Training & Conditioning 22.3 by Momentummedia

April 2012 Vol. XXII, No. 3, $7.00

Using Social Media Outlets The Nutritionist & Strength Coach Relationship

Mad Dash Breaking down the combine's feared 40

Circle No. 100

APRIL 2012, Vol. XXII, No. 3

contents 45

30 4

Bulletin Board Shape of knee bone to blame for ACL injuries? … Coconut water’s rehydrating abilities … Groundbreaking concussion study … Detecting DOMS.

Comeback Athlete 8 Paul Astrain McClintock High School Tempe, Ariz. Sponsored Pages 53 Fitness Anywhere Product News

56 58 62 68 74

Nutritional Aids

Advertisers Directory

CEU Quiz For NATA and NSCA Members

Next Stop: Web Site

Knee Braces Rehab Equipment Football Conditioning NATA Sneak Preview

Cover Photo: AP Photos/Ben Liebenberg TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Optimum Performance

Mad Dash

The 40-yard sprint performed at combines doesn’t have to be a player’s worst fear. From start to finish, this event can be coached and improved. By Chip Smith Leadership

23 If Facebook and Twitter are foreign to you, it’s time you jumped Are You Connected?

on the bandwagon. In this article, three authors share how they are using these social media outlets to their full potential. By Luis Velez, Bill White, & Dr. Stacy Walker Nutrition

30 When Princeton University hired its first sports dietitian three Plan of Attack

years ago, she and the strength coach came up with a detailed plan of attack to work together. By Jason Gallucci & Victoria Rosenfeld Treating The Athlete

36 Do the members of your athletic department know how to Recognizing the Signs

recognize when an athlete is struggling with a mental health issue? By Timothy Neal Sport Specific

45 At the University of Arkansas, offensive and defensive linemen Operation Protection

are assigned individualized training programs based on the position’s demands and the player’s weaknesses. By Jason Veltkamp

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Editorial Board Marjorie Albohm, MS, LAT, ATC President National Athletic Trainers’ Association

Maria Hutsick, MS, LAT, ATC, CSCS Head Athletic Trainer Medfield (Mass.) High School

Jon Almquist, ATC Athletic Training Program Administrator Fairfax County (Va.) Public Schools

Christopher Ingersoll, PhD, ATC, FACSM Director of Graduate Programs in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training University of Virginia

Jim Berry, EdD, ATC, SCAT, NREMT Head Athletic Trainer Myrtle Beach (S.C.) High School Christine Bonci, MS, LAT, ATC Associate Athletics Director Sports Medicine/Athletic Training University of Texas Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN Director of Sports Medicine Nutrition Center for Sports Medicine University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Cynthia “Sam” Booth, PhD, ATC Visiting Assistant Professor SUNY Brockport Debra Brooks, CNMT, LMT, PhD CEO, Iowa NeuroMuscular Therapy Center

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Cindy Chang, MD President, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Dan Cipriani, PhD, PT Associate Professor Deptartment of Physical Therapy Chapman University Gray Cook, MSPT, OCS, CSCS, RKC Clinic Director Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy Dunn, Cook and Associates Keith D’Amelio, ATC, PES, CSCS Nike Sparq Training

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Bernie DePalma, MEd, PT, ATC Assistant Athletic Director Head Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist Cornell University Lori Dewald, EdD, ATC, CHES, F-AAHE School of Public Safety and Health American Public University David Ellis, RD, LMNT, CSCS Sports Alliance, Inc. Boyd Epley, MEd, CSCS Director of Coaching Performance National Strength & Conditioning Association Peter Friesen, ATC, NSCA-CPT, CSCS, CAT Head Athletic Trainer/Conditioning Coach Carolina Hurricanes Lance Fujiwara, MEd, ATC, EMT Director of Sports Medicine Virginia Military Institute

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Vern Gambetta, MA President, Gambetta Sports Training Systems P.J. Gardner, MS, ATC, CSCS, PES Athletic Trainer, Liberty High School, Colo. Joe Gieck, EdD, ATR, PT Director of Sports Medicine Professor, Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery University of Virginia (retired)

Allan Johnson, MS, MSCC, CSCS Sports Performance Director Velocity Sports Performance Tim McClellan, MS, CSCS Strength and Conditioning Specialist Rehab Plus Sports Performance and Injury Rehabilitation Timothy Morgan, DC, CCSP Professor of Exercise and Health Sciences University of Massachusetts Jenny Moshak, MS, ATC, CSCS Assistant AD for Sports Medicine University of Tennessee Steve Myrland, CSCS Owner, Manager Myrland Sports Training, LLC Director of Coaching, Train-To-Play Tim Neal, MS, ATC Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine Syracuse University Mike Nitka, MS, CSCS Director of Human Performance Muskego (Wis.) High School Bruno Pauletto, MS, CSCS President, Power Systems, Inc. Stephen M. Perle, DC, MS Professor of Clinical Sciences University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic Brian Roberts, MS, ATC Director, Center for Medicine and Sport Ellyn Robinson, DPE, CSCS, CPT Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Bridgewater State College Kent Scriber, EdD, ATC, PT Professor/Clinical Education Coordinator Ithaca College Chip Sigmon, CSCS*D Speed and Agility Coach OrthoCarolina Sports Performance Bonnie J. Siple, EdD, ATC Assistant Professor Department of Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences Slippery Rock University Chad Starkey, PhD, ATC, FNATA Division Coordinator, Athletic Training Program, Ohio University Ralph Stephens, LMT, NCTMB Sports Massage Therapist, Ralph Stephens Seminars Jeff Stone, MEd, LAT, ATC Head Athletic Trainer, Suffolk University

Brian Goodstein, MS, ATC, CSCS, Head Athletic Trainer, DC United

Fred Tedeschi, ATC Head Athletic Trainer, Chicago Bulls

Gary Gray, PT President, CEO Functional Design Systems

Terence Todd, PhD Lecturer, Kinesiology and Health Education University of Texas

April 2012 Vol. XXII, No.3 Publisher Mark Goldberg Editorial Staff Eleanor Frankel, Director Abigail Funk, Managing Editor R.J. Anderson, Patrick Bohn, Kristin Maki, Mike Phelps, Dennis Read Circulation Staff David Dubin, Director Sandra Earle Art Direction Message Brand Advertising Production Staff Maria Bise, Director Neal Betts, Trish Landsparger Business Manager Pennie Small Special Projects Natalie Couch Dave Wohlhueter Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell Advertising Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend Marketing Director Sheryl Shaffer Advertising Sales Associates Diedra Harkenrider (607) 257-6970, ext. 24 Pat Wertman (607) 257-6970, ext. 21 T&C editorial/business offices: 20 Eastlake Road Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-6970 Fax: (607) 257-7328 info@MomentumMedia.com Training & Conditioning (ISSN 1058-3548) is published monthly except in January and February, May and June, and July and August, which are bimonthly issues, for a total of nine times a year, by MAG, Inc., 20 Eastlake Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. T&C is distributed without charge to qualified professionals involved with competitive athletes. The subscription rate is $24 for one year and $48 for two years in the United States, and $30 for one year and $60 for two years in Canada. The single copy price is $7. Copyright© 2012 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Periodicals postage paid at Ithaca, N.Y. and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Training & Conditioning, P.O. Box 4806, Ithaca, NY 14852-4806. Printed in the U.S.A.

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ACL Injuries: Shape of Knee Bone to Blame? A recent study has uncovered new reasoning for why female athletes may be more prone to non-contact ACL injuries than male athletes. Published in the February issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the research found that a rounded tibial plateau, which is more common in women than men, may predispose an athlete to an ACL tear. Researchers examined MRI scans of 173 selected athletes who shared similar risks for ACL injuries based on their activities. The length and shape of the participants’ knee bones were measured, and researchers then compared the results of the 112 athletes who had suffered non-contact ACL injuries to the 61 control subjects who had not suffered ACL injuries. After analyzing the data, the researchers found that most of the women in the study, whether they had been injured or not, had a shorter, rounder tibial plateau—the upper part of the shin at the knee joint. Only some men in the study showed this trait, and those who did had suffered ACL injuries already. “A lot of people who have ACL tears have a high degree of laxity (loose ligaments) in their knee joints,” Christopher Wahl, MD, an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Team Physician in the Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at the University of Washington, and the study’s lead author, told Medical News Today. “When I started looking closely at the MRI images of the ‘lax’ individuals, the tibial plateau seemed very rounded and very short compared to those patients with stable knees. The outside of the knee joint almost doesn’t make sense—it is a round surface resting on a round surface—like a ball on a ball. This would seem to be inherently unstable.” The findings may provide an explanation for why the reinjury rate of ACL tears is the same among men and women even though, overall, women suffer ACL injuries two to five times more often than men. “We were surprised to find that statistically, most of the women in the study share that geometry, even if they haven’t been injured,” said Wahl. “However, only some men have this geometry, and they were the ones who got ACL tears. Put a different way, instead of asking why all females are more prone to ACL injuries, we might consider why only some men are. The male geometry is more variable than the female’s in this respect.” To read the abstract of the study “An Association of Lateral Knee Sagittal Anatomic Factors with Non-Contact ACL Injury: Sex or Geometry?” go to: www.jbjs.org and search the study title.

Cracking Coconuts With worldwide sales exceeding $450 million, coconut water has drawn a lot of attention in the last few years—and is 4

T&C APRIL 2012

continuing to grow in popularity. Now, a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition offers some research indicating that coconut water may work as well as sport drinks containing carbohydrates and electrolytes when it comes to rehydrating athletes. In the study, 12 exercise-trained men underwent hourlong periods of dehydrating exercise. The participants lost approximately two percent of their body mass (about 1.7 kilograms) over the course of the hour. After the exercise period, participants drank 125 percent of their lost body mass (about two liters) via one of four different beverages: pure coconut water, coconut water from concentrate, bottled water, and a carbohydrate-electrolyte sport drink. Each participant repeated this protocol four times, in order to be tested with each of the beverages. Researchers found that both pure coconut water and coconut water from concentrate were equally effective as the sport drink in rehydrating the participants. All four drinks were also found to have similar impacts on performance during a treadmill time-to-exhaustion test. However, there were more reports of mild stomach upset and bloating resulting from both coconut water options compared to the sport drink or water. Researchers believe these reactions resulted from consuming a large volume of liquid in a short amount of time, and recommend determining individual tolerance to coconut water before use. The study was funded by the Vita Coco Company, which manufactures the pure coconut water used in the study, although the research was conducted by independent scientists from Miami Research Associates and the University of Memphis. “Additional study inclusive of a more demanding dehydration protocol, as well as a time trial test as the measure of exercise performance, may more specifically determine the efficacy of these beverages on enhancing hydration and performance following dehydration exercise,” the study concluded. The study “Comparison of coconut water and a carbohydrate electrolyte sport drink on measures of hydration and physical performance in exercise-trained men” can be found at: www.jissn.com/content/9/1/1.

New Thinking on Causes of Concussions The results of a two-year study of high school football players are calling into question traditional thinking about how an athlete obtains a concussion. Instead of being caused by one impact, some concussions may be the result of a series of hits to the head. Published online in the Journal of Biomechanics in January, the research was performed by the Purdue TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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Board Neurotrauma Group (PNG) at Purdue University, which studied football players at Jefferson High School in Lafayette, Ind. The group evaluated players with a neurocognitive screening test that was administered before, during, and after each season, in addition to using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and helmet sensor impact data. One critical finding was that brain changes were happening without any outward symptoms of a concussion. The fMRI scans revealed that players who suffered the most hits had increased changes in brain activity, indicating that their mental functions were being adapted due to the impacts. Further, an accumulation of these smaller hits were making the players more susceptible to a concussion. “The most important implication of the new findings is the suggestion that a concussion is not just the result of a single blow, but it’s really the totality of blows that took place over the season,” Eric Nauman, PhD, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue and one of the study’s authors, told Science Daily. “The one hit that bought on the concussion is arguably the straw that broke the camel’s back.” With these findings, researchers may be able to determine the number of blows it takes before brain impairment begins—which may prompt the development of safety

guidelines for how many hits players can safely take in a given amount of time. “This is still circumstantial evidence, but it suggests that whether you are concussed or not, your brain is changing as a result of all these hits,” Nauman said. In response to the study’s findings, the Sports Legacy Institute has proposed a “hit count,” which would limit hits to the head for young athletes in a given amount of time. The idea is based on pitch counts that are used in an effort to reduce overuse injuries in baseball pitchers. The PNG will continue its research in this area and hopes to add female soccer players to the study. Case studies from players who take the highest number of hits will also be tracked with MRI scans to see if there are permanent structural changes in the brain. Results from this study could help in developing more accurate methods of detecting concussions and cognitive impairment, as well as to characterize model cognitive deficits from head impact more accurately. To read the abstract of the study “Biomechanical correlates of symptomatic and asymptomatic neurophysiological impairment in high school football” go to: www.jbiomech.com and search the study title.

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Measuring Muscle Soreness As one of the most common recurring sports injuries, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) can be a huge problem for athletes of all ages. The condition can cause severe pain 24 to 72 hours following exercise. However, it is not easily measured or quantified because traditional research methods rely upon invasive techniques or subjective data. New research from Loma Linda and Asuza Pacific universities may change this. Rather than using the visual analogue scale (VAS), which subjectively measures pain by having patients rank their soreness on a scale, researchers measured slight changes in the temperature of skin covering exercised muscles. The measurements were taken non-invasively with thermal infrared imaging. “The main advantage of this technique is that unlike visual scales, which are kind of a subjective measure of whether someone is sore or not, this technique gives you quantifiable, absolute data,” Jerrold Petrofsky, PhD, Professor of Physical Therapy at Loma Linda and study researcher, told Science Daily. In the study, which was published in the January issue of the Journal of Visualized Experiments, Petrofsky and fellow researchers wanted to explore the possibility of using thermal infrared imaging in relation to DOMS. Despite being used to detect infections and diseases for over 50 years, this was one of the first times thermal infrared imaging had been used to detect muscle soreness. Researchers believe that utilizing this measuring technique will allow for a quicker and more accurate diagnosis of DOMS. It is also preferred because it is a less risky and less invasive method, unlike a needle biopsy. To view the abstract of the study “The Use of Thermal Infra-Red Imaging to Detect Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness” go to: www.jove. com and search the study title. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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ComebackAthlete

Paul Astrain

McClintock High School, Tempe, Ariz. Paul Astrain was about to enter his freshman year at McClintock High School in Tempe, Ariz., in 2009. He was lifting weights with several of his teammates in preparation for the upcoming football season when he felt something amiss. “We were doing power cleans, and I didn’t have the form right,” he says. “I felt a little tweak in my lower back. At the time I thought I had just pulled a muscle, so I didn’t tell my coaches. I went home and talked to my older brother who told me that I was going to be sore all the time and was just going to need to deal with it.” Astrain iced and stretched his back, but over the coming months, the pain persisted and eventually grew worse. He still didn’t tell his coaches about the problem, and pushed his way through the football season despite being very uncomfortable. Then, in the spring of 2010, he was playing in a club soccer tournament in California when he suffered another injury. “I was playing defense and was sprinting after a ball,” Astrain recalls. “I jumped to try and clear it, and I felt a pop in my back. The pain was much worse than the tweak I had felt while lifting the previous summer.” Astrain finished out the tournament, but upon returning home the pain continued, so he had his back examined by a doctor. An x-ray revealed a herniated disk, and Astrain was told to immediately stop all physical activity, including lifting weights with any of his teams and during gym class. He soon started going to physical therapy and his back began to improve. After missing baseball season, Astrain was cleared for football practice over the summer, and finally felt like he was getting back on track. But when Astrain was playing dodge ball with some friends that fall, he felt sharp pain in his back again. When doctors examined him this time, the diagnosis was grim. “When the doctors looked at my back, they told me it resembled that of someone much older,” Astrain recalls. “It was really scary to hear that, especially because by that point it didn’t hurt very much anymore.” In November of 2010, Astrain underwent a microdisectomy for the herniated disk, and when he emerged from surgery, he was forced into a sedentary lifestyle for nearly a month. “I had to stay home from school, and about all I could do was watch television,” he says. “I even had to sleep and get out of bed a certain way, which was really difficult. I’ve always been active and involved with sports, and to have to sit on the sidelines like that was discouraging.” 8

