"If it looks like shit, then it is probably shit!" I love that Mike Boyle quote referring to training and technique. As professionals in the fitness industry, whether you are a personal trainer or a strength and conditioning coach, we have a RESPONSIBILITY to ensure the safety of our athletes/clients. Do No Harm is Rule … Continue reading Rule #1: Do No Harm

Over the last year or so one thing that has become increasingly apparent to me is that people don’t typically end up getting better when using bands for chin ups. It seems to me that the same athlete that is using a band to assist them with chin ups as a freshman is still using … Continue reading Thoughts on Chin Ups

I am a firm believer that as a field we get better when coaches are transparent. Attached at the bottom of this post is an exact template of what is going to be implemented with women's hockey during this current in-season period, the next three weeks. This is also almost identical as to what I … Continue reading Sample In-Season Program for Ice Hockey

“While an athlete’s reaching or exceeding individual performance aims and helping the team achieve its goals is fantastic in one sense, it’s completely undermined if this athlete is ruin in the process.” – Fergus Connolly In the last few weeks I have slowly been making my way through Fergus Connolly’s new book Game Changer, which … Continue reading Health > Performance

When it comes to training overhead athletes a strength coach has to take into account the demands that are placed on the athlete through their sport. With overhead athletes, overuse injuries of the shoulder can be extremely common. Because of this many exercises that may not be contraindicated for most athletes are contraindicated for the … Continue reading Arm Care Programs

“The goal is to keep the goal the goal.” – Dan John The goal of the weight room is to develop durable athletes that are able to withstand the demands of their sport through resistance training. With this in mind, it is important to remember that in-season strength training is still strength training and it … Continue reading Thoughts on In-Season Training

I am probably a little late to the party on this one, but the suspension fallout has become one of my favorite anti-extension core exercises. I have started to use it a little later in our anti-extension progression. We start with typical front plank work (regular, feet elevated, weighted feet elevated), progress into a swiss … Continue reading Exercises You Should Be Doing: Suspension Fallouts

New month, new list of random thoughts. Hopefully it sparks a little thinking. Enjoy. Every athlete has a trainable exercise menu. That menu isn’t necessarily the same for each and every athlete. We as coaches need to adapt and work with the athlete, not have the athlete adapt and try to fit them into our … Continue reading Random Thoughts: October Edition