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The evolution of sports has led to a dynamic intensification of game speed, which has resulted in a rise in collision velocity. Game play, as well as the amount of force athletes can produce, is constantly increasing. As records are being broken across sports today, in-game player tracking is becoming more openly presented to the fan base. This increase in velocity can also be seen through the rise in force production that we witness daily on the field and in the weight room.

This change in sport, coupled with the turbulent times, makes return-to-play timelines, fatigue monitoring, game load monitoring, and overall analysis of physiological qualities more vital than ever. For this reason, it is essential that the high performance, sports science, strength and conditioning, and medical departments all work in a harmonious state.

As coaches, we always strive to provide justification or empirical evidence behind the methodologies we implement with our athletes. As part of the natural maturation process of being in the performance field, we continuously search for tools to help our athletes progress. Tensiomyography (TMG) is an incredibly powerful tool that provides real-time insights into muscle contractile properties (MCP), delivering quantitative data that fluidly transfers from the rehabilitation paradigm to the performance and game-play paradigm.

In fact, by implementing regular TMG testing, specialized rehabilitation methods may also be applied in microdoses as a complementary means to address the contractile properties of the damaged or injured muscles during standard rehabilitation processes. Even more so, these methods or applications can be seamlessly inserted into the performance model the athlete will enter once they have been cleared. Doing this makes the transition from rehabilitation to return to play that much more seamless, efficient, and individualized for the athlete.

TMG gives us the ability to not only hit the target but pick the exact point on the target that we need to identify finite fluctuations in muscle quality, says @DeRickOConnell. Share on X

With TMG, we are not simply throwing blunt-tip carnival darts at a balloon board, hoping to win the prize of identifying an issue. We are equipped with a Raven crossbow, precisely dialed in tight at 110 yards with ideal wind conditions and the perfect dew point, arming us with the ability to precisely home in on the underlying mechanisms causing the issue from a muscular perspective. TMG gives us the ability to not only hit the target but pick the exact point on the target that we need to identify finite fluctuations in muscle quality.

What Exactly Is Tensiomyography?

Tensiomyography is a powerful diagnostics tool that assesses muscle contractile properties by monitoring radial muscle belly displacement during electrical stimulus while under isometric conditions (as seen in the image below). This means that the system helps take the brain and nervous system out of the equation by manually firing the muscle and assessing the true qualities of the tissues without external stresses, demands, or influence from surrounding connective tissues. The contraction is initiated by the impulse stemming from the stimulator. From here, there is an instantaneously registered measurement and data collection on five specific MCP parameters, providing highly accurate, efficient, and quantitative results.

The Evolution of TMG in High Performance

Dating back to the 17th century, a small number of scientists could hear the sound of muscle contraction at very low frequencies. In 1810, William Wollaston was the first to link muscle sound with muscle force and thereby declare that muscle sound is at about 14–36 Hz, which was later proved as true (Oster, 1984). This was the beginning of mechanomyography (MMG), the oldest method of identifying muscle contraction properties. Later, as intrigue grew and concepts evolved, more intricate forms of MMG were developed, including utilizing lasers, accelerometers, and microphones. From there, the field evolved, and tensiomyography was born.

Tensiomyography is a noninvasive muscular analysis method invented by Vojko Valenčič at a Slovenian university in the late 1980s. Originally, TMG was designed for use in the medical field for degenerative muscle research. However, due in part to its fast and reliable muscular contractile properties, Srdjan Djordjevič and others’ work with TMG pushed its use to the forefront of the high-performance industry. By the mid-1990s, the high-performance and medical departments in sports were using TMG.

Before TMG was invented, there was no way to measure and collect finite individualized quantitative data on the specific muscle’s mechanical response, says @DeRickOConnell. Share on X

Before TMG was invented, there was no way to measure and collect finite individualized quantitative data on a specific muscle’s mechanical response. The data that TMG provides presents an in-depth understanding of the individual athlete’s specific muscle contractile properties (MCP) and a population reference. TMG enables us to analyze the intrinsic underlying elements of MCP, such as relaxation time, contraction time, and synchronization patterns. These MCPs can help us identify muscle fiber type, firing characteristics, and tonus qualities. The article “Tensiomyography Derived Parameters Reflect Skeletal Muscle Architectural Adaptations Following 6-Weeks of Lower Body Resistance Training” gives us an introspective look at using TMG for muscle fiber typing:

“Tensiomyography assesses contractile properties of an isolated muscle by measuring a number of parameters in response to a twitch contraction (Valenčič and Knez, 1997). Such parameters, including contraction time (Tc) and radial muscle belly displacement (Dm), can be obtained quickly and with minimal input from the participant being assessed. Tc has been previously correlated with proportions of slow twitch fibers within lower limb muscles, providing construct validation for TMG (Valencic et al., 2001; Dahmane et al., 2006; Šimunic et al., 2011); whilst a shorter Tc being considered reflective of a greater rate of force production (Rusu et al., 2013). Within the literature, Dm is considered to reflect muscle belly stiffness (Whitehead et al., 2001) and has been shown to alter with changes in muscle fatigue and aging (Rusu et al., 2013; Macgregor et al., 2016). TMG can distinguish between muscles of different training status, with shorter Tc and smaller Dm being seen in athletes with greater exposure to strength and power training (Loturco et al., 2015; De Paula Simola et al., 2016; Šimunič et al., 2018); due to increased proportions of fast twitch muscle fibers, and greater amounts of contractile material, respectively. Additionally, atrophy induced changes in muscle architecture are associated with increased Dm (Pišot et al., 2008; Šimunič et al., 2019).”

Next Step? Digging Into the Insights That TMG Provides

Utilizing TMG can lead to a large list of benefits for both the medical and performance departments. The tissue profile provided through TMG testing, widely used across European soccer leagues, enables the medical and performance departments to capture data that standard muscle testing and movement screening simply cannot encapsulate. This, in turn, provides training avenues otherwise typically unavailable.

TMG can be utilized to collect instantaneous quantitative data on the muscle’s contractile properties, and the reports created from this data can be used right there at the moment to change rehabilitation approaches and monitor real-time progress within the muscle. The ability to access this data so quickly and efficiently can aid in accelerating the rehabilitation process. This may also be an avenue to explore when determining what rehabilitation methods can be applied to the specific athlete after they have completed the rehabilitation continuum with the medical staff.

Specialized rehabilitation methods can be applied in microdoses as a complementary means to address contractile properties of the damaged or injured muscles while the athlete simultaneously completes their required performance training. Data consists of five distinct muscle contractile properties that are inherently connected in the proper functioning of the muscle. These parameters are:

1. Delay time
2. Contraction time
3. Sustained time
4. Relaxation time
5. Displacement

1. Delay Time (Td)

Delay time is a measure of the initiation time it takes for the muscle to be fired once stimulated. TMG presents this data of the time between the electrical impulse and 10% of the contraction. From a very basic perspective, this measures how long the muscle takes to contract from total relaxation to contraction once an impulse is sent.

2. Contraction Time (Tc)

Contraction time is a measure of the duration of time that it takes for the muscle to contract fully. To decrease variance, TMG collects data in a window of 10% and 90% of the stimulated contraction.

3. Sustain Time (Ts)

Sustain time is a measure of the duration of the muscle’s contraction from the mid-point to the end of the relaxation cycle. This is represented within the data as the time between 50% contraction and 50% relaxation. Simply put, this measures how long the contraction is sustained or held.

4. Relaxation Time (Tr)

Relaxation time is a measure of how long it takes the muscle to relax. An athlete’s ability to relax is imperative in performance. This measure is represented in the data as the time between 90% and 50% of the relaxation, as discussed in Supertraining, and part of the rationale behind the importance of training with ASFM (especially oscillatory methods). The greatest differentiator in elite-level performance does not lie in the athlete’s ability to contract an agonist muscle but in their ability to relax their antagonist muscle. This ability leads to more efficient and purely powerful movements.

5. Displacement (Dm)

Displacement is the measurement of the distance that the muscle covers when it contracts—the “flex” of the muscle (otherwise known as the maximal displacement of the muscle belly). This measure closely relates to the tonus or stiffness of the muscle.

Below you will find a key from the TMG website on how to interpret the information in the graph based on the five elements of MCP that were analyzed during the assessment.

Once a test is completed, the software creates a graph of the contraction separated left versus right. Below is a sample reading I took of an athlete, examining their erector spinae via the TMG software. The graph also includes specific population-based averages such as sport and position within the sport to compare live assessments to (shown to the right, marked “Ref”).

The graph above represents a particular measurement within a much larger report (via the TMG software). Several auto-created reports in that dashboard can be selected, including individual reports and team report analyses. The information presented in these reports includes:

• Data highlighting lateral and functional symmetries.

I have included images of this data below to help give a better idea of how the information is initially presented. These are the comparative test results during a two-week phase of rehabilitation. The first image is where the athlete entered the rehabilitation process; the second image represents the results after spending two weeks on an altered plan based on some of the data provided by TMG. While it is clear that this athlete still has a long road ahead in the rehabilitation process, we can see significant progress in finite areas that I could not quantitatively represent before I assessed the athlete. We can see that exceptional progress has been made, especially within the functional symmetry of the Achilles tendon.

• Line graph representation of MCP (seen above).
• Radar chart indexing comparative standardized value ranges (seen below).

• Bar graphs on displacement and contraction windows—sports reference, acceptable value, muscle stiffness, etc. (seen below).

• A color-based chart overlaying a graphic of the human body highlighting worrisome contractile readings and possible inventions to address these issues (seen below).

• A simplistic paragraph interpreting readings and possible interventions (ex: strengthening, stretching, activation, and relaxation techniques) on the left versus right side, highlighting functional and lateral symmetry in comparison to the player population. Below you will find a tiny snippet of what this part of the generated reports looks like. 

Taking the Next Step with the Data

While the TMG software provides a great starting point for remedying the MCP deficiencies each athlete possesses, if we begin to dig deeper and think about connecting the data to the demands of the sport, we can identify ways to address specific qualities with manipulating exercise techniques.

If we dig deeper and think about connecting the TMG data to the sport’s demands, we can identify ways to address specific qualities with manipulating exercise techniques, says @DeRickOConnell. Share on X

This approach allows us to apply specific techniques to each athlete to address individual inefficiencies or rehabilitative needs as they concurrently complete their scheduled training phase with the team. TMG enables us to provide the athlete and high-performance team with real-time data during the rehabilitation process. We can perform testing weekly or bi-weekly on all surrounding muscular groups to identify any increases in the contractual qualities of the injured muscle, as well as all musculature surrounding the joint or up the chain.

This is especially useful for athletes who have been in a cast or sling and may have lost a considerable amount of musculature or the ability to actively contract and recruit the muscles that are involved around the injured joint. A situation such as this typically leads to poor movement patterns and downregulation, as synchronization abilities are inhibited due to the injury.

One of the most interesting cases I have encountered was an athlete with repetitive ankle injuries. The biggest issue, however, was that it was challenging to assess progress within the rehabilitative process due to the nature of the injury. The athlete could not perform any loaded movements, and passive range of motion assessments did not paint a large enough picture. Furthermore, since structural strength was nearly diminished and inflammation was high due to the recovery process, strength testing was not going to be feasible either. TMG enabled us to identify and track progress around the ankle, deep in the foot, and up the lower body’s kinetic chain.

By approaching the injury in this manner, we were able to identify factors that we typically are unable to assess and then provide quantitative data on the affected area of injury.

From this information, high-performance departments can analyze synchronization symmetry within the athlete and even begin to standardize their own sport- or position-specific protocols. For example, a quick and simple “Hockey Assessment” that I created provides quantitative data of MCP and synchronization patterns within a hockey population, which includes running TMG testing of:

• Biceps Femoris
• VMO
• Erector Spinae
• Adductor Longus
• Rectus Femoris
• Vastus Lateralis
• Semitendinosus

I perform this test as an entry-level diagnostic for all hockey players entering off-season training. Dovetailing off this assessment, TMG provides two incredibly insightful measures of synchronization patterns:

1. Lateral symmetry
2. Functional symmetry

These measures are an outcome of a formulated analysis looking at all five MCP properties measured via TMG. Lateral symmetry provides insight into the MCP elements of a muscle via left versus right (for example, looking solely at the data of the left VMO to the right VMO). These measures are provided for the individual but also compared to the population of the sport. We can use this data to create systemic red flags when an athlete presents outside of a certain window of symmetry.

It would be a good idea to create your own sport-specific data pool based on the population you are testing or use the sport reference data provided via TMG. This helps you to be aware of sport-specific synchronization adaptations that occur due to the movement demands of the sport. For the most part, a window of 10%–15% deviated asymmetry is commonly used as a “red flag”—if this type of marker is presented, it may be time to discuss the results with the medical department and build out a plan to address the issue.

Functional symmetry is also provided through the data that TMG records during the test. This is an incredibly valuable tool, and TMG provides an endless list of possibilities that allows us to identify asymmetries across joints throughout the entire body. This measure is even more important in determining possible injury potential. A typical window used in identifying injury risk is a functional asymmetry rate of 30%–35%. If an athlete presents outside of this, they will likely be exposed to higher injury risks during game play. You can use the provided functional symmetry readings to catalog and monitor athletes or create your own data monitoring system and import the data of tests you make, such as the above hockey test. As an example, functional symmetry TMG provides an equation for functional knee symmetry that is (VL&VM&RF/BF).

TMG provides an endless list of possibilities that allows us to identify asymmetries across joints throughout the entire body, says @DeRickOConnell. Share on X

The information provided here, along with the other tests the athlete performed, helped to illuminate any glaring needs in training as well as offer great general insight into the MCP of each athlete. This data can also be used to compare the specific individual’s contractile properties to an entire population of elite, college, and professional hockey players and forward versus defenseman, as well as female versus male.

What is great about TMG is that not only can you build out your own population pool and data representation, but TMG as a company has been collecting thousands of data points for years, providing a large population pool that allows you to compare athletes in just about every sport to previously collected assessments. This data collection is also continuously updated, ensuring a constant input of new comparative data within the system.

From Rehabilitation to Performance

As we touched on earlier, the information collected gives us insight into MCP synchronization patterns, fiber typing, and fiber dominance. However, we can go even further and assess real-time fatigue and potentiation rates.

I have been fortunate enough to thoroughly explore and investigate the MCPs of athletes in a multitude of ways with TMG. The data represented could be used to identify peak potentiation times, helping to focus on specific exercise duration and the effects of different periods of eccentric, supramaximal eccentric, overcoming isometrics, loaded oscillations, and power range concentric exercises ranging in duration from 2 to 10 seconds. It could also help break down the differences in muscle response when an athlete performs these exercises in a single effort bout or a repetitive effort bout such as cluster sets.

We can take this a step further and not only assess potentiation rates by duration and exercise but also identify contractile response differentiation in specific muscles versus the movement. This, in turn, helps to illuminate the exact response a muscle gives based on specific exercises or movements. From here, we can use this information to begin to build out peak potentiation profiles. These profiles can be based on collected information such as sport (also investigating movement pattern dominances and synchronization adaptations of the sport), gender, the potentiating exercise, the duration of exercise, and the muscle groups involved to help create performance training cycles that flow together.

