"WHAT ARE THE RULES?" ANONYMOUS

When I walk in a weightroom I usually have a sheet that I give to athletes, especially when I am dealing with large groups of athletes. Without a program the athletes would progress very slowly, if at all.
I love the rules quotes such as "You should know the rules before you break them", "we don't know the rules, we just break them", and my favorite by the Dalai Lama "learn the rules, so you know how to break them". Unfortunately that last one can be used by unscrupulous people. Not a good thing.
When I hand out sheets, the athlete is supposed to do the exercises in the order that they appear on the sheet. This seems logical to most people but not people that are lifting for the first time. Usually the order of exercises is in a sequence with four logical reasons behind it. They are:
1) Large to small- Exercises that involve a lot of muscles versus exercises that involve few muscles.
2)Fast to slow- This was the rule of thumb for a long time, but I have used the slow to fast method popularized by Coach Christian Thibaudeau.
3)Complex to Simple- Complex could be a power clean and a simple could be an abdominal crunch.
4)Priority-This means your coach wants you to work on a specific exercise, or muscle group to improve your overall performance.
This all seems simple to me, but some people just don't get it.

On Saturday and Sunday I worked a JAA Football amp with 5 to 12 years olds. On Monday we started our incoming freshman camp. I am also responsible for about 30 sophomores. On Tuesday June 21st I was down at Aliso Niguel High School doing a demonstration at a youth basketball camp. I will also be there on Thursday. I was at a late parents meeting on Tuesday night. Sometimes the summer may prohibit me from completing articles on a prompt manner. I do have some good ones coming up. Any more questions I am at acudave@yahoo.com