Interview – Robert Taylor Jr., CSCS*D, SMARTER Team Training

SNI:  What are the 3 ‘must-do’ weight training exercises that all athletes must do if their paramount goal is developing power?  (e.g. swinging a baseball bat, vertical jump ability, etc).

Robert Taylor: This is a commonly asked question and one that is often confused. Keeping it simple… when training muscles, train the muscle. When developing skills, practice the skill. Someone can have an incredibly strong squat, leg press, dead lift, bench press, hamstring curl, forearm curl, etc., etc., but if they are not efficient at the skill of “swinging a baseball bat”, “vertical jump” etc they blame the “power program” they have been using. If there was a direct correlation between strength/power developed in the weight room and the skill they are trying to perform, then those that are strongest would be the best at the skill. It would also have to hold true that those that are the best at their skill are the strongest. Neither of these scenarios are almost ever true. So there seems to be a need to re-educate what strength training does, can do, and will do when training to improve the power of a skill.

So my three “must-do’s” for developing power are more like three “must not do’s” to ensure safe, efficient, productive, and effective strength development.

#1 – Eliminate momentum. Yes, you heard me correctly. Control the resistance. Do not let the resistance control you. If there is momentum there is no stress on the muscle. If there is no stress on the muscle, is strength training productive? Or an even better question to ask yourself, is it safe? (Side note: The Olympic lifts are a skill in and of themselves. They are a skill from the sport of weight lifting. Not a “sport-specific exercise” that covers all sports. Can we please move on as a profession and think about what people are putting out there for our athletes to read without questioning.)

#2 – Avoid “Body Part Training”. Each muscle has various responsibilities during all activities including strength training. Full body workouts with adequate rest, recovery, hydration, and nutritional strategies will be helpful for those new to the strength game as well as those that have been hitting the iron for years.

And #3 – Forget to track your workouts or be progressive. This is where most trainees including athletes fall short. I would venture to bet that if you are tracking your workouts, you know what you bench but have no idea what your maximum heart rate is. Am I correct? When trying to define when to go hard or take a day off, tracking your heart rate may be your key. Pay attention to what your body is telling you and you may just be surprised with your success in any skill you set out to perfect.

SNI:  What is the most common myth you deal with regarding weight training that clients/athletes often believe?

Robert Taylor: The one that pops in my head is “High reps tone and low reps are for bulking up.” Muscle fibers are recruited in an orderly fashion. The intensity of the contraction is a key factor in strength gains, muscular growth, body composition transformation, etc not a magical formula of percentages. Ask progressively more of the body each training session and place a greater stimulus for growth by focusing on how you perform a safe strength training exercise and by understanding that the body takes time to change and adapt to the stress that is being placed upon it. A consistently high level of effort and intensity is the key to proper training. Remain disciplined and have a positive attitude to ensure you reach your goals.

SNI: What does the term ‘functional training’ mean to you?  And do you implement such training with speed-power athletes?

Robert Taylor: I have read, spoken to, watched, listened to, and been involved with several if not numerous coaches that define an aspect of their program as “functional training.” The funny part to me is that in each setting the term “functional training” had a different definition and meaning. It is like the question “What is strength?” Ask your staff, clients, family, friends, colleagues, etc. this question. Video tape each answer. I will bet there will be no two answers that are exactly alike. It could be the root of the problem within our profession as strength and conditioning/personal trainers.  The term “functional training” means to me that movements will be involved in the program. Please tell me where a muscle contraction occurs that is not “functional.” Yes, I hear the “isometric” is a contraction argument, but is that “functional”? Continuing this trendy new definition of where we are as an industry will only become a tirade of many other aspects of this field, so I digress.  So we try to be clear when educating our athletes about strength training and skill development. When we are strength training, we are trying to increase the strength of a particular muscle through the greatest range of motion possible that the joint will safely allow. Both compound movements and isolated movements will be used in a comprehensive program with numerous modalities including but not limited to barbells, dumbbells, machines, body weight, manual resistance, bands, kettlebells, etc., etc. The muscles of the body do not have eyes and do not know where the stimulus is coming from, so why limit the stimulus. As long as it is safe, progressive, and practical, let’s rock! Special considerations will be made where injury potential is greatest. It frustrates me to hear the “our program is comprehensive” and then see that there is no consideration for grip training, rotator cuff strengthening, anterior shin training, or even neck training. Again then, how can it be a “comprehensive program”? But we accept this term or definition without question. Make me wonder why.

SNI: Is there a role for long-duration cardio training for strength-power athletes (e.g., volleyball, softball, short sprints in track, etc)?

Robert Taylor: Is the athlete a weight management candidate? Does the athlete have a prior injury that limits what they can participate in? There are so many things to consider when training a team to the members that make it up. Some athletes are more fragile than others for one reason or another. Many professionals develop “individualized” programs. Then when you take a look at what the “individualized” program offers, it is the same as the other programs minus what the athlete or client cannot do. Instead of working around the injury or limitation it is simply removed. Being efficient, effective, productive, and keeping athletes safe should always be the goal for any one working with athletes. There is an assumption of risk associated with all sports. But why are some comfortable with assuming that risk should transfer to the weight room? Research and technology has moved this profession forward. Some are not listening or may not know where to go to listen to better questions. Can we open our minds and think outside the box of “what’s in front of us” or “what others have always done”?

SNI: Do you train women differently than men (assuming they have the same goal)?

Robert Taylor: Are the exercises different? Long answer short, no not really. The leg press, bench press, lat pull-down, hamstring curl, etc. are all unisex. Repetition ranges can be similar. Rest intervals may vary from athlete to athlete, but that is not gender specific as much as individual specific. How we motivate and communicate is certainly different speaking generally. Catering to the ego of men as individuals or units within a team helps to develop what they call in Australia “mateship”. When working with female teams I tend to reinforce the unity of the group or the value of “family”. When working with men, we develop “strong powerful legs that help you cut and move to impose your will on the competition”. When working with females on the same program, we are working to “shape the muscles of the leg to strengthen the joints of the body to minimize the risk of injury and ensure that you and your teammates are at 100% on game day.” The nutritional programs may differ, but this may not be a “gender thing”. As with weight training, conditioning, or any other aspect of athletic development, each athlete’s situation must be looked at individually and recommendations be made regarding his or her goals.

As the Director of Sports Performance at the Gordon Institute, Robert Taylor oversees all aspects of the Sports Performance program at the Baltimore-based performance complex. Rob is also the founder and owner of SMARTER Team Training. STT has been developed to focus on athlete and team development, performance, and education. Taylor was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Loyola University Maryland for over seven years. Rob was a strength and conditioning consultant for athletes on the Women’s Lacrosse World Cup Champion’s Team Australia in 2005, and was the Head Strength Coach for Team Australia’s 2009 World Cup team which played in the world championship game also. He has worked with professional organizations such as the Anaheim Angels, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Mutiny, and San Antonio Silver Stars. For more information about Coach Taylor go to www.SMARTERTeamTraining.com or email him at coachtaylor@smarterteamtraining.com. Robert Taylor, Jr., SCCC, CSCS*D, CCS, PES, CES, CSES, NSCA-CPT*D, NSPA-CPT
Founder and Owner of SMARTER Team Training, LLC
Website: http://www.SMARTERTeamTraining.com
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