The biggest problem with much of the training of an elite athlete is the lack of regular progression.   Progressions become smaller and smaller as athletes get closer to their genetic potential.  However, the impact of gains in performance become bigger and bigger on the difference between winning and losing.  Unfortunately, the systems that are employed to monitor these progressions are flawed.  In many cases where progression is most important less time is spent on fine tuning this strategy.    Poor planning and monitoring of performance loses precious time and results in lesser gains and breakthroughs for the elite athletes.

Let’s take a look at this concept of time for a moment and you can see the impact of the loss of time on an athlete’s career.  I have said in the past that what a strength and conditioning coach really charges for is time.    If an athlete in the early part of their career could possess the fitness that they obtain from years of training how much better would they be early in their career?  This is not possible, however a good strength coach shortens the time that it is required  to  reach high levels of fitness by understanding how to progress the athlete,  what areas of training will elicit the greatest impact on athletic performance, and understanding the science, past and present, that will produce the highest level of athletic performance for an athlete.    This is all coupled with the underlying premise of not increasing the risk or causing injury.

Let’s look at the math.  An athlete trains from the age of 10-20 and builds an athletic base and matures during this first ten years.  This time is most often spent on building a good athletic base.   Unfortunately in today’s environment of specialization many athletes become one dimensional and will start to develop injuries or potential for injury if they do not balance out their training and address any weakness that may have developed as a result of the specialization.  The next 10 years of training are the most important.  The athlete’s athletic gains are made with greater difficulty because they are now closer to their genetic potential.  The impact of good progression becomes critical at this time because time needed for big improvement is greater and there is a diminishing ability to produce greater gains as the athlete becomes older.   So there is a greater need for performance and a clock that is always running as the athlete ages.  This is a difficult balancing act.

At Titan understand the impact of wasted training time is greater in these critical years.  If a program does not address progression and address optimum progression rates then the athlete will never become as good as they could have been.   In addition the mental frustration begins to take its toll.  Athletes want to see gains.  It is the nature of sport.

There are many studies on progression.  However this concept is very dynamic and individual.  All the ingredients of rest and recovery, fuel, stress etc become of much greater importance and must be addressed to optimize progression.   It is very easy to not address this on a long term basis and the athlete wastes the best years for huge gains.  Lance Armstrong lived like a monk in order to accomplish this.  Food, training, rest, recovery, are managed like a battle campaign.    Wining a war is all about preparation.

So pay attention to progression and make sure you are making the changes that result in the fastest, safest performance gains.  At Titan we spend a great amount of time monitoring and developing progressions that work most effectively for a particular athlete.  If you want great performance gains you   should spend the time to look at your progressions and make sure this important aspect of your training is being addressed thoroughly and effectively.

Train smart, have fun, and you will prevail!

Jacques DeVore, CSCS

President Titan Sports Performance

www.titansb.com

The biggest problem with much of the training of an elite athlete is the lack of regular progression.   Progressions become smaller and smaller as athletes get closer to their genetic potential.  However, the impact of gains in performance become bigger and bigger on the difference between winning and losing.  Unfortunately, the systems that are employed to monitor these progressions are flawed.  In many cases where progression is most important less time is spent on fine tuning this strategy.    Poor planning and monitoring of performance loses precious time and results in lesser gains and breakthroughs for the elite athletes.

Let’s take a look at this concept of time for a moment and you can see the impact of the loss of time on an athlete’s career.  I have said in the past that what a strength and conditioning coach really charges for is time.    If an athlete in the early part of their career could possess the fitness that they obtain from years of training how much better would they be early in their career?  This is not possible, however a good strength coach shortens the time that it is required  to  reach high levels of fitness by understanding how to progress the athlete,  what areas of training will elicit the greatest impact on athletic performance, and understanding the science, past and present, that will produce the highest level of athletic performance for an athlete.    This is all coupled with the underlying premise of not increasing the risk or causing injury.

Let’s look at the math.  An athlete trains from the age of 10-20 and builds an athletic base and matures during this first ten years.  This time is most often spent on building a good athletic base.   Unfortunately in today’s environment of specialization many athletes become one dimensional and will start to develop injuries or potential for injury if they do not balance out their training and address any weakness that may have developed as a result of the specialization.  The next 10 years of training are the most important.  The athlete’s athletic gains are made with greater difficulty because they are now closer to their genetic potential.  The impact of good progression becomes critical at this time because time needed for big improvement is greater and there is a diminishing ability to produce greater gains as the athlete becomes older.   So there is a greater need for performance and a clock that is always running as the athlete ages.  This is a difficult balancing act.

At Titan understand the impact of wasted training time is greater in these critical years.  If a program does not address progression and address optimum progression rates then the athlete will never become as good as they could have been.   In addition the mental frustration begins to take its toll.  Athletes want to see gains.  It is the nature of sport.

