Dan John from Books “Never Let Go” & Easy Strength Growing up, things were different. In school, we'd play basketball or touch football during recess. During P.E. we'd play kickball. After school we'd hit the local playground with its monkey bars, swings, tunnels, and a variety of other dangerous contraptions that I'm sure have been banned from most of America today, and then we went home to breeze through whatever school work was left. Then, as fast as we could, we'd regroup and play street football, baseball, basketball, and a variety of games like tag, hide and go seek, and "one foot off the gutter." By the time I entered organized sports, I'd probably been fouled ten thousand times, caught hundreds of touchdown passes and, for the record, ran into one truck...that was still moving. In school physical education classes, we had speedball, volleyball, dodgeball, wrestling, basketball, crab soccer, soccer, swimming, and a host of other classes. In addition, I competed in several sports at the interscholastic, community, and church levels. Like all my friends, I was exposed to a myriad of sports experiences and soon discovered that the "tricks" in one sport often worked well in another. So, you get the point: we need to add some variation to our training. But, that isn't the entire point. The idea of accumulation is to actively seek out new training concepts, not to add some simple variation, but to challenge our long held notions of "strengths" and "weaknesses." This is what I call Quadrant One. It is the important, and perhaps even decisive, period of a youth athlete’s training when every Quality is developed at a minimal level. Throughout a long athletic career, and the life well beyond it, the athlete will be able to enjoy a variety of sports and games in as both a participant and a spectator. Moreover, some of the Q’s will actually carryover to the mastery of the techniques of the elite athlete. Ball movement, for example, is “true” in both soccer (football) and basketball but it also is true for the puck in hockey. Lessons learned “here” provide a ramp for lessons “there.” The key to Quadrant One is the courage of a coaching staff (or parents) NOT to drool over the apparent early edge a young girl or young boy has at a skill or game at an early age. Oddly, I now believe that someone who struggles with a skill will actually soon eclipse the shooting star. George Leonard’s work on mastery has been proven to me in my years on the field, the track and the weight room. It is odd to think that “natural” talent might not manifest itself for years. If the new mantra that 10,000 hours is the secret to being an “overnight sensation,” my experience tells me that the easy learner stops improving after the first medal at the All-School Track and Field Jamboree for middle schoolers. Excellence demands time. Everything needs progression in Quadrant One. A basic fitness test for general upper body strength assessment is the one-minute pushup test. It is a good test and can be charted over decades of the individual’s career. But, with detrained and untrained athletes, it is wise to establish some kind of progression. The plank, an isometric position held for time, is ideal at this level. Ideally, we will build on this until the athlete can do much more with bodyweight than to simply remain rigid. An area often overlooked in schools today is tumbling. I have a short list on how to live longer statistically: Oh, I agree that fish oil is great and a nice kettlebell swing is helpful, but these three things

survive any hard look at the numbers (many the Freakonomics guys will take this on). Here is the actual progress I use in my class. After a basic orientation in falling and head position, we build immediately into this: Tumbling Forward Roll From Stand With Legs Crossed Forward Roll to a Stand Cross Leg Roll to Crossed Leg Stand Roll into Leap, Turn, Repeat Shoulder Roll Alternate shoulders in a series Shoulder rolls without arms Dive Rolls Walk into a Dive Roll Run into a Dive Roll Dive Rolls over obstacles (crouched people, mats) Dive Rolls for Height (within reason) Side Rolls Monkey Rolls Leapfrog Wheelbarrows Squat Hand Balance Head and Elbow Handstand Forward Roll to Squat Hand Balance Walk on Hands Head and Hand Balance Hand Balance Cartwheels Round Offs Don’t worry about the names or the specifics. Just about anything works to build confidence and skill on the mats. Now, just for a moment, think about how many skills are necessary to simply bring a ball across a court and make a lay up. Progression is king at this level. QI is all about accumulation of skills, movements, rules and body knowledge. Since 'qualities' (with a big S in the plural here) are being addressed, it is important to really be free to open the vast closet of experiences in the learning of sports, games, activities, and movements. This quadrant is the epitome of generalists and there are important lessons here: First, "exposure" needs to be used in the classic sense. I have often wondered if I would have been a world- class kayaker or saber fencer. Alas, no exposure. Ideally, all the winter sports, the Olympic sports, the professional sports and the lifetime sports should be given their due to the QI setting. If it sounds like a tough task, it is. Second, "exposure" in the more common usage: when a group of 100 normal people get together, one is simply faster than the rest. Moreover, although my heart might be set on the NBA, my height is set on being a jockey. The more opportunities one has to be exposed, the more honest the process of discerning what sport might be right for you. Every so often, I'll get an email from a high school coach about teaching a group of kids to

lift weights. The emails often sound like the task of getting kids to lift is insurmountable. Some of the coaches sound like they need a miracle worker to come in and exorcize the student body before they begin to exercise. I always argue back to these fine men and women that it can be done... easily and inexpensively. I can't claim any credit for the following program, but I'm indebted to Mr. Dave Freeman, my ninth grade physical education coach for making us do this! Welcome to Southwood! After eight years at St. Veronica's School, I transferred to Southwood Junior High to begin junior high. It was a helluva transition. From Irish nuns to public school is big enough, but I was also going to play football. At 118 pounds of pure nothing, it was obvious to everyone that I needed to lift weights. It was at this time that I was introduced to Southwood's lifting program. In a portable building, the school had outlaid about fifteen of those cement-filled weightlifting sets that everyone from my generation remembers as their first bar. Mr. Freeman spent little time explaining the "rep-set" system of 8-6-4 because everybody, except me, knew what to do. That's part of the brilliance of the program. You learn it once and then you lift. Not exactly rocket science, but who needs rocket science on the football field? The program was very simple. First, groups of four boys were given a bar. The bars ranged from very light, maybe 25 pounds, up to nearly a hundred pounds. Each cohort of boys would lift one at a time, put the bar down, and then the next boy would lift. The four would constantly move from lifter to watcher — the bar never stopped. The three sets (explained in just a moment) wouldn't take very long. In fact, sometimes it was hard to catch your breath in time for your next set. The reps were very simple: First set: 8 repetitions Second set: 6 repetitions Third set: 4 repetitions The goal was also clear-cut: When you got all 18 reps, you added weight. If you started with a bar that was too light, you'd be bumped up to the next weight and a stronger group in the next workout. Of course, actual variations could include making an entirely new group with more weight, too — whatever was necessary to make the group work together. The program involved four lifts: 1) Power clean 2) Military press

3) Front squat 4) Bench press Each lift was done in the 8-6-4 rep format. The bar was cleaned (once) for the set of military presses, and the bar was also cleaned (once) for the front squats. So, each workout the athlete cleaned the bar from the ground to their chest 22 times. If, as some people believe, the power clean is the "king of the exercises," that's a lot of reps with the king! To "hurry up" the training (as if necessary) there were times when Mr. Freeman recommended combining the power clean and military presses. One clean and one press, repeated for a total of eight reps. This was done with a lighter weight. One could also do the front squats after the clean and presses, too. I've only done this once, and it was an amazing cardiovascular workout. Each day to warm-up, we had to run two laps and an obstacle course. The two laps were about 600 meters. The obstacle course had a wall, various upper body challenges, and some balance walking. All in all, this wasn't a bad program. The Southwood Program To be performed three days a week in the weightroom: Power clean 8-6-4 reps Military press 8-6-4 reps Front squat 8-6-4 reps Bench press 8-6-4 reps As I began coaching, I adapted this workout several times. One thing I've returned to with training groups is to no longer use the racks on the bench press. Instead, I have the two spotters deadlift the weight and bring it over the head of the athlete. I discovered that young athletes don't set their shoulders right when they get a "lift off," but naturally grab the barbell correctly when two spotters raise the bar over their eyes. Also, this method insures proper spotting because you simply don't have time to start doing something stupid. There are three basic methods for doing the Southwood workout. The first, or the "classic" as we call it, is to use one bar with one weight for all four exercises. What holds the athlete back on this variation is the military press. The upside of this variation, and this is something to think about, is the athletes aren't afraid to go deep with the lighter weight in the front squat. Since I think depth is more important than weight in the early learning process, this classic variation might be the best.

