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From Punk Skater to All-State(er)
The Pat Cole Story
By
Joe DeFranco
Four years ago, a 150-pound, self-proclaimed “skate punk”, walked into our facility looking to get bigger and stronger so he could play high school football. But, truth be told, the first couple months of training weren’t exactly “focused” for Pat Cole. Maybe it was the immaturity of being an 8th grader (and one of the youngest athletes in our gym); or maybe things just hadn’t “clicked” yet for the young man.
Enter Coach John Impallomeni.
A couple months into Pat’s training, I set him up with a different trainer - John Impallomeni. John really focused on teaching Pat proper form in our “foundational” exercises - box squat, bench press, deadlift, chin-ups and box jumps - rather than just letting him “go through the motions”. According to Pat, as he started learning how to lift properly - and seeing progress - he began to “want to come to the gym more and more.”
After about a year of working with John and taking his training seriously, Pat’s physique and strength really started to transform. But it was at this time that Pat received some devastating news from his doctor during a football physical; Pat’s doctor informed him that he had a leaking aortic valve and playing football would not be a “healthy choice” for his heart.
Turning a negative into a positive
Instead of “hanging up his cleats” and giving up, Pat decided to take up track & field - more specifically, the shot put. His best throw during his freshman year was 43 feet; this was considered a “pretty good” start for Pat. But, “pretty good” wasn’t good enough for Pat Cole. He wanted to be the best. So he decided to totally engross himself in the sport and train specifically for the shot put. In less than one year, he added over 10 feet to his best throw! (He threw 53’ 02” as a sophomore.) This was also the year his best box squat went from 275 lbs. to 405 lbs.! Check out the videos below…
Pat Cole squats 275 X 2 as a freshman!
Pat Cole squats an easy 405 on his 16th Birthday!
There is a good lesson to be learned here for all coaches and trainers; I feel one of the keys to Pat’s success in the gym during this critical year of training was John’s focus on proper form, as opposed to implementing fancy programs. Way too many coaches look for “quick fixes” and fancy programs during the early years of an athlete’s training. Focusing on exercise form - as well as getting stronger in the “foundational” lifts - will build the best foundation for young athletes. Pat is living proof of this.
Once Pat developed a base level of strength, John started adding more jumps and throws, as well as specialty barbells for squatting (safety bar & cambered bar are staples) and some strongman-type exercises into Pat’s program. Speaking of Pat’s program, here’s an inside look at Pat’s Lower Body Strength Workout from last week:
1. Weighted Box Jumps, holding DB’s: 5×3 (Worked up to 35” box, holding 35lb. DB’s)
2. Cambered Bar, Low Box Squats (12” box): Worked up to 430 x 1!
3. Prowler Sprints: 6 X 15 yards
4. Barbell Russian Twists: 4 X 10 each side
*Pat’s program changes from week to week, depending on track meets, technical training, traveling, etc. He usually performs Upper/Lower training splits, although Full Body workouts are also used when he can’t get to the gym two or more times in a week.
This type of training has been a recipe for success for Pat. He added another four feet to his PR from the previous year with a 57’ 03” throw this year as a high school junior! Going into his senior year, Pat’s resume includes the following:
1st Team All-County – (Indoor & Outdoor Shot put)
4-Time Group 1 State Champ (2 indoor, 2 outdoor)
6th Place Finish at prestigious Penn Relays
Pat Cole – Penn Relays
Power of the Internet
Pat is currently being recruited by major Division I Universities throughout the country; he has his “on-field” performance and work ethic to thank for that. But, I wanted to add a note to this article for all the coaches, trainers and gym owners who are reading this; one of the things that Pat’s dad informed us has been a huge help in the recruiting process are the YouTube videos we’ve posted of Pat. In fact, a major BIG 12 University contacted Pat after seeing his 405 squat video and they are making a house visit this month! The Cole family couldn’t be more excited.
YouTube videos allow college coaches and recruiters to see how athletes train when “no one is watching.” This just may be the “x-factor” for a coach/recruiter that has two athletes graded equally on the field, yet he/she only has one scholarship to offer and needs something to separate the athletes. An athlete’s off-field work ethic or physical strength just may be the “x-factor” that separates one athlete from another. So even though posting videos may mean “more work” for you, it just may help one of your athlete’s get a scholarship or get recognized by a college that otherwise would have never known about him/her. And let’s be honest, having a “Pat Cole” representing you and your facility for the world to see, won’t exactly hurt business.
-Joe D.
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**For those interested, Pat will be competing in the High School Division of this year's World's Strongest Athlete Competition! Although Pat was the youngest of all the competitors in the HS Division last year, he still placed in the Top 5. This year, he's looking to take home the title! This is only one (of many) interesting storylines that will be played out at this years event! Don't miss it! Even if you're not competing, you can still come out and support the competitors and the charity! For more information, goto www.WorldsStrongestAthlete.com!
