Understanding the Competing Demands of Your Athletes
I'll never forget my first major lesson in programming for athletes. I had been writing training plans for the athletes and general fitness clientele at SAPT for a couple months at this point, when Chris told me to write the next wave for one of our baseball guys. Now, this particular high school senior definitely fell to the right of the athletic bell curve: he was on scholarship to play baseball for a SEC Division I university (which he is currently doing), was right on track to win the region in wrestling (which he did), and carried a general sense of "I'm gonna make you crap the back of your pants if you get in my way" about him when he pushed the prowler.
This being the case, my first thought when Chris told me to write his next wave was, "Sweet! I'm gonna get to have a lot of fun with this guy." I eagerly sat down at my computer, cup of coffee in my left hand, while my right hand performed arts of wizardry (that would be, using the mouse to spray excellence all over the programming template).
For his first lower body day, I gave him some loaded jump squats and med ball work, followed up by multiple sets of heavy squats, then some speed deadlifts, followed by some high volume unilateral work and core stability exercises, with a decent chunk of hip dominant accessory work to bring up the rear. It was the perfect program. "This kid was going to grow like a weed upon finishing this 3-week wave," I intoned to myself at my desk.
Or not.
The next day, Chris and Sarah gently pulled me aside to give me a little lesson of the SAPT dojo:
"Something you need to understand is most of these kids have countless competing demands outside of the SAPT walls. In order to continue to truly develop them as athletes, you need to understand what they're facing throughout the other 23 hours of the day"
As it turns out, this high school senior I was so eager to obliterate was, at the time, throwing multiple days per week, playing at showcases on the weekends, lifting in the afternoons with his high school baseball team, AND lifting every morning during a weight training class. (Yes, you read that correctly, he actually dropped out of one of his core classes to take not one, but two, different weight training classes so he could lift every morning in the block scheduling system). Suffice to say, this guy loved being around the iron, up to the point of it nearly being disadvantageous because of all the abuse his body was receiving.
And I wanted to give him 100+ repetitions of CNS-intensive lower body movements in one single session. Right....
Now, (slightly, but only slightly) to my credit, up until I joined SAPT, the large majority of experience I had training people consisted of working with the Division 1 athletes of Virginia Tech, along with personal training a wide variety of clientele in both the Blacksburg and Northern Va areas. In both of these scenarios, the time I had with the athletes/fitness clients in the weight room was the only resistance training they were getting each day. Not to mention, the VT strength coach was handling the programming, and he was in constant communication with the coaches of the teams we were working with (so he knew what the kids were doing outside of the weight room).
In fact, that's one of the greatest differences between training athletes in the private sector (ex. a place like SAPT) and the public sector (ex. working for a Division I,II, or III university). In the private sector, you often have little control of what the athletes are doing outside your walls from a resistance training standpoint, as local coaches often demand that the players attend team lifts, conditioning sessions, and technique training (which sometimes, unfortunately, means throwing a ball until you're blue in the face).
The point of the story above is this: One of the best things you can offer those training under your watch is to not only understand what they are going through outside of your doors, but also be able to effectively program around this. While there are obviously multiple qualities that chip in to the training effect you're looking for, the body can only handle so much stress and thus you must comprehend how to aptly apply, or reduce, each stressor.
Are the athletes in performing loads of sprints and movement training work with their coaches? Reduce the lower body volume and adjust the exercises accordingly.
Are your overhead athletes in a phase where their throwing/hitting volume is ramped up? Pump the brakes a bit on their upper body training.
Is their central nervous system fried from simply doing too much, too frequently both on and off the field? Maybe they just need a light "bloodflow day" when they come to see you.
And this doesn't just apply to competitive athletes. Many times, your general fitness client may show up after completing a 10-hour work day, fighting traffic in the car for another hour, and having received only five hours of sleep the night prior because they had to take their daughter to a 4 a.m. swim practice. Their body may simply refuse to allow them to work at 90%+ of their 1RM.
The program I wrote for the aforementioned athlete may have been appropriate if he was in some sort of accumulation phase of training, his lifting at SAPT was the ONLY lifting he was receiving, and he made a point to eat and sleep as much as humanly possible while outside the gym walls. But this clearly wasn't the case, and so I had to quickly amend the remainder of his program to give him what he needed. To give him what he wasn't receiving from his high school lifting instructor and baseball coach.
Sometimes just a simple understanding what goes on outside of your doors will go a long way in allowing you to provide your people what they are paying you for with their time and money.
