An Athlete Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

 I have contacted Anthony Mychal asking for an advice regarding my crepitus in my right knee, since I know he struggled with the similar knee issues and actually wrote a book on the chronic knee pain. Although I don’t have any pain (but I have crepitus) I was interested to hear his opinion since he is the guy who walks the walk. 

When I told him that my problem might be related to hypermobility problems I have (I have a drawer syndrome in both of my knee and my ACL is more than good; I can put my left thumb to my forearm; I can put both palms to the ground; I can pull that thumb with traction and see the sulcus in the skin; my skin is VERY elastic ... It seems I have fu**ed up collagen all around) he honestly said that his experience doesn’t extend to hypermobility and explained that he managed his crepitus by adjusting  his body and its function to get rid of it (his crepitus was associated with pain), mostly by using his hips differently.

He offered to send me his book, which I wholeheartedly accepted.  First time I saw his book was in Kelly Baggett’s article  (I am also waiting for his Vertical Jump Bible 2.0) and if Kelly thinks it was good, then it has to be good.

Lately I have been reading opinions on stretching, foam rolling, trigger points and muscle imbalances (mostly through work and links by Bret Contreras – HERE and HERE – including Paul Ingraham and Greg Lehman) and my head was exploding with conflicting viewpoints. I know it is wise to question and evaluate everything we know, everything we use, our biases and claims, but sometimes lack of scientific evidence, or worse yet conflicting evidence can paralyze you. Yeah, paralysis by analysis. Thank you Bret for paralyzing me :)

Anyway, I wanted to check what have Antony been using for his knee problems.   We can discuss all day if the foam rolling is stretching fascia, removing adhesions, treating trigger points or doing jack s*it. Whether stretching elongates the muscles and reduces stiffness over time, or only increase the stretch tolerance. Whether glute activation actually does anything. Whether corrective exercises and posture actually make a difference. Whether muscle imbalance cause pain, or pain causes imbalances. Whether the tissue abnormalities actually cause pain.

Anthony’s approach is based on multiple paradigms that are now available – trigger points, stretching the quads, hip flexors and hip rotators, glute activation, movement re-patterning, foot mechanics etc. You might be familiar with all of these already, but in Anthony’s book you can find all of those at one spot and easy to follow program that utilize all those principles.  

Will this info help me? Honestly I don’t know (especially since I am dealing with hypermobility syndrome), but I plan implementing some of the drills and ideas and see how it goes.

Anyhow, while we wait for the resolution between conflicting theories of muscle pain and function, athletes and coaches cannot wait. This is why I highly recommend this book. It is worth your time. You might end up learning something along the way. 

Training for the „Broken“

So after writing down the Riding the Wave, a blog entry on cyclic nature of the training process, I decided to take a break from heavy lifting, grinding out and chasing PRs and obsessing with progressive overload. My SI (Sacro Iliac) joint started to nag me again, as well as my left shoulder. Nothing special, just a sign that I was overdoing something. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing too. 

In the recent years there seems to be a certain pattern emerging from my training. I start easy, build up, start chasing and grinding PRs and then I get injured or burned out. So, this time to prevent this from happening I decided to take a week or two from that type of work and mindset and get back to the basics, enjoy & play a little and work on imbalances, mobility, stability, technique and anatomic adaptation.

A discussion on Monkey Island made me think about utilizing ISO Holds (Isometric Holds) as a method of achieving my goals for this transition period.  

In that particular thread you can find links to the studies supporting to a degree my idea that ISO Holds can help rehabilitation, because scar and injured issues utilize lactate as a form of fuel for repair (and in blood occlusion happening in ISO Holds there is going to be plenty of it, and plenty of it in extreme stretches) .  Besides, ISO Holds can work wonders for technique in the extreme ranges (bottom) and they are not so taxing and also work wonders for flexibility. So, I decided to give it a try, again.

The workouts are fairly random, because I don’t want to fixate over the minutiae  (I am obsessed with the details and sometimes this make me burnout once in a while), but rather go in the gym and lift (or pose if you think more about it, since with ISO Holds you are not lifting). Workouts can be full body or upper/lower, but I love full body better for this purpose and period.

Anyway, even if the workouts are basically full body, I will classify the exercises on upper/lower/core topology.    

LOWER BODY

Back Squat. You can keep it parallel or let the fatigue drift you ass to grass. Work on the strong arch, knee positions, upper body tightness  and weight balance (you can play and shift the weight from heel to forefoot and see how it feels). Also, a loop band can be used around the knees to help activate the glutes and hip rotators.

Good morning. Same as with back squats. Work on posture, arch and balance. Great for improving hamstring flexibility and low back awareness.

Split squats. I love these. You can do them regular, rear leg elevated, front leg elevated or both legs on the benches (to gain more ROM).

Glute Bridges.  Put a band around the knees, lift and hold. Great for the butt and hip rotatores.

The next exercises I found great to be included in this phase. They are done with slow tempo and maybe a short iso hold at the end position (1-3sec hold). These are small muscles often neglected when chasing the PRs.

Clams and hip abduction. Lie on the ground, put a band around your knees and do sets of 10-15reps.

Hip flexion. Can be done seated (Sahrman Hip Flexion) or with a band attached to a immobile object while lying down.

Hip PNF diagonals.  This stuff helped me when I had sport hernia symptoms. I do them lying down, with the core braced (flat back), then lifting one leg at a time in diagonal patter without moving my core. Great for abs too.

Calves. I love to do single leg eccentrics with slow lowering phase (around 5 secs). This helped me with my tendon issues every time I did them.

VMO. Can be done with the band wrapped around the knee, or like a Peterson Step Down. Maybe some controlled eccentrics if you had tendon issues in the knees in the history.