5 Comments
"Behind the Scenes" - Dynamic / Rep Upper Body Workout
Check out "Behind the Scenes" as a couple of our high school athletes perform an upper body workout at our gym!
Here's a copy of the actual workout:
THE WORKOUT
1. Tire Battles: 5x10-20 seconds (Vary time each set)
2. Flat DB Bench Press, palms in: 1xMax reps
5. Battling Ropes: 2x30 seconds
6. "Hercules" Hold (w/ entire weight stack): 2xMax time
Check out some highlights of the actual workout...
Let us know what you thought about the workout by leaving your feedback/questions in the comments section below!
-Joe D.
P.S. For those of you that have been emailing me regarding THE LOST SECRETS OF STRENGTH: BUSINESS FILES DVD/CD; I wanted to inform you that they are back in stock on our STORE page!
13 Comments
"Behind the Scenes" - Lower Body Strength/Power Workout
One of the things I'm going to start incorporating into my blog posts are random, "Behind the Scenes" videos of entire workouts at my facility. As my business continues to grow and my plate continues to get fuller and fuller, I haven't had the time to update my blog as often as I would like. (Unfortunately, I need to give top priority to the aspects of my business that actually pay the bills :) But, I've always loved answering questions on my website and providing great content for my website readers. My "ASK JOE" column is something that I plan on keeping around for a long, long time. So I've been thinking of more efficient ways for me to provide content to my site more frequently. Since I still spend the majority of my days in the gym, training athletes, I will periodically film entire workouts and then just post them. I obviously won't show every single set, rep, rest period, etc. What I WILL do is write out the entire program, along with the rationale behind it, and provide a video to tie it all together. This will give everyone a cool look "inside" the gym and see some of the different programming we use with our athletes.
So without further ado, here's a "Behind the Scenes" look at a Lower Body Strength/Power session performed by my 12:00 crew this past Tuesday!
THE WORKOUT
1. TKE's w/ Average Band - 3 x 15
3. Sled Accelerations - 4 x 15 yards
4. "Big Dog" Swings ( 124lb. KB) - 3 x 12
5. Band-Resisted sit-ups - 4 x 25
The method behind the madness:
**TKE's: I've spoken about the benefits of this exercise on countless occasions. Almost every single athlete with patella tendonitis or general "knee pain" can't believe how much better their knees feel after just 2-3 sets of this exercise. You'd be crazy not to do them! Always conclude your warm-up with TKE's when squatting, jumping or deadlifting. Period.
**For athletes that are only performing 1 lower body 'strength' session per week, starting their workout with a heavy squat or deadlift variation followed by a jump, gives them a great "bang for their buck". In the above workout, I chose Safety bar squats off pins as my "heavy" movement. Notice I said "heavy", not "max". Lifting "heavy" weights excite the CNS and recruit your fast-twitch fibers, without burning you out (like "max" singles often do). This increases neural firing when you perform your jumps. Athletes will notice that they are able to jump higher, with less "effort", during their squat/jump pairing with this workout. (The "technical" term for this type of training is called 'post-activation potentiation'.) Perform at least 5 "supersets" to get the most out of this part of the workout.
**After the squat/jump pairing, you want to try and transfer the high-threshold motor units into a synchronized activity (like acceleration sled sprints). Simply put, while your CNS is in a heightened state, I like to have my athletes perform an "athletic" movement that is more "specific" to their sport. Since the 4 athletes that performed this workout were all football players, I chose a weighted, short sprint. When training for power, I've always felt like this helped "bridge the gap" from the weightroom to the athletic field. I'll give another example to help clarify my point: If you were going to have a boxer or MMA athlete perform this type of workout for the upper body; you may have them start with bench presses and medicine ball throws. Then, your next exercise can be hitting the heavy bag for 4 sets of 10-15 seconds to help transfer/synchronize the motor units that were previously recruited.
**Heavy Kettlebell Swings: I wanted to finish this lower body workout with a hip extension exercise that also had a little bit of a "conditioning" component (since mini camp may be right around the corner for a few of these guys); what better way to hit the posterior chain and finish everyone off than a 124-pound kettlebell?!
**Band-resisted sit-ups: I have to give credit to Brian Cushing for this unique sit-up variation. When he was home last month, he came up with this...we tried it...I loved it...most of the athletes HATED it...so I kept it in the program!!!
Finally, I gotta give props to William Paterson University wide receiver, Joel Rivera. This was his very first workout with us! I threw him to the wolves with some of our longtime 'disciples' to "test" him...and he passed the test!! He definitely earned his DeFranco "wings" after that workout!!
What did you guys think of the workout? Drop us a comment below and let us know your thoughts!
-Joe D.
