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Tyreek Hill is an amazing athlete, perhaps one of the greatest to ever grace the NFL. His breakaway speed is undeniable—he’s called “the Cheetah” for good reason—and to top it off, he is shifty as all get-out.

When Hill has the ball, he might go left, right, forward, backward, upfield, downfield, up, down, diagonal, spinning, spiraling, rectangle-ing, into the past, back to the future—he may even disappear into a portal and reappear 45 yards downfield. I’m not really sure.

The point is, anything can happen when Hill has the ball, and the reason is because no matter what he does—whether he hits the jets and runs straight or decides to make a cut—it happens at light speed.

That’s what makes a player dangerous: the ability to do everything fast.

Aside from raw speed, shiftiness is one of the skill sets that distinguishes great from average field-sport athletes. Barry Sanders, for instance, was not known for his stellar speed. Although he was certainly fast, he is most famous for his elusiveness. As a result, he’s fourth all-time in NFL rush yards, despite a relatively short career.

In our world as sport scientists and strength and conditioning coaches, we call shiftiness change of direction (CoD, not to be confused with “Call of Duty”). Because changing direction matters, measuring it is of significance. If we can somehow quantify how shifty Tyreek Hill is, and if we could have done so with Barry Sanders, we’d have metrics by which to compare them to other athletes.

Imagine how great it would be to say, “X prospect is just as shifty as Barry Sanders,” with the same certainty in which we can say, “that guy is just as fast as Deion Sanders was coming out of college; they both ran a 4.21.”

Change of direction testing does exist, but it isn’t great. What really matters—how fast an athlete, well, changes direction—isn’t captured very well with the common battery of tests, including the one at the NFL Combine (more on this later).

Changing of direction testing does exist, but it isn’t great. What really matters—how fast an athlete, well, changes direction—isn’t captured very well with the common battery of tests. Share on X

Thinking about this problem prompted me to start with a simple question: What is change of direction? That led to an idea on how to better measure it.

First, though, a quick journey through definitions.

Change of Direction vs. Agility

I would be remiss to not mention the difference between change of direction and agility. But, to be honest, many people make a bigger deal out of this than need be. The different operational definitions are helpful to the advanced practitioner, but to the everyday person, the terms are interchangeable.

Agility, by definition, requires a response to a stimulus. Imagine a running back deciding which way to cut as he accepts the handoff in a zone-blocking scheme. He reads the field, sees the movement of the other players (the stimulus), and then reacts and decides which way to cut. There is a change of direction involved (the cut), but it is in response to something. It is a decision.

Unlike agility, change of direction does not include a response to a stimulus.

In a practical sense, change of direction refers to testing, like the 5-0-5 and the 5-10-5, while agility refers to more game-like instances in which reactiveness and decision-making precede movement.

Thus, change of direction is a component of agility, whereas agility includes the cognitive decision-making component that change of direction does not. Agility is the complete skill; change of direction is the physical ability portion.

Change of direction is a component of agility. Agility is the complete skill, including the cognitive decision-making component, while CoD is the physical ability portion, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

The Problem with Change of Direction Testing

Dr. Sophia Nimphius of Edith Cowan University has brilliantly highlighted that most change of direction testing is really just speed testing. Her research demonstrated that faster athletes have better scores because they get from Point A to Point B faster, not necessarily because they change direction faster.

She and her team evaluated the 5-0-5 test.

Let’s say Athlete A runs the initial 15-meter segment in 1.5 seconds. The actual change of direction time (more to come on defining this later) is 1.0 seconds, and the final 5-meter sprint is .8 seconds. The total time of the test is thus 3.3 seconds.

Say Athlete B runs the initial 15-meter segment in 1.8 seconds, changes direction in 1.0 seconds, and runs the final 5 meters in 0.9 seconds, for a total time of 3.7 seconds.

Athlete A has a much better time, yet the two have identical change of direction performances. The difference is one athlete runs faster than the other.

You can see how this presents problems and does not accurately capture change of direction capabilities.

Dr. Nimphius suggested using the Change of Direction Deficit to more accurately measure and report change of direction ability. The Change of Direction Deficit is simply 5-0-5 time minus 15-meter sprint time. This measure does capture change of direction ability better than simple 5-0-5 time, providing practitioners with a more valid, widely available approach. However, it still does not quite seem to capture the act of changing direction itself.

Forster et al. recently published a paper in which they put a timing gate 1 meter from the change of direction line in the pro-agility test. The athletes sprint past the gate, touch the line, and sprint back through the gate. This does seem to capture change of direction ability fairly well, and it may be a measure worth considering in future research. Even still, this is a proxy measurement for the act of changing direction, not a direct measurement of it.

These two improved methods aside, the problem with traditional change of direction testing is it doesn’t actually measure change of direction very well.

What Is Change of Direction, Anyway?

This begs the question: What is change of direction?

I think of change of direction as the rate of deceleration and reacceleration of the center of mass (CoM) in a different direction. It is essentially the management and redirection of momentum.

I think of change of direction as the rate of deceleration and reacceleration of the center of mass (CoM) in a different direction. It is essentially the management and redirection of momentum. Share on X

At first thought, a tempting way to measure change of direction performance is analysis of the ground contact time during the CoD step itself. On second thought, however, the pitfalls of doing such are enormous. GCT in this sense doesn’t tell us anything other than how long the foot was on the ground. What we need to know is how quickly the center of mass changed direction.

A New Way to Measure Change of Direction?

I’ll be honest—I did not do a full literature review to see if this has already been done or discussed. Frankly, my goal here is to put this thought into the performance universe, so I’m not going to spend hours digging through research to verify if this has already been proposed. If it has, I certainly think not many know about it.

In any case, below is a strategy coaches can use to quantify change of direction performance:

(Entrance velocity + exit velocity)/GCT

Entrance velocity: CoM velocity at touchdown

Exit velocity: CoM velocity at toe-off

Ground contact time: total time foot is on ground

This formula accounts for the speed at which an athlete enters the cut, which is important, as cutting from a jog is much easier and quicker than from a sprint. Moreover, faster entrance speeds more accurately resemble game-time performance than slower entrance speeds, assuming athletes move fast in games. Athletes are “penalized” with a lower score if they enter the cut slowly.

The formula also accounts for exit velocity, which has obvious sports performance implications.

Dividing by ground contact time, inspired by RSI, adds the time element. Speeds coming into and out of cuts are important, but the rate at which those speeds are created is a critical factor in sport and change of direction performance.

Thus, this formula allows for the analysis of the act of changing direction itself and excludes the noise of sprint times into and out of the direction change.

For simplicity’s sake, assuming this test does not already exist and thus does not have a name, let’s call it the Change of Direction Index (CoDI):

The CoDi in Action

I recognize that the technology necessary to collect the data required is not commonly available. Not everyone has a system capable of measuring center of mass velocity, let alone the ability to sync it with the required tech to determine ground contact time (force plates, a high-speed camera system, or a contact grid). Perhaps radar could work if you could be certain the center of mass is the point being measured, but that seems tough to do in a change of direction task.

The Change of Direction Index (CoDI) quantifies change of direction performance with the formula: (entrance velocity + exit velocity)/GCT, says @KD_KyleDavey. Share on X

I am fortunate to work at a facility that does have the necessary tech, so I played around and collected some data. Our IMU system and a high-speed camera synched beautifully—thanks to the excellent integration software Noraxon makes, it was pretty simple. The athlete completed a 5-0-5 test (two total trials—one turning to the left, one turning to the right), and I noted touchdown and toe-off of the cutting step with the camera.

Thanks to Lindsey, the main tech support engineer at Noraxon (who is always willing to help), I was able to extrapolate center of mass position and velocity. (Read: Lindsey was able to remotely access our computer and run a few fancy algorithms while I watched.)

Video 1. A screen recording of the Noraxon software showing touchdown and toe-off of a 5-0-5 cut step. The line graph on the far left shows CoM velocity, and the skeleton on the right is a digital representation of the IMU data and mirrors the athlete’s body movement.

In any case, below is the data.

Take the data with a grain of salt—it was one athlete doing just one trial per foot. Nonetheless, it is interesting to note the scores and the difference in scores. The data would indicate an asymmetrical performance, with the right foot outperforming the left.

Just as reactive strength index (RSI) can be applied to many types of jumps, so to the CoDI can be applied to several types of direction changes. A 5-0-5, the pro-agility (5-10-5), a simple standardized 45-degree or 90-degree cut with a 10-meter run in, or even actual game-time cuts. I’m sure NFL Next Gen stats can generate angle of cut and ground contact time, and we know they track player speed.

And, as you see in the data above, the CoDI may also be used to measure asymmetry in performance when cutting left versus right.

I invite our community of coaches and critical thinkers to tear this construct apart. Certainly, this is not without flaw. But, at the risk of being taken for presumptuous, I do believe there could be a place for this measure in the world of sports performance.

Lastly, I invite practitioners to apply the CoDI with their athletic populations and share the results. Tag me on Twitter or otherwise make your data public, if you wish.

At the very least, let’s continue to think, push boundaries, reevaluate approaches, search for improved methods of testing and measuring that which we truly desire, and discard that which becomes obsolete.

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

Forster, J.W., Uthoff, A.M., Rumpf, M.C., and Cronin, J.B. “Advancing the pro-agility test to provide better change of direction speed diagnostics.” The Journal of Sport and Exercise Science. 2021;5(2):101-106.

Nimphius, S., Geib, G., Spiteri, T., and Carlisle, D. “Change of direction deficit measurement in Division I American football players.” Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning. 2013;(S2):115-117.

Nimphius, S., Callaghan, S.J., Spiteri, T., and Lockie, R.G. “Change of direction deficit: A more isolated measure of change of direction performance than total 505 time.” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2016;30:3024-3032.

Nimphius, S., Callaghan, S.J., Bezodis, N.E., and Lockie, R.G. “Change of direction and agility tests: Challenging our current measures of performance.” Strength & Conditioning Journal. 2018;40(1):26-38.

As high school athletes, if COVID-19 has taught you anything, it’s that there are no guarantees in life. Many of you lost seasons and important time periods to be scouted for the next level. Schools, gyms, and training facilities were shut down. With restrictions lifting and athletic seasons on the horizon, it is time for you to take your physical preparation into your own hands.

As you scroll through your social media platforms, you’ll often come across some of your favorite athletes training in the off-season. Professional athletes have access to some of the world’s best coaches, doctors, nutritionists, etc. Now ask yourself: What if you could have all of their “secrets” within your grasp for little to no cost? Sounds pretty good right? Well, you can, and this article will help set your training foundation to put you on the path toward athletic success.

Being a High School Athlete

If you are willing to carry out your own training regimen, chances are you are looking to take athletics further in your life. As a high school athlete, you are searching for whatever edge is out there to improve your performance and get looks from colleges/clubs/etc. For many of you, your current school doesn’t have an organized strength and conditioning program, let alone a coach who you can lean on for sound training advice. Some additional challenges you might come across could include:

• Lack of money to afford outside performances coaches and other expenses.
• Lifting at your school where groups are too large to meet your specific needs.
• Training in a program that uses movements or lifts that you don’t like.
• Inconvenient times for training sessions.
• Incompatibility of training programs with the demands of your sport or competition schedule.
• Lack of transportation.
• Coaches using complex terminology and Excel spreadsheets that make the whole process more confusing.
• Other commitments (another sport, a job, school, family, etc.).

Combat the challenges of an inadequate high school training program by learning the basic tools necessary to develop your own program and monitor your own sport preparation. Share on X

What is the simplest way to combat these? I say it is to learn the basic tools necessary to develop your own program and monitor your own sport preparation. Aside from performing your sport or activity at a high level, as a high school athlete you want to:

• Have better body composition (lean muscle mass versus excess body fat).
• Be faster.
• Be stronger.
• Be more powerful.
• Sustain higher outputs for longer.
• Minimize injuries.
• Build confidence.
• Feel better.