A lot of stretching.   A lot! Hip flexion, hip rotators, quads, hams, calves. A lot

UPPER BODY

Push up. Get into a perfect push up position (normal or leg elevated, later with weight vest), pull yourself to the ground and hold. Work on posture and arms/shoulder position.

Declined row. Get under the bar, pull yourself  up and squeeze the shoulder blades and hold.  You can also do chest supported DB row and hold. Also, barbell rows can be used here too.

Pull-up/chin-up  hold.  Touch the bar with the chest, squeeze and hold. This is tougher than you think.

Bench press.  Work on technique and thingness of the shoulder blades. Can be done with DBs too.

Chest Flys.  Great for stretching the pecs, especially if you combine with the rows.

The next exercises I found great to be included in this phase. They are done with slow tempo and maybe a short iso hold at the end position (1-3sec hold). These are small muscles often neglected when chasing the PRs.

External rotation. A lot of external rotations, and Ws for the lower trap.

YTWLs. A lot of this stuff.

Rowing. A lot of rowing variations.

Delt Flys. I plan doing some delt flys in scapular place or maybe L-flys. Progress to DB Overhead press. Maybe wall slides before all this if your shoulders are “broken”.

A lot of stretching.   A lot! Did I say a lot? I was playing with the jump stretch bands stretching. You can find some stuff by Dave Tate on this here.

CORE

Side bridges. Do them. Use weight west to progress or play with legs (lift the top leg for count of 5, lift the bottom leg for count of 5).

Pallof press.  Can done in squat position or even split squat position.

Hip flexion.  Hanging hip flexion or on the dip station. Lift above 90 degrees and hold.

Various exercises for the low back.  I use some exercises from corrective gymnastics as we call them here in Europe.

Each ISO hold is done for 30-60sec utilizing barbell or even bodyweight only and progressing from there. Work on the posture and relax. 3-5 sets can be utilized with short rest (around 1 min).

Before or after I will do some steady state or variable (fartlek) running or cycling. No brainer. Love to be outside because of nice weather and change in the environment (can’t stand to be inside the gym all the freaking time). Maybe I should do the stuff outside on grass barefoot like a real Paleo Man (this was a joke).

It’s Monday. The soccer season is over. I am giving my brain and body a little rest for a week. Going to train.

Problems of the periodization of training in mixed sports. Part 5

Model of the competition microcycle

On the following picture there is a model of competition microcycle (Sunday, and Wed-Sun model, although there are couple of models)

 

One thing that is rather obvious is block organization of the competition microcycle. I call this macro~micro, where the micro elements have similarity with macro elements (like atom and galaxy, microcycle and macrocycle).  

Besides macro~micro concept, competition microcycle can have weaknesses~strengths organization, where in the first part one works on weaknesses showed in the previous games (make sure to keep to your general plan and not to jump bandwagons after every game), and work on strengths and lifting confidence of the team before the next match. Another concept can also be variable~stable where one is breaking up the performance and work on it in the early part of the microcycle, and later provides stability of the performance (which also increases confidence). There is also general~specific concept, where you get more and more specific as the match closes by (field, conditions, equipment, time of day, specific game-like drills, etc) .

Also note that the recovery part of the microcycle can be extended to 1-3 days , while the taper and intensity parts somehow blend together. Anyway, we are left with the small amount of time (1-2 day) to work on our physical preparedness.  Depending on the PI  (Peaking Index) and number of days between games and travel factors this time period in which we can utilize development loads can even be shorter and the load utilized even smaller. Time crunched we are. 

So, what should we do in that case and how it should be organized? Let’s deal with hat should be done first.  

First off, maintenance (lower priority of development) of maximum strength (MxS) is off highest importance, since if the strength levels fall, the power will fall, power endurance will fall and injury risk will be higher. Thus, we need to find time for 1-2 (depending on PI, days between games and travel) strength training sessions. The key point here is to keep the intensity high (doesn’t need to be done to failure though, but in terms of percentage and weight used) and volume low. Also, another key thing to remember is that keep doing the exercises you have introduced in the preparatory period – don’t make drastic changes (weight, number of sets, exercises) because you might induce soreness and heavy legs. I made this mistake couple of times. I will be back on this concept.

  

Second important thing is speed and power because it has the shortest residual training effects (based on Vladimir Issurin). Thus, you need to keep doing it. Doesn’t need to be general, but you can rather utilize sport specific drills (especially in agility). You can also use this in the taper part of the microcycle in the smallest amount. We also call this training session toning session  where you tone CNS (whatever that would be) with high speed, short duration and long rest drills, or even some strength training (complex training). This session can even be done morning before the game.

  

And last but not the least comes conditioning. Since we are time crunched and there is plenty of research on it, in my opinion we should rely more on higher intensity training, both for aerobic power and glycolytic power/capacity and RSA, since it is time efficient and provides good stimuli for maintenance. During the recovery part of the microcycle we can utilize more low intensity prolonged type of activities (water running, bike, non-specific and no-pounding activities).

Now the question is how to organize this, both in terms of (1) microcycle organization and over the (2) whole competition period.

 

For the microcycle organization we can utilize Tudor Bompa’s principle of energy system rotation, where each training day is stressing certain energy system. For example, one day we will do speed, power, agility and strength since it stresses ATP/CP mechanism. Other day we will stress aerobic/lactic system. This is not written in stone and I have seen successful programs doing strength and conditioning in the same day, same session, everything. I guess it depends on your situation, constraints, and context.   I highly suggest checking the following books: Block Periodization , Periodization in Rugby and Total Training for Coaching Team Sports since they cover microcycle organization.

Regarding the whole competition period – I have couple of concerns I am trying to solve myself.

