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This episode of Facility Finders rolls into the Grove to meet up with Riley Allen. Coach Allen is the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), working with basketball. Both basketball teams use this recently renovated space at Ole Miss; located near the basketball pavilion, the facility allows for streamlined training and the ability to do that right before or after practices and games.

Design

This facility is a 2,200-square-foot space with a renovation completed in 2021. Many collegiate coaches across the country aim to have a weight room featuring open space and every piece of equipment needed to train their athletes. Coach Allen wanted the same thing, but because of the size of the existing space, the Ole Miss weight room needed to be the Swiss Army knife of equipment.

This means all of their pieces of equipment are arranged in about a 64-square-foot area. The low-profile racks are my favorite pieces in this weight room because of their ability to save the limited square footage, approximately half of the size of Trinity College’s weight room, without sacrificing quality or customization.

“We had to renovate an existing space,” Coach Allen noted. “So the dimensions of the room dictated a lot of that.”

This idea from Coach Allen is something many coaches forget. By this, I mean coaches always want to design their “Taj Mahal” but should instead focus on upgrading their existing space and making it more accessible and useful. One way to do that is to invest in quality equipment that does more than one thing and can fit in one small area instead of using two pieces of equipment that take up extra space. Open space is king, and this room has that—many times, coaches try and win the arms race that is total square footage for their facility but don’t think about the need for OPEN space.

Coaches want to design their ‘Taj Mahal’ but should instead focus on upgrading their existing space and making it more accessible and useful. Share on X

Coach Allen utilized Samson for his equipment needs. The racks here contain weight stacks on their columns and a lat pull/low row combo off the back, which gives them more floor space to move and train in. The room also has a strip of turf that can be used for warm-ups, sled pulls, and plyo exercises; on the other side of that is another auxiliary space. Coach Allen decided to have the bumper plates all match to save space and present a customized look for athletes touring on recruiting visits.

Purchasing

Customization. Relationship. Cost. Reputation. Durability. Ole Miss decided to find the company that checked off these key qualities that Coach Allen needed, and Samson did just that for them, especially with the way their rep worked alongside Coach Allen during this renovation.

One thing that Samson’s racks have that others don’t is the 7-gauge steel they use instead of the typical 11-gauge. The difference is the durability and reputation achieved here by the nearly three-times thick wall that is 7-gauge steel, making it much stronger against clanging bars and plates.

Customization is something that small spaces must have; for instance, the customized low-profile racks up against the wall at Ole Miss and also the cable columns that don’t take up any more space. This renovation was crucial for Ole Miss, not only for their athletic development but also for their recruiting needs as an SEC basketball team. Every corner of this room has the school’s branding to help attract the nation’s best recruits and coaches to the school.

Besides Samson equipment, Ole Miss purchased Keiser squat machines and PowerBlock dumbbells. These pieces continue the theme of maintaining a small footprint but having a massive number of uses. The PowerBlocks enable teams to have a whole rack of dumbbells in one small area instead of taking up a larger footprint. They are adjustable and expandable, and their more compact shape lends to taking up much less room than the standard.

Specialty Equipment

Of course, Ole Miss has specialty equipment too, and some pieces worth noting are the flywheels, lat pulldown/low row combo, resistance cables that attach to the ground, VALD ForceDecks, and Eliteform VBT. These pieces are what Coach Allen says help set apart the training the Rebels do in the weight room from teams throughout the rest of the country.

The lat pulldown/low row is attached to the rack without taking up a large amount of space. The sports science pieces from VALD and Eliteform are used to help track athlete performance to make sure the training is doing what the program is supposed to—by this, I mean if Coach Allen is training for elasticity during a specific block, then he can use this technology to track the athletes’ Relative Strength Index (RSI) or the eccentric velocity of their lifts to make sure the program is achieving those goals.

Coach’s choice to incorporate specialty equipment and technology in a smaller area was probably challenging. The purchases have to justify the space they take up (since space is king), but these have so many different and important uses that I think it was worth it.

Finally, the attachable resistance cables that are inlaid into the floor are very creative. Again, this means they don’t require racks to have band pegs or Vertimax setups because they are built into the floor. The cables can be used on the bars in the racks or attached to the athletes on the platform. Many coaches don’t know that having inlaid resistance cables is an option, but if you communicate what you want to equipment companies, those companies will typically either have or make a solution for those needs.

Takeaways from Coach Allen

This basketball facility was designed with an eye toward providing all the training needs for basketball athletes in a small 2,200-square-foot facility. It’s hard sometimes to get everything you want or need for training, especially across many teams, when, for instance, basketball teams might need to train on taller racks or coaches may need multiple exact sets of things to accommodate their athletes.

When I asked Coach Allen his thoughts on the whole project, he stated:

“Take your time. Get samples and put your hands on them. Put them in the same light the room will be if possible. Redesign several ways. Share your thoughts with other coaches and get feedback.”

Coaches should know that these equipment companies want you to try out their product because they are confident it will speak for itself. Take them up on that. Share on X

Something many coaches forget is that these equipment companies want you to try out their product because they are confident the product will speak for itself. So, it’s important to actually take them up on that because you might quickly find how much you hate/love what makes their product special.

Also, go and see other facilities done by the companies you are interested in. Talk to those coaches and get their points of view on what they like/dislike and if they would change anything if they were to do it again.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

The rabbits could smell the smoke, and the temperature rose in the already hot Florida air. Every winter, the sugar cane farmers in “Muck City” burned the leaves off the plant stalks to prepare for the harvest, torching thousands of acres of field and displacing hundreds of swift jackrabbits.

Belle Glade, Florida—nicknamed “Muck City” for the swampy dirt the town is built on—is comprised of only about 17,000 people. Within its limits are two high schools: Pahokee and Glade Central. Like any small town, high school football is king. Except, things are different in Belle Glade. When these two schools play each other—a meeting dubbed “The Muck Bowl”—the size of the city doubles.

Sportswriters from all over the country flock to the town, and the population of the Florida Peninsula converges on Muck City. Those same sportswriters estimate that more than 60 athletes who have competed in the Muck Bowl over the years have gone on to play in the NFL. It’s a staggering statistic, given the small population of the two high schools and the hamlet in which they reside.

When reporters ask the locals how such a small area births so much talent, the most common answer is, “The boys chase rabbits.” When school gets out and the kids see the smoke rising into the sky, they head to the fields to prove their agility. Not only do they chase the rabbits, but they very often catch them—as made evident by the rabbit pelts hanging in the boys’ rooms like championship medals.

This kind of high-intensity, explosive play has set the foundation of athleticism for hundreds of high-performance athletes. While the area of the world you live in might not have burning sugar cane fields or rabbits to chase, if there are able legs on bodies, with competition and fun in the air, a determined coach or athlete can lay the same foundation anywhere.

On the Hop: Using Play as Training

I recently saw a dad on Twitter asking for ideas on how his 5-year-old son could get stronger. He said his son was getting thrown around in a wrestling tournament while noting that he was undersized for his age. The comments were rather unhelpful—statements like “HE’S 5!!”  flooded the replies. The Twitter community was agitated by the idea that this dad would ask a training question for his young child, whom he just wanted to see succeed.

Stepping into the conversation, I suggested high-intensity play. Have your son sprint as fast as he can, jump as high as he can, jump off playground equipment, chase his siblings, fall down, get up, and go again! Make up a game that affords all of this, and have a blast. That is all the training he needs right now to set the foundation for an athletic lifetime. The dad loved it and stated that this idea had not occurred to him. He was grateful.

I have used this same tactic with first graders, high schoolers, college athletes, and individuals getting ready to make their pro debut. We play hard! They love it, I love it, and it gets results.

A Trail of Success

Over the summer, I worked with a college football program in Wisconsin two days a week for two months, focusing on speed development. We didn’t go to the weight room once, there were zero injuries, and we ended each session with a speed game. Common themes involved in these games were chasing and fleeing, much like the tag games we played as kids on the playground but with a much higher level of intensity. The skills gained with chasing and fleeing games translate seamlessly to the playing field and are a staple of my training modalities.

The skills gained with chasing and fleeing games translate seamlessly to the playing field and are a staple of my training modalities, says @DillonMartinez. Share on X

One specific game we play is called Towel Chase. Four cones are set up in a serpentine pattern, with the runners weaving through the first three and then completing a hairpin turn around the fourth and final cone before the runners have an unabated 20-yard sprint to the finish line. The first partner starts 2 yards in front of the second. Both are on one knee in an athletic starting position. The runner in front has a towel or rag in their waistband like a tail. The goal is to complete the course without the second runner getting a hold of the towel. This is a reaction-started game, meaning the runner in front can take off whenever they want, and the second runner must react and give chase.

The games are both the highlight and the most intense portion of the workout—I often had to drag grown college boys off the field to ensure they stayed fresh enough for the next time we met. On average, the athletes took .12 seconds off their 10-meter flies and .19 seconds off their 40-yard dash time. (I timed the athletes at the start and end of the summer using the Freelap timing system.) In a game like football, every tenth of a second counts.

When creating a good speed game, there are some things to consider. Newell’s triangle of constraints gives us a guide to ensure we construct a worthwhile activity. Created by Karl Newell in 1986, this model posits that “movements arise from the interactions of the organism, the environment in which the movement occurs and the task to be undertaken.”¹ In our case, the movement we want to arise is an increase in max velocity, force production, and agility. The three parts of the triangle are:²

1. 1. This point takes into consideration the capabilities, the body structures that are adaptable to new forces over time, and the personality and temperament of the athletes participating in the activity. If we are working with a group of 8-year-old kids, we know they generally tire fast and recover quickly. This means we can plan short but frequent bouts of high-intensity play.

 

1. 1. This point focuses on what the task (game) offers the participants, such as the skills the game brings out, the tactics involved, and the desired outcome of the game (how to win).

 

1. This specifies the conditions of the individual’s surroundings. For our purposes, this focuses on the interpersonal relationships between the athletes and the coach or teacher.

These three points form the foundation that sets the stage for the development and performance of athletes of all ages. How do we consider these constraints and create activities to train speed development work and disguise it as play?

First, we need to know a little about our athletes. Are they new to “training?” Do they have a semblance of proper running technique? Are they healthy enough to engage in maximal-effort play? Once we understand the demographics of our athletes, we can make choices about the task.

Task creation will be the most intensive part of this process. Start with the end in mind: What do we want the athletes to be better at for having played this game? Do we want them to be quicker side-to-side or in a straight line? Do we want their vertical jump or horizontal jump skills to be involved? Is there a specific sport we are getting them ready for? Does that sport have any specific movement patterns we can sneak into our game?

For instance:

• The shuffle, shuffle, go of stealing a base in baseball.
• The backpedal into a sprint for a defensive back in football.
• A high point rebound in basketball.

Of course, we do drills related to these movements, but how many of those drills are done with 100% effort? Competition serves as the jumper cables to maximal effort in these movements.

We do drills related to these sporting movements, but how many of those are done with 100% effort? Competition serves as the jumper cables to maximal effort in these movements, says @DillonMartinez. Share on X

Now that we have determined the movements, how do we ensure they happen? This is the part that can help lock in maximal buy-in from your athletes. Have your athletes help you create the rules of the game. Their input and ownership of the activity will increase their effort.

I’ve seen it time and time again: give the team or individual the basic parameters of the game and what you are hoping they get out of it, then let them come up with a few rules they think will make the game more interesting or fun. Often, they will come up with ideas you hadn’t thought of. Make sure to write these down for future sessions.

Of course, while having the athletes give input is fun and engaging, it is not always optimal when you have tight training windows and need to be as efficient as possible. To ensure maximal buy-in without this strategy, the third and final point of the triangle comes in: Environment. 

The environment of the training area is a massive factor in creating a game. Obviously, the space, the type of flooring or ground, and the ceiling height play a role, but more so, this whole approach to training can hinge on the interpersonal relationships that are a part of the environment. Do you, as the coach, have the ability to get your athletes excited about a silly game you made up? Can you convince them of its value? Have you laid a foundation of trust that results in unquestioning buy-in from your athletes? How is this cultivated?

The Right Game for the Environment

There are hundreds of articles on this topic, but for our purposes, let’s keep it simple and break it down by age group.

4–6-year-olds: This age just wants to have fun and can achieve that by doing almost anything. If you are energetic enough, you can get them moving in a multitude of ways. At this age, any type of gross motor mixed with fine motor work with even a smidgen of intensity will enhance overall skills. Make it fun.

• Example: Move with the music. Have a speaker and set playlist with songs that have both a fast and slow tempo. Tell them they need to move to the speed of the music. This will give them a chance to move in a variety of pathways while also working on much-needed body control.

7–10-year-olds: This group is just starting to figure out what movements they are decent at and highly enjoys doing those skills. Ask them what they like to play and go from there. Their engine will go and go if you keep it engaging, but remember, run fast, jump high, fall down, get up, and go with intent. Make it fun.

• Example: Drag race. Set up two identical obstacle courses that start with a depth drop of about 20 inches. Keep the course as straight as possible while including things they need to jump over, move around, or go under. Make sure there is a section of the course long enough for them to get to top speed.

11–13-year-olds: In this range, the kids will want to start focusing play on specific sports. Take aspects of all their favorite games and meld them together: the physical nature of football, the high-speed aspect of track, the precision of basketball, etc. They have more body control and can now take on larger challenges pertaining to movement. Make it fun.

• Example: Ultimate Frisbee 1 on 1 (ideal for smaller groups). The coach stands in the middle of two participants who are about 5 yards apart. On go, the athletes take off running, and the coach launches a Frisbee down the middle line the two athletes are running on. Each athlete’s goal is to catch the Frisbee. This one is a blast!

14–18-year-olds: This group is too cool for fun. They have been brought up in an “embrace the grind” culture. This group is the toughest sell, so cater to the fact that the result of these games will make you run faster, jump higher, and be more confident at executing both. Connect the games to things you know they love, like sports teams or specific players, or create a reward system or record book to increase the likelihood of effort. But again, make it fun, and it will take care of itself.

• Example: Timed relays. Because of the instant-feedback-dependent nature of this age group, you can time the games with the same equipment used in the workout portion of the day! Then, creating an all-time record board for each game is a great way to boost intent from your athletes. Combine the team aspect of relays, and you are left with a great game.

