Training high school athletes has become quite popular among high school athletic coaches. Unfortunately, not much thought is placed into building these athletes into “Beasts.”

Powerlifting is awesome for developing strength and speed and adding muscle, but the majority of high school athletes are too weak to perform any of the three big lifts properly, due to their lack of muscle and strength.

Just like children attend pre-school, then elementary school, then middle school and so on, an athlete must go through training phases to prepare them for the rigors ahead. If these phases are skipped, athletes can expect injuries, poor technique, lack of progress and disappointment.

A well-planned physical preparation program will also prepare athletes mentally for what is ahead, and give them the confidence to control the weights when the time comes.

These are some of my favorite movements for building young athletes up physically and mentally, and readying them for powerlifting. Aside from the amazing results young athletes can experience with General Physical Preparation (GPP) Phases, another plus is that the following sample movements can be performed in large groups with minimal equipment.

Sled Drags. This exercise is extremely powerful, and easy to teach and learn. The movement is easy to coach, easy to learn and yields a high return in results. Drag the sled forward, backward and sideways. Pull the straps hand over hand to simulate rope climbing. You can sprint and even bear-crawl with sleds. This is the answer for improving overall conditioning, leg strength and even mental toughness.

Push-ups and pull-ups. These two moves are an old standby, yet I have seen countless varsity football players unable to perform even one pull-up or five perfect push-ups. Young athletes should perform these movements while training and also as “homework.” They should perform several sets of each exercise several times a day, three to six days a week. This allows each set to be practiced when fresh, creating better focus and better technique. This “perfect practice” is a very powerful way to improve strength in these movements. Remember, strength is a skill. To become stronger, one must “practice” regularly. Advanced athletes can perform these movements with added chain weight.

Carrying. The kids who grow up on farms performing manual labor day in and day out are often standout athletes. Why? Because they became strong as hell lifting, carrying and throwing hay, bags of animal feed and stones. Each “manual labor” movement requires the athlete to perform a squat/deadlift motion or a power clean. It’s only one rep at a time, but each rep adds up, day after day, month after month. Make a few sandbags, find some old stones and get some old dumbbells. It’s time to hit farmer walks and carries of all sorts. Perform a perfect rep to pick up the weight and a perfect rep to return the weight to the ground after carrying it for distance.

Animal walks. Movement of all sorts and types is critical for the development of an athlete. In training, they should jump on and off various objects, sprint across and up various surfaces, perform partner movements such as the wheelbarrow or hand walking, jumping rope and more. All day young athletes sit on their asses, thanks to this era of computers and technology. In training, I want to see them move the way wild animals move. This is especially powerful for the development of speed, lower body strength, and power and upper body strength a conditioning.

Before you decide to implement the squat, deadlift and bench press, or even the variations of the Big Three, make sure you’ve built a solid foundation. Remember, if you want to be as strong as a house, you better have the foundation first!

Zach Even-Esh is a performance coach in New Jersey. He owns The Underground Strength Gym. For more information visit www.ZachEven-Esh.com.