Prevent Hitting the Wall

Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Q: Will drinking sports drinks and eating energy bars during exercise prevent me from "hitting the wall"?

A: There is little question that ingesting 30-60 g of carbohydrate during each hour of exercise is usually sufficient to sustain normal blood glucose and delay fatigue. Carbohydrate can be replaced using energy bars and sports drinks. During exercise it is particularly important to replace fluids lost through sweat. Inadequate fluid replacement can decrease performance. Thus it is recommended that during prolonged exercise, a sports drink should be included, regardless of other carbohydrate sources.

-- Bill Prentice, Ph.D., P.T., A.T.C., Professor, University of North Carolina

Baseball Shoulder Program

A wise man once said; develop shoulder integrity before developing shoulder mobility. What this means is you should develop rotator cuff strength and the three heads of the deltoid muscles, prior to starting your throwing program. The “great challenge” of the throwing shoulder involves the smaller muscles of the rotator cuff and shoulder blade being asked to control and decelerate the larger, prime movers of the shoulder. Flexibility and stability of the throwing shoulder is paramount in the dynamic throwing act. The joint capsule must be flexible enough to provide fluid delivery. Your goal is to create balance between the anterior and posterior muscles of the shoulder. You should incorporate bands and tubing exercises to develop the endurance necessary for the rotator cuff and shoulder to withstand the stress of throwing. The exercises we utilize are:

• Internal Rotation – Start with your throwing elbow flexed at 90 degrees, pull in your arm while keeping your elbow at your side. Return tubing slowly and under control. Perform set of 15 reps.

• External Rotation - Start with your throwing elbow flexed at 90 degrees, pull out with your arm while keeping your elbow at your side. Return tubing slowly and under control. Perform set of 15 reps.

• Shoulder Flexion – Grasp band at hip with thumb up. Bring hand up parallel to the ground as shown. Pause at the top and return to starting position. Perform set of 15 reps.

• Shoulder Extension – Grasp band 6-8 inches in front of hip. Pull hand back behind hips and hold. Make sure elbow is straight. Return tubing slowly to starting position and repeat. Perform set of 15 reps.

• Cross Body Pull – Grasp band with hand and pull arm across the body keeping the elbow straight and thumb up. Be sure to squeeze and hold shoulder blade at the end-range for 2 seconds. Return to starting position and repeat. Perform set of 15 reps.

Sleep Deprivation and Fat Gain

Excerpt from Tom Venuto's "Burn The Fat Newsletter"
www.burnthefat.com

You've probably seen the magazine articles or news blurbs that
say, "lack of sleep can make you fat!"

There is a lot of confusion however, about the mechanism.
It's not uncommon for people to believe there is a cause and
effect relationship between sleeping less and gaining weight.

However, if that were the case, then you would always gain weight
if you slept less even if your food intake stayed the same.
To the contrary, if you sleep less AND eat less, rest assured
you will lose weight.

If you are awake more hours and you are more active during
those increased waking hours, again, rest assured you will
lose weight.

Almost all the research on this subject has been cross sectional
and therefore does not prove causality.

Research suggests that the likely explanation for a mechanism
is a disruption in hormones which can affect appetite and food
intake so you are more likely to eat more when you are sleep deprived.

For example, a new study published in the December 2007 issue
of "Nutrition Research Reviews" says that sleep deprivation can
reduce leptin (the anti starvation hormone, also known as an
anorexigenic hormone) and increase ghrelin, a stomach
hormone that increases hunger.

This makes total sense. Think about it: less sleep equals
more awake time. More awake time equals greater energy needs.
Greater energy needs can be satisfied by increasing hunger hormones.
Leptin and ghrelin are appetite-stimulating hormones.

The human body is incredible and amazingly self-regulating, isnt it?

In addition, when hormones are out of balance, that can affect
nutrient paritioning.

Nutrient paritioning refers to where the energy comes from when
you have a calorie deficit - fat or lean tissue - and where the
energy goes when you are in a calorie surplus - fat or lean tissue.

So, when partitioning hormones are messed up due to sleep
deprivation, it's entirely possibly that you are more likely to
add fat (not muscle) when in a surplus and lose muscle (not fat)
when in a deficit.

This is similar to what happens during stress. Stress also
does not "cause" fat gain, but it certainly correlates to
fat gain, for similar reasons. Imagine what happens when
you are stressed AND sleep deprived?

Some people seem to get by with less sleep than others. I know
many people, myself included, who excel physically on 6-7 hours
a night, so there is certainly a variation in sleep needs from
person to person.

Developing sleep habits that promote deep, high quality sleep
may also reduce sleep needs an hour or two. This includes going
to bed and waking up at the same time every night, getting to
sleep early and awake early to maximize night time sleeping hours
and daylight waking hours, sleeping in a dark room, avoiding
alcohol and stimulants prior to bedtime, reducing stress and
exercising regularly.

However, in light of past research and the new data that was just
published, if in doubt, it's surely better to err on the side of
a little more sleep than a little less sleep, if more muscle and
less fat is your goal.

St. Xavier Wins State

Soph Massa, St. X take the next step

At least one person has crowned St. Xavier the state champion.

"No one is going to beat (St. Xavier) this year," said an exasperated Centerville coach Ron Ullery following his team's 31-6 loss to the Bombers in the Division I regional semifinals Saturday in front of 6,500 fans at Paul Brown Stadium. "Go ahead and give them (the state championship) trophy."
Colerain might have something to say about that.

St. X's win over the Elks sets up a playoff rematch against Colerain next week with a berth in the state semifinals on the line. The two teams, both 12-0 this year, have met in each of the last three postseasons. "It has turned into a great playoff rivalry," St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said. "It's going to be a heck of a show."

Colerain eliminated the Bombers from last year's playoffs with a 24-7 win in the region finals. St. X ousted the Cardinals from the 2005 postseason during the Bombers' title run. Luke Massa watched the latter game from the stands at Paul Brown as an eighth-grader. He'll have a more active role this time around.

