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1st Week of Speed & Athletic Development Camp
Posted by: | CommentsWe’ve just concluded the first week of our speed and athletic development camp and I have to say, kids camps are no joke! If you’ve ever been to a Dynamic Solutions class, you should know I pour every ounce of energy I have into teaching a class. Let’s just say 4 hours a day with 50 plus kids between the ages of 8-12 has tapped my reserves. But I’m loving every minute of it!! We have all kinds of athletes participating in this camp, which is awesome! I knew when we promoted this camp as a Speed and Athletic Development camp, we would be getting all kinds of athletes signing up. I didn’t think we would have kids that participated in archery, diving, water polo and golf though. These are awesome kids that believe that getting stronger will ultimately enhance their skills in their sport of choice. I love it!
On Tuesday we had 30 of the athletes get their 40 yard dash filmed for technique corrections. This is the first and most important part of our MTS training program. With this program they will be receiving extensive feedback on what is the proper way to increase their top end speed and how to improve movement mechanics. Combine all the strength training were going to be doing in the studio and an awesome speed training program put together by myself and CEO of MTS, Vince Stephenson, and I know were going to have some pretty good looking athletes come August!
Finally, I want to say how impressesive the young athletes have been. One of our goals for them during this camp was to be able to perform a pretty good looking squat . Well, we taught them how to perform unresisted wall squats on Monday and on Wednesday they did wall squats using light kettlebells for 2 sets of 10. Introducing resisted squats this early into camp is a testament to how athletic these kids truly are! If you take a look at the video below you can see how excited I was to see them squatting so nicely. It’s awesome when you see kids from 8-12 years of age dedicated to becoming better athletes!
New Product (Spark Energy Drink)
Next up, I am going to talk about a new product I recently began to use, SPARK ENERGY DRINK. Now, I must admit I used to be the guy searching for that quick energy burst before working out. After suffering over and over to the inevitable energy crash that follows one of these drinks, I chose to go another route. I started taking my Cruciferous Vegetable Sprout Supplements before working out and that seemed to work well for me. Than about 1 month ago our client Brad Gavel gave me a free sample of SPARK to try. Now Brad, knew how picky I was about the food I eat, but insisted that SPARK was the “Real Deal”and gave me some resources to check out. I was amazed at how many major college programs and professional teams were using and endorsing SPARK. I heard rumblings about SPARK, but I had know idea how big it had become within the NCAA. Well, I tried SPARK before a big dead lifting day and I could not believe how good I felt! I set a PR in the dead lift that day although that was not my intention. I wanted to workout longer but had to get to a client. To tell you the truth I think I could have gone on for another 2 hours!! I’m really not the type of person that goes around endorsing different products, trying to get people to buy stuff that I feel is okay at best. I will let others know when there is a product out there that I’m taking and think it’s something that could possibly be good for them. Well, this is one of those products! Many of our clients in the studio are currently drinking SPARK and they seem to love the benefits as well! We have SPARK in the studio and if you are currently a client of ours and would like to try it to sample it just let us know. If you are not a client but would like to try to purchase SPARK please see the link below. I know you are going to like it! We have not had any negative feedback yet!!
Here are a few benefits of taking SPARK:
1. enhances mental energy and focus
2. provides support for long lasting energy
3. helps fight occasional drowsiness
4. Contains 21 vitamins, minerals and nutrients
5. Sugar free and only 45 calories.
Order Spark here
Stay Strong… Kettlebellstrong!!
My Top 5 Speed Training Myths
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There are so many myths when it comes to training for speed out there, but I want to make this blog entry short, so I decided to narrow my top speed training myths down to 5. These are the statements I hear most often when talking to parents and young athletes about gettting faster:
1) You can’t train speed
This is one of the most insane things I have ever heard! Please tell me how Usain Bolt can go from running a 9.9 100 meter dash to a world record 9.58 in under 6 months! Was it just a lucky day or was it a smart training program? I think you know the answer to this. So many young athletes are so physically weak and unsound mechanically, that you can significantly increase their speed thru technique training and small amounts of resistance training. When you add in the multiple benefits of training with a kettlebell, your young athlete will be well on his/her way to becoming a true speed demon!
