Archive: Jan 2009

Conditioning for Football

Question: Coach Ferruggia, I just wanted to let you know I have been a big fan of your stuff for years and appreciate what you do. I had a quick question about football. What do you do for conditioning with your football players? When do you do it in the weekly schedule? How often? Thanks a lot man, Jared Austin Answer: Jared,… continue reading.

The Rise of Sandbag Training

By Josh Henkin Sandbags have a very rich history, maybe more so than any other training implement. For hundreds of years (possibly thousands) sandbags has been an integral training tool for athletes, specifically wrestlers. Why? They are an inexpensive tool that is incredibly versatile and can offer the benefits of unstable training with a challenging load. This is a benefit that many of today’s unstable gadgets can not provide. However, the benefits don’t stop there. Greater stabilizer, trunk, and grip strength can be developed with sandbags… continue reading.

Citrus Baked Tilapia

By Dave “The Muscle Cook” Ruel Makes 4 Servings Ingredients * – 1 pound fresh tilapia fillets * – 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil * – 1 Tbsp. lime zest * – 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice * – 1/4 cup orange juice (preferably freshly-squeezed) * – 1/2 thai red pepper (optional, only if you like it spicy) * – 1 tsp. seasalt * – 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper Directions * 1. In a bowl, mix olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, orange juice,… continue reading.

Bands and Chains

Question: Jason, how do you use chains and bands with your athletes? Do you use them on dynamic effort days only or maximal effort days as well? What are the loading parameters? Answer: The answer to your question is I don’t. About 10 years ago I got caught up using chains and bands with almost everyone I trained. We used them as a form of accommodating resistance on dynamic effort days and some… continue reading.

How to Get Faster: Interview with Speed Coach, Patrick Beith

Q: What are the top two common myths that coaches still believe in regarding speed development? A: There are so many myths regarding speed development and proper training but I will give you some that I hear all of the time from coaches. 1. Speed work is running 100 yards or 200 yards or repeat 40’s with little or no rest. This is False. I have coaches tell me all the time that their athletes are doing speed work and then goes into telling me that his athletes are running beasts, suicides, repeat 100 meters, or repeat 40 yards dashes… continue reading.

Meatballs with Crunchy Sweet Potato Chips

This is a great recipe from Paleo Cookbooks. Ingredients 250g mince 1tsp salt 1/3 cup almond meal 3 cups baby spinach 1tsp dijon mustard (optional) 25g tomato paste 2tbs sage 1 sweet potato, medium Olive oil Instructions Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180o Celsius/350o Fahrenheit.  Place spinach in a bowl and cover with boiling water, leave for 2 minutes before draining as much liquid as possible from the spinach. Chop well.  Place spinach in a bowl along with mince, salt, almond… continue reading.