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Chipper Anderson, MS, CSCS

@chipper.anderson

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Lead Strength Coach
@vhpmission
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Online coaching does not have to feel generic.

One of my clients is 62 and still competes at a high level as a shooter. When we started, the goal was bigger than weight loss or getting stronger. He wanted to feel capable again. Move well. Recover well. Enjoy training again.

So we built the plan around his real life: travel, recovery, competition demands, and busy weeks.

Four months later, he is leaner, stronger, sleeping better, moving better, and running pain-free.

Most importantly, he feels athletic again.

One thing he told me stuck with me:
“This coaching is individualized and adaptable.”

That is what good coaching should be.

Most people do not need a harder program. They need one that fits their life and evolves with them.

If this is the kind of coaching you have been looking for, DM me to start the conversation!

#onlinelifecoach #coaching #tactical #onlinetraining by @chipper.anderson

In this episode, I sit down with @chipper.anderson , Head Strength Coach at @virginiahighperformance , a facility trusted by active and retired Navy SEALs and other elite special operators to prepare them for the demands of real world performance. Despite being one of the younger coaches in the field, Chipper holds a position many strength professionals spend decades chasing.

Chipper breaks down how he earned trust inside one of the most demanding performance environments in the country, his philosophy on building durable, mission ready athletes, and what separates tactical performance from traditional strength training. From physical resilience and injury prevention to leadership, pressure, and responsibility at a young age, this conversation reveals what it takes to perform when the stakes are real.

If you want insight into elite performance, tactical strength, and the mindset behind coaching at the highest level, this episode delivers.
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#truthserumpod by @chipper.anderson

Chronic pain. Inconsistent training.
Performance slipping.

If that sounds familiar, keep reading.

This client was 62 when we started. He had tried the generic programs. They did not fit his body, his history, or his schedule.

So we built one that did.

His injury history. His goals on the range. A schedule he could actually sustain week after week with travel.

Twelve weeks later, he was down 25 pounds, chronic pain was gone, and he was performing on the range better than he had in years. We are now rolling straight into the next 12 weeks!

Not because he trained harder.

Because he finally trained with a program built specifically for him.

If your body has been holding you back and you are tired of programs that do not fit your life, DM me CAPABILITY and we can see if this is the right fit.

#coaching #onlinetraining #clientreview #onlinecoaching by @chipper.anderson

Full Kneeling Position 🔍 💭

One of my favorite ways to change an exercise is to change the position it’s performed from.
Full kneeling is a good example.

One of the reasons I like this position is that it allows me to establish hip extension and maintain that position while coupling it with other movements.

Whether pressing overhead, rotating, or curling, the athlete has to coordinate movement through the upper body while managing the position of the pelvis and trunk.

This gives me an opportunity to explore how well someone can maintain hip extension while introducing movement elsewhere.

For example, during an overhead press, can the athlete reach overhead without relying on additional lumbar extension?

Full kneeling changes the constraints and gives me another way to observe how the athlete organizes the movement.

I’m not trying to eliminate movement. I’m changing the starting position to explore how the individual coordinates movement and manages the forces involved.

My approach to exercise selection is simple: the demand should inform the exercise, not the other way around.

What position can I put the athlete in to provide an appropriate environment to explore and complete the task?

Kneeling isn’t inherently better than standing. It gives me another way to challenge a movement, observe the response, and select an exercise that fits the objective.

We aren’t necessarily doing anything new. We’re exploring familiar movements from a different position.

@vhpmission

#performance #coaching #training #movement #tactical by @chipper.anderson

Zercher Squatober and Elbow Care 💭

300+ lbs in the crook of my elbows. Five days a week. For 31 days.

The Zercher squat is one of my favorite squat variations as it puts me in a position to actively control the compression I create. At the same time, it places significant compression on the elbow joint.

At this volume and frequency, the month can be more of a challenge for the elbows than the legs. So I try to be deliberate with how I restore them.

That means more than stretching and hoping for the best.

In these movements, I’m looking for time in terminal extension and decompressive loading to offset the repeated compression and flexion of the Zercher.

Some challenge range of motion. Others challenge force transmission.

The goal is to expose the joints to different inputs and keep building capacity.

Oh, and also….you won’t see a pad on the bar.
You want straight bar to skin.

#squat #recovery #squatober #training #lifting by @chipper.anderson

Slider Pike Push-Ups 💭

I like this variation because it challenges how I link the anterior chain as I shift my bodyweight forward onto my hands.

As the feet slide forward and the hips rise, the trunk has to stay organized while the shoulders progressively take on more of the load. I actively push through the floor to maintain scapular protraction as the demand changes.

At the same time, the toes stay pointed, challenging my ability to maintain the foot and ankle position under load.

The main thing I’m looking for here is tension. Can I maintain my position and keep everything connected (anterior chain) throughout the movement?

It’s also a good reminder of how much our foot position and weight distribution influence the demands of a traditional push-up. Shift more of your bodyweight toward your hands, and the upper body has to manage more of the load.

Same movement concepts, just different constraints.

@vhpmission

#performance #coaching #pushup #core #training by @chipper.anderson

Changing the Loading Strategy 💭

One way I prepared for Squatober was by changing how I loaded my hamstrings.

