5 Signs Your Athlete Needs a Structured Strength Program

Your athlete is talented. They have good skills. But something's holding them back from taking their game to the next level.

Maybe they're getting pushed around on the field. Maybe they're not as fast as they should be. Or maybe they've been stuck at the same performance level for months despite working hard at practice.

As someone who's worked with hundreds of Lincoln-Way athletes over the years, I can tell you this: the missing piece is almost always structured strength training.

Here are the five signs that tell me an athlete is ready to start a proper strength program—and what happens when they finally do.

Sign #1: They're Getting Pushed Around

This is the most obvious sign, and it's frustrating for both athletes and parents to watch.

Your athlete has good position. They're in the right spot. But when contact happens, they get moved. In basketball, they're getting pushed under the basket. In soccer, they're losing 50-50 balls. In football, they're getting driven back instead of holding their ground.

The issue isn't effort or technique—it's physics. When two athletes collide, the stronger one usually wins. It's that simple.

Strength training changes this equation. An athlete who can squat, deadlift, and produce force becomes harder to move. They hold their position better. They win more physical battles. Coaches notice. Opponents notice.

What This Looks Like at REBUILT

We had a soccer player—skilled player, great technical ability—who was constantly getting knocked off the ball by bigger opponents. After three months of consistent strength training, she added significant strength to her lower body and core.

Her coach pulled her dad aside after a game and said, "I don't know what she's doing differently, but she's playing so much more physical now." That's what proper strength training does.

Sign #2: They're Not Physical Enough for Their Position

Different positions demand different physical qualities. If your athlete doesn't have the physical tools their position requires, they'll always be playing from behind.

• Linemen need to be strong and powerful to move opponents
• Wrestlers need grip strength and core stability to control positions
• Basketball post players need lower body strength to establish position
• Running backs need explosive power to break tackles

Skills and sport-specific practice develop the technical side. But the physical qualities? Those come from the weight room.

I see this all the time: athletes with great instincts and technique who simply don't have the physical capacity to execute at a high level. They know what to do; they just don't have the strength or power to do it effectively against better competition.

Sign #3: Their Performance Has Plateaued

Here's a pattern I see constantly: an athlete makes good progress in their sport for a year or two, then hits a wall. They practice just as hard, they're just as dedicated, but they're not getting better.

This plateau happens because sport-specific practice alone has limitations.

Think about it. If your athlete only practices their sport, they're only stressing their body in sport-specific ways. Eventually, the body adapts to that stress and stops improving. You need to introduce new stimuli—and that's exactly what strength training provides.

Strength training creates new adaptations:

• Increased muscle mass and force production capacity
• Improved nervous system efficiency
• Enhanced power output
• Better movement mechanics under load

These adaptations transfer directly to sport performance. The athlete who's been stuck at the same vertical jump for six months? Add 50 pounds to their back squat, and watch that vertical increase. The sprinter who can't drop their times? Build their posterior chain strength, and those times start falling.

Sign #4: Recovery Takes Too Long

Does your athlete feel beat up all the time? Are they sore for days after games? Do they seem to be constantly battling minor aches and pains?

This might seem counterintuitive, but proper strength training actually improves recovery and reduces injury risk.

Here's why: strength training strengthens not just muscles, but also tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue. It builds resilience in the tissues that take a beating during sports. Athletes with a solid strength base can absorb more force, recover faster, and stay healthier throughout the season.

Compare that to athletes who only do sport-specific work. They're constantly stressing the same tissues in the same ways, with no systematic strength development to build durability. It's like driving a car hard without ever doing maintenance—eventually, things break down.

The Durability Factor

At REBUILT, we don't just focus on making athletes stronger. We focus on making them more durable. That means:

• Addressing muscle imbalances that lead to injury
• Strengthening commonly injured areas (hamstrings, ankles, shoulders)
• Building work capacity so athletes can handle high training volumes
• Improving movement quality to reduce wear and tear

Athletes who train with us consistently report fewer injuries and faster recovery between games. That's not luck—that's the result of systematic strength development.

Sign #5: They Want to Compete at the Next Level

If your athlete has aspirations of playing at the college level, here's a hard truth: strength training isn't optional. It's mandatory.

College coaches expect incoming athletes to have a strength training background. They want athletes who can handle the physical demands of college sports and who won't spend their freshman year just building basic strength.

The athletes who get recruited aren't just skilled—they're physically prepared. They have the strength numbers, the speed metrics, and the power output that college programs are looking for.

If your athlete is serious about playing beyond high school, the question isn't whether they should be strength training. The question is: why aren't they already?

Addressing the #1 Concern: "Will It Stunt Their Growth?"

Let me address this head-on because it's the concern I hear most often from parents: No, properly supervised strength training will not stunt your athlete's growth.

This is a myth that refuses to die despite decades of research proving otherwise. Here are the facts:

• Multiple research studies show that age-appropriate strength training is safe for young athletes
• Strength training does not damage growth plates when performed with proper technique and supervision
• The injury rate in supervised youth strength training is actually lower than in most youth sports
• Organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics actively encourage strength training for young athletes

What CAN cause problems? Poor programming, lack of supervision, ego lifting, and inappropriate loads. That's why the quality of the program and coaching matters so much.

At REBUILT, every athlete is coached on proper technique before we add weight. We progress systematically based on demonstrated competency, not arbitrary timelines. We supervise every rep and every set. That's why our athletes get stronger without getting hurt.

The Real Benefits of Structured Strength Training

When athletes start training properly, here's what actually happens:

Increased athletic performance. Stronger athletes run faster, jump higher, and move more explosively. This isn't theory—it's measurable reality that we see in our testing.

Injury prevention. Strong muscles, tendons, and ligaments are more resistant to injury. Athletes who strength train miss less time due to injury.

Improved body composition. Strength training builds lean muscle mass and improves metabolic health. Athletes look more athletic because they are more athletic.

Enhanced confidence. There's something about setting PRs in the weight room that builds mental toughness and confidence. Athletes who get stronger start believing they can improve in other areas too.

Long-term health. The strength and movement patterns athletes develop now set them up for a lifetime of better health and function, whether they continue in sports or not.

What "Structured" Actually Means

Here's the thing: not all strength training is created equal. The "structured" part of structured strength training is what makes it effective.

A structured program means:

• Professional coaching - Every athlete gets supervised and coached on technique
• Progressive overload - Systematic increases in load, volume, or intensity over time
• Individualization - Programs adapted to each athlete's sport, position, and current abilities
• Objective tracking - We measure everything to ensure progress is actually happening
• Periodization - Training varies between off-season building phases and in-season maintenance

This is completely different from athletes messing around in a school weight room with no supervision, following random internet workouts, or just lifting heavy with no plan. Those approaches don't work and can be dangerous.

The Bottom Line

If your athlete is experiencing any of these five signs, they're ready for structured strength training:

1. Getting pushed around in competition
2. Not physical enough for their position
3. Performance has plateaued despite hard work
4. Recovery takes too long between games
5. They want to compete at the next level

Strength training isn't just for elite athletes. It's for any young athlete who wants to perform better, stay healthier, and reach their potential.

The athletes who start strength training early and do it consistently? They're the ones dominating their positions by junior and senior year. They're the ones getting recruited. They're the ones whose bodies can handle the demands of high-level competition.

Don't wait until your athlete is injured or completely plateaued. The best time to start strength training was a year ago. The second best time is now. Contact us to learn how we can help your athlete build the strength they need to succeed.