elitefts™ Sunday Edition
Part One of this series looked at several presentations from the NSCA National Conference in July; all of which highlighted presentations concerning programming. These presentations, specific for football and rugby, included:
Wave Cycles by Dan Baker
The Tier System by Joe Kenn
Auto-Regulatory Training by Brian Braham and Lee Munn
In part two, we will look at a variety of topics including training for MMA, intermittent fasting, learning from the past, and career development for the collegiate strength and conditioning coach.
The Ultimate Combat Athlete
Joel Jamieson
“There is no off-season in most combat sports, especially MMA.”
This was my first time hearing Joel Jamieson speak. Joel is not only one of the best in the world at training MMA fighters, but his knowledge and application of energy-system development is unrivaled and has taken the implementation of heart-rate variability (HRV) to another level when preparing athletes. Jamieson goes explains his performance profile which helps define the sport. Besides obvious modalities such as reaction rate, joint mobility, and aerobic fitness, he lists three factors that further illustrate the unique nature of combat sports. Here are the main points that Jamieson spoke about.
1. Bioenergetics are different for each combat sport. Energy systems, particularly work-to-rest ratios, can be vastly different among different combat sports. Even between the same sport, the number and duration of rounds can vary significantly. These rounds can last anywhere from one minute (wrestling overtime) to five minute rounds (MMA). The key is to adapt your conditioning protocols based on the bioenergetics of the particular combat sport; specifically, the work to rest ratio for your particular discipline. Even though maximum effort will not be achieved during the entirety of the round, knowing the basic bioenergetic systems for a fighter is imperative.
2. There is no off-season in most combat sports, especially MMA. Fights happen year-round. On any given Saturday night, there are men and women entering the cage in order to succeed at the sport and earn a paycheck. Long-term periodization schemes may not have the same impact, especially when the objective is primarily the same all year.
3. There are weight requirements for competitors. This factor by itself can drastically change the organization of training for the athlete. Factors like hypertrophy, body fat percentage, and hydration can all play significant roles in the modification of training. Training for power and strength while staying in a particular weight class is a factor that Jamieson fully understands and works through when training combat athletes.
Organization of Training
Jamieson lists four main factors when organizing training that make up what he calls his Combat Performance Potential:
- High-technical proficiency across a large variety of unrelated skills
- Balance between aerobic and anaerobic capacity
- Tactical strategy
- Mental preparation
Jamieson explains that beginners will concentrate on work capacity from a strength standpoint. As their strength and conditioning levels increase, so will their skill work. Amateur fighters often have less time to develop the technical skills and physical development (they usually have jobs). This is why it is necessary to limit the amount of stimulus they are exposed to in order to improve. While amateurs specialize in addressing weak ares in a strength and conditioning standpoint, pro fighters usually incorporate block training to improve in specialized areas in one month increments.
Weekly schedules are organized with strength on days where striking is the technical skill and conditioning will take place on days where grappling is the technical skill being worked.
Jamieson has been adamant about integrating the High/Low Model to his training philosophy. The High/ Low Model of Central Nervous System (CNS) Sequencing concepts have been discussed in detail by many professionals in the industry including Buddy Morris, Tom Myslinski, James “The Thinker” Smith, and the late Charlie Francis. Basically, this system would split physical activities with high central nervous system demands and low CNS demand activities on separate days. Jamieson has warned against training too often in “the middle” where the day’s training is too “low” to elicit the optimal training effect and too “high” to recover adequately from. Most experts, including Jamieson have classified most training modalities into two separate categories:
This model can be adapted based on sport, training methodology, environment, and situation. Avoiding back-to-back high CNS intensive days can increase performance, enhance recovery, and reduce the chance of injury.
On the second day of the conference, I had the opportunity to speak with Nick O’Brien during a morning training session in the exhibit hall. Nick is a Human Performance Optimization Coach for the 75th Ranger Regiment. O’Brien uses the same basic model when training our military elite by combining four training session on one day and nothing but recovery and regeneration the next. This High/Low Model can be beneficial for the combat athlete, sports teams, and tactical personnel alike.
Intermittent Fasting: Science or Fiction?
John Berardi, PhD
"Hunger is not an emergency"
I have no idea why I wanted to attend this lecture other than I knew Berardi was extremely knowledgeable and there is a huge buzz about this topic in the fitness industry. I know Berardi did some diet consultation with Dave a few years back and I had read some of his articles. The NSCA goes out of their way to ensure that presentations from the private sector don't turn into sales pitches, but I was still leery. After sitting through the lecture, I will say that Berardi is a great presenter and provided a very unbiased view of the subject. He has personal experience with intermittent fasting, showed some of the research on the benefits of it, and then illustrated the some of the issues that come a long with this strategy.
