Ben Griffin
@Coachgriffin88
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Strength & Conditioning Coach (ASCA PL2) and Exercise Physiologist (ESSA)
Canberra
Joined April 2018
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I build my strength programs around 8 movement patterns:
• Squat
• Hinge
• Bridge
• Lunge
• Horizontal push
• Horizontal pull
• Vertical push
• Vertical pull
I’ve written a manual, which explains how I do it. Like & share this & send me your email & I’ll send you it.
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I once asked a coach that I was interning under, for a breakdown of his program. He said, “of course, I’ll give you the whole program. There are no secrets. The magic is in the implementation, you can’t implement my program like I can.”
It was a good lesson to learn…
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Most great S & C Coaches happily share their knowledge.
A great coach once said to me, “I’ll tell/show you everything I know, it won’t make you as good as me, I can implement what I know better than you can.”
To me, an unwillingness to share knowledge suggests insecurity.
#gym
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When younger, I admired S & C Coaches who were doing “fancy” shit with athletes & I wanted to be the coach doing “fancy” shit!
These days, the coaches I look up to don’t do anything “fancy”! They teach their athletes to execute the basics savagely well and preach consistency!
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Have you ever seen someone do a Nordic hamstring curl and razor curl this easily?
I found this old video on my phone today. He’s a young soccer player that I used to coach. He was the best I’ve ever seen at doing Nordic’s.
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In my opinion, stability ball leg curls are on the short list of best hamstring exercises 👌
Isometric contraction of glutes, whilst the hamstrings then work to flex the knee and are also challenged eccentrically, as the knee extends ✅ ✅ ✅
Any other coaches love these?
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Athlete 1 does trap bar deadlifts.
Athlete 2 does barbell deadlifts.
Then, they get on the field and no one cares what exercises they did in the gym. As long as they’re resilient, strong and playing well.
#deadlifts
#athletes
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Rear foot elevated split squats, with a floating heel.
Any other coaches a fan of these? Have you done them with the athletes you coach? Have they worked well?
I like them 👌
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I call these, tennis ball around the worlds.
They’re a combination of a shoulder strength & mobility exercise. I like to include them in athletes’ warm-ups, or at the end of a session. A few sets of 10, really gets the shoulders burning.
Any other S&C coaches program these?
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Razor curls are a great hamstring exercise. But, they’re bloody tough.
Shown in the video are some progressions that I use, to help athletes build up to doing them.
The 3 exercises outlined in the video are also just great hamstring exercises on their own.
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Hamstring bridges are a staple in my programs, for athletes whose sport requires them to sprint.
The joint angles closely match those seen upon ground contact when sprinting. Hence, we’re building strength in a position specific to sprinting.
Below is the progression I use.
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Dynamic hip switches.
These are a great, dynamic hamstring exercise, which somewhat resembles the action the hamstrings perform during sprinting. I use these as a more advanced long lever hamstring progression.
Do any other S&C coaches program these for their athletes?
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I asked a coach that I was interning under for a rundown of his program. He said, “I’ll give you the whole program. There are no secrets. The magic is in the implementation, you can’t implement it like I can.”
It’s one thing to write a program, it’s another thing to implement it
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Prone overhead press (as seen in the video), is a great exercise for the upper back muscles and shoulder external rotators.
Really good exercise to chuck in an athlete’s warm-up, or as a filler exercise, anywhere in a program.
Way tougher than they look.
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Hamstring bridges are a staple in the programs I write, for athletes whose sport requires them to sprint.
In the video, I outline the progression I use.
I start with isometrics, then we progressively make them more dynamic.
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Outlined in the video below, is the hamstring bridge progression I use with athletes.
I’m a big fan of hamstring bridges. The joint angles closely match those seen upon ground contact when sprinting, so we’re building hamstring strength, in a position specific to sprinting.
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What’s an S&C coach?
Someone who failed as an athlete, but likes training and wants to stay involved in sport.
Accurate? 😂😂
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An example 2 day per week strength training template, I’ve used with athletes (whole body sessions):
Day 1:
A1 - Horizontal power
A2 - Lateral power
B1 - Hinge/deadlift
B2 - Horizontal pull
C1 - Single leg
C2 - Vertical push
C3 - Distal hamstring
Day 2 👇
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2 people apply for a job as an S & C Coach;
• Candidate 1 - Has a Masters & PHD (& every S & C cert), but has zero coaching experience.