Consistency is the most important training variable. Share on X

Video 1. Chain sprints can be used as an alternative to hill sprints in a speed, power, and intensification phase.

These are all important qualities, depending on what you are training for. Here’s the kicker: Being in high school, you don’t need a Ph.D. or a certification to understand how to attain these things. All you need is some basic knowledge, some skin in the game, and consistency. This is important: Consistency is the most important training variable.

“Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own.” – Bruce Lee

Organization of Training

Training can be confusing. Everywhere you look, everyone has a “method” or “system” that they brand to be the best. At the end of the day, your best friends in high school will be:

1. Common sense.
2. Consistency.
3. Stress.
4. Overload.
5. The task.

Take these five variables, learn the basic principles, and put in the work, and you will be just fine. Your training should have purpose if you are preparing for an athletic endeavor. Going into the weight room or on the field aimlessly will never get you the results you need. Let’s take a look at how each variable can be optimized to best serve your goals.

Commonsense Training

Common sense is the ability to see things as they are, not how you want them to be. Common sense is about boiling down what needs to be accomplished and formulating an appropriate plan to execute. For the high school athlete, training depends on many factors. Before writing a program, it might be worth developing goals and constraints first.

Step one will require you to consider several questions:

• What sport(s) do you play?
• What position(s) do you play?
• What scheme does your coach use during games?
• Why is training important to you?
• How would training help your performance/sport?
• What abilities or skills do you think would benefit you the most?
• What facility or equipment do you have access to?
• What is the time commitment you can schedule in for your training?
• How long do you have to train before the season starts?
• Where can you find credible resources?
• How will you know if you are progressing or not?
• What are your goals for training and your sport?
• If you could only pick one thing to be good at that would influence your performance, what would it be?

These aren’t all the questions, but they give you a good starting point in order to start planning out your performance “pirate map.” Write down your answers to these questions.

For just about any sport you will play, sprinting and running are essentials. In the final section of this article, we will see how different variables fit into an example training plan.

Video 2. Use cones or markers to maintain consistent distances in your hill sprints.

Consistency

I’ll keep this section brief. It is imperative that you stay consistent in your training. Think “little and often over the long haul.” Training is non-negotiable if you want to 1) improve performance and 2) minimize the risk of injury. Training sessions don’t have to be 90-minute marathons. Set aside 45 minutes and get after it. You should leave the gym feeling better than when you walked in.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” – Bruce Lee

Stress

Stress is an inevitable part of your life, both physically and mentally. Without stressors, humans would not have evolved to where we are today. Survival of the fittest, like Charles Darwin said. Research has long suggested that the body reacts to all stress the same, but recent studies are showing evidence that our bodies can differentiate between stressors. Broadly speaking:

• Distress is a form of stress that the body experiences in times of unfavorable reactions (pain, anxiety, fear, etc.).
• Eustress is a form of stress that helps our bodies become resilient and robust against stressors (exercise, heat/cold exposure, caloric restriction).

The major function of stress is to allow us to adapt to our environment. Hormesis is a process where the small stressors we encounter each day produce an adaptation from our body to overcome the stress.

Two major examples of hormesis are vaccines and strength training. Most vaccines are weakened forms of a virus. Our bodies fight and produce antibodies to beat it. Strength training stresses our muscles and connective tissues through tension and microtrauma, causing the fibers to strengthen to handle the external loads.

Your nervous system also plays a major role in the stress response. There are two main branches:

1. Sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system.
2. Parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.

During exercise/competitions, you want to be mainly sympathetic in order to perform with high outputs and be prepared for chaotic sporting environments. Immediately following a game, practice, or exercise session is when you need to flip the switch into parasympathetic mode.

The key is to create a training plan that takes advantage of the stress adaptation acutely but doesn’t chronically stress the body. Share on X

The key is to create a training plan that takes advantage of the stress adaptation acutely but doesn’t chronically stress the body. Too much stress can just be detrimental. Remember to callus not blister.

Overload

Training is built on the notion that you gradually progress in the amount of work performed. You can do this by manipulating exercise choice, volumes, intensities, densities, rest intervals, etc. So basically, you can:

• Increase how much you do of something (volume).
• Increase the effort or intensity of something (intensity).
• Increase how often you do something (density).
• Change the rest during or between doing something (recovery).

The main goal is to provide your body with a novel stimulus that moves the needle forward. Legendary coach Dan Pfaff talks about the concept of stimulating, adapting, stabilizing, and actualizing performances. Your training will stimulate a response that your body will then have to adapt to. There will be a period of time where your body has to stabilize the adaptation. After some time, you can then solidify and use the newfound adaptation (i.e., strength, speed, etc.).

*Before you move on to the next training block or emphasis, make sure that you’ve fully adapted to the previous one.

It is important to note you will experience ebbs and flows throughout the training process. Your readiness will fluctuate daily (readiness being your body’s ability to perform work during that specific time period). Your nervous system will dictate training. Some days, 135 pounds on the bar feels light; other days, it feels like 300 pounds. Listen to your body. Some days, stepping off the gas pedal will be more beneficial.

There are effects on the body that are immediate and long term. You might get away with training super hard for a while, but the body keeps score. At some point you’ll hit a proverbial wall, and that is often the sweet spot for injuries to occur.

To properly overload, remember that mindset to callus not blister. Do enough to make the body adapt…then go home. Similar to the concept of a vaccine, you give the body a small dose of the foreign cells, and the body responds and remembers how to beat it going forward.

It is important to understand what is optimal versus what you can suffer through. Challenge the body, then let it do its thing and recover. Share on X

Humans are resilient. We are adaptive to many environments. Because of that, it is important to understand what is optimal versus what you can suffer through. Challenge the body, then let it do its thing and recover. You grow and improve outside of the weight room or field. Remember that.

Video 3. Escalating Density Training methods can become part of plan for progressive overload.

The Task

This goes back to commonsense training. An American football player does not train the same as a marathon runner. There are certain idiosyncrasies that each sport has that make it unique. Here are some different things we thought about before we put together our program:

• Bioenergetics (what energy systems are dominant during movements, how will the body derive energy).
  • Alactic (short and intense outputs).
  • Lactic (moderate and intense outputs).
  • Aerobic (long and fairly easy outputs).

• Biomotor (independent abilities that enable an individual to perform a given task under specific conditions).
  • Speed.
  • Power.
  • Strength.
  • Stamina.
  • Suppleness (flexibility, mobility).
  • Skill.

• Dynamics
  • Are you training general qualities or skills?
  • Are you training specific qualities or skills?

Knowing the task(s) of your sport can give you an idea of how your training should look. A general rule of thumb is to progress training slow to fast, simple to complex, and general to specific. Errors are a crucial part of learning and skill development. Don’t get frustrated if you mess up. If you get in enough quality repetitions, errors over time will happen less and less. Remember the acronym KISS. (Keep it simple, stupid.)

Putting It All Together

Programming your own training can be difficult. No program will be perfect. The most optimal training program is the one you currently aren’t doing. Find the big rocks of your program. To start out, pick your favorites. Let’s look below for an example template of how to create a training program from scratch:

My sport: Men’s lacrosse

My position: Attacking midfielder

What are the 1-2 things I want to improve on most? Sprinting speed and general fitness

How long do I have until the season starts? Eight weeks

How many days per week will I dedicate to training? Three days

Do I have access to a weight room and field? Yes

How long do I have for training sessions? 60-75 minutes

Do I have any organized team activities for lacrosse during this time period? No, all skill work is player led.

So, the answers above will set the stage for my training program. Eight weeks isn’t a long period, but consistent training will still benefit my athletic development.

Step one: Plan out training days.

• Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday each week
• 3 sessions per week x 8 weeks = 24 total sessions

Step two: Find your emphasis area(s).

• Weeks 1-2: Introduction
• Weeks 3-5: Development of fitness + acceleration (field), accumulation phase (weights)
• Weeks 6-8: Speed work (field) + intensification phase (weights)

Step three: Identify your “big rocks.”

• Sprint work
• Jumps/plyometrics
• Medicine ball throws
• Resistance training
• Aerobic training for general fitness

Step four: Program out a few weeks at a time (“High School Athlete Playbook” full video playlist of exercises available here).

Video 4. Extensive medicine ball throws serve as a bridge to the weight room in the introductory phase of training.

Video 5. Box jumps in this phase are progressed from the static box jumps in the first two weeks of the program.

Video 6. Demonstration of an eccentric front squat.

For resources regarding the above templates and training program, click on these links below:

• “High School Athlete Playbook” video playlist.

• Training menu interactive slides (see example below).

You can modify the above template in many ways. You can play with exercise selection, set/rep schemes, and loading. Start by picking your favorite exercises in each category and go from there. For strength training, I like to keep it to the main categories of:

• A squat or single leg exercise.
• A hinge.
• A push (anything pushing away from the body either vertically or horizontally).
• A pull (anything pulling toward the body either vertically or horizontally).

During your program, every 2-3 weeks you can switch up your exercise variations. In the template, you will also see terms like “accumulation” and “intensification.” Accumulation simply means building volume in your overall training. This could be through increased sets/reps or increased loads that you use for sets/reps.

Intensification is what it sounds like. You intensify exercises by using more weight or by achieving higher velocities within each rep. To intensify, either use heavier weights that slow you down or use medium weights where you can focus on moving fast (with good form).

The later in the off-season you go, the more field work will take precedence over weight room activities. There is only so much energy available for your body each day—spend it on running-based movements. Weight room work will always follow field work. If the goal is to run faster, you need to be fresh during the speed work.

There is only so much energy available for your body each day—spend it on running-based movements. Share on X

Lifting weights is in the program to support your sport-specific training and to allow you to better tolerate the stress of field-based activities. If the example template is too much for you, cut it down or eliminate some things. Your goal is to leave sessions feeling better than when you started. Remember that there will be ebbs and flows every day; consistency in your actions is the key piece.

The Hidden Heroes: Lifestyle Factors

Training is only one spoke in the wheel of performance. You can’t expect to optimize results if you get poor sleep, eat garbage, and don’t replenish fluids. Sleep, nutrition, and hydration are the hidden heroes that have the potential to multiply your progress, not to mention your overall health.

Sleep

One of the most potent tools in your arsenal is SLEEP! Sleep is essential to not only life but to proper functioning of our bodies. Many experts suggest that individuals should aim to get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep each night. Here are a few things that happen to your body if you don’t get adequate sleep. This information comes from sleep research expert Dr. Matthew Walker.

• Your regulation of blood glucose is profoundly impaired.
• “In my lab, the most reliable thing we see when we deprive people of sleep of any dose — anxiety goes up.”
• Men who are sleeping five hours or less a night will have a testosterone level of a man 10 years their senior.
• Your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease skyrockets.
• In one study, participants restricted to four hours of sleep for just ONE night experienced a 70% reduction in natural killer cell activity (immunity).
• When you’re sleep deprived, you have a lowered desire for social proximity and social interaction.
• Relative to a person with a full night’s sleep, the amygdala (the emotional part of the brain) is 60% more reactive under conditions of a lack of sleep.
  • On top of that, sleep deprivation shuts down the prefrontal cortex’s communication with the amygdala. (The prefrontal cortex acts as a break on the gas pedal of your emotions.)

Here are some tips to help get a good night’s rest:

• Go to bed at the same time every night.
• Take a cold or warm shower before bed (warm core body temp).
• Don’t eat within two hours of bedtime.
• Turn off electronics 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
• Sleep in a cold, pitch-black room.
• Engage in diaphragmatic breathing or meditation for 5-10 minutes.
• Write down tomorrow’s to-do list to empty your mind.
• Journal or read instead of watching TV or any electronics.

