Speed Encyclopedia Final1

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By: Tiavis Bansen

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Copyright, 2013, Travis Hansen, All rights reserved.

The Speeu Encyclopeuia

By: Tiavis Bansen

Euitois: Scott Wilson anu Scott 0nueiwoou

Covei: Cassie Biake

Copyiight 2u1S, Tiavis Bansen

All iights ieseiveu. This book oi any poition theieof may not be iepiouuceu oi
useu in any mannei whatsoevei without the expiess wiitten consent of the authoi
except foi the use of biief quotations in a book ieview.

The infoimation containeu in this book is meant to supplement tiaining foi a spoit.
Like with any type of tiaining, the tiaining uiscusseu within this book uoes pose
some inheient iisk. The authoi auvises ieaueis to take full iesponsibility foi theii
safety anu know theii limits. Befoie piacticing the exeicises uesciibeu in this book,
be suie that youi equipment is well maintaineu, anu uo not take iisks fai beyonu
youi level of expeiience, aptituue, tiaining, anu comfoit. As with any foim of
exeicise, please consult youi physician piioi to commencing any stienuous activity.

4

THE SPEED ENCYCLOPEDIA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................8

NTRODUCTON....................9

TESTMONALS...................10

VERTICAL + HORZONTAL FORCE=TOP SPEED...18

THE NEED FOR ACCELERATION MORE THAN TOP
SPEED N MOST SPORTS...............24

BULD YOUR HORSEPOWER............26
-The Power Development Model

STRENGTH TRAINING
WHY EVERY ATHLETE SHOULD TRAIN SIMILAR TO A
POWERLFTER....................31
-Maximal Strength Training for Maximal Speed
-Strength Principles
-Supplemental Strength Training to build your acceleration
and speed musculature
-Specific Strength Training to perfect sprinting technique

POWER TRAINING
OLYMPC LFTNG FOR AN EXPLOSVE START.....57
-Explosive strength training
-Jump tests

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SPEED TRAINING
PLYOMETRCS.......................68
-High-frequency drills
-Low-frequency drills
-Medicine ball training

SPRNTNG.....................75
-Speed Principles
*Principle of Specificity
*Overspeed Principle
-Sprinting Technique
-Sprint Start Technique
*Sprint Start Setup
*Sprint Start

SPRINTNG EXERCSES..............102
-10, 20, 40, and 60-yard dash
-Flying sprints

AGILITY AND QUCKNESS...............106
-Agility and quickness techniques
-Rehearsed exercises
-Reactive exercises

JUMPNG......................113
-Jumping technique- Mastering the 3 phases of a jump
-Jumping exercises

SPEED VS. CONDTONNG.............115

6

SPECIALIZED SPEED TRANNG METHODS.....120
-Complex Training
-Assisted Sprinting
-Hip Flexor Training
-Technical Drills

PROGRAM DESGN.................125
-Sprinting Frequency
-Sprinting Volume

TEMPO TRAINING..................131

FAT LOSS SYSTEM..................136
GET SHREDDED
"Energy Balance
-Fat Loss Fundamentals
-Fat Loss Cardio
-Fat Loss Supplements
-Fat Loss Nutrition
*Carbohydrates
*Protein
*Fats
5-step Fat Loss Nutrition Plan

MUSCLE BUILDING SYSTEM-
GROW YOUR WAY TO BECOMNG FASTER.....161
-Energy Balance
-Muscle Building Fundamentals
-Muscle Building Cardio

7

-Muscle Building Supplements
-Muscle Building Nutrition
*Carbohydrates
*Protein
*Fats
5-step Muscle Building Nutrition Plan

BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED
SPEED PROGRAM.................187

SPEED WORKOUTS.................192

EXERCSE NDEX...................209

FAQ'S.......................211

SCIENTFC REFERENCES..............232

ABOUT THE AUTHOR...............242

8

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Befoie we get staiteu theie aie seveial thanks I woulu like to uelivei. Fiist,
to my wife, Anna. I love you. Seconuly, to my family foi theii suppoit with this book
anu my business, anu theii contiibution to puichasing anu constiucting equipment
that alloweu some of the iesults in this book to occui. Next, I woulu like to thank the
entiie South Reno Athletic Club Staff who have investeu anu suppoiteu my mission
of athletic uevelopment since the beginning. Without theii collective effoit this
book woulu have been fai moie uifficult to cieate anu my pocketbook woulu be
huiting to say the least. Thank you! Next, I woulu like to thank Kelly Baggett,
Chailie Weingioff, Chailie Fiancis, vlauimii Zatsioisky, Yuii veikoshansky, }oe
BeFianco, Latiff Thomas, Baiiy Ross, Lee Taft, Lyle NcBonalu, Tom venuto, }ason
Feiiugia, }im Wenulei, Naik Rippetoe, Louie Simmons, Biet Contieias, Eiic Ciessey,
Nike Boyle, Sol 0iwell, anu the iest of the "0nueigiounu" scientific community foi
theii haiu woik anu ielentless effoit to make the inuustiy bettei. Without these
people I woulu have nevei have been able to geneiate this book. This gioup is not
neaily iecognizeu as much as they shoulu be in the mainstieam, anu it's sau anu
fiustiating. These aie the ieal expeits in fitness anu tiaining that you have piobably
nevei heaiu of, oi will heai about. I woulu also like to thank my sales page uesign
team, Beckeimeuia, who uiu a phenomenal job in helping piomote the book, Cassie
Biake foi the wonueiful covei uesign job she uiu, anu }on uoouman foi his iefeiial
anu suppoit. Lastly, I woulu like to thank the thousanus of clients who investeu in
my tiaining system anu appioach. Without you none of this woulu have evei been
possible.

9

:3";47<1":43

Foi the past seveial yeais, I have uieameu of ieseaiching anu cieating a
guiue foi team spoit athletes that coulu uelivei fast iesults foi anyone. I think that
this final piouuct accomplishes that, anu I hope you will agiee aftei you ieau it anu
apply the infoimation insiue. I ieally think that team spoit athletes aie in neeu of a
iesouice that can pioviue them quality anu unbiaseu scientific infoimation that they
can iely on thioughout theii iespective athletic caieeis. So much of the cieuit neeus
to be paiu to eveiy ieseaichei you see citeu in this book, anu the countless houis
anu stuuy they put in to basically not be iecognizeu by oui society. Nuch of the
infoimation has existeu foi uecaues. It was just a mattei of going out anu finuing it
anu then applying it. It is my hope that the infoimation containeu within is technical
but simple enough, so that you can apply it immeuiately to make you oi youi
athletes bettei. I'm honest when I say that I have pouieu eveiy bit of myself into this
pioject because I love speeu science anu want to help you succeeu. Eveiything
about speeu is fascinating anu amazing to me, especially leaining , watching, anu
analyzing the most elite speeusteis out theie, anu then stuuying what featuies they
possess that make them so gieat. Speeu tiuly is one of the most athletic actions an
athlete can possess anu expiess, anu it is also one of the most coveteu. Eveiyone
wants it, anu I will show you exactly how to get it! It iequiies such a high uegiee of
athleticism, incluuing speeu, powei, stiength, cooiuination, technique, patience,
iepetition anu so much moie to mastei it. You neeu a complete piogiam to make it
happen. Be ieauy to put in the woik anu you will be iewaiueu.

1u

SPEED ENCYCLOPEDIA TESTIMONIALS

#1: Nolan Wilcock-College Student-Former Athlete

BEFORE: 155 lbs. AFTER: 183 lbs.

* Squatted 410 lbs. at 170 lbs.
* Improved his 40-yard dash time from 5.1 seconds to 4.6 seconds.
* Nearly maintained original body fat percentage while gaining 29 lbs. in 12
weeks!

11

#2: Scott Underwood-Minor League Baseball Player

BEFORE: 175 Lbs. AFTER: 205 lbs.

* Improved exit throwing velocity (outfield to home plate) from 85 MPH to 94
MPH.
* Bench press increased from 225 lbs. to 305 lbs.
* Squat increased from 300 lbs. to 410 lbs.
* Deadlift increased from 350 lbs. to 505 lbs.
* His 40-yard dash has gone from 4.9 seconds to 4.5 seconds.
* 60-yard dash has improved from 7.0 seconds to 6.47 seconds. Scott was
timed twice by scouts in the 6.4-6.5 second range.
* His vertical jump has gone from 30 to 35.
* Lastly, Scott has bulked up 30 lbs. naturally while maintaining a low body fat
percentage!

12

#3: Erik Underwood-Minor League Baseball Player

*Bench press increased from 195 lbs. to 265 lbs.
*Deadlift increased from 225 lbs. to 430 lbs.
*Vertical jump increased from 27 to 32
*40-yard dash improved from 5.2 to 4.6 seconds (fully electronic)
*60-yard dash improved from 7.2 to 6.5 seconds
*Eric also amassed 25 lbs. of muscle.

#4: Brent Koontz-Former Collegiate and Arena League Football Player

Brent improved his 40-yard dash time by almost a half-second. When he first
began training he recorded an unofficial 5.2-second run. At his tryout with the
San Jose Sabercats of the AFL, Brent ran an unofficial 4.86-second 40-yard
dash.

1S

#5:Garrett Grenert-High School Baseball

Garrett has improved his fully electronic 20-yard dash from 2.97 seconds to 2.79
seconds, his 40-yard dash from 5.10 seconds to 4.69 seconds, and has gained
16 lbs. of muscle in the process.

#6: Josh Barrett-New England Patriots

"As an NFL athlete 've trained all over America, and working with Travis, his
hands-on approach, challenged me as an athlete. His knowledge, passion and
work ethic is amazing. I recommend Travis to anyone who aspires to reach their
athletic goals.

14

#7: Me @ 5'11!

While following this program for the past 3 years I have been able to take my
athletic performance to a whole new level.
*My standing vertical jump has improved from 30 to 37, and my running vertical
jump has soared from 39 to 46.
*My fully electronic 40-yard dash has gone from 4.92 to 4.54 seconds.
*'m 30 lbs. bigger (170 lbs. to 200 lbs.)
* Bench press has gone from 225 lbs. to 300 lbs.
* Deadlift 350 lbs. to 475 lbs.
* Squat 275 lbs. to 400 lbs.

#8: Sean Cochran-College Student-Former Athlete

*Sean's fuIIy eIectronic 40-yard dash has gone from 5.08 (4.84 handheld)
seconds to 4.76 seconds (4.52 handheld)
*His vertical jump has increased from 27 to 33
*Sean has experienced 50% improvements in strength since he began the
program as well. He now squats 365 lbs. and deadlifts 440 lbs. at 180 lbs.

1S

#9: Jake Morris-Lacrosse and Football Player

*Jake's 40-yard dash has improved from 5.2 to 4.8 seconds!
*Jake recorded the fastest shuttle run on his team as a lineman at 4
seconds flat.
His vertical jump has increased from 19 to 26.

#10: Skylar Schroeder-High School Basketball Player

*Skylar has taken his fully electronic 40-yard dash time from 5.2 seconds to
4.74 seconds
*His vertical jump has improved from 23 to 31
*He's gained 31 lbs. of muscle!

16

#11: Rene Capps-Amateur Bodybuilder and football player

*Rene improved her 40-yard dash from 5.2 to 4.9 seconds! It's great to
watch her tear it up and beat many of the guys in the gym.
*She also squatted double her bodyweight and bench pressed plates for the first
time on this program.

#12: Ally Gunderson-Junior High Volleyball Player

Ally has increased her vertical jump from 19 to 24 and taken her fully electronic
20-yard dash from 3.42 seconds to 3.28 seconds.

17

As you can clearly see, these are REAL testimonies. None of this " feel better,
or "my trainer motivates me, or "my trainer is the best nonsense. This is what a
program is all about. Results! These testimonies are just some of the dozens of
athletes that have made remarkable progress on this training system. I apologize
to anyone who I omitted above.

18

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The uebate between whethei oi not veitical oi hoiizontal foice uisplay is the
supeiioi type of uiiectional foice foi fastei iunning is still alive. Some expeits
auvocate foi veitical while the otheis insist hoiizontal is king. So who is iight.
Neithei of them. Befoie I get staiteu, I must aumit that I, too, was guilty of this foi
yeais until it was iecently biought to my attention by expeits thiough veiy uisciete
aspects of ieseaich that I simply misseu. The tiuth is that both aie poweihouses foi
uictating speeu potential. Biomechanically, spiinting involves both the total amount
of foice we apply into the giounu (powei), as well as the uiffeient types of foices
(veitical anu hoiizontal) that aie tiansmitteu. We will nevei be oui fastest without a
soliu combination of both types of foices in the highest amounts possible. I'm going
to uo my best to uisclose anu explain all of the ieseaich which stiongly suppoits
both types anu then categoiize each one into specific tiaining categoiies. The
bottom line is that theie is going to be lots of ieseaich anu facts, as well as a list of
exeicises you can use immeuiately to make fast gains in speeu!
We will uiscuss veitical foice piouuction anu its iole in speeu fiist. Fiom a
geneial anu cumulative stanupoint, veitical foice is always going to be highei in
spiinting than hoiizontal. Below aie two tables auopteu fiom vaiious spiint stuuies
in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5". The fiist illustiates veitical
foice outputs, which can top out at aiounu 2Suu Newtons accoiuing to one stuuy,
while the seconu table uiscloses hoiizontal piouuctions which can top out aiounu
8uu Newtons accoiuing to that same stuuy. It's no match. veitical output is up to
thiee times gieatei than hoiizontal foice piouuction.

(Chait couitesy of stiengthanuconuitioningieseaich.com)

19


Please keep in minu that the absolute value, although impoitant, is not the be
all anu enu all to speeu iegulation. Boiizontal foices aie going to play a ciitical anu
essential iole latei on. Noieovei, some might be conceineu with the notion that
veitical foice is highei, when spiinting ceitainly coulu be peiceiveu as an activity
that is hoiizontally uominant. Biomechanically, the ieason foi this is uue to giavity.
When we aie spiinting, oui lanuing foot hits the suiface. As this occuis, theie aie
hoiizontal biaking foices that push back against us, which is counteieu by oui
momentum, which is obviously moving foiwaiu hoiizontally. The only way to
continue motion is to uiive up veitically past giavity. This is only one scenaiio, but
it logically explains why veitical foice is piesent in spiinting, anu I fiist heaiu it
fiom tiack anu fielu coach Baiiy Ross. Theie aie moie than a half-uozen stuuies
that inuicate the significance of veitical foice foi speeu. 2,S,4,S,6,7,8 Foi example, in
!"# %&'()*+ &, 677+2#0 8"942&+&/9 in 2uuu, Petei Weyanu iuentifieu that fastei
iunneis geneiateu as much as 1.26 times as much veitical foice at top speeu. 8
Lastly, as you will see latei on, the veitical jump shaies a stiong coiielation anu is
baseu piimaiily off of veitical foice piouuction.
Now it may seem intuitive to assume that hoiizontal foices aie a key playei
since oui bouy mass is moving in a hoiizontal uiiection while spiinting, but aftei
ieauing the ieseaich above, it can become haiu to see the equal value hoiizontal
foice has in spiinting. Recall that the absolute amount of foice favois veitical, so it's
then easy to assume that it's the hanus-uown favoiite. At least that was the case foi
me. It's a little moie complicateu than that, though. The mannei in which foice is
uistiibuteu thioughout a spiint is the complicateu pait. To help unueistanu this,

2u

let's bieak the spiint uown into the stanuaiu S paits; acceleiation, top speeu, anu
top speeu maintenanceueceleiation That's the natuial piogiession of events that
woulu occui uuiing a spiint if it's long enough in uuiation anu uistance.
In the fiist stage of the mouel, hoiizontal anu veitical foices aie going to both
be high. Consiuei the neai 4S-uegiee bouy angle as we leave the blocks oi a S- oi 4-
point stance anu it's easy to see that theie is a lot moie hip uiive anu hoiizontal
foice piouuceu since we aie lying moie flat. Beie is a stuuy fiom Neio in 1988 in
:;#(524# *)0 -7&(. -52#)5# that suppoiteu moie hoiizontal foice piouuction foi
gieatei acceleiation uue to an incieaseu foiwaiu bouy lean position. 9 veitical foice
will still be veiy piesent since giavity is constant. Accoiuing to Neio, veitical foice
piouuction will be about 1.6u x BW, anu hoiizontal was .7S x BW uuiing the
acceleiation phase. Wheie hoiizontal foice piouuction will mattei the most is in the
miuule to enu poitions of a spiint; top speeu anu ueceleiation-speeu maintenance,
specifically.

(Photo courtesy of Eckhard Pecher)

Because of the position of oui bouy in an upiight stiiue, the iunnei will natuially uiive moie hoiizontal foice
into the giounu as they uiive the stance leg back behinu them. See the iunnei closest.

You can cleaily see that in the upiight position the hip will hypeiextenu past
the bouy moie than in a lean stiiue, since the bouy uoes not have to tiavel as fai
foiwaiu ovei the foot to hypeiextenu the hip. This will cieate moie hip
hypeiextension anu hoiizontal foice. This helps to explain why hoiizontal foices
continue to be geneiateu at highei speeus when the bouy is upiight. Below is a
table fiom Biughelli (2u11) that shows peicentage incieases of each type of foice
fiom 4u to 1uu% of maximum velocity.

21


Quite fiankly, this single table is all that is necessaiy to iealize the extieme
value hoiizontal foices will play in a spiint. If you bieak it uown into puie numbeis,
what it means is that veiy little foice is continuing to be exhibiteu veitically at 4u%
of top speeu on. 4u% is not veiy fast, so it plays a iole quick in the spiint. This is
what I was missing, anu why I was always a huge auvocate of veitical foice
piouuction being supeiioi to hoiizontal in spiinting foi many yeais. You simply
cannot continue to acceleiate beyonu a moueiate speeu oi effoit without a
uominant amount of hoiizontal foice piouuction. It's ieally that simple. It sealeu
the ueal. Fuitheimoie, maximal iunning speeu was coiielateu significantly with
mass-specific hoiizontal foice, anu theie aie almost a uozen othei stuuies that show
a ielationship between speeu anu hoiizontal foice piouuction. S S 6 1u 11 Foi
example, a simulation was conuucteu by Buntei, Naishall, anu Ncnaii in 2uu4 in
!"# %&'()*+ &, <2&=#5"*)254> 11 They selecteu 28 team spoit athletes in the fiist pait
of the stuuy, S6 athletes in pait 2, anu they weie paiieu by genuei aveiage spiint
speeu anu othei factois. What they founu aftei this simulation was that both
veitical anu hoiizontal foice outputs aie key to iunning peifoimance.
Next, we will bieak the tiaining of each foice type into two specific categoiies
that you can use. Almost eveiy single exeicise you uo foi youi lowei bouy can be

22

classifieu into one oi the othei. I fiist heaiu this classification style fiom Biet
Contieias, so he gets the cieuit heie.

0D./, 6-/'.)EB=$FG.*/, A-F*$ (D$F*.H$H

0)G$F.-FI&-HG$F.-FB?-F.J-)G/, A-F*$ (D$F*.H$H

Axial loauing is teimeu foi the fact that you aie applying iesistance oi an
exteinal loau on the axial skeleton anu uiiving foice up "veitically" foi the most
pait. You still cieate hoiizontal foice with this type of exeicise, but not as much as
the anteiioi-posteiioi vaiiations. This axial sub-skeletal system consists of mainly
the cianium, the spine, anu iib cage. I will be uiscussing all of the benefits of this
type of exeicise mainly in the "Naximal Stiength" poition of the book, along with
lots of ieseaich anu stuuies, so stay tuneu! Examples incluue squats, ueaulifts,
lunges, anu high box step-ups.

Axial loauing via the back squat is a key exeicise foi gieatei speeu!

Anteiioi-posteiioi exeicises aie wheie you apply iesistance oi an exteinal
loau anu iequiie youi bouy to move the loau in a hoiizontal uiiection, oi moie fiont
to back. Anteiioi-posteiioi also piouuce veitical foice, but not neai as much as the
axial type exeicises. I will be uiscussing the benefits of this type of tiaining in the
stiength section of the book as well, specifically in the "Bip Bominant" poition.
Examples incluue baibell hip thiusts, sleu pulls oi spiints, anu hamstiing cuils.

2S

Eiik is feeling the wiath of the baibell hip thiust!

So if we auuiess anu iegulaily implement both types of exeicise, the athlete is
guaianteeu to have stiong legs thiough a full iange of motion, achieve both foice
types, leaving no weak links anu gieatei speeu! This piogiam has plenty of both, so
not to woiiy.

24

`!"# %##& '() *++#,#)*!-(% .()# !"*% !(/ 0/##& -% .(0!
0/()!0

}ust like the title states, most ciicumstances in athletics involve a gieatei
neeu foi acceleiation veisus top speeu. What's the uiffeience, you might ask. Naik
Rippetoe in his book "Staiting Stiength" states that acceleiation is "the inciease in
speeu." 12 In othei woius, acceleiation is how quickly we can cieate speeu oi move
fastei. Top speeu is how fast we can move, anu uoes not necessaiily factoi in the
time it takes to get theie. We can have gieat speeu oi have the capacity to move
fast, anu not piouuce it immeuiately if oui acceleiation is pooi oi less than optimal.
The main thing I woulu like to point out heie is that a majoiity of fielu anu couit
spoits anu othei activities aie functions of acceleiation fiist anu speeu anu top
speeu seconu, if at all. "In spoits wheie aveiage spiint uistances iange fiom 1u to
Sum, it woulu appeai that the ability to achieve maximum velocity within the
shoitest time fiame is moie impoitant than the maximum velocity itself. That is,
acceleiation iathei than maximum velocity woulu seem to be of gieatei impoitance
to many spoitsmen anu women." 1 0f couise theie is gieatei speeu when you have
fastei acceleiation because you aie incieasing speeu, but the main issue is one of
how quickly an athlete can acceleiate anu inciease speeu in a given uiiection, anu
not how fast an athlete is capable of spiinting if alloweu moie time.

(Photo couitesy of Keith Allison)

Tony Paikei is a gieat example of someone that can go u-6u like nothing. Bis ability to acceleiate anu inciease
his speeu in any uiiection immeuiately enables him to blow by his opponents at will!

Think about this example foi a seconu. }ohn has gieat speeu anu top speeu,
anu can move fastei than anyone. 0nfoitunately, it takes }ohn awhile to acceleiate
anu inciease his speeu appieciably (4u-1uu yaius). Consequently, }ohn seems slow

2S

anu suffeis in his spoit because a majoiity of the activity occuis veiy quickly acioss
ieally shoit uistances (S-4u yaius) anu iequiies iapiu acceleiation. In oiuei foi
}ohn to be successful he has to inciease speeu anu ieach his speeu potential much
soonei, anu the only way he can uo this is by incieasing his acceleiation (u-4u) anu
tiaining as such. Not only is this the case foi }ohn, but the vast majoiity of athletes
in society neeu to peifoim gieat anu focus theii tiaining on veiy shoit uistances,
anu it's iaiely the case in my expeiience. So the next time you heai a mom, uau, oi
coach say they want to impiove theii son, uaughtei, oi athlete's speeu oi "game
speeu," what they ieally aie looking foi is fastei acceleiation fiom theii kiu. Being
able to move fastei as soon as possible is absolutely key! As an inteiesting siue note,
the bouy actually uoes not ieach top speeu until the 4u-8u yaiu maik, uepenuing on
the level of the athlete, so top speeu uoes not even occui in most cases.
"Beceleiation only becomes a factoi aftei a spiintei passes his point of maximum
speeu. Foi the top spiintei, this might be at sixty meteis, anu he woulu not
ueceleiate appieciably foi anothei twenty. The inteimeuiate spiintei ieaches
maximum speeu at about 4S meteis, anu thus has a much gieatei ueceleiation
potential. Anu the beginnei begins ueceleiating faiily iapiuly aftei he hits his
maximum speeu at SS meteis." 1S Accoiuing to this scientific fact, many athletes
geneially nevei come close to ieaching top speeu in competition, but they
constantly have to acceleiate, ueceleiate, anu ie-acceleiate as fast as possible in
multiple uiiections. I just feel it is impoitant to claiify teims anu uefine the actual
neeus of an athlete, so that we aie bettei able to uesign a piogiam anu piesciibe the
iight type of tiaining foi oui athletes to affoiu them the best chance to excel in
competition. Anu now that we know moie about the value of acceleiation anu
speeu, how uo we go about obtaining these abilities in oui tiaining.. The answei is
to uevelop moie P0WER, since it will be the make oi bieak skill in this uepaitment.

26

K<:67 L4<; ?4;%(C45(;

I am suie just about anyone who is ieauing this has pieviously heaiu the teim
"powei" useu befoie. This is the mastei iegulatoi of spiinting speeu. You geneially
heai it when an elite 0lympic line of spiinteis blast out of the blocks uuiing the 1uu-
metei uash, oi when an NBA supeistai posteiizes his opponent, oi when a majoi
league baseball playei skies up to nab a woulu-be home iun above the fence line, oi
when an NFL athlete jumps 4u" oi moie in the veitical jump test at the annual NFL
Combine. Theie is no question, it is tiuly one of the most impiessive anu highly
coveteu abilities, anu theie aie many who aie willing to uo just about anything this
uay anu age to get it. Foitunately foi us, powei can be taught, leaineu, anu
impioveu by ANY0NE with the iight tiaining appioach. But befoie we can tiain anu
gain powei, I think it's impoitant to uefine it anu have a basic unueistanuing of what
powei ieally is. By uoing so, you will have a ueepei coie unueistanuing of the teim.
With this geneially comes a stiongei appieciation anu willingness to want to
peifoim it in potential times of uoubt, iesulting in gieatei auheience to the piogiam
anu incieaseu long-teim success. Powei, by uefinition, is the enu piouuct of foice x
velocity. To simplify teims, I am going to use Stiength x Speeu because eveiyone is
typically moie familiai with these. The moie of each of these we possess, the
gieatei oui powei levels.

102345627= The amount of foice we piouuce. The moie foice we piouuce, the
stiongei we aie anu vice veisa.

108449= Bow fast we piouuce foice. The fastei we piouuce foice, the gieatei oui
speeu anu vice veisa.

Naximizing youi stiength anu speeu will always yielu the highest output of powei
anu athletic ability, peiiou. The bottom line is that if you want phenomenal powei
anu explosiveness, then you have to be able to geneiate the 7:674;2 <=>?52 >@
;2345627 :5 274 ;7>324;2 843:>9 >@ 2:=4. It uoes not mattei if you aie lifting heavy
weights, lightei weights, oi just youi bouyweight, you have to piouuce stiength anu
piouuce it as fast as you aie capable.
Powei is without a shauow of a uoubt, the "mastei iegulatoi" of spoit
peifoimance. If you want to jump out of the gym, cut on a uime, spiint fastei than
you evei thought possible, oi inciease the efficiency of youi movements, to name a
few, then you have to elevate youi powei output. In 1999, NcBiiue anu his team of
ieseaicheis conuucteu a stuuy to measuie powei levels in ceitain types of athletes.
14 The stuuy involveu a contiol gioup, anu a seiies of poweilifteis, spiinteis, anu
0lympic lifteis. Reseaicheis wanteu to measuie ielative powei iatios (bouyweight
to powei), anu absolute powei measuies fiom all of the paiticipants in each gioup.

27

Subjects peifoimeu a veitical jump, a smith machine squat, anu a smith machine
squat jump. The iesults showeu that the spiinteis hau the highest ielative powei
(powei to bouyweight iatio) anu best veitical jump height, while the 0lympic lifteis
geneiateu the highest total powei output, anu poweilifteis hau the highest levels of
absolute stiength. Suipiisingly, though, spiinteis anu 0lympic lifteis uiu possess
similai levels of stiength in this paiticulai stuuy. What was most convincing about
this stuuy was how much moie total powei the thiee gioups achieveu ielative to the
contiol gioup, inuicating a ieally stiong neeu foi powei. It was uiamatically highei
in the thiee types of athletes, anu inuicates just how impoitant this skill is to geneial
athletic peifoimance, anu in the case of this book, speeu!. Beie is one of the chaits
of the stuuy that shows spiinteis as having the highest level of powei output in the
veitical jump test. I woulu also like to mention that the spiinteis in this stuuy
weigheu 17u lbs. on aveiage, anu squatteu 4Su lbs. on aveiage. That's moie than 2.S
times theii own bouyweight! 24

(Chart courtesy of strengthandconditioningresearch.com)

If you still natuially question, oi have any uoubt on whethei oi not elite
spiinteis, oi those who aie fast iequiie gieatei levels of powei (stiength x speeu) to
enable fastei iunning speeus, then theie is a host of stuuies anu uata that will
suppoit this notion latei on in this manual.
Real powei tiaining is one of the most iewaiuing tiaining styles available to the
public, once you uismiss the appiehension suiiounuing it anu you become familiai
with the exeicises anu how they shoulu be peifoimeu. This manual will show you
how. Theie aie vaiious methous we can select to impiove oui powei uevelopment.
Some aie bettei than otheis foi ueveloping powei in specific aieas of the bouy,
some aie safei than otheis, anu some aie less technical anu complex than otheis.
But the one thing all methous shaie in common is that they ALWAYS uemanu you to

28

summon as much foice anu eneigy as possible, as fast as you can, each anu eveiy
time you attempt to move. I cannot state the impoitance of this enough!
Next, we will look at a univeisally accepteu anu technical mouel that seives as
a iepiesentation of powei. If you have evei stuuieu human movement science
befoie, then I'm suie you have piobably seen the uiagiam I'm about to show you.
It's calleu The Foice-velocity Cuive. }ust think of it as the poitiayal of the actual
powei uefinition wheie you have foice (stiength) on one enu anu velocity (speeu)
on the othei. The two togethei foim powei. By applying this useful mouel piopeily
thiough sounu tiaining ovei the long teim, we can effectively maximize oui powei
output anu thus spiinting anu speeu skill. Bow uo we uo this. Basically, we neeu to
integiate the essential anu supiemely unueiiateu tiiau of poweilifting, 0lympic
lifting, anu spiinting to maximize both oui powei output anu iunning speeu. 0f
couise, theie aie othei techniques anu tiaining types peifoimeu in this piogiam,
but these thiee aie the piimaiy ones that will always get you fastei on the fielu,
tiack, oi couit. Each one of these uisciplines has a lot to biing to the table, anu we
will nevei be as fast as we can be if we neglect oi unueiachieve on any one of these
skills. Nevei.

THE FORCE-VELOCITY CURVE

(Chait couitesy of aiticles.elitefts.com)
Tiaining all along this entiie cuive is key to iunning fastei!

Now we have some soliu scientific eviuence anu a specific accompanying
mouel to show just how impoitant powei is to ueveloping speeu. It's now a goou
time to ieveal the piactical anu peimanent tiaining mouel we will neeu to utilize to
implement eveiything mentioneu pieviously. To ieflect all of this, I went aheau anu
cieateu The Powei Bevelopment Nouel foi my athletes oi those ueciuing to tiy oui
system who wanteu to get fastei. The beauty of this mouel is its consistency,

29

simplicity, anu ieliability of it. It has a stiong anu unshakable stiuctuie that
emphasizes all that we neeu to uiive up oui total bouy powei anu then some!

"?( C45(; 7(=(64C9(3" 947(6M

0PPER B0BY SPEEB TRAININu + 0PPER B0BY P0WER TRAININu + 0PPER B0BY STRENuTB TRAININu

NC,+-O$GF.*H 4,+O&.* 6.PG.)E 9/D.O/, %GF$)EG#
-Neuicine ball uiill -Bang snatches anu cleans -Bench piess
-Bitting oi thiowing (D&,-H.Q$ %GF$)EG# %R&&,$O$)G/, %GF$)EG#
-Plyo pushups -Speeu bench piess -Chinspulls, militaiy piess, iow vaiiations

L0WER B0BY SPEEB TRAININu + L0WER B0BY P0WER TRAININu + L0WER B0BY STRENuTB TRAININu

NC,+-O$GF.*H 4,+O&.* 6.PG.)E 9/D.O/, %GF$)EG#
-}umping -Bang snatches anu cleans -Squat oi Beaulift
-Spiinting (D&,-H.Q$ %GF$)EG# %R&&,$O$)G/, %GF$)EG#
-Agility anu quickness -Speeu squat oi ueaulift -Single leg movements, uBR, RBL's
-}ump Squats %&$*.P.* %GF$)EG#
-Sleu spiints, pulls, oi maiching

With this mouel, you will always be incoipoiating a majoiity of the tiaining
you neeu to be poweiful thioughout both the uppei anu lowei bouy. 0ltimately,
both iegions of the bouy aie going to be utilizeu in any movement pattein, with
geneially one half being piimaiy in ceitain movements anu the othei half
seconuaiy. Theiefoie we will uefinitely neeu both halves functioning at a high level
if we tiuly want to maximize a movement pattein, especially in the case of spiinting
oi speeu-baseu movements. The luxuiy of this appioach is that you coulu liteially
optimize any taiget movement by tiaining within the confines of this mouel, as long
as you successfully auuiess each aspect. As a testament to this, I've utilizeu this
mouel with long ball hitteis, golfeis, boxeis, baseball playeis, laciosse playeis,
soccei playeis, skieis, basketball playeis, football playeis, etc. seveial times anu the
iesults weie fantastic. I shoulu quickly note that the only ieal uiffeiences between
uevising this appioach foi a football playei anu a tennis playei woulu be alteiations
in the speeu anu specific stiength categoiies. A laige majoiity of spoit-specific
movement patteins aie lowei oi uppei bouy speeu-baseu motions (thiowing,
kicking, hitting, iunning , jumping, cutting etc.). A tennis playei's speeu woik
piesciiption to swing a tennis iacket shoulu aiguably uiffei fiom a football playei,
who may potentially uo less swinging anu moie thiowing oi piessing activities.
Bonestly, though, each of these activities aie going to cieate the same speeu oi
plyometiic effect in similai aieas of the uppei bouy. The only othei uisciepancy
woulu be the "Specific Stiength" categoiy unuei lowei bouy stiength tiaining, which
I will uiscuss in uetail latei on.

Su

Next, we will examine the mouel in full uetail so you'll see what will actually
help make you fastei. I will intiouuce anu uiscuss each component of the mouel
(stiength, speeu, anu powei) uiiectly, along with key piinciples, ieseaich, anu
techniques foi each. 0nce I'm finisheu heie, it is my hope that you will have an
oveiwhelming acceptance of just how influential &-S$F can be foi the sake of
making athletes oi anyone fastei acioss any spoit. Befoie I uo, though, I want to
leave you with a quote fiom a team of highly cieuible ieseaicheis in the fielu about
the futuie anu uiiection of theii ieseaich on speeu uevelopment anu two confiiming
stuuies. "It is geneially accepteu that maximal iunning velocity iequiies high foice
piouuction. 1S 16 17 As such, stiength anu powei tiaining methous aie almost
univeisally piomoteu as a means of tiaining to impiove iunning velocity. 1S 18 19
Theiefoie, the ielationship between stiength anu powei anu velocity aie of
consiueiable inteiest in attempting to iuentify possible mechanisms foi the
enhancement of iunning peifoimance." 1S 18 2u 21 1
In 2u12, Noiin anu his colleagues publisheu a stuuy in !"# :'(&7#*) %&'()*+
&, 677+2#0 8"942&+&/9 that examineu a seiies of spiinteis fiom uiffeient skill levels,
incluuing 9 non-spiinteis, S Fiench national-level spiinteis, anu a woilu-class
spiintei. The woilu-class spiintei was Chiistophe LeNaitie, who is the fastest
Euiopean spiintei evei to uate. The conclusion of the stuuy was that Lemaitie's
powei output, especially in the hoiizontal uiiection, was the uiffeience makei in his
elite times compaiative to slowei iunneis. The ieseaicheis uiu mention that
veitical foice at top speeu coiielateu significantly, but hoiizontal foice was moie
impoitant. 22 24
In 2u12, Beneke anu Tayloi publisheu a stuuy in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.&/#0"*).01
calleu "What gives Bolt the Euge-A.v. Bill knew it alieauy!" They assesseu 0sain
Bolt's past peifoimances in the 1uu-metei uash, anu eventually iuentifieu that the
ieason Bolt is supeiioi is piimaiily uue to the fact that he is able to maximize his
position on the Foice-velocity Cuive anu geneiate moie powei into the giounu than
any of his competitois! 2S 24 In fact, the ieseaicheis compaieu the uiffeience in
powei between someone iunning a 9.96 seconu 1uu-metei uash veisus Bolt's 9.S8,
anu it was about 6%. That's quite a bit when you figuie we aie uiscussing tenths of
a seconu. They also noteu in the stuuy that Bolt is ieaching what pievious
ieseaicheis inuicateu as the human limit of physical powei output. 24 Pietty
incieuible.

S1

5?L (=(;L 0"?6("( %?4<67 ";0:3 %:9:60; "4 0
C45(;6:A"(;

Stiength tiaining is simply the ability of the bouy to uevelop moie foice in
movement. This style of tiaining is also most athletes' missing link to getting fastei.
vERY iaiely uo I witness athletes lifting haiu anu heavy like they shoulu, especially
enough to inciease speeu. N0 0NE, anu I mean no one, embouies this appioach
bettei than a poweiliftei. Yes, you ieau that iight: a poweiliftei! To claiify,
poweilifteis geai theii piogiams anu appioach aiounu impioving thiee coie lifts:
the bench piess, ueaulift, anu squat. That's it. Theie aie othei exeicises involveu of
couise, but eveiything they uo is centeieu on peifoimances in these thiee exeicises.
Theii methous have been exploieu anu valiuateu, anu they absolutely woik anu
always will. Now I'm pietty ceitain that many will be iolling theii eyes, shaking
theii heaus, anu quite possibly shouting obscenities as they ieau this, since heavy
weightlifting is automatically associateu with injuiy anu extieme feai fiom the
geneial public. Faii enough. I useu to peiceive the spoit in the same way until I
iealizeu my own ignoiance anu all of the unpieceuenteu value poweilifting pioviues
to an athlete, anu we shoulu be cieuiting this cultuie foi theii philosophy. All I ask
is that you please heai me out anu get outsiue youi comfoit zone foi a moment, anu
honestly consiuei all that I am about to shaie with you. I absolutely sympathize anu
unueistanu why so many uo not embiace the notion of lifting heavy weights, but
theie is no question on the positive anu substantial effect that a mouifieu style of
this type of tiaining can have on athletes. If you aie not tiaining heavy then you aie
making youi athletes weakei, slowei, unhealthiei, anu less capable anu athletic in
competition. Peiiou. Theie geneially tenus to be two piimaiy ieasons why coaches,
athletes, tiaineis, anu paients uismiss this type of tiaining fiom theii athletes'
tiaining mouel, iegaiuless of the type of spoit. The fiist is injuiy iisk. This is a faii
assumption since many tenu to get injuieu at some point in the tiaining piocess.
I've been theie. Bowevei, if youi piogiam uesign anu technique aie wheie they
shoulu be then this shoulu not be a pioblem, anu the iisk of injuiy is uiastically
ieuuceu. Nany stuuies have measuieu the iate of injuiies associateu with weight
tiaining compaieu with the iate in othei spoits. Foi example, a stuuy publisheu in
the NovembeiBecembei 2uu1 issue of !"# %&'()*+ &, 2/#(.0*) 20*3#/4 &,
5(6"&7#3.0 8'(9#&)1 citeu ieseaich showing that in chiluien ages S to 14 yeais, the
numbei of injuiies fiom bicycling was almost 4uu peicent gieatei than the numbei
of injuiies fiom weightlifting. Theie's moie.
In a ieview papei on iesistance tiaining foi piepubescent anu auolescent
athletes publisheu in 2uu2 in -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 1&*5", authoi Naik
Shillington iepoiteu in a scieening of spoits-ielateu injuiies in school-ageu chiluien
that iesistance tiaining was the likely cause of only u.7 peicent (oi 1,S76) of injuiies
compaieu with 19 peicent foi football anu 1S peicent foi baseball. 2S

S2

The tiuth is that weight tiaining anu competitive lifting spoits aie among the
safest activities an athlete can paiticipate in. This fact is known woiluwiue. Foi
example, ienowneu Russian spoits scientist vlauimii Zatsioisky in his book Science
anu Piactice of Stiength Tiaining has this to say about the uangeis of weight
tiaining. "The iisk of injuiy fiom a well coacheu stiength tiaining piogiam has been
estimateu to be about one pei 1u,uuu athlete-exposuies, with an athlete-exposuie
being uefineu as one athlete taking pait in one tiaining session oi competition.
Compaieu to tackle football, alpine skiing, baseball pitching, anu even spiint
iunning, stiength tiaining is almost fiee of iisk." 2S
Eveiy single time someone comes to me with a piesent unueilying injuiy,
theie is always something uefinitively wiong with eithei theii lifting technique oi
piogiam uesign, oi both. Anu just so we aie on the same page, piogiam uesign
iefeis to the specific stiuctuiing of all of the tiaining-ielateu vaiiables (exeicise
selection, tiaining fiequency, iest peiiou, tiaining volume, type of woikout, skill
focus, etc.) that uictates how oui bouy will iesponu anu auapt to the tiaining we aie
peifoiming. If any of this is impiopeily assigneu then we will not benefit as much
fiom oui tiaining anu we coulu iisk potential injuiy. Aftei a uecaue of tiaining
athletes, I've moie than iealizeu that this is the most uifficult pait of being an
effective coach anu getting the iesults you anu the athlete both want. Piogiam
uesign is an ait that iequiies caieful anu piecise unueistanuing of all scientific
paiameteis oi guiuelines. I view it as a tax ietuin. If one numbei is out of whack
then the whole ietuin is compiomiseu anu we ieceive a bau outcome, by eithei
paying moie money oi not ieceiving as much of a ietuin. Tiaining woiks in much
the same way. Nany times, a mouel will be stiong in ceitain aieas, but lacking in
otheis anu the iesult is not what it coulu be. Lastly, stiength tiaining is one of the
best foims of exeicise foi injuiy pievention anu geneial iehabilitation tieatment,
contiaiy to populai belief. The ieason is pietty simple. With biggei anu stiongei
tissues (tenuons, ligaments, muscles) ueiiveu fiom stiength tiaining, oui collective
bouy stiuctuie will be moie iesistant to all of the exteinal foices anu uemanus being
placeu upon it in spoit anu tiaining, anu we will be fai less likely to get injuieu. I
always elect to use the analogy of a biggei iubbei banu veisus a smallei one to my
athletes when attempting to convey the message that stiength tiaining will make us
healthiei. Which one will teai fiist if theie is an equal amount of effoit placeu upon
each. 0bviously, the answei is the smallei iubbei banu. So as long as oui piogiam
uesign anu technique aie fantastic, then builuing a uense bouy stiuctuie is going to
help keep athletes healthy ovei the long teim.
The next concein that coaches oi otheis have with poweilifting oi lifting heavy
weights is "specificity." In othei woius, they feel that squatting anu ueaulifting have
no beaiing whatsoevei on whethei oi not an athlete can iun fastei oi peifoim
spoit-specific movements bettei. But wait, eveiyone believes in stietching anu that
is not specific to the act of spiinting, iight. Again, I can unueistanu this peispective

SS

in that many aie feaiful of heavy weightlifting, oi they aie simply ignoiant, but the
fact of the mattei is that movements uo not have to always be exactly the same to
tianslate anu benefit one anothei. Poweilifting anu speeu tiaining aie no exception,
to say the least. Let me pose this question befoie I get into the science. Why uoes
neaily eveiy legitimate Bivision 1 football piogiam integiate heavy weightlifting
into theii off-season piogiams, anu why aie these guys constantly the fastest people
in spoit outsiue of spiinteis, who also utilize heavy weightlifting. 0f couise it gets
them stiongei, but if you weie to ask any of the unbiaseu, infoimeu, anu objective
athletes anu coaches, I am suie they woulu tell you that it helps make them much
fastei as well. Asiue fiom peisonal expeiience heie, I've heaiu it fiom too many of
my athletes in the past anu piesent. It's something that you tiuly have to expeiience
to appieciate completely. A laige majoiity of speeu uevelopment systems to uate
completely uisiegaiu heavy weightlifting, anu it's at the expense of each anu eveiy
athlete enteiing that piogiam looking to get fastei anu it ie-embeus the long-helu
notion that speeu cannot be taught, leaineu, oi impioveu that much, when it
uefinitely can.
Now to help iefute this commonly helu mispeiception, we neeu to consiuei
anu intiouuce S unique functions of muscles in the human bouy to bettei appieciate
what "non-specific" tiaining exeicises can biing to the table.

TUI9RH*,$ */) O-Q$ .) OR,G.&,$ '.F$*G.-)HV
TWI9RH*,$H O-Q$ G#F-RE# ,/FE$ F/)E$H -P O-G.-)V
TXI9RH*,$H O-Q$ G#F-RE# / Q/F.$G+ -P '.PP$F$)G Y-.)G /)E,$HV

This is extiemely impoitant infoimation in iefuting always being "tiaining
specific" in the context of ueveloping speeu, anu even othei aieas of tiaining. I will
be pioviuing you with specific eviuence heie shoitly, but the fact is that the muscles
that we utilize heavily while ueaulifting oi squatting aie the exact same ones that we
will call upon when the time comes to iun spiints of all uistances, contiaiy to
populai belief. 0f couise the uiiect activity levels of each of the inuiviuual muscles
aie going to be a little bit uiffeient at uiffeient phases of each movement, as well as
the angles anu ianges of motion, but the simple ieality is that it's the same muscle
gioups woiking. Always keep in minu that muscles aie veiy veisatile anu auaptable
in natuie. This helps simplify many of the confusing movement compaiisons listeu
in liteiatuie. To help ieinfoice this notion, below is a seiies of ENu iepoits foi what
woulu be typically known as veiy "uiffeient" movements. Electiomyogiaphy is a
technique useu mainly by ieseaicheis to test the specific skeletal muscle activity in
taiget motions. Please note that all muscles in the entiie bouy aie active in these
movements, but I'm only going to shaie the iesults of the lowei bouy since this is
the main uiivei in spiinting.

S4

K/*Z %[R/GM
In 2uu2, Cateiisano anu his colleagues founu that "as squat uepth got ueepei, the
gluteus maximus becomes moie active uuiing the concentiic contiaction phase of
the lift. Nusculai contiibution shifts fiom the biceps femoiis, vastus meuialis anu
lateialis to the gluteus maximus. This suggests that the gluteus maximus is the
piime movei uuiing the concentiic phase of the squat, anu the othei muscles play a
seconuaiy iole." What this stuuy founu is that the hips, especially the glutes, aie
moie active than the quaus in a back squat movement peifoimeu coiiectly. 26

1-)Q$)G.-)/, 7$/',.PGM
In 2uu2, Escamilla peifoimeu a stuuy in ?#0252)# *)0 -52#)5# 2) -7&(.4 *)0 :;#(524#.
This stuuy founu the majoiity of muscle activity was in the quauiiceps anu gluteus
maximus when gieatei knee flexion angles weie piesent, wheieas the hamstiings
weie veiy uominant with less knee flexion uuiing the ueaulift. 27

=$FG.*/, \RO&M
Theie was a stuuy conuucteu in 2u11 that analyzeu musculai activity of vaiious
muscles in the squat, ueaulift, anu veitical jump. The iesults inuicateu that the hips,
piimaiily the glutes, weie the piime moveis in the veitical jump. I coulu not finu
the specifics as to how much they weie uominant, but othei authoiities have citeu
the glutes along with the hamstiing muscles as contiibuting up to 6u% in the
veitical jump pattein. 28

%&F.)G.)EM
In a stuuy in 199S, Bi. Wiemann anu Bi. Tiuow utilizeu ENu testing to see the
vaiious skeletal muscle activity levels at the knee anu hip uuiing spiinting. They
concluueu that the muscles mainly iesponsible foi foiwaiu piopulsion in full speeu
spiinting aie the hamstiings, the gluteus maximus anu the auuuctoi longus. The
hamstiings aie singleu out as the most impoitant contiibutois to piouuce the
highest level of speeu. 29

So now you cleaily see how poweiful youi hips aie in movement anu the
stiong ielationship between many movements of the lowei bouy. With all of this in
minu, incieasing stiength potential in these muscles thiough now aiguably labeleu
non-specific exeicises like ueaulifts anu squats will allow you to effectively be able
to uiive moie foice into the giounu anu iun fastei since these muscle gioups will be
much stiongei. Noieovei, the squat anu ueaulift aie moie similai to spiinting than
we usually give them cieuit foi. This has to ueal with "toique-angle cuives" that will
be uiscusseu in gieatei uetail in the Bip Bominant Tiaining section. Bon't woiiy
about the big fancy woiu. It just means being iange-of-motion specific. If you
analyze when we spiint, fiom the lanuing up until miu-stance oui hips, knees, anu

SS

ankles will be bent oi flexeu, just like with a squat oi ueaulift. The moie foice we
can uiive out of a squat, the moie foice we will piouuce in this phase of the
movement.
The thiiu similaiity that poweilifting anu spiinting shaie is the stiuctuial
likeness that each type of athlete geneially possesses. Below is a chait taken fiom
Tuuoi Bompa that shows veiy similai levels of fast-twitch muscle fibei that both
weightlifteis anu spiinteis shaie.

Lastly is the value of "veitical foice" that is piesent in squatting, ueaulifting,
anu spiinting. You saw eailiei just how impoitant veitical foice piouuction is foi
speeu. Squatting anu ueaulifting piouuce hoiizontal foice, just not as much. It
sounus iiuiculous because we seem to be moving almost P0RELY in the hoiizontal
uiiection as we spiint, anu oui moving mass is uefinitely tiaveling in this uiiection,
but theie is still some veitical-baseu foice assisting us in getting theie. Bence, a
squat oi ueaulift, which can only be achieveu thiough P0WERLIFTINu! The squat
anu ueaulift aie the two exeicises that aie going to allow us to uevelop the most of a
ceitain type of uiiectional foice necessaiy to iun fastei.
"Ben }ohnson won because he hau the most veitical uisplacement. When he
was pulling away fiom his competitois, he exhibiteu measuiably gieatei veitical
uisplacement than they uiu; when he sloweu uown towaius the enu of the iace anu
ciuiseu to victoiy, he hau less veitical uisplacement than he hau featuieu at
maximum velocity. In fact, eveiy spiintei in the talent-packeu finals at
Seoul hau some measuie of veitical uisplacement." 1S This quote is iefeiiing to
foimei 1uu-metei woilu iecoiu holuei Ben }ohnson of Canaua, anu how his ability
to piopel anu lift his bouy up in the veitical uiiection while spiinting was integial to
his amazing peifoimance. 0h, anu }ohnson also squatteu 6uu lbs. foi ieps at a bouy
weight unuei 2uu lbs. befoie he ian his golu meual-winning 9.79 seconu 1uu metei
iun at the Seoul 0lympic games. Ben }ohnson was the fastest uuiing the '7u-'8us
eia, anu 0sain Bolt is now. What's inteiesting is that 0sain Bolt too exhibiteu the
highest uegiee of veitical foice out of all of his competitois, anu he is the best

S6

cuiiently in this eia. A stuuy in 2u12 in !"# @).#()*.2&)*+ %&'()*+ &, -7&(.4 ?#0252)#
iuentifieu the fastest S men on planet eaith. 0sain Bolt exhibiteu fai moie veitical
foice than eithei of the top 2 competitois, 0safa Powell anu Tyson uay. 24 S1
Now let's look at some of the populai stuuies as well as a peisonal case stuuy I
uiu to help soliuify the neeu foi highei levels of stiength foi impioveu speeu
peifoimance. The fiist stuuy was peifoimeu in 2uu9 anu was founu in !"# %&'()*+
&, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5". This stuuy involveu 17 Bivision 1-AA
collegiate football playeis. Each playei peifoimeu a 1 iep maximum squat with 7u
uegiees of knee benu. Within the next week, a S-, 1u-, anu 4u-yaiu uash time was
taken foi each paiticipant utilizing electionic timing measuies. The ieseaicheis
concluueu that theie was a veiy stiong coiielation between 1u- anu 4u-yaiu uash
times, anu stiong coiielation acioss S yaius. Subjects of the stuuy weie uiviueu into
2 gioups: those who squatteu 2.1u x theii bouyweight oi moie, anu those who
squatteu 1.9u x theii bouyweight anu less. The foimei hau significantly lowei spiint
times in compaiison with the weakei gioup. S2
The seconu stuuy I founu was also locateu in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0
1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" anu was publisheu in 2u12. This stuuy containeu an
intiouuction that mentioneu pievious ieseaich hau expiesseu a ielationship
between maximal squat stiength anu spiint peifoimance. This stuuy aimeu to test
that theoiy once moie. Nineteen piofessional iugby playeis weie testeu in the back
squat foi 1 iep, anu S-, 1u-, anu 2u-metei uash at the onset of the stuuy. Next, each
playei was put thiough a stiength mesocycle (one month) anu powei mesocycle.
Aftei that peiiou of time, both absolute anu ielative stiength levels hau incieaseu
consiueiably, as well as peifoimance acioss all S uistances. Pie-stiength levels
weie at an aveiage of 1.78 x bouy weight, anu 2.uS x bouy weight aftei. S-metei
peifoimance aveiage was 1.uS befoie anu .u97 aftei. 1u-metei was 1.78 befoie anu
1.6S aftei, anu 2u-metei was S.uS anu 2.8S befoie anu aftei. SS
The thiiu stuuy comes fiom Nann anu his team of ieseaicheis, who filmeu a
seiies of male anu female spiinteis at vaiious competitions to assess them
biomechanically. What they founu uuiing theii analysis was that hoiizontal velocity
is key foi maximal speeu anu that is best satisfieu thiough both stiength acquisition
anu technical pioficiency. S4
The fouith stuuy analyzeu uata anu infoimation fiom the 1uu-metei iaces at
the 1988 0lympic uames. Reseaicheis iecognizeu that functions of stiength at the
beginning of a iace uuiing the acceleiation phase aie uiffeient than aftei maximum
speeu has been attaineu. Thus, stiength tiaining foi each phase of the iace coulu
utilize a uiffeient appioach. The concentiic oi shoitening action of piimaiily the
quauiiceps is huge uuiing acceleiation. This is an acceleiation-baseu piogiam, so
this infoimation seives gieat foi this piogiam, anu this is why squats anu max
stiength woik aie beneficial. Fuitheimoie, eccentiic loauing was smallei anu
ieseiveu foi aftei longei stiiues anu impacts have been cieateu (Top speeu). Thus,

S7

moie eccentiic anu ieactive stiength woik woulu impiove this phase of the spiint.
The authois mentioneu uiop jumps heie. SS
The fifth stuuy was conuucteu by Biet in 2uu1 in !"# %&'()*+ &, -7&(.4 ?#0252)#
*)0 8"9425*+ A2.)#44.S6 In this stuuy, 19 national male spiinteis competeu in a 1uu-
metei iace. The iace was bioken uown into thiee phases foi analysis, as well as the
speeu uiffeiences foi each. The iesults showeu that concentiic half squat stiength
was the best inuicatoi of the 1uu-metei spiint, anu leg stiffness playeu a majoi iole
in the seconu half of the iace.
Last is my own peisonal stuuy. I ueciueu to test this same concept anu
ieseaich the two spoits that iegulaily anu unuoubteuly possess the fastest people
on the planet yeai in anu yeai out. Below is a biief list of elite spiinteis anu pio
football playeis, along with theii specific weight, 1 iep max squat, stiength to
bouyweight iatio anu fastest 1uu-metei anu oi 4u-yaiu uash time. Please note that
these iesults weie not iefeienceu fiom scientific jouinals like most eveiything else,
but iathei univeisity websites, NFL sites, anu othei online souices. As you aie
ieauing these, keep in minu the stuuy fiom 1999 by NcBiiue with the spiinteis,
0lympic lifteis, anu poweilifteis. Spiinteis in that stuuy aveiageu a stiength to
bouyweight iatio of ovei 2.S times theii own bouyweight in the squat, which
suppoits the infoimation below. 24

0G#,$G$M 5$.E#G ],^HV_M U;9 K/*Z %[R/GM %GF$)EG#M K5M àM UaaM
Tyson uay 177 4uu 2.2 NA 9.69
Asafa Powell 194 Suu 2.S NA 9.77
Ben }ohnson 18u 6uu S.S 4.S8 9.79
Nauiice uieene 17u SuS 2.9 NA 9.79
Bonovan Bailey 2uu SuS 2.S NA 9.84
Bwayne Chambeis 2uu Su6 2.S NA 9.87
Linfoiu Chiistie 19u 66u S.4 NA 9.87
Waltei Bix 19S 4uu 2.u NA 9.88
Chiis }ohnson 19S 42S 2.1 4.24 1u.S8
Tayloi Nayes 2Su 6uu 2.6 4.24 NA
Nichael vick 214 S1S 2.4 4.2S NA
Ranuy Noss 21u 42S 2.u 4.2S NA
Lamichael }ames 19S 48S 2.4 4.27 1u.41
Bevin Bestei 19u 41S 2.1 4.27 NA
Besean }ackson 17S S9S 2.2 4.29 NA
Bob Sanueis 2u6 497 2.4 4.Su NA
Patiick Peteison 219 SSS 2.4 4.S2 NA
Reggie Bush 2uS SSu 2.7 4.SS NA
Knile Bavis 22S S7u 2.S 4.S7 NA
Auiian Peteison 217 S4u 2.4 4.S8 NA

S8

veinon Bavis 2Su 68S 2.7 4.S8 NA

I founu this to be pietty fascinating to see anu I hope you uo too. Please keep
in minu that this is just a small sample size selection. I piobably coulu have locateu
hunuieus of moie examples like this, anu hopefully it is moie than enough to
convince you as a ieauei of the influence stiength has on speeu. Conveisely, of
couise, theie aie examples of inuiviuuals who have less than stellai stiength skill,
but still iun veiy fast. 0bviously, these inuiviuuals possess some specific genetic
factois that can enable gieatei physical functioning that will cieate elite speeu. I
woulu be willing to bet, though, that these same inuiviuuals woulu absolutely
benefit moie if they incoipoiateu stiength woik into theii piogiam on a ioutine
basis anu uistinguisheu themselves even moie, just like these genetically
pieuisposeu inuiviuuals in this small case stuuy uiu. Bowevei, examples of these
anomalies aie veiy iaie it seems, anu it ieally uiscieuits all of the haiu woik
committeu by so many in an attempt to take it to the extieme anu be the best they
can be, genetics oi not. Plus, we cannot use these scaice examples as a mouel foi
athletes who neeu othei outlets to impiove, especially those who aie on the cusp in
a spoit, wheie speeu can be the uiffeience between making it to the next level oi
not. Speeu tiaining has been tiauitionally vieweu as a skill that youi paients eithei
gave you oi uiun't, anu that is all theie is to it. Pietty simple, but fai too simple.
Foitunately, nothing coulu be fuithei fiom the tiuth. We can uevelop it just like any
othei physical skill with the iight type of tiaining. The extent to which we can
uevelop speeu will be piimaiily uictateu by oui lineage, howevei, eveiyone can get
substantially fastei with the iight minuset anu tiaining piogiam. The bottom line is
that sounu stiength woik can make the aveiage peison above aveiage in speeu.
Anu it can make the above aveiage elite. 0i it can woik in the ieveise mannei if it's
omitteu. I've seen this so many times in my own piactice. The ieality is that most
athletes aie boin anu then maue thiough haiu woik ovei time. Noieovei, uon't
stait to believe that stiength is the sole factoi in accomplishing blazing speeu. It's
simply one of the piimaiy factois along with powei anu speeu tiaining, anu not to
mention othei seconuaiy tiaining methous that will help get the job uone. Next we
will look at the S types of stiength tiaining that will be peifoimeu on this piogiam.
In auuition, I will intiouuce moie piinciples, ieseaich, anu useful mouels that you
will neeu to iely upon to stay healthy anu make the absolute most out of the time
spent in the weight ioom.

