1. “Only work as hard as you can RECOVER.”

Many people think the workout is where the magic happens.  If we don’t allow adequate time to recover (rest, nutrition, hydration) between exercise bouts, we run the risk of injury and burnout.  To maximize your results in the gym, make sure to prioritize your time outside the gym!  

2. “WORK + REST = SUCCESS”

It gets no simpler than this!  It takes both work and rest to see success for your goals.  Being selfish gets a bad rap most of the time.  However, if the pandemic has brought to light something for me, it’s building in time to REST / RECOVER.  Most people have no problem putting in effort on the work side.  To help reach your health goals quicker, take some time for yourself to rest, recover, and regenerate!  

3. “Eat Protein at EVERY meal” 

Nutrition can be a daunting task for anyone.  There is so much information out there and it is hard to know where to begin.  My rule of thumb for all our clients is to eat protein at every meal.  My rule of thumb is to strive and get the amount of protein, in grams, per day of your lean mass.  To figure that out, test your body composition and simply use that to guide you.  

Example: 170lb person with a 20% body composition means the person has 136lbs of lean mass.  80% of the 136 is 108 so that individual should aim for 108 to 136 grams of protein per day.  

4. “BE CONSISTENT”

If there is ever a golden rule for the gym (besides RACKING YOUR WEIGHTS), its be consistent.  I like the analogy of growing a garden.  You prep the ground, put the seeds down, and water.  Now you won’t notice the tomatoes growing the next day, but if you continue to make sure the garden is taken care of, watered, plenty of sun, and the critters stay away, you will eventually get to see the fruits of your labor!   

5. “Keep It Simple Silly”

Should be a golden rule!  When starting a workout program, keep it simple.  Come in with a plan (which you can find at carterpeakperformane.com) and be precise with those exercises.  I see so many times people have a plan from a friend, co worker, online, etc. that would take half a day to finish or is simply not practical.  It is so complex for a beginner and would have them doing heavy back squats superseded with heavy lunges (yes, there is a time and place for that…maybe) but not for someone wanting to start building a healthy lifestyle!  So follow the KISS method when beginning your program!  

6. “Motion is Lotion”

I first heard this from my good friend and amazing physical therapist Jimmy Robinson.  Exercise does not have to always be super heavy, daunting weight, or done with extreme speeds.  It could be an easy stretching / movement flow routine, a nice walk outside, or just a trip to the gym just going through the exercises with lighter weight.  Movement is how our body moves fluids our system and how our joints stay lubricated for exercise.  

7. “Don’t be scared to go HEAVY!”

The weight room is the fountain of youth…if you use it correctly!  Most people are intimidated by weights and want to stay in their comfort zone.  Get comfortable being uncomfortable!  In order to get a long lasting training effect, whether its gaining strength, lose some body fat, or just getting those muscles to look a bit more delightful, INCREASE THE WEIGHT!  My rule of thumb for beginners is to keep the rep range between 8 and 10 reps.  If you are able to move that last set of 10 for 15 or more reps, it’s too easy  and you need to increase the weight.  Keep the 8-10 rep scheme for your first 4 to six weeks in the gym, then can start have one of the trainers at The Health Club assist you on the next step in your fitness journey!   

8. “Accountability increases Consistency”

Research has shown that having a friend / workout partner increases your changes of going to the gym.  Main, reason, you don’t want to disappoint your friend!  Find one of your friends you would like to join you on this fitness journey and break down that barrier of excuses NOT to go to the gym!  I always tell my clients and potential new Health Club members, The best workout plan is the one you do consistently!  

9. “No dumb questions!”

One of the biggest pitfalls is feeling like you are on this journey alone.  I know working out in a big fitness center can be intimidating.  We are always more than welcome to answer your inquiries.  If you need clarification on an exercise or if you are doing it correctly, we can be your external hard drive for that!  And another thing, people assume they are bothering us when we are working with other clients.  I will tell you they ENJOY the small bit of rest they receive when you ask your question I guarantee!!  

10. “Core is more than crunches“

My definition of the core is the torso to the hips.  This region can can be worked in isolation (ie crunches, sit ups, etc) but is so much more diverse!   Educating my clients is vital in the training process as they can start internalizing some of the exercise / movements we do.  This allows them more freedom moving forward as it opens up more fun, dynamic exercise selections.  My Core training hierarchy is; Stabilization to Dynamic Stabilization to Power to Power Endurance.  We have to learn to stabilize our core before we can add challenges to it.  Once we own the dynamic stability component, we add power, and once we can own power, We can go for time or reps.  A simple, but effective solution to this would be: 

Stabilization: Stability ball Bridges from 10 to 30 seconds

Dynamic Stabilization: Stability Ball Rollouts

Core Power: Palloff Walk outs / presses

Power Endurance: Suit Case Carries 100 yds paired with MB Slams

11. 11.”Cardio vs Conditioning”

The difference in these is quite drastic, from an INTENSITY standpoint.  By my definition, Cardio is done at a pace that can SLIGHTLY uncomfortable and that allows you the ability to watch TV or read while doing it.  Cardio is great for beginners as it helps build their capacity and tolerance to exercise.  Conditioning is cardio’s psycho older sibling and can be brought to light when all three of earths sanctums fall (Doctor Strange reference).  Uncomfortable does not do it justice!  When we condition, we want to push to red line.  Now, this seems terrible and disturbing…and it totally is, but can be a way to maximize burning calories and saving some time on the flip side.  A simple metric I use, depending on the exercise apparatus, is how many calories per minute did the client burn, or how much work did the person do in a given time? 