T&C APRIL 2012

After undergoing a microdisectomy for a herniated disk, Astrain recuperated at home for almost a month, then he was back on the soccer field another month later. Once he was able to start moving around again in December, Astrain began working with Mollie Callanan, PT, a Physical Therapist at Ahwatukee Sport & Spine in Phoenix. The first week that they met, Callanan evaluated Astrain’s functional mobility and strength deficits. She reviewed proper posture and body mechanics with him while he was sitting and standing, and put him on a light stretching regimen. “My basic goals for Paul coming out of the surgery were to help him regain functional mobility, maintain a neutral spine, and get him on a hip and core stabilization program to help him regain strength.” Callanan says. “I focused on neutral spine stretches—being careful to avoid extension and the surgery site—and basic stretching such as pelvic tilts, lumbar paraspinals, and hip flexors.” In the second week, Astrain started riding a stationary bike. Callanan had noticed in Astrain’s initial evaluation that he displayed weakness in his hips and glutes, so she had him start a hip series and exercises such as clams and bridges as well. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

ComebackAthlete By this point, Astrain had gone through a handful of sessions with little pain, so Callanan focused on improving his strength while remaining cautious. “Pain is a reminder of when you need to stop or alter an exercise,” Callanan says. “But Paul was very motivated and I had to be careful he didn’t overdo it. You can tell when a patient is pushing too hard, because it causes them to lose form. I always emphasize quality over quantity.” Astrain began doing supine bridges—both double- and single-leg—on a therapy ball, and started using leg weights to increase his quad and hamstring strength. Callanan also had him start to focus on balance with standing, single-leg balance activities on a Bosu. Throughout the rehab process, Callanan was never concerned that Astrain wouldn’t be able to return to sports. However, she made sure his motivation to return didn’t result in disappointment when any setbacks arose. “One week he came in a little more sore than usual and was very disappointed,” she says. “So I explained the healing process to him and the normal length of recovery for someone who undergoes a procedure like his. He seemed more hopeful after that.” By the end of his first month, Astrain began light weight training, doing rows, extensions, and core presses. Not long after, he added leg presses, squats on dynamic surfaces, and focused on building up his quads, hamstrings, and hips with step-ups and step-downs. Heading into the final few weeks of his rehab, and with his

functional strength returning, Callanan began incorporating sport-specific training into Astrain’s rehab. “We began with some light jogging exercises, and he started doing running drills with cones,” she says. “I wasn’t trying to do anything difficult—just test the waters, so to speak.” By this time, Astrain’s exercises included therapy ball pushups, chest presses, and flys, as well as diagonal and sideways walking with a Thera-band. His progression continued smoothly, and by the end of January 2011, he was cleared by his doctors to resume athletic activities—provided he take it slow. But in February, Astrain injured his knee in a club soccer game and was once again forced to the sidelines. He recovered in time to play baseball for McClintock in the spring of 2011, and over the next few months began focusing on playing sports at the high level he was accustomed to previously. To help achieve his goal, he started working with Alex Arteaga, CPT, a Personal Trainer at Just Fitness in Tempe. Knowing his client had suffered multiple injuries, Arteaga had a simple goal in mind when he began designing Astrain’s workout. “All I wanted to do initially was get Paul’s core and back stronger,” Arteaga says. “He’s a young kid, very athletic, who wants to be outdoors playing sports. And instead he was getting injured and forced to stay inside playing video games because his core and back muscles simply weren’t strong enough to handle physical activity for any length of time, especially at the level he wanted to play at.”

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ComebackAthlete "My wrap is

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Paul Astrain McClintock High School Tempe, Ariz. Sport: Soccer Injury: Herniated disc Result: After several additional injuries, Astrain returned to play and was captain of his high school soccer team in 2011.

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Arteaga prides himself on thinking outside the box when it comes to devising a workout plan. In keeping with that spirit, his work with Astrain took place not in a gym using traditional equipment, but outdoors, where Arteaga used natural surroundings to his advantage. “I don’t often have the people I work with use machines, because I think they can do that on their own,” he says. “What they’re looking for from a professional is something different. “In Paul’s case, I thought that doing his rehab outdoors would be good for him physically and mentally,” Arteaga continues. “He needed to get outside and be active.” Arteaga spent his first week with Astrain working to strengthen his core and back. But like Callanan, he had to

“I had Paul concentrate on using correct form ... It got to the point where he would stop doing an exercise because he didn’t feel his form was good enough. I knew then that he really understood its importance.” be careful not to push Astrain too hard. His doctors had recommended that Astrain not put any weight on his shoulders (so he didn’t compress his spine) or sprint. Those restrictions meant that for the first week they worked together, Astrain was mostly limited to dynamic stretching, light jogging, bodyweight squats, sit-ups, and pushups. “Rather than focusing on getting him able to lift weights, I had Paul concentrate on the importance of using correct form,” Arteaga says. “For example, he was initially struggling to do squats with the correct form, so I brought him over to a park bench and told him to sit and stand like he normally would. After he did, I told him, ‘That’s a squat,’ and I could see the light bulb go off in his head. “I emphasized to Paul that if he used the correct form, he would advance quicker through his rehab,” Arteaga continues. “It got to the point where he would stop doing an exercise on his own because he didn’t feel his form was good TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

ComebackAthlete enough. It was great to see that because I knew then that he really understood its importance and wasn’t just doing the exercise because I was telling him to.” The dynamic stretches focused on getting Astrain’s legs and back stronger. “To work his legs, I’d have him start with his feet together, then squat down almost like a sumo wrestler,” Arteaga says. “That stretches the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. For his back, he did butt-kickers, highknee hugs, and straight leg marches. He also did lunges with back twists.” In addition to traditional strengthening exercises, Arteaga had Astrain try Muay Thai combat training—mostly combinations of punches and kicks. Arteaga says it helped the rehab go smoother. “I wanted to break up the monotony of doing certain exercises and give Paul something to work toward. He knew if he got through his exercises, he’d get to do Muay Thai.” As the weeks progressed, Astrain started doing singleleg high step-ups on park benches, stationary lunges, and a pair of unique exercises performed on playground equipment. “We would go to a small swing set and Paul would grip the top bar, bend his knees a little bit, and do a pull-up,” Arteaga says. “I had him do triceps extensions in a similar fashion. Then we would go over to a slide with safety bars on the sides about three to four feet high, and I’d have him get situated almost like he was going to do an incline pushup. He’d grip the bars, bend his knees, drop

his elbows in, and push back and forth. It worked several muscle groups at once.” Astrain’s back was holding up nicely by the end of the summer, so Arteaga’s goal at this point became getting him in shape for soccer. “I’d have Paul do frog pushups and singleleg jumping lunges to work on his explosiveness,” Arteaga

Arteaga had Astrain try Muay Thai combat training—mostly combinations of punches and kicks. “I wanted to break up the monotony of doing certain exercises and give Paul something to work toward,” he says. says. “At this time, he had been cleared to sprint, so I would have him run around the park, then do some Muay Thai, then run around the park again. It was all about getting gas in his tank for soccer.” Last fall, all his work finally paid off. Astrain, fully recovered from his injuries, was the captain of his high school soccer team as a junior. He stopped playing football and baseball, however, to minimize future injury risk. He says the long rehabilitation process never got him too discouraged. “Confidence was key for me,” he says. “My father always told me not to worry about things I can’t control, and that’s what I tried to do.” n

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Optimum performance

Mad Dash The 40-yard sprint performed at combines doesn’t have to be a player’s worst fear. From start to finish, this event can be coached and improved. By Chip Smith

PERFECT SET UP The first phase is the athlete’s stance. The athlete should start by placing his power foot on the starting line. If he isn’t sure which foot that is, there is a simple test you can perform. Stand behind the athlete and have him close his eyes. Gently push him forward, and whichever foot he steps forward with is his power foot. After the athlete places his power foot on the Chip Smith, CSPS, is the Founder of Competitive Edge Sports (CES), which has locations in Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston. He has trained over 300 players currently on NFL rosters, in addition to more than 40 Olympic athletes. He can be reached through the CES Web site at: www.competitiveedgesports.com. 14

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ap photos/ben liebenberg

he 40-yard dash is the most feared, lied about, and misinterpreted four to five seconds of agony in a football player’s drive to reach the next level. It also happens to be one of the most respected tests, sometimes worth millions of dollars or a college scholarship to the athlete if he runs it well. The good news is that just like any skill, the 40yard dash can be coached and improved upon. I have a systematic approach to coaching the players I work with on the 40, and using it has helped improve the linear speed of hundreds of athletes. The biggest thing I’ve learned in my years coaching this skill is that the saying “practice makes perfect” has never been truer. An athlete who wants to get faster must practice the following five phases of the 40 over and over again.

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Take the Offensive Against Acute Ankle Injury with DonJoy® Stabilizing Ankle Brace And when you tally the final scores, bracing also comes in as a low-cost alternative to athletic tape, especially when considering the application time and material factors. If the game is about preventing ankle injuries and reducing costs, DonJoy’s low profile and versatile Stabilizing Ankle Brace has clearly earned MVP status. DJO Global offers a comprehensive portfolio of ankle braces, ideal for foot and ankle injury prevention and treatment. For more information, call 760.727.1280 or 800.793.6065 or visit djoglobal.com. Source: McGuine T.A., Brooks A. Am J Sports Med.2011 “The Effect of Lace-up Ankle Braces on Injury Rates in High School Football Players”

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Optimum performance starting line, have him bend down and push his front (power) knee forward so it is in line directly above the foot. I tell my athletes to imagine they are being photographed for a group picture and they are on one knee in the front row with their arms resting on that knee. The athlete’s back foot should go about four to six inches directly behind their front foot. Keeping their head up and back straight, have the athlete position their arms next. If their right foot is back, they should place their right hand just outside their shoulder on the starting line. If their left foot is back, they would place their left hand outside of the shoulder on the line. Some coaches teach opposite hand, opposite foot, but I think it’s easier to remember “right foot back, right hand on the line, left foot back, left hand on the line.” The opposite arm should be cocked with about a 90 degree angle in the elbow, which should be positioned slightly higher than the plane of their back. The athlete’s back leg should be bent slightly, with 80 percent of their weight on the ball of their front foot. Their

hips should be cocked slightly higher than their head. At this point, athletes have two choices for head position. Some prefer to look down at the start line, while others prefer to be looking up. If they like to have their head up, have them fix their eyes on a point 20 yards down the field. I suggest that athletes try to stay relaxed because tense muscles tend to make them run stiffly. This is definitely a challenge for a lot of players on combine day because they are often very anxious, but it is something they can practice beforehand. I tell my athletes to take lots of deep breaths, inhaling slowly, and to visualize themselves running their best time. One of the things I am always telling the players I train is that we want to run 39 yards, not 40 or 41. This means they should crowd the starting line as much as possible. Any athlete preparing to run the 40 should practice getting into their stance until it becomes second nature. Getting into position should eventually be something their body is able to do without much thought.

OFF THE LINE Some say that the first step of a sprint is the most important. It’s also the toughest to coach. I tend to do a lot of explaining when it comes to the first step, and I’ve learned that imagery is a good teaching tool for this stage of the sprint. With 80 percent of their weight already on their front foot, the athlete should transfer their remaining weight onto their front foot just before they take off. They will have the sensation of falling forward on their face, but just before that happens, they will explode off the line with both feet. It’s an innate reaction to keep themselves from falling forward. I like to illustrate this idea by comparing the first step to the cocking of a double-barreled shotgun. By cocking both hammers of the shotgun instead of just one, you get twice the explosive power. By exploding off the line with both feet, it’s a more violent explosion from their stance. I’ve had players jump forward off one foot, then both, to show them how much further they can go when using both feet.

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WORTH FIXING? Over the last 25 years, I have seen just about every form of bad running mechanics that exists, from improper arm action to bad posture, from running flat-footed to over striding, and from sitting back on the haunches to running too tense. But after years of trying to fix all these bad habits, I learned that it’s not always worth it. The fact is, I teach very little technique. Most of the clients I take on are between 23 and 25 years old and their running mechanics are permanently embedded into their muscle memory. The way they run now is the way they have run since they were young. This could mean two decades of proper running mechanics and positive reinforcement, or two decades of poor mechanics and negative reinforcement. In the case of bad mechanics, it’s almost impossible to change running style at this point. Even if we spent the time to try to force positive motor patterns, when sprinting, athletes often end up reverting back to what they learned when they were younger because it feels natural.

However, if the athlete is younger—12 to 13 years old—I will spend time working with them on improving their mechanics. I believe this is young enough to be able to make permanent changes in how an athlete moves. Champ Bailey is one of the best players in the NFL, and is certainly one of the greatest athletes I have trained. When I first started working with Champ, I thought his running gait was terrible. He barely picked his feet up off the ground, would swing his arms across his body in an ice skating motion, remained bent over at the waist, and overall, had an incredibly inefficient running style. But somehow, that unconventional running style worked for Champ. I trained him without trying to change his natural running mechanics. Instead, I concentrated on making him more explosive in his natural running style. That’s what my training philosophy is all about: taking great athletes and helping them maximize their potential.

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Optimum performance stepping out to the sides, he is covering more ground and will be slower. The second is if he is using his heels to apply force to the ground. If he is pushing off with his heels and not the balls of his feet, he wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get as much explosive power off the line.

This is an example of the Valsalva maneuver. By holding your breath, you raised your blood pressure and intra thoracic pressure, which gave you added strength and explosion. You can use this same principle to gain an edge in your 40-yard dash takeoff.â&#x20AC;?

I break down each phase of the 40 into strides, or optimal foot strikes. Most of my athletes have had success with six to seven steps in the first 10 yards. Less than six strides likely means that an athlete is over-striding and more than seven strides likely means an athlete is â&#x20AC;&#x153;spinning their wheels.â&#x20AC;?

DRIVE PHASE After exploding off the start line, the first 10 yards are what I dub the â&#x20AC;&#x153;drive phase.â&#x20AC;? I believe that the first 10 yards of the 40 are the most crucial. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the slowest portion of the race because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the segment in which athletes generate the power and momentum that will allow them to achieve the fastest speed possible by the time they cross the finish. I break down each phase of the 40 into strides, or optimal foot strikes. Most of my athletes have had success with six to seven steps in the first 10 yards. Less than six strides likely means that an athlete is over-striding and his foot is striking the ground in front of their center of gravity, causing a braking effect and slowing the running motion. More than seven strides likely means an athlete is â&#x20AC;&#x153;spinning their

Pushing off the ground with both feet on your first step is a perfect illustration of Newtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When starting a sprint, the more force that goes into the ground, the faster and

more explosive the athlete is propelled into forward motion. I routinely videotape my playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 10-yard starts and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proven to be a great way to get them to improve their first step. By using video, I can show the player exactly what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m talking about and he can make the necessary adjustments. There are two things I look for in a 10-yard start. The first is whether the athlete is stepping out laterally. If he is

One often-overlooked aspect of a playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s start is proper breathing technique. I tell the athletes I work with to use a breathing technique called the Valsalva maneuver just before they push off. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how I explain the technique: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Has your mother or grandmother ever come to you and asked you to open a stubborn jar of pickles for her? You grabbed the jar, held your breath, and twisted the lid until it came off, right?

