Forging a Growth Mindset in the Weight Room

Great information from a great strength coach. So much happens in the mind that will drive the body! I hope you can take this info and apply it to your program, teams and athletes

In the Strength and Conditioning realm, we have limited time with large numbers of athletes in a chaotic setting. This translates to fewer interaction opportunities than teachers may have in classrooms or sport coaches may have on the field. This means that each cue, correction, or other feedback is a valuable opportunity that we must capitalize on to maximize the outcomes we seek to attain.

The outcome we are all after is growth. Regardless of means, we are all trying to improve the physical capabilities of our athletes. In my opinion, we should also be working deliberately to grow the mental abilities of our athletes as well. Here are four ways I work to sharpen a growth mindset in the weight room.

1. Using calculated positive to negative feedback ratios.

Research has shown using positive to negative feedback ratios of anywhere between 2:1 and 6:1 to be most effective for increasing performance in students, athletes, and employees. There is a whole host of research that has proven the detrimental effects of using more negative than positive feedbacks on marriages, companies, and other organizations. Be intentional about pointing out specific positive behaviors you want to see duplicated. Compliment your athletes for exhibiting these skills publicly and personally, and you will see the behaviors more often. Be as objective as possible about the number of compliments you give out in comparison to critiques you verbalize.

2. Remind athletes of specific improvements from the past.

Being able to remind athletes of how far they have already come is a great way to spur them on toward further improvement. Showing them old numbers or video can provide concrete examples of their progress thus far. Joking with them about their initial resistance to coaching, technique fixes, or even the weight room in general is a subconscious reminder that you have had their best interest in mind the whole time, and that there is a bigger plan than just today or this week. If you can directly connect their growth with improved on-field performance, this can unlock buy-in stronger than you can create yourself.

3. Place coaching focus on “the controllables.”

Athletes that are frustrated with the outcome of their performance often lack a connection between putting effort into the things they can control, and how those can impact performance outcomes. Have an athlete frustrated with their strength or speed numbers? Athletes disappointed with these numbers might need to put more effort into mobility work, technical fixes, or even recovery methods like sleep and nutrition. Help your athletes identify these areas where they can improve. When we move focus from outcome focused to input focused, we allow athletes to regain a sense of control over their situations. When we feel our level of input can impact the outcome, we are much more likely to increase the effort we put in to affect the situation.

4. Always tell the truth and love your athletes to death.

In his fascinating book, The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle details the successes of the legendary NBA coach, Gregg Popovich. Throughout this book, one quote has remained with me in the years since I have read it. In an interview of what he thought “Pop” does well as a coach, one of his assistants broke it down simply and powerfully. He says “He’ll tell you the truth, with no bull----, and then he’ll love you to death.” This simple juxtaposition has been what I have worked toward in my coaching career. Pop’s ability to balance this “leadership pendulum” is one reason for his coaching success.

So where do we go from here? I believe intentionality to be the key to great coaching. We must realize that our job is more important than sets and reps. Be as intentional about fostering a mindset of improvement in your athletes as you about writing programs that help them develop physically. Our impact will be felt long after they graduate when you deliberately help inspire and challenge them to mature.

Adam Nelson MS, SCCC, CSCS, USAW-1
Strength & Conditioning Coach - Grand Rapids Catholic Central

Journey to be Successful as a Young Strength Coach

Coach Ramirez is a great coach that is relentless in developing himself and his athletes, He is a coach that is the poster for doing the job for the right reasons. He is a coach that is a rising star!

My name is Javier Ramirez and I am the head of strength and conditioning at Franklin Pierce University. Among other things, I oversee the design and implementation of the physical and mental development of over 500 student athletes and 20 plus teams.

My experience consists of eight years in the submarine service, four years of personal training/athletic performance, internships with Kennesaw State Football, George Mason Athletics, Maryland Football and a Graduate Assistant with Tusculum University. I graduated with my bachelors degree in Kinesiology in December of 2018 and less than a year later I was hired to be the head of strength and conditioning at Franklin Pierce University.

