Strength and Conditioning - Cast Iron Strength

13 Sep

Athlete Advice, Attitude, Being Honest., Strength and Conditioning

Lessons Learned – painful experiences in the world of strength training, part 1. – Gavin Laird

September 13, 2017
Posted by Marc Keys
know, knoweldge, philosophy, Powerlifting, Training
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I started training as a teenager sometime in the mid 1990’s; started helping others with their training round about 1998 and opened my first gym just after the start of the current millennium. I’ve...

19 Jul

crossfit, Programme, Strength and Conditioning

Training for CrossFit – A professional Strength and Conditioning Coach’s ideas on how to train for the most popular strength sport on earth.

July 19, 2017
Posted by Marc Keys
crossfit, Perodisation, program for crossfit, Programming, strength
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I’ve given CrossFit a fair amount of shit in my time, I won’t shy away from it some of the movement standards allowed by boxes and at competitions doesn’t really do much to put...

08 Jul

Sports, Strength and Conditioning

Keeping your standards high – How to stand out as a personal trainer or S&C coach by being better.

July 8, 2017
Posted by Marc Keys
Coaching, habit forming, habits, Personal Training, strength and conditoning, Training
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Personal training and strength and conditioning can be hugely rewarding and fulfilling jobs and as such, they attract a lot of people who want to get into the business. If you're looking for just...

22 Jun

Strength and Conditioning, Strength training

The Best Basic Strength Programme for Runners.

June 22, 2017
Posted by Marc Keys
barbell strength programme for running, best basic runners programme, run, running, strength training for running, weight training for running
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Well this one’s a bit off the beaten track isn’t it ladies and gentlemen! I am currently walking through Holyrood Park in Edinburgh to get to Edinburgh Barbell’s training venue and it is a...

19 Apr

crossfit, Sport Specific, Sports, Strength and Conditioning

In Defense of Specificity

April 19, 2017
Posted by Marc Keys
crossfit, Getting Stronger, Powerlifting, Sports Training, weight training, weightlifting
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Ready for anything at any time is the call of the generalist trainer or those who have somehow gotten into their heads that the best way to progress forward in fitness or in training...

02 Mar

Coaching, Fitness, Powerlifting, Rugby, Sport, Strength and Conditioning

The Bottom Line is Consistency

March 2, 2017
Posted by Marc Keys
Being a better lifter, expecting more, Mindset, Powerlifting, Standards, success
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If I look at anything that I have done well or that has been a success in my reasonably short tenure on this planet it has been the things, I have stuck with through...

06 Feb

Powerlfiting, Professional Resources, Strength and Conditioning, Strength and Conditioning Research, Strongman

Five Strength Training “Corner Stones” That are Actually Gimmicks in Disguise.

February 6, 2017
Posted by Marc Keys
Conditioning, Powerlifting, strength, Strength and conditioning
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I’ve started listening to the stone cold Steve Austin podcast which is excellent by the way Stone Cold is probably the only person I reckon who is actually as cool as they come across...

25 Jan

Coaching, Strength and Conditioning, Strength and Conditioning Research, Strength training, Uncategorized

My Five Biggest Strength and Conditioning Influences.

January 26, 2017
Posted by Marc Keys
athletics, Rugby, Strength and conditioning, Strength coaching
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To know where you are going then you need to know where you have been. Next year will mark the end of my first decade of professional strength and conditioning with elite athletes. 2017...

16 Jan

Coaching, Strength and Conditioning, Strength and Conditioning Research, Strength Sports

The difference between knowledge and performance – Let’s talk about what it actually takes to become a better lifter.

November 16, 2016
Posted by Marc Keys
Becoming Elite, Coaching, Feedback, mastering powerlifting, Mastering Weightlifting, Mastery, Performance, Powerlifting, weightlifting
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The majority of this article is inspired by the frankly excellent book Peak by Anders Ericsson whose body of work is in skill learning and the achievement of expert status or mastery. A lot...

27 Oct

Athlete Advice, Powerlifting, Programme, Resoloutions, Strength and Conditioning, Uncategorized

How to be a better strength athlete. Powerlifting Advice that will never get old.

October 27, 2016
Posted by Marc Keys
Adivce, Attitude, Powerlifting, Professional, Psycology
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Apologies for not writing to this blog for a while I have been somewhat snowed under with other time commitments since pre-season hit in July of 2016. Now the dust is starting to settle...

27 Aug

Powerlifting, Powerlifting Technique, Research, Strength and Conditioning, Weightlfting, Worlds Strongest Man

New Fads and Fashions in Strength Training that can get fucked.

August 27, 2016
Posted by Marc Keys
Coaching, cross fit, Getting Stronger, Humour, olympic lifting, Opinion, Powerlifting, Strength Training, weightlfiting
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1 The intellectual meathead.Lifting is a verb and verbs by definition are doing words, Rene Descartes is famous for his quote “I think therefore I am” which in a philosophy is a perfectly valid...

18 Aug

Conditioning, Strength and Conditioning

How to be an awesome intern – things you should do if you want to stand out as a strength and conditioning intern.

August 18, 2016
Posted by Marc Keys
Conditioning, How to be a strength and conditioning coach, how to find an internship, Internships, Professional Sport, sports science carrer, strength, Strength and conditioning
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Strength and conditioning is busting at the seams with people in their early 20s who have come out of some degree programme but haven’t seen the inside of a gym or sports performance facility. ...

13 Jun

Strength and Conditioning, Strength and Conditioning Research, Uncategorized

Strength and Conditioning Research the TL;DR Version – June 2016

June 13, 2016
Posted by Marc Keys
Conditioning, Cricket, Getting bigger, getting faster, Getting Stronger, Muscle Density, speed training, Sports Training, Strength and conditioning
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Does getting stronger make soccer players faster?William Styles et al looked at the effect of 6 weeks of strength training utilising the squat exercise (2x per week utilising 80-95% RM) had on 5,10 and...

28 Feb

Sport, Sport Specific, Strength and Conditioning, Strength training, Training Transfer

When is it time to stop general preperation?

February 28, 2016
Posted by Marc Keys
elite sport, Performance, periodisation, Programming, Special exercise, Sports Specific, Sports Training, transfer of training
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As strength and conditioning coaches and especially as strength coaches pretending to be strength and conditioning coaches I feel it is easy to get trapped in the process of worrying too much about...

18 Nov

Strength and Conditioning, Strength and Conditioning Research, Uncategorized

Strength and Conditioning Research the TL;DR Version – November 2015

November 18, 2015
Posted by Marc Keys
Conditioning, research, review, sports science, strength, TL;DR
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TL;DRChains and bands can provide a good strength stimulus over longer periods of training for athletes of different sporting backgrounds and untrained subjects. We can't say if this is due to a novel stimulus...

16 Nov

Powerlfiting, Powerlifting, Strength and Conditioning

The Powerlifter’s Off Season

November 16, 2015
Posted by Marc Keys
Injury Prevention, Off Season, Perodisation, Pilates, Planning, Programming, Recovery, Stretching, Yoga
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I've worked with sports men and women for nearly a decade now I have worked with Olympians, International team sports stars and youth athletes who have never stepped in a gym before. One thing...

05 May

Opinion, Strength and Conditioning, Uncategorized

8 Things in the last 8 Years that I thought I knew, that where bullshit. (Part 2)

5 - Placebo mattersOnce you come to accept what can be a harsh reality that a lot of the physical training that involves "optimisation" is pretty much a big crock of shit then you...