resistance training for judo functional strength.6

Resistance Training forJudo: Functional StrengthTraining Concepts andPrinciplesThomas Henry, MS, CSCSDepartment of Athletics, Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, California

S U M M A R Y

POSSESSING THE NECESSARY

COMPLEX SKILLS AND TACTICAL

EXCELLENCE REQUIRED FOR

SUCCESS IN JUDO COMPETITION

REQUIRES THE ATHLETE BE ABLE

TO MOVE WELL AND EFFICIENTLY

AND BE ABSENT OF POSTURAL

DISTORTIONS, FAULTY MOVEMENT

PATTERNS, AND MUSCULAR IM-

BALANCES. RESISTANCE TRAIN-

ING PROGRAMS FOR THE JUDO

ATHLETE SHOULD INCLUDE OB-

JECTIVES THAT INCREASE HIS/HER

ABILITIES TO MOVE EFFICIENTLY,

DEVELOP STRENGTH, SPEED, AND

EXPLOSIVENESS AND PROMOTE

RESISTANCE TO INJURY. INCOR-

PORATING A FUNCTIONAL

APPROACH TO A STRENGTH AND

CONDITIONING PROGRAM, ONE

THAT INCORPORATES RESIS-

TANCE TRAINING TECHNIQUES

THAT PROPERLY TRAIN THE ATH-

LETE’S SITUATIONAL NEEDS AND

BODY FUNCTION, WILL FURTHER

ENHANCE THESE ABILITIES.

INTRODUCTION

Judo is a dynamic, high-intensityintermittent sport that requirescomplex skills and tactical excel-

lence for success (15). During a singlejudo match, athletes may be requiredto perform a great number of highly

technical and energy-demanding ath-letic movements, subjecting the bodyto high levels of stress over prolongedperiods, resulting in physical and men-tal fatigue (51). A typical high-leveljudo match lasts between 3 and 4minutes, with averages of 20- to 30-second periods of activity displaced byan average of 5–10 seconds of inter-ruption (9). Judo medalists of majortournament competitions are typicallyinvolved in 5–7 matches in a single day(21). Given the physical and mentalrigors associated with the sport ofcompetitive judo, it would appear tobe extremely beneficial for a judoathlete to possess optimal neuromus-cular control and efficiency of function,as well as decreased injury potential.

Functional training is often defined astraining that is aimed at bringing thesituational needs and constraints of real-life activities into the training environ-ment to enhance training effectiveness(28). Applying this concept to resistancetraining for judo requires understan-ding the physiological demands of thesport and selecting resistance exercisesthat improve the abilities of the athletenecessary to properly execute sport-specific techniques. Sport-specific exer-cises, however, do not lend themselveswell to the weight room because theyare exercises conducted in such a waythat the amplitude and direction ofa particular movement, as well as thedynamics of the strength release and the

contraction of the muscles involved inthat movement, correspond to the actualmovement of a competitive situation (4).It is recommended that judo sport–specific exercises, such as throwing,pinning, and submission techniques, arerestrained to technique drills or actualfighting scenarios on the mat where thedesired competitive movement, both inrelation to structure and time sequence,can be properly practiced.

The purpose of this article is to providethe reader with an introduction to keyfunctional resistance training conceptsand principles that when understoodand applied appropriately can aidin developing an effective and well-balanced strength training program forjudo athletes. The topics that followhave been specifically chosen for theirrelevance to the introduction of a func-tional approach to resistance trainingfor judo.

CONCEPTS ASSOCIATED WITHPROPER PROGRAMPRESCRIPTION

ESSENTIALS OF A SOUNDPROGRAM

An Australian strength coach, King, wasthe first person to make popular a series

K E Y W O R D S :

core training; exercise progression;lower extremity training; movementpreparation; periodization; programprescription