Platoue effect. As I have pointed out in the last part, most high intensity conditioning gives effects pretty quickly, but also shows platoue of the effects reached pretty soon. The question is why to keep doing them since they are not bringing anything new to the table and they are grueling?  Well, in my opinion for couple of reasons. First, you don’t need extreme training effects with mixed-sports anyway. Second, it is show that higher-intensity conditioning maintains training effects when the overall training volume is reduced, like during the competition period (see Mujika, Bangsbo el al.  and Baker). Third, if you stop doing the high-intensity intervals for certain period of time, and then reintroduce them later, you might get adaptation stiffness, a term coined by late Charlie Francis. Basically, it means you will get sore, heavy, and maybe strained with minor injuries happening.  Again we come back to the concept of keep doing what you have done in preparatory period, but with different emphasis/volume. Always keep a thread of something, because if you reintroduce it in full volume later you might get negative effects (nothing special to worry about, but it can be problematic in competition period). 

Being flexible. Why would we need to follow prescribed template (feed forward) anyway? During the competition period players should have more time to do individual training, and based on their strength~weaknesses and positional demands (there should be a nice complementarity between the two, with emphasis changing) they can do additional training aimed at improving lagging characteristics or adapt to positional demands (using feedback to modify training or as would late Mel Siff call it Cybernetic Periodization). If we keep testing and monitoring players we can also put some more volume of training to a certain quality that has been falling down. For example, if we see the player is losing aerobic capacity (via tests, monitoring like OmegaWave, HRV or basic morning HR) we can put some more easy low intensity activity. If their power is falling we can put some more power training or strength training (depending on the strength levels). Again, we should not be short-sighted and linear like this – because we first need to know whether the player is losing performance due de-training or fatigue (under-recovery, life style factors, etc). I guess that open communication and regular monitoring is the key here.

Boredom. The competition period is rather long and sometimes we are sick of looking the same people, being on the same place and especially doing the same training drills all the time. So, here come variations of the same basic stuff. Slightly different games, teams, training schedules and locations, different intervals (with the ball and without, with different work-rest ratios, etc), different warm-up, etc  to provide variety, while doing the same stuff without causing adaptation stiffness. Coach should be wise to trick the players from the boredom of the routine (by using some fun games to bring them into training state), manipulating and reading their emotional states, and stopping training or modifying it, developing good team ambient, communication, etc. I think that this psychology of training is often overlooked aspect of coaching. I certainly need to work on this one myself.

 

So, in my opinion the key to competition period is:

- Keep doing the stuff you did in preparatory period (concurrent training), but with less volume (keep the intensity), keeping other things priority (performance on the game, injury prevention, freshness)

- When in doubt reduce volume, not intensity

- Try to avoid adaptation stiffness by keeping threads of things all the time 

- Be more flexible, utilize Cybernetic Periodization and prescribe more individual work based on individual characteristic and positional demands

- Be wise in terms should the athletes need more work or more rest, because under-performance can be due de-training, but also due under-recovery

- Prevent boredom by introducing variations

One solution I was writing about couple of years ago was summated microcycle from Total Soccer Fitness by Ian Jeffreys (I have made similar solution in this old article: Planning the competition period in socccer). The point is to rotate microcycles with different emphasis. This can be interesting solution in the situation where there is even less time for concurrent training. The key is to keep the thread of non-emphasized qualities (very low volume). Interestingly, if those emphasis microcycles are prolonged or repeated in series, we can get something very close to block/sequential approach.

For example, if we have three days (or training sessions) to work on certain qualities, we can make the following solution:

Block A (strength)

1 training sessions aimed at strength and speed (low volume, or done in taper phase of the microcycle)

1 training session aimed at aerobic power (high intensity intervals)

1 training session aimed at strength

Block B (speed)

2 training sessions aimed at speed

1 training session aimed at strength and aerobic power (high intensity intervals)

Block C (conditioning)

2 training sessions aimed at aerobic power (or Glycolytic power/capacity and RSA or a combination)

1 training session aimed at strength and speed

The duration of the block can be mathematically split into equal duration of 3 weeks, or you can have different durations based on emphasis and biology of adaptation (in which case Block C would be shortest). Based on your sport you can make different number of blocks, combination of qualities and their duration.  The key here is to keep a thread of all qualities all the time to avoid adaptation stiffness.

Another solution, which is more along the “Keep It Simple Stupid” line, is basically complex-parallel with variations and individual work.  For example:

Competition Block

1 session aimed at speed, agility and power (can be combined with strength session)

1 session aimed at strength (Total body, or two session Upper-Lower, or two Total body with one being really easy)

1 session aimed at aerobic power (high intensity intervals and small-sided games)

1 individual session based on individual characteristics~position demands.

Variations in aerobic power can be created by utilizing different intervals or their location, different organizations of small sided games, etc. Dan Baker provided example of in-season variations in strength training in this article.  It is also important that in this complex-parallel solution there is a smart way of timing and sequencing of training sessions along with manipulation of overall training volume (see Baker). Also, being prepared for complex-parallel training is important, but we have done it in the prep period anyway.

Well, that is it. Please note that I am not an expert on all this and I am still trying to understand mixed sports and their planning/programming problems along with team player and group psychology (which I find under-rated in modern internet writings).  I want to give special thanks to guys from Monkey Island forum  especially to Arthur Smith and Steven Bubel for acquiring me full research papers on demands. Thank you bro!

Problems of the periodization of training in mixed sports. Part 3

Periodization models

Before I even start this part of the series, I want to bring to attention that not all mixed sports or team sports or sport games are equal in terms of training demand. Some of them depends more on the physical preparedness and some not (take badminton for example compared to rugby). Some of them demand more aerobic system development and some demand more alactic power and strength (take again rugby and American football for an example). The point here is that I am talking in general about the mixed-sports with some inclination toward soccer since this is the sport where I work.  Keep this on mind. 