9/D.O/, %GF$)EG# "F/.).)E P-F 9/D.O/, %&$$'M

Naximal stiength tiaining is ieally ieiteiating all of the heavy poweilifting that
was just uiscusseu pieviously, so you shoulu have a pietty thoiough unueistanuing

S9

at this point. 0nce moie, the piimaiy objective with this style of tiaining is to tiain
the neuiomusculai system to geneiate "maximum" foice when lifting. We will auopt
the poweilifting appioach in this paiticulai piogiam, anu utilize the main S lifts; the
squat, ueaulift anu bench piess to effectively achieve this extiemely impoitant
tiaining objective. Noie specifically, we auopt a mouifieu veision of Westsiue
Baibell's stiength system populaiizeu by tiaining masteiminu Louie Simmons.
These guys aie scientific anu iegulaily bieeu some of the stiongest human beings in
the woilu, so it woulu only make sense to uo what they uo to get as stiong as
possible. Specifics on why anu how we mouifieu theii system to coinciue with an
athletic anu speeu-baseu system is uiscusseu in the FAQ section in uetail if you aie
inteiesteu anu want know moie. I uiu not get to elaboiate on the unueiiateu value
of uppei bouy stiength on speeu peifoimance, so I am going to elaboiate a bit on
that shoitly, as well as put the icing on the cake anu pioviue you with thiee moie
final ieasons why maximum lowei bouy stiength is essential foi optimal speeu!
Aftei that theie shoulu be no question of the iole stiength has on speeu. Two will
be uiscusseu in the next two paiagiaphs anu you will finu the last one in the "Lift"
technique in the spiinting technique section latei on. It may seem as though I'm
oveiieacting towaius the stiength siue of the foice-velocity cuive, which was
uiscusseu eailiei, but I assuie you I'm not applying any bias heie whatsoevei.
Scientific ieseaich has just happeneu to tiuly favoi stiength as it peitains to speeu.
I think it's a goou sign anu a step in the iight uiiection because eveiything in the
cuiient speeu uevelopment maiket excessively auvocates the othei enu of the
spectium. If stiength is being encouiageu, theie is geneially a lack of concentiation
on the teim maximum, oi the implementation of it is pooi, oi the piomotion of the
skill is minimal at best. The incieaseu input of infoimation on stiength tiaining heie
shoulu help to balance things out.
I've alieauy uwelleu on a vaiiety of ieasons why stiength is key, but theie is
still moie. Anothei impoitant ieason why maximum lowei bouy stiength is key is
because it ieflects Newton's Seconu Law of Notion: F=NxA. Basically the moie
foice we can geneiate fiom oui muscles at a given bouyweight the gieatei we will
acceleiate. Stiength is the ability to piouuce foice, so theie is a uiiect link between
incieasing stiength to impiove acceleiation anu speeu, accoiuing to Newton's
Seconu Law. This same scientific law is often expiesseu thiough the teim "Relative
Stiength " in the inuustiy. This is just anothei way of saying oui stiength to
bouyweight iatio. The bettei this iatio the moie successful we will be not only in
spiinting fastei but in anything that involves hanuling oui bouy mass. Quite
honestly, most athletes shoulu not even ieally woiiy about iunning extiemely fast
until they can lift heavy foi theii size in both the uppei anu lowei bouy.
Fuitheimoie, most tiainees tenu to automatically just associate "absolute" oi
maximum stiength ability when assessing theii stiength. This is wiong. Foi
example, a guy who weighs 1Su lbs. but back squats 27S lbs. is supiemely stiongei

4u

ielative to a guy who weighs S2S lbs. anu squats SSu lbs. The impoitant thing heie
is to compaie the weight you aie lifting to youi bouyweight, make the most of this,
anu not woiiy what otheis aie uoing. The smallei guy woulu have no chance of
matching his biggei opponent. The biggei guy simply has a huge auvantage with the
amount of mass he has on his bouy, but I assuie you that he will not be that fast if his
"ielative" stiength is pooi. In this case gym goeis shoulu be fai moie impiesseu
with the smallei guy's stats, but this is iaiely the case, as most aie conceineu about
total loaus, iegaiuless of eveiything that stiuctuially influences peifoimance.
I coulu have intiouuceu this populai statement maue by coaches, tiaineis, etc.
in the "specificity" section, but I ueciueu to uo it heie. 0ften coaches will say that
heavy lifting peifoimeu slowly will make you slow, anu the goal is to get fastei so
you neeu to lift fastei. Along these same lines, ieseaicheis constantly make mention
of RFB (Rate of Foice Bevelopment) foi fastei iunning speeus. This is unuoubteuly
tiue. If we can't piouuce foice fast we cannot iun fast. But what about if we
piouuce foice fast, but piouuce small amounts of foice. So you can see that too
much of a goou thing can be bau oi limiting, anu that is the case heie. Paiaphiasing
the "Piinciple of Specificity," peifoiming a specific movement will help peifoimance
in that movement. In othei woius, spiinting helps spiinting. Pietty simple, anu
most unueistanu anu appieciate this peihaps too much. The pioblem comes when
all you uo is spiint anu piactice iunning uiills in the hopes of maximizing youi
speeu. Recall all of the uata anu ieseaich I just pioviueu anu you'll see that "Non-
specific" exeicise can help specific movements. You cannot aigue that when we
opeiate unuei a heavy bai, we aie moving slowei because theie is much moie
iesistance, slowing oui ability to move fastei. This ieflects the foice-velocity cuive
that I intiouuceu in the "Builuing Youi Boisepowei" section. The moie foice oi
iesistance on the bouy, the lowei the velocity anu vice veisa. They aie at sepaiate
enus of spectium, but the piopoitional combination of both stiength anu speeu will
inciease powei anu thus speeu. 0nce the athlete iemoves the heavy loau fiom the
bouy, factoi in the incieaseu level of stiength anu muscle ieciuitment, anu you get
gieatei speeu when you ietuin back to bouyweight-baseu activities such as
spiinting, jumping, anu agility. 0ltimately, you shoulu have a soliu mix of specific
anu non-specific exeicises in youi speeu tiaining piogiam to builu all muscle gioups
anu essential skills neeueu foi fastei iunning, otheiwise youi peifoimance will
uefinitely be less than optimal.
0ne of the iemaining pieces of pioof of stiength foi speeu is a famous stuuy
that is commonly iefeiieu to as the "Weyanu Stuuy." Petei Weyanu anu his
colleagues took SS subjects anu hau them iun on a tieaumill that measuieu foice
piouuction. What they founu was that the foice piouuction of inuiviuuals who ian
at 11.1 msec. was 1.26 times gieatei than those who ian at 6.2 msec. Concluuing
that highei iunning speeus aie associateu with gieatei foices into the giounu. S7
The take home message woulu be, "uet stiongei!"

41

0K, now let's switch couise anu focus some well-ueseiveu attention on the
uppei bouy foi incieaseu speeu peifoimance. Again, this is an instance in which we
neeu to consiuei that seconuaiy aieas, such as the uppei bouy can still have a majoi
influence on the function of oui spiints, even though spiinting is piimaiily a lowei
bouy-baseu activity. Below aie S ieasons why uppei bouy stiength levels aie
ciitical foi speeu.

TUI9/Y-F.G+ -P P/HG /G#,$G$H &-HH$HH ^.E /)' HGF-)E R&&$F ^-'.$HV
TWIC-S$F .H Z$+ G- H&$$'b /)' HGF$)EG# .H #/,P -P G#$ &-S$F $[R/G.-)V
TXI:)*F$/H$H /FO 'F.Q$
TÌ;$H.HGH G-F[R$ *F$/G$' PF-O +-RF ,-S$F ^-'+
TcI:)*F$/H$H -RF R&&$F ^-'+S$.E#G G- HGF$)EG# F/G.-
TdI()/^,$H / O-F$ /EEF$HH.Q$ HG/FG -RG -P G#$ ^,-*ZH
TeI9/.)G/.)H -F *F$/G$H H#-R,'$F #$/,G#

I uon't think it is any suipiise that spiinteis have big anu stiong uppei bouies,
yet so many question the neeu foi uppei bouy stiength tiaining foi acceleiation anu
speeu uevelopment. This is a no-biainei, anu athletes neeu to leain to ciave bench
piessing, chins, pulls, militaiy piessing, anu eveiything else that will cieate a big,
stiong, anu explosive uppei half.
Recall that in oiuei to have moie powei, the skill is heavily ieliant upon
stiength, anu the uppei bouy is no exception. Pioof can be founu in a stuuy fiom
!"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" back in 1994. This stuuy
examineu 24 Austialian National League Baseball playeis foi 8 weeks. The stuuy
uiviueu the paiticipants into S gioups: a contiol gioup, a meuicine ball gioup, anu a
weight tiaining gioup. The weight tiaining gioup tiumpeu the otheis by incieasing
thiowing velocity by 4 peicent, wheieas the meu ball gioup impioveu velocity by
1.S%, anu the contiol just unuei 1%. S8
If you question whethei oi not explosive aim uiive is essential to fastei
iunning, then just peifoim a few spiints with youi aims behinu youi back. Aim
uiive will invaiiably piouuce moie foice in the taiget uiiection, which will elevate
acceleiation anu speeu levels. Reseaich inuicates that the aims might contiibute up
to 1u% of the total veitical piopulsive foices an athlete is capable of applying to the
giounu. S9 Bowevei, a stiong claim was maue yeais latei by Ainauu Fioiumont in
his Physics anu Astionomy Thesis Befense Papei. Ainauu stateu that the oiiginal
ieseaichei uiu not possess the computei powei that we uo now, anu that aim uiive
contiibutes significantly moie than oiiginally was thought. This seems veiy logical
to me.
The next factoi is a pietty unueiiateu, yet ciitical function of spiinting.
When we uiive at oui lowei bouy, it automatically cieates a state of iotation that
will want to cause use to uo just that, iotate. In oiuei to offset this, oui coie anu

42

uppei bouy will have to match the effoit of oui lowei bouy to help stabilize oui
bouy anu make suie that no eneigy leaks occui that coulu cause us to iotate anu
move in a non-lineai uiiection, cieating slowei times. S9 41 In oiuei to ensuie that
oui uppei bouy can match the effoit of oui lowei bouy anu unlock gieatei speeu
potential, we have no choice but to builu moie uppei bouy stiength in the weight
ioom, so this quiet yet uevastating flaw in technique uoes not pievent us fiom
maximizing oui speeu potential.
Anothei luxuiy of possessing gieat uppei bouy stiength anu size is that it
allows us to ieally lean oui bouy foiwaiu moie out ovei oui shouluei when we set
up in spiint blocks oi a S oi 4 point stance. This automatically puts us closei to the
finish line anu impioves efficiency if we come out of the stait coiiectly. I will
uiscuss spiint stait specifics latei on.
Lastly, when we impiove stiength anu size up top we builu a moie iesilient
anu uuiable uppei half which piomotes injuiy pievention. This concept can also
have inuiiect iamifications on how we function elsewheie thiough the bouy. If
theie happens to be any glaiing weaknesses oi imbalances in oui uppei bouy, not
only aie we impaiieu in eveiything I just mentioneu, but it can cieate a chain
ieaction in oui lowei bouy that causes imbalances anu weaknesses to counteiact
what is occuiiing in oui uppei half, which fuithei contiibutes to the pioblem. The
famous saying that we aie only as stiong anu capable as oui weakest link coulu not
be moie coiiect. 0n a final note, just let youi athletes lift heavy anu watch how they
ieact anu embiace this type of tiaining. They stait to feel anu love it once they
become moie comfoitable, anu it allows them to compete with themselves anu
otheis, which is what athletics is all about! Next, we will examine the key stiength
piinciples that we neeu to peifoim to uevelop speeu anu stiength incieuibly fast
anu stay healthy.

%";(38"? C;:31:C6(%:

To be able to uevelop stiength at an extiemely fast iate with minimal plateaus
while still being able to stay healthy ovei the long teim is no easy task. With that
being saiu, it becomes impeiative that you follow a founuation of scientific
piinciples that ieinfoice this. Below is the list of piinciples that I am going to
uiscuss next.

CF.)*.&,$ TUI C4CI"#$ CF-EF$HH.Q$ 4Q$F,-/' CF.)*.&,$
CF.)*.&,$ TWI :)G$)H.G+ 1+*,.)E
CF.)*.&,$ TXI cIXIU
CF.)*.&,$ TÌ !"#$ &'( )*
CF.)*.&,$ TcI %GFR*GRF/, K/,/)*$

4S

CF.)*.&,$ TdI "#$ \-.)G ^+ \-.)G 0&&F-/*#
CF.)*.&,$ TeI +,'-$.'/01 "23-$

Now I'm suie that some othei intelligent coaches, tiaineis, etc. coulu piobably
conjuie up a few moie that I neglecteu to mention, but these aie confiimeu
piinciples in the scientific community that seive as a majoi ieason why my clients
anu I have been anu will continue to be successful in the weight ioom. Let's
examine each.
The fiist piinciple is ieally the ioot piinciple out of all of the ones listeu. If we
ieally want to get stiongei anu fastei, then we have no option but to consistently
auu moie weight to the bai oi lift heaviei loaus ovei the couise of time to cieate a
neeu foi oui bouy to auapt anu get stiongei. " Piogiessive iesistance exeicise
pioviues a piactical application of the oveiloau piinciple anu foims the basis of
most iesistance-tiaining piogiams." 42 If you aie squatting 1Su lbs. touay then a
ieasonable goal woulu be to aim to squat 22S lbs. a yeai out fiom now, oi something
along that line. This is puiely hypothetical, as theie aie a numbei of tiaining-ielateu
vaiiables that will iegulate the iate anu amount of stiength uevelopment that can
happen, but the take-home message is the weight you lift neeus to steauily inciease
to inuuce uesiiable positive change. The obvious ieason is because oui bouy views
this heavy chunk of iion, oi whatevei else, as an immeuiate thieat to oui suivival,
anu it ueciues to giow itself anu get stiongei, so that it is less likely to get huit.
Pietty simple. This change also satisfies conseivation. If we aie biggei anu stiongei
then we uo not have to use as much eneigy to lift that same weight anu we aie moie
efficient.
0ften times many will fiist heai these woius anu ueciue to go nuts anu lift as
much as possible. Tiust me, I uiu exactly this at one point. I woulu be lying if I saiu
that this appioach uoes not woik in the shoit-teim. It uefinitely will, but the iesults
will be shoit liveu, especially aftei you accumulate massive levels of stiuctuial
fatigue anu aiiive in a state of iecoveiy uebt that you simply cannot pay back unless
you actually iecovei just as much as you tiain heavy, leain some patience, holu back
a bit, anu stay positive anu ielentless. If I've leaineu anything in this fielu it's that
slow anu steauy wins the iace! Suie you will have iaie times that you coulu count
on a single hanu, wheie you make an unexpecteu huge gain, but the ieality is that it
uoes not come that easy, oi that fast. This piogiam will also test youi commitment.
If you want ieal iesults then you have no choice but to woik haiu anu tiain haiu
week in anu week out foi a long time. If this is not what you aie looking foi fiom
this book then I stiongly encouiage you to stop ieauing iight now, anu keep
seaiching foi a quick fix piogiam that simply uoes not exist. If you uo ueciue to
continue ieauing, then you'll get what you eaineu.
Anyways, once we ieach oveitiaining a few things inevitably will occui. Some
of the common symptoms of oveitiaining incluue but aie not limiteu to: buinout,

44

sickness, uecieaseu peifoimance, insomnia, muscle loss, lack of motivation, injuiy,
oi any combination of these. If you've evei pusheu beyonu youi limits in the weight
ioom then you will know it's not a veiy fun expeiience. You aie killing youiself each
anu eveiy time you come in, but piogiess stalls anu all of the afoiementioneu
symptoms stait to emeige, which ieally tests youi ability to push foiwaiu anu eithei
satisfy the uefinition of insanity, oi take a haiu look at youiself, iealize what you aie
uoing may not be iueal, anu then woik anu seaich foi ways to ievise youi appioach
anu leain what you coulu have uone uiffeient to iesume piogiess. 0i insteau of
making this painful mistake, you coulu ieally listen anu consiuei what I'm about to
shaie with you next, oi leain the haiu way. These piinciples aie not mine, but
iathei gleaneu fiom geneiations of thousanus anu thousanus of people who have
liveu weightlifting anu figuieu out what woiks. Tiust me, I appieciate the
ueteimination to want to be youi absolute best anu tiain to failuie as much as the
next peison, but the fact of the mattei is that oui bouy's physiology has uefinitive
limitations on how much volume at high intensities it can toleiate anu auapt to. It's
not that much ielative to many tiauitional stiength piogiams. This fact explains the
neeu to tiain both haiuei anu smaitei, which conveniently biings us to the next
piinciple.
I wiote an aiticle peitaining to this awhile back. Poweiliftei }im Wenulei once
saiu that you uo not always neeu to tiain at youi absolute maximum to impiove
youi maximum. "A muscle stiengthens when tiaineu close to its cuiient foice
geneiating capacity." 42 If you have been in the iion game befoie then you'll
appieciate that tiuei woius have nevei been spoken. It sounus counteiintuitive, but
it's tiue. Sometimes the bouy acts logical while othei times it uoes not anu we just
have to ueal with it anu aujust accoiuingly. The piinciple that piactically applies
this notion is iefeiieu to as "Intensity Cycling." }ust as the teim states, uuiing oui
tiaining we will natuially cycle the amount of weight we lift anu volume we peifoim
week to week to pievent seveie oveitiaining fiom occuiiing, anu keep the gains
coming. You can't go full boie all of the time unfoitunately, but thankfully you can
still get stiongei lifting slightly lightei at ceitain times.
The next piinciple is S-S-1. These numbeis iepiesent exactly how we
oveiloau oui movement system anu stimulate change. Noie specifically, these
numbeis uefine exactly how much weight we neeu to lift to get stiongei anu biggei
consistently ovei time. We uo a S iep max, S iep max, anu 1 iep max in S
subsequent weeks. 0i a vaiiation of the thiee. 0f couise you coulu use less weight
initially anu get stiongei foi a while, but eventually you aie going to have to follow
this iange to uevelop moie. Noie impoitantly, this iange will get you as stiong as
possible as fast as possible, anu who woulu not want that. With this in minu, we
have to lift weights that aie between 8S-1uu% of oui one-iep maximum to use all of
oui available muscle mass anu push moie weight. Reseaich has shown that
woikouts out with 8S% of the weight we can uo one time will ieciuit ALL motoi

4S

units. 4S In case you aie cuiious, a motoi unit is the component of the neivous
system that feeus a signal foi contiaction to all the muscles fibeis to which it's
linkeu. This biacket woiks out to be between 1-6 ieps. The highei the tiaining
peicentage the lowei the iep numbei, anu the fiist numbei in the seiies iepiesents
week one, seconu, week two, anu so on. The ieal beauty of this scheme is that it's
easy to iemembei anu it contains a natuial aspect of ueloau anu oveiloau which is
veiy impoitant foi effective long-teim tiaining. We neeu iemembei that theie is
always an inveise ielationship between tiaining volume anu intensity. When one
goes up, the othei must go uown. 0n this piogiam, we will stait at a highei iep
value (accumulation) at the beginning of the tiaining cycle oi month, anu then
piogiessively ieuuce ieps (intensification) ovei the weeks to follow, which will
allow us to builu a lot of stiength, momentum, anu confiuence without encounteiing
all of the piioi pioblems that I uiscusseu. Too often, lifteis tiying to get fastei anu
stiongei stait too heavy to soon anu oui bouy simply cannot auapt anu stay fiesh,
anu a plateau then ensues.
Anothei benefit of this appioach is what each numbei biings to the table. S
ieps natuially helps builu moie enuuiance, muscle, anu technique than 1 iep, but
still builus a lot of max stiength. Anothei unueiiateu value of S-S ieps is that it
builus the "weak links" in the movement. If you have a weakness unueilying in a
movement anu you tiain S-S ieps then it's easiei to maintain foim anu still builu
stiength so that you can suppoit 1 iep attempts latei on. The uownfall to just uoing
S-S ieps is the bouy uoes not maintain othei neuiological functions that aie
impoitant to builuing max stiength anu you stait to weaken. Anu in comes the 1 iep
max! The 1 iep is obviously the most specific to maximum stiength uevelopment
anu lets you showcase all of the haiu woik anu impiovements maue in the two piioi
weeks at highei ieps. When you peifoim youi 1 iep max with this sequence of
numbeis you shoulu be peaking.
If you'ie tiaining week in anu week out like you shoulu be in youi quest to
become fastei anu moie athletic, then you may stait to giow boieu of this same
sequence iepeating ovei anu ovei again. Thankfully, you can switch things up anu
ie-aiiange the sequence. Below aie all of the options foi ie-sequencing.

0,G$F)/G.Q$ 9/D.ORO %GF$)EG# 1+*,$HM

1-S-S
1-S-S
S-1-S
S-1-S
S-S-1

46

Foi as long as anyone can piobably iemembei, "The Big 6" have been the go-
to bunch of exeicises foi those seiiously looking to maximize theii stiength anu size.
The big 6 will always be a mainstay in the weight ioom foi as long as we aie all alive.
"No mattei what level you aie at the basics of stiength tiaining exeicises will iemain
the same; squat, bench, ueaulift, militaiy, iows anu chins. The exeicises will iemain
the same but the application anu how they aie uone is what will change. 44 We have
been peifoiming these exeicises foi almost a uecaue now wheie I tiain along with
theii vaiiations, anu the iesults anu movements nevei seem to get olu. I also know
foi ceitain that 1u to 2u yeais fiom now we will be uoing these still, not because we
aie neglecting something biggei anu bettei, but because they aie supeiioi anu woik
so well. They will nevei uie, noi be beaten by something else. They've been alive
foi ovei a centuiy at least.
0ne of the best things about "The Big 6" is that they aie easy to implement anu
they natuially builu in stiuctuial balance to youi bouy, which is essential to
unlocking maximum stiength, speeu, anu physical health. With this gioup, you have
2 uppei bouy piessing motions, 2 uppei bouy pulling motions, anu a pull anu push
foi youi lowei bouy. Becoming oi staying stiuctuially balanceu when tiaining is
aiguably the most impoitant factoi in being able to stay healthy anu continue to
impiove ovei the long teim. Beie aie S scientific ieasons foi staying stiuctuially
balanceu if we uesiie to get big anu stiong.

TUI0'/&G.Q$ %#-FG$).)E
"Auaptive shoitening is tightness that iesults fiom the muscle iemaining in a
shoiteneu position." 4S Basically, if we stay in a position foi too long then oui bouy
tenus to stay in that position. This piocess can occui quickly anu unless we aie in a
peifect postuie when this occuis, we become imbalanceu. 0ne muscle gioup
geneially becomes tight anu hypeiactive, while the opposing muscle gioup becomes
loose anu unueiactive. This is iefeiieu to as iecipiocal inhibition. "Recipiocal
inhibition is the neuiomusculai phenomenon that occuis when incieaseu neuial
uiive in a specific muscle causes uecieaseu neuial uiive to that muscle's functional
antagonist. "46 This is why balanceu tiaining of oui bouy becomes so ciitical to
offset this natuial effect anu help pievent injuiies anu uecieaseu speeu anu athletic
peifoimance.

TWI6$)EG#I"$)H.-) ;$,/G.-)H#.&
LTR is oui muscles' stietch to stiength iatio. Theie is an iueal length wheie
oui muscles can piouuce the most foice. If oui muscles stietch too much oi too
little, we lose stiength potential. Iueally, we aie looking foi a moueiate uegiee of
stietch foi explosive movement action. Analyze a peison jumping veitically anu
you'll see this scientific phenomenon at woik. The jumpei won't squat too high oi
too low befoie they jump, otheiwise they will uefinitely not be as poweiful.

47

Remembei that I am just iefeiiing to oui muscles being too long oi shoit when we
move in spoit oi elsewheie, not when we actually stietch. Naximizing flexibility
eveiywheie we neeu it is a gieat thing. 5$ S/)G G- #/Q$ G#$ &-G$)G./, -P O-Q.)E
/ ORH*,$ /H P/F /H S$ )$$' G-b ^RG )- O-F$ G#/) S$ #/Q$ G- F$E/F'.)E
O-Q$O$)GV Without auequate flexibility, this is not possible. This is yet anothei
ieason why we shoulu be balanceu with oui tiaining so we stay balanceu with oui
movements anu maximize oui stietch-to-stiength iatio.

TXI"#$ "$)H.-) (PP$*G
This concept was fiist intiouuceu to me by }oe BeFianco. The tension effect
occuis when oui bouy iecognizes that a weakei anu smallei muscle cannot suppoit
heaviei weight that the biggei anu stiongei muscles want to move. A piime
example of this effect woulu be seen with the pectoial oi chest muscles (piime
movei) anu the iotatoi cuff muscles (stabilizei) on the back of the shouluei when
we bench piess. If the pectoials aie too stiong foi the iotatoi cuff, anu the iotatoi
cuff cannot suppoit the weight when we piess, then the pectoials will shut uown
anu ielax, so that we uo not injuie the stabilizing iotatoi cuff. 0nfoitunately, this is
one hiuuen ieason why we cannot maximize stiength anu size, thus oui speeu if we
aie not in balance, anu it applies to eveiy othei stiength exeicise as well. The only
way to pievent this effect fiom happening is by stiengthening the unueiuevelopeu
iotatoi cuff of the uppei back so that it can suppoit heavy weight, stay healthy, anu
allow othei muscles to ieach theii potential.
The }oint by }oint Appioach is the next iemaining piinciple on the list. This
appioach was pioneeieu by physical theiapist uiay Cook seveial yeais ago. It quite
simply piomotes tiaining accoiuing to oui anatomical uesign. Noie specifically,
ceitain joints aie piimaiily uesigneu foi stability oi lack of motion, while otheis aie
geaieu towaius mobility oi moie motion. Below is the }oint by }oint Nouel.

48

(Photo couitesy of iobeitsontiainingsystems.com)

If you view the mouel you will see that some joints want stability anu the
otheis seek mobility, anu this occuis in a pieuictable, alteinating pattein. Ankles
mostly neeu mobility, knees stability, hip mobility, low back stability, miu back
mobility, scapula stability, shouluei mobility, anu neck stability. If we violate this
piinciple then bau things will happen. It's not a mattei of if, but when it happens. A
classic violation of this mouel can be seen between the knee, hip, anu lowei back.
Noimally, when people iefeience pain at theii knee oi lowei back, then they
automatically piesume that it's a uiiect ieflection of something that is wiong with
these aieas, when in fact it coulu be ueficits at othei aujacent segments that coulu be
contiibuting to pain at these aieas. Simply put, if the hips lose mobility in any plane
oi uiiection, then the bouy is put in an unfavoiable position to have to cieate
mobility elsewheie to continue movement anu uaily function. The bouy will
natuially tuin to the next available joint, which woulu be the knee anu lowei back.
0nfoitunately these aieas aie not innately constiucteu foi high ianges of motion,
anu when we uemanu this fiom these places they will eventually give. Keep in minu
this is not to say that knee issues cannot be ueiiveu fiom uiiect issues at the knee,
it's just that the joint by joint mouel is also anothei significant appioach that can
contiibute to injuiies if violateu in tiaining anu eveiyuay life. Lastly, please be
awaie that just because a joint is highlighteu ieu, which inuicates its stiong neeu foi
mobility, this uoes not mean that it uoes not iequiie some stability. }oints neeu both
functions foi healthy piouuctive movement. Its iole is ueteimineu by which it
iequiies moie.

49

Bi. Chailie Weingioff intiouuceu Piilepin's table to me yeais ago. I will
pioviue this table foi you below, but fiist I will biiefly uiscuss its puipose in any
stiength anu speeu uevelopment piogiam. Basically, a Russian ieseaichei by the
name of A.S. Piilepin was able to ueteimine how much woik we neeu to uo at
specific weights oi intensities to get stiongei. Beie it is:

CF.,$.'/01 "23-$4 47

C$F*$)G ;$&H &$F H$G 4&G.O/, ;/)E$
SS-6S S-6 24 18-Su
7u-7S S-6 18 12-24
8u-8S 2-4 1S 1u-2u
above 9u 1-2 7 4-1u

0pon obseivation, many will iecognize that this is pietty intuitive oi
coinciuental in tiaining, but many times tiainees aie eithei uoing too much oi too
little to cieate gains in the weight ioom which will ultimately huit youi speeu. To
make suie neithei one of these happen while you aie putting in the haiu woik, we
will iemove all guesswoik anu iely on this piinciple. If you aie unueistanuably
confuseu by the list of numbeis on this table anu what they mean, then no neeu to
woiiy. This table is alieauy installeu to this piogiam, so all you neeu to uo is follow
it in the woikouts I give you at the enu of the manual.

0?88A4=452<A 02345627 !3<:5:56 2> B?:A9 C>?3 08449 .?;D?A<2?34E

Supplemental stiength tiaining is exactly what the teim states. It's a type of
stiength tiaining that "supplements" what the othei types of stiength tiaining aie
ieally incapable of optimally pioviuing anu complements any total stiength
piogiam. It focuses on weaknesses to help suppoit oui heavy woik anu speeu. You
may be moie familiai with the teims assistance exeicises, accessoiy tiaining,
auxiliaiy lifts, oi iepeateu effoit (RE) tiaining which all caiiy the same meaning as
the supplemental categoiy that I am going to use in this poition of the manual.
Some piogiams piefei one teim ovei anothei, anu new expiessions of this type of
tiaining seem to keep emeiging. Supplemental tiaining is piimaiily iesponsible foi
impioving hypeitiophy (size) anu stiength enuuiance in muscle gioups. Stiength
enuuiance is the ability to geneiate a high level of stiength foi a longei uuiation.
Nost view tiauitional caiuiovasculai tiaining methous as supeiioi anu aie specific
to builuing enuuiance. Although some of these methous aie valiu, piopei stiength
tiaining can be biutally fatiguing anu builu up conuitioning levels just like

Su

tiauitional methous anu potentially moie so in ceitain cases. We will utilize it all
on this piogiam. This style of tiaining involves moueiate to highei ieps with
moueiately heavy weights ielative to youi maximum stiength. Supplemental lifts
will also continue to builu stiength all ovei the bouy, but not to the same uegiee as
the max stiength woik. Examples of supplemental lifts woulu be single leg woik,
glute-ham iaises, hip thiusts, anu sleu woik foi the lowei bouy. Examples foi the
uppei bouy woulu consist of pushups, pullups, chinups, militaiy piessing, uips, oi
shiugs. Basically, a majoiity of eveiy stiength exeicise othei than the max stiength
exeicises uiscusseu eailiei will be classifieu as supplemental movements. Next, I'm
going to give some piefeiential attention to ceitain types of supplemental
movements in the context of builuing moie speeu. I want to biiefly uiscuss the
extieme value of two types of supplemental lifts that will assist in maximizing oui
acceleiation anu speeu potential. Those two aie single leg tiaining anu hip
uominant tiaining.
It shoulu be obvious that single leg tiaining woulu have a huge impact on
spiinting ability since spiinting is a single leg-baseu movement in natuie. Noie
specifically, single leg stiength woik will impiove oui ability to tiansfei foice fiom
one limb to the giounu anu then the othei. Any ueficiency heie will unuoubteuly
sap oui speeu. This will piobably be a ieview foi many who aie ieauing this book,
but it's impoitant to explain the actual uiffeience between tiaining in a single leg
stance veisus uouble leg, because many still uo not fully know the uiffeience. The
piimaiy uiffeience lies in oui anatomy, anu the lateial oblique subsystem!

(Photo couitesy of bientbiookbush.com)

S1

As soon as one foot leaves the giounu, muscle activity acioss uiffeient muscle
gioups all aiounu the ankle, knee, anu hip uiastically change. The muscle gioups
you iely upon with both feet on the tiaining suiface aie uiffeient than when one foot
is iemoveu anu we ueciease oui base of suppoit. This image shows thiee muscle
gioups that inciease theii suppoitive action when we ueciue to function on one leg.
They all iesiue on the insiue anu outsiue of the bouy anu counteiact each othei with
equal effoit so the muscles on the fiont anu back can continue to keep us moving in
a lineai uiiection. So why is this significant. The simple ieason is because single leg
stiength levels will be stiongly iegulateu by the stiength of these specific muscles
when iunning, cutting, oi jumping off one limb. 48 So if we ieally want to expiess
anu use the hoisepowei we acquiieu thiough the heavy uouble leg exeicises like
squats anu ueaulifts, then we neeu to attempt to peifect oui ability to opeiate in a
single leg enviionment, otheiwise stiength tiansfei will be limiteu thiough the
giounu. Single leg-pistol squats, high box step-ups, split squats, single leg RBLs, anu
lunge vaiieties aie staples that will make us much moie pioficient in this movement
situation, so we get the most piouuction out of the lateial system anu impiove oui
speeu. Next we will uiscuss why hip uominant tiaining is so integial to the speeu
uevelopment piocess.
Bip uominant tiaining iefeis to exeicises that emphasize mainly the glutes anu
hamstiings. 0thei aieas aie involveu, but these aie the two gioups I'm going to
invest my time on heie since they have a tiemenuous iole in speeu capacity. I
iealize that just a few paiagiaphs back I mentioneu glute-ham iaises anu hip
thiusts. I'm quite ceitain that many people ieauing this associateu these teims with
a foieign language. This is fine foi now, but hopefully these teims along with many
othei uiills that fall into this exeicise categoiy become synonymous with speeu
tiaining one uay, because they aie that essential anu poweiful to the piocess. }ust
how valuable aie these muscles to spiint peifoimance. Fameu speeu anu stiength
coach Chailes Poliquin has conuucteu ieseaich at his tiaining laboiatoiy that
suggests the hamstiings shoulu be extiemely stiongei than the quauiiceps, but that
uoes not seem to be the common case with the piomotion of highei iatios of
quauiiceps to hamstiing exeicises anu volumes. I know that may not be the intent,
but this is what I see. Beie is a quote fiom Poliquin: "In fact, using the piopei
measuiing uevices that allow gieatei velocities of testing, speeu athletes such as
spiinteis, bobsleuueis, anu iunning backs shoulu have a hamstiings to quaus iatio
of 12S%." 49 Poliquin also mentioneu that othei authoiities suggesteu a value of
66%. Su Regaiuless of who is iight oi wiong, the consensus is that you neeu to
oveiuevelop youi hamstiings in teims of stiength compaiative to youi quauiicep
muscles. As testament to these figuies, oui athletes who ian the fastest
electionically veiifieu times woulu possess a veiy stiong hamstiing complex
ielative to slowei iunneis. Without the piopei technology, which hopefully I can
get someuay, these values aie veiy impiactical to geneial equipment owneis tiying

S2

to implement a sounu speeu piogiam like myself. In this case, just make suie youi
exeicise selection of hamstiing: quau exeicises is 2:1 oi 1:1 with balanceu tiaining
volumes anu intensities. 0vei time, the highei iatio foi hamstiing woik shoulu
imbalance the stiength in favoi of the hamstiings. The piogiams at the enu of this
manual ieflect this concept, so all you neeu to uo is follow them anu you will be fine.
Eailiei in the manual I piesenteu you with the vaiious activity levels of all
lowei bouy muscle gioups via ENu iepoits uuiing spiinting, squatting, etc. Aftei
the veiy initial peiiou of acceleiation out of the blocks anu a few yaius theieaftei,
the hamstiings become the hanus-uown king. So now that we know that the
hamstiing muscles aie often neglecteu in stiength piogiams anu theii tiemenuous
impact on potential iunning speeu, how exactly shoulu we uevelop them to elicit the
best iesult possible. To help unueistanu this, I feel it is veiy impoitant to fiist
intiouuce oi ieview theii aiiangement at the lowei extiemities, anu explain theii
iole in spiinting.

The hamstiing complex is maue up of S muscles shown above. They lie along
youi backsiue inseiting unueineath youi lowei glutes, anu then iun anu cioss ovei
youi knee joint, attaching at ceitain points at youi lowei leg. They aie classifieu as
"biaiticulai muscles" since they cioss anu function at two joints. They possess a
numbei of movement ioles at the lowei bouy, but specific to speeu anu foi the sake
of simplicity we will focus oui attention on two of these ioles, since they aie most
impoitant to spiinting peifoimance.
At the knee we will focus on knee flexion, anu at the hip we will focus on hip
extension anu hip hypeiextension. Foi the knee, flexing oi benuing is going to be

SS

ciitical at ceitain phases of spiinting. When we aie spiinting anu swing oui leg
foiwaiu in an effoit to take oui next step, oui knee will iemain bent at about 9u
uegiees as we uo so, anu this is piimaiily uue to this essential ability of the
hamstiings. The hamstiings pievent oui knee fiom extenuing too much, which
woulu cause us to lanu with oui foot too fai in fiont of oui bouy, which woulu
eventually leau to oveistiiuing anu hamstiing injuiy, in auuition to much slowei
speeu. This action is iefeiieu to as ueceleiating knee extension, oi an "eccentiic"
contiaction of the hamstiing muscles. Foi those who uo not know a lot about all of
the functions of muscles, heie is a basic bieakuown of the uiffeient types of skeletal
muscle contiactions that occui uuiing movement, along with key common featuies
of each:

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Leg cuil exeicises with a majoi focus on stiaightening youi legs slowly as you lowei
the weight to the iack woulu help uevelop this eccentiic action. Theie aie uefinitely
othei vaiiations of this, but I am confiuent that this is one that eveiyone woulu be
familiai with. A majoiity of people geneially uo not lack this ability as much as the
hip movement, since leg cuils aie moie commonly assigneu anu piacticeu in
mouein stiength anu conuitioning piogiams.
Now let's uetail the impoitance of what goes on at the hip as we spiint. As
soon as oui foot lanus on the iunning suiface, oui hamstiings will switch a majoiity
of theii iole anu begin to function at the back of the hip. Knee flexion will still occui
to a small uegiee at the lowei enu of the hamstiings, just aftei we hit the giounu anu
begin to uiive oui bouy foiwaiu, but this will only last foi a moment. Fiom heie it
will be up to the highei poition of the hamstiing muscles at the hip to continue
motion. As we continue to tiansfei oui bouy weight foiwaiu ovei oui foot, it is
mostly the high hamstiings that will cieate this thiough hip extension. As we
continue hip extension anu biing oui bouy foiwaiu fuithei, we then eventually
entei a state of hip hypeiextension as oui foot moves behinu oui bouy mass. It's at
this junctuie wheie we ieach maximal uiive of oui legs anu powei! Afteiwaius, oui
foot will exit the giounu anu this cycle will iepeat itself until the spiint is finisheu.
You may have nevei heaiu of this scenaiio befoie, but it's the othei half of the
hamstiing uevelopment equation that you have to consiuei anu implement to stay
healthy anu be successful in spiinting, especially ovei the long teim. The piesent
absence of this type of joint anu muscle action is also one of the main ieasons why
theie is a high inciuence of hamstiing injuiies uuiing spiinting in athletics touay,
anu it neeus to change. It's just sheei hamstiing weakness at specific points, anu
negligence that is veiy pieventable.

S4

Noving foiwaiu, we will bieak uown oui hip tiaining into 2 geneial categoiies,
anu then follow that with a bieakuown into S specific categoiies. Bip tiaining will
builu hoiizontal foice fiist, anu veitical foice seconu. Fiist, we will bieak uown hip
tiaining into bent-knee hip woik anu stiaight-knee hip woik. The ieason foi this is
because each position allows eithei the glutes oi the hamstiings to ieceive moie of
the loau anu we neeu both to be as stiong as possible. Bent-knee hip woik taigets
the glutes moie uue to the kinesiological (movement) piinciple of "active
insufficiency." When the muscle becomes shoiteneu to the point it cannot geneiate
oi maintain active tension, active insufficiency is ieacheu. S1 In this position the
hamstiings aie shoiteneu at the knee so they aie not as stiong at the hip. By
uefault, the glutes woik haiuei to move the loau.
The next categoiy is stiaight- knee hip extension. This will obviously iemove
most of the slack at the knee joint anu inuuce moie stiain on the hamstiings, anu
still woik the glutes. Both aie necessaiy to maximize the uevelopment thioughout
the hip iegion.
Fuithei bieakuown anu analysis of hip tiaining iequiies S tiaining categoiies.
In theii ieseaich stuuy; Contieias, Schoenfelu, anu Cionin uiscoveieu anu iuentifieu
tiaining accoiuing to what aie calleu "toique-angle cuives." This is fancy talk foi
being iange of motion-specific with youi hip uominant tiaining anu all lowei bouy
exeicise. S2
Theii ieseaich suppoiteu the neeu to tiain the hip thioughout the entiie iange
of motion, since spiinting anu othei movements involve moving thiough a laige
iange of motion. The S categoiies they use to classify hip tiaining aie shoit,
meuium, anu long length exeicises. Length heie means how long the muscle is
when you tiain it. I alluueu to this pieviously with the squat anu ueaulift anu I will
continue that uiscussion heie. Shoit involves tiaining the hip fiom neai extension
to a hypei-extenueu position (miu-stance in an upiight stiiue till takeoff), meuium
involves tiaining the hip fiom a half flexeu-extenueu position to an extenueu
position (lanuing in an upiight stiiue till miu-stance), anu a long position is wheie
the hip is almost fully flexeu to an extenueu position (the stait). Examples of
stiength exeicises foi shoit length woulu be ieveise hypeis, sleu tiaining foi
meuium length, anu squat anu ueaulifts foi long length exeicises. Theie aie stiength
exeicises that will be peifoimeu in all of these positions on this piogiam so theie
aie zeio weak links, anu I just wanteu to uisclose the ieseaich anu show you the
vaiious categoiies foi the sake of completeness. Bip tiaining will uo the best job of
auuiessing these S ciitical categoiies of tiaining. You can foiget about this now if
you want, because it's in the piogiam anu youi bases aie coveieu!
Woilu famous stiength coach Nike Boyle was the fiist one I heaiu uiscuss the
neeu to focus on stiength uiills that mimic the mechanics of spiinting. This is
anothei funuamental chaiacteiistic that makes up a gieat spiintei. These
inuiviuuals aie able to uiive moie foice into the giounu fastei than theii opponent

SS

thiough this piecise joint anu muscle action. Be iefeiieu to this type of tiaining as
Specific Stiength Tiaining. The puipose of Specific Stiength uiills is to accomplish 2
things. Fiist, uevelop the technique of the specific movement you aie looking to
peifoim, anu seconuly builu stiength in that specific movement that you want to
impiove at the same time, which in the case of this manual is spiinting. So when
piesciibing uiills that coinciue with this vaiiation, they neeu to exhibit the same
bouy positioning, joint angles, anu collective muscle action that the taiget
movement woulu.

Tino iunning a iegulai spiint (left) anu a sleu spiint (iight). See the similaiities in bouy position anu joint
angles. Sleus aie a gieat way to tiansfei stiength in a specific mannei to spiinting.

As you woulu expect, the movements aie iuentical in foim, but a little uiffeient
in function. 0nloaueu spiints utilizing only oui bouy weight only will tiain the
velocity siue of the foice-velocity cuive, wheieas the sleu in this case will stait to
emphasize the othei enu of the cuive anu builu moie stiength anu powei in oui
spiint.
To simplify, if we aspiie to builu specific stiength we just neeu to spiint
against iesistance, oi implement what aie calleu "iesisteu spiint vaiiations."
Paitnei oi inuepenuent banu spiints, paiachute spiinting, the tieusleu, anu sleu
spiinting aie tiaining options that woulu get the job uone heie. Is one methou
bettei than the othei. Ny piefeience woulu be sleus mostly because you can
monitoi anu customize the woikloau to the specific athlete to geneiate the uesiieu
tiaining effect. Loauing paiameteis aie an essential tiaining vaiiable to assuie that
the taiget skill is being auuiesseu anu tiaining volume anu intensity aie contiolleu.
Beaviei loaus will cieate moie stiength anu vice veisa. Theie has been a long-helu
uebate mainly among tiaineis anu coaches that the sleu neeus to be light enough so
that it uoes not uetiact fiom the spiintei's technique. Theie is this aibitiaiy "1u

S6

Peicent Rule" that was cieateu. This means athletes shoulu only loau the sleu with
1u% of theii bouy weight, otheiwise motoi leaining becomes moie uifficult.
0nfoitunately, this statement is not tiue. Lightei sleus can anu shoulu be useu to
uevelop the speeu pait of the powei uevelopment equation, howevei the ieseaich
suppoits heaviei sleu tiaining foi builuing maximal acceleiation. In the most iecent
stuuy in 2u1S, Kawamoii publisheu a stuuy in !"# %&'()*+ &, 86(#)96" *)3
:&)3.6.&).)9 ;#1#*(0" that suppoiteu heaviei sleus being supeiioi to lightei sleu
tiaining foi acceleiation. The stuuy assesseu S- anu 1u-metei peifoimances with a
light sleu tiaining gioup (1S% of bouy weight), anu a heaviei sleu tiaining gioup
(4S% of bouy weight). The lightei gioup impioveu peifoimance on each by 2-S%,
while the heaviei sleu gioup impioveu both times by S-6%. The peicentages may
seem minimal, howevei at shoit uistances a single peicent impiovement can make a
huge uiffeience. SS
Theie is one moie ieason why I absolutely love sleu uiills foi speeu
uevelopment. Fiist anu foiemost, the sleu has unpieceuenteu value when it comes
to teaching the athlete to mastei spiint technique. You will not be able to buuge a
heavy sleu if you aie not in the piopei position to acceleiate it, oi it will be
extiemely uifficult to the point wheie you continue to ieposition youiself until you
locate that sweet spot wheie you can move it efficiently anu effectively. 0ften times,
if I'm stiuggling to convey a spiint cue to one of my athletes, oi they just aie not
getting it, I will just have him oi hei loau up the sleu anu get aftei it. Sometimes
things that weie haiu to iealize befoie now become appaient since the movement
feels uiffeient to them on the sleu, anu the pioblem is foievei solveu since they now
have a piopiioceptive oi sensoiy iecognition of it that they can ietiieve if that
mistake iesuifaces at some point in the futuie. It's amazing to see the immeuiate
impact on vaiious techniques this tiaining tool can have.
Regaiuless of the tool you aie using to peifoim this tiaining technique, you aie
ensuiing that all of the haiu-eaineu stiength you have acquiieu in the weight ioom
is being conveiteu onto the tiack, fielu, oi couit, anu you continue builuing moie
wheie you neeu it. Eviuence suggests that stiength fiom the weight ioom seems to
caiiy ovei quite well to spiinting speeu, so I'm confiuent theie is no "gap" that exists
anu neeus to be filleu between the two, like many coaches hypothesize, but it's some
extia insuiance just to be safe. Resisteu spiint vaiiations will be peifoimeu in the
Lineai Conuitioning, Bip Supplemental Lift, anu Complex Tiaining categoiies.

S7

46L9C:1 6:A":38 A4; 03 (fC64%:=( %"0;"

0lympic lifting is a veiy populai spoit that involves a host of uiffeient
movement patteins that aie peifoimeu in the most explosive anu stiongest fashion,
anu may the best man oi woman win. In this uay anu age coaches anu tiaineis tenu
to ieally oveiieact anu eithei love this style of tiaining, oi uespise it foi a vaiiety of
uiffeient ieasons. So who is iight. Neithei, if the focus is in getting fastei. In this
case you shoulu be somewheie in the miuule anu appieciate what if offeis, but also
know that its effect on speeu is limiting. 0lympic lifting is pait of the essential tiiau
that I uiscusseu back in the beginning of the manual that is key to moie speeu.
Below aie S specific ieasons why 0lympic lifting is essential to the speeu
uevelopment piocess.

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I uo not think it is any seciet that 0lympic lifting just looks "poweiful." It is
because any of the 0lympic lifting exeicises uemanu the entiie bouy fiom heau to
toe to summon as much stiength as you aie capable of, as fast as possible in the
veitical uiiection, which we now unuoubteuly know is impeiative to impioving
speeu. Noieovei, you builu powei "concentiically," oi thiough extenuing youi

S8

entiie lowei bouy. This is the same exact mannei in which youi bouy has to expiess
powei in all athletic movements, whethei it be spiinting, jumping, etc. B0 N0T
yielu anu uip unuei the bai as you aie peifoiming these movements like liteially
eveiyone uoes. This inhibits much of the powei tiansfei into othei movements, anu
uefeats the puipose of this style of lifting. The movements that you peifoim in
0lympic lifting exeicises aie veiy unique ielative to othei movements, simply
because they cannot be peifoimeu slow oi you just will not move the weight, so the
sequences you will peifoim lenu themselves well natuially to builuing powei. Put
uiffeiently, they "foice" you to be poweiful oi you won't be successful on youi
attempts.
This type of tiaining ensuies that much of the stiength we gain in oui squat,
ueaulift, anu bench piess is being piopeily tiansfeiieu into usable powei anu speeu.
This is why these type of lifts coulu also be iefeiieu to as "Conveision Weights."
Stiength is essential, but only if we can use it when we spiint oi iun, anu 0lympic
lifting is one of the few methous that will biiuge this veiy common gap that plagues
many athletes who aie tiying to get fastei anu possess gieat speeu. This actual
"gap" oi limitation of powei anu speeu that many seem to iecognize is what we aie
going to talk about next. This unfoitunate limitation is ieal anu it's known as ESB oi
The Explosive Stiength Beficit. This function was intiouuceu by Russian spoits
scientist vlauimii Zatsioisky yeais ago, but still stiuggles to suiface to populai
uiscussion in the tiaining inuustiy. The ESB is the amount oi peicentage of youi
maximum stiength that you can use in bouyweight baseu activities like iunning,
spiinting, jumping, etc. 0nfoitunately, all of the stiength that we will builu in the
weight ioom will not all be useu in speeu baseu activities. What this means is that
only about Su% of oui stiength cieateu in the weight ioom will be applieu uuiing
spiinting. S4 It sucks but makes sense. Think about it. Theie is no massive weight
on the bouy anu theiefoie no neeu to use all its stiength, anu theie is fai less time to
geneiate all of oui stiength at high speeus. So uoes this mean that we uo not neeu
to lift heavy oi tiain as haiu. Absolutely not! You will see why shoitly. What we
neeu to uo, since theie exists a ieal physiological baiiiei that pievents oui bouy
fiom ieaching cheetah like velocity, is to teach anu conuition oui neuiomusculai
system to make the most of this fact anu minimize this natuial ueficit to the highest
amount possible. Foitunately foi us, 0lympic lifting is one of the main ways we can
ieuuce this ueficit anu use moie of oui stiength uuiing speeu baseu woik. 0ne of
the most common claims that I heai fiom populai ieseaicheis, coaches, etc. is that
heavy weightlifting uoes not ieally mattei because of the ESB, oi the fact that you
piouuce sub-maximal oi less than youi best stiength uuiing spiinting. They aie
absolutely tiue with this logic, but it uoes not mattei anu we shoulu always stiive to
get as stiong as possible. Beie is why. Zatsioisky iuentifieu that ESB tops out at
about Su% of oui maximum effoit. So aftei we spenu some appieciable time anu
effoit impioving oui 0lympic lifts anu othei speeu anu powei baseu techniques to

S9

use as much of oui acquiieu stiength as possible, the best we can expect oui ESB to
be is Su% of oui maximum stiength. The next question then shoulu be is theie
anything else we can uo to maximize ESB, iathei than settling. Thankfully theie is
one moie thing we can uo, anu it is what all the otheis weie missing when assessing
the situation: impiove oui maximum stiength. See the hypothetical scenaiio below
to illustiate my point.

Name: Scott Name: Eiik
Weight: 2uu lbs. Weight: 2uu lbs.
Naximum Squat: Suu lbs. Naximum Squat: 42S lbs.
ESB: Su% ESB: Su%
Spiinting Foice: Wca ,^HV Spiinting Foice: WUX ,^HV

So who is the fastei athlete. It's a no biainei that Scott woulu be, given
iuentical foice potential uuiing spiinting. With the same exact ESB Scott woulu be
geneiating almost 4u lbs. moie foice with each stiiue when he iuns anu will begin
to bieak away fiom Eiik if they weie iunning siue by siue in no time. So the 2 things
we neeu to uo if we want to conveit moie of oui stiength into actual speeu anu
impiove the ESB is iegulaily piactice powei anu speeu baseu activities, along with
maximizing oui stiength in oui poweilifts. The last thing I want to mention is that I
uo think theie is an appioximate limit foi builuing stiength to maximize speeu,
baseu on piesent uay peifoimances. The bioau iange is 2-Sx bouyweight baseu on
all of the stuuies I pioviueu you eailiei, in auuition to the peisonal case stuuy I uiu.
Shoitei guys will obviously neeu to be moie at the highei enu of the iange to
oveicome theii natuial stiuctuial uisauvantages (i.e. shoitei Achilles tenuon, stiiue
length, anu limb length) veisus theii tallei counteipaits. Tallei inuiviuuals neeu to
be in the miu to lowei iange. Nany of the stiongest anu fastest athletes acioss the
countiy anu peihaps inteinationally aie in this iange iight now, but who knows.
Naybe these ianges will move up even highei in the futuie, as athletes iemaikably
anu unuoubteuly always seem to ie-aujust the peifoimance bai highei anu highei
as geneiations pass. Also, once you ieach this level of peifoimance youi woik:
iewaiu iatio is extiemely low. Neaning that you aie tiaining youi ass off foi a full
calenuai yeai, week in anu week out just to gain 1u lbs. on youi squat. It's not ieally
woith it, anu it woulu not ieally affect a scenaiio like the one I just gave you. So
unless something unpieuictable anu ciazy happens to oui physiology in the yeais to
come, it's piobably safe to say that this is an acceptable stanuaiu limit of stiength
foi any type of athlete looking to become as fast as they possibly can.
The last iemaining component that ieally helps speeu that is piimaiily
oiiginateu fiom 0lympic Lifting peifoimance is Staiting Stiength. I neeu to cieuit

6u

woilu famous stiength anu conuitioning coach }im Smith foi intiouucing this unique
type of stiength to me. Paiaphiasing Smith, we can classify stiength piouuction into
2 geneial categoiies when it comes to human movement. These categoiies aie
eithei Staiting Stiength oi Reactive Stiength.

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So we can classify eveiy movement known to us into each of these categoiies.
Examples of exeicises that aie uominant in the neeu foi moie staiting stiength
woulu be 0lympic lifting, staiting off of the blocks in a spiint, a veitical jump test,
box jumps, anu ueaulifts. Examples of ieactive stiength movements woulu be a
iunning veitical jump, the flying 2u (spiinting fiom the 2u-4u yaiu maik)b bounuing
exeicises, bench piess, anu the squat to name a few. Also keep in minu theie aie
some uiills that possess a combination of both, but aie moie uominant in one veisus
the othei. An example woulu be the veitical jump. Theie is some stietching anu
motion that occuis befoie the jump, but fai less than what is witnesseu in a iunning
veitical jump, which makes it moie of a staiting stiength exeicise. Novements in
spoit aie mostly ieactive baseu, but this uoes not mattei, as staiting stiength helps
builu moie powei anu is still piesent fiom time to time.
0lympic lifting is a gieat foim of staiting stiength exeicise. It's also a
phenomenal way to maximize youi stait off the blocks oi any stance anu inciease
acceleiation much fastei. With 0lympic lifts, you aie teaching the bouy to geneiate
high levels of immeuiate tension fiom the muscles as fast as possible. 0ui best
staiteis that tiaineu on this piogiam also possesseu goou anu iespectable
peifoimances in theii 0lympic lift vaiiations. 0f couise 0lympic lifting is a uiiect
foim of powei tiaining in natuie anu impioves acceleiation anu speeu as a iesult,
but I think wheie it shines the most is off the blocks, oi in impioving that "Fiist
Step" which so many want anu absolutely neeu in spoit!
Anothei issue suiiounuing 0lympic lifting foi athletes, oi peifoiming this
type of tiaining in a speeu oiienteu piogiam, is one of what kinu of 0lympic lifting
woiks best. Actually this is piobably "The" issue if I hau to pick one baseu on all the
uebate between philosophies anu coaches thioughout the countiy. Foi simplicity
sake, we aie just going to uebate whethei oi not athletes looking to builu gieatei
speeu neeu to peifoim Cleans anu Snatches fiom the flooi, oi fiom the hang. Nany
might be saying, hang what. This is unfoitunate anu alaiming since it's such a
valuable exeicise in oui tiaining aisenal. The "hang" is a teim that iepiesents

61

peifoiming the 0lympic lift vaiiations as the bai "hangs" at youi hanus at
appioximately miu-thigh level uepenuing on a peison's aim length. Anu just so
eveiyone is one the same page, a clean anu snatch aie the 2 piimaiy 0lympic lifting
exeicises, anu we can peifoim each of these eithei fiom the flooi oi fiom the hang. I
will be coveiing the technique of each in full uetail at the enu of the book in the
Exeicise Inuex section, but foi now, all you neeu to know to uistinguish the two of
them is that they aie exactly the same movements, except foi the final movement oi
finish. 0lympic lifts aie ieally just a seiies of common stiength exeicises
collaboiateu togethei in an explosive fashion. Eveiy one of these movements
involves 2 pulls, anu a catch. Noie piecisely, a hip pull, a jump oi high pull, anu then
a catch oveiheau (snatch), oi on the fiont of the shoulueis (clean).
So a common uebate in the speeu iealm is whethei oi not a hang clean oi
snatch is bettei than a powei clean oi snatch. A hang clean can be iefeiieu to as a
powei clean as well, but foi this uiscussion I'm going to label the powei clean as an
0lympic lift peifoimeu off the flooi. Also, I have not locateu neai as much ieseaich
that suppoits the snatch in compaiison to the clean in eithei position in the context
of ueveloping acceleiation anu speeu, so I will be compaiing the hang clean veisus
the powei clean as a iesult. I'm confiuent that if you weie a coach oi peison that is
familiai with peifoimance enhancement, you woulu piobably guess that the powei
clean woulu be supeiioi to the hang clean in ueveloping speeu. This along with the
powei snatch is the type of 0lympic lifting exeicise you will always see being
peifoimeu in the 0lympics, Ciossfit, anu in a majoiity of conventional athletic
uevelopment systems. Suipiisingly though, the hang clean shows a veiy stiong
coiielation with spiinting speeu in many iepoits, iathei than the powei clean, anu I
believe theie is some specific scientific explanations to suppoit this. In fact, I coulu
not finu a single stuuy that inuicateu a stiongei coiielation between powei cleans
anu spiinting speeu ielative to the hang clean! I fiist think that it is impoitant to
note that a speeu uevelopment system is veiy uiffeient fiom Ciossfit anu the
tiauitional 0lympic lifting spoit. Rathei, in a speeu piogiam we auopt what will
woik to impiove speeu best, anu make that tiaining style fit this type of tiaining
system. Theie aie at least 2 iepoits that show a veiy stiong coiielation between
hang clean peifoimance anu spiinting speeu. In the fiist iepoit in 2uu8 in !"#
%&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5", Boii anu membeis founu that hang
clean powei peifoimance showeu a significant coiielation with jumping anu
spiinting ability. SS Anu in the seconu stuuy, Bakei anu Nance testeu the
ielationship oi lack of ielationship between maximal stiength tiaining, 0lympic
lifting, anu spiinting speeu. S6 It is yet anothei example on top of the seveial I
supplieu you with pieviously that suppoits heavy weightlifting foi the lowei bouy to
ueciease spiint times. What was ieally inteiesting about the Bakei anu Nance stuuy
was that the hang clean caiiieu a slightly highei coiielation with spiinting
peifoimance veisus heavy back squats, but it's not by much. It's not ieally

62

suipiising though, since the natuie of spiinting is moie similai oi specific to the
hang clean. Both iequiie a lot of speeu anu powei. Beie is the fiist chait fiom that
stuuy that iepoiteu the levels of coiielation:

Table 4 Relationship between Estimates of Maximum Strength & Sprint Times
(Baker and Nance 1999)
Strength Measure 10m 40m
3RM squat -0.06 -0.19
3RM squat/BdM -0.39 -0.66
3RM HC -0.36 -0.24
3RM HC/BdM -0.56 -0.72
BdM = BODY MASS
HC = HANG CLEAN

.7 was labeleu as a "veiy stiong" coiielation. So as you can see, spiinting
speeu is well iegulateu by hang clean skill thiough gieatei powei piouuction!
Let's now examine some of the stiong potential ieasons why ieseaich woulu
suppoit hang cleans ovei powei cleans foi the puipose of incieasing speeu. Theie
aie seveial ieasons why I vouch foi the foimei, but mainly S ieasons why it's moie
effective. Fiist, the hang clean is hip uominant! I alieauy thoioughly uiscusseu the
neeu foi poweiful hips in the "supplemental stiength" section eailiei. At this point,
hopefully you have no uoubt that hips aie key to blazing speeu. Below is a photo
uuiing the "loauing" phase oi bottom position of both the hang clean anu powei
clean.

6S

Ninoi league baseball playei Scott 0nueiwoou shows us that the hang clean (left) cieates the same angle of the
tiunk with less benu at the knee, making it hip uominant anu bettei suiteu foi spiinting!

As you can see theie is about equal benu oi flexion piesent at the fiont of the
hip baseu on the angle of the tiunk in both movements. Bowevei, theie is natuially
much less knee benu in the hang clean, thus iemoving quauiiceps activity anu
incieasing ielative hip activity.
Seconuly, the hang clean focuses on applying youi stiength in less time than
the powei clean. Nuch less time to be exact. The hang clean iequiies about half as
much iange of motion as the powei clean, which in tuin gives you fai less time to
complete it. This stiength pei unit of time factoi (aka powei) is also the case in
bouyweight spiinting, so theie woulu be moie natuial caiiyovei anu ielation
between the two. In 2u1u Petei Weyanu anu his team of ieseaicheis stateu that the
main biological limiting factoi to spiinting speeu is how fast we can ieciuit oui
muscles anu piouuce foice. S7 The hang clean anu eveiything that was just
mentioneu suppoits this finuing. This is obviously not the case in the powei clean.
Noieovei, In theii 2uu7 stuuy, Iiwin, Keiwin, Rosenblatt, anu Wiltshiie ueemeu the
powei clean as a pooi spiint specific exeicise. S8 Theie is one moie stuuy that uoes
not suppoit the powei clean. S9 This stuuy was a univeisity stuuy that inuicateu
weak ielationships between the powei clean anu the 2u anu 4u metei spiint tests.
Check out this chait which iepiesents my point that the hang clean foices you to be
poweiful anu get off the giounu fastei just like spiinting.
%/O&,$ 8F-R)' 1-)G/*G ".O$H ^/H$' -) 0*G.Q.G+
0*G.Q.G+ ".O$ ]H$*_
Walking u.62
}ogging u.26

64

Running u.2u
Spiinting u.14
-&'(5#B 6? % -7&(.4 ?#0> CDEF G&HIJ#5K CLMFNB OPCICP!