I knew from previous years that the month would bring an unreasonable amount of quad volume (oh it feels soooo good to be back), so I used the few weeks leading up to it to introduce some different demands.

One way I did that was by using faster eccentrics, with variations like the drop-catch RDL.

The faster eccentric increases the rate at which the hamstrings lengthen under load, giving me less time to absorb and control the movement before reaching the bottom.

Most of my hamstring work is still slow and controlled. This was about adding a different stimulus.

Not every training adaptation comes from adding weight or reps. Sometimes it’s about changing how you apply the load.

Now we’re into week two, and the legs are holding up well.

Maybe this whole adaptation thing works???

@vhpmission

#squatober #hamstrings #performance #coaching #training by @chipper.anderson

Inverted Hangs 💭

Inverted hangs on the rings have become one of my favorite ways to train the shoulder, and I’ll usually throw them in toward the end of a session as a way to challenge myself and explore a position I don’t get much exposure to otherwise.

When I first started playing with these about a year ago, I couldn’t get fully inverted.

I didn’t have a great way to link my shoulder girdle to my trunk, so I was basically trying to biceps-curl my way through the movement.

With more practice and exploration, I’ve gradually developed enough control to get fully inverted.

And that’s where it became more interesting to me.

Not because the position is inherently better, but because it gives me another way to challenge how the shoulder girdle organizes around the trunk.

The shoulder has a lot of freedom to move. Its connection to the trunk is largely managed through muscle and connective tissue rather than a direct bony connection.

That gives us a lot of options.
It also means the shoulder has to constantly adapt to what the rest of the body is doing.

That’s one reason I like the rings.
They’re free to move, so I can’t simply find a position and lock myself into it. The hands, shoulders, scapulae, ribcage, and trunk all have to continually organize around one another.

And that’s what I enjoy most about this stuff.
It’s strength work, but it’s also movement exploration.

Sometimes I just want to see what I can do with my body.

Just another day at the office, training to be Spider-Man.

@vhpmission

#gymnastics #shoulder #performance #training #movement by @chipper.anderson

No hamstring curl machine? No problem.

One of the best tools you can use as a coach is Instagram.

Sift through some of the flashy exercises and, every once in a while, you find some good ingenuity.

Saw this setup a few weeks ago and decided to try it out.

I really like this line of pull for the hamstrings. It gives me another way to bias the more distal hamstring while also giving me a simple way to eccentrically load the tissue.
And I can easily progress or regress it beyond just adding weight.

Change the hip position.

More hip extension makes the exercise more demanding. Bring the hips down and you can shift the emphasis toward more of the hamstring belly.

That’s what I like about setups like this. One piece of equipment gives you several ways to change the constraint without completely changing the exercise.

Use Instagram as a tool.

Don’t just copy exercises. Look for ideas that make you think differently about the equipment, positions, and problems you’re trying to solve.

Keep feeding the curiosity.

@vhpmission

#legday #hamstrings #coach #curiosity #explorer by @chipper.anderson

Why We Skip During Warm-Ups 💭
Most people think skipping is for kids.

I see it as one of the simplest ways to prepare an athlete to move.

Before we ask tactical operators to sprint, change direction, jump, or lift heavy, I want to know if they can organize a basic rhythmic movement pattern.

Skipping challenges coordination between the upper and lower body, reinforces alternating limb mechanics, and introduces low-level elastic loading through the foot and ankle. It requires timing, rhythm, and the ability to repeatedly accept and redirect force without excessive conscious thought.

Many operators spend hours sitting, driving, flying, or carrying heavy equipment. Over time, movement can become rigid and over-controlled.
A few minutes of rhythmic locomotion helps restore variability before we increase intensity.

The goal is to improve the nervous system’s organization of movement before the training session begins.

Sometimes the most valuable drills aren’t the most advanced.

They’re the ones that expose what the body has forgotten.

And if you haven’t skipped in a while, be prepared to be humbled. It’s a skill that disappears faster than most people realize.

@vhpmission

#performance #coaching #training #running #tactical by @chipper.anderson

A little recap from a quick midweek trip to Tennessee 🕊️

Appreciate @tylermintonnutrition for having me out to experience the first day of dove season.

Some time in the field, a cheeseburger from Pal’s, and a couple of Dr. Enuffs to cap off the full Johnson City tour.

This is a good way to usher in my favorite time of year.

Hunting season is a go for the next 4 months.

#hunting #dove #tennessee #pals by @chipper.anderson

Contextual Performance 💭

A client stopped me mid-sentence recently. I’d said the word performance, and before I could finish the thought, she cut in.

“I’m far from an athlete.”
I hear some version of that constantly.

Performance gets associated with sport before anyone questions the assumption.

Here’s what years of coaching people who aren’t your traditional “athletes” has shown me:

The underlying qualities don’t change much.
Strength.
Endurance.
Composure.
Focus.
Recovery.

An operator needs these.
A parent needs these.
A business professional needs these.

What changes is the demand placed on those qualities.

That’s the actual job of coaching, in my experience.

Not deciding which qualities matter. Those are largely universal.
It’s figuring out how they need to be expressed for the person in front of you.

Define the demands.
Then train the qualities to meet them.

The qualities are universal.
The application is contextual.

#performance #qualities #athlete #coaching #onlinecoach by @chipper.anderson