So what happens when a room full of Irish(w0)men find out I’m not much of a drinker?…;o)
Whether you get paid to tell people to lift heavy things or you just like to lift heavy things yourself, in this 1-day workshop you’ll get the opportunity to listen to me talk about my how I approach assessment and gain a better understanding of how I “match” the exercises I prescribe to better fit the needs, ability level, and more importantly, the anatomy of each individual I work work.
In short, this workshop looks at the “umbrella theme” of my coaching philosophy.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – go HERE.
2. Strategic Strength Workshop – London, England
This is happening the weekend of September 14-15th, 2019.
Luke Worthington and I have presented this workshop twice. Once in London last year and again this past June in Boston.
We’re bringing it back to London this Fall, my most favorite place in the world.
This two-day workshop is designed to arm fitness professionals with all the tools they’ll need to hone their assessment skills and to make their clients/athletes a bunch of bonafide, resilient, strength training Terminators.
Combined Luke and I have ~40 years of coaching experience (or one Dan John) and bring different perspectives and skill-sets to the table; Luke peels back the onion on PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) concepts and assessment, while I go into detail breaking down movement and how to better “match” the exercises we prescribe to our clients.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – you can go HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
It’s official: just signed a new lease for a larger gym space.
WHEW – this was a thorough article; it may be wise to grab a few Kale shakes and hard boiled eggs cause you’re gonna be here for a while.
Krista and Helen leave no stone un-turned and cover everything from what is “ketosis,” whether or not it provides any inherent advantages over other calorically controlled diets, as well as whether or not it’s a good fit for athletes.
So the next time someone waxes poetic on how superior the ketogenic diet is, punch them in the kidney, and then have them read this.
Mike’s the RZA of strength & conditioning coaches.
I don’t even know what that means, but what I do know is I always learn something from him whenever I read or listen to him (and I presume he makes sick beats).
I’m going to just come right out and say it: I’m not a fan of trainers offering discounts for their services. Now, I say this with a grain of salt because I completely understand (and respect) that it’s a delicate matter and that there’s a number of factors to consider.
For example, I think it makes a lot of sense for larger, commercial gyms to offer discounts.
In Boston, like any major city, there are several notable, big chain commercial gyms vying for people’s attention (and wallets):
Equinox
Boston Sports Club
HealthWorks
LifeTime Fitness
24 Hour Fitness
Golds
Planet Fitness
Beacon Hill Athletic Club
In addition there’s dozens of mid-level commercial gyms (not chains, but pretty big) peppered throughout the city, not to mention a CrossFit box in every major neighborhood. That’s a lot of competition and it makes sense that many of them would offer a free consultation or discounted introductory rates on training to entice more people to join.
Moreover, and as Cressey Sports Performance business director, Pete Dupuis, has noted in the past: Roughly 30% of people who are offered free consultations actually end up taking advantage of them.
“This may be a solid conversion rate from the perspective of the commercial gym owner, but not for the independent contractor who doesn’t see a single penny of the monthly membership dues these potential leads are paying. A 30% conversion rate tells me that 7 out of 10 people decided that something for nothing was actually worth nothing.”
As a small business – and more to the point, as a gym that only offers personal and semi-private training (no open gym or classes) – I don’t have the luxury of hundreds (if not thousands) of people paying a membership fee just to walk through the doors.
Why would I offer my services and time at a free or discounted rate when I have bills to pay?4
I can hear the cacophony of pitchforks now.
“But Tony, if you offer free/discounted stuff it’s less intimidating and allows people to see whether or not you’re a good fit.
Stop being such an uppity a-hole!”
To that Point
1. Try walking into a hair salon, attorney’s office, or, I don’t know, Gringotts Bank and ask someone for 30-60 minutes of their time in order to sample the goods and to see if “you’re a good fit.”
HAHAHAHAHAHA – no, seriously, do it.
UPDATE:I should add that it’s not lost on me there’s a bit more robustness to the client-coach relationship compared to the client-attorney relationship. Helping someone to change their behavior takes a lot more nuance. That said, it’s one thing to offer complimentary sessions/discounted rates in conjunction with a clear-cut on-boarding protocol geared towards improving the client experience.
My good friend Todd Bumgardner, owner of Beyond Strength Performance in Sterling, VA, remarks that their conversion rates are very high utilizing a heavily discounted first month of training for new members.