• Candidate 2 - Has the bare minimum qualifications, but has been coaching for 5+ years.
Chances are, I would end up hiring candidate 2.
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Shown in the video below, is the hamstring bridge progression I use with athletes.
It starts with isometric holds and then gets more dynamic.
I’m a big fan of hamstring bridges. We’re building hamstring strength, in a position specific to sprinting.
Anyone else like/use these?
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Eccentric hamstring curls with a slider, are one of the GOAT hamstring exercises.
Cues I use:
• Pull your toes towards your head.
• Squeeze your glutes.
• Once you get out as far as you can, dig your heel into the ground hard, for 1 second, before dropping your hips down.
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It’s important to have progressions & regressions for exercises, including plyometric’s.
In the video I outline a progression for hops, but it can be applied to any variation of plyo’s.
The progression:
1 - Stick the landings
2 - Double contacts
3 - Single contacts
4 - Drop in
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S & C coaches need to stop glorifying “the grind” & being proud of not getting paid.
“I don’t do it for the money.” 🙄 You need money and you need sleep.
You’re not violating the coaches’ code of conduct, if you have a sustainable work life balance & get paid your worth.
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Hamstring bridges are a staple in programs I write, for athletes.
The joint angles seen when doing them, match those seen upon ground contact when sprinting. Hence, we’re building hamstring strength, in a position specific to sprinting.
Below, I outline the progression I use.
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Over the last few years I’ve started incorporating more and more low amplitude plyo exercises into my programs.
They’re great, they:
• Build ankle stiffness.
• Build Achilles capacity.
• Build ankle stability.
In the video is one of my favourites; single leg plate taps.
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Below is a whole body strength and power session, I did this week, with a rugby union athlete:
A1 - Hang power cleans
A2 - Broad jumps
B1 - Trap bar deadlifts
B2 - Board press (not in video)
C1 - Skater squats
C2 - Ring rows (not in video)
C3 - Weighted hamstring catches
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Prone Cuban Press.
Any other S&C coaches program this exercise for their athletes?
I love it, as a warm-up or filler exercise, for any contact/overhead/throwing athletes.
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Any other strength and conditioning coaches love split stance RDL’s?
They allow you to separately target the hamstrings on each leg and still go heavy, because unlike single leg RDL’s (which are also a great exercise), there’s no balance element.
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Build your strength programs around movement patterns, not exercises.
Example upper body session template:
• A1 - Horizontal push
• A2 - Vertical pull
• B1 - Vertical push
• B2 - Horizontal pull
Then just insert exercises. There’s the meat of your session.
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No one tells you this at Uni (or when doing any other S & C course), but the majority of your time coaching is spent talking to athletes. I don’t mean talking about training, talking about life and other random topics.
Your ability to hold a conversation matters.
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Strength training needs to be a regular, ongoing habit for athletes, not something they do for a few months at a time! If you’re not training strength, you’re losing strength!
Coaches need to do a better job of helping frame the way that athletes view strength training!
#coach
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This is a progression I’ve been using to allow athletes to perform the concentric phase of a Nordic hamstring curl.
Hinging over the ball makes it easier for them to pull themselves back up (I stress easier, these are still by no means easy 😂).
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I build my athletes’ strength training programs around 8 movement patterns:
• Squat
• Hinge
• Bridge
• Lunge
• Horizontal push
• Horizontal pull
• Vertical push
• Vertical pull
I then layer velocity focused exercises on top; sprints, jumps, med ball throws & oly lifts.
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Below are the templates I use, for the 2 main sessions each week, for our Athlete Development Program:
Day 1:
A1 - Horizontal power
A2 - Lateral power
B1 - Hinge
B2 - Horizontal push
C1 - Lunge/split squat
C2 - Vertical pull/upper back
C3 - Distal hamstring
1/2
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These overcoming isometrics with a med ball are one of my favourite neck exercises, for contact sport athletes.
They’re simple, but very effective.
I like to have athletes do 2-3 rounds, holding each position for 5 - 15 seconds.
What are other coaches go to neck exercises?
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Hamstring exercises like this are a must for athlete’s who sprint regularly.
You’re developing strength at length, in a position specific to sprinting.
The press is a great way to challenge the catch position.
Any other coaches a fan of these types of hamstring exercises?
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These overcoming isometrics with a med ball are one of my favourite neck exercises, for contact sport athletes.
They’re simple, but very effective.
