No matter how perfect your training program is, at one point or another you’re going to have to modify it.

Situations arise in the weight room that you simply can’t predict. An athlete shows up injured and can’t complete the required movements. An athlete shows up late and forces you to prioritize training elements. An athlete shows up with mobility restrictions or stiffness that compels you to modify the range of motion of a movement.

The list goes on. No amount of planning is sufficient to account for the day-to-day adjustments that coaches have to make on the fly—because sometimes what makes sense on paper just doesn’t make sense in real-time.

Programming flexibility into your training will help you ensure your athletes are getting the most out of each and every movement, so they stay safe in the weight room and get the best transfer to on-field performance.

Progressions/regressions

When you’re creating a training program for large groups of athletes, building in some options to make a specific exercise either one level harder (movement progression) or one level easier (movement regression) upfront can save you a lot of time down the road.

Whether you’ve got an advanced lifter who is ready for a barbell variant of a prescribed dumbbell movement (DB Goblet Squat to BB Back Squat), or a novice lifter who might need some extra movement patterning (BB Hang Clean to BB Hang High Pull), having a couple replacements options handy can make life easier for you when the need arises—at least for your “big rock” lifts.

This allows each individual athlete to progress appropriately while prioritizing (as always) quality of movement first.

It’s also helpful to have lateralization options for some movements—that is, movements of comparable complexity that either utilize different equipment or provide a unilateral/bilateral replacement option.

Athletes are always more likely to perform movements they actually like, so sometimes providing a kettlebell option (DB High Pull to KB High Pull) can create better buy-in simply because an athlete enjoys the lift more—without overly affecting the intended adaptation of the movement.

Similarly, some athletes might prefer sprints and jumps over med ball throws as it helps them “feel more athletic,” even if the training adaptations produced by each protocol are similar. While one movement may be slightly more optimal to the training goal, choosing a movement that inspires greater buy-in can go farther in meeting the training needs of the athlete.

And sometimes, athletes will need the option of making a unilateral movement bilateral and vice versa. Whether you need to turn a BB Front Squat into a BB Front-Rack Split Squat for an athlete working through some mobility restrictions or DB Bench Press to a BB Bench Press to help an athlete re-groove some movement patterns, being flexible with variations (to a certain extent) will help make your program successful.

Bands

Sometimes, you’ll need to tinker with an exercise in order to accommodate an athlete on a given day. In these situations, bands can be great tools in cueing and ingraining proper technique.

The best example is adding a band around the knees (either above or below the joint) during a squat for athletes with trouble utilizing their glutes. The band provides a tactile cue for the athlete to actively maintain pressure against the band during the movement, turning on the glutes in the process. This can be a quick and easy win if you’re working with a room full of athletes and can make eyeball adjustments based on a few demonstrated reps.

Bands can also be implemented during the warm-up for specific muscle activation purposes or to help athletes practice a movement with tactile cues first.

A set of band good-mornings before hip extension exercises can help groove the feeling of “sitting back” into the hips to engage the glutes and hamstrings while keeping the back flat. A set of band pull-aparts at varying heights (straight, 45 degrees, overhead) can help athletes engage the muscles of the upper back and rotator cuff, especially useful before pressing movements like the bench.

Bands can also be used to provide targeted resistance during stretching and mobility work, like a band-distracted hip flexor mobilization, not only during the warm-up but also as a between-sets tactic during rest. A set of band-distracted calf mobilizations can help athletes improve ankle dorsiflexion between sets of back squats, which can simultaneously improve squat technique/performance and ensure athletes are observing the proper rest interval between efforts.

Tempo adjustments

Tempo adjustments can also be a good way to improve an athlete’s technique, usually by slowing the movement down. Lengthening the eccentric phase of a contraction creates more damage to muscle fibers, allowing for quicker re-patterning and neuromuscular adaptation.

Athletes with missing ranges of motion (shallow squats, presses that don’t fully lock out, etc.) or inefficient ranges of motion (jerky or shaky movement) will benefit simply from slowing down. Because long eccentrics tends to produce more post-workout soreness, be sure to account for any added tempo variations by reducing the weight—especially as you near the start of the season, when athletes don’t need to be dealing with extra soreness.

Having athletes pause at certain positions during a movement is another way to utilize tempo variations to improve athlete success. Pausing at the bottom of a squat or the top of a hip extension movement (like a hip thrust) can help reinforce the end-rage of that movement. Some coaches will also ask athletes to perform a movement—let’s use a squat for example—at specific varying tempos: descend at normal speed, pause at the bottom, ascend one-quarter of the way up, descend again to the bottom of the range of motion, then ascend fully at regular speed.

Mixing some tempo adjustments into your exercise protocols can help certain athletes achieve more technical proficiency in important movement patterns, which can help them in game scenarios requiring them to produce strength and power in those positions.

The takeaway

As always, the most extreme version of exercise modification is to regress a movement back to bodyweight. After all, if an athlete can’t perform a good bodyweight squat with perfect technique, how does that set them up for success in a loaded scenario? Whatever movement pattern is loaded gets stronger. If you’re working with a broken movement pattern to begin with, tossing a barbell and chains on top will only strengthen these broken mechanics. The best way to keep your athletes safe (in the weight room and on the field) is to demand excellent form at all times—and being willing to step in and modify an exercise when you see the need.

Free resource for football coaches

Want to learn more about Volt’s football position-specific programs? Check out our step-by-step guide to designing safe and effective football programs: “The Ultimate Guide to Football Strength Training.” Written by Volt’s Sport Performance department in collaboration with our Strength Coach Advisory Board, chaired by legendary hall of fame strength coach Boyd Epley of Nebraska, this free resource is great for any coach looking to expand their knowledge about strength and conditioning for football.

Jace Derwin, CSCS, RSCC, is the lead sport performance specialist at Volt Athletics, the official strength and conditioning provider of USA Football and the U.S. National Team. Volt provides individualized sport-specific training programs to athletes and teams, built by certified strength coaches, through cloud-based technology. To learn more about Volt Athletics, visit www.voltathletics.com and like on Facebook and follow on Twitter.