Training an athlete is a little different then training someone for fat loss or just to stay active. It requires a different methodology and much more is taken into account to have them performing at their best. The difference from one athlete to another in a sport is inches or a hundredth of a second so precision and that extra edge is always important. Here are six things  I consider when training my athletes.  Always accepting feedback on my twitter @tempusstrength or email costa@tempusperformance.com

 Don’t mimic sports movements with weight or resistance

Nothing will mess up your athlete more than trying to recreate sports movements with weight or resistance. Two major problems with this approach. The first problem is that some sports movements are extremely dangerous when weighted, you try replicating a throwing motion with a heavy weight and you can kiss your rotator cuff and elbow goodbye. The second problem here is that athletes are finely tuned through years of muscle memory and practice to create a certain motion, once this motion is changed with weight it will disrupt the whole movement, not a good idea.

 When you are training a specific movement (hip rotation, pushing, pulling) make sure to make your exercise biomechanically different so as not to disrupt the sport movement pattern.

Don’t Ignore Nutrition

You would think this one is a no brainer but I don’t know how I often I see kids or even pro’s reaching for a chocolate bar or fast food in between tournaments or on road trips. Goes without saying that you eat like crap – you perform like crap. Make sure your athlete is educated in the basics of nutrition. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist with it but at least know the basics about what an athlete should and should not be fueling their bodies with. Next time instead for reading that book on how to improve your social media standing check out a nutrition book instead.

Don’t Train at the Same Intensity All Year

One common trait I have seen with all successful athletes is that they want to go hard ALL the time and if they don’t they feel as if they haven’t done enough. As coaches, you need to build the trust with the athlete so that they understand that periodization and recovery are critical to them improving. You are doing a disservice to them by going always going hard just so they feel that they are getting their money worth. Once they see the results they will understand that more is not better, better is better.

Don’t Run Your Athlete into the Ground

This is building on point #3. I can’t count the number of times an athlete has come in and just looked wiped out. Either from too much practice, games, trouble with the girlfriend/boyfriend etc. Athletes face many stressors that can tax them out physically and mentally. We as Strength coaches need to know when to push and when to back off. If I see an athlete come in and just look ready to drop I will either just put them through some active recovery work/stretching/prehab or just even send them home to relax. Chances are that extra recovery is just what they need to get them back performing optimally. Rest is not a dirty word and if they are being trained with a proper program and intensity and getting the proper nutrition, rest is the final piece of the puzzle to actually translate that program into measurable and appreciable gains. I drum it into my athletes that you don’t get better during training you get better during rest as that when your body repairs and adapts itself to be ready for the next session/game.

Don’t Underestimate the Value of a Competitive Training Environment

Athletes are competitive. It’s in their nature and is why they are athletes.  Nothing gets them fired up and ready to train more than some friendly competition. I like to integrate or use our finisher as a chance for our guys to compete against each other (prowler times, chin-up reps, medball throw distance etc). I also have a big chalk board with the gym best lifts and everyone loves to get on the board. Does it always fit into our programming? No, but it’s a great team building experience and mental challenge as well as gets the athletes excited about training, which sometimes is the most important thing.

Don’t Follow Fads

If you need to follow one type of training system (Crossfit, kettlebell only, TRX only) then you are doing a disservice to your athletes. Learn about proper athletic training and then use all the tools available. In one session I can use everything from Olympic lifts, to a kettlebell to TRX, it all depends what I’m trying to accomplish and I would never be single minded in my approach.

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   Warm-up (all phases) - Whether it’s a lower body or upper body day, Glute(butt,ass) activation exercises must always be done. 80% of the population will have had a back problem in their lives. This is almost always do to inactive glutes caused by us being a sitting culture (work, TV, video games, computers, school).The fact that we sit all day puts stress on our small lower back muscles and de-emphasizes our hips and much stronger glute muscles. When we reactivate the glutes we teach the body to use the hips and butt as prime movers, this not only decreases lower back injuries but also dramatically increases power output as the hips are the strongest power generators in the body. When you activate the Hips and Glutes your lower back goes back to its original intent which is to brace your spine and be a transport of power rather than a power generator. Some exercises we use include but are not limited to glute bridges, X Band walks, good mornings, walking lunges etc.

  We not only use our warm-up to activate our glutes but to also help groove proper motor patterns with our athletes. Proper movement for an athlete is essential to maintaining good health and performing at your best. We start with exercises that make sure that our body can understand and properly perform in the “athletic position” (see graphic). By working from the proper athletic position it allows the athletic to be in the most efficient possible position to perform any sport specific movements.

