Training & Conditioning 23.8 by Momentummedia

A Diagnosis of Crohn’s n Maryland’s Lacrosse Program n Going the Extra Mile

November 2013 Vol. XXIII, No. 8, $7.00

Talk of the Test Coaches discuss how to evaluate performance

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contents

Bulletin Board 4 NCAA to vote on sports medical issues … ACL risk linked to hip ROM … Recovering with watermelon juice … Neck injuries are not always a knockout. Q&A 9 Brent Faure Pocatello (Idaho) School District

Sponsored Pages 11 Athletes’ Performance 49 Balanced Body Product News 54 Strength & Conditioning 59 Product Launch 60 Power Racks 61 Arm & Shoulder

More Products

64 Advertisers Directory CEU Quiz 50 For NATA and NSCA Members

Next Stop: Web Site

On the cover: At Clemson University, Director of Strength and Conditioning Joey Batson evaluates football players for speed and agility twice a year. Batson and other coaches discuss performance testing in our cover story, beginning on page 14. Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Optimum Performance

Talk of the Test

A roundtable of strength coaches offer their thoughts on tracking and improving athletes’ performance, as well as their own, through testing. By Dennis Read Treating the Athlete

23 When an athlete is diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, Poised Under Pressure

continuing to compete can seem overwhelming. Here’s how to help them tackle this difficult condition. By Lauren Cahoon Roberts Nutrition

29 Sometimes the biggest hurdle to better nutrition is simply Cooking Up a Storm

knowing how to cook. With help from dietetics students, Fresno State is clearing that hurdle. By Dr. Lisa Herzig Leadership

35 As an athletic trainer or strength coach, helping others is The Extra Mile

what you do all day. Still, some in the profession have found the energy to do even more. Three of them tell their stories. By Jason Cerkoney, Andrea Hudy, & Brian Zettler Sport Specific

43 Following a plan that features sport-specific agility and Sticking To It

conditioning drills helps the University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team maintain its status as one of the nation’s elite programs. By Michael Szemborski T&C NOVEMBER 2013

Editorial Board Marjorie Albohm, MS, LAT, ATC Director, Ossur Americas Past President, NATA

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 Conway (S.C.) High School Christine Bonci, MS, LAT, ATC Associate Athletics Director Sports Medicine/Athletic Training University of Texas

Timothy Morgan, DC, CCSP Professor of Exercise and Health Sciences University of Massachusetts

Cynthia “Sam” Booth, PhD, ATC Visiting Assistant Professor SUNY Brockport

Jenny Moshak, MS, ATC, CSCS Assistant AD for Sports Medicine University of Tennessee

Debra Brooks, CNMT, LMT, PhD CEO, Iowa NeuroMuscular Therapy Center

Steve Myrland, CSCS Owner, Manager Myrland Sports Training, LLC Director of Coaching, Train-To-Play

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 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 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) Brian Goodstein, MS, ATC, CSCS, Head Athletic Trainer, DC United Gary Gray, PT President, CEO Functional Design Systems

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Tim McClellan, MS, CSCS Owner and Strength and Conditioning Coach StrengthAndPeace.com

Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN Director of Sports Medicine Nutrition Center for Sports Medicine University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Cindy Chang, MD President, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine

November 2013 Vol. XXIII, No. 8

Allan Johnson, MS, MSCC, CSCS Sports Performance Director Velocity Sports Performance

Tim Neal, MS, ATC Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine Syracuse University

Publisher Mark Goldberg Editorial Staff Eleanor Frankel, Director Patrick Pizzuti, Managing Editor R.J. Anderson, Patrick Bohn, Mary Kate Murphy, Dennis Read Circulation Manager Robin Flower Art Direction Message Brand Advertising Production Staff Maria Bise, Director Neal Betts, Trish Landsparger Business Manager Pennie Small

Mike Nitka, MS, CSCS Director of Human Performance Muskego (Wis.) High School

Special Projects Natalie Couch Dave Wohlhueter

Bruno Pauletto, MS, CSCS President, Power Systems, Inc.

Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell

Stephen M. Perle, DC, MS Professor of Clinical Sciences University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic

Marketing Director Sheryl Shaffer

Brian Roberts, MS, ATC Director of Sports Medicine and Business Operations, Xcelerate Physical Therapy 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 Fred Tedeschi, ATC Head Athletic Trainer, Chicago Bulls Terence Todd, PhD Lecturer, Kinesiology and Health Education University of Texas

Advertising Sales Associate Diedra Harkenrider (607) 257-6970, ext. 24 Advertising Materials Coordinator/Sales Mike Townsend (607) 257-6970, ext. 13 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© 2013 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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Board NCAA To Vote on Sports Medical Issues Student-athlete health and safety is the subject of upcoming NCAA legislation thanks to a new set of initiatives developed by its Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS). At the annual NCAA Convention in January, leaders from all three divisions will vote separately on the proposals. The first change would require all member schools to retain a licensed physician for each of their sports teams. The next proposal mandates that all head and full-time coaches, including strength and conditioning coaches, become certified in first aid, CPR, and automated external defibrillator (AED) use. Strength and conditioning coaches—both fulland part-time—would also need to be certified in their field. The final rule would require institutions to report annual catastrophic injury and death data. Members of the NCAA Division I Legislative Council will vote on all four proposals during their meeting at the 2014 Convention. There has been overall support for the sports safety package, but discussions continue on the specifics of the legislation. In Division II, the President’s Council has decided to sponsor two out of the four proposals for voting at the 2014 Convention—physicians for all athletic teams and submission of catastrophic injury data. Past legislation already mandates that all head and full-time coaches be certified in first aid, CPR, and AED use. The fourth proposal—requiring certification for strength and conditioning coaches—was sent back to CSMAS for revisions. Members of the President’s and Management Councils felt that the vague phrasing of the rule could cause complications for member schools. Division III institutions will vote on three out of the four proposals at the Convention. Strength coaches in Division III are already required to be certified.

ACL Risk Linked to Hip ROM Sports medicine professionals have long believed that increased risk for an ACL tear can occur due to a number of deficiencies along a person’s kinetic chain. New research out of Japan is helping to prove this theory when it comes to limited hip range of motion. In a study appearing in the August online version of The Knee Journal, researchers from the Chiba Institute of Science found that young athletes with narrow hip range of motion were at increased risk for non-contact sports-related ACL injuries. From 2000 to 2008, investigators conducted a case control study at an orthopedic clinic in Japan of athletes between the ages of 13 and 17. Of their subjects, 44 had sustained an ACL tear and 123 did not. Researchers found that athletes with ACL tears had a 0.18 odds ratio increase when a 10-degree increase in the sum 4

T&C NOVEMBER 2013

of the right and left internal hip rotations existed. For external rotations, the odds ratio increase for those with ACL injuries was 0.23. To read an abstract from the study, enter “Limited hip rotation and non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injury: A case-control study,” into the search window at: TheKneeJournal.com.

Recovering with Watermelon Juice In addition to being a tasty summer staple, new research suggests that watermelon, specifically watermelon juice, may have value as a muscle recovery drink. According to a study published in the July online version of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, watermelon juice, which is rich in the amino acid L-citrulline, reduces muscle soreness after exercise. The researchers also found that L-citrulline was more readily absorbed when delivered in the form of unpasteurized watermelon juice as opposed to pasteurized watermelon juice or water spiked with the compound. Scientists from Spain’s Technical University of Cartagena began their study by chemically analyzing both pasteurized and unpasteurized watermelon juice along with water infused with L-citrulline. All three fluids were added to separate human cell cultures for eight minutes and monitored to see how much of the L-citrulline from each was absorbed. The researchers found that cells exposed to unpasteurized watermelon juice absorbed 19 percent of the L-citrulline compared to 13 percent for those given the pasteurized juice and 12 percent for the L-citrulline-spiked water. In explaining why the absorption rate was lower for the pasteurized juice, the study’s co-author, Encarna Aguayo, told Chemical & Engineering News that while pasteurization kills harmful pathogens, it also can “reduce the bioavailability of many bioactive compounds, reducing the food’s functional properties.” During the next stage of the experiment, the researchers had seven non-competitive male athletes consume 500 ml of either natural watermelon juice containing 1.17 g of L-citrulline, watermelon juice enriched with an additional 4.83 g of L-citrulline, or a pink control drink that contained no L-citrulline. One hour after consumption, each test subject pedaled a stationary bike intensely for 11 minutes. The next day, the men were asked to evaluate soreness in their legs. The routine was repeated on three separate days. The results showed that after 24 hours, those who consumed either the natural or enriched watermelon juice reported less muscle soreness and had a lower recovery heart rate than those who took the placebo. Though the specific mechanism behind L-citrulline’s effectiveness as a recovery fuel remains unclear, Aguayo theorized that it might TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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Board help speed up the process of lactic acid removal. These findings support previous studies reporting that in supplement form, L-citrulline accelerates removal of lactic acid from muscles. Moving forward, Aguayo said she is planning future studies to determine optimal concentration of L-citrulline to prevent muscle fatigue. To view an abstract of the study, “Watermelon Juice: Potential Functional Drink for Sore Muscle Relief in Athletes,” go to: pubs.acs.org and type, “watermelon juice” into the search window.

Neck Injuries Not Always a Knockout For an athlete with neck pain, the decision whether or not to undergo surgery can be a difficult one. Research now provides some guidance. According to a study published in the July 2013 issue of Neurosurgery, professional athletes who had an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) were able to return to play and remain active for several years following the surgery. ACDF is performed on individuals who have herniated or degenerative discs in their necks, typically those who have significant pain even after therapy and medication. The sur-

geon removes the disc and inserts a graft to connect the two vertebrae. After a few months, the graft and vertebrae join together solidly. In the study, conducted by researchers from the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the charts of 15 professional athletes—seven NFL players and eight professional wrestlers—who underwent single-level ACDF between 2003 and 2012 were reviewed. Thirteen of the 15 athletes were able to return to action after missing from two to 12 months. The other two players were cleared to return, but chose to retire due to age and orthopedic disabilities. Of the 13 who remained professional athletes, eight are still active. Five played for one to three years before retiring following their return. “[Return-to-play] after a single-level ACDF is generally safe and the risk of subsequent cervical spine-related injury low,” wrote the authors. “After a solid arthrodesis, absence of neurological deficits, full range of motion, and the absence of symptoms, the majority of athletes, as seen here, undergoing a single-level ACDF were able to be safely cleared for return to full-contact sports.” To view the full text of the study, go to: journals.lww.com and search “Outcomes After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion in Professional Athletes.”

Training & Conditioning and Sports Health announce the 2nd annual: 866.323.5465 | www.sportshealth.com

To honor: High school athletic trainers who have become MVPs in their athletic departments by going above and beyond their job duties to deliver the best sports medicine care to their athletes. Why: Because high school athletic trainers are the unsung heroes of interscholastic sports and many work countless hours to help young people become the best they can be. We would like to honor those who put their heart and soul into helping studentathletes on a daily basis. Criteria: To be considered, an athletic trainer must work with high school athletes (in either a school or clinic setting) and have the following qualities: • Have earned the respect of coaches they work with and student-athletes they care for • Go beyond their job description to support student-athletes • Put in extra effort to make the athletic training program the best it can be • Serves the local or larger community through community service

Nominations: Please provide us with a 400-800 word description of how the nominee fits the above criteria. Any supporting materials are welcome. Full contact information (e-mail and phone number) for both the nominee and the person nominating must be provided. Winner: Will be featured in the April issue of T&C and honored at the NATA Convention. He or she will also receive a plaque and product-related prizes. Deadline: December 31, 2013 Questions: Please feel free to contact us with any questions: Eleanor Frankel, 607-257-6970, ext. 18 ef@MomentumMedia.com Send to: Most Valuable Athletic Trainer Award, Training & Conditioning, Momentum Media Sports Publishing, 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 or MVatc@MomentumMedia.com

Deadline: December 31, 2013

T&C NOVEMBER 2013

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Q&A Brent Faure

Pocatello (Idaho) School District In most sports, when an injury occurs during a competition, the rest of the participants are asked to step away to give the athletic trainer room to operate. However, when Brent Faure, MS, ATC, EMT, covers rodeo, he actually welcomes people hovering over him as he’s treating an injured rider. That’s because there’s often a bull or horse still in the ring with them. Beyond facing the threat of being trampled or gored, Faure has sacrificed for athletes in many ways throughout his career. In March, he was recognized for that service when he became the first athletic trainer to be inducted into the Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA) Hall of Fame. Faure worked as Head Athletic Trainer and a teacher at Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho, for more than 30 years, is now the Director of Athletic Training for the Pocatello School District, and has been operating a mobile sports medicine clinic for nearly 25 years, providing mostly volunteer athletic event coverage statewide. Faure retired from teaching and school athletics earlier this year, opting to take a job as a physician extender at a local sports medicine clinic. However, before assuming his new role, Faure learned that the athletic training programs at Pocatello’s three high schools had been eliminated. Soon after, a local hospital teamed with an orthopedic clinic to reinstate the programs, and Faure was hired to oversee the operation. Now, he handles those duties while also serving again as Head Athletic Trainer at Highland and maintaining the physician extender job part-time. He also continues to run the mobile clinic, along with his wife, Caroline Faure, EdD, ATC, EMT, an Assistant Professor at Idaho State University and Head Athletic Trainer at Pocatello’s Century High School. Faure is no stranger to association work, serving as president of the Idaho Athletic Trainers’ Association for the last three years. He was instrumental in getting concussion legislation passed in Idaho and helped develop the IHSAA’s wrestling weight management and certification program. In 2005, Faure was recognized with a Distinguished Athletic Trainer Service Award from the NATA and the Northwest Athletic Trainers’ Association. T&C: How does it feel to be the first athletic trainer in the IHSAA Hall of Fame? Faure: It’s a great honor and I was very humbled by the letTR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Faure treats an athlete competing in rodeo, one of the nontraditional sports he and his wife cover through a mobile clinic they own. ters of support from my colleagues. But when I found out how difficult it is to get inducted—there has to be a unanimous vote among the 29 judges—and how long it takes many people to get in, I was overwhelmed that I made it on my first attempt. To be the first athletic trainer makes it even more special. Hopefully it will bring some recognition to other athletic trainers in the state. In 1989 you opened Tri Med Sports Medicine, a mobile clinic that operates out of a trailer. Where did this idea come from? I had a student in one of my sports medicine classes named Greg Vickers who was a bullfighter, and he would tell me about the lack of proper medical care for high school rodeo. Their events have always been required to have EMS on standby, but the athletes didn’t have anyone aggressively taking care of them as they would through a traditional sports medicine program. Greg and I kept in touch after he graduated and one day we decided to partner up and apply the sports medicine philosophy used for high school athletics to non-traditional sports like rodeo. I had the medical expertise and Greg had the rodeo experience. T&C NOVEMBER 2013

Q&A Brent Faure Director of Athletic Training, Pocatello (Idaho) School District Head Athletic Trainer, Highland High School Co-Owner, Tri Med Sports Medicine Distinguished Athletic Trainer Service Award from the NATA and Northwest Athletic Trainers’ Association Past President, Idaho Athletic Trainers’ Association Highland High School Teacher of the Year

How is the mobile clinic funded? In professional rodeo, there’s a comprehensive sports medicine program sponsored by a boot company that sends mobile clinics to the different arenas. We took that model to the local hospital in Pocatello, which is now Portneuf Medical Center, and asked if they wanted to sponsor a similar program for high school rodeo. We convinced the hospital that there’s a real need for medical care for these young athletes and emphasized the clinic’s ability to market the hospital to a new audience. We agreed to put the hospital’s name on the trailer and include it in all the literature produced in association with the program.