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Optimum performance wheels” and could benefit from taking longer strides. When they are running, I coach my athletes to maintain a straight line as they drive their lead leg straight up toward their chest, then straight down under their hips. Just like their first step off the start line, they should continue to keep their feet moving forward and landing under their hips (center of gravity). Staying close to the sideline or hash marks can help them maintain a straight line because they can use the line(s) as visual references. It’s also important to remain in an aerodynamic posture to decrease wind drag. The athlete should stay low with a forward lean, and keep their head down throughout the drive phase. I teach my players to focus on an object about 20 yards down the field or track. They are to stay low until they reach that mark, when they should be in an upright position. Moving to the upper body, I stress that the optimal hand position is one that is relaxed. I coach players to hold their index finger and thumb lightly together, keeping their arms moving cheek to cheek, coming across the body just slightly—as if zipping up their coat. Driving the back arm forward from the shoulder and through the elbow also helps with acceleration. The faster a runner moves his arms, the faster his feet will go. TRANSITIONING The athlete should be very close to maximum stride length between the 10- and 30-yard marks, meaning they complete 10 to 11 strides over these 20 yards. Turnover rate—the time it takes an athlete to complete a stride—should be nearing peak levels. To help athletes with this phase, I tell them to maintain good butt kick by “cycling” their legs as if they are on a bicycle. Much of the mechanics started in the drive phase should continue throughout these next 20 yards, including arm drive from the shoulder through the elbow. At this point, arm drive should be in sync with knee drive. As the athlete drives their left arm up toward their cheek, their right leg should be firing toward the hip. It should be a natural motion to move opposite hand, opposite leg. During the first half of the transition phase, the athlete should continue leaning forward like they did over the first 10 yards, but by the time they hit the TRAINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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Optimum performance 20-yard mark, they should be upright. It is also important to maintain relaxed hands and a relaxed upper body since a tight upper body can slow a runner’s turnover rate. TO THE FINISH The last 10 yards can make or break an athlete’s 40 time. If an athlete has not worked on increasing his strength base,

cords, and/or weighted vests). Another is by practicing longer sprints of 50 to 60 yards. This allows the athlete to increase their speed endurance and delay the onset of muscle fatigue. It also helps produce more powerful strides that maintain a faster turnover rate over the duration of the race. Maintaining proper running mechanics that include explosive knee drive,

The athlete should stay low with a forward lean, and keep their head down throughout the drive phase. I teach my players to focus on an object about 20 yards down the field or track. They are to stay low until they reach that mark, when they should be in an upright position. this is the phase of the race in which he will begin to decelerate. Ideally, the entire 40 yards are pure acceleration. Sprinters don’t generally reach their top speed until they’ve covered 60 to 65 yards, so athletes should never decelerate when running the 40. One way to counter this is to train with resistance (parachutes, resistance

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fast arm action, and the ability to stay relaxed remain paramount through the finish line. I coach my athletes to accelerate through the finish line. Most pro scouts stop their timers when the player’s back foot comes across the finish line, and not when they break the surface of the line with their front foot. Players must make sure they sprint all

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the way through, 10 yards past the finish line. At top speed, an athlete’s stride rate should be about two strides per five yards traveled. So when they hit the last 10 yards, an athlete should only take four more strides to the finish. As a general rule, I try to keep the players I train within 18 to 20 strides over the full 40 yards. But I also keep in mind that each athlete’s striding depends on their body, and especially its flexibility. One of the most effective things I can do for players who want to increase their speed is make sure that they continue to work on their overall flexibility. Dynamic and static flexibility increases range of motion, joint mobility, and tendon strength. If I train a player who has little flexibility, I can probably decrease his 40 time by at least .01 to .02 seconds simply by making him more flexible. Finally, if an athlete knows he’ll be running on a grass field, turf field, or track at a combine, he should practice on that surface so he is comfortable with it. The overall key to a great 40-yard time is to practice, practice, practice. n

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LEADERSHIP

Are You Connected?

Luis Velez, MA, LAT, ATC, CSCS, is an Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Specialist at Lenoir-Rhyne University, where he works with the men’s soccer and baseball teams. He is also an instructor in the School of Health, Exercise, and Sport Science and can be reached at: velezl@lr.edu. Bill White, ATC, is a Program Manager and the Director of Training and Employee Relations for Work-Fit®,® which provides injury prevention and rehabilitation solutions, as well as fitness and wellness programming, in the industrial setting. He can be reached at: bwhite@work-fit.com and you can follow him on Twitter at: @atcref. Stacy Walker, PhD, ATC, is an Associate Professor and Clinical Education Coordinator at Ball State University. She can be reached at: sewalker@bsu.edu and you can follow her on Twitter at: @sewalkerat.

If Facebook and Twitter are foreign to you, it’s time you jumped on the bandwagon. In this article, three authors share how they are using these social media outlets to their full potential.

college strength coach communicates with one of his teams via Facebook in an effort to keep everyone up on their summer conditioning. An athletic trainer working in the industrial setting uses Twitter to keep up on what’s happening in the profession and network with his fellow colleagues. And an athletic training program director uses both outlets to disseminate her research and studies done by others. These three authors are using social media in unique ways, and you can, too. All you need is Internet access and the drive to get started.

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LEADERSHIP

MEMBERS ONLY by Luis Velez

ne of the biggest challenges facing college strength and conditioning coaches is motivating athletes to follow through on their summer training programs. For about three months, athletes are away from campus and the responsibility to continue training lies solely on them. The stakes are even higher for fall sport athletes

captain sends all players a Facebook invitation to join. Once a player has accepted, they have access to everything I’ve posted, including videos of core exercises, calisthenics, and plyometrics. There are also videos showing proper technique, variations, and progressions, which are especially helpful to athletes who are new to the team. The players who demonstrate in the videos are current team members or recent graduates who wear official team practice gear. I think that showing alumni or current teammates doing the workouts is important because it adds a level of interest and excitement for

Relationships and rapport among the players develop throughout the summer even though they never see each other in person or even talk on the phone. For new athletes, these interactions help facilitate a seamless transition onto campus. because they need to arrive on campus in shape and ready to work hard—especially freshmen and transfer students. I face this challenge annually with the Lenoir-Rhyne University men’s soccer team, with one additional difficulty: Many of our players come from other countries. A simple phone call becomes complicated due to time zone differences and long distance charges. E-mail is an option, but it can be difficult to explain an exercise via e-mail— especially if the athlete is a freshman or transfer and you are unfamiliar with their training background. Another option is to record the exercises and drills on a DVD and mail it to the athletes, but this can be cost-prohibitive when shipping to foreign countries. Thankfully, due to the evolution of social media and the popularity of Facebook among college students, I’ve found an answer. Over the past two summers, I have communicated with all of the players through a private Facebook “group” that only the athletes and myself have access to. It has simplified our communication and is very cost-effective. I treat our group page as a resource for the players. The team captain and myself created the page and we both have “administrator” access to it, which allows us to post and delete content and invite players to join the group. When summer begins, the team 24

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incoming freshmen and transfers. Although the Facebook group has been a great addition to my traditional summertime approach, it has not replaced the materials I always send home with players. Everyone is still supplied packets that include the training program, goals of the workouts, sequences of the workouts, exercise progressions, diagrams of agility drills, picture progressions of exercises, nutrition guidelines, workout charts to fill out, and my contact information. The additional material players can access on the Facebook page is only a part of the benefit. In addition to videos and updated team info, the Facebook group encourages communication. Players can ask me questions about their training on our group page, in a private Facebook message, or through my school e-mail address and cell phone number, which I post on the group page. The group also gives players a chance to keep in touch with each other throughout the summer break. The captains the past two years have been diligent about updating group content, establishing contact with newcomers, and maintaining regular contact with their current teammates. And the captains get a chance to establish accountability. For example, one of our fitness tests is traditionally conducted at dawn on the first day of preseason. Called the Cooper

Test, it’s a two-mile run that has to be completed in less than 12 minutes, which is definitely a challenge for the players. In the team’s summer training program, the Cooper run is required twice. The captains post their times and challenge other players to post theirs. It turns into a fun competition to see who is running the fastest two miles, and leads to a pretty exciting track meet at our first preseason session. Knowing that teammates are working hard can be inspiring and instrumental in contributing to team success. It has also been interesting to see how relationships and rapport among the players develop throughout the summer even though they never see each other in person or even talk on the phone. For the new athletes, these interactions help facilitate a seamless transition onto campus. Foreign players get to share their culture, sense of humor, favorite music, and more prior to arriving in the States. Ultimately, excitement is generated among the team for the upcoming season before they even set foot on campus.

ADVANCING YOUR CAREER By Bill White

oes Twitter have any benefit to me as an athletic trainer? Can I really advance my career in 140 characters or less at a time? These are questions I asked myself before jumping into the land of Twitter back in 2008, and soon after I made the plunge I was able to answer them both with a “yes.” If you’re surprised, consider the following: You’ll learn something. If you want the latest news nowadays, you don’t have to wait to turn on the six o’clock news or even refresh your favorite Web site—you can just go to Twitter. The same applies to our profession. You don’t have to wait for the latest sports medicine journal to arrive to learn something—you can go to Twitter for that, too. Whether it is a professional blog post, news on a recent study, a job posting, or other information relevant to athletic trainers, sports medicine TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

LEADERSHIP professionals are sharing it on Twitter. Look no further than the NATA Annual Meeting, where athletic trainers in attendance tweet live about the latest developments as they happen. You’ll make professional contacts. Networking is paramount to professional growth. Numerous athletic trainers and athletic training associations are on Twitter, including the NATA (@ NATA1950) and the Board of Certification (@BOCATC). Twitter is a great venue to “meet” other professionals that you may never have made contact with otherwise. You can have a conversation with other athletic trainers via Twitter by joining dialogue about topics related to our profession. In fact, this past winter I was able to generate good discussion with several other athletic trainers about the NFL’s decision to assign independent athletic trainers to the sidelines during games. You’ll share something of value with others. Growing professionally is also about giving. Twitter is truly a community, and if you simply take and don’t give, you’ll miss out on the full value of Twitter as a professional. No group ap-

preciates members who only take, and the same holds true for Twitter. To be a valued member of the Twitter community, share links that are great resources, re-tweet interesting links or notes, and reply to other athletic trainers. Don’t just

will be more likely to follow you once you begin following them. In order to follow another athletic trainer you already know or a professional group like the NATA, use the search function to type in their name.

If you want the latest news nowadays, you don’t have to wait to turn on the six o’clock news or even refresh your favorite Web site—you can just go to Twitter. The same applies to our profession. You don’t have to wait for the latest sports medicine journal to arrive to learn something —you can go to Twitter for that, too. promote your own agenda without regard for others–that gets old quickly. So, how do you start advancing your career through Twitter? The first step is to go to twitter.com and create a profile. Because you’re using Twitter to meet and converse with other professionals, I recommend identifying yourself as an athletic trainer or sports medicine professional in the visible part of your profile. This way, other athletic trainers

Then click the “follow” button. You can also use the search window to find others to follow by typing in “athletic trainer,” “sports medicine,” or other related terms. The list that pops up includes people from all over the world who have included these terms in their profiles. Once you begin identifying and following people in the sports medicine profession, look at who they follow. I

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LEADERSHIP logging on and creating an account doesn’t mean you’re finished being a part of the Twitter community. Your journey is actually just beginning. You need to tweet often in order to converse with others. Each tweet consists of 140 characters or less, and

recommend following as many fellow professionals as possible who will likely then follow you in return. A great place to start is with our own NATA and BOC organizations. The NATA Twitter account has over 4,000 followers and the BOC Twitter account has over

Each tweet consists of 140 characters or less, and in this space you can ask an athletic training-related question, share something personal, re-tweet something someone else has posted, or share a link to a news article, blog post, or photo. in this space you can ask an athletic training-related question, share something personal, re-tweet something someone else has posted, or share a link to a news article, blog post, or photo. You can also reply to others’ tweets. If someone asked a question you know the answer to, tweet it. If you have an opinion about an article someone posted, tweet it. Many of my tweets are links to news articles, studies, or other pieces of information pertaining to sports medi-

1,500 followers. You’ll definitely find numerous sports medicine professionals who will be worth following. Some people join Twitter, follow just a couple of people, post one tweet, get no responses back, and then wonder what the big deal is. They don’t understand why no one else is following them and see little value in the service. But think about it: If your Twitter community consists of two people, you probably aren’t going to get much out of it. Just because you “arrive” by

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cine. I also often re-tweet something of value that someone else tweeted. Other times I ask a question designed to get an answer, or I may ask an open-ended question designed to start a discussion among my followers. The time you devote to using Twitter is completely dependent on you. The more time you spend on it, the more you will get out of it. A great place to start is to tweet a couple of times a day (you can even schedule your tweets ahead of time if you use an application like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck) and check your account one to three times a day. This will help to establish you in your community of followers and gain more followers yourself. Though you are using Twitter for professional reasons, you don’t have to limit yourself to strictly professional topics. You may find that someone you’re following likes the same television show or sports team as yourself. Your conversations around the athletic training room aren’t simply about injuries and the same holds true for Twitter. It’s a great way to build further camaraderie in your professional community.

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LEADERSHIP By using Twitter, athletic trainers can add to their “toolboxes” and grow professionally. Sharing knowledge, ideas, and experiences are extremely valuable to us as professionals, and Twitter gives athletic trainers the opportunity to do so across state borders—and even continents—with ease.

EVIDENCE ONLINE By Dr. Stacy Walker

t used to be that the only way to share a colleague’s study or your own research was through face-to-face conversations with peers or via mailed hard copy. Then, e-mail and digital publishing made it easier to disseminate evidence to a group of your peers much more quickly. Now, we have an even faster and more effective way of sharing important research with colleagues: through social media. Outlets like Twitter and Facebook have changed the way we share evidence with each other. Professionals are now sharing their own and others’ research with a few strokes of the keyboard and a couple clicks of the mouse. What makes social media such an effective method of disseminating evidence is that research can be shared with numerous individuals at once. Instead of making and handing out copy after copy, one link posted on your Facebook page or Twitter feed can be clicked on by anyone connected to your social media outlets. If those colleagues then share or re-tweet the link, the information has the potential to be shared with your peers across the country and even internationally.

BE A FOLLOWER You can learn a lot by keeping up with research studies that your colleagues and professional organizations post. Here’s a list of some of Dr. Stacy Walker’s favorite organizations to follow on Twitter: American Medical Association @AmerMedicalAssn Athletic Training & Sports Health Care journal @ATSHCJournal CDC Injury Center @CDCinjury NATA @NATA1950 National Strength and Conditioning Association @NSCA Training & Conditioning magazine @TrainCondition

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LEADERSHIP For example, the January issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research contained a study that found a correlation between the temperature reading obtained through an in-helmet monitoring system and rectal temperature. Because heat stress is such a sensitive and important issue in the athletic training profession, you may want to share the study with your colleagues. You could compose a tweet that includes a short description of the study and a link to the abstract on the journal’s Web site. Everyone who follows you on Twitter would see it in their feed. Or you could post it on your Facebook wall for all of your Facebook friends to see. You can also link your Twitter and Facebook accounts so that anything you tweet shows up on your Facebook wall simultaneously. Getting the link out there to your colleagues all at once is only one of the many great things about using social media to disseminate evidence. What happens after you post the info can also be very valuable to you and your peers. For example, a fellow athletic train-

er can comment on your post about the temperature study and include a link to another similar study or one that questions the findings. Then others can chime in with their own anecdotal experiences about heat stress and temperature readings. Your knowledge about the topic—as well as all your Twitter followers’ and Facebook friends’

of your newer followers can then go back through your feed and search for any past tweets labeled #evidence or #NewStudy they may have missed. An important word of caution when it comes to posting links to others’ research or studies is that you need to be careful with news articles or blogs about the research, which may

What happens after you post the info can also be very valuable to you and your peers ... A fellow athletic trainer can comment on your post about the temperature study and include a link to another similar study or one that questions the findings. knowledge—has expanded just like that. A very timely and hot topic can get people energized to post, ask questions, and question current practice. One of the nice features you can use when posting a tweet is to add what’s called a hashtag: a word or phrase with the pound sign (#) in front of it to categorize the post. For example, anytime you post a research study, you can end your tweet with “#evidence” or “#NewStudy.” Any

not report the finding accurately or thoroughly enough. Since you are attaching your name to the post, try to link directly to the study or make sure you are able to defend the information you post. Take advantage of the immediate sharing you can do on Facebook and Twitter. Time is everything today, and these social media outlets can save you a lot of it when it comes to sharing evidence. n

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Beverly Schaefer

NUTRITION

Plan of Attack By Jason Gallucci & Victoria Rosenfeld

When Princeton University hired its first sports dietitian three years ago, she and the strength coach came up with a detailed plan of attack to work together.

At Princeton University, athletes like Alex Capretta are benefiting from the collaboration of the athletic department’s sports dietitian and strength coach.

