I’ve taken a new job….

Mountain River Physical Therapy and Innovative Athletic Performance Institute

As many of you know, I have recently decided to leave Ohio University and have accepted a full-time position in the private training sector. This was a very difficult decision, but one that I feel will help me continue to grow and develop while sharpening my tools as a strength and conditioning professional. The organization I will be going to work for is the Innovative Athletic Performance Institute in Ocala, Florida. This is not just another private training facility, it is an all encompassing high performance training facility that will feature elite medical care and elite performance training under one roof.

IAP and Mountain River Physical Therapy founder Burt Reed

IAP’s founder, Burt Reed (PT,OCS, FAAOMPT) is a long time physical therapist and former collegiate baseball player and is also the founder of Mountain River Physical Therapy, which has 13 locations throughout Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Burt is a very intelligent PT who stays on the cutting edge of technology and research and has been called in to do therapy on some of the top athletes in the world. Burt has also developed a great relationship with Gray Cook (Gray was a PT at one of Burt’s Clinic) which will help our facility be a front runner in movement screenings as well as injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Dr. Craig Chappell

In addition to elite physical therapy, we will also have elite sports medicine care courtesy of Dr. Craig Chappell. I have worked with Dr. Chappell the past 3 years at Ohio University, while he served as the team doctor for Ohio University Athletics. During our time together in Athens I was able to learn things from Dr. Chappell that no book, DVD, or seminar could every teach me. Dr. Chappell is a down to earth guy who is passionate about what he does and is always willing to share his knowledge. While at Ohio, Dr Chappell conducted cutting edge research while serving as an Assistant Professor in Ohio University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Chappell is a non-surgical D.O. who specializes in manipulative medicine and ultra-sound guided injections. I have personally been a patient of Dr. Chappell’s and have seen what he is capable of doing, which is a big reason I opted to join him in Ocala. Dr. Chappell will be doing some of the most advanced injections including ultrasound guided Stem Cell Injections, Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) injections, and Prolotherapy injections. If you don’t know much about these injections I encourage you to look them up, they can be life changers and are often times a great alternative to surgery. More info on Dr. Chappell can be found here: http://www.fhmllc.net/common-treatment.html

If you are ever in the Tampa Bay, Orlando, or Gainesville area, I encourage you to stop by and check us out as we are within an hour or so of all these areas.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of those who have helped mold me into the coach and man I am today. Without your guidance and support an opportunity such as this would never be possible. I hope to continue to give back to the strength and conditioning community regularly with updated blog posts, interactive emails, and an active twitter feed which can be found here: https://twitter.com/ZBrulet

 

 

 

Reviewing Your Training Program: Accept, Adapt, Apply

It’s that time of the year where summer training programs are winding down and Strength and Conditioning Coaches throughout the country are looking back at their summer training session and hopefully critiquing areas that worked well and other exercises, drills, etc, that didn’t work so well. When recently working on a recap of my summer training programs I thought of a catchy little 3 word phrase that represents what I try and do at the end of any long training block. These 3 words are ACCEPT, ADAPT, APPLY. I originally became a fan of these simple 3 word phrases after hearing Carolina Panthers Strength and Conditioning Coach Joe Kenn use the phrase Absorb, Modify, and Apply, when discussing what to do with material you gather at clinics, site visits, etc. Absorb the material presented to you, modify your program in accordance with what you think fits into your philosophy, and lastly apply this new information in your program and with your athletes. My program evaluation model of accept, adapt, apply, has a similar thought process behind it, with a few changes that I think should help coaches continue to evolve and improve their programs.

Step 1: ACCEPT

The first step in creating a better program is accepting the fact that your program had flaws. This can be a very difficult thing for many strength coaches to admit because no coach likes to openly acknowledge that their program had flaws. The first thing I do when reviewing a training program is to go through everything we did in the previous training period and thoroughly evaluate the benefits and obstacles we had throughout the training block. This includes looking at our periodization model, our exercise selection, our set/rep/intensity schemes, and our speed, agility, and conditioning protocols. Throughout the training time period I continuously make notes on things I think are working well and things I think we could change in future programs. This helps make the “Accept” step very easy because I have kept track of my thoughts over, in this particular case, the entire summer. In my opinion, if you cannot accept the fact that your program has flaws and think your program has reached its final evolution stages you have made a big mistake. I closely follow some of the best performance coaches in the country and one common theme I see within this elite group is they are always learning new material and evolving their programs and philosophies.

Step 2: ADAPT

The second step in creating a better program is to adapt your program based on your evaluation and add, remove, or alter pieces of the training program you thought were non-beneficial or could have had more of a benefit if implemented differently. Adapting your program does not mean you go back to the drawing board and start from scratch. It means you accept the fact that certain things did not work as well as planned and now you adapt your program to improve these sub-par areas with the goal of creating a better training program in the future. Adapting your program may mean you only make a few small changes, but every program I have ever written and implemented could have worked a little bit better if I did a few things different. I have yet to design the program where everything went off 100% with no issues anywhere. The perfect program does not exist, especially when working with athletes who have a wide array of body types, gene pools, and training history. In order to advance in not only this profession, but also in life, one must continue to evolve and adapt.

Step 3: APPLY

The last step of this model is probably the easiest of the 3. Simply apply the changes to your next program. It may be the next summer training program or it may be the training program starting next week. Each new training period not only gives you the opportunity to make changes to your training philosophy and program based on your own critiquing, it also allows you the opportunity to apply new drills, exercises, schemes, etc, you picked up over the last few months while attending a few clinics or reading a couple new books. By making these changes you allow your program to continuously evolve and you may even pick up a few new training tools that help make your program better than it already is!

Final Random Thoughts

Every 4 week training block I design I look at as an experiment (with many variables) and have a hypothesis of what I think will happen, but many times the things I think will happen either don’t happen, or something else happens that was totally unexpected. For example, my goal with my baseball guys who stayed for a 12 week training block last summer was to just get stronger in every area and put on 5-10lbs of lean mass. That was expected and hypothesized early on. What I did not expect to happen was to have over 90% of our team run a personal best in their 60 meter sprint time. We did not spend much time training that specific event (60m), but a side effect of getting stronger was also getting faster. I obviously have a pretty good idea why this happened (increased ability to create force = increased speed), but didn’t expect it to happen at such a high incidence since it wasn’t an emphasized training area. I can now conclude that an inexperienced athlete can likely improve their speed by simply getting stronger. This is by no means rocket science, but I have personally proved this and have 28 out of 31 athletes that can verify this as well.

As always, feel free to leave a comment or hit me up on twitter @zbrulet.

 

-ZB

 

Dan Pfaff: Guidelines for the Implementation of Plyometric Training

GUIDELINES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PLYOMETRIC TRAINING

Dan A. Pfaff, Louisiana State University

Plyometric Overviews

Developmental athletes and their coaches are continually searching for new approaches in training that will help them actualize their potentials. Endless reviews of training formats used by current world class athletes reveal time tested approaches on running workouts, weight training inventories, and skill technique drills. A recent emphasis has been placed on another type of training known as “plyometrics”or jump training. This method takes advantage of deficiencies that we have in trying to develop parameters such as muscle endurance, muscle development, and neuromuscular development.

The term plyometric finds its origin in European research literature highlighted by Soviet sport scientists. Its physiological promise centers around preferably overloaded, but extremely fast eccentric-concentric muscle contractions. This in turn has indicated that there is a positive response of neuro-muscular responses of negative and recoil stretch training (Santos, 1982). A simplified description of this technique would find an athlete using momentum to eccentrically stretch a muscle followed by immediate rebounding and concentrically contracting the involved muscle groups. Current research indicates that this type of muscle loading prepares the muscles to react to stresses similar to those encountered in event specific conditions.

Most training programs aim to improve the individual’s capacities in terms of bulk, general strength, power, and muscular endurance. As coaches analyze the above components and their final results, they have continuously found that we have numbers of athletes who are tremendously strong but seemingly do not convert this strength into efficient movement. It is the contention of plyometric proponents that jump training can significantly bridge the gap between strength and power output. As we learn more about neurophysiology, the more we will find that this type of training has a place in any sport repertoire.

1. As with all training systems, one must respect the overload principle which specifies that increased   strength will result only from work at a greater intensity to which the athlete is accustomed. This is accomplished by volume and intensity values—not by adding weight to the athlete.
2. Gradual progression must be adhered to at all times. Incomplete recovery, injuries and unexplained technical difficulties are all signs of overtraining. This type of work is extremely demanding and must be respected accordingly. Use volume curves!
3. The actual techniques required by this type of training will influence the magnitude of its positive contributions. Faulty foot placement, arm action, and recovery mechanisms can lead to injury or reduced volume efficiency.
4. Maximum tension can be obtained by creating a situation which stretches an active muscle rapidly. The faster a muscle is forced to lengthen the greater the force obtained upon resulting contraction.Most physiologists feel that the rate of pre-stretch is far more important than the magnitude of stretch.
5. Current research suggests that the progression of jump training should be: 1) multi-jumps; 2) Endurance bounding; 3) Depth jumps.Physiologists feel that the multi-jump work prepares the muscular and neuromuscular systems for the added stress encountered in the more advanced exercises. Tapering for a peak level would reverse the aforementioned progression.
6. Volumetric curves for contacts and distance should be relatively gradual in slope, with the highest volumes occurring at least six to eight weeks before the competitive phase begins. It is far better to under-train from a volume standpoint.
7. The implementation of plyometrics should follow current theories of physiological approaches to event specific demands. The types of activities can be thought of as a supplement to the demands of a particular microcycle or as the core of that cycle. Preceding and following microcycles should be devised accordingly. Random use of jump training can be counterproductive and often lead to injury… A key concept!
8.  Event specific demands have also sparked research into movement analysis of these exercises. Sport scientists are currently involved with testing to see how angles of takeoff, speed of movement, and force application exhibited during jump training relate to event performance.The more closely one designs a series to the demands of his or her event, the higher the carryover.

Plyometric Guidelines for Volume and Recovery (developing athletes)

1. Multi Jump

a. Volume

i. Preparation Phase (1-3X weekly)

1. reps = 8-20

2. sets = 10-20

3. total volume = 150-250 contacts

 ii. Competitive Phase (1X weekly)

1. reps = 2-6

2. sets = 5-10

3. total volume = 80-100 contacts

b. Recovery

i. Preparation Phase

1. 30-60 sec. between sets

2. 2-3 min. between different exercises

ii. Competitive Phase

1. 1-2 min. between sets

2. 3-5 min. between different exercises

2. Endurance Bounding

a. Volume

i. Preparation Phase (1-2X weekly)

1. distance = 30-80m

2. sets = 1-5

3. total volume = 200m-1000m

ii. Competitive Phase (1X weekly)

1. distance = 40-80m

2. sets = 1-3

3. total volume = 200m-600m

b. Recovery

i. Preparation Phase

1. walk back recovery between sets

2. 3-5 min, between different exercises

ii. Competitive Phase

1. 2-3 min. between sets

2. 3-7 min. between exercises

3. Depth Jumps—(Be Careful!)

a. Volume

i. Preparation Phase (1X weekly)

1. reps = 8-10

2. sets = 2-5

3. total volume = 20-50 contacts

ii. Competitive Phase (1X weekly – no competition)

1. reps = 5-10

2. sets = 1-2

3. total volume = 10-20 contacts

b. Recovery

i. Preparation Phase

1. 3-5 min. between sets

2. 5-7 min. between exercises

ii. Competitive Phase

1. 5-7 min. between sets

 2. full recovery between exercises

4. Jump-Throw Combinations

a. Volume

i. Preparation Phase (1-2X weekly

1. reps = 6-10

2. sets = 4-6

3. total volume + 12-30 contacts

 ii. Competitive Phase (1X weekly)

