Elite Athletes | Nick Grantham

Archive for elite athletes

Jan

The Zen of Strength and Conditioning: 3-Days To Becoming A Better Coach

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(I'm screwed!)

These days S&C coaches and fitness professionals are in a tough spot. Where do they go to get reliable information that is not only backed by science but also has a firm footing in the real world? More importantly where can they go and actually sit down with the coaches and discover first hand the tried and tested strategies that they've used to get results. You can spend hours trawling through the internet, reading books, watching DVD's but there's nothing quite like taking the opportunity to actually get stuck in. Options are limited because there are a lot of internet gurus out there that are amazing in cyber space but can't actually cut it on the floor in front of clients and athletes.

There's a HUGE difference between knowing and DOING.

You need to get ahead of your competition and search for ways to get the same results in less time. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the huge amount of information out there and are struggling to make sense of it all then the only solution is to simplify.

Myself and Duncan French are once again opening our doors to strength and conditioning coaches, personal trainers, physical therapists, sports therapists, and other health professionals to participate in our Performance Training Mentorship Programme. Whether training high performance athletes, young athletes or weekend warriors, learning our training methodologies will help you raise your level as an achiever in your profession. The 3-day mentorship will change the way you train yourself and your athletes/clients and we will improve your skills as a trainer giving you the confidence to work with anyone, from weekend warriors through to Olympic level athletes.

Get yourself out of that tough spot, simplify your search and make yourself stand out in fiercely competitive market.

Don't just take our word for it…

I spent the best part of yesterday morning with Duncan looking through the applications. It's not too late to apply but before you do make sure you watch the video below…if you don't tick these boxes there's little point! We need passionate people because it's a packed 3-days.

We are almost full for the only 2012 mentorship programme so you need to get a move on (we can take applications until the end of January).

Categories : career, Duncan French, elite athletes, fitness business strategies, functional training, Nick Grantham, programme, Programme design, recovery and regeneration, seminars

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Jan

Up and Running Workshop – Recovery and Regeneration

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Runners – I know you love a bit of volume in your training and wearing that badge of honour on your chest that says I ran loads this week! Well, find out how I can guarantee to boost your performance next season by getting you to do nothing at all – yes – do less and get more……HEAVEN FORBID.

If you live in the North East of England you need to get over to the best Running Shop in Newcastle – Up and Running – Gosforth on Wednesday 7th December at 18:00 for a FREE workshop (people usually pay good money to hear me talk about this stuff and you'll get it for free plus there's some free mince pies knocking about and 20% off shoes, clothing and accessories……plus free gait anaysis! You would be daft to miss it!)

Categories : elite athletes, functional training, injury, Nick Grantham, Programme design, recovery and regeneration, Recovery Pyramid, seminars

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Nov

Programme Design: Sequencing – Superman just doesn’t get it!

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(now is it pants first then the unitard or unitard first then my pant…..damn if only I'd paid attention to Nick Grantham…)

He may have superhuman strength, be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, use x-ray vision to see all the good stuff and fly around the world so fast that he can turn back time, but Superman just didn't get sequencing. The guy walks around with his pants over his leggings – never a good look and a fashion fopar that could have been sorted out if he just took some time to work out what order he got dressed in!

I've spent the past six weeks delivering presentations on strength and conditioning and without doubt one area that leaves people scratching their heads is programme design. Now I'm not suggestion for a minute that it's simple, it's not but there are some things that coaches can do to make more sense of the whole programme design process.

I've put together a short video that will give you some simple questions to ask each time you sit down to write a training programme. The answers you give will then help shape the programme and make light bulbs burn brightly, shedding light on some of the more complex issues.

Watch the video and find out why you need to understand what your training priority is, the impact fatigue has on your programming choices and how adopting a conjugated approach will allow you to optimise your athletes training.

Let me know what you think.