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t the NCAA Division I level, there are currently 25 full-time sports dietitians. In the last three years, Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Indiana, Washington State, Houston, and George Mason have all created new full-time positions. Texas A&M and Notre Dame both added second full-time positions. In addition, there are nearly 200 sports dietitians working in athletic or athletic medicine departments on a part-time basis or as consultants. If your school doesn’t have a sports dietitian on board yet, chances are one will be coming soon. As more athletic departments hire or consult with sports dietitians, it is important that strong partnerships with current staff members are formed. Along with making the work environment comfortable for everyone in the department, great partnerships allow the student-athletes to reach their performance goals. One of the most important relationships is between the sports dietitian and the strength and conditioning coach. Both positions have the same overall goal: to help athletes perform at their best. And when the sports dietitian and strength coach work together as one team, this goal can be met quickly and

easily. This, however, can be easier said than done. Although they share the same goal, when a sports dietitian is brought in to work side-by-side with the strength coach, it isn’t always a seamless transition. The strength coach may feel that their “territory” is being invaded. The dietitian may feel that their knowledge of sports nutrition is being ignored. Here at Princeton University, we quickly learned how to work with each other for the benefit of our student-athletes, and it’s brought about some great improvements in performance. UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER We have been growing and cultivating our working relationship at Princeton for three years, and we believe that the main key to making it work so well is the level of respect we have for each other—both as professionals in our fields and as co-workers. We embrace the reality that without each other, our efforts result in suboptimal outcomes Jason Gallucci, MS, SCCC, is Director of Strength and Conditioning and Victoria Rosenfeld, RD, CSSD, is a Sports Dietitian at Princeton University. They can be reached at: jgg109@princeton.edu and vrosenfe@princeton.edu, respectively. T&C april 2012

NUTRITION for the athletes we work with. As the strength coach, Jason understands that a sports dietitian can be an extremely valuable asset to his department. Not only do dietitians possess expert knowledge about how to help athletes take their training to the next level outside of the weightroom, in order to obtain board certification as a specialist in sports dietetics, they must also have a good understanding of energy systems and exercise physiology. In short, they understand how strength coaches develop training programs for athletes.

source for student-athletes, which can be a big help for the strength coach. For example, many sports dietitians are advanced practitioners in specialty areas like eating disorders and body image issues. If a strength coach is struggling to get through to a female athlete who is reluctant to follow the training program for fear of “bulking up,” the sports dietitian may be able to step in and ease the athlete’s worries. He or she can dispel myths about weightlifting and explain to the athlete what changes they can expect to see in their body while

One of the first steps we took when we started working together was to make sure that we both sent a consistent and clear message to our student-athletes about how much nutrition impacts sports performance. A shared philosophical approach is a must. At Princeton, one of the strength staff’s greatest challenges was finding time to disseminate nutritional information to the student-athletes. With over 30 teams and a staff of only four, time is a precious commodity. The inclusion of a sports dietitian to the “team” was certainly a welcome addition. Having someone with expert knowledge in the field that sees things from a slightly different perspective, yet has a shared purpose, has saved the strength staff countless hours and has strengthened our program. A sports dietitian is also a great re-

emphasizing the improvements they will see in their performance if they follow the strength coach’s program. Sometimes athletes are more comfortable approaching sports dietitians with sensitive questions or concerns because the dietitian is not generally viewed as a member of the coaching staff like a strength coach is. Instead, he or she is seen as a support staff member whom athletes can confide in. One of the benefits of Princeton’s sports dietitian being a member of the athletic medicine team is that all con-

DIETITIANS FOR HIRE If you are a strength coach in the process of convincing administrators to hire or consult with a sports dietitian, here are some talking points on the benefits a dietitian can bring to your school: • Diet management and monitoring • Dietary supplement control • Anti-doping supervision and education • Performance and recovery foods • Education and one-on-one counseling • Athlete recruitment and retention • Budget management and cost reduction To learn more about sports dietitians, go to: www.sportsrd.org and www.scandpg.org.

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versations with student-athletes, along with their medical records, are considered confidential. This helps an athlete who is struggling with a serious issue like an eating disorder or disordered eating to feel more comfortable and willing to speak with the sports dietitian. This respect goes both ways. As an incoming sports dietitian, Victoria understood that the strength and conditioning staff had been filling a void when it came to athlete nutrition—for many years. While a strength coach may not have the same depth of education in sports dietetics as a dietitian, nutrition is a key topic in major certification exams and many have studied nutrition as part of their undergraduate and/or graduate education. They may also have participated in nutrition training and have developed the sort of expertise that comes with hands-on experience. If the strength coach has been working at the school for any number of years, they have spent countless hours with student-athletes and may be protective of the relationships and results they have worked to achieve with them. When a strength coach seems reluctant to work with a sports dietitian, the dietitian should respect the strength coach’s past efforts and maintain professionalism while allowing their work to speak for itself. Victoria’s advice, especially to sports dietitians just starting their careers, is to be confident, yet humble. The dietitian’s clear contributions to athlete performance will not be lost on the strength coach and he or she will come around soon enough. ON THE SAME PAGE One of the first steps we took when we started working together was to make sure that we both sent a consistent and clear message to our student-athletes about how much nutrition impacts sports performance. A shared philosophical approach to nutrition and strength training is a must. We know that if we are going to be effective as training and nutrition specialists, we cannot undermine each other in our respective areas of expertise. It is especially important that our athletes always hear the same message because here at Princeton, sports nutrition is housed in the athletic medicine services department. This means Victoria does not have an office in the strength training facility and is not always able to spend time directly with the studentTR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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NUTRITION athletes. It’s often left up to Jason to communicate our shared philosophy. Nutrition is a component of a wellbalanced training program, and we share a food-first philosophy. Food first means that until an athlete has achieved all they can with their nutrition program, we usually won’t consider supplementation. We often ask our athletes, “Why would you supplement a poor

shows our student-athletes that the areas of nutrition and strength and conditioning go hand-in-hand. We distribute educational materials to athletes that we created together, including what we call high performance nutrition fact sheets. These one- to twopage handouts are based on specific goals or needs we see in our athletes, and address topics like hydration, pre-

Because we work in separate buildings, we communicate frequently via e-mail, but also make sure not to lose sight of the value of routine face-to-face meetings. We speak freely, directly, and don’t hold back any punches. diet?” Then we educate them about what eating right can do for them. We were very lucky that we both believed in this philosophy before we met. As the sports dietitian, all Victoria had to do was listen and support what was already going on. One way that we both promote our shared philosophy is by working together on various projects. This furthers our respect for each other and

exercise fueling, post-exercise fueling, nutrient timing, and the effects of alcohol consumption on performance. We also created tabletop cards with similar information on them to adorn the dining hall tables during preseason camps. In the near future, we intend to better utilize new technology and social media to share these messages. The strength and conditioning department launched its Facebook page last year,

which includes all of the high performance nutrition fact sheets. One of our other collaborations resulted in the first official nutrition supplement policy at Princeton. The policy provides clear guidance to students and staff on the health and safety issues surrounding supplement use, as well as a guide for coaches who are making supplement purchases. In the policy, our preference for food first is made clear and student-athletes are instructed not to purchase or ingest any supplements without first meeting with Victoria for a complete nutrition assessment or product evaluation. Together, the two of us have full oversight of the specific products that are recommended and approved for purchase by coaches. Victoria was also recently appointed by the athletics compliance office to fulfill new NCAA bylaws that require institutions to have someone responsible for supplement evaluation and education of staff and students. COMMUNICATION SYSTEM As with any relationship, regular communication between the sports dieti-

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NUTRITION tian and strength coach is a must. If communication skills are lacking on either party’s part, we strongly encourage you to recognize it and get some training on how to communicate better. Great communication is especially important right away when your relationship is just beginning. Each person should familiarize themselves with the other’s work and environment. Whenever possible, the sports dietitian should be present in the weightroom and other training facilities on campus during various training sessions, including teams’ preseason, in-season, and off-season workouts. The strength coach should explain the teams’ or athletes’ daily, weekly, and monthly workout programs to give the dietitian an idea of the physical requirements the athletes face. And the strength coach should consider attending any performance nutrition presentations by the sports dietitian. These opportunities are extremely valuable in conveying a united front. The sports dietitian should also ask the strength coach how he or she can help. If the strength coach already has a nutritional program in place, it should be discussed so that the sports dietitian knows what sort of plan the athletes are already following. As our relationship grew, so did our communication. Because we work in separate buildings, we communicate frequently via e-mail, but also make sure not to lose sight of the value of routine face-to-face meetings. We speak freely, directly, and don’t hold back any punches. That is the benefit of working together over time and being open minded. In the fast-paced setting of intercollegiate athletics, it can be difficult to find time for regular face-to-face meetings. So while we do not have a set schedule for how often we will meet or for how long, communication between us remains constant. These meetings don’t often take place in either of our offices, but rather are regularly determined by the best place to eat. At our meetings, we discuss goals and projects for each season, including specific needs of certain teams, which athletes are using recovery drinks and why, which athletes need help with preseason fueling, and the progress of individual athletes who are working on weight gain or loss. We may also TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

discuss the safety and efficacy of popular supplements to recently hit the market. Both of us typically prepare information that is pertinent to our respective department and then we collaborate through open discussion. As with any relationship, differences of opinion are bound to arise. The key is to be able to listen to each other and compromise. When a disagreement does occur, both parties should look at the facts, gather research and evaluate the results, including doing literature reviews. This is particularly

important when it comes to topics like changing body composition or the possibility of using a supplement. Communicating as a team will make a positive impact on student-athlete health and safety. n

To download the supplement policy that the authors created together, go to: www. Training-Conditioning.com/ PrincetonSupplementPolicy.pdf.

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TREATING THE ATHLETE

Do the members of your athletic department know how to recognize when an athlete is struggling with a mental health issue?

erik isakson/corbis/ap images

Recognizing the Signs By Timothy Neal

t’s 3 p.m. and you hear a knock on your office door. “Can I talk to you about something?” asks a men’s soccer player. You invite him in and he proceeds to tell you that he has a history of depression and feels like it is getting out of control as a result of recently losing his starting position on the team. He admits to not listing his history of depression and use of anti-depressant medication on his health history form because he was worried about the stigma that comes with “being depressed.” You are on a team bus traveling to an away game with the basketball team when your cell phone rings. On the other end of the line is the women’s track and field coach and she is talking quickly without taking a breath. One of her athletes just told her she has been having thoughts about suicide. The coach explains that the athlete had been underperforming for some time, but she didn’t think too much of it—until now.

Timothy Neal, MS, ATC, is the Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine at Syracuse University. He was presented with the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2010 and can be reached at: tlneal@syr.edu. 36

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TREATING THE ATHLETE Now take into account the following statistics: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released research last fall that says one in 25 U.S. teenagers takes anti-depressant drugs and that one in 100 U.S. adults made plans to commit suicide within the past year. The CDC also reported that adults ages 18 to 29 are more likely to have suicidal thoughts, make plans to attempt suicide, and actually attempt suicide than adults over age 30. These scenarios and statistics serve as reminders that college athletic departments need effective policies on how to handle student-athlete mental health concerns. If your school doesn’t have one, it should. If your school has a longstanding one, it likely needs an update. As athletic trainers, we are in a great position to champion these efforts. Student-athletes see us as trusted allies and often come to us when they are having personal problems, so who better to push for a comprehensive policy that protects their mental health and well-being?

There have been instances when an athlete needed specialized care and the only place to go was off campus. Having already established relationships with professionals in the local community has proven invaluable. FIRST STEPS Here at Syracuse University, we are constantly working to address mental health concerns on campus. That’s why developing a mental health considerations document for the athletic department was a natural step to stay in front of mental health concerns that are continuing to escalate on campuses nationwide. But before beginning to put together your own document, there are several proactive steps you can take: Do research on mental health issues and concerns in the college student population to enhance your knowledge of the subject matter. You may know that college students struggle with mental health issues, but do you know any statistics to back up your creation of a policy? I decided to start our document with an introductory portion that highlighted the need for such a document. Going on the Internet and researching recent mental health incidents made it easy for me to develop this introduction. (See “Resources” on page 42 for links to helpful Web sites.) Collaborate with your school’s counseling services long before you need them. Meet with the counselors on campus so that you can get to know them. Talk with them about your plan to develop a mental health policy for the athletic department and establish relationships with them so you can easily refer athletes to them in the future. This is also a good way to learn about recent trends in mental health issues facing today’s college students. And you can collaborate with off-campus mental healthcare professionals in similar ways. This includes psychologists and psychiatrists in the local community who you can refer student-athletes to, or who know of other mental healthcare providers you can refer student-athletes to. There have been past instances in our department—and I anticipate future ones—when an athlete needed specialized TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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TREATING THE ATHLETE care and the only place to go was off campus. Having already established relationships with professionals in the local community has proven invaluable. Develop relationships with your school’s office of student affairs, risk manager, institutional legal counsel, and public safety department. Reach out to them, discuss your desire to develop a mental health plan, and get their input on its development. It is vital to develop a relationship with each of these departments because the student-athlete is first and foremost a student. Any incident that occurs must be treated in collaboration with these university departments for the benefit of the student as well as managing risk to the institution. Convince athletic administrators that a mental health policy is necessary. You will also need to work closely with administrators when developing your plan. This may be the easiest part of the process because the institutional and athletic department leaders’ primary concern for any student is their safety, health, and well-being.

It has been my experience that when developing a document, one needs to illustrate the need to administration, draft a plan for consideration by all pertinent parties, then work collab-

area mental healthcare professionals including counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. I asked them what they thought was most important to know or be aware of when it comes to

A list of “behaviors to monitor” is meant to educate coaches and staff members about the signs and symptoms of a mental health problem. Coaches should take the time to familiarize themselves with and truly understand the signs so they can quickly recognize a problem. oratively to finalize the plan based on input from these various entities. This proactive approach reduces confusion for athletic department personnel and gets student-athletes any help they may need quickly. IDENTIFYING A PROBLEM By meeting with and collecting input from other stakeholders, you’ll get a sense of exactly what to include in your policy. Here at Syracuse, I also informally polled both athletic department personnel and a group of

potential mental health issues facing the student-athlete population. The athletic department personnel I spoke with said it was most important for them to know who to call for help, while the healthcare professionals emphasized how important it is to be able to identify a mental health issue. As a result, when I developed our policy, my two goals were to educate the athletic department staff about behavior(s) that might indicate a mental health problem and put in place a referral mechanism so that

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TREATING THE ATHLETE student-athletes get the professional care they need. The piece of our policy that addresses the first goal is a list of “behaviors to monitor.” This list is meant to educate coaches and staff members about the signs and symptoms of a mental health problem. Coaches should take the time to familiarize themselves with and truly understand the signs so they can quickly recognize a problem and step in to find help. However, it must be noted that everyone experiences stress and reacts

dent-athletes who no longer participate in activities they once enjoyed, like playing video games, listening to music, watching movies, or dating, may be depressed. Some student-athletes may even openly express a loss of interest in their sport, and quitting the team is a definite red flag. Problems concentrating, focusing, or remembering: High levels of stress, as well as depression, can affect daily mental activity and lead to difficulty expressing thoughts. For example, depressed athletes can have a hard

Unless they are a licensed counselor, no member of the athletic department should ever attempt to treat an athlete with a mental health illness ... However, if they suspect an athlete has a problem, athletic department personnel should act quickly to find out if the athlete needs help. to stressful situations in varying degrees. And not all student-athletes who exhibit one or more of the following behaviors necessarily have a mental health problem. Behaviors may be singular or multiple in nature, and range from mild to severe in presentation. The overarching idea is that if any of the following are out of character for the athlete, the referral system (detailed in the next section) should be activated. Withdrawal from social contact: Though some student-athletes may be shy or less outgoing than their teammates, withdrawal from social contact is a prime symptom of clinical depression. It is normal for student-athletes to want “alone time,” but extending their time alone to uncharacteristic levels can be a sign of distress. Changes in eating and sleeping habits: Changes in sleeping habits could include a student-athlete regularly falling asleep in class or team meetings, or the athlete missing or being late to practices, meetings, or games because they overslept. Noticeable weight gain or loss is also cause for concern, as is a student-athlete who used to eat with teammates suddenly choosing to eat alone. A student-athlete obsessed with their eating, or who is incessantly talking about their weight may also have a mental health issue that includes an eating or body image disorder, which needs to be addressed as well. Decreased interest in activities: Stu40