I like to have athletes do 2-3 rounds, holding each position for 5 - 20 seconds.
What are other coaches go to neck exercises?
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If you’re using jumps and plyometric’s, to develop power, simple is better.
The simpler the exercise, the more the athlete can just focus on producing as much force as possible.
If you over complicate these exercises, the athlete has to think too much & force output goes down.
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I feel like every S & C coach went through a massive meathead phase, at some point in time and now we spend most of our time trying to help others avoid making the same training mistakes we did 😂
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Imagine doing a 3 or 4 year exercise science degree, only then to be told by your local gym that you’re not qualified to be a coach there.
How is this still happening? It makes zero sense.
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It’s important to have progressions and regressions for all exercises, including plyo’s.
In the video I outline a progression for hops, but it can be applied to any type of plyo’s.
The progression is:
1 - Stick the landings
2 - Double contacts
3 - Single contacts
4 - Drop in
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I build my athletes’ programs around 8 basic movement patterns:
• Squat
• Hinge
• Bridge
• Lunge
• Horizontal push
• Horizontal pull
• Vertical push
• Vertical pull
I then layer velocity focused exercises on top of these; sprints, jumps, med ball throws and oly lifts.
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When you first start coaching, all you want to do is work with elite athletes.
These days, I don’t really care what level an athlete plays at. I want to work with the ones that show up everyday, the ones that listen and want to learn and are just fun to hang out with.
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You don’t get stronger in the gym. Training provides the stimulus, it damages the body. It’s then whilst recovering, that that you get stronger.
I think it’s important for athletes to understand this.
The below graph does nice a job of illustrating this process.
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It’s important to have progressions and regressions for everything, including plyometric’s.
In the video I demonstrate a progression for hops (can be applied to any plyometric’s):
1 - Stick the landings
2 - Double contacts
3 - Single contacts
4 - Drop in
Do you do similar?
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201
These overcoming isometrics with a med ball (aka neck bridges) are one of my favourite neck exercises, for contact sport athletes.
I like to have athletes do 2-3 rounds, holding each position for 5 - 15 seconds.
What are other coaches go to neck exercises?
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200
Razor curls are a great hamstring exercise. But, they’re bloody tough.
Shown in the video are progressions I use, to help athletes build up to them.
The 3 exercises outlined in the video are also just great hamstring exercises on their own.
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Hamstring exercises like this are a must for athlete’s who sprint regularly.
You’re developing strength at length, in a position specific to sprinting.
I classify this particular exercise as a more advanced hamstring bridge progression.
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S & C coaches need to stop glorifying “the grind” and being proud of not getting paid.
“I don’t do it for the money.” 🙄 You need money and you need sleep.
Work hard, but you’re not violating the coaches’ code of conduct, if you have work-life balance and get paid your worth.
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Any other S&C coaches a fan of dumbbell drop broad jumps (as seen in the video)?
I love them. You get the overload effect of the weights, without the awkwardness of jumping with them.
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Here are the templates I use, for the 2 main whole body sessions each week, for our Athlete Development Program:
Day 1:
A1 - Horizontal power
A2 - Lateral power
B1 - Hinge/deadlift
B2 - Horizontal push
C1 - Lunge/split squat
C2 - Vertical pull
C3 - Distal hamstring
Cont. ⬇️
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192
Prone Cuban Press.
Any other S&C coaches program this exercise for their athletes?
I like it, as a warm-up or filler exercise, for any contact/overhead/throwing athletes.
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190
Prone overhead press is a great exercise for the shoulders. I love including these in athletes’ warm-ups.
With these, I often see athletes go too heavy & not do them properly. You don’t need much weight, the muscles we’re targeting are small. I have 2kg each hand in the video.
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French contrast training is a great way for athletes to develop power.
The below video features an example tailored towards vertical leap.
Any other coaches utilise French contrast training?
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If you’re a young S & C Coach, in addition to your studies, make sure you’re learning from coaches who are actually coaching!
I can tell you now, sessions do not pan out the way they’re written in textbooks! And, a lot of research recommendations are impractical!
#coaching
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“Train like a 40 year old, when you’re 20, so you can feel like a 20 year old, when you’re 40.”
- Joe DeFranco
This doesn’t mean don’t train hard. It means warm up properly, focus on recovery, wave intensity, etc.