However, the kids really know that they can do much more in the bench press. I usually find them doing lots of extra sets on their own after the formal workout is over. I don't see the issue of athletes doing extra work on their own as a real problem. The second variation is to change the weights for each exercise. The front squat will still be held back by the power clean, but I think that an athlete who's early in the learning curve can get by with less weight on the front squat. I'm still a believer in "movement over muscles," and I believe more in correct movement over weight. In other words, I don't think a 600-pound front squat is a "quad" exercise, as you better have your whole body ready for the hit. And, if you barely bend your knees, then don't brag about your big squat, either. In a large group setting, this requires a lot of plate changing and juggling of athletes here and there. But this second variation is great for a group up to about twenty, as well as being ideal for individuals. The final variation I use is to simply use the Southwood workout as a warm-up. Now, I know that everybody in the world is advanced now, but there's something about doing four big movements to get the body going. Like Alwyn Cosgrove's complexes, there's going to be some fat burning in all of this whole-body lifting. For fun, try doing the eight power cleans, military presses, and front squats back to back to back. Then continue with the six reps and finish by tackling the four rep sets. I tried doing the bench presses in this cluster, but I found that I was wrestling with the bar too much getting up and down. Certainly safety is a concern, but I just found it too taxing for a warm-up. From the Southwood Program, we progress to the Big Five workout. It's a simple linear progression workout using five sets of five reps of the same four lifts, with deadlifts added to the mix. I've commented in the past on the Five by Five here at Testosterone. I have my athletes simply add weight each set, so that they finish the fifth set as heavy as they can go. With young male and female athletes at any level, you might find that they can lift within ten pounds of their max single for five reps. This doesn't happen to lifters with more than two or three years in the gym, but for a young lifter this isn't uncommon. So, the next workout looks like this: Power clean 5 x 5 Military press 5 x 5 Front squat 5 x 5 Bench press

5 x 5 Deadlift (any variation) 5 x 5 This Big Five workout is one that anyone would recognize from the annals of bodybuilding history. The late Reg Park used this with great success and his devotee, an Austrian bodybuilder with political ambitions, followed a very similar program. The 5-3-2 Workout Every fifth workout, we change one small thing by playing with the reps and sets. We shift to just three sets. A set of five, add weight, a set of three, add weight, and then a heavy double. This is the 5-3-2 workout. The goal is to go as heavy as possible on the double. The problem with going heavy on singles with the young athletes is that you run into an old phrase called "fuzzy logic." It's one of those phrases that got beat to death a decade ago, and seems to have fallen into the same bin as "have a cow, man" and "I didn't inhale." Basically, when most people go heavy with singles, the spotters help "a little" and the depth gets suspect on squats. The legs work harder on military presses, and well, the list just goes on. With a double, I can always be assured that at least one repetition was really a rep. We don't want fuzzy maxes in the weight room. There will be nothing fuzzy in the weightroom. Ever. The reason I moved to the every fifth session 5-3-2 workout is simple: I started to see my athletes really improve as the volume of the five by fives built up. An easier test day every two weeks seems to keep the athletes enthusiasm high and keeps them coming back for more. I don't worry about boring my athletes when they're making progress. There's nothing worse than a program that's both boring andnon-progressive. Sadly, "boring and non-progressive" defines most training programs. After three, or at most, four weeks of the Southwood program, I shift to the Big Five. After two months of work on the Big Five with the chance of maxing four times during the two months, and with a final max day at the very end, the athletes can now move onto other programs. There's a level of mastery in the five major lifts that's evident to the eye of any visitor. There's also a lot of weight on some of the bars as I've had sophomores sneak into the 200's on power cleans for a set of five. That's some good lifting for an adult and amazing from a 15 year old. The Southwood and the Big Five are just two of the many things I do to indoctrinate my students into the world of lifting, fitness, and health. I've had many students who've really bought into the program. They've supplemented their diet with fish oil capsules multiple times a day, and tossed back a protein shake before, halfway through, and at the end of their workouts. The gains in hypertrophy and strength are impressive.

After a few weeks of doing battle with the weights, my students are ready for anything.

High school physical preparation program considerations By Jeffrey Moyer:

“Efficiency is the highest result at the least expense of time and energy.” – Thomas Kurtz

When it comes to training low-level athletes, often times it is the “more is better”

method that is stock piled onto the athletes. While having a lot of beer is better than having a little if the object is to get drunk, this concept isn’t efficient when dealing with athletes. It interferes greatly with the adaptation process, which in reality is how the athlete develops in his physical and technical abilities. Coaches will say they understand efficiency with training, but will often times be afraid to remove anything in their programs for the sake of losing the effects of their program.

Getting the athletes to become better at their sport -- be a better player on the field --should be the main goal of any physical preparation program, but what is often misunderstood is how to effectively & efficiently do so.

There are two reasons for athletic injuries:

• poor mechanics • poor physical abilities as they releate to the mechanics

I believe all coaches when training athletes should ask themselves “what is my athlete suppose to do in his/her sport?” Then watch there technique in their sport actions and build the program backwards from there. I believe that it is improtant for the physical preparation coach to have a understanding of bioemechics for the sport they are working with: understanding how and why the muscles and joint actions are suppose to act in the particular mechanics.

When working with young athetles there Central Nervous Systems are very plastic, and any type of means will see improvement. Training is stress on the body. The key is placing an optimal amount of stress on our athletes to allow them to adapt and recover. Forced intensification is unwise as it will stiffen the young athletes plastic CNS and shorten the athlete’s longevity for improvement.

There are a thousand ways to skin a cat and the same holds true when it comes to getting a low level athlete stronger: 3 x 5, 5 x 5, linear periodization, undulating periodization, 5-3-1, Westside, WS4SB, you name it, it all works! Strength is the easiest ability to train. If it weren’t, there wouldn’t be so many different methods and programs out there. As easy as 3x5 may seem when working with your athletes, as a coach, you must ask yourself “will this allow my athletes to recover for the next workout?” The muscular system and the Central Nervous system recover at different speeds. Too high of an intensity on the CNS leads inadequate recovery which could lead to overtraining, create muscular soreness, and limit the athlete’s ability to perform specialized work. It does not lead to full recovery, which is critical for further development.

“The common theory in weight training is to use heavier weights for greater strength

and mass. But, speed-strength, strength endurance, speed and explosive strength are best

developed with submaximal weights. Even 50 percent or less of your maximal weight can

be used effectively for faster and more explosive execution of an exercise. Maximal weights

should be used sparingly.” – Dr. Michael Yessis, Build a Better Athlete.

One of the problems with working with lower-level physically prepared athletes is that they need to get stronger everywhere. When starting off 15-20 exercises, 1 set of between 16 to 25 reps, three times a week is all that is needed to allow them to get stronger and be able to recover safely & efficiently. This will allow the athlete to strengthen all of the major and minor muscles, and build their work capacities. Starting training in the 20’s is low intensity on your athletes CNS, it will build the athletes work capacities, and it

will build muscular endurance which is a better base for the muscular strength as well as strengthening increases the quality and quantity of the connective tissue.

Muscle generally adapts within a few days of training, while connective tissue adapts after many weeks of training. An increase in the connective tissues will help improve the transmission of forces from muscle fibers to the to other joints and body parts as well to create more durable joints. It would be pointless to develop strength and size in the muscles if the rest of the musculoskeletal system isn’t able to handle the increased strength. (Hence the many issues with steroids.) It is imperative that you train the muscles, bones and connective tissues if you want to improve overall performance and safety. The connective tissues in the muscle, ligament & tendon complex, plays an imperative part in storing elastic energy that is used in the stretch reflex. Training the fast twitch fibers with explosive plyometric’s must involve said stored elastic energy. Classification of means:

- General Exercises: o Do not duplicate the mechanics of the sporting action(s) as a whole or in their

separate parts o Not specific to actions seen in softball o Used as a means of overall physical development

- Special Exercise:

o The exercise duplicates the what occurs in the sports action o The exercise must involve the same type of muscle contraction use in the

specific joint action(s) as the sports mechanics o The exercise must develop the strength in the same range of motion as the

specific joint action(s) as used in the sports mechanics o It aids in the learning and improvement of technique

In the general phase of training, the use of many general exercises should be used to strengthen the athletes in all joint actions, through full ranges of motion. These general exercises will help prepare the body for over-all strength and conditioning, and will help prepare the body to carry out the specialized exercises. Special exercises should be used in accordance to strengthen the muscles and joints, how they will be used specific to the biomechanics. As the season approaches, the exercises should become more specific towards the biomechanical and bioenergetics demands that the athlete(s) will be experiencing during game. It is the importance of coupling strength and technique that you will see the biggest bang for your buck as far as performance transfer onto the field, as well as injury prevention. Programming: Putting it together Equipment: I firmly believe that every high school training facility should be equipped with squat racks, barbells with weight-plate sets, 0-90degree benches, sets of dumbbells 2.5lbs – 120lbs, Glute-ham-back developer, multiple sets of active cords, med balls of various sizes, and a high speed shutter digital camera. Practicality:

The art of being a coach is seeing how the athlete responds with the demands placed on them. Stress is not the key…optimum stress is! The athlete’s body is only going to adapt at its own rate. Suffice it to say, there is not much as coaches we can do to speed this up. We can only mess it up!

