After developing static active flexibility the athlete can now control the end range position isometrically and is ready to work on developing dynamic flexibility. 

 PS: If you are not quite sure, why periodization is so great then take a look at our free video course “The Most Useful Definition of Periodization and The 4 Reason that you MUST base your programs on Periodization if you want to see the best possible results for your athletes/clients”. Get it at …

Professional development is an ongoing process of continual self improvement. Here are some thoughts and ideas that might help you in your journey of professional growth:

Start with a passion for what you. For me that is the fuel that drives learning

Have a detailed learning plan.

Develop a personal network of peers that you can exchange ideas with and who will challenge your ideas.

Read voraciously – Read the classics, read current…

 Periodization Quick Tip # 7 (Part III): Static active flexibility = The ability to assume and maintain extended positions using only the tension of the agonists while the antagonists are being stretched ( Science of Sports Training, Thomas Kurz)

PS: If you are not quite sure, why periodization is so great then take a look at our free video course “The Most Useful Definition of Periodization and The 4 Reason that you MUST base your programs on Periodization if…

Seeking marginal gains is the buzzword of late. Looking for marginal gains is all fine and well, but there are no marginal gains if you have not taken care of the basics. You can search low and high for that last 2% that will put you on top of the podium but if you have not taken care of the first 98% the last 2% will never come. Know the basics and never stray far from them and you will be surprised how the marginal gains will accrue.

It is so easy to talk about excellence, winning, commitment and leadership but what actions are you actually taking to achieve those things? What is you specific action plan? Who is going to help and guide you? What changes do you need to make to be the best you can be? What are you willing to sacrifice? Stop talking about it and do something now. The path to excellence is paved with good intentions – turn the intentions…

The purpose of this article is to teach the Push Press technique and within the High School coaching community there seems to be some confusion about exercise terminology when it comes to overhead pressing movements. The one movement that I’m referring to is the overhead push press. I know of a few  High School football coaches calling the “push jerk” a push press. These are two completely different movements and the “push jerk” is not one that I would recommend as part of a high school…

 The first form of flexibility to develop in a periodized program is optimal levels of static passive flexibility (the range of motion is produced by force from a muscle group other than the agonist or from an external source).  

PS: My recommended introduction to periodization is our free video course “The Most Useful Definition of Periodization and The 4 Reason that you MUST base your programs on Periodization if you want to see the best possible results for your…

I have been getting many requests to evaluate certain popular training programs. Rather than specifically evaluate any program I think it is better to describe the characteristics of a sound program and all of you can use this to evaluate and draw your own conclusions.

Progression – You should be able to see clear definitive progression both inter and inter workout. In addition the progression should take into account training age and gender.

Clearly Defined…

The Bench Press: Simple Coaching Cues For Any Level.

The bench press is one of the Big 3 (squat, bench, deadlift) or 4 if you add in the military press. These 3/4 exercises are the most scrutinized and researched because they are the most widely taught and used outside of the Olympic lifts. With that being said, with so many people coaching and trying to reinvent the wheel, you get multiple interpretations of how it should be taught and what is best technique.…

Periodization Quick Tip # 5(Part II): If you gave two different programs for different athletes to a colleague that you did not know, would (s)he recognize that the programs were created by the same person? (Disregarding that the templates would be the same)

Here in part two of this podcast series we discuss the following:

-Does positive thinking actually work?

-Common myths of testosterone

-The effects of testosterone on mental performance

-Should female athletes socialize before their performance?

-Plus…

Periodization Quick Tip # 5(Part I): I while ago a national level discus thrower asked me to look at his program. I recognized who this athlete’s strength coach had been trained by. The program was a “coach X”-program, not a program for a discus thrower (rotary movements were missing). 

I just came across a blog post that Eric Cressey wrote three days ago. It is entitled  "7 Random Thoughts on Performance Training." Being written by the one and only Mr. Cressey, it was nothing less than flawless. That being said, one quote really stood out to me. It can be found as number six in the article.…

The Fastest Sport on Ice: Things You Don’t Know About Bobsled

On occasion I hear the belief that “all athletes should perform the Olympic lifts.”

I completely disagree.

With The Flexible Periodization Method exercise selection begins from a clean slate with the goal of choosing the exact combination of exercises – whatever those exercises are – that most effectively transfer to the goal of the athlete or client.

This approach, beginning the exercise selection from a clean slate rather than choosing among “favourites”…

If done properly, the deadlift is one of the best exercises for developing total body strength (Fact: pulling heavy stuff off the ground = increased manliness). However, the key is doing them properly. The purpose of this blog is explain 3 coaching cues that will help the athlete get into a proper set up before attempting to deadlift.

1. Feel the steel

Feel the steel simply means start with your shins touching the bar. When the bar is in close…

I recently talked with a few high school teams regarding soccer and football conditioning for their athletes.  I'm amazed at the almost phobic response nowadays by most team-sport coaches towards the running aspect of conditioning other than  having athletes run short…

What’s NEW about the Flexible Periodization Method

In the last weeks blog post, we talked about the benefit of reviewing the stated goal to make sure that the goal is phrased positively, present and specific.

Specifically, in last week’s blog post we discussed the positive and present aspects of the goal.

Specific means that the goal should include some kind of measuring unit like kilos, pounds, centimetres, inches, seconds…

We are very fortunate to have a faculty with a tremendous breath of experiences. These are professionals who have a track record of excellence in their chosen fields. They know how a performance team works, how all aspects of athletic development complement each other and most importantly they understand the process of developing athletes.…

The last two posts I talked about old and new stuff today I am going to talk about plain old stuff. We all do stuff. The bottom line is do you know why you do the stuff you do? Are you just copying someone else’s stuff because it works for them? Take ownership of the stuff you do, know why you do it, and know why it works. Make the stuff you do meaningful for the athletes by coaching it. That is how you translate…