The parameters of the relay are only limited by your creativity. Try to incorporate the specific skills you worked on that day, though. If it was a linear day, include a lot of linear movement—if it was a lateral-focused day, include a majority of lateral movements.

19 years old and up: Believe it or not, at this age, athletes are back to the enthusiasm of the 4–6-year-olds. I play some of the simplest games with my oldest, most athletic groups. The simpler the game, the less they have to think, and the more they can focus on going as fast as they can.

• Example: Vertical egg toss. With a partner, the athletes try to get as far apart from each other, as in the traditional egg toss game. But the rules are very different: instead of only one egg, there are two balls. And instead of throwing the ball to their partner, both partners throw it straight into the air and then sprint over to catch the ball their partner threw. If they both catch the ball, they then start 5 yards farther apart, and so on. Very simple, but it gets them to top speed, emphasizes communication, works on catching, and is an overall blast! Make it fun.

Lessons from the Muck

We can overcomplicate training modalities to the point that our athletes have no idea of the intended outcome of the session. When athletes run fast and jump high, there is no doubt about what is being worked on. When the Floridian footballers were chasing rabbits, they knew exactly what the goal was: to increase agility, speed, and quickness through a fun, competitive, and engaging modality.

Ultimately, we are training athletes to compete in a game. Let’s let games train those athletes, says @DillonMartinez. Share on X

We would be wise to incorporate purposeful play that might not be very “serious” into the world of strength and conditioning, which all too often takes itself too seriously. Ultimately, we are training athletes to compete in a game. Let’s let games train those athletes, particularly if the rabbits aren’t there to do it. Keep it fun, keep the intent high, and watch athleticism grow.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

References

1. Haywood K. and Getchell N. (2014). Life Span Motor Development. Human Kinetics. pp. 6.

2. Dehghansai N, Lemez S, Wattie N, Pinder R, and Baker J. “Understanding the Development of Elite Parasport Athletes Using a Constraint-Led Approach: Considerations for Coaches and Practitioners.” Frontiers in Psychology. 2020;11. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.502981.

A local collegiate soccer coach referred one of her athletes to me to help alleviate the nagging hamstring pain she had been dealing with while sprinting. I have developed a reputation for helping athletes improve sprint technique, and this coach is savvy enough to know that technique influences both speed and function.

The athlete suffered what sounds like an undiagnosed grade I hamstring pull (a minor pull) about six months prior to beginning training with me. She told me in our first meeting that the injury hurt fairly badly at first but got better quickly.

“So, what’s the issue now?” I asked.

She then described the typical lingering problems many athletes experience after a hamstring pull.

“It only hurts when I start running fast,” she said.

“Does it hurt the whole time you’re sprinting or only when you get up to fast speeds?”

“Only when I get to fast speeds. My left side hurts worse, but I feel it on my right side too.”

“Can you describe it?”

“It’s like my hamstring wants to cramp,” she said. “And I think if I try and go faster, it will pull again.”

“I know that feeling exactly.”

I shared with her that in my junior year in college, I had a season-ending hamstring pull. My leg was black and blue from the bottom of my butt to mid-way down my calf, and I used crutches for a few days.

Perhaps due to incomplete rehab (which included no sprinting), it took me over a year to fully recover. The next season, I could only get to about 90% top speed before I started feeling that same grabbing, cramping sensation she described to me.

This was a point of connection for us, but also a point of hope, as I told her that I eventually got back to 100% despite feeling (like she did) that I might never get over it—and despite my injury being much, much more severe than hers.

For those fortunate enough to have never had a hamstring pull…you know the type of cramp where you feel your hammy tightening, but you’re able to straighten your leg quickly enough to stretch the cramp away before it fully seizes and REALLY starts hurting? That pre-extreme, you-better-straighten-your-leg-now-or-else phase is exactly what it feels like to sprint after a hamstring injury—except, instead of the cramp just getting tighter, your hammy will pop if you push it.

And I knew, just as she did, if I pushed it and ran faster, my hammy definitely would have popped again.

“I think I can help you with this. What does your timeline for training look like?”

It was Christmas break, and even though her college was only a few miles away, she would start classes and spring soccer soon. We had four weeks and one session per week to get her back to sprinting without limit.

I felt a certain amount of pressure, not only because I wanted to help this athlete, but because her coach had entrusted her to me. This was an opportunity to make-or-break trust with the coach and help the athlete get back to doing what she loved. A certain amount of my reputation was on the line.

I was a bit nervous.

Game on.

The Hamstring “Checklist”

I’ve presented factors that influence hamstring injury in full elsewhere. I reviewed that article while preparing for the athlete to ensure I covered all bases in my approach.

The following elements are expanded on in that article and constitute what I currently understand as the most important factors for preventing a hamstring injury:

• Sprint-specific mobility at the hamstring and hip (the Jurdan test)
• Sprint technique, with an emphasis on pelvic position
• Exposure to sprint volumes and high-velocity sprinting
• Joint angle-specific resistance training (hip and knee)
• Hamstring eccentric capacity
• Triceps surae strength
• Aerobic fitness
• Fearlessness*

“Fearlessness” has an asterisk because it wasn’t included in the article referenced above. That piece was written in the context of preventing injury for athletes who have never pulled a hamstring: essentially, training advice.

In this case—working with an athlete who has had a hamstring injury but is still dealing with lingering issues—fearlessness is a critical factor and deserves a seat at the table, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

In this case—working with an athlete who has had a hamstring injury but is still dealing with lingering issues—fearlessness (a term I first heard Carl Valle use in relation to performance) is a critical factor and deserves a seat at the table.

Indeed, the mental aspect of recovering from injury doesn’t get enough attention, but it was important to me that she know and feel confident in her ability to sprint, as opposed to simply having the physical capacity to do so. I share the subtle ways I nudged her toward confidence and away from fear later in this article.

Likewise, since writing that first article, I took Derek Hansen’s two online courses, the second of which is specific to sprint-based return to play strategies for hamstring pulls. The course significantly influenced my ability to program effective return to play sprint progressions and upgraded my understanding of sprint kinematics and how to instruct them (my first exposure to which came from the ALTIS foundation course). It also provided several drills along with the knowledge of the “why” and “how” to implement them with success. Perhaps most importantly, Derek’s course gave me more confidence that I could actually help this athlete.

Here’s how I pulled it all together and helped her overcome her hammy issues in just four sessions.

Four Weeks to Freedom: The Game Plan

Four one-hour training sessions are not very much time, and neither are four weeks in the context of changing performance. But improvement is certainly possible in that time frame, and I wanted to help this athlete get back on the field without restriction.

So, what did I do?

Referencing the list above, I asked myself what I could and could not affect in four hours spread across four weeks. Fortunately, the athlete loves working out in the gym, is a competent lifter, and agreed to let me write her programming. She requested six days per week of exercise, including the one session she had with me, which I was happy to provide.

This arrangement allowed us to focus solely on sprint kinematics and the mental aspect of the injury during our sessions and attack the other factors in the gym throughout the week.

Our evaluation on day one was quick and dirty, as I didn’t want to eat a quarter of our time together in testing. I did, however, want to understand if she had the requisite mobility to allow for acceptable sprint technique, see and film her sprint, and collect baseline sprint times.

We performed two mobility assessments: the Jurdan test and a simple ankle mobility screen that can be seen here.

The Jurdan test, named for its originator, Jurdan Mendiguchia, is a sprint-specific mobility screening that assesses knee and hip range of motion. For a detailed description of how to administer and score the test, see this and this.

After the mobility screenings, I watched, filmed, and timed her sprint, instructing her to go as fast as she was comfortable and confident with.

Luckily, her mobility was great, so we spent no time improving her range of motion whatsoever.

Her sprint technique, however—well, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

This athlete has a reputation for being fast, so I was surprised and pleased to see such a poor technique. If you’re surprised to hear I was pleased to see it, the reason is simple: it gave clear direction and a very obvious “thing we need to work on.”

This is also where we began reframing her mental state. As mentioned above, I knew she was anxious and nervous about running fast because she could feel her hamstring grabbing and cramping when she approached high speeds: the warning sign not to run any faster or else it may pop.

If, on the one hand, I had told her after our first session, “I don’t see anything wrong, but I think lifting and sprinting will help. Yes, you’re right, you’ve already been lifting, but not on my programming…and yes, sprinting is what causes the pain, but trust me, it will help….”

That would have been true, but it doesn’t sound reassuring. It’s like taking your car to a mechanic and being told, “The diagnostic didn’t turn up anything wrong but just bring it back, and I’ll change the oil. I’m pretty sure that should fix the loud banging you hear while driving.”

Instead, I was able to tell her with confidence that her technique wasn’t ideal—which she clearly recognized when viewing the film—and share my confidence that changing her technique would help her speed and hamstring health.

I gave clear and positive expectations and set the stage for her to expect healing. Taking a note from the OPTIMAL theory of motor learning model from Wulf and Lewthwaite, I employed enhanced expectancies (“conditions that enhance expectancies for future performance”) to accelerate (no pun intended) not only motor learning but her general mood, affect, sense of hope, and disposition toward training with me in general—factors that I believe indeed influence motor learning.

This mental aspect cannot be understated. That she EXPECTED healing is paramount to the process of healing, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

This mental aspect cannot be understated. That she EXPECTED healing is paramount to the process of healing.

Motor Control and Sprint Kinematics

Interestingly, as can be seen above, the athlete’s heel strike is more exaggerated on her left. She also reported that her left hamstring bothered her more than her right.

To me, this is a chicken-or-the-egg situation. Does her hammy bother her, in part, because of this technique? Or was this technique developed subconsciously to limit sprint speed as a protective mechanism?

An exaggerated heel strike like hers is often paired with an inflated contact distance (distance between the foot and center of mass upon touchdown). The first part of ground contact is a braking phase, where sprint velocity decreases, and the second part of touchdown is propulsion, where velocity increases. Ideally, propulsion and braking times are roughly equal, each about 50% of the step cycle.

A larger-than-necessary contact distance, crudely assessed via shin angle upon touchdown (the shin should be near vertical), increases the time spent braking, causing slower sprints. Heel striking also limits, if not completely disregards, the stretch-shortening abilities of the Achilles complex, further limiting speed.

An absent stretch-shortening cycle coupled with the foot striking far in front of the center of mass forces more work on the hamstring group, likely increasing injury risk.

I don’t have film of her sprinting pre-injury, so I’ll never know if the chicken or the egg came first.

We began with the A-series progression, also known as Mach drills. They are, essentially, maximum velocity mechanics, but at slow speeds. When properly progressed, I’ve found the series to be highly valuable, as it makes it easy for athletes to learn the feel and movement of proper maximum velocity technique.

We started with a simple A-march in place. The athlete was unable to maintain a vertical torso, or a vertical position in general, even with a simple march in place.

Video 1. Unbeknownst to her, the athlete leans forward and shrugs her shoulders with every march. If this motor engram is in place during marching, it may also rear its head while sprinting.

Interestingly, she couldn’t feel and didn’t notice that she was doing this. I took the video above so she could see it. After watching and talking through it, she understood the objective but still struggled to execute it effectively.

I recalled noticing during her warm-up at the start of the session that she struggled to posteriorly tilt her pelvis during one of the movements, which made me question her general ability to control her pelvis.

Having conscious control of the pelvis—being able to anteriorly and posteriorly tilt, as well as lateral tilting and circling for bonus points—is a central theme in sprint technique and, specifically, hamstring health. Lack of control often shows itself during the A-series and can contribute to the folding noticed in this athlete.

Having conscious control of the pelvis is a central theme in sprint technique and, specifically, hamstring health, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

So, we backed up and worked this a little bit, following a general progression athletes consistently have success with. Unsurprisingly, she could not tilt her pelvis at first, and a basic deadbug was plenty challenging for her.

I stated briefly, in general terms, that sprinting with an anterior tilt isn’t good for a hamstring. I told her that as she learns to control her pelvis, she’ll be less likely to hurt when she sprints or have another injury, setting her up for mental success and expectations of wellness, healing, and performance.

With a little cueing and practice, she gained conscious control of her pelvis, and I pointed out how it was a good sign that she could conquer that so quickly. (As an aside, I genuinely believe this is one sign of a great athlete: the ability to learn or adjust motor skills quickly.)

Then we went back to the A-marches, where she was instructed to tilt posteriorly and remain vertical.

Like magic, her technique was much better, and again, I did not miss this opportunity to point out to her how well she was doing and how this was a significant step toward her goals.

Video 2. The differences between these marches are subtle but noticeable and important. The march on the right is more upright and has less extraneous movement in the back and neck, creating a crisper-looking and -sounding A-march. These new-and-improved mechanics can be leveraged and referenced to teach athletes how to sprint with proper technique.

From there, we could progress to traveling marches for distance, skips, and A-runs. These progressions sometimes seem tedious. Athletes (and perhaps coaches) may question their relevance/transference to sprint technique.

These drills are baby steps toward sprinting—essentially, maximum velocity mechanics at slow, controlled, and conscious speeds. Each progression is more dynamic and challenging than the previous one. If an athlete can’t march or skip with good technique, they likely can’t sprint with good technique.

As athletes build mastery at each level of the progression, they move on to the next. The final stage I typically use is an A-run that starts slow and gradually increases in speed, similar in nature to the dribble-bleed runs taught and employed by the folks at ALTIS.

Understanding and communicating that A-running is simply a top-speed technique, athletes are instructed to A-run slowly for a short distance—5 or 10 meters—and then gradually increase speed until they’re moving at about 75%–80% of top speed (subjectively). All the while, they must maintain the A-run technique (which, again, is good max speed mechanics).

Videos 3 and 4. Slow-motion footage of meters 10–15 of an A-run (3) and footage of the athlete sprinting on day one of our training (4). While not perfect, her A-run technique resembles ideal sprint mechanics much more closely than her actual sprinting did on day one.

This is a nice transition and gets athletes to feel max speed mechanics while moving at decent speeds. The athlete here picked up the technique relatively quickly and reported no hamstring pain or the grabbing sensation while sprinting with these ideal mechanics.

Knowing it had been months since she was able to run that fast without symptoms, I asked, “When’s the last time you’ve been able to do that pain-free?” She thought for a moment and then told me it had been months—confirming not only to me but, more importantly, to herself that she was well on her way toward healing.

This was a huge mental win that gave her confidence and hope.

Still, we limited speed to 80% subjective effort during the first two sessions to mitigate any risk of reinjury and give her body time to adapt to the stimuli delivered with these newfound mechanics.

