DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum The Browns Stength and Conditioning Department

The issue of Brown injuries it's not just a 2023 issue. Here is article concerning Browns injuries during the 2021 season.

Browns Announce Significant Upgrades to Training and Recovery Facilities

Browns announced Wednesday a significant plan of upgrades and new facilities specifically targeting recovery and training at the team's site in Berea, Ohio.

ANDREW SPAYDE, Apr 21st, 2022, 2:22 PM
link


BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns announced Wednesday a significant plan of upgrades and new facilities specifically targeting recovery and training at the team's training facility in Berea, Ohio. You'd be forgiven for missing this news in the flurry of stories that came out yesterday as the Browns returned to Berea for the beginning of offseason activities but it's big news for one of the most troubling areas of the team over the past few seasons. The team announced the following improvements to their facilities:

A cryo chamber, which uses freezing or near-freezing temperatures to reduce inflammation and swelling around joints while promoting immune response.

A photobiomodulation light bed, which uses red and near-infrared light to decrease inflammation, reduce pain, improve energy, improve sleep, increase circulation, enhance soft-tissue healing, enhance mood and reduce stress.

A hyperbaric chamber, which increases air pressure and oxygen levels to improve recovery.

An altitude chamber, which increases oxygen in the body to improve recovery and cardiovascular training.

A deprivation float tank, which implements sensory deprivation to enhance mental and physical relaxation and recovery.

A fuel bar that will help the training staff optimize the timing of nutritional delivery in players' individual nutrition plans.

A yoga area, where sessions will be held twice a week in training camp and on Fridays during the regular season.

A room devoted to phlebotomy, which will be used for biomarker assessments and IV therapy and will support players' metabolism, promote recovery and replenish electrolytes

The training and recovery area will replace the weight room, which will remain in the indoor field house. The work began in early March and is expected to be completed before the team reports for training camp in late July. It will also include offices for the Browns' training and performance staff, which will see them all located in the same part of the building for the first time.

"It doesn't replace hard work by any means," said Shaun Huls, the Browns Director of High Performance "It's bringing the staff together, and we'll all be in a centralized location. After we identified the direction we wanted to go in, everyone in the building was just aligned and really put the plans together on the fly."

"Everyone on the staff is excited," said Huls, "It's all another component of the program. Having these new, innovative ways will serve a purpose and get more work out of the players because they'll be able to recover faster and feel better. In turn, you'll get guys to want to do more (on the field)."

The Browns' shortcomings in this area were laid bare in some direct comments by star safety John Johnson III after the 2021 season. In his postseason conference, he said "The biggest thing for me is being proactive about our health and our bodies. [Specifically,] soft tissue [injuries.] I think we can get a yoga instructor in [the building] to work on our flexibility."

Johnson continued, "I think our relationship with the training staff can be a whole lot better. Just staying proactive about things, getting guys in there that usually wouldn't until they're hurt. Trying to implement a plan for each individual player on the team, I think that goes a long way."

The team was motivated to address the significant number of soft tissue injuries that have plagued the team, especially in the preseason and it seems likely that Johnson's pointed comments were part of the inspiration for the decision.

As persuasive as John Johnson III's words may have been after the regular season, the data on the soft tissue injuries suffered by the Browns in 2021 is even more convincing and something the Browns are all too aware of. Soft tissue injuries comprise 5 separate areas of the body, the groin, hamstrings, ankles, knees, and calves. In total, 33 players reported soft tissue injuries, with multiple reporting several soft tissue injuries over the course of the preseason and regular season.

There were eight players with groin issues, nineteen players with hamstring issues, ten players with ankle issues, sixteen with knee issues, and five with calf issues. Some of these issues could have been from the previous season, but it does not include Odell Beckham Jr. or J.C. Tretter who both battled knee injuries throughout the preseason and regular season.

The Browns and Browns fans will be hoping that the changes planned for the Browns facility ahead of the 2022 season will help to reverse this worrying trend so that it doesn't run the risk of torpedoing another promising season for the team.

Since you have a degree in Sports Science why don't you tell us..... factually. Instead of taking random shots with nothing to verify it.

The following was written February 23, 2022..after last season. Notice, some of the very same issues I have brought up in this thread were subjects of discussion last season.

Those looking to prove me wrong...DO SO..!

The Browns have a problem in their Strength and Conditioning Department and have had for at least two years.


Is There A Problem With The Browns’ Medical Staff?