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time describing what they are going through, or require more time to get their thoughts together before they can verbalize how they are feeling. It’s also important to note that recent research suggests concussions impair both cognitive and emotional abilities. Any student-athlete who has sustained a concussion should be monitored for depression—especially a student-athlete who has a history of depression. Frequent complaints of fatigue, illness, or injury: Mental illnesses, especially clinical depression, are a mind and body phenomenon. Student-athletes may report feeling like they are in a fog, tired all the time, or that they often have headaches, body aches, or an upset stomach. Injuries that should have healed with treatment and rest may all of a sudden seem to linger, continually “nagging” or hanging on longer than expected. The student-athlete may even appear to constantly be “injured,” moving from one injury to the next, always unavailable for full participation. Loss of emotion or heightened emotion: As depression or other mental illnesses set in, a student-athlete may become less emotional, or have what is referred to as a “flat affect” where they look expressionless or their reaction to stimulation or conversation with others is lacking. However, the opposite may also occur with some student-athletes tearing up or crying over minor events. Others may become

more animated, laughing at inappropriate times. Deliberate self-harm: Someone who is suffering from a mental illness may resort to self-harm, such as cutting or branding themselves, as a way of dealing with their problems. Wearing longsleeved shirts and/or pants in spite of warm weather to cover up the cuts are indicators that self-harm may be occurring. Becoming more irritable: Mental health experts believe that depression is associated with high levels of anger and frustration, including violence, particularly in men. Lashing out at others, overreacting to minor incidents, impulsive behavior or language, and impatience may be signs of depression and other types of mental illnesses. Drug and alcohol abuse: While many college students, athletes included, consume alcohol, if consumption regularly becomes excessive in terms of volume or at odd times of the day, it can be indicative of a mental health issue. This can be tough for a coach or athletic trainer to notice, but teammates may pick up on a problem and should be encouraged to report it to you. Talking about death, dying, or going away: Making comments about this subject matter, even in generalities, is an indication that a student-athlete is severely depressed or is experiencing a significant mental illness. Predicting whether someone will attempt suicide is quite difficult, even for mental health experts and medical personnel, but any mention of suicide by a student-athlete should be taken very seriously. REFERRAL SYSTEM To meet the second goal of making sure that our student-athletes get the help they need, our policy includes advice on how to approach a studentathlete suspected of having a mental health issue, as well as information on when and how to refer them for specialized care. Unless they are a licensed counselor, no member of the athletic department should ever attempt to treat an athlete with a mental health illness, and this must be made clear in every school’s policy. However, if they suspect an athlete has a problem, athletic department personnel should act quickly to find out if the athlete needs help. Approaching anyone with concern about their mental well-being can be TRAINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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TREATING THE ATHLETE an uncomfortable experience. A private meeting with the athlete is usually best, but it may be helpful to have another coach, team physician, athletic trainer, or staff member present—especially if the other person has an established relationship with the student-athlete. Empathetic listening and encouraging the student-athlete to speak so that you can figure out what is going on is recommended. It is also important to let the student-athlete know that people care about them as a person. Consider

asking questions that are open ended: • How are things going? • Can you tell me what’s going on? • Your behavior has me concerned … • Is there something I need to know to understand what happened? • Can I ask you how those cuts got on your arm? • Have you or are you now talking to someone about what’s going on? • Would you like to talk to someone about the situation? There may be incidents when the student-athlete is less than honest or is

RESOURCES NCAA  www.ncaa.org/health-safety Mental Health America  www.mentalhealthamerica.net National Institute of Mental Health  www.nimh.nih.gov Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  www.dbsalliance.org National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

resistant to share the details of their mental health. This is a natural reaction to the stigma that many still associate with mental health issues. In these instances, gently illustrating that an emotional or mental issue is cause for medical concern or—just as a musculoskeletal injury is—it’s important that the problems be evaluated further. In several instances, I have convinced student-athletes to go for a mental health evaluation because I feared a potential issue could arise. I don’t tell them that they have a mental disorder because I am not a trained mental healthcare professional. Saying that it might be a good idea to “go for an evaluation” is a gentle way of getting them to a mental healthcare professional to determine if there is a problem that needs to be treated. I usually start by having a private conversation with the student-athlete and our team physician. During the meeting I bring up the benefit of visiting a counselor in addition to any other treatment the physician feels is warranted. Whether the athlete is willing to discuss their behavior with you or

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TREATING THE ATHLETE not, once you have approached an athlete about your concerns and they are willing to go for an evaluation, they should be referred to a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist as soon as possible. I usually make initial contact with the mental healthcare professional for the student-athlete. This is where a prior relationship is beneficial—the mental healthcare professional knows of your background and interest in referring student-athletes for a mental health evaluation. I also ask the student-athlete to sign a release so that I can be updated on whether they are attending their sessions. I do not want or need to know the nature of the sessions, just if they are going. An attendance binder is kept in a locked cabinet, separate from their regular medical chart and I make sure the athlete knows this.

Assure the student-athlete that being referred for an evaluation is not any different than being evaluated for a physical injury. You can also assure them that you will not talk about them to others without their permission. There are student-athletes who will refuse counseling for various reasons, namely the long-held belief that counseling carries a stigma. Unless the student-athlete’s behavior raises concern for imminent health or safety reasons, or a code of conduct violation has taken place, the student-athlete cannot be compelled to report for an evaluation. The best tactic you can take is to encourage them to consider an evaluation that may help them deal more effectively with their stress or personal issue. Assure the student-athlete that being referred for an evaluation is not any different than being evaluated for a physical injury or illness. You can also assure them that you will not talk about them to their coaches, parents, or teammates without their permission. If a student-athlete reports suicidal feelings or makes comments referencing suicide or harming themselves, do not under any circumstances leave them alone. You should be familiar with your institution’s emergency mental health action plan, which is usually produced by the office of student affairs. Call for assistance using this mechanism. DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION Once the document has been developed and approved by all concerned parties, it should be distributed annually to all administrators, coaches, athletic trainers, team physicians, and support staff. Encourage those receiving the document to familiarize themselves with the contents, and to ask questions about the document or address other concerns to the sports medicine department. Stress to all that early detection and intervention is important in assisting the student-athlete with a potential mental health issue. Of course it would be ideal if a mental health document were never needed, but it’s better to be prepared. Having a proactive approach that includes a solid athletic department policy on student-athlete mental health is important for athlete safety and well-being. In the scenarios detailed at the beginning of this article, the right policy would guide you through the process of helping the athlete. n TRAINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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sport specific

n o i t a Oper n o i t c e t Pro

At the University of Arkansas, offensive and defensive linemen are assigned individualized training programs based on the position’s demands and the player’s weaknesses. By Jason Veltkamp

ere at the University of Arkansas, we take great pride in developing some of the country’s best linemen. We have eight 14-foot by 8-foot pillars in our strength and conditioning center that are reserved for larger-than-life action photos of former Razorback linemen who have moved on to successful careers in the NFL. This year’s draft will force us to start a waiting list—or build more pillars. The success of these players is a driving force in our search for new ways to train the linemen in the trenches who often dictate the outcome of games but are rarely recognized for it. Their size, athleticism, and physicality are unparalleled in sport, which can make developing training programs a unique challenge. In this article, I share how we use a very specific and individualized approach to train our players in the trenches. But before talking about our linemen, let’s take a look at a snapshot of what makes Arkansas football strength training tick.

Arkansas guard Alvin Bailey plays the role of protector during the Razorbacks’ 2011 Southwest Classic win against Texas A&M in October.

cal sport media via ap images TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Jason Veltkamp, MS, CSCS, is Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Arkansas, where he works with the football team. He has more than 10 years of experience at the NCAA Division I level and has worked with over 40 NFL draft picks. He can be reached at: veltkamp@uark.edu. T&C april 2012

sport specific PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY First and foremost, our success in implementing the following programming would not be possible without the unending support of the team’s head coach and our athletic director. For an organization to function at the highest level, every member must understand the philosophy, goals, and objectives of each area of the organization, then dedicate themselves to helping each area succeed. If that happens, the whole organization will experience success in the end. We’ve excelled at making strength

and conditioning a key cog in the wheel that is our athletic program because of the strong leadership and support we receive. Our strength and conditioning department philosophy is based on three elementary goals. They are to: • Be healthy in both mind and body • Finish everything we start • Be the best. Healthy minds and bodies: It is important to remember that an athlete’s mental and emotional health and wellbeing are just as important as their

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physical health. The communication and cooperation between our staff and the athletic training staff is imperative to recognizing and addressing issues ranging from depression to attention deficit disorder to substance abuse. The bottom line is that our athletes have no chance of reaching their potential physically if we do not help them keep their minds in tip-top shape. Committing to help athletes in this realm not only helps them play at a high level, but can have long-lasting positive implications in their lives after football. In addition, we are fortunate to have what we consider a premier sports medicine staff. In the BCS system, every game is significant in determining a team’s postseason standing. Limiting time missed due to injury and taking the proper steps in rehabilitation and return to play is integral to success in college football today. The relationship our strength and conditioning staff has with the team’s athletic trainers and physicians gives us an edge in limiting time lost and expediting return to play. Finishing what we start: Our second goal is simple. But before defining a finish line, each of our athletes must learn that they do not know what they are truly capable of accomplishing until they try. This means that they need to continually explore new depths to overcome things they may have thought impossible. In addition, players must learn that the strength and resolve of the group is an unstoppable force relative to the efforts of any single individual. The motto that can be seen in and around our strength and conditioning facility is, “Iron Sharpens Iron.” We put our athletes in competitive situations daily, setting the stage for teamwork, cooperation, and emotional support. No matter the task, our goal is to teach each player that it is important to always finish the job. This goes for individual challenges as well as team challenges. Being the best: Finally, we are constantly striving to be number one. Our coaching staff does an outstanding job of recruiting student-athletes who have an intense desire to be the best at what they do. Once in the program, everything they do, see, and hear contains the underlying message of working to be the best. TRAINING-CONDITIONING.COM

sport specific

HOG VISION Once per week during our post-workout sessions, our linemen train their peripheral vision, upward gaze, and reaction time using our vision training equipment. Vision training also allows us to create another competitive environment to finish a workout, yet can be implemented on days that we may be trying to scale back load, volume, and accumulated fatigue from a particular training phase. We use a multi-program approach utilizing our light-up touch board, and always place the linemen in their playing stances. Offensive linemen perform their vision training exercises in a pass set position and the defensive linemen are in a split stance. To train peripheral vision, we program the board to light up in random spots and score the time it takes the player to touch the lit up spot. To train both upward gaze and focus, we ask the players to call out the random letters that light up during a 20-second bout of flashing letters. We do all of these exercises in a highly disruptive environment by playing music or making a lot of noise. The goal is always speed and accuracy during distraction, which translates very well to the football field.

INDIVIDUAL APPROACH Specificity of training modes and methods is widely debated in strength and conditioning, but I believe that often times the discussion becomes a distraction from taking a truly introspective look into the development of the individual athletes standing before us. Each football player has unique strengths and weaknesses relative to the needs of his position. Our hope is that by executing a needs analysis for each athlete and determining the specific demands of his on-field position, we can better equip him with the tools needed to achieve a “peak performance” in every game. Therefore, we do not subscribe to the cookie cutter approach to training. During the off-season, football athletes on the team may be performing up to six different workout programs. Our approach is split into the following subgroups: Intro: All new players are initially placed in our introductory group, where they complete a movement analysis and undergo an initial evaluation. Players in this group are taught our

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sport specific progression for the Olympic movements, front and back squats, Romanian deadlifts, and a myriad of upper body movements. Work capacity, technical skills, and work tempo are emphasized in this program.

players move to the intro progressive program. Developmental: The majority of our players make up the developmental group. This group consists of mostly sophomores and juniors, but also

We put our athletes in competitive situations daily, setting the stage for teamwork, cooperation, and emotional support. No matter the task, our goal is to teach each player that it is important to always finish the job. Intro progressive: Barring any major deficiencies, athletes who show technical proficiency in the Olympic lifts and squatting movements move on to the progressive group within their first two to eight weeks here on campus. Each player is different, and the decision to move from intro to intro progressive is made only after careful consideration by the strength and conditioning staff. We hold meetings to discuss each playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths, weaknesses, and technical proficiency, then make a group decision as to which

first-year players who have progressed beyond the intro and intro progressive programs and seniors who have strength or body mass issues that need to be addressed. The program progresses through the Olympic lifts and squatting movements more rapidly than either of the intro programs. Absolute strength (one rep max) is an emphasis and the programming ranges from macrocycles of hypertrophy to peaking absolute strength. Advanced: Our advanced players are those who already embody the desired

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physical characteristics of their position on the field. Once an athlete has reached his desirable playing weight and demonstrated an advanced â&#x20AC;&#x153;training ageâ&#x20AC;? and associated performance standards, we elevate him to the advanced programming group. This training group does not devote time to hypertrophy phases. Instead, players endure higher intensity training. The volume of training is lower than that of the developmental groups, as the more advanced lifters walk a fine line between progressing and over-training. Quarterback: This program addresses movements specific to the position and notes that each individual may have imbalances due to the demands of the position. Specialist: This program also addresses movements and imbalances, but specific to the kicker and punter positions. During the season, our groups transform to balance the demands of practices, number of reps during games (playing time), and the individual needs and/or deficiencies of our players relative to their position. Instead of the six groups players are separated into dur-

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sport specific ing the off-season, they are divided up as follows: • Four-day intro: Redshirt players • Four-day intro progressive: Redshirt players • Three-day developmental: Lowrep players, and sometimes mid- to high-rep players who have strength or

which training group our linemen fall into, we keep the key strength demands of the position in mind when developing a training program. These demands include: relative strength, grip strength, hand quickness and punch, core and postural stability, and hip mobility. If we develop a program centered around all

We purchased a few neutral grip bars a couple of years ago and had such a positive response that we ordered three times as many before the next off-season. Our linemen immediately saw the benefits and carryover to their on-field requirements. body mass needs or deficits • Two-day line: Starters and high-rep defensive and offensive linemen, tight ends, and linebackers • Two-day skill: Starters and highrep running backs, wide receivers, and defensive backs • Two-day quarterback: Top three quarterbacks on the depth chart • Specialist: All kickers and punters. ON THE LINE Regardless of what time of year it is and

of these needs, we give the player his best chance at success. There are several specific methods we employ in our strength program to meet these demands. Relative strength is important because linemen need to have the ability to move their body mass repeatedly. We expect every lineman to be able to pull his own bodyweight up for multiple repetitions, so one of the first evaluation exercises the players complete upon arriving on campus is a chin-up test. The lat pull-down machines in our

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weightroom are not a place for the linemen to migrate to when the other positions move to chin-ups, pull-ups, towel chins, inverted pulls, or our newly added “steelie chins” (pull-ups on a pair of cannon ball looking attachments). Our linemen complete these exercises with the rest of their teammates. Grip strength is necessary for a lineman to be able to pull his own weight. We believe in using a variety of grip attachments and towels for a lot of our exercises in order to train it. Even during strength exercises in the rack or at the low/high pulleys, we regularly implement thick bars or thick handle attachments. We also make grip training the emphasis of a post-workout competition at least once per week during the offseason. This could range from dumbbell holds to farmer’s walks to more competitive and combative single-arm towel tugs and med ball or towel shocks. Hand quickness and punch is built using variations of as many pressing exercises—both bench and incline—as possible, rotating exercises in and out of the program every three to four weeks.

