BB Flipbook v2-merged

B x 

S 

Y T S E M S 

B L A C K B O X 

S Y T S E M S 

B I G G E R . 

S T R O N G E R . 

F A S T E R . 

TM 

HTK Sport 

BxBETA 

2019

HTKSPORT 

PERFORMANCE SERIES 

BIGGER. 

STRONGER. 

FASTER. 

GET MORE POWERFUL SO YOU CAN GET BIGGER; GET BIGGER SO 

YOU CAN GET STRONGER; GET STRONGER SO YOU CAN GET MORE 

POWERFUL. 

REPEAT. 

When naturally big, fast, and explosive athletes are given a traditional 

strength program they get even bigger, stronger and faster. This is because 

there is a performance loop hardwired into elite athletes that allows them to 

progress their performance effortlessly. 

In fact, all humans possess this loop. This book will show you how to unlock it, 

and give you a blueprint for getting bigger, stronger and faster. 

We can learn from genetically gifted athletes. 

A Book By D.B 

HTK SPORT

HTKSPORT 

CONTENTS 

STRENGTH FOR 

SPEED ATHLETES 

FORCE 

ABSORB MORE TO 

PRODUCE MORE 

03 STRONG 

More force in less time. 

BIGGER. FASTER. STRONGER. 

01 POWERFUL 

Get more 

POWERFUL, so 

that you can get 

BIGGER, so that 

you can get 

STRONGER, so 

that you can get 

more 

POWERFUL. 

REPEAT. 

02 EXPLOSIVE 

First train to 

absorb force, 

then train to 

absorb it quickly, 

then train to 

absorb and 

rebound it 

efficiently. 

THE GARAGE ELITE 

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 

HTKSPORT.CONTACT@GMAIL.COM 

JUNE 2018 | ISSUE 01 

WWW.HTKSPORT.COM 

ix

HTKSPORT 

STRENGTH SERIES 

THE 

STRENGTH 

SERIES. 

HTK Sport 

ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE IS RARELY DETERMINED 

BY ABSOLUTE STRENGTH; THOSE WHO WIN ARE THOSE WHO CAN 

PRODUCE MORE FORCE IN LESS TIME. 

Force production is a function of the athlete's 'engine' (nervous system); speed and explosiveness 

are primarily functions of neural efficiency, on a foundation of strength and power. The human 

body is an adaptive machine - the external structures appear and function as an adaptation to the 

requirements of the internal engine. Training should target the engine required to drive the goal 

performance, and the structures will develop/adapt themselves to accommodate it. 

Train athletes from the inside, out. 

JUNE 2018 | ISSUE 01

HTKSPORT 

CONTENTS 

HOW TO GET FASTER 

01 

THE SPEED FOUNDATION 

Athletic performance is just proficiency, 

efficiency and utilisation of movement and 

force. To get faster you simply need to become 

more ‘movement & force efficient.’ 

07 MUSCLE STIFFNESS = SPEED 

Muscles are moderators of stiffness and 

stretch, rather than levers. 

Muscles act more like brakes while the 

tendinous tissues lengthen and shorten like 

springs. 

49 

POWER SPEED VS 

EXPLOSIVENESS PRINCIPLES VS 

QUICKNESS 

BIOTENSEGRITY 

FEET, HIPS, TRUNK & 

ELASTIC ENERGY 

51 STRENGTH FOR SPEED 

ATHLETES 

15 69 

FEET + FASCIA = 

GLUTE DOMINANCE 

A stiff-foot lever creates a 

kinetic cascade that 

enables access to the major 

fascial networks involving 

the gluteal muscles, 

providing the lumbopelvic 

hip stability required for 

efficient and powerful hip 

leverage. 

LONG DURATION 

ISOMETRICS 

Long duration isometrics 

generate maximal velocity 

stimulation, strengthen 

eccentric action, encourage 

co-contraction / stiffness 

at the point of transition 

and proper relaxation of 

agonist muscles during 

force production. 

Strength for speed athletes relates specifically 

to building the relevant strength-speed 

qualities of the elastic and muscular structures, 

and developing the appropriate neural 

properties for driving maximal speed and force 

output they must be developed to handle. 

68 ABSORPTION 

Elastic Performance - “first train to absorb 

force, then train to absorb it quickly, then train 

to absorb and rebound it efficiently.” 






v

HTKSPORT 

SPEED SERIES 

THE 

SPEED 

SERIES. 

HTK Sport 

FIRST TRAIN TO ABSORB FORCE, THEN TRAIN TO ABSORB IT QUICKLY, 

THEN TRAIN TO ABSORB & REBOUND IT EFFICIENTLY. 

SPEED SECRETS: You have to build tension; then you have to release all 

that tension into the fasica / tendons; then allow the fascia / tendons to 

drive the work; then use the muscular / myofascial system to stabilise (recreate 

tension) and transmit force back into the fascia and tendons 

reflexively. 

Better feet & fascia create glute dominance; increasing force absorption 

increases force production; dynamic minimisation. 


A Book By D.B 

HTK SPORT

HTKSPORT 

CONTENTS 

STRENGTH TRAINING 

77 

STRENGTH FOR 


01 

TRAINING FROM THE INSIDE, 

OUT 

The human body is like an adaptive 

machine; every external physical expression – 

be it a particular performance, or a physical 

state – is the result of the manipulation of the 

body’s internal physical & neural elements. 

18 STRENGTH TRAINING 

FUNDAMENTALS 

Strength Training should start with 3 questions: 

1) what is the performance goal; 2) what are the 

neuro-muscular components of that 

performance;, and 3) which exercises and 

training organisation functionally trains those 

components. 

FORCE 

ABSORB MORE TO 

PRODUCE MORE 

18 THE NEURO-MUSCULAR PAIR 

Specific muscular action is generated by neuromuscular 

activation; from ‘the inside, out.’ The 

next consideration is how to create training 

methods that will reliably generate these 

neuro-muscular functions. 

13 65 

MUSCLE STRENGTH 

VS. ELASTIC 

STRENGTH 

Fast, explosive movements 

like sprints and jumps do 

not rely heavily on 

frictional/contractile 

strength, but rather stored 

elastic energy. 

SPORT-SPECIFIC 

STRENGTH 

Sport requires athletes to 

store and release tension 

quickly; ‘explosive 

isometrics’, rather than the 

typical tri-phasic eccentricisometric-concentric. 

45 SUPERCOMPENSATION 

Long term progress is a reflection of the body’s 

adaptive response to continued overloading of 

the training stimuli, where the ability to 

overload is the result of short-term progress. 

There is a critical difference between 

adaptation/long-term progress and ‘shortterm’ 

supercompensation: supercompensation 

is itself a short-term adaptive response. 






v

1. WHAT IS FAST? 

Running Speed = Stride Length x Stride Frequency 

POWER vs. 

EXPLOSIVENESS vs. 

QUICKNESS 

SPEED = Rate of Force Development (RFD) x Magnitude of Force Output x Torque 

MOVING OPTIMALLY + EFFICIENTLY 

UTILISE FORCE BETTER 

ENERGY STORAGE CAPACITY 

ABSORB MORE FORCE TO GENERATE 

MORE FORCE 

FASCIAL SPRING + ELASTICITY 

} 

ABSORPTION 

REFLEXIVE OUTPUT 

EXPLOSIVE SPEED 

2. KEY TRAINING PRINCIPLES 

Absorb Force/Tensegrity 

["kinetic chain absorption" / 

structural integrity] 

Absorb + Generate Force 

[recruitment] 

Generate Force (recruitment) + absorb 

force + absorb power 

[force at velocity - elastic absorption] 




+ Rebound (plyometric) + maximal 

velocity (explosiveness) 




+ Rebound (plyometric) 

1. Stages of Sprinting 

2. Propulsion 

3. Hip Extension 

4. Diaphragm 

5. Psoas 

6. Tensegrity 

7. Hip Sequence 

CONSIDERATIONS: # Movement = kinetic energy, not fast-twitch # Functional ISOs + RFD 

# Torque ISOs + practice > plyometrics 

3. STRENGTH FOR SPEED ATHLETES 

TENSEGRITY 

ABSORPTION + REFLEX 

Trunk + 

Pelvis 

TENSION + INTEGRITY 

Muscle 

Stiffness 

Feet & 

Fascia 

Force 

Absorption 

Absorb 

force 

Absorb 

force 

quickly 

1. Engage reflexive muscle chains 

2. Build optimal movement patterning in those chains 

3. Add force to those movement patterns 

4. Adapt 'absorbers & translators' 

= Increased reflexive output 

Absorb + 

rebound 

efficiently

HTKSPORT 

#1 BIG STRONG FAST 

T H E A T H L E T I C F O U N D A T I O N 

D E S C R I P T I O N 

This is a foundational training goal; the goal is to be 

good across the board so that one can excel at any 

particular athletic quality at some later point, or just 

as a structure for people who want to be great across 

the board performance-wise. 

The best way to excel at a specific performance is to 

increase the capacity of the component parts that 

produce that performance, before then accelerating 

improvement in the actual performance and repeating. 