1. reps = 3-5

 2. sets = 3-4

 3. total volume = 12-20 contacts

Plyometric Inventory

1. Multi-Jumps

a. In Place Jump Circuits (*see examples below)

b. Standing Long lump

c. Standing Triple Jump

d. Repetitive Hurdle Hopping (DL, SL)

e. Double Leg Vertical jumps

f. Double Leg Repetitive Bounds

g. Repetitive Single Leg Hops

 h. Single Leg Combinations

(Exercises C-H can utilize a run-up)

***Note: for a change of stimulus and/or injury allowance, do these exercises in jumping pit or in a pool.

2. Endurance Bounding

a. Scissor Bounding

b. Repetitive Hopping (RtRtRtRt…) and (LftLftLftLft…)

c. Alternate Leg Bounding (LRLRLR…)

d. Repetitive Triple Jumping (LLRLLR…) and (RRLRRL…)

e. Combination Bounding (LLRRLLRR…)

3. Depth Jumps

a. Box Rebounds (vertical and horizontal)

b. Box Combinations

c. Box Twist Jumps

d. Box-Hurdle Combinations

e. Lateral Box Combinations

4. Jump-Throw Combinations

a. Two Hops + Overhead Backwards Throw (OHB)

b. Two Hops + Between the Legs Forward (BLF)

c. Box Jump + OHB

d. Box Jump + BLF

*In Place Multi-Jump Circuit Examples:

M.J. (Kilimanjaro)

•  Star Jumps
• 180-360 Degrees
• Speed Skater
• Line Hops
• Dynamic Step-Ups
• Single Leg Butt Kick

M.J. (Everest)

• Lunge jumps
• Tuck Jumps
• Butt Kicks
• Lateral Squat Jumps
• Downhill Jumps
• Straddle Jumps

This article was re-printed from the Canadian Athletics Coaching Website. The full PDF article is available for free download here: http://www.athleticscoaching.ca/member.aspx?p=mediaviewone&id=450

 

What I’ve Learned Over 15+ Years of Trying to “Eat Healthy”

Yes, that’s really me at 10 years old.

The Background Story

Most people don’t know it, but I used to be a chubby kid. Like a 28% body fat, husky-jean wearing chubby kid. I used to be that kid that wore his t-shirt in the pool (like I was fooling anyone..) and a big highlight of my summer was defending my championship in the big splash contest at the local pool. Then, one random day in 7th grade P.E., we had the local performance academy guys bring some weights to our school and as cheesy as it sounds, my life was changed forever. I instantly fell in love with lifting weights and I used this new love of strength training to combat my bad diet for a few years, but it wasn’t until my last couple years in high school that I really dove into nutrition and began to see my body really change. My first day of college football in  August 2004, I weighed in at 204lbs and 7.6% body fat. To this day, I still maintain a body fat between 8-12% at a body weight of 240-250lbs.

With all that being said, I am not a Registered Dietitian, nor do I have any fancy letters behind my name on my business card. I took a handful of nutrition classes in college, but I have acquired most of my knowledge from about 14 years of non-stop reading and experimenting around with my own diet to come up with a diet that gives me the best performance in my workouts and the best, healthiest body I can have. Healthy to me is; When I wake up in the morning do I feel good? Free of stomach pain, headaches, joint and muscular pain. Are bowel movements normal? Do I have sustained energy throughout the day, and can I fall asleep at night? Most people may associate the term “health” to blood test results and other medical lab results, but for me those tests are just tools that help measure health. I rely heavily on my own personal evaluation system to know if something isn’t quite right.

The goal of this blog is not to tell you to stop eating and change everything you’re doing, but to inform you of a few changes I have made in my diet that I have found very beneficial.

The Brouillette Brothers a few years back

My Philosophy

My philosophy on nutrition is pretty simple. I try and eat foods that have a short ingredient list and stay away from foods that I know are loaded with refined sugars and preservatives. In my opinion, the human species evolved in this world by eating meats,grains,nuts, fruits and vegetables. Did cavemen have pre-packaged energy bars or packaged turkey that had a shelf life of anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple years? Absolutely not. I continue to argue that the best diet is one that is simple, matches the needs of your activity levels, and steers clear of preservatives, corn syrups, and other highly (genetically) modified ingredients.

In my opinion, the problem with the American diet is that we love carbs and sugars and very few people have told us this is what is going to kill us. Instead, we have been told that fat is the root of all evil and avoid it at all costs, so instead of eating meat, we suck down dinner rolls, pizza, pastas, and fried everything, thinking we aren’t doing any harm. I eat red meat 3-5x a week and every meal that I consume has some sort of animal protein in it. Some people may say that can’t be healthy. To you I say: I just got my blood work taken last week and my Total Cholesterol was 135 (normal 125-200), Triglycerides 76 (Normal 40-184) , LDL Cholesterol 89 (Optimal <100), and resting glucose 79 (normal 70-100). I don’t know where that ranks nationally, but i do know the national average LDL (bad cholesterol often “linked” to over consumption of animal meats) is 120, and when reviewing these numbers with my Doctor, he handed me my test result papers and said everything looked great.

Proteins:

My take on protein is very simple. I try to get 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. I weigh 245lbs so I try and consume around 245g of protein a day. If my workouts are a little harder or a little easier I will modify this number accordingly. If I’m trying to bulk I will up this number to 275-300g. The primary sources I use for protein are animal meats (fish, pork, chicken, and beef), eggs, and whey protein powder. I try to ingest 20-30g of protein every 3-4 hours if possible. I am not super strict on myself and just try to make sure my protein intake is high to support my workout and muscle building demands.

Carbs:

Carbs can be a double edged sword. They are key for muscle recovery and glycogen replenishment, but if over-consumed they can lead to a big time gain in excess body fat. The problem is most Americans over-consume carbs constantly. I utilize carbs in small quantities at certain times throughout the day. I will have 20-40g of quality carbs (quality bread, oatmeal) in the morning, 80-100 grams post workout ( I workout mid-morning) from whatever carb source I want, maybe another 30-40g with my lunch, and 30-50g in the evening with my dinner to help ensure I am fully restored for the next days workout demands. That is a total of around 200-300g carbs a day spread out in 4-5 servings. The RDA (which recommendations I typically strongly disagree with) recommends the average person consume 300 grams of carbs a day. If you are not working out or par-taking in pretty rigorous physical activity, you do not need near this many carbs. On days that I do not workout I try and keep my carb intake at 50-150 grams. I don’t need a bunch of carbs in my system if I haven’t done any sort of physical activity that would require glycogen (carb/sugar) restoration. Makes perfect sense to me.

Fats:

Fats get the worst rap by far when it comes to how we look at macro-nutrients. Everywhere we go we see products that say “Reduced Fat” and “Half the Fat”. I will never buy one of these products again. If they take the fat out of the product, but it still looks, tastes, and feels the same, how do they do it? They do it by removing the fat and likely adding some highly modified syrup, paste, or gel to replace the fat. Our body is made to utilize and digest fat. Simply look at our history in evolution. Did we survive as a species by limiting our consumption of animal fats? Yeah right. Humans are hunters and gatherers by nature. Back in the day, we found the nearest animal, killed it, and ate it…likely ALL of it.  Fat gives us long sustained energy, slows digestion, regulates hormones, and a whole bunch of other great stuff. There is a caveat however…not all fats are created equal. I stay away from anything that would be called “processed fat”. This includes things like cookies, cakes, modified dairy products, cooking oils other than olive and coconut oil, modified butters, and other common baking ingredients. I get my fats from natural occurring sources like nuts, meats, and natural dairy sources like whole milk and grass-fed organic butter. I have been eating a moderate-high animal fat diet for about 3 years and have never felt better, and have the medical records and tests to prove it.

Sugar:

Sugar will be the death of America. Mark my words. We live in a society where no one says anything about sugar, but cringes at the sight of fat. Sugar is slowly killing America and will continue to do so until the government changes its stance on one of the most consumed ingredients in the American diet. I could write a whole blog post on why the government diet recommendations are total crap, but I’ll save your time for now. Sugar has very few benefits and a page worth of harmful side-effects. Every time you eat sugar you create an insulin response, which is designed to take the sugar out of your blood and drive it to the muscle or liver for glycogen restoration. Unfortunately, if you don’t need any glycogen restoration in your liver or muscle, this sugar is taken and stored right in your belly, butt, or thighs.

Sugar is literally in about everything. Look at the sugar content of your cereal, keeping in mind 1 packet of sugar is 5 grams. Your 1 cup (most people consume 2-3 cups in a bowl) of Fruit Loops has 15 grams of sugar in it. Take that times 2.5 to match up with the size of bowl you are probably eating, and now you have 38 grams of sugar in your morning cereal. That’s the equivalent of 7 sugar packets on top of your morning cereal. Seriously people?!  Look at that yogurt you think is so healthy. Does it have some health benefit? Yes. Does it have a ton of sugar? Most Likely. Sugar is in literally everything that we think tastes good and is now being used in many so called “healthy” foods. All these so called health bars and fancy fruit juice drinks are total sugar bombs and should be avoided at all costs. The only time I utilize sugar is post workout to help stimulate an insulin response or on the occasional cheat meal dessert. Outside of that I don’t consume a meal that has more than 10 grams of sugar in it.

Comparison Time

I recently went to Kroger and took the time to snap some pictures of the labels of the products I buy and put them next to the label of the products I felt the average American might buy. You will be surprised by how many ingredients and refined crap ingredients have been thrown into your everyday meal items.

Breads

Breads can be a tricky item. We usually think of bread as a pretty healthy item, which is usually a safe assumption…well in the past it was. Unfortunately, companies have found ways to cheapen bread production and enhance its shelf life by loading it with ingredients that sound like they should only be found in a chemistry text book. I only buy locally made bakery bread, which has 4-6 ingredients. I had the luxury of making bread with my grandma as a kid and I can recall us laying out about 4 basic ingredients to make 2-3 loafs of homemade bread, not setting up the at-home chemistry kit. The bread I buy is moldy in 5-7 days, which is great, because that means it’s preservative free. I highly recommend you look into a local bakery when it comes to buying bread. I am lucky and I live in a town where we have a great local farmers market so I can get these products, usually in a organic type product, relatively easy. They will cost you a little more however. I pay about $4.50 for a loaf of bread. I do not flinch at the price knowing I am investing in my body and self well-being. Compare this to the medical bills you will likely face down the road eating crappy food and a few dollars doesn’t even compare!

Butter

Butter has been the victim of criticism practically it’s whole life. Butter, the kind like “I can’t believe it’s not butter” is a health nightmare. These refined butters are loaded with a mix of low-grade oils and cheap ingredients to make them seem more healthy. I eat butter daily. The difference is I only buy organic or grass-fed butters. A healthy fat is a great source of energy, but it is imperative to make sure it is an organic/grass fed butter. When an animal ingests toxins, these toxins are likely stored in the fat of the animal. These toxins are passed onto us humans via the fat in the animal, which is why I try to always buy grass-fed, hormone free animal product whenever possible. An item such as butter, which is almost all fat, needs to come from an animal that had a natural animal diet, not force-fed grain or other popular cheap feeding products. Cows are meant to be pasture animals and walk around and chew on grass and other random vegetation growing in the field, not suck down some leftover corn meal. Meats and butters from grass-fed cows will have a stronger nutrient profile based simply on the diet of the cow. Grass-fed products will have a better omega-3 fat content (that’s the healthy one) than grain fed anything. Fat is not evil people, stop buying into that myth!

Peanut Butter

When it comes to peanut butter, there is no other option than to buy the natural variety. In my comparison of labels here with “Jif Omega 3” vs Kroger Natural, which (The Jif) people would think is very healthy by it’s fancy label, you can see there is quite the discrepancy when it comes to the ingredient list . Peanut butter should be a simple product having 1-2 ingredients: Peanuts and Salt. If your peanut butter has a bunch of oils, especially partially hydrogentated vegetable oils, THROW IT AWAY. Those partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are Trans Fat and are horrible for you. Our silly Government has allowed companies to feed us trans fat as long as they don’t actually call it trans fat. The Government doing something scandalous? Who would have guessed!

