Month: February 2011

Valentine’s Day & Endeavor Sports Performance: Random Musings

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the happy couples out there! And for the singles, don’t be so bitter; your day will come.

I love my job. I couldn’t picture myself working anywhere else. People ask me all the time if I have an interest in pursuing collegiate or professional strength and conditioning, and my answer changes frequently. I have a hard time imagining a better situation than the one I’m in now.

With that in mind, here are 5 of my favorite things about Endeavor:

5) Demonstrating Proper Inner Core Function
One of the big take-homes from Charlie Weingroff’s Training = Rehab Rehab = Training DVD set was that we need to pay more attention to inner core function/activation. The two primary means of doing this are through diaphragm activation and packing the neck, which has led our coaches to yelling things like “get fat” and “more chins.”

Most of our clients, like most people in general nowadays, have some degree of a forward head posture, making the “packed neck” posture feel extremely unnatural. Getting everyone to do this, all the time, has been an uphill battle for our coaches. I’ve gone as far as putting a Lynx grip under someones chin and telling them to “crush it back and don’t let it drop” while they were doing push-ups. When one of our athletes get it without my constant reinforcement, it really lights my lamp.

More Chins = More Friends at Endeavor

4) The Staff
I’ve mentioned in the past how lucky I am to have the supporting cast I do. Everyone I work with is equally as passionate, motivated, and driven as I am, which creates an outstanding work environment and fosters continuing education and overall job happiness.

Our newest addition, Matt Siniscalchi, is a really bright, hungry young coach, and we’ve been lucky to have him as part of our staff. Matt was basically born, raised, and continues to live in the ’80s. He, while current on his athletic development information, seems to be completely oblivious to recent (last 20-30 years) changes in music and fashion, which has earned him the name “Coach Jorts” around Endeavor.

“The more faded the jorts, the better”

Matt was disappointed to learn recently that he was the only remaining owner of jorts in the country. For more information on Matt, check out his site Coach Jorts Training (I’ve learned just enough about websites to buy hilarious URL’s and point them at my co-workers existing sites)

3) The Location
New Jersey houses a special breed of people. While I think all the TV shows in NJ’s honor may over-exaggerate some of the cultural tendencies, there is a certain level of contagiousness present here that can’t be avoided.

For example, when David Lasnier first joined us from Montreal, Quebec, his experience in the U.S. was minimal and in New Jersey non-existent. His first few months here, he was a walking poster child for functional training. He would talk about things like training the rotator cuff for dynamic stabilization using perturbations, the collective importance of acknowledging foot and hip issues when addressing single-leg stability and/or knee pain, and the role of inner core function in inside-out stabilization. The other week, I was sitting in my office when I heard this terrible sound coming from the gym. It…it was Bon Jovi, which is strictly forbidden in my facility. I quietly snuck out, and what I found was shocking.

Observe the new David Lasnier, in his natural habitat…

Arm work? Rolled up sleeves? Grunting? It was inevitable. He assimilated.

2) The Clients
The way we design and run programs at Endeavor is pretty different from the other options out there, especially in our area. As a result, most of the athletes we get aren’t accustomed to our philosophies or systems. We’ve been fortunate to attract a predominantly well-mannered, optimistic, hard working group of athletes over the last couple years. Most of our athletes buy in immediately to our way of doing things and really excel when they do so. While I take pride in all of the successes of our athletes, a few things that really make me proud are:

1. When one of our younger and/or less coordinated athletes demonstrates proficiency in learning new movement patterns (e.g. hip hinge, lumbar stabilization, single-leg stability, shoulder packing, etc.)

2. When female athletes move heavy weights. We’ve had a few middle school and early high school girls do DB Reverse Lunges with between 45-55s for 4-6 reps/side. With all the misinformation about what females should be doing in terms of strength training, I like the “go for it” attitude these young girls demonstrate.

