I want to start my saying that I am not a foot expert I am a sports performance coach. Much of the information presented in this article has been gleaned from Dr. Shawn Allen, Dr. Ivo Waerlop, speed coach Chris Korfist, and our own experimentation with our athletes. Needless [...]]]> Improving Foot Function for Sports Performance

I want to start my saying that I am not a foot expert I am a sports performance coach. Much of the information presented in this article has been gleaned from Dr. Shawn Allen, Dr. Ivo Waerlop, speed coach Chris Korfist, and our own experimentation with our athletes. Needless to say we have seen tremendous improvements in sport performance when addressing foot deficiencies.

Why is the foot important?

This is a very simple question with a fairly simple answer. Your foot is where your body interacts with the ground. It is the start of your kinematic chain. A poorly functioning foot will limit your hip extension power production, can cause excessive anterior pelvic tilt leading to back pain, cause medial and lateral anterior knee pain, shoulder problems, neck issues, and a whole host of maladies. You may be thinking “how does a bad foot cause neck problems?” Simple. If your foot doesn;t function properly it throws off your knee alignment, which works its way up into bad hip/pelvis alignment, causing bad lumbar alignment and slowly works its way up to your neck. So you may visit your Dr. who will treat your neck and prescribe PT. The PT may be smart and familiar with Mike Boyle’s joint by joint approach and address the joints above and below the pain which will help a bit but I guarantee you neither the PT or the Dr. will look at your foot. They will be treating symptoms and not the root cause. Enough with the injury talk. This is a sports performance article so lets talk sports performance.  Your foot IS where the rubber meets the road!

The Foot Tripod and Sports Performance

Your foot is designed to function like a tripod. The three points in contact with the ground are the heel, the big knuckle at the base of the big toe and the same joint at the base of the little toe. When the three points are bearing load your foot is in it’s most stable position. If one of the points in the tripod is not bearing load your CNS will sense that instability and turn off/inhibit some of the muscles responsible for whichever action you are trying to produce. If you are walking you will see reduced glute activation. So step 1 in improving foot function for sports performance is finding your foot tripod.

You may be thinking “Alex we sprint on our toes so why are we wasting time talking about our heels” and you would be correct BUT if people have trouble finding their tripod the heel is rarely the issue. Most people have trouble loading either point on the fore foot (big knuckle of the big and little toe). So we must begin at the beginning and first establish a solid tripod before we can work into a solid bipod for sprinting. As an aside, begin at the beginning is one of my favorite sayings. Too many athletes try to start in the middle or at the end. As another aside, it has been our experience that the movements used to establish a solid foot tripod do an excellent job strengthening and rebuilding the arch so these exercises serve a dual purpose. This is because the toe extensors also serve to support the arch.

How do we go about finding and strengthening our tripod? I like the following progression:

*Note for all exercises hold the contraction for 20-30 seconds and do 10 reps 3x/day

1. Isometric non loaded seated toe extension holds – while seated dorsiflex your toes pulling them towards your face. While you are holding play around with foot position until you are able to get all three of the tripod contact points in touch with the ground. Keep your foot pointed straight ahead.

2. Isometric non loaded seated toe extension- This is just like the previous exercise but now shift some of your body weight onto the foot.

3. Isometric non loaded seated arch supports- Begin this movement with your toes extended. Slowly let your toes come to the ground while maintaining arch elevation. Do not let your arch collapse when the toes come to the ground.

4. Isometric loaded seated arch supports- Again this is just like the last movement but now you are going to be shifting some of your body weight onto your foot and still not letting your arch collapse to the ground.

The next 4 are just like their seated counterparts only you do them standing. For non loaded versions or to partially load a movement where you are not strong enough to fully load the foot use 1 leg as a support leg and slowly load the non support foot.

1. Isometric non loaded standing toe extension holds.

2. Isometric non loaded standing toe extension.

3. Isometric non loaded standing arch supports.

4. Isometric loaded standing arch supports.

I realize that some of the more advanced foot people may be thinking “What about short extensor strength?” I do acknowledge that short extensor strength is important but it is my opinion that in a large group setting coaching short extensor strength will be near impossible.  For those interested you could include the following 2 short extensor strength drills in between steps 2 and 3 in both series.