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*Casa D.J. et al. Validity of devices that assess body temperature during outdoor exercise in the heat. Journal of Athletic Training. 2007;42(3):333-342. Circle No. 142

T&C april 2012

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sport specific Using both variations is vital due to the varied pressing/punching techniques used by both defensive and offensive linemen on every play. One pressing exercise we implement with our linemen multiple times per training year is the neutral grip (supinated) bench press. The bar allows for a more natural hand position when narrowing a player’s grip to within his frame. In addition, the “thumbs up” position is taught on the field to both our offensive and defensive linemen, so using neutral grip bars in the weight-

room translates well to the field. We purchased a few neutral grip bars a couple of years ago and had such a positive response that we ordered three times as many before the next offseason. Our linemen immediately saw the benefits and carryover to their onfield requirements. We have also incorporated neutral grip bars into all of our chain-loaded speed bench press exercises. Two of our other favorite in-season pressing movements are the speed bench and speed incline presses, using

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the Tendo units. Though it varies based on the intensity and repetition prescription, we ask our players to work in an average velocity range of 2.5 to 4.0 feet per second. We may use a chain-loaded variation of the speed presses as well. Core and postural stability can make or break a lineman who is trying to compete at the highest level. A weak or “giving” core can make an offensive lineman appear to be no more than a swinging gate to a B-gap power rush. We train the core and posture of our linemen in three ways. First, our daily warmup consists of postural core exercises. We create forces in various planes of movement that we ask the athletes to counter while maintaining correct posture in an athletic stance. For example, our band punch exercise involves a lineman in their set position holding on to a rope. A coach pulls the rope behind the player while the player maintains his base and posture and extends his arms forward in front of his chest. Similar groundbased postural exercises include the split stance band punch, diagonal band punch, band walkouts, and towel tugs. Second, the team’s post-workout programming and competitions are designed to place demands on the core and postural strength. For our linemen, this includes the previously mentioned grip battles like dumbbell holds and farmer’s walks, band/harness kickslides, and other resisted exercises that put them in their position stance or forces them to perform their position movements. Lastly, we prescribe our players what we call X-Needs programming, which consists of extra exercises prescribed on an individual basis. There are several categories of X-Needs programming, including “core” and “posterior chain.” If a lineman’s X-Needs programming includes these categories, he is often prescribed kettlebell swings as one of his exercises. We’ve found kettlebell swings very beneficial for building postural core strength and recruiting the posterior chain. Hip mobility is addressed in both the warmup and the X-Needs portions of our workouts. Every weightroom warmup includes multiple groundbased hip mobility drills. We utilize hurdles for step-overs and squat-unders, light bars (18 to 20 pounds) for overhead movement sequences including overhead squats and lunges, and core boards or med balls for a squatTRAINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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sport specific lunge series. Those players assigned to the hip mobility X-Needs group would return to hip mobility work at the end of their workout. For these players, the second round of hip mobility drills may include soft-tissue work, active isolation stretching, or a movement sequence using whole body vibration. CONDITIONING TIME In addition to the key strength demands of playing on the line, we must consider the athletic demands placed on these players: speed, agility, and a high level of overall conditioning. When developing a speed and agility program, we ask ourselves two things: What is the benefit of this drill? And what are the risks? Many strength and conditioning professionals sell their summer conditioning program as the reason for early season victories. However, we believe that safety is most important. It is our job to prepare our larger players for the physicality, tempo, and repetition endured during preseason camp, and we are very matter-of-fact with the players about our purpose: One cannot win a

starting job from the injury list. Our summer speed and agility program for linemen is geared heavily toward short distance acceleration with relatively little top end work. Each linear speed dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s volume is approximately 10 to 20 percent lower than that of the skill and big skill players. We accomplish this through the elimination of repetitions or by simply reducing yardage on each rep. For example, our skill group may run four 40s at 90 percent intensity to finish a linear day. The linemen assignment would be altered to four 20s at the same intensity. In addition, our plyometric exercises prescribed during a speed session are modified with a greater emphasis on double-leg movements and diminish the total number of ground contacts relative to our lighter athletes. During our preseason summer workouts, we incrementally add running to the overall program. We begin phase one with all four training days devoted to power and strength work in the weightroom. The second week, we add two days of on-field work, one being a speed day and the other being a general

conditioning day. In week three, we add a second speed day (lateral and change of direction), increasing our days on the field to three. The fourth week includes four days to work on the fieldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;one linear speed, one lateral speed/change of direction, and two conditioning days. The linemen, unlike our other players, spend anywhere from half to all of their conditioning work in a resisted state. We implement weighted vests, hill training, and sled work. The ability to run repetitively with only the wind as resistance does not prepare a large lineman for the rigors of the footwork repetitions plus resistance that they will inevitably encounter on the field. Our bottom line at Arkansas is to train our players the way they need to be trained to perform on the field. We devote extra time to addressing variables specific to each position and give our athletes every opportunity to be the best at what they do. We are results driven, and the true measuring stick is the physicality and performance displayed each Saturday in the fall. The pillars in our weightroom are a testimony to our success. n

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TRAINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation training using the TRX® Suspension Trainer™ Author: Jordan Milsom, B.Sc, M.Sc, BASES, CSCS Strength and rehabilitation fitness coach, Liverpool Football Club. Strength and conditioning training plays a key role during prevention and rehabilitation. Soft tissue issues are commonplace in football, with 5-6 hamstring injuries per club, per season, being observed in English football accounting for 90 days lost and 15-20 missed games per season (Croisier et, al., 2008). One of the tools we utilise to help prevent and rehabilitate hamstring injuries is the TRX Suspension Trainer. The TRX Suspension Trainer allows us to provide variation into our program with the aim of keeping our players healthy and robust enough to sustain the rigours of Premier League Football. TRX® Single Leg Box Squat Standing tall with one leg on the box and using the TRX Suspension Trainer to maintain a neutral spine, slowly lower yourself so the femur is parallel with the box, or slightly below. Maintain a neutral spine throughout and push through your heel to extend the knee and hip back to the start position. Training Tip - Progress primarily through less reliance on the TRX, and or external load.

TRX® Hip Lift + Extension – Knee & Hip Start with heels on the box, with your glutes on the floor and knee and hip in line. Hold onto the TRX Suspension Trainer keeping your arms extended. Extend the hips using your glutes until your knee, hip and shoulders are in a straight line. Slowly rock back and extend your legs keeping the glutes isometrically contracted with hips remaining extended. Return to the start position. Training Tip - Progress this exercise by making it unilateral and or with external load.

TRX® Body Curl - Knee Dominant Start with your arms extended and chest directly under the anchor point. Ensure your hips are extended; knees are flexed and directly over ankles. Keeping your glutes isometrically contracted and hips extended slowly rock back onto your heels, until you have triple extension at hip, knee and ankle, then concentrically curl yourself back to the start position keeping your hips extended. Training Tip - Progress this exercise by starting further forward so there is a greater pendulum effect on the Suspension Trainer, making the exercise unilateral and or by adding external load. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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PRO Orthopedic Devices, Inc. • 800-523-5611 www.proorthopedic.com Circle No. 541

Reduces Knee Pain

The Iliotibial Band Compression Wrap helps reduce pain on the outside of the knee, alleviating conditions of Iliotibial Band Syndrome. Applied above the patella with the compression pad on the lateral aspect of the leg, the non-slip Iliotibial Band Compression Wrap provides warmth and targeted compression, stabilizing the Iliotibial Band, thereby reducing rubbing and irritation on the femoral condyle (outside of the knee). This product is now available in XL. Pro-Tec Athletics • 800-779-3372 www.injurybegone.com

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Elite Knee Care

Even, Comfortable Compression

The Pro-Tec Gel-Force® Knee Support is great for alleviating knee pain and providing moderate knee joint stability for conditions of Patello-Femoral pain syndrome, Patellar tracking, chondromalacia, minor meniscus, and ligament tears. The breathable, soft fabric offers a multidirectional stretch applying even, comfortable compression throughout the brace, and the thick oval gel provides excellent comfort and support to patella (knee cap) area. Medial (inside) and lateral (outside) spiral stays offer overall knee joint stability. Pro-Tec Athletics • 800-779-3372 www.injurybegone.com

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Comfort All Day Long

Get fast relief with DonJoy Reaction, a revolutionary web brace design that actually pulls pain away from the knee, absorbs shock, and keeps you moving. The innovative solution disperses energy, providing comfort all day long. The brace stabilizes the patella on all sides, putting your knee in the correct tracking position. The lightweight and open framework is very comfortable, breathable, and stays in place. Go online to learn more. DJO Global • 760-727-1280 www.djoglobal.com

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Relief of Knee Injuries

Swede-O launches the Thermoskin Patella Tracker™ for the relief of symptoms associated with patellofemoral pain, patella dislocation, and other knee injuries. The Patella Tracker has a low profile, contoured shape design that allows for greater movement during the flexion-extension phase. Adjustable straps provide improved locking strength for patella instability. A flexible, internal “U” shaped buttress is provided for correct positioning and control of the patella during vertical and horizontal tracking. Swede-O, Inc. • 800-525-9339 www.swedeo.com

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The Elite Seat ® is a portable knee-extension device designed for the non-operative treatment of degenerative knee conditions. By evenly distributing force across the leg, the Elite Seat provides effective full-knee hyperextension and reduces pain in bent knees caused by any of these conditions: acute ACL injury, inadequate post-operative rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction, total-knee arthroplasty, arthrofibrosis, deconditioned knee with a flexion contracture, and arthritis.

SpiderTech™, available from OPTP, has 17 pre-cut kinesiology taping applications, including Upper Knee Brace and Full Knee Brace. The tape is water-resistant, breathable, and can be worn for up to five days. SpiderTech will provide active, dynamic therapeutic support for your knees by improving feedback and timing of muscles controlling knee stability, decreasing pain, and enhancing functional stability. Call or go online to learn more.

Kneebourne Therapeutic • 866-756-3706 www.eliteseat.com

OPTP • 800-367-7393 www.optp.com

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Got Tape?

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Product Launch

FatTrack Pro AccuFitness www.accufitness.com 800-866-2727 Circle No. 553

RAW Heat & Ice Topical Analgesics Unique features:

Benefits for the user:

• Measures and calculates body fat percentage and lean body mass • Stores 50 athlete profiles • Included software stores body composition, workout, and macronutrient information over time; charting on any variable

• Excellent tool for evaluating training and conditioning progress • Compact and portable; easy to use anywhere • Self-calibrating for continuously accurate measurements

The Pressure Positive Company www.pressurepositive.com 800-603-5107 Circle No. 560 Unique features:

Benefits for the user:

• Certified by the Natural Products Association • Made with 100-percent natural and organic ingredients • Approved for use by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA)

• Effective, temporary relief for joint and muscle aches, pains, and strains • Great for use in pre-activity warm up and for post-activity recovery • Aloe based for smooth and consistent workability

IntroducIng the onLY certIfIed naturaL topIcaL anaLgesIcs avaILabLe!

RAW HeAt™ & RAW Ice™

natural pain relieving gels are: • Certified by the Natural Products Association (NPA) • Made with 100% Natural and Organic Ingredients • Approved for use by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) • Used by high school, collegiate, olympic and professional training staffs • Safe for the whole family • Effective in relieving muscle and joint aches, pains and strains • Great for use both pre-activity and post-activity • Aloe based for smooth and consistent workability • Easily absorbed by the skin • Recognized for their pleasant aromas

Try using RAW products together with pressure positive self care tools for a winning combination!

caLL 1-800-603-5107 todaY to pLace Your order. Health professional and distributor inquiries welcomed.

• Stored in BPA-Free containers in 32oz., 4oz. and 3oz. sizes

128 Oberholtzer Rd. • Gilbertsville, PA 19525 1-800-603-5107 • info@pressurepositive.com www.pressurepositive.com www.tMJpainsolutions.com

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T&C APRIL 2012

HELP FUEL YOUR ATHLETES TO SUCCESS INTRODUCING:

The Athlete's Guide To Nutrition From the Publishers of Training & Conditioning

$ 95

Topics covered in The Athlete's Guide To Nutrition include: • The amount and kinds of calories athletes need • How to make sure athletes are properly hydrated • "When" athletes eat is as important as "what" they eat • Recovery nutrition • A close look at nutritional supplements

GREATER DISCOUNTS available for orders of 20 or more. Call 877-422-5548, ext. 11 to receive more info. NOTE: We can customize the cover and content of the guide for your team or athletic department.

ORDER FORM

MAG, Inc. 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850

TC 22.03

**PLEASE PRINT INFO.

Name: Address: City: Daytime Phone: Email address:

State: Zip: (To be used if there’s a problem with your order.)

SHIPPING PRICES

PAY M E N T M E T H O D ❑ U.S. check made payable to MAG, Inc. enclosed (sorry, only US orders) ❑ VISA ❑ MasterCard ❑ Discover ❑ AmerEx Credit card #: ________/________/________/ ________ Expiration date: _____/ _____ 3 or 4 digit code: _______ Cardholder Name PRINTED: __________________________________________ Cardholder Signature: ______________________________________________

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= $8.00 = $9.00 = $10.00 = $12.00

ITEMS TITLE The Athlete’s Guide To Nutrition Performance Nutrition for Football The Nutrition Edge

Fax this order to 607-257-7328 or Mail this order to MAG, Inc., 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 60

T&C APRIL 2012

PRICE $7.95 $18.95 $16.95

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From Training & Conditioning

Performance Nutrition For Football Author Lisa Dorfman provides athletic trainers, strength and conditioning professionals, coaches, and football players with cuttingedge information on how to gain a competitive edge in this demanding sport. 264 pages. 2010 Price: $18.95

The Nutrition Edge

Learn how proper nutrition can help your players reach their true potential through the valuable information presented in this collection edited by Susan Kundrat, Sports Dietitian for the University of Illinois. 180 pages. 2010 Price: $16.95 TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

ATHLETE’S GUIDE TO NUTRITION

CONTENTS THE ATHLETE’S FUEL .................................................................. 3 Understanding carbohydrate, protein, and fat needs, as well as the basics of recovery nutrition, can get athletes started on the right foot.

TIMING IT RIGHT ....................................................................... 8 Making the most of your nutritional intake is as much about when as what. Here’s an in-depth look at nutrient timing and nutrition periodization.

FULLY HYDRATED .....................................................................13 One of the most important dietary requirements for athletes is staying hydrated. But that’s easier said than done.

BACK ON TRACK .................................................................... 20 Chocolate milk may be the answer to your nutritional recovery needs.

RECOVERY WINDOW ............................................................. 22 Only the right mix will refuel and replenish the body efficiently after a hard practice or game.

CHOICES AND MORE CHOICES ............................................ 28 As the number of nutritional supplements on the market keeps growing, athletes can easily get lost. An expert explains how to steer clear of risks and toward real performance gains.

BURST OF ENERGY ................................................................. 33 It seems like almost every athlete is using energy supplements for a pick-me-up. Here’s what you need to know about how these products work and the ingredients you may find in them.

THE LATEST BUZZ ................................................................... 38 Whether it’s consumed to enhance performance or as part of the daily diet, caffeine can be a negative for today’s competitive athlete.

TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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Rehab Equipment Patented Technology

Customizable Wrap System

AlterG • 510-270-5900 www.alter-g.com

Performance Health • 800-321-2135 www.performancehealth.com

The AlterG ® Anti-Gravity Treadmill® is the only unweighting fitness device built on patented differential air technology developed by NASA and tested by Nike’s Oregon Research Project. Leading professional sports teams, athletes, and fitness programs use the AlterG as part of their training regimen. Athletes recovering from surgery or injury are able to resume workouts more quickly, and routinely use the Anti-Gravity Treadmill to enhance performance. Circle No. 512

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Many Treatment Options

Motion Assistance Device

Dynatronics • 801-568-7000 www.dynatronics.com

OPTP • 800-367-7393 www.optp.com

Why settle for just cold and compression, when you can have four modalities generating up to seven different treatment options without the mess of melting ice? Treatment options include: cold, heat, compression, cold/ compression, heat/compression, cold/ stim, and heat/stim. In addition, the innovative ThermoStim Probe combines cold or heat with electrical stimulation to treat a wide variety of conditions in localized areas. Circle No. 513

Feel the Wave

Designed to help increase the natural blood flow around your muscles, Mueller Kinesiology Tape features a revolutionary wave pattern adhesive that moves with the skin and muscles to reduce muscle pain, increase mobility, and enhance recovery. Designed to aid in the treatment of ligament injuries, muscle conditioning, fascia repositioning, and even carpal tunnel syndrome, it is applied to the skin in patterns to mimic muscles. The 100-percent cotton tape is latex-free and water-resistant. One application lasts up to three days. It is available in four colors.

