Partner Towel Row

• Horizontal pulling, which most everyone could benefit from more of
• Forces you to create total body Stability/tension
• Unilateral horizontal pulling
• On your feet, just like most sports.
• A nice change of pace from the typical DB Rows and TRX Rows

Rather than considering the abdominals as flexors and rotators of the trunk – for which they certainly have the capacity – their function might be better viewed as anti-rotators and anti-lateral flexors of the trunk. – James Porterfield & Carl DeRosa

Core ➡️ stabilizers, not movers. Motion prevention, not motion creation

✅ Body saws, rollouts, fallouts, front/side plank variations, crawling, carries, etc.

❌ Crunches, sit ups, russian twists, leg lifts, etc.

 

Happy Monday! Here are a few thoughts bouncing around in my head after a week of reading, podcasts and other continuing ed. Enjoy!

1. I still see a ton of not so great core training out there. The core’s real function is to stabilize. Sport is about core stabilization and hip rotation. The core shouldn’t be looked at as movers, they should be looked at to prevent movement. More anti-extension, anti-rotation and anti-lateral flexion work. Body saws, front/side plank variations, Pallof presses, Plank rows, carries.
2. Piggybacking off this thought, training the core should be about creating stability and protecting the spine while also transferring energy from the ground through the body. The second part is one of the main reasons med ball training should be a staple in strength programs.
3. Developing opinion…the more hip extension work, the better (to a degree, obviously).

Another week, another group of podcasts and articles to read and listen to that I have dived into this past week. Like every week, there was a ton of content out there both in written form and through podcasts.

For podcasts, I thoroughly enjoyed the Just Fly Performance podcast with Henk Kraaijenhof. Henk has some really good thoughts, some thoughts that make a lot of people really think, when it comes to strength and conditioning. Some really, really good stuff.

For articles, its hard to not recommend anything and everything that Tony Holler writes – good stuff as always. I would also recommend the Eric Cressey article on training the rotator cuff for anyone that deals with overhead athletes.

Enjoy!

Podcasts

Robby Row Show with Eric Cressey

Leave Your Mark with Dan Pfaff

JustFly Performance with Henk Kraaijenhof

Pacey Performance with Nick Grantham

CVASP with Dave Tenney

Articles 

3 Random Thoughts on Rotator Cuff Readiness by Eric Cressey

Starting Over as a Full Time Coach by Todd Hamer

Talking Tactical Periodization by Martin Bingisser

What I Learned During 13 Years of Strength Training by Sivan Fagan

10 Reasons to Join the Track Team by Tony Holler

 

Happy Monday! Here are a few thoughts bouncing around in my head after a week of reading, podcasts and other continuing ed. Enjoy!

1. People underestimate how much a little strength can improve a female athlete.
2. The mindset that what is best for each and every athlete that walks through your doors is what should drive you as a coach. Sometimes we forget the training is for and about them, not for us and what we like.
3. Rob Assie posted this on Twitter the other day…”If I design my program around strength, I may lose speed. If I design my program around speed, I get both.” Brilliant…and I agree.

Another week, another group of podcasts and articles to read and listen to that I have dived into this past week. Like every week, there was a ton of content out there both in written form and through podcasts.

For podcasts, I haven’t listened to a ton of the GainCast podcast but I really enjoyed this one with Vern Gambetta. Lots of talk on in-season training which can be a tricky time when it comes to programming when trying to continue to improve but not get people sore throughout the process.

For articles, a couple months old but the article Todd Hamer put out on learning from people around you is great and something that every strength coach should read.

Enjoy!

Podcasts

$ Keystone Habits with Mike Robertson

Strength Coach Podcast #240

Iron Game Chalk Talk with Aaron Feld

Physical Prep with Lachlan Wilmont

GainCast with Vern Gambetta

Articles

Nagging Injury? by Tim DiFrancesco

Sports Science: You’ve Still Got it Wrong by Wayne Goldsmith

Learning from Those Around You by Todd Hamer

Getting Stronger is Corrective Exercise by Tony Gentilcore

Core Training Simplified by Scott Hansen

Happy Monday! Here are a few thoughts bouncing around in my head after a week of reading, podcasts and other continuing ed. Enjoy!

1. Know what’s important and just train it. Figure out what your big rocks are – train your big rocks consistently.
2. Athletes don’t buy into our programs, they buy into the coaching writing those programs. With that in mind, I think we should all coach the way you are wired to coach, focusing on being yourself and not trying to be anything but that.
3. The last thing people need is more negativity in their lives. Be positive with the coaches you work with/for. Be positive with the other members of the strength staff. Be positive with the athletes you work with. Positivity will always win out in the long run.

Another week, another group of podcasts and articles to read and listen to that I have dived into this past week. Like every week, there was a ton of content out there both in written form and through podcasts.

For podcasts, both of the Iron Game Chalk Talk episodes that I listened to this week were great. One was with Aaron Wellman who is the strength coach for the NY Giants while the other was with Noel Durfey who is the strength coach with Duke University football. Good stuff from both coaches.

For articles, Joel Smith knocks one out of the park with his Beyond Barbells articles. Some really good thoughts on where the field may be going in the future.

Enjoy!

Podcasts

Iron Game Chalk Talk with Aaron Wellman

Iron Game Chalk Talk with Noel Durfey

Pacey Performance with Mike Young

Just Fly Performance with Max Schmarzo

Leave Your Mark with Gray Cook

Articles

Learning from those Around You by Todd Hamer

Knee Injuries in Ice Hockey by Tony Farina

Beyond Barbells and Conditioning by Joel Smith

45 Lessons Learned by Pat Rigsby

19 Exercises that Should be in Your Routine by Stack Media

Another month, another post full of random thoughts that have been going through my head. Hope it sparks a little thought in people and you enjoy!

1. The best training philosophy is the one that works well in the situation you find yourself in and works well with the athletes that you work with.
2. We have probably done more jumping, sprinting and throwing of med balls and less olympic lifting this year with teams then ever before as we try to train across the force-velocity curve. Strength is important, but powerful and explosive athletes are tough to beat.
3. The idea of micro-dosing training is really interesting to me and something we have started doing with our women’s basketball team. A small dose of training, almost every day, as opposed to a larger dose 2-3 times per week. People don’t really get sore. They don’t really ever feel run down. It gives them something to focus on quickly then leave. Lots of reasons to like it IMO.
4. Strength coaches needs to start looking at themselves as stress managers in-season. You have to know when to pick and choose when you push and when to take your foot off the gas. At the end of the day a fresh athlete come gameday is of the utmost importance.
5. The biggest KPI for any sport is health.
6. Friendly reminder to strength coaches: our jobs are to keep athletes healthy and improve sport performance, not produce weight room numbers.
7. “If you train patterns you won’t miss muscles, but if you train muscles you will miss patterns.” – Team EXOS
8. Just something bouncing around in my head and something I may try, but I am thinking about dropping down to two sets for knee dominate work in-season. Athletes are running a lot. They are skating a lot. There is a lot of stress on their lower bodies. Is less more?
9. Person first. Athlete second.
10. We have continued to consistently push sleds and continue to like what we are seeing. Horizontal, 1-leg strength. Very little eccentric muscle contraction = very little soreness. Use friendly – hard to not do well. Hard to get hurt performing the movement.

Why the Sled March has become a staple in all my programs…

✅ Horizontal 1-Leg strength much like running or skating
✅ Forces hip extension, which most athletes could use more of, and especially important for long term hip health for 🏒 players who skate in constant hip flexion
✅ Very little eccentric stress, causing very little soreness, making it ideal in-season
✅ User friendly ➡️ it’s really hard to do wrong