18 Comments
Hang Cleans vs. Weighted Jumps
Q: Hey Joe D I really enjoyed your recent blog post about developing knockout power! The weighted jumping exercises definitely make sense..i'm looking forward to incorporating some of your suggestions into my workouts!! My question is where do hang cleans and power cleans fit into the mix? I'm assuming your rationale behind the weighted jumps is the explosive hip extension(triple extension) involved, correct?? Well aren't cleans the ultimate hip extension power movement? I know you train tons of football players so surely you incorporate them somewhere in your training programs? Any input would be golden coach..THANKS!
Brandon - Baltimore, Maryland
A: Brandon,
I've discussed my stance regarding hang cleans and power cleans many times before on this website. Simply put, I don't feel they are necessary for any class of athlete (with the exception of Olympic weightlifters).
I don't want to bore my readers by re-writing what's already been written, so I suggest you check out the following links:
Olympic lifting debate (again)!
Can you get "explosive" without doing power cleans?
10 Training Myths Exposed! (See "Myth #4)
If you search my website, you'll will find even more posts regarding this topic.
Since many years have past since some of these posts were written, I've decided to provide my readers with a new perspective on this age-old topic. Instead of simply listing the "why's" of why I don't have my athletes perform cleans; I thought that providing some videos would paint a clearer picture.
Let's remember that every coach that advocates hang cleans or power cleans does so because of the "triple extension" involved with these movements. The problem is, you will be hard-pressed to ever find an athlete (besides an Olympic weightlifter) getting a "triple extension" benefit! I did my best to find a good video representation of someone who performs cleans like the majority of athletes out there. (I wanted to find a non Olympic-weightlifting athlete performing the lift. I did not go out of my way to find a really "bad" video, either.) The below video shows what most high school and college athletes look like when they perform cleans. (NOTE: I don't know the person in this video; and I'm not trying to offend him in any way. The sole purpose of this video is to help people 'see' my point.)
One of the reasons I feel coaches believe that cleans are making their athletes "explosive" is because they focus their attention on the barbell, instead of focussing on the athlete during the lift! The barbell bounces around and the weights make loud noises, so everyone thinks something "explosive" is happening! Unfortunately, the only things usually "exploding" are the athlete's lumbar spine, patella tendons and the tendons and ligaments that support their wrists!
I suggest watching the below video three times. The first time focus solely on the athlete's hips. The second time focus on the athlete's knees. And the third time focus on the athlete's ankles. Do NOT watch the barbell!
If you're like me, you probably didn't see any "explosive" hip, knee or ankle extension! Unfortunately, the technique utilized in the above video represents about 98% of what I've seen in my 13+ years in this profession.
The final "clincher" for me this past year was when THREE separate Division 1 college football players entered my program with surgically-repaired wrists due to the "catch" phase of this exercise! All three of these athletes were forced to do hang cleans during their college careers and now their training will be negatively effected forever. FYI, two of the three athletes are now in the NFL and have to deal with an injury that was 100% preventable if their coaches would have provided them with safer, more logical, exercise choices! Speaking of which...
Check out three examples of some of our favorite weighted jump variations. Again, I suggest watching each video 3x. Check out the hips, knees and ankles of each athlete while viewing the videos. Notice the increased range of motion and much more "explosive" extension (compared to the hang clean) at each of the three joints discussed.
This first video shows a bunch of highlights from a workout performed by UFC fighter, Dan Hardy, training at our gym last week. But I've posted it specifically for everyone to check out the first exercise shown - Trap Bar Jumps.
Single leg squat jumps
Seated box jump w/ weight vest
The beauty of these three exercises, as well as all of the weighted jump variations we have our athletes perform, is that you can't perform them without 'triple extension'! All of these exercises are basically fool-proof! I'm also proud to say that I've never seen an athlete get injured while performing any of our favorite jump variations. I've sure as hell never seen torn wrist ligaments or a ruptured disk; two injuries that are all too common during the "catch" phase of hang cleans and power cleans. I'll take an occasional scraped shin every now and then while box jumping any day of the week!
To conclude; I am in no way "bashing" hang cleans or any of the Olympic lifts. As I've stated time and time again, there are no "bad" exercises, just bad technique! I'm sure many athletes enjoy performing hang cleans and have benefitted from them. If you like doing them, go right ahead; it sure as hell doesn't matter to me! But, in my profession, I have to look at the risk:reward ratio of every exercise I prescribe. My job depends on it. There's just too much money at stake for many of my athletes to risk their health in an environment that's supposed to help prevent injury! Their sports are dangerous enough; I sure as hell don't need them getting injured in my weightroom!
And I can tell you - without question - weighted jump variations will make you just as "explosive", if not more, than any Olympic lift variation...without the risk! To me, it's a no-brainer!
-Joe D.
What did you think of this blog post? Gimme your feedback below by leaving a comment.
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