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Energy Systems

3 Ways to Make Zone 2 Cardio FUN

I’ve got an admission to make… …for most of my adult life, I’ve absolutely HATED doing cardio. But as a trainer and coach for 23 years now, I also know improving my conditioning is critical if I want to move and feel great as I age. So over the years, I’ve tried just about everything […]

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6 Tips for Writing Better Conditioning Programs

The year is 2012. One of my favorite athletes of all time, Kathryn Voelker, had just gotten a soccer scholarship to play at Purdue in the fall. Life was grand – except it wasn’t. KDawg had struggled with conditioning her entire career. Here was a girl that had some pace and explosiveness, and could do […]

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RTS Coaching: Tempo/Oxidative Lifting

When you’re coming up in the industry, it’s really easy to think you know everything about everything. Case and point: We all know that if you want to be super awesome at lifting, sports and life, you only need fast-twitch muscle fibers, right? And in some regards, that makes sense. After all, fast-twitch fibers are […]

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RTS Coaching: High Intensity Continuous Training (HICT)

  In recent years, there’s been a ton of talk about energy systems development, and the best ways to prepare our athletes for their sport. One method that has garnered quite a bit of attention is high intensity continuous training (HICT). This method is somewhat unique, in the fact that you will perform HICT for […]

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Physical Preparation with Joel Jamieson

I’m forever indebted to Joel Jamieson. His book, Ultimate MMA Conditioning, completely changed the way I looked at conditioning and energy systems training. But most importantly, this book gave me the tools to help build better athletes. In this episode, we’re going to dig deep into the topic of conditioning. We’re going to talk about […]

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How to Hack Team Sports Conditioning Tests

Over the past couple of years, team sports conditioning tests have become the bane of my existence. Well, let me preface that – bane of my existence along with early sports specialization, everyone being a nutrition expert, and a host of other things. But I digress… First and foremost, these tests are often stupid and […]

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Putting the C in S&C: An Energy Systems-based Approach

Putting the C in S&C

By Marc Lewis and Travis Pollen Don’t get us wrong: when it comes to building durable athletes, strength is the foundation. However, oftentimes coaches become so single-minded that they practically forget about conditioning. Or at the very least they misapply it. Consider the following scenario: It’s day one of pre-season for [insert intermittent high-intensity sport], […]

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3 Tips for Successful In-Season Training

Over my coaching career, I’ve navigated the treacherous waters of in-season training with high school, college, and professional athletes. Needless to say, it’s not easy. I always kid around that coaches that work with teams year-round are masochists, as there’s so much more that goes on behind the scenes than simply understanding the biomechanics or […]

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Real Talk about Aerobic Training for Athletes

A few weeks back, my good friend Joel Jamieson and I saddled up to the conveyor belt sushi place in Seattle, WA, for a meal after a long morning of work. Over the 2 hours that spanned our drive, wait time, and meal, we covered a wide range of topics. Neuroeconomics. Business. And of course, […]

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Widening the Aerobic Window

If you’ve been around athletics for any period of time, chances are you’ve seen the athlete who isn’t “in shape.” Whether it’s football, basketball, soccer, or something in between, they make a few runs up and down the field or court and they’re gassed. Red faced, tugging on the shorts, and gasping for air like […]

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Two HRV Case Studies

Heart rate variability (HRV) has been getting a ton of press lately, and with good reason. We all know that training, nutrition and recovery always has been, and always will be, an arms race. Who can train the hardest? Who can really dial in their nutrition? And who is recovering the fastest and most completely […]

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5 More Thoughts on Energy System Development

A few weeks back, my article 10 Nuggets, Tips and Tricks for Energy System Training got some great reviews. However, I don’t feel as though people should take what I say as gospel, either. There was one comment in particular from a reader that stood out: Not that I’m against this style of training, I […]

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The Cardio Competition

Note from MR: Last week in my 10 Nuggets post, Tip #10 was to make energy system training fun whenever possible. Jen Sinkler is someone I really respect in our industry, and with her background as a National caliber rugby player, I know she knows a thing or two about conditioning. If you want some […]

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10 Nuggets, Tips and Tricks on Energy System Training

Energy system training (EST) is always a hot topic in the fitness and athletic development industries. And unfortunately, I think there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to EST. With everyone looking to get leaner, more “toned,” or just look and feel like a sexy beast, it’s natural to assume that glycolytic and/or […]

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You NEED Long Duration, Low Intensity Cardio

(Lead Photo Courtesy of Malkav) You don’t want to hear this — but you need to hear it. Chances are, you need some low-intensity conditioning work in your programming. Long duration, low-intensity cardio has a myriad of benefits. Improved cardiovascular function. Deeper, more restful sleep. Less stress and anxiety. So you really have two choices […]

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