Strength and Conditioning Archives

Lower Body Testing for Major League Baseball

Assumptions for Lower Body Testing Theory for Major League Baseball The following information refers to the Year 1 training program that I designed and presented to the Washington Nationals in preparation for their 2017 major league season season. However, this information is applicable to the development of any major league baseball athlete – or any baseball player – who […]

Performance in Major League Baseball: Washington Nationals

Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals brought me in to present a paradigm of training based on measureable diagnostics in the 2016 off-season. This was the first time that I had the opportunity to influence an entire major league baseball team’s strength training structure. Before diving into the theory that informs my method for […]

Best Exercises to Improve Bone Density

In order to understand how movement, physical activity, and specific exercises improve bone density, it is important to understand the anatomy of bone. Bone is tissue that responds to physical stress in the same way muscles and tendons respond to physical stress. Physical exercise, specifically strength training or resistance training exercise builds muscle, increases tendon […]

Pyramid Rep Schemes for Improving Relative Strength Development

It’s important to say this first: there is no one best repetition scheme in relative strength training. If there were, it would have been discovered long ago, and everyone would be big, strong, and fast as a result. In fact, as far as that goes, its amazing to me that any of us accomplish anything […]

Wave Loading Increases Power, Maximal/Relative Strength, and Functional Hypertrophy

In my last article on rep schemes, I talked about the importance of keeping pyramids narrow for best results. Pyramids are a specialized example of step loading: you take a step, increase the weight, take another step, etc., until you reach the top of your pyramid for the day. You then attempt to retrace your […]

Periodization Basics: Accumulation, Intensification, General and Specific Preparation in Personal Training

A personal trainer sent me an email a few months ago asking for clarification on accumulation and intensification, and how they relate to general physical preparation and specific physical preparation. For those without a significant strength training background, these are terms used within periodization of training. Periodization in personal training is the pre-planning model used […]

Preacher Curl Bench for Biceps Training

Awhile back, a personal trainer from a small town in upstate New York sent me an email asking me about what Preacher curl (Scott curl) bench I liked best and why. His question came in two parts: what brand to buy; whether to purchase a seated Preacher curl, or a standing one. For my money, […]

Are Leg Curls a Worthwhile Hamstring Exercise?

A while ago, a client of mine asked about the reason for leg curls in his program. He’d been doing some of his own research, and come up with an article about deadlifting as a superior methodology for strengthening the hamstrings. From the article, authored by Eric Cressey: Strengthening the posterior chain with closed chain […]

How to Pick the Correct Load for a Personal Training Workout

The understanding of when – and by how much – to increase a weight in a given personal training session is one of the most basic concepts in weight training. It is an important skill to master early on, and one that is very misunderstood, even by most personal trainers. This skill is one of […]

Cardiovascular and Energy System Training: A Cornerstone of the Physiqology Personal Training System

Cardiovascular training is a single type of energy system training whose mode requires the body to produce energy using the cardiovascular, or aerobic, system. Referring to energy system work as “cardio” or “cardiovascular training” is like calling facial tissues Kleenex. It is far too general a term to describe the three distinct biochemical processes of […]

Category: Strength and Conditioning