Training & Conditioning 19.3

Protein Roundtable

Becoming an Athletic Director

One Step AheadThe latest technology for advanced assessment and injury prevention

April 2009 Vol. XIX, No. 3, $7.00

Circle No. 100

Nutrition

15ACloserLookYou know protein is important for athletes, but have you heard about the latest research on recommended doses, which sources are best, and protein’s role in recovery? In this roundtable discussion, we talk with leading nutrition researchers about those topics and more. By Dr. Janet Walberg Rankin

Treating the Athlete

24OneStepAheadAn inside look at the Ohio State Sports Biomechanics Laboratory reveals how cutting-edge technology is shaping the future of athlete assessment and training.By R.J. Anderson

Leadership

33FromATCtoADMore and more athletic trainers are taking the leadership, communication, and managerial skills they’ve developed in the field and applying them to athletic administration.By Kenny Berkowitz

Optimum Performance

41AMatforAllSeasonsAthletes in any sport can benefit from the balance, flexibility, muscle control, and mindfulness developed through Pilates. With just a few basic supplies, you can implement a Pilates regimen for your teams.By Kerrie Lee Brown

Sport Specific

49TrenchWarriorsPlayers who man the line of scrimmage at the University of Oregon follow their own unique conditioning approach, focused on explosive power and position-specific strength, speed, and agility.By James Radcliffe

Bulletin Boards 5 Wrestlers sue over herpes infection … Probiotics help ward off illness … High school football death rate spikes … Scientists developing urine-based HGH test.

Comeback Athlete

8 Kristin Duquette East Catholic High School, Manchester, Conn.

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On the cover: Terrelle Pryor was one of several Ohio State athletes to undergo an innovative screening pro-gram at the school’s Sports Biomechanics Lab. Story begins on page 24. Photo by AP Photos, Al Goldis

April 2009, Vol. XIX, No. 3

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April 2009 Vol. XIX, No. 3

Marjorie Albohm, MS, ATC/L Director of Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Research, Orthopaedics Indianapolis

Jon Almquist, ATC Specialist, Fairfax County (Va.) Pub. Schools Athletic Training Program

Brian Awbrey, MD Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Instructor in Orthopaedics, Harvard Medical School

Jim Berry, MEd, ATC, SCAT/EMT-B Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer, Myrtle Beach (S.C.) High School

Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD Director, Sports Medicine Nutrition Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Ctr. Health System

Christine Bonci, MS, ATC Co-Director of Athletic Training/Sports Medicine, Intercollegiate Athletics, University of Texas

Cynthia “Sam” Booth, ATC, PhD Manager, Outpatient Therapy and Sportsmedicine, MeritCare Health System

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

Cindy Chang, MD Head Team Physician, University of California-Berkeley

Dan Cipriani, PhD, PT Assistant Professor Dept. of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State Univ.

Gray Cook, MSPT, OCS, CSCS Clinic Director Orthopedic & Sports Phys. Ther. Dunn, Cook, and Assoc.

Keith D’Amelio, ATC, PES, CSCS Head Strength & Conditioning Coach/Assistant Athletic Trainer, Toronto Raptors

Bernie DePalma, MEd, PT, ATC Head Athl. Trainer/Phys. Therapist, Cornell University

Lori Dewald, EdD, ATC, CHES Health Education Program Director, Salisbury University

Jeff Dilts, Director, Business Development & Marketing, National Academy of Sports Medicine

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 Ath. Trainer/ Cond. 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, Colorado Sports & Spine Centers

Joe Gieck, EdD, ATR, PT Director of Sports Medicine and Prof., 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

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

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

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

Tim McClellan, MS, CSCS Director of Perf. Enhancement, Makeplays.com Center for Human Performance

Michael Merk, MEd, CSCS Director of Health & Fitness, YMCA of Greater Cleveland

Jenny Moshak, MS, ATC, CSCS Asst. A.D. for Sports Medicine, University of Tennessee

Steve Myrland, CSCS Owner, Manager, Perf. Coach, Myrland Sports Training, LLC, Instructor and Consultant, University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine

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

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

Stephen Perle, DC, CCSP Associate Prof. of Clin. Sciences, University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic

Brian Roberts, MS, ATC, Director, Sport Performance & Rehab. Ctr.

Ellyn Robinson, DPE, CSCS, CPT Assistant Professor, Exercise Science Program, Bridgewater State College

Kent Scriber, EdD, ATC, PT Professor/Supervisor of Athletic Training, Ithaca College

Chip Sigmon, CSCS Strength and Conditioning Coach, Carolina Medical Center

Bonnie J. Siple, MS, ATC Coordinator, Athletic Training Education Program & Services, Slippery Rock University

Chad Starkey, PhD, ATC Visiting Professor, Athletic Training Education Program, Ohio University

Ralph Stephens, LMT, NCTMB Sports Massage Therapist, Ralph Stephens Seminars

Fred Tedeschi, ATC Head Athletic Trainer, Chicago Bulls

Terrence Todd, PhD, Co-Director, Todd-McLean Physical Culture Collection, Dept. of Kinesiology & Health Ed., University of Texas-Austin

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., 31 Dutch Mill Rd., 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© 2009 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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Wrestlers Sue After Contracting HerpesIn a lawsuit filed last November, three former York College wres-tlers claim they contracted herpes simplex 1 (the virus associ-ated with genital herpes and cold sores) due to negligence by the school’s athletic trainer, head wrestling coach, and adminis-tration. The athletes were allegedly infected after school officials failed to follow NCAA guidelines on infection control.

The wrestlers say that in October 2006, approximately two weeks into regular season practice, a teammate with vis-ible open lesions was kept out of practice for three days, then returned with bandages covering his wounds. In the following weeks, multiple team members noticed lesions on their skin, and some reported flu-like symptoms. They, too, were held out for only three days and then returned to full-contact practices wearing bandages. Soon after, the three plaintiffs learned they had contracted herpes.

The suit claims the athletic trainer, head coach, and dean of athletics acted negligently by requiring infected team members to participate in practice and not providing the team with infor-mation about confirmed cases of the virus. The complaint also says the school ignored NCAA guidelines, which in the case of herpes call for five days of antiviral drug therapy and no partici-pation if active lesions are present.

“Blame rolls uphill,” says the wrestlers’ attorney, David Ave-dissian. “It starts with the coach and athletic trainer who were working with the wrestlers on a daily basis. They needed to make sure the situation was being managed on the front lines. The administrator also had a duty to make sure the coach and athletic trainer were aware of and were following the rules. That was not the case here.”

The college refutes the wrestlers’ claims and has vowed to fight the lawsuit. “York College denies that the college or any of its employees engaged in any negligent conduct,” York College attorney Paul Minnich said in a statement. “In fact, the college has, at all times, met or exceeded all applicable stan-dards of care.”

H.S. Football Death Rate RisesBased on figures from the National Center for Catastroph-ic Sports Injury Research, 2008 was the deadliest year for high school football players in recent memory. Newspapers from around the country reported at least eight football-related deaths, including three in North Carolina in a span of just over a month. Has high school football become more dangerous?

“We’re still figuring out what these numbers mean,” says Bob Colgate, Assistant Director of the NFHS and liaison to the Foot-ball Rules Committee. “We’re obviously concerned—one death is too many. But it’s too early to tell whether this is an actual increase, or if something else is going on, like the reporting

channels for catastrophic injury have improved.”Colgate says the NFHS sports medicine advisory committee

will examine the issue at its upcoming meetings. In North Caroli-na, however, immediate action was taken this past fall. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) called an emergency meeting of its own sports medicine advisory com-mittee and put several new policies in place.

Each school was ordered to develop an emergency action plan (if it didn’t already have one) with procedures for cata-strophic injuries, heart attacks, heat-related illnesses, and other serious medical conditions. Schools also must now report to the association the current status of their athletic medical cover-age—whether they have a full-time athletic trainer, what medical personnel cover sporting events, and any other arrangements for on-site injury treatment and prevention. In addition, any time an athlete has a suspected head injury, the NCHSAA now requires that he or she be removed from play and not return until released by a doctor.

Finally, a new task force was created to reduce catastrophic injuries, and its primary recommendation is a statewide mandate that each school employ a certified athletic trainer. “That idea makes a lot of sense, but there’s an obvious budget concern,” says Que Tucker, Deputy Executive Director of the NCHSAA. “So first we need to see where funding might come from. An unfunded mandate would be a major hardship for some schools.”

In the meantime, the NCHSAA is considering other recom-mendations from the task force. These include revamping the state’s required pre-participation exam and adding required baseline neurocognitive testing to help guide return-to-play decisions after concussions.

Using Probiotics to Prevent IllnessNew research involving distance runners who took a probiotic supplement during winter training offers good news for athletes looking to avoid the common cold. Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, an Australian study found that the probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum VRI-003 enhanced athletes’ immune systems, helping ward off colds and other respiratory ailments.

Probiotics are naturally occurring “good bacteria” or yeasts which may be beneficial to the human body. In essence, they compete with the “bad bacteria” by balancing and strengthening the immune system.

While completing their usual winter training regimens, 20 elite long-distance male runners took Lactobacillus fermentum supplements for one month in the form of a freeze-dried pow-der encased in gel capsules. During that time, three contracted colds. The group then took a month off from treatment before taking a placebo capsule for another month. During the placebo month, seven of the 20 contracted colds.

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mucosal and systemic immunity, serum cytokine and immu-noglobulin A (an antibody) levels, and the incidence, dura-tion, and severity of any respiratory tract infections. The study authors also measured the athletes’ running performance, and found no substantial effects from the supplementation.

Though it was a small study, the findings should open doors for more probiotics research. Because the athletes in this study were elite runners who naturally compromise their immune systems through intense training, it remains to be seen whether moderate-level athletes or non-athletes with healthy immune systems would benefit from probiotic supplements.

To view the abstract of the study, “Oral administration of the pro-biotic Lactobacillus fermentum VRI-003 and mucosal immunity in endurance athletes,” go to: bjsm.bmj.com and type “probiot-ics supplement” into the keyword search window.

Urine Test for HGH on the HorizonScience has taken another step forward in the ever-evolving

battle against performance-enhancing drugs. Two George Mason University professors working with scientists in Vir-ginia and Italy have found a process that can detect human growth hormone (HGH) in urine.

Presently, HGH testing is performed only via blood sam-ples. Blood testing is more invasive and expensive than urine testing, and HGH shows up in blood for only 24 to 48 hours after use. The researchers say HGH can be detected in urine up to two weeks after use.

Their peer-reviewed paper, which appeared in the Decem-ber 2008 issue of the journal Nano Research, says that “a reli-able detectable concentration” of HGH can be found through a process involving nanotechnology, and readily available lab equipment can do the work. A nanoparticle attracts and traps HGH molecules, acting as an amplifier so standard lab instru-ments can detect the substance.

While experts say the implementation of an HGH urine test for athletes is still years away, the lab finding has caught the attention of researchers, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and organizations like the NCAA and professional sports leagues, including MLB and the NFL. And large-scale clinical studies are likely on the way.

“WADA encouraged the company to continue its work and emphasized that there is a robust process to be followed from research to the full implementation of a test for anti-doping purpose,” WADA spokesman Frederic Donze told USA Today. “WADA must ensure that all detection methods it approves and implements can withstand any scientific and legal challenge.” n

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T&C APRIL 2009 TRAINING-CONDITIONING.COM8

Kristin DuquetteEast Catholic High School, Manchester, Conn.By Kyle Garratt

becoming an Olympic swimmer, but I started to think it wasn’t meant to be.”

Duquette readjusted her sights and goals when she dis-covered two things that would change her life: the Paralympic Games and Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT). The Paralym-pics are an elite athletic competition held in the same year and city as the Olympics for athletes in six disability groups: amputee, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, spinal cord inju-ries, intellectual disability, and a group for those who don’t fit into the other five.

The games gave new life to Duquette’s dream of swimming against the world’s best athletes—which she hopes to do in London in 2012. And IMT helped give her a realistic shot of getting there.

IMT is a hands-on therapeutic technique that incorpo-rates varying levels of pressure to reduce muscle spasms and pain while increasing soft tissue flexibility, joint mobility, range of motion, and strength, and improving balance and coordination. Developed over the past 30 years by Sharon

ComebackAthlete

Kristin Duquette hasn’t let muscular dystrophy quash her com-petitive swimming goals. She holds national junior Paralympic records in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke.

Kristin Duquette is big on goals. She sets them weekly, monthly, and yearly. Some of the teenager’s current goals include getting a manicure, having a sleepover with her friends, surfing in California again, improving at the violin, and trying her hand at triathlons. But one goal has reigned above the others since she was a child: to swim in the Olympics. And even though life has dealt Duquette some unexpected challenges, she’s not letting her Olympic dream die.

Now a senior at East Catholic High School in Manches-ter, Conn., Duquette started swimming when she was three years old, and was a very athletic child until the age of seven or eight. That was when she began to trip over her feet, devel-oped difficulty running, and found herself chronically fatigued. In 2000, when Duquette was nine years old, her parents took her to a neuromuscular specialist, who diagnosed her with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a form of muscular dystrophy (MD) that causes muscle weakness and deterioration in the eyes, mouth, shoulders, and upper arms. She was also diagnosed with scoliosis, a lateral curvature of the spine.

“I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but I knew some-thing was wrong when the doctor started doing all these tests,” recalls Duquette. “I was a kid, so the only things I really cared about were being like my friends and playing the sports I wanted to. But before long, I couldn’t run like my friends, and then I quit playing sports when I was 10 because my body was getting progressively more tired. It got to the point where I was sleeping for two hours every day after school.”

Duquette started traditional physical therapy, including stretching and strengthening exercises for her calves, legs, and upper body. She threw a medicine ball and tried yoga, but continued to lose control over her body. As a middle schooler, her doctors told her she would likely be in a wheel-chair by the time she started ninth grade. FSHD makes swim-ming difficult, as it causes scapular winging and decreases flexion and abduction in the shoulder. As her symptoms wors-ened, giving up swimming was especially hard.

“I was getting slower and I remember feeling almost insult-ed when I’d finish in last place with no one else in the pool and people would still clap for me,” she says. “I had dreamt of

Kyle Garratt is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning. He can be reached at: [email protected].

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ComebackAthleteWeiselfish-Giammatteo, PhD, PT, President of the Center for IMT (CenterIMT) in Bloomfield, Conn., and a physical therapy practitioner and instructor, IMT is unique because it targets specific systems within the body, utilizing different manual techniques for each.

“Muscles require certain intervention techniques for healing, and those interventions are different from the re-quirements for bones or blood vessels,” says Weiselfish-Giammatteo, who started treating Duquette four years ago. “IMT is based on an integrative systems approach with mul-tiple types of intervention, and over the years we’ve learned which techniques improve muscle, and which improve bones, joints, circulation, connective tissue, or organs.”

Weiselfish-Giammatteo’s craft differs from other physical therapy methods for MD not only in practice, but in intent. “Tra-ditionally, physical therapy for someone with Kristin’s diagnosis attempts to improve the body’s function, with the understand-ing that structural impairments will probably limit the degree to which function can be attained,” she says. “A physical therapist might try to maintain range of motion and strength. With IMT, we attempt to improve the structural integrity of the body in or-der to increase the potential for function.”

Duquette first met Weiselfish-Giammatteo and the staff at CenterIMT when she was 14, and was immediately impressed. “My mom brought in my x-rays to show Dr. Giammatteo that I had scoliosis, and she said, ‘I don’t need to see the x-rays. I know by the way she’s sitting and by feeling her spine,’” says

Duquette. “When they performed therapy on me, at first I thought it was some kind of voodoo. But as soon as I got up from the table and started walking, I felt the difference.

“I was amazed because after so many years, something was finally going right for me physically and giving me hope,” she continues. “Walking out of there I said to my mom, ‘This is the best day of my life.’ I felt like I was finally getting my health back.”

Weiselfish-Giammatteo says every person with FSHD suf-fers from weakness in the facial muscles, shoulder muscles, and girdle, and postural deformities to the joints where the humerus and scapula meet. However, not everyone faces Duquette’s postural deformities and weakness of the lower back, spine, and legs. And fighting a disease is different from working through a disability.

“With a disability, you typically have the symptoms and the diagnosis, and that’s it,” says Weiselfish-Giammat-teo. “It’s not supposed to get worse over time. A disease is constantly changing and potentially causing more and more deterioration.”

Duquette’s treatment is an ever-evolving team effort includ-ing Weiselfish-Giammatteo, fitness trainer Michelle Comp-ton, CSCS, and her private swimming coach Rich Lucan. She has been performing strengthening exercises with Compton for just over a year, and coordinating with Weiselfish-Giam-matteo has been integral to the process.

“I watch Dr. Giammatteo work with Kristin and I bring her

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with her muscles and help her recognize what it feels like to use them. To do this, Compton teaches Duquette anatomy and emphasizes visualization.

“We’ve hit sticking points where she can’t move a muscle past a certain point because I can’t adjust her hips or fix the arch in her back,” says Compton. “While I’m moving her through a range of motion I’ll touch a muscle and say, ‘It at-taches here, now picture these muscles sliding together and shortening.’ She’s become more aware of her body and now she can visualize her muscles working on her own.”

For most FSHD patients, success often means simply slowing the deterioration of the body. But Duquette’s deter-mination, and the hard work of her treatment team, have re-sulted in a more optimistic outlook as they focus on improving her athletic performance as well as her overall health.

Even Duquette’s diet was revamped, as Weiselfish-Giam-matteo recommended she eliminate sugar, gluten, and all other substances which could damage her nervous system and speed up muscle deterioration. Compton urged her to eat more, including pre- and post-workout meals to fuel her body for exercise and promote muscle growth.

At age 15, around the time doctors had told her she would be in a wheelchair, Duquette began to take swimming seri-ously again, beginning in a 10-meter pool. “I was dealing with a different body than when I was younger, but I got used to it,” she says. “For all those years when I couldn’t do any sports, I knew there had to be a way back, and then it finally came. I

my concerns about where I want to build Kristin’s strength,” says Compton. “Her condition gives her a lot of imbalances, so the better her therapy does at placing her in an anatomi-cally correct alignment and range of motion, the more I can strengthen her muscles to help keep her there.”

Some of the upper-body strength work involves resistance training with stretch cords and light weightlifting. For the lower body, Duquette performs stretching exercises with her calves to increase dorsiflexion, along with core-strengthen-ing exercises using foam rollers and wedges. Duquette is the first MD patient Compton has worked with, and the road to increased functionality has not been without its bumps.

“It’s been hard at times because she is so limited,” says Compton. “For example, it took me three months to come up with a triceps exercise that she had the shoulder stability to perform without causing pain or taking her out of a normal range of motion. It’s a lot of experimentation. She stretches my mind more than any other client I’ve ever worked with.”

The progressive nature of FSHD means that different mus-cles strengthen or weaken at different paces, adding another challenge. Duquette might be able to perform an exercise on her own with one leg, while Compton has to passively move her through the same exercise on the other leg. And while her biceps are strong, her shoulders aren’t stabilized enough for much strengthening work, which prevents her from per-forming more advanced exercises. Compton and Weiselfish-Giammatteo constantly work to get Duquette more in tune

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ComebackAthlete


ComebackAthlete

Kristin Duquette East Catholic High School, Manchester, Conn.

Sport: Swimming

Condition: Diagnosed with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and scoliosis at age nine.

Result: Now 17, Duquette swims on the Connecticut Paralympic team and is attempting to qualify for the U.S. squad for the 2012 Paralympics. She has set three junior national Paralympic records and is the only person in the country with her disability classification to complete the 200-meter backstroke.

cried. I was just so overjoyed.”Duquette swam in progressively longer pools and joined

her high school team for her junior and senior years, a privi-lege her parents allowed only because she maintained nearly a 4.0 GPA in school. At meets, she swam half the distance of her able-bodied competitors. In July 2007, she joined the Connecticut Paralympic team and competed in her first na-

tional Paralympic swim meet. She was given the Paralympic functional classification of S4 on the one-to-10 scale mea-suring disability level (the lower the number, the more severe the disability).

By the end of that summer, she had achieved qualifying times for the U.S. national team in the 50-meter freestyle and backstroke, and the 100-meter backstroke. She also be-came the junior national record holder for those races at the National Junior Disability Championships in July 2008, and is the only person in the country with an S4 classification to

“Before I started therapy, I was absolutely terrified about the future,” says Duquette.

“I did not want to look forward ... If you told me I would be where I am now, I

might have jumped for joy, but then again, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.”

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ComebackAthletecomplete the 200-meter backstroke.

“I’ve not heard of another person with FSHD who has reached those goals,” says Weiselfish-Giammatteo. “Nobody in the medical field can really understand her improvements, because they so far exceed the expectations according to predictors of outcome in the medical literature.”

Today, Duquette is training to qualify for the U.S. Paralym-pic team, which she can accomplish by again meeting the qualifying times in official meets in May and July. She swims two hours a day, five to six days a week, and four hours on Saturday, taking breaks when her body is too fatigued to con-tinue. She also does dry-land exercises every other day for 30 minutes to an hour to stretch and strengthen her muscles, and meets once a week with Compton for strength training and with Weiselfish-Giammatteo for manual treatment. Du-quette relays which strokes Coach Lucan wants her to im-prove on, and Compton creates exercises to strengthen the appropriate muscles, with a special focus on reducing stress on the interior of the shoulder.

“She has an incredible work ethic,” says Compton. “She takes her therapy, training, swimming, sleeping, and eating as seriously as a professional athlete. With her condition, she has to work twice as hard, but she thrives.”

If Duquette makes the U.S. Paralympic team, she will com-pete in national meets for the next three years in hopes of being selected to the U.S. qualifying team for the 2012 Para-lympics. Selection for that team is based on world ranking,

race times in national meets, and a swimmer’s potential to medal at the London games.

“Before I started therapy, I was absolutely terrified about the future,” says Duquette. “I did not want to look forward be-cause I didn’t know what was going to happen. If you told me I would be where I am now, I might have jumped for joy, but then again, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.”

