Back in the saddle

Well, I just arrived in Mississippi...just in time for our game against LSU. I will start writing with regularity starting next week...but I have a huge shout out. I've had the privilege to work with Veronica Campbell since 2004. Well, as we know she just won the 100m dash at the World Championships and it couldn't have happened to a better person. Not only does she have incredible character, but she trains her butt off! Good job V!

New Job!

I'm excited to announce that I've just accepted a position at Mississippi State University. I leave on Sunday so I won't be updating the blog for a little while.

Train Hard!

Speed as a skill

I want to prevent anyone from saying or even worse believing the following statement, "You can't train speed, you either have it or you don't." This statement usually applies to recruiting situations and then is backed up by a head coach's training philosophy. Yes, it is true that all of us have a genetic ceiling and not ever joe schmo will be able to run a 10.0s 100 meter dash. But, making this statement is just like saying, "You can't make someone strong, you either got it or you don't."

I tell my athletes all the time that we are training our nervous system and not our muscles. Think about that...in any training situation we are trying to improve muscle unit recruitment, synchronization and rate coding. Well, this principle also applies to speed development. In my experience most athletes don't know how to move right and most coaches are scared to teach them. Most coaches know what efficient movement looks like, but they can't explain how to make someone move efficiently. They are scared to break down motor movements because in all reality they'll be exposed.

This deficiency really shows up in non-linear running. I'm not too big on developing at-speed or max velocity running for non-track athletes. If I can train an athlete to accelerate and decelerate correctly I believe I've done my job. Most athlete don't know how to change direction correctly and thus their on-the-field speed suffers. Not only that but they can't produce constant acceleration...what I mean is, a good athlete can accelerate for 25-30yd (minimum), a poor athlete will accelerate for 15yd and then go into some type of max-v cyclical running. This is a result of poor uneducated coaching.

If you're reading this and you're thinking, "My God that's me"...well, suck up your ego and find someone who can teach you the basics. Perfect it and then you'll be the one laughing at the coach who doesn't think you can develop speed...because your athletes will dominating the score board.

Wall Runs

Wall runs are a great tool to improve posture, reinforce a correct pelvic position and improve neuromuscular coordination. The following details how I incorporate wall runs into our speed sessions.

1. I use wall between sprints during a speed training session. If we are using a 2-3 minute rest interval, I don't like for the athletes to stand around. During our RI's we will perform some type of low intensity technique drill as an active recovery technique. Wall runs are great during this time because they reinforce a proper body lean and more importantly a proper pelvic position. Usually around 20-30 meters a non-track athlete will begin to shift into a anterior pelvic tilt. I use the wall run to emphasize maintaining a pelvic-neutral position by cuing the athlete to tighten the low abs, or to make sure their hips are looking up. Sometimes we'll poke the athlete's abs to make sure they are tight.

2. Attack Angle (shin angle): Its really important that the athlete understands that the angle of the shin will determine the direction in which the Center of Mass moves. For instance, if my shin is angle perpendicular to the ground my COM will move upwards (vertical jump). During our wall runs we teach the athletes to direct their shin in the direction in which they want to move, in this case its anterior. The shin of the plant leg should match the shin of the swing leg, in the upright position. When you combine a proper shin angle with the correct pelvic positioning, the athlete has no choice but to have the appropriate body angle for acceleration.

There are many other means of application for the wall run, but these are two important points that we make sure to stress. Enjoy!

Agility vs Mobility

Recently I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine Jeff Howser. Jeff is the Speed/Conditioning coach at Duke and he is a world class sprint coach. In my opinion he is one of the brightest minds in the business. We were discussing the difference between agility and mobility...sounds simple but if you really think about it there is a huge difference. Before I get into my working definition, here is what I found on the internet regarding agility/mobility.

Agility definitions have traditionally centered around skills that are needed for the body to change direction at speed. A classic definition is the ability to change the body's direction efficiently, and this requires a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, and strength. Agility is usually achieved when the athlete is using his/her ATP/PC or Lactic Acid systems.