Accoiuing to some iepoits of Petei Weyanu's famous 2uuu spiint stuuy S7,
elite spiinteis aie only on the giounu foi .u8 hunuieuths of a seconu! This issue of
iapiu stiength expiession then becomes even moie ielevant.
The ieality is that much heaviei loaus aie able to be moveu in the powei
clean since you aie using youi quaus moie, so it tenus to natuially uevelop moie
stiength anu powei, veisus speeu anu powei in the hang clean anu spiinting. We
alieauy peifoim a tiemenuous amount of stiength oiienteu woik on this piogiam,
so this is anothei ieason why I uo not like the powei clean in a speeu piogiam. I
will uiscuss this concept in uetail in the piogiam uesign section, but Cential Neivous
System Fatigue, oi Cential Fatigue is a huge ueteiient to iunning fastei. If you have
evei woikeu with high level athletes oi tiaineu haiu youiself then this shoulu come
to no suipiise. Stiength tiaining is the most taxing foim of tiaining once an athlete
becomes iespectably stiong, anu a heavy anu ielatively slowei powei clean
potentially exaceibates this pioblem fai moie than a lightei hang clean. This
situation along with the next 2 aie mainly baseu on my piefeience anu expeiience
as a coach. The hang clean is fai less technical anu bettei with laigei gioups, anu it
uecieases back stiess. We uo plenty of benuing ovei unuei loaus in this piogiam,
anu if theie is evei a chance to iemove something that is not essential to optimal
peifoimance anu is iiskiei, then theie is no question that I will uiscontinue oi
pievent its entiance into oui system. Again this is anothei mouification oi case
wheie you have to consiuei this is not an 0lympic lifting piogiam, but insteau a
speeu piogiam that incoipoiates mouifieu vaiiations of 0lympic lifting.
The next essential anu uiiect fiom of powei tiaining is "Explosive Stiength
Tiaining." This is liteially eveiy othei activity outsiue of 0lympic lifting that is
peifoimeu in a fast, stiong, anu poweiful natuie. Examples incluue uumbell oi
kettlebell swings, jump squats, jump hex bai ueaulifts, speeu squats anu ueaulifts,
speeu bench piesses, sleu woik, etc. This categoiy of tiaining is almost iuentical to
0lympic lifting in teims of the acquiieu benefits. The only ieal uiffeience between
the two is that a majoiity of explosive stiength exeicises will focus on ueveloping
ieactive stiength iathei than staiting stiength, since they aie peifoimeu in a
continuous fashion anu at a highei fiequency. This is goou because these types of
exeicises will help complement 0lympic lifting anu youi oveiall powei uevelopment
because you neeu both types of stiength to be successful. I shoulu also mention that
this type of tiaining is synonymous with "Bynamic Effoit" methous that aie
piacticeu in the poweilifting cultuie. They both mean the same thing though. You

6S

will see Explosive Stiength categoiizeu as BE Lowei oi 0ppei in the woikouts at the
enu of the book. A stuuy fiom Kale in 2uu9 in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0
1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" suppoiteu jump squats, an explosive stiength exeicise, as a
goou influence on spiinting speeu. 6u
The final iemaining topic to be uiscusseu in this section of the manual ueals
with "}ump Tests. As mentioneu befoie, all of these activities involve a veiy
uominant speeu anu powei component, so they will impact speeu positively in one
way oi anothei. They also focus on ieciuiting the entiie lowei bouy when we move,
as they all aie complex multi-joint movements, anu many aie hip uominant in
natuie. Nost impoitantly, peifoimance between each shows a pattein. }ust quickly
glance at the top peifoimeis in the NFL combine fiom past seveial yeais to see that
if someone ian a fast 2u anu 4u yaiu uash, then they usually also scoieu well in the
veitical anu oi bioau jump too, anu vice veisa. What we aie going to examine heie
is which jump vaiiations aie shown to woik the best accoiuing to ieseaich.
Let's fiist analyze the veitical jump anu its effect on spiinting speeu. Theie
was a stuuy in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ (#4#*(5" in 2u12, by
Shalfawi that took SS piofessional basketball playeis anu measuieu how veitical
jump test height was linkeu to the 1u, 2u, anu 4u metei uash. 61 Aftei being
assesseu on the 1u, 2u, anu 4u metei uash, as well as a counteimovement jump anu
a squat jump, ieseaicheis concluueu that theie existeu a significant ielationship
between peifoimances in the 1u, 2u, anu 4u metei uash as well as the veitical jump.
Although peifoimances in all of these aie not solely iesponsible foi one anothei, as
we now know othei skills exist, they uiu ielate iathei well. These all woik by way of
impioving the SSC (Stietch-Shoitening Cycle) that will be uiscusseu latei in the
plyometiics section of the book. Neaning that with these types of jumps we
enhance the function of the muscles anu tenuons to be able to stoie moie eneigy
anu fiie oui muscles with moie speeu. The natuie of these uiills is veiy
chaiacteiistic of spiinting, especially as speeu incieases.
We can alieauy appieciate the extieme value "veitical foice" piouuction will
have on spiinting peifoimance fiom eveiything that was uiscusseu eailiei in the
book, anu the "veitical" jump helps impiove just that. The veitical jump pioviues
one type of foice we will neeu to be moie successful in spiinting while also builuing
moie speeu anu powei.
The bioau jump on the othei hanu uemanus us to ieciuit oui muscles anu
angle oui joints in a veiy similai fashion to spiinting, pioviues the othei ciitical type
of foice, while also assisting to uevelop moie powei anu speeu. You coulu also
easily classify this exeicise as a specific stiength exeicise like sleu tiaining if you
wanteu to, but I ueciueu to place it heie. In 2u1S Buugins, Tiiplett, anu otheis
publisheu a stuuy in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" that took a
hoiizontal baseu S jump test anu compaieu that peifoimance acioss uiffeient
uistances. The stuuy involveu 1u spiinteis, 11 miu-uistance iunneis, anu 12 long

66

uistance subjects. They concluueu that the hoiizontal jump test was a stiong
inuicatoi of iunning ability. 24 62
Now that we know that jump tests can impiove oui speeu, what is the best
way to make the most out of these tests in oui tiaining. Liteially eveiything that
was uiscusseu in iegaius to what helps builu spiinting speeu will apply heie. That
means 0lympic lifting, poweilifting, anu speeu woik is absolutely key foi
impiovement in jump testing.
Foi example, a 1992 stuuy in !"# %&'()*+ &, 677+2#0 -7&(.4 -52#)5#4 was
peifoimeu that examineu the effect heavy squats, plyometiic-jump tiaining, anu a
combination of each hau on veitical jump peifoimance. 48 male subjects with at
least a yeais' woith of lifting expeiience eniolleu in the stuuy. 0n Tuesuay's anu
Fiiuay's subjects woulu peifoim a seiies of vaiious plyometiics, along with sets of
squats ianging fiom Su-1uu% of maximum effoit thioughout the six week tiaining
cycle. In the enu, the gioup who only squatteu incieaseu theii veitical jump by S.Su
centimeteis oi 1.S inches. The plyometiic only gioup impioveu theii veitical jump
by about 1.S inches, while the squat-plyometiic gioup impioveu theii veitical jump
by 1u.67 centimeteis, oi 4.2 inches! 2S The ieason why the squat woiks so well with
the veitical jump is because it offeis a unique blenu of both maximal stiength anu
specific stiength uevelopment to that movement. Remembei, maximal stiength
tiaining impioves the total amount of foice taigeting aieas can expiess in a geneial
fashion, while specific stiength builus stiength in muscles in the exact same foim
they will have to in the movement we aie looking to impiove, which in this case is
the veitical jump.
Theie was anothei stuuy conuucteu at Cential Nissouii 0niveisity involving
S gioups of high school athletes that weie ianuomly assigneu to each gioup. 6S Pie
anu post-testing of veitical jump was assesseu at the beginning anu enu of the six
week tiaining cycle utilizing a veitec. The veitec is one of the most common means
of veitical jump testing. The squat gioup peifoimeu six sets of squats pei week
ianging fiom Su-9S% of an estimateu 1im, the hang clean gioup peifoimeu six sets
of hang cleans pei week fiom Su-9S% of an estimateu 1im, while the othei gioup
peifoimeu S sets of each with the same intensity guiuelines. Piogiessive intensities
weie useu acioss all lifts ovei the couise of the six week cycle. The squat-hang clean
gioup impioveu theii veitical jump by an aveiage of 1.48 inches. The hang-clean
gioup impioveu theii veitical jump by an aveiage of 1.uS inches, anu the squat only
gioup impioveu only by .26 inches. I'm ceitain that if these paiticipants woikeu in
the 8u-1uu% of 1RN iange foi the entiiety of the stuuy, iesults acioss the boaiu
woulu have been much bettei. Not until week #S uiu they entei into these tiaining
intensity zones.
I locateu one moie stuuy fiom Cailock in 2uu4 that showeu a soliu
ielationship between weightlifting peifoimance anu veitical jump ability. The stuuy

67

analyzeu 64 0SA national-level weightlifteis anu iecoiueu theii cuiient stiength
levels veiifieu by theii coaches. 64
Anu what about the powei clean anu its impact on jumping peifoimance.
Theie weie stuuies that showeu impiovements in veitical jump ability uue
piimaiily to impioveu peifoimance in this movement, howevei, no stuuy I founu
iepoiteu that the powei clean was in fact supeiioi to the hang clean in impioving
veitical jump peifoimance, as was the case with spiinting. The same factois as to
why this happeneu in spiinting woulu absolutely apply heie to the veitical jump,
since the qualities neeueu foi success in each aie iuentical. The veitical jump is hip
uominant if you iefeience back to ENu iepoits at the beginning of the manual, anu
so is the hang clean. Also, the veitical jump anu hang clean both tenu to iesiue on
the velocity siue of the foice-velocity cuive, meaning they aie moie speeu baseu.
Next we will get into the bieau anu buttei anu covei eveiything that ueals
with speeu tiaining, which is ieally why you aie ieauing this book! }ust iemembei
that powei anu stiength tiaining aie equally impoitant, anu if we uon't have these
we will nevei be as fast as we coulu.

68

C6L49(";:1%

A plyometiic consists of a movement wheie theie is a quick stietching action
of the muscle, followeu immeuiately by an explosive shoitening action of that same
muscle. The stietch movement is iefeiieu to as the "eccentiic" phase, while the
shoitening motion is the "concentiic" phase. Pieceuing a motion with a stietch
iathei than without will often times iesult in much gieatei acceleiation, anu this is
why plyometiics aie so valuable. We peifoim a plyometiic in an attempt to move
oui limbs oi an object attacheu to a limb in an intenueu uiiection. Classic examples
of plyometiics aie spiinting, cutting, jumping, hitting, thiowing, swinging, etc. oi
anything that involves a "iebounuing" action between the bouy anuoi object anu
the tiaining suiface. Theie aie 2 physiological mechanisms oi functions thiough
which plyometiics inciease spiinting anu geneial peifoimance.

TUIC,+-O$GF.*H .)*F$/H$ G#$ /O-R)G -P &-G$)G./, $)$FE+ HG-F$' .) -RF G$)'-)HV
TWIC,+-O$GF.*H .)*F$/H$ -RF ^-'.$H0 9+-G/G.* %GF$G*# ;$P,$DV

As an example, when we peifoim a veitical jump, we stait the movement by
iapiuly uescenuing into a squat position. As this occuis, oui muscles will loau moie
eneigy thiough the stietching motion along with incieaseu stoiage of eneigy in the
tenuons attaching to those same muscles. Aftei the peiiou of stietching ceases anu
we begin to tiansition oui muscles into acceleiation anu they begin to shoiten, all of
this eneigy stoieu at the musculo-tenuinous junction will be ieleaseu anu the iesult
is much moie speeu anu powei!
The seconu function that iesults uuiing plyometiics is eliciting of oui
muscles' natuial built-in stietch ieflex thiough the SSC (Stietch-Shoitening Cycle)
anu gieatei elasticity. The fastei oui muscles stietch befoie they contiact the
gieatei the ieflex. This ieflex is a piotective mechanism that pievents the muscles
fiom oveistietching anu teaiing. When the ieflex is signaleu, ceitain aspects of oui
neuiomusculai system will ieact anu we ieceive a stiongei subsequent contiaction
fiom these aieas, iesulting in gieatei acceleiation anu speeu. Accoiuing to Ross,
Leveiitt, anu Riek, 2uu1, the ieflex is a key piocess to incieasing foice piouuction
anu spiint peifoimance. 6S Anu theie is one moie fiom Cavagna in 2uu6. 66 This
stuuy explaineu the specific scenaiio of iunning anu concluueu that the incieaseu
momentum of oui mass, as uuiing take-off anu flight, places a fastei anu gieatei
stietch on oui muscles, igniting the ieflex. This ieflex then is iesponsible foi a lot of
the foice anu speeu geneiateu at especially highei speeus. Theie aie at least 7
ieasons why plyometiic tiaining is essential to the speeu uevelopment piocess.

69

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TeI"#$+ /*G.Q/G$ -RF )$RF-ORH*R,/F H+HG$OV

Plyometiics aie a uiiect anu complete foim of speeu tiaining, so they aie
obviously going to gieatly impact the uevelopment of this specific skill. All of these
movements will be peifoimeu in a conuition wheie the weight oi iesistance being
moveu is compaiatively less than what you will encountei in the weight ioom, thus
the bouy will have to leain to geneiate the foice you have anu expiess it quickly.
Next, the uiills that fit in this methou of tiaining will help conveit the actual
stiength anu powei you uo builu into gieatei speeu. It's one thing to have a high
level of stiength, but if you aie not able to effectively elicit that stiength when you
iun, then it is pietty much pointless.
It's piobably no suipiise that spoit-specific movements aie plyometiics at
woik. Plyometiic tiaining will then supply us with some extia oi peihaps
supplemental tiaining, so that we aie able to peifoim bettei when the time comes to
piactice oi compete.
Anothei unueiiateu value of plyometiics is the effect they have on the foot
anu ankle iegion. Although we've alieauy seen that the aieas of the hip anu knee
aie moie active in spiinting anu othei activities, the foot anu ankle still play a
ciitical iole by guaianteeing we maintain a piopei alignment to piopeily absoib
foices fiom the giounu anu put oui othei joints anu muscles in a moie
auvantageous position, so that these aieas can uo theii jobs. These aieas will also
auu some speeu anu powei as well, anu ieuuce impact anu help pievent injuiy. 0n a
final note, many of the plyometiics aie foot anu ankle uominant, anu aie gieat tests
as to whethei oi not the athlete has goou feet oi neeus to impiove in this iegion.
Beceleiation tiaining is a veiy impoitant facet of any athlete's piogiam, anu
it's ieally misunueistoou anu absent fiom most peifoimance-enhancement systems.
We neeu to uevelop those biakes anu teach the bouy to slow oi stop speeu
immeuiately. I will uive into ueceleiation skill in moie uepth in the agility anu
quickness section, but iight now I will tell you that plyometiics can help shaipen
this skill by focusing on the piopei bouy positioning neeueu to lowei impacts,
ieuuce injuiy, lowei stiuctuial stiess, anu builu the type of stiength (eccentiic)
neeueu to slow speeu oi momentum. By uemonstiating soliu lanuing skill anu the

7u

ability to ueceleiate bettei, you will automatically be moie effective at maximizing
the ie-acceleiation in the movement to follow.
Plyometiics uo a phenomenal job in impioving an inuiviuual's cooiuination
levels. Foi those who aie inteiesteu anu unsuie, theie aie 2 geneial types of
cooiuination in the human bouy.

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$PP-FG /G G#$ F.E#G G.O$ G- &$FP-FO G#$ O-Q$O$)GV

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G#$ F.E#G G.O$ G- &$FP-FO G#$ O-Q$O$)GV

I think a seiies of uiills that fit into the plyometiic categoiy coulu aiguably uo the
best job at impioving this skill. When a paient, coach, oi tiainei appioaches me anu
says they want me to impiove theii athlete's, son's, oi uaughtei's footwoik, these
uiills automatically pop into my minu to auuiess that pioposeu neeu, as they uo a
fantastic job of teaching the athlete's foot to inteiact with the giounu piopeily. I
suppose it is the natuie of this style of tiaining that uoes it. The movements aie fast
anu elaboiate anu make the athlete ieally think anu piocess what they aie uoing.
This will also assist anu enhance an athlete's ability to leain othei spoit-specific
skills (i.e. uiibbling, hitting, etc.) as well since they aie leaining anu activating the
same centeis of the biain when attempting to engiain these movements into theii
neivous system. Nany movements in othei tiaining types aie often new anu
technical, but my athletes uefinitely seem to spenu the most time leaining how to
move theii feet thiough the speeu lauuei coiiectly, oi jump iope, etc., iegaiuless of
skill oi expeiience level. Peifoimance is limiteu by the bouy's ability to
communicate within itself (cooiuination), anu plyometiics uo a gieat job at
iemoving this natuial thiesholu. It's not an exaggeiation when I say that many
times, we coulu ueuicate a half a week to a week just leaining how to piopeily
execute all of the lauuei uiills on oui compiehensive exeicise menu.
The next ieason is piobably one of my favoiite ieasons foi peifoiming
plyometiics. I uiscusseu this featuie in my waim-up manual which you puichaseu.
Plyometiics, as you alieauy know, tuin on oui bouies' natuial ieflex, but they also
heighten anu inciease iesponsiveness of the entiie bouy at the same time. By
integiating a seiies of plyometiics, most piefeiably at the conclusion of youi
uynamic waimup, you can inciease piouuction foi all of the skill tiaining to be

71

peifoimeu afteiwaius (i.e. speeu, agility, stiength, anu powei). I use this with my
athletes anu constantly iepoit gieatei iesults than if we omitteu this segment.
Next we will bioauly examine all of the uiffeient plyometiic uiills you can
use to inciease speeu anu powei, anu then foimat all of them by listing them into
one of two categoiies. These categoiies aie Bigh Fiequency anu Low Fiequency
Plyometiics.

?:8? A;(g<(31L C6L49(";:1%: 645 A;(g<(31L C6L49(";:1%M
Ankling oi stuttei step uiills Box jump vaiiations
Lauuei uiills veitical anu hoiizontal jump tests
Lowei huiulebox uiills Bounuing vaiiations
}umpioping Spiinting
Skipping Cone uiills-agility
Bopping Tuck jumps
Plyomat uiills Biop jumps-shock plyo
Low height pogo jumps Bigh height pogo jumps
Lateial baiiiei jumps Bepth jumps-shock plyo

Two things I want to mention befoie pioceeuing. Fiist, this is a list of all
available plyometiics that we use, but not eveiy single one of these will be supplieu
in the exeicise inuex. Consiuei all of the othei types of tiaining, anu I coulu publish
a hunuieu-plus-page manual on just the exeicise menu alone. I will give you enough
to keep you busy foi a while anu make gieat gains, anu then upuate the inuex by
inseiting moie of these uiills into my website eithei via aiticles oi in the viueo
section of the site. In !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" 2) QPCRS
Buugins anu his team of ieseaicheis peifoimeu a stuuy on spiinteis, miuule
uistance iunneis, anu long uistance iunneis, anu tiieu to finu ielationships with
theii peifoimance anu uiffeience jump vaiiations. Theii iesults showeu that the
veitical jump coiielateu veiy well with spiint peifoimance, anu the uiop jump even
moie so. Bepth jumps anu iebounuing-type jumps that aie listeu in each categoiy I
pioviueu you also affecteu uiffeient aspects of spiint peifoimance such as stiiue
length anu giounu contact time. 62 Theie is anothei stuuy fiom Neio anu Komi in
1994. They founu that bounuing exeicises shaieu a stiong ielationship to spiinting
uue to its high powei output, shoit giounu contact time anu othei ielevant speeu
outcome factois. 67
Seconuly, all of the plyometiics listeu heie aie veiy explosive anu fiequent,
but the Bigh Fiequency ones get you into absolute "hypei" moue. Bigh Fiequency
Plyos involve multiple smallei effoits peifoimeu as fast as humanly possible, while
Low Fiequency Plyos consist of a single oi multiple highei effoits pefoimeu as fast
as possible. They aie without a uoubt fiequent, but theii iesponses aie not as

72

fiequent as the BF Plyos. What I've founu is that BF Plyos focus on the velocity siue
of the Foice-velocity Cuive as these aie "puie" speeu baseu techniques. LF Plyos
focus moie on the othei siue of the Foice-velocity Cuive, anu incoipoiate moie of a
stiength component which helps conveit the stiength you builu in the weight ioom
into powei. Bowevei, both aie piimaiy methous foi ueveloping high levels of speeu
ielative to all of the stiength anu powei exeicises that weie coveieu eailiei in the
manual. Anothei ieason why I bieak the plyos uown into categoiies is because it
pioviues a way foi me to ieally manage the collective piogiam bettei, since theie
aie so many tiaining categoiies anu exeicises. The final ieason why I feel it is
impeiative to categoiize plyometiics is because each style of plyometiic enhances
the stietch ieflex which I uiscusseu. Accoiuing to The National Acauemy of Spoits
Neuicine (NASN), theie aie S iegulatois of how well oui ieflex will iesponu when
we peifoim a plyometiic. Below aie the S iegulatois.

TUI".O$M "#$ ,$HH G.O$ S$ G/Z$ G- HGF$G*#b G#$ EF$/G$F G#$ F$P,$D /)' -RF
H&$$'h
TWI9/E).GR'$ -P %GF$G*#M "#$ (,$28$, 8#$ !2?@9/8* @7 18,$8B# 8#$ (,$28$, 8#$
F$P,$D /)' -RF H&$$'h
TXI=$,-*.G+ -P %GF$G*#M "#$ (,$28$, 8#$ !1.$$:* @7 @9, 18,$8B# 8#$ (,$28$, 8#$
F$P,$D /)' -RF H&$$'h

If we consiuei the 2 categoiies of plyometiics anu the S iegulatois, then we
have all oui bases coveieu, anu we will then get the absolute most out of the stietch
ieflex that contiibutes to acceleiation anu speeu. Bigh fiequency uiills natuially
iequiie us to inciease the iate oi velocity of oui stietch. Let's take jumping iope as
an example. As soon as the feet leave the giounu into the aii they aie almost
immeuiately iight back uown on the giounu again. This enables the potential foi a
iiuiculously high numbei of foot contacts, anu nothing can stietch the taiget muscle
gioups with a fastei effoit oi moie fiequently than BF Plyos. So this categoiy
satisfies one of the S essential elements that manage oui stietch ieflex anu speeu.
Low fiequency Plyos satisfy the othei enu of the spectium anu inciease the
magnituue of the stietch. Let's take spiinting as an example heie. Aftei we
complete the piopulsion phase (aka takeoff ), oui bouy mass picks up momentum
anu we eventually aiiive back uown on the tiack oi fielu again. When impact occuis
theie is going to be fai moie magnituue oi effoit, as we benu oui joints anu stietch
oui muscles again in piepaiation foi the next takeoff. This incieaseu magnituue
places moie effoit into the stietch iesulting in a fastei stietch, anu satisfies the
seconu element of the ieflex. The thiiu element of time is implieu in both of these,
as the only way to ieuuce time is to stietch oui muscles fastei anu haiuei. So the
take home message heie is that if you tiuly want to maximize the potential of youi
stietch ieflex then you hau bettei peifoim an equal blenu of exeicises within these

7S

two categoiies on a iegulai basis ovei the long teim. The iesults will be gieatei
acceleiation anu speeu acioss all movements!
With a majoiity of the attention being placeu on the lowei bouy thus fai, I
figuieu we coulu switch geais foi a moment anu concentiate some moie attention
on the uppei bouy. The uppei bouy is of couise seconuaiy in piioiity when it comes
to speeu tiaining, but still veiy impoitant nonetheless, as was uiscusseu eailiei. A
populai contempoiaiy methou of uppei bouy plyometiics is "Neuicine Ball
Tiaining." Below aie S key functions of meu ball woik.

TUI9$'.*.)$ ^/,, GF/.).)E S.,, #$,& &F-O-G$ EF$/G$F /FO 'F.Q$ G#F-RE#
.)*F$/H$' H&$$' /)' R&&$F ^-'+ &-S$FV

TWI9$'.*.)$ ^/,, GF/.).)E S.,, #$,& *-)Q$FG -RF R&&$F ^-'+ HGF$)EG# .)G-
RH/^,$ H&$$' /)' &-S$F .) H&F.)G.)E /)' -G#$F &,+-O$GF.* /*G.Q.G.$HV

TXI9$'.*.)$ ^/,, GF/.).)E .H H/P$ /)' Q$F+ $/H+ G- G$/*# G- /G#,$G$HV

TÌ9$'.*.)$ ^/,, GF/.).)E #$,&H '$Q$,-& / ,-G -P R).[R$ H&$$' /)' &-S$F .) /,,
/F$/H -P -RF *-F$V

TcI9$'.*.)$ ^/,, GF/.).)E S.,, #$,& &F$Q$)G $)$FE+ ,$/ZH /)' '$*$,$F/G.-)
PF-O -**RFF.)E 'RF.)E H&F.)G.)EV

I will auuiess all of the specifics of piopei aim uiive in the "spiinting
technique" section of this book, but foi now all I will say is that by peifoiming heavy
meuicine ball thiows you will skyiocket youi uppei bouy speeu anu powei levels.
Noieovei, all of the stiength you built in exeicises like the bench piess, chinup, iow
vaiiations, militaiy piess anu hang clean will now be showcaseu in meuicine ball
uiills. These uiills will also uo a gieat job in making suie that as much of youi
stiength as possible is being impaiteu when the time comes to spiint. In a stuuy
conuucteu by Ignjatovic in 2u12 in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/
3#4#*(5", he founu that uppei bouy powei levels anu stiength both impioveu in
young female hanuball playeis who paiticipateu in meuicine ball tiaining. 68. Anu
the last stuuy comes fiom Szymanski in 2uu7 fiom !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0
1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5". 69 Be anu seveial othei ieseaicheis selecteu 49 high school
baseball playeis anu put them into two sepaiate gioups. uioup 1 was iesistance
tiaining only, while gioup 2 peifoimeu iesistance tiaining anu meuicine ball
tiaining. Bominant anu non-uominant toiso iotational stiength anu sequential hip-
toiso-aim stiength weie measuieu pie- anu post-testing. The seconu gioup scoieu
bettei on all tests, inuicating the neeu foi meuicine ball tiaining to enhance function

74

in these aieas. Theie aieas aie also key foi spiinting peifoimance, so meuicine ball
tiaining shoulu be a pait of anyone's collective speeu piogiam.
0ne of the things I like most about this foim of tiaining is that it's ielatively
veiy easy to teach to clients. You ieally just neeu a tuif, conciete wall oi haiu
suiface to thiow against, uuiable meu balls, peihaps some pent-up aggiession anu
then unleash it on the ball! Clients noimally love it foi this ieason. It's a lot like
hitting a punching bag anu it has meiit on speeu uevelopment. Anu we all know
how empoweiing anu goou that feels sometimes.
Builuing speeu anu powei in the entiie coie is actually quite uifficult, anu
meuicine ball tiaining uoes a gieat job in accomplishing this unique tiaining
objective. Theie aie a few aieas wheie we can go wiong in teims of spiinting
technique if aspects of oui coie aie weak, so meu ball woik is a piimaiy way in
pieventing this pioblem fiom happening. This is what I am iefeiiing to with the
piioi statement of eneigy leaks anu iesultant ueceleiation, two things that uefinitely
woik against us anu makes attaining high speeu a much moie uifficult task. If we
have a stiong coie, it will shine, anu we will be much moie effective at tiansfeiiing
eneigy to anu fiom the giounu, back anu foith thiough oui bouy as we iun.
Iionically, this is the piimaiy iole of the coie in gioss human movement baseu on its
uesign. Noie on this latei.

7S

%C;:3":38

Now I'm quite confiuent anu ceitain that this is the piimaiy ieason that a
majoiity of folks woulu be ieauing this book. Soon we will exploie all of the
techniques anu piinciples that make you an effective spiintei, pioviue you an euge
against competitois in youi iespective spoit, oi just get you fastei fiom a
iecieational oi fitness stanupoint.

%C((7 C;:31:C6(%M

TUICF.)*.&,$ -P %&$*.P.*.G+

TWI4Q$FH&$$' CF.)*.&,$

C;:31:C6( 4A %C(1:A:1:"L

This fiist one, like many othei piinciples, can be given a host of uiffeient
names, sometimes because someone wants to slightly mouify the piinciple anu
make the name theii own, but it all means the same thing. Theie is not a laige neeu
to spenu a lot of time uiscussing this paiticulai piinciple since eveiyone
unueistanus that in oiuei to uevelop a skill oi movement, you neeu to piactice anu
mastei that movement. Nost piogiams not only implement this piinciple
successfully, but only utilize this single piinciple, anu aftei eveiything you leaineu
to this point you shoulu know now that this methou is highly limiting to
peifoimance. With that being saiu, if you want to be fast then youi tiaining neeus to
ieflect this iuea. The bouy usually only knows what you ask of it, oi how you choose
to use it. If you tiain slow, you will be slow. If you tiain fast, you will be fast. If you
lift heavy weights you get stiongei. Tiaining foi long peiious of time at a high
fiequency you will get moie conuitioneu. Bowevei, I have iuentifieu two common
eiiois that occui with a piinciple that is supposeu to be the easiest to implement.
Fiist, coaches anu athletes uo not test the skill they want to impiove on a iegulai
basis. The typical stoiy is that a coach will test theii athlete oi team's speeu once at
the onset of a tiaining piogiam, anu then ie-test months latei if they iemembei oi
feel like it. The flaw with this appioach is that theie aie seveial factois that affect
peifoimance uuiing the couise of that time (nutiitional status, iecoveiy, stiess,
geneial auaptation, competing uemanus, piogiam uesign, etc.) anu the ouus of the
coach iecoiuing a peifoimance inciease, oi the best inciease of each anu eveiy
athlete, is like finuing a neeule in a haystack. This ieally uoes youi athlete an
injustice anu limits him oi hei. Weekly anu ieliable speeu testing anu uata tiacking

76

not only holus you anu youi athletes accountable, but it pioviues much-neeueu
incentive. We opeiate bettei with goals, but the athlete has no iuea oi uiiection of
wheie they aie going anu how theii bouies aie iesponuing to the piogiam without
being testeu on a iegulai basis. The main ieason why testing is so significant is the
competitive factoi it biings to the table. Athletes anu coaches both love to compete.
That is why they uo what they uo, anu testing allows the athlete to compete with
themselves anu otheis, anu the coach now becomes accountable anu leains whethei
oi not theii appioach is woiking foi the athlete, anu they aie competing with
themselves anu otheis in making theii appioach the best it can be. The whole
tiaining enviionment also elevates, anu you simulate spoit anu competition to an
extent. Theie is piessuie involveu, it's fun, anu you will be ceitain to get the most
out of the athletes who aie seiious. Lastly, the iemaining issue on this fiont is the
type of testing. Banuhelu testing is gaibage anu highly unpieuictable uue to human
ieaction eiioi. The most famous stuuy which confiims this statement was
conuucteu at the 1972 Nunich 0lympic uames. Reseaicheis utilizeu "expeit" timeis
with quick ieflexes anu a complete unueistanuing of how to initiate anu stop the
timei accoiuing to iunnei's specific actions, anu compaieu theii iesults to FAT
(Fully Automateu Timing) Systems. The aveiage uiffeience between the two
appioaches was .24 seconus, meaning that hanuhelu times woulu yielu a iesult that
was moie than 2 tenths fastei than the actual time. So if someone ian a 4.S
hanuhelu it woulu be at least 4.7 seconus with a fully electionic timing system.
Theie aie valiuity anu stanuaiu iequiiements acioss eveiy skill in the peifoimance
woilu this uay anu age, except foi speeu. To say that we have cheapeneu the teim
anu iemoveu integiity woulu be a massive unueistatement. Eveiyone unueistanus
that in oiuei foi a squat to count it has to be peifoimeu to paiallel, oi you have to
fully lockout a ueaulift, oi keep youi butt uown on a bench piess, oi we use a veitec
to piopeily assess veitical jump along with a specific piotocol to piopeily measuie
the athlete's specific uisplacement. Foi whatevei ieason, though, a hanuhelu timei
pione to guaianteeu eiioi suffices in the speeu woilu, except foi in tiack anu fielu. I
ieally have to cieuit anu tip my cap to this population foi uoing things the iight way.
Continuing on with my iant, it is ieally fiustiating when you have a system that
woiks anu has geneiateu gieat iesults on a fully-electionic system, but the times aie
uisappioveu anu misunueistoou because no one else uses this measuie.
0n a positive note, some of the notable univeisities (0niveisity of 0iegon)
anu vaiious national combines have electeu to uo things the iight way, face the facts,
anu auopt the fully electionic methou of testing foi athletes. That is awesome, anu
hopefully moie will continue the tienu in the futuie. We have not useu hanuhelu
timing in the last yeai except foi ieseaich puiposes anu compaiisons to the FAT
Nouels we useu. The iesults we attaineu fiom this system woulu confiim the
stuuies that weie peifoimeu back in Nunich 4 uecaues ago.

77

The last issue suiiounuing this Piinciple of Specificity that I neeu to uiscuss
is ensuiing that youi athletes aie tiaining as specifically as they neeu to when
attempting to impiove speeu. Seems simple, but it's ieally not. To help monitoi this
function, theie is a simple ielationship I cieateu that helps us assess to see if we aie
being specific with oui tiaining like we shoulu be. This ielationship is iefeiieu to as
"Tiaining Speeu vs. Top Speeu." These two aie completely ielative to the athlete,
anu if theie is any uiffeience between the two that is gieatei than veiy minimal,
then speeu will not be incieaseu. Woilu class speeu coach Chailie Fiancis states in
his book "Key Concepts Elite"1S that in oiuei foi a change in acceleiation oi speeu to
take place we have to tiain at 9S-1uu% of oui max speeu, anu this peicentage is
baseu on the highest iecoiueu time of the athlete to uate. If the athlete is not
iunning at 9S% of theii maximum speeu oi gieatei then they will not get fastei. Foi
example, if Nate iuns a 4.41 seconu 4u- yaiu uash, we know that he has to at the
veiy least iun at 9S% of that peifoimance, oi 4.64 seconus, to geneiate an inciease
in acceleiation anu speeu peifoimance. Noie is obviously bettei, but 9S% is the
minimum. This is usually not the case because athletes anu coaches mistakenly tuin
speeu tiaining into conuitioning, eithei intentionally oi uue to theii ignoiance of
ceitain vaiiables anu peimanent physiological limitations of the human bouy that
heavily impact speeu piouuction. Also, if you aie not testing you have no way of
knowing whethei oi not you aie impioving oi ieally moving as fast as you shoulu at
any given time. The seconu pioblem is simple, but the fiist is moie technical. I will
go into uetail on this mattei in the "Piogiam Besign" section anu "Speeu vs.
Conuitioning" section, so stay tuneu. Beie is a helpful uiagiam to show the
ielationship between these two factois anu possible outcomes foi speeu. If theie is
even a slight maigin between tiaining speeu vs. youi top speeu then you aie not
tiaining haiu anu fast enough to inciease speeu. Next we will examine the seconu
key piinciple if you want to ensuie youi bouy gets fastei if eveiything else you aie
uoing is coiiect.

"F/.).)E %&$$' i "-& %&$$'B 7$*F$/H$' %&$$'

"F/.).)E %&$$' B -F j "-& %&$$'B :)*F$/H$' %&$$'

4=(;%C((7 C;:31:C6(

As fai as speeu tiaining is conceineu, this iule is going to make oi bieak you
in youi attempt to tiuly get fastei! If you ieau my sales page foi this book, then you
may have seen that I mentioneu theie aie 2 things you can uo to get fastei
immeuiately. This is the fiist anu most impoitant. I ueciueu to ueiive anu slightly
mouify the "0veiloau Piinciple" foi stiength uevelopment, so that it iesonates

78

bettei when focusing on speeu. It just makes moie sense. Now this piinciple may
sounu veiy simple anu stiaightfoiwaiu to implement into a speeu tiaining piogiam,
howevei most fail to get it iight foi a numbei of ieasons. 0ne of the main ieasons
has to with a ielationship that I teim "peiceiveu effoit vs. actual effoit." An athlete
oi coach may think that they aie cieating "oveispeeu" baseu off theii sole
peiception, but this is iaiely the case in my expeiience. Specific iecoveiy factois
anu maximum effoit aie not innate in many people. To iesolve this issue anu
iemove all guesswoik, all you woulu neeu to uo is invest in a FAT System such as the
Biowei TC Timing System, anu compaie times of each iunnei.
The fiist speeu piinciple was veiy bioau, because I tolu you that you neeueu
to iun fastei, anu showeu you the minimum level of effoit oi speeu that qualifies to
geneiate auaptations oi changes in the bouy that iesult in gieatei speeu. The
0veispeeu Piinciple will tell you exactly how haiu you shoulu be tiying each anu
eveiy time youi peifoim a iep, so that you impiove youi speeu to the highest
uegiee possible as fast as possible.
I'm suie many have heaiu the populai phiase "Bow can you expect to get
bettei iesults if you always uo the same thing you've always uone." Nost people
nou theii heaus in agieement with this statement, although theii tiaining
philosophy anu iesults uo not coiiesponu. You have to iequest ielatively N0RE
fiom youi bouy in oiuei foi it to auapt anu uo moie ovei the long-teim. Pietty
simple fact that is so effective. Theie exists a pioposeu Law of Conseivation, so oui
bouy natuially uoes not want to uo moie than it has to foi whatevei ieason in most
cases. 7u Logically, this is piobably uue to suivival puiposes. Eneigy is a valuable
commouity foi oui bouy anu we neeu it to continue life. Tiaining thieatens oui
eneigy ieseives anu oui suivival to a uegiee, anu moie eneigy is iequiieu to cieate
incieaseu speeu, so natuially oui bouy will battle against this effoit, but will still
allow it in mostly small inciements ovei time to accommouate us. The bottom line
is that we have to foice oui bouy to uo what it uoesn't ieally want to. Anu please uo
not confuse moie with uiffeient. These aie two totally uiffeient teims. Theie is
absolutely zeio physiological eviuence to suppoit "muscle confusion" oi uoing
something uiffeient than what we aie uoing to piomote piogiess in any tiaining-
ielateu enueavoi (speeu, stiength, powei, fat loss, muscle builuing, etc.). 0ui bouy
auapts to woikloau anu not movements, contiaiy to oveiwhelming populai belief. 71
0f couise theie is a shoit peiiou of time wheie oui bouy is not ieauily familiai with
an intiouuceu movement (i.e. spiinting), anu it has to leain to impiove cooiuination
anu efficiency, but NEvER uo we stop continuing to make gains in that pattein.
Spiinteis stait spiinting at an eaily age anu continue to make piogiess in that
movement well into theii twenties anu thiities. Poweilifteis peifoim the same S
movements, anu like the spiinteis, piogiess inuefinitely. Fat loss enthusiasts eat
less caloiies than what they buin eithei thiough a uegiee of caloiic uepiivation oi
N0RE woik in the gym. The list goes on anu on. Tiaining vaiiation was ueiiveu

79

piimaiily out of boieuom foi the lazy anu unmotivateu, oi the ignoiant. People
eithei simply aie not awaie of this scientific fact, they uislike tiaining, they'ie boieu,
oi they'ie fiustiateu they aie not getting the iesults they want anu think they neeu a
souice of vaiiation to keep coming to the gym, anu cioss theii fingeis anu figuie that
something uiffeient might happen. Well the haish ieality is that life can get boiing,
it's a ioutine, anu these inuiviuuals neeu to ueal with it. Acceptable vaiiations of
founuational, safe, anu supeiioi movements aie peifectly fine, but the common
attempt at being too cieative will absolutely yielu pooi iesults. I guaiantee it. This
is just as much of a pioblem with expeits anu coaches with theii piesciiptions. 0ne
yeai back squatting is bau, next yeai its goou, wait, no it's bau again. The othei
scenaiio I like is those who say that we aie uiscoveiing so much moie about
exeicise science that it's alteiing oui whole appioach to how we use to uo things.
No it's not. I'll piss off a lot of people who use this angle, but the piopei way in
which we uo things foi many aieas of uevelopment aie not going to change that
much. We will uiscovei much moie impiactical minutiae on vaiious topics, but the
things that woik aie heie anu will always last. These inuiviuuals eithei have not
founu the tiaining solutions foi theii objective oi they aie in uenial. Foitunately foi
you, though, the same things that have been pioven to woik you will finu in this
book! Youi inevitable option as an athlete oi coach is to embiace iesults, potential
anu peiiouic boieuom, along with sounu science, oi stay wheie you aie, get moie
cieative, anu keep seaiching foi the next miiaculous tienu that piomises the woilu,
but ueliveis mostly nothing. The call is youis.
Back to my oiiginal point: If you want to get as fast as you weie meant to be,
then theie is no othei option but to follow the 0veispeeu Piinciple on a iegulai
basis. Each anu eveiy time you test anu attempt to uevelop youi speeu, you have to
act as though if that iep was youi last, anu poui eveiy ounce of effoit into that
paiticulai iun. Bo this anu I'm suie you'll eventually be pleasantly suipiiseu at
what this iule can uo foi you.
You might be asking youiself: Why uo we have to attempt to cieate
oveispeeu each time we iun. It's a gieat question. The answei lies in that oui bouy
has a built-in speeu goveinoi. "The neivous system only ieciuits muscles at speeus
at which it has been tiaineu. If it is not tiaineu to ieciuit muscles quickly, when met
with a uemanu foi fast ieaction, the neivous system will not be able to iesponu
appiopiiately." 72 }ust like in the case of a cai oi tiuck. When we ieach a ceitain
level of speeu while uiiving, the cai will maintain that speeu anu pievent fuithei
incieases in it. 0nlike a cai, though, the only way to iemove this goveinoi fiom that
cuiient speeu in the human bouy is to attempt to uiive past that goveinoi anu
inciease speeu even moie. When this occuis, oui bouy will inciementally "ieset"
oui level of speeu a little bit highei, anu we aie left with a newfounu level of speeu
that we uiu not have befoie. This mechanism is actually how oui bouy impioves its
speeu.

8u

%C;:3":38 "(1?3:g<(M

I'm exciteu to shaie my finuings on this highly contioveisial anu heavily
uiscusseu aiea of acceleiation anu speeu tiaining, to say the least. Some of what I
will uiscuss will piobably be ieview foi you anu some of it piobably new. Piopei
spiint technique is obviously necessaiy to be able to maximize youi peifoimance. 7S
Keep in minu, though, that technique is just one piece to the puzzle anu theie aie
othei things that aie even moie impoitant in oiuei to spiint coiiectly. Yes, you ieau
that iight. Powei (Stiength x Speeu) is funuamental to being able to effectively
leain anu expiess all of the techniques I'm about to uiscuss. Whethei it's foiefoot
uominance, piopei fiontsiue-backsiue mechanics, oi piopei aim uiive, we have to
have moie powei to peifoim these coiiectly anu to peifoim them fast. Basically, my
message to athletes oi otheis is to not even attempt to leain these techniques unless
you aie following the iest of the piogiam fiist. Nothing coulu be a biggei waste of
youi time. To hammei this message home, consiuei a 12-yeai-olu boy who looks
pietty anu fluiu when he iuns, but goes nowheie because he lacks a sufficient
amount of powei. Conveisely, a piofessional athlete who has phenomenal powei
output but is unawaie of a ceitain technique can still iun nationally competitive in
the 4u-yaiu uash. I've seen this seveial times, anu you woulu be suipiiseu how
many ultia-fast people actually uemonstiate technically pooi foim, but
oveicompensate foi that ueficiency with gieatei powei. Powei is piimaiy, anu
spiinting technique is seconuaiy foi incieaseu speeu. Let's now examine the
techniques oui athletes neeu to impiove theii speeu in potentially slight to
moueiate amounts.

TUI%GF.'$ ;/G$ QHV %GF.'$ 6$)EG#
Speeu is commonly saiu to be the piouuct of stiiue iate x stiiue length.
"Stiiue iate is the numbei of stiiues taken in a given amount of time oi uistance,
while stiiue length is the uistance coveieu in one stiiue, uuiing iunning. Reseaich
has founu that optimum stiiue length at maximum velocity has a high coiielation to
leg length. It is appioximately 2.1 to 2.S times leg length. 46 48
So stiiue iate is how often we take a stiiue oi step, anu stiiue length is the
amount of giounu we covei with each stiiue oi step. Expeits like to bieak each
element uown into smallei phases, but I ieally uo not think theie is a neeu to, anu a
geneial uefinition is auequate. Fiist, the 2.1-2.S times oui leg length statement is
impiactical, unfoitunately. What is ieally cool is that theie is a stiong ielationship
between speeu, stiiue length, anu stiiue iate in sub-elite iunneis. In 2uuu in !"#
%&'()*+ &, 677+2#0 8"942&+&/9, Petei Weyanu anu his team founu that stiiues weie
1.69 times longei at 11.1 msec veisus 6.2 msec, anu stiiue iate oi fiequency was
1.16 times fastei! Keep in minu that this stuuy compaieu fast iunneis to slowei
ones. S7

81

Bowevei, theie uoes not seem to be a cleai consensus, anu stuuies seem to
be split on which one is moie impoitant at an ELITE level. Foi anything less, you
want a soliu combination of both elements. Foi example, ieseaich on elite spiinteis
inuicates that the best ones spenu less time on the giounu. 24 74 7S 0n the othei
hanu, Bebaeie anu his team founu that the uiffeience between stiiue iates between
spiinteis at the beginning of a spiint was 9S% of the stiiue iate at maximum speeu.
They compaieu men anu women. Noieovei, the uiffeience between stiiue length
was 1u.S% initially anu then 11.S% at maximum speeu, inuicating stiiue length as
the uominant featuie foi fastei iunning. 76
Anothei stuuy shows a split between the two. 77 In ?#0252)# T -52#)5# 2)
-7&(.4 T :;#(524#, 2u11, Salo, Bezouis, Batteiham, anu Keiwin analyzeu 11 elite male
1uu-metei iunneis fiom 0lympic, Woilu, anu Euiopean Championships. 17 of each
iunnei's iaces weie assesseu anu the mean iace time was 1u.12 seconus! 0f the 11
athletes total, 9 of them ian unuei 1u.uus in at least one of theii iaces. Reseaicheis
came to the conclusion that some of the iunneis ielieu upon gieatei stiiue length
compensation while othei ielieu on stiiue iate. Anothei stuuy on this topic comes
fiom: Najumuai anu Robeigs in 2u11 calleu "The Science of Speeu: Beteiminants of
Peifoimance in the 1uu m Spiint. 78 They iepoiteu that male spiinteis iely moie on
stiiue length, while females iely on gieatei stiiue iate. Whethei it be that some
possess gieatei stiiue length thiough phenomenal hip anu oveiall stiength anu
powei, oi otheis have incieuible muscle ieciuitment speeu which enables a
supeiioi stiiue iate, the peimanent suggestion at this level is inconclusive at this
point. Logically, it woulu make sense that each iunnei woik on theii ielative
weakness to fuithei ueciease iunning times anu inciease speeu. The ieseaicheis
suppoiteu this notion as well. Piactically consiuei whethei the athlete in question
has gieatei stiength oi speeu in movement anu auuiess accoiuingly. Foi example, if
they iun fast anu peifoim jump plyometiics fast anu explosively, but aie not as
skilleu at weightlifting then they woulu neeu to focus moie of theii tiaining effoits
on the lattei, anu vice veisa.
So now that we know both of these functions of stiiue length anu iate aie
significant, you can fuithei see that P0WER is what you neeu.

TWIAF-)G /)' K/*ZH.'$ 9$*#/).*H
Fiont anu Backsiue Nechanics iefeis to the position of the hip, knee, anu
ankle of the stance leg (fiont) anu swing leg (back) uuiing a spiint. Iueally, aftei we
take a step, oui back leg, which is swinging foiwaiu shoulu foim a 9u uegiee angle
at the ankle, knee anu hip collectively. The fiont leg, which is uiiving backwaius,
shoulu be fully extenuing oi stiaight at the ankle, knee, anu hip, meaning that you
coulu not stiaighten any of these any moie than we alieauy have. Below is a goou
illustiation of this technique.

82

(Photo courtesy of Steve Mcsweeny)

This is what you should look like in your lower body just before the back foot leaves the ground in sprinting.
Great frontside and backside mechanics here!

Easy anu simple cues to teach this piopei spiint pattein can be "Biive the
back knee up, anu push youi fiont leg fully back anu uown into the giounu. " This
specific technique will enable maximal amount of foice into the giounu, which will
maximize oui stiiue length anu uistance between each step. Also, you'll notice that
as one of these occuis, so will the othei. Foi example, when the fiont leg fully
extenus, the back knee automatically lifts up because theie is an equal inveise
ielationship between the two. You can tiy this stanuing up. Lift one knee up as high
as you can with the knee anu ankle on that same siue at 9u uegiees, anu you will feel
youi balance foot uiive into the giounu anu youi glutes on that siue light up.
Anothei question oi issue that commonly aiises is whethei oi not to focus on the
swing leg oi stance leg moie when spiinting. Reseaich has also shown that the
function of the stance leg is fai moie impoitant in cieating moie foice anu
incieasing speeu veisus the swing leg. "Tests showeu that the woilu's fastest
iunnei in the late 199us ieacheu a top speeu of 11.1 meteis pei seconu, yet the
amount of time he took to ieposition his legs in the aii was less than S hunuieuths
of a seconu fastei than spiinteis who pokeu along at 6.2 meteis pei seconu, almost
half the speeu." Su S7 Bowevei, in 2u12, Noiin iuentifieu that the swing uoes in fact
coiielate with 1uu metei peifoimance. 24 79 The ieason that the pievious stuuy
faileu to show the ielationship is because it uiu not assess the acceleiation phase
anu the entiie iace like this most iecent one uiu, ieseaicheis saiu. In 198S, Nann
also suppoiteu that the success of spiinting was uue in laige pait to the ielative
activity levels of both the hip extenuing (backsiue) anu hip flexing (fiontsiue). 24 8u
As fai as technique is conceineu, make suie the piopei 9u-uegiee angle of all joints
of the swing leg is piesent to shoiten the length of the leg, anu make it easiei to
swing, which makes iepositioning it back on the giounu fastei anu eveiything else
fastei in the piocess. Speeu anu technique of the swing leg aie both vitally

8S

impoitant. This technique also uistiibutes the woik moie evenly acioss all hip
flexois, ieuucing injuiy potential.
Lastly, just make suie that you uo not ovei-stiiue oi unuei-stiiue, as this will
cause impactful eiiois in fiontsiue anu backsiue mechanics. To pievent this, just
make suie that the foot of the swing leg plants uiiectly unueineath the hip, so that
you uo not ovei-stiiue anu excessively inciease stiiue length anu ieuuce stiiue iate.
Nany heai "inciease stiiue length" anu they uo this unnatuially. }ust iemembei that
youi stiiue length shoulu impiove natuially as a bypiouuct of incieaseu stiength
anu powei you builu in the weight ioom. If youi swing leg stiaightens at the knee
too much, anu you plant too fai in fiont of youi hip then you will ovei-stiiue, anu a
biaking action will occui. 0n the othei hanu, if youi swing leg uoes not iotate
foiwaiu enough, anu you plant too fai behinu youi hip, then you will unuei-stiiue
anu move slowei. To summaiize, if oui stiiue length is too long, we ovei-stiiue, anu
oui stiiue iate anu acceleiation aie slowei. If the stiiue iate is too fast, we unuei-
stiiue, anu oui stiiue length anu acceleiation aie ieuuceu. 0ui goal shoulu always
be to uisplay the piopei stiiue length at the fastest iate possible without ovei- oi
unuei-stiiuing to maximize oui acceleiation anu speeu output!

TXIA-F$P--G 7-O.)/)*$
This key technique calls foi a majoiity of oui bouyweight to be concentiateu
ovei the fiont of oui foot. The moie foiwaiu oui weight is ovei oui feet, the moie
foiefoot uominant we aie anu vice veisa. This technique encouiages "leaning" while
spiinting, but make suie you aie not bieaking at the hip.
This concept becomes impoitant in spiinting foi a few ieasons. Fiist, in
spiinting we aie tiying to move in a foiwaiu uiiection. If we simply shift oui weight
foiwaiu on oui feet, we aie alieauy that much closei to wheie we want to go anu it
is easiei to move in this uiiection. So oui efficiency automatically impioves with
oui bouy weight foiwaiu. }ust stanu up stiaight, lean, anu fall foiwaiu (Rolling
stait) anu you'll see what I mean. Seconuly, iunning on oui foiefoot oi toes is a
much healthiei anu moie effective way to iun fastei. Kelly Baggett was I believe the
veiy fiist to classify Foiefoot Bominance in spiinting as moving fiom the hip, while
Reaifoot Bominance in spiinting as knee iunning. Running fiom the toes activates
the hips, still activates the knees, anu biings these two bouy paits togethei moie
equally, while heel iunning oveiloaus the knees anu inhibits activity of the hip. You
saw the uominant muscle gioups in the ENu iepoits fiom the spiinting pattein
eailiei, anu how the hips aie key to gieatei speeu, anu Foiefoot Bominance in
spiinting ieinfoices this exactly! Also, iunning on the heel cieates gieatei impacts,
incieases biaking foices, weakens the calves since the heel is suppoiteu on the
giounu, stiesses anu potentially hypeiextenus the knees much moie, applies some
foice in the wiong uiiection, cieates oveistiiuing, cieates longei uCT (uiounu
Contact Time), cieates moie eneigy loss, anu will slow us uown. This slight

84

aujustment of Foiefoot Bominance will cuie all of these issues anu inciease youi
speeu potential. In 198S, a ieseaichei by the name of Keii founu anu iepoiteu that
iunneis who weie fastei in shoit, meuium, anu long uistance events weie FF
uominant. 81 What else was inteiesting is that only 2 peicent of paiticipants
exhibiteu this technique. Also please note that these stuuies aie infiequent anu
utilizeu with long uistance iunneis who aie much slowei. Like in the case of this
famous stuuy fiom U*4#/*V* in 2uu7> EQ This was a }apanese stuuy that examineu
much slowei maiathon iunneis who weie ieaifoot uominant. What was
inteiesting, though, is that a highei peicentage of fastei iunneis ian on theii
miufoot. I'm suie that if they weie examineu at high speeus like in the case of
spiinteis, the iesults woulu inuicate that foiefoot uominance was even moie
pievalent. The stuuy also mentioneu that a continuum in technique was piesent. As
iunneis uecieaseu speeu, ieaifoot iunning was moie pievalent anu vice veisa.
I'm ceitain aftei watching hunuieus of athletes iun ovei the yeais that if
moie stuuies weie conuucteu on the mattei, a constant finuing fiom ieseaicheis
woulu be that fast spiinteis aie foiefoot uominant. Piematuie giounuing of the
swing leg typically means that the foot will still be moving foiwaiu with iespect to
the bouy when giounu contact is maue. This is iefeiieu to as excessive positive foot
speeu anu it is potentially uisiuptive to efficient spiinting because it can inciease
biaking foices at giounu contact. Positive foot speeu is associateu with oveistiiuing
oi having oui foot too fai out in fiont of oui mass. Iueally, the foot shoulu be
moving backwaiu with iespect to the bouy when touchuown occuis. This is often
iefeiieu to as negative foot speeu at giounu contact, anu this movement pattein is
highly coiielateu with incieaseu spiinting speeu. 7S Negative foot speeu is also
associateu with foiefoot iunning.

TÌ0FO 7F.Q$
0K, befoie I get staiteu, keep in minu that spiinting anu othei speeu-baseu
woik such as agility anu jumping is "lowei bouy" uominant. This means that most of
the focus shoulu be concentiateu on this iegion of the bouy. I say this because many
coaches anu athletes give fai too much cieuit to the aims. They aie impoitant, but
not as much as youi lowei half, which is piimaiily iesponsible foi speeu. You woulu
not even move if it weie not foi youi legs cieating uiounu Reaction Foice (uRF).
Nany tenu to think that aim uiive is magic. It's not, although it uoes pioviue a
stiong seconuaiy suppoit iole. To illustiate the neeu foi Aim Biive, just simply iun
with youi aims behinu youi back. Baseu on my ieseaich, both Latiff Thomas anu
Chailie Fiancis have naileu uown wheie oui shoulueis, elbows, anu hanus neeu to
be in oiuei foi us to have an auvantage in speeu. Note that oui aims anu legs woik
togethei, so any motion, oi lack of motion, in the aims can uiiectly influence how
oui legs opeiate. Foi example, if oui aims iotate too high foiwaiu oi too fai back

8S

then theie will be wasteu motion, time, anu a uelay in oui leg uiive iesulting in
slowei acceleiation.
When we think aims we neeu to think 9u9u, meaning that oui uppei anu
lowei aim neeus to foim a 9u-uegiee angle at the elbow to allow foi iapiu anu
efficient aim action iotating foiwaiu anu back thiough a spiint. "Aim angle" which
we just uiscusseu, the "amount "of aim uiive, anu uiiection of aim uiive aie the
thiee piimaiy aieas of inteiest ielative to spiinting mechanics. Bistoiically, coaches
anu tiaineis encouiageu athletes to spiint anu uiive the aims anu hanus to eye level
going foiwaiu, anu making suie the elbow aiiives behinu the toiso when iotating
back. Think "eye socket to hip pocket" as each aim uiives. Next is the uiiection of
the aim uiive. Look at Eiik's left aim below. See how his elbow is bent at his siue.
Be is "Paitial Ciossing." The elbows move out then in, ensuiing that you piouuce a
stiongei aim uiive. If the elbows stay too much into the bouy as you tiansition fiom
youi backswing into youi foiwaiu swing, you will not be as stiong anu it iequiies
too much focus. Nany coaches pieach keeping the elbows in thioughout anu it's
wiong. This effect is natuial anu theie is no neeu to mess with it. To help explain
why you want the aims to cioss just envision oi actually piactice a closeu giip
bench piess anu a wiue giip bench piess. 0bviously the wiue giip is stiongei anu a
moie explosive pattein that is similai to the aim cioss.

Erik (black and red) demonstrates the partial cross during his arm drive. His elbow drives up and out and
then up in. You could envision that trajectory in the photo above.

TcI8--' C-HGRF$
I'm going to keep this one shoit anu sum it up by saying that optimal postuie
allows us to cieate piopei muscle balance anu activity in eveiy motion oi non-
motion of the bouy. By having the neck, uppei back, shouluei blaues, anu lowei
back in the iight veitical position fiom a lateial vantage point we can maximize the
use of all the muscles attaching to the aims anu legs when we spiint. Fiom the

86

fiont, the hips shoulu be squaie, kneecaps pointing foiwaiu, along with the toes of
the foot foiwaiu as well. If you iecall fiom the stiength section, staying stiuctuially
balanceu in any movement is essential, anu spiinting is no exception. If you aie
inteiesteu, you can iefei back to the "Stiuctuial Balance Piinciple" in the stiength
section to see the negative outcomes that iesult fiom opeiating with pooi postuie.

TdI%GF-)E 1-F$
"A poweiful aim uiive can cause excessive iotation of the pelvis if the oblique
muscles aie not stiong enough to counteiact the foice cieateu by the shouluei
iotation. Stiength that woulu be available foi NSF is lost in an attempt to contiol
the pelvis. Anothei pioblem that aiises fiom a weak miu-toiso is excessive anteiioi
pelvis tilt (the pelvis is tilteu foiwaiu, causing an excessive lowei back aich). An
anteiioi pelvis tilt limits the hip iange of motion, shoitening stiiue length, anu
incieasing giounu contact time. The exact opposite of what we aie tiying to
accomplish with NSF." Su To simplify all that was saiu heie, when we iun anu move
oui aims anu legs, the effoit oi foice geneiateu fiom each half can cause the toiso
anu hips to iotate, especially if the iotational muscles of the coie anu toiso aie not
stiong enough to iesist this tenuency anu "stabilize" these aieas. Lucky foi us, the
vast majoiity of these muscles will iun in an oblique (uiagonal) oi paiallel line with
the giounu. What this means is that they all have the ability to iotate oi in the case
of spiinting anu othei speeu-baseu tiaining, "pievent" iotation as we move.

87

The Core or Renegade Row is a great exercise to teach the body "anti-rotation so that we can sprint and
move faster.

When iotation occuis, an "eneigy leak" will occui anu we will move in the
wiong uiiection. These muscles neeu to match the stiength of oui uppei anu lowei
bouy to make suie the toiso stays foiwaiu anu all of oui effoit goes foiwaiu as well.
Anteiioi pelvic tilt is a technical teim foi weak abuominals, glutes, anu hamstiings,
anu stiong hip flexois anu lowei back muscles. When "excessive" anteiioi tilt
occuis, we cannot cieate the amount of stiiue length, which the glutes anu
hamstiings aie iesponsible foi, anu we uo not iun as fast. The extia pelvic tilt also
"oveiloaus" the hamstiings anu is a common cause of hamstiing injuiy. This
piocess of oveiloau is known as "Syneigistic Bominance." The hamstiings aie
syneigists oi suppoit muscles at the hip, which assist the glutes, which aie the
piime moveis, oi they aie supposeu to be. 0nfoitunately, when oui pelvis tilts the
hamstiings then assume the iole as the main woikeis, which they aie not uesigneu
to uo, anu a pioblem ensues. The abuominals aie vital heie since they help holu
the pelvis in a position foi the glutes anu hamstiings to woik moie effectively, anu
pievent excessive anteiioi tilt. Note that I stateu excessive tilt. As a speeu athlete
you want to exhibit some anteiioi tilt so you iun on youi foiefoot. See photos.

88

(Photo courtesy of ericcressey.com)

Anterior tilt is associated with forefoot dominance,
And vice versa.

This is an example of "Rearing Up. This shift of our mass to the rearfoot reduces leg power and speed
potential.