Now when she looks forward, she doesn’t just see the Paralympics. She sees a college education and, hopefully, collegiate swimming. She sees a potential career in motiva-tional speaking—she recently gave a 30-minute speech to the Women’s Democratic Club of East Hartford on her struggles and her Paralympic dreams. And she sees a transition from a walker to a four-pronged cane and increasing independence.

“She’s traveled a long and difficult road, to say the least,” says Weiselfish-Giammatteo. “It’s a joy to know her and rec-ognize all she has accomplished.”

Duquette says she has no doubt she can make it to Lon-don, but she knows her body and condition are always changing, always capable of ruining her fairytale story. But one thing FSHD has improved is her ability to adapt.

“I will encounter situations I can’t control, but I can con-trol how I perceive what is good and what is bad,” she says. “I try my hardest at whatever I do. I am still just a kid who has been given situations and opportunities and tried to make the best of them. I’m really thankful for everything that has happened to me.” n

Circle No. 110

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nutrition

Few topics in sports nutrition are as controversial as dietary protein. But despite the many unknowns and uncer-tainties, protein is a major

dietary focus for many athletes. A recent survey of over 300 athletes at an NCAA Division I university showed that nearly half believed protein was a major fuel source during exercise, and about a third believed that taking protein supplements was a necessity.

Does research support the value of protein for performance, muscle build-ing, and enhancing glycogen recov-ery after exercise? How much protein

A Closer Look

By Dr. Janet walBerg rankin

Janet Walberg Rankin, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech. She can be reached at: [email protected].

AP PHOTOS (STeAk), DenniS kunkel MicrOScOPy, inc.

You know protein is important for athletes, but have you heard about the latest research on recommended doses, which sources are best, and protein’s role in recovery? In this roundtable discussion, our expert talks with leading nutrition researchers about those topics and more.

also able to dispel a few protein-related myths, providing information that ev-ery athlete can benefit from.

Whatresearchisyourlabcurrentlyconductingregardingdietaryproteinandathletes?Stuart Phillips: We are interested in how muscle loading interacts with different amounts and types of protein to affect

nutrition

should athletes consume, when should they consume it, and what specific pro-tein sources are best? To answer these questions and others, I talked to five researchers who are well known for their work exploring protein needs among athletes.

In some areas, a clear consensus emerged, providing athletes with prac-tical advice and guidelines on the best strategies for protein intake. In oth-er areas, the researchers didn’t agree, and in their conflicting responses we see the newest frontiers and most con-tentious areas of inquiry into protein and athletic performance. They were

T&C APRIL 200916 TRAINING-CONDITIONING.COM

nutrition

muscle protein turnover (synthesis and breakdown). We think proteins that are digested and absorbed rapidly and are rich in leucine, such as whey, are par-ticularly effective. Our recent data has also shown that relatively small doses of protein (20 grams) are effective for stimulating protein synthesis.

Brian Roy: Our current interest is the influence of hydration state on muscle and protein metabolism. We have devel-oped an isolated muscle model to evalu-ate the acute influences of fluid shifts into and out of skeletal muscle. We are also interested in the signaling process-es involved in protein synthesis and deg-radation within skeletal muscle.

Elisabet Børsheim: Our lab is fo-cused on determining the role of es-sential amino acids in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis. Our research demonstrates that the change in blood essential amino acid concentration is more important than the absolute con-centration for stimulating muscle pro-tein synthesis. This may help us find the optimal pattern of ingestion—for ex-ample, suggesting that frequent, small doses may be more valuable than one large dose.

We have also shown that providing 22 grams of essential amino acids in two equal doses (11 grams each) per day increases lean body mass and muscle strength in elderly people. More recent-ly, our research has turned to the effect of amino acids on fat metabolism.

Martin Gibala: First, we are interest-ed in the impact protein has on skeletal muscle metabolism when ingested dur-ing aerobic exercise. Various theories have been advanced to explain some authors’ finding that ingesting protein and carbohydrate together improves ex-ercise performance compared to ingest-ing carbohydrate alone, but no studies have investigated the mechanisms.

Second, in collaboration with Dr. Phillips, we are exploring the impact of protein ingestion following aerobic ex-ercise on muscle protein turnover. The effect of nutrient ingestion on muscle protein metabolism during recovery from endurance exercise remains large-ly unknown.

Nancy Rodriguez: My research re-lates to the interactions between exer-cise, protein intake, and energy balance on skeletal muscle protein turnover. For example, we have evaluated the effects of different protein intakes on skeletal muscle protein metabolism, and looked

OUR PANELElisabet Børsheim, PhD, recently joined the Department of Sports Medicine at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences as a Professor. Before that, she was with the Metabolism Unit, Department of Surgery, at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) for more than nine years. She still holds an appoint-ment with UTMB.

Martin Gibala, PhD, is a Professor of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada. He has served as a consultant to several leading sports organiza-tions, and co-authored consensus statements on sports nutrition for the International Olympic Committee and the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Stuart Phillips, PhD, is a Professor of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada with a cross-appointment in medicine. He is frequently an invited speaker and writer of reviews related to exercise and protein.

Nancy Rodriguez, PhD, RD, CSSD, FACSM, is a Professor of Nutritional Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Connecticut, where she holds joint appointments in the Departments of Kinesiology and Allied Health Sciences. She also serves as the Director of Sports Nutrition in the Department of Sports Medicine.

Brian Roy, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Physical Education and Kinesiology, and the director of the Centre for Muscle Metabolism and Biophysics at Brock University in Canada.

Circle No. 112

nutrition

ally, most healthy young athletes ingest sufficient protein through their ordi-nary diet to support muscle growth.

Rodriguez: Although there is not much contemporary research on the subject, athletes who are in energy bal-ance likely only need the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein—0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day—to maintain nitrogen balance. However, findings in our lab indicate that this amount may be insufficient to optimize skeletal muscle protein, and we’ve observed a better protein bal-ance with daily protein intake of 1.6 grams per kilogram. Therefore, from a practical perspective, I recommend a range of 1.2 to 1.7 grams per kilo-gram per day for endurance athletes, with special attention paid to energy balance.

Roy: I support the contention that protein requirements of athletes are likely similar to those of the general population. Early nitrogen balance studies suggest that athletes who con-sume an adequate amount of energy do not require much more protein than the RDA.

What is the maximum protein intake you recommend for athletes? Phillips: Roughly two grams per ki-logram of body weight per day would be the ceiling beyond which I’m not sure benefit occurs. At some point, pro-tein actually begins to “steal” carbohy-drates from the diet, and we know how important carbohydrate is to athletic performance.

Roy: I would recommend a maximum protein intake of around 1.3 grams per kilogram per day. This should be more than adequate to meet the needs of both resistance and endurance athletes. Re-search suggests that intake above this amount has no added benefit, and may carry some risks.

Børsheim: There is no support for athletes consuming more than 2.5 to 3.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, nor is there good evidence that these doses are dangerous. Any excess protein will be used as fuel and not used to boost muscle protein. However, in some instances, high protein intake may reduce carbohydrate intake, which could negatively impact training.

Rodriguez: I do not believe protein in-

at whether a short-term reduction in energy intake affects the use of protein as a fuel at rest or during recovery from exercise. In addition, we have explored the effects of specific protein sources on recovery from an endurance exer-cise bout.

How much protein do you recommend that athletes consume daily? Børsheim: For endurance athletes, I would say 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilo-gram of body weight per day—only slightly more than the typical recom-mendation for sedentary individuals. The absolute use of protein for energy in any given workout is likely small, but it can translate into higher needs for those with high training volume.

For athletes doing resistance train-ing, I would recommend up to 1.6 or 1.7 grams per kilogram per day, but the precise amount is controversial. The in-creased need in these athletes is caused by frequent elevated muscle protein synthesis following workouts. Interest-ingly, more experienced resistance ath-letes appear to require less protein than those just starting a program. Gener-

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Circle No. 113

nutrition

take above 1.8 to 2.0 grams per kilogram per day confers any additional benefit. If the kidneys are healthy, concern about high protein consumption hampering re-nal function is likely unwarranted, but there is some evidence that very high pro-tein intake can lead to dehydration.

What does the latest research say about the timing of protein consumption?Roy: I believe timing is the most im-portant variable in regard to protein intake. Since most athletes consume enough protein during the day, timing is likely the most critical factor affect-ing protein synthesis and recovery from exercise. There is still no definitive an-swer on the possible benefits of add-ing protein to carbohydrate beverages during endurance exercise, but there is some evidence that protein ingestion during endurance work may decrease muscle damage. More research is need-ed in this area.

That said, I would caution athletes that consuming too much protein dur-ing exercise could slow the digestion or absorption of carbohydrates and elec-

mass, strength, and muscle fiber area than those who consumed the same supplement at other times of the day.

Børsheim: I believe there is currently not enough evidence that protein con-sumption is needed during aerobic ex-ercise or even after exercise for muscle glycogen replacement if enough carbo-hydrate is ingested (approximately 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per

hour during the first two to five hours). However, if the optimal carbohydrate amount is not ingested, adding protein in the first hours after exercise may in-crease glycogen replacement.

For resistance exercise, the literature suggests ingesting protein within the first two hours after a workout, as well as several times throughout the day, to

trolytes. Protein ingestion while exer-cising may increase glycogen synthesis post-exercise, but there is still scientific controversy on this topic. In contrast, there is no debate that consuming high-quality protein after resistance exercise stimulates increased protein synthesis. We just don’t have the long-term data to conclude whether it’s better to consume protein during or after workouts.

Gibala: A growing body of work sug-gests that the strategic timing of protein ingestion around a workout can affect training-induced gains in lean mass and strength. For example, one study re-ported that young men who consumed a protein-containing supplement imme-diately before and after each workout for 10 weeks had more gains in lean

“Protein ingestion while exercising may increase glycogen synthesis post-exercise, but there is still scientific controversy on this topic. In contrast, there is no debate that consuming high-quality protein after resistance exercise stimulates increased protein synthesis.”

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nutrition

promote maximum protein synthesis. A supplement or food containing roughly 10 to 15 grams of essential amino acids seems to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

Doyoubelieveparticulartypesofproteinaresuperiortoothersforathletes?Phillips: A number of studies support the finding that milk-based proteins, and whey in particular, are more effec-tive than other proteins in the promo-tion of muscle hypertrophy.

Roy: Two recent studies showed that milk-derived proteins, taken acutely or chronically, are superior to protein from soy for stimulating muscle mass growth when combined with resistance exercise. Very recent work also suggests that whey hydrolysate might be superior to casein and soy protein after exercise, but further research and evaluation are needed to confirm this.

Børsheim: Various types of protein stimulate muscle protein synthesis dif-ferently after resistance exercise be-cause of minor differences in amino acid composition and digestion rate.

The amount of essential amino acids, specifically leucine, may be important. For example, research shows that milk is superior to soy protein in stimulating muscle protein synthesis after exercise. Whey protein is absorbed rapidly, and some evidence shows it to be superior to other protein sources, but long-term studies are needed in this area.

Rodriguez: Various studies in our lab have looked at diet interventions that incorporate high-quality proteins such as eggs and beef. Findings from this work suggest that protein quality and the intake of essential amino acids in the correct amounts are important to support muscle protein synthesis.

Gibala: Work from Dr. Phillips’s lab has suggested that milk is supe-rior to soy in terms of promoting the skeletal muscle adaptive response to resistance exercise. One study showed milk consumption to have a superior effect on protein synthesis as com-pared to soy consumption in the hours after a weightlifting bout. Subsequent research demonstrated greater lean mass and Type II muscle fiber area gains over 12 weeks in those who

consumed milk regularly after each workout as compared to those who consumed soy.

Doestheformofproteiningestedaffectathleticperformance?Roy: Food-based proteins, such as those in milk, are more than adequate to meet the needs of athletes, as long as they are rich in essential amino acids. The value of co-ingestion with other nutrients remains unknown. The fact that food-based protein is generally consumed with other nutrients, such as carbohydrate and micronutrients, pro-vides another advantage as compared to protein or amino acid supplements.

Børsheim: Ingestion of essential ami-no acids causes a more rapid response than intake of complete protein, be-cause they enter circulation more quick-ly and thus begin to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Ingesting carbohy-drate with protein may lead to a more prolonged effect on muscle protein syn-thesis because of the enhanced insulin release. The best consumption strategy may be a combination of essential ami-no acids, protein, and carbohydrate af-

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ter exercise, as this would cause both a rapid and a prolonged stimulation of protein synthesis.

Do certain athletic populations have unique protein needs?Phillips: In my view, too few studies exist to support setting specific requirements for specific populations. However, there appears to be an advantage to maintain-ing higher protein intake (up to 35 per-cent of energy intake) for those looking to lose weight, at the expense of dietary carbohydrate (40 percent). Although these recommendations are at the ends of the acceptable macronutrient distri-bution ranges for general health, I think they can be extended to athletes who are not overly reliant on carbohydrate fuel.

Børsheim: Elderly individuals may re-quire increased protein intake, or pos-sibly amino acid supplementation, in order to avoid muscle loss. But overall, we know little about the specific needs of elderly athletes.

What myths about protein exist in the athletic world that aren’t supported by science and should be debunked?Phillips: The biggest myth is that “more is better” and that power training or resistance training athletes need more protein to achieve muscle growth or strength gains. Our work has shown that, if anything, these athletes actually require much less protein than those who are sedentary.

Among our research subjects, we’ve found that during resistance training, total protein balance is more positive and less protein is oxidized for energy than when the subjects are sedentary. This supports the concept that resis-tance exercise is anabolic and conserves body protein rather than increasing loss. Further, our data suggest that just 20 grams of protein maximally stimulates protein synthesis, and this response lasts for three to four hours. Thus, if you consume 20 grams of protein four to five times per day, you’re covered.

Roy: One myth that needs to be de-bunked is the idea that athletes must take protein via a supplement. It is evi-dent from current research that foods containing high-quality proteins with essential amino acids can maximally stimulate protein synthesis. Further-more, food contains other valuable nu-trients that may facilitate recovery, and it is generally a more palatable and cost-effective strategy than supplements.

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Another myth is the perception that the greater the amount of protein consumed, the greater the amount of hypertrophy. That just isn’t supported by research.

Rodriguez: A myth still persists that eating more protein will result in in-creased muscle mass. Athletes must eat enough food to have a positive ener-gy balance and adequate protein levels. But more protein isn’t always better.

Whatcurrentresearchonproteinandathletesareyouwatchingmostclosely,andwhy?

Phillips: I am interested in the research looking at leucine supplementation. Studies support both sides of the de-bate on this essential amino acid. Read-ing some magazines and Web sites, you would think leucine will result in amaz-ing muscle gains. In my view, that con-cept is completely off-base.

Gibala: I think there is going to be an explosion of interest in the poten-tial for protein ingestion during recov-ery from aerobic exercise to maximize recovery and augment training-induced adaptations. Numerous studies have in-

vestigated the influence of protein source, amount, and timing on muscle accretion after resistance exercise, but the effect of nutrient manipulation on muscle protein metabolism during recovery from endur-ance exercise remains largely unexplored. Techniques are now available to quantify changes in specific fractions of the muscle cell, as well as the molecular process in-volved in the adaptive response.

Whatunansweredquestionsaremostinneedoffurtherresearchregardingproteinintakeforathletes?Phillips: Although difficult and expen-sive to research, we need to determine whether ingesting certain levels of ad-ditional protein over time really con-fers benefits for muscle mass gain and strength development. This is especially important to study in the elderly.

In addition, we need to develop new methods to more accurately measure requirements for protein. Nitrogen bal-ance is a tired old method that gives no useful information about actual protein requirements. No physiological out-come has ever been associated with be-ing in “nitrogen balance.”

Børsheim: Areas that are still not ful-ly understood include the impact of type and timing of protein, concurrent inges-tion of other nutrients with protein, and whether protein requirements vary for athletes in specific sports and activities. In fact, relatively little is known about the protein needs of athletes competing in sports other than running, cycling, and resistance exercise. The effect of an athlete’s gender on protein needs, and the effect of protein intake on fat me-tabolism, are also unresolved.

Gibala: A major unanswered ques-tion is: Does protein ingestion during and/or immediately following aerobic exercise attenuate skeletal muscle fiber disruption, and if so, what is the mech-anism? Several studies have reported that protein ingestion attenuates the rise in markers sometimes used to es-timate muscle damage, such as creatine kinase, whereas other studies have failed to show a difference.

Despite widespread use of these indi-rect markers, they correlate poorly with changes in muscle function and might not represent true muscle damage. New techniques may emerge that offer more sensitive indicators of muscle damage and can help clarify our understanding of how protein ingestion might improve recovery following exercise. n

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Circle No. 121


TREATING THE ATHLETE

By R.J. AndeRson

R.J. Anderson is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning. He can be reached at: [email protected].

On his first official day as an Ohio State University Buckeye last June, fresh-man quarterback Terrelle Pryor looked like an actor

on the set of a futuristic science fiction film. Clad only in shorts and covered in small white reflectors, Pryor and 12 of his teammates stepped, squatted, and jumped as high-speed cameras at the school’s Sports Biomechanics Laboratory captured their every move.

The reflectors helped track Pryor’s lower body as he performed simple movements testing his balance, flexibil-ity, and strength in a functional move-ment screen. As Pryor did overhead squats, lunges with both legs, hurdle steps over a wire, and box drops, infor-mation on his biomechanics was trans-ferred to a computer system and used to analyze motor control, joint torque, and strength imbalances—information that could help identify risk for specific injuries. The data was also passed on to strength coaches, who looked at it when designing workouts for him based on his strengths and weaknesses.

The freshman football study is just one project at the Sports Biomechan-

An inside look at the Ohio State University Sports Biomechanics Lab reveals how cutting-edge technology is shaping the future of athlete assessment, injury prevention, and training.

ics Laboratory using cutting-edge tech-nology to improve athlete assessment. Working in concert with the lab’s en-gineers are medical doctors, physical therapists, and athletic trainers who de-velop projects to explore the mecha-nisms behind injury, rehabilitation, and performance.

In less than three years of exis-tence, the OSU lab has become one of the premier biomechanics facilities in the country. It uses data-driven eval-uation techniques to reach evidence-based conclusions about many of sports medicine’s commonly held beliefs and practices. It is also working to make ad-vanced assessment methods more acces-sible down the road, and thus helping to shape the future of sports medicine and athlete development.

MOTION PICTURE MAGICIf you’ve ever watched a behind-the-scenes breakdown of how video game developers bring superstar athletes to life in games like NBA Live or the popular Madden series, you’ve seen the technology that’s used in the OSU Sports Biomechanics Lab. It’s also what allows real-life actors to perform phys-

ically impossible stunts in computer- enhanced films like The Matrix and 300.

But in the Ohio State lab, the goals have nothing to do with special effects. Images captured on camera are convert-ed to simple stick figures or skeletons, mapped out with help from the reflective material attached to the athletes’ bodies.

“Video game developers record a per-son’s motion so it looks realistic when they apply the animation,” says Ajit Chaudhari, PhD, Director of the Sports Biomechanics Laboratory and Assistant Professor in the Department of Ortho-paedics. “But we use it to analyze the sub-ject’s movements and provide objective measurements of their biomechanics.”

Ohio State combines the motion- capture technology with a load- measuring system made up of force plate sensors embedded in a gym floor. The sensors measure the impact created by athletes as they cut while running and performing exercises. “It allows us to calculate force from the floor to the foot up through the leg and estimate

ONE STEP AHEAD

Special cameras at the OSU Sports Biomechanics Lab track athletes’ movements using reflective markers

attached to the body. A computer then converts the data into skeletal animations to examine bio-

mechanics and joint forces in great detail.



NEAL LAURON, COLUMBUS DISPATCH

the torques placed on an athlete’s joints from the foot to the ankle, knee, and hip,” Chaudhari explains. “That tells us how hard each muscle is working to create motion, what type of loads are being placed on passive structures like the ACL and other ligaments, and how much compression each joint is under during a given movement.”

Located in a 3,500 square-foot gym-nasium, the lab’s eight cameras, which film at up to 300 frames per second, are attached to railings nine feet above the floor. They’re configured in a horseshoe shape, with all the lenses focused on the embedded force plates. For cutting drills, athletes approach from the open end of the U, plant on the force plate, and cut in a direction dictated by a sig-naling board. The cameras and force plates also collect information from a variety of non-running exercises, such as squats, lunges, and box drops. Mo-tion-analysis software then marries the footage collected by the eight cameras, creating 3-D representations of an ath-lete’s movements.

Chaudhari says analyzing Pryor and his classmates’ biomechanics with the lab’s high-tech tools provides a glimpse

of bigger things to come. “At this point we’re laying the groundwork for future projects,” he says. “It takes years to build up a database that can draw sol-id conclusions on biomechanics. Right now, we’re collecting data to determine which measurements actually matter, because we can measure about 50 dif-ferent things, from force generated to flexibility to strength. But we don’t know yet which measurements have a relationship with injury risk.”

Janine Oman, MS, PT, ATC, Assis-tant Athletic Director of Sports Perfor-mance at Ohio State, is excited about the opportunities the Biomechanics Lab will create for athletes, coaches, and athletic trainers. “This is something we can add to our toolbox to help identify athletes who need intervention—either for injury prevention or to improve their performance,” she says. “It will give us more objective criteria for making those judgments.”

While Oman acknowledges that the relationship between the Sports Biome-chanics Lab and Buckeye athletics is still a work in progress, she says ev-erybody involved recognizes the poten-tial and wants to make progress as a

team. “We’re basically trying to figure out how we can best use the informa-tion the lab is gathering,” she says. “It’s a collaborative effort between the re-searchers and our strength coaches and athletic trainers as to what needs to be measured and how we might be able to act on the findings in the future.”