The St. X sophomore is 4-0 since taking over the starting quarterback job after senior John Hurler was lost for the season with a knee injury. Massa posted the best numbers of his brief tenure against the Elks, completing 18 of 19 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. All but one of those completions came in the first half as St. X pulled ahead 31-0 at the break.
"We don't ask him to win us football games. We ask him to manage the football game and take what the defense is giving him," Specht said. "The last four weeks he's made a lot of improvement. A few years down the road, he's going to be a special player."

The Bombers scored on five of their first six possessions and compiled 331 yards of total offense in the opening half compared to 54 yards by the Elks (9-2), who punted four times and tossed an interception before the break.
Centerville runs a triple option attack, making St. Xavier's early lead all the more daunting for the Elks.
"(Getting ahead early) was the difference in the game," Specht said. "As explosive as (Centerville) is, when you're running that offense, you are going to grind clock."

St. X opened the game with an 11-play, 72-yard scoring drive and led 17-0 by the first minute of the second quarter.
After not starting the game, St. X senior running back Darius Ashley accounted for the Bombers' second score with a 13-yard touchdown run. Ashley finished with 85 yards on 14 carries and was out of the game by halftime, snapping a five-game streak of 100-yard efforts. Centerville avoided the shutout with a 1-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter. St. X has held seven different opponents this season to seven or fewer points.

Warren wins World gold

CHICAGO - Flyweight Rau' shee Warren and middleweight Demetrius Andrade became the first Americans to win gold medals at the World Boxing Championships in eight years with convincing victories in the finals Saturday.

Warren beat Thailand's Somjit Jongjohor 13-9 despite having two front teeth knocked out.

Then he sounded a warning for the Beijing Olympics next summer.

"You better watch out. The young American is coming," Warren said.

Andrade gave the Americans their second gold when his bout with Thailand's Non Boonjumnong was stopped in the second round due to an injury.

"This is the most important thing in my life," Andrade said.

Andrade, Warren and three other U.S. boxers have earned trips to Beijing, and they were constantly serenaded with "USA! USA!" chants as they delivered the first gold at the world championships since the Americans captured four in 1999.

Warren didn't disappoint the crowd.

He led 5-1 and stayed on the attack even after two incisors got knocked out midway through the second round. He sent his opponent to the canvas with a right hook in the closing seconds.

Days before the event began, Warren guaranteed he would make the finals. Along the way, he qualified for his second consecutive Olympics.

Warren was 17 and the youngest member of the 2004 boxing team when he traveled to Athens. He was also a little lighter and less polished.

Now fighting at 112 pounds, Warren competed at 106 in Athens. A two-time national champion, he took the bronze at the 2005 world championships.

Nothing could stop him this time.

"I'm the world champion now," he said. "I can say that I'm No. 1 in the world, not No. 3. I'm No. 1."

Warren seemed to ease off in the final two rounds of his bout with Jongjohor, doing just enough to stay in control. And when it was over, he raised both arms, jogged around the ring and hugged his corner. Then, the U.S. flag was draped around his shoulders.

Warren gave himself "a B-plus" for Friday's fight, but Saturday?

"A-plus," he said.

Warren planned to put the medal around the neck of his mom, Paulette Warren Gordon. She couldn't wait, but her eyes are on a bigger prize. Warren's mother wore a T-shirt with a picture of her son posing in the backyard with 15 championship belts and the slogan: "If you want me, come get me."

"That gold is a piece of cake," she said, referring to the Olympic version. "I'm just waiting to put it on a plate."

St. Xavier 45, Elder 14

Ashley Committs to Louisville

By Jon Mahoney, Special to SI.com, RISE

St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) senior running back Darius Ashley gave a verbal commitment to Louisville on Monday over Virginia. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder is the star player for a St. Xavier football team that is 10-0 and is ranked No. 2 in the SI.com Top 25.

Ashley jumped onto the recruiting scene as a sophomore when he ran for 1,633 yards and scored 28 touchdowns to help lead the Bombers to the Division I state title. He followed that up with 1,450 yards and 17 touchdowns last year.

This season, Ashley missed nearly four games with a sprained ankle. He has returned strong from the injury, however, by rushing for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns, including a 204-yard performance in a 28-14 win over Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) last weekend.

Off-Season Strength Training for Baseball

I want to gain size and strength this winter for the upcoming baseball season. What do you recommend?

There are two goals of an off-season weight training program:

1. Aid in the preventiopn of injury to the shoulder, elbow, hips, legs, and trunk.

2. Develop a stronger and more durable athlete by increasing overall strength.

Weight training is a small piece of the puzzle when talking about the development of an off-season program. Flexibility, speed, agility, power, conditioning, balance, stability, mobility and coordination are all important in the development of the total baseball player.

You should train the entire muscle structure of the body as safe as possible. Stronger muscles produce more force, which allows the player to play stronger. A comprehensive program concentrates on increasing overall strength with emphasis on the shoulder complex, torso, hips and legs. Do not concentrate on over developing the muscles of the chest with excessive pressing movements. The upper body lifts should concentrate on the muscles of the back and posterior areas of the shoulder. Remember that the majority of the injuries in baseball are shoulder (rotator cuff and labrum), elbow, core, and hip related. Concentrate on improving strength in these areas during your training.

Be consistent with your training, add weight progressively, and make sure that you incorporate post-workout stretching. Follow a good nutritional plan that will provide you the required number of calories to feed the muscles and help with recovery. Train hard, but smart.