Categories : elite athletes, functional training, Nick Grantham, programme, Programme design

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Nov

Swim Strength…

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In the quest for performance, swimmers typically cover thousands of meters in the pool (and I've still not worked out why 4km in the pool is a sensible distance for shorter distance events) with nothing more interesting to do than look at the ceiling or bottom of the pool. But according I'm going to show you how a properly designed land-based strength and conditioning program is essential too, and simple circuits on the poolside are not enough…

Land work for swimmers is becoming increasingly popular, although it is by no means a new concept. Researchers and swim coaches have been expounding the virtues of ‘land based’ training since the late 1970’s ^{(1,2,3,4,5,6 )}However, many ‘land based’ training programmes that I come across simply don’t hit the mark when it comes producing a really positive impact on performance.

Most coaches pay lip service to strength training by simply ‘bolting on’ a circuit session at the end of one of their pool sessions. Although well intentioned, they try and cover everything from injury prevention and rehab through to power development in one 30-minute training session a week. This is better than nothing and can be a good starting point. However, the purpose of this article is to provide you with an overview of some of the key strength and power development strategies that coaches and swimmers can implement to get maximum bang for their buck.

Sport specific vs. transfer of training effect

Before we discuss the areas that can have the largest impact on swim performance, we need to clear a couple of points up. Sport specific work is the best way to get better at that sport; if you want to be a better swimmer, then swim! But how can you make additional gains when you have maximised your swim time? One way is to add ‘land based’ training. However, the big problem is that coaches often fall into the trap of being ‘sport specific’ when designing their strength training programmes.

The main problem with developing exercises that are really sport specific is that you may be in danger of harming the one thing that you want to improve – swimming technique and performance. For example, an ambitious young coach that I once worked with had developed some sport specific drills replicating the swim strokes in the gym – so much so that he even set a metronome to the exact stroke rate used by the swimmer in the pool to perform each repetition of the strength exercise!

But by getting so close to the actual movement pattern in the gym, you may actually start to interfere with the neural patterns being laid down during swim training and actually make the swim stroke worse. If you want swim specific strength therefore, do it in the pool. Research supports the use of resistance devices in the pool such as the use of a tether, or rope with a sponge attached etc⁽⁷⁾. But just lying on a bench in a gym trying to replicate your freestyle stroke to the sound of a metronome is wasting time and effort. What you should actually be thinking about is the ‘transfer of training effect’ – ie what exercises can I perform that will have transfer over to improved performance in the pool?

Where can the strength coach make a difference in the pool?

Research shows that decreases in swimming speed throughout a race are the result of decreases in the power-producing capacity of the swimmer (fatigue) and swim performance^(8). However, whilst this is an important area to consider when developing a swimming strength training programme, my experience working with elite swimmers indicates that there are two main areas that strength and conditioning coaches should focus on – starts and turns.

The training methodology here will not only improve your swimmers explosive power so that they can get off the blocks at the start of the race and explode off the wall at every turn, it will also have a positive impact on power production during the actual stroke, as well as injury prevention and rehabilitation. Research carried out in the former Soviet Eastern Block confirms that explosive strength is vital for the swimmers seeking a fast starting take-off, and strong push-offs with the legs on the turns⁽⁹⁾.

(if you start right….)

How do we improve strength and explosive power?

Almost all muscles are used in swimming, from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. This is exactly how you need to develop the strength and power required to get off the blocks and out of the turns as quickly as possible. Isolation exercises are a waste of time, because this is not how the body works. Box 1 below provides just four exercises that all help develop explosive starts and turns.

You will note that all of these lifts are bilateral. I’ve assumed that you will have already developed appropriate levels of unilateral strength before embarking on these more advanced techniques. If you adopt the increasingly fashionable track start for getting of the block then you will want to include several unilateral versions of the lifts described in this section to increase the transfer of training effect.

Squat (front or back, overhead)

While there are many variations, the basic squat is the foundation for nearly every functional movement involved in developing the all-important ‘triple extension’ required for fast starts and quick turns. Not only do you get all of the benefits of the more traditional back squat but you also start to train the recovery phase of the power clean (another core lift for developing explosive power).