SNEAK PREVIEWSThe Sports Biomechanics Lab is also working on a number of studies that address injury prevention and technique validation. A large part of that research is examining the effects of trunk con-trol on injuries within different popu-lations. Currently, Chaudhari and his colleagues are in the early stages of three studies looking at the relationship between trunk control and ACL tears in football players, lower extremity in-juries in distance runners, and shoulder and elbow injuries in baseball players.

“There are plenty of anecdotal ex-planations for how trunk control and core stability help athletes avoid injury and improve performance, but there is no scientific data supporting that yet,” Chaudhari says. “Nobody has ever proven the link or explained the rela-



tionship—that’s where we come in.“To do that, we look at the body as a

mechanical system,” he continues. “Just like a machine, if the forces on certain joints are too high, they’re going to

break. It can be an acute break, like an ACL tear, or a fatigue failure that plays out over time. We’re looking for some insight into how these injuries occur and how to prevent them.”

The study on football ACL injuries is set to begin this summer and will involve high school players. Funded by a re-search grant from NFL Charities, it will examine the relationships between core stability, dynamic loading of the knee during cutting, and athletic performance on standardized football-specific tests.

The study will begin with baseline

examinations of 20 athletes, during which they’ll wear 79 reflectors—39 on the torso and upper body and 40 on the legs and feet—while going through a battery of running, cutting, and trunk

control tests. Cameras and force plates will record each player’s biomechanics during the tests. The players will also perform drills like those used at the NFL Scouting Combine, such as the three-cone drill, the 20-yard short shut-tle, and the broad jump, so researchers can examine how the biomechanical measurements from the lab relate to performance on the field.

“We chose the NFL Combine drills because they involve change of direction and upper-body motion to decelerate and then accelerate again,” Chaudhari says.

“We think trunk control may have a piv-otal role to play in those movements.”

Chaudhari and his staff will look for specific measurements in each player, for example, at what point their knees go into a valgus angulated (knock-kneed) position due to abduction torque—the torque that pushes the knee toward the midline of the body. This torque and the resulting valgus position created by contact from cutting or landing is a fairly accurate predictor of ACL injury risk according to recent studies. Chaud-hari wants to determine when the val-gus moment occurs for a typical high school athlete.

After the initial evaluations, ath-letes will be divided into two groups and perform strength and condition-ing workouts for six weeks. “We’re still developing the specifics, but we know both groups will participate in a standard high school football summer workout program with general strength and conditioning, agility, and cardio,” Chaudhari says. “The difference is that one group will replace the workout’s standard trunk exercises with ones that concentrate more on stabilization—

After the initial evaluations, athletes will be divided into two groups. “Both groups will participate in a standard high

school football summer workout program ... The difference is that one group will replace the workout’s standard trunk ex-

ercises with ones that concentrate more on stabilization.”

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says. “If it turns out not to be the case, that could tell us it doesn’t matter how athletes train the trunk—they’ll make stability gains either way.

“Another thing, which is the meat of the study for us, is if we show im-

proved trunk control, does it translate to improved biomechanical measure-ments and reduced loading on the knee joints and ligaments when those players cut and land?” Chaudhari continues. “If trunk stabilization is as important as we think it is, we expect to see pro-portional improvements in both. But we don’t know until we do the tests.”

The lab is using similar concepts and technology to evaluate biomechanics and injury thresholds in collegiate and recre-ational distance runners. Instead of jump-

ing and cutting, the runners will simply have their straight-ahead, normal-speed running biomechanics evaluated. “With these athletes, we’re looking to show a relationship between trunk stability and biomechanical breakdowns resulting in patellofemoral pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and tibial stress fractures,” Chaudhari says. “We feel all these inju-ries are caused by some type of specific mechanical flaw or pattern.”

The lab is currently collecting pilot data and submitting grant proposals in hopes of securing funding for the study. Chaudhari would like to expand the project to include a larger, more diverse population because of running’s popu-larity among all age groups.

Another upcoming study will address the relationship between trunk stability and arm injuries among college pitch-ers. “We’re interested in seeing whether a pitcher who trains for trunk control can reduce stress on his shoulder and elbow, thereby decreasing his risk for a torn ro-tator cuff or ulnar collateral ligament,” Chaudhari says. “We want to identify any flaws that might contribute to those inju-ries and correct them. That also means

such as planks, Bodyblade exercises, and Bosu ball work—with a focus on holding and maintaining proper trunk and pelvis position rather than flexing and extending. The other group will perform traditional crunches, med ball

tosses, and concentric abdominal work. The trunk exercises will be the only variable between the two groups and will account for about 25 percent of the weightroom activity.”

After six weeks, the athletes will un-dergo post-testing similar to their ear-lier baseline screens, and Chaudhari and his team will look at the results from multiple angles. “We expect the trunk stabilization program will lead to greater improvements in general trunk control, but we really aren’t sure,” he

Another upcoming study will address the relationship between trunk stability and arm injuries among college

pitchers. “We’re interested in seeing whether a pitcher who trains for trunk control can reduce stress on his shoulder and

elbow, thereby decreasing his risk for a torn rotator cuff.”

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The Ohio State University Sports Biomechanics Laboratory is a breeding ground for innovative, data-driven ideas and analysis. One recent example is the Level Belt, a patent-pending training and assessment tool conceived by Chris McKenzie, PT, SCS, MHS, ATC, CSCS, Rehabilitation Team Leader at the OSU Sports Medicine Center, and developed with help from Ajit Chaudhari, PhD, Director of the lab and Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics.

Worn around the waist while a baseball pitcher practices his delivery, the belt has an accelerometer sensor the size of a matchbox that measures degrees of motion. It’s a new, highly accurate way to assess trunk stability.

“If you tip your pelvis forward, the belt will roll with the pelvis and measure the degrees of displacement,” explains McKenzie, who uses the Level Belt with rehab patients and for performance development. “If the pel-vis rolls forward or backward a set number of degrees (usually between five and seven), the sensor provides biofeedback via an audible tone.

“We instruct pitchers on keeping the pelvis stable because proximal stability allows for better distal mobil-ity,” McKenzie continues. “Athletes need that external feedback because five to seven degrees is such a tight range and they often don’t realize what is and isn’t stable.

“Our research is aimed at helping pitchers keep their hips closed longer, allowing more explosion from the push-off leg and better consistency with their arm slot during the delivery,” McKenzie adds. “Our Level Belt provides a mea-surement of pelvic stability, which helps pitchers improve positioning, mechanics, and pelvic control.”

McKenzie sees this research making the biggest impact on younger athletes, whose mechanics are typically more flawed. “Instead of just monitoring pitch counts and how many innings a pitcher throws, maybe our focus should be on teaching kids how to maintain control of their pelvis and stay closed longer during the pitch cycle,” he says. “Who knows how many elbow and shoulder problems we can prevent that way?”

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Circle No. 126



says. “For example, we’re looking to de-velop tools that can be taken to base-ball fields to determine what deficiencies pitchers have and how they can decrease their likelihood of injury.

“When I first came here, I hoped people would be interested in the kind of work we’re now doing, but I didn’t really know,” he adds. “Fortunately, I’ve found that everyone here is open to new ideas and we all want to talk about what our research is showing and how it can help athletes perform better and stay healthier.” n

in watching the technology mature. “Our field is in need of more good clinical re-search,” she says. “We hope these studies will yield data to validate our assessment and treatment techniques so that we can put those techniques into practice for larg-er populations. I think we’ll also see this type of testing refined so that anybody can afford to do it in some form.”

Chaudhari has similar goals. “A major priority is making our discoveries trans-latable outside the lab as much as possi-ble, because we’re limited in the number of people we can work with here,” he

evaluating whether more trunk control work in rehab actually lowers forces and torques in the shoulders and elbows.”

To evaluate pitching biomechanics, Chaudhari is working with some Ohio State mechanical engineering students to outfit a pitcher’s mound with force plate sensors like the ones in the gym floor. “Even though we’re looking pri-marily at the shoulder and elbow, we also want to measure forces at the feet and how they relate to the torque creat-ed by the upper body,” he says. “We’re using a portable fiberglass mound with sensors located under the push-off area in front of the pitching rubber and on the slope where the lead foot lands.”

For this project, Chris McKenzie, PT, SCS, MHS, ATC, CSCS, Rehabilitation Team Leader at the OSU Sports Medi-cine Center, will bring in several college pitchers who are rehabbing from upper-extremity throwing injuries. His rehab approach concentrates on increasing players’ trunk stability to enhance per-formance and avoid re-injury, so the lab is a perfect setting to accumulate evi-dence-based validation.

“My goal is to use the motion- capture technology to expand our understanding of the role pelvic stabi-lization plays in preventing injury,” McKenzie says. “I also want to find the best way of training for a stable pelvis so we can introduce those methods to younger pitchers and prevent future inju-ries while improving mechanics.”

BABY STEPSChaudhari believes the Sports Biome-chanics Lab today is barely scratching the surface of what it can offer sports medicine professionals and athletes to-morrow. “First, we have to prove that our concepts work and produce some meaningful, practical results,” he says. “Then we’ll start investing in even more advanced equipment and further refine our operations.”

Moving forward, another goal is strengthening the lab’s relationship with the Ohio State athletic department. Chaudhari says his ultimate plan is to some day perform pre-activity screen-ings for every Buckeye varsity athlete. “We’ll then hand our data over to the strength and conditioning coaches and athletic trainers, who can use it to cus-tomize conditioning programs for each individual to address deficiencies and improve strength,” he says.

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T&C april 2009 33 TraiNiNG-CONDiTiONiNG.COM

LEADERSHIP

By Kenny BerKowitz

Kenny Berkowitz is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning. He can be reached at: [email protected].

Not too long ago, it was virtually unheard of for athletic trainers to move into the ranks of athletic administration. But as the

athletic training profession continues to evolve, so do career opportunities. Today, it’s not uncommon to find high school athletic directors who began their careers as athletic trainers, and though fewer examples exist in colle-giate athletics, that’s beginning to change, too.

For some, like Jeff Cassella, MS, ATC, Athletic Director at Mentor (Ohio) High School, the door to ath-letic administration opened sudden-ly, when the previous athletic director retired. For others, like Stevie Baker- Watson, MS, LAT, ATC, Assistant Ath-letic Director and Senior Woman Admin-istrator at North Central College, landing a job in athletic administration was a ca-

reer objective years in the making. Many of the necessary skills are al-

ready part of every athletic trainer’s toolbox. “As athletic trainers, we’re con-stantly thinking ahead, planning for up-coming events, and looking at the big picture,” says Cassella. “We’re always multitasking and communicating with a wide range of student-athletes, parents, coaches, administrators, and communi-ty members. Those organizational and people skills translate very well to work as an athletic director.”

To build on that foundation, athletic trainers can attend administration work-shops, create a network of mentors, and learn from colleagues and supervisors. And like most major changes, the pro-cess of shifting your career begins by asking the right questions.

“First, you have to look at your jour-ney as an athletic trainer,” says Cas-sella. “Are your greatest strengths in

rehabilitation and getting student- athletes back onto the field? Or are they in dealing with people and managing day-to-day operations? Which parts of athletic training excite you most? And if you really want to move into admin-istration, are you ready to walk away from athletic training?”

NEW CHALLENGESIn the summer of 2007, as Chris Warden, ATC, was about to begin his seventh year as Athletic Trainer and Athletic Training Instructor at Ohlone College, his athletic director retired. A vice pres-ident asked Warden to consider the po-sition, and after taking a week to weigh the pros and cons with his family, he decided to apply.

More and more athletic trainers are taking the leadership, communication, and managerial skills they’ve developed in the field and applying them to athletic administration. The people in this article did, and they explain how you can, too.

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“I’m all about new challenges,” says Warden. “Like every-one else in this profession, I entered athletic training to help people. But even as an undergrad, I thought about getting a doctorate and going into curriculum development, pro-gram management, or athletic administration. I saw this as a chance to grow, extend myself, and help people in a very different way.”

For Warden, there were too many plusses to pass up. Along with new challenges, the position would mean an increase in salary, greater flexibility in hours, and more time with his two-year-old son. But before landing the job, he needed to convince administrators that a background in sports medicine was an asset, not a disadvantage.

“Some people assumed that as an athletic trainer, I would know a lot about sports medicine but hardly anything about coaching,” he says. “I had to help them realize that athletic trainers know the coaches in every sport on campus. The people who originally thought my focus might be too narrow learned that athletic trainers have a much wider perspective because we work so closely with everyone.”

Even before he was hired, Warden made sure to enlist the support of administrators around him, including the previ-ous athletic director and the vice president responsible for overseeing the athletic department, who committed to meet with Warden weekly during his first year on the job. “From the outset, I was confident I had the communication and man-agement skills to do the job well,” he says. “But I also knew I didn’t have much experience looking at student enrollment and crunching the numbers. There’s no class called Athletic Directing 101, so I made sure my vice president was willing to train me on the job.

“Having a boss who’s also willing to be a mentor has been a huge advantage,” he continues. “He’s been my sounding board since day one.”

At the start, Warden had a dual appointment as Athletic Di-rector and Curriculum Chair for the Athletic Training Educa-tion Program, with equal responsibility for each. A year later, he stepped down as chair to focus full-time on managing ath-letics, physical education, and kinesiology. Now in his third semester, he’s grown more proficient in the areas he was wor-ried about, like creating budgets, organizing schedules, and setting department priorities.

The job has come with some surprises, too. Warden is struck by the amount of time he spends on personnel issues, the challenge of responding to copious amounts of e-mail, the struggles of getting 13 varsity programs to share a single gym, and the variety of questions he’s called upon to answer in a single day.

“All day long, people come to my office looking for an-swers—from students who were dropped by their teams to coaches who need new equipment,” he says. “It’s all part of being a middleman between the coaches I supervise and the administrators who supervise me. Having patience is the first key to doing this job well, and the second is empowering all those people to make decisions on their own. I want to help people solve problems for themselves.”

Warden’s greatest concern—that he would have difficulty transitioning from peer to supervisor—has turned out to be a non-issue, and he’s now convinced he made the right deci-sion. “I’ve had some tough moments, but I haven’t regretted the move for one day,” he says. “I needed a new challenge, and I found it.”

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LEADERSHIP

from everyone he met along the way. “My experiences as an athletic train-

er taught me to practice good time management, be well-organized, deal with different kinds of people, build bridges, and work through problems in a non-confrontational manner,” he says. “Participation in SWATA taught me how to conduct meetings, speak to groups of people, and get comfort-able in a leadership role. In making the transition to administration, I also needed to overcome my weaknesses, like fundraising and fiscal manage-ment, which I’ve done by working

with good business managers and pro-viding effective documentation for ev-erything I do.

“The first time I served as Interim Athletic Director, I thought I was ready, but I really wasn’t,” he continues. “The experience helped a lot in preparing me for the position, and after that first time, I had the opportunity to work

closely with the new athletic director. I needed to continue maturing as an ad-ministrator and learn about making the best choices. After I served as interim AD for the second time, I felt much more comfortable. I felt prepared to take on the full responsibility.”

In the 16 years since his last job as an athletic trainer, Carlon has main-tained his certification and occasion-ally provides event coverage. He misses the interpersonal relationships athletic trainers have with players, but is proud to be on a first-name basis with all the university’s student-athletes, and en-courages other athletic trainers to con-sider administration as a career goal.

“If you have a passion for athletic training, you can carry that same pas-sion over to administration,” he advis-

es. “Before starting my move, I thought long and hard about the decision, be-cause athletic training was my first love. I decided that this way, I could advance the respect people have for the profes-sion of athletic training. I’ve tried to be a role model, and that’s what made me move in this direction full-time.”

BEATING BURNOUTBy 2006, when Jeff Cassella was named Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Ohio Athletic Trainers’ Association, he had already begun thinking about athlet-ic administration. In his 15th year as

Head Athletic Trainer and Health and Physical Education Instructor at Men-tor High, he was working long hours and the routines of the job had start-ed getting old for him. He wondered whether he was burning out.

He already had a master’s degree in sports management, so to expand his options, he finished his licensure in ed-ucational administration, which meant doing a semester-long internship with his principal. Every day, Cassella spent time in the principal’s office, taking on a wide range of administrative tasks and working closely with his mentor. One year later, when the athletic direc-tor suddenly retired, Cassella was the obvious choice to replace him.

“I grew up around athletics—my fa-ther spent 30 years as a high school athletic director—and I felt pretty confi-dent I’d enjoy the job,” he says. “Intern-ing with my principal helped showcase my skills and develop my leadership style, and when the athletic director job opened up, the timing was right and I was ready.

“The hours and the time commit-ment are close to what I expected, but after 17 years, to go from working alongside coaches to being their boss felt very different,” continues Cassella. “I still approach them as a co-worker—someone they can come to with ques-tions, just like when I was an athletic trainer. But there’s no denying that I evaluate them, handle their budgets, and ultimately make decisions that af-fect their jobs. And the hardest part of

BLAZING A TRAILSince arriving at the University of Texas-Arlington in 1981, Pete Carlon, MSEd, ATC, has filled several roles, including Head Athletic Trainer, Associate Ath-letic Director, Director of Sports Medi-cine, and since 1996, Athletic Director. A member of the NATA Hall of Fame, he has served on the NATA Board of Directors, the Southland Conference Executive Committee, and the NCAA Division I-AAA Athletic Directors As-sociation Executive Committee.

Carlon didn’t just learn about the path from athletic trainer to athletic director—he helped pioneer it. “I was one of the first, if not the first, to move from a certified athletic trainer position to an athletic administrator position,” he says. “When I started here, I was the only athletic trainer on staff, and I never dreamed of ending up in this role. It’s only because my institution started moving me into administration that I’ve spent the last 13 years as ath-letic director.”

Carlon’s first promotion came in 1984, when he began working a dual role as Head Athletic Trainer and As-sistant Athletic Director. He served as Interim Athletic Director from 1991 to 1993, when he was named Associ-

ate Athletic Director/Director of Sports Medicine. In 1996, he began his sec-ond term as Interim Athletic Director, and was formally elevated to Athletic Director later that year, where he has remained ever since. Along the way, Carlon also moved up the ranks of the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Associa-tion (SWATA), working as a task force member, committee co-chair, conven-tion host, district director, and execu-tive board president.

Without any academic training in athletic administration, Carlon cred-its the support of fellow administrators for giving him the confidence to grow on the job. He learned to lead with his strengths, surround himself with people who were strong in areas where he was weak, and absorb as much as he could

Every day, Cassella spent time in the principal’s office, taking on a wide range of administrative tasks and working closely with his mentor ... When the athletic director suddenly retired, Cassella was the obvious choice to replace him.

Without any academic training in athletic administration, Carlon credits fellow administrators for giving him the

confidence to grow on the job. He learned to lead with his strengths, surround himself with people who were strong in areas where he was weak, and absorb as much as he could.

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1530S with straps1530 without straps

The Model 1530S comes standard with two 6" wide, removable straps that can be pulled around the leg to give additional hamstring or groin support. The adjustable straps are held in place with a velcro fastening system.

Velcro fastener

Hamstring Support SystemNew! Hammy Series Models 1530 & 1530SThe traditional Stromgren 75% Nylon, 25% Lycra, Model 1550 compression shorts, but with a neoprene liner in the back of each leg. These products are designed to keep the athlete’s hamstring muscle warm during any athletic activity by holding their natural body heat next to the skin.

Stock Colors: Black & White, 1530S straps are the same color as the compression pant. Custom Colors Not Available. Stock Sizes: Adult S-4XL Youth Not Available

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LEADERSHIP

responsibilities while also taking over as Athletic Director at Indian River and Selbyville Middle School, located nine miles away.

It took five months for Fuhrmann and the school district to finalize the agree-ment, and in November 2007, he went to work juggling his new duties—plus teaching three sports medicine class-es and a weightlifting class at the high school. “Combining athletic adminis-tration and athletic training is some-thing I’ve always wanted to do,” says Fuhrmann. “When the position came open, I hardly had to think about it. The combination feels very natural to me.”

The keys to wearing so many hats, says Fuhrmann, are time management and or-ganization. He keeps a master schedule on his PDA, completes his athletic direc-tor responsibilities by 3 p.m., and focuses on athletic training for the rest of the afternoon and evening. He works about 15 hours a day, five days a week, and is helped by student athletic training aides and a former athletic trainer who teaches at the middle school.

Now in his second year as athletic di-rector and his sixth as athletic trainer,

the transition is having to look some-body in the eye and tell them ‘no.’”

In his toughest day on the job, Cassella had to fire a coach he’d worked with for years. It wasn’t easy, but he was as straightforward as possible, just as his mentors had advised. In two years at his new job, Cassella has relied on the support of past and present athletic directors in the region, along with his administrative assistants, coaches, the principal, and his father and family.

“I took over at a very busy time of year, and those first two months were a blur,” says Cassella. “On my first full day, I walked into our league meeting and met a roomful of athletic directors for the first time. They began rattling off information while I filled up four pages with notes.

“By the time I left, I knew I had the support of every other athletic director in my league,” he continues. “When-ever a question came up, I knew I had the principal’s ear, and that the previ-ous athletic director was glad to be my lifeline.”

Cassella expects many more chal-lenges in the future, but the second

year on the job has proven much easier than the first. He added bowling as the school’s 22nd varsity sport, and though he doesn’t plan to make a lot of major changes, every day he works is another day the athletic program comes closer to his vision.

“I miss having contact with student-athletes and the camaraderie of the ath-letic training room,” says Cassella, who continues to maintain his athletic train-ing certification. “But I don’t miss the daily grind of working three or four hours after school every night. I’m run-ning one of the biggest high school ath-letic departments in Ohio, and my goal is to make it the best I can. I love my job, and I can see myself staying here until I retire.”

BEST OF BOTH WORLDSIn 2004, Todd Fuhrmann, ATC, NASM-PES, arrived at Indian River High School in Dagsboro, Del., as Head Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach. Three years later, when the ath-letic director stepped down, Fuhrmann proposed creating a new job that would allow him to keep his athletic training

NeoprenePrevents

Heat Escape

HamstringMuscles

1530S with straps1530 without straps

The Model 1530S comes standard with two 6" wide, removable straps that can be pulled around the leg to give additional hamstring or groin support. The adjustable straps are held in place with a velcro fastening system.

