Part 8-Sample Dynamic Effort Lower Body and Upper Body Workouts

We are nearing the end of the conjugate series here on the blog. I hope you have been enjoying the content and getting a lot of ideas for your training next season. If you have, please give this a share on social media and let your friends and athletes know.

This week we start talking about the dynamic effort days. In a typical conjugate system, the dynamic days would be two additional days done in the weight room working with lower percentages of our max effort exercises. We don't have time for that! We need to be outside at the throws circle as much as possible and we need to get in as many throws as possible. Track is way too short of a season, so our dynamic work will be done OUTSIDE.

The video below explains how it all works. I go over the rules of the dynamic effort method, some sample exercises (which I outline below), and how to schedule them in your weekly practice schedule.

There are a few rules of the dynamic effort method that we need to follow.

First, dynamic work (speed work) needs to be done out at the track. Your school should have all the basic equipment needed to make this happen. Med balls, jump boxes, bands, mini-hurdles, etc.

Second, all of your dynamic effort work should be done AFTER you are done throwing for the day. Don't do it before throwing as your athletes might get fatigued and then practice incorrect movements in the circles.

Third, this training will be done on days where you do not have a meet and when you are not doing your Max Effort work. Separate the days. Doing both in the same day will not give a positive training effect.

Please refer to the video to learn more about when to schedule max effort and dynamic effort exercises during your week of practice.

A typical dynamic lower body workout that you would do at the track follows the same type of formula:

The main exercise of the day should be a jump. Box jumps, hurdle hops, bounding, vertical repeat jumps, it's all good.

The secondary exercise should be a one legged movement like a jumping lunge variation or a skip.

The third exercise should be an explosive medicine ball throw. Medicine ball throws you select should have a full-body explosive quality to them where the legs are being involved and there is triple extension of the ankles, knees, and hips before throwing. Throwing for height and distance are key here.

Lastly, the fourth exercise of the day should be a short, explosive sprint.

Make sure when doing dynamic effort work, you need to keep the reps low and move very fast. Don't try to do a lot of repetitions in a row of the athlete will get tired, slower, and the form will get sloppy.

For a dynamic effort upper body day, the main exercise should be some type of explosive push. Clapping push ups, push ups where the hands leave the ground, and explosive elevated push ups work great.

The secondary exercise should be an upper body focused med ball throw. One arm throws, two arm throws, crow hop throws into a wall, throwing back and forth to a partner, etc.

The third dynamic exercise should be band work mimicking the movement of the throw.

The fourth exercise should be a high repetition band exercise that targets the upper back and rear deltoids. Band pull-aparts and face pulls pop into mind here.

These workouts should take your team no longer than 30 minutes (at the most). Make sure they are staying organized, moving quickly between exercises, and not goofing off. They should be sweating, breathing a little heavy, and working hard. That's not a lot of time to ask you to sacrifice in a full week of training. 25-30 minutes is all it takes.

Next week will be our last conjugate video that puts this all together to give you a full season view of your training.

-Coach Matt Ellis