ATHENA: Female Strength & Plyometric Training

Description

Athena is an 8-week, 4 day/week program dedicated to increasing female prep-age athletes’ strength, knee stability, and explosiveness.

Knee tendon injuries are significant concern for prep-age female athletes who compete in team and individual sports. Causes include weakness, landing mechanics and movement inefficiencies.

Athena’s specific focus is building knee stability through strength, plyometric, and agility movements. The strength work is targeted at building hip, hamstring, quadricep, and calf strength, without ignoring the importance of developing upper body and core strength.

This program deploys assessments and uses the assessment results for follow on progressions. In this way the plan automatically scales to the initial individual fitness of the athlete.

The plyometric and agility work is first targeted at establishing knee stability through simple movements and progresses to developing explosiveness through more dynamic movements.

Below is the general weekly training schedule:
Monday – Strength
Tuesday – Plyometrics and Agility
Wednesday – Strength
Thursday – Plyometrics and Agility

Required Equipment

- Fully Equipped Weightroom - racks, barbells, dumbbells, etc.
- 12” Plyo Box(es)
- Cones and space for agility drills
- Stopwatch
- 1x Medium Mini-Band per athlete

Sample Training

SESSION 13

Objective: Strength

Knee Injury Test:
Drop Jump Test
Triple Hop Stability Test
Triple Hop Limb Symmetry Test
Single Leg Squat Test

Warm-up:
4 Rounds
10x Air Squats
5x In-place Lunges
5x Push-ups
10x Sit-ups
Instep Stretch

Training:

(1) 6 Rounds
Quadzillas @ reps per below table based on SESSION 1 In-Place Lunge Reps
Hip Flexor Stretch
Rest 45 sec.

In-Place Lunge Reps Quadzilla Reps
5-10 4-4-4-8
11-15 5-5-5-10
15+ 6-6-6-12

(2) 6 Rounds
5x Dumbbell Alternating Bench Press - increase loading until 5x is hard but doable
3x Chin-ups
Lat + Pec Stretch

(3) 4 Rounds
20 sec. Sit-ups
20 sec. Russian Twists - 10/15#
20 sec. Rest

(4) 3 Rounds
20 sec. Calf Raises
10 sec. Hold in “up” position
20 sec. Calf Raises
10 sec. Hold in “up” position
60 sec. Foam Roll Quads/Calves

********************

SESSION 14
Objective: Plyometrics and Agility

Warm-up:
3 Rounds
45x Jump Ropes
4-Square Drill
10x Air Squats
5x Push-ups
Instep Stretch

Training:

6 Rounds
6x Tuck Jumps - focus on knee stability and jump height
Hip Flexor Stretch

6 Rounds
6x Broad Jumps - focus on knee stability and jump height
Pigeon Stretch

3 Rounds
20x 2-Leg Forward-Forward-Backward-Backward Hop over Cone
20x 2-Leg Left-Left-Right-Right Hop over Cone
focus on landing soft, with bent knees, and butt back
Lat + Pec Stretch

12 Rounds
1x Depth Jump from 12” box - jump off box, land with stable knees and immediately jump straight up, concentrating on keeping knees stable.
3x Shoulder Jackknives

4 Rounds
5x 40 ft. Shuttle Runs - focus on quick feet, speed, and stability through the turn.
Rest 30 sec.

4 Rounds
5x 20 ft. Lateral Shuttle Runs - focus on quick feet, speed, and stability as you move laterally. Pivot laterally at each end.
Rest 30 sec.

4 Rounds
5x 20 ft.V-Shuttles - focus on quick feet, speed, and stability as you move diagonally
Rest 30 sec.

4 Rounds
3x 40 ft. Backpedal to Forward Sprint Shuttles - focus on quick feet, speed, and stability as you spin to sprint AND as you pivot at the cone to backpedal.

