Coaching Tips

WHY COMPLICATE THINGS?

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This is a pretty UNremarkable picture. However, the fact that it is unremarkable is what makes it so special. Let me try to explain.

What do you see here? You see two stones; one on the floor and one elevated by a stack of bumpers. I took this picture to illustrate some important concepts for coaches to keep in mind. But theses concept can have strong results in day-to-day life as well.

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1. A group functions better when everyone feels like they are doing it together and they are a part of something bigger.

2. Making modifications doesn’t need to be overly complicated. In fact, the least amount of change possible while keeping the movement safe and pain-free is key.

3. People dealing with injuries or tweaks are already bummed out. Don’t take away the shit they really enjoy if you can help it. Find simple ways to keep it in the rotation while avoiding any further aggravation of the issue.

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A tweaked hamstring meant that pulling from the floor was not feeling great. Elevating the stone to a point of no discomfort did the trick. Athlete was able to do stones (which he loves) with the rest of the crew and left feeling better than when he came in. WIN!!!!

3 COMMON FAULTS TO AVOID WHEN DOING RDLs

The Romanian Deadlift, commonly known as the RDL, is one exercise you definitely need to incorporate into your training if you're looking to increase posterior chain strength. But like all movements, doing it properly will provide the most bang for your buck and keep you healthy for the long-game.

The  most common faults that occur while performing RDLs are:

  1. Rounding the low back
    This usually occurs because the athlete does not have control of their mid-line position or the athlete is attempting to go lower than there hamstring mobility will allow.
  2. Bar drifts away from body
    This fault can be seen when the athlete is not properly engaging their lats to pull the bar back against the legs in an active position.
  3. Too much knee flexion
    Again, this often occurs when the athlete attempts to go further than their mobility allows. But it can also be related to a poor understanding of pushing the hips back to stretch the hamstrings. 

An overarching concept that you'll find to be helpful is to only go as far down as your body will allow while maintaining proper positioning and activity. Everyone's range of motion and body mechanics are different, so don't get caught up forcing ranges of motion that aren't there yet. This will only lead to injury. Give it time and some solid effort to move as perfectly as possible and the benefits will soon follow.  not there to keep from possible injury.

Be sure to check out the video below. Joey Chapa, TCS's newest intern, breaks down the RDL and the concepts we've talked about above with some of the very best demonstrations ever performed by some dude with a great beard. HA!
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

INTENTION & THE SWING

The Russian Kettlebell Swing is a seemingly simple movement - much like an air squat or pushup. But, these movements are key to the foundation of any person's ability to perform quality work in the gym and out.

The trouble begins when people think that because it's a basic movement that they can afford to simply go through the motions rather than making each and every rep as effective as possible. I know I'm guilty of this at times, but it's important that, as coaches, we convey a message of intention to our athletes. On the other side of that coin, the responsibility to carry that task out on a consistent basis - each and every rep - lies in the hands of the athlete.

So this video is for everyone. Coaches and athletes, take a few moments to watch the video and then apply these concepts and movement patterns into your reps. You'll find that intention tends to change everything


So Much Talk - by Coach Nick Mounce

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FOR THIS BLOG I’M GOING TO BE WRITING ABOUT A FICTIONAL GYM, COACH AND CLIENTS. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE NONE OF THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ANYONE EVER IN THE HISTORY OF EVER.
-Nick Mounce-


The normal cast of characters start to pour in for coach Rick’s 4 pm class at Tanya’s Country Store. As they trickle in the athletes work on warming up and mobilizing for the days class. The energy is good. Everyone sharing stories about their upcoming weekend plans, how sore they are from the previous days work and how they are glad that there is no air dyne written on the white board. A pretty normal pre class scene.

The clock rolls over to 4:00 and then the wheels start to wobble a bit. They don’t fly off, not yet, it starts with a wobble. “Alright it’s 4, everybody ready?” Coach Rick calls out. Three people jump up to go use the bathroom, two more run to their bags to chug the last of their pre-workout concoction and one person is left staring blankly at the whiteboard trying to figure out which part will be the hardest.

A few minutes pass, everyone returns and the class starts up. A little dynamic warm-up followed by some foundation work to get the body moving and to work out any kinks. When that is finished the coach calls everyone over to the white board to go over the first workout.

EMOM X 10:
12 R. SWINGS
5 GOBLET SQUATS
1 BURPEE BOX JUMP

Before the explanation can begin one of the athletes needs to check Instagram and another updates their facebook status. Two folks walk off and grab dumbells and a 16” box. This is where the classes wheels have begin to fly off. The chance of it turning into a complete shit show is almost guaranteed. Coach Nick, oops I mean Rick, stands at the white board full on mouth breathing and wide eyed trying to make sense of what he was seeing. “where did it all go wrong?” He thought. “If I wrote the workout on the white board and put a chicken up here to coach and explain it would they notice?” Then Coach Rick snaps out of it and begins to use his “OUTSIDE” voice. He rips into the people who walked off to grab dumbbells and calls out the IG and FB people. Some people laugh at being called out others think “damn I wish I had a chicken for a coach. We could chase him around the gym. Hell, if I caught him I could wring it’s neck and cook it up real nice. Mmmmmmmmmm chicken.”

Now that everyone is at the white board the workout is explained and the work begins. The rest of class goes beautifully. Everyone PR’s everything. Then, to celebrate they all go on the roof to look at a rainbow and sing “Lean On Me”.

OK, story time is over. The point I’m trying to make, other then highlighting some of my pet peeves, is that effective communication and understanding is vital for athletes and coaches.

For athletes, don’t assume that you know what the coach wants from just what they have written on the white board. Do they want you to use a heavy kettle bell? Do they want steady working pace or an all out sprint every round? All those questions and more are normally explained when everyone is at the white board. If something isn’t covered please ask. There are no stupid questions……….. Except the one where you ask something that was already covered and you didn’t hear it because you were talking about a hilarious cat video you saw on FB. That shit causes instant mouth breathing and the urge to shove a white board maker into my eye.

This next part is just for coaches, so if you are not a coach this where you stop reading. Bye thanks for reading the blog I hope you like it. Ok bye now...

...Alright coaches now that we are alone I’ve got something for us too. In the story I made the athletes out to be the assholes. Oh you grabbed dumbells hahahahahahahaha. I’m going to admit something since we are in the coaching trust tree. Sometimes I’m the asshole. Sometimes I take for granted when I’m coaching experienced athletes that I don’t need to go into a movement, lift, or workout. “Demo a deadlift for an athlete that’s been lifting with me for 3 years? He knows what he’s doing.” Then you watch some crap that he wanted to “try”. I know class size, experience level of the athletes and time limits will dictate what you can and can’t do. I’m just saying don’t assume everyone knows how to do a burpee. We can help people become healthier, stronger and live happier lives. And with better communication we can all help each other become less of an asshole.