MCP fatigue can be monitored throughout the season, not just from a training perspective but also as a means of diagnosing potentiation and exertion fatigue rates. We can insert the data provided into our athlete monitoring systems as part of the workload management equation. Decreases in positive MCP may signify a need for alterations to training plans and practice loads and even signal oncoming illness. This data gives us an opportunity to diagnose not only instantaneous and acute fatigue but also chronic fatigue, identifying and adjusting days ahead of a potential injury, poor performance, or possible overtraining syndrome.

For additional information on implementing TMG readings as a means of monitoring potentiation fatigue rates, I highly suggest watching the presentation by Srdjan Djordjevic. His course on the “Development of Speed” is a great resource on the various ways to apply TMG to quantify the influences of potentiation and identify fatigue rates.

As an additional note, below is an excerpt from an article by Carl Valle that perfectly encapsulates what TMG can mean to a high-performance department:

“Coaches care about managing fatigue, and medical professionals tend to want to know about the risk for a new injury and the recovery for existing injuries. Screening has always been murky, but sometimes an athlete still struggles with a lingering problem that is a ticking time bomb. Athletes can pass movement screens and range of motion tests and still have a neuromuscular impairment.

Tensiomyography is the equivalent of a lie detector for muscles. Athletes often know when something is wrong and while medical professionals may listen to their complaints, TMG connects the subjective information to something tangible for the professional. Since the information is objective and quantified, it’s a permanent record of how the tissues trend over a season.”

Quantifying Systemic Effects of Various Interventions

Another avenue that can be explored is using TMG to identify changes in MCP before and after soft tissue therapy, neurolymphatic work, neurological wake-up drills, various breathing modalities, and acupuncture. By doing so, we can see what is truly happening to MCP before and after these processes. Of course, there is a larger window of variance over the population as a whole when looking at these types of interventions for several reasons. Still, it is nevertheless very interesting to see how an individual’s tissue responds.

The TMG website also provides an extensive list of scientific publications that I highly suggest reviewing. The database of research articles covers all topics from a medical perspective to a high-performance perspective. The link to this page can be found here: Tensiomyography; Full List of Publications.

TMG and the Hyperspeed Exercise Continuum

How can we use TMG readings to help identify what modality within the hyperspeed exercise continuum may be applied to the athlete to help make their training even more specific?

Before we get into how the methods fit in with different TMG variables, I wanted to give a brief overview of each hyperspeed modality. Through standard training methods, it is incredibly difficult—if not impossible—to train with or expose an athlete to the velocity demands that they will see on the field of play. It is crucial that we try to find ways to help athletes adapt to these demands in their training. This is not only vital from an athletic enhancement perspective but also paramount from an injury prevention perspective and the return to play transition.

We want to help the athlete’s kinetic chain be able to produce and withstand high-velocity force. Even more importantly, we want the athlete to be able to possess a high work capacity within these means. I know at first glance it may seem counterintuitive to say that work capacity and peak velocity movement coincide, as we typically train the qualities separately, but in the field of play, while velocities may diminish due to fatigue, an athlete faces the demand to perform at their peak velocity for the duration of the game or match.

Along with this come repetitive bouts of max-effort, high-velocity movements. Many athletes experience injuries when they are fatigued and as their game workload increases—this is especially apparent in athletes who are returning to play after an injury. If not adequately prepared from a training as well as a workload re-integration perspective, these athletes are at high risk for reinjury and, unfortunately, multiple reinjuries.

Hyperspeed exercises attempt to capture and train an athlete in an extremely high velocity-force perspective by applying various methods to address co-contraction, elasticity, and neural work capacity. These may be the three most important methods to apply in training athletes for high performance and return to play.

Co-contraction, elasticity, and neural work capacity may be the three most important methods to apply in training athletes for high performance and return to play, says @DeRickOConnell. Share on X

The concept of co-contraction refers to the body’s—specifically, the nervous system’s—ability to create perfect synchronization of opposing muscles around a joint to stabilize the structure. This correlates to sprinting in that as the foot strikes the ground, muscles need to quickly activate in unison to create rigidity and stiffness in the joint to meet the force and power demands of the movement. To make it easier to understand, visualize or even watch a video of a cheetah sprinting at full speed: as the animal goes from a dead stop into a full sprint, hitting speeds over 60 mph in under three seconds, its dorsal line, the line from behind the skull extending into the tail, maintains the same postural positioning and triggers signals to the brain to maintain an intensified visual focus.

Of course, sprinters and athletes clearly do not have the same physiological composition as a cheetah; however, we can train our nervous system to elicit this characteristic. As the cat accelerates, all four of its feet strike completely different ground surfaces and levels simultaneously. The cheetah uses a highly adaptive co-contraction trait to stabilize its joints and continue to accelerate through the unpredictability of surface terrain. This is co-contraction in its most prime example and the response that we want to elicit through training.

To function correctly, the demands must be met at an even quicker rate than the velocity being created in the limbs and body during sprinting. Sometimes, a lack of rigidity can downregulate the output of power if the brain feels there is an unequal ratio of stiffness to power. Too often, developing co-contractions is overlooked and not conceptualized or held to the proper level of importance. Programs often place too much emphasis on standard strength training practices, focusing on progressively loading an athlete in a rep range to become stronger. While strength and power are obviously very important aspects, it is crucial from a performance standpoint that the principle of co-contraction and time be considered and applied in training.

Athletes must be able to withstand high amounts of eccentric force. This means the athlete should not simply “absorb” force but withstand and propel it under the applied tension, creating an extremely rigid movement and increasing rate of force development. An athlete will only become as powerful as the eccentric force they can withstand. This takes precedence over other qualities when it comes to true elite-level performance.

When loading an athlete, there is very little co-contraction needed to push a barbell with both feet planted on the ground; however, this is not the nature of sport (except for powerlifting). When moving at high velocity, co-contractions occur in a hundredth of a second. As the nature of the sport demands high-velocity movement, the body needs to elicit these co-contractions at an even more efficient rate. Keep in mind that co-contractions dictate many aspects of movement, most notably the ability to create explosive movement and reduce injury during these demands. For the purpose of this article, we want to develop and prevent both.

Co-contractions are also part of the stumble reflex. When someone falls or trips, the body tightens up to prepare for that fall. This occurs so you do not get hurt or fall to the ground. This primitive reflex is why your body syncs up when you trip on something, and the next step is very stiff.

To elicit and train this, we want to trick the body into thinking we are going to trip. This approach will develop greater pre-tension when we hit the ground. The more pre-tension an athlete possesses before hitting the ground, the stiffer the joint will be, and the less energy is displaced and wasted when the athlete goes to push during their next step. You can find more in-depth information on the importance of co-contractions and how they apply to sprint training in “Triphasic Speed Training Manual for Elite Performance: Part 1 The Spring Ankle Model,” which I wrote along with Cal Dietz and Chris Korfist.

1. The Co-Contraction Method

Implement this method by placing bands above and below the working limb or limbs. There is typically slightly more band tension placed on the side of the targeted muscle/muscle groups. This method aims to create a significant adaptation in synaptic signaling rates, which will, in turn, create a higher transmission speed between neurons. As the athlete begins to adapt, they will start creating incredibly fast neuromuscular actions around the joint. This includes quicker rates of turning the muscle on and off, as well as increasing dynamic stabilization around the joint that adapts to meet the need of the velocity created by the limb.

The outcome of this method is a significant gain in neural adaptations throughout the body. Of the three primary methods, co-contraction is performed with the most ferocious intent at the highest velocity. This method is most commonly implemented in speed, peaking, and concentric phases. Athletes who exhibit an increased need to improve coordination and agility may also see large benefits from performing this method. Depending on the desired adaptation and the athlete’s training level, external loads such as small dumbbells and ankle weights may be applied to the exercise to increase demand.

Video 1. An upper body co-contraction method exercise: Prone Incline Rear Delt.

Video 2. A lower body co-contraction method exercise: Hip Abduction/Adduction Contralateral Narrow Stance.

From a TMG perspective, if a muscle exhibits low neural drive symbolized by slow contraction time, implementing co-contraction methods may lead to the greatest gains for that athlete. This method tends to be incredibly taxing on the central nervous system. Band tension is commonly overlooked; however, it is very important that adequate band tension is placed on the athlete. Without this, the exercise’s speed will greatly diminish, reducing contraction times and requiring increased and unnecessary stabilization time and energy.

2. The Rebound Method

I often describe this method to younger athletes as “the kangaroo exercise,” which helps them picture the movement’s demands. The exercise is performed with large, graceful bounds led by band contact filled with ferocity and aggressiveness. This method requires a violent movement against the bands, creating a massive demand in eccentric braking forces to decelerate the movement and leading to adaptation in the athlete’s tissue (very similar to the contraction requirements of a bound). We can think of this as a juiced-up shock method exercise, especially when performed with a pause.

With the rebound method, we can produce plyometric-like movements in all planes, with upper- and lower-body extremities. The rebound method is very commonly placed with the eccentric, strength, and power phases of training. Alterations to the methods can include placing dumbbells in the hand or ankle weights on the athlete. Remember, adding this external weight and changing band tension alters contractile properties. This modification in load and velocity moves performance qualities from an eccentric emphasis to a strength or power emphasis, depending on the velocity and contraction demands of the movement. Implementing rebound methods for the muscle group may lead to the most significant improvements for an athlete who exhibits deficiencies in maximal displacement.

Video 3. An upper body rebound method exercise with external weight: Bent Over Rear Delt Rebound.

Here are some examples of lower-body rebound method exercises:

Video 4. Standing Angled Hip Flexor Rebounds.

Video 5. Hamstring Razor Curl Double Band Rebound.

Video 6. Hamstring Razor Curl 3 Band Rebound.

Here is an example of a lower-body rebound method exercise with external weight:

Video 7. Ankle Weight Prone Psoas Rebounds.

3. Oscillatory Isometrics (OCIs)

OCIs are often used when metabolic and high-velocity work capacity demands are the target of adaptation. From a metabolic perspective, OCIs are by far the most demanding technique: the method is performed by placing the limb against a band and performing an oscillation into the band. The most important exercise element is ensuring the athlete maintains constant tension without leaving the band. The general movement can be small, but due to the application of constant tension and recruitment demands, this variation is very taxing on the metabolic system.

Typically, this method is worked into early phases and return to play scenarios, where work capacity and tissue adaptation are the primary focus. However, the adaptations involved in the movement also slide very well into power phases. OCI also syncs well with quasi-isometric training; for example, if an athlete exhibits significant deficiencies in sustaining times as measured by the TMG, OCIs may be a great tool to introduce to the athletes’ training regimen.

Video 8. A lower body OCI: Prone Psoas OCI.

Options for Application

Now that we have collected the data, we have a couple of different ways in which we could approach each athlete. Looking at one hypothetical example, let’s say we have an athlete who is cleared to move out of general preparation and into a heavy eccentric phase. This athlete, however, is also currently dealing with a lingering shoulder injury from the season. While the athlete is likely scheduled to perform the rebound method with light dumbbells and ankle weights throughout this phase, we can use the data to address the MCP demands that are present in the shoulder as well. Coming off a long-term shoulder injury in which the athlete has spent time in a sling greatly affects the amplitude and, even more likely, the displacement. From here, we have a couple of viable options for the athlete.

• If we deem that OCIs are the best route to take to target the athlete’s shoulder issues, then we could have the athlete perform their prescribed rebounds throughout the phase and simply replace rebounds with OCIs, being sure to sync up the duration of the exercise so that the global stress remains constant. TMG allows us to combine a typical global hyperspeed approach while implementing an individualized local stimulus approach when necessary.
• Another option is to address imbalances by implementing hyperspeed modalities that meet the specific demands microdosed throughout the week or by taking a grand-scale one-day macrodose approach. For example, this is where you could keep the aforementioned athlete on weighted rebounds throughout the week and then simply switch the entire approach at the end of the week, when volume typically takes precedence. The athlete would then perform only OCIs for the entire workout, focusing on every joint and not just the shoulder.

Using the data presented via TMG may also allow us to manipulate in-season phases. Constant monitoring enables us to combine the athlete’s needs with the modality that may help them the most. In doing so, we distribute exercise protocols that allow the athlete to improve at a personal level and also preserve vital in-season energy stores. We may split our teams up into groups that need to focus on a rebound day, a co-contraction day, or an OCI day. As discussed above, we may also have the opportunity to blend a primary modality with just one or two of the others that match the specific contraction demands of an athlete.

In another scenario, the athlete might perform a rebound day without added external load but added co-contraction for the hamstrings, as the athlete possesses slow contraction rates and plays a high-velocity sport. In this case, stimming or potentiating at a low volume may be beneficial for the given athlete.

Given the data we are presented with, there are endless possibilities for making minor adjustments that can create huge benefits for each athlete individually. Applying hyperspeed modalities to sync with the current goals of the phase is very common, but now we can sprinkle in very specific modes for various athletes who may be coming off injury and rehab protocols or athletes who simply need to remain in a very specific and individualized phase.

Bringing Together Tensiomyography and Hyperspeed Exercises

Below, I have created a starting point for correlating TMG readings and applying hyperspeed exercises. This is meant to be a jumping-off point, primarily identifying one or two elements of each measured parameter. I wanted to begin the conversation here, as it’s meant to inspire a much deeper look into the various correlations that exist when addressing these qualities in a precise manner. However, even by looking at a particular element of each measurement, we can begin to implement a plethora of changes to each of our athlete’s programs as we are likely to see at least one of these deficiencies pop up in each athlete’s test.

Let’s look at each of the elements analyzed through testing, as well as one or two hyperspeed exercise adaptations that can be made based on the data presented:

Delay Time (Td)

Delay time is heavily associated with an athlete’s nervous system firing rates. If an athlete exhibits a delay time that exceeds the normative values based on the population reference, they may possess a below-average neural synaptic transmission or “slow neural drive.” One possible way to combat this is to introduce the athlete to co-contraction exercises.

Another often-seen cause for excessively high delay times is fatigue. This could be caused by sport, overtraining, or low work capacity. If we rule out all external causes, and it is genuinely low work capacity or muscular endurance issues, ICOs can be inserted into the athlete’s program to address this issue.

Contraction Time (Tc)

If athletes exhibit a sluggish time to contraction, they may need to find ways to improve firing rates. This can be done by incorporating co-contraction exercises throughout their programming. By doing this, we are attempting to increase the muscle’s response to instantaneously high velocity switches between agonist and antagonist muscles.

Often closely associated with muscle composition, another avenue that can be explored when an athlete exhibits slow contraction times are activation exercises. We can explore two routes to identify which the athlete is more responsive to:

1. We can begin by having them perform a hierarchy of activation exercises for and around the muscle or muscles that exhibit the inhibition in contraction time.
2. We can address the downregulation or inefficient firing patterns through methods such as Reflexive Performance Reset to help the nervous system fire in a way that allows the muscles to contract at a higher, more efficient rate and pattern, as there may be deeper reasoning behind the contraction inhibition exhibited by the athlete.

