Off-Season Lacrosse Workouts

So what should your lacrosse workouts consist of?  Well lets look at the demands of the sport.  To be a successful lacrosse player you must possess physical qualities, such as strength, agility, muscular endurance, flexibility, and quickness.  In fact elite level lacrosse players are among the most highly conditioned athletes in the world.

You often here the expression, “it is not a sprint it’s a marathon.”  What makes lacrosse unique is that is both.  It requires athletes to have the endurance to withstand the constant motion during the course of the game.  However, endurance alone is not enough.  You must also possess excellent short burst speed, as well as the ability to start and stop on a dime.  Because of this your workouts must address both fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers.

To play elite level lacrosse you also must possess a powerful upper body.  Your ability to stick and body check is determined by your ability to generate force.  We all know that force = mass X acceleration (squared).  To increase your ability to generate force you must increase your mass, and your ability to accelerate that mass.

Not only that, but the added muscle mass will help you absorb being on the receiving end of such hits.  It is true that they let you were pads to play lacrosse, however the best protection you can have is additional muscle mass.  Think of it as armor.  It increases your ability to hit, and to be hit.  Ultimately, it makes you a force to be reckoned with, which is what we are trying to do here.

So how do we address all the requirements of the sport in our workouts?  We have to find a balance between speed, strength and endurance.  We have to added muscle mass in the right places without overdoing it and becoming muscle-bound and slow.  We have to find that perfect balance to build the perfect lacrosse athlete.

All things being equal, the stronger, better conditioned athlete will win.  This is especially true for a hybrid sport such as lacrosse.  The programming of your lacrosse workouts should reflect this.

 

Read additional info on: Mammoth Strength Blog