I also encourage you to check the following blog entries: What the Heck is Periodization anyway, and Periodization Confusion if you haven’t already because I am going to refer to certain periodizaton models.

As stated in the previous part (Part 1 and Part 2), most if not all, training wisdom comes from non-mixed, traditional sports (strength/power and endurance). This includes traditional complex-parallel models and newer block/sequential models of periodization. 

Once again, theoretically in complex-parallel model all aspects of preparedness (technical, tactical, physical, theoretical, and psychological) and their sub-components are addressed more or less at the same time. Problem with this approach was mixed results due mixed training and great volume of training needed. 

Block/sequential models tried to solve this problem by concentrating training load aimed at small number of preparedness factors in certain period of time (Block). Using this training system, advanced athletes lowered overall training volume and stimulated adaptation by unidirectional concentrated loads. 

The point being taken here is that ADVANCED athletes in NON-MIXED SPORTS utilized block/sequential approach to bring strength/power or endurance to the maximum level during certain time period (peak).

I have seen numerous solutions utilizing both complex-parallel models and block/sequential models in strength/power sports and endurance sports. The question is what model to use in mixed sports?

For example, Joel Jamieson developed block/sequential system for MMA fighters, but contrary to team sport athletes, MMA fighters doesn’t have 1-3 fights every week for 24+ weeks and they can peak for certain event. 

I recently saw block/sequential solutions for team sports (basketball in this case) by late Yuri Verkhoshansky in the Forum E-book (page 72). To be honest, this model is very sound for preparatory period (for experienced basketball players in terms of strength/power training), but it doesn’t take into account the long season of team sports. 

Again, the solution is not to blindly follow the model of other sports without taking into account your constraints, contexts, time limits, needs, team culture, equipment, competition calendar, facilities, even weather (believe it or not, a lot of periodization solutions were discovered due weather/facilities issues). You cannot put square peg in round hole. At least not without problems. 

The solution might be a blend between these two models (complex-parallel and block/sequential) taking into account biological/adaptation laws and constraints/context you are dealing with. In recent interview Dan Baker made great points regarding this. Make sure to read it.

Well, let’s try to figure out the periodization model based on the characteristic of mixed-sports and insights of complex-parallel and block/concurrent periodization models.

Preparatory period

In my recent e-book “Physical Preparation for Soccer” (or check the article series) I have presented a model of 8-weeks preparatory period (or pre-season period). This one I am about to present is not going to be any different, but it is going to have certain tweaks.  I suggest reading that first before proceeding.

So, to create training system, we need to take into account the following characteristics: 

- Mixed sports demand a complex number of physical qualities, but luckily, they don’t need to be developed to the extremes (compared to speed/power and endurance sports).

- Some of those qualities demands conflicting adaptations (strength/power and endurance)

- Skill training demands a lot of time and energy even if it is mostly low-intensity in nature. Thus, there is not a lot of time for extra activities and training need to be optimized.

So, the potential solution is complex-parallel model where all aspects are addressed (strength, power, speed, endurance), but certain variations and progressions over time (with some ideas from block training).

Before I present the periodization model, I need to mention problems of concurrent development of strength and endurance. Recent review paper made by García-Pallarés  and Izquierdo, Strategiesto optimize concurrent training of strength and aerobic fitness for rowing andcanoeing,  provides great insights into this conflict. Dan Baker also speaks about concurrent development of strength and endurance in the recent interview. The recent research done on elite soccer players by Helgerud et al., show that concurrent strength and endurance training brought some great results in maximum strength and VO2max.  In the mentioned paper by García-Pallarés  and Izquierdo there is model of interference by Docherty and Sporer presented:

Based on this model, peripheral adaptations by hypertrophy strength-training methods and peripheral adaptations by VO2max training methods are in conflict and result in decreased hypertrophy effect. García-Pallarés  and Izquierdo made their own graph too:

I have couple of comments based on these models. First, some of the new research points out that the adaptations seen by VO2max interval are central (increased stroke volume) not peripheral (see Lyle McDonald’s article and work by Andrew Coggan). And second, we need to take into account interference between a lot of methods. For example in strength training we basically have three categories: (1) depletion/local muscular endurance, (2) hypertrophy and (3) maximum strength (for more info see Categories of weight training) and in energy system development we have even more categories: (1) extensive endurance, (2) intensive endurance, (3) threshold, (4) aerobic power, (5) glycolytic capacity, (6) glycolytic power, (7) neuromuscular power (for more info see Methods of endurance). 

Figuring out what goes with what and what is in conflict with what, along with taking into account total training time and load, autonomic nervous system load, joint load, muscular load and such is beyond this article and my knowledge (and research being done).  For now, and for sake of being simple, we can refer to García-Pallarés  and Izquierdo model, which states that hypertrophy is less when we combine VO2max intervals and hypertrophy loads. Well, that can be a good thing, especially if we aim to improve relative strength. 

Another aspect worth mentioning is the principle of not repeating what is done in technical-tactical sessions for conditioning. If technical-tactical sessions are of low intensity and prolonged duration, then why repeating it in the conditioning? If the technical-tactical sessions are in the domain of glycolytic conditioning, how much more you can do before breaking up? 

Since most technical sessions in soccer are of low intensity, conditioning needs to take care of high-intensity stuff.

Well, here is a theoretical model of preparatory period in mixed-sports (soccer, rugby as a model) for elite and sub-elite athletes (not for developmental ones):

(1) Introduction Period

Goal: Introduce players to the training demands and loads and prepare them for the real training to come

Duration: 1-3 weeks

Strength: High reps stuff (10-15reps) to prepare the muscles, tendons and joints (yes, Anatomic Adaptation). Technique learning. ISO holds can be done here too. Can be done in Upper/Lower or Total Body arrangement 2-4 times per week (even more, even less). If needed, hypertrophy can be addressed here to a degree.