Learning to transition from acceleration to max speed mechanics is a related skill, but it is distinct from simply starting in max speed mechanics (A-running) and speeding up with them. The athlete struggled to emulate her A-run technique during the upright phase of free sprints in her first two of four sessions, but she had a breakthrough in her third and figured out how to do so.

Her sprints started to look poetic instead of clunky and forced. Along with this poetry in motion, she felt no pain or grabbing/cramping sensations in her hamstring and no sense of fear or hesitation.

She felt she could dial up the speed a notch, and I agreed. I instructed her to bump her speed from 80% to 90% (subjective effort).

For the first time in months, she could sprint at that intensity without fear, pain, or hesitation. Again, this was highlighted immediately, confirming to the athlete that she was progressing and getting closer to sprinting without limitation.

Lifting and Sprint Progression

Including one session per week with me, the athlete requested to train six days per week.  I was delighted to meet her request and provide such a program. Keeping in mind she is an athlete and needs to train like one—yet still needs to address her hamstring issues—I organized her sessions as follows and delivered them via FYTT:

Mondays and Tuesdays included a sprint progression that generally increased in volume and distance throughout the four weeks. Friday included a maintenance sprint workout.

The thought process behind the sprint progression (Monday and Tuesday) was heavily influenced by Derek Hansen’s return to play course mentioned earlier in this article. Two of the big-picture takeaways I gained from his course are not to be afraid of sprint volume and to program sprints early and often in the return to play progression.

Thought patterns from both strength and conditioning and physical therapy are combined: increase exposure (volume) and intensity over time to stimulate tissue healing and performance.

The complete progression I programmed is simple and detailed below:

Brain Games

Little bits on the athlete’s mental state and relationship with her hamstring pain have been sprinkled throughout this article. Similarly, tiny disruptions to that relationship were sprinkled in during our four weeks of training. She was always very positive and upbeat but did have a justified concern with and mistrust of her ability to sprint without risk of injury when we began working together.

• “You’re picking this up really quickly. Some people take weeks to get this down. That’s a great sign—you’re making progress fast.”
• “That rep felt better on the hammy? Awesome, that’s a step in the right direction and a sure sign that you’re making progress.”
• “Wow, you were able to run at 90% without feeling that grabbing sensation? That’s huge. When’s the last time you’ve been able to do that?”
• “Do you have any hesitation or fear going into this next sprint rep? No? Wow—how long has it been since you haven’t had to think twice about sprinting fast?”

True return to play includes not only the physical body but the mind and spirit as well. Simple gestures such as the above, delivered with timeliness and sincerity, are strong reinforcement to athletes they are getting better.

True return to play includes not only the physical body but the mind and spirit as well, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

Return(ed) to Performance

By the end of our four weeks together, the athlete reported no physical discomfort, mental fear, or hesitation of any kind. At the time of writing, about four weeks after our final session together, the athlete reports no issues of any kind and is back to practice with her team without restriction.

I believe my approach is quite simple, straightforward, and not particularly groundbreaking. Good work need not always be revolutionary, though, right?

The athlete:

• Performed general athleticism-oriented lifting, including eccentric stress for the hamstring and core work targeted around pelvic control.
• Executed a linearly progressed sprint program.
• Made drastic improvements in her sprint technique.
• Was reminded of her success throughout the process.

Video 5. The weather prohibited us from sprinting over 20 meters during our final session, but this film from her third session shows clear improvements in her sprint technique. What’s more, the athlete’s fastest 10-meter split was slightly faster this day (session three) than on day one while sprinting with no pain, fear, or hesitation at 90% effort.

Personally, I think most of her hamstring performance improvement came as a result of the progressive sprint program and enhanced kinematics (although her trust and confidence in herself cannot be understated). The improvements she made in sprint technique put her in better positions not only to express force and sprint faster but also to protect her hamstring. Once that technique was achieved, she put it to use and progressively stressed her tissues with the sprint program.

Just as we wouldn’t push volume and intensity in a squat or deadlift for an athlete who can’t perform those lifts well—especially if those movements provoke symptoms—we should take the same approach with sprinting, especially with athletes who can’t sprint without experiencing symptoms!

Can every athlete achieve the same results this one did in just four weeks? Is it guaranteed she will never experience reinjury? Is every hamstring injury capable of healing in four weeks?

Certainly not.

But can every athlete improve sprint kinematics, address physical capacity with targeted strength and conditioning, and move the needle in the right direction?

Undoubtedly.

Can every athlete improve sprint kinematics, address physical capacity with targeted strength and conditioning, and move the needle in the right direction? Undoubtedly, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

While we cannot claim to eliminate the risk of injury—especially for hamstring pulls, which are notorious for becoming recurring issues—we can mitigate it.

For those looking to help athletes return to sport post-hamstring injury, or prevent injury in the first place, consider this basic yet effective approach.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

References

Lahti J, Mendiguchia J, Ahtiainen J, et al. “Multifactorial individualised programme for hamstring muscle injury risk reduction in professional football: protocol for a prospective cohort study.” BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2020;6(1):e000758.

Wulf G and Lewthwaite R. “Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning.” Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. 2016 Oct;23(5):1382–1414. doi: 10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9. PMID: 26833314.

At Elmhurst University’s recent Track and Football Consortium, Coach Rob Assise concluded his presentation by sharing a personal goal to write one thank-you note each week in the new year, saying that sharing his goal with the audience would help to hold him accountable. When held accountable, we can thrive individually; in holding others accountable, we teach someone else to thrive as well. Coaches who ask for accountability model behavior that, in fact, helps fellow coaches thrive.

In my home filing cabinet, where once-useful papers like product warranties and old tax returns rest in peace, my front file folder is labeled “Thank Yous.” Its contents include 64 (track coaches are precise with numbers) mostly handwritten thank-you notes from past students, student-athletes, and parents. On rare occasions when I access materials from the cabinet, there sits in the front folder a compelling reason to spontaneously read, knowing full well the writer’s words will evoke memories of the person and gratitude for their effort at the same time.

If you are a new coach, I encourage you to save any expressions of thanks. You will find that they energize you over and over just when they are most needed. Share on X

If you are a new coach, I encourage you to save any expressions of thanks. You will find that they energize you over and over just when they are most needed. In fact, I hope this letter becomes part of your own thank-you note collection. Therefore, in testament to committed coaches everywhere, especially those in the TFC community, I offer a thank-you note of my own to begin 2023.

Thank you to coaches who pay a high opportunity cost to coach. In other words, thank you to all committed coaches. Something impossible to understand by a non-coach is the fact that the job of a teacher/coach never stops.

On a recent “ESPN Daily” podcast, now two-time National Championship University of Georgia football coach Kirby Smart was described as being “never not in work mode.” Most coaches will work in relative anonymity compared to Coach Smart, but they’ll appreciate this description because it is their reality. It is impossible to turn off the coach’s brain. There is always practice footage to critique, a workout to write, an injury report to assess, or a meet entry to edit.

Committed coaches are perpetually at work. As I enter my 20th year of coaching high school track and field, I am thankful for and inspired by those who labor daily in details unknown and unappreciated by those outside the profession. Where practice for student-athletes may conclude at 6 p.m., committed coaches know powerful and candid one-on-one conversations aren’t cut short by the clock; these conversations are often best delivered at the end of a session when the day’s work is close to complete.

Tidying up the locker room, securing the facility, and conversing with the last athlete to be picked up always take coaches well past the 18th hour of the day. Knowing that peer coaches are doing their very best at the “routine but unseen” moves, motivates, and encourages me to do the same. For coaches who have ever doubted the effort is worth the abundant trade-offs, know that it is, and this effort is quietly understood by all in the coaching fraternity.

Thank you to committed coaches who work long hours and solve impossible problems. In the life of a committed coach, it is often a lonely walk to a dark, cold (maybe even Midwest cold!), and empty parking lot at the end of the day. Hours after colleagues have left for family, dinner, and hobbies, coaches everywhere finally make their way home under cover of darkness, faced with a constantly growing “to-do” list. The next day’s 6:00 a.m. practice, home meet setup, or spontaneous “challenges” that arrive in the hallways of every single school in the United States are the experiences that define our lives.

Committed coaches live the ups and downs with our student-athletes in a way that is, again, only understood by those who practice this profession. Know that you are not alone. Seek advice from others when faced with a dilemma. Offer to listen, as rarely is this skill given but always is this skill wanted.

Know that you are not alone. Seek advice from others when faced with a dilemma. Offer to listen, as rarely as this skill given but always is this skill wanted. Share on X

Additionally, to those who read this article, the next time you are confronted with a coaching challenge, take a moment to reflect on your mentor coaches and seek clarity from the wisdom they surely imparted upon you that can assist in solving issues with your own student-athletes.

Finally, thank you to committed coaches who know how to elicit the best in others. Without competition, the previously mentioned preparation, sacrifice, and process would lack purpose. It is in striving for excellence, a virtue captured in the ancient Greek concept of arete, that committed coaches come back each day wanting to be a better version of themselves. Committed coaches continually improve through study, reflection, analysis, and attending world-class conferences like TFC. Through my two decades of coaching, I believe that excellence is knowing there is a right way to do everything and sacrificing all else to meet that expectation in every task, large or small.

The immediate product of our committed efforts is an enhanced ability to explain the sport to our student-athletes. The long-term product is an authentic demonstration of dedication. Through both long- and short-term lessons, we make better people, better teams, and better athletes. So long as we each push one another to strive for excellence, remain steadfast in our commitment to our student-athletes, and give thanks to one another for making this nonstop occupation possible, we can confidently say that we have fulfilled Coach John Wooden’s request to “Never cease trying to be the best you can be. That’s in your power.” Thanks to committed coaches for using this power in your vocation.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Nutrition is a race best run as a marathon, not a sprint. And the carnivore diet is all right for an on-ramp, but not as the highway home.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’m not a fan of extreme diets. That said, why then do we see so many people from all walks of life doing well on the carnivore diet—improving body composition and reporting better mood, more energy, and better digestion—if it’s also not a good diet to follow long term? Does this mean carnivore eating is a suitable diet strategy for athletes (or people in general)?

Here, I’m going to answer that with my two cents and make the case that the carnivore diet could be followed short term as a potential way to silence autoimmune issues…but it shouldn’t be followed long term. It’s also not the only path to the potential “solutions” it is correlated with.

**Abbreviated takeaways are available in the final section and you can find my comprehensive guide here.

Why Is the Carnivore Diet Problematic for Athletes Long-Term?

Although some of these health and performance issues symptomatic of a long-term carnivore diet can show up sooner in some athletes than others, here’s what tends to happen at some point or another. 

Zero (or Minimal) Carbs

The carnivore diet contains zero carbohydrates. To thrive and function optimally (not just survive), carbs are essential—whether you’re an athlete or not.

Totally eliminating carbs can also impair your ability to metabolize as much glucose as before. This is the opposite of what we want for health and performance. Even carnivore and ketogenic diet followers readily admit this.

Totally eliminating carbs can also impair your ability to metabolize as much glucose as before. This is the opposite of what we want for health and performance, says @rewirehp. Share on X

Carbs are:

• The primary fuel for fast-twitch muscle fibers. This matches the observed reality, wherein low-carb endurance athletes tend to be minimally explosive. To be fair, this is multifactorial, as there are multiple inputs at play here that can affect muscle fiber dynamics, including how one trains. It’s also fair to mention that fast-twitch muscle fibers aren’t the only thing that makes one fast. Sensory mechanics, fascial connectivity, and other factors contribute. That said, in my nearly 20 years in nutrition, I’ve yet to see one explosive athlete who’s done low carb for a protracted time.
• Needed to convert T4 to T3 in thyroid hormone manufacture (more on hormones later). They’re also essential for creating CO2 during the metabolic process.
• Systemically protective in the face of stresses from our environment in general, as well as for recovery from training and playing. Carbs are energy, and energy is our adaptation currency.

By eliminating/mitigating carbs (a readily available energy source), your body has to “mine” for energy from fat. This is not only energetically/metabolically inefficient for needing ready-made energy (e.g., to fuel short, athletic bursts), but it also coincides with the excessive release of stress hormones like adrenaline, norepinephrine, glucagon, and cortisol. This is one reason diets like keto and carnivore can seem like they improve energy in the short term, though this is actually fool’s gold.

Low in CO2

Forget the mainstream narrative about carbon being bad for a moment and open yourself to some nuance…CO2 is one of the primary factors responsible for us becoming more biologically complex individuals. The CO2 manufactured from carbs is a vital anti-stress, systemically nourishing nutrient.

CO2 is critical for endurance capacity and oxygenation of tissues (including working tissues during performance) via the Bohr effect. Sure, low-carb approaches can appear to work for survival-type training (e.g., hiking, obstacle course racing, etc.) because there isn’t a shot clock on energy efficiency. In repeat-burst sports like basketball, football, combat sports, and more, there is a repeat demand for an immediately available energy source.

Carb-rich diets will do this, but carb-scarce diets will not. In some of the survival-type environments I mentioned, it can appear to the individual that it’s sufficient because there’s a less limiting time stamp on the time it takes to complete the task. There’s far less urgency. The sport is less reactive in nature. Thus, it can seem (between the stress hormones and increased fat oxidation-derived energy) like the energy supply is adequate (never mind the potential survival state it’s creating under the hood).

Sports like basketball place sports car-type demands on athletes, while endurance sports place more Prius-type demands. In one case, it’s about keeping a good pace and turning on the jets regularly as need be. In the other, it’s about simply moving forward. Hare and tortoise.

Carbs are also important for vasodilation and protect against damage to proteins. They’re simply critical for maintaining/stabilizing cellular structure. “Energy and structure are interdependent at every level,” as Dr. Ray Peat would say—and in this instance, he’s right.

No Fiber

The diet has minimal/zero fiber. Although some fibers are indigestible, inflammatory, and problematic, no fiber/bitters can…

• Lead to poor gut motility (reduced bile flow, reduced frequency of bowel movements).
• Mean you’re not taking advantage of potential detoxification mechanisms (e.g., estrogen detox).
• Help optimize digestion when you eat the right kinds (e.g., raw carrots, bamboo shoots, white button mushrooms), even though it’s not essential. In turn, this has a positive effect on neurological function, including perception and feeling (quality of life), as well as athletic performance.