2) Long distance running will improve your speed
When I get a look at an athlete’s summer training program, I am totally amazed at how much long distance running these kids are asked to do. One thing that eats me up is a 150 pound kid with hardly any muscle running mile after mile after mile. Not only will this type of training rob you of your hard earned muscle, but it will actually make you a slower athlete. How many sports involve running slow for minutes at a time? Not many! The athletes I work with are asked to get up to top speed immediately. So, in order for us to improve upon this, all sprint work must be done full speed!
3) Young athlete’s shouldn’t strength train
Well I guess it’s okay for little Johnny to get tackled by mammoth defenders, slide into second base, fall down and get kicked, but he’s two young to start learning how to master his own bodyweight. This is a huge problem! Believe me, getting knocked to the turf repeatedly will have a much greater affect on your young athlete than a well designed strength training program. Exercises such as push ups, lunges, and squats will improve an athlete’s muscular efficiency, coordination, overall speed and help to speed up recovery after a game.
4) Hard Workouts= Better Results
This one isn’t just for athletes wanting to get faster! I’ve been a trainer for about 8 years now and I can tell you that pounding athletes and clients into the dirt has NEVER worked for me. While at UVA, we had probably one of the best strength coaches ever in John Gamble. Now, he had his days were he wanted to push us beyond our normal limits, but the majority of our workouts focused on using proper technique to stimulate an adaptation in the body, without reaching a point of diminishing returns. Most coaches and trainers think that if the athlete or client isn’t vomiting after a workout, than their training was ineffective. Not only will this produce mediocre results, but the athlete becomes more susceptible to injury. Not good!
5) Static Stretching will prepare you for running & competition
Many still don’t understand static stretching will reduce an athletes power output. A good dynamic warm is the best way to get the athlete ready for game time. Starting with low intensity movements and progressing to faster more explosive movements will elevate the athlete’s core temperature and loosen up muscles in a way that doesn’t reduce power. It is also important for the athlete to simulate movements that they will be using within the game. Stretching muscles while the body is still cold is a surefire way to get injured!
This Week on the DS Blog
Posted by: | CommentsQ & A Session with Camp Soccer Coach Jonathan Willis
Dynamic Solutions is thrilled to introduce to you our camp soccer coach and one of our favorite people, Jonathan Willis. Jonathan has been training in the DS studio for about 6 months and is easily in the best shape of any athlete that I have had the chance to work with. Because of this reason and the fact that he can light up a room and personally give me energy when I need it the most, makes Jonathan a great asset to our team.
DG: You had the opportunity to coach a few years at a boys and girls club at North Carolina State University. What is the biggest thing you learned about coaching young athletes?
JW: The overarching concept I learned when coaching is Kids want to have fun when they are playing outdoors. Due to this, the coach must teach the necessary skills in a fun and inventive way which always keeps the kids attention and motivation high. Just like adults have to show how school work and eating your vegetables can be fun a coach must do the same for sports and exercise.
DG: What motivates you to get involved with coaching?
JW: It is not any one thing which motivates me to get involved with the community in any aspect let alone coaching. When I was growing up I was fortunate enough to have a big brother in a mentor program in elementary school. That program was a strong contributing factor to the motivation I carried thru to my high school education and sporting activity. I know if I did not have the individual support at that point and time my level of desire to achieve at anything would have been greatly diminished. When I started volunteering in college it was in part because I wanted to give back in that same way. I enjoy sports and being outdoors and helping whatever community I am in. For those same reasons I would also volunteer overseas in the countries I visited with the Navy. Community is not a community if people are not willing to volunteer their time and skills to make the whole a better place.
DG: What are some of the games and drills you like to use with young soccer players?
JW: You always have to have the simi-dull kick drill or pass drill. It helps ensure that you as the kid know what you are doing and provides a base line for the coach to work from. However, the games at practice I like to play teach various skills but always involve a lot of running and agility. I like to use games which mix two skill sets in one event. It keeps the kids thinking and tires them out which helps build mind and body endurance. In soccer it does not matter how hard you kick, how well you can head the ball, or how far you can throw it in bounds. You must be able to run up and down a field for the duration of the 2 periods and catch the opponent with the ball in enough time to prevent him/her from scoring.
DG: What are you most excited about sharing with young athelts attending our peed and athletic camp?