Here are some examples of Conditioning; 

Assault Treadmill: 100meters in 15 seconds

Stairstepper:  120 steps in 60 seconds

Rower: 500 meters in 90 seconds

Upright Bike: .75 miles in a minute

These are all super intense and is meant to push the person to THAT limit.  They may not hit the mark, but the fact is the person will push the limits they can to do it.  So hitting 5 sets of 100 meter sprints on the Assault will make you on the extreme levels of uncomfortable.  Both of these strategies can bring positive results.  Its up to you to determine which one you deserve!  

12. 12.“Have FUN!”

Not much more is needed to say on this!  If the pandemic has taught me anything, its to be a bit more selfish with your time.  We spend so many hours a week worrying about work and others that we forget about the most important person in our life is ourself.  The happier we are, the better spouse, parent, friend, employee, boss, we are.  And in order to keep up this new found you, having fun is VITAL to the longevity of this health & fitness journey.  Have fun with your exercise, participate with your friends, take your newly acquired fitness to the pickelball court or golf course, play more with your kids outside, the possibilities are endless!  

If preparing for a sport was easy, we could just take the data from the above chart and have our athletes go out and run the given distances in the allotted time. However, anyone that has played or watched any of these sports know it’s not that simple! (Soccer Example: 7 miles in 115 min = 3.65 mph)

Sport is a game of repeated exertions (1,3,4). The team / player that has ability to continue performing these exertions at a high end for the duration of the game has a higher probability of winning!

Also, durability to non contact injuries are decreased significantly due to the ability to move and perform at a high level for the entire game!

So why is conditioning not the same as speed training? These 2 training methods have similar training modes (in this case, running) but the outcomes are completely different.

Conditioning is done with fatigue being one of the variables that will effect our training outcome. We know that increased fatigue drives our output down meaning we cannot physically give what we did the previous reps. If you ran 10 100 yard sprints with 30 seconds of rest between reps, you may PERCEIVE every rep to be max effort, but the numbers will show your output is declining.

Conditioning has its place in a a program. It is a great way to build up aerobic capacity, increases our ability to buffer hydrogen ions (the metabolic byproduct that leads to fatigue), and gets athletes comfortable being uncomfortable!

Max Effort Sprinting can use the same model, but we need to control for fatigue. Speed training is highly neurological and we know that when the nervous system gets fatigued, all other systems start to down regulate. High speed training also helps our connective tissues to maintain stiffness during these exercises. A sample speed workout would look something like this…

We know that most sports rarely see maximum speed (1,2). There are exceptions (like when I am going against Tyrek Hill in fantasy football and Pat Mahomes throws 2 – 60 yard touchdowns to him) like when a breakdown in strategy occurs.

In simple terms, let’s look at the athlete as a car. We want our athletes to perform like a high performance machine. If you spend our time and effort just building the gas tank, your athlete will be like a high performance Prius. If we spend the time and energy in building the engine, we end up like a Mclaren Senna. Whats your choice if you are an athlete? (Note to the readers, the Mclaren also has a 28 mpg range so it too can last into the last quarter of competition!)

To further dive into this concept, I love the visual of this graph for how top end speed can enhance our athletic potential. The Transfer Effect can have a huge crossover to sport. If you train our athletes for max speed, we can have a direct effect on sub-max / game speed. By making our athletes faster, we can make them faster at game speeds (and in turn, can have a direct effect on strength in the weight room too!)

Another key factor to keep in mind is the amount of stress we put on these athletes. From Chart 1, we see that the total working distance is 1000 yards and the time was a little under 7 minutes. Chart 2, we see that the athlete performed 400 yards with a time under 17 minutes.

In this case, quality far outweighs quantity. The ability to increase top end speed allows the athlete to get faster at the sub-max speeds. On top of that, the athletes will be MORE fresh for sport practices / games. The end product is to produce a more robust, anti fragile, FAST athlete for sport!

In conclusion, plan with the finish in mind. We want our training programs to end with the athletes peaking. Movement Prep, strength training in the weight room, tracking and recording sprint times, and COMMUNICATING with athletes on how they are feeling during and after training (RPE charts are great for this) will help you become a more successful coach!

To ensure that you are getting the most out of your athletes, RECORD their times (timing system is preferable but a stopwatch is ok) and PUBLISH their results. I enjoy turning their times into both MPH & meters / second to see how they stack up with professional athletes and for added motivation to break the 20 mph mark!

To check out what we use for helping athletes achieve higher top end speeds, please follow this link for access to this FREE 4 week speed training program. All you will need is availability to an outdoor space for running, stopwatch, and either a box, park bench, bleachers for some of the plyometric exercises.

REFERENCES

3. Gabbett, T., Wiig, H., & Spencer, M. (2013). Repeated High-Intensity Running and Sprinting in Elite Women’s Soccer Competition. International Journal Of Sports Physiology And Performance, 8(2), 130-138.

4. Johnston, R., & Gabbett, T. (2011). Repeated-Sprint and Effort Ability in Rugby League Players. Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research, 25(10), 2789-2795.

Wellness is multifaceted and means different things to different people. By definition, wellness is..

