The Hidden Engine of Athletic Performance: Why Hip Strength Matters More Than Ever

How many times have you heard a coach say, “He doesn’t have good hips,” or “She just doesn’t move well”? If you’ve been around sports at any level, you’ve probably heard this more than once. And it’s not just a throwaway line—it’s the truth. When an athlete struggles to move efficiently, change direction quickly, or […]

Cord-loaded Deadlifting – Smart, Simple & Effective – Dead-X Cords

Variable Resistance Training: Enhancing Strength with Bands and Cords In addition to traditional barbell training, many coaches and athletes are incorporating variable resistance training using bands. This method aligns with the Dynamic Effort Method, originally outlined by Russian sports scientist Vladimir Zatsiorsky in Science and Practice of Strength Training and later popularized by Louie Simmons’ […]

Inside Pine Crest Swimming Performance Program

This blog is based on a Q&A session with Pine Crest swimming coach Katelyn Miller and strength and conditioning coach Tim Hibbs. For more than 80 years, Pine Crest School has been at the forefront of providing an educational experience rooted in academic rigor and excellence and complemented by outstanding athletics and arts. The main […]

How to Launch a Human Rocket: The Jump-X

By Jason Avedesian, MS, CSCS, PhD Candidate @ UNLV Interdisciplinary Health Sciences (Biomechanics) A previous blog addressed the importance of developing lower body strength and power for athletic performance and reducing the risk of injury.  Strength and conditioning coaches can utilize a variety of techniques such as barbell or dumbbell training, bodyweight exercises, resistance cords, […]

Train the Hips for Better Movement

How many coaches have you heard say, “He/she really doesn’t have ‘good hips’. He/she just doesn’t move well”. If you have been around coaches, then you have probably heard this statement. The hip joint (also called the hip girdle or pelvic girdle) is arguably one of the most important joints in the human body. It […]

An Innovative Approach to Cord-loaded Deadlifting

Besides traditional training methods using the barbell, many coaches and athletes are adding resistance with bands– known as variable resistance training. This method of training aligns with the Dynamic Effort method outlined by Russian sport scientist Vladimir Zatsiorsky in Science and Practice of Strength Training and also popularized by Louie Simmons’ Westside Barbell method of […]

Variable Resistance Training in Advanced High School Athletes

Training with bands as added resistance – known as variable resistance or accommodating resistance – has become popular in strength and conditioning. Recently, a comprehensive scientific review article (summarized in a previous blog) noted that variable resistance training appears to offer some superior advantages in producing the greatest comprehensive strength adaptations compared to other methods […]

Training Considerations for Improving Muscular Strength: Q&A with Dr. Tim Suchomel

Muscular strength and power are critical for athletic performance, and most, if not all, coaches recognize the importance of resistance training in the overall program.  However, this also leaves the question – what is the best way to train my athletes? This certainly opens a big can of worms that can take several directions including […]

FOCUS ON RESEARCH: Q&A with Dr. Andy Galpin – Effects of Elastic Bands on the Deadlift

This is the first of several blogs that Focus on Research. Here, we will provide a summary for the time-crunched coach, and whenever possible provide insight from the researcher(s) themselves. Recently, there seems to be increased attention on using elastic bands for strength training. This type of training method is referred to as variable resistance […]

You Can’t Fire a Cannon From a Canoe: Training the Lower Body

By Joe Eisenmann, PhD “You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe.” “Don’t build on sand.” “Build the foundation of the house before you put up the walls.” In the context of athletics, these analogies highlight the importance of lower body strength as a foundation to athletic performance. Indeed, several studies have shown that lower […]