Guest Blog Post 3: Brandon Golden
Brandon Golden has been coaching full time for nearly a decade. After completing his undergraduate degree at East Carolina University, he spent several years in various programs as a volunteer assistant, absorbing as much information as possible as he carved out a specialty for himself. He then served as a Graduate Assistant at St. John’s University where he was introduced to Velocity Based Training, and subsequently landed his first full time job at Charleston Southern University.
Brandon Golden returned to his alma mater in 2017 to coach strength & conditioning where he works with baseball, women’s soccer, and men’s tennis. He is primarily responsible for heading up the sports science efforts within the department, including velocity based training. We want to thank Brandon Golden for agreeing to write a guest blog post for Perch, and encourage you to follow him on both Instagram @coachbgolden and Twitter @coachbgolden, and take a peek at his website: www.coachbgolden.com Without further ado, Brandon take it away!
INTRODUCTION
This article is going to be the first of several with Velocity Based Training (VBT) as the subject. As with most initial posts, I am going to talk about why I use VBT and set the stage for future articles to come. Thank you to Perch for asking me to be a part of this, I’m passionate about VBT and am fired up for this opportunity to share my thoughts.
I first started using VBT as a Graduate Assistant at St. John’s University back in 2015. It has always been intriguing to me that it is not more commonplace in training. Since then, when available VBT has been something that I have leaned on as a resource. It was not until last season I started using VBT year-round, and this was the first Fall I have used it with baseball here at East Carolina. It has been a huge benefit to our program.
AUTOREGULATION IS KING
Every day, in facilities all over the country, on twitter, and just about anywhere else you turn, someone is giving an opinion on the best methods to train athletes. Let’s define what our jobs are as performance coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, or whatever sounds good that day (our title as coaches could be a whole separate article, however, I will spare you for now). Regardless, our job is to assess. Make a plan and then execute that plan. Sounds simple in theory, but when you add college classes, practice, games, travel, friends, family, and stressors of daily life, that plan can get derailed at times.
We as coaches talk to our athletes constantly about how they have to do the right things the other twenty-two or three hours of the day when they aren’t with us. My question is then, why aren’t we doing the same thing? How can we take all of those things mentioned above into account when planning a training session? My answer is VBT. It allows for autoregulation based off of a desired velocity that correlates with a desired quality being trained for that session.
If you were to come into the weight room today after practice, you would see a variety of plans being executed, based on what each guy needs. Individualization is key in college sports especially because of how important development is at this level. I can have four guys at a rack all squatting and all training different qualities based on the need of the individual, because, velocity dictates the load. If you haven’t read Bryan Mann’s book, do yourself a favor and read it, he does a great job at taking the research and making it digestible for coaches to implement.
BASEBALL AND VBT
This year we have a roster of thirty-five guys. Eighteen of them are returners to the program and the remaining are either freshmen or Junior College transfers. We have a mix of pitchers, position players, and several two-way guys. All of them have various qualities that need to be developed in order for them to help us win games. On top of that, they also have vastly different body types, strength levels, power outputs, and lever lengths.
Availability is the best quality for any athlete and for us, it is no different. Utilizing VBT allows me to ensure a guy will have the proper load for core lifts. Again, because velocity dictates the load, if the movement falls below the desired threshold, weight is taken off the bar. Just like if the velocity is above the threshold, weight is added to the bar, which is always motivating and exciting for everyone in the room.
BASEBALL AND STATISTICS
Baseball players today, more than ever, have numbers thrown in their faces on a daily basis. It’s a game heavily driven by stats. This technology allows me to tap into that. Having them know the desired range and quality that is associated with that range, they take ownership of their development. All I had to do was throw out the word velocity and they were hooked. It becomes fun for them as well as something they can truly see how it helps them become better baseball players.
Whether that is increasing the ability to produce and accept force in a pitcher’s lead leg to transfer that force into the arm and eventually the ball for a fast ball up in the zone, or increase velocity so the ball in the gap is a ball in the stands. VBT has helped me in showing our players how their training in the weightroom transfers to their performance on the field and is based on them as individuals.
