Every June, we both make a trip to Houston for Vern Gambetta’s annual GAIN conference. With faculty included strength coaches, sport coaches, physical therapists, trainers, academics and sports scientists from a variety of professional and amateur sports, it provides a chance to learn and share. On this week’s podcast we broadcast live from the event and recap the key lessons learned on each day of the event. Read more
Coaches need a lot of tools in their toolbox. If all the strength coach knows is the barbell, then they are limiting their ability to solve more complex problems. Therefore for the site theme in April we chose going beyond the barbell, bringing together 3 new videos, 2 podcasts, and 5 articles to look at different ways coaches can solve problems with other training methods. All the links are below, but first I wanted to share a few ideas that crystallized in my mind this month. Read more
As I know Stuart McMillan is fond of saying “To be a better specialist, you have to be a better generalist.” The site theme on HMMR Media this month is “beyond the barbell” and this is the first thought that comes to mind. The topic really speaks to me now with where I am in my career. As strength coaches we often stick with what we know. Broadening our approach can make us better at what we do even if, in most cases, we don’t need the additional tools. Read more
This article was originally posted on High Performance West. Jonathan Marcus is building a great platform over there, so check it out.
In my article last week I looked at the unique advantages offered by medicine ball training and how to design exercises to get the most out of the dynamic training tool. But once you find the right exercises you also need to put then into a plan. Should medicine ball training complement the primary sport work you are doing? Should it contrast it? And how do we make sure it doesn’t counteract it? Finding the right plan is perhaps more important than finding the right exercises. Read more
I joined this week’s HMMR podcast to share some ideas with Nick and Martin on my approach to training. We spent a good deal of time talking about how I’ve rethought the role of the barbell in training and how this has led me to use different types of functional equipment such as the aquabag, kettlebell, sticks, straps, and more. As I put it during the interview: functional equipment asks your body what it can do; less functional equipment tells your body what it can do. Read more
In some ways, training is about the constant pursuit of staying focused. Coaches can help in this regard. It isn’t just about telling athletes to focus; it’s also about what exercises you choose, how training is structured, and what tools are used. On this episode of the podcast Steve Myrland joins us to discuss mindfulness in training, finding focus, and rethinking the barbell. Read more
There’s no doubt that you can get athletes strong in the weight room. But that’s not the only path to strength. On this episode we talk about what can be accomplished outside the weight room, with examples from our experiences working with different sports. Not only can athletes accomplish a lot outside the weight room, but it also offers many distinct advantages in some areas. Read more
Functional training is a label for a concept. As with any label it is subject to various interpretations. I originally conceived it as multi lateral training integrating various training modalities (medicine ball, stretch cord, weight training, dumbbells, body weight etc.) to produce significant adaptation in specific performance parameters. Read more
An Vern always says, you shouldn’t try to mimic the game in training, you should try to distort it. During last month’s HMMR Media Hangout, another member asked me about how a coach knows when something has been distorted too much. The question got me thinking because this is an issue you see all around. At a certain point, if you distort things too much they start to get weird. Read more
As we did to kick off 2017, the HMMR Podcast and the GAINcast join forces to co-host the first episode of 2018. As the new year gets underway we chat about the state of training for sports together with the team from the HMMR Podcast. Our discussion covers a variety of topics like recruiting, whether athletic development is still undervalued, functional training, doping, and more. Read more
