January 2014 Blog Posts (26)

Ask yourself is what you are doing busy work or best work? Best work is training and that will get you better, busy work will just get you tired. There is a huge difference between getting tired and getting better. Training recognizes that there is a time to be tired and a time to be fresh. Knowing the difference is a key to adaptation. Beware and be aware of the activity trap. Just doing stuff is not training. Know you…

Even if you do not train competing Weightlifters I would highly recommend Programming Weightlifting: A Winning Coaches Guide by Bob Takano. An incredible resource. 

Work is hard and the harder the work the better the work is. No, absolutely wrong - STOP - that is not training. That approach will work for a while before the inevitable crash occurs. Certainly training is work, but the key distinction is that training is work with a specific direction and purpose. Sometimes training is very hard and other times it is very easy. This variation is necessary to allow the body to adapt to…

During the goal setting process with an athlete or fitness client (Step 1 of The Flexible Periodization Method) it is of great benefit to the strength coach or personal trainer if we have “extra gear” in our understanding of what goals are.

The “extra gear” that I am referring to is an understanding of goals (desires) on a spiritual level – the root level of our existence. Below are some ideas about goals that can be found in the spiritual…

It may be trite to say, but good is the enemy of great. After workout this morning I was reflecting on what it takes to be the best. It is easy to talk about and intellectualize about being the best, but actually taking the actions necessary to be the best is another thing. Start with talent and ability (I know I did not define them, that is a topic for another post I am working on). But I have seen many talented…

The Rand Corporation has completed their study of the Army's THOR3 program.  This study reflects some of the thought that currently goes into special-forces, tactical fitness.  Obviously, we should settle for nothing but the best practices to help prepare these individuals for what they do for a living.…

Coaching is a process that has a deep foundation in pedagogy (Science of teaching), supported by science, forged in experience, proven and tested in the competitive arena. At its essence coaching is teaching and the coach’s classroom is the track, the pool or the gym. To be truly effective as a coach it is important to remember it is not something you do for a couple of hours a day, it is something you are. To be a great…

Have you set your goals for 2014 yet?

The turn of the year is a natural time of reflection and also a time for planning the year to come. Individuals set “New Year resolutions” and businesses plan the next year of launches and marketing campaigns.

For athletes, the key goal setting times are at the end of a macrocycle (the end of the season or after important tournaments) rather than the beginning of the New Year.

As strength coaches and personal trainers, we have a…

A FOOTBALL APPROACH TO STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

Coaches,

I have spent time with several strength coaches from NC, SC, and VA and have formulated a plan that works well at the High School level.  We have been able to implement this plan at Havelock HS and it has helped our football program tremendously.  It is very easy to install at the high school level and has several different variations to keep your athletes off balance.  Variation and…

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) welcomed Strength Performance Network (SPN) to the 2014 conference again this year.  They have always been gracious hosts and this year was no different.  Thank you.

SPN has attended more than a few NSCA conferences at this point and, personally, I’ve attended even more.  I can tell you that the quality of presenters and the knowledge brought to the event by the attendees has grown year-over-year.  The strength…

The purpose of this blog is to inform the reader of how to create an effective strength and conditioning program for a baseball player and to provide the reader with a basic understanding of nutritional guidelines for athletes.

Overview of strength and conditioning for baseball players

Strength and conditioning (S&C) is a term that describes what athletes do to improve their physical fitness levels by doing resistance training, plyometric and agility…

I recently attended a training clinic put on by the head strength and conditioning coach for the Kansas basketball team, Andrea Hudy, and a few other members of the strength staff at KU. We went through a workout in the awesome Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center and then got an opportunity to ask Hudy and the other staff members questions. The purpose of this blog is to share my notes on the clinic.

-Movement starts from the ground up

-The goal is to produce as…

As participation in youth sports has continued to grow, the establishment of independent strength and conditioning facilities aimed at helping young athletes develop a strong foundation on which they can continue to develop themselves physically and mentally seems like a natural progression in the evolution of the industry.  Given the resources provided by the educational institutions that most youth athletes play for today, however, I’ve been curious about how these independent facilities…

Stop by the Samson Equipment booth at the AFCA conference to check out their awesome equipment and learn more about how Totten Training Systems can help you and your institution!!

Take advantage of this special opportunity for learning & professional development. Brendan Chaplin of Leeds Metropolitan University in England has organized an all-star line-up of leaders in the field of athletic development for a unique online seminar. It is a…

Last night I have the amazing opportunity to listen to a presentation by Joe Ehrmann.  Joe was an All-American football player and letterman in lacrosse at Syracuse.  He later played in the NFL for 13 years.  While his athletic accomplishments are impressive, they in no way define the man.  Quite the contrary.  Joe took his experiences as a player, reflected on the impact the various coaches in his career had on his life and thoughtfully and introspectively combined those insights with the…

I joined a presentation by Sarah Snyder, MS, RD, LDN, CSCS at 3pm EST today. Sarah's presentation focused on the "re" in recovery.

Sarah is the Director of Sports Nutrition for the University of Florida (UF) Athletic Department. Snyder provides nutrition services and programming at UF for football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s soccer, and lacrosse. Prior to joining UF, Snyder worked at Athletes’…

I had a chance to listen to Jason Cole, MS, CSCS, RSCC*D today at 2pm EST. Jason is an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Michigan, currently focusing on the baseball, tennis and men's soccer teams.  Coach Cole was also one of three finalists for this year's NSCA Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.  

The integration of the strength and conditioning philosophy with that of a sport coaching staff is paramount to a program’s success.…

Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS, CSSD is currently speaking at the conference on the topic of supplements.  The most immediate learning from the presentation is that the nutrition needs for every athlete are going to be unique.  Strength and conditioning professionals are doing their athletes a disservice if we don't take the time to fully evaluate the unique needs of each athlete including their nutrition history, their goals for the future and what is truly best for the…

I arrived at the Coaches Conference last night.  After traveling through the snow and managing flight delays to what is currently a very snowy Indianapolis, I arrived at the JW Marriott in and was immediately presented with the opportunity to talk to Jon Jost, Director of Strength and Conditioning at Florida State University and the person many consider the "Father of Strength and Conditioning":  Boyd Epley.  Boyd founded the collegiate strength and conditioning is currently the Senior…