By Wendi Oliveros February 23, 2022 @WendiOliveros1

link

The Cleveland Browns had a host of injuries during the 2021 NFL season.

That is unfortunately not unusual as other teams dealt with similar issues.

What is different is the fact that Browns players may have played or returned to play quicker than they should have.

While no one knows what goes on between the medical staff and a professional athlete, it appears that the Browns medical staff’s procedures in 2021 should be audited.

Jarvis Landry‘s latest admission about coming back before he was fully recovered sheds new light on what appeared to be a recurring theme for the Browns this season.

BenAxelrod
Jarvis Landry admitting he came back way too early this season speaks to what seemed to be a larger issue with the way the Browns handled injuries this season. Can think of at least three other examples of players who seemed to have similar experiences.
9:11 AM · Feb 22, 2022

Landry was not the only player in this situation.


Gio - 216
@gcastelli216
Wills, Landry, Baker, etc. Couple that with John Johnson saying that the team could have a better relationship w/training staff. #Browns mismanaged injuries all year. Period.

Ben Axelrod
@BenAxelrod
Jarvis Landry admitting he came back way too early this season speaks to what seemed to be a larger issue with the way the Browns handled injuries this season. Can think of at least three other examples of players who seemed to have similar experiences.

B-mac™️
@BmacGOAT
All 3 of the starting Ravens running backs tear their ACL before week 1? #RavensFlock https://twitter.com/AIIeeez/status/1429300458787647489/video/1


As a result, it was not surprising to hear that Coach John Harbaugh was going to take a long, hard look at the Ravens’ strength and conditioning practices this offseason. Following Injury-Plagued Season, Harbaugh Pledges Full Review Of Ravens' Strength And Conditioning

Jedrick Wills, Baker Mayfield, and Donovan Peoples-Jones also seemed to be in a regular cycle of dealing with an injury, healing, playing, and reaggravating the injury.

Buffalo Bills Stayed Healthy

The medical and strength and conditioning teams of an NFL team should be working together to come up with the best methods to prevent player injuries and to have a method of treatment that promotes a safe and complete recovery should a player get hurt.

Teams are not always plagued by injuries.

The Cleveland Browns warm up prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Browns defeated the Bills 6-3 for Cleveland's first win of the season.



The Cleveland Browns had a host of injuries during the 2021 NFL season.

That is unfortunately not unusual as other teams dealt with similar issues.

What is different is the fact that Browns players may have played or returned to play quicker than they should have.


While no one knows what goes on between the medical staff and a professional athlete, it appears that the Browns medical staff’s procedures in 2021 should be audited.

Jarvis Landry‘s latest admission about coming back before he was fully recovered sheds new light on what appeared to be a recurring theme for the Browns this season.


Landry was not the only player in this situation.


Jedrick Wills, Baker Mayfield, and Donovan Peoples-Jones also seemed to be in a regular cycle of dealing with an injury, healing, playing, and reaggravating the injury.


What Does It Mean?

Andrew Berry is a smart guy.

Presumably, every facet of the team is reviewed and evaluated in the offseason so he probably has the medical staff on his list for this process
Consider the Buffalo Bills whose injury report had only one player in mid-January.



What Does It Mean?

Andrew Berry is a smart guy.

Presumably, every facet of the team is reviewed and evaluated in the offseason so he probably has the medical staff on his list for this process.


Following a review, changes could be necessary to both the medical and the strength and conditioning protocols.

John Johnson III already provided a recommendation to add yoga for overall strength and conditioning.

It is likely he had yoga available in Los Angeles when he was with the Rams.

Hayden Grove
@H_Grove
·
Follow
John Johnson III says he would love a yoga instructor in the building for the Browns, along with other things in regards to training: "I think our relationship with the training staff could be a whole lot better..." #Browns

The Browns Are Not The Only Team With This Issue

The Baltimore Ravens lost their running backs one after another in the preseason to ACL injuries.


The Cleveland Browns warm up prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Browns defeated the Bills 6-3 for Cleveland's first win of the season.



The Cleveland Browns had a host of injuries during the 2021 NFL season.

That is unfortunately not unusual as other teams dealt with similar issues.

What is different is the fact that Browns players may have played or returned to play quicker than they should have.


While no one knows what goes on between the medical staff and a professional athlete, it appears that the Browns medical staff’s procedures in 2021 should be audited.

