JP Schmidt Performance

💡Another edition of books strength coaches and coaches should have in their arsenal.

Supertraining, by the legendary Verkhoshansky and late Mel Siff. Be forewarned, this is a college level text and is not for reading pleasure. This will be a mainstay in your tool box that goes into great detail on the ins and outs of sport training ranging from the different types/actions of muscle fibers, to the deepest details of the stretch shortening cycle, and as far as showing how to plan a year macrocycle for a competitive athlete. This book is as inclusive as it gets coming straight from the research of some of the Eastern Bloc’s best sport scientists.

Is this the end all be all of athletic performance books? Not hardly. Is it mandatory to have? Of course not! Will you learn more from this book than your poorly trained influencer / hype coaches who have are substance over knowledge? More than likely.

I still go back to certain chapters as a reference when I need a refresher on training concepts ( us coaches forget things), and am reminded about how much I still need to learn.

Nevertheless, always a valuable resource to have in your lineup to be a competent, more rounded practitioner.

💡Books every strength coach and personal trainer should have in their arsenal: Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports.

A short read compared to some of the other texts I’ve featured but dense on useful information - exactly the reason why it’d make a great gift to another professional in the field or someone interested in jump development for themselves. As you read through, you’ll gain deeper insight on the stretch shortening cycle (SSC), jumping ability as it relates to the nervous system, and plyometric programming. There’s also an extensive list of different upper and lower body plyo movements for various sports.

I don’t recommend the purchase of this book solely just to get the exercises and not absorb the fantastic information it provides -if you’re not up to speed on the how’s and why’s of the stretch shortening cycle, now’s a good time to brush up. I think it’d also be wise to know how and for whom to program the movements presented in the book for so that you’re able to give the best training effect for those you work with.

Grab this book, and keep it handy- once you learn the ins and out of programming plyometrics and jumps, it becomes a very useful source in your day to day training! I’ve used it as a supplement with all of my athletes, especially volleyball and track athletes with fantastic results.

💡Happy Monday! Just showing love to some of the Fortis Fitness and Athletics family who had big wins the past week(s)!

The journey continues - keep that fire going!

💡I’m bringing back the featured books that fitness and strength professionals should have in their arsenal.

Not that long ago I had a discussion with a trainer who told me he did a ‘lot of research’ but had no clue what meta analysis was. And to add salt to the wound, then continued to argue with me about a word he never heard -CONFIDENTLY AND WRONG AF! Talk about Dunning Krueger effect at its peak!

I hate to admit it but our field has become filled with pseudo experts all looking for quick ways to get views and clicks while hard pulling on the emotions and insecurities of the masses. Meanwhile education and pedagogy fall to the wayside as those who need help become more confused and disillusioned with incorrect advice and training methodologies. We got to be better!

Anyway, back to this book: Sahrmann is renowned in the world of Physical Therapy and brings amazing insight into the body’s biological systems and their dynamic. This book is a college level text and a complex read but it’s great for those looking to better understand the body, its movements ( especially the back and shoulder complex), imbalances that can occur and ways to treat those imbalances. Clear, detailed pictures bring the body to life and superbly details possible methods to treat dysfunction within.

Who is this book good for? Aspiring personal trainers, physios and strength coaches would be well off having as this is a great reference to come back to when needed - or can be used to brush up on past knowledge when needed.

Don’t stop learning- and always stay curious in whatever it is you do if you want to rise above the rest in your field! You owe it to your clients and those you help!