Conditioning can be a valuable tool in developing an athlete's overall work capacity. And moving past just long slow distances, there are intentional ways that coaches can train conditioning for their athletes.
First, we do a quick review of our energy systems and discuss aerobic and anaerobic capacity. Next, we define and break down tempo running in the form of extensive and intensive tempo runs. Finally, we talk about putting it into the application with high school athletes.
This is the last episode of Chalk Talk before our summer break! Go catch up on previous episodes from the year on our blog, or however you get your podcasts! We thank everyone for their continued support and encourage you to reach out with topics you want to hear in the upcoming season when we head back to school in the fall! Happy Summer!
Speed is more than just sprinting as fast as you can! Speed, especially within the context of athletics, is a multifaceted skill that needs to be developed and practiced.
We first break down the benefits of a comprehensive strength and conditioning program to speed development and then look at the things we can be doing on the field to help develop our speed training.
From there, we break down and define 5 key elements to speed training: 1) Technique 2) Acceleration & Power 3) Deceleration 4) Max Velocity 5) Change Of Direction. Check out this excellent discussion that comes at the same time as we approach summer workouts and PLT4M's newly released speed training program.
Ricky Igbani was a three-sport high school athlete who competed on the football, track, and baseball teams. Taking his talents to college, he successfully played baseball and track throughout his career. As his education wrapped up, a lightbulb went off about the opportunities he could have working with students and athletes himself.
From this original thought in his college dorm room, Ricky got started and has never looked back. Ricky is an accomplished teacher, coach, and mentor for students and athletes all across the greater Boston area. From his time as a PE teacher to creating new opportunities for high-achieving athletes, Ricky has always made a difference on and off the field.
Now Ricky has created his own company called IJE and is working with PLT4M to make the very best educational speed & agility content. Ricky seems to always be on the move!
On this episode of Chalk Talk, we talk about Ricky's journey and get into the weeds of speed and agility. Check out the full blog for more of the content that we reference throughout the show.
Data, assessment, and testing have always been a part of strength and conditioning. In this two-part series, Coach Bres and Doug navigate the what, why, when, and how of assessment.
In part 1, we first define and outline the key differences between assessment and tests. Next, we break down the why and how of assessment in high school strength and conditioning. In part 2, we talk about assessing and using Coach Bres’s assessment battery as an example.
Time Stamps:
Data, assessment, and testing have always been a part of strength and conditioning. In this two-part series, Coach Bres and Doug navigate the what, why, when, and how of assessment.
In part 1, we first define and outline the key differences between assessment and tests. Next, we break down the why and how of assessment in high school strength and conditioning. In part 2, we talk about assessing and using Coach Bres's assessment battery as an example.
We can all picture different rotational aspects of athletics. Whether we have athletes swinging, throwing, even sprinting, they are rotating. So do we need to train rotation specifically, and if so, how?
Matt June, CSCS, has spent a good amount of his career coaching baseball, golf, and softball athletes. Matt defines the kinematic sequence, highlights rotational elements of sports, and then breaks down the practical application of training rotation in high school athletes.
Matt June's Credentials & Experience:
Credentials
M.S. Exercise Science SUNY Cortland
B.S. Kinesiology - Fitness Development SUNY Cortland
CSCS - Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
CES - Corrective Exercise Specialist
TPI Level 1 Coach
Experience
Strength and Conditioning Coach - Premier Golf and Fitness
Program Director / Head Performance Coach - Athletes Warehouse
Strength and Conditioning Coach - College of Saint Rose
Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coach - Hudson Valley Community College
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach - SUNY Cortland
Assistant Baseball Coach - SUNY Cortland
The deadlift has many variations that are used and developed in fitness and strength and conditioning programs. Today, we focus on the similarities and differences between the trap bar and conventional barbell deadlift.
Coach Bres and Doug discuss the history behind the deadlift, why coaches like one or the other deadlift, and how high school programs can apply this knowledge!
We often hear PE teachers say that they strive to set students up with the skills to be fit for life. But many PE teachers only get their students for a semester or two throughout their entire educational career. Brandon Siegel, the sole PE teacher across his entire small district, has a unique opportunity to impact his students' 'fit for life' journey from grades k-12.
Brandon joins the podcast to discuss how he has integrated PLT4M into their 7-12 curriculum at Fullerton Public Schools. Because he is a one-person team, he has a lot of choice and autonomy when structuring his semesters and school years.
Brandon has shaped his middle school PE to fully introduce the basic concepts of fitness and strength and conditioning. With a strong foundation set in middle school, his high schoolers can then explore their personal interests via the wide variety of advanced PLT4M programming.
While Brandon has autonomy in many ways, he works with his principal and superintendent closely to show the data and results that students are seeing via the PLT4M and data tracking app. We wrap up the episode talking about how data has shaped his classroom.
How long will it take me to get into shape? How long will it take me to see results? Students and athletes want to know 'how long' it takes for their bodies to start changing as they train.
