In some ways it would be so easy if it was just about teaching the Olympic lifts and centering training on those two lifts and derivative movements. So simple, yet oh so boring, but beyond boring it would be flat out wrong, it is a narrow perspective on training in general and strength training in particular. Olympic lifting movements are part of a bigger picture, but what we have going is a sheep [...]

Yesterday when I was swimming I got this profound thought. Before I share the thought let me tell you what I think triggered it. I have been preparing for the GAIN Apprentorship which begins next Thursday, that coupled with my with my visit with Nort Thornton last week had me looking over some old material from my first several years of coaching and some material from college (1964-68). The though [...]

In some ways this a corollary to the activity trap post of yesterday. For too many athletes and coaches more is not enough. Pushing to do more work is not the answer. I used to be like that, more is not enough and is definitely not better. A little bit more often is a better mantra. Be specific and directed with the training to achieve the stated objectives of the training. As my good friend Gary [...]

It seems we all preach more is not better but then when it comes down to it we end doing more. As my good friend and colleague Gary Winckler so succinctly states “volume is not a biomotor quality.” I think there must be some comfort in doing more. What we need to focus on instead is the concept of the stimulus threshold. I define that as is the threshold amount of work that is the opti [...]

Speed is the most precious of allthe biomotor qualities. It is dependent of fine motor control,coordination and explosiveness. That being said, training speed out ofsomeone is simply emphasizing the type of training that negates thosequalities. Speed and Endurance are at opposite end of the spectrum. Youcan train both, but not to the fullest extent of each at the same time.There must always be a t [...]

For the person that wrote in to saythey were proud to be a muscle head, I am glad you are proud to be amuscle head. If you take the muscle head approach I would like to playyour team everyday of the week! Some of the comments on my recent posthave been almost absurd and in some ways surreal. Men, women, boys andgirls it is not just about strength. It does not matter that Olympiclifters are the str [...]

In order to build the complete athlete it takes time and a clear vision of the big picture. Once that is established then you can look at the pieces or components of the training. The analogy of a assembling a jig saw puzzle is a good analogy. When you take the puzzle out the box there are hundreds of pieces on the table in a completely random order. The reference is the picture of the completed p [...]

I am of the firm belief that for each athlete, training each individual biomotor quality that there is an individual stimulus threshold. By Stimulus Threshold I mean a point where the adaptive response diminishes rather than increases. Unfortunately I do have a way of quantifying this except by close observation and training results. In essence it is stressing optimum rather maximum. It is hitting [...]

There is a saying that “You don’t need to see different things, but rather to see things differently.” Sometimes we overlook the obvious. In the incessant search to improve performance we have gotten away from the essence of it all, the foundation of athleticism. It can be developed through a systematic approach to athlete development. It is imperative to look for every opportuni [...]

This is my answer to the dilemma of one sided biased training. This is a common problem in many programs today. Instead of keeping perspective on the big picture and evaluating and developing all athletic qualities there is a tendency to emphasize one component to the exclusion of others. Perhaps the most overemphasized is the component of strength manifested in weight training. There are many com [...]