Course Content

The mechanical load you provide your patient/athlete affects molecular signalling and therefore muscle remodelling e.g. protein synthesis. This process is called mechanotransduction and this course looks at the mechanical relationships, namely length-tension and force-velocity, that affect this process. Your understanding around eccentrics, concentrics and isometrics are a focus as well exploring the effects of stress/load/force, strain/length/deformation and active/passive tension in depth. 

In this block course, you will learn about the length tension relationship and the implications for what strength looks like at different muscle lengths. You will also dive into the force-velocity relationship and how different parts of the curve impact assessment and programming. The three topics covered in this block course will be, Isometrics, Concentrics and Eccentrics. Static/isometric strength training is back in vogue, understanding the length-tension relationship will help drive tendinous, connective tissue and muscular adaptation to better effect and improve the application of isometrics to sport performance. The applications and implications of concentrics to strength and conditioning are explored in the concentrics topic. You will learn about the concentric force-velocity relationship and how different parts of the curve impact assessment and programming. Eccentrics will be the last topic covered. The applications and implication of eccentrics to strength and conditioning are many. You will learn about the eccentric force-velocity relationship and how different parts of the curve impact assessment and programming. There will be a particular emphasis around accentuated and supramaximal eccentrics. 

Each topic (Isometrics, Concentrics and Eccentrics) is comprised of three units of work. 

1.   A Masterclass that introduces you to the physiology and mechanics of the topic, as well as a brief introduction into assessment and training/programming.

2.   An Assessment Zone on the topic of interest will provide you with ways to assess this component, followed by a case study where you will practice this assessment technique and the interpretation of the data.

3.   An exercise Zone where many different types of training and training devices are introduced. Exercise progressions and programming considerations are discussed.

What's Included In This Course

What you get when you enrol in this course:

  • 10-mini video lectures
  • Masterclass presentations
  • Assessment & Exercise Zone presentations
  • Quizzes and case studies
  • Extra resource and readings
  • CPD worksheet
  • CPD Certificate
  • Unlimited access to the course for the lifetime of the site
  • BONUS: Eccentric quasi-isometric presentation 

Meet Professor John Cronin

Founder of JC Online

PhD (Auckland), BEd, MA (Canada), Dip High Performance Coaching (Canada), Dip PE, Dip Teaching.

About Professor John Cronin

John is a professor in Strength and Conditioning within the Sports Performance Research Institute of New Zealand (SPRINZ), School of Sport and Recreation, at AUT University. SPRINZ is the number one performance based research fund rated sport research institute in New Zealand. 

John has the perfect blend of theory and practical. During his career john has worked with a variety of athletes and teams, ranging from youth development athletes to elite world champion individuals and teams. John has worked with National level cricket teams, netball, rugby union, rugby sevens, discus, boxing, wrestling, gymnastics, shooting, jet skiing and soccer. 

John is now primarily an educator, and has spent the last 20 years at AUT University lecturing in the undergraduate and postgraduate programs for sport and exercise science. He has supervised over 40 PhD and 40 Masters students in the area of strength and conditioning, and has over 400 peer reviewed papers.

Tom Reddin – High Performance Manager, Strength and Conditioning Coach GWS Giants

Having just completed the course “Eccentrics, Concentrics, and Isometrics Unpacked” I can confidently say it’s one of the best short S&C courses I have done. John has packaged his learning modules with an excellent blend of both theory and practical, and I came away with an enhanced knowledge that will immediately impact my strength coaching and programming going forward.

Eric Helms, PhD, CSCS Researcher, Educator, Coach, Athlete

For the past decade, Professor John Cronin has been my mentor academically. He’s a prolific researcher in the areas of strength and power who has worked in strength and conditioning at all levels for decades. He is now offering his expertise and vast knowledge base in strength and conditioning online for anyone to access. I’ve learned so much from John over the years across the entire domain of my knowledge, from understanding reliability and measuring real changes in research and practice, to advanced muscle physiology, and even improving one’s emotional intelligence and communication skills. So for S&Cs, I can’t recommend John highly enough.

Greg King - Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Chennai Super Kings (IPL Cricket Team).

I have enjoyed the structure of the 3 sections within each topic. I feel the way this is set out gives a great balance between the theory, methods and considerations around assessment and how to practically train it. The content itself within the course is brilliant, there is sufficient detail but not so much that it overwhelms you. Your courses have stimulated a great deal of thought as to how I currently assess and train my athletes. Particularly getting me to think about how I can improve what I have been doing for many years.

Andrew Pichardo, Strength and Conditioning Coach at Tyler Highschool, Texas.

Professor John Cronin is one of the brightest minds in the field - and his website shows why. JC breaks down complex information in a very digestible manner and you can see and feel his passion for doing so. The online courses provide both theory and actionable steps to guide and improve your practice. With JC's knowledge and love for learning, I know this site will become even more valuable over time!

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