3. When anyone uses chalk. Lifting without chalk is insane. I recognize it’s messy, but it’s worth it. As with the above, when a younger or female athlete goes for the chalk, I think it’s awesome.

Chalking up before a heavy set of lunges!

4. When a parent tells me that their kid leaves our facility looking like a new person. This can be on either an individual session basis or at the conclusion of a few months of training. Sometimes I think the biggest benefit we offer our clients is a huge confidence boost by expanding their conception of their abilities and reinforcing the value of working hard and overcoming adversity.

1) Creativity
When fatigue (read: laziness) reaches a whole new level:

Rambo Rectus Femoris Stretch

No Valentine’s Day post would be complete without a shout-out to Emily. My work at Endeavor frequently requires me to be there early in the morning and/or late at nights. It’s not uncommon for me to be there for 12 hours a day, which means I’m not around at home as much as I should be. She’s been incredibly supportive and understanding throughout my time here.

Nice.

She’s also been an inspiration of sorts, as she was the original founder of the “bird neck syndrome” diagnosis I mentioned here: Shoulder Pain with Pressing Exercises. She’s even been receptive to altering her pre-Kevin workouts to something more in-line with our Endeavor approach, which I know can be a point of contention between people that are passionate about training and significant others that don’t share that passion. Check out her program, recently written by David Lasnier:

I guess it’s necessary to mention that Emily earned the nickname of “Air Balloon Dancer” (ABD) amongst friends….A hint as to why:

Happy Valentine’s Day and check back on Wednesday as I have something important to tell you!

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

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Hockey Strength and Conditioning Update

It’s been one of those weeks over at Hockey Strength and Conditioning where the forums have really been hopping. There are a couple great discussions worth checking out on a few of the articles and programs posted recently, as well as a thread I started on Vitamin D (I’m curious to see how many programs are monitoring this closely with their players).

San Jose Sharks Strength and Conditioning Coach Mike Potenza posted an article titled The Best Nutrition Book on my Shelf which really struck a chord with me. As I continue to learn about nutrition, it becomes increasingly apparent how overly complicated some “sources” make it (e.g. media, government, etc.). Potenza’s article does a great job of outlining a few extremely important things that everyone should be aware of. Great read.

Click Here >> The Best Nutrition Book on my Shelf

Anaheim Ducks Strength and Conditioning Coach Sean Skahan posted a video of a full body mobility exercise called Toe Touch Squat with Alternating Arm Reach. Mobility exercises like this also serve as great opportunities to assess your athletes’ limitations. This exercise should help shed some light on whether an athlete has restrictions in ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, thoracic extension, and thoracic rotation. It also provides an opportunity to observe how the athlete moves their weight as they perform the initial movement toward the floor, which will likely be indicative of their ability to load their posterior chain. Just a few things to keep in mind when watching this video from Coach Skahan.

Check out the video here >> Toe Touch Squat with Alternating Arm Reach

There was a problem with the program that Darryl Nelson posted last week. if you weren’t able to access it, you can check it out now here:

Click Here >> Off-Season Strength Training Program

Details on the best hockey training seminar ever are now available. I’ve been to the Boston Hockey Summit the last two years and it’s been fantastic. It’s a great opportunity to network with other like-minded people and to learn from some of the smartest minds in performance enhancement. I’ll definitely be going again this year; the line up is pretty incredible. Check out the link below for more information:

You can’t miss this! >> Boston Hockey Summit

Lastly, I posted my video of the DB 1-Leg Reverse Deadlift last week. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth taking a look. After posting the video I got an email from someone, which (I’ll paraphrase) basically said “I understand the marketing appeal of bringing new things to the forefront, but is new necessarily better?” I thought it was an outstanding question and I always love getting emails from people that shows me they’re actually thinking. My response below:

“Trust me when I say that I don’t write anything just for the sake of “standing out.” I know that may be considered bad marketing my some, but I’d guess that I share your sentiments that there is a difference between quality information and just “controversial” or “different” information.

