Never Let Go by Dan John, (20) The Best Exercises, Notes

Post date: Oct 25, 2016 12:50:16 PM

Dan John - On Target Publishing

Chapter 20. The Best Exercises - For assessment, these exercises answer the following: Did the athlete get stronger? Can she apply that strength explosively? And can she apply it in the field of play?

• • • The Deadlift - the #1 test of absolute strength. It exposes grip or core issues and it has a 5 minute learning curve.

    • Bench Press - An upper body strength representation. Remember: the rep doesn’t count if anybody besides the lifter touches the bar.

    • Standing Long Jump - Test of athleticism and explosiveness

Planning Criteria

• • 1. What’s the learning curve of an exercise? For example, learning the olympic squat snatch requires a long, gentle climb while, in contrast, learning to correctly perform the two hand kettlebell swing has about a five minute learning curve.

       • When coaching in big groups we must always think in terms of logistics and practicality. Find the lowest common denominator. This is the lowest level at which everyone can be successful and challenged. Always consider the idiot factor.

    2. Will what we choose make the athlete better? Cut down the number of exercises and figure out what works.

    3. Does it work towards our goals? A little thinking goes a long way in our training.

    4. Anything will work when programming for 1-2 athletes but can it work with a group?

• • • Try to choose exercises that blend all four criteria: easy to learn, makes the athlete better, helps us to achieve our goals and can be scaled for the entire group. For example:

      • We need to squat somehow. Bulgarian split squats are good in large groups as they only require one dumbbell per person.

      • Two hand swings allow us to practice explosive jumping movements without the dangers and stresses of landing.