Velcro fastener

Hamstring Support SystemNew! Hammy Series Models 1530 & 1530SThe traditional Stromgren 75% Nylon, 25% Lycra, Model 1550 compression shorts, but with a neoprene liner in the back of each leg. These products are designed to keep the athlete’s hamstring muscle warm during any athletic activity by holding their natural body heat next to the skin.

Stock Colors: Black & White, 1530S straps are the same color as the compression pant. Custom Colors Not Available. Stock Sizes: Adult S-4XL Youth Not Available

(Patent pending) For more information email [email protected] or go to www.stromgren.com

Available exclusively at your team sporting goods dealer or sports medicine supplier.

Anti-Microbial Fabric

116810 4c Hammy Coaching Mgt.indd 1 2/9/09 2:36:04 PM

Circle No. 131

T&C april 200938 TraiNiNG-CONDiTiONiNG.COM

LEADERSHIP

expertise in finance, personnel, facili-ties, and academics. She’s grown used to meeting people who are surprised to hear about her background in sports medicine, and after more than a year at North Central, Baker-Watson still feels the need to prove herself every day.

“As athletic trainers, we’re judged by how student-athletes respond to our treatment,” she says. “As an adminis-trator, I’m judged according to what I say and do, which is a change. It can be challenging, but I find that if I work through my decisions the way I always have—by gathering enough data and thinking through different points of view—people don’t care that I came from a sports medicine background.”

Ultimately, Baker-Watson dreams of pursuing a law degree and becoming an athletic director, but at this point, she’s so pleased with her job and work-life balance that she’s happy to remain at North Central. “My family is in this area, so I don’t see myself moving away any time soon,” she says. “There are times when I’m on the road quite a bit, and I know my children struggle with that, but we make up for it in other ways. If you ask my daughter what she wants to be when she grows up, she’ll say, ‘An athletic trainer,’ which makes

me feel I’ve been a good role model. So while I would love to be an athletic di-rector, I’m willing to wait for just the right opportunity.”

Her advice to other athletic train-ers—especially women—who are con-sidering the move to administration is simple: “If there’s something you want, ask for it,” she says. “Ask to do things that fall outside your usual routine. Ask if you can plan a project or be involved with initiatives that go beyond your cur-rent responsibilities as athletic trainer.

“In the end, it’s really about having confidence,” she adds. “Even if 80 per-cent of the people you see around the table are white males, as a woman, you need to speak up and make clear that you’re ready to sit at the big table and make the big decisions.” n

letic departments and athletic training rooms were male,” says Baker-Watson. “I had resigned myself to believe I just couldn’t do certain things in that envi-ronment. But when I became involved in NACWAA, I realized that working with a group of female administrators was about finding ways to support one another and help each other grow.

“I had underestimated the idea of creating relationships with women in the workplace,” she continues. “I was convinced that men made all the deci-sions, so why network with women? Instead, I found the people who have become my greatest resources.”

In 2002, her third year as Head Athletic Trainer at Aurora University, Baker-Watson took on a dual appoint-ment as Senior Woman Administrator. She oversaw event management, coor-dinated the CHAMPS/Life Skills pro-gram, worked with the student-athlete advisory committee, handled gender

equity issues, and supervised athletic marketing and promotion. In 2007, Baker-Watson completed her transfor-mation to full-time administrator at nearby North Central College in Na-perville, Ill., where she currently serves as Assistant Athletic Director and Se-nior Woman Administrator.

“I realized my passions extend be-yond athletic training,” says Baker-Watson. “I saw skills that would lend themselves to the athletic department in general, and even though I miss being an athletic trainer—especially the feel-ing of pride when you help a student-athlete return to the field—I love being in administration.”

Today, Baker-Watson attends as many conferences as she can, where she actively seeks out mentors with

Fuhrmann is growing used to following district protocols, attending meetings, scheduling games, supervising coaches, responding to parents, and maintain-ing budgets. He’s spent much of the last year attending workshops, asking for help from other athletic directors in his region, and reading books and maga-zine articles about athletic directing.

“The best advice I got on doing this job is to just be myself,” says Fuhrmann. “I’m very strong-willed and organized, and I know how to gain the respect of people around me. And when road-blocks come up, I’m creative enough to find ways around them.”

To avoid burnout, he works out regu-larly and spends weekends and sum-mers recharging with his wife, who is also an athletic trainer. Ultimately, he’d like to pursue an online graduate degree in sports management, which could lead to a collegiate position as either an athletic trainer or administrator. Until then, he’s happy to stay where he is.

“If I keep a positive outlook about where I am and where I’m headed, I can keep this going for a good long while,” he says. “It’s rewarding in a different way from being an athletic trainer, be-cause not only do you see kids succeed after injuries, you see them carry that success off the field, to the classroom, and into the rest of their lives.”

BIG DECISIONS Back in high school, when Stevie Baker-Watson worked as an athletic training student aide, no one suggested she look beyond athletic training for a career. At Ohio University, where she earned her bachelor’s in athletic training in 1996, Baker-Watson took just one course in sports administration to fulfill her ma-jor requirement. Then, after working in the profession for six years, she attend-ed her first NCAA Gender Equity and Issues Forum, followed by her first Na-tional Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) meeting.

It changed her life. “I knew the ‘old boys network’ existed, because every-where I looked, the people running ath-

“It’s rewarding in a different way from being an athletic trainer, because not only do you see kids succeed after

injuries, you see them carry that success off the field, to the classroom, and into the rest of their lives.”

“If there’s something you want, ask for it. Ask to do things that fall outside your usual routine. Ask if you can plan a project or be involved with initiatives that go beyond your current responsibilities as athletic trainer. In the end, it’s really about having confidence.”

Leading-Edge Training for the Sport and Tactical AthleteMark D. Stephenson, MS, CSCS,*D, ATCJay Dawes, MS, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*DKatie Krall, LMT, CSCS*D

For elite athletes, cultivating peak functional fi tness can mean the difference between winning and losing. The same is true for tactical athletes like Special Operations Forces (SOF) and elite law enforcement personnel (SWAT) where the stakes are substantially higher and failure is not an option. But whether we are training athletes to perform their best on the playing fi eld or on the battlefi eld, at the NSCA’s Human Performance Center (HPC) we rely upon the same leading-edge training methodologies. One of these methodologies is Suspension Training®. With the athlete’s hands or feet “suspended” with equipment such as the TRX® Suspension Trainer TM, you can effectively build functional strength, core stability and enhance mobility with hundreds of ground-based, multi-joint movements. The TRX® allows us to leverage principles of physics such as gravity, fulcrums and force vectors, so we are able to program full body exercises and functional movement patterns that mimic those used during tactical operations or on the playing fi eld. In addition, Suspension Training® exercises can easily be scaled to accommodate athletes at any level of ability or fi tness. The user can precisely con-trol resistance from between 5% and 100%+ of their body weight simply by shifting their body position and angle. And because there are no weights to change, transitioning between exercises is quick making for an incredibly time effi cient workout. Not only is Suspension Training® effective, it is also very practical. The TRX® is highly portable weighing less than 2 lbs and sets up in under a min-ute. So now, even if our athletes can’t make it to the gym because they are on a road trip or on deployment, they can still complete a full strength and conditioning workout. At the NSCA’s HPC we apply Suspension Training® to a broad spectrum of workouts, ranging from high intensity circuits to recovery work. Below are several examples of the exercises we utilize with our athletes. All of these exercises can be applied to any athlete in any sport to improve core strength and high intensity endurance.

Atomic PushupsSTART: In pushup position, both feet in straps.EXECUTION: Perform a pushup, immediately lift hips up and pull both knees toward chest then return to start. Repeat for desired number of repetitions

Side Plank with RotationSTART: In prone position with toes in straps, bridge into side plank using forearm for support, extend other arm upward.EXECUTION: Lift hips up, slowly reach the extended arm under body and “tap” ground then return to start keeping shoulders, hips and ankles aligned.

Split Squat with ChopSTART: In split stance, place trail foot in TRX® straps (single handle mode).EXECUTION: While holding a medicine ball over the shoulder, perform a single leg squat and chop the medicine ball diagonally across the body. Repeat with each leg. Assume a split stance and place the trail foot in the straps of the TRX® (single handle mode).

Hamstring CurlSTART: Push heels directly down into straps, bridge up with arms stretched to sides.EXECUTION: Bend knees, pull heels toward buttocks.

Mark D. Stephenson, MS, CSCS,*D, ATC is in his fi fth year as the Director for the NSCA Human Performance Center. Coach Stephenson is responsible for and oversees all strength, conditioning, development, and program design of all resident and tactical athletes.Jay Dawes, M.S., CSCS, NSCA-CPT*D, is currently the Education Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association and assistant coach in the Human Performance CenterKatie Krall, CSCS, LMT, Katie is the Coordinator/ Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the NSCA Human Performance Center.

Bend knees, pull heels toward buttocks.

Figure 1 Atomic Pushups Beginning Position

Figure 2 Atomic Pushup

Figure 3 Atomic Pushups Knee Tuck

Figure 4: Side Plank Position Figure 5: Side Plank with Reach

Figure 6: Hamstring Curl Beginning Position Figure 7: Hamstring Curl Ending Position

Figure 8: Split Squat with Chop Beginning PositionFigure 9: Split Squat with Chop Ending Position

Leading-Edge Training for the Sport and Tactical AthleteMark D. Stephenson, MS, CSCS,*D, ATCJay Dawes, MS, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*DKatie Krall, LMT, CSCS*D

For elite athletes, cultivating peak functional fi tness can mean the difference between winning and losing. The same is true for tactical athletes like Special Operations Forces (SOF) and elite law enforcement personnel (SWAT) where the stakes are substantially higher and failure is not an option. But whether we are training athletes to perform their best on the playing fi eld or on the battlefi eld, at the NSCA’s Human Performance Center (HPC) we rely upon the same leading-edge training methodologies. One of these methodologies is Suspension Training®. With the athlete’s hands or feet “suspended” with equipment such as the TRX® Suspension Trainer TM, you can effectively build functional strength, core stability and enhance mobility with hundreds of ground-based, multi-joint movements. The TRX® allows us to leverage principles of physics such as gravity, fulcrums and force vectors, so we are able to program full body exercises and functional movement patterns that mimic those used during tactical operations or on the playing fi eld. In addition, Suspension Training® exercises can easily be scaled to accommodate athletes at any level of ability or fi tness. The user can precisely con-trol resistance from between 5% and 100%+ of their body weight simply by shifting their body position and angle. And because there are no weights to change, transitioning between exercises is quick making for an incredibly time effi cient workout. Not only is Suspension Training® effective, it is also very practical. The TRX® is highly portable weighing less than 2 lbs and sets up in under a min-ute. So now, even if our athletes can’t make it to the gym because they are on a road trip or on deployment, they can still complete a full strength and conditioning workout. At the NSCA’s HPC we apply Suspension Training® to a broad spectrum of workouts, ranging from high intensity circuits to recovery work. Below are several examples of the exercises we utilize with our athletes. All of these exercises can be applied to any athlete in any sport to improve core strength and high intensity endurance.

Atomic PushupsSTART: In pushup position, both feet in straps.EXECUTION: Perform a pushup, immediately lift hips up and pull both knees toward chest then return to start. Repeat for desired number of repetitions

Side Plank with RotationSTART: In prone position with toes in straps, bridge into side plank using forearm for support, extend other arm upward.EXECUTION: Lift hips up, slowly reach the extended arm under body and “tap” ground then return to start keeping shoulders, hips and ankles aligned.

Split Squat with ChopSTART: In split stance, place trail foot in TRX® straps (single handle mode).EXECUTION: While holding a medicine ball over the shoulder, perform a single leg squat and chop the medicine ball diagonally across the body. Repeat with each leg. Assume a split stance and place the trail foot in the straps of the TRX® (single handle mode).

Hamstring CurlSTART: Push heels directly down into straps, bridge up with arms stretched to sides.EXECUTION: Bend knees, pull heels toward buttocks.

Mark D. Stephenson, MS, CSCS,*D, ATC is in his fi fth year as the Director for the NSCA Human Performance Center. Coach Stephenson is responsible for and oversees all strength, conditioning, development, and program design of all resident and tactical athletes.Jay Dawes, M.S., CSCS, NSCA-CPT*D, is currently the Education Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association and assistant coach in the Human Performance CenterKatie Krall, CSCS, LMT, Katie is the Coordinator/ Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the NSCA Human Performance Center.

Bend knees, pull heels toward buttocks.

Figure 1 Atomic Pushups Beginning Position

Figure 2 Atomic Pushup

Figure 3 Atomic Pushups Knee Tuck

Figure 4: Side Plank Position Figure 5: Side Plank with Reach

Figure 6: Hamstring Curl Beginning Position Figure 7: Hamstring Curl Ending Position

Figure 8: Split Squat with Chop Beginning PositionFigure 9: Split Squat with Chop Ending Position

Circle No. 132


optimum performance

By Kerrie Lee Brown

Kerrie Lee Brown is the Vice President for Communications at STOTT PILATES® ®. She has written on health and fitness topics for more than 10 years, and can be reached at: [email protected].

The growing popularity of Pilates as a tool for enhancing athletic perfor-mance is no accident. More and more athletes are

adopting Pilates because it’s a versatile way to train without overstressing the body, the benefits are well documented by research, and, quite simply, users say the results speak for themselves.

So why isn’t every athletic program taking advantage of what Pilates has to offer? One reason may be the belief that Pilates involves very intricate moves only dancers can execute, or that it requires large equipment that’s bulky, expensive, and hard to obtain. But in reality, while Pilates can involve complex movements and can be performed with the help of machines like a Reformer, neither is a necessity. Pilates is a holistic approach to movement, muscle development, and concentration, and it includes a broad

Athletes in any sport can benefit from the balance, flexibility, muscle control, and mindfulness developed through Pilates. With just a few basic supplies, you can implement a regimen that improves performance and overall health.

STOTT PILATES® PhOTOgrAPhy © MErrIThEw COrP.

A Mat for All Seasons


optimum performance

spectrum of activities—some of which require only a few basic props, such as toning balls, bands or straps, and mats.

Pilates offers many physical and men-tal health and performance advantages. Once you see how easy it is to introduce basic Pilates exercises to your athletes, you might consider making it a part of

their performance enhancement, injury prevention, and conditioning programs. If you do, I’m confident that before long, your athletes will thank you for it.

WHY PILATES WORKSAthletic success depends on a unique balance of mental and physical skills. But how often does a traditional training program address the mental side of athletic performance? Part of the value of Pilates is that it enables athletes to develop greater mind-body

awareness, creating new insight into the connection between the physi-cal and psychological components of movement, strength, and agility. Athletes achieve this through a fo-cus on breathing, concentration dur-ing movement, and engaging multiple body systems simultaneously.

Pilates develops an athlete’s kines-thetic awareness, or where the body is in relation to itself and the world around it. That may sound like an abstract concept, but it’s an essential component of every move we make. Athletes with a greater understand-ing of how their body travels through planes of movement have an advantage over their opponents in efficiency, bal-ance, and coordination.

Pilates also complements weight training by enhancing function-

al movement through coordinated exercises that target both the core muscles and local stabilizers. These are key for promoting joint stabil-ity, which is often compromised by repetitive high-demand training. The coordination and awareness athletes gain through Pilates can improve their movement control, leading to enhanced performance.

Furthermore, the focus on postural alignment in Pilates reduces unneces-sary strain on the muscles and joints. Specific strengthening exercises help balance opposing pairs of muscles that support the joints, and once athletes incorporate these concepts into their training regimen, virtually every as-pect of conditioning becomes more ef-fective and healthier.

John Garey, owner of John Garey Pilates in Los Angeles and a STOTT PILATES® Master Instructor Train-er, has worked with many competitive athletes, including members of the USA Rugby national team. He says athletes who start using Pilates often tell him it makes them think about the body and its function in a whole new way,

Pilates also complements weight training by enhancing functional movement through coordinated exercises

that target both the core muscles and local stabilizers. These are key for promoting joint stability.

2645 ® Registered trademark of Merrithew Corporation, used under license. All rights reserved.

To order your DVDs today: visit www.stottpilates.comor call 1-800-910-0001 ext 250

Our unique Athletic Conditioning programs include a series of DVDs and workshops designed for the elite athlete.

Intensify your Training Improve Performance and Results with STOTT PILATES®

To view exclusive athletic conditioning clips visit: www.stottpilates.com/elitecoaching

2645 Training and Conditioning.i1 1 3/23/09 11:51:29 AM

Circle No. 133


optimum performance

tion while putting, greater awareness of breathing developed through Pilates can pay important dividends in virtu-ally any activity.

HITTING THE MATNow, let’s get into some specific Pi-lates exercises that can benefit athletes. Each exercise described below requires no advanced Pilates training or knowl-edge, and the equipment can be found in almost any fitness or athlete devel-opment facility.

Ab Prep. This exercise challenges all

three levels of abdominal muscles: the local stabilizers, global stabilizers, and global mobilizers. The athlete begins lying on their back with feet hip-dis-tance apart and flat on the mat, with the spine in a neutral position. Toning balls, roughly the size of apples and weighing one, two, or three pounds, are placed under each hand with the palms facing down. (See Figure One on page 45.)

As the athlete inhales, they nod their head forward slightly. As they exhale, they curl the upper body off

which translates into improved perfor-mance. “Whether they’re cyclists, golf-ers, or rugby players, athletes find they transfer what they’ve learned in the Pi-lates studio to their sport—often sub-consciously,” Garey says. “They find themselves thinking more about their ‘center,’ or core.

“Pilates makes athletes get back in touch with their basic training princi-ples,” Garey continues. “The benefits are absolutely amazing—they experi-ence increased power, strength, and mobility.”

Another reason for implementing Pilates is the way it enhances injury rehabilitation protocols. Matt Nich-ol, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs, says Pilates teaches rehabbing athletes to be more mindful of their move-ments—integrating their pelvis, trunk, and shoulder girdle in a safe, progres-sive system. “Pilates can be a very effective supplement to an injury reha-bilitation program,” Nichol says. “It provides athletes with a challenging workout without excessive impact or weight bearing.”

Injuries such as torn ligaments or the breakdown of joint structures like the meniscus are normally caused by an extrinsic factor (a collision or sudden pivot) or an intrinsic factor (repetitive strain or overtraining). An athlete will often compensate for lost function in an injured area through movements that disrupt the proper sequencing of their neuromuscular system. If the deeper stabilizing systems do not fire proper-ly, big muscles are recruited to do the work of small muscles. By emphasizing movement efficiency and stabilization, Pilates addresses this problem.

Pilates can assist in injury preven-tion as well. The exercises in a Pilates workout develop core strength while promoting a controlled lengthening of the muscles. They enhance the over-all flexibility of the lower back, ham-strings, and shoulders—three body areas where injury is often linked di-rectly or indirectly to a deficit in range of motion.

Finally, Pilates heavily emphasizes breathing, which provides athletes with a physical and mental edge. Whether it’s a basketball player preparing for a clutch free throw, a swimmer hoping to optimize the timing and depth of her breaths, or a golfer looking for an extra measure of focus and concentra-

2645 ® Registered trademark of Merrithew Corporation, used under license. All rights reserved.

To order your DVDs today: visit www.stottpilates.comor call 1-800-910-0001 ext 250

Our unique Athletic Conditioning programs include a series of DVDs and workshops designed for the elite athlete.

Intensify your Training Improve Performance and Results with STOTT PILATES®

To view exclusive athletic conditioning clips visit: www.stottpilates.com/elitecoaching

2645 Training and Conditioning.i1 1 3/23/09 11:51:29 AM

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We provide the tools, you provide the results

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Untitled-4 1 1/21/08 12:23:42 PM

Circle No. 134

base of support by creating instability. As the arm is challenged in extension, the upper spine extends, and the move-ment strengthens the latissimus dorsi and posterior deltoid. In addition, by observing the athlete during this exer-cise, you can easily see strength imbal-ances between the left and right sides of the body, since the base of support is unstable.

Obliques Prep. This exercise focuses on strengthening the rectus abdominis to bring the upper body into flexion. The athlete begins lying on their back with knees up (femurs at roughly a 45-degree angle from the ground) and feet flat on the mat. The spine is neutral, feet are hip-distance apart, and hands

are behind the head. A toning ball is held between the knees. (See Figure Three at right.)

As the athlete inhales, they nod the head slightly forward. Then while ex-haling, they curl their upper body off the mat, rotating the left shoulder to-ward the right knee. On the second inhalation, they lower the body to the starting position, then repeat the movement with the opposite shoulder while exhaling.

The hands behind the head in this exercise create a longer lever, which increases the challenge to the abdomi-nals while supporting the head and neck in a neutral position. The obliques are strengthened as the spine rotates, and the toning ball between the knees strengthens the adductor muscles at the same time. The upper spine is forced through two planes of motion while the pelvis is challenged to remain neu-tral, a movement pattern that increases biomechanical efficiency.

Hip Rolls. In this exercise, sequential articulation of the spine begins at the spine’s base, thus challenging coordi-nation and neuromuscular facilitation. Like in the Obliques Prep, the athlete begins with knees off the ground and feet hip-distance apart, but this time, a toning ball is placed under the arch

the mat until they can see their toes without pressing the lower back into the floor. They simultaneously let the ton-ing balls roll toward their feet as their hands move forward. On the second inhalation they hold this position, then while exhaling, slowly lower the shoul-ders and head back to the mat and roll the toning balls back to their original position near the hips.

In this exercise, the hands on the toning balls allow for a more neutral position of the shoulder joint, provid-ing a proprioceptive tool to engage the shoulder musculature. It also challeng-es upper-body strength while relaxing the hip flexors, which are well devel-oped in many athletes, but often too

tight to support optimal movement.Breast Stroke Prep. This exercise

strengthens the upper-back erector spi-nae without overworking the lower-back musculature. The athlete begins lying on their stomach, legs slightly apart, with the front of the hips flat on the mat and their nose hovering slight-ly off the ground. The elbows are bent so that the hands are near the shoul-ders on either side of the mat, with palms down. Once again, each hand is placed on a toning ball. (See Figure Two at right.)

