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Smith Brings Change to Weight Room

infantrycak

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
Smith cleared out half of the weight room and filled it with eight "combo racks," dual-sided racks on power clean platforms. Both sides of the racks can be used at the same time, allowing more players to train at once. The racks can be used for a variety of exercises, including power cleans, squats, bench press, incline bench, flat bench and pull-ups.

"I believe these exercises most translate the weight room to the football field," Smith said. "These are football exercises in the weight room that, what I believe and what we believe as a strength staff, are what's going to enable our guys to get better on the field."

The combo racks aren't the only difference. Smith also brought in plyometric jump pads, and a new set of dumbbells that will enable a wider range of motion during exercises.

There's little emphasis on machines in Smith's training philosophy, which he shared with HoustonTexans.com on Thursday.

"We want to work a little bit differently than they did in the past," Smith said. "We basically believe more so in training on your feet. Stabilization, more explosiveness, power and strength; those are some of the things that, if you want to look at a broad view of what we do, would be involved in it. Posterior chain movements, back movements, core movements, corrective exercises (are involved) as well."
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Link
 
Finally a S&C coach that is up to date on the new things that are being done in the NFL and how the S&C program relate to on field production.

I'm willing to bet USC had a better S&C program than the Texans have had.

I would love to hear Cushing thoughts on this.
 
What gets me is how this approach isn't already the common consensus among all S&C coaches.

I blame liberals (Haha, just kidding... kinda).
 
eight "combo racks," dual-sided racks on power clean platforms. Both sides of the racks can be used at the same time, allowing more players to train at once. The racks can be used for a variety of exercises, including power cleans, squats, bench press, incline bench, flat bench and pull-ups.

There's little emphasis on machines

Posterior chain movements, back movements, core movements, corrective exercises (are involved) as well."
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Outstanding. This is what real athletes do in the weight room.
 
wagonhed said:
Outstanding. This is what real athletes do in the weight room.
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My grandfather was an Olympic weight lifting coach for most of his life, and trained football players at Sterling and Barbers Hill high schools in Baytown. If he ever found a machine in one of his gyms, he'd probably rip the cable out and strangle whoever put it there.
 
I have to ask, what is wrong with training with machines? Is it ok for us non athletes or should we also use only free weights?
 
Brisco_County said:
My grandfather was an Olympic weight lifting coach for most of his life, and trained football players at Sterling and Barbers Hill high schools in Baytown. If he ever found a machine in one of his gyms, he'd probably rip the cable out and strangle whoever put it there.
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Barbers Hill huh? That's crazy, I grew up in Chambers County, went to Anahuac High School not too far away.

awtysst said:
I have to ask, what is wrong with training with machines? Is it ok for us non athletes or should we also use only free weights?
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Machine weights have their place and depending on your goal can be very useful. But to get the very most out of weight training there is no subistute for free weights.
 
Why? Please explain. How is it that training "standing up" and free versus machines is better for a football player?

I don't know anything about this stuff.

Best I can assume is that in football, everything you do is centered around your balance. You have to be strong while standing and pushing or back peddling as opposed to while laying on your back. (unless you're Flannigan, then that's probably a more sensible way to train.)

Is it an issue that you continually are stressing joints etc. instead of on a machine where I assume it's more of an isolated stress on a specific muscle group?
 
barrett said:
Why? Please explain. How is it that training "standing up" and free versus machines is better for a football player?

I don't know anything about this stuff.

Best I can assume is that in football, everything you do is centered around your balance. You have to be strong while standing and pushing or back peddling as opposed to while laying on your back. (unless you're Flannigan, then that's probably a more sensible way to train.)

