Cool it Buddy!!!!

With so much emphasis on dynamic warm-up, activation, and the workout itself , people are neglecting a pivotal part of every single workout. Cooling down is often planned but not followed through or sometimes it's not even considered when programming. There are a variety of advantages to this modality to recovery, some include: return of heart rate to resting levels, removing acidic metabolites, reducing adrenaline and noradrenaline to facilitate endocrine function....etc. Wow that is some important stuff when you think about these things compounding over time from the summation of loads of previous workouts. This is also important to consider when competing . You ever wonder why people will run a 5k or even a marathon and shortly after take an easy jog or walk or another 20-40 min? In extreme cases like this water-electrolyte balance can take 2 or more days to recover(Viru, 1995). And for higher intensity workouts or sports it is known that a decrease in circulating blood volume due to water accumulation in intra- and extra- cellular compartments of muscles(Sejersted, 1986). Those are just two examples in which facilitates the need for cooling down protocols. When considering what to do in a cool down a couple things to consider are any exercise that is low impact/intensity, stretching, meditating, message...The list is endless. Often times people don't think they have time or lack the motivation to fit in 20 min or so to get a jump start in recovery. A good thing to do is consider a routine of exercises or activity that could help you out. Some time savers could be walking to a gym if your close, stretch in the shower...not at the gym;) or run some daily errands on foot if possible after you workout.

Were not Playing games...were TRAINING!

Being highly involved in team sports for my entire life even up until now, I know first hand how badly high level athletes just want to compete. It does not matter weather you are dominating out on the field, running up the score on Madden, or even performing random feats of strength. This competitiveness can be used as one of the greatest tools in your training. Think of an athletes typical off-season. it can get very...very monotonous with the same drills, conditioning, and lifts. Modification of training methods makes it possible to both concentrate on a specific motor ability and prevent excessive accommodation to familiar exercises. (Issurin, 2008) With that in mind think of your early off season goals and match it up to an activity or sport that will give you the training effect you are seeking. Not saying that this is something you would want to do as a regular part of a microcycle but the mental aspect of sport is extremely important if you want to keep the emotional level of your team high. Incorporating these modifications will go a long way in motivating players to work harder and you can usually get more out of them in these activities because competitors like to compete it is as simple as that.

Tape an Asprin to it!!

With any sport you will see your fair share of injuries. So far in football we have had a handful on some unfortunate contact injuries ranging from a back problem, ACL, and a couple hyper extensions. Currently the Athletic Trainers have turned over most all of these athletes to me for assessment/workouts. In doing do I have noticed one very pronounced commonality. Thinking in terms of the mobility/stability continuum, they are somewhat in reverse order. I have only had a few weeks to work on this in terms of reinforcing mobility and stability in the right areas with the team but after looking at these athletes whom are sidelined, it is telling me that there will be a strong emphasis on developing these qualities this off season and now. A couple things I have also gotten done is getting the AT's to stop doing repeated flexion for rehab to strengthen "core" and we have been really working the stability component. Also working on movement patterns especially the squat. Just yesterday, after getting an injured athlete with a knee injury to squat properly, he was bewildered at the fact that all the activation was burning in his hips and he didn't feel that strain one his knees and quads to bring himself up anymore. Improving these qualities and movements hopefully will get a reduction in the amount of athletes standing on the sidelines and keeping them on the field.

Squat for Speed!!

An interesting article in the Sept issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning used the relationship between 1 RM squats and 5,10, and 40 meter sprints. The general concept behind this would be that the ability to apply more force to the ground (strength!!) would aid your ability to produce a higher sprinting velocity. The subjects were football players from Appalachian State who were put through a warm up, produced a 1RM squat and then were timed in 40,10, and 5 meter increments. They then took the 1RM and divided it by the athletes BM. The end results were that those with the higher RM as compared to BM (able to squat a higher % of there body weight) ended up with faster 40 and 10 meter times. The 5 meter times were statistically non significant. In conclusion, this study would be a great practical reason to start using great free weight multi-joint movements like the squat. I emphasize free weight multi-joint because as the study also mentions no correlation between machine squats, or isolated muscle strengthening and sprint speed.