When you’re the sole athletic trainer at a busy high school, it’s difficult to manage a serious injury ... At the clinic, I’m able to stay involved in the rehab process. The clinic was a success and over the years we’ve expanded our services to include other sports often lacking medical coverage, such as motocross and drag racing, as well as youth football, soccer, and track and field. Each year I present the hospital with a schedule of all the events we’ll be covering and we set up a budget. The hospital pays for expenses such as fuel, athletic tape, and wound care supplies. My wife and I own all the assets associated with the clinic, including the trailer, and we volunteer our time. For me, none of this is about making money—it’s about taking care of young athletes. How is the clinic set up? Our first trailer was a 25-foot gooseneck, similar to a horse trailer, which was completely empty when we got it. We built cabinets, shelves, and a number of other things to make it suit our needs, but it was still a bare-bones setup, with no kitchen or bathroom. We currently have a 30-foot toy hauler 10

T&C NOVEMBER 2013

trailer with a kitchen, bathroom, living area, and garage, but we still had to make a number of modifications to turn it into an athletic training room on wheels. In both trailers, we’ve been able to transport things like taping tables, fans, an ice chest, and medical supplies. The benefit to this new set-up is that, as the name implies, we can “haul” our “toys” in the garage area of the new trailer, including our UTV [utility terrain vehicle] and ambulance cart. The garage can also serve as a treatment area. For a sport such as rodeo, we use the garage section to treat athletes. When we’re covering a sport like youth football, we set up tents and work outside the trailer to accommodate the high volume of athletes that usually come through. We also bring a UTV because we often have to jump from field to field. You were set to retire from athletic training and work full-time as a physician extender. What drew you to the position supervising Pocatello’s high school athletic training programs? We had a fantastic sports medicine program at Highland for many years, and this gives me the chance to preserve it and use the model to improve the programs at the other two schools. The position also came along at the right time. I couldn’t do it if I was still teaching, so considering I had just retired, I think it was meant to be. Why did you decide to become a physician extender? When you’re the sole athletic trainer at a busy high school, it’s difficult to manage a serious injury. You often have to just do some triage and send the athlete along to a physician or physical therapist for them to handle the majority of treatment. At the clinic, I’m able to stay involved in the rehab process, and by working with physicians on a daily basis, I continually expand my knowledge of sports medicine. What are the biggest challenges in providing medical care for rodeo? TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

& the evolution of Performance education By Nick Winkelman

s strength coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists and registered dietitians we understand the value of information and staying on the cutting edge of our perspective fields. However, with the overabundance of available information and the next great training tool waiting to emerge, what can we do to capture and contain the most important information? How can we avoid this “re-invention of the wheel syndrome” that we replay over and over every time we learn about the next greatest training method or device? To answer this question we have to dissociate between methods and systems.

training device, or piece of research will make the system better, worse, or make no change at all.

The Athletes’ Performance Mentorship series provides every participant with transparent access to the system behind the top champions in sport, military, and the corporate space. Through practical and applied education sessions across mindset, nutrition, movement, and recovery, every participant leaves with a training system that can be molded to their unique environment and evolve as our field progresses. Our goal is to provide every participant with the most cuttingedge training tools, but at the same A method can be time provide the training toolbox to house the many tools that can be considered a technique, to correct and develop the huprotocol, or singular way used man system. In the end the methods of doing something, while we employ are only as good as the a system is a coordinated system from which they come.

A method can be considered a technique, protocol, or singular way of doing something, while a system is a coordinated body of methods or components that form a singular whole. Said another way, the method can be considered the tree Nick Winkelman MSc, CSCS*D, body of methods or and the system can be considered USAW, USATF, is the Director of the forest. If we only prescribe to components that form a Training Systems and Education at methods then we are limited to the singular whole. Athletes‘ Performance. Winkelman capacity of that method to produce leads the Athletes‘ Performance results, engage our clients, survive Education programs in addition to providing training to scientific rigor, and last the test of time. For example, the elite and professional athletes that train at Athletes‘ someone who only uses kettlebells, weightlifting, or Performance. power lifting will only receive the benefit those methods supply. Conversely, if we develop a system, we have Athletes‘ Performance Education programs offer the Perprinciple-based training components that seamlessly formance Mentorship program teaching the integrated integrate to create a complex whole, and it is within Athletes‘ Performance Training System, in addition to each training component that we apply the best training accredited education courses for rehabilitation specialists methods. and registered dietitians. At Athletes’ Performance we have spent the last 14 years creating and perfecting our training system, and we have been teaching this system to industry professionals through our Athletes’ Performance Mentorship program for the past 8 years. The goal of the Athletes’ Performance Mentorship program is to provide each participant with a training system that can house what they currently know, what they will learn through their Athletes’ Performance education experience, and what they will learn throughout the remainder of their career. This system allows each participant to be a better consumer of information and never again re-invent the wheel. A quality training system inevitably acts as a filter for information with the output uncovering if a new method,

For a complete list of courses, dates and to register, visit AthletesPerformance.com/Education.

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Q&A The cowboy scene is a very tough environment. These kids are taught from an early age that seeking medical care can be perceived as a sign of weakness, so they very seldom do. When they do get hurt badly enough, they’ll bandage whatever body part is injured, head over to the hospital, and say, “Hey, can you fix this?” So, our primary objective has been teaching them that it’s okay to admit feeling pain, and we try to help them understand the importance of quickly taking care of an injury. We try to take the stigma out of medical treatment and get them to appreciate that going for X-ray or icing an injury isn’t an indication of weakness, but a sign that you want to compete the next weekend. When injuries do happen, our initial assessment frequently begins with, “Is this a life-threatening problem?” We see high levels of trauma down to knee and ankle injuries. We have to move quickly because there’s always a chance the bulls and horses are still loose. While I’m evaluating an injured athlete, some riders will circle around us to provide protection, and others will attempt to round up the animals. In 2006, you were voted Teacher of the Year at Highland. What are the secrets to being a great high school teacher? It takes a lot of time and energy, both physical and mental. It was never just a job for me, though. I’ve always said, “I never go to work, I always go to school. And I love being in

school.” It’s important to master the art of effortless teaching. That’s kind of tongue-in-cheek, but what it means is that once you’ve taught for a while and you know your topic well, planning new material no longer feels like a chore. You know exactly what you need to teach, and how to deliver it effectively. You and your wife played a big role in getting concussion legislation passed in the state of Idaho. How did you help make that happen? In Idaho, the vast majority of our state government officials are very conservative, and that reflects the beliefs of most of the people in the state. As a result, a lot of education is required when you try to enact any type of change. Deep down, though, they’re very, very passionate about keeping their kids safe. By properly educating them on concussion prevention and management, we helped them understand the need for the new laws. What’s it like being married to another athletic trainer? Well, for one thing we have a lot in common! We’ve always enjoyed working together with the clinic and now that we’re both part of the same district’s sports medicine program, we get to cover some high school events together as well, which is great. We’ve definitely had a lot of great experiences together, and we’ve helped each other become better athletic trainers. n

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OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE

A roundtable of strength coaches offer their thoughts on tracking and improving athletes’ performance, as well as their own, through testing. BY DENNIS READ

ports are a bottom line endeavor. Most contests have a clear winner and loser, and the results are there for all to see. Athletes are judged by how they perform in the heat of competition, but the evaluations don’t stop there. Athletes typically spend more time in training than they do in competition, and that training time usually includes testing. The main goals of this testing are to assess the gains athletes have made, plan the next stages of training, and, hopefully, give them a boost of confidence. At the same time, strength coaches also use the results to evaluate themselves and their training programs. While the ultimate barometer is on-field performance, strength coaches are tasked with helping athletes become bigger, stronger, and faster, and testing is the best way to gauge their success. With so much at stake, we asked five strength and conditioning experts (see “The Panel” on page 16) to share their ideas on testing. Their thoughts reveal a variety of approaches, but all have one common goal—helping their athletes improve.

At Clemson University, Director of Strength and Conditioning Joey Batson evaluates football players for speed and agility twice a year, using test results to create individual goals. REX BROWN/IPTAY MEDIA TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

How do you use test results to help your athletes get better? Andrew Bosak: We compare the athletes’ results to what they have done previously and what they should be doing in comparison to others. Those standards help you zero in on their needs. If you have a basketball player who is short on power, then you would design a program to improve their vertical jump. If a football player needs to work on foot speed, you find ways to make him more explosive. Chris Ruf: We use the results to identify how each player needs to improve from a physical standpoint to be better on the field. For example, take an offensive lineman who moves pretty well, but his strength numbers are below the other guys Dennis Read is an Associate Editor at Training & Conditioning. He can be reached at: dr@MomentumMedia.com. T&C NOVEMBER 2013

OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE

THE PANEL Andrew Bosak, PhD, CSCS, is an Associate Professor in Sports Medicine with an emphasis in Exercise Physiology at Armstrong Atlantic University, and has served as a sport scientist and strength and conditioning coach at the collegiate, high school, and club levels. He also conducts presentations on testing and assessments at clinics and has additional research interests, including evaluating recovery in sports performance and physiological changes in athletes during sporting seasons. He currently serves on both the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Executive Board and the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Georgia State Advisory Board. Joey Batson, MSCC, is in his 17th year as Director of Strength and Conditioning at Clemson University and his 27th as a strength and conditioning coach. He works most closely with the Tigers’ football team and has coached 20 All-Americans and seven NFL firstround draft picks. Before coming to Clemson, Batson was Head Strength Coach at Furman University and Bowling Green State University, as well as an Assistant Strength Coach at the University of South Carolina. Jon Jost, MEd, MSCC, CSCS, is the Director of Strength and Speed for Olympic Sports at Florida State University, where he has worked since 2001. During his time with the Seminoles, he has worked with all sports, including football, and he oversees a staff of six full-time assistants. He was also Head Strength Coach at the College of the Holy Cross for two years and an Assistant Strength Coach at the University of Nebraska for seven years. Alissa Goldman, MS, MSCC, USAW, is Assistant Strength Coach at the University of Virginia, where she works closely with the men’s and women’s swimming teams. She joined the department in 2007 after previous stints as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee, and Ball State University. Chris Ruf, MS, CSCS, SCCC, USAW, is Director of Football Athletic Performance at Baylor University, where he also oversees training for the track and field program. He came to Baylor in 2008 after serving as an Assistant Strength Coach at the University of South Florida, where also he worked at Rich Lansky’s OPTI as a strength coach. Before that, he spent eight seasons at Iowa State University as an Assistant Strength Coach.

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at his position. Even though he may be doing okay on the field because he can move, we know he has to spend more time getting stronger so he can hold up at the point of attack and push people around. Or, we may find that a defensive back has good strength, but his jump output is a little bit lower than the other guys in his group. He’s a good candidate to spend more time on power development. Jon Jost: We look at testing results for each athlete in order to evaluate their progress and identify areas where they need to improve, and then we set corresponding goals for their next training cycle. But sometimes the results reveal deeper issues. For example, if an athlete hasn’t made any progress in several areas while others around them have, then we know the problem isn’t with our training program. So using the individual’s results, we can then sit down with members of our staff like our doctors, psychologists, or registered dietitian to identify the root of the problem and figure out what’s been holding them back. Joey Batson: We use the results to pinpoint each athlete’s strengths and weaknesses, and then we develop a training program that will help him maximize his athletic performance. But it’s more than simply having guys lift more weight. If we have an offensive lineman who did a 600 squat and a 395 power clean as a junior, it doesn’t make sense to have him chase a 605 or 400 as a senior. He’s plenty strong enough already and lifting those five extra pounds won’t benefit him out on the field. So instead of trying to get more weight on the bar, we’ll focus on quickladder work to improve his foot speed or plyometrics to help him unlock his hips and move a little better on the field. We do this while continuing to have him squat and clean at submaximal weight to work on speed. What other benefits do athletes get from testing? Alissa Goldman: To me, the biggest benefit of testing is that it shows the athlete in black and white that their hard work is paying off. That feedback usually gets them to take greater ownership of their training, which makes it less likely that I’ll have to persuade them to work hard. When they see positive results, they appreciate that the TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE training is helping them become a better athlete. Jost: Test results can provide motivation for the athletes, but you have to find the right approach to take with each individual. For some, this means illustrating how much they have improved in a certain area. In other cases, the key is comparing them to their teammates or other athletes. For example, some of our athletes have aspirations of playing professionally, so I’ll compare their results with those from the NFL combine and tell them, “If you want to pursue playing in the pros, you’re going to have to improve in these areas, and it’s going to take a lot of work. This is the average vertical jump or 40 time for a defensive back in the NFL combine, and this is where you are.” How do you use test results to evaluate the effectiveness of your strength and conditioning program? Goldman: I look to see how the results from the current season compare with those from the same time of the training schedule in previous years. I also look

at the results by class year, so I can see how the current sophomores are doing compared to the sophomores from the past. Those can be a little arbitrary due to changes in the athletes involved, but it still gives me some idea how the program is progressing. However, if I see major changes in results from one year to the next, before I assume they’re a result of changes I’ve made to my program, I’ll first talk to the sport coaches to determine whether the differences could be related to modifications they’ve made to their practices. For example, if our swimmers see a dip in their test results, it may be because the coach is working them harder in the pool this season and their energy levels just aren’t as high at testing time as they were in years past. Jost: First, we look at testing trends to see if the athletes are improving. Then we’ll compare the current team averages to those from years past. This can be a little difficult to do since the quality of athletes is always changing, but sometimes you’ll see a change that forces you to go back and re-examine your training program.

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Bosak: I once had a high school sport coach come to me and say, “I know there’s a problem with my strength training program. I don’t know what it is, but here’s what I think the signs and symptoms are.” He explained that some of his athletes’ performances actually started to get worse toward the end of the year instead of better. We tested his athletes regularly the following season, and midway through, we saw some of their results start to decline. We determined that these athletes were overtraining, and we were able to suggest ways the coach could prevent this in the future. What specific tests do you use and why? Bosak: You have to know what you want to measure before you can decide what tests to use. Are you assessing the strength-training program? Do you want to know what’s working and what’s not? Are you looking to see if there’s overtraining or under training? Based on those answers, I start choosing the specific tests I am going to do. I use a lot of different tests based on spe-

OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE cific needs, but some of my favorites are maximal oxygen consumption test or maximal aerobic capacity, Wingate test, and vertical jump. I’ll usually use a 40yard dash and then some agility tests like a volleyball hexagon test as well. Ruf: Players who come through our program have aspirations of playing in the NFL, so we use many of the same tests used at the NFL combine. This way, they’ll be familiar with the tests should they go to the combine, and they can use the results to know where they stand and as something to strive for. At the end of the winter program and again at the end of the summer program, we test strength movements in the weightroom using a five-rep bench, five-rep clean, five-rep squat, and a 225-pound bench max-reps test. For our best and most experienced lifters, instead of doing a five-rep max on the clean or squat, we’ll use a Tendo unit to measure the bar speed and set a threshold they have to hit. That way the focus is on speed rather than chasing some really big weight number. We’ll do our agility testing three or four times during the winter condition-

ing program. We test the 40-yard dash with splits at 10 and 20 yards, plus vertical jump, broad jump, pro-agility drill, and the three-cone drill. Jost: We want to test what we consider to be performance indicators. When an athlete improves on a test, it should be an indication that they’ll improve in their sport. For a sport that has a lot of change of direction, that means agility tests. If a sport requires a lot of explosive

usually do a 10-yard dash, a 40-yard dash, an agility run, and a vertical jump. Batson: We do our strength testing twice a year—in late February and then late June. We test one-rep bench, 225-pound bench max-reps, three-rep squats, three-rep power cleans, and three-rep clean and jerks. We formally test for speed and agility twice a year using the vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash, pro-agili-

“The jump tests vary sport-by-sport ... For example, our divers will do a vertical jump, while the swimmers will do a standing long jump. And for volleyball, I use an approach jump because that is such a big part of the sport.” power, we’re going to focus on a test like a vertical jump. The key is that as the athletes improve their performance in the tests, they should see a corresponding improvement on the field. For most sports, we generally do an upper body strength test, a lower body strength test, and an explosive strength test, which are typically a bench press, squat, and power clean. Then we also

ty drill, 60-yard shuttle, and a sit and reach. However, we’ll often pull the clocks out during training sessions and do some informal testing as well. Finally, we do a conditioning test in the summer using a 110-yard shuttle and 300-yard shuttle. Goldman: I like tests that focus on the main principles of athletic performance—strength, power, speed, and