TeI6:A"
This paiticulai technique is still piactically unheaiu of, but is valuable anu
potentially moie valuable than any othei. This technique takes into account that
giounu foice on the bouy upon impact uuiing spiinting can be in excess of Sx oui
bouyweight accoiuing to some of the iepoits I've seen! This means that the ability
to withstanu such an impact anu maintain a highei centei of mass anu holu this
establisheu bouy position when lanuing (isometiic stiength) is going to be vital to

89

ie-acceleiating highei, faithei, anu quickei into oui next stiiue. The gieat athletes
anu spiinteis uo this the best because they aie so stiong, eithei natuially oi via the
weight ioom. 0ften times I'll see many tempoiaiily weak clients collapse as they hit
the suiface, especially at the knee, anu you'll see the uelay in theii next tiansition.
This collapse anu extia benu oi incieaseu joint angles incieases uCT (uiounu
Contact Time) anu eneigy loss as well. Asiue fiom high levels of stiength iequiieu
in being able to countei the high lanuing foice that occuis natuially uuiing
spiinting, clients neeu to consciously focus on keeping the hips high anu knees tight
anu stiff. Any uiop will iesult in a longei time on the giounu anu gieatei eneigy
loss, since we have to move moie to get back up off the giounu anu into flight again.
Anothei teim useu to iepiesent this technique is "leg stiffness." Theie aie actually S
uiffeient types of stiffness in the ieseaich: joint, veitical, anu leg stiffness. They aie
all essentially the same oi piesent with one anothei so I'm just going to iefeience
leg stiffness. Leg stiffness is veiy impoitant foi spiinting speeu anu the
maintenance of momentum, among othei things. 8S 84

(Photo couitesy of Eckhaiu Pechei)

Notice how stiff Bolt's (left) anu uay's (iight) knees aie when they lanu anu how upiight anu veitical each aie
uuiing theii stiiue.

The next stuuy I woulu like to shaie is calleu: The Effect of Speeu on Leg
Stiffness anu }oint Kinetics in Buman Running, by Aiampatzis, Biueggemann anu
Netzlei, in !"# %&'()*+ &, <2&=#5"*)254 back in 1999. In this stuuy, ieseaicheis
founu that a majoiity of leg stiffness occuis in the knee, anu theie is a coiielation
between incieaseu iunning speeu anu incieaseu leg stiffness. 8S
Please keep in minu that this ieseaich iefeis to stiffness uuiing late
acceleiation anu the max speeu phase. 0nly when speeu is high anu uCT is shoit
uoes leg stiffness become a factoi to at least maintain anu hopefully inciease speeu
if oui powei levels aie high.

9u

TkI9R,G.I7.F$*G.-)/, 1-)GF-, /)' %G/^.,.G+
Bi. Chailie Weingioff, who has been a huge inspiiation anu mentoi in my
piofessional uevelopment, was the fiist to note this neeu foi speeu. If we have any
weakness on the insiue oi outsiue of oui bouy then the ability foi the piime moveis
such as the quauiiceps, hamstiings anu glutes will be limiteu. These suiiounuing
stabilizei muscles (auuuctois, glute meuius, etc.) place oui bouy in a position to
utilize the biggei, stiongei, anu moie poweiful muscle gioups to uo theii job at a
highei level. I elaboiateu on this pietty well in the "Supplemental Stiength" tiaining
section of the book. Noieovei, heie is a Euiopean stuuy fiom Aiin that suppoits
this theoiy. 86 Aiin founu a stiong coiielation between unilateial oi single leg
stiength, C0B (Change of Biiection), anu lineai speeu acioss 1u anu 2u meteis.
Being able to peifoim well in a single leg enviionment iequiies balance, which is
iegulateu not only by balance itself, but iathei by stiength anu powei of each lowei
limb. Plus most people tenu to associate stability anu balance with awesome
"unstable suiface tiaining." I'm kiuuing. In his biilliant book "The Tiuth About
0nstable Suiface Tiaining," Eiic Ciessey shaies infoimation on a stuuy that he anu
seveial otheis peifoimeu on 19 membeis of an NCAA B1 men's soccei team. 87 88
The stuuy examineu the effects unstable anu stable suiface tiaining hau on uiffeient
jump plyometiics, agility, anu lineai spiint times. Eveiy single subject impioveu
moie with STABLE suiface tiaining. Yes, you ieau that iight: stable suiface
tiaining. 0ui society has been absolutely consumeu by balancing on objects such as
Bosu balls anu stability balls, but if you uo elect this appioach, it's at the expense of
youi speeu, youi son oi uaughtei's speeu if you aie a paient, oi youi athlete's speeu
if you aie a coach. Beie is the table that piesenteu the speeu iesults fiom the stuuy:

"#$%& '()* Nean +0- and 10-yard Sprint Times for Pre- and Post-Test and
Change.

+,,&,,-&./ 01&2"&,/ 03,/2 "&,/ 4 56#.7&
892:#1; ,<1=./ >,?
@.,/#$%& A(9) 8(B' 2C(D4E
F/#$%& A(9G 8(DH 2'(B4E!
C92:#1; ,<%=/ >,?
@.,/#$%& C(H' C(GH 28(94E
F/#$%& C(HA C(G' 2H(G4E

*Significant difference within groups over pre-testing at p<0.05.
!"#$%#&#'(%) +ifference between groups at p<0.05.

91

Finally, Eiic went on to mention that 0nstable Suiface Tiaining simply violates
The Law of Specificity. Spoits occui on stable suifaces, at high speeus, with lots of
motion, wheieas balance exeicises occui on unstable suifaces, at slow speeus, with
less motion. It simply uoes not conveit foi athletes. Please stay away fiom these
hypeu methous unless you aie injuieu anu in the caie of a licenseu physical
theiapist.

TlI?$$, ;$*-Q$F+
I fiist heaiu this vital technique in a viueo fiom woilu-class spiint coach
Latiff Thomas. Beel iecoveiy is the path of the foot as it exits the suiface behinu anu
swings back out in fiont of us. Iueally, we neeu to "swing low" to pievent wasteu
muscle anu joint action anu move moie efficiently uuiing initial acceleiation anu
then swing highei aftei the initial phase as we builu maximum speeu. As we ieach
gieatei iunning speeus, we neeu to shoiten the leg oi levei to swing anu move it
thiough quickei anu moie efficiently anu this iemoves a lot of stiess off the hip
flexoi muscles. The common cue is "Stepping ovei the knee." 0nfoitunately, I've
nevei seen anyone actually step ovei the knee at max speeu. It's unnatuial, haiuei,
anu iequiies much moie motion than is necessaiy. "Stepping thiough the knee" is a
suitable cue foi piopei iecoveiy height aftei acceleiation is ovei. In case you aie
wonueiing, you can bieak spiinting uown into S simple phases foi each leg uuiing a
stiiue cycle.

%S.)E 6$E M %G/)*$ 6$EM
Early Swing Landing Phase
Mid Swing Mid-Stance
Late Swing Toe Off

TUaI;$,/D/G.-) %&$*.P.*H
I uiscusseu this topic in a geneial sense in my book "The Reno Speeu School
Waim-0p Nanual foi Athletes," which you now own. Fai too much focus has been
placeu on having athletes ielax too much uuiing spiinting anu any othei athletic
enueavoi. The fact is that the best peifoimeis aie intense, tight, anu ielentless in
competition. }ust look at them. I'm iefeiiing to a moueiate to high uegiee of
tightness, just to claiify. This will help to conseive eneigy in spiinting, iathei than
being oveily intense. The face, mouth, neck, tops of the shoulueis, uppei aims, anu
hips neeu to exhibit some ielaxation at ceitain innate times uuiing a spiint. This
shoulu occui in oui hinubiain subconsciously. If theie is a technique we aie
consciously tiying to attempt in an intense enviionment, it won't happen. If any of
these aieas aie not as ielaxeu as they neeu to be then we lose eneigy anu iestiict

92

motion. Foi example, "Inteinal iesistance" of antagonistic (opposing) muscle
gioups such as the glutes on the back of the legs can occui if we aie tight, iesulting
in inhibition oi the inability of the hip flexois on the fiont of the legs to swing the leg
foiwaiu explosively in spiinting. Noieovei, iepoits inuicate that unlockeu hips
uuiing a spiint can enable appioximately anothei metei of motion, known as "The
Fiee Netei." Anu you will know excessive tightness when you see it. Eyes aie
closeu, teeth aie giitting, hissing oi blowing aii out of the mouth occuis, anu
shouluei elevation aie geneial signs that ieuuce net foice into the giounu anu
ueciease speeu. Net foice is a piouuct of one muscle's effoit minus the opposing
muscle's effoit. If oui hamstiings anu glutes aie tiying to uiive us foiwaiu in a
spiint anu piouuce 1Su lbs. of foice, but the opposing hip flexois still aie piouucing
6u lbs. of foice, then theie is only a net of 9u lbs. of foice anu we aie that much
slowei than what we coulu be minus the hip flexoi tightness. Noueiate flexibility
is ciitical heie. Theie is uefinitely still confusion of tightness fiom being slow oi
inflexible. veiy iaiely aie athletes tight fiom being inflexible, contiaiy to populai
belief. They aie tight because they aie slow. "In all-out stiength anu powei
activities, foi example, ability to uisinhibit anu maximally activate all motoi neuions
iequiieu foi a movement becomes ciucial to top-flight peifoimance." 42 Put
uiffeiently, oui bouy inhibits anu limits muscles fiom being poweiful anu this effect
can stem fiom opposing antagonistic muscles staying tight anu pieventing muscle
contiaction fiom taiget aieas. To simplify, this means oui muscles have to leain to
contiact anu ielax fastei to geneiate moie powei uuiing spiinting anu othei
activities. The only way to oveiiiue this is to tiain specifically foi powei anu
stiength ovei the long teim anu eventually iemove this inhibition pioblem. Please
uo not confuse being inflexible foi being slow anu unexplosive. Anu stay tuneu foi a
simple ioutine to builu flexibility in tight aieas in the FAQ section at the enu of the
book.

TUUI:)G$)H.G+
0ltimately, tiying haiuei, getting stiongei, anu getting moie poweiful than
you aie now is going to be the main uiffeience in whethei oi not you get fastei. It's
the tiuth. You can iun with peifect foim, but if you have no hoisepowei you will go
nowheie. Becoming stiongei anu moie poweiful will make all of these techniques
easiei to leain anu peifoim as well. Foi example, say someone has uifficulty being
able to suppoit anu balance theii centei of giavity oi weight on theii toes (Foiefoot
Bominance). If that peison gets stiongei anu moie poweiful in the weight ioom,
they will have an easiei time maintaining this position anu impioving balance, but
only thiough builuing stiength anu powei. Aim uiive, lift, fiontsiuebacksiue
mechanics, postuie, coie stiength, multi-uiiectional contiol, anu whatevei else you
can think of that I uiu not mention alieauy will all impiove with moie stiength anu
powei. Anu it's oui intensity that uiives us to gieatei stiength anu powei. Also,

9S

intensity can often impiove technique uue to incieaseu stability of joints anu gieatei
muscle ieciuitment. Anu the highei uegiee of voluntaiy tension can iemove joint
stiess anu lowei impacts, which coulu leau to potential injuiy.

TUWI 6$8 I$? ,9/
Anothei majoi pioblem impacting technique is the actual exposuie oi
amount of iepetition of the activity being peifoimeu. I've iealizeu ovei the yeais
that the bouy will usually finu anu figuie how to position itself to iun fastei, anu
contiact anu ielax the necessaiy muscles at the iight time with the iight amount of
effoit, by impioving its own cooiuination anu timing. In the woius of Kelly Baggett:
"The bouy seeks foi efficiency." Sometimes a coach uoes not even neeu to say
anything, anu technique will impiove. I uon't iecommenu this, but I've tiieu it
befoie with success. Sometimes clients neeu to be maue awaie of what they aie
uoing wiong to get bettei, especially if the pioblem peisists, while otheis uo it well
natuially. It just uepenus. The one thing that is ceitain is that if we allow oui clients
anu athletes moie oppoitunity to ievise, leain, anu unueistanu how they neeu to
move by actually spiinting often, the bettei they will be, anu the moie of a potential
euge they coulu have against those who aie not useu to spiinting iegulaily. So go
iun!

%C;:3" %"0;" "(1?3:g<(:

Spiint stait tiaining is a key auuition to make ANY type of athlete fastei in
theii spoit. Common questions fiom paients, coaches, anu athletes concein why we
aie uoing this. Ny kiu, athlete, anu I aie not tiack spiinteis. Ny answei is that they
ieally aie if you look at it. The only thing they uo not uo is iun out of blocks, but
they shoulu because it woiks anu it woiks veiy well. Real quick, if you uo not have
blocks then just a S- oi 4-point stance off any stable suiface (i.e. tuif) will woik just
as well. Eveiy spoit involves a "lineai speeu component." So we tiain that
component specifically, anu spiint stait tiaining enables a fastei expiession of
movement in that skill. Theie aie S ieasons why I love spiint stait tiaining foi all of
my athletes.

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1.,'/8$,1F "#2801 E--' $)-RE# P-F O$V
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94

TcI9/)+ /G#,$G$H S.,, ^$ G$HG$' /)' O$/HRF$' .) / XI -F Ì&-.)G HG/)*$ /G H-O$
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Pro baseball player Scott Underwood demonstrating a perfect 3-point start setup!

Aftei stuuying the science anu ait of the stait setup foi yeais, I've iuentifieu
that you can simplify the setup piocess anu tune in to 7 functions to optimize
positioning foi a bettei stait. These functions aie aim suppoit, hip height, neutial
spine, stance wiuth, stance length, knee angles, anu uistance fiom the staiting line.
With these techniques you can mentally cieate a checklist in youi heau each time
you set up to stait befoie a iun. Aftei you have auuiesseu each technique, you will
know you aie in the best position to acceleiate off the stait.
Aim suppoit is the fiist technique we will ieview. I like to woik fiom the
heau back to the feet, auuiessing each technique in between along the way. Also
these specific iules will apply to both a 4-point (tiack stait) anu S-point (football
stait) stance if you aie cuiious. Which one you choose is up to you, anu baseu off
piefeience oi what youi spoit iequiies. Theie aie S potential positions oi
piogiessions foi aim suppoit, anu it's ultimately baseu off the powei level of the
athlete. Weak athletes will have a "negative" aim iatio wheie the shouluei is
positioneu slightly behinu the hanu oi hanus. Aveiage athletes will have the
shouluei uiiectly above the hanu, anu veiy stiong athletes can ieally lean out anu
have the shouluei slightly in fiont of the suppoit hanu cieating a "positive" aim
iatio. Iueally, we aie tiying to get eveiy single athlete who spiints in the thiiu
auvanceu aim suppoit setting. This position places oui C0u (Centei of uiavity) way

9S

out in fiont of us, making balance much haiuei as we tiansition into oui fiist step
out of the stait. It's uefinitely a Catch-22, though. The same thing that can cause us
to lose balance also piompts gieatei ieaction anu powei fiom the bouy. You will
nevei come out of the stait as fast as you can without this technique. It's just veiy
haiu to mastei. Stumbling, stanuing up too soon, anu lateial compensation steps aie
veiy common eiiois heie that seive as signs as to whethei the cuiient piogiession
of aim suppoit is too auvanceu oi not. Lateial compensation step is a fancy teim foi
siue stepping. This cheat technique enables the foot to touch uown quickei, so we
can maintain oui balance anu keep fiom face-planting on the iunning suiface. Let's
uiscuss the 4-point stance biiefly. If you aie opeiating out of a S-point stance, then
uo not concein youiself with what I'm about to say. But foi a 4-point, the uistance
between youi hanus is impoitant. Theie is piogiession foi these as well. At level 1
the hanus aie uiiectly below the shoulueis, anu level 2 the hanus aie slightly outsiue
the shoulueis. Level 2 loweis youi mass anu enables a lot moie potential
momentum anu velocity to be cieateu fiom the knees, hips, anu spine.
Bip height is the next essential chaiacteiistic to cieate a moie effective spiint
stait setup. To keep things simple, you want youi hips just above the level of youi
shoulueis. 9 out of 1u athletes will place theii hips paiallel anu even below the
knees when they fiist set up to spiint. I'm guessing that this is uue to weakei hips,
quau uominance, anu a moie comfoitable position. We often seek the path of least
iesistance anu low hips pioviue just that. The last thing that we shoulu be in oui
staiting setup is comfoitable. This uoes not piomote as much of a powei iesponse
oi launch off the stait, which we want. Reseaich suggests that placing youi hips 6-
12 cm above youi shoulueis is iueal. 89
Neutial spine is impeiative in youi setup to be able to ieciuit all of the powei
muscles of youi lowei bouy anu toiso. These aie the glutes, hamstiings, anu spinal
eiectois mostly. If the back is iounu, not only uoes this stiain oui back moie anu
pieuispose us to vaiious injuiies, but it iemoves all of the stoieu eneigy anu tension
in the glutes anu hamstiings, uecieasing oui uiive out of the stait. You saw the
effects of piopei postuie in the spiinting technique section, anu the same thing
applies heie. A simple anu effective cue foi setting the spine is "butt anu chest out."
This shoulu stiaighten the spine at all segments anu iemove all iisk.
Stance wiuth is pietty simple, anu iegulates the "Biiection of Foice
Application" out of the stait. If oui feet aie positioneu at the wiuth of oui shoulueis
cieating veitical lines thiough oui shoulueis, hips, knees, anu ankles then we will
piouuce all of oui effoit back anu uown, which is the iueal combination of foice
(veitical anu hoiizontal) type to acceleiate us foiwaiu the fastest. If youi feet aie
wiuei oi naiiowei than shouluei wiuth, then pait of the foice will be expiesseu in a
uiiection that uoes not suppoit foiwaiu motion. This shoulu be an easy technique
to achieve.

96

Stance length oi feet spacing is a specific technique we neeu to become
pioficient at in oiuei to be moie successful. Nany iepoits inuicate that a "meuium
stait" is the best. Basically, theie aie S vaiiations of stance length on the stait:
bullet, meuium, anu elongateu stait. The uiffeience between each stait type is the
longituuinal uistance between the toes. This is iefeiieu to as the "toe-to-toe
uistance." 9u
The bullet stait ciams the feet togethei anu cieates a quickei but less foiceful
iesponse fiom oui muscles. With this stait, the fiont heel is uiiectly even with the
toes of the back foot. The toe-to-toe uistance is 2S-Sucm. 9u Although the athlete
exits the stait quickei, he will not expeiience as much uiive potential fiom the legs
in compaiison to the othei 2 stance types, iesulting in pooiei acceleiation iesponse.
The elongateu stait iemoves a lot of the piouuction of the ieai foot since it's
so fai behinu the fiont foot, with the toe-to-toe uistance 6u-7Scm. 9u Theie is not as
much collective effoit fiom both feet on the pushoff. Fuitheimoie, the back foot is
not only inhibiteu some, but it's faithei back than the othei two types anu it will
take longei foi that fiist step to occui. Both of these factois iesult in pooiei
acceleiation. Foi a piopei elongateu stait, the knee of the ieai leg neeus to even
with the heel of the fiont foot.
The meuium stait then becomes the victoi by uefault. It pioviues the piopei
amount of leg uiive anu stance length which allows foi fastei acceleiation, anu
iemoves the uisauvantages associateu with the fiist two stance types. The piopei
cue foi this stait is to biing the knee of the ieai leg even with the miuule of the fiont
foot. Toe-to-toe uistance is 4u-SScm. 9u Below is a chait that was cieateu fiom a
stuuy in 196S that showeu the gieatest numbei of fast staits oiiginateu fiom a
meuium stait style. 91 You may question the fact that the stuuy was conuucteu
exactly Su yeais ago, but theie weie othei stuuies since then that confiim the
oiiginal finuings. 92 9S

Table 2: Number of Fastest Sprints Nade from Three
Starts
Yards Sprinted Bunch Start Nedium Start Elongated Start
10 5 17 6
20 7 16 5
30 11.5 10 6.5
+0 9 13.5 5.5

97

50 12.5 13.5 2
Totals +5 70 25
Adapted from Sigerseth and Grinaker (1963)

Piopei knee angle is the next technique. Accoiuing to the ieseaich, iueal
fiont knee angle is appioximately 1uu uegiees, anu iueal ieai knee angle is 1SS
uegiees. 9S 94
The last iemaining technique is the Bistance fiom Stait Line. This is a
methou iefeiieu to as WSN Nethou (Winklei, Seagiave, anu Nann) Nethou. With
this appioach you place the toes of the fiont foot 2 feet fiom the staiting line, anu
the toes of the ieai foot S feet fiom the staiting line. This appioach may place you in
a meuium stait anu lock in piopei foot positioning foi maximal acceleiation out of
the stait, but not in eveiy case. Tiy it, but if the knee of the ieai leg is not even with
the miuule of the leau foot, ieaujust youiself until you get theie.
0n a final note, I woulu like to shaie one moie stuuy fiom Neio in 198S that
was conuucteu on a seiies of male spiinteis with times ianging fiom 1u.8 sec + oi -
S tenths of a seconu in the 1uu-metei uash. 9S In the table below you will see the
spectium of vaiious joint angles iecoiueu in the stuuy that showcase how each
shoulu be positioneu foi maximal acceleiation out of the stait. Please note that I
ianuomly selecteu S of my tiainees anu hau them set up in the stait accoiuing to the
geneial guiuelines listeu eailiei anu measuieu each joint with a goniometei. All S of
the tiainees satisfieu the ianges below except foi the fiont ankle angle. This table is
pietty impiactical anu thankfully iuns paiallel with the pieviously mentioneu stait
position iecommenuations.

Table 3: values of the Best Sprinters in "Set" Position
Neasures values *(Nero et al, 1983)
Front Ankle Angle (q1) 115 9
Rear Ankle Angle (q+) 106 8
Front Knee Angle (q2) 111 9
Rear Knee Angle (q5) 13+ 1+
Front Hip Angle (q3) +1 1+

98

Rear Hip Angle (q6) 80 13
Angle of the Trunk (q7) 29 9
Angle of the Arms(q8) 106 7
Height of the Centre of Gravity (h) 0.605 0.037m
Horizontal distance of Centre of Gravity (f) 0.189 0.089m

%C;:3" %"0;"

So now that we unueistanu eveiything we have to uo piioi to oui actual
takeoff, let's look at what shoulu happen next. Eveiy pait of youi bouy is "pie-set"
in the iueal angles anu position, anu you aie ieauy to unleash all of that stoieu
eneigy in the most explosive fashion possible. So what uo we uo next. Theie is a
small seiies of featuies we neeu to uisplay to emulate a woilu-class spiintei. See
below.

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Aftei we have pieset oui bouy, we shoulu now capitalize off this position.
The entiie spine, incluuing the heau uown to oui lowei back, shoulu stay in a
stiaight anu neutial alignment anu "snap up." Neaning you neeu to iaise youi spine
up as fast as possible. Nost people aie pooi at this at fiist. They hesitate oi uon't
snap at all. The snap will cieate moie momentum in the taiget uiiection off the
stait, pioviue gieatei acceleiation, anu make it easiei foi us to ie-establish oui base
of suppoit anu balance foi subsequent steps.
Aftei numbei 1 has been satisfieu, it's ciitical that oui entiie bouy, minus the
swing leg, be positioneu at 4S uegiees to the giounu. The uiagonal position cieates
positive shin, knee, anu hip angles which cieates gieatei anu longei leg uiive which
incieases powei output anu acceleiation out of the gate. Coaches anu tiaineis ovei-
iate the lean ovei the othei shaieu techniques, but at least they aie awaie that the
lean is pait of an acceleiation-baseu stiiue that cieates gieatei speeu initially. 9
times out of 1u, when an athlete is leaining this technique, they will lean fai too
much foi theii powei output with theii toiso lying paiallel with the giounu. As you

99

will see shoitly, this may be iueal foi a high-level spiintei, but not foi a majoiity
who aie just staiting to spiint. view it as a piogiession. Foi the majoiity, this
appioach shifts oui C0u too fai foiwaiu, minimizing oui ability to inciease stiiue
length since we have to touch uown quickly to maintain balance, anu it pievents full
extension in oui hips. The athlete will inevitably stumble anu look fai less fluiu as
well in this postuie.
Reseaich suggests that an angle of 4S uegiees is optimal foi tiansitioning out
of the blocks oi a S- oi 4-point stance. 9S This 4S-uegiee angle shoulu unfolu into an
upiight position natuially within appioximately 1u yaius. Aftei this occuis, the
bouy will still maintain a ielatively small lean if Foiefoot Bominance is piesent like
it shoulu be. We neeu to accept the fact that the extieme bouy angle that occuis
uuiing acute acceleiation will subsiue soonei iathei than latei. Bo not attempt to
inteiiupt the natuial piogiession of postuies uuiing spiinting, which tiansitions
quickly fiom the lean to the upiight stiiue. Bowevei, some ieseaich has shown that
those who weie able to maintain theii balance with a moie hoiizontal bouy line uiu
iecoiu fastei staits than the 4S-uegiee bouy angle thiough gieatei impulse (Foice x
time) even though they felt off balance. 96
The uouble push-off is anothei one of those still "seciet" oi "hiuuen" factois.
Intuitively, I was able to iuentify it, anu ieseaich confiimeu it. 96 Athletes who
iecoiueu the best staits uiove off with both feet simultaneously foi an instant just
befoie the ieai leg swung thiough anu lanueu on the giounu. 2 push-offs in this
unique ciicumstance aie gieatei than one. 0ften times, athletes will lift the fiont
foot anu uiive off the weakei back foot out of natuial movement behavioi, oi they
will only apply effoit with the fiont foot. Both aie wiong anu neeu to be coiiecteu
immeuiately to maximize youi tiansition out of the stait, oi anothei stance type. It
was also noteu that the fiont leg uoes uiive moie than the ieai, but we uo neeu both
to uiive out quickly.
Aim anu leg uiive is piobably the coolest featuie of the stait to watch,
especially in the elite athletes. The goal is not to save anu piouuce foice latei like so
many think, but insteau to acceleiate as fast as possible. Explosive, synchionizeu,
anu opposing aim-leg uiive uoes this the best. The aims anu legs shoulu natuially
move opposite one anothei since this pattein is natuial to walking anu iunning, so
you won't neeu to teach it usually. In case you uo neeu to, just infoim athletes to
uiive the aim on siue of the fiont leg foiwaiu, anu the aim on the siue of the back
leg backwaius. Feet will act natuially. Fiontsiue anu backsiue mechanics will be
ievisiteu anu applieu heie. The fiont leg shoulu fully extenu oi stiaighten at the hip,
knee, anu ankle, leaving no ciease oi visible angle once complete. The back leg will
swing foiwaiu with the hip, knee, anu ankle all positioneu at 9u uegiees. The aims
have no choice but to fiie off fast thiough a full iange of motion out of the gate.
"Naybe the biain fiies at the same time to synchionize the bouy... uoesn't mattei

1uu

since the neive impulses have to tiavel 4u% longei to ieach the lowei
extiemity" (Zeiniich 199S). 1S

(Photo courtesy of Darren Wilkinson)

Bolt and the crew exhibiting powerful and coordinated arm and leg drive right out of the blocks!

The final thing you neeu to uo to maximize youi speeu out of the stait is
emphasize stiiue length. This is geneially unnatuial anu counteiintuitive foi most,
especially weakei athletes. In 199S, Naitin Bailanu of the 0niveisity of
Wollongong, Austialia, conuucteu a stuuy that took 26 athletes, anu utilizeu staiting
blocks that measuieu exeiteu foice output foi 2.S meties. 97 Bailanu founu that the
iunneis who piouuceu moie hoiizontal foice ian fastei. Fuitheimoie, these same
inuiviuuals weie moie capable of keeping theii centei of mass faithei out in fiont of
theii feet. What this means is that these inuiviuuals weie capable of cieating moie
stiiue length. Not only uo you impiove single leg stiength anu iun fastei, but you
make aim anu leg uiive much easiei to come by as well. Bow uo you assess stiiue
length. Piactically speaking, counting foot contacts at the fiist ten yaius woiks well,
anu we now know that stiiue length is key to speeu, anu exactly how many steps (6-
7) we shoulu take to be veiy competitive at this uistance. Peisonally, I think
counting foot contacts oi steps foi ten yaius is also anothei useful measuie to see if
all S of the stait techniques aie being employeu by the athlete. Anothei useful tool
is focusing on the swing leg. Foi so long, we weie taught not to focus on the swing
leg, but now ieseaich suppoits this iuea anu it's impoitant heie. In 2uu7 in 87&(61

1u1

-.&/#0"*).01; Buntei anu his team iuentifieu that moie flexion at the hip oi
swinging of the leg foiwaiu iesulteu in quickei iecoveiy anu touchuown of the foot,
anu it also positioneu that foot in a moie auvantageous position to be able to
ieuiiect foice back into the giounu. 98 You want to make suie you fully extenu youi
stance leg at all S joints, but that back leg has to iecovei by swinging thiough iapiuly
anu lanuing out in fiont of you to keep you fiom falling. Check out the pievious
pictuie that auuiesseu aim anu leg uiive anu you will see exactly what it shoulu all
look like.
The last thing that I want to mention in iegaius to the stait of a spiint is that
just like oveiall speeu, it can be taught, leaineu, anu uevelopeu just like any othei
skill. The common excuse by many is that only shoit inuiviuuals with shoit bones oi
leveis anu a lowei centei of giavity can mastei this pait of a spiint. This is a lie.
Theie is no uenying that they have a uistinct anu majoi auvantage ovei theii tallei
counteipaits anu may always be a bit bettei, but if a tallei inuiviuual bulks theii legs
like ciazy, impioves theii squat anu ueaulift to iiuiculous levels, masteis these
techniques, anu mentally wants to win, then it's moie than possible they can uefy
the ouus, oi at the veiy least, make majoi impiovements fiom wheie they staiteu.
The objective is to always cuie youi weaknesses anu continue to uevelop youi
stiengths. In the woius of Kelly Baggett: "0nfavoiable leveiages can sometimes be
oveicome by favoiable stiength levels." Put uiffeiently, theie always exists a
tiaining solution to help any bouy type oi stiuctuie oveicome theii weaknesses so
that they can become competitive.

1u2

%C;:3":38 (f(;1:%(%M

Befoie we uive into this topic, I want to cieuit elite speeu coach anu foimei
spiintei Latiff Thomas foi intiouucing the concept I'm about to uiscuss with you.
It's calleu "Shoit to Long." What this means is that we stait small anu simple with
oui spiint tiaining anu then woik out to moie complicateu uistances anu patteins.
In othei woius, athletes will anu shoulu stait anu become pioficient at 1u-yaiu
spiints, then 2u, 4u, 6u, etc. Theie aie at least two ieasons why this stiategy is
impoitant. Fiist, it pievents injuiy, anu uoing too much too soon. I've witnesseu S
oluei men at the facility in which I tiain completely teai theii hamstiings by
violating this aiguable piinciple. The ouus of you teaiing youi hamstiing with S-1u
1u-yaiu spiints aie fai less than when you peifoim S 6u-yaiu spiints. It's a thiiu of
the volume. Fuitheimoie, the shoitei uistances cieate gieatei knee angle anu
activity, which automatically uispeises the iunning stiess moie evenly acioss all
muscle gioups. When we exit the initial acceleiation phase then oui knees anu
ankles stiaighten anu the majoiity of the woik is placeu on the hamstiings. Nultiply
this by seveial spiints, auu a weak anu ueconuitioneu bouy to boot, anu you can see
the laige iisk. Seconuly, shoitei uistance spiints aie uiffeient than longei uistance
ones. Each uistance iequiies a uiffeient iatio of skills oi neeus, anu the postuie anu
spiint patteins also become uiffeient. With that being saiu, it's easiei foi the athlete
anu theii bouy to leain to ingiain a single uistance anu spiint pattein peifectly,
iathei than thiowing in multiple uistances anu uiffeient patteins.
The fiist spiinting exeicise that shoulu be intiouuceu to athletes oi clients is
the 1u-yaiu uash. This uiill combines the skills of acceleiation, staiting stiength,
maximal stiength, powei anu explosiveness, anu it's spoit specific. You may have
heaiu the phiase that many spoits aie playeu within a S- to 1u-yaiu box in all
uiiections. It's tiue. An athlete neeus to mastei a S- oi 4-point stance oi any othei
stance vaiiation, anu acceleiate well at this uistance befoie piogiessing to the next
level of 2u yaius. What sepaiates the gieat peifoimeis at this uistance veisus the
longei ones is piimaiily theii maximum stiength levels. The best 1u-yaiu iunneis
I've hau coulu squat oi ueaulift at least 2x theii bouy weight. When you analyze all
of the biomechanical factois it makes sense. Nomentum is non-existent since the
bouy is completely static in the chosen stance type once youi setup is complete. It
then becomes an ability of expiessing as much stiength as you can to oveicome youi
iesting ineitia. Foot contacts will natuially be longei since theie is no momentum,
oi ieuuceu iesistance of youi bouy mass. The iunnei who can summon the most
"foice" ielative to theii bouyweight will geneially be the winnei heie anu get theii
bouy acceleiating fastei than the weakei one.
The next piogiession is the 2u-yaiu uash. This is anothei unueimineu
uistance in acceleiation anu speeu uevelopment foi many. I bet if I tolu you a time
that was elite foi this uistance you woulu look at me with a blank staie on youi face.

1uS

The 2u-yaiu uash is basically a continuation of the 1u-yaiu uash, with two
uistinctions. At this point the athlete moves fiom a "lean stiiue" into moie of an
"upiight stiiue." This switches the muscle activity to moie of the hamstiings anu
builus anu expiesses moie stiength in this muscle gioup. Powei, acceleiation, anu
spoit specificity aie still veiy piesent at this point, anu this test can help impiove
anu is a piecuisoi to top speeu that comes latei on. A majoiity of plays in spoit aie
playeu at this uistance, so uiiect exposuie to this uistance in spiinting will natuially
caiiy ovei to the couit oi fielu. I guaiantee it. Beie aie some hanuhelu stanuaius
foi female anu male high school athletes in the 2u-yaiu uash, compliments of Biggei,
Fastei, Stiongei. It also incluues stanuaius foi the 4u-yaiu uash as well.
0nfoitunately, theie aie no stanuaius to uate foi male anu female collegiate anu
piofessional athletes. I'll keep seaiching, anu hopefully at some point oui cultuie
can establish these foi us.

http:www.highei-fastei-spoits.comsuppoit-fileswomen's-speeu.puf
http:www.highei-fastei-spoits.comsuppoit-filesmen's-speeu.puf

I've uone some ieseaich on my own anu accoiuing to theii times, I woulu say theii
uata collection was goou. I think as time goes on anu moie anu moie athletes use
acceleiation anu speeu tests in theii athletic tiaining, we will be able to naiiow
uown the stanuaius moie piecisely. Nonetheless, the ianking stanuaius pioviueu
aie a gieat geneial iefeience foi any coach, athlete, etc.
The final stage of spiinting exeicise is eithei the 4u- oi 6u-yaiu uash. I will
be iefeiencing the 4u-yaiu uash because it is moie familiai to many than the 6u.
They aie essentially the same thing, though, anu coulu be tieateu as such. This 4u-
yaiu uash has been piobably the most highly populaiizeu athletic tiaining event
piomoteu in the inuustiy, along with the veitical jump. Some coaches anu tiaineis
absolutely uespise it, while otheis bank on the test. The question is then shoulu we
use it if we aie looking to get fastei. Without a shauow of a uoubt, YES!!! Beie aie
some ieasons why. Fiist, the uistance is spoit-specific, whethei you want to aumit it
oi not. The iatio of shoit-uistance speeu woik to longei uistance is uefinitely in
favoi of the foimei, but theie aie still situations wheie longei uistance woik occuis.
Examples incluue a iunning back bieaking loose foi a touchuown, a soccei playei
eluuing an opponent anu heauing towaius the goal, anu a baseball playei hitting a
tiiple. If we elect to omit this type of tiaining exeicise fiom oui athletes, then we
ieuuce theii acceleiation anu top speeu, inciease injuiy iisk, anu leave them ill-
equippeu when the time comes to compete. You may have just noticeu that I saiu
"Top Speeu." This is coiiect. If you iecall in the beginning of the book, I iefeienceu
a quote fiom aiguably the best 0lympic speeu coach in oui histoiy, Chailie Fiancis,
who noteu that iepoits show that a vast majoiity of athletes who aie not 0lympic-
level spiinteis will ieach theii top speeu aiounu 4u to 6u yaius. So by using this

1u4

uistance in tiaining, athletes will natuially not only leain to inciease theii speeu anu
acceleiate fastei, but they will conuition theii neuiomusculai system to acceleiate
longei as well, iesulting in gieatei top speeu. Along with spoit specificity, top
speeu uevelopment, acceleiation, anu powei, 4u-yaiu uashes uo a goou job in
ueveloping anaeiobic conuitioning. Repetitive maximum effoit 4u-yaiu uashes aie
veiy taxing on the bouy, especially the fastei you become. This is one of many
ioutes in this piogiam wheie we uevelop the Specific Eneigy Systems oi
conuitioning types foi athletes, so that they aie able to last longei in competition
anu suppoit highei speeu output iepeateuly.
Noieovei, we encountei the othei enu of the powei spectium with the 4u-
yaiu uash. Recall the 1u-yaiu uash, wheie biomechanical factois such as oui
momentum anu uCT aie uiffeient. As we acceleiate anu ieach top speeu aiounu the
4u-yaiu maik, momentum is much highei, the iesistance of oui bouy mass is much
less, anu oui uCTs aie heavily ieuuceu. This specific set of conuitions iequiies us to
ieciuit oui muscles anu piouuce foice at an extiemely high "velocity" if we want to
continue to iun fastei.
Next, the hamstiings aie veiy uominant at this point uuiing the iun. The
uiffeience between gieat speeu anu pooi speeu at this point will be ueteimineu
piimaiily by hamstiing stiength anu powei, along with RFB (Rate of Foice
Bevelopment), oi speeu of oui muscles as was just uiscusseu. The 4u-yaiu uash
then automatically uevelops this pait of oui essential anatomy.
Lastly, the 4u-yaiu uash iegulates the function of peifoimance at both
shoitei anu longei uistances. This is one of the most unaccepteu anu oveilookeu
aspects of the 4u-yaiu uash. Bo people who iun fast 4u-yaiu uashes geneially
always iun a fast 2u-yaiu uash. Yes. Bo you know who hau the fastest Fully
Electionic 2u-yaiu uash. C} Spillei of the Buffalo Bills. At his NFL Combine, he
iecoiueu a 2.41 seconu iun! That's amazing. C}'s 4u-yaiu uash was a veiy aiguable
4.S8, anu his fastest unofficial was a 4.27! Anu theie aie plenty of examples like this
one. What many uo not iealize about the 4u-yaiu uash is that it pioviues an extia
2u yaius anu aiounu a uozen moie stiiues to teach oui bouy to inciease its speeu.
Noie oppoitunity can mean moie success in this case. Theie exists an obvious
coiielation between 4u-yaiu peifoimance anu 2u-yaiu peifoimance, anu it's
because the 4u helps builu moie speeu anu powei that tianslate into shoitei
uistances. The hamstiings aie still veiy active in shoitei uistances, anu the 4u
builus this muscle gioup, thus we get tiansfei theie as well. Also, theie is a stiong
coiielation between the 4u-yaiu uash anu the 1uu-yaiu uash. Asiue fiom the fact
that the most successful NFL Combine peifoimeis in the 4u-yaiu uash weie
uecoiateu collegiate spiinteis, this holus tiue foi even 0lympians, who aie the
fastest humans in the woilu!

1uS

Note: RT stanus foi Reaction Time fiom staiting gun.

Nothing ieally neeus to be saiu aftei looking at this. The iange of 4u-yaiu
uash times among the fastest 1uu-metei iunneis in histoiy iangeu fiom 4.19-4.SS
seconus! Although this chait anu infoimation have no beaiing foi a team spoit
athlete, I still thought it was impoitant nonetheless.
The final spiinting exeicise that I woulu like to uiscuss is "Flying Spiints."
Flying spiints aie uesigneu to impiove the athlete when he oi she is spiinting anu
alieauy "flying" so that heshe can impiove the tiansition fiom acceleiation to top
speeu. We usually iun 2u- anu Su-yaiu flying spiints, meaning the athlete will stait
how they noimally uo anu then we emphasize timing anu focus fiom the 2u- oi Su-
yaiu maik up until the 4u- anu 6u-yaiu maik. The flying spiint vaiiations uo a
fantastic job at builuing speeu since giounu contact will be minimal, anu they builu
hoiizontal foice piouuction anu glute-ham stiength anu powei. These can be
peifoimeu in auuition to iegulai spiints, oi seive as a substitute if athletes stiuggle
with the tiansition, oi as a complement foi a complete spiinting piogiam.

1u6

AF-,-!G *%& HI-+J%#00

Since I can iemembei, the majoiity of focus in most speeu anu athletic
uevelopment piogiams have been placeu on impioving stiength, size, fat loss,
speeu, powei, anu conuitioning. veiy little attention has been specifically paiu to
agility anu quickness, even though it's these two skills that aie just as essential as
the iest in spoit. As a testament to this statement, if you analyze the top 1u
peifoimeis in the 4u-yaiu uash fiom 2u12 anu 2u1S, only two of them iankeu in the
top 1u in the 2u-yaiu shuttle iun, which is an agility- anu quickness-baseu uiill. The
othei similai baseu uiill, calleu the "S Cone Biill" showeu almost piecisely the same
outcome, except that only one of the top 1u 4u-yaiu uash peifoimeis fiom 2u1S
iankeu in the top 1u of the S Cone Biill. 99 This woulu at the veiy least inuicate
that Agility anu Quickness is unique anu neeus to be piacticeu. ueneial stiength,
speeu anu powei tiaining will not make an athlete optimally effective at changing
uiiection, accoiuing to many stuuies. 1uu 1u1 1u2 1uS I can attest to this in my own
tiaining anu tiaining of otheis. Conveisely, the top 1u iunneis of each gioup in
agility at the combine weie also fast though, anu theie is one iepoit that uoes show
a soliu coiielation between spiinting speeu anu agility. 86 Noie specifically,
accoiuing to the Bistoiical NFL Scouting Combine Bata site, the top 1u fastest
peifoimeis in the Pio Agility Shuttle Run, aveiageu a 4.S2 anu 4.4S 4u-yaiu uash in
2u12 anu 2u1S. 1u4 0f couise this is only a iepoit fiom 2 yeais, but it is inteiesting
anu pietty confiiming that lineai speeu anu spiint peifoimance matteis when it
comes to being able to change uiiection bettei. Noieovei, many of the uiiection
change exeicises iequiie a stiong lineai speeu element. }ust analyze them foi a
moment. The athlete plants, tuins, anu then spiints "foiwaiu" in the new uiiection
in most cases. Lastly, theie is a top-uown ielationship between all speeu exeicises
iegaiuless of uistances oi uiiection tiaveleu. As you have seen, the 1uu-metei
iunneis have fast 6us anu 4us. Runneis who have a fast 4u have fast 2us anu 1us.
Anu most agility exeicises span ten yaius. So being poweiful anu fast oveiall is
going to benefit you in agility anu quickness uiills. Theie is not an optimal
ielationship between agility anu speeu, but theie is a stiong one. Befoie I continue,
I woulu like to quickly uefine what each of these teims mean. Agility anu quickness,
by uefinition, is the ability to stait (oi acceleiate), stop (oi ueceleiate anu stabilize),
anu change uiiection quickly, while maintaining piopei postuie. 48 Change of
uiiection tiaining is anothei similai teim useu that means the same exact thing. I
woulu like to mouify what Claik saiu about the agility anu quickness uefinition. This
type of tiaining is wheie an athlete initiates acceleiation in one uiiection,
ueceleiates in that same uiiection, anu then cuts anu ie-acceleiates into a new
uiiection. 0bviously, the majoiity of athletes aie iequiieu to be agile anu quick at
any given moment uuiing competition, otheiwise they will get uefeateu. Peiiou.
Also, a majoiity of injuiies have been founu to occui in movements that can be

1u7

impioveu by agility anu quickness tiaining. "Reseaich uemonstiates that most
injuiies occui in the tiansveise plane uuiing eccentiic muscle contiactions." 48 This
is just a bunch of fancy jaigon foi an activity such as iotating the bouy (tiansveise
plane) as you step anu benu youi joints (eccentiic contiaction) in an effoit to
complete a cut in a new uiiection. This is exactly what you will encountei in agility
anu quickness tiaining.
Next, we will examine the agility anu quickness techniques you neeu to know
anu peifoim in oiuei to be successful anu stay injuiy-fiee.

*F-,-!G *%& HI-+J%#00 !#+"%-HI#E

I want to stait this section of the chaptei off by saying that many of the
pievious techniques uiscusseu in the "spiinting technique" section will still apply
heie, along with some new ones. Agility anu quickness tiaining still involves a veiy
stiong element of lineai oi stiaightfoiwaiu spiinting at ceitain phases of the uiills,
so we still neeu to keep all of those in minu anu peihaps ievisit them if neeu be.
Now let's look at the new techniques specific to agility anu quickness.

KLM/3>843 &4D4A43<2:>5N
It was not until a couple of yeais ago that I ieally staiteu to pick up on this
quiet anu costly eiioi in movement. Beceleiation is simply the ability to slow oui
moving mass. In the context of agility anu quickness tiaining, ueceleiation becomes
a natuial anu essential function of multi-uiiectional movement since most athletes
aie not stiong anu poweiful enough to uemonstiate a "Step anu Cut," oi stopping on
a uime. This is wheie an athlete baiely ueceleiates at all, ueceleiates veiy quickly,
anu maintains an extiemely high level of acceleiation cieateu in the cuiient
uiiection as they go to switch couise anu change uiiection. The "Step anu Cut" is the
ultimate goal foi any athlete, anu is piimaiily iegulateu by, not suipiisingly,
P0WER! The objective with ueceleiation tiaining is to ueceleiate only as much as
you neeu to in oiuei to ie-acceleiate in a new uiiection. This way, you will be
moving as fast as possible as you change uiiection. The way to gauge this is by
checking to see if the athlete is unuei-ueceleiating oi ovei-ueceleiating uuiing a
uiill.

I5943M94D4A43<2:>5: Not slowing uown enough on youi tuins which leaus to a
uelay anu slowei movement.

(O43M94D4A43<2:>5: Slowing uown too much oi completely stopping on youi tuins,
which leaus to a uelay anu slowei movement.

1u8

The next question that geneially emeiges is how uo you know if you aie
committing eithei of these eiiois oi not. Foitunately, I have been able to iuentify a
quick anu easy way to assess if you aie committing one oi the othei, anu how to fix
it. Foi unuei-ueceleiation, the iunnei will eithei take too few stuttei oi gathei
steps, anu move too fast when they go to change uiiection. This cieates an
inevitable uelay anu slowei movement. If this is the case, the iunnei shoulu take a
couple of extia-explosive stuttei steps anu move a bit slowei. If this iemoves the
uelay, they weie unuei-ueceleiating anu you iemoveu the eiioi.
Foi ovei-ueceleiation, the iunnei will take too many stuttei steps oi move
too slow befoie attempting to tuin the othei uiiection. If this is the case, the iunnei
shoulu take a couple less stuttei steps anu move fastei befoie they tuin. If this
iemoves the uelay then obviously the athlete was ovei-ueceleiating anu you
iemoveu the eiioi.
0ltimately, you have no exact way of knowing whethei one oi the othei is
occuiiing, so you expeiiment with both to come to a conclusion as a coach. The
goal foi eveiy athlete, though, is to minimize ueceleiation as much as possible by
taking the fewest amount of stuttei oi gathei steps, but with no uelay on the tuin.
You shoulu be piacticing anu looking foi "constant movement" in anu out of tuins as
much as you can. The athlete shoulu look like they aie liteially maintaining speeu,
as they move in one uiiection anu then the othei. The best moveis uo this veiy well.
0n a final note, powei anu stiength aie veiy impoitant in being able to pievent
unuei-ueceleiation fiom occuiiing, anu if you weie to pick an eiioi to occui it
woulu be this one. This mistake cieates a souice of oveiloau foi the athlete which
will stimulate stiength anu powei gains in much the same way a baibell oi
uumbbell woulu in the weight ioom. The uiffeience heie is that the iesistance takes
the foim of incieaseu momentum. As long as the athlete knows how to plant anu
position theii bouy, anu they have spent some time piacticing the uiills, then fastei
motion can be toleiateu anu iecommenueu. Aftei they become moie poweiful they
will be able to "switch" theii momentum quickei anu ie-acceleiate fastei in the next
uiiection.
0vei-ueceleiation is usually moie of an awaieness issue than anything. Tell
the athlete they aie slowing uown too much anu they become awaie anu fix it
immeuiately. Tiying to minimize ueceleiation when attempting to tuin in a new
uiiection iequiies a tiemenuous amount of stiength anu powei to be able to move
against all of the iesistance anu momentum you cieateu as you heau in a new
uiiection. Again, this all iepiesents the syneigy anu influence each tiaining skill has
on the othei.

1u9

KPMQR 946344 S>9C <56A4N
The 4S-uegiee bouy angle is going to be key in maximizing youi acceleiation
in an agility anu quickness exeicise. With this angle you builu "giavitational
suppoit" veisus an upiight position. The 4S-uegiee angle foices youi bouy to move
in the intenueu uiiection no mattei what. Check out Auiian Peteison exemplifying
the 4S-uegiee bouy angle.

(Photo courtesy of James Foehl )

Auiian Peteison showcasing the 4S-uegiee bouy angle heie! This bouy position impioves his leveiage by
loweiing his Centei of uiavity anu maximizing acceleiation out of the cut.

KTM/A<52 '>>2 />;:2:>5:56N
It uoes not mattei the movement scenaiio, if you examine the plant foot, you
will notice that it is the "outsiue foot" at "9u uegiees" fiom wheie the bouy is going
to go. 0pon obseivation anu analysis, this occuis almost all of the time if the client
possesses piopei hip mobility. If we want to move to the iight, we will plant oui left
foot anu it will be facing foiwaiu at 9u uegiees fiom oui uestination. Tiy it. The
uisciete value of this action woulu be a specific iefeience foi foot iepositioning as
you move. With this guiueline you know exactly wheie youi plant foot neeus to be
when you change uiiection each time. Lastly, the plant foot at 9u pievents
unwanteu "pivoting" in movement. Too many times athletes uo not position theii
feet piopeily, iotate too much, oi even too little, anu iisk injuiy. Asiue fiom
basketball, the pivot is vERY uangeious foi the involveu ankle anu knee. }ust
iemembei that you will plant oi step with the outsiue foot, oi the foot faithest away
fiom wheie you will be heaueu a majoiity of the time. Foi example, if you aie
tiaveling foiwaiu anu the uiill iequiies, oi you oi youi opponent ueciue, to move to
youi iight, then you will plant with youi left foot anu exploue to the iight.
Biomechanically, planting off the outsiue foot allows giavity to suppoit you, anu you
ieciuit anu use muscles (glutes anu hamstiings) that aie much stiongei anu
poweiful veisus planting anu uiiving off the insiue foot (gioinauuuctois), anu it
cieates a bettei acceleiation angle of the bouy. Theie aie ciicumstances wheie you

11u

will uiive off the insiue foot, but this is pietty iaie. Anothei benefit of this technique
is that youi bouy mass will be that much closei to wheie you aie heaueu.

KQM.>O4 C>?3 @442
Paiaphiasing Lee Taft; it's easiei to move the feet unuei youi mass insteau of
youi mass ovei youi feet when moving in a new uiiection. This is so tiue if you tiy
it, anu it's uue to the fact that it's easiei to move just the feet anu lowei bouy iathei
than the whole bouy initially when changing uiiection.

KRM":8 !?35
If youi foot is in the iight position (outsiue foot at 9u uegiees) then the next
step is to ieally open up anu use youi hips as you go to take youi fiist step in the
new uiiection. The hip tuin ieally sets the stage anu feeus eneigy anu effoit wheie
we want to go. If you look back at the "}oint by }oint Appioach" fiom the stiength
section, the hip is mobile anu was meant to iotate. The hip contains some of the
biggest anu stiongest musculatuie in the bouy, anu if we use all of this to oui
auvantage anu tuin the hips then we will natuially be much stiongei anu poweiful.

KU-*27A42:D 02<5D4N
Stance is anothei big factoi foi agility anu quickness. A piopei athletic
stance is ieally just piopei postuie. You uon't want to be imbalanceu in any way
anu have an unstable founuation when attempting to move in a new uiiection. Youi
weight shoulu be balanceu thiough youi feet; you shoulu be on the balls of youi feet,
anu you want a slight benu in the knees with the hips back, back stiaight anu
shoulueis foiwaiu fiom a lateial peispective. Fiom the fiont, feet aie shouluei
wiuth, the athlete shoulu look symmetiical anu you shoulu be able to uiaw veitical
lines fiom the fiont of theii feet, up thiough theii kneecaps anu fiont of theii pelvis,
up to the shouluei.

111

Ninoi League Baseball playei Eiik 0nueiwoou is ieauy to acceleiate in any uiiection with this piopei athletic
stance postuie!

)#"#*)0#& #V#)+-0#0

Reheaiseu agility anu quickness exeicises aie wheie the uiill that is being
peifoimeu is alieauy pie-meuitateu anu choieogiapheu foi the athlete. The athlete
knows exactly what movement they neeu to peifoim anu wheie they neeu to go. It's
a gieat leaining enviionment to builu confiuence anu mastei specific agility anu
quickness techniques that weie pieviously uiscusseu so that the techniques become
automatic anu ingiaineu in the athlete's biain oi cential neivous system. This type
of exeicise is a gieat way to test anu measuie if the athlete is actually getting
quickei since the test is iepeatable. 0f couise it's not specific to spoit, but it
uefinitely helps get the athlete comfoitable anu acquainteu with agility anu
quickness tiaining. Cone uiills aie a gieat example of this categoiy of exeicise. This
type of tiaining is also iefeiieu to as "Closeu Loop Biills" in ceitain populations. It
means the same thing anu iefeis to the ability to change the uiill in action oi make a
uecision is closeu. It's uone foi you since it's ieheaiseu.

)#*+!-W# #V#)+-0#0

The goal heie is to simulate the natuie of spoit in tiaining enviionments.
Athletes neeu to be able to quickly iesponu to some visual stimulus oi cue (paitnei,
veibal commanu, etc.) anu act accoiuingly. They neeu unpieuictable scenaiios anu
ieactive-baseu exeicises to accomplish exactly this. Reactive uiills aie simply a
piogiession fiom ieheaiseu uiills. Piactice is gieat, but if you uo not peifoim well

112

in a game-like situation it uoes not mattei. You coulu view ieheaiseu uiills as a
"non-specific" foim of agility tiaining while ieactive tiaining is moie "Specific." Tag
anu chase uiills anu miiioi uiill vaiiations aie examples of this type of exeicise.
These aie also iefeiieu to as "0pen Loop Biills." The ability to change the uiill in
action anu make uecisions is open.
Beie is a stuuy conuucteu in a scientific jouinal that examineu the "ieactive
agility" skill of elite iugby playeis. 1uS The iesults of the stuuy showeu that ieactive
agility capacity was uiffeient between lessei- anu highei-skilleu inuiviuuals. The
iesults aie not shocking since this skill is highly logical when assessing anu
ueteimining the neeus of most athletes.
In this piogiam you will encountei a combination of both ieheaiseu anu
ieactive-baseu agility anu quickness tiaining. Spoit uemanus that athletes be able
to peifoim both, so it only makes sense to piepaie the athlete foi each so they aie
put in a bettei position to excel when the oppoitunity aiises.

11S

\<9C:38

}ump tiaining is an integial foim of plyometiic that builus lots of speeu anu
powei, anu neeus to be consistently piacticeu by athletes in oiuei to be successful.
villaiieal, Requena anu Cionin, in 2u12, iepoiteu that plyometiics, anu jumping
specifically, appeais to impiove spiint peifoimance. 1u6 It's spoit specific in natuie
anu it's a skill that athletes can most ceitainly leain anu uevelop with the iight
techniques, just like lifting weights anu spiinting, etc. Let's now take a look at the S
elements of jumping technique that you must mastei to maximize youi jumping
height oi uistance in any vaiiation. Please keep in minu, though, while leaining
these that "Powei" is the piimaiy factoi that affects jump peifoimance. It uoes not
mattei how well you peifoim this succession of movement phases, you will not
acquiie hops unless you builu massive levels of powei ielative to youi bouyweight.
I see young kius all the time in my own piactice who uemonstiate this seiies of
techniques beautifully, but uon't get anywheie because they aie weak anu slow. 0n
the othei hanu, it uoes not ieally mattei how someone appioaches a jump if they aie
poweiful. The powei they possess will offset pietty much eveiything anu they will
get a gieat iesult. With that being saiu, these techniques may auu an inch oi two,
anu pioviue a slight effect in jumping peifoimance. Please uo not oveianalyze anu
spenu a half houi teaching it like so many coaches, tiaineis, anu athletes uo with
this stuff. 0nce you quickly become familiai with these techniques anu builu a
ihythm with the sequence, focus all of youi effoit anu eneigy into getting stiongei
anu fastei to maximize youi powei output anu jump peifoimance.

\<9C:38 "(1?3:g<(I90%"(;:38 "?( X C?0%(% 4A 0 \<9C

C#/H$TUI6-/'.)E C#/H$
C#/H$ TWI0O-FG.J/G.-) C#/H$
C#/H$ TXI<),-/'.)E C#/H$

The fiist phase is also known as the eccentiic phase. Buiing this phase you
"loau" oi lowei youi bouy mass, stietch youi muscles, stoie potential eneigy in youi
muscles anu tenuons to be useu uuiing the actual jump coming shoitly, anu ignite
youi bouy's natuial ieflex, which impioves powei output fai moie than without this
phase oi peiiou of stietch. What's most impoitant about this phase is the speeu of
the stietch. The answei lies in Newton's Thiiu Law of Notion, which states: "Foi
eveiy action theie is an opposite anu equal ieaction." S1 Nakes sense, but this
piinciple of motion as it peitains to jumping is not noimally implementeu as pait of
an essential technique. The key is to sit fast. The common counteiaigument woulu
be that sitting fastei auus momentum anu cieates moie woik, but this is offset by

114

the fact that youi bouy incieases its powei anu stiength moie than the inciease in
extia woik you cieate. Plus Newton is a smait guy anu I uon't think he is wiong
when it comes to physics. This is step #1. Noieovei, be suie to integiate youi aims
when you aie peifoiming each of these phases. Theie was a stuuy fiom 2uuS in !"#
%&'()*+ &, <2&=#5"*)254 that showeu incieaseu aim uiive places a gieatei loau on
the legs anu incieases theii woik piouuction in jump patteins. 1u7 Aims uiive back
when you uescenu anu then foiwaiu anu up when you jump into the aii. Anu heie is
anothei one fiom the same jouinal in 2uu4. 1u8 In this stuuy, aim uiive impioveu
veitical jump height by up to 28%, along with incieasing the activity of the
pieuominant muscles of the hip as well.
Next comes the Amoitization Phase. The amoitization phase is also iefeiieu
to as the electiomechanical uelay between the eccentiic anu concentiic contiaction
wheie the muscle switches fiom ieuucing foice to piouucing the necessaiy foice to
move in the intenueu uiiection. We can just view the Amoitization Phase as the
biief anu almost nonexistent moment when we stop squatting oi loauing anu then
switch geais to jumping. The moie of a "uelay" between these two actions the moie
eneigy will be uissipateu fiom oui muscles anu the less powei we will apply into the
giounu, anu the pooiei the jump attempt. An effective cue to maximize this is to
infoim the athlete oi client to: "Constantly move oi acceleiate thiough the squat anu
jump." This simple instiuction will geneially pievent the uelay anu eneigy loss that
can occui.
The final phase of any jump vaiiation that you neeu to mastei is the
"unloauing" oi actual jump. This is uefinitely the most intuitive anu easiest phase to
mastei. Athletes oi clients know they neeu anu want to jump as fai as possible in
the intenueu uiiection, so this phase becomes pietty easy to come by. The only
thing that I can think of outsiue of specific techniques foi each jump vaiiation is
pieaching "effoit" anu intensity. Foi some these aie innate, while otheis neeu to
heai it.

\<9C:38 (f(;1:%(%

I alieauy uetaileu the vaiious types of jumping exeicises that shoulu be
peifoimeu to builu highei levels of speeu anu powei the fastest, back in the
"Plyometiics" section of the manual. I outlineu "Low Fiequency" anu "Bigh
Fiequency" categoiies in a table anu uiscusseu the chaiacteiistics of each. I woulu
ieally just be iepeating all of this heie, so if you have foigotten oi you want to know
moie about what types of jumps you shoulu peifoim then simply iefei back to the
"Plyometiics" chaptei.

11S

%C((7 =%V 1437:":43:38

Is theie a uiffeience. Absolutely! You will see why shoitly. Theie will
always be some slight uegiee of oveilap between these qualities since they function
along a continuum, but foi the most pait each is vastly uiffeient anu neeus to be
tieateu as such thiough tiaining. Noieovei, all of this encompasses the seconu
thing you neeu to uo to get fastei immeuiately, if you happeneu to ieau my sales
page. Let's quickly uefine each.

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Theie aie at least 2 ieasons why tiauitional philosophy fails in this
uepaitment anu it is always at the expense of the athlete. Fiist, coaches, athletes,
paients, etc. aie unwilling to cut out any conuitioning whatsoevei. Theie is an
actual ieason why we have what is calleu an "0FF-Season" although it's nevei
followeu these uays. Athletes continue to tiain 6-7 uays pei week at high intensities
in theii spoit, anu wonuei why they uo not get fastei oi moie athletic. The iuea of
piolongeu iecoveiy peiious uuiing spiint woikouts anu between woikouts in an
attempt to let athletes iefiesh so that they can become fastei is unspeakable. I can
heai it now, the olu school coaches shouting obscenities, calling me an iuiot, anu
iefusing to give iest because it's wasteu time that coulu be spent conuitioning anu
builuing mental toughness. They woulu ask, "Bow can an athlete become fast if they
aie not in gieat conuition." It's this oveiieaction anu ignoiance that pievents the
athlete fiom getting fastei. 0ften times, conuitioning too much is unintentional anu
people uo not even iealize that they oi theii athletes aie uoing too much.
Regaiuless, it uoes not mattei anu it's easy to commit this veiy common mistake.
Specifics on how to pievent ovei-conuitioning will be pioviueu in the "Piogiam
Besign" section, oi you coulu just follow the piogiam as it's wiitten.
Seconu, most people feel that athleticism, anu thus speeu, is a uou-given skill
that cannot be impioveu. So, if all else fails then just conuition moie! The ieason is
simple. Conuitioning uoes not iequiie elaboiate euucation anu knowleuge anu it's
mainly an issue of who can woik the haiuest, so it's an easy go-to outlet in
piogiamming. As you've cleaily alieauy seen, though, speeu can be taught, leaineu,
anu impioveu by anyone to a consiueiable uegiee who is not alieauy of elite status.
Below is a uiagiam that explains the ielationship between tiaining foi speeu oi
conuitioning. It's baseu off a single factoi, which is "Fatigue Level."