On the opposite end of the sleep spectrum, we have something equally as important: wakefulness. How you spend the first hours of your day after waking up will be a major determinant in your sleep quality. Your body runs on a 24-hour clock (oversimplifying). Your light exposure early in the day sets up your body to be ready for rest in the evening.

Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman suggests getting as much sunlight as possible within the first hour of waking. On really sunny days it could be 5-10 minutes. On cloudy days it could be 15+ minutes, in a perfect world. 

Nutrition/Diet

Nutrition is a confusing space to research. There are infinite types of diets and protocols out there. The best diet is one you can consistently adhere to. A simple rule of thumb is to eat based on your activity levels. Between practices, games, training sessions, and non-exercise calorie expenditure, you might be used to eating a certain way in order to fuel your body properly.

Building a well-rounded plate will make sure that you hit your macro- and micronutrient needs for each day. There are many great resources out there that will outline commonsense nutrition habits. The basic template is to create a plate that contains protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Try to find good sources of each.

Proteins include eggs, chicken, steak, ground beef, seafood, tuna, Greek yogurt, cheese, etc. A last resort can be whey protein shakes but attempt to eat whole foods first.

Fats include omega 3s, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, etc.

Carbohydrates can be split into two parts: veggies and starchy carbs. Veggies can be anything; try to eat anywhere from 3-6 different veggies each day. If you can, eat all types of colors of veggies because each color offers different health benefits and nutrients. Starchy carbs include potatoes, sweet potatoes, pasta, white rice, etc.

Google “glycemic index” food charts and try to pick foods that digest at a slower rate to minimize blood sugar spikes. When I was in high school, whatever my mom cooked we ate. I understand it can be difficult, but do your best to make choices that are net positives to your goals, not net negatives.

Hydration

Water is essential for human life. It accounts for 50%-70% of your body weight and is crucial for most bodily functions. By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated; our thirst mechanism lags behind our actual level of hydration. Research shows that as little as 1% dehydration negatively affects your mood, attention, memory, and motor coordination. Some research has suggested that brain tissue fluid decreases with dehydration, thus reducing brain volume and temporarily affecting cell function.

By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated; our thirst mechanism lags behind our actual level of hydration. Share on X

Other potential effects include:

• Cardiovascular system decrement, blood becomes thicker.
• Body needs to work harder (temperature issues).
• Your body’s fluid status makes a difference in the transmission of nerve impulses to all tissues.
• Muscles, joints, ligaments, and connective tissues lose fluid dynamics.
• Dehydration = decreased power outputs, increases in relative VO2 and heart rate, decreased gross efficiency, decreased speed, decreased time to exhaustion, and decreased sport-specific skills.
• Dehydration may cause a reduction in blood volume, decreased skin blood flow, decreased sweat rate, decreased heat dissipation, increased core temperature, and an increased rate of glycogen use.

The moral of the story is to replace the fluids you lose during training, practice, and competitions.

A Good Starting Point

Let this template be a starting point for you to begin taking accountability over your development. Personally, I lacked the guidance of physical preparation in my high school and college days. My filter for good information took years to mold. I also made a lot of mistakes along the way.

The best thing you can do is to educate yourself. That doesn’t mean having a Ph.D. in all things performance. It just means that you have the right direction to start your trial and error.

“If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” – Sir Isaac Newton

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

While coaching your sport, have you ever thought I feel like the team isn’t responding positively to my coaching? Or, from that thought, asked yourself the question How I can motivate the team to cohesively perform to the best of their ability?

The best example for a discussion of adapting coaching to a team’s mindset and personality comes from the series The Last Dance, in which Phil Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls to title victories while Dennis Rodman was one of the team’s star players. Rodman was a key player in the Bulls’ dominant string of championships, and Jackson knew this. Rodman, however, was a rebel and liked to do his own thing, having a very distinct, dominant personality.

Phil Jackson had such success with the Bulls team (and specifically coaching Dennis Rodman) because he understood each player’s personality and how to create trust and cohesiveness. Michael Jordan had an all-caps DOMINANT personality on and off the court. Jackson trusted Jordan because he was so passionate, smart, and motivated to lead the team to victory. Though Rodman also had a dominant personality, he was not a team leader—both Jordan and Rodman had powerful egos, and we all know how the story goes in the battle to be the best on a team.

Coach Jackson understood personality traits and how they directly correlated to the team’s performance and path to be the absolute best. Likewise, as a coach you need to know every athlete’s strengths and weaknesses and play to those. Mindset and personality are directly correlated, based on individual traits; as a coach, understanding different personality traits will help you and your athletes achieve success. Learning the strengths and weaknesses of each personality type will improve overall communication, with the goal of creating a dynamic relationship between coach and athlete, coach and team, and athlete and team.

As a coach, you need to know every athlete’s strengths and weaknesses and play to those…understanding different personality traits will help you and your athletes achieve success. Share on X

The Four Basic Personality Types

We can categorize personality traits into four types, based off the DISC + Motivator by Tony Robbins Research.

1. Dominant.
2. Influence.
3. Steadiness.
4. Conscientious.

I have had success with this model in terms of understanding both my own personality and my coaching style. Also, it’s important to note that everyone has a mix of all four of these personality traits—one just stands out more than the others due to motivation, environment, relationships, outcomes, decision-making, and more.

In this article, I discuss the correlation between the four DISC + Motivator personality traits, the three coaching styles, and the three athletic characteristics in performance. The combination of these three models will enhance your team’s cohesiveness and performance, regardless of what sport, what level, or where you coach.

I have had to rebuild the “field” portion of our high school track and field team over the last five years. I needed a way to motivate and recruit boys and girls who wanted to throw and/or jump—based off these models, I have been able to expand our field team, which we now call “Flight Crew” and “Throws Crew.” We’ve had more athletes joining and hitting personal records, learning a new skill, wanting to continue to compete in college, and bringing their best on and off the track.

To begin, let’s dive into the four personality traits:

1. Dominant

These individuals tend to be direct, guarded, and driven by an inner need to always lead and be in personal control. They take charge of people and situations so they can reach their goals, and their key need is achieving bottom-line results. These are “lead, follow, or get out of the way” type of people.

Some weaknesses with this personality type include:

• Stubbornness.
• Impatience.
• Toughness (stubborn, needing to always take charge because they feel their decision is the only way to do it).

They naturally prefer to take control of others, and they have a low tolerance for the feelings, attitudes, and inadequacies of anyone else.

Some strengths are:

• An ability to work quickly by themselves.
• Shaping their environment to overcome obstacles en route to accomplishments.
• Seeking maximum freedom to manage themselves and others.
• Using their leadership skills to become a winner.
• Good administration and delegation skills.

An example of this type of athlete would be Dennis Rodman—it was his way or the highway. As a coach, you need to know how to work with this personality type and encourage them to be a team player. However, this trait goes well with “The Competitive Athlete” who I discuss below.

2. Influence

These individuals are direct, personable, outgoing, and energetic. They like to go where the action is, prefer a fast pace, and foster networking relationships. They try to influence in an optimistic way, focused on positive outcomes, whether in a social or a work environment.

Some of their weaknesses include:

• Too much involvement.
• Impatience.
• Issues with being alone.
• Short attention spans.

This causes them to become easily bored when little data comes in, and they tend to make sweeping generalizations.

Some strengths are:

• Enthusiasm.
• Persuasiveness.
• Friendliness.
• Being “idea” kind of people who can get others caught up in their dreams.

Great at persuasion, they influence others and shape their environment by building alliances to accomplish results. These types of individuals love to talk to others, gaining relationships and networks.

Individuals with the Influence personality trait make great coaches. These types of people can listen and communicate well and are passionate and understanding leaders, says @bpfitcoaching. Share on X

Individuals with this personality trait make great coaches. I would say a perfect example of this would be Phil Jackson and his coaching style. These types of people can listen and communicate well and are passionate and understanding leaders. One of the coaching styles, the “Democratic Style Coach,” which I discuss below in the “Different Coaching Styles” section, correlates to this personality trait.

3. Steadiness

This personality tends to be indirect and openly seeks more attention and acceptance. They take follow-through actions and prefer a slower and easier-paced environment (like a classroom or office space). They focus on building trust and getting acquainted with others because they aim for longstanding personal relationships. They don’t like pushy or aggressive behavior.

Some weaknesses include:

• Difficulty speaking up.
• A “follower” mentality, even if they don’t agree.

More assertive types may take advantage of individuals like this, who may give in just to avoid confrontation. Their lack of assertiveness can take a toll on their own health and well-being.

Some strengths are that they:

• Are an easy type to get along with.
• Cultivate stable relationships that don’t jeopardize anyone, especially themselves.
• Enjoy a slower, steady-paced, and relaxed environment.
• Are easygoing and approachable, while also being very structured people, creating plans to match their routine.

The best example of this would be certain teachers who have extremely warm and trusting dispositions, listen to their students, and guide with structure. Routine and structure are a main priority for them, no matter the goal or intention.

In terms of athletes, this may be a very “heady” athlete. They can psych themselves out in competition and are considered “The Practice Athlete” (which I discuss in the “Three Different Types of Athletes in Performance” section).

4. Conscientious

These individuals tend to be indirect and guarded, preferring involvement with the performance of products and services under specific and preferably controlled conditions so the process and result can be correct. Their primary concern is accuracy—human emotions may take a back seat with them.

Weaknesses include perfectionism—if taken to the extreme, this can result in “paralysis by analysis” and take a toll on overall health and well-being.

Some strengths are:

• Accuracy.
• Dependability.
• Independence.
• Clarification.
• Testing skills.
• Follow-through.
• Organization.

They focus on expectations (policies, practice, and procedures) and outcomes. They need to know how things work so they can evaluate how correctly things function.

An example of this personality trait would be an individual who does not like interaction with others as much and who may get anxiety from being around too many people. They like to work in a quiet space—this would be the opposite of a dominant personality, and ironically, both personality traits can be considered very controlling of themselves or others. They do not like being the center of attention or leading a group.

“The Practice Athlete” is linked to this personality trait, as they can crumble when it comes to competition.

Three Different Coaching Styles

Let us now move onto the different coaching styles that tie into those four personality traits. This may help you understand your own coaching style and what can help you and your team be most successful.

The Dictator Coach: You can probably guess what personality trait this is associated with—dominant. Makes all the decisions, doesn’t like to listen to other ideas, very direct demeanor. “My way or the highway” mentality.

The Democratic Coach: The in-between coach, a style that combines the Dictator’s leadership skills and the communication skills of the Holistic Coach. Personally, I believe this is the best way to coach up your athletes—this personality trait is associated with the influencer trait.

Personally, I believe ‘The Democratic Coach’ is the best way to coach up your athletes—this is associated with the Influencer trait, says @bpfitcoaching. Share on X

The Holistic Coach: Super laid-back, a “let the athletes run the practice” kind of coach. The personality trait would be steadiness. This can be more appropriate once you get to the collegiate/elite level. When the athlete’s own personality and skill levels are developed, you can be more laid-back with them in terms of directness and micromanaging. But again, this all depends on the athlete and the team.

As a coach, you need to know that everyone is different and be able to think on your toes in different environments and situations. Be aware of the different personality traits and act accordingly. How will this athlete react? What makes them tick? Do they need more of a push? Or do they need less coaching up?

I work with track and field athletes and have noticed those with certain personality traits are drawn to certain events. You have your throwers who are totally lax and lighthearted, but they can be very much in their own head. You have your short and long sprinters who are divas and more of a dominant and/or influence personality. I have found jumpers to show more steadiness and/or influence traits; they can keep to themselves and are also very much in their own heads. Our long-distance athletes have more of the steadiness and conscientious traits and are Type A personalities and perfectionists—these may feel uncomfortable leading a team and are usually very bright.