We do this by queuing up our athletes in the position and then having them run through a series of warm-up drills (hurdle jumps, speed ladders etc) to make the athletic position muscle memory.

And finally we also use our warm-up to rehab any soft tissue injuries and also “prehab” by doing soft tissues work as well as specific stretches to keep our joint s and tendons healthy and get ready for the workout ahead.

This is just a basic template of what we do with our athletes. Building an athlete from the ground up is a long complicated process that involves an understanding of bio mechanics, anatomy, sports and physiology. It is not found in a weekend certification course. The body is a complicated and amazing thing so it only makes sense to take advantage of all the learning resources available to train it for the best performance possible. Through proper programming, consistency and intensity it is possible for anyone to realize their athletic potential.

Now that we have the Physical preparation portion of building the athlete out of the way I’ve decided that next week I’ll write a bonus blog post looking at another important aspect of building an elite athlete…lifestyle and nutrition

Phase 3 – Speed Strength

 Once the athlete has created a solid strength base (Phase 2 may continue for up to 3

years until a plateau has been reached or an athlete can ) we add in explosive movements to enable that strength to be displayed quickly. Most movements in sports are completed in less than a tenth of a second. In order to effectively display the strength we created we must teach our motor units to act as quickly as possible. This is achieved through movement that are completed quickly and with a lighter weight than our max (around 60-70%). This training must not come at the expense of strength so we continue with strength work but add in a  couple of explosive exercises either at the beginning of the workout when you are fresh or as a super set. This helps your body transfer that strength into an explosive movement. Both methods are equally as effective and the skill of the athlete determines which method we use (elite athletes use super set method, others use beginning). Some examples of explosive movements we use would be power cleans, med-ball throws and even standard lifts done with max power and lower weight; trap bar dead lifts, speed squats etc).

Recovery/Deload –

This phase can actually come at anytime and I program this at multiple points in an athlete’s training based on physical indicators (sickness, lack of motivation, plateauing). An athlete’s body can only adapt to a certain level before it start breaking down quicker than it can recover. It is at this point that the strength coach must realize that the athlete needs a break before performance decreases are seen or injury occurs. A recovery/Deload can include total time off, a back off in weight or adding standard recovery methods (increased stretching, massage, saunas). Once the physical indicators have turned positive the athlete may resume their training regimen.

Next week we will have our final installment where we will look at some details that didn’t really fit into any particular phase but are super important in our programs (Warm-up, muscle activation, prehab work etc..)

Phase 2 – Strength Phase : After the general prep phase is completed we then move the athlete to a strength phase. In this phase we use general compound exercises that train the whole body in the optimal movement patterns that safely can produce strength and force. These exercises include but are not limited to, squats, dead lifts, bench press and overhead press. These movements have been used to build strong athletes for over a hundred years and still have not been improved on due to the fact that they work…and they work very well. When training an Athlete we train movements not muscles. The body works together on the field so we want that strength to use the whole body and not be isolated to specific muscles.

   When building strength we keep the athletes to one big movement followed by accessory movements to assist any particular weak points they may have. For example if the athlete is rounding the back during a dead lift we asses to see if the weak point is the upper back. If it is, a prescription of high rep single arm rows help to solidify the T-spine and assist in keeping the spine neutral thorough the entire movement. We will do this on all our big lifts. The number 1 goal with the main movements is to create hip and glute power. The hips and glutes are the engine of the body and are the prime movers in most sports (how many times have you heard “follow through” or “use your hips”). When you strengthen and create power in the hips you create power everywhere.

  Once the main movement and accessories are completed we move on to a core movement that will help transfer that power throughout the body. Energy leaks can be created by a weak lower back, serratus and abdominal area. Squats and dead lifts will strengthen this to a point but anti-rotation movements will help to protect the spine and muscles that keep the spine in place (QL, Abdominals, etc). While our main movements build our hips and whole body our accessory’s and core movements ensure that power created in the hips can be transferred with 100% efficiency throughout the body.