Is it an issue that you continually are stressing joints etc. instead of on a machine where I assume it's more of an isolated stress on a specific muscle group?
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Alot of it is what you are thinking. But instead of benching on a machine, lay on a bench and use dumbells instead to do benchpress. Or use a bar with free weights. It takes more strength to do it, and more of the smaller stabilizing muscles have to work more to assist with the load. It challenges the muscle more, makes you stronger. With machines you can lift 60% of the load with the right arm (dominant arm for me) and 40% with the left, with free weights every muscle has to pull it's weight so to speak. And one could argue that it can feel like the machines give you an assist, it's just harder to lift the free weights and more realistic as it applies on a football field.
 
awtysst said:
I have to ask, what is wrong with training with machines? Is it ok for us non athletes or should we also use only free weights?
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OK.

Here's my rant.

Machines force the body into unnatural movements and remove the need to work a lot of your stabilization muscles.

Many trainers think that if they perform a motion on a machine, that the machine is "forcing" them into correct form. Nothing could be further to the truth. Every one has different biomechanics and different lengths of different levers. Machines are constructed to work with an "average". And that's unnatural.

Some machines are just wrong from the get-go. An example is the Leg Extension machine. Years ago, this was THE machine used to rehab knees. Until some studies came out showing that doing a complete range of motion on one of those machines can actually damage your knee. Also, your leg is constructed to have force applied from the bottom and the top. Your feet are made to have force applied to them... your shins AREN'T. Placing a lot of force against your shin can be bad for your knee.

Also, let's say you're working out on a bench press machine. This movement is going to help you isolate your pecs and triceps (and your front delts to a degree). But it forces you into a pure, straight movement. Lots of people don't naturally have that pure straight movement. And since it's only going to move in that straight line, you don't have to stabilize the weight to keep it from drifting over your face or toward your stomach. There are muscles that keep the weight from drifting like that but if you're not training them, they're not going to build up strength proportional to the rest of the muscles that they normally work with. Then when you get into a "real" situation those stabilizers will be overpowered by the other muscles in the chain, and you can easily get injured. It's like slapping a rocket engine in a go-cart. It sounds like fun, but someone's going to get hurt.

The whole machine thing really got going with bodybuilders who like to isolate muscles to train them up. For athletic training, it's generally not a good idea. Even for bodybuilding, it's generally better to work with free weights.

With all that said, there are times and places where isolation and machine training is OK. Especially when there are specific muscle imbalances and medical issues that need to be addressed.

Ever since I started training (and I started late in life), I've trained powerlifting. I've had a couple of good Oly coaches that I worked with (including one that was S&C for Air Force back in the 90's when they had that great rushing attack.) All I need is a bar, some plates, and a power cage and I'm set. I am anti-machine and it hurt me to read some of the things that our S&C staff have said. The last guys weren't as bad as the ones before that.
 
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I still boggles my mind that we continually see this on the job training by our coaches.

Glad to see we are making a move that makes athletic/football sense, rather than trying to be the smartest guy in the room.
 
There's pretty much only two machines that I like when I work out and that's the butterfly machine (because it's a great chest workout) and the elliptical runner, because it's so easy on my feet and knees. Everything else I do in the gym is with free weights.
 
Carr Bombed said:
There's pretty much only two machines that I like when I work out and that's the butterfly machine (because it's a great chest workout) and the elliptical runner, because it's so easy on my feet and knees. Everything else I do in the gym is with free weights.
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I think machines for Cardio make sense, but for strength free weights are the business.
 
barrett said:
Why? Please explain. How is it that training "standing up" and free versus machines is better for a football player?

I don't know anything about this stuff.

Best I can assume is that in football, everything you do is centered around your balance. You have to be strong while standing and pushing or back peddling as opposed to while laying on your back. (unless you're Flannigan, then that's probably a more sensible way to train.)

Is it an issue that you continually are stressing joints etc. instead of on a machine where I assume it's more of an isolated stress on a specific muscle group?
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Barrett, Almost any athletic move, whether hitting a baseball, throwing a ball, making a out-cut and then jumping for a ball, etc... all of those things require a series of muscle engagements and explosions. Many of those are centered in the core of the body, not to mention all the smaller stabilizing muscles that become engaged only in certain operations. So, simply laying on a bench and pushing a bar with weight on it into the air does almost nothing to improve ones ability to do any of those things required by an athletic sport.