Coach to the athlete’s strengths and teach them when it comes to their weaknesses. Guide them to success; do not force something that doesn’t work and strains the coach-athlete relationship. At the end of the day, communication is KEY. Listen 80% of the time and speak 20% of the time. Ask questions—this will help your team dynamic run smoothly.

Three Different Types of Athletes in Performance

To understand what motivates an athlete, you need to understand what type of athlete you are dealing with. Below are three different types of athletes in performance.

The Practice Athlete: Peaks in practice, looks amazing during training sessions, and then gets in their own head and can’t bring it to perform in competition.

The Competitive Athlete: Can be lazy in practice, will put in effort some of the time, maybe relies solely on talent. But when it comes to competition, they are 100% in and ready to kill it. They thrive in a competitive atmosphere.

The Hard-Working Athlete: Works their hardest in practice AND competition; can bring it whenever and wherever. They have discipline and talent and put them both to great use—these are usually our captains leading the team.

I work with track and field athletes and have noticed those with certain personality traits are drawn to certain events, says @bpfitcoaching. Share on X

Coaches, How Can You Apply This?

Coaching style is developed over time and through years of practice. You will learn and notice different patterns in the personality styles of athletes. Take note and, if needed, try interacting with the athlete in a different way. Maybe they need more coaching and motivation? Maybe they need less coaching because they are heady athletes? Are they male or female? Do you need to change your style as a coach?

If you have athletes who are more introverted, quiet, and not as aggressive toward the sport or competition, try coaching them up as more of a Democratic Coach. Create a positive and self-confident environment. Most of the time, these athletes won’t need over-coaching—if anything, it’s the opposite, because these athletes tend to be perfectionists and very much in their own head. Try more sport psychology tactics and recovery tools such as deep breathing, meditation, visualization, and a relaxed environment. Get them into competition mode.

As for the athletes who are more dominant in their sport and leadership role, sometimes you may have to level out their egos. (I have found this more with males.) This is fine, and maybe they are a dominant individual and potentially need more motivation to practice instead of solely relying on talent. With female athletes, I have seen dominant and influence personality traits transfer over to leadership roles. These are more captain material and can lead the team and communicate effectively.

I have coached both boys and girls high school track and field. With the young ladies, they play sport for a sense of community, less ego, and more socializing. This is opposed to the young boys, who are very competitive, and ego driven.

When coaching the field events, I have the boys and girls train and practice together. I have seen this enhance performance, motivation, team camaraderie, passion, and enjoyment for their sport.

Some things you can do as a coach to create a great cohesive team dynamic:

• Designate an Athlete of the Week.
• Conduct shoutouts on social media and team meetings about their performance.
• Hold team dinners—teach them about proper nutrition and healthy plates.
• Engage in team bonding with games (chase, tag, co-ed relays, field trips, double Dutch, prizes, etc.).
• Host giveaways.

Most importantly, don’t forget that every athlete is different and needs specific coaching to create success and teach them life lessons. Don’t let a coaching ego get in the way; walk the walk and talk the talk as a coach. Be immersed in the sport and have the desire to make your athletes the best they can be on and off the court, field, or track.

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

By Joseph Potts & Cassius Sendish

In many sports, speed is among the most coveted qualities an athlete can possess. Relative to speed, the start is always the slowest portion of a race, with the first 0-10 yards of a 40-yard dash normally ~33% of total sprint time.

We performed an experiment with athletes who had hundreds of training hours performing various resisted sprint methods, with the goal of investigating what kind of impact six weeks of assisted sprint training (commonly called “overspeed”) would have on a well-trained athlete’s sprint-start ability. The prevailing theory is that the body would adapt in a highly specific manner in order to meet the demands of chronic exposure to such a highly specific stimulus (Franklin Henry’s SAID principle).

I suspected we would see some minor improvement in the athletes’ sprint-start abilities, but I think we were all shocked at the level of improvement that was evident after the midway and post-intervention testing. I originally thought a 5% betterment would be phenomenal.

I think we were all shocked at the level of improvement in the athletes’ sprint-start abilities that was evident after the midway and post-intervention testing. Share on X

I hope the results seen here lead practitioners to consider both the role that the CNS plays in an athlete’s ability to actually harness their power and strength in on-field scenarios and the effect that kinetic loads can play on both ends of the speed-strength spectrum, and everywhere in between.

Our Materials and Methods

The subjects who participated were former collegiate football players (now considered professional football prospects), with an average height of 70 inches, an average weight of 198 pounds, and an average age of 22.5 years.

Baseline testing and all measurements throughout the six weeks were performed with two Brower Timing System gates in order to mitigate the human element from timing. Athletes utilized a staggered two-point stance commonly seen during sprint activity. The lead foot was placed 18 inches from the first laser. This distance was chosen because it allowed the athlete to raise their arms and assume a running posture without prematurely triggering the laser timing system.

Videos 1 & 2. Pro football prospects at TopSpeed Strength and Conditioning performing overspeed sprint starts and decelerations in training protocol.

For the application of assisted sprinting speeds, we used a 1080 Sprint unit. Athletes wore a waist harness and were assisted through the 0-5-yard zone by 12-15 kilos of tension. Assistance was raised or lowered as necessary for the athlete to achieve ~15% higher speed output than their baseline. This number was recalculated after midpoint testing, and future assistance was applied as necessary for the athlete to achieve ~10% more speed than their midpoint score. Volume remained constant throughout the six-week program as the athletes performed three sets of three reps once per week.

Objective Results

From a time perspective, the athlete’s ability to cover 0-5 yards out of a stationary position decreased from an average of 1.12 seconds at baseline, to 1.05 seconds at the midway point, and finally to 1.01 seconds at the final retest. This represents a percent change of 9.8%.

In miles per hour, the results indicated that the athletes went from an average of 9.19 mph during baseline testing, to 9.76 mph at the midway point, and finally to 10.08 mph at the final retest, representing a percent change of 9.7%.

Discussion Points

The results of this pilot program should warrant further research on the subject matter. Future studies could:

• Use larger cohorts to investigate whether the improvements seen with the application of overspeed methods are primarily neuromuscular or physiological in nature.
• Track how long the effects last after the cessation of chronic exposure.
• Assess what changes occur with various ranges of time and exposure.
• Measure the effect differing levels of intensity have on the various stages of sprinting.

Regardless, it appears that adding the overspeed training element seemed to have a profound effect on a highly trained athlete’s ability to move faster than they were previously capable of out of a stationary position.

Given that each athlete included in these results had 5+ years of post-high school level resistance training, these results should be cause for consideration among sports performance coaches regarding the application of overspeed methods with highly trained athletes under their care.

These results should be cause for consideration among sports performance coaches regarding the application of overspeed methods with highly trained athletes under their care. Share on X

However, these methods do not come without a substantial risk of injury. For example, in one instance among the athletes in this study, the plant foot slipped during deceleration while the athlete was still under pull-stress from the 1080 Sprint unit. Fortunately, there was no injury in this case, but it did illustrate the heightened risk of hyperextension or worse that could occur during a similar event.

Maximizing Acceleration Ability in Well-Trained Athletes

Due to the apparent high transfer to the betterment of the athlete’s ability to accelerate into a sprint, the use of overspeed training methods may be appropriate for well-trained athletes who have found their acceleration capacity to have plateaued while using traditional resisted sprinting methods.

While weightlifting and resisted speed training methods may be the appropriate approach for high school athletes and collegiate underclassmen (age range 14-19), strength and conditioning professionals may want to seriously consider the integration of overspeed methods for maximizing acceleration ability in athletes with a higher (20+) training age.

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

Cassius Sendish is the Assistant Director of Sports Performance and Combine Coordinator at TopSpeed. He returned to TopSpeed in a coaching capacity, earning his performance specialist certification with EXOS, after spending the previous three years coaching football at the University of Kansas.

Coach Sendish graduated from the University of Kansas in 2015, earning two degrees while playing football. A two year letterwinner for the Jayhawks, he started all 24 games in his career and served as team captain en route to earning All Big-12 and Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2014. After his stellar collegiate career he spent time with the Cleveland Browns and the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL.

As a runner, there is little you can do to significantly improve on your fitness level three weeks out from a marathon, but there is a lot that can happen to ruin your race day—or even your reputation, if you are an elite runner and happen to stop at a roadside stand and buy a contaminated burrito containing the type of WADA-prohibited substances that can get you banned for years.

Though you may never have an experience exactly like what allegedly happened to the USA’s 1500m and 5000m national record holder, Shelby Houlihan—who had great hopes of winning a medal for her country in the Tokyo Olympic Games but is now suspended from competing—these crucial last three weeks arguably need more attention and focus than all the other months of continuous training.

The crucial last three weeks (before the race) arguably need more attention and focus than all the other months of continuous training, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

In a typical long distance training program, weeks of hard training are followed by a recovery week (or two) allowing the body to re-energize and avoid stagnating in a running plateau. But, as race day approaches, a runner has to make sure they are in their best form and healthy on their race day.

Fartlek runs and track intervals are some of the runs that usually remain in a plan up to the last week of training. In most of the big long distance training camps in Kenya, while the rest of the group is doing a 40-minute fartlek run (say, two minutes hard and one minute easy for 13 repetitions), runners with their race days coming close go with the group but do the workouts for just eight or nine repetitions.

According to several studies, runners who overtrain by doing a lot of weekly mileages are relatively more prone to upper respiratory illnesses (as well as physical injuries) compared with recreational runners. Specifically, research from Peters and Bateman on ultramarathon running and upper respiratory tract infections found “symptoms of URT infection occurred in 33.3% of runners compared with 15.3% of controls, and were most common in those who achieved the faster race times,” in an epidemiological survey.¹

Also, there is a belief that whether one fills their thoughts with their fears or their desires, that’s what will more likely happen to them. This seems to be true for many runners—they can go down with the flu or a bad cold in the days leading up to their goal race or get injured on their last tough workouts.

These negative outcomes can be avoided if training is slowed down at the right time and the athletes maintain a proper, healthy diet.

Planning to Succeed on Race Day

The last few weeks before a race is a time when runners can panic and try to squeeze in a few hard, last-minute workouts, hoping to perfect their form and compensate for everything they failed to do at the right time ahead of their race. But instead, they still end up with poor performances—perhaps even poorer than they would have performed had they stopped training altogether.

The general rule during the tapering period is that runners should aim to reduce their weekly running mileage to around 80% of what they have been doing.

On the other side of the coin, when a runner reduces their training load drastically within a short time, they are going to end up with a poor performance on race day as well. A runner will lose about 6% of their VO2 max when they stop training for two weeks. They will lose their muscle power too.

The point of the tapering period is to try and balance between recovering and keeping your body in good form. From an economical point of view, it would be better to be a little bit undertrained on race day than overtrained.

Some effects of overtraining toward your marathon race:

1. You become easily susceptible to illnesses, especially common colds.
2. Your body will not be well recovered ahead of your race.

Some effects of drastically reducing your training too early:

1. Your body will feel lethargic due to the change in your routine.
2. You may gain some weight, which can be costly during the race.
3. You reduce muscle power and VO2 max.

What to Avoid in the Last Few Days Before Your Race

Any coach who is a former runner will tell you that if they were able to rewind and begin running again with the knowledge they now have, they would be prepared to have incredible performances.

There are a few seemingly minor things that can cost runners time in their races, such as tying their racing shoes loosely, not visiting the toilets before their start time, using inappropriate running attire and shoes, and other avoidable mistakes.

The most common mistakes runners make are:

• Trying new food types. It is always better to stick to the food you are used to during training instead of trying anything new during or a few days before the race. The wrong food can cause a lot of trouble, from stomach discomfort to headaches to even lack of energy during the race.

It is good to find out what kinds of food work best for you during race day by trying them on your long runs way before your goal races.

