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CENTRAL STRENGTH NEWS
| Vol. 2, Ed. 1 |
Monday, September 4, 2006 |
Rakkasan Raiders
Emotion
During the course of a sporting event we hear a lot about momentum and how it is a key to success.
When you stop and think about it, what is this momentum? Momentum is just an emotion, right? It is a
rush that hits the whole team all at once, and then you ride that emotion through the next portion of
the game.
Well what if the team grabbed that emotion from the start and did not let it go? Even when things
didn't go our way on the field, if we still held on to that emotion, the opposing team would not be
able to match ours. In sports we should be excited for what is about to happen more than what has
just happened. If we grab the momentum and the emotion, because of what we know is possible, then we
will never allow the momentum to shift, and we will play at a higher level than our opposition
throughout the game rather than just parts of it.
We have shown what we can do during those high-flying parts of the game; imagine what is possible
when we carry that emotion through the whole game or even the season!
Hartshorn's Hallow
Post Workout Stretching for Recovery
Every component of a strength & conditioning program is there for a reason, from your warm-up
to your plyometrics, exercise selection, and finally to your post workout stretching. Just because
stretching is performed at the end of the workout doesn't mean that it is not important. Flexibility
is critical to optimize athletic performance and injury prevention, but it has to be performed at the
appropriate time and with the same attention that you would give a hang clean or a squat.
Stretching is performed after the workout to restore tissue length and to help prevent long-term
overuse injury. Restoring the tissue length realigns muscle fibers which helps restore scarred tissue
back to a healthy state and can reduce muscle soreness.
Many athletes tend to lose their concentration toward the end of the workout and fail to fully
benefit from post-workout stretching. Make sure that you are taking the time to properly stretch after
the workout and don't just fly through the motions to get out of the weight room 3 minutes early.
Think about the few minutes that it takes to properly stretch as an investment to your longevity as an
athlete and as long term injury prevention.
Central Nutrition
Fats: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
All fats are bad, right? WRONG! As badly as society wants us to believe, not all fats
are bad, and in fact certain fats are essential for you, as athletes, to help you reach your goals.
Without going too deep into it, there are two different kinds of fats, saturated and unsaturated
(really there are categories within these as well but we won't get into it). Fats get a bad rep because
of the saturated fats. These are those that are solid at room temperature (i.e. animal fats). You
definitely want to avoid these at all costs. The other kind, unsaturated, are necessary. These are
liquid at room temperature and include things such as flax seed oil, fish oil, extra virgin olive oil,
omega 3-6-9's, healthy nuts like walnuts and almonds etc. They serve many functions such as: allowing
you to absorb other nutrients, decrease cholesterol levels, blood pressure, musculo-skeletal pain,
as well as decrease inflammation. Fats have also been shown to increase testosterone levels.
The bottom line is that you need to avoid saturated fats and hydrogenated oils, but you MUST
include unsaturated fats like those listed above. Who would've thought--eat certain fats and get
healthy!!
Foundations of the Haus
Life is a Contact Sport: The Importance of Torso Training
"O.K., feet facing the mirrors, we've got 10 torso rotations."
"Why do we have to do these things?", you think to yourself as your midsection begs
for mercy. "These strength coaches are complete sadists!"
While we do enjoy inflicting pain on athletes, there is a reason behind the way we structure
torso training here at Central College. A strong, powerful torso is essential for maximizing
athletic performance no matter what your chosen sport is. Consider this analogy: if I were to punch
you, which would hurt you more, if my wrist was locked in or if I had a limp wrist? The answer is the
one with my wrist locked in, of course. The reason for this is that with my wrist locked in, I can
transfer the force generated from my arm across the joint to my fist.
The torso is the same way, if you have a weak torso any force that you generate with your lower
body will dissipate. Thus, the force produced from the feet to the upper body will be drastically
less than it could be. This is one of the main reasons that torso training is so important and is
prioritized in all Central Strength programs and performed at the beginning of a workout, not at the
end as an after thought. So start taking your torso training seriously no matter what your sport is.
With a strong torso you will hit harder, kill the volleyball with more velocity, kick the ball harder,
hit the ball farther etc.
Until next time remember: "Knowledge is not power, applied knowledge is power."
Final Thoughts
Fast Start! Whether you are a fall sports team or not it is essential that you get
out of the gate and start your year right now. Our goal is to win the All Sports Trophy and it will
not come easy. We must invest in our training, lifestyle and recovery habits in order to maximize our
full potential.
Come together as a college and challenge each other. Support every team as they compete. There may
be a lot of time but there is absolutely no time to waste!
"Luck is when preparation meet's opportunity"
central strength training: Redefined
A special thanks to Coaches Tim Bates, Tom Hartshorn, & 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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