The Next Level Interview w/ Carlo Alvarez

St. X Football Podcast

The Next Level and St. X Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Carlo Alvarez, create a weekly in-season video and podcast journal to chronicle the training of the 2007 St. Xavier Football team.

http://nextlevelfitness.typepad.com/the_next_levelwith_coach_/2007/09/download-st_x_y.html

Words of Wisdom from USC Trojans

Football Fuel

by Susan Kundrat, MS, RD, CSSD

Daily Training Recommendations:

· Eat a big breakfast, lean, high-carbohydrate lunch, and small snack after school to prepare for afternoon practices.

· Drink extra liquids during the day to “boost” fluid stores for workouts.

· Use salt and eat salty foods during the day to help prevent cramping and enhance hydration.

· Get in a high-carbohydrate snack with a little protein within 30 minutes of every workout to boost muscle recovery.

· Eat a high-carbohydrate dinner with at least 1 good serving of quality protein to refuel energy stores.

· Take in a good snack before bed to continue to boost recovery.

Sports Vision Training

This was a recent article on the Wall Street Journal on how College football teams are rethinking the way they train their quarterbacks. Sports Vision training has become a new and exciting tool to utilize in the development of players visual acuity, tracking and depth perception. As quartebacks try to read defenses to make better decision on the field of play, vision training allows them to react quicker to the fast pace of the college football game. Here is the link to the article on the WSJ.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118852161509314157.html

The Contender SPARQ Training Session

National Powers in 'Herbstreit'

TOM GROESCHEN

ESPN and Kirk Herbstreit will be in Cincinnati next weekend. All told, seven of the USA Today Super 25 football teams also will be in Herbstreit's football extravaganza.

It's the third annual Burger King Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge, an event that longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming has called "by far, the best high school event ever staged."

The marquee game pits St. Xavier, rated No. 4 nationally by USA Today, against No. 5 DeMatha on ESPN Sunday (noon) at Nippert Stadium.


"The St. X-DeMatha game really jumps out at me," Herbstreit said in a recent interview. "The Elder-Independence game, that one really jumps out at me too."

Charlotte (N.C.) Independence is the highest-rated team here, No. 3 in the USA Today poll. Independence carries a 108-game winning streak into its game with two-time Ohio champion Elder at 7:45 p.m. Saturday at UC.

The Herbstreit games are Sept. 1-2, with seven games in Cincinnati and four in Canton.

Herbstreit helped start the event in 2005, headlined by Colerain vs. Tyler (Texas) Lee at Columbus Crew Stadium. The Challenge grew to nine games in 2006, but after losing nearly $200,000, Herbstreit acknowledged that the event almost went under.

Chicago-based Intersport marketing helped pay down the debt and also enlisted Burger King as title sponsor.

"The event is on much better footing this year," Herbstreit said. "Hopefully we can do this for years."

Herbstreit, a former Ohio State quarterback and now an ESPN "College GameDay" analyst, hopes to be in Cincinnati for the second day of his event.

"I've got 'GameDay' at Virginia Tech on the first (Saturday), then a charter to the Tennessee-Cal game that night, then hopefully take a red-eye back to be in Cincinnati for those games on Sunday," Herbstreit said.

The schedule:

Saturday at UC : 11:30 a.m. - La Salle vs. Indianapolis Cathedral; 2:15 p.m. - Colerain (No. 23 USA Today) vs. Hoover, Ala.; 5 p.m. - Moeller vs.

Mission Viejo, Calif.; 7:45 p.m. - Elder vs. Charlotte Independence (No. 3 USAT)

Saturday at Canton Fawcett Stadium: 11:30 a.m. - Grove City vs. Buford, Ga.; 2:15 p.m. - Cleveland Glenville vs. Long Beach (Calif.) Poly (No. 11 USAT); 5 p.m. - Youngstown Mooney (No. 25 USAT) vs. Gateway, Pa. (No. 10 USAT); 7:45 p.m. - Canton McKinley vs. Tulsa (Okla.) Union

Sunday at UC: Noon - St. Xavier (No. 4 USAT) vs.

DeMatha, Md. (No. 5 USAT); 3 p.m. - Clayton Northmont vs. Pittsburgh Central Catholic; 6 p.m. - Trotwood-Madison vs. Highlands

After the St. X-DeMatha game on ESPN, the Northmont-Pittsburgh Central Catholic game will be on ESPNU.

Words of Wisdom from Florida Gators

Training Volume vs. Training Frequency

What kind of overload causes the greatest training gains? Is it better to do more exercises two days a week or fewer exercises three days a week? Canadian researchers found that training volume was more important than workout frequency in developing musle mass and strength in beginning weight trainers. Subjects did the same number of exercises per week (exercises, sets and reps), but one group did them in two workouts per week, while the other group did them in three. Both groups increased in muscle mass, squat strength and bench press strength with training, but the number of workouts per week did not affect the results. This study used untrained subjects, so the results may not apply to trained bodybuilders or weight-trained athletes. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 21: 204-207, 2007)

Heat Stress Bulletin

Whether it is the air pollution or simply part of a 5 or 10,000 year cycle is unknown, but Earth is definitely getting hotter. We humans still have the same old defense systems against heat illness: raise skin temperature by raising skin blood flow; start sweating sooner; and produce more sweat. However, it takes three things for these systems to work:

1. Time for conditioning
2. Water / Hydration
3. Ability to evaporate sweat

TIME
Even an athlete in training needs time to get used to working out in the heat. It may take him only 3 to 5 days, working out for two, to at most, four hours a day in the heat (more hours won’t help, but will increase the risk). Someone out of condition may need 5 to 7 days to reach the same degree of “heat acclimatization.”

WATER
The hotter the air AND the harder the training (i.e., the more calories required for the workout), the more body water will be lost as sweat. Loss of a quart (2 lbs.) per hour is routine; losses of 2 quarts (4 lbs.) or more per hour have been measured. Note, an average man only has about 5 quarts of blood to: 1) carry oxygen to the working muscles; 2) carry heat out to the skin; and 3) provide a large part of the water lost as sweat. So, it is all too easy for the body to run low on its “radiator fluid” and overheat. Heat exhaustion collapse can occur in less than one hour; heat acclimatization and a high water intake are the two key solutions to avoid the heat illness.