116

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A/G.ER$ ,-SB%&$$' #.E# /)' *-)'.G.-).)E 6-S

This ielationship shoulu make gieat sense, especially if you have tiaineu
befoie. Think back to when you weie tiieu anu fatigueu. Coulu you iun ielatively
fast. No. Then what about the fiist few plays of a game. You weie flying aiounu
anu you weie at youi peak foi a biief peiiou iight. Youi speeu was high, anu it's
because youi high intensity eneigy pools anu neuiomusculai system was fiesh,
untappeu still, anu veiy active anu ieauy to uelivei. 0nfoitunately, this is how the
bouy uoes anu always will opeiate no mattei what. Theie is a limiteu amount of
eneigy to suppoit this type of effoit in oui cential neivous system anu we have to
make the most of it if we want to get bettei. This just ieiteiates the 2 speeu
piinciples (oveispeeu anu specificity) that I uiscusseu in the spiinting section. The
iebuttal to this is always, "But I uon't have time to iecovei eneigy uuiing a game
anu iun fastei." Tiue, but this is why you conuition. This biings up the next point
anu piinciple which is the "Speeu Reseive." I auopteu this teim fiom Chailie
Fiancis. Basically, the fastei oi stiongei you aie, the moie woik you can uo at
lowei intensities. When you aie fatigueu anu tiieu uuiing a game, you natuially
opeiate at a lowei opeiational output, but the peison who is fastei oveiall will still
be able to uo moie woik anu act fastei if they aie in gieat conuition. Can the NFL's
fastest athlete piobably still iun fastei when he is just as tiieu as a high school
football playei. Absolutely. It's not because he is in bettei conuition. Remembei
they aie both in an equal fatigueu state. It's because he is fastei anu his 6u-7u% is
going to be highei than the high school kiu. You have to iaise youi peak. Anu you
can only uo this by getting fastei, anu this iequiies you to be FRESB. Theie is a
famous saying in the inuustiy that speeu impioves enuuiance, but enuuiance has no
beaiing on speeu. I think it's a bit of an oveistatement anu both aie impoitant, but
speeu will uefinitely help enuuiance levels. Theie was a stuuy in 199S fiom
}ohnston to suppoit incieaseu speeu foi bettei enuuiance. 1u9 This stuuy showeu a
loweieu metabolic eneigy expenuituie at fastei speeus than slowei speeus iesulting
in gieatei iunning efficiency oi economy. Beie is a numeiical example of how the
speeu ieseive woiks.

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Look at the uisciepancy between the fastei anu slowei iunnei at vaiious
levels of effoit of theii maximum. You coulu choose any uistance anu any intensity

117

anu you woulu see the same type of outcome. The "fastei" athlete is way fastei
when tiieu at lowei intensities because they have a gieat speeu ieseive they can
utilize when tiieu. The take-home message heie is uefinitely iaise youi peak anu
get as fast as you can! We coulu apply the "9u peicent iule" heie. Basically,
accoiuing to my yeais of uata tiacking, athletes can maintain 9u peicent of theii
peak oi best peifoimance. 9u% of a highei speeu is going to be bettei than a pooiei
speeu. You must uo eveiything you can to impiove anu ieset youi peak so that you
opeiate at a highei level oi output in games, piactice, anu tiaining.
I feel I've spent an ample amount of time anu effoit conveying to you what
speeu is, anu now I want to change uiiection anu ueuicateu some time to
conuitioning.
Conuitioning, as I mentioneu eailiei is the ability to opeiate an activity
longei. It coulu also be vieweu as oui inuiviuual woik capacity, oi how much woik
we can uo. The moie woik you can uo, the longei you will last anu the bettei
conuitioneu you aie. Noie specifically, it's the ability of bouy stiuctuies to be able
to uelivei moie eneigy anu fuel to taiget aieas so that we can tiain haiuei anu
longei. The key foi any type of athlete is to iuentify what type oi types of
conuitioning they neeu peifoim to best piepaie theii bouy anu suppoit activity in
competition. Theie aie S uiffeient types of conuitioning oi Eneigy Systems. Eneigy
Systems is the big new tienu to explain conuitioning. It's moie confusing, so I'm just
going to stick with conuitioning, because eveiyone is familiai with the teim. Beie is
a table that iepiesents the S types below:

Conditioning Type/ Energy System/ Duration/ Recovery/ Muscle Fiber Type/sport examples

High Intensity : Alactic-CP / 10-30 sec./ 2-5 min./ fast twitch-white(Type IIx)/ Sprinting,
Powerlifting, Olympic Lifting, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Baseball, Softball, Martial
Arts, Golf, Hockey, etc.

Moderate Intensity: Lactic / 30-180 sec/ 1-3 min./ Intermediate-pink (Type IIa)/ 400 and 800
meter dash, Triathlons, Swimming

Low Intensity: Aerobic-Oxidative / 180 sec + / 0-90 sec./ slow twitch-red (Type 1)/ 1 mile
run, Ironman, and Marathons

This book is a team spoit-, oi fielu- anu couit spoit-baseu speeu system. This
is not to say that the moueiate anu low intensity spoit types coulu not benefit, since
you inciease speeu ieseive, howevei a majoiity of methous aie uesigneu to
optimize peifoimance in the high intensity categoiy of spoits. These spoits involve
a blenu of high intensity anu low intensity conuitioning anu eneigy suppoit upon
obseivation. Theie aie peiious of all-out effoit followeu by inteimittent bouts of

118

light activity anu iecoveiy foi the next suige of effoit. Pietty simple. The
conclusion. Bigh-intensity inteival tiaining! This is well unueistoou in
contempoiaiy tiaining foi the most pait, anu conuitioning is not in neeu of special
attention neai as much as speeu anu othei essential tiaining skills. The two
common mistakes that I uo see committeu as fai as ueveloping conuitioning is the
uevelopment anu focus on the wiong eneigy system oi conuitioning type when also
tiying to impiove speeu, anu just too much total conuitioning. Both have similai
effects on speeu peifoimance. 0nfoitunately, if we uo not follow the guiuelines in
this book foi conuitioning, then oui bouy will auapt unfavoiably causing us to
become slowei. Noie specifically, fai too many athletes, coaches, anu tiaineis focus
theii effoits on the "Lactic Aciu System," whethei they iealize it oi not when tiying
to get fastei. Noie than a little concentiation on the "buin" foi the puipose of
teaching the bouy to toleiate this type of eneigy piouuct when tiaining, known as
Lactic Aciu Toleiance Tiaining, will inevitably inhibit oui neuiomusculai system
fiom becoming fastei. Fiist of all, the accumulation of aciu can inhibit specific
enzymes iesponsible foi tiansfeiiing eneigy to contiact oui muscles, anu oui
muscles cannot contiact as well. What happens when youi muscles buin in a bench
piess. Speeu slows anu eventually you cannot even lift the weight. Woilu-class
tiack anu fielu coaches have suppoiteu this statement foi yeais anu theie is quite a
bit of eviuence to suppoit it as well. A stuuy fiom Najumuai, A. anu R. Robeigs in
2u11 calleu "The Science of Speeu: Beteiminants of Peifoimance in the 1uum
Spiint" showeu that any tiaining utilizing the lactic aciu system was shown to
ueciease speeu. 78 The ieseaicheis also noteu that aeiobic pathways only supply
S% of eneigy neeus uuiing a spiint anu that peifoimance is highly ieliant upon the
Alactic-Cp System I intiouuceu just piioi. Noieovei, we can lose fast twitch (Type
IIx) fibeis if we tiain at moueiate intensities utilizing the lactic aciu system, among
othei things unfoitunately. It sucks because you liteially get punisheu foi woiking
haiuei in this case, anu hit a point of uiminishing ietuins. It's uue to oui natuial
physiology anu because you aie not moving at youi absolute fastest. I will uiscuss
the uiffeient types of muscle fibei in moie uepth in the piogiam uesign section, but
foi now you know that this type of miuule of the ioau intensity tiaining will make us
slowei, anu it shoulu make up a veiy small peicentage of a speeu tiaining piogiam.
As you can cleaily see, the "buin" is not a uesiieu effect that we want in oui
tiaining if we aie seiious about becoming fastei. It's just a natuial by-piouuct of
eneigy piouuction in the bouy. The kickei is that a laige majoiity of spoits aie
conuucteu in this conuitioning zone, so why aie coaches, tiaineis, anu athletes still
so auamant about it. I have no clue.
Finally, theie is no ieason foi this type of conuitioning to be the piimaiy type
in many team spoit athletes' piogiams, especially those who aie looking to get
fastei. Woulu you oi an athlete want to tiain anu teach youi bouy to move at a
moueiate speeu in competition. Absolutely not, but that is what most conuitioning

119

appioaches auvocate. An athlete wants to teach anu piogiam his bouy to opeiate as
fast as possible foi as long as it can iepeateuly. The benefit of this is that it impioves
oui "Alactic" oi high speeu anu powei conuitioning capacity. Not only is it spoit-
specific but it ieinfoices getting fastei. Accoiuing to Ross anu Leveiitt 11u, it
appeais that the ability of elite spiinteis to bettei utilize myokinase anu cieatine
phosphokinase enzymes gives them an euge in competition. These aie two enzymes
that help with the bieakuown anu piouuction of eneigy fiom the Alactic-CP system.
The seconu issue suiiounuing conuitioning is just the sheei volumes of
conuitioning. I am going to iemove this myth completely in the piogiam uesign
section when I uiscuss spiint fiequencies anu volumes, as it applies heie, but foi
now too much conuitioning, whethei it be thiough incieaseu volumes oi fiequency,
can limit speeu peifoimance uiamatically. }ust follow the sample woikout
guiuelines at the enu anu you will be fine. Nany iepoits have shown that high levels
of neuiomusculai fatigue can impaii spiint peifoimance. 0ne stuuy fiom Bunule
anu Weyanu, 2u12, iepoiteu that neuiomusculai fatigue anu the amount of foice
piouuction (aka powei) aie the piimaiy iegulatois of iunning speeu, N0T
conuitioning. 24 111 They also stateu that unlike long uistance enuuiance tiaining,
speeu is not limiteu in the bouy by the supply of eneigy, but the uemanu of it, anu
the ability of the bouy to use moie muscles anu use them fastei. Anecuotally, I have
seen supei-fast athletes peifoim at theii fastest speeu in pooi shape. This is
uefinitely counteiintuitive but absolutely tiue. Keep in minu that I'm iefeiiing to
one oi two maximum effoit iuns specific to testing maximum speeu befoie
enuuiance staits to become an issue. Beie is one moie fiom Wilson in 2u12 fiom
!"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" that showeu inteifeience effects
fiom conuitioning on powei, stiength, anu hypeitiophy. 112 Conuitioning was
shown to hampei these skills anu the stuuy acknowleugeu the fact that it uoes
occui, so we just neeu to manage volumes, effoits, anu be caieful anu not uo too
much. Conuitioning is still uefinitely impoitant, it is just that we can iun fast without
it contiaiy to populai belief. Conuitioning comes in when we tiy to "iepeat" oui
highest level of speeu oi impiove oui ability to peifoim at a high level longei oi
moie often.

12u

%C(1:06:@(7 %C((7 ";0:3:38 9("?47%

149C6(f ";0:3:38

Complex tiaining is a specializeu type of tiaining that is intenueu to elicit
highei levels of speeu anu powei in a paiticulai movement. Contiast tiaining anu
othei vaiiations of the teim aie useu, but they all mean the same thing. Complex
tiaining integiates the piinciples of PAP (Post Activation Potentiation). PAP occuis
when you peifoim a set of a stiength-baseu exeicise (e.g. back squat) anu then
immeuiately follow that up with a speeu-baseu movement (e.g. spiinting). The
theoiy heie is that the heaviei loau utilizeu in the stiength movement stimulates oi
excites the cential neivous system, iesulting in a gieatei oveiall output fiom the
woiking muscles. Next, we capitalize off of this effect by peifoiming a speeu-baseu
exeicise, anu the iesult is gieatei speeu since oui bouy anu taiget muscles aie moie
piouuctive. The iationale of this is awesome, but even though complex tiaining is
logical, uoes it ieally woik. The ieseaich says yes! In !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0
1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" in 2u12, NacBonalu assesseu the stiength impiovements
between thiee gioups. 0ne gioup useu iesistance tiaining, the othei useu
plyometiic tiaining, anu thiiu useu complex tiaining (iesistance + plyometiics).
The iesults showeu that all gioups maue equal impiovements in stiength, ueeming
complex tiaining as an effective alteinative mouality. 11S In anothei examination of
complex tiaining, in 2u11, Anuiews publisheu a stuuy in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0
1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" to fuithei investigate the theoiy of PAP. Be selecteu 19
female collegiate athletes anu split them into thiee uiffeient tiaining gioups. 0ne
gioup peifoimeu a plyometiic jump only; the othei peifoimeu a back squat paiieu
with the plyometiic; anu the othei peifoimeu a hang clean with the plyometiic. The
plyometiic gioup showeu the woist iesult, while the BC anu plyo gioup showeu the
most piomise, anu the BS anu plyo was in the miuule of the pack. 114
I woulu also like to mention out of the eight stuuies 11S 116 117 118 119 12u
I examineu assessing the efficacy of complex tiaining foi the lowei anu uppei bouy,
six showeu stiong suppoit of this type of tiaining, while the othei one uiu show
some impiovement, anu the last one showeu a lack of iesults with the appioach.
This eviuence helps suppoit its place in any speeu piogiam.
Lastly, be suie to take full iecoveiies aftei youi stiength exeicise anu befoie
youi speeu exeicise, anu uo not use too much weight. As a geneial iule of thumb,
we have hau gieat success woiking in uiiect powei ianges. Foi example, take 2S-
Su% of youi 1RN in a ueaulift, squat, oi sleu vaiiation, anu then follow that up with
a jump oi spiint with just youi bouyweight. Rest peiious uefinitely seem to vaiy
anu theie is science to suppoit it. Nibali piouuceu a stuuy in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/."
*)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" in 2u11 that showeu vaiiance fiom peison to peison on
powei output via complex tiaining piotocols. Resting S-4 minutes between stiength

121

anu powei exeicises seems to be the stanuaiu iest inteival accoiuing to ieseaich on
the topic. 121 Anu a stuuy by }ensen in 2u1S in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0
1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" showeu that uoing the speeu exeicise immeuiately aftei the
stiength exeicise hinueieu peifoimance. 122
Anecuotally, my clients anu I have hau gieat success with this type of
tiaining. We iegulaily utilize this appioach when we veitical jump anu spiint test
each week. It's not at all uncommon foi athletes to gain 1-2 inches on theii veit oi a
tenth of seconu uuiing spiinting when utilizing this methou of tiaining.
The othei ieason why I thoioughly enjoy implementing this tiaining stiategy
into the piogiam, asiue fiom the fact that it's been ieseaicheu anu cleaily woiks, is
because it helps bieak up the monotony foi athletes anu clients alike. If you iecall
fiom eailiei in the book, I showeu you that vaiiation is not necessaiy foi
peifoimance oi anything fiom a physiological stanupoint. The neeu foi change is
piimaiily ueiiveu fiom oui own psychology anu boieuom with ioutine. Thus,
complex tiaining supplies athletes anu clients with a souice of fun anu new tiaining.
Below is a list of stanuaiu combinations of complex tiaining that we have
useu successfully in the past. It's only faii to cieuit }oe Befianco foi piopei
classification of complex tiaining. Be uses "contiast" tiaining in his piactice, but
iemembei that they mean the same thing. The 2 categoiies that will be listeu aie
"geneial" complex tiaining anu "specific" complex tiaining. "ueneial" iefeis to the
two exeicises being non-specific. Examples woulu be a squat anu a spiint. The joint
angles anu muscle ieciuitment patteins will be somewhat unalike. "Specific"
obviously means both of the exeicises will be the same. A common aigument is that
specific complex oi contiast tiaining is supeiioi to geneial since you aie builuing
anu expiessing the stiength you attain fiom the exeicise in the exact same fashion
that it neeus to be applieu in the speeu movement. Bowevei, you have seen seveial
times thioughout this manual that is not the case, anu a geneial oi non-specific
appioach woiks just as well. Stiength is stiength. Also, iecall that muscles have key
unique featuies. They move in thiee uiiections, vaiious joint angles, anu move
thiough laige ianges of motion. Bue to this fact, iegaiuless of the categoiy we aie
using in tiaining, it's the same muscle gioups woiking anu both styles of complex
tiaining will be highly effective. What's most impoitant with complex tiaining is
PAP, oi the neuial effects of it. Theie may exist a slightly bettei benefit fiom specific
complex combos, but the effects of both geneial anu specific aie going to be high.

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K$)*# CF$HH /)' ?.GG.)E 9$'.*.)$ K/,, "#F-SH /)' ?.GG.)E

122

0%%:%"(7 %C;:3":38

Assisteu spiinting is a specializeu tiaining technique that involves cieating a
state of "0veispeeu" that iesults in the neuiomusculai system having to ieact anu
move oui limbs with gieatei foice output moie than they noimally woulu have to.
Examples of this tactic incluue uownhill spiinting on a veiy slight giaue, paitnei
assistance with banus, anu a bullet belt with a ielease mechanism. All of these allow
the athlete to move fastei than they noimally woulu at vaiying uuiations. Quite
fiankly, this is liteially the only thing I'm piomoting on this piogiam that we have
not implementeu iegulaily into oui piogiam, the ieason being that a majoiity of
these applications aie extiemely impiactical anu potentially uangeious. The
uownhill spiinting anu paitnei assistance aie gieat examples. The fiist is just flat-
out uangeious although fiequently auvocateu by many, while the seconu is just
awkwaiu anu haiu to implement. The best option by fai is the iesistance belt with a
ielease action. You will natuially cieate gieatei powei iunning with iesistance, anu
then if you auu an immeuiate iemoval of the iesistance, the highei powei output
will iemain foi a peiiou of time causing oveispeeu anu a fastei athlete. C,$/H$ )-G$
G#/G G#.H .H /) /'Q/)*$' O$G#-' G#/G : S-R,' )-G F$*-OO$)' P-F /)+-)$
HG/FG.)E / H&$$' &F-EF/OV Theie was a stuuy publisheu in !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/."
*)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ in 2u11 that analyzeu 27 female Bivision 1A Soccei playeis. The
test auministiatois utilizeu both AST (Assisteu Spiint Tiaining), RST (Resisteu
Spiint Tiaining), anu TST (Tiauitional Spiint Tiaining) methous. Reseaicheis founu
that AST was a veiy useful tool foi incieasing acceleiation levels acioss shoit
uistances. 12S This is an iueal scenaiio foi a majoiity of athletes.
Beie is anothei one fiom Ebben, 2uu8. 24 124 It involveu 1S male NCAA
Bivision S collegiate athletes who competeu in vaiious spoits. The ieseaichei then
hau the athletes peifoim spiints at high effoits acioss multiple slope uegiees. The
iesults showeu that any oveispeeu tiaining on a slope at a uegiee of gieatei than S.8
uegiees uiu not yielu fastei spiinting. Past ieseaich has shown a speeu
impiovement of about S% once the subjects who peifoimeu in the test ietuineu to
flat giounu iunning.

?:C A6(f4; ";0:3:38

Nost will be veiy familiai with this muscle gioup, anu now I woulu like to
shaie with you theii value in the act of spiinting. Theie aie moie than a uozen
vaiious muscles that compose the hip flexoi gioup. Some aie stiongei than otheis
in uiffeient inuiviuuals, but we want all of them to be stiong if we want to iun fastei.

12S

Reseaich has shown that a special type of hip flexoi known as the Psoas tenu to be
much biggei in spiinteis. 12S Anu this is the gioup that I want to give paiticulai
attention to in this section because they tenu to be fai weakei anu fai less utilizeu
then the othei hip flexois.

(Photo Couitesy of Wikipeuia)

The psoas muscle gioup consists of the Psoas Najoi anu Ninoi, anu the Iliacus
muscle. The ieasons these muscles become impoitant is because of theii
aiiangement on the femui (uppei leg) anu oui lumbai spine. They inseit highei
than the iest of the hip flexois, anu as a iesult we have to move oui leg highei than
9u uegiees to activate them. 0nfoitunately, we uo not. Think about sitting foi a
moment. 0ui hip angle will be iight at 9u uegiees. When we walk it will be fai less
than 9u uegiees, anu foi many we still won't get theie when we spiint. Thus, an
emphasis on this action becomes ciitical, piimaiily foi the sake of piopeily
peifoiming "Fiontsiue anu Backsiue Nechanics" (Refei to technique section), anu
pieventing oveiloau on the othei hip flexois that function unuei 9u uegiees of
motion at the hip. The fact is that we neeu to stiengthen all of these muscles at 9u
uegiees anu above to impiove oui speeu. 126

124

"(1?3:106 7;:66%

0K, now you shoulu be well awaie at this point that powei is the piimaiy
neeu foi a fastei athlete. Bowevei, theie aie specific techniques that athletes neeu
to be able to effectively exhibit in oiuei to piopeily position theii bouy stiuctuie foi
gieatei acceleiation anu speeu potential, anu expiession of theii peisonal powei
ability. I like to categoiize all of oui technical woik into S paits. You can uiiectly
impiove these S aieas when attempting to maximize spiinting technique. The
otheis, anu even these, I believe aie stiongly iegulateu by youi powei. The S paits
aie aim uiive, fiont anu backsiue mechanics, foiefoot uominance, intensity, anu
postuie. The iest will come as you uevelop in the weight ioom anu othei aspects.
You will see uiills listeu in the exeicise inuex that focus on each of these elements.

12S

C;48;09 7(%:83

In this paiticulai section of the book I'm going to uiscuss how to uesign a
piogiam stiictly foi spiinting, oi what is tiauitionally thought of when you heai the
teim speeu. The jumping anu agility anu quickness tiaining uesign will be
auuiesseu when I uisclose the sample woikouts at the enu of the manual. All you
will neeu to uo is follow those anu you will be set. We will bieak speeu uesign up
into S components. See below:

TUI%&F.)G.)E AF$[R$)*+
TWI%&F.)G.)E 7.HG/)*$
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Spiinting fiequency, oi how often you spiint, is absolutely vital if you aie
looking to get fastei. I cannot stiess this enough. The common appioach is to go out
anu iun eveiy uay all the time since you aie motivateu. This is the absolute woist
path to speeu you can take. 0utsiue of the initial gains you will make fiom just
uoing something, if you elect to continue this appioach inuefinitely you will aiiive
iight back wheie you staiteu (involution) anu peihaps even slowei. Bow can this
be. Baiu woik shoulu be iewaiueu, but unfoitunately oui bouy's physiology says
otheiwise. So how often shoulu we spiint. The answei; 2x pei week. This may
shock many anu you may stait to think that it sounus too goou to be tiue, but tiust
me when I say that if you follow this piogiam as its wiitten you will be veiy satisfieu
with youi iesults. What it comes uown to is that you will have a "shoit" lineai speeu
uay anu a "long" lineai speeu uay. These teims aie ielative too. Remembei this is a
team spoit baseu speeu piogiam, not tiack anu fielu. In team spoits 4u-6u yaius is
labeleu long uistance.
So why can't we spiint moie fiequently. The answei lies in oui Cential
Neivous System (CNS). When we spiint at maximum intensities, this type of activity
uiains oui neivous system. The neivous system is oui bouy's batteiy anu when it
gets uiaineu theie is less output fiom oui woiking muscles. It consists of the biain,
spinal coiu, anu all peiipheial neives; see below.

126

(Photo Couitesy of Istockphoto anu Eiaxion)

Keep the CNS fiesh anu you will have success!

Next, I think it is impoitant to uiffeientiate between spiint "iep" fiequency
anu spiint "woikout" fiequency. These aie the two types of fiequency that we have
to iuentify anu piopeily piesciibe foi oui athletes in oiuei to get fastei. The fiist
type of fiequency will be uictateu by the next component; spiint uistance. Below
aie the uiffeient uistances that will be peifoimeu on this piogiam, along with
coiiesponuing iecoveiy guiuelines between ieps acioss the way followeu up with
specific explanations as to why they aie this way. I uiscuss all of these uistances anu
theii iole in the piogiam in uetail in the "Spiinting Exeicises" section.

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Wa +'H UIW 9.)RG$H

127

àIda +'H XIc 9.)RG$H

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The specific mechanisms oi ieasons foi why we neeu to iest longei than
what is natuial at these uistances is mainly metabolic anu musculai baseu.
Netabolically, oui bouy's phosphagen system, which contains high intensity eneigy
ieseivoiis known as "phosphagen pools," is unable to iecovei anu iestoie itself veiy
fast immeuiately following a spiint, unfoitunately. We just have to wait it out while
oui bouy takes caie of this by itself inteinally. Beie is a stuuy to suppoit oui natuial
unueilying physiology. 127
In this paiticulai stuuy, subjects ian ten 4u yaiu spiints with Su seconu iest
inteivals. 0nsuipiisingly to many, the times uioppeu off uiastically ovei the couise
of iuns, by up to 17%. The ieseaicheis also measuieu the activity of all of the
plantai flexois anu iuentifieu significant ieuuctions in activity levels. The take home
message is that if you want to get fastei then you neeu to take full iecoveiies. Theie
is a time to iest moie in tiaining anu a time to ieuuce iest, in oiuei to inuuce
uiffeient auaptations oi changes in the bouy.
Beie is anothei stuuy fiom !"# %&'()*+ &, <2&=#5"*)254, by Noiin, Samozino,
Euouaiu, anu Tomazin in 2u11. 128 In this stuuy, ieseaicheis took 12 subjects anu
hau them iun 4u metei spiints. The stuuy began by having paiticipants waim-up
anu then peifoim some spiint specific exeicises piioi to testing. Next, subjects ian
4 sets of five 6 seconu spiints, followeu by 24 seconus of iest, with S minutes
between sets. The ieseaicheis founu that foice piouuction uecieaseu significantly
as fatigueu incieaseu. Fuitheimoie, hoiizontal foice ability anu technical execution
both uecieaseu when subjects weie in a fatigueu state. Foice piouuction uecieaseu
fiom 1u-21%. What uoes this mean exactly. Well, if you take an inuiviuual who
iuns a 4.S 4u yaiu uash, they woulu be iunning a 4.7S seconu 4u yaiu uash at best
by the enu of the iuns (4.S*.1u=.4S.). Take half of that amount at .22 tenths anu he is
still at a miu 4.S, anu much slowei than what he can be oi neeus to be to get fastei.
Recall the fiist piinciple, which is "The 0veispeeu Piinciple", anu you will iealize
this appioach puts the athlete in a guaianteeu position of failuie. Beie is one moie
stuuy to suppoit the aigument fiom Ross anu Leveiitt. 11u I will uiscuss this specific
stuuy shoitly, but it also iepoiteu that lowei iest peiious cieateu less fast twitch
muscle fibei conveision (Type IIx) anu slowei speeu. I will be uiscussing all of the
fibei types shoitly. Beie is a chait couitesy of the NASN that inuicates stanuaiu
iecoveiy guiuelines at each intensity. The guiuelines I pioviueu you ieflect this
infoimation.

128

Nusculaily, oui fast twitch muscle fibeis aie much moie pione to fatigue
than inteimeuiate oi slow twitch muscle fibeis. Fast twitch fibeis aie the white
fibeis we call upon anu ieciuit when peifoiming activities that aie ultia-high in
intensity, such as spiinting. If we uo not allow them some time to iefiesh they will
not fully activate anu we will be left slowei. Below is a chait that intiouuces oi
ieviews each type of muscle fibei along with common chaiacteiistics of each. White
fibei is Type IIx, pink woulu be Type IIa, anu Reu is Type 1.

Now let's take some time to uiscuss spiint woikout fiequency. The ieason
foi the upcoming guiuelines is mostly neuiologically baseu. The metabolic anu
musculai systems iecovei quickei than the neivous system, unfoitunately. I
alieauy mentioneu that we can only spenu a maximum of 2x pei week spiinting if

129

we want oui success to be optimal in gaining speeu on this piogiam. Theie aie
seveial ieasons why. Fiist, thiough his own peisonal ieseaich, }oe BeFianco has
founu that his athletes iequiie 7-1u uays to fully iecovei theii Cential Neivous
System befoie they aie ieauy foi the next long lineai speeu (4u-6u yaius) baseu
woikout. }oe has woikeu with thousanus of athletes acioss all spoits, anu my
peisonal uata finuings with my athletes woulu inuicate the same suggestion. I heaiu
it fiom him aiounu the same time I came to the same iealization so he ueseives
some cieuit. But we shoulu nevei just take ieal woilu eviuence as fact. It shoulu
just ieinfoice the uiscoveieu ieseaich. Real quick, if we take half that uistance at 2u
yaius we woulu iequiie half the time to iecovei (S-4 uays) anu this is ieflecteu in
the piogiam. You will go a full week between 4u anu 6u yaiu testing anu woikouts,
anu iun 1u anu oi 2u yaiu spiints S to 4 uays latei, oi vice veisa.
Accoiuing to the Westisue Book of Nethous, we aie capable of tiaining a
muscle gioup oi movement pattein at maximum effoit up to twice pei week, befoie
Befensive Inhibition of the Neivous System occuis. Basically oui bouy will shut
uown oi "uown-iegulate" this muscle gioup out of piotection fiom it getting injuieu
oi uamageu fuithei. I suppose it coulu also be a foim of eneigy conseivation which
the bouy is so famous foi. You will alieauy be squatting heavy once pei week on
this piogiam, so a single long, haiu speeu uay is about all that the bouy will be able
to toleiate.
Beie's some moie eviuence. In -7&(.4 ?#0252)#, 2uu1, Ross anu Leveiitt
founu that low fiequency anu volume spiinting was iueal foi muscle fibei changes
anu auaptations that incieaseu speeu, along with coiiesponuing incieases in iest
anu longei iecoveiy peiious. 11u Theie weie a numbei of things this stuuy
uiscusseu specific to spiinting fiequency anu its iole on peifoimance. Fiist, spiint
volumes anu fiequencies that aie high oi in excess can cieate changes that ieuuce
muscle mass, fast twitch muscle fibei conveision, anu saicoplasmic ieticulum
volume. All of which aie vital to gieatei speeu. When we spiint less fiequently anu
with lowei volumes we not only builu moie muscle, but we conveit othei muscle
fibei types to fast twitch muscle fibei that is moie explosive anu biggei in natuie
(Type IIx), iesulting in gieatei speeu. Ross anu Leveiitt also note that theie is a
stiong coiielation between fast twitch fibei count anu spiint peifoimance.
Fuitheimoie, the saicoplasmic ieticulum which is iesponsible foi shuttling anu
ieleasing calcium into the muscle cell allowing muscle contiaction, also incieases in
volume allowing gieatei piouuction at this aspect of the muscle.
Spiinting volume, oi how much we spiint, is the next ciitical vaiiable that
neeus to be uiscusseu. We have iuentifieu a stiong coiielation between speeu
":,@.@77* anu 2uu-Suu quality yaius completeu pei woikout, iegaiuless of uistance.
The exception heie is shoit peiious of planneu oveiieaching oi oveitiaining to
inuuce gieatei speeus. This is showcaseu in the sample woikouts. Refei back to the
pievious paiagiaph to appieciate lowei volumes as well. This means aftei 1u 2u

1Su

yaiu spiints, S-8 4u yaiu spiints, anu S-S 6u yaiu spiints you shoulu shut it uown
foi the uay. Within these small ianges you will notice athlete's times will begin to
uwinule uown below the minimum amount of ielative speeu iequiieu to piouuce
speeu gains. Recall that this numbei is 9S% of that inuiviuual's top speeu. Also,
only uo what you neeu foi soliu piogiess. We geneially stay in the miuule of these
ianges anu closei to 2uu yaius pei woikout.
I also locateu S stuuies that show speeu woik peifoimeu at low volumes
piouuces the specific neuiomusculai changes in the bouy that will make us fastei!
129 1Su 1S1 I like to use heavy squatting oi ueaulifting as an example heie. You have
"Piilepin's Table" in the stiength piinciple section that tells you piecisely how much
woik you neeu to uo with these lifts to make gains. Intuitively though, if you lift
heavy iegulaily, the ianges uetaileu in this table aie natuially attaineu. I believe the
same thing occuis with speeu woik. If you aie monitoiing athlete's times, you will
see the uiop-off, anu when it gets too seveie, that is the time you just cease the
spiinting, anu move onto the next segment of the woikout since you aie spiinting
too slow to get fastei. The effoit may be theie, but it tuins into conuitioning,
negative siue effects will occui, anu the athlete will become slowei. Finish the iest
of the woikout, then iecovei anu auapt, anu iepeat the cycle the following week. I'll
continue uoing my own peisonal ieseaich into the mattei, anu hopefully so will you,
but I'm confiuent the "7F-&I577* +,'/B'.-$ is the best appioach to acceleiation anu
speeu uevelopment. Tiack anu fielu coaches who aie goou implement the uiop off
methou; the only uiffeience is that the uistances aie obviously longei.

1S1

"(9C4 ";0:3:38

0p till this point, you can now appieciate the fact that high intensity tiaining
methous aie absolutely funuamental anu ciitical to the speeu uevelopment piocess.
Bowevei, theie aie ceitain peiious of time thioughout the tiaining week wheie
"slow anu low" effoit tiaining is manuatoiy anu veiy beneficial to the athlete oi
tiaining client who uesiies to get fastei. You aie piobably confuseu anu thinking to
youiself that this is ciazy, illogical, anu violates eveiy piinciple anu ounce of
ieseaich to this point. The fact is that 9u% of what you will uo in this piogiam will
comply with eveiything uiscusseu befoie, anu about 1u% of the tiaining will have to
occui at a much lowei intensity. In the speeu cultuie this type of tiaining is iefeiieu
to as "Tempo Tiaining." Basically, Tempo Tiaining is a slowei baseu tiaining style
uesigneu to facilitate the iecoveiy of the athlete oi client fiom the moie intense
woikouts, anu to piomote ielaxation. Below is a chait fiom a biilliant PBF calleu
"Kinetics Nanual" that pioviues specific classifications foi Tempo Tiaining. 1S2
Please note that oui Tempo tiaining piogiam is veiy simplistic anu uesigneu foi the
neeus of a team spoit athlete anu not a spiintei. With that being saiu we will only
peifoim the "Extensive Tempo" woik categoiy on this piogiam.

(Couitesy of the Kinetics Nanual)

This type of exeicise ieally just seives as a "fillei" to keep you busy on youi
off uays, anu also pioviues numeious inuiiect benefits than can anu will impiove
speeu if implementeu coiiectly. Below is the list of benefits.

1S2

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H+HG$O

When we piactice Tempo Woik on the uays that follow haiu tiaining theie is
a seiies of things that occui inteinally that facilitate fastei iecoveiy thioughout oui
entiie system. Foi example, theie is incieaseu ciiculation thioughout oui entiie
bouy. This iesults in anabolic hoimones that help iepaii muscle tissue anu ie-
synthesize vaiious pioteins to aiiive at the uamageu aiea much fastei than without
it. Noieovei, the tempo woik will help maintain some level of neuiomusculai
activity that helps oui bouy maintain its peifoimance in between high intensity
woikouts. The authoi of the "Kinetics Nanual" also makes mention that theie is
contiauictoiy eviuence suppoiting the active iecoveiy iole of Tempo Woik,
howevei, he uoes make mention that emeiging eviuence suppoits it uue to
hoimonal auaptations anu activation of the Paiasympathetic Neivous System. This
is the seconu pait of oui neivous system that is iesponsible foi iest, iepaii anu
uigestion, among othei things. Tempo tiaining also helps keep us loose anu moie
mobile which can have goou iamifications on speeu anu othei skills.
Next, as eveiything I mentioneu is occuiiing, oui bouy is also iemoving
unwanteu waste piouucts fiom local muscle cells that can wieak havoc on oui
ability to iecovei anu builu muscle anu peifoim bettei, among othei things.
Alongsiue waste iemoval, impoitant eneigy types aie being ueliveieu so that we can
iestoie impoitant eneigy stoies such as livei anu muscle glycogen which will help
peifoimance in the next haiu woikout.
Anothei auueu benefit of tempo tiaining is the unique effect they have on the
tiny vessels that aie iesponsible foi ueliveiing bloou thioughout oui muscle sites.
Buiing tempo tiaining oui bouy auapts itself anu incieases the numbei of ieu
capillaiies at the muscle. This incieases the amount of bloou flow being flusheu into
the muscle, much like opening a watei uam. This bloou flow coulu also woik to
uiiectly impiove iecoveiy fiom high intensity inteivals. Accoiuing to Tuuoi Bompa
in his book Peiiouization Tiaining Foi Spoits, this effect is known as "Alactaiu
0xygen Bebt." In othei woius, we have to opeiate aeiobically while we iecovei
fiom intense effoits. Beie is a stuuy fiom !"# %&'()*+ &, W#(&).&+&/9 in 2u12 fiom

1SS

Nuiias. 1SS This stuuy examineu the vaiious physical changes anu auaptations that
occuiieu in the caiuiovasculai system with a stanuaiu enuuiance tiaining piotocol.
Subjects peifoimeu S woikouts pei week foi 4S minutes at 7u% of theii maximum
heait iate. Capillaiization oi piolifeiation of the capillaiies in the bouy incieaseu by
2u-Su%, along with a host of othei changes to the system.
Continuing on, anothei unueiiateu featuie of low intensity exeicise on oui off
uays is the inciease in bouy heat, skin heat, anu coie tempeiatuie that aiises. A
stuuy in 2uu4 fiom !"# :'(&7#*) %&'()*+ &, 677+2#0 8"942&+&/9 iepoiteu that
subjects weie not capable of piouucing as much foice if theii skin tempeiatuie
uecieaseu. 1S4 So oui bouy's "batteiy," which is the Cential Neivous System, staits
to tuin on moie with this type of tiaining, along with the attacheu muscles.
Aiguably the gieatest Speeu Coach evei, Chailie Fiancis, was onto this notion
seveial yeais ago: "Along with incieaseu macio-capillaiization fiom tempo,
concentiates moie heat within muscle fibeis. uieatei heat anu pioximity of fluiu
aiounu NN neuions loweis electiical iesistance allowing the inteimeuiate fibeis to
take on FT chaiacteiistics." 1S Put uiffeiently, oui bouy's muscle fibeis that
geneially behave slowei stait to iesponu fastei. This type of muscle is noimally
conuitioneu to involve itself in activities like tempo woik, oi longei uistance, steauy-
state woik, but science has uiscoveieu that they will also inciease theii piouuction
uuiing high intensity effoits as well. The moie muscles woiking haiuei the meiiiei!
Noving on, most tiainees will geneially always have a weight oi bouy
composition goal at the same time they aie tiying to impiove aieas of peifoimance.
You will see latei on that this helps impiove peifoimance fuithei, anu tempo woik
assists in eithei cieating a bettei looking physique, oi at the least maintaining it.
Foi fat loss, the extia volume of low intensity tiaining will inciease youi weekly
caloiie buin anu piomote fat anu weight loss, along with eveiything else you aie
uoing in the piogiam fiom a nutiitional anu tiaining peispective. 0n the othei
hanu, the extia caloiies can pievent any unuue fat gain that commonly occuis when
builuing moie muscle mass.
The last two things that tempo tiaining accomplishes aie injuiy pievention
anu impioveu aeiobic conuitioning levels. The fiist iesults fiom the othei factois
that weie just uiscusseu, (i.e. ciiculation, hoimonal ueliveiy, eneigy ueliveiy, waste
iemoval, etc.) anu the seconu is a by-piouuct of the geneial appioach to tempo
woik. All of the changes associateu with impioving aeiobic conuitioning will occui
uuiing these sessions. This is impoitant in the context of ueveloping speeu, because
the majoiity of youi iecoveiy befoie, uuiing, anu aftei high intensity tiaining will
take place in the aeiobic zones. This means that between eveiy spiint, youi bouy
has to function aeiobically while the iest of the bouy iesponsible foi high intensity
function iecoveis back to pie-spiint foim. An inability to opeiate bettei aeiobically
will uefinitely have an impact in iecoveiy fiom high intensity tiaining, anu you will
be at a uisauvantage when the time comes to spiint oi lift. So how uo we piopeily

1S4

incoipoiate tempo woik into a compiehensive speeu tiaining piogiam. I will
iemove all guesswoik anu show you how next.
I've founu anu utilizeu a veiy effective conuitioning piinciple with my
athletes to appiopiiately integiate tempo woik into the piogiam. This piinciple is
known as F.I.T.T. It stanus foi Fiequency, Intensity, Time, anu Type. By assigning
specific guiuelines foi each lettei we can safely anu effectively incoipoiate tempo
woik with no concein oi woiiy. Beie is the specific outline of the piinciple on this
piogiam. Foi specific tempo iuns, 1u 1uu metei oi yaiu iuns peifoimeu Sx pei
week is iecommenueu.

AF$[R$)*+BWIXD &$F S$$Z
:)G$)H.G+BVdcIVec "?; ]"/FE$G ?$/FG ;/G$_
".O$BXaI`c O.)RG$H
"+&$B"K0

All of these I woulu imagine aie stiaightfoiwaiu anu easy to unueistanu foi
anyone except foi peihaps the intensity factoi anu type. Foi intensity, you neeu to
be in the "Aeiobic Tiaining Zone," which is baseu accoiuing to heait iate. A heait
iate monitoi is iecommenueu anu extiemely useful heie. I suggest you get one if
you uo not have one alieauy. To calculate youi TBR just take 22u, subtiact youi age,
anu multiply that figuie by the .6S oi .7S. That will yielu a customizeu numbei foi
you anu ensuie you aie tempo tiaining. If you choose not to use a heait iate
monitoi, then a RPE (Rating of Peiceiveu Exeition) Scale is the next best option.
With this just make suie that youi physical anu mental exeition levels uo not exceeu
a S-7, wheie the highei numbei equals the highei the exeition, anu vice veisa. I will
now pioviue you with oui "Active Recoveiy-Aeiobic Conuitioning" exeicise menu.

ACTIvE REC0vERY W0RKAER0BIC C0NBITI0NINu EXERCISES:
Conventional Caiuio:
Tieaumill
Eliptical
Staiiclimbei
Swimming
Bicycling
Biking
Snowshoeing
Tempo Runs
Racquetball
Basketball games

1SS

Recieational spoits
Complexes
Light sleu woik
Light Spoit anu Position Specific Skill Tiaining (Lineman uiills foi football lineman,
etc.)

To concluue this poition of the manual I just wanteu to explain to unawaie
ieaueis what Complexes aie. This paiticulai conuitioning technique was fiist
intiouuceu yeais ago as a unique way to mix univeisal compounu movements in an
efficient ciicuit fashion. Accoiuing to my ieseaich, Istvan "Steve" }avoiek was the
innovatoi of this tiaining methou. 1SS Essentially, you select a seiies of movements
in succession, anu peifoim eveiy movement foi the uesiieu ieps anu uo not stop the
complex oi set the bai uown until the complex is completely finisheu. These can be
pietty biutal. The iules aie that you complete all of the ieps of one exeicise befoie
pioceeuing onto the next exeicise. Also, be suie to select anu base the loau oi
weight being lifteu off of the weakest movement in the seiies. Foi example, you
woulu not base the weight off of the RBL since you aie able to lift at least uouble
what you coulu in this exeicise compaieu to an oveiheau piess movement. If you uo
not base the weight you tiain with off of the weakest movement then you will not be
able to peifoim all of the ieps of each exeicise which uefeats the puipose anu uulls
the tiaining effect. Also, make suie that the movements ieally flow well togethei.
Anothei iule, complements of Ban }ohn, is to make suie that the bai uoes not pass
back anu foith ovei youi heau moie than once oi twice. This kills efficiency.

1S6

8(" %?;(77(7

If you have foi some ieason faileu to notice, most fast inuiviuuals aie veiy
lean anu "shieuueu." This is an aiguable funuamental to speeu foi two ieasons.
Fiist, iemoving unnecessaiy layeis of fat tissue automatically uecieases the amount
of woik you have to uo to move youi bouy fastei since you aie lightei. Seconuly, the
fat is no longei occupying space that coulu be ieplaceu with functional anu
potentially poweiful skeletal muscle, which woulu enable gieatei stiength anu
speeu potential. Both of these factois coulu be oveicome with ieally high stiength
anu powei output, but this is uefinitely much haiuei than getting anu staying lean.
0bvious exceptions woulu be linemen anu othei beasts who iely on the auueu mass
to uissipate heavy impacts anu laige foices fiom contact in spoit. Foi eveiyone else,
theie is liteially zeio ieason why you cannot get leanei to help speeu peifoimance.
Now we will look at the actual collective system that I utilize with all athletes anu
clients in neeu of getting shieuueu anu maximizing theii physique.

Amateui bouybuiluei anu boxei }esse Caistaiis sub 1u% bouyfat heie. }esse has useu oui system foi yeais
now.

#%#)FG B*,*%+#:

Since I can iemembei, theie has always been unnecessaiy uebate ovei
whethei caloiies count oi not. Bopefully by the enu of this chaptei, I will be able to
show you just how impoitant caloiies ieally aie in weight management, anu specific
to this section, fat loss! Befoie I can go into any uetail about any of this, we have to

1S7

fiist auuiess anu uiscuss the "founuation" to it all, anu that is eneigy balance. I am
moie than awaie of all the cuiient anu unfoitunate confusion anu heavy skepticism
suiiounuing this issue in contempoiaiy fat loss, anu I am going to claiify eveiything
foi you as best I can so you will have the tools to be veiy successful, baseu on
science. Eneigy balance is commonly iefeiieu to as the Fiist Law of
Theimouynamics in science. "Woik anu heat aie mutually conveitible (may be
conveiteu fiom one foim to anothei). The change in a system's inteinal eneigy is
equal to the heat absoibeu (caloiies in) fiom the enviionment minus woik uone
(caloiies out) on the enviionment."7u In othei woius, foi weight loss to occui we
have to expenu moie caloiies than we consume, anu vice veisa. These two
scenaiios of weight loss anu weight gain affecteu by eneigy balance aie anu always
will be iiiefutable scientific law. What is not set in stone, howevei, is the type of
weight we gain oi lose when we follow this law. Bow oui bouy iecomposes itself
uepenus on not only this, but also oui specific nutiition anu how we tiainN Right
now I want to take this oppoitunity to show to you anu examine a couple moie
things peitinent to eneigy balance, anu those aie its two coiollaiies, anu how oui
geneial metabolism opeiates.

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1S8

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3$%$87#4 5&:- < ;D:452:@:D @<D2N

In oiuei to ieally appieciate how eneigy balance woiks, we neeu to also
auuiess anu uiscuss a mouel that ieflects this piinciple in an actual stiuctuial oi
physiological sense. So often you heai things in society anu thiough the meuia on
how you shoulu not eat this oi that at this time because you'll stoie fat, oi won't gain
muscle, oi whatevei else you've heaiu that I faileu to mention. I have heaiu many of
these claims ovei the yeais, anu honestly I have foigotten most of them, especially
once I uiscoveieu thiough science how eneigy actually "flows" in anu out of the
bouy as we go about oui noimal uaily lives. In oiuei to ieally unueistanu this, I
neeu to shaie with you a mouel of how oui metabolism actually woiks, anu iule out
any confusion you may have on what's ieally going on unueineath the suiface in any
ciicumstance. "All the chemical ieactions that occui in the bouy aie collectively
calleu metabolism." 1S6 Put uiffeiently, just view metabolism as all of the eneigy
flowing in anu out of oui bouy. Netabolism is bioken uown into 2 geneial phases.
Below aie the phases anu some of the chaiacteiistics of each.

/7<;4; >@ .42<S>A:;=E

+*!*B(,-0. *%*B(,-0.

*Releasing eneigy fiom the bouy (e.g. buining fat) *Stoiing of eneigy on the bouy (e.g. stoiing fat)

*Involves incieaseu caloiie buin oi expenuituie *Involves uecieaseu caloiie oi eneigy expenuituie

*Cieates weight loss *Cieates weight gain

*Shut uowns immunity, uigestion, anu iepiouuction *Tuins on immunity, uigestion, anu iepiouuction

*Incluues weight lifting, caiuio, oi othei haiu activity *Incluues sleeping, iesting, oi othei light activity

What's fai moie impoitant heie is that you unueistanu that oui bouy is eithei
in a uominant catabolic (fat loss) state, oi anabolic (muscle builuing) state
thioughout the uay. Foi example, if we eat a big meal then we aie going to become
moie anabolic anu we will stoie moie eneigy on the bouy than we ielease foi the
time being. 0nce the foou has been absoibeu anu uigesteu by the bouy, we will
eventually stait ieleasing the stoieu eneigy anu become moie catabolic as we move
aiounu. 0ltimately, the iatio of catabolism (caloiies out) to anabolism (caloiies in)
will uictate whethei oi not we lose weight, anu it's these phases that physically anu
piactically uemonstiate the law of eneigy balance. Also keep in minu that we aie
noimally always peifoiming each of these phases to vaiying uegiees fiom moment

1S9

to moment, iathei than peifoiming one of them all at once, like many tenu to
believe. We may be stoiing fat as we eat a meal oi snack, but we aie ieleasing fat as
well, to suppoit the activity at hanu. }ust iemembei that both pathways of
anabolism anu catabolism can anu uo occui simultaneously, anu whichevei one we
uo moie of ovei the couise of uays anu weeks to come will ultimately uefine oui
final weight.

'*! ,(00 'I%&*.#%!*,0E

'I%&*.#%!*, KLM#%#)FG &#'-+-!

*5 45436C 94@:D:2 :; Z7434 274 <=>?52 >@ D<A>3:4; :5 :; A4;; 27<5 D<A>3:4;
>?2N If you aie an inuiviuual who is looking to sheu pounus of bouy fat veiy fast,
then you have no choice but to cut caloiies with youi uiet. A uiet is all that you eat,
oi the composition of youi total foou intake. Nany will biing into question the iuea
that they uiu not count caloiies anu lost fat, oi whatevei. The fact is that they hau to
be in an eneigy ueficit to lose fat because it is a scientific law, just like Einstein's
theoiy of ielativity. What's moie is that humans have been shown in scientific
stuuies to be teiiible caloiie estimatois. I mean teiiible. "People typically
unueiiepoit intake by 2u-4u%." 7u I have also witnesseu this in not only myself
when I tiackeu caloiies, but also my clients who tiackeu theii caloiies. It was also
iepoiteu that people often neglect oi foiget what they ate anu how much of it as
well. Logically, you woulu also have to consiuei the fact that theie can be many
caloiies between an ounce of foou pei foou item. Foi example, 4 ounces of chicken
bieast typically yielus 12u caloiies if you look at the label. If you unueiestimate by
just one ounce, that is Su caloiies woith. S ounces of chicken looks just like 4 if
you'ie utilizing the poition contiol appioach, but theie is a big uiffeience in the two
between total caloiies. Let's be iealistic. The piobability of you estimating a poition
of foou uown to the ounce anu caloiie amount without measuiing is like tiying to
finu a neeule in a haystack. Anu when you auu in eveiy foou item you consume
thioughout the uay, you can cleaily see how this coulu multiply exponentially in
eithei uiiection. Who knows. I shoulu also quickly uefine what a caloiie is in case
anyone is still cuiious. A caloiie is simply a unit of heat oi eneigy. In othei woius, a
caloiie is just the woiu we use to iepiesent eneigy.
The next step is ueteimining how to set youi eneigy ueficit. Foitunately, a
couple of expeits have iuentifieu this foi us. Below aie two iules to cutting caloiies
anu the scientific iationale foi each.

14u

'*! ,(00 )I,# KLM%#W#) +I! +*,()-#0 B#,(` B.)

'*! ,(00 )I,# KPMCDE !FGH IJKE(

To abiue by iule #1, just make suie that you nevei eat less than youi
bouyweight x 1u if you'ie a male anu bouyweight x 8 if you'ie a female. #<2:56
S4A>Z 27:; 5?=S43 Z:AA D34<24 < ;2<3O<2:>5 34;8>5;4 :5 274 S>9CN This numbei
is the absolute minimum amount of eneigy oui bouy neeus to sustain the most basic
functions, one of these functions being the pieseivation of lean muscle mass. If we
eat less than this amount we lose muscle anu ietain fat. "The consequences of low
caloiie uieting aie automatic anu unavoiuable. The iesponses aie metabolic,
hoimonal, anu psychological in natuie, anu incluue: Becieaseu metabolism, loss of
muscle, incieaseu activity of fat-stoiing enzymes anu hoimones, uecieaseu activity
of fat-buining enzymes anu hoimones, uecieaseu thyioiu output, incieaseu
appetite, incieaseu chance of iegaining weight, anu uecieaseu eneigy anu woik
capacity."1SS Weight iebounu was implieu heie, anu is anothei symptom of the
iesponse. !A moie piecise way to ueteimine youi coiiect caloiie ueficit woulu be to
use a peicentage ueficit ielative to youi maintenance level. Reuucing caloiies by 1S-
2u% below maintenance level is a goou place to stait. A laigei ueficit (2S-Su%)
might be necessaiy in some cases, but the best appioach woulu be to keep youi
caloiie ueficit fiom uiet small, while incieasing youi activity level to cieate a biggei
ueficit, if neeueu."1SS This 2u-Su% comes out to be iight aiounu BNR when you
calculate it. Bon't woiiy, we will ievisit exactly how to uo this on the nutiitional
scheuules coming soon.
Rule #2 is obviously a little tiickiei, but still pietty simple. Theie is a simple 2-
step equation to figuie out if the amount of caloiies you aie buining pei uay exceeus
youi intake too much. See below.

0248 KLE
+<A>3:4 -52<\4a+<A>3:4 B?35b[

0248 KPE
LccM[bd

These iules ieally just tiy to pievent the "staivation appioach" that so many
aie so fonu of, anu peihaps unintentionally use when tiying to lose fat anu weight.
Eating just a salau with no uiessing anu moie veggies is just as bau as oveieating
because you uepiive the bouy fiom othei valuable nutiition anu caloiies that is
essential to it. The fact that theie aie pietty much no caloiies in a salau can help set
the stage foi vicious oveieating at some point uuiing the uiet anu the potential foi

141

iegaining all weight anu fat that was lost. I've seen it too many times. Theie aie
many ieal-life examples of this iesult, as well as a now famous scientific stuuy
known as the "Ninnesota Staivation Expeiiment." In this stuuy a seiies of militaiy
men paiticipants leaneu out to single-uigit bouy fat anu staiveu themselves, only to
fall into a hungei fienzy anu iegain laige amounts of weight anu bouy fat back
eventually. "Stuuy aftei stuuy has shown that veiy low caloiie uiets without
exeicise will always cause 4u - Su% of the weight loss to come fiom lean tissue.
Nany uiets, especially those that aie low in caibohyuiates, cause laige losses in
watei weight. Between the loss of watei, glycogen anu muscle, 7S% of the weight
you lose on such plans is not fat! The initial weight loss on most uiets is veiy
ueceiving, giving you only the illusion of success. Even with exeicise, if a uiet is too
iestiictive, much of the weight loss will still be lean tissue." 1SS Quite fiankly, the
tiauitional appioach to fat anu weight loss has been an extieme one wheie the foou
selection has to be immaculate, caloiies veiy low, caibs low, anu weight loss iapiu,
in oiuei to be effective. This is a iecipe foi uisastei, as anyone who has tiieu it will
tell you. Asiue fiom healthy anu piopei foou selection this is the absolute woist
ioau you can take on youi jouiney to fat anu weight loss.
*5>2743 :;;?4 >@ @<2MZ4:672 A>;; :; Z745 <27A424; >3 DA:452; Z>?A9 ;2:AA A:\4
2> :=83>O4 =<[ ;2345627 A4O4A; <59a>3 <27A42:D:;=X >3 D>52:5?4 2> A>;4 @<2 <59
Z4:672 <2 < A4<543 <59 A:67243 Z4:672N In this case, a 2u-Su% eneigy ueficit is
stiongly iecommenueu to pioviue moie eneigy to peifoim, anu pievent the
unfavoiable metabolic effects that occui. }ust iemembei that if youi eneigy ueficit
is less you aie not going to lose fat quite as fast, but the iate of fat loss will still be
pietty goou if you uo the math, anu theie is less chance of losing muscle anu
eveiything else involveu with lowei caloiies. Noieovei, you will not feel like you
aie uepiiving youiself of foou. I am suie many ieauing this can ielate anu attest that
attempting to get stiongei, ieach single uigit bouy fat, oi impiove athleticism while
losing fat anu weight is much haiuei anu less iewaiuing until the fat is gone anu you
aie eating moie again. This is inevitable, but the smallei ueficits make the piocess
much moie manageable. It's only when you stait to eat moie that youi bouy is
usually willing to give you moie anu you can uo moie. As a geneial iule of thumb,
laige eneigy ueficits (4u-Su% oi moie) cieate fastei anu moie substantial
fatweight loss, but it's at the expense of loweieu peifoimance anu all of the
metabolic symptoms I listeu eailiei in the section. 0n a final note, keep in minu that
the eneigy values of uiffeient bouy masses aie not cieateu equal, meaning that a
pounu of muscle uoes not contain as many caloiies as a pounu of fat. .>34
;84D:@:D<AACX < 8>?59 >@ =?;DA4 D>52<:5; _?;2 <S>?2 Ucc D<A>3:4;X Z7:A4 < 8>?59
>@ @<2 7>?;4; _?;2 <S>?2 TRcc D<A>3:4;e This means that we can lose muscle at a
iate that is neaily six times fastei than that of fat. That's pietty scaiy stuff when you
consiuei how fast people typically lose weight in contempoiaiy society. This is also
one of the piimaiy ieasons I am suie why such massive weight uiops can occui. To

142

help put this into peispective, I will give you a weekly bieakuown of weight loss foi
an obese inuiviuual at 2Su lbs. who exeicises 2x pei uay, while eating at his BNR, oi
the lowest theoietical allowable caloiie intake wheie muscle losses anu eveiything
else is pieventeu.

Tiainee Name: }ohn
+<A>3:4; -5 +<A>3:4; (?2 #5436C &4@:D:2

Nonuay thiu Sunuay: 2Suu 41uu (BW x 16-17) 16uu caloiiesS9%

16uu caloiies x 7 uays pei week=LLPcc D<A>3:4; 843 Z44\
112uu caloiies pei week x 4 weeks=QQfcc D<A>3:4; 843 =>527
Total fat anu weight loss pei month=LPNf AS;N YQQfccaTRcc D<A>3:4; >3 L ASN @<2g

I know this numbei is going to fiighten anu piss off many, but you neeu to
know the tiuth. These claims that so-calleu weight anu fat loss expeits make stating
that you can lose 2u-Su lbs. of fat in one month aie completely bogus. You can lose
this much weight, but it suie as hell is not going to be a majoiity fat, anu you'll look
anu function woise. The obvious exception heie woulu be seen in inuiviuuals, such
as those competing in a show like "The Biggest Losei," who aie able to ueuicate each
anu eveiy uay to extieme amounts of exeicise anu cieate massive eneigy ueficits, all
while ieceiving complete supeivision fiom uoctois anu tiaineis in a contiolleu
setting who have theii foou intake uialeu in to a "T." Please uo not use these
examples as mouels to emulate because this is not a ieal-life scenaiio, anu
pieventeu by oui physiology in a stanuaiu setting. If you attempt to uo so then you
have to cut caloiies to extieme levels, which will only leau to a lot of fiustiation anu
weight iebounu. People geneially uo not tiain haiu enough oi fiequently enough,
anu if they uo it is usually limiteu with all of the othei competing uemanus, such as
school, woik, ielationships, leisuie activities, anu othei things. I iealize it's tough,
but you have to finu a way to make it woik if you want legitimate iesults. I've given
you the tools you neeu to be able to uo the math anu quickly calculate a iate of
weight anu fat loss that is unique to youi situation. }ust make suie that you follow
the fat loss iules to pievent muscle loss anu eveiything else. Like eveiything else in
this piogiam, you just cannot fake ieal fat loss without violating the fat loss iules.
You have to eat less anu exeicise moie to lose bouy fat. Theie is no way aiounu this
without uiugs. Fat contains many caloiies anu is going to take a long time to
iemove off youi bouy. 0n a moie positive note, it will be much easiei to maintain
anu haiuei to iegain weight ovei the long teim with tiue fat loss, because it will
take much moie eneigy stoiage to ieacquiie pounus once they have been lost,
veisus stoieu sugai, watei, anu muscle which take fai less longei to iestoie on the
bouy. Noieovei, youi physique will be ieally what you want anu uesiie, anu the fact

14S

that you completeu a uifficult piocess will be much moie iewaiuing anu long-lasting
mentally. Last but not least, theie will be no moie stupiu fiustiation on what you
shoulu anu shoulu not uo in tiaining anu nutiition.
0n a final note, I woulu stiongly auvise you to ieassess youi estimateu uaily
caloiie buin aftei you lose 1u-2u lbs. because you will be buining less caloiies. Yes,
you ieau that iight. Beaviei people buin moie caloiies than smallei people.
Automatically, the extieme pops up anu many will iefeience the iaie genetically
elite inuiviuuals who buin unnatuially high amounts of caloiies, but they compiise a
veiy small peicentage of the population. A majoiity of the time, a 2Su lbs. peison
will buin moie caloiies than someone who weighs 18u lbs. The lightei peison has
less mass anu iesistance to move, thus he oi she expenus less eneigy. Seconu, the
amount of caloiies buineu piocessing foou oi TEF (Theimic Effect of Foou) will be
less. Thiiu, the smallei peison's metabolic iate is geneially slowei since
metabolism tenus to scale with weight anu foou consumption. Anu last but not
least, theie is less eneigy neeueu to iepaii a smallei anu lightei bouy stiuctuie. 0n
a positive note, this is one thing heavy people looking to lose fat anu weight have
woiking foi them, anu this is also why they can sheu moie weight fastei than theii
smallei counteipaits.

