Intervention by Dan John, (12) 6th question - What do you lift in the weight room?, Notes

Post date: Jan 7, 2016 2:09:55 PM

Dan John - On Target Publishing

Chapter 12. 6th question - What do you lift in the weight room?Assessment tells us our point A. If not assessing we're guessing. Assess a number of mobility and strength movements. The best tests are done by asking questions and watching movements.

• • 1. For mobility and flexibility use a tool like the Functional Movement Screen. Insist on active straight leg raise and shoulder mobility screens for everybody--we get an instant insight into the function of the four knots’ (Dr. Mark Cheng) -- shoulders and hips need to be in a balance between tension, mobility, stability, strength and looseness. It has to be just so, like a knot in a shoelace: Too loose no hold (bad), Too tight means no untie (bad).

       1. Screening provides a basic sense of how much time needs to be spent on mobility work. If there are hip, shoulder or thoracic mobility asymmetries left to right, that’s where we begin. Work every day for 6 months.

       2. If no asymmetries exist: still incorporate joint mobility work as part of the beginning, middle and end of each training session but, as with strength training, enough is enough.

       3. With mobility, assessing every 6 weeks should be a part of training.

    2. Tests of strength or performance should be done every 2 months.

    3. Movements Intervention. We become so singularly focused on our strengths that we need to have a bunch of people point out our flaws. Initially, find the blanks in training. Build the program from there.

    4. Bests lifts

• • • 1. Push

      2. Pull

      3. Hinge (most basic, powerful and important of human movements)

      4. Squat

      5. Loaded Carry - walk/run/sprint under load (greatest gains athletically)

      6. 6th movement: rolling, kneeling, one side work and all the rest (to assess use Turkish Getup. It tests coordination of all the ‘other’ sixth movements

• • 5. Gaps. Find the omissions in training and make the athlete do them. Have them do the things they need to do rather than the things they want to do is the definition of quality coaching

• • • 1. Push gap - less than 10 pushups.

      2. Hinge gap - teach a proper swing and encourage some form of deadlift.

      3. Squat gap - goblet squat every day until the issue is resolved.

      4. Loaded carry gap - when addressed, changes one’s ability to handle load in all areas.