Strength 101: Part IV - Training Periodization
Parallel systems train multiple skills simultaneously, and they progress mainly by manipulating volume, intensity, and technique as a way of teaching the body what to expect from a competition.
The Road To Winning USAPL Raw Nationals
I started my raw journey back in December of 2008. After an equipped meet in April 2008, I left the meet feeling empty.
This Is How I've Always Done It!
As coaches, we need to stay on the cutting edge of the research and use it to guide and inform our practice rather than dictate what we do and don’t prescribe.
How to Land a Graduate Assistant Strength Coach Position
I wish someone had told me all this from the start.
Power Clean for the Strength Athlete
Whether your sport is powerlifting, strongman, football or any other “strength” sport, the power clean should be part of your workout plan.
The Dumbing Down of Fitness: “Globo Gym” Style
I've had plenty of time to think about my experiences in the corporate fitness world over the last year, simply because that’s where I cut my teeth and then subsequently got them knocked out.
Heave Ho! Top Pulling Moves
Regardless of whether you're a beginning grappler or a black belt, a secretary or a garbage man, the importance of pulling and grip strength can’t be emphasized enough.
Set Up to Squat Huge
The solution may be as simple as lowering the rack a notch, pulling your elbows down or taking a better breath.
Performance Program Changes
This week I started a few new things at work that I believe will help our performance program not so much in the direct sense of progress but in an indirect sense.
Applicable Strengths: Our Top Four
My job as a coach is to build the foundation of strength, make them faster, improve the balance of the athletes and increase mobility.
Forget the Fads
Building muscle is simple, and once you get the correct form down, the exercises you should be doing are simple.
No Lower? No Problem! A Broken Down Trainer's Journey Back to Funct...
I think it’s safe to say that if you're a frequent reader of this site, you know full well the extreme benefits that can be derived by lifting massive weights with our lower extremities.
What Type of C.A.R. Are You Driving?
Strength coaches, our critical off-season is being taken away before our very eyes.
Neophytes: A Call to “Arms”
The greatest amount of misinformation isn't only readily accessible to beginners.
Acclimating Indoor Kids for Outdoor Practice
It seems we've entered an age where every summer we hear about a football player who has been hospitalized or died from heat exhaustion.
My Insights on Training and Coaching: A Business Perspective
This is just a small list of things that I've learned and observed over my ten years of training.
One of My Favorite Shoulder Exercises
This is a fast and simple article. No hype, just an awesome exercise that I use all the time.
Handling Multiple Skill Levels?
You have to figure out a way to manage all of them in a way so that they will get the most out of the training session.
Grand Opening: The New Man Cave
It’s been a while since we have heard from the Swole Sisters, so I will proceed with caution on this one.
Shane Carwin Weighs In on Strength Training for MMA Fighters
Shortly after his 3:48 first round knockout of Frank Mir, I had the opportunity to speak with Shane about his strength training and conditioning program and why it is important for fighters to spend some of their time in the weight room.
Military Special Operations Physical Preparation Concepts
The paradigm of military special operations training poses an ironic problem.
Meeting the Scale: The Art of Making Weight
Have you ever watched a pre-fight weigh-in and noticed how gaunt and stringy that most fighters look as they get on the scale, only to see them with full cheeks and muscles the very next day as they step into the cage or ring?
Increase Your Neck Size
Please visit my training log or submit comments via the Q&A if you have any questions or need some guidance.
Chronicles of an Intern: The Art of Coaching
I've often heard that “in order to be the best, you need to surround yourself with the best.”
Shirt Training...Rough Start but a Strong(ish) Finish
This was only my second time in this shirt and I was already trying to touch. Had I just worked down from high to low boards, I would have saved time and energy.
Strength Science
I remember when I first heard the saying five years ago at a clinic—if you read for one hour every single day in your field, you will be one of the world’s leading experts in seven years.
This Is Silly: An Outlook on Training, Part 2
There are trade-offs with training that affect the outcomes of the choices we make inside and outside the gym doors.
Strength 101: Part III – Organizing Training
Understanding training organization is the biggest sticking point for many lifters.
Kids and Investment in Equipment
If you step back and look at the big picture, especially if you are a life-long lifter, home gym purchases are reasonable and actually pretty affordable when calculated over long term use.
Beast Reality Volume 1, Issue 2: APA 2010 New England Winter Iron Bash a...
Do you ever have those surreal moments in life? They seem to occur more frequently as I grow older.
The Case Against “Functional” Training
Somewhere along the line in the past five years or so, the industry and fitness enthusiasts alike have grown crazy over this concept of functional training.
Equipment 101: The Prowler
We are the home of the original Prowler...and not to mention...Prowler Flu.
Be a Little Different Than the Norm
It's in that moment of awareness—of being able to differentiate between what's important and what isn't—that separates those who succeed from those who don't.
Combat Fitness Training for Military Officer Candidates
This article is written for the men and women of the United States armed forces.
This Is Silly: An Outlook on Training, Part 1
There are some things in training that must be done in order for you to succeed and for you to keep your mind off the so-called rules.
Seven Words That Changed My Life
Once we set a goal for ourselves, there are a million different ways we can go about achieving it, but the one thing that will always remain the same is that first step—taking action.
To Become the Best, Learn from the Best
What more fitness professionals, trainers, and coaches should do is seek out the invaluable, hands on experience that comes from training with a respected and well-known coach or trainer.
Hard to Train…but Training Hard: Part V
In the end, it doesn’t matter. If I can’t perform because of it, then I need to fix it or get out of the game.
Shove it! Top Pushing Moves
Whether you're a professional MMA athlete or an “everyday population” client, make sure you include effective, functional pushing exercises into your workouts.
Ask the Thinker with Bonus Video Interview
The perceived weakness is actually fibers that are impaired from contracting.
Are Your Athletes Training or Working Out?
There is a huge difference between working out and training, but training dictates that there is a goal.
How to Do More Pull-Ups
In my eyes, the pull-up is best described as “the upper body squat” and for good reason.
Things I Wish I Could Go Back and Tell Myself: Part 1
When I first started lifting and training in general, all my knowledge came from the internet; I didn't have any experience.
Tire Flipping 101
In this article, I’ll share with you a routine that has helped my clients, both men and women, get better at tire flipping.
The Top Get Faster for Football Exercises: Part II
Any exercise that hits the hamstrings, glutes, and quads hard is going to be good for getting faster on the football field.
The Psychology of Strength: Incorporating Mental Toughness Training
I finally knew what was missing in my twenty years of training—the mental aspect.
The Overlooked Essentials for Your Ultimate Adaptation
If only I had known these essential ingredients for getting stronger, leaner, and more energetic when I was competing in bodybuilding, it would have made things a whole lot easier.
Learn How to Caslow Your Own Powerlifting Program
A quick setup description of how I plan training is generally built on five movements at each workout.
Chronicles of an Intern: The Interview
I created these chronicles for anyone who feels they might be working at a dead end job where they can't maximize their potential.
Hard to Train…but Training Hard: Part IV
There have been many, many times that I’ve looked at something someone was going through and said “Thank you God for my wheelchair; because I really couldn’t have handled THAT.”