If you haven’t heard yet, you’re hearing it here
now:

Legendary strength and conditioning expert Mike
Boyle is releasing his newest program, Functional
Strength Coach 3.0 - A Joint by Joint Approach to
Training, *today* (Wednesday October 21).

http://tinyurl.com/BoyleFSC3
Here’s the deal:

I have the program. I’ve been watching it over and
over again for the past week or two.

(What can I say, I know people.)

I’m not one to get all misty eyed over a strength
and conditioning resource, but….

Functional Strength Coach 3.0 is RIDICULOUS.

I’m an information junkie as it is, but this program
has my head spinning.

It’s *that* good.

The first two DVDs alone (there are eight, not
including the 2 bonus DVDs and Workout Muse) gave me
more ideas for upgrading my programs than I can
possibly attempt to lay out here.

Want an example? Squats. A staple of nearly every
credible strength training program.

Until now. Because I’m cutting them out. I’ve been
ready to cut them for the past couple years, but Boyle’s
explanation and results were the tipping point for me.

That’s just one of many examples, but you really need to
see all these concepts for yourself:

http://tinyurl.com/BoyleFSC3
Now, I’ll be honest. This is not a program for beginners.

If you know you’re an inexperienced coach or trainer and
you don’t have confidence in your current system,
you might be in over your head.

But if you know enough to know that you can *always* make
improvements to every element of your training and the
idea of tweaking this and changing that gets you excited
about the range of improvement your athletes can make this
year, then you *NEED* this program.

Functional Strength Coach 3.0 is one of those programs that
makes me *almost* feel bad for coaches and trainers who aren’t
referencing it. Because their athletes and clients just won’t
be able to compete with those of us who do.

(I said *almost*. I like winning too much to feel genuine
sorrow for people who ignore this email.)

If you’ve followed me for any period of time you know I
NEVER push a program this hard in any of my emails.

But I think it’s *that* good. And if you coach athletes of any
sport or gender from high school through professional, you
simply have to make Functional Strength Coach 3.0 part of your
training library.

It is the very definition of ‘must have’.
To your success,

Latif Thomas

Each Monday, for the next 3 weeks (and a total
of 12 weeks), I’ll be posting a preseason
training program for developmental 400m
runners.

I get so many questions about this event I’ve
decided to share what I’m doing. This way
you can copy it, pick it apart (respectfully),
or flat out steal it. Use it and see just
how much your athletes improve.

Of course, feel free post your comments and
questions below. I can’t guarantee I’ll
answer all of them, but I’ll do my best.

If you want more detailed information about
workout planning for 55-400m sprinters,
click here.

For Week 1 workouts, click here.
For Week 2 workouts, click here.
For Week 3 workouts, click here.
For Week 4 workouts, click here.
For Week 5 workouts, click here.
For Week 6 workouts, click here.
For Week 7 workouts, click here.
For Week 8 workouts, click here.

M: 6 x 50m, 6 x standing triple jump. focus on first
3 steps. R= 5′

Active recovery –> keep moving, jogging. no standing
around.

Lift Day 1. Start of set 2 of B1 (Bulgarian split squat)
should be 3 minutes after start of set 1 of B1.

Splitting the workouts like this should cut total
time in weight room roughly in half.

‘Bulgarian Split Squat (BSS) is also known as ‘back leg
on the bench single leg lunge’.

A1: Hang clean/high pull/DB snatch 4 x 5

B1: Bulgarian split squat (BSS) 4 x 6 e.l.
B2: DB Bench 4 x 6

C1: Step up 4 x 8 e.l.
C2: Chin up 4 x 6 (weighted)

T: 5 x 300m hills. R = jog back.

800m barefoot warm down.

LIFT Day 2

A1: Deadlift 5 x 5
A2: DB Incline 4 x 5

B1: Single leg dead lift 3 x 8 e.l.
B2: Inverted row 3 x 8 (if too easy, put feet up on
box or bench

W: 10 x 200m @ ~75%. R=2′ B = 33.0, G= 37.0

For this workout and time of season, athletes are
expected to hit their times, on the money.

For boys, only times within .2 seconds of the target
time (33.0) are considered ‘quality’ intervals. I
expect 80% of workout to be ‘quality’ or Coach
Thomas starts yelling at people.

Core - stabilization
Hurdle mobility
400m barefoot warmdown

TH: 3 x 300m. First 50m fast, cruise 150m, last 100m fast.
R = 7′. Target time: B = 43.0 - 44.5 seconds, G = 52.0 - 53.5

LIFT Day 3

A1: Hang clean/high pull/DB Snatch 4 x 5

B1: BSS 5 x 5
B2: one arm row 4 x 6

C1: Explosive step up 4 x 6 e.l.

