Lower Body Power & Tendon Resilience
(Week 1, Power Sprint Program)Day Overview
This session emphasizes developing leg strength, explosive power, and tendon resilience, especially in calves and Achilles. Heavy compound lifts are combined with tendon-support exercises to prepare for high-speed movements and reduce injury risk.
Exercises
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• Back Squat (Safety Squat Bar)
The Back Squat with a Safety Squat Bar involves placing the specialized barbell with padding across the upper back and shoulders. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed outward. Keep your chest up, core engaged, and maintain a neutral spine. Initiate the movement by hinging at the hips and bending the knees to lower your hips downward and backward, as if sitting into a chair. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below, ensuring knees track over toes. Push through your heels to return to the starting position, maintaining proper form throughout. The Safety Squat Bar's design reduces stress on the shoulders and allows for a more upright torso, making it suitable for individuals with shoulder or wrist limitations. It primarily targets the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and core muscles, with emphasis on maintaining stability and proper alignment during the movement.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 4 sets of 6-8 reps with an RPE of 8. Focus on explosive drive upward and controlled descent, emphasizing proper knee and hip alignment.
Working Sets:
4
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• Romanian Deadlift
Focus on hamstring engagement by lowering the barbell with a slight knee bend while keeping the back straight.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 4 sets of 8 reps at RPE 8. Engage hamstrings and glutes, maintaining a neutral spine to strengthen posterior chain and tendons.
Working Sets:
4
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• Walking Lunges
Begin by standing upright with feet hip-width apart. Step forward with your right foot, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about 90 degrees. Keep your torso upright and your front knee aligned over your ankle. Push through the heel of your front foot to stand up and bring your back foot forward into the next lunge position, stepping ahead into a new lunge. Continue alternating legs in a walking motion, maintaining proper form throughout. Keep your core engaged, shoulders back, and avoid letting your front knee go past your toes.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 3 sets of 12 steps per leg at RPE 8. Focus on control and balance to develop leg stability and tendon strength.
Working Sets:
3
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• Calf Raises (Standing or Seated)
Stand upright with feet hip-width apart, ensuring balance. For standing calf raises, lift your heels off the ground by pushing through the balls of your feet, engaging your calf muscles, then slowly lower back down. For seated calf raises, sit on a bench or chair with feet flat on the ground, place weight on your knees if desired, then raise your heels by pushing through the balls of your feet, and lower back down slowly. Keep your knees slightly bent or straight depending on variation. Maintain a controlled movement, avoid bouncing, and focus on squeezing the calf muscles at the top of the movement.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps at RPE 7. Prioritize slow, controlled reps to strengthen calves and Achilles tendons.
Working Sets:
3
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• Reverse Hyperextensions
To perform reverse hyperextensions, lie face down on a hyperextension bench with your hips positioned at the edge. Secure your legs under the pads or supports. Keep your arms crossed over your chest or behind your head. Engage your glutes and lower back muscles to lift your legs and hips upward, extending your hips and legs behind you in a controlled manner. Avoid using momentum; focus on muscle engagement. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout. Keep your neck in a neutral position and avoid overarching your lower back during the movement.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps at RPE 7. Focus on glute and hamstring activation, supporting lower back health.
Working Sets:
3
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• Kettlebell Swing
Swing a kettlebell between your legs and then up to shoulder height, hinging at the hips.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps at RPE 8. Explosive hip hinge movement to develop power and tendon resilience.
Working Sets:
3
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• Ab Crunch Machine
Sit on the crunch machine with your back flat against the pad and feet secured under the foot pads. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest. Engage your core and curl your upper body forward by contracting your abdominal muscles, bringing your chest closer to your knees. Keep your neck in a neutral position and avoid pulling on your neck with your hands. Exhale as you crunch, then slowly return to the starting position while inhaling. Maintain controlled movement throughout to maximize engagement of the abdominal muscles.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps at RPE 7. Focus on controlled contraction to strengthen core for stability.
Working Sets:
3
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• Side Plank
Hold body in straight line supported on one forearm and side of foot.
Prescribed Sets:
Hold for 45 seconds per side, 3 sets at RPE 7. Enhance lateral core stability to support athletic movements.
Working Sets:
3