Week 8 Article Summaries

Article #1
"Recovery-Adaptation: Strength/Power Sports" by Dr. Michael Stone
     Recovery is defined as regaining what was lost and adaptation is the process of long-term adjustment to a specific stimulus.  It's important to understand those terms before going into the theories that Dr. Stone addressed.  The Stimulus-Fatigue-Recovery-Adaptation theory proposes a cause and effect relationship between stimulus and the body's response in the form of fatigue, recovery, and adaptation in order for supercompensation to take place.  In contrast, the Fitness vs. Fatigue theory proposes an opposing relationship between stimulus and response.  In other words, one must maximize fitness responses to stimuli and minimize fatigue.  A general guideline to follow when designing training programs is the greater the "load" of training, the greater the demand for planned recovery.  Monitoring athlete's progress and responses to stimuli is essential in designing the most effective training program. This means that the coach must test at key phases throughout training such as before and after high volume or high intensity phases, general preparation, special preparation, and competition.  This will assist the coach in developing athlete profiles, standardizing testing and monitoring procedures, and determining an athlete's recovery needs as well as whether or not the program is producing desired results. 

Article #2
"Tapering: The Critical Interaction of the Art and Science of Coaching"
     Tapering is defined as a "special training period immediately preceding the major competition phase during which the training stimulus is reduced in a systematic non-linear fashion to achieve a peak in performance." Tapering has proven to produce an optimal biological state characterized by optimal health, quick adaptability to training stimuli, and a great recovery rate.  A taper is progressive and non-linear and the goal is to reduce the physical and psychological stress of daily training while optimizing sport performance.  The physiological effects of tapering include:
-Hematological effects - increased hemoglobin level which increases the body's ability to buffer lactic acid
-Hormonal effects - changed balance between anabolic and catabolic hormones which is believed to improve recovery and fatigue
     **Reducing any kind of stress (relationships, exams, etc.) can reduce the level of cortisol in the athlete and improve positive adaptation.  Two important issues regarding stress:  the more important the competition, the greater the stress; keep accurate and detailed information about past tapers and performances in order to be able to effectively adjust the taper.
-Neuromuscular effects - tapering induces alterations in contractile properties of individual muscle fibers.  Type IIa fibers respond greater than Type I. 
-Immune Response effects - increased white blood cell count which improves the body's capacity to resist illness
-Sleep - improved quality/perception of sleep; growth hormone is released during stages III and IV of sleep which is important in repairing muscle tissue and speed recovery. 
-Psychological effects - increased motivation, arousal, and psychological relaxation

     Critical variables in designing an optimal taper include intensity, frequency, volume, duration, and taper design such as fast decay exponential, linear, or step reduction.

Buddy Morris Presentation Summary

Buddy Morris

Head Strength and Conditioning Coach

University of Pittsburgh

     The main point that Coach Morris emphasized during his presention was that no one program is perfect and no one program will work forever.  I completely agree with this philosophy.  The field of strength and conditioning is constantly evolving with new research findings.  He also goes on to say that the best program is one that is adaptable.  Each year, new athletes come in and even old athletes are different than they were a year ago.  This means that the program will have to adapt to meet the needs of the athletes.  Every athlete is built differently, it is the responsibility of the coach to look at each athlete and adapt the program to the athlete.  Another important factor to consider is that every athlete handles stress differently.  Training is a stresser on the body that affects seven different systems that do not recover at the same time.  This must also be taken into account when designing a training program.  Everything is a guideline including all training philosophies and percentage work.  Adapt it as needed each day.  Coach Morris also pointed out that as a strength coach, one should hire those of different strengths and weaknesses from their own in order to learn from each other.  This also helps in delegation of tasks and "separation of state" as Morris put it.  When Morris speaks of "separation of state," he is speaking of dividing teams and coaches according to specifics such as position or strengths. 

     As for Coach Morris' training philosophies, he doesn't use Olympic Lifts at all.  He believes that they are too technical and demanding.  Olympic lifting is a sport within itself so rather than taking the time to teach the very technical Olympic lifts, he uses medicine balls and plyometrics to develop explosive power.  For the entire first two weeks of training, he uses only body weight and medicine ball exercises in order to observe how the athlete's bodys function and their overall awareness of their body.  He uses dynamic effort training which involves bands and chains, as well as maximal effort training.

     Another main point that Coach Morris spoke about was mental toughness.  He said that a good coach is "someone who can make you do what you don't want to do, in order to get to where you want to go."  Coaches are here to train athletes, not to make them feel comfortable.  I think Coach Morris is right on with this philosophy.  If a coach can gain the respect and trust of their athletes, the athletes will want to work harder for that coach.  He also does not allow his athletes to yawn in the weight room or bend over because that is a sign of weakness.  All athletes wear the same thing, promoting team unity.  These are very idealist philosophies, but I believe they contribute to the overall attitude of the team.

