Researcher vs. Coach: What's the difference?

Strength Training

Q: Hey Joe D I recently purched power and it is amazing!! You guys opened my eyes to so many new exercises & concepts for developing explosive athletes..i cant even begin to tell u how much i learned. There is one part in the dvd that is confusing me though. In the intro you talk about the principle of dynamic correspondence and this was very interesting to me. This principle states: functional movement must also match the duration of movement, the intensity of movement, and the speed of movement or it isn't functional for their sport.

This made a lot of sense to me..... but the thing that bugs me is that your Train Slow, Be Fast blog post was one of the most helpful posts I've ever read on your site. My athletes benefitted from your HASD's in just one session, yet doesn't that blog post completely contradict the principle of dynamic correspondence?? Have you changed your views since filming power?? Any input would be awesome, i realize your very busy during this time of year.. thanx coach!!

Darin

A: Darin,

Great question. You have definitely brought up an interesting point that I feel my readers would like me to address. 

I will start my answer by quoting YOU. In your question, you say, "...your Train Slow, Be Fast blog post was one of the most helpful posts I've ever read on your site. My athletes benefitted from your HASD's in just one session, yet doesn't that blog post contradict the principle of dynamic correspondence?"

Here's my advice: If you try something with your athletes and it works; it shouldn't matter what the "research" says! If you want to 'make it' in this business and actually have athletes seek you out and pay you for your expertise, remember this quote: "RESULTS trump RESEARCH!" Athletes don't give a shit "what the research says"; all they care about is what you do for them. 

Don't get me wrong; I have read countless books, articles, studies and translated texts regarding human performance -- and I learned something from almost all of them. (In fact, my training library is so big I had to look into renting a storage unit when my twins were born lol!) With that being said, I've also learned that you shouldn't believe everything you read. Every athlete is different and every situation is different. For example, you asked me about my "Heavy Ass Sled Drags" (HASD's) contradicting the Principle of Dynamic Correspondence. You were correct; technically speaking, that exercise does contradict one of the principle's taught by a world-renowned sport scientist (Yuri Verkhoshansky). Specifically speaking, the "speed & duration" of HASD's does not match that of a 10-yard sprint. Therefore, it can't be considered functional (according to Verkoshansky) with regards to improving your sprint times. Although I have the utmost respect for his research; I refuse to neglect any exercise or method based on someone else's word...even if that person happens to be a lot smarter than me :)

During the past 15 years, I've prepared almost 200 athletes for the NFL Combine or their NFL Pro Day. During this time, I've watched these athletes perform over 12,000 ten-yard sprints! I don't know of any "researcher" that has performed a 15-year study analyzing football players' 10-yard sprint technique as it relates to their 40-yard dash performance. This is why I felt the urge to share the results I was getting when having my athletes perform this "contradictory" exercise. (FYI, most "sprint" research has been done with 100-meter sprinters. While there are some similarities between the 40-yard dash and 100-meter sprint, there are also many differences. This was also one of my motivations for getting my 40-yard dash "research" out there.)

My advice to all trainers and coaches would be to 'read & respect' the research, "borrow" what pertains to your athletes and discard what doesn't. At some point, you must experiment on yourself and with your athletes so you can draw your own conclusions. 

NOTE: The Principle of Dynamic Correspondence is definitely a principle of training that coaches should be aware of and respect. I can tell you that it does hold true most of the time (in my experience) - especially with advanced athletes looking to improve performance. This is why we address it in our best-selling POWER! DVD. (But - as I've already stated - you're not obligated to listen to me or anyone else, besides yourself. So feel free to do your own research and draw your own conclusions.) 

I will conclude this topic by making one final point:

I feel that there are two different types of 'professionals' in the "Sports Performance" field. On one hand, there are great coaches/trainers. On the other hand, there are great "researches/sport scientists". They are both important with regards to the continued advances in human performance, but they are not necessarily interchangeable. When it's all said and done, I personally would like to be remembered as a great coach. Sometimes my programming may have to be complicated... Sometimes it may contradict the best sport scientists and translated 'Russian texts'... And sometimes it may be so damn simple it's comical...

In the end, I hope people will remember me for the RESULTS I helped my athletes produce; regardless of what "method" I used to get them! 

Do YOU have any "contradictory" training methods or exercises/ideas that 'go against science' or 'challenge the research', yet produced incredible results with your athletes? Share them with other readers by dropping us a comment below! 

-Joe D. 

Make 2012 your STRONGEST year ever! Check out the information-packed resources below...

NEW! >> EXTREME! 130+ Never-Before-Seen 'Imperfection' Exercises!

AMPED! The Most Comprehensive Warm-up System Ever Created!

POWER! Over 90 Exercises Proven to Build eXpLoSiVe Beasts!

SUPER STRENGTH! Joe DeFranco's Strength Training System Revealed!

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Stephanie McMahon Levesque Interview!

