There is so much mumbo and confusion in this whole area I am not sure where to begin. Perhaps these thoughts will lend some clarity.Lets start by defining Periodization, it is the planning and organization of training into a cyclic structure to develop all biomotor qualities in a systematic, sequential, and progressive manner for optimum development of performance capabilities.Another way to look [...]

We often think of Plan B as something we go to when things go wrong (e.g., when athletes get beat up, weather conditions, injuries). But what about going to Plan B when things go right?Yesterday we had a Sprint-Float-Sprint workout planned with 6-8 mins break. The first run went so well, exceptionally well, that I had to make an important decision. I could:a) adhere to the rest/recovery time on th [...]

Here is the scenario.I wake up log unto How2BHurt.com and get the workout of the day.Mind you this is the same workout if you are 17 or 70, male or female, an endurance athlete or a speed/power athlete. I am amazed at the number of people that do this. Stop and think for a minute, what is wrong with this picture? Logic and best practice tells us that one size does not fit all., then when would any [...]

It's the time of year where folks who are doing meaningful indoor seasons have a significant idea of where they are. Certain improvements are maturing and becoming more evident in training and competitive environments. Certain insufficiencies and limiting qualities are also very apparent. Often things that aren't there lack the basic supports to be there. Once you're into the competitive se [...]

The concept of continual adaptation is something I have been working to get my arms around since we all met to plan the Michigan Women’s swim dryland program this past September. Jim Richardson, Women’s swim coach at Michigan got me thinking about this. Continual adaptation is not continual improvement. Continual adaptation is a viable concept because different physical qualities adapt at diff [...]

This is a list of books that are in my library that I suggest everyone interested in Athletic Development should read.Historical WorksBunn, John. (1955) Scientific Principles of Coaching. New York, New York: Prentice Hall, Inc.Dintiman, George B. What Research Tells The Coach About Sprinting. AAHPER, Washington, D.C. 1974Doherty, Ken. Track & Field Omnibook (Fourth Edition). Los Altos, CA. Tafnews [...]

The focus in the Athletic Development approach is not on the exercise. The selection of the actual exercise is the last step in a multi-step process. In the strength coaching approach it is all about the exercise. Apparently the latest go to exercise is the RFESS (rear foot elevated split squat), an exercise introduced twenty years by Angel Spasov in his tour of the US. I call it the Bulgarian sin [...]

Over the last few months I have watched the Bear Droppings thread grow to 11,000 views, great sign that people are investigating the importance of maximum strength training and the influence of speed and power athletes, specifically sprinters. Since I came up with the original post I will state my purpose is not to undermine the importance of strength training, but to share the reality of what is [...]

Circuits? The gurus first considered them to be outdated and now they have their own soundtrack! Our own maverick contributor Davan was using BBGS circuit style work for an array of reasons with great success, and when he shared this in another forum it was considered old dogma.The gurus believed they (Davan's circuits) were encouraging bad technique, poor loading benefits, administrative pitfal [...]

World Records in practice? Lazy or easy workouts leading to monster performances? Indicator runs? Predictor sets? What gives? The answer is it depends on the athlete and program done, but you must improve practice performance over time and see how that correlates to your actual performances. This is not easy as often the phase of training and the specific athlete may be improving their ability to [...]