Lacrosse is a high-speed sport that requires athletes to possess explosive power, adequate conditioning, and the ability to change direction on a dime. Proper strength and conditioning can help athletes improve their overall performance and enhance their ability to perform basic sports tasks at a higher level. As with almost any physical sport, absolute strength, explosive power, speed, agility, and conditioning decide which athletes will succeed and which will fail. 

More than ever, sports coaches are realizing the importance of implementing a comprehensive strength and conditioning program into their regular training regimen. In the past, some coaches unfortunately believed that barbell training would slow players down and negatively impact performance. 

Fortunately, the modern sports coach has recognized what strength training science has long since proved: barbell training can enhance strength, speed, agility, and overall physical fitness.

By improving an athlete's absolute strength, we can further enhance all other special strengths, leading to improved performance and sports task execution. Additionally, barbell training helps build explosive power, agility, durability, and resilience, leading to fewer injuries and less time on the sidelines if injury occurs. 

The overall schedule often makes building a training plan around the yearly schedule of a sports athlete tough. If a training method is to successfully help an athlete, it must be able to account for the dynamic schedule of an athlete. Ideally, the training method used would allow a coach to regulate training from workout to workout, with the freedom to modify training to fit the demands placed on the athlete on a day-to-day basis. 

This is why the Conjugate Method is the only logical choice for an athlete. It can meet all the demands mentioned above and will provide the athlete with confidence, knowing that each session is designed to make gains as efficiently as possible based on current circumstances. 

At Westside, we have helped many athletes improve their sports performance. The idea behind our training is simple: focus on enhancing all relevant special strengths in the gym while maintaining a predictable recovery schedule that allows athletes to have the energy to improve sports skills at practice. We build the special strengths that help better execute sports skills, and team practice helps refine skill execution and enhance sports competency. 

As long as the relationship between the gym and practice remains harmonious, athletes will make significant progress year after year. Below, we will discuss the Conjugate Method and how it can be used to improve the sports performance of lacrosse players. 

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Importance of Strength and Conditioning in Lacrosse

No matter the sport, athletes must take the time to improve their absolute strength, explosive power, work capacity, conditioning, and overall physical composition. Too often, strength and conditioning coaches get caught up in finding the next great movement that best mimics a sporting task. The truth is, if special strengths are appropriately trained, athleticism will improve. 

Absolute strength training increases the total amount of force an athlete can produce. This training involves athletes training above 90% intensity, with the goal of recruiting the largest motor units. Absolute strength training helps athletes improve their ability to produce force, inter- and intramuscular coordination, bone and tissue density, and overall physical resilience. 

Many coaches avoid absolute strength training, which is a mistake. Do athletes need to be able to bench 600lbs or squat 800lbs? Of course not. However, athletes do need a high level of relative strength, increased bone and tissue density, and toughness and durability. Absolute strength will improve these traits. 

Explosive power training helps athletes improve their rate of force production. Combined with absolute strength training, lacrosse players can expect to increase their shot speed and the ability to deliver and withstand a strong body check. This training is also executed at higher velocities than absolute strength, which helps the soft tissue prepare for the demands of dynamic sports movements. 

Speed training improves an athlete's ability to sprint, jump, change direction quickly, and move explosively around the field. This training is executed using various sprint and plyometric-based exercises. Much like explosive power training, speed training will also help further prepare soft tissue for the demands of dynamic sports movements. 

Work capacity refers to an athlete's ability to perform an exercise or sports task repeatedly over a period of time. All of the previously mentioned strengths will contribute to improved work capacity. However, we can also utilize accessory and basic GPP exercises to improve this trait further via the repeated effort method. 

By improving the work capacity of a lacrosse player, we can lessen the burden of the stick and gear, decreasing the fatigue experienced by athletes performing both offensive and defensive sports tasks. 

Conditioning training is totally focused on improving an athlete's cardiovascular capacity. We want to focus on preparing the athlete for the specific time demands of their sport, ensuring that performance does not diminish during competition due to physical fitness. 

Much like explosive power and speed training pair together, work capacity and conditioning training also pair together. They are different training modalities with similar training goals.

Building a Lacrosse-Specific Training Program

Our training plan will follow the Westside Barbell three-day athlete training template, with two max effort training days and a combined dynamic effort training day. 

Max effort training will help improve the absolute strength of the lower and upper body. Dynamic effort training will increase the rate of force production and allow athletes to exert their absolute strength rapidly. These training days will include accessory exercises designed to improve working strength and eliminate common muscular weaknesses.