The set of 20 will be based off of the most weight that the athlete can handle with proper form. Once form breaks, then you must call it quits. The duration using 1 set of 20 will be based on the individual athlete’s progress (4 – 10 weeks). You the coach may increase the weight based on what you see and how the athlete is responding.

Personally speaking, being a coach of a large group of athletes, auto-regulation (allowing the athlete to select his/her weights based their form and on how they feel) is big with the training of my athletes. I believe that the athletes should learn to gain an understanding and learn how to listen to their own bodies, which will help with the programming and organization of the training. With a large group of athletes training at one time, as the coach, we can be stretched thin with having to try and watch everyone. I believe taking the leaders of the team(s), teaching to them what it is you are looking for on a certain exercise and why, then teaching them to teach, will greatly help you coach in a large group setting. Having a team of mini-coaches will make your job easier. Sets & Reps Progressions:

- 1 x 15-25 reps (4-8 weeks) - 1 x 12-15 reps (6 – 14 weeks) - 1 x 8 reps (4 – 12 weeks) - 10 - 20 Accessory exercises per workout

o Slowly increase in volume while intensity is constant o Then increase intensity while volume stays constant o Don’t normally increase both at the same time

Example: General Phase

Foam Roll

Dynamic Warm-up

Running & cutting technique work 10-15mins

Bb Squat – 1 x 20

Bb Bench – 1x 20

Active Cord – Ab-duction – 1 x 20

Active Cord – Ad-duction – 1 x 20

Active Cord – Knee Drive – 1 x 20

Active Cord – Leg extension – 1 x 20

Active Cord – Leg curl – 1 x 20

Yessis Glute-Ham-Back Machine – 1 x 20

Db Single Arm Row – 1 x 20 each

Lat Pulldowns Wide Grip – 1 x 20

Lat Pulldown Close Grip – 1 x 20

Db Lateral Raises – 1 x 20

Db Front Raises – 1 x 20

Calf Raises – 1 x 20

Strength Bar Pronation & Supination – 1 x 20 each

YStrength Bar – Ulna & Radial Flexion – 1 x 20 each

Db Wrist flexion & extension – 1 x 20 each

Db Tricep kickbacks – 1 x 20 each

Back Raises – 1 x 20

Yessis Reverse Twists – 1 x 10 each

Yessis Reverse Crunch – 1 x 20

Results: Case study: I used this particular method with 25 of my varsity football players preparing for the Fall 2011 football Season. Compliance Variables:

- 25 Returning Varsity Football Players - 6 - 3 Sport Athletes - 11- 2 Sport Athletes - 6 – Athletes that came into the offseason injured or got hurt during their other sport - 3 – Students transferred in during Feb. - 8 – athletes w/ over >50% attendance (32% of the returning Varsity Players)

• The average Squat increase with the team was 117 lbs .

• The average Bench Press increase with the team was 35 lbs.

• Ave decrease in team 40 yard dash - 0.365 seconds

• Ave decrease in team Shuttle run – 0.91 seconds

• Ave increase in single leg broad jump (left leg) – 13 inches

• Ave increase in single leg broad jump (right leg) – 13.5 inches

Physical Prep by LSU Strength Coach James Moffitt An effective HS strength program should be structured to teach flawless technique first, work capacity second and speed/strength third. It is very important that the base of the program is built upon sound lifting technique and mechanics. All too often I speak with HS coaches who are worried about their teams max average for the core lifts yet the technique is poor. Technique is paramount and should never be sacrificed for the amount of weight lifted. When technique is optimal the athlete will then be able to focus on work capacity or the ability to perform work sets with multiple reps. The repetition method of training enhances technique, muscle hypertrophy and fitness with gains that are statistically insignificant when compared to the maximum effort method. Another important aspect of a program in addition to aforementioned qualities is core strength. We have found that when core strength reaches its limit the technique of many of our core exercises begin to breakdown along with running technique. It is important that one can maintain proper posture during lifting and running activities and the overall strength and capacity of the core is very important. Lastly, the atmosphere of the strength and conditioning program should be one of discipline and focus at all times. There must be someone responsible for the lifters at all time with supervision and teaching as the primary goal. Too often young athletes are allowed to enter the weight without proper supervision and sound lifting principles. The coach should always give clear instructions and goals for each workout and coach every exercise, set and rep. Following the workout the coach should make corrections that will carry over to the next training session.

Getting the most out of Bodyweight Training

When it comes to youth conditioning, most coaches would agree that young athletes should master bodyweight training before external loading. Before we learn to lift a weight we have to first be proficient at moving our bodies. It is important for our young athletes to have kinestetic awareness of the basics like push, pull, squat, lunge, lift and carry. Bodyweight exercises are functional and translate to better athletic performance by teaching the athlete to be aware of the body as an entire unit and they can be done anywhere and require minimal equipment.

Every off season (hockey- hey I’m in Canada after all!, Football, Soccer) I get a group of young athletes that want to bench 215lbs but can’t perform 10 perfect bodyweight pushups! The kind of pushup where you are flat as a table top, your nose touches the ground first (and you actually pause) and the core is engaged throughout the set (hips up and minimal lordosis). I like the bench press as much as the next guy but not until they are proficient at bodyweight training first. Even when we progress to weight training/ external loading I would definitely look at a variety of bodyweight options and how they can continue to help the athlete.

It is important to look as well into the amount of musculature is being used on a pushup vs a bench press and whether or not the bench press is even a good option for the sport. For a linebacker the arm drive is upwards more akin to a shoulder press or at least an incline bench press. And what about the hip and leg drive? That is why they have training tools and methods for this and not the bench press. And for hockey the only chest press motion is a cross check! I would rather see rotational strength added in with chest strength for hockey.

In reality the athlete is never isolating the chest while engaged in their sport. I am okay with isolating a muscle group to get it stronger but not at the expense of training those muscles for a function. If you are running, cutting and tackling you are not working any muscles in isolation- you need stability from the ground up, balance and a stronger core. In most every athletic scenario the player is most likely standing when engaging the chest (for example) so it is important to train the chest while standing. I developed the BUDDY SYSTEM to facilitate standing chest presses/ shoulder press and standing abdominal rotations making this training more functional and less aesthetic.

When an athlete gets good at the basic bodyweight movements it is simple to change the intensity of the exercise by ad a weighted vest, incorporating weights, change the speed/velocity of the movement or in ad a jump. One other thing to consider is vertical rows and pullups. Young male athletes like to work the chest but need to do back training at least 2x as much. I use the EQUALIZERS every workout with my young athletes to make sure they strengthen their mid back and the posterior chain (especially when adding hip raises).

Many of the basic compound exercises like the push-up, pull-up, dip and squat

provide a foundation of strength and neuromuscular control that will benefit the athlete for years to come. I think that these core competencies need to be well established before too many sport specific movements are incorporated. And there are many more Bodyweight exercises I love- from sprinting (the most primitive form of strength training- you have to be strong, flexible and work the muscles at speed which is most important to sport), jumps of all kinds, skipping, single-leg squats (pistols), hamstring drops, back extensions, lunges, planks of all kinds, burpies of all kinds and more!

With each athlete it is important to asses their specific movement patterns with an expert like my friend David Kittner. It is also important to know the movement patterns used when they are out on the court or in the field. Is it specific to a few movements in limited planes or is it much more complex? This will help determine which exercises to perform and which method(s) to employ (bodyweight, sled, dumbbells, med balls, et

Bodyweight training has many advantages and is a key starting point for young

athletes and a trusted athletic conditioning tool for old ones like myself! It maintains strength (all over), functionality and sport specific movements, prevents injury, is fun provides lots of variety.

Good luck moving your body!

Marc Lebert is a Certified Personal Trainer, Fitness Club Owner,

Black Belt, Certified NLP Practitioner, Trainer

for CanFitPro, Fitness Presenter and Developer of the popular

fitness products The EQUALIZER™ and BUDDY SYSTEM™. His

website is

With each athlete it is important to asses their specific movement patterns with an expert like my friend David Kittner. It is also important to know the movement patterns ed when they are out on the court or in the field. Is it specific to a few movements in

limited planes or is it much more complex? This will help determine which exercises to perform and which method(s) to employ (bodyweight, sled, dumbbells, med balls, et

Bodyweight training has many advantages and is a key starting point for young athletes and a trusted athletic conditioning tool for old ones like myself! It maintains strength (all over), functionality and sport specific movements, prevents injury, is fun

Good luck moving your body!