F: 3 x 5 x 100 @ ~80%. R = 45″/2′. B = 14.5 - 15.0, G = 17.5 - 18.0

800m barefoot warmdown
Core - stabilization
10′ static stretch

This week’s ‘Audio Breakdown’:

If you want more drills and exercises for your sprinters,
then click here.

If you want help with workout planning for your upcoming
season, then click here.

- Latif Thomas

Be sure to listen to this week’s ‘Audio Breakdown
because I have some good information to share and
as things are now starting to change as we draw
closer to the season, you’ll want to understand
why I’m shifting in a different direction and what
I want to accomplish. 

Each Monday, for the next 4 weeks (and a total
of 12 weeks), I’ll be posting a preseason
training program for developmental 400m
runners.

I get so many questions about this event I’ve
decided to share what I’m doing. This way
you can copy it, pick it apart (respectfully),
or flat out steal it. Use it and see just
how much your athletes improve.

Of course, feel free post your comments and
questions below. I can’t guarantee I’ll
answer all of them, but I’ll do my best.

If you want more detailed information about
program design for 55-400m sprinters,
click here.

For Week 1 workouts, click here.
For Week 2 workouts, click here.
For Week 3 workouts, click here.
For Week 4 workouts, click here.
For Week 5 workouts, click here.
For Week 6 workouts, click here.
For Week 7 workouts, click here.
 

M: 6 - 8 x 40m, 6-8 x standing triple
R = 4′

Lift Day 1: Circuit format. 2 x 8 Rest between exercises
90 seconds. 3′ sets. Use challenging weight

Deadlift
Bench press
Pull ups
Step ups
Dips
One arm row
T: 4-5 x 300 hills R= walk back

10′ warmdown jog @ conversational pace

Lift Day 2: Circuit format. 2 x 8 Rest between exercises:
90 seconds. 3′ sets. Use challenging weight

Bulgarian split squat (back leg up on bench single leg lunge)
Incline
Chin ups
Lunges
Clap Pushup
Box Jump

W: 3 x 8 x 100m @ 75%, R= 45 seconds between reps, 90
seconds between sets

B: 15.0 - 15.5
G: 17.8 - 18.3

Core - stabilization.
Hurdle mobility.
10′ static stretch

TH: 4-5 x Split 600s. R = 7′ (Workout of the Week!)

B: 33/48/33
G: 38/50/38

Lift Day 1

F: 2 x 10 x diaganols R= 5′ sets

Here’s how it works: Run on a football field, from the back
of the endzone to the back of the opposite endzone, but on
the diaganol.

Finish, then do a set of 10 (each leg) bodyweight exercises. Alternate
between prisoner squat, split squat, lunges each time you get to this
‘leg station’.

Walk the width of the field for recovery. Run the diaganol again.
Finish, do a set of 20 ab exercise. Athlete’s choice: crunches, bicycles,
russian twists, toe touch, etc.

Walk the width of the field for recovery. Run the diaganol. Do a different
leg exercise. Repeat the process.

One set = 10 intervals. Only do bodyweight exercises for the first set!

Lift Day 1.
Audio Breakdown:

It may seem like a long time, but there are less than
7 weeks to go before indoor track starts in most
areas. And I’m starting to get into full gear to
be ready to roll when it starts.

If you haven’t listened to the above audio, I highly
recommend you do so. It’s good information that
will help you and your athletes. (I’ll admit it’s
long, but I gave you the option to download the
file.)

If you’re looking for drills and exercises to teach
that are on video, you want Complete Speed Training.

If you’re looking for help with the most effective
structure and progressions for your workout planning,
you want Complete Program Design for Sprinters.

As always, post your comments below.
- Latif

When it comes to designing training programs for
their athletes, people tend to be all over the map.

But if you follow these three simple ideas, you’ll
make your life a whole lot easier and your athletes
a whole lot better.

1. Simplicity

Some people take this to the extreme, i.e., they
don’t actually create a program.

If you don’t at least outline your training goals
for the entire season before the season starts,
you’re not really creating a training program,
you’re winging it.

If you only focus on ’sport specific’ drills and
movements, that’s not a program, it’s just random
drills and workouts. You shouldn’t expect consistent
performances.

You may avoid sitting down and taking the time to map
out the specifics of your athletes’ training needs
because you’ve made it an enormous process in your
mind.

