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NEWS!
HUGE DeFranco Energy Bar sale!!!
Summer is right around the corner and we all know what that means…it’s time to increase the intensity of our workouts, cut the sleeves off of our t-shirts and get rid of all unwanted body hair! Well, the DeFranco Energy Bar can’t help with the unwanted body hair problem, but it WILL increase the intensity of your workouts, which in turn, will make you look pretty damn good in your sleeveless t-shirt! In an attempt to help everyone get in the best shape of their lives this summer, we are running a very generous SALE on the DeFranco Energy Bars.
CLICK HERE to order your discounted bars now!
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DeFranco Bars now available in Hawaii!!!
Speaking of DeFranco Bars, we are very excited to announce that we have signed our first regional distributor of the DeFranco Energy Bars! Byron Pranger of Aloha Fitness Club in Hilo, Hawaii will be responsible for all orders from Hawaii. His contact info can be found in the Products section of this site.
Byron Pranger
Ready to introduce the Hawaiian natives to the best energy bar on the market!
**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT**
If you would like to join TEAM DEFRANCO and become a regional distributor of the DeFranco Energy Bars like Byron did, please email our office manager, Jenna Corrado, at jenna@defrancostraining.com. This is a great opportunity to become a part of the fastest growing supplement in the industry…and make some good money in the process! Byron is kicking ass in Hawaii, now we’re looking for some motivated people to help spread the word throughout different parts of the country! We look forward to hearing from you!
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CONGRATULATIONS to the following athletes!
NICKY BARANELLO wins States!
Nicky (center with “DTS” shirt) is the youngest athlete ever accepted into our program, yet he demonstrated the power of strength training at the states 2 weeks ago! Nicky clearly “out-muscled” his competition in the 112 lb. junior division (6th & 7th graders) to win the USA Wrestling NJ State Championship! Nicky’s training has consisted of a lot of bodyweight circuits with a light weighted vest, push-ups, chin-ups, abs, sled dragging and grip training.
This should be a lesson to all parents & kids…even at a young age, kids can benefit by getting involved in a PROPERLY designed strength development program. If you’re going to throw your young son or daughter onto the athletic field, make sure their bodies are prepared for the demands of their sport! And the best way to prepare a kids body for the demands of athletics is to properly strengthen their muscles so they are less likely to get injured! Next up for Nicky is the Junior Nationals in Iowa!
TONY SMITH squats 460 lbs.!
Tony broke one of our longest-standing high school records…yes; this kid is in high school! Tony broke the box squat record in the under 200 lb. high school division. Tony box squatted 460 lbs. at a bodyweight of 199 lbs. to break the old record of 455 lbs. (The old record stood so long that we needed to use special cleaning wipes to erase it off the board!) Congratulations Tony! You are a BEAST!
DEON ANDERSON squats 635 lbs.!
Speaking of long-standing records - Deon capped off his stay with us in style by breaking THE longest standing record on our record board (Box squat, College Male, over 220 lb. division). Deon crushed 635 lbs. to break the old record of 630 lbs. set by his old college teammate, Brian Markowski. He then attempted to conquer 666 lbs., but the appropriate number got the beast, I mean best, of him. Next up for Deon is an NFL mini camp! We can’t wait to see what team picks up the biggest FREAK ever to enter our program!
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Q: Coach Defranco – I’m currently training for a regional combine. I have your combine dvd and your techniques have improved all of my events except I’m having problems with your 40 yard dash technique. The problem is that you say to “steal every inch” and set up as close to the start line as possible. In your video your front foot is only an inch or 2 behind the start line. I feel really uncomfortable that close and I can’t seem to get much push on my first step. My first step is short and I keep popping up on my 1st step. Should I keep working at it or should I make a change? I only have about 4 more weeks. PLEASE HELP COACH!!
Todd
A: Todd,
You’re experiencing a very common problem. Many athletes are not comfortable getting as close to the line as I teach in my Combine DVD. There are a couple of reasons for this.
In my Combine DVD, I mention that taller athletes and athletes that posses low levels of relative body strength will have trouble setting up really close to the line. I have learned a lot since I released that video and I now realize that there are other factors which affect an athlete’s ability to set up really close to the line. A new factor that I’ve noticed is that some athletes have long lower legs compared to the length of their femurs. In other words, height & bodyweight aren’t the only factors regarding how close an athlete can get to the line and still be comfortable. You may have an athlete that’s not that tall, but his lower legs are long in relation to his femurs. This (lack of) leverage makes it difficult to crowd the line in your 40 stance and still achieve a proper shin angle.
Speaking of shin angle, the shin angle is the KEY to the proper 40-yard dash stance. The goal is still to crowd the line as much as possible while achieving a POSITIVE SHIN ANGLE! The optimal shin angle that we’re trying to achieve is having your lower legs at approximately a 45-degree angle in relation to the ground. Your knees must remain in front of your toes and you want to feel pressure in BOTH feet.
Below you will see a great example of an athlete who was having trouble setting up really close to the start line even though he is extremely lean & strong. Because of the length of his lower legs, he wasn’t able to achieve the proper shin angle when he was too close to the line; therefore, his 10-yard sprint times weren’t doing his speed any justice. (We all know this kid can run – just ask the Michigan offense! But, NFL scouts still want to see a great 40 time to go along with an athlete’s “game speed”. So last week when this athlete was home for spring break, we got a head start for when that time comes.) Here’s what we found regarding this athlete’s 40-yard dash technique…
When the above athlete set up 2 inches behind the start line, he took 7 ½ steps to run 10 yards. This was because his shins were pointing straight down in his stance. (He was too “bunched up” when he was really close to the start line.) Simple physics will tell us that if you apply force straight down into the ground, you’re going to pop straight UP! So in this athlete’s case, by moving him BACK about 6 more inches from the start line, he was able to achieve a more advantageous shin angle (45-degrees), which in turn, enabled him to push BACK into the ground at the start. Applying force backwards into the ground helped him cover more ground on his first step (even though he was further behind the line.) After making this adjustment, this athlete was able to run 10 yards in 6 ½ steps, compared to 7 ½ steps. By taking 1 less step during the first 10 yards, we were able to shave .11 off of his electronic 10-yards sprint time in 1 day!