But that’s also because they’re laser focused when it comes to their systems; new members go through a thorough “itinerary” in order to proceed.
And it’s another thing altogether to just haphazardly toss out discounts for the sake of generating some quick revenue.
2. This is my livelihood, not a garage sale.
Sorry not sorry.
To that end, I don’t want to sit here, come across as some crotchedy old bastard (GET OFF MY LAWN!), and rag on the notion that you should never discount your rates as a trainer.
I mean, only Sith’s deal in absolutes, right?
Some Pros or When to Offer Discounts
1. You’re New
If you’re a new trainer or coach in the industry, need experience and more eyes on you – particularly in a crowded commercial gym scenario where there’s a few dozen trainers vying for the same thing – then it makes sense to offer some discounted training to build your client roster.
It’s not beneath you to do so.
I did it.
When I was a commercial gym trainer I’d often offer free 15-30 minute “Deep Dives” for on my own time for members:
Deep Dive: REAL Core Training
Deep Dive: Learn How to Deadlift
Deep Dive: Shoulder Friendly Strength Training
Deep Dive: How Hot is Jennifer Garner in Alias?
As a result I got more eyes on me and would often have members reach out to begin training.
For the more mathematical minded in the crowd, you can also think of it this way courtesy of Finnish coach, Joni Jaakola of Optimal Performance:
“Offer 45 minute free training sessions + 15 minute consultation => client can experience what they are about to sign into => convert 50% of them => fully booked weekly calendar in two months or so.”
2. One-Time Special Offers
My friends over at Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC are huge proponents of offering special one-time only offers of 20-25% off packages when people attend a special class or charity event.
I like this idea.
If you’re already making the time to be at a certain place at a certain time, go for it.
People attend a class, you get their names, you offer the offer, and then you follow-up with a PHONE CALL (or text) – people just delete email – for a few weeks to remind them of when the offer expires.
3. It’s August
In the fitness industry, August (in the Northern hemisphere anyway) is…the…worst.
It’s a dead-zone.
Gym floors often resemble the barren, desolate wastelands of Mordor.
Except in this case it’s because people are on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard (and not so much because of the whole Sauron thing).
So, I get it.
Sometimes you have to discount your rates to attract people’s attention and to get bodies on the gym floor.
Totally legit reason.
However, my buddy and I were headed to get some pizza after a killer squat session last week when we walked past this sign located at the main entrance of a gym chain here in Boston:
Now, admittedly, I have zero insights into this business’s numbers or the inner workings of their operation, maybe they’re crushing it, but to me this is what’s wrong with offering discounts…
…especially ones this, shall we say, aggressive.
My Take (the Cons)
Again, offering discounts is not wrong or altogether a waste of time.
There IS a time and place and a way to implement them that can and will behoove your business as well as the (potential) client.
That said, it’s important to remain aware of the concept of anchoring.
If you’re a fan of behavioral economics – such as myself – and read a lot of books on the topic as it relates to decision making and marketing this should be a familiar term.
Via Wikipedia:
“The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias that describes the common human tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information offered. … During decision making, anchoring occurs when individuals use an initial piece of information to make subsequent judgments.”
In the case of the above offer ($15 for 70 minutes of training), the more the discount gets away from your full price, the more problems and reticence you’re going to have – from the consumer – when you reveal said full price.
“Anchor” your price too far removed from your actual rates and you run the risk of creating a bevy of price sensitive clients who are going to jump ship to the next trainer or gym who offers an even better discount.
“I think huge discounts can attract clients who are only willing/able to pay bottom-end rates, and you’re unlikely to wow those people into full-price paying clients if their budget just doesn’t allow it. I think you wind up giving too much of yourself away in the process.”
2. Creates Discounted Effort
Pigging back on the above, in my experience I have found that discounted prices sometimes (not always) creates a culture of discounted effort.
Humans are very loss adverse.
This refers to people’s tendency to prefer avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains: it is better to not lose $5 than it is to find $5.
If a client pays my normal rate they have invested in themselves. There’s a degree of “buy in” from the individual to the tune of if they don’t show up – and I enforce my cancelation policy – there’s an inherent loss there.
And people hate loss.
Even more than the Patriots…;o)
Investment = people (usually) go out of their way to put forth some effort and consistency.