Marc Lebert is a Certified Personal Trainer, Fitness Club Owner,

Black Belt, Certified NLP Practitioner, Trainer-Course Conductor

for CanFitPro, Fitness Presenter and Developer of the popular

fitness products The EQUALIZER™ and BUDDY SYSTEM™. His

website is www.LebertFitness.com

With each athlete it is important to asses their specific movement patterns with an expert like my friend David Kittner. It is also important to know the movement patterns ed when they are out on the court or in the field. Is it specific to a few movements in

limited planes or is it much more complex? This will help determine which exercises to perform and which method(s) to employ (bodyweight, sled, dumbbells, med balls, etc).

Bodyweight training has many advantages and is a key starting point for young athletes and a trusted athletic conditioning tool for old ones like myself! It maintains strength (all over), functionality and sport specific movements, prevents injury, is fun and

Marc Lebert is a Certified Personal Trainer, Fitness Club Owner,

Course Conductor

for CanFitPro, Fitness Presenter and Developer of the popular

fitness products The EQUALIZER™ and BUDDY SYSTEM™. His

Overview of an optimal High School Football Speed, Strength & Conditioning program

The foundation of any effective football training program is always going to be a sound strength program that enhances efficient movement skills. This program does not need to be super fancy or complicated – but it certainly needs to be well planned.

Just like an effective game-plan for an upcoming opponent, you must develop your game-plan, rehearse it perfectly and implement it on game day. You are accustomed to this process towards every season and every game so we will apply this same approach and strategy to your teams’ football speed, strength & conditioning program.

Plan = Plan so you can train smarter

Fundamentals = Focus on the fundamentals

Effort = Apply intense effort

Execute = Consistently execute the plan

Your program does not need to be perfect – it simply needs to be implemented with sound technique, consistency and with some heart and soul driving it and will become your recipe for success.

So let’s start identifying the 4 Quarters upon which your football training program shall be built:

1. Movement 2. Strength 3. Conditioning 4. Recovery

The ultimate benefit of these 4 pillars will keep your team healthy, fast, powerful, fit and extremely confident to swarm and punish any opponent!

The 1st Quarter: Movement

One of the first and very most important areas we need to address is quality of movement. We need to teach our athletes how to properly accelerate, change direction, decelerate, absorb, stabilize and generate force in a fraction of a second.

In order to accomplish this, athletes need to have mobility (specifically hips, thoracic-spine and shoulders), stability (specifically torso and shoulders) and establish clean, efficient movement patterns (ie. squatting, lunging, pulling) so they can effectively generate, transfer and absorb energy throughout the entire body.

Unfortunately, too many football training programs “put the cart before the horse” and thrust over-powered muscle on top of dysfunctional movement patterns and mobility issues that result in not only less productive performance – but also increasing injury potential exponentially through the roof!

It’s like placing a bowling ball on top of a house of cards. Lack of a strong foundation of mobility, stability and efficient movement patterns will inevitably lead to poor performance and a collapse somewhere in the system.

We need to understand that our mission should be to improve the speed, power and overall athleticism of our football team. There is no greater way to impact all of these than by addressing mobility and improving fundamental movement patterns. This is truly a foundation worthy of expressing speed and generating force.

The goal of getting our athletes as big and strong as possible is of little benefit if they cannot get to a spot quickly (& efficiently) and are unable to control their body position when they arrive. What you may end up with is a very strong team with a weight room wall full of strength “records” and a horrible won-loss “record”.

So the utmost goals need to be to develop athletes with lean body composition, great relative strength (size:strength ratio) and the mobility to sprint and change direction quickly under control. Hence the saying… “you have to be ABLE to USE what you GOT”.

Gone are the days when we demanded our athletes to be 20+lbs heavier for the sake of gaining weight. We now see the value, and more importantly the success, of the 180lb athlete who can run, jump, generate more power and arrive with authority compared to the 200lb athlete who is not as “powerful” because they cannot move as fast!

Each training session should include elements of mobility (typically addressed in the warm-up), stability (typically addressed in the strength section) and movement pattern development (addressed in all phases of training – warm-up, strength & speed sections).

The 2nd Quarter: Strength

Certain strength phases within your yearly calendar should emphasize one (or no more than a couple) of these elements so as to devote quality attention to develop those strength qualities.

For example, mobility & movement technique should be emphasized during Phase 1A/1B (Foundation & Hypertrophy identified in the chart below).1

As coaches, we typically devote much of our time in the weight room trying to get our athletes as strong as possible with the goal being increasing the 1 Rep Max in a particular lift. This is a great intention - however, there are many other strength qualities (ie. elastic strength, speed strength, strength endurance, etc…) that need to be addressed in addition to developing maximal strength.

The great news is that by developing these other strength qualities, maximal strength will also benefit and now you have a maximally strong and explosive athlete that can repeat his effort over and over again helping the athlete reach his full potential!

Absolute (or maximal strength) in and of itself is not enough for football players.

To gain the greatest advantage, gains in maximal strength need to be built upon a good base of foundational strength to then be converted into explosive power. Don't confuse maximal strength as power – because there is a crucial difference.

Power is a combination of speed and strength. Let’s look at the following example to determine two athletes’ respective power output (or force production capability) in the bench press using the Force = Mass X Acceleration formula:

Player A can bench press 300lbs and moves that resistance @ 8 meters/sec. His Force = 2400 Watts

Player B can bench press 250lbs and moves that resistance @ 10 meters/sec. His Force = 2500 Watts

*Player A is more maximally strong – but Player B is more powerful

Now let’s examine Power in terms of the football field. Let’s look at the following example to determine two athletes’ respective power output (or force production capability) in the 10 meter sprint using the Momentum = Mass X Velocity formula:

Player A can move his body mass of 200lbs and covers 10 meters in 1.8 sec. His Momentum = 504 Neutons

Player B can move his body mass of 185lbs and covers 10 meters in 1.65 sec. His Momentum = 509 Neutons

*Player B generates essentially the same momentum but weighs 15lbs less

So as it is in football, with all other factors being equal, the player with the greater power (and momentum) will come out on top every time.

Of course, maximal strength training must still play a key role in a football training program as well as addressing the elastic strength and the strength endurance characteristics to maximize and convert your athletes’ strength into explosive power.

After establishing a “max” strength level as a reference point (ie. 450lb back squat 1RM) - we must now start to train for power by moving the slightly lighter weights faster. This is accomplished by typically using a resistance of around 70% of 1RM with the intention of moving it as fast as possible.

The 3rd Quarter: Conditioning

Much like training for the different qualities of strength, we also must do for conditioning.

There is a specific energy system demand that is taken into consideration to running super fast sprints repeatedly, throughout a football practice or game, and must be trained and developed in order to maximize your speed. Over-training an inappropriate energy system can have a very detrimental effect on sprint speed, because muscle fiber types adapt to the specific demand, or stimulus, placed on it during training and competition. So you need to train in an anaerobic manner, meaning fast, high intensity and short duration blasts! This way your Fast-Twitch B fibers will become much better conditioned and efficient in the anaerobic energy system; the Fast-Twitch A fibers will take on more Fast-

Twitch B like characteristics; and incidentally the Slow-Twitch fibers will actually become slightly improved as well. Why is this so crucial to your speed and potentially detrimental if you train improperly? Because each energy system, operates within a set boundary, quantified by time and intensity. Measurable distance thus becomes a result of the individual’s capacity. In other terms, how hard/fast (intensity) you can run for 10 seconds (time) will dictate how far (distance) you can run. However, we usually look at speed the other way around. We select a set distance (ie. 40 yards) and measure the time it takes to cover that distance. Intensity is derived by how much time (or how fast) it took to cover that distance. Now this might seem simple, but follow me here… if we train the body in a certain way, it adapts or changes to become more efficient at whatever the demand was. So if I continually train for speed at distances (or time durations) that do not allow me to work at 100% intensity (ie. a max, all out effort), then I am effectively training (or adapting) my body to become better at running at a LOWER SPEED! Anytime you sprint at less than 100% only allows you to be able to sprint more frequently at less than 100%! This might be 95%, 90% or even worse! Now instead of pushing your sprint capacity further beyond 100% - you are now adapting your body to perform more efficiently at a lower intensity! The running requirements of the 40 (and all other distances for that matter) require a specific pathway to derive energy to perform at optimal capacity. If the end goal is speed, specifically football speed, then the correct energy system needs to be trained properly. Too many athletes and coaches alike do not fully apply this crucial step in the development process. Coaches sometimes err by either spending too much conditioning time in the aerobic zone (low – medium intensity & long duration) or too much time in the anaerobic zone (high intensity & short duration). Spend too much time in the aerobic zone and you will be training your athletes to be weak and slow like a distance runner; and if you train too much in the anaerobic zone your athletes will be over-trained and their nervous systems will be shot!