Deadlift

Another great exercise for developing the strength needed to go from a ‘dead’ start, as well as being the start point for the key Olympic lifts such as the power clean. Deadlifts are a simple exercise really, made difficult by over-trying and over-thinking:

Jump Squats

The jump squat is a great exercise in its own right, but can also be used with a conventional squat as part of a squat ‘complex’ or ‘superset’ (ie perform a set of squats then with minimal rest, perform a set of jumps squats). Using complexes allows you to develop the strength qualities of the lower body using the squat and then exploit the explosive properties of the lower limb using the explosive squat. You can use bodyweight or external loads (barbell/dumbbells), just make sure you don’t compromise technique for load.

Stiff-leg Deadlift

This is an advanced lift and requires great hip/hamstring flexibility and the ability to maintain normal spinal curvature. It’s an excellent choice for developing the swimmers posterior chain.

Olympic Lifts

We can’t talk about explosive power development for swimming without discussing the Olympic lifts. A lot has been said about the efficacy of the Olympic Lifts (clean, jerk and snatch), and whether or not they have a role to play in the development of sport specific power.

I like to use these lifts with swimmers, but they are advanced lifts. If you are not confident in the coaching of these advanced lifts you will still be able to develop power using the four lifts outlined earlier in. They are important lifts for developing triple extension but it is important to realise that they are not the be all and end all.

Programming

Simply having a collection of exercises that you can use as a coach to develop your swimmers strength and power is a bit like having a recipe and only knowing the ingredients. What you need to know is how to put it all together – how much of each ingredient should you use, in what order and for how long.

The key thing to remember when putting together a strength program for a swimmer is that it is not your job as the strength and conditioning coach to overload the swimmer with even higher volumes of training. Your swimmers’ strength programs should focus on developing strength and explosive power, which means, high intensity and low volume training. Box 2 (below) shows how these exercises can be combined:

Programme Design Principles

Sets

When developing strength and power, your swimmers should be working low reps, which means they will be able to use more sets. You should be looking at no more than 20 sets per training session, which limits swimmers to around 4-7 exercises per training session (that’s why you need to pick exercises that are whole body to give you maximum impact). Remember you are not ‘isolating’ muscles, so there should not be lots and lots of exercises in this type of programme.

Reps

Your swimmers will be working within the 1-8 rep range. If they are developing ‘absolute’ strength they will work at the top end of the rep range (between 5-8 reps). To improve their relative strength, they will need to be working at the bottom end of the rep range (between 1-4 reps). The total number of reps for a session will be between 12-100 reps.

Recovery

Strength and power development is intense. The very nature of this type of training requires greater recovery periods for the musculoskeletal and neural systems. Anything from 2-5 minutes recovery between sets is acceptable.

Training tempo

Most programmes I see begin and end with the above three programming principles. A lot of coaches neglect the importance of lifting tempo. For muscles to develop strength, they need to spend time under tension (TUT). Tempo is simply a method that good coaches use to adjust the duration of the rep (ie TUT).

It is typically written as a three digit formula: Eccentric: Isometric pause: Concentric. When it comes to strength development the TUT for a lift may look like 2 0 1 (3 second lift with a longer eccentric phase, no pause and a quick concentric phase. If performing an explosive movement you may simply use an ‘X’ to indicate that the exercise is performed as quickly as possible.

Is the use of tempo necessary? Some will argue that it over complicates the programme, but my argument is that at the very least it informs the coach and swimmer how you want the reps to be completed. There is a huge difference in training effect if you complete a squat with an X 0 1 tempo compared to a 3 2 3 tempo. The first will develop explosive strength; the second will develop control and stability!

Summary

As a coach you need to start thinking about how dry land training can influence swim performance, decide on the exercises you are going to use to develop the appropriate strength and power qualities, before finally putting it all together using the training principles outlined in this article. Circuit based training sessions still have a place in the overall swimming programme, but you should be thinking about incorporating some of the lifts outlined in this article into a specific strength and power training session.