They show up.
$15 sessions = “meh, charge me, I gotta catch up on Ballers.”
3. Creates Awkwardness
The less mental gymnastics I have to do as a business owner, the better.
Who’s coming in today?
Who needs a new program?
How many sessions does so and so have left in their package?
Why am I not wearing pants?
I prefer to keep things simple:
– I use Google Calendar to book my sessions.
– I use Excel to write my programs.
– I have an assistant who tracks all client sessions (and to let me know who needs what when).
– I almost always wear pants.
Too, when it comes to training packages, I also prefer simplicity and go out of my way to not offer a robust array of options because, frankly, I don’t want to have to deal with that dumpster fire.
If I charge Client A “x” (a discount) and then Client B who is charged “y” (no discount) finds out about it, and is like “dafuq, Tony?”, it makes for some awkwardness I’d rather avoid.
Me touching my wife’s butt in public = awkwardness I can handle.
Me not shaving my head for two weeks = awkwardness I can still kinda-sorta handle.
Me explaining why two clients are charged two different rates = no thank you.
4. You Get What You Pay For
Image Inspired by thePTDC.com (^^I did that all by myself ^^)
This is 90% meant to be more than tongue-n- cheek than anything.
I’m willing to bet that if you’re reading this if you have two shoulders.5
I’m also willing to bet that, given the two shoulder scenario, and given this is a blog dedicated towards strength & conditioning, you’re interested in:
Keeping your shoulders healthy.
Making your shoulders stronger.
Building shoulders that resemble boulders.
Argon. You know just because it’s a cool element.6
So what happens when a room full of Irish(w0)men find out I’m not much of a drinker?…;o)
Whether you get paid to tell people to lift heavy things or you just like to lift heavy things yourself, in this 1-day workshop you’ll get the opportunity to listen to me talk about my how I approach assessment and gain a better understanding of how I “match” the exercises I prescribe to better fit the needs, ability level, and more importantly, the anatomy of each individual I work work.
In short, this workshop looks at the “umbrella theme” of my coaching philosophy.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – go HERE.
3. Strategic Strength Workshop – London, England
This is happening the weekend of September 14-15th, 2019.
Luke Worthington and I have presented this workshop twice. Once in London last year and again this past June in Boston.
We’re bringing it back to London this Fall, my most favorite place in the world.
This two-day workshop is designed to arm fitness professionals with all the tools they’ll need to hone their assessment skills and to make their clients/athletes a bunch of bonafide, resilient, strength training Terminators.
Combined Luke and I have ~40 years of coaching experience (or one Dan John) and bring different perspectives and skill-sets to the table; Luke peels back the onion on PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) concepts and assessment, while I go into detail breaking down movement and how to better “match” the exercises we prescribe to our clients.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – you can go HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
I repeat it time and time again to personal trainers, but it needs repeating.
Generating leads is important. Marketing is important.
However, the key (I believe) to long-term success (and consistent income) is focusing more on how to KEEP your CURRENT clients.
I often joke that when other coaches and fitness professionals come shadow or observe me for a day that they leave underwhelmed by what they see.
“Huh, Tony’s not really doing anything innovative or exciting with his athletes and clients. I mean, sure, it’s interesting he refuses to wear pants, but all in all…he’s pretty lame.”
Now, I don’t necessarily feel what’s written above is precise representation of their inner dialogue, but I will admit…
…I’m lame AF when it comes to the exercises I prescribe and the programs I write.
Peruse social media and you’ll see a bevy of videos from coaches showcasing their athlete’s jumping prowess. Some are “vanilla” and “quiet” in nature, simply highlighting an athlete jumping onto a box with little to no fanfare.
My favorite.
Others, however, will go out of their way to “one-up” everyone else and seemingly highlight a video that’s more concerned with garnering likes and increasing “viralability” than offering anything useful or of substance.
Don’t get me wrong: There’s a time and place to have fun and to not take things so seriously.
I get it.
That said, with regards to youth athletes (and, to be honest, even with high level or professional athletes 98.2% of the time) I don’t feel this sentiment applies or is warranted.
Videos of athletes/clients jumping to boxes at 40, 50, or even 60+ inches in height (with poor form) and/or that involve circus like acts – such as jumping onto a stack of foam rollers while juggling a pair of chainsaws – don’t impress me much.
