Longtime ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power associate and baseball strength and conditioning advisor Matt Krause is now the chief administrating director of the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society (PBSCCS). You've seen Matt in our baseball strength segments known as "POWER HIT with Cincinnati Reds Strength Coach Matt Krause." and he is always willing to share his information on training the baseball athlete. Imagine keeping a baseball roster prepped, strong, and conditioned for over 162 games per year! That's what Matt did with two of Major League Baseball's most storied franchises, both the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees. He's the best in the business and ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power is fortunate to have him as a resource!
Krause, the NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association) 2018 Strength Coach of the Year. played an instrumental role with the development of a training program for former MLB ironman Bronson Arroyo. The starting pitcher followed an extensive training plan in Cincinnati with then Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Krause, where the two devised a meticulous program that accounted for strength training and conditioning, elbow and rotator cuff specialization, recovery and sports nutrition. He appeared in 419 games with 383 Major League starts. In fact, Arroyo never missed a start in eight years with the Cincinnati Reds!
Cincinnati Bearcats Head Football Coach Luke Fickell didn't buy into a "revenge" type of factor playing any real role in his T.E.A.M.'s victory over the Memphis Tigers on Saturday. Instead, the coach chose to consider it more "redemption" rather than the more negative connoted term revenge. Whatever it was that the team considered in its preparation and motivation for the big match-up with last year's American Athletic Champion AAC, it could not have worked much better as the #6 Bearcats rolled onto their seventeenth consecutive home win at their historic Nippert Stadium. Unfortunately, the COVID deal prevented another sellout in front of their crazy and enthusiastic fans, especially down in the 'rUCkus' section. But, the band, player families and a few UC student athletes provided a little bit of noise to spice things up a bit. With the almost perfect football weather for this time of year in Ohio, Fickell's Bearcats played a marvelous defensive game allowing only one touchdown and a field goal for the visiting Tigers. Basically, when the other team doesn't score much, you've got a pretty good chance of winning the contest. At the same time, if your Offensive Unit pours on 49 points during the mission, it's a done deal. Upon arrival in Cincinnati back in 2017, Fickell claimed that he wanted to put up a fence around the city of Cincinnati and keep the best players in town from venturing off to somewhere else... like Columbus, South Bend, East Lansing or any blend of Big Ten and MAC schools. However, with Defensive Coordinator Marcus Freeman and Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock collective efforts, the "fence" is expanding and the Bearcats are hauling in many of the state's best players! And, Ohio is one of the high school hotbeds in all the land. Once top stars are recruited and land on campus, the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, Brady Collins, works his developmental magic with a "juiced up" staff of Zach Higgins, Danny Folino, Dustin Tripp, Jeremiah Ortiz, and of course, Robert "ROBO" Williams. Once these dudes take action, it's over. You ain't got no choice but to grow!
Here's some exclusive ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power sideline photos from the game. Be sure to check in often as we'll be keeping a close eye on the Houston Cougars and their journey into the 'Nati this week. Don't forget that longtime ASAP associate, podcast and video technique guest Coach Darl Bauer who is the Director of Strength & Performance for the Cougars will be heading north with the squad! We'll track him down. Click here for pics from game and podcast with Coach Brady Collins
We've featured Coach Anthony Schlegel on our site in the past. His colorful and demonstrative personality is pure linebacker. Nowadays, Anthony spends the majority of his time running his business, THE DIFFERENCE USA out of his workshop in Columbus, Ohio. It’s basically just a short drive from Ohio Stadium where he once roamed the field seeking a chance to attack and dominate! ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power stopped by the shop to talk shop with Schlegel to catch a podcast. I wasn’t too early -- he rises everyday around 4:00 a.m. to conduct a Columbus based morning “drive time” radio show with former Buckeye & guaranteed to get listeners “juiced” up. The show is appropriately called “The Morning Juice”.