References

1. NSCA J; 1 (3): 8–11, 1979

2. NSCA J; 3 (5): 36–46, 1981

3. NSCA J; 2 (1): 24–26, 1980

4. NSCA J; 6 (2): 48–51, 1984

5. NSCA J; 9 (3): 38–41, 1987

6. J Strength Conditioning Research; 8 (4): 209–213, 1994

7. J Strength & Conditioning Research; 20 (3): 547–554, 2006

8. Med & Sci in Sports & Exer; Sept 38 (9). 1635-1642, 2006

9. NSCA J; 8 (2): 56–57, 1986

Categories : coaching, elite athletes, functional training, intensity, Nick Grantham, programme, Programme design, swimming, triathlon

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Nov

I Pity The Fool…

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(I pity the fool that doesn't sign up to Nick and Duncs mentorship programme – urghhh)

OK, I'm sorting out a few bits and pieces before I head down to the UKSEM Conference in London where I'll be delivering two workshops. I'm really looking forward to this conference, it was cracking last year and the line up for 2011 is pretty damn good (no wonder it's Europe's largest sports science and medicine conference).

Anyway, I said last week that I'd finally managed to get Duncan French to fix some dates in his diary so that we could deliver our second mentorship programme.

We ran one back in September 2010 and it went down a storm, so much so that we intended to run another one in 2011 but our schedules went crazy and we just couldn't get three days where both of us would be in Newcastle at the same time. So, we've managed to set a date for 2012.

March 30th – April 1st 2012

(now do you see the link between the date and Mr T's famous catchphrase – I don't just make this stuff up as I go along you know!)

This is going to be the only mentorship programme that we run in 2012 (Duncan is flat out working wonders with Newcastle United and I'll be AWOL between May-August preparing the GB Basketball team for the Olynmpics).

We can’t accept applications for the Spring programme after the 15th January 2012 and the next programme won’t run until 2013, so check out what we are going to cover in March and get yourself up to Newcastle for 3-days of hands on learning, backed up with solid theories and principles.You may even get time to have a night oot on the toon!

If you are thinking about booking on then follow this link for full details of the programme. If you have any questions you can fire them over to me on this e-mail address info@nickgrantham.com

>>>Performance Training Mentorship Programme<<<

I'm not going to do some long sales page – not my style. Bottom line is that if you want to learn directly from two coaches that are out there delivering on a day to day basis rather than a here today gone tomorrow internet guru you'll sign up! Simple.

Here's what the 2010 intake thought of the 3-days.

You'll all know my credentials but if you want to find out more about Duncan check out his website www.duncanfrench.com where you can check out his background and see that he is the real deal!

Categories : career, coaching, Duncan French, elite athletes, fitness business strategies, functional training, Nick Grantham, programme, Programme design, recovery and regeneration, seminars

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Nov

Tool Boxes – Haynes Manuals and Coaching Workshops

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I'm currently right in the middle of a pretty busy speaking schedule which thankfully eases up just in time for Christmas (sorry for saying the C word in November) and I've been beavering away this week, sorting out the next couple of months speaking schedule. You can take a look at how the next couple of months are shaping up and see if I'm going to be visiting a town near you! Anyway I Last weekend I travelled down to London to catch up with Jean Claude Vacassin (JC) and Sebastian Cormier (everyone in London has fancy Dan names!) to deliver a 2-day workshop.

JC and Seb are both based in London (JC – W10 Performance and Seb – Marylebone Physiotherapy and Sports Medicine) and figured it would make perfect sense to organise a 2-day workshop for their colleagues. Day 1 was all about rehab and reconditioning, aimed squarley at the physio's, pilates instructors and sports therapists based at Marylebone Physio (we had a bunch of S&C coaches and PT's in the mix too!) whilst on the second day we mixed it up and looked at Performance Based Training and how to optimise the training process, whether you were working with athletes, or general population. What I liked about this workshop was that it was hosted in a training venue with the coaches that operate out of them. We weren't stuck in a conference facility, we we're in the gym, on the floor, getting stuck in. What a fantsastic venue as well, W10 Performance is the brain child of JC and he's worked incredibly hard since attending my 3-day mentorship programme here in Newastle to revolutionise how he delivers coaching to the great and good of west London. The gym is buzzing nicely and I've come away from the workshop with some useful tips from JC and his team (every day is school day).

