Movements You LOVE to HATE: the Prone Fly

Movements You LOVE to HATE: the Prone Fly

Sometimes your training program calls for a movement that you just plain hate. You know that it's good for you, that it's serving a purpose, but you still hate it. We feel you. In fact, we hate a lot of movements! In this new series, we talk about the movements we hate and why, and how we can try to learn to love 'em.

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The Complicated Relationship Between Baseball and the Bench Press

The Complicated Relationship Between Baseball and the Bench Press

It is no secret that some baseball coaches live to hate the bench press. The bench press develops the muscles of the chest and anterior shoulder, and, when used too often in strength training programs, can cause tightness and imbalances that put baseball and softball players at risk for shoulder injury. But does this mean we should simply ditch the bench altogether? Scott Colby, M.A., CSCS, lends his expertise on the relationship between the sport of baseball and the bench press, and makes a case for keeping this controversial lift in your training program.

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5 Steps to Get Your Soccer Players to "Buy In" to Lifting

5 Steps to Get Your Soccer Players to "Buy In" to Lifting

It can be tough to get young athletes to buy-in to a strength training programespecially in more aerobic sports, like soccer. Not only can strength training make soccer athletes stronger, faster, and more powerful on the pitch, it can also help keep them injury-free throughout the season. Katlyn Haycock, Assistant Strength Coach at the University of Michigan, shares her 5 pro tips on how to get soccer players excited to lift and buy into your training program as a whole.

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Creating a Strength and Speed Development Class

Creating a Strength and Speed Development Class

Physical Education classes give kids a much-needed opportunity to be active during a long, sedentary school day. But P.E. can be so much more than just an “open gym” exercise session. Legendary strength coach, Mike Nitka, MS, CSCS*D, RSCC*E, FNSCA, USAW, outlines how to develop a P.E. class focused on strength and speed development, from a teacher’s perspective.

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Mental Toughness: What It Is, and What It Takes

Mental Toughness: What It Is, and What It Takes

When faced with a threat, humans react with one of three instinctive behaviors: fight, flight, or freeze. There are so many variables that play out into a particular outcome, and most of them are out of your own control—but there is one game-changing variable that is completely within your control when you face threats of any kind: your mental toughness. Guest author Trey McCalla unpacks this game-changing trait, and tells us what it really takes to get it.

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