3 Ways to Add a Secondary Squat Day
From what I’ve seen, most lifters benefit from performing some form of squat twice per week. The key is finding a way to program that second squat that builds your strengths and addresses your weaknesses while still working within your ability to recover.
Total Body Conjugate 8-Week Program
This eight-week sample program is a snapshot of a few cycles written for a former competitive weightlifter (local/state level). Michael wanted to get back into shape, lose weight, and include some weightlifting movements.
WATCH: The Seven Granddaddy Laws
Dr. Hatfield categorized these Laws himself, and together they serve as a framework to measure an effective training program. If you want to know how your training program stacks up, I encourage you to assess it against the Laws.
WATCH: Max Effort and Dynamic Effort Programming
In this instructional video, Dave discusses the benefits of dynamic effort and max effort training and breaks down the specifics of his programming during his work with Dr. Rusin.
Why I Don’t Incorporate Agility Training
Perhaps you’ve seen the video of an athlete moving through the agility ladder with his feet hardly visible because they are moving so fast. This remains the common mainstream perception of agility training. Does this, however, actually make athletes more agile on the field?
Samoan Rugby Union Returns to CARE Program
The program I am currently running features the CARE program in a new format that I feel better allows the player to get a workout in without going too deep in the RPE continuum, especially if he or she is coming from a unit or a team session.
Three Tips for More Effective In-Season Training
You can vastly improve the effectiveness of your in-season programming by understanding submaximal maintenance training and programming flexibility, the use of concentric-only exercises, and high-rep work for recovery.
6-Week Lower Body Accessory Lane Progressions
The main purpose of this is to get you some change-up in your program and get you thinking outside your usual movement selection. I have been doing this in the gym myself and it’s amazing how mentally refreshing it can be.
New Team, New Approach: Working the Curve with the Samoan Rugby Union
What I outline in this article is the third generation of this style of programming, taken through the furnace of professional rugby and modified accordingly to fit specific needs of the playing group I now work with.
What’s Missing in Box Programming
At the end of the day, 99.9% of people who show up at a box do not want to increase their snatch or compete at the games. Here’s a better way to help them.
Newcomer Conjugate Method Lessons
From the early stages of my time with the conjugate method, here are the biggest benefits I’ve found.
A Strength and Conditioning Program for Youth Figure Skating
This program is used for athletes ranging in age from 10 to 14 years and is based on specific goals in the primer, strength, conditioning, prehabilitation, and regeneration phases.
A Training Cycle Alternative for Group Athletes
Linear periodization has its place, and I’ve used it with varying levels of success, but overall there are simply too many drawbacks when used for group programming. Here’s what I use instead.
My Simple and Effective Approach to Conjugate Training
There are definitely a few programs I have used with success in my lifting career and some that I will still recommend to lifters today, but conjugate is my favorite. It is the one I try to progress all my lifters to.
Training to Do Your First Pull-Up
No matter your strength, bodyweight, or training history, pull-ups may be a challenge for you. If this is the case, follow this simple progression and you’ll have your first unassisted pull-up in no time.
Cultivating Champions: How I Trained the C2 Volleyball Team
All of the athletes at this high-level volleyball academy are from overseas and come to the United States to get a better chance at receiving a collegiate scholarship. Working with head coach and founder Caitlyn Vann, this is what we did in our five short weeks.
The Coach's Guide to Programming and Periodization: Surfing The For...
Understanding this tool for manipulating training intensities is key for athlete programming at every part of pre-season, in-season, post-season and off-season phases.
Full 9-Week High-Mileage Conjugate Meathead Program
If you’re looking for a way to keep your strength up without destroying your body day in and day out, this is the program for you.
Maximize Effective Volume and Minimize Junk Volume (with Program Sample)
There is a muscle protein synthesis threshold, and adding sets over and above this threshold will not help you gain additional muscle. A simple way to ensure you aren’t wasting your time and energy on junk volume is greater frequency.