Lacking in Some Micronutrients

The carnivore diet lacks nutrient robustness, some of which can (and can’t) be supplemented effectively. Carnivore can result in nutrient deficiencies, chief among them being mineral and electrolyte balance. Even the most devout carnies concede this through a need to over-supplement electrolytes.

Electrolytes are foundational for cellular processes underpinning general health, as well as muscle actions. Electrolytes also help motor neuron communication; instead of thinking of electrolytes as simply cramp stoppers, we should think of them as physiological prerequisites to neuromuscular activity and brain health, among many, many other things.

Although it is very true that plant-based eaters are highly susceptible to bone breaks, a lack of dietary calcium in meat-eaters is a possibility, too, says @rewirehp. Share on X

Though not as bad as plant-based, the carnivore diet also lacks calcium. Speaking of electrolytes, calcium is difficult to get through food if you don’t consume dairy or ground eggshell powder. Most calcium supplements aren’t effective, either. If your calcium levels aren’t sufficient to support the abundant amount of phosphorus you’ll get through meat, cellular metabolism will suffer.

Although it is very true that plant-based eaters are highly susceptible to bone breaks, a lack of dietary calcium (through the false notion that dairy is inherently bad for us) in meat-eaters is a possibility, too. When I see bad bone break injuries—like the ones that happened to Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Chris Weidman, and Anderson Silva—calcium intake would be one of the first questions I’d be asking to better identify what seeded the situation.

Unless accounted for, you’ll also be deficient in collagen. If no collagen, gelatin, or bone broth is included, you’ll operate on a collagen deficiency. This means amino acids will be unbalanced in favor of amino acids tryptophan, histidine, methionine, and cystine. This may not be an issue in the short term, but this can be inflammatory and metabolically problematic in the long term.

Many athletes eating a major excess of muscle meats tend to be susceptible to various types of fatigue, which health researcher Gary Millet once categorized as “adrenal fatigue.” Collagen is also something of a fertilizer for our connective tissues, be it gut lining, hair, skin, nails, or tendons. This is a big reason why I recommend all my athletes get a sufficient amount—it’s a nutritional way to support durability on the court.

Unless modified to include some fruit, you’ll be at a deficit for vitamin C: a critical antioxidant that is immunosupportive, increases collagen synthesis (important for athletes using collagen for injury prevention and metabolism), and promotes cardiovascular health, iron absorption, and other antioxidant functions.

It’s important to remember that being low in a nutrient (or even at the recommended daily allowance, in some cases) is not the same as having optimal nutrient levels.

What Benefits Does Carnivore Seem to Have Up Front?

So, if carnivore is bad over the long term, why do people seem to report improvements in body composition, digestion, cognitive function, inflammation, and autoimmune-type symptoms? How does one explain these results?

In general, I believe most of the benefits come from cutting out dozens of inflammatory nutrients and ingredients not meant for human consumption, as well as inflammatory fibers.

Another mechanism of action is increasing nutrient content (not ideal nutrient content, mind you, but a relative increase). The carnivore diet can layer in more vitamins found only in animal products: retinol, creatine, K2-MK4, vitamin A, taurine, heme-iron, etc. This will create a highly pronounced positive effect in those coming from the plant-based or low-protein diet side of things. Simply reversing a protein deficiency can cause a significant improvement in health and subjective quality of life.

An extension of increasing relative nutrient content is increasing protein content. This also can mean improving the protein:energy ratio (P:E ratio), as coined by nutritionist Ted Naiman. I have plenty of differences with Naiman’s thoughts on the applied diet side of things, but he is right in that those with larger body composition renovation goals may need to improve their ratio of protein to both carbs and fat (energy). This is because protein isn’t so much an energy source but should be viewed more as a “free macronutrient” (to a point, as excess isn’t healthy) in that it takes more energy to fully absorb it than it contains, calorically. Those eating well beyond their caloric needs in energy often see a benefit because of this.

Additionally, carnivore can be beneficial in the form of diet-induced thermogenesis from digesting said higher protein content. This also means potentially improving energy balance (caloric intake) overall. More protein means more satiety, which means a reduced likelihood of overeating.

Circling back to nutrient inclusion, often, opening people to the benefit of ruminant organ meat superfoods (liver, heart) they weren’t intaking previously boosts the above micronutrients and more. Carnivore eating is inclusive of organ meats.

More Gut Rest, Less Inflammation

This warrants more elaboration. The nature of carnivore translates to more gut rest—meaning the carnivore diet acts as something of a fasting mimetic by being a low-residue diet. This means most of the food is digested in the small intestine quite quickly.

The increased energy, cognitive fitness, and symptom suppression can also result from a combo of having fewer energy-stealing, brain fog-promoting inflammatory agents and upregulated production of adrenal stress hormones like cortisol.

Aspects of Dr. Steven Gundry’s work can be pulled from here to help us understand the underlying why’s: namely, plant defense chemicals, bacterial endotoxin, and excessive and/or semi-indigestible fibers.

Many health and performance issues start in the gut. Resolving gut insults and rehabilitation from gut injury is a priority for athletes, says @rewirehp. Share on X

Plant defense chemicals and “anti-nutrients” are compounds that plants use to defend themselves. Even to the uninitiated, this should make intuitive sense. We’ve all heard that plants may be poisonous to prevent animals from eating them. Think of this as a less dramatic version of that. While many fruit-bearing plants with seeds like strawberries prefer that we eat them because it helps proliferate the species when they come out the other end, there’s no biological advantage in being eaten for many plants. Thus, poisons (both high-level and low) and indigestibility are their inherent defense mechanisms.

Plant toxins include lectins, tannins, oxalates, goitrogens, trypsin inhibitors, and self-made pesticides. These can prevent the absorption of what nutrients a plant may contain, disrupt the hormonal profile of the consumer, inhibit the release of digestive enzymes and stomach acid, and even cause organ failure or death in extreme cases. Plant toxins can sometimes be produced or upregulated in response to stressful growing conditions; in turn, these plants can even communicate to neighboring ones to do the same.

Both animals and humans have built-in evolutionary adaptations that help keep us safe from these plant insults.

Ruminants like cows actually have a quad-series stomach complete with bacteria-filled rumen that helps them neutralize and break down plant toxins. We humans don’t have this built-in machinery. We have an acidic, bacteria-free stomach like dogs, cats, or vultures. When ruminants are left to their own devices and roam freely, they actually rely on their senses to avoid consuming an excess of plant toxins. However, if hypothetically caged with limited food options, they will override these instincts and consume what’s available.

Cows tend to find those plants poisonous to them unpalatable and unappetizing. They won’t usually eat them unless their feed is contaminated with them or they don’t have other food options. As health researcher Kaya of Fundamental Nourishment points out, some of the best plant toxin neutralizers are sheep, and even they aren’t bulletproof. They can experience thyroid dysfunction, congenital hypothyroidism, thyroid goiters, stillbirth, and even death from simply overconsuming kale.

In fact, research has shown thyroid enlargement (goiter) in lambs fed an excess of kale compared to pasture-raised lambs that were left to choose what they ate—one example of seemingly innocuous plant toxins disrupting hormone function and overall health. Not identical in humans, but surprisingly similar health consequences.

These goitrogens can disrupt our thyroid function by inhibiting iodine utilization, which diminishes the production of thyroid hormone T4 and its conversion into the active thyroid hormone T3. They also can hyper-elevate the pituitary hormone T.S.H. (thyroid stimulating hormone), which is associated with systemic inflammation at too high a clip. Although other plant toxins can disrupt the thyroid, goitrogens like kale, broccoli, cauliflower, rutabaga, cassava root, and turnip are the worst offenders (goitrogen). Other plant toxins can, however, be a stick in the bike spokes to liver function—the chief conversion site of T4 to T3. 

Humans have the same palatability instincts. Well-cooked kale tastes better than raw. Peeled carrots taste better than unpeeled ones. Cooking mitigates many plant toxins, as does removing the peel, where many of these toxins are concentrated.

Oddly enough, momma may not have known best when she force-fed some of these vegetables to us as kids. Kids are generally more oriented toward their instincts and have not yet been trained to follow what they “ought to do” food-wise, yet. It turns out we may not need to suck it up, nor are we worthy of ridicule for being weak-willed. This is our instincts guiding us in many cases.

Just because some plants contain nutrients, it doesn’t mean we’re able to absorb them. There’s a big difference between nutrient presence and bioavailability, says @rewirehp. Share on X

It’s also important to remember that just because some of these plants contain nutrients, it doesn’t mean we’re able to absorb them. There’s a big difference between nutrient presence and bioavailability. There may not be much use in selecting certain plants or grains based on nutrient contents if you can’t utilize them.

This slots into our digestion—absorption—utilization nutrition model quite well. If you can digest something, you can absorb it. If you can absorb it, your body can utilize it as it was meant to. Nutritionist Ronnie Smith of Energy Concepts originally conceived this nutritional model. (Ronnie also took a bioenergetic view of health and performance.)

Removal of these digestive and neuroimmune insults results in a drastic upfront minimization of gut injury for most. A reduction in them (and the other listed digestive insults) is responsible for a good amount of the benefits, including visual body composition changes. Some of those results stem from not having as much gut inflammation, water retention, and bloating.

We’re essentially providing a pruning effect on unwanted bacterial overgrowth (in some cases), bacterial endotoxin, and more—not unlike how environmentalists intentionally introduce certain animals to get rid of invasive species to balance out ecological systems. And this isn’t purely an analogy—your gut literally is an ecological system.

Because we know the gut and brain are linked via the gut-brain axis, a bidirectional link between the central and enteric nervous systems, this means emotional and cognitive centers of the brain are linked with peripheral gastrointestinal function.

It’s not a stretch to say that we can presuppose this not only applies to neuropsychiatric conditions like mood but also has implications with the neurological efficiency required for high-level performance. Your physiology doesn’t work in silos but as one coordinated unit—just like your movements.

While many will scoff and say, “look at high-level athletes who eat crap, like D.K. Metcalf,” the reality is that some elite-level athletes have the superpower of being able to overcome bad environmental inputs compared to you and me.

For the overwhelming majority of us who need to put in work to be great? Good luck, if that’s your approach.

Reduction of Bacterial Endotoxin

Speaking of, another thing that makes carnivore highly effective up front is the diet’s ability to prune away at bacterial endotoxin efficiently. Not unlike the gut irritants I mentioned, bacterial endotoxins are a key driver of gut (and neuroimmune) issues that have many downstream health and performance implications.

Hormonal Relief

The short-term benefits of the carnivore diet can come from “addressing” some of the above gut issues, which in turn relieve some hormonal issues that present with most modern diets. Additionally, this can help reduce serotonin (a neurohormone) that limits metabolic function. This means braking ATP production, which in turn downregulates us into more of a “hibernating” state. As a reminder, you need energy to adapt to the stressors of playing and training, as well as modern life.

Another underlying mechanism is cortisol and stress hormones that kick in as a result of sticking more to the right side of the Krebs cycle and biasing mostly fat oxidation (mobilizing dietary and body fat into energy instead). This is because the body doesn’t have an immediately available energy source (carbs). When the body goes to “mine” its own energy, it releases stress hormones such as cortisol and glucagon.

The ‘high’ many people report is essentially because they’re running on stress hormones—not because they’ve unlocked a higher level of cognitive fitness, says @rewirehp. Share on X

Short-term, cortisol (the “stress hormone”) can be anti-inflammatory as a stress response, but prolonged, perpetual release in excess is harmful and will suppress your metabolism. If protracted, it can also contribute to degenerative states (as one of many factors). This “high” many people report is essentially because they’re running on stress hormones—not because they’ve unlocked a higher level of cognitive fitness. Generally, this also can disrupt sleep cycles (an area where athletes are already working against the odds when they’re traveling on road trips).

However, hormones are yet another net negative. On top of chronic upregulation of stress hormones, the carnivore (and keto) diet can dunk on your hormones by increasing SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin), lowering GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), and lowering T3, as we mentioned before.

Once again, we’re playing the carnivore chorus. The central theme is that being ahead in the first quarter ain’t the same thing as winning the game. A short-term stepping stone isn’t the same thing as a long-term solution.

“Action Items” and Considerations for Integration

Although there are more layers to this, I hope this section gives you a solid understanding of why carnivore can be a great shortcut but not a complete dietary template. What can carnivore eating teach us? What nuggets can we potentially fold into our own regimen? Whether it’s something to do or not to do, I believe we can learn some things from the carnivore diet.

The reality is that people get results up front with the carnivore diet because it gets most people eating more protein (and most aren’t eating enough). Most need to eat more protein, but keep in mind some athletes and gym goers may have overeaten protein to a detriment.

It’s been responsible for many learning the benefits of organ meats—and that’s a good thing. Ruminant organ meats are nutrient powerhouses. Regularly include these. Once per week should be solid for most, though certain high-stress situations such as the energy demands of professional-level athletics may call for more.

Ruminant organ meats are nutrient powerhouses. Regularly include them—once per week should be solid for most, says @rewirehp. Share on X

It improves the protein:energy ratio by having people consume less energy in the form of carbs/fat while upping protein, which is thermogenic. It cuts out dozens of processed ingredients, stabilizers, and inflammatory ingredients not meant for human consumption, and it also cuts down on inflammatory fibers found in certain plants.

It’s helped usher in the correct notion that saturated fats and cholesterol foods aren’t evil—quite the opposite. These are like fertilizer for protective, anti-stress, steroid hormone manufacture. It’s the so-called “heart-healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids” (especially industrial seed oils) that are to be avoided. Unfortunately, many pro sports franchises’ chefs cook with these oils. This is one of many examples that gets overlooked by training staff—what good is the latest force plate technology if athletes are being fed slow-acting poisons? I’m all for a lot of sports science technological innovations, but worrying about data without fixing the fundamentals is like majoring in the minors.

It helps us rethink mainstream vegetable integrations. Lettuce, most salads, highly cruciferous vegetables, and leafy greens are to be minimized, for the most part. Vegetables like raw carrots, white button mushrooms, and bamboo shoots are to be emphasized. That said, carbs and quality vegetables aren’t evil just because certain junk food carbohydrates are bad for our health.

Most of the benefits come from improved gut health, as carnivore is a low-residue, high gut motility diet. (That’s just a nerdy way to say it mimics fasting by digesting food in the small intestine immediately.) Many health and performance issues start in the gut. Resolving gut insults and rehabilitation from gut injury is a priority for athletes.