 The rep ranges and programming of the exercises are super important in this phase. Program too few reps and the wrong exercise and you don’t introduce enough stimulus to create an improvement adaptation in the body. Program too many reps or too heavy a weight and the athlete will be injured and again strength adaptations will not occur. What’s the proper rep range? Again individual to each athlete and beyond the scope of this article. Another reason why it’s important to have a qualified strength coach

 In this phase our goal is to not build a powerlifter or bodybuilder but to build an athlete who’s body can not only produce maximum force in the field of play but who’s body can withstand the rigours of being pushed, pulled and hit day in and day out. It is not important to me as a coach the final maximum weight lifted by the athlete, what is important to me is the accumulation of the weights lifted and the improvement  it has on the muscle, tendon strength and overall movement of the athlete.

 When an athlete gets stronger they jump higher, run faster and are more powerful. These attributes obviously directly carry over to sport.

This is how we get our athletes strong. Next week we will take a look at how we transfer that strength to create Speed-Strength which is one of the most valuable attributes and athlete can work on.

(Costa’s note: What started as a quick blog post on my general philosophy on training athletes turned into something much larger then intended. I’ve ended up breaking up the blog posts into a 4 part series that I will release on Wednesdays. Enjoy part 1)

Building an athlete – From Raw talent to realized potential

In the last 10 years sports coaches have finally started to realize that stronger athletes = better athletes. The myth of lifting weights getting you injured or slower has completely gone out the window and even the most old school of old school coaches have seen the benefits of a stronger athlete. The evidence is there and you can’t deny it. You put two athletes of same genetic skill together and the stronger guy will be better every single time. Strength training will not only get you better at your sport but will also do wonders to protect you from injury and help you recover faster.

  While there are many different ways to get an athlete stronger there are still some general principles that must be followed to make sure that the athlete is training properly and not just putting together a mish mash of exercises that serve no purpose other than to injure the athlete or make them tired so they think they had a productive session.

  Building an athlete from the moment they walk in the door at Tempus as a young kid to when they leave as pro (hopefully) is a long but rewarding process. It’s a process that involves very specific steps in order to get the best out of their potential. Cross-fit, P90x and all the other “systems” may be fine for the average person looking to get in shape for the beach but in order to become an elite athlete it takes a lot more programming and thought as the competition is fierce and if you aren’t prepared you will be left behind. Specificity of training is key to success. You must train specific energy systems and strength that apply to the sport in order for it to be effective. The body adapts to the stimulus it is given. Lance Armstrong was in tremendous shape and the greatest biker of all time but when he tried to do a marathon he was just average. Was this because he was a bad athlete? No it was because he had trained specifically for biking and the body was adapted to that. This is why programs that say they will prepare you for anything are not practical. 

If you fail to plan you plan to fail. An athlete’s plan should be broken in to 3 cycles. Long Term, Mid Term and Short Term. The short is designed to support the mid and Long and the Mid is designed to support competition cycles and the Long term goal. Short term training is the most specific day to day while long term is the most general and outlines where the athlete needs to be at certain stages of development. Short term must also be flexible and adjusted based on athletes physical and mental indicators so as not to overtrain.

 The plan for our athletes is something that I have found works and combines the knowledge that I have acquired over 15 years working with my own athletes, working with other coaches and lots and lots of reading, seminars and continuing education.

Long term goals are divided into 3 phases and phase one starts from the moment we complete an athletes assessment (if you don’t assess then you have no indicators of progress). In the first part of this series we will look at Phase 1 or the “Preparatory Phase”. This phase is for athletes who come in the door and have no or very little training experience.  

Phase 1 – Preparatory Phase : This is where we prepare the body for the intensity of the more serious strength and explosive work that comes as the athlete advances. This stage involves creating a strength base and working out any imbalances that the athlete may have. Playing the same sport day in and day out tend to create imbalances from the repeated movement patterns that the athlete goes through. For example, hockey players tend to have hip issues due to skating patterns keeping the hips externally rotated during skating.  This must be corrected before they start a squatting program or else hip pointer issues may arise. Muay Thai athletes tend to have a massive bilateral imbalance between the right and left leg from a repeated kicking motion of the dominant leg. Baseball players have shoulder and elbow issues due to the single throwing direction. I could continue but I think you see the point. An athlete would typically stay in this phase for around 3 months or until I feel that any imbalances have been corrected. They must have an adequate motor movement pattern that will enable their body to handle load of the more complicated lifts of the strength phase before they move on. By just correcting imbalances and preparing the body to handle the bigger loads the athlete will see a dramatic improve in their sport performance as they begin to adapt to different stimulus.