My path in this field is not so different from anyone else, yet all I hear/read about is how oversaturated the market is and how scarce jobs are. So, what did I do so differently to be in the position I am in now? Is it sheer dumb luck? Is it knowing the right people? Is it my ability to recite Super training and Triphasic word for word (this I cannot do, btw)? Or is it a combination of everything?

Just like we preach to our athletes I believe that success leaves clues. And by no means do I think I have reached the pinnacle of success in my very young career. I do however believe I can offer some things that were pivotal for my development.

I listed my experience not because I like to brag about myself but to show you the diverse set of encounters that I accumulated throughout the years that benefited me.

Being on board a submarine showed me the value of personal responsibility to a greater cause and forced me to have a strong work ethic, among other things. This is a story for another time but I once had to clean and shine a toilet for three hours, just to watch someone walk in to use it, seconds later, so a little weight room set up, sweep and mop isn’t above me.

Personal training forced me to expand what I thought I knew about training and communication. I was working largely with general population clients which consisted of soccer moms and computer engineers. The training and communication was different than what I was used to in the military, but I did not pout or think I was above it. I adjusted and grew another valuable skill set that would benefit me later when having to communicate to football players for one session then switching it up for our golfers the next session.

From there I got my exposure into collegiate strength and conditioning starting with Kennesaw State and continuing to where I am now at Franklin Pierce. It is important to understand each stop provided value, at KSU I got first-hand experience working with football players in the south. If you have ever worked with football in the south than you know what I am talking about. At George mason I witnessed how hard female athletes train (and with no ego). At Maryland I was exposed to BIG 10 football and was surrounded by amazing athletes. Lastly, at Tusculum I saw just how important it was to be in alignment with sport coaches and how developing that relationship is key.

It is worth noting that a majority of this was done while getting my undergrad in kinesiology. I accumulated all this experience in my undergrad so when I graduated, I could confidently walk into an interview for a graduate or low-level assistant position knowing I had put in the work. You see, I was not worried about getting paid, the number of hours spent at the facility, working with football versus female sports or training general population clients. I knew I wanted to be a strength coach and everything that came with it. Maybe I was a little naïve, but I firmly believe that if you put your head down, do a good job and have a great attitude, then good things will happen to you. And so far, I have been right.

Thank you to everyone that has given me opportunities, opened doors for me, and mentored me.

FOOTBALL SPRINT PROGRAM

The programs below should be done after a proper warm up. They can be done running outside, on a treadmill, stationary bike or any cardio machine that you have. This as an interval program that will surely keep you help you elevate your training level. It must be done with great effort and intent to dominate.

Developing as an Assistant Strength Coach

Coach Barber gives great insight on how you can develop as a great assistant. Coach Barber has risen thru the coaching ranks fast because he is a doer!. This is a read and re-read for sure!! Read and take notes carefully.

The learning process in strength and conditioning is never ending. The development process as an assistant strength and conditioning coach is extremely important to fulfill your role as an assistant or secure a position at a different university in the future. Athletes notice improvements as well and appreciate the progress you make professionally, and mentally. The more that you develop and expand your “toolbox’ the more athletes will listen because they will trust that you will enhance their performance. There are a few steps that I have found extremely helpful in developing each year.

1. Try to keep all issues from crossing the Directors’ desk

The Director of Strength and Conditioning at every institution has more to deal with than every assistant. The more they can focus on big picture issues and not micromanage each situation, the better the experience will be for everyone most likely. As an assistant the more that you can put yourself out there to learn and handle situations the better. Each experience you will be forced to make decisions with your best judgement and see the outcome. Each time that you make a decision, immediately inform the director of what happened and the way that you handled the situation. Understanding how the Director wants issues to be handled will go a long way in developing as an assistant. As you earn the Directors’ trust from working hard and preventing issues from arising, the more likely they will give you additional responsibilities.

2. Take notes on everything

If you take notes intentionally on everything that happens positively and negatively you will be equipped to handle most situations that arise. The notes that you take can vary from your personal interactions with athletes and range all the way to scheduling and how many hours are used during in-season training. The pandemic was unexpected however during this time I created and reviewed my detailed notes from throughout the season and was able to design socially distant lifts and be prepared for the logistics that come with it. Once you take the notes be sure to review often, I like to review my notes weekly or bi-weekly. 