1. Isometric non loaded seated/standing short toe extensor holds.

2. Isometric non loaded seated/standing short toe extensor holds.

To activate the short toe extensors pull your toes towards your face.  Next relax your toes so that the first knuckle from the tip of the toe relaxes but you stay dorsiflexed at the big knuckles at the base of the toes. Your foot should look sort of like a claw. If you choose to add these in to the progression each progression becomes 6 steps long with the short extensor holds becoming steps 3 and 4.

Finding your foot tripod is step 1 in developing a functional foot. Our next article on foot function and sports performance will look at the all important ankle rocker function.

Enjoy!

Alex

1) tuck chin hard and pull shoulder blades back together, really stretch the pec minor and hold for 20secs

2) tuck chin, pull shoulders down and internally rotates arms as hard as you can and hold for 20secs. Arms will be locked straight

3) the [...]]]> These active stretches are the brainchild of my friend Colin.  They are excellent!

1) tuck chin hard and pull shoulder blades back together, really stretch the pec minor and hold for 20secs

2) tuck chin, pull shoulders down and internally rotates arms as hard as you can and hold for 20secs. Arms will be locked straight

3) the same but externally rotate them, with arms coming out to the side away from the body. It will naturally go there anyway and pulls arms towards the rear a bit, locked straight

4) reach overhead and rotate arms like your gonna do a shoulder width chin up and then pull the arms towards the rear using your upper back muscles, and feel the lats stretch etc. Hold for 20 secs

5) hold your hands behind you back, pull shoulders down and back, and pull your head to one side, looking slightly upward to stretch the neck muscles, hold for 20secs, repeat on the other

Enjoy!

I am a speed trainer. I work mostly with people who want to improve their speed ranging from middle school kids to Olympic athletes. I have been involved with Inno-sport which, when died, changed [...]]]> For those who don’t know you, if you could give us a brief background about who you are that would be excellent?

I am a speed trainer. I work mostly with people who want to improve their speed ranging from middle school kids to Olympic athletes. I have been involved with Inno-sport which, when died, changed to wannagetfast.com with Dan Fichter.

In a few sentences could you outline your training philosophy?

My philosophy is to try to get an athlete to move as effectively and as efficiently as possible. From that point we try to add a power or speed component. It is a very individualized process and it requires some time and assessment of the athlete to determine their functional deficits so see where their limitations and “power leaks” exist.

You were one of the first inno-sport supporters, do you still use the inno-sport principles and system?

I think the aspect that gets lost over the inno-sport system is that it is what was written in the book. I think what happened was that Dan and I paid someone ( I say someone because I don’t actually know who I was corresponding with but it was someone who knew what they were writing about) to help individualize programs for our athletes. The book came out at the same time which was an attempt to put all of the ideas together. And then you have the people who don’t want to put the time into the book and say it is too hard or it doesn’t work. Novels are meant to be read. Texts are to be studied. I think the book has a lot of good basic training principles that I still use. However, in the last 7 years I have learned how to use the exercises more effectively and when to use them on a case-by-case athlete basis. Everything seems to have some value, but it is how you dissect the information and know where and when to utilize them that gives them value for your athlete in their training.  For example, different foot positions for different exercises, using muscle chains etc. I also have new stuff that I try to sometimes add to my “tool kit”. Some people are not patient and will only use an exercise a couple of times so you can’t really see if anything is working. I really use very few exercises but I use them well. Jay Schroeder has a few. Pilates has a few on different apparatus’. Louis Simmons uses a few. Too many people just aren’t patient.

Some People have criticized the inno-sport system, Wannagetfast, and Slow Guy Speed School as being overly complex how do you respond?

Sorry. My clients, people who pay me, don’t seem to mind.

How has your approach to training changed since inno-sport closed down?

