ARC Performance Training Tips
By Chad Benson - Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Surrey Eagles
Updated April 26, 2010
Eagles Dynamic PreGame, Pre Workout Warm-up
Eagles Core ACTivation & Dynamic Range of Motion
Athletic Conditioning 101: Not all Coaches are Created Equally
For those of you reading this article, I truly hope it reads as a common sense affirmation. I designed this as a tool for trainers to pass along to athletes and parents all over North America before deciding to waste their hard earned money in sports specific training programs.
This article is an update of the article of the Vol 1(2) ARC Infoletter I wrote last year. It was inspired by my local gym, the place where I train my assets to endure many of the same training protocols my elite level athletes incur (geriatric in training version of course). I test drive my programs so I can gather understanding of the training protocol repeat this process for every program but I can honestly say, I have never instructed an athlete to perform an exercise I have never executed, semi perfected, and examined for
technical difficulties or injury risk. I believe this is an essential process which does 3 things; it allows me to remain empathetic to the athletes performance goals, it affords me the opportunity to gain respect and become a role model for athletes to aspire towards and one day exceed.’s article? Well in short while working out yesterday I had the ‘pleasure’ of watching a group of trainer. Picture this; it was late afternoon in a packed weightroom.
?
A group of 6 (semi experienced with weight training)
?
Upon arrival 3 of the athletes began to ride the bike, 3 began bench pressing and bicep curling (no warm-up at all).
?
10 min later the trainer showed up, 5 min late for the beginning of the session.
?
The bike athletes joined the other athletes who then began (no additional warmup and limited instruction) to perform a circuit based training program consisting of a series of exercises designed to train the chest, back, core and quads.
?
For a while I turned my attention to my own workout, but like a bad car crash my subconscious forced me to tune back in. The last exercises of the training day were as follows:
o
Loaded Countermovement Jump Squats (x10-12)
o
Heavy Squats (x10-12)
o
Cable chops (x10-12/side)
o
One other upper exercise
?
When I noticed this situation 3 things popped into my head.
o
Many of these athletes would have started off-season training within the last 2 weeks. Therefore, a Loaded Counter Movement Jumps (LCMJ) should not be performed. There are a number of other foundational plyometric exercises which need to be mastered before progressing to the LCMJ :
o
In order to prevent neuromuscular fatigue, contrast or complex training(heavy load followed by light load exercises) should always occur with a max of 5 loaded plyometric repetitions: Alves et al. (2010).
Cond Res
24(4): 936-941.
o
More importantly, unless a trainer is using a reverse periodization for power endurance development, plyometric training should always occur early in the workout.
o
And finally, during early off-season workouts, the athletic movement focus needs to be on mobility, transitional joint stability, eccentric control and perhaps power initiation, not rebounding in a fatigue state.
?
?
All of these points can be substantiated scientifically and practically. But, let me assure you this trainer and just used.Did I mention the gym was packed and the athletes spread all over the gym(while the trainer stayed at the squat rack)?
?
Did I mention the trainer didn’t even have a training program in his hand?
?
The take home message is simple; regardless of the level, anyone participating in sport should source out qualified, experienced professionals who can meet their individual needs. The volume, intensity, frequency, and recovery strategies required to create high function performance are much different than the standard health considerations taught to trainers with a basic personal training certification. More importantly, high function prescriptions require a strong biomechanical understanding of movement, mechanical breakdown and biomechanics lack this skill, so don’t expect a trainer will miraculously developed this skill.
Below are recommendations for prospective clients to consider before participating or paying for a sports-specific or high function exercise program.
Did I mention the trainer was obese, unfit and answers his cell phone during the session?
1.
A performance coach should have gained credential and experiential knowledge through extensive study, experience partaking in the activity and a minimum of 6 week (40hr) internship with an experienced functional / performance coach. Look for the following qualifications:
a.
I played the sport is not a credential – while playing the sport is an asset, someone who has played only understands themselves and what worked for them, they have no idea how to determine or assess whether what worked for them will have the same impact on you.
b.
a university grad / kinesiologist with testimonial backed experience.
c.
a sports performance certification with testimonial backed experience.
d.
a physiologist with testimonial backed experience.
e.
a rehabilitative therapist with testimonial backed experience.
2.