I want my athletes to do the simple things, and do them well.
Here’s one of my high school basketball players – Theo, 15 – performing a Box Jump to a 1-Legged Landing.
Could we have used a higher box?
Maybe.
Could I have had him look straight into the camera after sticking each rep, rip his shirt off, and yell “THIS….IS….SPARTA“?
Next time.
Neither is the point of the drill, though.
The point is to:
1️⃣ Learn to create force (putting force into the ground to propel him up), but to also ABSORB it and learn to decelerate.
Athletes need to know when (and how) to turn on their brakes. It’s serves no advantage to ALWAYS focus on the throttle, or acceleration.
I often tell my athletes to “land like a ninja.”
If I hear a loud THWAP when (s)he lands, especially if I’m across the room, and even more especially if it’s over a sick Tiesto beat in the background, then I know they’re not landing correctly.
Too, if the landing is noisy, the height of the box may be too aggressive. Train force development (the jump) AND force absorption (the landing) and NOT the ego.
I’m more concerned with the fact Theo had no idea who A Tribe Called Quest was before he started training with me then I am about the height of the box he’s jumping onto.
2️⃣ OWN the landing.
I shouldn’t see any “excessive” caving-in of the knee or foot as he lands. Nor should I see his posture collapse as he lands on the box.
If that is the case the height of the box is likely too aggressive.
Lower it.
Moreover, there’s nothing wrong with performing Single-Leg Hops on the ground. It isn’t sexy, it won’t win you any “innovative coach of the year awards,” but by gosh will it ever transfer more eloquently to the daily needs of your athletes/clients.
On a Side Note: I told Theo to hold his landing position for a 1-2s count so we could reinforce it. Slowing athletes down is often advantageous so they learn what appropriate positions look and feel like.
3️⃣I also feel appropriate technique requires stepping off the box rather than jumping off it back to the ground…👍.
4️⃣ Oh, I also feel you’re cra-cra if you haven’t started watching Mindhunter on Netflix yet. Season two just came out.
Get to it.
NOTE: And yes, I understand that on Theo’s first rep his knees caved in a little as he was generating force. Not ideal, something we’re going to work on, but certainly not an egregious error and nothing where I felt he was going to hurt himself.
My expectation isn’t perfection out of the gate – especially with beginners (of any age) – but each rep got progressively better, and subsequent sets were even more betterer.
God, I’m a wordsmith.
In any case, there’s always going to be a learning curve when introducing new exercises, even the “simple” ones.
I’m writing this from the beautiful city of Chicago.
I got here yesterday because I’m presenting at an Equinox today to a group of their trainers, talking shoulders and stuff.
Lisa and Julian are en route from Boston as I tap away on my keyboard, and it’s her first time flying solo with him.
Remember that scene from Taken when Liam Neeson’s character is talking to the dude who kidnapped his daughter on the telephone and after his epic “I will find you, and I will kill you” monologue, all the kidnapper says is “good luck” and then hangs up.
Remember that?
Well, “good luck” babe…;o)
Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo
BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT
1. Coaching Competency – Dublin, Ireland
This is happening Sunday, September 8, 2019 (save $100 using Early Bird rate)
So what happens when a room full of Irish(w0)men find out I’m not much of a drinker?…;o)
Whether you get paid to tell people to lift heavy things or you just like to lift heavy things yourself, in this 1-day workshop you’ll get the opportunity to listen to me talk about my how I approach assessment and gain a better understanding of how I “match” the exercises I prescribe to better fit the needs, ability level, and more importantly, the anatomy of each individual I work work.
In short, this workshop looks at the “umbrella theme” of my coaching philosophy.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – go HERE.
3. Strategic Strength Workshop – London, England
This is happening the weekend of September 14-15th, 2019 (save £50, Early Bird rate ends THIS WEEKEND).
Luke Worthington and I have presented this workshop twice. Once in London last year and again this past June in Boston.
We’re bringing it back to London this Fall, my most favorite place in the world.
This two-day workshop is designed to arm fitness professionals with all the tools they’ll need to hone their assessment skills and to make their clients/athletes a bunch of bonafide, resilient, strength training Terminators.