The closing of Inno-sport has had little effect on my attitude toward learning. I have always tried to learn as much as I can and my education with inno-sport was part of my journey. I continue to learn new things all of the time and try to effectively apply them to people I work with. For example, we use line hops as an exercise. But learning the right way of doing them (with attention to proper gluteus medius control at the hip, and proper foot contact as examples here) as well as when to use them is more important for individuals to progress. I think that is why I have a hard time writing articles. The more I learn, the more I realize I do not know and the further away from “universal rules” or “exercises for everyone” I go. For example, just the foot on its own is an incredibly complex body part and its misuse can drastically change a simple exercise. Movements in the hips and abdominals are so complex with timing that some basic staple exercises really make little sense if the athlete is concerned about movement.

Mike Boyle has recently replaced you as the poster child for the anti-squat campaign.  Why are you so anti squat?

I am “anti-squat” if you are using it for speed and power development. I think that coaches get so caught up in the exercise and their power clubs that they actually hurt their athletes more than help them. My guide to depth is that depth of a squat can only be determined by the ability of the athlete to activate their entire abdominal wall (TVA, obliques and rectus). When you break/extend at the waist to get deeper, because you lack the abdominal/hamstring strength/coordination, it becomes a back extensor/quad movement. When your shoulders cannot support extreme weights, posture goes out the window and the carry over to athletic movement lessens. Frans Bosch talks about the depth in the squat creates muscle slack which has little carryover to sprinting or jumping. I think the basic idea is that athletes that move quickly should not be trained like a power lifting athlete. But we like to take something we understand and is easy and apply it to everything. Distance runners use a swimmers template to log miles but swimmers don’t pound on the ground. A squat does not take into account the stability and strength that is needed to support the body on a single leg. It doesn’t take into account the coordination between the core and hips. Nor does ever approach the concept of contact time on the ground. So, for me, it is a exercise that is pretty far down the list when it comes time to develop someone that needs to sprint. Remember, organizations have principles that they push forward. It is difficult to undo their doctrine. And they will fight to protect their doctrine because if they are wrong, it will undermine their credibility. Welcome to the NSCA.

What process do you go through when designing team specific workouts as opposed to individual specific ones?  Since every athlete has different needs, how do you go about deciding what factors to focus on?

I don’t do group programs anymore. I only do them with my track team, not for other people. There are so many people opposed to what I do that they will undermine the program and say that it doesn’t work. Every team that I have worked with has faced this problem. Coaches believe that they did it a certain way and that is the way it will be. I worked with a track team and they broke every school record and placed higher in the state meet than any other time in the history of the school and the program didn’t work because they can’t squat as much. I have an athlete that in the first meet set a school and field house record in the Long jump and 55. He improved his long jump 20 inches and knocked .4 of his 55. His one coach told him that if he started squatting he would be even faster and jump farther. The other one told me all that he did for the athlete in the previous two weeks to get him there. With my group in track, each guy gets a separate workout for what they need. I had one kid sprint once a week and spent the rest of his time on a total gym. He was all-state in 4 events and was 2nd at Outdoor nationals in the 4×200.

You have struck up a relationship with some very smart folks Dr.’s Shawn Allen and Ivo Waerlop.  What have they changed in your approach to working with athletes?

I have learned that I know even less than I thought I knew. Every person is a puzzle to be figured out. I have a hard time writing articles because I know that for the one person that inspired me to write something, I will hurt 20. The Gait Cycle is incredibly complex. The human body is incredibly complex. We know so little. Just a hamstring pull could be a 3 part mini-series on CSI.

You guys talk a lot about getting to your big toe, why is this important for sports performance?

The foot is designed to roll the energy to the big toe. That is why we have smaller toes and one big one. When the extension of the hip occurs, the push should go right through the big toe. If you come off the outside of the foot, you will never get to effective hip extension and thus limit glute power. The big toe also grabs the ground as do the other toes. It even has an eccentric joint unlike most other joints of the body in which the axis of motion is rather fixed.  What I find interesting is the role of the pinky toe (5th toe). If it doesn’t grab (and when i say grab i do not mean claw into the ground like a hook, i suppose i mean engage the ground with force), it can create a spin in the forefoot, which, in turns, creates a power leak and longer ground contact which puts tremendous pressure on the lateral stability of the body. In some cases where this is a major power leak from your evaluation, if you fix your clients little toe, you know, the one that is all curled up into a ball and doesn’t even have a nail,  the client can run faster because the purchase of the forefoot on the ground is solid and action/reaction forces are in sync (Newtons 3rd law).

