Andreini Fitness

Visualizing and Practicing In-Game Scenarios, is not appreciated enough. The mental side of higher level athletics plays a much larger role than those on the lower levels realize.

Yes, all the drills mentioned in the photo do play a role in helping you improve on your playing field. But, when I ask athletes to tell me what moves they like to do in-game or what scenarios they have been in during a game so we can replicate it during our session, they first look confused.

I’ll set up scenarios with no cones, no markers, just the athlete and the playing surface they perform on. Then we mimic those scenarios and practice it with similar intensity with or without the equipment needed for their sport. (Ball, Skates, Racquet, Bat, Glove etc). This also allows me to see how they may move in in-game scenarios.

For example, if a soccer player who is at RW sprints for a long pass then has to cut left to avoid a defender before taking a shot, never practices the scenario before the game, are they fully prepared or are the cone drills you created as a Coach more sufficient?

❗️How To Get Your First Pull-up/Chin-up!❗️
2 Day A Week Example Program:

Warm-up/Cool Down Not Included (Only Main Movements To Target This Goal). I’ll mostly say Pull-up but I mean either Pull-up or Chin-up, this is for the social media coaches correcting every post of free information.

Inverted Pull-up or Jumping Pull-Up are preferred. Banded Pull-ups and Assisted Pull-up Machines are other options. Depends on your starting point and available equipment.

✅Day 1: *Means push to failure on final set, correct weight should have you doing no more than 2-4 reps over the goal rep. If doing sets of 8, then 8 reps is the main goal just see if you can get past it.

*1. Inverted Pull-ups: 3-4 sets of 8 reps (Volume Focus)
2. Barbell Bent Over Rows: 3x8
*3. Lat Pull Down Machine: 3x8
4. DB Rows: 3x8
5. 2-3 sets of 10 second DL ISO Holds. Usually at 100-120% of your DL max or until it’s a challenging weight to hold for 10 seconds. Use a squat rack and DL grip for heavier weight. Use warm up sets before loading on the working set weight.
6. Straight Arm Lat Pull Downs: 3x8
7. DB Bicep Curls: 3x8
8. Cable Bicep Curls with Rope: 3x8

✅Day 2:
1. Inverted Pull-ups: 4-5 sets x 5 reps (more control on concentric/eccentric motion) (quality reps/strength focus)
2. Hammer Strength Row Machine (plate loaded or cable): 3x8 (choose any row variation these are examples.)
3. Lat Pull Down Plate Loaded Machine or Cable: 4 sets of 5 reps, followed by 1-2 sets to failure w/lighter weight being able to at least hit 8+ reps on the sets to failure.
4. Narrow Grip Cable Rows: 3x8
5. Barbell or EZ Curl Bar: 3x8
6. Straight Bar Cable Curls: 3x8
7. Dead Hang from Pull-up Bar: 3x to failure, time yourself. Can also dead hang from inverted pull-up position if beginner.

Hope these tips help you better understand how to structure multiple days to reach this goal. I have another post back in April below on my page describing the steps from inverted pull-up to first chin-up for reference.

Reminder the exercises listed are examples, you can add different exercises as long as they focus on the Row, Pull Down motion and the Biceps.

Seeing Strength Coaches who’ve only trained athletes and come up through the Kinesiology route, learn how to be a human being as a Coach is a little entertaining. Not to mock, just different worlds.

You should have always been asking your athletes.
✅ How are you feeling? Is your body sore?
✅ How’s your day? Did you get enough sleep?
✅ How’d that movement feel, do we need to scale?

As a Strength Coach you have the luxury of a Coaching staff to back you if athletes show up with bad attitudes, an Athletic Trainer to send them too if something hurts or that needs extra attention. It’s typically just down to business and running your planned program, for genetically gifted individuals.

We are in the business of helping people. This is where experience in the private sector could become useful.
It teaches you how to be more patient, how to make adjustments to your programming on the fly, how to view training through anothers perspective.

I believe the best S&C Coaches who last in this industry understand how to balance these styles of Coaching to get the best out of their athletes.

NSCA