craigstrength.com

Academic Accomplishments
Attended an NSCA 6 week Conference in the Soviet union and East Germany GDR

Western Michigan BS Physical Education

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https://t.co/YSIIV5D18U

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14 year old Boys developing breast tissue

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Kirill Sarychev is a world-renowned Russian powerlifter, entrepreneur, and founder of the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF). He is famous for once holding the all-time raw bench press world record of 335 kg (738.5 lbs). Born on January 1, 1989, in Pugachev, Russia, he stands nearly 2 meters (6 ft 3.5 in) tall and is widely celebrated for his raw strength and clean lifting technique.

Powerlifting Career and Records
* Raw Bench Press Record: Sarychev pressed an incredible 335 kg (738.5 lb) raw in 2015, a legendary mark that stood as the all-time world record until 2019.
* Total Powerlifting Record: In 2016, he achieved a massive raw three-lift total of 1,072.5 kg in the superheavyweight class.
* WRPF Leadership: He serves as the president and founder of the World Raw Powerlifting Federation, helping promote drug-tested and raw lifting globally.

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Racial Stacking
Racial stacking is the assignment of football players to specific positions based on racial stereotypes rather than talent. Positional stacking in sports sociology describes how racial and ethnic stereotypes influence the assignment of players to specific roles. Racial stacking in football concentrates Black athletes in peripheral, speed-based roles like running back and wide receiver while reserving central, cognitive leadership roles like quarterback for white players. Sports media, including Sports Illustrated, historically reflected and reinforced these positional stereotypes by framing Black performance through physical prowess rather than intellect.
Black players were often placed in positions not considered "thinking" or "leadership" roles. Examples of racial stacking in the sport include Black National Football League (NFL) players being given few opportunities to play quarterback, middle linebacker, or center, positions often seen as "too cerebral". Indeed, many players and coaches noted these positions as such. Bear Bryant, for example, stated that "a smart, capable quarterback is the single greatest asset a football team can possess." Nick Buoniconti stated that a linebacker must be "smart" and a "leader". In contrast, a "noncentral" position, such as running back, would often emphasize traits like speed, agility, and instinct in books by coaches and players. In the 1960s and 1970s, Black quarterbacks often transitioned to the wide receiver position when advancing a level, such as from high school to college or from college to professional.
Past playing experience heavily dictates coaching assignments; coaches who played central positions on the field have a much higher statistical likelihood of being hired to coach those same central, strategic positions. Decision-makers often view white candidates through a lens of being "cerebral" or "strategic," while frequently labeling Black candidates as mere "motivators" or "disciplinarians". The stacking concept also extends beyond playing positions, considering the issue even more intense in coaching circles. Because Black players were not considered for "thinking" or "leadership" positions, their time in "non-leadership positions" was assumed to be inadequate training for a career in coaching, which they identified as at least one factor in the underrepresentation of Black individuals in coaching positions.
The evolution and impact in modern games have seen prominent shifts—such as a substantial increase in Black starting quarterbacks—yet positional segregation at lower levels of the sport continues to influence long-term career arcs and post-playing coaching pipelines. Positional segregation in sports concentrates minority players in non-central, low-leadership positions, which limits their long-term upward mobility. This practice restricts future roles in professional coaching and front-office leadership pipelines

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Correlation between anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and an increased risk of heart disease.

Research shows a potential correlation between a history of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and an increased risk of heart disease, specifically a higher rate of myocardial infarction (heart attacks). A notable study of former football players by Harvard Medical School researchers found a 50% higher lifetime risk of heart attacks in players who tore their ACL compared to those who did not.
Key Findings and Theories
Reduced Activity Levels:
A major factor linking joint injury to heart issues is the long-term decrease in physical activity. Tearing an ACL often leads to chronic pain, early-onset knee osteoarthritis, and trouble moving easily, which lowers daily exercise and harms cardiovascular fitness.
Systemic Inflammation: Joint trauma and subsequent arthritis can trigger ongoing body-wide inflammation, which is also a known contributor to blood vessel damage and heart disease.
Direct Cause and Effect:
Researchers emphasize that this connection is an association rather than a proven direct cause-and-effect link, meaning the drop in overall active lifestyle post-injury is likely a primary driver.

