My post-collegiate training group just finished up their session. We started at 8:15 and finished at 10. Just under 2 hours of practice time. That's pretty short by our normal standards. For most of the year our practices last 3+ hours. Today wasn't some rare exception though. Every practice thus far in our early training cycle has been at or under 2 hours. Yet we've done more work today than w [...]

My HPC Elite post-collegiate track group is slowly trickling back in to training at Athletic Lab. As some are still enjoying their time off, recovering from injuries, and working their work and travel schedules to get back to training we've had an inconsistent group in our first couple days of practice Today for example, we had 4 athletes from seemingly different backgrounds...a high jumper, a lo [...]

My post-collegiate track and field group resumed training last week following the conclusion of their seasons and 4-6 weeks of complete and active recovery. This year at least half of the group will be coming in following a year of training with me and should still be in pretty good shape. And because we're starting training relatively early (late July) we're going to take our time in the genera [...]

Do you ever wonder why we keep teaching and following certain things, never questioning them? This tyranny of dead ideas stifles innovation and holds us back in training and performance. It seems generation after generation fall prey to this and keep repeating the mistakes of the previous generation. Imitation is not innovation. We have to be willing to let go off of cherished beliefs that do not [...]

Around this time of year, the bulk of my track and field athletes are in the middle of a 3-6 week transition phase. Following the conclusion of the training year I have my athletes take off completely from training for 2 weeks. That's right...no training for 2 weeks. Not even active rest. Then I recommend they do about 3-5 hours of non-structured training per week for 2-3 more weeks. This trainin [...]

I love the summer as it gives me time to catch up on some reading, watch the Red Sox, head to the Cape and RI, and watch some good videos. Anyone interested in the most precious time of the year, the taper phase, may find Dr. Mujika's work to be beneficial. I like his work as he represents the next wave of sport scientist that is actually working with elite athletes and sharing practical informat [...]

"Reach the edge, don’t stay on the edge" - Tapani Keränen,After Sean Skahan's NHL Strength and Conditioning presentation, some good questions were asked about what athletes are coming in prepared. His response was the Fins. Like I mentioned earlier, I wondered why the dialogued stopped there, and didn't continue further in the evening? Why are the fins coming in so explosive? Perhaps we sho [...]

"That is, however, exactly what happened on the night of unprecedented cold temperatures. Like many auto- mobile drivers, these decision makers falsely believed that redundant safety devices allowed them to oper- ate in more dangerous conditions without increasing the risk of a catastrophe."Sport Specific? Special Strength? Sometimes. I will share some general principals I read and see if people [...]

"Technique has not changed much since the days of Jesse Owens. Where changes have occurred is in knowing how much work should be done - when it should be done - under what conditions it should be done- and how to recover from it." -Coach FrancisOne of the biggest struggles for me is what every coach must deal with. Not to over simplify things in Track and Field but much of what we do is how muc [...]

One of my favorite joys when trying to get better is listen to great sport scientists who work well with coaches. Mehis Viru argued the need to be a practical and shared that the main principle of the design of training monitoring is to have minimum testing while getting maximum reliable information. Corollary to that principle, any method or measurement makes sense in training monitoring if it p [...]