I realise 20 year olds will not listen to this 😂
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Example strength and power session, with a rugby union athlete:
A1 - Power cleans
A2 - Mini hurdle jump into big hurdle jump
B1 - Trap bar deads
B2 - Board press (not in the video)
C1 - RFE split squats, with a floating heel
C2 - Single arm rows
C3 - Hamstring bridge catches
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Featured in the video below are some of my favourite and most commonly used adductor exercises.
Do any other S&C coaches use these exercises? Are there other adductor exercises you like/use?
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Prone overhead press.
Another one of my favourite upper back exercises.
They’re way tougher than they look. They’re a good warm-up or filler exercise.
Any other S&C coaches program these for their athletes?
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What are other S&C coaches thoughts on exercises done with a floating heel? Should athletes do more of them? Or are they gimmicky and unnecessary?
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Have you heard of French contrast training?
It’s a great way for athletes to develop power.
It involves performing 4 biomechanically similar movements, one after the other. Each of varying loads and performed at different speeds.
You to tick off most parts of the FV curve.
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Prone overhead press (with a dowel), is another upper back exercise that I love.
It’s a really good one to include in an athlete’s warm-up, prior to doing any overhead work.
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Over the last few years I’ve started incorporating more and more low amplitude plyometric exercises into my programs.
They:
• Build ankle stiffness.
• Build capacity in the Achilles.
• Build ankle stability.
The video shows single leg plate taps, an example low amp plyo.
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175
Example strength and power session, with a rugby union athlete:
A1 - Power cleans
A2 - Mini hurdle jump into big hurdle jump
B1 - Trap bar deads
B2 - Board press (not in video)
C1 - RFE split squats (floating heel)
C2 - Single arm rows
C3 - Single leg hamstring bridge catches
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173
Simple program template I use:
- Warm-up
1 - Velocity focused exercise/s (sprints, jumps, med ball throws, oly lifts)
2 - Main lift/s (squat, hinge, push, pull)
3 - Accessories (compliment the main lift/s and/or target weak areas)
4 - Conditioning (as/if required)
#training
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If you’re a young S & C Coach, don’t try to be someone you’re not!
The stereotypical Coach is very loud and overly energetic. If this isn’t who you are, you won’t last very long trying to fake it!
Know who you are and find a way to make it work! Develop your own style!
#coach
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S & C Coaches, think of your job as less about sets & reps and more about relationships!
Looking back, an athlete’s not going to think, “I loved that coach, he had the best sets x reps schemes!”
They’ll remember the relationship you developed & how you made them feel!
#coach
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It’s important to have progressions for plyometric’s.
In the video I outline a progression for hops, but it can be applied to any variation of plyometric’s.
The progression is:
1 - Stick the landings
2 - Double contacts
3 - Single contacts
4 - Drop in
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168
Athlete 1 does barbell bench press.
Athlete 2 does dumbbell bench press.
When they get on the field/court, would you be able to tell which athlete did which?
No! As long as they’re strong, it doesn’t matter/no one really cares about the specific exercises they did in the gym!
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It’s important to have progressions and regressions for movement patterns, including plyo’s.
In the video I outline a progression for hops, but it can be applied to any variation of plyo’s.
The progression is:
1 - Stick landings
2 - Double contacts
3 - Single contacts
4 - Drop
3
14
167
I once asked a coach I was interning under, for a breakdown of his program. He said, “I’ll give you the program. There are no secrets. The magic is in the implementation, you can’t implement it like I can.”
It’s one thing to write a program, it’s another thing to implement it.
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14
164
Coaching hack:
• Have athletes do some skipping at the start of their sessions, as part of their warm-up.
Not only is it a great way to get their heart rate up, it’s also a great way to accumulate low amplitude plyometric work (great for the Achilles).
Do other S&C’s do this?
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The Dunning Kruger Effect is super applicable to S&C coaches.
When you’re young, you think you know everything.
Then, as you get older and start to learn a thing or two, you realise how little you know 😂
In saying that, some people never come down from that first peak 😂
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If you’re studying exercise science (or similar), & you currently don’t do any training yourself, I’d have to question why you’re studying exercise science 🤔
I would assume a love of training would be why you want to study it? It blows my mind how many students don’t train 🤯
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I’m a big time introvert.
I could never be the loud, overly energetic, stereotypical S&C coach. Because of this, I doubted whether this was the career for me.
But, over time, I developed my own style, that works for me.
You don’t have to be the stereotypical S&C coach.