Furthermore, simulating those things you will be doing in a game are much better forms of practice and growth in the area in which one wishes to improve. Someone like Dan Riley, in order to improve the explosiveness of a WR, would have the WR sit on a machine and press weights out with his feet, thereby isolating the quad and glut muscles and forcing them to grow.

However, a football trainer that understands what he is doing, will have the WR weighted down somehow and have them go from a squat to an exloding jump into the air. In this instance, it simulates an action that the WR does on the field (first, simply by standing up and then by jumping and exploding on his two feet) but it also engages every single muscle that he uses to perform that task. So, his body becomes better able to do those things he needs to do on the field in order to be effective and the body doesn't become lopsided and inefficient because certain muscles have been isolated and worked and therefore larger while other ones have remained dormant... when that happens, injuries are much more likely. Ask a body-builder to do something athletic. It's pretty funny, actually!
 
dalemurphy said:
Barrett, Almost any athletic move, whether hitting a baseball, throwing a ball, making a out-cut and then jumping for a ball, etc... all of those things require a series of muscle engagements and explosions. Many of those are centered in the core of the body, not to mention all the smaller stabilizing muscles that become engaged only in certain operations. So, simply laying on a bench and pushing a bar with weight on it into the air does almost nothing to improve ones ability to do any of those things required by an athletic sport.

Furthermore, simulating those things you will be doing in a game are much better forms of practice and growth in the area in which one wishes to improve. Someone like Dan Riley, in order to improve the explosiveness of a WR, would have the WR sit on a machine and press weights out with his feet, thereby isolating the quad and glut muscles and forcing them to grow.

However, a football trainer that understands what he is doing, will have the WR weighted down somehow and have them go from a squat to an exloding jump into the air. In this instance, it simulates an action that the WR does on the field (first, simply by standing up and then by jumping and exploding on his two feet) but it also engages every single muscle that he uses to perform that task. So, his body becomes better able to do those things he needs to do on the field in order to be effective and the body doesn't become lopsided and inefficient because certain muscles have been isolated and worked and therefore larger while other ones have remained dormant... when that happens, injuries are much more likely. Ask a body-builder to do something athletic. It's pretty funny, actually!
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Like walk.
 
Hardcore Texan said:
Barbers Hill huh? That's crazy, I grew up in Chambers County, went to Anahuac High School not too far away.
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I'm not familiar with the school district since I grew up in Clear Lake, but my grandfather always had a small gym in Baytown. His name's Otto Ziegler if that sounds familiar. He trained boxers in Baytown too.

awtysst said:
I have to ask, what is wrong with training with machines? Is it ok for us non athletes or should we also use only free weights?
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Building muscle needs to also include the building of coordination. Without coordination, the muscle mass is kind of worthless and will atrophy anyway. Machines don't force the muscle to build coordination because the lifting motion is on a mechanical path or track. The weight resistance can also vary throughout the motion because of the physics of the pulley.

Not to say that machines are useless. I use them on rare occasions to safely max out without a spotter, and I'm sure they have other benefits that I'm not aware of. But as someone said above, free weights are the business.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Video could be interpretted as somewhat pornographic........guess that's why at the bottom, it states "! Must be 18 years old or older to order.":foottap:
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When I posted that, I was watching the informercial for it on local TV although it was the one for women. I could not stop rolling when I saw the one for men via the link.

I posted because it's mechanical yet a free weight.
 
NitroHonda said:
When I posted that, I was watching the informercial for it on local TV although it was the one for women. I could not stop rolling when I saw the one for men via the link.

I posted because it's mechanical yet a free weight.
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Wow.

That was...disturbing.

I can only think of one thing that little gadget would make me better at. And I'm almost a Pro-Bowler at it already.
 
This is going to be an interesting transition.

In the past, when players started with the Texans, some were surprised by Riley's (and then Wright's) use of so many machines. And that they weren't doing some of the lifting that they used to doing on the high school/college level.