I'm Ready to Admit a Few Things
I wanted to give an update to my plant-based dietary efforts this week and also thought there were a couple other things on my mind worth acknowledging/admitting to. Thank goodness people tend to become wiser as they get older…
- Plant-based diets do not make you stronger, that’s for sure. BUT, they do keep you healthy and help you maintain a healthy body-weight. I’ve been eating a plant-based diet for about 18 or 19 months now. I won’t call myself a vegan or a vegetarian as that’s not completely accurate, but I will tell you that I consume animal products (dairy, meat, poultry, pork, etc.) only about 2% of the time. Here is what I’ve learned:
- Plant-based diets always get big criticism for their cost, well, let me tell you we spend about 35% less at the grocery store each week than we used to. When you’re not buying family packs of chicken breasts each week, plus all the other animal protein products, your grocery bill takes a nose-dive. We used to spend around $100/week on groceries and now we average between $50-70/week.
- I eat copious amounts of carbohydrates and maintain a lower body weight than I have in about 10 years. Read into the details there however you want, but I have zero cravings as compared to the way I used to eat (high protein, moderate fat, low/moderate carbohydrate).
- I’m reducing my risk of a variety of diseases – cancer being the most notable. Cancer risk has been (via credible research) linked to the consumption of animal products, especially dairy. The cancer reason is 100% why I started this endeavor in the first place as cancer has left its mark on my family.
- You can also reduce your risk of a variety of diseases by eating lots of plants and lean meats.
- Here’s the biggie: MY STRENGTH LEVELS ARE NOTABLY LOWER than they were before I embraced this dietary lifestyle. Initially, I thought this was a pregnancy by-product issue, but Arabella is now 16-months old, so clearly, that’s no longer the problem. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t morphed into a weakling, I am usually the strongest female in any room (unless Kelsey is around…), just not by such a large margin anymore! Honestly, I’m not surprised I haven’t been able to gain strength, but I am shocked I haven't been able to come close to achieving pre-pregnancy strength levels.
- Speed squats and/or speed deadlifts triumph over Olympic lifts each and every day of the week in terms of the MOST efficient way to improve explosiveness and strength (I feel like I preach this at least once a week). But, if you consider yourself a strength coach, you better have an excellent knowledge base about how to implement all aspects of strength-speed training – and this includes the Olympic lifts.
- In the past (thankfully, this is years in the past) I may have been overheard saying something to the effect of “I don’t get it why parents always use their kids as an excuse for not getting to workout. Just commit the time.” And I guarantee whatever variation of this statement I actually used would have been laced with some pretty heavy cynicism. But, I will now admit – as a parent myself – that fitting training into the details of every day is quite a challenge. But, I often remind myself that while I'm training for a lot of personal goals, I'm also training to set an example for my daughter. I want her to see that training is an essential and healthy part of being a responsible adult and something I want her to learn to embrace over time. So, if you’re a parent who fits training into their daily or weekly routine, give yourself a pat on the back!
Physical Presence Speaks Volumes
Basketball season is upon me once again. As I walked into the Patriot Center last Sunday at 5pm (read that again… SUNDAY at 5PM) for our first team practice, I sighed to myself as I noted this is where I will be spending enormous chunks of my days for the next seven months. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy working with this team and staff… but, it does mean I will often end up working 7 days per week for weeks and weeks at a time. Right about now, it may have dawned on you that I’m not a basketball coach, so what do I do at these practices that result in 7 day workweeks, you may be wondering. My role during practice is to conduct the team warm-up (which I previously wrote about here), monitor practice volume and intensity (this is a topic I will post on next week as it is critically important for strength coaches to write effective and complimentary programs), watch practice to see where our team has room for improvement (speed, strength in certain planes of movement, conditioning, etc.), and simply to show support for the team which results in a tight bond between myself and the players and coaching staff.
That last part is the one I want to focus on for this post: one’s physical presence demonstrates support for both the team and coaching staff that will eventually manifest itself into an excellent working relationship between all parties. Clearly this can be applied well beyond college athletics and is the backbone to why you show up for your child’s recitals and various events. Taking it a step further this is a great example of how you can show support for a spouse of coworker. Simply by being present.
Over the last three seasons I have been able to keep a constant pulse on the team and the long-term result is that this year I have put the strongest, fastest, and most well conditioned team on the court (up to this season, at least). This has come from small, but critical, insights to the game I’ve garnered ONLY from hanging around.
What can you learn today by “zipping your lip” and simply listening and watching?
Would you have considered this?