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What’s a strength and conditioning coach?
Someone who failed as an athlete, but likes training and wants to stay involved in sport.
Accurate? 😜😂😂
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Here are the templates I use, for the 2 main sessions each week, for our Athlete Development Program:
Day 1:
A1 - Horizontal power
A2 - Lateral power
B1 - Hinge
B2 - Horizontal push
C1 - Lunge/split squat
C2 - Vertical pull/upper back
C3 - Distal hamstring
🧵1/3
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8
157
I’m a big fan of trap bar deadlifts, for athletes.
Primarily due to:
• Decreased ROM; can help minimise fatigue.
• Athletes stand inside the bar, which means the weight lines up with their centre of mass; makes the set up easier.
Any other coaches a fan of the trap bar?
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Strength hangs around.
Speed does not.
As shown in the table, the residual effects of strength training can last for around 30 days. But, it’s only about 5 days for speed training.
Hence, the importance of sprinting regularly.
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A barbell with plates on it, is an arbitrary height off the ground.
Strength sport athletes (powerlifters and weightlifters) have to lift from this position, because that’s their sport.
No one else is under any obligation to do so.
#strengthandconditioning
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Do other S&C’s stress about not having enough variety in their programs? Do you worry your athletes will get bored?
I do.
But then I remind myself, some of the athletes I coach don’t even remember how to do the warm-up that we’ve now been doing for the past 5 weeks 🤦♂️😂
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Here are the templates I use, for the 2 main whole body sessions each week, for our Athlete Development Program:
Day 1:
A1 - Horizontal power
A2 - Lateral power
B1 - Hinge
B2 - Horizontal push
C1 - Lunge/split squat
C2 - Vertical pull
C3 - Distal hamstring
Cont. ⬇️
1
5
153
Single leg hamstring bridges (dumbbell loaded).
One of my go to, in-season hamstring exercises, athletes.
They develop strength at length, in a position somewhat specific to sprinting, as the joint angles closely match those seen upon ground contact, when sprinting.
3
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151
Here’s a 50 rep band pull-apart circuit that I often include in athletes programs, to strengthen the upper back muscles and the shoulder external rotators.
I’ll often put it in with the accessories, or just at the end of a session. A few rounds really gets the shoulders burning.
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As a young S&C coach, all I wanted to do was work with pro athletes.
Nowadays, the athletes I want to work with are the ones who; show up no matter what, work hard, listen, are good fun & nice to everyone… the level of sport they play doesn’t matter.
Can other S&C’s relate?
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Example 2 day per week strength training template, I’ve used with athletes:
Day 1:
A1 - Horizontal power
A2 - Lateral power
B1 - Hinge
B2 - Horizontal pull
C1 - Single leg
C2 - Vertical push
C3 - Distal hamstring
Cont. ⬇️
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152
I’m not sure if S&C Coaches & Personal Trainers have themselves to blame for this, but it blows my mind how many people don’t hesitate to ask for free training programs and/or turn their face up when you tell them how much your services cost 🤯
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Stability ball leg curls are a great hamstring exercise, for athletes 👌 The progression I use:
1 - Double leg - Eccentric only
2 - Double leg - Concentric + eccentric
3 - Double leg concentric + single leg eccentric.
4 - Single leg - Concentric + eccentric (shown in the video).
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What are other S&C coaches thoughts on exercises done with a floating heel? Should athletes do more of them? Or are they gimmicky and unnecessary?
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If you study exercise science (or similar), &you currently don’t do any training yourself, I’d have to question why you’re studying exercise science🤔
I’d assume a love of training would be why you want to study it? Blows my mind how many students I come across who don’t train🤯
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I’m not a physio, but I think physio’s would benefit from learning more about S&C.
The best physio’s I’ve worked with have had a decent understanding of S&C & have been the best at returning athletes to regular training.
Physio’s thoughts?
*Replace physio with PT if in the US.
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Prone overhead press is a great exercise for the shoulders. I love including these in athletes’ warm-ups, or at the end of a session. Great for the upper back muscles and shoulder external rotators 💪
Any other S&C coaches like these?
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A session I just did with a 70 year old:
A1 - Single leg balance
B1 - Goblet box squats
B2 - Rows
C1 - Glute bridges
C2 - Barbell push-ups
D1 - Step-ups
D2 - Pulldowns
D3 - Pull-aparts
Crazy thing is, the template for this session is basically the same as I use for athletes.
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