In our ASAP Podcast, we discuss:
The ‘Morning Juice’ Radio Show THE DIFFERENCE USA Hand striking purpose and goals Strength training workouts Anthony’s skills of dog hunts & wrestling wild boars in Texas
THE ASAP PODCAST with Anthony Schlegel:
Upon graduation from Ohio State, Anthony was selected with the 76th overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft to the New York Jets. He played with the Cincinnati Bengals and the UFL’s Florida Tuskers before retiring in 2010. Hall of Fame Coach Jim Tressel then hired Anthony to be an assistant strength and conditioning coach for The Ohio State Buckeyes. Schlegel was then retained by current Ohio State Football Coach, Urban Meyer, and Head Strength Coach, Mickey Marotti. During Anthony’s tenure at Ohio State, the Buckeyes were the first college football playoff National Champions, accumulated the longest winning streak in school history and maintained a record of 44–10. He completed his MBA from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University and resigned from his post as the associate director of football sport performance for
Ohio State football and formed The DIFFERENCE USA. Check out his exciting new product that was developed in the weight room of The Ohio State University Football program to develop upper body strength and explosiveness while enhancing an athlete’s hand placement/striking techniques for all positions of the National Champion Buckeyes. It can definitely make difference in your program, too!
Coach Brady Collins. He's the guy that Coach Fickell has entrusted to lead his Bearcats as the Director of Football Sports Performance. Once Fickell had landed from the short flight south of Columbus, Ohio, he summoned Collins for the task. Coach Collins has been well schooled for the assignment, as he spent a the entry level years at the University of Kentucky Wildcats with Ray "ROCK" Oliver and Ted Lambrinides. From there, he made his way south and deeper into SEC Football at Mississippi State at first with Matt Balis and then under Rick Court. Then it was on to Columbus and the Ohio State Buckeyes where he worked under Master Strength Coach Mickey Marotti. What a ton of great athletes and coaches whom Brady Collins has been around! Now, Brady Collins and his great young staff of Zach Higgins, Danny Folino, Jeremiah Ortiz and Dustin Tripp are preparing this 2020 COVID19-tested, #13 ranked @GoBearcatsFB for another journey at The University of Cincinnati! Good Luck Brady! This ASAP PODCAST is sponsored by SPECATHLETIC: The Flooring Professionals Podcast discussion points: In_Season Football Strength Training How things are getting "juiced up" in Cincinnati Some training ideas and tips from the trenches
"sports are not the most important thing in life.... but, sports are one of the greatest classrooms for opportunities for young people to experience success and also to learn to deal with failure and to work hard towards a goal with teamwork" Dr. Robt Burger Orthopedic Surgeon
In this sports science podcast, Dr. Burger talks about
Hip and leg issues, and problems stemming from: landing mechanics recurrent hamstring tears achilles tendonitis weak core & flexibility issues related to lowered athletic performance & further injury
The Shoulder and labrum tears
Dr Burger was a former Notre Dame Fighting Irish football player who worked himself into the starting line-up on a team that had Joe Montana as their starting quarterback. The hard work that Burger embraced, earned him an opportunity for a National Championship with that squad! Years later, Dr. Burger's son Bobby also made the Notre Dame team, he was a tight end/fullback. Another son, Chris starred at Xavier University in Cincinnati as a Captain of the Musketeer golf team and brother John played there for Xavier Golf, as well. Meanwhile, another son, Joe Burger, starred and was a team captain at Ohio State Football, himself playing for a National Championship in 2014. Later, OSU scholar athlete was elected Captain for the 2016 Buckeyes.
"the important thing is not just the success that you did or didn't do, but it's what you've learned through the process"Dr. Robert Burger Orthopedic Surgeon
Dr. Burger is the Head Team Physician and Medical Director for Xavier University Athletics, Orthopaedic Consultant for the Cincinnati Reds, and head Orthopaedic Team Physician for the College of Mount St. Joseph Athletics. Additionally, he is Head Team Physician for the Cincinnati Steam and his alma mater, Cincinnati LaSalle High School.
ASAP PODCAST sponsored by"
Black Iron Strength andThe Bill Jacobs Power Company
Recent studies have shown that copper alloy surfaces kill E coli O157:H7. More than 99.9% of E. coli microbes are killed after just 1–2 hours on copper. On stainless steel surfaces, the microbes can survive for weeks. ... Copper's antibacterial effect was found to be intrinsic in all of the copper alloys tested.
