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Welcome to the Excelsior blog. It is a mix of current research and thoughts on Athlete and Coach Development, Strength and Conditioning and personal reflections.
Comments are welcome (please leave your name) and you can subscribe by clicking on the RSS feed.
Thanks for taking the time to read it.
James Marshall
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Muscles Strengthening exercises: why the 5km run is not the health panacea.
Muscle-strengthening exercises such as bodyweight exercises, exercise bands, and dumbbell, barbell and machine resistance training exercises have been shown to impact a variety of health outcomes including: · Improved muscular strength. · Bone mineral density (stronger bones). · A decrease in all-cause mortality (the chances of dying from health-related diseases). · Improvements in cardio-metabolic health […]
2 Comments | Read More | healthy lifestyle, running -
Coaching at a weightlifting competition
Three things I had in mind to help the weightlifters Last weekend I coached three of our club weightlifters at the Wild Boar Tier 3 event: Gabby, Will and Chris. This was their first competition outside of the club. Whilst every ‘S&C coach’ does ‘Olympic Lifts’ they do not coach the lifts in competition. There […]
0 Comments | Read More | competition, weightlifting -
Summer reading recommendations 2022
It’s that time of year: schools are breaking up, annual holidays are planned and the thought of sitting down with a good book comes to the minds of many people. My summer reading recommendations are taken from the 44 books I’ve read, so far, this year. The reason I say the number is that I […]
1 Comment | Read More | book review, books -
3 Take Home Lessons from GAIN 2022
I have just returned from Vern Gambetta’s GAIN conference at Rice University, Houston. This was my 9th time attending this event. It is a mixture of practical workshops, lectures and small group discussions between sports coaches, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, athletic development coaches, administrators and at least one professional athlete. ‘So what?’ You […]
0 Comments | Read More | -
Beware the Sirens
Odysseus was able to resist the call of the Sirens by having his sailors tie him to the mast. They stuffed their ears with wax so as to avoid being called to sail onto the rocks and be wrecked. Odysseus listened to their beautiful song but his ship stayed on course because of the strength […]
1 Comment | Read More | -
How to start weightlifting pt3: your first competition
Your first weightlifting competition. Entering your first competition is a big step for every weightlifter. Every single Olympic weightlifter has had to enter as a beginner at some point. Whilst you may not be able to control your nerves, and you can’t control what the other entrants are lifting, you can prepare yourself by eliminating […]
0 Comments | Read More | competition, preparing, sports psychology, weightlifting -
Free the children
Have you been to a zoo recently? You might see a collection of animals behind bars. They have some space to roam but, for the likes of the speedy cheetahs, not enough to get up to full speed and hunt. They were born to do this. I have written previously about the stunted development of […]
0 Comments | Read More | LTAD, power, speed -
Book review: How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil.
It’s rare nowadays that I add a book to my recommended reading list. Not because I don’t read much, it’s mainly because of a lot of rehashed ideas that are repackaged and branded as new. Not this one. Subtitled, ‘A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past, Present and Future,’ Smil does an excellent job of covering […]
0 Comments | Read More | book review, science -
Improve your coaching through storytelling.
Ever wondered why you aren’t getting through to your athletes or peers? You have listed the references, provided the data, and shown a few charts, just like your undergraduate lecturers told you to. They would be proud. Professor Bill McGuire, of UCL, said this, ‘Scientific papers, however well-written, rarely carry the emotional weight of a […]
2 Comments | Read More | communication, Transformational Coaching -
Why movement is important for your child’s brain development
In his book, Livewired, neuroscientist David Eagleman illustrates how the neurons in our brains look similar to plants with roots. Like plants (or kittens), those that are enriched grow more than those that are deprived. Children who are exposed to a limited form of movement, such as treadmills, exercise bikes and machine weights, will develop […]
0 Comments | Read More | athletic development
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Paul Mitchell Golf Academy
With twenty plus years golf coaching experience working with all levels of golfer, I have sought after specific physical training for my more elite players. In this quest, I have worked alongside trainers who have worked with the very best golfers in the world. I can hand on heart say that James is the […]
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