We’ve covered a lot of ground in this series. Speed belongs year-round. Mechanics and drills matter. Speed fits into the week and the year through consistent, low-volume exposure.

Now the hard part. How do you actually run this with 20 to 50 kids, limited space, limited time, and still make progress visible?

This one is a field guide. Less philosophy, more “here’s how to run it tomorrow.”

Large Groups: Organization Beats Complexity

Here’s the truth about coaching speed with a full class. It is not about building the perfect private-sector speed session. It is about repeatable organization.

Large group speed training works when the setup is clear. When athletes know where to start, when to go, what to focus on, and where to go next, the session runs itself. When any of those are unclear, it turns into disorder fast.

So we keep the logistics simple:

• Clear start line

• Clear finish line

• Clear lanes or sprint paths

• High intent (max effort)

• Low volume (3-8 reps)

• Built-in rest while other groups run

• One main cue or focus for the day

• A known spot to go after each rep

• Other stations that athletes complete

That’s it. None of it is fancy. All of it is repeatable.

Jobs for Athletes Who Aren’t Running

Athletes who aren’t sprinting don’t always need a complicated job. Sometimes their job is simply to recover and be ready to sprint fast again. That is part of the lesson.

Other times, they can help the session run smoother:

• Timing or reading the laser

• Setting or resetting cones and spacing

• Watching for one coaching cue on the runner

• Filming a rep

• Recording a number

• Or doing one of their Atomic Stations

But don’t feel like every athlete has to be busy every second. Building organized rest into the structure is good coaching.

A Note on Technology

Lasers, tape measures, jump mats, and the SHREDmill are great tools because they give athletes instant feedback. Seeing a number creates buy-in, and buy-in creates intent.

But you do not need expensive equipment to start. You can coach speed with cones, open space, a consistent setup, short reps, clear intent, and good organization. Plenty of fast athletes were built with a stopwatch and a line on the ground.

Technology helps, but structure matters more. Get the organization right first. Add tools when you can.

Tracking: Simple and Visible

Tracking is where speed work becomes real for athletes. A number they can chase is a number they will show up for.

Depending on the setting, we track things like:

• 10-yard and 40-yard times

• Fly times or top speed

• Vertical jump

• Pro agility

• Other KPIs that fit the group

All that data has to live somewhere and actually be useful. We keep ours in Coachlytics, which makes it easy to log results, track PRs, and pull an athlete's history in a few seconds. If you want the deeper version of how we think about tracking, we covered it in Tracking What Matters and Gamify the Grind.

Here’s the key. We are not trying to track everything every day. We are trying to give athletes enough feedback to see improvement and connect their training to something real.

Good tracking answers a few simple questions for the athlete:

• Am I getting faster?

• Am I more explosive?

• Did I hit a PR?

• How do I compare to my previous self?

• Where do I stand right now?

Make It Visible

Visibility is the whole game. Athletes need to see their numbers. When athletes see their progress they become hooked! That might come through leaderboards, PR boards, athlete profiles, testing reports, class records, or grade-level comparisons.

When progress is visible, training means more. A kid who sees his fly 10 drop by a tenth or even a hundredth is a kid who wants to run again.

Don’t Let Tracking Kill the Session

One warning. Tracking should support the session, not take over the session.

If your tracking system creates long lines, slows the pace, or kills sprint intent, it is not helping. The best tracking system is the one simple enough to use consistently.

A few principles we hold to:

1. Track what matters most.

2. Keep the setup consistent so comparisons are fair.

3. Make progress visible to athletes.

4. Celebrate PRs, not just rankings.

5. Use data to start conversations, not just leaderboards.

6. Never let data collection ruin the training effect or environment.

Final Thoughts

You do not need perfect individualization to coach speed with a big group. You need repeatable organization.

Set your lines. Run your waves/groupings/stations. Catch a number and make it visible. Prioritize engagement and enthusiasm. Do that consistently, and a room full of kids can train fast, stay organized, and actually see themselves improve.

That wraps up our Speed Series. Thanks for following along. I’m interested to know, what does speed work look like in your setting?

Reply and let me know what’s working, what’s messy, and what you’re still figuring out. I read and try to respond to every email.

Keep pursuing excellence,
Preston Pedersen, M.Ed., CSCS
Strength & Speed Coach • Pursuit PE ⚡️

★ Paid Subscriber Resources

This week’s paid resource is the Large Group Speed Session Template and Checklist. It’s a one-page planner you can fill out before class to organize your setup, waves, reps, cue, and tracking method, plus a checklist to keep your session fast and your data clean. Scroll down to grab it.

If you would like this resource and access to all of our previous articles and resources consider becoming a paid subscriber. Many schools will pay for the subscription as this is a professional development and teacher quality publication.

Looking for more?

From APRE to VBT to Programming Mastery, every Pursuit PE series is organized and ready in one spot. Browse the full Series Library to find the tools and systems that fit your program.

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In Speed Is a Skill, we made the case that speed belongs in your program. In Mechanics and Drills That Matter, we covered how to teach it.

Now the harder question. How do you keep speed in the program all year without overloading your athletes or giving up your lift time?

The answer is simple. You build doses of speed into the week and let it run year-round.

Integration First: Speed Lives in the Week

Here’s the mistake I see most often. Coaches treat speed like a phase. They run a spring speed block, or a summer camp, or an off-season emphasis, and then speed disappears for the rest of the year.

We do the opposite. Speed shows up every single day, in small doses, woven into a structure our athletes already know.

If you’ve followed A Week in the Life, you’ve already seen this. Here’s where speed lives in our week:

• Monday. SHREDmill bursts. Short, intent over distance, acceleration training.

• Block Day. Atomic Stations (many are calling this style of training performance circuits now). Sprint, jump, throw, and bounce, with our fly runs rotating week to week (10 yard dash, fly 10, fly 30, 40 yard dash).

• Thursday. SHREDmill again, this time emphasizing the transition from acceleration to max velocity (Tony Villani calls this Gear 3).

• Friday. A sprint, jump, throw, and agility circuit or game. High intent, low wear and tear (and fun).

Notice what’s happening. No single day is a “speed day.” Every day is a speed day, because a small dose of quality sprinting is baked into the flow. Athletes accelerate, hit max velocity, jump, and throw across the week without ever doing a punishing volume of it.

That’s our key to year-round speed. It’s not about doing more. It’s about placing a little bit, consistently, inside a system your athletes already trust.

Why Placement Beats Volume

Speed is a high-intent, low-volume quality. A few clean reps at full effort teach the nervous system far more than a pile of tired ones.

That’s why our speed work sits early in the session (although not always), before heavy fatigue, and stays low in total volume. Two to five quality exposures with as much recovery as an athlete needs is plenty. When you protect intent and keep volume low, you get the training effect without the wear.

This is also what makes year-round speed safe, which brings us to the question I get more than any other.

“Isn’t In-Season Sprinting Risky?”

Coaches worry about sprinting in-season. The fear is that adding max-effort speed work on top of practice and games will pile up and cause soft tissue injuries.

Here’s our take. Poorly dosed sprinting is risky. Consistent, low-volume sprinting is protective. Tony Holler talks about it like a deposit into the bank rather than a withdrawal.

The biggest injury risk usually comes from not sprinting for weeks and then asking an athlete to go full speed in a game. When athletes sprint a little bit every week, all year, their bodies stay adapted to it. The shock never comes, because max speed is never a stranger.

Because our volume is already low, we don’t separate our in-season and out-of-season athletes. That sometimes surprises people, so let me explain the thinking.