Sustain Time (Ts)

If an athlete exhibits an above-average sustained time (“above-average” being a negative correlation) compared to the reference data, this could be due to several factors. Above-average sustained time can lead down a very extensive list of possible correlations. For now, we’ll focus on forcing an on/off switch within the body, specifically the nervous system. In this case, we will apply co-contraction methods as a means to encourage that “off switch” development.

During the co-contraction, the body, of course, is forced to turn on very rapidly, but by doing this, the opposing musculature must also turn off. As a very important side note, I would also look into the athlete’s overall workload and trends, as they may be entering a window of extreme fatigue.

Relaxation Time (Tr)

Relaxation time, along with sustained time, has been discussed in close relationship with the functionality of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. More specifically, I am referring to the efficiency of the calcium pump. This pumping action is the incipient stage of a muscle contraction. These two measures offer a bird’s-eye view of the reciprocating actions needed within the sarcoplasmic reticulum for proper muscular contraction. Time to relaxation can be associated with several MCP qualities that may need to be addressed.

If an athlete exhibits prolonged relaxation time, this is typically a sign that the tissues are having trouble releasing tension. An avenue that can be explored with athletes who exhibit above-average relaxation time is to address the tonus within the tissue. Myofascial release modalities, ART, or stretching modalities may lead to improvements in the quality of the tissue. Examining this issue from a training perspective, there are two first steps that you can take with the athlete. The first is applying co-contraction methods to improve the athlete’s ability to turn on antagonist muscles, thus leading to a forced adaptation to relaxation.

However, rebound methods can be applied if the athlete is presenting a discrepancy in relaxation time coupled with above-average displacement. Finally, a critical component to consider is the athlete’s psycho-emotional balance. This type of athlete may be overtrained and experience chronic fatigue factors. They may also be in a state of chronic sympathetic dominance. In these cases, manipulating the hyperspeed exercise isn’t necessarily what the athlete needs. They may need a decrease in workload, soft tissue work, breath work, grounding work, and light and heat therapy, and overall increases in time spent focusing on relaxation. In some cases, this athlete may also need to alter their diet and supplement regimen to attain healthy gut microbiota.

Displacement (Dm)

Deficiencies in maximal displacement may signify several different possibilities. If an athlete exhibits higher than the reference point of displacement, this may signify that the muscle in question may lack absolute strength. From a performance perspective, this translates into the athlete being able to withstand and reciprocate force. If possible, you may want to compare this data with drop jumps on the force plate, RSI, or other testing procedures involving force absorption and breaking ratios. If the correlations do match, then applying the rebound method may lead to the most considerable improvements for the athlete.

Maximal displacement can also disturb relaxation time due to muscles still being under tension. This delayed relaxation effect is the culmination of mechanoreceptors being overloaded due to too high of a displacement. If you deem that the athlete is simply weak, untrained, or coming off an injury and also lacks general strength and muscular endurance, applying more OCI exercises may be the best option for the given scenario. Lastly, as displacement also provides excellent insight into the tonus qualities associated with the muscle, below-average displacement may also require stretching or other tissue and myofascial interventions to improve the general MCP qualities.

Correlations in Performance Assessment

There are now other qualities that researchers have begun to analyze based on these five primary measurements. From a structural and medical perspective, we can take a deep dive into the MCP qualities that each athlete possesses. Using these preexisting qualities, we can create our own customized profiles using the bilateral and functional symmetry formulas to monitor fatigue, track rehabilitation progress and address each muscle in a powerfully tailored and specific manner.

New research and published formulas have started to shed light on more specific MCP correlations and algorithms. From a performance perspective, we can combine all the above information with formulas that look directly at contractile velocities. Contraction velocity is a metric calculated using a comparison formula between Maximal Displacement and Contraction Time. This gives us a very interesting insight into an athlete’s contractile velocities. This can be incredibly useful in high-velocity-based sports and training, first as a general diagnostic and also as a way to monitor finite deviations in fatigue rates.

Contraction time (Tc) provides us with insight into the speed at which a muscle twitches and coincidingly contracts in relation to maximal displacement. However, one such parameter that is now being explored as a more specific means to monitor athletic performance is known as a velocity of contraction (Vc). Velocity of contraction is a calculated formula that represents the sum of maximal radial displacement divided by delay time plus contraction time:

𝑉𝑐 = Dm / Td + Tc

The idea is that by bringing together all of these assessment points within the muscle, we can get a better picture of velocity demands. TMG-derived velocity of contraction can be an incredibly valuable tool. By using this formula, we can simultaneously integrate the mechanical outcomes provided by TMG. Velocity of contraction is capable of detecting functional changes in the muscle’s mechanical properties, at least when these neuromechanical adaptations are related to the impairments in maximal sprint ability and COD speed performance in professional soccer players (Loturco et al., 2016).

TMG-derived velocity of contraction can be an incredibly valuable tool. By using this formula, we can simultaneously integrate the mechanical outcomes provided by TMG, says @DeRickOConnell. Share on X

Normative values and a standardized formula for Vc are still being established. Vc can be used as part of the equation in fatigue monitoring; however, due to the elements involved in the formula, Vc is affected differently depending on the specific stress of the sport. For example, impaired Vc was delayed until 72 hours after completion of high-intensity endurance training, unlike high-intensity strength training, after which Vc was impaired immediately (Macgregor et al., 2018)

Research into Vc has also led to the attempt to standardize another formula to encapsulate overall athletic performance, including fatigue rates and even fiber typing. This metric is known as normalized response speed or radial twitch response (Vrn). Normalized response speed shows us the relationship between the difference of the deformation between 10% to 90% and the increase of the contraction time for those values (Rojas-Barrionuevo et al., 2017; Rodríguez-Ruiz et al., 2014). When a muscle becomes enhanced, it shows lower values in Dm, Ts, and Tr and a decrease in Tc. In contrast, a fatigued muscle (or due to a deficit of mass or muscle tone) presents higher values in Dm, Td, Ts, and Tr and an increase in Tc (Rojas-Barrionuevo et al., 2017). Additionally, Vrn is a relevant indicator of functional instability and influences jumping capacity (Rodríguez-Ruiz, et al., 2014).

By spending additional time interpreting the data from these measures, we can begin to tailor incredibly specific programming protocols for our athletes based on finite alterations and data. While there certainly is a large number of correlated possibilities when analyzing MCP with TMG, using the data to apply hyperspeed-specific modalities presents us with tools that are simply unattainable through other avenues of assessment.

This article aims to help change just a few elements in the initial programming based on the athlete’s needs. From here, we can begin to have an even deeper conversation about correlated applications. By providing one or two possibilities per contractile element, we have an incredible foundation of programming adaptations that can help us provide our athletes with very specific training variations—not to mention the vitality this data can give our high-performance departments when accelerated return to play timelines are in demand.

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

Detecting the velocity of the muscle contraction.

Loturco I, Pereira L, Kobal R, et al. “Muscle Contraction Velocity: A Suitable Approach to Analyze the Functional Adaptations in Elite Soccer Players.” Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. 2016 Sep.;15(3):483–491.

Macgregor LJ, Hunter AM, Orizio C, Fairweather MM, and Ditroilo M. “Assessment of Skeletal Muscle Contractile Properties by Radial Displacement: The Case for Tensiomyography.” Sports Medicine. 2018 Jul;48(7):1607–1620. doi: 10.1007/s40279-018-0912-6. PMID: 29605838; PMCID: PMC5999145.

Meglič A, Uršič M, Škorjanc A, Đorđević S, and Belušič G. “The Piezo-resistive MC Sensor is a Fast and Accurate Sensor for the Measurement of Mechanical Muscle Activity.” Sensors. 2019; 19(9):2108.

Oster, G. “Muscle Sounds.” Scientific American. 1984;250(3):108–115.

Rodriguez-Ruiz D, Diez-Vega I, Rodriguez-Matoso D, Fernandez-del-Valle M, Sagastume R, and Molina JJ. “Analysis of the Response Speed of Musculature of the Knee in Professional Male and Female Volleyball Players.” BioMed Research International. 2014. 8. 10.1155/2014/239708.

Rojas-Barrionuevo NA, Vernetta-Santana M, Alvariñas-Villaverde M, and López-Bedoya J. “Acute effect of acrobatic jumps on different elastic platforms in the muscle response evaluated through tensiomyography.” Journal of Human Sport and Exercise. 2017;12(3):728–741. 10.14198/jhse.2017.123.17.

Simunic B, Rozman S, and Pišot R. “Detecting the velocity of the muscle contraction.” Biology. 2007.

TMG™ Science for Body Evolution « Quantifying muscle function (tmg-bodyevolution.com)

Valle C. “Tensiomyography: An Update for Sport and Tactical Athletes.” SimpliFaster Blog.

Valle C. “TMG: A Secret Weapon in Sports Performance and Rehabilitation.” SimpliFaster Blog.

Wilson MT, Ryan AMF, Vallance SR, et al. “Tensiomyography Derived Parameters Reflect Skeletal Muscle Architectural Adaptations Following 6-Weeks of Lower Body Resistance Training.” Frontiers in Physiology. 2019;10:1493. Published 2019 Dec 10. doi:10.3389/fphys.2019.01493.

Starting a career as a coach in this field can be exciting and rewarding; it can also, at times, be overwhelming. There will be countless pieces of novel information, assigned tasks, names and faces to learn, and hours spent on your feet that are all part of the process of becoming and continuing to be a strength and conditioning coach. At the end of the day, however, if you are passionate about human health and performance and creating meaningful relationships with others, it will all be worth it.

Plus, we get to wear athletic gear, train ourselves, and not sit behind a desk for a career—pretty cool if you ask me. The first few years as a coach are full of decisions that can lead you down one coaching route or another, and that can make or break you and your experience as a coach in this field. In no particular order, I have listed eleven tips that I either wish I knew before starting my journey or that I have learned through my various experiences over the past two and a half years as an intern and coach.

The experiences I have had in this field have influenced my personal and professional growth, which I attribute to the people I have worked with and for. My career as a Strength and Conditioning coach started with three consecutive internships:

• One with my high school S&C coach in Virginia Beach.
• Another with Cressey Sports Performance in Massachusetts.
• Lastly with Elon University Sports Performance.

Following this string of internships, I went on to pursue a Master’s degree in the 2021-2022 school year at Merrimack College while also serving as a Graduate Fellow Strength and Conditioning coach. In the summer of 2022 I served as the S&C coach for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod Collegiate Baseball League. During those two and a half years, I worked with athletes from a wide variety of backgrounds, including high school, collegiate, and professional baseball, softball, soccer, football, track and field, ice hockey, and military/tactical athletes.

To say I learned a lot from these experiences would be an understatement, but I surely left some growth on the table. At times, I was close-minded, stubborn, arrogant, and lacked communication skills—if I had known or appreciated some of the tips I provide below, I am confident I would have squeezed every ounce out of each of these experiences.

Tip #1: Do Your Research

I don’t mean join a research team and work in a lab (although that too can be a valuable experience). Instead, this section is focused on the idea of knowing everything about a place before you decide to apply. Whether it is an internship, a graduate assistantship, or your first job, educating yourself on the culture, the people, the duties and responsibilities expected of you, past interns or employees and why they may have left, benefits the position is or is not offering, location and housing, and much more are vital to ensuring you and the potential employment site are a good fit.

Unfortunately—but also fortunately, which I will discuss in another tip—it is going to be hard to find the perfect spot, so prioritizing what you need from the opportunity should be at the forefront of your decision making process when identifying places to apply.

Tip #2 – The Application and the Interview

For interns, do not worry if your professional work history is not what you would consider competitive. It is likely your first or second experience as a coach, which places looking for interns should understand and perhaps be excited about—you provide them with the opportunity to teach and mentor others, which is really what we are doing as coaches at the end of the day. Before sending in your application, reread it, have someone else go through it, then reread it two more times yourself.

I am not kidding.

Showing an employer right off the bat whether you can follow instructions exactly as they are provided to you for applications/submissions can move you to the interview stage or get you dropped from consideration immediately.

For interns, do not worry if your professional work history is not what you would consider competitive. Share on X

If given the opportunity to do a phone, in-person, or Zoom interview, be on time and dress for the job you want. Be yourself. Answer questions honestly, emphasize your strengths, and be a good person. Ask questions. Both before and during the interview. If you know someone who has applied or worked there before, ask them what to expect so you can prepare.

At the end of the interview, when the interviewer asks if you have any questions, have two to three prepared about the position and perhaps develop another based on something that was discussed during the interview. Not asking questions can make it seem like you know everything already about the experience, and an answer you receive may give you more information that you need to make a decision. If you are offered positions at multiple places, do what is best for you in regards to what factors, benefits, and details you are prioritizing.

Tip #3 – People Come First

To steal a quote from Teddy Roosevelt, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” The first task ever given to me as an intern was go in the gym and meet as many people as I could and learn everyone’s name. That same task ended up being the first one at every place I went to. It is impossible to truly connect with an athlete or even cue a lift without first knowing their name. An athlete’s lack of ability to be coached is not always because they do not want to listen—instead, maybe it is because they do not trust or even know the person giving the instruction. I was certainly guilty of this when trying to coach football athletes at Merrimack College on my first day, without ever having a conversation with some of the guys I was coaching.

It is impossible to truly connect with an athlete or even cue a lift without first knowing their name. Share on X

Being a good person and being someone your coworkers and athletes want to be around for an hour, a week, a month, a year, and so on, is incredibly important. Read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. People first, always.

Tip #4 – Listen, Watch, Learn

A little over a year ago, at the end of my first internship, I sat in on a presentation given by Coach Dan Sanzo, who at the time was the Director of Performance at Northeastern University. One thing he said that stuck out to me was that “coaching and training models are never right, some are just less wrong than others.”

I don’t think I quite understood exactly what he meant until I went to my next internship. I went in thinking I knew what they were going to teach me and that I was already a good strength coach. Hello Dunning-Krueger Effect, I had reached the peak of “Mount Stupid.”

Listen to everything those around you are trying to teach you. There is so much to learn but in order to do so, we must put our egos aside and allow others to teach us. Watch. A lot goes on in the weight room and one can learn a lot just from watching an athlete move, watching another coach cue a movement from across the room, or seeing how the flow of a weight room impacts the training experience of the athletes. Mastery is impossible. There is always going to be something else to learn whether you believe it or not. As a coach we are servant leaders. The more we learn, the more we can teach, the more we can serve.

Mastery is impossible. There is always going to be something else to learn whether you believe it or not. Share on X

Lastly, as you are working as an intern, a GA, or a full-time coach, constantly analyze what you do and do not like about where you are. I do not mean go searching for things you dislike about a place, but being aware of these details will help inform your future career decisions. There is something to learn from everything: good and bad, success and failure. Keep seeking out the good things in future jobs and avoid going to places that may resemble the bad qualities of a workplace that you experienced elsewhere.