Mobility...well I couldn't find anything about this word. When we talk about mobility I'm not talking about joint mobility, I'm talking about movement mobility. I literally did a search all over the internet (google, yahoo ect) and came up with NOTHING. How many times have you heard this word used almost as a substitute for the word agility? I've heard this done a lot...but is that appropriate.

My response is no. I like the working definition of Agility listed above, but I'd add one thing to it. Agility is the ability to accelerate(AC) and decelerate (DC, or negative acceleration). The ability AC and DC in multiple planes is contingent upon relative body strength, amortization, biomechanics of shin angles and MOBILITY!

So what is mobility? To be mobile is to be able to control one's center of gravity...sounds simple right? Well, how many of us actually know how to train someone to control their COG? When we are in anatomical position our COG is roughly somewhere around our umbilicus. Well, lets take a look at an offensive lineman in play. At the moment of impact, head on, the COG has now been relocated to a more anterior position relative to the center of the athlete. And I would argue that upon locking up with the defensive lineman the COG is now somewhere between the two athletes. The athlete that can control the new location of the COG will win the battle.

What are you currently implementing in your training programs to develop mobility? And what are you doing to teach your athletes to control their COG, not just in a static position or even worse a supine position, but in the dynamic motions of sport.

Relative Intensities Part II

I was introduced to Relative Intensities about four years ago and it took my programming to a whole new level. Before we dive into this there are two important terms you need to understand. The first is absolute intensity. The absolute intensity on the bar is the actual intensity on the bar. Example: 80% actual intensity of a 100lb maximum is 80lbs. The relative intensity is what the load feels like for a given rep range. Here is where you’ve got to do a little math…Let’s say we are trying to develop maximal strength in the back squat. Using relative intensities, anything above 90% will develop maximal strength. Here is how I break it down:

90 – 100% Maximal Strength
80- 89% Strength/Power
70-79% Power/Work Capacity

Anything Below 70% is a combination of work capacity, power/speed work

So we’ve completed our warm up and we are ready to squat…what intensity should we use for a given number of reps. Remember, I stated that training heavy applies to a large rep range. Today for our working sets we are going to perform triples at 90% relative intensity…so what is the actual intensity. Take a look at the chart below and see if you can follow.

	Relative Intensities
Actual Int	1	2	3	4	5
100	100	95	92.5	90	87.5
95	95	90.25	87.87	85.5	83.12
92.5	92.5	87.87	85.5	83.25	80.93
90	90	85.5	83.25	81	78.75
87.5	87.5	83.125	80.93	78.75	76.56
85	85	80.75	78.62	76.5	74.37
82.5	82.5	78.37	76.31	74.25	72.18

Here’s how the math works. Each repetition is given a value. For instance 1 rep = 100%, 2 reps = 95%, 3 reps = 92.5% ect. I decrease in increments of 2.5%, I talked to Robb Rogers and he decreases by 3%. It’s really up to you, but a good range is 2-3% per rep.

Going back to our example, if we are going to train at 90% for 3 reps the math would work out like this: .90 x .925 = 83.25% The amazing thing about relative intensities is that you know exactly how it feels under the bar for a specific rep range, and also because the goal of the training is matched with an appropriate percentage for a rep scheme, you won’t have people failing. So the obvious question to follow is what volume should I use…well I like to use Prilepin’s Table. So for training at 83.25% for 3’s we need a rep range of 10-20 reps to produce a strength stimulus with 15 reps being optimal.

Here’s just another cool thing about using relative intensities, your warm up sets become a no brainer! Just start with your key sets and work backwards. The key is not to decrease your relative intensity by more than 10% and you’ll be ok. So for our hypothetical situation here’s how it looks (400lb squatter):

60% at 8 reps 70% at 6 reps 80% at 4 reps 90% at 3 reps

.6 x .8 = 48% .7 x .85 = 59.5% .8 x .9 = 72% .9 x .925 = 83.25%

192lbs 238lb 288lb 333lb

Using this method you can easily plan out a four week strength cycle:

Wk1 90%
Wk2 93%
Wk3 96%
Wk4 85-88%

This is a typical linear model

The following is modified Max Effort/Westside periodization model

Wk 1 Back Squat: 92.5% for doubles (87.8% for 2/7)

Wk 2 Back Squat: Work until a 2RM is achieved

Wk 3 Box Squat: 92.5% for doubles (87.8% for 2/7)

Wk 4 Box Squat: Work until a 2 RM is achieved

The application of relative intensities WILL take your programming to another level. No longer will you feel burned out after each session and with proper periodization the gains will be incredible!