• Multidimensional and holistic, encompassing lifestyle, mental and spiritual well-being, and the environment 
• Wellness is positive and affirming (1)

We as coaches have no problem in helping build up the physical component of wellness. However, we not only have an opportunity to help make our clients / athletes better at their craft, we can also support them in making them better, well rounded individuals. Here is how I look at the spokes of the Wellness Wheel and what they mean to me as I work with my athletes.

• Intellectual – mindset, ability to question and learn
• Social – relationships with others, respect to all
• Occupational – being involved in studies, balance in life
• Spiritual – highly individualized, tolerant of others & respect
• Emotional – feelings, reactions; dealing with life challenges
• Environmental – area and energy you keep around you
• Physical – habits / lifestyle you practice physically / nutritionally

As coaches, we have the ability to do more than just train these athletes Physically. We have the ability to hit each of these spokes on the Wellness Wheel on a daily basis. Sport is a powerful weapon we have the opportunity to make our athletes more well rounded individuals. We can teach them new concepts and have them questions our reasons / ideas for what we are are doing in practice (Intellectual), we can create a positive Environment for them to foster / build lifelong friendships of people that come from different backgrounds, beliefs, and lifestyles (Spiritual, Social), we aid in time management for the busy lifestyle of todays youth (Occupational) and are there to listen when life gets difficult (Emotional).

Above winning the match, the tournament, championship, or being named MVP, we want to build the athlete through a culture that promotes winning for life. By shedding light on the spokes of Wellness, I hope we all can be better coaches and allow our teams and athletes to win long after sports are complete.

REFERENCES

1. The six dimensions fo wellness: https://www.nationalwellness.org/page/Six_Dimensions
2. Howard, Rick. Why Coaches Need to Know About Wellness. NSCA Coach. 2017.

One of the biggest questions I answer (almost daily) is”what’s the best workout program?”

I HATE THAT QUESTION!!!!

It is open ended and literally there are too many variables for my to pigeonhole you into a program. HOWEVER, I can tell you without hesitation that the habit you can do is BE CONSISTENT with whatever workout plan I prescribe.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. This is huge in our field. We are asking clients / athletes to do things that are uncomfortable to do. Adding external load, pushing your limits, finding new limits, these are not easy and getting buy in starts with them trusting you.

One of our favorite techniques to use is Isometrics. It is a great way to find movement positions, allows for tightly controlled application of force within pain free joint angles in therapy settings, gain strength through your sticking points, break through plateaus, and get athletes back into shape from either a long season or laziness in the offseason.

Isometrics can be broken up into 2 categories:

1. Overcoming Isometric: You’re pushing or pulling against an immovable resistance (i.e. pulling against the pins in a rack). There is no external movement but your intent is to move the resistance.
2. Yielding Isometric: You’re holding a weight and your objective is to prevent it from going down. Once again there’s no external movement; however, your intent is no longer to move the load but to prevent its movement (i.e. holding the bottom position of the pushup).

It’s important to understand that both techniques will not have the same effect. The neural patterns used in both techniques will be different. Overcoming isometrics may have a bigger impact on concentric strength and yielding isometrics on eccentric strength and muscle mass.

Literally, the definition of isometrics is “generating muscle tension without a change in joint position.” Think of pushing into a concrete wall as hard as you can. You are exerting maximal force but there is no movement occurring during the effort.

Knowledge is power. Here are a couple of the benefits of isometrics as found by smarter humans than myself…

• Isometric training at longer muscle lengths (sticking points in a lift) produced greater muscle size than when compared to equal exercise volume with muscle at shorter lengths (1,3)
• Ballistic intent (maximal voluntary contraction) resulted in greater neuromuscular activation and rapid force production (Increase awareness and force production) (1,3)
• Blending isometrics with plyometric training enhances the architecture of tendons to aid the spectrum of sports performance (2)
• If the isometric phase, which can be easily overlooked in training, is not maximally trained, an athlete will do a poor job of transferring the energy stored from the eccentric phase into power (5,6)
• Isometric training tools can help take advantage of stress relaxation within non-contractile tissues (tendons / ligaments). This decreases the stresses within these tissues & allow for healing & rebuilding (4,7)
• Isometric hold times that are longer (30 seconds) can help with cross-linking in the muscle-tendon junction easing soft tissue issues some athletes may suffer when doing high speed movements (7)

In short, Isometrics are a relatively easy way to maximize your performance, whether your goals are playing with your kids, gardening, taking the stairs, or even playing at an elite level in your sport or winning a championship.

To maximize the effect of your isometrics, simply try and generate as much tension as possible when performing. Doing this stimulates joint specific strength and nervous system recruitment

For example, during the plank you would try and pull the floor together with your elbows and toes all while holding that plank position. That is total body tension and would be hard to hold that for longer than 10 seconds!!

As mentioned, isometrics are great training tool to aid in strength, power, breaking through a strength plateau, or just changing up your routine when stuck indoors!!

Here is a great starter workout with minimal equipment to get you going utilizing some basic isometrics.

Below is a video braking down the isometric workout. Feel free to use one or all of the exercises is bolster up your current workout!