VBT has helped me in showing our players how their training in the weightroom transfers to their performance on the field and is based on them as individuals.
Brandon Golden
STORY TIME
Just recently we had a pitcher who was home for Christmas break who had been training in the strength-speed range for the last few weeks of the semester. He goes home and trains with some buddies from high school, who obviously slap three plates on the bar and invite him to join. He’s a strong guy who would have no problem squatting that weight, however, he hadn’t squatted with a straight bar in a few years (our pitchers use safety bars). So, he gets in the rack and rattles off the 315 for fifteen reps. A massive PR and all the while not training anywhere near maximal effort. He gets back from break and is even more fired up and can’t wait to train to work towards his goal of increased velocity off the mound.
Before we go any further, I am not against lifting heavy weights. Lifting heavy is great for developing qualities that are needed as an athlete, and is something I believe in. At times, coaches have expressed their concern with VBT because it is viewed as only lifting light weights. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I am an advocate for enhancing performance on the field, regardless of what stimulus I have to expose them to. Throwing a 90+ mph pitch is the goal for most guys. Just like with any skill, there are many variables that go into that recipe and it is our job to decide how much of which quality is to be developed.
Stay tuned for more articles on how I use VBT with our baseball players at East Carolina and how it can help you better train your athletes too!
CONCLUSION
Perch wants to extend a huge thank you to Brandon Golden for his words of wisdom and applicable storytelling here, and the entire ECU Staff. Please feel free to follow him on Instagram and Twitter to see how he continues to innovate with technology in the weight room, and be sure to check out his website as well. Thanks Brandon Golden!
OTHER RELEVANT POSTS!
Check out part two of Brandon Golden's guest blog!
Curious about how different populations can utilize VBT? Check out our VBT for specific populations series!
Check out our Return To Play from Covid-19 series!
FOLLOW US!
Keep checking back for more velocity based training content, tips, tricks, and tools. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter , Instagram and Linkedin and like us on Facebook.
Further Reading
This AI is Taking Over the Sports World
This AI is Taking Over the Sports World... Every now and then, the sports world gets introduced to a new technology that absolutely changes the game. With professional sport currently operating at a more competitive level than ever, we have a question for you all. What’s the most important factor for teams to focus on?
NBA Teams Embrace AI Weightlifting Tech From Perch
NBA's Nets, Pistons, Heat and Magic using Perch's AI-powered weight training platform
Meet the BostInno 2023 Fire Awards Honorees
They may work out of a Cambridge office, but Perch is working on the field, pitch, and court. A growing number of teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and NCAA use Perch’s AI-backed weight training platform to monitor player movements during exercises and enhance their motivation, safety, and performance.
Perch Revolutionizing the Way MLS Teams Train in Weight Room
U of L men’s basketball has been utilizing an AI-backed weight training platform this offseason
U of L men’s basketball has been utilizing an AI-backed weight training platform this offseason. The next time Louisville men’s basketball takes the court, how they fare will, in large part, depend on the play of their revamped roster. But their success also hinges on a new AI-backed weight training platform.
Burning Questions with New England Based Innovators: Perch’s Founder, Jacob Rothman
Jacob Rothman and his co-founder created Perch, a company with the goal of making the world a stronger place. Perch enables athletes and coaches to effortlessly quantify weight room performance through a camera enabled device and software. This provides groundbreaking insights to their clientele through the use of AI in their tech stack.
The Future of Sports: Jacob Rothman of Perch On The New Emerging Technologies That Are Disrupting The World Of Sports
Asa part of this interview, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jacob Rothman, co-founder of Perch. Jacob Rothman was an MIT varsity athlete when he herniated a disc in his back during a routine workout. While recovering from his injury, he started to brainstorm ideas for a device that could help athletes better quantify workouts in the weight room
Perch Weight Room Technology Launches Rack Integration with Life Fitness and PLAE
Perch – the first and only piece of weight room technology built for athletes and coaches – has announced a weight rack integration launch with Life Fitness and PLAE, giving users of the equipment an opportunity to elevate their weight room experience by quantifying performance with velocity-based training.