G O A L S 

Strength 

Strength-Speed 

Speed-Strength 

Power 

Speed 

Hypertrophy 

This is a good athlete - big, strong & fast. 

The ATHLETIC FOUNDATION Program should be the first program the athlete executes, with the 

view to then implementing a more specific training program that focuses more specifically on 

the goal / sporting performance. 

I N C R E A S E A L L A T H L E T I C C A P A C I T I E S S O T H A T 

S P E C I F I C T R A I T S C A N B E A C C E L E R A T E D 

F U R T H E R & F A S T E R . 

S T R E N G T H S P E E D H Y P E R T R O P H Y 

WORKOUT A 

WORKOUT A 

WORKOUT A 

FREQUENT Contains priority strength training elements; 

trained frequently 

SUSTAINED Neuro-muscular input is sustained contraction 

REPS Set duration is either 0-9secs, or 10 - 25secs 

SETS Set number depends on desired fatigue/recovery time 

(autoregulation), and strength outcome focus (performance 

vs. capacity) 

FOCUS May be max effort ('pinnacle' / performance) or 

strength capacity ('prime' / capacity), measured by 

load/time/reps drop off 

FREQUENT Contains priority speed training elements; 


EXPLOSIVE / RATE Neuro-muscular input is ‘explosive 

power’ or maximal velocity/rate 

SETS Set duration is 0-9secs 

REPS Set number depends on desired fatigue/recovery time 

(autoregulation), and power outcome focus (performance 

vs. capacity) 

FOCUS Should be max effort (pinnacle / performance), 

measured by time or technique drop off 

FREQUENT Contains priority hypertrophy training 

elements; trained frequently 

SUSTAINED Neuro-muscular input is sustained 

contraction 

SETS Set duration is either 25-40secs, or 40 – 75secs 


(autoregulation) 

FOCUS Should be on contractile capacity (capacity), 

measured by load/time/reps drop off 

WORKOUT B 

WORKOUT B 

WORKOUT B 

INFREQUENT Contains conjugate strength training 

elements; trained infrequently. 

POWER / RATE Neuro-muscular input is ‘peak power’ or 

maximal velocity/rate. 

REPS Set duration is either 0-9secs, or 10 – 25secs 


(autoregulation) - should be greater fatigue protocol than 

WORKOUT A 

FOCUS May be max effort ('pinnacle' / performance) 

or rate capacity ('prime' / capacity), measured by 


INFREQUENT Contains conjugate speed training 


POWER Neuro-muscular input is ‘peak power’ 

REPS Set duration is either 0-9secs 



WORKOUT A 

FOCUS Should be max effort ('pinnacle' / performance), 


INFREQUENT Contains conjugate hypertrophy training 


POWER / RATE Neuro-muscular input is ‘peak power' or 





WORKOUT A 



57 

Workout progression should be either AAAB or 

AAAABB 

See next page for a full program progression for 

every Athlete Type 

T H E A L L W E A T H E R A T H L E T E : 

D E T A I L E D T R A I N I N G & 

W O R K O U T D E S C R I P T I O N S 

www.allweatherathlete.com > 

JULY 2018 | ISSUE 01

HTKSPORT 

#2 SPEED / EXPLOSIVENESS 

M A X I M A L V E L O C I T Y 


This training goal is about raising maximum 

velocity capacity. Explosiveness (as HTK defines 

it) is a measure of force applied at max velocity. 

It should be noted that movements performed at 

maximum velocity are skills (rather than a 

physical output itself) and therefore needs to be 

trained separately/concurrently. 

G O A L S 

Strength 



Power 

Speed 

Hypertrophy 

The goal is therefore to increase explosive ability in the Explosiveness is all about what the athlete can 

right physical systems and then practice the required skills do at maximal velocity 

at maximal velocity/explosiveness. These may be sprinting, 

jumping, footwork, cutting/lateral movement, throwing / 

pitching etc. 

Maximal speed training is about developing a foundation of power (speed-specific strength 

(strength-speed) and rebound (speed-strength) training), with regular phases of maximal 

velocity/explosiveness cycled through (depending on when performance peak is required, if at 

all), and intermittent bouts of specific pure strength training where required. 

E X P L O S I V E N E S S : F O R C E A P P L I E D A T M A X 

V E L O C I T Y 

P O W E R B A S E S P E E D S T R E N G T H 

WORKOUT A (Speed-Strength) 

WORKOUT A 

WORKOUT A 

FREQUENT Contains priority power training elements; 



maximal velocity/rate 




vs. capacity) 

FOCUS Should be max effort (performance), measured by 

load/time/reps or technique drop off 








vs. capacity) 

FOCUS Should be max effort (pinnacle / performance) 








vs. capacity) 



WORKOUT B (Strength-Speed) 

WORKOUT B 

WORKOUT B 

INFREQUENT Contains conjugate power training elements; 

trained infrequently 





WORKOUT A.. 

FOCUS Focus should be max effort (performance), 








WORKOUT A 








SETS Set number depends on desired fatigue/recovery 

time (autoregulation) - should be greater fatigue protocol 

than WORKOUT A 



59 





T H E S P E E D S E R I E S : 

D E T A I L E D T R A I N I N G F O R 

S P E E D A T H L E T E S 

www.speed-series.training > 


HTKSPORT 

#3 PEAK POWER 

M O R E F O R C E I N L E S S T I M E 


Power refers to the speed with which force is 

displayed/work done. How quickly can you do 

maximal work? Maximal work is defined relative 

to the goal/performance – it might be a maximal 

load or a sub-maximal load, un-resisted 

movement etc. Anything where force is 

displayed, work is done. 

Peak Power focuses on increasing the speed 

with which force is displayed, as well as 

increasing the work done at a given speed. 

G O A L S 

Strength 



Power 

Speed 

Hypertrophy 

Power is the rate at which work is done - 

strength applied quickly 

It’s different to explosiveness because maximal speed is not a requirement; however since Power = 

Force x Velocity (note: this equation ignores direction/scalar product, but is useful as a description of 

instantaneous power) increasing the speed creates greater power output in the same way that 

increasing work at a given speed (maximal or not) also creates greater power output. The goal is 

therefore defined by both ‘speed’ and ‘work' (force). 

E X P L O S I V E N E S S : F O R C E A P P L I E D A T M A X 

V E L O C I T Y 

P O W E R S P E E D S T R E N G T H 

WORKOUT A 








vs. capacity) 



WORKOUT A 








vs. capacity) 



WORKOUT A 




REPS Set duration is either 0-9secs, or 10-25secs 



vs. capacity) 

FOCUS Can be max effort ('pinnacle' / performance), or 

strength capacity (capacity) measured by load/time/reps 

drop off 

WORKOUT B 







WORKOUT A.. 

FOCUS Focus can be max effort (performance), or strength 

capacity (capacity) measured by load/time/reps drop off 

WORKOUT B 

Workout progression should be either AAAB or AAAABB 

See next page for a full program progression for every 

Athlete Type 

T H E S T R E N G T H S E R I E S : 

D E T A I L E D E X E R C I S E & 

W O R K O U T D E S C R I P T I O N S 

www.strength-series.training > 







WORKOUT A 



WORKOUT B 






SETS Set number depends on desired fatigue/recovery 

time (autoregulation) - should be greater fatigue protocol 

than WORKOUT A 

FOCUS May be max effort ('pinnacle' / performance) or rate 

capacity (capacity) measured by time or technique drop off 

61 


HTKSPORT 

#4 ABSOLUTE STRENGTH 

P R O D U C E M O R E F O R C E 


G O A L S 

The goal as defined here is to simply increase 

the amount of ‘work’ or force displayed for a 

given time period. The time period may be a 

single rep (1RM) or a series of reps (set) or any 

other period of effort. 

Absolute Strength is fundamentally defined here 

as maximal work over a given time period. It may 

be brief or sustained. 

Strength 



Power 

Speed 

Hypertrophy 

Strength is sustained muscle stimulation, on a base of 

muscle CSA (hypertrophy) & recruitment (power) 

A B S O L U T E S T R E N G T H I S P R E D O M I N A N T L Y A N E U R A L 

O U T P U T ( S U S T A I N E D S T I M U L A T I O N ) , S U P P O R T E D 

B Y C O N T R A C T I L E A N D C O N N E C T I V E S T R E N G T H . 

