Unlocking Horizontal Power: Why Lever Arms are a Staple of Our Sprint Development Program
The ultimate goal of field and track athleticism is the efficient projection of mass. Our industry teaches to produce massive amounts of horizontal force and direct it precisely into the ground. While the traditional barbell is king for absolute vertical strength, mastering the transition from rotation to translation requires a different toolset.
That is where lever arms—specifically, our Sorinex Jammer Arms—come into play.
At Santa Monica College, these lever arm movements are not a gimmick or an occasional accessory; they are an absolute staple of our offseason strength and conditioning program. If you train athletes who need to accelerate, change direction, and run at elite speeds, understanding how to leverage this tool is a game-changer.
Here is a look at why we use them, the specific mechanics they target, and how you can get access to our complete, step-by-step movement resource.
The Key Training Variable: Rotation to Translation
When an athlete accelerates or sprints, they aren’t just moving in a straight, sterile line. The human body produces force through rotational mechanisms—the hips, the torso, and the shoulders—and must seamlessly convert that rotational torque into linear, horizontal translation down the track or field.
Standard weight room exercises often miss this connection. A heavy squat or deadlift trains vertical force, but it doesn’t replicate the angular, unilateral force application required to drive out of a static start or transition through the acceleration phase.
With the Jammer Arms, we can anchor the movement axis. This allows the athlete to aggressively rotate their hips and torso against heavy resistance, forcing the kinetic chain to convert that rotation into true, horizontal explosiveness.
Get the Full Resource: Progressions, Movements, and Programming
To help coaches and athletes implement this effectively, I have compiled our entire library of lever arm protocols into a comprehensive digital resource.
This isn’t just a list of random exercises. It is a structured system featuring a wide variety of movements and strict progressions designed to take an athlete from foundational coordination to elite, chaotic power outputs.
Inside this resource, you’ll find:
Foundational Progressions: How to teach athletes to establish a solid base, find their angles, and manage the unique arc of the lever.
Unilateral & Rotational Variations: Specific movements that isolate single-leg drive and rotational hip power.
Velocity-Based Progressions: Ballistic and plyometric-style jammer movements designed for peak rate of force development (RFD).
Coaching Cues & Visuals: The exact first-principle coaching cues we use on the floor at SMC to correct common flaws instantly.
Access the Full Guide
This resource was originally built as an internal blueprint, but I am now making it available exclusively to our paid Substack subscribers.
If you train athletes, teach movement mechanics, or are an athlete looking to unlock a new gear of horizontal explosiveness, you will find immense value in this breakdown. Upgrade your subscription today to unlock the full movement library, video progressions, and programming logic.
Upgrade to Paid & Access the Lever Arm Resource
**Originally published in 2025**