REFERENCES

1. Isometric training and long‐term adaptations: Effects of muscle length, intensity, and intent: A systematic review. Oranchuk, D el al. Scandanavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sport. Volume 29(4) 2018.
2. Effects of plyometric and isometric training on muscle and tendon stiffness in vivo. Kubo et al. Physiological Reports. Volume 5(15) 2017.
3. Effects of low volume isometric leg press complex training at two knee angles on force-angle relationship and rate of force development. Bogdanis et al. European Journal of Sport Science. Volume 19(3). 2019.
4. Stress Relaxation and Targeted Nutrition to Treat Patellar Tendinopathy. Baar, K. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. Volume 29(4). 2018.
5. Cal Dietz & Matt Van Dyke; Supramaximal Isometric Training, 2015. http://vandykestrength.com/pages/supra_iso
6. MacDougall, D & Sale, D. The Physiology of Training for High Performance. Chapter 4 pp. 118-120. 2014.
7. Dr. Keith Baar on Tendon Health, Rehab and Elastic Power Performance: Just Fly Performance Podcast #156. 2019

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Summer is just around the corner.  Hopefully we will have some sort of normalcy to coincide with that! Exercising indoors is my staple when it comes to lifting weights. However, we are at a point where that is not possible for most. I have gotten a ton of texts and emails on what do when I can’t be there. I have built numerous workouts for clients and athletes that have access to minimal equipment or have access to pretty elaborate garage / spare room gyms (I’m a little jealous of you). The foundation of ALL of the workouts is movement based and has to do with using your bodyweight as resistance!

With the days getting longer, the sun is shining, and the scenery is magnificent, why not take advantage and get outside for a workout either by yourself or with your kids.  As a performance coach, I care about the body moving  better to enhance the quality of life, and the efficiency at which it performs every day activities.  Many people have sedentary jobs, and most the kids I see only get activity that is sport specific in nature (they don’t get a change to work on the basic fundamentals like squatting, hinging, pushing, and pulling).  People may be commuting, in front of a computer or just quarantined restless at home most waking hours of the day.  If we consider the body position, it would be flexed hips (tight hips), slouched forward with rounded shoulders, and neck protruding forward (terrible posture).  If we think back to when the gym was open, the posture you see most people exercising in is the exact posture from which they just came!  They are seated in a machine (tight hips), working out the front side of the body (candy muscles like chest and quads) which enhances that poor posture.  

Currently, you might not suffer from any ailments associated with poor posture, but it will catch up with you, it always does!  Now you are asking yourself, “what the heck does this have to do with exercise?”  Using your body in a standing position and allowing it to move freely through space will not only help improve your fitness level and lose some weight, but also keep your body moving better for years to come!

I can write all day on how proper exercise can enhance movement, but lets discuss what you can do with your body and minimal equipment to enhance your movement, maintain muscle, lose fat, and maybe have a little fun while your at it!

Most people live within a few miles of a park.  This is a great place to start your workout!  Here are a few exercises that can be executed with your bodyweight and minimal equipment plus, cost you virtually nothing but a few calories! 

Always start your workout with some movement preparation. Figure 1 gives a great example of what I program for my people.

Bodyweight Squats are a great way to get your lower body ready for work.   Knock out 15 of these followed by some Step Ups on a park bench.   Eight step ups on each leg is a great way to start.  

Pushups are next.  They are one of the most undervalued exercises on the planet.  Done correctly, you will receive not only a great upper body workout, but this is also one of the greatest core exercises you can do for your mid section!  

Pull-ups…don’t be scared!  I think these are one of the most empowering exercises out there when accomplished.  If you are a person who has not done, or attempted a pull-up since grade school, then here are a few progressions to help do them.  

Try jumping up and holding your chin above the bar (soccer goal post, monkey bars at school park, etc.) for up to 10 seconds.  When that goal is reached, try lowering yourself in a controlled manner.  Allow yourself about five seconds before your feet touch the ground.  Try five repetitions of these ECCENTRIC pull-ups.  The final step is attempting a “for real”  pull-up.  These steps may take someone a few weeks up to a few months.  Don’t give up!  

Core training will involve some isometric exercises to help engage the core, strengthen the stability of the lower back, and get your glutes firing.  Our first exercise is a simple Glute Bridge.  Hit the dirt lying face up and knees bent to 90 degrees.  Push your hands into the ground to engage the core and drive your hips up. You should be creating a nice straight line from your knees, through your hips and to your shoulders. Squeeze your butt for 5 breaths and relax back down. Repeat for 5 reps.

Our next core exercise is a Shoulder Elevated Single Leg Bridge.  Put your shoulders on the park bench both feet on the ground and knees at 90 degrees.  Keep back and hips parallel to the ground as you bring one foot off the ground.  Hold that position for 10 seconds and switch legs.  Repeat this three times. 

The last core exercise is a Short Lever Side Bridge.  Lying on your side, line up your shoulders, hips and knees in a single line.  Push your hips up leaving your bottom elbow and knee the only parts of your body on the ground.  Hold for 20 seconds on each side and don’t forget to BREATH during this exercise!   

The final piece of the puzzle is conditioning OR sprinting (my favorite).  My go to options for these (figure 3); interval training for conditioning (which is not sprint training). Find an interval you feel comfortable pushing yourself through. Most people pick 30 seconds of work and go 30 seconds of rest. Push yourself for that 30 seconds with a fast pace walk, jog, run, or running bleachers / stairs. Go as hard as you can for 30 seconds.  Then just REST for 30 seconds.  Do this pattern 10 times which is a total of 10 minutes of intervals.  