Many of Riley's players, especially those who had rehabbed injuries, very much bought into his approach, thinking that his techniques helped keep their strength while they were rehabbing.

Wright went a little bit away from that, but it must have been weird working a disciple of Riley who wasn't doing Riley things.

This is like 180 from what Riley's approach is, but the older players were already sold on the other approach.

I'm guessing the approach now will be more like what Kubiak was used to in Denver. I think there were a number of hold overs from the old coaching staff to help in the transition, and who were well liked by the powers that be and knew the players well (and didn't have an obvious replacement). Once the ex-Denver people got to know the players better, the need to keep holdover coaches/staff diminished.
 
I was going to start a thread about this a few weeks ago but this seems like the place to address/ask...

Last season Gary, during many interviews, sang such high praises upon SC coach Wright like he was the best and really liked the way he pushed the players to get the most from them, yada, yada. Then all of a sudden, poof, he's gone/replaced. What happened? Players didn't like the approach? Did he leave of his own accored?

Curious...
 
Hardcore Texan said:
Barbers Hill huh? That's crazy, I grew up in Chambers County, went to Anahuac High School not too far away.



Machine weights have their place and depending on your goal can be very useful. But to get the very most out of weight training there is no subistute for free weights.
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Do you know Keller Brandon?
 
NitroHonda said:
When I posted that, I was watching the informercial for it on local TV although it was the one for women. I could not stop rolling when I saw the one for men via the link.

I posted because it's mechanical yet a free weight.
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Is this device endorsed by Ricky Martin?:roast:
 
The Pencil Neck said:
OK.

Many trainers think that if they perform a motion on a machine, that the machine is "forcing" them into correct form. Nothing could be further to the truth. Every one has different biomechanics and different lengths of different levers. Machines are constructed to work with an "average". And that's unnatural.
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My wife keeps saying time and time again about the machines we do use 'wth, this was built for a man!"

In other words, I agree. Machines would have to be custom built for each person. And when you're at the level of an NFL player, you better not be on a machine.

You have a PM.
 
I have a new entry up on my Chronic blog:
Texans strength and conditioning program changes

I talk about the changes, frame the discussion about the changes some, and maybe have a little additional information that you might not have already know.

Apologies for my blog looking a little messed up. I think they are transitioning me to the new blog format. Just scroll down.

For those who very much are interested in S&C, please leave a comment because I think the readers would like it, and I'm very interested in this topic. I know that they are read by Texans peoples. Actually, the real Dan Riley left a comment when I talked about Darrell Green a while back.
 
Truth be told... I want whatever Brian Cushing wants back there.

:fans:

Serious question... do teams ever take in consideration on what players like or want?
 
HuttoKarl said:
Do you know Keller Brandon?
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Wow, there's a name from the past. Yes I knew him, but not well. Anahuac is the kind of town that even if you don't know everyone personally, everybody knows everybody at least when your in school age years. I believe his sister graduated a year before me, and I think he graduated a couple of years after me IIRC. I graduated in '92, so I think maybe he was in the class of '93 or '94

It's a small world I guess. You must know him somehow?
 
From some of the players reactions on twitter, seems as if they like the new conditioning program...
 
Hardcore Texan said:
Wow, there's a name from the past. Yes I knew him, but not well. Anahuac is the kind of town that even if you don't know everyone personally, everybody knows everybody at least when your in school age years. I believe his sister graduated a year before me, and I think he graduated a couple of years after me IIRC. I graduated in '92, so I think maybe he was in the class of '93 or '94

It's a small world I guess. You must know him somehow?
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He lived in the apartment next door when we were in college. Solid dude...played some good baseball back in the day. I'm better for having met him. Probably a class of 94 grad.
 
I read somewhere that Cushing is going to be weight training with his guy in New Jersey this offseason.

Yankee_In_TX said:
My wife keeps saying time and time again about the machines we do use 'wth, this was built for a man!"

