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CENTRAL STRENGTH NEWS
| Vol. 1, Ed. 2 |
Monday, February 20, 2006 |
Rakkasan Raiders
Your Teammates...
You don't have to like them, but you have to love them. As coaches, we see & hear a lot
of things that go on in the lives of athletes. Most of it is great stuff that you should all be proud of,
but some of the talk is trash. The worst is when we have athletes talking badly about someone on their own
team. Let's face it, your teammates are all you have when things are really on the line. Yes, a coach &
game plan are great but when you are on the playing field your teammates are who decide the outcome.
It is not necessary that everyone gets along perfectly, but to truly be a team, you need to love them. We
should all be doing all we can to look out for, reach out to, and stick up for the people that we will be
fighting alongside. You would all be amazed at the amount of success that you could achieve if everyone on
the team respected and trusted one another, and did not have to worry about who is saying or feeling what.
Trust & believe in each other and great things WILL happen.
Dieleman's Dungeon
Recovery Strategies: Sleep
We've all done it, staying up late burning the midnight oil. Well, here is something to
think about the next time you decide to stay up late.
- When deprived of sleep the body metabolizes glucose (energy stores for muscle use) less efficiently.
- Levels of the stress hormone cortisol were higher in periods of deprived sleep.
These two by-products cause memory impairments, age related insulin resistances, and impaired athletic
recovery. Because cortisol is a catabolic (breakdown) hormone, elevated levels interfere with tissue
repair and growth. Over long periods this could prevent an athlete from adapting properly to heavy
training and predispose the athlete to overtraining, as well as injury. Simply stated, get 8-9 hours
of continuous sleep per night and take a nap during the day if you have time. By doing this you will
no longer burn the candle at both ends and you will be able to perform at your full potential.
Central Nutrition
Fast Food: What Are You Putting In Your Body?
Fast food; yes it is easy and convenient but as an athlete you know that everything that
goes into your body is going to either help or hurt you. So, here is a list of foods, as well as what
is in them, from the more "popular" fast food chains.
| Item |
calories |
fat (g) |
| Cheeseburger (McDonald's) |
310 |
12 |
| Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese (MD's) |
510 |
25 |
| Large French Fry (MD's) |
520 |
25 |
| Regular Roast Beef (Arby's) |
320 |
13 |
| Giant Roast Beef (Arby's) |
450 |
19 |
| Average Market Fresh Sandwich (Arby's) |
763 |
36.5 |
| Whopper w/ Cheese (BK) |
800 |
49 |
| Double Whopper w/ Cheese (BK) |
1060 |
69 |
| Chicken Breast (KFC) |
380 |
19 |
| Crunch Taco (Taco Bell) |
150 |
7 |
| 1 Slice Pepperoni Pizza (Pizza Hut) |
280 |
14 |
Foundations of the Haus
The Posterior Chain: Is It Your Weak Link?
It always amazes me the amount of athletes who come here from the high school level
with severe weakness in their posterior chain (PC), their low back, glutes & hamstrings. It
has gotten to the point where we as coaches have just come to expect high school athletes to be
weak in the PC. Honestly I could care less how big someone's pecs, biceps or quads are. Those
overdeveloped muscles are not going to help him/her achieve results on the field/court.
To athletes who are reading this, remember, "The SHOW muscles are in front & the GO muscles
are in the back." When you are running it is your PC that propels you down the field. It is
your glutes and hamstrings that are sore after sprinting, not your stinking quads, biceps, or pecs!
The hamstrings serve two functions; a knee flexor & a hip extender. When you are running, its
primary use is as a hip extender. This is how hamstrings need to be trained. If you want to see us
come unglued, then ask us why we don't do machine leg curls. Or better yet, just let us catch you
doing machine leg curls! This exercise does jack squat for our speed.
After all of this, why in the world do most people spend so much time on the "show" muscles?
The answer is that they usually don't know any better. Now you guys and gals know, and knowing is half
the battle. Knowledge is not power, applied knowledge is power.
Final Thoughts
After watching a lot of different sports, and athletes, compete in a bar hang (simply
hang from a bar for as long as possible) I have noticed 2 things. One, there is great strength &
power when performing in front of your teammates. Two, some are able to fight through pain better
than others. These people simply have something inside them that won't let them quit--they want to
win. I believe that inner strength is inside of everyone, once you find it you will overcome.
"A Soldier Who Sweats More During Peace Time, Bleeds Less During Battle"
together we stand, together we fall
A special thanks to Coaches Tim Bates, Trevor Dieleman, & Joe
Niehaus for their great contributions to the newsletter.
Contact information
Jake Anderson, CSCS
Central College Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
812 University
Campus
Box 6600
Pella, Iowa 50219
(641) 628-7695
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