SOAR Fitness Systems

5 Rules for the In - Season Athlete

2012-01-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

Spring is right around the corner, and almost every athlete I train is In- Season to some degree (Lacrosse, Club Soccer, Club Volleyball, Track, Baseball/Softball, AAU Hoops). Some of my athletes are involved in two of these sports during spring or are trying to train for football while playing one of them. Here are 5 Rules for the In - Season Athlete to live by.

1. Lifting 2x per week is better than lifting 1x per week. BUT, lifting 1x per week is better than lifting ZERO times per week.

I have said this before, the biggest mistake I see kids make is neglecting their strength training during the season. You do not have to go into the gym and do your full off- season routine. However, hitting a few sets of the major muscle groups 1 - 2x per week will go a long way towards keeping you strong and maybe even getting you stronger. Don't be the athlete who gets weaker when the playoffs come around!

2. In - season = more practices and games = more running = more calories burned = the need to hydrate more and eat more.

This is pretty simple. If you don't lift weights and don't eat or drink enough, you will lose mass. Keep healthy snacks such as bars, fruits and other hand food in your bag. Drink Gatorade before practice and on the way to your next workout or practice. Keep taking your nutritional shakes and maybe even drink more of them on days when you have lots of games or activities. Think about an AAU basketball tournament where you might play 3- 5 games in one day. How many calories do you think you are burning on that day?

Here is an old blog with a calorie calculator I use.

3. Anything that you do athletically requires the need for an athletic warm - up.

Proper warm -ups are all over my blog STS warm - up. Just jogging around the track or even worse doing nothing but getting in lay - up lines is a recipe for nagging hamstring pulls and other injuries. All warm - ups should elevate body temperature and heart rate and move joints in a full range of motion.

4. If it hurts or it is swollen (knee, shoulder, hip, groin) ICE IT!

Ice is a magical thing for sore joints and it is FREE! Fill up an ice tray with water, put it in the freezer, take the ice cubes and put them in a bag. Put the bag where it hurts. AMAZING!

FYI following rule #3 will reduce the need to do #4.

5. Sleep

I would like to see all my athletes get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night, ideally closer to 8. This means that if you are up at 7am, you are in bed by midnight at the very latest.

Follow these simple rules and you will see how much better your body feels throughout the season.

Pre - Season Lacrosse Training

2012-01-25T06:35:00.000-08:00

The boys from Olentangy High School's Lacrosse team have been going hard in the gym since September. Last week, we started Week 1 of our 6 week Pre - Season block. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have the team broken down into two groups.

Group 1 - Monday - Power and High Speed Work, Lower body strength, Upper body pulling

Group 2 - Monday - Shoulder prehab, Upper body pressing, core, arms - Then they warm up and go through lateral plyometrics and multi - directional conditioning.

On Wednesdays, the groups flip - flop.

Fridays consist of various circuits, sled work and medicine ball throws.

Here is a video of our circuit from last friday.

Click over to the Olentangy Lax facebook link to view some photos.

http://www.facebook.com/OHSLax1

Putting Mass on the Athlete

2012-01-09T07:22:00.000-08:00

Wow it has been a crazy few weeks and now I finally have some time to write.

Almost every call I get at the gym revolves around parents wanting their kids to improve sport performance - run faster, jump higher, ect. Along with that, I have a ton of adolescent boys who simply need to get bigger. They want to get bigger to get better at their sport (football, lacrosse, soccer, ect). Let's face it, they also want to get bigger because its cool to be "jacked up".

So do we just bodybuild the heck out of these kids with no regard for their sport performance? Uh no. The ultimate goal is to put mass on a kid AND have them get faster. It happens a lot with my clients who have never trained in a comprehensive system like ours. If you are skinny, weak and slow, there is a good chance you will get a lot faster by getting stronger.

But, what about the kids who are already fast for their position but need to get bigger? Now, I am not in the business of making kids slower, but what if their speed stays the same? This is when we consult the magic Force equation.

Force = Mass x Acceleration

Think about it like this

Who would you rather be in a collision with?

A 160 lb running back that runs a 4.7 40.

OR

A 190lb running back who runs a 4.7 40.

I think the answer is pretty obvious. Even though the number is the same on the stop watch, the amount of force the kid can produce now will pay major dividends on the field. Plus, size is one of the major things that college coaches look for when they are recruiting. A lot of kids are automatically excluded because they are too small.

So before spending your entire off-season running with a parachute on you, analyze if getting bigger will be an even more effective way of improving your performance.

In team sports, more times than not, BIGGER IS BETTER!

Off - Season Football Training - Anaylzing the Individual

2011-11-30T10:20:00.000-08:00

I have written before that football is in a class by itself when it comes to off - season training. Click here to take a look back.

For the kid who does not play any other competitive sports, his off - season is going to be 6 - 7 months long. Pre - season begins in June and consists of team conditioning, 7 on 7 tournaments and camps. Full practices begin in the first week of August. Today is November 30, so we are actually closer to the beginning of last season then we are to the beginning of next season.

This is the time of year most of my high school clients begin to call and tell me they are ready to come back into the gym. Each kid has there own needs, their own schedule and their own injury history. I always begin with some form of GPP (General Physical Preparedness) with each kid. Now, in the year round scheme of training, anything that is done outside of the football field is GPP. Lifting, sprinting, stretching and cone agility are all forms of GPP for football. Going to a QB coach, a receiver camp or working on DB drills is Sport Specific Training. What I have kids do at Soar in the first few weeks of off - season training is essentially preparing the body for more rigorous forms of GPP. I hope that makes sense.

Here is what our GPP workouts consist of:

Mobility circuits - basically our warm up
Isometric holds (push up position, split squats, chin up holds)
Bodyweight exercises
Lots of single leg exercises
KB swings and get ups
Sled walks and drags
Shoulder and hip rehab/prehab

FYI - most of this stuff is part of the year round program as well

This is what you will not see most of my football athletes doing in December:

Sprints and agility
Plyometrics (jumps)
Anything that involves them being under a heavy bar (squats, bench)
Position drills

How long does the GPP process take? It depends on the kid and a few other factors. Here are some examples of different football players that will walk through my doors in the next few weeks.

1. Senior - going on to play in college. Since they will be training with me into the summer, we will spend at least 1 month of GPP and then slowly progress into more intense workouts. The exception is the few kids who will report early to their college team. In this instance, I have to speed up the process to ensure they are ready for rigorous winter workouts.

2. Multi - sport athlete. Some of my football guys will go right into basketball or wrestling. In this case, we just continue with our in - season model of lifting. I have to limit volume with them to ensure that they are fresh for their winter sports. I also have some kids who play spring sports like lacrosse. Since these kids will go right into pre-season conditioning in January, I need to progress them faster. We usually spend 2 weeks with GPP and then begin to progress into more intense workouts.

3. Underclassman - football only. There are a ton of different ways I can take the training for this kind of kid. If it is a kid who starts or even plays both ways, we will spend 1 month with the GPP process before we start any kind of intense training. We will also take time to rehab any type of injury that I am comfortable working with. Unfortunately, some of these guys will go right back to lifting heavy at school within weeks of the end of the season. In this case, I still focus on GPP and spend a little time making sure their lifting technique is solid.

But, what if the kid sits the bench? If you don't play much or at all, your body is more than likely healthy. Also, if you sit the bench, you more than likely need to get bigger, faster and stronger. This is the one instance in which I will progress a football only kid faster into off - season training. These kids usually have to lift at school at some point, so my window to work with them exclusively will close quickly. We will spend a lot of time working on the "money" lifts like squats, dead lifts and bench so they will have the technique down when they begin doing it out of my supervision.

It all comes down to doing the right thing for each individual kid. Trying to fit square pegs into round holes is a recipe for injury and poor performance.

Fat Burning Favorites

2011-11-18T10:07:00.000-08:00

Although the majority of training at Soar is dedicated to athletic performance, there are a number of adults (general fitness clients) that come to me to lose weight, burn fat and just stay in shape. For those who are just getting started and have been sedentary for months or years, I would be crazy to start them with fat burning circuits. These clients, just like my beginner athletes, need to develop a foundation of strength before we even begin to consider high intensity training. Simple strength training combined with low impact cardio will bring about some results for the adult who has never participated in a comprehensive program.

How do I know the client is ready to move on to more intense training? It is pretty simple - I just watch them workout. In the first week of training, the warm up and a few sets of DB presses and bodyweight step ups will have a new client in a full sweat. When I notice in week 3 that the client has doubled their weight in presses (going from 10s to 20s) and is doing weighted step ups, I know it is time to amp it up a bit.

So what are my favorite methods for burning fat? Phew, that is a good question. Search the Internet and you will find Crossfit training, metabolic conditioning, circuits and the dreaded P90X just to name a few.

Here is a list of various exercises and methods I use with my more advanced adult clientele.

1. Bodyweight, KB and MB circuits. A number of different movements with little rest. Pretty simple.

2. Mixing in heavier lifting days in the 4 - 8 rep range. Bench press, squats, deadlifts and heavier rows all fit in to these workouts. Remember, nobody gets stronger pressing 10lb DBs everyday. We always pair up exercises to keep up the pace. EDT training (Escalating Density Training) can also fit into this category. Google it if you are in good shape, have limited time in the gym and are looking for a new way to train.

3.Sled pushes. Pushing a heavy sled is hard work. Hard work burns fat. Period.

4.Farmers walks and other carries. Have you ever walked through the mall with heavy shopping bags in each hand? Sucks doesn't it? Well, if it sucks, it probably burns fat too. Plus, farmers walks are great for the core and the shoulder.

5. Running 50, 100 and 300 yard shuttles. This is for those who can handle the impact of sprinting. Although I don't discourage my long distance enthusiasts from doing what they love, I do highly encourage some sprint intervals. Again, sprinting is hard work and hard work burns fat.

As always, quality movement trumps quantity every day at Soar. If you struggle to do an exercise right in a rested state, then trying to do it in a fatigued state is a terrible idea. Build your foundation, slowly up the intensity, then start to get nuts!

Building the Athlete - Step 2

2011-11-04T07:04:00.001-07:00

In Step 1, I talked about building the foundation and the various concepts that are part of that process. I also said that younger kids will spend months, even years in the foundational phase but kids in the 14- 15 year old range will be progressed faster.

So what happens once a 15 year old begins to master our foundational techniques? Do we introduce new, more challenging exercises? Do we keep doing the same exercises for more reps?

I feel that taking the beginner 15 year old from the foundational stage to the intermediate stage is a process that is crucial and often botched by trainers and coaches. I have seen trainers continue to have high school softball players press 5 lb DBs and do swings with a 10 lb KB for weeks on end. Nobody is getting stronger doing that! I have also seen athletes continue to do 3 sets of 10 reps for months and months hoping to get stronger. Sorry, not going to happen!

Let’s look at an example of an average 15 year old girl with a ZERO training age. I said in Step 1 that I can usually get them to a good barbell front squat with 35 – 45 lbs in 8 – 12 sessions. Let’s say that she can do 45 lbs to a good depth for 10 reps. Now what? Adding 5 lbs to the bar would be an increase in over 10% in resistance and she would probably not get it for 10 quality reps. Do we stay at 45 and go for higher reps? We could, but I have learned that high rep squats are usually not the answer for younger lifters. I would much rather see 4 sets of 6 quality reps with an appropriate load than 3 sets of 12 mediocre reps with a lighter load.

This is when Stage 2 begins for the 15 year old girl. We must begin to lift heavier weight but by paying particular attention to our sets and reps. We would start with 4 sets of 6 reps and the first set would be with 45lbs. She gets it easy with good form, so the next set we would hit 50 for 6 reps which I know she can get. If form looks good, we can go in three directions.

1. I didn’t see anything close to strain and technique was still very good so we go to 55 for the next two sets.
2. I see some strain and technique was good but not great so we stay at 50. Since we are only doing 6 reps per set, I have no worry that she will break down and injury will occur. Basically, we are doing 3x6 at her 8 rep max.
3. If the girl is still squatting to a height above parallel, try to move her an inch lower and stay at the 45 – 50 lbs. I always try to go lower before I go a lot heavier.

The next week I will usually go with 4 -5 sets of 5 reps. Again we start with 45, then go 50 and then assess as we did the week before for the final sets. If we did 55 for 6 last week, our goal is to do 60 for at least one set of 5 reps. If we ended with 50 last week for 6, then we try to get to 55 for 5. This is the same process I use for other core lifts such as the bench press.

Keep your eyes open for the day the light comes on. The day that she masters breathing and driving through her heels. It will happen. It is the day that she shatters 60lbs, then 65lbs and works all the way up to 75. It might even be to a lower box then we have ever used.

This wouldn’t have happened if we kept trying to do 45 lbs for 12 – 15 reps. This girl is now stronger then she could ever believe. Usually on a day like this, the girl can jump up and do a chin up on her own for the first time. The beast has been unleashed.

Many of the high school girls that I have trained that receive All – District and All – State honors have had a day like this at Soar. Believe it, girls can be strong as long as you take the proper steps to do it. You almost have to trick them into believing that they are strong.

I used a female athlete as an example because it seems that many coaches have a fear of making girls stronger. But, the same method applies to the 14 – 16 year old boys that I train. Within the course of the week, we are still doing exercises such as push up variations, DB lifts, 1 leg squats and pull ups in the 8 – 15 rep range. Many different variations of sled drags and pushes are also introduced.

Here are the keys to Step 2.

• Continuing with our foundational exercises but starting to increase resistance by keeping reps in the 4 – 8 rep range. For the record, this does not mean we are going to a 4 rep max on every set.
• Still keeping a stern eye on technique. From time to time, a kid might have a bad day so a step backwards could happen.
• Moving to more advanced exercises in our plyometric progression.
• Getting the athlete to understand intensity. Going 80% does not get you stronger or faster.

Building the Athlete - Step 1

2011-10-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

If you have read this blog before or researched any knowledgeable strength coach, you will find that establishing a foundational level of fitness is an absolute necessity for the beginner. Before we talk about what the foundation consists of, we first must understand what a beginner is.

Within the walls of Soar, a beginner is someone whose training age is ZERO. This means that they have never been exposed to a comprehensive, fully instructional lifting program. Sorry, doing P 90 X at home, going with mom to Pilates or going a few times to a “SAQ” camp does not raise your training age. Additionally, scoring 20 points per game in 6th grade basketball or hitting .500 in travel baseball does not raise your training age either. In the same light, I have kids who come to me with what I have deemed a “Negative Training Age.” This means that they have lifted weights before, but so terribly that they would have been better off not lifting at all. For these kids, I have a lot of work to do with them before we even reset to ZERO.