With regards to the video, the 1-leg DB deadlift isn’t the next coming of exercises; it’s simply another tool for coaches to incorporate into their programs. As you likely know, deadlifting patterns reinforce a proper hip hinge pattern and effectively load and strengthen the posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes). Hockey players tend to move with more “quad dominant” patterns, so putting in a slightly greater amount of posterior chain work into their programs can help restore and maintain balance across the hip and knee. As with all single leg exercises, the 1-leg DB deadlift will also necessitate quite a bit of strength in the form of stabilization/control from the lateral hip musculature, as is required during skating and any single-leg positions/maneuvers on the ice.

Unfortunately, with a website like mine there is an underlying assumption that people are familiar with the material I’ve written in the past, which more times than not will likely be a false assumption. With that said, I can’t rewrite a “why I think single-leg training is safer and more effective for hockey players” preface to every post I write that references lower body training. While that may be good for some newcomers, it will likely bore and annoy people that have been with me for a while. I hope this makes sense.

You’re absolutely correct that new doesn’t always mean better. This is an exercise that I’ll incorporate in the same vein as a 1-leg RDL or 1-leg stiff-legged deadlift (I use these two names interchangeably, so within my definition the SLDL still includes a slight knee bend). My goal in presenting it on the site is to expose other coaches to it that may not be familiar with it. Ultimately, this is the fastest way to get feedback to determine if other think it’s a mainstay or not.”

Hopefully that clears up any questions that you may have had!

If you aren’t a member, go check out what you’ve been missing by clicking the link below. If you are a member, go check out all the content I mentioned above and hop on the forums to comment on the threads!

Click Here for the best in Hockey Strength and Conditioning

To your continued success,

Kevin Neeld

P.S. Remember, it’s only $1 to try HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com for the first week. You will never find more hockey training content anywhere for $1, and it’s only getting better. I’ll throw in a bonus offer-Register for $1 so you can check out all the content, and I’ll buy you a coffee (or protein shake?) the next time I see you. Can’t beat that!

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Dumbbell 1-Leg Reverse Deadlift

Any bilateral lower body exercise can be manipulated to create a single-leg variation. In other words, back squats, front squats, deadlifts, and stiff-legged deadlifts all have a single-leg counterpart. I like some of these single-leg exercises more than others.

In the case of a single-leg deadlift, I’ve experimented with a few different variations (e.g. barbell loaded, no toe touch, w/ toe touch). I’ve found that loading the exercise with a barbell doesn’t allow the athlete to shift the load posteriorly in a manner that allows them to load their hips. Similarly, with the “no toe touch” variation, athletes tend to perform a movement that more closely resembles a squat than a deadlift. Check out the video below:

Dumbbell 1-Leg Reverse Deadlift

A few execution pointers:

Shift your hips back as you reach for the floor with your foot
Keep your shoulders back and chest up
Let the weights pass closely by both sides of your front leg knee
Think of pulling through your front leg to return to the top
Keep your chin tucked throughout the movement

This exercise can also be performed with a single dumbbell in the hand of the back leg side. This variation creates an increased emphasis on the diagonal connection between the hip and opposite shoulder.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

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What Football Does Right

In writing last week’s post on what it takes to be a Modern Strength Coach, I failed to mention that strength and conditioning for sports largely began with football. Because of this, there is (or at least has been) a high proportion of strength and conditioning coaches with a football background.

In general, the hockey community largely frowns upon football’s influence on strength and conditioning. I hear from players all the time, “you know, he’s a football guy.” The implication is that the “guy” is a stereotypical meathead who emphasizes moving more weight at the expense of everything else. Naturally, I disagree with that philosophy, and there are inherent differences between the demands of football and hockey, but I think football has done something right that no other sport, including hockey, has done to this point.

The football guy?

