1. Functional Strength Coach Part 2 Designing Strength Training Programs
Michael Boyle

2. “Don’t write workouts, write programs”
Alwyn Cosgrove

3. Why We Do It This Way!
Controversy comes from poor research or old writing.
Emphasize practical time-conscious ideas.
Ignore theory if it is impractical.
Remember, any idiot can and will write books.
Based on personal experience books are often out of date the moment you get them.

4. If You Listen to Someone’s Philosophy, Ask 1 Question.
Do these writers actually work with real people?
An idea is just that.
I want to learn from people who do the work as well as write about.

5. Nuts and Bolts Program Design
Who? Who are you working with?
What? What do they want to do?

6. When? How much time do they/ you have?
Where? What are the facility constraints?
Why? Why are they training?

7. Why? Make sure that the why and the training match up?
Don’t train to your bias.
Train to their needs.

8. “Don’t look at training as a workout, look at it as a lesson”
Josh Henkin

9. Running Time
Just remember, we are describing running time, not actual time

10. Step 1 Roll- 0-5 minutes Restore tissue quality Use the roller.
Don’t skip this step.
Hip rotators, glutes, adductors,lats, posterior cuff, T-spine

11. Step 2 Stretch - :05 min-:10 min
Stretch. Restore tissue length.
Gray Cook “mobility is lost, look at babies”
John Davies- “Most athletes could use a good dose of static stretching”
Develop good self-stretches so you don’t have to stretch everyone

12. Step 3- Core and Activation
:10-:20 Min. for Personal Training or In-season training
:10-:25 minute for team sport off-season

13. Step 4- Active Warm-up :25-:30 minutes
Call it what you want, dynamic flexibility, movement prep etc. etc.
Don’t worry about names, just do it.
Activate one side, elongate the other

14. In-Place Warm-up
Proper progression
In-place to moving

15. In Place Warm-up

16. The Basics
High Knee Walk

17. Heel to Butt- Activate Hams/ Stretch Quads

18. Back Lunge w/ Adduction

19. Cross Behind- Hip Rotators

20. Back SLDL

21. Spiderman/ Lunge to Hamstring

22. Inchworm

23. Practical 1
Foam Roll
3D Flexibility
Active Warm-up

24. Step 5- Plyometrics :30-:35 min
Switch presentations

25. Step 6- Speed :35-40 Speed or acceleration? First step or first push?
Resisted
Assisted

26. Strength Program Design
Ideal vs. Real
4 day model versus three day model, versus 2 day model

27. Considerations Time of year Business model
Off-season- school year or summer
In-season
Personal Training

28. Concepts
Choosing what to do and why.

29. Prehab Does it have to be pre?
Prehab does not mean pre-workout, it means prehabilitative.
Really a made up word popularized by Mark Verstegen

30. Placement of Prehab
End of workouts
Beginning of workouts

31. Technical Failure The key to properly performed training
The point at which no more technically correct reps can be performed.
The correct point at which to terminate a set.

32. Multi-planar Training
Reality- Someone who has not mastered sagittal plane training should probably master sagittal plane technique
Movement in multiple planes is difficult to view from a technical perspective for errors and compensations.
Most coaches don’t get uni-planar yet.
Matrix Video

33. New Thought Is all unilateral training multi-planar?
I believe a great deal of multi-planar training goes back to our core idea of resisting or preventing rotation.
Sport is clearly unilateral.

34. A Bad Case of Weakness?
In my rehab work this is most often my diagnosis.
Many of us spend way too much time being cute without getting strong!
Can they 1 leg squat?
Can they do pull-ups?
If they can’t, save the cute stuff.

35. Basic Rules in Program Design
Sorry if I insult your intelligence early
Pet peeves
Power First/ never later
Multi-joint Exercises next
Never more than 10 reps for strength, 6 for power.

36. Design a workout that can be done. Be time conscious!
# sets ( including warm-ups)
# reps
Rest time

37. Technique- The Overlooked Key
Don’t make excuses for your athletes
The ability to squat to parallel is normal
The mirror and the window

38. “What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things.”
Margaret Mead

39. The Psychology of Program Design
Record boards reward genetics.
Testing is for parents
To succeed, raise self esteem

40. Poliquin Keys
Pair exercises, except Olympic movements maximize work done, minimize time spent
Variation- vary without changing?
Tempo- the missing link? Tempo CD

