Strength Coach

This is basically the text for our first intern meeting

Welcome to the most exciting part of our year. I hope everyone is as excited and as nervous as I am. Be prepared. You are going to learn a ton if you open your mind. Think 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 mouth. That is a 4-1 ratio of observation to spoken word. Save your words for the floor.

Things may not not go as smoothly as we would like. I know that. It is not what happens that matters but, how we deal with what happens.

- Remember, this is a performance and the audience is what matters.

- This week may be lighter in the AM as kids are still in school..

I want this meeting to be positive but, there will probably be more don'ts than dos.

I love the summer. It is the heart of what we do. Days are long and rewarding. Careers are made, lives are changed.

Pay attention.

“There are thousands of ways to screw up and most could be avoided by more attention to detail”

Harvey McKay

Big Things to Remember

“Good is the Enemy of great”

Jim Collins- Good to Great

These are the things I want you to think about this summer.
Good enough is not good enough.
Strive for perfection.
Think to yourself “would I show it on video at a clinic?”
Would I upload it to YouTube?
I want you to watch your group and think “Wow, I should video that!”

You will be judged!

Olympic lifting technique ( elbow position, bar speed)

Squat form and squat depth

Head position in pushups

Back position in dumbbell rows

Demo-Demo-Demo ( you should be sore and tired from the number of reps you do.)

Right- Wrong-Right

Coaching boards! Notes for coaches.

MBSC Goals

Reduce the potential for injury during activity (training & competition)
Increase explosive power and strength
Improve linear and lateral speed, agility, and quickness
Provide an environment that promotes self confidence as well as individual and athletic improvement

Know Your Group

Are they learning or training. Learning is different than training. You may have a mix in each group.

Experienced kids training age <1) are probably training.

Program Design

Principles

Learn the basic exercises first – Proper body weight exercises including squat, push-up, and chin-up.
Begin with simple body weight progressions
1. Week 1, 3 Sets of 8 Reps
2. Week 2, 3 Sets of 10 Reps
3. Week 3, 3 Sets of 12 Reps
4. Week 4, Begin external loading (5 lbs. per week). If unable then use machines or elastic assistance.
Progress from simple to complex
Level 1 to 4 or 5 (For Exercise Progressions see Functional training for Sports or Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities)
- Explosive Movements 1^st- Multi-joint 2^nd- Volume & Intensity Progression
- Body Weight, 8Reps, 10Reps, 12Reps, then external load, generally no less than 5 reps
- Externally Loaded- simple linear PRE based periodization for beginners, undulating program for more advanced athletes

For those with personal training clients try to get your clients to come at 5, 6 or 7. This will decrease impact on the facility. If you have “good” clients who insist on training during peak hours we need to find a way to accommodate them. Let the younger staff members who are not personal training take the early groups. Make money while you can.

If the first group is at 6:30 we will hit capacity at about 7:45. We will be adding 16 athletes every fifteen minutes up to this time. My Pro group may be large and will cause problems.. These guys need to move at a pretty good pace to allow us to get through the weightroom. We will have a constant 100 athletes in the facility until about 2:30. There will be a slight decrease and then we will build to capacity again beginning at 3.

Big points

- With less experienced groups (young females, middle school kids) take your time. Don't worry if everything doesn't get done. We have ten weeks. Teach, and demonstrate. Let them learn by doing.

- In the warm-up the group leader should lead the entire group. You have 30 minutes. Take your time. Leave 6 minutes at the end for med ball and plyos. Plyo boxes should be set up on the outside turf. Mirror everything. Observe your group and figure out what box height will work best and make sure the boxes are ready. Don't lose time by not looking ahead.

- Ideally when lifting we should have a group leader and two interns and or part time staff members. If we have a group of ten the group leader should have four athletes and also oversee the entire sequence. The group leaders job is to teach his athletes and his interns. The program is set up for two sets in week 1. Don't add sets of lower body exercises the kids will be sore enough as it is. In the Olympic lifting time block extra sets are OK as we are trying to acquire technique.

- Regressions will be key. We have set the program up for a slightly more advanced athlete. A couple of points came to mind that I did not cover in the training.

For beginners we should substitute Split Squat for TRX Lunge

We should also teach a two leg bridge before slideboard leg curl as it is actually impossible to do a slideboard leg curl if you don't understand bridge..

Beginners will also need to learn plank prior to rollout.

What is your WHY?
(Why do you want to coach? Why did you get selected for this internship? Why do you want to be here and not somewhere else? Why do you get up in the morning?)