Combined Luke and I have ~40 years of coaching experience (or one Dan John) and bring different perspectives and skill-sets to the table; Luke peels back the onion on PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) concepts and assessment, while I go into detail breaking down movement and how to better “match” the exercises we prescribe to our clients.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – you can go HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
Woke up to this morning to this message in my inbox:
“F*** you bro, deadlifts are way overrated keep f****** up, your spine I’ll enjoy life at 60 while your in a wheelchair and bedridden you rat.”
Grip (or lack of it) can often be a limiting factor when it comes to making progress in the weight room. Strength and conditioning coach, Jarrod Dyke, offers some simple and effective tips to help with that.
Being a business owner (and running a business) is always a delicate balance between setting rules and drawing a line in the sand and knowing when to pick your battles when someone “breaks” those rules.
Personally, whenever I have someone who’s a beginner (“newbie”) reach out asking me to write their programs online I’ll encourage them to seek out a personal trainer IN-PERSON to work with.
There are just too many other variables and nuances involved when working with beginners.
That said, if you ARE going to do it read this article.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Syracuse, NY based strength and conditioning coach Ricky Kompf. Ricky’s a good friend, works with a ton of youth athletes, and he knows his stuff.
What I like about his message is that he always stresses the basics first.
No fluff, no smoke and mirrors, no speed camps, and no agility ladders…;o)
Speed is one of the most misunderstood aspects of training.
We get sold on fancy ladder drills, flashy sprint exercises and products that don’t work or are used incorrectly. After working with hundreds of athletes of all levels and skills I’m here to show you exactly what will make an athlete fast and what will actually allow you to hit those impressive numbers the elite level athletes hit.
It also goes without saying that, it takes work.
This will not happen overnight, you achieve this level of physical prowess from years of developing your body and consistently putting work in towards this every day.
Whenever an athlete comes to me, chances are they want to become faster and jump higher.
Speed is king, and rightfully so.
Speed is what sets you apart from the competition.
Speed is what gets you looked at for high level college programs.
There’s not much difference in skill between D3, D2 and D1 programs as there is a difference is speed and strength.
So, what makes an athlete fast?
1. Relative Strength
Relative strength is how strong you are relative to how much you weigh.
Without relative strength there is no speed.
Relative strength is what every quality of speed is built off of.
I hate to speak in absolutes but If you are not strong relative to how much you weigh you will not be fast. Strength is your horse power.
I promise I’m (mostly) not a Sith
Trying to sprint as fast as possible with low relative strength is like trying to go from 0-60mph in a Prius: You just won’t be able to get to top end speed quickly and your top end speed will be much slower than a sports car.
When you’re sprinting the only resistance you have on you is your body weight.
You have to propel your body forward in a fast-explosive manner and if you don’t have the relative strength to do so, all the sprints and speed & agility drills in the world won’t make you much faster.
FANCY SPEED EXERCISES AND AGILITY DRILLS WON’T ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING WITHOUT RELATIVE STRENGTH.
To put this into perspective, If you have two athletes who can deadlift 300lbs and one athlete is 150lbs while the other one is 250lbs, 10 times out of 10 the athlete who is 150lbs is faster.
Here are some indicators that I use to determine if the athlete is relatively strong.
Male Athletes:
15 or more chin ups
30 or more push ups
Can trap bar deadlift over 2x their body weight for 3 or more reps
Can back squat to box or safety bar squat to box 1.5x their body weight for 3 or more reps
Can sled push 4x their body weight or more for 10 yards
Female Athletes:
Can perform 5 chin ups or more
Can perform 15 or more full range of motion push ups
Can trap bar deadlift 1.5X their body weight for 3 reps or more
Can back squat or safety bar squat to a box with 1.25x their body weight or more for 3 reps or more
Can sled push 3.5x their body weight or more for 10 yards
This is all a general rule of thumb I use for my athlete to determine if they will respond well to an increase in speed work volume.
2. Mobility
Have you ever seen the athlete on the field who moves their legs super-fast but is one of the slower athletes or middle of the road?
It’s like they’re going nowhere fast.
Here’s why this is happening.
The athlete who takes the least number of strides to cover a certain amount of distance will always get to Point B first.
If your athlete is tight in the hips they won’t be able to cover max distance with every stride. This usually becomes an issue when an athlete’s hips are tight, restricted and weak.
