Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Program

  1. Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Program Download
  2. Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Programs
  3. Barry Ross Sprint Training
  4. Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Programming
  5. Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Program Online

There’s almost nothing worse than a plateau. We all are training as hard as we can and it sucks to hit the preverbal wall. Well, guess what? It’s going to happen to all of us at some point. I’ve been a strength coach at the college level for over sixteen years and have coached thousands of athletes (likely now in the tens of thousands) and I can tell you with confidence that each of those kids encountered a training sticking point at some stage of their eligibility.

If your eating is dialed, you are busting your ass in the gym, and getting your rest, but for some reason have stagnated, I might have a solution for you.

If you don’t know his resume, Barry received some notoriety with what was considered an unorthodox approach to training, with the deadlift being the centerpiece to his program. His thinking was based around the idea of mass-specific force. Based partly on Tsatsouline’s research, Ross developed a deadlift-based program to create world-class sprinters. (One of his early prodigies was Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix.). The present study examined the effects of timed ingestion of supplemental protein (20-g servings of whey protein, 3×/day), added to the habitual diet of free-living overweight/obese adults and subsequently randomized to either whey protein only (P; n = 24), whey protein and resistance exercise (P + RT; n = 27), or a whey protein and multimode. The 4 simple steps to recovering surplus money are so simple, that anyone who is determined to succeed will be successful. Whether you are a seasoned real estate investor looking for a new vertical to fund your deals, or someone completely new to the world of investing.this is for you.

The Deadlift as Training Triage

Barry

Our deadlift program here at Cal Poly has taken on many roles to serve my athletes. Ideally it pushes my more elite kids into a new stratosphere of strength and work capacity. But we’ve also found it can be used as an intervention for athletes coming back from injury and even shoulder surgery. These athletes are able to shoulder pack, their upper backs are strong enough to stabilize both the spine and the rehabbing shoulder, which allows us to work at an incredibly high level on their reentry back to full activity.

Most notably, I had a starting offensive linemen on our team who spent the entire offseason in a cast due to a broken forth metatarsal. When they removed the cast, the fracture had not healed and he had to have surgery to fix the issue. After six months of being completely immobilized, he was handed to me at the end of June to “get him in condition” for the season. We had to stay completely closed chain for his conditioning. Think about that. I have to get guy in shape cardiovascularly, but he can’t have any impact on his foot. Long story short, he was indoctrinated into our deadlift program and came out the other end starting every game that year and ended up being an anchor on the offensive line.

We Must Go Back Before We Can Move Forward

In 2007, I met Gerard Rush. I was working an RKC kettlebell instructor course in San Jose, California and the morning of our first day I was introduced to my team for the weekend. In the crowd was this massive Australian guy who looked like Tormund Giantsbane from Game of Thrones. Needless to say, it was love at first sight. We became fast friends and since he was a local guy, we ended up doing a significant amount of training together for years to come.

'This guy was grizzly-bear strong and had an otherworldly work capacity.'

That said, I quickly found out I was way out of my league when attempting to train with Gerard. This guy was grizzly-bear strong and had an otherworldly work capacity. It took next to no time to realize I wasn’t going to be able to hang with him because of the insane volumes he worked at. Every time we would lift together, he would inevitably want to make the decisions for the day and no matter what we worked, all of our sets would be in the twenty- to thirty-rep range. Yes, twenty to thirty.

Now, I know what you are thinking: we were probably doing sissy weights and a bunch of single-joint exercises, right? No. Back squats, front squats, deads, all different pressing variations, and pulling work of any kind. And Gerard insisted we go heavy on everything. I came to find out this is how he trained his entire life and to this day, he was one of the strongest guys I have ever known.

Deadlifting for Sprinting Speed

All of the strength programs I write are put together with the intent of my athletes getting faster. Anyone who knows me understands my speed program is my baby. A few years prior to meeting Gerard, I discovered some of the work Barry Ross was doing with amateur sprinters.

If you don’t know his resume, Barry received some notoriety with what was considered an unorthodox approach to training, with the deadlift being the centerpiece to his program. His thinking was based around the idea of mass-specific force. Simply put, if you can get stronger, and therefore create greater ground reaction forces when your foot is in contact with the ground without increasing bodyweight, then in theory you will run faster.

I spent a couple of years tinkering with that idea as I trained my teams, but the difference being I wasn’t chasing strength and trying to avoid weight gains. I needed my guys (particularly my footballers) to gain as much weight as possible.

Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Program Download

Barry Ross, I’d like to introduce you to Gerard Rush.

8-Week Combine Prep for the NFL

Back then I was working at San Jose State and I experimented for over two years with every set and rep scheme I could think of. My football kids got very strong and we had tremendous success with our programming. At the end of the 2008 season, I ended up prepping two of our stars, Jarron Gilbert and Jeff Schweiger, for their NFL Combine/Pro Day events. Because both of these guys were mutants, I knew I could push the envelope in their training - and my deadlift program was born.

