Four Steps Toward Improving the Strength and Conditioning Profession

Box Jump

The profession of strength and conditioning is a gratifying and rewarding career choice. One of the aspects that makes this true is the collegiality amongst coaches who are willing to help you improve the performance of your athletes and educate and mentor you to become a good strength and conditioning coach so that you, in turn, can help others advance the strength and conditioning profession.

However, I have also noticed what appears to be a shift in the strength and conditioning profession with the popularity of various social media sites such as X (Twitter), which give a voice to coaches on specific topics and issues related to strength and conditioning. The following article will address four issues that I have noticed in the profession and ways that, as coaches, we can improve these areas, which could enhance the strength and conditioning profession.

Problem 1: Younger coaches need to understand and learn some of the older training methods used by pioneers in strength and conditioning, which have produced some of the world’s top collegiate, professional, and Olympic athletes.

One of the issues I see is that younger coaches are not taking the time to learn and appreciate the older methodologies of strength and conditioning and are more focused on understanding the newer methodologies of training or what they see on social media. Most of these supposedly new training methodologies are not new at all. For example, one of the newer training methodologies you see on social media is how we have started to focus on plyometrics. There are countless videos that show athletes jumping up on 50-inch boxes or even higher that are not using correct jumping and landing techniques, which could lead to serious injury.

Younger coaches need to understand and learn some of the older training methods used by pioneers in strength and conditioning, says @DrRaymondTucker. Share on X

To ensure that your athletes are jumping and landing with the correct technique, good plyometric training should start with a progression:

Low-volume non-countermovement jumps
Countermovement jumps
Double contact
Continuous jumps

Following this progression ensures that the tendons and ligaments are getting stronger and able to adapt to the imposed stress and demands that will be placed on them in various training sessions.

Each phase of the training should have a specific goal. For example, non-countermovement jumps do not use the stretch shortening cycle and are a good exercise for improving the start. Countermovement jumps start to utilize the stretch shortening cycle, which trains the ability of the athlete to apply more force and move faster. The double contact jumps work on being elastic, and the continuous jumps work on further improving that elasticity. Good programming will include jumps, hops, and bounds in the sagittal, frontal and transverse plains.

Similarly, another training methodology that I see frequently used is accommodating resistance. Accommodating resistance training is designed to improve the bench, squat, and deadlift by adjusting the resistance in the exercise’s concentric or eccentric contraction to align with the strength curve using bands and chains. The use of accommodating resistance is a popular training method used by experienced powerlifters to increase the bench, squat, and deadlift to overcome a sticking point and ultimately then add a few pounds to their maximum lift. The problem is that some coaches use bands and chains on younger athletes who have not yet developed relative or absolute strength—coaches should be aware of why accommodating resistance has traditionally been used and how to use this training method appropriately with their athletes.

The Westside, Triphasic and Heavy Supramaximal Training could be good training systems for more advanced athletes; however, the root of these training programs comes from the basic training principles that the Eastern Bloc countries have used for years. The Westside is composed of Soviet and Bulgarian training methods, which include a maximum, dynamic, and repetition workload and the conjugate periodization model. This training system could be used for training powerlifters or even advanced weightlifters, but I do not think this training system would be a good way to train a middle or high school and even a collegiate athlete.

Triphasic training is a system that involves training the eccentric, isometric, and concentric lifting phases in different training blocks with the goal of stressing these areas in the various exercises to improve strength and power by using a modified, undulating periodization model. The Triphasic style of training stems from a training system called the Complex Parallel that the Soviets used in the 1960s to expose athletes to several areas of focus for each workout. Supramaximal Training (a newer training method, considered part two of Triphasic training) is a form of eccentric training with higher loads that athletes are typically not accustomed to.

These can be effective training methods for various sports or athletes; however, the specifics of them can also be very confusing for a younger strength and conditioning coach or intern just entering the profession. At this point, they may not yet have the basic knowledge to discern which program would be best for the level of athletes they are currently working with.

Older, more experienced coaches can find ways to reach out to younger coaches and educate and mentor them so they understand the basic training methods and systems of periodization, strength, power, speed, plyometrics, and conditioning to reduce the chance of injury and improve athletic performance. If we want to improve the strength and conditioning profession, we need to understand that young coaches (or even experienced coaches) learn what they’ve been taught and then figure out what hasn’t been taught on their own. One of the problems with not being taught the correct way and trying to figure it out on your own is that you just might develop training programs and exercise techniques that do not improve athletic performance, but instead lead to serious injuries. Younger coaches also need to contact some of these older coaches for help and mentorship so they can learn and develop into more well-rounded strength and conditioning coaches.

Problem 2: Arguing on social media without recognizing it can burn bridges for the future.

Another stumbling block I see is the amount of arguing on social media sites (often on X). We all have an ego, and sometimes, we let our egos and emotions get in the way of our thinking. As a coach, I know it might not be a good idea to let your ego get in the way of professional behavior, and I have also fallen into this trap. I do not think that most coaches who participate in this behavior realize that what they are doing is unprofessional and could burn bridges that might limit other opportunities for you down the road in your career.

