Even though a warm up and stretching are universally recognized as a key part of athlete performance, this part of training often gets overlooked. I want to review the mental and physical benefits of a proper warm up for athletes in this issue of the Training Report...

Athletes across different sports have seen the benefits of Olympic-style weightlifting. However, there is a style of programming that evolved from the sport called Bulgarian-style periodization. For this issue of the Training Report I want to review this strategy…

When athletes work with Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists (CSCS), sometimes they will focus on improving their quickness & agility. For this issue of the Training Report we will review some introductory strategies exercise science professionals use with athletes…

One area where athletes try to enhance their performance is through maximum strength training. For this issue of the Training Report I want to review peer-reviewed strategies that Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists use to enhance both athlete physical and mental strength outcomes…

When athletes work with Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists (CSCS), their goals will usually match what their sport demands are. For this issue of the Training Report, I want to discuss one area of training that all athletes focus on which is building muscle mass, AKA hypertrophy…

Endurance athletes have begun to rely more and more on state of the art strength & conditioning programs to help them peak at the right time for competitions. For this issue of the Training Report I want to review some of the exercise science behind endurance athlete periodization strategies…

Oftentimes, strength & conditioning coaches underestimate how human psychology impacts physical performance. For this issue of the Training Report I want to review the psychology behind Olympic Weightlifting…

When athletes are focused on their strength & conditioning, there are different approaches they can use. For this Training Report I want to focus on Prehab-style approaches that emphasize core training development and the benefits that come with these exercises…

Endurance athletes such as marathon, half-marathon and ultra-marathon athletes should always incorporate heart rate zone training and weightlifting into their program design. For this Training Report I am going to provide a sample program on these strategies…

Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists (CSCS) and USA Weightlifting coaches have long contended that regardless of sport, all athletes need to cross-train either through strength training or participation in other sports. This issue of the Training Report explores why this is absolutely necessary…

Many athletes are under the impression that they need the most advanced equipment in strength & conditioning to achieve world championship results. For this issue of the Training Report, Ben explores a sample program design using a minimalist approach that will yield high caliber performance outcomes…

USA Weightlifting Coaches and Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists (CSCS) through the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) have been screaming about the benefits of Olympic-style weightlifting for years. This Training Report explores why ALL athletes need to include these lifts in their training…

Tactical athlete populations such as military personnel, police officers, and fire & rescue will work with human performance experts that specialize in strength & conditioning to help enhance their performance through a variety of exercise science applications. I was recently afforded the opportunity to write for the NSCA’s TSAC Report (Issue 63) to discuss how psychological trauma can affect tactical athlete performance in strength training…

As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, clients frequently ask me how they can train effectively to add muscle mass. While this may seem like a very simple answer, the truth is that the approach will need to be somewhat different per individual. For this Training Report I will review critical strength & conditioning protocols as well as Precision Nutrition strategies to help individuals increase muscle mass…

Many Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists and other experts in sports performance have been developing new methods to help athletes such as Olympic weightlifters effectively train seven days per week. For this Training Report, I will be reviewing self-monitoring recovery tactics, what daily training protocols look like, and how different energy systems require different periodization tactics…

One of the most challenging sport performance environments to train for are mountains. Whether you are an alpine athlete, trail runner, a tactical athlete or ski mountaineer, you need to cultivate the perfect blend of endurance, explosive power, strength & psychological fortitude to overcome the obstacles that mountains produce. This Training Report issue will cover all of the key elements involved with mountaineering performance.

This is the second Training Report series that will cover Olympic-style weightlifting program design. As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and a USAW Level 2 coach, clients I consult with will often ask about the process of designing a long-term weightlifting program. For this Training Report I will be providing an example of an annual training program schedule that illustrates the macro training block format…

For this Training Report I wanted to provide a sample 6 week Olympic weightlifting mesocycle. This is a generalized program and is not meant to be utilized by readers due to the fact that individual considerations have not been factored into this program. Rather, this is an illustration of how percentages and workload should change throughout the training period when preparing for an Olympic weightlifting competition.

Over the course of my career I’ve found that while many athletes want to use kettlebells, they are hesitant to start training with them because they aren’t quite sure what to do with the kettlebell. For this training report I want to provide a sample kettlebell training session that you can use as a general point of reference. Research suggests that unilateral work will enhance bilateral training outcomes & kettlebells are a great way to achieve that outcome.

Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists, Tactical Strength & Conditioning Facilitators and USA Weightlifting coaches are experts in periodization and program design. However, there are some sport coaches and strength coaches that avoid one rep max attempts. I will be using this Training Report to debunk those myths and provides an Olympic Weightlifting training program example that all athletes and coaches can use as a reference…