In October (2019), I went down to Baton Rouge with my good friend David Cusano (Head T&F Coach – Colby College) to shadow Boo Schexnayder and the LSU track and field program. During the time we were there, the team was starting their second cycle of GPP. They were coming off a recovery week and starting the first microcycle (5th overall) of mesocycle 2. We had no idea what to expect, but the trip far exceeded our epectations. Once we got back, we collected our notes and got on the phone to discuss and review our trip. This recording is 2 hours and 45 minutes long and covers sprints, hurdles, jumps, strength and power training, coaching administration, program mastery, rehabilitation, periodization, and more… Originally, I…
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Medicine Ball Drills for Throwing Events (Video)
In the video below, Coach Boo Schexnayder introduces two medicine ball drills designed to teach upper and lower body mechanics in the throwing events. These drills are simple and easy to follow, allowing the thrower to focus on basic mechanics during each phase of the throw. This exercise is designed to teach basic upper and lower body mechanics and the proper integration of the two. * Related article: Upper Body Mechanics in the Throws * Related article: Lower Body Mechanics in the Throws –The exercises are all double arm throws done with medicine balls. –The simplicity of the double arm ball throw enable the thrower to focus on basic mechanics and eliminates any distraction the strike may cause. –The first drill…
Do the Squat and Deadlift Improve Sprinting Speed? [Part I]
Do the squat and deadlift improve sprinting speed? Since I first entered into the speed training realm, there has always been some degree of debate amongst many professionals concerning whether or not the squat and or deadlift was necessary for increasing human running speed. In this article we will explore several studies and sub-topics and find out whether or not this type of exercise is indeed essential for a sprinter or athlete. Before I go on though, I want to be clear that I’m not advocating either of these 2 specific exercises as the be all end all to speed training, as there are several other elements that need to be a part of an athlete’s program in order to yield maximal benefit from training….
Summer Sale Sneak Peak – Massive Savings
Our Summer Super Sale will begin on Thursday, July 20 and run through Sunday, July 23. So here’s how it works: From Thursday 7/20 – Sunday 7/23, every Complete Track and Field program is on sale for 25% off when you use coupon code: CTFSUMMER. HOWEVER: Each day of the sale we will be highlighting a specific event group/category where you can get up to 50% off our most popular individual programs and program bundles ON THAT DAY ONLY. For example, all Middle Distance programs will be 25% off all week. But, on Thursday, July 20, all Middle Distance programs will be 40-50% off for that day only. On 7/21, sale prices go back to 25%. If you’re in the market for programs addressing 600m – 1600m,…
Supplemental Lifts for Athletes and Sprinters
I’m pretty certain that a majority of coaches and trainers at this point can appreciate the benefits associated with “Supplemental Exercises” in their comprehensive strength training program. I adopted this term from mastermind Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell because I think their terminology is the most logical of all the variations of the word I’ve heard over the years. Other common alternatives to this training category that you may have heard of before would be auxiliary lifts, or assistance exercises. A simple definition of supplemental exercises would be exercises intended to primarily satisfy specific training elements that other exercises cannot. Below I’m going to discuss 5 benefits that you may or may not heard of that supplemental exercises bring to the training table. #1-Muscle Hypertrophy…
4 Reasons to Attend This Strength & Conditioning Certification Course
UPDATE (August 3, 2015, 3:53 PM Eastern): The USTFCCCA Strength & Conditioning Certification with Boo Schexnayder is Sold Out! We’ve reached our hard cap of 75 coaches and will no longer be accepting registrations. If you’re one of the coaches who got in, we’ll be nerding out soon with many of the top area high school and college coaches! If you’re on the outside looking in, scroll down to save big on some of Boo’s best coaching programs. -LT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The goal was to get 45 coaches registered for Boo Schexnayder’s T&F Strength and Conditioning Certification Course on August 22-23 at Bishop Hendricken HS in Warwick, RI. With 3 weeks to go, we’ve got 76 coaches registered and will no longer be accepting any entries….