VOLUME 33 | NUMBER 6 | DECEMBER 2011 Copyright � National Strength and Conditioning Association40

of elements necessary to increase ath-letic performance and maintain propermuscular balance. King stresses that anyomission in ‘‘the essentials’’ will lead toimbalances contributing to an increasedrisk for injury. It is recommended thatthe essentials be covered at least once, ifnot twice a week in any strengthprogram for optimal results. The essen-tials include: core strength, powertraining, knee dominant double- andsingle-leg exercises, hip dominant bentknee and straight leg exercises, hori-zontal presses, vertical presses, horizon-tal pulls, and vertical pulls. Alsoimportant to exercise selection is theratio of exercises. To promote shoulderhealth, vertical pulls should be trained insimilar proportion to horizontal presses.This will ensure balance in the shouldergirdle and reduce the risk of rotator cuffinjury. Similarly, balancing hip domi-nant exercises with knee dominantexercises will promote proper hipbalance and may reduce the risk ofhamstring injury (14,17,55). Equallyimportant is balancing bent knee hipdominant exercises with straight-leghip-dominant exercises for proper glu-teal and hamstring development. Exer-cise examples of the essentials aredepicted in Table 1.

JOINT-BY-JOINT APPROACH

The execution of judo techniquesrequires the coordination of multiplejoints, and experienced judo playersdevelop specific biomechanical ten-dencies according to their individualbody types. The judo player mustadapt to a moving center of massintroduced by the addition of theopponent’s resisting body mass andforce. As such, specific attention on themobility and stability of joints are animportant component of strengthtraining for judo (27).

The joint-by-joint approach is a conceptdiscussed by Cook and Boyle attempt-ing to explain the demands of differentjoints and how the functions of thesejoints relate to training. Although eachjoint is responsible for demonstratingvarious degrees of both mobility andstability, for the purpose of this discus-sion, joint complexes exhibiting greater

relative mobility roles under normalfunction will be termed as mobilityjoints, and joint complexes exhibitinggreater relative stability roles under thesame set of conditions will be termed asstability joints. The body can beexplained as a stack of joints where

each joint complex has a specific func-tion and is prone to predictable levels ofdysfunction (6). Beginning with the footand moving proximally, the joint-by-joint concept identifies joint complexesas alternating between stability andmobility roles.

Table 1Essential components of a sound strength program

Core strength exercises Power training exercises

Prone/supine/lateral planks Hang clean

Ab rollouts Modified hang snatch

Body saw 1-arm DB hang snatch

Pallof press variations MB throws

Landmine variations (Figure 1) Slide board speed skating

Turkish get-up Single-/double-leghops/jumps

Stir the pot Depth drops

Chop/lift variations Kettle bell swings

Bounding

Hip dominant exercises Horizontal press exercises

Bent knee Straight leg Bench press

Single-leg hip lift variations SSLRDL variationsreverse slide lunge

DB chest press variations

Double-leg hip thrusts(Figure 2)

Leg curl variations Push-up variations

Horizontal pull Vertical pull

Single arm/leg row Pull-up progressions

Rotational row Single arm band/cablepull-downs

Inverted row

Cable single-leg row

Knee dominant exercises Vertical press

Double Single DB shoulder pressvariations

Front squat Single-leg squat(Figure 4)

DB incline press variations

Lateral squat Walking lunge Neider press variations

Split squat Step-ups

RFESS (Figure 3)

DB = dumbbell; MB = medicine ball; RFESS = rear foot–elevated split squat; SSLRDL = singlestraight leg Romanian deadlift.

Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-lift.org 41

Trauma and or prolonged inactivity areusually the main culprits for thebreakdown of the functional interac-tion between joints, giving rise todysfunctional moment patterns thatcan lead to injury (6,13). Because jointsare linked together in a kinetic chain, if

a single joint becomes impacted, jointsabove and below the original affectedsite must now compensate for eithera lack of mobility or a lack of stability inthe chain and will begin to experiencedysfunction. In fact, it only takes 1component of the kinetic chain notworking properly to negatively impactall other components and ultimatelyaffects movement (11).

When the kinetic chain becomes bro-ken, mobility joints have a tendency tobehave like stability joints and experi-ence reduced capacities for motion.Stability joints are just the opposite, inthe same set of circumstances; theybegin to act more like mobility joints

and become hypermobile with de-creased neuromuscular control. Whenthis happens, it is essential to treat theinjured site and assess each joint in thechain to begin clearing dysfunction (13).Hypermobile stability joints with de-creased neuromuscular control shouldbe made to demonstrate greater stabilityand control, whereas mobility joints thathave undergone reduced capacities formotion should be made to move moreefficiently and exhibit improved rangesof motion (13). It is important to notethat if a training program works toincrease mobility somewhere, it mustalso work to increase stability some-where else, otherwise the body maytheoretically return to a dysfunctionalstate and all efforts to increase function-ality will have been in vain. A list of the

