The Syracuse Strength Spectacular: Seminar Summary

By Ryan Smith, DC

For www.EliteFTS.com

When you include the word spectacular in the name, you had better deliver. The 1^st Syracuse Strength Spectacular was held June 24–25, and from all accounts, the seminar lived up to its advanced billing. The seminar line-up consisted of Dave Tate, Jim Wendler, Mike Hope, Buddy Morris, Joe DeFranco, James Smith, and Eric Cressey. While sitting in the seminar listening to each of these speakers, it became very apparent that while all of them have different backgrounds and experiences, they all have an intense passion for what they do. Fortunately, they also have a passion to share what they have learned through years of study, trial and error, and under the bar experience. The thoughts and ideas presented contain much practical knowledge that literally has taken decades to amass. If you have never attended a similar seminar, you do not know what you are missing.

In addition to the presenters themselves, the audience was packed with some very knowledgeable and experienced people. One of the most overlooked aspects of these seminars is the ability to network with some of the best and brightest in the field. Many great conversations occur in restaurants and bars after the seminar. Guys like Dave Barr, Zach Even-Esh, and Anthony Roberts along with plenty of strength coaches and trainers (who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent) were in attendance, and along with the presenters, they were all sitting around having discussions with each other and any attendee that joined in. These guys really made themselves available to the attendees, except for Wendler, who got in late and wanted to make sure that he got his money’s worth of the 24-hour pay-per-view porn channel. He needs to justify that on the expense account after all.

Each of the presentations lasted around an hour and a half and were packed full of useful information. These could easily each be an article or two by themselves and trying to do justice to them in a summary article is just not possible. Hopefully, the summary will give a glimpse into the quality of the presentations and the benefits of actually attending a seminar.

Dave Tate

Dave is a pyrotechnic show away from having a WWE entrance for his presentations. As soon as he can figure out a way to set off fireworks without lighting the hotel on fire, I’m sure he will do it. Since Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” is his entrance music, maybe a laser light show would be more fitting.

Anyway, before his presentation on “Common Coaching Mistakes,” Dave kicked off the event by doing his best Friar’s club roast of all the presenters. The most memorable story was one he related about a conversation between himself and Joe DeFranco. Joe told him that several years ago, he tried a massive arm training workout that “guaranteed to put an inch on your arms.” Joe went into great detail about how he followed the program word for word and when he woke up the next morning his arms had lost an inch. He indicated that he has spent the last seven years trying to find that inch. Dave urged everyone to keep an eye out for Joe’s inch.

Topic: Common Coaching Mistakes

Key points:

·        Coaches/trainers are over-educated and underperforming.

·        Building a network is often overlooked but is vital to success.

·        Do not forget who it is about. It is not about you. You are hired to get a client/athlete from point A to B to C.

·        What is your training philosophy? If you do not have one, you suck. What is it you believe in? If you do not believe in something, you will fall for anything. What is your big plate? Dave made an analogy to a seven-course meal. This was really eye opening because other than Friday night at Mike Hope’s house, when the hell has Dave ever had a seven-course meal? At least one that required plates and not cartons with ‘Biggie-Size’ written on them. All kidding aside, it was a good example of prioritizing what is most important to you. For example, Dave’s big plate is maximal strength. He is an expert at developing maximal strength. Smaller plates might be flexibility/mobility, cardiovascular training, and rehab. Since you cannot be an expert in all of these areas, if you need help with something on a small plate, it would be best to have a good network of people whose big plates consists of what is on your small plates. That way you are getting advice from people who are experts in those areas. Dave has done just that. He has surrounded himself with experts in areas where he himself is not an expert.

·        You must have indicators. These can be exercises or tests that let you know where you stand and how your training program is working. Many programs yield less than desirable results because they lack indicators. These will be different for different sports. Also, it is important to know what movements/exercises influence what indicators. In powerlifting, squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are the sport. There is a difference between training these lifts and building these lifts. That is where indicators become important. Knowing what each indicator tells you about each lift and what movements build what indicator makes the difference between success and failure.