On the first inhalation, the athlete stabilizes their shoulder blades and contracts their abdominal muscles, creating a slight arch with the upper body while keeping the hands and ton-ing balls still and the bottom ribs in contact with the floor. As they exhale, they maintain this spine position and move the hands forward and outward (rolling the toning balls underneath), away from the torso. On the second inhalation, they bring the hands and toning balls back in, still maintaining the upper-back arch and shoulder sta-bility. While exhaling, they lower the upper body and return to the starting position.

The toning ball under each hand challenges the shoulder girdle as the

Figure One: Ab Prep

Figure Two: Breast Stroke Prep

Figure Three: Obliques Prep

As the arm is challenged in extension, the upper spine extends, and the movement strengthens the latissimus

dorsi and posterior deltoid. In addition, by observing the athlete during this exercise, you can easily see strength imbalances between the left and right sides of the body.


optimum performance

Circle No. 135


optimum performance

of each foot. The spine is neutral and arms are at the sides, with the hands near each hip, palms down. (See Figure Four on page 46.)

The athlete inhales without moving, then while exhaling, they start at the tailbone and slowly peel the spine off the mat until the torso is in line with the fe-murs and body weight is resting between the shoulder blades. On the second inha-lation, the athlete keeps tight abdominals and holds the position. While exhaling, the spine slowly returns to the mat from the top down, as the athlete returns to

the start position.This exercise provides an excellent

strength, mobility, and stability chal-lenge by placing the toning ball under each foot—the muscles of the foot, an-kle, knee, and hip must work to main-tain a neutral position. Meanwhile, the back extensors lengthen, which trains balance in the posterior musculature.

Side Bend Prep. To work the lat-eral musculature and strengthen the deltoids, obliques, and gluteus medi-us, side bends are invaluable. For this exercise, the athlete begins sitting on

Figure One: Ab Prep

Figure Two: Breast Stroke Prep

Figure Three: Obliques Prep

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Circle No. 136


optimum performance

When mind and body work in full coordination, athletes achieve large gains in strength, skill, neuromuscular balance, and biomechanical efficiency. In addition, the enhanced body aware-ness and mental acuity they develop through Pilates can provide a perfor-mance edge they never expected. By incorporating mat work into your ath-letes’ training regimens, they’ll find that even the simplest movements can have profound effects. n

To view full references for this article, go to: www.Training-Conditioning.com/references.

finer pointsWhen putting athletes through the exercises described in this article, and any other Pilates exercises, remember these points of emphasis.

• Breathing. Make sure your athletes breathe through each movement. In any exercise, holding one’s breath has detrimental effects. Breathing consistently increases oxygen supply to the muscle, reduces strain, and promotes fluid movement.

• Alignment. No matter what part of the body is working, the entire body should maintain the best alignment possible. If body segments are mis-aligned, tension increases and individual joints and muscles are more susceptible to stress.

• Visual focus. Keeping eyes focused forward helps ensure that the head and neck are properly aligned. This reduces neck and shoulder tension, improves mental focus, and can also help alleviate neural issues in the upper body.

• Less is more. Slow, controlled movements are sometimes harder to perform, but patience is a virtue and control is important. Performing exercises deliberately allows greater focus and helps ensure that each movement is executed correctly.

Prep, lateral symmetry is important, so be sure the athlete performs the same number of reps on each side.

An ideal warmup prepares both the mind and body to act succinctly to cre-ate movement. A Pilates progression achieves this by activating all the major muscle groups, joint structures, and en-ergy systems, while instilling a focus on controlled movement, breathing, and mental focus. It also lowers blood pres-sure and improves blood flow, which increases cardiac output.

These and other Pilates exercises can be used beyond warmup as well, and the best guide is an athlete’s perfor-mance goals. For instance, if you’ve identified weak shoulder stabilizers as one athlete’s problem, you might pre-scribe the Side Bend Prep and similar variants that engage the shoulder mus-culature. Meanwhile, an athlete who struggles with balance and coordina-tion might use a series of Pilates move-ments that, like Hip Rolls, emphasize overcoming instability.

As a prelude to strength training, Pi-lates can target joint stabilization be-fore loading begins. An athlete who trains eccentric strength in this way will have an easier time with decel-eration movements during strength training, and enjoy better overall joint control.

their right hip, with their right hand on the mat. The knees are bent and together, and the top forearm rests against the top thigh, with the hand holding a toning ball. While the spine feels out of alignment in this position, the shoulder blades should be held sta-ble. (See Figure Five at right.)

After inhaling without moving, the athlete exhales while lifting the lower hip off the mat, distributing their weight evenly between the hand on the mat and the lower knee. They contract the inner thighs, abs, and glutes, and extend the top arm (with the toning ball in-hand) over the head. Then, while inhaling, the athlete slowly lowers back to the starting position. This movement is performed an equal number of times on each side.

Beyond the strength benefits, this ex-ercise improves flexibility and range of motion. It also challenges the shoulder girdle, stabilizers, and mobilizers.

IMPLEMENTATIONAthletes new to Pilates may be sur-prised at how challenging these move-ments are, and you can adjust the number of reps in response to their feedback. A typical session might use the five exercises described above as a warmup routine, with the athlete com-pleting five to eight repetitions of each. During Obliques Prep and Side Bend

Figure Four: Hip Rolls

Figure Five: Side Bend Prep

Big Results, Small Footprint: Pilates Equipment for Space-challenged Trainers

cilities, as it combines a complete Reformer with a Trapeze Table (a.k.a. the Cadillac). The Trap Table allows athletes to challenge themselves with exercises done in multiple planes of motion.

Reformer with Tower This piece of equipment is similar to the RTC, as it also combines the Reformer and the Trapeze Table. In this case, however, the “Cadil-lac” portion is limited to a single “tower” on one end. The Reformer is hidden underneath two remov-able tabletop mats, and greatly in-creases the amount of exercises that can be done. In addition, on some Reformers the Tower component can be folded onto the Reformer frame, making for easier storage possibilities.

Pilates ChairChairs provide a challenging strength Pilates workout for athletes within a small floor space footprint. They resemble a stool with single or split steps at the bottom. Some man-ufacturers have now redesigned the Pilates Chair to include attach-ments for resistance bands, creating a work-out that touches ev-ery muscle group from every angle. This lets users do many of the exercises on the Chair that you could formerly do only on a Reformer or Cadillac but in a fraction of the space. Chairs are also lightweight and easy to stack and store.

SpringboardsSpringboards are an affordable, space-saving piece of Pilates equipment that can provide an invigorating full-body workout. The Springboard bolts to the wall, so it doesn’t take up floor space. You can mount several Springboards along a wall or you can move a Reformer against the Springboard, giving it the capabilities of a Tower.

Pilates Arc™Also known as a Step Barrel, Arcs are a versatile, lightweight, and low-cost piece of equipment. Designed for personal train-ing, or group exercise programs, the Pilates Arc is basically three durable, lightweight exercise tools in one:

A classic Spine Corrector.An exercise Arc. With a gentle curve on one side and a steeper curve on the other, its asymmetrical shape is extremely versatile for different uses and body types. A wedge for your Reformer. Slide it onto the shoulder rests, and use it to provide back support and stability for a variety of strength and mobility challenges.

The Pilates principles of core strength and increased flexibility have made it an invaluable conditioning tool for competitive athletes all over the world. The number of professional teams in the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL using Pilates as a critical adjunct to their strength and conditioning program continues to rapidly escalate.

Pilates has been proven to increase agility and balance while also helping to correct muscle imbalances that frequently oc-cur with athletes as they repeat the same moves over an over again. Therefore, it has become a “go-to” method of exercise for athletic trainers looking to keep an athlete on the field and performing at maximum efficiency.

However, for trainers looking to implement Pilates-based strength and conditioning program there is a potential obstacle - space. Do you have enough floor space to start an effective program? Five years ago that question might have been hard to answer. Nowadays there are several space saving pieces of equipment that make it easy (and in many cases more affordable) for a trainer to implement a Pilates training program. These include:

Reformer This is the most popular piece of Pilates equipment. The Reformer is a gliding carriage at-tached to rails inside a rectangular frame. The carriage is connected to springs, with pulleys and ropes attached to the frame. Exercises are done lying supine or prone, or sitting or kneeling on the carriage. The client pushes off the footbar or pulls on the straps, using the arms, legs, wrists and ankles.

Reformers are a fairly big piece of Plates equipment. Today, though, many man-ufacturers have developed Reformers that can stand on end or stack for easier storage. Some also have wheels on the foot-end of the Reformer to help facilitate portability.

Reformer Trapeze Combination The Pilates Reformer / Trapeze Combina-tion (RTC) is ideal for space-challenged fa-

Where to buy?Here is a list of the major Pilates equip-ment manufacturers. Many also provide educational training for athletic trainers.

Balanced Body http://www.pilates.com

Gratz Pilates http://www.gratzpilates.com

Peak Pilates http://www.peakpilates.com

Stott Pilates http://www.stottpilates.com

Daniel Wilson is a freelance writer specializing in fitness related articles.

Reformers can be stored stacked or standing on end.

Towers can be added to Reformers and then folded back onto the Reformer

for easy storage.

Pilates Chairs can provide a full-body workout within a small

physical footprint.

Arcs are a versatile and space-saving piece of Pilates equipment.

Figure Four: Hip Rolls

Figure Five: Side Bend Prep

Big Results, Small Footprint: Pilates Equipment for Space-challenged Trainers

cilities, as it combines a complete Reformer with a Trapeze Table (a.k.a. the Cadillac). The Trap Table allows athletes to challenge themselves with exercises done in multiple planes of motion.

Reformer with Tower This piece of equipment is similar to the RTC, as it also combines the Reformer and the Trapeze Table. In this case, however, the “Cadil-lac” portion is limited to a single “tower” on one end. The Reformer is hidden underneath two remov-able tabletop mats, and greatly in-creases the amount of exercises that can be done. In addition, on some Reformers the Tower component can be folded onto the Reformer frame, making for easier storage possibilities.

Pilates ChairChairs provide a challenging strength Pilates workout for athletes within a small floor space footprint. They resemble a stool with single or split steps at the bottom. Some man-ufacturers have now redesigned the Pilates Chair to include attach-ments for resistance bands, creating a work-out that touches ev-ery muscle group from every angle. This lets users do many of the exercises on the Chair that you could formerly do only on a Reformer or Cadillac but in a fraction of the space. Chairs are also lightweight and easy to stack and store.

SpringboardsSpringboards are an affordable, space-saving piece of Pilates equipment that can provide an invigorating full-body workout. The Springboard bolts to the wall, so it doesn’t take up floor space. You can mount several Springboards along a wall or you can move a Reformer against the Springboard, giving it the capabilities of a Tower.

Pilates Arc™Also known as a Step Barrel, Arcs are a versatile, lightweight, and low-cost piece of equipment. Designed for personal train-ing, or group exercise programs, the Pilates Arc is basically three durable, lightweight exercise tools in one:

A classic Spine Corrector.An exercise Arc. With a gentle curve on one side and a steeper curve on the other, its asymmetrical shape is extremely versatile for different uses and body types. A wedge for your Reformer. Slide it onto the shoulder rests, and use it to provide back support and stability for a variety of strength and mobility challenges.

The Pilates principles of core strength and increased flexibility have made it an invaluable conditioning tool for competitive athletes all over the world. The number of professional teams in the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL using Pilates as a critical adjunct to their strength and conditioning program continues to rapidly escalate.

Pilates has been proven to increase agility and balance while also helping to correct muscle imbalances that frequently oc-cur with athletes as they repeat the same moves over an over again. Therefore, it has become a “go-to” method of exercise for athletic trainers looking to keep an athlete on the field and performing at maximum efficiency.

However, for trainers looking to implement Pilates-based strength and conditioning program there is a potential obstacle - space. Do you have enough floor space to start an effective program? Five years ago that question might have been hard to answer. Nowadays there are several space saving pieces of equipment that make it easy (and in many cases more affordable) for a trainer to implement a Pilates training program. These include:

Reformer This is the most popular piece of Pilates equipment. The Reformer is a gliding carriage at-tached to rails inside a rectangular frame. The carriage is connected to springs, with pulleys and ropes attached to the frame. Exercises are done lying supine or prone, or sitting or kneeling on the carriage. The client pushes off the footbar or pulls on the straps, using the arms, legs, wrists and ankles.

Reformers are a fairly big piece of Plates equipment. Today, though, many man-ufacturers have developed Reformers that can stand on end or stack for easier storage. Some also have wheels on the foot-end of the Reformer to help facilitate portability.

Reformer Trapeze Combination The Pilates Reformer / Trapeze Combina-tion (RTC) is ideal for space-challenged fa-

Where to buy?Here is a list of the major Pilates equip-ment manufacturers. Many also provide educational training for athletic trainers.

Balanced Body http://www.pilates.com

Gratz Pilates http://www.gratzpilates.com

Peak Pilates http://www.peakpilates.com

Stott Pilates http://www.stottpilates.com

Daniel Wilson is a freelance writer specializing in fitness related articles.

Reformers can be stored stacked or standing on end.

Towers can be added to Reformers and then folded back onto the Reformer

for easy storage.

Pilates Chairs can provide a full-body workout within a small

physical footprint.

Arcs are a versatile and space-saving piece of Pilates equipment.

Circle No. 137


sport specific

By James Radcliffe

Players who man the line of scrimmage are a special breed requiring their own unique conditioning approach. At the University of Oregon, that means a year-round regimen focused on explosive power, strength, speed, and agility.

W hile the game of football seems to grow more complex every year, our philosophy for training high-level players at the

University of Oregon remains basic and we stick to simple, time-tested principles. After all, selecting exercises and establishing schedules of sets and reps is important, but it’s the athletes’ commitment to training as elite compet-itors and maximizing their football ability that determines the success of our program.

That said, we put immense effort and time into planning our strength and conditioning program to ensure that it

James Radcliffe, MS, is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Oregon, where he works closely with the Ducks’ football team. He can be reached at: [email protected].

sport specific

TRENCH WARRIORSmaximizes on-field results. Basic does not mean easy, and that is especially ev-ident in our program for the players in the trenches—the linemen, tight ends, and linebackers. For these “big men,” our overarching goals are to build ex-plosive power and maximize functional agility, and we use a broad range of strategies to achieve them.

A successful strength program isn’t just about the exercises you choose, it’s also about making those exercises fit together like pieces of a puzzle. With that in mind, virtually all of our football strength and conditioning work utilizes a progression-based model geared toward optimizing performance on game day.

GOALS AND CHALLENGESFor the players in the trenches, being more powerful means getting out of a stance more quickly, accelerating, force-fully engaging an opponent, and fin-ishing that engagement efficiently. We break our long-term goal of developing explosive power into three components: functional strength, directional speed, and transitional agility.

When working with the big men up

UNIV. OF OREGON MEDIA RELATIONS


sport specific

50

front, it is easy to focus on the func-tional strength element, but directional speed and transitional agility are equal-ly important and often overlooked. Even linemen who are gifted with natural straight-ahead speed are extremely lim-ited if they cannot apply that speed in any direction. Along the line of scrim-mage, it’s essential to be able to acceler-ate from a dead stop, decelerate, change direction, and re-accelerate seamless-ly. Before any player in the trenches can control an opponent, he must first know how to control himself.

One major challenge to training our line players is their larger bone struc-ture and greater body fat. Since athletes with leaner body mass tend to improve at a faster rate and with a lower volume of work, planning a schedule of activ-ity, rest, and recovery days must be ap-proached differently than for running backs, defensive backs, and other tradi-tional skill positions. For instance, we have found that linemen adapt better to a two days on/one day off/two days on/weekend off schedule, while skill posi-tion groups can handle five consecutive days of work.

Big, long-limbed, top-heavy athletes also tend to have postural problems and limitations when it comes to “hinging” at the hip, so they often bend over from the lower back, rather than truly bend-ing downward by flexing at the hip, knee, and ankle. Because players on the line must frequently move out of a down stance, this tendency leads to chronic problems with the hamstrings, groin, knees, and lower back, so it needs constant attention.

In addition to postural and perfor-mance issues like these, the popularity of strength training in a lying or sitting position (for instance, bench presses and biceps curls) can hinder overall mo-bility by creating imbalances between the upper front of the body and the back and lower body. Therefore, proper progression may not always start from scratch, but rather, from some point further behind. Sometimes the first step is not training, but retraining.

PLANNED PROGRESSIONSThe bedrock of training for our play-ers in the trenches is our progression of exercises that develop strength, speed,

and agility. We start with simple ex-ercises, and once those are mastered, move on to more complex ones.

Strength. Core: Stabilizing the core in a gymnastic manner helps prepare ath-letes to handle their own body weight. We make core work a component of al-most all our workouts, utilizing exercis-es such as crawls, V-style torso flexions, rolls, pedestals, balances, walkovers, handstands, and twists.

Pulls: Initially, we use exercises that emphasize range of motion at the hip and engage the low back and hamstrings, such as good mornings, back extensions, and deadlift progressions. Then we move to exercises utilizing more of the torso, including the hips and shoulders, such as clean and snatch progressions. These ex-ercises are essential for producing great-er force and center of gravity projection via extension and recovery, which is one of the most difficult athletic endeavors in any sport.

Squats: We use squats as a form of tech-nical and developmental work designed to increase mobility from the low-hip power position. Overhead progressions for squatting and lunging movements

Circle No. 138

Get your team ready for the long season. Use Rogers equipment now and pay on a schedule that’s best for you.

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Call a Rogers representative for more information:

888-782-4302RogersAthletic.com

™TRED SLED DRIVE SLED POWER SQUAT PRO






sport specific

Monday

Pillar of Strength A (butterfly rolls, hurdler rolls, med ball walking twists, handstands, duck walks)

Hanging knee raises, 2x20

DB row, curl, press, 2x5

DB snatch and squat, 2x5

Snatch pulls from blocks, 4x5

Front squats, 4x5

Bench press/pull-up complex, 5x5

DB rows, 3x8

Jump rope routine, 3x20

Finger and grip work, 2x2

Wednesday

Pillar of Strength B (back walkovers, reversals, lean/pull/push, sickles, single-leg balance squats)

Hanging-leg crossovers, 2x12

Back extensions, 2x12

RDL/military press/overhead lunge complex, 3x6

Power clean/front lunge complex, 5x2

45-degree lunges, 2x6

Push jerks, 4x3

Incline-crossbar pull-ups, 3x6

Lying posterior flies, 3x8

Rotator flies, 2x8

Slide boards, 2x30 sec.

Speed hand/speed bag, 2x20 sec.

Friday

Pillar of Strength C (flexions, extensions, rotations, pedestal pro-gressions: prone, supine, side to side)

Hanging jackknives, 2x10

Good mornings and behind neck, 2x5

Press and overhead squats

Split snatch (high blocks), 3x4

Explosive step-ups, 3x4

Split jerks, 3x2

Speed feet routine, 3x7 sec.

IN-SEASON SESSIONSThe following schedule shows an example of a weekly training plan we might follow during the football season.











Circle No. 139


sport specific

52

on the field, making it an especially valu-able element of this progression.

Speed cuts: These are drills that train the ability to cut off of the in-side leg at sharper and sharper angles. Eventually, speed cut breaks need to be reaction-oriented based on a stimu-lus over the inside step that requires the player to redirect his motion. We set up weave drills that imitate slalom courses, which teach the athletes to shift over the inside leg to maintain speed while changing direction, much like a 200-meter sprinter leans into a curve. This is an important skill for defensive linemen in pass rushes and tight ends on quick routes.

Power cuts: Power cutting develops the ability to cut off of the outside foot. When making a power cut, some ath-letes are inclined to take a “false step,” stepping out away from the intended direction, which makes their movement less efficient. That pattern needs to be corrected, as it often indicates a lack of postural stability, balance, or func-tional leg strength. The goal of power cutting drills is to develop the ability to make cuts over the plant foot, in or-

bility standpoint by involving the legs and hips in dynamic movements, such as the push press, push jerk, split jerk, and work with logs and medicine balls.

Speed and Agility. Starts: The abil-ity to turn and run is neglected in many drills that supposedly train agility, yet mainly just deal with footwork. For players on the line of scrimmage, putting the hips in a position that allows for ef-ficient projection toward the area where a play is to be made, and then having the power to do so, are the keys. All foot-work and agility work should enhance players’ ability to move, turn, and proj-ect the body to the point of attack.

More specifically, any drill that in-volves projection of the hips in all direc-tions is useful. Starting players from a variety of stances during these drills is especially important, so we use squared, staggered, open step (laterally), and drop step (in the backward direction) posi-tions. The drills themselves include shuf-fles, skips, backpedaling, and kick-slides. Starting from an open or drop step and moving into a shuffle or kick-slide repli-cates the actual movement pattern a line-backer or lineman uses most of the time

move from front to back bar placement. Lunge progressions begin from straight-step repetitions and advance to reps at 45-degree angles and finally to a lateral position. Next in the progression are single-leg exercises, including squats and jumps that lead to truly elastic-reactive plyometric-style movements.

For players in the trenches, the im-portance of single-leg power cannot be overstated. Offensive linemen in to-day’s offenses must be able to generate maximum power while engaging on the move over one foot (and thus a small base of support). The ability to maxi-mize hip extension and projection, then re-accelerate by properly planting a leg back onto the ground, requires a de-gree of mobility and power that is best developed through single-leg squats, step-ups, lunges, and bounding. The culmination of our leg squat to jump to bound progression comes in the form of landings that serve as transitions to starts, cuts, and changes of direction.

Pushes: The progression here begins with traditional presses, like the over-head, incline, and bench. Then, we make the exercises more functional from a mo-

Circle No. 140


sport specific

der to truly distance the hips from the break point.

