Nick Giglia
2024-09-05

Make The Most of Your 40 Minutes

Make The Most of Your 40 Minutes

In many scholastic programs, teams have just 30-60 minutes in the weight room. The optimal training window for intense lifting is around 40-60 minutes; longer sessions may lead to diminishing returns and increased injury risk. With only 40 minutes and a single coach managing 30+ athletes, efficiency is crucial. Investing in a modular system that adapts to your evolving needs and budget is key for maximizing this limited time effectively.

Pictured above at Dublin Scioto High School, 3 DB Trays have been added to the back of their Alpha half rack storing 10-55 LBS DB’s at each rack station. This allows athletes to superset barbell and DB movements without ever leaving the rack station. Also at this rack station is  a Dip Attachment, Glute Ham Roller and a Landmine.

Prime Training Zone

For intense activities like weightlifting, the prime training zone typically lasts about 40 minutes. This duration is optimal because it allows athletes to maintain high performance and focus without leading to fatigue that can diminish effectiveness or increase injury risk. Prolonged sessions beyond this window can result in decreased intensity and potential overtraining, making it essential to maximize the quality of these 40 minutes for the best results.

Room Design-Less Is More

In a team training setting you need to serve 30+ athletes or more at a time, this means that you must have enough space for multiple of each piece. When we worked with Dan Hopkins at West Liberty University he had a concept of groups of 6, he had 3 different sections of 6 racks for 18 total. Each machine such as mid rows and GHD’s were added in groups of 6 as well.

Often a more simple layout is more effective, maximizing the number of each product allowing more athletes to use that product at a time as they train as a team. For example instead of having 8 lifting stations and 1 of the following machines, leg press, leg extension, lat pull down, functional trainer, mid row and neck. You could fit 10-14 racks in that same space allowing more athletes to train at the same time. If you want to add in those machine movements we make many attachments that replace stand alone machines. 

Impact with Equipment Design

One way we are able to make more efficient and space effective facilities is our ATR or Auxiliary Training Rack System. This system combines cable machines, attachment/lifting stations and DB or Flat Storage Trays.

These are custom units allowing the customer to create whatever they need, ATR Sides come in 4 variations, an empty frame, Lat Pull Down, Cable Column and Belt Squat/Lat Pull Down variations. When connected together, these units can double as storage units, cable machines, attachment lifting stations (pictured above for dips) and even barbell lifting stations. 

ATR Systems can allow you to have place to train with attachments away from the racks keeping the racks free for lifting. The ATR System makes facilities much more flexible as they can use their attachments not just at the rack and the cable machines are not wasted space when not in use.

With our proprietary guide rod hole pattern crossmembers in our half racks, we can add cable machines at anytime without increasing the footprint. This allows facilities to have cable machines without dedicated space to them.

Impact with Attachments Design

The Alpha Bench as it is made out of 3×3″ tubing all over has 1″ holes added to the back support post. This allows you to add any rack attachments such as a Landmine or Roller Pad. 

This creates an extra station, if the rack is in use for back squats for example, the other athletes in the group could pull the bench away from the rack and add the Landmine creating an extra station. Allowing more athletes to train at the same time.

We also have attachments such as the GOAT leg extension/curl attachment or Neck Machine attachment that replace stand alone machines in a rack attachable package. 

Built in Storage for Attachments

Pictured above is our Glute Ham Roller which has gravity slit storage attachments cut into it so it can be stored on any 3×3″ tubing with 1″ holes. These tabs allow you to store a Glute Ham Roller on a crossmember or an upright depending on the needed application. 

Pictured above they also have two Single Utility Roller Pads stored up and out of the way at the top of the rack.  This allows them to perform Split Squats, Nordic Curls, 45 Back Extensions and Glute Ham Roller exercises without leaving the rack station making workouts more efficient. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, maximizing the efficiency of each training session is crucial, especially in team sports settings where time is limited. Given that training blocks can shrink to 40 minutes or less, and this duration aligns with the optimal intensity window for athletes, it becomes essential to streamline every aspect of the workout. By focusing on effective planning and execution, you can ensure that every minute counts, helping athletes to achieve their peak performance and maintain high levels of intensity throughout their training. Prioritizing efficiency not only makes the most of the available time but also enhances the overall effectiveness of your training programs.

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