What do we actually do as coaches? Let’s dive in…
Every single thing we do as coaches is to positively impact our clients' kinetics or kinematics.
What does that mean in simple terms?
Essentially, everything we do is an attempt to improve our clients' physical capacity and/or movement quality.
Kinetics refers to the traditional output-based elements we think of with strength & conditioning. This includes factors that are easier to measure like strength, power, velocity, and the like.
Kinematics is the descriptive element. In other words, this is the how when it comes to how a movement task is completed. When we run, is it smooth, graceful, rhythmic, and coordinated? Or do we have dysfunctional movement mechanics causing energy leaks? There's definitely more nuance with here than with the aforementioned kinetics.
Now we have both defined, that's really the show. Every single thing we do as practitioners is designed to improve the physical capacity and/or movement abilities of our athletes for better overall physical fitness.
Even less conventional aspects of training like sensory integration work are ultimately being done to improve the above components.
How This Factors Into Program Design
The nice thing about this is that it simplifies things from a needs analysis perspective.
When we first work with a client, we can assess them to see what output-based abilities they're lacking. This is an oversimplification for brevity's sake, but let's say athlete A is a more elastic-driven mover who excels at rhythm, timing, coordination, and jumping ability but leaves a bit to be desired on the strength side of things.
We’re likely going to spend our time filling gaps and training up weaknesses in the most pressing areas of need relative to what the sport demands. We’ll still touch on everything else, but we'll likely have a couple main priorities. We can then progress this over time as baseline levels of competency are reached in one area. This is what's known as a limiter bridge periodization model and it's how we could design training in a macro, high-level overview sense (leaving room for other variables such as fatigue, in-season logistical constraints, and more).
The same goes for athletes of different levels and potential categorizations. If athlete B doesn't have any strength deficits, but lacks an ability to demonstrate movement competency in needed motor patterns plus their corresponding planes—the chief priorities will likely be different than they would with athlete A.
Integrating VOLTRA Into Programming For Clients
It’s been said before, but the VOLTRA is THE Swiss army knife of resistance training technology. There's a lot that can be said about it, but for the purposes of this guide—its versatility is really what makes it shine in this context.
The beauty of the VOLTRA is that the flexibility it provides from a features and exercise selection perspective allows trainers to use it to fill needed gaps in development.
On one hand, the fact that it has multiple set-up options enables trainers to offer a wide variety of exercises—each representing different motor pattern, plane of motion, and load trajectory options.
For example, one can use a fixed board to help with sagittal plane-dominant exercises. We can do exercises that involve more vertical displacement of an athlete's center of mass, such as a belt squat on slant boards with supports. We can do hinge-driven patterns such as a Romanian Deadlift.
It can also be set to a rack or pop-up fixture (such as a pole or fence) in order to unlock a different vector of resistance and new planes of motion from which to work. This could look like a staggered stance row or push-pull exercise (especially with 2 units) for more rotation-driven exercises that feature additional transverse plane characteristics.
We could lower it and work a deceleration-driven lunge. Or have an athlete face away from the set-up and work a propulsive step press for forward locomotion.
The possibilities are sky high.
That gives you an idea of all the kinematic questions it answers. Now for the kinetic side of the equation.
The VOLTRA I has a high number of resistance features that allow coaches to fill various strength deficits in their athletes.
These include conventional isotonic (Weight Training) Mode, Damper Mode, Isokinetic Mode, Isometric Mode, eccentric overload features, chain mimetic features, and even more. For brevity's sake, let’s focus on a couple sample modes we would use with the aforementioned athletes.
Depending on the adaptation we're chasing, we may wave or weave these different features.
Zooming In
For athlete A, we may choose to dose a hefty amount of Weight Training Mode, Isometric mode, and the Eccentric feature of Weight Training Mode.
If their primary movement strategy is the aforementioned elastic-driven one, they're likely quite tendon and fascia-driven movers. We can use these features to address their strength deficits so they get stronger, while also ensuring that their muscles are more involved in their movements. This is also nice because it means less strain and cumulative load on the connective tissues of the body.
By having them perform intentionally slowed down resistance patterns with Weight Training Mode, we can ensure they don't rush reps and lift weights using their usual movement strategy. This ensures more reliance on muscles to perform their movement tasks.
We can also add additional eccentric resistance as well as Isokinetic Mode, which has been shown in research to promote more tissue capacity in order to support higher levels of output in more dynamic athletic patterns. Building the foundation, if you will.
As far as athlete B is concerned, we’re probably more likely to use the VOLTRA in a way that supports athletic patterns. Features like Damper Mode, performing weight training mode with a lighter load, and resistance band mode are all favorites here.
Instead of purely loading for strength purposes, I may elect a lighter load—shown in research to improve dynamic qualities such as speed and velocity.
Using the VOLTRA I on Weight Training Mode with a lighter load on a dynamic movement that corresponds to sport—say 20-40% of capacity—can contribute to improvement in coordination, rhythm, timing, and dynamic output (speed, velocity, +) in said movement.
Sample Program Structure
This guide isn’t all background. Now that the “why” behind the “what” is out of the way, let’s look at what a sample workout that features the VOLTRA I could look like. The following is a workout geared around horizontal force management and a lot of frontal plane work (lateral, multidirectional movement-dominant patterns):
-
Warm-Up: Jump Rope for 300 Contacts
-
Movement Prep (sample mobility drills):
-
Hip Shift Reset 2 x 30 secs/side
-
Child Rockers 1 x 50 reps
-
Side Lying Hip Shift 2 x 20 reps/side
-
Kneeling Lateral Dumbbell Windmill 3 x 10 reps/side
-
VOLTRA Cable Lateral Squat on Slant Boards (performed on concentric-only isokinetic mode or weight training mode) 4 x 4-5 max intent reps/side
-
Lateral Lunge Hops 4 x VBT (performed till velocity and/or form drops)
-
VOLTRA Resisted 1st Steps 3 x 10 reps/side
-
40 Yd Dash x 8
Catch this in action here.
Zooming Out
In general, there are a ton of options when it comes to program design. We’re of the belief that a more coherent model for program design is oriented around kinematics or movement while we check off requisite kinetic boxes as we go along (relevant strength, speed + gains).
Hopefully this guide has given you a baseline idea on the concepts behind the model as well as how you could go about doing that on the applied side, too.
We find trainers integrate the VOLTRA I into this model and their client's workouts because it’s able to check so many boxes when it comes to exercise selection.
All the different load and set-up options make it easy to seamlessly wave and weave the VOLTRA I into your programming.
It unlocks so many movement and resistance possibilities it makes it a no brainer when it comes to developing athletes, for physical fitness, as well as for rehabilitation needs.