Sprinting is its own skill and should be done with FULL REST after each rep (4 minutes to 10 minutes). Sprinting by definition is giving max effort and if you think about it, you can’t give 100% if you’re tired. My first workout for sprint training is to mark off 40 yards on a track or open field. Go through the movement prep then do your sprints. Keep track of your time to see how you progress. I program these workouts for my athletes with performance a main objective. However, lots of former athletes and weekend warriors like a challenge and welcome this kind of training.

Done in a circuit fashion, you can have this workout done in 30 minutes.  The benefit of doing the circuit is that even after you have finished your workout, you will still be burning calories!  Side-note: For those not accustomed to sprinting since high school, you will be extremely sore. Manage this with good tissue work and only hit 2 sprinting workouts / week.

Taking advantage of your environment and getting control of of your own physical activity has many benefits.  Some of these include; an easy and effective way to get in shape, burn calories, reduce stress, and get your endorphins pumping!  When you feel like you are ready for an upgrade, reach out for an upgrade! We have workout plans online or if the quarantine has been lifted, we could actually meet up in person for an even more individualized workout program!

Use the link below to sign up for free to get access to this workout!  

https://training.carterpeakperformance.com/users/sign_up.html?checkout=true

With time being the finite piece to the equation, we had 90 minutes, 3 days per week (15 training sessions) in order to make some gains for these baseball players. When brainstorming with my assistant, we decided to work on speed for these athletes. In doing so, we would test 10 yard sprint times with a timing system every workout and then Rank, Rate, and Publish for the boys to see the next workout.

For more information on this, please read this article by Tony Hollar. It goes into more detail on how he developed this idea to keep his athletes accountable.

We had 51 kids for camp and were fortunate enough to use the high school weight room for our testing and workouts. Our training program was broken down into these pillars:

Movement Prep: Tissue Preparedness for Training

Plyometric: Educating the efficient absorption & production of Force

Strength Training: Giving these boys mass and a bit of confidence

Energy System Development: We are training thoroughbreds…not plow horses

Cool – Down / Breathing: When Batman is done, needs to turn back into Bruce Wayne

Due to time constraints, we wanted to keep it progressing and forward. Timing the athletes was done prior Movement Prep. From a logistics stand point, it just fit better at the beginning of the session. We were confined to the weight room for this and made due with what we had. After every training session, we would rate, rank, and then publish their times for the next training session.

It didn’t matter if you were already fast or on the bottom, athletes were always trying to be better than before. Camaraderie AND competition rained supreme during training. The times got better and the athletes got faster. Best part is we did very little physical coaching. The athletes “self organized” and learned to put more force into the ground, not be so rigid in the arms, and dorsiflexed the ankle complex reflexively. Quality time was spent on other coaching elements (landing mechanics & shin angles during warm up; lifting quality during the strength sessions).

The Strength Training component was done in the weight room. Depending on the strength and athletes training age, our big lifts we focused on were Front Squat or Goblet Squats, Split Squats / RFESS, Incline DB Presses, and Pull-ups. Core training started with more exercises built to aid in stabilization of the trunk to being able to dynamically use that core to produce baseball power.

As for Energy System Development as it pertains to baseball, we kept it VERY simple yet as sport specific as possible. Baseball’s energy system currency is mostly alactic (meaning it happens very quickly and sport occurs in less than 10 second intervals). No matter how fast and explosive an athlete or sport is, we cannot JUST use a single energy system.

Our training goal should be to improve the rate of PCr resynthesis through an improved rate of local oxidative metabolism (Tomlin & Wenger,2001). In fact, the review indicates that training results should conclude with an ability to “supply more energy through the phosphagen and aerobic systems, thus decreasing the reliance on anaerobic glycolysis, and thereby stemming the rise in hydrogen ions (H+; these are the culprits for the burn you feel when doing very intense exercise) during high intensity intermittent work.” In fact, Tomlin & Wenger provide some compelling evidence that there is a close link between aerobic ability and replenishment of PCr stores. This suggests an ability to maintain short-term peak power longer over time, above and beyond what would be possible through anaerobic glycolysis. I will dive deeper into the Energy System Development in the next blog.

By bolstering up the aerobic base, athletes are better able to recovery during a game or after a training session. Our first 2 weeks we worked on developing a general aerobic base. We used the 300 yd shuttle set at the 20 yd mark (15 trips) for this. Work to Rest was around 1:3 and progressed to 1:1. Week 3 we started more high end / max speed training. We switched to 5 reps of 60 yard sprints. We would give them ample time to recover and then to go again. Average time for the 60 was anywhere between 6 – 8 seconds. Recovery was 90 seconds or more (Work : Rest = 1 : 12+). Week 4 we would keep it 60 yards but had it a speed cut (about 30 degree cut) and Week 5 was a strength cut (90 degree cut). By changing the angle of the cut, we change the demand for the athlete adding intensity to the tissues.

After Conditioning, we would spend about 5 to 7 minutes doing some light stretching and worked on breathing to pull the athletes back into a more relaxed state. At CP2, Recovery is one of our pillars and is vital in the short term and long term success of the athlete. By calming down the system, it is better able to start recovering form the stresses you just gave them. During this time, we have them move into their end range of motions and breath. I make sure to also discuss during this time the importance of good / better nutrition habits and the power of sleep.

