Twitter Beef - Devo Programs

I started this newsletter as a platform to share my thoughts, ideas, and opinions on all things related to Strength and Conditioning. While I prefer to steer clear of Twitter arguments, there's a discussion I came across this week that I think is worth exploring: the Freshman Developmental Program. If you missed it, Cody Hughes, a High School Strength Coach in Alabama, questioned a Depth Drop to Vertical Jump progression used by Grant Geib, the Head Strength Coach at Western Michigan. You can see the tweet here: Cody Hughes on Twitter. Cody's argument is that this progression is too basic for D1 athletes, suggesting that it's more appropriate for high school freshmen rather than college freshmen. He believes it doesn't significantly contribute to their development. On the other hand, Grant uses this developmental program to lay down foundational skills. He hasn't worked with these athletes on campus before and may be using this training partly as an assessment tool while educating the athletes on how certain movements should be performed. As with most debates, I find my opinion somewhere in the middle. I agree with Cody that freshmen need to be trained more intensively than they were 10 years ago. The quality of training before college, whether in high school or private settings, has undoubtedly improved. Prolonged regressed developmental training can be a disservice. Additionally, using a developmental program as an assessment screen can seem like a weak justification. However, I also see significant value in placing college freshmen on a developmental program. At URI, I use it as an opportunity to teach new athletes how we train, familiarize them with our cues, and instill the focus and discipline required in the weight room. I also find that regressing to exercises like Goblet Squats and Dumbbell Bench Press helps break the attachment to certain lifts or the obsession with strength numbers that some athletes develop. If I can challenge a freshman with heavy Goblet Squats and Dumbbell Bench Press, is there really a rush to get them under a barbell? Probably not.

Development is becoming rare in college football. In an era where it's uncommon for players to stay from the start to the finish of their careers, we need to be more aggressive with their development while we have them. That said, there's a right and wrong way to challenge athletes. Figuring out what works best for your program and your athletes is what makes this job exciting! Keep pushing the limits and keep the fire burning, Leech P.S. I decided last minute to add our first 3 weeks of Devo Weight Room training for folks to see. For context, we train the whole team (80 guys) at one time, so some of our programming choices are built around room logistics. This also doesn't include our field work we do. Anything our upperclassmen do for speed and conditioning, I have our freshmen do too. At the end of the day, train them hard, love them up, and start their career's off on the right foot. That's all you have to do! If you found this article useful, here’s 3 more ways I can help: Want to learn more about Contact Prep Training? I've created a whole course with 60+ to add in to our offseason / summer training! IF YOU'VE BEEN USING THE COURSE, PLEASE TAG ME ON TWITTER! Contact Prep Course Get The Villiain Arc. A 12-Week Bodybuilding Program designed to break you down and build you up into someone you never even imagined. Each week comes with it's own inspirational article as well. IF YOU'RE SCARED OF GAINING TOO MUCH MUSCLE, AVOID THIS LINK The Villain Arc

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