The search for new training methods and creating more efficient ways of improving performance never ends. The drive for athletes to excel and reach new levels of performance will continue to pave the way for developing new training methods and techniques. Finding ways to push performance limits and counteract injury is critical. To accomplish this it means creating more functional, movement based fitness and active rehabilitation programs.
One of the most common misconceptions among athletes is that they can get in shape and continue to improve physically simply by participating in their sport. Many athletes are convinced that they are too old, too young, or not elite enough to benefit from a coach or a sports conditioning program. This is nothing but a myth! The truth is that anyone, at any level, can benefit from such a program.
The higher level of performance desired, the more efficiently and consistently one wishes to perform, (competitively or not) and the more potential that exists for injury (due to either training volume or the inherent danger of the sport itself) the more important it becomes to design a specific sports conditioning program tailored to the athlete and his or her specific sport or event.
Based on the messages we get from popular media regarding fitness, which usually only addresses the 3 basic components of sports conditioning- (endurance, strength, and flexibility) it is easy to assume that if an athlete is reasonably “fit” they don’t need a special sports conditioning program. A 30-minute jog, a few bench presses and leg presses, and you are ready to go, right? Wrong.
Many strength-training programs given to athletes are based on cookie-cutter bodybuilding routines, which are not the most effective way to prepare athletes for complex and/or repetitive movements. They can actually be counterproductive.
Athletes need to train functionally, which means using not just the “prime mover” muscles in isolation, (leg extensions, for example) but training muscles that stabilize you (hold you up and keep you balanced).
Athletes should train all the muscles involved in complex movement, in multiple planes, using multiple joints in concert with each other. A complex movement is like a symphony. Can you imagine a well- rehearsed string section that never rehearsed with the brass section? What if the percussion section came in at the wrong time? The muscles in your body and your entire nervous system must learn to work in concert with each other, in perfect harmony, with perfect timing. This is how our body moves in real life and in sport.
Components of a Sports Conditioning Program include:
Cardiovascular Endurance:
The heart’s ability to deliver blood to working muscles; the ability of the muscles to use the blood delivered by the heart.
Strength:
The extent to which muscles exert force by contracting against resistance.
Flexibility:
The ability to achieve an extended range of motion without being impeded by excess tissue, i.e. fat or muscle.
Speed:
The ability to move efficiently and quickly without wasted movement or effort.
Power:
The combination of speed and strength; the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst of movement (Plyometrics).
Agility:
The ability to perform a series of explosive power movements in rapid succession in opposing directions.
Balance:
The ability to control the body’s position, either stationary (e.g. stork stand) or while moving (skiing, snowboarding, cornering on a bicycle at speed).
Strength Endurance:
A muscle’s ability to perform a maximum contracture time after time (relentless hill/stair climbs).
Coordination:
The ability to integrate the above listed components so that effective movements are achieved using the correct combinations of muscles in the correct order.
It may seem obvious that power and speed athletes, such as hockey players, soccer players, skiers, gymnasts, and motocross racers benefit from time spent following a conditioning program. Power athletes need a very strong base of strength in order to achieve maximum power. Muscles must also be adequately prepared for the level of stress that they will undergo when training for explosive power. When strength is developed, these athletes can concentrate on improving their explosive power through plyometric training.
Power and speed athletes are more likely to sustain acute injuries than endurance athletes. Time spent following a conditioning program can insure that the structural integrity of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons is strong so that impacts resulting from playing contact sports or crashes sustained from participation in gravity sports such as skiing are not as devastating, Injury prevention alone is a very compelling reason for these athletes to spend time on resistance training as well as balance and agility training.
Centre of Power
Core training is essential for power athletes – when kicking a soccer ball, for example, your power is generated from your centre. Mountain biking provides another excellent example of the benefits of having a strong core, or centre. The ability to control the bike comes from having a strong upper body. Power is transferred through centre of the body into the lower body, allowing for maximum transfer of force to the pedals when practicing skills such as cornering and jumping and even climbing.
Getting the most out of your sport requires an intelligent, methodical approach to training. Working with a Conditioning Coach will ensure a safe, well-balanced custom program is designed, no matter what your sport or your level of play.
Sample Sports Team Clientele:
- 1. London Marconi Elettra
- 2. London Galaxy
- 3. London Meteors
- 4. London Magic
- 5. London Lasers
- 6. London Arsenals
- 7. Nor West Dynamite
- 8. Sarnia Sting Bantam AA Boys Hockey
- 9. Middlesex United Spitfires
- 10. Middlesex United Red Devils
