7.07.06

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Q: Hey Joe,
How can the NCAA suspend your athletes for having pictures up on your
website? NCAA athletes are on ESPN websites and Sports Illustrated
magazine covers that make money off of these athletes. I don't see these athletes getting suspended for two weeks. I think this is a bunch of BS, what they are doing to your athletes. You are not even directly profiting off their pictures and they aren't even endorsing your site. Just a thought I would chime in. Tell me what you think.

A: At this point, I think everyone knows what I think about the NCAA…they are a bunch of friggin’ hypocrites! We can sit here all day and list the double-standards, but unfortunately, it’s not going to get us anywhere. I have already lost enough sleep over this topic and I don’t want to waste anymore valuable space on my website talking about the NCAA. I have given them enough airtime at this point.

Brian Bosworth said it best when he called the NCAA the “National Communists Against Athletes”! At the time, I didn’t realize how right The Boz was!

Joe D.

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Q: Hey Joe,

I know that you’re a huge advocate of just running 10-yard sprints to improve your acceleration for the 40-yard dash. But I’m thinking more long term. I’m only a high school freshman and I won’t be going to a combine for another 2 years. I have your combine video, but besides practicing my 10 yard sprint technique what are some drills I can do to prevent boredom and increase my acceleration power? Thanks!

Cant wait for the Defranco bars!!

Pete

A: Pete, Good question. I’m glad you’re thinking more long term in regards to your speed training and 40-yard dash technique. First off, I’m going to preface my answer by reminding you how important it is for you to build a strength foundation! If you’re weak, you will never be fast!

Now on to your question…

With regards to speed training, I always choose “fool-proof” exercises & drills. Simplicity is king when training for speed, especially when I’m dealing with non-track athletes. I like to choose exercises that are easy to understand and almost impossible to do wrong! I have seen way too many coaches over-coach speed and end up making athletes run slower! Anyway, here is my TOP 5 LIST of drills (besides running 10-yard sprints) to improve an athlete’s acceleration:

#1 – Push-up starts – Basically, you’re going to lie on your stomach and then push yourself up, drive one knee forward and take off into a 10-15 yard sprint. It’s impossible NOT to be in the proper acceleration position when doing this drill. This drill is great for young kids because it will help to imprint the proper acceleration mechanics into their brains!

#2 – Mountain climbers into a short sprint – This drill is similar to the push-up starts, but you’re going to start in the “up” push-up position with one knee forward and the other leg extended back (as pictured below).

 

Exchange your legs back and forth (4-6 times) and then take off into a short sprint. The goal is to try and achieve the greatest range of motion possible (“splitting your thighs apart”) while staying on the “balls” of your feet. Make sure you keep a “positive shin angle” (knee remains in front of the toe of the front leg) so you get a good push-off when you take off into the sprint.

#3 – Jump-back acceleration starts – This drill is done from a standing position. If you’re doing this drill on a football field, start by placing your heels about 1” in front of the goal line. Jump backwards, but keep your upper body in FRONT of the goal line! Your feet should land almost a yard BEHIND the goal line. You can split your feet apart when you land (so your feet land in the same position that they will be in during the start of the 40.) Focus on pushing off of BOTH feet and then take off into a 10-15 yard sprint. The ability to keep your upper body in front of the line as you jump back will create a better acceleration angle and forward body lean when you take off into the sprint.

#4 – Uphill sprints – This one is simple. Find a hill and run up it!

#5 – Forward sled drags – I love heavy, forward sled drags for improving an athlete’s acceleration power. Do NOT try and run with the heavy weight. Just grab the straps of the sled, LEAN FORWARD, and go for a 15-30 yard walk. (We incorporate these into our strength workouts.) I like this one so much because it’s impossible to drag a heavy weight unless you’re in a perfect acceleration position and you maintain a positive shin angle. (Notice the athlete below.)

With almost NO coaching, the athlete will figure out the proper position to be in; otherwise, they will be there all day trying to drag that thing!

Keep it simple!

Joe D.

