7 Days of Insanity
Over the past 7 days I’ve had multiple experiences every day that I think most Strength & Conditioning Coaches would kill to experience with NCAA Division 1 athletes. Last week was one of those special weeks when I’ve got a couple of my teams in-season, a couple teams in pre-season, and several teams just getting started for the semester with testing. The last week was extremely rich with everything from recovery sessions for soccer, 1RM squat testing, conditioning for two teams, and working out the details of a new research project. I even saw an ACL completely tear and another one we thought tore, but – thankfully – did not. My point in this post is to give you a weeklong peek into the life of a college strength coach… and let me tell you, it is WAY different than the private sector.
Tuesday, September 6:
- 8:30a – women’s soccer in weight room for a light total body lift, capped on either end of the session with active & static stretching and SMR (foam rolling).
- 10:30a – women’s basketball in weight room for an upper body lift. We then go over to the Patriot Center to begin conditioning by 11:15a. Post players ran routes on the court and guards ran stairs.
- 2:00p – on the field with women’s soccer to run their warm-up and conditioning routes.
- 3:30p – female sprinters and jumpers in weight room for power clean 1RM testing.
- 3:45p – throwers testing 3 vertical jump variations: counter-movement, static start, depth jump (from low box).
- 4:30p – male sprinters and jumpers in weight room for power clean 1RM testing.
Wednesday, September 7:
- 8:45a – women’s volleyball in weight room to lift. The start and finish of the lift involved active & static stretching and SMR.
- 2:00p – on the field to warm-up women’s soccer.
- 2:30p – women’s lacrosse testing on single leg broad jump, vertical jump, and 3RM front squat to BELOW parallel depth (we had a freshmen hit 170 x 3 – yikes!)
- 3:30p – female sprinters and jumpers in weight room to test 1RM bench press.
- 4:30p – male sprinters and jumpers in weight room to test 1RM bench press (one guy pressed 305lbs)
Thursday, September 8:
- 10:30a – women’s basketball in weight room for a lower body lift. We then go over to the Patriot Center to begin conditioning by 11:15a. Guards ran routes on the court and posts ran a low impact total body conditioning circuit.
- 2:00p – lead an on-field body weight only training session for women’s soccer (technically it wasn’t “on-field” due to the monsoon outside… we were in the Field House).
- 3:00p – rowing team in weight room for first day of training – big team with 15 new athletes means lots of instruction.
- 3:30p – female sprinters and jumpers in weight room to test ½ Squat 1RM
- 3:45p – throwers in weight room to test bench press 1RM and review lifts for following week.
- 4:30p – male sprinters and jumpers in weight room to test ½ Squat 1RM.
Friday, September 9:
- 10:30a - women’s basketball in weight room for an upper body lift. We then go over to the Patriot Center to begin conditioning by 11:15a. Post players ran routes on the court and guards ran stair sprints with full recovery.
- 2:30p – women’s lacrosse testing for seated MB Toss, Perfect Pushup Assessment for 1 set of 10, Yo-Yo Intermittent Beep test.
- 3:45p – throwers in weight room for 1RM back squat test with introduction of following week’s lower body lifts.
Saturday, September 10:
- 10:00a – on-field with women’s soccer for practice.
Sunday, September 11:
- 1:00p – women’s soccer game. Witnessed a member of the opposing team destroy her ACL during a contact situation. I’ve seen this before and I’ll see it again, many times I’m sure. It’s always terrible to see this type of season ending injury that, because of my background and experience, I know will affect her for the rest of her life.
Monday, September 12:
- 8:45a – women’s volleyball in the weight room for lifting. The start and finish of the lift involved active & static stretching and SMR.
- 10:30a - women’s basketball in weight room for a lower body lift. We then go over to the Patriot Center to begin conditioning by 11:15a. Guards ran routes on the court and Posts ran stairs for speed work with full recovery.
- 1:30p – Single lacrosse player in to lift.
- 2:30p – women’s lacrosse in for first lifting session. Lots of teaching.
- 3:45p – throwers in for first lifting session. We did some serious volume with some serious low rest periods. No one threw-up, amazing! They must have been ready for it!
- 4:30p – female sprinters and jumpers in for first lifting session.
- 5:30p – male sprinters in for first lifting session.
Congratulations, you made it to the end of my 7 days!!! I don’t have the time or the patience to convey the details that were left out of this recap, but trust me when I tell you I think I garnered an additional year’s worth of experience in just 7 days.