I carved out a kind of niche in the Return to Sport arena in 2006. You see, there is a disconnect (one of many actually) in the RTS system. When an injury occurs, the athlete will go to therapy or have a surgery to repair what was injured. The medical model is such that it’s VERY DIFFICULT to find a qualified coach to help with movement dysfunction / limitations. Non contact injuries, in my opinion, are almost 100% preventable if coached well. Sports, by definition, is unorganized chaos and that leads to situations that are out of your control. By implementing a sound strength and conditioning system, Kids will get stronger, faster, more robust, and their confidence will shoot through the roof!

My pillars of training are built on a foundation of communication and caring. Being able to convey the message or cue for a given task and understanding that these kids can sense if you are in it or not. I treat my athletes in training like my own kids. I go to their sporting events, text to check up, give advice when warranted; and in return, these young athletes literally turn into putty in my hand. I can get more out of them by building that trust.

CP2 Pillars of Training

• MOVEMENT COMPETENCY
• MOVEMENT PREPARATION
• STRENGTH / POWER TRAINING
• WORK CAPACITY / ESD
• RECOVERY

Using strength and conditioning as a TOOL it increase performance in the sport your athlete plays is vital to their progress in that sport. Like any tool, it is only as good as the person wielding it. When giving yourself or your child to someone, make sure they are qualified. You are giving that coach your most prized possession! Ask questions and don’t hesitate to ask for references. I have only been interviewed TWICE by individuals looking for training.

Movement Competency: Fundamental movement skills that an athlete should possess from which to build their athletic foundation upon.

Movement Preparation: Also known as a “Warm Up.” When planning for the workout at hand, we want to ensure that they are ready for work at hand. Depending on the Movement Competency, you prime the body / nervous system for the workout of the day. I like to blend a mixture of structured movement with unstructured type games for my athletes. An example would be a hip mobility circuit geared on getting the hips loose and ready; some jump / hop progressions (building a foundation for explosive movement), then to a game of cat & mouse to finish it off (Try to catch the person and react to their reactions.)

Strength & Power: Plain and simple; adding strength to their good movement qualities they possess (Squat, Carry, Push, Pull, Hinge, Rotate, Anti-Rotate). Power deals with the speed at which the movement covers. If we have athletes that are super strong but lack the spring from which to use their strength we add more power training. If we are have a very explosive athlete with not a lot of strength, we load them.

Work Capacity / Energy System Development: One of the most misunderstood areas in our field. Train the athlete to be optimal for their work in that sport. For most, It is to add in some deliberate Speed AND acceleration training. Doing top end speed training is very taxing on the body. If we don’t understand and give proper resting periods between bouts, we are no longer training speed, its conditioning. Every sport has its own special work capacity (soccer is unlike football which is unlike softball) so this needs to be specific to the demands of the sport / position. From an injury reduction standpoint, most non contact injuries occur at the end of a sporting event when the athlete is fatigued. By building a better work capacity for that athlete, we minimize the risk of a non contact injury occurring!

Regeneration: By far the MOST IMPORTANT of all the pillars. Educating athletes on the importance of HYDRATION, SLEEP, NUTRITION, & RELAXATION TECHNIQUES will do so much more for the athlete. To keep it simple, I like to call it the 4 R’s of Regeneration. Every kid is different and different strategies are needed to “buy in” for this pillar. I have found that using a scoring system for kids is good to initially get them used to at least looking at these variables and knowing their importance.

The top of the Pillars is Mindset. This basically is the attitude your athlete has when it comes to performance. Giving the athletes knowledge empowers them to own their outcomes. Keeping ideas, goals, and values focused on the positive drives the desired outcome. This is what makes our job so special is not the specific exercise or running drill done, but giving the athlete the tools and ability to do these things in a positive environment that allows them to be successful not only on the field or court but throughout life!

To conclude, strength and conditioning for young athletes should follow the pillars for which you deem important for them to grow. They stay within that framework and as they grow (physically, mentally, and emotionally), You can expand your bandwidth with these athletes. The frame itself of the program should be a mindset conducive to excelling. Focus on the positives, allow the athletes to push themselves in a safe competitive environment, and I always like to ensure they have a smile before they walk out the door!

First off, Coach Bill Self filled in for Holly Rowe as she missed her flight. He gave a few minutes of his time and was VERY complementary of what Coach Hudy has done for his program over the years.

Tim Schlosser was next on the agenda. He is a Personal Development / Life Coach. His talk was on how thinking matters and strategies on helping others get out of their own way. Being a coach and dealing with all sorts of happenings in life via clients / athletes, it was a really good talk on some strategies to help people. We not only affect people physically, but can be a huge relief to them mentally / psychologically. The average person has 15 – 70,000 thoughts per day and of those, less than 30% are positive. The steps he advocated to aid in turning negative thought processes into more positive OR real thoughts;

• Notice
• Analyze: circumstances / facts verses thoughts (shit happens)
• Interpret: The unintentional vs intentional model

His example was a player not getting enough playing time and thinking the coach doesn’t like him. Noticing that there is an issue is the first step. Analyzing the circumstances verses thoughts of why player was not getting enough playing time. In talking to the athlete, we see that his THOUGHTS were he didn’t get playing time and the reason was the coach didn’t like him. In reality, he wasn’t putting in the work and was not able to help the team. Intrepeting these thoughts and turning them around to assist this athlete will help him see that if he puts in more time training, or doing a little extra, whether it be in the film room, recovering, or working harder in practice, we can see that in reality, it has nothing to do with if the coach likes you or not.