My week in training

Day 1
1A)CG Bench w/chains- 4x2-3 @205,215,225,230
2A)1 Arm Row-4x8@85
2B)Cable lift-3x8
3A)ITY
3B)Palloff Press
3C)Ext. Rotation
FT Capacity ESD- Incline treadmill sprint-20 in 22 min

Day2
Front Squat-4x2-3@315,335,355,365
Tempo Squat-4 Sereis of 60/60 intervals X3
1 leg SHELC-3x8
GHR Pulsing
ESD-Low ontensity circuit for 30 Min

Day3
ESD- Heavy Resistance Bike
3 series@20 min, 20 min, 10 min
Pk HR=157

Day 4
1A)Tempo Chins-3 series of 30-40 sec/60 PK HR=148
2A)Floor Press-3x10@100
2B)1 arm Face pull-3x10@50
3A)L-later raise 2 ext.-2x12
3B)Grappler Pulse-2x12
3C)Standing d2 Flexion

Day5
1A)Power Clean-3x5,4,3@225, 245, 265
1B)Broad Jumps-3x3
2A)Good Morning-4x5@155,185,205,225
3A)1 leg squat-3x8
3B)Ab Rollout ISO
ESD-2/45 interval runs

I have been getting my workouts in around 5:30 just to have plenty of time to get them done and have more time to work with the teams and other clients. It wasn't too hard after the first week or so. So far I have one "blow" microcycle left until my transition week and then its on to MAX STRENGTH!!

Lift great, Feel great, Play great!!

The first few weeks of our in-season program have been going fantastic. Some of the things I took into consideration was time, volume, and who we are playing. Of course it is obvious that time and volume are among the many things to keep under control in-season but, often times you miss out on a great opportunity to know whether you can push them a little harder or to back off if you don't take into account who you are playing. I'm not talking about push them harder when you play worse team or on bye weeks. Understanding the type of team you are playing should influence some adjustments in programing. Take my first couple weeks for example. Our first week we played a very weak team whom passed a lot. Usually you wouldn't want to go to crazy on lower body volume but in this case I had two in one day(Front Squat, SHELC) including a Olympic lift. Due to the light contact of the practice week and game becasue of that style, they didn't have to exhaust there legs. (Leg drive on tackle, taking on blocks...) The next week our opponent was you typical double down smash mouth running types. Realizing with more contact would require more exhaustive use of the legs, I simply reduced lower body volume to 1 lift per day. It isn't much in terms of change but it goes a long way into keeping you athletes feeling good during practice. And that old saying you play how you practice remains a top thought when thinking of designing in-season programming. Your needs lie in them playing to there greatest abilities.

5 Minutes to staying healthy!

I'm not to sure what athletic teams are doing with their warm ups but for years prior to this, the teams at my college have called warming up the sets leading up to a heavy bench press. No longer is riding a bike for 5 minutes good enough to put your body in proper position to perform dynamic movements. Recently since being appointed S&C coach for football they have been getting acquainted with glute activation. After our quick complex and dynamic war up we get into a series of bridges, clam shells, wall slides, and various leg raises. Thinking they were awkward at first, it only took a short period of time for them to realize, WOW i needed that. The first sign was that many of them would comment on how the activation "killed!" This being good by the fact they are getting great activation but bad because they are very weak in these important areas. This was also amplified by a good number of people proclaiming they were sore from the activation. This is definitely a step in the right direction to getting them in the best position to avoid injuries as much as possible. Aside from soreness many have stated that they felt great after the workouts as if they had more energy and wanted to keep going once they were done warming up. This obviously shows a boost in subjective readiness provided by an unfamiliar stimulus. So, if you haven't been keeping up with your activation work just know your missing out on some serious energy, prevention, and basically functional well-being.