*************************
SESSION 15
Objective: Strength

Warm-up:
4 Rounds
10x Air Squats
5x In-place Lunges
5x Push-ups
10x Sit-ups
Instep Stretch

Training:

(1) 6 Rounds
Quadzillas @ reps per below table based on SESSION 1 In-Place Lunge Reps
Hip Flexor Stretch
Rest 45 sec.

In-Place Lunge Reps Quadzilla Reps
5-10 4-4-4-8
11-15 5-5-5-10
15+ 6-6-6-12
(2) 6 Rounds
5x Dumbbell Alternating Military Press - increase loading until 5x is hard but doable
5x Horizontal Pull-ups
Lat + Pec Stretch

(3) 4 Rounds
20 sec. Front Bridge
20 sec. Face Down Back Extension
20 sec. Rest

(4) 3 Rounds
20 sec. Calf Raises
10 sec. Hold in “up” position
20 sec. Calf Raises
10 sec. Hold in “up” position
60 sec. Foam Roll Quads/Calves

***********************
SESSION 16
Objective: Plyometrics and Agility

Warm-up:
3 Rounds
45x Jump Ropes
4-Square Drill
10x Air Squats
5x Push-ups
Instep Stretch

Training:

6 Rounds
6x Tuck Jumps - focus on knee stability and jump height
Hip Flexor Stretch

6 Rounds
6x Broad Jumps - focus on knee stability and jump height
Pigeon Stretch

3 Rounds
20x 2-Leg Forward-Forward-Backward-Backward Hop over Cone
20x 2-Leg Left-Left-Right-Right Hop over Cone
focus on landing soft, with bent knees, and butt back
Lat + Pec Stretch

4 Rounds
5x 20 ft. Lateral Shuttle Runs - focus on quick feet, speed, and stability as you move laterally. Pivot laterally at each end.
Rest 30 sec.

4 Rounds
5x 20 ft.V-Shuttles - focus on quick feet, speed, and stability as you move diagonally
Rest 30 sec.

4 Rounds
3x 40 ft. Backpedal to Forward Sprint Shuttles - focus on quick feet, speed, and stability as you spin to sprint AND as you pivot at the cone to backpedal.

Testimonials

Hey rob,

I just wanted to give you a quick shout out. I contacted you about possibly remote training my sister who is an elite marathoner. Not knowing her as an athlete, I knew it would be a long shot.

After assessing her past injuries and the symptoms she was feeling I went with the Athena program. After a 2014 full of injuries we focused on Athena and I'm happy to inform you she's injury free and just completed her first (yes first) marathon in 2:35:29.

Can't thank you enough for the programs being so accessible. Her name is Caitlin Comfort. Watch out for her at the Olympic trials in 2016. Thanks again.

- D

Why MTI?

1) Mission Direct

Gym numbers mean nothing. All that matters is mission performance.

To this end, MTI’s fitness solutions and programming are not boxed in by convention, tradition, orthodoxy, public opinion or any other artificial constraint driven by inside or outside forces.

We begin with the raw fitness demands of the mission and build a fitness solution which directly prepares the athlete for those demands.

2) Fitness Solutions Built from the Ground Up

MTI’s programming is not “re-tread” bodybuilding, football, CrossFit, kettlebell, strength or general fitness programming. We’ve built our fitness programming for mountain and tactical athletes from the ground up.

The Fluid Periodization methodology we deploy to concurrently train multiple fitness attributes is completely original and has continued to evolve and improve over the years.

Our mid-section training methodology, Chassis Integrity, is also original, as is our endurance programming, 7 strength training progressions, tactical agility, and work capacity programming.

Our mountain sports pre-season training plans, tactical PFT, selection, school, course, and fitness improvement training plans across military, LE and Fire Rescue are MTI-developed, tested and athlete-proven.

Over the years hundreds of athletes and coaches have taken our advanced programming and unit fitness leader programming courses and MTI is widely recognized within the mountain and tactical professions and fitness media as a thought leader in fitness programming for military and tactical athletes.