·        The perception of strength for the most part sucks. If you squat 315 lbs at 24 Hour Fitness, you think that is pretty strong. But if you walk into Westside with that, you are shit. Therefore, we must increase expectations. Most people will perform to the expectation of peers and their own internal beliefs.

·        You must practice what you preach. Lead by example.

·        The equipment you use must fit your training philosophy.

·        Dave’s training philosophy is based on maximal effort, dynamic effort, and repetitive effort methods and the cycling of these elements.

·        Do not fall for gimmicks. They are tools, not programs.

·        When dealing with athletes, communication is key. If the athlete is not progressing, it is not just the athlete. Look at their learning process and relate the relevance.

·        There must be a belief. Nothing matters if the belief is not there. The athlete must believe in you and the system. It is your responsibility to provide them with the certainty they need to have this belief.

·        The best program is worthless without execution. When ‘want’ becomes ‘need’ and ‘should’ becomes ‘must’ is the point at which amazing things start to happen.

Joe DeFranco

Apparently, Joe is better at getting athletes from D3 to the NFL than he is at getting himself from New Jersey to the hotel in Syracuse. I know it took GPS and a couple phone calls, but he did make it. This just goes to illustrate the importance of having a good network.

Topic: Joe presented a case study on Miles Austin, a D3 wide receiver, to illustrate the process of taking a college athlete and preparing them for the NFL.

Key points:

·        Athletes often have horrible diets. Miles ‘Bleu Cheese’ Austin is no exception. When first showing up at Joe’s center, Miles asked Joe if bleu cheese was bad for him. Joe then proceeded to question him on this dietary choice, only to find out that he eats it with every meal! Always nice to know what you are working with when you have seven weeks to get the guy from 240 lbs to 215 lbs.

·        Do not take an athlete’s or coach’s word on times or performance measures. Always do your own evaluation. It is very easy to get burned if you fail to test.

·        The evaluation consists of bodyweight, electronic 10-yard sprint, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, 225 bench press reps, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle, and L-Drill. The evaluation is not performed all on the same day. The athlete would be burnt out afterwards and that would cut into your training program.

·        When training these athletes, it is important for them to buy into what you are doing. Therefore, when you perform the evaluation, test them, give them one tip that you know will help them, and then re-test them. When they show improvement from that one tip, they will believe in what you are doing.

·        Three step program design:

1.      Develop a needs analysis (what are the most important elements for this athlete?)

2.      Work backwards (when are your important test dates? Work your program back from there.)

3.      Adhere to training economy (what exercises/drills/etc. will deliver the most bang for the buck?)

–fewest methods to produce fastest results

–top priority goes first in program

·        Here’s a quick fix to a fast forty. Your stance sets you up for the entire race!

§         foot positioning should be as close to the line as possible

§         shoulder/hand ratio, shoulder in front of hand

§         head/torso, head tucked in line w/ spine, eyes look where first step should be

§         weight distribution, hips a little above shoulders, push off both feet

§         shin angle, shin pointing back at a positive angle

§         breathing, deep breath before, small at 10, 20, and exhale full at 30

·        Shoot for the least number of steps in the first ten yards. This is related to stride frequency (ground contact time) and stride length.

·        Know when to refer out.

·        Videotape for instant feedback.

·        Match shoe wear to the surface.

·        Be sure to focus on mental prep the last week.

Joe determined that Miles’ needs were to drop from 240 to 215, run under a 1.65 10-yard sprint to put his 40-yard in the 4.4 range, and have the highest vertical jump of any receiver (or jump over 40 inches). How did Miles do (numbers in parenthesis are his first evaluation results)? He weighed in at 215 (240), ran 1.56 (1.77) in the 10-yard sprint, ran a 4.47 (4.62) 40-yard dash, and had a 40.5’’ (37”) vertical (best of all receivers). He also did 23 reps in the bench press, which was the highest for all the receivers as well. More importantly, he was drafted by the Cowboys. Guess we will find out how Bleu Cheese goes with Big Tuna.

Jim Wendler

Topic: Lessons learned from his experiences as a D1 football player, coach, and competitive powerlifter

Key points:

·        Team chemistry is a major factor to success. It is important for the players to like each other. Off the field interaction helps to build trust, which carries over onto the field.

