CENTRAL STRENGTH NEWS

Vol. 2, Ed. 3

Monday, October 23, 2006

Rakkasan Raiders

Hartshorn's hallow

This is a story about a guy who had a goal, and there was nothing

PAL Mechanics Part 2: Lateral Speed & Change of Direction

that could stop him from reaching it.  Private Frazier, like his father

Although linear speed is important, almost every sport relies much more heavily on lateral

and grandfather before him, wanted nothing more that to be an

speed and change of direction.  We use the same PAL acronym when teaching lateral speed

infantryman in the U.S. Army.  For nearly 6 months Frazier pushed

& agility mechanics.  Lateral PAL stands for: Push, Athletic Base, and Low center of gravity.  You

himself harder than he had ever dreamed of.  He was learning the

have to Push off your outside leg at all times.  If you try  to pull with the inside foot you cannot

art of warfare and excelling in it.  He quickly became a leader among

stop and go the other direction or you will fall on your face.  Also, if you are pulling with your inside

his platoon.  Out on a run one morning Frazier felt his hip pop and

foot then it is impossible to maintain an Athletic base because your feet are too close together.

pain shot down his leg.  He found out that he had degenerative bone

Maintaining an athletic base simply means that you need to have your feet about shoulder width

disease and his hips were literally disintegrating.  Frazier was told

apart, hips low and torso upright.  It is extremely important that your feet do not come any closer

that he would be kicked our of the military prior to graduation.

that shoulder width.  Maintaining a Low center of gravity is accomplished by keeping your hips low.

Frazier begged the Drill Sergeants to let him finish, even though he

This makes changing direction easier and helps to maintain balance.  Just like if you were going to

could not officially graduate.  Two weeks later Frazier had one

tip over two refrigerators of the same weight, it is easier to tip over a 7ft tall one than it is to tip over a

challenge left, a 25-mile road march.  One mile 17 Frazier's right

4 ft tall one.  Attention to details and proper mechanics can drastically increase your performance.

hip splintered.  With help from his teammates he limped on 1 leg

Foundations of the haus

and tried to keep the grueling pace.  During mile 22 his left hip went

The Hang Clean

due to the added pressure.  We carried Frazier the last 3 miles.  The

Explosive power is vital.  There are many ways to develop this explosive power and we feel that one

next day he was on a plane , dreams crushed, but he had completed

of the best ways is with variations of Olympic lifts, which include the hang clean.  There are four basic

his training.  When the bumps & bruises of a long season get you

positions of the hang clean; the start position, power position, triple extension and the front squat

down, remember Private Frazier.  Are you willing to push yourself?

catch.  In a good start position the athlete's feet should be directly under the hips, knees slightly

Central Nutrition

bent, hands in your pockets and your chest out with your shoulder blades pulled back tightly.  Now,

21 SUPER FOODS

to move into the power position, simply push your hips back sliding the bar down the thighs to the

The following are 21 foods that should make up the bulk of anyone's

top of the knee with your chest over the bar.  From this position we move into the triple extension of

food intake.  It was taken from Dr. John Berardi, one of the leading

the ankle, knee and hip.  This can be simplified to the athlete by telling them to jump and shrug.  The

sports nutritionists in the field today.  Here they are:

force you apply against the ground with your feet will cause the bar to travel up your body.  As the bar

travels you will drop into your front squat catch position.  When we drop our hips to catch we want to

1. Lean red meat

11. Mixed Beans

be in an athletic position with the feet flat; basically a quarter squat with the elbows parallel to the floor.

2. Salmon

12. Quinoa

The most common errors of the hang clean are two-fold.  One, the athlete bends the knees instead

3. Omega-3 Eggs

13. Whole Oats

of pushing the hips back.  Two, the athlete bends at the elbow while in the power position.  If we do

4. Low fat, plain yogurt

14. Mixed Nuts

this, any force that is generated with our lower body will dissipate.  The elbows must remained locked.

5. Protein supplements

15. Avocados

Explosive hip power is vital in every sport.  Remember, knowledge isn't power, applied knowledge is power!

6. Spinach

16. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Final Thought

7. Tomatoes

17. Fish Oil

There is power in numbers.  This is true in about any facet in life.  We constantly see different types of

8. Cruciferous Vegetables

18. Flax Seeds (ground)

people coming to train.  Some train by themselves, others train with a 2-5 of people while others train

*broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower

19. Green Tea

in large packs.  It has been our observation that the bigger the group the more intense the training

9. Mixed Berries

20. Liquid Exercise Drinks

environment.  Training environments are addictive and we all feed off the energy in the room.

10. Oranges

21. Greens+ supplement

The bottom line is that you can see more in your teammate/training partner than you can see in

yourself.  We all need other people to challenge and motivate us and they need you as well.  Don't

Add these to your diet and records will be sure to fall!

just settle for nonchalant lifting environments.  Train together and Win.

Adversity causes some men to break and others to break records

Central strength-training: Redefined

A special thanks to Coaches Tim Bates, Joe Niehaus & Tom Hartshorn for their great contributions to the newsletter.