Needs vs Wants

So far one of the first things that I have picked up on while working with the football team is that they "want" to do a lot of auxiliary lifts. They want to isolate certain muscles, do lots of ab work, and bench all the time. Often times it is because they feel mentally that they are getting bigger, stronger, and for some reason it will help them on the field. I will often tell them it is about what they need not what they always want. Emphasizing that we will take care of things that will hopefully improve performance and keep them healthy in the short time they have for in-season workouts. Does that mean they don't get to do any curls or press downs if they want? NO! Once thy complete the workout which last approximately 35-45 minutes. They are allowed free time for around ten minutes if desired. They do a great job at getting in there mobility and activation work, lifting hard and not slacking off during rest periods, they deserve it. Also if an All-American thinks doing a couple sets of curls will make him play better, just remember, a lot of sports performance is extremely mental. Besides, athletes are being told what to do all day during school and practice that some time to do what they want for themselves is a positive whenever they an get it.

Break it down then build em' up!

When I introduced my program to the football team the firs thing I did was tell them to forget everything they knew about the power clean. "We are starting from scratch!" In there previous program the coach had them "Power cleaning" which involved bouncing weights, multiple jerking movements, and a hand full of back problems.
So starting from the beginning I have introduced basic hip extension exercises trying to groove the movement pattern in the same fashion that you would want to develop triple extension on a clean. I have taken a progression from Coach Joe Kenn and altered it to fit our resources and time circumstances. 2 days they work out in season in which they begin with what ever progression of the clean we are currently utilizing. I utilized basic extension exercises like RDL to shrug, Power shrug from floor, and now moving on to high pull from floor. Already everyone is showing vast improvements in form.
Keeping it simple all you have to cue them on is getting a tight set up then PUSH(pertaining to legs push through floor) JUMP(when bar meet knees) PULL(almost immediatley after the jump) then making sure they attain triple extension and obsorb the force to finish. I will try and get some video up when they are in the final progression and let you know any changes I have made.

Day 1,2,3 Getting up early!!

Teusday
1 Leg low box jumps
Med ball throws
1A)Heavy front squat-3x3@315, 2@335,1@355
2A)Tempo squat-3 series of 3x60 sec
3A)GHR
3B)GHR Pulsing
ESD- Concentric hypertrophy 2 min on 35 off @ 2.5 trips

Weds- ESD- FT Capacity: Heavy bike 3 series@ 20 min, 10, 19 PK HR-157

Thursday
1A)Tempo Chin up- 3series @3x30-45
2A) Floor Press-3x10 @85
2B) 1 Arm face pull-3x10 @50
3A)L-lateral raise to ext rotation-2x12
3B)Ab roller- 2x12
3C)Standing PNF D2 Flexion

All my workouts were at 6AM so I'm trying to get used to working out in the morning. This allows me the rest of the day to get in and coach and do homework. I may also start working out later at night for my ESD once im done with home work.

People to know so that you can know more

Someone once told me if you want to learn more and make better progress as a strength coach make friends with you athletic trainers. In the words of Billy Madison, "I'm glad I called THAT guy." It just so happens that one of the athletic trainers at my school is as passionate about strength and conditioning as I. It just so happens that he has access to slide boards, resistance bikes, has 10 foam rollers, a couple sets of bands, strong man implements, mini bands, and much more. All this I have been given full access to which it otherwise is off limits too everyone else unless they are an athlete in need of rehab. This will pay off big when writing programs for the football team and of course for personal use ;) SO if you are planning on being involved with any sort of exercise career get a hold of these guys. Make sure they are the ones working with teams though. there are a handful that work the desk and spend there time primarily in the training room. The ones that are working various sports throughout the year see and are confronted with a wide array of things.

To sum it up. Keeping your ideas and thoughts to yourself in regards to training is never a good thing. Often times there are people who know different ways to approach things, they can give you another perspective, and they might just be plain smarter than you. So get advice form everyone. Learn what to do and what NOT to do as well.

Block 2 Started TODAY!!

After a week of transition/unloading I now begin my next block which is the same basic mean and methods but the intensity is high. I am sure it will take more will power than strength or endurance to get me through this one, but nevertheless, it's what I need.
Day 1
Jump Rope, 1 leg line jumps, Dot drillx2
1A: CG Bench w/ 4 heavy chains-3x3 @ 205, 215, 225
2A: 1 Arm Row-3x8 @75
2B: Cable Lit-2x8
3A: ITY On incline-2x10
3B: Cable ISO hold-2x25sec
3C: Ext Rotation on knee-2x12
ESD: FT capacity-Incline treadmill 7-8 sec by 15 sprints in 20 min

Not bad for 6 AM!! Due to work in the afternoon I had to do my ESD right after lifting session. I might try and do these on Sunday because it is much harder to get HR down!!

