Lacrosse athletes often look to build muscle mass and add strength in the offseason. But there’s a more effective way to train that will yield bigger improvements in on-field performance. This science-based approach focuses on developing power and dynamic stability, instead. Players who train this way will be more explosive, agile, injury-resistant and, yes, stronger.

POWER

Power is a measure of how much force can be produced in as little time as possible. When you’re developing power, you’re not only strengthening muscles, but also training the central nervous system to get these muscles to fire more quickly.

DYNAMIC STABILITY

Dynamic stability is more than just balance. It’s the ability to maintain control under unstable or moving conditions at any velocity.

PLYOMETRICS

Plyometrics, or plyos, are exercises that involve the rapid stretching and contracting of muscles. On Athletic Republic’s cushioned PlyoFloor, athletes perform fast, aggressive jumps in multiple directions.

These short sets of 5-20 seconds train the body to respond quickly between muscle contractions, allowing greater force production.They also condition athletes to shift their weight and control momentum when changing directions and develop the small stabilizer muscles in the hips — the entirety of the core, really — that enable these moves.

Plyo progressions start with basic jumping patterns on double and single legs. Advanced progressions add resistance bands, foam blocks to jump over and more challenging patterns.

Box jumps are also effective plyo training tools. Moving continuously during a plyo set without pausing helps to turn these quick movements into reflexes rather than consciously controlled movements. 

TREADMILL

Athletic Republic also uses treadmills to train the central nervous system to respond more quickly between muscle contractions with high-speed sprints at inclines of 15 to 35 percent for very short durations (4-10 seconds). These intense sprints develop the ability to generate force quickly — in other words, power.

In addition, incline treadmill training as well as backwards (backpedaling) movement has the benefit of strengthening your glutes and hamstrings. This often-overlooked hip extensor area is critical in protecting the knees from non-contact ACL injuries. The biggest mistake players make when trying to develop knee-protecting strength is to focus on quad muscles and ignore hamstrings and glutes.  

Athletic Republic is a preferred training partner of the U.S. National Lacrosse Teams.