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Higher Heart Attack Risk: Studies, including research on athletes from Harvard Medical School, note a 50% increase in lifetime heart attack risk for individuals who suffered an ACL tear.

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Tackling Techniques

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Testosterone reduction:

Studies show that specific phthalate metabolites (like DEHP and DBP) tie to lower testosterone levels in males, which plays a key role in muscle building and recovery.

Muscle mass risks: Chemical mixtures containing phthalates show positive associations with increased risk of low muscle mass.

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Phthalates primarily affect the testes, penis, and overall reproductive development by lowering testosterone production.
Evidence links phthalate exposure to lower testosterone and reduced muscle strength parameters, though direct studies proving overall sports performance drops are still emerging. Phthalates act as endocrine disruptors, potentially impacting physical capacity through.

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Yes, phthalates can impede testosterone production. Research indicates that these common plasticizers act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with the cells responsible for testosterone synthesis. While direct studies on "athletic performance" are limited, lower testosterone levels can negatively impact muscle mass, energy, endurance, and recovery.

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Magnesium in Sports Drinks

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Aggression in Sports
Sport aggression is highly contextual and generally categorized into two main types: hostile aggression and instrumental aggression. In sports, the mechanism used to manage destructive hostile aggression (intended to cause pain) and controlled instrumental aggression (assertive, goal-directed play) is cognitive-emotional regulation combined with moral reasoning. Athletes develop this control by deliberately cultivating emotional awareness, cognitive reframing, and moral reasoning to prevent anger from driving destructive behavior. By practicing these psychological skills in high-pressure training, they learn to separate subjective feelings from objective actions.

Cognitive reappraisal is an emotion regulation strategy in which you actively alter your interpretation of a stressful event to change how you feel about it. Instead of reacting to a trigger, you reframe the experience from negative to neutral or constructive, preserving your composure and focus. Training to reject "moral disengagement" (the justification of antisocial acts during competition) by viewing opponents as mutual participants in a challenging pursuit rather than as targets to be hurt. Using sensory-grounding "reset routines" (such as a specific tactile cue or a "three-breath reset") to break physiological stress responses and halt anger rumination before it spirals. Driven by anger and the primary intent to cause pain, it results in penalties, tactical errors, and impaired decision-making. Elite regulation helps athletes completely inhibit this response. Controlled, assertive, and rule-compliant play is used to gain a tactical or physical

Childhood (Ages 6–12) marks the shift from learning basic motor skills to mastering the high-stakes, competitive strategies of their sport, which requires athletes to deliberately channel assertiveness into physical performance. During the initiation and discovery stages, children primarily develop the motor skills of a sport. Aggression at this stage is usually a natural expression of frustration or a reaction to limited emotional regulation. Coaches focus heavily on prosocial skills, conflict resolution, and strategies to inhibit hostile outbursts.

Youth (Ages 13–14) enter organized, competitive travel and middle school programs; they begin to encounter heightened physical contact and performance pressure. During this stage, athletes learn to harness the physiological arousal of sports. They are taught to translate adrenaline into assertiveness and focus, rather than acting out physically.

Adolescence (ages 15–19) is the stage when athletes in competitive and contact sports (such as soccer, basketball, hockey, or football) develop and use instrumental aggression. Aggressive behavior (such as a heavy body check in hockey or an aggressive tackle in football) is used to achieve a goal, such as winning the ball or legally stopping an opponent. In athletes, sport-related aggression—particularly the transition from basic frustration to controlled, instrumental aggression—develops primarily during late adolescence (ages 15–19). This stage marks the shift from learning basic motor skills to mastering the high-stakes, competitive strategies of their sport, requiring athletes to deliberately channel assertiveness into physical performance. Because of increased physical maturity, hormonal changes, and the demands of elite-level competition, athletes learn to consciously push the physical boundaries of the rules to gain a competitive advantage.

In sports, the mechanism used to manage destructive hostile aggression (intended to cause pain) and controlled instrumental aggression (assertive, goal-directed play) is cognitive-emotional regulation combined with moral reasoning. Athletes develop this control by deliberately cultivating emotional awareness, cognitive reframing, and moral reasoning to prevent anger from driving destructive behavior. By practicing these psychological skills in high-pressure training, they learn to separate subjective feelings from objective actions.