In other words, I agree. Machines would have to be custom built for each person. And when you're at the level of an NFL player, you better not be on a machine.
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I really don't understand why so many machines are present in NFL or college facilities.

There's always the possibility that S&C coaches utilize machines because they don't have to spend as much time monitoring and coaching players on their form like they would with free weights.
 
Brisco_County said:
I read somewhere that Cushing is going to be weight training with his guy in New Jersey this offseason.



I really don't understand why so many machines are present in NFL or college facilities.

There's always the possibility that S&C coaches utilize machines because they don't have to spend as much time monitoring and coaching players on their form like they would with free weights.
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Cushing training with his New Jersey guy is fine with me too, it has worked out well for him so far.

As far as Machines v. Free Weights go, I have always found free weights more effective, but no doubt there will be a study later this year that says Machines are better suited for Football and heres why, and then after that it is going to be vice versa.

Some things are good for you until you find out they are bad, and then you find out they are in fact good for you again (in moderation). Some examples offhand:

Coffee Drinkers are less likely to get cirrhosis of the liver because the coffee bean has a restorative effect on your liver.

Smokers are less likely to get alzhiemers or senior dementia:

http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayo...Disease_May_Be_Less_Frequent_in_Heavy.20.aspx

http://www.smokersassociation.org/s...disease-review-of-the-epidemiological-studies

Then compare:

Smokers twice as likely to get alzheimers.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025642_disease_Alzheimers_Alzheimers_disease.html

Or:

Coffee consumption of four or more cups a day cuts the risks of cirrhosis by 80%.

http://men.webmd.com/features/coffee-new-health-food

Bottomline,

Who the ******* knows what does what at this point?
 
jppaul said:
Cushing training with his New Jersey guy is fine with me too, it has worked out well for him so far.

As far as Machines v. Free Weights go, I have always found free weights more effective, but no doubt there will be a study later this year that says Machines are better suited for Football and heres why, and then after that it is going to be vice versa.

Some things are good for you until you find out they are bad, and then you find out they are in fact good for you again (in moderation). Some examples offhand:

Coffee Drinkers are less likely to get cirrhosis of the liver because the coffee bean has a restorative effect on your liver.

Smokers are less likely to get alzhiemers or senior dementia:

http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayo...Disease_May_Be_Less_Frequent_in_Heavy.20.aspx

http://www.smokersassociation.org/s...disease-review-of-the-epidemiological-studies

Then compare:

Smokers twice as likely to get alzheimers.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025642_disease_Alzheimers_Alzheimers_disease.html

Or:

Coffee consumption of four or more cups a day cuts the risks of cirrhosis by 80%.

http://men.webmd.com/features/coffee-new-health-food

Bottomline,

Who the ******* knows what does what at this point?
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Good post.

Free weights are still the way to go in the NFL. Anyone can intellectualize a way around believing it, but in the end we know it's common sense.

There are exceptions, like leg extensions and hamstring curls, but these athletes need to be focusing on power cleans, bench, and squats.
 
Brisco_County said:
Good post.

Free weights are still the way to go in the NFL. Anyone can intellectualize a way around believing it, but in the end we know it's common sense.

There are exceptions, like leg extensions and hamstring curls, but these athletes need to be focusing on power cleans, bench, and squats.
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I have a theory that coaches use machines over free weights for the simple reason that they don't want guys getting hurt in the gym. Getting a teams stud player injured off the field is an easy way to get fired. I have been a strength coach for 15 years and it's not how I would train them but Im pretty sure that's why they are used. Free weights are actually safer then machines if the exercises are performed properly, but there are a lot of misconceptions out there.

It's also important to understand that professional athletes are absolute freaks of nature that can make performance gains doing basically anything. Their systems function on a whole different level from the average Joe.

Also, you mentioned the leg ext and leg curl: 2 of the worst machines in the gym. A ton of shear force placed on the knee with these machines. Avoid at all costs if you care about knee health. Additionally, just FYI avoid the leg press as well. Another TERRIBLE machine that is an injury waiting to happen!

Peace
 
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