Please refer to the Conditioning section of the first chart below to illustrate how to progress your conditioning throughout the year.2 Also, check out the Conditioning chart3 which gives some detailed parameters for each phase.

Each Phase of training will target a specific energy system that will allow your fitness level to efficiently adapt and develop true football speed. Ultimately, building up to sport specific high intensity intervals that will develop anaerobic power. The idea is to effectively progress through the various volume and intensities of the energy systems until we have built up the athletes’ work capacity to work at high intensities (ie. speeds) with minimal recovery with the ability to repeat over and over.

Building the right type of fitness is crucial for the football player – lack of it will get you embarrassed… quickly. Fatigue is a very humbling experience.

The 4th Quarter: Recovery

Your football speed, strength & conditioning program is extremely taxing, both physically and psychologically. Maximal training efforts are vital in achieving the highest level of athleticism possible. All the hard work and dedication will be wasted if the demands of training exceed the body’s rate of recovery. It is the body’s ability to recover from intense training that determines the success of the training program. Only after recovery can the athlete give the effort necessary to increase the level of training. This makes recovery as important as the training sessions themselves. The following are some simple ways to enhance recovery in order to maximize the training demands. NUTRITION is the most vital part of recovery. A constant diet, high in carbohydrates (65%) for energy, moderate protein (20%) for tissue growth and repair, and low fats (15%) for a lean and efficient body, is a prerequisite for success. Nutrition may be maximized by the following:

• Have a carbohydrate:protein [3:1 ratio] drink immediately after conditioning or 3:2 ratio after strength training session. Optimal time period for glycogen re-synthesis and also re-hydrates.

• Eat 4-6 smaller meals per day (increased assimilation). No more than 4 hours between meals or 12 hours between dinner and breakfast to encourage lean muscle mass gain.

• Do not eat large meals before training (increases stomach size, decreasing cardiac efficiency; shunts blood to digestion instead of working muscle).

• Drink plenty of water. Consume approximately .5Liter of pure water per pound of body weight each day.

• Strategic use of certain supplements (ie. creatine, L-glutamine, etc…) can also be of help in maximizing recovery and getting more out of your training

REST is what’s done with the waking hours when not working out. The activities chosen during this time can enhance or diminish the body’s ability to recover and progress in training. If too much time is spent doing additional things (i.e. dancing at clubs every night, playing three hours of hoops each, etc.) one will not progress from a physical standpoint. How much can be done during non-workout time is also an individual thing. Use good judgement here!

• Lifestyle = We all know the detrimental effects excessive alcohol, smoking, late nights, negative attitude, poor relationships, all have on effective recovery and peak performance.

• Sleep = essential to recovery because it’s the body’s time for repair and relaxation. Even though the amount of sleep is an individual thing, normal sleeping patterns should still be established: no later than 11 p.m., 7-8 hours per night (if not possible, try to get an afternoon nap).

POST WORKOUT modalities have shown up to 88% of lactate is removed after approximately 15-20mins of light activity. The increased blood flow will enhance recovery by ridding waste products built up during the training session. This time investment can be utilized by any combination of modalities:

• light aerobic work (preferably weight supported as in a bike or shallow pool) upwards of 15-20mins.

• Self-massage and Trigger Point therapy (ie. massage stick, foam roller, trigger balls, etc…) increases blood and lymphatic circulation around muscle (mainly surface) that relieves stress from trigger points which improve tissue quality.

• Cold HydroTherapy should be used immediately after intense training sessions to decrease inflammation caused by slight micro-tears in the muscle fibers. Ice, iced whirlpools, baths, cold packs, etc. are often used for 10-15 minute sessions and may be used in conjunction with warm whirlpools.

• Hot/Cold HydroTherapy contrast alternates hot and cold modalities to enhance recovery after workouts. Examples follow: a. Shower: Hot (1 minute) – Cold (30 seconds) repeat 4-5 times b. Whirlpool: Hot (1 minute) – Cold plunge (30 seconds) repeat 4-5 times.

PSYCHOLOGICAL recovery is enhanced by using relaxation techniques, visualization, meditation, etc. These techniques are often very effective when used prior to sleep. During intense training, recovery techniques are essential to maximize and enhance training results!

Use this 4 Quarters approach as an overview and your players will undoubtedly gain quality lean muscle mass, develop tremendous speed and explosive power to dominate on the gridiron.

Training Focus

Month Phase Strength Movement Conditioning2 Recovery

January Phase

0 Active Rest None Aerobic Year-round:

February Phase

1A Foundation1 Mobility & Technique Aerobic

Sound Nutrition

Program

March Phase

1B Hypertrophy Mobility & Technique Lactate Tolerance

Smart Supplement

Strategies

April Phase

2A Base Strength

Functional Strength

(Resistance) Lactate Removal Proper Hydration

May Phase

2B Max Strength

Functional Strength

(Resistance)

Lactate Removal

/ Peak Capacity Soft Tissue Work

June Phase

3 Power Speed (Sport Specific)

Peak Capacity

(Sport Specific) Trigger Point

July Phase

3 Power Speed (Sport Specific)

Peak Power

(Sport Specific) HydroTherapy

August Phase

4

Pre-season -

Foundation 2x day Practice

Practice/Game

Specific

September Phase

5

In-season - Base

Strength 1x day Practice

Practice/Game

Specific

October Phase

5

In-season - Max

Strength 1x day Practice

Practice/Game

Specific

November Phase

5 In-season - Power 1x day Practice

Practice/Game

Specific

December Phase

6 Postseason - Peak 1x day Practice

Practice/Game

Specific

December Phase

6

Off - if no Post-

season None None

Conditioning 3

INTERVAL Work Rest Work-Rest Ratio

# of Reps

# of Sets Intensity Description

AEROBIC 3mins 3mins 1:1 4 - 6 1 - 3 Moderate Moderate Intensity

Endurance

ANAEROBIC LACTIC Lactate Tolerance 30-60s 30-60s 1:1 - 1:2 4 - 6 1 - 4 High Sprint Endurance

ANAEROBIC LACTIC Lactate Removal 120s 4mins 1:2 6 - 8 1 - 2 High

High Intensity Endurance

ANAEROBIC ALACTIC (ATP/CP) Peak

Capacity 30s 120s 1:4 4 - 6 2 - 3 Near

Maximal Sprint Speed-Endurance

ANAEROBIC ALACTIC (ATP/CP) Peak Power 10s

100-120s 1:10 - 1:12 6 - 10 2 - 3 Maximal Sprint Speed

Scott E. Pucek has been a Speed and Performance Specialist for over 18 years, has

worked with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, has been involved with 16 NFL Draft

Classes and MLB Spring Training prep programs and has also consulted with

Division I Collegiate athletic teams and numerous private companies – including

Athletes’ Performance - throughout his career. Scott founded a web-based

company Xplosive Speed in 2002 (www.xplosivespeed.com) as a speed and sports

performance training resource for serious football and baseball athletes.

Scott holds a Master of Education in Exercise Physiology and several professional

certifications including a CSCS - NSCA, a USAW Club Coach-L1 and Fascial Stretch

Technique-Level 1.

Strength Definitions

Active Rest

Engaging in light activity while allowing for the body to better recover from the

strenuous training demands of a season

Foundation

Establishing a balanced base preparing for better adaptation to the specific training

demands that will follow

Hypertrophy

Further building upon the foundation phase with the goal of increasing muscle size and

strength

Base Strength Establish a good base preparing for handling heavier loads

Max Strength Establish absolute maximal strength

Power Incorporate increased speed to the movements eliciting greater power output

Peak Culmination of training program for peak performance

Recovery Definitions

Sound Nutrition

Program Proper diet & nutrition is the backbone of any athletes success

Supplement

Strategies

Post-workout recovery strategies are crucial as well as safe weight gain strategies for

lean muscle mass gains

Proper Hydration

Consume adequate water and other fluids for optimal performance during training and

game situations

Soft Tissue Work

Regular self-massage techniques improve tissue quality for better speed and strength

performance

Trigger Point

Specific trigger point therapy on crucial muscle groups will improve mobility and

strength production

HydroTherapy

Incorporating therapeutic ice baths after strenuous speed, strength, practice sessions or

games greatly enhances healing

Preparing For High School Athletics

Becoming an athlete at any level is a process that requires long term planning, commitment and hard work. To give a child every opportunity to succeed as an athlete at the high school level, how they spend their time during the primary and middle school years is crucial.