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OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE conditioning. To test strength, I use the power clean, back squat, and bench press, and a vertical jump or a standing long jump for power. We do a one-rep max for all these tests because they’re reliable and easy to repeat. I also use a 40-yard dash to test speed, a 300-yard shuttle for conditioning, and a 50-yard shuttle for agility. How do you modify your tests based on sport or position? Jost: We generally use the same seven tests for most sports, but we’ll omit or al-

ter some based on a sport’s performance requirements. For example, we don’t put our golfers through all of the strength tests because that’s not important for their sport. Our baseball and softball players do a dumbbell bench instead of a bench press and they skip the clean tests completely to reduce the chance of shoulder injury. We also have them run a 60yard dash as opposed to a 40. Goldman: The main difference is that the jump tests vary sport-by-sport depending on the movements the athletes use in competition. For example, our

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divers will do a vertical jump, while the swimmers will do a standing long jump. And for volleyball, I use an approach jump because that is such a big part of the sport. How often do you change the tests you use? Goldman: For the most part, I stick with the same group of tests year after year because they’ve been so reliable. But I do talk to our sport coaches about the components of strength and performance that they would like to see tested, and I have added tests based on their input, such as the approach jump in volleyball. I also like to research what kind of testing other strength coaches are doing. Batson: We’ll get together as a staff and examine any new trends and ask if we’re missing any information we would like to have. We also go through our notes from the previous season to determine if anything beyond the tests needs to be changed, like the timing of the test. Maybe we did a heavy leg day on a Monday and then we tested vertical jumps on Tuesday, which affected their results. Bosak: Unless a coach can switch to a test that more accurately replicates performance on the field, they’re usually better off sticking with a test they know is valid and that has provided reliable data previously they can look back on. Sometimes, technology advances can prompt a switch. For example, there are now mobile metabolic testers that some athletes can wear during practice to determine maximum oxygen consumption. If we can do a trial with an athlete running outside, it’s going to more closely resemble their competitive setting than when they run on a treadmill, and thus provide better data. Do you do anything differently in the training sessions leading up to a testing day? Batson: A few days before testing, I remove a lot of the auxiliary things we typically do and focus on doing big movements to see if we can maximize their performance on the tests. I’ll also reduce the loads to help them get some recovery leading up to test day. The other thing I do is emphasize that it’s important for the athletes to properly handle their nutritional needs, academic loads, personal lives, and anything else that could affect their results. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE Bosak: I want the athletes to approach a test day the same way they would a game day, including how they eat and sleep. And if the team is practicing, I ask the sport coach to use the same intensity during the preceding practices that they do before a game, if possible. And I make sure we do the same in the weightroom. Ruf: We generally try to administer testing at a time that best fits in with the rest of the training program. For example, we do most of our weightroom tests on Mondays because athletes have the weekend to recover and their central nervous system should be primed. On the flipside, we do our movement testing on Fridays, even though that’s when they’re most fatigued. Most books say you shouldn’t do that, but it gives us an opportunity to reinforce to our athletes that they need to take care of themselves during the week. They need to make sure they’re sleeping enough hours at night, eating properly, and getting hydrated properly so they produce when test time comes on Fridays. Are there common testing pitfalls that coaches need to watch out for? Jost: Testing is an important part of the training and evaluation process, but it can be dangerous if not performed correctly. Athletes are extremely competitive and will push themselves to great lengths, but this can put them at risk for injury. So if we see any breakdown in technique, we will stop the lift. There have been a number of times when athletes have believed they can complete another rep—and they were probably right—but we wouldn’t let them do it because the rewards of making that lift did not outweigh the possibility of injury. We have to remember that we’re doing a test, not holding a weightlifting competition. I would rather play it safe than risk an injury by putting five or 10 more pounds on the bar—even if the athlete can do it. Bosak: It’s important to make sure that the tests we’re using are applicable to the athlete’s sports performance needs. We’re passionate about what we do, and sometimes we can get caught up in the testing data and forget about who we are testing and why. We have to take a step back and ask whether the improvements in test results will transfer to the field. If not, then we need to find something else to test. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Batson: When I was a younger coach, I was all about chasing the big numbers. But as I got older, I realized it’s not about the numbers, it’s about the fundamentals of lifting—learning how to lift the proper way and how to handle the load. We’re not training these guys to be Olympic weightlifters. Guys want to max out all the time, but the intent is not to see who can lift the most weight. The goal is to help these athletes develop more muscle mass and flexibility and show improvement in overall

strength, explosiveness, and power. Ruf: I think the biggest thing to watch out for is making sure you’re consistent in how the tests are administered. If you want to compare numbers from year to year, you need to have data that’s been measured the same way every time. There are a lot of variables that can affect the results, such as differences in the surfaces, equipment, and intensity of preceding workouts. You need to account for as many of those variables as possible, and minimize those you can’t control. n

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treating the athlete

Poised Under Pressure

With assistance from his athletic trainer, now retired quarterback David Garrard remained a professional football player for several years while battling Crohn’s disease.

AP PHOTOS/JOHN RAOUX

When an athlete is diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, continuing to compete can seem overwhelming. Here’s how to help them tackle this difficult condition. By Lauren Cahoon Roberts

he first time Anthony Pass encountered an athlete with Crohn’s disease, he had no idea what he was dealing with. Then the Head Athletic Trainer for Football at the University of Florida, Pass thought the athlete simply had the flu. But after running some initial tests, Pass and his colleagues determined the illness wasn’t viral, nor was it an infection. “This was a 320-pound lineman, who was obviously in distress,” says Pass, MEd, ATC, CSCS, who currently works as Associate Athletic Trainer for the football team at Texas Tech University. “After two days, his fever remained, and his stomach pain would not go away. We took him to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with Crohn’s disease.” Not long afterwards, punter David Lerner also learned he had developed Crohn’s. Pass quickly had to become an expert on a disease that is shrouded in mystery and stigma. And he had to become an advocate for these athletes’ health. “If you’re at a school like Florida or Texas Tech, the coaches are going to want that player on the field,” says Pass. “They may write it off as a stomachache, or question if the kid is faking it. You don’t want people questioning these athletes’ toughness, so you need to educate coaches and work closely with the athletes, helping them to still perform at the highest levels.”

Lauren Cahoon Roberts is a freelance writer based in Ithaca, N.Y., who has covered issues in health and wellness for a broad range of publications. She can be reached at: Cahoon.lauren@gmail.com. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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treating the athlete A COMPLEX CONDITION Crohn’s disease involves inflammation of the whole GI system, particularly the last part of the small intestine known as the terminal ileum, and it affects the entire bowel wall, explains Matthew Shields, MD, a gastroenterology and nutrition fellow at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center. The condition typically arises during teen years to early adulthood, with another, smaller peak of incidence around age 50. In the United States, Crohn’s has been diagnosed in 700,000 people, striking women and men equally. It is thought to be caused by several factors, including environmental and genetic triggers. However, according to Jess Kaplan, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, “We don’t yet know exactly why this disease happens.” Experts do know that Crohn’s causes the digestive system to develop an improper response to bacteria that typically reside in the gut, reacting with a heightened state of inflammation. Why

certain individuals’ guts overreact to these bacteria is not completely understood, but it has been determined that the genes NOD2 and ATG16L1 predispose people to Crohn’s. NOD2 is involved in recognizing bacteria, thus, a mutation in this gene can lead to an improper reaction to the plentiful bacteria that are naturally present in the GI system. ATG16L1 aids in the management of bacteria levels, and when mutated, can result in an overload of microbes. When these two genes malfunction, it can start a vicious cycle. While having mutations in these genes doesn’t mean an individual will definitely end up with Crohn’s disease, it does increase their chances. “You’re a little more at risk of developing the condition,” says Shields, “and then some environmental trigger comes along—an infection, or some other kind of stressor—and you develop Crohn’s disease symptoms that never really go away.” Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis belong to the larger disease category known as Inflammatory Bowel Dis-

ELITE ATHLETE David Garrard was quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2004 when he first developed Crohn’s disease. “I was having issues with my stomach, really bad bloating pains and diarrhea, and I didn’t know why,” says Garrard. After seeing a gastroenterologist, he was told he had Crohn’s. “I thought, ‘Okay, I don’t know what that is,’” says Garrard. “It can’t be that bad if I’ve never heard of it before.” Of course, the disease was more serious than Garrard expected, and without a cure. So Garrard dealt with it head on. “I started doing whatever I could,” he says. “I listened to the doctors. I wasn’t going to let this disease keep me down.” Garrard continued to play for the Jaguars despite dropping 25 pounds in the two weeks after his diagnosis. About two months later, the symptoms had gotten so severe that Garrard opted to have part of his intestines surgically removed. The surgery, along with the anti-inflammatory drug Remicade, dramatically improved his condition. Mike Ryan, PT, ATC, PES, Head Athletic Trainer for the Jacksonville Jaguars, worked closely with Garrard to get him back on track, and the two educated themselves on all facets of the disease. “We really had to make the learning curve very vertical so we could handle all of the issues he faced,” says Ryan. “Dave did a great job of learning and working with the specialists he was put in touch with. He was diligent about his diet and taking supplements, which made him feel better and perform better.”

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ease (IBD). However, Kaplan believes the condition is much more nuanced than those two classifications. “We subclassify IBD as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis,” he says. “I think that’s a vast under-representation of the complexity of these conditions. The disease phenotype is so different for every individual.” Still, there are some common symptoms, which usually start with abdominal pain and very frequent diarrhea—up to 10 times a day. The inflammation in the bowels also slows down gut motility, creating further GI problems. These symptoms often lead to weight loss. “Crohn’s disease is interesting because we’ll see signs outside of the GI tract,” says Shields. He explains that patients can experience joint pain and rashes, which are tied to the overall inflammation that occurs with the condition. To make a diagnosis, doctors will often conduct blood work to verify the inflammation and to analyze anemia and albumin protein levels. “Crohn’s patients have very low protein,” says Shields. “They’re not absorbing nutrients since it all gets lost in diarrhea.” Assessments may also include an upper and lower endoscopy to check for ulcers in the mucus lining of the intestinal walls. Some physicians may order a biopsy. Once a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease has been reached, most patients are initially given drugs such as corticosteroids or mesalamines to decrease inflammation. Doctors may also prescribe antibiotics to decrease the amount of bacteria in the gut. “One of the theories on how Crohn’s disease develops is that the bacteria in the intestine, which is normally in balance with our body, somehow stimulates the inflammation cascade, and our body doesn’t know how to deal with it,” says Shields. “Antibiotics are given to get the bacteria under control. We don’t want to wipe out bacteria entirely, just remove enough of it to reduce the inflammation.” However, these drugs are only successful in easing some symptoms, not eliminating them. Crohn’s disease is chronic, without any known cures. Instead, a lifetime of symptom-quelling strategies lie ahead for those with the disease. This entails figuring out what foods trigger problems, which don’t, and what activities best keep symptoms at bay. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

treating the athlete

NEW ATHLETE Because Crohn’s patients can sometimes ease symptoms through exercise, they are encouraged to take up sports. Whether they are totally new to exercise or a lapsed athlete, a gradual integration into activity is called for.

team. “It’s about mixing walking and running, and often they may decide to walk,” he says. “If someone wants to run, we’ll have them run for two or three minutes, and week by week we’ll add more time.”

“Sports conditioning is about testing and measuring,” says Nicholas Gies, Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Athlete Factory in Calgary, Canada, who specializes in working with athletes with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which includes Crohn’s. “Start with something relatively straightforward and monitor the effects, through athlete feedback, waking heart rate, and so forth. When a program is progressed gradually, the effect on the central nervous system is milder, and the body can adapt and respond.”

A positive style of coaching is instrumental in working with these athletes. “It’s about coaching confidence,” he says. “You’ve got to spin things in a positive light—we continually say, ‘We’re going to get you through to the finish line.’”

Dave McGovern, Head Coach for Team Challenge, an endurance training and fundraising program that’s part of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), uses the same approach with his distance walking and running

One of his runners, Howard Sosnik, suffered an intestinal blockage that required surgery to remove his colon, all prior to a half-marathon he had planned to compete in. Despite the setback, Sosnik continued his training and ended up running his fastest half-marathon ever. “If they can make it through the training, we have over a 99.5 percent success rate,” says McGovern. “It’s just a matter of getting them to the starting line. In our last race, every single team member finished.”

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treating the athlete IN ATHLETES The good news for athletes diagnosed with Crohn’s is that is does not mean giving up their sport. In fact, exercise can help reduce symptoms. The reasons are multifaceted, one being that physical activity helps enable gut motility, which in turn keeps bacteria in check. “Also, when you do physical activity, you release a lot of anti-inflammatory cytokines into the blood, and those naturally decrease inflammation in the body,” says Shields, who studies the effects of exercise on Crohn’s patients. And for those afflicted, Crohn’s won’t

end, no one knows the limitations as well as the patient does,” says Kaplan. “They’re the ones who can best tell the athletic trainer and coach when they need a break.” One key area athletic trainers must keep an eye on from the sidelines is hydration, since it’s very easy for Crohn’s sufferers to become dehydrated. This is due to the fact that most fluids are absorbed via the intestines, which are compromised, or even partially removed, in Crohn’s patients. Constant diarrhea also exacerbates the problem. “If we’re meeting a certain level of

Every Crohn’s sufferer has food reactions that are unique to them ... In the case of Anthony Pass’s football players, each one had completely different trigger foods. The lineman was sensitive to grease, while the punter had a serious flare-up after eating spaghetti with marinara sauce. necessarily slow them down. “The vast majority of patients with Crohn’s disease can exercise and train as if they didn’t have the disease,” says Kaplan. For athletic trainers working with an athlete who has Crohn’s, the first step is to educate themselves, as well as everyone around them, about the disease. That was the course of action taken by Mike Ryan, PT, ATC, PES, Head Athletic Trainer for the Jacksonville Jaguars, after he learned quarterback David Garrard was suffering from the condition. “The more I found out about Crohn’s, the more I realized I didn’t know,” says Ryan. “And one of the most important things I learned was that everyone with Crohn’s disease is affected differently. That was key in helping me work with Dave.” Educating the athlete’s coach is also critical, since those with Crohn’s may need additional breaks and special considerations. “That was the biggest thing—educating everyone on what my athletes were going through,” says Pass. “What’s most important is open communication, maybe at a higher level than for a typical player,” Kaplan says. “That might involve speaking with the athlete about what they have found their limitations to be as well as discussing the conditions with the physician.” In addition, the athlete should be encouraged to communicate freely and often to those around him or her. “In the 26

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hydration with the team, our player with Crohn’s disease would be one step higher than that,” says Pass. Hydration is also a high priority at lower levels of competition. Dave McGovern, Head Coach for Team Challenge, an endurance training and fundraising program that’s part of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), works with Crohn’s sufferers who are training and competing in running and walking marathons and half-marathons, and has developed strategies to get his athletes to drink enough. “We had one person on the team who doesn’t like to drink water when she trains or competes—she says it makes her nauseous,” McGovern says. “But the main reason she’s nauseous is because she’s dehydrated, so it just gets worse. In many of these situations we talk to people about prehydrating the day before a race.” Athletic trainers should also thoroughly understand the hurdles that accompany frequent diarrhea. Helping the athlete develop strategies for bathroom breaks can be critical. McGovern creates looped training courses for his runners with restrooms close by. “We set them up on short loops in parks that have plenty of bathrooms,” he says. “We can’t prevent these symptoms from happening, so we want to be prepared when they do occur.”