Anyway, I'm waffling! On the train ride back to Newcastle I had time to reflect on the weekend and work out exactly what we had achieved. On reflection, the key message that I delivered was this:

I know I'm not the first person to use this quote bit it hits the nail nicely on the head. We spent pretty much the whole weekend talking about training 'principles' and hardly looked at specific 'techniques' (although we had some fun during the Saturday practical looking at some of my favourite training techniques).

Why did we spend so much time on what is often thought to be the 'boring stuff"?

Well, there's no point simply picking up techniques without understanding the principles that allow you to apply them and get results.

Imagine I'm a mechanic and I've been given the task of stripping and rebuilding an engine. Where would I start? Well if I take the approach that a lot of fitness professionals adopt, I would start by picking up lots of training techniques. This is a bit like the mechanic opening up a nice shiny toolbox packed with loads and loads of tools. It looks good, but to be honest I have no idea what most of the tools do or how to use them. Even worse, I focus in on one tool/training technique (heaven forbid you become the kettlebell guy etc)…what is it they say, if you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail! Sound familiar? I see people hitting the streets on a regular basis with a good knowledge base on all the latest training techniques but without a clue on how to use them.

So here I am with lots of techniques but no idea how to apply them.

(Impressive toolbox!)

The next step is to get some instructions. As a mechanic with loads of tools I reach for my trusty Haynes Manual to work out how to strip an engine. Now, I'm of a certain age where I've actually stripped an engine with my dad on our driveway and I can tell you that whilst the manual is helpful, it's not a bit like real life! The reality is that it's bloody messy, fiddly and never goes according to plan…oh and you always have nuts and bolts left over at the end!

This is the next stage where coaches go wrong. They are still focusing on instructions on how to execute techniques. DVD's, training manuals, equipment workshops etc all add some knowledge to show you how to use a technique, but they still miss the most important thing.

PRINCIPLES.

Coaches understand what to use (the techniques) and how to use them but they fail to appreciate the WHY.

This is what we spent 2-days covering in the Integrated Performance Training workshop. I spoke, at length, about the fundamental training principles because this is the missing link that I'm seeing over and over again in newly qualified fitness professionals. They know what a vibration platform looks like and how to swing off a suspension trainer. They may even know how to follow a programme that they've picked up in a training manual but where they struggle is to understand and appreciate the FUNDAMENTAL TRAINING PRINCIPLES that make sense of everything we are trying to do as a coach. You need to understand WHY you are doing something if you really want to have an impact.

The problem is that learning WHY (the principles) ain't sexy….so why bother.

Well, Ralph Waldo Emerson can tell you why.

The path to being a great coach is to truely understand the fundamentals of your profession – forget about filling your toolbox full of tools – they're no use unless you understand the how's and more importantly the WHY's.

See what coaches think when you spend time to show them the fundamentals…

Untitled from Nick Grantham on Vimeo.

Categories : coaching, elite athletes, fitness business strategies, functional training, Nick Grantham, programme, Programme design, seminars

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Oct

Combat Training For Rugby

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Craig White (former National Squad Performance Manager for the Welsh Rugby team) recently contacted me to give me the heads up on a workshop taking place in December. This is going to be a great workshop and I'm sure it will be of interest to many of you.

Just in case you don't know who Craig is here's a brief overview of his career (it's not a bad CV!)

Craig was recruited in May 2008 by the Welsh Rugby Union as conditioning coach to complete the national squad coaching team. He then took on the position of National Squad Performance Manager.