And while the lack of immediate tangible results can sometimes lead to frustration, it is important to help students understand the timeline in which change happens! For each individual circumstance, the actual adaptation time will vary, but we are often talking about weeks and months, not hours and days!
Check out this podcast to better understand the guiding principles around training adaptations!
Alexa Cavallo loved dance from an early age. Music and dance always brought the biggest smiles out of her.
After college, when her dance career looked to be over, Alexa took to instructing at a local studio and coaching the dance team at a nearby high school.
With this love for teaching, Alexa joins the PLT4M team to create an engaging and fun dance fitness program designed for students of all backgrounds and experiences!
Alexa joins the Chalk Talk to introduce herself, share her insights on teaching dance to beginners, and promote the upcoming release of PLT4M's Dance Fitness program.
In a debate that has persisted for decades, the battle rages on! From well-intentioned student-athletes wanting to make sure they are getting the most out of their training to coaches who wish to sell their program and garner buy-in, the question remains
How do we talk about sports-specific training? How do we address the social media age of sport movement mimicry? What is the best to go about addressing the demands of the sport?
We break it down on today's episode of Chalk Talk!
Athletes are itching to get back into the weight room, and coaches are ready to do just about anything to make it happen!
Adam Hughes shares the steps he has taken to get his student-athletes back to training in the weight room. As he fosters a safe and efficient environment, he continues to expand on his successes in this strange return to the weight room during Covid.
We break down the distinctions between a full and partial range of motion squat. Coach Bres starts by defining the two types of squatting and then dives into the high-level benefits of each variation. We then wrap it up by putting the whole conversation into context and understanding what population of athletes you are working with.
On today's episode of Chalk Talk, we will be pulling from two conversations we had with our nutrition expert Rebecca Toutant. These mini conversations come from our Nutrition EDU program we provide to students, and our focus today is on hydration.
In part 1, we will break down the basics of hydration, and then part 2 talk a little more about sweat science and sports drinks. You may hear some references to assignments and questions throughout these two parts, which come as part of the more extensive program inside PLT4M. But have no fear, this podcast is a great listen for all our teachers and coaches out there because hydration and sports drinks often stir up a lot of questions from our students and athletes.
Free weights and machines are the staples of many fitness centers, weight rooms, and training centers across the country. For Physical Education, the equipment available often dictates an entire workout or lesson for students.
We break down the pros and cons of free weights and machines and consider the practical implications of both. Are certain types of students better suited for one or the other? How do you manage a busy class with what you have in your space?
Check out our 100th episode of Chalk Talk!
PE teacher Molly Collins has taken the lessons and best practices from remote learning and brought them into her hybrid teaching. Molly talks about the challenges and struggles remote PE presented and how she is getting creative with her students this school year.
Bodybuilders have long used 'lightweight, high reps sets' before a competition. So how has the toning and bulking myth spiraled into the discussion it is today?
I want to bulk up! I want to be toned! Everyone wants something when it comes to their training, but we all need to look at the science behind what it means to both tone or bulk.
Inhale. Exhale. Most of us go the whole day without even thinking about our breathing.
Coach Lulu Emmons (PLT4M Yoga Instructor) helps us break down the basics behind breathing. Lulu then defines open and closed mouth breathing. We finish up the episode by talking about some basic breathing exercises anyone can give a try!
Open Mouth Breathing: For your open mouth breathing, the goal is to inhale through the nose, and open mouth exhale using your belly to push the air out. The goal is to feel all the air come out as you exhale. (This is often to release heat and energy from your body during yoga.)
Closed Mouth Breathing: For closed mouth breathing - inhale through your nose, keeping your lips sealed, constrict muscles in the back of your throat and then exhale back out through your nose. You are going to hear an almost oceanic sound as you exhale through your nose. (This is often done during warm up to build heat in your body). With both open and closed mouth breathing, we want to match the inhale and exhale duration. Meaning if we inhale for a count of 3 seconds, our goal should be to exhale for 3 seconds. 3 Seconds is typically a good start, especially for beginners!
A bilateral exercise is one that uses two limbs to drive a movement. A unilateral exercise is one that uses one limb to drive an exercise. Past the definitions, Coach Bres and Doug discuss the pros and cons of bilateral vs. unilateral training and help make sense of the ever-growing debate.
While our episodes have typically been about an hour-long, we are shortening things up! Over the next series of episodes, we will take a closer look at more specific topics and shoot for about 20-minute snippets! Let us know if there is anything you want to hear us discuss!
In case you missed it, PLT4M is very excited to announce the launch of our new yoga program! Yog101: Intro To Yoga is a 12 lesson introductory style program that breaks down movements and poses that can be found in any basic yoga program.
Whether you have taught yoga for years or unsure where to start, check out this conversation with Coach Lulu Emmons! Coach Lulu Emmons is the author and instructor behind the excellent new PLT4M yoga program.
PLT4M originally aired this podcast on our webinar series and are now resharing it! This will be our last episode before we take a Chalk Talk break for the holidays, so we wish you all a great and happy holiday season!