Tip #5 – Constantly Provide Value

Value is a broad word that means different things to different people. Generally, however, it means being the best intern, coach, and coworker you can possibly be. Carry yourself with integrity, do what you say you will do. Be efficient. Show up early, complete assigned tasks ahead of the completion date, and do things that you know need to be done before being asked to do them. Be a good person. It is hard to provide more value to a staff and a culture than when you can put others in a good mood just based on your presence.

You should never be doing nothing. Constantly find things to do, always be aware of your body language, and remember you are always being evaluated. Lastly, while this should not be the sole reason you apply somewhere, many places will hire from their internship or graduate assistantship pool. Do a really good job and you are more likely to end the volunteer job with a part- or full-time position.

Constantly find things to do, always be aware of your body language, and remember you are always being evaluated. Share on X

Tip #6 – Always Be Networking

You never know who you will come across in your early years as a coach that you may end up working with or be hired by down the road. Every person you have worked with, or that has ever worked for a place you have worked for, is someone in your network. Make an effort to reach out and introduce yourself to as many of them as possible. Try to form meaningful relationships with them as it will strengthen your network and likely allow you to be introduced to their broader network.

Also, make an effort to go to surrounding facilities and schools. Taking an hour or two to go observe other coaches can lead to so many great things. Maybe you learn new programming ideas or cues from watching and listening to another coach, maybe you spark up a conversation and find out they will be hiring in a few months, or maybe you just form a great professional relationship with the staff which may lead to opportunities for collaboration in the future.

Lastly, do not underestimate the power of social media. Follow, repost, DM, and engage with others in the community. Give credit where it is due. Connect with others you otherwise would not be able to due to geographic limitations. Networking is your best friend.

Tip #7 – Branch Out

Going along with the networking, do not be afraid to branch out beyond the S&C community. Making friends and connections with people from other industries can broaden your own skill set, provide you with different points of view to a problem, and expand your network.

Making friends and connections with people from other industries can broaden your own skill set. Share on X

Engage with graphic designers, accountants, engineers, and so on. One day you may want to start your own coaching business, you are going to need to know how to manage money, and engineers know a thing or two about physics and biomechanics which govern the body.

Tip #8 – Communication

Working at a university, in the professional sporting realm, or even in a private training facility, there will be multiple departments of professionals working cooperatively. S&C coaches do not just report to S&C coaches. A performance team consists of sport coaches, S&C coaches, nutritionists, physical therapists, athletic therapists, administration, and athletes themselves.

Ensuring all of these departments are on the same page when it comes to the care and training of the athlete is of the upmost importance. If an athletic department does not have a good system of communication, then the best job possible cannot be achieved. You cannot control if someone else fails to communicate, but you can control:

1. That you communicate clearly and concisely.
2. How you respond to situations in which information was not clearly communicated to you.

Over-communicate, but keep things simple. Provide enough detail, but do not make things hard to comprehend. Ask more questions than you may think are necessary. Leave no doubt.

Tip #9 – Find Outlets

Nobody wants to talk about it, but burnout is a real thing that can make or break a young coach’s career. It is not uncommon to be working 10-12+ hour days throughout the week as well as potentially having weekend training sessions (there are schools and facilities that are much better about scheduling staff, so make that a part of your research when applying if you wish to prioritize your free time).

When you do have time off, get away from the gym. Your identity is more than being a coach. Find things or people that you enjoy doing and being around that have nothing to do with the position you are in. I love being a coach, but going to the driving range between sessions or watching a movie instead of reading an S&C book are simple things I do to appreciate time away from the field.

When you do have time off, get away from the gym. Your identity is more than being a coach. Share on X

Along with finding outlets, set boundaries. Make sure the people you work with, including athletes, know exactly when you are and are not reachable. I had a coworker do this right away at one of my experiences, which I thought was odd—but then I began to envy that decision as time went on.

Tip #10 – Time Management

There are 168 hours in a week. Manage and plan that time out ahead of time. When you start gaining more responsibilities in the gym on top of school work, free time, your own training, sleeping, etc., things like Google Calendar or a planner are valuable tools to keep yourself on track.

Some people say procrastination is the key to creativity, while others say it is better to knock things out immediately in order to make changes or to have free time later. However you manage your time and responsibilities, just make sure you are not holding someone else back or forcing them to carry more of the load.

Lastly, earn the right to say no. This may be contradictory to the point I made above, but as a young coach, every opportunity thrown at you is a learning experience. If your boss asks you to do something, do it. The best ability is availability. As you offer more of your time and support, you will gain trust, reliability, and credibility from those you work with and for. Eventually, as you earn the respect of those around you, it becomes much easier to dedicate your time to where you feel it is most valued, and when you do decide to say no to things, that decision will be respected.

As you earn the respect of those around you, it becomes much easier to dedicate your time to where you feel it is most valued. Share on X

Tip #11 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

It does not matter where you are in your coaching career or where you feel you lie on the Dunning-Kruger line, imposter syndrome will likely find you at some point. It is the moment when you tell yourself you are not ready for the responsibilities bestowed upon you.

For me, and I am sure for most coaches, it was when I became a Graduate Fellow and was given my own teams to program for and coach. Fear begins to creep in that you do not know enough about programming, or you ask yourself if you are truly ready to lead a group of athletes that are depending on you to prepare them for sport.

The best way to overcome this mindset is simply to jump in, but also to have a purpose for everything you say, do, or write. Have a why. I remember Coach Nick DiMarco at Elon telling our intern team to have a why for everything you program, and then be able to back that why up again and again. Not only was this great advice for sound programming, but it became great advice when overcoming imposter syndrome. If you know the purpose of the work you have prescribed to a team, then you should be so confident in that work that you can own it and lead a team through it.

Have a why for everything you program, and then be able to back that why up again and again. Share on X

Trust that what you already know about programming, coaching, and so on is enough to do a good job. Stay committed to the learning process. When you make a mistake, analyze what went wrong, ask questions, gather feedback, learn how to prevent the mistake from occurring again, and then accept the fact that mistakes will serve as moments for growth throughout your career.

Putting It All Together

I am by no means a perfect person or professional. I have two and a half years of experience in this field. I have developed as both a person and a professional substantially in that time, which is due to the mistakes I have made and learned from as well as the mentors I have had who invested their time, patience, and knowledge into my growth.

There are eleven tips I focused on, but plenty more could have been included. Part of my passion for this field comes from the constant chances we are given as coaches to learn and to teach. I hope you, as a fellow young strength coach, have learned from some of the tips I have provided. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions and good luck with your upcoming or current positions!

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

Preparing teenage athletes for the upcoming high school football season is a yearly ritual for coaches across the country. The demands on the athletes are not just physically intense but mentally intense as well. For decades, the traditional thoughts on “conditioning” athletes for these demands included a wide variety of exercises, with selections such as multiple shuttle runs, sets of 100s, bear crawls, and other implements of fatigue used to condition athletes for the sport’s demands. They were also widely believed to build the toughness needed to play the game.

While most programs run training sessions throughout the summer, we all know that many athletes will miss at least part of those sessions. The question facing coaches is how should they account for the highly variable training gap of the athletes once mandatory practices and camps begin? While many athletes will begin camp fully prepared for those challenges following months of attendance at voluntary sessions, others may miss weeks with vacations, travel sports, jobs, or other obligations.

The coach’s ego in many of us would like to say, “well then, they don’t play,” but the reality is that for many programs, that’s not a realistic option. They need the athletes to be not only present once camp begins but also healthy and available. How can coaches be assured that the workload done and capacity built by each athlete meets the demands they will face? On the flip side, how can we be sure that we are not needlessly pushing our athletes past the point of meeting those demands? Are we potentially negatively affecting performance by adding unneeded fatigue to athletes who have already reached their needed load for optimal performance?

For our multidisciplinary performance team at York Comprehensive High School (sports coaches/performance and athletic training staff), wearable GPS for our athletes has been the answer to these questions. GPS has also allowed us to keep our athletes within the optimal ratios of velocity, load, and change-of-direction speeds that mirror those of the sport’s demands but are sometimes left short in sport preparation.

Volume is a great place to start when first dipping your toes into the use of GPS—you can use it to create data-driven, individualized programming to develop optimal work capacity. Share on X

This article is the first in a series of the how and why behind the use of TITAN GPS units. In this installment, I want to focus on using a basic metric that many without access to GPS already use to build work capacity: volume. Volume is a great place to start when first dipping your toes into the use of GPS—it can be used to create data-driven, individualized programming to develop optimal work capacity that meets the demands of a high school football season.

Implementing GPS Data

The answer for our program (and an ever-growing number of programs at the high school level) has been to implement GPS to track our athletes and then use the information we gather to make informed, data-driven decisions on how to train them to be optimally prepared for the demands of the season. GPS can eliminate most of the guesswork and guide coaches to informed decisions. Our primary goal as sports performance professionals is the health and wellness of our athletes, and GPS can not only be an effective tool to drive this goal in-season but also year-round. This ensures athletes are prepared for the challenges of the type of grueling off-season schedule common at the high school level.

One key point I’d like to make is that this article is solely aimed at the high school level. I firmly believe that the main mistake I made in laying out our off-season program before I had GPS to guide me was trying to design a scaled-down, college-level programming plan. What GPS showed me from day 1 was the extreme amount of sheer volume a high school athlete maintains year-round. College coaches may have a block of 4–8 weeks, then an extended non-contact period—those may be sprinkled throughout the year, and the NCAA governs the time they are allotted with the athlete.

At the high school level? That simply isn’t the case in most situations.

In his pregame speech before our week 1 kickoff, our head coach said: “You guys have spent 180 days in school, 90 minutes a day training. We had 16 spring practices, 20 summer workouts, and 20 summer practices. We played 30 passing league games and participated in four lineman challenges. We have practiced for three weeks and played three scrimmages. If we are not ready now, we never will be.” Amen, Coach. Take a second to re-read that…then explain how does continuing to add a few hundred yards of conditioning a week improve performance. If you do, you are probably guessing, whereas GPS allows you to answer those questions with a high level of confidence.

Another challenge faced by coaches who do not use GPS is prescribing a generic volume or rep scheme to athletes who have a wide variance in work done, says @YorkStrength17. Share on X

Another challenge faced by coaches who do not use GPS is prescribing a generic volume or rep scheme to athletes who have a wide variance in work done. Below is an average practice volume in yardage above 2 meters/second.

I can attest that this is just an average in-season practice from week 1 of our regular season. The range is quite varied, from the most at 7553.02 (a two-way starter at WR/FS) all the way down to the least at 2791.03 (backup QB). Eight of the bottom 10 athletes are offensive linemen or interior defensive tackles. The other two? Our starting QB (who ran for well over 1,000 yards last season) and a backup running back.

My preparation prior to GPS would have included ranged volume and distances based on position. This is a random example of a 2017 pre-season week:

The assumptions were close to correct. In general, the bigs need the least prep, and the WR/DB need the most. The QB position is way off: in fact, the in-game needs of our starter in 2021 were between 3,458 and 3,845 yards above 2.0 m/s. Another miss? Eight of the top nine totals were WR/DB guys. However, the fifth-highest total in practice (and it holds true in game capacity as well) was our starting running back.

My point? While my educated guess was accurate for many athletes, other guesses were off. Volume is not the most powerful tool to prepare athletes for demands—we will discuss “player load” in a later article (which is better, in my opinion, because it builds in intensity and time). BUT, if you choose to use volume as a way to progress your athletes toward the demands of the season, as I did, then GPS can be a way to ensure individual athletes are truly prepared for what they will face from a volume standpoint.

Assigning a generic volume prescription and not considering individual demands is a guess. It is also a guess based on a huge variable that’s totally missing. When we put those numbers on paper and lay out the linear wave periodization of volume (as many non-GPS users do), we are attacking it as if every athlete is beginning our session at the same point. But that is simply not true.

Looking at the practice above as an example, if we had run 400 yards of shuttles after practice, that would have taken our top-volume small-skill athlete to 7,900+ yards and our very lowest small-skill athlete to 3,191. The issues?

1. What if our backup QB has to become our starter suddenly? That 3,191 may end up being too low to match his increased load in practice.
2. For this particular athlete, 7,553 is above what we know he requires to meet the demands of game or practice. In fact, my suggestion for him would be to go home and recover, not add fatigue to a work capacity load that already exceeds need.

Another possible scenario involves athletes who have missed practices or workout sessions. Should they be dosed with the same prescription as the athlete with 21,000 yards during that same time?

Using volume to build work capacity has definite value. But we should not pretend that doing so without data to guide us and digging into each athlete’s acute and chronic loads is anything more than a best-educated guess.

In the three years we have been using GPS, we have all but eliminated any extra conditioning after practice. We have also seen little to no cramping in the early season. In addition, our non-contact soft tissue injuries have dropped significantly (according to internal reports). At the time of this writing, we are in the early part of our season, which began with spring ball in May. We have had zero missed practices due to non-contact soft tissue injuries.

In the three years we have been using GPS, we have all but eliminated any extra conditioning after practice. We have also seen little to no cramping in the early season, says @YorkStrength17. Share on X

While this data is purely anecdotal, I firmly believe in our multidisciplinary approach and its positive effect on athlete health and wellness. With the data to guide us, anything and everything we do has a definitive reason. We can adjust practices to increase or decrease volume and intensity to match the actual needs of the athletes.

Instead of doing things because we always have or because it makes the coaches comfortable, we can dial in and work toward an optimal high-performance training plan. We can focus on intentional acceleration or max velocity development and not be concerned with whether we are conditioning or not. When we do see a need for increased work capacity, we have the ability to know which athletes are in need and target those needs.

Using volume to guide programming is just one way to progress your athletes. It is the most basic use of the data that can be collected. In the next installment of this series, I will dive into using player load (PL) and acute:chronic work ratio (ACWR). Using these metrics has allowed us to become even more precise in preparing our athletes for the demands of not just playing but preparing for sport.

Using PL brings intensity and time into the picture. ACWR gives you a way to look at the bigger picture using PL. I will also cover how we use high-speed (90%+ of max velocity) sprint data and high-speed acceleration and deceleration as guides to fill the buckets that practice may not always succeed in doing. GPS guides the way to make these decisions without guesswork.

I believe each athlete should be prepared to meet the specific demands of their sport. My mistake before GPS was feeling that if I didn’t build the capacity for work needed by our athletes, then it wasn’t taking place. Having the data available has shown me that simply is not the case. In fact, much of the time, what I was adding to the athlete was above and beyond their need.

My mistake before GPS was feeling that if I didn’t build the work capacity needed by our athletes, it wasn’t taking place. Having the data has shown me that isn’t the case, says @YorkStrength17. Share on X

Do I believe it was detrimental to the athletes? Maybe, maybe not. However, our top priority needs to be “do no harm.” Unnecessary activity done well above and beyond need not only takes time away from the attributes that could positively affect performance but also delays the recovery process that most high school athletes struggle with organically. Instead, the focus can be on providing the things the athlete does not get from off-season preparation within their sport. GPS helps increase our value to the sports coaching staff and our ability to run an athlete-centered program.