He was previously Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Leicester Tigers and has worked at the top level with the Irish Rugby Union, London Wasps and the 2005 and 2009 British & Irish Lions. He worked with Warren Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley at Wasps at a time when the club won the European Challenge Cup, Heineken Cup and three Premiership titles. While working at Leicester, the club won the EDF Energy Cup, the Premiership title and reached the Heineken Cup final.

He has an impressive track record in top class soccer with Bolton Wanderers and has studied with experts from many other sports including athletics, power lifting and AFL. He played amateur rugby league for Great Britain before moving into the strength and conditioning side of coaching with Waterloo.

So now you've got an idea of the caliber of Craig you know this is going to be an information packed day.

Here's an overview of what you're going to learn:-

Understand exactly why the area of combat conditioning is the 'King of Fatigue' in both Rugby League and Rugby Union.
Understand how to break down combat conditioning into many sub components to make it easier to implement into your existing program
Experience what it feels like to perform these drills yourself and coach them to others.
Add to your coaching drills toolbox giving you more variety in your training prescription
Learn how to safely coach these drills so that they may be done not only with senior players but also with children and youth players.

Treat yourself to an early Christmas present and get yourself along to what promises to be a great workshop.

Venue:	Warrington R.L Gymnasium, University of Chester, Fearnhead Campus, Crab Lane, Cheshire
Date:	23rd December – 9:30 to 18:00
Cost:	£325 per delegate (£275 if paid up before October 31st)

If you want to reserve a space then you need to get in touch with Craig
email: info@whitehealthandperformance.com
or cwfootballscience@hotmail.com

Categories : career, coaching, Combat sports, elite athletes, functional training, injury, intensity, Nick Grantham, Programme design, rugby, seminars

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Oct

Productive Practice – The Bittersweet Spot

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One of my all time favourite books is the Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. The book went AWOL in my house for a while and then appeared back in my bookshelf yesterday (my wife had been reading it!). It prompted me to take another look through and look specifically at the parts I had scribbled next to, underlined and highlighted. One of the sections discussed the importance of PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE and coincidentally I had a great example of this very issue this morning.

One of my former clients that trained with me for a couple of years before moving away from the area was back for a few days and popped in to train. He had been working on his Olympic lifts and wanted me to cast my eye over his technique. He had a decent amount of load on the bar and proceeded to run through the snatch and clean and jerk.

Now, anyone that has ever worked with me knows that I'm not a "Cheerleader" (I love that phrase – thanks Keir!) and I will tell you what you need to know rather than what you would like to hear. The client was hoping for affirmation that his lifts were good but the bottom line was they were not. They weren't terrible, but they weren't good. Whilst he was a bit miffed he understood the value of the coaching he was getting because unlike a lot of people that train, he understood the importance of PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE.

So what is PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE? Well, Daniel Coyle explains it nicely in his book, so over to Daniel!

..as I travelled to various talent hotbeds, I asked people for words that described the sensations of their most productive practice. Here's what they said:

ATTENTION

CONNECT

BUILD

WHOLE

ALERT

FOCUS

MISTAKE

REPEAT

TIRING

EDGE

AWAKE

This is a distinctive list. It evokes a feeling of reaching, falling short, and reaching again…deep practice is not simply about struggling; it's about seeking out a particular struggle, which involves a cycle of distinct actions.

1. Pick a target.

2. Reach for it.

3. Evaluate the gap between the target and the reach.

4. Return to step one.

(here is a list of words I didn't hear: natural, effortless, routine, automatic)

So the next time you are training or coaching make sure you are productive. There's no point just going through the motions, grunting the load up with crappy technique, working within your comfort zone, doing the things you like to do and ignoring the drills and techniques that will actually make you a better coach or athlete.

Sure we should enjoy training but it shouldn't always be fluffy and sugar coated. Danial Coyle notes that "judging by the facial expressions that he saw in the talent hotbeds , the SWEET SPOT might better be named the bittersweet spot!" My client this morning certainly had that expression on his face, but like anyone who 'gets it', he's acquired a taste for it and understands that if he is to really improve he needs to have honest feedback. The session this morning was a great example of PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE. He had his target, he reached for it, I made it very clear to him the gap between the target and his reach and we went back to step one. That was a good session – I didn't slap him on the arse and shout "good job!" and wave my pom-poms around (I've not got pom-poms by the way…well not at the gym!). I coached and he practiced – productively.