The bigger picture here is that carnivore is a low-energy diet (both in a macro and micro sense) as well as an inducer of systemic stress that—if prolonged—resembles survival states. It’s a black-and-white approach that makes some improvements that get attributed to the broad brushstroke of meat only. The key to remember here is that symptom suppression is not the same thing as addressing the root cause, and THIS is why it can be a dangerous mirage. In reality, you could accomplish the same benefits and more with a chisel instead of a sledgehammer (small tweaks versus a giant extreme, sweeping change).

There could be a gut-reset benefit to following the carnivore diet for a couple of weeks at a time, but if you decide to do this, be sure to include some digestion-friendly fiber in the form of raw carrots, white button mushrooms, bamboo shoots, etc. as well as not give up sugar from the small amounts of carbs you allot yourself during this time. This means still including fruit, fruit juice, raw honey, and milk (not just a carb, but mostly carb-dense in terms of macro spread).

Truth is, it’s another example of a sledgehammer diet. By that, I mean you take one giant hammer swing and eliminate a food group, key nutrient, etc., and then decide that all the benefits you’re getting come from cutting out something like carbs, meat, etc. when in reality it created a ripple effect of a lot of smaller changes under the hood, physiologically speaking (both good and bad). Was it really the meat or carbs, or was it a combo of all the small things under the hood that changed as a downstream consequence?

That’s why all these extreme diets don’t work well in the long run. Better to use a chisel and find what works for you over time: how much to eat, dialing in your grams of protein/carb/fat macronutrients, identifying what nutrients you need more of, and testing what’s causing inflammation rather than doing an extreme sledgehammer diet.

Athletes considering a temporary carnivore approach should only do so for two weeks during a time when they’re not playing, says @rewirehp. Share on X

Even if you use carnivore as a reset, don’t mistake the current on-ramp for the long-term highway. Athletes considering a temporary carnivore approach should only do so for two weeks during a time when they’re not playing. This likely means early off-season for pro athletes. Everyday individuals should take a deload from training.

The bottom line with carnivore is it can be a useful ultra-short-term tool as an elimination diet to identify food sensitivities and stabilize your gut situation in dire situations. Beyond that, you’re better off as the tortoise than the hare in this race.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Ask any athlete who takes their sport seriously, and they’ll tell you they’re always looking for ways to optimize their training and recovery. Ask any injured athlete if they’d like to find a way to speed up their rehabilitation, and you’ll get a resounding “Yes!”

As such, it’s not uncommon these days to see athletes sitting or standing on vibrating platforms, rolling their muscles on portable vibrating devices, or even wearing vibration gadgets. The rationale can range from enhancing muscle performance before an activity to preventing injury and accelerating recovery.

But can exposing the body to vibrations actually make any sort of difference to the body, be it for performance or recovery? It turns out that science has found some surprising details on this modality.

So, if you’re curious about the details and scientific findings of vibration therapy, this article will walk you through a general background of what it consists of and what the scientific literature has found for its impact on human physiology and athletic performance.

Let the good vibes begin.

The Premise and Mechanisms of Vibration Therapy

The premise behind vibration therapy is rooted in its ability to change or improve various aspects of physiologic function within the body, particularly for neuromuscular function (the functioning of nerves and their associated skeletal muscles).

When applied directly or indirectly, vibrational stimulation can favorably influence the neuromuscular functioning of an athlete’s body. Share on X

As such, when applied directly or indirectly (defined later in this article), vibrational stimulation can favorably influence the neuromuscular functioning of an athlete’s body.

One can really get down into the scientific weeds with how and why these responses are elicited; however, that is not the intent of this article. Instead, I’ll provide a general overview, best practices, and practical considerations for incorporating this modality into any aspect of your athletic endeavors.

There is a lot to unpack here, so let’s start with the basics and then progress into some specifics.

It’s worth mentioning that percussion therapy (such as handheld massage guns) is not vibration-based. It can deliver similar local effects but is technically not the same as vibration therapy. Share on X

Special note: It’s worth mentioning that percussion therapy (such as handheld massage guns) is not vibration-based. It can deliver similar local effects but is technically not the same as vibration therapy. Keep this in mind as you read the article.

Physiologic Effects of Vibration Therapy

There are several ways in which vibrations influence and affect various tissues of the body. We have yet to fully understand all of the mechanisms behind their actions, but there is a fair amount we do understand and strong theories for the rest.

In a nutshell: Vibrational stimuli act as a signaling mechanism that can excite and enhance various aspects of the neuromuscular system, either for improving physical performance or accelerating physical recovery and injury rehabilitation. Ultimately, it is believed that musculoskeletal structures respond to vibrational stimuli to modulate the muscle’s tone in a way that allows them to accommodate the vibrational waves they’re experiencing.¹

The specifics of how either of these outcomes is achieved depend upon manipulating the vibration parameters that comprise vibrational therapy (which this article will discuss later).

Neurological mechanisms: Many of the effects elicited by vibrational therapy arise from influencing the nervous system. The hardcore details of how these effects are achieved are mainly outside the scope of this article; however, a basic understanding is necessary for anyone interested in adopting and utilizing vibration therapy, particularly coaches and rehabilitation professionals.

Vibrations, which are small oscillations, provide mechanical stimulation to specific sensory receptors within the skin, muscles, and tendons.

It’s largely believed that exposure to vibrations triggers a neurogenic reflex that, when combined with other muscular responses, activates a reflex known as the tonic vibration reflex.^2–4 In short, this occurs from the vibrations activating muscle spindles (a type of intrafusal muscle fiber within the skeletal muscle), which, in this application, are responsible for producing an involuntary increase in force output of the muscle itself (occurring via alpha motor neurons).

If that sounds rather technical, don’t sweat it: Essentially, it just means that the result of a muscle’s exposure to the right type (and amount) of vibration is an increase in motor unit firing rate, coordination within the muscle, and increased central motor command.⁴ As mentioned earlier, the extent to which these changes can occur is believed to vary based on the individual vibration parameters utilized.

Additional Mechanisms

Whether for improved performance or accelerated recovery following injury or exercise, vibration therapy can achieve a few other noteworthy effects (which occur either indirectly through neurological means or separately altogether). These mechanisms lead to outcomes that include:

• Increases in intramuscular temperature via the circulatory system.⁵
• Increased metabolic rate within the activated muscles.⁶
• Reduction in myofascial and musculoskeletal pain.⁷
• Improved proprioception and kinesthetic awareness.⁸

Parameters for Vibration Therapy

Four parameters can be manipulated when delivering vibration therapy. These parameters are:⁹

• Frequency (refers to the number of oscillations per second, measured in Hz)
• Displacement (refers to the size of the oscillation, measured in millimeters)
• Amplitude (determines the magnitude of vibration, measured in m/s²)
• Duration (the time spent delivering the vibrations, measured in minutes or seconds)

Four parameters can be manipulated when delivering vibration therapy: frequency, displacement, amplitude, and duration. Each is likely to play a significant role in the effects achieved. Share on X

Each parameter is likely to play a significant role in the effects achieved. However, as you’ll soon see, it’s not overly clear which combination of parameters yields the most effective intended outcomes. (The best practices section of this article will help point you in the right direction.)

Types of Vibrational Therapy

There are two ways vibrational therapy can produce its effects within the body. They are classified into two distinct categories, with one being whole-body vibration and the other being local vibration.

If you decide to read any vibration therapy research within the scientific community, you’ll want to be aware of which type of vibration is studied, as some studies examine the effects of whole-body vibration, while others look at the effects of local vibration.

A quick note: While it’s believed that the mechanisms of action between whole-body and local vibration are the same or very similar, it’s possible that how they achieve their respective effects could be somewhat different depending on the specific effect they produce.¹⁰

1. Whole-Body Vibration

Whole-body vibration refers to delivering the effects of vibrational stimuli throughout the entire body. This type of vibrational therapy is often referred to as indirect vibrational therapy since its effects extend beyond the regions of the body that are in direct contact with the vibrational device (typically a vibrating platform).

This intervention method has been studied more than local vibration and can yield effects reaching beyond the local body part in contact with the vibrating device. Of note, these whole-body effects include:

• Increases in serum concentration of growth hormone and testosterone.^11,12
• Decreases in serum concentration of cortisol.^11,12
• Enhancement of anabolic gene expression in tendons.¹³ 

2. Local Vibration

Local vibration refers to vibration being delivered directly to a specific body part. For this reason, it’s often referred to as direct vibrational therapy.

Local vibration refers to vibration being delivered directly to a specific body part. For this reason, it’s often referred to as direct vibrational therapy. Share on X

Local vibration has been shown to produce favorable outcomes for different aspects of performance and rehabilitation; however, local vibration therapy has been studied far less extensively than whole-body vibration.²

Common local vibration devices available to athletes and coaches include:

• Vibrating travel rollers
• Vibrating massage balls
• Wearable vibrational garments or patches

Vibration Therapy for Improved Performance

Multiple performance avenues have been studied and analyzed for improving athletic and physical performance via vibration therapy. Below are some of the findings for more common realms of enhancing athletic performance.

Scientific Findings for Muscle Performance Characteristics
Studies examining various characteristics of muscle contraction and function (ballistic contraction, resistance to fatigue, maximal force output, etc.) when exposed to either type of vibration tend to be favorable and statistically significant, but not all studies produce these findings. Notably, these differences in outcome effectiveness are likely due to the study design and the vibration parameters utilized for a study’s protocol.³

The takeaway: Most studies examining the improvement of muscle performance have utilized local vibration (though plenty have used full-body vibration). Of these studies, those that found favorable improvements in muscle performance utilized frequencies ranging between 20 Hz and 60 Hz with oscillation amplitude from 1–2 mm. Shorter session durations (1–5 minutes) are most often used.

Scientific Findings for Improving Proprioception
Regaining proprioception (the brain’s ability to determine the position of joints and limbs accurately) is highly important with injury rehabilitation, as it’s often impaired after injury. This is particularly true with ankle rehabilitation.

The takeaway: Some studies have examined the ability of direct vibration therapy to enhance proprioception, but there is little solid data to go on at this time. It has been examined in elderly and young populations, and it shows promise, but the scientific consensus at this point in time is that more research needs to be done.⁴

Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Numerous studies involving whole-body vibration have found favorable effects on improving the flexibility and perceived stiffness of muscles. Less literature is available for when using direct vibration therapy, though some emerging evidence has found that utilizing a Swissring® at 20 Hz with amplitudes ranging from 1–6 mm and applied to various regions in two-minute durations has produced notable improvements in ankle and hamstring mobility—two body parts that are of particular interest (and importance) to velocity-based athletes.¹⁴ It stands to reason that other direct vibrational devices could produce similar effects when using identical or similar parameters.

The takeaway: Ideal parameter settings when using indirect vibration therapy to improve muscle and joint flexibility aren’t as clearly established when compared to direct means, but they likely involve parameters similar to those used for direct vibration. This typically involves a longer duration of vibration exposure (greater than 10 minutes) with higher frequencies, but there is no clear consensus within the scientific literature.

Scientific Findings for Bone Mineral Density
Bone mineral density is perhaps the most well-studied feature of vibration therapy. Most scientific articles have examined its effects using the whole body method, with favorable improvements in various bone characteristics that reflect improved bone health.

The primary mechanism behind its action is believed to be through improving bone circulation, which helps increase the overall nutritional supply to the bone tissue.^15,16 Additionally, it has been shown to improve various aspects of osteogenic differentiation while reducing osteoclast formation.^17,18

The takeaway: The vast majority of studies examining vibration therapy’s effects on bone mineral density have utilized a vibration frequency from 30–50 Hz with session duration varying between 10 and 20 minutes and session frequency varying between daily and thrice weekly. These studies ranged from 11 to 80 weeks, with most being approximately 20 weeks in length.

Vibration Therapy for Exercise Recovery

In the world of athletic performance, coaches often tell their athletes: train hard and recover harder. It makes perfect sense; you don’t actually become stronger within the gym or on the track—you merely use those facilities to elicit a stimulus that triggers desired physical adaptations. Those adaptations occur as your body recovers from the stressors it was exposed to within the workout or training session.

It makes sense that any modality that helps enhance the efficacy of the body’s recovery process can lead to improved physical performance. Share on X

So, it makes sense that any modality that helps enhance the efficacy of the body’s recovery process can lead to improved physical performance; the quicker and more complete an athlete’s recovery can be, the quicker they can induce another training stimulus to trigger further bodily adaptations.

Additionally, an athlete who has experienced a more complete recovery before their next training session will likely experience a better training session (maintain ideal training intensity, hit prescribed training loads, etc.), which will foster a better physical stimulus.

What follows are the scientific findings and indications for using vibrational therapy to improve muscular recovery induced by physical training.

Scientific Findings for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
For those unfamiliar with this terminology, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the phenomenon in which muscles become notably sore, stiff, or even painful anywhere from 24–72 hours after an intense bout of exercise or physical activity.

The ability to reduce or even prevent DOMS in athletes has massive implications for coaches, rehabilitation professionals, and athletes themselves, as minimizing muscle soreness and maximizing post-exercise recovery can reduce an athlete’s downtime and allow for greater training frequency. As such, vibration therapy has received considerable attention for its purported effects to help reduce the intensity and duration of DOMS symptoms.

Here’s the take-home information for some studies that have elicited DOMS through different training regimens and the positive effects vibration therapy had on the respective muscles:

• • Recent research has shown that a vibration frequency of 80 Hz was ideal for reducing sensations of pain from delayed onset muscle soreness.¹⁹

 

• • Other research has shown that exposure to local vibration therapy at 50 Hz to the quadriceps before a series of eccentric exercises significantly reduced pain perception elicited by DOMS.²⁰

 

• Another study involving whole-body vibration therapy at 40 Hz found significant decreases in calf and gluteal soreness experienced by recreational runners who performed a bout of downhill treadmill running when compared to their control group.²¹

The takeaway: Utilizing vibration therapy for DOMS tends to produce favorable results and may be most beneficial with frequencies ranging from 40–80 Hz. Most studies finding favorable outcomes utilize a session duration of 1–10 minutes with direct vibration.

