As we "get older", there comes a point in time where you must ensure that you are capable. The excuses of age, time and anything else are really all just BS. At the time of this writing I am creeping up on age 46. I don't chase the 1RM anymore but I still lift heavy with the basics. I make sure my heart is pumping with sleds and hill sprints. Some of you have airdyne bikes and rowers, this is excellent. Bodyweight Training is a must. You should always be able to squat, lunge, pull … [Read more...]
Strength Coach Tips: Training Youth Athletes VS High School Athletes
I must admit, it breaks my heart when I see a “strength coach“ having a 12-year-old kid maxing out on the deadlift or maxing out on the back squat. I'm seeing kids who weigh under 100 lbs performing round back deadlifts, crashing onto a bench for a "box squat", benching while hip thrusting the heavens. This kind of dangerous training gives us ALL a bad name. Parents do NOT know the difference between the Coach who is training a young kid in the same manner of an adult powerlifter. In … [Read more...]
5 Thoughts (Tips) on Program Design for Athletes
I love studying and talking program design. But even more so, I LOVE Coaching. You see, LOTS of books, articles, "influencers" can TALK about program design but can you COACH? Can you COMMAND the room? I want to share these 5 thoughts (maybe you will see them as tips, maybe not) regarding Strength & Conditioning. If you're hungry to learn, this is for you. If you're "good enough" or "too busy", get back to searching for fads and gimmicks. Move along, nothing to see here, … [Read more...]
WHY You Must Train When It REALLY Matters
I was planning on training. I had come off a long weekend in which one night I slept about 2 1/2 hours and then drove 105 miles each way to train several groups of wrestlers. I was exhausted but no one would ever know. I keep those feelings on lock down. My emotions, my energy.... I push myself. I wanted to get that training session in but one thing piled up after another and the clock struck 8 PM. Finally. It was time to go home. Or, was it? … [Read more...]
Leg Strength and Mental Toughness: How to Get it
Finishing a workout with heavy sled and prowler training is a top notch way to develop legs of steel and high octane conditioning. Mental toughness can be trained by pushing the pace, cutting rest periods, going heavier, racing against others and doing an extra set when everyone else quits. You can finish your workout with the sled and prowler or you can hit them hard and create an entire lower body workout with these two training tools. Check out the end of a workout that our athletes went … [Read more...]