On to the foundation……What is it? Here is a basic checklist

• Mastering warm up techniques - jump rope, skips, shuffles, mobility drills, ect.
• Improving footwork patterns…..Yes, yes I know the agility ladder does not do anything for pure speed. But, for the uncoordinated 12 year old, it is a good place to start because it is an easy way to build confidence.
• Learning how to accelerate AND decelerate in all directions
• Proper jumping AND more importantly landing.
• Mastering our basic lift techniques - squat, push up/DB presses, pulling, hip extension. This is accomplished with body weight exercises, light DB lifts and isometrics
• Basic core strength - bridging
• Flexibility - stretching

Keep in mind that the foundational process will be much longer for a 10 year old then it will be for a 15 year old with a ZERO training age. For instance, I have had many 14 - 16 year old girls who could hardly do a good bodyweight squat to an 18 inch box on their first session. Within 8 – 12 sessions, I usually have them front squatting with a 35 -45 lb bar to a box height of 14 – 16 inches. The progression for a 10 – 12 year old would be much slower than that.

In a nutshell, if your training age is ZERO or lower, foundational techniques must be established. Older athletes (14 – 16) will progress faster and as a result, move onto Step 2 - Intermediate Strength. Younger kids, 10 -12 will be part of a more patient process, especially with being introduced to traditional barbell lifts.

What is SOAR Team Strength

2011-10-25T09:21:00.001-07:00

Soar Team Strength launched this past week with great success. Does your team need more strength? Is it lacking that explosive capability that leads to big plays? Are your players constantly dealing with injury?

Strength and Conditioning for Wrestling

2011-10-06T07:46:00.001-07:00

Acceleration Kills

2011-10-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

Every good team has the kids that can just get to the ball faster than everyone else. Look at a youth soccer game and you will probably see the game being dominated by just a few kids who are a step faster than the rest. Watch a junior high football game and there is usually one kid that just sticks out because when he gets the ball....he is gone!

Is this speed? Is it agility? Well.....kind of.

What is it really? Acceleration!

Acceleration is the ability to go from 0 to 60 in the fastest time possible. Think about being at a red light in the left lane and you know you got to get to the right lane in less than 50 yards to make a turn onto your street. You know you have to step on the gas and fly past the person next to you in the right lane. Hopefully they are not driving a Corvette!

Team sports involve bursts of high speed. The kid who can get a rebound, land and immediately start pushing the ball up the floor past the defenders is a tremendous weapon for his or her basketball team. That is acceleration at its finest.

The problem with a lot of speed and agility programs is that they focus on track style drills that focus on top end speed. Top end speed is great if you run the 100 meter dash, but very rarely will a team sport athlete reach top end speed at any time in their game. It has been found that most track sprinters reach top end speed at 60 meters. How many times in a game does an athlete sprint straight ahead for 60 meters?

Below are two videos of acceleration drills that I use with high school and college athletes. I like to put them in awkward positions and tell them to get to their feet and accelerate as fast as possible. In a team sport, an athlete is always going to be in chaotic body positions. Why not train like that?

In Season Lift #2

2011-09-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

I have failed to get In - Season lifts out to you as I should. The good news is I am seeing way more athletes in the gym for maintenance lifting then I have in past years.

Here is a simple lift that can be done at school after practice.

Warm up / activation

Hop squat x 10
SCAP jack - some call is a seal jack - x 20
Spiderman - 5 each
Inchworm x 5

Lateral X band walk x 5 yds each way
T I Y - x 10 each

Squat 3 x 5 3 3 - last two sets should be moderately heavy and immediately followed by 3 box jumps

DB incline press 3 x 6
Seated Row 3 x 8
Back on bench - bent leg hip extension 3x 8 each leg

Pushing the Limits of Human Tailgating Performance - In the Bathroom Line

2011-09-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

I am sure everyone who reads this blog has found themselves in a long bathroom line - whether it is at a football tailgate or rock concert. There is nothing worse than holding it in for a few hours and then arriving at the porta - john to find 18 people waiting in front of you.

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a die hard Cleveland Browns fan and you can find me at just about any home game in the Muni Lot before the games. Last year, I began the experiment of timing how long it took people to finish their business in the bathroom. After a couple of tailgates, I established that a male COULD be done in an average of 45 seconds and a female COULD be done in an average of 60 seconds. Yesterday, I launched the experiment full scale and the results were astounding!

It was around 11 am (the height of everyone's drinking) when I arrived at my usual porta - john line. There were 15 people in front of me in line.

I began timing from my digital wrist watch and creating a little buzz at the back of the line. The first two people finished in over 90 seconds - far from the average. Come on people this is not acceptable!

I began to talk up the average times from the back of line. Although a number of people looked at me like I was crazy, I could tell that people were ready to beat the clock. The next female finished in 63 seconds. The next male in 55 seconds. People were beginning to prep themselves to save time once they got in the porta - john. The next female was done in 59 seconds. People were cheering for the new record holders. The next male 45 seconds. The next female 49 seconds! Not one of the last 12 people in front of me took over 60 seconds!

What is the point of this rather goofy blog post?

I have timed people running shuttles and other conditioning drills for years. On the first set, people usually run within their comfort zone. As soon as I challenge them to beat their time, they immediately push harder and destroy their first time.

Can this carry over into real life situations like bathroom efficiency ? I think the results say a resounding yes!

Most people do not know what they are capable of accomplishing until they are prompted and pushed to do so. Even in a setting like a bathroom line -everyone has to pee, but nobody is doing anything to speed up the process. They just accept the fact that the wait is going to be long.

Not me my friends! Accepting mediocrity is a major pet peeve of mine.

By adding a little competition and motivation to a traditionally long and boring process reduced wait time by 6 minutes for 10 people. Who doesn't want hold their pee in for 6 minutes less?

Go hard and compete at life people! Everyone will benefit from it.

In Season Lift #1

2011-08-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Week 1 of the High School Football Season is over and now it is time to put some thought into your in - season lifting schedule. Most high school football teams play on Fridays, so lifting on Sunday and Tuesday is a pretty good set up. Ideally, I would like to see kids lift twice per week during the season, but one day is better than none. This is also a sufficient workout for other athletes such as volleyball players and soccer players.

For those of you that are banged up or injured, you know what you can and cannot do. Basically, if it hurts, don't do it. Ex - If you hurt your shoulder, stay off the bench press but you should be able to do some pulling and legs.

Here is In - Season Lift #1

Full Warm - up - Soar clients use Warm up A or B

DB squat jump 3x4
Prone bridge or Rollout variation

DB chest press 3x6
1 leg squat to box - 3x 6 each leg

Seated row 3x8
1 leg RDL (straight leg dead lift) 3x6 each

If you feel good, you could throw in a couple sets of biceps, triceps or shoulder work. Also, do whatever prehab /rehab exercises your trainer has you doing.

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy!

Looking Back at What Worked This Summer

2011-08-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Summer training for my college football clients began in early June. For those who were already training with me in the spring, their regimen consisted of my basic 4 day per week set up that focused on getting really strong and fast. Once June came around, we went to a 5 day per week set up focused on getting "field ready".

Mon: High Intensity Leg - plyos, short sprints, heavy leg

Tues: Heavy Upper body

Wed: Lateral plyometrics, various forms of conditioning based on the rest clock of a football game.

Thurs: rest

Friday: Specific Strength and Conditioning - various forms of jumps and sled work

Saturday: higher rep upper body

Sunday: rest

In the winter and spring months, I avoided going back to back days of max effort upper body and lower body lifts to maximize results (squats, dead lifts, heavy bench ect). In the summer, the best set up involved going back to back on Mon/Tues. with our heavy leg/upper days. This meant that some days we just didn't go to complete max effort to avoid burning out the CNS. This set up allowed for a full day of rest between all leg/running days.

Looking back, I think it was a highly successful summer of training. One of my clients reported as the fastest player on the team in all drills...as a freshman. He even ran the fastest mile time- which we spent no time training for. My other clients passed their conditioning tests easily and are competing for starting jobs. Most importantly, all are injury free thus far.

Here are a few things that I thought really worked well this summer:

1. Keeping Mondays low volume/high intensity. This allowed us to run fast, and lift heavy. Pairing up plyos like box blasts with sprints and heavy squats with jumps allowed a number of my guys to set personal bests in 10yd sprints and vertical jumps. This also gave us the rest of the week to focus on conditioning.

2. Using sled sprints, pushes, shuffles and crossovers on Specific Strength and Conditioning Day. Some days, we would pair a weighted jump with a sled push or sprint. An example would be doing a set of 3 DB squat jumps, resting 30 seconds and then performing a 10 yd heavy sled push. We would do 6 - 8 sets and this would serve as our "1st quarter" of training for the day. Each exercise took about 5 seconds per set - about the average time of a football play.

Sleds are great because you can move them in all directions - you can't resist a shuffle with a barbell. Heavy sled work is also hard work! The key was timing the duration of the drill and setting up the rest in a manner that was similar to how a football game flowed.

Here is an example of a sled circuit I used one Friday.

3. Using 10 - 15 yard hill sprints instead of running 40s or gassers. I was lucky to find a hill very close to the gym that was at a perfect angle. On Wednesdays, we would hit the hill for sprints, shuffles and crossovers with varying bouts of rest. Yes, running gassers can be hard, but there is just something about sprinting up a hill that forces you to pick the knees up and push hard. I see too many guys run gassers with terrible technique that will get you killed on the field.

4. Using shuttle variations for conditioning. I have said it a million times..........football is a multi - directional sport. You can run 110s all you want, but nobody runs 110s in a football game. One of the hardest things to do when you are fatigued it to stop momentum going one way and get the body going another. I used 40 yard shuttles (10 and back, 10 and back), 45 yard shuttles (5 and back, 10 and back, 15 yd sprint) and true 5 -10 -5 shuttles. Sometimes the guys touched the lines with the hand, sometimes they just planted the feet without the hand touch. The 40 yd shuttle could be done in around 9 seconds for my skill guys and 10 seconds for my lineman. I usually gave them between 35 and 45 seconds rest between sets and we would do 8 -1 0 of them on either Wed or Fri. All guys unanimously said that the shuttles at the end of workouts were by far the hardest part of the weekly training.

5. Varying up exercise selection. I love squats, deadlifts, bench, ect. Some weeks we squatted with chains, some weeks we deadlifted and some weeks we didn't do any of them. This kept the workouts fresh and my athletes interested in each week of training. Remember, you are training football players, not power lifters.

6. Never neglecting the little things. Hip and Thoracic mobility, lateral plyos, bridging, MB throws and rotational chops were performed on a weekly basis. These are the extra things that help make a well rounded, healthy athlete.

Examining the Caloric Needs of the Youth Athlete Part 2

2011-08-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last week we took a look at a mock diet of a 5 foot, 8 inch, 120lb 15 year old basketball player. It was easy to see that the boy was not consuming enough calories during the day. I didn't even talk about the fact that a good portion of the calories were not quality calories. Pizza, ice cream and soda are examples of what are called empty calories. Yes, skinny kids can eat those foods and not get fat. But, a diet that consists of mostly empty calories will leave you sluggish, malnourished and unfocused. Continue to make those food choices as you get older and you will be the dreaded SKINNY FAT GUY. Nobody wants to be the skinny fat guy!

With school going back in session next week, I figured this would be a good time to give you some ways to increase QUALITY caloric intake.

1. Eat a bigger breakfast. If you have a mom that makes you an omlet every morning, then you are very lucky. We need to find some quick options because most kids eat breakfast on the go. Look back to the mock diet and we saw that the kid ate a bowl of cereal. Not bad, especially if it is oatmeal or some kind of organic cereal. Let's try to add some more too this. Adding a protein shake or bar will add about 150 - 200 calories and about 25 grams of protein. Ideally, I would like to see a glass of OJ or some fruit added to the cereal.

2. Bigger snacks. This is where high calorie shakes are great. We have sold Universal Nutrition Real Gains for 8 years with great success. It tastes great and you can make serving sizes ranging from 200 - 600 calories - all of them from good carbs, protein and fat. Just scoop the powder out of the tub, throw it in a shaker cup with milk or water and pound it! Consume this as a snack instead of a granola bar or hoho and you just tripled your quality calories in one snack.

3. A fruit or vegetable should be part of every snack and meal. Find the ones you like and eat the heck out of them. I recommend eating at least 3 servings of fruits and 5 servings of vegetables a day. Again, skinny guys can get away with eating french fries every now and then, but let's make sure that is not your only vegetable for the day.

4. Avoid the school lunch blow up! If you go to a public school these days, there is a good chance that you have a lot of options such as subs, salads and wraps. However, there is no shame in packing your lunch, or at least part of it. If you are going to go the pizza or hot dog route, let's try to offset the bad calories by packing a bag full of healthy sides. All kinds of fruit, whole grain crackers, almonds, and greek yogurt are easily packable side items. The key is not to make your lunch a fat and bad carb bomb - i. e. pizza and fries.

5. Dinner should be lean meat, veggies and some sort of grain. Stir fry or kabob skewers with meat and veggies are a simple way to kill two birds with one stone. If you are on the run all day and eating out is the only option, separate true fast food from healthier alternatives like Panera Bread. Jason's Deli just opened in the Lewis Center area and I highly recommend it for healthy family eating.

6. Before bed calories. This is where the shake comes in handy. Avoid the ice cream and cookies and turn to something that finishes off your day the right way. It is also the last chance to meet your fruit and vegetable goals.

Next blog we will look at a revised mock diet.

Examining the Caloric Needs of the Youth Athlete

2011-08-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

Since I work primarily in the youth athlete population, the majority of my nutrition related conversation revolves around getting kids to eat enough calories. In my experience, I have found that the average 14- 18 year old boy simply does not consume enough calories to break even, let alone gain weight. We have to take into account that the average teen athlete is active at least 5 days per week, usually in high intensity sport such as basketball or lacrosse. Add in pick up games, training and just daily activity and you have yourself a pretty deep caloric hole to dig out of.

Now lets look at a mock diet for the average 15 year old basketball player during the school year. Although I know that all 15 year olds do not eat like this, I have found that this is a pretty average day for a kid who needs to put on some weight. I have listed the calories and grams of protein per meal. Calories can vary slightly depending on the brand, exact serving size and method of cooking.

Breakfast: bowl of cereal with milk - 220 calories, 12g protein (if they eat breakfast at all)

Lunch: piece of pizza, fruit cup, chocolate milk - 375 cals, 15 g protein

Snack: granola bar - 130 calories, 3 g protein

Dinner: piece of chicken, rice, green beans - 360 cals 35 g protein

Snack: Ice cream -125 cals, 3 g protein

Add a few gatorades or drinks throughout the day and that will add about 300 calories.

Total for day: 1510 calories, 68 grams of protein

I found the website below to be a great resource for calculating caloric needs. I entered in a 15 year old that is 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighs 120lbs. I entered his activity level as 5 day per week of intense activity - which is accurate for a basketball player in season.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

This is what I found.