There are many studies on progression.  However this concept is very dynamic and individual.  All the ingredients of rest and recovery, fuel, stress etc become of much greater importance and must be addressed to optimize progression.   It is very easy to not address this on a long term basis and the athlete wastes the best years for huge gains.  Lance Armstrong lived like a monk in order to accomplish this.  Food, training, rest, recovery, are managed like a battle campaign.    Wining a war is all about preparation.

So pay attention to progression and make sure you are making the changes that result in the fastest, safest performance gains.  At Titan we spend a great amount of time monitoring and developing progressions that work most effectively for a particular athlete.  If you want great performance gains you   should spend the time to look at your progressions and make sure this important aspect of your training is being addressed thoroughly and effectively.

Train smart, have fun, and you will prevail!

Jacques DeVore, CSCS

President Titan Sports Performance

www.titansb.com

So what is the most effective way to increase strength?  HEAVY LIFTS, HEAVY LIFTS, HEAVY LIFTS.  It has become apparent to me that the emphasis on functional training has diminished the focus on the benefit of heavy lifts.   By the way, heavy closed chain exercises are very functional and incorporate multiple muscle groups in combination.  We do not typically perform open chain heavy lifts unless there is a particular requirement.  (NFL combine bench press test)  At Titan, www.titansb.com, we look at the strength zone to be lifts of 8 repetitions or less.  When we feel comfortable that that athlete has excellent form, we like to go to 5 repetitions or less in a heavy lift.  Lifting heavy is important for almost any athlete.  Especially as athletes age and also for athletes that compete in power to weight sports.  It is also of great help to women, although the myth of getting big discourages women from lifting heavier.

Much of the culture of strength in the west is built on a foundation of body builders.   The goal of body building is to add size.  Most of the exercises for size are done at much higher repetitions in order to produce hypertrophy in the muscles.

With this in mind a typical exercise set up for strength would start with a light weight warm up of the exercise.  This is typically 10-12 repetitions.  This is the time to determine if all systems are good to go.  Are there any funny feelings or unusual stresses as a result of the exercise?  In many cases a second “warm up “set is called for and lowers the risk of injury.  If everything feels good we have the athlete jump to an 8 rep set.  The weight should be heavy enough that rep number 8 is difficult to complete.  We then go to a 5 rep set where the weight is increased and the 5^th repetition is difficult to complete.   Difficult to complete means what it says.  It should be very hard to complete that last repetition.  When we are early in the maturity of a lifter we will usually stick with a 5 rep set and go no heavier until we feel comfortable with form and fatigue.  We also go back to this 5 rep strength set when we are doing higher volume strength work.  If the athlete has perfect form we will go to a 3 rep set and sometimes a 1-2 rep max lifts.

These lifts are of great importance.  There is a great neuromuscular response to this type of lifting and strength gains come quickly.  Another benefit is that these lifts do not take that much time, and can be completed in a relatively short amount of time.

So if you want to get strong, lift heavy with great form.  There is no substitute.

Train smart, have fun, and you will prevail!

Jacques DeVore, CSCS

President Titan Sports Performance

www.titansb.com

I think the most overused and one of the most dangerous terms in the athletic vernacular is “gifted”. Of course there are certain body types that are much more appropriate to certain sports and movements than others, however the term gifted is often overused and in many cases discourages individuals from the recognition that hard work and diligent training will overcome most gifts. Genetic athletic gifts are like a glass. It is true that some people are born with bigger glasses (DNA/Genome). However, the size of the glass is only a measurement of potential; training is the act of filling a glass (Epigenetics /Phenome). Athlete A is born with a glass that is 25% larger than athlete B. The athlete with the smaller glass fills his to the top and the “gifted” athlete only fills his half way. The non gifted athlete will prevail on the field. My point is that we are all born with different DNA which we have no control over. There is a whole body of research which has identified different athletic genes. We all know individuals who are just natural at a given sport. However it is the expression of the gene (epigenetic) that we have the ability to influence through smart training. This is one area that we have a great ability to control.

The best way to understand this is by thinking about identical twins. Identical twins have the exact same DNA or genome. In many cases it is almost impossible to tell them apart. However, if one of the twins pursued long distance running and the other twin was a power lifter the differences would be very pronounced. Why is this difference so pronounced if their genetics are identical? The expression of the genes is seen in the phenome of the twins. If both twins have identical genomes, what causes the differences in the body types of the marathoner vs. the power lifter? The different forms of training have expressed the identical genes differently in the physiques of the twins. It seems obvious from this example, but how do you influence your own genes?

The word epigenetic means over the gene. In other words the expression of the gene over the underlying DNA that you are born with is the epigenetic of the gene. The study of epigenetics is one of the leading areas of genetic research today. What the research is finding is that different stresses on your body (training would be one stress) will mark your genes to behave in a particular way. Much of the research has revolved around mapping the markers that result in negative expressions of the genes that subsequently express themselves through diseases of the body. Researchers are trying to determine how to remark your genes to block particular diseases. The same principle of gene expression is also evidenced on the training side. In fact the scientific community is finding that a lot of the training adaptation of an athlete is more a result of the epigenetic marker than the training itself.