3) The MTI Method

→ Research: MTI begins program design with extensive research of the fitness demands of the mission, sport or event, identifies the exercises and progressions which sport-specifically meet those demands, chose end-of-cycle goals, and program backward to design the training plan.

→ Deploy & Assess: We deploy the training plan “Lab Rats” at our Wyoming facility. Training session and cycle issues are identified and fixed as we work through the training plan. Post cycle we assess the programming’s effectiveness and efficiency. We keep the stuff that works, and fix or toss the stuff that doesn’t.

→ Publish & Assess Again: Plan is published for purchase as an individual training plan and made available to our subscribers. Feedback/results are assessed.

→ Iterate: We take what we learn from lab rats and athletes, re-visit, update and improve already published training plans. Several of our individual training plans are on their 4th or 5th version.

4) Mission-Direct Research

MTI exists to “Improve Mountain and Tactical Athletes mission performance and keep them safe.” To that end, we have developed a unique research methodology aimed at identifying real world areas of improvement and identifying immediately deployable mission-direct solutions. Click HERE to learn more about MTI’s Mission-Direct Research methodology, and Here to read about just few of our research efforts.

5) Field Proven

Our stuff works. Weekly we receive unsolicited reviews of our programming and testimonials to its effectiveness.

6) Programming Breadth

MTI’s library of 200+ sport-specific fitness plans for mountain and tactical athletes is unmatched. Resources range from specific programming for tactical special forces selections, to specific plans for climbing Rainier and Denali, to general fitness solutions such as running improvement, to post-rehab from injury.

Over the past decade, MTI has partnered with hundreds of athletes throughout their individual mountain and tactical careers, and provided fitness solutions as they face new mountain objectives, tactical schools, selections, PFTs and deployments, and came back from injury.

7) Worldwide Influence

Our work is not limited to US Athletes.

We’ve developed selection-specific training plans for Canadian, UK, Australian and German Special Forces Selections and worked with individual military personnel from Scandinavia, South, and Central America.

Canadian, Australian, UK and western European law enforcement and fire/rescue athletes have used MTI programming for mission-direct fitness.

On the mountain side, Alpinists from Japan to Slovakia have consulted with MTI and used MTI’s programming to prepare for mountain objectives.

8) Mission Performance beyond Fitness

MTI’s exists is to improve Mission Performance for mountain and tactical athletes and keep them safe.

This focus on “mission direct” solutions, enhancements and improvements drives our work and research and extends beyond fitness solutions to include training, leadership, gear, team culture, and safety.

Fitness is just one area of our work.

Our non-fitness research has included tactical cultures, combat uniforms, and gore-tex performance, and effect of stress on marksmanship.

Our work on defining what it means to be a Quiet Professional has had penetrating influence and driven healthy conversations with both mountain and tactical professionals.

9) Direct, Honest, Clear Answers

Since 2007 we’ve taken and answered dozens of questions weekly from mountain and tactical athletes. We’ve saved these individual Q&A’s and now thousands are archived on our site.

We’re not salesmen, and our answers are noted for their directness, honesty, and clarity. Our stuff isn’t for everyone. If we can help, we’ll let you know. If we can’t, we’ll let you know that, too.

– Rob Shaul, Founder

All of the Above is Backed Up By Our Promise: Our Stuff Works. Guaranteed.

Our Stuff Works. Guaranteed.

By Rob Shaul

I received notes frequently from athletes hesitant to purchase a subscription or training plans asking me to sell them on why they should make the purchase.

While I understand the question, I’m not a salesman – so I can’t put a hard sale on anyone for our programming.

I can tell them the process we go through to design our programming.

We begin with extensive research on the fitness demands of the event, identify the exercises and progressions which sport specifically meet those demands, chose end-of-cycle goals, and program backward to design the plan.

Then we test the cycle on ourselves and our lab rats here in Wyoming. We document, note what works and doesn’t work, re-assess, and make changes and modifications.

