Fred Duncan (@Fred__Duncan)

Why you’re getting stronger - but not faster Getting stronger is necessary, but it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get faster. Especially if you’ve already built a solid strength base. Strength is foundational. It supports power output, rate of force development, and the potential ...

I’ve posted a lot about isometrics, now it’s time to highlight the other contraction I highly value in athletic preparation…eccentrics. In The Art and Science of Sport Preparation, I dive into how and why we use eccentrics throughout the program, EQIs, tempo eccentrics ...

This is a profession. Doing research online is great and you can learn a lot. But there’s no substitute for years of hands on experience, and more importantly, all the mistakes that come with it. The expert doesn’t just “know more exercises.” They know what not to do. ...

More isn’t always better. Sometimes, more is what’s holding you back. We love to chase stimulus… more weight, more sprint volume, more reps, more days. But at a certain point, you reach diminishing returns. ...

Effective speed development demands a system, one that guides progression, reinforces mechanics, and drives understanding In all of my programs, beginner to advanced, there’s a natural progression of sprint work, drill selection, tissue prep, and workload management. ...

How much time should you actually spend coaching sprint mechanics for non-track athletes? This is a question I get all the time and it’s a good one, because it forces coaches to confront how they use their time. Sprinting is one of the most powerful training tools we have. ...

Unilateral vs. Bilateral Strength Training…The “debate” misses the point. The goal isn’t always to mimic sport. It’s to build adaptable athletes through sound principles and smart loading. Study 1 — Muehlbauer et al., 2019 6 weeks of unilateral vs. bilateral strength training ...

A common idea floating around is that you need to squat 2x your bodyweight before you “earn the right” to do plyometrics. In my opinion, that’s outdated and nonsensical. Sure, you shouldn’t throw someone into depth jumps or shock training on day one. But you also wouldn’t have ...

People love using barbell lifts to assess strength, and that’s fine, to a point. But we can’t forget that strength is just an expression of force, and its value lies in how, when, and where it can be expressed. ...