In the next phase of training, we change the focus of the program from out and out strength and move to a strength/power focus. However, we don’t do this without maintaining an element an element of the strength component, as we do not want to lose any of the capacity we just established in the…
By Matt Ham. So I was doing my usual scroll through my news feed on Facebook when I came across a bodybuilder/sculptor (for ease of reference, let’s call him Lou) who had posted something that a friend of mine had liked. What caught my attention however was not what he said but the fact that…
Commensurate with our year-round approach to client periodisation here at Hammer Athletic, we are about to embark on our Strength Intensification phase; meaning that we will partake in a program that increases strength capacity. By approaching the year in two halves, we have periodised our first macrocycle/season with a model called Conjugated Sequencing, with the…
I have always been critical of Crossfit, so much so that seeing Crossfit participants in their active (insert Reebok here) wear at my local breakfast spot, talking about ‘Fran’ ‘Linda’ and ‘Mary’ used to drive me crazy. As a scientist, I’m naturally skeptical. I’m always reading articles and looking for information that might impact what…
It’s off season at Hammer Athletic. This means we are all participating in an off season program. Read on to learn all about how and why we are executing this in January. – By Matt Ham Now that most of you have had a well-deserved break over the Christmas/New year period, it is important that…
As far as ‘weight loss challenges’ go, we have a pretty hard stance at Hammer Athletic. We flat out don’t run them. You can visit our Hammerology blog to read the ins and outs but put simply – we don’t believe that short term weight focused goals are beneficial to the longevity of your health, fitness…
By Riley Gould If you’ve been hanging around Hammer HQ lately, you may have heard the buzz about our upcoming training clinic ‘Overreaching’. If you’re wondering what the overreaching clinic involves, it’s a 10-day training clinic which we run at the end of each year intending to impose a super-compensation phase while you recover during the…
Having just completed 10 months of our annual periodisation plan with only Overreaching to go, it’s high time we share some of the results from our strength and conditioning testing battery that you’ve all been put through. The Data This is important. I have taught you guys to scrutinise every article or piece of information that you…
There is a lot of conjecture when it comes to training the elderly. The general rule of thumb is, the older we get, the gentler the exercise progression should become. This consititues less complex movements and more gradual, steady state activity like walking, water aerobics or other means of endurance-based cardiovascular activities that are less…
Physical activity. We are witnessing a generational shift right before our eyes – no longer are we resting on our laurels content with the fact that our feet are disappearing beneath our trunk, we are doing something about it! We are walking, running, triathlon-ing, yoga-ing, bootcamping, you-name-it-ing and that’s bloody great. With the explosion in…