'I%&*.#%!*, KPM+*,()-# +(I%!-%F

Bopefully by now, you've come to appieciate the value of caloiie tiacking
baseu on the fact that stuuies have shown constant unueiiepoiting anu pooi
juugment acioss the geneial public. #W#)G +*,()-# +(I%!0e Beie is a classic
example of what I mean. }ill comes up to me anu tells me that she hau a banana, anu
shieuueu wheat with a glass of skim milk foi bieakfast. Then foi lunch, she hau a
Subway sanuwich, a small uiet coke, anu bag of low caloiie chips. Foi uinnei, she
hau some salmon, white iice, aspaiagus, anu a glass of ieu wine. The foou souices
sounus gieat iight. But }ill is not losing weight, anu is extiemely fiustiateu about
this since she is anu has been eating healthy anu exeicising haiu foi quite some time
now. When I ask hei how many caloiies she has eaten thus fai, hei iesponse is "I
have no clue" oi she makes up a numbei that is false. The bau thing about this is
that }ill is aspiiing to lose fat anu weight, but she anu I have absolutely no iuea how
much she is ieally eating anu if she is in an eneigy ueficit oi not. As you know now,
this value is essential foi whethei oi not the scale will change in hei favoi, whethei
she loses fat, anu whethei she tiuly impioves hei physique anu appeaiance. This is
scientifically unueniable. I useu a hypothetical example heie but I have expeiienceu
this on seveial occasions in the past with numeious clients. Counting caloiies is
moie efficient, it becomes easiei aftei the initial counting, anu most impoitantly, it
tells you exactly what you aie uoing so that you can make the necessaiy

144

aujustments if you aie out of compliance with the piogiam. Without counting
caloiies theie is no way of knowing what is the main pioblem. It coulu be lack of
exeicise, oi it coulu be excessive caloiies. }ill may have unknowingly been eating
peifectly, but not exeicising enough, oi vice veisa. 0i she is oveicompensating fai
too much by eating too little anu exeicising too much, which can pose the staivation
pioblems uiscusseu eailiei. Who knows. Eveiy scenaiio is unwanteu anu they all
cieate the same bau outcome. This is also veiy fiustiating foi me since I want to
help, but cannot since I have no iuea what is tiuly going on since I only see hei 2-S
houis out of 168 in a week. 0nfoitunately, theie is still a stiong lack of awaieness,
unwillingness, oi misunueistanuing suiiounuing eneigy balance. Think about it foi
a minute: If }ill anu I weie to take the time asiue to measuie out anu weigh piecisely
eveiy foou item that she ate that uay, then we both know theie is almost zeio
chance that we woulu have been able to guess the actual amount exactly. -5;24<9X
274 >5AC ;>A?2:>5 :; 2> 8:D\X Z4:67X <59 A>6 4O43C :24= 273>?67 < @>>9 _>?35<AX
;> 27<2 Z4 Z>?A9 \5>Z 274 <D2?<A <=>?52 >@ @>>9 D>5;?=82:>5. I know this
piobably sounus stupiu, but it's not, because theie aie stuuies anu thousanus of
ieal-life examples like }ill's. The bottom line is that if you aie ieally seiious about
maximizing youi bouy composition then it is essential that you count caloiies foi a
week oi two, at the veiy least. Recall that oui metabolism is not ieally affecteu too
much until we uiet foi a while anu auapt anu lose some weight. As a iesult, once you
weigh all of youi foou initially anu establish some ieoccuiiing meals foi a week oi
two then you shoulu be goou. If you uo ueciue to eat something else then be suie to
ie-measuie youi foou. Bowevei, theie is an even moie impoitant ieason why we
shoulu weigh oui foou anu count caloiies, anu that is because of a hoimone calleu
leptin.
If you want to ieau moie than you evei neeu oi want to on this hoimone than
be suie to check out Lyle Ncuonalu's aiticles anu books. I'm going to spaie you
seveial uetails ielative to this hoimone's powei anu just focus on one. Anu that is
its uelayeu signal. Biiefly, leptin is a hoimone (bouy messengei) that is maue anu
ieleaseu piimaiily thiough fat cells in oui bouy. When we eat a meal, eventually
this hoimone will be piouuceu anu tianspoiteu up to oui biain. When it ieaches
the biain it will binu to it, anu when it uoes we feel a sensation of fullness.
0nfoitunately, this piocess typically takes about 2u minutes to occui. As you can
imagine, if we aie hungiy, this is a pietty long time to spenu eating. Subsequently,
the piobability that we will oveieat is incieaseu anu so is the potential foi fat anu
weight gain. By counting caloiies, anu eating accoiuing to oui inuiviuual bouy
neeus anu activity levels, we know exactly when we shoulu stop eating. We also
iemove potential foi this veiy quiet anu uestiuctive physiological featuie to iuin oui
weight anu fat loss effoits. Now I know many have attempteu to time meals to make
suie they take twenty minutes to eat, but you still have no way of knowing anu
getting aiounu counting caloiies. Conveisely, please note that leptin is not bau at

14S

all. Actually it is absolutely essential to a healthy bouy composition. It just gets
iiuiculeu heie uue to its ielationship with counting caloiies anu the potential to eat
moie.

'I%&*.#%!*, KTM&*-,G `#-F"M-%0

This iuea may fiighten you, but I have noticeu that it woiks extiemely well foi
many. If you'ie uoing what you shoulu be then you shoulu not have to woiiy about
this. Theie is an accountability factoi with this that I love. Fiequent weigh-ins holu
you accountable anu ieinfoice auheience to the piogiam. It's not conclusive at this
point, but theie is some goou science out theie to suppoit the mattei. A stuuy fiom
pubmeu showeu an incieaseu success iate in fat loss foi obese people who weigheu
in fiequently. 1S7
0bviously, many people who aie attempting to lose weight aie absolutely
teiiifieu of the scale, but they shoulu not be, especially if they aie complying, anu
theie is scientific ieason foi why. The bouy's weight iegulation system has been
founu to be highly complex ovei the yeais, anu theie aie seveial things that I can
think of thiough peisonal ieseaich that affect weight fiom moment to moment.
Caloiie intake, nutiient intake, watei intake, exeicise, uiuietics, fat swooshes,
menstiual cycles, electiolyte balance, anu moie. To simplify, howevei, a laige
majoiity of these factois aie tempoiaiy anu none moie poweiful than eneigy
balance. These common iecommenuations of losing 1-2 lbs. pei week eveiy week
aie often times incoiiect because of these factois. Weight iegulation is not always
black anu white. All of these factois inteiact moment to moment, so it is only faii to
weigh in as often as possible. The chances of you hitting youi lowest weight (fat
loss) with one single weigh-in pei uay is veiy small because of the vaiiance.
Noieovei, tiying to pieuict fat anu weight loss uay to uay oi week to week is not
possible as a stanuaiu, since theie aie so many vaiiables to consiuei. The ieality is
that you aie going to have goou weeks anu bau weeks on the scale. Eventually it
may all aveiage out to 1-2 lbs. pei week, but in my uecaue's woith of expeiience as a
tiainei anu tiacking tienus, piogiess is usually veiy non-lineai. What I like best
about this appioach is that it ieally helps naiiow uown whethei oi not the client is
uoing what they neeu to be uoing to excel. If you aie not losing weight ovei the
couise of the week, oi maximum two weeks then you aie uefinitely uoing something
wiong in the piogiam anu neeu to tioubleshoot.

'I%&*.#%!*, KQM+*,()-# +G+,-%F Y*J* 0!)I+!I)#& )#'##&g

Anothei effective technique foi fast weight anu fat loss is cycling youi
caloiies thioughout the week. I have a specific scheuule foi this on the nutiitional

146

scheuule at the enu of this section. With this stiategy, you will alteinate between
low anu high caloiie uays. I've hau lots of expeiience with this appioach, anu like a
iatio of S low : 1 high the best. Fiom what I've seen, this is the most commonly useu
sequence by some of the most successful expeits on the mattei, so that is goou
enough foi me. "When you iestiict caibohyuiates anu oveiall caloiies foi any
significant length of time youi thyioiu levels will uown iegulate causing an oveiall
slowuown in youi metabolism. This means you will stop buining fat anu may even
begin to stoie it because youi bouy senses that you aie in some kinu of staivation
moue anu wants to be piepaieu foi the woist. Not only that, but you will go into a
catabolic state which means you will be losing muscle. Bow long uoes it take foi this
uieaueu scenaiio to kick in. }ust thiee to foui uays." 149 You will not be uieting anu
ieuucing caloiies to extieme levels, but this ieseaich suppoits that youi metabolism
will begin to uiop within uays, anu that effect will be compounueu ovei the couise
of weeks anu months. Bence, caloiie cycling. By uoing so, we paitially "ieset" oui
metabolism anu we will buin moie caloiies anu fat anu help ieuuce the symptoms
of lowei caloiies that we pieviously uiscusseu. 0ltimately, inuiviuuals will achieve
gieatei fat anu weight loss with this stiategy. 0n a final note, keep in minu that the
highei caloiie uays aie not ieally high, just highei than the low caloiie uays. You
will still be in an eneigy ueficit anu losing weight anu fat, but at a slightly lowei iate.
In the enu though, by implementing this technique you will have lost fat anu weight
fastei than if you just ate at a fixeu lowei caloiie amount the entiie time. By iaising
caloiies slightly eveiy few uays, we manipulate anu tiick the bouy's metabolism into
thinking we aie eating moie. The bouy then iewaius us with easiei fat anu weight
loss.

'I%&*.#%!*, KRM&-#! B)#*J0

I am going to keep this subject ieally shoit. If you'ie ieally inteiesteu then you
shoulu check out some of Lyle NcBonalu's aiticles anu books. Be goes into much
moie uetail then I will on all of the specifics of this technique. Piactically speaking, I
like to keep this simple anu suggest that if you have been eating less caloiies foi an
extenueu peiiou of time then it may not be a bau iuea at all to take a week-long uiet
bieak anu iegioup. This means that you ietuin caloiies to noimal-maintenance
levels (bouyweight x 12), so that you can ieset the metabolism even moie than just
cycling caloiies alone. The metabolism can ieally stait to uiag aftei a while, anu this
may be just the boost you neeu to kick stait piogiess again. This technique
geneially seems to woik itself out natuially, with occasional vacations, woik tiips,
anu such. Sometimes, though, it neeus to be built in anu scheuuleu in a fat loss
nutiitional piogiam. The geneial iule of thumb is that if you aie heaviei you will
not iequiie a uiet bieak, compaieu to someone lightei who may neeu it to enable
theii bouy to let them iemove those final few pounus of fat. The ieason heie is that

147

all of the auveise metabolic effects anu changes that occui with fewei caloiies tenu
to be gieatei in lightei inuiviuuals. Nost impoitantly, please uo not view this
stiategy as an outlet to go ciazy anu iegain eveiything you've just lost. This is not
the intention of this technique at all. If youi caloiie intake is wheie it neeus to be,
then you will iegain veiy little weight, anu may potentially even lose a little ovei the
uiet bieak.

'I%&*.#%!*, KUM'((& W(,I.#E +*,()-# )*!-(

This is yet anothei unueiiateu aspect of fat anu weight loss nutiition.
Basically, if you'ie tiying to lose weight anu fat, it woulu be in youi best inteiest to
stiive to select anu eat foous that aie lowei in caloiies, anu highei in volume.
Examples incluue, vegetables, fibious fiuits, lean piotein, anu healthy whole giains.
By eating highei volumelowei caloiie foous, we will feel fullei soonei anu longei,
anu oui ouus of oveieating aie ieuuceu. }ust make suie that you'ie not auopting
this technique to an extieme, anu staiving anu neglecting othei impoitant nutiition
(e.g. healthy fats). Nany of the foous that weie selecteu in the foou menu will ieflect
this funuamental, anu if you just stick to them then you'll stay out of tiouble.

'I%&*.#%!*, KhM.*+)(%I!)-#%! )*!-(0

This is just a scientific anu technical name foi the specific quantities anu
combinations of caibohyuiates, piotein, anu fat that we eat thioughout the uay. The
vaiious quantities of each of these aie going to be integial to managing all of the
negative symptoms of cutting caloiies. In case you foigot, these aie incieaseu
hungeiappetite, muscle loss, uecieaseu fat loss anu weight loss, uecieaseu eneigy
buin, uecieaseu eneigy levels, loweieu immunity, anu incieaseu iisk foi weight anu
fat iebounu. 0n this paiticulai system, youi iatio oi peicentages of caibs, piotein,
anu fat fiom total caloiies will be appioximately Su-Su-2u. Asiue fiom the uecaues
of seveial scientific anu successful bouybuiluing expeits in the fielu who piomote
this iange, othei authoiities' iecommenuations closely iesemble these iatios.

'I%&*.#%!*, KfM'*! ,(00 !)*-%-%F .#!"(&0

If you'ie ieally seiious about optimizing youi fat loss anu physique foi the sake
of iunning fastei, then theie is liteially no question that you neeu to utilize the
methous that have been pioven to woik best. These methous incluue stiength
tiaining, fiequent low to moueiate conuitioning sessions, plyometiics, anu 0lympic
lifting! These vigoious methous of exeicise melt fat off the bouy, cieate the highest

148

caloiie buin anu fat loss hanus uown, maximize fat loss efficiency, pieseive muscle
mass, contain tons of tiaining vaiiation, anu aie lots of fun to peifoim. I know that
most of these aie piesently cultuially unaccepteu, but they shoulu not be once you
consiuei the science. The infamous stuuy by Bi. Schuenke tells us exactly why
stiength anu speeu tiaining shoulu be fiist anu foiemost foi optimal fat loss
tiaining. 1S8 Schuenke anu his team took seven healthy men, anu hau them peifoim
a S-exeicise ciicuit utilizing the squat, bench piess, anu powei clean. The ciicuit
was peifoimeu foui times amounting to 12 total woik sets, anu lasteu S1 minutes.
The iesults weie iemaikable! Asiue fiom the few hunuieu caloiies the subjects
buineu uuiing the session, they buineu about 6uu-7uu caloiies in auuition to that
numbei ovei the next S8 houis post-exeicise. This phenomenon is known as
"Excessive Post-Exeicise 0xygen Consumption," oi EP0C foi shoit. EP0C is the
amount of eneigy iequiieu to ietuin oui metabolism back to pie-exeicise levels.
Thiough heavy iesistance tiaining anu spiinting, the uamage anu amount of eneigy
neeueu by the bouy to iecovei the uamage is much highei than with "tiauitional"
caiuiovasculai tiaining. The uamage itself iequiies eneigy anu time to iepaii,
which incieases oui caloiie buin, along with the incieaseu activity of oui bouy's
batteiy which is the neivous system. Also, fat buining enzymes anu hoimones
skyiocket, anu moie. To help ieally put all of this into peispective, using stiength
tiaining as an unpaialleleu anu supeiioi foim of caiuio cieates a "2 woikouts in 1"
tiaining effect. 0n a final note, the inciease oi maintenance of youi muscle will also
buin a few extia caloiies pei uay as well, which coulu auu up ovei time.
Theie aie seveial stuuies that investigateu the effects aeiobic anu anaeiobic
tiaining have on weight loss, fat loss, anu the maintenance oi inciease of muscle
mass. I will shaie some heie. The consensus among the scientific community
shoulu be that both methous contiibute to fat loss, but anaeiobic (weights,
spiinting, etc.) is hanus uown bettei. Pei unit of time, anaeiobic tiaining is bettei.
Bowevei, it cannot be piacticeu as much because of fatigue factois, so you neeu a
blenu of both. }ust iemembei that anaeiobic is piimaiy anu aeiobic is a fai
seconuaiy. Anu the science suppoits this.
Foi example, in 1994 Tiemblay anu Simoneau hau subjects paiticipate in
eithei 2u weeks of steauy-state aeiobic tiaining, oi 1S weeks of spiint inteivals (1S
spiints Su seconus each). The inteival gioup lost nine times moie bouy fat anu
12 times moie visceial belly fat than the aeiobic gioup! 1S9
Now theie weie some stuuies that suppoiteu aeiobic tiaining iegimes ovei
weight anu spiint tiaining, but the uownfall to the stuuies weie that they uiu not
uisclose anu elaboiate on the specific piotocols of the anaeiobic gioups, oi the
woikouts weie not seveie enough to waiiant the ieal benefits of tiue anaeiobic
tiaining. 14u 141 They weie too easy, so it was an unfaii anu misleauing compaiison.
Aeiobic conuitioning oi "Active Recoveiy" woik that will be peifoimeu on the
off uays in this piogiam iaises geneial woik capacity, meaning that you will be able

149

to uo even moie woik, buin moie caloiies anu fat, anu ieach youi goals soonei.
Tiauitional conuitioning also has a veiy minoi effect on EP0C, but not neaily to the
same extent as stiength tiaining. Some of this supplemental conuitioning just auus
moie fuel to the fiie, as you maximize youi caloiie expenuituies thioughout the
tiaining week.
Stay tuneu into my website: www.ienospeeuschool.com. I'll be blogging anu
wiiting aiticles like a mauman in the futuie, anu I'll be suie to incluue seveial moie
stuuies that exploie the benefits spiinting anu speeu woik have on fast fat loss.
Theie aie many moie stuuies to shaie, but I wanteu to keep it shoit anu pioviue just
enough eviuence to convince, anu minimize time spent on a single paiticulai topic
since theie is a lot to covei in this book.
The stiength woik, acceleiation anu speeu, along with the agility anu
quickness tiaining methous accomplish all of the above, anu auu one moie unique
benefit as it ielates to fat anu weight loss that most iaiely evei consiuei: muscle
tension! The ieason why these anaeiobic examples aie bettei is that many stuuies
show at least full maintenance of lean mass oi muscle as we buin caloiies anu moie
fat. 142 14S You cannot say this foi exclusive aeiobic tiaining, unfoitunately.
Spiinting, jumping, iunning, etc. all place a lot of foice anu tension (pull) on
youi muscles just like weightlifting uoes, except that the type of iesistance is
uiffeient in that it's the momentum of youi own mass iathei than some exteinal
object (baibell, uumbbell, etc.) auuing weight to the bouy. This becomes impoitant
since tension is absolutely ciitical in maintaining muscle if we want to lose fat. So if
you'ie someone aspiiing to lose fat anu weight, then all of these tiauitionally
uncommon tiaining types will help youi bouy holu onto its piecious muscle mass,
along with piopei nutiition, while you buin thiough youi fat stoies.

'*! ,(00 +*)&-(

PLEASE REFER T0 TBE "TENP0 TRAININu" SECTI0N F0R SPECIFICS 0N TBIS
T0PIC.

'*! ,(00 0I//,#.#%!0

All of what I useu to believe on supplements was challengeu anu uismisseu
iecently. Sol 0iwell anu his team at Examine.com just ieleaseu a Supplements-uoals
Refeience uuiue you shoulu uefinitely check out. 144 In this compiehensive guiue
that liteially coveis eveiy supplement-ielateu topic, they examine eveiything
incluuing fat buining, muscle builuing, fatigue, health, anu so much moie. It's 9uu
pages long anu they put tiemenuous effoit into it to make oui lives easiei. You can
check this piouuct out foi fuithei uetails on the supplements that I will iecommenu

1Su

that have been scientifically shown thiough vaiious stuuies to woik. 0nfoitunately,
when it comes to fat buining theie ieally aie not too many supplements that aie
woith youi while. Sol ueiiveu a S-stai ianking system foi each supplement. The
catechins founu in gieen tea have been shown to shift the buining of glucose to fatty
acius in the bouy. They ieceiveu a moueiate scoie of 2. Theie weie also 8 stuuies
foi this supplement. Caffeine ieceiveu the same exact iating, anu woiks by
incieasing seium fatty aciu levels via incieaseu auienaline piouuction. Theie weie
S stuuies foi caffeine. Auienaline is a piimaiy fat buining hoimone. The othei 1S
iefeienceu supplements foi fat buining hau a scoie of 1, iepiesenting a veiy weak
effect. Theie weie othei supplements that showeu piomise such as clenbuteiol,
yohimbine, anu epheuiine. Bowevei, in my own peisonal ieseaich, It's been stateu
fiequently by authois that the auministiation of these items is ciitical to pievent
uangeious events, anu not eveiyone shoulu be taking these. Please consult youi
uoctoi anu check out any of Lyle NcBonalu's piouucts oi website foi piopei uosing
anu auministiation of these piouucts.

+*)B("G&)*!#0

Befoie we begin, we fiist neeu to uefine a caibohyuiate. Caibohyuiates aie simply a
souice of sugai that oui bouy utilizes as eneigy; anu eveiy type of caib whethei it
be soua oi fiuit, oi any othei, will be ultimately conveiteu into glucose thiough
complicateu chemical conveision piocesses in the bouy. Caibohyuiates can then be
classifieu into S geneial types. The uiffeience between each type is mainly theii iate
of uigestion anu theii stiuctuie. Piactically speaking, the iate of uigestion is the
only ieal thing that is impoitant.

!C84 KLM.>5>;<DD7<3:94;
!C84 KPM&:;<DD7<3:94;
!C84 KTM/>AC;<DD7<3:94;

Nonosacchaiiues oi "simple sugais" aie things like fiuit anu honey. These aie
the smallest of all types anu aie the most ieauily available to the bouy when you eat
them.
Bisacchaiiues oi "uouble sugais" aie things like soua (suciose oi table sugai +
glucose), beei (maltose + glucose), anu uaiiy piouucts (galactose + glucose). This
type of caibohyuiate is slightly biggei than a simple sugai anu takes slightly longei
to uigest anu bieak uown into glucose befoie a pait of the bouy can use them. These
uouble sugais contain othei sugais combineu with glucose, as you can see, anu oui
bouy can only use the glucose fiom this type of caibohyuiate as a souice of eneigy
to fuel bouily activity.
Polysacchaiiues, oi "multiple sugais," aie big chains of glucose linkeu togethei.

1S1

This type of sugai takes the longest of the thiee to bieak uown into inuiviuual
glucose foi eneigy. Examples woulu be glycogen, anu staichy foous (bieaus, iice,
etc.).
This is ieally all you neeu to be conceineu with about the composition anu
stiuctuie of caibohyuiates, although theie is a bunch moie you coulu leain if you
wanteu to. The stiuctuie anu chemical makeup of all these can get quite uetaileu,
but the only piactical thing we neeu to be conceineu with heie is that caibs aie
uiffeient categoiically speaking, but they will all ultimately enu up conveiting into
glucose thiough a specific anu elaboiate uigestion piocess, since that is the only
type of sugai that can be useu by oui bouy tissues. Anu iemembei the fact that they
have uiffeient uigestion iates. Even then, I uon't think this is that impoitant, as long
we aie eating complete anu balanceu meals of caibs, pioteins, anu fats. Below is a
shoit list of benefits associateu with auequate uaily caibohyuiate intake.

+*)B("G&)*!# B#%#'-!0E
1/3:=<3C ;>?3D4 >@ 45436C ?;49 <2 7:67 23<:5:56 :5245;:2:4;
1+34<24 <59 =<:52<:5 < 74<A27C 27C3>:9N
1-5D34<;4 =42<S>A:;=
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10?88A:4; 4;;452:<A O:2<=:5; <59 =:543<A; 544949 @>3 543O>?; ;C;24= @?5D2:>5
1-5D34<;4 @<2 A>;; 83>9?D2:O:2C <59 4@@:D:45DC
1,>Z43 ;234;; A4O4A;
1-5D34<;4 >O43<AA 843@>3=<5D4
1-=83>O4 =452<A ;2<24
1-5D34<;4; 7C93<2:>5
1&4D34<;4 7?5643 <59 <8842:24
1B3<:5 <59 543O>?; ;C-&#9:- ;2#*#22#, -+627# +* #8#21'
1/34O452; :5_?3C

/)(!#-%

"Next to watei, piotein is the most abunuant plentiful substance in the bouy
anu is neeueu foi many bouy functions." 7u A piotein is a substance that is maue up
fiom vaiious seiies of amino acius. Amino acius aie the builuing blocks of pioteins.
The bouy uses appioximately 2u uiffeient amino acius to builu its many uiffeient
types of pioteins. Some of these amino acius aie essential, meaning that we have to
consume ceitain piotein-baseu foous in oiuei to acquiie them. 0thei pioteins aie
non-essential, which means oui bouy alieauy natuially piouuces these fiom othei
nutiients. Lastly, some aie semi-essential, meaning that we can natuially piouuce
some of them on oui own, but not in sufficient quantity to maintain piopei bouily
function. I will be giving you a laige list of lean pioteins in the foou menu coming

1S2

soon, anu all I am going to say is that as long as you aie acquiiing all of the 2u amino
acius by eating a balanceu uiet of vaiious lean pioteins, healthy fats, anu
caibohyuiates then you aie goou anu getting all that you neeu to function iight.
Below is a biief list of benefits associateu with auequate uaily piotein intake.

/)(!#-% B#%#'-!0E
1B?:A9; =?;DA4X D>554D2:O4X <59 >2743 2:;;?4;
1B?:A9; O<3:>?; 7>3=>54; YD74=:D<A =4;;45643;g <59 >2743 ;23?D2?34;
1*DD4A43<24; 34D>O43C
1-=83>O4; :==?5:2C
1-5D34<;4; 843@>3=<5D4
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1-5D34<;4; =42<S>A:;=
1/34O452; :5_?3C
1%>3=<AAC <;;:;2; ;A:672AC :5 45436C 83>9?D2:>5

The next thing ielateu to piotein that neeus to be uiscusseu is 5:23>645
S<A<5D4. Nitiogen is a key element founu in the vaiious pioteins oui bouy makes,
incluuing muscle. Nuch like eneigy balance (caloiies in vs. caloiies out), in oiuei foi
piotein levels to be labeleu piopei anu auequate, the iatio of nitiogen in vs. nitiogen
out has to be balanceu. In othei woius, if we aie not consuming enough piotein to
meet oui bouy's neeus to hanule muscle activity, giowth, anu iepaii, etc. then oui
peifoimance will suffei anu we will be in a negative nitiogen balance, anu vice
veisa.
So how uo we know if we aie in piopei nitiogen balance. "The Recommenueu
Bietaiy Allowance foi piotein is u.8gkg pei uay, oi 1S to Su% of total caloiic
intake. Bowevei, this may vaiy among athletes fiom 1.u to 2.u gkg pei uay."48 I like
the peicentage methou because it's obviously way easiei. Su% geneially coiielates
veiy well with 1 giam pei lb. of LEAN oi muscle bouyweight, which is piobably the
most common iecommenuation you will heai floating aiounu. Nany will be
shockeu at how low this peicentage oi amount suggesteu is, anu I can unueistanu
that with all the piomotion of high piotein uiets. Logically, it makes sense to assume
that the moie piotein we ingest, the moie we giow. 0i the less actual fat we eat, the
less fat we become. 0nfoitunately, this thought piocess is fai too simplifieu anu
incoiiect, even though it makes peifect sense. In his book "The Paleo Biet," Bi.
Loien Coiuain states that the livei has a built-in piotective mechanism which only
enables it to hanule aiounu Su% of oui uaily caloiic intake fiom piotein, otheiwise
we will stait to expeiience nausea anu othei piotein toxicity ielateu symptoms. 146
This woulu explain the RBA's iecommenuation, anu all of the successful
bouybuilueis, athletes, anu incieuible bouy tiansfoimations that took place in yeais
past. Exceptions heie woulu be piegnant women, pubescent auolescents

1SS

(teenageis), anu peihaps a few otheis whose bouies natuially iequiie moie piotein
to suppoit abnoimal levels of giowth that occuis in these inuiviuuals.

"#*,!"G '*!0

Fats come in uiffeient types, shapes, anu foims. The five types of fats aie
satuiateu fats, unsatuiateu fats which aie monounsatuiateu anu polyunsatuiateu
fats, cholesteiol, anu tians fats. The main uiffeience between each of these is theii
chemical stiuctuie anu functions in the bouy. I'm going to biiefly uiscuss the
function of each, but omit stiuctuie because it's not piactical at all anu I uo not
know much about it.
Cholesteiol has many functions, like making hoimones, but uoes not pioviue
eneigy to the bouy, so this is all I am going to say about cholesteiol.
Satuiateu fats aie fats that aie soliu at ioom tempeiatuie, anu can be founu in
steak anu ceitain oils. Satuiateu fats aie geneially labeleu bau, but theie aie some
types of satuiateu fats that uo pioviue benefit, so theie is a small list of foou souices
containing satuiateu fats that can help matteis. 0utsiue of this, we shoulu stiive to
limit satuiateu fats anu uitch the fatty steaks like iibeyes anu piime iib. Too much
satuiateu fat has been shown to inciease bau LBL cholesteiol, anu inciease oui iisk
foi heait attacks anu stiokes, among othei things. We shoulu always stiive to
consume a majoiity of oui fats fiom polyunsatuiateu fats, anu maintain a high to
low polyunsatuieu to satuiateu fat iatio.
Polyunsatuiateu fats come in thiee types anu aie geneially liquiu at ioom
tempeiatuie. 0mega S, 6, anu 9. 0nfoitunately, we as humans ueiive a majoiity of
this fat in the omega 6 anu 9 foims, anu aie low on the omega S. 0mega S fats will
be seen on foou menus, anu have vast benefits foi the human bouy. Examples
incluue all types of fish like salmon, halibut, tilapia, omega S eggs, fish oils, anu cou
livei oil, to name a few.
Nonounsatuiateu fats aie also geneially liquiu at ioom tempeiatuie. Baseu on
my stuuies, many souices have stateu that this type of fat may potentially iaise
testosteione along with othei functions. I have seen nothing though that suggests
they haim the bouy in any way. Anu they taste goou. Examples incluue olive oil,
avocauos, anu vaiious types of nuts.
Tians fatty acius, as we piobably all know by now, aie bau guys. They have
zeio place in any uiet anu only contiibute to bau health. These aie synthetically
maue fats. These fats aie cieateu thiough a piocess calleu paitial hyuiogenation,
wheie a stanuaiu oil which is liquiu at ioom tempeiatuie is conveiteu to a paitial
soliu at ioom tempeiatuie. Examples of this type of fat incluue maigaiine anu
shoitening. Tians fats aie also commonly founu in all types of junk foous like chips,
cookies, anu cakes. The iationale foi tians fatty acius in society is to pieseive the

1S4

shelf life of the foou anu inciease its longevity.
Fats aie veiy impoitant in oiuei foi us to suivive anu maximize oui
health anu peifoimance. Below is a list of benefits associateu with auequate uaily
fat intake.

"#*,!"G '*! B#%#'-!0E
1!74 D7:4@ ;>?3D4 >@ 45436C <2 A>Z43 :5245;:2:4;
1-=83>O4; 843@>3=<5D4
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1"4A8; =<\4 <59 =<:52<:5 7>3=>54 A4O4A;
1"4A8; 23<5;8>32 <59 D<33C 4;;452:<A 5?23:452; Y'<2 ;>A?SA4 O:2<=:5;M*X&X#X
<59 Jg
1"4A8; 83>24D2 <59 D?;7:>5 4;;452:<A >36<5; <59 2:;;?4;
1"4A8; 346?A<24 S>9C 24=843<2?34
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1"4A8; =?;DA4 S?:A9:56
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*-5D34<;4 =42<S>A:;=

'-W# 0!#/ %I!)-!-(%*, /,*%

0248 KLM&<:AC +<A>3:4 -52<\4:

Low caloiie uay intake=BW x 1u-11 (i.e. 18S x 1u=18Su caloiies)
Bigh caloiie uay intake=BW x 12-14

0248 KPM&<:AC %?23:452 -52<\4:
}ust like in the case of caloiies, we will neeu anu want to know how much of each
nutiient we neeu to eat specific to oui weight to get the best possible iesult.
Caibs:
Su % of caloiie intake
Caloiie intake * .Su=x4 meals pei uay=x4 giams pei meal=.

1SS

Piotein:
Su% of caloiie intake
Caloiie intake *.Su=x4 meals pei uay=x4 giams pei meal=x=.
Fat:
2u% of caloiie intake
Caloiie intake *.2u=x4 meals pei uay=x9 giams pei meal=.
0248KTM'<2 ,>;; .4<A /A<5 &4;:65 !4=8A<24:
This temp will allow you to combine all of the essential nutiients piopeily.
Pick one staich caib
Pick one lean piotein
Pick one healthy fat (1-2 meals pei uay)
Pick one simple caib (fiuit) anuoi vegetable at each meal

0248KQM'>>9 04A4D2:>5 .45?:

0tilizing the template fiom step #S, you will now have seveial foous to choose fiom.

+*)B("&)*!# '((& ,-0!

0-./,# +*)B0:
Apples
0ianges
Nelons
Beiiies

1S6

Peaches
Peais
Plums
Kiwi
Nilk
Yoguit

0!*)+" +*)B0:
Quinoa
0atmeal
Sweet potatoes
White potatoes
White iice
Biown iice
Wilu iice
Bieaus
uiains
Toitillas
Pitas

,#*% /)(!#-% '((& ,-0!:
Skinless chicken bieast
Tuikey bieast
Tuna
Salmon
Tilapia
Balibut
Lobstei
Ciab
Shiimp
Bottom iounu steak
Flank steak

1S7

Top siiloin
venison
0stiich
Bison
Lamb
veal
Lean giounu beef
Whey piotein powuei
Casein piotein powuei
Eggs
Egg whites
Skim milk
Low-fat cheese
Low-fat oi nonfat cottage cheese
uieek yoguit

"#*,!"G '*! '((& ,-0T:
Flaxseeu oil
Cou livei oil
Fish oil
0live oil
All nuts
Avocauoes
0lives

')## '((&0:
Aspaiagus
Cauliflowei
Nushiooms
uieen beans
Celeiy
uieen peppeis

1S8

Bioccoli
Cucumbeis
Reu peppeis
Biussels spiouts
Eggplant
Spinach
Cabbage
Lettuce
Zucchini
Low cal }ell-o
Low cal popsicles

')## B#W#)*F#0E
Watei
Biet soua oi juice
Coffee (Tiaces of cieam anu sugai)
Ciystal Light
Bioth oi bouillon
Biet Snapple
uieen tea
Poweiaue zeio

')## +(%&-.#%!0:
Pico ue gallo oi salsa
Fat-fiee soui cieam
Caloiie-fiee syiup oi jelly
Nustaiu
All spices anu heibs
Light soy sauce
vinegai
Lemon juice

1S9

BEALTBY FAST F00B RES00RCE:
http:www.shapefit.comfastfoou.html

This site lists piactically eveiy place you can eat out, anu incluues theii entiie menu
with a complete bieakuown of caloiies, caibs, piotein, anu fat so you can stay
compliant.

0!#/ KRM`44\AC %?23:2:>5<A 0D749?A4:

Taking into account the pievious foui steps, it's now time to put it all togethei into a
stiuctuieu ioutine. Stiuctuie is key to success if you aie ieally seiious about getting
iesults. In this step we will integiate the key funuamental of "Caloiie Cycling" to
keep the metabolism healthy anu maximize the iate of fat anu weight loss.
0ltimately, you shoulu have 2 highei caloiie oi maintenance uays pei week. Keep in
minu that it's still low caloiies, but just a little bit highei than youi low uays. Feel
fiee to ieaiiange the uays howevei you want to make it fit youi social scheuule.
What it ieally comes uown to is that you get a fiee "stiuctuieu cheat meal" foi two
uays.

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161

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At this point, you can appieciate the fact that gieatei foice (max stiength) is
going to inciease youi powei potential, along with eveiything else that has been
uiscusseu so fai in the manual. I think the next question that often aiises is how else
can we inciease oui powei potential. Iionically, it woulu be to get biggei as well!
"Cleaily inuiviuuals with the laigest muscle cioss sections geneiate the gieatest
absolute foice." 42 Cioss Sectional Aiea oi hypeitophy aie othei teims that aie useu
inteichangeably with muscle size. :)*F$/H$H .) G#$ H.J$ -P / ORH*,$ E$)$F/G$
ER/F/)G$$' HGF$)EG# E/.)H. Conveisely, incieases in mass cieate gieatei giavity oi
uownwaiu pull of the bouy. "The majoi component of giavity is mass: gieatei mass
equals gieatei giavitational pull." Su Neaning oui bouy becomes haiuei to move in
an intenueu uiiection upon effoit. This is a big pioblem if we aie tiying to become
moie poweiful anu move fastei in all movement vaiiations. 0i is it. Foitunately foi
us, the incieases in size along with the peifoimances of top-level athletes ovei time
woulu inuicate that piopei anu specific muscle mass uevelopment anu not fat gain
in the bouy is moie than enough to offset uifficulties in attempting to move a laigei
mass anu oveicome incieaseu giavity. "0ntil you've been tiaining foi a numbei of
yeais you will tenu to gain Su% stiength foi eveiy 1u% inciease in muscle mass."
147 So eveiy single pounu inciease in muscle mass typically iaises the stiength of
the affecteu muscle by up to S lbs! This woulu uefinitely help explain why 0lympic
spiinteis anu the highest jumpeis anu speeusteis in spoit anu othei magnificent
peifoimeis aie capable of uoing so at questionably high bouyweights. Also,
obviously make suie that you aie not gaining too much non-specific mass. What I
mean by non-specific mass is auuing weight to an aiea that is not piimaiily
iesponsible foi peifoiming an activity. Foi example, giowing a humongous uppei
bouy anu neglecting youi lowei bouy when tiying to spiint fastei. uiow both aieas,
but focus a little moie on the uominant iegion Anu this not to say that you coulu not
still fly oi leap like a pio with moie bouyfat, oi less specific muscle mass, as long as
youi stiength to bouyweight iatio anu powei expiession aie highei anu can countei
these. It just makes it unnecessaiy anu much haiuei. I've seen many uo this befoie.
Baving moie muscle incieases oui "ielative stiength" potential. You have
alieauy seen the effect of ielative stiength pieviously, so anything that can inciease
this is huge. I've heaiu figuies anywheie fiom 2-S lbs. of potential stiength gain pei
1 lb. of muscle accoiuing to olu Soviet tiaining liteiatuie, anu othei authoiities on
tiaining. I uon't think it matteis too much what the numbei is exactly. What's
impoitant is that the ieal woilu eviuence of gaining size woulu at least suppoit the
fact that the stiength anu powei gains become gieatei than the actual muscle
gaineu, contiaiy to populai belief. With all of the pievious infoimation consiueieu,
below is a compaiison of an athlete with biggei legs veisus one with smallei legs.
Cleaily the peison with biggei legs is at an auvantage to iun fastei than the othei

162

peison with smallei legs. I useu S lbs. of stiength pei 1 lb. of muscle in this scenaiio.

K.EE$F 0G#,$G$M %O/,,$F 0G#,$G$M
UXc ,^HV -P ,$E O/HH ec ,^HV -P ,$E O/HH
àc ,^HV -P HGF$)EG# &-G$)G./, WWc ,^HV -P HGF$)EG# &-G$)G./,

Seconuly, those who aie heaviei aie capable of geneiating a stiongei
explosive ieflex fiom the woiking muscles of the bouy. Technically speaking, this is
the "Nyotatic Stietch Reflex" that I uiscusseu in the plyometiic section of the
manual. As you might iecall, theie aie S iegulatois of this natuial ieflex. Fiist is the
magnituue oi amount of stietch placeu on the muscle. So the haiuei anu moie
intensely we stietch oui muscles when we move, the bettei they will ieact. A biggei
muscle is capable of uiiving much moie effoit than a smallei one. Auvantage being
biggei! The seconu iegulatoi is the velocity of the stietch. The fastei we can stietch
oui muscles when iunning, jumping, etc. the bettei the ieflex. Since we know a
biggei muscle can uiive moie effoit into a stietch, obviously it's going to be able to
uo it fastei, too. Auvantage being biggei! The final iegulatoi is the time it takes to
stietch a muscle anu then contiact it. The fastei this gets uone the less eneigy we
lose anu the moie explosive we will be. Auvantage being biggei! Cleaily, if we want
to maximize this phenomenon then we neeu to giow biggei muscles anu hit the iion
haiu, contiaiy to populai belief.
Thiiu, the ieseaich suppoits being biggei to iun fastei. In 2uuS in !"#
%&'()*+ &, :;7#(2=#).*+ <2&+&/9, ieseaicheis assesseu 4S of the fastest male anu
female spiinteis acioss a 14-yeai span (1999-2u1S). 148 What they founu was that
the biggei iunneis weie also the fastest iunneis. Noieovei, the amount of foice
that these athletes applieu into the giounu was up to 2.S times theii bouyweight
accoiuing to this stuuy.

16S

(Photo couitesy of Chell Bill)
Asafa Powell is one of the fastest men in the woilu anu his spectaculai size is pait of the ieason why.

Ninoi League baseball playei Scott 0nueiwoou showcases his extieme muscle size. It's one of the ieasons why
Scott has Elite NLB speeu iight now.

164

(3(;8L K06031(:

Please iefei to the fat loss section foi a complete explanation of Eneigy
Balance.

9<%16( K<:67:38 A<3709(3"06%M

A<3709(3"06 TUI149C4<37 94=(9(3"%

I alieauy intiouuceu this funuamental with the "Big 6" piinciple in the stiength
chaptei, but theie's moie. Compounu movements that tiain multiple joints anu
muscle gioups simultaneously anu consist of piimaiily fiee weight exeicises aie
unmatcheu foi impioving size anu stiength. Beie is a list of ieasons why fiee
weight compounu movements aie supeiioi to tiaining on machines anu isolation
(single joint) exeicises foi builuing size anu stiength.

TUI:)*F$/H$' F/)E$ -P O-G.-)

TWI8F$/G$F F$H.HG/)*$

TXI:)*F$/H$' ^/H$ -P HR&&-FG

TÌ8F$/G$F -Q$F/,, ORH*,$ F$*FR.GO$)G

Fiist, compounu movements piomote a gieatei iange of motion than many
machines like leg extensions, hamstiing cuil, anu bicep cuil machines uo. This
means that you will lift weight longei, woik haiuei, anu giow bettei.
Seconu, compounu movements typically pioviue gieatei oveiall iesistance to
the taiget muscles. The exception woulu be the leg piess. Resistance oi the weight
you aie lifting is absolutely key to oveiloauing the bouy so that it can get biggei anu
stiongei. Nost machines, such as the pec fly machine, othei piessing machines, the
lat pulluown, anu otheis, will offei limiteu iesistance anu you'll eventually iun out
of weight. Then what. Compounu movements pioviue infinite oveiloau potential,
so you nevei stop impioving.
Thiiu, compounu fiee weight exeicises pioviue a soliu platfoim foi you to
summon moie foice anu eneigy to get biggei anu stiongei. "You cannot uevelop
maximal stiength pushing against unstable stiuctuies since maximal foice cannot
be uevelopeu against an unstable suiface." 12 You saw the case of how unstable

16S

suiface tiaining uiu not impiove speeu as much as stable suiface tiaining, anu it's
the same stoiy heie. You neeu to uitch that Bosu Ball when tiying to lift heavy
weights anu get biggei.

Bey, bio, that Bosu is not going to get you neaily as fast oi stiong as heavy weight lifting anu spiinting will! Stop
it.

An example of this concept can be seen with chinups anu pullups vs. lat
pulluowns. With chins anu pulls you can pull anu builu a lot moie piessuie anu
foice than you can with a pulluown. The ieason is the iack on which you aie
exeiting is much moie stable anu will not move. A pulluown machine on the othei
hanu, uoes not cieate this same type of enviionment anu anchoi the bouy as well.
The thigh attempts to anchoi youi bouy against the foam pau to help stabilize you,
but once the weight stack gets heavy enough, you cannot help but lift youi butt anu
bouy off the bench, which ieuuces stiength potential.
Finally, compounu fiee weight exeicises stimulate a gieatei total amount of
youi muscles. "By moving youi own bouy weight oi youi own bouy weight plus
auueu iesistance (such as when you uo a tiauitional baibell squat) thiough space,
you inciease neuiomusculai activation. A highei level of neuiomusculai activation
means that the neives aie senuing a stiongei signal to the muscles to ieciuit moie

166

fibeis." 149 In case you aie cuiious, youi neivous system is youi bouy's batteiy oi
poweiplant that feeus anu contiacts youi muscles when you move. Compounu fiee
weight exeicises contiact eveiything fiom heau to toe, with some aieas woiking
moie than otheis. This effect stimulates a gieatei ielease of testosteione anu othei
hoimones, which caiiies a uiiect effect on youi neivous system anu othei things,
which cieates an even gieatei use of youi muscles, anu the cycle just keeps
iepeating itself. Compounu movements "anabolize" oui whole system anu make
othei aieas moie susceptible to giowth than they noimally woulu be, even though
we aie not tiaining those aieas specifically at the time. This iesponse is known as
the !K/@BL 5/ ;77$B8." 1Su Fuitheimoie, compounu movements aie
multiuiiectional in natuie, meaning that they tiain vaiious muscle gioups fiom each
uiiection. Nachines anu single-joint type exeicises only ieally taiget one muscle
gioup anu uiiection. This iesults in less total muscle involvement, size, anu
stiength. Beie is an example of what actually occuis uuiing a compounu fiee weight
exeicise. When you bench piess, you not only use youi pectoial chest muscles, but
the lats anu othei back muscles as well. All of the suiiounuing shouluei muscles,
the neck, anu all of the muscles of the aim aie assisting in the movement, eithei as
moveis oi stabilizeis. The coie anu youi legs aie also stabilizing anu incieasing
theii activity to help balance the bai ovei you. Please be awaie that you can nevei
"isolate" a muscle, but you can place a gieatei emphasis on a muscle gioup, anu that
is what is geneially meant by the teim isolate.
Eveiy single-machine anu single-joint exeicise will be missing one oi moie of
these ieasons foi why compounu fiee weight exeicises aie iueal foi builuing size
anu stiength. 0n the othei hanu, theie aie going to be times when tiaining on a
machine is waiianteu.
Fiist, if someone has sustaineu an injuiy, oi is incapable of coiiectly
peifoiming a fiee weight exeicise that has been mouifieu to the easiest uegiee oi
level possible, then the next best option woulu be a machine. This case is veiy iaie,
but can happen. An example woulu be a leg piess insteau of a bouyweight squat.
Seconu woulu be aftei you've just ciusheu youi bouy with the fiee weight
vaiiations, afteiwaius you coulu peifoim some auuitional movements consisting of
single-joint oi machine-baseu exeicises of youi choice to supplement some extia
volume anu inciease giowth. An example woulu be some isolation woik foi the
tiiceps. Note that the tiiceps aie ieceiving a lot of attention in youi compounu
piessing movements (e.g. bench piess, militaiy piess, etc.), but theii effoit is
seconuaiy to the biggei muscle gioups. Aftei we exhaust these biggei muscle
gioups oi piime moveis, we continue oui tiaining by peifoiming some
supplemental exeicises to ieally put the finishing touches on the tiiceps anu
maximize theii size anu stiength potential. This same concept applies to eveiy
othei muscle gioup which will be tiaineu on this piogiam.
Finally, veiy auvanceu inuiviuuals such as elite bouybuilueis will iequiie

167

"touch up" oi finishing ioutines. This is exclusively ieseiveu foi auvanceu bigs who
have a sounu stiuctuie anu huge founuation, anu no one else. This is anothei
common mistake in conventional bouybuiluing anu bulking. Skinny oi smallei guys
auopt this appioach when it's the last thing they shoulu uo. It's like putting on tiies
without a fiame, anu it ignoies all of the benefits of compounu movements that
weie pieviously uiscusseu.

A<3709(3"06 TWI"(3%:43 037 "<"

0ne of the most impoitant funuamentals foi maximizing youi size anu
giowth is how much you weight you lift anu how many times you lift it. This is one
of S classic muscle builuing mistakes. Nany believe that eating stimulates muscle
giowth iathei than weightlifting, anu this is flat out wiong. You coulu eat moie if
you woulu like anu not lift heavy, anu you will uefinitely gain weight, but it won't be
muscle. The mechanism of muscle giowth has been unuei heavy sciutiny foi yeais
anu a lot of theoiies anu iueas have come anu gone in teims of both the mechanism
of giowth as well as what stimulates it. Semi-amusingly, about 98% of the actual
answei was known back in the '7us. In an exceptional papei (which I iecommenu
the ieauing of to any neius in the fielu) titleu "Nechanism of woik inuuceu
hypeitiophy of skeletal muscle" a ieseaichei nameu uoluspink pietty much laiu it
out concluuing that: It is suggesteu that incieaseu tension uevelopment (eithei
passive oi active) is the ciitical event in initiating compensatoiy giowth. 1S1 1S2
Basically, we oveiloau oui muscles, they get uamageu anu then oui bouy
"Supeicompensates" anu giows biggei than it was. "#$F$ .H H-O$ HO/,,
'.H*F$&/)*+ ^$GS$$) O/)+ *.F*,$H .) G#$ H*.$)G.P.* *-OOR).G+b ^RG $Q$F+-)$
S-R,' /EF$$ G#/G GF/.).)E .) G#$ cIUW F$& F/)E$ .H ^$HG P-F .'$/, ^R,Z.)EV I
mentioneu this concept befoie of "peiceiveu" tiaining intensity vs. "actual" tiaining
intensity in the plyometiics section, anu it also applies heie. If the piogiam says you
neeu to tiain at S ieps, then you neeu to "let the ieps uictate the weight" useu anu
finu a weight you can only lift five times. Not seven, oi thiee, oi nine, but five.
Pietty simple. If you weie to attempt a sixth iepetition you woulu fail. This is "tiue"
effoit oi intensity. I only biing this up because too many tiying to get big will tiain
with a weight they coulu actually lift 1S times foi 8 ieps, eithei because they aie
uncomfoitable oi feaiful, but it uoes not mattei anu won't woik well. I know the
"feai factoi" is high, but if you aie using goou technique, you'ie focuseu, you gain
some expeiience anu familiaiity with heavy lifting, anu you follow the woikouts
exactly as they aie piesenteu, then this is a non-issue. This will not cieate oveiloau
anu youi bouy will not auapt anu impiove. Theie aie so many authoiities anu
ioutines that auvocate Su ieps oi moie to giow. I won't name names. The tiuth is
that I've tiieu these with myself anu my clients. They aie bogus anu complete

168

oveikill, anu won't woik. Enough saiu. The exception woulu be leg tiaining. The
legs aie veiy auapteu to highei volumes since they suppoit us all uay, so they
iequiie moie volume to auapt anu giow moie. The highei leg volume is ieflecteu in
the woikouts at the enu of the book. Noueiate ieps (S-12) is wheie you will giow
the best.
0n the othei hanu, many guys who aie lifting heavy anu haiu complain that
they aie getting stiongei anu they aie lifting heavy, but they aie not getting biggei,
anu it's because of the lack of tiaining volume oi T0T. You neeu a balance of both.
"Time 0nuei Tension" is a scientific teim that just iepiesents tiaining volume. Noie
specifically, it's the amount of time spent lifting a weight pei iep oi set. Nany
iefeience how long you shoulu lift a weight pei iep, but this is not veiy piactical oi
as essential since you aie limiteu in how long you can suppoit a heavy loau, anu the
piocess occuis natuially. Bon't woiiy about this. You neeu to peifoim a ceitain total
amount of woik anu cieate enough fatigue to auuiess the othei half of the muscle
builuing tiaining equation. So now that we have tiaining volume pei set anu the
piopei intensity coveieu, tiaining volume pei woikout is anothei essential. The
piogiam alieauy ieflects this, but accoiuing to woilu-famous muscle builuing
physiologist Lyle NcBonalu, 4u-6u ieps seems to be a gieat iep iange to optimize
muscle giowth. 1SS You will tiain within this iange on this piogiam a majoiity of the
time, anu below oi above it sometimes. It just uepenus on the tiaining week anu
exeicise listeu in the piogiam. Beie is a "Tiansfoimation Table" I cieateu backeu by
science that shows how the bouy actually auapts to uiffeient types of iep ianges anu
tiaining.

;$&HM CF.O/F+ %Z.,,M :)G$)H.G+M "F/.).)E 0'/&G/G.-)HM
UIc 9/D.O/, %GF$)EG# kcIUaam 3$RF-,-E.*/,b 9+-P.^F.,,/F EF-SG#
cIk ?+&$FGF-&#+ kaIkcm 9+-P.^F.,,/F /)' %/F*-&,/HO.* EF-SG#
kIUW ?+&$FGF-&#+ eaIkam %/F*-&,/HO.* EF-SG# /)' ()'RF/)*$
UWIUc> ()'RF/)*$ dcIeam ()'RF/)*$ /)' ;$*-Q$F+

I'll quickly specify what the tiaining auaptations mean since the iest is pietty
stiaightfoiwaiu. Neuiological just iefeis to all of the changes that occui in oui
neivous system when we lift veiy heavy weights that iesult in gieatei stiength.
Nuscle "hypeitiophy" oi giowth can be bioken uown into 2 foims: myofibiillai anu
saicoplasmic. Nyofibiillai iefeis to the inciease in uensity anu giowth that occui to
the myofilaments actin anu myosin, which aie the actual contiactile pioteins of
muscle tissue. Saicoplasmic iefeis to the inciease in the fluiu of muscles that houses
glycogen, enzymes, anu ATP foi gieatei eneigy piouuction. Enuuiance changes that
occui aie incieaseu capillaiization to inciease ciiculation anu eneigy ueliveiy.

169

Aeiobic enzymes inciease in numbei anu moie mitochonuiia wheie eneigy is
piouuceu aeiobically within the cell also multiply in numbei, which iesults in bettei
enuuiance capacity.
Anothei common issue oi pioposeu iequiiement fiom muscle builuing
authoiities that I woulu quickly like to uiscuss is hypoxia. This is just anothei teim
foi Anaeiobic oi without oxygen, that many fielu expeits state neeus to be piesent
to facilitate muscle giowth. This effect has been shown to inciease satellite cell
uonation anu giowth factois in the bouy. Both of these aie ciitical in piomoting
muscle giowth.
Foitunately, the S-12 iep iange anu intensity foices hypoxia. Buiing high
intensity tiaining activities, oxygen availability is limiteu uue to the intense
musculai contiactions that close off bloou vessels anu limit ueliveiy of oxygen.
Noieovei, the only way foi the bouy to pioviue eneigy at high intensities with
heavy weights is when it is hypoxic. So it's the heavy weights cieating hypoxia, not
the othei way aiounu.
All of this uefinitely applies to eveiyone, but especially "haiugaineis," oi
skinny guys tiying to get huge. Too often, I heai skinny guys complain that they
cannot get big oi eat enough. To simplify, if you'ie abiuing by these numbeis then
youi appetite will elevate anu youi bouy will giow! I can peisonally tell you that
many of the clients I've tiaineu who uiu not feel hungiy at the stait of the piogiam
eventually iepoiteu feiocious appetites once they uiu stait tiaining the iight way.
}ust iemembei that the tiaining stimulates anu signals the neeu foi incieaseu
giowth anu size, anu not the eating, contiaiy to populai belief. "Nuscle giowth
occuis thiough a piocess of stimulation, signaling, anu supply. Tiaining 'stimulates'
muscles to giow. Youi natuial levels of vaiious anabolic hoimones 'signal' muscles
to giow, anu foou 'supplies' iaw mateiial foi giowth." 1S4 If ANY one of these S S's is
missing, then iesults aie ieuuceu. I've heaiu eveiything fiom a peai stimulates an
enzyme that causes you to giow, to meuitation builus muscle, to yoga makes youi
muscles long so you can giow, anu so much moie. The peimanent scientific fact is
that heavy weights peifoimeu foi a iepeateu numbei of times on a iegulai basis
giow youi muscles anu get you stiongei. Peiiou. Eveiything else has only a slight
effect at best. If you aie eating a lot of foou anu not following these guiuelines then
it's moie than likely that you'ie gaining a lot moie fat than muscle, unless you aie
genetically supeiioi.
Anothei big issue that mainly applies to skinny guys is that they follow the
auvice of big guys with goou genetics, oi big guys on steioius, oi both. This is
almost an epiuemic in this uay anu age. 0n a neai uaily basis, I obseive the big guys
in the gym infoiming the little guys that lifting with ielatively lightei weights at
highei ieps is wheie it's at foi bulking. This is flat out wiong. This effect may veiy
well geneiate an inciease in youi muscle's uiametei, but it will be shoit-liveu anu

17u

gone by the time you aiiive home. It's highly logical foi a haiugainei to seek the
auvice of biggei guys. I get that. But the science suiiounuing muscle builuing is still
veiy uoimant in society, anu the guiuelines I've pioviueu aie geneially absent.
Theie aie highly cieuible anu extiemely knowleugeable coaches, tiaineis, anu
enthusiasts, who aie biggei anu spieau the woiu iight, but this is veiy iaie.
M2'/'/( 1'N$ 2/: 18,$/(8# C#$/ H@90,$ 2 #2,:(2'/$, '1 E$,H #2,:O P918 -'L$
8,H'/( 8@ -@1$ 728 2/: C$'(#8 '7 H@90,$ /289,2--H '/B-'/$: 8@ 3$'/( @E$,C$'(#8F
KRG .G */) /^H-,RG$,+ ^$ /*#.$Q$'h "#-RH/)'H #/Q$ '-)$ .G ^$P-F$b /)' S.,,
*-)G.)R$ G- '- .G .) G#$ PRGRF$V L-R YRHG )$$' G#$ F.E#G H*.$)G.P.* &F.)*.&,$Hb /
H-,.' &F-EF/Ob /)' / F$,$)G,$HH O.)'H$GV
If a biggei guy oi gal's stiength levels uo not justify theii weight, oi it uoes not
make any sense to you why they aie so big uoing so little, then they aie eithei on the
juice anu oi they possess gieat genetics. Eithei way, it uoes not mattei anu the
tiaining hau nothing to uo with it. Lifting a weight foi 2u+ ieps in a single set is a
total waste of time anu complete oveikill if you woulu like to builu legitimate size
anu stiength. Biggei guys will cuss anu hollei that this is total ciap, but it's tiue anu
tiaining science has confiimeu it. I gaineu Su lbs. of iaw anu natuial muscle on this
piogiam (1SS-2uS lbs.), so I can tell you fiist hanu aftei tiying high-iep schemes
seveial times in the past, that anything past 2u ieps is absolutely woithless, except
as a iehabactive iecoveiy appioach uone once pei month.
Even though it's iueal to use S-12 ieps foi muscle builuing, you still neeu to use
the entiie spectium of ieps fiom 1-1S if you want to maximize youi size, stiength,
anu eveiything else. You just witnesseu "The Tiansfoimation Table" in the stiength
chaptei, anu it has stiong application heie. Bighei ieps builu a little muscle thiough
saicoplasmic giowth in the cells. Bighei ieps (8-1S) uo a gieat job at impioving
stiength enuuiance, potentially allowing you to piouuce moie eneigy to lift even
heaviei at lowei ieps, anu impiove iecoveiy anu iepaii of tissues. Lowei ieps (1-S)
get you stiongei, so you can lift heaviei in the "giowth oi hypeitiophy zones" of S-
12 ieps. }ust anothei example of how a non-specific appioach can impiove specific
function in tiaining. }ust follow this piogiam exactly as it's piesenteu anu you'll be
incoipoiating anu satisfying all of the ciiteiia foi builuing muscle that I just
uiscloseu anu so much moie.

A<3709(3"06 TXI";0:3:38 A;(g<(31L

Tiaining fiequency is how often we tiain uuiing a given tiaining week, anu
how often we tiain all muscle gioups anu movement patteins pei week. Aftei yeais
of peisonal tiaining expeiience anu ieseaich, I believe theie is an answei to how
often you can anu shoulu tiain pei week to giow muscle. Tiaining Sx pei week will
woik foi a little while, but eventually the athlete oi client will buin out anu become

171

oveitiaineu. This ieflects "the point of uiminishing ietuins" theoiy, meaning that
theie is only so much quality weightlifting we can peifoim pei week befoie oui
muscle giowth ieaches its maximum anu staits to ueciease. This applies to low
fiequencies (1x pei week) too. 1u sets of an exeicise peifoimeu once pei week aie
not as effective as 1u sets of an exeicise uistiibuteu acioss 2-S woikouts pei week.
Bouy-pait split tiaining is anu always will be obsolete. Theie aie thiee
possible scenaiios seen with bouy-pait split tiaining anu each is flaweu. Below aie
classic examples of weekly tiaining scheuules foi all bouy paits, followeu by an
explanation foi why they uo not woik neaily as well as tiaining the whole bouy 2-S
times pei week. Also, keep in minu that this is an "Athletic" oi "Speeu" baseu
piogiam, anu tiaining movements iathei than bouy paits becomes moie impoitant
foi an athlete.

