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Training, nutrition, and elite athlete performance tips from entrepreneur Sarah Walls.
Filtering by Category: Training
I love running because... I come up with all kinds of ideas, I get to process information, think about important decisions, daydream, etc... what's not to love? In my opinion, it is very closely related to walking meditation.
Read MoreI've committed to and started training for my first powerlifting meet in 5-years. In the past I can't say I've ever really prepared to my fullest. My diet has always just "been" and I've competed at whatever my weight happened to be (which was always in the 165 class).
My training prep has always been good. Great planning, actually. But, I tweaked details too much and those were in the days when I had 2+ hours to burn lifting. I don't have that anymore.
Read MoreMindset as it relates to performance, or lack thereof, has fascinated me over the years - especially since having children. I've found my ability to really focus has diminished greatly. Part of that is definitely age related.
Read MoreMake it bad, then make it better. Audio is the pits. Let's go:
Read MoreAbout 3.5 years ago I decided to start running.
As a child, I chose sport participation based on the volume of running required. Basketball? No. Soccer? No. Track…? Uh, NO.
Softball? Yes! Volleyball? Hell, yes! Weight lifting? Sure!
As an adult, I would do some running, sporadically. And I noticed anytime I went out for a run my mind really relaxed and I could get some good "thinking" done.
Read More
Often I witness athletes spending upwards of 15-minutes dedicated to their non-barbell warm-up; this includes initial mobility, SMR, general dynamic, etc. Only to make a beeline for the squat rack and load up some weight to get to work. With this approach, yes, you could get hurt - although I’d say that’s unlikely - but what you’ll definitely get yourself is poor CNS readiness, an un-grooved pattern for the session, and a shitty training day.
Personally, unless I’m experiencing a sudden limit in mobility or extreme soreness, I will forgo that style general warm-up in favor of shooting hoops for 5-10-min. For advanced athletes, it's really all about knowing your body. Regardless of the approach, once the general phase has been completed it’s time to get into the specific warm-up for the day and get primed for an awesome session.
It probably goes without saying, but this protocol is only applicable when using barbell lifts. It’s pretty simple, but many people rush the barbell warm up sets. I assume this is because they don’t know how to properly hit their needed repetitions without overdoing it. So, they’re afraid of going into their work sets pre fatigued from too many warm up sets. But, they blow it by not getting in enough and end up starting their work sets with he CNS still trying to get on the same page as your brain.
So, one of the most important benefits of a warm up is the CNS activation/excitement. Usually, you hear the benefits being blood flow, extra GPP, technique work, etc. but in this case the goal is to get everything firing fast and strong.
You want to feel GREAT going into that first work set.
In fact, you want to be chomping at the bit to crush weight. Teetering on the edge of freaking out if you don’t get started. That is CNS excitement. That readiness.
This is how your should feel when properly warmed up.
Here is a standard warm-up protocol I like to use with athletes - percentages are based off of weight to be used during work sets:
bar x10 (ALWAYS - if you think you’re too advanced for a bar warmup, then that proves to me you’re not; so re-categorize yourself as intermediate, at best, and add in that bb set)
50% x 10
70% x 5-8
80% x 3-5
90% x 1-3
Truth-be-told, this is a very subjective process. Reps need to be dictated by how the athlete is feeling in that moment. If they are struggling to get in the groove, then they should be pushed to hit the higher rep number on each warm-up until their body finally reaches a point of CNS excitability.
On the other hand, if they’re ready to get moving, then I prefer to have them go through the minimum to keep them focused on the work sets.
You can (and I have) argued in favor of the opposite approach for both examples, but this would be my default approach.
If the athlete you’re working with is too immature to make these calls on their own, then err on the side of the higher volume warm-up.
Improving performance in athletes is often made to be very complex and hard to understand. So when in doubt, my approach is to measure it. Whatever "it" is. As much as I try to get measurements on every factor of athletes as I possibly can, there are still those outliers who defy science and theory and my best efforts to measure them.
For example, the athlete who works tirelessly - doing exactly what his/her coach prescribes; nothing more and nothing less, but with full mental engagement (vs. going through the motions) and yet can’t budge in a certain category. Oh well, must be “genetics” is often the response from the field.
Or, the insanely gifted athlete who follows 55% of the advice given, eats absolute crap 92% of the time, doesn’t get enough sleep, and still improves at every measurable on earth. Oh well, must be “genetics”...
I haven't researched or proven what I'm about to discuss, so this is based on my own observations of watching thousands of athletes move and perform over the course of thousands upon thousands of hours.
I think an individual's ability to quickly turn on their core is at the heart of the performance improvement holy grail.
Over time I've noticed that there is a relationship between high performance and one’s ability to fire a strong core very fast. I’ve also noticed that there may be a similar relationship that exists between injuries: fire fast, fewer injuries OR fire slow and get hurt.
It is well accepted that you need to brace your core during heavy lifts to not have energy leaks; lack of bracing during heavy lifts can also cause form breakdown. But how do we train the ability to fire the core? To fully engage it in a fraction of a second?
Great question, glad I thought of it, let’s find out:
A partner can work for this too, but the speed off the wall trumps what you get from a partner: a wall doesn’t need time to react.
Again, these are just ideas, but I think it's something worth exploring for efficacy.
KB Swing 5x10
A1 Partial Turkish Get-up (to bridge) 3x5/side
A2 Hanging Knee Raise 3x5
1-Arm KB Swing Ladder x10ea L/R, x15ea L/R, x20ea L/R - twice through
B1 Partial Turkish Get-up (from 1/2 Kneeling to Stand) 3x5/side
B2 Goblet Squat 3x:20
Hand-to-Hand Swing x10, x20, x10, x20, x10 (1:1 work:rest)
Ouch. After 2-days of StrongFirst.
In February we were in Louisville at the NSCA Coaches Convention. I had the great opportunity to listen to Dan John speak since our booth was, well, kinda dead.
He was talking about the various progressions he's developed over the years and, specifically, the how and why behind his squat progression. Now, most people would execute the following:
Goblet Squat --> Front Squat --> Back Squat --> Overhead Squat
But, Dan suggests this progression:
Read MoreHere is the current wave I'm on in the weight room. I'm also 3-weeks into a 5-10k training plan. So that consists of 7 x 35min E pace for the week.
My main purpose for this strength training wave is to continue to support my running. The winter was tough and I was uncharacteristically inconsistent with my runs. So, I'm taking myself through the often recommended 6-week base building (or really injury prevention) phase prior to starting the more intense training.
With that said, the actual lifts I'm doing are pretty legit, although I've scaled back a touch from my winter waves. So, far I've felt great. The more frequently I am able to get out on the trail the better my legs feel.
I actually changed my foot strike about a month ago and am loving it: I went from a mid-foot strike with no heel drop to a mid-food strike WITH a heel drop. I've found it makes an incredible difference for my calves and plantar fascia.
Anyway. This is what my training consists of. Will be getting a new wave soon. Still loving my overhead squat. BOOM.