Strength Training

So you still think that strength training makes females "big & bulky"?

If so, check out the interview that Stephanie McMahon Levesque recently did with RxMuscle.com! Once everyone sees the pics of Stephanie, I think we will be able to put this myth to rest forever!! (Click the link below to see the interview/pics...)

Stephanie McMahon Levesque: First Daughter of the WWE & Super Mom of 3! 

-Joe D. 

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"Behind the Scenes": Post-Rehab Lower Body Power Training

Strength Training

Here's a quick "Behind the Scenes" video/blog update featuring Kareem Huggins. 

Kareem was a record-setting running back at Hofstra University before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While with the Bucs, Kareem earned a spot on the 53-man roster, moved his way up the depth chart and even shared time as the starting running back. Unfortunately, Kareem injured his knee and after a few surgeries, he was released. But then he found us :) 

I figured I'd feature Kareem in this "Behind the Scenes" post, just in case there are any NFL coaches/scouts that have any doubt regarding the strength/health of his knee. This kid will be playing on Sunday's again very soon...

THE WORKOUT

AMPED WARM-UP, TKE'S: 3 x 20

1. 36" (foam) Box Jumps, holding 40lb. DB's: 5 x 3 jumps 

2. Lateral Crossover Step Sled Sprints: 6 x 20 yards

Got questions regarding this specific workout? Shoot me a comment below and I'll be checking back throughout the week. 

-Joe D.

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By the way, I am honored and humbled to announce that I was mentioned/featured in a Forbes Magazine article. Click here to check it out >>> Forbes Magazine

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EXTREME RESULTS require EXTREME MEASURES!

Strength Training

Q: Hey Joe D, thanks for answering my question regarding imperfection training. Very interesting stuff. Sorry to bother you again but I have 2 more quick questions regarding your extreme dvd. Has it been released yet? And I'm still a little confused regarding the content of the dvd. Is extreme an actual program meant to replace your super strength dvd or a bunch of exercises?? Danny

A: Danny,

Thanks again for your interest in our newest and one-of-a-kind DVD -- EXTREME! Don't worry, you did not miss it's release! Although the DVD covers "imperfection training", we were striving for perfection with regards to the quality of the DVD, which caused some delays here and there :) But, the good news is that the DVD is officially completed and has been sent off to the distribution company. We are within two weeks of it's release!! Keep checking back so you don't miss the opportunity to give the gift of strength for the holidays!

Now onto your question...

EXTREME is not a "program" that's meant to replace any other program. But, I also wouldn't consider it just a "bunch of exercises" either! The DVD is an encyclopedia of over 130 of the sickest, most innovative exercises you've ever seen, along with the science and theory behind each one of them. The DVD is broken up into the following sections: Upper Body, Lower Body, Full Body, Core, Rehab, Insane!

As I stated in my previous blog post, “Imperfection Training” is the foundation of the EXTREME DVD. The term “imperfection training” comes from the book, Supertraining by Mel Siff and Yuri Verkhoshansky. Here’s an excerpt from a chapter in Supertraining entitled, Injury Prevention by Imperfection Training:

{All-round sports training must include the capability of coping with unexpected and sub-optimal conditioning... This type of preparation needs to be adopted far more extensively in all sports so that the athlete is able to anticipate threatening situations, react much more rapidly to unexpected circumstances, take action to avoid or minimise injury, and cope with sub-optimal conditions by practising with imperfectly executed movements.} -Supertraining

Although Supertraining is highly regarded as one of the most comprehensive training texts ever written; not many coaches have taken action and tried to create any specific "imperfection" exercises! Well, this is about to change forever, people!

As you can see, we haven't only developed 130+ "extreme" exercises; we have put them to the test "behind closed doors" with athletes from across the globe...and the results have been astounding!

The bottom line is that the body will adapt to the demands placed upon it; if everything we do in the weightroom is 'linear' or on a 'fixed' machine, we will never even come close to reaching our full athletic potential; we will also drastically increase our potential for injury and "disfunction". This is because sport - and life - is random and chaotic! Even though it is impossible to mimic the exact physical demands of an athlete's sport while in the weightroom; we can bridge the gap from the weightroom to the athletic field by incorporating "random & chaotic" exercises into our programs. We feel this may be one of the most overlooked components of program design. Our hope is that EXTREME will forever change the way coaches design programs! 

With EXTREME, accessory exercises will no longer be an after-thought; they will become a key component to enhancing the training effect of your "main lifts", as well as improving your on-field performance! These EXTREME exercises will also bullet-proof your body and drastically reduce the potential of injury. 

It's time to get out of the rut of designing basic, linear programs for our athletes! Sports are played in three dimensions and the physical demands are random and chaotic! Do you want to be average, or do you want to be the BEST?! To be better than your competition, you must be willing to do what they're not doing! 

EXTREME RESULTS require EXTREME MEASURES!

-Joe D. 

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