Literature is scarce on how players with poorly and well developed physical qualities respond to different combinations of strength-power training during in-season. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of (i) compound training performed by stronger athletes at different days and (ii) complex training performed by weaker athletes within the same training session. Twenty male handball players were classified as strong or weak according to countermovement jump performance and assigned to a 12-week training programme. Linear sprint, changes of direction, repeated sprint ability and vertical jump capacity were used to assess physical profiles. Compound training performed by stronger players resulted in unclear effects on vertical jump, 20-m and repeated sprint. Likely improvements were found in 10-m sprint (-11.3%; 11.9%). Weaker players who performed complex training presented likely and very likely improvements on vertical jump (13.7%; 5.4%), sprint (10 m, -10.7%; 10.3%; 20 m, -6.0%; 3.4%) and repeated sprint (-4.1%; 3.7%) with moderate to large effect size. The results show that complex and compound strategies are useful in improving the physical profiles of weaker players and maintaining stronger players' capacities during in-season, respectively. Players involved in the same competitive context, even from the same team, may require different strength training strategies.
Keywords: Strength training; handball; periodization; power training.