I was asked today by the GA at the university I work at why I haven’t backed squatted the baseball or softball teams since they’ve been under my watch. My feelings are as follows: When you do the cost to benefit ratio of the movement (back squat), as any strength coach should do when programming, in my opinion there just isn’t enough benefit to outweigh the potential risk or cost I could potentially incur by selecting it. Understand that properly positioning the hands during a back squat requires a significant amount of shoulder external rotation (especially with close grips), and abduction of the humerus (especially with wide grips). Because either positioning pose a unique risk to the shoulder, the first anterior instability and the latter cranky rotator cuffs and biceps, I’m not about to roll the dice. Also consider that most overhead athletes possess some degree of labral damage, are at a higher risk for impingement, and possess less than stellar scapular upward rotation and thoracic mobility, and you’d have to be feeling pretty sassy to program the back squat. Note that I am working diligently to improve their structural shortcomings because I do intend for them to back squat at some point in their yearly preparation as, in my opinion, the back squat is king when trying to develop strong, powerful badunka-dunks and pork chords.
I think it’s important for those reading this post, whether you’re a young strength coach, or parent shopping around for the best training facility to send you’re little leaguer, to take note that there really is no such thing as an “insignificant detail” when attempting to develop the safest, most effective training program possible.
That's a picture of me hitting the pill a long way...or maybe I swang through it...at least I looked good...
Chris
Long-Term Development of Athletes
Let’s suppose you are putting together a team composed of 18-22 year old athletes – any sport will do, pick your favorite – you have already filled out the roster with the exception of one remaining spot. Thus far you have a balanced player profile: everyone has better than average levels of physical and psychological attributes. For that last open spot you’ve got the decision down between two players – Athlete A is clearly a physical specimen (i.e., they look dominant and are extremely fast/powerful), but has very little formal training in the sport or organized physical preparation. Athlete A can best be described as a good project, a blank canvas, or a risky bet with potentially a huge upside. This player will need much formalized physical training and sport specific technical instruction/drilling to become a team asset.
Athlete B will fit in well physically with the team and this athlete has excellent decision making abilities. You know this athlete has been involved in a long-term development program that has covered both sport specific and physical preparation. This player will provide consistent practice and game efforts and be solid foundation for the rest of the team by being an example of superior work ethic, positive attitude, and maturity from which the rest of the team can learn. However, Athlete B does not have the “star power” of A.
Which one do you choose to round out your team?
Before I come out with MY answer, I’ll give you more detailed background information on the long-term development model and answer the following questions:
How does the long-term model look? When does it begin and why?
To achieve what is TRULY high performance, six to eight years of preparation is required (here I am referring to both general physical and sport specific preparation). So, this process will actually start as early as age 10. And, believe it or not (well, you should believe it), the DETAILS of the planning day-by-day, week-by-week, and year-by-year make THE difference in seeing an individual achieve their true potential or falling a little short by the time they are 18 years of age.
Training can be divided into four main sections during the six to eight years of preparation:
| Training Classification | Age Range | Goals |
| Basic Training (3 yrs)
|
Ages 10-12 | A general, non-specific approach with all-round balance. Variety is the key as children are developing multiple motor coordinative abilities along with strength, speed, and mobility. Technique MUST be precisely learned and part of the program must include developing sprint mechanics. |
| Build-Up Training (3 yrs) | Ages 13-15 | Aims to develop a large catalogue of techniques and general motor-coordination skills. Other goals include development of endurance, speed, reactive ability, all-round strength, mobility/flexibility, and a high standard of performance in a mult-event test (Heptathlon). |
| Connecting Training (3 yrs) | Ages 16-18 | At this point the athlete has decided about his/her specialty (the sport). The main goal at this point is to extract sport specific performance abilities utilizing NON-SPECIFIC training means and increasing the proportion of maximum strength training methods. |
| High Performance Training (2-3 Olympic Cycles) | Age 19 and older | Having developed to this point, the athlete is now prepared for high level performance training that can involve numerous means, methods, and theories to extract the needed performance. |
Hopefully, you can see from this table how involved the athlete development process should be. Europe has had an amazing talent development process in place for decades, unfortunately the same cannot be said for the United States. I regularly encounter parents, athletes, and coaches with little respect for the power, importance, and impact that an appropriately developed strength training and conditioning program can have on a developing athlete (and, more importantly, a quality person). Why is there a difference? Well, it is simply a by-product of how physical education programs are run in schools and how the club sports model has developed.
But, back to my question: between Athlete A and Athlete B, which one would you choose to fill out your roster?
In this scenario, I would choose Athlete B every single time. Athlete B has a solid skill set with a great deal of experience in formal training to complement that experience. Additionally, by understanding their long-term physical preparation approach, I would also feel comfortable in knowing that there is little chance this athlete would incur overuse or non-contact injuries at a higher level of competition.
In my opinion Athlete A is too far behind in the development process to see a big upside with only a few short years of development. A’s motor patterns are already completely set and it is unlikely A could make the changes in faulty motor patterns that are essential for technical execution in sport. In addition, there is a high likelihood that their mental toughness and attitude will not be up to the rigors of all the challenges to be encountered in a fast-tracked development program. It could be like trying to stuff 10 pounds of sand into a 5 pound bag… it just ain’t gonna happen.