Walk the walk – talk the talk. If your performance coach has the above credentials knowledge of functional performance training. If this isn’t the case, they either haven’t given it much thought, lack experience or have poor communication skills and therefore will not educate you throughout the process. Buyer beware, a trainer who can name entire teams full of athletes or can recant every highlight from last night’s game is either an armchair athlete or an idiot savant but it is usually the former
3.
4.
Assess 1st. Take you through a functional movement or performance based assessment on your consult or first visit. They should follow-up with specific individualized exercises to help you overcome determined weaknesses. Your assessment should include: testing, joint range of motion, core / movement function, lower and upper functional strength, & performance testing.1 shoe fits all program. Sport Specific does not mean ‘you’ specific. While most sports specific programs will overlap 60-80% of the prescription, at least 20% of the prescription should be left for individual sport position, injury / muscle imbalance and athlete assessment considerations.
5.
Set realistic goals and time lines for your results. A well designed program is always developed such that your results and goals can always be measured and reevaluated against the original performance. This process validates the process and training programs current direction.
6.
Hiring a Performance Coach or following a well chosen sports specific program should never involve a high risk to your performance goal(s). In fact, if you chose poorly, your chances of becoming injury resistant is far less than your chance of becoming injured.
Play safe, play hard!!
Unbiased exercise prescription: some companies sell and endorse products they truly believe in. However, they should be able to articulate how this particular toy will enhance ‘you’ above and beyod, but a tool is only a toy unless it creates a performance gain beyond an individualized sport science based prescription.
ARC Infoletter
The information in the ARC Infoletter goes beyond the typical newsletter, where a company sells and exploits its readership to its culture and product. The ARC Infoletter is primarily designed to positively affect the lives of others with the information that the ARC team and I have learned throughout our speaking, writing, training & athletic endeavors. My promise is to keep this information easy to digest and practical for both the general public, top end athlete and fitness professional alike. For the latest training videos and upcoming ARC events please join the ARC Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=111221393318&ref=ts .You can also find us via a link on the ARC website at www.arctraining.ca
In my experience Dec. means Xmas cheer and trying to find the energy to do it. Last year I purchased a ticket and travelled to Mexico in Dec. but this year I am forced to stay local and deal with the same seasonal affects the Vancouver Canucks, Surrey Eagles, ARC clients and friends have to deal with. This newsletter’s content was spawned from a conversation had during a Pay Per View Canucks game last Jan / Feb. Including my time with the Canuck organization and For many years since I have witnessed a significant decrease in the Canucks Dec - Feb performance (both on and off the ice). In fact, leading up to Xmas, guys often speak to feelings of exhaustion. At the time the link between Vit D and a lack of sunlight never crossed my mind; it seemed logical that mid season (Nov - Feb) would be associated with a number of psychological and physical factors which would naturally lead to low motivation / performance.
On a personal note each Nov I notice a desire for more sleep / rest. Before my Vit D enlightenment I really couldn't imagine Y this would occur, so I began to examine this more thoroughly. As a result of my initial research I decided the following course of action:
- I began to sun tan in a UVB tanning bed (2x 10 min per week). UVB rays are also cause burning so be careful, particularly if your skin type is sensitive to burning.
- Purchased special lighting which slowly and naturally illuminates my bedroom in the morning (which you can now purchase at Walmart). Within a few weeks I was back to sleeping 7-7.5 hours per day, feeling awesome and convinced there was something to this.
This month’s article review was published earlier this year; it clearly indicates the affect of Vit D and lack of sun on performance.
Health & Nutrition
Study of the Month: CANNELL, J. J., B. W. HOLLIS, M. B. SORENSON, T. N. TAFT, and J. J. ANDERSON. Athletic Performance and Vitamin D. Med.Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 41, No. 5, pp. 1102–1110, 2009.
*Editors note – please note that Vit D levels are typically lower in the northwest during the winter months. Particularly sensitive to low Vit D levels are those who work inside during daylight hours or cover themselves in sunblock / clothes while exposed to the sun. Obviously tanning salons are an option but many are designed to filter out harmful UVB light rays. If a tanning bed is your only sun option be sure to examine both the risks and benefits before doing so.
Design: the titled articled above is a review of Vit D research from the last 50+ years. This article examined the potential performance enhancing and health related issues in conjunction with optimal and suboptimal intracellular Vit D levels in muscles & nerves. Most North American diets (unless a lot of wild, fatty fish are eaten) do not provide enough Vit D via consumption.