Calories per day to maintain body weight - 2410

Protein: 150 - 180 grams per day!

I highly recommend checking out the link I provided and entering your kids' information into it. In order to gain 1 lb of muscle per week, a kid needs to consume 500 calories per day more than they are expending. So the 120 lb kid I am talking about actually needs to be eating approximately 2900 calories per day to gain 1 lb per week. I want to reiterate that the kid we are talking about his highly active on a daily basis in a sport like basketball, lacrosse or soccer.

In the next few weeks, we will look at some strategies to easily increase caloric intake.

The Biggest Mistake an Athlete Can Make

2011-07-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

What's the biggest mistake an athlete can make?

In my opinion, it is neglecting In - Season Strength Training.

In order to maintain strength that was built in the off - season and reduce the risk of nagging injury, a properly designed lifting regimen should be a staple in an athlete's year round training program. It does not mean that we have to lift with an off- season volume and intensity. It does mean that at least 1x per week, ideally 2x per week, we continue to focus on our basic strength concepts.

All it takes is one month of no strength training for the body to start DE-training......GETTING WEAKER. Let's take a baseball player for instance. My consistent clients will train with me in the fall and winter and then I don't see them until the next fall. That means the months of April thru August have gone by with no strength training at all.

What happens in July.....the most important tournaments? Uh, who doesn't want to be strong when playoffs roll around? Why spend all off- season getting stronger then abandon it completely when the most important games of the year begin?

All.... and I mean ALL athletes should be lifting weights all year round. I don't care if your baseball coach gives you some BS excuse about how it will ruin your swing or if your basketball coach tells you it will change your shot. Watch a Major League Baseball game and tell me those guys are not lifting some weights during the season. Has anyone looked at Dwight Howard or LeBron James...pretty sure those guys are lifting some weights!

An In - season lifting day can be as simple as this

Warm up

Jump exercise 3x5
Core exercise

DB chest press 3 x6
Lunge or single leg squat 3 x 6

Seated row 3 x 8
Posterior chain 3 x 8

That is all takes. 45 minutes - 1 - 2 days per week to maintain all the strength you built in the off -season. A professional like myself will be able to look at your practice and game schedule and suggest the best days to lift during the season.

Make the year round commitment to being an athlete!

Tips for the Multi Sport Athlete

2011-07-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

This summer I have been dealing with more kids with nagging injuries then ever before. After analyzing each kids' summer regimen, I found that all the kids who were experiencing these nagging injuries have been participating in summer football conditioning AND either summer lacrosse camps and leagues or summer basketball leagues. As you know, I am a huge proponent of kids playing more than one sport. However, some sports just can't be played and conditioned for simultaneously, especially if you are already prone to injury.

A good high school athlete can certainly lift for football in winter and spring months and still play lacrosse or baseball. But once June rolls around, the gridiron has to become the main focus if you want to be in peak condition when August two - a - days start. If your team participates in lots of 7 on 7 tournaments and you are attending college camps, that adds even more to your plate.

Going to football conditioning in the morning and then playing 2 - 4 games of basketball in the evening is essentially like two - a - days. A young body will be able to handle it for a few weeks, but what about an entire summer? Instead of having time for the body to recover from football training, more time is spent on the basketball court. Over the course of 6 weeks, it becomes too much for the young growing body to handle and this is where hamstring pulls, back strains and foot blisters happen . There is a reason why there are so many guidelines and parameters for football coaches to follow for summer practices.

A while back, I wrote a blog entitled "5 Musts for the Multi - Sport Athlete". I felt that this was a good time to bring it back out.

5 MUSTS for the Mult - Sport Athlete
This time of year at SOAR, I have a ton of athletes who are participating in winter lifting at school for football, conditioning and practicing for lacrosse or baseball, and trying to train with me. . Below are 5 MUSTS for any athlete who is training for or competing in two sports simultaneously. For the purpose of this article, I am focusing on those who play football and baseball/lacrosse. But, the information can be used for any athlete during any season.

1. Analyze your schedule. Put it on paper, preferably in a calender. This is the important information that someone like myself would need to see. What days do you lift at school? What days are lower body oriented? What days do you have lacrosse conditioning or skill practice? This information will help a good strength and conditioning coach put a weekly plan together for you. Once I see a kid's weekly training schedule, I suggest the best days for higher intensity training at SOAR. I also know what days should be recovery and flexibility oriented. Also, if you work out on your own, keep a log of your workouts.

2.Proper nutrition. Eat a good breakfast with whole grains, fruit and protein. Try to eat the healthiest lunch possible. If you are trying to gain weight, have some easy snacks in your locker such as protein bars or peanut butter crackers. If you are going from training right to another practice, then make sure you have a good small meal option (not fast food). Some athletes do well with a protein shake. Some can not handle the dairy during training. Know your budget and what you can eat. But absolutely do not try to train for 4 hours without eating since lunchtime. . Also, take a good multi- vitamin and STAY HYDRATED!

3. Warm - up properly - ALWAYS! If you are doing any form of high intensity practice, training or lifting, you MUST warm up. The warm up should elevate heart rate and body temperature, move all joints in dynamic range of motion, and prepare the central nervous system for full speed movement. Jogging does not accomplish this, neither does sitting down and stretching. If you are not sure how to do a dynamic warm-up, consult a professional such as myself.

4. SLEEP! At least 7 hours a night. Sleeping at study hall doesn't count.

5. Find time for yourself, family and friends. Sounds simple, but it is necessary to avoid burnout.

Summer Football Training

2011-07-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a few videos from our summer football training.

Looking to Improve Vertical Leap?

2011-07-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

Vertical Leap and Quickness Clinic at Soar Fitness on Wednesday Aug. 3 at 630 PM. Check out the video to learn about the importance of this clinic.

Speed Training Made Easy

2011-06-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

Too busy with work and other commitments to train with us at Soar?

Do you have to design speed and agility workouts for a youth team but not sure where to start?

Here is a simple guide you can use at anytime.

First of all, let's go over Speed Training 101.

1. True speed drills are 2 - 8 seconds in length with at least a 5:1 rest to work ratio. If the drill is 5 seconds long, your rest should be at least 25 seconds long....probably a little longer.

2. All drills must be performed at the highest intensity possible. Sprinting at 80% speed will get you 80% as fast as you are capable of getting. Train fast to be fast!

3. At least one full day of rest is necessary between speed training sessions. Nobody gets faster training every day.

4.KISS.....KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. Don't try to work on linear speed, lateral speed, reaction and conditioning at the same time. Focus on one aspect, maybe two per workout if you are on your own.

Now that we addressed that, lets set up the workout.

1. Full Dynamic Warmup. See my previous blogs for the Soar Warm Up. Just stretching and going for a jog will not cut it.

2. Perform some type of plyometric. Plyometrics excite the body's Central Nervous System and should have you prepared to run at high speeds. Box jump variations, box blasts and skips are a good place to start for any level of athlete. If you are training beginners, consult a proper plyometric progression. FYI - plyometric rules are different for big guys such as lineman.

3.High Speed Work. I usually alternate between linear speed days and lateral (change of direction) speed days. A good volume would be 2 - 4 sets of 3 - 6 reps.

Here is very simple linear workout.

10 yard sprints - 5 reps with 20 - 25 seconds rest between reps. Rest 2 minutes and repeat 1 - 3 more times. Maybe the following week, increase distance to 15yards in the last 2 sets.

Here is a very simple change of direction workout.

Shuffle 3 yards and back, 5 yards and back, then turn and sprint 10 yards up the line.

3 reps facing each way with 45seconds seconds rest between. After 6, rest 2 minutes. Repeat 1 - 2 more times. This drill can also be used to condition a group of athletes by keeping the rest periods to 20 - 30 seconds.

After the high speed work, you can add conditioning if it is necessary for you. This is where you might increase distance and decrease rest to a 2-3:1 ratio. If your drill takes 8 seconds long, keep the rest around 20 -25 seconds. Remember, if you play a multi-directional sport, you should condition in that manner with shuttles or other starting and stopping drills.

Speed training can go terribly wrong by just performing various drills around cones without any regard to rest, volume or intensity. Just because you did 30 sets of different cone drills does not mean you accomplished anything. I have said it many many times, LESS IS MORE and QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. This specifically applies to speed and agility training.

Football Speed Training 6/8

2011-06-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

This week began our 5 day per week training model for football players who do all their training at Soar. The plan was to go out to the field and perform some position drills and then head to the hill for some conditioning. However, it was a scorching 97 degrees outside in Columbus yesterday so I decided to keep the guys inside and adapt the plans.

In the group was a RB, WR, Offensive Lineman and Defensive Lineman.

The workout started with full dynamic warm up followed by foot quickness drills on the agility ladder. After that, I had them perform some quick feet plyometrics in 5 second intervals.

The first agility drill we did was a lateral reaction drill over hurdles. It is a general speed drill that serves the needs of all football players. It involves foot quickness, lateral acceleration and deceleration and linear acceleration. Since I had a group of multiple positions, this was a good drill to start with. You can easily see what happens when you do not decelerate well - either out of poor body position or fatigue.

The next portion of the workout we focused on position specific drills. The RB and WR performed cutting drills with reaction. The O lineman pulled and the D lineman did some quick reaction drills. Although these drills might not be ideal, they provided an opportunity for the guys to condition with drills pretty specific to their position. The video you will see is the last 4 reps - 4 reps were performed earlier. We tried to keep rest to 30 seconds for each guy.

The session concluded with some shuttle intervals.

With the exception of it being too hot to train outside, I was very happy with the session. All work was multi - directional and we reached our goal of keeping rest periods to 30 seconds during the position agilities. All the guys had a chance to watch themselves in slow motion which is always effective feedback. Since movements like the offensive lineman pull are taught differently from coach to coach, I just have the athlete perform it the way their football coach teaches them.

Football Training Intro

2011-06-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Since its the first day of June, I thought I would give everyone a taste of what some of our football conditioning looks like. In the coming weeks, I will be posting footage of our various training days. For today, I am discussing our training philosophy and our training model. You will have to deal with watching me do the exercises. Sorry, I am a little past my prime!

If you didn't hear me say it in the video, having a stop watch is critical. Conditioning properly has everything to do with the duration of the exercise,intensity of the exericise and the duration of the rest period.

Behold the slosh pipe

2011-06-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

After reading Dan John's book, "Never Let Go", I felt like I had to make a slosh pipe. It is a 10 foot piece of PVC pipe half filled with water.

Shifting Football Training Focus

2011-05-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Its getting very close to that time of year where I need to shift the focus of our football training from Off - season mode to Pre - season mode. For the next two months, high school and college players will be a Soar with one goal in mind - becoming the strongest, fastest and most conditioned player on the field.

What does it take to be in peak condition for football camp? Is it as simple as running more? Should you just decrease rest periods when you lift? Only do explosive lifts and abandon heavy lifting? Strongman training? HMMMMM. There is a lot to consider.

Below is a list of considerations that I feel MUST be made when designing a Pre - Season Football training program. All of these concepts are equally important and are listed in no particular order.

1. Continue to train heavy two days per week - 1 upper body and 1 lower body. Avoid lifting to extreme strain as that will heavily tax your CNS and will affect your workouts the rest of the week. Basically we are looking to maintain what we built in the winter and spring.

2. You MUST condition multi - directionally at high speeds. Gassers are hard but that last time I watched a football game players were not making cuts every 53 yards. At Soar we take care of this with position drills set to the rest clock of a football game (20 - 35 sec. rest between sets.).

3. Recover. Foam rolling, mobility and other methods are used to keep the body fresh. We train 5 days per week and rest 2 days per week. Rest means rest, not going out for a run. The Soar model uses Thursdays and Sundays as rest days.

4. Part of recovery involves proper nutrition. Hydrate before, during and after training. Post workout meals or shakes are crucial. At night, eat healthy meals with lean meats, veggies and grains. It is inevitable that you will lose some weight during camp, but don't be the guy who loses 15 lbs before camp. Increased caloric expenditure means increased caloric intake is necessary to maintain your weight.

5. Include variety in your program, especially in your conditioning. Running ladders, gassers or repeated 40s is BORING! Although I agree they need to be done, there are way more effective means of improving conditioning levels while maintaining power that has been built in the off - season. Fridays are specific strength and conditioning days at Soar. What that means is that we perform strength exercises very similar to athletic movements on the field. One Friday we might perform DB squat jumps paired with sled pushes and then a lateral plyometric with a lateral sled drag. The next week we might perform sled starts with shortened rest periods. Some strongman exercises will fall into this day as well.

Remember the magic equation......FORCE = MASS x ACCELERATION.

Stay tuned to the site. In the next few weeks, I will be posting videos and sample programs that we will be using at Soar. Of course, I can't give everything away and there is no substitute for training with us in our facility.

Secrets to Improving Speed

2011-05-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows anything about training athletes knows that improving sprint technique and getting stronger are the keys to improving speed. Bring me a beginner athlete with terrible arm mechanics and no knee drive and I can make them faster instantly. Bring me a kid who squats with their heels off the ground and has never done plyometrics before and in one month I will dramatically make them faster.

But its not always that easy. How about my college football clients who are already really strong and run with pretty good technique? How about the kids who have been in my program for 2 years and have mastered all of our foundational concepts?

One of the key components to my program in the last few years has been exercises that focus on hip HYPEREXTENSION. Squats, deadlifts, box jumps, KB swings and RDL's are all exercises that are important and involve hip EXTENSION. Performing those exercises are extremely important and will get you stronger and faster. But none of those exercises are specific to the motion of sprinting and none of them involve hip hyperextension.

Watch how a great sprinter applies force into the ground - behind their center of mass. Look at the left leg of the sprinter below - that is hip hyperextension. Force is delivered into the ground behind the center of mass.

This first video clip is one of our basic plyometrics - a box blast. This exercise is not a true hip hyperextension exercise. However, it is very specific to how I want my athletes to apply force into the ground. My stronger athletes will perform this exercise with hip hyperextension. The goal is to finish each jump with leg action similar to the sprinter above - just in a vertical plane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-w_RHU0bvM

The next clip is a forward sled march. This sled exercise is very specific to the motion of sprinting and involves hip hyperextension when performed correctly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ON4gSazObU

The final clip is a bent leg, hip dominant exercise that I call a BOB hip extension (BOB standing for Back on Bench). It is also referred to as a hip thrust and does involve hip hyperextenion. It doesn't matter what you call it, the bottom line is that this kind of exercise needs to be in every athlete's strength program. We perform bent leg hip extensions in every warm up and we do them weighted to some degree at least once per week. In article for T - nation, Bret Contreras (The Glute Guy) states that bent leg hip extension exercises such as the one you are about to watch involve twice the glute activation then conventional deadlifts and squats. Read the rest of the article here......