Another challenge for Crohn’s athletes can be time changes for a practice or competition. Typically, they will avoid triggers close to the period when they will be exercising. A wrinkle in the schedule can wreak havoc on their maintenance plans. For example, McGovern recalls a race in which the timing was switched at the last minute, from day to night. “It was after dark, and the athletes weren’t prepared for that,” he says. “They didn’t know how their GI systems were going to handle it, and that was difficult.” DIETARY CHALLENGES The biggest factor in managing the disease is typically one’s diet. “A major problem for the Crohn’s athlete is taking in enough food to train hard and regenerate their body, without getting a reaction,” says Nicholas Gies, Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Athlete Factory in Calgary, Canada, who specializes in working with athletes with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which includes Crohn’s. Crohn’s patients often require many more calories per day due to the fact that their GI tract absorbs nutrients poorly. In addition, certain foods tend to trigger symptoms, meaning replacement foods with similar nutrient qualities must be found. McGovern recommends athletes keep a food diary to track what foods lead to problems, and to watch for patterns of symptom flare-ups related to diet. The food list can also help determine if the athlete is getting enough of the nutrients his or her body needs. It’s important to understand that every Crohn’s sufferer has food reactions that are unique to them and thus needs to find their own best diet. In the case of Anthony Pass’s football players, each one had completely different trigger foods. The lineman was sensitive to grease, while the punter had a serious flare-up after eating spaghetti with marinara sauce. Unfortunately, these food sensitivities can often clash with an athlete’s eating preferences and traditional recommendations for optimal nutrition. For example, Pass’s college lineman was hugely sensitive to eggs, a staple of the morning training table. “So for morning training, we had to bring special food in for him to get him through practice,” says Pass. “That wasn’t easy—you’re trying to TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

treating the athlete fuel a 320-pound lineman. We ended up giving him turkey bacon and a lot of bagels to supplement his carb and protein needs.” For many in McGovern’s Team Challenge group, wheat, gluten, and dairy are the most problematic foods. “A lot of the sports drinks made for endurance have whey protein, which is a dairy product,” he says. “In other cases, it’s a soy-based protein, so people with soy allergies can’t stomach it.” Since many energy bars contain wheat, these can also be off-limits for certain Crohn’s patients. Team Challenge athletes have found gel packs that are wheat- and gluten-free work well as a substitute. Another problem can be the carb loading meal before a competition. The traditional pasta dinner does not often come with a gluten free option. “For our athletes, eating wheat pasta could be the worst possible thing to do before a race,” McGovern says. “It’s tough, because it’s a tradition for many runners.” Garrard went through a lot of highs and lows in battling Crohn’s but eventually found a dietary plan that worked, allowing him to continue competing in the NFL. “Listen to your doctors and listen to your body,” he advises. “Your body will tell you what to do. After eating something, you’ll know a few hours later if that was good or not. You have to be disciplined and stay away from things that will hurt you.” PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT Perhaps in part because Crohn’s disease is relatively unknown, the condition can have a significant psychological impact on athletes. The symptom of frequent diarrhea especially, may leave people embarrassed and feeling alienated. Athletic trainers and coaches can do a lot to dispel these mental blocks, which may impact a player’s performance and peace of mind. “Crohn’s is the kind of disease people don’t talk about and they end up feeling alone and self-conscious,” says McGovern. “Being in a supportive environment is really important. In fact, some of the GI issues that crop up are due to anxiety that a flare up might occur, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.” Support, along with increased awareness that people at all levels of sports suffer from the disease can be instruTR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

mental in helping a Crohn’s athlete. “More and more people are saying, ‘Hey I have this problem, but I can still be a very high level athlete,’” says Ryan. “It can be very helpful for a young athlete with Crohn’s to be able to say, ‘David Garrard has this and he played in the Pro Bowl, so I think I can continue to be an athlete.’” Garrard is happy to inspire nextgeneration Crohn’s athletes. “High school is already tough—you don’t want to have to explain to everybody that you’re running to the restroom

because of diarrhea,” he says. “I’m not ashamed to talk about it. I believe the Lord blessed me with this disease in order to become a spokesperson and help others.” And he follows through on those words. When one of Pass’s college football players was struggling, Garrard obliged Pass’s request to talk to the younger athlete. “Garrard called him up and let him know that there was someone out there like him fighting the same thing,” says Pass. “It was a really good thing for him to hear.” n

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NUTRITION

COOKING UP A STORM

Sometimes the biggest hurdle to better nutrition is simply knowing how to cook. With help from dietetics students, Fresno State is clearing that hurdle. By dr. Lisa Herzig

any student-athletes enter their collegiate years without giving much thought to nutrition. It can be tempting for them to frequent fast-food drivethroughs before and after practices, stuffing themselves on burgers and fries. Often, they just aren’t aware of the effects these items have on their performance. Fortunately, that trend has been shifting in recent years. Slowly but surely, collegiate student-athletes’ nutrition has been getting more and more attention. Here at California State University, Fresno, we wanted to be a part of it.

Students majoring in dietetics (in red aprons) help student-athletes prepare a meal during the Bulldogs in the Kitchen program. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Lisa Herzig, PhD, RD, CDE, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition and the Director of the Dietetics and Food Administration Program at California State University, Fresno. She can be reached at: lherzig@csufresno.edu. T&C NOVEMBER 2013

NUTRITION For the past four years, we’ve been running a program in which our Fresno State dietetics students help teach our student-athletes about nutrition. Along with giving dietetics majors hands-on experience, it’s become a popular program for athletes, helping them change their eating habits and boost their performance.

Evolving Program The program has evolved over the four years, and it began when the university’s former Director of Strength and Conditioning, Andy Bennett, approached me about integrating nutrition education into his training programs. Andy felt that some piece of the performanceenhancement puzzle was missing, and

Healthy Snacking The following are some of the suggestions included in the Sports Nutrition Playbook to help student-athletes with choosing options for snacks. Snacks on the go Fruit-flavored, low-fat Greek yogurt with low-fat granola Lean roast beef, ham, or turkey and a string cheese stick rolled up in a whole wheat tortilla and paired with baby carrots Whole grain pita bread triangles and flavored hummus A scoop of low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese with sliced strawberries or cantaloupe cubes Fresh fruit paired with peanut butter or nuts Hard-boiled egg paired with a handful of cherry tomatoes Quick picks from the vending machine or convenience store Beef jerky Fat-free or low-fat yogurt or yogurt drinks Packages of baby carrots, broccoli florets or celery sticks Fresh fruits, fruit salads, or fruit cups Mozzarella cheese sticks Pudding cups Cereal bars or nutrition bars Low-fat or fat-free regular or flavored milks 100% fruit or vegetable juices Sports drinks Survival stashes Oatmeal packets with nuts or peanut butter Single-serve tuna in flavor-fresh pouch, served with whole grain crackers Light microwave popcorn Raisins, dried apricots, and single-serve fruit cups packed in 100% fruit juice Shelf-stable protein drinks

he was starting to suspect that poor eating habits was the issue. He wanted them to learn the vital role nutrition plays in sports performance, but understood additional expertise was required if he was to have any success. I understood Andy’s concern and welcomed the chance to help. I enlisted students in the dietetics major to provide basic nutrition lessons for the athletes at the campus training facilities. They developed teachings that cover the unique nutritional requirements of athletes and ways in which they can achieve and maintain peak performance, as well as decrease recovery times. After a positive response from the athletes, we expanded our offerings to include individual nutrition counseling sessions and monthly seminars. Initially, the athletes met with me or a senior dietetics student for the counseling, and we worked to identify and correct nutritional deficiencies and set performance goals, such as weight regulation or increased energy. Not long after, though, the university hired a consultant sports dietician, Kim Tirapelle, MS, RD, CSSD, to handle the counseling and create nutrition plans for the athletes. When participating athletes began seeing improvements in their performances, word of the program quickly spread, with more and more studentathletes interested. We began to brainstorm on how to most effectively deliver nutrition information to a large number of athletes and came up with the idea of a Sports Nutrition Playbook that would include information on everything from nutrition to eating on the go. We also had come to realize that a major stumbling block for many athletes in embracing a healthy diet is that they don’t know how to cook. In fact, many of them are completely lost in a kitchen. So we decided a large part of our expanded program should focus on cooking skills. We again enlisted the help of our dietetics students, this time through a senior-level Food and Nutrition Communication capstone course. As part of the class, the students would develop a Sports Nutrition Playbook as well as help teach a cooking class to athletes. Before long, the program was named “Bulldogs in the Kitchen” in honor of the school’s mascot. calling the plays Rolled out at the beginning of the 2013

T&C NOVEMBER 2013

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NUTRITION spring semester, the cornerstone of the Bulldogs in the Kitchen program is the Sports Nutrition Playbook, created by the dietetics students and Kim Tirapelle. The information in the Playbook is consistent with the teachings across all components of the program, and it provides athletes with a great reference to use when implementing good nutrition habits into their daily life. Here are some of the items we included in this year’s Playbook: • Mission statement • Menu • Cooking instructions • Food safety • Portion sizes • Recipes • Tips for eating affordably • Tips on how to build a healthy meal • Tips on healthy eating for vegetarians • Seasonal fruit and vegetable chart • How to turn leftovers into new meals • Pre-competition nutrition • Post workout/recovery nutrition • Hydration tips

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• Healthy meals for on the go • Eating on the road • Key nutrients for athletes • Protein and iron recommendations • Tips from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics • Healthy snacking. Into the Kitchen The Playbook is handed out to athletes

go over some of the most important areas of sports nutrition and where to find what information in the book. The athletes are then separated into six small groups and stationed at one of the six kitchens. Next, they’re guided through proper kitchen practices and safety, and basic cooking skills are reviewed. A dietetics student then assigns each group a dish to prepare

The meal is then carried into a dining area, where all six dishes are set up ... We often invite special guests, such as the university president, dean of our college, and chair of the department. at our student-athlete cooking class, held seven times per semester at our Family Food Science Building. Taught entirely by dietetics students, the class lasts about three hours and is conducted in the evening to avoid conflicts with class and practice schedules. The average class size is 20 athletes, with one dietetics student for every three to four athletes. The evening begins with an overview of the Playbook. Our dietetics students

and designates the cooking duties. This year’s six dishes were: mangotomato salsa, spring salad, wild rice with balsamic mushrooms, chicken (or tofu) vegetable stir-fry, strawberry mock-jitos, and crêpes. The student facilitates the learning process through guidance and coaching, but they’re instructed to be hands-off so the athletes can get the full benefit of the experience.

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NUTRITION

RECOVERY NUTRITION The following is information included in the Playbook about post workout and competition nutrition. Recovery Nutrition Keys Carbohydrates: Consume at least 50 grams of carbs within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. Examples: Bagels, graham crackers, pretzels, granola bars, fresh fruit, milk or chocolate milk, and sports bars or drinks Protein: Consume at least 10-20 grams of protein within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. Examples: Greek yogurt, cheese, milk or chocolate milk, protein shake, deli meat, nuts, peanut butter, and protein bars Fluids: Rehydrate with at least 16-24 ounces of fluids for every one pound lost from sweat. Including electrolytes such as sodium and potassium will also enhance rehydration. Recovery Shake • 1 cup skim milk + 1 scoop whey protein powder (20-25 g protein) + 1 banana + ice

Recovery Food Combos • Protein shakes (pre-made or mixed with water) • 16 oz shelf-stable milk (e.g., Horizon Organic portable) + 2 granola bars • 8 graham cracker squares topped with peanut butter + banana + 16 oz water • 16 oz sports drink + 1 sports bar + 16 oz water • 1 cup low-fat granola + 16 oz low-fat chocolate milk • 1 whole grain bagel + 2 scrambled eggs + 16 oz 100% fruit juice • 2 oatmeal packets mixed with water + 2 Tbsp peanut butter + 16 fl oz skim milk • 1 cup high-protein cereal (e.g., Kashi Go Lean Crunch) + 1 cup skim milk • 1-2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches + 16 oz 100% fruit juice • 1 turkey/cheese sub + apple slices + 16 oz water • 1 cup Greek yogurt with low-fat granola and walnuts + 16 fl oz water • 1 cup chicken noodle soup + grilled cheese sandwich + 16 fl oz water

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NUTRITION Once the food is done, the athletes are taught to garnish and plate. The meal is then carried into a dining area, where all six dishes are set up, buffet-style, and dinner is announced. We often invite special guests to these dinners, such as the university president, the dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, and the chair of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition. SHARING THE HEALTH To advertise Bulldogs in the Kitchen, dietetics students initially sent e-mails to coaches and players, hung flyers in the locker rooms and weightrooms, and presented information about the program at coaches’ meetings. Our strength and conditioning coach was also instrumental in getting the word out and encouraging participation. Last semester, we were lucky enough to have a student in the dietetics major who was also an athlete. On top of that, she was president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, which enabled her to attend all the coaches’ meetings. She gave the program a five-minute plug at

each meeting, and her efforts led to a marked increase in enrollment. Apart from these attempts to get the program noticed, much of the advertising was simply word of mouth. As athletes reported increased stamina and improvements in performance after taking the class, their teammates were

new Director of Strength and Conditioning, Johnny Olguin, MA, SCCC, who appreciates the importance of the program. In addition, one of our Associate Athletic Directors, Steve Robertello, helped secure funding for the program and is one of its strongest advocates.

Much of the advertising was word of mouth. As athletes reported increased stamina and improvements in performance after taking the class, their teammates were eager to sign up for it, too. eager to sign up for it, too. Coaches are also seeing improved performances in their athletes, which is the best kind of marketing. In fact, some coaches are so eager for their players to participate that they sometimes allow athletes to skip workouts to attend. We’ve seen entire squads sign up, including football, basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s track. Andy left the university last year but we’ve been working closely with the

The Bulldogs in the Kitchen program has been a great success. The athletes have been enthusiastic, and a number of them reported it was the first time they were taught that poor food choices could adversely affect athletic performance. In addition, each participant said the program improved their cooking skills, and many are regularly practicing at home. Thanks to Bulldogs in the Kitchen, nutrition is now a priority for many Fresno State studentathletes and coaches. n

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LEADERSHIP

THE EXTRA MILE As an athletic trainer or strength coach, helping others is what you do all day. Still, some in the profession have found the energy to do even more. Three of them tell their stories.

Our first author, Jason Cerkoney, collects gently used sneakers that are distributed to athletes who can’t afford them.

BY JASON CERKONEY

ike many other athletic trainers who work with high school athletes, I’ve seen too many injuries resulting from shoes that were worn out, poorly fitted, or simply ill-suited to the activity being performed. Whether it’s ankle sprains, shin splints, or knee pain, a host of sports-related injuries can be linked to a lack of shock absorption and support in shoes. Unfortunately, the problem sometimes stems from an athlete not being able to afford the shoes he or she needs. About six months ago, I was discussing these concerns with one of my co-workers at the clinic where I work, Divine Savior Healthcare Therapy SerTR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

vices, in Portage, Wis. When I mentioned a track athlete I knew who was in need of better running shoes, but without the means to afford them, my co-worker offered to donate a gently used pair that had been collecting dust in her closet. Inspiration struck. It’s common for people to have high-quality, seldomused running or other athletic sneakers lying around. What if we were able to convince them to donate these shoes and create a system to distribute the shoes to athletes in need? After a bit of strategizing, I decided to test the waters. I sent an e-mail to all employees at Divine Savior explaining my idea.

A co-worker came up to me a few minutes later and asked, “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” The truth is, I don’t think I was! I didn’t anticipate the outpouring of love and support that followed. I got a handful of responses right away, and within two days, I’d received a dozen pair of shoes. I was, admittedly, a little overJason Cerkoney, ATC, LAT, is the Head Athletic Trainer at Portage (Wis.) High School and an Athletic Trainer at Divine Savior Healthcare Therapy Services. A specialist in Divine Savior’s weight loss and exercise enhancement programs, he can be reached at: jcerkoney@ dshealthcare.com. T&C NOVEMBER 2013

LEADERSHIP whelmed at first, trying to figure out how to store and distribute the shoes. Initially, the front desk staff at the clinic placed them behind their desk. When we were told they were a fire hazard, we moved them to the athletic training room at Portage (Wis.) High School, where I’m the Head Athletic Trainer.

dole out the shoes. I discussed the matter with faculty at Portage and other local schools and requested to be made aware of any athletes in need. I did the same with coaches, parents, and patients I knew to be involved with local sports organizations. Initially, I was getting mostly running shoes, so I started talking to track coach-

One of the most challenging aspects of the program has been getting the right shoes to the right athletes. The coaches have been instrumental in finding candidates because they know their players’ backgrounds. Unbeknownst to me, word about the program got out and spread quickly through social media. A colleague from Divine Savior posted my original e-mail on her Facebook account, which generated more shoes. Soon, lots of people I didn’t even know were contacting me about donating, and it became commonplace to find a pair of shoes on my desk in the morning. The collection continued to grow, and I had to come up with a plan to

es in the area to find recipients. One of these coaches is also the Dean of Students at Portage and he began actively looking for candidates. He announced the program at various practices, and several shoes were delivered after athletes approached him in private. One of the most challenging aspects of the program has been getting the right shoes to the right athletes. When shoes come in, I sort them according to gender, sport, and size, and contact a

group of coaches and athletic trainers to see if they have a need. The coaches have been instrumental in finding candidates because they know their players’ backgrounds. Athletic trainers have also been helpful, because they’re often most aware of the equipment used by the athletes and the injuries they endure. When a good match is found, discretion is essential. We don’t want any athletes to feel embarrassed because they can’t afford new shoes. Fortunately, players trust their coaches and athletic trainers and are able to speak to them in confidence. We’ve also had parents and church members bring candidates to our attention. For example, a father recently contacted me because he couldn’t afford gym sneakers for his sixth-grade daughter. Fortunately, we had two pairs of shoes in her size. They fit the girl almost perfectly, and her family was sincerely grateful. It was the type of response that’s more than enough to make my time and effort worthwhile. This project was started to help prevent sports-related injuries due to improper footwear, but it has grown into

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LEADERSHIP something more. In the six months since that first e-mail, we’ve collected more than 75 pairs of shoes, including running shoes, basketball sneakers, football cleats, volleyball shoes, and even some non-athletic options. At first, I was reluctant to do much advertising for fear the program would get too big for me to handle. But we’re now making plans to expand, and I have a number of ideas on how to go about it, including a shoe give-away day at Portage High School. We’ve also given the program a name, “Shoes for the Sole,” which was suggested by a local reporter. Our current goal for Shoes for the Sole is to ensure that no local athlete enters a season without the proper footwear, and that no one is prevented from playing a sport because they can’t afford the right shoes. The more we can get the word out to families, friends, teachers, and the rest of the community, the more kids we’ll be able to help. I’m proud of the program’s success thus far, even if it’s still a work in progress. We may not always have the right shoe in stock, but we’re trying.