Next week we discuss the strength phase……

As experts in the field of training High Performance athletes, the Tempus team will get you stronger, more explosive and faster so that you can get back to camp in your best condition ever. Our program includes instruction in explosive power development, proper weight training techniques, nutrition for athletes and injury prevention. Athletes are closely supervised as the coach takes them through an intense 90 minute workout and attention is always paid to proper technique and safety.

THE WORKOUT

The workout consists of functionally sound strength training and conditioning with a strong focus on basic and proper technique. The workout becomes progressively more challenging once basic techniques have been mastered. The groups are kept small, no more than 10 per group, to allow maximum individual attention.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• SPEED – Acceleration, Deceleration, Linear and Lateral Movement Techniques, Running Mechanics, Footwork
• EXPLOSIVE POWER – Olympic Lifting, Plyometrics, Medicine Ball, Jumping & Landing Techniques to be able to create the maximum amount of force possible on the ice
• STRENGTH – Total body approach using a conjugated periodization system to create strong athletes
• CONDITIONING – Educate athlete and train appropriate energy system to be ready on every shift with maximum recovery.
• INJURY REDUCTION – Increase flexibility through proper warm up and cool down instruction
• NUTRITION EDUCATION – Lessons, Tips and Advice

SESSIONS

For Tempus Performance’s summer sessions we offer group training 3 nights a week. Sessions run 8 weeks and begin at the beginning of each month

We have 3 Levels :

Level 1: Competitive players ages 14-16

Level 2: Competitive Players ages 16-18

Level 3: Pro Level Ages 18+

Speed and Strength  Program Details

To Sign up for our camps or if you have any other questions please e-mail Costa@Tempusperformance.com

Please check out our youtube page (link at the top) and our facebook page at www.facebook.com/tempusperformance for a peek at how we train our athletes.

Lets brush aside the players who take shortcuts to getting strong (we are all aware of the dangers of steroids) and look at what you need to work on this offseason to make you a better player next spring. Below is a very very brief overview on how we develop our baseball athletes at Tempus.

Maximal Strength – For those players who have never trained with weights in the offseason before chances are you will have the strength of someone resembling Richard Simmons. In order to reap the benefits of speed and power training you need to get strong first. What’s the point of being able to hit the ball if you don’t have the strength to explode through your hips and make sure that ball carries past the infield? An engine can’t turn without some serious cranking power. There is a reason all the homerun hitters can bench press cars and have forearms the size of some people legs.

To get maximal strength you need to stick to the basics. There is a huge element of programming involved in order to make sure you don’t overtrain and get maximum results but just now that this all rotates around basic compound movement such as the squat, deadlift, bench press. Not only will these exercises make you strong but they will leave you without weak points as you are working your whole body including your “core”. Most athletes in their first offseason will not move beyond this phase yet their results on the field next season will vastly improve.

Explosive Power – Now that you are strong we need to find a way to express that power explosively. It takes less then a tenth of a second to swing a bat or throw a pitch. If you are only moving weight slowly you may be strong as hell but your muscles and tendons will have no idea how use all that strength quickly. In this phase we do a lot of Olympic lifts and do them quickly while using a lighter weight, we also incorporate a lot of band work on our bench press, squatting and deadlifts to force your body to use maximum power. Again, programming is a huge factor in your results. It would take a few books to describe programming and I don’t have that kind of time unless a publisher wants to throw me some cash for it (anyone out there a publisher?)

Mobility, Prehab – All the strength and power in the world isn’t going to do anything if your muscles are tighter then (insert joke here). We like to spend a good 20 mins at the end of a session on mobility exercises and Active Release therapy (doing this at the end aids in recovery, we still do warmups though don’t worry)

Conditioning – Short sprints, short sprints, short sprints! Everything in baseball is short and fast so why jog for an hour?  Push a prowler, drag a sled, work up to sprints. Teach your body to rev up and explode quickly and you’ll be a demon on the basepaths, on the mound and in the bedroom (wait?! what?!).

As you can see strength and conditioning is a huge factor in performing for baseball. Sports have become so competitive that if you don’t work on your strength in the offseason you will be left behind next spring when everyone reports to camp. A great offseason program also demonstrates that you can get amazing results without taking shortcuts and dealing with the dangers of steroids.

Now that you’ve seen how valuable a program can be you should probably sign up with Tempus Performance for our offseason baseball program (I gave you free content let me get my plug in). We will make you stronger, faster and a lot better player come springtime. Feel free to email me at costa@tempusperformance.com for more info!

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