Cereal

Cereal is another item that I have honestly just eliminated from my diet. There are a few decent choices, but cereals have been cheapened so bad I don’t even mess with them. They are full of corn byproducts and lack any real nutritional value in my opinion. They are usually just carbs and sugar mixed together with milk. If I want that, I will just swing by Dairy Queen on my way to work. You can make some decent choices, again just avoid cereals that are loaded with sugar and cheap filler oils (soybean, fructose). If you want something nutritious for breakfast opt for some oatmeal…and not the pre-packaged sugary crap. I’ll discuss that next.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a great product. It is a slow digesting healthy carbohydrate source that is great for sustained energy. The problem with oatmeal is we often opt for the pre-packaged flavored stuff. These are awful. Again, by simply comparing the ingredient list it shown above it is obvious which one is better for you. A grain that grows naturally in a field should not have an ingredient list longer than 1 item. If your oatmeal contains soybean oils and other chemical sounding words, throw it away. If you need some flavor in your oatmeal, opt for some brown sugar and a few select berries. This will be 100 times more healthy than the pre-packaged, preservative loaded kind.

Yogurt

Yogurt. The food that everyone thinks is healthy, but unfortunately it’s probably doing more harm than good for you and your health. Yogurt, in its plain, unflavored environment, is a great product. The problem is, nobody eats yogurt in that state because it tastes like what it is; bacterial fermented milk. So instead, we buy yogurt that tastes like dessert and think we are eating the same healthy yogurt we read about all the time as a “Power-Food”. When that good tasting stuff is added, so is tons of sugar and preservatives. Yogurt can easily be made homemade, look it up, it’s kind of intriguing. If you are a yogurt lover, try buying the unflavored stuff and add your own fruit to it, but shy away from Yoplait and all that “Fruit On the Bottom” stuff. With that stuff you are basically throwing a couple spoonfuls of Jelly into your yogurt and calling it healthy. Ummm not quite.

Deli Meats

Deli meats are something I used to consume on the regular until about 2 years ago. I always thought they were kind of strange based on the fact I have had thanksgiving type turkey about 100 times and have yet to have a turkey sandwich that resembles anything close to that type of meat. Deli meat is a weird product. Its often a cold pressed mix of meat and chemicals which is processed and shaved to resemble real meat. Kind of like chicken nuggets in a sense. It is meat yes, but likely not 100% meat, and not very high quality. For this reason, I have cut subway and other sandwich places out of my diet and opted for real meat meals instead. If you want a meat sandwich, use some leftovers and leave those Oscar Mayer packages on the shelf.

Fish

Fish is another food that we instantly think is healthy, but let me shoot you some interesting facts quick. The majority of fish found on the shelves in the U.S. comes from China (as shown above). China has the lowest fishery standards in the world. Often times fish are farmed in heavily polluted pond waters and just recently there was a recall for Tilapia from China because it had so many “Veterinary Drugs” in it that it was not safe for human consumption. If you saw the water these fish were raised in you would not touch them, let alone eat them. Often times the fish’s meat is far from the color it should be, so the fishery will dye the fish’s meat before the sale to trick the consumer. A lot of “Farm Raised Salmon” is very low quality meat. Also, many of these farm fish are fed a diet of “Pellets”, which are often made up of the feces of other animals. Yum! If you are a big fish connoisseur just know that not all fish are equal. Always opt for “Wild Caught” and never eat “Farm Raised” anything when it comes to fish. Farm raised means the fish was kept in a nasty pond or run-off tank and fed the cheapest feed possible. At least if it is “Wild Caught” it likely had a diverse natural diet and will hold a stronger nutrient profile. The best option is to buy fish that is Wild Caught in U.S. waters. Fish like Wild Caught Sockeye Salmon are among the best available.

Juice

The Juice vs Fruit debate is one I seem to always be having, especially with the athletes I coach here at Ohio. Juices have been sold as a great way to get the nutrient of the fruit, without having to go through the hard work of peeling and messing with the fruit. The problem is many of nutrients in the fruit are found in the actual fruit itself, not just its juice. Fruit juice can be loaded with sugar and has few health benefits compared to consuming the whole fruit. Here’s an interesting tid-bit from a recent Harvard School of Public Health Study: “People who ate at least two servings each week of certain whole fruits — particularly blueberries, grapes, and apples — reduced their risk for type 2 diabetes by as much as 23 percent in comparison to those who ate less than one serving per month. Conversely, those who consumed one or more servings of fruit juice each day increased their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 21 percent. The researchers found that swapping three servings of juice per week for whole fruits would result in a 7 percent reduction in diabetes risk.” Need I say more? Leave the juice on the shelf and buy the actual fruit instead.

Pop/Tea

This is my last comparison. It shouldn’t take much to sell you that tea is better than pop. I’m not talking about sweet tea here. I’m talking about all natural unsweetened tea. Tea has a long list of benefits including a strong antioxidant profile which is key in maintaining good health. Pop has become chemicals in a can. After the first ingredient shown above on the Diet Coke label I don’t even know what I’m looking at? Maybe a label for a pack of fireworks or some other type explosive? One thing to be cautious of when drinking tea is that it is not loaded with sugar (Sweetened). If you need a little sweetness add a few grams of sugar or a lemon. Also, try and find real brewed tea, not bottled if possible.

Final Thoughts

In closing, I hope that this article at least opened your eyes to a few of the crazy things that are going on with our current U.S. Food situation. We are in the process of creating a monster by allowing companies to cheapen our food, lower its nutrient profile, yet still sell it at the same or increased price and advertise it as healthy or even healthier than ever. The fact that we are allowing this to happen is sickening. Profit has been put ahead of our health. Another classic case of American Greed: Sure make money….it doesn’t matter how or who it affects. I’m not going to go on political rant, but something must be done. It seems we have a “Walk to Cure Everything” event every other weekend these days, when the first step in preventing many of these diseases that we are “walking” for, is to stop eating crap and clean up your diet. We “Walk” to cure diabetes when you can improve and eliminate your chances of Type 2 diabetes by simply monitoring your carb and sugar intakes. We need to stop Walking and start Talking to cure some of these simple issues that are beginning to become a preventable epidemic in our society.

The human species didn’t evolve by eating the cheapest and lowest quality food we could find. In fact we did the opposite, so why get away from the standards that got us here in the first place?!

-ZB

Twitter: @zbrulet

E-Mail: brouille@ohio.edu

 

Dan Pfaff Insight Part 2: Preventing Hamstring Injuries

Today I will continue my second post in a series of blog posts related to Coach Dan Pfaff and his unique training methods. I have recently watched many of his presentations and clinic files and have paired that with the knowledge I gained while using Coach Pfaff’s training style in my collegiate throwing career as an All-Big 12 Hammer Thrower and Shot Putter, to write articles reflecting training tools I feel could be beneficial to the strength and conditioning community.

As a Strength Coach and an athlete, one of the most frustrating injuries can be a hamstring pull or strain. I was the unfortunate victim of a nasty hamstring pull my red-shirt freshman year of college. This injury happened at about the 25 yard mark of a 40 yard timed sprint during the Football winter testing week just prior to Spring Ball. I had just ran a 4.71s laser timed 40 in my first attempt (not bad for being a 240lb Freshman), but unfortunately that first attempt would also be my last attempt….ever. If you have ever pulled a hamstring while running you can relate to the feeling and fear of re-injury I am talking about. The thought of doing it again is always lingering in your head, and I swear you can always feel a little tickle in the hamstring when you really push it during heavy lifting or hard running.

After that incident I made it my mission to make my hamstrings bulletproof because I didn’t want that feeling I felt during that 40 ever again. I was lucky, in that the next year I joined the Iowa State Track program and my training style changed drastically and I was introduced to a ton of new exercises that were being implemented by a very knowledgeable track coach; John Dagata. Many of these exercises and workouts were unlike anything I had ever done before. There were all sorts of Multi-Jumps, Multi-Throws, General Strength Circuits, Ancillary Strength Circuits, and Sprint workouts that I had never seen or done before. There were also 4 to 5 multi-dimensional running drills that I credit with making me much more athletic and much more resistant to injury.

These multi-directional running workouts placed a heavy emphasis on shorter-distance forward running, backwards running, back pedaling, and cross-over running, with an emphasis on proper technique and full speed max effort repetitions. We usually did these 1-2 times a week depending on where we were in the training year. The distances would vary from 10-30 meters, and we would have prescribed reps and sets for each exercise at each distance. It is important to remember the reps were done at an all-out maximum effort from the start of the exercise to the finish line, at which point we slowed down over the course of 20 meters very slowly. Each exercise was done for its prescribed distance and all reps at that distance were completed before we moved on to the next exercise or next series of distances. These runs were done on a non-lift day or on a lift day, but prior to the weight training session. See graph below for sample layout:

Multi-Dimensional Running Workout (Done 1-2x Weekly)
Exercise	Distance	Reps
Forward Sprint	10	3
Backwards Sprint	10	3
Cross-Over Run	10	2 each way
:45-:60s rest b/t reps, 2:00-4:00min rest b/t sets.
Forward Sprint	20	2
Backwards Sprint	20	2
Cross-Over Run	10	1 each way
:45-:60s rest b/t reps, 2:00-4:00min rest b/t sets
Forward Sprint	30	1
Backwards Sprint	30	1
Cross-Over Run	30	1 each way

The thought process for this multi-directional speed training evolved after Coach Pfaff went in and studied the sport injury records among the entire student athlete population during his time at LSU. His research found Basketball players and Defensive Backs had the fewest incidence of hamstring injuries among all athletes in the department. He then looked at what do these athlete’s do in their sport that is different than other athletes in other sports? The Answer: They are moving backwards and multi-directional all the time. Next time you watch a basketball game, pay attention to the angles of running these guys are put in on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The same goes for defensive backs in Football. They are reactive and multi-dimensional in almost all of their movement patterns. They may forward run, they may cross-over run, or may backwards run depending on what the offensive player is doing. Training speed and technique in these movements also helps strengthen musculature that otherwise goes neglected if only running in straight line. I can personally verify the demands of these different running patterns are much different than normal linear running, simply based on the soreness I had in my adductor and glute region the day after my first multi-dimensional running workout.

Coach Pfaff credits backwards running patterns as a primary reason he saw a drastic decrease in hamstring injuries with his athletes. I second that as well, and I credit the cross-over running patterns for my strength gain in my ab-adductor strength that I never could get with an exercise in the weight room. Not only do you develop strength in these often neglected areas, you also begin to master (at full speed) basic athletic movement patterns that are often not taught with a significant emphasis, but used in almost every sport. It is important to implement these cautiously with a major emphasis placed on proper technique. It is very easy to tweak a muscle that hasn’t been activated in a “sprint” type movement before. Utilizing a build up approach when first implementing these may be beneficial if the athlete has never done multi-directional runs. A build up allows them to work up to full speed over 10-30 yards which decreases the chance for injury substantially when the actual peak max effort speed demand may be only 5-10 yards, not 10-30 yards.

Here are a few specific coaching points:

Forward Short Sprint:

Forward Sprint Starting Position

Staggered Heel-Toe Stance

Hands loaded in hip and chin opposite of up and back knee

Drive out explosively with good running technique until prescribed distance

Backward Short Sprint:

Backward Sprint Starting Position

Staggered Reverse Heel Toe Stance

Hands loaded in hip and chin opposite of up and back knee

Chest Over the knee with slight forward lean

Upon starting the movement bring heel to glute and extend in a “reaching” manner

Utilize same arm action as running forward but with a slight forward lean

Continue with heel to glute mechanics until rep distance is complete

Crossover Run Short Sprint:

Crossover Sprint Starting Position

Crossover Sprint First Step

Standard Athletic Stance Start

Upon initiating movement drive back knee up and over front leg (similar to carioca step)

Utilize opposite arm-opposite knee arm action

Keep shoulders in line with lateral movement pattern (shoulders square and eyes straight ahead)

Closing Thoughts

These multi-directional sprints are a training tool I implement with every sport I train. In saying that, I can also say that I have had very few hamstring injuries with my athletes and I think this is a big reason why. In training over 100 male and female athletes on a daily basis this year, I’ve only had 1 athlete suffer a hamstring injury, which happened after the athlete showed up late to practice and jumped into drill work without a proper warm up. I still take responsibility for the injury because they are one of my athletes, but the injury was likely caused by lack of warm up, not improper training.

When implementing multi-directional sprint training into your program be sure to keep an eye on total running volume. I use standard sprint volume limitations (200-400 yards total) when programming intense short sprint distances. I always error on the side of lower volume, especially if a lift will be taking place after the sprints. Also, be mindful that these sprints may be very taxing to athletes with a younger training age, or who have never done multi-directional running before, and adding a demanding intense lower body strength workout after multi-directional work can lead to an increased risk for lower body injury. Always keep in mind that if you add something somewhere, usually you have to take something from somewhere else in the workout. You cannot simply just keep adding, that’s when you run into a wildfire of injuries and begin to see signs of over-training with your athletes.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to discuss multi-directional sprint training feel free to leave a comment, shoot me an e-mail (brouille@ohio.edu), or message me on twitter (@zbrulet).

 

Stop Lifting. Start Practicing.

It’s that time of the year where I spend a few days writing up 4 week winter break workouts for all my sport teams that will be off campus for the holiday break. As I was recently writing these, I had a few thoughts on the concept of strength training vs sport skill training and I plan to share some of those ideas in this blog post. My thoughts on this topic are all my own and stem from my past as a successful multi-sport athlete and my 6+ year career as a strength coach.

As most people reading this know, I work full-time as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach at Division I Ohio University. I have the luxury of working with hundreds of male and female athlete’s on a daily basis with one common goal: Increased athletic performance. For me, one of the hardest parts of my job is trying to educate coaches and athletes that simply coming in and lifting weights is not a guarantee you will be a better athlete. Gaining strength can help improve your overall athleticism, but it likely won’t do much to enhance your sport specific skill set. One of my biggest pet-peeves is when an athlete with sub-par sport specific skills devotes all of their off-season down time to the weight room and is never seen on the field, court, or arena working to improve the sport specific skill areas they clearly lack.

Growing up I was engulfed in the sport of baseball. You could find me in the batting cages daily during the summer months, and at least once a week in the off-season, no matter if I was involved in another sport or not. This started when I was about 10 years old and went all the way up until I was a senior in high school. I went to every camp within a 100 mile radius of my hometown and had year-round individual coaching lessons with the local college coaches my whole career.  To this day, I can pick up a baseball bat and hit a ball no problem. I recently took batting practice with our baseball team at Ohio (after not hitting a baseball in 8+ years) and hit one out of the park on my 4^th swing. In my opinion, this is because my sport specific skill development for the sport of baseball is very high. Being strong certainly helps, but strength has nothing to do with the ability to actually hit a baseball. Hand-eye coordination and proper swing mechanics do. Notice, the two key components of being able to hit a baseball have nothing to do with strength training.

Let me give you another scenario. My first year on the track team in college I boasted a raw parallel squat around 550 pounds, a bench nearing 400 pounds and a clean around 330 pounds with a throwing history of 2 years in high school, no camps, and no individual coaching sessions. These strength numbers were in line with some of the most elite in the sport, but my throwing distances measured up with some of the weakest and worst in the sport. I remember losing to guys half my size and going and crushing weights for hours after the meet to vent my frustration. Little did I know, my performance had nothing to do with my strength levels, but everything to do with my sport specific skills. At this point in my career I was a great weight lifter and an average thrower at best. It wasn’t until my coach backed me off my weight lifting and forced me to spend hours on the fine details of my throwing that I saw any improvement in my throwing performance. I can recall my throws coach making me do 100 turns a practice with the shot put before I could even move on to the next position of the throw. Sure enough, after improving these sport specific skills, I watched my throwing distances go up every meet, while my strength stayed the same or maybe even decreased a little.

Where most strength coaches go wrong is when they get trapped in the train of thought that physical strength is directly correlated to athletic success. I’m not saying it doesn’t play a role, but there are many other factors that contribute to athletic success. Often times strength coaches get caught up in the game of chasing strength numbers, which can easily lead an athlete to a loss of mobility, weight room injury, and/or incorrect training protocols. I have personally witnessed strength coaches develop athletes who are bigger and stronger than they have ever been and in turn had the worst season of their career. I have had this happen with my own teams here at Ohio. At times, we place such an emphasis on our weight room training that we negate our sport specific skill training and before we know it, we have de-trained our athletes of their sport specific skill set.

The point I am trying to make is that no matter how much time you spend in the weight room, there is no guarantee that improving your weight room strength will make you a better athlete. I enjoy writing strength training programs, but at times like now (long academic breaks), I am always curious if the athlete is also getting a sport specific skill prescription to do while they are at home? Like I mentioned earlier, 90%+ of the athletes I train are not seeing limited playing time because of their weight room performances. They are not playing because they likely cannot make a shot, hit a ball, or execute a correct block in their sport. This is not a skill that is trained with a squat, bench, or power clean. It is a skill that is trained in the competitive sport environment by the sport coach and athlete.

I could go a lot more in depth on this topic, but I don’t want to make this post too long. I simply want to stimulate some thought and provide you insight based on some of the mistakes I have made in the past. If it’s something you’re truly interested in, shoot me an e-mail (brouille@ohio.edu) and I would be glad to round table some ideas on the topic.

 

The 5 S’s of Training as Defined by Dan Pfaff

Coach Dan Pfaff

I recently purchased a couple Dan Pfaff seminars online and wanted to narrate some of his training ideas into a series of blog posts. If you have read any of my prior blog posts you know Coach Pfaff had a strong influence on my training program as a thrower in college while I was training under throws coach John Dagata at Iowa State (Coach Dagata is now the Jumps coach at Oklahoma). While training under some of Coach Pfaff’s principles, I saw my speed, strength, and explosive power reach levels I would have never dreamed of achieving a few years earlier. As a drug-free collegiate athlete I possessed a 38.5″ standing vertical jump, a 10’9” standing broad jump and a sub 4.7s laser 40yd dash at 255lbs and 9-11% body fat. Near the end of my senior year I could dunk a 16lb shot put from a stand still with ease. All of these feats were achieved after approximately 24 months of rigorous training following many of Coach Pfaff’s principles, as implemented by Coach John Dagata.

Coach Pfaff is a very interesting guy. His small frame, bold mustache, and calm demeanor would never lead you to believe he has coached 33+ Olympians, eight being medalist, and most recently he led British long jumper Greg Rutherford to an Olympic Gold in 2012. The most fascinating part of his Coaching career is that he has coached athletes to World and Olympic titles in the sprints, jumps, and throws. I certainly have never heard of a coach who has had such a high level of success in such a broad spectrum of events. His vast array of knowledge may stem from his background as a high school science teacher specializing in chemistry, mathematics, and physics, which has helped Coach Pfaff become one of the top therapists in the track and field world. The guy understands the human body like no one I have ever known, seen, or heard of before. I had the luxury having Coach Pfaff personally work on me in California after a knee injury in 2009, and although his rehab practices were very non-traditional, I would be lying if I said I didn’t get relief from his hands-on treatment techniques. He always looks at the human body and training from a bio-mechanical and neural-chemistry standpoint. Coach Pfaff tends to laugh at the way most traditional sports performance coaches go about designing their strength and conditioning programs and after recently viewing a very highly regarded BCS football team workout, he made the comment that the workout resembled something similar to what people probably attempted to do when training in the stone age. Now I know track and football are two very different sports, but I think it’s safe to say Coach Pfaff’s resume speaks for itself when it comes to performance training and developing explosive power.

Coach Pfaff administering track-side therapy

Coach Pfaff Video Introduction Notes:

A few key points:

• Have to separate wheat from the shaft and ask yourself “Why are you strength training?”
• A lot of people do strength training simply because other people are doing it.
• When writing an exercise/set/rep scheme you always need to ask yourself “What are we trying to get done here? Is it a rehab exercise, pre-hab exercise, is it developing bio-chemistry, is it developing structure, muscle synchronicity. What kind of strength are we developing?”
• Having weight room exercises without a sound design and purpose is kind of ship without a rudder. Have rationale for what you are doing, why you’re doing it, and when you’re doing it.
• Energy Systems: When a human body begins a movement all systems start simultaneously at once. Same thing in bio-motor world. When you change one variable (exercise/sets/reps) in training you have the potential to affect many other variables such as chemistry, structure coordination, and other parameters in the grand training scheme.

5′ S’s of Training:

Coach Pfaff next discussed Frank Dick’s 5 S’s of bi-motor qualities and provided his own interpretation:

1.Speed: Not just linear track speed like most people think. Speed can be: bar speed, speed of projectile, speed of limbs, speed of landmarks on the body as they go through movement, to name a few. Ex.-You can hop hurdles for height, distance, and speed. Know what variable you are training and make sure it’s in alignment with training goals. Be aware, almost all movements and exercises posses a speed variable. Know when, what, and how you are training speed.

2.Strength: All sorts of strength parameters exist. You can train many areas of strength including: absolute strength, isometric strength, elastic strength, relative strength, speed strength, core strength, stabilizer strength, etc. Strength training is much more in-depth than back squat, bench press, and power clean. We love to measure weight lifting strength, but how often to we measure the strength of core stability or ankle dorsi-flexion for example? Well rounded athletes train many areas of strength. More importantly, the elite athlete must possess the specific strengths necessary to compete and excel in the sport or event they participate in. Become familiar with specific strength demands of the sport you train, not just the strength demands of a generic athlete.

3.Skill/Technique: If you can’t monitor and correctly teach an exercise, that exercise is better left alone. Utilize exercises and routines that you can monitor closely and teach correctly. Use senior athletes as assistant coaches if possible. A lot of injuries or confusion to the biological system occur through improper movement patterns, improper loading patterns, or bad decisions made from exercise to exercise and set to set. Sets, reps, and intensities are dialed in after each set after seeing bar speed, movement positions, perceived exertion, body language, etc. At an elite level, a 5% increase on an exercise can wreck the next day of training and can be the leading stimulus for a future injury. From a skill or technique standpoint, form, posture, rhythm, and purpose determine what the load should be. A 5×5 @80% load pattern is nice, but that athlete may need a lead in or multiple warm up sets in order to correctly execute that prescription. 80% effort on Monday may really be 100% by friday or be more than 100% effort if the athlete is fatigued, sick, stressed, or short on sleep. You may need to base training percentages on a state of readiness. What an athlete can lift on Monday is usually much better than what an athlete can lift on Friday due to the accumulation of stress following a full week of training.

4.Stamina/Work Capacity: Work capacity is better term here. Energy system bases are okay and easily measured, but we need to build bases of neural chemistry and hormonal chemistry and we need to develop pathways to transport those chemistry’s and pathways to eliminate the pollution that results from these activities. When developing work capacity, we are developing the body’s ability of being able to explode and do strength type movements over and over in an enduring fashion. We do this all while building a base of substrate and improved pathways for the activity.

5.Suppleness: This includes mobility, flexibility, range of movement, muscle balance, etc. Strength training programs must take this into consideration. It’s easy to over develop certain chains, movements, and muscles in a strength training program. Today’s kids mostly have anterior kyphosis (hunchback) so strength training should be designed to open up and strengthen the upper back in this population. Strengthening the antagonistic chain of common muscle action is very important in injury prevention. The positions and postures seen over the bar with athletes today in Olympic lifting are radically different from what they were 20 years ago. Quite a bit of ancillary teaching is required to get younger athletes into correct positions because of today’s lifestyle of always sitting, slouching, and looking down.

Over Development Problems: We have the tendency to over develop some of the above parameters. Every parameter affects another one in some way. Many coaches over develop absolute or static strength because it is measurable and it is easy to design programs that show improvements in measurable strengths. Athletes often believe if they can squat or bench more they will be better athletes. There are hundreds of football players that can squat and bench a house that are not in the NFL. Strength in itself isn’t the magic bullet. It has to be in balance with other parameters for your event or sport specific activity.

Check back in a week or so for part II of Dan Pfaff’s take on Strength and Athletic Training for Speed-Power Athletes. As always, comments and discussion are encouraged!

 

The Brick Training Method: The Championship Training Cycle

1. Training Blocks

One of the biggest challenges strength and conditioning professionals face is how to organize their training blocks. These “blocks” are often referred to as Macro cycles, Meso cycles, and Micro cycles, but if you are like me, when you see or hear those terms you have to pull out the NSCA text-book to get a quick refresher of what exactly these terms represent again. For the sake of simplicity, I refer to them as the Annual Block, the Specific Block, the Weekly Block, and the Daily Block.

Annual Block (52 Weeks):	Consists of all 52 weeks of your annual plan and therefore includes all blocks of a periodized training program.
Specific Block  (3-6 Weeks):	Specific block of training that is designed to accomplish a particular goal such as volume accumulation, strength, power, etc. 4-8+ Specific Blocks make up the Annual Block.
Weekly Block (5-7 Days):	Describes the 7 day layout of training. 3-6 Weekly Blocks make up a Specific Block.
Daily Block (1 Day):	One day of training. 3-5 Daily Blocks make up a Weekly Block of Training.

From here on out in this post I will refer to the training cycles as the blocks listed and described above.

2. Designing Your Block Plan

By looking at the competitive calendar of the sport you are working with you can layout your annual training block and begin breaking down the training year into more specific blocks. For example, collegiate baseball is a sport in which there are 2 large training windows where we can really dedicate time to weight room training. These windows occur (1) after the conclusion of fall ball to the start of pre-season and (2) after the season to the start of fall ball. These training windows are usually 8-12 weeks in length and allow a strength coach to program with strength and speed gains as the number one priority of the team. Quality training windows for football occur between (1) the conclusion of the regular season and start of spring ball and (2) a few weeks after spring ball until a week or two before fall camp. The quality training windows for basketball occur once the season is over until the beginning of pre-season. Basketball has one of the largest open training windows of any sport since it does not have an alternative season of training (i.e. fall ball for baseball, spring ball for football) like most other sports. When looking for these training windows look for periods of time ranging from 8-12+ weeks where there are no competitive matches, minimal time away from campus, and minimal sport specific training taking place.

SAMPLE BASEBALL ANNUAL TRAINING PLAN

SAMPLE BASKETBALL ANNUAL TRAINING PLAN

Before I get too much further, I want to make it clear that I design specific training blocks for the entire year, but most strength and speed gains are made when we have a window of 8-12 weeks where the sport specific demands are low and weight room priority is high. During the competitive season you cannot place high weight room demands on top of high practice/game demands and expect to be successful. The only case where this can happen is with athlete’s who are red-shirting or not actively competing in the current competitive season. These athlete’s can afford to have sub-par sport specific performances (assuming the sport coach has okayed it) in order to gain muscular size and strength. As a strength coach you must keep in mind you are only a piece of the puzzle and the top priority of the team and athlete is athletic success, not weight lifting success. Weight lifting success can help aid in athletic success, but if done improperly it can also severely hinder an athlete’s performance on game day.

3. Championship Training Cycle: The Background

Now that you have a brief background on training blocks and how they pertain to the annual plan and competitive sport season I want to share a 12 week training block I have created and used with numerous teams and have had tremendous gains in strength, speed, and lean mass with both male and female athletes. This 12 week training plan can be directly implemented with the Brick Training Method template to create a well-rounded training program that has been proven to create gains in virtually every category of measurable strength. I refer to this 12 week plan as the “Championship Cycle”. This is the training cycle in which we see PR’s happen regularly and our record board has seen changes after every one of these training cycles. I usually implement this cycle or a variation of this cycle any time we have a minimum of 8 training weeks dedicated primarily to the weight room.

This program has been evolving over the last year and a half and continues to progress daily. The thought for this program came about after I was looking for a way to implement Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 into my own teams training plans. I used a wide array 5/3/1 combinations with a wide array of teams, all of which worked rather well, but noticed there were a few holes in 5/3/1 programming for athletes. The first thing I noticed when implementing a modified 5/3/1 program was that the total (sub) max effort volume was so low that most athlete’s found it to be very easy and struggled to generate a stimulus response that would lead to strength gains. The second thing I noticed was that if the athlete did not have a strong training history they really struggled when we got into the lower repetition ranges. Lastly, there was a large variance in how many reps an athlete would get in a final rep out set. Some athlete’s would struggle to get 1 or 2 while others would be cranking out 5-8 reps no problem. Athlete’s, especially those who are new to a structured strength training program, gain strength at all different rates and trying to alter numbers based on ever-changing strength levels can be very difficult. Although we were making gains, they lacked consistency so I went to the drawing board trying to figure out what I could do to maximize the modified 5/3/1 training cycle.

Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 Layout

After trying a few different things with minimal success I had an “Ahaa!” moment. I had one team in particular who had been very successful with the modified 5/3/1 training block and there was one thing I had done different with this than I did with any other team. This team had trained pretty hard at a pretty high volume for a full 6-8 weeks prior to the implementation of the modified 5/3/1 training cycle. By the time we got to the modified 5/3/1 training block this team was PR-ing pretty much every workout.

At this point I realized I needed to implement a program that was more demanding from a volume standpoint early on in the training window before I asked the athlete’s to really load up the bar. I know this may seem like basic linear periodization, but when training athlete’s you often become a victim of time and can easily get in a rush to get them bigger and stronger. I have seen many coaches and athlete’s become a victim of time constraint and try to cram a heavy strength/power cycle into a 4-6 week time frame without doing significant volume work beforehand. If the athlete does not have a history of heavy training or has become even the slightest bit de-trained this WILL NOT work. These abrupt heavy cycles will lead to injury of at least 1-2 athletes every time. How do I know this? Because unfortunately I have made this mistake. Want to wreck someones back? Throw in a heavy deadlift/power clean cycle without spending at least 4-6 weeks prior to that cycle establishing the proper technique as well as improving the strength of the posterior chain. Strength is something that happens over time, not over night. One or two weeks of volume work will not prepare an athlete to handle loads repeatedly in the 85%+ 1rm category.

An untrained athlete is no different from that guy at the gym who is trying to max out on every lift his first time at the gym. We laugh at him and his horrible technique, but many strength “Professionals” are guilty of putting their athlete’s in the exact same situation. How many Coaches bring athletes in and test their max’s on their first day in the weight room? Unfortunately far too many. Just because a guy or gal is athletic, that does not mean they know how to properly execute a highly technical max effort exercise. If you really want to screw some athletes up, have a group of new athlete’s max out on the big 3 (Squat, Bench, Deadlift/Power Clean) right when they arrive on campus. Not only will you see about 25 different techniques for each lift, you better hope no one has any history of injuries such as a disc/vertebral issues, or shoulder/hip/knee abnormalities. Assuming an athlete has a clean health history and a quality strength training background does what “assuming” does best…you know the saying.

Does this look like an “Athletic” Press?

4. Championship Training Cycle: The Goal

The goal of the Championship Training Cycle is to safely add strength and size to an athlete so that it can be maintained over time, while keeping the incidence of injury to an absolute minimum. This is accomplished by allowing strength levels to develop at a safe pace and allowing the athlete’s body to naturally adapt and progress to the provided stimulus.

5. Championship Training Cycle: Brief Overview

The Championship Training Cycle is a 12 week training cycle made up of 3 Specific Training Blocks that naturally progress athletes across the linear periodization strength continuum from high volume-low intensity to a low volume-high intensity environment. This program uses a vast array of rep and set protocols, that when used in conjunction with the Brick Training Method template, will ensure a fresh stimulus is applied regularly,while allowing the athlete time for proper adaptation, stabilization, and actualization of their strength levels.

The layout of the Championship Training Cycle represents the rep/set/intensity schemes utilized only in the Brick 1 or Max Effort exercises. These are the training exercises that we consider our foundation movements such as the squat, bench, and deadlift. For this particular program I have designed the 12 week training program around training these “Big 3” movements. You could substitute an Olympic lift in place of the Deadlift, but you would want to adjust the reps and volume to reflect the demands of Olympic lifting (keeping sets under 5 reps/ Prilepin’s Chart). The movements following the max effort exercise are either dynamic or repetition based exercises, thus having a different volume, intensity, and set protocol depending on the movement as originally noted in The Brick Training Method post. (https://zbrulet.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/the-brick-training-method-2/)

The exercises for the 12 week championship cycle rotate between a squat variation, bench variation, and deadlift variation. The progression of exercises for the max effort exercise is key to proper technique development and advancement of strength. For this 12 week training block I have chosen the following max effort training exercises:

I chose these particular exercises because I feel they naturally progress from one to the other and allow the athlete to develop proper technique and strength before moving to a more complex movement. I believe giving the athlete a chance to try multiple deadlift stances before entering the final heavy max effort training block allows them to figure out which stance fits their limb and lever length best, while requiring them to train in their deficient stance for a minimum of 3 weeks. This layout and exercise selection could easily be manipulated to your own program or athlete’s needs.

Specific Block I: VOLUME ACCUMULATION

Block I is characterized by a higher volume, lower intensity layout. This allows athlete’s to establish adequate strength levels with lighter weights, learn technique, all while establishing the ability to handle a rather demanding training session. The layout follows the traditional training method of repeated sub-max effort attempts, pieced together in a progressive 3 week training block.

The volume accumulation training block looks as follows: (Warmup sets are not shown, but I usually allow 3-5 minutes for athletes to feel out the exercise and weight prior to the % based work sets.)

When Implemented in the Brick Training System the Volume Accumulation Training Program would look as follows:(click on image for clearer picture)

Specific Block II: VOLUME TO STRENGTH

As the 12 week program progresses into the second training block there are a few notable changes that will take place. The exercises switch to new movements and the total volume begins to stabilize as the intensity begins to steadily increase. The athlete should be able to complete all the working sets without significant struggle, which is why we allow the athlete to rep out (up to 6 reps) the last set of each max effort exercise. This gives the athlete a chance to push themselves and see how their strength levels are progressing. The goal is to try to match the reps you did the week before during the rep out set. This may or may not happen, but it gives the athlete a number to aim for on the final rep out set. I will encourage athletes to leave 1 in the tank (if possible) and ask spotters to be on high alert. I do this for the simple reasoning that the likelihood of injury sky rockets when sets are taken to failure. Technique often breaks down during near failure attempts and the mechanics of the exercise can change abruptly, leading to injury in some cases.

The volume to strength training block looks as follows:

When Implemented in the Brick Training System the Volume to Strength Training Program would look as follows:(click on image for clearer picture)

Specific Block III: STRENGTH TO POWER

As we progress into the third training block, we now begin to reduce the volume and increase the intensity each training week. This 4 week training cycle progresses +5% intensity each week, while maintaining a standard volume measurement across the training block. We maintain a consistent percent intensity for the first 3 sets of each max effort exercise, which allows athletes to consistently handle weights they have handled before. Within a week or two these first couple sets prove to be rather easy and now we will see athlete’s climb into the “Stabilize/Actualize” phase of the Stimulus, Adaptation, Stabilize, Actualize strength acquisition continuum. The weights used in these first couple sets are often weights they could not handle 6-8 weeks prior.

In this training block we will again allow the athlete to hit a structured rep out set on their last work set with a weight that is slightly heavier than their previous work set. I let the athlete judge what weight they want to use based on how they are feeling, up to a 5% jump. I encourage them to leave 1 rep in the tank if possible so we can hopefully out do that performance in the following weeks.

The Strength to Power Training Block looks as follows:

When Implemented in the Brick Training System the Strength to Power Training Program would look as follows:(click on image for clearer picture)

Weeks 11 and 12: Deload and Test Week

The final two weeks of the 12 week Championship Training Block are dedicated to one week of recovery and one final test/performance week. One may notice that there are not any deloads scheduled in the championship training cycle until week 11. I will not deload the max effort exercise until week 11, but I will deload the accessory work as needed (typically every 3-4 weeks). With the max effort volume slowly decreasing and the intensity slowly progressing, athlete’s have told to tell me the overall workout feels easier as we cut the reps and volume of the max effort work. I have not had any athlete show signs of over training or staleness thus far in this training program, but if it becomes apparent that the group is beat down I will adapt the program accordingly. Keep in mind this 12 week training block typically occurs at a time when there are minimal sport demands and recovery can be heavily emphasized. Also, with a 3 day a week training program you allow a full 48 hours recovery between training sessions and by rotating max effort exercises each training session you only require 1 max effort session from one major movement once a week. By following these methods symptoms of staleness and over training are kept to a minimum.

As I stated in the Brick Method post, I am leery of heavy testing following a deload week based on the principle that a week of easier workouts and increased down time can take some athlete’s out of their “groove”. I have had mixed results with testing after a deload week compared to just letting athletes continue to build and test them in week 11, then implement a deload the final week (12). I do not favor one over the other, but I am still conducting my own “Practical Research” and hope to conclude which method provides better results in the near future.

Final Thoughts

Even if you don’t try the 12 week Championship Training Cycle, I hope that you took a couple things away from this article. The main one being: Strength is built over time. Do not rush athlete’s to get strong and learn  the difference between fighting for reps and getting down right destroyed. A struggle for a rep is fine, but repeated struggles and failure will not provide the right stimulus for strength gain. Training like this will likely do more harm than good.

I have attached PDF files for all of the charts shown above (see link below this). As always, I appreciate any and all feedback and am always willing to answer questions and discuss anything strength and conditioning. My e-mail is brouille@ohio.edu. I encourage you to shoot me an e-mail with any questions, thoughts, or feedback you may have.

Championship Training Cycle 12 Week Layout

Championship Training Cycle in Brick Template

 

Year Round Training Plan: Basketball

Ohio Basketball Yearly Training Program Outline

The following information will layout the yearly training program we implement with our Men’s Basketball team. We rank training variables by order of importance from 1-5, with 1 being of little importance, and 5 being very important. Each time of the year has different demands and we train for them accordingly.

The graphs depict the demands I train the athletes according to. For example, during the in-season we are doing very high levels of conditioning, but I am not administering any of this. The conditioning comes from practice and games at this point of the year, not separate conditioning drills.

Post-Season: (2 weeks after the last game, training block will last 6-8 weeks)

• Strength (5): Emphasis is on regaining full range of motion in exercises, establishing a weight room work capacity, and getting body weights back up to pre-season weights. We will also look back on the season to any acute injuries we had and will implement a protocol to make sure these injuries do not linger. Lifting will take place 4 days a week (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri) with an optional mobility only workout on Wednesdays. Our lifting split will alternate from upper to lower body with our priority training movements at this time being the Box Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, and Hang Clean. We will also not do any sort of jumping or plyometrics during this phase. The in-season is dominated with a high number of jumps, which usually relates to patellar and other knee related issues so we allow 6-8 weeks for these ailments to calm down and hopefully heal up. Lifting will be 60-80 minutes per session.
• Conditioning (0): As we come out of the in-season our conditioning levels are very high. That is great, except we cannot keep these high conditioning levels and expect to make strength gains. Our emphasis during this time of year is to regain strength and heal up injuries so we will not do any form of running or conditioning outside of individual workouts and open gym sessions. You cannot put a hard emphasis on conditioning and strength at the same time and expect good results in both areas. The body cannot handle the workload of both stimuli at the same time and you will either suffer in the form of conditioning times, strength numbers, or a flare up of overuse related injuries (shin splints, back pain, muscle strains).
• Basketball Activities (2): We encourage guys to get onto the court for some casual shooting and pick up games, but I encourage guys to limit themselves to open gym games once a week. Again, our emphasis is gaining strength and putting on quality body weight and we cannot do this if guys are out burning hundreds, if not thousands of calories of energy in pickup games nightly.

Summer Program: (Starts in June, lasts 10-12 weeks)

• Strength (4): Our emphasis on strength is still very high during this training period, but we now have added in 1-2 running workouts throughout the week so we have to monitor our strength training volume. Our lifting will still be 4 days a week, but we will shorten the lifts to make up for the running and movement days we have now implemented. I will still keep the optional mobility day on Wednesdays throughout the summer training block.This is a long training block in which we will work up to our max out or near max out numbers near the end of the summer. I alter guy’s numbers all summer based on the performances they are showing in the weight room. Some guys will gain strength very quickly, while others will be a little slower. I will leave a lot of our heavy sets open-ended and let guys see what they can do in our main lifts (Parallel Squat, Bench Press, Hang Clean). I am not big on setting up a max out week with our basketball team. By utilizing open ended sets with heavy weights throughout the training cycle I allow them to hit their best numbers when they are ready, not when my chart says they should be ready. Also, I have found having these guys do a 1 rep max out is not the most efficient way to test their strength. In my experience, most basketball guys lack the ability to put up a quality 1 rep max. They do not have the lifting experience to prepare themselves mentally and physically for the demands of a heavy one rep max in multiple lifts. Having a max out go wrong has the potential to severely injure an athlete and we cannot afford that to happen. Programming for athlete’s is often a game of risk/reward and as always, I error on the side of caution. I have personally seen a wide array of injuries happen during test week including: herniated discs, strained hamstrings, quads, glutes, pecs, broken wrists, and numerous other tweaks. Remember, you are training athlete’s for optimal performance of their sport, not optimal weight lifting performance.
• During this time we will implement a 12 week linear and lateral plyometric jumping program starting with basics of landing and jumping and progressing to repeat max effort jumps. Lifting will be 50-70 minutes per session.Also, body weight should hit their peak toward the end of summer and will slowly taper down to a lean playing weight in the pre-season phase.

• Conditioning (2): During this time of the year we will add in 2 movement based running days. One of these days will focus on pure explosive acceleration and proper running mechanics and the other will focus on the fundamentals of lateral movement. I will also add in a third day of baseline conditioning in the form of 6-22’s. 22’s are 4 lengths of the court in 22 seconds with 45 seconds rest. I will judge our fitness levels based on how the guys complete these 22’s, which are done after our lift on Friday.
• Basketball Activities (3): At this time of the year guys are taking part in a significant amount of individual workouts and open gym sessions. I try to monitor these workouts as much as possible and will alter our workouts based on what the current basketball activities are. If guys are playing open gym 2-3x a week we will limit our jumping and conditioning work in the weight room, as these open gym games will cover those training variables and I do not need to tax them with extra work on top of the basketball work they are getting.

Pre-Season I: (4-6 weeks, time between start of school and 1^st practice)

We will break this time period down into 2 different training periods. Ideally it will be two-3 week training blocks if the calendar allows.

1st 3 Weeks:

• Lifting (3): We will continue to lift 4 days a week, but our emphasis will be on bar speed and quality movement. We will stay away from heavy weights during this time and continue our plyometric progressions from the summer, but in a limited volume capacity.  I will again keep an optional mobility day in our program for guys who still need it. Our main lifts during this time will be Box Squat, Overhead Press, Hang Clean, and Bench Press. The lifts will be 45-60 minutes in duration and will be very fast paced to start bringing up the conditioning levels. We try to maintain body weights, but we will start to see guys lean out throughout our pre-season training program.
• Conditioning (4): During this time we will do 2 days a week of intense conditioning. Conditioning will typically be one day of longer type conditioning (300 yard shuttles) and one day of sprint type conditioning (Team Relay Sprints).  We will do these runs either after the lifts, or on a non-lift day depending on the schedule of the guys.
• Basketball Activities (3): During this time of the year basketball activities are increasing in demand as we approach pre-season practices. Typically individual workouts are happening 3-5x a week and the demands of basketball are steadily increasing.

2nd 3 Weeks:

• Lifting (2): We will now transition into a 3 days a week lift layout. The lifts will now be total body in nature and the emphasis remains on lighter weight, high bar speed, and perfect technique. At this time I will take out our plyometric program as guys are doing a lot of on the court work. Our main lifts will be Reverse Band Box Squat, Dumbbell Bench Press, and Hang Snatch. I will again keep an optional mobility day in our program for guys who still need it. The lifts will be 30-45 minutes in length with emphasis on shorter rest times and polishing our conditioning levels. At this time guys will be battling to maintain body weight so we make sure our nutrition is a heavy emphasis.
• Conditioning (5): This will be our hardest conditioning segment of the year. We will condition 4 days a week, with 2 of these being before the lift and the other after a lift or on a separate day. We will typically do 2 days of sprint type conditioning drills (team relays, 22’s, shuttles), 1 day of long conditioning (10-15 minute team run, 300yd shuttles) and 1 day of high intensity stations ( 7 stations-2:30 each station). My goal at the end of this training period is to hand the Coach the players in practice ready shape. I will leave it up to the basketball staff to get them in game ready shape. He knows what this looks like more than me so I may implement extra work, but I rely heavily on feedback from the basketball staff.
• Basketball Activities (4): During this time of the year basketball activities are increasing in demand as we approach pre-season practices. Typically individual workouts are happening daily and open gym is 2-3x a week. This increased basketball activity, on top of our extra conditioning work has the guys in great shape. Again, we must keep an eye on players body weights as they tend to drop as we add conditioning segments to the training program.

Pre-Season II: (4-6 weeks, the time between our 1^st practice and 1^st game)

• Lifting (2): At this point we are in full practice mode so our lifting becomes a medium-low priority. We will still try to lift 3 days a week, but our focus will be on keeping guys mobile, healthy, and maintaining strength levels. We will spend 5-10 minutes a session on strictly mobility and soft tissue work. Our main movements at this phase will be Goblet Squat, Dumbbell Bench, and Hang Clean/Snatch.  We will do no plyometrics at this time. Lifts will be 30-40mins during this phase.
• Conditioning (n/a): At this point all the conditioning work will come through practice. If the Basketball staff thinks we need to raise our conditioning levels we will do extra work, but we have not had to do any thus far.
• Basketball Activities (5): We are in full fledge practice mode at this point so basketball activities are the top priority. I will adjust our lifting to make sure our guys are ready to play basketball at their highest possible levels.

In-Season:  (16-22 weeks)

• Lifting (2): During our in season we will still continue to lift 3 days a week if our travel schedule allows for it. Our lifting sessions will be total body with main emphasis on a variation of the squat, bench, and clean. We will utilize a wide array of uni-lateral; single arm, single leg work during our in-season lifts. We do this to keep the overall poundage lifted down, but the work still high quality. While we are in-season we will use various body weight exercises such as pushups, pull-ups, body weight squats, single leg squats, etc to keep external loads low and stress off the joints. We will individualize a lot of the workouts during the season to the specific needs of the guys. Some guys still like to squat in-season while others prefer leg press or a machine squat. I will often lay out the lift with multiple options for each movement category. For example, the first exercise may be bench press with other options being weighted pushups, dumbbell bench, or a single arm press. These lifts will be 30-40 minutes in nature.
• Conditioning: (n/a): We will not do any conditioning outside of practice at this point.
• Basketball Activities (5): At this point we are in the heart of our season so our basketball activities are the top priority. We will continue to adjust our lifting schedule as needed to ensure our guys feel their best on game day.