For eight weeks we prepped for their showcases for the NFL, and both wound up overachieving in every testing category. Here is how we did it.

The Nuts and Bolts

The eight weeks are broken into three phases:

Ross
  • Weeks 1-3 - three days of 3x20 deadlifts
  • Weeks 4 and 5 - three days of 3x10 deadlifts with 10 Russian kettlebell swings immediately after each set
  • Weeks 6-8 - back to three days of 3x20

The three training days are of the heavy/light/medium variety, respectively:

  • Wednesdays – Light
  • Fridays - Medium

All percentages are based off of 1RM

As you can see, the percentages escalate rapidly. The way we are able to keep this level of work going without the athlete bonking is that this is the only weight training they are doing. No other resistance training is allowed during this time.

We’ve had some kids attempt to maintain the notion of doing upper-body work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but in every case, they’ve stopped by the second or third week because of fatigue. In contrast, by following this program as written, because of the demands it has on every physiological system of the body, the athlete typically ends up with a new personal record in nearly every lift (including upper-body lifts) thanks to the massive load the body endures throughout the eight weeks.

Guidelines Before Starting

The single most important thing you must consider before attempting this program is your technique. This program is intended for intermediate to advanced lifters (newbies, don’t even think about it). And if you don’t have a coach - get one.

Your technique needs to be borderline perfect before entertaining the idea of trying this program. Have someone who knows what he or she is doing evaluate you prior to starting. Make sure you are given a passing grade, technically, before starting. This coach should also keep an eye on you for the first week or two of the program to make sure you are able to hold spinal position under fatigue. If you are getting any flexion whatsoever during any of the sets, abort the mission.

In execution, these workouts are sprints, not a marathon. What I mean by this is, the reps are performed unbroken, touch-and-go style. Kiss the floor with the bar and then go into the next rep. You must perform all prescribed reps consecutively. If you can’t, adjust the percentages down by 2-3% so you can string all the reps together (this is typically only a concern on the heavy Mondays). If you do have to adjust down, remember to adjust down for all the weeks that follow to create congruency. What I’ve found is those who can’t go unbroken (especially in the first couple weeks) lack work capacity or they realize around rep thirteen (when the clouds roll in) they have bitten off more than they can chew.

'Stretching, mobility work, and some self-myofascial work are okay in addition to this program, but no upper body, no cardio, and no sneaking in extra abs[.]'

Take as much rest as you need between sets. In the later weeks, I’ve seen guys take up to fifteen minutes rest between sets because the demand is so high. Only begin your next set when you feel recovered (and when you get your nerve back, ‘cause believe me, this is going to test your moxie).

Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Program

In weeks four and five, the ten kettlebell swings are to be performed Russian style immediately after a set is complete. Men, use a 24kg. Ladies, 16kg. Swing as hard and fast as possible.

Eat.

Sleeping won’t be problem during this program. Make sure to budget enough every night because your body is going to need the extra recovery.

Lastly, commit to only doing this for the eight weeks. Stretching, mobility work, and some self-myofascial work are okay in addition to this program, but no upper body, no cardio, and no sneaking in extra abs or any of the nonsense my athletes try and slip by me. Take my word for it - I’ve had about fifty athletes complete this program, and all fifty will tell you this is all you need.

Be Ready for a Challenge

This program is a very aggressive one, but if you are finding yourself in a rut and need something to jumpstart your progress, this is a surefire way to get the ball rolling. If you give it a shot and/or have questions about any aspect, please post them to the comments below.

Check out these related articles:

Photo 1 courtesy of Breaking Muscle.

Photo 2 courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo 3 courtesy of CrossFit Empirical.

Let’s face it, at this point in 2015, there are not very many unique techniques left that can be employed to get athletes faster.

In this article, I’m going to introduce and discuss one that I hope is still relatively unknown in the arena of speed development. The method is referred to as “Deficit” training utilizing the hex bar (aka trap bar). Incorporating a deficit can serve as a progression for athletes and perhaps emphasize better development of specific speed related qualities. I will elaborate on these qualities below, as well as provide you with a video demonstration of the actual exercise.

What is Deficit Training?

But first, I want to quickly define what a deficit is for those who are unfamiliar.

Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Programs

A deficit is simply an increase in the height of standard lifting surface. Examples would be performing conventional pushups off of two medicine balls, or deadlifting while standing on a 45 lbs. plate, etc. The elevation naturally increases range of motion and time under tension.