• Bathing with new soaps and/or using new perfumes. A study by Caress and Steinemann found 30.5% of the general population reported scented products on others irritating, 19% reported adverse health effects from air fresheners, and 10.9% reported irritation from scented laundry products vented outside.² There are perfumed bathing soaps that may cause allergies that can result in mild headaches and sneezing.

• Unnecessary travels and movements. In the last few days before your race, it is crucial to get your priorities right. Some things can wait until you are done with your race. Otherwise, you will compromise your ability to relax and hydrate. You may even be forced to eat from a roadside kiosk while traveling and end up blaming what you ate after a dismal performance on your race.

Here are few ideas to keep yourself busy and prepare in the days leading up to your race:

• Test your racing shoes in a tempo run a week or two beforehand. If someone offers you a highly rated racing shoe at the start line of your goal race, just thank them and use your old shoe. There is so much that can go wrong with a shoe you haven’t tried before your race, from getting blisters to a change in your running rhythm that may force you to drop out.

• Make sure you have all the items you will need during the race, including running kits and hydration plans. To avoid long queues when picking up the racing bibs, it is always good to ensure that you have done everything you need to do at the earliest time possible so that you have plenty of time to relax as you wait for your race.

• Plan how you will arrive at the race venue on time. I won’t ever forget a half-marathon in 2017 where I arrived at the starting line just as the gun was going off. We were three runners in a car traveling to participate in the Mississauga half-marathon in Toronto, and we were late. We passed a police car that put on its siren, followed us, and pulled our vehicle over. The driver—who was a Toronto-based runner—went out to explain why we were speeding; luckily, the policeman understood and let us go.

We changed to our running kits in the car and ran even faster than we would do in the race from the parking lot to the venue’s race start. We could hear the countdown of the last 10 seconds as we approached the start, behind the masses of runners. It took us almost the first 2 kilometers of the race to finally push through the joggers and reach the leading pack.

From that experience, I learned to always plan early and arrive at the start line on time.

• Load carbohydrates and hydrate well. To be on the start line feeling strong and confident, you need to be well-hydrated and have eaten the right energy-giving foods. This can only happen in the days leading to the race.

Keys for Mental Preparation Leading Up to Race Day

The athletes who know they can win are the ones who do win, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

Race winners often visualize themselves winning their races before they run them—the athletes who know they can win are the ones who do win.

• Be realistic about the time you aim to run. Know the pace you are supposed to use so that you do not start your race too fast and end up not finishing it. It is not just about knowing and waiting to win; it includes knowing how hard you will have to push to win, how you will run your race, and what realistic steps you are taking to achieve that. The times you run in your tempo runs and track intervals should help inform you where your form falls at the moment. Some GPS-enabled watches are also able to predict your potential.

• Remain calm. Like the age-old question on what came first between the chicken and the egg, it is not clear whether runners who appear calm in their races always triumph because they trust in the training they already did, or simply because they are calm during their races.

• Have something to motivate you. Marathons are never easy, and if a runner has nothing to motivate them other than just having fun, then chances are high that they will drop out before finishing.

Look at the bigger picture of accomplishing what you set out to do in that marathon and what it will mean to your life—this will add purpose to your race. Training for a marathon brings physical and mental benefits, so why just train for it and not finish it?

Looking back at everything you have done—the time and resources you have spent in preparation for the marathon—will also serve to push you to the finish line.

• Have confidence in all the training you have done as preparation. Most road races post their course elevation and maps on their websites, which helps keen runners do specific training that will suit the course.

While the last three weeks is not the right time to check on the elevation and design a training program to address that, it is a time to reflect on what you have already done in training and note that all parts—from strength to speed and endurance—have been covered.

Making the Last Three Weeks Work for You

Like all the other training phases, the tapering period should have a program that takes into consideration the areas to cover and sharpen, and a few areas to scrap. I usually plan the last long run to occur just before the tapering period, so that the aerobic and mental effects will still be relatively fresh and effective on race day after I eliminate this from the last three weeks.

I usually plan the last long run to occur just before any tapering period, so that the aerobic and mental effects will still be relatively fresh and effective on race day, says @kenyanathlete. Share on X

Inside the final three weeks, I discard all workouts that put a lot of stress on my body, such as hill workouts and long runs that take more than one hour and 40 minutes. The longest long run within the last two weeks will be no more than one hour 20 minutes, and then not more than one hour in the last week.

Gradually lessen and shorten speed intervals—the overall reduction in training load, plus quality nutrition and an effective hydration plan, should get your body feeling great on race day.

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. Peters, EM and Bateman, ED. “Ultramarathon running and upper respiratory tract infections.” South African Medical Journal. 1983;64(15):582-584.

2. Caress, SM and Steinemann, AC. “Prevalence of multiple chemical sensitivities: a population-based study in the southeastern United States.” American Journal of Public Health. 2004;94(5):746-747.

How do you get there from here? Perhaps, as a coach or an athlete, you have been in this place: you’ve become frustrated with what you are doing because you know roughly where you want to go, but can’t seem to get there. And whatever you are doing here and now just isn’t working.

Performance ceilings are a common challenge, either in terms of training or competitive goals; if nothing you do seems to be leading to improvement, what can you do to break through?

If nothing you do seems to be leading to improvement, what can you do to break through? Share on X

Then

As an athlete, I recall a here/there period of time in the context of power-speed development. In the pre-competitive phases, we performed a diverse package of leaps, bounds, and hops two to three times per week. Leg exchanges (a bouncy advancing lunge with an alternating stride pattern) were an oddity in the mix. Although they didn’t imitate running, we were told that stride development would benefit. We might have done two or three variants in a session.

Video 1. Split-leap exchanges with the athlete advancing horizontally.

Video 2. Lunge-leap combination.

A related exercise group were lunge walks, a slow and almost goofy walk combining a low lunge and tall unilateral stance. We used these as activations or inserts. The common factor for me was that I could not perform any of the slow variations without falling over or clenching so strongly that I could barely move or breathe.

I became competent with the leaps and bounds, but for one factor: increased ability in these exercises did not translate to targeted skill improvements. Neither takeoffs nor sprint times showed any improvements for all the time invested. On assessments such as five hops, distances stayed much the same and left-right imbalances were still obvious. I looked smoother and improved my capacity, but of course in power-speed sports there are no bonuses for looking good.

Others within the group improved, but my here never inched towards there. I tried to hit the ground harder, thinking it would add to takeoff landing and takeoff intensity. My ankles and feet were in pain. I tried more, with additional sessions…recovery suffered, sleep became fragmented, everything hurt. There was drifting away—this was a downward spiral of dissatisfaction and injury.

In hindsight, clues to why this was happening were in the slower work, with the faster work showing the outcomes. I did not have the language or understanding to figure it all out and was in a situation that was unable to provide options. It was FOFY (find out for yourself) time.

I did not have the language or understanding to figure it all out and was in a situation that was unable to provide options. Share on X

Chronic ankle sprains (mostly from basketball) had left me with poor static balance and dynamic stability.¹ Out of anxiety, I avoided uneven terrain (even cracks in the pavement), lateral work, and quick directional changes. From another perspective, the program was good, probably ahead of its time…but if the athlete is not ready for the program, there will be little development. In this situation, I was not ready and did not have the full capability to manage the complexities of the program or the need for speed over the ground (see Frans Bosch’s Anatomy of Agility for more on the constraints-led approach).

Out of puzzlement and wanting to diminish growing negativity, I began to work on slow lunge and split squat variations (for me, lunges have an airborne phase for one or both feet rather than being statically anchored). The two exercises morphed into an up-down hybrid (see illustrated self-portrait below).

At first, I needed wall support and was very tense with co-contraction anxiety. The issues with stability and balance were immediately obvious, and with the slower work there were no places to hide or compensate. Looking down at my front foot, I could see that the tibialis anterior was twitching all over the place—something I called the “Tibs Dance.” My torso and hips would twitch and sway side-to-side, unable to find a stable center, and my feet were passive paddles.

What the hybrid lunge challenged me to do was develop stabilizing networks, from foot to hip to torso, and enable these to work with higher force-velocity components. One insight I gained was that it was all the little stabilizers that were limiting development—I had to shift perspectives from training big muscle movers to also including stabilizers and synergists. I had to learn to move with ease while balancing.

We are increasingly living in a manufactured world of smooth terrains and firm surfaces. Humans are built to deal with variable terrains and unstable surfaces at speed, but only if they train the skills. Only if they reduce their own joint and movement variability for a particular skill set. I had avoided this for years.

Humans are built to deal with variable terrains and unstable surfaces at speed, but only if they train the skills. Share on X

Chronic injuries teach us that restoration of function is more than being pain-free; we need to reframe our mechanics, rewire our headsets for neuromuscular enhancement, and reformat our physiology so that the big muscle chains cannot overwhelm the stabilizing networks. In the storyline, the rush to resume training and the pressures from systems to resume competitions were always doomed to ceilings and chronic pain. We carry our injury patterns forward unless there is an intervention for change. This was personally tough to accept, but pain can be a powerful motivator.

Now

Circumstances have changed for coaches and athletes since the timeframe of that story. The internet makes more information readily accessible and coaching education is better and more collaborative. There is more applicable research becoming available, coupled with insightful analyses. We can also do more of what I would call “cultural crossovers” from sport to sport, gathering up little nuggets of insight. Further still, there is more opportunity to tap into systematized training as opposed to cherry-picking isolated exercises or copying the patterns that someone did in the past that might have worked.

However, we have also learned that things like pandemics change access and interaction. We need better critical thinking skills to weed out speculative or faulty training suggestions from the mass of information we are bombarded with. We are all learning that fact checking needs to be a part of the decision-making process to ensure that performance and prevention needs are not lost. In some ways the “here and there” conundrum can still emerge and frustrate us.

Lunges and split squats have retained their validity over time. They offer that assessment-remedy framework that I tapped into in the past. I look at them as complementary work, bridging a gap between slow and fast as well as bilateral to unilateral supports. Today, as a coach and mentor, I divide complementary work into subsections of preparation. Preparation, to my thinking, runs parallel to training and competition readiness and never leaves the program. What I was doing in those ages past was what I would now term “preparation to move.”

Lunges and split squats have retained their validity over time. Share on X

The hybrid lunge mentioned in my story has a major limitation: diminishing returns on time invested once the foundation of balance and stability have been developed or reformatted—they turn into air squat equivalents and dozens of reps. The traditional pathway would add external overloads to the bodyweight work, but these too come with both limitations and precautions. As a coach, I needed a better way to bridge the gap between foundation body repetitions and higher force-velocity skills.

My solution, taken from historical conditioning formats, other sports, and athletes themselves, was to devise ways of increasing force within the body rather than by imposing external loads. Research informs us that isometric tensions can have positive effects on muscle fibre recruitment and tendon function. By using bracing and anchoring formats, the benefits of isometric tension can be applied to a range of motion. I call these exercises “polymetric” for the multi-dimensional tensions being used through a range of motion.

Anyone who has used a tool like a wrench on a stubborn nut or bolt knows that bracing the body from the anchored feet on up through the torso and shoulders will produce far greater force than not anchoring and using only the arm. That same wrench situation suggests that the hips and core are furiously working as the bracing link between the feet and hands. Throwing and racquet sports use that same anchor-brace idea in a finger snap of time. Applying the same principles to lunges and split squats provides far more benefit than simply moving up and down. What an athlete can do is add agonist-antagonist tension, a great deal of tension towards max, by squeezing or pushing against those anchors with the big movers of the hips and legs (think ham-glute against iliopsoas-rec femoris).

Polymetric work is hard work!

Anchoring a split squat posture and adding 80% (or more) squeeze-push tension challenges the stability networks to work at much higher intensities alongside the chains establishing the pose. Because of the narrow base of support, the lateral stabilizers of the feet, legs, and spine all need to coordinate how they operate to prevent sway and shudder. As the central movement chains and synergists flex and extend against resistance, stabilizers are co-contracting to keep the joint systems in alignment.