Mobility also doesn’t mean just stretching, this is where flexibility and mobility get confused. Flexibility is the range of motion you can put your joins passively like reaching down to touch your toes. Mobility is the range of motion you can go actively, like driving your knee up as high as you can without moving your spine or going into a deep squat while keeping a neutral spine.
Flexibility is a component of mobility that you need in order to be mobile. Optimal stride length requires more mobility than flexibility.
Perform these mobility drills regularly to keep your hips in check while you become stronger and faster. These are all great examples where together they work on flexibility as well as mobility. This will help you become overall more mobile in the hips and moving better.
Speedy 7 Mobility Drills
Hip Series: Active Recovery
90/90 PAILs & RAILs
Standing Hip CARs
3. Core Strength
The role of the core while sprinting is to keep the midline stable while the arms and legs are in motion.
If your athlete does not possess the appropriate core strength it will result in energy leaks throughout their sprints and change of direction.
The core is used as a foundation in which force can be translated from the lower body to the upper body while sprinting. If the core and spine are not ridged while sprinting there won’t be as much force being put into the ground.
Even worse you’re at a much higher risk of injury.
If you ever watch an elite level track athlete sprint with their shirt off, their arms and legs are moving violently while the torso is perfectly still.
Without good core stability relative strength is low and mobility/movement quality is poor, which, if you’re paying attention are the first two qualities I spoke of.
Addressing all three should be a priority is every athletes program.
Check out these exercises that are great for core development:
Core Engaged Deadbugs
Plank on Knees While Breathing
Level I Plank March
4. A Faster Amortization Phase
The Amortization phase is the transition from an eccentric muscle contraction to a concentric muscle contraction.
This phase is a very fast isometric contraction that helps to transition the muscle to shorten while contracting.
This is commonly known as the stretch shortening cycle.
This is when a muscle rapidly lengthens then shortens. When the amortization phase is optimized and there is a very fast transition, the amortization phase is very short. When this happens there are more motor units recruited and more force is produced.
The shorter the transition from eccentric to concentric the more force is produced.
This happens on every stride once you’ve gotten into your cycle sprint (while you’re upright sprinting at your max speed).
Another common way to see this is when an athlete performs a vertical jump, as the athlete descends quickly and transitions from down to the upward phase of the vertical jump this is where the amortization phase comes in. The less time it takes to make that transition the more potential force is produced.
Ways to train this would be plyometrics, max effort sprints, longer distance sprints (20-40yd) and jumps where there is a focus on the transition from eccentric to concentric.
A few of my favorite ways to train this is by performing some of these following exercises:
1. 10-yd Push Up to Sprint/Mountain Climber Sprints
2. Hurdle Hop Variations to Push
3. Max Effort Vertical Jumps
4. 20 yd Sprints Flat Ground or Up Hill
5. Partner Sprint Chases
6. 30 yd Sprints
7. Double Broad Jumps
5. Strength in Specific Joint Angles and Technical Form
To develop strength in specific angles that the athlete will be in during a game I will often use contrast training, game speed exercises drills, and lifting exercises that are similar to positions an athlete will be in.
When it comes to speed, there’s nothing better than a heavy sled push or a sled drag.
Other good ones I like to use with a contrast are trap bar deadlifts and safety bar squats. All of these are great with mimicking the sprint and jump movements. Below is a video example of some contrast sets and specific joint angle exercises for speed.
Example #1
A1. Trap Bar Deadlift – 5×2
Rest 10-20 seconds
A2. Vertical Jump – 5×1
Rest 2-3 minutes before the next set.
Example #2
A1. Heavy Sled Push – 5×10 yards
Rest 10-20 seconds
A2. Push Up to Sprint – 5×10 yards
Rest 2-3 minutes before the next set
Example #3
A1. Safety Bar Squat to Box – 5×2
Rest 10-20 seconds
A2. Box Jump – 5×2
Rest 2-3 minutes before the next set
Example #4
A1. Chain Loaded or Banded Trap Bar Deadlift – 5×2
Rest 10-20 seconds
A2. Double Broad Jump – 5x(max distance)
Rest 2-3 minutes before next set
Strength Training Exercises in Specific Joint Angles
Heavy Sled Pushes
Heavy Sled Drags
Resisted Sprints
Trap Bar Deadlifts
These type of exercises and contrast sets should be performed during preseason after a full foundation has been developed during the offseason.