Athletes develop this control by deliberately cultivating emotional awareness, cognitive reframing, and moral reasoning to prevent anger from driving destructive behavior. By practicing these psychological skills and training frameworks in high-pressure scenarios, they learn to separate subjective feelings from objective actions. Cognitive reappraisal is an emotion-regulation strategy in which you actively alter your interpretation of a stressful event to change how you feel about it. Instead of reacting to a trigger, you reframe the experience from negative to neutral or constructive, preserving your composure and focus. They train to reject "moral disengagement" (the justification of antisocial acts during competition) by viewing opponents as mutual participants in a challenging pursuit rather than as targets to be hurt. They use sensory-grounding "reset routines" (such as a specific tactile cue or a "three-breath reset") to break physiological stress responses and halt anger rumination before it spirals. Anger-driven behavior, driven by the primary intent to cause pain, results in penalties, tactical errors, and impaired decision-making. Elite regulation helps athletes completely inhibit this response. Controlled, assertive, and rule-compliant play is used to gain a tactical or physical advantage. Athletes use emotional regulation to sustain the necessary arousal and intensity for peak performance without crossing the line into hostility.

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Specialized frameworks designed to guide young people's training.

The LTAD, ADM, and YPD models provide evidence-based frameworks for structuring youth athletic development. They shift the focus from early specialization and short-term winning to a holistic, age-appropriate approach that prioritizes movement literacy, injury prevention, and long-term participation. The three models aim to maximize a young person's athletic potential; they emphasize different approaches to biological growth, maturation, and skill acquisition.
Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD)
The Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) framework was developed in Canada in the 1990s by sports scientist Istvan Balyi.
American Development Model (ADM)
The American equivalent to the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) framework is the American Development Model (ADM). it adapts LTAD principles to support both sustained physical activity and elite Olympic or Paralympic success

The Youth Physical Development (YPD) Model
Given the limitations of previous athletic development models (LTAD), the Youth Physical Development (YPD) Model introduces an alternative model that encompasses athletic development from early childhood (2 years of age) through adulthood (21+ years of age). The model, titled the Youth Physical Development (YPD) model, offers a comprehensive approach to the development of young males and females.

The LTAD, ADM, and YPD models establish a holistic framework for youth athletes. They shift away from early specialization, prioritizing physical literacy (fundamental movement and sport skills) and biological maturation over chronological age to reduce injury and promote lifelong health

All three models prioritize biological maturation over chronological age to optimize physical literacy (fundamental movement and sport skills), but they differ in how they structure this transition.

LTAD & ADM: Both rely on chronological age as a baseline for early stages but transition to biological age during puberty. They center physical literacy in foundational windows of opportunity tied to Peak Height Velocity (PHV).
YPD Model: This model completely abandons chronological age in favor of biological maturation. It emphasizes that physical literacy—specifically agility, balance, coordination, and speed—should be trained continuously throughout childhood based on an individual's developmental stage.

The Youth Physical Development (YPD) model achieves this by assessing biological maturity (e.g., peak height velocity or skeletal age) rather than relying on rigid birthdates. By abandoning chronological age, coaches can tailor training to a child's exact physical and neuromuscular readiness rather than a one-size-fits-all age group.

· Concurrent Training: Unlike older models, the YPD suggests that all physical qualities (speed, agility, strength) should be trained simultaneously throughout childhood and adolescence, just with varying levels of emphasis.
· Pre-Puberty Emphasis: Before puberty, training centers heavily on fundamental movement skills (FMS) and the ABCs of athleticism (agility, balance, coordination, speed).
· Adolescent Shifts: As youths experience growth spurts, programming shifts to accommodate individual changes in limb length and central nervous system adaptability.
· Evidence-Based Programming: It provides distinct, sex-specific guidelines that outline how to emphasize different fitness qualities consistently from early childhood through early adulthood.