S T R E N G T H P O W E R H Y P E R T R O P H Y 

WORKOUT A 







vs. capacity) 




WORKOUT B 








WORKOUT A 




WORKOUT A 



POWER / RATE Neuro-muscular input is ‘peak 


SETS Set duration is 0-9secs, or 10-25secs 



vs. capacity) 

FOCUS Should be max effort (pinnacle / performance), or 

rate capacity (prime/capacity) measured by time or 

technique drop off 

WORKOUT B 

INFREQUENT Contains conjugate power training 



REPS Set duration is either 0-9secs, or 10-25secs 



WORKOUT A 

FOCUS Should be max effort ('pinnacle' / performance), or 

strength capacity (prime/capacity) measured by time or 

technique drop off 

WORKOUT A 




contraction 






WORKOUT B 



POWER Neuro-muscular input is ‘peak power' 




WORKOUT A 

FOCUS Should be on power capacity ('prime' / capacity), 






T H E S T R E N G T H S E R I E S : 

D E T A I L E D S T R E N G T H I N F O 

W O R K O U T P L A N S & 

E X E R C I S E S 

www.strength-series.training> 

63 


HTKSPORT 

#5 BIG + FAST 

E X P L O S I V E S I Z E & S P E E D 


This training goal focuses on getting faster while 

building muscle. Speed-specific hypertrophy should 

focus on frequently programmed, high intensity 

isometrics (recruitment focused) mixed with power 

training and speed training leading into peaking 

periods. Non-speed specific hypertrophy (such as 

upper body muscle for 'leg speed' athletes) can 

follow more traditional upper body hypertrophy 

methods performed alongside power/speed phases. 

G O A L S 

Strength 



Power 

Speed 

Hypertrophy 

Upper body size/strength + explosive glutes 

and hips = Big & Fast 

Generally speaking, collision sport athletes that are looking for explosiveness and size want 

upper body size/strength and powerful/explosive hips and legs. Increased CSA in legs can 

interfere with mobility, particularly during the back-side action of the leg recovery phase; this 

will reduce the acceleration of the leg (and hence force production) by preventing the leg lever 

shortening fully (heel to glute) – a longer lever is slower to move. Therefore upper body 

training can focus on the hypertrophy/strength end of the size and speed continuum, while 

lower body focuses on the power/explosiveness end of the size and speed continuum. Ideally 

you don’t want upper body size and strength work to interfere with recovery or performance of 

speed work. Examples of speed work include sprints, sled work, hill sprints, footwork/’fastfeet’, 

sport-specific drills, plyometrics, isometrics and RFD exercises. Speed-specific 

hypertrophy work includes functional HISD isometrics, long duration isometrics. Non-speed 

specific hypertrophy includes traditional higher rep weight lifting, long duration isometrics and 

blood flow training (‘pump’ sets). 

U P P E R B O D Y S I Z E / S T R E N G T H + E X P L O S I V E H I P S & 

L E G S 

P O W E R B A S E S P E E D H Y P E R T R O P H Y 

WORKOUT A (Speed-Strength) 

WORKOUT A 

WORKOUT A 








vs. capacity) 



WORKOUT B (Strength-Speed) 







WORKOUT A.. 

FOCUS Focus should be max effort (performance), or 

strength capacity (prime/capacity) measured by 









vs. capacity) 



WORKOUT B 







WORKOUT A 






contraction 






WORKOUT B 







WORKOUT A 



65 

JULY 2018 | ISSUE 01 

Workout progression should be either AAAB or AAAAB. See next page for a full program progression for every 

Athlete Type

HTKSPORT 

#6 BIG + STRONG 

B E A S S T R O N G A S Y O U L O O K 


This training goal is focused on gaining muscle mass 

and a reasonable amount of corresponding strength 

– to build muscle and be able to display strength; to 

actually be as strong as you look. 

It is common for strength athletes to increase muscle 

mass when training for strength. However the 

opposite does not always hold true - athletes that 

gain muscle mass don’t always get objectively 

‘stronger’ - because strength is predominantly 

determined by neural output. 

G O A L S 

Strength 



Power 

Speed 

Hypertrophy 

A big muscle should be a strong muscle. 

However increasing muscle cross-sectional area can increase the number of contractile elements available 

to contract the muscle fibres, and hence increasing CSA can have positive effects on strength. It should be 

noted that the definition of ‘strength’ used in this context is important –traditional bodybuilding training will 

increase the ability to perform long sets with progressively heavier weights over time (a form of strength), 

what this program is focused on is the more ‘objective strength’ metric of displaying lots of force, whether it 

be lifting near maximal loads for minimal/low reps in the gym, blocking on the football field etc. Strength 

display may be on the playing field, in the gym, or any other physical pursuit. In short, this goal 

encompasses the desire to build muscle and be able to move heavy objects 

B E I N G B I G A N D S T R O N G I S A B O U T M A X I M I S I N G 

M U S C L E R E C R U I T M E N T 

S T R E N G T H 

WORKOUT A 







vs. capacity) 




WORKOUT B 








WORKOUT A 








H Y P E R T R O P H Y 

WORKOUT A 




contraction 






WORKOUT B 







WORKOUT A 



T H E S T R E N G T H 

S E R I E S : 

D E T A I L E D 

S T R E N G T H 

I N F O , W O R K O U T 

P L A N S & 

E X E R C I S E S 

www.strength-series.training > 

67 


HTKSPORT 

YOU CAN GET 

B I G & F A S T 

AT THE SAME TIME 

YOU NEED TO 

MATCH 

PERFORMANCE LOOPS

HTKSPORT 

Athletic 

performance is 

rarely determined 

by absolute 

strength. 

Those who win are 

those who can 

produce more force, 

in less time. 


HTKSPORT 

YOU DON'T HAVE 

"SLOW GENETICS" 

YOU JUST HAVEN'T 

UNLOCKED 

YOUR 

PERFORMANCE LOOPS

HTKSPORT 

EXTREME 

ISOMETRICS 

WILL MAKE YOU 

FASTER 

THAN 

LIFTING WEIGHTS 

[ IN LESS TIME ]

ENGINE CHASSIS PRACTICE 

RECRUITMENT 

OPTIMISATION 

STRUCTURAL 

EFFICIENCY 

HORSEPOWER 

PRACTICE 

Efficiency Applied Juice Sport- 

{Training Intensity} 

Specificity 

STRENGTH 

PINNACLE 

STRENGTH 

Max neural drive 

} 

POWER 

Rapid/efficient 

neural drive 

HYPERTROPHY 

Sustained/repeated 

neural drive 

HYPERTROPHY 

TIME 

POWER 

1. Absorb force - 

2. Absorb force quickly - 

3. Absorb force + rebound efficiently - 

Muscle Stiffness 

PRIME 

Long-Duration 

ISOMETRICS 

Alpha-Gamma 

Coactivation 

Contractile Strength 

STRENGTH FOR 


Myo-Fascia 

Tensegrity

HTKSPORT 

BIG STRONG FAST Customisable Training Template 

ATHLETE 1 

ATHLETE 2 

ATHLETE 3 

ATHLETE 4 

ATHLETE 5 

ATHLETE 6 

PHASE 1 

PHASE 2 

Purpose: Increase neural 

drive and motor recruitment 

Purpose: Increase speed and 

plyometric abilities, strengthspeed 

Training: whole body, highspeed 

power cycle – banded Training: upper body – 

overspeed movements, unresisted 

iso-concentric overspeed movements, un- 

power/recruitment (banded 

movements, explosive resisted iso-concentric 

isometrics 

movements, explosive 

isometrics); lower body – 

Purpose: functional 

hypertrophy and HTMU 

recruitment 

Training: upper body – mix of 

heavy conventional lifts, 

extended ‘pump’ sets and 

extended isometrics; lower 

body – explosive isometrics, 

torque isometrics, long 

duration lunge isometrics, 

resisted speed / speed skill 

work 

Purpose: Movement 

efficiency and neural 

patterning 

Training: long duration 

functional isometrics, 

movement skill practice 

Note: this phase should be as 

long as required to gain 

force/power absorption, speed functional strength and correct 

skill repetition 

patterning to allow further 

training 


hypertrophy and speedstrength 





body – rate / velocity force 

absorption 



recruitment 

Purpose: Goal-specific 

strength, plyometric 

maintenance 

Training: upper body – max 

effort heavy reps; lower body - 

RFD/rebound, max velocity, 

speed skill 


hypertrophy or strength, and 

HTMU recruitment 

1st Step: test standing vertical 

jump vs. 1-2 step vertical 

jump. 