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/dispelling_the_glute_myth

And the video clip of BOB hip extension

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skuEQM4egd8

If you have the need for more speed........and who doesn't? Take a look at your strength training program. Does it include exercises like the ones I have showed you today? If not, it might be time to make some additions to your program.

Improving Squat and Dead Lift Technique

2011-04-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

Click over to my Youtube channel to see a very simple cue I now use to help kids with a couple lifts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RsHSqznPSI

Football Specific Conditioning Workout

2011-04-21T07:48:00.001-07:00

Its a little early for most of my football clients to start conditioning. However, my client and trainer Ricky Crawford has to get ready for the Ohio Senior Bowl this Saturday. Yesterday, we went through one of our versions of 4 Quarters of Conditioning.

1st Quarter

Box Blast x 3 each leg - rest 25 seconds (basically enough time to get hooked up to sled)

135 lb sled sprint x 10 yds

rest 30 - 45 seconds -repeat pair 4 more times for 5 total sets

Rest 3 minutes after last set

2nd Quarter

Lateral box blast x 3 each leg (rest 25 seconds)

115 lb Crossover sled run 10 yards each way

Rest 30 - 45 seconds - repeat pair 3 more times

Rest 3 minutes after last set

3rd Quarter

Bungee resisted Lateral skater bound and stick x 3 (rest 15 seconds)

Bungee resisted 8 yard shuffle (down and back 2x)

Alternate directions each set. 3 sets each leg. Rest 30 - 45 seconds between pairs.

4th Quarter

5 yds and back, 10 yds and back, 15 yds through shuttle

2 x each way 30 seconds between sets

Ricky ran with a 10 lb vest on to simulate pads.

Principles of a Solid Strength and Conditioning Program

2011-04-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

If you search the internet, you will find all kinds of strength and conditioning blogs and programs to purchase. Walk in to any indoor sports complex and you will probably find some kind of speed and agility program that is offered. Since kids are playing more sports then ever and youth obesity has increased dramatically, I think it is great that many training options exist. But......How do you distinguish between a sound strength and conditioning program and a class that involves running around hurdles and cones just for the hell of it?

Obviously all strength coaches and trainers have had different learning experiences. Some might prefer squats while some coaches don't squat at all. Some swear by sled training while others live and die by high speed treadmills. Regardless of background and experience, the following principles are universally followed by the top strength coaches in the world.

1. Quality over Quantity..........I would rather see 6 really good push ups then 15 bad ones. I would rather see 5 good reps at 200 then 2 descent reps and 3 forced reps at 215.

2. Train fast to be fast...........Speed drills are 3 - 7 seconds in duration with at least a 5:1 rest to work ratio. I will not go into a long rant here as I have written about this many times before. Do not mistaken mindless amounts of running for speed training.

3. The body must be prepared for high intensity work with a proper dynamic warm up. Just sitting down and stretching then going for a jog will not get it done. See my past blogs for our SOAR warm up progression. The links below will show you some parts of our warm up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r9jc5pdxrU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rQDeTQ5dvU

4. Balance in exercise selection. We must sprint AND work on deceleration and change of direction. We must do vertical plyometrics AND lateral plyometrics. We must push AND pull with the upper body. We must do knee dominant lower body exercises AND hip dominant exercises. Imbalance in training will lead to imbalance in the body which will lead to injury.

5. Rest is just as important as the training. If you want to get bigger, faster and stronger, then you can't train at a high intensity everyday. You will be sore, tired and your CNS will be fried. A great strength coach will design a program that will allow you to recover from high intensity workouts.

6. Always be coaching. The easiest thing for any trainer to do is to make you exhausted. But did the trainer make you better? The program and facility is only as good as the coaching that goes along with it.

Training the Athlete That Trains at School

2011-03-31T10:58:00.001-07:00

If you work in the sport performance/personal training industry, then I am sure you have a lot of experience training kids that are required to workout at school with their teammates. Most of these kids are football players, but with “sport specific training” becoming the latest craze, a lot of other team sports such as basketball, baseball and softball are requiring their athletes to train at school. Some programs are better than others, some coaches are more willing to communicate with you than others, but the worst thing you can do as a trainer is ignore what is done at school and have your clients do “your” workout no matter what.

I have been in the private sector of the strength and conditioning industry since I started my business in 2002. Since then, I have seen hundreds of kids come through my doors that also train at school. After 7 years of training, I can classify these kids into 3 main categories and 1sub - category.

1. The BFS (Bigger Faster Stronger) or another general template. Although I am not a big fan of the BFS program for any athlete, it is very easy to draw up a workout that complements it. You know your kids are towel benching and box squatting on Mondays, power cleaning and dead lifting on Wednesdays and bench pressing and parallel squatting on Fridays – or some combination of those lifts. Some schools do a great job of adding the necessary auxiliary lifts, and some do not add any at all - or the kids just don’t do them. In my experience, BFS athletes do not do enough explosive work, upper body pulling, core or posterior chain lifts. I will talk more about how I work around BFS later in the article.

The bottom line is this - Whatever program it is (BFS, Westside, ect.) it is only as good as executed. If the kids are lifting too heavy of weight with poor technique, then injuries will inevitably occur.

The Assorted Crap Workout. When you ask a kid who works out in one of these programs what they did at school, you will usually get an answer like this “We didn’t do much - uh we benched and we did curls.” These programs usually involve a coach writing the workout on a dry erase board or even worse the kids just go in and do whatever they want. Believe me; a lot of these programs still exist.

The school that has a knowledgeable strength coach or trainer. This is becoming more common, and if you haven’t had a kid from one of these programs it means that all bases are covered at school.

Sub – Category 1 - The kids who are run into the ground at school. This usually happens with football kids who start conditioning in the summer. It’s important to know who these kids are because they will be coming to you with a completely taxed CNS, shin splints and sore hamstrings. I still hear of kids who run 800s for football conditioning. The bottom line is that if you train football players in the summer, you better know what they are doing at school.

Some tips to make the best program for school athletes

Make the athlete accountable. I require my athletes to keep a log of what they are doing at school. In my experience, most coaches are unwilling to communicate their program to me, so it’s on the athlete. All I ask is that they write down what they do each day in a notebook or even a piece of scrap paper.
Explosive, core, pull. This is actually the name of the programs I use for my BFS athletes. I know that they are not doing enough of those things, so that’s what is in their program. Lateral plyos, single leg plyos, and all sorts of exercises for the posterior chain are usually neglected in the school setting that doesn’t have a strength coach. Design programs that fill in the holes. It’s easy to do that if you have your athletes follow tip #1.
Check technique in core lifts. I usually ask kids how much they squat at school. If they say 250, I have them show me a set at 135. Most of time, I see very poor technique with that weight - so imagine what 250 looks like! Coach them to be better at school because if there are 70 kids in the weight room and 2 coaches, obviously some kids are on their own.
Ask kids if they can do their leg lifts with you and upper body at school. This is something that worked great for me last winter. I had a number of kids who either had knee injuries from the season or L5 fractures from lifting – most likely from poor power cleaning technique. Some coaches will be open to this - especially if the parent talks to them about it.
Create a recovery workout. This is something I used last spring when my football kids starting running at school or doing some crazy explosive workouts that were more like fat burning circuit. The recovery workout should include lots of foam rolling, mobility and dynamic flexibility drills. Then, a little bit of explosive work if they need it. Lots of stretching at the end. Most kids have mediocre flexibility at best, so it’s on you as their trainer to improve it because you know it’s not being done at school or at home.

Trainers and strength coaches, I feel your pain. I know its frustrating to create a great program for a kid and then one week later find out they have to workout at school. Be professional and smart. Don’t bad mouth the program at school even though you know it’s the worst thing you have ever seen. Communicate with your clients and work with them to create the program that will benefit them in the long run.

Random Training Videos

2011-03-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

Since I will have little time to write, I have compiled some training videos from the last few weeks at Soar.

The first video is a lateral single leg plyometric performed on a ladder. It involves quick changes of direction with hops to the lateral and medial side of the knee. Caution: This is not a drill I would use for beginners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz41_QsKOZo

This next video is a drill we use for our advanced athletes to finish up a leg/upper body pulling day. It is a one arm sled row for 20 yds and then a crossover run with the sled. Its strength, its conditioning and its extremely functional! The only way the sled moves on the crossover run is if you apply force to the ground in the proper angle. We do 2 sets for each arm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlLF-R4-s6c

This is prone bridge variation with an ab dolly. NOT FOR BEGINNERS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx4Wik5lkUg

The next two videos involve reaction sprints. The athlete starts in an athletic stance and chops their feet in place. When I give them the "Go" cue, the athlete needs to apply force into the ground quickly and at the appropriate shin angle to allow them to accelerate forward.

In my opinion, this is speed training in a sport like situation. Whether it is football, volleyball, softball or basketball - quick and powerful reactions are the difference between making the play or getting burnt. Pay close attention to body angle, shin angle (no heels), strong core and unnecessary steps.

Reaction drill with forward sprint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8CEeFmLZ18

Reaction drill lateral - notice the role of strength in force application into the ground.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKExQbc-chc

T - Spine Mobility Drills

2011-03-16T10:31:00.001-07:00

Click the link to watch some simple drills to improve Thoracic Mobility.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRuAxYZ8NNg

What it Takes to Play on Sundays

2011-03-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I was lucky enough to have to opportunity to work the NFL REGIONAL Combine in Chicago. I emphasize "Regional". This was not the NFL combine that took place a few weeks back. The NFL regional circuit is designed to find guys who maybe played small college football or have been overlooked at the Division 1 level. It is open to any player that is out of college eligibility and is willing to pay the fee to be evaluated. Of the 84 guys we tested, maybe two might get a chance to workout with a team and be on their practice squad.

This was the first year of my five years of involvement with regional combines where the NFL was directly involved. I had the opportunity to work side by side with former NFL players, NFL scouts and a former GM. I thought I knew a lot about football - not even close! This ended up being a tremendous learning experience for me and as a result there are many of my clients who will benefit from my knowledge gained.

The day started with defensive players. After instructions and warm - ups, the players were divided into groups and rotated through the tests - 40, Vertical leap, shuttle, height/weight, and body photo picture. I was the official shuttle timer and that is where my first lesson was learned. The NFL scout told me that it would be a foul if the player misses either of the lines with his hand (which I knew). It would also be a foul if either of their feet touched the lines (which I never heard of and clearly most of the players haven't either). The scout said they were only interested in seeing guys who could control their body enough to stop their feet short of the line and reach and touch the line. A lot of them struggled to the point that they fouled 3 times in a row and received no time - which is obviously bad! The scout looked at me and said "We are not looking for guys who cannot follow simple instructions".

At the end of the day, I sat in a room with the National Director and the scouts. We discussed who would move on to the final combine in a few weeks. Here is a brief rundown of what I took from this experience. I know there is a good chance that none of the kids I train will play at the NFL level, but this is good information for any athlete looking to play at a high level of competition.

1. How big and how fast.

In the meeting, the first thing we looked at is how big was the athlete for their position and then how fast were they. There were little fast guys - NO sorry. There were big slow guys.....NO sorry not playing on Sundays. If you were not good size for your position with good speed, you were done.

2. Can you follow instructions?

Sounds easy right? Run forward around the bags, then step over them going right without crossing your feet. Then shuffle with your chest up, butt down - smack the bags. Sprint through the cones.

Many guys messed this up and were immediately disregarded. If you can't perform a simple drill to perfection, then you sure as hell won't be able to perform your assignment in practice. A scout told me many great athletes are cut every day for this reason. There is no time to make mistakes. Listen to the coach, get it done right or get out!

3. Footwork, Footwork, FOOTWORK!

This was the main coaching point I took from the experts. If you ran a good 40 and were big - but you moved like Frankenstein in the drills - they didn't want you. If you were a linebacker with huge arms and a 35 inch vertical - you better be able to move your feet and change direction. In fact, the only linebacker they kept was a guy who was not that physically imposing, but he could move in space. He did every drill perfectly. His 40 was 4.8 and his vertical was 31 - not eye opening numbers. But the scout loved him.

So yes, still hit the weights hard. But if you are not working on your footwork and your ability to stop and change direction on the dime, you better start! Just in case it needs to be said - we work on that at Soar every week.

The NFL regional combine circuit comes to Columbus on March 26 at Ohio State. I will be in LA on April 9. Visit www.combines.com for more info.

Drill vs. Skill

2011-02-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

By far the most common question I get from prospective clients is - Do you do speed and agility?

The answer to that is obviously yes. But it is very important to understand what true speed and agility training is......and is not.

In the video link below, you can listen to me discuss this very important and misunderstood topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Neo4IUr2yOk

Thoughts on the Latest Fitness Trends

2011-02-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

I thought about this topic as I was reading a Twitter link to the 100th Kettlebell Swing variation video that I have seen in the last month. Then I thought, "Man, I have seen at least 100 TRX videos in the last month as well." Then, the dreaded Mike and Mike P90X commercial came on the radio. GEEZ, you just can't get away from this stuff! So here are my thoughts on the latest crazes in the fitness world.

Kettlebells

I love Kettlebells - for a few things. I think the KB squat swing when performed well is one of the best hip extension exercises for athletes and general fitness clients. They are easy to teach, and easy to perform once you learn how to hip hinge. They are also a great alternative to Olympic Lifts and jumps for a client that is having knee pain. Since you don't leave the ground, there is far less impact on the joints.

I also have my clients perform a variety of KB get ups and KB carries. They are great for core strength and shoulder stability. Grab a heavy KB and walk around while keeping your shoulder blades packed and trying not to lean to either side. Trust me, its a core exercise and shoulder exercise all in one.

With that being said, there are some things that I despise about KBs. For one, I never understood why anyone would want to do snatches and cleans with them. A KB person will tell you that the way the load is distributed is what makes them superior to DBs and bars. I will tell you that they beat up your wrists so I never have anyone do them. I would also never have someone do a complete workout only using a KB. To me, this is where my problem with them lies. KBs are a great fitness tool - just like plyo boxes, weight vests, DBs, swiss balls and cable machines. It does not mean that if you buy a KB at Dick's, all your fitness needs are taken care of. Mix them into your workouts, but don't marry them!

TRX

The TRX at SOAR gets tons of use on a daily basis. Actually, we were using TRX movements with suspended chains and handles before the TRX even existed. I love the TRX for horizontal pull up variations, push up variations and all sorts of core exercises. Its easily adjustable and can be fit into any bag or suitcase for those who travel.

My problem with the TRX is the same as my problem with KBs - it can't be your only form or strength training.