Jarvis Landry‘s latest admission about coming back before he was fully recovered sheds new light on what appeared to be a recurring theme for the Browns this season.


Landry was not the only player in this situation.



Jedrick Wills, Baker Mayfield, and Donovan Peoples-Jones also seemed to be in a regular cycle of dealing with an injury, healing, playing, and reaggravating the injury.



What Does It Mean?
Andrew Berry is a smart guy.

Presumably, every facet of the team is reviewed and evaluated in the offseason so he probably has the medical staff on his list for this process.


Following a review, changes could be necessary to both the medical and the strength and conditioning protocols.

John Johnson III already provided a recommendation to add yoga for overall strength and conditioning.

It is likely he had yoga available in Los Angeles when he was with the Rams.


The Browns Are Not The Only Team With This Issue

The Baltimore Ravens lost their running backs one after another in the preseason to ACL injuries.


As a result, it was not surprising to hear that Coach John Harbaugh was going to take a long, hard look at the Ravens’ strength and conditioning practices this offseason.

You are here: Home / Daily News / Is There A Problem With The Browns’ Medical Staff?
Is There A Problem With The Browns’ Medical Staff?
By Wendi Oliveros February 23, 2022 @WendiOliveros1

The Cleveland Browns warm up prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Browns defeated the Bills 6-3 for Cleveland's first win of the season.



The Cleveland Browns had a host of injuries during the 2021 NFL season.

That is unfortunately not unusual as other teams dealt with similar issues.

What is different is the fact that Browns players may have played or returned to play quicker than they should have.


While no one knows what goes on between the medical staff and a professional athlete, it appears that the Browns medical staff’s procedures in 2021 should be audited.

Jarvis Landry‘s latest admission about coming back before he was fully recovered sheds new light on what appeared to be a recurring theme for the Browns this season.


Landry was not the only player in this situation.



Jedrick Wills, Baker Mayfield, and Donovan Peoples-Jones also seemed to be in a regular cycle of dealing with an injury, healing, playing, and reaggravating the injury.



What Does It Mean?
Andrew Berry is a smart guy.

Presumably, every facet of the team is reviewed and evaluated in the offseason so he probably has the medical staff on his list for this process.


Following a review, changes could be necessary to both the medical and the strength and conditioning protocols.

John Johnson III already provided a recommendation to add yoga for overall strength and conditioning.

It is likely he had yoga available in Los Angeles when he was with the Rams.




The Browns Are Not The Only Team With This Issue
The Baltimore Ravens lost their running backs one after another in the preseason to ACL injuries.


As a result, it was not surprising to hear that Coach John Harbaugh was going to take a long, hard look at the Ravens’ strength and conditioning practices this offseason.


Buffalo Bills Stayed Healthy

The medical and strength and conditioning teams of an NFL team should be working together to come up with the best methods to prevent player injuries and to have a method of treatment that promotes a safe and complete recovery should a player get hurt.

Teams are not always plagued by injuries.

Consider the Buffalo Bills whose injury report had only one player in mid-January.

The Bills don’t let their players do squats during the season.

Squats are part of the offseason regimen.

Is there a direct correlation between the lack of squats and minimal injuries?

There seems to be, but it involves further review.

Conclusion

Injuries are an inevitable part of the game; however, teams seem to minimize and manage them better than the Browns did in 2021.

Those same teams tend to get to the playoffs because they are healthier.

If the Browns have problems in these areas, this is the time to make changes and get better.

For the Browns to take the next step and be a playoff and Super Bowl contender, the strength and conditioning and medical parts of the organization need to do better to protect the players’ health.

What the heck is that? It's a mish mash of repetitive tweets with no useful information to make your point. The same few lines are repeated multiple times. John Johnson recommending yoga, because "is it likely he may have had it in Los Angeles?". Good Lord. You can do better than that.

I have to admit, that was a tough article to follow.

As you read through this article, you might believe the author is discussing the Browns 2023/24 season, but the article is actually referring to the 2021 season. That would be an indication of just how long "the Browns injury rate" has been a concern of some Browns players...IT'S BEEN YEARS dating back to at least 2021.

How much progress has been made to reduce the Browns injury rate...? Based on the number of injuries the Browns suffered during the 2023 season, it seems that little has been accomplished to reduce the injury rate and it might have actually gotten worse since 2021.

Soft Tissue Injuries have been the main concern of some and how to address the issue was one of JJ3's concerns...yoga.