Speed: ABC of running and change of direction speed. Build ups and technical runs. Extensive tempo can be done here.

Power: Low intensity plyos (aerobic plyometric), easy bounds, rhythmical extensive jumps to prepare the athlete for more intensive stuff to happen. Landing mechanics can be done here too. MB wall drills for upper body/core.

Endurance: Extensive aerobic runs (sweet spot), Aerobic Fartlek (variable run), extensive tempo and longer aerobic power intervals (1min-5min). Technique work (longer duration) and small sided games (easy, aerobic)

(2) Strength and power period (and VO2max)

Goal: Develop max strength, power, speed and aerobic power . Introduce means you plan using all the time during the competition period.

Duration: 2-4 weeks

Strength: Basic compound stuff. Progression can be used in terms of intensity. Higher frequency of sessions and higher volume (number of sets) since this is the time you can do it. Can be done in Upper/Lower or Total Body arrangement 2-4 times per week (even more, even less). Assistance stuff can be done for high reps or in hypertrophy zone. Introduce the exercises you plan using during the rest of the preparatory period and competition period to avoid soreness later. (I will cover this later)

Speed: Hills and straight sprints. Up to 300m in volume. Maybe some change-of-direction drills. Higher volume.

Power: Explosive and reactive jumps. Squat jump, step-up jump, lateral jumps, depth jumps (progression), lunge jumps, MB Throws. Keep doing low intensity jumps and MB wall drills.

Endurance: VO2max interval in intermittent regime (Billat 15/15, 30/30, 60/60) or in longer interval (2-5mins). Utilize small sided games with the same aim.

(3) Gylcolytic and RSA period

Goal: Develop glycolytic power/capacity (if needed or continue doing VO2max drills) and RSA (Repeat Sprint Ability)

Duration: 1-3 weeks

Strength: Same as in previous period but with less volume (keep the intensity) and frequency.  

Speed: Hills straight sprints and situational agility. Lower volume due RSA training.  

Power: Same as in previous period but with less volume.

Endurance: Glycolytic conditioning (intermittent, shuttles, suicide drills) and RSA. Small-sided games with the same goal or a combination (skills and decision making done in the fatigued state).  

Following these periods, a small taper  (unloading week) can be used to provide transition to the competition period, since we want good performance for the first game.  

As you may see, this model has elements of both complex-parallel and block/sequential models. I plan using this model for out next preparatory period (in a month). 

In the next part I will cover some competition period planning. Any critique/comment on this model is highly welcomed. Stay tuned for the next part.

Interview with Dan Baker

I am more than happy to present you email interview with Dan Baker, strength and conditioning coach for the Brisbane Broncos and also a published researcher with practical and in “the trenches” insights.

For all of you guys who are working in team sports this is one of the best and most insightful interviews I have seen in recent years, if not the best.  It certainly cleared up a lot of confusion in my head regarding some things that bothered me recently. Dan is officially my role model of physical preparation coach in team sports.

I want to thank coach Dan for taking his time and energy to answer my questions with such a clarity and extensiveness along with providing tremendous training insights you cannot find in any book, especially not in pro team sports. Hopefully, there would be more opportunities for Dan to share his insights and knowledge.

Well, here it is. No pictures and very dense with info. Enjoy!

Mladen: Dan, I am more than glad you decided to do an interview for my blog. I have been following your work and I must admit that you have done excellent work complementing theory and practice, coaching and publishing research. You are kind of a role model for team sport strength and conditioning coach. Can you please introduce yourself to the readers, your background and what you do currently?

Dan: Thank you for the asking me.  I am a strength & conditioning coach for the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League team that compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) professional competition in Australia and New Zealand.  I have been in that job since October 1995 and it is a great job.   Before that I worked with many other sports including rugby union (a different game), soccer, track & field, diving, field hockey and powerlifting to name a few, all part-time work, doing a few hours a day with different sports.  I used to compete in powerlifting, I got 3rd in Australia twice in my division but stopped competing in 1997 and in reality I  was fairly average as a lifter.   I have a PhD in Sport Science from Edith Cowan University.  I am President of the Australian Strength & Conditioning Association (ASCA), which is a not-for-profit organization that is recognized by our Federal government with educating and qualifying S & C coaches.  I did my Bachelor degree in the early 1980’s, my masters degree in the early 1990’s and Phd in the early 2000’s.  You always have to improve, aggressively, or you get left behind.  I love my job and I love where I live, opposite the beach, where I surf.

Mladen: How do you manage to do both coaching and research? How is that possible and is that kind of a scientific approach mandatory for the strength and conditioning coach?

Dan: Coaching and research, they are easy to do together.  But that approach is not mandatory, but I would highly recommend it.  Pressure is on from governments to do “health research”, so I was not going to get government funding anyway for research.  I only want to study what interests me, not do research just to get a PhD.  Rob Newton, who was my phD supervisor, I have known him since I was an Under-graduate in 1983.  He feels the same that most US-based research is on college kids and cannot be safely extrapolated to other populations.  So what was of interest was what are the adaptations in elite professional or semi-professional athletes related to various strength training manipulations.   And what is research?  Analyzing data that you have collected and doing interventions to determine what works.  That is what I do anyway.  So the only hard part is the writing of the journal articles that must pass peer-review.  That is the only hard part, as most reviewers are university based, they have no idea of applied sports situations.  Actually they are so bad that the ASCA started its own journal to help facilitate actual sports research, not studies done on obesity or heart disease or college athletes or physical education students etc.

