For two decades, I’ve developed young athletes into NHL pros, Stanley Cup champions, and D1 athletes, helping them build elite-level strength and explosiveness.

These athletes can’t afford to waste time on training that doesn’t translate to their sport.

They can’t afford to overtrain. They need to get stronger and more explosive as fast as possible.

Today, I’m going to show you the same 4-step system I use with the pros, so you can get better results in less time—whether you’re an athlete or just want to train like one.

The More You Train, the Slower You Get

Most people think training harder and longer means better results.

But it often means more fatigue, more stiffness, and less explosiveness.

Here’s why so many people fail to get the results they’re after:

1. They train like bodybuilders instead of athletes - High reps, slow movements won’t translate to real-world strength or power.
2. They focus on quantity over quality - More sets, more exercises, and more gym days.
3. They rest too long between sets - The average gym session is 50-80% rest time, meaning most people waste time instead of maximizing every minute of their workout.
4. They don’t train for speed - Strength isn’t just about lifting heavy — it’s about how fast you can produce force, and most programs ignore this completely.

The system I’m going to show you eliminates all of these.

Pairing this method with Triphasic Training is like a cheat code for athletic performance — If you missed last week’s newsletter on how Triphasic Training builds elite athletes, you can read that here.​

Let’s dive in.

The 4-Step Blueprint for Explosive Strength

The great thing about this blueprint is that it’s not just theory — it’s a simple, repeatable system that you can start using for every workout.

Each step is designed to work together, stacking strength, power, and speed into one high-efficiency training block.

Think of it like a fast-forward button to get stronger and more explosive.

It only takes 10-15 minutes per block to get the same benefits that most people spend days training for.

It’s called French Contrast Training - here’s how it works.

Step 1: Lift Heavy to Activate Max Strength

The first step is a compound lift heavy enough to fire up your nervous system and recruit the most muscle fibers possible.

When you lift 85-90% of your one-rep max (1RM), your body is forced to produce maximum force.

Think of it like flipping the switch on a big power source — you’re getting your body ready to generate serious output in the next movements.

• Example Exercises: Squats, Bench Press, Deadlift
• How to Do It: Perform 3-5 reps at 85-90% of your max, then rest for about 20-30 seconds before moving on.

The goal here is to activate the muscle fibers so that when we move to explosive movements, our body is ready to react with maximum speed and power.

Now that your system is fired up, let’s move to Step 2.

Step 2: Turn Strength into Power

This is where most people go wrong — they lift heavy but never train their bodies to use that strength explosively.

Real athleticism comes from converting strength into speed, and that’s exactly what this step does.

• What to Do Instead: Right after your heavy lift, perform a force-based plyometric movement — something that challenges your muscles to generate power against the ground.
• Example Exercises: Jump Squat, Weighted Box Jump, or Broad Jump
• How to Do It: Do 3-5 reps with full effort, focusing on jumping as high or as far as possible.

Think of it like launching a rocket—Step 1 loads the fuel, Step 2 ignites it.

Now that we’ve added force, let’s train the body to move faster.

Step 3: Strength-Speed

If you’ve ever watched an elite sprinter or Olympic lifter, you’ll notice one thing—they don’t just move, they explode. That’s what this step does for you.

This step is what separates slow, strong lifters from explosive, powerful athletes.

• What to Do: Perform a strength-speed movement—a fast, loaded exercise that forces you to generate force quickly.
• Example Exercises: Trap Bar Jump, Medicine Ball Throw, or Kettlebell Swings
• How to Do It: Do 3-5 reps with max speed, using a lighter weight (30-50% of your max) to allow for explosive movement.

This step bridges the gap between power and speed, helping you become not just strong, but fast.

Now, let’s finish it off with the final piece.

Step 4: Reactive Speed

You’ve built strength, developed power, and trained speed, but now you need to teach your body to react quickly and efficiently.

It’s one thing to be strong and fast, but it’s another to be reactive — the ability to generate force instantly, like an athlete changing direction or exploding off the ground.

• What to Do: Perform a speed-based plyometric movement—an exercise that forces your muscles to contract and react as fast as possible.
• Example Exercises: Sprint Starts, or Band-Assisted Jumps
• How to Do It: Do 3-5 reps, focusing on quick ground contact and rapid movement.

The goal is to be as fast and explosive as possible.

This step trains your nervous system to fire instantly, so you move fast on demand.

Why This Works

And just like that, you’ve completed a full French Contrast Training block — a system that condenses strength, power, speed, and reactivity into a single, time-efficient workout.

A session is usually 2-3 blocks, and you would run through each block 3-4 times.

But you can scale that up or down based on how much time you have.

By following this 4-step system, you:

• Build maximum strength with heavy lifts
• Turn that strength into power with explosive jumps
• Train speed-strength to move fast under load
• Develop reactive speed so your body fires instantly when needed

Getting Started

The best part about this system is its simplicity.

You don’t need hours in the gym, or access to elite training facilities.

All you need is the right approach and consistency.

Start by implementing this 4-step blueprint into your workouts.

Replace slow, high-rep training with heavy lifts, explosive movements, and speed-focused exercises. Keep the reps low, focus on quality over quantity, and train with a focus on power and speed.

If you want a step-by-step program designed to build athleticism, you can check out my programs here.​

Initially designed for hockey players, they’ll help any athlete get to the next level.

You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel here, where we’ll be dropping full workouts, training breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes sessions with pro athletes. (Coming Soon)

That’s all for this week. Now go put this into action, you’ll get the results sooner than you think.