Our 7 pillars might not be your 7 pillars, but without pillars, things fall down. It is the purpose of this post to both offer our 7 pillars of athleticism and encourage you to think about your own, but also to consider where, as coaches, we might be able to broaden our reach and impact our athletes more holistically.
Perhaps because of the extraordinarily high number of syllables in conditioning, it is not uncommon for us to be referred to simply as, strength coaches. On the one hand, strength coach sounds really cool, so, no complaints here, but also, it does rather reduce the perception of who we are and what we do, and where we sit in the process of athletic development. It is our belief that there are 7 components, or pillars, of athleticism, and the following is an outline of each.
STRENGTH
Strength is fundamentally a consequence of picking things up. However, how we pick things up, and what we pick up, will lead to more nuanced, and specifically desired consequences. In the first instance, we must identify the general strength goal, so that we may then apply a training intervention that best meets it. A training goal might be Power, Force, Endurance, Hypertrophy, or Remodelling, and it might also link to a particular Movement Pattern. We must have an understanding of what each of these goals mean, but there might also be further specificity, for example, in the case of a hypertrophy goal, we might hope to encourage Sarcoplasmic or Myofibrillar hypertrophy. So, in the words of Bananarama, it ain’t what you do but the way that you do it. A squat will lead to strength gains, but a low rep heavy back squat won’t deliver quite the same gains as a high rep trap bar squat, a fast 5 rep front squat, 10 sets of 10 low bar squats 3 times a week, or a float aided squat in a swimming pool. Our approach to strength training is to create a current goal hierarchy for the athlete, and to use this to include all outcomes, with a clear emphasis given to those identified as a priority.
CORE
Much like a rowing boat, the principal role of the core is to maintain strong structural integrity while the oars/limbs are moving about. Commonly, the word we use instead of strong structural integrity, is Stability, but though the goal is a stable core, the conditions under which the core must maintain this status are quite diverse. Therefore, we aim to challenge our athletes under Static, Reactive, and Dynamic conditions, in order that they have the opportunity to develop core stability in the context of strength endurance, so that it may be available instantaneously as required, and to give them access to a virtual volume knob, enabling them to turn it up and down during changing and irregular constraints.
MOVEMENT
Though we consider the global pattern of movement to be a strength consideration, we are also interested in the Quality of a movement, the Control, the Range, and the Speed. Some of these components will overlap but assessing them individually can lead to a broader understanding of the athletes’ needs and abilities. Speed, in a strength context, might be read as, fast, but when assessing movement, we are looking at the evenness of speed, or the tempo, as well as the ability to change and manage speed. The quality of the movement is linked to what we want to see, and how close the athlete gets to showing us that, so it is not only, how nice is their shape and technique, but is it the correct shape and technique. Range of movement can link to exercise specification, or highlight athlete limitations, and control could be seen as the sum of range, speed, and quality, but also does the athlete seem in control of what they are doing, and can they transition freely between multiple movement shapes and patterns.
CARDIO & COMPOSITION
As with the previous 3, we are still in familiar territory with cardio and composition. There are numerous ways to ensure we are working towards specific cardiovascular system adaptations, and perhaps some more effective than others, but what matters is to use one. Measuring and monitoring intensity, enables us to prescribe training interventions that promote the specific attainment of Recovery, Composition, Capacity, Performance, and Maximal Effort focused outcomes. Due to limitations of equipment, we generally use the Karvonen Method to establish %MHR and the 6-20 Borg RPE Scale. In respect to composition, again though limitations of equipment, we will measure Lean and Non-Propulsive Mass, however we will also be mindful of the components that make these up, including soft tissue, body fluid, bones, inflammation, adipose tissue, and in some instances, equipment.
MINDSET
Mindset is an area perhaps even more vast and complex than the rest of the body, and maybe even space. As Coaches we are often ready with a motivating story, quote, or pep talk, but to develop a strong mind takes the same thoughtful considerations, structures, and consistency as building the rest of the body. It would be unreasonable for us to carry the same level of knowledge and insight as a clinical psychologist, and entirely inappropriate for us to act as such, but it is our responsibility to understand that there is a difference between the Mental – our Thoughts, and the Emotional – our Feelings. It might also be reasonable for the coach to play a role in encouraging the athlete to develop their own sense of Purpose – their Value Hierarchy, to help them connect with their (the athletes) own Faith – their Belief Systems, and to recognise that all of the above is dynamic. As coaches we must demonstrate consistency in our offering, but flexibility in how and when we offer it. This in turn can create the stability and continuity our athletes need in order to feel safe, explore, and grow. It is not our place to tell somebody what their purpose is, what they must value, or what they must believe, but equally it is not their place to tell us what we should value, believe, or pursue. If we can create an environment in which everybody feels safe to be themselves, and valued as they are, this can promote internal, rather than external validation, leading to a stronger sense of self and great resilience to stress and challenges.
RECOVERY
Recovery as we see it, is what the athlete is doing for the 160+ hours a week they are not training/competing. We don’t have any control over the choices they make, but we can influence and inform, and it is our responsibility to do both. To do this, we might consider our conversations when with the athlete, but we might also take advantage of our huge indirect reach and impact. Posters, in the gym, for example, promoting things such as how to check ones ‘bits and pieces’ in the shower or bath, the benefits of visiting the dentist, or asking when the reader last had an eye test. Information about support groups, social clubs, and help lines, meal ideas, facts and tips on sleep, sexual health, these can be a great way to bring attention to important components of health, and make acting upon them accessible. Perhaps dedicate a shelf to book share scheme, recommend activities ideas for managing stress, and promote local events that people might like to attend together. With some not a lot of effort, we can truly make a significant impact on a persons Medical wellbeing, their Sleep, Nutrition, Stress, and ability to make Connections with others. And that’s before all of the gold we’ve got on foam rolling, nerve flossing, contrast showers, and meditation. The gym, as an environment, is a coaching tool every bit as powerful as the squat rack, and we live in a world where we can reach beyond the walls of the gym via myriad social media platforms. The posters we put on the walls can also be digital posts on our digital walls, the thoughts and ideas we have can be blogs and vlogs, and if we can though doing these things, improve a persons diet, sleep, stress, and relationships, their recovery between bouts of training and competition will in turn be enhanced, creating the opportunity to make great gains in training and competition.
May we stay curious, appropriately sceptical, and open to different.
Coach.