The most effective coaches development tool is finding a good mentor. Both Nick and I have had their careers shaped by some of the world’s best mentors. On this episode we share our experiences finding and working with mentors, discuss what makes a good mentor, and provide advice on how to seek out and work with mentors on your own. Read more
You look around social media and you will instantly see athletes and coaches sharing their latest greatest exercises. These exercises become the focus and whole programs are developed around them. But training is not just about the exercises; they are the means, not the end. On this episode of the GAINcast Vern discusses why training is about more than the exercise.
This Episode’s Question: Exercises are the building blocks of training, so why is it that athletic development is about more than the exercises? And what is it about then?
Recently publisher Ultimate Athlete Concepts and Yosef Johnson put together a series of interviews with Dr. Anatoli Bondarchuk on a wide range of topics. UAC is the top publisher of Soviet training content. They have published four books by Bondarchuk, and have new titles coming out soon too including his next book which is now available for pre-order (all these books, as well as titles from other Soviet authors, are available for purchase in the HMMR Media Bookstore). I’ve put together some highlights of the recent interview below and categorized them into five topics: individualizing training, individualizing periodization, transfer of training, long-term development and implementing change in training. Please note that I have made some grammatical corrections in the quotes, but have kept the underlying message intact in all cases. You can also find the full video interviews at the end of the post. Enjoy! Read more
In various roles as a distance running coach, throwing coach, strength and conditioning coach, and physical performance specialist Carrie Lane has helped athletes in almost every capacity possible. Her career has also come full circle in a way: she began as a runner and distance coach, then worked with some of the world’s best throwers like Adam Nelson, and is now back working with a variety of individuals including endurance athletes again. Working across so many sports and cultures have given her a unique insight on training and she joins the podcast to share her experiences and discuss what we can learn other sports. Read more
On the most recent episode of Iron Game Chalk Talk, Nick Garcia sits down with host Ron McKeefery to discuss his background and approach to training. Nick is known for cutting through the bullshit and he packs an incredible amount of information into this half-hour episode. He gives the most concise (and accurate) definite of Bondarchuk’s periodization I’ve ever heard. And, even regular listeners of our podcast will learn something more about Nick’s background and how he got started and first inspired in coaching. Plus Nick touches on his favorite books, apps, influences and more. You can listen to the full episode below. Read more
Every coach searches for the difference makers; the things that mean the difference between wins and losses, between championships and relegation. On this week’s episode Vern talks about the most important difference makers he has found over his career.
This Episode’s Question: What are the real difference makers in training?
The more we understand the complexity of training, the more coaches need to stay up on the latest developments in sports science. Our in-house sports science expert and former Olympic sprinter Craig Pickering joins us on this week’s podcast to discuss how coaches should incorporate sports science into training, tips for taking the first step to learn about an intimidating field, and some recent research and trends he has been following. Read more
We need a revolution. We are involved with developing athletes, yet so many people are focused the qualities in our job titles: strength and conditioning. No single component of conditioning can be solely responsible for the athletic development of any team or individual. On this episode Vern makes the case for why we need to redefine our profession.
This Episode’s Question: Why should our profession change its name from strength and conditioning to athletic development?
As Nick wrote in a post last week, he is all for drills. I am more of a skeptic in the drill department, having seen so many worthless drills over my career. But as usual, there are some common points we can agree on and in this episode we discuss drills and try to find the proper place for them in training. Read more
Everyone who reads this site should be listening to our two podcasts: the HMMR Podcast and the GAINcast. However that should just be the starting point for coaches as there are many more great podcasts online. If you are training for field sports, for example, a must listen is the Rugby Strength Podcast with coach Keir Wenham-Flatt. Read more