Before I wrap this up let me give credit where credit is due. Rayschelle Ellsworth and Mike Clark introduced this idea to me…its not my own! But just like anything else I ‘ve modified it for my personal use.

Enjoy and Train Hard!

Relative Intensities Part I

What is intensity? In terms of training it’s generally referred to as the load on the bar. So, let’s say I’m trying to develop maximal strength what intensity should I use. Well, any body that knows anything will say you need to put a heavy load on the bar to recruit the most motor units possible. GREAT! So what is heavy?

Heavy for a single is different than heavy for a triple. I can develop strength with a rep range of 1-6, but what intensity should I use to get the best results? Depending on whom you read or if you follow the dreaded NSCA you’ll see a percentage range of 80-100% of maximum. Well, great…that really helps.

I’ve seen a bunch of these nifty charts that give rep ranges with percentage ranges. Some even get real exact, like a good strength stimulus would be 85% for 5 reps x 3 sets. That makes a lot of sense, that’s equivalent to a 1RM…I’d love to see the guy or gal that completes three sets at this intensity. From my experience, most athletes end up failing on there last rep of the first couple sets and then they can’t even complete their last set. By that time their CNS is burned out. Then we look out about 6 weeks to test date and the athlete will only see a 10lb improvement on the squat. Coaches get pissed and the viscous cycle begins. To compensate for the athlete’s lack of “effort” we schedule extra sessions and then we end up over training the athlete.

I’m about to rock a bunch of people’s world…I’ve never had an athlete plateau on any lift! I remember back in high school working out and about every 4-6 weeks I’d hit a major plateau…or course I didn’t know anything about periodization or unloading, but a bunch of collegiate athletes experience this. Obviously as our training age increases we won’t see the same jumps that we saw when we were a bright eyed 18 year old with enough testosterone to train twice a day every day. So what's the secret? It's called relative intensity...

Oxygen Mask

Have you ever noticed that during the airline presentation, which we all totally ignore, the flight attendants always say to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you put it on someone else? Why is that? The obvious answer is that if you can't breath then you'll never be able to help someone else. Think about that.

Lately, I've been getting burned out and everyone has told me to take a vacation. But being a stubborn coach I don't want to miss a day of training. I want my athletes to have the best...well, it just hit me today that they can't have the best of me if I'm not at my best. So I just booked a plane ticket and I'm going to the beach...its good to take your own advice!

My Rings: Part I

Lately, I've given a lot of thought as to what defines my program. At my last two coaching stops I haven't been blessed with great facilities or a huge athletic budget. I've had to make more out of less...and to be honest I'm glad. The past few years I've had to think outside the box and develop new and innovative methods to develop strength, power and speed without the bells and whistle, and sometimes even the bare necessities.

During this process I've come to realize that my programs are developed around two concepts. The first is maximizing athletic movement. Way to many coaches get caught up in the strength/power numbers and they lose sight of the real objective. If you can't move you can't play! I'd sacrifice 20lbs in the squat for a few a tenths of a second gained in acceleration...because if you can't be in position to make a play who cares how much you squat. Granted a good strength base is required to move at a maximal speed, but we shouldn't become over zealous in our pursuit of records and miss accomplishing the main objective.

The second is effective communication. If I combined the best training minds in the business to develop a master program but I couldn't coach the program to meet the individual athlete...the program wouldn't work. Not only would it not work but somewhere along the line I'd lose the athlete from my program. Recently Bill Walsh pasted away. It was very interesting to hear what people close to him had to say. Most of the comments weren't about the x's and o's of his coaching, but they were about how he was a masterful communicator. He could reach guys and get them to do things they never dreamed they could accomplish. Thats what separates the average coaches from the great coaches.

So what do I think I can be the best at in the world: Speed development and Effective Communication...what about you?