My next session was with Mitch Hauschildt; “Assessing & Training Rotational Movement Patterns.” This guy reminds me of me, but with better hair and is smarter…..so really not me at all! He is the Performance Coordinator at Missouri State University, and works with around 400 athletes in 17 different sports. His progressions and regressions are very similar to mine (which makes me feel great and that I am on the right track if Mitch is!). He is heavily influenced by Functional Movement Systems and their Mobility / Stability continuum.

4 Step Rotational Training Process is as follows:

1. Assessment of the athlete
2. Mobility
3. Anti – Rotation
4. Dynamic Rotation

If you are not assessing, you’re guessing! Do yourself a favor and at least screen someones movement before starting a program. Mitch uses tests from the SFMA to assess rotation and breaks out Multi Segment Rotation with Thoracic Spine, Hip, and Tibial rotation breakouts. Once you’ve assessed, Mobilize what needs to be mobilized! Anti-Rotation is next and is vital to strength this for our rotary athletes. We can’t shoot a cannon from a canoe! The last but definitely not least is dynamic rotation! This is the fun training options you can do with med balls, cables, whatever you can think up.

Dr. Phil Wagoner, who started Sparta Science, did a talk on data, and what do we do with it. He looks at exercise pharmacologically. We get doses of medicine and that is the medical model. Dr. Wagoner has gathered TONS of pieces of data and wants to “dose” exercises for athletes to find the optimal zone for performance. That is an extremely high hill to climb but he has a great start. His testing groups athletes into 3 categories; Load, Explode, Drive. Depending on their sport and energy demands, he can narrow down what the athlete needs to optimize their performance. Biggest take away is that technology’s biggest use is its ENGAGEMENT with the client / athlete.

Lunch was catered and delcious! Talked shop with some strength coaches in the high school world and met some great coaches from Athletic Inc.

I attended the hands on sessions in the afternoon. My good friend Coach Scott Caufiled opened it up and talked about using potentiation for a warm up protocol with you athletes. He demos some simple, yet effective movements to get more out of your warm up.

Coach Cory Schlesinger was up next and is a certified bad ASS!! He is the head mens’s basketball S&C coach at Stanford. He is engaging and passionate about working with his athletes. I have enjoyed watching him on his social media, and was stoked to see and talk to him in person. He talked about his opinions on training athletes and using kettlebells to impact your athletes. He uses the kettlebell swing exercise WITH a partner to throw. Watch the video for a demo.

Zac Woodfin and his assistants demoed plyometric progressions he uses with his athletes. It was everything I already use but was great in validating that I am doing what the Director of Football S&C at the University of Kansas is doing!

In all, it was great to meet and network with professionals in the industry. I will always refer to myself as a student in this industry due to the range of people, sports, data, energy systems, ages, mechanics, and psychology of athletes / clients. Making people better is my goal and am glad I had a chance to sharpen my skill set over the weekend.

Review and Mechanical Options for soft tissue health 

We know that the extracellular matrix (ECM) is not just a dormant tissue holding everything together, it is a dynamic tissue essential for normal musculoskeletal function.  From a performance perspective, it allows us to absorb force efficiently and acts as a force transmitter.  

High speed training increases cross-linkings through the ECM and at the musculotendenous junction (MTJ) which makes force production and transmission more efficient.  HOWEVER, we must balance out this training with some training strategies to minimize damage at the MTJ.  Through the use of isometrics, eccentrics, or lifting heavy weights, we can STILL increase collagen content within the ECM, but with these training techniques, can DECREASE cross linking at the MTJ making it more elastic.  This will aid in the quality of movement at this junction.  Cartilage, tendon, and bone are composed of similar ECM components.  With these structures, we are limited to good quality training to aid in the nature of those tissues for the most part.  

Research has shown that the adaptive stimulus for the ECM shuts off very quickly compared to muscle (Shaw et al. 2017).  Researchers found that collagen containing tissues were synthesized by short loading protocols (5 to 40 loads) separated by greater than 6 hours of rest rest.  

This means that for our ECM we should be doing short periods of loading (5- 10 minutes) that target the tendons/ligaments/bones/cartilage that we use in our sport; 

 – jumping rope for soccer, basketball, and dancers

 – rotator cuff exercises for baseball, quarterbacks, and tennis players

These protective sessions serve to stimulate the ECM in tendons, ligaments, bones, and cartilage thus potentially decreasing repetitive stresses on these structures.   On top of these, we can also compliment this training protocol with Gelatin!      

A cheap, easy, and scientifically proven way to help increase the quality of the tendons is by supplementing with gelatin.  It is a simple, and very effective way to make the architecture of your tendons more durable during training and sport.  

Gelatin is a food source with an amino acid pool that enriches collagen.  Shaw et al. 2017 found that supplementing with 15 grams of gelatin in a 50 mg vitamin C juice increased the appearance rate of amino acids that aided in the production on collagen over the first 4 hours of the intervention.  Adding in the 5 minute protective session (jump roping) an hour after ingestion of the gelatin supplement more than doubled collagen synthesis as opposed to just doing the jump roping alone.  

Gelatin or Collagen Supplementation?

