Although this may look super confusing initially, I promise that if you can do some simple math, you can make the APRE system work.
Ever step onto the platform with raging, psyched up adrenaline coursing through your veins…but you end up missing the lift?
When an athlete bends over, it shows who is weak. We didn’t want to have our athletes appearing weak, so we made them stand up. Maybe we’re wrong about that.
What if the lineman loses 35 pounds as a result of not having adequate food. Are they ready for the upcoming season? Are they going to be able to perform optimally if that 35 pounds was force-producing muscle mass? Most likely not.
In this article, I’d like to present some research that we did examining a BCS Division 1 University and an NAIA University that existed within 15 miles of each other.
Albert Einstein says it best, “Out of clutter, find simplicity. Out of discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
All training means have value; this is just one more means to add to your arsenal, and after reading, you’ll have some information as to why and how it may be effective.
A key part of being a strength and conditioning coach is something many people may not expect: networking. Be sure you’re not missing out on making important connections that online productions can’t imitate.
In a published journal article, we examined 31 football players on the 225 Test (and we also collected some velocity data, so hold on to your hats for future publications from this data set) to see if this test made any difference in playing time.
In my last article, I went over 2 of the 5 dysfunctions of a team. Here, I’ll cover the remaining 3 and how to bring the team closer together.
I used the book The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team to help bring my athletes closer together, especially when there was a major shift in the team. These exercises helped bring us closer together and improved performance and morale.
After undergoing a hip replacement surgery and another surgery on my other hip, it goes without saying I’ve had to adjust how I train. But let me just say, I am so glad I went through with these procedures. The pain is worth it, I promise.
Self-determination theory is an approach to shift motivation from extrinsic to intrinsic. As coaches, we can make small changes to the way we already do things to cause great changes to the athlete’s performance and motivation source.
This month, I have three stories to share on the topics of dealing with fear and accepting responsibility. Using illustrations from Joe Montana, the founder of Aikido, and Harry S. Truman, hopefully, next time you’re faced with adversity you won’t question, “Why me?”
I started my career as a strength and conditioning coach nearly 40 years ago. Throughout those 40 or so years, I picked up and learned a lot from other people. I tried to name as many of these people and their ideas as possible, so here it is, in an easy-to-read ABCs format.
You can’t control what people say about you. Sometimes what they say will be good; sometimes what they say will be bad. What you can control is the way you respond to it. You can let the media get you on the highs and lows of the season, or you can simply choose to not respond to it. It’s your choice.
All too often we sit back and make judgments through a keyboard in an instant rather than thinking that this is one moment of a program rather than the whole thing. I know that I have done this, too, earlier in my career (and on the wrong day, recently, too).
Exactly where does coaching begin? With the sport, athlete, or person?
It’s human nature to let negative thoughts rise and wreck your ability. It’s easy to just let things happen. In contrast, a championship nature stops these thoughts and does not let the downward spiral happen.
As a result of decreased enrollment for a few reasons (some projected, some not) and decreased funding from the state, 187 people were out of their jobs this spring, and I was one of them. I have learned some extremely important lessons along the way that I’ll share now, along with where I’m headed.
Most historical figures aren’t single-faceted, and if your athletes truly connect with them, you can bring other aspects of them to light to aid them in their journeys. General George S. Patton leads by example and James J. Braddock overcomes opponents using visualization.
No one ever gets anywhere alone. These are the people that have supported me and paved the road to where I am today.
What each athlete must remember is that it’s not the mistake that defines you as an athlete; it’s how you respond to the mistake that defines you.
…and every training method is useless. Let’s look at 1×20, APRE, and VBT to understand what this means.
If you aren’t open to the knowledge and expertise of those around you, you’re only holding yourself back. These are some of the most influential things I’ve learned from others in this industry.
Of the many things in your life that you care about, there are some you can control and some you cannot. Being aware of the difference will not only make you more successful but also happier.
In one of his most detailed podcast discussions yet, Dr. Bryan Mann shares a number of discoveries he’s made about athlete training and the use of velocity based training.
Verkhoshansky. Issuran. Roman. Matveye. Stone. Kraemer. McGuigan. Gill. Newton. Haff. Fry. Zatsiorsky. Yessis. Bosco. Bondarchuk. Siff. Hill. Berger. Bompa. Knight. Issurin. Rhea. Baker. DeLorme. Get to know them.
We need to think about the quality of life and how to increase longevity in this profession. What we are doing does not lead to it.
One question I often get asked is, should I set up a conference at my college/university? Then I’m asked how to go about doing that. I hope to answer those questions here.
Last summer I was able to perform some informal research on 10 Division II football athletes examining how to reverse imbalances found in force-velocity profiling using velocity based training with a Tendo Unit and accommodating resistance.
Social media can be a very powerful tool to enhance your learning and your network, but you have to use it with some responsibility.
If life is a juggling act, some balls are rubber and some are glass. You can get another job, buy a new car, or pay someone to fix your house, but if you drop the ball with your family, it is broken forever.
This discussion focuses on further applications of velocity based training, including the topic of fast-twitch muscular hypertrophy, ensuring athletes don’t cheat the system, and choosing between average and peak velocity.
Dr. Mann joins Dr. Lowery and Dr. Nelson to discuss the APRE and how the implementation of this protocol transitioned to velocity-based training.
There is one simple rule to follow to circumvent many of the issues that cause animosity between the sport coach and the strength coach.
Life was meant to be lived, not read. Cars were meant to be driven, not parked. The harbor is safe, but a ship was meant to sail. Don’t let articles and books convince you that you understand it all.
Our ambition may be endless but our abilities are finite. When we try to take on too much, something is soon to go wrong.
How do you get your mind in the right place for a big lift in training? Should you treat it like meet day?
Last year we looked at the 225-bench test. This year I want to talk about what is considered by many to be the king event for evaluating athletic speed: the 40-yard dash.
At the college or high school level, you are likely to deal with many athletes who have a mental illness. Will you know how to help them?
The parable is one of the oldest tools to teach. If it worked for Aesop and it worked for the ancient Greeks, it will work for your athletes.
Through your support we can answer how muscle myonuclei control growth and recovery in fast vs. slow-twitch fibers. Back this project today.
There’s a very short list of things you can control and a very long list of things you can’t control. Choose to focus on the right one.
At the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is food, shelter, and safety. If your athlete doesn’t have one of these three things, how can you expect them to perform at their best?
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.
With dynamic effort work, we use the guidelines that Bryan Mann has written about extensively. I’ve tweaked his approach to fit our small budget and large team setting.
I had used the APRE Method with great results in the past. After trying some new things in the summer, we decided to implement these changes in the fall.
Jay DeMayo invites Dr. Mann to discuss power and how strength coaches everywhere can better use information collected through athlete testing.
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.
Between art and science, the pendulum has swung massively to one side.
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.
There are three types of people in the world of strength and conditioning — which one are you?
You can have an amazing battle plan but if you can’t support it with beans and bullets, it’s worthless.
