spiritual growth in the squat rack with division 3 football players - the caron method

The year was 2011. I just turned 30. I was Associate Strength Coach at USC. I had a group of interns under my tutelage who were seeking the answers to questions they did not fully understand how to ask. Much like yourself. That group of interns was a surly group, with a ton of grit. They were all Division 3 football players looking to forge a career in S&C. As their mentor, I took great pride in challenging them more than they were accustomed to. Which is saying a lot about D3 football players. Division 3 football players are a perfect blend of hard work and discipline but at the same overwhelming average in just about everything. Which is perfect for S&C. 

This was the genesis of the Caron Method. How do we crush the morale and spirit of a group of angry Division 3 football players? I knew we were onto something when they would argue. Just imagine 3 aggressive 5’6” to 5’8” mesomorphs constantly arguing about trivial things like a conjugate method or supersets. The more conflict they had meant the better the program was. The holy grail in training is pushing people to the brink of physical, mental, and spiritual limits. We need to understand our limits before we can realize our true potential. I had to break these wild stallions and turn them into thoroughbreds of strength.

You see, most S&C coaches are going to have elite concentric development but are underdeveloped eccentrically. Finding out what someone’s weakness is and then exploiting it is the key to any good mentorship. They say 10 seconds of eccentrics does not create character, it reveals it. 

How long is too long for eccentric loading? Is 3 seconds too long? Is 5 seconds too long? Is the limit 9 seconds due to Bridge’s tempo only going to 9 seconds? The stallions needed to help us answer this timeless question. 

It was a typical Friday, nothing special. Were just finished a week of training with the team. I was wondering the question of how long is too long. Then it dawned on me: the only way we can answer this is by experiment. I went to the stallions and asked what their 1RM on back squat with a 10/0/0/0 tempo. Surprisingly they did not know. This led us all to go to failure on the back squat with a 10/0/0/0 tempo. 

We went over to this demo hammer strength rack. There was one light above it, shining down. Imagine the scene, all the lights off with one shining on a demo hammers strength rack with three curious and scared aspiring strength coaches finding out their max on back squat with a 10/0/0/0 tempo. It was a last-man-standing format. You went until you could not go any more. The tension was palpable. You could cut it with a knife. There are certain points of your life that you will remember forever. Feeling their anxiety with each 20kg plate being added. Looking each one of them in the eyes and saying “I think I can go up” and feeling their apprehension with every additional set. 

What did we learn? I learned how well they could handle pressure and maintain composure. I learned that some people have incredible resolve and others do not. I ended up hiring a coach who pushed me through to the bitter end and was one of the best hires I ever made. I know that we have so much untapped potential and if we can find ways to access that additional gear through training, we can accomplish unimaginable things.

The 2010s were a transformative decade for me. I was hired, fired, hired, quit, and started Allegiate with Cody and Steve. Every step of the way had a huge impact on me and how I approach coaching. My central philosophy is focused on getting the best possible results as quickly as possible without injury. Your resolve is the thing that is going to be constantly challenged. It is to remind yourself that responding positively to adversity is what determines your worth. Training should be hard. Training should be transformative. Training should be the answer you are looking for with any questions you may have. The key is selecting things that are at the physical limit of what you can handle and then responding to that challenge.