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Q: Joe – You have been a huge inspiration to me and I would appreciate your input on my question. I am in the same position that you were at the beginning of your career – I’m working for a commercial gym, but I now have the opportunity to start my own business and train my athletes on my own. I have a small garage (approx. 600 sq feet) and I want to buy some equipment and train my athletes there. What are the most important pieces to buy in order to get results with my athletes?

Thanks Joe & keep inspiring us young trainers!

Walter

A: Walter,

First of all, size does NOT matter when it comes to your facility! As I’ve stated time and time again, I started my business in a STORAGE CLOSET that was located in the back of a gym and athletes still came and trained there! Why did they come when there were at least 5-6 “bigger & prettier” facilities within 10 minutes of our “storage closet”? They came because of the ATMOSPHERE that we created and the RESULTS that we produced! Athletes want to get better; if you produce results, they won’t give a shit how big your place is. The word will travel…believe me!

To put things into perspective for you, I’ve provided a picture of my dad’s very 1^st gym. Yes, the picture below was a “gym” back in the day.

(On the 4^th of July, I had some free time and decided to go back to my “roots” and reminisce about how I got started in this “business”. Every now and then it’s good to reflect on where you came from and visit some of the places that helped shape you into the person that you’ve become. This picture tells it all!)

The above building is 230 square feet and it was “equipped” with a bench press, incline bench press and a squat rack. There were only 3 barbells and a bunch of 45 pound plates and dumbbells thrown on the floor. THAT WAS IT! And guess what? The guys that trained there were JACKED & STRONG as hell! That should put things into perspective for you!

Anyway, sorry for my little trip down memory lane, I guess I’m just feeling a little sentimental todayJ. Onto your question…

Here is what I recommend you equip your garage with:

• Power Rack that comes with a chin-up bar & adjustable bench
• Dumbells with a 3-tier rack (the 3-tier rack takes up less space)
• Glute-ham bench
• Adjustable box for box squats, step-ups, box jumps, etc.
• Barbells – regular Olympic bar, thick bar, safety squat bar
• Bands & chains

The above list is plenty of equipment to get you started…and you will still have enough open space to move around and do bodyweight exercises, etc. There are really only 3 pieces that take up space in the above list (power rack, dumbell rack, glute-ham bench). The different barbells, along with the bands & chains, will provide a TON of variety in your workouts, without taking up much space. I recommend that you call Jim Wendler (elitefts.com) at 1-888-854-8806.  He will help you out.

Joe D.

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Q: Hey Joe,
I was wondering if you could help me out. I am an offensive lineman going into my senior year of high school. I have recently started box squatting, but am unsure what height of box I should use. I know the guys at Westside use all different heights... do you do the same? I ask because it seems that most of the box squats in your pics section seem fairly high (Slightly above parallel). Are my eyes just playing tricks on me? Should I stick to a 1" above parallel box?

Thanks.

A: We use all different box heights at my facility. If an athlete is attempting a record for our record board, we make sure that the box is at parallel or slightly below parallel. But, for the most part, we set records off of different box heights in our training, including 1 & 2” above parallel. Remember that we don’t train powerlifters at my facility; we train all other classes of athletes. Many times, we’re working with athletes that are over 6’03” tall and they have NEVER squatted in their life; if they did squat, it was 1/8 of a squat so for them, squatting 1” above parallel is a HUGE accomplishment.

If an athlete is going to attempt a max box squat and we feel that it will be safer to set the box at slightly above parallel, then we will do that. We can get away with this because we work in some extreme ranges of motion when performing our unilateral work. Flexibility is extremely important to us, so there is always at least one exercise per workout that will challenge at athlete’s flexibility. We like to do this with our unilateral exercises because we are not trying to move maximal loads with these exercises. This is much safer for the athlete and our results speak for themselves.

So to sum everything up, here’s what I would suggest:

Use all different box heights. The height will depend on your strength level, flexibility level, squat form, your height, or just the goal of your workout that day. If you’re going to start your workout with a max-effort box squat off of a box that’s slightly above parallel, follow up with a unilateral exercise that will challenge your flexibility. For example, barbell reverse lunges with the front leg elevated is a great example (see pic below). Then, finish with some extra work for the posterior chain and abs and you have yourself a workout.

Many ways to get the job done…

Joe D.

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