Is there a neurological link between the big toe and the glutes?

More of a mechanical pattern. Smash your client’s big toe and see how a person’s gait changes. I am sure there is some neuro connection as well. This is where I use Dr. Waerlop’s knowledge.

What kinds of improvements have you seen by fixing foot function?

We have improved sprint times and contact times on the mat. But more important it allows the body to move the way it is designed to move. A lot of what your body does is a response to what happens when your foot slams on the ground in a gait cycle. If you have an injured big toe, your body is going to respond by not allowing pressure on the that toe, much like if you have a hang nail and can’t grip something because of the pain. From there, the next big and logical sequenced question is whether the body can maneuver around the ankle. This is where ankle rocker (aka: dorsiflexion) comes into play. How does 98% of your body weight get over the stick in the ground (leg).

Similarly there is a lot of discussion about getting a solid foot tripod, why is this important?

Neurologically, your body knows if the platform is stable or not. And if it is not stable, it will govern the power allowed to the limb. An extreme example would be to put a tack on the ball of your foot and see how your body responds. This is where the squat thing comes into play. When most people are trained to squat, they roll onto the outsides of their feet. When that movement becomes the strong pattern that is what an athlete will use as the dominant recruitment pattern.

What are some simple drills or exercises one can do to help them achieve a stable tripod and get to their big toe?

In part, the short and long extensors of the toes help keep a stable front tripod so we do single leg squats focusing on foot tripod. In the new DVD, Dr. Allen spends over an hour describing how it works and how to develop the tripod and ankle rocker.

It is my understanding that the foot, neurologically, is almost as complex as the hand so obviously diagnosing and retraining proper foot function cannot be done in a few short sentences or paragraphs.  I know you have been diligently at work with the good Dr.’s filming a new DVD series discussing foot function.  The first of DVD was released recently.  What does the first DVD cover?

In his presentation to the NSCA, Dr. Allen discusses the lower limb and its impact on the rest of the body and how to regain this lost function.

What can we expect from the upcoming DVD’s?

Right now we are in a hold pattern. We aren’t sure what direction we will go but there are some amazing concepts on the table, we are just trying to figure out the next logical progression so everyone can follow our process. So many people are against change and learning new concepts that it doesn’t seem to be worth our time to make new stuff. But we remain hopeful.

What does your current training process look like?

I video the athlete running and jumping to give me clues to weaknesses and  equally important, their compensation patterns for these weaknesses. I also have a series of tests to see how things work. When I have built an efficient machine, I start to add strength or power with isometrics. I have been spending more time on lateral stability. I have found that if you lack the lateral strength, the brain will restrict the power to go out back. Again, standing on two legs to do your work, the lateral single leg stability gets minimal work.

What drives you nuts about the industry?

Inability to accept change. But I really don’t deal with “industry”. I have a little gym that I don’t pay rent with lots of clients. So, I only deal with the industry as much as I want.

Thanks for your time and if any of our readers are interested they can pick up the excellent DVD’s at Wannagetfast

Thank you

Jack will be here from Feb 14 through Feb 21 to answer all of YOUR questions

Jack has recently released Vertical Mastery his new vertical jump training software program.

So please join me [...]]]> We are proud to announce our first formal Guest Forum featuring vertical jump expert, industry watchdog, and overall good guy Jack Woodrup from Vertical Jumping.com.

Jack will be here from Feb 14 through Feb 21 to answer all of YOUR questions

Jack has recently released Vertical Mastery his new vertical jump training software program.

So please join me in welcoming Jack to our site and stop by our forum to ask him anything jumping or performance training related

Alex

1) The build-up phase; 2) The stagnation step; 3) The intensification phase; 4) The peak step; 5) The deload phase.

What are all these? Just fancy names to make this program look professional and marketable. In reality, they [...]]]> The 8-7-6-5 is a training method I’m currently using to improve my squat. This method is made up of five phases and steps:

1) The build-up phase;
2) The stagnation step;
3) The intensification phase;
4) The peak step;
5) The deload phase.

