ASK JOE
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12.05.03

Q: Joe,

I don’t have a question, just a comment. I just finished watching your combine training video and all I can say is, WOW! That was the most informative piece of material I’ve ever purchased. I must admit that I was skeptical before ordering it. As you know, a lot of performance coaches are very secretive with their knowledge. You definitely “pulled no punches” in the video and I want to commend you for that. I had no idea that there was so much to those combine tests. I can now see why you get such great results with your athletes.
Keep up the good work.
Pete

P.S. By the way, the introduction of the video was so intense it gave me chills! I will watch the intro every night before I head off to the gym for extra motivation.

A: : Pete,

I am glad you liked the video. You are the first person to send in comments about it. I hope everyone gets as much out of it as you did. We really did put a lot of time and effort into the video. I’m glad it can help others learn more about that aspect of training. By the way, I also watch the introduction of the video before I train. It’s definitely intense!

Thanks for your feedback.
Joe D.

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Q: I am familiar with the BFS form of box squats. They use a box that is 2" above parallel and have the athlete use more weight than they would use for their parallel squat. They also have the athlete explode up onto their toes at the end. Can you please explain the benefits of using the box squats you use versus the ones that are part of their program?
Thank You.

Jason

A: Jason,

As they say, “there are many ways to skin the cat.” I use a wide variety of box heights with my athletes. The boxes I use vary from 6” from the floor to 2” above parallel. I cycle the different box heights with my athletes. Remember that doing the same thing all of the time gets you the same results!

For example, in the initial stages of the off-season for my basketball and volleyball players, I usually have them perform box squats and regular squats below parallel. This is because their sport dictates that they are usually going through a partial range of motion with their squat depth during competition. During the initial stages of the off-season, I try to overcome the imbalances that they have created by performing full-range squats. This helps to create a healthier knee joint.

As the season approaches, I may make the squats more “specific” by performing squat variations that mimic the jumping motion (50-rep rhythm squats, lightening box squats 2” above parallel, box squats with bands 1-2” above parallel, etc.).

As far as exploding up onto your toes when box squatting; that is just another variation. I would reserve this variation for more advanced athletes. Thinking about exploding onto the toes may be too much for a young kid to think about when first learning to box squat. Any exercise that promotes triple extension (plantar flexion, knee extension, hip extension) is always a good idea for an athlete, though.

My advice would be to give all variations a try. Just make sure you know “why”, “how” & “when” to implement them properly.

Remember that everything works, but nothing works forever!
Joe D.

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Q: Hey Joe,

I have a question in regards to strength training for wrestling. I just finished my football season and I start wrestling Monday. I have come up with a two day a week strength program. Please let me know what you think. I do circuit training and I’m also trying to cut weight. I weigh 140 and want to get down to 130. I am also looking for a workout program that I can do in the morning before school.

::::::::: DAY 1 :::::::::

Station 1 (3 sets of 5-7 reps)
-Power Clean
-Push Press
-Front Squat

Station 2 (2 sets of 10 reps)
-DB Bench
-Dips
-Lat Raise

Station 3 (2 sets of 10 reps)
-Pull-ups
-Hypers
-Curls

Ab work is done at practice, also I do a lot of variations of pushups at practice.

::::::::: DAY 2 :::::::::

Station 1 (3 sets of 5-7 reps)
-Clean and Press
-Squat
-Bench

Station 2 (2 sets of 10 reps)
-DB Incline press
-Close grip bench press

Station 3 (2 sets of 10 reps)
-Chin ups
-Weighted hypers
-Curls

Thanks for your time.

A: I’ll start by saying that I like your choices of exercises. There’s definitely not much “vanity” work in your program. If you’re actually performing this workout, it shows me that you’re definitely not afraid of some hard work.

The problem is that there is entirely too much volume for an in-season program. By week 3 of the season, your nervous system will be shot and your adrenals will be the size of raisins if you stay on this program! You need to cut down on the volume if you want to survive through the grueling wrestling season. Check out the archives of the “ASK JOE” section of this site. On 10-31-03 I outlined a simple and effective in-season wrestling program that will keep you strong throughout the season. It’s a little more realistic than the program you have designed. Check it out.

Good luck this season. Keep us informed of how you’re doing.
Joe D.

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Q: Hi, Mr. DeFranco.

I learned a lot from your writings. I thank you for sharing your knowledge, sincerely. I have a friend who plays ice hockey and he wants a program that can make him superior over others. You know, in my country, there aren’t any training programs, so when I told him of you, he really wanted one. I looked up thousands of questions and answers on your site, couldn't find one for ice hockey. Please, hook me up with a program.

Thanx.
-John

A: John,
It’s nice to see that you’re looking out for your friend. Unfortunately, without knowing anything about him, I can’t design a specific program for him. This is also a very busy time of year for me. It’s hard enough for me to find time to sleep, let alone design in-depth programs for people I don’t know.

Anyway, I know that you are a dedicated “student” of mine, so I’m going to give you and your friend some thoughts about hockey training. These are just some guidelines to get you started. I’m sure that these will lead to more questions.

During the off-season, it’s a good idea for hockey players to participate in an off-ice speed-training program. Sprinting helps to overcome many of the muscular imbalances created by skating. There is also a high correlation between sprinting speed and skating speed. Focus on short sprints (10 – 60 meters) during this time.

Get yourself a weighted sled and start dragging it! Sled dragging is one of the best strength & conditioning tools for the hockey player. Do forward, backward and sideways sled dragging.

Perform full-range lower body movements in the weight room to correct the muscular imbalances most hockey players suffer from. Because skating only stresses the legs through a partial range of motion, the vastus lateralis (quad muscle on the outside of your thigh) usually becomes dominant in relation to the vastus medialis (teardrop-shaped muscle on the inside of your knee) and hamstrings. By correcting this imbalance, you will create a much healthier knee joint and improve your skating power.

Train your lats with many variations of chin-ups, rows and lat pulldowns. Your lat strength is highly correlated with your slapshot power.

One of my favorite lower body exercises for hockey players is single leg “speed-skater” squats. Perform these just as you would perform single leg squats with the back leg elevated. The difference is that you will add a half rep during the course of the movement. Lower your back knee all the way down to the floor, raise halfway up and pause, then lower the back knee to the floor again, and then stand all the way back up. That is one rep! Perform 3 sets of 8 –10 reps each leg and see how you feel.

Those are just 5 hockey-training tips that popped into my head. I hope they help to get you started. Use them to try and create your own program.
Let me know what you come up with.

Joe D.

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