Then we publish the programming in the form of one of our plans or as part of our subscription daily training sessions for tactical and mountain athletes.
We don’t stop there – our daily programming is the “tip of the spear” for our programming evolution. We use these sessions to learn and make continuous improvement.

As we learn more and improve, we go back, and update the sport-specific training plans on the website. For example, we’re currently on Version 5 of our Ruck Based Selection Training Plan and Version 3 of our Dryland Ski Training Plan and Version 4 of our Big Game Back Country Hunting Training Plan.

We understand our programing isn’t cheap, but we believe it’s a great value. The $79 for the Ruck Based Selection Training Plan, and $39 for the Dryland Ski Training Plan reflect the, research, work, innovative theory, iteration, testing and feedback we’ve put in and received to make these plans effective.

All that matters for us is outside performance, and we feel strongly that Our Stuff Works in the real world.

Here’s our guarantee:

1) Individual Training Plan Purchase:
If you purchase an individual training plan, follow it as prescribed before your season/event/pft/selection, and if you don’t feel you were physically ready for your season/event/pft/selection, and/or didn’t see dramatic improvements in your early season performance, we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

2) Athlete’s Subscription
If you purchase an Athletes’ Subscription, follow the training sessions as prescribed, and are not satisfied with the quality of the programming, notify us within 30 days of purchase, and we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

Questions?
Email: rob@mtntactical.com

Common Questions

COMMON QUESTIONS:

Do you have any reviews or testimonials from athletes who have used your Athlete's Subscription
Yes. Click HERE.

Is it true you guarantee your stuff works?
Yes. If you purchase an Athletes’ Subscription, follow the training sessions as prescribed, and are not satisfied with the quality of the programming, notify us within 30 days of purchase, and we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

How is MTI programming different than CrossFit?
This is a common question. Read our answer HERE.

You have a lot of competitors. Why should I choose MTI?
MTI is driven to improve mountain and tactical athletes' mission performance and keep them safe. This emphasis and focus on mission performance sets us apart. Read about more that sets us apart HERE.

If I purchase a plan or subscription, how do I access the programming?
All of our plans are online, accessible via username and password.
You can log in through our →Website or Mobile App →IOS and Android.

Do you have downloadable .pdf's of the training plans?
No. But you can print the programming, by week, from your browser. You access individual training plans online via a username and password.

Do you have a mobile app?
Yes, we do. Available for IOS and Android.

What is the difference between purchasing an individual training plan, packet of plans or an Athlete's Subscription?

Plan - Like purchasing the DVD of the first Star Wars movie. You own it forever, including any updates we make to the plan.
Packet - Like purchasing the DVD's of all the Star Wars movies. You own them forever, including any updates we make to the plans.
Athlete's Subscription - Like subscribing to Netflix. You get access to all 200+ plan in our library, but lose access if you unsubscribe.

If I purchase an Athletes Subscription Can I cancel on my own, anytime?
Yes.

Do I have to contact MTI to cancel or can I do it myself?
You can do it yourself. Instructions HERE.

If I purchase a subscription and have questions about where to start or what plans(s) to use for my goals, will you help?
Yes. We answer dozens of training questions from athletes weekly. Email coach@mtntactical.com.

If you add new plans or update existing plans after I subscribe will I have access to them?
Yes. We are continuously adding training plans and packets (2-5/month) and updating plans. With your subscription you'll have access to all new plans, new courses and plan updates.

What Equipment is Required?
Click the "Required Equipment" tab to find out what equipment is required for the specific plan you are interested in.

Where do I find unfamiliar exercises?
See our Exercise Library HERE. The Run and Ruck Calculators are listed as exercises.

What about nutrition?
See our Nutritional Guidelines HERE.

Can I see sample training?
Click the “Sample Training” tab to see the entire first week of programming. You are encouraged to do it before purchasing.

What if I have more questions?
Email rob@mtntactical.com