P90X

If you are already in great shape and looking to get extra ripped without hiring a solid trainer, then possibly P90X is a good option for you. Unfortunately, P90X has gotten into the hands of coaches who are too lazy to read a book about how to properly train athletes. Instead, they just pop in the plyometric portion of the video and have their athletes go nuts. What they don't realize is that the plyometric portion breaks every single principle of plyometric training. If you don't have an existing base of plyometric training, you are screwed! The duration of exercise goes way beyond what is recommended for improvements in explosiveness. The rest periods are not even close to allowing full recovery. I challenge any person who owns P90X to research all guidelines to plyometric training and then tell me if they think P90X plyos should be done in any circumstance.

If you are in great shape and enjoy P90X, then by all means you should continue to do it. If you are an athlete looking to improve performance, you should be in the corner with your eyes and ears covered if it is on television.

Crossfit

Crossfit has become the latest trend in the world of fitness and personal training. All you have to do is break down the word to realize what it is. "Cross" meaning many different forms of training. Remember when Cross Training became a popular term when Bo Jackson had his own shoe? Fit obviously means fitness. So Crossfit is doing lots of different things to get fit.

Crossfit is great if you have a knowledgeable trainer who understands your individual needs as a client. They might mix in kickboxing, Olympic Lifts, running and basic lifting. If they challenge you and teach you to do quality reps then you have a great Crossfit trainer. In fact, a great Crossfit trainer is just a great trainer using effective strength and conditioning methods.

Unfortunately in some Crossfit circles, the workouts are about quantity. If your trainer has all clients do the dreaded Workout of the Day (WOD) regardless of your individual needs, then I hope you know a good physical therapist. The WOD could look like this:

30 KB swings
20 Box Jumps
20 Chin ups
400 meter run

Repeat 3 times in as little time as possible. Sign me up for that!

To summarize, good Crossfit is simply good training or strength and conditioning. Bad Crossfit is a pot luck of high intensity exercises performed in high volume with insufficient amounts of recovery.

Phew! I tired from writing about it.

Linear Training - Resisted/Unresisted Training

2011-02-09T07:02:00.000-08:00

Our linear training this week focused getting an explosive first "PUSH" rather then a weak and small "STEP". Most of the kids I see do not even put themselves in position to push into the ground when they set up to sprint. In the video below, you can hear me telling the kids to angle the shin of their front foot towards the finish line. I also call this "loading the shin or foot". If you have a vertical shin at set up (90degrees to the floor), you will end of straight in the air with a weak first "STEP". If you are angle appropriately, you will be set up to PUSH off the front foot.

The drill I chose for the week is a complex of resisted sprints with a sled paired with a 5 yd sprint with no resistance. The sled weight varies from 10 lbs to 55lbs depending on the size and strength of the athlete. The goal is to put the athlete in position to overcome the weight of the sled with an explosive push. We then "trick" the athlete's Central Nervous System by immediately doing a short burst un-resisted sprint within 20 - 30 seconds of the sled sprint.

The first video clip will show a variety of young athletes performing the drill. Some do it better than others - remember their kids not pro - athletes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64F6XnSeGpk

The second clip is the same concept, except we are focusing on 40 yard dash technique for the 5 yard sprint without the sled. FYI there is definitely room for improvement with his start.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX1DAcBa9GY

My Apologies

2011-02-07T10:29:00.000-08:00

If you walk into Soar Fitness between 1 and 2 pm, there is a good chance you will catch me reading a book or watching a DVD. I am obsessed with finding the best ways to improve my athlete's strength and reducing their risk of injury. I am never satisfied that I am doing the best job possible because I know that I don't know everything. Five years ago, I was a good strength coach that didn't know half of what I know now. I will admit that over the years, I have made many, many mistakes in the training of athletes and general fitness clients. As a result, I feel I need to get a few apologies off my chest.

1. I apologize to any client that I ever had stand on a swiss ball. Yes it was fun and challenging, but also really stupid. Getting stronger in the squat rack will bring much greater results then circus act style training.

2. I apologize to the many athletes that I had strap on a pair of Jumpsoles and perform the "X - Treme Plyometric Workout". Yes, It was hard, and fairly productive. It also got you in great condition. But, it also ignored basic progressions and involved way too much volume. Had I have known then what I know now, we would never have done that stuff.

3. I apologize to the athletes that were put through tons of obstacle courses. Again, great conditioning, but more for show then actual speed and agility instruction. It looked cool, was definitely fun, but pretty much a waste of time on a week after week basis.

4. I apologize to any person who watched me do curls in a squat rack during my college years. Hey, I was young and stupid! If I could go back in time, I would make fun of myself.

I am sure I owe some more, but this is at least a start.

40 yard dash prep

2011-01-28T11:29:00.001-08:00

Here is 2 video clips of Ricky Crawford performing drills from our 40 yard dash training day.

Single leg box jumps were performed immediately after warm ups before 10 yard start work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq1eSsj0KxA

We finished the day with heavy sled marches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXQp1sByfH0

2011 Point of Emphasis #5

2011-01-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

Consistency is Key

I have noticed a lot of my clients are making a solid attempt to get to the Soar at least 1x per week during their winter season. It makes a huge difference in maintaining the strength and power they built during the summer and fall months. Remember, it only takes 1 month of no training for your body to start de-training - getting weaker! So let's say a basketball player trains 2 - 3x per week from August to November but didn't touch a weight from December to March. Do you think this player is still strong in March? Don't you want to be your strongest for the tournaments?

Another point I want to make is that going to Soar is not something you just decide to do every now and then when you don't have anything else to do. One session every two weeks is not going to do anything to improve a young athlete's overall athleticism and strength. In my experience, it takes at least three months of consistent training ( 2x per week minimum) for the results that you want to see. So if you are a parent considering looking to get your young athlete started at Soar or somewhere else, analyze your schedule and finances to see if consistent training is feasible. It will help you get the most out of the training and the money you will spend on it.

2011 Point of Emphasis #4

2011-01-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Train for Results, not to Feel Pain

Develop a set of goals you are training for (athletic performance, building muscle, fat loss ect.) and follow a long term program that gets you to that goal. Remember, you can't get into the physical shape you desire in one day or even one week. Keep in mind that less is usually more, especially if you are just getting back to training.

I am assuming that your goals are not increasing foot pain, throwing up after a workout or being so sore that you can't sit in your desk the next day. So, completely ignore any BS cliche like "No Pain, No Gain" and "Pain is Weakness". A properly designed workout should challenge you, stimulate you and leave you feeling better than when you started. Yes, some days and some exercises at Soar are harder then others as we always demand high intensity within every set. But, our goal is never to have you laying on the bathroom floor in a puddle of sweat and puke.

Ask yourself one simple question if you work with a trainer or strength coach....Am I paying for results? or....... Am I paying for someone to torture me? The same thing goes for parents who hire trainers for their kids. Are you paying to improve your kid's athleticism? or....Are you paying for them to be mindlessly run into the ground?

I hear it all the time when kids get dropped off by their parents. Kill em! Really? Is that what you want me to do with your child? You can take them to the local hill and accomplish that for much cheaper then a session at Soar.

2011 Point of Empahis #3

2011-01-06T10:28:00.001-08:00

Understanding the Physical Demands of Your Sport

This is a big one that is completely botched by many trainers and sports coaches in my experience. Hence the golden cliche training term - Sport Specific Training. For those who have not followed me in the past, Sport Specific Training does not mean swinging a baseball bat while standing on a wobble board. It does mean applying appropriate training protocols to get you in peak condition for the demands of your position and your sport. At Soar, a large percentage of my athletic clientele comes from football, baseball/softball, soccer,basketball lacrosse and volleyball so I will spend most of my time talking about those sports. I will talk briefly at the end for individual sports such as running and wrestling. I can take the main 6 sports I train and break them into 3 different categories.

1. Sports requiring continual multi - directional movement

Soccer, basketball, lacrosse

These sports require a blend of speed, agility, power and endurance. Just jumping high will not make you a great basketball player. But, being able to run a 6 minute mile won't either. So how do you correctly condition athletes for these sports?

In my experience with these athletes, a high percentage of them come to me in great condition, but lack strength. A good reason for this is it seems that all 3 of the sports have become year round sports. For basketball, it seems as if the AAU season runs into the start of fall conditioning. Soccer players have school season in the fall, indoor in the winter and club in the spring. Lacrosse has grown increasingly popular and it seems that most of my clients play a lot of indoor in the winter. So what is the best way to condition for these sports ..........UH PLAYING THE SPORTS. If you have soccer practice or skill training 3 days per week plus games - there is your conditioning. If you don't, then the rules change.

So is it necessary to condition a basketball team for an hour prior to a 1 hour open gym? Isn't playing 4 games of full court basketball enough conditioning? Do we need to do P90X plyometrics (which is the worst thing for any athlete) on the same day as 2 indoor lacrosse games? HELLLLLLLLLLLLL NO! No wonder why most basketball players have knee pain.

For these sports at SOAR, we adjust speed training volume to a minimum, focus on quality movement and then of course - GET STRONGER. See point of emphasis #1. Now if I was in full charge of a basketball team's off - season conditioning program, bet your last dollar that we would condition appropriately. But that is seldom the case. Most of these kids show up at the gym beat up for from their sport regimen the day before. It then becomes my job to get the body in order, not to run them into the ground.

Please note - sports that require multi - directional movement. Deceleration and multi - directional acceleration techniques must be worked on and conditioning should include those concepts. Just running 400s and 800s will not cut it if you are conditioning a team.

2. True Power Sports

Baseball/Softball and Volleyball

Have you ever watched a baseball game? It is possible that in the course of a baseball game that a position player could go 15 minutes without moving at full speed. Does hitting require endurance or power?

Certainly a softball pitcher needs specific conditioning, but they throw 1 pitch every 15 - 30 seconds. Then they rest for 5 - 15 minutes when their team is at the plate.

Volleyball is a little different because it involves lots of jumping and continual short burst reactions. But it is not like soccer and basketball as volleyball players seldom runs more than 5 yards at time. Since jumping and spiking is power in its purest form, I put volleyball with the power sports.

So why O why do I keep hearing about baseball and softball teams doing mindless amounts of long distance running and ridiculous body weight circuits for their strength training. Who would you rather have pitching for your team? - The girl who can dead lift 175lbs for 5 sets of 3 reps and can do 4 chin ups with no help or the girl who has been doing body weight circuits all winter. Who is going to steal more bases? - The kid who has been doing sled sprints or the kid who has been running 6 minute miles everyday. I think the answer is pretty obvious.

Don't pitch to this guy, he might bunt and try to run 10 laps around the field!

Well Mike, You don't think baseball/softball players and volleyball players require conditioning? They require some APPROPRIATE conditioning. Baseball/softball players definitely need true speed training and agility training. But in a game, how many times are they going to run at full speed for more then 50 yards - If they hit a double, triple or chase a ball into the gap, that's it. The last time I checked, 10 triples in a SEASON is a great amount. At SOAR, our answer to baseball/softball conditioning is simple - continue to lift heavy and run at high speeds, we just reduce rest periods as the season nears. As I said before, the training of pitchers and catchers is the only difference as they are involved in every play. But just like soccer skill practice or basketball skill lessons, pitching lessons are great conditioning for pitching! Every pitcher I have ever trained takes pitching lessons.

Volleyball, just like the sports in category #1, involves a very long club season. They condition at their practices, so they don't condition at SOAR. Volleyball involves so much jumping in practice and game play that learning how to absorb landing force and strengthening the necessary muscles is most important.

#3 Football

Football gets its own category for 2 reasons.

1. It is not a year round sport. There is no club football or AAU football.

2. The positions in football require uniquely different conditioning methods. Lineman need to be able to fire out of a stance and drive another large human being backwards. Receivers and DB's have lot more cutting and running to do. Position specific conditioning is extremely important in my opinion. Running lineman like receivers is a great way to have a lot of pulled hamstrings.

I have spoke many time before about how to appropriately train for football. If it is your only sport, you should spend December prepping the body for more intense lifting in the winter months. January - April involves some high speed work, heavy lifting (with good technique) and power training. In May - July, we start to amp up the running, but we still focus on maintaining the strength we built in the winter and spring. Remember, the average football play last 3 - 7 seconds with 25 - 40 seconds rest between plays. Running 110s and double gassers is not football specific! If my clients have to pass some kind of absurd test when they report to school, then we do what we can to have them ready.

Since most of my high school football players are required to lift at school, my job is ensuring they are doing the lifts properly with correct load, then filling in the holes. If your strength coach is an ex- bodybuilder or even worse - some guy who trains kids like he trained in the 80s - I wish you good luck. My advise it to find a local professional strength coach who can advise you on what to do.

Below is a link to a football workout I had some guys do last summer. There is a ton of football training info online, but make sure you determine what is legit, and what is total BS.

http://soarfitness.blogspot.com/2010/06/football-conditioning-workout.html

4. Individual sports

I train a few runners. Their conditioning is pretty simple - they run! Long distance running is great conditioning for - Long distance runners! They all still need to get stronger though. Every runner I have ever trained has told me that their times have improved and nagging injuries decreased after they began to participate in a properly designed strength program. For the average recreational runner, 2 - 3 days per week of basic strength training is ample.

As for other sports like wrestling, track and tennis, the process is simple. Analyze their practice and training regimen outside of Soar and make the best program to get them stronger for their sport. For instance, if I know a wrestler is being conditioned hard on the mat (how many wrestlers aren't), then we hit the essential lifts and keep volume pretty low. Just because wrestling is a physically demanding sport, it does not mean that wrestlers can do insane strength circuits all the time. They need to recover too!

The purpose of this email is to shed some light on a very important concept for all levels of athletes. If you want to be in peak condition for your sport, then you must consider the physical demands of the sport you play along with your practice regimen.

2011 Points of Emphasis

2011-01-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I have decided to start 2011 talking about a variety of topics that I see in the strength and conditioning world. My philosophies are a result of many hours of extensive research as well as 10 years of real experience with all levels of athletes. I plan to post these often over the next few weeks, so here are the first 2.

1. Get Stronger (big suprise huh)

It is the universal answer for almost every training related question I get.

How do I get faster? Get stronger

How do I stop getting hurt so much? Get stronger

How do I burn fat? Get stronger

How can I put on muscle? Get stronger

And so on and so forth.

In case it needs to be said, get as strong as possible WITH GOOD TECHNIQUE. Lifting too much weight with poor technique is the answer to this question......How do I get hurt during my off - season? DON'T GET HURT IN YOUR OFF-SEASON.

2. Some athletes won the genetic lottery...... many did not.

I have said this before....Lebron James could train at Curves and probably still be a tremendous basketball player. He is a genetic freak.

To keep it basic, there are two types of muscle fiber: fast twitch and slow twitch. Predominately fast twitch people lift lots of weight, run fast and jump high. Slow twitch people can run forever, but it take forever for them to get going. Although everyone can train to become more explosive, you cannot take a predominately slow twitch person and make them fast twitch.