Categories : career, coaching, elite athletes, functional training, intensity, psychology

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Sep

Connections, Spinning Plates and Cheerleaders

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Some people just keep popping up on my radar and over time they prick my interest. Keir Wenham-Flatt is one of those coaches (not least because he has a funky name!). We’ve bounced a few e-mails back and forth and I recently read a great post that fits in rather nicely with a lot of my recent posts regarding breaking in and forging a career as an S&C coach. Keir has recently done what a lot of the young aspiring coaches that write to me are trying to do – GET A FOOT IN THE DOOR. In this guest post Keir will share with you some of the key lessons he’s picked up during the past 12 months. Over to Keir.

In July 2010 I took a gamble. I left my comfortably paid job as a personal trainer, moved away from my relatively new girlfriend to the most expensive city in the country, to work a full time, unpaid internship for London Wasps. It was a long 12 months, but in the end I was fortunate enough to have my services retained. I learned a bunch of lessons along the way, the top 7 of which are featured below.

Many great articles have been written chronicling peoples experiences as interns and the lessons they have taken from working within the profession. The most recent of these was a fantastic multi-part series by John Annillo that I took a wealth of valuable information from. This article is my homage to his and those that went before; my attempt to organise my thoughts, to pay it forward and add to the pile of existing information.

(I got hired and I couldn’t be happier…. honest!)

Lesson 1- It’s all about who you know

Professional sport is no different to any other industry. People do business with, give jobs to and recommend people who they know and like. For better or worse your prowess in your chosen field often won’t even come into the equation. For a long time I had a chip on my shoulder about this issue. I told myself that I could reach my goals but just being good at what I did. Big mistake.

A year of working within a small industry with precious few jobs quickly wised me up to the value of relationships. The more people who you are able to help and be valuable to, the faster you will progress in nearly all aspects of your development. You can learn this either by sitting on the sidelines watching your less qualified, but better connected peers pass you by, or by getting your head into Keith Ferrazzi’s fantastic book “Never Eat Alone”. I’ve tried both and I know which I would recommend!

(The name of the game)

Lesson 2- It’s all about what you know

“Surely a contradiction?!” I hear you say. Perhaps, but both lessons 1 and 2 are of equal, vital importance. Sure, the span and quality of your network of relationships with well connected people will get you through the door. But lack the necessary skill as a coach and you will soon be leaving through that same door with your reputation tarnished. Scores of books have been written on what makes a good coach, but here’s a quick breakdown of the things I admire in other coaches:

Book smarts- having a balanced, deep and scientifically current knowledge of physical preparation.

Coaching smarts- things like being able to put the theory into practice, manage and motivate a group, and get the best out of your athletes whilst keeping them injury free.

Walking the walk- keeping yourself in good physical condition, have competed as an athlete to a decent standard and be able to kick your athlete’s asses in at least one area or physical test. It shows you are serious about what you do and can be useful in getting athletes ‘on side’.

A proven track record- having a long list of previous or current high achieving colleagues and athletes who speak highly of you as a professional.

Lesson 3- If you don’t want it somebody else does

Learning from others has taught me that to reach the higher levels of any field requires years of dedication. I cannot speak for others but my internship was, at times, extremely tough. I lost a couple of thousand pounds that I didn’t have to lose, had to work up to 3 part time jobs at any one time and a 15 hour day became the norm… all to keep my head above water.

I would be lying if I said I hadn’t considered quitting at some point. Thankfully I persevered. I told myself “You have set yourself the goal of finishing this internship. This is the price of achieving that goal. If that price is too high then f**k off and move aside, because there are plenty of people out there willing to pay it.” Remember, if you are any place worth being, somebody out there wants to be where you are. Just make sure you are willing to pay a higher price for it and you will stay there.