Note that these types of circuits are reserved for athlete who are older and more advanced with a good foundation of general strength and all the other qualities we went over already. Contrast training is not as effective without 3-6 months of general strength training. The sled pushes, sled drags, and deadlifts are exercises that should be staples every month in your athletes program.
Another way to work on this is to perform sprints and jumps to refine technique, having a coach’s eye to teach you how to sprint the correct way and jump the right way is the final piece to put all these qualities together. Sprinting, change of direction and jumping is a skill that will always require fine tuning and technique work.
About the Author
Ricky Kompf is the head coach/owner of Kompf Training Systems where we work primarily with team sport athletes like baseball, football, lacrosse and basketball.
He’s also a Head Trainer for a corporation for Bankers Heath Care.
This workshop is designed for fitness professionals – personal trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, physical therapists, etc – to provide both physical & psychological tools to help build your brand, business, and rapport with clients.
Dr. Lewis and I cover a lot of material:
How to increase competency and motivation with your clients.
An overview of both upper and lower extremity assessment to create increased “buy in.”
How to set professional & personal boundaries with clients.
Troubleshooting common lifts such as squats & deadlifts to best fit the needs, ability level, and anatomy of clients.
And more…
CEUs will be available.
For more information – including full itinerary and to register – you can go HERE.
2. Coaching Competency – Dublin, Ireland
This is happening Sunday, September 8, 2019 (save $100 NOW)
So what happens when a room full of Irish(w0)men find out I’m not much of a drinker?…;o)
Whether you get paid to tell people to lift heavy things or you just like to lift heavy things yourself, in this 1-day workshop you’ll get the opportunity to listen to me talk about my how I approach assessment and gain a better understanding of how I “match” the exercises I prescribe to better fit the needs, ability level, and more importantly, the anatomy of each individual I work work.
In short, this workshop looks at the “umbrella theme” of my coaching philosophy.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – go HERE.
3. Strategic Strength Workshop – London, England
This is happening the weekend of September 14-15th, 2019 (save $100 now).
Luke Worthington and I have presented this workshop twice. Once in London last year and again this past June in Boston.
We’re bringing it back to London this Fall, my most favorite place in the world.
This two-day workshop is designed to arm fitness professionals with all the tools they’ll need to hone their assessment skills and to make their clients/athletes a bunch of bonafide, resilient, strength training Terminators.
Combined Luke and I have ~40 years of coaching experience (or one Dan John) and bring different perspectives and skill-sets to the table; Luke peels back the onion on PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) concepts and assessment, while I go into detail breaking down movement and how to better “match” the exercises we prescribe to our clients.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – you can go HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
Things that annoy me:
– Brie cheese.
– People who don’t train people commenting on exercise technique.
– Gym owners who post videos of them vacuuming their own facility.
– Kettlebell snobs (DBs work too).
– Ppl who think a squat and DL are the same thing.
– Poodles.
This is entirely new content that Dean Somerset and I spent well over a year presenting and tweaking before filming it with a professional crew to release to the masses.
It builds off of Version 1.0 but digs deeper into programming considerations, exercise technique, and tickle fights (amongst much, much more).
It’s on SALE through this weekend only so be sure to pick up a copy today…HERE.
Few things grind my gears more – Jake P from The Bachelorette, Voldemort – than shady motherfuckers who pretend (or claim) to be more important than they really are based off their fake followers.
It’s a common tactic for fitness professionals, especially during an initial session or assessment, to go out of their way to demonstrate just how dysfunctional someone is.
“Okay, so, after everything we’ve gone through and discussed it seems you have an internally rotated right shoulder, a bit of anterior pelvic tilt, upper back kyphosis, you lack thoracic rotation on your left side, you need to clip your toenails, and one eye is lower than the other.
We’ve got some work to do to fix everything.”
Now, I’m not going to sit here and say I’ve been perfect my entire career and that I never did the same thing.
I did.
And while hindsight is 20/20…I can’t even begin to imagine how much business I lost because I felt it a good idea to showcase to potential clients how much of a walking ball of fail they were on Day #1.
To that end, I do believe there’s a natural growth or maturation (that only comes with experience) of any fitness professional where you begin to understand and appreciate this train of thought.