Our bet is long-term. If we deliver a good, intense stimulus consistently for four to six years, the volume in any single week doesn’t have to be high to get all the benefit. A few quality reps a week, over years, builds fast, durable athletes. The low weekly dose is exactly what makes it safe to run in-season without pulling anyone out.

That said, if your setting calls for more caution, this is a great place to use a Stoplight system. Green means full go, yellow means reduce or modify, red means back off for the day. We covered that approach in the Summer Training series. We don’t personally need it given how low our volume is, but for a lot of schools it’s a simple, smart way to autoregulate in-season athletes without building a separate program for them.

Progression: How Speed Advances Across the Year

Here’s where our approach might differ from what you’d expect. Our weekly structure stays consistent year-round. We don’t run an acceleration season and then a separate max velocity season. The days, the flow, and the language stay the same.

So how do athletes progress?

The progression happens inside each block, cycle to cycle, using a concurrent approach. My conjugate background comes from Joe Quinlin at Northwest Missouri State University, and this is the heart of it.

Here’s the plain-English version. Conjugate, or concurrent, training means you develop many qualities at the same time, all year, rather than training them one at a time in separate blocks. Instead of a month of only acceleration, then a month of only max velocity, then a month of power, you train all of them concurrently, every week. Acceleration on the SHREDmill, max velocity in your fly runs, power in your jumps and throws. They all stay in rotation.

The progression comes from what you rotate in and how you advance the stimulus over your training cycles. From one cycle to the next you might:

• Rotate the sprint variation (10 yard dash to fly 10-10 to fly 30-10 to 40 yard dash)

• Advance the plyometric or jump variation

• Progress the intent, quality, or complexity of the exposure

• Adjust the primer or start position

The structure holds. The stimulus advances. Athletes see the same reliable week, but the work inside it keeps moving forward.

This is why our athletes don’t plateau even though the weekly template never changes. The template is the container. The rotation and progression inside it are the training.

Why This Works in a School Setting

Concurrent training fits the school day better than block periodization for a simple reason. Our athletes are always in-season for something. We have multi-sport kids, different sport calendars, and no clean off-season where we could run an isolated speed block even if we wanted to.

Training everything concurrently means every athlete gets exposure to every quality, all year, no matter what sport season they’re in. Nobody misses their “speed block” because they were playing a fall sport. Speed is always on the menu.

Final Thoughts

Year-round speed isn’t a scheduling problem. It’s a design choice. Always start with your big rocks first and speed is one of the biggest rocks.

Build a small dose of quality sprinting into a week your athletes already know. Keep the volume low and the intent high so it stays safe in-season. Hold the structure steady and progress the stimulus inside it, cycle to cycle.

Do that for a few years, and you don’t just get faster athletes. You get athletes who know how to sprint, who stay healthy doing it, and who never lose the skill because it was never taken away.

Next up in the Speed Series is Coaching Speed in Large Groups and Tracking Progress, where we’ll get into the logistics of running quality speed work with a full class, and how to measure it so athletes can see themselves improving.

How do you fit speed into your year? Reply to this email and let me know what’s working in your setting.

Keep pursuing excellence,
Preston Pedersen, M.Ed., CSCS
Strength & Speed Coach • Pursuit PE ⚡️

Looking for more?

Every Pursuit PE series lives in one place. Browse the full archive of practical tools, frameworks, and real-world systems in the Pursuit PE Series Library.

In Speed Is a Skill, we made the case that speed belongs in your program and that it can be taught. This post is where we start teaching it.

So let’s get practical. If speed is a skill, what does that skill actually look like, and how do you coach it inside a normal class?

Two things: the mechanics that matter, and the drills worth your time.

The Three Pillars of Sprint Mechanics

We keep it simple. Three pillars, same language every session.

That last part matters. When athletes hear the same cues over and over, they start fixing themselves before you say a word. That’s the goal. You’re not just correcting reps. You’re building a vocabulary they carry into every sprint.

1. Posture

Everything starts here. If posture breaks, everything downstream breaks with it.

Good sprint posture is a tall spine with the lean coming from the ankles, not the waist. Hips stay tall and extended. The upper body stays relaxed so the arms can do their job.

What we’re looking for:

• Tall spine, forward lean from the ankles

• Hips tall and extended

• Relaxed shoulders and hands

• Eyes forward, chin neutral

What we’re coaching against:

• Hunching forward at the waist

• Tight shoulders and clenched fists

Cue it like this: “Run tall.” “Hips through.”

2. Projection

Projection is about where the force goes.

Athletes who project well drive into the ground and push their body forward. Athletes who don’t will bounce straight up, overstride, or lose their acceleration early. We want force going back and down so the athlete travels forward.

What we’re looking for in acceleration:

• Forward lean with full (or near full) hip extension behind

• Powerful ground contacts

• Shin angle that drives into the ground

What we’re coaching against:

• Overstriding, or reaching the foot out in front of the body

• Vertical bounce, or running up instead of forward

• Hips that sit back and kill projection

Cue it like this: “Drive the ground away.” “Push, don’t reach.” “Shin angle forward.”

3. Rhythm

Rhythm is the pillar coaches talk about least, and it matters more than most realize. I learned this from Ben Hildebrandt. I listened to him speak at a couple of different clinics and he attributes his collegiate improvements primarily to this pillar.

Athletes with good rhythm look smooth. Arms and legs coordinate. Ground contacts stay consistent. Speed builds without the strain showing.

What we’re looking for:

• Arms driving forward and back, not across the body

• Consistent stride rhythm from rep to rep

• Relaxed and focused

What we’re coaching against:

• Arms crossing the midline

• Short, choppy arm action

• Rhythm that changes from stride to stride

Cue it like this: “Big arms.” “Stay smooth.”

Drilling It: Keep vs. Cut

Many programs use too many sprint drills, and a lot of them don’t build any speed at all.

Drills are preparation. They reinforce positions and patterns. They are not a replacement for sprinting.

Tony Holler says it plainly: the goal is to sprint, not to just drill. Drills are important, but eventually you have to get to the main event.

Here’s how we sort them.

Keep

• A-March. Teaches hip flexion, posture, and rhythm at a slow, controlled tempo. Great for warming up the pattern before faster work, and slow enough that you can see exactly what’s happening and fix it.

• A-Skip. Same mechanics as the march with rhythm and coordination added. The skip forces timing, which athletes develop quickly with reps.

• Falling & Varied Position Starts. Teaches forward lean and projection. Athletes lean from the ankles until gravity pulls them, then sprint out. One of the simplest ways to teach what acceleration should feel like.

• Build-Ups. Athletes gradually accelerate from a jog to near-max over 20 to 40 yards. Build-ups teach smooth acceleration, reinforce posture as speed climbs, and get athletes to top speed without the jarring shock of an all-out start. Great as a bridge between drills and full sprints, and great for warming up the nervous system before max velocity work.

• Sprint-Float-Sprint. Athletes sprint hard, relax into a “float” while holding their speed, then sprint hard again, usually across three 10 to 20 yard zones. This is one of the best tools for teaching relaxation at top speed and for showing athletes that staying smooth keeps them fast. It builds the ability to hold max velocity.

Cut

• Agility ladders for speed. Ladders teach short, choppy steps, which is the opposite of what we want in a sprint. They’re fine for warm ups, footwork, and coordination, but they don’t make anyone faster. Don’t confuse busy feet with speed.

• Slow-motion technique work with no full-speed sprinting. A drill only matters if it reinforces what happens at full speed. If athletes do slow drills all session but never run at 95 to 100 percent, they’re not getting faster.

• Excessive resisted sprinting. Resistance definitely has a place, especially for teaching acceleration. But heavy sleds, parachutes, and bands used too often change mechanics and train athletes to strain instead of project. If the resistance changes how they run, it’s too much.

