by Brett Holland, PT, DPT, CSCS | Jul 27, 2016 | Performance
If you train with a trustworthy person, it may be more advantageous to let him/her load the bar for you (so you don’t know the weight). An interesting research study was published in PLOS ONE in which unknown loads were compared to known loads in the bench...
by Brett Holland, PT, DPT, CSCS | Jul 23, 2016 | Performance
A July 2016 study published in JSCR found a strong relationship between eccentric strength (peak and relative force), and more importantly, eccentric strength to body weight ratio and jump height. Eccentric simply means the lowering portion of a lift, for example the...
by Brett Holland, PT, DPT, CSCS | Jul 22, 2016 | Performance
A new study has come out touting the benefits of HMB-FA (free acid) which appears to be a follow up on the 2014 study, “The effects of 12 weeks of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate free acid supplementation on muscle mass, strength, and power in...
by Brett Holland, PT, DPT, CSCS | Jul 21, 2016 | Performance
Training in sand has been used for decades in an attempt to provide variation and training stimulus to advanced athletes. Sand can be a particularly useful environment for vertical jumpers to train. Firstly, it reduces the stress on the joints by providing a softer...
by Brett Holland, PT, DPT, CSCS | Jul 20, 2016 | Performance
A new study released in July in the JSCR reports that caffeine not only helps athletes improve jump height, but it does so by improving rate of force development [1]. What did the authors do? Gathered 25 collegiate athletes with training experience (16 men, 9 women)...