What are all these? Just fancy names to make this program look professional and marketable. In reality, they are just natural occurences that will happen if you do this program. But first, lets talk about “how to do” the 8-7-6-5:

Well, it’s just a matter of 4 sets that each have -1 rep vs. the previous set, with the first set having 8 reps.

So if you’re scheduled for a 90 set of squats, it will look like this:

20×8 / 50×5 / 70×3 / 100×3 / 150×0 (unrack the bar and keep it on your back for 5-10s for potentiation) (optional) / 90×8 – 90×7 – 90×6 – 90×5 WORK SETS

Obviously, the warm-up weights etc are there just as general guidelines.

OK, so why 8-7-6-5? Well first off, because of volume. 8+7+6+5=26 total work reps. That’s a very good volume for “functional” hypertrophy. It’s close to a 5×5 but it’s a rep more than a 5×5 and it’s geared more towards hypertrophy from a set duration/fatigue induceness point of view. Secondly, the 8 rep set makes you use a weight not that big as you would in a 5 rep range set. That means less load on the spine and less chance of a bad technique because of it. Thirdly, because the format is -1 rep per each consequent set, the program is geared more towards a conservative approach for your CNS breakdown, in the way that it somehow protects you from overexerting and makes you let “some in the tank”. If you made 8 reps in your first set, you’ll need just to hit 7 on the next set which maintains a better attitude towards the goal and helps keep focus.

Now I realize this third point might make people think “man, you’re such a pussy, just squat 8 reps again with the same weight and stop worrying” etc. This might be a valid point, but regardless, these things do cross people’s mind “oh… another 8 reps…” which does take away some focus and intensity from that work set. With the -1 rep approach, you can maintain a positive, intensity-oriented approach towards each set.

How to judge the 8-7-6-5 progression?

Here’s the idea:

Sets of 8 and 7:

If you fail more than one rep (say you got 6 and 5 instead of 8 and 7) then you need to decrease the weight the next time. If you fail just one rep on one or each of them (say you got only 7 and 6 instead of 8 and 7 like scheduled) then you need to use the same weight the next workout. If you get 8 and 7 reps then you increase the weight the next workout;

Once you get through these first two sets, the next two sets come in:

Sets of 6 and 5:

If you fail ANY rep in these last two sets then you need to use the same weight the next workout.

What I’ve layed out here is the proper judgment of weight progression for the 8-7-6-5.

Now about the steps:

1) The build-up phase.

This is the first step and it’s the start of the training cycle. Start with about 80% of your 8RM. So if your 8RM is 100 kg, then start with 80 kg your training cycle. The recommended frequency of training is 2 times per week, for the time when you’re in the offseason of whatever sport you’re doing (by the way, this program is NOT what you want to do if you’re currently practicing your sport even at medium levels. Instead, it’s made as a preparation for the dynamic work that will follow this program when you start training for your sport at higher intensities, so obviously this program is recommended for the off-season).

The build-up step is the phase of the program where everything works as planned. You nail all the reps in all the sets and advance in the weight used every workout.

It might look like this:

Workout1: 80×8-7-6-5
WO2: 82.5×8-7-6-5
WO3: 85×8-7-6-5
WO4: 87.5×8-7-6-5
WO5: 90×8-7-6-5
WO6: 92.5×8-7-6-5
WO7: 95×8-7-6-5
WO8: 97.5×8-7-6-5
WO9: 100×8-7-6-5
WO10: 102.5×8-6-5-5

At 102.5 you missed one rep on the 2nd set and one rep on the 3rd set. As stated before, this means you’re going to use the same weight for the next workout in the hope that you’re going to go over the hump. If you get 102.5×8-7-6-5 the next workout then continue on adding weight. If you fail on doing that and get an identical workout as this failed one, then try again the next workout. If you miss even more than those 2 reps then you reached step number 2 (the stagnation). If you miss the third workout the same as this one, then, again, you reached the stagnation step.

2) The stagnation step

The stagnation step is the moment when you can’t get all the reps you planned for. There are two ways out: the intensity way and the volume way.

3) The intensification phase

This is the phase where the volume starts being limited.