Some people are just genetically blessed with lots of fast twitch muscle fiber. They are the kids who stick out in the 6th grade basketball game because they are naturally faster and more explosive then the other kids. Of course your neighbor who played Division 1 football and played in the NFL has a son who is the fastest kid on the block............ HIS DAD WAS FAST! The kid is blessed with the same genetic makeup. It's not fair, but it's reality.

Sure any kid can get bigger and faster with proper training. However, I am sorry to tell you that your 17 year old son who works very hard to run a 4.9 40 is never going to run a 4.5 Its just not in the cards for him.

If you are not a genetic freak, I am not telling you that you have no shot of getting a scholarship. Some genetic freaks are lazy and the rest of their peers catch up to them when they are in high school. I am just telling you to be realistic. Work hard, improve your skills, but also accept the fact that you won't have 36inch vertical and a 4.4 40.

New Sled

2010-12-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

Santa came to Soar a few days early and brought me the baddest sled known to man! Home made by my friend Travis with a steel construction beam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrtbnogs7zQ

Run With Strength

2010-12-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

For those of you who read my blogs/newletters on a regular basis, you already know that increasing strength will also increase your speed. But, you not only need to lift to be strong, you have to run with strength. I see nearly 40 kids per day at Soar, and lots of them make the same mistakes.

1. Lose control of their core or pillar. This is called an energy leak and basically results in them either falling down or stumbling. In order to put force in the ground, you must remain strong throughout the entire body.

2. Step instead of push. Even some of the really fast kids I train do this. Instead of pushing (putting force into the ground), they take lots of tiny steps. When they take off from a sprint start position, they just step forward with the back foot instead of pushing off the front foot. Stepping is slow, pushing is fast....end of discussion.

3. They do not finish each stride. Each stride should finish with full extension of the ankle, knee and hip. Failure to do this results in shorter strides and thus slower times.

All three of these errors are linked together. For instance, if you lose control of your core, you can't push as hard as you need to. Stepping outside your center of mass will result in folding at the core.

Bottom line, you need to train in the weight room to get strong (foundational exercises, plyometrics, sled training). Then you have to run with the strength you have built. Kids who are strong should look strong when they run.

MMA Training

2010-11-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

This past Friday, one of my staff members, James Whiteman, was in the gym getting ready for his amateur MMA fight on Saturday December 4th. Since James does most of his strength and conditioning work on his own at his gym in Athens, he comes up to Soar on Fridays for some explosive training.

After full warm up, I had James and his partner do multi - directional single leg plyos in a ciruit format.

Box blast - 5each

rest 30 sec.

Lateral box blast 5 each

rest 30 sec

Lateral skater bound - 5 each

2 min rest and repeat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s3jIF-DcZI

From there, we did some agility work that also involved explosive upper body MB throws. This is not something I normally do with athletes because it violates my principle of keeping drills simple. However, I like using the MB throws with agility for fighters since they are constantly moving and striking during there fights. We went with an approximate 3 to 1 work to rest ratio. The drills took about 10 sec and the rest was then 30 in between. The video clip below shows 1 set that James did. The actual workout was 4 sets in a row, then 1 :30 rest, then 4 more sets of a slightly different drill. We finished with forward and backward sled drags.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7UPFNhINyY

My Top 10 Exercise List

2010-11-10T10:59:00.001-08:00

I hate the question...If you could only do just 1 exercise, what would it be? My answer to that question would be you are probably better off not working out.

Here is my top 10 favorite exercises for athletes in no particular order.

1. Trap Bar Dead Lift.

2. DB jump squats

3. Incline DB press

4. Vertical Chin ups or pull up variations

5. Horizontal pull ups with chains or TRX

6. 1 Leg Straight Leg Dead Lift

7. Sled pushes - or Prowler pushes

8. Single leg squats

9. Lateral single leg box jumps - to medial and lateral side of the knee

10. Prone and side bridging variaitions

These 10 exercises are not the end all be all to strength and conditioning. However, if you could only do 10 exercises in your weekly workouts, these would cover all the bases.

Equipment, Program, or Coaching

2010-10-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

What is it that really makes an athlete stronger and faster? State of the art equipment? Expert program design? Effective coaching? If you have the budget of a division 1 university, then obviously you want it all. But, what if you are a high school basketball coach on a tight budget?

Let's address equipment first. Yes, you must have some equipment to produce speed and strength gains. Power racks, plyo boxes, sled, DBs and cable machines are all pieces that you will see at SOAR. However, if you walked in my gym for the first time, I guarantee you that the first words out of your mouth will not be "Wow, look at this beautiful facility!" In fact, its probably more like a dungeon then a palace. (For the record, it is clean and sanitary, just not pretty.)

Ask any long term client of mine how they feel about my facility and they will tell you that it doesn't matter. They are paying for my expertise and my coaching. There is no single piece of equipment that is going to make or break you as an athlete or general fitness client. In fact, I would run away from any trainer that lives and dies with one piece of equipment. Bottom line - If you are on a tight budget it would be much wiser to spend your money on good coaching instead of the newest piece of performance equipment.

Now onto program design. I spend hours per week designing programs for all my clients. As they become more advanced, that job becomes even more important. However, the best strength and power program in the world is worthless if you can't coach. You could copy all the programs in my data base, but if you don't understand human movement, it won't be the same. I see many high school programs using advanced power lifting programs to train their players. The program looks great on paper. But, if the kids are performing the lifts with poor technique and too heavy weight, the program might as well be a referral to a physical therapist.

So if I had to choose one - I would pick coaching. At SOAR, we coach.....all day long. We coach the warm-up, we coach how to jump, how to sprint, how to decelerate, how to squat, ect. Its the main reason our program is so successful for beginners and elite athletes. All clients receive a program and coaching that is tailored to their individual needs - expert coaching combined with expert program design.

In this day of age with all sorts of Internet programs, dvd's and elaborate equipment promising insane results in less then 6 weeks, the consumer needs to be wise. Will a DVD done at home really take you to the next level of athleticism if nobody is monitoring you? Can 1 piece of equipment really increase your vertical by 8 inches in 8 weeks if the seller has never seen you train before? Are you paying for a state of the art facility or the coaching that goes on inside of it?

Soar Warm Up Part 1

2010-10-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

My client, George Bush from Strike Force MMA, performs the first part of our Warm Up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rQDeTQ5dvU

Static Stretching at Soar

2010-10-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

Pre - warm up stretching done at Soar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3FpTw0D_fs

Foam Rolling

2010-09-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Every client at SOAR starts their warm - up with a series of foam rolling exercises. Click the link below to see how it is done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r9jc5pdxrU

Single Leg Strength

2010-09-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

Check out this video describing single leg lifts done at SOAR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vKY1pLjETE

Get Jacked Up!

2010-08-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

One of the most popular phone calls I get from new clients go something like this "My son is a good athlete, pretty fast, he just needs to get bigger. He lifts 5 days a week at Fufu Fitness Center and hes just not gaining any weight." This is a good call to get because I know that I can help the client immediately, if they show up consistently.

This is how the progression goes:

1. We first establish the client's training age and ability. Training age is simply how many years the client has been lifting......correctly. For my kids who are under 15, their training age is automatically zero unless they prove otherwise. Kids like this are going to gain muscle simply by performing total body lifts with correct techniques. We add load as strength improves. We change programs every month and sets and reps usually range from 6 to 10. NEVER are we doing a chest day, a leg day or the worthless arm day.

2. For my clients who are in the 16 - college age and have training experience, this is when we really step it up. Depending on how many days per week the client is training, we use a combination of heavy upper body lifts, heavy lower body lifts, explosive lifts, high rep lifts and some body building exercises. This is when my job of program design really comes into play. I know when to pile it on and when to take a step back. One week we might Squat heavy, the next week we might Dead Lift heavy. Its pretty simple - Get really strong in the right exercises and eat a lot of good food. Sets and reps can vary dramatically from week to week and even day to day. This is one of the main differences between training under professional supervision and going to the gym and doing your own thing.

Here is where the average skinny person goes wrong:

1. Diet. They either don't eat enough good calories or just don't eat enough period. You must take in 500 cals more per day then you are expending to gain 1 lb. of muscle per week. For some really active 16 year olds, that could be well over 3000 cals per day. Your protein shake must have calories from carbs and fat in it. Just a protein shake will not get it done. If the protein shake you are drinking says 200 calories or less, give it to your grandma because its not going to put mass on you. The shake we use at SOAR has over 600 calories per serving - we taper the servings for smaller kids.

2. They go to the gym and do 3 sets of 10 reps on every machine for 1 body part. They do chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, shoulders on Wednesday, arms on Thursday and then probably chest again on Friday. Maybe they squeeze some leg extensions in there somewhere. This is the number one way to not get strong in the weight room. Get off the machines and pick up some free weights. Change your sets and reps by the week. Do total body lifts or a reasonable split if you are training 4x per week. There is no need to lift 5 days per week under any circumstance. Also, there is no reason to lift for more than 60 minutes. If you are spending 2 hours in the gym, you are either wasting your time or wasting someone else's time by talking too much.

3. Lack of rest. If you do not rest, your muscles will not grow. Sleep at least 7 hours per night. Take at least 1 day, preferably 2 days off from strenuous activity per week.

Speed and Agility Videos

2010-07-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

I have had some time to shoot some video footage of our speed and agility instruction.

The first one is a multi- directional drill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-3OTCZBBCU

This next video is a linear speed drill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPF6GP3kbzs

SOAR Fitness Update

2010-07-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

The gym has been packed full of athletes since school has let out - the main reason why you have not seen any blogs lately. In fact, our morning sessions are completely full until August 1st. If you are looking to train with us, it will have to be in the evenings.

Thursday August 5th will be our first ever Female Athlete Training Clinic. There will be a tremendous amount of information provided on how to train the female athlete. I highly encourage any parent or coach of female athletes to attend - for FREE of course.

We are right in the middle of football conditioning for the guys who can make it in. My next few video blogs will be dedicated to this topic.

THE BEST WAYS TO BE SLOW AND JUMP LOW

2010-06-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

I spend a lot of time talking and writing about ways to improve athletic strength, speed and power, so today I figured I would do the opposite. So if you recognize some of the things on this list, then you are not getting as fast as you can possibly be.

1. Run slow. If you have read my blogs before, you know my feelings about long distance running for the speed athlete. If you goal is to be slow, keep running slow.

2. A. Don't lift legs at all.
B. Just do machine lifts for your legs like leg extensions and calf raises. Don't ever squat or lunge.
C. Do your squats and other leg lifts with bad form.
D. If you have good form on your squats and other leg lifts, keep lifting with light weight and doing sets of 8 - 12 reps. Avoid lifting heavy at all costs.

3. Do speed training every day. Don't rest between days or between sets. Keep running until you puke and run some more. If your body is tired, don't listen to it.

4. Warm up only by jogging and then sitting and stretching.

5. A.Do an internet jump training program that has a mindless amount of volume to it. Jump until your knees and shins hurt.
B. Don't do any form of plyometrics or jump training.

6. Don't stretch ever. Completely neglect your flexibility.

7. Sleep 6 hours or less per night.

8. Eat no fruits or vegetables. Eat french fries for lunch and pizza for dinner. Don't eat breakfast.

Again these are the best ways to be SLOW! Follow these simple steps and you will be slow as molasses in no time!

Keep in mind that our football guys are shifting from true speed training to specific conditioning. Although we are never running slow, their volume of running will increase dramatically in the next 6 weeks. Never confuse speed training for conditioning .

Heavy Leg Workout

2010-06-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Since we are "technique guys" at SOAR, a lot of people confuse that with "we don't let guys lift heavy". That couldn't be further from the truth - if you have good technique and your training age allows you to lift heavy.

Today I had a junior linebacker in the gym who is one of the strongest high school kids I have ever seen. This is his workout.

1. After warm up - he did 3 sets of 8 multi - directional jumps over hurdles. The goal was to jump as high as possible with as little ground contact time as possible - a true plyometric.

2. Complex sets of Box squats with DB jump squats - Sets of 3 jumps squats were performed on the last 5 sets of squats.

135 - 8reps
225 - 6reps
315 - 4 reps
365 - 4 reps
385 - 4reps
405 - 4 reps
425 - 4 reps

3. Lateral squats with a 35 lb plate. 3 x 8 each leg. Lateral squatting is an often overlooked exercise for all athletes. If you play a multi - directional sport, you must lift in all planes of movement.

4. 1 Leg Straight leg Dead Lift. 3x6 We paired the first 2 sets with a single leg glute bridge for 30 seconds each leg.

5. Sled push for conditioning. He performed 8 10 yd pushes with 25 seconds rest in between.

Done. Saturday we will work on position drills and hit the upper body.

Football Conditioning Workout

2010-06-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had a college offensive lineman and an All - State High School Defensive Lineman in the gym. I put them through a football specific conditioning workout. After full dynamic workout, this is how it went.

1.Box jumps 4x3 - 90 sec rest.

2. 3 step heavy band sequence - 2 sprints - 15 sec rest 2 shuffles right 15 sec rest 2 crossovers right 15 sec rest 2 shuffles left 15 sec rest 2 crossovers left 15 sec rest

The distance for each movement was about 3 - 4 yards. For the O Lineman, he performed a pull instead of a crossover. Each guy went through this 2 times.

3. 5 and back, 10 and back then 10 suicide. 2 times each way with 30 sec rest. This is when fatique set in.

4 minute rest

4. Heavy sled run 25 yds then backward sled drag 25yds - 2 sets per guy with 2 minutes rest in between.

4 minute rest

5. Leg curl on ball 2 x15 paired with heavy DB squat swing 2x15

Done. The workout took about 40 minutes after warm up. At no point did they run over 40yds. Each set/rep was performed at the highest intensity possible. That's training for football.

Correct Push Up Technique

2010-05-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

It doesn' matter how many push ups you say can do if you can't do them right!

Spring Basketball Training

2010-04-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Almost all of the high school basketball players I train also play AAU ball through the spring. Although they usually only practice 1 -2 times per week, their weekend schedule could involve as many as 5 - 7 games in a weekend. That's a ton of basketball games for a week, let alone a weekend. Now I am not going to get on my high horse and bash the AAU tournament circuit, but let's be real.....professional and college teams play 4 games per WEEK max, usually 2 -3.

Anyways, I have to be aware of how my clients feel after these weekends. If they train on Mondays, we will spend a ton of time recovering and very little time doing speed drills. Then, we primarily focus on upper body lifting. I try to keep our heavy leg day in the middle of the week to give ample time to recover until the next tournament. If we jump at all, it is low volume and usually to boxes to reduce landing impact.

Basically, its all about recovering and getting stronger. Speed and conditioning can wait until summer.

