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.

💡Congrats to these two hot shots for their all district baseball honors and recognition!

cox has had to put up with two years of training with me. The biggest, most differentiating super power he possesses aside from his gentle heart? Consistency! Tired, beat up, he still managed to find time to train. It’s no surprise he’s racking up hardware and soon to be playing baseball at the next level.

has been with me for about six months and he loves to train- he has the drive and the commitment to be better and all district honors is a testament to that! Looking forward to the offseason of adding size and strength- and hopefully even more hardware for the next season!

💡A glimpse into the week of training!

💡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!

💡It’s Friday- that means it’s time to feature a book personal trainers and strength coaches should have in their arsenal:

📖 Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance by Stuart McGill.

I have been a follower of McGill for years. He’s a one of the handful of practitioners that I trust for back physiology and health, so when he says anything I shut up and pay attention. I have used and come back to this book as an invaluable resource countless times over the years to help assess and at times rehab/prehab my adult clients and athlete back issues.

Do you want to learn the anatomy of the spine and its surrounding parts?
Are you interested in how dysfunction in those parts can lead to pain?

Do you want a pathway to solutions to help deliver comfort to your clients in dealing with pain?

Much of that is covered in this book along with many other of his publications.

I’m confident this will help you home in on your craft as a physio, strength coach or personal trainer.

Take note: This book is a resource and will not make you a qualified back expert and as a trained professional you should always refer your clients with back issues to a specialist.

This is a valuable resource along with his other books if you’re wanting a well rounded education on spinal health, movement and causes of dysfunction- from someone at the forefront of the profession.

💡A glimpse into the training from the past week!

Good luck to my track athletes heading into regionals this weekend! All of your prep and training has led you to this- let your talent flow!

Looking for your offseason training location? We’re talking well planned, smart programming intent on getting results and keeping the client safe.

Invest in your body and your success- not many in the area are progressing and doing it better than us when it comes to optimizing performance!

💡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!

💡A glimpse into last week’s training!

On any given day we may have adult clients, tennis, softball, baseball, track and field, and volleyball athletes all training throughout the day. What’s stopping you from coming in and taking your performance and health to the next level?

💡The week in training because we enjoy showcasing the attention to detail and consistent improvement!