These guidelines, and the following common sense suggestions, should help insure your team against heat illness problems early in the season:

1. Reduce the amount of body surface covered by clothing, particularly by impermeable plastic protective pads.

2. Schedule hard workouts for the cooler times of day.

3. Eliminate (minimize) alcoholic drinks for 24 hours before workouts in the heat.

4. Check body weight pre and post activity daily during very hot weather to be sure enough water is being taken during activity (pre and post activity weight should, ideally, be unchanged) and that there is no cumulative dehydration (day to day weight loss, if any, should not be water loss).

HYDRATION

To calculate your body’s water needs, either use .5 oz fluid per pound of body weight (bw). Or divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to find your kilograms body weight. Then multiply it by 49: to convert ml to oz divide by 30.

Example:
200 lb. Male needs:

16 oz cups X 9
12 oz cups X 12

Step 1: 200 / 2.2 = 90.0 kg

Step 2: 90.0 x 49 ml = 4454 ml

Step 3: 4454 / 30 = 148 oz

St. Xavier Tops National Poll

BY TOM GROESCHEN

St. Xavier will be rated No. 1 nationally in the preseason PrepNation.com and Rise magazine football polls, the polls' ratings editor said today.

Jamie DeMoney compiles the polls, with the PrepNation.com poll officially called the National Prep Poll. The NPP has been compiled weekly since 1987, making it the nation's second-oldest weekly high school sports ratings. The USA Today national ratings began in 1982.

"I can't give you the full list yet, but I can tell you that St. X will be preseason No. 1 in my poll," DeMoney said in an e-mail to The Enquirer Tuesday. "Colerain will probably start the year ranked between No. 15-20 nationally."

DeMoney said the full list will be released at PrepNation.com Monday morning, and also in the Rise magazine August/September issue.

He said he bases St. Xavier's rating on the fact that the Bombers return 15 regulars and will play another strong schedule, including national power DeMatha (Md.) in the Burger King Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge on Sept. 2 at the University of Cincinnati.

St. Xavier, the Ohio Division I state champion in 2005 and a regional finalist in 2006, returns several standouts, including running back Darius Ashley and linebacker Fred Craig. Craig committed to Stanford over the weekend, while Ashley is mulling Louisville, Virginia, Illinois and others.

When told of the No. 1 rating, St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said it is a tribute to past St. X teams.

"This year's team hasn't done anything yet," Specht said. "It's an honor, but it's a credit to the program (former coach) Steve Rasso built here and all the coaches and kids who have been involved."

The USA Today ratings come out around Aug. 25, poll editor Chris Lawlor said.

Chuck Vogelpohl 1150 lb. Worldrecord Squat

What Is A Winner?

1. Winners strive toward technical and mechanical proficiency.

2. Winners develop increased levels of conditioning and strength.

3. Winners have a sound mental approach that focuses toward mental toughness, self-control, and pride.

4. Winners are aware of strengths and weaknesses and work hard toward turning weaknessess into strengths.

5. Winners are open-minded towards themselves and others, willing to grow as athletes.

6. Winners are willing to take risks and look forward to the opportunity to accept challenges.

7. Winners are guided by compelling, internal goals. They don't let their external environment get in their way.

...to be continued

Persistence

I will persist until I succeed.

I was not delivered into this world in defeat,
nor does failure course in my veins.

I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by
my shepard.

I am a Spartan and I refuse to talk, or walk,
with the sheep.

The slaughter house of failure is not my destiny.

I will persist until I succeed.

by Unknown

Athletic Nutrition 101 - Part II

This is Part II of a conversation on sports nutrition and supplementation for athletes with Jan Debenedetto of VitaQuest. Hear are some of his thoughts and recommendations on a supplemental nutritional regimen for athletes. Everything is safe, legal and has scientific support.

... Depending on the sport and training demands 1.4 > 2 grams/kg bodyweight of protein daily. That is too much to get by just eating. Also that much protein requires other nutrients to balance it out for over all health as well as effectiveness.

Post workout they should take a protein shake mixed in fruit juice that will also supply sugars. The body is in a very receptive state to protein and simple carb’s for a short period of time immediately following exercise vs. an hour or more afterwards. In other words the effects are substantially greater to do it immediately. It is like buying a stock, timing is critical. Whey protein is best for athletes owing to the higher concentration of the amino acid l-leucine. It is quite anabolic. The amounts depend on the athlete, but a rule of thumb is a~20 grams of protein and about 80 grams of simple carb’s. Then two hours after that eat dinner or a meal.

Protein will acidify the body and potassium and magnesium help to alkalize the body and are deficient in the American diet. They should either eat a bunch of fresh veggies and fruits for the K and Mg or supplement with potassium as potassium citrate (up to 1 gram daily) and magnesium as magnesium malate (~400 mg daily).

Glutamine is great stuff for a variety of reasons. Animal studies showed that it can block the effects of glucocorticoids (stress hormones) that stimulate myostatin (a protein in the body that catabolizes muscle tissue.) i.e. glutamine can block myostatin and that is a good thing. Intense exercise increases glucocorticoid production. I would recommend at least 5 grams prior to workouts. It also helps to boost immunity as it is fuel for immune cells.

Creatine is very important for short burst exercise. The ones I would recommend are EAS’s Phophagen Elite because it contains beta alanine which is a muscle buffer for fast twitch fibers. Another good one is TRAC by MHP (not the TRAC Extreme – I don’t like caffeine for daily consumption at that level) and also Magnesium Creatine. Literally hundreds of studies have shown the safety and efficacy of creatine.

A Day at Speed Camp

During the summer, we have the priviledge of working with athletes at our speed development camps. The camps are designed to help athletes during their summer training improve basic skills that will allow them to maximize linear, as well as, multi-directional speed.

