S&C in a High School Football Setting

This past month I have been grinding day in and day out to learn as much as I could working with a high school football team. Unfortunately it has taken me away from my blog content, until now. Fortunately, I have taken away so much more experience and knowledge that I can now share with my followers.

1. START WITH THE BASICS
Any solid S&C professionals know that the more individualized a program is for an athlete, the better you can address their needs/wants. The only problem is that as your numbers increase your coaches to athlete ratio can exceed a manageable number. The danger then becomes not being able to correct an cue every athlete appropriately.
So how do you approach large team training. You start with the basics. Choose the movements that are of highest value and start everyone at the same level. With any team I might choose to work on a neutral spine, eccentric loading, and mobility of the hips and ankles (leading to oly lifts, squat, hinge, push, pull, etc). Of course the team's past history of training could allow room for other foundational movements to take place. The point being is to start everyone equal and demand them to earn the movement. Some athletes are motor geniuses and might learn this in a week, while others may take a month.

2. LEARN YOUR ATHLETES NAMES
Some of the high school football players enjoy being on the team and only want to earn the jersey to wear every Friday night. That being said, they do not always show up motivated to train as hard as they can. That is an atmosphere that must be created over a period of time. However, by learning a few names and creating somewhat of a relationship with the players will show them you are not just a random coach trying to teach them to lift. We care about their success, safety, and experience in their sport and learning a name can show them you care.

3. BE WILLING TO COACH EVERYTHING
I am specifically talking to the coaches who are not running the training. I spent the first month with the team as an extra coach to help cue our athletes with positioning and technique. One day I could be coaching their hinge or squat station, the next day I might be working with them on their corrective or soft tissue work. Of course and olympic lift takes more coaching and cueing than an ankle mobilization drill, but they are all of importance and someone has to do it. So in everything you do, do it to the best of your abilities. Would I rather coach a higher difficulty lift, sure. But you can bet I will coach a mobility exercise to the best of my ability as well.

4. TEST YOUR ATHLETES
There must be a start and finish in your season, off season, etc. Therefore, you need to test your athletes to give them concrete evidence of the results they are getting from training. Also, coaches needs this in order to study their program and see the reasons why their athletes are or are not getting better. We want our athletes to know that every time we go into the weight room or onto the field it is with a purpose!

Also, here is an extra video of my deadlift update from 3 weeks ago. My goal is 300 by December!

This Week's Must Reads April 7

Here are some great articles to check out from last week!

Prevail Conditioning's Jill Latham shares a video on resistance training and protein intake.

Charles Poliquin on eliminating grains from the diet!

Precision Nutrition posts about nutrition for children. What should they be eating?

Wil Fleming writes an easy "start up" program to Olympic Lifting.

Enjoy this reads and have a great week!

Exercise Helps Cancer Patients

I have the privilege of publishing a guest post today by Melanie Bowen. It is great to submit guest posts every so often and this one is really special. She has done research on the benefits of exercise for cancer patients. This is an important subject and I really think you will all enjoy this. 

Exercise Helps Cancer Patients

It is no secret that there are many benefits of exercise. People are always reminded that exercise can help to reduce stress levels, increase energy levels, allow people to lose weight, and reduce the chances of acquiring diabetes. Until recently, many healthcare advocates encouraged cancer patients to refrain from exercising when they were in the process of getting treated for the disease. The false assumption was that if they did not exercise, they would have more energy to spend doing other things that they needed to do. However, this is no longer the case. Today’s healthcare officials encourage patients to still exercise while they are going through treatment and even after the treatment is completed. Exercise will allow the patients to have more energy, increase their muscle strength, and reduce the chances of the cancer returning; therefore, cancer patients should talk with their doctors about developing a safe exercise routine for them.

Chemotherapy and radiation treatments have the tendency to bring on a lot of fatigue for patients. The fatigue will vary and could even be more severe with certain cancers such as mesothelioma patients. With many patients, the fatigue is extreme and prohibits them from enjoying a good quality of life. Proper exercise can help to combat these effects. By properly exercising, the patients can begin to increase their energy levels, and in return, they will be able to enjoy a more independent and productive life. As the patients exercise, their bodies will release endorphins, which are feel good hormones. Therefore, not only will the patients begin to have more pleasant feelings, but they will also get an energy boost that will allow them to respond better to their cancer treatment.

A second result of cancer treatment is the weakening of bones and muscles, and as a result of this, many patients have been known to experience fractures and not have enough strength to handle the treatment. Both cardio and strength training exercises will help in this situation. These exercises will allow the patients to increase their muscle strength, and in return, their strong muscles will better protect their fragile bones. As the patients become stronger, the inability to respond positively to the treatment will be reduced. 

Chemotherapy and radiation are known to destroy cancer cells, which leaves the possibility of the cancer returning. However, exercise will help to strengthen the immune system, and this will result in the body having a better chance of fighting any cancer cells that may return. Therefore, patients should always be reminded of the importance of exercising during their treatments, but the importance of exercising after the treatment should also be emphasized. 

- Melanie Bowen -