Joe Johnson also mentions the need for better relations between the training staff and the players. I'm not sure exactly what or who he might be talking about. Are there problems with some individuals of the training staff and how they relate to the players health concerns..?

Those running the franchise can pretend that the Browns just have "bad luck" when it comes to dealing with injuries...or they can face reality and do more to address the high rate of injuries that have plagued the team for the past few years.



Does John Johnson Have A Point About Strength And Conditioning Staff?

January 15, 2022
link



Relationships in the NFL are important.

The chemistry between the front office, coaches, and players goes a long way toward building prolonged success.

If something is off, negative results will follow.

This typically applies to general managers, head coaches, and coordinators.

However, another group should not be forgotten.

The strength and conditioning staff for a team are also important.

What also matters is the relationship between the players and this group.

After all, in terms of dealing with injuries and recovering from them, the strength and conditioning staff is who players work with.

This week, Cleveland Browns safety John Johnson III discussed this dynamic in Cleveland.

He claimed the relationship between the training staff and the players could use some work heading into next season.

Soft Tissue Injuries

Johnson mentions wanting a yoga instructor in the building for next season.

Soft tissue and muscle injuries, presumably, are a big reason for this desire.

Yoga promotes flexibility and helps prevent some of the more common injuries across the NFL, such as hamstring issues.

Think about Nick Chubb for a second.

One thing that bothered him during points of the season was his calf injury.

Yoga is a great way for anyone to build up leg muscles, especially the calf.

Chubb is someone who might also appreciate some in-house yoga next season.

The Browns were certainly not the only team impacted by injuries this season.

COVID-19 also played a role in guys missing time. However, it’s impossible to deny that nagging injuries negatively affected the Browns this season.

The addition of a yoga instructor and a better, working relationship with the strength and conditioning staff could help prevent some of these injuries next season.

BrownsNation wrote about potential issues here back in November.

Perhaps this is an area that needs more attention, and Johnson seems willing to spark that conversation.

Best Interest in Mind?

NFL players aren’t immediately fully trusting of new strength coaches.

Disasters, such as those noted in Washington a few years ago, keep players skeptical.

Does an athletic training staff really have the best interest of the players in mind?

Antonio Brown certainly didn’t seem to think so in Tampa Bay.

Although, he may not be the best defense for my case.

he Browns’ strength and conditioning staff developing a poor reputation is another headache the team doesn’t need right now.

The fan base has certainly taken notice of the number of injuries that pile up.

It’s hard to tell whether a complete overhaul of the staff will occur or if minor tweaks will be made.

Perhaps the solution is as simple as bringing in a yoga instructor and having players work closer with the training staff.

The Browns were plagued by injuries this season, so changes of some sort are to be expected.

Well that one was easy...

I stopped at John Johnson. 🤣

Trying to assassinate sources who dare speak out about ways to cut down on injuries...what a great approach..!

Finding out that the players had concerns about this training department, dating back to the 2021 season..that fact kind of destroys the theory that the 2024 injury issue was a "one time event" or that the Browns just had "bad luck" when it comes to injuries.

The reality is, the Browns have had "an ongoing issue" that dates backs years.

After JJ3 spoke out in Jan. 2022 with concerns about the Browns injury situation during the 2021 season the Browns did respond with upgrades associated with the training program.

In April 2022, the Browns announced the the addition of the following:
link
A cryo chamber..
A photobiomodulation light bed..
A hyperbaric chamber..
A room devoted to phlebotomy..
An altitude chamber..
A deprivation float tank..
A fuel bar..
A yoga area..

The training and recovery area will replace the weight room, which will remain in the indoor field house. The work began in early March and is expected to be completed before the team reports for training camp in late July. It will also include offices for the Browns' training and performance staff, which will see them all located in the same part of the building for the first time.

"It doesn't replace hard work by any means," said Shaun Huls, the Browns Director of High Performance "It's bringing the staff together, and we'll all be in a centralized location. After we identified the direction we wanted to go in, everyone in the building was just aligned and really put the plans together on the fly."

"Everyone on the staff is excited," said Huls, "It's all another component of the program. Having these new, innovative ways will serve a purpose and get more work out of the players because they'll be able to recover faster and feel better. In turn, you'll get guys to want to do more (on the field)."