(How my internship felt at times…)

Lesson 4- Some people just don’t get it

I think it was the late Charlie Francis that first remarked that in any group of athletes, individuals will fall into one of 3 categories. Firstly, the gifts: these guys have physical talent coming out of their ears, and will take to any drill you task them with like a duck to water. Second is the normal human beings: these people take a little longer to get up to speed but eventually get there. Lastly, the problem children: no matter what you do, no matter how you tweak an exercise or try to correct their form, they just don’t seem to get ‘it’.

I can confirm this observation is certainly true in rugby union. Even at the professional level, I have witnessed players that were able to dominate opponents on the field yet move with all the coordination of a drunken baby giraffe in the weight room. My advice: don’t be afraid to barbecue the odd sacred cow when it comes to these guys. For example leg presses may be far more appropriate than squatting at times for athletes like this.

Lesson 5- The concurrent approach is King for rugby athletes

The old proverb says “Many roads lead to Rome”, and how you organise your athlete’s training is no different. Each periodisation scheme has its merits and it’s pitfalls. Yet my experiences over the past year have lead me to conclude that the concurrent approach (synonymous with the training of Westside Barbell) is King for rugby athletes.

The breadth of the motor demands of rugby union is so great that any other system of training is rendered unfeasible. ‘Western’ periodisation and other approaches like block periodisation were all developed with nice, predictable sports in mind and in disciplines with a fairly narrow band of motor demands. A rugby player on the other hand must exhibit the highest possible development of all strength qualities, all 3 energy systems and other biomotor abilities in a largely unpredictable playing environment. Toss in 40 games a season, injuries, travel and a schedule that can change at the whim of senior coaches and the concurrent approach soon emerges as the most suitable candidate.

For an in-depth exploration of the various popular approaches to periodisation check out this helpful article by Serbian physical preparation coach, Mladen Jovanovich: http://tinyurl.com/433rec4.

(Training for rugby can be like spinning plates)

Lesson 6- Olympic lifts are for Olympic lifters

During my internship, in rugby union and the Strength & Conditioning community at large I encountered on repeated occasions the dogmatic assertion that athletes should perform the Olympic lifts. James Smith of Juggernaut Training Systems has written at length on this subject here, and through my own experiences I can only echo his sentiments:

In contact sports the shoulder takes a battering on a daily, if not weekly basis. Loading an already sore shoulder with lots of weight in an anatomically precarious position like that seen in the lifts is plain stupid.

Perhaps 95% of coaches perform the lifts with subpar form themselves. If you suck at something, your athletes will probably suck at it too. I suck at the Olympic lifts, so I don’t teach them to my athletes.

The learning curve with the Olympic lifts is a slow one. Spending months trying to perfect an athlete’s technique when preseason is maybe only 8 weeks long is a foolish way to spend precious training time.

Olympic Lifts are not the only way to develop speed strength. The dynamic effort method, medicine ball drills and jump variations are all easier on the joints and take little time to perfect- good news for athletes with limited training time and for coaches who have to be technical models. Save the Olympic lifts for Olympic lifters.

Lesson 7- Coaches not cheerleaders

(THIS IS NOT HOW TO DO IT!)

Top coaches and authors alike agree that atmosphere is key when it comes to developing excellent athletes. If you can create an environment where people bring out the very best in each other and continually raise the bar, the rest is just detail. I agree, but this cannot come at the expense of proper technique- a scenario I have encountered on a number of occasions when visiting other clubs and weight rooms in the past year.

Athletes need coaches, not cheerleaders. Searching the magic words “power clean school record” on Youtube will soon give you a flavour of what I’m talking about: coaches and team members surrounding their stand out player, whooping and hollering, whilst he reverse-curl-sumo-squats the bar up with a degree of knee valgus that makes you wince just watching it.

Injured players do not win games, so be a coach first and a cheerleader second.

Great article and wise words for someone just breaking into the industry. If you enjoyed this guest post from Keir, take a look at his site www.trainingbykeir.co.uk