I’d like to preface this article by having you watch the following video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7771nzKMpo This is a scene from the movie Rocky Balboa. In this scene Rocky’s son is confronting his dad because he is angry that Rocky is going to fight again…and he claims that his dad’s fighting career has taken his thunder.
NOW WATCH THE CLIP
In my mind winning is all about perseverance. Like Rocky says, life is tough and nasty and it’ll take you to your knees. BUT, winning in life is about how many hits you can take and keep on getting up and moving forward.
USC has dominated college football for the past 6 years. Three Heisman Trophy winners in three years, 25 All-Americans and 27 NFL draft picks, Pete Carroll is being heralded as one of the best in the game…not only can he recruit but he puts his guys in a position to win. And well, 9.9 times out of 10 they are not only in the right position but they humiliate their opponent with lop-sided wins. Most people would say, wow what a lucky guy…he’s always been a winner and that’s just that. Well you’re WRONG.
For a while Pete Carroll was considered to be a guy that couldn’t get it done as a Head Coach. He was twice a Head Coach in the NFL and twice he was let go…WOW. So how does a guy like that turn it around? Carroll took the hits and kept on bringing it until finally it all fell in place. He had a mission and a plan to accomplish it and he believed in it…and guess what, he turned out to be a winner.
As a strength coach, I have a plan for the physical success of my athletes. Sometimes I don’t exactly get a great looking piece of clay to start with, but I know that if I just keep spinning the wheel eventually I’ll get the finished product I want. Coaches, don’t let your athletes give up…keep them marching forward and prepare them to take the hits and get right back up and keep moving forward. Because in this process lies success.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Now is the time for change!
Variety IS the spice of life…and well training too. I’m always blown away by how coaches get into a rut of doing the same thing year in year out. After a while training cycles start to look exactly the same and guess what…the results are exactly the same. After about a year and a half the athletes begin to stagnate in their progress and instead of seeing constant growth at something most of them will hit a giant plateau.
Just imagine for me that you are Peter in the movie Office Space. Every morning Lumberg walks in with his matching tie and suspenders and huge cup of coffee. He then proceeds to ask you the same boring question, “Umm…Peter have you finished those TPS reports?” I don’t know about you but if I was Peter, I’d beat the crap out of Bill Lumberg just for wearing the suspenders, not to mention the same boring routine that he has to endure everyday.
Training is the same way! If your nervous system is not stimulated in new ways it will learn to function at one level or one speed…which is not what we want. Sport is about change and it requires a dynamic training approach. Hey, we all having training templates that we like to use, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t use different exercises or rep/set schemes to accomplish what we need to get done.
So, if you are looking for a curve ball for your program try using the Dynamic Method Effort (DE). If you don’t know what DE is then check out the following article http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459671 In his book Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods, Christian Thibaudeau discusses the process of reverse neural recruitment which occurs during DE training. Because of the low force component of DE movement and the high level of acceleration, high threshold motor units are recruited prior to slower oxidative motor units. This preferential recruitment occurs because of conduction velocity and the threshold of recruitment. Wow, isn’t this what we want in the first place? If you don’t believe me that this works, then get off your “Mental Butt” and try it for a four week cycle…oh and if you are getting really adventurous try using a band.
What the take-home point from all of this? Change is necessary to grow! If you aren’t changing things you’ll always stay in the same place and you’ll never adapt. For more insight into how change is necessary for personal growth check out my friend Andy Ellwood's website at http://www.andyellwood.com/
Just imagine for me that you are Peter in the movie Office Space. Every morning Lumberg walks in with his matching tie and suspenders and huge cup of coffee. He then proceeds to ask you the same boring question, “Umm…Peter have you finished those TPS reports?” I don’t know about you but if I was Peter, I’d beat the crap out of Bill Lumberg just for wearing the suspenders, not to mention the same boring routine that he has to endure everyday.
Training is the same way! If your nervous system is not stimulated in new ways it will learn to function at one level or one speed…which is not what we want. Sport is about change and it requires a dynamic training approach. Hey, we all having training templates that we like to use, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t use different exercises or rep/set schemes to accomplish what we need to get done.
So, if you are looking for a curve ball for your program try using the Dynamic Method Effort (DE). If you don’t know what DE is then check out the following article http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459671 In his book Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods, Christian Thibaudeau discusses the process of reverse neural recruitment which occurs during DE training. Because of the low force component of DE movement and the high level of acceleration, high threshold motor units are recruited prior to slower oxidative motor units. This preferential recruitment occurs because of conduction velocity and the threshold of recruitment. Wow, isn’t this what we want in the first place? If you don’t believe me that this works, then get off your “Mental Butt” and try it for a four week cycle…oh and if you are getting really adventurous try using a band.
What the take-home point from all of this? Change is necessary to grow! If you aren’t changing things you’ll always stay in the same place and you’ll never adapt. For more insight into how change is necessary for personal growth check out my friend Andy Ellwood's website at http://www.andyellwood.com/
Friday, September 7, 2007
Work Capacity
Just like every other S&C coach out there, I often get ahead of myself. I want to coach so many things up that I forget about the very foundation of it all...work capacity. When I was redshirt at Texas A&M Mike Clark put us through what he called "Complex is Life Training". It was the battle cry of every redshirt and we had the t-shirts to prove it.