The pre high school years is the ideal time to amass a cornucopia of fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping, throwing, catching, kicking, hopping, tumbling and balancing. These skills are achieved through free play, physical education and organized sports. Being active and involved in various sports and activities, known as multilateral development, plays a critical role.

A multilateral development program, in addition to developing fundamental movement skills, will also develop aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, muscular endurance, strength, speed, power, agility, coordination, mobility, flexibility and injury resistance.

A study completed in the former East Germany (Harre 1982) using a large group of children age’s nine to twelve compared the training philosophy of Early Specialization to Multilateral Development:

Early Specialization

• Quick performance improvement • Best performance achieved at 15-16 years because of quick adaptation • Inconsistency of performance in competitions • By age 18 many athletes were burned out and

quit the sport • Prone to injuries because of forced adaptation

Multilateral Program

• Slower performance improvement • Best performance at age 18 and older, the age

of physiological and psychological maturation • Consistency of performance in competitions • Longer athletic life • Few injuries

There is much debate today over early sport specialization but overwhelmingly, multilateral development for young kids has proven to be the most beneficial in the long term.

The pre high school years are an ideal time for a child to develop fundamental movement skills because it is in the younger years that the central nervous system is very plastic and highly mouldable. For this reason coordination, which plays a huge role as an athlete is best developed at a younger age.

Coordination is not an element unto itself: it’s made up of several elements which include balance, movement adequacy, kinesthetic differentiation, reaction to visual and acoustical signals, rhythm and spatial orientation.

Overall coordination is best developed between the ages of seven and fourteen, with the most crucial period occurring between the ages of ten and thirteen years of age. This applies to both girls and boys.

There are three principals of coordination development:

• Start young - the younger the better • Challenge athletes at an appropriate level - some children will be better at some

elements than others. • Change activities/exercises frequently - Challenge

athletes both physically and intelligently • Make it fun and engaging so the kids will stay want to

continue

The ability to optimally develop coordination ends at around age 16 for both boys and girls. This reinforces the concept that the earlier a child is exposed to coordination development the better. Coordination is best developed through a combination of elements as opposed to in isolation.

Sensitive Periods for Coordination Development

Elements of Coordination Ages for Boys Ages for Girls

Balance 10-11 9-10

Movement Adequacy 8-13 8-13

Kinesthetic Differentiation 6-7/10-11 6-7/10-11

Reaction to Visual and Acoustical Signals 8 - 10 8 - 10

Rhythm 9 - 10 7 - 9

Spatial Orientation 12 - 14 12 - 14

Examples of activities that enhance and develop elements of coordination and movement based skills include:

• Jump rope with various forms of footwork and moving in multiple directions • Single leg balancing games • Jumping jacks while traveling between points A and B, forwards, backwards and

sideways • Multi-directional forms of running, jumping and skipping • Opposite arm circles (right hand circles forward, left hand circles backwards) • Simultaneous arm and leg circles in multiple directions • Jump in place with 180 or 360 turns while in flight

• Mirror games (mirroring each other's movements) • Bear crawls in multiple directions • Crab walks in multiple directions • Ball and cone games • Tumbling • Scramble to balance • Obstacle courses • Various games of tag • Known exercises starting or finishing in new positions (start sprints from belly or one

knee etc.)

The above list represents but a small sample of activities available. The list of activities and games that can be used to develop coordination and a multilateral base is endless and only limited by one’s imagination. The key is to provide as much stimuli as possible that is not only safe for children, but fun and engaging as well.

With a strong base of coordination and well developed movement patterns, the pre high school athlete will be in a great position to excel at the high school level and will have a solid foundation upon which to build on.

References

Total Training for Young Champions, Tudor O. Bompa

Children & Sports Training, Józef Drabik

David Kittner, aka the Youth Fitness Guy, is a passionate, caring and dedicated

individual with over 20 years experience working with children who truly

understands the unique sciences associated with child development and the

practical means by which those must be applied to any fitness or sport-based

venture.

He is contributing author of an upcoming book entitled “The Definitive Guide to

Youth Athletic Strength, Conditioning and Performance”.

David is among the leading authorities of more than 2,500 Youth Fitness

Specialists that make up the International Youth Conditioning Association, the

premier international authority with respect to athletic development and youth

participant based conditioning.

He is certified as a Youth Fitness Specialist, Youth Speed and Agility Specialist,

and a Youth Nutrition Specialist with the International Youth Conditioning

Association.

In addition to conducting athletic development sessions, workshops and clinics for

youth athletes, parents, teachers and coaches, and presenting at Fitness and

Physical Education conferences, David serves as Education Director for School Fit,

is Youth Fitness Specialist and Master Trainer for Lebert Fitness and is the Youth

Fitness Specialist for The Fitness Nation.

David can be contacted by phone at 647-504-7638 or you can connect with him at

www.facebook.com/YouthFitnessGuy.

7 Principles for Developing the Complete HS Football Player

Here are a few principles when developing a young explosive athlete... 1) All athletes must perform Max Effort Upper and Lower Exercises weekly. This means that exercises like the Dead Lift, Squats and Bench Press must be heavy enough that it can only be lifted a maximum of 3-5 times. 2) All athletes must perform "Jump-Speed" training every week. This means that building Absolute Strength is only one part of the equation. Athletes must be able to transfer their newly built strength into explosive POWER. To do this, athletes must use exercises like Box Jumps, Speed Squats, Bounding and Vertical Jumping. This shows a great transfer to explosiveness on the field due to hip extension/hip flexion. 3) All athletes must perform "Speed-Flex" training every day. Being big, strong and powerful is not worth your weight in beans if you are tight and slow. Most high school and college football players spend most of their days seated in a classroom or on a couch. This leads to chronically tight hip flexors, glutes and pec minor. We use a simple 3-step formula that eliminates the most common causes of immobility. So make sure you continually corrective stretch the tight muscles. 4) All athletes must perform Body Building techniques to build MASS. I'm sure you've heard the saying "Athletes should not train like bodybuilders." Well, we completely disagree. We all know that bodybuilders are the most massive of all athletes, although they are tight and slow. But if done properly, the techniques used by these mass monsters can be quite productive for young, skinny athletes. The truth is "You can't flex bone!" If you are skinny or weak and lack real muscle mass you MUST use some form or bodybuilding technique in your program. 5) All athletes must condition using "Work Capacity" or GPP circuits. Like I mentioned earlier, football is an anaerobic sport. Conditioning for these athletes must emulate the type of energy demands that will be placed on them during a game-like situation. Short-Hard bursts of energy followed by a rest interval. If you still have your athletes running miles and training like a marathoner, then you'll get what your asking for. 6) Use Russian Conjugated Periodization Here is an example of the often used "Traditional Western" form of periodization used my most football and strength coaches in the USA.

● 5-weeks of 'Conditioning' followed by ● 5-weeks of 'Strength Training' followed by ● 5-weeks of 'Power Training' followed by ● 5-weeks of 'Sports Specific' training.

With "Conjugated" periodization we train ALL energy systems and strength qualities AT THE SAME TIME. This make the most sense because when you leave one phase for another you lose the strength / energy system qualities from the preceding phase. Also many high school football players are multi-sport athletes and need to be STRONG, CONDITIONED & FAST - all year round! This form of periodization is a no-brainer but often over looked or ignored in most training programs.

