Strength and Conditioning in a Covid-19 World

Luca Dalla Pace

Mary-Claire Geneau
Dave O’Mahony
 Introduction
• Unprecedented situation
• Are there any similar scenarios historically?
• What kind of challenges are we likely to face?
• What can we do?
NFL/NBA Lockout (Myer et. al, 2011)
NFL/NBA Lockout vs Covid-19?
• Shortened preseason
• Condensed playing schedule
• General lack of preparation for demands of sport
What can we do – beyond S&C?
• Opportunity to work on all elements of sporting
performance
• Nutrition
• Psychological skills
• Technical skill development – where possible
• Tactical – video etc
Normal world of S&C
• ‘Reverse engineer’ from anticipated peak(s)
• Selection of periodization model to fit
needs/sport/schedule
• Access to facilities, medical staff, equipment,
monitoring
• Coaching in person
Covid-19 S&C
• Peak moment(s) unknown
• Competition format unknown
• Limited equipment
• Training done remotely
• Likely motivational issues – online coaching, athlete
autonomy?
Residual effect of training (Issurin, 2008)
What can we do during Covid-19?
• Aim to identify most demanding aspects of sport
and load/train as best as possible.
• Develop physical qualities which may not be
optimally developed in sport or are absent due to
training cessation
• Train general modalities – phase
potentiation/recovery when sport resumes
• Focus on what we can do and can control – keep
goal of return to sport in mind
Training exposure/workload –
Gabbett (2018)
Training exposure/Potential problems
• Accumulation of training volume and intensity –
gradually!
• Development of qualities which mitigate risk
• Field sports – tendon, hamstring, groin
• Overhead athletes – tendon, shoulder
• Athletics/Rowing/Endurance – stress fracture,
tendon
Risk mitigation/performance?
Energy system (In brief)
Energy Energy Metabolic Intensity Duration Example
System source Byproducts
ATP-CP ATP-CP Creatine Maximum <10sec 100m
Sprint
Anaerobic Glycogen Lactic High <90sec 400m
Glycolysis acid/pyruva Sprint
te
Aerobic Fat/Glucose H20/CO2 Medium- 90sec-hours Marathon
Low
Development of aerobic system
• ‘Trainability’
• Practicality
• Cross training – maintenance of cardiac/peripheral
adaptations
Aerobic system development benefits
• Cognitive performance. (Hernández-Mendo, 2019)
• Recovery – between games/races. (Jones et. al,
2013; Johnson et. al, 2015; Johnston, Gabbet and
Jenkins, 2015)
• ATP-CP resynthesis - Contribution to repeated
bouts. (Girard, Mendez-Villanueva and Bishop,
2011)
• Mitigator of spikes in workload. (Gabbett, 2020)
Plyometrics
Plyometrics benefits – Booth & Orr (2020)
• Running economy
• Strength – high neuromuscular recruitment
patterns
• Jumping/Sprinting/Throwing performance
• Injury prevention – eccentric loading
• Tendon loading
• Covid-19 specific – limited equipment needed
Plyometrics/Sprinting considerations
• Potent stimulation of CNS
• ‘Innoculation’ against hamstring injury – Edouard et
al. (2020)
• Injury – double edged sword - tendons
Strength – A challenge in Covid-19
• Isometrics – yielding and overcoming
• Unilateral training
• Manipulation of leverage/tempo for bodyweight
training
• Blood flow restriction?
Manipulating Body Weight Exercises
• Tempo/Time Under tension

• Body position

• Intent

• Bilateral vs. Unilateral

In practice - recommendations
• Vertically integrated model – cover all bases and
shift training emphasis as more information on
return is available.
• Identify sport specific demands which can be
trained to facilitate return to sport
• Transition from more general means to more
specific.
• Accumulate volume and intensity gradually
Examples – Youth Soccer multiweek
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Steady
Speed OFF HIIT OFF Strength State OFF

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Steady
Speed HIIT OFF Strength HIIT State OFF

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Steady
Speed HIIT OFF Strength HIIT State OFF

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Steady
Speed HIIT OFF Strength HIIT State OFF

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Steady
Speed Strength HIIT OFF Speed State OFF
Example – Varsity Basketball Week

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Strength/Plyo Steady
Speed 1 Long HIIT Speed 2 Short HIIT 3 State OFF
Strength/Plyo Strength/Plyo
1 2
Plyometric Progressions
Direction/Pattern Level 1 Eccentric Level 2 Intermediate Level 3 Stretch Shortening Cycle
Control/Landing skills Development/High Load
Vertical Depth Jump Landing/SL Box Jump/Repeated Depth/Hurdle Jump
Landing Countermovement Jump