The Browns' shortcomings in this area were laid bare in some direct comments by star safety John Johnson III after the 2021 season. In his postseason conference, he said "The biggest thing for me is being proactive about our health and our bodies. [Specifically,] soft tissue [injuries.] I think we can get a yoga instructor in [the building] to work on our flexibility."

Johnson continued, "I think our relationship with the training staff can be a whole lot better. Just staying proactive about things, getting guys in there that usually wouldn't until they're hurt. Trying to implement a plan for each individual player on the team, I think that goes a long way."

The team was motivated to address the significant number of soft tissue injuries that have plagued the team, especially in the preseason and it seems likely that Johnson's pointed comments were part of the inspiration for the decision.

As persuasive as John Johnson III's words may have been after the regular season, the data on the soft tissue injuries suffered by the Browns in 2021 is even more convincing and something the Browns are all too aware of. Soft tissue injuries comprise 5 separate areas of the body, the groin, hamstrings, ankles, knees, and calves. In total, 33 players reported soft tissue injuries, with multiple reporting several soft tissue injuries over the course of the preseason and regular season.

There were eight players with groin issues, nineteen players with hamstring issues, ten players with ankle issues, sixteen with knee issues, and five with calf issues. Some of these issues could have been from the previous season, but it does not include Odell Beckham Jr. or J.C. Tretter who both battled knee injuries throughout the preseason and regular season.

The Browns and Browns fans will be hoping that the changes planned for the Browns facility ahead of the 2022 season will help to reverse this worrying trend so that it doesn't run the risk of torpedoing another promising season for the team.

You refused to answer my question mutiple times Mac. So I'm going to ask you another one

Why is it the only complaint we have heard is from Johnson. Yet Josh, and Katie have been with the Browns since 2016. Ty has bee here since 2017, Larry, Dale, and Monte have been here since 2018, and Shaun has been here since 2020. If they were not doing their job they would have been fired by now, and we sure as hell would have heard from multiple players not just one.

Maybe it just comes down to us being unlucky with the injuries. Who knows?

You've officially hit bot status. That article was a dumpster fire, not unlike the overall point you're trying to make.

One of the Tweets that was repeated in your copy-paste was that the Ravens had all 3 of their RBs tear ACLs in the preseason (in addition to a whole host of other injuries that same year). NFL football is a bigboy job that does a number on the body. While the Ravens message boards also probably had a clown or two with an axe to grind, all that proves is that injuries happen in the NFL, and sometimes there are bad years.

Those tweets are riddled with "may have caused", "could have" statements that really don't carry any sort of weight, especially considering the source (Twitter personalities like Hayden Grove).

Yes I do already know the answer. Which Is why I know your wrong Mac.

So what did Myles say about the strength and conditioning staff? Do you mean he's came to an aha moment that dictates a healthy team has all of their starters so they'll perform better? Yet another swing and a miss.

A quick Google search showed that they fired their strength and conditioning coach in the 2023 offseason... and promoted his underling. One of the factoids of info was that the S&C coaching had received a grade of F- in the players poll (I believe it was the same poll that has been referenced in this thread).

So yeah, they fired a guy but then replaced him with his own underling. So they didn't really do much.

Injuries happen. You've swung and missed again.

Refs, please end this gong show and lock the thread. Mac, please find another drum to beat upon.

Your wrong about this subject. In plain English The players speak out all the time if there is a problem. These guys treat the NFL as a Business (which it is) and any player that feels a team is doing something to ruin their career, or cost them Millions, or even a few hundred thousand they will not sit back and take it. Your doing nothing but placing blame on a group of people when you don't have a clue bro. As I pointed out to you already the People you are complaining about have been around since 2016, 17, and 18. One person joined the staff in 2020. Yet you are just now barking about it, and we heard crickets from you all those years.

lamp..no one is forcing you to participate in this thread...

Your approach is rather odd, imo..asking the board refs to censor me because I dare to speak out and discuss the subject of injuries.

They made equipment updates to improve their program based on feedback from that player poll. You yourself have posted this. So they care.

Ravens had an actual problem. Their players gave their S&C coach a grade of F-. They fired that guy, but then promoted his underling. If you call that actual change, but not the investment made in the equipment the Browns did.... you're just a clown.

This thread belongs in the Smack Shack. You're no better than Clown Hunter at this point. At least he has the decency to stick where he belongs.

Nice

What the hell are you talking about? Did Garrett say a single word trying to indicate it was the fault of the strength and conditioning staff? You are taking two separate things and trying to play connect the dots. And you're not doing a very good job of it at that.

