The GAIN Master Class Series has been going strong the last six months and we want to give you a taste of what it’s about. Our latest event last week looked at reconsidering periodization, including a top panel discussion with leading practitioners. On this week’s episode of the GAINcast, we share highlights from the panel discussion, as well as an interview with Professor Keith Baar, our next Master Class presenter. Read more
The site theme in October is rethinking periodization, culminating in this week’s GAIN Master Class event on the topic hosted by Vern and Martin. Below are even more new resources on the topic that we published throughout the month, including the topic content from our articles on periodization. Read more
Strict lockdowns might be over in much of the world, but coaches continue to be challenged daily by the difficulties of planning during a pandemic. On last week’s HMMR Podcast we hosted a roundtable of NCAA coaches. Most athletes have now been allowed to return to campus and train in person, but that only means one set of problems has been exchanged for another. Read more
A planned program of preparation is the foundation that elite performance is built upon. Under normal circumstances, a coach creates a strategic plan based on a variety of factors, the athlete then executes the plan, and results follow. Read more
Over the last eight months we’ve heard from high school coaches, professional coaches, and others about how they’ve adapted their training to pandemic. One voice we haven’t heard from is NCAA coaches. The NCAA system puts some unique restrictions on coaches and athletes, and on this episode we invite on several NCAA coaches to discuss how they’re planning in uncertainty and dealing with other uncertainties like program cuts. Read more
On the first day of my masters program in sports coaching we were told to study supercompensation theory for homework. All the students dove into Tudor Bompa’s treatise Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training. The book made the whole concept seem so easy, including nice graphics on how supercompensation worked. I thought I had hit pay-dirt with the organization and structure laid out in the book, and got Bompa himself to sign my copy a few years later. Read more
The best teams in the world aren’t just teams, they are systems. A system lends order and structure to enable the coach and athlete to focus on the process. It provides a framework to build on. On this week’s GAINcast we look at the power of systems, what makes a good system, and how systems fall apart. Read more
As the athletics season in the Northern Hemisphere comes to an end, many coaches will be evaluating how their athletes performed in the previous season, and then use this information to inform their training program for the coming, and future, seasons. This is similar to what businesses do frequently, particularly when it comes to developing a strategy to drive what they do on a daily basis towards a long-term, overall aim. Read more
Every few years the periodization debate heats up. Periodization is an essential component to success in any sport, but traditional approaches need to be adapted to keep up with modern science and the changing demands of modern sport. On this episode of the GAINcast, we look at our own evolution when it comes to periodization, including both criticisms and solutions to the problem of planning. Read more
In August we launched a new section of our site dedicated to sharing training programs. The monthly theme also focused on training plans as we compiled 8 new training plans, 5 new articles, and 2 podcasts on the topic. You’ll find all the new resources below. Be sure to join HMMR Plus to get access to our complete archive. Read more