Before I wrap up, I do want to note that if your child does not start this process at age 10 or even by age 12, all is not lost! You can fast track the process just a bit. The real key is to try to get children into this type of formalized training before all of their motor patterns are established and “set in stone” – this happens around age 15 or 16. In this case, the “ideal” model above will be adjusted to the following:
| Training Classification | Age Range | Goals |
| Basic Training & Build-Up Training Combined (2 yrs)
|
Ages 16 and 17 | Although the athlete may already be specialized in their sport, time must still be spent on very general physical preparedness and learning exact technique. |
| Connecting Training (2 yrs) | Ages 18 and 19 | The main goal at this point is to extract sport specific performance abilities utilizing NON-SPECIFIC training means and increasing the proportion of maximum strength training methods. |
| High Performance Training (2-3 Olympic Cycles) | Age 20 and older | Having developed to this point, the athlete is now prepared for high level performance training that can involve numerous means, methods, and theories to extract the needed performance. |
We regularly begin formal general physical preparation for our athletes around age 14-16 and see phenomenal performance results over time. But, if you have the means or your own knowledge base, you should strive to get your kids started between ages 10-12.
In the end, the physical performance is rewarding, but short-term. The personal development and increased confidence a young person gains from this process is the real benefit that will last a lifetime.
Action Thinking: Your Million-Dollar Advice for the Week
Admittedly, one of my greatest weaknesses is my tendency to over-analyze a given topic. In high school, I was "the geek" in my circle of friends, and they frequently joked on me for the fact that I enjoyed doing Calculus, Physics, and Philosophy homework more than I liked sitting down to watch the next Friends episode in the evenings. I never considered that "thinking" could actually be done in excess and become a negative thing until my lacrosse coach pulled me from the starting line-up. Upon asking him what I could do to improve, he told me: "You think too much. Your technical skills, speed, and game sense are all sound but you often freeze up. Stop thinking and just start doing."
Fast forward to college. I was going through some difficult times, and I called one of my old-time mentors for some guidance. As usual, he pulled through. However, this particular bit of advice stood out over almost everything he had ever told me:
It's easier to act yourself into healthy thinking than it is to think yourself into healthy acting.
The more I thought about it the more profound it became. Heck, I'm convinced that psychiatrists could make millions off this piece of advice alone as it can be applied to just about every sphere of life. Given that SAPT is in the business of augmenting the physical prowess of athletes and non-athletes alike, I'll touch on this particular subject for a quick moment.
How many of the world's best athletes do you know that appear to be over-analyzing their craft while in the middle of a match or game? It's almost always the opposite, right? Rather than thinking too much, the greatest athlete's just "do." Take a look at the snatch of a proficient Olympic lifter, or the take down of a #1 ranked Division 1 wrestler, and you'll see that it just "happens." It's like they're not even thinking about it. Take a quick look at Dwayne Wade in the video below (I'd x-out the red boxes); do you think he's carefully scrutinizing every nook and cranny of each play before he makes it? Conversely, it's as if he's just floating along the court, allowing his instincts to take over and make his opponents look like children:
Similarly, you can apply the healthy acting ==> healthy thinking advice to a simple gym routine. I often tell those struggling with remaining consistent in the gym that "the most difficult step is getting off the couch." More times than not, once you get inside the gym and begin your warm-up, you're home free, no matter what your thoughts were telling you before you stood up in your home to get in the car.
Earlier this year, one of my friends was waiting for me to get back to him on some advice for a good workout routine. Rather than sitting around and waiting for the "perfect program" to pop in his email, he just started going in the gym! Even though he didn't have much experience, he went in, did some squats, split squats, and pullups, and then left. He didn't worry about following the wrong set-rep scheme, or become paranoid about which form of periodization he would utilize, but instead just got it done because he knew that would take him a step closer to his goal than sitting at home.
Looking at the dietary realm, the same principle applies. Those that spend countless hours researching various diets, meticulously count all their calories, weigh themselves every day, toy on and off with intermittent fasting until they're blue in the face, refuse to buy a fruit/vegetable until they know which has the most antioxidants, etc. nearly always experience less successes than those that just go out and take an ACTION step.
Having trouble with your intake? Here's a million-dollar first step: If a food is from the Earth, this = good. If man has tinkered with it, this = bad. Start with this and don't think about anything else.
The point of all this is that it's near impossible to think yourself into a healthy mindset. Just begin by taking an action step, and before you know it you'll become a steely eyed, barrel chested freedom fighter.