What This Looks Like in Our Training

We don’t have a track available to us very often. Most of our sprint work happens in the gym, hallways, and regularly on the SHREDmill. The setting isn’t perfect, but the intent is what makes it work.

In the gym, we keep it simple:

• 2 to 4 sprints per session, placed before lifting when possible

• 10 to 20 yards for acceleration work

• Performance Circuits that include all-out reps

• Drills as prep, then sprint

Lasers and the SHREDmill give us a controlled setup for acceleration, max velocity, and intent-based output. Athletes can see their top speed, which creates its own motivation. That kind of visible progress does a lot of the coaching for you, something we covered in Gamify the Grind.

A Note on Coaching Cues

Keep your cues short and keep them consistent. Use the same words every session until athletes can repeat them back and make adjustments.

This is the same principle from the Engagement Advantage series. Simplicity and consistency teach better than novelty every time.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a track and you don’t need a complicated program. You need three pillars, a short drill menu, and enough full-speed reps to make it real.

Teach posture. Teach projection. Teach rhythm. Then let them have fun competing!

Next up in this Speed Series is Year-Round Speed, where we’ll look at how to integrate and progress sprint work across the full school year without overloading your athletes or giving up your lift time.

Questions about how we run speed work at Mustang Strength & Speed? Reply to this email. I’d love to hear what you’re working with.

Keep pursuing excellence,
Preston Pedersen, M.Ed., CSCS
Strength & Speed Coach • Pursuit PE ⚡️

Check Out Our Previous 4-Part Series Topics:

• Speed

• New Year

• Programming Mastery

• A Week in the Life

• Grading

• Strong Start to the Year

• Velocity Based Training (VBT)

• Pre-Game Primer

• Engagement Advantage

• Supplements

• Summer Training

• Training Splits

• Plyometrics

• REFUEL Nutrition

• APRE (Autoregulatory Progressive Resistance Exercise)

• Long Term Athletic Development

• Communicating with Stakeholders

• Common Strength & Speed Program Mistakes

• Program Delivery & Data Tracking

• Year-Round Strength & Speed

• Announcements & Information

If you work in a school setting, you’ve probably heard some version of this:

“We already run at practice.”
“We don’t have time for speed work.”
“I don’t want to risk hamstring pulls in-season.”

Speed can feel complicated.

I’ve felt that tension myself — especially when the room is full, the time we have in class is tight, and multiple teams are in-season.

It …

Read more

If you coach in a school weight room, you know this problem.

You don’t need a timer for yourself.

You need a timer for:

• 25–60 athletes

• Shared racks

• Rotations

• Bell schedules

• Projectors or TVs

• Loud rooms

• Limited time

Most timer apps weren’t built for that.

They were built for:

• Individual workouts

• Garage gyms

• HIIT classes

• Personal fitness

That’s fine.

But that’s not what w…

Read more

Second semester starts this week for us.

For many schools, that means new rosters, new energy, and a clean calendar—but the same athletes, the same room, and the same systems.

That’s an important distinction.

This moment isn’t about starting over. It’s about stewarding what’s already been built.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to step into another semester of this work—to coach, teach, and continue refining systems that serve students well. This is my 20th semester as a high school Strength & Speed coach—and I’ve learned that second semester leadership matters just as much as the first. Every semester is a gift, and every restart is an opportunity to lead with more clarity than the last.

January is a rare window.

It’s the one time during the school year where reflection and action can happen at the same time.

Not a reset.
Not a rebuild.

A restart—with intention.

The Restart Most Coaches Miss

Most programs don’t struggle because the plan is broken.
They struggle because small cracks compound over time:

• Standards soften

• Transitions get sloppy

• Weekly rhythm drifts

• Intent fades into survival mode

Second semester is your chance to tighten the screws—not overhaul the machine.

This is where strong programs separate themselves.

Reflection First: What Actually Worked?

Before changing anything, pause.

Ask yourself—and your staff—these questions honestly:

• What systems held up under real pressure?

• What routines made the room calmer, faster, or clearer?

• Where did confusion show up most often?

• Which days felt the most chaotic—and why?

• What habits did athletes respond to consistently?

Reflection is about clarity.

If something worked in August, October, or December—it probably still works now.

If you don’t name what worked, you’re likely to abandon it by accident.
If something wasn’t working, this is the perfect time to try something new.

Refinement Beats Reinvention

The biggest mistake I see this time of year is coaches reaching for novelty.

New exercises.
New formats.
New ideas—without fixing the foundations.

Refinement is smaller.
And more powerful.

This might look like:

• Clarifying your weekly rhythm

• Tightening your exercise menu

• Re-centering intent standards

• Simplifying transitions

• Re-teaching expectations you assumed were “set”

Most programs don’t need more content.
They need clearer standards. Better communication. Cleaner execution.

Double Down on What’s Working

Second semester is where you double down, not spread thin.

Pick a few priorities and commit to them:

• Movement quality

• Session flow

• Intent standards

• Consistent expectations

The goal isn’t perfection.
It’s consistency.

Athletes don’t need surprises.
They need reliability.

This Is Where Systems Pay Off

If you’ve been following Pursuit PE, this moment should feel familiar.

This restart connects directly to the systems we’ve already covered:

• Strong Start to the Year – Standards, routines, expectations

• A Week in the Life – Rhythm, flow, consistency

• Programming Mastery – Structure, load management, intent

• Start Here – Building programs that actually work inside the school day

If your system is clear, the restart becomes simple.

You’re not starting over.
You’re sharpening.

Using Pursuit PE as a Tool—Not Just Content

This is exactly how Pursuit PE is meant to be used.

Not read once.
Not skimmed.
Used.

Second semester is a great time to:

• Listen to a few Big Time Strength Podcast episodes.

• Use the Pursuit PE Newsletter Series Library to target one or two areas of focus

• Share language or articles with assistants or colleagues

• Align your staff around fewer, clearer priorities

That’s professional development in action.

A Note on Professional Development

If you’re using this newsletter to reflect, refine, and improve your program—you are already engaging in meaningful professional development.

Pursuit PE is designed to support:

• High school Strength & Speed coaches

• Physical Education teachers

• Programs operating under real schedules and real constraints

Many schools and athletic departments cover resources like this through professional learning budgets.

If that’s an option in your setting, a paid subscription is a simple, cost-effective way to support ongoing growth—for you and your program.

Looking Ahead

The weekly Pursuit PE newsletter isn’t going anywhere.

I’ll continue publishing practical, school-tested content every week.

In the near future, I’ll also be rolling out:

• Workshops

• Podcasts

• More tools to support coaches inside real school environments

And soon, we’ll turn our attention to speed—not just running fast, but building a clear, repeatable system for teaching, programming, and tracking speed inside the school day.

But first…

You master the restart.

Final Thought

You don’t need a new program.

You need:

• Clear standards

• Strong systems

• Intentional refinement

Second semester isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing what works—better.

Keep pursuing excellence,

Preston Pedersen, M.Ed., CSCS
Strength & Speed Coach • Pursuit PE ⚡️

★ Paid Subscriber Resources

For paid subscribers, this edition includes:

• Master the Restart Checklist

• Standards and system review tools (pulled from prior series)

  • Mustang Strength & Speed Behavior Standards

  • Coach’s Guide: Setting Standards That Stick

  • Holding the Line Daily Coach Checklist

  • Day-One Coach Checklist

These resources are designed to help you apply this restart—not just think about it.

Want the tools behind this system?

Paid subscribers get access to the checklists, charts, templates, and real-world examples we actually use to manage load, intent, and adjustments inside the school day.