I have received dozens of emails from coaches and athletes from around the country wanting to find out how we breakdown our camp schedule and drills. So here goes an example of one of our modified linear (offensive) speed workouts.

Warm-up - Linear

• Arm Swings
• Heel Walks
• Anklin
• Knee Hugs
• High Leg Kicks
• A Walks / Skips
• B Walks / Skips
• High Knees
• Heek Ups

Acceleration - Wall Drills

• Single Holds
• Single Knee Ups
• Marching
• Doubles / Triples

Plyometrics - Ground Based

• Squat Jumps
• Knee Tucks
• Split Squat Jumps
• Speed Jumps

Sled Training - 10-30% of Body Weight

• Loaded Sprints x 3 @ 60yds.
• Unloaded Sprints x 3 @ 30yds.
• Loaded Sprints x 3 @ 60yds.
• Unloaded Sprints x 3 @ 30yds.

Cool Down

• Light Jog
• Hurdle Mobility
• Static Stretching

During the next several weeks, we will start adding some of the video drills to help you visualize some of the training techniques discussed in this blog series.

Giguere works up a sweat at GSSI Sweat Test

In advance of the 2006/07 NHL hockey season, Anaheim Ducks goalie Jean Sebastien Giguere was in search of a solution to combat the dizziness, cramping and fatigue he felt following games. After seeing a television commercial about triathlete, Chris Legh who collapsed due to dehydration 50 metres before the finish line, Giguere’s search led him to the Chicago-based Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI). At the GSSI, Giguere participated in rigorous sweat test and hydration analysis, helping him overcome dehydration and perform a Stanley Cup winning season.

Giguere suffered from cramping and dizziness after most games as a result of heavy sweating. Losing close to 12-15 lbs of fluid every game, Giguere was often dehydrated and susceptible to serious injury and decreased performance.
Considering a loss of just 1-2 per cent of body mass from fluid can seriously inhibit an athlete’s performance, this was a huge concern to him if he wanted to compete at the highest level. Other side effects of dehydration can include fatigue, headache, dry mouth, dizziness, muscle cramps and irritability.

Giguere’s salt and hydration status was monitored during an intense session on the stationary bike. Following analysis of his sweat, Giguere learned that although he was drinking water he was not replacing the electrolytes lost in his sweat. To stay hydrated and replenish his electrolytes, the GSSI scientists recommended he drink a properly formulated sport drink, like Gatorade before, during and after a game or workout.

-Gatorade Sports Science Institute

SPARQ Football Drills 3.5

Rau'shee Warren named USA Boxing Athlete of the Year

RAU'SHEE WARREN NAMED USA BOXING'S 2006 MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - Flyweight Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) has been named USA Boxing’s 2006 Athlete of the Year following an outstanding year. Warren, a 2004 Olympian, won two national titles as well as victories at two international competitions.

Warren opened the year in January with two victories over Belarus at the USA vs. Belarus Dual in North Miami, Fla., and Baltimore, Md. He went on to win his second straight U.S. Championships title in March at the 2006 edition and he grabbed the gold medal in impressive fashion. Warren won stoppage victories over all three of his opponents in the competition, taking the title with a second round stoppage over Oscar Venegas in final round action. Warren’s efforts earned him the Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament award for the second straight year.

Due to a slow international calendar, Warren didn’t compete in a major tournament again until the 2006 National PAL Championships in Oxnard, Calif. He once again recorded three commanding victories, stopping two of his three opponents en route to his first National PAL title. For the second straight event, Warren was given the Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament award. His victory earned Warren a berth in the 2007 U.S. Championships, the lone direct qualifier to the Olympic Team Trials – Boxing.

After winning gold in two straight national championship competitions, Warren took his first trip of the year outside of the United States to compete in the 2006 World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. Warren moved up to the bantamweight division for the international event and recorded victories over opponents from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Warren once again held the number one position in the United States from the first through fourth quarter rankings. The 2006 Athlete of Year award is the first that Warren has received after being named USA Boxing Athlete of the Month several times over the past two years. He can become the first boxer in 30 years to compete in two Olympic Games if he makes the 2008 Olympic Team in August.

2007 St. X Strongman Competition

Top 5 Pilates Exercises for Athletes

by Tracey Katona, Teacher at Nike

Pilates exercises strengthen what Joseph Pilates called the "Powerhouse". Most people refer to it in the fitness industry as your core. The muscles that make up your powerhouse are the abs, buttocks, lower back, hips and thighs. When these muscles are strengthened they protect your back from potential injury and can alleviate most existing back problems. A strong powerhouse also helps to take undo load off of your joints and spine helping the body to work more efficiently. The Pilates method is also excellent for rehabbing repetitive stress injuries, shoulders, backs, knees, and hips by focusing on strengthening the deepest muscles of the body and increasing flexibility.

The 100
This exercise is called the 100 because you do the exercise for 100 beats. It is for breathing, getting the blood flowing and strengthening your abdominals and torso.

• Lie on your back with your legs bent at a right angle. Draw your belly in like you are pressing it into the mat beneath you.

• Bring your head up with your chin to your chest looking at your belly button and stretch your arms forward like you are trying to reach to the wall across from you.

• Pump your arms up and down rapidly keeping them straight and strong. Inhale for 5 counts, exhale for 5 counts. You want to try and complete 10 sets.

• Remember to stay rounded forward from your torso not your neck! As you get better at this, start to make your legs straighter!

The Roll Up
This exercise strengthens your core and stretches your hamstrings and back.

• Lie on your back stretching your arms behind you. Your legs can be straight on the mat, or you can bend your knees if you need to modify.

• Reach your arms to the ceiling and round your chin onto your chest. Continue to roll up one vertebrae at a time. At the top, stretch forward with your belly button in to your spine.