·        You must understand what your team needs. He played on a 12–1 team that had a very unorganized training program and a losing team that had a very organized program.

·        Beginner vs. advanced: There is a big difference between an advanced athlete and an advanced lifter. Do not lose sight of this concept. Just because they might be college athletes does not make them advanced lifters.

·        Most athletes that the majority of coaches come into contact with are beginners when it comes to lifting. Therefore, become the best beginner coach that you can be. Don’t become so immersed in advanced techniques and implements when your athletes can’t even squat to a proper depth using good form.

·        Never forget that it is about the athletes. You are there for them, not to impress your peers. Some of the overly-advanced techniques and gimmicks used by coaches are attempts to impress their peers and are not in the best interest of the athletes.

·        Coaching is not just sets/reps or teaching. Coaching is about communication. This is the biggest key to successful coaching. You must be able to communicate with the athletes. Find out what they need and give it to them.

·        Cheerleaders are not welcome. Ra-ra motivation does little to maintain long-term motivation. Long-term motivation comes from results.

·        When it comes to motivation, your best assets are the players.

·        If you do your job right, the experienced or veteran players will be your best assistance coaches and motivators.

·        Your athletes are a reflection of you.

·        Ask yourself, what would your mentor do? How would you feel about your program/athletes if your mentor dropped into your weight room for a visit?

·        Expectations and atmosphere are more important than any program. That is one of the main points people overlook when they reference Westside.

·        Coaches need to have “in the trenches” experience. They had to have trained or competed in something. How else can you identify with your athletes?

·        For the most part, coaches read too much and lift too little.

Eric Cressey

Eric Cressey, affectionately referred to as the FNG (fucking new guy) by Buddy Morris, is one of the emerging young guns in the world of strength and conditioning. The Magnificent Mobility DVD he produced with Mike Robertson is a great resource for dynamic warm-up and flexibility drills. It really illustrates the importance of good hip and lower extremity mobility not only for proper/improved exercise performance but also for reduced risk of low back injury.

The success of the DVD has led Eric to be somewhat typecast as a “mobility guy,” which is unfortunate because mobility is only a small part of what he does. His work with the strength and conditioning program at UConn as well as his personal experience powerlifting at Southside has given him a unique insight into different training methodologies. His new Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual should change the whole “mobility guy” perception.

Topic: Art of Hardcore Corrective Training: Lessons to Keep Athletes Healthy

Key points:

We can’t send everyone to a physical therapist so strength coaches and trainers need to do their part. Here are the main points to get you there.

• Know your functional anatomy and compensation patterns. To correct dysfunction is to prevent it. So fit the program to the lifter.

• Learn to program for yourself and balance muscle groups. Avoid cookie cutter programs. (Eric is BIG on this!)
• Some exercises just aren’t worth it (upright rows, sit-ups, HYPER extensions). If it hurts, don’t do it. Get correct technique first. If the exercise alleviates pain, keep doing it.
• Find what the athlete CAN do. Maintain as much of their normal training as possible (limited ROM work like board presses). Find substitution exercises and increase the volume of exercises that will correct imbalances. Train an uninjured limb (CNS carryover to injured side).
• Remember the 23/1 rule! Even though you may do everything correctly for one hour in the gym, you have 23 hours outside the gym to screw it up. Therefore, first change your daily activities outside of the gym (i.e. posture, sleep, footwear, diet, lack of movement).
• Incorporate soft tissue work (massage, foam roll, ART).
• Address the issue with dynamic flexibility and activation work. A tight or strained muscle usually has a weak synergist.
• As a last resort, change the training program. This is sacred to the athlete so if change it, change as little as you have to.
• Remember…maximal strength can be corrective!!

Mike Hope

Robo-Hope did an excellent job organizing this event and really went out of his way hosting a get together on Friday night for all of the presenters. The drive from the hotel to Mike’s place was a little reminiscent of the Griswold family’s accidental detour through inner-city St. Louis in National Lampoon’s Family Vacation. Fortunately, we made it to Mike’s house with all our hubcaps, and there was no ‘Honkey Lips’ graffiti on the side of his truck.