For this type of work, we use shuttle runs, star drills (where the athlete has to run back and forth and out and back at sharp, hard angles), and more slalom-style drills with cones, bags, or barrels. While cutting, an athlete must drop the hips, plant the outside foot, dip the in-side shoulder, and drive the inside (lead) knee in the direction they’re heading.

The final element of training players for work in the trenches is increasing their ability to win one-on-one engage-ments. This determines which side wins the line of scrimmage battle on each play, and usually who wins the game. We use series of movement sequenc-es with certain constraints built in for added challenge, such as hands behind the back, restriction within a five-yard area, or inside a circle or ring.

One good example is our “rag” drill, in which a rag or towel is thrown on the ground and one athlete has to keep an opponent from touching it. This can be done with or without boundaries, and with or without the use of hands. We’ll also use a large hoop to engage in sumo-style combat, with two players attempt-ing to force one another outside the ring. Progressions begin without the use of hands, then the use of one arm, and fi-nally more traditional sumo wrestling.

This type of training is hard work and very technical, but it’s also fun for the players. They enjoy the unique chal-lenge created by the restrictions and realize that the movement and power skills they develop in these drills will carry over to the field of play.

SEASONAL PLANNINGWe split our training calendar into four main parts: the postseason (winter), the off-season (spring), the preseason (sum-mer), and the season. During the first three training periods, we use three main guidelines in developing our workouts:

• Exercises that are more dynamic and explosive should precede those geared toward absolute or relative strength.• Train with higher intensity early in the week, tapering to moderate or lighter percentages of load toward the end of the week.• General acceleration work starts the conditioning week, special speed work goes in the middle, and specific work capacities finish off the week.Our lifting through the winter includes

longer buildup phases to increase joint

range of motion, muscular endurance, and hypertrophy. Start and acceleration training is also emphasized during this period, through technique work starting from a variety of stances. The accelera-tions from forward, lateral, and back-ward starting positions help to reinforce the proper techniques necessary for de-celeration into speed and power cutting mechanics that will be performed in the agility portions of training.

The spring period has a shorter mus-cular buildup phase, with a focus on maximum strength while continuing

power development. This is also the time when we progress from accelera-tion to speed by extending the distances covered in our running drills, which also improves speed endurance.

During the preseason summer session, we spend most of our conditioning time in power development, with speed and strength training tailored to specific pri-orities based on identified team needs and goals that change from year to year. This is when the training schedule, including work-to-rest ratios, should most closely reflect practice and game conditions.

Untitled-5 1 9/2/08 3:55:04 PM

Circle No. 141


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54

Once the season starts, we change our training guidelines to accommo-date the demands players face from daily practices and weekly games. (See “In-Season Sessions” on page 51 for details.) Again we follow a few specific guidelines:

• Strength work is performed early in the week, more dynamic work goes in the middle, and elastic-reactive work is saved for the day before a game to aid in “uploading” the nervous system.• We focus on work capacity early in the week, both to boost recovery from the previous week and to establish a base for the new week of training.• In the middle of the week, we focus on position-specific conditioning and high-quality change of direction. • We finish the week with an empha-sis on efficient reactions and effective accelerations.Continuing power development and

the maintenance of certain aspects of strength, speed, and agility is critical dur-ing the season. But it must be done in a way that complements the needs and objectives of practice and game perfor-mance, so we work closely with the foot-ball coaching staff to ensure that players are following a consistent workout sched-ule without risking overstress or injury.

In all training periods, we begin ev-ery session with preparational warmup activities that are movement-oriented and emphasize core stability and mo-bility. Throughout the training year, we also include sets of position-specific sprints, sometimes called metabolics, at least once a week. These sprinting reps consist of a series of starts, accelera-tions, and movements that mimic game play for each individual position. For linemen and linebackers, they might in-clude pulls, swims, spins, slants, and pursuit drops, while tight ends may fo-cus on running the basic route tree.

As part of our warmup, we also want to sharpen the athletes’ strength and mobility from the hips outward. A spe-cial dynamic warmup and core mobil-ity unit, which we call the “Pillars of Strength,” starts our Monday, Wednes-day, and Friday lifting sessions. The main goal of these game-week warmups is to continue improving posture, bal-ance, stability, and mobility, especially through the hips and torso.

Once the season starts, we use more single- and alternate-limb exercises to train with a good amount of load in-tensity without placing too much strain

on the body as a whole. Since linemen are constantly colliding with opponents, sleds, heavy bags, and each other, we use single-leg squats, angle lunges, dynamic step-ups, and squat jumps to strengthen the hips and legs without taking a major toll on the spine or torso.

Complexes and combinations are used extensively during the in-season training regimen. Complexes combine two or three exercise sets, one right af-ter the other—for instance, four cleans followed by four front lunges for one set, or four sets of one Russian deadlift followed by one military press followed by one overhead lunge.

For elastic-reactive work, our in- season goal is to upload the nervous system with short, quick, elastic ex-ercises that provide some load and tempo stimulus to an otherwise rest-ful day while still allowing complete recovery before the next day’s game. Friday morning workouts for the trav-

eling squad are made up of exercis-es such as split snatches, squat jumps with sandbags, split jerks, dynamic or elastic step-up routines, and medicine ball tosses. All the exercises are done in two to four sets of two to six reps, for roughly a 20-minute workout.

We finish our in-season sessions with footwork and handwork, both of which help translate weightroom gains to the playing field. Some of our favorite foot-work routines include jumping rope, speed step-ups, and reaction-based games. Routines for the hands, fingers, and grip include competitive wrist rolls, assorted speed bag exercises, and speed-hand medicine ball routines.

This structure ensures that our play-ers maintain the strength and power they developed during the off-season. At the same time, it does not overtax their bodies and leaves them ready to engage their opponents with maximum force and power every week. n

EFFECTIVE EVALUATIONTo assess our football players’ progress in a few high-priority areas of training, we perform targeted tests two or three times per year. This usual-ly occurs at the end of our postseason, off-season, and preseason training.

First and foremost, we evaluate development in overall joint mobility using the overhead squat with a bar or single-leg good morning with a bar, dur-ing which the foot of the non-support leg is placed against a wall, just barely off the ground. Both these exercises show us an athlete’s ability to “hinge” at the hip with the proper posture, balance, stability, and mobil-ity—a vital skill for linemen.

We assess power through single-rep scoring of the clean, vertical jump, and jerk, and test for strength gains through single, double, or triple repe-titions of front or back squats and a bench press or incline press. We keep track of 10-, 20-, and 40-yard dash times to measure speed improvement, and 20-yard shuttles and five-yard three-cone “L” runs help us to see agility gains.

After preseason training, we assess speed endurance with a series of 10 40-yard sprints with 20 seconds of rest in between. Each player’s objec-tive is to perform at least eight of the 10 sprints within 0.55 seconds of his best 40 time for the year. We have used this form of “football fitness” eval-uation for the past two decades and find it to be very reliable as a gauge of the athletes’ ability to handle game demands.

I should add that some coaches feel uncomfortable having their athletes run high-speed 40s prior to the start of fall camp, but we have never expe-rienced problems. Rarely have athletes been unprepared for the test, and those who are unprepared are unlikely to perform at an intensity great enough to risk injury.

TRAINING-CONDITIONING.COM T&CApRIl2009 55

Fueling Performance nutritional aids

Multi-source ProteinMuscle Milk Collegiate RTD (ready-to-drink) formula from CytoSport provides a high-quality protein blend that helps pro-mote recovery from exercise and is per-missible under collegiate bylaw 16.5.2.2 for nutritional supplements. Due to its unique multi-source protein, maltodextrin carbohydrate, and healthy fat structure, this product is second to none for col-legiate athletic programs. It is available in convenient ready-to-drink chocolate and vanilla flavors, and strawberry is com-ing soon. Visit CytoSport online to learn more. CytoSport, Inc. • 888-298-6629 www.cytosport.com • Circle No. 500

Effervescent CreatineA leading choice of many pro and col-lege teams, Creatine Edge effectively enhances athletic performance without stomach discomfort. Two university studies show that Creatine Edge is up to 195 percent more effective than any other form of creatine. The patented effervescent formula allows the creatine molecules to break down in water for ease of digestion and almost immediate absorption into the bloodstream. There are five grams of creatine per serving, and orange and grape flavors are available. Eight-Ball Nutrition • 402-333-3532 www.8-ballnutrition.com • Circle No. 501

ready-Made ProteinMET-Rx’s Collegiate Series Nutrition Shake ready-to-drink provides 18 grams of protein and 240 calories with 0 grams of trans fat. The collegiate-compliant RTD supports recovery and provides energy. Student-athletes can use it post-workout to rapidly replenish glycogen and begin recov-ery. It is available in delicious chocolate and vanilla flavors. Call to save money by buy-ing direct from MET-Rx, and to find out about the company’s collegiate-compliant protein bars. MET-Rx • 800-996-3879 www.metrx.com • Circle No. 502

recover and advanceCritical Reload is a great-tasting recov-ery shake designed to infuse the muscle with growth-promoting proteins and carbohydrates so you can recover faster and kick start your next workout into high gear. It is NCAA-compliant, and tested and certified for banned and illegal substances in accordance with WADA, IOC, and USADA regulations. Contact ONS today for discount team pricing and to learn more about the com-

pany’s entire line of nutritional products. ONS Performance • 800-817-9808 www.onsperformance.com Circle No. 503

Healthier Pain reliefStayActiv, an all-natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory alternative to over-the-counter NSAIDs, was formerly marketed as AminoActiv. StayActiv promotes heal-ing and repair, and also addresses pain from lactic acid. Everyone is aware of the serious side effects of NSAIDs and their interference with muscle protein synthesis. Don’t mask pain—you need to promote healing and recovery. StayActiv, a proven product, is available in capsules and cream. If you want injured athletes back in the game, consider StayActiv as the healthy alternative. ProMera Health, LLC 888-878-9058 • www.stayactiv.com Circle No. 504

superior CreatineCON-CRET, the only pure and concentrat-ed creatine, is for athletes and people with active lifestyles. The CON-CRET molecule was proven in a medical university study to have superior uptake when compared to monohydrate. CON-CRET is the only creatine dosed on body weight, the only soluble creatine, and the only creatine with no side effects because there is no loading phase. Diets can restrict the body’s ability to synthesize creatine—CON-CRET is a healthy and effective alternative. ProMera Health, LLC • 888-878-9058 www.con-cret.com • Circle No. 505

Knowledge is PowerInformed-Choice is committed to helping ensure the purity of nutritional supple-ments, and it relies on HFL Sport Science to conduct product tests. HFL Sport Science has been testing supplements for banned substances against the World Anti-Doping Agency list to ISO17025 standards since 2002. The lab tests more than 3,000 prod-ucts annually, and currently works with more than 90 companies worldwide, including 35 American and Canadian brands. HFL works closely with supplement manufacturers and suppliers to reduce the risk of contaminated products finding their way into sport, thus helping ensure that athletes know exactly what they are putting into their bodies. This track record has earned HFL the support of UK Sport, the United Kingdom’s equivalent to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Informed-Choice • 720-289-2401 www.informed-choice.org • Circle No. 506

56 T&C April 2009 TrAiNiNG-CONDiTiONiNG.COM

nutritional aids Fueling Performanceall about the FormulaThe patented formula in Herculin MRF-4 attacks muscle growth from all possible angles: before, during, and after exercise, it delivers precise ratios of key nutrients with systematic timing. It’s not just a creatine, not just an amino acid complex, and not just a vitamin/mineral formu-la—it’s all of these and more. It contains vitamins C, B12, and E, zinc, magnesium, and a patented 13-gram amino/creatine blend to stimulate protein synthesis. Eight-Ball Nutrition • 888-331-6601 www.8-ballnutrition.com • Circle No. 507

Prolonged PeaksCytomax Collegiate Performance Drink is a blend of complex carbohydrates and electrolytes that optimizes hydration dur-ing exercise and keeps energy at peak lev-els longer to help improve stamina. Alpha L-polylactate acts to prevent acid buildup and minimizes post-exercise muscle sore-ness. Cytomax is available in convenient ready-to-drink or powder formulas. CytoSport, Inc. • 888-298-6629 www.cytosport.com • Circle No. 508

nature’s Protein source100-percent pure Liquid Egg Whites are heat-pasteurized and salmonella-tested,

making them liquid but not “raw.” They are double-filtered to have the smooth consis-tency of milk, and are completely tasteless and odorless for making the perfect pro-tein drink. Eight ounces supply 26 grams of protein with no fat, no cholesterol, two grams of carbs, 120 calories, and all the essential amino acids. For more info, call the company or go online. Egg Whites International • 877-EGG-WHITES www.eggwhitesint.com • Circle No. 509

ideal Macronutrient ratiosMET-Rx’s Collegiate Series METAMYOSYN XXL Blend drink mix provides 57 grams of protein and 770 calories (per four-scoop serving) for those who are serious about their training. The collegiate-compliant powder has a superior formula with excel-lent protein/fat and carb/protein ratios. The METAMYOSYN XXL Blend utilizes proteins with different physiological effects to maximize performance (whey and casein). MET-Rx products are made according to guidelines established by the most recognized governing body of colle-giate athletics. Call to save money by buy-ing direct from MET-Rx, and to find out about the company’s collegiate-compliant protein bars. MET-Rx • 800-996-3879 www.metrx.com • Circle No. 510

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N e w P r o d u c t s

Pilates & Yoga wedgeUnique features:

• Versatile exercise prop• Provides added comfort and alleviates overstretching and

pressure on the joints

Benefits for the user:• Use it under the heels or knees, or during exercises that

require sitting in a forward-bending position to maintain proper alignment

• Helps users achieve deeper stretches• Supports otherwise uncomfortable positions

Nocturnal edgeUnique features:

• Formula synergistically works to stimulate a significant increase in a key hormone known to accelerate recovery, rebuild muscle, and metabolize fat

Benefits for the user:• Used prior to sleep, this adaptogen formula promotes restful

sleep, rebuilds muscle, improves cognitive function, sup-ports immune function, and helps reduce anxiety

• Anti-stress and anti-catabolic• Powerful antioxidant properties

cho-Pat dynamic Knee compression sleeveUnique features:

• Silicone insert fits around the kneecap for added support

• Flexible stays and knitting process keep the sleeve from rolling, bunching, or pinching

• Manufactured in the USA• Latex- and neoprene-free

Benefits for the user:• Applies uniform dynamics and conforms to the configura-

tion of the leg• Comfortable, lightweight, knitted support combines

warmth, compression, and support to help reduce pain and promote healing

New ProductS

speedsacUnique features:• Can be used indoors, out-

doors, and on artificial surfaces

• Rinses clean• Won’t rust• Team packages available• As many as 12 SpeedSacs and

36 weights can be moved around any field in the SpeedSac field cart

Benefits for the user:• Increases explosiveness, leg

power, and speed• Decreases 40-yard dash time

Cho-Patwww.cho-pat.com800-221-1601Circle No. 515

OPTPwww.optp.com800-367-7393Circle No. 516

Eight-Ball Nutritionwww.8-ballnutrition.com888-331-6601Circle No. 517

Strength Systems, Inc.www.strength-systems.com504-818-1270Circle No. 518


REHAB EQUIPMENT Get Back In the GameNo More Chafing2Toms is the creator of BlisterShield and SportShield, which are anti-friction skin guards that eliminate the friction that causes blisters and chafing. BlisterShield is a powder for the feet and hands, while SportShield is a liquid for the rest of the body. BlisterShield and SportShield increase comfort and enhance perfor-mance and endurance. They’re odor-free, non-greasy, and last all day under the most extreme conditions. Go online to learn more. 2Toms, LLC • 866-924-7847 www.2toms.com • Circle No. 519

The Carbon DifferenceThe Volt ankle brace provides the abso-lute highest level of protection and sup-port without excess weight and bulk. It introduces carbon fiber to the reinforced polypropylene shell, providing lightweight protection along with the stability and support that Active Ankle is known for. Custom-cut and molded EVA foam pads give a comfy fit and durability that far exceeds the foam or neoprene pads found in other rigid braces. Integrated strength-ening ribs create a lower overall profile that works with all types of footwear. Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com Circle No. 520

Put Weight to WorkSoloStrength is the ultimate all-in-one body weight training system. By making simple adjustments to the bar, you can change the activity and resistance levels instantly. It is great for pull-ups, rows, abdominal work, stretching, and more. For more information on SoloStrength, visit Perform Better’s Web site or call to request your free copy of the 2009 catalog. Perform Better • 800-556-7464 www.performbetter.com • Circle No. 521

Stretch the Right WayWhile aiding in physical mobility and flexibility, the Stretch EZ’s cradle design encompasses the foot to allow for a com-fortable stretch to the foot, heel, Achilles tendon, hamstring, quadriceps, inner/outer thigh, and calf. This unique stretch-ing aide assists in the treatment of plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, strains, and injuries to the calf, thigh, hip, and lower back. Call or go online to request a free catalog. OPTP 800-367-7393 • www.optp.com Circle No. 522

Progressive ResistanceMediCordz® safety bungie products pro-vide rehab and strengthening programs with the added safety and security of strong and durable high-grade bungie. This patented line of products offers seven progressive resistance levels to choose from. Unlike latex exercise bands, MediCordz safety bungie provides resis-tance in rehab and exercise without the fear of latex allergies and possible break-age. The best-selling Bungie Rehab Kit (item #M394, shown) is used in upper-body, lower-body, and core stabilization exercises. NZ Manufacturing, Inc. 800-886-6621 • www.nzmfg.com Circle No. 523

Solid PerformerThe Boss from Oakworks allows you to pro-vide the home-field advantage atmosphere on the go. As one of the strongest and most durable portable tables on the market, the Boss is exceptional. Dedicated to helping athletes get back into the game fast, it is built for sideline treatments, evaluations, and other on-site interventions. With Tufflex upholstery, a water-resistant undercoating, and independently adjustable legs, expect a solid performance that withstands the harshest outdoor conditions. You can cost-effectively personalize your Boss with your team’s color and embroidered logo or name. Oakworks • 800-558-8850 www.oakworks.com • Circle No. 524

Relief on the GoSpray pain away naturally. With new longer-lasting and improved performance, Biofreeze pain-relieving spray contains MSM and delivers powerful relief even to those hard-to-reach areas. Biofreeze now comes in an air travel-friendly two-ounce size. Use it to treat pain associated with sore or strained mus-cles, strains, sprains, and joint discomfort. Performance Health, Inc. • 800-246-3733 www.biofreeze.com • Circle No. 525

Choose Your ResistanceSupplementing your rehab or conditioning program is easy with PRO 10 variable-resistance latex tubing units. Available in three resistances, each unit has a handle/foot stirrup attachment at each end with a moveable door jam attachment in the cen-ter, and comes with a webbed running belt, basic exercise booklet, and nylon travel bag. PRO Orthopedic Devices, Inc. 800-523-5611 • www.proorthopedic.com Circle No. 526


Convertible ConvenienceThe model 4061 is the perfect taping station for any high school or college athletic train-ing room. This two-seat taping station con-verts to a treatment table with the addition of a middle pad, so athletes can lie down on the 74” x 34” padded surface for treatment if needed. The unit has an oak laminate fin-ish and is available in nine Pro-Form vinyl colors. It has one drawer and six doors for storing tape and supplies. PROTEAM by Hausmann • 888-428-7626 www.proteamtables.com Circle No. 527

Cold Under ClothingUltimate Ice Wraps offer a patented design that incorporates 100-percent natural Igloo ice products. Ultimate Ice targets eight specific muscle groups with a washable wrap design and reusable Igloo ice inserts. Ultimate Ice stays cold two times longer than gel. Ultimate Ice Wraps are designed to be worn under clothing and allow freedom of movement while being used. Ultimate Ice Wraps, Inc. • 888-678-8494 www.ultimateicewraps.com Circle No. 528

Bigger Is BetterWilson Case’s new SplitTopXL is a larger version of the company’s popular Athletic Trainer’s SplitTop Case. The SplitTopXL has twice as much inside height as the standard version and comes with six-inch turf tires that can go anywhere with ease and will never go flat. Just like the stan-dard SplitTop case, the SplitTopXL is sold as a base unit with interior options avail-able. Wilson Case • 800-322-5493 www.wilsoncase.com • Circle No. 529

Beauty and FunctionThe Clinton Classic Wood Taping Station features the beauty of real wood in four popular finishes, famous Clinton durable construction, and desirable standard features—like leg extensions that save valuable space and comfortable adjustable back rests. With more than 14 available options, this product is sure to be on every athletic trainer’s wish list. Plus, Clinton’s modular design, available in four depths, allows the units to be configured to fit large or small sports training facilities. Clinton Industries, Inc. • 800-441-9131 www.clinton-ind.com • Circle No. 530

Cold Therapy and MoreThe PolarPool™ cryotherapy spa offers cold water therapy, hot water therapy, and saltwater therapy—all in one. It’s com-pletely portable, so you can provide ath-letes with state-of-the-art treatment and pain relief without installing new plumb-ing or redesigning your entire facility. Users can sit or kneel in the pool, and the purification and sanitization systems keep the water clean while the solid-state cool-ing system maintains the temperature you want. The PolarPool • 617-480-7683 www.thepolarpool.com • Circle No. 531

Portable Self-CareThe Original Backnobber® II is con-structed of fiberglass-reinforced nylon. Use it to apply deep pressure to trigger points to reduce muscle tension and pain and increase range of motion and overall function. A built-in locking device allows it to be taken apart for convenient stor-age and travel. This simple and effective self-care tool is lightweight, durable, com-pact, attractive, and versatile. A 35-page illustrated user guide is included. The Pressure Positive Co. • 800-603-5107 www.pressurepositive.com Circle No. 532

Unprecedented ControlActive Ankle has introduced the Power Lacer ankle brace, with unique Y-shaped vertical stabilization straps that provide unprecedented control over both the forefoot and the heel. This lace-up brace offers control and stabilization without the complication of multiple straps. The Power Lacer is made of 840-denier nylon and is lined with neoprene for maximum comfort and fit. The four spring steel stays (two on each side of the ankle) provide extra support and aid in preventing heel release. Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com Circle No. 533