Give your athletes that competitive edge with the 2020 Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society’s (PBSCCS) Virtual Clinic powered by the NSCA. Identify strength training, conditioning and wellness best practices for the baseball player. Learn from current and former Major League strength and conditioning coaches about how best to strength train the baseball player from youth/novice to adult/professional level players. Up to date, evidence-based methods and practices to help reduce the risk for injury and enhance performance for the baseball player. DO NOT miss out on this one of a kind opportunity to learn from the Pros that take care of the Pros. Hosted by: Matt Krause, MA, ATC, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E mck@mckrause.com Frank Velasquez, ATC, CSCS frank.velasquez@ahn.org Eric McMahon, MEd, CSCS, RSCC*D eric.mcmahon@nsca.com
ASAP Podcaster Ed Cicale caught up with former MLB star pitcher Bronson Arroyo. The 6'5 finesse thrower spent the bulk of his career with the Cincinnati Reds. However, prior to that time the strength training enthusiast spent time with the Boston Red Sox where he had the opportunity to pitch in a World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. During an eight year stint with Cincinnati, Arroyo never missed a start in manager Dusty Baker's pitching rotations. He followed an extensive training plan in Cincinnati with then @REDS Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Krause, where the two devised a meticulous program that accounted for strength training and conditioning, elbow and rotator cuff specialization, recovery and sports nutrition. He appeared in 419 games with 383 Major League starts!
Former Reds and Yankees Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Krause and star pitcher Bronson Arroyo explained this shoulder strengthening routine to me and it's been a great addition to many athletes' programs. It's a great way to get your shoulders, especially the rotator cuff region, prepared for some serious strength training....... or some throwing! Krause, who isn't a native of Cincinnati, has certainly developed an affinity for one of the Queen City's favorites. And that is Skyline Chili. That's where the locals get their chili in the form of a "3-way," "4-way" and the ultimate "5-way." So, Matt aptly named this regular shoulder strengthening routine used in the workouts by the Cincinnati Reds players the:
"5-Way Shoulder Routine" .... it's Skyline Time! Matt Krause is presently the President of the Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society~ PBSCCS He is also is the owner and director of OnMilk™
Copyright 2020 Athletic Strength And Power blogpost by Ed Cicale
Five months into this COVID-19 chronicle of shutdowns and testings and masks and re-openings, there now appears to be minute amount of light at the end of the tunnel. Soon, things will be moving back to 20,000 fans at Ohio Stadium for Buckeye Football. The New York Yankees game but no fans in attendance. The NBA in Orlando. Seems hard to grasp. But now reality. Lucky for me, I have tons of archived training footage and photos, and I'll be adjusting with more ZOOMed ASAP~Podcasts. But for the strength and conditioning professionals out there, art and science is approaching a collision course. Coronavirus testing formats have changed the strength training groups and the way the training is assembled is the first noticeable change. Facility cleaning is in hyper mode. Every crevice in a training center could hold in germs. So, now's the time to take a closer examination of the tools that we use in training our athletes. Just the other day, I was able to connect with Tom Grace, a long time strength and conditioning equipment professional who is presently located in Vancouver, Washington with his wife, Juanita . Their business is known as Black Iron Strength and they may just have one of the most time-relevant, innovative products available to the strength and conditioning industry. A complete line of antimicrobial copper strength training equipment. This is the wave of the future. Check it out:
Recent studies have shown that copper alloy surfaces kill E coli O157:H7. More than 99.9% of E. coli microbes are killed after just 1–2 hours on copper. On stainless steel surfaces, the microbes can survive for weeks. ... Copper's antibacterial effect was found to be intrinsic in all of the copper alloys tested.
What is Antimicrobial Copper CuLEAN® by CuVerro®?
Many ancient cultures, including the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks, recognized the inherent antimicrobial properties of copper. Copper-lined vessels were used to sterilize drinking water. Copper compounds were used to treat wounds and infections. With the recent outbreaks of untreatable infections including MRSA, which is often traced back to the work out facility. Black Iron Strength® took the ancient technology of copper and applied it to strength equipment. With this patented technology, Black Iron Strength® is the only equipment manufacturer to offer to offer free weight equipment with copper touch points. Copper surfaces by CuVerro® has been shown to kill more than 99% of bacteria within two hours of contact. Given that bacteria can survive on surfaces for months, Black Iron Strength® prefers to use CuLEAN® Antimicrobial Copper on their products and equipment. It is simply the best material for all surfaces as bacteria cannot thrive or survive on it.