• Squeeze your knees and buttocks together and curl your spine as you roll back down one vertebrae at a time. Repeat this 6 times. Try to keep your lower body stable and on the mat.

Rolling Like a Ball
This exercise will improve your balance, work and massage your back.

• Sit on your tailbone with your knees bent, but slightly apart. Hold your ankles with your hands and lift the feet up so you are balancing on your tailbone.

• Keep the elbows out to the side so you do not lift your shoulders up. Keep your chin tucked to your chest and round your back by pulling your naval to your spine. Fall back rolling to the shoulders and roll back up to the tailbone.

• Remember do not throw your head back or kick your feet up. Stay as round as a ball feeling each vertebra touch the mat in order on the way back and the way up. Do this 10x.

Double Leg Straight
These next two exercises are part of the stomach series. This exercise here works your Powerhouse to the extreme! It gets your entire core while fueling the stretch in the hamstrings.

• Lie on your back with your hands behind your hand. (one on top of the other- do not lace your fingers). Stretch your legs right up to the ceiling and turn the thighs out slightly to form the Pilates V. Your inner thighs should be squeezing tightly together and the negative space of your feet should from a V.

• Press your naval in to your spine like you are securing it to the mat beneath you and lit your head and shoulders off the mat keeping your chin to your chest. Keep squeezing your inner thighs and butt.

• Lower your legs down toward the mat ONLY AS FAR AS YOU CAN KEEP YOUR NAVAL IN DO NOT ARCH YOUR BACK. Then exhale and bring the legs back up to the ceiling keeping your tailbone on the mat. Repeat this 8-10.

Criss Cross
This exercise works the obliques and increases flexibility in the back, hips and torso.

• Keep your hands behind your head without lacing them and bend your knees to your chest.

• Extend the right leg and twist your upper body bringing your right elbow to the left knee. Look back to the left elbow. Make sure your upper back and shoulders are not touching the mat.

• Now bend the right knee and extend the left leg bringing your left elbow to your right knee and look back at your right elbow.

• Keep pulling your abs in and do not let them push out. Repeat this for 8-10 sets.

Adidas TechFit Powerweb

Adidas comes out with new compression shorts and shirts to improve muscular endurance, power and support during training. The new TechFit Powerweb uses strategically designed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) bands to provide wearers with greater power and explosiveness. Compression technology, which involves wrapping muscles in tight fitting fabric, has been proven to to help with proprioception and body awareness, which means better form and technique. It also provides reduced muscle vibration, improved muscle recovery and less wear and tear during workouts.

The TPU bands are anchored at key points and are focused on key muscle groups such as the upper legs and shoulders. The bands work in unison with the muscles and function like springs. When an athlete moves, one set of muscles contracts while an opposite set extends; the bands mimic this, stretching on the extension side to store elastic energy. When the process is reversed and the extended muscles contract, the bands snap back to their shorter length, providing an athlete with more power.

In controlled laboratory tests, conducted together with the University of Calgary, an average 5.3 percent improvement in power output and 1.1 percent faster sprint time was measured over 30 meters. Even more impressive, the testers registered a 1.3 percent reduction in oxygen consumption while wearing TechFit with Powerweb - a clear indication that the onset of fatigue is delayed and that performance is enhanced.

Building Team Discipline and Committment

I recently received an email from a high school strength and conditioning coach in Montana, wondering how we get our teams/players to committ to our off-season training programs and be disciplned in their approach through months of grueling training. My answer was as follows:

Priority # 1

As a strength and conditioning coach at the high school level you should have the support of your Athletic Director. The A.D. must trust that your goals and objectives are in the same order as the athletic departments mission.

Priority # 2

You and the head coaches should be on the same page. You can't have the committment of your players if the head coach isn't on the same page as you are with the program. If they don't understand your program or have questions about your philosophy, educate them every chance you get. We are in an era of sports where every coach understands the benefits of a good off-season and pre-seaon conditioning program. The coach must get the players to understand the benefits, so he can emphasize it's importance to all of his athletes. Every athlete should understand that there are certain things that must be done to get ready to play at the highest level come In-season.

Priority # 3

Program Orientation. Every player participating in the training program must understand what is expected of him. The orientation process must include team goals, program objectives, weightroom demeanor, team discipline, exercise descriptions, set and reps schemes, etc. When the athletes walk into the weightroom or are conditioning, they must understand the intensity factor. We have a few rules in our program, but an athlete knows that if they yawn it's 20 push-ups and if they sit it's 20 push-ups. Our goal is to increase work capacity and we strive towards this goal on a rep by rep basis for the entire length of a workout.

Priority # 4

Program Consistency. When dealing with a high school program, you have the opportunity to work with an athlete for four years. This provides you the opportunity to instill certain qualities in your players from a very young age. Hard work, discipline, committment, team work, intensity. I think you get the point. These are the four years of an young athletes greatest gains in height, weight, and strength, so the ability to teach exercise technique, progressive overload, consistency, and patience will allow the athletes to develop according to their individual maturity process. The maturity process for each athlete is different and you must take this into account when developing programs for your teams.

SPARQ Combine on April 15th

Last Sunday we were in Columbus, Ohio as part of a SPARQ Football combine. The combine was held at Capital University. We were very impressed with their facilities, especially considering they are a Division III school. The combine was well organized and attended. The athletes were broken into groups of 30-40. They were first led through the dynamic warm up, and then brought over to run the 40 yard dash, using the SPARQ cones. The athletes were given two tries with their best time recorded as their official time. Next up was the 5-10-5 pro shuttle, again they were given two tries with their best time as their official time. The athletes then performed the vertical jump, using force pads for measurement. The final component of the combine was the bench press. The athletes had to complete as many reps as they could with 185 lbs. Overall, we were impressed with how well the combine was run and how smoothly and quickly SPARQ was able to test almost 500 high school athletes. For results of the April 15th combine click on the link below.

http://www.sparqtraining.com/ratings/ratings_events.php

Athletic Nutrition 101 - Part I

I recently had a conversation on sports nutrition and supplementation for athletes with Jan Debenedetto of VitaQuest. Hear are some of the thoughts and recommendations on a supplemental nutritional regimen for athletes. Everything is safe, legal and has scientific support.

