Etihad Stadium, Manchester Speed Training Conference >

Topic: Strength and Power

“Strength” every day: Microdosing in a Pro Football Environment

By

Presentation description Anders’s presentation explores the implementation of a “strength” every day microdosing model within a professional football environment. Anders outlines the rationale, design, and practical application of distributing strength and power training across multiple short daily sessions rather than relying on traditional high-volume gym sessions. The presentation examines how microdosing can improve training quality,…

Challenging the Norm: How an outcome-led approach drives performance

By

Presentation description High-performance rehabilitation and athletic development depend on understanding the adaptations that drive performance. Effective exercise prescription starts with the outcome you want to achieve, then works backwards to identify the structural and neurological changes required. This presentation explains how to analyse task demands, target those adaptations, and select exercises that produce meaningful improvements…

Rethinking Strength For Sprinting: Understanding the forces that shape speed

By

Presentation description Les Spellman’s presentation explores the relationship between strength development and sprint performance, challenging traditional beliefs that maximal concentric strength is the primary driver of speed. Drawing from contemporary research and practical experience with elite NFL Combine athletes, the presentation examines how force production, force transmission, tendon stiffness, eccentric loading, and reactive strength contribute…

Isometric training; the why, when and how

By

“Isometrics should not replace dynamic strength training. They should sharpen the parts of the lift or sport action that need it most” Introduction In episode #332 of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with Danny Lum, Head of Strength and Conditioning at the Singapore Sport Institute, about isometric testing and training for sports performance. Lum…

The Nordic hamstring exercise; are they safe and effective for athletes?

By

“The goal of sports science is not to create new dogmas. It is to provide honest information” Introduction In episode #387 of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob welcomes back Franco Impellizzeri for a wide-ranging discussion on some of the most controversial topics in sports science. From the Nordic hamstring debate and acute:chronic workload ratio to…

Free weights vs. machine weights, what is the argument and is it valid?

By

You define “functional” as whether an exercise achieves its desired adaptation, rather than the implement used. What does that shift actually change about how coaches should be selecting exercises? The primary change for most coaches would be being open to using constraints. What coaches often refer to as “machines” are simply pieces of equipment that…

The what, how and why of power development, from the view of an expert

By

What does the persistent polarization tell you about how our field thinks about power development, and what does a systems-based approach offer that the either/or framing doesn’t? A lot of the polarization around power development comes from coaches misunderstanding what power actually is. Power is simply work divided by time. It’s a quality, not a…

What does preseason look like within a Europa League team?

By

What assessments did you perform when the players first arrived for preseason? The players underwent medical examinations as well as strength, power, and holistic conditioning tests. As part of their fitness assessment, we conducted an incremental treadmill test to determine maximum oxygen consumption and anaerobic capacity. The neuromuscular testing battery included countermovement jump and squat…

Micro-dosing performance: In-season training for team sports

By

Presentation description Cory Schlesinger introduces microdosing performance — a constraint-led framework for in-season training of team sport athletes that spreads the weekly stressor load across 6–7 short, separated sessions rather than concentrating it into 2–3 longer ones. Drawing on a decade of work in NCAA Division I athletics at Stanford and in the NBA, he…

Maximising hypertrophic potential with optimal ROM training

By

Muscle hypertrophy remains a much sought-after attribute in sports performance. For weight-class, collision, or combat sports, absolute mass matters. Increased muscle mass assists the physical transition from youth to senior level across many sports; supports various strength-related purposes; and addresses atrophy following illness or injury. Practitioners often face two challenges when developing hypertrophy in their…

Performance training and therapy in paddle sports: What we can learn from canoe and kayak

By

Stepping into my first season in sprint canoe and kayak—after years in track & field, basketball, and football—was a wake-up call. These sports are not just “power on water.” They are an entirely different strength and therapy ecosystem. The asymmetry, the instability, the shoulder-trunk-hip demand—everything about them forces you to rethink how you build athletes…