Here is the video of the technique implemented with a hex bar and below I will outline several reasons why you should integrate this drill into your athletic training programs:

Why you should try Deficit Training

  1. Hip-Posterior Chain Power Development
  2. Increased Sarcomerogenesis
  3. General Hypertrophy
  4. Start Specificity

#1-HIP-POSTERIOR CHAIN POWER DEVELOPMENT:

Hopefully, it’s no secret at this point that the hex bar deadlift variation is of extreme value for athletes looking to get faster. Here is a classic study compliments of Jim “Smitty” Smith that examined the effects of the hex bar and straight bar deadlift variations on a group of elite powerlifters. [1] What the researchers ultimately found was that power production was greater with the hex bar than the straight bar. Moreover, lumbar spinal stress was lower than with the straight bar. Now I’m in no way saying that the straight bar is not useful for an athlete, because it is. Barry Ross has had huge success using this exercise with his athletes and making them faster throughout the years. I also admire the hell out of the powerlifting culture and there amazing and unparalleled feats of strength. With that being said, I will always follow scientific research, and in the context of strictly “speed and athletic” development we have to give the edge to the hex bar. Power has been identified as the most important element for achieving higher running speeds and the hex bar does the absolute best job in satisfying maximal development of this skill out of each type of deadlift.

#2-INCREASED SARCOMEROGENSIS

Sarcomerogenesis is the formation of new sarcomeres within a muscle tissue which can lead to increased muscle growth.

Research supports this process when we operate under a heavy workload with the target muscle in a very stretched position. [2] When you examine the amount of pre-stretch that occurs to the glutes and hams at the bottom position of the video I shared, it’s easy to see how the exercise could stimulate sarcomerogenesis. Try to say that last word 5 times fast. Anyways, we can classify strength exercises depending on how long the muscle becomes during the duration of the movement.

  1. Short-Length Exercises: i.e. hip thrusts, board presses, sled training, etc. These movements involve very little stretch before contraction occurs and focus on building strength in the end range of an exercise.
  2. Medium-Length Exercises: i.e. squats, chins, military presses, etc. These movements involve a moderate degree of stretch before contraction occurs and are the most common in athletic movement and training.
  3. Long-Length Exercises: RDL’s, Dumbbell presses, Deficit work, etc. These movements involve the highest degree of stretch before contraction occurs.

Each of these categories has its place in a comprehensive athletic training program, whether it be working around injuries, training specific weaknesses, satisfying movement specificity, or whatever else. Please check out this article by Bret Contreras:

…. which relates the process of sarcomerogenesis to the act of sprinting specifically. He discusses all kinds of mechanisms and physiological reasons for why this adaptation is critical to speed athletic success.

#3-GENERAL HYPERTROPHY

With increased ROM (Range of Motion) and TUT (Time Under Tension), you will naturally enable more of a growth stimulus with this specific exercise. Cross Sectional Area, or the size of a muscle group is another foundation principle to athletic and speed success according to research, so this can only be good for the athlete in question. Months back I reviewed a scientific review article, compliments of Brad Schoenfeld which demonstrated that movements with more ROM will elicit higher degrees of subsequent muscle growth than shorter ROM exercises. [3] This is not to say that “partial” range of motion exercises are not valuable because they undoubtedly are. They help strain the Central Nervous System which may lead to strength improvements and adaptation, they develop “lockout” function which many struggle with and more. We are just talking hypertrophy here. The general theory behind increased ROM creating greater muscle growth deals with a greater eccentric phase leading higher levels of muscular damage. Which in turn causes of overcompensation of growth to help protect against future threats against the target tissue. Lastly, deficit work is very exhausting when performed correctly, and metabolic fatigue is also a major precursor to activating muscle growth responses in the human body.

#4 START SPECIFICITY

Barry Ross Sprint Training

This one is pretty obvious I think. If you analyze the muscle and joint actions between a block start, football start, and the deficit it’s easy to see there is a lot of similarity between them all, which would allow for greater transfer between each.

All of these skills rely on Starting Strength Capacity. This is the ability to generate maximal force production without the aid of the SSC (Stretch Shortening Cycle) or Stretch Reflex. In other words, you are priming the neuromuscular system to be able to generate as much force as possible with absolutely zero momentum throughout the concentric phase of the movement. This is often referred to as that explosive first step which everyone is so desperately trying to improve in athletics. Deficit training is not the only type of exercise to improve start and first step function but it will certainly help.

SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES

Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Programming

Barry

Barry Ross Sprint Training Dl Program Online

  1. Swinton, PA. A biomechanical analysis of straight and hexagonal barbell deadlifts using submaximal loads. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25: 2000-2009, 2011.
  2. Zollner, AM. Stretching skeletal muscle: chronic muscle lengthening through sarcomerogenesis. PLoS One, 2012.
  3. http://img2.tapuz.co.il/forums/1_158907702.pdf
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Travis Hansen

Travis Hansen was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Reno Bighorns of the NBADL for their 2010 season, and he is currently the Director of The Reno Speed School inside the South Reno Athletic Club. He is the author of The Speed Encyclopedia.
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