The BASICS
A good multivitamin mineral supplemental
If you live in the US you are not getting an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals; even if you are a couch potato. Folic acid and other B vitamins are critical for anyone consuming high protein diets since high protein also increases homocysteine and folic acid (along with other B vitamins) reduces homocysteine levels.

A good multi for an athlete should have about 3-5 x the RDA of most of the vitamins. Dr. Bruce Ames at Berkeley has strong rationale for this for the population as a whole, let alone the demands an athlete generates.

Antioxidants – a variety Lipoic acid (the R isomer is best and available through (www.geronova.com)

Polyphenols – green tea, grape seed, berries, quercetin, ginkgo (good stuff -EGB 761 extract), pine bark extract, cruciferous veggie extracts. Carotenoids lycopene, lutein, beta-carotene acetylcysteine – similar to lipoic acid in some respects.

Probiotics

• Healthy bugs – lactobacilli and bifidobacteria at least 5 billion per serving.
• These ferment carbo’s into high energy short chain fatty acids in the colon. Also help regulate bowel movements and enhance immunity.
• Recommended product is called Culturelle; good clinical studies, high potency and available at drug stores.
  

Omega 3 fatty acids (i.e. fish oils)

• 1-3 grams per day.
• Make sure they are high purity as contamination is important especially as respectable dosages. Great for blood sugar and anti-inflammatory.
  

Fiber

• At least 30 grams per day.
• This helps to control blood sugar, blood lipids and colonic health.
• Plus since our nearest animal kingdom pals – apes- eat so much fiber and pound for pound are so much stronger than us, I can’t help but think that there are other properties of high fiber diets that we have not touched upon, including the fact that gut bacteria ferments fiber to high energy short chain fatty acids.
  
  
  

What is a Workout?

A workout is 25 percent perspiration and 75 percent determination. Stated another way, it is one part physical exertion and three parts self-discipline. Doing it is easy once you get started.

A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday. It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind, and toughens the spirit. When you work out regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows.

A workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is the badge of a winner-the mark of an organized, goal-oriented person who has taken charge of his destiny.

A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence. It is a way of preparing for life's challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.

A workout is a key that helps unlock the door to opportunity and success. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental fitness are the triggers that can release it.

A workout is a form of rebirth. When you finish a good workout, you don't simply feel better. YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF.

by George Allen

SPARQ Test Shoe

Once again Nike does an outstanding job in performance design and brings something revolutionary to the testing shoe market. The shoe is specifically designed for combine testing. For the athlete who is serious about his combine scores and SPARQ Rating.They have taken the design of a track spike, added a turf sole and stability on the lateral side. It's the ultimate performance test shoe, weighing only 8.9 oz, with primary traction elements, directional outsole, lateral outrigger for stability and a propulsion plate.

When we asked Nike about the design process and the hinking behind the SPARQ Test Shoe, they were clear in saying that this is Nike's way of continually making innovative products for football players. The shoe will be a fantastic piece of equipment for running a stellar 40, having the lateral stability to perform well in the pro-shuttle and the lightness to test the vertical.

The shoe is limited right now for athletes in the NFL Combine and Pro Days, but the retail version will be available in limited quantities in early May. I also heard that the shoe will be available for athletes testing at the Nike SPARQ Testing Combines. Check sparqtraining.com for updates and news.

Must Have Training Software for 2007

Most people think of vision as seeing 20/20 on the eye chart. While good eyesight is important for most sports, it doesn't tell you anything about how far away the ball is, how fast it is moving or whether it is changing direction, how to read the defenses, see the ice and judge sideline. Coordination, accuracy, concentration, balance are just a few of the visually related abilities. If the visual information is inaccurate, it can throw off the body's timing and cause the performance level to drop.

However, in the last decade, studies have shown that superior visual skills correlate with superior performance. Elite athletes are born with superior skills. Others need to improve their skills by identifying any deficiencies and training them as early in their careers as possible. In the past, it was assumed an athlete either had good visual skills or not, and other than corrective lenses or Lasik, nothing could be done to improve that innate ability. Now your visual skills can be measured, trained, practiced and perfected.

Check out the presentation below or in the find out more section. See why this is a must have tool for any athlete who aspires to reach the next level.

http://www.vizualedge.com/presentation

300 Spartan Workout

A clip on how Spartans train.

RESEARCH:The 10,000 Steps Program

The 10,000 steps program, which was popularized by Japan, is compared to walking about 5 miles. Most people can complete this task in 30 – 60 minutes, which is the recommended amount of daily exercise by the Center for Disease Control. In a recent study that I conducted, we put the 10,000 steps program to the test.

In our research, we used two subjects, who walked for 5 minutes at 3.0 mph, then ran for 5 minutes at twice the walking rate, 6 mph, which we assumed would generate twice as many steps. The subjects were a female, who was 62” tall and weighed 51.4 kg and a male, who was 74” tall and weighed 81.8 kg. We recorded their heart rate and VO2 each minute of the test. At the end of each period we recorded their total number of steps.

The results showed that the female took 541 steps at 3 mph and 812 at 6 mph. The male took 480 steps at 3 mph and 624 steps at 6 mph. The female had a VO2 of .71 at the end of her 5 minute walk and a VO2 of 1.95 at the end of her run. The male had a VO2 of 1.17 at the end of his 5 minute walk and a VO2 of 2.84 at the end of her run. The female had a heart of 100 at the end of her 5 minute walk and a heart rate of 156 at the end of her run. The male had a heart rate of 128 at the end of his 5 minute walk and a heart rate of 189 at the end of his run. The male took 11% fewer steps than the female did at 3 mph and 23% fewer steps at 6 mph. However the male had a higher heart rate and a higher VO2 reading at the end of each period and burned approximately 25% more calories.

