The first strengthening programme

from Ádám Torma - Strength specialist. Strength and conditioning trainer at Special Forces.

The first strengthening programme serves the development and strengthening of the core muscles. One of the most important tasks of the core muscles is the stabilisation of the trunk, that is, the static function during the execution of the limb movements. It stabilises the trunk, that is the pelvis and the ribcage, whilst the arms and/or the legs are moved. Consequently, the inappropriate function and weakness of the core muscles may lead to muscular imbalance, motoric dysfunctions and posture problems. It affects our movement coordination. In a sport like football, where there are plenty and explosive changes of direction, strengthening of core muscles is essential. Our core programme was created taking functional anatomy into consideration, which works every muscle surrounding the abdominal cavity equally. They are the rectus abdominis muscle, transvers abdominal muscle, external abdominal oblique muscle, internal abdominal oblique muscle, spinal erectors, diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, gluteal muscles.

The additional exercises play an important role in prevention of injuries and strengthening of exercises performed in various planes in addition to the improvement of the aesthetic look. E.g., the isolated triceps exercises serve strengthening of the finishing section of the pushes, while the biceps exercises contribute to making the finishing section of the pulling moves easier.

During execution of big and complex exercises, it can easily happen during e.g., a hip bend that an element of the rear movement chain does not join in or is activated in a wrong order. Besides prevention of injuries, execution of isolated exercises is important, because those muscles can be developed, which are underdeveloped compared to others.

Strengthening block

Taking the principle of gradience into account, a progression scale was created in the programme, where in addition to treat injury prevention as a priority, the goal is the continuous development of the individual. After the consolidation of the basic movement samples, it is progressed towards the more complex exercises. The more complex an exercise is, the joining of the more muscular groups is necessary in the proper order, thus, this process must not be hurried. Appropriate strength and stability are essential to the execution of the explosive exercises, there is a close cohesion between the two conditional abilities. Explosiveness does not exist without strength and the same is true vice versa as well. But if we take the abovementioned injury prevention, their order must not be switched. As the first step, the appropriate strength should be present to be able to perform explosive work in an injury-free manner. Presenting it with a simple example: If the core muscles (gluteal muscle, abdomen, etc.) are weak, also the position of the pelvis changes. E.g., an exaggeratedly forward tilting pelvis burdens the lumbar section of the spine in case of running. Due to the inappropriate function of the gluteal muscles, the lumbar section of the spine swallows the slamming energy, which may lead to pain in long-term. Not to mention, that the running technique will worsen significantly.

A specification of the programme is, that the exercises included in the strengthening block make work the entire body also individually and they cover the movement planes together. Thanks to this, both the pushing and pulling structure of the body are developed in a complex manner. One of the biggest advantages of the dumbbell and other functional devices is may the individual be in any position; the musculature of the trunk must actively be held against. The role of the core muscles drastically increases, and the development may be dramatic even in a couple of months.