Volleyball Weight Training

Volleyball weight training and what equipment is right for volleyball.

      Should You Be Doing Leg Presses for Volleyball?

Weight lifting equipment for volleyball includes dumbbells, barbells, squat racks, smith machines, and kettlebells. 

Free Weights vs Machines

Are Exercise Machines Good for Volleyball Players?

Free weights are weight training equipment such as dumbbells and barbells. They are called free weights because you must control the movement of the weight during the exercise.  

Essentially, free weights involve using core muscles more so than exercise machines. When performing free weight exercises, you must stabilize your body. For example, during the barbell back squat, you must balance the weight (not let your body tilt forward or move side to side). This is done by activating your core (trunk muscles). 

Volleyball Weight Training

Volleyball Squats and Lunges


When performing a hack squat using a machine, the machine is stabilizing the weight. The weight lifting equipment helps control the weight allowing for a much safer movement. 

During this hack squat example, your back is being supported by the machine. This squat movement is much less specific to sports than free weight squats. For example, when you jump or lunge to play a ball in volleyball, you aren't dependent on a machine for balance.

Advantages of free weights…...

  • Get more work done in a shorter amount of time.

  • Free weights are more versatile than machines because free weights allow for more variations in the range of motion.

  • Strength training using free weights is similar to how you must control external weight in sports and real life.

If you enjoyed these tips and would like to keep it close to you at any time, just save this pin to your Pinterest Volleyball Training Board.

Volleyball Weight Training Equipment

Volleyball Weight Training

Disadvantages of free weights…...

  • Certain free weight exercises are harder to perform.

  • You need to be taught correct weight lifting technique of many free weight exercises.

  • Many exercises require a spotter. For example, you need a spotter for any exercise that involves lifting weight up above your face (dumbbell bench press).

Advantages of exercise machines…...

  • Since the machines typically control the movement of the weight, exercise technique is much less critical than free weights.

  • You are a lot less likely to injure yourself from drop weights onto yourself.

  • On many machines you can push yourself to failure on each exercise.

  • Machines take up much less space than free weights. It also can take longer to adjust the plates for different exercises using barbells or dumbbells.

Disadvantages of exercise machines…...

  • Most machines work muscles in isolation with has little benefit to increase sports performance.

  • Machines can limit what muscle groups you can train. Most machines restrict how you can perform certain exercises.

  • Machines can be very expensive.

Most of our daily tasks involve free weight type movements. Picking up groceries or books are free weight movements. These objects are different from machines in that they arent fixed weights that only move in a certain direction after you get the machine set up. 

Many machines are ineffective weight lifting equipment for volleyball. Machines that control the exercise movement and work muscles in isolation are typically not sport specific. Performing exercises in isolation movements are considered non-functional and may actually be decreasing your athletic ability and lead you to injury. 

If you are thinking of buy exercise machines for your school or home gym, you need to consider the functionality of the exercise machine.


Volleyball Weight Training Related Pages

Conditioning
Volleyball conditioning programs help athletes become ready to compete in big volleyball matches and tournaments. Strength, speed, endurance, power, jumping

Volleyball Workouts
Volleyball workouts for increasing strength and power for volleyball. Use these workouts to improve speed, strength, and explosive power. To increase your jump and court quickness...

Core Exercises
Volleyball exercises crucial for increasing strength and power for volleyball. The key to being strong and powerful is being able to fire the right muscles at the right time...

Volleyball Core Training
Volleyball strength training for increased spiking power. Important to train the core while strengthening your upper body. Strengthening the core will improve both your jumping and spiking power...

Best Volleyball Conditioning Method?
How to condition for volleyball. Is running good for volleyball? What's the best way to get in shape? Jumping, sprinting, agility drills, plyometrics...these are better than running ...

Volleyball Endurance Training
Volleyball cardio workouts for volleyball. Why going out for a run is likely a waste of time and hurting your volleyball player performance. Difference between aerobic training and anaerobic...

Free Weight Exercises
Why all volleyball players should have dumbbells as part of volleyball weight training. Adjustable sets versus cheap, low cost cast iron...

Dumbbell Volleyball Exercises 
Volleyball dumbbell exercises are great for training the core. Develop volleyball strength and power by focusing on volleyball weight training working stability along with mobility...

Exercises for Volleyball 
Exercises for volleyball to improve core strength and power. Key to maximizing performance is stability, mobility, speed, vertical jumping explosiveness...

Volleyball Spike Machines 
Volleyball machines such as the Spike Trainer help improve spiking technique using the most cost-effective and durable spiking machine on the market...

Workouts by Position
Workout for volleyball tips and advice for strength training. Conditioning and the correct drills for preventing injury

Jump Training
Volleyball jump training tips for making simple adjustments to increase your vertical jump for volleyball. Learn these tricks to improve spiking and blocking.


Weight Training


FOLLOW US TO STAY IN TOUCH: