Functional Path Training

Training Mistakes

The following is a list of some mistakes that I have made in coaching and teaching. If you learn from your mistakes I should be a genius, but unfortunately some of the lessons were only learned after I repeated of these mistakes several times. I hope that by sharing these with you, it will help you to avoid making the same mistakes I have made.

It does not have to be hard to be good. - Each workout is part of a larger picture. If you put their backs to the wall in each training session you will quickly lose sight of the picture. Everything must be in context. Remember that different physical qualities adapt at different rates, so they need to be stressed differently.

Too much, too soon - You can’t hurry the adaptive process. The younger athlete can handle a lot both in terms of volume and intensity, but once again if you lose sight of the big picture it is important to remember that not following proper progression and individualizing can stifle long term development.

Overloading the spine – Too often and too young - I think this is obvious so I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out. Even with the mature athlete the spine just cannot take the heavy repetitive loading that is imposed on it by too much heavy back squatting and dead lifting.

Too many exercises or drills in a training session - This just leads to confusion from an administrative perspective and poor adaptive response on the part of the athlete. This results in a loss of focus. They get tired but they do not get better.

Repetitious Exercises - Usually overloads one area or one component, the end result is a poor training response. I always say hunt with a rifle, not a shotgun.

Training to failure - This leads to failure. Each workout becomes an end unto itself and the athlete starts holding back anticipating the failure.

Over reliance on one exercise or training method - This created on trick ponies. You are what you train to be. Reliance on a machine in training or a modality in rehab. You adapt to that environment, but not the environment you need to perform in.

Quick fixes - There are none! I have learned that it is an easy come, easy go proposition.

Crash programs - Crash programs crash, you can’t hurry the process. Adaptation takes time and the time frames for the various components are quite predictable.

Training the Maximum Speed Zone

Following the start and acceleration phases of a sprint the athlete reaches the phase where their velocity is maximal. This usually is reached in 4-6 seconds and usually can be maintained for another 3-5 seconds. This is the phase of highest stride frequency and optimal stride length. Slower athletes reach top speed sooner and are not able to hold it as long. There are definite skills associated with this zone of sprinting. For the specialist sprinter the maximum Speed Zone is a key element to success. Maximum Speed has definite implications for the athlete seeking to improve their Forty Yard times. The maximum speed zone of the forty can be as long as twenty yards for some players. Football players are usually quite good at starting and acceleration and not real proficient at maximum speed, because it seldom comes into play in Football except for fly patterns and possibly kick returns. Traditionally in preparing to improve 40 yard dash times an inordinate emphasis has been placed on improving the start and acceleration. That is fine but it only solves part of the problem. What about the rest of the Forty? The maximum speed needs to be trained. In order to train it effectively good sprint mechanics are necessary. This entails a good upright posture, efficient arm action and control of the stride all coupled with relaxation.

The football player should train maximum speed. The skill position player should put more emphasis on this than the linemen, the reason being that the linemen are at greater risk of injury in this phase because it something they seldom if ever do in games or practice. There are three simple drills to work on improving maximum speed. One is devoted to mechanics and the other two are devoted to feeling the rhythm and relation of the sprint.

Hit Drill - The athlete alternates periods of hitting and floating. Hitting refers to short bursts of greater intensity of effort that lead to higher stride frequencies and velocities. The ‘Hits’ are alternated with intervals of relaxed running referred to as ‘floating’. ‘Hits’ are the intense initial efforts that initiate these intense intervals. Floating in sprinting is the skill of running very fast and relaxed. When a sprinter floats they are trying to maintain their current speed with little effort. They are literally floating over the track. Skilled sprinters perform this skill to such a refined degree that only the highly skilled eye can determine the difference between floating and flying. That is the goal for the football player, when that occurs the athlete is relaxed and ready to run fast.

Use an approach run long enough to build up to top sped, usually 25 to thirty yards. Hit the start at top speed, hold this speed for ten yards and then float ten yards. Alternate this for three hits and three floats. Allow at least three minutes between sprits. Use this drill for 4 -6 repetitions one day a week. Lineman should probably not do this drill.

Flying Sprints - Use an approach run long enough to build up to top speed, usually 25 to thirty yards. Hit the start at top speed and maintain top speed for the entire distance. Gradually slow down; do not stop abruptly as this is where you are most susceptible to muscle pulls. Start with a ten yard flying sprint and build up to 30 yards over a six week period. Do this twice a week for six repetitions; no more is necessary; remember the emphasis is on quality. Stress relaxation and feel like you are floating over the ground. You should not feel like you are pushing back against the ground. Run like the ground is hot! Rest at least three minutes between sprints, this will ensure quality.

Stair Running - Run up a stadium hitting each stair. Use no more that ten to fifteen stairs. The time should not exceed 10 seconds. The stairs force good upright posture and the foot strike under the center of gravity. This is considered technique work. Perform ten repetitions. The linemen should do this drill twice a week and the skill positions only once a week.

Maximum speed plays a greater role than we previously thought in multidirectional field sports. Dean Benton, Performance Director with the Canberra Brumbies in Super 15 rugby states the case quite clearly: “In observation of field sports, many of the sprints appear to commence with a jogging, striding or fast-striding start.  This can have a profound effect on these athletes’ velocity profiles.  If sprints were commenced in such a way, then it is conceivable that maximum velocity, or near maximum velocity could occur at much shorter distances. Additionally, as a generalization, research has shown that athletes who possess a low maximum velocity (e.g. field sport athletes) tend to reach maximum velocity in less distance, than athletes who reach high maximum velocities such as track athletes.  Hence, the amount of maximum velocity sprinting in field sports maybe greatly underestimated.” This certainly is an area that has potential for improvement in sports like soccer and lacrosse. Soccer, rugby and lacrosse players could certainly profit form the three previously mentioned drills.

Training to Failure

Training to failure has never been part of my training repertoire; nonetheless I am always getting questions about it. Good training design and implementation does set up the workout to train to failure. Each workout and each aspect of the workout has a specific objective that is reachable and achievable for the athlete. If the athlete fails on a particular set in the weight, run on the track or a set in the pool, then in all probability the intensity was too high and it needs to be adjusted. Training is a process of accumulation and constantly failing does not allow the process of adaptation to reach the optimum level. Design the workout so that the athlete can get the reps at the optimum intensity. Training to failure is failure to train the athlete to their fullest capabilities. It is simply training to fail. It is failure on the coach’s part to know the athletes capabilities.

Thoughts from Bill Bowerman

Bill Bowerman is a legend in track & field coaching. He was the coach at University of Oregon for many years and one of the founders of Nike. He ideas and thoughts have had a huge influence on my coaching from the time I first heard him speak as a senior in college in 1968. Yesterday I was fortunate to have my good friend and colleague, Jim Radcliffe, head strength and conditioning coach at University of Oregon visit us in Sarasota. As always when we get together we ended up talking about Bowerman and his ideas, so I thought I would share these thoughts from Bill Bowerman. If you are interested in learning more Bowerman the man and his ideas I recommend Bowerman and the Men Of Oregon by one of his former runners, Kenny Moore. It is a great coaching book and explores the dimensions of the man.

"Victory is in having done your best. If you've done your best, you've won."

“It is quite simple to observe that great middle distances runners have usually been medium to just above average in height, slightly below average in weight, slight of build, with well-defined musculature. They also usually have a somewhat lower pulse rate than average. But to select runners purely on the basis of these characteristics would probably result in little more success than choosing them by the color of their eyes and hair.”

“Champions and potential champions must have an abundance of energy and tenacity. They must be willing to stick to workout procedures that would seem grueling to the average person, to perform them in fair weather and foul. Furthermore, they are eager, not only to defeat opposition, but to push themselves to full capacity on the competitive field.”

“My method of devising a training schedule (specific assignments for workouts) is not very different from a physician's method of arriving at a prescription for a patient. The first step is diagnosis, becoming acquainted with the patients or athlete's abilities and disabilities. The second step is an assessment of what improvement can reasonably be expected and what specific recommendations are needed. The final step is a period of trial and observation to adjust the "dosage" or training schedule to optimum levels for the safest and most rapid improvement of condition.”

The Good Old Days

The other day I was talking to a friend and we were reflecting back to 43 years ago to when I started coaching. The differences are quite pronounced. I hope you all realize that I am not living in the past, but we MUST learn from the past, not repeat it. Here are six areas where I think we could certainly learn from the past:

Sport was centered in the schools – Therefore teachers were the coaches. Whether they were knowledgeable in the particular sport they had a foundation in pedagogy. Today anyone can coach.

Elementary schools had after school sports – Kids stayed at their neighborhood schools and played. Sometimes it was organized and other times it was supervised. Today you pass an elementary school after school is out and it is a ghost town.

Liability was not an issue – Climbing Ropes, Tramps, Peg Boards were everywhere – All of this has been taken away for “safety” and liability reasons. We are not challenging the kids.

Coaches were the experts – The high school coach was the expert in his or her sport, there were no special QB schools, you were coached by your high school coach. Can this be a shortcoming if the coach is not knowledgeable, absolutely, but somehow we overcame this?

Daily Physical Education was mandatory K through 12 – Need I say more. These PE teachers were also the coaches. They knew how to teach skill and organize, because they did it all day!

Off season Football was track – if you were a football player and did not play baseball you were out for track. You became a better athlete and you learned how to compete.

Just a few ideas from an “OLD” coach; I would be interested in your comments on how we could get some of this back if you think it is important.

Winners

There's often a perceived big difference between winners and losers. In reality that big difference is not so big. The difference is in the little things. It is doing the little things a little better, more often and consistently. Winners are consistent not spectacular. They are open to learning and always looking for ways to improve. Usually you will find that winners have a ritual a routine that they hold to and it is their anchor for consistent training behavior and for consistent competitive behavior. The culture of the winner rewards risk and learns from failures. In fact they turn what others would perceive as failure into opportunities. For winners, winning is a habit.

Accumulation

Sometimes we forget that training accumulates training session to training session, week to week, month to month and year to year. So what are the implications of that?  Simply that it is not necessary to think you must have to have a spectacular training session or a stupendous microcycle, rather it is important to be consistent in the application of stress and balance it with appropriate recovery to allow adaptation over time. It also means that when you start a new training year you don’t have to start over each year, you build upon the previous year or years and start each year on a higher plane. Adaptation takes times and it accumulates over time. As I have said many times in this blog one workout cannot make an athlete but one workout can break an athlete. In the long term focus on the process and the results will come.

Strength Training and The Growing Athlete - Part Three

The key concepts to consider as precursors to beginning a comprehensive strength training program are:

Build a broad a base of activity and general fitness

Build a firm foundation in movement skills

Young growing athletes are not miniature adults therefore we must adjust everything to the size, weight and maturation level of the youngster

Always weigh biological age against chronological age

Always teach first then train. Do not assume that because it is taught that it is learned.  Make sure that the skill or movement is mastered before you let the athlete begin to train with a particular exercise or method.

Incorporate variety as much as possible to force adaptation and to maintain mental freshness.

Machines are not necessarily safer, they must fit the athlete, most machines do not.

The following chart is adapted from: Growth and Development Considerations for Design of Training Plans for Young Athletes by Lyle Sanderson. SPORTS. Volume 10 #2, 1989. This chart can give us a good template to guide the progression of strength training throughout the athletic lifespan.

Phase	Duration of Phase	Stage of Development
Initiation	3-4 years	Early School Years
Basic Training	5 –7 Years	Pre-pubescent and during puberty
Buildup Training	3 –4 years	Post-pubescent
Systematic High Level Training	6 – 10 Years	Adulthood

The following are the stages of strength development relative to the stages of development in the above chart:

Foundational Strength Development Phase (Initiation)

In the beginning it should be play in the form of crawling, climbing, tug of war, hopscotch. In other words it should be playful and FUNdamental.

We are not East Germany or Bulgaria – Beware of false prophets bearing gifts, you do not have begin specializing in a single sport at this age to be successful in later stages. This should be very unstructured and should occur with a frequency as often as the youngster feels like participating. The key is to put the youngster in an environment where there are a variety of strength building activities are available.

Functional exercise criteria also apply to children. Therefore the exercise should engage the whole body in multi-joint, multi-plane activities that are of high proprioceptive demand. These criteria apply to all levels of development.

Developmental Strength Development Phase (Basic Training)

A good strength base will go a long way to prevent injuries.

Start with developing a routine and good training habits.

During the early stages of this phase strength training workouts should be scheduled two to three times a week gradually increasing to four and possibly five workouts a week in the later stages of this age span.

The resistance spectrum begins with bodyweight and then adds loading such as weight vest or weighted belt that allows the body to perceive the resistance as an internal load. The next step is to add external loading in the form of medicine balls, stretch cord, and dumbbells. The last step is to add resistance in the form of a bar with weight. The key is to progress gradually through this spectrum with gradual incremental jumps that allow the young growing bodies time to adapt.

Strength is the precursor to speed. It is an enabler that will make significant improvements to agility, coordination (motor control). It can also make significant contributions to endurance by improving posture.

Teach technique of the Olympic lifts during the skill hungry years. Use a broomstick or a bar appropriately sized to the athlete’s bodyweight so that correct skill is ingrained.

Specialized Strength Development Phase (Buildup Training)

Strength training should be schedules a minimum of three workouts a week and sometimes up to five workouts a week.

We must also consider development of muscular bulk for the growing athlete participating in sports that demand this emphasis. This is necessary for armor or protection in collision sports like football and hockey to the increase body mass in the throws.

As far as training programs go, one size does not fit all. Ninth grade boys should not be on the same program as senior boys. There is too much of a gap in development. This phase has some of the biggest discrepancies in biological age.

This is the age where the greater proportion of work is done with external resistance in the form of free weights and dumbbells.

Application Strength Development Phase (Systematic High

Level Training)

This period really does not encompass the growing and developing athlete. This is where more advanced strength training methods are applied.

Specific Recommendations

• Strength training equipment and implements must be of appropriate design to accommodate size and maturity differences.
• Do not base the strength training programs on chronological age; instead carefully consider biological age (maturation level).
• Strength training program should be bodyweight based, with the core strength and stability emphasized first.
• Overhead lifting or loading of the spine should be de-emphasized until sufficient core strength & stability is developed.
• The child must have the emotional maturity to accept instruction and follow a program.
• Strength training should be part of a comprehensive fitness program.
• Qualified adults must supervise the program.

References & Recommended Reading

Drabik, Jozef. Children & Sports Training.(1996) Stadion Publishing Company, Inc. Island Pond, Vermont

Hartmann, Jurgen. and Tunneman, Harold. (1989) Fitness and Strength Training.  Berlin: Sportverlag

Strength Training and The Growing Athlete - Part Two

The fact is that strength is a basic motor skill, which is an important precursor to other motor skills. To ignore strength development will only serve to limit the development of other key motor qualities such as speed, coordination and flexibility. Everything, regardless of the level of athlete, is related to a broad fitness and activity base. Someone completely sedentary will be more likely to not make good progress and get hurt than someone who has been very active. It is generally acknowledged that youth today are not as active and fit as previous generations. They also tend to specialize in specific sports earlier; this has the effect of narrowing their range of motor skills as well as limiting their ultimate development in their chosen sport. The key is to do what is natural and playful first. If you watch children play in their natural environment they perform amazing feats of strength relative to their bodyweight. They push, pull, jump and throw with ease. If the object is too heavy they leave it alone. Nobody has to tell them it’s too heavy! No one has to instruct on technique, they put their body into positions that are natural to achieve the desired outcome.

We must really rethink how we look at strength, how we characterize it. There is no doubt that the growing and developing athlete should strength train. Over the years the benefits that have I have seen far outweigh any possible negatives. As I consider the various pros and cons I am increasingly aware that it is more a controversy regarding methodology and methods than whether or not the growing athlete should strength train. The most common questions are: When should they begin? How should they begin? How much should they do? How should they progress? These are all legitimate questions that I will answer in the course of this article.

Some of the controversy results from unclear definition and confusion of terms. Strength training and weight training are not synonymous. Weight training is part of strength training (resistance training). Strength training is an umbrella term that encompasses a spectrum of resistance modes from bodyweight gravitational loading on through to traditional weight training and Olympic weight lifting. All the modes are appropriate if utilized properly and are carefully taught as part of a progression over the course of the growing athletes development. The key to all of this is to start where you can succeed with bodyweight gravitational loading and then to progressively add resistance as the growing athlete adapts to the stimulus of the current mode of strength training.

There are definite gender differences in regard to the need, response and adaptation to strength training. The growing female athlete is physically more mature than the male athlete at the same chronological age. A good rule of thumb is to consider the female two years advanced in physical development over her male counterpoint at the same age. The percentage of muscle mass is lower in women than in men 30 –35% for the female to 42 – 47% for the male. Generally 11 –13 for girls and 13 – 15 for boys are considered the optimum ages to begin formal training. This usually coincides with puberty where the production of anabolic hormones is considerably increased. The female must strength train earlier and keep the strength train threaded throughout the training year because of the differences in muscle mass and testosterone levels.

It is also important to consider motivation, emotional maturity, and cognitive development. These are essential qualities in taking instruction and following directions and the ability to follow a set prescribed program.

Beware of one-sided training biased toward heavy lifting. This can have a negative effect as it takes the strength component out of context. The growing athlete can lift heavy after puberty. I tend toward to side of conservatism regarding heavy lifting before puberty. I know that the Bulgarian lifters are cited as example of this approach, but what we now know of their drug biases in their programs. We must take this information with a huge grain of salt. The growing athlete can begin to Olympic lifting as their chosen sport, but I still think a sound base of fitness and physical activity will allow the young athlete to reach a higher level of performance in their later peak athletic years.

Develop strength relative to the demands of the sport, the position or event in the sport and the qualities of the individual athlete. The goal is to think long term. Progressively develop a base of general strength progressing to maximal strength development in sports where overcoming external resistance is necessary

Strength Training and The Growing Athlete – Part One

The common myths about strength training the growing athlete are:

Before puberty the young athlete cannot put on muscle mass or make significant strength gains because of the lack of androgenic hormones

It stunts growth because of stress on the growth plates

It will limit flexibility and hinder skill development as well

Over the years these myths have grown without any basis in fact. Anecdotal evidence gathered over the years by coaches who work with young growing athletes completely refute each of these myths. In fact in each case the opposite is true. The growing athlete who undertakes a comprehensive progressive resistance program will incur fewer injuries than their counterparts who do not strength train. The myths are usually propagated because the popular press goes to so-called experts for advice, usually doctors, who have no actual experience working with growing athletes. Typically the parent is referred to the family physician that has no background in exercise or training. This was certainly not part of their medical training.

Growing children and developing athletes are not miniature adults. Sometimes we are fooled by appearance. After puberty when the athlete’s linear growth is greatest they look like adults, but they are still growing, therefore copying programs from mature athletes can eventually lead to problems with injury and overuse. The principles governing strength training are the same for the growing athlete or the mature athlete.

Train movements not muscles -The brain does not recognize individual muscles, it recognizes patterns of movements Therefore for optimum return in terms of strength gain and actual transfer to coordination we want to train movements. We do not want to isolate out specific muscles because that creates neural confusion and we want to create an awareness of the whole body and how the parts work together to produce efficient movement. A popular of expression is to train the go muscles not the show muscles.

Train Core before extremity strength - The core – the hips, abdomen and the low back – is the relay center of the body. Without a strong and stable core to as a transmission to transfer force produced off the ground or from above by the upper extremities it is virtually impossible to produce efficient movement there forte functional core training in standing positions that put the body perpendicular to gravity are the foundation of the growing athletes strength development program. Core training is part of every session.

Train Body weight before external resistance - We must start with the ability to handle bodyweight, overcome gravity and effectively interact with the ground. The basic principle then is bodyweight before external resistance. The growing athlete must be able to effectively handle bodyweight in a variety of movements and specific exercises before even thinking about any significant external loading. How do you do this? The basic bodyweight exercises are pull-ups, pushups, dips, rope climb, crawling, body weight squats, lunges and step-ups. Use your creativity and imagination to design exercises and routines that incorporate the following fundamental movements: swinging, pulling, pushing, reaching, extending, bending, jumping, hopping and bounding. Work against gravity with the bodyweight as resistance will strengthen the bones, tendons, and ligaments and muscles in preparation for further external loading work to follow. Think of it as a small upfront investment for a large backend return. Every exercise regardless of the age of the developing athlete should incorporate multi-joint and multi-plane exercises. Starting with bodyweight only serves to reinforce the concept of total chain training that essentially means that the body is a kinetic chain with all the links connected to produce efficient motion. Starting with bodyweight serves to allow the growing athlete to gain awareness of their body. It serves to improve coordination and recruitment. I feel that it increases self-confidence and self-image. There is no doubt that strength gains will be reflected in better skill acquisition and development. As the athlete grows strength as measured by the ability to handle body weight should increase commensurate with growth.

Train Strength before strength endurance - Initial strength gains are neural; essentially the initial strength gains come from learning the movements. There is plenty of time to incorporate strength endurance once a good foundation of strength has been established. The primary means of developing strength endurance is through circuit training.

Over the years I have learned to beware of artificial limitations imposed by so called experts who probably have never worked day to day with the growing athlete. The growing athlete is highly adaptable provided the stress is carefully applied in a progressive manner after a sound fitness base has been established. Once again the level of expectation determines the level of achievement. Often times you get what you look for. If a proper sensible criteria based progression is followed then strength training is a very appropriate activity for the growing and developing athlete.