Blog
Strength Coach Chronicles – Season Varsity (Travel) Workouts (Pt. II)
We have talked this about in other blog posts and how hard this part of the year is on the S&C coach. Your work is proverbial done, at least in the development side, and you are phasing into a support role. However, that does not change the fact that this is the longest unbroken period…
Periodization in the Private Setting is Alive and Well! (Article from 2018)
IS PERIODIZATION DEAD? I hear this from time to time, it is not a new debate, from my perspective it is the cornerstone of programming in any setting which I guess that means (in my opinion) it is most definitely alive and well. If you are planning frequency,...
Band Assisted Pullups Are a Waste of Time (Article from 2019)
(Want a program that doesn’t waste your time? Check out Allegiate Online Programs here). You can’t do a pull-up, so your coach says, “Grab a band”. You grab a band, attach it to the pull-up bar and awkwardly try to situate your feet on the band while suspended. This makes sense…
Strength Coach Chronicles – In Season Developmental Workouts
This is easily the biggest opportunity for a S&C coach during the season to contribute to future success. The idea is to help players that are underdeveloped in certain areas get a leg up for the future off season. But that may not be necessarily the case, as we...
What I’m Reading (S&C Classic)- Poliquin Principles
I can tell you where I was when I first read this book. I was flying to Washington DC to visit Michael Ungar and the Georgetown Staff. I read the book cover to cover over the course of that flight. At the time it was incredible how many insights this book had for me....
Strength Coach Chronicles – Injured Workouts
To me this is arguably the most important part of the job. At least during competitive periods. Our opportunity to improve biomotor ability is primarily in the off season. We discussed in last month’s blog In Season Training that we can still improve, just not the...
5 3 1 Program for Athletes (Article From 2007)
I am absolutely obsessed with Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 program (2); I think it is a work of genius. The best part of it is the creativity it allows me as a coach/lifter to have. The rep range is perfect; I do not know of an athlete that doesn’t need to get better at 5s, 3s, and most importantly 1s…
What I Am Reading – Transformer by Nick Lane
What I would say about any of Nick Lane’s books is that they make a very complex subject easy to understand. The depth in understanding cellular biology and biochemistry is impressive, combining that actually explaining in a helpful way makes it an extremely beneficial resource…
Strength Coach Chronicles – In Season Training (Part I)
This is the most important period of training you will have in a calendar year as a S&C Coach. For one there is the most potential risk. More importantly this is the longest stretch of continuous training you will have. The length potentially gives the most relative value…
Strength Coach Chronicles – Transitioning Back to Season
Transitioning back to in season is a lot more than S&C coaches really let on. Taking into consideration that you were the primary aspect of an athlete’s development into a relatively small one, seemingly overnight, is not the easiest thing to do. The biggest challenge…
Strength Coach Chronicles – Working with Highly Motivated Athletes
We discussed in the last Strength Coach Chronicles how to work with unmotivated athletes. In that we described a standard distribution of motivation and skill within a group. On one end we have unmotivated athletes and on the other end motivated athletes. Both have...
What I’m Reading – The Business of Movement
If you have been following Functional Movement Systems for a while, you have been waiting for this kind of book. The biggest thing is taking a large group of assessments and making a comprehensive manual covering all that you need to know about the system. Personally...