Velocity-Based Training in Football
Velocity-Based Training in Football
Velocity-Based Training in Football
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Velocity-Based Training
in Football
J. Bryan Mann, PhD, CSCS,1,2 Patrick A. Ivey, PhD,2 and Stephen P. Sayers, PhD1
Departments of 1Physical Therapy and 2Athletic Performance, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
52 VOLUME 37 | NUMBER 6 | DECEMBER 2015 Copyright Ó National Strength and Conditioning Association
(3,9,10,12,15,17,27,28,34,38,40) offering 1 university responded to physical As an example, if an athlete with
new insights into the effect of different stress during the course of an entire a 1RM of 300 kg were to move 60%
training methods. spring semester. The spring semester of their 1RM at 0.8 m/s, they would be
consisted of 3 distinct training periods: moving 180 kg at 0.8 m/s. If, after sev-
FLUCTUATIONS IN MUSCLE Weight room training under the eral months of training and adaptation,
PERFORMANCE BECAUSE OF LIFE supervision of a strength and condi- the external load that they could move
STRESS
tioning coach. at 0.8 m/s was now 198 kg, the stability
VBT can also help identify proper Weight room training under the between mean velocity and 1RM
training loads when fluctuations in per- supervision of strength and condi- (the velocity-load profile) would very
formance occur as a result of life stres- tioning coach plus winter condition- closely identify the athlete’s new 1RM
sors. Stress is a condition with specific at 330 kg because the relationship
ing conducted independently by the
outcomes from nonspecific inputs. between a mean velocity of 0.8 m/s
football coaches.
When stress is encountered, the adrenal Weight room training plus spring and 1RM is 60% of their 1RM (10).
cortex responds by producing glucocor-
practice, followed by subsequent A critical component of VBT is that
ticoids, the adrenal glands secrete epi-
additional weight room training. training at a mean velocity rather than
nephrine, and the pancreas decreases
Over the course of the semester, ath- at a %1RM will allow the athlete to use
insulin production (36). These events
letes saw initial improvements in the appropriate load for a given day.
occur in a similar manner whether one
strength, power, speed, and the stress Because the onset of individual stressors
is experiencing life stress or the physical
hormone profile during the first train- (e.g., sports stress, life stress, and social
stress encountered through resistance
ing period that occurred only in the stress) will result in day-to-day fluctua-
training, conditioning, or sport skill
weight room. However, as additional tions in the ability to move external re-
acquisition (20). Life stressors that an
physical conditioning stress was added sistances (8), the athlete and coach must
athlete encounters not only affect onset
(during the second training period), rethink the notion of the 1RM as being
of injury but also affect training for sport
there was a significant regression in a consistent nonvarying value. Jova-
(1,29). Petrie (30) showed that increases
performance, with muscle strength, novic and Flanagan (17) showed that
in life stress increased the incidence of
injury 3-fold in some athletes. This is put power, and hormonal responses falling the 1RM estimated using the velocity-
into better context when one takes into below baseline (24). Moreover, these load profile from Gonzalez-Badillo and
account the imbalance of “life” hours measures did not return to baseline Sanchez-Medina (10) ranged from
versus “training” hours for a collegiate until the end of the semester. The re- 618% compared with a previously es-
athlete. For example, football players searchers (24) hypothesized that this tablished 1RM. Thus, the athlete who is
typically may train 2–3 h/wk during was because of improper loading, prescribed a load of 70% of 1RM for
the in-season period and up to 8 h/wk which was the result of combining training may in actuality be lifting in
during the off-season period, as the conditioning and strength training a range of 52%–88% of 1RM. However,
mandated by the National Collegiate phases, resulting in an excessive total if the athlete was using VBT to account
Athletics Association (NCAA) (26). Fur- training load. In effect, this may have for the daily variability in 1RM, he or
thermore, football players may practice resulted in the occurrence of nonfunc- she would be training at the appropriate
up to 20 h/wk during the in-season tional overreaching (24), where too load for that training session. By using
period (inclusive of weight training many stressors imposed upon the ath- velocity, the strength and conditioning
and sports practice). To better under- lete did not allow sufficient recovery, coach is no longer relying on what may
stand how athletes adapt to and recover which led to the onset of overtraining/ be an erroneous 1RM value from the
from stress, strength and conditioning overreaching in some athletes. previous training cycle but is instead
coaches should be aware that football using a 1RM that is appropriate based
Whether from accumulation of life
players experience life stressors through- on the physiological condition of the
stressors or physical stressors results
out the 168 hours in a week, not only the athlete on a particular day. These find-
in a decrement in performance, VBT
8–20 hours of training and practicing. ings are congruent with the recommen-
is an option for the strength and con-
Also, researchers have recently shown dation by Mann (19) on determining
ditioning coach to select the proper
that during times of high academic stress the proper training loads in athletes.
