercises (SPE): Build physical qualities that align with sport demands (e.g., incline bench press for shot-putters).
- Specific Development Exercises (SDE): Mimic the technical demands of the sport (e.g., rotational throws for a discus thrower).
- Competitive Exercises (CE): Exact replication of the sport movement under varying conditions (e.g., sprints with resistance for sprinters).
Factors FOR EXERCISE TRANSFER
Bondarchuk evaluated the effectiveness of an exercise by analyzing its transfer of training effect to the sport. Here are the key factors he referenced:
- Biomechanical Similarity:
- The closer the exercise mimics the sport’s movement patterns, the greater the transfer.
- Example: Rotational medicine ball throws for a baseball pitcher.
- Muscle Group Involvement:
- Exercises that engage the same muscle groups used in the sport have a higher likelihood of carryover.
- Example: Hamstring curls for sprinters to target posterior chain strength.
- Velocity of Movement:
- Exercises that replicate the speed of the sport’s movements improve carryover.
- Example: Fast barbell hip thrusts for sprinters compared to slow, heavy deadlifts.
- Force Application:
- Exercises that align with the direction and type of force used in the sport are more effective.
- Example: Vertical jumps for basketball players to improve explosive force application.
- Coordination and Skill Requirements:
- Movements that replicate the coordination and timing demands of the sport provide better results.
- Example: Complex footwork drills for soccer players versus general running drills.
- Energy System Similarity:
- Exercises must target the same energy system demands (e.g., anaerobic or aerobic) as the sport.
- Example: Short, high-intensity sprints for football players versus long-distance running.
Integrating the Frameworks
- Start with Foundational Strength (Smith): Begin with general compound lifts to build GPP and create a base of strength and stability.
- Progress Through Phases (Verkhoshansky): Gradually increase specificity, moving from GPE to SPE, SDE, and CE as competition approaches.
- Maximize Transfer (Bondarchuk): Prioritize exercises that match the sport’s biomechanical, muscular, and energy demands. Use performance data to assess carryover.
Why This Matters for Athletes and Coaches
- Efficiency: Exercise classification ensures training time is spent on movements that drive results.
- Peak Performance: Gradual progression toward specificity ensures athletes peak at the right time.
- Injury Prevention: Foundational strength and progression reduce the risk of overuse injuries.
Final Thoughts
The combined wisdom of Chad Wesley Smith, Yuri Verkhoshansky, and Anatoliy Bondarchuk provides a roadmap for designing effective training programs. By leveraging Smith’s emphasis on GPP, Verkhoshansky’s phased classification, and Bondarchuk’s transfer of training principles, coaches can ensure every exercise has purpose and value.
Whether you’re working with novice athletes or Olympians, the key to success lies in strategic exercise selection that builds strength, enhances specificity, and translates to peak performance on
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