Sunday, July 5, 2015
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Legacy Strength Systems: Lift to Lift?Had an interesting conversation yest...
Legacy Strength Systems: Lift to Lift?
Had an interesting conversation yest...: Lift to Lift? Had an interesting conversation yesterday with a father of one of my wrestlers. He asked, "When does my son lift to...
Had an interesting conversation yest...: Lift to Lift? Had an interesting conversation yesterday with a father of one of my wrestlers. He asked, "When does my son lift to...
Lift to Lift?
Had an interesting conversation yesterday with a father of one of my wrestlers. He asked, "When does my son lift to lift?" At first, I didn't know what to think of the question but my instincts kicked in and I replied, "When he retires from wrestling." A simple answer I know but several underlying thoughts also exist here. I do understand that the training we do provides an outlet beyond one's current competitive endeavors. There is no denying the power that the team environment has on individual progress. In no other place or athletic endeavor is that more prevalent than in the weight room setting. In fact this is how our barbell sports (and to an certain extent our individual sports like track and field, wrestling, tennis, etc) operate; when a lifter is up they take center stage at that moment. For WLers, respect and courtesy dictate a silence before a maximal attempt; in contrast PLers are given support through an immense amount vocal support and emphatic coaching. In both cases the lifters have a "team" of supporters during your lift.
Most sports in the US operate in opposition. You can conceivably work your tail off in a great individual effort but yet you "team" can lose for various reasons irreverent of that individual's accomplishments that day. So when do we Lift to lift? or train to train? When we are no longer in competitive pursuits. Every one of my athletes and clients understands this. We are in a state of TRAINING...I.E. preparation and practice for performances that are bigger and better. For my clients who do not participate in sport, it may be to fit into a smaller dress size or to have less aches and pains or to manage their internal health better. In either case we are looking to do better than before, if even a little better. Our "performances" keep us in check. They give us something to look forward to, inspire us to adhere to our plan, and helps keep us consistent in our DAILY PROCESS to give us the best chance we can to progress.
In essence, lifting to lift or training to train DOES NOT EXIST. If we have no amiable goals then it is merely exercise, activity, and participation. Was it not the great coach John Wooden that said, "Reward achievement not participation."? So whatever your endeavor may be, competitive sportsman or sportswoman, "fitness" enthusiast, lifter, runner, jogger, or for your mental and physical health...don't be afraid to keep yourself in check and challenge yourself.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Sense of Pride or Selfish Proud Papa Moment?
This past wed night I had the privilege to once again knock out two birds with one stone. On one hand I had two of my private trainees headlining the Redhawk line-up and on the other of course are my Husky Amazons that I've told you guys about. While it is of proper etiquette to be "neutral" at such an event, where I get to interact with several families I work with, I really want "my kids" to play well and love it when they are victorious in their efforts like any proud mother or father would be while living vicariously through their children. Although I do not have any blood daughters on these teams I do have a sense of pride when "MY GIRLS" meet their expectations and at times,exceed above and beyond their expectations. After all I do get to interact with them in a "training" setting several times a week. Now I'm going to use TRAINING SETTING in lose terms here because while we are trying to "physically prepare for the rigors of sporting demand," the weight room represents a haven of sorts. For some (if not more than some) of these athletes "lifting time" is a time to let loose while engaging in a physically empowering activity that allows them to get away from the stresses of practice, academics, and maybe even everyday life itself. A time to for everyone to come together as equals in the pursuit of STRENGTH. The strength we're talking about is not merely limited to how much more they can pull, or how many more pullups they can do, or having the ability to get through one more GHETTO PROWLER set. In deeper and more meaningful sense its the fact that they know they are strong or at least stronger than last time. And when you know this about yourself you play and perform without restriction. For these young ladies (and I would guess for most people in general) confidence and self assurance is everything. So when I ask is this a SENSE OF PRIDE that these young ladies are representing my brand so well? or am I just another SELFISH PROUD PAPA? I can tell you I don't mind it being a little bit of both.
To Kaela and Sara, continue your hard work because it will and it is paying off!