7) Implement Strongman for Power Strongman has been catching weight rooms across the country because of how functional the power is when training. The difference between Olympic lifts and Strongman is the fact that strongman takes as little as an hour to learn while Olympic lifts can take months if not years to really develop the correct technique and firing patterns. When training athletes we want to get them as explosive and powerful as quick as possible not spending hours on the snatch. Now we are not knocking Oly’s we actually implement them in our advance athletes but love to have the high school boys go to work on flipping tire. Here is some substitutions that can be used instead of lifts in the gym... Clean, High Pull, Deadlift - Tire Flip Bench Press - Tire Fights Power Jerk - Log Press, Keg Clean & Jerk Elliott Hulse

Owner of Strength Camp

Pro Strongman

www.footballstrengthprogram.com

Chris Barnard

Head Coach at Strength Camp

Speed & Combine Specialist

Starting a High School Strength Program Frequently at clinics I speak with high school coaches who are interested in starting or improving a strength and conditioning program at their school. Most often they are looking for guidance in setting up the program and, always want to talk sets and reps . Coaches ask should I do BFS, use the Husker Program etc. etc. Much to their dismay, I generally want to discuss organization and administrative concepts because, in my experience, these are the real keys. Setup and execution make the program run not sets and reps. If you get one thing out of this article remember this quote ( author unknown). “ A bad program done well is better than a good program done poorly”. Keep it simple, and adhere strictly to the following guidelines: 1) Forget uncooperative seniors- the source of most frustration in starting a high school program is dealing with seniors who already “ know how to lift”. Separate these guys out right away. I f they don’t cooperate, get rid of them. They’ll be gone soon anyway. 2) Do one coaching- intensive lift per day. What do I mean by coaching-intensive lift? Exercises like squats or any Olympic movement are coaching-intensive. Coaches must watch every possible set to correctly ingrain the correct motor pattern. If athletes are front squatting and hang cleaning the same day, which do you watch, the platforms or the squats racks? Don’t force yourself to make this decision. For example do Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats instead of front squats on the day that you clean and do pushups instead of bench press on the day you front squat. Or better yet, just do Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats and no front or back squats. On a squat day, don’t do an Olympic movement, do Box Jumps or Jump squats as your explosive exercise. This process of one coaching intensive lift per day may only last a year but, you will not be getting poor patterns practiced with no supervision. 3) Get all administration done prior to the start of sessions. The biggest failure in strength and conditioning is coaches sitting at computers instead of coaching. If you need workouts done on computer, do them during a free period. The job is strength and conditioning coach. Don’t get caught up, as many coaches do, in having great programs on paper and, lousy lifters. Let the paper suffer and do the coaching. 4) Coach. This is what it is all about. Coach like this is your sport. So many coaches ask, can you give me a program? We could but it wouldn’t work. College or pro programs are not appropriate for high school beginners. They need teaching, not programs. The program begins and ends with technical proficiency. Coaches must realize that their athletes are the window through which others see them. If a college coach came into your weight room would you be proud or ashamed? Would you make excuses for the poor technique or, accept the pats on the back for what great lifters your players are? The other factor, even more important than your athletes being the window through which others see you, is that your athletes are the mirror in which you see yourself. Your lifters are a direct reflection of you. When you watch your athletes are you happy with

yourself as a teacher and coach. 5) Technique, Technique, Technique. Never compromise. If your athletes do squats do them all to a top of the thigh parallel position. If you bench press, no bounce, no arch. Never compromise. As soon as you allow one athlete to cheat or to not adhere to the program others will follow immediately. Remember why athletes cheat. They cheat to lift more weight. Lifting more weight feeds their ego. If you allow it to happen, cheating is very difficult to stop. To make your point use exercises like Pause Bench and Pause Front Squats. These exercises can be very humbling. Canadian Strength Coach Charles Poliquin has a principle he calls Technical Failure. This means that you never count a rep that was completed after technique broke down. 6) Use bodyweight when possible. Always teach bodyweight squats first. If they can’t bodyweight squat, they can’t squat. Do lots of pushups, feet elevated pushups, 1 leg squats, chinups and dips. Bodyweight is humbling. Use it wisely and often with high school kids. 7) When you test, test super strict. Testing is when things really deteriorate. In testing the coach should see every lift, and the coach should select every weight. Don’t reward strength. This is a huge mistake that I believe encourages drug use. Reward improvement, make athletes compete with themselves, not others. No t-shirts for rewards unless they reward improvement over personal bests. Also if you test strength, also test performance factors like Vertical Jump and 10 yd. Dash. If athletes are improving strength without changing performance factors the program is only marginally effective 8) Have appropriate equipment. Perform Better sells 15 and 25 lb Olympic bars. These are critical to a good high school program. Platemates allow athletes to make reasonable jumps with dumbbells. Spend money to encourage success. Success is what sells the program. Strength and conditioning coaching is easy in principle, but difficult in practice. The key is to try to see every set and, coach every athlete. This is difficult, time consuming, and repetitive. At the end of a good day you should be hoarse and tired. A good strength coach will have sore legs and knees from squatting down to see squat depth all day. Michael Boyle is one of the worlds’ foremost educators in the areas of performance

training, personal training and athletic rehabilitation. Boyle has been involved in

training and rehabilitation with a wide range of athletes, including stars in every

major professional sport. In addition Mike has served as a consultant to some of

the top teams in the NFL, NHL, as well as numerous division one athletic

programs. In 2012 Boyle was named a Strength and Consultant to the Boston Red

Sox. From 1991-1999 Boyle served as the Strength and Conditioning Coach to the

Boston Bruins. In addition from 1983-2012 Boyle was a Strength and Conditioning

Coach at Boston University.

In 2009 and 2010 Men’s Health named Mike’s Massachusetts facility, Mike Boyle

Strength and Conditioning one of the top ten workout facilities in the United

States.

Mike’s impact is now being felt globally through his website

www.strengthcoach.com , and through the translation of his first book, Functional

Training for Sports, into Japanese, Chinese and German. Boyle’s third book

Advances in Functional Training is now being translated into at least five

languages.

In addition to the best selling Functional Strength Coach series

Mike has produced a total of 27 video and DVD projects all of which are available

at www.performbetter.com

High School Strength and Conditioning Considerations Adam Plagens, CSCS

Youth training has become a booming business, and everybody has a marketing program, niche, or “specialty” in relation to making every high schooler in America the next Ray Lewis, Aaron Rodgers, or Steven Jackson. The sad part of this training specialization is the fact that high school strength and conditioning programs suck. This isn’t a broad based generalization, but the underlying issue is that high school strength and conditioning, or more specifically, what passes as strength and conditioning in the high school setting, is overwhelmingly god awful. Now, this doesn’t apply to every high school and every training staff. But, there is an overwhelming issue in relation to who is designing the programs of the youth? More common than not, the strength and conditioning program of the average high school football player has been drafted by the head football coach and resonates with what the coach did “back in the day.” Sadly, this tends to lead to an overwhelming issue in relation to muscular balance, mobility, flexibility, and force production. To develop a quality program, you need to look at what happened to your team the previous year. Common questions to ask yourself or your staff: Where there any major injuries that occurred? Did the team die off in the second half of the season? Discipline/coaching problems? What game were we dominant? Why? What game did we suck in? Why? I know these seem trivial, but to hone your program and get better, you must, must, MUST identify your weaknesses and improve them. Dows this mean scrapping your philosophy and scheme at the end of every year? Absolutely not. You need to look at what worked, what didn’t, and fix it. This covers the majority of administrative issues associated with developing and designing strength and conditioning programs. Now, on to the programming aspects.

Developing a strength program that works When building your strength and conditioning program for YOUR team, remember that this is a program for YOUR team. Key issues to keep in mind when setting up your program are: What is the goal? What do we need to improve? What equipment do I have available? How many athletes will I train at a given time? As a strength and conditioning coach, the biggest asset to the program is creativity. What do you do for injured athletes? How do you train weaker athletes while still challenging veterans? Theses may seem easy, but when you’re standing in the middle of a room of 85 teenagers and two of them look at you for direction because they can’t bench press due to shoulder injuries, you better have a solution, and fast. There are a ton of materials out there to research strength and conditioning programs. Look at what you want to, but again this is YOUR program to build YOUR team. Think long term, not short term. This means you want a program that will grow with your athletes, and allow the raw beginner to step in while challenging the veteran D I prospect. In relation to set and rep schemes, I like 5/3/1 by Jim Wendler. This has built in safety, asks athletes to work hard with max effort on the final set, and is easily implemented. This also gets me to the next point of strength and conditioning at the high school level. At no time should a coach ever be so out of shape he can’t do something he is asking his athletes to do. Yes, I train, and yes, I do the lifts my athletes do. This allows me to understand what the athlete feels when he or she gets under a bar. This also helps because I teach the lift, not just stand and scream with a whistle. Proper instruction allows for proper execution. Get under a bar, there is no excuse. In terms of physical development, here is rough outline of basic training to help improve strength, balance, and coordination. This is used by me as an initial wave into training to get kids physically prepared for the coming training sessions. You can use this as is, or adjust it to make if fit what is needed for your teams and athletes. DAY 1 Warm-up (all exercises are done in a circuit, where the athletes don’t stop until completing the final movement) Jumping jacks- 10 to 20reps Seal Jacks – 10 to 20 reps Bodyweight Squats 10-20 reps Lunges 6-10 per leg Lateral lunge 6-10 per leg Striders 10 per leg Pushups 10 Squats 2 sets 12 reps 45-50% 1RM super set with pull-ups 4 sets 10 reps 65 to 75% 1 RM 45 to 70 sec rest between sets 3-5 reps per set Deadlift 4 sets of 8 at 50-60% of 1RM

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Glute Ham Raise (GHR) 4 sets 6 reps with pause at bottom and top Core Sprinter Sit Up Toe Touch Pike 12 reps per exercise circuit fashion do twice Hip Trust Bus Driver Day 2 Warm Up Jumping jacks- 10 to 20reps Seal Jacks – 10 to 20 reps Bodyweight Squats 10-20 reps Lunges 6-10 per leg Lateral lunge 6-10 per leg Striders 10 per leg Pushups 10 Sit and Reach Series This develops mobility and flexibility within the low back and hips Straight leg V sit Butterfly Do 6-8 of each, focus on getting farther than the previous rep but don’t over stretch or push this.

