May 2004 Interview with Athletic Engineeing's Todd Pratt

Todd Pratt is a Seattle-area strength and conditioning specialist who has focused his considerable experience and creativity toward developing a functional training regime specifically for Russ Wicks’ racing and World Speed Record challenges.     View Photos

Part 2 of Stephan Schier's interview with Todd Pratt

Q. What I see in the gym is a lot of people who don't know why they're doing anything.

Pratt: The truly unfortunate thing is that most trainers don't know what the heck they're doing either; they're just replicating what they've heard or seen. “Core” training is this big buzzword in the industry right now. Conservatively, 90% of the people in the gym don't know or understand the true meaning of core training. To put it in simple terms, we should focus on the most biomechanically efficient and stable method of moving one's center of gravity through three-dimensional space. When I talking about training the core, I mean rebuilding someone from the inside out so they relearn to move from the inside out, and not so inefficiently superficial.

Q. This leads to other things...

Pratt: The good news is that we are forging new territory with functional training applied to racing. Once we set that precedent by pushing the envelope enough to prove what works, then we’ll develop training specific to any type of racer’s needs. Hopefully the more we learn the more we can teach and ultimately become the hub for race-specific strength and conditioning from good. That’s down the road though…we’ll start with Russ’ new record first.

Q. Have you talked about what’s next? Like adding more of the mental aspects?

Pratt: Actually, we’ve just progressed to the point where we can address both visualization and relaxation aspects in Russ’ training. Initially, my primary objective was a complete biomechanical screening to reveal his musculoskeletal strengths and weaknesses. Then, contrary to more mainstream training methodology, we aggressively focused on correcting any weakness to make him a much more balanced “vehicle”. Now, Russ is powerful from his core out. The next step is to make sure he can safely harness all the power he can create while relaxed. That also involves really fine-tuning his mental approach through visualization to allow him to subconsciously monitor his body’s condition while simultaneously, consciously monitoring his watercraft’s condition.

Q. Describe some exercises.

Pratt: OK. Let’s start with the helmet. At the demanding speeds and conditions Russ is going to experience, cervical-spinal stabilization is going to be a must. He’s got to have the spinal core and neck musculature to stabilize his skull. Once we accomplish that, he’ll need super-quick neuromuscular feedback - relay if you will – so that those muscles can efficiently adapt to spontaneous and inconsistent forces in his race environment. Consequently, we designed a helmet with 4-way carabiners to anchor bands with from multiple angles during his training sessions. The result is a truly chaotic experience that really reinforces his ability to maintain composure when the heat is on. My job is to replicate the demands of his race and then exceed them so that when he races there’s no shock to his system. His job is to hang on for dear life!

Q. You do one where you’re rattling his helmet...

Pratt: You bet. That’s one of my favorites! One thing that many people don’t consider is that 400 mph is not a smooth ride. We’re not talking about a Cadillac; it’s a rocket on water. There is going to be some serious turbulence for him to deal with during his runs. I want his neck more than strong enough to handle it. That means I get to rattle his helmet all over the place… and I’m not nice about it. But it comes down to this: number one, I want him safe; number two, I want him functioning on all cylinders – to be as quick and reactive as possible.

Q. What about the steering wheel?

Pratt: The exercises with the steering wheel are designed to be functional, meaning there’s direct strength transfer between the work we do at AE and the strength he’s capable of exhibiting in the craft. It’s imperative he doesn’t strangle the steering wheel and instead completely relaxes in environments which would really stress other folks.

Q. I thought the one where he was seated on the “squishy pad” and trying to balance with helmet and wheel was very good.

Pratt: I’m glad you saw the value in the chaos! We’re really looking at a global stability with that exercise. I’ve accurately reproduced his seated position, with flexion in the hip/knee/ankle, but replaced his seat with a stability disc. This forces his core musculature to anchor his center of gravity all while stabilizing the wheel with some jerk (myself) yanking on the end of it. Now, laying Russ on a bench and telling him to bench press 500 lbs wouldn’t result in the same whole body power he currently possesses as a result of our “physical engineering”. In regards to Russ, I’ll gladly take a 500 mph record in exchange for a 500 bench press any day.

Q. As you described... making the training so chaotic that the driving seems easy.

Pratt: That probably summarizes my ultimate goal in Russ’ training: to make his physical training so biomechanically chaotic that racing by comparison is relatively simple.

Q. Let’s talk about his feet.

Pratt: His feet need to work as a lever system. He’s got to be able to plantar-flex and dorsi-flex rapidly and precisely during turbulence…that same chaos we’ve been talking about. Calf raises on a machine won’t cut it here. Instead I focus on his being more cat-like and reacting on a dime. At 400 mph, a simple neural relay from the brain to foot takes too long for the average person. This won’t be a problem with Russ. His reaction time is off the charts.

Q. In my stint as high-rise window cleaner I was required to learn everything I could do right handed, left handed as well, and it improved my basketball shooting. I could do left handed lay-ups – my left hand skills were much better...

Pratt: Great story! Biomechanically you did some re-education, some dynamic, functional training which translated to your basketball skills. A lot of people are doing it all wrong - training to be a good basketball player, or driver, or runner, but never training to be a good athlete. In reality, when we train to be a good athlete, all of those things come naturally.

Q. Many people are not familiar with their bodies, not knowing how to communicate or listen to their bodies, and that’s part of being a good athlete, having that relationship.

Pratt: That’s right; train to be a good athlete first. Have fun in your body so that you get to know it intuitively. That will translate into everything. There is an argument for specificity, but it comes after you’ve already determined that person is a good athlete. Once they’re a good athlete, you can take it from there.

Q. What about Russ?

Pratt: We need him lean and mean: cat-like. We don’t need him to be a body builder. He’s extremely hypertrophic, meaning he puts on muscle faster than anyone I’ve seen. We have to train him accordingly. Think about the way a cat moves… super-quick, powerful, and dynamic. If a cat falls out a tree, he’s usually just fine. If a racer takes a spill, does he want to be a bodybuilder or cat-like? I’d want to be cat-like.

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