Final Thoughts:

Hopefully this layout can help you design your program while keeping in mind each training area is a stressor, and must be accounted for in the training plan. You cannot run a program that is a 5-5-5 all out, all the time, type program. This will suck the energy out of the players, over train them, and likely leave you puzzled why you had such an unproductive year. Training with that mentality is dangerous and will usually leave you with more players in the training room, than on the court, and you likely un-employed in the near future.

I continue to harp on this point, but a good strength coach acknowledges their athlete’s are not enrolled in collegiate athletics to become a championship weightlifter. They are there to get an education and a great athletic experience, which happens to be supplemented by a strength and conditioning program.

As always, feel free to email me questions brouille@ohio.edu and follow me on twitter @zbrulet.

 

The Brick Training Method

The Background:

When it comes to training athletes there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of opinions and methods on how one should go about designing a sound strength training program. Do a simple Google search of “Football Strength Training Program” and you will get 50+ pages of results showing everything from Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 for Football to BodyBuilding for Football Players. One of the biggest problems Strength Coaches face when designing a sound training program is: What method do I use? There is no correct answer to this question. You should use the one you:

1. Know how to teach and implement

2. Have the equipment to implement efficiently and safely

In my 6+ years on the weight room floor as a Coach I have made numerous errors in programming, exercise selection, and teaching with my athletes. I will proudly admit that because making these mistakes has made me a better strength coach and also made me realize not everything you read in a book or see online has practicality in your own training program.

About a year and a half ago I spoke at the NSCA Ohio clinic which was when this Brick Training Method really started to develop. I refer to it as the “Brick Method” for one simple reason: When building a well built house, a strong foundation is key to keeping the house upright and functioning correctly. A foundation built out of well placed bricks is extremely strong and sturdy. Everyone has seen a house with a bad foundation. It usually is unstable, leans, and has a wide array of other issues. Building your own body is much like building a sound and sturdy house. Start with a strong foundation of strength and you eliminate many potential problems down the road. Blow through the foundation work and the future will likely be ridden with problems. In the case of sports performance, these problems will come in the form of injuries. In today’s athletic environment, the top reason for athletes calling it a day on their career is because of injuries. So why not do all we can to improve the health of athletes, while extend their careers?

As a college athlete I was exposed to a handful of different training methods. I was exposed to the Football training mentality during my years on the Iowa State Football team and transitioned into a track and field training mentality as I finished out my collegiate athletic career as a record setting hammer and weight thrower. This experience, combined with multiple stops while climbing the ladder in the Strength and Conditioning field has helped me gain a wide array of unique knowledge and experience. My goal with this blog post is to share a training program that I have created based on the things I have seen, experienced, and learned as both an athlete and a Strength Coach.

There are numerous people that have had a heavy influence on this training program. One of the most influential people on the Brick Training Method is Joe Kenn, who I was fortunate enough to intern under during his time at University of Louisville. I cannot thank Coach Kenn and his staff enough for the knowledge I was able to gain by simply being in the same room as House, Bryan Dermody, Adam Feit, and Joe Connolly. All of these guys have gone on to have prolific careers in the Strength & Conditioning business and I was lucky enough to be at the same place as all of them. Another person with heavy influence on the Brick Training Method is Iowa State Football Strength Coach Yancy McKnight. Coach McKnight is not only one of the smartest Coaches in the field, he is also one of the best motivators and on the floor Coaches I have ever been around. I was fortunate to spend 2 years as a Graduate Assistant under Coach McKnight at Iowa State. John Dagata has also had a heavy influence on the Brick Training Method. Coach Dagata was my throws Coach during the latter half of my carrer at Iowa State and uses numerous non-traditional and non-American training methods adapted from such track legends as Dan Pfaff and Dr. Anatoly Bondarchuck to take average athletes and make them elite. Lastly, I have to thank Sonny Sano, who is the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Ohio University. Coach Sano does a great job pushing us as a staff to stay up to date with current knowledge of injury prevention, performance training methods, and gives us great freedom in programming workouts for our teams. Coach Sano is also a former competitive Olympic weightlifter and is a human library when it comes to Olympic weightlifting knowledge.

I have used some form of the Brick Training System throughout my tenure as a Division I Strength Coach. I have used it with both males and females in a wide array of sports including Football, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Hockey, and Track and Field. Its adaptability to demands of a specific sport is what makes the Brick System so unique. It utilizes a general layout that will not leave any muscle group or joint action neglected. It quickly irons out strength deficiencies, while pushing athletes to gain power, speed, and endurance as required in competitive sport. Teams that have trained with this method continue to clear our strength, speed, and jump records, on top of increased performances on the field as reported by their sport coaches. Also, injury rates across these sports are at an all time low, which is often the biggest battle in the game of sports performance.

Keep in mind, this is not a power lifting or body building program. It is a program designed to decrease the likelihood of injury, and improve the strength and overall athleticism of competitive athletes. One of the biggest mistakes a Strength Coach can make is using a Power Lifting, Olympic Lifting, or Bodybuilding only type training method to train an athlete. An athlete will naturally possess some qualities of the above type athletes, but never in their collegiate athletic career will they bring out a bench press, Olympic weight lifting platform, or posing trunks to determine who wins the game. When training athletes for maximal performance keep in mind the 5 S’s:

1. Strength

2. Speed

3. Skill

4. Stamina

5. Suppleness

The Brick Training Method:

The general philosophy behind the brick training method is simple: Protect and Produce. That is a simple saying I heard Joe Kenn say and thought it could not be more spot on when it comes down to what I am trying to do with the athletes I train. Protect the athlete from injury, while getting the athlete to Produce in the areas of athletic performance.

The Brick Training Method utilizes a 3 day a week training split, consisting of total body workouts with an initial movement emphasis on either Upper Body, Lower Body, or Total Body type movements. It also places specific emphasis on types of effort; Max Effort, Dynamic Effort, and Repetition effort methods depending on the specific exercise and its location in the workout script. This is adapted from Joe Kenn’s Tier System Training method with slight modification based on my own personal experience with the needs of my athletes. Workouts typically revolve around 6 training areas or “Bricks” of emphasis, which will be described below in the “template” section. The Brick Method workout is designed to be no-longer in duration than 60 minutes and is to be done in a highly organized-high intensity fashion with the Strength Coach calling out the start of each set, and being in command of rest times throughout the workout.

The Warm up: The warm up leading up to a workout may be one of the most important parts of the entire workout. The Brick Training System utilizes an efficient layout so the warm up not only gets the heart rate up, it also primes the body for the movement demands of the training session. It utilizes movements that:

• Activate the nervous system
• Require general as well as specific mobility
• Activate musculature necessary for the movement demands of the day

The warm up has a structured layout, but is adaptable to what you as a coach, feel your athlete’s need. It’s general layout is as follows:

Warm Up Exercise Outline

Lower Body CNS

Upper Body CNS

Hip/ Ankle Mobility

Shoulder/ T-Spine Mobility

Glute/Erector Activation

Core Activation/Stabilization

Sample Warm up exercises for each category are as follows:

Lower Body CNS			Upper Body CNS			Hip/ Ankle Mobility
Platform Quick Step			Alternate Wrist Tap			Stick Overhead Squat
Ali-Shuffle			Forward/Backward Hand Walks			High Knee Hug to Lunge w/ Reach
Wide-Outs			Right/Left Hand Walks			Prisoner Squat

Shoulder/ T-Spine Mobility			Glute/Erector Activation			Core Activation/Stabilization
Stick Dislocate			Cook Hip Lift			Middle Bridge
I-Y-A Raise			Hip Bridge March			Side Bridge
Upper Body Clam Shells			Hip Bridge w/ Walkout			Iso Sit Up Hold

The rep schemes and times for the warm up exercises are up to you as a strength coach to determine. I utilize :12s-:15s for the CNS activities and reps anywhere from 5-15 on the other exercises. I utilize specific tempo’s as well as isometric work for many of these exercises.

Sample Warmup:

Training Day 1

Warmup

QUICK STEP: X15S

ALTERNATE WRIST TAP: X15S

STICK OVERHEAD SQUAT: X12

STICK SHOULDER DISLOCATE: X12

COOK HIP LIFT: X6EA

MIDDLE BRIDGE: X 1MIN

The Template:

The template for the Brick Training System is very basic and simple. This is why it makes the Brick System such an effective training program for athletes across a wide array of sports. It demands different types of strength, intensity, and effort from different musculature and joint action throughout the entire workout. During competitive sport, athlete’s are exposed to a wide array of physiological, psychological, and physical demands and utilizing a training system that trains to these demands has shown to be effective in preparing an athlete for sport competition. The template can be adapted based on specific needs of the sport or specific times of the year, but when dealing with an athlete with a lower level of training maturity (<5 years) I have had great success with the following template:

	DAY 1	DAY 2	DAY 3
Brick 1	Lower Body	Upper Body	Total Body
Type of Effort: (Sub)Maximum	Back Squat, Front Squat, Box Squat	Bench Press, Incline Press, Overhead Press	Olympic Lift, Deadlift
Brick 2	Speed Upper Body	Speed Total Body	Speed Lower Body
Type of Effort: Dynamic	Med Ball Throw, Clap Pushup, Speed Bench	Olympic Variation, Speed Deadlift, Med Ball Throws	Box Jumps, Lunge Jumps, Speed Squat
Brick 3	High Rep Total Body	High Rep Lower Body	High Rep Upper Body
Type of Effort: Repetitive	Olympic Variation, Med Ball Throws, Hybrid Movements	Olympic Squats, Goblet Squat, Leg Press	Dumbbell/Barbell Presses, Pushups
Brick 4	Sinlge Leg: Linear	Single Leg: Lateral	Single Leg: Vertical
Type of Effort: Repetitive	Linear Lunge Variation, Split Squat	Lateral Lunge, Lateral Squat, X-Over Lunge	Bowler Squat, Pistol Squat, Bulgarian Squat
Brick 5	Upper Body: Vertical Pull	Upper Body: Horizontal Pull	Upper Body: Combo Pull
Type of Effort: Repetitive	Pull Ups, Lat Pull Down	Inverted Row, Barbell/Dumbbell Row	Row/ Pull Up Combo, Hybrid Movements
Brick 6	Posterior Chain: Hamstring Dominant	Poserior Chain: Glute Dominant	Posterior Chain: Erector Dominant
Type of Effort: Repetitive	Leg Curl, RDL, Glute Ham Raise	Hip Lift Variants, Back Extension, Reverse Hyper	Back Extension, Good Morning, RDL

As you can see in the above diagram, The Brick Training System utilizes 3 types of effort in each workout: Maximum (Sub-Max), Dynamic (Speed), and Repetitive (Hypertrophy-Endurance). Certain movements tend to naturally lean towards certain training paradigms based on muscle make up and the muscle action demanded. Could you go max-effort on some of the repetition categorized exercises? Absolutely. This comes down to risk/reward and when our top priority is injury prevention I will live in the low risk category for most of these movements.

Note: It can be common to switch the Dynamic Effort Brick to Brick 1 and the Max Effort Brick to Brick 2 if you are at a time of year where rate of force development and speed are a top priority. I have done this with teams as we approach the in-season and we are backing off Max Effort volume and focusing more on speed-strength.

Adaptability:

A great part about the Brick Training System is it’s ability to alter, add, and progress exercises as you find necessary. For example, during our baseball off season workouts I like to add an anti-rotation segment into our workouts since the guys hitting and swinging volume is down significantly at this time. I simply add a 7th brick to the workout template and we are now making anti-rotation training an emphasis. Another example would be for track and field athletes. If a track athlete is doing tons of running and jumping at practice, we do not need to make lower body dynamic effort training an emphasis in the weight room. This thought process comes from training following the speed-strength continuum as described by Eric Cressey here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ge2TYDllw. We may take this Dynamic effort lower body Brick and turn it into a mobility type emphasis Brick model. I make these adaptations year round based on what the on the field/court demands are of the sport at the current time.