Training: upper body – mix of If standing vert more 

heavy conventional lifts, explosive: start with power 

extended ‘pump’ sets and cycle. 

extended isometrics; lower If 1-2 vert more explosive: 

body – explosive isometrics, start with strength. 




work 

Training: Upper body - power 

or strength; lower body – 

HTMU recruitment or rate / 

velocity force absorption 

(depending on vert test) 

Training: upper body – highspeed 

Training: upper body – high- 

power cycle – banded speed power cycle – banded Training: upper body – mix of 

Training: upper body - high- 

controlled conventional lifts, overspeed movements, unresisted 

overspeed movements, unspeed 

power cycle (see Ath 2, 


iso-conc movements, resisted iso-conc movements, phase 1) or mix of heavy 



explosive isometrics; lower 


explosive isometrics, or max 

effort heavy reps; lower body 

long duration lunge isometrics, torque isometrics, long – force/power absorption, 

speed skill repetition 


work 

Purpose: power and HTMU 

recruitment 



work 

Purpose: strength or power, 

and strength-speed 

Purpose: power or functional 

hypertrophy, and strengthspeed 

or speed 

conventional lifts, extended 

‘pump’ sets and extended 

isometrics; lower body - 

force/power absorption, speed 

skill repetition, or 


speed skill ) 

PHASE 3 

Purpose: strength and 

strength-speed 



– force/power absorption, 


Purpose: speed 

Training: upper body – highspeed 

power cycle – banded 


iso-conc movements, 

explosive isometrics; lower 

body – RFD/rebound, max 

velocity, speed 





– force/power absorption, 



hypertrophy and strengthspeed 

Training: upper body – mix 

of heavy conventional lifts, 



body – force/power 

absorption, speed skill 

repetition 


hypertrophy or power and 

speed-strength 

Training: upper body – mix 

of heavy conventional lifts, 


extended isometrics, or 

power cycle – as previous 

phase; lower body – rate / 

velocity force absorption 


hypertrophy or strength, and 

speed-strength or HTMU 

recruitment 

Training: upper body – per 

phase 2 or max effort heavy 

reps; lower body - rate / 

velocity force absorption, or 

explosive isometrics, torque 

isometrics, long duration lunge 

isometrics, resisted speed / 

speed skill work 

PHASE 4 

Purpose: power/recruitment 

and speed-strength 

Training: upper body – 

same as Phase1; lower body 

– rate / velocity force 

absorption 



recruitment 









work 


and speed-strength 


power cycle – banded 


iso-conc 

movements, explosive 

isometrics; lower body – 

rate / velocity force 

absorption 


speed-strength 



– rate / velocity force 

absorption 

Purpose: strength or 

functional hypertrophy, and 

speed 


same as phase 1; lower 


velocity, speed skill. 

Purpose: strength or power, 

and speed or strength-speed 

Training: upper body - max 

effort heavy reps, or highspeed 


phase 1); lower body – 


speed skill or force/power 

absorption, speed skill 

repetition 

58 

JULY 2018 | ISSUE 01 

PHASE 5 


and speed 


same as Phase 4; lower 


velocity, speed skill 




and speed 

Training: upper body – max Training: upper body – 

effort heavy reps; lower body same as Phase 4; lower 

– force/power absorption, body – RFD/rebound, max 

speed skill repetition velocity, speed skill 


and speed 


same as Phase 4; lower 


velocity, speed skill 

Purpose: power or strength, 

and HTMU recruitment 

Training: upper body – per 

phase 2; lower body – 

explosive isometrics, torque 

isometrics, long duration 

lunge isometrics, resisted 

speed / speed skill work 

Purpose: power or functional 

hypertrophy, and HTMU 

recruitment or speed-strength 

Training; upper body - highspeed 


phase 1), or per phase 2; 

lower body - explosive 

isometrics, torque isometrics, 

long duration lunge isometrics, 


work, or rate / velocity force 

absorption 

PHASE 6 Repeat from Phase 2 Repeat from Phase 2 Repeat from Phase 2 Repeat from Phase 2 Repeat from Phase 2 or 3 Repeat from Phase 2

HTKSPORT 

FOREWORD 

This Series is about Strength Training; not necessarily how to get stronger in the 

traditional sense (for example - squatting more weight), but more specifically some 

fundamentals about how to train to get better at any sport. Strength – defined in 

many different ways specific to many different physical actions and desired 

performances – is the foundation of physical activity and therefore sports 

performance. 

This is not your typical strength training book. The focus of this Series is Athletic 

Strength. Athletic Strength is not about getting better at lifting heavy weights; Athletic 

Strength is about developing ‘ALL WEATHER ATHLETES.’ That is - athletes that are big, 

strong, and fast on the field or court. The All Weather Athlete is defined by the ability 

to excel in every facet of physical performance. 

These athletes are not built under barbells. Weight training is a tool, useful in many 

ways but unless the goal is to get better at lifting heavy weights, traditional heavy 

barbell training should be used very strategically; it should be used from a paradigm 

of eliciting desired neural responses, rather than contractile strength or mechanical 

improvement. This book is about building better athletes, not workout warriors. 

So, what is the focus of this book? This book is about the production and efficient 

utilisation of force. Athletic performance is rarely determined by pure strength; those 

who win are those who can produce more force in less time. The ability to exert more 

force in less time is function of being able to produce a lot of force, neural/neuromuscular/myo-facial/muscular 

strength qualities, being able to access and utilise 

them quickly, being able to transmit force efficiently, create a stable base from which 

it can be transferred, and a whole range of other factors explored in this book. 


Force production is a function of an athlete’s ‘engine;’ strength is simply the body’s 

structural ability to transmit and potentiate the force a particular neural output 

creates. Strength therefore refers to neural efficiency and structural suitability. Speed 

and explosiveness are primarily a result of executing reflexive neuro-muscular loops 

on a foundation of myofascial strength and power – ‘strength’ here refers to an 

efficiency of force transmission and transference, which a structural adaptation to 

explosive neural output. The human body is an adaptive machine, and the internal 

and external structures will adapt to the demands of the internal engine. 

x

HTKSPORT 

Training should therefore target the engine required to drive the goal performance, 

and the structures will develop/adapt themselves to accommodate it. Athletic 

Strength is about training athletes from the inside, out. 

This means, the fundamental premise of this book is that every external physical 

expression – be it a particular performance, or a physical state – is the result of the 

manipulation of the body’s internal physical elements. That is, the central nervous 

system controls every cell, tissue and organ in the human body. Anything we do 

physically originates from a neural command. As we are primarily concerned with 

physical movement and physical state when we talk about sports and athletic 

pursuits, we are therefore primarily concerned with the way the nervous system 

controls the fascial and muscular systems. The nervous system is the most important 

factor in physical performance, not the muscular system. While movement can be 

classified into several categories, different people can have different physical builds 

(indeed the same individual can alter their own physical state however way they 

want), and the same muscle can perform in multiple ways, the one thing that is 

common to everybody on this planet is the central nervous system. What’s less well 

understood is how to harness the enormous potential the central nervous system 

actually has on the myo-fascial system. 

For example, it has been shown that a group of slow twitch muscle fibres can change 

into fast-twitch fibres if the neuro-muscular input consistently demands fast-twitch 

characteristics at the muscular level. The fact that all physical expression is 

determined by the nervous system (within certain structural and anatomical 

constraints) should make it no surprise then that it is possible to manipulate every 

individual’s physical state and performance by addressing the relevant neural 

demands. This is the basis of training from the ‘inside, out.’ 


xi

HTKSPORT 

It should come as no surprise that attempting to train the nervous system directly is 

potentially difficult, given that the typical trainer cannot see it or measure it while 

training. However, the neuromuscular system is a complete system, and the premise 

of the methods here is that we can (and do every time we train whether we know it or 

not) manipulate the neural input to the musculature by performing exercises a 

certain way. Furthermore, the nervous system is responsible for sport carry over. 

Local adaptive changes merely represent a cumulative adaption to whatever the 

dominant and consistent neural demands placed on the entire neuromuscular 

system are. The key is therefore recognising which movements and physical outputs 

represent specific neural inputs/demands, as well as understanding how different 

neural inputs can change the way a muscle performs. The next step is then using an 

understanding of movement manipulation to induce a training effect. This, in a 

nutshell, is the purpose of this particular book. 

The 3 key training areas: 

1. ‘Chassis:’ you must develop the elastic and muscular structures properly to 

absorb, generate and transfer force, and recruit motor chains correctly; 

2. ‘Engine:’ you must recruit muscles optimally and functionally, train the 

nervous system for optimal excitation, and recover properly; 

3. ‘Practice:’ you must train the body to exert itself maximally in order to realise 

full strength potential – that is, you must run maximum stimulation through the 

engine and chassis in order to get them accustomed to utilising the potential 

built by the other training areas. You must regularly reach the ceiling in order to 

raise it. 


INPUTS 

TRAINING 

INSIDE, OUT: 

OUTPUTS 

Nervous System 

Performance 

Neuro-Muscular 

Pair 

Application 

1. NERVOUS SYSTEM 

DUR 

MAG 

RATE 

{Metabolic} 

Contractile Elastic Neural 

2. PERFORMANCE 

Strength 

Endurance 

Endurance 

STRENGTH 

HYPERTROPHY 

3. APPLICATION 

Absolute 

Strength 

POWER 

Absorption Strength 



Power 

Explosiveness 

Speed 

Max Velocity 

ABS STRENGTH 

| 

RFA 

| 

REBOUND 

| 

RFD 

! 