The intensity way calls for you leaving the first set out. So from now on, you’re only going to do a 7-6-5 workout, consisting of only 3 sets.

It would look like this: 102.5×7-6-5 and advance from here. Once you again miss reps, eliminate the first set and you’re going to have a 6-5, and then once you can’t do the 6-5 you’re going to go with just one top set of 5 reps for your workout. Once you start missing reps on this top set, you have reached the peak step.

The volume way calls for you leaving the last set out. So from now on, you’re only going to do a 8-7-6 workout, consisting of only 3 sets.

It would look like this: 102×5x8-7-6 and advance from here. Once you again miss reps, eliminate the last set and you’re going to have a 8-7, and then once you can’t do the 8-7 you’re going to go with just one top set of 8 reps for your workout. Once you start missing reps on this top set, you have reached the peak step.

Now it depends on how you work in terms of strength training, individually. Some people will have problems in the top sets, as they can’t generate much intensity but they are able to maintain intensity, and others can generate intensity but can’t maintain intensity. For the first case kind of people, they should choose the volume way to the peak step (8-7-6), unless improved intensity is the desired result from this program, for which they would go with the intensity approach (try to get 7-6-5). For the second case kind of people, they should choose the intensity way to the peak step (try to get 7-6-5), unless improved work capacity is the desired result from this program, for which they would go with the volume approach (try to get 8-7-6).

So basically, depending on what the goals are, the approach towards the peak step is different.

4) The peak step.

Once the peak step has been reached (missing reps in the top set of 5 for the intensity way, or missing reps in the top set of 8 in the volume way), then the cycle is complete and a deload is warranted.

5) The deload phase

For the deload I would recommend only one work set, with -2 reps for the work set vs. the program work set, and -10% load.

So if the peak has been for the volume way a 100×8 (you tried 102.5 but you got only 6 reps for three consecutive workouts – peak occured), then a deload week would be a week where you would do two workouts of 90×6 as the only work set for each workout.

If the peak has been for the intensity way a 100×5 (you tried 102.5 but you got only 4 reps for three consecutive workouts – peak occured), then a deload week would be a week where you would do two workouts of 90×3 as the only work set for each workout.

After the deload has been completed, focus can and should be moved towards a more dynamic/specific approach for your sport (plyometric training, dynamic work, med ball work, speed/jump squats etc).

Example of an intensity-oriented 8-7-6-5 cycle:

Workout1: 80×8-7-6-5
WO2: 82.5×8-7-6-5
WO3: 85×8-7-6-5
WO4: 87.5×8-7-6-5
WO5: 90×8-7-6-5
WO6: 92.5×8-7-6-5
WO7: 95×8-7-6-5
WO8: 97.5×8-7-6-5
WO9: 100×8-7-6-5
WO10: 102.5×7-7-6-5 (missed one rep, will try again with the same weight next time)
WO11: 102.5×8-7-6-5 (made it, increasing the weight the next workout)
WO12: 105×7-7-5-4 (missed reps in the first two sets (strike one), try again the next workout)
WO13: 105×8-6-5-4 (missed reps in the first two sets (strike two), try again the next workout)
WO14: 105×6-6-5-4 (missed reps in first two sets(strike three), the stagnation has been reached)
WO14: 105×7-6-5 (made all the reps, advancing in weight)
WO15: 107.5×6-6-5 (missed one rep in the first set, try again the next workout, strike one)
WO16: 107.5×7-6-5 (made all the reps, advancing in weight)
WO17: 110×6-6-5 (missed one rep in the first set, try again the next workout, strike one)
WO18: 110×6-6-5 (missed one rep in the first set, try again the next workout, strike two)
WO19: 110×6-6-5 (missed one rep in the first set, eliminate first set, strike three)
WO20: 110×6-5 (made all the reps, advancing in weight)
WO21: 112.5×5-5 (missed a rep in the first set, try again the next workout, strike one)
WO22: 112.5×5-5 (missed a rep in the first set, try again the next workout, strike two)
WO23: 112.5×5-5 (missed a rep in the first set, eliminate first set, strike three)
WO24: 115×5 (made all the reps, advance in weight)
WO25: 117.5×4 (missed a rep in the work set, try again next workout, strike one)
WO26: 117.5×4 (missed a rep in the work set, try again next workout, strike two)
WO27: 117.5×5 (made all the reps, advance in weight)
WO28: 120×4 (missed a rep in the work set, try again next workout, strike one)
WO29: 120×3 (missed two reps in the work set, the peak has been reached)
WO30: 105 (~90% of 117.5) x 3 (5-2 reps) – deload
WO31: 105×3 deload 2