If you want help applying these ideas—not just reading about them—consider upgrading your subscription. Upgrade today to unlock this, the complete archive, and all upcoming resources.

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Over the past year, Pursuit PE has grown from a simple idea into something much bigger.

What started as a weekly newsletter has become a structured, evolving body of work focused on one core question:

How do we build Strength & Speed programs that actually work inside real schools?

Before anything else, I want to pause and thank God for the opportunity to …

Read more

The system is almost built. Now comes the hard part.

If you’ve followed this Programming Mastery series, you now have:

• A clear Needs Analysis

• A defined Exercise Menu

• A repeatable Weekly Structure

At this point, most programs don’t fail because of poor planning.

They fail because coaches don’t know how to manage load and intent without breaking the system.

This is where Programming Mastery actually shows up.

What “Adjusting” Actually Means (and What It Doesn’t)

Let’s be clear up front.

Managing load and intent does not mean:

• Scrapping the workout

• Changing exercises every day

• Turning training into guesswork

• Letting fatigue excuse poor effort

It means adjusting within the structure you’ve already built.

Same week.
Same menu.
Same rhythm.

Different dose.

The 3 Levers You Control Every Day

In a school-based Strength & Speed setting, you don’t control:

• Sleep

• Sport practice volume

• Club schedules

• Stress outside the room

You do control three things.

1. Volume

Sets, reps, total work.

This is the first lever to pull.

When athletes are:

• In-season

• Dragging

• Stacked with sport volume

Reduce volume before touching anything else.

2. Intensity

Load, bar speed, sprint quality, intent.

Intensity doesn’t always mean heavy.
It means purposeful.

High intent can show up as:

• Fast bar speed

• Clean sprint mechanics

• Explosive jumps

• Sharp execution

You can maintain intensity while reducing volume.

3. Density

How much work fits into the time window.

This is the most overlooked lever.

Adjust density by:

• Extending rest

• Reducing total stations

• Simplifying transitions

Without changing the workout on paper at all.

Intent Is the Non-Negotiable

Here’s the line we don’t cross:

If intent drops, the session loses its purpose.

We will:

• Reduce volume

• Adjust load

• Simplify structure

But we don’t accept:

• Lazy reps

• Slow movement

• Sloppy execution

• Low focus

That’s not autoregulation.
That’s avoidance.

Daily Structure: Why Fewer Exercises Win

One of the simplest ways we manage load is by limiting how much fits into a session.

Most days, we run about six exercises.

A typical structure looks like:

• 1 speed or explosive movement

• 1 primary strength movement

• 1 secondary strength or power movement

• 2 upper-body movements (push + pull)

• 1 trunk or supplemental movement

This keeps sessions:

• Teachable

• Efficient

• Intent-driven

If the room slows down, there’s probably too much on the menu.

Rep Ranges by Movement Category

Instead of chasing perfect percentages, we anchor rep ranges to movement intent.

General guidelines:

• Explosive movements: 1-5 reps

• Primary strength movements:

  • Older athletes 1-8 reps (depending on what APRE variation we are using)

  • Younger athletes 1-12 reps (depending on what APRE variation we are using)

• Secondary strength movements: 5-8 reps

• Upper-body accessories: 6-10 reps

• Trunk work: 20-40 seconds or 6-15 reps

These ranges:

• Support quality execution

• Manage fatigue

• Make adjustments easier without changing exercises

I’m excited to learn more about this topic in an upcoming Big Time Strength Podcast episode with Coach Zac Goodman.

Using Relative Intensity as Guardrails (Not Handcuffs)

We use relative intensity charts—such as Prilepin-style guidelines—not as rules, but as reference points.

They help answer questions like:

• Are we asking for too much volume at this intensity?

• Does the rep range match the goal of the movement?

• Is fatigue coming from poor alignment of load and reps?

The chart doesn’t tell us what to lift.
It tells us whether what we’re doing makes sense.

Linear Progression: Why It Still Works in Schools

We program with simple linear progressions because they fit the school environment and our training age.

A common cycle might look like:

• Week 1: 3×6

• Week 2: 3×5

• Week 3: 3×4

• Week 4: ×6, 5, 4

Then the next cycle drops rep targets by one.

Why this works:

• Easy to teach

• Easy to track & adjust

• Easy to fight for progress

• Easy to explain to athletes

Progression should feel predictable—not confusing.

APRE Influence: Autoregulation Inside Structure

We also use an APRE-influenced approach—particularly the Gary Schofield-style logic—where the reps adjusts based on performance inside fixed loads. This is not traditional APRE from Bryan Mann — it’s an adaptation that fits class-based training.

What stays the same:

• Exercises

• Load

• Weekly structure

What adjusts:

• Reps

• Sets (In-season)

Autoregulation works best when it has boundaries.

Structure gives it teeth.

Teaching Sets vs. Training Sets

Not every set serves the same purpose.

• Teaching sets prioritize feedback, tempo, and clarity (normally week 1 of a new cycle)

• Training sets prioritize intent, efficiency, and execution (normally week 2-4 of a cycle)

If every set turns into a coaching clinic, intent disappears.
If every set is rushed, learning disappears.

Good programs balance both.

When to Progress — and When to Hold

Simple rules we follow:

• Progress when reps are clean, fast, and consistent

• Hold when quality starts to slide

• Regress when technique breaks down or intent disappears

Progression is earned.
It doesn’t have to be automatic.

What We Rarely Change Mid-Cycle

To protect the system, we are intentionally conservative mid-cycle, we rarely change:

• Weekly structure

• Exercise selection

• Load schemes

What we do change:

• Reps

• Sets

• Density

• Intent emphasis (Teaching vs. Training)

This prevents panic-driven programming.

Programming Mastery Takeaway

A good program looks good on paper.

A great program:

• Adjusts without chaos

• Progresses without burnout

• Holds standards without rigidity

• Protects athletes without coddling them

The structure stays.
The dose adapts.
The intent never leaves.

That’s Programming Mastery.

Series Wrap-Up

This four-part Programming Mastery series was built to give you:

1. Clarity – Needs Analysis

2. Tools – Exercise Selection

3. Structure – Balancing the Week

4. Control – Managing Load, Intent, and Adjustments

If you can do these four things well, your program will last.

Looking for meaningful professional development?

Pursuit PE is designed as ongoing, practical professional development for high school Strength & Speed and Physical Education coaches working inside real school constraints.

Many schools and athletic departments cover paid subscriptions as part of their professional learning budgets.

If that’s an option in your setting, upgrading your subscription is a simple, cost-effective way to support long-term program improvement.

Subscribe now

Keep pursuing excellence,
Preston ⚡️

★ Paid Subscriber Resources

For paid subscribers, below I’m sharing:

• Relative Intensity Reference Chart

• Plate Loading Charts

• Percentage Charts

• Estimated 1RM Charts

• APRE Charts

• Real-world programming examples (training cards)

These tools are designed to help you adjust with confidence, not guess.

Want the tools behind this system?

Paid subscribers get access to the checklists, charts, templates, and real-world examples we actually use to manage load, intent, and adjustments inside the school day.

If you want help applying these ideas—not just reading about them—consider upgrading your subscription. Upgrade today to unlock this, the complete archive, and all upcoming resources.

Read more

How to Use the Pursuit PE Newsletter Library

Over the last year, Pursuit PE has grown into a comprehensive resource for coaches working inside real school-based Strength & Speed settings.

As the library expanded, one thing became clear:

Finding the right article at the right time mattered just as much as writing it.

This page exists to solve that.

