Scholarship Congrats

Congrats to Arch Bishop Alter's Evan Johnson on his  scholarship to Brown University, and Fairmont High School's Evan Wray on his scholarship to Butler University.  Both Are great students and athletes.  We are happy to have them as part of the Power Enterprises family.

Welcome Isaac Michael Manfre

I would like you to meet my son Isaac, all 8.9 pounds and 22 inches of him.  Obviously a very proud dad.

 

Isaac 1

Isaac 2

Isaac 3

Native Eating

This Article is very interesting.  It basically documents how native people in this country, but also documented cases in Australia and South America, have gone back to their native diets, and have seen massive weight loss, Higher energy levels and a decrease in depression and diabetes. 

Congrats to Jenny Forster and the Arizona Swim Team

The Arizona Wildcats are the newly crowned national champion swim team.  Our own Jenny Forster is a contributing member of this team, so I thought I would mention it. 

We can no longer take credit for Ms. Forster's conditioning, as it is obviously handled by the excellent strength and conditioning staff at the University of Arizona, but she is Power Enterprises Inc alumni, so she gets the mention.

Congratulations to our own Sarah Andrews

Our own "little fish" Sarah Andrews got her Olympic Trial Cut time in the 200m bk.  Congratulations to her, her family and the Dayton Raiders Swim Coaching Staff.

Congrats to the Alter Girls Basketball Team

We have had the privilege of being associated with the Alter Girls Basketball team for a number of years now.  We wanted to wish them luck in the Ohio Girls Basketball State Finals, this Saturday March 8th in Columbus. 

We were mentioned in the local Dayton Daily News in an article, third paragraph.  This is the link to the article about the very talented Ms. Waterman

Waterman Article

Toughest Bird I have ever seen

It not that this bird swam to shore, its that the damn thing never dropped the fish.  Keep your eye on the prize!

Interesting Research

Two points of interest for the men who think that a little ride on the exercise bike while reading the paper, and never breathing hard is doing the job.

1.  out of shape (read: men that never do any high intensity exercise) are 100 times more likely to die while shoveling snow or sprinting for the bus than those who are in shape.

 

2.  scientists found that sedentary middle aged men who took up exercising saw a quantum leap in their libidos

 

Just some things to think about.

Congrats Eric Limkemann

Our resident triathlete and shark's swim coach Eric Limkemann has won US Triathlon Association Rookie of the Year.  Continued success Eric. 

Injuries and the female athlete

The female athlete, and her propensity to have lower extremity injuries has been studied and length, and these injuries have been connected to the angles of the hips, elasticity of tendons during menstrual cycles, and any number of other causes. 

The fact remains that most female athletes train in one sport, and in that sport they move and train in a linear (straight forward) movement pattern.  This type of training and play leads to muscle/tendon strength and flexibility imbalances.

In order to stave off lower extremity injury, the athlete must be asked to train and play in multiple directions.  These different directions must be attacked at game like speed and power, in order to simulate situation that the athlete may see in  game play.

Encouraging the athlete to run and jump in all four directions will help decrease the possibility of major injury.

An interesting piece of research on predicting injury in athletes using a right/left leg balance test can be found here:

balance and the female athlete

In the SEBT (Star Excursion Balance Test) test, athletes stand on each foot and reach as far as they can with the other foot in three directions: 12, 4, and 8 o’clock on a clock face. “The test requires flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination,”

In the study, two variables proved the best indicators of injury risk: the difference between reaches with the left and right legs, and total-reach distance, which is the sum of reaches in all three directions. The researchers found that players with a more than four-centimeter (1.5 inch) difference between right and left reaches were more than twice as likely to suffer an injury than those with a smaller difference. And girls whose total-reach distance was less than 94 percent of their leg length were 6.5 times more likely to suffer a lower-body injury than girls with scores a

Technorati Tags: female,athlete,injury,test,balance

bove 94 percent

Calling All Preparing Football Athletes

This is the warning call for all football players who are preparing for next season, be it at the high school collegiate or professional levels. 

Power enterprises presently trains all state and collegiate players, and we will custom design a program that constant adapts to the needs of the individual athlete.

The program can be complete conditioning, which includes all weight lifting, flexibility,speed, power and agility training for those who are going to play in college.  This program will mirror the type of conditioning the athletes will see when they get to their college teams.

The other type of program is for those players that are required to lift at their high schools.  This program includes all flexibility, speed, power and agility training to supplement the program at school.

The high school option allows the athletes to get individual attention in aspects like sprint technique, and use specialized equipment in very small groups, in order to improve their power and speed.

Below is a very basic sample of one of my high school players, who is now considering positions on various collegiate teams.

Please see my earlier post for more background information.

http://powerathlete.blogspot.com/2007/09/for-speed-training-get-bigger-engine.html#links

Technorati Tags: football,agilty,conditioning,speed,dayton,all ohio

Congrats to my football players

Congrats to all my players from Alter, Fairmont and Centerville on a hard fought season.  A special mention to those players who got all state and all league mentions and honors, Evan Neff, Evan Wray and Evan Johnson.  Congrats boys, keep up the good work.

Technorati Tags: Alter, Fairmont, Centerville, football, state honors, all league

Great simple nutritional rules

1. if it runs, swims or flies, or is green you can eat it

2. avoid the 7 C's Colas, Candy, Cakes, Cookies, Crackers, ice Cream, and Cereal

 

Go with #1 if you are really hardcore, # 2 if you are just getting started or back on the wagon.

