ATHLETIC STRENGTH AND POWER

The ASAP BlogPoll

Today ASAP is running a poll. We're taking a survey of what athletes are eating for breakfast. Please be honest and report what you had for breakfast today (or whenever it was that you take this poll). Some athletes prefer the traditional style breakfast, like bacon and eggs...others go for a different cupboard. Do you reach for Wheaties....the "Breakfast of Champions"? What about your breakfast drink? Orange Juice....Whey Protein ....Milk??   What did you have?

To participate in the poll, please click on the "comment" area below, then just explain (a few words...or lots of detail). Thanks for participating...and maybe, you'll be able to give us some of your ideas....and other athletes will benefit.

The H.E.L.L. Workout @A.S.A.P.

Elevated HeartRates at The Workout@ Covington today

Six or seven years ago, this workout routine was termed the "Hell" workout by more than one trainee. And there's a valid reason for the name. It's about an hour and a half workout that leaves an athlete literally exhausted at the end....and usually long before the end! This extreme cardiovasular workout utilizes many different modalities through an intense, interval set-up. Exercise physiologist, Dr. Ted Lambrinides, created this one which he orchestrates, with the assistance of trainer Doug Monaghan, using three separate circuits, all taking place simultaneously. Each athlete will eventually complete all three circuits and then finish off with the CORE Strength Development session at the end of the workout.

CIRCUIT #1

• Lifefitness Stepper
• Jump Rope Station
• Micro-Hurdle Bounding
• Sci-Fit Upper-Body Ergometer

CIRCUIT #2

• The Treadmill
• The treadmill is set and running at 10mph at an incline of 10 degrees
• With three athletes per treadmill, they rotate on and off for a total of 8 repetitions of 30 second bouts....that is, if they can survive 8 bouts.

Circuit #3

• Speed Chute Training Station: This station is deigned to increase an athlete's speed, explosiveness and acceleration. The Speed Parachute provides resistance to improve the two key elements of speed: Stride Length and Stride Frequency
• Checkout actual footage from this mornings Speed Chute circuit:
• MikeBonomini... Ohio Northern....former Highlands Bluebird
• kyleLohrman getting ready for Wittenberg Football
• BertBathiany former Highlands Bluebird...now at Denison University FB
• DrewEllison former CovCath QB nearly taking out our ASAP camerman

Also in training today was the 6'9" former Oak Hills Highlander (Cincinnati), Mike Bardo ....just back from a summer semester at The University of Akron, where he'll start a basketball career for the Zips this coming season.

ASAP Advisory Board; Coach Mark Asanovich / Conditioning

                     

    Football season is right around the corner,and that means that a player's conditioning must have him prepared for the intense on-field battles that are about to take place. Furthermore, the athlete needs to have the same effort, speed and endurance to last deep into the 4th Quarter....or even, overtime. Today, we'll examine a CONDITIONING LADDER used by Coach Mark Asanovich, who is the strength and conditioning coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of ASAP/ The Workout @Covington. So, we'll be calling upon his expertise for periodic updates and tips to help ensure that your strength training & conditioning program is heading to the next level. Having professional strength coaches on our staff helps to ensure that ASAP is staying on the cutting edge of training and conditioning! This is another drill that you could add to your program to help get yourself prepared for the rigors of the coming season. It could also provide variety to your current program...thus keeping you from getting stale.

Here's a download that has the drill diagrammed for you. Players and coaches alike, will benefit from adding this drill to their repertoire. Head to a lined football field and GET READY!

Download conditioning_drill_drill_ladders.pdf

Thanks Coach Asanovich.... and Good Luck as you prepare the Jaguars!

Are You Ready for Some Football??

Agility Training

To prosper and excel physically  in athletics, we need quickness, strength, power, flexibility, balance and AGILITY. Therefore, an athlete must seek to improve him or herself in all of these aspects. Through working out and constant drill work, athletes can make drastic improvements in their game...no matter what the sport. Movement in sport is not robotic. Therefore, the FUNCTIONAL TRAINING that is developed at The Workout @Covington using the ASAP Program can help an athlete immensely...taking him or her....to The Next Level!

