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Congratulations Deon Anderson & Miles Austin!
I couldn’t let this football season go by without officially congratulating two of the hardest-working athletes that ever stepped foot into my gym -- Deon Anderson and Miles Austin. Both Deon and Miles seized their opportunities during training camp and earned roster spots for the Dallas Cowboys!
Miles Austin before he was a Cowboy
Although Miles shocked the world and made the team last year; he had to start over this year in order to impress the new coaching staff and make the team again. For the second straight year, Miles worked his ass off and earned himself another roster spot! Not only did Miles make the roster, he is the Cowboys starting kickoff returner and he starts on all other special teams as well!
Watching that touchdown still gives me chills…hopefully there’s more to come!
The very first day that Deon Anderson stepped foot in the gym, I knew that he was going to make an NFL team. Deon has a contagious work ethic and an energy that makes everyone around him better. I have never been around an athlete as intense and as enthusiastic as Deon – it also helps that he is fearless on the football field and he hits like a freight train! (I can write about Deon all day, but I will save my energy as the world will be getting a “behind the scenes” look at Deon’s training and his life when our documentary is released. Words can’t describe the type of person he is…you will soon see it for yourself.)
Deon Anderson – Dallas Cowboys fullback,
DeFranco’s Training legend
Two days before Deon left for training camp, I pulled him aside at the gym to wish him luck and give him a little “pep” talk. Before I got a word out, Deon looked me dead in the eye and said, “You ‘aint gotta say nothin’! I aint gonna let you down.” I will never forget those words -- Those words might not seem like much on paper, but if you saw the look in his eyes you would understand what I felt…the only way that Deon wasn’t making that team was if he died on the friggin’ field! When Deon talks, people listen; and on that day, I heard him loud and clear… he wasn’t going to Dallas to try and make the team; he was going to Dallas to make the team.
Not only did Deon make the team, he starts on all special teams and he is already seeing time at fullback.
Congratulations guys! You both earned your spot on that team and you both deserve it!
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Deon Anderson |
Miles Austin |
How ‘bout them Cowboys!
Joe D.
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Congratulations Matt Lawrence!
Matt Lawrence randomly showed up at our facility one day this summer; he said that he wanted to train with the best because his goal was to dominate his senior year of college and then play in the NFL.
Ironically, when I asked Matt how he heard about us, he said, “Deon told me to do whatever it takes to get to Jersey and train at DeFranco’s. So here I am.” (It turned out that Matt played with Deon Anderson at the University of Connecticut before transferring to UMass.) When I asked Matt where he would be living while he was training with us, he replied, “I haven’t figured that out yet. I just wanna start training TODAY!” I quickly realized that this kid was about as crazy as Deon…but once Matt started training, we quickly realized that he had the same work ethic as Deon! From the first rep of the first set of Matt’s first workout, he didn’t stop talking -- but he also never stopped working! Matt – who is never at a loss for words – is now doing his talking on the field!
Matt has already rushed for a team-leading 539 yards & 5 touchdowns in only 4 games for the University of Massachusetts. Matt’s outstanding performance is a big reason why UMass is off to a 4-0 start and a #2 National Ranking!
SHREDDED!!!
Matt performing farmers walks with 202 lbs. in each hand!
Matt flips the 600 lb. tire!
Congratulations Matt…your hard work this summer is paying off!
Joe D.
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Q: Joe,
Thanks for WS4SB III. It looks like a great template, and I think it was really generous of you to make it free. I've gained ten pounds over a couple of months on WS4SB II and can't wait to start three.
I've just got a couple of questions about the jump training. How long do you rest between sets? On jumps like the broad jump and the vertical jump, do you simply jump as high/far as you can on each jump, or do you set a certain distance and try to reach that on each attempt? If I train in a crappy gym without plyo boxes, do you have any ideas for how I could do box jumps and hurdle jumps?
Nathan
A: Nathan,
As far as rest intervals are concerned, we usually rest between 45 to 90 seconds between jump sets.
There’s two ways you can perform your jump training…
#1 – Work up to a max jump
In this example, you perform your jump training in the same fashion you would perform a max-effort exercise – start light and “work up” to a max set. For example, let’s say you’re performing box jumps and your goal is to jump onto a 45” box on your final set -- You can start on a 36” box and add two or three 1” mats on top of the box each set until you reach your top set.
#2 – Perform multiple jumps at a set percentage of your max jump
Let’s say your best vertical jump is 28” – you can perform six to ten jumps at 90% of your best jump. In this example, you would warm up and then perform six to ten 25” jumps. This is most practical if you have a Vertec vertical jump tester because you can see exactly where you have to jump. If you don’t have a Vertec and you want to work with percentages on your jump day, I would suggest performing broad jumps or box jumps. You can place a marker on the ground for your broad jumps; or you can use a set box height for your box jumps.
Alternatives to box-jumping
Even if your gym doesn’t have plyo boxes, you can still incorporate jump training into your routine. Here are five very practical jump variations that don’t require a box or any other equipment…
Jump squats (holding light DB’s) – descend into a quarter squat and then jump into the air as high as possible
Broad jumps
Bulgarian split squat jumps – Set up as if you were about to perform Bulgarian split squats. But, you will jump in the air as high as you can during the concentric phase of the movement (while keeping your back leg on the bench).
