Guest Speaker Alex Taray

Strength and Conditioning: Real-World Application

Strength and conditioning program design in the real world, including a discussion on CrossFit.

Background

  • Alex Stra is from Medallands, Minnesota.
  • He played college football at Concordia St. Paul and obtained an undergraduate degree in exercise science in two years through full-time Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO).
  • He took his first anatomy and physiology class at 16 and has been working in the field ever since.
  • He spends 10-20 hours per week on continuing education in strength training, endurance training, flexibility, CrossFit, powerlifting, strongman, bodybuilding, and nutrition.
  • Certifications: CSCS, USA Weightlifting Coach, USA Powerlifting Club Coach, CrossFit Level 3, aerobic capacity certification.
  • 12 years in strength and conditioning, coaching since 19 years old.
  • He has worked with approximately 4,000 athletes since 2016, averaging 300+ athletes per year.
  • Athlete demographics range from 8-year-olds to 75-year-olds, including average individuals and elite athletes, with the primary demographic being athletes aged 8-17 and adults aged 20-60.
  • He has 18 years of training experience, including football, powerlifting, competitive CrossFit, half marathons, and climbing.

Initial Assessment

Meeting and assessing the athlete:

  • Age and developmental stage are crucial.
  • History of training needs to be verified and taken with a grain of salt, especially with younger athletes.
  • Sports played: less specific training at younger ages, but important for specialized sports like gymnastics or sports where skill is paramount, such as hockey.

Real-time Assessment During Warm-up:

  • Basic back screening and safety checks.
  • Observing athletes during warm-up provides immediate assessment data.
  • Indicators include facial expressions, breathing rate, and sweating rate.
  • There is a wide range of talent, from athletes who don't know how to run properly to collegiate athletes.
Example

Two 14-year-olds, Luke and Aaron, start training:

  • Luke:
    • Doesn't like sports, dad was a personal trainer.
    • Confident, claims to squat 225 pounds.
    • High vertical jump (30-40 inches), fast.
    • Exceptional talent, rare.
  • Aaron:
    • More typical, small, weak, not coordinated.
    • Tired after the warm-up.

Both Luke and Aaron receive the exact same General Physical Preparedness (GPP) program, which might also be given to an injured professional athlete after a long layoff.

General Physical Preparedness (GPP)

GPP involves a two-week program with three to four workouts per week, focusing on basic linear progression. Compound exercises are prioritized over isolation exercises to maximize the impact during limited training time (1 hour, 1 hour 15).

Example Program:

  • Push-ups (upper body push).
  • Lunge walks (unilateral lower body).
  • Ring rows or TRX strap rows (upper body pull).
  • Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs).

Isometrics are preferred for beginners to teach correct back positions. Higher reps are used (3 sets of 12) to allow more practice and lower intensity, facilitating technique retention.

Other exercises include:

  • Upper body vertical press.
  • Basic squat.
  • Hinged position row (two-arm dumbbell row).
  • Glute bridge hold.
  • Single-arm dumbbell muscle snatch.
  • Core/ab work.

The primary goal is to learn and perfect technique while identifying deficiencies. Young athletes typically have fewer injury histories, making changes more effective.

Progression

Progression Rate & Monitoring:

  • Low-effort level in the first two weeks, with 10-20 reps in reserve.
  • The emphasis is on avoiding soreness, preventing negative experiences, and reinforcing proper technique.
Example Progression
  • Luke:
    • Extremely rapid progression.
    • In one year, hang cleaned 300 lbs, deadlifted 405 lbs, and back squatted 365 lbs.
    • By age 18, cleaned 400 lbs, snatched 300 lbs, deadlifted 555 lbs, and back squatted 485 lbs.
    • Competed in CrossFit.
    • Later joined the military.
  • Aaron:
    • Slower progression through hard work and practice.
    • Cleaned 135 lbs, back squatted 225 lbs, and deadlifted 275 lbs.
    • Played Division One hockey and later in the NHL (Fish Pian).

Strength development through a full range of motion is critical, and both athletes avoided injuries due to comprehensive preparation.

Intermediate Phase

  • Luke could have moved to intermediate programming after two weeks, but was held back to ensure a solid base.
  • Aaron trained with GPP programming for a year before moving on.
  • Linear progression is common in the intermediate phase due to athletes' busy schedules.
  • Example: progressively heavier weights for 10 reps in week one, 8 reps in week two, and 6 reps in week three.
  • Percentage-based programs are reserved for athletes passionate about strength and conditioning who desire a personalized approach.
  • Velocity programs are typically used at the university level.
  • The focus should be on providing the raw tools such as strength, range of motion, power, speed, and conditioning.
  • Sport-specific practice is important for skill development.