Table 2List of joint-by-joint kinetic chain, including their specific functions and

predictable levels of dysfunction

Joint(s) Primary specific function Predictable dysfunction

Foot Stability Hypermobility

Ankle Mobility Reduced movement capacity

Knee Stability Hypermobility

Hip Mobility Reduced movement capacity

Lumbar spine Stability Hypermobility

Thoracic spine Mobility Reduced movement capacity

Scapula Stability Hypermobility

Glenohumeral Mobility Reduced movement capacity

Figure 1. Hurdle-step landmine lift.

Figure 2. (a) Barbell double-leg hipthrust starting position. (b)Barbell double-leg hip thrustfinish position.

Figure 3. Barbell front rear foot–elevatedsplit squat.

Figure 4. Weighted vest single-legsquat.

VOLUME 33 | NUMBER 6 | DECEMBER 201142

Resistance Training for Judo

joint-by-joint kinetic chain beginningwith the foot, including their specificfunctions and predictable levels ofdysfunction, are summarized in Table 2.

ADDRESSING THE JOINT-BY-JOINTAPPROACH USING A MOVEMENTPREPARATION

A proper movement preparation or‘‘warm-up’’ is an essential componentin any strength training program, and ifdesigned correctly, may even be themost important aspect of the workout.Before an athlete undergoes perfor-mance training, attempts should bemade to clear the body of dysfunction,activate stabilizers of the hip and core,and stimulate the central nervoussystem. This will help ensure that theathlete receives the best training effectfrom their workout, and if predisposed,may decrease their potential for futureinjury. There are 4 parts to the mov-ement preparation: foam rolling, staticstretching, mobility drills, and a plyo-metric circuit (Table 3).

Foam rolling is concentrated mostly onthe large muscle groups of the hips andlegs and is used to decrease muscledensity and break up adhesions in themuscle belly (11). This process willhelp restore the body back to itsoptimal level of function by resettingthe proprioceptive mechanisms of thesoft tissue (1). An added bonus to foamrolling is that stabilizers of the hip andcore become activated as the athleteattempts to maintain proper bodyposition on the foam roll. Theoreti-cally, static stretching becomes moreeffective now that muscles are lessdense and there are fewer adhesionspresent. Only when muscle tissue iscold, can muscle fibers undergo someplastic deformation and realize anincrease in length (6). When muscletissue is warm, it is more elastic, andwhen stretched, although fibersbecome elongated, they inevitably re-coil and return back to their originallength (6). Research findings haveindicated static stretching to be corre-lated to injury prevention by helping toincrease range of motion and correct-ing postural distortions (23). Althoughstatic stretching has traditionally been

a component of exercise preparationprotocol, many strength coaches havebegun to shy away from static stretch-ing because of the publication of recentstudies showing static stretching beforeexercise can decrease power outputs(43,44,47,54). This hypothesis has gen-erally been accepted as true by themajority of the strength training com-munity. However, new findings suggestthat some, if not all, of the decrease in

Table 3Movement prep/warm-up

Foam roll

Calf, hamstring, glute, IT band, TFL, quadriceps adductor, lat 10 rolls each

Static stretch

Quadriceps/hip flexor, lateral hamstring, hipinternal/external rotation

10–15 s each

Mobility

T-spine peanut crunches (Figure 5) 5 each

Ankle wall mobility 5 each

Lateral leg swings 10 each

Squat press and reach 2 each

Split squats 5 each

Lateral squats 5 each

Rotational squats 5 each

Shoulder wall slides 10

Shoulder wall mobility 3 each

Big band X lateral walk 10 each

DTBA

Deep squats 5

Long arm jacks 5

Cross-country skier 5 each

Cross jacks 5 each

Fast squat drops 5

Deep squat hold 5 s

Medium squat drops 5

Low pogos 5

High pogos with a pike 5

Burpies 5

DTBA = dynamic total body activation; IT = iliotibial; TFL = tensor fasciae latae.

Figure 5. T-Spine peanut placement.


muscular power output potentialcaused by static stretching may beremoved if the duration of staticstretching is less than 30 seconds, themuscles are stretched below the pointof discomfort, and a dynamic warm-upis conducted immediately afterwardbefore physical activity (10,18).