             I want my team to win, I want to know what works best.  We have a strictly enforced salary cap in the NRL, so we cannot use the soccer model of buying better players, we must make better players to gain an advantage.  So to do research and find out what works, it is what I felt must be done to gain some small advantage.  And I keep doing it as other teams copy our methods or buy our players or other strength & conditioning coaches etc.  Hell they even changed the rules of the game to stop the Broncos power game (true)!  So researching how to make my team better is what I do all the time, I just don’t publish it as much anymore.  But everything I do is applied.  Because sport is so important in Australia, many teams have someone with a Phd or Masters working in S & C.  So I am not unique, I was just the first to do it.

            But first and foremost I am a S & C coach, not a researcher or lecturer.

Mladen: One of my major problems is finding a planning solution for team sports and sport games, whose season is drastically different from individual sports in one major aspect: preparatory period is 2-4 times shorter compared to in-season in sport games and there are regular prolonged competitions over the in-season period (1-2 games per week). Given the fact that you don’t have enough time to address all the aspects of physical preparedness in-season (due recovery needs and need to be fresh for the games), what is important during the in-season from physical preparation standpoint?

Dan: Yes Mladen, you are exactly right, that is the biggest problem, trying to maintain it all during the in-season, yet be “fresh” for the games.  Our competition is 26 weeks plus finals (4-wks) and then our best players finish the season with international games for 6-8 weeks and in rugby league these games are not “friendlies”. 

            My approach is to have athletes in peak shape once the in-season starts.  So a good prep. Period sets up the success for in-season.  From there I believe in aggressive maintenance, I am still trying to improve or force adaptations, but with less volume, not intensity.  I try to maintain our strength and power and our running endurance at all times.  I program every set, rep and weight the player lifts, so they do not choose what they lift.  I tell  them exactly what they have to do, so they cannot go backwards in strength or power.  We use GPS to monitor their running loads during team training and we use each individuals MAS (max aerobic speed) or V-Vo2 max. for our conditioning.  So we tell them what to do and we strictly monitor everything.  I give them no choices.  Injured players do even more conditioning, we see it as an opportunity to improve and train them harder, if they can’t run, then it is rowing, boxing, cycling wrestling as well as their lifting.

            Maintaining strength, power, body mass and energy system endurance (anaerobic and aerobic) are what we focus on.  We realize that some speed can be lost in some players due to the volume of running occurring in training and games, but we will get that back when games revert back to 1/wk and we taper training as we move into the finals.

Mladen: Currently, there is a huge interest in the Block Training System (Conjugate-sequence system) where training load aimed at improving certain aspect of performance (aerobic capacity, aerobic power, speed, power, strength, glycolytic capacity, power) is concentrated and sequenced in form of blocks. This is in contrast of more traditional complex-parallel solution where all aspects of performance are addressed concurrently. Given the fact that most Block Training Solutions comes from either endurance sports or strength-power sports with clearly defined season and peaking dates, how can (or should) one utilize such an approach in sport games with clearly differently organized competition season and needs? What is your approach?

Dan: First off, we don’t believe that physical capacities cannot be trained at the same time.  Where does this come from, the idea for example that you cannot train for strength/power and aerobic power or capacity at the same time?  From studies on US college kids, who have never done it in their lives?  The USA has no pro sport where these things need to be addressed, they are all power sports with time-outs etc, so there has not been the impetus to really try to train these things together or to study how it can be done.  MMA is going to change that mindset in the USA because strenght/power and aerobic conditioning are vital, so they need to be trained all the time, not just in blocks for 2-3 weeks.  But in Australia, we train everything, all the time, we just manage the overall training volumes and are careful in the daily and weekly sequencing of  training.  That is the important thing, the daily and weekly sequencing, that way you can train all capacities, almost all the time.

            But in saying that, our approach is mixed, same as the sport.  We use the first three weeks of Prep. Period to get athletes into shape (ie. No power training, just sets of 10’s on the basic strength exercises etc. no sports skills, no speed work, just 100% MAS and >120% MAS running).  This gives us the base so that they can train hard and specifically and after that first three weeks, training is always fairly hard.  So we don’t exactly call it Block or Conjugate etc. but it probably could be described as a cross between parallel and block ( I call it Wave).  We put things into block of 2-3 weeks, and these things need to be done before we progress into another block.  So blocks with certain emphasis precede other blocks, but we work everything almost all the time. For example, we do 100% MAS and 120-130% MAS runnig in a straight line before we start performing more sport specific patterns (with changes of direction).  So develop aerobic fitness in basic straight line running drills precedes drills of the same speed with changes of direction and after that, more sport specific drills. So there is sequencing and building up, but it is still all aerobic and anaerobic training, all the time.  Same for our strength power work, we have sequencing, but aside from the first three weeks of general preparation (and a 3-week block mid-year during in-season where we do no power exercises to rest the neural and adrenal system), it is still max strength and power being trained, all year around.

            So for us, It is the sequencing of daily, within-week variation , weekly and blocks that is important, rather than the theory of it.  I love all those theoretical graphs with lines illustrating volume and intensity – but what do they mean, how is that line graph calculated etc.  Theoretical stuff only, what do I a do in real life?  And yes the peaking sports are different to season & game sports.

Mladen: Regarding endurance development for team sports – it is shown that the athletes from endurance sports spent around 80% of their training volume performing low-intensity training and around 20% performing high intensity training (polarized training). Currently there is a huge emphasis on HIT (high intensity training) like tabatas, shuttles, glycolytic power/capacity intervals over the low intensity training. What is your take on this? Do you utilize HIT or a combination and why? Is the fear of doing certain volume of low-intensity training of destroying ones speed and power sound?