How college football's national champion Georgia Bulldogs are leveraging Perch's 3D camera in the weight room
Perch Announces Investment Partnership with Miami Dolphins CB Byron Jones
Jacob Rothman revolutionizing sports industry with Perch
The journey through life offers many twists and turns. For 2016 MIT graduate Jacob Rothman, his journey has helped him become a revolutionary in the sports and tech world. Rothman first fell in love with sports, specifically baseball, in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was one of the most popular sports where he grew up.
Perch Raises $4 Million Funding Round
Perch, an MIT-developed technology that is helping a growing number of professional and collegiate athletic programs improve overall performance in the weight room and on the field, today announced the raise of a $4 million financing round. This brings the total amount raised by the company to $6 million since the company’s founding in 2017.
Perch Raises $4m For 3d Strength Tracking
Velocity-based training is flexing its strength. For context: Tried and true, for decades, strength and conditioning revolved around percentage-based training — where intensity and load are prescribed relative to an athlete’s one-rep maximum weight. Now, new research suggests that velocity-based training (VBT)—focused on measuring and improving...
Train Smarter With This Cambridge Startup’s Weight Room Tech
A new technology is coming to the weight room. Founded by three MIT athletes, Cambridge-based Perch uses computer vision and machine learning algorithms to monitor an athlete’s movements during exercise in the gym. The startup recently raised a $4 million round from investors like Bradley Bloom, Ledgeways Ventures LLC and Byron Jones...
Weightlifting Camera And Data Company Perch Raises $4 Million Funding Round With Miami Dolphins’ Bryon Jones Among New Investors
Weightlifting camera and data company Perch has raised a new $4 million funding round that includes investment from Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones. Perch makes a 3D camera that straps to weight racks to track an athlete’s movements as they lift, including calculating sets, reps, velocity, and power output via Perch’s connected app.
Perch Is Changing The Game Of Velocity-based Training
Dubbed as an “invaluable addition” to their training program by the Orlando Magic, weight training platform Perch has pulled in a number of new users in NFL and NCAA football and basketball teams. Among those teams include the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baylor Bears (Men’s Basketball), and North Carolina Tar Heels.
Spotlight: Perch Offers A New Type Of Fitness Tracker
Tech entrepreneurs are disrupting the fitness industry in a number of ways. One of the most prominent is the production of devices that can measure steps and other vitals. But these are often geared more toward cardio exercises. Now, Perch offers something similar for strength training exercises. Read about this new innovation in this week’s...
.avif)
Training Like The Pros: Glenbrook South Using Mit-developed Tech
Glenbrook South is one of a few high schools in the country utilizing equipment adopted by the NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS, NBA and NCAA. The GBS athletic program installed some new state-of-the-art technology in the weight room last summer. With a fall sports season about to conclude, Perch has been paying off.
To Protect And Progress: Glenbrook South Student-athletes Lifting Faster, Smarter, Thanks To New Weight Room Tech
This school year Glenbrook South implemented a new piece of equipment in its weight room designed to monitor and improve training results without beating people up. The MIT-developed Perch system consists of a 3D camera that straps to a weight rack -- it's on all 14 racks in Glenbrook South's weight room -- and a computer...
Exclusive: Saints Install Perch’s 3D Camera Technology
The New Orleans Saints have become the latest client for the 3D camera technology in their workout facility. The technology helped to propel LSU to their 2019 National Championship. Perch co-founder Jacob Rothman recently met with the New Orleans Saints and head strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple. Perch installed their 3D camera...
