Lifting Split

With so much scheduling conflict with other sports, and lack of comitment from kids, what is the ideal training split for high school kids preseason to inseason lifts. I'm more interested in wrestling and football.

I have done it several ways with different strength coaches and have heard all kinds of philosophies about it, but all I know is what has worked best for me. I really like the 4 day split (mon,tues,thurs, fri) with two inseason lifts a week. I have also seen a Mon-thurs lift with three days of recovery. All this depends on your routine as well. What have you had experience with working the best, and what is practical?

For inseason I prefer to lift heavy on Monday(LB) and Tuesday(UB). I have done a light circuit on Wednesday for Recovery and Thursday was a light upper body day. I know some who lift Monday through Thursday but I do not agree with that. I believe lifting more than two days in a row is counterproductive.

Off-season, I prefer to lift alternating days of UB and LB with Wednesday off for speed/agility/flexibility emphasis.

I also like a 3 day per week program with Tuesday and Thursday for SAC and flexibility.

We train three days (M/W/F) a week regardless of season. However, during football season, our percentages are 50-60% on Fridays. Since our classes are integrated by all sports we do allow an exception to heavy and medium percentage days on game days for other sports. We make them use the percentage given, but allow half the reps. For example, a kid has a lacrosse game and he's supposed to do cleans at 80% for four; he only has to do two. This allows the student to stay in his assigned group. We don't allow non-participation; however, use discretion. If it is a soccer playoff game and we have heavy squats, then that's different. Unfortunately, we can't tailor workouts to every sport, but olympic lifting plus squats and presses are essential to everyone.

I am in a fortunate situation where I teach 98% football players in Advanced Wt. Training Classes. With us being in-season, we use the following split:

S-Run
M-Heavy Lower
T-Heavy Upper
W - Run/PNF
Th-Light Total

When it comes to gains, I have created certain requirements for kids to acheive when we test in-season. Colleges hold scholarships over their kids heads and I hold a grade. Unless they play every down on either side of the ball, all my guys a required to increase their strength levels by a certain percentage on Bench, Squat and Squat Clean. For our everyday guys I give them a minimum requirement based off a percentage of their 1RM. If they don't get it, they receive a failing test grade. Some people may say, that it kind of harsh but I have confidence in my ability to design and implement a quality program and the only way they will fail is if they don't do what they are supposed to do in the weightroom. It also teaches them accountability and consistency of training.


Rob Livingstone MS, CSCS, SCCC
Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
Norcross High School Football

Coach I love that idea. Last year at Troup, all of the guys I had in weight training made gains in their strength levels all season long. It can happen if people will get out of the "maintaining" mindset. Kids can and will adapt to almost everything.

At WRHS, we work a 4-day split in the off-season:
M-ME Squat
T-DE/Rep Upper
W-Active rest/ GPP work
TH-DE Lower (including olympic lifts)
F-ME Bench

In-Season:
M-LB (squat emphasis)
W-Upper
Th- Flexibility and ROM training.