Mental Toughness

2010-04-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

A while back, I asked readers to suggest some topics for me to write about. I had a request on the great topic of mental strength or what I like to call "Mental Toughness". I actually wrote about this topic in a newsletter last year, so I decided to dig it up. Since then, I have ready many strength and conditioning books that touch on the topic. One quote that stuck out to me came from world renown trainer Alwyn Cosgrove - "Psychology trumps physiology every time." I read this in Mike Boyle's latest book - Advances in Functional Training. Mike was shocked that the college hockey team he worked with was getting stronger with a circuit model that usually does not elicit strength gains. Cosgrove's answer was simply saying that the athletes were responding to the competitive environment the circuit style of training created.

I felt this was great quote because it can work both ways. As in Boyle's case, the team was accomplishing way more than he expected because the guys were mentally tough. On the other hand, it is easy for some athletes to "psych themselves out" of performing well. I always tell my clients that I will never force them to do something I know they cannot do, but I will make them do something that they THINK they cannot do, but I KNOW they can.

I am not an expert on sports psychology, so the article below is more a description about how I feel about the subject and how mental toughness is part of our programs without the clients really knowing it.

When I watch some of the top athletes in the world such as Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant, the one thing that sticks out to me is how mentally tough they are. Even though they don't win every tournament or game, it seems like they are relentless in their pursuit of success. Kobe might miss 5 shots in a row, but he is going to keep shooting. Tiger might miss a putt or two, but when it comes to the 18th hole, you know he is going to make the putt to get into a playoff or win.

Now obviously we are not trying to turn 12 year old kids into Kobe Bryant over here at SOAR. But I see a lot of high school athletes who are very physically gifted, but lack mental toughness. Its easy for them to back out of a set of pull ups after 6 reps when I know they can get 8 or 10. When they make mistakes, they get rattled and frustrated instead of taking a deep breath and concentrating. I also see the opposite - kids who are not as physically gifted, but very successful because they will stop at nothing to get better. They make mistakes, but they don't let it get in the way of their improvement.

Working on mental toughness is an indirect part of our program. We certainly don't take time away from training to walk over hot coals. But when you have to drag a sled with 200lbs in it 40yds, there is a mental aspect to that. It would be easy to stop at the 35 yard mark when your quads are screaming and your body is telling you to stop. Or for our younger kids, its would be easy to stop a prone bridge or plank at 20 seconds when we are going for 30 seconds. Certain exercises and drills like that can help develop mental toughness in young athletes without them really knowing it.

Single Leg Box Blast

2010-04-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

The box blast is my favorite single leg explosive exercise for many reasons. For one, the box reduces the amount of impact the jump has on the body. Since one foot will hit the box first when the body returns to the ground, it greatly reduces the impact of the landing on the knee joints. It is much easier for beginners to perform then power lunges and split squat jumps.

I also like it because my advanced athletes can perform it with weighted vests on or DB's in their hands with no problem. It also promotes the explosive push into the box that I am always trying to get my athletes to give into the floor when they run. This exercise can either be performed from a static position (pause in between jumps) or rapidly with as little time in between jumps as possible. One thing you want to look for is a strong torso. If the athlete or client folds at the center of the body when they land, that will greatly reduce the amount of force they can put into the box for the next jump.

It is not the only single leg plyometric we do, but besides box jumps, it is the one explosive exercise that all of my beginner clients can perform with ease and almost no chance of injury.

Basic Glute/Hamstring Exercises

2010-04-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

This is the second part to the last blog. Here are our two basic Hip/Hamstring dominant exercises.

Basic Leg Exercises

2010-04-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest things for the general fitness client to do is determine what leg exercises they should do. Let's start with what you should not do: 1. Skip legs entirely 2. Use machines such as leg extensions and leg curls. #1 is bad for obvious reasons if you are looking for a tone butt and legs. As for #2, leg extensions and leg curls are single joint exercises that only allow for movement from the knee joint and can probably do you more harm then good. Besides, you walk and run on your feet, so why train your legs in a chair.

If you are someone that experiences knee pain from squats or lunges, then chances are you are not doing them right or you need to strengthen some other areas of your body such as your glutes and hamstrings. We are going to stick with single leg exercises for now because I feel that they are the easiest to do correctly. The exercises in the videos below are basic single leg exercises that can be done with little or no equipment. Here is a sample set up for a legs in a total body workout.

Day 1 Step up 2x 8 each leg (the box in the video is 12" and a good height for beginners)
1 leg RDL (cone touch) 2x 8 each leg

Day 2 Split squat 2 x 8 each leg
Cook hip lift 2 x 8 each leg

The following week, move up to 2x 10 for each. In week 3, perform 2 x 12 each leg. After that, start to add weight or increase the height of the box for steps ups. Obviously, you know yourself better than I do, so if these exercises as shown are very easy, then you should add appropriate weight immediately. Remember, keep that heel on the ground or in the box!

Video for 1 leg RDL and Cook hip lift will be in the next blog.

Attacking Flexibility and Mobility at SOAR

2010-03-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Without question, the number one weakness of my clients across the board is flexibility and mobility (or lack of). According to Mike Boyle, flexibility is the range of motion around a joint and mobility is how well the joint moves. For example, holding a hamstring stretch would be flexibility and performing forward leg swings is mobility. Even if you don't completely understand the difference, please understand that both are extremely important for all athletes.

In the past, we really only focused on flexibility post workout. After much research, I have made some changes to our program both in warm - up and post workout. Here is an example of what I have done at SOAR to improve flexibility and mobility in our athletes.

1. We foam roll prior to every session to decrease muscle density. To be brief, foam rolling is basically self -massage.

2. All clients 14 and up perform some static stretching (flexibility) prior to their dynamic warm - up. Then those clients perform glute activation exercises with bands and on the floor. The glutes are probably the most important muscle in terms of speed and power and a lack of glute activation can lead to lower back pain.

3. After glute activation, clients perform mobility drills and dynamic stretching. So in the first 10 minutes of the session now, flexibility and mobility is our main focus. After dynamic stretching, clients then move into our speed drills such as skips, high knees, butt kickers, ect.

4. Beginner clients still perform our hip mobility program prior to each lifting session. Our more advanced clients still perform it at least once per week.

5. All clients have been giving a stretching sheet to do at home. Most of the reading I have done lately has told me that it is hard to improve flexibility immediately after a hard workout. So it is now on my clients to get it done at home.

6. We offer yoga class on Sundays at 4pm. Although I wish more of my athletes we in it, the class has gotten great reviews. We plan to offer another session at the end of April.

Looking for Topics

2010-03-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am looking to answer any questions in regards to strength, speed and youth training. You can either post a comment to this blog or email me through our website. If I don't have the answer, I will find someone that does.

Jump Training

2010-03-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year that I get the same phone calls every day.......Mike....We need to get our son/daughter in a jump training program for basketball. Mike....can you put 6 inches on my vertical by next season? Mike....you focused primarily on strength last year, can we just do jump training this year?

I have said it before and I will say it again.....If you are improving your lower body strength, then you are also improving your ability to jump higher....safely. If you want to improve your jump, then you must train for strength and explosiveness. All of our programs at SOAR include a balanced combination of each. We do single leg lifts, 2 leg lifts, hamstring and glute exercises, Olympic Lifts, 1 leg jumps, 2 leg jumps, quick feet hops, skips and bounds. ALL of these help develop a well rounded explosive athlete.

Plyometrics (jump training exercises) are the most misunderstood and abused method of training for athletes. Unfortunately, if you look on the Internet, you will find all sorts of jump programs that make utterly ridiculous claims of improving your vertical by 8 inches in 8 weeks. Although I have seen that happen a few times in the last 10 years, there is no substitute for a comprehensive strength and conditioning program that uses a jump training progression in conjunction with a strength program. A proper progression of jump training involves a few weeks of box jumping to improve landing technique (see my older blog post on beginner power training). If you try to begin high intensity jump training without perfecting your landing technique, the results can be disastrous.

Jumping higher is a great goal for any athlete to have. In fact, I don't think I have trained any great athletes who don't jump high. But, please have a realistic and intelligent approach to your jump training regimen. Seek out a KNOWLEDGEABLE strength training professional in your area and you will not regret it.....and your knees will thank you later.

Baseball Speed Tip

2010-02-28T09:27:00.001-08:00

I have seen many different ways to teach acceleration out of a base stealing stance. I am not really a "baseball guy" so I am sure that the stance can vary based on game situations. This video shows our way of turning and sprinting out of a still stance.

Proper shoes for training

2010-02-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

Going out and buying the latest pair of "Lebrons" or "Under Armours" is obviously not going to magically transform your young athlete into a blue chip prospect. But, wearing the right kind of shoe and wearing it the right way could go a long way towards reducing the risk of serious injury. Improved footing and stability can also help with change of direction speed and overall athleticism. Here are a few tips if you are looking for new shoes to train in.

1. Kind of shoe - For the young, multi- sport athlete, I have found basketball shoes to be the best. They have great traction, ankle support and typically stay together for a while. Most kids seem to have a pair of basketball shoes anyways. For my more advanced clients, I recommend the new style training shoes that Nike and Under Armour have come out with. They are light, and have LATERAL support. Lateral support means that the side of the foot is supported by a sturdy material. They are also in the $50 - $80 range which I find reasonable these days.

The worst kind of shoe - running shoes. They are designed for running forward only, and slowly! You know you have a running shoe if the side of the foot is supported by mesh. I have actually seen kids' feet go right through the side of the shoe during multi - directional speed drills. Running shoes are great for every day activity and going out for a run, but not for high intensity training in all directions.

2. TIE YOUR SHOES EVERY TIME YOU PUT THEM ON! This one drives me nuts. If you can put your shoes on without untying them, then they can come off just as easily. Tie your shoes tight and double knot if necessary.

3. Shoe size. The unfortunate part of growing is that you grow out of your shoes and cloths. But, if you buy your shoes too big to account for growing, then the shoe is way too big initially. Here is a test......Have the athlete put the shoe on and stand up. If you can stick your entire finger between the heel and the back of the shoe all the way down to the sole, then they are too big. If the shoe is too big, then the foot slides in the shoe. Not only does this decrease the amount of force the athlete can put into the ground, it greatly increases the risk of serious ankle injury.

4. Bring your shoes to the gym in your hand or shoe bag. Basically, you training shoes should never touch the pavement, snow or grass. Use older pairs of shoes to walk outside. You will be amazed how much longer your shoes last.....and how much cleaner my floors will be in the winter!

National Signing Day

2010-02-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

As any college football fan knows, this past Wednesday was National Signing Day for high school seniors. One of my long time clients, Alec Bartz, invited me to Orange High School to be there with him when he signed with Davidson. It was great to be there because in addition to Alec signing, two other SOAR clients were also signing. Corey Joe signed with Ashland University and Ross Smith, a client of Reggie Germany, signed with Holy Cross.

Even though signing at Davidson is not going to get the publicity that signing at Ohio State, Texas or Florida gets, it was still a very proud day for SOAR and an even prouder day for Alec's family. There are two very important lessons that can be learned from Alec's story.

1. When Alec started at SOAR in the summer of 2007, let's just keep it short and say the agility ladder was a sufficient workout for him. He was heavy on his feet, a little clumsy, and not the fastest kid I have ever seen.... As soon as his 07 season ended, Alec was right back in...for 8 months straight. He started to make great progress. He was a starter on his 08 varsity team at Orange. As soon as the 08 season ended, he was right back in. We realized his squat form was not very good and he took a step back to work on technique. Alec listened and his hard work started to pay off. He won the lineman MVP at the Schuman's Underclassman Combine. He was getting invited to college camps and then had another successful varsity season. The result was his signing on Wednesday. Three years ago, it didn't seem possible. But with consistency and dedication, it most definitely became a reality.

2. ACADEMICS. Alec is great student and to my knowledge a member of a few academic clubs at school. He is a student athlete in every way. The best way for the high school athlete who is not on the radar to get a scholarship it to have good grades.

Congratulations again to Alec, Ross and Corey.

5 MUSTS for the Mult - Sport Athlete

2010-01-26T10:59:00.001-08:00

This time of year at SOAR, I have a ton of athletes who are participating in winter lifting at school for football, conditioning and practicing for lacrosse or baseball, and trying to train with me. . Below are 5 MUSTS for any athlete who is training for or competing in two sports simultaneously. For the purpose of this article, I am focusing on those who play football and baseball/lacrosse. But, the information can be used for any athlete during any season.

1. Analyze your schedule. Put it on paper, preferably in a calender. This is the important information that someone like myself would need to see. What days do you lift at school? What days are lower body oriented? What days do you have lacrosse conditioning or skill practice? This information will help a good strength and conditioning coach put a weekly plan together for you. Once I see a kid's weekly training schedule, I suggest the best days for higher intensity training at SOAR. I also know what days should be recovery and flexibility oriented. Also, if you work out on your own, keep a log of your workouts.

2.Proper nutrition. Eat a good breakfast with whole grains, fruit and protein. Try to eat the healthiest lunch possible. If you are trying to gain weight, have some easy snacks in your locker such as protein bars or peanut butter crackers. If you are going from training right to another practice, then make sure you have a good small meal option (not fast food). Some athletes do well with a protein shake. Some can not handle the dairy during training. Know your budget and what you can eat. But absolutely do not try to train for 4 hours without eating since lunchtime. . Also, take a good multi- vitamin.

3. Warm - up properly - ALWAYS! If you are doing any form of high intensity practice, training or lifting, you MUST warm up. The warm up should elevate heart rate and body temperature, move all joints in dynamic range of motion, and prepare the central nervous system for full speed movement. Jogging does not accomplish this, neither does sitting down and stretching. If you are not sure how to do a dynamic warm-up, consult a professional such as myself.

4. SLEEP! At least 7 hours a night. Sleeping at study hall doesn't count.

5. Find time for yourself, family and friends. Sounds simple, but it is necessary to avoid burnout.

Football Combine - Bench Press Training

2010-01-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

At football combines, the test for upper body strength/endurance is the Rep Maximum Test (225lb for NFL combine/pro days, 135 - 185lb for high school). There are two keys to increasing your reps for the test. You must improve max strength AND you must improve your endurance. Early in the training week we work on max strength and later in the week we do high repetition work. This is the most common set up used by the top strength coaches in the world.

Here is the heavy upper body workout done today at SOAR. This is week 2 of combine training.

Bench press - we worked up to heavy sets of 4 3 2 and 1 based on percentages of their estimated 1 rep max.

Pair 1 Incline DB press 3 x5
Half Kneeling Rotational Throw 2 x 1 0 each side

Triple set - Rear delt fly 2 x 10
Band push down - 2 x 30 sec.
DB zottman curl 2 x 15

Then the athletes performed an ab ciruit of 4 exercises.

Upper body pulling exercises were done yesterday with legs.

On Friday, the athletes will perform their first attempt at the 225 test. Then we will perform sets of max reps weighted push ups.