Leadership Development

The ideas I stand for are not my own.  I borrowed them from Socrates, I swiped them from Chesterfield, I stole them from Jesus.  And if you don’t like their ideas, whose ideas would you rather use? – Dale Carnegie

            As Dale Carnegie pointed out, our ideas are formed from those before us and from those around us.  Our beliefs are formed based on our own experiences and backgrounds.  Having grown up in a home where Christian ideals were expressed in the lives of my parents and instilled within me from childhood, I can attribute the foundation of my view on leadership to those experiences.  Thus, I believe that great leaders are first servants.  This is the idea that forms the foundation for my beliefs regarding leadership development. 

            Great leaders understand the difference between power and authority.  When I think about people who have been in leadership positions in my life, the ones that come to mind as having had the most influence and having gained the most respect from those around them are those leaders who understood this difference.  As James Hunter wrote in his book The Servant, power is “the ability to force or coerce someone to do your will, even if they would choose not to, because of your position or your might,” whereas authority is “the skill of getting people to do your will because of your personal influence.”  He also goes on to say that “power can be bought and sold, given and taken away.”  Authority does not fall into that category.  Authority is a personal skill in which one builds influence with other people.  I’ve seen many people in leadership positions take the power approach to getting what they want from people.  This approach may work for a time, but in the long term it is much less effective.  People want to please, however power destroys relationships which in turn destroys the desire to please. 

            I know there are many people who disagree with this philosophy.  Especially in the athletic field, coaches are of the mindset that power is the way to get what they want from their athletes.  They choose to use methods of yelling, threatening, and punishing to get what they want from their athletes.  I believe there is definitely a time to exert power upon athletes, but this should not be the primary means by which the coach addresses the athletes.  If a coach wants to get the most from each athlete, I believe it’s essential to know when and how to use the power approach.

Microcycle Quiz

1. What is a microcycle?
     -A subpart of a macrocycle, usually lasting 7 days.
2. How many times does an athlete have to perform training lessons of similar objectives during a microcycle before it has a training effect?
     -2-3x
3. Repetition is essential for what 2 elements?
     -Learning a technical element.
     -Developing a biomotor ability.
4. How often should you plan to work to an athlete's limits per week?
     -2x
5. How many times should you repeat a microcycle of the same nature within a macrocycle?
     -2-3x
6. Should detailed training microcycles be planned out months in advance?
     -No, it is too difficult to foresee the dynamics of improvement.
7. What should be included in the meeting with the athlete(s) following the last training lesson of a microcycle?
     -Analyze whether the athlete achieved objectives.
     -Discuss positive and negative aspects of the athletes' training behavior and motivation.
     -Outline the changes to consider for future microcycles.
8. What is the purpose of the shock microcycle?
     -Suddenly increases training intensity beyond those previously experienced in order to break the ceiling of adaptation achieved in a previous phase, so the athlete pushes to a higher homeostasis.
9. What do regeneration microcycles prevent?
     -Removes fatigue from mind and body
     -Restores energy
10. Intensity and volume should increase, decrease, or maintain right before competition?
     -Decrease

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIT)

     High-Intensity Interval Training is basically another type of exercise protocol that is based on shorter training sessions designed to improve performance.  There is a lot of controversy over whether or not HIT is actually the best way to train.  After reading several articles reporting research on this method of training, I believe that it can be a very effective method of training. However, like every training protocol I have been exposed to, there will be exceptions to the prescriptions.  I am a strong supporter of the Specificity Principle and I don't believe there is any perfect protocol for training that will apply to everyone. 
    Regarding some recent reading on HIT that I have done, there are numerous studies showing that HIT is effective.  In a study performed on college-aged men and women who were active, but not in a structured training program, participants showed notable results of improvement in exercise capacity, increased skeletal muscle oxidative capacity, increased resting glycogen content, and a decreased rate of glycogen utilization and lactate production after 2-6 weeks of HIT training. (Gibala and McGee). 
     It is because of studies, such as the one done by Gibala and McGee, that I am an advocator of HIT.  However studies have also shown that, overall, HIT is not as effective when compared to periodization programs.  I believe that the best training protocol is one that incorporates elements of different protocols into one.  When a strength coach is designing a training plan for their athletes, the best protocol will be one that meets the needs of that specific team and its individuals.  Unfortunately, I don't believe there is one single protocol out there that will meet those specific demands everytime.    
    