END OF CYCLE

Example of a volume-oriented 8-7-6-5 cycle:

Workout1: 80×8-7-6-5
WO2: 82.5×8-7-6-5
WO3: 85×8-7-6-5
WO4: 87.5×8-7-6-5
WO5: 90×8-7-6-5
WO6: 92.5×8-7-6-5
WO7: 95×8-7-6-5
WO8: 97.5×8-7-6-5
WO9: 100×8-7-6-5
WO10: 102.5×7-7-6-5 (missed one rep, will try again with the same weight next time)
WO11: 102.5×8-7-6-5 (made it, increasing the weight the next workout)
WO12: 105×8-7-5-4 (missed reps in the last two sets (strike one), try again the next workout)
WO13: 105×8-7-4-4 (missed reps in the last two sets (strike two), try again the next workout)
WO14: 105×8-7-5-4 (missed reps in last two sets(strike three), the stagnation has been reached);
WO14: 105×8-7-6 (made all the reps, advancing in weight)
WO15: 107.5×8-7-5 (missed one rep in the last set, strike one)
WO16: 107.5×8-7-4 (missed two reps in the last set, eliminate last set)
WO17: 110×8-5 (missed two reps in the last set, eliminate last set)
WO18: 112.5×7 (missed one rep in the work set, try again the next workout)
WO19: 112.5×8 (advance in weight)
WO20: 115×7 (missed one rep in the work set, try again the next workout)
WO21: 115×5 (missed three reps in the work set,peak has been reached)
WO22: 102.5 (~90% of 115) x 6 (8-2 reps) – deload
WO23: 102.5×6 deload 2

END OF CYCLE

Good luck!

EDIT: One additional note. If you chose the volume way of intensification, then I suggest to try to see how much weight you can get for 8 reps after the deload phase. Hopefully, your 8RM will be superior to your last 8RM test. The same applies for the intensity way of intensification, where you should test your 5RM.

A good way to test this is chose the weight from which you calculated the start of the squat cycle from as your previous 8RM. In this example, we said that 100 kg was the 8RM, and we started our cycle with 80% of that, thus starting our cycle with 80 kg.

For the people that chose the volume way, get the 100 kg bar and after warming up see how many reps you get with it. If you get more than 8 then you’ve improved your squat. For those that went with the intensity way, then they should take their former 5RM bar and see how many reps they get with it. If they get more than 5, then they’ve increased their squat.

How come we preach to perform depth jumps for maximal height as opposed to the more common way of minimizing ground contact time (GCT)?

Here was my reply:

Shorter ground contacts are better at improving “reactive ability”. If you read Verkhoshansky’s work you [...]]]> Recently the following dilemma has been posed on another site that I frequent:

How come we preach to perform depth jumps for maximal height as opposed to the more common way of minimizing ground contact time (GCT)?

Here was my reply:

Shorter ground contacts are better at improving “reactive ability”. If you read Verkhoshansky’s work you will discover that he recommends DJ off a small box to improve RA. The smaller box correlates with shorter GCT. The aim though is still a maximal vert cause the goal is alwsys to improve maximal ability. Verk recommends DJ off of high boxes for explosive strength.

So there you have it. I like this way because it simplifies things.

1. how do you measure your GCT

2. since minimizing GCT requires submaximal effort how would you regulate volumes (areg) as you wont be able to know when performance decreases because measuring subsequent jump height will be inaccurate because you could compensate and keep height the same by increasing GCT and most people here cannot measure GCT. Of course we can assign arbitrary volumes but we know that is not optimal.

3. How do you know when your minimal GCT has turned into maximal force? .1 sec of a drop off is almost imperceptible. .05 is imperceptible. At this point you have lost the purpose of the movement.