3. Know your athletes

Take the time to develop relationships with your athletes and get to know them. If your athletes trust you and relate to you personally the harder, they will work for you. By sharing your personal experiences with your athletes, it can help them develop a sense of similarity and personability with you. They will begin to share more information about their life and talk to you about how they honestly feel when training. The more honest feedback you get from developing relationships with athletes, the more you can understand how to push them individually to get the most out of them every day both physically and mentally. 

4. Continuing Education and Reading

Expand your ‘toolbox’ beyond the training that is currently being used with your athletes. At any point in time, a modification to training or a new idea may be needed. It is crucial to be prepared for any and all unique situations such as how you may want to change the training methods when you obtain a head coaching position or are asked for any input. 

5. Train Hard

Even though your athletic career is over it is still important to train and push yourself physically but also mentally. Find time to push and not to get complacent with your current state. Train your mind just like you train your body. 

The process of developing as an assistant strength coach is essentially geared towards helping your athletes and giving them your best professionally. The biggest part of your job is providing an enjoyable experience for athletes as they grow to fulfill their full potential in life as well as athletics. The biggest impact in my opinion does not come from an athlete “PR’ing” in their back squat but calling after they are done with athletics and telling how pushing them mentally has prepared them to succeed in life. Athletes want to be pushed and it is our job to do so to create the growth they didn’t realize was possible.

Jordan Barber

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach

University of Miami Hurricanes

Don’t be Married to Your Program

Coach Pap thanks for this great insight on training programs. There is so much to take away from this. Thanks for making our profession better. Always be a student of the game and push to get better!!

I’ve been in Strength and Conditioning for seven years now, thanks to some great strength coaches that told me (basically), “figure it out you could be really good in this profession.” Now I owe those guys for pushing me down the path I was meant to be.

Three different schools in that time frame I can say the best thing I’ve realized is this: things are going to change. We can have the best periodization in the world and have everything planned out for the season and we know that things are going to change.

Now, I’m not saying don’t plan.

At my current school we use velocity-based training and it gives us great insight on how athletes are doing, when I’m watching a bench number that usually flies but we can’t seem to fire at the top potential, it’s an easy cut, the athlete just needs a recovery day. We use questionnaires to see how they’re doing daily, are they too sore, where do we need to adjust for volume to get a top performance.

Everything these days has a metric attached to it that we try to interpret. The sports science knowledge has completely grown and will continue to grow over the next couple years. Diving into the GPS’s and the metrics has given me more insight than I ever thought was possible and opened up different sports in ways that are so cool. Some things we can plan for, exam week and midterm week always brings on the stress in athletes. Back to back big games, always has people feeling a little on edge. Late travel nights to an early morning class/practice. Things we can’t plan for relationship issues, a bunch of different classes have projects due, mistakes were made at practice and they ran more than usual, weekend trouble.

This is where communication comes in, what are athletic trainers seeing? They often see the kids first. What are you seeing in their behavior? My men’s basketball team can be the best at letting me know when they need a day, watching them walk in the weight room will give me every clue I need. When I need to take time off for them, they look like a group of sad boys, and I tell them that. But that’s the day, maybe we pull out foam rollers and lacrosse balls.

Finally, the best hint, strength coaches, get out of the weight room, watch your athletes move, being able to see them move in their sport or just in life will help you be a better coach. Is someone moving a little more awkwardly than usual, is that you or just life? How can you help so they are continuing to get better?

This concept is hard, when is the right time to get them up and know that we’ve got to push through the lift and when is it time to take a break and let them recover. The longer you’re around it the more you’ll see it.

Thanks to my athletes for dealing with me as I was a young strength coach figuring all this out and then as I continue to learn and realize my mistakes. Then, thanks to Rick Court for giving me the chance to continue to learn and all my mentors, as you all are the reason I’ve been able to learn all of this and continued to grow.