• Swimmers need agility to make their turns as quick as possible and regain their speed. Mark Spitz...Shirley Babashoff
• In Volleyball or Tennis, agility helps you to switch gears when the ball doesn't go where you thought it would. Andre Agassi....Serena Williams
• In the game of Football, players need agility to fake a defender out and cut away from the would be tackler. Barry Sanders..... Archie Griffin
• Basketball is constant change of motion: agility. Magic Johnson...Micheal Jordan

And here's how we develop AGILITY: The ASAP Eight Pronged Agility Approach

1. We incorporate the use of the agility ladder... a great tool...getting the athletes to get through the rungs in different movement patterns as quickly as possible. Yet, the body must still be under control....which is key.
2. We'll use a wide variety of cone drills, and the standardized cone tests. Athletes will be challenged by their training partners to focus every bit of the way. MicroHurdleVideo (Rocky Boiman, Troy Evans, Tyler Moeller)(videos may take 60 or more seconds to load)
3. The mini and micro hurdles force the athlete to change direction while moving in the vertical plane. These drills can also play a pivotal role in jump training.
4. Motivation! Since many of Greater Cincinnati's finest athletes are associating themselves with the ASAP PROGRAM at The Workout @Covington, the concentration level of the athletes in training is more intense...you never know who's watching... a pro-athlete.... big-time college.... or the star quarterback from just up the road.
5. CORE STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT is prioritized in all of our sports performance sessions, since it's been found to be critical to peak performance.
6. The coaches fixate on MULTI-DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT. Therefore, making sure that forward, backward, side-to-side and even vertical movements are all movements that are completed quickly and under control.
7. Reverse movements and backward running have been been popularized lately in the fitness industry for their added benefit to cardiovascular training and their ability to help rehabilitate from injury.
8. Lunges...and lots of them. These are great for developing the flexibility of the hips and low back/lumbar region. We use forward, side and the backward lunge to also increase the strength and endurance of the lower body.

ASAP What's on your IPOD Today?

Heavy Metal

ASAP......When You Need Results ASAP

Former Miami Redhawk, 6'6" Big Mike Ensminger once "owned the paint" at Miami University's basketball court at Millett Hall. But at 6'6", sometimes that was much shorter than say, University of Kentucky star Jamaal Magloire who ruled the SEC at 6'11. That was a tall order for Mike, and if Magloire gets into foul trouble, Kentucky just brings in another 6'11 guy to fill the void.  So, Big Mike used every bit of psychological strategy that he could muster. He would have to find a way to outsmart his opponents. He made sure that he was in shape by training hard....and was a regular at The ASAP Saturday Morning Conditioning Program during the hot summer months. Another thing he did was to listen to some hard drivin' heavy metal just minutes before ripping off the warm-up jacket. After all, Wally Szczerbiak would be counting on him soon to set a nice screen.  

So, here's a look inside the IPOD of #53 Mike Ensminger. By the way, after looking at Rocky Boiman's profile, I'm sure these tunes would meet Rocky's approval! These songs are ranked..... feel free to add your favorites through the COMMENTS area.

Big Mike's Top Ten Heavy Metal Tunes

1. The Master of Puppets....Metallica
2. Mother....Danzig
3. The Beautiful People..... Marilyn Manson
4. Symphony of Destruction....Megadeth
5. Freak on a Leash.....Korn
6. My Name is Mud...... Primus
7. More Human than Human....White Zombie
8. No More Tears....Ozzy Osborne
9. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)....Metallica
10. Welcome to The Jungle.....Guns 'N Roses

Saturday Morning Sports Conditioning

                      

"ASAP......... When You Need Results ASAP"

Conditioning-Speed-Agility Training

Saturday, June 23rd, 2006

• Where? CovCath High School   (click for directions)
• When?  9:30am  (arrive early for extra flexibility training)
• What to bring? Desire and plenty of cold Gatorade or Water
• Who? Those in pursuit of the next level!

Rick Santa's Ipod

            

Well...one good list deserves another. Rick Santa sent us his list of songs for the weightroom. These are some hard core heavies....and as Joe Walsh used to say, their "made loud...to be played loud".... enjoy!