Ensure the Right PositionThe Oakworks Prone Pillow offers supe-rior comfort while positioning injured athletes properly. Oakworks’ advanced lower-profile design reduces excessive cer-vical extension/flexion, while the resilient platform provides the optimal support needed for both prone and supine posi-tioning. Oakworks • 800-558-8850 www.oakworks.com • Circle No. 534

Get Back In the Game REHAB EQUIPMENT


REHAB EQUIPMENT Get Back In the GameVersatile Shoulder SupportThe Shoulder Spider is a professionally engineered, dynamic therapeutic support for the muscles that stabilize the shoulder. It uses advanced therapeutic tape technol-ogy to decrease pain and enhance support without any restriction of range of motion. Athletes who wear the Shoulder Spider experience improved performance and receive immediate feedback about their shoulder stability and muscle activation. It’s ideal for anyone dealing with arthritis, muscle spasms, joint strain, or post-sur-gery rehabilitation. NUCAP Medical 416-494-1444 • www.nucapmedical.com Circle No. 535

Cold Where You Want ItPRO ice wraps are the perfect method for applying cold therapy to most minor injuries. Made with quality neoprene for durability, these wraps are ideal for the treatment of pulls and strains. The wraps are quick and easy to use, allowing for adjustable compression to keep ice packs in place. They’re available in black for the shoulder (#439), knee (#103), and back (#208). PRO Orthopedic Devices, Inc. 800-523-5611 • www.proorthopedic.com Circle No. 536

Go ModularClinton’s Style Line Laminate Taping Station is packed with value for large and small athletic training rooms. With easy-clean laminates in 15 standard colors and custom-laminates to match your school colors, Clinton’s Style Line Laminate Taping Station can complement any facil-ity. Standard features include leg exten-sions and adjustable back rests. Units are available with 14 options, four depths, and a modular design allowing multiple stations to be joined in a row. Clinton Industries, Inc. • 800-441-9131 www.clinton-ind.com • Circle No. 537

Target Your Trigger PointsThe Original Index Knobber II is a simple device designed to let you apply deep pressure to yourself or others. It’s the ideal instrument for clinic or home use, allow-ing for firm, sustained pressure on painful trigger points. Its unique patented design allows it to be used in several hand positions and by the right or left hands comfortably and interchangeably. It’s virtually indestruc-tible and easily cleaned between uses. The Pressure Positive Co. • 800-603-5107 www.pressurepositive.com Circle No. 538

Treatment Furniture that ExcelsPROTEAM by Hausmann offers athletic trainers a complete line of laminate treat-ment furniture designed to enhance the functional capacity and appearance of the athletic training room. PROTEAM Modular Taping Stations are available in such a wide variety of sizes and with so many options, one is sure to meet your needs. The individual taping units are fin-ished on all sides and can be easily re-posi-tioned to adapt to any space. PROTEAM by Hausmann • 888-428-7626 www.proteamtables.com • Circle No. 539

Unrestricted ROMefi Sports Medicine’s Total Gym PowerTower, a motorized incline resistance-training apparatus, lets users change resistance electronically during the range of motion of any exercise. The PowerTower facilitates high-performance, multi-plane functional sports training using body weight as resistance for unre-stricted range of motion, core integration, and proprioception in most exercises. The Total Gym PowerTower includes a hand-held control, allowing you to manage ath-letes’ load remotely and train at every level from rehab to high-performance work. efi Sports Medicine • 800-541-4900 www.efisportsmedicine.com Circle No. 540

What’s Your Foot Type?The RX24 QuadraStep System offers an innovative approach to treating feet or pre-venting injuries. It uses a patent-pending clinical algorithm that classifies a patient’s foot into one of 24 congenital foot-types. These 24 foot types are subcategorized into six subgroups, or “quads,” each hav-ing its own specific foot and gait charac-teristics. The RX24 QuadraStep System offers six different prefabricated functional orthoses, each biomechanically tailored to meet the needs of the six foot types. Nolaro24, LLC • 877-RX24-NOW www.whatsmyfoottype.com Circle No. 541

Take It With YouThe TablePRO is an athletic training room for the road. It can handle the largest ath-letes with ease and has ample room for sup-plies. There are no wobbly table legs, and the dual taping stations allow you to treat two players at once. The TablePRO folds to a compact size and includes turf tires that roll easily on any surface and will never go flat. Wilson Case • 800-322-5493 www.wilsoncase.com • Circle No. 542


Get Back In the Game REHAB EQUIPMENT

Yes! You Can Register Now...Call 800-556-7464.

Learn-By-Doing 2009 WorKSHoP Seminar SerieS

For Those Who Train or Rehab Clients, Athletes or Patients

One-Day SeminarsOnly $149

Jan. 24 Los Angeles Feb. 7 Orlando March 21 Boston March 22 Boston

All New TopiCs

3-Day Summits

Only $349 May 8-10 Providence June 12-14 Chicago July 31-Aug 2 Long Beach

With Over 30 Presenters Including:

John Blievernicht, Mike Boyle, Don Chu, Gray Cook,

Alwyn Cosgrove, Eric Cressey, Brian Grasso, Annette Lang,

Ryan Lee, Stuart McGill, Bill Parisi, Robb Rogers,

Mark Verstegen, Juan Carlos Santana, Chuck Wolf, Todd Wright

2-Day Functional Movement

WorkshopOnly $349

Feb. 20-21 Los Angeles March 27-28 New Jersey April 10-11 Orlando July 17-18 Indianapolis Aug. 14-15 Boston

Get details from our website performbetter.com or call toll-free 800-556-7464.

WithMike Boyle, Gray Cook,

Alwyn Cosgrove, Juan Carlos Santana,

Todd Durkin, Anthony DiLuglio

With Gray Cook

and Lee Burton

530-21078 PB_SEMINAR_AD_AM.indd 1 12/12/08 3:46:21 PM

Untitled-3 1 12/15/08 12:57:51 PM

Circle No. 143

Heat for the HamstringThe new Hammy Series models 1530 & 1530S are like traditional Stromgren 75-percent nylon/25-percent Lycra com-pression shorts, but with a neoprene liner in the back of each leg. They’re designed to keep the athlete’s hamstring muscles warm during athletic activity by holding body heat next to the skin. The model 1530S comes standard with two six-inch wide removable straps that can be pulled around the leg for additional hamstring or groin support, and the model 1530 has no straps. Stromgren Athletics • 800-527-1988 www.stromgren.com • Circle No. 543

Restore Knee StabilityThe Full Knee Spider is designed to pro-mote the restoration of functional joint stability through neurosensory mecha-nisms. It provides athletes with feedback about the activation of muscles that con-trol knee stability, and also decreases pain while improving performance and restor-ing normal muscle activation. The Full Knee Spider can even help prevent further

injury in the knee. It’s highly beneficial for athletes who suffer from arthritis, patellar tendinopathies, ligament strains, or menis-cal degeneration. NUCAP Medical 416-494-1444 • www.nucapmedical.com Circle No. 544

Series of Progressive ResistanceNew Thera-Band resistance tubing with soft-grip handles provides a system of pro-gression. The preferred quality of authentic Thera-Band bands and tubing with the convenience of attached handles makes for a perfect ready-to-use clinical or home solution. The tubing is supplied in six Thera-Band colors/resistances packaged in attractive retail kits for patient re-sale or economical bulks complete with usage and safety instructions. Thera-Band tubing is endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association. Performance Health, Inc. 800-246-3733 • www.biofreeze.com Circle No. 545


KNEE PRODUCTS Essential ProtectionSupport and StabilityCho-Pat’s patented Dual Action Knee Strap provides an extra dimension of relief for painful and weakened knees. First, it applies pressure on the patellar tendon below the knee to reduce instability and improve patel-lar tracking and elevation. Then, it applies pressure on the patellar tendon above the knee to further strengthen and provide an additional level of support and stability for the joint. It is easy to apply, comfortable to wear, and the fabric-covered neoprene con-struction allows for full mobility. In addition, this American-made support is available in five sizes to provide more specific and effec-tive results. Cho-Pat • 800-221-1601 www.cho-pat.com • Circle No. 547

Protection Without RestrictionThe 190 series knee protectors are an excel-lent device that can help reduce the possibil-ity of sustaining an MCL knee injury by a football lineman. They provide the athlete with affordable protection to help reduce injuries to the MCL ligament due to lateral pressure. Both models have been used con-tinuously for 20 years by professional and major college teams. They’re designed to absorb and dissipate blows to the lateral side of the knee complex, helping reduce pres-sure on the MCL. The slotted pivot points allow full range of motion with no restric-tion to impair the athlete’s ability to run or move laterally. The Lycra straps with silicone are designed to hold the brace and prevent downward migration. Stromgren Athletics 800-527-1988 • www.stromgren.com Circle No. 548

Compliance By DesignTownsend Design’s Premier Series and Rebel Series functional knee braces can be ordered with a new patent-pending feature that enhances patient compliance and brace sus-pension. The new C/S package incorporates semi-rigid paddles into the thigh shell that compress into the leg to increase dynamic support and migration resistance. The C/S package helps guarantee that the brace will remain properly positioned on the limb for optimum protection and patient compliance. Townsend Design • 800-840-2722 www.townsenddesign.com • Circle No. 549

Three Levels of CareMcDavid’s new Multi-Action Knee Wrap (#4195) features adjustable medial and lateral condyle pads that provide compres-sion to help relieve pain associated with cartilage (meniscus) problems. The ther-mal 100-percent neoprene sleeve retains warmth and promotes healing. The fully adjustable front-crossing straps allow for an optimal fit. McDavid offers sports medicine products in three levels of protection: Level 1 is general-purpose protection; Level 2 is

minor to moderate protection; and Level 3 is the ultimate degree of support and protection. McDavid • 800-237-8254 www.mcdavidusa.com • Circle No. 550

Bracing for PerformanceTOPS manufactures a complete line of hinged knee braces, patellar stabilizing braces, and knee sleeves. There are many different buttresses available to stabilize the patella, or you can choose no buttress at all. TOPS hinge pockets completely cover the hinge and are designed to keep the hinges from poking through the ends. The braces are constructed with your choice of several materials in dif-ferent thicknesses, and they feature superior stitching technology. Texas Orthopaedic Products & Services • 888-373-4009 www.topsproducts.com • Circle No. 551

Built Like a JetMcDavid’s heavy-duty #428 Pro-Stabilizer knee brace features a geared polycentric hinge constructed of aircraft-grade aluminum with an exterior rubber protective pad. The #428 has padded buttresses to relieve pres-sure from the patella, and 3/16-inch thick, 100-percent latex-free neoprene (CR) that provides thermal therapy and firm compres-sion. The pockets are reinforced for greater durability. McDavid also offers ankle, back, shoulder, thigh, calf, and wrist sports medi-cine products. McDavid • 800-237-8254 www.mcdavidusa.com • Circle No. 552

Engineered for RidersTownsend Design has introduced the Web custom motocross knee brace, which offers superior functional support and protec-tion for riders. The Web incorporates Townsend’s patented hinge motion with rider-inspired brace designs developed by EVS, a world leader in motocross protective gear. Townsend and EVS joined forces to provide motocross riders with a custom-manufactured carbon-graphite brace that includes the EVS patella guard and other fea-tures that enhance rider comfort and safety. Townsend Design • 800-840-2722 www.townsenddesign.com • Circle No. 553

Non-Operative Knee TreatmentThe Elite Seat by Kneebourne Therapeutic is a portable knee-extension device designed for the non-operative treatment of degenera-tive 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 arthro-plasty; arthrofibrosis; deconditioned knee with a flexion contracture; and arthritis. Kneebourne Therapeutic • 866-756-3706 www.eliteseat.com • Circle No. 554


No Reformer NeededBalanced Body has introduced the perfect athletic training tool: the EXO Chair. As the only Pilates chair in the industry with attachments for resistance bands, the EXO Chair lets your athletes do many exercises that used to be possible only on a Reformer, but in a fraction of the space. The EXO Chair improves strength, balance, flexibility, and agility—all of which are paramount to improving athletic performance and decreasing injury risk. Balanced Body, Inc. • 800-PILATES www.pilates.com • Circle No. 556

Created Specifically for AthletesThe STOTT PILATES® Athletic Conditioning DVD series was developed for high-performance athletes. The ideal complement to any training program, each DVD provides a challenging total-body workout that will enhance strength, stamina, mobility, and coordination. Exercises emphasize core stability, unilateral move-ment, torso rotation, and weight transference while increasing focus and body awareness. The exercises are designed to retrain muscles that may have become unbalanced, and they can aid in injury prevention. STOTT PILATES® • 800-910-0001 www.stottpilates.com • Circle No. 557

Three in OneBalanced Body’s Allegro Tower of Power provides your athletes with a complete full-body Pilates workout, keeping them on the field and performing at the highest level. A three-in-one exercise system with a Reformer, mat station, and tower, it easily folds down for quick storage. Find out why the world’s top athletes have made the Allegro Tower of Power system a crucial part of their training regimen. Balanced Body, Inc. • 800-PILATES www.pilates.com • Circle No. 558

A Total-Body FocusImprove athletic performance and reduce the risk of sports-related injuries by incorporating the STOTT PILATES® Split-Pedal Stability Chair into any athlete training program. This multi-function Pilates machine targets almost all muscle groups to build on the strength, power, and agility of the whole body. It enables athletes to condition both the core and periphery, and balance stability with mobility while improving focus, awareness, control, and coordination. STOTT PILATES® • 800-910-0001 www.stottpilates.com • Circle No. 559

By the BookOPTP has added a new book to its catalog. Stretch Out Strap® Pilates Essentials, by Angela Kneale, OTR, targets dynamic exer-cises that both lengthen and strengthen the body while challeng-ing core stability and control. Using the Stretch Out Strap during exercise provides sensory feedback that helps develop better pos-ture, flexibility, muscular balance, and body symmetry, as well as core strength and shoulder stability. These exercises heighten body awareness and relieve stress, focusing on deep breathing and qual-ity, controlled movements. This book and others, including addi-tional books by Angela Kneale, are available for purchase. OPTP 800-367-7393 • www.optp.com • Circle No. 560

PILATES EQUIPMENT TESTIMONIAL

Pro Bowl Player Praises Premium Fitness Equipment“Legend is a fantastic company that makes the best strength equipment I’ve seen. They build top-notch equipment but not at top-notch prices, and their equip-ment is completely American-made, which means a lot to people in this day and age, including me.”—Albert Haynesworth, Pro Bowl Defensive Tackle, Washington Redskins

“After searching for the best equipment available for our new fieldhouse, we chose Legend Fitness. Legend Fitness not only manufactures the best equipment available, they conduct business with great integrity and professionalism. I would recommend Legend Fitness to everyone looking for great equipment from folks who care and people you can trust.”—Ken Sparks, Carson-Newman College, 2007 President of the American Football Coaches Association. Sparks has five national championships and four national runner-up finishes, and is third all-time in NCAA coaching victories.

“Legend manufactures the strongest, smoothest, most durable equipment we have used, at a price we all can afford.” —Tom Myslinski, MS, CSCS, Cleveland Browns

Legend Fitness140 Richardson WayMaynardville, TN 37807866-7-LEGENDFax: [email protected]


FOOTBALL CONDITIONING For Gridiron GreatnessPull Your Own WeightThe Lebert Equalizer total-body strength-ener is a simple, cost-effective, portable, multi-purpose, and versatile piece of strength training equipment that works the arms, chest, back, and core muscles like no other item can, using your own body weight as resistance. It comes com-plete with a free beginner/intermediate DVD and workout poster. It’s available online or through Power Systems and Perform Better. You can see it in action on YouTube by searching for Lebert Equalizer. Lebert Fitness, Inc. 905-785-0626 • www.lebertequalizer.com Circle No. 565

Safe and Easy to UseLegend Fitness’s Pro Series is the best of the best, and the Olympic shoulder bench doesn’t disappoint. Looking like a medi-eval throne, this bench has front and rear chrome plating and multi-racking systems for the ultimate in safety and convenience. Other features include plyo band pegs, standard chrome weight storage, and a dia-mond-plate spotting platform. The super-rigid frame breaks down with only six bolts. Legend Fitness • 866-7-LEGEND www.legendfitness.com • Circle No. 566

Resisting and AssistingThe GameSpeed 360 is new in Perform Better’s 2009 catalog. It is great for per-forming resisted and assisted speed and agility drills with 360 degrees of freedom to cut, spin, juke, and shake. This resis-tance trainer includes four different-size waist belts for the athletes, which connect to a coach’s belt using an eight-inch resis-tance cord. For more information on the GameSpeed 360, visit Perform Better’s Web site or call to request a free catalog. Perform Better • 800-556-7464 www.performbetter.com • Circle No. 567

Smart DesignThe Power Lift Collegiate Series Dumbbell Bench is designed to be used as a bench in the supplemental lift area or inside any of the Power Lift racks to create a multi-function lifting station. Unique features of the Collegiate Series Dumbbell Bench include: seven adjustable lifting angles for the back and seat (-10, 0, 15, 35, 60, and 80 degrees); “thermo cushion” rubber rear wheels that allow the bench to be wheeled among different stations; a no-tip feature when used in supplemental

areas; and two rubber floor bumpers on the front to protect all types of floor sur-faces. Power Lift • 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com • Circle No. 568

Shrugging for PowerWith its fully welded, counterbalanced frame, the new Mobile Shrug Bar from Power Systems provides a stable envi-ronment for athletes to safely perform shrug exercises. It holds up to 500 pounds of Olympic-size plates and adjusts to five positions from 24 to 32 inches for use as a spotter. The Mobile Shrug Bar has 10-inch sleeves and fea-tures chrome handles and knurled grips. Power Systems • 800-321-6975 www.power-systems.com • Circle No. 569

Lots of OptionsNew York Barbell of Elmira offers power racks with standard chin-up bars, straight pull-up bars, and combo pull-up/chin-up units. There are also iron cross adjust-able pull-up handles, along with two sets of Posi Lock jumbo hooks and two sets of Posi Lock jumbo catches. In addition, units feature four brackets for bar storage, and 2” x 4” weight storage beams with five pegs each. Bars and weights cost extra. Visit the company’s Web site today to learn more. New York Barbell of Elmira, Inc. • 800-446-1833 • www.newyork-barbells.com • Circle No. 570

A Benchmark BenchThe Samson Combo/Decline bench (100CD) is the newest and most com-prehensive utility bench on the market today. This revolutionary new addition to Samson’s bench line gives your athletes the ability to perform a decline press by making a few simple adjustments. Perform the bench press, incline, military, decline, and even sit-ups all from the same bench. Optimize your weightroom with the best in quality and design from Samson Equipment. Samson Equipment • 800-472-6766 www.samsonequipment.com Circle No. 571

Lifelike Strength ToolThis off-season, while your opponents are lifting, you will be putting the intensity of football into your workouts. MAXX provides a lifelike dummy and a durable weight machine with state-of-the-art computer technology. The LED board-gives your players instant feedback on


For Gridiron Greatness FOOTBALL CONDITIONING

their speed off the ball and the power of their punch while they work to increase strength and perfect football technique. MAXX Football • 800-294-4654 www.maxxfootball.com • Circle No. 572

Three-Dimensional TrainingTRX Suspension Training is a highly func-tional category of physical conditioning that leverages body weight and gravity to develop strength, balance, flexibility, and stability simultaneously. Your athletes move in three dimensions—shouldn’t they train the same way? TRX Suspension Training encourages multi-planar move-ments that increase strength and muscular coordination to improve performance while reducing injury risk. Because suspen-sion training can be done anywhere, your team will never have to miss a workout again. SPRI Products • 800-222-7774 www.spri.com • Circle No. 573

It Takes TwoThe Lebert Buddy System™ is a tandem resistance training product. It’s portable, cost-effective, flexible, and very dynamic, making it a must for personal trainers, boot camps, schools, and team training. This truly is a whole new way to train. The Lebert Buddy System is not a band or a suspension product. Made with bal-listic nylon strapping with UV protection, durable handles, and heavy-duty stitching, this product can stand up to any workout. To see it in action on YouTube, search for Lebert Buddy System. Order online and use the coupon code 0902LBS to save $25. Lebert Fitness, Inc. • 905-785-0602 www.lebertbuddysystem.com Circle No. 574

Optimize Your SpacePower Lift’s Free Standing Squat Stand can be used for all major lifts, including squats, push presses, bench presses, and the Olympic movements. Free Standing Squat Stands are ideal for facilities with minimal space or for those looking to combine a rack with an existing Olympic platform. The stands feature 10 different bar positions and wheels for easy movement. When com-bined with a Collegiate Series bench and the optional chin-up handle, a space-saving lifting station can be created. The bases are constructed from 2” x 3” seven-gauge steel and the uprights are constructed from 2” x 3” 11-gauge steel. Power Lift • 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com • Circle No. 575

New Platforms, New FinishImproved for 2009, Legend Fitness’s new octagonal lifting platforms are con-structed from 3” x 2” rectangular tubing for extra dent resistance and consist of only the left half, the right half, and the front ramp, which also covers the seam where the halves meet. Thick rubber mats flank tongue-and-groove hardwood with a brand new proprietary finish that will not flake or chip, no matter what is dropped on it. Legend Fitness • 866-7-LEGEND www.legendfitness.com • Circle No. 576

Updating a ClassicThe kettlebell is one of the most versatile tools for all-around athletic development, and competitive athletes everywhere are incorporating them into training pro-grams. Because kettlebell training requires whole-body engagement, the Ultra Kettlebell from Power Systems can help increase power production and improve sport performance. This new-style kettle-bell features a smooth, solid steel handle for a comfortable grip and a cast iron bell with a rubber-plated bottom to protect floors. Power Systems • 800-321-6975 www.power-systems.com • Circle No. 577