From my work at Endeavor Sports Performance, I’ve had an opportunity to interact with athletes in every major sport, including (in no particular order) hockey, soccer, lacrosse, football, baseball, softball, basketball, field hockey, and tennis. Of those, the ONLY sport where the coach emphasizes the importance of strength and conditioning is football. Most other sports don’t even consider it a piece of the puzzle. While I think hockey is coming around, a lot of the high school hockey kids we see are more interested in lifting for “flex appeal” than performance improvement (and the even less sexy “injury resistance”).

This isn’t to throw hockey players under the bus; I think the more serious ones get it. The glamor muscle emphasis is more indicative of the high school culture in general than anything else. However, when we ask our football athletes what they do with their teams, there is an emphasis on movements like power cleans, deadlifts, squatting, bench pressing, and heavy rowing. Albeit, this is far from the perfect program, but this is certainly more on track than the majority of other sports. At least football is:

Lifting weights (resistance training)
Emphasizing getting stronger
Focusing on complex multi-joint movements
Training consistently

To be honest, most of these kids aren’t terrific lifters. In other words, they haven’t been taught technique sufficiently, and there IS likely an over-emphasis on moving more weight at the expense of proper movement patterns. But it’s hard to blame the coaches; their background is in football, not in designing and implementing strength and conditioning programs. With that said, at least football has internalized the importance of strength training. It’s not a “if I have time for it” thing; it’s a must.

Football: Maybe it’s not so bad after all?

The truth is that it’s equally valuable, or should I say equally necessary in all other sports. The thing I always come back to is that EVERY professional and NCAA D1 collegiate program has a strength and conditioning coach, because it’s a necessary part of an athletic development program. It’s best practice. Hopefully youth sports programs will start to get the picture. Even if they fail to see the performance enhancement benefit, it’s hard to argue against the injury resistance benefit of training. I can’t help but wonder what would happen to the youth incidence of adductor and hip flexor strains, low back pain, ankle sprains, and ACL tears if every program set aside two hours a week to get some training in. Wouldn’t it be worth that time to avoid career- and life-limiting injuries? Don’t we owe our youth best practice?

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

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This Week at Hockey Strength and Conditioning

A few great additions to the site this week:

Anaheim Ducks Strength and Conditioning Coach Sean Skahan wrote an article called Reap the Benefits of Proper Stretching. If you’ve stayed current with the scientific research behind stretching, you know that it’s been a controversial topic for the last decade or so. As with any debate, there are people on both extremes. Some say you must stretch; others say it’s a complete waste of time (this comes as a surprise to most people in the hockey world). Much of the discrepancy lies in what people are thinking of when they hear “stretching” and when various stretching strategies are used. Sean does a great job of describing different kinds of stretching and if/when they’re appropriate to use.

Check it out >> Reap the Benefits of Proper Stretching

Darryl Nelson, the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the U.S. National Team Development Program, posted an off-season hockey training program. With the off-season rapidly approaching for most youth programs, I thought this was a timely addition. As I’ve mentioned in the past, there is a ton of value to be gained from seeing how other coaches design programs. In most cases, it’s not appropriate to take the program and use it “as is”, but you can pull ideas about exercise selection, order, and pairing, and other program design strategies from seeing how successful experienced coaches design theirs.

Hockey Training Program Here >> Off-Season Strength Training Program

My friend Maria Mountain has been a welcomed member to the Hockey Strength and Conditioning community. This week she posted an article entitled Top 5 Take Homes from my Weekend with Dr. Stuart McGill that I think anyone working with hockey players should take a few minutes to read. In the article, Maria describes several big-picture messages she gathered from Stuart McGill, one of the world’s leading researchers on low back injuries. As these are injuries that effect an overwhelming majority of both the hockey and general populations, it’s imperative that we do everything we can do understand how to avoid them. Maria’s article will get you started on that path.

Check it out >> Top 5 Take Homes from my Weekend with Dr. Stuart McGill

Click Here for the best in Hockey Strength and Conditioning

To your continued success,

Kevin Neeld

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