Of course it’s our job to “audit” movement and to ascertain, to the best of our ability, what will set people up for the most success possible given their goals, injury history, and ability level(s).
But I adamantly feel that one of the worst things you can do as a fitness professional is to highlight dysfunction and to make people feel broken out of the gate.
Take scapular winging for example, where the shoulder blade lacks congruency with the ribcage (I.e., it peels off the rib cage).
Is it actually a dysfunctional thing?
Now, admittedly, the picture above is a little a lot fucked up.
This is TRUE scapular winging, an actual medical diagnosis where the long thoracic nerve is not doing its job innervating the Serratus Anterior.
No amount of Prone Trap Raises or Forearm Wall Slides is going to fix that dumpster fire. It’s going to entail meticulous manual therapy and someone with a keener sense of neurological wizardry to fix it.
However, many people walk around thinking they have “scapular winging” (HINT: pretty much everyone has it to some degree) and that they’re doomed to a laundry list of corrective exercise purgatory.
I have news for you.
Most people’s long thoracic nerve works just fine and most people are NOT in a state of dysfunction.
In fact you can fix scapular winging pretty quickly by adding LOAD and by getting people to TRAIN.
Load helps nudge people into better positioning and training just helps people not want to jump in front of a bus (trust me: corrective exercise purgatory is no fun for anyone).
There are a litany of ways to accomplish this.
In this short video, I outline some of my thoughts and manage to not swear the entire time.
This is a short clip from mine and Dean Somerset’s new series Even More Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint, a brand new product with entirely new content from the version 1 workshop, which is on sale until Sunday for $70 off the regular price, and digs into individualization concepts like this, plus so much more to help you get the best possible plan of action for your clients in order to get them results in the fastest, easiest and safest manner possible.
…most of you reading don’t have enough eye-rolls to give.
I mean, I get it: a blog post on warming-up is about as exciting as me writing about breathing drills, how to make kale chips, or, I don’t know, NASCAR.
But two things:
1. This post will be short and sweet.
2. The video shown below will help you not only feel better, but also help you crush your next (and subsequent) lower body lifts.
There’s no need for me to belabor the point: a proper warm-up prior to lifting heavy things is imperative. It helps increase core temperature, potentiate the central nervous system, “lubricate” the joints, and as a whole is just a smart habit to follow to better prepare the body for the workout to follow.
Thing is…
…the warm-up is also the one thing most trainees skip, treat as the evil step-child, or otherwise ignore altogether.
I can’t fault some people for doing so.
Some warm-ups are just absurd. I’ve had some people show me warm-ups that take 20-30 minutes to complete. Now, this isn’t to say that, sometimes, this isn’t warranted. Depending on one’s injury history (or even other factors, such as age) we can sometimes justify a warm-up of that length.
But too – and more to the point – if I were given a warm-up that takes that long to complete I’d be tossing it some shade too.
On the flip side, I also think one reason many people skip their warm-up is because there’s no rhyme or reason to what they’re doing:
“I’ll do some arm circles here, some hip thingamajiggies there, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”
An ideal warm-up will not only prepare you for the stuff you’ll be doing on the weight-room floor, but also address any mobility/range of motion/activation deficits that may exist.
And, lately, my train of thought is that an ideal warm-up is short and to the point and kinda-sorta makes you hate life.
A perfect example is this hip series9. I’ve been using myself of late and is something covered in the (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – a brand new product with entirely new content Dean Somerset and I just released this week.
This series hits all the heavy hitters to keep your hips nice-n-juicy for some squats or deadlifts:
✅Hip IR
✅Hip ER
✅Hip Flexion
✅Dissociating hip movement from Lower Back movement.
Start with your hands on the floor for support and try to stay as upright as possible (contingent on your ability to do so).
It’s not a deal breaker if you have to lean to the side a bit.
You also have the option to “ramp” up the intensity while performing this series too. You can go through the motions and make it relatively easy or you can come close to shitting a kettlebell by increasing the amount of tension you put into it.
I encourage clients to dabble in both (because both scenarios have their advantages and disadvantages).
Have fun (<– said with a hint of sarcasm).
(Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint is currently on sale this week till this Sunday for $70 off the regular price, and digs into preparation concepts like this, plus so much more to help you get the best possible plan of action for your clients in order to get them results in the fastest, easiest and safest manner possible.