You're not "speaking out about injuries". You're making speculative at best accusations and attacks on the S&C staff of the Browns. Let's be perfectly clear about that.

With no formal training or education on the topic. Only "Yeah but when I was in high school" BS and it makes you look very foolish.

False equivalency.

Yes, the injuries were a problem this year. That is undeniable.
No, the S&C program could not have affected that in any way.

As an actual trainer and coach, I am telling you: there is absolutely no training regimen that will 100% prevent injuries. Even what might mitigate injuries is subjective guesswork. There is only so far that any soft tissue will stretch/bend before it snaps. There is only so much cumulative damage things can take before they break (think bending a piece of aluminum back and forth repeatedly... that's how lots of muscle tear injuries end up happening). The bottom line is that if they aren't HURT, they have to line up and play, and they get paid to play all-out every snap of every game. So, if they're a little banged up from the previous week(s) and a muscle or ligament pops when they do an explosive move, sometimes, that's just what happens. When a player has a limb trapped and bent at angles joints should go, there is ABSOLUTELY NO TRAINING PROGRAM to prevent that injury. There is no training program that prevents injury from impact, either. The best you can do is put on as much muscle mass as you can and trade heavy bruising for deeper injury and pray the impacts don't happen on bone or joints. Lastly, there is a fine line between being limber enough to move any which way you want like a contortionist and having enough tension in your muscles to be able to play explosively and FAST. The more stretched out you are, the less "quick" your muscle fibers will be. Period.

I did not know this. Thanks!

So when Myles claimed injuries hurt the Browns in a SB run, you weren't moving the goalposts by trying to tie that to the S&C staff? Dear Lord man. But I mean you played sports back in the day in high school, right?

 
 




We agree on this point...finding how hard and how fast to push the individual you are training..a certain amount of guesswork is involved if the goal is to achieve max conditioning.


Push too hard or too fast and there is a possibility that the trainer ends up injuring their pupil...go too easy and the trainer and pupil might not achieve their goal. When a trainer is dealing with an athlete you need to be careful because in general, athletes have the mindset that NO PAIN/NO GAIN. The athlete pushes themselves too hard, ignoring what their body is telling them.


In some cases, the athlete might not know enough about their own body to accurately interpret what their body is telling them via the pain they feel. The trainer must know something about the athlete they are working with when attempting to judge the limits of how hard and how fast to push the athlete.


IMO, most trainers err on the side of being too easy on the pupil, not wanting to risk injury. 


Is that the case with the Browns training staff..that they have set up individual training programs that err on the side of being TOO EASY, in effort to make sure they don't inflict any injury to the athlete they are attempting to train. 

Here is a good article dealing with under-training...

How to Know if You’re Undertraining
By Brian Grant
Published On: 2021-08-16
link


In today’s world of sport, much is made of overtraining. Seemingly every day, coaches, parents, and athletes are warned of the nasty effects associated with training too hard or too often.

In youth baseball, pitch counts are treated like gospel while the number of jumps is meticulously tracked at volleyball practices. We’ve certainly turned 180 degrees from the “Start counting when it begins to hurt” mentality.

For the most part, these barometers are beneficial. Many athletes need protection from themselves, and coaches should be aware of how much is too much. Making sure life has balance, especially for youth athletes, is vital. However, what’s also important is seeing the fruits of your labor.

An athlete seeing improvements in their performance is paramount. Without noticeable improvements, motivation to train takes a dip, which in turn can cause further waning of performance or burnout. This cycle can become vicious quite quickly.

So, if results are suboptimal, where do we turn? After all, dedicating hundreds if not thousands of hours to a craft builds character, but what about building performance on the track, in the weight room, or on the field. Well, the answers to these situations are largely individual. However, there are some broad, scientific variables to understand related to the phenomenon we refer to as undertraining.

What is undertraining? What variables are associated with it? If you are undertrained, where should you go from here? If these questions pique your curiosity, allow these words to shed some light on the topic of undertraining.

What is Undertraining?
Undertraining refers to a declining or stagnation of performance due to insufficient training frequency, volume, or intensity1.

Practically speaking, though, undertraining means you simply aren’t working hard or smart enough to make the appropriate improvements you desire. As it pertains to team sports, it’s much easier to view undertraining from a “run faster and jump higher” point of view than via batting average or free throw percentage. This is because the latter examples are indicative of far more than speed or strength.

