nother application of specificity, which is typically not fully accounted for,

is the format in which strength training workouts are performed. Team

sports
involve a wide array of movements in multiple directions executed
repeatedly
in an unspecified order with high force. Contact field sports feature the
added
element of movements executed against resistance, often with the upper
body
as the point of contact. For team sports players, the optimal training format
has yet to be adequately investigated. Anecdotally, some strength and
conditioning specialists working with professional team sports players
attempt
to address this by incorporating the use of ‘compound sets’ – that is,
alternately performing sets of one exercise (for example, a pushing lift)
with
another exercise (such as a pulling lift).
Taking this approach further, a circuit format might be considered for the
entire workout. This should not be mistaken for traditional circuit training
which features submaximal loads and relatively high repetitions; the same
loads are used: it is solely the format of the workout that is altered. The
circuit
format would also appear to have the advantage of reducing workout time
(as
players will move onto the next lift in the interval during which they would
normally be resting) and potentially stimulating improvements in
strengthendurance. A study investigating this approach termed this method
‘heavy
resistance circuit training’ and found that subjects were able to lift the
same
load and volume with no alternation in bar kinematics compared to the
traditional sequential format, and that it also elicited a greater
cardiovascular
response (Alcaraz et al. 2008). The authors concluded this approach to
strength
training could be expected to elicit similar strength improvements with
additional cardiovascular benefits.