General Strength (GS) Circuits

General Strength (GS) Circuits

General strength circuits are usually bodyweight exercises that involve no external loading. General Strength work will help maintain healthy joint and soft tissue strength, provide some aerobic capacity work, is a good recovery workout, is core strengthening, helps with balance/coordination/proprioception and enhances gross motor performance.

General strength circuits are great because they can be used all year round and by any sport! GS work is used more heavily in the off-season or pre-season but can also be added to the competitive season.

The day after a speed training workout is the ideal time to add a general strength day. A speed/power day places extreme stress to your CNS (central nervous system) and it takes 24-48 hours to recover from it. This is why you can’t perform speed/power workouts day after day (well you can, but you would be asking for an injury!). So the GS circuit is used as a recovery workout to help your body recoup and get ready for another speed/power workout the following day. The GS work stimulates hormones to aid in recovery and also to flush out the system. The circuits will increase your heart rate, but are low in intensity enough to have such positive effects on your body restoration abilities.

Here is a sample of a unique General Strength Circuit
that Athletes’ Acceleration uses:

We are going to use a jump rope in this circuit. The reason the jump rope was added, besides adding variety, was to help increase foot speed, work on balance/coordination, and increase aerobic capacity (work capacity). You combine all of those great benefits along with the benefits of doing general strength work listed above and you have created a completely efficient workout that will only take about 25 minutes!

Jump Rope Circuit: (performed on grass)

Jump Rope – 1 minute (30seconds – 2 feet, 30 seconds – Hip turns)
Jog 50 yards
Prisoner Squats – 1×20
Jog 50 yards
Jump Rope – 1 minute (30 seconds – Crossover, 30 seconds – Double Skip)
Jog 50 yards
Burpees – 1×10
Jog 50 yards
Jump Rope – 1 minute (30 seconds – Skip, 30 seconds, High knee)
Jog 50 yards
In-place Alternating Lunges – 10-each leg
Jog 50 yards

3 minute break then repeat. When you repeat this exercise you can change the exercises (ex. add lateral lunges, split squats, etc.) and also change the order of the jump rope exercise.

**At the end of a general strength day we will also do our core work at a high volume.

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