2015 CTF Clinic: Saturday Night Coaches Seminar Details
On Saturday night, we will be holding 3 hours of seminar presentations by our staff. At the conclusion of the presentations, we’ll have a Social running until midnight. We will have a bar so you can enjoy some adult beverages. In fact, we’ll open the bar at 7:30 so you can enjoy a beverage during the presentations. We will also have a medley of snacks for you to eat. This is a great opportunity to get more insight into the planning side of coaching, as well as talk shop with our clinic coaching staff. There is no shortage of good times at the social. Additionally, I will be filming these sessions and I will email you with access once I process them after the clinic….
Strength and Conditioning Certification Course with Boo Schexnayder
For many track and field coaches, strength and conditioning for each event group is an area of relative weakness. I know I feel more comfortable and confident writing ‘track workouts’ than I do managing strength and weight room progressions, multijump contacts, or multithrow volumes and frequency. That’s why I’m extremely excited to announce that Boo Schexnayder, along with former University of Nebraska coach Carrie Lane, will be running a strength and conditioning certification course on August 22-23, here in Providence, Rhode Island. Event specific strength and conditioning is one of the most frequently searched and requested topics and Boo Schexnayder is as good as it gets. This USTFCCCA Coaching Acaemy Course runs over the span of two days, taught by two of the world’s best…
Spring Track Workouts for Sprinters, Jumpers, & Hurdlers: Week 1 of 13
I’ve already posted how I set up my annual plan for the track season. But I thought I’d share a Week 1 microcycle. This is my plan for the first week of practice. Will it go this way? Not likely. But since I know the physiological effect I’m looking to elicit for each session, I can easily come up with a Plan B or Plan C if (when) something doesn’t go right. Keep in mind our first meet is exactly 14 days into the season, not that this fact in any way affects my planning. I anticipate the weather may not cooperate so I may not be able to stay outside all week. I anticipate some kids claiming they are ‘injured’ because the warm up…
‘Winter Training’ Themed Articles & Workouts
Last week, a blizzard dropped 24 inches of snow on us. On the way to practice this morning, I drove through whiteout conditions and it was so cold out, it hurt. And we’re supposed to get another foot of snow on Monday. Whether you’re stuck inside all winter with your sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers, and throwers or forced outside into dangerous conditions with your middle distance and distance runners, you probably have two fears/concerns: 1. Planning effective training that appropriately challenges the correct energy system/s based on your theme for the day/week/month, etc. 2. Avoiding overuse injuries like shin splints and other lower leg injuries. The #1 goal of training is injury prevention. The #2 goal of training is improved performance. I’ve been fortunate to only…
Blizzard of 2015: Video Playlist
Where I live, there’s a blizzard happening. I can’t tell you how excited I am to shovel the 24+ inches of snow that has fallen. By excited, I mean I will cry myself to sleep tonight. Regardless, I thought I’d share a video playlist from my YouTube Channel. And by ‘I thought’, I mean I stole the idea from another coach. (Thanks Coach Bartlett!) The list contains a video or two covering each event group. Also, if you decide to purchase the programs affiliated with some of the videos, you’ll get 20% off when you enter Complete Track and Field coupon code: BLIZZARD SPRINTS How to Get Set Up in the Blocks to Ensure an Explosive ‘Zero Step’ Every sprinter needs to improve…
Two Long Sprints Programs I Steal From Every Day
We had our Divisional State Relay Championship this past Saturday and all four of my ‘primary’ relay teams (girls and boys 4×200 and 4×400) ran faster than they did all of last year. Girls 4×2 came into the meet with a 1:48.07 season best and school record of 1:46.77, set in 2013. They went bananas, smashed the school record and ran 1:45.49, currently the #2 time in our state. We had sub 60 splits on the girls side and sub 50 splits on the boys side. I didn’t expect this. Especially during “Special Prep” (there is no such thing as ‘special prep’ in a 13 week HS season), when they’re getting smashed in practice and we had our League Championship the previous night. Fact: The only…