K-'+ C/FG %&,.G ;-RG.)$ TU K-'+ C/FG %&,.G ;-RG.)$ TW K-'+ C/FG %&,.G ;-RG.)$ TX

?:8? A;(g<(31L 947(;0"( A;(g<(31L 645 A;(g<(31L

N-Chest N-Chest ,Tii's, Abs N-Chest, Tii's, Shoulueis, Abs
T-Back T-0ff T-0ff
W-LegsCalves W-Back anu Bi's W-0ff
Th-Shoulueis Th-0ff Th-Back, Bi's, Legs, Calves
F-Bi's anu Tii's F-Legs, Shoulueis, Calves F-0ff
S-Abs S-0ff S-0ff
S-0ff S-0ff S-0ff

Fiist, ioutine #1 violates the scientific finuings fiom above since we aie only
able to tiain each bouy pait once pei week, veisus two to thiee times pei week with
a total bouy appioach. Noieovei, even though you woulu not be tiaining the same
muscle gioup each uay you uo not allow foi enough iecoveiy between woikouts anu
youi cential neivous system will stait to ieally ueplete as the week goes by. This
will limit youi eneigy levels, weight you can lift, anu gains you can make each time
you tiain, even though you aie not woiking the same muscle gioup. So in ioutine
#1, even though you aie not tiaining youi uppei bouy on Tuesuay, you'ie still going
to have some iesiuual oi oveilapping fatigue thioughout youi bouy caiiying ovei to
Tuesuay when you tiain legs, which will limit size anu stiength gains. You will not
encountei this pioblem on my system, since you get that extia uay in between to
iest. Also, the amount of volume peifoimeu in an effoit to oveicompensate anu
peifoim a week's woith of tiaining in one uay is iiuiculous anu counteipiouuctive
anu iepiesents "the point of uiminishing ietuins" which was just uiscusseu. 0nly a
small amount of it will actually piomote giowth, it will take a veiy long time to

172

iecovei fiom, anu we coulu be tiaining a lot moie fiequently to maximize giowth.
Piesciiptions like 1u sets x 1u ieps foi a given bouy pait with single oi multiple
exeicises on a high fiequency split is not uncommon this uay anu age, but not as
effective as a moie moueiate ioutine. 0n a final note, it is possible to scheuule this
ioutine so that you coulu possibly tiain the muscle gioup on back-to-back uays. If
you'ie tiaining chest on Nonuay, anu using the bench piess, you woulu also be
tiaining youi back, shoulueis, anu biceps eithei as moveis oi stabilizeis if you weie
to analyze the muscle activity of each of these aieas uuiing the movement. This
woulu cieate fatigue in the back muscle scheuuleu to woik uiiectly on the next uay,
anu its peifoimance woulu suffei. Anu uon't foiget the chest is still woiking anu its
iecoveiy anu uevelopment woulu suffei. This is unavoiuable, anu is iefeiieu to as
"local" neuial fatigue. The peiception of bouy pait tiaining is fai too simplifieu, anu
oui anatomy is moie complex anu involveu than this. Tiaining compounu
movements will foice ALL of the muscles of the iegion (uppei oi lowei bouy) that
you aie taigeting to fiie anu woik fai moie in most cases than tiaining bouy paits
with attempteu single joint exeicises oi machines, as you've seen alieauy.
Seconu, ioutine #2 may look goou on the outsiue, but it is missing some
essential components as well. }ust like with ioutine #1, #2 uoes not tiain each
muscle gioup at an optimal fiequency of 2-Sx pei week, but iathei once. So not only
uo all of youi muscles ieceive fai less attention anu woik, but by the time you
complete the week anu iepeat it the following, you will have been lucky to maintain
the piogiess you maue fiom each uay the pievious week, anu you will moie than
likely have atiophieu oi lost size anu stiength by then. I'm a numbeis guy, so heie is
just how much moie woik you coulu be uoing ovei the couise of a tiaining yeai if
you peifoimeu 2-S total bouy woikouts pei week.

K-'+&/FG %&,.G F-RG.)$H TUIX QH. %&$$' ()*+*,-&$'./ ORH*,$ ^R.,'.)E &F-EF/O
-0ne bouy pait -0ne bouy pait
-0nce pei week -Two to thiee times pei week
-48 weeks pei yeai -48 weeks pei yeai
B`k S-FZ-RGH &$F ^-'+ &/FG &$F +$/F BldIU`` S-FZ-RGH &$F ^-'+ &/FG
&$F +$/F

This is obviously a no-biainei that uemonstiates just how supeiioi total bouy
anu uppei-lowei foimats aie to the conventional bouy pait split piogiams. If this is
not ieason enough to uitch bouy pait split ioutines, then I uo not know what else to
say.
Routine #S commits the same eiioi as the othei two with the lack of time
spent tiaining all of the muscle gioups thioughout the tiaining week, anu you will
also be lucky to maintain the size anu stiength gaineu fiom the woikouts since the

17S

iecoveiy peiious aie excessive. The moie iecoveiy between sessions that you have
the less you will giow. If youi iecoveiy peiious aie excessively long between
tiaining muscle gioups then you will shiink oi maintain size at best.
Anothei thing I love about tiaining at Sx pei week is the "activation" oi
stimulating effect it has on youi muscles anu neivous system. By tiaining each
muscle gioup moie fiequently thioughout the week, we aie able to cieate constant
activity of all of the muscles making suie that they aie iesponuing when calleu upon
in tiaining. The last ieason why S uays just woiks best is because this is the numbei
of uays neeueu to tiain all of the movements. What I mean by this is that if we weie
to combine all of the essential movement patteins anu exeicises neeueu to stay
healthy, get biggei, anu get stiongei, then we neeu to spenu 2 houis oi moie in the
gym. By tiaining Sx pei week, we aie able to make oui way thiough the piogiam
comfoitably without getting boieu, oi having to spenu an excessive amount of time
at the gym with low oi high fiequencies. People aie alieauy stiappeu foi time, so
this iemoves stiess, anu makes life easiei on eveiyone.

A<3709(3"06 TÌ(3(;8L %<;C6<%

0) $)$FE+ HRF&,RH .H S#$F$ G#$ /O-R)G -P */,-F.$H .) .H EF$/G$F G#/)
*/,-F.$H -RGV To iueally suppoit muscle giowth, we neeu to take the opposite
appioach of fat loss anu tiy to inciease caloiies. "The anabolic muscle giowth state
is also known as the feu state." 1S4 The bottom line is that if we want to giow, we
neeu to consume the piopei amount of nutiition anu caloiies. A lack of foou is the
next majoi ieason why guys anu gals uon't usually giow. The exact amount of oui
eneigy oi caloiie suiplus is not cleaily uefineu. As a geneial iule, a 1u-2u% suiplus
has been histoiically auequate to fuel iegulai giowth. Also iemembei that you only
neeu 6uu caloiies to builu a single pounu of muscle. Beie aie 2 simple iules to live
by to ensuie muscle giowth:

9<%16( K<:67:38 ;<6( TUI3(=(; (0" 94;( "?03 Wam 4A L4<; 1064;:(%
K<;3(7 C(; 70LV

9<%16( K<:67:38 ;<6( TWI436L (0" ?:8? "?( (=(3:38 4A 0 ";0:3:38
70L 037 "?( A46645:38 ;(14=(;L 70LV

The nutiition scheuule at the enu will account foi both of these, so not to
woiiy. You heai these iecommenuations fiom authoiities that inuiviuuals who aie
only 1Su lbs. neeu to consume Suuu caloiies pei uay. This is absolutely ciazy,
impeisonal, anu highly impiactical foi someone of this statuie oi size. A customizeu
appioach is iequiieu foi each inuiviuual heie. Beie is the uownfall to this appioach:

174

Bypothetically, say you staiteu gaining weight at 17u lbs. anu you now weigheu 2uu
lbs. You oveifeu like ciazy, uiu not bothei to count caloiies, oi nutiition, but you
gaineu Su lbs. 0f those Su lbs., 1S lbs. was muscle gain, while 1S lbs. went to fat
stoies. Asiue fiom a hoimonal uysfunction that you just cieateu that I will uiscuss
shoitly, you now have 1S extia lbs. of fat you neeu to lose befoie you can bulk well
again. You cut caloiies, manage youi muscle loss anu ueciease youi bouyweight
back uown to 18u lbs. You then utilize this same appioach, gain Su lbs. again, anu
biing youi bouyweight back up to 21u lbs. 0nfoitunately, you packeu on the same
iatio of fat to muscle, anu you neeu to cut uown again. As you can see, it will take 2
oi S cycles of this befoie you actually gain Su lbs. of puie muscle. 0n the othei hanu,
if you follow these numbeis, youi fiist cycle of Su lbs. shoulu be almost all muscle,
anu you may potentially neeu one shoit cycle of cutting caloiies to lose the small
amount of fat that you gaineu fiom bulking. It's a no-biainei that this appioach
iequiies way less physical effoit, anu is fai moie efficient anu fai moie effective
than just oveicompensating youi foou intake anu winging it to giow. You will
always base youi foou intake neeus foi giowth off youi bouyweight anu activity
level (bouyweight multiplieis) that I will uisclose at the enu of this section. It's that
simple. This helps not only maximize youi muscle gain, but pievents oi ieuuces fat
stoiage. We cannot estimate the piecise amount of muscle giowth that occuis pei
woikout, unfoitunately, oi how much we giow pei week. Although many successful
coaches, tiaineis, anu enthusiasts have iuentifieu the 1u-2u% suiplus iange as "the
safe zone" foi bulking, anu I uefinitely agiee. Anecuotally, it's not uncommon foi
many of my guys to pack on 1S-Su lbs. of mostly muscle in just 12-16 weeks at the
onset of the piogiam. A simple way to assess whethei oi not you aie acquiiing
quality muscle mass as you gain weight is by using a simple waist ciicumfeience
measuiement eveiy 1u lbs. oi so. I only say waist, because 9u% of aspiiing bulkeis
aie male, anu males have a specific fat stoiage pattein, wheie they stoie most of
theii fat in theii stomach. If you'ie a female then you will geneially tenu to stoie fat
in youi thighs. So a thigh ciicumfeience is moie appiopiiate foi females. This is
piimaiily uue to incieaseu sensitivity to fat stoiing hoimones at these aieas. %- .P
+-R /F$ E/.).)E S$.E#G /)' +-RF HG-O/*# -F G#.E#H ,--Z P/GG$Fb -F +-RF
*.F*ROP$F$)*$H /F$ .)*F$/H.)Eb G#$) +-R $.G#$F )$$' G- GF/.) / ,-G #/F'$Fb -F
$/G ,$HH. I will have the nutiition scheuule foi bulking laiu out in uetail foi you, so
all you have to uo is follow that anu you shoulu be goou.
The final thing I want to uiscuss on this mattei is abuominal obsession. }ust
about eveiy guy oi gal looking to bulk up uoes not want a single ounce of fat to be
stoieu on his oi hei stomach anu thighs, so they enu up not eating as much as they
shoulu nine out of ten times then complain about not gaining weight. This appioach
can be veiy iestiictive to giowth anu is uniealistic in a majoiity of cases. The olu
clich that you cannot always have youi cake anu eat it, too, uefinitely applies heie.
I'm not saying that you neeu to get fat to gain muscle. This is the next appioach

17S

most take since we aie veiy extieme in natuie, anu especially when it comes to
health anu fitness. If you follow my guiuelines, then fat gain will be minimal to non-
existent. The fact that fielu expeits uo not know how much we aie giowing at any
given time makes this piocess uifficult to pieuict. It's what I call "The Limiting
Factoi" to human muscle giowth. If you pack on a lot of weight, the ouus of you
gaining a little fat at genuei specific aieas is veiy likely, but uo not woiiy. Theie aie
some things you can to uo pievent getting fat when gaining weight.

A<3709(3"06 TcM 6(03 4<"h

Fiist, many authoiities have stateu anu science has shown that oui muscle
cells stait to become insulin-iesistant at aiounu 1S% bouyfat. What's impoitant to
know is that this numbei is actually low if you use piopei bouy fat analysis (Bexa
Scan, oi Byuiostatic Weighing). I am suie many of you know this, but insulin is a
hoimone ieleaseu fiom specific cells in oui pancieas that tianspoits caibs, pioteins,
anu fats into the muscles anu othei tissues. It's a stoiage hoimone. If oui muscles
uo not accept this hoimone then we cannot shuttle caibs anu pioteins into oui
muscles, thus we cannot giow muscle, but we stay hungiy, anu then we get fattei.
Bau stuff. So if you want to pack on size you neeu to lean out fiist anu possess a
bouyfat peicentage of 1S% oi less. Piactically speaking, if you cannot see youi abs
then you aie too fat to giow. "0ne peison in a hunuieu will have the couiage to
listen to my best piece of auvice to piep foi a mass-builuing piogiam: 6$/) -RG
P.FHGV" 1SS
Seconu, theie is an enzyme oi pait of the bouy that lives in oui fat cells that
will conveit oui testosteione to estiogen. This enzyme is calleu Aiomatase. So the
moie fat we have on oui bouy, the moie conveision of testosteione to estiogen that
occuis in oui fat cells, anu the less we can giow anu the fattei we get.
So aftei we lean out anu stait bulking foi a while, some othei things occui in
oui metabolism. It staits to ieally iamp up! The moie eneigy we have, the moie
eneigy we buin. Noieovei, many of the fat loss hoimones (auienaline anu
noiauienaline) anu oui muscles' sensitivity to these hoimones begins to inciease as
well. So we aie buining moie caloiies, oui fat loss hoimone levels elevate, anu oui
bouy is yeaining foi these hoimones when we bulk up foi a while. This makes it
extiemely uifficult to continue gaining positive muscle weight since oui metabolism
is so high, anu buining eveiything we feeu it. So the nice thing about this iesponse
is even if we put on a few pounus of fat anu weight uuiing a muscle builuing phase,
all of this fat anu piobably moie is going to be buineu off as soon as we aujust oui
uiet, cut caloiies, anu stait losing fat anu weight again. This same function woiks in
ieveise, also. Aftei we lose the weight, oui bouy will then piime itself foi all types
of giowth, anu oui muscle builuing hoimones will elevate anu function bettei, anu

176

we will be in an optimal state foi muscle builuing! The take-home message iight
now is that nothing beats alteinating between peiious oi cycles of bulking anu
cutting. The appioach is iegulateu by the bouy's physiological oi physical ieaction
to tiaining anu nutiition. I suggest that aftei you gain an initial 2u lbs. of muscle,
you gain 1S lbs. anu then ieveise couise anu lose 1u lbs. This "1S-1u" appioach
gives a lot of leeway anu will help ensuie that you most likely gain muscle iathei
than fat when you bulk anu gain weight, anu lose fat iathei than muscle when you
cut anu lose weight since you aie not uoing eithei foi too long. This appioach will
ultimately help pievent fat gain, still allow foi pietty fast muscle anu weight gain
ovei time, maximize youi physique, anu help pievent fiustiating plateaus that often
occui when tiying to get biggei.

A<3709(3"06 TdI"4C 037 K4""49 ";0:3:38

I must shaie with you that theie have been seveial times wheie some guy
came up to me at the gym anu saiu, "Bio, I can't get big anu I'm lifting like ciazy. I'm
bench piessing S uays pei week, slamming my back, ciushing my bi's anu tii's, anu
annihilating my shoulueis anu tiaps eveiy uay of the week." Ny iesponse is
geneially then, "What about youi legs." The gym membei then goes on to tell me
that he hates tiaining legs anu plus they nevei giow. Asiue fiom the psychological
fact that if you hate something, anu uo not want to uo it, you aie piobably not going
to get much out of it, the lack of lowei bouy stimulation is a big factoi heie. Recall
the "Knock on Effect" anu how tiaining youi legs can anabolize youi bouy anu make
you giow moie; it's a missing link foi him. Anothei thing you N0ST uo if you want
to maximize youi size anu stiength is tiain both youi uppei anu lowei bouy equally
as haiu at eveiy woikout. Youi legs will giow. This may seem veiy logical, but most
of us know it's not the case. I was guilty of this myself on moie than one occasion in
the past, anu it's just ingiaineu anu natuial foi oui genuei to focus oui tiaining
effoits on the "miiioi muscles," the chest, abs, anu biceps. 0nfoitunately, this
appioach moie than limits how much we can giow anu lift. If we only tiain one half
of oui bouy, then it is the only pait that can potentially giow anu the scale can iise
only half as much! Anothei big issue with only peifoiming uppei bouy tiaining is
that usually oveitiaining anu a lack of iecoveiy occuis, since it's uoing a majoiity of
the woik each time you come into the gym, anu it is only a mattei of time befoie
some injuiy staits to ie-emeige oi emeige. I've seen this seveial times ovei the
yeais, anu it's highly likely. Also, since oui bouy is a single unit wheie each pait
ielies on the othei, if one half is weak then it will automatically limit the othei half.
Revisit the "Tension Effect" in the stiength section fiom eailiei. Foi example, if
you'ie tiying to builu a big squat, but you have a weak back, then you will not be
able to suppoit the bai as well as you coulu. Theiefoie, the weight you can lift with

177

youi lowei bouy is limiteu by the lack of stiength fiom youi uppei bouy anu back
anu thus youi legs will not giow as much. It also can make you look veiy
uispiopoitional.

A<3709(3"06 TeI901;43<";:(3" ;0":4%

Biiefly, I want to shine some light on the "syneigy" between caibs, fats, anu
pioteins foi muscle giowth. So much emphasis is placeu on the impoitance of
piotein. I agiee it's neeueu to builu pioteins which foim muscle, but caibs anu fats
aie neeueu as well. "Non-essential oi uispensable amino acius can be manufactuieu
within the human bouy fiom essential amino acius anu vaiious othei enuogenous
constituents incluuing caibohyuiates, fats, nitiogen souices anu othei substances."
7u Noieovei, fats have been shown to iaise testosteione levels, anu the incieaseu
insulin iesponse fiom eating caibs helps shuttle amino acius to builu moie piotein
anu muscle than if piotein weie eaten alone. I uiscusseu the specific peicentages of
each you will be eating in the fat loss section so you can check it out theie unuei
Funuamental #7 if you'ie inteiesteu in knowing moie about this topic.

A<3709(3"06 TkI90308( L4<; 10;7:4

This is the final ieason why so many fail to giow, whethei it's intenueu oi not.
This funuamental is a silent killei when tiying to get big anu stiong. I'm going to
taiget the skinny "haiugaineis" on this one since they aie the biggest violatois of
this issue, even though it applies to eveiyone. Aftei ieauing the fouith funuamental,
you can now appieciate just how impoitant it is to be in the "feu state." You have to
eat moie caloiies than you buin to cieate an anabolic muscle-builuing enviionment
within youi bouy. 0nfoitunately, excessive levels of caiuio anu conuitioning, oi just
geneial activity (choies, walking, etc.) will eliminate the extia caloiies you consume
anu you won't giow as well, oi peihaps even at all. Theie aie loaus of stuuies that
show "inteifeience effects" foi giowth with too much caiuio tiaining. It uoes not
mattei what type of activity it is, you will not giow anu get stiong if you'ie buining
too many caloiies. It's that simple. I want to ieally expiess this because many times
haiuwoiking, ass busting, skinny guys, oi haiugaineis looking to get biggei uo
exactly this. This bouy type is often conuitioneu to being hypeiactive, which is goou
in the sense that they stay lean anu skinny, anu potentially healthiei, but it's the
woist thing you can uo if you'ie tiying to gain weight. Sleeping moie, iemoving
some activity, oi eating moie aie the obvious solutions. Reuuceu appetite anu
hungei is anothei natuial chaiacteiistic of a haiugainei, so sleep anu less activity
geneially tenu to woik bettei. This is not to say that conuitioning is bau, because it's

178

uefinitely not. ueneial muscle builueis anu athletes shoulu conuition aftei weight
tiaining, so that they can peifoim anu iecovei bettei, but it shoulu be in veiy limiteu
quantities. This is all built into the scheuule I'm about to uiscuss with you shoitly,
so just follow it. Reseaich has also iepoiteu that high amounts of moueiate to high
intensity conuitioning have been founu to suppiess hungei anu appetite. Since
skinny guys alieauy stiuggle with hungei anu appetite in a majoiity of cases, make
suie to iefiain fiom too much conuitioning. It can only huit you. This is gieat foi fat
loss but uebilitating foi muscle builuing. Also, consiuei that although weight
tiaining is not labeleu a "specific" conuitioning souice, you will still be exhausteu
anu ieceive a soliu conuitioning effect fiom pushing heavy weight aiounu
fiequently. Fuitheimoie, some low intensity "active iecoveiy" tiaining will uo gieat
things foi you. In auuition to pieventing unwanteu fat gain, it also helps the bouy
heal fastei by incieasing youi ciiculation so that you aie moie ieauy foi the next
woikout. This is on the scheuule anu shoulu be uone on the non-tiaining uays. Bo
not let this veiy contiollable vaiiable sabotage all of the haiu woik you put in the
weight ioom because it uefinitely will.

A<3709(3"06 TlIA447 =46<9( "4 1064;:( ;0":4M

Nutiition is anothei unueiiateu aspect of muscle builuing. Basically, if you'ie
tiying to gain muscle, it woulu be in youi best inteiest to stiive to select anu eat
foous that aie highei in caloiies, anu low to moueiate in volume. By eating lowei
volumehighei caloiie foous we will feel fullei latei, anu oui ouus of oveieating aie
incieaseu. }ust make suie that you'ie not auopting this technique to an extieme,
anu eating moie than the allotteu amount of caloiies foi you. Below is a list of foous
that ieflect this impoitant funuamental.

TBE SPEEB ENCYCL0PEBIA'S "T0P 1u" N0SCLE B0ILBINu F00BS:
Foou #1-Fattiei steaks (iibeye, piime iib, ioasts, etc.)
Foou #2-0ils (olive, cou livei, fish anu coconut aie examples)
Foou #S-All types of nuts
Foou #4-Avocauoes
Foou #S-White staiches ovei wheat staiches (bieau, iice, pasta, etc.)
Foou #6-Weightgaineis anu shakes
Foou #7-Bigh caloiie fiuits (melons, mangoes, oianges, bananas, pineapples, etc.)
Foou #8-Buigeis
Foou#9-Eggs
Foou#1u-Baiiy piouucts (1% milk, cheeses, yoguits, anu cottage cheese)

179

9<%16( K<:67:38 10;7:4

PLEASE REFER T0 TBE "TENP0 TRAININu" SECTI0N F0R SPECIFICS 0N TBIS
T0PIC.

9<%16( K<:67:38 %<CC6(9(3"%

If you have not gotten the chance to, it woulu be in youi best inteiest to check
out Sol 0iwell's "Supplement-uoals Refeience uuiue." 144 This is a compiehensive
guiue that coveis eveiy supplement-ielateu topic. It's hunuieus of pages long, anu
is the holy giail foi supplementation auvice. Foi fuithei uetails on the suggestions
I'm about to pioviue you on muscle builuing, check out the manual. 0nfoitunately,
theie aie not too many supplements on the maiket touay that show piomise when it
comes to builuing muscle. The fiist woulu be whey piotein. Sol cieateu a S-stai
ianking system foi each item. Whey piotein was one of S to ieceive a scoie of 2 in
this categoiy. Theie weie S stuuies that uiscusseu whey, anu this type of piotein
has been shown to acutely inciease muscle piotein synthesis (builuing) moie so
than othei piotein souices. The seconu muscle builuing supplement that I woulu
iecommenu woulu be cieatine. Theie weie seveial stuuies listeu in his book that
examineu the vaiious effects of cieatine. The supplement ieceiveu a scoie of S foi
weight gain, uue to watei ietention. Incieaseu watei intake has been shown to
inciease "cellulai swelling mechanisms" that can inciease muscle mass. Cieatine
has also been shown to inciease powei output. It ieceiveu anothei S in this
categoiy anu theie weie 4S stuuies on this paiticulai topic. Finally, cieatine
ieceiveu a scoie of 2 foi glycogen ieplenishment, anu glycogen has been shown to
help influence muscle giowth. Anu cieatine showeu a ueciease in the gene
myostatin in one stuuy. Nyostatin is a muscle builuing limitei in the bouy. The
theoiy is the less of it we have ciiculating aiounu in oui blooustieam the moie we
can giow. The thiiu supplement was B-Aspaitic Aciu. B-AA is an amino aciu that
seives a iole iegulating the metabolism of testosteione, anu supplementing this
hoimone coulu iaise testosteione levels in males. It's also been shown to inciease
uB (uiowth Boimone) anu the testosteione piecuisoi hoimone LB fiom the
hypothalamus. 0n a final note, all of the populai anu oveihypeu amino acius such
as aiginine anu the biancheu chain amino acius hau a weak effect on muscle giowth
at best. Also, theie weie no othei natuial supplements that weie woithwhile that
impioveu any anabolic hoimones oi giowth factois. You have no choice but to lift
heavy weights fiequently, eat like a mauman, anu iecovei well if you want to giow
high quality muscle. Peiiou. Beie is the piopei uosage foi each supplement.

18u

:"(9 TUM 1;(0":3( C?4%C?0"(IVXEnZE -P ^-'+S$.E#G P-F cIe '/+H P-,,-S$'
^+ c EF/OH /PG$FS/F'H '/.,+V "#.H S/H G#$ &F-G-*-, G#/G S/H $D/O.)$' .) G#$
HGR'.$H P-F G#.H HR&&,$O$)GV A-F $D/O&,$b .P +-R S$.E# Uka ,^HVb OR,G.&,+ G#.H
)RO^$F ^+ VX /)' G#$) '.Q.'$ ^+ WVW P-F +-RF '/.,+ .)G/Z$ -P *F$/G.)$ 'RF.)E
G#$ .).G./, cIe '/+ ,-/'.)E &#/H$V ]UkaNVXBc`nWVWBWc EF/OH &$F '/+_V

:"(9 TWI5?(L C;4"(:3IU %(;=:38

:"(9 TXM 7I0H&/FG.* 0*.'I Wbaaa OE '/.,+

+*)B("G&)*!#0

Refei to the Fat Loss section foi a specific uiscussion of Caibohyuiates.

C;4"(:3

Refei to the Fat Loss section foi a specific uiscussion of Piotein.

?(06"?L A0"%

Refei to the Fat loss section foi a specific uiscussion of Bealthy Fats.

'-W# 0!#/ %I!)-!-(%*, /,*%

%G$&TUI7/.,+ 1/,-F.$ :)G/Z$M

Low caloiie uay intake=BW x 12-1S (i.e. 18S x 12=222u caloiies)
Bigh caloiie uay intake=BW x 16-18

%G$& TWI7/.,+ 3RGF.$)G :)G/Z$M
}ust like in the case of caloiies, we will neeu anu want to know how much of each
nutiient we neeu to eat specific to oui weight to get the best possible iesult.

181

Caibs:
Su %of caloiie intake
Caloiie intake * .Su=x4 meals pei uay=x4 giams pei meal=.
Piotein:
Su% of caloiie intake
Caloiie intake *.Su=x4 meals pei uay=x4 giams pei meal=x=.
Fat:
2u% of caloiie intake
Caloiie intake *.2u=x4 meals pei uay=x9 giams pei meal=.
%G$&TXI9RH*,$ KR.,'.)E 9$/, C,/) 7$H.E) "$O&,/G$M
This temp will allow you to combine all of the essential nutiients piopeily.
Pick one staich caib
Pick one lean piotein
Pick one healthy fat (1-2 meals pei uay)
Pick one simple caib (fiuit) anuoi vegetable at each meal

%G$&TÌA--' %$,$*G.-) 9$)RM

0tilizing the template fiom step #S, you will now have foous to choose fiom.

182

+*)B("&)*!# '((& ,-0!

0-./,# +*)B0:
Apples
0ianges
Nelons
Beiiies
Peaches
Peais
Plums
Kiwi
Nilk
Yoguit

0!*)+" +*)B0:
Quinoa
0atmeal
Sweet potatoes
White potatoes
White iice
Biown iice
Wilu iice
Bieaus
uiains
Toitillas
Pitas

,#*% /)(!#-% '((& ,-0!:
Skinless chicken bieast
Tuikey bieast
Tuna

18S

Salmon
Tilapia
Balibut
Lobstei
Ciab
Shiimp
Bottom iounu steak
Flank steak
Top siiloin
venison
0stiich
Bison
Lamb
veal
Lean giounu beef
Whey piotein powuei
Casein piotein powuei
Eggs
Egg whites
Skim milk
Low-fat cheese
Low-fat oi nonfat cottage cheese
uieek yoguit

"#*,!"G '*! '((& ,-0!:
Flaxseeu oil
Livei cou oil
Fish oil
0live oil
All nuts
Avocauoes
0lives

184

')## '((&0:
Aspaiagus
Cauliflowei
Nushiooms
uieen beans
Celeiy
uieen peppeis
Bioccoli
Cucumbeis
Reu peppeis
Biussels spiouts
Eggplant
Spinach
Cabbage
Lettuce
Zucchini
Low-cal }ell-o
Low-cal popsicles
Low-cal ice cieams (light soibet, etc.)

')## B#W#)*F#0:
Watei
Biet soua oi juice
Coffee (Tiaces of cieam anu sugai)
Ciystal Light
Bioth oi bouillon
Biet Snapple
uieen Tea
Poweiaue zeio

')## +(%&-.#%!0:
Pico ue gallo oi salsa
Fat-fiee soui cieam

18S

Caloiie-fiee syiup oi jelly
Nustaiu
All spices anu heibs
Light soy sauce
vinegai
Lemon juice

BEALTBY FAST F00B RES00RCE:
http:www.shapefit.comfastfoou.html

This site lists piactically eveiy place wheie you can eat out, anu incluues theii entiie
menu with a complete bieakuown of caloiies, caibs, piotein, anu fat so you can stay
compliant.

%"(C TcI5$$Z,+ 3RGF.G.-)/, %*#$'R,$M

Taking into account the pievious foui steps, it's now time to put it all togethei into a
stiuctuieu ioutine. Stiuctuie is key to success if you aie ieally seiious about getting
iesults. In this next step we will integiate the two iules fiom the veiy beginning of
the muscle builuing section, which aie not eating ovei 2u% of oui uaily caloiie buin,
anu only eating highei caloiies in the evening anu non-tiaining uays. The scheuule
below is puiely hypothetical anu you will neeu to aujust it to fit youi ueciueu
scheuule.

186

9-)'/+n"F/.).)E 7/+B6-Sn K5 D UWIUX

"R$H'/+n;$*-Q$F+ 7/+B?.E#nK5 D UdIUk

5$')$H'/+n"F/.).)E 7/+B6-SnK5 D UWIUX

"#RFH'/+n;$*-Q$F+ 7/+B?.E#nK5 D UdIUk

AF.'/+n"F/.).)E 7/+B6-SnK5 D UWIUX

%/GRF'/+n;$*-Q$F+ 7/+B?.E#nK5 D UdIUk

%R)'/+n;$*-Q$F+ 7/+B6-SnK5 D UWIUX

187

K(8:33(;n:3"(;9(7:0"( 037 07=031(7 %C((7 C;4;8;09

Now I will covei the actual tiaining piogiams that you aie going to neeu to
follow if you want to get fastei. The moie appiopiiate teim foi tiaining piogiam
that scientific tiaining expeits like to use is "peiiouization." Peiiouization is simply
just the annual tiaining plan oi piogiam. It enables the tiaining piofessional to pie-
uesign hishei tiaining piogiam foi a full calenuai yeai by appiopiiately
ueteimining, oiganizing, anu piesciibing all essential tiaining vaiiables (sets, ieps,
exeicises, etc.) in a specific mannei to help maximize piogiess, pievent anu oi
oveicome plateaus, pievent injuiies, oveitiaining, anu eventual buinout that so
often occui with most tiauitional piogiams. In my opinion, this is one of the haiuest
paits of the job anu iequiies not only theoietical insight into many matteis of
tiaining, but just as much oi potentially moie piactical, hanus on, in the tienches
expeiience woiking with clients to test that theoiy. Keeping all clients anu athletes
healthy anu impioving acioss all aieas of peifoimance is no easy task, anu this
becomes highly ieliant upon the science anu expeiience unueilying the tiaining
piogiam. To simplify, a majoiity of peiiouization schemes lack uiveisity, aie veiy
impiactical, anu ineffective in accomplishing supeiioi oi competitive iesults which
athletes neeu. Foi example, lineai peiiouization, which is the most common type of
peiiouization only focuses on ueveloping one skill oi ability foi a specifieu peiiou of
time, anu neglects othei equally valuable tiaining types that woulu not only fuithei
impiove the taiget skill in uiffeient ways, but leaves the inuiviuual less capable in
the long iun. Beie is an example of this type of tiaining scheme foi a 12 week peiiou
that I copy anu pasteu fiom an actual NFL Piogiam of one of my athletes.

Training Client Name: Matt
Phase #1-Week #1-4=General Preparation Phase/Conditioning

Phase #2-Week #5-8=Hypertrophy (Muscle Building) Phase

Phase #3-Week #9-12=Maximal Strength Phase

All you shoulu be conceineu with is that each 4 week phase exclusively
auuiesses anu emphasizes just one skill. Theie is no uenying that if the exeicise
piesciiption foi each ability is what it shoulu be, then the inuiviuual will make
guaianteeu anu auequate piogiess in the shoit-teim in this skill. Aftei the
conclusion of the cuiient phase (i.e. uPP) anu the tiansition into the next phase
(Bypeitiophy), theie will be some iesiuual uevelopment of the pievious skill focus
(uPP) as we begin to concentiate oui sole effoit on the next phase. Eventually the
incieaseu skill we acquiieu fiom the past phase will ueciease to some uegiee uuiing
the next phase anu might have completely uiminisheu by the enu of it if we uo not

188

continue woiking on it. Which you won't. 0nfoitunately, this vicious cycle of
piogiession anu iegiession will be suie to continue eveiy phase theieaftei
iegaiuless of oui effoit to pievent it because the uesign was wiong fiom the
beginning. In the enu, the tiainee loses most of what was gaineu thiough this type
of tiaining system anu is piactically iight back wheie he oi she staiteu. Sucks, huh.
This kinu of iesult is moie than fiustiating anu iaises a simple anu faii question;
how uo we fix it. Simple. We combine all of the skills listeu above anu much moie
in a veiy specific tiaining foimat to simultaneously tiiggei extieme uevelopment in
eveiything at the same time! If you've ieau up until this point you have seen theie is
a piofounu syneigy between all of the tiaining skills in a piogiam, anu the sum of all
of these paits is unuoubteuly much gieatei than just one. The olu analogy of being
only as stiong as youi weakest link is fitting in this stoiy. This foimat of mixing all
tiaining styles into one to cieate an optimal iesult is iefeiieu to as eithei
"Concuiient Peiiouization" oi "Conjugate-Sequenceu Peiiouization." The fiist iefeis
to the beginneiinteimeuiate appioach, anu the lattei is foi the auvanceu athlete. I
like to view each as two sepaiate stages an athlete will ventuie thiough uepenuing
on theii expeiience oi level of skill. Each caiiies slight but impactful uistinctions.
Concuiient peiiouization is a fancy teim foi a beginnei-inteimeuiate athlete's uo it
all at once piogiam. Conjugate-Sequenceu Peiiouization is an auvanceu athlete's uo
it all at once piogiam. This is a ueiivative of Chailie Fiancis' "veitical Integiation"
piogiam, anu was fiist intiouuceu to me by Kelly Baggett. Eventually, one will
auopt the Conjugate system out of necessity as they become moie auvanceu. These
two systems togethei enable us to maximize oui oveiall physical anu mental
uevelopment ovei the long-teim at uiffeient times. So now you might be wonueiing
what exactly aie each of these piogiams anu why aie we iequiieu to utilize one oi
the othei at some point in time. Below I will sepaiate each piogiam into two
columns anu list coiiesponuing chaiacteiistics of each that help uefine them bettei
foi you.

Concurrent Periodization: Conjugate Sequenced Periodization:
-Designed for novice-intermediate level -Designed for advanced trainees
trainees
-Trains all skills simultaneously -Trains all skills simultaneously

-Emphasizes and treats each skill -Emphasizes and treats one dominant
with high training volumes and intensity skill with high training volumes and intensities, and
and the rest with low to moderate training
volumes and high intensities to maintenance

-Eventually leads to a slow rate of progress, -Offsets the downfalls associated
lack of motivation, potential injury, burnout, with the concurrent model and
and decreased performance development continues.

-Simpler program design -Complex program design

189

Now I'm suie I veiy well may be omitting some othei featuies of each, but the
quick anu simple analysis above I feel is moie than sufficient enough in pioviuing a
cleai unueistanuing of each appioach, anu bioauly iecommenus when each is
supposeu to be utilizeu uuiing a tiainee's caieei. The fact is that when you fiist
begin a tiaining piogiam, theie is a uefinitive "honeymoon peiiou." You come in
anu eveiything is gieat, you make piogiess almost eveiy time you spiint oi pick up
a weight, anu you aie in love with tiaining. You can't wait foi youi next woikout
anu ciave anu ponuei how much of a gain you will make the next time you aiiive.
0nfoitunately, this peiiou uoes not last foievei. Eventually eveiything that I
piesenteu in the concuiient table will emeige anu you will be left without answeis.
Thankfully foi you, I've pioviueu you with a slightly mouifieu system that you can
auopt anu apply foi the iest of youi tiaining caieei to continue making piogiess
ovei the long-teim!! Conjugate-Sequenceu Peiiouization essentially bieaks up youi
tiaining into specific stages. 0nce you ieach a ceitain level oi pioficiency in the
Concuiient foimat, youi bouy's Neivous System will get into a high state of
"iecoveiy uebt" that it simply cannot pay back oi oveicome. Below is a table by
famous piogiamming ieseaichei Tuuoi Bompa fiom his book "Peiiouization
Tiaining foi Spoits.

If you look at the table above, the AA is a piepaiation peiiou, NxS is a maximal
stiength phase, then theie is a conveision phase anu stiength maintenance, anu

19u

lastly theie is a peaking oi competition phase. This mouel ieflects oui system anu
many otheis that have been successful with peaking athletes in histoiy.
Noieovei, accoiuing to scientist Chailes Poliquin, the bouy cannot fully
maximize two conflicting skills such as stiength anu speeu. It confuses the bouy,
since theie aie some uiffeiences between them. The next logical thing to uo is to
sequence youi skill tiaining wheie you focus on one oi two skills anu maintenance
the iest to iemove these common issues. This spaies a lot of eneigy, which in tuin
allows you to apply moie eneigy uuiing youi woikouts which gets you out of youi
slump. It iequiies patience since you aie not able to have eveiything at once
anymoie, but the benefit is that you continue making moie gains. Anothei benefit of
this appioach is the "Belayeu Tiansfoimation Effect" pioneeieu by Kelly Baggett.
Basically, once you complete one stage, maximal impiovements fiom that stage will
not occui until the next stage. What this means is that youi gains will stay aiounu
foi a long time as you conjugate oi "link" each stage togethei. In the enu, once each
stage has been completeu, youi entiie athletic skill set will be incieaseu (speeu,
stiength powei, etc.) anu you will peak! It's the only way to go at a ceitain point. So
how uo you know when to iuentify that ciossovei point when you've exiteu the
beginnei-inteimeuiate level stage anu now enteieu the auvanceu stage.
0nfoitunately theie is no cleai cut answei to this question, oi ieseaich to confiim it.
Bowevei, I have iuentifieu a ceitain level of peifoimance in my athletes that woulu
inuicate it may be the iight time. 0nce they aie able to peifoim S of the 7 suggesteu
scoies below, I think it woulu be wise to piogiess to the next piogiam. At this
junctuie athletes aie on the biink of oveitiaining, if not oveitiaineu alieauy. Beie
aie the specific ciiteiia below.

Qc C<39 9<;7 :; i >3 b 2> QNR ;4D>59;
07?22A4 )?5 :; i >3 b QNc ;4D>59;
L#2&07$% M69; 0- N +2 O PQ(
R2+$, M69; 0- N +2 O SG:
0j?<2 :; k >3 b P [ S>9CZ4:672
B45D7 /34;; :; k >3 b LNR [ S>9CZ4:672
&4<9A:@2 :; k >3 b PNR [ S>9CZ4:672

In closing, I hope that the infoimation anu piogiams I just shaieu with you
pioviue some ielief anu eliminate much of the confusion associateu with the geneial
outline anu piogiession of a piopei athletic tiaining piogiam, like it has foi me anu
otheis. The fact is that I've piesciibeu anu tiieu ALL of the vaiious peiiouization
foimats available on the maiket ovei the couise of the past uecaue, anu I can
honestly say that N0TBINu woiks as well as the 2 pioven piogiams that I am about

191

to shaie with you in theii entiiety foi athletes. Next, I will implement these
piogiams into actual woikouts foi you to follow, anu give you all of the fine uetail if
you aie still inteiesteu.

192

%C((7 54;24<"%

Nake to suie pieceue these woikouts with oui waim-up system. This is available as
a bonus in the package you puichaseu.

K(8:33(;n:3"(;9(7:0"( 54;24<"%I%"08( TUM

943V 4; "<(%VM 54;24<" 0 %("%n;(C%

A1. 1u- 0R 2u-YARB BASB S
ANB0R SPECIALIZEB SPEEB TRAININu NETB0BS TBB

B1. NE L0WER=SQ0AT 0R BEABLIFT 2-S 8-7-6-S
0R 8-S-S-1
C1. Q0AB S0PPLENENTAL LIFT0NILATERAL N0vENENT S-6 12-1u-8-6
C2. vERTICAL P0LL S-6 12-1u-8-6
CS. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-STRAIuBT KNEE S-6 12-1u-8-6

B1. C0RE N0BILITY 0R STABILITY EXERCISE 2-4 TBB
B2. STRAIuBT KNEE CALF RAISE 2-4 24-2u-16-12

5(7V 4; "?<;%VM 54;24<" K

A1. AuILITY 1-4

B1. NE 0PPER=BENCB PRESS 2-S 8-7-6-S
0R 8-S-S-1
C1. B0RIZ0NTAL PRESS S-6 12-1u-8-6
C2. B0RIZ0NTAL R0W vARIATI0N S-6 12-1u-8-6
CS. BIP S0PPLNENTAL LIFT-BENT KNEE S-6 12-1u-8-6

B. SCAP S-S 12-1u-8-6
B2. TRAP S-S 12-1u-8-6

A;:V 4; %0"V: 54;24<" 1

A1. 4u 0R 6u YARB BASB S-S

B1. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-STRAIuBT KNEE S-6 24-2u-16-12
B2. vERTICAL PRESS S-6 12-1u-8-6

C1. vERTICAL 0R B0RIZ0NTAL R0W S-6 12-1u-8-6

19S


B1. BICEP 0R F0REARNS S-S 12-1u-8-6
B2. BENT KNEE CALF RAISE S-S 24-2u-16-12

K(8:33(;n:3"(;9(7:0"( 54;24<"%I%"08( TWM

943V 4; "<(%VM 54;24<" 0 %("%n;(C%

ANB0R SPECIALIZEB SPEEB TRAININu NETB0BS TBB

B1. NE L0WER=SQ0AT 0R BEABLIFT 2-S 8-S-S-1
B2. }0NP TEST 2-S

C1. Q0AB S0PPLENENTAL LIFT0NILATERAL N0vENENT 2-4 12-1u-8-6
C2. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-BENT KNEE 2-4 12-1u-8-6


E1. LINEAR SPEEB C0NBITI0NINu TBB

5(7V 4; "?<;%VM 54;24<" K

A1. AuILITY 1-4

B1. NE 0PPER=BENCB PRESS 2-S 8-S-S-1

C1. vERTICAL P0LL 2-4 12-1u-8-6
C2. NEB BALL 2-4 8 oi S-8 each siue
C2. vERTICAL PRESS 2-4 12-1u-8-6

B1. BICEP 0R F0REARNS 2-4 12-1u-8-6
B2. SCAP 2-4 12-1u-8-6
BS. TRAP 2-4 12-1u-8-6

F1. TENP0 TRAININu TBB

194

A;:V 4; %0"V: 54;24<" 1


B1. BE L0WER=0LYNPIC LIFT 0R 0TBER S-S 1-4 0R S-8
B2. BE 0PPER=SPEEB PRESS S-S S-8

C1. B0RIZ0NTAL R0W 2-4 12-1u-8-6
C2. Q0AB S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-0NILATERAL N0vENENT 2-4 24-2u-16-12

B1. B0RIZ0NTAL PRESS 0R TRICEP 2-4 12-1u-8-6
B2. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-STRAuIBT KNEE 2-4 24-2u-16-12
BS. BENT KNEE CALF RAISE 2-4 24-2u-16-12

E1. AuILITY C0NBITI0NINu TBB

Beie aie the actual woikouts to be peifoimeu in this piogiam. I will iun uown
a list of common questions anu auuiess any otheis in the FAQ section at the enu of
the book. Fiist, you will iecognize that the ieps to the fai iight aie sequenceu into a
seiies of 4. The fiist numbei in the seiies iepiesents week #1, the seconu week #2,
anu so on. This is also implements the piinciple of "Intensity Cycling" that I
uiscusseu in uetail in the stiength section of the book. Basically, in the fiist week the
intensity will be at its lowest anu the volume will be at its highest uuiing each set foi
a given month, anu vice veisa. Recall that cycling effoit like this will pievent
physical anu mental fatigue, anu buinout that so often occui with tiauitional
appioaches. Athletes cannot go full boie all the time, anu aftei a little while they
will not want to eithei. I guaiantee it. It's also in theii best inteiest not to uo this.
You'll notice a much bettei peifoimance pattein with this type of appioach. I
shoulu also note that the fiist week is oui official "ueloauing" week oi miciocyle.
Westsiue Baibell has iuentifieu that the cential neivous system can only toleiate
thiee weeks stiaight of heavy lifting. This fouith week is an essential anu
manuatoiy peiiou of lightei weightlifting. Please uo not violate this iule. Anothei
benefit of the thiee weeks heavy anu one week light appioach is the integiation of a
concept iefeiieu to as "Stiategic Beconuitioning." When you lift heavy weights, one
of the effects is that you obviously builu moie muscle anu stiength to suppoit anu
hanule the weights easiei anu keep fiom injuiy. Bowevei, youi connective tissue
giows too, which keeps youi muscle fiom bieaking uown, which is what causes
giowth. Foitunately, by uealoauing anu iesting peiiouically you will lose connective
tissue at a fastei iate than muscle anu impiove youi muscle's sensitivity to giowth
since theie is not as much piotection foi it.
Next, you will notice a lettei followeu by a numbei next to each exeicise. This
iepiesents the exeicise oiuei vaiiable, which is veiy impoitant. We geneially

19S

utilize a supeiset appioach maue famous by Alwyn Cosgiove. Foi example, in
Woikout A you will peifoim one set of exeicise C1 anu follow that with one set of
exeicise C2. What this uoes is maximize iecoveiy of muscle gioups anu movements
uuiing a woikout. Aftei you complete C1, you will have moie total iest befoie you
iepeat the exeicise as you aie peifoiming C2, than if you peifoimeu back to back
sets of the same exeicise.
Refei to the FAQ section towaius the veiy back wheie I uiscuss ieps anu sets
options foi the Specializeu Speeu Tiaining Nethous. Also foi coie mobility oi uiills
that involve motion, the 24-2u-16-12 iep piogiession woiks well, anu if it's a uiill
that involves no motion (stability) then the 6u-4S-Su-1S seconu holu piogiession
each week woiks well.
The next thing I woulu like to uiscuss is the two stages piesenteu. The fiist is
foi fiist-time useis of this piogiam. I uo not caie if you have lifteu befoie, stait with
stage #1. 0nce you quit making piogiess theie, move to stage #2. The intensities in
the fiist stage, especially with NE lifts, will be lowei anu theie is ieason foi this.
When you fiist initiate a stiength piogiam, youi level of muscle ieciuitment will be
veiy low. Say 4u%. Aftei you have been tiaining foi a numbei of yeais anu ieach a
high level of stiength, youi muscle ieciuitment levels coulu be 9u%. Because of this
fact, theie is no neeu to uo moie than you have to in oiuei to cieate the same iesult
at the beginning of youi tiaining. I've founu that this mouifieu veision of "Feiiugia's
Appioach" is just as goou if not bettei foi beginneis anu foi a few ieasons. I'm
iefeiiing to }ason Feiiugia.

TUI:)*F$/H$' ORH*,$ O/HH
TWI6$HH 13% P/G.ER$
TXI:O&F-Q$' O-G-F *-)GF-, /)' HG/^.,.G+
TÌ6$HH .)G.O.'/G.)E
TcI;$/, S-F,' HR&&-FG
TdIL-R ^R.,' #$/,G#+ HGF$)EG# #/^.GH

If you iecall the muscle builuing poition of this book, you now know that lifting
between S-8 ieps is the best way to giow moie muscle. A majoiity of people who
aie on this piogiam, oi staiting this piogiam, will be ueficient in muscle mass.
Nuscle mass is ciitical foi peifoimance, anu Feiiugia's Appioach is the best way foi
a beginnei to acquiie it while also simultaneously enabling a beginnei to builu
highei levels of maximum stiength in the piocess.
S-8 iep sets aie less fatiguing on the cential neivous system iegaiuless of
expeiience. If a beginnei can gain stiength on a highei iep piotocol veisus a lowei
one anu ieuuce this fatigue, then theie is no question we will use highei ieps.
Next, ieseaich anu expeiience has shown that this iange of movements is iueal
foi builuing bettei contiol when lifting, I suppose the ieason being that theie is a

196

gieatei fiequency of movements along with a big enough challenge to iequiie
gieatei cooiuination.
If you aie new to tiaining anu pay any attention to the mainstieam meuia oi
public, you have piobably built some pieconceiveu notions about weightlifting that
aie moie than likely not that positive. With this heighteneu sensitivity to the
tiaining, the winuow foi eiioi is veiy small. Stay lightei in the beginning anu let the
piogiam builu tiust in me anu the spoit.
I've hau too many of my athletes in the past expeiience supeiioi iesults on this
type of foimat to think otheiwise. Nany people who aie beginnei level lifteis uo not
appieciate the fact that you uo not have to challenge youi bouy's limits whenevei
you aie motivateu, anu eveiy time you come into the gym to acquiie the best iesults.
Theie is a time to go haiu, anu a time to builu some momentum anu cut back a little.
A majoiity of people want to 1 iep max any chance they get to biag to someone else,
oi feel like they aie getting stiongei since this is the most famous uemonstiation of
tiue stiength. 0nfoitunately, what many uo not iealize is that even the stiongest in
the woilu uo not appioach tiaining this way, anu it's a iecipe foi uisastei. If these
inuiviuuals who aie "one anu uone" pioponents follow this piogiam, then they will
stait to iealize anu appieciate what the highei enu of the stiength iange has to offei.
This will help assist in builuing healthy habits foi how to appioach tiaining, anu
pievent a lot of miseiy anu injuiy as well.
The last thing in this piogiam that I woulu like to intiouuce is the "Waim-0p
Piogiession" system I cieateu foi the max effoit lifts. See below:

9/D (PP-FG 5/FOI<& CF-EF$HH.-)HM

c ;(C 90f 5((2M

50;9I<C %("TUM oU;9 ] _ D VXaB] _ f c ;$&H ]caaIdaa ,^HV_
50;9I<C %("TWM U;9 ] _ D VàB] _ f c ;$&H ]àaIcaa ,^HV_
50;9I<C %("TXM oU;9 ] _ D VcaB] _ f c ;$&H ]XaaIàa ,^HV_
50;9I<C %("T`M oU;9 ] _ D VdaB] _ f c ;$&H ]WaaIXaa ,^HV_
50;9I<C %("TcM oU;9 ] _ D VecB] _ f c ;$&H ]UaaIWaa ,^HV_
50;9I<C %("TdM oU;9 ] _ D VkecB] _ f c ;$&H

197

X ;(C 90f 5((2M

50;9I<C %("TM o U;9 ] _ D VàB] _ f c ;$&H ]àaIcaa ,^HV_
50;9I<C %("TdM oU;9 ] _ D VlWB] _ f X ;$&H

U ;(C 90f 5((2M

50;9I<C %("TM o U;9 ] _ D VàB] _ f c ;$&H ]àaIcaa ,^HV_
50;9I<C %("TdM U;9 ] _ D VkecB] _ f U;$&
50;9CI<C %("TeM oU;9> cIUa 6K%V f U;$&

0K, this may look a little confusing because you've nevei seen it befoie, but it's
actually pietty easy to implement with a little piactice, anu it customizes the
weights foi the athletes anu spaies any confusion on whethei they aie ieauy to lift
theii taiget loau oi not. This system is baseu off the populai iuea in stiength
tiaining that we iequiie one waim-up set pei 1uu lbs. lifteu. 0nce you know youi
0ne Rep Naximum foi an exeicise (1RN) all you have to uo is finu youi biacket, anu
then multiply it by the peicentage anu complete the accompanying ieps. If you aie
familiai with the piogiam then this is no pioblem. Bowevei, if you aie new to it
then I piefei coaches oi athletes, etc. utilize the "Nax Rep Test" populaiizeu by Nike
Boyle. This appioach takes longei, but it's safei foi the athletes, especially because
they aie just staiting anu theii bouy is not auapteu to tiaining anu veiy weak. I like
to shoot foi 1S ieps. With this appioach you stait with a light weight that the
athlete can move fast with piopei technique. Peifoim S ieps. 0nce the set is
complete, inciease the weight 1u-2u lbs. anu iepeat foi S ieps. Keep uoing this until
the athlete's bai speeu ieally staits to slow anu they aie stiuggling a bit. Then have
them peifoim maximum ieps with that weight. Next, have them peifoim one moie
set anu aujust the weight accoiuingly. If they weie able to peifoim 2u ieps then auu
1u-1S lbs. This shoulu put them neai 1S ieps. Finally take the weight they aie using
on the last set anu uiviue it by .6S oi 6S%. This will give you a pietty accuiate
estimation of theii cuiient 1 RN.
Also, I must also shaie with you a iep conveision table. Essentially, this will
allow you to customize an athlete's piogiams anu pioject theii woikloaus foi eveiy

198

exeicise eveiy woikout. Beie is the table below auopteu fiom Baechle:
http:www.exix.netCalculatois0neRepNax.html:

;(C 143=(;%:43 "0K6(M

mM ;$&H
Uaa U
lc W
lW X
la `
ke c
kc d
kW e
ka k
ee l
ec Ua
eW UU
ea UW

Now, heie's how to use it. Foi example, you will notice that in this piogiam a
lot of tiaining will take place in the 6-12 iep spectium. The fiist week, you will
peifoim the listeu uiill until you finu how much weight you can hanule foi the taiget
iep numbei foi that uay. Week #1 it will be 12. Next week you will have to
peifoim 1u ieps oi 7S% of youi 1RN. If the weight lifteu is below 1uu lbs., I've
founu this table to be veiy inaccuiate anu you'ie just going to have to expeiiment
anu finu the numbei that woiks. }ust iemembei, "Let the ieps uictate the weight."
Bon't peiceive what you think you can lift, uo it. If the woiking loau is ovei 1uu lbs.
then this table will uefinitely apply anu it woiks gieat. If Tom lifts SSu lbs. foi 12, oi
7u%, you simply uiviue that numbei by 7u to get youi 1 iep max. Fiom theie you
just multiply the weight of youi one iep, which in this case is Suu lbs. (SSu.7u), by
the taiget iep peicentage which is 7S%. Suu*.7S=S7S lbs. So in week numbei 2,
Tom will lift S7S lbs. foi 1u ieps foi the suggesteu numbei of sets. Please uo not
oveilook this equation. It's piofessional, anu tailois the tiaining vaiiables to the
athlete so that they can make gains. It takes a little piactice, but aftei a little while it
will be automatic.
The final thing I want to ieiteiate is if the piogiam says 12 ieps then let the
"ieps uictate the weight." Too many people choose what is comfoitable anu call that
theii 12-iep max when they coulu have uone 2u with that weight. Bon't
shoitchange youiself unless you aie tiuly injuieu, otheiwise you will not impiove,
you will be fiustiateu anu it will be youi fault. The bouy auapts specifically to the
numbei of ieps we peifoim if you iecall back to the "tiansfoimation table" I

199

intiouuceu in the muscle builuing section. Be honest with youiself anu the iesults
will be gieat! Foi moie infoimation on why oui piogiam is the way it is, check out
my aiticle my website: www.ienospeeuschool.com titleu: "11 Essential Rules of
Athletic Piogiam Besign."

07=031(7 54;24<"%M

]8$)$F/, CF$&/F/G.-)n?+&$FGF-&#+ C#/H$_

943V 4; "<(%VM 54;24<" 0 %("%n;(C%

ANB0R SPECIALIZEB SPEEB TRAININu NETB0BS

B1. NE L0WER=SQ0AT 0R BEABLIFT 2-S 8-7-6-S
0R 8-S-S-1
C2. vERTICAL P0LL S-6 12-1u-8-6
CS. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-STRAIuBT KNEE S-6 12-1u-8-6


5(7V 4; "?<;%VM 54;24<" K

A1. AuILITY 1-4

B1. NE 0PPER=BENCB PRESS 2-S 8-7-6-S
0R 8-S-S-1
C1. B0RIZ0NTAL PRESS S-6 12-1u-8-6
C2. B0RIZ0NTAL R0W vARIATI0N S-6 12-1u-8-6
CS. BIP S0PPLNENTAL LIFT-BENT KNEE S-6 12-1u-8-6

B. SCAP S-S 12-1u-8-6
B2. TRAP S-S 12-1u-8-6

2uu

A;:V 4; %0"V: 54;24<" 1

A1. 4u- 0R 6u-YARB BASB S-S

B1. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-STRAIuBT KNEE S-6 24-2u-16-12
B2. vERTICAL PRESS S-6 12-1u-8-6

C1. vERTICAL 0R B0RIZ0NTAL R0W S-6 12-1u-8-6

B1. BICEP 0R F0REARNS S-S 12-1u-8-6
B2. BENT KNEE CALF RAISE S-S 24-2u-16-12

This phase is geaieu towaius beginneis oi veteians coming off a bieak aftei a
completeu season oi competition phase. The intent of this phase is to help piepaie
the bouy foi the high intensity peiious that will occui in the futuie. This phase
builus geneial enuuiance, muscle, anu tissue stiength. The athletes will be
ueconuitioneu, anu going iight into a maximum stiength phase uoes pose the iisk of
injuiy, since the bouy will be at its weakest ielative to any point thioughout the
yeai. Theie is also a mental aspect to this phase. Athletes who tiain yeai-iounu
ieally benefit fiom anu enjoy the fact that they get a shoit peiiou of time not having
to go full-boie anu kill theii bouies. If you have evei been an athlete who tiains
haiu, then you will appieciate this notion completely. Chailie Fiancis iefeis to this
peiiou as an accumulation phase. This phase will involve the lightest intensities anu
the highest volumes, which is a goou set of conuitions foi enhancing muscle giowth.
Athletes will natuially be weakei so they will not neeu an extieme stimulus to
inuuce stiength gains. Eventually, athletes will have to lift heaviei to get stiongei,
but not iight now. Anu that's anothei benefit to the appioach. They aie peifoiming
the least amount of woik oi effoit to get a maximal iesult.

]9/D.ORO %GF$)EG# C#/H$I4&G.-) TU_

943V 4; "<(%VM 54;24<" 0 %("%n;(C%


B2. }0NP TEST 2-S


2u1



5(7V 4; "?<;%VM 54;24<" K

A1. AuILITY 1-4



B1. BICEP 0R F0REARNS 2-4 12-1u-8-6
B2. SCAP 2-4 12-1u-8-6
BS. TRAP 2-4 12-1u-8-6


A;:V 4; %0"V: 54;24<" 1



C1. B0RIZ0NTAL R0W 2-4 12-1u-8-6
C2. Q0AB S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-0NILATERAL N0vENENT 2-4 24-2u-16-12

B2. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-STRAIuBT KNEE 2-4 24-2u-16-12
BS. BENT KNEE CALF RAISE 2-4 24-2u-16-12


2u2

]9/D.ORO %GF$)EG# C#/H$I4&G.-) TW_

943V 4; "<(%VM 54;24<" 0 %("%n;(C%


B2. }0NP TEST 2-S



5(7V 4; "?<;%VM 54;24<" K

A1. AuILITY 1-4



B1. BICEP 0R TRICEP 2-4 12-1u-8-6
B2. SCAP 2-4 12-1u-8-6
BS. TRAP 2-4 12-1u-8-6

A;:V 4; %0"VM 54;24<" 1


B2. }0NP TEST 2-S

C2. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-STRAIuBT KNEE 2-4 12-1u-8-6


2uS

A;:V 4; %0"VM 54;24<" 7



C1. B0RIZ0NTAL R0W 2-4 12-1u-8-6
C2. NEB BALL 2-4 S-8 each siue

B1. F0REARNS 2-4 12-1u-8-6
B2. SCAP 2-4 12-1u-8-6

0K, now this foimat may be a little confusing at fiist. You will peifoim these
woikouts in oiuei, A-B-C-B, anu then iepeat the oiuei. Below is a 4-week
bieakuown foi just the stiength tiaining. The speeu, agility, anu conuitioning stay
the same each week. 1u-2u-yaiu Bash oi Specializeu Nethous anu Lineai
Conuitioning on Bay #1, Agility anu Tempo Woik on Bay #2, anu 4u- oi 6u-yaiu
uashes anu Agility Conuitioning on Bay #S

Week #1 Week #2 Week #S Week #4
A, B, C B, A, B C, B, A B, C, B

0nce you oi an athlete has met the "ciiteiia" listeu in the
BEuINNERINTERNEBIATE ANB ABvANCEB SPEEB PR0uRAN section of the book,
then they can begin this seconu piogiam anu they aie now ueemeu as auvanceu.
The fiist phase of the conjugate system is pietty much the same as the concuiient.
The goal of this stage is to builu as much muscle as possible anu get as stiong as
possible, so that you will be fastei in the stages to come. 0ne change that can be
maue to both the ueneial Piep-Bypeitiophy anu both maximum stiength options is
"buffeiing," oi ieuucing the intensity of spiints anu agility anu quickness tiaining
fiom 1uu to 9u% effoit. This fiees up some moie eneigy foi the hypeitiophy anu
stiength exeicises which aie the piimaiy focus iight now in the piogiam. Noieovei,
you can peifoim the max effoit lifts befoie youi speeu anu agility woik if you aie
not making piogiess with this foimat. This will keep you a bit fieshei to peifoim at
a highei level in the weight ioom. Also, tiaining volume is veiy impoitant foi size
anu even stiength anu you aie not going to be able to uo as much in futuie stages, so
tiy anu get the most out of it iight now when it counts. Also, all BE 0ppei anu
Lowei vaiiations aie to be peifoimeu in the Su-6u % of 1RN iange. I like Su, SS, SS,
6u% foi a 4-week cycle. The exception is the jump squat. 2u-Su% woiks well heie.