Gelatin supplementation comes in all shapes and sizes. You may see it as “Hydrolyzed Collagen” or a “Beef Gelatin”. They both have a similar amino acid profile, but Hydrolyzed Collagen are broken down into smaller units (which may be easier to digest), and it dissolves in hot or cold water. Gelatin GELS when it is prepared, is a little cheaper, and the texture may be a bit much for some people! Collagen is high in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, and relatively low in BCAA’s, which are the primary ones that stimulate rapamycin (mTOR), muscle anabolism and muscle building. Since we are targeting the connective tissue of the body, this is a very important point and distinguishes why we may need supplementation as opposed to just thinking we are getting enough through our diet.

For coaches, athletes, or therapists, simply adding in a protective session with gelatin supplementation 6 hours prior to a training session could severely reduce bone, ligament, tendon, or cartilage issues for your athletes / clients!   

Shaw G, Lee-Barthel A, Ross ML, Wang B, Baar K. 2017. Vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis. Am J Clin Nutr 105: 136-143.

REMEMBER THAT: 

1).  There is a gradient and that tendons are more elastic (like muscle) at the MTJ

2).  As the tendon migrates towards the bone, collagen fibers line up more and tissue becomes more stiff. 

3).  The force production AND speed of contraction, or lack thereof, determines architecture of these tissues and therefore must be understood as part of a quality training program.   

So what does this all mean for injury?  We know that the stiffer the tendon is, the more power and velocity we can produce.  Ballistic movements help to make that happen in the tendon architecture.  However, is too much of a good thing still a good thing?  Gathering information on your athletes and how much work they are doing is very important when building a program.  Most people only look at whats done in the weight room and fail to add in the rest of what the athlete has done or is doing.  If you have access to GPS data, excellent!  Most people don’t have that luxury so asking the athlete, calling the coach, or watching a practice could do wonders on figuring out athletes intensities and volumes of work. 

What are some other variables we could look at in order to aid in the development of a more well rounded,  program design to aid in helping athletes become more anti fragile? 

1).  Total volume & intensities (mentioned above)

2).  Growth spurt in youth athletes 

3).  Hydration 

4).  Previous injury

5).  Hormone Levels in female athletes

Building a program, we need balance.  Fast ballistic movements are awesome for power development, and from a tendon standpoint, makes them more stiff and conducive for the expression of power.  Slow, relatively heavy strength movements breaks the crosslinks at the MTJ, and helps keep them more supple.  One is not greater than the other.  Knowledge of this makes us better professionals and gives the athletes a greater chance of staying healthy and competing in their sport / activity.  Knowing your population and their needs allows you to better develop a program to maximize performance.  Lets look at a program to see how this can be accomplished.   

This athlete is preparing for the high school soccer season (Spring Sport).  Training volume has gone up drastically during practice.  Talking to the coach, we were able to give him a week of rest during training.  He was given some homework to be done and our training sessions emphasized pain free movement, slow eccentrics and isometrics, and progressively, moved to more explosive movements.  Some soft tissue treatments we utilized on top of SMR were a HyperVolt and Rock Tape.  Communication with parents, coaches, and trainers AND educating the athlete on what they are doing as to increase the buy in.  

Here is the workout we gave one of our athletes.  Nothing proprietary or top secret, just coaching and cuing the basics!  He comes three times a week (Monday / Wednesday / Friday). We adapted our exercise prescription to aid in his Achilles issue.  Warm up and Movement Prep start us off followed by Strength, Auxillary, and Core.  

The Warm Up / Movement Prep takes around 10 – 12 minutes.  It allows the to work through some soreness and get moving what needs to be moving.  For the Achilles, we added some slow tempo Single Leg Calf Raises.  Tissue tolerance was not a problem and he was able to do these pain free.  

As the weeks progressed, we tried bringing back higher intensity movements to see how the tissues responded.  We transitioned from HIGH KNEE PULLS HIGH KNEES, and added JUMP ROPE weeks 3 and 4.  

For this article, I have shown the workouts we did with a LOWER BODY / PULL emphasis workouts.  The program for Week 1 was done Monday and Friday that week.  Exercises we utilized and progressed throughout the 4 weeks were: 

• SPLIT SQUAT HOLDS REVERSE LUNGE REVERSE LUNGE 2 FIRST STEP, REVERSE LUNGE TO FIRST STEP AND DECELERATE

• SPLIT STANCE MB THROWS, FALSE STEP 2 MB THROW W/ ACCELERATION TOWED ACCELERATIONS W/ STICK OH

All exercises progressions were pain free, but not stress free.  Made sure we were getting a training effect and the athlete was comfortable with the movement.  

Carter Peak Performance

Communication is KEY when working with any athlete or group of athletes / clients.  Being able to progress, regress, OR lateralize exercises is key to success.  In the above program, we worked on maintaining some strength we had gained in the off season to get him ready for the preseason and season.  Taking concepts we know to better enhance tendon health, we implemented them for success with our athlete.  Our ideas emphasized during training were; 

• PAIN MANAGEMENT DURING TRAINING (DO NO HARM)
• PROPER JOINT POSITION (PRI PRINCIPLES)
• PAIN FREE MOVEMENTS; SLOW TO FAST
• INTEGRATION BACK TO SPORT

In association with the parents and coaching staff, we got this kid back to his sport relatively quickly.  He has been doing his homework (movement prep, stretching, and breathing work) on his own, and is as close to 100% as any athlete can be!  In the last installment, I will go over the supplementation we used to help aid in recovery from his tissue issue!