Allison Papenfuss

Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning

Bowling Green State University

FOSTERING LEADERSHIP & TEAMWORK IN COLLEGIATE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Thanks Coach Frantz for the great input on leadership and how to foster it. As we know its often talked about and hard to actually implement. Great topic to read start to finish!

As strength and conditioning coaches, we have a unique opportunity to influence collegiate-level student athletes. Our positive impact can be even more significant for athletes in the college environment than in other settings (i.e., high school, professional, and private). Our frequency of engagement with them and their developmental stage places us in a unique position to move these athletes toward independence and grow into future leaders of the world.

Our main job responsibility is to improve individual sport performance.  In most collegiate sports, however, team performance determines championship outcomes. Therefore, although it is imperative to push for individual athlete’s physical improvements, focusing on the team’s success can set them apart from competitors.

When you hear interviews of teams or athletes after they’ve won a championship, and they are asked What was it about this team that contributed to this win?, one thing athletes never say is that it was because they bench pressed the most or because they were a team that hit more PRs than any other team. Most often, they say it was great leadership and teamwork – they had everyone on the same page, worked toward the same goal, and all “pulled” in the same direction.

As strength & conditioning coaches, we need to train intangible Leadership and Teamwork skills just as much as we train tangible skills like bench, squat, and clean.  We get to work with athletes during a time when the need for leadership and teamwork is most crucial: in the off-season. Think about your fall sports, once the teams’ seasons are over and they come back for off-season training in January, they do not have any seniors or last season’s leaders to lean on and they do not have next year’s freshmen yet. The returning team is down to its ‘bare bones’. For this reason, strength & conditioning coaches need to start fostering leadership and teamwork during off-season training.

Here are some recommended steps to address this task:

1.       MEET WITH SPORT COACHING STAFF AND IDENTIFY POTENTIAL STUDENT-ATHLETE LEADERS

·       Must-haves: Capability, Respect, Positive Influence, and a Team-first Mentality

2.       MEET WITH NEW POTENTIAL STUDENT-ATHLETE LEADERS/CAPTAINS

·       Discuss reasons why the coaches identified them as potential leaders and review expectations of this role (i.e., serving as a liaison between the team and coaching staff, having a positive and consistent influence on others, and holding themselves and others accountable for their actions).

·       Instill ownership of the program. Explain that becoming a great leader requires forming a partnership with teammates, the other leaders and the coaches. The success of the program and team relies on the leaders’ ability to personally invest and get their teammates to invest and commit to working towards the SAME GOAL EVERY DAY.

3.       PROVIDE/CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW LEADERS TO LEAD

·       There are many ways that this can be accomplished.  Start by giving instructions of a specific and often complicated workout to the new leader and making them the only ones who can relay the information to their teammates.

·       If the team is successful in completing the workout, it is often a testament to good leadership or teamwork.  If the team is unsuccessful, however, the failure must fall to the leader, regardless of fault. In this case the leader must do extra work, unbeknownst to the rest of the team.

·       This approach accomplishes two things: 1) the team gets to see and hear from a new leader for the first time and 2) the leader is in a situation to relay information effectively to others with an added level of pressure to succeed.

4.       DEBRIEF WITH NEW LEADERS

·       Regardless of the outcome, setting aside time to debrief and evaluate the situation with leaders is crucial. This is the time and opportunity when they (and you) learn the most.

·       This is also an important time for you as the coach to listen to their experience, provide feedback, and as a group make any adjustments and improvements for next time.

 5.       REPEAT THE PROCESS

·       Continue to provide opportunities for your new leaders to learn and improve and for the team to work together and take direction.

FINAL THOUGHTS

·       Fostering leadership and teamwork starts with you, as a strength and conditioning coach. You must embody and possess your own leadership skills to set the table for great leadership development, provide opportunities for teams to ‘pull in the same direction,’ and create a championship culture.

·       Lastly, many thanks to all the great leaders and mentors like Rick Court, from whom I have had the chance to learn. I would not be where I am today without your knowledge and expertise that I now embody, and pass on to college athletes, the next future leaders.

