Kevin Neeld — Hockey Training, Sports Performance, & Sports Science

Why just be fat

Why just be fat….

When you can be fat AND uncomfortable??

This is a rhetorical question that I pose to everyone that performs hundreds of crunches and sit-ups to improve the aesthetic appeal of their midsection.

The sorer the better, right??

WRONG!

Research has been good to us in this area-Spot reduction is not possible!

Spot reduction is the idea that if you train one area of your body, the amount of fat in that area will decrease.  Relevantly, if you perform lots of crunches/sit-ups, you will NOT lose fat around your midsection!

Even worse-all those sit-ups and crunches may result in a shortened rectus abdominis (think ‘6-pack’), which pulls your rib cage down.  This can have negative consequences on everything from breathing, to posture, to headaches resulting from a forward head posture!

So what’s the solution?

1. Understand what the core is: All the muscles that attach to the hips and spine.

2. Understand the functions of the core:

a. Create stiffness to efficiently transfer force from the lower body to the upper body.

b.  Create a stable platform for extremity (arm and leg) movement

3.  Understand now to train your core for stability and to PREVENT movement.

This is where things can get tricky, so I thought I’d help you out.  This is still very much a work in progress, but I was FINALLY able to get videos up on YouTube, including over a dozen core training exercises and progressions.  I will be adding these to the website soon so keep checking in!  In the mean time, go here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ProdigyPerformance

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Kevin Neeld

Kevin Neeld Knows Hockey

Kevin has rapidly established himself as a leader in the field of physical preparation and sports science for ice hockey. He is currently the Head Performance Coach for the Boston Bruins, where he oversees all aspects of designing and implementing the team’s performance training program, as well as monitoring the players’ performance, workload and recovery. Prior to Boston, Kevin spent 2 years as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Jose Sharks after serving as the Director of Performance at Endeavor Sports Performance in Pitman, NJ. He also spent 5 years as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with USA Hockey’s Women’s Olympic Hockey Team, and has been an invited speaker at conferences hosted by the NHL, NSCA, and USA Hockey.