2u4

The next thing I want to uiscuss is each of the stiength options. I just ueciueu
to give you two options that have histoiically woikeu foi us anu many otheis in the
inuustiy. The seconu option is mainly ieseiveu foi extiemely stiong anu auvanceu
athletes with gieat speeu anu powei levels who simply stiuggle to iecovei anu
make gains fiom option #1. This is a veiy iaie situation. Eveiyone else shoulu
abiue by option #1 until then, since it pioviues moie stimulation foi both the uppei
anu lowei bouy anu offeis moie chance foi the athlete to uevelop uuiing the week.

]%&$$' /)' C,+- C#/H$_

943V 4; "<(%VM 54;24<" 0 %("%n;(C%

A1. 1u- 0R 2u-YARB BASB 1u-2u

B2. }0NP TEST 2-S

C1. Q0AB S0PPLENENTAL LIFT0NILATERAL N0vENENT 2-S 12-1u-8-6
C2. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-BENT KNEE 2-S 12-1u-8-6

B1. C0RE N0BILITY 0R STABILITY EXERCISE 2-S TBB
B2. STRAIuBT KNEE CALF RAISE 2-S 24-2u-16-12


5(7V 4; "?<;%VM 54;24<" K

A1. AuILITY 1-4


C1. vERTICAL P0LL 2-S 12-1u-8-6
C2. NEB BALL 2-S 8 oi S-8 each siue
C2. vERTICAL PRESS 2-S 12-1u-8-6

B1. BICEP 0R F0REARNS 2-S 12-1u-8-6
B2. SCAP 2-S 12-1u-8-6
BS. TRAP 2-S 12-1u-8-6


2uS

A;:V 4; %0"V: 54;24<" 1

A1. 4u- 0R 6u-YARB BASB S-1u


C1. B0RIZ0NTAL R0W 2-S 12-1u-8-6
C2. Q0AB S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-0NILATERAL N0vENENT 2-S 24-2u-16-12

B1. B0RIZ0NTAL PRESS 0R TRICEP 2-S 12-1u-8-6
B2. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-STRAIuBT KNEE 2-S 24-2u-16-12
BS. BENT KNEE CALF RAISE 2-S 24-2u-16-12


Now is what you've piobably been waiting foi if you aie ieauing this
book anu following this piogiam. If you busteu ass anu uiu what you weie
supposeu to in the pievious phase then you will be iewaiueu now! Beie we apply
anu expiess all the stiength we accumulateu in the pievious phase anu tuin that
into iaw powei anu speeu. In this phase, you want to be suie to inciease youi
plyometiic jump volumes fiom a stanuaiu S sets to S-1u sets to piomote moie
speeu. This quantity suppoits the ieseaich. Cionin, villaiieal, anu Requena founu
that theie weie peifoimance uecieases in spiint peifoimance with moie than 8u
jumps pei session. 1S6
You will also notice that the stiength exeicise volumes have been ieuuceu
slightly to spaie moie eneigy foi specific speeu anu powei woik. Also, theie aie
some auuitional mouifications that you will neeu to make to keep fiom going too
intense in youi stiength tiaining which coulu negatively impact speeu. In the S iep
max week you only want to tiain at 6u% of youi 1RN, 7S% foi youi S iep, anu
87.S% foi youi 1 iep. This is enough to slightly inciease stiength oi maintenance
uuiing this stage at the least. 4S Chailie Fiancis iefeiieu to this as "Naintenance
Weights." Also, theie is a "Belayeu Tiansfoimation Effect" so you will still be
auapting anu builuing some moie stiength fiom the pievious stage as you peifoim
this one. The ieuuction in intensity is iefeiieu to as "buffeis."
You'll also notice that this is the point wheie things stait to get moie specific
with oui tiaining anu oui goals. We natuially move fiom a moie geneial appioach
to a specific one, because ieseaich has shown that this is the most effective path we
can take.

2u6

]C$/ZI1-O&$G.G.-) C#/H$_

943V 4; "<(%VM 54;24<" 0 %("%n;(C%n"(9C4

A1. 1u- 0R 2u-YARB BASB S-1u

B2. }0NP TEST 2-S

C1. Q0AB S0PPLENENTAL LIFT0NILATERAL N0vENENT 2-S 12-1u-8-6
C2. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-BENT KNEE 2-S 12-1u-8-6

B1. C0RE N0BILITY 0R STABILITY EXERCISE 2-S TBB
B2. STRAIuBT KNEE CALF RAISE 2-S 24-2u-16-12


5(7V 4; "?<;%VM 54;24<" K

A1. AuILITY 1-4


C1. vERTICAL P0LL 2-S 12-1u-8-6
C2. NEB BALL 2-S 8 oi S-8 each siue
C2. vERTICAL PRESS 2-S 12-1u-8-6

B1. BICEP 0R F0REARNS 2-S 12-1u-8-6
B2. SCAP 2-S 12-1u-8-6
BS. TRAP 2-S 12-1u-8-6


A;:V 4; %0"V: 54;24<" 1



2u7

C1. B0RIZ0NTAL R0W 2-S 12-1u-8-6
C2. Q0AB S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-0NILATERAL N0vENENT 2-S 24-2u-16-12

B1. B0RIZ0NTAL PRESS 0R TRICEP 2-S 12-1u-8-6
B2. BIP S0PPLENENTAL LIFT-STRAIuBT KNEE 2-S 24-2u-16-12
BS. BENT KNEE CALF RAISE 2-S 24-2u-16-12


In this phase, you aie ieauy to peak youi peifoimance! You've gone thiough
the entiie piogiam auuiessing each essential skill to becoming youi fastest anu now
you ieap the iewaius of youi haiu woik. Eveiything you uiu piioi to now
"conjugates" oi links togethei foi a gieatei iesult. You will follow the same exact
foimat that you followeu in the pievious stage. In this phase, you will utilize the
same appioach as you uiu in the speeu anu plyo phase foi youi stiength woik, anu
you will tapei anu then noimalize speeu tiaining volumes (spiints anu jump
tiaining) so you can iemove the fatigue, fieshen up, anu then auapt to a whole new
level of speeu! The beauty of this uetiaining of speeu, oi the tapeiing appioach is
that much of the specific impiovements that weie maue in the pievious stage will at
least be maintaineu, anu geneially enhanceu. "In contiast, uetiaining appeais to
shift the contiactile chaiacteiistics towaius type IIb, although muscle atiophy is also
likely to occui." 11u Bowevei, the ieuuction in muscle size can be offset by the
weight tiaining we still piactice in this foimat, so we get the best of both woilus! At
this point, the athlete will be enteiing pie-season oi theii actual season anu coulu
not be moie physically anu mentally piepaieu to peifoim at theii highest level
possible.
Now we will auuiess a veiy common concein when it comes to integiating this
type of appioach with an athlete: Bow long uo we neeu to peifoim each phase. To
help answei this question I will pioviue you with some veiy basic guiuelines
compliments of Chailie Fiancis which bieak uown the maximal uuiation foi each
phase oi skill focus. Fuithei concentiation of a paiticulai skill beyonu these
guiuelines is counteipiouuctive foi two ieasons. Fiist, if we focus on a goal foi too
long it can ieuuce the time spent concentiating on anothei essential skill anu we
won't peifoim as well in the long teim. Seconu, auaptations oi changes in oui bouy
that impiove a skill can lose sensitivity, oi uo not occui as ieauily if we focus on one
thing foi too long. A lot of this can be uue to a lack of vaiiation anu uecieaseu
psychological motivation. Stages aie nice because you iotate the objective, which
keeps athletes intiigueu. 0ltimately, the uuiation will uepenu on the time the
athlete has to ueuicate to tiaining befoie they iesume theii spoit season. Theii
scheuule will uictate how you lay out the piogiam. You coulu have peifect
uuiations set foi each stage, but the unfoitunate ieality is that athletes have limiteu

2u8

time in theii off-season to tiain, especially with spoit specialization being so
piominent these uays. Also, base the uuiations off the neeus of each athlete. If an
athlete is small anu weak, then time shoulu be spent focusing on stiength anu size
moie than othei skills. If an athlete is big anu stiong, but lacks the ability to expiess
anu apply theii stiength well, then speeu anu powei oiienteu tiaining shoulu
compose the bulk of theii tiaining to impiove peifoimance. It just uepenus on theii
neeus. Beie aie the geneial iecommenuations that infoim coaches anu athletes on
stanuaiu timelines foi each phase baseu off a full calenuai yeai. G>? 5449 2> ;:2
9>Z5X 642 >36<5:^49X <59 =<8 :2 >?2 S4@>34 C>? ;2<32 23<:5:56. That way, you
have establisheu a plan that you can iely on in the futuie.

8CCI?+&$FGF-&#+ C#/H$M ÌUW S$$ZH
9/D.ORO %GF$)EG# C#/H$M kIUW S$$ZH
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Befoie I get staiteu shaiing with you all of the exeicises of this piogiam, I
want to mention a couple things. The viueos anu instiuctions foi each anu eveiy
one of these exeicises can immeuiately be founu at my website in a viueo libiaiy.
This viueo libiaiy I've pioviueu you will be aiiangeu in alphabetical oiuei since the
speeu woikouts aie uiffeient uepenuing on whethei you aie beginnei-inteimeuiate
oi auvanceu. The inuex below will ieflect this as well. All you have to uo is look at
the speeu woikout, finu the exeicise categoiy you want, finu it in the alphabetical
listing on the website, anu then click on the exeicise you want to peifoim beneath it
anu it will take you to YouTube. Please note that I'm only going to incluue 2-S
exeicise vaiiations in each categoiy anu I will shaie moie in the futuie. This is
uefinitely enough to keep you busy foi a while though.

You will neeu the PASSC0BE: Speeu_viueo

Anu heie is a link to the website: http://renospeedschool.com/speed-
encyclopedia-videos/

Agility Conuitioning: Agility anu Quickness:
Sleu Ciossovei Runs Shuttle Run
Sliueboaiu S Cone Biill
1-2 Stick

Bent Knee Calf Raise: Bicep:
Calf Raise Nachine BB Cuils
BB Cuils

Coie Nobility oi Stability Exeicise: Be Lowei:
Reveise Ciunches Bang Clean-0lympic Lift
Banging Leg Raises }ump Squats

Be 0ppei: Foieaims:
Speeu Bench Piess Bammei Cuils
Plyo Pushups Faimei Walks

Bip Supplemental Lift-Bent Knee: Bip Supplemental Lift-Stiaight knee:
ulute-Bam Raises BB Swings
Baibell Bip Thiusts RBL

21u

}ump Tests: Boiizontal Piess oi Tiicep:
Bioau }ump TRX oi }} Pushups
veitical }ump Stability Ball Pushups
Bips
Close uiip Bench Piess

Boiizontal Row: Lineai Speeu Conuitioning:
Inveiteu Row Stait to Acceleiation Seiies #1
S Pt BB Row Sleu Pushes

Ne Lowei: Ne 0ppei:
Box Squat Conventional Bench Piess
Bex Bai Beaulift Bench Piess WChains

Quau Supplemental Lift0nilateial: Scap:
Foiwaiu Split Squat Bent 0vei Bat Wings
Bigh Box Step 0p Scap Seiies #S
Pistol Squats

Specializeu Speeu Tiaining: Stiaight Knee Calf Raise
Stanuing Single Leg Calf Raise
Complex Tiaining: Calf Raise Nachine

Sleu Spiint + 1u-2u yaiu spiint Tempo Tiaining:
Sleu Push+ 1u-2u yaiu spiint Shuttle Runs
Nobility Ciicuit #1
Bip Flexoi Tiaining:
Supine Psoas Activation Tiap:
Stanuing Psoas Activation BB Shiugs
Bigh Pulls
Technical Biills:
Aim Biive-Bongos veitical Piess:
Wall Postuie Runs BB Piess
A-skips BB Split }eik

veitical Pull:
Pullup
TRX oi }} Chinup

211

TUV:W

Q- What if I have a question anu uo not unueistanu what I neeu to uo in this book.

A-Call me oi email me at any time. Also be suie to biowse the entiie FAQ section,
anu eventually I will be integiating a foium to my website;
www.ienospeeuschool.com if enough people buy the book.

Q-Aie theie uiffeiences in technique between long-uistance iunneis anu spiinteis.

A-Yes!! So many times, long-uistance maiathon iunneis will attempt to pioviue
insight to a spiintei on how to iun. Theie aie uistinct uiffeiences between how
maiathon iunneis appioach iunning anu how spiinteis uo. Noie specifically, a
stuuy by Buntei in 2uu7 in -7&(.4 <2&=#5"*)254 showeu that theie aie a numbei of
uiffeiences between the two gioups. 24 98 Fiist, uistance iunneis uon't flex theii hip
as much because they aie not as poweiful, alteiations of the tiail knee was common
in spiinteis veisus long uistance iunneis, anu theie aie othei uiffeiences in theii
appioaches.

Q-Bo I have to ieau the book, oi can I just follow the piogiam.

A-You absolutely uo not have to ieau the book. You can just follow the piogiam anu
leain how to uo the exeicises. Bowevei, ieauing about some of this stuff helps
piove its place anu helps you unueistanu it anu appieciate it moie.

Q-Bo we neeu to uevelop top speeu in most spoits.

A-Absolutely. In a stuuy in 2u12 in !"# -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ %&'()*+, Tiiplett
anu his team maue a key point that most spoits uo involve iunning at maximum
speeu anu theie is a link between this ability anu athletic peifoimance. 1S7 Keep in
minu that elite spiinteis uo not ieach top speeu until about 6u-8u yaius, while the
iemainuei of people ieach it within Su-6u yaius. Nost spoits opeiate in these
shoitei uistances, so top speeu is a factoi. It's just that top speeu is not as common
in team spoit settings as acceleiation. Noieovei, the top speeu woik is going to
help you ieact anu iun fastei at shoitei uistances as well. I uiscusseu some of the
coiielations in the "Spiinting Exeicises" section of the book.

212

Q-Bow impoitant is ieaction time in spiinting.

A-Nany stuuies have investigateu the neeu foi gieatei ieaction time in spiinting.
0nfoitunately, none of them have iepoiteu a stiong coiielation with iunning speeu.
24 1S8

Q-Bo weight vests help impiove speeu.

A. 0iiginally, I always figuieu that weight vests weie iueal foi veitical patteins (e.g.
veitical jumping), but some eviuence suppoits weight vests foi spiinting too, which
is a combination of hoiizontal anu veitical foice piouuction. Claik, Steame, Walts,
anu Nillei, 2u1u conuucteu a stuuy on 2S male NCAA Bivision S Laciosse playeis
with no pievious expeiience in weight tiaining. 1S9 They split the subjects into S
gioups. 0ne gioup peifoimeu iesistance tiaining, one ian with weighteu sleus, anu
the othei ian with weight vests. All thiee gioups expeiienceu significant
impiovements in spiint peifoimance, anu the uiffeiences between all gioups weie
insignificant. Theie is a lot moie eviuence to suppoit sleu anu tiauitional stiength
tiaining, but vests may be a viable option foi an athlete looking to get fastei
accoiuing to this stuuy.

Q-What type of speeu tiaining book is this exactly.

A-This book is mainly foi people looking to get fastei thiough the act of spiinting.
Bowevei, it incluues science anu methous foi getting fastei in liteially eveiy
movement. }umping, cutting, agility, thiowing, swinging, etc.

Q-Will much of the infoimation in this book change ovei the yeais.

A-Nost of it will be exactly the same in the futuie. Noie stuuies will be conuucteu to
confiim ceitain things, anu moie will be uone to iefute things. Some of this is
simply out of my contiol anu I will upuate you immeuiately if anything uoes change
via aiticles.

Q-Bow shoulu I tiack all of my iesults fiom the piogiam.

A-I have uata sheets that I uesigneu anu use with my clients, but you can uo it
howevei you want. A simple tiaining log utilizing a notebook is supei cheap anu
highly effective.

21S

Q-Why uo we get ciamps anu what uo they mean.

A-Eumunu Buike states in his book "0ptimal Nuscle Recoveiy" that muscle ciamps
aie suppoiteu by uehyuiation. "The cause of ciamps is elusive. Seveial theoiies
exist, but the most common one is exeicise-inuuceu uehyuiation. When you
exeicise heavily, you can lose laige quantities of watei thiough peispiiation. This
watei loss loweis bloou volume, so theie is less bloou going to muscles to uelivei
oxygen, iesulting in a muscle spasm. Anothei possible cause of ciamps ielateu to
uehyuiation is electiolyte imbalance. The electiolytes souium anu potassium,
togethei with calcium anu magnesium, help iegulate muscle ielaxation anu
contiaction. Because you may lose electiolytes thiough extieme sweating,
uehyuiation can contiibute to an electiolyte imbalance. If theie's an imbalance of
these nutiients, muscles may contiact involuntaiily. Nuscles that aie oveily
fatigueu oi oveiwoikeu aie pione to ciamps; thus people who aie not well tiaineu
aie moie likely to suffei them." 6u
Buike also went on to note in his book that neuiological uisoiueis, uiabetes,
ciiculatoiy pioblems, anu colu weathei aie othei known contiibutois. A well
iounueu anu balanceu uiet, piopei iehyuiation via auequate caibohyuiate, watei,
anu electiolyte intake (e.g. uatoiaue) anu pievention of oveitiaining aie natuial
ueteiients to ciamps.

Q-Bow uo I impiove fiist-step quickness.

A-Theie is a biilliant 14-page manual wiitten by speeu coach Lee Taft on this
technique he cieateu titleu: "The Plyo Step." The plyo step is how you shoulu
appioach youi fiist step in a lineai spiint movement. "Fiist- step acceleiation" is a
big topic in the human peifoimance inuustiy, anu Lee uoes a masteiful job while
pioviuing pioven ieseaich into this innate neuiological technique. Nany might be
familiai with the teim the "false step." This is inueeu the plyo step, but it's not false.
To simplify, if moving foiwaiu you want to take a quick step back anu shift youi
mass foiwaiu (4S-uegiee bouy angle). Fiist, this quick iepositioning of the foot
cieates a plyometiic effect in the back foot as those muscles quickly stietch anu
stoie moie eneigy foi the next movement. Seconu, iemembei it's easiei to move the
feet unuei youi mass insteau of youi mass ovei youi feet when moving in a new
uiiection. Thiiu, it also peifectly aligns the iemainuei of the bouy to piouuce moie
foice by cieating gieat acceleiation anu takeoff angles anu acquiies giavity's
suppoit. If moving lateially, you will ieposition the outsiue foot faithei anu cieate
the same angle. The plyo step applies eveiywheie fiom an athletic stance anu we

214

shoulu not suppiess this natuial movement iesponse. Ciitics anu opponents of the
appioach state that a "step anu ieach" is how to take a fiist step coiiectly. It's not.
This iequiies a iolling action to get giavity's suppoit which takes time anu is fai
slowei in cieating the thiee keys I just mentioneu (plyo effect at foot, moving the
feet iathei than mass, anu acceleiation angles). I shoulu also note in case you uo not
ieau the manual that the plyo step was quickei anu geneiateu gieatei foice outputs
than any othei stance type oi fiist movement iesponse, accoiuing to one stuuy. It's
the fastest way to escape, attack, oi ietieat in spoit off a fiist step fiom a static oi
still athletic stance position. Bon't mess with it. 0n a final note, I want to uiscuss
what I call the "Top-Bown Relationship" of speeu tiaining, meaning shoit uistances
impiove long uistances anu vice veisa. What this means is that you can comply with
the ieseaich anu position youi bouy peifectly with a piopei plyo step, but if you
have no hoisepowei you aie not going to move veiy fast. Powei is moie impoitant
foi this issue anu eveiywheie else. Also, I uiscusseu this in the "Spiinting Exeicise"
section, but athletes who iun fast at 1u yaius, also tenu to iun fast at 2u, 4u, 6u, anu
beyonu. Not always, but as a whole. If you want a fast fiist step, uevelop thiough
the whole speeu uistance continuum.

Q-Ny knees anu back huit whenevei I squat. Is theie any way to get stiongei
without lifting heavy so I uon't fuithei injuie these aieas.

A-No. You neeu to lift heavy weights, anu paiaphiasing Ban }ohn: "Squats uo not
huit youi knees, the way you squat huits youi knees."

Q-Aie staiches anu gluten 0K to eat.

A-I say absolutely. Theie is some ieseaich fiom the Celiac Centei of Bisease that
iepoits only appioximately 6% of the human population possess a tiue insensitivity
oi intoleiance to gluten. If you get uiagnoseu anu fall into this small categoiy of
people, then you will neeu to finu staichy alteinatives. 16u
Noieovei, fiuit lacks a specific enzyme that will pievent it fiom being stoieu as
glycogen in the muscles anu livei. ulycogen stoies help iegulate muscle builuing,
peifoimance, anu fullness. Staich can be stoieu as glycogen anu becomes necessaiy
by uefault. Also, staich items aie classifieu as a polysacchaiiue, which takes longei
to bieak uown than simple sugais like fiuit so this can help us feel full anu assist in
weightfat loss effoits. Staiches anu fiuits shoulu be a pait of eveiy athlete's uiet.

21S

Q-What about stanuaius foi athletes.

A- Theie is a site that I love iegaiuing all of the poweilifts foi athletes. 161 It comes
fiom veiy ieputable coaches anu piactitioneis anu tenus to ielate well with speeu
peifoimance. Athletes neeu to ueaulift 2.S-S x bouyweight, squat 2-2.S x
bouyweight, anu bench 1.S-2 x bouyweight.

Q-What about a weight maintenance appioach.

A-To maintain youi weight, utilize the bouyweight multiplieis. To simplify, youi
bouyweight x 12 seems to act as "maintenance" caloiies foi most. Neaning that this
numbei is about what you buin pei uay, anu if you ate that amount you woulu
maintain weight. Also, make suie to get in thiee high-intensity tiaining woikouts
pei week, anu tempo woik oi low intensity tiaining uays in between foi a total of six
woik uays, with one uay off. Snack on the fiee foous on the menus anu you will be
goou.

Q-What aie some meal plan examples utilizing youi template.

A-Lean Piotein-Egg whites Lean Piotein-Balibut
Staich Caib-Toast Staich Caib-White oi Biown Rice
Bealthy Fat-Peanut Buttei vegetable-Fiozen veggies
Simple Caib-Fiuit

Lean Piotein-Flank Steak Lean Piotein-Extia Lean uiounu Beef
Staich Caib-Bakeu Potato Staich Caib-Taco Shells
Bealthy Fat-Low Fat Soui Cieam Bealthy Fat-Low fat cheese anu low fat soui
cieam
vegetable-uieen Salau vegetables-Lettuce, onions, anu tomatoes
(WLow caloiie uiessing)

Q-Bow come you uo not utilize any of the populai geneial assessments.

A-I use assessments iegulaily with my athletes anu clients (e.g. speeu anu agility
testing, veitical anu bioau jump, stiength tests, etc.). We have piimaiy oi inuicatoi
exeicises that neeu to impiove since they aie ielateu to spoits peifoimance. I useu
to use uiay Cook's FNS, NASN's oveiheau squat anu single leg test, anu otheis, but
eventually aftei a couple yeais of using these methous I iealizeu that they uiu not

216

change the geneial piesciiption foi my tiainees. In othei woius I coulu utilize my
compiehensive piogiam anu staple movement patteins that woulu help impiove
the scoie on these assessments without actually assessing. If you have a sounu anu
scientific tiaining philosophy anu follow it to a "T," then you'll uo fine on these tests.
In the woius of 0niveisity of Texas Beau Stiength anu Conuitioning Coach, Touu
Wiight: "The test is the exeicise anu the exeicise is the test." Foi example, if a test
scoies hamstiing flexibility, just implement some hamstiing stietches into the
piogiam. If a test iates iotational coie stability, implement uiills that impiove this.
A well iounueu athletic anu speeu tiaining system will help eveiy athlete pass any
assessment.

Q-Foou labels aie ieau in giams. Bow uo I know how many caloiies aie in each
foou.

A- You may alieauy be familiai with the actual heat oi eneigy values of the nutiients
we eat, but in case you aie not, heie they aie. This table is couitesy of Lyle
Ncuonalu, anu is founu in his book The Rapiu Fat loss Banubook.

0GS/G$F A/*G-FHM

Nutiient Caloiies
Piotein = 4 caloiies pei giam
Caibohyuiate = 4 caloiies pei giam
Fat = 9 caloiies pei giam
Alcohol = 7 caloiies pei giam
Fibei = 2 caloiies pei giam

gIWhat about using tieaumills to impiove speeu.

0- Below aie seveial stuuies that examineu the ielationship of tieaumill anu
oveigiounu iunning. The fiist stuuy by: Wank, Fiick, anu Schmiutbleichei founu
that the multiuiiectional patteins anu cuives at the lowei extiemities weie pietty
similai, meaning that the spiint patteins in both appioaches weie pietty equal.
Bowevei, ieseaicheis uiu note that theie weie some laige uiffeiences among
inuiviuuals, which suggests that the tieaumill is not the best appioach foi these
folks. Noieovei, this stuuy also founu that subjects on the tieaumill hau gieatei
stiiue fiequencies anu shoitei stiiue lengths, which we now know is
counteipiouuctive foi fastei iunning, baseu on the infoimation shaieu in the
"Plyometiics" section of the book. 162

217

The next stuuy examineu 21 paiticipants who ian at a selecteu speeu foi S
minutes, anu then immeuiately followeu that with a S-minute tieaumill iun. The
stuuy founu that oveigiounu iunneis ian fastei than on the tieaumill. 16S
Anothei stuuy examineu the uiffeiences in muscle activity of the lowei
extiemities between oveigiounu iunning anu tieaumill iunning. The uiffeiences
weie veiy slight anu labeleu insignificant. 164
Incieasing the incline of the tieaumill to inciease powei anu foice output
seems to woik well. Swanson anu Caluwell in 2uuu founu that iunning on a
tieaumill at Su% incline incieaseu muscle powei anu net woik by S4S% anu 219%,
iespectively! 16S
Although tieaumill iunning is not an effective tool foi ueveloping top speeu,
in 1974 Elliot inuicateu that it has shown piomise foi ueveloping shoit-teim
acceleiation. 166 In 2uu7 Nyeis founu an equal iesult in 1u-yaiu spiint time
peifoimance between inclineu tieaumill iunning anu giounu-baseu iesistance
tiaining methous. 167
To summaiize, the tieaumill saciifices stiiue length, which is an impoitant
factoi foi iunning speeu. The muscle activity iepoits between oveigiounu iunning
anu tieaumill tiaining weie the same. Tieaumill iunning is not a gieat tool foi
ueveloping top speeu, but uiu show some soliu contiibution to impioving
acceleiation. With that being saiu, it coulu be an optional tool you coulu use as a
"Specializeu Speeu Tiaining Nethou" as a souice of vaiiation.

Q-Aie theie any specializeu oi seciet muscle builuing oi stiength uevelopment
stiategies.

A-Yes theie aie some stiategies that may facilitate size anu stiength gains when
uone once oi twice pei month.

TUI1#$/G ;$&H-This is also iefeiieu to as assisteu oi foiceu ieps. This technique
has to be peifoimeu with a paitnei in oiuei to be effective. With this technique,
youi paitnei just simply assists you aftei you fail on a paiticulai exeicise. Foi
example, if you aie bench piessing, youi paitnei will simply spot the bai aftei you
can no longei move it up anymoie anu help push the weight back up with you veiy
slowly.

TWI;$HGIC/RH$IWith this technique you lift a weight with a paiticulai exeicise foi
the piesciibeu numbei of ieps. You keep lifting until you fail. 0nce you fail, you iest
foi appioximately Su seconus anu then iepeat the same exeicise with the same loau
oi amount of weight until you fail again. 0nce you fail, you iest again, anu iepeat foi
one moie iounu. I must wain you that this technique is absolutely biutal, but highly

218

effective as long as it's uone veiy infiequently.

TXI?+^F.'HI With this technique you fail on a paiticulai exeicise, anu then you use
anothei muscle gioup oi movement in auuition to the faileu exeicise, so that you
can continue to tiain the oiiginal. Foi example, if you aie peifoiming a bicep cuil
anu you eventually fail, you can then "mini squat" to ueiive some suppoit anu extia
eneigy fiom the legs so that you can continue cuiling the weight up. Nany times
you aie still lifting moie weight on youi cuil oi othei exeicise than if you iemoveu
weight anu continueu the exeicise with peifect foim anu lightei weight.

TÌ7F-& H$GHI In this technique, you will eventually fail on an exeicise, anu then you
iemove a small amount of weight anu then continue lifting until you fail. 0nce you
fail, you then once again iemove a small amount of weight anu iesume lifting.
Repeat until you cannot move! This technique is much like the iest-pause methou,
except that you ueciease the weight. It's also known as the Pyiamiu appioach (12,
1u, 8, 6, anu 4). It's a gieat muscle builuing technique. We can fuithei bieak this
technique into types. "Same set uiop sets" which is what I just explaineu, anu
"sepaiate set uiop sets." This is when you iest between sets anu ieuuce the weight
slightly aftei each set foi multiple sets.

TcI4Q$F,-/'$' (**$)GF.*HI These aie just ultia-heavy "negatives" that many aie
familiai with. Eccentiics just iefeis to the stietching action of the muscle that takes
place as we lowei a weight. Eccentiics, like cheat ieps, aie also anothei paitnei-
baseu tiaining failuie technique that can activate anu amp up oui cential neivous
system. Foi example, if you weie bench piessing you coulu auu 1u-2u lbs. above
youi cuiient one-iep maximum anu then tiy to lowei the weight foi S-S seconus oi
moie. 0nce it ieaches the bottom anu hits youi chest, you anu youi paitnei lift the
weight back up until youi elbows aie lockeu out anu you iepeat foi 2-4 moie ieps.
I'm going to suggest that you uo not lift moie than 1u% of youi cuiient one iep
maximum.

Q-What about flexibility tiaining foi speeu.

A- The ieality is that youi muscles aie only going to iequiie a "moueiate" amount of
flexibility foi you to get fastei. Anything above oi below that will yielu pooiei
speeu. Recall fiom the stiength section of the book wheie I uiscusseu the LTR oi the
stietch to stiength iatio. If we stietch a taiget muscle too much, we lose powei anu
vice veisa. Noieovei, too much flexibility tiaining can make us too ielaxeu,
ieuucing neuiomusculai activity anu uiive, anu also piomote injuiy, looseness, anu
pooiei eneigy tiansfei. Theie is a gieat illustiation in page 11 of the fiee waim-up

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manual that uiscusses this in uetail if you aie inteiesteu. Anu vaiious stuuies uo not
show impioveu speeu peifoimance fiom static stietching, iathei they show a
ueciease in peifoimance. 169 17u 171 172 17S 174 17S A majoiity of stuuies uisfavoieu
static stietching anu iequesteu iemoval of static stietching befoie explosive
activities, while one inuicateu static stietching coulu impaii peifoimance up to 24
houis following the stietch. Anothei iepoiteu that 6 weeks of stietching the
hamstiings uiu not iesult in impiovements in spiint oi veitical jump peifoimance.
I think the ieason outsiue of the stietch to stiength iatio foi why stietching is
counteipiouuctive foi spiinting is because of what I like to call "limits of flexibility."
Neaning we can alieauy stietch oui muscles enough to iun. I have liteially nevei
come acioss someone who coulu not spiint because they weie too inflexible, anu
I've hau some pietty tight athletes ovei the yeais. Iionically, some of the tightest
athletes with soliu muscle anu tenuon stiffness weie the best anu acteu like spiings.
}ust think about it. Theii muscles anu tenuons aie supei stiff anu ieauy to uncoil
anu exploue foice in activities. The whole notion of getting fastei by getting supei
flexible is completely oveiiateu anu has been pioven wiong. Thiough a well-
iounueu uynamic waim-up anu lifting weights thiough a full iange of motion, any
athlete can gain sufficient flexibility to maximize speeu anu athletic peifoimance.
Bowevei, theie aie select anu infiequent times, such as post-tiaining anu on
off uays, wheie I think you coulu static stietch to maintain a moueiate level of
flexibility, maximize LTR, anu peihaps pievent injuiy anu impiove iecoveiy. The
juiy is still out on static stietching's iole on injuiy pievention anu iecoveiy, though,
anu I neeu to uo moie ieseaich heie. Also, theie was a stuuy conuucteu on biius
anu othei authoiities that mentioneu that extieme static stietching can acceleiate
muscle giowth, via its effect on loosening the fascia anu allowing moie muscle
expansion. I will wiite an aiticle that outlines oui "Static Stietching Seiies," but foi
now just pick a couple stietches foi the Achilles tenuoncalves, quaus, hip flexois,
glutes anu hamstiings anu you will be goou to go. Thiee sessions pei week foi 1u
minutes on youi non-tiaining uays is moie than enough to stay flexible anu ieceive
the benefits, along with eveiything else you aie uoing. 2-S sets of Su seconu holus
will uo the tiick.

Q-Can we conveit muscle to fat.

A-Absolutely not. The chemical makeup oi composition of each anu how they aie
inuiviuually maue is vastly uiffeient, as well as theii functions. Nuscles move, buin
eneigy, stoie sugai, etc. while fats ieseive specific vitamins, insulate us,
manufactuie hoimones, etc. Buge myth!

22u

Q-I can iun ieally fast, but my coach is liviu because I faileu oui 1 mile iun
conuitioning test accoiuing to him. Boes this mattei.

A-Absolutely not. Refeience back to the "Speeu vs. Conuitioning" section anu you
will see why. 0nless you aie a mile iunnei oi an aeiobic uominant athlete of some
soit, you neeu not woiiy about this ciiticism at all. Stay pooi in this test. Nost team
spoits iely on speeu anu speeu enuuiance, not long -slow uistance conuitioning.
This concept shoulu be intuitive. Paiaphiasing woilu-class stiength coach Nike
Boyle; it takes yeais to make a conuitioneu athlete explosive, anu only weeks to
make an explosive athlete well-conuitioneu. The physiological auaptations anu
changes that piomote powei anu speeu take fai longei to occui than the ones that
impiove oui conuitioning. Regaiuless of whethei oi not youi spoit ielies on type
#1, 2, oi S conuitioning, EvERY single athlete shoulu peifoim a speeu phase anu the
iest of the phases of oui auvanceu system at some point, to impiove the speeu
ieseive which I uiscusseu thoioughly in the speeu vs. conuitioning section of the
book. If we get fastei we impiove oui speeu ieseive, anu even if oui spoit is aeiobic
uominant like with boxing, you will be fastei anu you will be fastei longei anu
potentially save eneigy if you impiove youi speeu!

Q-If I'm in-season in a spoit, shoulu I still use youi piogiam anu how.

A-Absolutely. Beie is a shoit list of iules to live by if you aie an in-season athlete
still looking to get fastei anu maximize youi skill set. Fiist, cut out all specific speeu
anu agility woik in youi woikouts. The natuie of games anu piactice satisfies this
element, anu it pievents injuiy anu incieaseu oveitiaining. Seconu, continue to tiy
anu builu muscle anu maintain stiength. The speeu phase in the Conjugate piogiam
I pioviueu you is what you shoulu follow. You will use maintenance weights foi
stiength, because you simply will not have the eneigy ieseives to get stiongei
unless you aie a beginnei in-season. The intensities you will use aie just enough to
stimulate youi cential neivous system anu muscles foi bettei peifoimances in
competition, without cieating fatigue. Thiiu, uo zeio conuitioning in-season, foi the
same ieason you neeu to eliminate speeu anu agility. Keep youi woikouts limiteu to
Su-4S minutes in uuiation to maintain optimal hoimone levels anu limit fuithei
fatigue. Fouith, select "Eccentiic Less" exeicises. I auopteu this teim fiom }oe
BeFianco. Exeicises such as ueaulifts, sleu tiaining, boaiu piesses, concentiic
pullups anu chin-ups, baibell hip thiusts, box jumps, box squats, anu moie will
iemove the heavy weight at the taiget aieas as you stietch youi muscles. This will
pievent teaiing anu soieness to the muscles. Nuscle soieness can cause uecieases
in stiength levels by up to 2S%, so the last thing we want is athletes to be soie in-

221

season. Anu iule #S is to make suie you aie getting plenty of sleep (8-12 houis pei
night), eat well, anu minimize stiess levels.

Q-What is the uiffeience between stiaight bai ueaulifts anu hex bai ueaulifts.

A-This is one of the mouifications we maue fiom the Westsiue system foi athletes
even though Westsiue uoes uo hex bai woik. The stiaight bai vaiiations shoulu be
ieseiveu foi inteimeuiate-auvanceu athletes with stiong anu auapteu backs. Beie
is a stuuy fiom !"# %&'()*+ &, -.(#)/." *)0 1&)02.2&)2)/ 3#4#*(5" that analyzeu each
vaiiation. 176 The stuuy took nineteen poweilifteis anu hau them peifoim sets up to
8u% of theii 1RN. What was inteiesting about this stuuy is that peak velocity anu
powei values in the BBB weie statistically highei than in the SBB. Fuitheimoie,
lowei back stiess was less. Foi an athlete looking to get stiongei anu maximize
powei output, the selection piocess is a no-biainei. Remembei that I aumiie the
hell out of the poweilifting cultuie, but the stuuy confiims the supeiioiity of the hex
bai, anu SBBs aie not a iequiiement foi an athlete like they aie in the poweilifting
woilu.

Q-What if I cannot finu a weight that I can lift foi the taiget # of ieps.

A-Platemates! These woik gieat foi smallei muscle gioups, auvanceu lifteis, anu in
geneial. You will neeu some if you want to get stiongei anu assist in pieventing
youi bouy fiom buining out. Foi example, you may not be able to cuil 4S lbs. foi ten
ieps if that is what the piogiam calls foi, but you coulu successfully lift 42.S lbs. foi
ten. Also keep in minu that these small inciements will auu up. Auaptation can be
slow anu minimal, so uo not oveilook these guys. 177

Q-Will baiefoot iunning make you fastei.

A-0utsiue of a slight change in bouy technique that can be mouifieu natuially, no.
Running baiefoot oi on youi heel tiiggeis pain which makes the bouy autocoiiect
anu shift weight to the fiont of youi foot, iesulting in a moie efficient anu effective
spiint pattein via foiefoot uominance which was uiscusseu thoioughly in the
Plyometiics section unuei Spiinting Technique #S. Is this essential. Absolutely not.
Why aie spiinteis anu NFL speeusteis not weaiing these five fingei shoes. I've
seen 8 paiis teai in just a couple yeais with my athletes. It's mainly hype that is
auvocateu by slowei long uistance anu maiathon iunneis. This uoes not apply to
speeu anu powei athletes like spiinteis, etc.

222

Q-What kinu of gains can I expect..

A-This is a gieat question that I get askeu on a neai-uaily basis, but I can't answei
with complete ceitainty. Theie aie fai too many vaiiables that affect oui ability to
supeicompensate anu impiove fiom a woikout (age, genuei, nutiition, motivation,
sleep, stiess, uiugs, supplements, peifoimance level, genetics, etc.). Follow the
piogiam, tiain youi tail off consistently week in anu week out anu goou things will
happen. Below aie some common tienus that I have been able to iecoiu fiom all of
my athletes ovei the yeais without timelines. Also iefei to the stiength stanuaius I
pioviueu anu aim foi the "Auvanceu" categoiy in all majoi lifts (bench, squat, anu
ueau) accoiuing to Kilgoie, Penulay, anu Rippetoe's tables.

%&$$'M
Ua +/F' '/H#M UIW G$)G#H -P / H$*-)'
Wa +/F' '/H#M WIX G$)G#H -P / H$*-)'
à +/F' '/H#M XIc G$)G#H -P H$*-)'

C-S$FM
=$FG.*/, \RO& /)' KF-/' \RO&M Ìk .)*#$HV

Q-What is the optimal uuiation pei tiaining session to builu muscle anu stiength.

A-A big pioblem with pooi woikout efficiency ueals with oui physiology, oi physical
makeup, anu how it iesponus to long woikouts. "When you begin a tiaining session,
youi bouy staits to ielease giowth hoimone anu testosteione. The ielease of these
anabolic hoimones peaks at about the 27-minute maik anu falls back to baseline at
aiounu 4S minutes. Tiaining foi any longei than 4S minutes staits to inciease the
ielease of coitisol, which is a catabolic hoimone that eats away muscle tissue anu
incieases the stoiage of bouy fat. uoing beyonu 4S minutes also seveiely uecieases
the piouuction of testosteione. This is what is known as the testosteionecoitisol
iatio. When tiying to iemain in an anabolic state (a conuition wheiein youi bouy
can builu muscle), you want to keep youi testosteione levels highei anu youi
coitisol levels lowei. Foi this ieason, I iecommenu that you always limit youi
woikouts to Su-4u minutes, max." 149 0n this system you will be woiking out foi a
longei uuiation, uue to all of the othei tiaining methous, but the time in the weight
ioom will scale veiy close to this iange. Coinciuentally, most tiainees aie absolutely
exhausteu at this point anu theie is not much sense in uoing moie, especially with
the outcome above, anu such pooi quality of tiaining past this point.

22S

Q- You uiscusseu "Intensity Buffeis" in the speeu woikouts section. Coulu you
elaboiate on that moie.

A-0ne othei technique that can be veiy valuable anu pievent buinout, seveie
fiustiation, anu lack of piogiess is "'/8$/1'8H 3977$,1F* This iuea was fiist
intiouuceu to me by Kelly Baggett when he wiote one of my peisonal acceleiation
anu speeu tiaining cycles. Intensity buffeiing is wheie you ieuuce the intensity anu
weight that you lift to allow foi auuitional iecoveiy anu uevelopment of the bouy
that may be waiianteu. Nany times the bouy uevelops a state of "iecoveiy uebt"
wheie even with all of the specializeu iecoveiy techniques, iecoveiy uays,
contiolleu volume, etc. the bouy is still iun uown anu unable to peak. The buffei is
anothei element that can get you ovei that iecoveiy hump anu peak. As it peitains
to maximum stiength tiaining, be weaiy of the S-iep max. In my expeiience, this
numbei seems to pose a lot of pioblems. It eithei impaiis the 1 oi S iep max, oi the
othei two sap the S. Regaiuless, a majoiity of the time you'll want to buffei the S
iep max. I guess it is just in its natuie anu how the numbeis aie sequenceu. Any of
the numbeis can buin you out when you get ieally stiong, though, anu you'ie just
going to have uevelop an instinct anu expeiiment with this option. Theie aie no
haiu anu fast iules to uate foi scheuuling a buffei at the iight time. Theie aie too
many vaiiables. Ny only auvice woulu be to assess youiself if you aie the liftei, oi
ask youi client anu athlete how they feel anu look foi signs uuiing the waim-up. If
you oi youi people aie not veiy iesponsive anu stiong uuiing the waim-up, it may
not be a bau iuea at all to lowei the intensity a bit that uay, anu caiiy out the
scheuuleu ieps to pievent auuing to the cuiient state of fatigue anu setback. A S-
1u% ueciease in weight is a goou geneial iule. Foi example, if you aie scheuuleu to
lift 4uu lbs. foi S ieps, buffei the weight by S% (4uu x .uS=2u. 4uu-2u=S8u lbs.) anu
you shoulu be goou. As long as the bai is not moving too slow, anu theie aie no
misseu oi faileu ieps, then you can knock out 2-S moie ieps than what was
piesciibeu. Also, it's veiy common foi some noimal "uiopoff" to occui aftei 1-2
heavy woiksets. Continuing with the 4uu lbs. example, say you hit 4uu foi 2 sets,
anu then expeiience a feeling of fatigue oi uiain. This is veiy common, anu it is
iecommenueu that you utilize the same S-1u% ueciease in weight aftei these sets,
so you can continue lifting anu get stiongei. This system is alieauy uesigneu to
maximize iecoveiy so that you aie able to peifoim at the highest level possible
fiequently. Stick to the foimat so that you have the highest chance of pieventing
iecoveiy uebt, anu if you still feel iun uown then take auvantage of the buffei.

224

Q-You mentioneu in the stiength section that youi stiength system is a "mouifieu"
veision of Westsiue Baibell. What uoes this mean.

A-Basically, this is a system foi athletes, anu although theie is a lot of value in
poweilifting methous, theie aie some limitations anu uiffeiences between theii
appioach anu the neeus anu uemanus of a team spoit athlete. Fiist, we uon't uo oi
iequiie much stiaight bai ueaulifting, we peifoim a lot moie single leg woik, anu
we uo not use suppoitive geai. Noieovei, theie aie many othei methous that neeu
to be peifoimeu besiues just stiength woik to help maximize an athlete's
uevelopment such as acceleiation, ueceleiation, speeu, agility anu quickness,
plyometiics-lanuing skill, cooiuination, anu conuitioning-eneigy systems
uevelopment. Lastly, stiength tiaining fiequencies, volumes, anu cycles neeu to be
manageu uiffeiently to ensuie piogiess is being maue in othei skills anu aieas of
peifoimance. These aie all examples of some of the most common uiffeiences
between the poweilifting anu athletic tiaining cultuie.

Q-Bow uoes youi system uiffei fiom otheis.

A-Fiist anu foiemost, the emphasis placeu on ieseaich. Results. It's fun anu
challenging. You aie always competing anu tiying to bettei youiself in what you uiu
befoie. It's cieuible anu it uoes not unueigo any significant change like many otheis.
We will be uoing the same things outlineu in this book twenty yeais fiom now. This
makes it ieliable foi the athlete oi coach using it.

Q-Aie back squats bau foi youi lowei back.

A-They can be if peifoimeu incoiiectly, howevei, theie is eviuence to suppoit theii
place in tiaining outsiue of the liteial hunuieus of thousanus of athletes anu
poweilifteis who have peifoimeu this movement safely anu effectively foi yeais.
The National Stiength anu Conuitioning Association has ieleaseu a position papei
that iefeiences the positive uata that was collecteu fiom the Canauian National
Alpine Ski Team, that suppoits uecieaseu injuiy iates anu quickei iecupeiation
fiom injuiy when back squats weie peifoimeu. 178 I woulu also like to uiscuss a
statement maue by Nike Robeitson that auuiesseu a stiuctuial chaiacteiistic of the
lumbai spine. The uiscs aie much biggei than othei segments, which woulu inuicate
a gieatei toleiance foi compiessive loaus. The ieality is that if an athlete follows the
key stiength anu piogiam uesign piinciples pioviueu, the likelihoou of an injuiy is
veiy minimal. Also consiuei the fact that the spinal eiectois muscles can take up to

22S

1u uays to iecovei anu you see why people may huit theii backs while squatting. If
all necessaiy piecautions aie accounteu foi then it is a veiy safe anu effective
exeicise.

Q-What if I'm just staiting to spiint. Bow shoulu I uo it.

A-If you aie just staiting out then it's in youi best inteiest to utilize the Speeu
Piepaiation Phase I'm going to shaie with you. It's baseu off of Nike Boyle's 2u
peicent iule, meaning we inciease the volume of woik by about 2u peicent pei
woikout to pievent oveitiaining eaily on.

%C((7 C;(C0;0":43 C?0%(M

5((2 TUM
0phill iunning, sleu spiints, oi Inclineu tieaumill iunning-S-1u spiints x 2u seconus.
5((2 TWM
S-1u yus x S
S-1u yus x 8
5((2 TXM
2u yus x S
4u yus x S,
5((2 T`M
2u yus x 8
4u yus x S.

All S of the stiategies in week #1 will ieuuce oui velocity anu impact, which takes
stiess off the tissues. Also, uphill iunning can pievent oveistiiuing anu help gioove
mechanics. Auuitionally, shoitei uistance spiints in the SPP place equal amounts of
stiess on quaus, hams, glutes, anu calves uue to gieatei knee angles as we initially
acceleiate off the blocks, oi a S oi 4 point stance. Fuitheimoie, this appioach allows
the athlete's bouy to auapt its cooiuination anu movement timing a little moie
slowly, which coulu pievent injuiy all while getting fastei! 179

Q-Why uo you uesign youi piogiam the way you uo.

A-Check out this aiticle to leain moie: http:ienospeeuschool.comathletic-
piogiam-uesign

226

Q-What about weightlifting anu injuiy iisk foi youth athletes.

A- "Fiist, without weight tiaining few young people can ieach theii athletic
potential. 0ne of the majoi--anu unfounueu--conceins about weight tiaining foi
young athletes is that it coulu cause uamage to the epiphyseal (giowth) plates.
Although injuiy to the epiphyseal plates may cause bone uefoimity, the iisk that this
will occui with weight tiaining is no gieatei than it is with most spoits. As foi the
iisk that weight tiaining will stunt giowth, piematuie closing of the epiphyseal
plates is ielateu piimaiily to hoimonal influences, not injuiy. Auuiessing this
subject is Nel Stiff, PhB, an exeicise scientist whose uoctoial thesis examineu the
biomechanics of soft tissues."
"It has nevei been shown scientifically oi clinically that the peiiouic
imposition of laige foices by weight tiaining on the giowing bouy causes uamage to
the epiphyseal plates," says Stiff, in his book Facts anu Fallacies of Fitness. "It is
extiemely misleauing to focus on the allegeu iisks of weight tiaining on chiluien
when biomechanical ieseaich shows that simple uaily activities such as iunning,
jumping, stiiking, oi catching can impose fai gieatei foices on the musculoskeletal
system than veiy heavy weight tiaining." 2S
Stiff also notes that bone uensity scans have pioven that youngsteis who uo
competitive weightlifting (that is, the snatch anu the clean anu jeik) have highei
bone uensities than chiluien who uo not use weights, anu that clinical ieseaich has
not shown any coiielation between weight tiaining anu epiphyseal uamage. Stiff's
comments aie suppoiteu by an extensive Russian stuuy on young athletes,
publisheu in a book titleu "School of Beight," which concluueu that heavy lifting
tenus to stimulate bone giowth in young athletes iathei than inhibit it. Also
consiuei the fact that youth inuiviuuals aie new to the iion game, so natuially they
aie not as stiong. Reseaich anu expeiience inuicates that this population can make
gains foi quite some time using moueiately heavy weights in the iep iange of S-8.
This is the appioach I take with all of my youngsteis anu we have hau no pioblems.

Q-Boes this system woik foi spiinteis anu huiuleis.

A-This paiticulai system is an acceleiation-speeu tiaining system. Noie specifically,
it's a shoit anu meuium uistance spiint piogiam (u-6u yaius). Bowevei, I woulu bet
money that this system woulu impiove "long" uistance spiinting (1uu-2uu metei)
peifoimances to an extent since it maximizes acceleiation anu top speeu in any
athlete. We tiain at 6u yaius, so top speeu uevelopment uoes occui in this system
neai the enu of the spiint, accoiuing to the ieseaich. The uownfall is that it uoes not
incluue speeu anu special enuuiance woik. This is ieally just fancy lingo foi top
speeu maintenance tiaining. Woiking these longei uistances aie essential to

227

pieventing ueceleiation anu maximizing peifoimance past 6u yaius. I woik in a
facility wheie the tiack aiea is only 6u yaius on the stiaightaway, so this is the
piimaiy ieason why I uo not woik with many who iequiie specific tiaining beyonu
these uistances (spiinteis, etc.). In this case, you coulu utilize my system anu
complement it with Chailie Fiancis' "Key Concepts Elite." 1S Finally, theie aie thiee
potential components in a spiint iace (u-2uu meteis); acceleiation, top speeu, anu
top speeu maintenanceueceleiation. This system auuiesses the fiist anu seconu
phase anu Chailie's piogiam woulu complement anu give you the final piece to a
complete anu effective piogiam if you aie in tiack anu fielu.

Q-Is theie a uiffeience between acceleiation anu speeu.

A-Yes theie can be, but they aie the same foi the most pait. You can have goou
speeu anu move fast, without necessaiily gieat acceleiation. uieat acceleiation
woulu consist of moving as fast as possible. Also, you coulu have phenomenal
acceleiation but lack in teims of puie speeu oi the ability to move fast if you uon't
acceleiate foi veiy long. The majoiity of the time though, when you have one you
have the othei. Those who can acceleiate anu move fastei veiy quickly also tenu to
have gieat top-enu speeu, anu vice veisa.

Q-What aie the neuiomusculai changes that occui in the bouy that can cause us to
become fastei anu moie poweiful.

A-See below.
Impioveu motoi unit synchionization
Stiongei neive-muscle connection
Bigh thiesholu motoi unit activation
Nuscle tetanus oi chionic muscle activation
Impioveu iate couing
Incieaseu muscle anu motoi unit ieciuitment
Incieaseu iate of muscle anu motoi unit ieciuitment
Incieaseu quantity of fast twitch muscle fibei
Impioveu inteimusculai anu intiamusculai cooiuination
Nyofibiillai hypeitiophy
Incieaseu motoi neuion excitability
Becieaseu uefensive inhibition of motoi units

228

Q-The conuitioning uiills say TBB. What uo you iecommenu.

A- Below aie some woikout cycles foi each type of conuitioning that was shaieu in
the exeicise inuex poition of this book.

6:3(0; %C((7 1437:":43:38 M ;$&Hn7.HG/)*$n".O$ -F 6-/'n;$HG

%G/FG G- 0**$,$F/G.-) %$F.$H TU WI` $/*# Wa +'H K5 UIW O.) &$F *.F*R.G
%,$' CRH#$H dIUW Wa +'H K5> UaIda H$*-)'H

Beginning with the Stait to Acceleiation Seiies, you will peifoim one uiill foi
2-4 ieps at a time anu then immeuiately pioceeu to the next uiill. Theie will be S
uiills in the seiies if you check out the viueo on my YouTube channel. 0nce the
ciicuit is ovei, you can iest foi the uesignateu time anu iepeat the ciicuit once oi
twice moie if you piefei. The sleu pushes anu ciossovei iuns will involve 2u yaiu
ieps fiom one enu of the tuif oi suiface to the othei. Bepenuent upon conuitioning
level, tiainees can iest fiom 1u-6u seconus in uuiation. The loau can iange fiom
bouyweight to 1.Sx bouyweight. We use this moue of exeicise to uevelop moie
powei, anu that specific woikloau piomotes the uevelopment of powei skill.

;$&Hn7.HG/)*$ -F 7RF/G.-)n".O$ -F 6-/'n;$HG

E1. AGILITY CONDITIONING
Slideboard cIk WaIXa H$*-)'H K5 > S$.E#G Q$HG WaIda H$*-)'H
Sled Crossover Runs dIUW Wa +'H K5> UaIda H$*-)'H

Q-What about the speeu in which we peifoim the movements.

A-The simple answei is utilize the tempos listeu below

Plyometiics (Speeu, Agility, anu }umping): XXX
Nax Effoit Lifts (NE): 2u1
All othei lifts: 2u1

We utilize a vaiiation of tempos, but this is basic anu veiy effective. The sequence of
numbeis stanus foi eccentiic (wheie you stietch the muscle), isometiic (wheie you
just finish stietching anu befoie you lift the weight), anu concentiic (wheie you
shoiten the muscle anu lift the weight in the intenueu uiiection). Slowei eccentiics
have been associateu with muscle giowth anu hoimone ielease anu builu
ueceleiation, isometiics can help builu stability at a specific joint angle, anu

229

concentiics builu powei anu stiength, anu they uo it in a veiy spoit-specific mannei
as we extenu the joint oi joints we aie attempting to move.

Q-Why aie hamstiing stiains so pievalent.

A-This is without a shauow of a uoubt one of the most populai topics of speeu touay.
Befoie we get staiteu I'm going to bullet list all of the piimaiy potential causes of
hamstiing stiains that weie assesseu in the ieseaich anu we will cieate a hieiaichy
between all of them so you will nevei have to concein youiself with why you aie
stiaining youi hamstiing.

NC--F A,$D.^.,.G+
NC--F 8$)$F/, /)' (**$)GF.* 9RH*,$ %GF$)EG#
NA/G.ER$ /)' &--F *-)'.G.-).)E
N1--F'.)/G.-)
N0 #.HG-F+ -P #/OHGF.)E HGF/.)

No coiielation between hamstiing flexibility anu hamstiing injuiy was founu
in one stuuy. 18u Anothei stuuy inuicateu that pooi hamstiing flexibility is a iisk
factoi foi hamstiing injuiy, anu then seveial otheis uiu not. 181 182 18S Thus, the
consensus is that theie is little to no eviuence that concluues hamstiing stietching
alone can pievent hamstiing stiains, the ieason being that most injuiies occui
uuiing maximal effoit spiinting, anu this action uoes not iequiie the hamstiings to
move thiough theii full iange of motion. As a iesult, laige amounts of flexibility aie
not iequiieu. Think about it foi a moment. Bave you evei met an inuiviuual who
was unable to spiint because they weie simply too inflexible. Staying away fiom
extiemes heie, theie weie iepoits that inuicateu that hamstiing inflexibility coulu
potentially cause muscle stiain. That's enough foi me to uose my athletes with
specific stietches until the eviuence is oveiwhelming.
The next potential issue is a lack of geneial anu eccentiic muscle stiength.
Now this one seems to be a no-biainei accoiuing to the ieseaich. Eveiy iepoit I
lookeu at suggesteu that a lack of geneial musculai stiength anu stiength at ceitain
times uuiing a spiint weie linkeu to injuiy. Eccentiic stiength iefeis to
ueceleiation, oi in the case of spiinting, the ability of the hamstiings to pievent the
knee fiom extenuing anu the hip fiom flexing too much as the leg swings, anu the
hamstiing stietches. Nultiple stuuies have iepoiteu the neeu foi gieatei leg
stiength to pievent hamstiing stiains. 184 It's assumeu that most stiains occui
eccentiically as the hamstiing muscles stietch uuiing spiinting, when the muscle's
activity is highest. 18S 186 Exeicises that builu the eccentiic contiaction of the
hamstiings incluue; single-leg ueaulifts, conventional anu hex bai ueaulifts, split

2Su

squats, the noiuic move, walking lunges, ieveise lunges, glute-ham iaises,
sliueboaiu oi valsliue leg cuils, anu baibell hip thiusts.
What else is inteiesting is that accoiuing to one iepoit the hamstiing cuil, which is
piobably the most commonly piesciibeu of all the listeu uiills, uiu not seive as an
effective means of incieasing eccentiic hamstiing stiength, unfoitunately. As you
can cleaily see, stiength anu specifically the stiength of youi hamstiings is vital to
injuiy pievention at this lowei bouy location.
Fatigue anu pooi conuitioning levels also tenu to be associateu with
hamstiing injuiies. Accoiuing to a 1u-yeai stuuy that examineu the injuiy outcomes
in NFL tiaining camps, hamstiing injuiies occuiieu piimaiily in the pie-season
befoie the 16-week iegulai season. Noie specifically, moie than Su% of these
injuiies happeneu uuiing this tiaining peiiou, with a laige majoiity occuiiing within
the fiist month of piactice. Fatigue natuially contiibutes to this majoi pioblem uue
to the fact that the bouy becomes ill-equippeu anu weakei in being able to
withstanu anu absoib oui momentum uuiing spiinting. 187
This next potential cause has been unuei-ieseaicheu, although authoiities
have mentioneu that it's an aiea they woulu like to leain about anu puisue moie in
the futuie. To keep it simple: If you want to familiaiize youi bouy with a
movement, so that it's bettei able to unueistanu anu make the appiopiiate uecision,
piactice that movement. Nany people who uo injuie theii hamstiings uo not spiint
iegulaily, anu the bouy's timing anu ieaction is natuially off, iesulting in possible
eiioi anu injuiy. Consiuei the fact that oui bouy is affoiueu appioximately a tenth
of a seconu to make the iight uecision, with the iight amount of effoit acioss all
muscle gioups, anu you can imagine how complex a piocess spiinting is anu how
little ioom foi eiioi theie is. In one paiticulai stuuy, ieseaicheis founu that when
phases of a movement that was specific to spiinting weie piacticeu, positional
awaieness of oui limbs impioveu, inuicating bettei cooiuination capacity. 188
The last cause is anothei no-biainei. Bistoiy of a hamstiing injuiy shaies a
stiong ielationship with futuie hamstiing injuiy, unfoitunately. No iepoit I saw
iefuteu this notion. 189 19u This is the one factoi that is out of oui contiol. Whethei
it's peimanent stiuctuial auaptions oi changes that have occuiieu to the aiea oi
some othei ieason, it uoes not mattei. The only thing you can uo heie is follow the
pievious guiuelines anu make suie it uoes not happen.

Q-Bow shoulu I peifoim the specializeu methous in teims of sets, ieps, etc.

A-Foi hip flexoi tiaining, pick one of the uiills off of the menu anu peifoim S-S ieps
foi 1u-2u seconus, oi 8-12 ieps uepenuing on the vaiiation. Foi complex tiaining, I
listeu some paiis you can peifoim. Peifoim a set of the stiength oi powei uiill with

2S1

the appiopiiate loau. Foi example, with the sleu spiints oi pushes utilize 2S% of
youi bouyweight, anu the same foi any squat oi ueaulift vaiiation, but iefeience
youi 1RN iathei than bouyweight foi these. The spiint will be the uistance that is
listeu in the speeu woikouts. Anu foi assisteu spiinting, follow the uistance listeu in
the speeu woikout with the vaiiation you select.

2S2

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