For example, a 14-year-old volleyball player who wants to improve her vertical jump from 22 inches to 24 inches will need to train to make that happen. That much is clear. What’s murkier is how much and how often training is needed. If her vertical jump continues to stay at 22 inches, or worse, it begins trickling down. A few questions then need to be asked.

How to Know if You are Undertraining
Performance Stagnation
This is probably the most important and literal sign of undertraining. Though there are many reasons performance may not be progressing, undertraining is certainly on that menu. If your body isn’t given an appropriate training stimulus, it sees no reason to respond to it. Of course, this is an overly simplistic view, but the principle is sound. A master of taking the easy way out, the human body needs to see adaptation as a must, not a luxury.

To ensure consistent gains, you must follow the holy grail of training, which is progressive overload. Progressive overload basically means the amount and intensity need to be consistently overloaded to force the body to respond with the results you desire. So, if you notice your workout performance is at a stalemate, whether that be sprint times, jump height, or otherwise, consider the fact you may be undertraining.


Boredom
As you may imagine, there’s much more research on overtraining than undertraining. Therefore, these last two points will be more anecdotal in nature. Boredom is as much a concern to long-term progression as anything else, especially for youth athletes. As a physical therapist myself, boredom with a given exercise program is something, I monitor religiously because both compliance and sufficient effort are more likely when it’s enjoyable.

Therefore, coaches’ and athletes’ varying workouts are essential. It’s not that the “old workouts” won’t work. This is no foray into the muscle confusion rabbit hole. However, imagine performing the same speed workout for ten consecutive weeks—effort and concentration wane. Sometimes, human nature is the toughest nut to crack.

Unable to Break a Sweat
Again, this is largely anecdotal, but unless you’re resting 5 minutes between each sprint, you ought to be breaking a sweat and increasing your heart rate while training. Oftentimes, those same people convinced their body is unable to sweat the same folks spending ample practice time handwringing instead of using time efficiently to train. Do yourself or your athletes a favor, and start sweating.



References
1. Haff, G., & Triplett, N. T. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Much of what you describe is really only attributable to the casual athlete or the average gym goer. Early on, most grossly underestimate their abilities and have to learn to find where their limits are. Most, early on, struggle to really tell the difference between being sore and being hurt. Pretty much every individual with at least 6 months of regular gym attendance in a structured gym program is fairly in-tune with what their body is telling them (I leave out people running their own ad hoc program because those people are prime candidates to be going too hard on easy days and too easy on hard days).

A good trainer NEVER pushes the athlete into territory they shouldn't go. You CAN push them beyond what their mind thinks it can do, but NEVER beyond what their fitness level has them prepared for. The good trainer tests their athletes and then designs programs geared toward specific measurable goals based on the results of the testing, and then they re-test at regular intervals to validate the training while also constantly checking in with the athlete to evaluate how they're doing/feeling, and you adjust things daily, weekly, and at the end of every cycle. All training is a combination of Load + Intensity + Volume. You may increase any two at one time, never all three, and which ones you alter depends on where you are at in a cycle in the grander sense (e.g. are you training for a specific competition, or in the world of football, are you building toward the beginning of the season?). Also in the football world, the trainer will likely switch the athlete to a Maintenance regimen rather than a build cycle simply because the single most important aspect of ANY training program is how you Recover, and mid-season your athletes' bodies are trying to heal themselves so they can play again the following week, they don't need the central nervous system fried from Max Lift attempts, nor do you want to risk a torn pec from going stupidly heavy Benching.

Athletes at the professional level, after playing several years of high school and college ball, and especially those that have more than one season under their belt in the Pro ranks and in very structured training programs do NOT have the problem of not knowing enough about their body to accurately interpret things. All athletes at that level are VERY well attuned to their bodies.

In the end, the ONLY way you can throw shade at the Browns S&C staff for the injuries is if you actually have REAL knowledge of what the various training programs are. Period. Without that information, you're just guessing, at best.

All that said.... what the trainer tells the athlete to do, and the stupid crap the athletes do on their own are often two VERY different things.

I never once heard Myles complain about the Strength and conditioning coaches or nutrition. As far as injuries costing the Browns this season... DUH it happens every year. Teams don't play as well as they could if they had no injuries. There is some luck required having a great season and the luck includes being able to avoid to many injuries.