To my Huskies, keep relentlessly pursuing perfection so that you may all certainly find excellence!
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Doing what needs to be done and beyond.
During this break let us not forget that some of us are still striving for perfection while attaining excellence. My Husky Poloettes (I prefer my husky amazons) have made some monumental strides in the initial part of their 2015 campaign. So far they are unbeaten and their STRENGTH allowed them to over take the number one ranking in the state of Illinois. The scary thing is I don't think this team is done nor have they shown their best just yet. This post is not meant to be a challenge nor a criticism to "Keep it up!" But rather a give a glimpse into why I am supremely confident in their ability to do so because we are doing things like this at 545 in the morning on top of a demanding practice and academic schedule. THE STRENGTH! THE GAS!! and THE GUTS!!!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Pride and Growth
Been way too long since I've written any thing. Call it laziness. Call it complacency. Call it what you will but I will do this more often. I really have no excuse to not be on here more often. No one who relies on themselves really has an excuse to be lazy or complacent. In fact the opposite should be true. We should be PROUD enough of what we do to let others know of the positivity, accomplishments, and inspiration that's happening around us. And for the sake of GROWTH (survival and prosperity) we MUST do this. So out of PRIDE (for my clients and what I do) and the expectation of GROWTH (of my business and myself) I report the following:
February 28, 2015; Winetka, IL : NAPERVILLE CENTRAL MEN'S SWIMMING
On this day I attended my 2nd state swim meet which featured a four team battle for the state trophy of Illinois. Last season we finished in the four spot led by senior Connor Lamb. This season even more expectations were exceeded with a third place finish and state championship in the 400 relay. I was PROUD to have worked with every swimmer on that team. PROUD to have over 20 qualifiers on that team for this meet. PROUD to have gotten to know their stories and their families. PROUD to have made that journey with them. Struggling through the tough days and enjoying the good ones. PROUD to have my seniors get the best out of themselves and come home with token of fulfillment awarding four years of pain, suffering, discipline, and sacrifice.
Been way too long since I've written any thing. Call it laziness. Call it complacency. Call it what you will but I will do this more often. I really have no excuse to not be on here more often. No one who relies on themselves really has an excuse to be lazy or complacent. In fact the opposite should be true. We should be PROUD enough of what we do to let others know of the positivity, accomplishments, and inspiration that's happening around us. And for the sake of GROWTH (survival and prosperity) we MUST do this. So out of PRIDE (for my clients and what I do) and the expectation of GROWTH (of my business and myself) I report the following:
February 28, 2015; Winetka, IL : NAPERVILLE CENTRAL MEN'S SWIMMING
On this day I attended my 2nd state swim meet which featured a four team battle for the state trophy of Illinois. Last season we finished in the four spot led by senior Connor Lamb. This season even more expectations were exceeded with a third place finish and state championship in the 400 relay. I was PROUD to have worked with every swimmer on that team. PROUD to have over 20 qualifiers on that team for this meet. PROUD to have gotten to know their stories and their families. PROUD to have made that journey with them. Struggling through the tough days and enjoying the good ones. PROUD to have my seniors get the best out of themselves and come home with token of fulfillment awarding four years of pain, suffering, discipline, and sacrifice.
February 13-14, 2015: Downer's Grove, IL: Stevie "Floyd" Schmult qualifies for state!!!
On these days I witnessed long time Legacy Strength athlete Stevie Schmult fight his ass off and qualify for the state tournament as a junior for Naperville North high. "Floyd" battled two hyper extended elbows, among other aches and pains that wrestlers do, to nab the fourth place spot in a double overtime victory that left him bloody and exhausted. Bloody and exhausted is the way this kid functions, exists, and thrives. In a tough 165 lb. division "Floyd's" was often overlooked by his competitors for his shorter stature until they locked up with him. At which time his opponents would regret ever letting him grab a hold of them...Stevie's strength is exactly that...STRENGTH. The same STRENGTH that allowed him to deadlift 440lbs. and bench press 253lbs in a powerlifitng meet in october just a few weeks before the season. The same STRENGTH that allowed him to pin an opponent during the state wrestling meet that pinned him twice during the regular season. And the same STRENGTH that allowed him take a top 8 at that very state meet.