A series of mobility drills adapted froma mobility routine originally developedby Boyle directly follows static stretch-ing targeting the increased range ofmotion in joints prone to reducedcapacities for motion. The mobility drillseries also acts as a dynamic warm-upthat may return any muscular forcepotential lost from static stretching aspreviously mentioned. The warm-upconcludes with a dynamic total bodyactivation circuit that involves a series ofplyometric exercises targeting the acti-vation of the central nervous system andtraining the stretch-shortening cycle ofmuscle tissue responsible for elasticenergy potential. Equally important toincluding all of the essential compo-nents in a movement preparation is notto over burden it with too manyexercises. It must be condensed to onlywhat is absolutely necessary to properlyprepare the athlete for physical activity.If the warm-up becomes too involved,not only will it take a long time tocomplete essentially cutting into work-out time, but the athlete will begin tolose focus, become sloppy in technique,and not receive the intended trainingeffect. A well-designed warm-up shouldtake no more than 12–15 minutes tocomplete. See Table 3 for an example ofa movement preparation.

CORE TRAINING

Laterality, or the dominance of oneside of the body over the other, hasbeen identified as playing a major rolein the technical and tactical approachof judo players, including the develop-ment of gripping patterns and angles ofattack. Upper- and lower-body sym-metry, as well as integrated trunkstrength as an intermediary betweenthese muscle groups, can be impactedby the design and implementation ofa well-designed strength program (48).

CROSS-LINKAGE

Understanding body structure and howmuscles normally interact during func-tional movement is imperative to creat-ing effective strength training programs.One particular point of interest is howthe body is linked anteriorly andposteriorly in a diagonal pattern. It isnow understood that anatomic struc-tures normally described as hip, pelvis,and leg muscles are contralaterallylinked with so-called arm and spinalmuscles via the thoracolumbar fascia,allowing for an effective load transferamong spine, pelvis, legs, and arms(25,52). The lumbar-pelvic-hip complexhas been called the ‘‘hub’’ for bothweight-bearing and functional kineticchain movement. The role of themyofascial and skeletal tissues in thisregion is to absorb forces, to initiate andcontrol movement, and to transferforces to the surrounding tissues fromeither ground reaction forces transmit-ted superiorly at heel strike or upper-extremity trunk forces transmittedinferiorly. Muscles, such as the middletrapezius and latissimus dorsi, act overthe shoulder girdle to influence lumbo-pelvic hip mechanics (25). The samecan also be said of leg and hip muscles,such as the biceps femoris and gluteusmaximus because they influence shoul-der girdle mechanics (25). The value tounderstanding this system of cross-linkage is to use this knowledge toprescribe exercises that train hip stabi-lization and engage back and hipmuscles in their proper motor patterns.For this reason, all standing upper-bodypulls and posterior chain exercisesshould be conducted on one leg withthe load in the opposite hand (Figure 6).This will train proper load transferbetween the lower and upper extrem-ities through a stable hip and back.

CORE FUNCTION

To properly train the core, it is impor-tant to understand its composition andits primary function. Core musculaturepredominantly includes muscles of thelumbar spine, abdominal wall, backextensors, and quadratus lumborum(37). However, as was discussed earlierabout the upper body being

contralaterally linked to the lower bodythrough the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex,it is now known that the core extendswell beyond the lower back andabdomen to include muscles of thepelvis, legs, and arms, such as bicepsfemoris, gluteus maximus, middle tra-pezius, and latissimus dorsi. Core mus-culature is very different than muscles ofthe periphery or limbs in the sense thatits primary function is to prevent motionrather than initiating it (37).

When the body is involved in athleticmovements, such as running, throwing,or changing direction, the entire mus-culature of the core undergoes variousdegrees of isometric contraction, cre-ating a stiffening effect that restrictssuperfluous movements of the trunk(36). Power generated from the hipscan now be absorbed and transmittedto the upper body through a stiffenedcore (52). Muscles of the core act morelike springs that function as elasticstorage and recovery devices ratherthan independent muscles that flex thespine, and they should be trained thisway. Exercises that stress stabilizationand load transfer, such as planks androtational lifts, should be the focus ofa core training program rather thanexercises that require repeated spineflexion, such as sit-ups and crunches.

