This article is adapted from a piece I wrote for Athletics Weekly in September 2018.
When we think about conditioning, one time of year comes to mind: the preseason. As the season ends, the next year inevitably starts with a rest phase, followed by rigorous preseason training. As many sports are about to head into their training camps for the fall season, it is time to rethink our approach to the preseason. Read more
No matter the sport, speed matters. Speed is a topic we’ve covered a lot here on HMMR Media, and it is also a topic we will keep coming back to because it is so vital to elite performance. In July we put together a variety of resources on the topic from 10 contributors, including 1 new video lesson, 5 new podcast episodes, and 7 detailed training articles.
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Some of the training concepts laid out by Frans Bosch in his book Strength Training and Coordination: An Integrative Approach can be intimidating. Many disregard his ideas without even reading the book. Others read it and get lost in the details of motor learning or anatomy, as I did at first. But when you look at the coaches successfully putting the ideas into practice, it is quite easy to see that it doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, even Bosch himself takes a very straightforward approach to implementing the ideas. Read more
One of the key principles of training is overload. The overload principle states that body system adaptation fails to occur without an overloading stimulus. In other words, we have to give the body a challenge beyond what we are accustomed to in order to adapt to a higher level of performance. Somewhere along the way coaches started to think that we can only find overload in the weight room. In reality, for some qualities that is the last place we want to look. Maximum speed sprinting, for example, can provide overload in many areas that no other exercises can match. Read more
The modern barbell is over a century old, but we are still exploring its use in training. Throughout June we took at the barbell, with topics ranging from lessons from top Olympic lifting coaches, to whether we even need the barbell at all. In total we produced 2 new podcast episodes and 7 new articles from 7 contributors and guests. Read more
Earlier this week we posted part one of our interview with weightlifting coach John Thrush. Thrush has had a long and distinguished career coach national champions from the Pacific Northwest. In part one we looked at his own development as a coach and the two key elements of his coaching philosophy. In part two below we dive into weightlifting technique, and help athletes with the mental side of training. Read more
American weightlifting has reinvented itself over the past few years as new clubs and coaches have emerged across the country. Unfortunately, throughout this process some of the old names and pioneers have been overlooked. One of those is John Thrush. Read more
When we pick up a barbell and perform a lift, we normally focus on just two things: the weight and the number of repetitions. These are undoubtedly key variables to use improving performance, but they miss a lot nuance that goes into getting better. A few years ago I was talking with former discus thrower Adam Kuehl about what other variables he feels are overlooked and his answer was quick: time. Read more
Sometimes we take training young athletes for granted. Give them almost anything and they will see some initial growth, but true long-term development requires a more thoughtful process. This month on HMMR Media we explored training the young athlete. Through 3 new videos, 4 podcasts, and 4 articles from 11 world class coaches we explored examples of training methods, long-term athlete development, key issues facing youth athletics, as well as ideas on how these concepts can be transferred to older athletes as well. Read more
I’ve been thinking a lot about progressions lately. This month’s site theme is the young athlete, and that goes hand in hand with progressions. I’ll also be moderating a panel discussion on the topic at GAIN in two weeks. As a result I’ve got a bunch of random ideas floating around in my head on the topic. The following is not a set of answers on how to progress the athlete, but rather a compilation of things I am thinking about. Read more