Food Sources of Vitamin D ( http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile68e.stm )
Therefore, either supplementation or diligent consumption of the above foods must occur to ensure you do not become Vit D deficient. Before supplementing with Vit D it is suggested you consult with your family physician or a Dr of naturopathy.
- Other performance related conclusions from the review of literature included:
- The best method to increase Vit D. levels is direct full body skin exposure to Ultraviolet B radiation. Authors suggest the equivalent to 10 min of full body exposure 3x per week.
- Peak trainability occurred in Late Summer - early Fall, sharply declined during Fall reaching lows in the Winter months.
- Vit D. has been shown to increase strength, agility, reaction time, & 100 m speed.
- Studies indicate that a high percentage of youth or adults living in temperate areas have below optimal Vit D levels .
- In those inclined to have low levels of Vit D. A total of 400 IU of vitamin D daily (the equivalent of four glasses of milk daily) for 3 months did not prevent Vit D deficiencies.
- Furthermore, untreated vitamin D deficiency is associated with numerous serious illnesses and is a risk factor for early death.
Power Food Tool (see sample day below)
Below is a message from the developer of this amazing athlete tool Katherine Gaudreau-Provost, Dt.P.
Diététiste Kinésiologue at 418-826-0995; 418-570-4748 or optimonutrition@videotron.ca to the B2Ten athletes who she is a Service Providers for www.B2Ten.com
“ I have been working on a powerfuel weekly guideline that encompasses all the important foods, probiotics, antioxidants that I recommend to reduce the risk of infections (eg flu..), reduce recovery times, help with injuries. So I thought it might be some help for the best of best to keep you at your optimal health for 2010. You might find some things you do already but others that you don't. Let me know if you find it helps you before, during or after the Olympics.”
If anyone is interested in viewing the remainder of this awesome tool go to http://www.arctraining.ca/arc-articles.html
Probiotics:
2 tsp of BIO K + or 1 capsule bio K + or 1 Dan Active
or 1 BioBest Max Immunity ?
Beverage:
Water: 8 cups O O O O O O O O
Green tea: 3 cups O O O
Whole grains:
At least 4 servings including oats O O O O
Protein source:
Eggs and poultry O O
Fats:
1 tsp olive oil for cooking O
1 tsp flaxseed or nut oil for salad dressing O
1 tbsp nut butter or 2 tbsp nuts or ground flaxseed O
Fruits and vegetables:
1 cup blueberries O
1 orange or ½ cup orange juice O
½ cup cooked Broccoli and turnip O
1 clove garlic O
Herbs and Spices:
Mint, Parsley, Turmeric (curcuma) O
Xmas Recipe: Gingerbread Cookies
2 ½ cups flour (substitute gluten free/rice etc)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp all spice
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup fancy molasses
Directions:
- Stir top 6 ingradients into a large bowl, and bottom 4 ingradients into a medium sized bowl.
- Create a well in dry ingredients and add liquids slowly, continually stirring.
- Kneed dough and form into 4 balls, refridgerate andywhere from 30min- 1week. When ready to prepare, roll out dough.
- Pre heat oven to 350’ and cook for 7-10 min
Nutritional info:
0.8g Protein
21g Fat
10g Carbohydrate
11mg Calcium
40mg Sodium
62 Calories
Adult and Youth Performance
Fitness & Performance Tip(s) – Road Trip Warrior Workouts (Chad Benson, 2009)
Overview: I often wondered why vacation destinations & beach front hotels under equip their conditioning facilities. In recent years I have finally been able to experience resort life firsthand. While vacationing, most people are inclined to relax, excessively eat & drink or read. However, based on the number of soon to be vacationers who diet and exercise prior to leaving I am willing to bet they wouldn’t mind a few time efficient, 6 pack maintenance training options. When beautiful blue skies & aqua colored waters are awaiting their return, most vacationers do not want to waste 60-90 min inside.
Beyond their half drunken state, a couple of key reasons people do not continue to exercise while they are away are 1) lack of exercise knowledge and 2) an inability to adapt their new exercise setting to something familiar and efficient. Due to changes in space, equipment & motivation as well as a desire to turn their brain off, many vacationers simply don’t try. At best, the end result is often a half paced bike, treadmill or machine based workout, which rarely achieves any sort of flow, detoxifying or body conditioning value. At week’s end many vacationers return home more exhausted and unhealthy than when they stepped on the airplane. To help you avoid a post holiday hangover, in addition to post buffet, overfilled romantic strolls, and beverage in hand resort activities I have created 3 road ready, metabolically stimulating training programs. Each of these programs can be complete between 30 & 40 minutes.
