Earlier this week we looked at why runners need to lift. Now that you understand the why, let’s look at what kind of strength training provides the specific neuromuscular and physiological benefits we discussed above. To review, there are three purposes to lifting:
At North Shore Country Day School students range from age 4 to 18. As athletic director, Patrick McHugh has had a chance to put in place a truly long-term athletic development process. The key word there is process: long-term development is not a model, but a process that is never linear. On this episode he talked about his philosophy and more. Read more
As a college athlete, our field event teammates called us distance runners the “skinnies.” For us, the weight room was optional and any organized training program was, well, disorganized. Things are starting to evolve more recently and many distance runners are no strangers to weight rooms now. But for those who coach the skinnies, strength training can still be an overwhelming world of muscle-bound information that is difficult to pare down to what is most beneficial for endurance creatures. Read more
Welcome back to another installment of sports science monthly. We kick off this month with a look at strength training frequency and how it might represent a worthwhile avenue for exploration in well-trained athletes looking to gain muscle. We also have a review article examining nutritional periodization, how beliefs can affect how much of an improvement you see from a sports supplement, a case report on rhabdomyolysis, and a look at a new model proposed to explain fatigue. Let’s get going. Read more
All eyes look towards Europe in the soccer world and if you look close enough you will see there are some interesting team sports planning trends gaining momentum. As the High Performance Director for the MLS champions Seattle Sounders FC, Dave Tenney has tried to keep his team on the cutting edge and has looked closely at the new models emerging from Europe. On this episode, we have a discussion with Tenney about the direction periodization is headed and how he has seen successful solutions implemented at various clubs. Read more
It’s championship season in Track & Field. This is what everyone has been preparing for all year. Are your athletes ready? Rest assured at this time of year there is always doubt. Have I done enough? Have I done too little? The bottom line is that you must trust your preparation and assure your athletes that their preparation has been what they need. Read more
Do you have a question for me? “Ask Martin” questions are chosen from inquiries submitted by members. So join now and you’ll also get access to a wealth of other training information.
After reading the “Training Fast and Slow” post, I started wondering about the various benefits of these training techniques for throwers. Is there ever a time to throw fast (light implements) or should a thrower only go slow (heavy implements)? Is there more benefit in one type of implement or another? -Andrew Read more
There are just 10 days left until our next seminar. On May 20, John Kiely and I will be presenting on periodisation and planning in London. Today we have released the final agenda for the day-long event, describing in detail each of the eight topics we will cover. It is not too late to sign up. More details and registration information are available here. Read more
Sometimes complex problems demand simple solutions. Scottish Rugby strength and conditioning coach Nick Lumley has learned this lessons first hand. Whether it comes to periodization or monitoring, he has been asked to accomplish a lot with little resources for the Scottish 7s team. And he has found solutions that worked, helping lead the team to their first ever title on the World Sevens Series last year. On this episode we talk about some of the simple solutions Lumley has used to solve complex problems. Read more
Variation is a core training concept, but we tend to think of it as a way to avoid accommodation. What if it is more? What if it is a tool to drive you forward? Few coaches think about how to use change strategically over the long-term and on this week’s episode we take an in depth look at some concepts related to change with our guest and good friend Derek Evely. Read more