Horizontal Broad Jump + Stick Repeated Broad Jump Depth Broad Jump

Lateral Lateral Jump + Stick Skater Jumps Lateral Depth Jump

Upper Push Push Up Ballistic Push Up Ballistic Push Up from box

Upper Pull Eccentric Row Catch Plyometric Horizontal Plyometric Horizontal Row
Row Knees Flexed Straight Leg
Conditioning Progression
Week 1 5 x 3min (30 work:30 rest) 3min set rest

Week 2 4 x 4min (30 work:30 rest) 3min set rest

Week 3 6 x 3min (30 work:30 rest) 3min set rest

Week 4 5 x 4min (30 work:30 rest) 3min set rest

Week 5 6 x 4min (30 work:30 rest) 3min set rest

Example program adjustments of
National Team athletes
What is our scenario?
• Isolated training
• Range in resources and accessibility to equipment
• No access to on-water training
• Unknown timeline for the return to training
environment
For the rowers
• Re-focus to GPP

• Everyone got an erg

• Local athletes were provided

with equipment

• More elaborate monitoring

As an Integrated support staff, we
identified some opportunities

• Mental break • Hypertrophy

• Injury check-in • Durability
• Expand cross-training • Target gaps
library
Triathlon
• No swimming

• Back to GPP

• Increased intensity and volume on bike

• Access to running may be limited

Key points
• Continuation of training in modified form is crucial –
exposure to sporting demands where possible to
mitigate risk on return to sport.
• Each sport will have individual demands – but common
principles apply.
• ‘Pre-preseason’
• Cross training – be cognizant of athlete capabilities.
• There is a lot we can do – make use of it and be
creative!
• Athlete motivation – what ways can we increase this?
 References
• Booth, M. A., & Orr, R. (2016). Effects of plyometric training on sports performance. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 38(1), 30-37.
• Edouard, P., Mendiguchia, J., Guex, K., Lahti, J., Samozino, P., & Morin, J. B. (2019). Sprinting: a potential vaccine for hamstring
injury. Sport Performance & Science Reports, 48, v1.
• Gabbett, T. J. (2020). Debunking the myths about training load, injury and performance: empirical evidence, hot topics and
recommendations for practitioners. British journal of sports medicine, 54(1), 58-66.
• Girard, O., Mendez-Villanueva, A., & Bishop, D. (2011). Repeated-sprint ability—Part I. Sports medicine, 41(8), 673-694.
• Gharbi, Z., Dardouri, W., Haj-Sassi, R., Chamari, K., & Souissi, N. (2015). Aerobic and anaerobic determinants of repeated sprint ability
in team sports athletes. Biology of sport, 32(3), 207–212.
• Hernández-Mendo, A., Reigal, R. E., López-Walle, J. M., Serpa, S., Samdal, O., Morales-Sánchez, V., ... & Falco, C. (2019). Physical
activity, sports practice and cognitive functioning: The current research status. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2658.
• Issurin, V. (2008). Block periodization versus traditional training theory: a review. Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 48(1),
65.
• Johnston, R. D., Gabbett, T. J., Jenkins, D. G., & Hulin, B. T. (2015). Influence of physical qualities on post-match fatigue in rugby league
players. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 18(2), 209-213.
• Johnston, R. D., Gabbett, T. J., & Jenkins, D. G. (2015). Influence of playing standard and physical fitness on activity profiles and post-
match fatigue during intensified junior rugby league competition. Sports medicine-open, 1(1), 18.
• Jones, R. M., Cook, C. C., Kilduff, L. P., Milanović, Z., James, N., Sporiš, G., ... & Vučković, G. (2013). Relationship between repeated
sprint ability and aerobic capacity in professional soccer players. The Scientific World Journal, 2013.
• Laursen, P. B. (2010). Training for intense exercise performance: high‐intensity or high‐volume training?. Scandinavian journal of
medicine & science in sports, 20, 1-10.
• Møller, M., Nielsen, R. O., Attermann, J., Wedderkopp, N., Lind, M., Sørensen, H., & Myklebust, G. (2017). Handball load and shoulder
injury rate: a 31-week cohort study of 679 elite youth handball players. Br J Sports Med, 51(4), 231-237.
• Myer, G. D., Faigenbaum, A. D., Cherny, C. E., Heidt Jr, R. S., & Hewett, T. E. (2011). Did the NFL lockout expose the Achilles heel of
competitive sports?.
• Stone, N. M., & Kilding, A. E. (2009). Aerobic conditioning for team sport athletes. Sports Medicine, 39(8), 615-642.
Questions?