Program Philosophy: Sprint Canada 'get the most for the least' and I don't mean the least amount of energy or calories. In fact, the objective is to pack a traditional 60 min workout into 30-40 min. In my world, I like to say 'game on'.
What you will need: bodyweight (BW) dumbbells (DB), a stability ball (SB), barbell plates (Plates) 2m2 of open space, & approximately 35-60 min. Optional equipment include a bench, cable stack and various balance equipment.
Program Design: 3 day split
Day 1: Full body multijoint movements linking the upper and lower body
Day 2: Upper Body Core integration (ie combining good mornings w your DB row & Double Leg Lowers with your DB chest flyes)
Day 3: Lower Body + Power Balance Integration
Details:
- Warm-up using your favorite cardio piece for 5 min
- Perform 1-2 sets of each sequence in superset fashion, recover your breath, hydrate and start again
- Mon = full body, Tues = lower or upper, Wed = yoga / flexibility & cardio, Thur = rest , , Fri = full body, Sat = lower or upper, Sun = rest
For the full article and You Tube links to Video of the workouts go to http://www.arctraining.ca/arc-articles.html
Upcoming Events, Resource Providers & Educational
ARC Educational Opportunities:
CHI Camp Hawaii http://www.coryholly.com/store/overview.cfm?id=12
I know this will seem pricy (see below) compared to your typical 2 day conference but I am convinced this 4 day weekend will be a life changing opportunity for those who attend. Let me put it this way, I have agreed to pay my own way down & speak for free just so I could immerse myself into the inspiration and nutritional genius of Cory Holly, the beauty of Hawaii and Camp CHI.
It will be 4 days of 10 hr a day access to:
a few of the greatest educational minds I know
inspirational, cutting edge lectures & workouts
amazing recreational activities, beaches and weather
To register follow this link. Ask yourself this simple question, how much would I pay to change the way I train, eat and live? Early Bird Special - $995.00 USD (Expires December 31st, 2009)
ARC Service Providers:
JJ’s Creative Embroidery (Logo’s all ARC Apparel):
Johanna Mramor, has been in the sewing industry for 49 years and is well known in the community for her specialized approach to Embroidery. The motto at JJ’s is “No Job is too small”, and this is evident in the quality of the work that she does. JJ’s Creative Embroidery specializes in embroidering all types of projects: from custom digitizing your business logo to simple monograms on the cuffs of shirts.
JJ’s was started in 2007 because there was a need for “one-of” to small batch embroidery that other companies could not do. Johanna is passionate about what she does so that means the clients come first, and are always impressed. Contact Johanna at: 604-536-4067 johannamramor@telus.net
++++++++++++++++
GrillBlaster.com & Tunes2Go (www.Tunes2Go.ca)
As Gayle and Chris began to rid their home of dangerous chemicals and cleaning products they also began making better food choices for their children's health as well as their own.
Chris has always been the family "King of the BBQ" and he began finding creative and more healthful ways to further that pastime - grilling fish, vegetables and fruits instead of the usual steak and burgers. Grilled salmon, watermelon, zucchini and figs are now family favourites enjoyed by all. But Chris and Gayle took things one step further. Concerned with the hazards associated with traditional BBQ cleaning products they developed a chemical-free, scrub-free way of cleaning the BBQ grill and are now in the process of launching their new product, GrillBlaster. Essentially, it's a metal framework that rests on your BBQ grill trapping heat at the grill's surface during the 'warm-up' stage of barbecuing. Similar to the self-clean cycle on your oven, the GrillBlaster turns the baked on grime left over from fish, meats, poultry, even watermelon and figs, into carbon ash. The GrillBlaster comes with a small flexible brush to literally dust away the carbon ash after the GrillBlaster has done it's job. "We never anticipated starting a company like GrillBlaster before our kids were born. I was happy in the corporate world and Gayle really enjoyed teaching. But kids change your life and we're pretty excited about sharing our product with others. If it encourages people to live a more healthful lifestyle and gets dangerous chemicals out of their home it's a win-win for everyone." GrillBlaster is now available online: www.GrillBlaster.com and will be available in retail stores in Canada and the US by spring.
Please do not reply to this newsletter. You can contact Chad @ chad@arctraining.ca
Your Subscription:
[SUBSCRIPTIONS]
So, why am I inspired to update last year