40 Yard Dash Training

2010-01-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

The most important drill at a football combine is the 40 yard dash. In my experience, the best results I have seen have come from improving start stance and the first 10 yards of the sprint. Below is a video that shows one common error I see from a lot of football players when I first watch them run a 10 yard sprint.

What up at SOAR for 2010

2010-01-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year. Things are very busy here so I have had little time for the blog. Here are some things that will happen at SOAR in the winter of 2010.

1. Combine training for Pro Prospects has already started today 1/7. Lenny Wicks, a CB from Youngstown State is our first member of the 2010 combine class.

2. Saturday January 30th I am holding a free squat technique clinic from 12:30 to 2pm in Lewis Center. It is open to all athletes and coaches. Proper technique and progressions will be taught. Each athlete will also have their technique assessed. Call me at 614-306-9364 to reserve a spot.

3. Off - season training for all athletes has already started. Remember, if you train at school, we will design a program that complements your school one.

4. I will be at the Mintonette Volleyball Club on Sunday January 10th to do a speed and strength clinic specific for volleyball players.

Stay tuned to the blog, I will get some more video up as soon as I can.

Linear speed workout

2009-12-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

This is the linear speed workout that various athletes performed before their lift yesterday.

Foam roll/Dynamic Warm - up

Band resisted footwork on agility ladder

Single and double leg quick hops on ladder

10yd band resisted sprint followed immediately by a 10 yd. sprint. 5 sets, 1 minute rest between

10 yard sprint, 5 yard backpedal, accelerate into a 10 yard sprint x 4 1 minute rest.

I like doing the resisted sprints in conjunction with regular sprints because it gives the athlete and over - speed feel. When they sprint with the band, I want aggressive knee and arm drive while they maintain the proper body angle. I then want to see the same thing when they do the regular sprints and the acceleration drill with the backpedal.

This is just one example of many different linear speed workouts that are done at SOAR. Notice that all sprints are kept to 10 yards.

Less is More

2009-12-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

I have been designing strength and conditioning programs for athletes for 7 years now. Although my coaching style has not changed much through the years, my programming certainly has. I don't think that any of my programs in the past were not good programs, I just started to realize that I was trying to do to much. Athletes that trained 4 days a week with me were doing speed and agility two days per week and high intensity jumping 2 days per week in conjunction with their lifting programs. Over- training was a line that I never wanted to cross and I thought my programs were set up to avoid that. My athletes got stronger and faster - but I was not satisfied. I read and researched what the top strength and conditioning coaches in the world were doing. Some were doing things just as I was doing them, but some coaches who I highly respect were starting to do some things differently. I bought in - and it has paid off tremendously.

Athletes that train 4 times a week with me now perform high intensity jumping and sprinting/agility twice per week on Days 1 and 3. They also do their Olympic Lifting and leg work (squats, lunges, ect.) on those days as well. They do a double leg lift on one of those days and a single leg on the other day. Posterior chain work (hamstring, butt, low back) is done on those days a well. On Days 2 and 4 we only do some light agility ladder footwork and lateral hopping before they do there heavy upper body work. This gives my athletes more time to recover between high intensity leg workouts. For my athletes that train 3 days per week, the program is broken down differently but days 1 and 3 are still the high intensity days. I can honestly say that this is the most satisfied I have ever been with my programs.

Back when I was a student teacher through Ohio State, my mentor teacher John Blaine told me "Never be satisfied that you are doing the best job possible." Those are words that I have lived by and really apply to this situation. I knew I was doing a good job, but I also knew that I could do a better job. The changes really paid off when I saw a number of my high school football clients receiving All - District and All - State honors.

I would like to thank some of the top strength coaches in the world for helping me see the "light". If you would like to learn more about speed and strength for athletes, I would highly recommend searching the following names - Mike Boyle, Lee Taft, Joe DeFranco and Jason Ferruggia. One of the best things you can do is learn the philosophies of different coaches and begin to shape your own.

The Bench Press

2009-12-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

It is the time of year that most high school weight rooms open up for football players....it should be open for all athletes but we will save that topic for another day. What is the most popular exercise?......the bench press of course. It was the most popular exercise when I was in high school and its the most popular exercise you see in any commercial gym.

I love the bench, but it is not the end all be all of upper body lifting. Here are a few principles I use when designing strength programs.

1.IF we barbell bench in a program, we only do it once a week. There is no reason to bench twice per week.

2. Every few weeks, we substitute another horizontal press for bench press. This keeps workouts fresh and helps eliminate plateaus. We will use DB's or mix up our grips.

3. Vertical presses such as Military press and Push press must be done as well. You must press in the horizontal plane and the vertical plane.

4. This is most important. For every press, there must be a pull. We do pull ups, horizontal pull ups, seated rows, Lat pull downs and many many others. If you do a ton of pressing and little pulling, YOU WILL experience shoulder pain. Have you ever seen guys walk around with huge chests and their shoulder rotated inwards? That is a guy that didn't do any pulling and a ton of benching. HUGE MISTAKE!

Again, I love the bench. I am all for athletes benching a lot of weight. But some things must be done to ensure the body is the strongest it possibly can be.

Olympic Lifting Made Easy

2009-11-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

Like most strength and conditioning coaches, I use a variety of Olympic Lifts in my programs for athletes. The most popular Olympic Lift that is used in most school programs is the Power Clean or the Hang Clean. If you are not familiar, the Power Clean is performed with the weight starting on the floor and the Hang Clean is performed with the athlete holding the bar about knee height. I love Hang Cleans, but they are one of the most difficult lifts to teach. I usually use an 8 week progression before a high school athlete starts to Hang Clean in my program.

The Power Clean - often seen in football strength programs - is an even more complicated lift. In my opinion, its almost impossible for some athletes to get into the proper position to START a Power Clean, let alone perform the actual lift safely. The only time I have an athlete Power Clean is because I know they will have to perform the lift when they move on to play college sports. I know a number of high school kids each year experience L5 back fractures due to improper power clean technique.

The bottom line is if your athlete can't squat well, then they most definitely cannot perform a power clean. Most high school basketball players with very long femurs fit into this category. As a whole, it is difficult for any coach to teach and supervise any version of the Clean to a group of young athletes.

So here is my suggestion.....if you are not comfortable teaching the clean and your athletes just are not getting it right, then do not put them in your program. There are many alternatives to the Clean that are just as effective in developing power in athletes. So instead of spending hours and weeks trying to train an inexperienced lifter to be an Olympic Lifter, try this lift in the video below. The DB Snatch is by far my favorite Olympic style lift and most kids can learn it in 5 minutes. It's also a great lift for adults to do!

What is speed training?

2009-11-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

100% of the people who call for information say that they want to get faster - or they want their child to get faster. Along with getting stronger, speed and agility instruction is the sure way to improve speed. But what is speed training?

Speed drills involve sprinting or multi- directional movements for a 2 - 8 second duration. Rest periods in between sets is crucial and should be at least 30 seconds. If the body does not recover, then you cannot run at top speed - then you are not getting faster. A solid speed training regimen include about 2 - 3 sessions per week for about a 45 minute duration. I highly recommend at least one full day of rest in between high intensity speed days, ideally I would like to see two. This allows not only for the muscles to rest, but also the Central Nervous System to recover. I won't bore you with a ton of scientific information, but if you want to learn how to truly train athletes for speed, then you should research how the Central Nervous System is affected by high intensity training.

Speed training is not : Running 400s or 800s

Jogging around your neighborhood

Running suicides until you puke

Running on a treadmill

I think you get the idea. The above can either be considered conditioning or long distance running. There is a place for conditioning, but don't mistake it for true speed training. In my opinion, long distance running for the speed athlete is just plain stupid. If you enjoy going on a run with the family every now and then, that's fine. But, making it a consistent part of your training week will accomplish one thing -being slow!

No Pain....No Gain?

2009-11-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

We have all heard the popular cliches before..."No Pain, No Gain" and "Pain is Weakness". I have heard coaches, parents and athletes say them to me all the time. Lets take a closer look at what these quotes actually mean.

First of all, let's determine what pain is. According to Webster's dictionary, pain is defined as: suffering or distress of body or mind, also : a sensation marked by discomfort. Does that sound like something that will help you gain?

Now I am not trying to create a generation of athletes that can't workout because they stubbed their finger or because their brother hit them in the hip with a whiffle ball bat. That's not really pain. That is one of the few occasions when its acceptable to utter those popular words, "suck it up". For the purposes of this rant, let's separate pain (being injured, hurt or having something wrong with the body) from being nicked up or a little sore. Let's also agree that pain is not being winded from a conditioning sprint or feeling like your arms will fall off from a set of max rep push ups.

Pain means there is something wrong that needs to be fixed.

Let's just take a look at a common "pain" we see at SOAR from our youth clients on a daily basis - knee pain. Aside from the obvious tears, sprains and strains, kids can experience knee pain from growing, from being weak in the hips or having poor flexibility. The very first thing we do is determine what hurts it and what does not. We live by a very simple principle at SOAR: If it hurts, don't do it.

Once we determine what hurts it, we begin to put a program together to help eliminate the pain. It usually involves hip, hamstring and glute strengthening and flexibility work. The exercises we usually cut out are jumping, high intensity sprinting/agility and squatting to a depth that causes pain. On a weekly basis, we ask the client how the knee feels and add or subtract exercises accordingly. The whole goal is to eliminate the pain, then build from there. The growing body is a quite a puzzle. A good trainer must learn when to its appropriate to move forward, and when its necessary to take a few steps back.

After years of training athletes, I am starting to think that "No Pain, No Gain" is possibly the most senseless thing ever said. Think about it. If you are in pain when you are training, are you gaining? No, you are making the problem worse.

So I am starting a crusade to change some of the most popular cliches of all time. How about, "Pain, No Gain" or "Pain Means There is a Weakness". You probably won't see them on a poster any time soon, but it is definitely food for thought.

In - Season Basketball Lifting

2009-11-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Basketball try-outs have either started or are about to begin. For my clients who play hoops, there is no need for speed and agility development during the season due to the amount of stress that basketball places on the body. We do encourage our clients to come to see us at least 1 - 2 times per week during the season. This is a template of what the workout looks like.

Foam roll - to help with recovery and flexibility
Dynamic warm -up
Hip Mobility and Ankle mobility work

Lift
Explosive exercise - depends on the kid and how they feel on that given day
Core/Rotational exercise

Upper body Push - vertical or horizontal - we alternate between workouts
1 or 2 Leg exercise - low volume - 3 sets of 4 - 8 reps

Upper body pull - same as pushing - we alternate between vertical and horizontal
Posterior chain exercise - for the glutes, hamstrings and lower back - we alternate between straight leg and bent leg

We then may add some abs or arms depending on our time frame and the athletes schedule

All sessions end with some type of flexibility work.

What can hinder multi - directional speed?

2009-11-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of factors that contribute to improving multi-directional speed in athletes. Keeping the feet moving, setting up shin angles properly and turning the hips are all concepts that we teach at SOAR on a weekly basis. One component of agility that is often overlooked is the position of the shoulders.........Yes the shoulders!

This video will show you exactly what I mean.

Off- Season Football Training

2009-10-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

Football season will be over soon for most kids except for the high school players who will be participating in the playoffs. A lot of my football clients will be itching to get back to training - some of them have already started.

For my youth - junior high players, we just continue to build on the foundation that was established in prior programs. We take a look at any nagging injuries and aches and pains and try to eliminate them with corrective exercises. Other than that, the goal is pretty simple - develop proper technique and progress from there. Since most of these kids play basketball, baseball, hockey, ect., I may only see them for a short period of time and then they are right back to a season.

It seems that most of my high school football players do not play another sport - if they play basketball or wrestle I don't see them till spring. Taken that into consideration, there is no hurry to get into intense speed training, plyometrics and conditioning. We have 7 months before summer training starts and 9 month until 2 a days. We are going to take the first month to re-establish proper techniques, correct weaknesses, improve flexibility and improve work capacity. In the strength and conditioning world, this phase is called General Preparation.

For the kids who I know will eventually have to work out with their team, we work on the lifts that will be performed at school. A lot of high school kids have trouble with back squats and power cleans, so my goal is to teach them these lifts to greatly reduce the risk of injury from doing them incorrectly. As I teach them, I look for the reason WHY they are not doing them correctly. Is it poor flexibility? Lack of core strength? Weak hips and glutes? I then assign exercises that will correct the weakness and allow them to perform the squat better. As the off- season moves into the new year, we will continue to check on technique even though they are still doing the lifts at school. It's simple - If you are not lifting correctly, you are not getting stronger!

Stay tuned to the blog and I will be posting video clips of the common exercises we use at SOAR for our football players.

Beginner Power Training

2009-10-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Increasing vertical leap (lower body power) is one of the most desired training outcomes of the youth athletes I train. I have said before in a few newsletters that rushing into a poorly designed "jump program" is always a bad idea for youth athletes. Most young athletes are not strong enough to handle the impact that repetitive high intensity jumping places on the body. The outcome is usually knee and shin pain.

At SOAR, we use a progression of basic jumping and landing exercises for our beginner clients. As they become stronger, we begin to introduce more intense forms of plyometrics (jump training) and Olympic lifts. Below is a short video clip showing our most basic exercise for lower body power.

Faster or Stronger?

2009-10-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

I get calls and emails every week from people who want information about our speed and agility classes. Many of them are surprised to hear that age appropriate strength training is also a mandatory part of the program. Some people even say "No, we just want the speed and agility." After providing some information about what our strength training program entails for youth, almost every person becomes interested.

Yes, the speed and agility instruction we provide goes a long way toward helping our young athletes improve their speed on the field and court. But the improved level of strength, power and flexibility they gain is just as important. For instance, have you ever been to a 6th grade girls basketball game? Have you seen numerous girls jumping and landing with their knees touching together? It does not look like a very powerful jump and it also looks like an injury waiting to happen! This is an exact example of why the strength training is as important as the speed training. For one, it will help decrease the risk of injury to the knees and other joints. For two, a stronger athlete is always a better athlete.

I will be providing youth training information weekly on this blog. If you are a youth coach or parent, spread the word.

You can go to http://www.soarofcolumbus.com for more information about our youth training.

Tour of SOAR

2009-10-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video clip about SOAR Fitness.

Welcome to Soar's Blog

2009-10-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

SOAR Fitness strives to offer the most effective strength and conditioning programs to athletes of all levels and ages. For youth athletes ages 8 - 14, our focus is developing a sound foundation of speed, agility and strength technique. All sessions involve expert coaching and age appropriate drills and exercises. For high school to pro - level athletes, we use the most effective training protocols to have you in peak condition for your upcoming season. For more information, check out http://www.soarofcolumbus.com. Stay tuned to our blog for the latest information on youth training.