loads in an attempt to prevent non-
and low physical stress (i.e., in-season functional overreaching. Izquierdo
examination weeks), division 1 collegiate et al. (13) demonstrated that mean SPECIFICITY OF TRAINING
football players sustained the same num- velocity is a very stable metric and that Another benefit of VBT is that training
ber of injuries as times of high physical there is a high positive correlation at optimal velocities and specific loads
stress and low academic stress (i.e., train- between the mean velocity of the bar- can maximize training specificity, the
ing camp) (20). bell and %1RM. Although the 1RM utilization of the appropriate energy
Recently, Moore and Fry (24) exam- may fluctuate over time, the %1RM systems, and training demands to
ined how a football team at a Division and mean velocity remain quite stable. increase the likelihood of a positive
adaptation. The specific adaptations to have shown that lower-body move- a player coming out of the stance at
imposed demands principle (25) gov- ments, such as the back squat, tend to the line of scrimmage. Work done by
erns training in general. The strength have a 100% 1RM moving at a velocity Jacobson et al. (14) and Mann and
and conditioning coach must know of approximately 0.3 m/s. Conversely, Jacobson (21) found that football play-
exactly what training outcomes are upper-body movements, which have ers typically explode out of their stance
desired and design the training pro- a shorter range of motion, tend to have at a mean velocity of 1.09 m/s, which is
gram to elicit those outcomes/adapta- a 100% 1RM moving at a velocity of in the speed-strength zone. The term
tions (25). For instance, if an athlete approximately 0.15 m/s. This is most speed-strength was again coined by
desires to improve his 40-yard dash likely because of the difference in ampli- Roman (32) and later supported by
time, the strength and conditioning tude or range of motion that the athlete Jandacka and Beremlijski (15) and
coach would not focus on exercises must go through to complete the move- Jidovtseff et al. (16), who called it
to improve endurance but would target ment (13). Because most athletes have “average velocity-load.” To maximize
exercises that produce maximal power longer legs than arms, a higher velocity speed-strength, a mean velocity of
for time periods of less than 10 seconds is required to complete the range of 1.0–1.5 m/s is required during the exer-
to bring about the desired outcome. motion for the lower-body exercises cise; however, where the required
Specificity of training is of particular compared with upper-body exercises. velocity falls within that range is
importance in the training of the foot- By using these average velocities instead dependent upon the amplitude of
ball athlete. Although football-specific of the 1RM, the coach knows the ath- motion. Squats and bench press exer-
factors can be trained with most exer- lete is moving the appropriate load on cises with smaller amplitudes of
cises, the success of this training will a given day to maximize absolute motion fall into a range more typically
depend on the load and mean velocity strength. found between 1.0 and 1.3 m/s,
of movement. At any submaximal per- Strength-speed can be described as whereas a lift, such as a hang clean with
centage of 1RM, an athlete can con- moving a moderately heavy load at a greater amplitude of motion, has
sciously move the barbell at either a moderate velocity and was first a mean velocity of 1.45 m/s.
a faster or a slower velocity. Although described by Roman in Training of the Starting-strength is the ability to over-
2 athletes may be assigned a similar Weightlifter (32). The advantage of having come inertia rapidly and is developed
exercise (e.g., squat or bench press) with strength-speed to the football player is by using extremely light loads moved
regard to sets, repetitions, and %1RM, exemplified in positions played at the line at extremely high velocities (2). For
the manner in which they move the of scrimmage. Linemen, for example, are the football player, starting-strength is
barbell will result in very different out- attempting to accelerate against an exter- important to a position player such as
comes. If athlete A moves the bar slowly nal load of their opponent and the op- a receiver who needs to be able to rap-
and easily at a given intensity, the adap- ponent’s inertia and must do so rapidly idly overcome inertia on their first
tation may resemble muscle hypertro- to move the mass of their opponent step to achieve high-velocity move-
phy and increases in muscle strength. out of the way. The mean velocity of ments off the line (2). Researchers have
If athlete B moves the bar as fast as 0.75–1.0 m/s presented by Roman (32) shown that the mean velocity to
possible at the same relative intensity, and later corroborated by Jandacka and improve starting-strength ranges from
improvements in muscle strength and Beremlijski (15) and Jidovtseff et al. (16) 1.3 to 1.8 m/s and higher depending
power will be much greater; however, represents the optimal velocity at which on the amplitude of motion (2). For
the adaptations of hypertrophy are not to maximize this trait. Although different smaller amplitude exercises, such as
well known (28). Thus, controlling the terms, such as “load-velocity” (15,16,32), a squat or bench press, a mean velocity
velocity of load allows the coach to “dynamic strength,” and “dynamic of 1.3 m/s would be used, whereas lifts
develop the desired training outcome. effort” (37), have been used to describe with much greater amplitude of motion
In the following paragraphs, we will strength-speed (15,16,32), Roman’s pio- (e.g., a minimal-loaded squat jump) may
describe how specificity of training neering nomenclature is what is typically require a mean velocity of 1.8 m/s.
