08.22.03
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Q: Joe,
It’s seems as if my high school coach has many of
the same philosophies as you. He has us doing a lot of box
squats, reverse hyperextensions, glute-ham raises and leg
curls on leg days. We also drag the sled 2X per week. My
question is that we don’t do any quad exercises. Are
there any exercises I can do with the sled that will work
my quads? (The only days I have time to do extra work are
on sled dragging days.) Thanks for your time.
Phil
A: Phil,
It seems as if your coach is on the right track. He’s
concentrating on developing you’re hamstrings, glutes
and low-back (posterior chain). This is a great area to
focus on because most high school athletes are pathetically
weak in this area. I always say that high school kids suffer
from “If I can’t see it, I won’t train
it” disease. Since you can’t see your hamstrings,
glutes and low-back when you’re looking in the mirror;
most kids think these muscles are somehow less important.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
You are right, though. You should do something
for your quads. Remember that your quads contribute a great
deal of power to your short sprints. This is due to the
fact that your knees go through a greater range of motion
because of the forward body lean (45 degrees) when you accelerate.
A healthy quad:hamstring strength ratio will also help to
keep your knees healthy.
Since you said that you drag the sled 2X
a week but you “don’t do any quad exercises”,
I’m assuming you drag the sled forward while keeping
an upright posture. This form of sled dragging hits your
hamstrings the most.
Now, if you want a quad exercise to perform
on your sled dragging days – I have just the one for
you. Below you will see a picture of me performing backward
sled dragging. This is one of the most brutal quad exercises
you will ever perform!
Face the sled and grab the handles of the
rope that is attached to the sled. Then, lean back, point
your toes slightly outward and take short, quick steps while
dragging the sled backwards. Perform 4 sets of 30 yards
with 90 seconds rest between sets. Not only will your quads
grow like weeds, you’ll get in shape in the process!
GROW!
Joe D.
(Joe DeFranco – 4 sets of 30 yards
backward sled drags)
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Q: Joe D.,
I went to the Giants pre-season game against the Panthers
last Friday and I couldn’t get over how much better
Dhani Jones looked. He looked as if he got bigger and quicker
from last year. He had a great first half. My dad and I
are “die-hard” Giants fans and we were wondering
if you did anything different with his training this year?
(I noticed on your website it said he hired you two years
ago.) Keep up the good work.
Go Giants!
A: Dhani is actually
10lbs. lighter (238lbs.) than he was last year at this time
(248lbs.). The 10lb. decrease actually doesn’t have
much to do with his training. It has to do with his nutrition.
Last year leading into camp he was eating a “clean”
diet that was low in sodium. The food that was served at
camp had much more sodium in it than he was used to eating.
His body reacted to the sodium and he actually gained
10 lbs. during camp last year. This year the problem has
been resolved. He is a very lean, strong and fast 238 lbs.
As for the training, it was a great off-season
with some changes from last year. He was very consistent
with the training and the consistency is paying off. A lot
of football players put in 5 or 6 solid weeks of training
and think it’s enough. Dhani started training with
me in March and will train throughout the season. That consistency
makes a big difference. Heck, we were in the gym Saturday
morning after Friday night’s game. As far as his speed
is concerned, we did a lot of dynamic squats with bands
and chains, reverse lunges (performed in a specific manner),
tons of reverse hypers and we incorporated many different
variations of glute-ham raises. We didn’t do any glute-ham
raises last year. I feel that they were a key addition to
this year’s program and they definitely helped with
his speed. I am a firm believer that all of these “strength”
exercises play a huge role in increasing an athlete’s
speed.
As far as the running is concerned, we
actually started running later (6 weeks before camp) than
last year, but the intensity was greater. The running was
more “conditioning-based” this year. I think
that because he is in better condition, he can show his
speed better on the field. Being in better condition helps
him to perform more repeated bouts of sprints without fatiguing.
During a long drive when the other players start running
out of gas, he is able to maintain the speed he started
the drive with, thus, giving him the appearance of being
even faster.
I’m glad you noticed some changes
in his performance. It’s always encouraging when people
notice your hard work. Thanks for the feedback and hopefully
it will be a big year!
Joe D.
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Q: Joe,
I saw in your “training
pics” a picture of you stretching one of your
athletes. How important do you feel flexibility really is
in the training of an athlete? I’ve heard mixed reviews
on the subject, but I trust your opinion.
Thanx,
Frank
A: Frank,
You are absolutely right. Most athletes have mixed reviews
with regards to flexibility. I personally feel that flexibility
training can make a huge difference if it’s incorporated
into an athlete’s training regimen.
First and foremost, when athletes feel
good, they usually perform well. Here’s an
example: You would be surprised how many athletes come to
me with alleged “bad backs.” They claim they
can’t squat or deadlift (amongst a lot of other things)
because of their “bad back”. After one flexibility
session, they usually get off of the stretching table and
have NO pain in their back for the first time in years.
My point is, a lot of the time an athlete’s low back
pain is due to the tension that is caused by shortened hip
flexors, gluteals and hamstrings. The downward pull created
by these muscles usually causes low-back pain. This low-back
pain usually prevents an athlete from functioning properly.
So, feeling good would be my #1 reason for incorporating
flexibility training into your program.
Also, I get a lot of athlete’s who
hire me to improve their sprinting speed. My number one
goal for improving an athlete’s sprinting speed is
to increase their stride length. Stride length is in large
part due to your strength & flexibility. If you have
the flexibility of a guitar string, you’re not going
to be able to achieve a full range of motion when you run,
thus, your stride length will never be sufficient. It’s
funny that the first thing most of my clients do after getting
off of the stretching table is go run around the gym. This
is because they usually feel as if they have a new pair
of legs and they want to “test them out.” After
one session most athletes get addicted to stretching. The
changes are that drastic! So, my second reason for incorporating
flexibility into your program is to improve your
sprinting speed.
There are MANY other benefits of stretching.
Here is a list of a few of them:
-
Stretching helps to reduce muscular
soreness
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Stretching can reduce the risk of injury
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Stretching can help athlete’s
learn, practice and perform many types of skilled movements:
example; running mechanics, proper lifting form
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Stretching releases “feel good”
chemicals in your body, known as endorphins, that act
as natural pain suppressants
-
Stretching can promote physical &
mental relaxation
So get off the computer & stretch!
Joe D.
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