Power Program

An 8-week power block built around contrast training — pairing heavy strength sets with explosive movements to exploit post-activation potentiation. Designed for athletes who need to be explosive, not just strong.

Overview

Four sessions per week: two heavy strength days and two contrast/plyometric days. The block develops power across the entire force-velocity curve — from heavy grinding strength to max-velocity jumps.

Block structure:

• Weeks 1–2: Introduction — learn the movements, establish baselines
• Weeks 3–4: Build — higher plyometric volume, contrast pairs
• Week 5: Deload
• Weeks 6–7: Peak — max intensity, French contrast
• Week 8: Taper + testing

Who It Is For

• Football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, wrestling, track athletes
• Anyone whose sport rewards jumping, throwing, or sprinting
• Athletes who’ve built a strength base
• Anyone in an off-season or general prep phase

Not for:

• Beginners (build strength first — you can’t express what you don’t have)
• Athletes with active knee, ankle, or hip injuries
• Anyone mid-season with high game volume

Weekly Structure

Day	Focus
Monday	Contrast A — Lower body
Tuesday	Strength A — Upper body
Thursday	Contrast B — Lower body (different pair)
Friday	Strength B — Full body, power emphasis

Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday are rest days.

Contrast Training — What It Is

A contrast pair is a heavy lift followed by an explosive movement targeting similar muscles.

Classic examples:

• Back Squat (3 reps @ 85%) → rest 3 min → Vertical Jump (3 reps)
• Trap Bar Deadlift (3 reps @ 85%) → rest 3 min → Broad Jump (3 reps)
• Bench Press (3 reps @ 85%) → rest 3 min → Med Ball Chest Throw (3 reps)
• Front Squat (3 reps @ 80%) → rest 3 min → Box Jump (3 reps)

The heavy set primes the nervous system. The explosive set teaches it to fire fast. Together they build power better than either alone.

Sample Session — Contrast A (Lower)

Warm-up (15 min):

• Dynamic mobility (World’s Greatest Stretch, leg swings, hip openers)
• A-skips, B-skips, high knees, butt kicks
• Build-up to first heavy pair

Contrast Pair 1:

• Back Squat — 4×3 @ 85% 1RM
• Rest 3 minutes
• Vertical Jump — 4×3 (reset, full effort, step down)

Contrast Pair 2:

• Trap Bar Deadlift — 3×3 @ 85% 1RM
• Rest 3 minutes
• Broad Jump — 3×3

Accessory:

• Split Squat — 3×8 per leg @ RPE 7
• Nordic Curl — 3×5–8
• Calf Raise — 4×10–12

Cooldown: Walk, light mobility.

Sample Session — Strength A (Upper)

1. Bench Press — 4×3–5 @ RPE 7–8
2. Overhead Press — 3×5 @ RPE 7
3. Barbell Row — 4×5–6 @ RPE 7
4. Pull-up (weighted) — 3×5–6 @ RPE 8
5. Dumbbell Row — 3×8–10
6. Triceps + Bicep Superset — 3×10–12

Plyometric Progression

Build slowly. Plyometric volume is measured in ground contacts (each landing = 1 contact; depth jumps count as 2–3).

Week	Contacts/Session	Intensity
1	40–60	Low (box jumps, broad jumps)
2	50–70	Low-moderate
3	60–80	Moderate (add bounds)
4	60–80	Moderate
5 (Deload)	20–30	Low
6	80–100	Moderate-high (depth jumps)
7	80–100	High (add French contrast)
8 (Taper)	20–30	Low (test only)

Progression Rules

Strength:

• Weeks 1–4: Add 5–10 lbs per week on main lifts, RPE 7–8
• Weeks 6–7: Keep weights constant, focus on speed of execution
• Never go above RPE 8 on heavy sets. This is a power block, not a strength peak.

Contrast pairs:

• Weeks 1–2: 3 sets per pair, moderate weight
• Weeks 3–4: 4 sets per pair
• Weeks 6–7: 5 sets per pair, or upgrade to French contrast

Plyometrics: See table above.

Force-Velocity Balance

This block trains the whole curve:

• Heavy (85%+): 4×3 back squat, trap bar deadlift
• Moderate (60–80%): 3×5 front squat, jump squat with load
• Light (30–60%): Med ball throws, loaded jumps
• Bodyweight: Max-effort jumps, sprints

You need all four. If you only train heavy, you’ll be slow. If you only train jumps, you’ll be weak. Both together = powerful.

Testing Battery

Test at week 1 and week 8:

• Vertical jump
• Broad jump
• Med ball throw distance (chest pass, rotational)
• Power clean 3RM or 1RM (if you know the lift)
• 10m sprint

Meaningful improvements: 2cm vertical, 5cm broad, 1 lb med ball throw.

Recovery

Power is the most CNS-demanding quality. Recovery matters more than volume.

• Sleep: 7–9 hours. This is not negotiable.
• Protein: 1.6–2.2 g/kg per day
• Calories: at or slightly above maintenance
• 48 hours minimum between hard power sessions
• Never train power on fatigued legs. If you’re sore from yesterday, skip the contrast pair and do strength work instead.

Deload Protocol

Week 5:

• Cut volume 40–50%
• Keep intensity (same weights on heavy sets)
• Cut plyometric contacts to 30
• No contrast pairs — do straight strength work

Week 8:

• Taper — low volume, low intensity
• Test at end of week

Common Pitfalls

• Training power when tired. The #1 mistake. Power requires a fresh CNS.
• Too much plyometric volume. More is not better. 100 contacts is plenty.
• Skipping the strength work. You can’t express force you don’t have.
• Going heavy every week. This is a power block, not a strength peak.
• Landing hard. Every jump must land soft and quiet. Loud landings = joint stress.

When to Switch

• After 8 weeks: retest. Either repeat the block (with new 1RMs) or transition to a sport-specific or maintenance phase.
• In-season: replace one contrast day with sport practice.
• If power stalls: check force-velocity balance. Most athletes need more strength work, not more jumping.

Journal

Uses the Training Log — Power template. Track jump heights, throw distances, heavy set RPE, and contrast-day quality.

Related Resources

• Power (concept page)
• Speed (concept page — overlapping quality)
• Hypertrophy (concept page — for building the base)
• Progressive Overload (concept page)
• Deloading (concept page)