Here is an example of how we would go about programming a week of training for a lacrosse player:

ME Lower:
Sumo Deadlift – work up to a top set of 5 reps

Bulgarian Split Squat - 4 x 10
Landmine Torso Rotation - 3 x 12-15
Reverse Hyper - 4 x 15-20
Abs - 4 x 15-20
Sled Drag - 12 trips, 40 yds per trip

ME Upper:
Close Grip Bench Press – work up to a top set of 3 reps

DB Bench Press - 4 x 8-10
Rolling DB Tricep Extension - 4 x 10-12
Chest-Supported Row - 3 x 12-15
Hammer Curl - 4 x 12-15
Pallof Press - 4 x 15-20

Combined Dynamic Effort:

SSB Box Squats – 12 x 2 @60%

Speed Deadlift – 8 x 2 @60%

Close Grip Speed Bench – 9 x 3 @60%

Barbell Row - 4 x 8-10
Woodchoppers - 4 x 12-15
Y Raise - 3 x 12-15
Leg Extension - 3 x 12-15
Abs - 4 x 15-20

Ideally, each training session would allow for at least 36-48 hours of rest before the next training session. Accessory exercise weights will be determined based on the current fatigue level of each athlete. We want to select accessory training weights that allow all prescribed sets and reps to be completed while providing meaningful training stimulus. 

Strength Training for Lacrosse

When improving physical strength for lacrosse, it is critical to focus on the basic exercise variations. Often, when athletes begin a training program, they have little prior experience with barbell training. This means athletes are best served when the initial exercise selection is basic, allowing them to build movement competency with these movements before moving on to more complex exercise variations. 

We recommend rotating between squats, deadlifts, and good morning variations for lower body training. For squats and good mornings, we will manipulate the specialty bar used, as well as the set and rep counts. When training the deadlift, we will manipulate the lifter's positioning and the range of motion of the lift. 

This means athletes will perform movements such as traditional deadlifts, rack pulls, deficit deadlifts, and block pulls. By manipulating the positioning of the barbell, we can train and enhance strength at specific joint angles. 

Upper body training will include bench and overhead press variations. We often alternate between the two styles of press weekly, especially with athletes who play sports requiring forceful overhead movements. 

Speed and Agility Training

The sport of lacrosse, of course, requires athletes to possess adequate levels of speed and agility. For this reason, it is essential to include a speed and agility component when building a lacrosse-focused training program. Ideally, this will combine bounds, jumps, and sprints. 

At Westside, we recommend athletes include plyometric training at least once, preferably twice weekly. Often, we will go with forty total jumps per session. However, the plyometric volume is ultimately determined by the intensity of the exercise, so this total can be lower when high intensity plyometrics such as depth jumps are used. 

Here is an example of a moderate-intensity plyometric workout:

Bounding – 2 x 10

Lateral Bounding – 2 x 10

Here is an example of a high-intensity plyometric workout:

Bounding – 1 x 10

Depth Jump – 10 x 1

Single-Leg Pogo – 1 x 10 each leg. 

Plyometric exercises aim to improve explosive power, speed, and agility. This training will better prepare joints and soft tissue for the demands of sports, particularly sports played at high speed. At Westside, plyometric exercises are typically performed on lower body training days. 

Rest and Recovery

As an athlete, recovery is the most crucial aspect of training. Performance during training, practice, and games will suffer without adequate recovery. If left unchecked, fatigue issues will eventually decrease sports performance and lead to potential injury. 

After each practice or training session, it is critical that athletes immediately begin focusing on recovering for the next one. This means monitoring diet, hydration, and sleep daily. Additionally, athletes are encouraged to get sports massage and general physical therapy work performed as often as possible. These steps are important to ensuring athletes maximally benefit from barbell training and sports practice. 

If recovery becomes an issue at any point, we recommend lowering training volume and potentially cutting back training for a short period of time. This could mean eliminating one workout from the training schedule for a week or taking an entire week off from barbell training. The extent of the rest period will depend on the athlete's current physical state.

Insight from Coaches and Professional Players

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the key components of a lacrosse strength and conditioning program?
A: The program must address absolute and explosive strength, speed, work capacity, and conditioning. 

Q: How can I improve my speed and agility for lacrosse?
A: We recommend performing sprints and plyometric exercises. 

Q: How can I prevent injuries and ensure longevity in my lacrosse career?
A: By improving absolute strength, athletes can increase bone and soft tissue density and overall durability. 

Q: What is the best way to prepare for the demands of lateral movement?
A: In addition to lower body max effort work, exercises such as lateral bounding, single leg lateral bounding, goblet Cossack squats, and 505 drills will best help prepare an athlete for high-speed lateral movement.

Q: Should max effort be trained to failure?
A: No, athletes should always leave a set in the tank. We want to keep max effort missed reps to a minimum. 

The Westside Way

The training approach described above represents an effective way of using the Conjugate Method to improve the sports performance of a lacrosse player. We leave no stone unturned. Each week, athletes train to become stronger, faster, more explosive, and better conditioned to the demands of sport. 

The Conjugate Method provides athletes with adequate training stimulus designed to improve special strengths that impact sports performance on a workout-to-workout basis. We do not adhere to traditional linear-based strategies, instead opting for a more efficient approach to training athletes. 

At the highest level of sport, the training must be demanding to improve performance for the best of the best. At the beginner level, the training must be scaled to meet the individual where they are currently and deliver the right training prescription to improve performance efficiently. The Conjugate Method can accomplish both of these goals and more. 

If you are a coach looking to improve your athletes' performance with maximum effectiveness and efficiency, choose the Conjugate Method.

Sources:

Simmons, L. (2007). Westside Barbell Book of Methods. Westside Barbell.