Topic: Shoulder and spine rehabilitation

Mike’s presentation was very in-depth and informative. However, it was also full of pictures and video so much of the information he provided cannot be adequately summarized. Many of these exercises will be referenced, and most will be added to the Exercise Index.

Key points:

• The shoulder ROM should be based on the specific needs of the athlete. The lats and pecs are often tight and can limit the normal range of motion. Also, external and internal rotation ROM and strength are often unbalanced. Proper stretching exercises were demonstrated. A Thera Cane-type product can be used to help self-stretch if a partner is not available.
• When performing posterior capsule stretches, it is important to brace the scapula in order to get an effective stretch.
• Thoracic spine extension is often an overlooked component needed for proper shoulder mechanics.
• The rounded shoulder posture results in reduced scapular motion and reduced sub-acromial space. This results in abnormal biomechanics, which can lead to shoulder injury.
• Scapular dyskinesis (altered movement) is found in most cases of shoulder instability and impingement.
• Scapular winging and substitution are two items to look for when evaluating the shoulder.
• Muscle testing for weakness was stressed. Mike included pictures but many contained a picture of a guy wearing a thong. This was wrong on so many levels that I could not bring myself to post them here. Apparently Mike does not know how to crop a photo. At least I hope that was the reason.
• For rotator cuff strengthening, the side lying external rotation (ER), prone ER at 90, and prone horizontal abd with ER at 100 result in the greatest recruitment of shoulder and cuff muscles. Depending on the degree of injury, you may need to start with standing ER’s at different angles until the muscles can handle the more intense exercises.
• Serratus anterior strength is important for shoulder health. Push-ups w/plus, scaption, and hug type movements target this muscle.
• Posterior capsule stretching, pec minor stretching, lower trapezius strengthening, and increasing rotator cuff strength can help subacromial impingement.
• Dynamic stabilization, posterior cuff stretching, and avoidance of anterior stretches as well as PNF, end range ER, perturbation training, and ER strengthening can help with internal impingement.
• Strengthening the scapular retractors, depressors, and ER’s can help posterior rotator cuff tendinitis. Stretching tight posterior cuff muscles is another important factor.
• People with SLAP lesions should avoid overhead exercises. It would be wise to avoid bench press and military press if a SLAP lesion is present. Closed chain exercises also can result in compressive loads that could further stress the labrum.
• If motor control of the lumbar spine is deficient or impaired, it may lead to injury under sudden loading.
• Dysfunction in the psoas, quads, int/ext obliques, transverse abdominis, multifidus, or glutes can lead to low back pain.
• When dealing with LBP, it is important to ascertain if the person has a directional preference (i.e. a movement or position that reduces or abolishes pain).
• Try exercises that challenge motor control and spinal stability.
• Abdominal biking (dead bugs), bridging, side planks, bird-dogs, and elbow touches form a good foundation of low back rehab.
• Advanced exercises such as pull thrus, dumbbell swings, wood chops, cable abs, medicine ball throws, and Turkish get-ups may be added later, as appropriate. Perturbation training often helps.
• The exercises should not increase pain, or if pain is constant, they should result in only a minimal increase. Exercises should be of low spinal compression and should exercise muscles involved in important movements.

James Smith

Apparently, even though Rocky’s old-school training program resulted in a thorough beat down of Ivan Drago and his technologically advanced and systematized Soviet program, James is undeterred and continues to research and study the Russian approach to athletic development. What was more striking was that even with all his knowledge of Russian training, not once did I hear him refer to anyone as comrade. His mission statement is to inspire coaches, trainers, and athletes to continually seek to heighten their understanding of it all and to raise their consciousness and awareness as it relates to the training process.

Topic: High/Low Methodology and the Complex Structure of the Development of Sport Form (Yea, I know. Better go get some coffee before proceeding.)