1 - One Step Closer (Linkin Park)

2 - Testify (Rage Against The Machine)

3 - Down With The Sickness (Disturbed)

4 - Voodoo Chile (Hendrix)

5 - Alive (P.O.D.)

6 - Bawitdaba (Kid Rock)

7 - Bodies (Drowning Pool)

8 - Back in The Saddle (Aerosmith)

9 - Rock Superstar (Cypress Hill)

10 - Killing in The Name (Rage Against The Machine)

Playing this set of music (loudly) during your workout will add 10-15% to your maximum lift - no matter the exercise. Try it! It works!

Rick

Feelin' The Heat

"ASAP, When You Need Results ASAP"

If you spent time in the Cincinnati area last week, you know one thing for sure....it was HOT and HUMID! Of course, it's typical July weather for what's known as the "Tri-State". So, why would Northwestern University graduate and recent signee Zach Strief  of The New Orleans Saints be caught sporting heavy sweatpants and hooded sweatshirt at The Workout @Covington? You'd think that someone who's 6'7" and weighs 349 lbs would want to be a little lighter..... and a bit cooler. However, the big guy was doing whatever he could to prepare himself for the hot and humid conditions of Jackson, Mississippi, the summer camp home of the Saints. Even if it meant donning the official N.U. "Sun Bowl" sweats!

With football season quickly approaching and practices beginning, it's that time of year to keep focused on weather conditions and heat related conditions....some which are deadly. Because football players wear lots of equipment, helmet and practice gear, these players need to be especially cautious. Athletes of other sports are gearing up now, too and those players and coaches need to be equally cognizant of the playing conditions associated with this time of year. The Gatorade Sports Science Institute studies the problems associated with heat and they educate players, parents and coaches about it. Of course, they also try to keep you cooler and hydrated with their product. Checkout the link to the Gatorade Institute above for more information on this subject. And Stay Cool!

Oh Yeah...Good Luck Zach!

Interview: Ted Lambrinides on Protein

       

We caught up with ASAP Program founder Ted Lambrinides today who was at the A.S.A.P. facility in Florida called  SPORTS and FIELD at Seven Oaks,  near Tampa. Today's questions for Ted were regarding protein. Here's what we found out....

Ted's TOP FIVE PROTEIN-BOOSTING FOODS

1. Lean Meats.... for example, turkey and chicken and lean cuts of beef and pork.       

2. Beans....and there are lots of varieties: pinto, kidney, black-eyed peas, black, navy, small red, garbanzo, cranberry, great northern,

3.Milk and Milk Products  

4. Peanut Butter 

5. Eggs

Question:What about the supplemental proteins? Like Whey Protein, for example?

Dr. Ted:

• Whey protein could be a good way to get additional protein into the body.
• It would be good addition to a fruit smoothie...and add flavor to them, too
• Good way to increase the protein count of an oatmeal breakfast
• Adds additional calories for those wishing to do so.

What's Inside The The ASAP PROTEIN Shopping Cart?

   

What's in your cart?

ASAP Advisory Board: Coach Ken Mannie on Overtraining

Often times, there's a fine line between a good, sound training program and OVERTRAINING. The good intentions of training and working out sometimes can get carried to the extreme and athletes can actually break their bodies down to a level where it could take weeks....maybe even months to get back on track.

For today's post, we'll look to the expertise of the Head Strength & Condtioning Coach of the Michigan State Spartans. His name is Ken Mannie and he's on the Advisory Board here at ASAP. Ken is a regular writer for COACH MAGAZINE. Being around as many highly motivated athletes as he has, it's no doubt that Ken has seen many athletes who have overtrained themselves into a bad stuation. The downloadable article that accompanies today's post appeared in a previous COACH magazine. It's an article that you'll find to be both educational and interesting..... Thanks Ken!

Download the article here: OverloadwithoutOvertraining

Saturday Morning Conditioning & Agility Training

 

• Next Scheduled Session
• Where:  CovCath High School Football Stadium
• When: Saturday July22nd
• Time:  9:30a.m
• Weather Forecast: around 75-80 degrees on the turf....possible showers