Coach Clark taught me that there are four basic components that we are trying to develop: Strength, Power, Speed and Work Capacity. Strength is improved week by week, power month by month, speed month by month and work capacity is year by year. At Westside they call this GPP. Whatever you call it, it is a vital component to improving performance.
Mike Clark and Robb Rogers used to set up there programs with this template, and still may:
Monday: Speed Tuesday: Power Thursday: Strength Friday: Work Capacity
I really like this concept and see the merit behind it. However, I really like how Al Vermeil sets up his training cycles. No matter what type of training cycle he is in he will always dedicate a certain percentage of the total volume of work to Strength, Power, Speed and Work Capacity. Depending on the emphasis of the cycle the percentages shift...kind of like Conjugate Periodization.
Methods for Developing WC:
Complex's: See Javorek's Complex Conditioning
Circuit Training
HIIT
Sleg Dragging
Favorite Complex's
BB Squat Complex: Lunge x 5, Step Up x 5, Squat to Push Press x 5, Squat x 5, BW Squat Jump x 10
DB Complex: High Pull Snatch x 5, Squat to PP x 5, BO Row x 5, Upright Row x 5, High Pull Snatch x 5
Clean Complex: Hang Clean x 5, RDL x 5, Front Squat x 5, BO Row x 5, Hang Clean x 5
If its been a while since you incorporated WC Training in your program work it back in. I promise that your quality of Strength and Power work will improve.
Coach Clark taught me that there are four basic components that we are trying to develop: Strength, Power, Speed and Work Capacity. Strength is improved week by week, power month by month, speed month by month and work capacity is year by year. At Westside they call this GPP. Whatever you call it, it is a vital component to improving performance.
Mike Clark and Robb Rogers used to set up there programs with this template, and still may:
Monday: Speed Tuesday: Power Thursday: Strength Friday: Work Capacity
I really like this concept and see the merit behind it. However, I really like how Al Vermeil sets up his training cycles. No matter what type of training cycle he is in he will always dedicate a certain percentage of the total volume of work to Strength, Power, Speed and Work Capacity. Depending on the emphasis of the cycle the percentages shift...kind of like Conjugate Periodization.
Methods for Developing WC:
Complex's: See Javorek's Complex Conditioning
Circuit Training
HIIT
Sleg Dragging
Favorite Complex's
BB Squat Complex: Lunge x 5, Step Up x 5, Squat to Push Press x 5, Squat x 5, BW Squat Jump x 10
DB Complex: High Pull Snatch x 5, Squat to PP x 5, BO Row x 5, Upright Row x 5, High Pull Snatch x 5
Clean Complex: Hang Clean x 5, RDL x 5, Front Squat x 5, BO Row x 5, Hang Clean x 5
If its been a while since you incorporated WC Training in your program work it back in. I promise that your quality of Strength and Power work will improve.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Isometrics
When I think of isometrics I get a mental picture of some girl decked out in spandex and big hair (the 80's) doing iso's against a wall. It's amazing how S&C coaches take a simple concept and build a whole program around it. Remember the Nautilus machine and the insuing HIT training that swept the nation...and parked itself in the NFL and Big 10? Well, without going crazy Iso's have a really good function.
Let's think about it, in any dynamic movement there is a portion of the movement in which eccentric movement is reversed into an explosive concentric movement (or vise versa). Well, its my belief that if you can't stabilize your body in large spatial overloads or flexed hip position you won't be able to change direction efficiently.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about. In our lateral movement progressions we include static hold positions in a lateral lunge. We are very particular in the hip/knee position relative to the center of mass. In a lateral lunge we look to have our nose over our knee over our toe...the belly button should be in-line with the knee. In this position your whole body can be balanced on one foot. If you were to perform a lateral lunge with you nose/belly inside your knee you aren't stable...just try lifting up your back foot, it won't happen. Once an athlete can stabilize themselves in this position for a good length of time, planting and changing direction in a lateral plane will be much easier.
This concept can be extended for unlimited joint movements. I really like Iso holds for pushups and progressing into depth drops into plyo pushups. The possibilities are unlimited.
Let's think about it, in any dynamic movement there is a portion of the movement in which eccentric movement is reversed into an explosive concentric movement (or vise versa). Well, its my belief that if you can't stabilize your body in large spatial overloads or flexed hip position you won't be able to change direction efficiently.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about. In our lateral movement progressions we include static hold positions in a lateral lunge. We are very particular in the hip/knee position relative to the center of mass. In a lateral lunge we look to have our nose over our knee over our toe...the belly button should be in-line with the knee. In this position your whole body can be balanced on one foot. If you were to perform a lateral lunge with you nose/belly inside your knee you aren't stable...just try lifting up your back foot, it won't happen. Once an athlete can stabilize themselves in this position for a good length of time, planting and changing direction in a lateral plane will be much easier.
This concept can be extended for unlimited joint movements. I really like Iso holds for pushups and progressing into depth drops into plyo pushups. The possibilities are unlimited.
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