Now check out the sprint for yourself. Notice how I have my athletes start their set-up by placing their hands in FRONT of the start line; then, the goal is to “walk” their hands back without shifting too much of their bodyweight back. This enables them to set up with more of their weight forward which translates into a more explosive 1st step. Also note the shin angle while the athlete is in his stance. The “positive” 45-degree angle enables him to apply force BACK into the turf and reach our desired goal for the first step. We still need to increase the distance of his 1st step & maintain his 45-degree forward body lean a little longer, but we’re on the right track…
Details, details, details… In order to make a great athlete even better, you gotta be an anal bastard!
Joe D.
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Q: Mr. DeFranco, I can’t begin to tell you how much your Westside for skinny bastard programs have helped me! I have trained under your modified system for a full year now and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. I’ve gone from weighing 172 pounds with 15% bodyfat to 191 lbs. at 11% while on your program. My next goal is to weigh over 200 lbs. and get my bodyfat in the single digits – Im almost there!! Oh yeah my bench has gone from 265 pounds to 305 pounds and my trap bar deadlift went from 335 lbs. to 415!! Basically I guess I just wanted to thank you. But also the thing I love even more than your programs are your success stories. Have you had any more athletes on this program that have made incredible gains in size & strength? Your athletes motivate me like you wouldn’t believe coach!! Keep up the great job and thanks again!
Thomas
Pennsylvania
A: Thomas,
First off, congrats on your progress! Keep workin’ hard and keep getting’ stronger! You’re on the right path…keep me posted on your progress!
As far as success stories are concerned…of course I got some more for ya! After all, that’s what we do here day in and day out – WE TRANSFORM ATHLETES! Although I have about a dozen athletes that come to my mind, one athlete in particular pops into my head…
Below you will see a “before” & “after’ picture of UConn tight end, Dan Murray. Going into his senior year, Dan was regarded as one of the best tight ends in the country. Unfortunately, Dan suffered a severe high ankle sprain that required screws to be put in his ankle and it affected his play during his senior campaign. When Dan arrived at my facility on January 15th, he was a 6’05”, 241 lb. skinny bastard that walked with a limp. Check out what happened to this kid during his 2-month stay in New Jersey…
Dan Murray – Pre-transformation
This picture was taken during Dan’s 1st upper body workout with us on January 16th. In this picture, Dan weighed 241 lbs. & he benched 225 lbs for 12 reps.
Dan Murray – Post-transformation!
Dan is pictured above during his last workout with us on March 17th. Dan weighed in at a shredded 258 lbs. on the day this picture was taken and he benched 225 lbs. for 20 reps!
Check out some more of Dan’s “before” & ‘after” stats…
1st Week of Training |
Final Week of Training |
|
| 40-yard dash: | 5.07 seconds |
4.71 seconds |
| Vertical jump: | 31" |
36" |
| 20-yard shuttle: | 4.72 seconds |
4.33 seconds |
| 3-Cone Drill: | 7.48 seconds |
6.78 seconds |
Most importantly, Dan’s ankle is now 100% healthy and he is ready to play at the next level! Remember his name…there are going to be a lot of NFL coaches that are going to be kicking themselves for counting him out after his ankle injury. Look for Dan to be catching passes for some lucky NFL team next fall!
Joe D.
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Q: Joe D – I’m a wrestler turned mixed martial artist. I’ve been following your program 2-3 X a week in conjunction with my MMA training with great success. On my upper body high rep day I do mostly chin variations and DB bench variations. To be honest I’m getting bored. Do you have any different suggestions for a MMA guy that comes to mind? My goal is to come train with you for a couple of weeks but for now sending in a question is the best I can do. Thanks man.
Todd
A: Todd,
Here’s a suggestion for you - For your Rep Upper Body Day, try performing timed isometric holds as your main lift. Isometric strength is of utmost importance for mixed martial artists; I feel incorporating isometrics into your routine is a great way to make your workouts more “MMA specific” as well as add some variety to your training.
How many times have you seen a guy control a fight and go for multiple submission attempts, yet he ends up gassing out and the other guy ends up taking control of the fight and winning?! This happens because isometrics require a lot of energy from the body and if your body isn’t used to this type of activity, it will take its toll on you.
The bottom line is, as a mixed martial artist, if you don’t train this specific aspect of strength, it may end up costing you a fight! Below are just a few examples of exercises that you can use as your main exercise on your Repetition Upper Body Day…
- Chin-up holds (wearing weighted vest, various grips)
- Thick bar or heavy dumbbell holds
- “Baby carry” sandbag holds
- “Bear hug” sandbag holds
- Weighted vest push-up hold (top position)
- Weighted vest push-up hold (bottom position)
- ‘Zercher squat” barbell holds
You can perform 3 sets of max time with minimal rest periods, multiple sets of a pre-determined time with minimal rest periods, 1 all-out set, etc., etc. The possibilities are endless. After your isometric work, go into your regular strength training exercises, but don’t expect to break any records. This is very difficult to do because the isometrics take a lot out of you. But it’s good to condition your body in this manner; just as if you went for a submission and it failed and you had to continue fighting after expending a lot of energy on the submission attempt.
How long before MMA is as mainstream as baseball, football & basketball???
Joe D.
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