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BY ANDREA HUDY s the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of Kansas’s men’s basketball team, I’m used to being surrounded by excellence and spotlights. Our coaches and players are some of the best in the country and are repeatedly recognized for it. However, last July, I participated in a program with the U.S. Marine Corps reminding me that,

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LEADERSHIP sometimes, the best among us aren’t in national headlines being celebrated for their accomplishments. Coordinated by Kansas’s Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences, the program was developed as part of a continuing goodwill relationship between the university and the Fort Leonard Wood (Mo.) Military Base, loosely focused on athletics in this instance. My role was to give several talks on coaching and leadership at

shared what I believe are the secrets to my success—having a real passion for my work, being true to who I am at all times, and having the courage and persistence to follow my dreams. The group of officers was very interested in discussing core values and authenticity. My father was a Marine, and he instilled in me many of the values that I still hold true today. Not surprisingly, they’re very much in line with the core values of the Corps: hon-

I didn’t think twice before agreeing to speak to the Marines ... I shared what I believe are the secrets to my success— having a real passion for my work, being true to who I am, and having the courage to follow my dreams. the base, and then host a Marine from the military’s Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), Sergeant Michael Pride, who would visit the university to study our sports performance programs. The WWP cares for veterans and service members who’ve incurred a physical or mental injury or illness while serving in the armed forces, and Pride is the Head Coach of the Wounded Warrior’s All-Marine track and field team at Fort Leonard Wood. I didn’t think twice before agreeing to speak to the Marines. Leadership is one of my passions, and I work very hard at Kansas to instill leadership qualities into the student-athletes I coach. I always welcome the chance to share my thoughts on the topic with others, and this program would afford me the opportunity to address both an audience of around 200 up-and-coming female Marines and a small group of high-ranking officers. I relished the chance to inspire women striving to be successful in a male-dominated environment, like myself, and I was eager to hear the officers’ thoughts on the topic. I began each talk with a brief summary of my personal story and how I’ve persevered though many hard times to get to where I am today. I also Andrea Hudy, MA, USAW-1, CSCS, is the Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Performance and the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the men’s basketball team at the University of Kansas. Named the 2012-13 College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the NSCA, she can be reached at: ahudy@ku.edu. 38

T&C NOVEMBER 2013

or, courage, and commitment. The more I spoke with Marines during my time at the base, the more I came to appreciate how similar the leadership principles are between Kansas’s athletics and the Corps. Both institutions strongly encourage service to others and believe that leadership without it is lacking. Both also hold the sharing of knowledge, experience, talents, and time in high regard. Next up was my hosting of Sgt.

depth look at our sports performance program and use that information to further his coaching skills. When he arrived at the university’s Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Science, we kept him busy with 12-hour days. He attended the morning basketball workouts and observed the training sessions, met with coaches from different sports, sat in on exercise science classes and met with the professors, and ended his day at our afternoon basketball sessions. I also spent a lot of one-on-one time with Sgt. Pride, showing him exactly how I train my athletes. I went over techniques on a number of things, including weightlifting and conditioning. And since I’m a firm believer that experience is the best teacher, I took him through the same workouts that we put our athletes through. For the weightlifting, we did squats, bench presses, pull-ups, and variations of snatches, cleans, and jerks. The conditioning exercises included distance running and sprinting. This handson experience will undoubtedly help him teach some of the exercises to his WWP athletes more effectively. Sgt. Pride was fascinated with how we tailor our workouts to each ath-

We kept Sgt. Pride busy with 12-hour days. He attended the morning basketball workouts and observed the training sessions, met with coaches from different sports, sat in on exercise science classes, and met with the professors. Pride, which was just as rewarding. Before I even met him, I was inspired by his story. In 2008, he was nearly killed in Afghanistan when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. One of his arms was badly crushed, and the doctors wanted to amputate. He refused to allow it, and after 25 surgeries and nearly three years of intensive rehab, he eventually passed a test deeming him fit enough to serve on active duty. While recovering, Sgt. Pride became involved with the WWP and what would be the organization’s inaugural Wounded Warrior Games—an Olympic-style competition for injured or ill service members. He won several silver and bronze medals in track and field at the Games and stayed involved with the program, becoming head coach for the track and field athletes. His goal in visiting us at Kansas was to get an in-

lete’s needs. He had a number of questions regarding these individualized routines, and we were able to show him the technologies we use to create and test our athletes. Hopefully our time together will help him implement similar training practices at the base. During his visit, he also spoke to our athletes about his experiences in the Marines. The stories he shared about his struggles and the importance of leadership made a big impact. He believes everyone has the choice to lead, follow, or simply get out of the way, and he talked about how he’s made the decision to take on leadership roles. Being able to work with Marines from Fort Leonard Wood was a thoughtprovoking and wonderful experience. There was a synergy throughout the program as we shared ideas and inspired each other. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

LEADERSHIP

Jazz player Gordon Hayward poses with a young fan during the “Rock ’Em! Sock ’Em!” fundraising event for cancer research.

crusade against cancer

BY BRIAN ZETTLER

hatever your discipline, sporting affiliation, or number of degrees, there are certain indisputable truths among healthcare professionals. And ranking high among them is that a cancer diagnosis is devastating, both for the patient and their loved ones. Last year, my niece, Shadoh Campbell, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It was her second bout with the disease, and the family was heartbroken again. It was as if the hope we Brian Zettler, MS, MEd, ATC, CSCS, CES, is an Assistant Athletic Trainer and Equipment Manager for the Utah Jazz, having previously worked in similar roles for the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Cowboys. He is also the founder and president of the National Basketball Athletic Equipment Managers Association. He can be reached at: bzettler@utahjazz.com. TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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Other fans take photos with Jazz player Jeremy Evans and his Slam Dunk Contest champion trophy. had felt since her recovery had been betrayed. I was confident Shadoh would win this battle, too, and I was determined to help her. However, since she lives in Texas, nearly 1,500 miles away, I wasn’t sure how. A friend suggested we do so by participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) annual “Man & Woman of the Year” fundraising campaign, which is a competition to raise money

into the world and do good until there is too much good in the world.” I was given the go-ahead to hold a fundraiser at the Jazz’s practice facility using its two basketball courts. One would feature a silent auction with a variety of donated items, and the second would be set up as an “open gym” where fans who purchased special tickets could spend time with Jazz players and local celebrities.

It took a great deal of effort to pull it off, but I believe the key to “Rock ’Em! Sock ’Em!” was having a solid group of volunteers. Whenever my work schedule pulled me away, others stepped up to the plate.

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for blood cancer research. The top male and female fundraisers in each state are honored by their respective LLS chapters. We joined immediately, feeling like it was a way to both support Shadoh and help fight this awful disease. Those who know me are familiar with my competitive nature. Some might even put me in the “overly competitive” category. However, if ever there was ever an occasion that called for me to let my competitiveness run wild, I figured raising money for those with blood cancers was it. As the campaign got underway, I was fortunate to have the support of the Utah Jazz organization. There’s always been a culture of philanthropy around the team, as summed up by the words of our late owner, Larry H. Miller: “Go out

To appeal to adults, my wife came up with the idea to use an ’80s theme. The event featured music exclusively from that decade, and attendees were encouraged to wear ’80s clothing. But to avoid scuffing up the courts, we implemented a socks-only policy into the theme. Thus, the name “Rock ’Em! Sock ’Em!” was born. The players we secured, including Slam Dunk Contest champion Jeremy Evans, were very supportive of the cause and generous with their time. The team’s mascot, the famous Jazz Bear, was also in attendance, along with a number of local celebrities. The emcee was our announcer, Craig Bolerjack. For the silent auction, we received donations of autographed basketballs and game-worn shoes and jerseys from curTR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

LEADERSHIP rent and former players from around the league, including Jimmer Fredette, Kevin Durant, Karl Malone, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Damian Lilliard. Additional auction items included gift certificates to local restaurants; a golf package consisting of golf clubs, lessons, and rounds; skiing packages; snowmobile tours; and tickets to various local events. Three levels of tickets were established for the fundraiser. The first granted access to the silent auction only. The second level, dubbed the “Fan Experience,” allowed entry to both the silent auction and the open gym, where attendees could shoot hoops, get autographs, and take pictures with the players and local celebrities. Lastly, the “Ultimate Experience” tickets enabled a person to arrive early and enjoy additional one-on-one time with our special guests. We also created tickets that people could buy and donate to the Make-AWish Foundation. Available for advance purchase, they enabled children from the foundation to attend the fundraiser. The event was advertised on local Utah radio, in newspapers, and on TV during Jazz games. Flyers were handed out at home contests and at a preseason baseball game at our local minor league park. It took a great deal of effort to pull it off, but I believe the key to “Rock ’Em! Sock ’Em!” was having a solid group of volunteers. Whenever my work schedule pulled me away, others stepped up to the plate, particularly my wife. She was supportive and the voice of reason throughout the planning process. In addition, she was often the liaison to the LLS and was integral to securing the donated items for the auction. The Utah chapter of the LLS was also instrumental in planning the fundraiser. Volunteers from the society set up the event Web site, helped create the plan for ticket purchases and payments, and worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to facilitate the donation process. In the end, “Rock ’Em! Sock ’Em!” was a great success. We raised more than $50,000 for LLS, and several children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation were able to attend thanks to the donated tickets. We were also lucky enough to have Utah LLS Boy of the Year, Jeron Affleck, at the event, who is battling Non-Hodgkin’s T-Cell lymphoma. Jeron and I have since kept in touch, and I’ve developed a great relationship with him TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

and his parents. To round out the campaign, we held several smaller events in the Salt Lake City area, including a benefit luncheon at a local Texas Roadhouse. We also organized a private fundraising reception with live music and food catered and donated by a local Mexican restaurant. In August, we received the wonderful news that Shadoh was in full remission. She beat it again and has since re-enrolled in school, keeping busy working towards her future and taking care of her beautiful baby boy.

I’m a firm believer that everyone can make a difference. Sometimes it’s just a matter of putting ourselves and our egos aside to focus on the needs of others. I encourage everyone to go the extra mile and get involved in contributing to a charity of their interest. n

For his work and efforts, Brian Zettler was named 2013 Man of the Year by the Utah Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

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sticking to it

University of Maryland Media Relations

Following a plan that features sport-specific agility and conditioning drills helps the University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team maintain its status as one of the nation’s elite programs. BY MICHAEL SZEMBORSKI

ometimes called “the fastest sport on two feet,” lacrosse is also one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Long viewed as a predominantly East Coast activity, the game is spreading to new areas, especially in the Midwest, Mountain West, and South, winning followers with its blend of strength, skill, and speed. Yet, the sport remains strong in its traditional hotbeds, and here at the University of Maryland, I am fortunate to work with one of the most storied programs in men’s lacrosse. The Terrapins have won 11 national titles since their debut as a varsity squad in 1924, and TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

have played in the NCAA Division I tournament for 11 consecutive seasons, the nation’s longest active streak, while reaching the title game in two of the last three seasons. Building on that kind of legacy requires a year-round commitment from student-athletes and coaches. The season runs from February to May, but it’s only through hard work and dedi-cation during the off-season that teams will be able to reach the NCAA tournament. Lacrosse mixes the athletic demands of several sports, including soccer, basketball, and ice hockey, but it also pres-

ents some unique challenges for strength and conditioning coaches. The need to design a safe, sensible, and systematic program guided by the basic principles of strength and conditioning is still paramount. However, the physical demands of lacrosse change by position, Michael Szemborski, CSCS, is the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at the University of Maryland, where he serves as the Head Strength Coach for the men’s lacrosse team as well as the women’s lacrosse and field hockey squads. He can be reached at: mszembor@umd.edu. T&C NOVEMBER 2013

SPORT SPECIFIC as do many of its sport-specific skills, especially those related to stick-handling. In our training program here at Maryland, I try to combine sound and proven strength-training techniques with con-

tempo transition style or a more patient approach that looks to score mostly off settled half-field situations. When I prepare for a season, I start by reviewing the previous year to de-

I especially like explosive core training exercises that feature medballs because they match up well with movements on the field ... For example, we use rotational medball throws against a wall in order to mimic the transfer of energy from the lower body and “whip” motion players use when shooting. ditioning and agility drills designed to transfer directly to the lacrosse field. PLANNING FOR SUCCESS Creating the annual training plan for our men’s lacrosse team requires balancing several factors. Some of these are part of the training process for all sports, such as assessing and considering the physical demands of the sport and meshing the training principles with the style of the team’s coaching staff. Others are specific to lacrosse, such as examining whether the team uses an up-

termine which areas are in need of improvement and whether there are any weaknesses that require attention. I also check to see if modifications we made the previous year were successful. Then, I meet with the coaching staff to ask if they are planning any changes that might impact our training plan. For example, do they anticipate having a shorter rotation at midfield or relying more on the transition game? Whatever changes they may have in store, it’s important that I adjust my program to provide the proper training stimulus.

