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DeFranco’s Training NEWS!
I apologize for not updating the site recently; I've had a crazy couple of weeks - both in my personal life and with my business. But, I promise I am now back to updating the site regularly and keeping everyone posted on what's going on at the gym. It's going to be another crazy summer! Before I answer any questions, I wanted to give everyone some updates regarding some of our athletes and upcoming events!
-Joe D.
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Summer training begins.
and records are already being broken!!
Last year, Luis Altamiranda broke our box squat record in the ‘College Division, Under 220 lbs.’ with a very impressive 545 lb. squat. We thought this record would stand for quite some time…but apparently, we were wrong!
Two weeks ago, a new crop of “summer recruits” joined our program and records have already started to fall!
UConn running back, Donnie Brown
UConn running back, Donnie Brown, made a statement 2 weeks ago by throwing 555 lbs. on the bar and setting a new record at a lean & mean bodyweight of only 207 lbs!
After setting the new record with his 555 lb. attempt, Donnie threw 585 lbs. on the bar and he did THIS…
The tone has been set…it’s gonna be a STRONG summer!
Joe D.
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Guadango is an All-American!
Mike Guadango, who originally became “famous” by performing a 54” box jump that was viewed by people all over the world on YouTube, is now an All-American! His hard work and dedication has definitely paid off; his increased strength, speed and flexibility have translated to his on-field performance. You can read more about Mike’s All-American season HERE.
You will also learn much more about Mike, his training, and the reason why we call him ‘THE Asshole’ in our upcoming documentary, “STRONG”.
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Another athlete shows his “dedication” to our program…
YES…it’s real
NO…I didn’t “make him” get it
I was as shocked as you are right now…
What do you say when a kid walks into your gym with a blood-soaked bandage on his arm -- only to reveal a fresh tattoo of your gym logo?? …I don’t know either.
I have to admit…it is kind of a cool tattoo…
We definitely attract a different breed of athlete!
Joe D.
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DeFranco’s teams up with St. Jude Children’s Hospital
I saved the best announcement for last…I am humbled and honored to announce that this years 5th Annual DeFranco’s Strongman Contest will be a charity event in which all proceeds will go to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The St. Jude Children’s Hospital is dedicated to finding cures and saving children with pediatric cancer and we are honored to be able to help this great cause.
I will announce the date, location and other specifics of this great event as soon as we finalize the details.
Joe D.
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Q: Dear Joe,
First of all I'd like to say you're one heck of a guy and have a GREAT gym and attitude. Judging by your site and testimonials you produce great athletes. Keep up the good (and evil :)) work. Now to my question:
I've been watching pictures of your athletes performing Prowler sprints on concrete. I was wondering why do you do it on concrete because running on concrete isn't supposed to be good for your knees (and joints) let alone pushing something heavy (albeit sprinting) on it.
Thanks in advance!
Yours in strength,
Sebastian.
A: Sebastian,
The reason we sprint with the prowler on concrete is because after thousands of hours of research and biomechanical analysis, we theorized that the coefficient of friction on the concrete created the optimal resistance to improve an athlete’s stride amplitude. Actually…I’m lying. HA!!
We perform prowler sprints on concrete because…well…our parking lot is made of concrete! Seriously, that’s why. If our parking lot was made of marshmallows, we would push the prowler on marshmallows.
In all seriousness, our athletes have had NO knee problems from using the prowler on concrete. The stress on your joints when sprinting/pushing the prowler is MUCH less, compared to regular sprinting. This is because the athlete is kind of “leaning” on the prowler when they push it so there’s much less weight-bearing impact with each foot strike. The deceleration of each prowler sprint is also much less stressful on your joints, compared to decelerating from a “regular” sprint.
FYI, all of our sprint training and running workouts are performed on field turf or a mondo track surface. We never run or condition on the concrete.
But, using the prowler on the concrete is no problem.
Joe D.
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Q: Joe,
Great website. Your workouts and plans are great. You have one of the few truly sport specific lifting programs online. One question I have is about core training. Your programs all include some ab work like crunches, hanging leg raises, etc... Most of these exercises focus on exterior ab muscles. I have not seen any that focus on the underlying muscles and the core as a whole. Exercises like bridges, side bridges, swiss ball hamstring bridges etc.... Is there a reason for this? I am sure there is. Is there core work in addition to your workouts that you suggest your athletes do?
Thanks,
Mike
A: Mike,
In my opinion, “functional” ab strength in the “underlying” muscles is best developed by performing heavy strength training exercises on your feet. Exercises such as squats, deadlifts, farmers walks, tire flips, etc. build the foundation for a strong, functional “core”.
These are the types of exercises that have helped our athletes develop incredibly strong midsections!
Exercises such as crunches, sprinter sit-ups, hanging leg raises, etc., are usually used as a “finisher” at the end of the workout.
And by the way, abdominal bridging IS used on a daily basis at my facility.
Hope this clears things up.
Joe D.
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Q: Coach
I am a high school strength and conditioning coach and can't wait to see your movie. This is going to be a special season for our football team, James River High School in Chesterfield County, VA (Richmond). Your movie will get my kids so jacked! When, how can we see it???
Thanks.
Adam
James River High School
A: Adam,
The wait is almost over…I promise!
I want to apologize to everyone for opening my BIGGG mouth too early regarding this film. I obviously have NO CLUE what it takes to make a movie. I thought that once they finished filming, we would have ourselves a movie within a couple weeks. Unfortunately, it’s NOT that easy! The editing, color correction, sound correction, music, re-shooting, etc., takes months to complete. And although this documentary was originally going to be about a “summer” at DeFranco’s, the production company decided to keep coming back throughout the year and they really captured the “full experience” of the gym. In other words, the extra time that was spent filming and editing made the movie MUCH better and it’s going to be well worth the wait…TRUST ME!
I’m very comfortable saying that this movie just may be the best sports-related movie you’ve ever seen. It’s Pumping Iron and “real life” Rocky all rolled into one. This will be THE movie that athletes watch before games, competitions or workouts in order to get pumped-up and inspired!
The movie will be available on DVD in a few short weeks at www.StrongMovie.com.
I will obviously make an announcement on this site the second the DVD is available!
Thanks for your patience!
Joe D.
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