Mueller Sports Medicine • 608-643-8530 www.muellersportsmed.com

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Spray and Stretch® topical anesthetic skin refrigerant from Gebauer provides a fine stream of spray with a cooling effect. It’s designed to be used in conjunction with the spray-and-stretch technique and trigger-point therapy to help manage myofascial pain syndromes in the head, neck, shoulders, extremities, and lower back. The product is non-flammable and non-ozone depleting. It can be purchased through a medical supplier or wholesaler, or directly from Gebauer, Rx.

Gebauer Company • 800-321-9348 www.gebauer.com T&C APRIL 2012

The UE Ranger is a motion-assistance device designed to increase ROM and complement the natural movement patterns of the Upper Extremity (UE). The device consists of a molded plastic bilateral hand support and strap, telescoping tube, detachable base, and articulating joints— ideal for all hand sizes and arm lengths. The “no grip” positioning limits muscle activation to only the large motor groups which helps in healing and muscle re-education. Circle No. 515

Cool and Natural Pain Relief

RAW Ice natural pain relieving gel in BPA-free containers is most effective after exercise or daily activities for muscle pain relief and fast recovery. RAW Ice is a deep-penetrating, aloe-based cooling gel that quickly relieves aches and pains and compliments natural healing processes. The product contains the natural lubricant aloe and medicinal herb mentha piperita (peppermint). Scientific studies have confirmed the traditional uses of peppermint oil, but also encourage its use in modern clinical applications to treat numerous health conditions, including cramps, headache, and joint pain. Pressure Positive Company • 800-603-5107 www.pressurepositive.com

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Create a Custom System

Cools The Pain

The Thera-Band® Pro Foam Rollers, used in conjunction with the patent-pending Thera-Band Foam Roller Wraps+, are designed to increase the athlete’s flexibility and range of motion. The Foam Roller Wraps+ fit a standard six-inch round foam roller and are available in four successive colors of progressive density—from Yellow (X-Soft) through Blue (X-Firm). Pro Foam Rollers are available in the standard six-inch diameter, in both 36-inch and 12-inch lengths, and a six-inch half round diameter in the 36-inch length.

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The latest development in Rich-Mar’s Winner EVO system is the Applicator Plug and Play (APP) concept, which allows you to create your own custom ultrasound/stim or ultrasound/stim/laser hybrid unit. Add specific units, such as the laser module and emitter or hands-free AutoPrism, now or wait until later when your budget permits. All units feature the Rich-Mar Electronics that have been used by clinicians all over the world for 40 years. Rich-Mar • 423-648-7730 www.richmarweb.com

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Rehab Equipment Sleek Machine

FitOne is introducing the BallBike Revolution, a commercial CoreCardio-Strength Cycle. The BallBike Revolution is a sleek machine that looks like the child of a motorcycle and an indoor bike with a stability ball seat. It is a total-body cardio workout in one machine. Although it looks a little unusual at first, once you get the idea of sitting on the ball, there is no going back to the awkward bike seats of the past.

FitOne • 330-430-0056 www.ballbike.com

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Rehab Anywhere

The Intelect TranSport ® line of Chattanooga portable therapy products is equally adept on the go as it is in the clinic. Each unit’s unique design allows tabletop, wall mount, therapy cart, or mobile use. Its lightweight design, battery-powered option, and custom-carrying bag enables an athletic trainer to conveniently take the clinic out of the clinic. The TranSport device provides two channels of electrical stimulation output and four standard waveforms. Chattanooga, a DJO Global company • 760-727-1280 www.djoglobal.com Circle No. 558

The One You Need

Designed to be extremely light and lowprofile, The One ankle brace is comfortable to wear in shoes or cleats during competition. Offering all the benefits of taping, but with the flexibility of a soft strap brace, The One protects against inversion and eversion ankle sprains. Anti-slip criss-crossing side straps can be adjusted at any time to help prevent slippage and ensure a tight, comfortable fit. Side-pulling stirrup straps imitate the effects of taping while a cushioned tongue keeps the brace comfortable. Neoprene and latex free, The One comes in black and white. Available in sizes XS to XXXL. Mueller Sports Medicine • 608-643-8530 www.muellersportsmed.com

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100-Percent Natural Warming Gel

RAW Heat natural pain relieving gel in BPA-free containers is most effective before exercise or daily activities, after sustaining an injury, or with an existing ailment (e.g. arthritis). Chemical-free RAW Heat is a deep-penetrating, aloe-based warming gel that works quickly and effectively to relieve muscle aches and pains and speed recovery. Along with aloe, a natural lubricant obtained from the leaves of the aloe vera plant, pleasant-smelling RAW Heat has cassia oil. Cassia oil has been shown to relieve symptoms of arthritis and rheumatism if included in a formula at a low inclusion rate.

Pressure Positive Company • 800-603-5107 www.pressurepositive.com TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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Body Composition Analyzer Effective training and conditioning requires the ability to monitor progress and make appropriate changes. Go beyond weight and BMI to better understand how the body is changing during exercise, strength training regimens, and injury recovery. Using six frequencies through five body segments, the InBody720 is a research-grade body composition analyzer that records 30 impedance measurements to obtain precise and comprehensive BIA values. Do you know what your athletes are made of? GE Healthcare • 800-568-1389 www.inbody.gehealthcare.com/products/inbody-720

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Good Vibrations

Exervibe is a whole-body vibration stepper that provides athletic enhancement when used in either the static (standing) or dynamic (stepping) position. Vibration stimulation is applied simultaneously to the feet, hands, arms, and core. The Exervibe has a step range from one to 18 inches, an adjustable seat, and a control module with four settings. It is an extremely versatile device that efficiently and effectively implements the benefits of vibration. VersaClimber/HeartRate, Inc. • 800-237-2271 www.versaclimber.com Circle No. 550

Sticks to Itself, Not You

SelfGrip helps active people and athletes perform at their best by providing firm compression and maximum support to ligaments, tendons, and muscles. The unique cotton/latex woven process allows SelfGrip to stick to itself without pins or clips without sticking to hair or skin. SelfGrip is reusable, tears easily, wicks away moisture and perspiration, and even maintains grip underwater. Recommended by doctors and trainers, SelfGrip is available in two-, three-, and fourinch widths and assorted colors. Dome Industries, Inc. • 800-432-4352 www.selfgrip.com

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Effective Treatment

Swede-O launches the Thermoskin Plantar FXT ULTRA for plantar fasciitis treatment. Unlike traditional rigid night splints, the ULTRA is a soft, comfortable orthosis for greater patient compliance. A soft foam wedge is positioned under the ball of the foot and the amount of stretch is adjustable. The patient may easily position their foot at the desired angle for a comfortable and effective plantar fasciitis treatment. Swede-O, Inc. • 800-525-9339 www.swedeo.com

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Rehab Equipment Perfect for Athletic Trainers Every roll of Cramer 100-percent cotton porous tape is like the next, which means you can count on it to unwind consistently, conform better, and adhere longer. Cramer 950, constructed with a latex-free adhesive, is perfect for athletic trainers or athletic programs looking for a high-quality, economically priced porous tape alternative. Cramer Products has been the industry leader in sports medicine and athletic training room supplies for more than 85 years. Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com

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Effective Treatment

The Dynatron X5 is a highly effective treatment for both acute and chronic pain. This remarkable machine features two independent channels and six treatment modes, and it includes both large and small treatment probes. It features four frequency sweeps, frequency ranges from 0 to 200 Hz, a conductance meter, and a two-year warranty. The X5 is lightweight and affordable. Feeling is believing—for a free demonstration, contact your Dynatronics dealer or call the company directly.

Dynatronics • 800-874-6251 www.dynatronics.com

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Reduce Inflammation

Ferris Mfg. Corp. is the maker of the PolyMem & SportsWrap family of dressings. PolyMem (sterile) & SportsWrap (non-sterile) are innovative, adaptable, and universal wound dressings made in the USA. The dressings help to relieve pain, localize inflammation, and reduce swelling. Inflammation is the greatest cause of pain. Research demonstrates that PolyMem dressings significantly reduce the spread of inflammation into surrounding tissues, helping to relieve pain. Ferris Mfg. Corp. • 800-765-9636 www.polymem.com

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The Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM CES) Advanced Specialization was developed in response to the growing need for professionals to assist clients experiencing musculoskeletal impairments, muscle imbalances, or rehabilitation concerns. The CES provides you with cutting-edge, scientifically valid education and applicable corrective exercise techniques and programming using the proprietary OPT model. The OPT model allows you to take away the guesswork of exercise programming, guiding you through clinically proven exercise programs. National Academy of Sports Medicine • 800-460-6276 www.nasm.org Circle No. 504

Great Elastic Response

Virtually identical to latex bands, REP Bands resistive exercise bands from Magister Corp. offer greater elastic response, higher resiliency, and faster recovery. Patented REP Bands are the only resistive exercise bands manufactured exclusively in the United States. Magister Corporation • 800-396-3130 www.magistercorp.com

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Heating and Cooling Therapy in One

ThermaZone™ is a powerful, compact, thermo-electric painrelieving device providing heating and cooling therapy without the use of ice. Features include a broad temperature range (38-125 degrees Fahrenheit), five timer options, and the exclusive Motion Advantage relief pads that deliver a constant temperature for as long as you need it. Maintenance-free, ThermaZone allows athletic trainers complete control of treatment duration and temperatures for maximum results. Innovative Medical Equipment, LLC • 877-901-ZONE (9663) www.therma-zone.com Circle No. 503

Super Laser Therapy

The number-one clinically used and recommended topical analgesic is now even better. Four out of five topical analgesic users prefer the new formula. New, improved Biofreeze is more natural with the addition of a botanical blend and the removal of paraben. The formula includes new effective skin conditioners so it applies easier and penetrates quickly. New, improved Biofreeze is now available in green and colorless versions.

Multi Radiance Medical Super Pulsed Laser Therapy generates the highest photon density with the lowest thermal effect. It relieves pain by combining synergized red light, broadband infrared light, and Super Pulsed IR Laser with a magnetic field. It penetrates deeply, utilizing LaserSweep™ technology to change frequencies, preventing tissue adaptation and prolonging tissue absorption. LaserStim™ with TARGET ™ helps practitioners quickly identify areas needing treatment and then automatically delivers the appropriate dose.

Performance Health • 800-321-2135 www.biofreeze.com

Multi Radiance Medical • 440-542-0761 www.multiradiance.com

New and Improved

Cutting-Edge Education

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Rehab Equipment Precise Body Composition

Peak performance requires a certain attitude and confidence, but more importantly an understanding of the physical attributes that got you there. Knowing what you are made of and what strength and conditioning regimen gets you to your goals allows you to play your game. The GE InBody520 performs precise body composition in less than a minute, providing essential data for monitoring progress as you look to be your best.

GE Healthcare • 800-568-1389 www.inbody.gehealthcare.com/products/inbody-520

PRO ice wraps are the perfect method for applying cold therapy to most minor injuries. Made with quality neoprene for durability, these wraps are perfect for treatment of pulls and strains. Wraps are quick and easy to use, allowing for adjustable compression to keep ice packs in place. Available for the shoulder (#439), knee (#103) or back (#208), in black only. PRO Orthopedic Devices, Inc. • 800-523-5611 www.proorthopedic.com Circle No. 510

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Unrestricted Movement

The Cramer ESS Ankle Compression sleeve’s patented articulated ankle joint allows for unrestricted movement while providing mild compression and support to the joint. Compression provides a performance enhancement benefit as well as mild muscular support. The unique knitted design allows for lightweight fit and exceptional stretch and comfort.

Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com

The Perfect Method

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Ideal Balance Base

The Airex ® Balance Pad is a staple in the rehabilitation industry in the United States and throughout the world. The quality and feel of the Airex Balance Pad cannot be duplicated. The special Airex foam creates the ideal base for balance and stability training, core strengthening, and fall prevention activities. Using the same specialized foam, Airex also offers a balance beam and an extra large balance pad, which is double the length of the original. Magister Corporation • 800-396-3130 www.magistercorp.com

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A Versatile Unit

Rich-Mar offers up to seven modalities in one unit, including exclusive hands-free ultrasound and a Therapy Hammer with two- and five-centimeter applicators. The company’s products are protected by industry-leading three-year warranties. Rich-Mar offers TENS, MENS, NMS, high-voltage, interferential, laser/ light, and ultrasound, with four channels and all these stimulation modes: Quadpolor IFC, pre-mod IFC, Russian, high-voltage, microcurrent, and biphasic. Rich-Mar • 423-648-7730 www.richmarweb.com

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Climb Your Way Back

The SRM Rehab Model VersaClimber is a total-body, closed-chain, rehabilitation exercise machine. The SRM allows patients to progress from non- to partial- to fullweight-bearing, full-body exercise. It is fully adjustable to fit the height, weight, and length of all types of athletes and patients. Rehabilitation routines have been developed to provide a continuous arm and leg action in a seated or standing position, using varying stroke lengths, rates, and resistance levels. VersaClimber/HeartRate Inc. • 800-237-2271 www.versaclimber.com Circle No. 549

Target Your Trigger Points

The Original Index Knobber II is a simple device designed to let you apply deep pressure to yourself or others. It’s the ideal instrument for clinic or home use, allowing for firm, sustained pressure on painful trigger points. Its unique, patented design allows it to be used in several hand positions and by the right or left hands comfortably and interchangeably. It’s virtually indestructible and easily cleaned between uses. The Pressure Positive Co. • 800-603-5107 www.pressurepositive.com TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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User-Friendly AED

Creative Health Products is a leading supplier of fitness and health monitoring products. CHP is now a provider of the HeartSine PAD. This AED is portable at only 2.4 pounds, durable, comes with a seven-year unit warranty, and is user friendly, featuring easy-to-understand visual and oral prompts. Creative Health Products, Inc. • 800-742-4478 www.chponline.com Circle No. 575 T&C APRIL 2012

NEW FROM TRAINING & CONDITIONING

In the Fight Against Concussions: Reliable Resources PARENTS’ GUIDE TO SPORTS CONCUSSIONS

To help athletes fully recover from concussions, athletic trainers, coaches and athletic directors need an important ally — athletes’ parents. We’ve produced a comprehensive guide on concussions speciﬁcally created for the parents of the athletes you work with. It includes:

❚❘ Symptoms to watch for post-concussion ❚❘ What you need to know about neurocognitive testing, and Call 877.422.5548 Ext.11 for more information.

whether to seek additional testing ❚❘ Understanding return-to-play guidelines ❚❘ How to communicate and work with your athlete’s coaches and athletic trainers after the concussion ❚❘ Questions to ask your physician ❚❘ Information on choosing the right helmet

$ 50 TEAM DISCOUNT

A GREAT RESOURCE TO PROVIDE THE PARENTS OF YOUR ATHLETES ORDER FORM

MAG, Inc. 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850

TC 22.03

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PARENTS’ GUIDE TO SPORTS CONCUSSIONS SHIPPING PRICES

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ITEMS TITLE Parents’ Guide to Sports Concussions Training & Conditioning Concussion Kit

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A comprehensive guide on concussions speciﬁcally created for the parents of the athletes you work with.

CONCUSSION: AN EDUCATIONAL DVD Information on concussion and post concussion syndrome for athletic trainers, coaches, and educators.

CONCUSSION POLICY GUIDE A step-by-step approach to developing a successful and comprehensive concussion program in schools. SPORTS CONCUSSION: FROM THE PLAYING FIELD TO THE CLASSROOM This tip card on concussions in sports helps coaches, athletic trainers, parents and school personnel recognize and monitor early and late concussion symptoms in student-athletes.