41. Tempo Example

42. Linear Periodization- Stone Model
Hypertrophy
Strength
Power
1-3 sets
3-5 sets
3-6 sets
8-12 reps
4-6 reps
1-3 reps

43. Problems Oversimplification Plateaus- no adjustments in a linear model
4 week phases with unload weeks, difficult to regroup
Theoretical issues i.e. strength to power
A huge step forward in it’s time but, not as theoretically sound as undulating periodization

44. Modified Poliquin Method- Undulating Progression
Int
Vol.
P 2
P 3
Accumulation
Intensification
Mixed/ Acc
Reps 3 x8
60-77%
24 reps
4-6 x3
90-97%
12-18 reps
3-5 x5
80-87%
15-25 reps
Tempo
Varied, Eccentric/ Pause/ Concentric Ex 3/1/1
P 4

45. Advantages Less rigid- more options when moving from phase to phase
3 week phases
Ability to regroup

46. Accumulation Phases (Accumulate Volume, similar to linear hypertrophy phases)
Use time under tension? 3/0/1
Develop flexibility and ROM ( Split Squat, Lateral Squat, Box Squat)
Develop Stabilizers ( PushUp, Stability Ball Complex, Balance Board Squats, Airex Pads)
Condition Small Muscles ( Hip Circuit, Shoulder Circuit)

47. Accumulation Example

48. Mixed Accumulation

49. Intensification Phases ( 1-6 reps)
More sets of the basics
Olympic lift plus one major lift paired with two others
Ex. Snatch 5x3- 3 min rest
Front Squat 6x3 – 1 min move to Pullup
Pullup 2x3, 1x min back to FS
Row 3x5

50. Intensification Example

51. Intensification Cluster

52. Intensification Complex

53. In Season Programming

54. Percentages of What?
Without extremely accurate RM’s percentages are a waste

55. Eccentric Facts? More misinformation Lower 100 plus %?
Eccentric Contraction versus concentric reps
5 RM = 87.5 x 1 for 5/0/1
85x2
82x3

56. Essential Components of a Sound Strength Program
The key to program design is balance
Don’t train for a sport, train an athlete

57. Component 1-Torso / Abdominal- Core
Actually accomplished before the lifting begins

58. Component 2-Explosive Movements
Hang Clean
Hang Snatch
DB Snatch
Push Jerk
Jump Squat
Med Ball

61. Hang versus Floor
Be as aggressive as possible while being as safe as possible
Lifting from the hang allows much safer inclusion of Olympic lifts.
It is much easier to be a good technician from the hang position.

62. Snatch vs. Clean
Snatches are much easier to learn and perform than cleans.
Snatches look dangerous and make people nervous but, in reality they are very simple to learn and are less “flexibility limited”.

63. Flexibility Limited?
Tight athletes will have great difficulty mastering the clean.
Snatches don’t have this problem.

64. Close Grip Snatch Close Grip Snatches eliminate shoulder issues.
Wide Grip Snatches are done only to allow more weight to be lifted.

65. Olympic Alternatives
Jump Squats
MVP Shuttle

66. Calculating Jump Squat Loads
Squat Max+
Bodyweight =
Total System Wt.
400 +
200
600
x.4=240
300
700
x.4=280
Load for 200 lb =
40 lb
Using conv.formulas we would be accurate for the 200 lb athlete and overload the 300 lb athlete by 60 lbs.
Load for 300 lb =
0 lb ( actually –20)

67. MVP Shuttle

68. Component 3- Knee Dominant Double Leg
Combination movements dominated by knee and hip extension
How necessary is this component?
Front Squat versus Back Squat
Box squat for depth, touch, don’t sit.

69. Front Box Squats

70. Component 4 - Single Leg Hip and Leg Push
Single leg movements , knee dominant
How many legs do you run on at a time?
Absolutely essential to injury prevention and performance enhancement

71. New Single Leg Thoughts
Static/Stable- Split Squat, RFE Split Squat
Static- Step Downs, 1 Leg Squats
Dynamic Decelerative- Lunges, Lateral Lunges
Dynamic Accelerative- Walking Lunges, Slideboard Lunges

72. Progressive ROM vs. PRE?

73. Another Way? Multi-plane assist?

74. Third Try. Progressive ROM?

75. 1 Leg Back Squats?