Below, you’ll find every Pursuit PE newsletter organized by topic and series. The goal is to help you quickly locate the information you need—whether you’re building a program from scratch, refining what already exists, or solving a specific problem inside your setting.

This isn’t meant to be read top to bottom.
It’s meant to be used.

How This Library Is Organized

Each section below represents a focused series, designed to address one major area of school-based Strength & Speed coaching.

Every article is written with the same lens:
What actually works inside the school day—with large groups, mixed training ages, limited time, and real constraints.

A Living Resource

This library will continue to grow alongside the questions coaches are actually asking.

As new series are added, they’ll be organized here so you can always find:

• The big picture

• The details that matter

• And the systems that last

Thank you for being part of Pursuit PE and for doing the work to build better Strength & Speed programs for your students.

🔒Articles lock 3 months after being published for FREE subscribers

Announcements & Information

1. Year-Round Strength & Speed

1. Welcome to Pursuit PE

2. Year-Round Strength & Speed: Taking the Next Step

3. Overcoming Common Scheduling Roadblocks in Your Strength & Speed Program

4. In-Season Training: The Missing Piece of Year-Round Success

   • 🔒Paid Resource = Game Day Training Q&A

2. Program Delivery & Data Tracking

5. The Power of the Training Card: Your Blueprint for Year-Round Growth

6. Motivation & Consistency: Building Momentum in Your Strength & Speed Program

   • 🔒Paid Resource = Training Card Template

7. Bridging Pen & Paper with Digital: A Practical Blend for Easy Data Insights

8. Tracking What Matters: Key Performance Indicators in Strength & Speed

   • 🔒Paid Resource = KPI Tracking Template

3. Common Strength & Speed Program Mistakes

9. What Strength Coaches Get Wrong: Fixing the Most Common Program Mistakes

10. Programming Pitfalls: What’s Missing from Your Training Plan?

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Programming Pitfalls #3-#5

11. Fixing Speed Training: Why Most Schools Get It Wrong

12. Sport-Specific Training: What Actually Works vs. What’s a Waste of Time

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Biggest Sport-Specific Training Mistakes #3-#5

4. Communicating with Stakeholders

13. Effective Communication with Athletes: Coaching Beyond the X’s and O’s

14. Effective Communication with Sport Coaches: Building Stronger Partnerships for Athlete Success

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Preseason Meeting Guide

15. Strength & Speed Starts at the Top: Communicating with Administrators

16. Strength & Speed Beyond the Weight Room: Engaging Parents & the Community

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Addressing Common Parent Concerns About Strength & Speed Training

5. Long Term Athletic Development

17. Developing Athletes for the Long Run: A Long-Term Approach to Strength & Speed

18. From Middle School to Varsity: When to Progress Strength & Speed Training

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Progression Checklist When To Advance Strength & Speed Training

19. Avoiding Burnout & Overtraining in Young Athletes: Finding the Right Balance

20. Recovery & Nutrition: The Foundation of Long-Term Athletic Success

    • 🔒Paid Resource = REFUEL Nutrition Overview and also Recovery & Nutrition Checklist

6. APRE

21. From Coach-Controlled to Athlete-Driven: Why APRE Changes the Game

22. How We’ve Modified APRE for Our Strength & Speed Program: A Smarter Approach for High School Athletes

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Mastering APRE: Key Articles, Research, and Implementation Strategies and also APRE Training Charts: Load Adjustments & Progressions

23. APRE Best Practices: Mistakes to Avoid & Keys to Success

24. APRE Resources: What’s Shaped Our Approach & What to Read Next

    • 🔒Paid Resource = APRE Explainer Video (12 minutes)

7. REFUEL Nutrition

25. REFUEL Nutrition: Foundational Habits for Fueling Performance

26. Simple Habits That Stick: Teaching Athletes to REFUEL

    • 🔒Paid Resource = REFUEL Daily Habits Checklist

27. Recovery Matters: Teaching Sleep, Protein, and Real Refueling

28. Performance Fueling Questions: Tackling the Biggest Questions in Nutrition

    • 🔒Paid Resource = FAQ Nutrition Sheet: 30 Real Questions Athletes Ask and also REFUEL Nutrition Tracking Grid

8. Plyometrics

29. Teaching Explosiveness: Foundations of Plyometric Movement

30. Programming Plyometrics Year-Round: Getting the Right Plyos in the Right Places

31. Progressions That Work: How to Build Better Plyometric Pathways

32. Plyo Mistakes Coaches Make: What to Fix, What to Stop, and What to Start Doing

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Plyometric Program Audit Checklist, Plyometric Categorization Grid, and also a Sample 2-Week Plyo Micro Dose Plan

9. Training Splits

33. Smarter Splits: Choosing the Right Training Format for Your Athletes

34. Total Body vs. Upper/Lower: Which One Fits Best?

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Sample Total Body & Upper/Lower Split Outlines and also Training Split Comparison Grid

35. Why Bodybuilding Splits Don’t Work for Athletes: And What to Do Instead

36. Adapting Your Training Split: When to Change (and How to Do It Right)

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Adapting The Tier By Gage Rosier and also Making The Most Of A 4-Day Upper/Lower Split

10. Summer Training

37. Build the Summer That Transfers: Designing Training That Actually Pays Off

38. Summer Training Standards: How to Build Buy-In Without Burning Kids Out

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Horsepower Club Implementation Guide and also Horsepower Make Up Policy & Workout Guide

39. Summer Training Adjustments: Coaching In-Season & Out-of-Season Athletes Together

40. Bringing It All Together: Real Summer Systems That Work

    • 🔒Paid Resource = 6-Week Summer Training Overview, Summer Attendance Tracker Template, and also Middle School Training Sessions

11. Supplements

41. Should I Take This?: How Coaches Can Talk Supplements the Right Way

42. Building a Nutrition-First Culture: Why Food Comes Before Powders

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Mustang Strength & Speed Position Statement On Substance Use and also Nutrition Habits Self-Assessment

43. Supplement Deep Dive: What’s Safe, What’s Worth It, and What’s Hype

44. Helping Athletes and Parents Navigate Supplement Decisions

    • 🔒Paid Resource = What Athletes & Parents Should Know Series (Protein Supplements, Creatine, Hydration Products, & Pre-Workout Supplements & Energy Drinks)

12. Engagement Advantage

45. Engagement is the Name of the Game: Why Atmosphere Beats Percentages

46. Designing Sessions That Flow: Structure, Pacing & Transitions

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Weekly Training Structure – Class Outline (2023–24)

47. Kickstarters, Games, Races, and Relays: Coaching Fun with a Purpose

48. Gamify the Grind: How Tracking, Challenges, and Competition Fuel Buy-In

    • 🔒Paid Resource = KPI Tracking Template & Help Extended

13. Pre-Game Primer

49. The Pre-Game Advantage: Why Primers Elevate Performance & Culture

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Discount code for The Ultimate Pre-Game Primer Guide

50. Timing & Intensity: The Hidden Levers of Game-Day Prep

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Discount code for The Ultimate Pre-Game Primer Guide

51. Adapting on the Fly: Adjusting Game-Day Primers Without Losing Intent

52. Leading with Purpose: Using Primers to Build Culture, Leadership & Consistency

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Discount code for The Ultimate Pre-Game Primer Guide

14. Velocity Based Training (VBT)

53. Bar Speed > Max Charts: How VBT Drives Progress

54. How to Coach VBT Like a Pro: Zones, Flow & Real-World Structure

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Ask Me Anything & Get a Personal Video Response

55. Making VBT Work in Class Settings: Devices, Logistics, and Coaching Cues

56. More Than a Metric: How VBT Builds a Culture of Intent, Ownership & Competitive Fire

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Ask Me Anything & Get a Personal Video Response