            We only emphasize high-intensity in conditioning. The only players who perform continuous training of low-intensity are those who have just had surgery, they do 1-2 sessions of this training 7-10 days after surgery, but after that it is always high intensity intervals.   The team tactical training will take care of the volume of training.  Because we have GPS  monitors measuring players movements, we see that the coaches tactical sessions are not of high intensity, so it is our job to train the high intensity aspects of conditioning.  That may be why we do not get interference between conditioning and strength/power, we do not perform “garbage” volume based training.  Our conditioning for energy system fitness (aerobic and anaerobic) is very important to us.  Rugby league is such a great team sport for strength & conditioning, it requires strength, power speed and endurance, it is always this great challenge to ensure the running and grappling fitness.  For example, American football does not really require running endurance, but RL does, players run about 6-8 km a game, less than the 11-13 km of soccer and Australian Rules footballers, but it is very hard with lots of collisions.  Just google NRL, big hits and you will see.  But these big hits and collisions are performed under a background of fatigue.  So we try to “attrition” our opponents, wear them down with better strength, power, fitness, speed etc. 

We monitor the players power each week (during jump squats), we have seen over many years of data, that power is suppressed by a few % when running volume is high, but we just use this as part of the periodization process.  We do not determine the game schedule, so if our power is down a few %, it may be beyond our control, due to game scheduling and travel.  But we know to unload and get that power back we need reduced training volume (not intensity)  for 9 days.  We have plenty of data, so we know exactly what we have to do for each situation RE; how much power levels are reduced according to game schedule/travel and running volumes.  It is about the processes we must put into place, for example, if my power is down a few %, but I am playing a weak opponent this week, why would I bother to unload, when I may prefer to do that the following week if I was to play a much tougher opponent? 

            So we try to emphasize high-intensity training as much as possible, but accept that the game will induce fatigue that suppresses power and speed.  How and when we unload the running volume (which may be the tactical training of the sports coach) to restore power and freshness is based upon the game schedule and who our opponents are.

Mladen: Small sided-games or more traditional conditioning? And what do you do in both? And how do you individualize the training load?

Dan: We use both, but small sided games do not develop fitness well, they just translate your fitness into the specific of the game.  So we will do traditional conditioning to develop fitness.  Even when we use small sided games, we will do traditional conditioning in tandem.  So for example, 8-minutes of 120% MAS running done as 15:15 seconds of work:rest, alternated with 6min, small sided games.  And the small-sided games have running targets that must be met, so if a player does not attain the running load during the game, he gets extra running penalties at the completion of training.  We would alternate bouts of traditional conditioning with small sided games, back & forth, all the time, including in-season.  This improves skill and fitness, because why are mistakes made in games?  Fatigue impairs skill execution and decision making, so we use the traditional conditioning to induce fatigue, and then the small sided games to see how that fatigue manifests itself in a sport specific situation of a game.

            As for individualizing loads, it is not difficult, we have exact running loads for conditioning, so we know what the load will be and we use the GPS for skills and tactical training.  We also use the GPS to determine the intensity of the collisions (the G-forces of the impacts are measured by an accelerometer) as creatine kinase levels and muscle damage are related to the number of big collisions .  This research is recently reported in JSCR, one of my friends who is also a PhD and S & C coach for an opposing NRL team did this research.

Mladen: What is your point of RSA – Repeat Sprint Ability and how do you develop this? 

Dan: It is very important for us.  We do it with collisions and wrestling thrown in as well.  So we have some drills where it is just repeat sprints to develop the capacity and others that are sport specific where, after a number of sprints they hit each other hard a few times or wrestle for 30-seconds.  We have different distances and rest intervals etc.

Mladen: In team sports with long season, injury prevention and recovery from games/training sessions in of paramount importance. What is your approach in these? Do you use certain monitoring tool and recovery methods?

Dan: For recovery, we do recovery modalities each day.  Our club has a sauna, spa, cold plunge pool.  Players must use them each day of training after each session, these things are compulsory.  We also program in stretching and massage each week, also compulsory.  After training, all training, a protein drink is also compulsory. After games, we use ice baths to reduce collision related soft tissue damage.  Our main monitoring tool is hydration levels because evidence is that most soft-tissue injuries in our sport and in rugby union are hydration related.  A dehydrated muscle has less strength and is therefore more likely to be injured.  So preventing largely preventable injuries like calf or hamstring strains is related to keeping these large men hydrated (large surface area means more sweating).  Right now the only injuries my club have are broken bones from big collisions.  We have used other monitoring tools in the past, but we aim to keep it simple now.  We talk to each player and monitor their hydration and flexibility levels each week to see how their bodies are coping, as well their strength and power, I keep detailed records.  Because we control the load so well, we know that it is up to the player to ensure his recovery from these known loads.  We do as much as we can for them, but it is also their obligation when they leave training to do things that also ensure recovery (proper sleep, home nutrition, hydration levels,  extra preventative exercises)

Mladen: How do you evaluate physical preparedness? What battery of tests are you using and when? Do you prefer laboratory or field tests and why?

Dan: We have never used a lab in our lives!  Always field tests, why would any athlete use a lab?  In this day and age, with the technology available to us, we take the “lab” devices to the athletes, but we use them each week.  Applied sport science is so easy these days, portable force plates, linear transducers, GPS monitors, timing gates for speed.  Labs are 20th century.

             For speed, 40 m sprint (we garner the velocity between 30 and 40 for max velocity from that as well), 5-min shuttle run to determine the MAS, 1RM bench press, full squat and chinup for strength, 1RM power clean for whole body power, jump squat with 100 kg for lower body power and bench press throw/press with 60 kg for upper body power – this is measured with the GymAware linear transducer.  From some of my published research, all these tests correlate quite highly with being selected into the NRL team, rather than the second division team or Under 20 yrs team.  Can any university lab researcher show me a test that has a better correlation with selection than my research with these basic tests has shown?