76. Load Opposite? RNT?

77. The Gold Standard? Too Easy?

78. Static and Dynamic? 1 Each per Week?

79. Multi-Planar and Dynamic

80. World’s Greatest Exercise?

81. Calculating Single Leg Loads
((Squat
+ BW)
x.4
- BW)
/2 =
1 Leg
WT. ( DB)
x.5 =
1 Leg WT.
Bar

82. Component 5- Hip Extension/ Straight Leg
Movements dominated by hip extension
The key is more knee bend than we originally thought.
Straight leg shuts off the glute

83. New Progressions- 1 Leg Good Morning Level 1

84. Anterior Reach? Misunderstood?

85. Opposite DB- Level 2

86. Loading?

87. 2 Arm / 1 Leg SLDL

88. DB 2 Arm 1 Leg SLDL

89. Band 1 Leg SLDL

90. Component 6- Hip Ext/ Bent Leg
Hamstring is a two joint, and three function muscle. Some of this now falls under core.
1) Hip extensor
2) Knee flexor
3) Eccentric resistor of knee extension in sprinting
Another major key to injury prevention

91. Examples-Level 1

92. Level 2- Increase Friction

93. Level 3- Add Resistance- Chris Doyle U of Iowa

94. Level 4- Eccentric Emphasis

95. Beginners- Eccentric only

96. Component 7 – Vertical Pull (Pullup/ Pulldown)
Paid lip service by the profession
We’ve all read about the value of pullups but, few emphasize them
Every NFL lineman I have ever worked with could do at least one to start
Max Lane 320 lbs. BW Chin x8, 3’s with lbs.

97. Pullup/ Pulldown Cont.
Lack of strength here is the other cause of shoulder problems in combination with overemphasis on supine pressing
Pulldowns should be used only in rehab situations
Skill 20+, LB’s,TE’s, DE’s 10-15, Line 5-10
Test pullups!! Be Strict!!

98. 150 lb Female 45x3

99. 308lb Male

101. Component 8 – Horizontal Pull (Rows)
Nonexistent in most strength programs
Another injury prevention key
True antagonistic movement to the bench press
DB, Inv Row, Cable Column variations
Rotary forces

104. Component 9- Horizontal Presses ( Supine/ Incline)
Bench Press and variations
Think about this “if you are lying down and pushing you s_ck at football”
Overused and overemphasized
Frequent cause of shoulder problems
Unstable ideas
DB’s

105. Selecting DB Wts. DB Bench= Bench Max x .8 /2 X’s Percentage
Ex 4x5 @ 80% for 300 bench
300 x.8 /2 = 120
120 x .8 = 95
Use 95 x5
DB Incline=
Bench Max x .6 /2
Ex 80
300 x.6 /2 = 90
90 x.8 =
72.5
Use 72.5 x5

106. Component 10- Vertical Press (Overhead)
Overhead Presses, Barbell and DB
Underused and underemphasized
Best done standing
Bar, DB or Alt DB
Generally missing from many programs

107. Component 11- Rotary Exercise?

108. 4 Day Example Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day4 Explosive Pair 1
Knee Dominant (2)
Horizontal Press
Knee Dominant (1)
Incline Press
Vertical Pull
Hip Ext SL
Tri set 2
Misc. Press
Horizontal Pull
Hip Ext BL
Rotary

109. Accumulation Example - 4 Day

110. Mixed Accumulation Example - 4 Day

111. Intensification Example - 4 Day

112. Intensification Cluster Example - 4 Day

113. Intensification Complex Example - 4 Day

114. 3 Day Example- 25% less, Sports Performance- School Year
Explosive
Pair 1
Knee Dominant (2)
Vertical Press
Knee Dominant ( 1)
Vertical Pull
Hip Ext SL
Incline Press
Pair 2
Horizontal Press
Horizontal Pull
Hip Ext
Hip Ext BL
Horizontal / Vertical Pull

115. Accumulation Example- 3 Day

116. Intensification Example - 3 Day

117. 2 Day Example- Personal Training or In Season
Explosive
Pair 1
Knee Dominant (2)
Horizontal Press ( Bar)
Horizontal Press ( DB)
Knee Dominant ( 1)
Pair 2
Hip Ext BL
Vertical Pull
Horizontal Pull
Hip Ext SL

118. Accumulation Example - 2 Day

119. Intensification Example - 2 Day

120. The Little Things 1 1/4 Plates 15 lb. Olympic bars
5 and 10 lb Bumper plates

121. Conditioning :40-:55 Number one goal is injury reduction.
Ask yourself a simple question, “When do injuries occur?”.
Answer. In deceleration or change of direction.

123. The Key to Conditioning
Understanding and controlling work to rest ratios.
Know what you are conditioning, the mind or the body.
Progress and make it hard.