Things I wish I had known when I started here… by Brendon Rearick

“No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
Learn as many names as you can the first week. Introduce yourself to every staff member and athlete starting today.
If you want to be noticed be the first to arrive, the last to leave, and never sit down.
Look the part. Come in clean cut, clean clothes, & clean mouth. Clothes that fit.
Never: cross your arms, lean on the wall, stand over an athlete, turn your back, or sit down when you're on the floor coaching.
Park in back of the building across the street as far down as you can go. Trash never goes in front of the dumpster.
Your workouts are secondary. The athletes & groups come first. No head phones when you workout. If you're on your own do our program! You're here to learn.
The gym runs like a “factory”. The program is written for everyone, it is up to the coach to make changes based on the individual. That is the “art” of coaching.
Being on the floor coaching is your most important job. Your second most important job is to keep the gym clean and in order to keep the “factory” moving.
“You have a choice: you can either look stupid, or remain stupid. I'd much rather look stupid” If you don't know, ask somebody, we are all here to help each other.
Murphy's Law “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”
Coaching hang cleans is one of the hardest things you will do. When it comes to this exercise, coach your ass off. Use your hands, use your progressions, the first answer is usually to take weight off!
The power of 3.Three times a workout each athlete should be: touched (in a non-sexual way), hear their name said, and given praise.
Consider yourself a mentor. Coaching is just one of your job responsibilities. “I am the head mentor or I am the head mentor of the defensive line – a title conveying an undeniable obligation to care for players' welfare, instruct them in virtue, and guide them toward an adulthood of citizenship and contemplation.”

The 100 lb plates never come off the sleds & the ladders can never be tangled. Don't tie a knot in anything
Coach ALL the way down on chin ups!
The shit test: “If it feels like shit, smells like shit, & looks like shit… it probably is shit” Don't just stand there and watch, fix it!
Pair the kids up in 2's, 3's or 4's when they condition. If there is only one kid, or odd numbers, you do it with them. No one conditions alone.
Continuing education, is exactly what it means, continuing. The field is ever changing, no one will ever know everything, and if you think you do, there's the exit.
Memorize all your regressions & progressions as soon as possible. It will make your life much easier.
Use external cues more then you use internal cues. For ex. Say “push the floor away from you!” instead of “extend your hip” when sprinting. Say “break the bar” instead of “externally rotate your hands” when benching.
Making somebody puke is easy, making somebody better is an art.
If you need a day off you must tell us a week in advance. Ken is the first to know, Kevin is second.
We want you to workout AT LEAST 3 times per week. Preferably Mon/Wed/Fri at 1 pm. If you can't make one of these times make sure you make it up on another day
When picking weights think small jumps. For a younger athlete bench press may go something like this: 65x8, 75 x8, 85 x 8. Then add 2.5 or 5 pounds a week. A better athlete: 1 Extra Warm Up Set then 185 x 8, 205 x8, 225 x 8. Then add 5 to 10 lbs a week. In 12 weeks you could theoretically put 60 lbs onto someone's bench!

WHY Examples:

Kevin: "Spread the positive by-products of good coaching and training as far as I can. I use strength and conditioning as my platform to be a positive life force for as many people as possible."

Brendon: “I have devoted my life to strength & conditioning because it is my true belief that: every child has the right grow up well nourished by physical activity and positive reinforcement, while every adult owes it to themselves, and their family, to move well and live well. I want too see people excel in the game of life. I consider myself a mentor… coaching is only one of my many responsibilities.”

Recommended Reading

Strength & Conditioning:

Advances in Functional Training

Assessment & Treatment of Muscle Imbalances

Never Let Go by Dan John

Movement- Gray Cook (PDF)

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers- Robert Sapolsky

MMA Conditioning by Joel Jamieson

Super Training

Smart Moves

Coaching:

Inside Out Coaching - Joe Ehrmann

Anything by John Wooden

How to Win Friends an Influence People- Dale Carnegie

One Minute Manager- Ken Blanchard

Nutrition:

Eat to Live

Why We Get Fat

Wheat Belly

Paleo Solution

Business:

The E-myth - Michael Gerber

Crush It- Gary Vaynerchuck

Never Eat Alone- Keith Ferrazzi

Finances in your 20's

Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties- Beth Kobliner

Self help:

Checklist Manifesto- Atul Gawande

Today Matters by John Maxwell

Man's Search for Meaning- Victor Frankl

Shut up and stop whining - Larry Winget

Stop Worrying & Start Living Dale Carnegie

1^st assignment

Read all the articles below and write one thing you had never thought of and one thing you need to start doing yourself.

Laying the Ground Work http://coachkevcarr.com/2010/12/10/laying-the-groundwork/
Becoming a CNP http://strengthcoachblog.com/2012/05/02/becoming-a-cnp/
Be Memorable http://ronmckeefery.com/be-memorable/

Daily Journal

* Use this journal as an opportunity to record your daily thoughts, questions and experiences throughout the course of your internship. You should be writing something down in your journal everyday. This can serve as a valuable reference so that you can resolve your questions and reflect back on your practical experience. We will review excerpts from our journal notes weekly at our meetings so that the whole group can discuss and learn from them.

Articles

Week 1

Laying the Ground Work http://coachkevcarr.com/2010/12/10/laying-the-groundwork/

Becoming a CNP http://strengthcoachblog.com/2012/05/02/becoming-a-cnp/

Be Memorable http://ronmckeefery.com/be-memorable/

Week 2

10,000 Hours of Fitness http://articles.elitefts.com/business/the-10000-hour-phenomena-if-you-want-more-be-more/

25 Mistake in 25 years http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1475529

MB's Day in the Life http://strengthcoachblog.com/2012/07/12/a-day-in-the-life-repost/

MB's Secrets http://strengthcoachblog.com/2012/08/14/the-secrets/

Week 3

10 Tips for Strength Coaches http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/sports-training/ten-plus-one-tips-for-strength-coaches/