Question for the experts

Our class periods last 55 minutes. Rest between sets of core lifts is obviously important when it comes to gaining strength. We have to workout 3-4 to a station, so on average they get around 45 seconds of rest.My question is: in a class that is this short, do you sacrifice auxillary lifts in order to get that 2 minutes of rest, or do you keep the pace up? Thanks fellas.

I am no expert, but I will throw in my two cents. I am on a hybrid schedule this year, 55 minute periods M, T and TH. I do one core lift and two accessories on these days for the most part. We have no more than 3 in a group. I feel like that is enough rest until we get up to our heavier sets, then I slow them down a little bit. We go on the whistle, so it is not hard for me to do so. I will usually take some extra time to throw out some reminders and cues and then get them going. The only thing I time is push ups, we go for a certain amount of time and if they burn out before that time is up, they must maintain good push up position for the remainder of the time. Hope this helps.

During the offseason, we will perform our core and Olympic lifts during the 40 minutes we have during the day. I set up auxilary workouts after school that take about 30 minutes to complete. These workouts are complementary to the core workout for that specific day. I started this last year and the kids loved it. It gives me a chance to work through different planes and well as getting our RC and Hip complex work in.


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

I think you can have great success with just the basics during your 40 minute time frame. The best scenario would be what Coach Livingstone does.