 Holly Frantz

University of Maryland

Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports

Let's Talk About Communication

 Thank you Coach Akenberger for sharing this awesome information about communication. As we know this is essential to the success of an organization. Please pass this on so we can call keep sharing and improving.

The skill of communication defines what it means to be a great leader. Those who efficiently communicate are a catalyst for better connections and increased motivation. Poor communication, in any industry, can have catastrophic results.

As strength and conditioning coaches, we need to effectively communicate with our staff, athletic trainers, sports coaches, GA's, and student-athletes. Athlete safety depends upon our communication with one another.

The good news is that communication is a skill that you can continuously improve on. Start by perusing the following key points.

Tone

Like tone can be portrayed differently through text messages and online; the same is true for in-person communication. One word can have a completely different meaning based on how you say it. You can change your meaning from excitement, disappointment, and surprise based just on your tone. Be aware of how tone may be affecting your conversations.

Trust 

The basis for communication is built on trust, so co-workers and student-athletes are more likely to converse and open up to someone they trust. Additionally, the trust allows for a better understanding of a conversation.

Timing 

Timing is everything but especially with communication. Always make a judgment to decide if an exact moment is best suited for a specific conversation. Know that it can also be scheduled later if someone is in a hurry or too upset to talk.

Clarify

Make sure the message your saying was received. Meaning, look for non-verbal or verbal cues that your message was clearly conveyed and received by the recipient. If it's necessary, you can further clarify what message you are trying to express.

Word Choice 

Before you speak, make sure your message is valid and necessary. Likewise, always be considerate of who you're talking to.

Casey Akenberger

Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach

Michigan State University

IN-SEASON STRENGTH TRAINING:“AN INSIDE LOOK INTO COLLEGIATE FOOTBALL TRAINING”

Thanks Coach Collins for sharing this great information on in season traning. A great inside look. Thanks for all you do.

In-Season training is probably my favorite time of the year. Sure, we all love the intense, hard-core off-season workouts that push our student-athletes both mentally and physically, but nothing beats the approach we take for our guys during the rigors of a collegiate football season.

           TIME - I learned a long time ago that TIME is the “MOST NON-RENWEABLE RESOURCE”. That means that WE cannot WASTE ANY TIME! It is the most precious thing in the whole world, because you can NEVER get it back. What you do with that TIME is what will MAXIMIZE not only your student-athletes, but your entire program.

           In the off-season we are blessed with a lot of TIME. There’s no practices, no individual meetings, no film sessions, just total Mind-Body-HEART development! Obviously with an “In-Season” schedule, you throw all of those demands on their plate, on top of figuring out a way and TIME to have them continue to train and develop. Student-athletes already have an extreme amount of stress in their lives; mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, socially, you name it-it’s out there. The last thing we want to do is add any extra stress to our guys, so the approach we take is something that I know works BEST for each of our guys.

IN-SEASON GOALS

·       Train SMART & HARD

o   Our primary focus is to physically and mentally prepare our student-athletes to go perform at an ELITE level—TRAIN TO WIN!!

·       Perform Recovery: Thru workouts and pre & post practices

o   Foam Roll

o   Body Tempering

o   Band Stretches

o   Cold / Hot Tubs

o   Float Tanks / UV Beds

o   HYDRATION

·       Sound Nutrition Plan

o   Pre & Post Workout and Practice Recovery Shakes and Smoothies

o   Fueling Station

o   Training Table / Cafeteria

o   Individualized Plans for certain guys

o   Weekly Nutrition Meetings

o   HYDRATION

·       REST

o   Promote 8-12 Hours of Sleep / Room temperature set to 68 degrees

·       GET STRONGER!!!

o   We don’t want to “maintain” strength, we want to continue to develop and IMPROVE our strength as the demands of the season increase

·       ATTACK THE WORKOUTS

o   MENTALLY prepared and DISCIPLINED

o   Maintain Bodyweights

o   Redshirt / Development Guys = GET BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER, TOUGHER!!

IN-SEASON SCHEDULE

·       Saturday: Game Day = WIN!