March 21, 2015: Sycamore, IL
Long time client Megan Capek embarked on a goal setting mission for 2015 taking the plunge into a powerlifitng contest. Just a quick background on Meg...She has been training with me consistently for 3 years (even bringing her mom in who has been with me for 2) and has enjoyed the strength element since the get go. Pressing, pulling, ans squatting her way to levels of strength she didn't think possible as well as lunging, dragging, PROWLing, and dieting her way to decreased body fat. And on this day (after a few years of encouraging her to do a meet) Megan surprised no one but herself. Ending the day 9 for 9 with bests of 237 squat, 148 bench, and 270 deadlift. Keep in mind Megan let me know she wanted to lift 3 weeks before the meet...YEAR ROUND STRENGTH!!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Sorry for the absence but the holidays brought a bit of an obstacle in the form of a 3 day hospital stay. In short, it ended up being a GREAT thing because it forced me to clean up my act because...I WAS IN SOME BAD SHAPE! Anyways I weighed in at hospital on dec 26th (during the wee hours) at 274 lbs. and today am 235 lbs!!! No JIVE THANKS CARBNITE! And am in way better shape since beggining a true conditioning (CARDIO) program with ropes, kettlebells, and some intermittent walks on the treadmill. Prowler will be added soon as the weather gets warmer. Anyways here is the 1st video of 2013 featuring two of my collegiate baseball players that are preparing for their spring training in week or so.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
10.11.12 Monday
Very proud of my up and coming lifters breaking new national RAW records in the deadlift.
1st timer Stevie Schmult pulled 309 at 133 BW. for RAW American records in the AAPF and APF
Teen Veteran Nate Volles continues his immense progress with a 457 raw american AAPF pull at 198.
Video is soon to come.
Very proud of my up and coming lifters breaking new national RAW records in the deadlift.
1st timer Stevie Schmult pulled 309 at 133 BW. for RAW American records in the AAPF and APF
Teen Veteran Nate Volles continues his immense progress with a 457 raw american AAPF pull at 198.
Video is soon to come.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Prime and Recovery Part 1
Here are a series part 1 of a series of articles I'm working on that covers concepts for training athletes IN-SEASON.
Prime and Recover: Why and how
While it is common place for most every athlete (especially in the youth and HS level) these days to hit the gym or engage in a specialized pre-season prep for their season it is also common to see them stop (this training) upon the commencement of their competitive season until it ends several months later. As a private strength and conditioning coach for the past 10 years I have witnessed this very bizarre and discouraged practice. In my mind an athlete should ALWAYS be in a state of TRAINING. My definition of TRAINING means engaging in a DAILY activity (activities) that aids in the process of attaining sport skill, amplifying sport skill, increasing general skills, and stimulating the RECOVERY of the body's systems that are stressed during training and competitions. Unfortunately today's "cultish" fitness industry has led to the gross misinformation and dogmatic mentalities that have spurred a subjective based assessment of fitness in which QUANTIFIABLE results are thrown out the window. The "if it makes me sore it's a great workout" mantra is often what qualifies the worth of a coach or a trainer. This unfortunate and unintelligible outlook has led it mass ignorance of the training medium of RECOVERY. Recovery Training is what allows trainees to grow stronger, more efficient, and get the most out of each and every scheduled training session. Ignoring this medium and we will fail to reach our utmost potential (no matter what our endeavor), run our body down, and increase our susceptibility to injury.