Football Season Kicks off...and ends for some.

With the beginning College football comes long anticipated excitement for the early powerhouse match ups, first look at new players, and realizing what you can expect your favorite team to accomplish. Sadly, in recent years, what you also can expect is a handful of injuries. More evident in preseason camp than opening day, injuries due to failure of preparation is seen in the countless non-contact ACL tears, Achillese tendon ruptures, and various strains, are more prevalent now than ever. Lets look at why?
Diagnosing Football
A typical play last all of 6 seconds. In between you have about 30 or more seconds to recover. This would make football a very alactic sport. Expanding on this system would require a higher fast-twitch capacity. That would mean high intensity loaded bouts of 10 seconds or less with approximately 30 or so seconds to recover. You can build this by repeated sprints until you are unable to stay below anaerobic threhold when recovering. Eventually reaching to about 40+ sprints in a session. Not the typical 10-15.
Missing the Boat
Anymore, the majority of work you see year round is constant glycolitic ESD until the athletes can no longer move. The major downfall to this ESD is that you can expand on this capacity for only 4 weeks before it produces a diminished return. This system is also rarely used on the playing feild. Best time for development would the weeks leading up to the season.
Conclusion
The main contributor to injuries in most sports is fatigue. When your tired you compensate and get sloppy. So avoid the heavy breathing and playing your way into shape. Get your energy systems in line and take care of it so your athletes are ready to dominate before the first snap!

What You should be reading: Student Edition

As a student in the S&C field I am fairly familiar with some great, good, and some books that are a waste of time. I recently got done rearranging my room and when i got to my books it made me think which ones have helped me get to where I am today and which ones I could have done without. So here is a list of a few books that I think students must read if they are serious about being bad ass coaches.
Must Read/Watch:
Science and Practice of Sports Training-Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky
Building the Efficient Athlete-Mike Robertson and Eric Cressey
Core Performance- Mark Verstegen
Men's Health Power Training- Dos Remidios
Muscles Testing and Function- Kendall
Block Periodization- Vladimir Issurin
Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Syndromes-Sahrmann
Anatomy Trains- Thomas Myers
+ Many more....
Some things to Avoid:
Books with titles that sound like advertisement
Authors who don't train anybody or never have!!
If they promise something too good to be true
Celebrity Books
Books who don't supply references

These should be a good start. there are many more that have helped me develop my skills up until now and some I am looking forward to reading in the future which I will let you know in future reviews how much I enjoyed them!

Book Review

Title: Adaptations in Sports
Author: Atko Viru
Summary: This book is a incredible collection of research and studies which provides the bodies response to a variety of stimuli. He goes into great detail about the bodies reaction from a hormonal factor, different energy systems, types of resistance training, and even types of microcycles. It leaves little to b curious about in terms of what a certain modality of training will provide your body in terms of adaptation.
Recommendation: I would say anyone who is or has chance to work with advanced athletes should take the time to read this book. It will let you know the reasons, purpose, and what you can expect from how you are training your athletes.
Something useful: Viru goes into detail about the importance of introductory and transition weeks that go a long ways in regards to setting your body up for ideal adaptation.

Conserving your Time!

Since getting back to school I have been busier than ever. Since being named S&C coordinator for my college's football team I have been busier than ever writing programs and getting things organized to make our great athletes even better. This is extremely satisfying work for me because it involves football and S&C, two things I love. I have worked extremely hard to get into a position where a head coach would allow a person my age to have full control over his teams preparation and development for the current and upcoming season but I am confident and extremely excited to help these guys kick some serious ass. Aside form that I am currently finishing up a great book by Atko Viru (review soon to come) and am working on two more. With all this chaos and trying to stay on top of everything Managing time is crucial. Basically, I try to get my homework done the day in which i receive it and get up early to do my workouts, read non-assigned books, and write programs. I take the time in between class to study and do any homework I can get done. This leaves my evenings to coach in the weight room. I make sure to leave a decent amount of free time to keep sane and let loose. It is a work in progress but so far so good.