I also ask the coaches for information on the practice plans and drills they plan on utilizing during the season. I use all of this information to devise the schedule for the training program and choose agility and footwork drills that will enhance individual and team practice sessions. Our workouts have three focus areas—leg strength, hip power, and core stability. Concentrating on these areas allows us to directly address the primary muscles involved in most lacrosse movements. Squats are ideal for our base strength training because they’re full-body lifts that engage the entire lower region, posterior chain, and abs. This builds the strength players need to perform the quick starts and stops that are a big part of lacrosse. Plus, there are a number of squat variations we can use to target specific areas and add some variety to workouts. In addition to squats, we do some unilateral assistance work, mostly lunges and single-leg lifts, to help develop leg strength. Lunges are particularly effective because they mimic the end of

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IN THE NET The athletic qualities needed by goalies are unique compared to their teammates, so training them can present its own challenges. In lacrosse, footwork and agility are important for any player, but they take on added value between the pipes, where most movements need to be quick and explosive. Thus, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vital to train their hips, core, and legs to be strong and powerful. Goalies make saves not only through hand-eye coordination, but also by quickly shifting their weight when positioning their body or stick. This transfer of body weight and energy is directly correlated to core strength and stability. I use various lunge movements to help the goalies work on pushing off their back leg and being strong with each leg independent from the other. Lateral, diagonal, and backwards lunges, along with Bulgarian squats, are some of my favorite exercises for goalies. Another key to the development of goalies is flexibility. Many saves are made in awkward positions that require a great deal of flexibility to perform without injury. We use a variety of stretching techniques with our goalies focusing on hip mobility, hamstring flexibility, and posterior chain strength. We also utilize stretch ropes along with PNF stretching and hurdles to help with hip mobility.

the shooting motion, where a player extends on one leg while hurling the ball toward the goal. We use cleans and clean variations for a lot of our hip power work because the triple extension of the hips, knees, and ankles makes them ideal for developing explosiveness. The transfer of power required for a clean is also similar to many lacrosse movements. For example, power is transferred from the back of the legs through the abs and arms when a player shoots or delivers a powerful body check. Since cleans are integral to our strength regimen, we put a great deal of emphasis on teaching our athletes to always use great form and technique when performing them. When they first come in as freshmen, we put players through a focused training program that includes clean progressions so they can master the various movement patterns associated with the exercise. Core stability is a big part of our preparation because of the key role it plays in numerous lacrosse skills, including shooting, passing, dodging, and defending. We do some sort of core

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SPORT SPECIFIC training in every workout, varying between weighted, unweighted, isometric, and explosive movements. I especially like explosive core training exercises that feature medballs, because they match up well with movements on the playing field. To get ideas for explosive medball core movements to add to the program, I often speak with the coaching staff about their teaching cues

be underestimated. Even the strongest players are of little use on the lacrosse field if they can’t move well. During the off-season, it is essential for players to get a good mix of conditioning, speed work, agility training, footwork drills, and plyometric movements. The energy systems used in lacrosse can make conditioning challenging at times. Different positions have signifi-

When we do 100-yard sprints or gassers for general team conditioning, I’ll assign different goal times based on position. I’ll expect our attackmen and midfielders to complete them in 15 seconds, since they are often charged with carrying the offensive play. Defensemen will have 16 seconds. for shooting, passing, and defending. For example, we use rotational medball throws against a wall in order to mimic the transfer of energy from the lower body and “whip” motion players use when shooting. While the work done in the weightroom is very important, the value of conditioning and movement training cannot

cantly different fitness needs, so training each athlete to be in peak condition requires both team and position-specific conditioning. For example, when we do 100-yard sprints or gassers for general team conditioning, I’ll assign different goal times based on position. I’ll expect our attackmen and midfielders to complete

them in 15 seconds, since they are often charged with carrying the offensive play. Defensemen will have 16 seconds to cover 100 yards, since they don’t have as many long sprints, and goaltenders will have 18 seconds. Rest times vary from 25 to 40 seconds depending on the time of year and the intensity of the rest of the workout. However, since midfielders have both offensive and defensive duties, I’ll often have them do 150-yard shuttles from the goal line to midfield and back instead of running gassers. These shuttles better simulate the transition they regularly have to make from offense to defense. YEARLY SCHEDULE To account for competitions, practices, and the school calendar, I break our annual training program into smaller phases. These phases are the postseason (June-July), off-season (August-September), fall practice (October-November), preseason (December-January), and inseason (February-May). Postseason: Since the NCAA lacrosse championships are held Memorial Day weekend, we start the summer with our

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SPORT SPECIFIC postseason phase. During this time, we give the players a chance to recover from the long season, and then begin strength work on the legs, hips, and core with moderate volumes at high intensity. Off-season: The off-season phase includes a focus on teaching newcomers the proper lifting techniques. For returning players, the emphasis remains on strength with power work added, increasing volume. Fall practice: During the fall training phase, we continue to focus on leg strength, hip power, and core stability in the weightroom, while reducing the volume to help the athletes handle the physical demands they experience during team practices. We also shift more of our attention to conditioning, speed, and agility. We typically have 40 to 50 workouts depending on the coach’s practice plans and scrimmage schedule, and I try to get in 15 to 18 speed workouts, 15 to 18 agility/footwork workouts, and 8 to 10 pure conditioning or combination days. This mix gives us sufficient time to teach our drills and obtain the training effects we are looking for before the student-athletes leave for winter break. Preseason: Our preseason is fairly brief, with the team starting practices once they return to campus in January and the first game usually occurring in mid-February. We focus most of our workouts on developing our in-season fitness standards. We keep the weightroom volumes low, but raise the intensity to the highest levels of the year. In-season: In-season training is one of the most vital aspects of preparing a team to peak at the right time of the season. Our in-season program is structured to avoid overloading the starters and backups who see substantial playing time while still keeping their strength and conditioning levels up, so loads are moderate but intensity is high. Conference tournaments are usually held in late April, with the NCAA tournament occupying most of May. It’s important to work back from these key dates to ensure players will be at their best when the postseason begins. At the same time, I’m always cognizant that the demands placed on the players during the regular season can vary greatly. After a triple-overtime game or particularly intense practice, I may have to go a little easier on the players than I’d originally planned. The key is to monitor the players closely and

be prepared to adjust the volume and intensity of workouts when necessary. DRILL MASTER While most of our weightroom work is similar to that used in other sports, I try to get as sport- and even positionspecific as I can in our conditioning and agility sessions. We still use agility drills that train universal traits, but designing drills that reflect the movement patterns and demands of each position is a key aspect of our program. These movements include the dif-

ferent dodging techniques midfielders and attackmen use to avoid defenders, and the footwork defenders employ to counter these dodges. They also include specific skills coaches expect the players to master, such as different ways to avoid running into the crease while attacking the net. An example of a skill-specific agility drill I developed to work on defending dodges is the “martini drill.” Cones are placed in the shape of a martini glass and defenders backpedal through them while opening their hips to de-

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SPORT SPECIFIC fend diagonally. Once they reach the final cone, they shuffle laterally and finish with a sprint. I have them finish with a sprint because it simulates the quick transition opportunity that can open up after getting a turnover or recovering a loose ball. Our coaches teach the players to push the transition game from anywhere on the field, and this drill helps to reinforce that concept. It also combines many aspects of the athleticism required of our defenders and helps identify any areas in their transitioning movements that need improvement. An important teaching point for this drill is to emphasize opening the hips when coming out of the backpedal and into the diagonal defensive movement. Players often get their feet mixed up doing this movement, so I stress initiating from the hips and driving off the back foot. During the lateral shuffle, I make sure they keep their hips low and push off their back leg to prevent “heel clicking” and maintain a good defensive position. For our attackmen and midfielders, we try to simulate dodging as much as

possible by focusing on footwork and shifting their bodyweight during agility drills. One of my favorite agility drills involves placing a cone five yards ahead of a starting point, then staggering a series of three or four cones, each two feet back and diagonal from the previous cone. The athlete sprints from the starting point to the front cone, and then, using their left foot to plant, takes two quick lateral shuffle steps towards the staggered cone. Once they take their second step, they push off their back foot and accelerate straight forward, towards the next cone, and repeat the movements until they reach the final cone. This drill does a great job of teaching the athletes to shift their body weight and practice the footwork needed to dodge effectively. Going straight from a sprint to a move and then immediately accelerating out of it is an important sequence in any good dodge. There are many variations of this drill, including changing the lateral shuffle into a backpedal, or increasing the distance of the staggered cone to give players more time to shift their body weight.

A common problem during this drill is difficulty shifting the body weight while planting off the back leg when coming out of the second lateral shuffle step. I encourage struggling players to shift their weight from their back foot to their lead hip to help them accelerate their body weight forward and gather momentum towards their next sprint. Our face-off men are put under unique physical demands as they regularly fight for possession of the ball. To prepare for these physical battles, I have them perform bear crawls while pushing against a mat, with someone supplying resistance from the opposite side. They also benefit from wrist and forearm-strengthening exercises, including weighted curls. While lacrosse-specific agility and conditioning drills are no substitute for the skill work players perform during practices, they maximize the effects of our workouts. After all, results achieved in training sessions ultimately have to transfer to the lacrosse field if they going to be valuable in the quest to continue the long winning tradition of Maryland men’s lacrosse. n

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Pilates and Athletic Rehab: What Equipment is Best? By Daniel Wilson

Ken Endelman knows firsthand how effective Pilates can be in rehabbing an injured athlete. Endelman is the founder and CEO of Balanced Body, a major Pilates equipment and education provider. His customers include many teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB and several NCAA programs.

CoreAlign

The CoreAlign was developed by a physical therapist and combines the mind-body principles of Pilates with cardiovascular exercise and strength training. The CoreAlign’s frame encloses two tracks and two

“Many athletic trainers recognize that the even musculature Pilates provides goes a long way in increasing an athlete’s performance The CoreAlign is great for functional as well as keeping them on the training and rehabilitation. field and out of the trainer’s room,” carts, which move independently with says Endelman. Most athletic injuries are caused by muscle imbalances – athletes repeating the same movement over and over - which strengthen some muscles while weakening others and eventually cause strains, tears and pulls. From this standpoint, Endelman says, Pilates is an absolutely ideal adjunct to any athlete’s conditioning or rehab program, because it eliminates muscular imbalances by creating a strong core and an even symmetry throughout the body, “A strong core helps with everything. Take hamstring injuries, for instance. They usually result from not being able to withstand the pressure that the quads exert. But having a strong core means an athlete will also have strong glutes, which are primary movers for hip extension. When your athlete’s hamstrings and glutes work in concert, it helps them withstand the pressure that the quads exert and reduces the chance of injury.” So what Pilates equipment is best for rehabbing an injured athlete? That depends on your goals as well budget and space constraints. Here are equipment choices that Endelman recommends:

smooth resistance (or assistance) created by six elastic resistance tube assemblies on each cart. Resistance/assistance is possible in one or both directions. Most CoreAlign exercises require either a free-standing or wall-mounted ladder. Exercises on the CoreAlign® emphasize an upright posture, and are designed to improve posture, balance and functional movement.

tion because it can both assist and resist a movement, and can be a great diagnostic tool for trainers,” says Endelman. “Say an athlete has a back injury; on the Reformer you can watch how a client puts his or her spinal movements together in flexion, extension, rotation and lateral flexion. You can also use the equipment to replicate sports-specific movements for both assessment and rehabilitation. The Allegro 2 is a particularly good Reformer for athletic trainers because it was designed in collaboration with fitness professionals to be intuitive and simple to use; enhancing the flow and effectiveness of Pilates-based athletic training sessions. It includes a footbar that adjusts vertically by lifting it up and moving it – even with the feet - and slides the entire frame length to accommodate different body sizes. It can also make instant, one touch, rope adjustments even while lying on the carriage.”

EXO Chair

If space or cost constraints are an issue then Endelman suggests the EXO Chair. “Pilates Chairs activate the lower back, buttocks, shoulder, transverses abdominals

“By combining the tracks with upright posture an athlete can very quickly get a feel for proper alignment and movement patterns, which can translate directly to functional activities specific to their sport,” says Endelman. “It’s very effective for athletes rehabilitating from back and neck pain, joint problems, and other sports injuries.”

Allegro 2 Reformer

The Reformer is widely regarded as the most popular piece of equipment used in Pilates. It consists of a gliding carriage attached to rails inside a rectangular frame. The carriage is connected to springs, with pulleys and ropes attached to the frame. “The Reformer is so good for rehabilita-

The Allegro 2 is intuitive and easy to use.

Many Reformer exercises can be performed on the EXO Chair. and pelvic region and heighten neuromuscular coordination,” says Endelman. “The EXO Chair is great because it also has attachment points for resistance tubing. This allows trainers to do a lot of Reformer exercises on the chair, but in a fraction of the space (or cost) that a Reformer would take.” Thinking of adding Pilates as part of your conditioning regimen? Call Balanced Body at 1-800-PILATES or visit pilates.com.

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T&C November 2013 Volume XXIII No. 8

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CEU QUIZ

Training & Conditioning is pleased to provide NATA and NSCA members with the opportunity to earn continuing education units through reading issues of the magazine. The following quiz is based on articles that appear in this issue of Training & Conditioning. By satisfactorily completing the quiz, readers can earn 2.0 BOC Athletic Training and 0.2 NSCA (two hours) continuing education units. Instructions: Go to www.training-conditioning.com and click on “CEUs” to take the quiz online. You may also

mail your quiz to us: Fill in the circle on the answer sheet (on page 52) that represents the best answer for each of the questions below. Include a $25 payment to MAG, Inc., and mail it to the following address: MAG, Inc., ATTN: T&C 23.8 Quiz, 20 Eastlake Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. Readers who correctly answer at least 70 percent of the questions will be notified of their earned credit by mail within 30 days.

Bulletin Board (pages 4-6)

Objective: To learn about recently published research and news items in sports medicine. 1. What change would not be mandated by the new NCAA safety legislation? a) All member schools’ teams must retain a licensed physician b) Both full- and part-time strength and conditioning coaches must be certified in their field c) All coaches, including strength and conditioning coaches, must become certified in first aid, CPR, and automated external defibrillator use d) All injury data must be reported annually 2. Which NCAA division currently requires its strength and conditioning coaches to be certified? a) Division I b) Division II c) Division III d) None of the above 3. Researchers in Japan found that athletes with an internal hip rotation sum 10 degrees higher than normal had an odds ratio of ACL tear that increased by: a) 0.16 b) 0.18 c) 0.23 d) 0.24

T&C november 2013

4. In the study on watermelon juice, its effectiveness as a muscle recovery drink is attributed to what amino acid? a) L-citrulline b) L-alanine c) L-cysteine d) L-glycine 5. How many of the 15 professional athletes in the neck-injury study were cleared to return to professional play? a) 8 b) 12 c) 13 d) All of them

Talk of the Test (pages 14-21)

Objective: To understand how and why five top strength and conditioning coaches use testing on their athletes. 6. In his example, Joey Batson says that if a football player has attained a high level of strength, the focus of his training might be shifted to: a) Plyometrics to improve movement b) Various jump tests to improve power c) Quick-ladder work to improve speed d) a and c

7. What’s the first thing Alissa Goldman does if test results show a major decrease in performance compared to a previous year? a) Research and experiment with similar tests b) Factor in athletes’ differing abilities c) Check with sport coaches to see if they’ve made changes to practice routines d) Change the program to add additional emphasis on that area 8. Which test to measure aerobic capacity does Andrew Bosak list among his favorites? a) Maximal Oxygen Consumption test b) Bruce Protocol test c) PACER test d) Aero test 9. How frequently does Chris Ruf test his football players’ agility during the winter conditioning program? a) 1 to 2 times b) 2 to 3 times c) 3 to 4 times d) 4 to 5 times 10. Jon Jost uses which of the following sets of tests for athletes in most sports? a) Bench press, squat, and power clean b) Power clean, bench press, and standing long jump c) Bench press, power clean, and dumbbell bench d) Power clean, squat, and vertical jump

TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

CEU QUIZ

Poised Under Pressure (pages 23-27)

Objective: To learn about Crohn’s disease and how it can be managed. 11. Crohn’s disease causes inflammation of the entire GI system, particularly the: a) Terminal ileum b) Duodenum c) Colon d) Esophagus 12. The disease typically arises during teen years and early adulthood, with another, smaller peak of incidence around age: a) 40 b) 50 c) 55 d) 60 13. How many people have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in the United States? a) 700,000 b) 1.2 million c) 2.3 million d) 4.1 million 14. When a person is first diagnosed with the disease, they may be prescribed drugs such as: a) Corticosteroids b) Mesalamines c) Antibiotics d) All of the above 15. One way in which exercise can help reduce the symptoms of the disease is by: a) Releasing cytokines into the blood b) Encouraging leukocyte trafficking c) Activating T-cells d) All of the above 16. One of the most common problems that can arise in an active athlete with the disease is: a) Unusual swelling b) Reduced range of motion c) Dehydration d) Weight gain

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17. A problematic food for Crohn’s sufferers is: a) Soy b) Fruits c) Fish d) It varies by individual

Cooking Up a Storm (pages 29-33)

Objective: Discover how a university is helping athletes perform better by teaching them to eat and cook healthy food. 18. How many grams of protein should an athlete consume within 30 minutes of finishing a workout? a) 5-10 b) 10-20 c) 20-30 d) At least 30 19. After a workout, athletes should rehydrate with 16-24 ounces of fluids for every: a) One-half pound lost b) One pound lost c) One-and-a-half pounds lost d) Two pounds lost

Sticking to It (pages 43-48)

Objective: To learn about the offseason strength and conditioning program used by the University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team. 20. What are the three focus areas in the University of Maryland’s offseason lacrosse workouts? a) Leg strength, hip power, and shoulder stability b) Foot speed, rotational power, and core power c) Leg strength, hip power, and core stability d) Foot speed, hip stability, and rotational power

21. Bulgarian squats are one of the author’s favorite exercises for what position players? a) Goalies b) Defenders c) Midfielders d) All of the above 22. To help improve a goalie’s hip mobility, which of the following tools are used? a) Medballs b) Stretch ropes c) Quick-ladders d) All of the above 23. The team’s annual training program is broken down into how many phases? a) 3 b) 4 c) 5 d) 6 24. The “martini drill” is used to help players defend against: a) Slap checks b) Body checks c) Dodges d) All of the above 25. What exercise helps prepare players for the unique physical demands of face-offs? a) Rotational medball throws b) Bear crawls c) Lateral lunges d) Single-leg lifts

Quicker & Easier!