The dissonance between chronological age (time elapsed since birth) and a child's physical and neuromuscular readiness (their biological or developmental age) represents a critical gap in development. While calendar age determines standard groupings in sports or school, biological readiness—governed by brain maturation and physiological systems—can vary by up to 5 years. If physical and neuromuscular readiness does not match a child's chronological age (or the demands of their environment), they face a significantly higher risk of injury, joint strain, and chronic fatigue. Learning complex motor skills relies on the nervous system's ability to communicate with muscles. If a child is pushed into sport-specific or advanced activities before their nervous system and muscles are developed enough to handle the coordination and strength required, they may struggle or become discouraged

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Preadolescent Athletic Training: Psychological and Social Development
Overview of Developmental Interrelation
Preadolescent athletic training, which generally involves children ages 6 to 12, is characterized by a dynamic interplay between psychological and social development. These two areas of growth do not occur in a strictly sequential manner; instead, they are closely intertwined throughout this developmental period.

At the core of preadolescent development are key psychological elements: cognitive maturation, self-concept, and emotional regulation. These foundational processes are essential and must typically be established before young athletes can fully engage with and respond to the complex demands of social development in sports.

Social Development in Sports

Once psychological foundations are in place, children can begin to meet intricate social developmental requirements. These include understanding the nature of strict competition, forming and sustaining team cohesion, and appreciating the subtleties of social etiquette and interaction within athletic settings.

Psychosocial development focuses on how social interactions and societal expectations shape personality across the lifespan. It blends internal psychology with external social demands. Social development centers on changes in relationships, interactions, and emotional competence. Psychological development is the broader development of cognitive, emotional, and mental processes. Psychosocial development is the lifelong process through which personality, social skills, and identity develop, shaped by the interplay between individual needs and social/cultural demands. Primarily formulated by Erik Erikson, this theory posits that individuals pass through eight stages, each defined by a specific crisis or conflict that must be resolved to gain personal strengths and healthy growth.

Integrating Erikson's and Vygotsky's Theories in Athlete Training
The combination of Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development and Lev Vygotsky’s theory of skill acquisition offers a comprehensive approach to athlete training. By aligning training methods with an athlete’s social, emotional, and cognitive maturity, coaches can effectively nurture motivation and skill development. Between the ages 6–11, athletes focus on mastering physical and social skills. The successful resolution of these crises helps athletes establish a healthy personality and acquire essential virtues. Positive reinforcement is vital for their growth, as failure to achieve competence can lead to feelings of inferiority. This phase is crucial for developing a sense of competence. To develop a sense of competence, coaches must provide achievable, skill-building tasks. Challenge an athlete to learn a new set of skills. Break down the skills from simple to complex movements with the notion of integrating the new skill into the game. Successfully applying learned skills in a competitive arena profoundly enhances an athlete's development. It solidifies muscle memory, builds crucial self-confidence, and transforms technical training into instinctive, high-pressure execution.

Identity vs. Role Confusion (ages 12–18) is a foundational Erikson Stages of Psychosocial Development. In sports, it aligns with the "Train to Compete" phase. "Train to Train/Compete" is a key phase in athlete development focused on sports-specific physical conditioning, advanced tactical skills, and psychological preparation. It emphasizes speed of execution, foundational mental skills (e.g., visualization, concentration), and competition readiness to transition youth athletes into higher-performance tiers.

Lev Vygotsky emphasized the importance of social interaction, guided learning, and scaffolding in facilitating both cognitive and physical skill acquisition. His approach centers on the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) represents the gap between what an athlete can accomplish independently and what they can achieve with guidance. Coaches play a critical role by providing support for new tasks—a process known as scaffolding—and gradually withdrawing that support as the athlete becomes more proficient.

Integrating Erikson’s psychosocial stages and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theories into athlete training allows coaches to develop the "whole person," aligning physical progression with emotional, identity, and social development. Vygotsky’s peer-assisted learning creates a safe psychological climate that encourages autonomy—which, in turn, supports Erikson’s need to develop a healthy, self-sufficient identity. Design context-rich, game-like situations rather than linear, drill-based practices. This allows athletes to explore and solve tactical problems collaboratively within their ZPD, while fostering psychological strength and confidence.

