Training Hierarchy
For most of us, the time we can dedicate to training is limited. So, the time spend training should be specific and focussed on those elements that are going to improve your athleticism and fitness the most: spend in a way that gives you the most “bang for your buck”.
Which sounds great, but how to determine what to work on?
Gray Cook’s performance pyramid (see picture below) provides a great starting point to review an athlete’s abilities and determine priorities. In his book Movement (2010), he sketches an optimal performance pyramid in which a number of fundamental elements of sports and performance are divided over three hierarchical layers: Movement, Performance and Skill. These layers form a pyramid The idea is that a pyramid is only as strong as it is wide: each layer influences the layer above.
For example, a lack of stability (Movement layer) will often decrease ones ability to express strength (Performance layer). On the other hand, an increase in stability often leads to increased strength. An optimal Performance Pyramid should look like the picture below, each layer should be built on a bigger lower layer. The Performance Pyramid represents an ideal depiction of an athlete’s profile.
When setting training priorities, first we try and get a sense of how an athlete’s capabilities are divided over the layers to create a profile of that specific athlete. Then we compare the layers relative to each other and work bottom-up to achieve the most ideal pyramid for each athlete. This will give us a good indication of where to start and where the “low-hanging fruit” is.
The layers
Movement
The first and fundamental layer is Movement. Movement’s key elements are the mobility and stability of the different joints as well as the right motor skills to coordinate movement between those joints. Every athlete, ideally, can move unrestricted through the main functional movement patterns: Squatting, Lunging, Hinging, Pushing, Pulling, Carrying(Walking), Twisting. If this is not the case, restoring natural movement should always be the number one priority and builds a foundation for further athletic development. Movement screens and tests can help to identify any movement restrictions and help to prioritize training. Corrective exercises can be implemented to help athletes regain mobility, stability, and improve movement patterns.
Resolving movement restrictions not only decreases injury risk it also improves performance. For instance, by increasing previously limited hip internal rotation, an athlete can easily increase stride length and improve his/her running efficiency. This improvement will often automatically lead to an improvement of endurance by lowering the energy demand of running. This shows that by resolving issues in the lowest layer, performance in the highest layer can be improved because endurance is a key element of the Performance layer!
Simple drills to improve mobility in their ankles and shoulders or stability hips and lower back, can often quickly improve performance! For a lot of people, these things are the “low-hanging fruit” of the Movement layer and will lead to results in a few sessions. Especially for those who spend most of their time sitting in static positions. Once a solid movement base is established the attention is switched to the next layer is Performance.
Performance
The Performance layer encompasses most elements that are usually associated with strength and conditioning training. These include endurance, strength, speed, power, agility and coordination training. Training this layer can be done through a big variety of modalities like, classic resistance training for strength, plyometrics for explosiveness, Olympic lifts for power, hand-eye coordination drills for agility, the list is endless. And especially because it is so endless, it is important to set priorities to determine what the spend the time on.
It is important to note, that different sports require a different type of athlete with different levels of strength and fitness. Therefore, ideal levels of strength and fitness are sports dependent and require a case by case review. Additionally, it is good to note that, apart from pure power sports like powerlifting and weightlifting, all performance eventually is based on power and explosiveness. That includes derivates like agility and speed. Therefore, the goal of the Performance layer should always be to create a better athlete, which is not always necessarily a stronger athlete.
Having said that, from a broader perspective there is also a certain hierarchy within the Performance layer. In most cases, you’ll want to build a solid strength and conditioning base before we start layering on advanced power and explosiveness. Athletes who haven’t done any specific strength and conditioning training before, often benefit the most from working on increased endurance and general strength. An increase in base strength often results in improvements in multiple aspects like explosiveness, agility and speed. Additionally, increased strength and endurance often reduce injury risk by enabling an athlete to withstand greater forces and for a longer time. When fatigue sets in technique tend to fail which leads to poor movement and higher injury risk. Not to say that there isn’t a place for plyometric and power drills with beginning athletes, but that’s a full topic in itself.
For a lot of people, increasing strength and endurance are the “low-hanging fruit” of the performance layer. After this base is established more advanced plyometrics or specific power drills can add an extra boost to the Performance layer.
Skill
The last layer is sport-specific skills where the capabilities from the previous two layers are brought into practice and used in the sport. Where the newly acquired speed and agility are translated into actual competitive performance. This is where the sport-specific training comes in and is outside the scope of general strength and conditioning. Although, it is key to take the activities in this layer into account when designing a training plan to determine an athlete’s load capacity.
So let’s look at two examples:
A very strong and quick track and field athlete who performs at a high skill level, but has limited mobility in the joints of his lower limb.
We could say this athlete has a relatively small Movement layer. This athlete will initially benefit the most from a training program aimed at increasing his mobility. The initial focus of the training will be to restore full mobility in his lower limbs and restore the ability to use and control this new range-of-motion.
2. A very flexible and mobile weightlifter who has a great range of motion but lacks the strength to bounce out of the bottom of a squat.
In this case, we could say that the athlete has a relatively narrow Performance, the athlete lacks strength and stiffness. The athlete will benefit the most from specific strength and power training. The program would initially focus on creating strength specifically related to the lower part of a full-squat.
Final thoughts
It is important to note that setting priorities doesn’t mean that the other layers should be completely ignored or neglected. There is only so much strength or mobility work you can do in a training session, and combining certain elements can often amplify the progress across the board. However, using the Performance Pyramid as a starting point will help to determine priorities and set a hierarchy within a training plan. It also gives a baseline to compare the progress to and subsequently adjust the training where needed. And maybe even more importantly, help you decide on what not to do.
Having said that, everybody is different, with different starting and endpoint and altogether different journey. If you want to discover what your “low-hanging fruit” is. Click on this link to see how I can help you.