Three great athletic training exercises
There are many athletes who want to get faster, stronger, more powerful whatever their goal may be. Often, they see cool exercises on social media and try to replicate them. Now, I’ll always say: there are no single exercises that will develop true movement power and ability but there are programs that will. Exercises are just puzzle pieces. And puzzle pieces only work when they fit into the right puzzle.
Coming off that little rant, here are a few exercises that can be productive additions to your training program:
Sagittal Plane (Forward and Back): Kettlebell Clean March
Why: Builds explosive power in a straight line think sprinting or jumping.
Focus: Triple extension (hips, knees, ankles) and isolates one side of the body.
Tip: Keep reps low; focus on speed and technique.
Bonus: Helps improve neuromuscular efficiency and hip drive.
Frontal Plane (Side to Side): Lateral Lunge to High Knee
Why: Strengthens lateral power and single leg stability.
Focus: Explosive push-off and controlled landing.
Tip: Pause on each weight shift to build reactive strength and movement awareness under pressure.
Bonus: Excellent for injury prevention and improving movement control.
Transverse Plane (Rotational): Rotational Med Ball Slam
Why: Develops rotational torque key for swinging, throwing, and cutting.
Focus: Explosive hip rotation and core control.
Tip: Keep the hips and chest synced power comes from the ground up.
Bonus: Easily scalable for all levels.
Training across all three planes allows the body to build strength through movement, not just in movement. Add these three exercises into a 2–4 week cycle and enjoy the benefits.
Written by:
Kirill Vaks
BA, CSCS
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Voorhees Flyers Training center.
The Hollydell ice arena, in the main building.