Utilizing vibration therapy for delayed onset muscle soreness tends to produce favorable results. Share on X

Optimal Parameters and Best Practices

Like any other training or recovery modality, the more finely tuned the parameters are, the greater the positive effect or outcome. It’s like taking a picture: the more in-focus and clear the image, the more obvious it becomes. A slightly out-of-focus image is still better than nothing, but it’s nowhere near as ideal as one that’s tack-sharp.

Vibration therapy is the same: the more you can fine-tune the parameters, the more evident the results will be. But…this is where vibration therapy sort of becomes the Wild West. We know the individual parameters that can be manipulated with vibrational therapy, and we know that collectively they can work to produce statistically significant results for various aspects of muscle performance and recovery—we’re just not sure which combination of parameters leads to the best results, or which parameters have the biggest effects (the ones that would therefore be the most critical to get right).

Various studies that have found statistically significant favorable effects for muscle performance, neurological functioning, and even pain reduction have generally utilized different parameters. To complicate matters a bit more, these parameters often differ quite substantially.

Nonetheless, the good news here is that various positive physiological effects have been produced with different parameters, so it may be a case of “close is good enough” until further studies help us understand the “perfect” set of parameters for a specific performance-based or therapeutic outcome.

While the individual effects of each parameter remain somewhat unknown based on the intended session outcome, the following parameters can serve as a general guideline when opting for incorporating vibrational therapy and should be kept in mind by athletes and coaches looking to incorporate its use:

• • For pain reduction, both direct (local) and indirect (whole-body) vibrational therapy have been shown to be effective. Most studies showing positive effects have utilized longer session lengths (25–45 minutes) with frequencies typically higher (ranging from 20 to 200 Hz) than for performance-based intervention.

 

• • For improving muscle force output and performance, a frequency of 30–50 Hz is likely most optimal, as this is the same frequency at which motor units discharge within the body when volitionally contracting.

 

• • For reducing muscle soreness (particularly with DOMS), positive effects have been found with durations ranging from one minute to 30 minutes; however, most studies have utilized either one minute or 10 minutes. As such, any duration of time between these can likely be considered. It has been reported that 80 Hz is the optimal frequency for reducing pain thresholds with DOMS.

 

• • Amplitude, if selectable, should be kept between 1 mm and 4 mm, as this is the range utilized in most studies looking at various performance parameters.

 

• Shorter session applications (<5 minutes) tend to produce improvements in muscle performance, while longer sessions (>10 minutes) tend to produce inhibitory effects on muscle characteristics. However, conflicting findings exist and may be due to the other vibration parameters used.

Practical Considerations

Scientific results mean very little if they’re in no way practical or transferable to the real-world scenarios of the athlete or coach. With vibration therapy, there are a few practical considerations that coaches and athletes will need to consider, be it for either performance or recovery benefits.

On the whole, vibration therapy lends itself quite nicely to the practical aspects of athletic performance. Share on X

Thankfully, on the whole, vibration therapy lends itself quite nicely to the practical aspects of athletic performance. Still, what follows are two considerations worth keeping in mind.

Consideration 1: Ease of Implementation

While whole-body vibration has shown to be rather effective for performance-based and recovery-based interventions, it won’t be practical for most coaches, athletes, or teams. Not every facility has access to a whole-body vibration unit, and even if they do… they’re not easily portable. There’s no lugging these things onto the track or the team bus.

Direct vibration therapy, while not studied quite as much, wins the practicality battle in a landslide. Vibrating rollers, vibrating massage balls, etc., are relatively inexpensive and can easily be tossed in a training bag. Additionally, multiple athletes can implement vibration therapy in the gym simultaneously (team warm-up, cool down, etc.) and at home if they have their own devices.

It’s unknown if direct vibration therapy can elicit the same systemic effects as whole-body vibration (the theory is that it likely doesn’t), but the benefits of direct vibration therapy for pain reduction, improvements in muscular blood flow, etc., are noteworthy enough to warrant its use.

Consideration 2: Experimenting with Parameters
As mentioned earlier, optimizing parameters for vibrational therapy can likely lead to enhanced physiologic outcomes; however, many vibrational devices on the market (particularly portable, direct vibration devices, such as vibrating rollers and vibrating massage balls) do not allow for changing frequency, displacement, or amplitude.

Some devices, however, do allow for varying levels of vibrational intensity (low, medium, or high settings), which may have predetermined parameter characteristics at each level.

As such, for many devices, the athlete or coach should be aware that time spent utilizing the device will be the most controllable variable. This can be thought of as the dose-response for the effects of vibration therapy, and it may just be that each athlete will need to determine what an ideal dose-response will be for their unique needs.

As a result, athletes looking to incorporate it into their training or recovery would be wise to experiment with this intervention at times that are not critical or detrimental to their training or recovery until they feel confident knowing how their body will respond.

Final Thoughts

There’s still a bit more to figure out with the fine details of ensuring we’re getting the most out of vibration therapy. However, there’s certainly enough scientific evidence to warrant its use for various applications, especially since it’s deemed to be a safe intervention with a very low risk of adverse effects.⁴ It’s likely a case of each athlete taking the time needed to become familiar with the intervention and how it’s tolerated to ensure success with its use.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

References

1. Musumeci G. “The use of vibration as physical exercise and therapy.” Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. 2017;2(2):17.

2. Cerciello S, Rossi S, Visonà E, Corona K, and Oliva F. “Clinical applications of vibration therapy in orthopaedic practice.” Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons Journal. 2016;6(1):147.

3. Germann D, El Bouse A, Jordan Shnier NA, and Kazemi M. “Effects of local vibration therapy on various performance parameters: A narrative literature review.” The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. 2018;62(3):170.

4. Cochrane DJ. “Good vibrations?–The use of vibration therapy for exercise recovery, injury prevention and rehabilitation.” Physical Therapy Reviews. 2011;16(6):438–454.

5. Cochrane DJ, Stannard SR, Sargeant AJ, and Rittweger J. “The rate of muscle temperature increase during acute whole-body exercise.” European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2008;103(4):441–448.

6. Couto BP, Silva HR, da Silveira Neves SR, Ramos MG, Szmuchrowski LA, and Barbosa MP. “Acute effects of resistance training with local vibration.” International Journal of Sports Medicine. 2013;34(9):814–819.

7. Lundeberg T. “The pain suppressive effect of vibratory stimulation and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as compared to aspirin.” Brain Research. 1984;294(2):201–209.

8. Lee CL, Chu IH, Lyu BJ, Chang WD, and Chang NJ. “Comparison of vibration rolling, nonvibration rolling, and static stretching as a warm-up exercise on flexibility, joint proprioception, muscle strength, and balance in young adults.” Journal of Sports Science. 2018;36(22):2575–2582.

9. Rauch F, Sievanen H, Boone S, et al. “Reporting whole-body vibration intervention studies: Recommendations of the International Society of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions.” Journal of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions. 2010;10(3):193–198.

10. Pamukoff DN, Ryan ED, and Blackburn JT. “The acute effects of local muscle vibration frequency on peak torque, rate of torque development, and EMG activity.” Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2014;24(6):888–894.

11. Bosco C, Iacovelli J, Tsarpela O, et al. “Hormonal responses to whole-body vibration in men.” European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2000;81(6):449–454.

12. Iodice P, Bellomo RG, Gialluca G, Fanò G, and Saggini R. “Acute and cumulative effects of focused high-frequency vibrations on the endocrine system and muscle strength.” European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2011;111(6):897–904.

13. Keller BV, David ML, Thompson WR, Dahners LE, and Weinhold PS. “Varying whole body vibration amplitude differentially affects tendon and ligament structural and material properties.” Journal of Biomechanics. 2013;46(9):1496–1500.

14. Peer KS, Barkley JE, and Knapp DM. “The acute effects of local vibration therapy on ankle sprain and hamstring strain injuries.” The Physician and Sportsmedicine. 2009;37(4):31–38.

15. Torvinen S, Kannus P, SievaÈnen H, et al. “Effect of a vibration exposure on muscular performance and body balance. Randomized cross-over study.” Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging. 2002;22(2):145–152.

16. Ward K, Alsop C, Caulton J, Rubin C, Adams J, and Mughal Z. “Low magnitude mechanical loading is osteogenic in children with disabling conditions.” Journal of Bone Mineral Research. 2004;19(3):360–369.

17. Pre D, Ceccarelli G, Gastaldi G, et al. “The differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) into osteoblasts is promoted by low amplitude, high frequency vibration treatment.” Bone. 2011;49(2):295–303.

18. Kulkarni RN, Voglewede PA, and Liu D. “Mechanical vibration inhibits osteoclast formation by reducing DC-STAMP receptor expression in osteoclast precursor cells.” Bone. 2013;57(2):493–498.

19. Weerakkody NS, Percival P, Hickey MW, et al. “Effects of local pressure and vibration on muscle pain from eccentric exercise and hypertonic saline.” Pain. 2003;105(3):425–435.

20. Bakhtiary AH, Safavi-Farokhi Z, and Aminian-Far A. “Influence of vibration on delayed onset of muscle soreness following eccentric exercise.” British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2007;41(3):145–148.

21. Broadbent S, Rousseau JJ, Thorp RM, Choate SL, Jackson FS, and Rowlands DS. “Vibration therapy reduces plasma IL6 and muscle soreness after downhill running.” British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2010;44(12):888–894.

Welcome to a new year and a new episode of Facility Finders! In this one, we follow the renovation at another incredible high school committed to offering a first-class facility: Ozark High School in Ozark, Missouri, run by Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Corey Roy.

Video 1. Virtual tour of Ozark High School’s newly renovated weight room.

Design

What I love most about many renovation-type projects is how the coach can really put their personal touch on the space based on their philosophy and the overall floor plan. This project started with Coach Roy reaching out to the booster club and athletic department to see if this was something they saw as worth the investment. After those conversations, they gave him the green light to remake the space he envisioned for his athletes and his training program.

What I love most about many renovation-type projects is how the coach can really put their personal touch on the space based on their philosophy and the overall floor plan, says @johndelf99. Share on X

What ultimately came to fruition was a weight room offering the ability to train a large number of athletes with easy sight lines. Each rack has a uniform look, so athletes don’t have to run all over the place to find and use what they need. Here are the coach’s words when I asked him for his thoughts on the design process:

“When it comes to designing a room or looking at new equipment, I feel the first thing a coach should do is know what they want out of their room,” Coach Roy said. “Decide what is important and what are your non-negotiables.”

I really love the initiative from Coach Roy to instill pride via the signage in the weight room. The graphics on the walls and entrance go a long way toward making a simple space something very elegant without having to spend a bunch of money. His goal was to make the space somewhere the athletes wanted to be and also highlight the teams that won regional and state championships.

The graphics on the walls and entrance go a long way toward making a simple space something very elegant without having to spend a bunch of money, says @johndelf99. Share on X

Purchasing

As a coach, I love hearing from other coaches when they buy equipment to learn WHY they choose the companies they use:

• Was it the price?
• Is it a popular brand?
• Did they have a cool connection?

Coach Roy wanted to have a product that would stand up to the wear and tear of continuous and long-term use at his school and a company with the good customer service quality that he got from Powerlift during this project. This process is extra hard at times because you have to get everything you want under a particular budget but still get quality—having a company like Powerlift to make that process easier for Coach Roy was invaluable.

“Our area contact has been so good to work with and made this process very simple,” Coach Roy said when I asked him more about Powerlift. “They care about the customer and always make it right. The product speaks for itself, but the people make it what it is.”

Along with Powerlift, Coach Roy bought auxiliary equipment from companies like Rogue and Perform Better, including training boxes, medicine balls, and hurdles. These are pieces of equipment that Ozark athletes will use every day, so they bought these pieces from reputable companies that will be available for them in case the equipment breaks and needs replacing.

Specialty Equipment

Some of the specialty pieces that Ozark has include:

• Glute ham machines.
• Chains for bars or sprinting.
• Hex bars for the racks.

Combined with proper coaching, these are all pieces that can help improve the overall training QUALITY at Ozark High. Chains are a great tool for accommodating resistance as well as for sprinting. The glute ham machines can be used for back extension, Nordic hamstring curls, and reverse hyper-extensions—which are critical for the posterior chain and a primary focus for the athletes trained by Coach Roy.

Some things that are not typically “special equipment” in the weight room are the coaches’ office and proper storage. The worst thing a weight room can have is clutter—and a stressed strength coach! Gear all over the ground and not properly stored in closets or on shelves can ruin flow in the weight room and make it harder to keep clean.

A dedicated office for the strength coach seems very elementary but is often missed. This is a place where coaches can decompress from training, meet with athletes when they need a place to come and vent in a safe place, or hold discussions with other coaches about training during their seasons/off-seasons.

When it comes to facility design and renovation, a dedicated office for the strength coach seems very elementary but is often missed, says @johndelf99. Share on X

Takeaways from Coach Roy

Renovations enable schools to improve and invest in their athletes without asking for hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and space to build new construction. Coach Roy, who is finishing his second year at Ozark and has more than 20 years in education, used his experience to meet with the athletics staff and booster club to advocate for his athletes about the need for the upgrade, and they agreed. Sometimes, the hardest part is asking for help and then allowing that help actually to come—we tend to try and do everything on our own to show how good we are.

Finally, branding is obviously what many schools try and capitalize on, but the PRIDE aspect that Coach Roy focused on was successful because it added more drive for athletes to continue to win. Those triumphs will give them the opportunity to be in the weight room forever as part of the images and graphics on the walls and doors.

Thank you again for taking the time to allow me to check out your awesome facility, Coach Roy!

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

It is no secret that post-workout recovery is one of the hottest topics in the fitness world. Whether for a professional athlete or your average gym bro, a demanding training session always leaves everyone looking for the fastest way to restore energy, reduce muscle soreness, and feel better overall in order to get back at it in full swing. There are also plenty of myths—and truths—surrounding the subject. So let’s untangle the thread, spotlight the truths, and dispel some of the myths once and for all.

What ensues is a list of the most prominent recovery techniques out there. By the end of it, you will have a clear understanding of which work, which may possibly work, and which don’t. You will also be able to assess and experiment with the ones that suit your training and lifestyle best.

1. Refueling

After an intense workout, your muscles are left fatigued and your energy reserves depleted. Without the appropriate nourishment, they will be unable to recharge, rebuild, and regain their capacity to perform optimally. In this sense, proper nutritional support is one of the cornerstones of your ability to recover. Do not neglect it.

