Strength development for athletic performance is one of the most overused and misunderstood tools there is. While it is true that strength training has the most potential to do good for an athlete, by natural law, it has the most potential to do harm as well.
This ax doesn’t just swing one way. Coaches and parents who are completely against strength training are just as dangerous. To make sure you have all the information you need to make great decisions about your athletes, we are going to give you FIVE nonnegotiables for strength development in athletes.
To fully understand endurance training, you must understand the different means in which it can be accomplished. Some people believe endurance work is super long sessions on a piece of cardio equipment or really long runs. While this can be part of a complete endurance program, it is definitely not where most people should start or what their entire program should consist of.
What metrics do you use to determine if you or your child is getting great training?
With the promise of a new American Girl doll, my 9-year-old daughter can easily give any athlete a workout that will be super hard, have continual movement, and be really fun.
If my young child can accomplish the indicators by which you measure great training, don’t you think it’s time to rethink your metrics?
We have all seen the fancy marketing videos for “speed training”. Speed ladders, training in the sand, and a million different cone drills run one right after another.
The problem is, none of the activities listed above actually build any speed.
In this blog, we will walk you through the different types of speed, how they are trained, and most importantly, how we measure them to know if the athlete is actually getting faster.
If you see what floats around social media, you’ve probably heard one, if not both, of two extremes. Something along the lines of “EVERYONE should stretch EVERYTHING, EVERY day,” or gaining more popularity these days something like this… “Stretching is useless, and carries no benefit. Have you ever seen a dog stretch before it chases a squirrel?” For starters, I watch my dog stretch his legs every time he gets off the ground, but that’s besides the point. You and I have enough common sense to know there’s a pretty significant difference of anatomy and physiology between myself and my dog.
There are a number of metrics that people use to define their workouts, Pain and Sweat being the top two metrics. However are those the best ones to use? The short answer is no, they are not! Pain is your bodies way of telling you something is wrong, and sweat can be achieved without little effort. It is time to look for better indicators than those two and a good place to start are the three outlined in this blog!
The ability to focus during a game directly correlates to the athletes mindset towards the activity. Webster's dictionary defines mindset as “the established set of attitudes held by someone.” For competitive athletes we have to take that one step further, not only is mindset the attitudes held by the athlete toward a game, but their sport in general AND the attitudes toward training for that particular sport.
The client/coach relationship should never be a difficult relationship. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes, coaches can be hard to deal with; other times, so can clients. However, the root of the problem lies in poor communication. Here is a list of things that will help you maximize the time you have with your coach or trainer, so that you can get the results that you are paying for.
First, let me give attention to the athletes. You want to be the best athlete that you can be? Great, because we coaches want you to be that, too. You’re probably wondering what sort of magic methods I’m going to share about getting faster or stronger, what tips I can give to make you stand out among your teammates. Well, you’re in luck, because I’m going to share with you the one thing that will make you stand well above everyone else:
In any well-run kitchen, preparation is nine-tenths of the job. Mis en place for a home kitchen means having every tool, ingredient, and dish you need to execute your dishes without having to do more than pivot around a <10 square foot space. What follows is a list of things to keep on hand at all times. These items are things that you will likely use on a near-weekly basis.
Just like in the gym, you can’t plan your workout until you know what equipment you have available. If you want to squat, but you don’t have a rack, well things are going to get a bit tricky. You may still be able to pull it off, but it’s going to be more difficult. Food prepping is the same: If you don’t have the right equipment for the job, you may need to rethink your plan.
