Lower Body Power and Tendon Resilience
(Week 15, Power Sprint Program)Day Overview
This session focuses on building leg strength, explosive power, and tendon resilience, especially targeting Achilles and knee tendons. Exercises are selected to enhance speed, strength, and injury resistance, supporting football performance.
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 at RPE 8. Use a safety squat bar for shoulder comfort and joint safety. Focus on explosive upward drive and controlled descent to maximize strength and tendon health.
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 with RPE 8. Emphasize hip hinge and controlled eccentric to strengthen hamstrings and glutes, supporting Achilles and tendon resilience.
Working Sets:
4
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• Leg Press
Sit on the leg press machine and push the platform with your legs to extend your knees.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 4 sets of 8-10 reps at RPE 8. Focus on full range of motion and explosive push through the heels to develop leg power and tendon strength.
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 reps per leg with RPE 8. Use bodyweight or light dumbbells to promote unilateral strength and stability, supporting tendon health.
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 4 sets of 15-20 reps with RPE 7. Focus on slow, controlled reps to strengthen calves and Achilles tendons, enhancing speed and injury resistance.
Working Sets:
4
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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 12-15 reps at RPE 7. Strengthen posterior chain and lower back, supporting explosive hip extension and injury prevention.
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 15 reps with RPE 8. Focus on hip drive and explosive movement to develop speed and power transfer from hips to field.
Working Sets:
3
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• Hanging Leg Raises
To perform Hanging Leg Raises, find a pull-up bar or any sturdy overhead bar. Grip the bar with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your legs straight. Engage your core and, keeping your legs straight, lift them up in front of you until they are parallel to the ground or higher, if possible. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement. Avoid swinging or using momentum to lift your legs.
Prescribed Sets:
Perform 3 sets of 12 reps at RPE 7. Strengthen core and hip flexors, supporting explosive sprinting and injury resilience.
Working Sets:
3