POWER 

A. Methods 

Traditional Rep 

Concentric-Only 

Eccentric-Only 

Isometric 

B. Pair 

Absolute Strength 

Strength Endurance 

Overload-Eccentric 

Overspeed-Eccentric 

Overspeed-Concentric 

Multi-Isometric 

Spring-Reflex Isometric / 

Oscillatory Isometric 

Rapid-Fire Isometric 

Long-Duration Isometric (*) 

High-Intensity Short-Duration 

Isometric (*) 

Force-Absorption 

Speed/Power Absorption 

Force-Abs-Rebound/ 

Reactive 

Speed-Abs-Rebound 

Overspeed-Absorption- 

Rebound 

Absorption Strength Strength-Speed Speed-Strength Speed 

DUR MAG RATE 

ISO MI Con Ecc OLE 

Iso-Con 

C. Structure 

STRENGTH 

Freq 1: DUR Tb1 


Fatigue: MAG + RATE Tb2 

SRI FA FAR SA OA OAR SAR OE OC RFI 

POWER 

Freq 1: MAG 

Freq 2: RATE Tb1 & Tb2 

Fatigue: DUR Tb1 & Tb2 

HYPERTROPHY 



Fatigue: MAG + DUR Tb1 

# REPS/LOAD 

# Efficiency 

vs. Proficiency 

# Supercomp 

# Genetics

1. WHAT IS FAST? 

Running Speed = Stride Length x Stride Frequency 

POWER vs. 

EXPLOSIVENESS vs. 

QUICKNESS 

SPEED = Rate of Force Development (RFD) x Magnitude of Force Output x Torque 

MOVING OPTIMALLY + EFFICIENTLY 

UTILISE FORCE BETTER 

ENERGY STORAGE CAPACITY 

ABSORB MORE FORCE TO GENERATE 

MORE FORCE 

FASCIAL SPRING + ELASTICITY 

} 

ABSORPTION 

REFLEXIVE OUTPUT 

EXPLOSIVE SPEED 

2. KEY TRAINING PRINCIPLES 

Absorb Force/Tensegrity 

["kinetic chain absorption" / 

structural integrity] 

Absorb + Generate Force 

[recruitment] 







+ Rebound (plyometric) + maximal 

velocity (explosiveness) 




+ Rebound (plyometric) 

1. Stages of Sprinting 

2. Propulsion 

3. Hip Extension 

4. Diaphragm 

5. Psoas 

6. Tensegrity 

7. Hip Sequence 

CONSIDERATIONS: # Movement = kinetic energy, not fast-twitch # Functional ISOs + RFD 

# Torque ISOs + practice > plyometrics 

3. STRENGTH FOR SPEED ATHLETES 

TENSEGRITY 

ABSORPTION + REFLEX 

Trunk + 

Pelvis 

TENSION + INTEGRITY 

Muscle 

Stiffness 

Feet & 

Fascia 

Force 

Absorption 

Absorb 

force 

Absorb 

force 

quickly 

1. Engage reflexive muscle chains 

2. Build optimal movement patterning in those chains 

3. Add force to those movement patterns 

4. Adapt 'absorbers & translators' 

= Increased reflexive output 

Absorb + 

rebound 

efficiently

STRENGTH FOR SPEED 

Absorb 

force 

Absorb 

force 

quickly 

Absorb + 

rebound 

efficiently 

VS. 

TRADITIONAL 

Weight = Speed of force production 

# ELASTIC ENERGY # 

STRENGTH 

FOR 


Energy Efficient 

1. MOVING OPTIMALLY + 

EFFICIENTLY 

2. UTILISE FORCE OPTIMALLY 

3. INCREASE ENERGY STORAGE 

CAPACITY 

4. ABSORB MORE FORCE TO 

GENERATE MORE FORCE 

5. FASCIAL SPRING + 

ELASTICITY 

TENSEGRITY 

[Tension + Integrity] / "Floating Compression" 

# Moving Optimally 

# Utilising Force Optimally 

ABSORPTION: 

MUSCLE STIFFNESS 

# Stiffness & Elasticity 

# Fascial Spring 

# Trunk & Pelvis 

# GLute Dominance 

# Energy Storage Capacity 

ABSORPTION 

Feet/Ankle/Knee 

Hips + Trunk 

Force Generation 

LDISOs & MAX VELOCITY 

Alpha-Gamma Coactivation

HTKSPORT 

PART I: TRAINING FROM 

THE INSIDE, OUT 

If you want a car to run faster, you don’t go out and 

thrash it more. You get under the hood and work on the 

engine. 

Training from ‘the inside, out’ means using the body’s natural adaptive ability to 

create training methods. The human body is the ultimate adaptive machine, it will 

adapt to whatever you consistently tell it to do. If you think of the human body as a 

machine with an internal engine, then 1) the external structures are an adaptive 

response to the output of the internal ‘engine’ (nervous system), and 2) the overall 

performance can only be significantly improved by addressing the capacity of the 

engine. The best athletes are not the best because they’ve spent more time playing 

the particular sport or competition they’re the best at. Nor are the fastest athletes fast 

because they have some secret speed drills, or the best Olympic lifters have some 

magical program; they’re better because they have a better machine. 

Imagine a car – if you want the car to be faster you wouldn’t go out and thrash it more 

on the road; you’d open the hood and beef up the engine. The human body should be 

treated the same way - physical performance is like driving the car: an expression of 

the inner and structural physiology (engine and machinery). While we’re all genetically 

different structurally, our internal engines (nervous system) are all made of the same 

stuff – anyone can improve their physical performance in any capacity by re-wiring 

their nervous system. The physical structures will adapt over time to whatever the 

nervous system is trying to do. 

Once we understand that the nervous system is ultimately responsible for every 

physiological function of the human body, it makes sense to start any approach to 

training with the nervous system. Therefore it makes sense to ask, for any given 

performance, ‘what am I asking my body to do in order to achieve that performance?’ 

The various types of neural input are discussed at length below in PART 2. 

01 


HTKSPORT 

When you train the correct input, the body will adapt externally/physically to 

accommodate that input. Once the body adapts to accommodate the input by 

strengthening or improving the capacity of the relevant physical structures, then 

training can focus on improving those structures to maximise performance. In short, 

establish proper neural patterns and recruitment for the desired performance(s) 

(which includes optimizing neuro-muscular recruitment and coordination), and then 

increase the horsepower behind the movement pattern to increase the capacity of 

the relevant structures, and the resulting increased training effect when practicing the 

movements. 

The most important aspects are: 

• Recruitment and movement optimisation (tensegrity) 

• Structural efficiency 

• Practice & specific movements 

• Horsepower 

By far the most important foundation to elite level physical performance of any kind 

is the presence of structurally sound and functional myo-fascial / kinetic chains. 

Movement optimisation and efficiency trumps any amount of strength-specific 

training. If you’re not moving functionally, no amount of strength will enable you to 

perform at your maximum potential. Biotensegrity is the concept at the heart of 

recruitment and movement optimisation. It’s discussed in detail below. 

Once the proper recruitment and engagement can be consistently achieved, then 

recruitment can be maximised and improved through progressively overloading gross 

movements. The specific movements focused on depend on the goal performance, 

but generally the more gross/complex/whole-body orientated the movement is then 

the greater the intensity that can be added to encourage maximal recruitment – for 

example: triple extension, pressing and pulling. 

02 

The next thing is to engage in enough sports-specific movements to optimise intra 

and inter-muscular and myofascial coordination of the recruitment that’s been 

trained – this is essentially telling the body how you want to use the recruitment. 


HTKSPORT 

This type of training trains the relevant structures to accommodate the movements; if 

you train the right recruitment pattern, the body will adapt to optimise the structures 

that create and support that pattern. Therefore the next stage is to continue to train 

and maintain sport-specific movements increase the efficiency of those structures, 

and increase the horsepower behind the movement pattern. Increasing the 

horsepower generates bigger forces through the support and contributing structures 

when the movement is practiced, and the body will adapt to accommodate those 

forces and express the horsepower. When both horsepower and structural efficiency 

are concurrently maintained and improved, overall performance in the movement 

will improve. 

1. THE ADAPTIVE MACHINE 

1.1 Biotensegrity: Moving Optimally & 

Efficiently 

There is an entire segment of the ‘fitness’ industry dedicated to functional movement 

patterns. This is not the focus of this book, other than to note that maximal 

performance only flows from correct (optimal) movement and recruitment patterns. 

It is critical to understand that human movement never occurs in isolation – humans 

are complex integrated machines. For this reason, most people are poor movers – 

either through inactivity, or over-focusing on isolating segments of movement. 

Traditional ‘Strength an Conditioning’ training can be detrimental to speed and 

performance development to the extent that it seeks to ‘improve’ performance 

through isolation. This is a huge mistake. 

You must recognise that functional motor coordination and patterning is the 

assumption here; dysfunctional athletes should first train to be functional so that they 

may avoid injury, as well as increase performance. 

03 

Great resources in this area can be found in the principles at 

functionalpatterns.com. 


HTKSPORT 

However, by far the most important thing you can understand when it comes to 

human movement and structure is that the human body is not a structure of 

continuous compression. 

What does this mean? 

A house is an example of a structure of continuous compression – it’s stable because 

things rest (compress) on other things and hold them in place. To view the body this 

way – e.g. the head sits on the neck, muscles attach to bones and create levers etc – is 

not correct. In fact, the human body comprises of structures ‘suspended’ inside a softtissue 

matrix, that varies with different materials, viscosities and compartment sizes 

to create a whole system of internal pressure that keeps us ‘together;’ it is what 

maintains our structural integrity. This is known as tensegrity or biotensegrity. 