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

Loading heavy bars every week isn’t feasible for many athletes, given their limited time constraints or available equipment. And don’t forget about the increase in spinal loading that some just can’t tolerate.

Also, let’s be honest—sometimes, loading and unloading the bars can take more time than the actual lifts. If you are tight on time or nursing a cranky back, this can be a setup for disaster.

By now, we all recognize the benefits of single-leg work—a 2015 study, “Load Comparison Ratio in Single and Double Leg Movements” (Graham-Smith, 2015), made a compelling case that one-leg squats can be a powerful strength and muscle builder as well.

So, welcome to the skater squat as a time-saving alternative.

If there are any flaws in technique—whether it’s valgus, lumbar flexion, core weakness, or passive foot mechanics—skater squats will expose them. Share on X

People usually don’t do skater squats simply because they are humbling and hard to do! If there are any flaws in technique—whether it’s valgus, lumbar flexion, core weakness, or passive foot mechanics—skater squats will expose them. They also require a bit of mobility and technique, which adds to the normal hardgainer’s NO GO list. Skater squats give high levels of intramuscular activation with each rep, which means they can recruit many motor units needed for stability and strength. They are also naturally joint- and low-back-friendly, which every strength coach should have highlighted for their programs.

An injured athlete is a recipe for disaster, and skater squats will always be a viable option to add cross-symmetry stability. Athletes in contact sports especially need this when on the field of play.

Here are ways to master this deadlift variation for comparable strength gains without the added low back stress.

Use a Counterbalance

Use tiny 2-pound weights or dumbbells in your hands as a counterbalance, or squeeze a tennis ball between your hamstring and calf on the non-working leg. This will help keep the back leg in a better, tighter position and prevent you from turning it into a reverse lunge.

Next, reach with your hands through an invisible line coming out of the middle toe of your working leg and toward the wall in front of you without letting your back foot touch the ground. Then, drive your hands down as you push through your front foot to return to the starting position.

Start by stacking a few Airex pads for your back knee and lower them as you get stronger to increase the range of motion.

Studies on Single-Leg Work

In a recent study, researchers challenged the assumption that the load taken on by the working leg during one-leg squats is half that of bilateral squats (Speirs, 2016). To do so, they used a model based on segmental weight distributions (load acting above or rotating about the hip joint) with force data to determine how much true load the legs take on in both movements.

They discovered two things:

1. The combined body weight that acts above the hips during unilateral movements is 16% greater than during bilateral movements (84% vs. 68%).
2. Unilateral movements equate to 1.62x the intensity (per leg) of bilateral movements (in sum).

What is really forgotten is how single-leg work can have a direct carryover to an athlete’s sport. When you think about it, we’re not often on two legs when running, sprinting, shuffling, or jumping. Unilateral lifting can promote corresponding gains in acceleration and strength when replicated well in the weight room.

Another point to mention is how metabolically demanding single-leg work can be. Since we are asking to provoke hypertrophic gains in two limbs, the duration of the work sets last longer, which requires more ATP and creatine to promote more strength. Because of this, single-leg training can have a heavier load of fatigue compared to bilateral training, and some research has even suggested that single-leg training can have higher levels of power and bar speed when trained appropriately (Eliassen, 2018).

So now let’s talk about a few variations of my favorite skater squat and WHY we love it for a deadlift alternative.

Just have a look at this side-by-side video…

Video 1. Skater squat comparison.

Look familiar?

Try out these skater squat variations for some serious single-leg strength, and you can watch your deadlift get stronger without actually deadlifting. Share on X

Additionally, try out these variations for some serious single-leg strength, and you can watch your deadlift get stronger without actually deadlifting.

1. Landmine Skater Squat

Video 2. Hold a barbell in the hand opposite to the leg you’re working, positioned a few inches in front of your torso. Introducing contralateral loading increases glute recruitment and challenges hip and core stability. These are really tough, though, so be conservative on the weight. You may actually want to start with the empty bar as you adjust to the offset loading.

2. Sandbag Skater Squat

Video 3. This variation challenges you a bit more with an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, making it harder to brace and stay upright.

3. 1.5 Rep

Video 4. Squat all the way down, come halfway back up, squat all the way down again, and come all the way up. That’s one rep. Now do that 5–8 times. That’s one set. These are a quick way to get a lot of serious leg burn and improve motor control, with the nervous system being challenged quite a bit by having to retrain the brain on what the full rep entails.

4. Zercher (Front-Loaded) Skater Squat

Video 5. The Zercher skater squat is tough for anyone wanting to work on symmetry and balance. The loading distribution makes them quite challenging.

5. Deficit Skater Squat

Video 6. Before adding load, I actually prefer to increase the range of motion slightly (provided, of course, that it doesn’t cause pain). When you do a regular skater squat standing on the floor, the femur usually ends up being a few inches short of parallel at the bottom, especially if you put a pad underneath the rear leg (which you definitely should do).

Standing on a 4-inch aerobic step will allow most people to get down to parallel or even slightly below, depending on your body’s mobility allowance.

If doing this causes pain or is too challenging, stick to the floor and build there, or even work on smaller ranges. Never force square pegs into round holes!

6. Pause Skater Squat

Video 7. Pausing each rep at the bottom makes it harder by killing the stretch reflex, and it also forces you to control the eccentric portion of the rep to avoid free-falling down to the floor.

I love these also for an increase in mind-muscle connection. For athletes, the benefit of unilateral lifts can be for the simple reason of load and volume. Athletes, during the season especially, need to be careful about volume and load/intensity. Skater squats can be a perfect exercise to fill the gaps to provide an awesome training stimulus that can very easily mimic the sport of that individual. More often than not, athletes are on one leg while running, sprinting, and fighting for positions.

Here are a few regressions you can use to get better at doing the standard versions. It’s a good idea to start small and slowly improve on working your way up to unassisted variations once you can get these down.

7. Slider Skater Squat

Video 8. I love this one, as it is very close to the reverse lunge but with a slightly different torso angle.

The key here is to put as little weight as possible on the rear leg and instead focus on keeping your weight on the heel of the working leg.

8. Eccentric ONLY

Video 9. With the eccentric version, you’re just lowering down on one leg and standing back up on two. It takes a bit of practice to think about, but the eccentric focus can give you a better trade-off than the real thing.

The big thing here is to control the eccentric and not just freefall to the floor.

Programming

Since the skater is a “hybrid” exercise that really is both knee -and hip-dominant, you can program them effectively in many ways. You can even get a little creative and make a claim to help your mobility by adding a variation like this to improve hip external rotation and stability.

Skater Mobility Drill

Video 10. They’re more hip-dominant than a traditional squat or single-leg “pistol” type squat and more knee-dominant than a traditional deadlift or single-leg Romanian deadlift.

The skaters are a super joint-friendly option, so I truly find them great to program more frequently. You can use them as primers for heavier squat or deadlift days, or you can use them as a stand-alone exercise and work on loading. Either way, they are a back-friendly choice that can improve your lifts in more ways than one.

The skaters are a super joint-friendly option, so I truly find them great to program more frequently. Share on X

When it comes to rep ranges, stick to 5–12 reps—that seems to be the sweet spot. Anything more and you risk form and a mental dislike that might have you never want to do them again.

So when you hit the gym this week, don’t forget that you can get effective results from using the skater. In addition to boosting your deadlift, you can improve hip strength, stability, and power!

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

Eliassen W, Saeterbakken AH, and van den Tillaar R. “Comparison of Bilateral and Unilateral Squat Exercises on Barbell Kinematics and Muscle Activation.” International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. 2018 Aug;13(5):871–881.

Graham-Smith P, Natera A, and Jarvis M. “Load Comparison Ratio in Single and Double Leg Movements.” English Institute of Sport, UK (2015).

Isik O and Doğan l. “Effects of bilateral or unilateral lower-body resistance exercises on markers of skeletal muscle damage.” Biomedical Journal. 2018 Dec;41(6):364–368.

Moran J, Ramirez-Campillo R, Liew B, et al. “Effects of Bilateral and Unilateral Resistance Training on Horizontally Orientated Movement Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” Sports Medicine. 2021 Feb;51(2):225–242.

NSCA, TR Baechle and RW Earle, eds. Essentials of strength training and conditioning 3rd ed. 2008; Human Kinetics.

Rhea MR, Kenn JG, Peterson MD, et al. “Joint-Angle Specific Strength Adaptations Influence Improvements in Power in Highly Trained Athletes. Human Movement. 2016;17(1).

Speirs DE, Bennett MA, Finn CV, and Turner AP. “Unilateral vs. Bilateral Squat Training for Strength, Sprints, and Agility in Academy Rugby Players.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2016 Feb;30(2):386–392.

When a soldier in the Army has an injury and receives a permanent profile limiting them from performing the 2-mile run in the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), one of the alternatives is the 5k Rower Aerobic Test. Unfortunately, the 5k Row and other alternative aerobic tests (12k Bike, 1k Swim, 2.5-mile Walk) are only Pass/Fail, with the soldiers receiving 60 or 0 points added to their total score (out of 600), depending on whether they complete the distance in under the specified time, factoring in gender and age (30:20–35:48, respectively, for the 5k Row). Therefore, it is imperative that anyone performing these alternative events trains smartly and consistently to ensure a passing mark—the soldiers must pass all six events to pass the entire ACFT.

The alternative aerobic tests aren’t particularly hard and are easily achievable, as long as the soldiers execute consistent training before conducting the test. The 5k Row requires about a <6-minute/1k pace to pass—or about a <3-minute/500-meter split—as most stationary rower screens measure by the latter. For reference, that’s about 2.78 meters per second.

These workouts and methods are also useful for anyone who trains with a rower; athletes can also use them to improve aerobic and anaerobic endurance, says @Mccharles187. Share on X

This article will provide four rower workout options, ranging from aerobic to anaerobic, using max aerobic speed training (MAS) to help soldiers on a permanent profile be able to pass the 5k Row. While mainly focusing on soldiers who can’t run due to an injury or permanent profile, these workouts and methods are also useful for anyone who trains with a rower, which can be a great alternative if you’re unable to run outside due to weather or other reasons. Athletes can also use these workouts if they need some rower workout options to improve aerobic and anaerobic endurance. They can be used as part of a rehab program to give return-to-play athletes some non-impact conditioning options.

I used the Concept2 Rower as the equipment for these workouts, which the Army accepts for the 5k Row test. Follow the instructions below to find your max aerobic speed score after a 5- to 10-minute warm-up: You can learn more about MAS training here.

Rower Basics

Using a stationary rower with a computer monitor, row as far as you can in five minutes. Take the distance reached (in meters) divided by 300 seconds (equivalent to five minutes). Or use the monitor that measures your average meters per second after five minutes.

Set your resistance (ranges from 1–10) to an appropriate tension to allow for maximal pull without getting stuck.

1. • Example: 1500 meters/300 seconds = 5.0 m/s MAS score

Long Intervals (Aerobic-Focused)

This first workout is a good starting point because it has the lowest intensity prescribed and is more aerobic-/volume-focused. If you are coming off an injury and cleared to do rowing workouts by your doctor, AT, or PT, this would be a good place to start to ease you back into shape. The goal is to ease back into conditioning workouts and build your aerobic base before moving on to the more intense workouts later in this article.

Instructions: Pick a level closest to your MAS score. On the rower computer:

• Click on “Menu” and choose “Select Workout.”
• Then select “New Workout.”
• Select “Intervals,” and then select “Intervals: Time.”
• Set your intervals to the suggested times.
• Next, set your 500m split pace to the assigned pace that matches the level you are using.
• Hit “Display” until you see the pace boat to help keep you on track throughout the intervals.

Complete the intervals as assigned below. You can do this workout 1–3 times per week. After four weeks, you can either retest your MAS score, work up to the next level and start over, or move on to another workout option listed.

For example, if I’m doing level 1, my 500m split pace would be set at 3:20.

110%:70% Maximal Aerobic Grids

After completing 4–8 weeks of the long interval workouts, you can progress to the Grid workout. Initially, this workout was designed on a field, creating a “grid” by running to cones in the shape of a rectangle within a prescribed time. I took the main concept and converted it into the rower. We increase our intensity to 110% MAS and replace the rest time with a 70% recovery pace.

These workouts and methods are also useful for anyone who trains with a rower; athletes can also use them to improve aerobic and anaerobic endurance, says @Mccharles187. Share on X

This is a great way to build more continuity to sustain bouts of exercise longer without stopping. We have built the aerobic base in the long intervals, and we are now trying to be able to endure volume for longer; however, we use a recovery pace to introduce this concept and add a little more intensity to make up for it and improve our rowing pace overall. Sports like soccer will benefit from this workout because, like playing a soccer game, it has higher intensity running, light jogging, and then some periods of complete rest to match the demands of the sport.

Instructions: Pick a level closest to your MAS score, then:

• Click on “Menu” and choose “Select Workout.”
• Then select “New Workout.”
• Select “Intervals,” then select “Intervals: Variable.”
• Set your intervals to 20–30 seconds using the 500m split pace, based on the level you’re using to guide the speed.
• Leave recovery time at 0 and set your next interval to 30 seconds’ recovery pace set at the 500m recovery split pace, based on the level you’re using.

Repeat this process for the desired number of intervals per set. Change the display until you can see the pacer boat to help stay on pace throughout the circuit. Complete the sets and reps as assigned.  You can do this workout 1–3 times per week. After four weeks, you can retest MAS, work up to the next level and start again, or move to a different workout option.

For example, if I’m doing level 1 using three sets of three reps, I would set my first intervals to 30 seconds with zero recovery time and set my 500m split pace at 2:59, then set my next interval for 30 seconds with zero recovery time and set my 500m recovery pace at 4:38 and repeat this two more times to have six intervals programmed, alternating working and recovery pace. In short, you do not stop until the set is completed. Completing 110% MAS, then 70% MAS for 20–30 seconds each completes one rep.

120% Eurofit (Anaerobic)

Completing the long intervals and the 110%:70% grid after 4–8 weeks of each phase will give us a strong aerobic base and the ability to sustain bouts of exercise longer, which will lead us to introduce higher-intensity anaerobic-focused workouts.

One-hundred-twenty percent Eurofit is a great starting point after the grids, as the concept is simple and effective. It builds our anaerobic endurance to increase our MAS score and make our old MAS score feel 10–20% easier (and therefore, we can endure that pace longer). For example, if our old MAS score was 3 m/s and we increased it to 3.5 m/s, we would be able to hold a 3 m/s pace for much longer because it’s now ~85% of our MAS. This will make the pace needed for the 5k Row test feel easier than before. This workout is also effective for stop-and-go sports like football and volleyball.

Instructions: Pick a level closest to your MAS score, then:

• Click on “Menu,” then select “Select Workout.”
• Then select “New Workout.”
• Select “Intervals,” and then select “Intervals: Time.”
• Set your intervals to the assigned interval time and your 500m split pace based on the level you’re using.

Complete the sets and reps as assigned. After completing four weeks, you can go to the next level, retest the MAS score, or move to one of the other workout options listed in this article.