How the Saints are using 3D cameras and motion tracking in the weight room to gain an edge
The New Orleans Saints are not necessarily trying to make bionic men, but they are feeling around on technology’s leading edge to help their players uncover their peak form in the weight room. So, roll with Saints longtime strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple as he puts on his best cinematic voice. “We have,” he said with a dramatic...
Terps Install 3D Cameras On Weight Racks To Assure Safe Lifting
The University of Maryland Terrapins football team installed 3D cameras on its weight racks this month to help student-athletes lift safely. The cameras track their movements and help the players achieve proper form. This could reduce the risk of lifting injuries. The technology, called Perch, was developed by a former varsity athlete at the...
LSU Football Trainer Jack Marucci Transitioning to Director of Performance Innovation
LSU is in the market for another key position on its staff. On Wednesday the program announced that longtime Director of Athletic Training Jack Marucci, would be transitioning to a new role within the athletic department. Marucci will take over as Director of Performance Innovation for the program, where his primary focus will be to hone in on...
Meet Perch, the new weight room staple that’s becoming a game-changer in the SEC and beyond
Jacob Rothman wasn’t a massive college football fan. He was just your standard MIT graduate/ex-college baseball player who wanted to change the way people lifted weights. But when longtime LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt made the Tigers the first collegiate or professional sports team to roll the dice on Rothman’s new...
Perch Weight Room Tech Added to More NFL, College Football Facilities
The Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, Ole Miss Rebels and Georgia Bulldogs are the newest professional and college football teams to equip their exercise facilities with Perch, an AI-backed weight training platform that tracks performance during workouts. Those teams join the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins and LSU Tigers...
Weight Room Technology Boosts Sports Performance
In weight rooms across the country, top-flight sports teams are generating data from student-athletes beyond just how much weight is on the bar and how many times they can lift it. "Right now, you go to the weight room and you lift weights, the information you have access to is your sets, your reps and how much weight you moved," says...
MIT spinoff brings artificial intelligence to the weight room
In January, 2019, a Cambridge startup called Perch sold the Louisiana State University football team on a new weight training system that uses video cameras and artificial intelligence software to boost athletic performance. One year later, the Tigers won the national championship of college football.
Pro And College Teams Use New Workout Device That Enables ‘Smart’ Weight Racks
Jacob Rothman, a first and third baseman at MIT, herniated a disc in his back while doing a warm-up set of squats during the summer after his freshman year. Though that helped end his baseball career, it helped launch a new technology. He and two fellow MIT students started working on Perch in 2016. With Rothman’s own physical therapy and...
Perch is Reinventing the Weight Rack and Helping Athletes Train Smarter
An MIT-developed technology is helping a growing number of players and coaches – including those in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and Power Five conferences – improve overall performance in the weight room and on the field. Named Perch, the device uses a combination of cameras and machine learning to monitor movements during exercise and enhance...
LSU Football Strength Coach Tommy Moffitt Recaps First Week of Workouts, How Technology Has Helped in Return
Technology like Perch allows coaches and athletes to determine the speed of movement in real time and adjust the weight or exercise accordingly. "Using the velocity-based system we have, Perch, we knew all of the sets and all of the reps and all of the velocities the guys were doing before we left."
An Inside Look at the Technology That Will Help LSU Football Return to Peak Physical Condition
Discovering a baseline for each athlete—whether it's an incoming freshman or a returning player—is just another way in which the Perch technology will help LSU in the coming weeks as it attempts to get its players back in shape. What Perch allows is for strength coaches like Moffitt and Jacobs, as well as each individual athlete, to find the...
LSU Is Winning the Weight-Room Arms Race With Real-Time Data
Three weeks after Perch installed units on each of the 22 weight racks at LSU’s indoor football facility on Oct. 1, Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said he noticed differences in his team’s performance on the field. “I think our guys are stronger and quicker and faster,” he said in late October. “I think as the season goes on, there’s not as many...
Start Gathering Data With Perch Today!
Reach out to us to speak with a representative and get started using Perch in your facility.