There is a big difference between physical hunger and psychological hunger. Most people never experience actual physical hunger. Hunger is also not an emergency, even though powerful food marketing would make most of us think so. After illustrating the benefits and displaying all of the research, Berardi went on to explain some of the more applicable information of the talk. Namely: Fasting is not for everyone.
Berardi explained that fasting works for about 80 percent of males and 20 percent of females who undergo this regimen. He showcased some popular intermittent fasting strategies that featured fast to feed ratios of 36:12, 20:4, and 16:8 along with just simply skipping meals. There has been great results, as he profiled Nate Green who had goals to gain 20 pounds in four weeks, lose 20 pounds in five days, and gain back the 20 pounds in a day. The results speak for themselves, but Berardi still remained objective.
Finally Berardi expanded on who intermittent fasting "Might Be" for and who it was "May Not Be" for. Basically if you have a normal marriage, have kids, or a job where you have to give presentations or talk to people, you may want to think of another way to "get ripped".
Back to the Basics: Lessons from the Past
Disa Hatfield, PhD
“Athletes are naught but the physiological demands of their sport.”
Not only was I impressed with her lecture, but I really enjoyed talking to Dr. Disa Hatfield after her presentation. Disa, whose academic resume as an Assistant Professor at the University of Rhode Island rivals her prowess in the world of powerlifting, is the daughter of “Dr. Squat” Fred Hatfield, who is one of the pioneers in strength and conditioning. Most notably, Hatfield developed the concept of Compensatory Acceleration Training.
Elitefts™ team member Josh Bryant has written about this method multiple times in which you move the barbell as fast as possible while postponing the deceleration of the barbell. Basically, the intent to move the weight fast (even if the bar speed is slower because of near maximal loads) is a significant factor in developing explosive power. Speaking on the book, “Power: A Scientific Approach,” Disa had expressed interest in updating her dad’s book at some point for a 2nd edition. Personally, I really hope that happens.
Two ground-breaking training methodologies from Dr. Fred Hatfield’s book, Power: A Scientific Approach:
- Compensatory Acceleration Training: Overload the movement by speeding up through the entire range of motion.
- Impulse-Inertial Training: Using ballistics to change the strength curve to resemble “the check-mark.”
Both of these modalities have been utilized by lifters, specifically in dynamic effort training.
In summary, here are a few “lessons learned” by Hatfield:
“Known” (or at least hypothesized) variables in training need to:
- Improve Performance (resistance training does that)
- Reduce Injury (resistance training does that)
Training tools/methods presented in conferences should include:
- A minimum of evidence
- Applicable, evidence-based, and mechanistic explanations
- Something you understood (simple) and can explain to your athletes
Developing a Career as a College Strength and Conditioning Coach
Mike Favre, M.Ed, CSCS, RSCC*D
"How is it a pain to do if you say this is your passion?"
During the NSCA career track lecture series at the National Conference, Mike Favre spoke about strategies to help young coaches propel (or start) a career in strength and conditioning at the college level. Mike is the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at the University of Michigan. He currently has fifteen paid positions, so he is very knowledgeable about managing and developing coaches.
During his talk he said something in reference to leadership and why athletes would follow you. This reminded me of John Maxwell's Five Levels of Leadership. I have read about twenty of Maxwell's books. This model makes a lot of sense and anyone can adapt it to your situation.
Finally, although I may have been a little more brash when giving career advice in the strength and conditioning field, Mike did a great job and said something that I took to heart.
He mentioned how young coaches trying to get into the field, often do not have time to read journal articles, are too shy to do site visits, and are too broke to go to conferences. In most cases, going out of their way to learn more information and meet new coaches is often considered painful. He went on to say that it's much easier to casually hear something on the internet and repeat it, instead of putting forth the extra effort to objectively develop personal philosophy.
Favre then asked, "How is it a pain to do, if you say this is your passion?"
How many times have I heard, "All I want to do is be a college strength coach. This is all I want." Yet those same coaches don't want to intern for free, they don't want to go to any conference, and they attach themselves to individuals who will never get them a job.
"Hey coach, do you know anyone at X University?" I always answer, "Yes I do, but you don't, and this is a problem you need to fix." Get off your computer and intern for free. The worst case scenario is that you'll find out right away if you are not cut-out to be a strength coach.