Where Most Box Athletes Miss the Mark
Many coaches still believe it is heresy to say that athletes can build absolute strength and endurance simultaneously, but athletes all over the world are doing so and making great progress. Here are a few ways to do so even more successfully.
The Coach's Guide to Programming and Periodization: Variable Manipu...
In the first article of this series we covered the basic principles of programming and periodization. Now let’s discuss strategies to manipulate volume and intensity, and start examining the training units used to structure training.
4 Rules of Training Professional Athletes (with Off-Season Program Sample)
Four years ago I got a phone call about training a local kid who had just been cut by the Atlanta Falcons and wanted to make his move back to the NFL. Here are my four rules of training professional athletes and what I did with Roosevelt Nix.
Have You Heard the Secret to Strength Yet?
I’m here to spread the true secret of strength, if you think you can handle it.
Do You Eat, Sleep, and Breathe School and Sports (Like the Lions)?
When the Gateway Lions Academy approached me a few months ago to train their soccer athletes, I was excited. Almost 100% of them are just pure raw talent, and their skillset and work ethic are unreal.
10 Training Rules to Help You Learn What Works for You
Many of us would like there to be a simple answer or a go-to method to reach our goals in the shortest possible time, but in reality we have to spend time under the bar, do our homework, educate ourselves, and learn what makes our unique profile tick.
Programming for the Strongman Deadlift
The deadlift program I’m going to outline will prepare you for both a heavy event and a high rep event. This will be perfect for those in strongman that are not given events for a specific contest.
The Coach's Guide to Programming and Periodization: Basic Principle...
We can’t simply throw random exercises and set and rep schemes on a piece of paper haphazardly and then hope for the best. In this series I will teach you how to write programs, including a coach’s assignment for each article.
Bands and Underloading: The Often Ignored 'Secrets' of The Con...
There’s a piece to the accommodating resistance puzzle that I don’t think anyone ever really discusses: using bands too often can ruin you for straight weight. There’s also an equally overlooked method of fatigue management.
Case Study: Programming Considerations for the Injury-Prone Powerlifter
Taking two of my lifters, let’s break down all the variables that come into play for individualizing their programming to keep them not only progressing but also healthy.
A Calloused Hands Guide to Conjugate Training for the Beginning and Inte...
My main goal for this article is to make the vast bodies of work on conjugate more digestible and more easily applicable to what is popular now: raw powerlifting.
The Role of Individual Differences in Programming
The principles of training are the same for everyone, but the details are different. If you want to learn how to tailor your training by fine-tuning these details, this is the article for you.
Simple Training Has Stood the Test of Time
I want to introduce some new training ideas to accelerate you from good to great by revisiting the past and adding a twist to several favorites.
The Conjugate Method for Group Fitness
Whether it be to feel better, move more weight, or run a marathon, this system has something for everyone. It is the no-brainer preferred choice for group programming.
Strength and Conditioning Program for Youth Hockey from the Canadian Ice...
This program was designed for our players who spend half a day in traditional school and half a day training with us for AAA GTHL hockey, the premier youth hockey league in Canada.
Autoregulation and Variable Adaptation Training
Want continual progress over the long haul? Think of your training as lifting big rocks, pebbles, and sand. Here’s how.
WATCH: How Would You Program for a Deadlift Only Meet?
Many lifters will be tempted to reduce their squat intensity to preserve energy for the deadlift, but that might not be the best idea.
Programming for Athletes — The Middle School Athlete: Grades 7-8, Ages 1...
These athletes undergo rapid physical development, increased workloads, new mental health challenges, and hormonal changes. As they hit peak height velocity, it’s vital to properly manage their training.
Fall Training for Wrestlers: Programming and Deload Weeks
In theory, it’s good to force your athletes to take a deload every fourth week. In reality, it rarely works out for the best. Here’s an alternative option and a sample program that will keep things rolling in the right direction.
WATCH: Fixing Dave Tate — Initial Assessment with Dr. John Rusin
Years of pushing his body to the limit has left Dave with two hip replacements, numerous shoulder surgeries, more injuries than he can recall, constant daily pain, and restricted movement. It’s time for a change.