Not calling Myles or you a liar. But I am saying you don't have any idea what your talking about.

Dang. Black knight should have done hill sprints.

Browns Weight and locker room rated as one of the worst by NFLPA.. so yeah.. there is some credibility that our S&R program needs work

Browns rank 23rd in NFL in NFLPA survey, with players unhappy with weight room, locker room

Scott PetrakFebruary 28, 2024
link


INDIANAPOLIS — The Browns went 11-6 and made the playoffs in 2023 but dropped two spots to 23rd in the NFL Players Association player report card.

The major issues from a year ago remained a problem: The weight room is substandard and the locker room too small.

The union released its second annual survey of the league’s players Wednesday, with 1,706 players having completed it in full, a 77 percent rate, according to union president and former Browns center JC Tretter.

The weight room was shifted to the end of the field house during the pandemic and remains there. The players want a self-contained weight room and don’t like losing 15-20 yards of the already less-than-full-length indoor field. They also said the quality of the equipment is below average.

The weight room was graded a D and the locker room — one of the smallest in the league — a D-plus.

Coach Kevin Stefanski announced plans to build a new weight room.

“Every year you have to be open to everything information-wise to get better,” he said at the scouting combine. “I’m happy to tell you guys, we’re building a new weight room so we know that that’s an area that we want to get better.

“I take input from our players. I feel really strongly about our leaders, our leadership committee, my office downstairs, the door is always open. Even if it’s closed, it’s open. So I welcome input and that will never change.”


Click the link below for details

Scott PetrakFebruary 28, 2024
link

Browns ranked 23rd overall on NFLPA report card

Highlights weight room and locker room as biggest issues

By Leah Doherty (WOIO)
Published: Feb. 28, 2024 at 8:54 PM EST
link

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The NFL Players Association released their second annual team report card, and the Browns ranked in the bottom third of the league.

The NFLPA gathered information from 1,300 players to highlights positives, but also identify areas that need improvement.

The areas the Browns struggled in the most were the weight room and locker room, which were issues in last year’s survey as well.

Since 2020, the Browns weight room has been located in the indoor practice field, taking up 15-20 yards of the field. The Browns received a ‘D’ score for the weight room which was ranked 30th overall.

Below is a breakdown of how the Browns scored in key categories-

--Category--------------Grade-------Rank out of 32
--Treatment of Families--D- -----------26th---
--Food/Cafeteria---------C+------------18th---
--Nutritionist/Dietician---C+------------23rd---
--Locker Room-----------D+------------23rd---
--Training Room----------C+-------------20th---
--Training Staff-----------B---------------24th---
--Weight Room-----------D---------------30th---
--Strength Coaches------B+-------------19th---
--Team Travel------------D---------------23rd---
--Head Coach------------B- -------------28th---
--Ownership-------------B---------------17th---

Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski did address the low score on Wednesday in his press conference ahead of the NFL Combine and said it’s an issue that’s being addressed.

“I’m happy to tell you guys, we’re building a new weight room, so we know that that’s an area that we want to get better,” Stefanski said. “I take input from our players. I feel really strongly about our leaders, our leadership committee. My office downstairs, the door is always open, even if it’s closed, it’s open. So I welcome input and that will never change.”

Another area they scored a ‘D’ in was their locker room. According to the report card, the Browns locker room is one of the smallest in the league, and players feel like they don’t have an adequate amount of personal space to simply get changed.

Other low-scoring areas were team travel which received a ‘D’ and was ranked 23rd overall. Only 67 percent of the players felt like they have a comfortable amount of personal space during flights. The Browns are one of seven teams that require some of their players to have roommates the night before a game.

Treatment of families received a ‘D-’ citing that the Browns are one of 12 teams that do not provide their players’ families with a family room at the stadium. The biggest issues were that the postgame family meet-up area is a tent in the parking lot, which is rough in the winter weather, and that early in the season players who had been carted off the field with an injury were not able to contact their wives or loved ones from the locker room to let them know how they were doing.

The Browns ranked highest in ownership which was 17th overall in the league, and strength coaches which earned a ‘B+’ and was 19th overall in the league.

93 percent of the players felt like they get an individualized plan and felt that the strength coaches significantly contribute to their success.

Two-time AP Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski received a ‘B-’ and was ranked 28th overall. 70 percent of players felt like Stefanski is efficient with his time, and said that he is “somewhat willing to listen to the locker room.”