Without the appropriate nourishment, your muscles will be unable to recharge, rebuild, and regain their capacity to perform optimally. Share on X

You probably already know that every meal you consume should contain quality protein, carbs, and vegetables/fruits. But if you truly want to maximize your recuperation, here’s some strategies to consider:

• Start your carbohydrate intake as soon as you finish your training. Aim for a meal/snack that contains about 1 gram of carbs per kilogram of bodyweight.
• Keep providing your body with meals or drinks that contain carbs for the next three to four hours, again aiming for 1-1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight, per hour. The more draining your session was, the more carbs you should get.
• Then resume your normal eating habits, as per your daily goals and requirements.

Quick Tip: A common favorite post-workout fruit is the banana, which is fine but not the best—the pineapple is. Its glycemic index is 66, meaning that it releases glycogen fast enough to replenish your storage tanks, but not so fast as to cause an insulin spike. It contains only a small percentage of fructose, which is ideal because on one hand the muscles don’t seem to absorb it optimally, and on the other, you actually do need a small amount in order to replenish your liver’s glycogen stores. This, in turn, helps maintain your metabolism in high activity levels.

Pineapples contain bromelain as well, which is not only a great natural anti-inflammatory, but also helps to better absorb the protein you ingest along with the rest of your meal. Last but not least, it contains plenty of vitamin C, which keeps cortisol—the stress hormone—in check, allowing you to recover even faster.

2. Sleep

Sleep is definitely the most underrated recovery tool, but in reality it’s the foundation of an athlete’s wellbeing. Sleep deprivation has been shown time and time again to inhibit performance, mood state, metabolism, and immune and cognitive function. People will spend hundreds of dollars on massage guns (more on those later), but rob themselves of a good night’s sleep and, curiously enough, take pride in their ability to function through sleeplessness.

Sleep is definitely the most underrated recovery tool, but in reality it’s the foundation of an athlete’s wellbeing. Share on X

And don’t start with the “I don’t have time, I’m too busy” nonsense. We’re all busy and we all get the same 24 hours. Building your life around your health is a matter of priorities, not time. Here’s how to make the most out of your sleep, not only in terms of quantity, but also quality:

• Establish a consistent sleeping pattern. The average sleeping cycle (light sleep—deep sleep—REM) lasts about 2.5 hours, and it’s recommended that you go through three full cycles. So aim for at least 7.5 hours of pure, uninterrupted sleep. Try to fall asleep within 30 minutes of hitting the bed.
• Create a non-stimulating, pre-bed ritual. Try to limit electronic device usage up to 30 minutes before bed. If you must use one, enable nighttime mode, which restricts the excitatory blue light emitted from the screen. Yeah, sure, once in a while we all like to watch a movie; if possible, choose fiction. It requires less brain engagement and it’s perfect for zoning out.
• Limit caffeine after noon. Caffeine can be very beneficial overall, but its half‑life (the time it takes to discard half of the quantity consumed) is around five to six hours. So cut off your intake in the afternoon. That way most of it will have been filtered out of your system at bed time.
• Avoid afternoon/power naps. Although it can give you a good temporary boost if you really need one, nothing can substitute a good, continuous night’s sleep. Try to save all of it for when it matters.
• Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cool. According to doctors, the most comfortable sleep occurs in pitch black, when the temperature is maintained around 65 °F/ 18 °C. This may slightly vary from person to person, but it’s a great starting point.

3. Massage

There are conflicting opinions regarding massage therapy and whether or not it actually helps sore muscles heal faster.

So, is it beneficial?

Yes and no. Here’s why.

Modern research provides inadequate evidence supporting the use of massage for muscular rehabilitation. It does, however, support it for positive psychological effects, so in a sense it is advantageous for systemic recovery. In other words, even though there’s no proven physiological mechanism behind it, it helps you put performance anxiety to the side and feel a sense of calm, which is still a measurable, favorable outcome.

Modern research provides inadequate evidence supporting the use of massage for muscular rehabilitation. It does, however, support it for positive psychological effects, so in a sense it is advantageous for systemic recovery. Share on X

The problem arises when it is sold by professionals as a miracle cure that fixes everything. It does not. Nevertheless, most elite athletes use it as a means to feel rejuvenated, and so should you if it temporarily numbs your aches and enhances your mood.

For the reasons described above, in my opinion massage guns are greatly overrated and overpriced. If you really like using one, then go ahead—but try not to invest a lot of money on it. Remember, you’re buying a tool that just helps you unwind. It is not required, and it does not speed up muscle restoration by any stretch of the imagination.

4. Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is yet another controversial issue. Many people do not believe in it while others swear by it. When it comes to water immersion, you’ve got three choices: cold water, hot water, or contrast therapy.

Cold Water Immersion (CWI) 

Ice baths involve full-body immersion in water temperatures ranging between 40 °F / 5 °C and 68 °F / 20 °C, continuously or intermittently, for about 15 to 20 minutes. They have been shown to have both pros and cons. The theory behind them is that they constrict blood vessels and flush waste products like lactic acid. They are also believed to reduce swelling and tissue breakdown and offer temporary pain relief.

According to recent research, however, they hinder muscle growth, which is detrimental to bodybuilders and athletes looking to increase their size and strength. Moreover, some studies showcase that fewer white blood cells gather in the affected areas, which translates to a significant delay in healing. What this means for you is that you could probably use CWI to take the pain away and create a temporary perception of faster healing during a competition, but not on an everyday basis where you’re prioritizing muscle mass and/or strength gains.

Ice baths hinder muscle growth, which is detrimental to bodybuilders and athletes looking to increase their size and strength. Share on X

Hot Water Immersion (HWI)

HWI is usually done in one constant immersion for a maximum of 20 minutes with the water temperature above 96 °F / 36 °C. But this is by no means a strict, established protocol since minimal research has been conducted on the use of HWI. It is thought to improve circulation, thus enabling the blood to transfer vital nutrients to the cells, therefore quickening the recovery process. As with all concepts based on a hypothesis, take it with a grain of salt. If it makes you feel better, do it.

What’s important is that even if it does not help much with recovery, it does not seem to hinder it either. Take care not to use this method when soft tissue injuries are present because the increased blood flow can aggravate swelling and inflammation. It is also not recommended for when you’re still in a hyperthermic post-exercise state, since you are in danger of prolonging high body temperatures and thermoregulatory stress.

Contrast Water Therapy (CWT) 

Some scientific reviews and meta-analyses suggest that CWT can be beneficial when compared to passive recovery. Alternating between high and low temperatures causes vasodilation and vasoconstriction, which supposedly gets rid of the lactic acid and drives nutrients into the muscle. As stated before, though, submerging yourself in cold water may reduce the body’s ability to grow muscle tissue.

Some scientific reviews and meta-analyses suggest that contrast water therapy can be beneficial when compared to passive recovery. Share on X

So, if you have to perform CWT during a muscle-building phase, you would do best to leave it for the day after a hard training session. This way you give your body enough time to fight the inflammation and reconstruct on its own, reaping the benefits of the consequential adaptations.

My protocol of choice is cold water immersion (about 45 °F / 7 °C) for one minute, immediately followed by hot water immersion (equal to or above 96 °F / 36 °C) for two to three minutes. Continue at this pace for a maximum of 20 minutes, up to twice per week.

5. Active Recovery

Quite frankly, in my experience this is one of the best ways to recover as fast as possible. Plus, it’s scientifically proven. More and more studies suggest that participating in light physical activity facilitates the removal of metabolic waste and rushes nourishing factors into the aching muscles by improving circulation.

So instead of waiting it out, find something you enjoy and get moving. Go for a lazy stroll in the park, ride your bicycle, play a sport, take a swim, or get in a yoga session. Keep the intensity low (less than 70% of your maximum effort) and just get in motion. Your body will thank you sooner than later.

6. Compression

This refers to the usage of compression garments that apply pressure to your body while you’re wearing them. They are thought to aid with soreness/DOMS, boost athletic performance when worn during training, and improve the perception of comfort. Research has provided contradictory results. In some cases, there has been no evidence of faster recuperation, whereas in others a small acceleration of the process has been reported.

At this point, I feel that this method comes down to personal preference. The best way to find out if it works for you is to experiment with it. Quality compression clothing should feel like a second skin, making you forget that you’re wearing it. Try it on post-workout and on the following day, and see if it makes you feel better.

7. Self-Myofascial Release & Foam Rolling

Self-myofascial release (SMR)—not to be confused with massage therapy—uses tools like foam rollers and lacrosse balls to apply constant pressure on the fascia in order to loosen it. Fascia is the connective tissue surrounding your muscles. When it gets stiff, which habitually happens after a tough workout, your mobility decreases. So it makes sense to treat it.

SMR has analgesic properties, and in some cases has also been observed to decrease soreness by supposedly actively pumping out lymphatic pooling. What’s more, when SMR is used after the training session, it does not appear to have any negative repercussions on performance. A couple of studies are showing a negligible increase, too. I’d suggest trying it out after your workout if you have the time. At the very least, it could simply make you feel better, which is still a win in my books.

8. Static Stretching

Let’s put this long-lasting myth to the grave once and for all. Static stretching will not speed up healing, nor will it help with soreness, and this statement is backed by all the latest research. On the other hand, data neither supports nor contradicts its post-workout utilization, in the sense that it does not seem to have any negative effects on performance.

So, even though it is a questionable rehabilitation method, if it is a cool-down ritual you enjoy, have at it. Just make sure to manage your expectations recovery-wise.

Static stretching will not speed up healing, nor will it help with soreness, and this statement is backed by all the latest research. Share on X

Bottom Line

Recovery is of paramount importance as far as performance is concerned. The younger you are, the more you can get away without it. But the more experienced and/or older you get, the more you need to focus on it. It is at this time that your body processes and adapts to the stimulus that was forced upon it.

Change your mindset. Instead of looking at your day off as unproductive time, realize that it’s actually the most beneficial part of your efforts. This is when growth happens. If you are a natural lifter, you have to remember: work hard, rest even harder. Embrace your recovery, tend to it, and watch your gains skyrocket.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

“Do you lift weights to get strong, or do you get strong to lift weights?

That is the question strength coaches should ask when deciding whether or not to include high pulls in their program. Another way to phrase it is, “Am I using high pulls to help my athletes get better at the clean, or am I using high pulls in place of the clean?”

To ensure we’re on the same page, a high pull begins with the barbell on the floor, as with a clean or power clean. You stand up quickly, fully extend your legs, rise on the balls of your feet as you shrug your shoulders, and follow through with your arms. Done! You don’t turn over your wrists and catch the weight—just let it drop. Oh, and weightlifters call these exercises pulls, not high pulls.

Many strength coaches have their athletes perform pulls rather than the snatch, the clean, or their power versions. Sometimes, it’s not by choice—often, these coaches don’t know how to teach the full lifts, don’t have enough staff to teach them (at Brown, a handful of coaches work with 1,200 athletes in 36 varsity and 12 club sports!), or don’t have the facilities and equipment (good barbells, bumper plates, platforms) to perform them safely.

Beyond those formidable challenges, there are many other reasons strength coaches have their athletes perform pulls.

Lead Photo by Vivian Podhaiski, LiftingLife.com photos

The Case for Pulls

This discussion relates to coaching for non-weightlifters. That is, using the Olympic lifts or their components to improve sports performance. I’ll explain why this distinction is essential in the final section.

What attracts many sprint coaches to pulls is that they improve explosiveness. More specifically, the ability to initiate force (such as with a sprint start) and apply force into the ground (to increase stride length).

What attracts many sprint coaches to pulls is that they improve explosiveness. More specifically, the ability to initiate force and apply force into the ground. Share on X

With that background, here are 11 reasons why many strength coaches and sports coaches like pulls:

1. Helps Teach the Olympic Lifts

The Olympic lifts are complex movements. Many coaches believe it’s best to break down the lifts into parts when working with beginners. To teach the power clean, a coach may start by having their athletes perform a pull from the mid-thigh, then with the bar at knee height, and finally from the floor. When the pull from the floor is mastered, they add the catch to complete a power clean or descend into a full squat to perform a full clean.

2. Strengthens the Posterior Chain

If you want to excel in weightlifting exercises, you have to be strong from the start. Flexing the spine as you separate the bar from the platform is harsh on the lower back. Also, lifting your hips too soon due to relative weakness in the posterior chain muscles is inefficient, causing the bar to slow down and often to drift forward, away from an optimal movement pattern.

Pulls target the initial lift off the floor, strengthening the lower back, hamstrings, and glutes. For athletes especially weak off the floor, coaches might prescribe a form of “stutter reps,” which involve pausing at a specific point(s) of a lift. For example, the athlete would pull the bar to just below the knees, pause for 2–3 seconds, then complete the pull. (Yes, a Romanian deadlift will work these muscles, but it’s not mechanically specific to the pull in weightlifting and has limited value since it’s a partial-range exercise.)

3. Strengthens the Neck and Traps

Pulls strengthen the trapezius (the diamond-shaped muscle on the upper back) and the neck, significantly reducing the risk of concussions. Because the training of weightlifters is focused on developing relative strength (except for the super heavyweights), it’s often difficult to distinguish weightlifters from other athletes just by looking at them. The exception would be the neck and trapezius, which are usually well-developed.

It’s often difficult to distinguish weightlifters from other athletes just by looking at them. The exception would be the neck and trapezius, which are usually well-developed. Share on X

4. Places Minimal Stress on Wrists

Many sports coaches are afraid of having their athletes catch cleans or snatches. They have reason for concern. If a golfer or baseball player injures their wrists, competing in or even practicing their sport may not be possible. So, “no” to cleans and snatches, but “yes” to so-called “functional” rubber band exercises.

After five decades in the sport, I can say this fear of injury is unfounded…that is, if the coach knows how to teach the lifts and quality equipment is available. (This is one of my pet peeves. Many strength coaches will spend tens of thousands of dollars for resistance-training machines that isolate a single muscle but will only purchase cheap barbells of the quality you would find at a discount department store.)

After five decades in the sport, I can say this fear of injury is unfounded…that is, if the coach knows how to teach the lifts, and quality equipment is available. Share on X

5. Motivates Athletes

Many athletes don’t like being in the weight room and quickly get bored, despite being allowed to blast their soulless music. (Seriously, haven’t any of these young people heard of Boz Scaggs or that band Paul McCartney was in before Wings?) Adding pulls provides variety to a workout that makes the weight room more tolerable for non-weightlifters.