15. Strong Start to the Year

57. Strong Starts: Building the Foundation for a Winning School Year

58. Culture by Design: Why Standards Can’t Wait Until Later

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Standards Resource Pack (Mustang Strength & Speed Standards, Coach’s Guide: Setting Standards That Stick, Holding the Line Daily Coach Checklist, Day-One Coach Reference Checklist)

59. The Syllabus That Serves: More Than Paperwork

60. The First Four Weeks: Building Momentum Without Burnout

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Mustang Strength & Speed Syllabus & Quiz

16. Grading

61. Grading for Growth: Measuring What Matters in Strength & Speed Programs

62. Attendance & Effort: Making It Measurable

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Attendance & Effort Tracking Template

63. Grading Made Clear: Turning Standards Into Success Criteria

64. Building Rubrics That Work: From Framework to Feedback

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Strength & Speed Rubric Pack

17. A Week in the Life

65. A Week in the Life: Monday – Setting the Tone

66. A Week in the Life: Block Day – Reinforcing the Culture

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Block Day Flow Template & Post-Workout Options

67. A Week in the Life: Thursday – Sharpening the Standard

68. A Week in the Life: Friday – Resetting for What’s Next

18. Programming Mastery

69. Programming Mastery #1: Needs Analysis

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Needs Analysis Checklist & Program Constraint Mapping Sheet

70. Programming Mastery #2: Exercise Selection

71. Programming Mastery #3: Balancing the Week

72. Programming Mastery #4: Managing Load, Intent, and Adjustments

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Relative Intensity Reference Chart, Plate Loading Charts, Percentage Charts, Estimated 1RM Charts, APRE Charts, Real-world programming examples (training cards)

19. New Year

73. One Year of Pursuit PE: What We’ve Built, What We’ve Learned, and What’s Next

74. Master the Restart: Refining What Works for the Second Semester

    • 🔒Paid Resource = Master the Restart Checklist, Mustang Strength & Speed Behavior Standards, Coach’s Guide: Setting Standards That Stick, Holding the Line Daily Coach Checklist, Day-One Coach Checklist

20. Speed

75. Speed Is a Skill: Building Year-Round Speed During School

76. Mechanics & Drills That Matter: Teaching Sprint Technique in a School Setting

Stay Connected & Keep the Conversation Going

Have a question, idea, or topic you’d like to see covered in Pursuit PE? I’d love to hear from you.

📧Email: pursuitpe@gmail.com
🌐Website: pursuitpe.com
🗂️Newsletter Archive & Resources: View All Issues

📩Subscribe here to unlock the full archive, access exclusive resources, and support the work of helping Strength & Speed coaches pursue their best.

💡Suggest a Topic: What challenges are you facing right now in your weight room, PE class, or athletic program? Your input shapes the future of Pursuit PE.

Other Links

🔗 Preston Pedersen’s Linktree
⚡️ Pursuit PE Store
🎙️ Pursuit PE Podcast
🎧 Big Time Strength Podcast

Pursuit PE exists to help coaches build stronger students, stronger programs, and sustainable systems inside the school day.

Thanks for reading!

—
Preston Pedersen, M.Ed., CSCS
Strength & Speed Coach • Pursuit PE ⚡️

Refer a friend

If you’re a PE teacher, Strength & Speed coach, or athletic administrator trying to build a better program inside the school day, you’re in the right place.

Pursuit PE exists for one reason:

To help schools build Strength & Speed programs that are sustainable, effective, and realistic.

Not private facilities.
Not college weight rooms.
Not perfect conditions.

…

Read more

A Quick Note of Gratitude

Last week’s Iowa Strength Coaches Association State Clinic was a great reminder of why this work matters.

Thank you to the presenters and panel coaches who shared their time and experience.
Thank you to the coaches who showed up ready to learn and ask great questions.
Thank you to the sponsors—without their support, this event woul…

Read more

Great programming doesn’t start with percentages, cool variations, or what’s trending online.
It starts with choosing the right movements — movements you can teach, scale, and repeat inside the school day.

Exercise Selection is where your system starts to take shape.

You don’t need 200 exercises.
You don’t need a giant library.
You don’t need perfect equipme…

Read more

This new four-part series—Programming Mastery—is designed to help you build a simple, repeatable, school-specific programming system you can rely on all year long.

Most coaches don’t have a programming problem.
They have a systems problem.

And almost every systems problem starts in the same place:

Programming for your preferences instead of your athletes’ needs.

Needs Analysis is the foundation that makes everything else work.
It sets the standard for exercise selection, weekly design, and long-term progress.

Today, we’re starting where great programming actually begins—understanding your athletes, your environment, and your constraints.

Why Needs Analysis Matters

You can’t build an effective program until you understand who you’re building it for.

High school Strength & Speed is the most variable training environment in the entire profession.
On any given day, you might have:

• freshman who have never lifted

• seniors with four years of training

• a D1 recruit

• multi-sport athletes in-season all the time

• school & club athletes stacking two practices after school

• non-athletes in the same class as varsity starters

• students who need confidence

• students who need guardrails

• students who need autonomy

College systems don’t plug-and-play here.
Social media programs don’t plug-and-play here.
Your personal training preferences don’t plug-and-play here.

Needs Analysis gives you clarity.
It helps you identify what matters, what doesn’t, and what your setting actually requires.

Without it, programming becomes emotional, random, and inconsistent.
With it, programming becomes repeatable, teachable, and sustainable.

The Big 6 Variables in High School Needs Analysis

Build your program around your athletes, not your preferences.
These are the six areas that shape everything you build.

1. Training Age & Movement Literacy

Before you think percentages, progressions, or split structures, you need to know this:

What can your kids actually do?

• Can they hinge?

• Can they squat without pain or collapse?

• Can they land?

• Can they sprint upright?

• Can they brace?

• Can they follow coaching cues?

You can’t out-program poor mechanics.
You can only teach them, repeat them, and reinforce them.

Training age drives:

• exercise selection

• load choices

• your weekly rhythm

• how you coach progression

• the pace of your teaching

It is the single most important variable in the high school setting.

2. Equipment & Space Constraints

Your room is your reality.
Your system must fit your room—not the other way around.

Questions to ask:

• How many racks?

• How many bars?

• How many plates?

• How many kids per class?

• Can you use hallways, gyms, or classrooms?

• Can you teach on the move?

• How fast does your room transition?

Space and equipment don’t limit great programming—they reveal it. I often say that constraints build creativity. Constraints aren’t bad, you just have to be aware of them.

3. Time Constraints

If you teach Strength & Speed inside the school day, this one matters more than anything else.

• 42-minute periods

• 85-minute block days

• Early bird

• Shortened schedules

• Assemblies

• Late starts

You must build a system that works regardless of the bell schedule.

Time constraints determine:

• session flow

• movement choices

• volume

• intensity

• how much autonomy you can give

• how much teaching you can do

When time is tight, simplicity wins.

4. Seasonal Demands

A volleyball athlete in October is living a very different reality than a baseball athlete in February.

But here’s the key:
Your program shouldn’t change every time the season does.

We keep the same structure, and adjust volume using the stoplight system:

• Green Days: Full training dose

• Yellow Days: Controlled volume

• Red Days: Low volume, high intent

This keeps athletes progressing without fighting their sport demands.

In-season athletes need smart, intentional training — not overload.
Off-season athletes need consistency — not constant novelty.

Seasonal demands shift daily / weekly.
Your system should be built to handle that.

5. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

You don’t need 20 data points.