Choose Your LoadingThe Pendulum Power Squat Pro by Rogers Athletic builds incredible leg mass and strength. Users feel no shearing at the knee. Load the top to concentrate on the hips and glutes, load the bottom to concentrate on the quads, or load it equally to match a bar squat. You can even control the depth to squat from. It’s no wonder the most seri-ous athletes, from pro football players to America’s elite military forces, train with the Pendulum. Rogers Athletic Co. 888-782-4302 • www.rogersathletic.com Circle No. 578

Chute to WinLooking to increase speed, explosiveness, and acceleration for your team? The SPRI Speed Parachute can help. SPRI offers four different sizes ranging from small to extra-large, to provide anywhere from 15 to 50 pounds of resistance depending on the athlete. It comes with an adjustable waist belt that fits 20- to 42-inch waists and allows for training in any direction. For an extra challenge, try combining parachutes. SPRI Products • 800-222-7774 www.spri.com • Circle No. 579


FOOTBALL CONDITIONING For Gridiron GreatnessA Unique WorkoutThe new Belt Squat is yet another way Samson Equipment is leading the way in custom, heavy-duty weight training equipment. The brand new design limits the amount of floor space needed for this unique piece, and it’s easy for athletes of all different sizes to use. It features adjustable handles, a unique load release that brings the athlete’s hands closer together while performing the exercise, an adjustable yoke that allows each athlete’s hips to stay in their natural range of motion, and an adjustable chain with three belts of different sizes. Samson Equipment • 800-472-6766 www.samsonequipment.com Circle No. 580

An Impressed Customer“Nebula makes some of the most hard-core free weight benches out there,” says Scott Sheily, owner of Ohio Fitness. “Our gym just got an incline power station and my members love it. It has a spotter’s stand on the back, along with 10 pegs for plate storage. The seat is adjustable with a

pop pin. But the thing we like best is the new, really cool look Nebula went to with the laser-cut frame. I can’t wait to get the new flat bench with the same look. You can’t beat the quality you get from Nebula, along with the biomechanical function they put into everything they do.” NK Sports Group • 800-763-2852 www.nebula-fitness.com Circle No. 581

Count the BenefitsRogers Athletics’ Tred Sled is the latest in weightroom auto-mation, improving blocking, tackling, sprint acceleration, and power. The athlete drives the non-motor-ized tread while its braking system resists his movement. The Tred Sled allows players to exert maximal power on every repetition. This translates into three ben-efits on game day. First, the player is accus-tomed to applying large amounts of force in blocking and tackling positions. Second, the player improves his ability to recover quickly between plays. Third, technique becomes second-nature. Rogers Athletic Co. • 888-782-4302 www.rogersathletic.com • Circle No. 582

Work Hard, Train SmartThe C-PRO91305-W Calf & Squat features heavy-duty steel deck plates and deluxe padding, along with 3" x 3", 11-gauge tube construction and one-inch solid steel pins. The weight arm is mount-ed on two heavy-duty pil-low block bear-ings, making it great for “gripless” shoulder shrugs and for focusing on the trapezius. The unit can load up to 1,000 pounds, and the standard size is 58" x 48" x 60". It is protected by a lifetime warranty. New York Barbell of Elmira, Inc. 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com Circle No. 583

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Never Stop LearningCalifornia University of Pennsylvania has helped build the character and careers of its students for more than 150 years. Cal U’s dedication to providing high-quality, in-demand programs to its students con-tinues through the University’s Global Online 100-percent online programs of study. Through an asynchronous format, Global Online allows students the oppor-tunity to complete coursework anytime, anywhere. All that’s required is a computer with Internet access. Go online for more information. California University of Pennsylvania • 866-595-6348 www.cup.edu/go • Circle No. 586

Essential InformationEarly intervention to rapidly and accu-rately assess core body temperature on the field is necessary for the proper preven-tion, evaluation, treatment, and manage-ment of exertional heat stroke. Research indicates that external methods of moni-toring core temperature have not been proven valid under conditions of intense exercise in the heat. The CorTemp™ system, featuring the CorTemp ingest-ible temperature pill, provides an easy, affordable approach to monitoring core temperature on the field and gauging the effectiveness of cooling methods on the sidelines. This FDA-cleared product is used by professional and collegiate teams nationwide. HQ, Inc. • 941-723-4197 www.hqinc.net • Circle No. 587

Get SpecializedThe NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM-CES) advanced specialization was developed in response to the growing need for professionals who can assist clients experiencing musculoskeletal impairments, muscle imbalances, or rehabilitation con-cerns. The NASM-CES integrates the sci-ence and the solutions for optimal injury prevention and recovery success. Develop injury prevention and recovery expertise to generate more revenue working with today’s deconditioned population. Earn the preferred injury prevention and recov-ery credential of professional athletes and teams. Con-Ed approved: NASM 1.9, ACE 1.5, NSCA 1.6, BOC 37 CEUs. National Academy of Sports Medicine 800-460-6276 • www.nasm.org Circle No. 588

Because Time MattersWithout proper care, a knocked-out tooth begins to die in 15 minutes. The Save-A-Tooth emergency tooth preserving system utilizes Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution

(HBSS) to not only preserve, but also reconstitute many of the degenerated cells. The patented basket and net container are designed to protect tooth root cells. This is the only system that keeps tooth cells alive for up to 24 hours. Save-A-Tooth® 888-788-6684 • www.save-a-tooth.com Circle No. 589

Monitor From the SidelinesHQ, Inc., manufactures the CorTemp ingestible temperature pill and has been a leader in core body temperature monitor-ing for more than 20 years. The CorTemp Long Range RF system accessories now feature Bluetooth technology, making it even easier to remotely monitor your athletes from the sidelines. CorTemp data recorders coupled with remote transceivers wirelessly transmit data from the field to the RF base station on the sidelines. The PDA software shows individual tempera-tures for each athlete and features built-in temperature alarms. The system transmits data over a line-of-sight distance of up to 300 feet. HQ, Inc. • 941-723-4197 www.hqinc.net • Circle No. 590

Measure EverythingSince 1976, Creative Health Products has been a leading discount supplier of reha-bilitation, fitness, exercise, and athletic equipment, as well as health, medical, and fitness testing and measuring products, all available at reduced prices. Creative Health Products offers heart rate moni-tors; blood pressure testers; pulse oxime-ters; body fat calipers; scales; strength testers; flexibility testers; stethoscopes; pedometers; exercise bikes; ergometers; stopwatches; fitness books and software; exercise bands; step benches; hand and finger exercisers; heating pads; and more. Creative Health Products, Inc. 800-742-4478 • www.chponline.com Circle No. 591

Enhance Your CredentialsAn elite training program for fitness and enhanced athletic performance, the NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM-PES) is designed for athletic trainers, chiropractors, physical therapists, coaches, and other sports pro-fessionals who want to work with players at all levels, from the secondary educa-tion and university tier to professional and Olympic-level athletes. Con-Ed approved: NASM 1.9, ACE 1.8, NSCA 1.6, BOC 27 CEUs. National Academy of Sports Medicine • 800-460-6276 www.nasm.org • Circle No. 592

Great Ideas, Great Value MorE ProduCTS


Directories Advertisers Directory

Products Directory

136. . . . Balanced Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45103. . . . Biofreeze®/Performance Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4144. . . . Blistershield/2toms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66115. . . . california University of Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19101. . . . cho-Pat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2125. . . . clinton industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29105. . . . con-cret (ProMera Health) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7128. . . . cramer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32147. . . . cytosport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bc135. . . . efi sports Medicine/total Gym . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44121. . . . egg Whites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23111. . . . eightBall Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14127. . . . HQ, inc. (cortemp) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31116. . . . informed-choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20126. . . . Kneebourne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30138. . . . Lebert Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50106. . . . Legend Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9140. . . . MAXX Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52102. . . . McDavid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3112. . . . Met-rx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17124. . . . NAsM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28113. . . . Nebula/NK sports Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18132. . . . New York Barbell of elmira . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40100. . . . NUcAP Medical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iFc

104. . . . oakworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6110. . . . oPtP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13108. . . . Perform Better (catalog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11143. . . . Perform Better (seminars) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61130. . . . Polar electro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35137. . . . Power Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48120. . . . Power systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22107. . . . Pressure Positive company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10129. . . . Pro orthopedic Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34146. . . . ProteAM by Hausmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iBc139. . . . rogers Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51122. . . . rX24 Quadrastep system (Nolaro24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26141. . . . samson equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53145. . . . save-A-tooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66134. . . . sPri Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43133. . . . stott PiLAtes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42131. . . . stromgren Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37119. . . . texas orthopaedic Products & services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21114. . . . the PolarPool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19123. . . . townsend Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27118. . . . turfcordz/NZ Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21117. . . . Ultimate ice Wraps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20109. . . . Wilson case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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519. . . . 2toms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58558. . . . Balanced Body (Allegro tower of Power) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63556. . . . Balanced Body (eXo chair) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63586. . . . california University of Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67547. . . . cho-Pat (Dual Action Knee strap) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62515. . . . cho-Pat (Knee compression sleeve) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57537. . . . clinton industries (Laminate taping station) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60530. . . . clinton industries (Wood taping station) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59533. . . . cramer (Power Lacer ankle brace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59520. . . . cramer (Volt ankle brace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58591. . . . creative Health Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67508. . . . cytosport (cytomax collegiate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56500. . . . cytosport (Muscle Milk collegiate rtD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55540. . . . efi sports Medicine/total Gym . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60509. . . . egg Whites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56501. . . . eightBall Nutrition (creatine edge) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55507. . . . eightBall Nutrition (Herculin MrF-4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56517. . . . eightBall Nutrition (Nocturnal edge) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57587. . . . HQ, inc. (cortemp) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67590. . . . HQ, inc. (cortemp Long range rF system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67506. . . . informed-choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55554. . . . Kneebourne (elite seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62574. . . . Lebert Fitness (Buddy system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65565. . . . Lebert Fitness (equalizer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64576. . . . Legend Fitness (lifting platforms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65566. . . . Legend Fitness (Pro series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64572. . . . MAXX Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64552. . . . McDavid (428 Pro-stabilizer knee brace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62550. . . . McDavid (Multi-Action Knee Wrap) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62510. . . . Met-rx (Metamyosyn XXL Blend) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56502. . . . Met-rx (rtD Nutrition shake) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55588. . . . NAsM (NAsM-ces) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67592. . . . NAsM (NAsM-Pes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67581. . . . Nebula/NK sports Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66583. . . . New York Barbell of elmira (c-Pro91305-W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66570. . . . New York Barbell of elmira (power racks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64544. . . . NUcAP Medical (Full Knee spider) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61535. . . . NUcAP Medical (shoulder spider) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60523. . . . NZ Manufacturing, LLc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58524. . . . oakworks (Boss) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58534. . . . oakworks (Prone Pillow) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

503. . . . oNs Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55516. . . . oPtP (Pilates & Yoga Wedge) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57522. . . . oPtP (stretch eZ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58560. . . . oPtP (stretch out strap Pilates essentials) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63567. . . . Perform Better (Gamespeed 360) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64521. . . . Perform Better (solostrength) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58525. . . . Performance Health (Biofreeze®) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58545. . . . Performance Health (thera-Band) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61568. . . . Power Lift (Dumbbell Bench) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64575. . . . Power Lift (Free standing squat stand) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65569. . . . Power systems (Mobile shrug Bar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64577. . . . Power systems (Ultra Kettlebell) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65532. . . . Pressure Positive (original Backnobber ii) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59538. . . . Pressure Positive (original index Knobber ii) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60536. . . . Pro orthopedic (ice wraps) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60526. . . . Pro orthopedic (Pro 10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58505. . . . ProMera Health (con-cret) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55504. . . . ProMera Health (stayActiv) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55527. . . . ProteAM (model 4061) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59539. . . . ProteAM (Modular taping stations) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60578. . . . rogers Athletic (Pendulum Power squat Pro) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65582. . . . rogers Athletic (tred sled) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66541. . . . rX24 Quadrastep system (Nolaro24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60580. . . . samson (Belt squat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66571. . . . samson (combo/Decline Bench) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64589. . . . save-A-tooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67579. . . . sPri Products (speed Parachute) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65573. . . . sPri Products (trX suspension training) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65557. . . . stott PiLAtes (DVD series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63559. . . . stott PiLAtes (split-Pedal stability chair) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63518. . . . strength systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57548. . . . stromgren (190 series knee protectors) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62543. . . . stromgren (Hammy series 1530/1530s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61551. . . . texas orthopaedic Products & services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62531. . . . the PolarPool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59549. . . . townsend Design (Premier/rebel series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62553. . . . townsend Design (Web motocross) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62528. . . . Ultimate ice Wraps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59529. . . . Wilson case (splittopXL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59542. . . . Wilson case (tablePro) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

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T&C April 2009Volume XIX, No. 3

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 & Courses” to take the quiz online. You may also mail your quiz to us: Fill in the circle on the answer form (on page 71) that represents the best answer for each of the questions below. Complete the form at the bottom of page 71, include a $25 payment to MAG, Inc., and mail it to the following address: MAG, Inc., ATTN: T&C 19.3 Quiz, 31 Dutch Mill Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. Readers who correctly answer 70 percent of the questions will be notified of their earned credit by mail within 30 days.

Bulletin Boards (pages 5-6)Objective: Read some of the latest news in sports medicine, including legal issues, research on supple-ments, anti-doping efforts, and athlete safety.

1. If active herpes lesions are present on a wrestler, NCAA guidelines call for:a) Three weeks of antiviral drug therapy.b) Five days of antiviral drug therapy.c) Three days of antiviral drug therapy.d) No use of antiviral drugs.

2. Herpes simplex 1 is the virus associated with:a) Prolonged muscular atrophy.b) Cold sores and genital herpes.c) Strabismus and macular degeneration.d) Several types of cancer.

3. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association now requires that athletes who have a suspected head injury be:a) Held out of games for two weeks.b) Evaluated on the sideline before returning to play.c) Sent to an emergency room for an EEG.d) Removed from play until released to return by a doctor.

4. The probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum RI-003 was found in a recent study to reduce ______ among distance runners.a) Running performance.b) Colds and respiratory ailments.c) Blood pressure.d) Peak heart rate during activity.

5. Human growth hormone (HGH) shows up in blood tests for only ______ after use.a) 24 to 48 hours.b) One week.c) 10 to 12 hours.d) One month.

Comeback Athlete (pages 9-13)Objective: Follow the story of Kristin Duquette, a swimmer who is battling physical adversity with help from a specialized therapy modality.

6. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) causes deterioration in the:a) Legs and feet.b) Face, shoulders, anterior torso, and hips.c) Eyes, mouth, shoulders, and upper arms.d) Connective tissue of all joints in the body.

7. Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) incorporates varying levels of pressure to:a) Reverse bone and muscle tissue loss.b) Reduce muscle spasms and increase soft tissue flexibility.c) Alleviate pain associated with joint deterioration.d) Counteract nerve damage to an injured area.

8. In addition to FSHD, Duquette also suffers from:a) Iliotibial band syndrome.b) Increased susceptibility to ankle sprains.c) Plantar fasciitis.d) Scoliosis.

A Closer Look (pages 15-22)Objective: Read experts’ take on the latest research and recommendations involving protein consumption and utilization by athletes.

9. Brian Roy believes the most important variable regarding protein consumption is:a) Whether protein comes from a natural or synthetic source.b) The chemical makeup of the protein.c) When the protein is consumed.d) What other nutrients accompany the protein.

10. Stuart Phillips warns that too much protein may “steal” ______ from an athlete’s diet.a) Carbohydrates.b) Micronutrients.c) Electrolytes.d) Essential fatty acids.

11. Brian Roy expresses worry that consuming excess protein during exercise could cause:a) Gastric distress.b) Slowed digestion of carbohydrates and electrolytes.c) Muscle cramping.d) Dehydration.

12. Martin Gibala says that one major unanswered question is whether ingesting protein during or immediately after aerobic exercise:a) Increases hypertrophy.b) Hampers muscle glycogen replacement.c) Interferes with the absorption of essential amino acids.d) Attenuates skeletal muscle fiber disruption.

Continued on page 70—with answer sheet on page 71...Or take this quiz online and get instant results:www.training-conditioning.com

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13. Stuart Phillips says that ______ is a “tired old method” for measuring protein requirements.a) Body composition analysis.b) Muscle biopsy.c) Nitrogen balance.d) Body mass index.

One Step Ahead (pages 24-31)Objective: Learn about the cutting-edge athletic performance and injury prevention research being conducted at the Ohio State University Sports Biomechanics Laboratory.

14. OSU’s Sports Biomechanics Lab employs motion-capture technology similar to that used to develop:a) Flight simulators.b) Face-recognition software.c) Artificial intelligence programs.d) Video games and special effects for movies.

15. An upcoming study at the OSU lab will address the relation-ship between ______ and arm injuries among college pitchers.a) Trunk stability.b) Ulnar collateral ligament health.c) Hip flexors.d) Achilles tendon flexibility.

From ATC to AD (pages 33-38)Objective: Learn about athletic trainers who have successfully made a career transition into the field of athletic administration.

16. Chris Warden says one of the biggest surprises of moving into athletic administration was:a) How big his new office was.b) How many hours athletic directors work.c) The variety of questions he has to answer each day.d) How difficult it is to communicate with colleagues at

other schools.

17. Being active in his regional athletic trainers association helped Pete Carlon transition into an administrative career by:a) Helping him become comfortable in a leadership role.b) Teaching him how to handle finances.c) Increasing his networking contacts.d) Offering mentorship opportunities.

18. To prepare for a career in administration, Jeff Cassella completed a semester-long internship with his school’s:a) Athletic director.b) Principal.c) Superintendent.d) Director of Counseling.

19. Stevie Baker-Watson says that athletic trainers are typically judged by:a) How student-athletes respond to their treatment.b) How well they interact with coaches and parents.c) The costs they impose on the athletic department.d) The number of time-loss injuries sustained by athletes

from year to year.

A Mat For All Seasons (pages 41-46)Objective: Understand the principles of Pilates and how implementing basic Pilates exercises into a training regimen can improve athletes’ health and performance.

20. Kinesthetic awareness refers to:a) An athlete’s performance potential.b) Knowledge of specific muscle groups involved in

movement.c) Improving movement efficiency.d) Knowing where the body is in relation to itself and the

world around it.

21. The focus on ______ in Pilates reduces unnecessary strain on joints and muscles.a) Deep breathing.b) Deltoid strength.c) Visualization of movement.d) Postural alignment.

22. Athletes often compensate for lost function after injury through movements that disrupt:a) Proper sequencing of the neuromuscular system.b) Weightlifting mechanics.c) Running mechanics.d) The relationships between various stabilizer muscle

groups.

23. The author states that Pilates exercises develop core strength while promoting a:a) Mental focus on sport-specific activity.b) Controlled lengthening of the muscles.c) Controlled lengthening of the ligaments.d) De-emphasis on competition.

24. When performing Oblique Preps and Side Bend Preps, athletes should:a) Perform more reps to their dominant side than their

weaker side.b) Perform more reps to their weaker side than their

dominant side.c) Perform an equal number of reps to each side.d) Perform no more than three reps to each side.

Trench Warriors (pages 49-54)Objective: Learn about the conditioning program used to train offensive and defensive line players in the University of Oregon football program.

25. The author states that one major challenge of training line players is their:a) Lack of postural stability.b) Left-right strength imbalances.c) Larger bone structure and greater body fat.d) Chronic knee inflexibility.

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Next Stop: Web SiteOur editorial continues on Here is a sampling of what’s posted right now:

Thanks to a new tennis-specific strength and conditioning program, Xavier University’s Doug Matthews is enjoying a strong season.www.training-conditioning.com/blogs.php

www.training-conditioning.com/features.php

The athletic training room should be a place where athletes feel safe from homophobia. How-ever, the majority of high school athletic trainers have witnessed homophobic behavior in their athletic training rooms, according to a study presented last month at the Ithaca College Sport, Sexuality, & Culture Conference.

Despite constant running, frequent stopping and starting, and vigorous upper- and lower-body movement requirements of tennis, many programs overlook strength and conditioning. But that’s not the case at Xavier University, where Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Rich Jacobs, MS, SCCC, CSCS, has the men’s team in great shape and sitting atop the Atlantic 10 conference standings, ready to defend their 2008 league championship.

Nearly a year and a half after undergoing Birmingham Hip Resurfacing surgery, elite endurance athlete Robyn Benincasa is back at the top of her game. The procedure has helped Benincasa overcome a painful battle with osteoarthritis, and she is again conquering adventure racing and ultra marathon courses all over the world.

Wondering what it takes to break into the strength and conditioning coaching ranks at the NCAA Division I level? A recent study queried head strength and conditioning coaches across Division I to find out what they look for when filling job openings.

PROTEAMCOMES TO PLAYPROTEAM is a new concept in athletic training tables and treatment furniture. Our Modular Taping Stations fit any space and any need. As versatile as the Option Play, you can add, change or relocate modules as necessary!

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YOU’D BETTER COME TO PLAY.

TM

[email protected] Union St Northvale, NJ USA

Two upholstered taping modules, one storage module with laminate top.

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450 lbs. weight capacity per seat.

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Middle pad converts Taping Table into a Treatment Table.

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TWO-PERSON TAPING TABLE / CONVERTIBLE TREATMENT TABLE (4061)

Circle No. 146

TIMING ISEVERYTHING.

GET SOME.

When it comes to sport nutrition, timing is crucial.Getting enough fuel to make it through another day of training, class, practiceand studying can be difficult for today’s time-constrained student-athlete.

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Muscle Milk® Collegiate nutritional shakes, powders and bars help athletes re-fuelafter grueling workouts, practices and games. Muscle Milk Collegiate taken immediately post-workout

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Providing a combination of glucose, fructose, PolylactateTM, and electrolytes –Cytomax fuels and hydrates like no other sport drink today.

[email protected]©2008, CYTOSPORT, Benicia, CA 94510

PRE-FUELwith CYTOMAX®

RE-FUELwith MUSCLE MILK®

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Circle No. 147

Training & Conditioning 19.3

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Transcript of Training & Conditioning 19.3