As I’ve seen many very talented strength coaches completely leave the field over my 7-years of experience, I have learned that being a college strength coach is not everyone’s cup of tea. But for some sick reason it seems to be mine. I thrive on the stress and intensity. If you’re thinking of stepping into the college environment, reread my week above one more time and factor in having a life (and in my case a business, too) on top of all that – can you handle it?
Strength Training is About More Than the Weight on the Bar: Testimonial of a Rising Collegiate Baseball Player
August is a bittersweet time for us, as a number of our college-bound athletes are leaving town and won't be training under our roof for the Fall. We're certainly excited to see them move on to continued successes, but we also miss having them around in the facility as they provide a great example to the younger guys/girls, not to mention adding a significant piece to our community. The other day, Ryan Dickt (headed to to play baseball at Randolph Macon this Fall), was foam rolling after his session, and he was sharing the improvements he's noticed in his playing and overall movement quality on the field. I asked him, "Hmmm, would you possibly mind jotting down a few of those thoughts on paper to encourage our younger guys, and/or athletes unsure of whether or not our programs are "right" for them?"
He sent me an email a few days later, going above and beyond what I was originally thinking:
My SAPT training journey began back in the summer after my junior year. I had torn my medial meniscus in my left knee in the playoffs that year of the high school baseball season. Due to the surgery that removed one third of my meniscus I was off of my legs for about 2 months. I had just been cleared to play and train again by the doctors, but my dad knew I would need to be watched closely and eased back into training, which he did not trust me to do on my own. A couple of my high school teammates, and coach suggested SAPT to me because Chris was a baseball player at one point and said that they would be able to help me train specifically for baseball. So I went and signed up.
At first I thought all the mobility and technique training that Chris and Steve had me doing was pretty dumb, but that was my first lesson. Check the ego at the door; you can pick it up on your way out. Through the rest of the summer I gained my old flexibility and muscle back, which was very encouraging and exciting. Going into the fall I knew that I would be gaining a lot from training with SAPT, but I never really knew how much I would gain till the following season. Through the fall I put on a solid amount of weight and come baseball season I was the most prepared player on my team. I felt that the weight and strength was great, but the flexibility I gained was amazing. Second lesson: training is not just about the weight you throw around it’s also about getting your body in all-around better shape, and this includes flexibility and body movements.
The baseball season was in full swing and I was so addicted to SAPT that I couldn’t stop going. It was like a second home. I enjoyed it so much that I never stopped going during the season, which helped me keep my strength gains from the winter through the whole season. I saw the work that Chris and Steve had me do in the winter translate into results on the field. Doubles turned into homeruns, weak ground balls turned into hard hits and throwing was easier than ever because of the muscle and flexibility I gained. Over all I hit 7 more homeruns than junior year, raised my batting average by .230 points, and dropped off .10 of a second on my throws to second base as a catcher. Aside from all the on the field gains I saw, the most important part of SAPT to me was that I enjoyed going to train and seeing Chris and Steve along with the rest of the SAPT community.
When looking for a place to train, a major factor to consider is whether there is a community that wants to help you succeed, not just a gym to lift weights at. SAPT has that special feel, which I will miss when I go off to college this year, but again I know I will be the most prepared player on my team going into fall practice.
A huge congratulations goes out to Ryan, along with ALL of our athletes that are headed to compete in the collegiate sphere this year! You've worked both hard and smart, and we wish you the best.
(If you've been toying with the prospect of joining a results-driven training program to take your playing to the next level, click HERE for more information)
College signees and spring sport accolades…
Signees and spring sport accolades… College Signees:
Joseph Vanderplas (Baseball, Tennessee…okay this was kind-of old news, but whatever)
Red Dowdell (Baseball, VMI)
Ryan Dickt (Baseball, Randolph-Macon)
James Overbeek (Baseball, Randolph-Macon)
High-School Accolades:
Taylor Heasley (Softball; 1St Team All-Conference; 2nd Team All-State)
Kent Blackstone (Baseball; 1st Team All-District)
Joseph Vanderplas (Baseball; 1st Team All-District; 2nd Team All-Region; All-Met Honorable Mention)
Ryan Dickt (Baseball; Player of the Year National District; 2nd Team All-Region)
Shaun Wood (Baseball; 1st Team All-District; 2nd Team All-Region; All-Met Honorable Mention)
Red Dowdell (Baseball; 1st Team All-District; 2nd Team All-Region)
John Yoest (Baseball; 1st Team All-District)
Justin Snow (Baseball; 2nd Team All-District)
James Overbeek (Baseball; 1st Team All-District)
If you’re looking to for the most comprehensive, results driven, freakin’ awesome performance training…you can begin your journey by clicking HERE…
Big ups…
Chris