A small set of KPIs will tell you everything you need to know:

• sprint times

• jumps

• a squat or split-squat variation

• an upper-body strength marker

KPIs eliminate guesswork. They show you what’s improving, what’s not, and whether your system is actually producing what it claims to.

Without clear KPIs, you’re programming in the dark.

6. Population Demands

This is where high school programming becomes real.

You might have:

• 35+ students in the room

• only eight are varsity athletes

• ten have very little training experience

• several are dealing with stress or low confidence

• multiple athletes balancing multiple sports

• a mix of personalities and responsibilities

Your system must be able to scale without falling apart.

This is why Needs Analysis exists.

A Simple, School-Specific Needs Analysis You Can Do Today

You don’t need a spreadsheet.
You need clarity.

Do these four things:

1. List Your Real Constraints

Time, space, equipment, class size, seasons.

2. Identify Your Athlete Population

Movement readiness, experience, in-season demands.

3. Choose Three Non-Negotiables

What must your program deliver every single day?
Examples:

• movement quality

• sprint exposure

• simple, sustainable volume

• consistency across classes

4. Cut the Fluff

If it doesn’t serve your population or non-negotiables, it doesn’t belong.

Great programming is not about doing more.
It’s about doing the right things consistently.

Common Mistakes in Needs Analysis

• Copying college programs

• Programming for the top 5% instead of the entire class

• Making sessions too complex

• Ignoring class periods and school rhythms

• Prioritizing personal preference over student need

• Changing programming based on energy or emotion

A quality Needs Analysis eliminates all of this.

Why This Matters for the Entire Series

Once you understand your needs clearly:

• Exercise selection becomes obvious

• Weekly planning becomes predictable

• Progressions are easier to teach

• Assistants and student leaders can support your system

• Long-term athletic development becomes sustainable

• Culture becomes more consistent

Needs Analysis is the foundation.
Everything else builds from here.

Programs built on preference fall apart.
Programs built on needs last.

Do the work upfront—your athletes will feel it all year long.

Next Up

Programming Mastery #2 — Exercise Selection: Choosing Movements That Transfer

We’ll break down how to build an exercise bank that is simple, scalable, and sustainable inside the school day.

Need Help Building Your System?

If you’re looking to build or refine a Strength & Speed program that fits inside the school day, I can help.

Pursuit PE Consulting offers both on-site and virtual support to help schools build systems that last—structured, sustainable, and culture-driven.

“Average coaches have quotes.
Good coaches have a plan.
Elite coaches have a system.”
- Tim Kight

Let’s build yours.
Reply to this email or message me directly.

Keep pursuing excellence,
Preston ⚡️

This Week’s Paid Subscriber Resource

Upgrade your subscription to Pursuit PE to unlock these tools ⤵

Paid subscribers can access:

Programming Starter Pack – Part 1: Needs Analysis Toolkit

• Needs Analysis Checklist

• Program Constraint Mapping Sheet

Not a paid subscriber yet? Upgrade today to unlock this and all upcoming resources.

Read more

It’s been a few weeks since the last newsletter went out. I didn’t intend for that gap. Between playoff football, my dad’s health scare, and fully refinishing my boys’ room at home, I simply fell behind.
Thanks for your patience — and for being part of this work.

We’re closing out our four-part series, A Week in the Life, by looking at the day that often …

Read more

Monday sets the tone.
Block Day reinforces the culture.
Thursday sharpens the standard.

By Thursday, the early-week energy has settled.
What’s left is focus, form, and follow-through.
That’s exactly why Thursday matters.

Thursday is a refinement day.
It’s about tightening the details.
We don’t grind through Thursdays. We sharpen through them.

Read more

Monday sets the tone.
Block Day reinforces the culture.

Same expectations, similar flow and language—just more time to live it out.
Because consistency is the culture. And the “culture” can’t just be written down it has to be talked about and practiced.
In our Tuesday/Wednesday block classes we get more time for speed, strength, learning, & culture building.

Why Block Day Matters

With longer class periods, we don’t try to do more—we try to do better.
More teaching. More intent. More ownership.

It’s where movement patterns sharpen, expectations stay, and students learn what consistency looks like.

Culture doesn’t grow through variety—it grows through repetition with purpose. We often say, “Consistency is the key to success.”
Reinforcing the culture isn’t about adding new layers. It’s about repeating what matters until it sticks. With that said, as many coaches know, the hard balance is keeping things fun and engaging while mastering the mundane.

The Flow

Our Block Day structure looks like this:

• Dynamic Warm Up

• Atomic Stations

• Weekly Why

• Primer Movements

• Main Lift

• Extra Work (sport specific, etc.)

• REFUEL or Leadership Lesson

Each section has its role:

Atomic Stations: Sprint, jump, throw, and bounce. The most athletic things a human can do. Compete with intent, move like an athlete.

Weekly Why: A short lesson and discussion—this past week’s topic was Role Acceptance. Coach Whitman and I teach and guide discussion. Students pair up, talk, and connect ideas back to performance and leadership.

Lift:
Bench Press, Rows, Deadlifts are some of our mains.
A full-body rhythm that builds from Monday’s foundation—more sets, more teaching, same expectations.

Choice Work:
Tricep and bicep selections. Autonomy inside the structure. This builds buy in.
Students know what they need, and we guide them to make smart choices.

Extra Work:
Students can be specific about what they want to work on. There are a lot of options. See the Post-Workout options download below.

REFUEL Lesson:
Nutrition isn’t an afterthought—it’s built in.
This week’s focus: E – Eat Often.
We talked about how packing a simple snack can be the difference between progress and plateau.

Alternatively, we will do a Weekly Why that pertains to Exercise Science and then do a post-workout Leadership lesson.

Coaching Emphasis

• Consistency Builds Trust – Students rely on rhythm. They know the flow, they know the cues, and they trust the system.

• Autonomy Within Structure – Hand over small pieces of responsibility and watch leadership grow.

• Reinforce Through Repetition – Don’t chase novelty; chase mastery.

• Teach the Why – Every movement and cue connects back to purpose.

The longer class period isn’t for cramming more in—it’s for teaching deeper and coaching more.

Takeaway

Block Days reveal your culture and they build it.
They show you what habits hold under pressure and what still needs work.

When the environment runs itself, when standards stay high (with some reminders), that’s when you know your system is working.

Consistency doesn’t limit growth.
It sustains it.

Next Up

#67 – A Week in the Life: Thursday – Sharpening the Standard
We’ll look at how to build energy and precision midweek, without letting fatigue or comfort sneak in.

Need Help Building Your System?

If you’re looking to build or refine a Strength & Speed program that fits inside the school day, I can help.

Pursuit PE Consulting offers both on-site and virtual support to help schools build systems that last—structured, sustainable, and culture-driven.

“Average coaches have quotes.
Good coaches have a plan.
Elite coaches have a system.”
- Tim Kight

Let’s build yours.
Reply to this email or message me directly.

Keep pursuing excellence,
Preston ⚡️

This Week’s Paid Subscriber Resource

Upgrade your subscription to Pursuit PE to unlock this tool ⤵

Paid subscribers can access:

• Block Day Flow Template (Google Slides)

• Post-Workout Options (Google Doc)

Showing how to structure an extended session with movement prep, Weekly Why integration, and lift organization.

It’s a simple, ready-to-use layout you can adapt for your own PE or Strength & Speed setting.

Not a paid subscriber yet? Upgrade today to unlock this and all upcoming resources.

Read more

This new four-part series—A Week in the Life—takes you inside a normal week of Mustang Strength & Speed PE.
You’ll see what each day looks like, why it’s structured the way it is, and how every part of the week serves a specific purpose.

