Eric Cressey has certainly made a name for himself in the short time that he’s been around the strength and conditioning circuit. This can be attributed to two reasons; he is smart on and off the platform. After receiving his master’s degree from the University of Connecticut, Eric continues to help athletes as well as being a contributor to T-Nation and Men’s Fitness. He is no slouch on the platform either. Eric lifts in the 165lbs weight class and has a 518 squat, a 342 bench press, and he has pulled 601. His best total is 1461. Eric has some great ideas and thoughts; now read and learn.
EFS: What strength coach or trainer has had the most impact on you and why?
E.C.: I'm not sure if I can say that one person has had a more profound influence on me than anyone else, as I'm someone who looks to know as much about a lot of things as possible. With that said, some names that come to mind are Mel Siff, Louie Simmons, several in the EliteFTS crew, Vladimir Zatsiorsky, John Berardi, Mike Robertson, the South Side gym guys, and, at UCONN, William Kraemer, Chris West, and David Tiberio. There are dozens more that have all had significant influences on me, but to say that one is more important than another would do a disservice to them and undermine the idea of being well-rounded. As a general rule of thumb, the coaches I respect the most are those who understand both science and practice and can bring the two together seemingly effortlessly.
EFS: What are the most common mistakes that you see strength coaches and trainers make?
E.C.: I actually wrote an article last year for T-Nation with the title "10 Mistakes Coaches Make," but if I had to choose a few that jumped out at me, they'd be:
1. Being too narrow-minded: This can refer simply to not studying in different realms within our overall discipline (performance enhancement), or adhering so stubbornly to one method that you overlook valuable "add-ons" that could really improve progress.
2. Not individualizing programming - obviously, this is a challenge in a team setting, but if you have the luxury of dealing with individuals one-on-one or in small groups, there is absolutely no excuse for handing out generic programs. People often ask me why I don't write more articles with programs in them. It's because they might work great for 75% of those who read them and terribly for the other 25%; individualization is just that important.
3. Ignoring injuries and weak links that can lead to injuries - Your athletes can't perform if they're injured, regardless of how perfect your "healthy athlete" programming is. We spend so much time emphasizing the ideal that we often overlook the reality.
4. Not understanding the importance of rest - If you train hard, you're going to need back-off weeks. Those who just go full-throttle all the time never understand the concept of fitness-fatigue (or super compensation, for ease of discussion).
EFS: What mistakes have you made as a strength coach or trainer?
E.C.: Believe it or not, it was a mistake in my OWN training early in my coaching career. Very simply, I was lifting without a goal in mind for myself other than to look good, have fun, and be healthy. As a result, I temporarily lost that competitive mindset that a coach has to share with his athletes. Getting into powerlifting was one of the smartest decisions I ever made. It taught me about planned overreaching and effective use of back-off weeks (among other things). Now, people's jaws usually drop when they see how much time I put into each program I write. It's amazing how the chips seem to fall into place when you just focus on improving performance rather than how you look. Teach your body to move efficiently and keep a clean diet, and you'll be rewarded with a healthy body that just so happens to look good. Your whole life improves, as the time spent worrying about time under tension, every last calorie, etc. is better spent on lifting heavy stuff or playing pick-up basketball or softball. Anyway, the take-home lesson is that if you lose sight of your own competitive mindset, you've lost sight of your athletes', too.
EFS: What can you share with the EFS readers that have made your programs better?
E.C.: Here are a couple of things that I think most people can use in their programs:
1. Planned overreaching
2. Dynamic flexibility (Mike Robertson and I have co-authored several articles on this and have a DVD coming out soon)
3. Structural balance in programming
4. Individualized back-off weeks (there are dozens of way to approach this crucial time) 5. Hard work in the gym and with one's education (I just had to include that; so many aspiring coaches claim that they really want to make it big, but they really don't train or study that hard).
EFS: What are the most glaring weaknesses you find in athletes?
E.C.: That's actually another article I wrote - at least from a biomechanical perspective. The big ones from this standpoint would be frontal plane stability, posterior chain strength, core stability, unilateral imbalances, grip strength, scapular/rotator cuff stability, and overall poor posture. A lot of athletes just aren't tough and really don't know how to buckle-down and work hard. Obviously, nutrition is a huge problem as well; most sports are all about relative strength, so if your diet is off and you're fat, you're automatically going to be a less effective athlete.
EFS: Are there any exercises that you feel every athlete, regardless of sport, should do? E.C.: As long as they're healthy and in structural balance, I'd go with variations of: deadlifts, squats, benches, rows, chin-ups, G.H.R.’s, plenty of core work (e.g. wood chops), and dynamic flexibility/mobility drills.
EFS: What is the biggest obstacle you have to face as a strength coach or trainer?
E.C.: There is a lot of ignorance in the industry. There are a lot of people who call themselves "old school" simply because they're too lazy to do some research on new ideas or (gasp!) actually try them out. Everyone has something to teach, but not everyone has a demeanor that keeps them open to learning.
EFS: How do you deal with coaches that don’t agree with your program?
E.C: First and foremost, you learn to meet them halfway. This goes back to the aforementioned "ideal" and the "reality" discussion. The best way to get to this middle-ground is to explain the scientific rationale to them in a language they can understand and, if available, show them quantified results from previous programs.
EFS: What advice would you have for those wishing to become a part of the industry?
E.C.: #1: Interact with other coaches and athletes (email, phone, and in-person); everyone has something to teach!
#2: Experiment with your own training
#3: Books, articles, and journals
#4: Seminars
#5: Coursework (if applicable) With the latter three options, it isn't just about doing them; it's about considering how to apply them. Otherwise, the information is useless. Those who claim continuing education is too expensive need to reevaluate their priorities; this is stuff that WILL pay you back in the long-run. Besides, most people spend money on stupid things; buy a book or attend a seminar instead.
EFS: Do you explain your program to your athletes?
E.C.: Over time, you accumulate a collection of cues that you find work as you relate how to perform certain movements. Videos make the job easier, too; this is one place where coaching has really developed in recent years. The same common errors present themselves over and over again, so you’re always becoming more efficient in identifying and correcting them. I’m a firm believer that you also have to educate the athletes to some extent in the “why” and not just the “how.” If you can give them a fundamental grasp of higher level concepts in laymen’s terms, they’ll always incorporate your recommendations sooner than if you just say “do this.” Unfortunately, I can't really say "how" I do this; the more I practice, the more it seems to just "happen."
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