Elasticity emerges as the paramount asset to tensegrity, and therefore to efficient 

movement. It refers to moment-by-moment changes locally and systemically, while 

maintaining structural integrity over time as we both move and stand still. Our 

posture at rest is as much dependent on structural integrity and elasticity as our body 

in dynamic movement. 

The body consists of various tissues, and the internal matrix is comprised of various 

fluids and structures all designed to have specific elastic and viscous properties. We 

must understand our entire system as one of elasticity, where is elasticity is defined 

as efficiency of reformation – that is, when our system’s structures are moved and 

altered through space, elasticity refers to our ability to absorb those disturbances and 

reform / maintain our structural integrity. We move because we are comprised of 

elastic structures, and we maintain our form when we move due to the tension / 

compression relationship our internal environment creates. 

04 

The combination of our tissues and contained fluids change constantly and yet 

remain in integrity, re-arranging as we move, both inwardly and outwardly. This is 

what is re-defined by understanding the full model of BioTensegrity. We are made up 

of various chambers in and around the extra cellular matrix; holding together a 

variety of colloids, foams and emulsions of our internal chemistries and fluids. 


HTKSPORT 

Viscoelasticity is the way in which the internal tissues of our body create movement. 

In liquids, the same property is measured in viscosity (thickness) – for example honey 

is more viscous than water because it resists deformation more. Viscoelasticity acts as 

a ‘damper’ (i.e. such as would be placed on a stiff car spring to modify the rate of 

elastic return). It is a time-dependent way of regulating elastic ‘spring-back’. The 

internal tissues of the human body rely on this to change from one movement to 

another. 

If biotensegrity is the basis of the architecture of our collagen matrix, then it also has 

elastic integrity when we are still. We do not deflate. The body benefits from the value 

of elasticity just as much when sitting as when running; peak performance and peak 

‘pre-formance’ are both animated by the same system. 

Without a doubt, there is a wealth of knowledge in this area, far beyond the basics 

presented in this book, in the work of Müller and Schleip; particularly the book Fascia 

in Sport and Movement. I encourage all readers to explore their work. This manual will 

attempt to sum some of the overarching principles, but for far greater depth please 

explore their work in this area. 

1.2 Utilising Force Optimally 

Applying the tensegrity model of architectural structures to the human body 

demonstrates that when forces are introduced at one point in a structure, they are 

simultaneously transmitted to other parts of the same structure. During almost all 

movement patterns, it's not just the immediate muscles that are involved; rather, a 

wide network of different muscles will contribute and share in the force production, 

and most importantly – force absorption (see more below). 

The speed at which the athlete moves is determined by how much of the force 

generated by the movement of the body – predominantly kinetic energy – is utilised 

to explosively propel them forward. Part of that is contributed by biomechanics and 

movement technique. However, the majority is determined by the elasticity and 

engagement of the body’s fascia network, and its ability to transmit and transfer force 

efficiently. 

05 


HTKSPORT 

The most important thing when training for performance is to understand the 

muscular system does not exist or operate in isolation, but rather as a body-wide 

system of myo-fascial connective tissue. Fascia is the organ system used for stability 

and ‘mechano-regulation.’ Its primary quality is elasticity and tensile strength, which is 

what makes it critical to both structural integrity and performance – force 

transmission is about tension translation; the body consists of a collection of myofascial 

‘slings’ that all interconnect as a single unit responsible for controlling the 

forces of compression and tension, for both structure / function and performance. 

It’s a common misconception that all joint movement is due to muscle shortening and 

the resulting energy that is passed through passive tendons that attach to the bone. 

While true for ‘unloaded’ or steady movements – such as cycling – where muscle 

fibres change length but tendons and aponeuroses do not (fascial elements remain 

passive), it is not the case for ‘oscillatory’ movements. Oscillatory movements are 

those that occur back and forth from a constant point of origin – e.g. the ground. 

These movements rely on elastic spring in the fascial elements, and little change in 

muscle fibre length. Here, the muscle fibres contract in an almost isometric fashion 

(they stiffen temporarily without any significant change of their length) while the 

fascial elements function in an elastic way with a movement similar to that of a yoyo. 

Here, it is the lengthening and shortening of the fascial elements that produces the 

actual movement. 

Utilising force optimally and explosively means absorbing, transferring and 

rebounding as much kinetic energy as possible to propel the desired movement; 

requires the elastic quality of the fascial network. Optimising this is the first, but by far 

the most important, step to athletic strength training. 

1.3 Recruitment, Specificity & Functional 

Intensity 

06 


One of the most critical points to recognise is that the body adapts to what you give it, 

and therefore if the final performance involves complex dynamic movements (most 

dynamic sports, for example) then a lot of attention needs to be paid to ensuring 

training methods carry over to the overall goal performance.

HTKSPORT 

Generally training intensity and specificity are inversely related – that is, the 

more specific (complex) the movement is, the less intensity will be able to be 

added to it in training (before it is altered to a new and different stimulus), and 

vice versa. This is why it is easy, for example, to overload the squat movement (i.e. 

add intensity), but more difficult to load footwork drills (without altering or slowing 

them down significantly). With regards to complex movements, it is important to 

separate the optimising recruitment and neural patterning from overload training – 

the best way to get more efficient at complex movements (recruitment/pattern 

efficiency) is to go out and practice them. The key to improving performance in those 

movements (once optimal recruitment is obtained) is a good understanding of how to 

functionally train. This is discussed further below. 

I think it’s very important to realise that performance is a combination of an input and 

the physical ability to express that input; many training methods only focus on 

improving the physical structures. In some instances simply training the structures 

will have a positive affect on the performance, but more often than not focusing 

solely on training structures without equally focusing on the (neural) input will train 

the structures in a way that doesn’t carry over to the final performance. For example, 

sprinting or explosive leg speed is often associated with being glute-dominant or 

having a well developed posterior chain; does this mean doing hamstring curls and 

glute kickbacks to build a bigger set of glutes and hamstrings will make you faster? In 

most cases, no. However, if you train to get more explosive legs and faster sprint 

speed, then chances are you will be or become glute-dominant and have good 

relative posterior chain development. Additionally, if you add to that some training 

that specifically aims to increase the horsepower of the glutes and the explosive 

strength of the hamstrings, then you will improve your ability to get more explosive 

legs and faster sprint speeds. In short, the best functional training methods train the 

nervous system to tell the body want you want it to do, and train the body to 

maximally respond to that message/input. 

07 


HTKSPORT 

The next question is then related to how to best ensure that the structural training is 

functional and carries over to the specific movement(s) of the goal performance. I 

think there are generally two approaches to ‘functional structural training’– training 

the structures by attempting to mimic – and often overload through added resistance 

– specific movements, or train in a conjugate way that combines practicing specific 

movements with a more general training protocol; the aim being to train and improve 

specific capacities – e.g. power, strength, speed etc – rather than movements, and 

combine that with specific practice in the hope that the adaptations from the general 

training will carry over into the practice, and therefore the practice is secondarily 

loaded/maximised to create a secondary training effect from the practice. Sometimes 

it may be most beneficial to combine all 3 training types – general capacity training, 

specific practice and overloaded functional/specific movements. Each has benefits 

and drawbacks. 

1.4 Training: Increased Specificity, 

Decreased Intensity 

The problem with training specific movements, or mimicking complex movements, is 

two-fold: the body adapts to what you give it, so the more specific the stimulus the 

more specific the adaptation will be. So the first thing with mimicking movements is 

to make sure the movement is as close as possible to the actual performance, 

otherwise the carryover will not be of any use to the actual performance. 

08 


However, the biggest problem with extremely specific movements – particularly 

complex dynamic movements – is that there is usually a trade off in training intensity 

for specificity. This obviously depends on the movement – for example, if the athlete 

is a powerlifter and the final performance to be mimicked is a maximal effort squat, 

then it’s not difficult to generate or alter intensity up or down in practicing the 

competition style squat movement without fear of detrimentally altering the 

dynamics of the end performance. Compare with, for example, the running motion – 

this is a very specific movement pattern and involves more than glute and hamstring 

activation. In fact the neural activation of the glutes and hamstrings (and any other 

contributing muscles) during maximal running are unique and cannot be specifically 

replicated without actually performing maximal speed running. Therefore, the only 

real way to overload this action is to add resistance to sprinting, commonly through 

pushing/pulling sleds or speed training in a weight vest.

HTKSPORT 

These methods are good because the motion is specific, however, returning to the 

earlier point about trading intensity for specificity, the resistance cannot be so great 

the either the mechanics themselves or the speed at which the mechanics are used is 

altered. Often if the load on the sled, for example, is too great then the motion 

changes to a slow drag as opposed to a sprint. While the same muscle groups may be 

being used, they are not being recruited in the same way and are performing very 

different biomechanic tasks – pulling vs. propulsion are very different motor patterns. 