            But while these are tests, we have all sorts of bench marks. Testing is training, training is testing.  Every set or drill has a goal or score to be attained.

Mladen: How important is strength training for teams sport athletes and how do you address it? Do you utilize Olympic lifts, compound movements or isolated machine work? How do you prescribe training load (weight, reps, sets)?

Dan: It depends upon the sport, how important strength is.  For rugby league and union, strength & power are super important.  As stated above, the correlation between strength and power levels and selection into Pro, second division or youth leagues is quite high (r = > .61 to 71).  So if it has been shown to be important, you must address it.

            I like the compound exercises.  We may have the only facility in the world with no leg press, leg extension or leg curl machines.

            We do many exercises, including power clean from hang and split jerks, but not snatches.  We do bench press, full squats, chins, all sorts of presses, rows, pulldowns ,lunges, stepups , Romanian style deadlifts but not deadlifts off the floor. We do power exercises like plyos, jump squats, bench throws. 

             Why no snatches ? – they undertrain pulling power in comparison to the clean in lower skilled athletes.  It is an utter lie that snatches must be done for power, who is pushing that line?  Typically ex-weightlifters looking for work.  Deadlifts are just too hard to recover from in athletes who have to run etc.  So while I deadlift myself each week (as does my wife), I just can’t give that great exercise to athletes who are getting punished with collisions, running and other lifting exercises, it is just too hard to recover from.

            So our  resistance training with the NRL players is like a mixture of powerlifting and olympic weightliting but with the omission of snatches and deadlifts.  With younger players, there is no cleans but they work on the teaching progressions of pulling exercises that lead up to the clean.  Younger teenage athletes perform the basics and bodyweight exercises.  I have clear training progression for power exercises, based upon training age and technical proficiency.

            For ascribing loads, I use % 1RM where applicable and RM’s etc for other times, like if I am using bands or chains or just load (like 100 kg jump squats).  So it depends upon which exercise or exercises variation and what load is appropriate to that week and that individual.  I determine the exact load that every athlete must lift, so I work it all out, it is not very hard,  I  keep records of what everyone lifts and I follow my intensity cycles.  I plan my intensity cycles out very precisely, I have preparation period cycles and in-season cycles and for those periods, I have cycles for max strength exercises, power exercises and hypertrophy exercises.  The reps, sets, resistances all vary, but I have a plan for each category, and I follow my planned out cycles.  It is too detailed to go through in this inteview and basically I am not allowed by my club to provide too many details of our training.

Mladen: Given the fact that most traditional training knowledge comes from individual sports mentioned earlier, what are your sources of information that one can refer to when being in a position of strength and conditioning coach in sport (team) games?

Dan: I take something from everywhere, powerlifitng, weightlifting, strongman, wrestling/MMA, the conditioning is largely from the French researchers and soccer and Australian Rules football, speed from track, agility from many US sports.  Mixed sports must have mixed influences.  What I never copy is what others in my sport are doing.  I don’t care what they are doing, I only care about what I should be doing and who in world sport is doing it better and therefore how am I going to implement or modify worlds “best practise” into my sport.   If you came to our conditioning, you would see similar running conditioning to soccer, but then you would see some wrestling drills as well.

Mladen: For a strength and conditioning coach in team sports, how important is the head coach and healthy communication between the two? How important is team culture for a strength coach to fulfill his goals and how can he affect it? What about motivation of the players to train hard?

Dan: It is vital.  My team have three S & C coaches, each with specific roles and assistant roles.  My main role is develop strength & power, assist with conditioning with the team or take the injured players for conditioning.  So first off, we  S & C coaches need to work together.  The head of Performance (which is not me) deals more with the head sports coach.  But we all communicate, work together, for the good of the team.

            Motivation is based upon goal setting and reinforcement.  That is it.  So every set, every drill has a goal that must be achieved.  If it is achieved, that reinforces the training process.  So the ongoing process of setting goals, achieving them, setting new goals etc. builds motivation.  In rugby league, because of the brutal nature of the sport, everyone loves lifting big weights.  It is more difficult with the aerobic conditioning, but every drill has designated intensities, they must be met.  The player has no choice but to attain the designated distance for that time interval, if he does not, then he will receive penalty intervals at the end of training.  So do the intensity or do extras!

            I am 46 years old  and I still train heavy, I like to set an example, I can still full squat 180 kg x 5 and deadlift 215 x 6 reps at 90 kg bodyweight.  I can still out squat every current player!  But they can all out bench press me.  My players see me training by myself during my lunch break, they love it, because they know I am pushing myself as hard as I push them!  So the team culture, who is setting it, me  and the other S & C staff or the players?  We all set it, we all feed off each others efforts.

            I am often asked why don’t I go to another team for more money or go to the USA or UK etc.  I love the hard training culture of my team and in reality, I may be too hardcore for other teams, sports or countries.  We are truly hardcore at my club, it is not for the faint of heart when we train.  Could I given free reign to train other athletes like that?  I am told that many athletes would not like to train like I train my team or would put up with my hardcore attitude.  So the culture of my team to train very hard suits me and allows me to fulfill my goals.  At another team, with a less than hardcore attitude, I may not be as successful and it would be very frustrating.

Mladen: Thank you for this great insights coach Dan. I am really glad you shared all of these with our readers. Hopefully, I will have more opportunities to pick your brain. Thank you one more time and good luck in your coaching.

 

Dan: Thank you.  And to your readers can I say” The only place where success comes before work, is in the dictionary”, so train hard and study hard.

 For those interested in more info by Dan, I have just found this older interview with him done by Vern Gambetta for EliteTrack.