10.28.05
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Click
here to Ask Joe about training. If you send a
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NEWS & UPCOMING
EVENTS!
I know that it’s been a couple of weeks since
I had a website update, but as you will see, we haven’t
been sitting on our asses doing nothing! Below are
some upcoming events & announcements that I want
to share with everyone. It’s been a very busy
couple of weeks here in Jersey. Check it out…
1) 1st DeFranco’s Training
seminar at our new facility!
DATE: Saturday,
December 10th.
TIME: 9:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
COST: $150 per participant (limited to 15 participants)
How do I sign up? All participants must register
by phone. The deadline for registration is Monday,
November 28. You will need to reserve your spot with
a credit card. Your card will not be charged until
the day of the seminar. Call 201-444-2260 to reserve
your spot today. Space is limited!
The information covered in this seminar
is intended for strength & conditioning coaches & personal
trainers who are looking to learn about Conjugate
Periodization & its practical application towards
beginner to intermediate athletes. Topics of the
seminar will include:
Morning – 9:30-12:30 - The
DeFranco Strength Method for High School & College
Athletes
Afternoon – 1:30 – 5:00 - Proper
technique & periodization
of special exercises / Open Q&A
2) On Friday,
November 4, I will be speaking at the final SWIS
Symposium in Ontario, Canada. My topic
of discussion is going to be “The Ultimate
Speed Development Program.” Rest assured, this
won’t be your average discussion on speed training!
There will also be over 20 of the most well-respected
lecturers in the world in the field of performance
enhancement, nutrition & injury prevention speaking
at this event. If you haven’t registered for
this incredible learning experience, I would highly
recommend that you register now! For more info go
towww.swis.ca.
3) I have finally
finished writing the 2nd Edition to my original
manual, “The 40-Yard Dash, Advanced
Speed & Strength Methods.” Since I don’t
know where the proceeds of the original manual are
going, I just decided to write a better version of
the friggin’ thing! This 60-page, information-packed
manual is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand
what it takes to run faster. I have added new sections
and kick-ass pictures to the manual & look for
it to be on sale next week on this site!
4) Myself & N.Y. Giants fullback, Jim Finn,
will be featured on FIT TV’s Insider Training
with Gabrielle Reece on Thursday, November 10 at
8:00PM (EST) & again at 11:00PM (EST). Mark your
calendars!
5) IT’S COMING! Protein
bars will never be the same…
The first product in the DeFranco’s Sports
Nutrition, LLC supplement line is done! We have put
the finally touches on our pre-workout energy bar,
the name is trademarked and it’s PHENOMENAL!
Look for our MoJoe Energy Bar to
start selling on this site and in gyms & health
food stores on the east coast very shortly!
First & foremost,
this thing tastes GREAT! It’s
soft & chewy and doesn’t take 3 hours to
choke down! The iced chocolate cake flavor that we
came up with is going to be a world-wide hit…and
this isn’t just some glorified candy bar either – although
I don’t want to reveal all the details just
yet, I will let you know that we packed 28 grams
of quality protein into a bar that has less than
300 calories in it & the “energy blend” will
be the first of its kind in a protein bar! Stay
tuned for more details!
We’re looking for the MoJoe Energy
Bar to hit the market by January 1st!!!
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Q: Joe, I know that you must have a lot
of people kissing up to you, but I feel that it’s
well deserved. I was brought to your site via the
Westside barbell site & I must say that I am
extremely impressed – not only with your
knowledge base, but your writing ability. Your
style is easy to read, entertaining, and most importantly – informative.
Just wanted to thank you for the quality, FREE
info!
Now my question, I noticed your female training
pics. Looks like you guys really have your female
athletes hit it hard. How do you prevent them from
putting on unnecessary bulk? They look lean & athletic
despite your “hardcore” approach to
training?
Thanks for your anticipated response.
Bobby
A: Bobby,
it is true that we “show no mercy” to
our female clientele! The bottom line is that female
athletics are increasing in popularity everyday & they
must prepare their bodies for the demands of their
sport just like any other athlete should. In my opinion,
strength training is the most powerful training tool
that a female athlete can perform! Not only does
strength training help to improve their performance,
but more importantly, increased strength drastically
helps to prevent inherent injury risks in females.
Strength development is especially important for
females because they have an increased risk of ACL
tears & knee problems due to their hip to knee “Q-angle”.
A strong “core”, hips, quads & hamstrings
can drastically decrease stress on the knee joint
when female athletes land from a jump & when
they change direction on the athletic field.
Research has also shown an increase in musculoskeletal
and joint injuries during a female’s menstrual
cycle. This is due to increased relaxin levels and
increased flexibility and elasticity of connective
tissue, such as in articular joints. Again, strong
muscles can act as a “support system” to
the female’s structure during this time of
susceptibility & joint laxity.
Females also posses a common imbalance
between their hamstrings & quadriceps; this imbalance
is yet another contributor to their growing incidence
of knee injuries. Correcting this imbalance with
proper exercise selection is yet another way to drastically
reduce a female’s risk.
In my opinion, strength training, more than any
other form of training, can greatly reduce these
inherent risks in females. I can go on and on regarding
this topic. Check out my short article entitled, “Should
Females Train Differently Than Males?” in
the articles section of this site
for some more information on this misunderstood topic.
As far as our female athletes getting too “bulky”;
this is the least of my
concern! Check out the pics below. These are 3 of
our long-time female athletes. Do any of them look
too bulky due to our training methods? I think not!!!
Jenn
Mueller – track standout
Jenna
Corrado – All-state
softball athlete
Jill
Hartung – soccer standout
Hopefully we will someday be able
to put this topic to rest! Bottom line…all females should lift
weights…period!
Joe D.
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Q: Coach, I’ve been following your
in-season training template for football players
and I’ve been having great success. My question
is do you ever incorporate bands during the in-season?
I read that you like to use chains, but not bands
during the season because they are tough on the
body?
Also, what are some good max effort exercises
to perform in-season? I’m pretty healthy
besides my shoulders get really sore after the
game (I’m a fullback.)
Thanks
coach – Jeff
A: Jeff,
I’ll
keep this short & sweet (it’s
2a.m. as I write this & I’m exhausted).
Below you will see players from St. Joseph’s
Regional high school of Montvale performing in-season
training at our facility. About 8 players from this
New Jersey football powerhouse come in and train
with us every Tuesday during the season.
The first picture is of Chris Dellafave
performing a reverse band bench press. This is a
great in-season max-effort exercise because it helps
you off the chest which is where your shoulders are
at their most vulnerable. Using the bands in this
manner actually is much easier on the joints, yet
you’re still
overloading your triceps & working on your maximal
strength. This exercise is a great in-season choice.
The
second picture is of team captain, Terrance Klein,
performing a heavy set of 5 reps in the safety
bar box squat. In my opinion, every football team
should invest in a safety bar. It is my favorite
in-season lower body max-effort exercise because
it drastically reduces stress on your shoulders when
squatting.
Finally, you will see fullback/linebacker,
Jason Velazquez, keeping his shoulders healthy with
standing scarecrows. The “scarecrow” exercise
is one of our favorites, yet it’s still not
that popular in most gyms. (We specially made the
chain attachment for this specific exercise.)
Chris Dellafave 465 lbs. X 3 in
the reverse band bench
Terrance Klein 345 lbs. X 5 in the
safety bar box squat
Jason Velazquez performs standing
scarecrows
Give these in-season exercises a
try and stay strong & healthy!
Joe D.
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