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Triphasic II

Triphasic Training 2 is an applied performance book showing coaches how to build strength, speed, and power by targeting the eccentric, isometric, and concentric phases of training.

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Your Hamstrings Aren't Tight — They're Working Overtime

"My athletes always complain about tight hamstrings. We stretch them every day and nothing changes. What are we missing?" Here's the thing — you're probably not missing a stretch. You're missing the real problem entirely. It's Not a Flexibility Problem Tight hamstrings are almost never about the hamstring being too short. They're tight because they're doing a job that isn't theirs. When the glutes aren't firing first during hip extension, the hamstring picks up the slack. It becomes the...

Here is a great way to change up your programming a bit and get more transfer on to the field where it counts. Most coaches adjust loads by phase — heavy in strength blocks, lighter as they move toward speed work. But since you are reading his, you know you can also adjust foot position to match. What Elite Sprinters Are Actually Doing Here's what Cal noticed watching the best sprinters in the world: foot position isn't random. Coming out of a stance, feet are wide. As athletes accelerate and...

Most coaches think isometrics are a strength tool. A joint-angle hold, maybe some prehab work. That's about it. ..but you can use them for aerobic conditioning — and gets a soft tissue remodeling bonus that nobody in the field is talking about. The Method Pick an isometric hold at about 30% of 1RM. A wall sit, a split squat hold, a push-up position just off the floor, a bench press held just above the chest. Hold for up to five minutes. The mechanism is blood flow restriction. At 30% of 1RM,...

Here's something that came up when Cal and I were putting TP2 together. We were going through his Triblock system — the one that sequences strength, speed, and power specifically for fast-twitch fiber adaptation. I understood the blocks. ...But then Cal said something that stopped me cold about how it all went together. "Even just sitting with him on just some aspects of something I've been doing a while and tested. And I'm like, Mike, this is what it does. He's like, I get it. We got to...

You've seen it. Your athlete comes off the field, shoulders heaving, jaw wide open, sucking air like they just ran a marathon. They're not just tired. They're stuck in sympathetic overdrive. And it's costing them more than you think. The Sideline Tells Athletes breathing heavy with massive movement in their shoulder pads and jaw line are showing a habitually poor and largely inefficient breathing pattern. They're mouth breathing, which keeps them locked in a fight-or-flight state. Their heart...

Today's question is from Jonathan who brought up something every strength coach faces: coaching staffs obsessed with testing. His situation? Testing in weeks 3, 4, 7, and 8 of an 8-week block. Here is what to do. The Political Reality You can't always change the testing schedule. You can control how you handle it. The TP Strategy Test them when they walk in. Why? …because they are crappy everything and then you look like a super smart strength coach! Translation: Establish a low baseline,...

Got a question about an athlete who was jumping backward during the quad dominance test. Here is what you need to know about it. It's Not What You Think The obvious answer? Quad dominance, tight hips, weak glutes. That can be true, but look deeper at the athlete's foot mobility / integrity. The Mechanics Breakdown When your foot lacks mobility: The knee gets shifted back during the descent When the athlete drives into the ground, they get pushed backward The "quad dominance" might just be...

"What can my athlete do while on the road with minimal equipment?" The Travel Problem One of the badminton coaches recently asked what every coach of international athletes faces: 150+ days per year in hotel gyms. The solution? A method that's not even in the TP2 book as it is so new. Selective Fiber Training Explained Here's the breakthrough Cal developed with Dr. Soff, a Russian biochemist: Step 1: Use 60% of your max load, held isometrically for up to 40 seconds. The blood flow gets shut...

Today's question: "How much variability can I have in my conditioning while keeping the same stimulus?" The Block Training Revelation In the Triphasic 1 and 2 books, it is broken down by energy systems: Under 10 seconds: Alactic system 15-30 seconds: Lactate system Longer: Aerobic system Mix them in the same session, and you're stealing from yourself. The 90-Set Workout Here's the story that blew everyone's mind: Cal's athletes did 90 sets in one session. That is not a typo, yes 90 sets....

We are stoked to be back bringing you all the Triphasic Training goodness you can handle! Today is a great one. During a recent call, Cal spent nearly 30 minutes breaking down one exercise: the Prime Time movement. Why? Because it's not just an exercise — it's pattern insurance. The Problem You Can't See Here's what Cal discovered over 15 years of watching movement patterns: Athletes lose their glute patterns when they travel Stress changes movement patterns — even a bad breakup affects how...