·       Sunday: Travel Guys / Played in the game = TOTAL BODY LIFT

o   Primary Movements: NECK, Clean Pulls, Squat, Incline Bench

·       Monday: Non-Travel/Developmental = TOTAL BODY LIFT

·       Tuesday: Practice

·       Wednesday: ALL LIFT – Upper Body Emphasis

o   Primary Movements: Neck, High Pulls, DE Box Squat + Bench Press

o   Practice

·       Thursday: Practice

·       Friday: Non-Travel/Developmental = TOTAL BODY LIFT

Wednesday is our BIG day. The Non-Travel/Developmental guys will train early in the morning, and then the Travel guys schedule a time with us and come in for 1-1 training. Sometimes there could be another athlete with them, but we schedule our guys around their personal schedules so that we do not add any extra stress and demands to their daily routines. In my opinion, it is the absolute BEST thing for those athletes individually, and for our program. We can train our guys 1-1 and can make any adjustments or modifications to that individual if need be. It’s also great because we can continue to build and strengthen our relationships that we have with our athletes.

LOWER BODY PROGRESSIONS

·       Sunday = SQUAT

o   4x3 @ 65%

o   5x2 @ 70%

o   5x2 @ 75%

o   4x2 @ 75%

o   4x1 @ 77%

o   DELOAD WEEK = 4x5 @ 50%

§  We are fortunate to make any adjustments and modifications to our athletes if need be via Leg Press, Leg Extension/Leg Curl, Pit Shark, MVP, etc.

§  We will also perform 3x5 BB RDL’s on this day – but can substitute DB or Band Good Mornings as well.

·      Wednesday = DYNAMIC BOX SQUAT

o  4x2 @ 55%

o  4x2 @ 55% + CHAINS = on the backend of the season

§  BIGS (OL-DL) Guys will perform 2x5 RDL’s on this day, and our BIG SKILL and SKILL guys will perform either BB RDL’s OR Band Negative Hamstring 2x5.

UPPER BODY PROGRESSIONS

·       Sunday = INCLINE BENCH (with a small block OR Hammer Machine)

o   4x6

o   4x5

o   4x4

o   4x3

o   4x6,4,3,2

o   DELOAD WEEK = Lighter Loads OR Log Bar Incline Press

§  We will also perform 4x of Lat Pulldown’s OR Pull-Up’s on this day, with our emphasis always stressing +1 rep than what were pressing. We will also add 4x BB, DB, or Ham Machine Shrugs.

·      Wednesday = BENCH PRESS

o   4x5 @ 77%

o   4x4 @ 80%

o   4x3 @ 85%

o   5x2 @ 87%

o   6x1 @ 90%

§  Once our percentages get ABOVE 80% - we will add a BENCH BLOCK for our BIGS and BIG SKILL guys. This will accommodate those heavier loads by reducing the range of motion, and alleviating any extra stress put on the athlete.

§  BIGS are always grinding in the trenches against one another during practices and on game day, so this is safe accessory way to continue to build their strength.

o   DELOAD WEEK = Log Bar Bench Press 5x2 @ lighter loads OR DB, Hammer Chest Press

§  Just like with our routine on Sunday’s, we will superset our Bench Press with 4x Hammer Rows, or DB, Cable Rows. Our emphasis will still be to hit +1 more rep than our pressing or match the reps. Shrugs will also be included during the superset.

§  We will also add some accessory movements in after the primary lift. Usually it consists of a couple rounds of Push-Up variations (BIGS x 10, BIG SKILL x 15, SKILL x 20) superset with some Band, DB, or Cable Shoulder/Deltoid work.