Heavy sled dragging may be a useful tool to train general strength or could be used 

as a neural priming exercise for a coupled speed exercise, but it has no direct carry 

over to sprinting speed. The same can be said about heavy squats, or just about any 

heavy load exercise – there is only a very small window of resistance where the 

specific movement can be overloaded before the movement is slowed or altered to a 

point where a different stimulus is being utilised. Similarly if the speed of the 

motion/mechanics is reduced, then, unless the intent to move at maximal speed is 

maintained, the exercise is not specifically training maximal speed. If the load is too 

heavy then the neuromuscular input switches to generating tension to move the load, 

rather maximal elastic power or velocity, which seeks to add residence to a maximal 

recruitment at maximal velocity in order to increase the level of recruitment – 

sustained tension is a different input to elastic power, explosiveness or speed. 

Special strength for speed athletes is discussed in more detail below in PART 4. 

This is obviously not the case if the specific goal movement is a squat, deadlift or 

some other movement that is easily replicated in the gym with high intensity. 

Generally the more complex the movement the harder it is to replicate in the gym. 

This highlights why functional training can mean a number of different things, and, 

generally, why functional training for complex movements (or sports that involve 

complex dynamic movements) is difficult. This is also why I think training for sports 

should incorporate both specific and general methods, so that the body can be 

consistently exposed to specificity and intensity. 

09 


HTKSPORT 

2. NEURO-MUSCULAR OUTPUTS 

The most fundamental training principle every athlete should know is that the 

nervous system controls every cell, tissue and organ in the human body; the nervous 

system is the most important factor in performance, not the muscular system. While 

movement can be classified into several categories, the singular nervous system is 

the common element to all types of movement, and there are therefore different 

neural inputs that create different performance outputs at the muscular level. Even 

more than this, as mentioned above, it can be seen that a group of slow twitch muscle 

fibres can change into fast-twitch fibres if the neuro-muscular input consistently 

demands fast-twitch characteristics at the muscular level. The critical point is that 

training should focus on developing the desired performance from the inside out, i.e. 

by primarily focusing on the neuro-muscular demand. 

Critically, however, we must still understand what the outside manifestation of neuromuscular 

stimuli looks/feels like, because most athletes will not have the 

technological equipment to measure neural impulses. 

The focus will therefore turn to explaining the different neuro-muscular inputs, and 

then how these inputs manifest themselves in physical performance. The explanation 

below is based on the old Inno-Sport methods of describing neuro inputs / outputs. 

There are three general inputs: sustained neural tension and application of 

force/muscular contraction (DUR), maximal motor unit recruitment /magnitude of 

neural input (MAG) and rapid motor unit recruitment (RATE). 

DUR is generally associated with strength activities; MAG is generally associated the 

maximal power output and tension creation in the muscle; and RATE is the most 

rapid neural transmission/quickest contraction. 

10 


While it is possible to visualise and organise these inputs in terms of speed of neural 

transmission and muscle contraction (DUR being the slowest, RATE being the quickest 

and MAG somewhere in between), it is important to recognise that these neuromuscular 

inputs exist on a continuum (see below) and are not strictly separated. It is 

also important to understand that these inputs are not mutually exclusive – as will be 

shown below, many performance outputs are combinations and varying 

contributions of different neuro-muscular inputs.

HTKSPORT 

Sprinting, for example, is typically a combination of MAG and SPD. The difference in 

the relative contributions of each type of input to any given activity is basically placing 

the activity at a certain point along the SUS-MAG-RATE continuum (see below). 

Activities that are generally relatively slow but require extended applications of force 

will be closest to the DUR input, while activities that require the most speed, and 

hence neural transmission rate will be closest to the RATE input. Those activities 

requiring the greatest degree of motor unit recruitment, force and muscular tension 

will also require maximal neural activity and therefore be closest to the MAG input. As 

has been noted, jumping and sprinting generally create the largest force output. This 

is because they utilise both contractile and stored elastic energy (reactive strength). 

What this shows is that maximal force output is a combination of strength and speed 

of movement. This is what is typically defined as ‘power’ (Power = Force x Velocity). It 

also explains why the most powerful athletes are not always the most traditionally 

strong athletes; the reliance of the elastic/reactive strength component is only 

possible through fast, dynamic movements, and therefore explains why the most 

powerful athletes are usually not the strongest athletes in the squat or deadlift. 

It should start to become clear as to the type of movements one can employ in 

training to train the various neuro-muscular inputs. DUR and RATE are quite self 

explanatory - DUR is generally explained by either max single efforts that require 

sustained muscle contraction, or extended bouts of contraction. RATE is associated 

with contracting muscles as quickly as possible. RATE, therefore, is rarely associated 

with significant resistance (but note that one way to increase the speed of a 

contraction is to load a speed movement, thereby increasing the activation and speed 

of the unloaded movement); any resistance used should elicit a potentiation training 

effect, rather than a strength (or other) effect that slows the movement. 

MAG training, on the other hand, in the absence of suitable measuring technology, is 

more difficult to recognise externally. MAG input is hard to describe but often 

recognisable to the athlete by the ‘feel’ of the exercise. Although some exercises like 

sprinting, jumping and some other max force/speed exercises are easily classified as 

MAG by their very nature, it is more difficult to explain how to train MAG work with 

traditional training methods. A common guide for most athletes is that MAG input will 

be stimulated at resistance loads between 51% and 75% of the athlete’s AW 1 rep 

max for that exercise. 

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See below under ‘Training Loads’ for more information on AW (‘appropriated weight’). 

For traditional barbell and dumbbell exercises, MAG training occurs in the ‘sweet spot’ 

zone, where the resistance is neither too heavy (such that the movement is laboured) 

nor too light (the exercise feels devoid of significant force). While the 51%-75% guide 

range applies to most lifters, the optimal resistance for MAG work is usually the one 

with which the athlete feels most powerful, where the goal is maximal force and 

speed. Appropriate resistance for MAG work is much harder to determine for 

dynamic exercises or non-traditional resistance exercises, but the general guide 

should still be ‘when the athlete feels most powerful,’ since this cue typically reflects 

an optimal amount of speed and force. 

Furthermore, different athletes may naturally fall at different places along that 

continuum, either as the result of prior training, or their genetics, or a combination of 

both. This is represented in genetic predisposition for certain activities/sport, but also 

the natural ability to naturally express the different types of stimulation. RATE 

dominant athletes would complete a 1 rep max relatively quickly -

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This may be seen, for example, as an elite sprinter who applies extreme amounts of 

force with a very fast stride rate, or an athlete who can change direction (decelerate) 

at high speed, or a boxer whose quick-fire punches pack a lot of force. DUR dominant 

athletes, by contrast, favour sustained neural inputs, and tend to be inefficient 

(relative to MAG-dominant athletes) with their motor unit recruitment and require 

external resistance as a stimulus for the nervous system to recruit more fibres. They 

may, for example, look equally strained and laboured when lifting a significantly submaximal 

load as they would a max lift; e.g. lift 150kg in a strained, slow manner, but 

also able to continue straining out reps right up to 200kg. 

Understanding the neural demands of various physical performances is the first 

fundamental to training organisation. The next few chapters will look at the various 

external expressions of physical performance, and how to elicit the desired neuromuscular 

input through movement. 

2.1 Muscle Strength vs. Elastic Strength 

Muscle strength refers to the production of force from the frictional/contractile 

elements of the muscle fibres; i.e. the function of actin and myosin filaments during a 

muscle contraction. Generally, muscular strength becomes more important the 

longer the duration of the movement and the heavier the resistance. Therefore the 

best way to develop contractile strength is through DUR-specific work. Similarly, this is 

why fast, explosive movements like sprints and jumps do not rely heavily on 

frictional/contractile strength, but rather stored elastic energy. DUR-dominant 

athletes will often over-rely on frictional elements to perform movements that are 

best performed explosively. A good example of this may be seen when comparing a 

completely untrained athlete who is naturally suited to sprinting (RATE/MAG 

dominant) with a powerlifter and comparing the relative force outputs and sprint 

performances. Muscle-bound athletes that are deficient in elastic qualities will rely 

heavily on contractile elements, which would result in them attempting to ‘muscle the 

track’ (typically characterised by hip, knee and ankle collapse upon ground contact 

and slow, bounding strides reliant on muscle contractions to move each leg with 

every stride – compare with top-level sprinters, who appear to effortlessly ‘float’ down 

the track at full speed) or lack the reactive ability to correctly perform a depth jump. 

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Elastic strength is often referred to as plyometric or reactive strength. This refers to 

the non-contractile elements of the muscle and surrounding structures - tendons, 

fascia, and ligaments. The function of these elements during performance is to store 

energy during the stretch phase of movements, and release it during contraction. This 

action is very similar to a spring and is the basis of, although not limited to, the 

commonly known ‘stretch reflex’ action. Generally, elastic strength becomes more 

important as the speed of the movement increases. This because elastic 

elements/structures are the primary way in which the body absorbs power, where the 

velocity component of the movement is high, the speed requirement also generally 

necessitates lesser loads when training elastic components, when compared with 

contractile elements. However, elastic components, through their ability to absorb 

very large amounts of power during very fast movements, are also absorbing and 

rebounding very large amounts of force, where the athlete’s mass must be absorbed 

extremely quickly (high deceleration) and rebounded (acceleration). If force is 

traditionally defined as mass x acceleration (or deceleration) then we can see why 

speed/power activities (such as sprinting and jumping) are usually also very large 

force-producing activities. 