using velocity can maximize the factors used to describe this trait. It should also Through observation, experience, and
most applicable to football: absolute be clarified that nomenclature used by existing research, the authors believe
strength, strength-speed, speed-strength, Siff (37) (i.e., dynamic effort method) is that many coaches employ loads that
and starting-strength. simply a method to develop the trait of are either too heavy or bar velocities
Absolute strength is easily monitored strength-speed. that are too slow to maximize training
using mean velocity because mean Speed-strength can be described as effects. When the velocity of athletes
velocity and %1RM are directly related moving a lighter load at high velocity performing hang cleans was measured
(16). Using mean velocity, the coach and is a means to improve explosive by attaching the tether of a linear posi-
knows that the athlete is moving the strength (37). The advantage of having tion transducer to the bar, the authors
appropriate load for absolute strength speed-strength to the football player is found the mean velocity of the bar was
training on a given day. Researchers exemplified in the explosiveness of between 0.6 and 0.8 m/s, far below the
the preceding set was faster than the for some. Although prices have drop-
Dr. Bryan Mann
range of velocities required for the par- ped in recent years, the cost may
is the Assistant
ticular trait (i.e., absolute strength, approach $400 for accelerometer-
Director of
strength-speed, etc.), then the load will based units, whereas linear position
Strength and
need to be increased. If the velocity of transducers may exceed $1,800. Sec-
Conditioning and
the preceding set was below the range ond, VBT requires the coach to relin-
an Assistant
of velocities required, then the load will quish some control in the weight room.
Professor in the
be decreased. As previously described, VBT requires
Department of Physical Therapy at the
As opposed to the traditional lifts an element of trust between coach and
University of Missouri.
described earlier (e.g., squats, bench athlete. The coach must trust that the
press), which use mean velocity, athlete can make proper decisions
Olympic-style lifts use peak velocity to regarding load selection and that the Dr. Pat Ivey is
determine load. Because Olympic-style athlete is giving their maximal effort the associate ath-
lifts are ballistic exercises, the entirety of on each set of exercises. Although this letic director for
the movement is not as critical for eval- may be difficult for some coaches, athletic perfor-
uation of the lift. Harbili and Alptekin increased autonomy for the athlete mance at the
(11) found that the peak velocity occurs may actually increase effort and results University of
at the top of the second pull of the clean (22). Third, tracking of the data may Missouri.
or snatch when the movement is done prove complex and/or time consuming.
properly. Thus, peak velocity helps Some units will collect the data for the
define the critical moment of the move- user after some up-front data entry, sav-
ment and thus is a clearer determinant ing this information onto a web-based
server. Other units, however, do not Dr. Stephen P.
of the success of the lift. The actual
have this feature, and the coach must Sayers is an
velocity of Olympic-style weightlifting
manually record any data that they associate professor
movements will be predetermined with
would like to keep or analyze. in the department
a range. If an athlete’s peak velocity is
of physical ther-
too low, load will need to be reduced. If PRACTICAL APPLICATION AND apy at the Uni-
peak velocity is too high, then load will SUMMARY versity of
need to be increased. For the coach and practitioner, VBT Missouri.
The implementation of VBT allows the offers a novel and unique way to max-
staff to monitor and use the appropri- imize performance in the athlete. By
ate loads for the athlete for any given training within the range of the various
day. This is especially effective in sea- velocity profiles, the practitioner can
son, where different athletes are receiv- ensure that they are getting the best
ing varying amounts of playing and from their athlete on each training
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competitive anxiety and coping resources.
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are not starting or are in a developmen- but also further increase the quality of
2. Bondarchuk AP. Olympian Manual for
tal phase of their career. their training. Strength & Size. Muskegon, MI: Ultimate
In the authors’ experience, VBT pro- VBT is a useful tool to coaches and Athlete Concepts, 2014. pp. 114.
vides a strong stimulus for improvement practitioners who want to maximize 3. Cronin JB, McNair PJ, and Marshall RN.
in muscle power compared with tradi- athletic performance. VBT helps Force-velocity analysis of strength-
tional approaches that can be sustained match the proper load with the desired training techniques and load:
trait being trained, aids in countering Implications for training strategy and
over time. The authors anticipate mak-
research. J Strength Cond Res 17:
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148–155, 2003.
ing the benefits of VBT as data are tation from training, and serves as
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Foster C. Monitoring exercise intensity
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POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS OF VBT onstrated tangible improvements in 18: 353–358, 2004.
There are several limitations of VBT. power production, which is the key 5. Delorme T. Restoration of muscle power by
First, the expense of the technology to to improving on-field performance in heavy resistance exercises. J Bone Joint
assess velocity may make it impractical the collegiate football player. Surg 27: 645–667, 1945.