4-week resistance training plan

Coaches should be able to design and implement a simple resistance training programme to physically develop their players. The resistance training programme below is an example of a typical programme for size (hypertrophy) which is a good place to start as it will lay the foundation to progress into maximal strength and power training.

This programme could be used in pre-season to allow players to get used to training stress again after time off. Some exercises in the plan are not detailed in this module however, this is just a simple example to show the structure of a resistance training programme. Note that in the sample programme below the weight is prescribed as a percentage of the maximum weight the player could lift for that exercise. Over time, the repetitions decrease but the weight lifted increases. This is the principles of overload and progression in action. It also shows the trade-off between volume of training and intensity of training which is discussed in more detail in the final section.