John Shackleton, MS, CSCS

If you've been training hard and you're still slow, effort isn't the problem.

It's what's missing from your training.
Speed requires three things working together:

1. Strength — Lower body and unilateral strength to produce force into the ground. Split squats, step ups, single leg RDLs.

2. Elastic quality — The ability to absorb and reapply force quickly. Pogos, bounds, jumps. Without this, ground contact is too long and speed leaks.

3. Intent — You have to actually sprint. Short accelerations, hill sprints, max effort work. The nervous system needs to be trained at the speeds you want to express.

Most athletes have one or two. Very few train all three.That's usually the gap.

Speed is a skill. Train it like one.

Let's Work 🔨

Why Do You Fade Late In Games?

The fourth quarter doesn't care how explosive you were in warmups.

The best athletes aren't just powerful early. They're powerful when everything hurts, the game is on the line, and the tank is running low.

That's not a conditioning gap. It's a training gap.

Power under fatigue is a quality you build, but only if you train for it directly.

Three ways to develop it:
1. Contrast training - Pair a heavy strength movement with an explosive movement back to back. Your body learns to produce power even when it's already been taxed.

2. Density blocks reduce rest periods intentionally. Force the body to express power under accumulated fatigue just like the demand the fourth quarter creates.

1. Competition simulation - Train in conditions that reflect what the game actually asks of you late. When the training environment matches the competition environment, the body is ready for it.

Power fades when it's never been tested under stress.

Build it fresh. Train it tired. Finish games the way you start them.

Let's Work 🔨

Box jumps are one of the most underrated tools in the off-season toolbox.

Here's how I page them in and out of programs through the year:

Early off-season: When we're still in a developmental phase building strength, box jumps let me sprinkle in power work without taxing the body. Single response, low impact, and a great way to teach landing mechanics and body awareness before we ramp into more elastic plyo variations.

Late off-season: They slot beautifully into contrast training. Pair a heavy compound lift with a box jump and you've got a recipe for moving the force-velocity curve.

In-season: When the priority is time on the court or field, box jumps let us touch power development with minimal volume and minimal residual fatigue. You get the stimulus without a heavy cost.

My go to programming: 3 sets of 5. Low volume.

Let's Work 🔨

OffSeason

Athletic Lower Body Training Session

Here's an athletically structured lower body session designed to develop power, maximal strength, strength endurance, and stability.

General Warm Up - 5 Min Bike

Dynamic Warm Up- Squats, Lunges, Good Mornings, Deep Lunges w/ T-Spine Rotation

Block 1 — Neural Prep
Overcoming Iso Rack Pull (Knee Height)- 3x5 sec
BB Block Pull - 3x3
Accentuated Linear Box Jump - 3x3

Block 2
Hatfield Squat — 6x5 ramping weight
**can perform any squat variation**

Block 3
DB Walking Lunge — 3x20 steps Landmine Contralateral Single Leg RDL — 3x8 each

Save this for your next session.

Let's Work 🔨

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

I cannot believe this is 30 grams of protein 🍫 Prime Protein is a game changer for recipes.

No weird aftertaste, just thick, creamy, chocolatey flavor. The dark chocolate layer in the middle hits different 🤌

Full recipe 👇
12 tbsp chia seeds
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2 cups full fat coconut milk
4 scoops Equip chocolate Prime Protein
4 tsp maple syrup
8 tbsp melted dark chocolate (middle layer)
Cacao nibs to top

Blend protein + almond milk + coconut milk first until smooth. Stir in chia seeds and maple syrup. Pour half into jars, drizzle melted dark chocolate, fill to the top with remaining mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Top with cacao nibs before serving.

Link in bio for Equip's Prime Protein 🔗

If your workouts just feel off, do not assume the answer is more motivation or a new program.

Check the basics first.

1. Sleep�Work toward 6 to 8 hours per night on a consistent schedule. When sleep drops, output, coordination, and recovery usually drop with it.

2. Hydration�As a practical daily target, aim for roughly half your bodyweight in ounces of water, then increase that based on training, heat, and sweat loss.

3. Food quality and meal consistency�Aim for 3 to 4 meals per day built around real, minimally processed food. If meals are inconsistent, your training will suffer and your recovery just won’t be optimized.

Most bad sessions are not random.They are often a reflection of the inputs leading into them. Fix the inputs before you judge the output.

Let’s Work 🔨