It will be if you try to make it more complicated
than it is.

And, in truth, it’s not that complicated.

The younger the athletes you work with, the easier
the workout planning. And it’s never all that
complicated if you work with high school, middle
school or pre-teen athletes.

Because these athletes always have basic
problems that require basic solutions. Solutions
rooted in all around (not sport specific) athletic
development.

Your 13 year old who plays soccer doesn’t need special
’soccer’ training and your 15 year old who plays
football doesn’t need special ‘football’ training.

What they do need is to develop foundational movement
skills, strength, coordination, speed, flexibility and
endurance.

This approach will make them better at everything they
do.

Some coaches and parents tend to become obsessive about
their particular sport and forget that their athletes
can’t perform the basics. Without the basics,
technical application of sport specific skills is
not going to happen.

They simply won’t be able to do it right. Everyone
gets frustrated and no one gets better.

Keep it simple and cover all the bases.

Click here if you want to get a better handle on the
basic skills every young athlete needs.

2. Flexibility

When planning workouts, don’t focus on the workout
itself, but think about how you want the workout to
affect the athlete’s speed, strength and/or conditioning.

This means that the structure of the workout is
aimed at the energy system you’re working that day.

For example, repeat 200’s can mean a lot of different
things.

At 70% intensity it’s working the aerobic system.
Well coached high school athletes might be able to do 10
or more intervals in a workout, depending on rest time.

At 80-85% intensity it’s mixed aerobic/anaerobic.
Well coached high school athletes might be able to do 6-8
intervals, depending on rest time.

At 95% intensity it’s a lactic acid workout.
Well coached high school athletes might be able to do 2-3
quality repetitions, depending on rest time.

You have to first decide what the goal of the
workout is and then plug in the particular specifics.

Average coaches do it the other way around. They decide
which workout they want to do and then they hope it
does the trick. And that’s why they don’t get
consistent results or improvements in their athletes.

This idea is critical because this understanding
of how different workouts affect your athletes
allows you to be flexible.

I live in a cold weather environment. If I have
repeat 200s at 80% planned and it snows or is 10
degrees out, I can’t really go outside and do that.

But, because I’m flexible and understand how I want
today’s workout to affect my athletes’ conditioning,
I can do something different and still get the same
result.

But if I’m rigidly attached to a particular workout
at a particular distance for a particular number
of intervals or repetitions on a particular day, then
I’m in serious trouble if (and when) weather doesn’t
allow it, kids are sick, excessively sore, etc.

Be flexible and always have a Plan B. And Plan C.

Click here if you want to learn more about how to
keep your workout planning easy and flexible.
 

3. Variability

The natural tendency of our body is to reach
a balance. Our bodies quickly adapt to whatever
stimulus it repeatedly encounters.

If we give our athletes the same warm up every day,
before long, it no longer has the same effect.

We can’t always go for a 2 mile run on Monday, do
10×30m from a crouch on Tuesday, 2×10×100 @ 75%
on Wednesday, 5 x fly 30 on Thursday and Split
600s on Friday…week after week after week.

Here’s a quick question:

Do you understand why I chose that particular order
of workouts? For example, Why not switch Thursday
and Friday’s workouts?

Answer: Don’t do speed work the day after lactic
work.

Now, you can keep the order of workouts the same (if
you immediately knew the answer to the above question
you are on the right path) but you have to continuously
make the workouts more challenging if you want to
’stimulate an adaptation’, i.e. you want your athletes
too keep getting faster, stronger and in better ’shape’.

This requires changing the volume (amount of work done),
intensity (pace of the work done) and density (amount of
rest between bouts of effort).

Not only does it keep athletes from getting extremely
bored with their training (which reduces performance
in and of itself), but it leads to continuous
improvement, assuming, of course, you effectively
address all the variables involved in your athletes’
traininig.

If you do some basic planning in advance, keep records
of workout results and regularly try to improve your
system, then workout planning gets easier and easier
as time goes on.

If you want to know more about the most effective
methods for writing effective workouts, click here.

I used to get overwhelmed by this entire process. The
way I got better was by not trying to hit a home
run with my workout planning right off the bat.

Instead, I just tried to hit singles and get on base.

My athletes got better, I got better and everyone was
happy.

And you’ll experience similar results when you begin
to apply these ideas to your coaching.

To your success,

Latif Thomas

P.S. We covered a lot of information today. And I hope
it helped give you some ideas on how to improve your
coaching.

If you have questions, post them below.