Stronger Athletes
February 8 "Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Since we have "opened the doors" here at StrongerAthletes.com in December we have seen our readership skyrocket. In order to make things more consistent for our readers we will try to update every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
We would like to thank Scott Savor and the National Strength & Science Seminar for helping us get the word out. Also, Jim Bryan, Tom Kelso, and Ken Mannnie have been a big help and would like to thank them for their support and cooperation.
In this week's Dear StrongerAthletes.com we would like to share some comments various readers have made during or first 2 months.
Dear Coach Rody, I checked [the website] out a bunch and showed people the stick figures. Everyone's reaction was just like mine, laughing out loud. You don't even have to read what you wrote to laugh. It's hilarious, and "but who is going to do that" tops it off. It's definitely an interesting website too. Overall, I think it's a really sound webpage; I don't think you're ever too blunt or reactionary. -Brian Woodward, University of Missouri
[Thanks for helping us spread the word. -S.A.]
Dear Coach Rody, I just ran across your website. Thank you for having this forum for discussion. I agree that we all share the same goal of strengthening our athletes. -Troy Baxendell, Jaguar Ironworks
[We hope we can continue to have productive discussions on various topics in the future. -S.A.]
Dear Coach Rody, Thank you for your website. What you have said regarding the olympic lifts really makes sense to me. WOW! Thank you for the information. You were exactly right, my son is a Junior. His experience in lifting... I would characterize as moderate. He lifts with his football team going from station to station. I read the comments on your website about the challenges of supervision in this environment. He lifts regularly in the summer and sporadically at other times. So you can probably gauge his experience from this. Thank you for your concern, your advice is very sound. -K. M., concerned father, St. Louis, MO
[Thanks for your question about a training program for your son. I hope our suggestions helped. -S.A.]
Dear Coach Rody, I do see a transfer from the power clean or hang clean to the sport of wrestling. In wrestling lifting techniques are used that are practically identical to the above mentioned lifts. The triple extension mentioned in one of your first postings would be better represented by a finish to a high croth takedown rather than a sprinter's start that Huskerpower illustrates. I hope this makes sense. -Aaron Vitt, Head Wrestling Coach, Moberly, MO
[Coach, if the triple extention is the sole desired outcome for Olympic movements, why incorperate the clean/snatch/catch phase of the lift? Try using the high pull element of the lift to reduce possible injury. However, we maintain that it does not transfer. -S.A.]
That is an excellent idea and we will incorporate that movement into our next workout. Thanks. - Aaron Vitt
Dear Coach Rody, I am the head football coach at Ritenour HS in St. Louis, MO. The reason I am contacting you is to try and get a strength training program to use with my players during an 18 week course I will be teaching. I have used various approaches in the past with some gains. I would like to get your opinion on a set program which will increase strength while incresing flexibilty and conditioning. The class is designed to improve our players physically specifically for football. I would appreciate any program you would suggest which tells the lift, reps, sets, percentages, and days in between lifts. I appreciate your time in considering this matter. Also, I also wanted to get you opinion on a new piece of equipment we are demoing right now. It is called a "power runner". Have you heard of them? It is a resisted running machine. The athlete is in the machine at almost a prone position. The athlete then locks in the pedals and adds weights behind and begins a running motion. Seems like a great idea to me. It was developed by the strength coach for the Seattle Seahawks. Any opinion you have would be appreciated. Rick Shelton, Head Football Coach, Ritenour HS, St. Louis, MO
[Coach, we have had several inquiries to this regard and are more than happy to share our thoughts with others. Those interested in further information and details about the StrongerAthletes.com Program should know that we are about 1 week away from having a manual available.
As for the "power runner" it is our belief that any weight room movement machine or otherwise cannot transfer to athletic movement. Possibly the money you would spend on that peice of equipment could be used to update your Power Racks or invest in other weight room upgrades. This is not to say that it is not a good peice of equipment and fits your needs however, it should not be considered an alternative for good 'ole sprints. -S.A.]
Dear Coach Rody, Excellent site. Keep up the regular updates and you'll have tons of hits. Between this, thinkmuscle.com and totalcoaching now on the Cyberpump website, my daily reads are set.
[Thanks for the support. -S.A.]
Dear Coach Rody, Interesting exchange on SA -- that's the kind of stuff that will make for an excellent website. It wasn't confrontational, yet very informative. -Ken Mannie
[Thanks Coach, we hope we can continue to put out interesting perspectives on strength training. -S.A.]
Dear Coach Rody, I have sent your site to other coaches and I have bookmarked it for later. looks very interesting. -Jim Bryan
[Thanks Coach for your help. -S.A.]
Dear Coach Rody, Jim Bryan sent me an email recommending this site. I was not aware it existed, but I am glad it does now. It is good to see another voice out there promoting safe, practical, and time-efficient training. If I can help/contribute in any way, please let me know. Keep up the good work. -Tom Kelso, M.S., C.S.C.S., Head Coach, Strength and Conditioning University of Illinois at Chicago
[Thanks for your support coach, we look forward to working with you in the future. -S.A.]
2002 National Strength & Science Seminar
StrongerAthletes.com is pleased to anounce the 2002 National Strength & Science Seminar which will be held March 16 at Blaine High School in Blaine, Minnesota. The mission of the seminar is "To Educate Coaches and Exercise Science/Sport Medicine Professionals Concerning a Practical/Scientific Approach to Strength Training and Fitness."
You will find "valuable information from world-renown professionals across the country, practical ideas and handouts giving you information needed for your situation, and answers to your questions regarding coaching and all aspects of exercise science." Speakers include:
Scott Savor tells StrongerAthletes.com, "We are having some of the best professionals in the nation speaking and are expecting approximately 400 people in attendance. Until now there has been nothing like it." If you have any further questions about the 2002 National Strength & Science Seminar we encourage you to contact Scott Savor at scottsavor@hotmail.com.
***No Liability is assumed for any information written on the StrongerAthlete.com website. No medical advice is given on exercise. This advice should be obtained from a licensed health-care practitioner. Before anyone begins any exercise program, always consult your doctor. The articles are written by coaches that are giving advice on a safe, productive, and efficient method of strength training.***
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