Your volleyball strength training should include exercises that work the core in conjunction with the upper and lower body movements.
Exercises for training the upper body…
When you work the upper body, you want to work the core muscles, not just your arms and torso.
1. Standing cable rows
Get in a squat stance with knees over ankles and shoulders over hips. Don’t round shoulders forward.
2. Standing cable rows lunge stance
Knee over ankle, nice straight spine, stabilize with core muscles, and pull with your back muscles.
3. Standing cable rows lunge stance with one leg on a stability disc Balance the front leg. knee over ankle and balancing using the lower leg muscles. Pull with the back muscles and stabilize with the core.
4. Standing alternating cable rows
Turn belly button towards the machine as you row. Keep shoulders over your hips and don’t let them round forward. This exercise will help you get more rotational power with your spiking.
5. Bent arm lat pull
Neutral spine alignment. As you stretch pull down to the bottom.
6. Bent arm pull down using resistance bands
Improves your explosive hitting.
7. One arm dumbbell row
One arm on bench to help with support while keeping spine nice and straight. In volleyball, a strong back and rear shoulder are crucial to injury prevention.
The next progression is the one arm dumbbell row without leaning on the bench.
An even more advanced progression is one arm dumbbell row without leaning on bench and standing on one leg. You’ll feel this more in the glutes.
8. Push ups
Push ups are probably the most important exercise when is comes to building upper body strength. You should definitely include them in your volleyball strength training program.
Lower and raise yourself as one unit. Keep straight line down back from top of head down spine.
9. Windmill push ups for more of a challenge. Open up at the top. Core stabilization and shoulder stabilization.
Another variation is stability ball push ups. Put legs on ball and perform decline push ups.
You can also progress to toes on the ball.
Another progression is one foot toes on ball with other leg up in the air.
10. Stability ball push ups with hands on ball
Holding and balancing the ball keeping the abs tight to support the back muscles. Obviously this is a core exercise as well as an arm exercise.
Next progression is two stability ball push ups. One hand on each ball balancing torso with belly button drawn in.
11. Balance ball pullovers using bands
This exercise will add a lot of power to your spike. Keep a nice straight line from knees to hips to shoulders. Hold your hips up to keep from being pulled back over the ball. Really having to engage core muscles.
12. Balance ball dumbbell press
Knee, hip, and shoulder are in a straight line. Progress to an alternating press. One arm stays at the top while the other arm is pressing.
Next progression is the alternating press with uneven load. Roll across the ball as you are pressing. Hips are staying nice and high.
Partial squat with bent arm front raise
This exercise is just like you’re loading before an explosive jump to spike. This builds shoulder strength and explosive jumping power. Sit back and keep stomach nice and tight.
13. Bent over rear delt raises
Have a nice straight back. Start with palms facing inward and lift to a 45 degree angle. Also lift to a 90 degree angle. Then also front to back with each arm.
14. Wood chops for power
Sit low and loaded. Keep a nice flat neutral spine. Use a power move to rotate to the top. From low to high. Rotate back down to the bottom. This can also be done with bands.
You can also use a weighted ball for wood chops and also many other volleyball strength training exercises.
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