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For example, evidence has shown that the force exhibited in the last contact phase of 

the triple jump is upwards of 300kg in elite triple-jumpers. It is doubtful many triplejumpers 

could squat 300kg – here we can see that the jump performance is not just 

the result of muscular contraction but also of the stored elastic energy of the 

musculature and surrounding structures. Together, contractile and elastic strength 

make up the athlete’s static-spring ability. It’s critical to understand that speed sports 

(or any movement that relies on elastic strength) are elastic dominant, but also that 

reactive movements also require a strong contractile strength base for stability. This 

is why an athlete must be proficient at force absorption and power absorption before 

they can effectively rebound that force. The fastest athletes are essentially the most 

energy-efficient athletes – they lose very little of the force /power they generate upon 

ground contact, and are able to absorb it and use it to rebound them down the track. 

The example of the athlete relying on contractile elements for sprinting shows this 

too – ankle, knee and hip collapse at the point of ground contact is reflective of poor 

absorption proficiency, and hence all the contractile force generated through the 

stride is lost through poor stability/efficiency and the athlete must rely on their 

muscle to re-generate the force required for the next stride (hence, ‘muscling the 

track’).

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Therefore, we often refer to the absorption/rebound ability of the athlete as the 

“stiffness” of both the musculature and joints of the legs during sprinting (or other 

structures for other movements utilising the static spring). This is why a speed 

athlete’s strength foundation should incorporate contractile and absorption strength 

work. This is discussed further below. 

Another important discussion that stems from this is the type of strength training 

speed athletes should focus on. The specific section below “Strength for Speed 

Athletes” is useful for such athletes. 

2.2 Expressions of Physical Performance 

The next thing to understand, for functional performance at least, is that sports are 

rarely limited to a single performance output. American football, for example, 

requires explosive leg speed, varying degrees of upper and lower body strength and 

power, and body mass in order to be proficient at all the demands of the sport. 

Different positions demand varying degrees or combinations of each, but it is easy to 

see how understanding the continuum of physical outputs is the first step to 

designing an efficient training program. The next question is therefore one of 

recognising which sporting or physical demands require proficiency is which outputs. 

As mentioned above, the neuro-muscular inputs exist on a continuum, where 

different points along the continuum may be viewed as different contribution 

combinations of the various types of input. Similarly, specific physical performances 

may be characterised as combinations of inputs. Speed (as in sprint or running speed) 

is comprised of both MAG and RATE inputs – the fastest athletes across the ground 

are those who can apply the most force into the ground with every stride, with a fast 

stride rate – the most force, in the least time; i.e. track speed is a function of stride 

length (force into and rebounded from the ground, and stride frequency. It is also 

important to remember that the capacity of an athlete’s MAG potential is affected by 

their DUR training, because DUR training should increase their muscular and 

absorption force capacities (see ‘The Performance Loop” section below). Traditional 

strength, on the other hand, would be a combination of MAG and DUR – the MAG 

work would contribute to the ability to recruit a maximal number of muscle fibres, 

while the DUR work would represent the amount of time such recruitment can be 

sustained. 

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Physical demands may loosely be listed as: speed, strength, power, explosiveness, 

muscle growth/hypertrophy and endurance. 

SPEED 

Speed (referring to sprint/running speed) is an expression of ‘speed-strength’ and 

‘strength-speed.’ This represents the MAG and RATE combination mentioned above. 

Both strength-speed and speed-strength are different categorisations of power, 

where power is defined as P=Force x Velocity. 

Strength-speed may be defined as the ability to realise strength quickly, while speedstrength 

is defined as the ability to achieve peak velocity as quickly as possible. Within 

this training system, what most trainers may generally know as ‘power’ expression is 

defined here as strength-speed, while speed-strength is better categorised as 

‘explosiveness.’ 

'Strength-speed’ is usually defined by a load range between the load the exhibits the 

athlete’s peak power and up to 20% above peak power output. ‘Speed-strength’ 

covers all loads below the load that exhibits peak power, and the relative strength 

and speed contributions along the continuum towards faster movements and lower 

loads will depend on the training focus and exercise selection of the trainer. Hence 

sprint speed may loosely be defined as a combination of power and explosiveness. 

There is also a general characterisation of ‘speed’ training (referring to max 

RATE/contraction speed work, not sprint speed), which involves movements at 

maximal speeds, which, depending on the genetic predispositions of the athlete, 

often involve very small application of forces. Speed work is a vital component of 

speed-strength, especially for those with less natural explosiveness, where the 

performance goal is to maximise both speed and force. Therefore, while sprinting is a 

combination of strength-speed and speed-strength ability, the speed-strength 

component is also governed by the athlete’s speed (or RATE) ability. 

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STRENGTH 


Strength may be an expression of ‘absolute strength’ muscular contractions or 

‘absorption strength’ for dynamic movements (which use elastic force and power).

HTKSPORT 

Traditional strength training is not optimal for speed athletes because such training 

methods usually employ slow and sustained applications of force (DUR). Instead 

speed athletes rely predominantly on the elastic potential of their muscles for 

maximal force application (see above), and therefore must have a base of absorption 

strength rather than traditional contractile strength. ‘Strength’ may therefore be used 

to described different physical outputs. Strength may refer purely to maximal force 

output. In training terms this usually means overcoming strength – simply moving a 

given weight or resistance. The greater the resistance, the greater the amount of 

overcoming force is required to displace that weight. This is essentially an expression 

of absolute strength, and is more commonly referred to as a one-rep max. The term 

‘rep’ in this context may reference a lifting movement (like a squat or deadlift), or 

shifting a static resistance for a given distance (such as some strongman events). 

Strength may also be used to describe the dynamic application of force, ranging in 

outputs from strength-endurance (sub-maximal force for extended periods of time) 

to explosive strength/strength-speed (applying force with speed). 

HYPERTROPHY 

Muscle hypertrophy is essentially an expression of ‘strength endurance’. As we have 

seen, and is demonstrated even further below through an example, while the actual 

expression of hypertrophy-specific training is DUR work, it shouldn’t be forgotten that 

the potential of that training is greatly increased by improving MAG ability, which is 

typically characterised as strength-speed work. 

ENDURANCE 

Finally, the muscular performance aspects of ‘endurance’ may be loosely defined 

under strength endurance, but this quality is usually (to various extents depending on 

the exact endurance demands) dependent on cardiovascular qualities. These are not 

the focus of this book. 

How, then, do we categorise activity types to reflect the various neuromuscular 

inputs? 

17 

This is the focus of the next Part of this book. 


HTKSPORT 

PART II: STRENGTH 

TRAINING 

FUNDAMENTALS 

1. THE NEURO-MUSCULAR PAIR 

We have seen how specific muscular action is generated by neuro-muscular 

activation; it was said that the key to any training is to train from ‘the inside, out.’ The 

next consideration is therefore how to reliably create training methods that will 

perform these neuro-muscular functions, assuming that the huge majority of athletes 

and coaches will not have available to them the technology to accurately measure 

electrical neural impulses and inputs. 

Training methods must therefore be based on an understanding of 1) what the 

performance goal is, 2) what the neuro-muscular components of that performance 

are, and 3) how to set up exercises that functionally train those components. In the 

absence of neural-measuring devices, this starts and finishes with analysis and 

application of movement. We know that DUR is associated with sustained muscular 

contractions, MAG with maximal motor unit recruitment and RATE with the quickest 

neural rate and transmission. Therefore, the first element to any training program 

should be to determine the input-movement pair. 

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Strength 

Frequency: 

Session 1: DUR tb1 


Fatigue: 

Session 1: MAG tb1 & RATE tb2 

Power 

Frequency: 

Session 1: MAG tb1 

Session 2: RATE tb1 & tb2 

Fatigue: 

Session 1: DUR tb1 & tb2 

Hypertrophy 

Frequency: 



Fatigue: 

Session 1: MAG tb1 & DUR tb1 

Within the specific type of training phase (power, strength, hypertrophy), we have the 

various performance types outlined above – absolute strength, strength-speed etc. 

This is where the exercise methods outlined above may also be incorporated: 

Absolute Strength (DUR tb1) 

Traditional Reps, Iso, Conc, Ecc , Iso-Conc, OLE, SRI 

Strength Endurance (DUR tb2 & tb3) 

Traditional Reps, Iso, Iso-Traditional Rep, MI, SRI 

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Absorption-Strength (DUR tb1 & MAG tb1) 

FA, SA, OA 

Strength-Speed (MAG tb1 & DUR tb1) 

Traditional reps, Iso-Conc, Sprint work, Resisted Sprint work, Plyometrics, FA, FAR, SA, 

OA, SAR, OAR

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