Experiences and Impressions to Date

     I have lived in a tiny town in Arkansas my entire life and now I am living in South Florida.  Enough said? Amen.  First impressions:  1.  U-Turns are legal and used all over the place.  2.  It's January and it's 76 degrees and sunny outside.  Absolutely wonderful.  3.  Swimmers are awkward on land.  4.  FAU is much more liberal than my private Baptist school in Arkansas  5.  People frequently ask where I am from...what's the deal? I have all of my teeth AND I wear shoes. : )
     Seriously though....
     I am thoroughly enjoying my experience as an intern with Florida Atlantic University's Strength and Conditioning Department.   The program is very well structured and designed so that the interns have the opportunity to learn exactly what it takes to be a Strength Coach at the college level.  I love the curriculum that is assigned each week.  The assignments are very applicable and I believe the notebook that I am developing will be extremely beneficial as I further my career in the field of Strength and Conditioning. 
     In addition to the curriculum, I have already gotten thrown into hands-on learning with the athletic teams.  So far, I have had the opportunity to work with Swimming, Golf, Soccer, Football, Softball, Volleyball, Track/Cross Country, and Basketball.  Starting next week the teams I have been assigned to for the rest of the semester are Football, Women's Basketball, and Women's Golf.  I am very excited to get to work more closely with these teams and really get into coaching.  I have already had the opportunity to create a workout for the Women's Golf team and am looking forward to designing a progressive and encompassing training plan for these women. 
    I know from my past experiences as an employee and an intern that it is extremely hard for me to come into a new environment and be confident enough to get out there and be hands-on.  I am naturally a fairly quiet person so it is hard for me to get out of my comfort zone and be loud in the weight room.  However,  I feel that I have been successful in my previous jobs as a gymnastics coach, group fitness instructor, and physical therapist technician, so I know that I can also be successful in this setting.  I think one thing that has made it hard is that I was not introduced to most of the teams, so they don't know who I am and even if they do know who I am, I'm not sure if they do so it feels out of place to go up to them and start coaching them.  Of course eventually they will know who I am, however I think it would be helpful to future interns to make a point of introducing them to the athletes. 
    In conclusion, I am really enjoying my experience so far.  I am looking forward to the new experiences to come and learning as much as I possibly can over the next few months.

Knowing Your Facility and Designing a Training Session

Sample Lower Body Template
Warm-Up:
     Jumping Jacks
     Seal Jacks
     Flings
     Gate Swings
     Frankenstein Walks
     Quad Walks
     High Knees
     "C" Skips
Prehab:
     TKE's
     Band Ankle Work
Multi Joint Exercises (Main Lifts):
     Hang Clean Progression
     Overhead Squat
Assistance Exercises:
     Posterior Chain – SB Leg Curls
     Single Leg – Balance Touches
     Extra Assistance – Overhead Squat
     Calves – Rockback Jumps
     Hip Mobility – Weighted Hip-Ups
     Flexibility – Hurdle Complex, Stretch X3 (HS, Glute, Quad)

Sample Upper Body Template
Warm-Up:
            Jumping Jacks
            Seal Jacks
            Flings
            Walking Knee Pulls
            Butt Kicks
            Fwd/Bwd Lunges
            “C” Skips
Prehab:
            ER/IR Band Shoulder
            Band Pull-Aparts
Multi Joint Exercises (Main Lifts):
            Bench Press
            Push Press
Assistance Exercises:
            Upper Back – 1-Arm Row
            Triceps – Push-Ups
            Shoulders – Shoulder Complex
            Biceps – EZ Bar Curl
            Grip – Towel Pull-ups
            Flexibility

Thought Process
Dynamic Warm-Up
     -It is essential to warm-up the body before beginning any workout.  The goal of a warm-up is to prepare the body (and the mind) for the activity that is to follow.  The warm-up should include activities that will increase blood flow and muscle/core temperature and should include movements similar to those that will be performed during the workout or competition.
Pre-hab
     -Preventing injury is key to athletic performance.  A great way to prevent injury is to incorporate exercises into a workout that will strengthen the stabilizing muscles to areas that are prone to injury.
Multijoint Exercises
     -Multijoint exercises should be done before other lifts because they require more skill and concentration, which means that fatigue will affect them more than single-joint exercises. 
Assistance Exercises
     -Assistance exercises are used to isolate specific muscles and require less skill and muscle control to maintain proper technique than multijoint exercises, therefore they should follow multijoint exercises.
Flexibility
     -Static stretches should be performed postworkout while muscle temperature is still increased.  The warm muscle temperature allows for increased elastic properties of muscles, resulting in greater ROM. 

Applying the Template to Various Scenarios
A. 50 Baseball Players; 90 Minutes; FAU Facilities; Upper Body Day
     -Group Warm-Up
     -2 Groups - Fielders/Pitchers
     -Pre-hab and Main Lifts will be done on the Power Racks in 6 groups of 6 and 2 groups of 7
     -Incorporating supersets into the assistance exercises will help prevent traffic congestion
     -Stretching can be done individually in the weight room
B.  Men's Basketball and Cross Country workout at the same time and both are on Lower Body days.
     -Group Warm-Up
     -Divide the teams among the 8 power racks for Pre-hab
     -For the Main Lifts, I would choose different lifts for the Cross Country team than for the Basketball Team.  Cross Country is primarily an endurance sport and Basketball is primarily a strength and power sport.  Obviously both sports require elements of each type of training, however these are primarily where the focus lies.  I would have the Cross Country team use the Leg Press and perform Dumbbell Deadlifts instead of the Hang Clean Progression and Overhead Squat on this day for the sake of time efficiency. 
     -Hurdles would be set up in a straight line and the athletes could go through the hurdles one after the other.  Stretch on their own or as a group.