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Special Strength Training A Coaches Manual

A systematic coaching manual that reframes strength training for sport as the targeted intensification of the athlete's motor and physiological systems in sport-specific regimes, rather than generic muscle building.

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What it’s about

Written by the researcher who codified plyometric (shock method) training, this manual gives coaches an evidence-based system for developing power, not just strength, in high-level athletes. Verkhoshansky argues that bodybuilding-style training actually harms sport performance in speed and power events, and offers instead Special Strength Training (SST): a principled methodology that selects exercises to biomechanically and bioenergetically match the competitive movement, concentrates loads in time to create a Long-Lasting Training Effect, and sequences those loads so that peak performance emerges precisely when it is needed. With detailed regimes (isometric, eccentric, shock, static-dynamic, complex, contrast) and complete, field-proven programs for sprinters, distance runners, rowers, volleyball, basketball, American football, and tennis, the book teaches coaches to build their own rational programs while optimizing athletes' time and energy.

The through-line

Who it’s for
A coach (or serious athlete) who wants to raise high-level athletes to peak competitive performance through rational strength preparation.
The problem
Athletes plateau or regress because their strength work is generic, mistimed, or biomechanically mismatched to their sport. The coach feels uncertain about what strength to develop, how much load, and when to place it in the year.
The plan
  1. Analyze the sport's predominant working and motor regime.
  2. Select SST means that biomechanically and bioenergetically match the competitive exercise.
  3. Choose the muscle-work regime and method that best intensify the effort.
  4. Organize means in a concentrated 'block' using the conjugate-sequence form.
  5. Place strength blocks in the yearly cycle ahead of technical-tactical and speed work.
The payoff
Athletes gain sport-specific power and reach new levels of mastery. · Peak performance is realized at the time of main competitions via the LLTE. · Training is efficient, achieving results with less volume and wasted energy.

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