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.
The 5-Minute Isometric Nobody Is Using for Aerobic Work
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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, you're creating a partially hypoxic environment in the muscle without flooding the lactate system. Cal first found this documented from a Soviet high jump coach in 1960 — this goes way back. In his aerobic block template, these run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two weeks in, athletes are showing postural changes and better end-range positions on the field. You build up to five minutes over several weeks via a level-by-level progression. Nobody walks in and holds five minutes cold. Start slow and build. The Soft Tissue Bonus Nobody Expected Here's the part that really got me. While running this protocol, they noticed a tissue remodeling effect. Isometric holds appear to change the fascia and connective tissue through a mechanism called tissue creep. Dr. Keith Baar — who's been on the Flex Diet Podcast — explained it this way: "When you get a small injury to part of a tendon, that load doesn't stop going through the tissue. What it does is it goes around the damaged area. It's basically like taking a big rock and throwing it into the river. It doesn't stop the river, the river just goes around it... When you do an isometric, you are getting at the fibers via stress that were being stress shielded and having them be restructured to be better able to handle higher loads over time." In other words, five-minute isometrics aren't just building an aerobic base. They're making tendons and fascia more resilient at the same time. The caveat is that the soft tissue effects probably max out quite early at around the 30 sec hold mark and much of Dr Baar's work did you moderate loads. Two adaptations, one weird-looking hold. Hard to beat that efficiency. If you're training yourself — same protocol works. Wall sit or split squat hold at 30% load equivalent, work up to five minutes over several weeks. You'll feel it in your tissue differently than any other method you've tried. The full five-minute isometric protocol — including the level-by-level progression table, complete isometric circuits, and the full aerobic block weekly template — is in TP2. https://triphasic2.com << order here All the best, PS - Here is what Michael Sullivan had to say: "This is necessary for anyone who is involved in Strength and Conditioning. The information in volume 2 is worth far more than the price of the book and I have already implemented many of the principles and methods into my own work." -- Michael Sullivan https://triphasic2.com << order here Coach Cal Dietz, U of MN If you do not want to get this newsletter, we will miss you, sniff sniff, but you can unsubscribe by clicking the link below and -poof- we are gone. . |
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.
"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...
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...