TEAMBUILDR, one of our longtime ASAP sponsors, has continued to make some great strides in the strength training and conditioning business, even during a COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, their industry leading online strength & conditioning software has become even more of a game changer for strength coaches everywhere. While the Tennessee Vols, West Virginia Mountaineers and the Golden State Warriors strength and conditioning programs have been major players who have reaped the rewards of using TEAMBUILDR, many other high schools, college programs and professional teams are now under the TEAMBUILDR umbrella. And as a matter of fact, the most fiscally successful and most prominent collegiate athletic program in all of sports, the Ohio State University Buckeyes, have signed on with Hewitt Tomlin's TEAMBUILDR, as Coach Mickey Marotti is delving into the software.
In the ASAP Podcast, our initial attempt at a ZOOM recording, TEAMBUILDR founder Hewitt Tomlin explains the many advantages of using this powerful coaching tool, which is becoming even more beneficial during a shutdown that has left a strength coaching fraternity scrambling for ways to train their athletes from a distance.
West Virginia Mountaineers' Men's Basketball strength and conditioning coach Shaun Brown has had to make fast break transition for his annual Performance Four Strength & Conditioning Clinic this year. Yes, the China Virus zapped The Final Four Atlanta and of course, The Performance Four ATL. Both were set to be huge events, but Coach Brown has gathered his resources and has come up with an alternative rescue!
Using technology support from Hammer Strength, the clinic will switch to an online format. So, coaches can live-stream this clinic on April 9th from 1-5 pm. It has a very reasonable $50 fee and only $15 for high school coaches.
The 2020 Performance Four Clinic Emcee is Ted Lambrinides. He's a nationally recognized former strength training & conditioning coach (Ohio State Buckeyes, Kentucky Wildcats), an NFL Player Tracking analyst, and sports performance consultant for a multitude of NFL and collegiate strength coaches. He's been speaking at clinics in the USA, Australia and Japan since 1982 and has had firsthand studies in the former Soviet Union.
These are some crazy times and we're going to need to weather the storm! The athletes whom we work with need leadership and discipline more than ever. Incredible collegiate and professional training facilities are being placed on lock down. As a result, our athletes are out there on their own.... figuring it out.
Many of our ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power partners provide some great services. For example, The Bill Jacobs Power Company. Could there be a better time to call Coach "Jake" and order bands and other equipment than right now? And he's got the good ones. Not the cheap imports that crack and fall apart. Bill Jacobs has been in coaching and presently the athletic equipment sales business for decades. He's where the BIG programs go to get the right stuff. Click on his logo and take a look at his quality equipment. Presently, he's offering some great price reductions, too. Check it out!
From the GROUND UP, they create the athletic facility that best fits your needs and budget. They have everything from flooring to racks, bands, locker rooms, plates, bars, machines, specialty areas, athletic equipment, cardio and more. Their goal is to help you provide the best environment possible for your athlete's success.
Call "Coach Jake" today and get a quote: 513-277-1938
Bill Jacobs is a huge proponent of ground-based training. Checkout this ASAP Video of ground-based Jammer rotaion work instructed by Ohio State Assistant Strength Coach Kenny Parker and, then strength intern Nick Savage
Take note of the bands being used in this video and call Coach Jake 513-277-1938
Coach Parker is back from Rutgers Football, where he was the Director of Football Sports Performance for the Scarlet Knights. Nick Savage is now the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Florida Gators Football team.
Think you've seen and know a little bit about baseball? Imagine being involved with nearly 6,000 games! That's how much involvement in the game of baseball that today's ASAP Podcast guest Dusty Baker has had. Baker knows the history of the game from his days as a kid...with his own heroes. History of the game as a star player. History of the game with today's brand of game and players, too. And he has the stories to go with the experience. For example, in this podcast, Dusty talks about some of the "strength training" that he and the great and legendary Hank Aaron did. He also tells about the evolution of strength training in baseball and how different it was.
And how about these stats?
NLCS MVP
World Series Champ
Two time All Star
Gold Glove Award
Silver Slugger
Four Times Manager of the Year
Today's ASAP Podcast is made possible through the generous sponsorship of