Another thing to think about when writing your bricks is the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). KPI’s are measurements taken in activities outside of the actual sport activity that can indicate an athlete’s ability to perform the sport at a high level. KPI’s are a training tool Coach Pfaff, as well as Coach Dagata rely on heavily throughout their training programs. They will look at a variety of movements from med ball throws to clean and jerk strength and create a correlate from the performance of these movements to performance of the actual sport. For example, Coach Pfaff would use an overhead reverse shot put heave as a predictor of running speed. He would use a forward shot put heave as a predictor of speed out of the blocks. He found that his elite level athlete’s had one thing in common: the further they could heave the med ball or shot the faster they were.

Each sport has a different set of KPI’s. Track and field has done extensive research in this field, but other sports seem to be lagging. Football attempts to do this at the combine, but in my opinion an event such as the 225lb rep test is not a good KPI of one’s ability to block on the field . A more accurate measurement may be a tendo speed readout of a 3 rep 60% body weight bench press or even a med ball chest pass for distance. I plan to design KPI’s for an array of sports in the future, but this is a tedious process that takes time and lots of number tracking of athlete’s performances over an extended period of time.

Progressions:

Another benefit of the Brick Training System is it’s ability to progress movement patterns across multiple training cycles. Utilizing simple movements in the early training blocks allows the athlete to develop the strength levels and motor skills to progress to more advanced variations of the same movement in later training cycles. Example:

Weeks 1-4	Weeks 5-8	Weeks 9-12	Weeks 13-16
Barbell RDL	Dumbbell RDL	Single Leg Barbell RDL	Single Leg Dumbbell RDL

Cycles:

When it comes to designing training cycles I follow the 4 week model of Base/Load/Load+/Deload. This means the intensity will slowly build and peak in week 3 before giving the athlete a deload week in week 4 of the training block. Another popular version is the Base/Load/Deload/Perform model. I have used both with success, but at times there can be a drop off in performance initially after the deload week. Coach Pfaff  notes that the body and its chemistry transition into a different state during this down week and it can take an extended period of time to transition the mind and body back into intense work loads following a deload.

The young athlete who does not have a background in strength training may be the exception to this type of cycle layout. Typically an athlete with a young training age (1-2 years) can benefit from training cycles that are 6-8 weeks in length before needing a deload week.

Volume and Intensities:

Volume and intensities vary as we progress through Max effort, Dynamic Effort, and Repetition Effort training modalities. Each method has different demands in terms of intensity, volume, and recovery.

Max Effort

Volume and intensity are something that you could research for hours on end. There’s the Bulgarian Method, the Westside Method, Linear Periodization, and Non-Linear Periodization to name a few. I have utilized a wide variety of intensity and volume scheme’s over my years of programming and have had my best luck utilizing a modified linear periodization progression. This has best served my athlete’s and has allowed them to gain quality strength without rushing them into heavy weight too fast. Keep in mind what you are training in the max effort segment and your rest time should be long enough to allow recovery. Heavy lifting often requires a longer recovery so using 2:00-5:00 minutes of recovery between max effort exercises is typical. My exercise physiology professor in grad school claimed 3:00 minutes was the sweet spot of recovery for the athletic population after a hard set of lifting so that has been a number I have used and have had success with with my teams during sub max and max effort lifting attempts.

I like the idea of “Slow Cooking” my athlete’s so that the strength they gain during our training sessions is kept over time. Many Strength Coaches love to ramp guys up to 90%+ right away mainly because they want to see heavy weight on the bar. I have found this is a recipe for disaster. Not only does it overload athletes to extreme levels very fast, it often does not allow for the athlete to fully grasp the movement I am trying to teach. I utilize a model I inherited from Dan Pfaff when it comes to gaining strength and skill. It goes along with the typical theory of introduce a stimulus to the body and the body will adapt. Coach Pfaff takes it a little further in saying after the adaptation phase comes a “Stabilize” phase where the athlete must learn to use the new acquired strength or skill before progressing to the last phase. The final phase is referred to as “Actualize” in which the athlete can put the new strength and skill into their actual athletic movement patterns. This is something that may take weeks, months, and years to develop. Letting an athlete slowly develop strength ensures an athlete is doing it in a healthy and sustainable manner.

I will typically take 12 weeks to build an athletes strength levels to a true 100% RM when coming off of a demanding in-season or lengthy period of rest. In the Brick Training Method this would be (3) 4 week training cycles. I will follow a traditional model of loading the athlete with lighter weight and higher reps to develop a work capacity early on and ensure movement patterns are correct before we add heavy external loads. I am a huge Kelly Starrett fan and use his movement teaching patterns for most of my lifts. Mr. Starrett is a very intelligent Physical Therapist and Crossfitt Coach who has blended anatomical correct movement patterns into the world of strength training. Check out his site www.mobilitywod.com for more info on him.

A sample full 12 week Base/Load/Load+/Deload model is shown below:

RELATIVE INTENSITY FOR MAX EFFORT EXERCISE
Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6
70% (3×8)	75% (4×6)	80% (5×4)	72% (3×5)	75% (5×5)	80% (5×4)
Week 7	Week 8	Week 9	Week 10	Week 11	Week 12
85% (5×3)	77% (4×3)	80% (6×3)	85% (6×2)	90% (7×1)	90%+ (4×1)

When we get towards the end of the training period I will decide the week 12 intensity by relying on athlete feedback. I know some people will shun at this, but an athlete will not PR because the percentage on the card says they should. They will PR if they are prepared and able. Past results have shown slow cooking their strength sets up for a big finish on weeks 11 and 12. If for some reason we aren’t firing on all cylinders I will use week 12 as a deload week and move on. Like I said, typically if the program is designed correctly and all variables of running, lifting, and outside stressors are acknowledged and accounted for week 12 is a success.

Example Max Effort Brick: (The first 3 sets are warm up sets)

		Week 1		Week 2		Week 3		Week 4
BARBELL		55%	X5	60%	X5	65%	x5	57%	X5
DEADLIFT		60%	X3	65%	X3	70%	X3	62%	X3
		65%	X2	70%	X2	75%	X2	65%	X2
		70%	X8	75%	X6	80%	X4	72%	X5
		70%	X8	75%	X6	80%	X4	72%	X5
		70%	X8	75%	X6	80%	X4	72%	X5
				75%	X6	80%	X4
						80%	X4

See the images below for a Relative Intensity Chart as well as the Prilepin’s chart I use to help iron out the confusion of what intensity and rep/set schemes to use. I use these as a guide to my training programs, but I will rely more on the feedback of my athletes to determine if we are under or over-doing it.

Dynamic Effort

The dynamic effort or speed brick is dominated by a low intensity, medium volume approach. The rate of force development of these exercises is extremely high so the muscles involved will often fatigue quickly. Exercises done in this brick are between the 2-5 rep range and 6-10 set range. Many of these exercises are done with body weight so a percentage chart is not fitting for many movements. Be familiar with foot contacts and other plyometric volume measures if you are implementing box jumps, hurdle jumps, or med ball work. I try to keep my plyos under 25 reps per session and under 100 reps per week. If you are using Olympic lifting variations in this brick be sure the weight is light and the speed is very fast. I use no more than 60% of a 1rm in this training brick if I am using an Olympic lift. The rest time will usually be :45s-2:00 to allow partial recovery, as often allowed by the competitive sport. Example: Football players typically exert full effort for 5-7 seconds and recover for 15-30 seconds. Data has shown that these athlete’s will get about 70% recovery before the ball is snapped again. Keep in mind the rest time can be altered to your sports demands, but I have had good success with :45s-1:30 rest in the dynamic effort brick with my athletes.

Example Dynamic Effort Brick:

		Week 1		Week 2		Week 3		Week 4
HANG SNATCH		50%	X3	55%	X3	60%	X3	52%	X3
		50%	X3	55%	X3	60%	X3	52%	X3
		50%	X3	55%	X3	60%	X3	52%	X3
		50%	X3	55%	X3	60%	X3	52%	X3
		50%	X3	55%	X3	60%	X3
		50%	X3	55%	X3	60%	X3

Repetition Effort

The repetition effort or hypertrophy brick is about acquiring size, strength and stamina in the muscle. The specific demands of these movements varies greatly so a general rep/set scheme cannot be used. I will usually use 3-4 sets of anywhere from 5-15 reps depending on the exercise. The intensity of these movements vary greatly as many are body weight only exercises, but if it’s a load bearing exercise I usually prescribe intensities in the 60%-70% RM range.

Some muscles lend themselves to being highly fatigue resistant while others do not. In my experience, movements like inverted rows and pull ups usually fatigue athletes rather quickly, while movements like back extensions and reverse hypers are a little more fatigue resistant. It is important to keep this in mind when implementing these exercises into your program. Just using a 3×10 approach to every movement may work, but it is not the best option. Learn the demands of the movements and you will have more efficient programming.

Example Repetition Effort Brick:

		Week 1		Week 2		Week 3		Week 4
LEG PRESS		60%	X10	60%	X12	60%	x15	57%	X12
		60%	X10	60%	X12	60%	x15	57%	X12
		60%	X10	60%	X12	60%	x15	57%	X12
		60%	X10	60%	X12	60%	x15

Deload

I typically reserve the 4th week of each training cycle as the deload week. My typical rule of thumb is choose an intensity that is between week 1 and week 2 and a volume that is 60% of the highest volume (Reps x Sets) you trained during that particular cycle. For example, if we went 70/75/80 for a 5×6/5×5/6×4 cycle our deload would be at 72.5% with the volume being 18 total repsreps (60% of highest volume which was 30 reps). I typically error on the side of less here so i would choose a scheme like 3×5 at 72% on this deload week. See the PDF workout card at the end to see this in an actual workout.

This deload gives the body a chance to recover and adapt. Constantly loading over an extended period of time can lead to Chronic Load Syndrome. You will know if you have dipped into Chronic Load Syndrome because weights, throws, and jumps will not move in the same manner they did in prior training sessions. Athlete’s will feel sluggish, lack speed, coordination, power and/or strength. It is important to know the difference between a bad day because of lack of sleep or nutrition and actual Overload Syndrome.

Extra Accessory Work

One of the biggest questions people may have with the brick method is where does the accessory/auxiliary type work fall in this program. We do a significant amount of accessory work in the warmup and in bricks 4,5,and 6. I do not categorize bicep and tricep work as foundation type work so I will not make them an emphasis in the workout. When designing a workout for the athletic population, I pick exercises that give me the biggest bang for my buck. Multi-joint type movements that incorporate multiple muscle groups are exercises I use. I can get significant bicep and back stimulation in a pull up/chin up type movement without having to spend time programming curls. I have yet to see an athletic event that is a single joint, single muscle movement. Single joint movements do have their place, but I save them for auxiliary circuits at the end of the workout or I will utilize a “Blitz Package” type card similar to Coach Kenn, where athlete’s can come in on their own time and work on these muscles.

Cool Down

One of the biggest changes I have made to my training program in the last year is the introduction of a dynamic cool down. We did these daily after our throwing and lifting sessions when I was in college and I never suffered a soft tissue injury in my 3 years as a thrower. I introduced this cool down to our baseball team this summer and we had zero, yes ZERO soft tissue injuries during a 12 week training cycle of intense lifting, speed work, conditioning, and baseball specific work. We do our cool down as a lap around the football field with a variety of dynamic movements. See the pdf below for the layout of our cool down.

COOL DOWN OUTLINE

Final Words

I wanted to finish this post by offering up a sample of a 4 week block of the Brick Training Method. Please see the link to a PDF attachment below.

One guy I wanted to mention and thank was my co-worker and roommate Dak Notestine. He is a very intelligent young strength coach and constantly challenges everything I say and do within my programming. This makes me stay on top of my knowledge game at all times and has made me a much better Coach over my time at Ohio University.

If you have any questions on the program feel free to comment below or email me at brouille@ohio.edu. I have no problem helping you lay out your first Brick Training System program.

Brick Method Sample Workout Card