CONCUSSION EDUCATION: IN THE STUDENTATHLETE’S NEIGHBORHOOD This tip card provides

Subtotal $ Fax this order to 607-257-7328 or + Shipping $ Mail this order to MAG, Inc., 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 NY residents add sales tax $ = TOTAL $ T&C APRIL 2012

Circle No. 150

checklists and practical strategies on educating everyone on the signs and symptoms of concussion in student-athletes with tips for support and accommodations. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Case Study

Proper dosing made possible with Foam Rollers Wraps+

By Barton N. Bishop, DPT

Barton N. Bishop, DPT, SCS, TPI CFGI-MP2, CKTP, CSCS, graduated from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. While at Creighton, Dr. Bishop played Division I collegiate golf and has done further study in the biomechanics of the golf swing and sports physical therapy, including being a Certified Golf Fitness Instructor-Medical Professional Level 2 by the Titleist Performance Institute. In 2007, Dr. Bishop successfully passed the exam to become a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (SCS - ABPTS). He is currently the Chief Clinical Officer of Sport and Spine Rehab in the Washington, D.C. area and a Certified Instructor for Thera-Band Academy.

ver the last 20 years, sports physical therapists have had access to numerous economical rehab tools that help with strengthening to get the athlete back on the field. Luckily for athletes, we now have access to tools that support the sport and muscle-function specific exercises required to increase their range of motion (ROM). With ROM restored, we can move on to increasing muscle strength or work on increasing endurance. Most of us have used foam rollers, a low-cost tool, to effectively increase ROM in the hips (particularly for increased internal rotation) and the thoracic spine (for extension and rotation). However, some recovering athletes find foam rollers too painful to use, while other athletes need more intensity. I’ve found the new TheraBand® Pro Foam Rollers and Foam Roller Wraps+ to be the perfect solution to address both of these situations, as well as most situations in between. As a specialist in golf physical therapy, I know that golfers, both professional and weekend warriors, are notorious for getting out of their car, putting on their shoes, and heading right to the first tee. I believe just two minutes of using a foam roller improves their ROM by warming the muscles of the hip and mid back. As golfers age, especially male golfers, they lose mobility. Maintaining range of motion with proper warm-up will allow them to generate more power on the downswing (via torque production) for which they’ll be very grateful, and their competitors not so grateful! Designed to support varying degrees of tissue mobilization, the Thera-Band® Foam Roller Wraps+ are available in four successive colors of progressive density— Yellow (X-Soft), providing extra cushion for athletes that

TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

find working with a traditional foam roller painful— through Blue (X-Firm) for athletes needing advanced fascia mobilization. These uniquely designed ridged Wraps+, used in conjunction with standard six-inch round foam rollers, can help increase muscle flexibility and range of motion. This new system offers customization and versatility, allowing the practioner to properly dose and to progress the athlete based on their individual needs. The Thera-Band® Pro Foam Rollers can be used as a standalone device or used with the Thera-Band® Foam Roller Wraps+. The system allows us to make the most of foam rolling, whether we’re just introducing foam rollers to our practice or enhancing an existing foam roller investment. They can be used in-clinic or in-home as part of the athlete’s wellness routine. The Yellow Wrap+ actually creates a lighter intensity than that received from just using a foam roller, while the Blue and Green Wraps create a more intensive massage than a foam roller alone. The ridges also allow more control and enable the user to work on a targeted area. Plus, the space required to store the four progressive wraps is a lot less than that required to store four bulky rollers. The customization and versatility of the Thera-Band® Pro Foam Rollers and Foam Roller Wraps+, and the resulting ability to properly dose, make these economical products “must haves” when working with athletes.

Performance Health 800-321-2135 • www.thera-band.com

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Football Conditioning Protect Your Ropes

Extend the life of your rope with Power Systems’ sleeved version of the Power Training Rope. The nylon sleeve keeps the rope clean and protected without hampering movement or use or marking your floors. Perform all of the same exercises and movements as you do with all of the company’s other ropes. The product is available in 30-, 40-, and 50-foot lengths and 1.5 and 2 inches in diameter.

Power Systems, Inc. • 800-321-6975 www.powersystems.com

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TurfCordz Safety Cord Tubing prevents overstretching to help athletes in football, basketball, hockey, and other sports overcome physical and mental barriers. The safety cord design and heavy latex tubing is available in six resistance levels and up to 20 feet (six meters) in length. The tubing also features a versatile snap-lock that easily attaches to other TurfCordz products, allowing it to meet a wide range of functions. TurfCordz resistance tools are designed to meet the extreme demands of high-level athletic conditioning. ®

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Despite all the strength and rehab benefits evident in the basic Reverse Hyper design, Louie Simmons knew that the concept could be massaged to provide additional benefits. Enter the Bent Pendulum. By placing plates on a bent instead of a straight pendulum, more momentum is attained on the return stroke, providing more stretching for the lower back and decompressing the spine even more than in previous Reverse Hypers. This product is patent protected. Circle No. 521

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These 60-inch-long loading chains for progressive powerlifting come with end hooks, and one or more chains can be added to improve your blasting power. Made of heavyduty forged steel, there are four different chains available for any level of lifting: light duty (25 pounds per pair), medium duty (40 pounds per pair), heavy duty (55 pounds per pair), and extra heavy duty (88 pounds per pair). The company can supply chains up to 200 feet long and can add attachment weights of up to 100 pounds to each chain. Call for more information or prices. New York Barbells of Elmira, Inc. • 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com Circle No. 524

The new Functional Training Rack Series from Samson Equipment is setting the world of strength and conditioning ablaze. This unique design combines a fully functional Power Rack with not one but two adjustable cable column machines, all within a compact area. Never before has an athlete been able to perform all the core lifts a rack/platform provides with the multifaceted capability of a fully operational functional trainer. This product is extremely easy to adjust and use quickly, getting your athletes in and out of every facet of a workout much more effectively. The new 111FTR Rack Series is only from Samson Equipment. Samson Equipment • 800-472-6766 www.samsonequipment.com

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New Training Component

Serious Training Equipment

Perform Better • 800-556-7464 www.performbetter.com

Black Iron Strength • 360-574-6524 www.blackironstrength.com

Perform Better has introduced another new color to its extremely popular Training Ropes. Red Training Ropes are now available in addition to the white and black ropes. Training Ropes are a great way to help clients and athletes generate power, strength, and increase cardio, and can add a new component to your regular training routines. The colored ropes will look cleaner, will not shed, and are easy on the hands. Training Ropes come in three different lengths and thicknesses and are available in Perform Better’s 2012 catalog.

Power Lift • 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com

A Unique Design

Additional Benefits

Legend Fitness • 866-753-4363 www.legendfitness.com

Power Lift’s Pro Plate Load 4 Way Neck is an ideal equipment piece for any strengthtraining facility. Standard features include: two-peg weight storage on the work arm side and three-peg weight storage on the non-work arm side, non-marking rubber floor bumpers, an oversized adjustable seat pad, contoured face pads which naturally rotate with the user through the exercise, an adjustable chest pad, and a cam and belt design that reduces the fly-away effect.

Progressive Powerlifting

Stretch Your Limits

NZ Manufacturing • 800-866-6621 www.turfcordz.com

new half rack

T&C APRIL 2012

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Black Iron Strength is a leading manufacturer of patented rotating thick bars, patented poles apart modular dumbbell/barbell systems, patented rotating handle kettlebells, and antimicrobial handles for the athletic performance market. All of Black Iron’s products are made in the U.S., and the company offers one of the strongest warranties in the industry. Black Iron provides top-quality strength training products for competitive athletes, leading to awesome results when the game is on the line. Circle No. 526

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Football Conditioning Help for Hamstrings

Significant Reductions

Inverse leg curls are critical in placing focused effort on the hamstrings, a notoriously under-worked muscle, even among athletes. The problem with inverse leg curls is that they are difficult to do, especially for the novice. Enter the Inverse Curl Machine. By using an adjustable counterweight system, the user can be gradually assisted by varying the amount of assist weight and by adjusting the starting angle of the padded lever arm.

Cool Draft’s portable misting fans will significantly reduce unsafe playing or practice conditions due to heat by reducing ambient air temperatures as much as 35 degrees, thus reducing heat-related injuries. The 360 series of misting fans are self-contained, completely US made, and provide a convenient and safe way to transport the fans. All of this without the high price tag associated with high end misting fans.

Legend Fitness • 866-753-4363 www.legendfitness.com

Cool Draft Scientific, LLC • 877-676-1140 www.cooldraft.com

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Get a Great Workout

Want a smoother source of resistance? These new 60-inch Versa-Tube® bands will enable users of all strength levels to get the best workout possible. With a similar design to the original Versa-Tube®, this new 60-inch design features top performance at an affordable price. This product is perfect for personal training or clubs, available in six resistance levels, and now offered in two lengths: 48 and 60 inches. The bands come with nylon handles with hard PVC grips. Power Systems, Inc. • 800-321-6975 www.powersystems.com

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Changing Training Forever The Tendo unit easily hooks to the barbell, plate stack, or athlete and measures average and peak velocity in meters per second up to a 2.6-meter range of motion. If proper mass of barbell or athlete has been entered into the microcomputer, the unit gives velocity as well as power output measurements for up to 99 reps before having to reset. These units are very popular in the college and NFL market. Sorinex • 877-543-8667 www.sorinex.com

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2012 Learn-By-Doing Seminar SerieS...For everyone who trains or rehabs clients, patients or athletes.

reSULTS FiTneSS LEARN-BY-DOING

FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREENING & CORRECTIVE EXERCISE

ONE-DAY SEMINARS WORKSHOPS

Business Seminar

with Gray Cook and Lee Burton

Both lecture and hands-on sessions.

June 1-3 .................Providence June 29-July 1 ..... Chicago Aug. 10-12 .............Long Beach

with Gray Cook, Alwyn Cosgrove, Martin Rooney & Other Presenters

April 21......... Seattle May 12 ......... Indianapolis

April 13-14 .............Atlanta May 4-5.................Austin Aug. 24-25 ...........Chicago Sept. 14-15 ............Providence Oct. 26-27 .............Los Angeles

FROM Counting Reps tO Counting Revenue with Alwyn & Rachel Cosgrove

Sept. 7-8 ..........Los Angeles Nov. 9-10 .........Providence

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER CALL 800-556-7464 OR VISIT performbetter.com/seminars TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM T&C APRIL 2012 69 Circle No. 151

º “We’re SERIOUS About HEAT STRESS Management!”

Football Conditioning Versatile and Effective Tool

Push it. Pull it. Drag it. Since its first sale in April 2005, Williams Strength’s Prowler 2 has been featured on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” called “quite possibly the most versatile and effective conditioning tool ever devised” by Muscle and Fitness, and been used by more than half of all NFL teams and countless colleges, high schools, and training centers. All of this has made it the most popular conditioning sled ever built. Total Strength and Speed • 888-532-8227 www.totalstrengthandspeed.com

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Beat The Heat

Heat Guard® can be your first line of defense in the prevention of heat-induced fatigue and performance loss. In addition to sodium and chloride, Heat Guard contains potassium, and the unique wax tablet provides slow release—up to five hours—of the active ingredients to prevent “salt sickness” and provide a continuous, gradual flow of vital electrolytes throughout a workout or competition. Heat Guard is convenient, easy to use, and cost-effective. Mission Pharmacal Co. • 210-696-8400 www.missionpharmacal.com

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Locked In

PuzzleLock tiles stand up to the punishment of fitness and workout areas, protecting existing floors and equipment from damage. Installation is simple and quick, and the seams virtually disappear when the flooring is installed. If you need to change a tile, it can be done quickly and easily. PuzzleLock is ideal for use in weightrooms or cardio areas, home gyms, and performance training facilities. It is available in seven colors and comes with a five-year warranty. Infinity Performance, Inc. • 888-479-1017 www.infinityflooring.com

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Latest Innovation

Power Lift introduces its newest innovation: the RS2 Power Rack. Standard features include: two-inch adjustment positions, one pair of bar catches, one pair of spot bars, weight storage, one dual grip chin-up handle, spotter’s platforms, hanging bar storage, and band and chain storage. Optional attachments can be added to create an ideal working station. Optional items include: band attachments, band shafts, rack dip attachment, bar catches, rotating chin-up handles, side mounted chin-up handles, single-leg/glute ham attachment, high rotation attachment, squat/step up platform, rack squat handles, wrist roller, and additional spot bars. Power Lift • 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com

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Explode from the Blocks “Portable and Affordable Misting Fans by Cool Draft”

www.cooldraft.com TOLL FREE:

877.676.1140

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Bullet Belts, from Lane Gainer Sports, with the original “pop and rip” design, are made for several starting drills. They can be used for full-extension breakaway explosion off each of the starting block pedals, and to resist the acceleration phase of the start before smoothly releasing the sprinter into a full sprint. The belt worn by the athlete also works interchangeably with 10 other speed-training devices, including the over-speed pulley, triple pop, bungees, and indoor sleds--all part of the Bullet Belt system. Lane Gainer Sports • 800-443-8946 www.bulletbelt.com

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Football Conditioning Specially Designed

These kettle bells with wide handles are specially designed with large openings to prevent bruising of the back of the hand and wrist. The company offers kettle bells in five-pound increments from 10 to 100 pounds, and monster bells in 25-pound increments from 125 to 200 pounds. You can make your purchase in either a three-, four-, seven-, or nine-piece set to save money. Kettle bell hand covers are also available. New York Barbells of Elmira, Inc. • 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com Circle No. 531

When Accuracy is a Must

“Oral, axillary, aural, temporal, and field forehead temperatures were significantly different from rectal temperature and, therefore, are considered invalid for assessing hyperthermia in individuals exercising outdoors in the heat,” wrote Doug Casa in the Journal of Athletic Training in 2007. The CorTemp core body temperature pill reveals vital information necessary for the prevention and treatment of heat-related illness on the field. It has been used in sports for years and is FDA-cleared. HQ, Inc. CorTemp • 941-723-4197 www.hqinc.net

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Dynamic Equipment

The Samson Power Thrust is a dynamic piece of equipment that allows athletes to develop hip explosion and strength in the upper arms and shoulders. Each handle operates independently on linear ball bearings to allow for smooth movement, and resistance is easily added through the weight horns already attached to the handle apparatus. A variety of exercises, including extensions and rotations, can easily be performed using this unique piece of equipment.

Samson Equipment • 800-472-6766 www.samsonequipment.com

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Tough Underfoot

Infinity Flooring’s 1.25-inchthick Infinity Max tile stands up to the constant abuse of heavy weights being dropped onto the weightroom floor without denting, tearing, or splitting, and is backed by the company’s exclusive 10-year warranty. It is available in 10 standard colors and an unlimited number of custom colors. Custom logos are also available. The product is so durable that it can even be used as a lifting platform. Infinity Max can earn up to eight LEED Points.

Infinity Performance, Inc. • 888-479-1017 www.infinityflooring.com

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Quality Equipment and Price

Looking for quality weight equipment at an affordable price? Perform Better introduces its new PB Extreme Half Rack. This rack comes complete with weight storage for both Olympic and Bumper plates, safety spot arms, bar holders, hook plates with a safety lock system, a knurled P-grip pull-up bar, and band attachments. The adjustable pull-up bar allows you to make your rack 7’6” high, 8’ high, or 8’6” high. This rack is constructed of 11-gauge, 3” x 3” steel uprights and is made in the USA. Check out Perform Better’s 2012 catalog for more information. Perform Better • 800-556-7464 www.performbetter.com TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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Ultimate Conditioning Program

“LeanAbolic Fitcamp” is an ultimate full-body conditioning program created by SBT. SBT launched its revolutionary strap system in 2011. During the last 12 months, SBT introduced its second model, the SBT “Extreme” strap system, which was called the “best suspension exercise tool” on the market by J.C. Santana, trainer of trainers. Along with the strap system, SBT has now added the “LeanAbolic Fitcamp” system, which offers the coach a training philosophy centered around functional fullbody movements structured in timed segments, which may increase an athlete’s performance. Suspended Bodyweight Trainer • 855-797-1661 www.sbttrainer.com Circle No. 551

Stand the Test of Time

Waterboy units are portable, practical, hygienic, and cost effective. Built tough, these systems are designed to stand the test of time and provide the best service. From Chillers, Power Models, Inline, and Misting Systems, Waterboy offers a wide selection of the finest portable drinking systems on the market today. Waterboy Sports, Inc. • 888-442-6269 www.waterboysports.com

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Learn The Ropes

Rope training is quickly becoming one of the most popular training methods available today, and Total Strength and Speed offers a great selection of exercise ropes, sled pulling ropes, and rack pull-up ropes. All styles are available in multiple lengths, with either 1- or 2-inch diameters, and either manila or composite construction. Call or go online to learn more. Total Strength and Speed • 888-532-8227 www.totalstrengthandspeed.com

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