In the case of competitive athletes whose training should be measure by their performance; recovery becomes a primary means during their competitive season. In essence all the "hard work" (in the gym anyways) has come to an end and the emphasis should be 1) on improving SPECIFIC sporting form (Ie-practice of the sport skills and in team sports practicing with implementation of strategies) and 2) getting the body and mind into prime and top condition for the rigors of upcoming competitions and events. While most every coach has the specific part down with planned practices and set goals (often pre-calculated from previous performances)...I'd hate to say but the recovery modalities must go beyond a yoga class and icing down. Both contact and non-contact sports alike share an equal risk in inducing chronic and acute injuries. In sorts like football and soccer activities like chaotic sprinting/ cutting induce micro traumas to the soft tissues of the leg and hip joints necessitating realignment, ice massage, aggressive compression, and decompression ( AKA tractioning) to restore optimal function. In sports like swimming/water polo the volume of repetitive events in one style of stroke often lead to stresses and imbalances in the shoulder girdle. The shortened ROM of the freestyle kick and the excessive internal rotation of the femur (coupled with the violent knee extension) during the breaststroke negatively stress the tendons and ligaments of the knee and shorten the muscles of the hip (extensors, flexors, rotators). Necessary recovery means here would include ART therapy, rolfing, traction/compression stretching, and passive/active PNF range of motion therapeutic exercise.
This may seem like rocket science to most but fortunately for the athlete in all of us...these means can be done by yourself and with the help of a partner. In some cases a liscensed PT, chiropratcor, or massage therapist may be a wiser choice. Stay tuned for some videos and more articles exploring these concepts.
Prime and Recover: Why and how
While it is common place for most every athlete (especially in the youth and HS level) these days to hit the gym or engage in a specialized pre-season prep for their season it is also common to see them stop (this training) upon the commencement of their competitive season until it ends several months later. As a private strength and conditioning coach for the past 10 years I have witnessed this very bizarre and discouraged practice. In my mind an athlete should ALWAYS be in a state of TRAINING. My definition of TRAINING means engaging in a DAILY activity (activities) that aids in the process of attaining sport skill, amplifying sport skill, increasing general skills, and stimulating the RECOVERY of the body's systems that are stressed during training and competitions. Unfortunately today's "cultish" fitness industry has led to the gross misinformation and dogmatic mentalities that have spurred a subjective based assessment of fitness in which QUANTIFIABLE results are thrown out the window. The "if it makes me sore it's a great workout" mantra is often what qualifies the worth of a coach or a trainer. This unfortunate and unintelligible outlook has led it mass ignorance of the training medium of RECOVERY. Recovery Training is what allows trainees to grow stronger, more efficient, and get the most out of each and every scheduled training session. Ignoring this medium and we will fail to reach our utmost potential (no matter what our endeavor), run our body down, and increase our susceptibility to injury.
In the case of competitive athletes whose training should be measure by their performance; recovery becomes a primary means during their competitive season. In essence all the "hard work" (in the gym anyways) has come to an end and the emphasis should be 1) on improving SPECIFIC sporting form (Ie-practice of the sport skills and in team sports practicing with implementation of strategies) and 2) getting the body and mind into prime and top condition for the rigors of upcoming competitions and events. While most every coach has the specific part down with planned practices and set goals (often pre-calculated from previous performances)...I'd hate to say but the recovery modalities must go beyond a yoga class and icing down. Both contact and non-contact sports alike share an equal risk in inducing chronic and acute injuries. In sorts like football and soccer activities like chaotic sprinting/ cutting induce micro traumas to the soft tissues of the leg and hip joints necessitating realignment, ice massage, aggressive compression, and decompression ( AKA tractioning) to restore optimal function. In sports like swimming/water polo the volume of repetitive events in one style of stroke often lead to stresses and imbalances in the shoulder girdle. The shortened ROM of the freestyle kick and the excessive internal rotation of the femur (coupled with the violent knee extension) during the breaststroke negatively stress the tendons and ligaments of the knee and shorten the muscles of the hip (extensors, flexors, rotators). Necessary recovery means here would include ART therapy, rolfing, traction/compression stretching, and passive/active PNF range of motion therapeutic exercise.
This may seem like rocket science to most but fortunately for the athlete in all of us...these means can be done by yourself and with the help of a partner. In some cases a liscensed PT, chiropratcor, or massage therapist may be a wiser choice. Stay tuned for some videos and more articles exploring these concepts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)