120% Tabata (Anaerobic)

At this point, you have been training for at least 12 weeks through three blocks of training and are ready for the highest intensity workouts to improve your anaerobic power and endurance. We use the Tabata method training 2:1 to train over 120% MAS and start getting into training “all out” time.

Having the aerobic base from the first two blocks will provide you with a shorter recovery time, and the adaption from the Eurofit will make you familiar with anaerobic work and not feel overwhelmed and exhausted too quickly. This workout option is to build upon the Eurofit but with more intensity and a shorter recovery time.

Instructions: Pick a level closest to your MAS score, then:

• Click on “Menu,” then select “Select Workout.”
• Select “New Workout.”
• Select “Intervals,” then select “Intervals: Time.”
• Set your intervals to the assigned interval time and your 500m split pace based on the level you’re using.

Complete the sets and reps as assigned. After completing four weeks, you can start over and go to the next level, retest your MAS score, or move on to another workout option listed in this article.

The workouts you see before you should provide a good guideline, simple progression, and effective training modality to easily pass the 5k Rower if you row 2–3x per week. Theoretically, you can program up to 16 weeks’ worth of workouts, giving you plenty of time to improve your aerobic fitness. These options are also great for athletes to get some non-impact conditioning, reduce the likelihood of overuse injuries, assist athletes in return-to-play scenarios to recover from injury, and build them back up to their aerobic and anaerobic fitness. If you’re personal training or gen pop, these workouts are great to improve your health and fitness safely and effectively without the risk of impact exercises like running. In short, these workouts can be utilized in multiple disciplines to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness with a low impact on the body.

These workouts should provide a good guideline, simple progression, and effective training modality to easily pass the 5k Rower if you row 2–3x per week, says @Mccharles187. Share on X

Having four workout options, from aerobic to anaerobic, will provide opportunities to work on your specific energy system weakness and address it directly. The sets, reps, percentages, and times are all only suggestions, and you are welcome to manipulate them as you see fit based on your fitness level. Good luck and get after it.

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

In the world of athletics, the amount of rest that is needed varies based on the sport. However, one undeniable truth at every level of sports is that rest is absolutely needed for each athlete and team to reach their potential. As fatigue sets in and legs get heavy, some coaches and programs have figured out that pushing further and harder is not the best option for optimal performance on game or meet day.

Running extra doesn’t make an athlete “tougher”—the old adage of dosing out punishments of up-downs, gassers, or some other tiresome discipline for not meeting goals, not listening to the coach, committing a penalty, or for simply losing is severely outdated. The idea of “the grind” has become the most overused term in sports. Winning games, races, meets, or matches becomes a lot harder when the athletes that need to go out and perform are tired due to archaic coaching that always preaches that they need to grind harder.

Winning games, races, meets, or matches becomes a lot harder when the athletes that need to go out and perform are tired, says @SFStormTrack. Share on X

And I will be the first to raise my hand and admit I used to be that coach.

In the early 2010s, as a football, basketball, and track coach, if my players couldn’t get it done on game nights…well, we better run more the next practice because that will surely solve the problem. For the first 9 years of my track coaching career, volume was king: we needed to outwork everyone else and that’s how we were going to be good. At times, it seemed like it was working, but by the spring of 2018 I had started some self-reflection on what I was doing after learning about Tony Holler and Feed the Cats. My guys were successful, but what if I did less? Would they be more successful? Would they be ready for meets at a higher level? Were we going to take a step back?

There was only one way to find out. This article will look at data from the last four track seasons in Illinois as a way of defining how much volume—sprinters specifically—should be given throughout the course of a week or season, as well as looking at what rest looks like in our program.

BFC (Before Feed the Cats)

2017 was my ninth season as a track coach and second year as the head boys coach at Salt Fork HS, located in Catlin, IL (about 30 miles east of Champaign). We had just had one of the most successful seasons in program history, with almost the whole team due to come back in 2018. We qualified for State in the shot put, discus, long jump, triple jump, 4×800, 110H, 100, 300H, and narrowly missed the 4×1, finishing 3rd.

After the highs of being sectional runner-up and getting that many athletes to State, the following Thursday at prelims could not have been any more disappointing. We qualified in a total of one event (discus) for finals and came back with no medals. Coming off the successes of 2017, and everyone aging up a year, we were clearly going to be better—so as a coach, I just needed to keep the status quo.

When 2018 rolled around, we were highly anticipating success and were ready to go. Week one of our season began on February 26th, with our first meet not coming until after our third week of practice. At the time, we did not run much of an indoor season, so we had to get in lots of volume to make up for that. During our first three weeks of the season—15 practices, no days off during the week—the sprint crew averaged a whopping 4,583m/week. Week 2 was the heaviest volume week of the year, topping out at 5,750m.

Those first few weeks consisted of lots of timed runs in the gym of anywhere from 10 seconds to 60 seconds, repeat 200s all the way up to 600s, and tempo runs with lots of jogging, workouts that got us to a solid place in 2017. Rest days or easy days consisted of fartlek runs, circuit days (which may be considered X factor workouts, but with about 500% more volume), and sometimes just more sprinting. We also started every day with a 400 warm-up jog and a 400 cool-down jog, as if we didn’t already do enough running. Pre-meets and days after meets, regardless of meet volume, consisted of more sprinting (or what I perceived at the time as sprinting). Anywhere from 900-1200 meters of volume the day before or after meets was not uncommon, but again, we were good. It must be the workouts that were getting us ready to go.

Pre-meets and days after meets, regardless of meet volume, consisted of more sprinting, says @SFStormTrack. Share on X

To avoid being redundant and going through each week and each workout, I will fast forward to the end of the season. The team won our county and conference meets as well as the first ever Sectional Title for the program in school history. We broke five school records during the season and competed in 13 events at the sectional meet, qualifying for State in 11 of those 13 events. We had a top ten finish—maybe even a trophy—on our minds as we traveled to Charleston, IL, the following week for our State meet. Much like the previous year, we faltered when it mattered most. We went to the finals in the 4×800, 800m, and 300m hurdles. We ended up missing a medal in the 4×800 and finished 22nd as a team at the meet with a total of 12 points. Out of ten total competitions between prelims and finals in the sprints and jumps, we saw only two personal records (PRs).

As I began my reflection on the season, it was clear that we needed a change and it needed to start with me. Our total volume in meters per week, including practice and meets, was 3,896 for sprinters. We were still averaging around 2,100 meters of volume/week in May, including meets and practices for our sprinters. That did not even include warm-ups or cool-downs. As I looked back over the last month of our season, we were slowing down as the season went on. The number of PRs we were having went down dramatically over the season:

• County Meet on May 4^th—10 PRs in sprints and jumps
• Conference Meet on May 7^th—7 PRs in sprints and jumps
• Sectional Meet on May 18^th—4 PRs in sprints and jumps
• State Prelims and Finals on May 24th and 26^th—2 PRs in sprints and jumps

As great as the season was, I looked in the mirror and realized that something had to change if we were going to break through from being good to being great. During May of 2018, I had started reading this breakthrough philosophy on sprinting called Feed the Cats. While too late to really fully implement it during the 2018 season, I began to use some of the lactic workouts in spots. Just not the right spots—adding to an already high-volume load, I decided to throw in some lactic workouts during our championship season. However, as I read more and more into these new ideas—at least new to me anyway—I began to buy in (with some hesitancy at first). This led to the great transformation in 2019.

As I read more and more into these new ideas in Feed the Cats—at least new to me anyway—I began to buy in (with some hesitancy at first), says @SFStormTrack. Share on X

AFC (After Feed the Cats)

I spent the fall of 2018 reading as much as I could on low dosage, low volume sprinting. I created potential practice plans, adding in rest days. Actual rest days. Admittedly, it was hard for me to give days off and think it was going to be meaningful or helpful, so most of our rest days were still spent together rolling out or working on mobility.

The team had many of our top guys back again for one more year, and I had one goal that I wanted to instill in the team from day one. I started recruiting the hall heavily that year looking for guys that would fit the mold of what we wanted to accomplish. When we had our first team meeting in January, we had 18 guys who bought in with the idea that this season was going to be a State Championship season and we were going to go outside the box to accomplish that. I thought I was hesitant in changing, but they were even more hesitant to these new ideas.

We revamped our indoor schedule to include four meets before the Top Times Meet (unofficial Indoor State in Illinois) instead of the usual one. With a meet on Saturday of that first week, sprinters put in a total of 690m at practice that week, compared to 4,300m the year before. After four weeks of indoor season, the sprinters averaged 1,056m/week of volume, which included meets and practices. In 2018, we averaged 4,712m/week of volume during indoor. In 2018, we used arguably three of our four fastest sprinters in the 4×200, and while only running it once, we only managed to run a 1:41.65. In 2019, with two carryovers from 2018, a mid-distance runner, and a sophomore who had never ran track before, we managed to run a 1:35.38, which was the fastest 1A time in the state when it was run in the middle of March.

Our top runner, Caine Wilson, couldn’t run under 9 seconds in the 60H or under 54 in the 400 in 2018. In 2019, with increased rest and decreased volume, he finished 2nd in the state at Top Times in the 60H, running an 8.47 as his best time; in the 400, 51.70 and again 2nd at Top Times with a volume that decreased by 78% from the year before over the first four weeks. These are just two examples—the same thing happened with our top sprinter in the 60, our top mid-distance runner (who was trained more towards sprinting than distance), as well as our 4×400 team in indoor. Volume went down and meet times went down as well.

As we moved outside and our meet schedule got heavier—typically 2 meets a week on Tuesdays and Fridays—I wasn’t sure how we would adjust to this new method of training. With our meets where they were during the week, it left no time for training. It allotted us two pre-meet days and a rehab day. Throughout the outdoor season, we averaged 395m/week of volume at practice, with 6 out of 9 weeks having less than 200m of volume. In 2018, sprinters averaged 2,455m/week of volume at practice with virtually the same outdoor schedule. This was a decrease of 84%.

The end of the season resulted in a much better finish then the previous season. We won our county, conference, and Sectional meets again. We advanced to the State meet in 11 events, the same number as the year before. The difference this time is that we advanced to the finals in seven events, finished with 40 points, and brought a State title home to Catlin. While our number of PRs went down over the last few weeks of the 2018 season, the opposite occurred in 2019: we were peaking and fastest when it mattered the most. We had 13 PRs between the Sectional and State meets in 2019, compared to 6 the year before. Athletes ran their fastest 110H, 300H, 100, 200, and two fastest 4×100 times at State. In our top sprint events, with many of the same personnel, we dropped our averages from the year before.

Post 2019

After the 2019 State Championship, there was no turning back in my pursuit of removing as much volume as I possibly could while still focusing on speed. We started a speed training program over the winter that attracted athletes from various sports in the school and we were primed for another great season in 2020. However…we all know how that year ended.

There was no turning back in my pursuit of removing as much volume as I possibly could while still focusing on speed, says @SFStormTrack. Share on X

So, the 2021 season came with a completely new set of challenges. I had essentially a brand new team, with only one holdover from 2019 (a sophomore member of the all State 4×100 team). The vast majority of the rest of the team were sophomores or freshmen. Only 2 of the 15 team members were non-football players. Usually that is a good thing; however, in Illinois that spring, football was played until the end of April, so I didn’t get 90% of the track team until April 26^th—which was exactly 53 days until the State track meet.

Sprinters who were on the football team ran two lactic workouts that year and averaged 367m/week at practice with only two weeks over 600m. We used meets as practices and continued to keep our volume low, especially with athletes new to the fold. We decreased our total weekly volume 12% from our 2019 total to keep everyone as fresh as possible. I finally started taking practices off altogether after meets; sometimes we would still come in, but many days after meets, sprinters were off and went home. To me, rest was even more important in 2021 due to most athletes coming straight off of basketball and football with no breaks, and two key relay members also on the wrestling team at the same time as track season (2021 was weird for high school sports).

I knew I had a talented group, but still anticipated a drop off with how young they were. However, the data showed that lack of volume during the season was a heavy contributing factor to the success at the end of the season. We had another 11 PRs between Sectionals and the one-day State meet (instead of the usual two-day meet.) We qualified in seven events, finishing in the top four in three of the four sprint events we qualified in. We ran our two fastest times of the season at Sectionals and State in the 4×100 (44.03 avg), 4×200 (1:31.94 avg), 110H (15.09 avg), and 300H (42.58 avg). We set school records in the 4×100 and 4×200, and scored 38 points to finish as the State runner-up for 1A in 2021.

2022 had the makings of another great season for our team, so I wanted to get a jump start on the season. Typically, we would start the season the last week of February; in 2021, we started 3 weeks earlier in order to practice for a few weeks and not have to worry about meets. I also felt that we needed more time to work on our pure speed.

After tracking our athletes over the previous few years, it was apparent that our athletes were getting slower post-track season until the next season started due to increased volume in other sports. Tracking 40 times throughout the year, our sprinters were on average losing 3-5% of speed in the track offseason. Keeping volume low and increasing pure speed became the first priority. We still kept our overall volume relatively low, but increased from the previous year, which would be a necessity based on how short the previous year was.

It was apparent that our athletes were getting slower post-track season until the next season started due to increased volume in other sports, says @SFStormTrack. Share on X

Our practice volume was 472m/week for the season, higher than 2021, while our total volume/week including meets was 1047m, which was virtually the same as the year before. Once we got outdoors, six out of nine weeks had less than 150m of volume total at practice. Pre-meet days were reduced to 45 minutes or less. Post-meet days typically became complete off days for sprinters. We never came in on the weekends and took off 15 weekdays during the season, more than double the most I have ever given off in a season.

Once again, however, I felt that we were fresher than most teams when we got to the end of the season. We had 16 PRs between Sectionals and State, setting new school records in the 110H, 4×100, and 4×200. Our May averages continued to drop:

We also had our first All-State jumper in school history. In the triple jump, he had five of his six best career jumps at the State meet, going over 42 feet five times and 43 feet one time. It was not a coincidence; his volume was down to almost nothing over the last few weeks of the season, so his legs were fresh in a very taxing event.

The same can be said for our incredibly successful throws unit. Volume had been king with lots of success, but over the last two seasons, as we got deeper into May, we dropped the number of throws in a given week. It has yielded four all State performances, including two discus State championships at the 1A level. Not only did our times/jumps continue to improve when it mattered the most, but we brought home our third consecutive State trophy and our second State Championship in three seasons.

Volume Decrease/Rest Increase

While the data on volume has been apparent throughout the article, I would like to take some time to discuss what rest actually looks like in our program. Many times, rest is just taking the day off and going home. However, when we are at practice and rest is going to be utilized, we incorporate several measures that we believe have shown increased performance when we need it.

We try to work on hip and ankle mobility at least twice a week throughout the season. We spend time using foam rollers and massage guns before and after practice to work on leg muscles and back muscles. We encourage athletes to make time to go to the chiropractor. Last season, we bought four pairs of Air Relax boots that athletes would use the day after meets when they felt fatigued, or sometimes even at meets.

