The Thruster. Arguably one of our favorite movements, as well as one of the most challenging in almost any training scenario. The thruster is a true full body movement that combines a full-depth squat with a press to lockout overhead. It is a serious “bang for buck” movement when it comes to athletic development.
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Teaching the Front Squat
One of the 3 most common loaded variations of our standard air squat – the Front Squat is widely regarded as the most “athletic” of the weighted squat movements. When attempting the Front Squat for the first time, there are a few main coaching points to keep in mind.
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Teaching the Overhead Squat
One of our very favorite movements here at PLT4M, the overhead squat is a must-have in any athletic training program. Here’s how to teach your athletes the overhead squat.
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Teaching the Back Squat
Once our athletes have mastered the foundational air squat (and only then), the first loaded variation we introduce is the “High Bar Back Squat”. The back squat, along with the bench press and barbell deadlift, is one of the 3 “Power Lifts” and is widely considered one of the best tools for developing raw strength.
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How to Teach the Squat
The Squat. Arguably the most foundational movement within any fitness or training program. Why? It’s simple. Mastering it boasts the most bang for your buck.
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Fix Your Deadlift
For good reason, the Deadlift is beloved by coaches everywhere. It is an excellent way to develop pure, total body strength as well as reinforce good posture and proper mechanics that relate to many other movements. Unfortunately, though, it is also a movement where strength can trump form – it’s too easy to do it the wrong way.
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Snow Day? Workout Anyway.
Snowstorm ruining your week of training? A day off from school and away from the gym doesn’t have to be unproductive. Even being stuck in the house, we can put together a simple yet effective workout for our athletes.
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A Secret Weapon for Off-Season Training
Often, we see high school coaches and athletes get so caught up during the off-season with such a motivation and desire for intensity that they neglect proper scheduling, recovery, and injury prevention. Training with intensity is great, but we must have purpose and planning or we will never see true progress.
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3 Myths of Training Track Athletes
More so than almost any other sport at the high school level, Track and Field has the greatest expectation of specialization in it’s training. Many coaches we speak to believe their athletes require a different program from any other sport, and different programs within that for sprinters, throwers, distance runners, etc. We love that coaches are invested in their athletes’ success, but we believe it requires a shift in mentality.
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Fix Your Squat: 4 Tips & Tricks
We believe the squat to be one of, if not the most important movement in which all athletes should become proficient. Learning a proper squat is crucial for athletes as it has applications in strength, mobility, stamina, injury prevention, and above all, sets a great foundation of strength and movement mechanics.
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Improve Your Clean: 3 Part Drill
The clean, and all of its variations, is an incredible tool for athletic development, as well as general fitness. When executed properly, this one movement can help an athlete improve in all of these areas.
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3 Keys to Post-Game Recovery
As Football coaches, we all know that one of the biggest keys to a successful season is keeping your team HEALTHY. Ours is a game of attrition. The teams that stay healthy, and keep their athletes as close to peak performance as possible, are the ones that win games down the stretch.
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