Blog

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

1. Tradition is the scourge of endeavour

   7th April 2010 9:33 am

   A quote taken from Terry Pratchett’s “Unseen Academicals”.

   Think about that.

   Having been in a few environments where tradition has been deemed important, I can empathise with this quote. In fact, the hierachy of “people in charge” who have wanted to remain traditional have stamped on any signs of endeavour.

   This could be in Karate- where bastardised forms of fighting have been put in sequences and ritualised beyond all recognition oif actual fighting.

   0 Comments | Read More | boxing, jack Dempsey, nfl draft

2. Using RPE to predict 1RMs- Harrison Evans

   1st April 2010 8:44 am

   How to use RPE to predict your strength

   Much of the strength related exercise prescription advice delivered by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) prescribe intensity relative to an individual’s maximal strength (1-RM)

   1 Comment | Read More | agility, learning, tommy baker

3. Flexible Non Linear Periodization- “Brand new concept” – Not.

   29th March 2010 11:07 am

   Flexible Non Linear Periodization is a new concept according to research published here. The concept is that if your athlete turns up to the gym fatigued, not having slept, or feeling ill or stressed, you adapt the workout to that situation.  You don’t inflict the prescribed periodized workout onto the athlete.

   1 Comment | Read More | equestrian, overtraining

4. Sports Nutrition- Grow your own veg

   25th March 2010 9:58 am

   As Andrew Hamilton remarked a couple of weeks ago on the blog festival with regards to sports nutrition: Walk before you run. It constantly amazes me how clueless young athletes are about simpel eating facts. One of the reasons is that society has beome distant from food in its natural state. Do youngsters go scrumping anymore? (that would combine the tree climbing for pulling strength and healthy eating!).

   0 Comments | Read More | periodisation, qualification, strength and conditioning course

5. Warm Ups for strength training- Istvan Javorek

   12th March 2010 4:36 pm

   On a daily basis I hear from students that they heard that some exercises are dangerous. So my first basic weight training class I start with this short introduction: There aren’t dangerous exercises, just dangerous techniques.

   I devote a great deal of time to warming-up exercises.  I consider a good warm-up to be the first step in preventing injuries, as well as providing very good mental and physical preparation.

   2 Comments | Read More | warm ups

6. Pull ups- How good are you?

   11th March 2010 2:59 pm

   Thanks to Simon Worsnop for this link to a page dedicated to feats of strength on pull ups. This followed our conversation on the need for finger, forearm, grip and pulling strength for rock climbing.  Young athletes from all sports are notoriously weak in their upper body (more tree climbing needed), but then spend time on bicep curls in the gym.

   2 Comments | Read More | equipment, volume, world record

7. Blog Festival Thanks

   8th March 2010 4:09 pm

   Thanks to everybody who contributed to the blog festival. The last 2 weeks have shown me that the busy coaches are often the ones who find the time to do a little bit extra. I hope all the readers have found at least one or two useful snippets of information.

   
   

   There is a mantra quoted to me previously “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.”

   
   

   Thanks for all the feedback  from clients and colleagues too.

   
   

   0 Comments | Read More | speed training, strength and conditioning qualifications

8. Jack Lalanne Guest Blog

   7th March 2010 10:40 am

   To finish off the blog festival, Jack Lalanne has kindly sent this quote:

   “Anything in Life is Possible, if YOU Make it Happen!”Jack is now 95 years old and still training regularly see the interview I did with him on his 93rd birthday here

    

   1 Comment | Read More | speed training, strength training

9. Injury Prevention in the gym: Roy Headey

   6th March 2010 12:01 pm

   

   Do any of the following rugby-related comments sound familiar?

   0 Comments | Read More | injury, rugby

10. Managing Parents: Dave Rotheram

    5th March 2010 12:08 pm

    

    I have recently completed a case study on the parental expectations of coaches of elite rugby league players.

    The parents of the England Youth (u16) squad completed a questionnaire about their child’s involvement in the sport and parental expectations of the coaches their children work with. 

    2 Comments | Read More | energy system, jack lalanne, speed training, tiger woods