We try to work on hip and ankle mobility at least twice a week throughout the season, says @SFStormTrack. Share on X

While decreasing volume was the most important and most significant factor to change, we also needed to look at how we could spend our time at practice to be most beneficial. Not only did we increase our restorative measures, but we also increased our time that we spent teaching technique and focusing on little details in form, block starts, and handoffs. These are low-volume and low-energy activities that have a high impact on our performances.

Conclusion

Many coaches are slow to change. I was guilty of being one of those coaches. However, there comes a point to look at quantifiable data and say, “the proof is in the pudding.” If your team is faltering when it matters the most—if your football team or basketball team or track team is great to start the season but fatigue sets in halfway through and the season becomes a lost cause—it may be time for some reflection on the atmosphere of training you are creating to set your athletes up for success.

Do I anticipate bringing home a State trophy every single year until I hang up my stopwatch? No. However, I plan on continuing to set my athletes up for success by minimizing how much activity they perform, increasing rehabilitative measures and rest, and continuing to educate myself on best practices. The measures that have been implemented in the Salt Fork Track and Field program are continually being evaluated and adapted but have caused a massive increase in the success of all our athletes and our team as a whole.

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

Multiple times a week, I get asked, “Which handheld dynamometer (HHD) do you like?” If you’re looking for a simple guide to compare all the different devices on the market, you can view one here. However, my answer is always: “It depends on your setup.”

Most handheld dynamometers are nearly the same in regard to specifications, so it really depends on which tests you want to do and what fixation sites you have at your disposal, says @MuyVienDPT. Share on X

Most devices are nearly the same in regard to specifications, so it really depends on which tests you want to do and what fixation sites you have at your disposal. This article will give you confidence in your final device of choice because you have made all the considerations to use an HHD reliably for good data.

What Is a Handheld Dynamometer and Why Is the Market Expanding?

Dynamometers are force gauges that measure the amount of force pushed into or pulled against the device (figure 1). The device then shows the amount of force produced on its screen, or via an app if it is a Bluetooth-based device. HHDs specifically fit in your hands and are portable, hence the name. Compared to popular, research-grade isokinetic dynamometers found in labs, such as the HUMAC Norm and Biodex, they are cheaper and portable. However, they may not be as accurate or reliable and may have lower load capacities (table 1).^1–5

Different types of muscle strength tests can be performed with an HHD. A “make” test means the dynamometer is held still by the test proctor or an external fixation (figure 2), and the tester pushes into the device as hard as possible. A “break” test is when the tester holds their limb as still as possible as the test proctor directs a force to overcome the tester’s resistance. This type of test often results in larger values since it biases a muscle group’s eccentric capability.

In the past, HHDs were only found in labs and clinical settings; however, their rapid growth into the performance world may be due to two main reasons.

1. Over the past decade, you have likely attended some kind of educational session called “Bridging the Gap Between Rehab and Performance.” Such sessions have enhanced communications between rehab and performance departments. Performance coaches now understand what should be measured in the rehab space (table 2), and manufacturers are taking notice. For example, Vald Performance, a company well-known in the performance space for its force plates and hamstring measurement device, just recently released its version of a push-and-pull HHD.
2. Another reason the market has been exploding is that, despite evidence supporting objective measures, rehab professionals have been shown not using objective methods to measure strength. For example, 56% of physical therapists use a subjective “feel” for quad strength measurement when they clear their athletes for return to sport.¹¹ These daunting statistics have been popularized, and rehab professionals now see the need to purchase devices to ensure the safety of their athletes.

Both professions have found a need to measure isolated strength. Although specific decisions often lean on one discipline over another depending on an athlete’s recovery timeline (i.e., physicians giving final clearance for an athlete returning to sport), the act of data collection is not exclusive to any profession.

Hopefully, you see the exciting uses and opportunities for handheld dynamometers. Now we will focus on considerations for making a purchase.

Determine Your Process Before You Make Your Purchase

Data is only applicable to decision-making if it is valid and reliable. As previously shown in table 1, fixation greatly influences whether your HHD data is reliable and valid. For this reason, your purchasing decision should be largely about how you plan to fixate your device as you design quick and efficient methods to test your athletes. Often assumed to be easy, fixation is actually the largest problem users have (figure 3), as they end up purchasing devices before they fully account for what tests they want to perform and how they will perform them. They buy the devices and then realize their environment does not have proper objects to fixate to, nor do they have good attachments for their devices.

Your purchasing decision should be largely about how you plan to fixate your handheld dynamometer as you design quick and efficient methods to test your athletes, says @MuyVienDPT. Share on X

Companies such as Vald (Force Frame) and Kangatech (KT360) have developed dynamometers attached to frames, which can be excellent options as long as you understand they are not capable of “break” tests and are relatively bulky compared to their handheld counterparts. For one reason or another, many professionals prefer the portability of HHDs. Therefore table 3 has different fixation considerations you should have when purchasing an HHD, even including which tables are in your environment (figure 4).

Excellent fixation is key during testing, but certain circumstances call for non-fixated methods. Say, for example, you have a team of 30 athletes that you would like to test for hip strength. That’s 30 athletes, two hips each, three trials each limb, and 3–5 seconds each trial… You get it; it’s a lot of time.

I would feel comfortable without belt or wall fixation because the evidence shows good intrarater reliability, and I would be the one administering these tests over time anyway. I would caution myself in comparing my peak force norms to those in the research or from colleagues since the evidence suggests strength and sex influence testing scores.¹⁶ The data I would then use is symmetry and muscle group ratios since all of my data has a steady degree of systematic error (constant and stable error). I can even still use the absolute values if I compare them within my own database over the years if I was still the one taking them each year.

This example is just one of many scenarios emphasizing the need to consider your testing process before purchasing a device. There are many other considerations you may have to make (table 4) to determine which HHD is right for you.

Finally! You planned out all the different ways you will test isolated muscle strength and decided on your purchase. Now comes a whole different process consideration: what is the quickest way to test muscle regions that requires the least amount of position changing between you and the athlete?

Performance coaches now understand what should be measured in the rehab space, and manufacturers are taking notice, says @MuyVienDPT. Share on X

I will largely save this for another article—in the meantime, see figure 5, which will help accelerate your testing methods with your new dynamometer. Learning curves are expected with any new technology, and you will surely refine the process as you use your HHD more. Just be glad you approached technology correctly by determining your needs and process before the purchase.

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. Sinacore JA, Evans AM, Lynch BN, Joreitz RE, Irrgang JJ, and Lynch AD. “Diagnostic Accuracy of Handheld Dynamometry and 1-Repetition-Maximum Tests for Identifying Meaningful Quadriceps Strength Asymmetries.” Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2017;47(2):97–107. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.6651

2. Lesnak J, Anderson D, Farmer B, Katsavelis D, and Grindstaff TL. “Validity of Hand-Held Dynamometry in Measuring Quadriceps Strength and Rate of Torque Development.” International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. 2019;14(2):180–187.

3. Mentiplay BF, Perraton LG, Bower KJ, et al. “Assessment of Lower Limb Muscle Strength and Power Using Hand-Held and Fixed Dynamometry: A Reliability and Validity Study.” PloS One. 2015;10(1):e0140822. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140822

4. Martins J, da Silva JR, da Silva MRB, and Bevilaqua-Grossi D. “Reliability and Validity of the Belt-Stabilized Handheld Dynamometer in Hip- and Knee-Strength Tests. Journal of Athletic Training. 2017;52(9):809–819. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-52.6.04

5. Johansson FR, Skillgate E, Lapauw ML, et al. “Measuring Eccentric Strength of the Shoulder External Rotators Using a Handheld Dynamometer: Reliability and Validity. Journal of Athletic Training. 2015;50(7):719–725. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-49.3.72

6. Kolber MJ, Beekhuizen K, Cheng MSS, and Fiebert IM. “The reliability of hand-held dynamometry in measuring isometric strength of the shoulder internal and external rotator musculature using a stabilization device.” Physiotherapy: Theory and Practice. 2007;23(2):119–124. doi:10.1080/0959398071213032

7. Cools AMJ, Vanderstukken F, Vereecken F, et al. “Eccentric and isometric shoulder rotator cuff strength using a hand-held dynamometer: reference values for overhead athletes.” Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy. 2016;24(12):3838–3847. doi:10.1007/s00167-015-3755-9

8. Ishø L, Hölmich P, and Thorborg K. “Measures of Hip Muscle Strength and Rate of Force Development Using a Fixated Handheld Dynamometer: Intra-Tester Intra-Day Reliability of a Clinical Set-up.” International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. 2019;14(5):715–723.

9. Krause DA, Neuger MD, Lambert KA, Johnson AE, DeVinny HA, and Hollman JH. “Effects of examiner strength on reliability of hip-strength testing using a handheld dynamometer.” Journal of Sports Rehabilitation. 2014;23(1):56–64. doi:10.1123/jsr.2012-0070

10. Thorborg K, Petersen J, Magnusson SP, and Hölmich P. “Clinical assessment of hip strength using a hand-held dynamometer is reliable.” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2010;20(3):493–501. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.00958.x

11. Greenberg EM, Greenberg ET, Albaugh J, Storey E, and Ganley TJ. “Rehabilitation Practice Patterns Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Survey of Physical Therapists.” Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2018;48(10:801–811. doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.8264

12. Arhos EK, Thoma LM, Grindem H, Logerstedt D, Risberg MA, and Snyder-Mackler L. “Association of Quadriceps Strength Symmetry and Surgical Status With Clinical Osteoarthritis Five Years After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture.” Arthritis Care Research. 2022;74(3):386–391. doi:10.1002/acr.24479

13. Powers CM, Ghoddosi N, Straub RK, and Khayambashi K. “Hip Strength as a Predictor of Ankle Sprains in Male Soccer Players: A Prospective Study.” Journal of Athletic Training. 2017;52(11):1048–1055. doi:10-4085/1062-6050-52.11.18

14. Grindem H, Snyder-Mackler L, Moksnes H, Engebretsen L, and Risberg MA. “Simple decision rules can reduce reinjury risk by 84% after ACL reconstruction: the Delaware-Oslo ACL cohort study.” British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016;50(13):804–808. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096031

15. Tyler TF, Nicholas SJ, Campbell RJ, and McHugh MP. “The association of hip strength and flexibility with the incidence of adductor muscle strains in professional ice hockey players.” American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2001;29(2):124–128. doi:10.1177/03635465010290020301

16. Thorborg K, Bandholm T, Schick M, Jensen J, and Hölmich P. “Hip strength assessment using handheld dynamometry is subject to intertester bias where testers are of different sex and strength.” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2013;23(4):487–493. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2011.01405.x

17. Ness BM, Tao H, Javers D, et al. “Development of an Upper Extremity ‘Swing Count’ and Performance Measures in NCAA Division I Volleyball Players over a Competitive Season.” International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. 2019;14(4):582–591.

Speed is king! Speed of movement, that is. Strength and conditioning professionals get one-track-minded, defining terms in ways that far outreach their meaning. When a coach says speed, the first concept that pops into mind is top mph—the term speed, however, can define the rate of any movement.

Coaches are amazed at how far, how fast, or how high…but what about how fast to stop?, asks @CoachJoeyG. Share on X

Hit up Twitter any Sunday in the fall, and you will see a flurry of graphics touting the fastest top speeds measured in-game. Full disclosure: I am as guilty of this as anyone. Coaches are amazed at how far, how fast, or how high… but what about how fast to stop?

Look at the Combine and the hype behind the 40-yard dash and the emphasis on uninterrupted linear running. In recent years across the strength and conditioning profession, we have seen a shift in what metrics are celebrated and emphasized in training and testing as speed training has become popular. Strength and conditioning coaches have fallen in love with the fact that when an athlete’s max speed increases, so does their ability to separate from defenders or get close to the ball faster. The fact that an increase of 1 mph in max speed leads to 1 yard of distance gained has sent coaches into a tailspin. This concept has refocused many coaches’ program philosophies and sent them to the metaphorical whiteboard to plan and program for more top-speed work.

Elite deceleration, however, can provide more separation than just a yard and happens more frequently than athletes reaching top speeds. Damian Harper stated, “greater braking force may enable decelerations to be achieved more rapidly in shorter time frames and distances.” So, training to increase braking force and rate of force can give players an advantage. Barry Sanders, arguably the best running back in the history of the game, was renowned for his ability to stop and go at unreal rates. Ed Reed, an NFL Hall of Fame safety, could break on the ball in less than 200 milliseconds out of his backpedal, giving him the advantage over the QB due to his elite deceleration capabilities.

Start with the Game

Training emphasis seems to follow trendy waves instead of reverse engineering great performers and the demands of the game itself. If coaches investigated every basic biomechanical aspect of their sport, when realizing that decels have around 3x the amount of ground reaction force while happening in half the amount of time of max velocity GCT, coaches would immediately see the need for planned decel training to increase performance and mitigate injury. “In competitive matches, rapid horizontal decelerations during defensive pressing actions are one of the major situational patterns commonly associated with major lower extremity injuries such as ACL rupture,” states Della Villa in the research paper titled “Significant number of injuries (non-contact) happen while changing direction or in a deceleration action.”

I am all for the current trend of making max velocity sexy and popular, but it is a small piece of the larger puzzle that is improved overall sports performance. Given the extent that strength and conditioning coaches celebrate max velo, you would think that this ability is the Holy Grail of sports performance; in reality, most sports play is performed at submaximal speeds. That’s not to say that we, as strength and conditioning coaches, shouldn’t train this skill—an inability to run at higher speeds leaves athletes at a disadvantage, and the training effect that comes with max velocity exposure is a staple in any successful preparatory program.

There is a necessary level of this general skill to play at certain levels of sport. If the athletes don’t have a requisite level of max velocity capabilities, they are guaranteed failure. Max velocity should be emphasized in the off-season, but with the understanding that it is not the only skill necessary for better sports performance. The athlete who can be fast not only in straight lines but also at stopping and reaccelerating usually is the superior performer.

The athlete who can be fast not only in straight lines but also at stopping and reaccelerating usually is the superior performer, says @CoachJoeyG. Share on X

Reggie Bush’s insane run versus Fresno State always comes to mind, where he was running at full speed on the sideline and was able to put the brakes on and completely stop before separating and scoring. This cemented him as the favorite in the Heisman race and has become an all-time highlight—elite speed is a weapon, but the ability to regulate that speed with precision braking absolutely changes the game.

The best players must be not only extremely good at acceleration but also great decelerators. Players who can regulate their speeds and play at various speeds have advantages over athletes who cannot. Braking force is a precursor for change of direction, affecting overall performance (unless the athlete competes in track). Training deceleration and the components of deceleration similar to max velocity has global effects on the athlete, elevating many desirable abilities in elite sports performance. This is why training the brakes, as well as top speed and acceleration, is critical in maximizing each athlete’s potential to achieve new heights in their given sport.

Coaches are looking for any way to give athletes the ability to create and close space. Strength and conditioning coaches aren’t building the metaphorical drag car; we are building F1 cars that navigate the most challenging courses. They must take on the sharpest bends and turns while still outgunning the other vehicles on the straightaways.