These stabilizers learn to “pre-flex” before transitions to reduce muscle slack and retain those capabilities and sensations as “preparation to move” shifts to higher forces and velocities.³ The beauty of this arrangement is that the whole action becomes self-regulating. If there is an area or particular set of stabilizers that are not functioning in alignment, not at the same tension levels, or fatigue more quickly, then wobbles or disruptions will attract attention and can be remedied.

The ankle, for example, is a frequent “weak spot” in anchoring tension exercises due to injury, faulty movement patterns, and imbalanced development. The larger muscle systems above it simply overwhelm the lower leg stirrups and anchoring muscles of the foot. Some remedial pre-preparation work may be required, as with injury patterns, but for most athletes a shift in focus to the ankles and feet while performing the whole action will be enough to initiate change. The observation of a wobble during an anchored lunge will be the same or similar with the performance skill—the difference is that imbalances may be hidden due to the speed of motion or because we are not sure what to look for or we have learned to effectively mask the faulty pattern. In slower, high tension activity, every imbalance shows itself.

Three Pathways

Working backwards from the hundreds of dynamic landings and plyometrics that challenge force-velocity capabilities, the “preparation to move” selections ensure that the systems that are providing most of the power in landing and takeoff skills are not having to compensate for relatively weaker or imbalanced mobility-stability networks. From this perspective, mobility and stability are on a continuum where we can slide along an axis to find out what works for us.

Mobility and stability are on a continuum where we can slide along an axis to find out what works for us. Share on X

As I found when exploring the hybrid lunge, many variations and postures can be created out of one exercise. The key is in finding variants that suit the needs of the athlete, coupled with the challenges of the target skills. The three pathways outlined here are starting points I suggest with athletes so that their needs are addressed and “cookie-cutter” approaches are avoided. It’s a bit of a Goldilocks process of finding the conditioning and preparation directions that are “just right.”

The profiled exercise is an adaptation of a split squat that capitalizes on anchoring and bracing polymetrics to produce great forces while requiring attention to stability. The exercise is called a Watson Squat (with a nod to Matt Watson of Plus Plyos, who provided great feedback in the development of anchored exercising). This split squat has the rear foot positioned up the wall about 30-45 cm (12-18 inches). Because there is a baseline pressure required to hold the position while moving, there are stability networks and mobility chains that never rest. Additionally, pressure against the anchors can be ramped up to near max as extensors and flexors work against each other.

1. Mobility-Stability Combo

The middle of the mobility-stability axis tends to be suited to athletes needing to correct imbalances that are limiting development. We all have imbalances: left-right, top-bottom, front-back, and joint-specific. What we can do is minimize their impact on force-velocity development by enhancing mobility (strength through a range of motion) along with stability at each point along that range. Athletes can select a few key exercises and work them at high intensities to challenge both mobility and stability to remedy imbalances. This strategy also keeps the reps manageable and the focus on consistency.

Video 3. Matt Watson demonstrates “The Watson Squat.”

The Watson Squat works well here as the athlete learns to move through a range of extension and flexion with push actions for both up and down motions. Maintaining stability and knee alignment with the front foot is usually an initial challenge that is remedied within 8-10 sessions due to neuromuscular factors developing in tandem with the mechanics. A typical set structure will be 8-12 reps at about 70% max voluntary intensity that shifts to 5-8 reps with 80%+ intensity.

Maintaining stability and knee alignment with the front foot is usually an initial challenge. Share on X

2. More Stability

Through exploration or observation—as with myself not being able to hold a posture—athletes may find that stability is a key limitation. This involves mobility issues, but often needs added neuromuscular emphasis. Smaller tendomuscular groups involved in stability networks often gang together to form strong blocks of tension, as happens with the intrinsic muscles of the feet. This capability needs to be trained and then refined for capacity so that the larger chains do not overwhelm the stabilizing effect that is part of consistency.

Using the Twist Watson Squat introduces the need for constant stabilizing adjustments. In this variant, the tension through the anchors remains much the same, usually at about 60-70% voluntary max to begin with. The torso twists create challenges to the feet, legs, and hips. The lumbar-ham-glute connection is also getting more attention due to the postural tilt.

3. More Mobility

Situations where there is a strength imbalance between the big movers and the stability networks are quite common. A traditional approach is to isolate groups or regions for designated work. The focused emphasis is useful, if not necessary, for rehab and restoration following injury. The limitations are longer-term carryover and time. With areas like ankles or knees, where ligament laxity may require supportive tendomuscular work, ongoing pre-preparation is warranted.

Situations where there is a strength imbalance between the big movers and the stability networks are quite common. Share on X

“Preparation to move” domains employ more integrative whole-body work so that areas like the hips and core are also involved. As with the original story, the ankles can be a direct issue, but if the hip abductors and rotators are weakened, they will not offer full support during dynamic skills. Doing some anchor-brace work can be of huge benefit in this instance, as reps and intensities can be applied for max benefits.

One variation of the Watson Squat that works well is to lower the rear leg to the corner of the wall. A Corner-Braced Watson Squat changes dynamic posture slightly, but also allows for both squeeze and push intensities to be applied. Adding capacity to capability at high intensities challenges the various movers and stabilizers to adapt and to recruit muscle fibres to a higher degree. The other advantage of the corner brace variation is that the rhythm is more easily changed from slow-mo to fast without altering the basic mechanics. The stability networks also learn to deal with quicker transitions: a bridge towards more dynamic work that refines how faster eccentric loading is managed.

Takeaways From Then and Now

The original storyline offered a glimpse at how stepping away from the workout format to correct imbalances and restore function was a rudimentary step toward preparation for the training system that was to fuel performance. Without that effort, the performance ceiling would remain simply because historical constraints were carried forwards into the training formats. Interventions with mobility and stability work altered how the body responded to movements, balanced strength deficits, and created new patterns allowing skill development with joint protection.

That story began with the reflection that a valuable lesson was learned; and, in fact, there were more than one. One important insight was an awareness of body plasticity: the ability to modify how the body responds and adapts. Most of us, if asked, believe that a great deal of “who we are” is genetically set, and relatedly, that talent is for the few. Plasticity shows us that most of who we are can be modified and adapted to a variety of demands…that’s what training does.

The overlapping lesson was one of self-responsibility. Taking charge and owning the directions for growth is something we can embrace at all ages. Sport development, as with other cultural expressions, is a great place to form and refine this quality. The opposite of self-responsibility is not irresponsibility as you may think: it’s dependency. Although the original story had youthful flaws in terms of communication, it was also an exercise in self-responsibility. David Hemery, the 1968 gold medallist in 400m hurdles, pointed out in his survey of world-class performers that controlling your own destiny is a shared trait.⁴ The alternative is to show up and let things happen, or to expect a program to magically transform “here” into “there.”

Taking charge and owning the directions for growth is something we can embrace at all ages. Share on X

Finally, it needs to be said that lunges and split squats were not some special or secret remedy for breaking through a performance ceiling. As noted, the clues to why the limitations existed were more obvious in slower activities. It is not the exercise providing the answers, it is the sensory information we get from the exercise that creates a decision-remedy pathway. Our bodies are laced with sensors telling us where we are and how well we move. Learning to listen to our bodily information, processing it, and deciding how to proceed is the biggest lesson of all; and it is something we can carry from “here” to “there.”

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 & Additional Reading

1. De Mers, M.S., Hicks, J.L, and Delp, S.L. Preparatory Co-Activation of the Ankle Muscles May Prevent Ankle Inversion Injuries. Journal of Biomechanics. 2017;52:17-23.

2. Bosch, F. Anatomy of Agility: Movement Analysis in Sport. 20/10 Publishers. 2020.

3. Van Hooren, B. and Bosch, F. Influence of Muscle Slack on High Intensity Sport Performance: A Review. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 2016;38(5):75-87.

4. Hemery, D. Sporting Excellence: What Makes a Champion? Harper Collins. 1991.

In almost 10 years, my search for the ideal recipe for optimized recovery has had the scent of an epic…the quest for my Holy Grail, so to speak! I’ve tried crazy, futuristic technologies including floating tanks, hyperbaric chambers, lasers of all kinds, and gadgets worthy of James Bond. I’ve attended lectures from great doctors and famous scientists and started talking about biohacking with engineers straight out of Google’s “dream factory.” In this quest, I’ve also had to oust snake oil vendors and other new druids peddling magic potions and fancy powders.

Many times, I have found myself grappling with questionable practices so folkloric that one would almost excuse the quasi-total absence of their scientific basis. Perhaps you have experienced the same story? Or are you still outside, with your sleeves rolled up, determined to find this elusive recipe?

Good luck.

Each individual is different, and each athlete is a complex system in their own right. As Louie Simmons said, everything works, but not forever. Varying recovery techniques may be as important to keeping an athlete on their feet as varying workouts. Strength session and the troops are sent to take cold baths; endurance session and the same recovery modality is used again. Morning or evening, preseason or final week. Let’s stop for a bit. We can do better if we take the time to rethink how we prescribe recovery.

Cold Is Not the Answer

Since 1978, two things haven’t changed: the music of the Bee Gees continues to loop in discotheques and the RICE protocol (rest, ice, compression, elevation) continues to be systematically applied for the treatment of sports injuries. Ice is a standard treatment for injuries and muscle pain because it helps relieve pain caused by injured tissue. Pulling the cold baths and icing cards from the magic hat of recovery techniques to apply in all circumstances was once my favorite trick. It was forgivable a decade ago, but it is now clear that ice and complete rest delay healing rather than help it.

It is now clear that ice and complete rest delay healing rather than help it. Share on X

A recent study observed athletes required to exercise so intensely that they developed severe muscle damage causing extensive muscle pain.¹ Although the cooling delayed the swelling, it did not speed up healing of the muscle damage. Furthermore, no evidence was found that ice and compression accelerated healing compared to using compression alone.

When muscles and other tissues are damaged, whether it is the result of injury or intense training, inflammatory cells rush to injured tissue to start the healing process. These inflammatory cells, called macrophages, release a hormone that is particularly important in the recovery and reconstruction of damaged tissue: insulin-like growth factor (Insulin Growth Factor 1, or IGF-1). The use of ice to reduce swelling tends to delay healing by inhibiting the body from releasing IGF-1.

That people are less concerned with IGF-1 than with the feeling of pain and swelling when an injury is fresh is understandable, especially if the athlete cannot be recovered in a short period of time. But cold exposure as a systematic, post-workout recovery strategy is absurd—especially in the preseason, when the goal is to induce adaptations requiring a large amount of inflammation (such as building muscle mass). IGF-1 is a potent anabolic agent and plays a central role in muscle and metabolic adaptations to exercise. Spending long minutes in a cold bath right after a hypertrophy session is a bit like having a Diet Coke with your Big Mac and fries. It doesn’t help the matter.

Applying ice to damaged tissue (and again, intense muscle training leads to damage, not just collisions) causes blood vessels to constrict in exposed muscles. This effect is not simply present during the application of ice, the blood vessels do not open for many hours after treatment. Vasoconstriction in muscles damaged and fatigued by exercise is a dramatic outcome in an attempt to optimize recovery. Cytokines and other inflammatory agents no longer have access to the area that requires their action, and the nutrients ingested will not reach their destination, compromising muscle glycogen stores. Moreover, the lymphatic system is slowed down and metabolic waste accumulates locally. Overall, this decrease in blood flow is a hindrance to recovery.

Cold exposure as a systematic, post-workout recovery strategy is absurd—especially in the preseason, when the goal is to induce adaptations requiring a large amount of inflammation. Share on X

Cold baths and icing are big favorites for intra-games activities in tournament-style sports, such as Sevens rugby. Cooling can help reduce pain, but it interferes with an athlete’s strength, speed, endurance, and coordination. A medical journal presented 35 studies on the effects of cooling, and most reported a decrease in strength, speed, power, and agility immediately after cooling.²

So, is it worth the effort?