Studies have shown that exercisestargeting core muscles as flexors ratherthan stabilizers not only decrease corestability, but the repeated flexion andextension of the spine can also causethe degeneration of intervertebral discs(8,29,50). In addition, a common mis-conception is that closed kinetic chainexercises involving large muscle groups

Figure 6. Dumbbell single-leg/arm row.



of the lower body, such as the squatand deadlift, encompass all necessarystimulus required for adequate coretraining. Although performing theseexercises does require the activation ofcore muscles, EMG studies haveshown that they do not significantlyactivate the quadratus lumborum orabdominal obliques (38). An effectivecore program is at the heart of a goodstrength program. Prescribing exercisesthat require the core to functionproperly is the key to core trainingand will increase effectiveness asa strength coach or trainer.

LOWER EXTREMITY TRAINING

SINGLE-LEG EXERCISES VERSUSDOUBLE-LEG EXERCISES

A recent change in the competitionrules of the International Judo Feder-ation has lead to resurgence in the useand effectiveness of leg-dominantthrows as opposed to hand-dominantthrows. Some of the most commontechniques at the 2010 World Cham-pionships were those throws that re-quire execution with balance andexplosion off of a single leg that isplanted on the mat surface, includinguchimata and osotogari (34). Thisobservation suggests the importanceof lower-body training, with particularfocus on single-leg exercise whentraining judo athletes.

Almost every athletic movement injudo requires acceleration, decelera-tion, or balance and stabilization ofa single leg. Even if both feet are on theground, the load and demand experi-enced by each leg differs and the feetare rarely parallel to one another.Extreme right or left stances (widefoot placement in the sagittal planewith either the right foot or left footforward) are commonplace in judo,and one leg is often being used toattack or defend, whereas the other istasked with maintaining balance. Em-phasis on training the lower body ina stable environment, such as with thetraditional double leg squat, will targetprime movers of the hip and knee(gluteus maximus, hamstrings, andquadriceps) without adequately

training muscles responsible for stabi-lizing the hip and knee that can lead tomuscular imbalances, increasing thepotential for injury (35). Single-legexercises are 3 dimensional, whereasdouble-leg exercises tend to be only 2dimensional. The lateral subsystem(gluteus medius, adductors, and quad-ratus lumborum) becomes engagedand trained during the single-leg squat(Figure 4) acting in their normal rolesas stabilizers. These muscles becomerelatively less active when conductinglower-body stable bilateral exercises,such as a traditional double-leg squat(6). Another advantage of incorporat-ing single-leg exercises into programprescription is that relative to double-leg exercises, greater demands areplaced on muscles of the lower ex-tremity without placing heavy loads onthe spine, so that the athlete’s legsexperience greater training effects ata reduced potential for back injury (6).

Although a sound program will empha-size single-leg exercises over double-legexercises, it is still important to period-ically train under conditions stableenough, allowing for maximum activa-tion of prime movers. With highlyunstable exercises, the ability to maintainproper technique with added resistancereduces the ability of the primary musclegroups to produce tension during theexercise, thus limiting the potential forconditioning the lower body for high-intensity activities that occur in sportand daily living. A recent study (3)comparing muscle force and activationof the quadriceps muscles in stable andunstable environments found that theability to exert force under stableconditions significantly exceeded forceoutput under unstable conditions andthat a very unstable environment wouldnot provide sufficient overload resistanceto promote quadriceps strength adapta-tions. It is accepted that overload tensionon the muscle is essential for fosteringstrength training adaptations (2).

A possible solution to being able totrain safely at high intensities and stillreceive some of the benefits of single-leg training is to take a double-leg squatand modify it, so that a greater demand

is placed upon a single leg witha reduced base of support, increasingthe activity of the lateral subsystem asin the rear foot–elevated split squat(RFESS) (Figure 3). A recent study(35) recorded the EMG activity ofselected hip and knee muscle groupswhen conducting a RFESS and that ofa traditional double leg squat. It wasfound that the RFESS producedgreater activity in hamstring and glu-teus medius muscles relative to thedouble-leg squat because of a reducedmediolateral base of support that mayhave demanded higher neuromuscularactivity to support the body in thefrontal plane. Although quadricepsactivity was greater in the double-legsquat relative to the RFESS, quadri-ceps activity during the RFESSremained relatively high, demonstrat-ing a sustained ability to generate forcein the quadriceps. Although it mayseem that the reduction of quadricepsactivity during a RFESS relative toa double-leg squat is a negative aspect,a more even quadriceps to hamstringactivation ratio reduces shear forces atthe knee, suggesting it to be a saferexercise (35,46).