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Sprints Commonly we don’t jump into 100% speed training. Plain and simple, you need to run fast to get faster. Without going overboard on sprinting and sprint mechanics, you simply have to get your athletes to condition regularly. That being said, waiting until June to condition for football is not going to work. Here’s the breakdown of sprinting: 4X10 yards 3X20 yards 2X30 yards 2X40 yards 30 to 45 sec rest intervals are used based on recovery and baseline condition of the athletes. Testing: I test about 3 to 4 times a year, and emphasize proper movement over speed increases. Add reps as you see fit, but don’t go nuts. You want quality sprinting effort. This is NOT conditioning and should never be treated as such.Day 3 Warm-ups

Jumping jacks- 10 to 20reps Seal Jacks – 10 to 20 reps Bodyweight Squats 10-20 reps Lunges 6-10 per leg Lateral lunge 6-10 per leg Striders 10 per leg Pushups 10 Military Press 2 sets 12 reps 4 sets 8-12 reps Bench Press 4 sets 10 reps Superset with 10 reps T raises Pull-ups 4 sets as many reps as possible These can be done regular, assisted, or jumping off a plyo box and holding at the top for a three to five count. We stop counting reps once the eyes can’t clear the bar. Rest one minute between sets Core Bracing/stabilizing exercises Most athletes suck at bracing their core and this really helps them understand the need to push the abs out and activate their core. Bridges with plates on back 30 sec to 90 sec Arch body rock Hollow Body rock Day 4 Warm-up

Jumping jacks- 10 to 20reps Seal Jacks – 10 to 20 reps Bodyweight Squats 10-20 reps Lunges 6-10 per leg Lateral lunge 6-10 per leg Striders 10 per leg Pushups 10 O-Lift series/training

This is a down and dirty way to evaluate physical preparedness and strength capacity to actually perform an Olympic Lift. If at any time the lifter is struggling, they complete the remaining sets of the series at the lift they can’t perform. So, if an athlete is unable to power pull correctly, the athlete will stay with the power shrug for the remaining sets and reps. Deadlift Drop 2 sets 12 Power Shrug 2 sets 12 Power Pull 2 sets 12 Hang Clean 2 sets 12 Power Clean 2 sets 12 Jumping and landing drills between sets Plyometrics are overused. Anyone can jump. It’s the ability to jump land and not break stuff that takes effort. To help teach proper landing and takeoff, we use hops, broad jumps, and ankle mobility drills to make the athlete more forceful and athletic through the hips and knees.

Rick Daman: Daman’s Strength Training

Build the Foundation of Strength It’s the Real Under Armour of High School Weight Rooms

Before I get started I want to first thank Jimmy Lamour for including me and putting this E-Book together. I think this is a great idea and the info in here is priceless. What this E-Book is to me is an eye opener for high school coaches who want to expand their knowledge to better increase their weight room programs. In terms of simplifying it. I think sometimes coaches believe they are working with ELITE players and forget these guys are just high school football players like we all were years ago. In 2004 I graduated college and immediately went back to my old high school in Rochester, Pa. I was jobless and thought what better thing to do then to give back to a championship program that taught me about life and hard work. I started to run the weight room program based off of what I knew. Looking back now it wasn’t the best program I could have laid out for high school players. I recently resigned from coaching and running our strength program due to the fact I now run my own facility. Not until I started traveling and thinking outside of the box did I start to gain more kids in the weight room and our strength started increase. Let’s discuss some major issues I have seen and even hear about today with local high schools and their football players. Everything I discuss is from what I have done to what I have seen through out high school football weight rooms. The first major issue I see and hear about is that the first thing the coaches do when the team enters the weight room is “max them out”. They always say that they need to find their max so they can work with a percentage. You can get strong with out a percentage and more importantly remain healthy without a poor max. I like to stick with clean reps. Just like football season the more reps the athletes do at their position the better form and technique they develop. If you pay close attention to how the athlete moves during the movement you can tell what numbers they should be working with or if they should be regressing in that movement. Every kid will max in squat, bench and dead lift. Doesn’t matter if they are just entering their freshmen year or just finished an 11 week season of practicing every day and playing every Friday night. The real problem lies in the power lifting meets because that’s all most schools are concerned with. When they should be concerned with coaching proper movement patterns, building the foundation of strength and helping the athletes gain the confidence while maximizing athletic performance. Putting a crushing weight on a new freshmen’s back does nothing for them but break their confidence. It seems as if they want a big bench, a big squat and a big dead lift from every kid. That’s not going to be the case.

High school coaches believe that barbell is king for everything. I’m not saying it isn’t. But you can get a whole lot more out of your athletes using various styles of training. Another problem I see is that the coaches themselves are not able to perform these movements adequately. How do you expect to coach it? There is no importance on a proper warm-up/mobility and or recovery. My first question to a new athlete that comes into my facility. “Have you ever used a foam roller”? The reply ranges from, “what?” a blank look or “what’s a foam roller?” Through my experience these athletes do NOT want to squat and dead lift and max out every 4 weeks for 8 months. They want to be pushed. They want to train. If you see that they are not getting stronger they will slowly disappear from that weight room and find someplace else to go. I know the feeling of a boring weight room. I know what it feels like and if you get that vibe you’re in trouble. Then the huge guilt trip gets put on the kids for seeking other avenues to succeed. I believe coaches need to open up more and learn about different styles of training. There should be a progression for everything these athletes do. Here is an example: When you have 20 plus players in the weight room you better have some skills in coaching large groups and about 3 other coaches. Not every high school has elite players or elite D-1 athletes. You can’t treat your program like a D-1 school. It’s not compatible to the physical and mental make up of college athletes. Using a college workout program is NOT going to get your players to that level. Every athlete has a different rate of success. Especially high school athletes. Their maturity levels are all different. Weeks: 1-4 Reinforce the warm-up daily. Fill your workout with bodyweight movements. Avoid a 1 rep max. Look for the areas that need the most improvement. Gradually add some sand bag training, sled work and a ton of core training. Begin mobility and recovery using small hurdles, foam rollers and la-x balls. (They just came off of an 11 week season, not counting if they make playoffs) Week: 5-8 Reinforce the warm-up daily. Avoid a 1 rep max. By week 4 you should have a solid weight room full of guys who are serious. The dead weight should have feel off by now. Don’t skimp on the body weight movements. Continue to train with sand bags. Implement SB squat, cleans, and carries. Start to throw in some kettle bell movements. Keep it simple with goblet squat, swing, clean and some presses. Continue all recovery and mobility. (To many coaches rush to the barbell and never look at building the foundation of strength) Weeks: 9-12

Reinforce the warm-up daily. Avoid a 1 rep max. By now you should see who is able to advance into a compound lift such as the trap bar or box squat. Maybe the other players will advance to something more challenging for them that will be beneficial to them as well. Some players might move from goblet squat to working with sand bags. Other players might move from sand bag squats to KB rack front squats. I use a progression at my gym that goes like this. Once you complete Phase I and Phase II your progression will be: trap bar, box squat then free squat. Depending how well you perform each movement that’s when you move on. Sometimes we regress back to KB Rack Front squats. There is no rush when training young athletes. Get them to progress any way possible. BUILD their confidence. If an athlete isn’t ready for a barbell don’t put one in their hands. Who cares if they become disgruntled. It’s your job as a coach to run the weight room and make decisions that will ONLY benefit the athlete. (Don’t let them forget you have to work to be great) The whole point behind what I just discussed it that there is no need to rush what you do. Who cares what the other team is doing. Are they winning in the fall? If the answer is “no” then why worry about what they do. I think the 1 rep max does nothing for high school athletes. It creates an ego and a sense of entitlement to always think they have to lift heavier weight. My cousin played fullback for a D-1 school and they never did a 1 rep max. They strictly stayed in the 3-5 rep range. Coaches have to want to make their program an improved program. I have met some great coaches who will do anything to better their athletes. The bottom line is the coach should take every measure to ensure they are helping the athletes and keeping them injury free. We train in the off-season to dominate during the in-season. If you spend your entire off-season attending clinics on how to run the Pistol o