You can now take our CEU quizzes online... and get your CEU results and credit instantly. Click on “CEUs” at:

www.training-conditioning.com

T&C november 2013

CEU QUIZ Answer Form Instructions: Go to www.training-conditioning.com and click on “CEUs” to take the quiz online. You may also

mail your quiz to us: Fill in the circle on the answer sheet below that represents your selection of the best answer for each question. Include a $25 payment to MAG, Inc., and mail it to the following address: MAG, Inc., Attn: T&C 23.8 Quiz, 20 Eastlake Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. Readers who correctly answer at least 70 percent of the questions will receive 2.0 BOC Athletic Training and 0.2 NSCA (two hours) CEUs, and will be notified of their earned credit by mail within 30 days. Questions? Problems? E-mail: CEU@MomentumMedia.com.

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Case Study

Organization and Durability A Q&A with Rob Mogolov, Director of Marketing for Cramer Products, Inc.

What separates the Cramer RigidLite line from other athletic training kits? The RigidLite line of athletic training kits is based on the principles of organization and durability. They are constructed using a combination of materials that were chosen specifically to provide maximum protection for the supplies inside—without adding unnecessary weight. From a design standpoint, internal organization is a key point of emphasis. Every RigidLite kit features unique organizational features that were built to help athletic trainers organize their kits— and to facilitate quick access in emergency situations.

In looking at the kits, the emphasis on organization is evident. How did the concept develop? We worked closely with our Advisory Board members, as well as other athletic trainers in the field, to understand what they really needed on a daily basis. Every kit in the line was designed from the perspective of using it in the field. For example, if you look at the Game Day kit, that philosophy is evident in the internal skeleton. This not only supports the exterior of the kit, but also offers protection for supplies. It is constructed in such a way as to provide shelves and dividers for organizing supplies for easy and rapid access.

What are the advantages of using a rigid material in a “soft-sided” kit? The rigid component of RigidLite provides a number of advantages. In every RigidLite kit, the areas subjected to impact that might damage something inside the kit are replaced with a hard panel, which helps minimize the effects of impact. High-wear areas, like the bottom of a kit, can easily be replaced to provide higher durability or a waterproof bottom.

The same process also works in reverse. In a kit like the RigidLite Messenger, non-wear areas—such as the back—can be replaced with padded nylon or foam to minimize weight and provide additional comfort when wearing it. The rigid material gets all the glory, but using soft materials in key areas is equally critical in creating our kits.

What is next for RigidLite? We are building a line of kits to address all the needs of athletic trainers in all settings and sports. If you look at our current line, you’ll see that we address everything from field kits to backpacks to accessories. The great thing about the RigidLite concept is that it lends itself to every type of kit. To that end, we are working on some pretty cool concepts to change the way athletic trainers look at fanny packs and briefcases in 2013. Rob Mogolov, recently promoted to Director of Marketing, joined Cramer Products, Inc. in 2005 as product manager, and became marketing manager in 2008. As Director of Marketing, Rob oversees the product development team for both Cramer Products, Inc. and its Active Ankle Systems subsidiary.

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

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T&C november 2013

Strength & Conditioning Uniquely Durable

PowerBlock® Commercial Dumbbells have the ability to replace up to 22 pairs of dumbbells in the space of one. The dumbbells and stand require just 19” x 21” of floor space. Sizes are available to meet any lifter’s needs: 2.5-20, 4-32, 10-50, 5-90, 12.5-125, and 12.5-175 pounds per hand. PowerBlocks are perfect for workstation set-ups as you can fit a set and stand at each power rack. The gallery on the company’s commercial Web site shows some facility set-up ideas. Call or click for brochures.

SPRI Products • 800-222-7774 www.spri.com

PowerBlock • 800-446-5215 www.powerblock.com

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The Polar RCX5 heart rate monitor has an Endurance Program that guides you to improve your running and cycling performance, a Fitness Test to let you know how your fitness is developing, a Running Index to illustrate how your running performance is developing and a Calorie Counter to let you know how many calories you’ve burned. It implements SMART Coaching to assist in day-to-day fitness levels and creates individual training plans so that you will work out at the right intensity. The Polar Service Center Division of Creative Health Products is one of the most experienced authorized service centers for Polar products. For more information or a printable return form, visit www.polarservicecenter.com. Creative Health Products, Inc. • 800-742-4478 www.chponline.com Circle No. 539

Versatile Workout

Improve speed and agility with TurfCordz® Quick React. Used for two-person agility, explosive starts, and quick-reaction drills, the Quick React features two waist belts connected by a strap. A Velcro® connection in the center of the strap holds it together as athletes mirror each other’s movements. Slow reactions are marked when the strap separates at the Velcro® connection. TurfCordz resistance products provide a versatile, safer, and more comfortable workout. NZ Manufacturing • 800-886-6621 www.turfcordz.com

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More Comfort

The 3318 Varsity Reverse Hyper has the Reverse Hyper’s™ design but in a more cost-conscious form. This product slides into the Varsity Line of economical strength products. It features a rollover pad for more hip comfort, and a lighter design and construction with a smaller footprint. It comes boxed with a simple bolt-together assembly and ships from stock in one to two weeks. There is a fixed freight cost for single unit orders. Legend Fitness • 866-753-4363 www.legendfitness.com T&C november 2013

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Ideal Equipment

Fitness Guidance

Space-Saver

Built for the most demanding, intense med ball slamming activities, the Slam Ball is a uniquely durable, evenly weighted, one-piece roto-molded medicine ball. You can bounce and slam it on rubber, concrete, hardwood, artificial turf, and cinderblock surfaces and still get consistent rebound responsiveness. The basketball-style grooves and tacky surface texture ensure a firm grip, even when wet. And the Slam Ball even floats.

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The Multi Hip is an ideal equipment piece for every strength and fitness facility. Its standard features include a 300-pound weight stack with 150 pounds of resistance. It also includes a weight stack guard; a large, adjustable foot plate; a movement arm that can rotate 360 degrees and can be positioned into one of 24 spots; three rotating handles for multiple hand positions; and a large working platform. Power Lift • 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com

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Maintain Positioning

The Mega Triceps Curl Bar is one of the only seven-foot Olympic bars that can be effectively used on Olympic Benches and Power Racks for a host of exercises, including bench pressing, skull crushers, and hammer curls. Knurled and chromeplated, this bar helps to maintain normal positioning of the wrists. Visit the company’s Web site for more information. New York Barbells • 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com

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Better All the Time

Lifecycle Exercise Bikes are loaded with breakthrough technology and entertainment, durable components, and ergonomic design features. These bikes continue the Life Fitness legacy of fitness expertise. As one of the most recognized cardio products in fitness facilities around the world, the Lifecycle exercise bike is a must-have for every training facility. Life Fitness • 800-634-8637 www.lifefitness.com

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Concussion Prevention

Mission Competition Fitness Equipment has just released the 2014 model of The Iron Neck. The featured improvements are a disc braking system that adds rotary resistance, quick-adjust head and chin straps, and a built-in pumping system. The improvements will allow an athlete to more quickly build a strong force-dissipating, concussion-resistant neck. Mission Competition Fitness Equipment • 10-776-0621 www.IronNeck.net Circle No. 534 TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Strength & Conditioning Multi-Purpose Equipment

Hardcore Training

Lebert Fitness, Inc. • 905-785-0626 www.lebertfitness.com

Global Bodyweight Training • 888-691-2906 www.globalbodyweighttraining.com

The Lebert Equalizer™ is a simple, portable, multi-purpose, and versatile piece of high-performance strength training equipment. It works arms, chest, back, and core muscles with the user’s body weight applied as resistance. It is also suitable for agility training, core work, and plyometrics where the EQUALIZERS™ act as the obstacle or guide. The Lebert Equalizer™ can be utilized in fitness centers, boot camps, and any team training. Circle No. 508

Revolutionary Dumbbell

Global Bodyweight Training’s Climbing Ropes combine highquality materials with an eye loop that allows you to hang your rope almost anywhere without needing hardware. Create your own hardcore bootcamp wherever there’s a beam or tree to toss your rope over. Available in any length in Grade A manila, white or black polyester dacron, these ropes are made to order with stitched vinyl handles, nylon guards, and optional knots. Circle No. 512

Store Anywhere

Finally there is a heavy-duty, adjustable dumbbell that doesn’t break the bank—the DB from Samson. This unique design features two handles (each weighing 15 pounds) and all the 10-, fiveand 2.5-pound plates you need to adjust each DB up to 90 pounds. Each plate slides on effortlessly, then pins in place with solid-steel rods. Each handle is open, just like any other DB, so full wrist range of motion is possible. A custom table operates on lock-in-place casters, the top staging area is coated with heavy-duty urethane, and the front of each table can be fully customized with your graphics.

The Orbit ® is ideal for athletic trainers who’d like the functional training benefits of Pilates but don’t have space for larger equipment pieces. The Orbit is lightweight and small enough to store anywhere. Athletes can sit, lie, kneel, or stand to perform a variety of exercises designed to challenge the entire body and keep the core engaged. It can improve balance, coordination, and strength. This product also includes a 35-minute workout DVD.

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

Explosive Movements

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Perfectly Knurled

The solidsteel chromeplated seven-foot EZ-Curl Bar fits safely on your Olympic Benches and Power Racks. Perfectly knurled and weighing in at 48 pounds, this bar has spiraled sleeves for extra collar grip. Perform all of your EZ-Curl exercises with a bar that allows for Olympic Bench or Power Rack support. Visit the company’s Web site for more information. New York Barbells • 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com

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High-Intensity Training

Balanced Body • 800-PILATES www.pilates.com

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The Patented (#7662075) Pro Plate Load Full Body Squat is an essential piece to help strengthen the lowerbody. The design provides for a broader range of motion through the hip as compared to traditional leg presses. Users can perform explosive movements due to the low inertia created from the fourbar linkage system. Its standard features include weight storage, band attachments, shoulder adjustment, a unique single leg stabilizing device, and rubber floor bumpers. Power Lift • 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com

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Top Industry Professionals

For high-volume, high-intensity training applications, today’s hottest workout products are training ropes. They’re perfect for total-body workouts in circuit training, athletic conditioning, interval training, ropes classes, boot camps, and more. The All-weather Covered Training Ropes are designed to withstand the toughest indoor and outdoor conditions. They are available in three different lengths and 1.5- or two-inch diameters.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is an international educational association. This organization develops the most advanced information regarding strength training and conditioning practices, injury prevention, and research findings. Unlike any other organization, the NSCA brings together a diverse group of professionals from personal trainers, strength coaches, researchers and educators. These individuals are all in pursuit of achieving a common goal—improve athletic performance and fitness.

SPRI Products • 800-222-7774 www.spri.com

NSCA • 800-815-6826 www.nsca.com

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Circle No. 515 T&C november 2013

FOOTBALL BAR

Strength & Conditioning Top Conditioning Ropes

Global Bodyweight Training makes high-quality fitness ropes for fullbody workouts that condition, build strength, and increase power and endurance. Whether you want oldschool manila, braided nylon, or polyester dacron, each custom rope includes stitched vinyl handles and nylon guards to prevent fray. The company’s premium, durable ropes are great for team training without requiring more fancy equipment. Plus, the popular polydac ropes are now available in black. Global Bodyweight Training • 888-691-2906 www.globalbodyweighttraining.com

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Innovative Machine

REPSDirect.net Circle No. 135

The A300 Runner is a unique, innovative machine. It is capable of building strength, acceleration, anaerobic metabolic pathways, strength endurance, and power development in an 18-square-foot space. The A300’s revolutionary pneumatic resistance allows you to work as fast as you can at the resistance you chose. Plus, on the A300, you are always under optimal tension. Keiser Corporation • 559-256-8000 www.keiser.com

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Looks Like Wood, Performs Like Rubber Concordia University Chicago is now accepting applications for the online Master of Science in Applied Exercise Science degree with the following concentrations: • Human Movement Science • Fitness and Health Promotion • Sports Performance Training • Sports Nutrition

Program HigHligHts: • 100% online • Small class sizes, 12-18 students • 30 credits comprised of 10, 8-week courses • NASM credentials offered: CES, CPT, & PES • Affordable tuition is guaranteed throughout the entire program • Regionally accredited institution qualified to offer federal financial aid to students

CLASSES START JANUARY 8, 2014

For more information go to: www.exsci.cuchicago.edu Circle No. 136

T&C november 2013

Infinity G-Max Platforms in new “synthetic wood” are state of the art. These 1.25-inch thick solid, seamless, flush platform centers combine the look of real wood with the durability and performance of rubber. G-Max was designed to be the best surface to perform squats, dead lifts and power cleans on. G-Max has just the right amount of traction and rebound enabling you to lift with confidence and safety. It’s also available in solid colors Infinity Performance, Inc. • 888-479-1017 www.infinityperformance.com

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Tricep Isolation

The 6010 LeverEDGE Unilateral Seated Tricep Press is two presses in one device with a bench-style and standard dipstyle. This unit offers complete tricep isolation as it removes chest and delts from the exercise. You can hit all three heads of the tricep from different angles. The LeverEDGE has extra-long weight pegs that can hold 18 to 20 plates for super-heavy sets, and its levers can be linked together or uncoupled for independent arm movement. This unit also has chrome-plated, Olympic peg weight storage. Legend Fitness • 866-753-4363 www.legendfitness.com

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special advertising feature

APPLYING

THE

or more than 50 years, Dr. Bob Ward has been finding better ways to improve athletic performance. But many of his ideas take time and data to implement properly—time and data that a lot strength and conditioning coaches just don’t have. While walking the aisles of a trade show in Kansas City last year, Ward, who is Director of the Sport Science Network in Dallas and spent 13 years as Strength and Conditioning Coach and Sport Scientist for the Dallas Cowboys under Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry, saw the HiTrainer PRO being demonstrated. He immediately knew he had found the hardware breakthrough he needed to support the Performance Theory first developed by Dr. George Kondraske, Director of the Human Performance Institute at the University of Texas Arlington. “As with most trade shows, I saw 90 percent of the space taken up by equipment that works on tissue strength and promises more than it can really contribute,” he says. “Then I saw the HiTrainer and I saw the readouts and the measurements it provides in real time that relate directly to what athletes do in competition. I’m constantly searching for new ways to do things more efficiently, and I knew I found one when I saw the HiTrainer.”

High Intensity Sprint on the HiTrainer

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PErformANcE THEorY

Ward’s application of Performance Theory is based on two simple questions: How much of any given performance resource is enough? And which performance resources are preventing better performance? Rather than assuming that more speed or more strength or more agility is always better, the focus of Performance Theory is identifying the amount of physical resources needed for specific athletic tasks. “Using a race car as an example, everyone wants a powerful engine so they can go fast,” he says. “But at some point your car goes so fast that it can’t stay on the track. And after you know what that speed is you wouldn’t spend any time trying to exceed it. “Once you find out what are the most important factors for any specific athletic performance task, you can train more efficiently and not waste time on work that doesn’t help improve results,” Ward continues. “Time is the most important resource we have and we’re wasting a lot of it in training because we don’t consider how much of a performance resource is enough.” The HiTrainer is a self-propelled sprinting surface device with supports on the front that allow athletes to maintain their drive phase effort throughout an exercise bout. It’s also equipped with data-gathering equipment that can provide strength coaches with real-time readouts for a wide range of performance indicators, from speed and exertion numbers to peak and average power figures and most everything in between. This can help coaches ensure that athletes are working on the resources that will benefit them in competition. But beyond simply providing better data, Ward says the HiTrainer also excels as a training tool because it allows

Dr Bob Ward, former strength coach, Dallas Cowboys

athletes to train their energy systems in ways they can’t through practice or typical strength workouts. “The circulatory system is like the engine of a car, and if you have a more powerful engine you can accelerate more effectively,” he says. “The HiTrainer can train the circulatory system and the enzymatic processes to help athletes get the most out of their energy system more efficiently than ever before. They can work at high intensities for longer periods and then repeat those bouts more often than they can out on a practice field. “I think we’re at a new age of sportspecific training, where we not only better mimic the demands athletes face in competition, but we also load their energy systems beyond those demands,” Ward continues. “And as long we’re focusing on developing the right amounts of the resources they’ll need on the field, they’ll see the performance gains everyone is looking for.” The HiTrainer is designed for Energy System training and Performance Analysis. It is currently in use in the NFL, MLS, NHL, CFL and University Athletics Departments across the Canada and the US. For more information go to www.hitrainer.com.