SQUAT DEPTH

Squats should go to parallel to maxi-mize training effect, unless a partialrange of motion squat is part of theprogram prescription as with a bodyweight single leg ½ squat used whenthe athlete’s stabilizers and neutralizersof the hip, knee, and torso are not yetstrong enough for the femur to goparallel under sufficient control.Research conducted on squat depththrough a full range of motion com-paring knee joint angle and quadricepsactivity has shown that peak activitylevels occur between 80� and 102� ofknee flexion (20,53). Partial squats werefound to elicit only 59% maximumvolitional contraction (MVC) of thequadriceps and 63% MVC of thehamstrings in another electromyogramstudy (33). There have been numerousstudies (16,19,32) cautioning againstthe regular practice of loaded deepsquats (also known as full squats)where the femur goes below parallel.


Patellofemoral compressive forces, ti-biofemoral compressive forces, andtibiofemoral shear forces all progres-sively increase as the knees flex andreach peak values near maximum kneeflexion (16,26,40,49). Performing theparallel squat is recommended over thedeep squat for athletes with healthyknees because injury potential to themenisci and cruciate and collateralligaments may increase with the deepsquat (16,45).

FRONT SQUATS VERSUS BACKSQUATS

A functionally based strength trainingprogram will typically emphasize theuse of front squats over back squats.Although an athlete may be able to liftmore weight when conducting a backsquat (22), a front squat is better forbuilding functional strength becausethe load is more naturally distributedthroughout the body (12) and exertsless compressive forces on the kneesand spine, making it a better exercisechoice. A recent study (22) comparingback and front squat biomechanicsfound that front squats produce signif-icantly lower maximal joint compres-sive forces at the knee and reducedlumbar stress without compromisingmuscle activity in the quadriceps andhamstrings relative to back squats.Front squats require the lifter tomaintain a rigid upright body positionemphasizing leg drive rather than backextension in the concentric phase ofthe lift. Becoming strong in the frontsquat position translates well into de-veloping important skills related toaspects of weightlifting, such as in thecatch phase of the clean and the rackedposition of the push press and jerk. Thefront squat also helps develop shoulderflexibility, which is an important car-ryover to pressing exercises. If theathlete does not currently possess therequired range of motion of the wrist toproperly rack the bar when performingthe front squat, wrist straps can be usedto reduce tension and alleviate anywrist discomfort.

PERIODIZATION

It is well documented that the bodyadapts quickly to stresses placed upon

it (5), and for this reason, trainingstimuli or stress should be periodicallychanged to avoid stagnation. It isthis phenomenon that has given riseto periodization in strength trainingprograms. Periodization is a term usedto describe variation in training spec-ificity, intensity, and volume orga-nized in planned periods or cycleswithin an overall program, usuallyover the course of a year. One studydetermined that periodized strengthtraining will lead to adequate incre-ases in muscular strength of first-classjudo athletes, allowing the ability toperform movements and techniquesfaster and more efficiently duringa match (7).

Two periodization models commonlydiscussed in today’s strength trainingprograms are stepwise (or linear)periodization and undulating (or non-linear) periodization. In a stepwiseperiodization model, volume, mea-sured in total repetitions, incremen-tally decreases as training intensity,measured in total weight lifted, re-ciprocally increases for the major liftsover the course of a training cycle.Each training phase is generally 4weeks long, consisting of 3 heavyweeks followed by a light or ‘‘un-loaded’’ week, to allow for recoveryand decrease the potential of over-training. In an undulating periodiza-tion model, volume and intensity forthe major lifts demonstrate greatervariation over the course of a trainingcycle. Phases alternate between accu-mulation phases stressing volume andintensification phases that stress loadintensity.

Studies comparing performance vari-ables from athletes who haveundergone both periodization modelstend to favor undulating periodizationas the superior method (39,42). Peri-odically alternating volume andintensity may supply the neuromus-cular system with the stimulus neededfor adaptation to occur and, at thesame time, allows for the body torecover and regenerate (41). Withstepwise periodization, the continu-ous increases in intensity over the

course of a training cycle subjects thebody to ever-increasing levels ofstress, requiring a light or unloadingweek for regeneration (41).