In conclusion, the 10,000 steps program is a good program to make people aware of the need to get active, as well as a way to motivate them to track their activity throughout the day. However, as our study showed the 10,000 steps program should only be used as a guideline to an exercise program. Our female subject took more steps, but burned fewer calories. These results could be due to the twelve inch height difference, the weight difference of 30.4 kg, or because our female subject was in better shape than our male subject. The bottom line is get active & stay active.

Spending too much money on post-workout drinks?

Chocolate milk could be the answer to a cheaper supplement. Recovery is the most important component of training. After you workout it is vital that you get what your body needs. A new study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, reports that athletes who drank chocolate milk after an intense bout of exercise were able to workout longer and with more power during a second workout compared to athletes who drank commercial sports beverages. Milk protein is an important ingredient in recovery. Post work out drinks are designed to give you the carbs and the protein you need for optimal recovery. Chocolate milk for more calories could be an ideal post workout shake.

Cleveland Indians Spring Training

I just came back from spending three days in Winter Haven with Tim Maxey and the Cleveland Indians. Tim has done a great job in designing one of the best athlete development program in all of professional baseball. The Indians place a great emphasis on the physical development of every athlete that signs with the organization. This emphasis in physical development is a priority that every staff member takes very seriously, which begins with the General Manager and filters all the way down towards the Latin American Academies.

The thing I was most impressed by, was the seamless understanding of the philosophy between the coordinators, assistants and interns. All athletes work hard and disciplined during the training and conditioning sessions. They are well supervised and every workout card is checked-off prior to the finished workout session. There is very little standing around. Players grab their cards and continue with the workout routines and conditioning responsibilities without wasting time.

The workout routines are total body and place emphasis on the posterior chain and extensor muscles. Lower-body movements include squats, rdl, lunges and Upper-body movements include, rows, pulldowns, incline db press or flat db press. There is some form of forearm work to choose from and shoulder routines are a daily necessity that get incorporated into the end of the workout,post-pitching or bullpen day. There are several core routines that are implemented in every workout. The athletes can choose from body-weight ground based, medicine balls, stability balls or corrective stabilization exercises based on pre-determined screening exercises.

Conditioning work is divided by position or player-specific needs; starters, relievers, position players and remedial conditioning for overweight players. During my time at Spring Training, position players ran 3 full gassers and 3 half gassers and pitchers would run poles at varying distances. All players were encouraged to perform 15-20 minutes of cardio work early in the morning to prep the body for the days activities.

The three days I spent with Tim Maxey at Winter Haven, made me appreciate the hard work and long hours all strength and conditioning coaches in Major and minor league baseball have to endure in getting all organizational players ready for the regular season. Good luck to all of you during the next 7 months.

Univ. of Florida Strength & Conditioning Clinic

I just returned from the University of Florida Strength and Conditioning Clinic in Gainsville and was impressed with the topics, speakers and class of the whole staff. The clinic took place on Friday and Saturday. On Friday the Strength and Conditioning staff has an in-service session that covered Neck Training, Plyometrics, Functional Exercise Variations,Training with Machines, and Agility Ladder Work.

The clininc was attended by about 250 coaches, athletic trtainers, physical therapist, strength and conditioning coaches. Coach Marotti and his staff did an outstanding job of running this two-day event. The Saturday speakers included, Susan Tillman, Clinical Coordinator from Shands Rehab, Kurt Schultz, Strength and Conditioning from Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dr. Ted Lambrinides, Director of Performance from Sports+Field, Michelle Rockwell, U. Florida Sports Nutritioninst, and Lon Record, Football Strength and Conditioning Coach for Florida International University.

The thing I enjoyed the most about this clinic was seeing all the guys that have worked together under Coach Marotti at University of Cincinnati and University of Notre Dame. The list includes Mike Vorkapich, currently working with men and women's hockey and basketball at Michigam State. Scott Holsopple, currently working with basketball at University of Kentucky. Lon Record, curently working with football at Florida International University. Frank Piraino and Sergio Lund, currently working football with Coach Marotti at U of F.

It was awesome spending time with the guys that I came up in the field with during the past 13 years. Ideas where exchanged, theories questioned and everyone called out. But one thing was made very evident. That as the field continues to grow and new methods of training are flitered into all these young up and coming coaches, the one constant is that athletics is about mental toughness, increased work capacity and putting it on the line every day for your team. It reinforced all the things we do at St. X as we pay the price everyday as we try to win another state title.

Good luck to all the basketball guys as you go into the tournament next week. Great to see all of you.

Start Training Before You Train

On your way to the training facility start training in your mind. Research has shown that mental training and imagery can improve strength and muscular endurance tasks. For years mental training and imagery has been used as a tool to enhance the performance of athletes in their sport. It can also be used in strength and conditioning. On your way to the training facility use imagery to psych yourself up, as well as enhance your lifts. On days when you are in the weight room, imagine yourself full of energy, as you rip off rep after rep effortlessly. On conditioning days picture yourself running fluently without fatigue. On agility days see your feet moving smoothly through the cones, hurdles and ladders. Use cue words like “Fast feet,” and “Explode” to help you with your visualization. See it, Believe it and Achieve it.

The Leader...by Bron Bacevich

1. There is no substitute for hard work.

2. The way the leader looks speaks louder than what he says in many instances

3. There ultimately must be action and accomplishment - he must do - something.

4. He must have cold analytical and appraisal talent - he must know other human talents - he must know other people's abilities and shortcomings.

5. He must dismiss all emotionalism and consider it only in the light of what it can do for him. It is a tool, not a master.