Adiponectin and Overtraining Syndrome

I am not sick of the cold, make no mistake! Cold has multiple positive effects on recovery.

An interesting aspect of winter numbness is that it stimulates the production of adiponectin. This hormone, synthesized in adipose tissue, is involved in the regulation of glucose. Adiponectin increases muscle uptake of glucose—without a parallel increase in insulin—which reduces blood sugar.

Adiponectin is also the most potent anti-inflammatory adipocytokine. It strongly suppresses the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-F, and recent studies show that it induces the production of various anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10. This hormone, capable of increasing insulin sensitivity and endowed with anti-inflammatory properties, is said to have a considerable antidepressant and anxiolytic effect. When you consider the following sequence…

…the potential impact of adiponectin becomes clear. The concept of overtraining is complex, and there is still no consensus on its definition. Perhaps this is a gross exaggeration or perhaps this is an avenue to explore, but in view of the effects of adiponectin, cold therapy offers itself as a possible solution for the victims of overtraining.

Cold Exposure and the Immune System

Engaging in a cooling activity is also a great way to fight bacterial infections, seasonal viruses, and other temporary illnesses. Exposure to cold causes an increase in the number and activity of natural killer cells, as well as interleukin-6 available in the bloodstream, which strengthens the integrity of the immune system.

The cold contributes to better immunity through an additional phenomenon, the expression of the target of rapamycin (mTOR). Exposure to cold inhibits mTORC1 and starts a process of autophagy, in which the body destroys some of its own cells. This mechanism eliminates damaged cells and thus strengthens the immune system. Cold therapy at the time of the first symptoms, although counterintuitive, can therefore help to fight more effectively against an infection or a virus such as the common cold.

The use of cold should be prescribed for specific conditions:

• Urgent weight loss.
• Overtraining.
• Fragile health or immune depression due to a particularly grueling period (multiple long trips, congested schedule, etc.).

On the other hand, when the development of physical qualities or daily post-session recovery is the objective, you should generally avoid this strategy. (I hope I haven’t…cooled you off on the practice completely.)

Heat Shock Proteins: Role in Recovery

Swap your fleece suit for a swimsuit, and let’s explore the effects of heat exposure. The Native Americans adopted the sweat lodge; Scandinavians swear by their saunas; the soothing bubbles of a Jacuzzi or the steaming fog of a steam room are attractive after a week of hard work…there are many good reasons for this. Fifty years of scientific studies confirm the effectiveness of regular exposure to a hot environment.

Fifty years of scientific studies confirm the effectiveness of regular exposure to a hot environment. Share on X

There are several mechanisms at work here, and a primary one is heat shock proteins (HSPs). For 98% of human history, our ancestors were regularly exposed to heat. It was only with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the crutch-turned-innovations that followed that we stopped suffering from the heat, at least in “developed” countries. Unless you are a runner who exercises in the African dunes or a diehard CrossFitter voluntarily exposing themselves to a risk of rhabdomyolysis, it is a safe bet that your training sessions (in their majority) take place either in an environment where the temperature is controlled or at a time of day when the temperature is milder.

The result? Your HSPs have gone into sleep mode, and with them a powerful way to regulate your immunity and deal with internal and external stressors. HSPs protect cells against stress. Secreted during and after physical exercise, they have several functions. Some researchers believe that increasing levels of peripheral HSP70 molecules participate in the perception of fatigue.

HSP70 plays a role in muscle repair by restoring the recruitment of muscle cells involved in the inflammatory response. Several studies report an association between muscle strength output and HSP70 levels, and the main function of HSPs at the muscle level is to support regeneration processes. Exposure to heat stimulates the same adaptations and can be used to mimic the regenerative effects of physical exercise at a lower energetic, mechanical, and psychological cost.

Post-Training Heat Exposure Increases Physiological Adaptations

More interestingly, heat exposure and exercise can be combined for even more benefits. The production of HSP results in a type of preconditioning of cells. With this preconditioning, subsequent stressors do not have the same impact as the initial event. Therefore, preconditioning or priming (thermal shock priming) can be used to “train” the internal environment. Exercise is one of those preconditioning stresses and exposure to heat is another.

Combining training with a hot environment could potentially be beneficial for performance, providing a protective thermotolerance effect against any subsequent heat stress during exercise. Share on X

Combining training with a hot environment could potentially be beneficial for performance, providing a protective thermotolerance effect against any subsequent heat stress during exercise. This is because the combination of exercise and heat exposure can cause greater expression of HSP than either treatment alone. A recent study has approached this reflection from a new angle, suggesting that whole body heat stress after training additively improves endurance training-induced mitochondrial adaptations in skeletal muscle.³

In other words, post-exercise heat exposure increases physiological adaptations. Basking in a warm post-workout environment increases blood flow to the skeletal muscles, keeping them supplied with glucose, fatty acids, and oxygen while removing by-products of the metabolic processes.

When heat exposure becomes a routine, this hyperthermic conditioning reduces the use of muscle glycogen by a whopping 40% to 50%, possibly due to the increased blood flow to the muscles. One study has shown that a 30-minute sauna session twice a week for three weeks after training increases the time it takes for participants to run to exhaustion by 32%.⁴ This improvement in performance is accompanied by a 7.1% increase in plasma volume and a 3.5% increase in the number of red blood cells. More red blood cells equal increased oxygen supply. Heat acclimatization increases the number of red blood cells through erythropoietin (EPO) because the body tries to compensate for the corresponding increase in plasma volume.

Heat Exposure and Hypertrophy Gains

The benefits of heat exposure as a post-exercise recovery method don’t stop with endurance performance. Exercise can induce muscle growth. Heat induces muscle hypertrophy. Put in synergy, they induce hyper-hypertrophy. Heat acclimatization reduces the amount of protein breakdown and increases net protein synthesis and, as a result, muscle hypertrophy. Perhaps neither endurance nor hypertrophy is important to your sport? No problem. Heat therapy provides better post-workout recovery with three other notorious effects:

• Prevention of protein breakdown.
• Massive increase in growth hormone release.
• Improved insulin sensitivity.

Heat therapy provides better post-workout recovery with 3 notorious effects: prevention of protein breakdown, massive increase in growth hormone release, and improved insulin sensitivity. Share on X

Oxidative stress is a main cause of protein degradation. For this reason, any means that can prevent exercise-induced oxidative damage and repair damaged proteins, while maintaining exercise-induced protein synthesis, results in a marked increase in protein synthesis (anabolism). Intermittent heat exposure elicits a hormetic response (a protective response to stress) in which secreted HSPs work to prevent damages by directly removing free radicals and supporting cellular antioxidant capacity through their effects on glutathione maintenance. HSPs, moreover, repair misfolded and damaged proteins, thus ensuring the structure and function of muscle cells.

Hyperthermia and Growth Hormones Release

Hyperthermal conditioning increases anabolism and promotes recovery through massive induction of growth hormone. Many of the anabolic effects of growth hormone are primarily mediated by IGF-1, which is synthesized in response to growth hormone. There are two important mechanisms by which IGF-1 promotes skeletal muscle growth: It increases protein synthesis through activation of the mTOR pathway, and it decreases protein degradation via inhibition of the FOXO pathway. An increase in circulating IGF1 levels is associated with improved recovery after intense exercise, accelerated tissue regeneration, and increased performance in strength and power.

Exogenous administration of growth hormone and IGF1 is prohibited by WADA, and it is an offense to possess them. In the event of injuries or exacerbated fatigue, or even to speed up muscular adaptations to training, there’s no need to forge solid links with such and such cartel supplying prohibited products! Two 20-minute sauna sessions at 80 degrees Celsius separated by a 30-minute cooldown period results in growth hormone levels twice as high as the initial value.

Meanwhile, two 15-minute sauna sessions at 100 degrees Celsius interspersed with a 30-minute cooldown period increases growth hormone levels fivefold.

What is perhaps more surprising, however, is that repeated exposure to intermittent whole-body hyperthermia has an even more profound effect on stimulating growth hormone. One study shows that immediately after two one-hour sauna sessions a day at 80 degrees Celsius for seven days, starting on the third day, growth hormone levels were 16 times higher than pre-study levels.⁵ The effects of growth hormone usually persist for a few hours after the sauna.

It is also important to note that the combination of hyperthermia and exercise induces a synergistic effect on growth hormone. Inviting your athlete to relax in the sauna after a hypertrophy session can boost the muscle mass and strength gains even further. More results without the need for more repetitions means less fatigue and better performances in the long run.

Heat Exposure’s Effect on Insulin

Intermittent exposure to heat stress can also have an impact on the production and sensitivity of the insulin hormone. Insulin resistance is a common problem in athletic populations—especially in explosive sports—resulting in impaired glucose uptake and diminished performances. Resistant, diabetic mice were subjected to 30 minutes of hyperthermic treatment, three times per week for 12 weeks. Researchers reported a 31% decrease in insulin levels and a significant reduction in blood sugar, suggesting re-sensitization to insulin.⁶

Of course, your athletes are not exactly like obese, diabetic mice (at least, I hope not). However, the mechanism by which heat exposure affects insulin also applies to them. Hyperthermal therapy specifically targets skeletal muscle by increasing the expression of a type of transporter called GLUT 4, which is responsible for transporting glucose into skeletal muscle from the bloodstream. Decreased absorption of glucose by skeletal muscle is one of the mechanisms leading to insulin resistance. Heading straight to the post-workout sauna helps ensure optimal glucose transport to the muscle and decreases muscle breakdown—a winning combo that helps optimize recovery.

Heading straight to the post-workout sauna helps ensure optimal glucose transport to the muscle and decreases muscle breakdown—a winning combo that helps optimize recovery. Share on X

Immediate, post-workout heat exposure strengthens the immune system, increases muscle adaptations, and improves aerobic performance. It guarantees a life-saving anabolism for muscle mass and the integrity of muscles, tendons, and ligaments, while optimizing insulin sensitivity, restoring muscle glycogen reserves, and stopping the degradation of cellular proteins. It’s difficult to name a recovery strategy that offers more benefits—and when we compare this list to the supposed effects of the cold, we understand that the sauna is often preferable to the ice bath.

What About Contrasts?

Cold has its advantages; hot has its own. Logically, there is a strong temptation to combine them to win on both counts. The “contrast” technique—changing from cold to hot and then from hot to cold over several cycles of varying lengths—is widely used as a post-workout recovery method in team sports.

Subjectively, this practice is the most enjoyable for the majority of athletes. On the other hand, physiologically, it is not that easy to kill two birds with one stone. Indeed, if prolonged exposure to cold and heat is able to change muscle temperature, this is not the case with contrast where only a fluctuation in body temperature has been reported. Studies on the potential benefits of contrast therapy on recovery post strenuous exercise are rather equivocal, with the main positive findings being a stronger muscle-swelling reduction when compared to passive recovery. However, studies looking at contrast versus cold water immersion therapy are rare, and all conducted so far show both types of immersion therapy induce superior recovery than just doing nothing, without one being much more potent than the other.

In a review of the different immersion therapies, Ian Wilcock, John Cronin, and Wayne Hing suggest that the majority of the benefits of such recovery strategy come from the hydrostatic pressure of the water, independent of the choice of temperature.⁷ If we stick to these conclusions, as long as your athletes casually wade for several minutes, going from hot bath to cold, the benefits will be the same regardless of the temperatures used. The physiological effects of contrast baths for the treatment of injuries have been well documented, but their physiological rationale for improving recovery is less clear.

Most of the experimental evidence suggests that immersion in hot and cold water helps reduce injuries in their acute stage, through vasodilation and vasoconstriction, thereby stimulating blood flow and reducing swelling. This blood-bypassing action may be one of the mechanisms for eliminating metabolites, repairing exerted muscle, and slowing metabolic processes.