The amount of time spent in eachtraining phase to maximize trainingeffect without leading to stagnationseems to vary considerably through-out the strength and conditioningcommunity. One study indicated thatstrength training programs tend tolose their efficiency after only 2 weeks(31). Another study indicatedstrength gains can continue up to 6weeks within a single phase (30).Regularly training elite judo athletesusing the undulating periodizationmethod has afforded the author withthe observation that 3-week trainingphases allow for optimum adaptationsto occur without the onset of stagna-tion or the risk of overtraining. Anexample of a 4-phase, 12-week, non-linear periodization model for judobefore a major competition is shownin Table 4.

EXERCISE PROGRESSION

As was stated earlier when discussingperiodization, the body adapts quicklyto stresses placed upon it and thereforemust be constantly challenged toavoid stagnation. When developinga strength training program, thereare typically 2 ways to achieve thisgoal. One is to increase the amountof weight being lifted for a particularexercise, whereas the other is to modifyan exercise so that it becomes less stable(balance training). Usually, the latertends to work best in exercise prescrip-tions contained within accumulationphases because higher degrees of in-stability are associated with lowerdegrees of force production. Althoughstrength gains are usually associatedwith exercises that cause significantmuscle overload tension as previouslymentioned, improvements in strengthhave also been documented in judoathletes participating in balance trainingattributed to enhanced intramuscularand intermuscular coordination (24). Inany case, it is important that anyprogression in exercise prescription,whether it is an increase in weight or



a decrease in stability, challenges theathlete but does not significantly exceedtheir abilities. Progressions should belogical and be in accordance withtraining objectives specific to eachphase as defined by the periodizationmodel. An example of each progressionmethod is depicted in Table 5.

CONCLUSIONS

Possessing tactical excellence and hav-ing the ability to execute an array of

complex skills necessary for success injudo competition requires the ability tomove well and efficiently; this meansthat the athlete must excel in basicmovement patterns and be absent ofpostural distortions, faulty movementpatterns, and muscular imbalances.Although the sport of judo has itsown special considerations, it is im-portant that a program not become sooverly sport specific in exercise pre-scription that it becomes deficient of

the fundamental resistance trainingconcepts and principles discussed inthis article. Incorporating a functionalapproach in a judo strength andconditioning program, one that incor-porates resistance training techniquesthat properly train the athlete’s specificsituational needs and body function,will further enhance sporting perfor-mance capabilities and reduce theirpotential for noncontact and repetitiveoveruse injuries.

Table 5Example of different exercise progressions based on phase objectives

Intensification phase

SSLRDL load progression Comments

1 MB/DB reaching SSLRDL Wt = light

2 Single DB SSLRDL Wt , 1 arm max grip strength

3 Double DB SSLRDL Each Wt , 1 arm max grip strength

4 BB SSLRDL Wt . 1 arm max grip strength

Accumulation phase

Front split squat instability progression Instability implement progression

1 Even load F split squat 1 ½ Foam roll flat side down

2 Asymmetric load F split squat 2 Airex pad

3 Even load F RFESS (Figure 3) 3 ½ Foam roll flat side up

4 Asymmetric load F RFESS 4 Air disk, bosu ball

5 F RFESS with instability implement

BB = Barbell; DB = Dumbbell; MB = Medicine Ball; RFESS = rear foot–elevated split squat; F = Front; SSLRDL = Single Straight Leg RomanianDeadLift.

Table 4Nonlinear periodization model for judo before a major competition

Phase 1 (accumulation) 2 (intensification) 3 (accumulation) 4 (intensification)

Week 1–3 4–6 7–9 10–12

Reps 8RM 3RM 5RM 3RM

Sets 3 4–6 3–5 4–6

Approx 1RM % 75–80 90–97 82–88 90–97

Volume 27 12–18 15–25 12–18

Repetitions are depicted in repetition maximums (RM) for all major lifts.

Reps = repetitions.


Thomas Henry

is the Strength andConditioning Co-ordinator in theDepartment ofAthletics at SacredHeart Schools andthe Strength and

Conditioning Coordinator, instructor atEast Bay Judo Institute in El Cerrito,California.

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