Adding pulls increases the number of personal records athletes can make because they will be performing more exercises. Setting personal records is important in training youth—they want a payoff with personal records as often as possible. One reason for the popularity of the Bigger Faster Stronger workout program in high schools for nearly five decades is that it’s designed with enough variety that athletes can easily break a dozen personal records every week.

6. Increases Repetition Pool

Canadian strength coach Charles R. Poliquin believed that the repetition was the foundation of any strength training program. He said the other loading parameters, including sets and rest periods, were influenced by how many reps should be performed.

With the Olympic lifts and the power versions, the number of reps that can be performed with optimal technique is much lower than pulls—weightlifters often joke that anything more than two reps in a weightlifting exercise is considered cardio! Whereas performing three reps or more in a snatch or clean is a challenge that dramatically reduces the amount of weight lifted, pulls can be performed for much higher reps with heavy weights to develop other strength qualities, including hypertrophy.

7. Increases Training Volume

Pulls involve a lot of muscle mass, so they take the place of several exercises. Rather than performing a deadlift, upright row, shoulder shrug, and calf raise, just do pulls. Pulls also require fewer warm-up sets than the full variations of the lifts because they are less complex. If pressed for time, pulls are an excellent alternative.

Pulls involve a lot of muscle mass, so they take the place of several exercises. Rather than performing a deadlift, upright row, shoulder shrug, and calf raise, just do pulls. Share on X

My weightlifting coach was Jim Schmitz, a three-time coach for the U.S. Olympic team. He coached the first American to Olympic press 500 pounds, the first to snatch 400, and the first to clean and jerk 500. All his athletes trained only three times a week for about 90–120 minutes. That’s it! Just my opinion, but I believe the pulls Schmitz included in his program significantly increased the training volume to produce positive hormonal adaptations that stimulated strength gains.

8. Enhances the Quality of In-Season Training

Time is a luxury that athletes don’t have during a season. With games scheduled every week, sports coaches may only allow their athletes to be in the weight room for 30 minutes twice a week. However, with some sports, the athletes are so beat up after a game that it may be a struggle to perform the full Olympic lifts. After a game, football players and others in contact sports are often so beat up that they have little interest in catching a barbell on their shoulders or even lifting their arms overhead.

These athletes could perform higher-repetition pulls while they heal. These exercises will maintain (or even increase) their pulling strength so they can quickly get back into full or power versions of the Olympic lifts. Pulls will also give their coaches an indication of their conditioning, according to one recent research paper.

That paper, a German study published in 2021, examined the association between snatch pulls and one-repetition maxes in snatches. Ignoring the Sheldon Cooper Big Bang Theory notations, the researchers said their study “provides a new approach to estimate 1RM snatch performance in elite weightlifters using the snatch pull FvR2.” Most importantly, “The results demonstrate that the snatchth-model accurately predicts 1RM snatch performance.”

9. Ramps Up Detrained Athletes

Deconditioning is a problem with high school and college athletes. They have long breaks during the summer (three months) and winter (one month), and injured athletes often are away from the weight room. These athletes can ease into heavy training with pulls during the initial training sessions and get their form back for the explosive lifts.

10. Matches an Athlete’s Strength Curve

Strength coaches use chains and bands to alter the resistance curves of exercises to match an athlete’s strength curve. With pulls, the barbell reacts to an athlete’s increased force production by accelerating. (FYI: Performing pulls with bands is a bad idea since the tension increases dramatically at the top of the lift, increasing the risk of the athlete losing their grip and possibly injuring themself.)

11. Works Around Injuries

Many injuries will prevent athletes from performing power cleans, power snatches, or the full lifts. However, because there is no catch and the pulls can be performed from various heights, injured athletes can often perform pulls to maintain or even increase their strength. This advantage applies to upper-body and lower-body injuries. Consider knee injuries such as tendinitis.

As the athlete receives treatment for this condition, they might be able to perform pulls—just releasing the bar at the top (as long as you use bumpers). What about the power variations of the lifts? They’re generally not a good idea. A power clean or power snatch ends with a catch position that puts a large amount of stress on the knees, especially the ACL. Further, it’s not a quarter squat where an athlete eases into the position, but a rapidly moving barbell they must catch with an abrupt stop.

The Pull Experience

Most athletes will only perform the clean pull, the first component of a power clean or full clean. Let’s look at a few other variations.

The two basic types of pulls are clean pulls and snatch pulls. The difference between the clean pull and a snatch pull is that the snatch pull uses a wider grip, the same grip you would use if performing a power snatch or full snatch.

Pulls can be broken down further, including those from the knee and mid-thigh. The athlete can take the barbell from the ground to a deadlift position and lower the bar to where they want to start, take the barbell off power rack supports and lower the bar into position, or perform them from blocks. Performing pulls from blocks gives athletes more time to ensure they are in the optimal pulling position. On the other end of the pulling spectrum are pulls performed standing on a low platform (bumper plates are often used), increasing the work of the quads at the start; these are usually called pulls from a deficit.

One problem with partial-range pulls is that athletes tend to extend their shoulders too far over the bar and heave it into a large arc. Not only is this technique mechanically different from the Olympic lifts, but it creates a much slower movement that (to quote Coach Poliquin) “can be timed with a calendar!”

Other variations of pulls include East German pulls and flat-footed pulls. With flat-footed pulls, the idea is not to come up on your heels to increase the work of the upper body—even lifting your toes and pushing your heels into the floor at the finish to keep you grounded. As for East German pulls, I first learned about them in the ’70s, but they have become so popular with Chinese lifters that most lifters refer to them as Panda pulls. The difference is that the lifter drops down at the top of the pull so that the bar is level with the throat. The idea is to better simulate the movement under the bar during a full lift.

Why is this important? At the top of a pull, the quadriceps relax. In contrast, when a weightlifter moves under the bar during a full lift, there is still some tension in these muscles. According to weightlifting sports scientist Andrew “Bud” Charniga, this tension protects the knee joint in the bottom position. “When you extend too long in the snatch or a clean, the quadriceps relax at the top of the movement. When you drop into the bottom position, there is not enough time for these muscles to significantly contract again to protect your knees. In my experience, this is one reason you see a lot more U.S. lifters wearing knee wraps, at least compared to the Europeans.”

The idea of the East German pull is to maintain that slight overlap of the quadriceps (agonist muscles contracting to extend the knee) and hamstrings (antagonist muscles to flex the knee). Two takeaways are to keep the volume of pulls low to avoid reinforcing an inferior movement pattern and perform them after the full weightlifting movements.

Consider that when you shorten the range of motion, you also reduce the time the muscles are under tension. If your goal is muscular hypertrophy, particularly in the trapezius, you’ll need to perform higher repetitions when performing a pull from the mid-thigh or knee level. Using several of the variations discussed, here is how you could adjust the sets and reps to produce the same amount of time under tension:

Clean pull from deficit, 5 x 2

Clean pull from floor, 5 x 3

Clean pull from knee, 4 x 4

Clean pull from mid-thigh, 3 x 5

One issue with partial pulls is that you reduce the contribution of other muscles to power. Share on X

One issue with partial pulls is that you reduce the contribution of other muscles to power. For example, at the start of the pull, the soleus (lower calf muscle) helps to pull the shin back, thus assisting the quadriceps in straightening the knee. Notes Charniga, “Contraction of soleus pulls the shin backward, assisting the straightening of the knee and even hip, because shin bones are interconnected to thigh bones and hip by means of the knee joint. Consequently, when this muscle straightens the shin, thigh and hip are accelerated into extension; because, ankle, thigh and hip are interconnected by couplings.”

Yes, an athlete can place the bar in the crease of their hips and kick up a considerable amount of weight, but that doesn’t mean their muscles are producing massive amounts of power. Which reminds me of a funny story.

In my early coaching years, I trained in a gym with various Iron Game athletes. One day I was working with a talented 14-year-old female weightlifter who could clean and jerk 154 pounds at a bodyweight of 120. Her superpower was that she had leverages (short back/long arms) that made her remarkably good at shoulder shrugs.

At the end of one workout, two bodybuilders (wearing colorful do-rags and clown pants) were showing off doing mid-thigh shoulder shrugs with 315 pounds, taking the bar off of blocks. After each set, they celebrated as if they had just won the Olympics. My athlete had enough of their tomfoolery—she walked over to where they were training and asked them if she could jump in for a set. They grinned, said, “sure!” and sat back and waited for the accident to happen. Instead, she added 10 pounds to each side and cranked out 10 reps. My career as a coach was complete!

Getting back on point, another challenge with pulls is that athletes tend to lift with less intent than with a full or power version of the snatch or clean because there is no catch. A velocity-based training unit can provide immediate feedback to motivate the lifter to pull harder. At Coach Schmitz’s gym, we had access to an adjustable crane-shaped post with a piece of metal dangling from the top of it. During a pull, the end of the barbell would tap the tin to provide us with feedback about the bar’s pulling height. However, a VBT unit can give the athlete immediate feedback on how much effort they put into each rep.

Now we come to a significant point of controversy in weightlifting: Many coaches see limited value in pulls, and some see no value in them whatsoever.

The Pull Problem

In 1977, a paper was published by three notable weightlifting scientists called “The Training Weights in the Snatch Pull.” The researchers said that weights over 110% had “a different rhythm than in the snatch.” More specifically, the mechanics of a pull are different than what occurs in a full lift and can thus create a negative transfer to weightlifting performance.

One difference is that the ankles will not flex as much (causing the heels to rise) with pulls, reducing the contribution of the elastic properties of the connective tissues, thus reducing power. Also, because the athlete is not moving under the bar, the bar tends to shift forward at the top, away from the body’s center of mass (COM), where maximum power can be produced.

To work around this issue, the researchers recommended to “strictly control the number of lifts with weights over 90% of the maximum snatch, especially in the competition periods.” In his classic 1974 textbook, The Training of the Weightlifter, sports scientist Robert A. Roman said super-maximal weights (above 100%) could be performed if they were partial pulls, such as from the mid-thigh.

In the “no value whatsoever” corner was Ivan Abadjiev, the former head coach of the Bulgarian National Weightlifting Team. Under Abadjiev’s direction, Bulgarians won Olympic gold 12 times and 54 World Championships. These results are remarkable because the Bulgarians had a small athletic budget, and their talent pool was limited to a population of fewer than seven million people.

Abadjiev believed that pulls were worthless for his elite weightlifters, and the best way to make weightlifters stronger for the lifts was to perform more lifts. (Again, “lift weights to get strong.”) This sport-specific approach necessitated using relatively low rep sets to focus only on the fastest muscle fibers and avoid developing excessive muscle mass. How many sets?

Consider that Abadjiev would have his lifter train five times a day, 5–6 days a week. Snatches, clean and jerks, and squats—that’s pretty much it! After he won his third Olympic gold in 1988, I interviewed Abadjiev’s greatest student, Naim “The Pocket Hercules” Süleymanoğlu. He told me he no longer did back squats because they were “not specific.” At 132 pounds bodyweight, Süleymanoğlu established himself as the greatest pound-for-pound weightlifter in history by snatching 336 pounds and clean and jerking 418. Success leaves clues!

When Abadjiev visited our gym a dozen years ago, I had the opportunity to interview him and watch him coach one of his athletes. Besides dispelling the nonsense that his elite athletes were performing so-called “Bulgarian split squats” and step-ups, he told me he had dropped back squats from his program, only performing front squats. And pulls? Don’t be silly!

One issue with pulls is that the lifter uses their arms to lift the bar higher rather than pull their body under, thus reducing power production. Share on X

One issue with pulls is that the lifter uses their arms to lift the bar higher rather than pull their body under, thus reducing power production. With the full lifts, as the lifter pulls themselves under the bar, the barbell will continue its upward trajectory because the lifter actively applies force to the bar with their arms, even if their feet are not in contact with the floor. Further, sequence photos of weightlifters show that the athlete’s feet do not have to be in contact with the floor to apply force onto the bar—thus, at least in weightlifting, you can “fire a cannon out of a canoe.”

An issue with pulls that finish with an arm bend is that they require the bar to move ahead of the body’s center of mass, whereas the optimal technique keeps the bar more in line with the COM. For this reason, many coaches do not have their lifters follow through with the arms.

Video 1. A video showing the progression of the pulling technique of Christian, one of the author’s athletes. It begins with a screen capture from before working with the author, where he starts pulling the bar straight up rather than toward his center of mass. His first training session follows it, then two lifts from one of his early meets. Eventually, Christian broke the New England record in the snatch and the clean and jerk.

The dominant Chinese lifters indeed do pulls. The argument is that their training volume in pulls is relatively small and will not adversely affect their technique—just like a professional tennis player won’t lose their serve if they play an occasional game of racquetball. Also, consider that in a country of more than 1.4 billion people, their talent pool is such that they have the luxury of making mistakes.

The jury is still out on pulls for weightlifters, as there are Olympic champions and world record holders who have used them and those who have not. It appears that advanced lifters who perform a high volume of Olympic lifts could do pulls with submaximal weights or partial pulls with super-maximal weights without adversely affecting their technique. If training time is limited, it’s probably best to avoid pulls and focus on the full movements.

Should you include pulls in your program? While the jury is still out for weightlifters, there are pros for other athletes. Consider the arguments presented here and make the best decision for you and your athletes.

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References

Charniga, Andrew, Jr., A Demasculinization of Strength, June 8, 2020: pp 65–70. www.sportivnypress.com

Charniga, Andrew, Jr., “The Foot, the Ankle Joint and An Asian Pull.” January 21, 2016. www.sportivnypress.com

Charniga, Andrew, Jr., Personal communication. February 2008.

Frolov VI, Efimov NM, and Vanagas MP. “The Training Weights in the Snatch Pull.” Tyazhelaya Atletika, Fizkultura I Sport Publishers, Moscow, 1977:65–67. Translated by Andrew Charniga www.sportivnypress.com

Roman, Robert A., “The Training of the Weightlifter in the Biathlon,” Moscow, FIS, 1974. Translated by Andrew Charniga, Jr.

Roman, Robert A., 1974 Weightlifting Yearbook. Translated by Andrew Charniga.

Sandau I, Chaabene H, and Granacher U. “Predictive Validity of the Snatch Pull Force-Velocity Profile to Determine the Snatch One Repetition-Maximum in Male and Female Elite Weightlifters.” Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. 2021;6:35.