Blog
Strength Coach Chronicles – Controlling Momentum
In our Collective chat, we had a profound conversation on velocity-based training. My take on it at first was skeptical, but I have since come around. I was quoted as saying, "Weightlifting is about timing, not being timed." My rationale for it is that if we focus on...
In The Lab – Applying Strength Deficit to Mixed Sports
This is a common thread I get with Strength Deficit: How do I apply Strength Deficit to: Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Lacrosse, Hockey? It's a tough question cause the book is organized to program for sports with very clear needs. An important question we tried to...
Chinese Weightlifting: Technical Mastery and Training
Chinese Weight Lifting, Manuel Buitrago There’s something quietly humbling about watching a Chinese weightlifter perform a clean and jerk. The precision, the stillness before the storm, the near-effortless expression of force. It looks like poetry, but it’s built like...
In the Lab – Deceleration Training Part II
In Part I, I wanted to discuss that targeted deceleration training is not a good use of time. The shortened version of that is based on how isolated declaration training does not correspond to open environments. Isolated deceleration drills, such as working on...
In the Lab – Deceleration Training Part I
Isolated deceleration training is not a good use of time I often think of the benefit of deceleration training, which, if I am being honest, I have always struggled to see the value. Part of the issue is that I struggle to fit in. I am not even sure I value the concept of isolated deceleration training…
In the Lab – When and What with Isometrics
One area I think a lot about is the usage of yielding versus overcoming isometrics. In this blog post, let's break down when and what we should do when deciding the usage of either yielding or overcoming. First question: when? Yielding Isometrics are best for:...
Strength Coach Chronicle – Replacing Key People
Change is inevitable and we need to accept that. I have a motto: good coaches will have opportunities, but bad coaches will not. Find a way to replace the bad and keep the good. One message I discussed in How to Become a Strength Coach was the concept of your...
In the Lab – Vector Based Training Program Design
Vector-based training is an underrated aspect of program design. We often get locked into a muscle group or movement pattern-based training splits, but what is usually lost is the impact on controlling and producing force in a specific direction, AKA vectors such as...
Strength Coach Chronicles: 2024 in Review
Podcast performance Health Podcast is how I started! It only makes sense I open with the podcast and what we talked about! We did 40 episodes this year broken up over 4 seasons. I shifted from interviewing guests to doing more monologue/roundtable style with Corey...
Strength Coach Chronicles – Starting New
I wrote this blog last month, Stay Low and Look Forward. It was a look into the inevitable future for Strength Coaches in November. Change is inevitable and learning to manage that transition is paramount to success. It made me think of starting new. You are either...
What I Am Reading – Keys to the Inner Universe, Bill Pearl
“I wish I had this book when I started my career!” We finished Bill Pearl’s seminal resource Keys to the Inner Universe with our Collective Group. The response was pretty remarkable. I read this book, I guess 15 years ago. I remember thinking it was extremely comprehensive.
What I Am Reading – Muscle Smoke & Mirrors Volume I, Roach
There are some books that you come in contact with in your life that change you. My top ones in no particular order are Tuesdays' with MorrieThe Last LectureGreat Mental ModelsFountainhead1984Angela's AshesFunctional Training For SportPoliquin PrinciplesStrongest...