While mild, benign, and probably quite positive, hot- and cold-water immersion is not a substitute for long-term exposure to cold or heat. Share on X

To date, very few studies have focused on the effectiveness of hot- and cold-water immersion for post-exercise treatment. While mild, benign, and probably quite positive, this recovery strategy is not a substitute for long-term exposure to cold or heat. The comfort of contrast baths makes them a consistent choice for following a session of low-to-moderate intensity and volume, or for fit players who don’t need a lot to get ready session after session.

So, in the face of such a quantity of information, it may seem kind of difficult to make the right decision as to when to turn up the heat or immerse in the cold. Hopefully the charts below can offer an easy guideline when in doubt.

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. Roberts LA, Raastad T, Markworth JF, et al. “Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training.” The Journal of Physiology. 2015;593(18):4285-4301.

2. Higgins T, Greene D, and Baker M. “Effects of Cold Water Immersion and Contrast Water Therapy for Recovery from Team Sport: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2017;31(5):1443-1460.

3. Gryka D, Pilch W, Szarek M, Szygula Z, Tota Ł. “The effect of sauna bathing on lipid profile in young, physically active, male subjects.” International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health. 2014;27(4):608-618.

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Wearable electronic devices have inundated the consumer market for over a decade, with numerous products available for the sports performance enthusiast. Millions of FitBits have been purchased since 2014, conferring metrics for heart rate, movement, and sleep quality; meanwhile, the recovery monitor WHOOP is popular within the CrossFit community to guide training readiness via heart rate variability and sleep analysis.

I view these tools as conveying “metadata” about an athlete; by which I mean a measure of overall physical condition based upon heuristics tied to the activity of the heart (which Soviet sports scientists studied and implemented decades ago). Another category of wearables, either situated on the body or on the barbell, includes velocity sensors for which the present moment is a golden age of affordable options with excellent data fidelity. The purpose of this review, however, is to discuss a third type of sensor designed to provide highly specific metrics for a single sport: the PlayerMaker Uno, a wearable soccer tracker.

I provide private strength and conditioning services to youth athletes who compete in a variety of sports including wrestling, American football, soccer, and track. It’s a unique environment in that my current group has remained largely intact for the past three years, thus allowing me the chance to closely monitor and plan their training long term. I rely on equipment such as force plates and contact grids to collect data on the effectiveness of my methods, and while we already use sensors for sprinting, jumping, and lifting, I simply wasn’t aware of tools to measure performance on the pitch. Therefore, when the opportunity arose to try out the Uno, I immediately took it.

Unboxing

If you have purchased a new phone within the last 10 years, you will already be familiar with the packaging of the PlayerMaker. Sleek and compartmentalized, even without a quick start guide you would find yourself quickly getting started.

The two devices, one for each foot, are housed in a flip-top charging case in the same style as popular wireless earbuds today. Attach the supplied USB-C cable to the case to charge the sensors for a few hours (the case itself will not charge the sensors when removed from an electrical connection). Once the case lights are orange, the devices are ready for pairing via Bluetooth.

The App

The user interface is well designed, nice to look at, and easy to navigate. The only drawback is that Android devices are not supported at this time, but the company says that will change later this year. To ensure the connection is made to the appropriate sensors, the app will display the last four digits of the MAC address of each device, and those characters should match what is on the respective label of each: the blue sensor is for the left, and the red is for the right.

There is the option to select the left, right, or both. During the connection process, any available updates will be downloaded and installed.

The PlayerMaker Uno user interface is well designed, nice to look at, and easy to navigate. Share on X

I encountered one issue during connection that I can see being a common one for new users: once the sensors have been associated with an account, in order for a different account to use them, the sensors must first be deleted from the original account. The troubleshooting guide on the PlayerMaker website describes this exact scenario and the resolution, which I discovered in about 10 seconds of searching. That experience left me very impressed with the company’s troubleshooting guide.

An additional consideration is the data itself and who has access. PlayerMaker provides the option to automatically email activity reports to user-specified addresses. In addition, control over viewing and editing activities can be restricted to the player only or to the coaching staff. These features enable a variety of workflows whereby the player can have as much or as little involvement in the analysis of their stats as they would like.

Field Test

The workflow is simple and intuitive: each time the sensors are removed from the case, inserted into the straps, and attached to the cleats a new session will be recorded. Once they are returned to the case, the app will receive data about the most recent session. All historical data is automatically saved for you and available for viewing so long as your internet connection is active.

All historical data is automatically saved for you and available for viewing so long as your internet connection is active. Share on X

At this point it’s important to cover a couple of details that were not apparent when I began. First, I ran a quick 100m (well, not quick, but slow) to ensure that everything worked as intended. When I attempted to download the data, the app informed me that the minimum distance tracked is 300m. Ok, no problem, I ran 400m and repeated the download: this time I found out there’s a minimum time requirement for activity tracking of 10 minutes. This was a little annoying considering that the Activities menu could easily display the requirements for creating your first activity. On the other hand, it’s also entirely reasonable to expect that anyone practicing or playing soccer would meet the minimum requirements.

The elastic bands housing each device are of course suitable for a range of cleat sizes. During purchasing, you have the option to select:

• Medium (3.5-8.5 Men’s US/3.5-9.0 Women’s US)
• Large (9-13 Men’s US/9.5-12 Women’s US)

My testing included men’s sizes 9 to 13 without any issues. The sensors can be inserted before or after the strap is wrapped over the cleat, which makes removal and insertion of the sensor a separate step from adding or removing the strap. This is a smart and time-saving design feature because it is likely the strap would always stay on the cleat, and the sensor would be swapped in and out for practice and games. For those who use different cleats for training versus competition, it would be worthwhile to purchase additional straps.

Metrics

A variety of metrics are stored for your review. I won’t cover all of them here, but I want to highlight a few of the more salient. It’s also a good time to mention that PlayerMaker offers a team-based kit called Squad that gives greater control over monitoring and data collection than the Uno. With that in mind, if there is an option the Uno doesn’t support, it may be that Squad does.

PlayerMaker also offers a team-based kit called Squad that gives greater control over monitoring and data collection than the Uno. Share on X

1. Distance Covered. To accurately assess the weekly physical demands from training and competition it would be valuable to know just how much running volume an athlete accumulates. We care about plyometric touches, strength training volume and intensity, the velocity of power movements, the volume and intensity of sprints, yet we assume the training load of a match is some mixture of walking, running, and sprinting for 90 minutes. What is accomplished within that time can vary considerably—perhaps not in the Premier League, where the action is relentless, but in your local club or high school I assume most players could not quantify their aerobic output in an absolute sense (e.g., 4km, 8km, 12km) or the proportion dedicated to sprinting.
2. Sprint Distance. As a helpful companion to the distance metric, this tracks the portion of the Distance Covered metric that was run at a speed of 5.5 m/s or higher. The ratio of Sprint Distance to Distance Covered could be used to gauge the intensity of the match; the closer to 1, the greater the proportion of time spent moving at higher speeds.
3. Work Rate. As it turns out, the application already tracks a metric called Work Rate, which is the ratio of the Distance Covered divided by the time of the activity. I give a lot of credit to the designers for providing exactly the information that athletes would most want; it’s very reassuring when the data I wish for is actually already there.
4. Maximum Kicking Velocity. As with all ball-related measures, this information is available separately for the left and right foot. Unless you are Son Heung-Min, it is likely that you have a non-trivial difference between your dominant and non-dominant legs. The larger the discrepancy between the two, the greater the benefit of a training intervention to improve the weaker leg. The same rationale can be applied to touches and releases (passes), both of which are recorded for each side.

Unless you are Son Heung-Min, it is likely that you have a non-trivial difference between your dominant and non-dominant legs. Share on X

The sensors themselves are inertial measurement units (IMUs). To better understand what data they generate, I reached out to PlayerMaker and they responded helpfully. Because it can be distinguished when the foot is in the air or on the ground, the flight and ground contact times for each leg are known and therefore the stride length can be calculated. From here it is easy to begin speculating on novel applications beyond soccer.

Applying the Data

Keep in mind that all metrics would be expected to demonstrate improvement over time, especially if starting with younger ages. There is perhaps a decreased need for monitoring a more developed player, which is why I would begin using this sensor with players who are old enough to manage the application but also young enough to benefit from and be motivated by the results.

The information obtained from any sensor package is only as valuable as the efficacy of the decisions that are made with that information. Having more and more data does not necessarily increase the quality of decisions, but not having it can certainly harm them. For instance, there is an overwhelming amount of data published daily on the stock market, which is useless on its own and must be interpreted by an analyst or software algorithm that will decide what to do.

Having more and more data does not necessarily increase the quality of decisions, but not having it can certainly harm them. Share on X

Absent data, you can only make guesses or copy the actions you see other people taking; on the other hand, relevant data might make you a cryptocurrency millionaire or at least help your athletes perform better. Furthermore, information, in a technical sense, relates to those facts that are not already known. If the PlayerMaker reveals that a striker favors their dominant leg, this is unlikely to convey anything novel to the player or the coach. However, if it is shown that the kicking velocity of the non-dominant leg is increasing over time, that may justify whatever training has been assigned to accomplish that outcome.

Rapid-Fire Athlete Q&A

The following is a brief exchange with one of my athletes, Pavan Nawbatt of the Santa Clara Sporting ‘05 boys team, part of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). I asked him to try out the PlayerMaker and send me some feedback.

Me: Is there an issue you think the PlayerMaker could help you with?

Pavan: The percentage of left-right usage is important. I favor my right, but the app showed the ratio was higher than I expected.

Me: Do you feel you have the ability to use the information on your own?

Pavan: Absolutely—the reports are straightforward and easy to understand.

Me: Did the app tell you anything you did not already know?

Pavan: Yes, the maximum velocity of my shots.

Me: Is there anything you wish the app could tell you that it doesn’t?

Pavan: Nothing I can think of.

Me: Do you think this device would be more useful for you today or when you were younger?

Pavan: Definitely now because I understand the data, the app, and what to do with the results.

Final Recommendations

Given that a high level of soccer performance is achievable without PlayerMaker, it is certainly the case that such a device is not required to improve performance. What is less clear is the degree to which a youth soccer program with far fewer resources than a professional organization might benefit from athlete monitoring. Moreover, empowering individual players to measure and monitor their own outcomes is appealing both from a technological and a self-determination standpoint. For $166.83 (shipping included), the distance and speed metrics alone are worth it.

Empowering individual players to measure and monitor their own outcomes is appealing both from a technological and a self-determination standpoint. Share on X

Wrist-based devices such as the Apple Watch, Fitbit, or WHOOP would almost certainly be disallowed by an attentive referee during a match; for the same reason, such devices pose a risk to teammates during training and should be avoided. With the PlayerMaker largely out of the way on the outside of the ankle, this is the best possible location for safety and to measure stride and striking data. Indeed, PlayerMaker informed me that their device has been accepted into the FIFA Innovation Program as the first instance of wearable technology.

Anything that reveals new dimensions to an otherwise routine activity has the potential to regenerate curiosity and commitment, especially for a player who may feel stuck. In a perfect world, every coach has the time and ability to develop every player under their care to the best version possible; in reality, however, we mostly do the best we can with the time and knowledge available to us. No one is more responsible for a player’s development than the player themselves, so I like the idea of putting tools into the hands of the person most interested in their own success.

No one is more responsible for a player’s development than the player themselves. Share on X

While I would not anticipate radical changes from the addition of any of the popular wearables available today, sports performance is about the accumulation of incremental improvements over time. To that end, one application of the distance tracking feature I envision is a more accurate calculation of caloric needs based upon the actual effort expended. I’m a firm believer that you can’t improve what you don’t measure, so it’s exciting to see a consumer-level device ready for those who want to take another step forward.

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