JW: I am most excited about sharing the excitement and fun you can have outdoors playing sports or exercising vice being inside in front of the computer / television / hand held device etc which, allows kids to turn off their brain and veg-out. More and more I feel kids think going outside to play is as much a chore as mowing the lawn or doing the dishes. Ensuring a kid is a well rounded and has as many avenues to help them succeed as possible does not stop at teaching kids to eat their different veggies and reading more challenging books; you must also teach them build up their athletic skills and stay physically as well as mentally active.
DG: I’m a believer in working with kids as early as 8 years of age. How do you feel about having kids perform age appropriate skills acquisition drills to help maximize athletic performance?
JW: I understand the mind and the body mature differently. However, just as teachers set the ground work for latter educational exploration by teaching kids the alphabet, multiplication tables, and how to read and write at a young age; you must also teach kids the basics of good exercise habits to also set the ground work for latter exploration in personal health and sporting activity. If 5 and 6 years olds can go to gym class in Kindergarten to learn to play around 8 year olds can learn necessary physical skill sets to help them succeed in sports.
Using Circuits To Develop Mental Toughness
This workout by college football player Ian McKean was designed strictly to push him beyond his normal limits. It was totally a surprise, but I wanted to see if he would give up. He’s a strong kid and can Power Clean over 300 pounds, but what good is that on the football field if he’s gassed in the 4th quarter and his opponent is pounding him into the dirt!
Mental toughness is an attribute that has to be built thru an athlete’s strength and conditioning program. Sports specific skills are important for every athlete to have, but those skills become worthless when you’re going against an athlete who’s bigger. faster, stronger , tougher and in better shape!
Is your young athlete mentally tough? If not, I suggest you get them signed up for our Speed & Athletic Development Camp while there still is space!!
Litvinov Workout by Dan John
Up next is a good article by one of personal favorites in the strength and conditioning industry, Dan John. Dan is an RKC certified instructor, and holds numerous National Championships in weightlifting and throwin, so I tend to listen when he speaks!
His article the Litvinov workout talks about the style of training Sergey Litvinov used to help him dominate the world in the hammer throw in the 1980’s. When, I first read this article, all I can think was this type of training MUST illicit some amazing results! I have always believed on focusing on quality over quantity in regards to training and high intensity workouts. Tomorrow will be my first Litvinov workout , as I hope to use this with our athletes in the future. I’ll let you know how it goes!
2 Day Training Template
I get a lot of questions from people about training programs and how do go about training the multi-sport athlete. For me, this is very simple. No matter what sport you play, you will benefit from lifting weights and sports specific conditioning. We use basically the same training templates with all our young athletes and all have made dramatic improvements in their sport. Here is a 2 day training template we’ll be using with our older group of athletes this summer:
Day 1 – Heavy Day
Warm Up
1)Foam Roll, ankle mobility, hip mobility, t-spine mobility
2) Dynamic Warm Up/ Movement Prep (calisthenics)
3) Linear Agility Work
Workout
1) Deadlift/Clean/KB Swing Instruction
2a) Front Squats 3 x5 (82% relative intensity)
2b) Chin Ups 3 x 5
3a) BW or Zercher hold reverse lunge 3 x 8
3b) Strict Press 3 x 5
3c) RDL x 8 R/L
Day 2- Speed Training
Warm up
1) Foam Roll, ankle mobility, Stretching and Activation Drills
2) Dynamic Warm Up/ Movement Prep
Plyometrics
1) Pogo jumps 3 x 10 seconds
2) Wideouts 3 x10 seconds
3) Jump squat 4 x4
Speed Work
1) Seated Arm Action 2 x 6 seconds
2) Split stance start to sprint x 8 1 minute rest in between sets
3) 20 yard shuttles x 4 2 minutes rest in between sets
4) 40 yard ins and outs x 4 2 minutes rest in between
Wednesdays will be high rep workouts and on Thursdays we will be conditioning. This is the first phase of our 12 month Movement Training Systems online training program. Upon completion of the camp all athletes can still train with us year round without having to be in the DS studio. All MTS programs come with video feedback and access to all of our training protocols. Take the guess work out of training and ensure you’re doing the exercises correctly! All for the price of about 4 Personal TRAINING SESSIONS!!
If you’re unable to attend our camp, but still want you’re young athlete to take advantage of our one of a kind MTS program, e-mail us at dynamicsolutions@kettlebellstronginva.com for a presentation.