Technorati Tags: bodybuilding, fitness competitor, nutrition, athlete nutrition

Congrats Aaron B.

Aaron B, one of the Raiders Swimmers that works with Power Enterprises for conditioning is on his way to the Olympic Training Center as a reward for being one of the top 16 year old swimmers in the country.  Keep up the good work Aaron!

Technorati Tags: olympic training center, swimming

Omega-3 Fish Oils

if there was any question to how useful those little oil filled pills are, he is the current list of suspected positive associations.

• Fish oil consumption has been associated with a reduced incidence of sudden cardiac death in humans.
• Fish oil has been shown to improve mood.
• Fish oil has been associated with a reduced incidence of stroke.
• Fish oil has been shown to reduce relapses in those with Crohn’s Disease and complications with Ulcerative Colitis.
• Low levels of plasma EFA's have been associated with ADHD in children.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis patients were able to reduce their usage of NSAID drugs when they added in n-3 fatty acids.
• Elite athletes were able to reduce the severity of post-exercise bronchial constriction when supplementing with fish oil.
• Fish oil supplementation can elevate HDL cholesterol levels and assist in weight loss.
• Fish oil supplementation can make you leaner.
• Fish oil improves mitochondrial function.

Technorati Tags: omega-3, fish oils

Are you ready to win?

I am interested in the young athletes I train, and their mental position on their sport.  So much of modern society is about showing up, doing what is asked from you.

Being successful in any sport means training at higher intensity than anyone else, doing more than the coach asks of you, going the extra mile.

I have been invited to consult on many teams conditioning programs, and more often than not, it isn't the program that is the problem it is the attitude of the athletes that are the problem.

Here is the average picture, Billy  shows up to practice in his new under armor outfit, does just enough not to get yelled at, and scurry away before anyone notices, and repeat for the prescribed number of weeks.  Then competition comes around, little Billy runs, swims, jumps, like shit.  Mommy searches out the coaching staff to ask why Billie looks like shit.  What they can't tell the mom is GO ASK BILLY!

By the time competition comes around it is too late to fix the problem, magic doesn't just happen, it is built with blood sweat and tears, in the off season.

The athletes that I have personally worked with, the ones that got the best playing time, were the ones that went that extra mile.  They have not all been the best athletes, but better than average ones that tried harder than everyone else.

Technorati Tags: athlete motivation

Congrats to Nick R

Nick R, and client and friend has continued his quest to master the big man division in the nations triathlons.  When he started this endeavor I was the first to tell him that he would injure himself.  His drive and resolve have proven to me that anything is possible with enough gumption and confidence.  His training with me, and his own triathlon training has shown about a 40-50 pound weight loss down to the low 240's, and he recently ran and came in second in his division in his first half ironman.  Keep up the good work Nick!

Technorati Tags: Ironman, Big Man division Ironman

For Speed Training, get a bigger engine

It is that time of year when parents start calling for "speed training".  The first thing I am told is they don't want little Johnny or Mary to become "muscle bound", they just want them to be faster, more agile.

    sprinter   long distance runner

There is a reason sprinters, and jumpers have muscles, it is because you must first have strength before you produce power, or speed.  Speed is basically strength produced quickly, with out one you can't have the other.

That being said, it isn't necessary to make little Mary look like a football player, but it is necessary for her to be somewhat stronger before she is going to get any faster.

Technorati Tags: speed traing, agility, sports conditioning, conditioning, agility training

Guaranteed weight loss

Eating strictly from this list with sensible portion control and exercise will result in a positive change in body composition period.   You just have to discipline to do it.

Lean meat/poultry (90% lean meat, chicken, turkey, etc.)

Eggs

Dairy (cottage cheese, low-fat string cheese)

Healthy fats (fish oil, mixed nuts, olive oil, flax seeds)

Vegetables (spinach, broccoli, greens supplement)

Fibrous fruits (apples, grapes, pears, blueberries, other berries)

Oatmeal/other whole grains

Green tea

Protein powders (casein/whey blends, whey)

Technorati Tags: weight loss, body composition changes, body fat loss.

Coach/Strength Coach Interaction

Had another Great workout with my swimmers today from the WTRC Sharks.  Their new coach (I won't mention his name, because I haven't asked him if I could) is a well known professional triathlete, and ex-collegiate swimmer who truly understands the interaction between a coach and a strength coach.

I have dealt with so many control freak sport coaches, that don't know the first thing about conditioning but insist on doing it themselves, so they don't loose the grasp on their athletes.

I wish more coaches could witness the interaction this new coach and I have, and the positive transformation it has made to the kids in such a short time.  Their attitude is better, they are working harder than ever, and the interaction of the two coaches, with their two specialities is helping blend the in and out of water performance.

There is a reason I don't coach football, or basketball, or soccer, it is because I feel I don't know enough about it.  There are still so many sport coaches that read an article written by their favorite sport  college or pro coach, or get a program from a college clinic, and give it to their athletes blindly without the slightest ideas about the ramifications.

Most college conditioning programs are designed for spectacular athletes, the top 1% that the country's high schools have to offer.  They often times are not appropriate for the average high school athlete.

Leave the design and implementation to a coach that only coaches strength and conditioning, and we will leave the sport coaching up to you.

Technorati Tags: coaching, strength coach/sport coach interaction