Key points:

• High/low sequencing involves the organization of moderate to high CNS intensive training stimuli to same training days alternated with one or more low intensive training days.
• All variants of high/low sequencing incorporate one or both of the following: either 72 or 48 hours between intensive training days.
• The 72-hour sequence: This works well with a four day split and accommodates sportsmen’s regenerative/recovery abilities.
• The 48-hour sequence: This accommodates a wide range of training weeks of splits and is effective for in-season organization of training that leads into contests.
• In order to organize high/low sequencing, one must have a complete understanding of the physiologic effect of the means.
• The one essential determinant for qualifying the CNS intensiveness of the means is the recruitment of high threshold motor units.
• Sprints, jumps, agility drills, throws, weights, general specific drills, specific drills, and even electric muscle stimuli can all be classified into different degrees of CNS stress based on specific criteria.
• The magnitude of CNS stress produced by specific means dictates its placement in a program.
• The degree to which any means recruits high threshold motor units is dependent on the number and size of working muscles, speed or force of contraction, amplitude of movement, and magnitude of force to overcome.
• Dynamic correspondence and transference are important considerations for successful programming.
• Know the psycho-physiologic effect of the means.
• Know the psycho-physiologic needs of the sport.
• Program the training consistent with this knowledge and the targeted objective.
• Allow the monitoring of training effects to provide acute direction to the planning of successive training blocks.
• The training process will always be incomplete.
• The concentrated development of one ability prohibits the same level of concentration in developing the other abilities.
• The parallel development of several abilities prohibits the concentrated development of any ability.
• The directive must be the continual effort to perfect the training process toward the realization of the highest possible result.

Buddy Morris

Buddy had the honor of following James Smith’s presentation, and as he put it, he felt, “like following Star Wars with Uncle Buddy’s home movies.” He started off by commenting on James’ vocabulary, especially the word esoteric. He said, “I don’t even know how to spell that. Here is what I wrote: S-O-teric. Isn’t that some kind of heartburn medicine?”

Topic: Deload to Reload…and Other Stuff

Key points:

·        The fundamental function of the body is SURVIVAL.

·        All programs work, but nothing works forever.

·        Don’t forget the concept of adaptation to stress and Hans Selye’s GAS.

·        Training affects seven different systems: cardiac, pulmonary, hormonal, metabolic, detoxification, CNS, and neuromuscular. These do not all adapt at the same time.

·        All programs are flawed, and there are no perfect training variables.

·        No two people will respond the same to the same stimulus.

·        There isn’t a perfect exercise for anything. They are all tools to be used.

·        The only difference between some people in this field and God is that God knows he is not them.

·        Rest at some point becomes an actual training method.

·        Recovery/restoration begins with a well conceived training program that allows time for recovery.

·        Optimal load applied during a deload week results in a summation or additive effect that helps to stabilize the new level of performance.

·        There is the opinion of the experts, coaches, the athlete and the athlete’s body. The athlete’s body is always right. Their bodies talk to you during every workout. It is your job to listen.

·        A coach must be dynamic and above all else flexible.

·        An increase in volume or intensity must be countered with an increase in recovery.

·        Deloading helps to give the body a rest, give the mind a rest, prevent overtraining, decrease injury risk, and increase chance of progress.

·        Once the body stops learning, it stops growing.

·        How you perform or present an exercise to the body is often more important than the exercise itself.

·        Disregard what is useless and keep what is useful.

·        Always search for the Holy Grail and realize that there is no magical program or formula. There are many means and many methods so use them all. There are always ways to improve you program but only if you are open-minded.

·        Train optimally, not maximally.

That just about wraps things up. A special thanks goes out to all the presenters and attendees who made this a truly great event. Based on the tremendous feedback and helpful suggestions, this event hopefully will become even better in the coming years.

Ryan Smith, DC, graduated from The Ohio State University in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. While attending Ohio State, he completed an internship in the Health-Related Fitness program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. In 2000, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas Chiropractic College. Ryan participated in an orthopedic rotation through the Baylor Sports Medicine Institute with one of the Houston Astros team physicians. He served as a sports medicine advisor for the USA Fit marathon training program for five years. Currently, he is in group practice in Columbus, Ohio, and focuses on myofascial therapy and rehab as well as traditional chiropractic treatment. Visit www.chirocolumbus.com for more information.

Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.

Copyright© 2006 Elite Fitness Systems. All rights reserved. 
You may reproduce this article by including this copyright  
and, if reproducing it electronically, including a link to  
www.Elitefts.com.