WARM-UP / PRE-HAB PROTOCOLS

           We don’t just simply walk in the weight room and get going – you MUST have a proper and thorough warm-up / pre-hab routine for your guys when they come into the weight room. A great warm-up will set the tone for the rest of the workout. Below are just some of the following protocols we use within the week for our warm-up / pre-hab:

·       MB Slams & Jams

·       MB, Plate, BW Abs

·       Quick Feet Hops

·       Hurdles

·       Jump Rope

·       Stick Stretch

·       Band Hip Up N’ Outs / Clams / “Saquons” = Glute-Groin-Hip

·       Proprioception

·       Band Good Mornings

·       Band External Rotations

·       FacePulls

·       Plate Squeeze

·       Band Rear Delt

·       Deadbugs + Quadripeds

·       TRX I’s, Y’s, Rows

·       Band Shoulder Stretches

·       Kneeling Hip Mobility Circuit

NON-TRAVEL / DEVELOPMENTAL GROUP:

This group will train 3x a week: Monday-Wednesday-Friday. The workouts are very similar to the TRAVEL guys, but we will obviously increase the intensity and add some more accessory lifts to the workouts.

As I stated earlier, In-Season Training is my favorite time of the year. The intensity is still the same, our coaching styles and philosophies are still the same, but we know what the ultimate end goal is: PERFORM AT AN ELITE LEVEL ON SATURDAYS. The only way we can do that is to continue to strengthen both their bodies and minds and help keep them healthy. A collegiate football season is NOT EASY. There’s going to be up’s and down’s, outside and inside stressors, injuries, soreness, etc. That’s why one of our Core sayings around here is, “DURABILITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ABILITY.” No doubt we all love when a kid makes a great run and busts thru for a long touchdown. But does that athlete have the strength, the endurance, the TOUGHNESS to do it not just one time, but every quarter? For the entire season? It’s a tough task, but through SMART-HARD-TOUGH training and education on taking care of their bodies with recovery protocols, it can be done.

I’ve been very fortunate to have been around some of the greatest strength coaches in this business: Ray “Rock” Oliver, Ted Lambrinides, Matt Balis, Rick Court, and Mickey Marotti. The one thing I will always take away from each of them was their LOVE and COMMITMENT towards their athletes. It’s not about the sets and reps-never has been, never will be! It’s how can you get each athletes MINDS and HEARTS? That’s where TRUE DEVELOPMENT happens. As coaches, we rip open our chests and give these athletes our hearts every day! We’re tough, demanding, intense, RELENTLESS in our pursuit of development, but it all comes from LOVE. In order to MAXIMIZE an athlete, we must do so with a REAL and HONEST relationship built with TRUST, RESPECT, and LOVE.

Train them HARD, SMART, with a RELENTLESS PASSION AND LOVE, and build their minds and bodies to go play the game they LOVE!!

SECRET SAUCE TO TRAINING

Thanks Coach Erik Schwager Director of Strength and Conditioning at Northwestern State University for sharing this information that will go along way for coaches to read and take with them into thier program. I have been fortunate to have the chance to learn and share information with Coach Schwager. Enjoy this read and reach out to Coach if you have anymore questions for him.

The main question I get from younger strength coaches and athletic coaches is typically what do you do for your program to build strength, power, and speed. The next questions that follow usually are: How do you develop a winning mentality? Or looking at other programs, “man did you see that kid he is jacked or man I bet he can move some weight”. There truly is a secret to the madness of strength and conditioning in which I will let you in on it at the end of this post. 

Training during a pandemic is not easy and numerous factors go into writing a program. Things to be prepared for: Social distancing, masks on at all times (so restricted breathing), quarantines begin during training cycle, return to play protocols, having to be able to go inside/ outside depending on size of your weight room and capacity max.  Each lift/conditioning is based off these parameters: Speed, strength, power development, max velocity, acceleration, and safe but efficient gut check.

PHASE 1: Issues: Limited Space, Capacity Limits, Social Distancing, Disinfecting

Goals: Increase Work Capacity, Increase Lean Body Mass, Develop Athletic Strength

What you see here is mainly our template for our Phase 1. I have not included sets, reps, or exercise selection as this is merely showing our template. I will say the selection and %’s we work off are based on goals for the day, phase, and what we want to accomplish in our running as well. Everything has to coincide to run a well rounded program to reach all of our training goals.  How we have things set up has also given us the ability to add variety into training. That leads us into the secret sauce of the program. Over the course of the month our guys have visibly become stronger, faster, and are moving better. Here is the secret to why…

Secret Sauce to Training:

100% Plan:

 Create a well thought out plan that allows for training parameters to reach goals needed to be accomplished and can be progressed over time. In this plan, think about exercise selection both on field and weight room that complement each other. Think about loads/ intensities of each and plan accordingly! You can’t load up on one with out sacrificing the other.

