Here’s another case against the old “dump it in” mentality. The saddest part of this is that we have coaches in squirts encouraging kids to dump the puck in.
Archive for May, 2014
Another Vote Against Dump and Chase
Posted in Hockey, Random Thoughts, Training, Youth Training with tags Death of dump and chase hockey on May 30, 2014 by mboyle1959Surviving Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Posted in Guest Authors, Injuries, Low Back Pain, Random Thoughts, Strength Coach Podcast, StrengthCoach.com Updates with tags Anderson Bourell, Travel Tips, Traveling with a bad back on May 29, 2014 by mboyle1959I owe my friend Anderson Bourell for this one. Take a look at the image below. It’s a sock in a tennis ball. My friend Anderson had mentioned keeping a ball in my backpack and doing some self massage in the seat while traveling. This worked out awesome and I would recommend every try it. Just put a tennis ball in your backpack and stick it under a glute or hamstring. I know you are thinking “why the sock”? I one upped Anderson because my mid back was sore and I needed a way to position the ball.
If you coach, get every player a tennis ball and a sock for the next road trip and thank Anderson.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Posted in MBSC News, Seminars, Strength Coach Podcast, StrengthCoach.com Updates, Training on May 28, 2014 by mboyle1959Just got back from an amazing trip to China but, yesterday was the worst travel day of my life and I’ve done some crazy travel.
Left Shandong Province in China at 8:30 AM China time on Tue ( 8:30 PM Monday night in Boston if you want to keep track)
Drove 1 hour to the high speed train station
Took 1.5 hour high speed train ride to Beijing ( picture is fuzzy but thats 294 KPH)
Drove 1 hour from Beijing train station to the Beijing Airport
Flew 13 hours to Detroit, departing at 4:50 PM China time ( over the Polar ice cap) Arrived at 5:40 EST, still Tue ( like getting in a time machine, you travel back in time).
Two hour layover in Detroit turned into 4.
Boarded flight from Detroit to Boston. Arrived at 11:20 PM EST.
Drove 30 minutes to home. Arrived at 12:10.
Elapsed time from start to finish, 27.5 hours.
It’s great to be home.
The plus side is I made some great friends. I want to thanks Tom, Sarah, Dr Liu, Dr Zhiang ( hope I spelled it right) and everyone else who made my trip so amazing.
Developing Ankle Mobility
Posted in Injuries, Strength Coach Podcast, StrengthCoach.com Updates, Training, Training Females, Youth Training with tags Ankle mobility and squatting on May 20, 2014 by mboyle1959Yesterday’s post produced a question about developing ankle mobility so that heel lifts aren’t necessary. Here’s a quick ankle mobility drill. However, I’ll repeat what I said in the comments section. I don’t like to restrict lower body strength development if a person lacks ankle mobility. Lower body strength is the best injury prevention tool in the world.
Learning to Squat
Posted in Injuries, Low Back Pain, MBSC News, Media, Seminars, Strength Coach Podcast, StrengthCoach.com Updates, Training Females, Youth Training with tags Learning to squat on May 19, 2014 by mboyle1959Take a look at some squatting tips we did for Stack Magazine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAu6b-KcK0U
Seeing is Believing
Posted in Injuries, Low Back Pain, MBSC News, Random Thoughts, Strength Coach Podcast, StrengthCoach.com Updates, Training, Training Females with tags Does It Hurt on May 16, 2014 by mboyle1959People lie, even those with the best intentions. This includes most of our clients.
What does this mean? It means that our clients want to work out. When we say “Does It Hurt” ( my favorite article I have ever written), they lie. However, look at the quote below.
“what you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say” ( maybe an Emerson quote?)
I teach our coaches and trainers to watch clients more than listen to them. Often times we say ‘did that hurt” and the client responds with a no. The client then walks away rubbing their shoulder or their back. What they do speaks so loudly it makes me question what they say! I implore the coaches/ trainers to ask again and then again. Often, the client comes around and admits to some degree of discomfort.
I think a big key as a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach is to watch as much as listen. Watch every client not just during the set but, after the set. What is their reaction? Is it a hand on a shoulder, or a hand on a knee? Maybe it’s two hands in the small of the back? All of these actions tell us in a non-verbal way that something is not quite right.
The truth is that clients appreciate when you catch them in a lie. It shows you care and it shows you are paying attention. If you really want to keep your clients healthy you need to tune into their body language as much as their verbal language.
Remember, “what you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say”.
Want to learn more commons sense training ideas? Take a look at Functional Strength Coach 5.
If You Buy One Bottled Water, Buy a Case
Posted in Nutrition, Random Thoughts, Strength Coach Podcast, StrengthCoach.com Updates, Training on May 14, 2014 by mboyle1959This is my new policy. If I walk into my local Mobil station to buy a water I always grab a case instead. $5.99 a case and $1.09 for one? Does that make any sense? After I drink 6 I can just give the rest away. It’s just the principle to me.
How Many Reps for Olympic Lifts?
Posted in Injuries, Low Back Pain, MBSC News, Media, Random Thoughts, Strength Coach Podcast, StrengthCoach.com Updates, Training, Training Females, Youth Training with tags High rep Olympic lifting, Should I do Olympic lifts for high reps on May 13, 2014 by mboyle1959I received this question yesterday
“Wondering where you think olympic lifts fit into the strength/power equation…should there be a limit to weight/ repetitions for those trying to gain speed/strength for field sports?”
Lets start with question 1- where do Olympic lifts fit in the strength/ power equation?
A- I love the Olympic lifts for athletes, I do not love them for adults. Our philosophy is all about risk-benefit ratio. Risk-benefit is like a scale and we don’t want risk to outweigh benefit. For young healthy athletes I think Olympic lifts are one of the best things you can do. We do modify our lifts however. We do only hang cleans from above the knee and close grip hang snatches also from above the knee. We never Olympic lift from the floor and never use a snatch grip.
Q- Should there be a limit to weight?
A- I think the weight limit is based on common sense and what I like to call the S _ it Test. If it looks like S _ it the weight is too heavy. Olympic lifting should be smooth and athletic. Power is about bar speed, not weight on the bar. It’s about how fast you move the weight, more than how much weight you move.
Q- How about a rep limit.
A- This is the loaded question and I left it to last on purpose. I have said this over and over. No more than six reps in the Olympic lifts. I know this will piss of the Crossfit crowd ( hence my loaded question lead in) but, the Olympic lifts are highly technical and do not lend them selves to high reps. I know I’ll get the obligatory Crossfit rebuttals in the comments but, the “no high rep Olympic lifting” thing has been around a lot longer than Crossfit. Also, in your comments please don’t quote any Olympic lifting expert who gets paid to teach Crossfitter’s. I see that as a conflict of interest.
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