Olympic weightlifting is a great tool to develop explosive power, but is it the best tool? Top weightlifting coach Matt Foreman joins the podcast this week to discuss the use of Olympic weightlifting in training for other sports, and shares some secrets about the art of coaching learned from a career in the sport. Read more
Every few months we need to let Nick blow off some steam or he will explode. On this week’s episode we share some rants based on the latest news and trends in sports. We look at offseason training, social media, the bench press, proposal by European Athletics to improve track and field, and the role of strength coaches in the NCAA. Read more
Dutch coach Frans Bosch started quite the conversation last year when he released the English edition of his book Strength Training and Coordination: An Integrative Approach. A look at how training methods have evolved over the last century shows a clear trend towards more specific training means. But so far there has yet to a clear look at comprehensive look at the topic in detail. Bondarchuk has written in detail about the connection between specificity and transfer, but does not spend much time answering why things work that way. Verkhoshansky wrote a book on the topic but the exercises he describes often do not fit into his own definition. Bosch’s book attempts to do just that by taking a 360-degree look at the topic. It puts specificity in context by looking at how we coordinate our bodies and how best to develop that coordination. Read more
What type of tools does it require to hurl a ball 100 miles per hour? Is throwing a baseball like throwing a javelin? And what type of training does it take? Kyle Boddy, president and founder of Driveline Baseball, joins us on the podcast this week to discuss training pitchers and what he has taken from track and field in training his athletes. Read more
Every coach wants to build a program. They want to not just produce a good athlete, but set up a factory that keeps pumping out champions. That is exactly what Bill Pendleton has done with the track and football programs at Esperanza High School in Anaheim. On this episode we take a look at the approach and philosophy that Pendleton credits with creating the program. Read more
As opposed to many ground based sports, the search for transfer from strength training for swimmers can be difficult. But that makes the process more interested. On this episode we talk with preeminent swimming strength coach and Bridge Athletic co-founder Nick Folker about the search for transfer as well as the role of technology in training. Read more
It is no secret that I am a big fan of late 1980s NBA basketball. In my opinion, these days are the apex of the league and one team had an unmatched zenith of competency and dominance, the 1985-86 Boston Celtics. The main catalyst for this team’s summit of competitive greatness was their leader, Larry Bird. Today many applaud Steph Curry’s work ethic and skill proficiency. While he is very good right now we should remember he was influenced by Kobe Bryant, who was influenced by Michael Jordan, who was influenced by Larry Bird. 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
If you didn’t make it to Portland last week, you missed out on a great seminar. Jonathan Marcus gave a great presentation on transfer of training. Jean-Pierre Egger broke down the famous Werner Günthör training video. And Nick and I gave an in-depth overview of Bondarchuk’s approach to training. Read more
This week’s episode Nick and I are together for the first time and recording from the floor of the Oregon Convention Center at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships. We give some feedback on the meet and our observations on coaching during competitions. Then special guest Olympic gold medalist Adam Nelson joins us to give us his thoughts on the competition. Read more