Blog
What I am Reading – Injury Free Running by Tom Michaud
This was a good book. If you work with clients that run, you will get a lot from this. But there is more to this. Running mechanics are not complicated: Phases - Stance Phase, Swing Phase Stride - Stride length, Strength frequency Stride Length - Contact to Mid-Stance...
In the Lab – Strength Coach Conditioning Tests
Let’s talk conditioning tests, not for our athletes, but for ourselves. What is fitness for a Strength Coach? Is it the ability to knock out back-to-back 300-yard shuttles both in under 60 seconds? Is it able to run 24 x 110s all under 14 seconds? Is it running 10×40-yard dash…
Limitations of Concentrically Oriented Training
Here’s a thought, all of your results are probably 30% less than they should be, if not more. Why I can say that is you are probably only going to your concentric limit with training intensity. That concentric training intensity is on average 30% less than what your eccentric limit is…
In the Lab – Buying a Back Extension/Glute Ham
There are a lot of options for buying a back extension now. The advent of remote-based training has opened a ton of options for equipment and there is a lot to consider now. Let us break down what we want to look for when we decide on a back extension. We should lay...
What I am Reading – When Breathe Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi
Mortality is an interesting conversation. I read these books from time to time. Not because I am curious about death or I seek some greater meaning from life. But does serve as a good reminder that we do have a short time on earth and we better make the most of it. ...
In the Lab – Is Buying a Cold Plunge Worth It?
Why would anyone need a cold plunge? I have a driver for this decision, which is important to note because this could be a huge waste of money. I get this question a lot, and like supplements, people will look at any modality in the vein that this will positively...
Strength Coach Chronicles – Internship Programs
Chances you have an internship program if you are in the team setting. The biggest question is what are you or the people interning getting from this experience? We all have interned in one way or another. We have all experienced the challenges of proving ourselves...
What I Am Reading – Takeoff, Daniel Bove
This is the best resource on Force Plate evaluation I have personally seen. For context, at first, I did not love Quadrant System, Bove’s first book, which I will go into in this blog post. Why that matters is that this blog is not a fluff piece, I respect the hell out of anyone who has…
In the Lab – Buying Specialty Bars for Squat, Bench, and Deadlift
This one will be primarily about the need for speciality bars. I am going to keep it simple and break them into specialty bars that focus on squat, bench, and deadlift. There are now so many options for each of these. It is high time we have a conversation about which...
Strength Coach Chronicles – Strength Coach Budgeting
This is probably not the most exciting topic, but it is one that I think we need to talk about. For me there were always a couple of non negotiable things: continuing education and whatever made me a better strength coach was included in the budget. Everything else...
What I am Reading – Gym Launch Secrets, Alex Hormozi
This is a book that as a gym owner you are going to resonate with. If you are not a gym owner or a business owner, you will probably not value or enjoy this. Part of the value tied into Hormozi’s writing is how he paints a really accurate picture of the struggles of owning a business…
In the Lab – Buying Weight Lifting Plates
This one is pretty straightforward, are you going to olympic lift or not olympic lift? The bottom line is if you are expecting your plates to crash into the ground, you are going to need weight lifting plates, or rubberized plates to absorb forces when dropped. On...