124. General Guidelines
Conditioning should be for the appropriate energy system and emphasize the proper motor pattern.
This means no distance running or, any distance that causes the athlete to move out of a sprint motor pattern. ( Generally for linemen this means nothing over 110 yds.)

125. “Sending speed and power athletes on a minute run is a death march…. If you’re a sprinter using a 10K runners stride you’re not doing much for your technique.” Gary Winckler U of ILL Women’s Track Coach

126. General Guidelines ( cont)
A football play lasts approx. 5 sec. , how long should the longest conditioning drill last? A hockey shift lasts 45 sec.
A 300 shuttle is 12 x’s the length of the average play in football but, just slightly les than the length of a shift in hockey.

127. Invert the Pyramid to Build Work Capacity
Week 4
1x30
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1

128. “Short distances preserve running mechanics while brief recovery times produce the same aerobic benefits as distance runs” Gary Winckler

129. The Fat Burning Zone?
True, you burn a higher percentage of fat at lower intensity. However, this a greater percentage of a smaller number. Higher intensity exercise burns more calories and more total fat calories.

130. Example 30% of 100 calories is 30 calories
It’s not as much the percentage of calories burned as total calories.

131. It Doesn’t Matter if You Run or Walk?
Another half truth
Both walking a mile and running a mile will result in the same number of calories expended but,
mph ( 8 min mi.) = 2.5 mi=250 cal
20 3 mph = 1 mi = 100 cal
It’s more about calories per minute of exercise than distance covered. Greater intensity will burn more calories.

132. What About 20 Minutes of Intervals?
5 min 7.5 = .6 mi= 60 cal
5x 1 min w/ 2 min rest = approx 1 mile= 100 cal
5 min of work to burn 100 calories?
Total calories burned? 160? Or more? Are you burning without moving during the rest?

133. EPOC What’s EPOC? Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption
Alwyn Cosgrove calls this the “Afterburn”
“recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels can require several minutes for light exercise and several hours for hard intervals.”

134. Conditioning that Makes Sense
Tempo to build a base
Change of direction to prepare for sport
Intense ( muscular) 60 Shuttle
Intense ( circulatory) yds.
Recovery –tempo or 50

135. Intervals Stage 1: Stabilization Level Day 1 30 minutes
Stage 2: Strength Level
Day 1
30 minutes
Day2
Warm up 5 minutes
½ minute
4 ½ minutes
Day 3
Day 4
1 minute
4 minutes
Stage 3: Power Level
Day 1
30 minutes
Day2
Warm up 5 minutes
½ minute
4 ½ minutes
Day 3
1 minute
30 seconds
3 ½ minutes

136. Designing Interval Programs
Increase 10-20% per week
Keep track of yardage
Reduce or maintain total yardage when changing distances

137. Interval Example

138. Slideboard Intervals Position specific Frontal plane :30-1:30 :30-1:00
:30-1:00 w/ vest

139. Off Season Conditioning
Gambetta- “Work Speed Every Day”
Conditioning should be appropriate for the movement emphasis of the day.
Linear with linear, lateral w/ lateral
Giraffe analogy
D-1 coaches, resign yourself to football coaches screwing up your workouts for 5 weeks every spring.

140. Basketball Conditioning
Should basketball players run?
Aren’t there problems primarily overuse?
Food for thought.

141. Football Conditioning
Add vest to simulate equipment weight

142. Hockey Conditioning Summer- run,sled, slideboard
Pre-season - On-ice intervals, Off-ice bike
Summer stress the groin, pre-season, save the groin.

143. Tabata Protocol HIIT- High Intensity Interval Training
20/10 - twice as much work as rest
8 reps = 4 min =1.3 mi. AirDyne
6 reps = 3 min = 1.0 mi

144. Sled Training Is sled training just specific strength training?
Does the 10% rule make sense?
What about surface and strength level?
Old guidelines are very similar to the jump squat idea. Well intentioned but incomplete and poorly thought out.
What about negative transfer to speed? Read the research. We don’t deal in speed, we deal in acceleration.

145. Sleds for Intervals? 25 yds takes 12-15 sec 25 yd push takes 12 sec.
Work in groups of three

146. Linear Sled

147. Push or Pull?

148. Linear or Lateral?

149. Speed vs. Specific Strength

150. 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader- John C. Maxwell
“ Learn in your area of strength. Read 6-12 books a year on leadership or your field of specialization. Continuing to learn in an area where you are already an expert prevents you from becoming jaded and unteachable.”