Advanced Programming

  • Main goal: avoid injury to professional athletes.
  • Low loading and range of motion exercises are emphasized.
  • Individualized approach based on the athlete's goals and condition.
  • Bench athletes may be pushed harder due to lower risk.
  • Cal Deetsz is a valuable resource for advanced programming.

Considerations in Real-World Scenarios for Program Design

  • Facility limitations.
  • Number of athletes per group and available coaches.
  • Athlete age range.
  • Equipment and space availability.
Example: Kok High School
  • Three back-to-back sessions with 60 female athletes (8th grade to senior year).
  • Limited equipment: three squat racks, hip sled, limited dumbbells, low ceilings (8 ft).
  • Slippery gymnasium floor.
    • General warm-up for all 60 athletes, focusing on fitness, coordination, and skill development.
      • Split into two groups: one in the gymnasium and the other in the weight room and hallway.
Gymnasium
  • Bodyweight and core exercises.
  • Sprints (10-80 yards) and agility drills when possible.
  • Volume and core work for 9-11 minutes: planks, side planks, crunches, rotational exercises.
  • All movements were used and there were no restricted exercises.
Weight Room
  • Limited time per station (20 minutes total).
  • Compound exercise demanding high coaching (e.g., back squat).
  • Paired with a filler exercise due to constraints (e.g., lateral raise, band pull apart).
  • Four stations for rotation exercises.
  • Emphasis on core and hinging exercises.
Field Work

Due to travel and time constraints, field work was cut short.

The program focus was on: fitness development through warm-ups, speed and power training, compound exercises, variety, and conditioning.

Example: East Soccer Program
  • 120 athletes with overuse injuries and fatigue from practice.
  • No equipment, just a field.
  • Primarily did mobility-focused warm-ups, lower back exercises, calf and shin exercises, and rotational exercises.
    • Split into three or four groups with varying coach experience.
    • Simpler exercises for less trained coaches.
  • Core training, bodyweight exercises, and sprint speed training.
  • Stretching and recovery emphasized, along with basic education on nutrition and recovery.
Sport Specific Tweaks for Training

Three-year training history example (juniors in high school).

  • Football Athlete - focus on reps of five or less for high absolute strength; short sprints.
  • Soccer Athlete - Focus on the high-speed production exercises that train the hip flexors, hips and some lateral movements. Should also include upper body exercises for mobility, strength, balance and flexibility.

CrossFit

Overview
  • CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program.
  • Any gym can become a CrossFit gym by paying a yearly fee.
  • Previously, coaching standards were low due to minimal training requirements.
  • Now, a Level Two coach certification is required, and higher fees are imposed.
  • There is no ongoing oversight or investigation by CrossFit.
  • The intention was that the bad gyms would die off.
  • The actual definition is constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity against broad time and modal domains.
Components
  • Constantly varied functional movements:
    • Compound exercises are highly valued.
    • Includes back squat, deadlift, overhead press, front squat, overhead squat, medicine ball clean, and sumo deadlift high pull.
    • Phasing out medicine ball clean and sumo deadlift high pull.
  • Values variety in exercise, including single-leg exercises, single-arm exercises, and exercises that challenge range of motion, such as the Turkish get-up.
  • High intensity means working as hard as possible on any given exercise.
  • Striving for good performance across all time and modal domains (short, quick, powerful actions and endurance activities).
Methodology
  • Focus on mechanics, then consistency, then intensity.
  • Master the basics, with considerable attention to detail and technique.
  • Scaling workouts to meet individual needs and limitations.
  • Goal: Minimizing risk and maximizing results.
Classes & Programming
  • One-hour classes with diverse ages, skills, and injuries.
  • Classes capped at 26 people, but sometimes up to 30.
    • Every day includes: Warm-up, core work, skill work, strength work, and conditioning.
Warm-up

Variety of exercises, including rotational exercises.

Core and Skill Work
  • Core work two to three days per week with intense training.
  • Low-level skill work, such as jump rope progressions.
Strength Training
  • Programmed, not random.
  • Four to eight weeks on each strength exercise.
  • Linear progression.
  • Different formats experimented with.
  • Three minutes and 30 seconds is allowed to complete the exercise and rest.
Conditioning Work
  • Variety of bodyweight, barbell, kettlebell, rowing, running, and jumping exercises.
  • Must be able to coach all exercises well.
  • Different exercises include run, toe-to bar and a wall ball.
Cool Down
  • Low priority, but specific stretching can be included in longer sessions.
Coaching
  • Programming workouts alone is complicated, so if you are coaching others you must have insane skill on weightlifting and mobility work.
Danger of Exercise & Coaching
  • Telling someone to be afraid of exercise could result in them never exercising again.
  • Be careful how you frame things to people.
  • The risk of injury is low and the reward is much more worth it.
  • CrossFit related injuries account for two to three injuries per 10,000 hours.