Now I come back to the”non- gifted” athlete and how the concept of DNA and Epigenetics plays into training. By the way, I do not think there are any non-gifted athletes. These are just athletes who have not found a sport that supports their gifts. I will discuss the subject about the disservice that is done to youth today in the interest of self esteem and sport in a future entry. Youth athletes do not discover their gifts because they never “fail” at a sport.
Genetics are important for certain types of sports. Height can be very important in the game of basketball. However, I believe that epigenetics are the bigger determinant of performance in sport today. The science is finally catching up and showing that through training an athlete can change the expression of the gene to produce a result that supports performance in a particular sport. This concept is far reaching to curing disease. It will also have huge impact on an athlete’s ability to perform through a better understanding of what specific stresses result in a particular gene expression that improves sports performance. In the past this gene expression has usually happened by default.

So the moral to the story is that there is hope for individuals who do not believe they have the gifts to perform at the highest level of a particular sport. Of course there are limitations, but it is amazing what can be done with the proper training strategy. With proper motivation, desire, and the most effective training, an individual can produce the most effective genetic expression to match a particular sport!

Is there a secret way to train to accomplish this gene expression? What are the strategies and tactics necessary to mark your genes and develop the desired result?

I will begin to answer in subsequent entries. In the meantime train smart, have fun, and you will prevail.

At Titan Sports Performance and Physical Therapy we have trained some of the best athletes in the world and through this training have a window into what are some of the most important ingredients to make a champion.

This Blog is devoted to evaluating what goes into the training of a world class athlete and also what lessons can be learned from these experiences and our study of human performance.

At Titan we categorize the ingredients of peak athletic performance into the following categories. Each of these categories has an important role in sport and in life.

1. Character and Integrity
2. Discipline
3. Attitude, Motivation, Desire
4. Long term training strategy
5. Biomechanical integrity
6. Functional Movement integrity
7. Functional Power
8. Maximum Sustained functional power
9. Sports specific Cardiovascular fitness
10. Short term training tactics
11. Recovery , Nutrition, Structured Rest
12. Genetic and Epigenetic influences

These 12 broad categories are individually important and collectively necessary to produce championship levels of performance. I believe the ingredients above are in order of importance. Oftentimes the first three categories are overlooked today. Ask any coach and they will tell you that you can have all the genetic gifts in the world and that without the right mental approach you will not reach the pinnacle of performance or life.

I will be discussing these subjects in an order that I think is the easiest to understand and will help someone develop a strategy for realizing the maximum of an athlete’s genetic potential.
With that in mind let’s introduce the concept of genetics (genome) and how you influence those genetics through training to elicit an adaptation that supports performance in a sport. (epigenetic)
How can training result in a positive expression for sport in the genes that you have inherited? How important is this?
To be continued…….

Summer is coming which means longer days and warmer weather. This is a time of year when people become more active with sports and other outdoor activities. Unfortunately along with becoming more active is the increased potential for sustaining musculoskeletal injuries, most commonly strains and sprains. A strain is an injury to a muscle and a sprain is an injury to a ligament. For both athletes and non-athletes the proper initial care of strains and sprains can have a significant impact on how quickly an injury will heal. It would be ideal to have a sports medicine or other health professional do an initial acute injury evaluation but when this is not possible just remember RICE. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

REST
Following any injury the injured area needs time to heal and so rest is important. In most cases this does not mean your whole body must rest. You can look for alternative ways to exercise, e.g. cycling or pool exercises which can keep you fit and does not put a strain on a recovering hamstring muscle.

ICE
Ice in the early stages of an injury (first 72 hours) has very beneficial effects and will speed the recovery process. Always use ice if it is available as it generally works better than commercial cold packs. Ice reduces the blood supply to the injury temporarily, which in turn can reduce swelling. As a general rule during the first 72 hours ice as often as is practical. Ice should be applied for up to 20 minutes with at least 40 minutes in-between each application.

COMPRESSION
Compression reduces the body’s ability to pump blood into the injured area. The best way to apply compression is to use a compression bandage that will provide an even, gentle compression above and below the injured site. Always compress an area much greater than the original injury. Check periodically to ensure that the compression is not restricting nerves or blood flow and never sleep with the compression wrap on. If you will be using a cloth wrap always begin by wraping distal or furthest away from the heart on an extremity and overlap the wrap by half of its width as you work up proximally or toward the heart.

ELEVATION
Elevation is useful in the first 48 hours of an injury to reduce blood and other fluids resulting from the injury from settling in body parts due to gravity. Once again it can reduce swelling. The goal If possible is raise the injury above heart level. This can also be done while sleeping at night with the aid of extra pillows. Remember RICE is a first aid treatment and you may need medical treatment depending upon the severity of the injury.