The B.T.H. Program — Three-Week Jump Start Phase
The other day I was sitting in my office working on the 2006 marketing plan and in busts Jim with a huge grin on his face and a handful of reports.
Game Changer: Rugby Programming Adjustments from the 40th NSCA National ...
Several incredible presentations from Paul Comfort, Mike McGuigan, and Bryan Mann led me me to make some key adjustments to the programming of my Metabolic Group.
Developing Strength and Conditioning in the Same Training Session
Our goal is to help our clients become better versions of themselves in terms of fitness, longevity, and body composition, so well-rounded concurrent fitness is often the best course of action.
Lunatic Training
It’s story time. So travel with me, if you will, dear reader, back to turn of the century— in the winter of the year two thousand, and meet a very different Swede than the man writing this today.
Strong, Shredded, and the Ability to Perform Pain-Free
Want to be lean, muscular, strong, and conditioned, with the ability to move without pain? There are many variables, but these guidelines apply to everyone.
WATCH: Table Talk — Training Changes at 50 Years Old
Since retiring from powerlifting in 2005, Dave has tried a lot of different approaches to his training. There’s one clear winner.
Programming for Athletes — The Youth Athlete: Grades 4-6, Ages 10-12
This is the most important time in an athlete’s career for learning motor patterns, and it’s the age range that can set up athletes for long-term success in their sport.
Conjugate Football—Guidelines for Team Programming
This article is intended for strength coaches who are looking to take their athletes to the next level. There are some very simple things you can do to ensure your athletes reap the benefits of such a powerful system.
9-Week Strength and Fat Loss Program for the New Year
I designed this program for a few of our lifters who had no meet in mind and wanted to stay strong, shed some fat, and get in better shape. All of them had great results.
What, Why, When, How — A Guide to Using an Intro Week
I have had more tweaks and muscle strains occur during the first week of getting back into training than any other time. If I’d known how to use an intro week, this never would’ve happened.
Programming for Athletes — The Youth Athlete: Grades 1-3, Ages 6-9
Programming for this age must be based on the understanding that most speed and strength gains in young athletes are due to motor learning, improved motor coordination, and nervous system development/adaptation.
Integrating Weight Training with Rugby Units Skill Training
This model sequences weight training and skills, with the weight training acting as a neural primer before moving to skill work and then bringing the players back to the weight room to complete the lower body session.
Training the Atlas Stones
It is the signature strongman event and can make you a champion or break you in half. Unfortunately, it’s often the most poorly trained event — but it doesn’t have to be.
Rules for the Hard Gainer, Part Two — Six New Steps to Packing on Mass
If you’ve mastered and are continuing to follow the eight rules from part one of this series, I want to show you exactly how you can create an even better program that will pack mass on any true hard gainer out there.
Adapting to Needs — Phase 1 of Winter Strength and Conditioning for Foot...
Our team is pretty strong in the weight room and it has transferred to the field, but we’re not a big team. The head coach and I have come to an agreement on changes we’re going to make, with a phase that starts January 16.
Developing Your Own Strongman Program
Designing a program that builds agility, speed, strength, and conditioning, while also training the strongman movements, can seem a daunting task. Here’s how I approach it.
Chase the Pain for New Levels of Muscle Growth
To improve the CTP protocol, I’ve made a few tweaks so that you introduce a unique pain technique through one round and then switch it each time.
Four-Day and Three-Day Training Splits for Strength and Size
With the holidays and all of the celebratory foods coming, why not make those extra calories work for a change? This plan is designed to get you bigger and stronger using a 4-day split (and a 3-day split if you’re pressed for time).
ACL Rehab Phase One — Returning to the Weight Room
After an ACL injury, the athlete is first rehabbed exclusively in the training room. Once they’re released to me, we start this phase of the recovery process.
Energy System Specific Sled Conditioning Work
With intelligent programming, you can use the sled to target each energy system without interfering with your current training program, and in the process enhance recovery, improve conditioning, and lose body fat.