T&C november 2013

Strength & Conditioning 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

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Versatile and Effective

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,” and called “quite possibly the most versatile and effective conditioning tool ever devised,” by Muscle and Fitness. It has been used by more than half of all NFL teams and countless colleges, high schools, and training centers. All of this has made it one of the most popular conditioning sleds ever built. Total Strength and Speed • 888-532-8227 www.totalstrengthandspeed.com

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UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Publication Title: Training & Conditioning Publication Number: 1058-3548 Filing Date: October 8, 2013 Issue Frequency: Monthly except January, May, & June No. of Issues Published Annually: 9 Annual Subscription Price: $34.00 Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 Contact Person: Robin Flower, Telephone: 607-257-6970 x 12 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Address of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: Mark A. Goldberg 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 Editor: Eleanor Frankel 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 Managing Editor: Eleanor Frankel 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 10. Owners: Mark A. Goldberg 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 MAG, Inc. 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850-1014 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: Has not changed during preceding 12 months. 13. Publication: Training & Conditioning 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: October 2013 vol. 23.7 (9/25/13)

T&C november 2013

Explosive Tool

The Belt Squat is the most explosive lower-body power tool you can find. With Keiser’s revolutionary pneumatic resistance, there is no need for bumper plates. You can add resistance with the push of a button and run more athletes through a session in a shorter amount of time. Train explosively and eliminate shoulder and spine loading with the Belt Squad. This product’s unique power output display lets you monitor and measure your athletes’ performance. Keiser Corporation • 559-256-8000 www.keiser.com

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Functional Training

The Allegro® 2 Reformer was designed in collaboration with fitness professionals to be intuitive and simple to use. It enhances the flow and effectiveness of Pilates-based and functional conditioning sessions. This product’s features include a footbar that adjusts vertically by lifting it up and moving it—even with the feet—and slides the entire frame length to accommodate different body sizes. The Allegro 2 can also make instant, one-touch, rope adjustments even while lying on the carriage. Balanced Body • 800-PILATES www.pilates.com 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Qualified Competitive Athletics Professionals a. Total Number of Copies (Net Press Run) b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (2) In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)) d. Nonrequested Distribution (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail e. Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4)) f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) g. Copies not Distributed h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100)

Circle No. 516 Average no. copies No. copies of single issue published each issue during preceding 12 months nearest to filing date 25,734 28,464 14,663

16,274

-0-

176

170

-0-

14,839

16,444

10,511

11,062

-0-

200

172

10,711 25,550 184 25,734

11,234 27,678 786 28,464

58.08%

58.00%

16. Publication of Statement of Ownership is required and will be printed in the November 2013 (vol.23.8) issue of this publication (10/23/13). 17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner:

Mark Goldberg, Publisher

Date: 10/08/13

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

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Strength & Conditioning 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 250 reps before having to reset. These units are very popular in the college and NFL market. Sorinex • 877-543-8667 www.sorinex.com

Essential Addition

The HiTrainer Pro is designed to significantly improve an athlete’s fitness in the minimum amount of time, making it an essential addition to training routines for any high-intensity sport. It helps significantly develop anaerobic recovery, strength endurance, and cardio fitness. The less time an athlete requires in the gym working on conditioning, the more timethe athlete can dedicate to real sport-related training. HiTrainer • 855-726-3300 www.hitrainer.com

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Measure Abdominal Force

Stands Up to Abuse

Tendo Sports Machines www.tendosport.com

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

Tendo AbEx is one of the first abdominal machine with a “Force” measurement system that strengthens all abdominal muscles including rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques and transverse abdominus. The Force unit measures average force for concentric contraction of the abdominal muscles. If body weight has been entered, the microcomputer provides average force relative to body weight. The exercise machine uses an adjustable isokinetic hydraulic resistance system with six speed levels. Circle No. 540

Infinity Max 1.25-inch-thick tile stands up to the constant abuse of heavy weights being dropped directly on the weight room floor without denting, tearing, or splitting. This tile is backed by the company’s exclusive 10-year warranty--and you can even use the floor itself as an Olympic Lifting Platform. The tile is available in 10 standard colors and an unlimited number of custom colors, with custom logos also available. This product contains up to 95 percent recycled content and may qualify for up to eight LEED Points. Circle No. 535

Product Launch

G-Max Platforms by Infinity

Portable Cold & Compression Therapy

Infinity Flooring www.infinityflooring.com 888-479-1017 Circle No. 519

Unique features:

• Available insolid colors or made out of “synthetic wood” that has the look of real wood and the performance of rubber • Textured surface for high traction • 1.25” thick, which allows for flush installation into Infinity Max flooring TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

PowerPlay™ www.powerplay.us 855-797-7529 Circle No. 533

Benefits for the user:

• Provides just the right amount of traction and rebound, enabling the athlete to lift with confidence and safety. • Logos will not scratch or wear • Never needs refinishing. • Won’t dent, crack or break

Unique features:

• Weighs less than one pound • Eight hours of battery use • Three ports for cold and compression

Benefits for the user:

• Accelerates removal of lactic acid following training and improves circulation curing swelling, soreness, and fatigue • Reduces severity and duration of injuries • Treat up to three athletes or locations at once T&C november 2013

Power Racks

Testimonial

A Unique Design

The new Functional Training Rack Series is setting the world of strength and conditioning ablaze. This unique design combines a fully functional Power Rack with two adjustable cable column machines—all within a compact area. With this equipment, an athlete can now perform all the core lifts that a rack/platform provides with the multifaceted capability of a fully operational functional trainer. This product is extremely easy to adjust and use quickly, as it gets 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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Understated Knurling

The Rogue Bar is a polished 28.5-millimeter bar with no center knurling—and both powerlifting and Olympic lifting knurling marks. This bar has the great understated knurling that has made Rogue Fitness bars famous. It features high-quality brass bushings for reliable spin, and will whip enough for use in Olympic Weightlifting.

Rogue Fitness • 614-358-6190 www.roguefitness.com

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Designed as a low-cost strongman training log, the Econo Log is also a neutral-grip bench log. The outside handles are 24 inches apart to match the handles of logs used in strongman competitions. The other two sets of inside handles are great for regular and narrow neutral-grip bench pressing. It fits standard-width bench and rack J-cups. The handles are 1 1/4 inches in diameter and the dimensions are 1 1/2” x 10” x 84”. Circle No. 537

Extreme Training

HD Elite is Hammer Strength’s most durable rack line, built for extreme training conditions and ultimate customization. This modular line of racks can be customized into more than a thousand combo rack configurations or used as standalone racks. The HD Elite Power Rack plus Dual Adjustable Pulley (DAP) combines a fully enclosed rack with optimal spotting capabilities. The 1:4 resistance level on DAP is for lowstarting-resistance and high-speed movements.

Life Fitness • 800-634-8637 www.lifefitness.com

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The Rogue Fitness Monster Series Rigs are the ultimate gym accessory. Built with the collegiate athlete in mind, the Monster Rig is a classic example of Rogue’s “overbuilt” construction that will suit any affiliate or gym with its immovable capacity. The standard Monster Rig is built with 11-gauge, 3” x 3” steel tube uprights. This is a virtually immovable piece of American-made training equipment.

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—Jim Whitesel, MS, ATC, Former Seattle Seahawks Head Athletic Trainer

“I have found the Iliotibial Band Wrap to offer unmatched effectiveness in alleviating conditions of iliotibial band syndrome. We are recommending it for our patients.” “Finally, because of the Shin Splints Compression Wrap, I feel no pain in my shins during strenuous activity.” —Lisa Duke, ballerina and runner

“Thanks to the Arch Pro-Tec, the plantar fasciitis in my foot has completely disappeared.” —Christina Cambra, Ironman Austria third-place finisher

“Pro-Tec’s Y Roller is by far the most effective Foam Roller I’ve ever used!” —Scott Jurek, PT, seven-time champion, Western States Ultra 100-Mile Marathon

“I use the Pro-Tec Foam Roller and the Pro-Tec Roller Massager to help me get stretched out and to loosen up before practice. They’re great because I have them at home, so anytime I’m sore or feeling a little tight, I break out my foam roller.” —Roman Harper, pro football player

Virtually Immovable

Rogue Fitness • 614-358-6190 www.roguefitness.com

“I’ve found Pro-Tec products to be a great addition to my patient care, as they are very patient-compatible.”

—Dr. Shintaro Ohtake, Aim Treatment Center

Log Your Workouts

Total Strength and Speed • 888-532-8227 www.fatbars.com

Products That Ease Athletes’ Pain

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Pro-Tec Athletics 800-779-3372 www.injurybegone.com TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

Arm & Shoulder Strong & Stable

Easy to Use

The 475 Super Bowl Sleeve is a favorite of several multiple Super Bowl athletes. It features a nylon lining for ease of application. Its contoured body design assures a snug fit while providing extra protection to the forearm. The outer neoprene skin adheres to the ball for extra grip, making it a favorite of running backs and receivers.

Strengthen and stabilize the shoulder joint and girdle with the Scap & Cuff Trainer™. Designed by a physical therapist, the Scap & Cuff Trainer features a 12-ounce weighted ball that can be oscillated linearly while the user performs isometric and isodynamic exercises. Use alone or in combination with an exercise ball or the BOSU® Balance Trainer. OPTP • 800-367-7393 www.optp.com

PRO Orthopedic Devices, Inc. • 800-523-5611 www.proorthopedic.com Circle No. 522

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Versatile Tool

The Rotational Trainer™ converts centripetal force into a powerful rehabilitation and strength-training tool. Designed by a physical therapist, the Rotational Trainer is both versatile and easy to use. By rotating the balls forward or backward, a resistant centripetal force is created, which challenges users to constantly stabilize engaged muscle groups, strengthening their core, shoulder, and shoulder girdle areas. Learn more online.

OPTP • 800-367-7393 www.optp.com

Universal Support

The 450 Shoulder Support is a universalfit support. It is simply designed to increase therapeutic heat at the shoulder area, providing symptomatic relief for strains, bursitis, arthritis and tendonitis. The wrap is easy to slide on and adjust. It fits the right or left shoulder. PRO Orthopedic Devices, Inc. • 800-523-5611 www.proorthopedic.com Circle No. 523

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ORDER FORM

In the Fight Against Concussions: Reliable Resources zx Symptoms to watch for post-concussion

zx Questions to ask your physician

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

Code TC2308

Name: Street Address: City: State: Zip: Daytime Phone:

(To be used if there’s a problem with your order)

Email address:

zx What you need to know about neurocognitive testing, and whether to seek additional testing zx Understanding return-to-play guidelines

PLEASE PRINT INFO.

PAYMENT METHOD

SHIPPING PRICES

q U.S. check made payable to MAG, Inc. enclosed (sorry, only US orders)

q VISA

0-$49.99 50-$99.99 $ 100-$149.99 $ 150-and up $

q MasterCard

q Discover

q AmerEx

Credit card #: ________/________/________/________

= $7.00 = $9.00 = $10.00 = $12.00

Expiration date: _____/_____ 3 or 4 digit code: _______

zx Information on choosing the right helmet

TEAM DISCOUNT Special bulk

pricing for orders of 20 or more books

Cardholder Name PRINTED: Cardholder Signature: ITEM QUANTITY

TITLE

PRICE

Parents’ Guide to Sports Concussions Fax this order to 607-257-7328 or Mail this order to MAG, Inc., 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850

Subtotal $ + Shipping $ NY residents add sales tax $ = TOTAL $ Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

Ca l l 877.422 . 55 48 E x t.1 1 fo r m o re i nfo r m a t i o n . Circle No. 137 TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

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More Products Improves Reach and Power

The Vertec Jump Training System challenges athletes to improve their vertical leap through instantaneous feedback and recognition. It offers a true vertical target, visual motivation, and an immediate, accurate measure of success and growth. The Vertec Jump Training System is used by several professional and college sports teams, including the NFL Scouting Combine. It is one of the best ways to evaluate and improve jump reach and lower-body explosive power.

Sports Imports • 800-556-3198 www.sportsimports.com

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Achieve Their Best

Give it everything you’ve got. Gatorade is dedicated to providing high school athletes with the fuel they need to achieve their best during practice and competition. That’s why Gatorade offers G Series performance packages to high school coaches and athletic trainers at a significant discount. To get the most out of every play and every player, visit the Web site below to learn more and place your order.

Gatorade • 800-88-GATOR www.gatorade.com/coaches

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Effective Relief

Medically designed, athlete-proven Medi-Dyne products are easy-to-use tools that relieve tight muscles, stretch important muscle groups, and prevent pain and injury. With patented stretching, strengthening, foot, knee, and blister products, the Medi-Dyne family of brands includes: Cho-Pat ®, Tuli’s®, ProStretch®, StretchRite®, CoreStretch®, Skin-on-Skin®, and RangeRoller®. These products are known for both their effectiveness and ease of use. Medi-Dyne is dedicated to providing innovations in pain relief and prevention.

Medi-Dyne Healthcare Products, Ltd. • 800-810-1740 www.medi-dyne.com Circle No. 526

Comfort and Convenience

Breakthrough Solution

Research shows that simple, yet novel, exercises using the TheraBand® FlexBar® are effective at reducing pain associated with chronic tennis and golfer’s elbow. See the research and the exercises at Thera-BandAcademy.com. As these research findings have been widely published, you may have athletes asking about the treatment. They’ll need your expertise— and a Thera-Band Flex Bar. Performance Health • 800-321-2135 www.performancehealth.com

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Reduce Ankle Injuries

Designed to meet the needs of demanding athletes, the Stabilizing Pro and Stabilizing Speed Pro ankle braces reduce the chances of ankle injury by 61 percent. Made of rugged ballistic nylon and featuring a circumferential 3-inch elastic strap and removable articulated stays, the Stabilizing Pro braces give athletic trainers confidence that the vulnerable ankles of their athletes are protected. In addition to all the benefits of the Stabilizing Pro, the new Stabilizing Speed Pro brace has the added benefit of a “speed-lacing” system that makes applying the brace exceptionally fast and easy. DJO Global • 760-727-1280 www.djoglobal.com/donjoy

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Elite Knee Care

The Elite Seat ® is a portable kneeextension 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. Elite Seat ® • 866-756-3706 www.eliteseat.com

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The new DonJoy UltraSling IV leads the way in comfort and convenience. The sling’s three-point strapping system is easy to put on, while its unique design eliminates pressure on the neck, leading to increased patient comfort and compliance. The soft, breathable inner lining with mesh laminate helps improve ventilation. And a new, contoured cushion provides the needed abduction while relieving pressure on the ulnar nerve. This sling is ideal for post-operative treatment following rotator cuff repairs, Bankart procedures, capsular shifts, glenohumeral dislocation/subluxation, and soft tissue repairs/strains. Go online to learn more.

The TRS Activ8r™ soft-tissue release system is designed to prevent nagging injuries, maximize performance, and rehabilitate from injury or daily stress. The contoured figure-eight profile and silicone construction help it sink deep into tight tissues for an efficient myofascial release. The Activ8r is perfect for clinic, gym or home exercise programs. It’s compact, freezable, dishwasher-safe, benefits the entire body, and includes an instructional poster.

DJO Global • 800-793-6065 www.djoglobal.com/donjoy

OPTP • 800-367-7393 www.optp.com

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Whole-Body Benefits

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STAy CUrrEnT Our redesigned Web site features... • Headlines of the day • A blog dedicated to sports medicine and strength training • CEU opportunities • Special digital supplements • A searchable database of products

VISIT US AT

training-conditioning.com TR AINING-CONDITIONING.COM

T&C november 2013