Identifying Why — 4 Steps to Perfecting Your Program Philosophy
Here are a few steps I have used over the years that have helped me, my staff, and our athletes be on the same page in understanding our purpose.
Programming for the Loose Forwards in Rugby
A loose forward must be one of the fittest players on the field. This requires a specialized approach to the strength and conditioning program.
Cus D’Amato — Past, Present and Future Thoughts
Evaluating the past is important for fixing things that you did wrong. Looking forward to the future is important for setting goals. But if you do these things at the wrong time, you'll run into trouble.
Strength Training for Young Athletes — Benefits, Appropriate Starting Ag...
Telling a kid not to lift but then turning around and having him sprint, cut, and jump in those terms really does sound stupid, doesn’t it?
A Young Athlete's Redemption
When the tall, piper-cleaner thin baseball player showed up, I didn't think he'd last long. I was wrong.
Three Coaching Cues You Need to Avoid
Most coaches rely on verbal internal cues, which may be the least effective. Here are several alternative options to help your athletes.
Unification of Training Stimuli (with Program)
You might call this The Grand Unified Training Theory: attempting to combine the training elements of Olympic lifting, powerlifting, strongman, and bodybuilding into one single training program.
In-Season Training for Football — Don't Lose Off-Season Gains
Your off-season was a huge success. Your athletes gained strength, size, and speed. Here's the challenge: maintain.
WATCH: The CVASP Podcast — How to Use Vertical Jump Data
Jay DeMayo invites Dr. Mann to discuss power and how strength coaches everywhere can better use information collected through athlete testing.
Impact — Do You Understand Yours?
I will always push the envelope on the implementation of science into strength training, but there's something even more important to remember about our jobs as coaches.
Which Way Should S&C Go?
As I see it, there are three directions that this profession can go. I know I favor one and I'll explain why.
5 Old School Principles to Hold Onto
If you do not follow these principles in your programming, you are building a house out of sand.
Using The Body Composition Action Chart for Athlete Programming
A player's lean body mass has effect on the optimal mode of programming and dictates the methods you should use to improve athletic performance.
The Dying Art of Strength and Conditioning
Between art and science, the pendulum has swung massively to one side.
40 Years and 40 Lessons
On my 40th birthday I reflect on the things I learned for each year of my life.
The Dash — What's Your Legacy?
The passing of my father led me to look at myself and think about the kind of legacy I'm going to leave.
Doing What Works
This six-month training block for a young man (program included) explains everything you need for half a year of size and strength gains.
Resume Writing Rules for Strength Coaches
Your resume is your written presentation of you. If you have a bad presentation, it can be assumed that you will not be a good hire. Don't let this happen.
Reaching the Outlier — Tips for Interacting with Difficult Athletes
In coaching, it's easy to lose hope in the student athletes that don't seem engaged or interested in your help. It's your job to find a way.
The Mythos of Training Female Athletes
When an argument comes up about training women and the differences, I have a perspective that many of my male colleagues do not: there is no difference.
Communicating Your Vision
How can you sell your vision when it's difficult to score your vision? Start with goals!
Summer Programming — Eliminate the Two Steps Back
You took a step forward and now it's summer. This time of year means nine weeks of strength and conditioning bliss and nine weeks of scheduling, programming and executing our own version of “the master plan.”
A Simple Flow Chart for Athlete Programming
By assessing the strengths of each athlete, you can better determine their training needs and how to address them. This chart makes it easy to evaluate progress for each player.
The Innovator, Imitator, and Integrator
There are three types of people in the world of strength and conditioning — which one are you?
WATCH: Periodization Differences Between Small and Large Groups
In a question-and-answer session, Dave Tate and Mark Watts talk training with a group of strength and conditioning students.
Logistics of Coaching — Working With What You Have
You can have an amazing battle plan but if you can't support it with beans and bullets, it's worthless.
My Weekend of Strength
With a clinic and meet scheduled on back to back days, I was surrounded by influential members of the strength community and made a few discoveries.
Communication in Strength and Conditioning — The Heartbeat of a Successf...
With your athletes and with your staff, communication is all you have for keeping everyone on the same page. If you won't talk to them, you won't understand them, and your program will fail.
REGISTER NOW: April 30th Training Camp with JL Holdsworth, Swede Burns, ...
You will have the opportunity to learn about any topic in strength training you choose, from execution of the main lifts all the way down to minute details of accessory work.
