Heart rates, wattage and VO2 max testing. | Excelsior Group

Heart rates, wattage and VO2 max testing. | Excelsior Group Really interesting, cutting edge stuff from the US Ski Team.

Scientists explode the myth about running injuries

Scientists explode the myth about running injuries Not exactly what the running shoe companies would have you believe!?!

The Talent Code

The Talent Code Coaches/teachers/leaders: be careful of labeling esp. too early.

1st Annual Strength Guild Games

1st Annual Strength Guild Games Great concept for an event!

Obesity: A Threat to Your Daily Life

Obesity: A Threat to Your Daily Life Good info; not all calories are created equal.

Seth's Blog: "I get it"

Seth's Blog: "I get it" This is contrary to what many in this ADD world do! :)

Lessons from the Perform Better Training Summit

  This past weekend I went to the Perform Better Training Summit in Providence and it was, as usual, one of the highlights of the year.
  I would say Chris Porier and his crew outdid themselves in terms of the breadth and depth of the topics covered and the quality of the presenters.
  Here are just a few of the highlights:

• Mike Boyle: this Yoda of coaches is always learning and willing to admit when he was wrong. In this case, it involves breathing exercises which Boyle used to think were bunk but now finds ways to incorporate them and teach them so that it enhances client's "core function" and safety. 
• Dr. Greg Rose: this guy never ceases to impress and inform and you always come away going, "Wow", that was awesome. He talked about training rotational athletes and the information was eye opening in the sense that everyone can be trained to be powerful but what is done during certain key developmental "windows" is what determines whether someone has rocket fuel or diesel fuel in their proverbial tank. Once those windows close it is virtually impossible to make "silk out of a sow's ear." In fact, training someone who has diesel fuel too hard and explosively will almost invariably end up in injury.
• Bill Knowles: this guy is a world class post injury athletic rehab specialist with a clinic in Vermont. He client lists includes Tiger Woods, Lindsey Vonn and a ton of other world class athletes. His perspective and demonstration on the importance of training deceleration strength and ability was unique and "functional."
• Nick Winkelman: he is the director of education at Athlete's Performance and his hands on was devoted to some very creative reactive agility drills based on either verbal and/or visual cueing. Cool stuff and a great training session.
• Charlie Weingroff: he's a rare combination of brilliance, eccentricity and hard core athlete. His talk centered on debunking some of the myths of stretching and presented a strategy on how best to look at and improve mobility and flexibility in clients with the understanding that sometimes you have to refer out to people like manual therapists to resolve certain issues that won't be fixed by mobility drills.
• Dick Vermeil was the keynote speaker and his topic was on leadership. He reinforced key concepts like you must care for someone before you can lead them or they will follow you, leading by example (walk the walk), and making people understand that losing or falling short is only a temporary state (power of positive thinking).

  These are just a few of the highlights and we have already started to implement some of the concepts in our training of athletes/clients.

Train hard and train smart!

http://fitnesstogether.com/media for our website and all of our links

Do the Stuff You Aren't Good At First

 In training, as in life, it is easy to just do the "easy" things or the things you are already good at or have mastered.
  But in training to really improve and reach your goals it is imperative that you do the things that you suck at or that others won't do.
  Here are some common areas where people "suck" and try to avoid like the plague. See if any of these ring true for you! :) And be honest with yourself.

• Lower body work: there is a reason there is never a wait at the power rack...squats, deadlifts and the like are damn hard and most people suck at them. 
• Total body exercises: think of things like cleans, KB swings & snatches, thrusters, etc. They are painful just to think about let alone do!
• Intervals: again, these are painful whether on a bike or on the track. I sprint several times a week and very seldom see another person doing the same thing. Lots of joggers and walkers but not too many sprinting!
• "Unconventional" conditioning: similar to intervals, sled work, Battling ropes and the like are damn hard work but you can reap awesome results if you're willing to do the work. Even jumping rope falls into this category now as so many don't have the skills to do it. 
• Bodyweight training: though many give "lip service" to it, bodyweight training is very revealing as to  how strong someone really is and will display "holes" in their strength quite readily. Hard to hide when doing a full ROM chin-up, pushup or walking lunge! :) 

So if any of those areas haven't been part of your training program recently, or ever, then it is time to re-think things and get down to some serious work that will bring serious results.

Train hard and train smart!

http://fitnesstogether.com/media for our website and all of our links. 

Enjoy the Journey, Not Just the Destination

 I was reminded of this often used phrase this weekend when I went to watch my wife's Dragon Boat team compete in a Regatta in Philly.
   For those of you unfamiliar with Dragon Boat racing, it involves those large boats with 10 pairs (20 rowers) of rowers, a steer person and a drummer instead of a cox.
   A well coached, in synch Dragon Boat is a thing of beauty as you can see the coordinated effort to move that big boat down the course as efficiently and quickly as possible.
    My wife's group had 3 different boats in the various races, a neophyte boat, a senior boat and an elite boat.
  The group that caught my eye was the neophyte group as their unbridled enthusiasm and sheer joy at being outdoors, moving and competing was almost visceral. Several of the women on the team were cancer survivors and for several this was their first competitive sporting venture of any kind....many of them grew up in the era before Title IX and weren't given the opportunity to play sports when they were younger.
    All of the hard work, indoor rowing, time trials and other training they did over the winter and early spring paid off as they won the neophyte division handily. And the smiles and hugs afterwards were sincere and joyous....they embraced the moment but also the process.
  It is easy to get jaded when you've competed for a long time and take the wonderful opportunity and experiences that sports can afford you, esp. as you get older, and not fully savor the process and the moment. Take a moment to do that the next time you are practicing or training for your sport. Because, generally speaking, the competitive moments are just a fraction of the time you devote to your sport and if you don't enjoy the process I believe things will get "old" very fast.

Train hard and train smart!
http://fitnesstogether.com/media for all of our links