The only way to achieve this is to attack all contributing factors to such performance. Jo Clubb recently stated that “deceleration may have been the most overlooked aspect of athletic movement in recent times.” This is an accurate statement—as coaches look at sports from a biomechanical view, it is apparent that the necessity to train the brakes with equal emphasis, if not more volume, than its counterpart can lead to a great return on investment. This is backed up by recent research from Damian Harper and his crew describing the necessity of deceleration training not only from a performance standpoint but from an injury resiliency point of view as well. The best ability is availability, because what’s the point of having a Ferrari if it doesn’t have brakes and is always in the shop?

Impulse and Why Newton’s Laws Govern Sports Performance

If strength and conditioning coaches don’t understand movement at its basic level and the factors that affect it, how can they prescribe training that increases the rate and force of execution in sports motion? The reason athletes train is to be more resilient to the demands of the sport and to increase the rate of execution of sports motion!

To accomplish this mission statement, strength and conditioning coaches have to understand force, the momentum-impulse relationship, and Newton’s three laws to recognize the physical capacities needed to improve sports performance and performance training. Force is a word thrown around frequently in the strength community, often without a complete level of understanding. What is a force? It’s a simple question that is extremely difficult to answer. As Dan Cleather states in his book, Force, “A force is an attempt to describe why things move. Force actually describes the changes in motion.” This can be seen in Newton’s laws:

• First law (object remains at rest unless acted upon by another object)
• Second law (F=MA)
• Third law (equal and opposite direction)

Movement, in some form or fashion, revolves around a body and a collision with the environment. At the simplest and most basic level, an impulse is a descriptor of this collision. Impulse measures the force and time relationship. From a physics standpoint, impulse is described in a formula the same as momentum:

I=m x v or p=m x v

Momentum is a term that strength and conditioning and sports coaches understand—it has been noted countless times that an athlete’s momentum was too much for the defender, and that’s why they ran through them. To increase the momentum of an object—which would be either an increase or decrease in velocity if the mass stayed constant—an impulse must be applied.

We see in movement that the larger the impulse, the higher the rate of the change in velocity. The change can be defined as positive or negative depending on where the force is applied. This concept is easy to understand in figure 5: As the athlete looks to increase speed, a forceful push under the COM must be applied to the ground to propel the athlete up and forward with an increase in velocity. The harder the push, the higher the increase in velocity. This is why many people argue about the value of weightlifting in increasing speed. Stronger athletes can apply more force and have higher levels of impulse if used in the same amount of time.

The magnitude of the impulse isn’t the only determining factor, as the direction in which it is applied will either cause propulsion or deceleration in our running example. This means that impulses can be, in simple terms, negative (braking) and positive (propulsive), based on where the force is applied. So, take the same concept and apply it to braking. The faster the entry speed, the higher the level of “negative impulse” needed in the front of the athlete’s COM to slow them down.

Capacities on Both Sides of the Curve

Strength is task specific—by this, I am stating that impulse is governed by the rate of force, specifically in running, stopping, and change of direction movements, as there is limited time to apply force. Most sports movements will be conducted under the 400 milliseconds threshold, putting a premium on the rate of force development (RFD). Strength is only as good as the ability to utilize it. What is the point of a 1,000-pound deadlift that takes six seconds when comparing transfer to sport? Speed is king in all movements, so the athlete who can exert the highest amount of force at the fastest rate and in the right direction usually wins.

The direction of the application of force will also determine the primary muscle contraction involved. Propulsive actions like acceleration are primarily concentric-dominant. Braking actions, like deceleration, will be principally eccentric in nature due to where the force is being directed. We see this concept in sports when talking about sprinting—applying high force in minimal time—and deceleration, where both actions require extremely high impulses to change velocity. In both examples (sprinting and decelerating), high levels of force are applied to the ground in short time frames (50–150 milliseconds).

Creating braking reserves where the athlete can handle extreme forces to better prepare them for lower threshold exposures is vital in performance and for injury resiliency. Charlie Francis made speed reserve a known term, where an athlete with a higher max velocity when fatigued can handle higher speeds. Apply this same concept to deceleration, as the impulse is extremely similar: the force is just oriented in a different direction. Looking through a biomechanical lens, sprinting and deceleration are very similar when examining the impulse or waveforms of the actions.

Creating braking reserves where the athlete can handle extreme forces to better prepare them for lower threshold exposures is vital in performance and for injury resiliency, says @CoachJoeyG. Share on X

The strength and conditioning coach is responsible for determining the main sports actions, their time parameters, whether they are propulsive or decelerative, and the common impulse curve associated with them. Impulse training can be broken into three categories when describing physical capacities:

1. Peak force (the height of the curve)
2. Rate of force (the slope)
3. Total force (total area under the curve)

These three categories can be viewed as how much, how fast, and the total amount. Viewing training through a biomechanical lens allows for simplicity in understanding the capacities necessary to enhance skills. Webster defines a capacity as “the amount that something can produce.”

In this example, the athlete produces and expresses capacities while performing a given skill. If capacities are limiting, the athlete’s motion will be slower or altered due to an inability to express force levels adequate enough to be successful in that movement. Capacities are the “big rock” training abilities that strength and conditioning coaches look to increase through training prescription.

I classify four main categories of physical capacities. Training should look to increase:

1. Concentric and eccentric peak force capabilities (maximal force production).
2. Concentric and eccentric rate of force capabilities (the rate at which the force is produced).
3. Reactive strength (utilization of the stretch-shortening cycle).
4. Endurance (the body’s ability to repeat an activity).

Training must be applied to concentric and eccentric actions, and both are seen in many sporting movements. This lens establishes the need for both braking and propulsive training.

The need for eccentric training becomes apparent when the general biomechanical demands of sports are investigated. Look at sprinting, as Peter Weyand and Ken Clark found that elite sprinters can decelerate the lower limb in the two-mass model faster than regular team sport athletes. The elite sprinters’ impulse curve, or waveform, should show much higher levels of eccentric peak force and eccentric rate of force.

Video 1. If trained and emphasized, eccentric peak force and RFD could catapult many general skills.

Looking through a biomechanical lens also allows practitioners to reverse engineer the true demands of the sport, enabling training to better prepare the athletes by increasing the underpinning physical capacities that feed general skills. Sport motion hinges on the level of impulse expressed, which is determined by the athlete’s physical capacities. Coaches must consider the negative and positive impulses expressed in sport and the mechanical stress associated with both because they have very different effects on the body and other associate adaptions from exposures.

F=MxA, So Deceleration Is Negative Acceleration

To accelerate at a faster rate, more force must be applied if the mass is constant. To stop at a faster rate, more force must be applied if the mass is constant.

Why do S&C coaches get accelerative-biased when it is evident that training can positively affect both acceleration & deceleration? The formula may be the same, but the training modalities are not. Share on X

Why do strength and conditioning coaches get accelerative-biased when it is evident that training can positively affect both acceleration and deceleration? The formula may be the same, but the training modalities are not.

Damien Harper defines deceleration as:

“[The] ability to proficiently reduce whole-body momentum, within the constraints, and in accordance with specific objectives of the task, while attenuating and distributing the forces associated with braking.”

Several aspects of this definition reinforce the understanding of impulse and general biomechanics. There is a direct connection between impulse and momentum. The first part I would like to highlight is the phrase “whole-body momentum,” which points back at the equation:

P=MxV

or

Impulse=MxV

In collision sports, momentum and the ability to control it are desirable. The more momentum brought into contact, the higher the success rate of that collision. The rate at which an athlete can accelerate and decelerate is a direct indicator of the production and application of impulse and the control of momentum.

To increase the ability to affect momentum, the impulse curve components tell us how important it is to focus on training physical capacities related to high impulse (peak force and rate of force). These should be trained from a propulsive and decelerative stance, as a sport requires many stop-and-go tasks. From the article “Effect of eccentric overload training on change of direction speed performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis”:

“Green and colleagues found that the players who generated greater braking forces were able to accelerate into the new direction earlier, so they can accomplish the change-of-direction task more quickly” (Green et al., 2011). In addition, faster athletes undergoing several change-of-direction tests produced shorter contact times when compared to slower athletes (Spiteri et al., 2015). Studies showed that shorter braking time may enable a faster transition into the propulsive phase of the movement, increase propulsive force application, and improve CODS performance.”

It is safe to say that high levels of eccentric peak force and rate of force are necessary to express COD tasks and affect the most movements. If these eccentric capacities are increased, the ability to change momentum will also increase, leading to faster motion. Performance increases through an even 50/50 split in training concentric to eccentric can yield impressive results in both decelerative and propulsive movements. This improvement can be attributed to the ability to have faster and more violent cycling through the stretch-shortening cycle.

Performance increases through an even 50/50 split in training concentric to eccentric can yield impressive results in both decelerative and propulsive movements, says @CoachJoeyG. Share on X

In the research paper “Kinetic demands of sprinting shift across the acceleration phase,” Nagahara states, “some level of eccentric muscle stretch and elastic energy storage is likely a requisite for powerful propulsion through the utilization of the SSC.” The undeniable eccentric actions prevalent in successful sports motions such as COD and sprinting will force strength and conditioning coaches to venture to the left side of the force-velocity curve, which is the world of eccentrics.

In the simplest definition, an eccentric muscle action is one where the muscle lengthens. When looking at deceleration, the primary muscle contraction will be eccentric, as the muscles lengthen at extremely rapid rates. Training eccentrically also satisfies the principle of S.A.I.D. (specific adaptions to imposed demands): If the goal of training is to increase sports motion and create a shield against the repetitive nature of the sport, not training eccentric along with concentric movement is doing only half the job.

In one of the many extraordinary research papers written by Dr. Harper, “High-Intensity Acceleration and Deceleration Demands in Elite Team Sports Competitive Match Play: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies,” he states: “To ensure that elite players are optimally prepared for the high-intensity accelerations and decelerations imposed during competitive match play, it is imperative that players are exposed to comparable demands under controlled training conditions.” This goes back to the S.A.I.D. principle and the principle of specificity spoken about above in the form of general skill development feeding specific skills.

What Is Improvement in Sports Performance?

Strength and conditioning coaches all claim that the programs they prescribe, if thoroughly executed, create better players in the sport those athletes are training for. Strength and conditioning coaches go on job interviews or present to other coaches, and we tout our accomplishments, but do improvements in general strength and speed help an athlete be better than before at their given sport? How do you know that the prescribed program led to higher sports performance?

Strength and conditioning coaches can argue injury rates, KPI enhancements, and wins and losses, but there are limits to any potential reason being the only answer to the question. This rabbit hole has led me down a path to one of the first books I picked up in pursuit of strength and conditioning knowledge: Science and Practice of Strength Training. The answer to the question came in the simplest form, with Zatsiorsky stating, “when sports performance improves, the time of motion turns out to be shorter.”

This satisfied the original question, how to measure if sports improvement was being made, but unfortunately sparked another question—what is motion as it pertains to specific sports?

This question fueled an intense investigation into what can be defined as sports motion. The common theme on this journey to knowledge was the word skill. Webster defines skill as “the ability to do something well, expertise.”

Being more skilled in sport means that an athlete has the ability to control their body accurately, efficiently, and promptly, which would provide faster sports motion. This essentially means that the more skills developed, the more an athlete can express physical capacities that result in a faster time of motion in sport. Players can express force more rapidly and with higher levels if they are more skilled.

To plan for and meet the demands of the sport being trained, we need to define skill in sport and its classifications to attack it accurately in training. If coaches can’t classify the underpinning skills of sports motion, how can they plan and prescribe training to further develop those skills? There are many ways to define skill, but my simple mind created two:

1. General skills.
2. Specific skills.

Fair warning, this is not a new concept, as most of Bondarchuk’s work was centered around this and is far more thought-out and detailed than my interpretation of it. 

If coaches can’t classify the underpinning skills of sports motion, how can they plan and prescribe training to further develop those skills?, asks @CoachJoeyG. Share on X

Deceleration Skills, the Forgotten Training Element

Deceleration actions are prevalent in most sports and can be classified as a general skill set. General skills should be general movement signatures commonplace in sports. Each sport has its general and specific skills, though there are numerous similarities among most field and court sports.

These movement signatures are classified as skills due to the technical requirements that must be rehearsed to tap the athlete’s potential and groove motor patterns fully. Deceleration in the above-mentioned general skills is usually the odd man out in terms of training prescription. There must be focused repetitions to gain movement competency to get better at a skill. In each of these general skills, there are physical capacities that, if increased, would increase the general skill without alteration of technique and increase the speed of motion. If not trained, the principle of reversibility takes hold—if you don’t use it, you lose it.

Skill is king when looking at elite performers in any sport, but it hinges upon the necessary physical capacities to express force in these skills. This example shows that there are certain levels of capacities needed to prevent failure in sports. This is why all general skills should be rehearsed, and their underlying components should be emphasized in training.

In the next article, I will discuss the injury reduction strategies and performance improvements seen when emphasizing deceleration and eccentric training. I will also look at specific modalities that enhance the underpinning capacities of deceleration.

Lead Photo by Aaron Gilbert/Icon Sportswire

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References

Clark KP and Weyand PG. “Are running speeds maximized with simple-spring stance mechanics?” Journal of Applied Physiology. (1985). 2014 Sep 15;117(6):604–15. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00174.2014. Epub 2014 Jul 31. PMID: 25080925.

Colyer SL, Nagahara R, and Salo AIT. “Kinetic demands of sprinting shift across the acceleration phase: Novel analysis of entire force waveforms.” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2018 Jul;28(7):1784-1792. doi: 10.1111/sms.13093. Epub 2018 Apr 25. PMID: 29630747.

Grassi A, Nabiuzzi A, Tosarelli F, Zafagnini S, et al. “Systematic video analysis of ACL injuries in professional male football (soccer): injury mechanisms, situational patterns and biomechanics study on 134 consecutive cases.” British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2020;54:1423–32.

Harper DJ, Carling C, and Kiely J. “High-Intensity Acceleration and Deceleration Demands in Elite Team Sports Competitive Match Play: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.” Sports Medicine. 2019 Dec;49(12):1923–1947. doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01170-1. PMID: 31506901; PMCID: PMC6851047.

Harper DJ, McBurnie AJ, Santos TD, et al. “Biomechanical and Neuromuscular Performance Requirements of Horizontal Deceleration: A Review with Implications for Random Intermittent Multi-Directional Sports.” Sports Medicine. 2022 May;52:2321–2354.

Hewit J, Cronin J, Button C, and Hume P. “Understanding Deceleration in Sport.” Strength and Conditioning Journal. 2011;33(1):47–52. doi: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181fbd62c.

Liu R, Liu J, Clarke CV, and An R. “Effect of eccentric overload training on change of direction speed performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Journal of Sports Sciences. 2020 Nov;38(22):2579–2587. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1794247. Epub 2020 Jul 17. PMID: 32677542

Yu B and Garrett WE. “Mechanisms of non-contact ACL injuries.” British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2007 Aug;41 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):i47–51. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2007.037192. PMID: 17646249; PMCID: PMC2465243.