Your First Summer of Planning — Schedule and Program Setup as a New Coach
Young coaches often find a spot late in the summer leaving little time to prepare for the year ahead. Here are the planning and scheduling factors to consider as you construct your program.
Armour Plating the Upper Body and Power Training the Lower Body
Trial and error over time has led me to where my programming is today. This has produced a philosophy that includes a different approach to upper and lower body training.
Internship Perspective: Don't Forget the Act of Kindness
It's not all smiles and pep talks. There will be broom duty, but kindness should always be somewhere in the mix.
How To Get Your Athletes to Buy In
There's a simple system to getting your athletes on board with your program's principles and goals. It starts with an acronym — FORM.
Football Testing Season — Five Weeks to Gain Strength
Entering the time period away from pre-season or in-season training, our head coach made his expectations clear: “I want to see bench presses go up by 20 pounds and squats by 40 pounds in the next five to six weeks." Easy, right?
How Do We Get to the Steak, Not the Sizzle?
There's nothing wrong with trying the newest, flashy technique, but if you don't know how it will help your team, stick to the basics.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in High School and College Weight Rooms
These six missteps of sports training could keep your athletes small and weak — or worse, injured on the sideline.
THREE DAYS LEFT — Win 12 Weeks of Free Online Training from Team Elitefts
Participating coaches include; Swede Burns, Clint Darden, Julia Ladewski, Brandon Smitley, Joe Schillero, Ken Skip Hill, Zach Gallmann, Matt Ladewski, Shane Church, David Allen, Casey Williams, Dani Overcash, David Kirschen, Sheri Whethem, Ken Whethem.
To Split or Not to Split: The Athlete-Training Question
Bodybuilders are known for splitting weekly training into specific body parts per day. Will the same approach work for athletes?
Practice What You Preach — A Behavior Guide for Young Strength Coaches
Your relationship with your athletes is fundamental to helping them improve. It's also fragile. Don't risk compromising your role as a leader and your job as a coach.
Culture of the Team: The Hardest Part of Coaching
This problem started to creep up on us several years ago and I only see it getting worse.
LISTEN: Ashley Jones — Incorporating Games in a Pre-Season Program
With proper consideration of neural, mechanical, and metabolic elements, this podcast covers the methods used for developing a proper pre-season plan.
Coaching: Sometimes It's All in the Delivery
Learning to connect with and effectively motivate your athletes can go a long way. Choose your words wisely.
A Call to Young Coaches
After a four-year degree and multiple internships, I thought I knew it all. I was wrong. You are too.
The Dark Side of Coaching: How Secure Is Your Job?
In this profession, you are going to experience career limbo. Sometimes you don't know where you're going next — or if you'll even have a job next season.
Five Rules for Developing Your Career As A Strength Coach
Through a recent trip, I had the privilege of seeking guidance from two coaches I admire and whose knowledge can benefit any young strength coach looking to make their mark in this industry.
Meditation for the Coach: Starting the Recovery Process
If you spend all your time in high gear, you need to find a way to downshift. This technique is what works for me.
WATCH: How to Coach Yourself
Your training partners and coaches aren't always going to be there. When they're not around, what will you do?
The Four Steps of Establishing Your Program
The success of your program depends on your ability to balance what your head coach wants to do, what you want to do, and what your team really needs.
All Movement Begins in the Brain
No matter the athlete, the ability to move is the most important function to build. Sometimes, it's best to slow things down.
WATCH: Table Talk — Do Your Genetics Suck?
There's a way to know if your genetics suck — but not until you've given 100%. If you don't spend enough time trying, you'll never know.
Who Influences You?
How you learn and who you listen to will determine whether or not you keep growing in this industry.
How to Know If You Should Be Using VBT
Determining the time to implement velocity-based training hinges on three characteristics of your program and athletes. Give them what they need, when they need it.
You Never Know How You'll Find Your First Job
Whatever your plans are for breaking into this industry, forget them. It's never going to work out how you plan.
The 3 Steps of Practicing Visualization
Surpass your mental blocks and improve your technique by putting your mind in a better place with Cook's Model of Concentration.
Speed and Conditioning for the Youth Athlete
This sample one-week program outlines training tactics for developing basic fundamental movement skills.
Starting Your Career as a Collegiate Strength Coach
Breaking into this profession is difficult and requires determination and sacrifice but if you're in it for the right reasons, that won't be a problem.