100% Educate:

 Educate your team on the benefits of why they are doing what they are doing. We live in a world of social media and google. Anyone can look up stuff and say they are an expert. Educate your team on why this is the best thing for them in their current situation, sport, and training age.

100%: COACH & UNDSERSTAND

To many times I see coaches yelling and screaming to get things done. Let me let you in on a little secret I learned from a former coach I worked for. “You catch more flies with honey”. There is a huge difference between passionate and being loud because you have nothing to say that is beneficial. Coach the kid and the rep. I’ve seen coaches yell at kids because of poor performance. This is where understanding comes in. Instead of yelling at the poor performance. Ask Why the Performance? 9 times out of 10 there an external factor that you don’t know about. So, UNDERSTAND that everyone has bad days and its our jobs as coaches to help fix the issues instead of adding to the problem. Let them know you care and I promise you’ll get way more out of them.

100% Accountability:

Player driven and player lead. One of the things I tell our guys all the times is hold yourself to a higher standard than that of which anyone else expects of you. Realize what you do affects others. We have preached about this quite a bit. The real world can be harsh and unforgiving so learn how to do the right things and hold yourself to a high standard now.

100% Relationships: 

Do not just be a coach. Be a mentor and a role model. Some kids have no one else to look up to or even talk to. A lot of times you are that person they need in their life. Learn to get to know your kids. Where are they from? How did they grow up? Who is their hero? Conversations lead to signs where you know those kids so well you know if something is wrong. These conversations can prevent things from happening, gain long lasting relationships, and builds trust within a program. By far the best part of the job is watching young athlete’s grow up and come into their own.

100% Buy In:

This here is a combination of everything above. If you Coach, educate, show you care, build relationships, and give them a plan. You will get buy in from everyone you need. This buy in creates consistency, accountability, trust and one heck of an awesome group of young athlete’s who will work as hard as you do! Buy in = execution of your plan!

BUILDNIG BLOCKS TO THINK ABOUT:

Repitition Integrity

This article is essential for all strength coaches to understand. Thanks Coach Bauer for sharing such urgent information. This is a read and re-read article. Maybe even one that you print out and post on your office wall.

in·teg·ri·ty

noun

1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship’s hull.

      The repetition is the most basic unit of function that the Strength and Conditioning Coach has to build and forge his Athletes.  No different than a nail is to a carpenter, the repetition is critical to developing a strong structure to your Strength and Conditioning program.  Only after hundreds of sets and thousands of reps will the Athlete begin to notice a change in size and strength.  Poor reps put the Athlete at risk for injury.  With this being said, it is imperative that you adhere to the principal of the repetition.  Strength and Conditioning Coaches allow poor repetitions to happen, the athlete is not the one to blame.  Correct it or allow it to happen.  If half or three quarter reps are allowed to happen every day, every week and every month then the accumulation of those missed inches will be very large, hence cheating the Athlete out of possible gains.  Oppositely, if every rep is coached to its maximum range every set, every week and every month, the Athlete will then have fulfilled their potential gains.  As a Strength Coach you must develop a sense for what separates a great rep from a good rep and an average rep from a bad rep. The greatest Strength Coaches in the country are the ones that understand the importance of Rep Integrity and they pursue its perfection daily.  Could you imagine buying a house that was built by a carpenter that didn’t pound in every nail. 

Rep Integrity will differentiate between exercises and the goal of the exercise.  The Strength Coach must stick to the proper way to do the Repetition.  Basic Guidelines follow:

1)  Coach all Athlete’s Reps, regardless of status.

2)  Be consistent

3)  Train through a full range of motion on strength movements, pause at the top to allow for full contraction and control movement down during eccentric portion.

4)  Spot Athletes through difficult reps, force reps when necessary.

5)  Coach technique first, then coach effort.