Volleyball Team Training Program Now For Sale!

You know your High School Volleyball Team needs a strength training program. But do you know where to get one from someone you trust?  The owner of Jtab Training, Joey Taraborelli, is not only a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) (known as the Gold Standard Certification in Strength and Conditioning), but also was an All State High School Volleyball player, and 1st Team All Southeast and All Conference Collegiate Volleyball player, and High School Coach.  What's the benefits of choosing someone who not only can design proper training programs but knows your sport inside and out?  You get someone someone that was in the “trenches” in your sport,  and knows what it takes to get strong and stay safe during your season. 

I have a great and simple (simple doesn’t mean easy, it means simple to execute and straightforward) program designed specifically for High School Volleyball athletes.  I created it to run as a rotation 3 day program (with a 4th day optional for extra hypertrophy work) over the course of 3 months.  It is a program that can either be done in a strength gym (if your school offers one) or can be done in most commercial gyms.  It works on each individual player's strength and comfort level, as they are in charge of increase weight on the main lifts and assessor lifts throughout their season.  

Included in the package are  videos for all exercises and warm up drills (both male and female athletes demonstrating), so each player can see how to properly execute every drill. This 3 month program is designed specifically for off-season and pre-season.  For the season I will be creating another template so they can stay strong, yet not be too tired for their games.  

To come train with me in person for those 3 months would cost you an assessment fee of $60 (which I would be glad to assess any RI H.S. volleyball player first before they start) and $110/month for each player.  While nothing beats training with me in person (so I can monitor their form every set), I understand that some kids can not make it down to E.G./N.K. 3-4 times a week consistently.  That is why I am offering this as a 3 month package to take to your own gym.  

Prices are as follows: $150 ($50/month for 3 months) for the program per team.  I will be available to that athlete for questions regarding their training during the program.

Jtab’s Best Exercises for Volleyball Players

Last week we went over why volleyball players should not only be lifting, but be lifting some heavy weights (progressively).  Today we want to cover some of the more beneficial lifts to increase your vertical (‘cause what volleyball player doesn’t want to jump higher?) and get a stronger swing.  I am going to give you my top 5 weight exercises for volleyball.  

1. Trap Bar Deadlifts- probably the best overall bang for your buck this lift is perfect increasing your vertical.  It teaches you that great starting position to “create” your blocking vertical.  It also decreases lower back strain by utilizing the higher handles and neutral handle position.  This is your main lift for strength, so it makes sense to do these with heavy weights for low reps most of the time. Once in awhile pepper (see what I did there?) in some lighter weight for high reps to get that crazy hamstring/glute pump!  

2. Bulgarian or Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats - This is the best quad builder for increasing your vertical, plus it’s really safe for those that want to avoid spinal loading (by not having a bar on your shoulders).  It also incorporates a single leg training which will help strengthen each leg individually, leading to less imbalance.  We know as volleyball players your dominant leg (the one opposite your hitting arm) gets taxed more from the approach take-off.  Strengthening your legs individually will lessen your chance of injuries that occur from a one-sided dominant sport.  Since this is your main “quad” exercise it should be done with medium weight for lower reps.  On occasion you can switch it up and do high rep sets to really burn those quads and glutes!  

3. One arm Push Press- Keeping with the single side work from #2, this is an upper body focused single arm overhead press.  Again, most volleyball players are one side dominant, leading to imbalances and injuries.  Work each arm individually so you can’t cheat with your dominant arm (like you may do using a barbell).  These can be done with high/medium weight and low/medium reps.  

4. Face Pulls- Volleyball players are front side dominant and need to build lots of strength posteriorly to stay balanced.  Face pulls are one of the best for strengthening the back of the shoulders and upper back.  These can be done using a pulley/cable machine, TRX suspension straps, or with bands.  High reps work great for this exercise.  Done religiously they will keep those shoulders healthy for years of great swinging!  

5. One Arm DB Rows- The old/new adage of strength coaches is “more pulling than pushing” so we are including another “pull”, the One Arm Row.  This is one of the most classic exercises and is also great for volleyball players to strengthen that posterior.  Coupled with face pulls you hit all the angles needed for strengthening the back of your shoulders.  These can be done for heavy/low reps or light/high reps but make sure only one of pulling exercise is used for heavy/low reps to build a good base of strength.  When wanting to switch it it up, it's best to use these for heavy/low reps and face pulls after for light/high reps.  

Volleyball and Lifting = Pair made for the stars

I’m a volleyball player. I’m also a Certified Strength Coach(CSCS) and I like to lift heavy weights.  There is still a stigma in the volleyball community that these two activities don't normally go together.  I’m here today to talk about how they can co-exist and help volleyball players get to the next level in their play. 

I started lifting weights seriously in college, while playing for a top level College Club Team (Volleyball is still growing in the NCAA space).  Proper weight lifting helped me be able to compete with the taller, stronger players around the country I had to go up against.  

The game of volleyball is an explosive game.  It requires big jumps to block, an aggressive approach to attack and quick reactions in the back court on defense.  Strength training happens to train your body and muscles in the same manner.  Strength is defined by “the maximal force that a muscle or muscle group can generate at a specified velocity”* .  Power is defined as “time rate of doing work”*.  By this conclusion, explosive movements on the volleyball court are generated by increasing power.  Power comes from strength and the stronger you are the more powerful you are.  By strength training, this translates to a higher blocking jump, higher approach and an even quicker “push-off” to go get a ball on defense.  The ability to generate power in a fast motion is what people refer to as “quickness”.  

Now, how does strength training really transfer to the court?  Let’s take a squat - one of the first exercise people think of when they think of training for volleyball (I’d argue it’s the deadlift that gets you higher off the ground but that’s another article topic).  Getting stronger through a Goblet Dumbbell Squat (see the video below) will teach your body to transform power to be used on the court. 

The heavier the dumbbell, the more your body has to create drive downward into the ground to finish the squat motion.  The stronger you get, the more “power” you can push down into the ground to lift your body (plus the dumbbell) up to the end position.  This new “power” drive can now translate into a higher vertical jump and, even more importantly, a more efficient jump.  You will be able to jump more times without tiring due to your increase in strength.  Strength is what makes you able to last and keep jumping as high during the 3rd, 4th, 5th sets, not “cardio” or conditioning.  

The next volleyball and strength blog will focus on the best bang for your buck exercises to increase your vertical.           

* Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning