LESSON 4:
Volleyball Strength in Six Months 
Six Keys to Gaining Maximum Results

Use the following tips to improve volleyball strength.

1. Eat every 3 hours to improve volleyball strength.

2. Record every workout.

3. Last set of every exercise is an ALL-OUT set.

4. Focus on full-body workouts.

5. Focus on compound exercises.

6. Switch reps and sets scheme almost every workout.

1. Eat EVERY 3 hours at least six times a day. The easiest way to do this is to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner then also add in three home made meal replacement drinks or shakes for the other three meals. It's best to have a replacement drink or shake 30 minutes to an hour before a workout, then also one immediately after a workout.
   
   An example of a good breakfast would be 3-4 whole eggs with 6 egg whites. A few cups of veggies and a 2-4 slices of toast with natural peanut butter.
   
   An example of a lunch would be two tuna sandwiches on whole wheat bread and a few cups of whole milk. Dinner should be some sort of meat such as chicken, beef, salmon, fish. This can be combined with rice, pasta or potatoes and always vegetables.
   
   Shakes consist of 30-60 grams of protein powder, 1-2 cups of frozen berries, natural peanut butter and possibly add in oatmeal and/or ice cream which can easily add up to 1000 calories! The extra calories will get your muscles pumped and full,  never running out of gas. 


2. Record every workout in detail. Record the reps, sets, rest, exercises, order, how you feel and any extra comments. You need to know what to shoot for the next workout so you can make constant progress for six months straight. For example, when approaching a workout, you should know how much weight or reps I needed to increase to beat my previous workout.


3. Focus on making the last set of every exercise an ALL-OUT SET. The last set of every exercise should be very intense. The last set should always be with the heaviest weight and the most reps. This is where you spark your muscles into growth and “out do” your previous workout.


4. Focus on full-body workouts because they recruit more motor units and muscle groups than split training. Increase volleyball strength with full-body workouts by eliciting a greater increase in testosterone and GH than split routines too.
   
   By training each body part more often, you yield a greater anabolic effect.
   
   Also, since a body part is usually recovered within 48 hours, not training that muscle again within 48 hours is wasted time off. Protein synthesis is increased for up to 48 hours after a muscle is trained and then begins to drop back to normal. It's important to get to bed early and get tons of sleep because you need to recover within the 48-hours.


5. Focus on compound exercises that position you to lift the heaviest weights possible and maximize the most muscle in the shortest period of time. Here's a list of compound exercises that are the biggest bang for your buck... bench presses, bent over rows, over head presses, deadlifts, squats, dips, chin ups and hanging leg raises. Focus on doing these exercises or a slight variation on these movements for variety.


6. Switch reps and sets almost every workout to stimulate slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers and to gain knowledge of what rep and set ranges created the best gains in strength.
   Volleyball strength can be increased by implementing a variety of rep and set schemes. Schemes can vary from 3 x 15, 4 x 10, 5 x 5, 2 x 25, 4 x 12, 6 x 6, 10 x 3, and 8 x 8. All these schemes can work. The lower the reps the higher the rest (2-3 minutes) and the higher the reps the lower the rest (30-60 seconds).
   
   Although you can constantly vary the intensity and volume, you can still pre-plan each rep and set scheme into different phases and vary them from workout to workout or week to week.

Don't underestimate the importance of volleyball strength training.

Don't let the lack of volleyball strength keep you from becoming a great volleyball player.

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