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Children shouldn’t lift weights
While attending Western Michigan University, the exercise physiology instructor said, “Children shouldn’t lift weights.” Her statement infuriated me, and in a manner unbecoming of a third-year college student, I verbally disagreed with her. My insight was based on observing children living on a farm, baling hay, carrying calves to the barn, and using various farm implements. However, my argument affected my grade in the class and created a lasting negative impression with the instructor.
Farm Boy Strong is a cultural concept that dates to the early to mid-1900s, when most young American boys were raised on farms and developed practical, "real-world" strength and work capacity through lifelong manual labor. Children living on a farm develop the stamina to carry, lift, and push moderate to heavy loads all day without burning out. They develop synergistic movement, forcing the body to work as a cohesive, powerful unit rather than isolating individual muscles in a machine-like manner. They develop forearm strength from carrying buckets, tools, and heavy bags without using lifting straps.
The dissonance between "farm boy strength" and the perceived notion of weight training for children stems from method and myth. "Farm strength" represents rugged, functional adaptability—moving awkward, heavy objects—while the perception of youth lifting is often shaped by outdated fears that weights cause stunted growth and injury. "Farm boy strength" is highly practical, task-based force production. It involves odd objects (e.g., bales of hay, tractor tires) that lack easy handholds and actively fight back, requiring heavy reliance on grip, core, and tendon strength. Strength is built through hours of daily repetition of low-intensity, frequent, and sustained exertion rather than maximum lifts.
Many parents and coaches believe the myths of youth weight training, lifting weights will stunt the child’s growth, permanently stunting a child's height and damage growth plates.
Society often romanticizes farm labor while stigmatizing youth weightlifting. This contradiction stems from cultural traditions valuing "functional" work over structured athletics, ignoring the reality that farm labor involves unpredictable, high-impact movements, whereas supervised resistance training actually yields lower injury rates when done correctly. Weightlifting, by contrast, is often viewed as a specialized, "unnatural" pursuit, making it an easy target for fears regarding stunted growth or joint damage.
Fears surrounding youth weightlifting often center on safety, but extensive research demonstrates that well-designed resistance training programs are incredibly safe. In fact, the incidence of injury for children lifting weights is significantly lower than that of many popular, traditional youth sports. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Sports Medicine note that there is absolutely no scientific evidence that a well-designed program will negatively impact linear growth. The epiphyseal plates (growth plates) are the most vulnerable parts of a child's skeleton, research indicates that weightlifting does not increase the risk of injury any more than traditional sports. Modern sports medicine reviews confirm that even children as young as 7 years old can safely improve their muscle strength, bone mineralization, and body composition.

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An Athlete’s Dream is an Athletic Scholarship
Physical literacy is the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding needed to value and take responsibility for lifelong engagement in physical activity. Transitioning from physical literacy (mastering fundamental movement skills) to fundamental sports skills (applying those movements in specific sports) requires a shift from general body awareness to context-specific tasks. This transition from developing fundamental movement skills (physical literacy) to fundamental sports skills occurs between ages 8-11 for girls and 9-12 for boys.

Sport sampling builds a broader, more resilient "movement system," helping children master skills that transfer across disciplines. Children typically develop a serious interest in playing college sports between ages 13 and 15 (middle school to early high school). Middle school (ages 12-14) should focus on skill development and building a multi-sport athletic foundation. The vast majority of professional and Olympic athletes played multiple sports during their childhood. Children narrow their athletic focus around ages 15-16. During this window, physical maturity and skill levels become clearer, aligning with when youth athletes naturally begin specializing in a single sport.

A 15-year-old’s plan to secure a collegiate athletic scholarship should center on four pillars: athletic development, academic eligibility, recruiting exposure, and coach communication. A 15-year-old’s athletic development plan for an athletic scholarship consists of four core pillars: Sport-Specific Mastery, Fundamental Strength and Conditioning, Academic Tracking, and Strategic Recruiting Exposure. This includes tracking NCAA-approved core courses, maintaining a minimum Core-Course GPA, and creating an official NCAA Eligibility Center profile to stay on track for college recruiting.

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Developing the Posterior Chain
Isometric contractions are a highly effective way to build strength, joint stability, and muscle density in your posterior chain.