• Monday sets the tone.

• Block Day reinforces the culture.

• Thursday sharpens the standard.

• Friday resets for what’s next.

Let’…

Read more

We’ve covered a lot in this series already:

• #61: Grading for Growth → Why grades matter and how they shape culture.

• #62: Attendance & Effort → Turning consistency into something measurable.

• #63: Grading Made Clear → Defining success criteria so athletes know exactly what a “3” looks like.

Now comes the question that ties it all together:

How do you build a grading system that’s fair, transparent, and student-centered?

The answer is a rubric. Done right, a rubric becomes more than a grading tool—it’s a roadmap for growth. It tells students exactly what matters, it gives parents clarity, and it reassures administrators that this course is more than just “lifting weights.”

Why a Rubric is the Foundation

Without a rubric, grading is usually one of two things:

• Vague: “You pass if you show up.”

• Subjective: “I’ll know effort when I see it.”

Both destroy culture.

A good rubric makes expectations:

• Clear – Every student knows what’s measured.

• Fair – Everyone is graded by the same standard.

• Transparent – Parents and admins can see the logic.

• Actionable – Students can track where they stand and what to improve.

At Mustang Strength & Speed, our rubric rests on three standards, each with three targets:

• Commitment (Attitude, Effort, Discipline)

• Performance (Strength, Speed, Power)

• Vision (Goal Setting, Tracking Progress, Reflection)

Three standards. Nine total targets. We want it to be simple, but complete.

Later in this issue, I’ll share the rubric we are building for Mustang Strength & Speed, a student-facing handout you can adapt for your own program.

Feedback That Fuels Growth

A rubric only works if the success criteria are clear. If students can’t describe what a “3” looks like, you haven’t defined the standard.

Examples:

• Commitment → Attitude: A “3” = respectful, coachable, positive body language.

• Performance → Strength: A “3” = proper technique, completed sets, safe progression.

• Vision → Tracking Progress: A “3” = Sets, reps, weights, speeds, details written down and revisited in student folder.

Success criteria make grading objective and turn “effort” into behaviors students can own.

Tip: Revisit one criterion each week in class. Quick reminders keep standards alive.

Making Grades Student-Centered

Grades shouldn’t be something done to students. They should be a feedback loop that reinforces growth.

How to shift ownership:

• Self-Reflection: Ask students to self-assess on the rubric regularly.

• Peer Check-Ins: Rack partners give each other a quick score on readiness or effort.

• Mid-Semester Reviews: Have students self-assess and compare with teacher assessment.

When athletes know how they’re graded—and get to play a role in grading themselves—it stops being about compliance and starts being about growth.

Why This Matters

A clear rubric protects your culture.

• It takes subjectivity out of grading.

• It shows parents and admins you’re aligned with PE standards.

• It gives students the tools to take ownership of their learning/progress.

That’s why the rubric isn’t just paperwork. It’s part of the coaching process.

Wrapping Up the Grading Series

This closes out our 4-part series on grading in Strength & Speed programs.

If you missed the earlier parts, catch up here:

• #61: Grading for Growth

• #62: Attendance & Effort

• #63: Grading Made Clear

The big takeaway: Grades aren’t about compliance—they’re about culture.

When you measure the right things, communicate them clearly, and give students ownership, grading stops being a formality and starts being a driver of growth.

Next up: we’ll shift to a brand-new series on [insert your next series topic]—continuing to build tools that make school-based Strength & Speed programs clear, coachable, and culture-driven.

Need help building a system like this?

I work with schools to design grading frameworks, rubrics, and communication systems that fit their unique setting. If your program could benefit from hands-on consulting, reply to this email or reach out here to start the conversation.

Keep pursuing excellence,
Preston ⚡️

This Week’s Paid Subscriber Resource

Upgrade your subscription to Pursuit PE to unlock this tool ⤵

🔒 Strength & Speed Rubric Pack
A complete grading toolkit that makes expectations clear and growth measurable. Includes:

• Coach Rubric Overview: Editable rubric overview with clear success criteria for Commitment, Performance, and Vision.

• Student Rubrics (3 handouts): Breakdowns for each standard with simple “4/3/2/1” criteria, written in student-friendly language. Includes a Reflection Template that can be used as a mid-semester check-in sheet for student self-assessment and coach/teacher feedback.

Not a paid subscriber yet? Upgrade today to unlock this and all upcoming resources.

🔒 Strength & Speed Rubric Pack

Google Doc Link Below ⬇️ (You will be prompted to make a copy.)

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If students don’t know what success looks like, how can we expect them to hit the target?

Too often, grading in Strength & Speed gets boiled down to vibes (“they try hard”) or numbers (“what’s their max?”). The problem? Both approaches miss the bigger picture.

Athletes need clarity. Coaches need consistency. Parents and administrators need fairness. That’…

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Consistency is the foundation of progress—and if you don’t measure it, students assume it doesn’t matter.
If students don’t show up—or if they show up but go through the motions—it doesn’t matter how good your program looks on paper.

The challenge for Strength & Speed coaches in a school setting is turning attendance and effort into something measurable, fair, and repeatable. Too often, it’s either:

• Everyone gets points for being present (no accountability for effort), or

• Effort becomes subjective—rewarded for “favorites” and missed by others.

Neither builds trust or culture. Done well, grading attendance and effort becomes a system that:

• Keeps students accountable,

• Shows parents and admins this is real learning, and

• Reinforces the habits that actually lead to growth.

Why Consistency Matters

Every coach knows it: consistency beats intensity.

Missing days adds up: one to two absences a week over a semester = 15-30+ lost training sessions. That’s the difference between progress and plateau.

Your grading system should make that crystal clear: Attendance is non-negotiable because progress is built session by session.

Making Effort Visible

Effort is harder to measure than attendance—but not impossible. The key is clarity:

• Readiness Checks – Water bottle? Workout folder? Dressed appropriately? That’s preparation.

• Engagement – On time, in the rack, following directions.

• Execution – Using proper technique and completing sets, not coasting.

By naming these behaviors and checking them daily, “effort” stops being a vibe and starts being a standard. Reminder: Effort isn’t maxing out every day. It’s showing focus and quality in the reps assigned.

Tools That Work

You don’t need fancy tech (though it could help). A few simple systems make consistency and effort trackable:

• Punch Cards – Athletes earn marks for attendance/effort. Visible, tangible, motivating.

• Coach Checklists – Quick daily rubrics for readiness, engagement, execution.

• Attendance Dashboards – Digital trackers (Google Sheets, AMS application) that log participation and effort over time.

• Peer Accountability – Rack partners or squads check each other off before starting.

Whatever you use, the goal is the same: remove subjectivity, create clarity, and keep athletes engaged.

Why This Matters for Culture

When athletes know attendance and effort count toward their grade:

• They show up on time.

• They prepare the right way.

• They realize “going through the motions” doesn’t cut it.

And when parents and administrators see data (dashboards, reports, rubrics), they see a professional program, not just a weight room.

Need help building a system like this?
I work with schools to design grading frameworks, tracking tools, and communication systems that fit their unique setting. If your program could benefit from hands-on consulting, reply to this email or reach out here to start the conversation.

Keep pursuing excellence,
Preston ⚡️

This Week’s Paid Subscriber Resource

Upgrade your subscription to Pursuit PE to unlock this tool ⤵

🔒 Attendance & Effort Tracking Template
A ready-to-use tool with both coach and student-facing versions. Includes:

• Daily readiness & effort checks,

• Semester attendance tracking,

• Space for coach notes,

• Visual progress dashboards.

Not a paid subscriber yet? Upgrade today to unlock this and all upcoming resources.

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