If you disagree with a coach, first try messaging them to discuss the concern privately. This shows professional respect for the coach and develops a positive relationship you might need in your coaching career. The coaching profession is a tight knit circle of coaches who, more than likely, have come from branches that connect somewhere on the coaching tree. I once got into a discussion with a coach on X concerning a training system that he posted online, and he had called out several experts and well respected coaches online while advancing his own training style. I responded to him online and quickly realized that I had only added fuel to the fire. I then sent the coach a private message informing him why I thought his posts were not professional—he replied, thanked me for letting him know, and apologized.

I think every coach should take the time to read Coach Kurt Hester’s book Rants of a Strength and Conditioning Madman. Coach Hester states:

“Brand yourself to your athletes and not on social media. When your career is over and the only thing of any substance is how many lives you impacted and not how many ‘Likes’ you accumulated.”¹

We can seem so caught up in creating our next social media post and seeing how many likes and followers we can get that we may have forgotten why we are in this profession. I’ve also done the same, simply regurgitating information I have read or heard on a podcast while trying to increase my follower count or get easy likes on social media. Some coaches appear to equate the number of likes and followers a coach has to their knowledge of strength and conditioning. Every coach in this profession needs to understand that in a heated moment, you might have crushed or embarrassed a coach and put a W in your win column. Still, in reality, you actually just put an L because a burned bridge and unprofessional behavior can foreclose future opportunities in this and other professions.

A burned bridge and unprofessional behavior can foreclose future opportunities in S&C and other professions, says @DrRaymondTucker. Share on X

Problem 3: Coaches not providing credit for where they learned things.

As professionals, we need to take the time to give credit to the coaches who have taken the time to show us and mentor us on some of the training systems that they have used to achieve success. We have all learned something from someone else at a clinic or conference, or been given a simple answer to a question that has provided us with the correct information to help our athletes or clients.

You can give credit to another coach you learned from during your next presentation, or in a discussion with another coach you could be having. I have learned a lot from Michael Boyle at MBSC, Lee Taft, Lance Walker, and several others in the field of strength of conditioning, and I always try to recommend their books and videos when talking with other coaches in the field. Giving a coach credit can go a long way in developing a relationship with that coach. As Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”—likewise, we need to take the time to recognize the giants in our profession.

Giving a coach credit can go a long way in developing a relationship with that coach, says @DrRaymondTucker. Share on X

Problem 4: Not being willing to pay it forward.

Finally, a last issue I’ve experienced is the opposite of the above—fellow coaches not answering another coach’s question. I remember approaching a well-known coach at the NSCA Coaches Conference in San Antonio years ago—he told me I had to schedule an appointment to meet during the conference to answer any questions.

To be good at anything, you need to be willing to invest in your education, which takes time and can be expensive; however, just because you invested time in yourself does not mean you are too busy to answer a coach’s question or give them professional career advice. I have heard from younger coaches that when they asked an experienced coach a question, they were directed to buy one of their programs and told they would find their answer in the program. Experienced coaches need to take the time and be willing to share information, because younger coaches are in the development/growth field and “hoarding” information knowledge only hurts other athletes who want to get better.

I think some coaches are so advanced in this profession that they have forgotten they were once eager young coaches who just wanted to get better and achieve an advanced level in strength and conditioning. Some caution is understandable, there are coaches who will ask a question to draw you into an argument or try to embarrass you—and in a situation like this, it is always best to be professional and move on. You will also have coaches who are too lazy to read on their own to learn or attend a clinic; as a professional, you can discern these types of coaches.

I think some coaches are so advanced in this profession that they have forgotten they were once eager young coaches who just wanted to get better, says @DrRaymondTucker. Share on X

Final Thoughts

As a strength and conditioning professional, I have stopped arguing with coaches on social media sites over a training philosophy or the videos they post with bad exercise techniques. If you do not agree with a coach or want to know more, take the time to reach out to the coach and discuss it privately to maintain and develop a professional relationship.

Additionally, always take the time to give the pioneers in this profession credit for their contributions to strength and conditioning. We would not be where we are today if not for the mistakes they made along the way and their successes, both of which have helped make us better coaches. Always be grateful for the opportunity to answer a coach’s question and give back to the profession. If you are too busy to answer a question, you are too busy to be in this profession. The strength and conditioning profession was founded on coaches helping coaches. Finally, I heard a well respected expert in strength and conditioning, Coach Lance Walker, state: “In our profession, everyone gets better and that doesn’t make us very special. People Just Get Better When You Work Them.” This should make you realize that we may not be as remarkable as we think.

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Reference

Hester, K. (2019). Rants of A Strength and Conditioning Coach Madman

Four Steps Toward Improving the Strength and Conditioning Profession