4. How do you know if you have progressed? Can you tell if your GCT has decreased by 0.03 seconds?

So if you go off a lower box and still focus on maximal height you will train RA and be able to monitor performance more accurately

Also remember that DJ’s are a power exercise and as such power is a threshold best trained maximally. If you want RA at submaximal levels then perform low squat foot jumps and such.

So in summary do DJ of a low box for height if you want to develop RA. It trains the same thing and offers the same benefit as attempting to minimize GCT but with the added benefit of being easier to monitor progress and performance.

Perform DJ’s of a high box to increase explosive strength. They are two distinct exercises with different aims.

-Alex

Well our series is drawing to a close. This article may be the simplest of the articles to date. Our exercise menu is small yet diverse. First we break down movement into basic categories:

Squatting

Lunging

Hip Extension

Knee Flexion

Upper Body Push

Upper [...]]]>

Well our series is drawing to a close. This article may be the simplest of the articles to date. Our exercise menu is small yet diverse. First we break down movement into basic categories:

Squatting

Lunging

Hip Extension

Knee Flexion

Upper Body Push

Upper Body Pull

From here we flesh out each category by placing the exercise menu into the appropriate category and exercise mode

Squatting

• Front Squat
• Back Squat
• Body weight Squat

Lunging

• Forward Lunge
• Side Lunge
• Reverse Lunge
• Front Lunge
• Back Lunge
• Static Lunge
• Bulgarian Split Squat

Hip Extension

• RDL
• Good Morning
• Single Leg RDL
• Single Leg Deadlift

Knee Flexion

• Stability Ball Leg Curl
• Glute Ham Raise

Upper Body Push

• Bench Press
• Military Press
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Front Raise
• Side Raise

Upper Body Pull

• Chin Up
• Pull Up
• Rear Lateral Raise
• Barbell Row
• Dumbbell Row

Now that we have the movements down we can combine the methods from the previous article with the movements to create an expansive Exercise Menu. For example We can apply the quickness method of Reflexive Firing Isometrics with the squat exercise to create RFI Squat or as it is more commonly known, low squat foot jumps.

Here are some simple guidelines to help you select appropriate exercises:

1. If it is sagging, it’s lagging- simply if your shoulders are pulled forward, then you need more upper body pulling to pull your body back into alignment.

2. Never neglect the glutes and posterior chain- Most people can benefit from a 2:1 posterior chain (hip extension and knee flexion) to quadricep (squatting and lunging) ratio. Once you have some balance then you can go back to a simple 1:1 ratio.

Following is a table that presents the various templates and methods that have been presented in this series. Consider it a “Cliff Notes” version of the article series to make programming easier.

Main Goal GPP

• Strength G : Quickness G

Main Goal – Hypertrophy

• Strength G : Strength G

Maintenance – Power

• Quickness G + Speed-strength PC

For a strong but slow athlete you should use a power template. The following templates are excellent choices:

Main Goal – Power

• Quickness G: Speed-strength PC
• Quickness G: Speed-Strength PC + Quickness G
• Quickness G + Speed-Strength PC : Strength Speed PC
• Quickness G + Speed-Strength PC : Strength Speed PC+Quickness G

Maintenance – Strength

• Strength PC + Strength G

If you are a quick but weak athlete the following templates may be effective:

Main Goal – Strength

• Strength PC : Strength G
• Strength PC : Strength-Speed PC+Strength G
• Strength PC+Strength G : Strength-Speed PC +Strength G

Maintenance – Power

• Quickness G + Speed-strength PC

Capacity

20% Drop Off

Peak Capacity

Every set is at maximal intensity

Stop when performance drops by 20%

Repetitive Capacity

First Set is maximal

Every other set is submaximal

Stop when you performance drops by 20% from initial set

Training Splits

Upper-Lower

Upper

Push

Pull

Delt

Bicep

Tricep

Lower

Core

Foot/Calf

Quad

Workout Structure

10-15 min Cardio

5-10 min Mobility

5-10 min Activation

Workout

10-30 min Cardio

5-10 min Activation

5-10 min Stretching