Split jumps – start in lunge position, jump in air as high as you can and exchange legs in the air (so you will land in lunge position with opposite foot forward)
Tuck Jumps – these are performed in the same fashion as Jump Squats, but you are going to tuck your knees into your chest when you’re in the air
The above exercises should keep you busy for a while.
Joe D.
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Q: Actually this isn't a question. I just read your WSFSB III article. All I can say is that I cannot believe this shit is fuc*ing free! Absolutely awesome!
Thank you.
Larry R.
Sellersburg, IN
A: Larry,
I must be honest; I was very close to making the article a 30-page manual and selling it. But, in the end, I decided to give it away for FREE. It’s no big deal…after all, it’s only money. I don’t think I will get evicted from my apartment for not making my rent payment this month J
Seriously…your feedback is much appreciated.
Joe D.
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Q: Joe D - Why do you only perform 1-3 rep sets on dynamic day?? I noticed in past responses you list dynamic box squats for multiple sets of 2 reps. Now you seem to prefer 1-3 jumps per set on dynamic day. Can’t you perform 5-6 reps explosively on dynamic day? Lets say 5 sets of 6 reps instead of 8 sets of 3 reps? Does it really matter?
Phil
A: Phil,
Strength training can be accomplished in three ways:
#1 - Lifting a maximal load, a.k.a, the maximal-effort method
#2 - Lifting a sub-maximal load to failure or near failure, a.k.a, the repeated-effort method
#3 – Lifting, throwing or jumping with a sub-maximal load with the highest possible speed, a.k.a, the dynamic-effort method
1-3 rep sets are superior to 6-rep sets on dynamic-effort day because this enables you to apply the adequate amount of velocity and force to the bar (assuming you’re training with the proper percentages) with every repetition. Simply put, all reps of your workout will be quality, explosive reps.
I learned a simple explanation of this from Louie Simmons. He used the example of throwing a basketball up in the air -- When the ball first hits the ground, it bounces the highest. Then, with each subsequent bounce, the ball loses energy and it bounces lower and lower. The same “loss of energy” happens with each repetition of a weightlifting set. Basically, we want our reps on dynamic-effort lower body day to be like the first couple bounces of the basketball. That is, we want the reps to be powerful and we want to execute each rep with perfect form! If we performed 5 or 6-rep sets with our dynamic lift, velocity slows down as our form breaks down. This isn’t as effective when you’re trying to develop speed-strength. This is why I prefer 1-3 reps for your dynamic exercises --- every rep will be like the first few “bounces of the basketball”.
Hopefully this simplifies things for you.
Joe D.
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Q: Coach DeFranco,
Are there any other pulling exercises besides chin-ups that I can use as my main lift on Rep upper body day? I prefer chins on Rep day but I’m looking for some more variety. It seems as if my choices are limited.
Matt
A: Matt,
After reading your question, I realized that I overlooked one of the best bodyweight “pulling” exercises in my WSFSB III article. The exercise that I’m referring to is inverted bodyweight rows. I don’t know why, but it seems as if a lot of people neglect this exercise. Hopefully things are about to change!
This is a great exercise to perform as your main lift on Repetition Upper Body Day because they are tough to cheat on! When you’re no longer able to touch your chest to the bar – the set is over! This enables you to keep strict records of how many reps you performed during each workout. This makes for a great “Rep” exercise.
There are also many different variations of this exercise that you can perform. You can perform this exercise with your feet on the floor or elevated; you can wear a weighted vest; you can grab the bar with an overhand or underhand grip; or you can use blast straps instead of a barbell. These variations, along with all of the chin-up variations, should keep you “pulling” on Rep Upper Body Day for quite some time!
Joe D.
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Q: Hey Coach D., I am a big fan of your WS4SB program and have been seeing great results with it. I have a quick question about ab training. I have been training using a three-day template and have been incorporating ab work into each workout, but I don't know if this is sufficient enough to make my abs really strong. In your opinion, how often should an athlete looking to have powerful abs train them? Also, how much time should be spent on training them in each session? Thanks for your input and all the great articles.
Justin
Toronto, Canada
A: Justin,
Abdominal strength is extremely important for athletes…direct abdominal training is not. “Core” training seems to be the big fad right now, but it’s complete bullshit! Have you noticed that most trainers that perform a lot of fancy “core” exercises are built like Nicole Richie? This is no coincidence!
You must remember that squatting, deadlifting, lunging, strongman training, sprinting, etc., all build real functional strength in your abs! These are the types of exercises that build the foundation for our athletes’ abdominal training. We will usually throw in some direct abdominal work in the form of high-rep ab circuits or standing, weighted abdominal training twice a week. This combination has worked extremely well for our athletes. To me, these activities are FAR superior compared to kneeling on a beach ball with your eyes closed. With that being said, “core” training using Bosu balls and wobble boards definitely has it’s place; but in my opinion, that “place” is in the rehab setting – NOT with healthy athletes looking to improve strength and performance.
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Who’s “core” looks stronger???
Enough said.
Joe D.
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We will list past questions here so that you can go back if you miss any advice Joe has given
