November 2017

Sports Specific Training: Energy Systems

There are three different physiological systems that the body uses to produce energy to meet the body’s demands. Energy systems can also be considered metabolic efficiency, essentially it is preparing the athlete to meet their sport’s specific energy demands. For example, a cross country runner will have different energy/metabolic demands that a sprinter.

The Role of Stability and Mobility in the Ankle

Ankle range of motion and ankle stability often are trained separately.  While they seem independent and opposite of each other, they are both needed to reach peak performance. Many athletes do not work on ankle range of motion unless they experience an injury to the lower extremity and, often, ankle stability is expected of the athlete to already have after a certain age.  Stability of the ankle should not limit the range of motion; stability allows the athlete to strongly balance on different surfaces with forces acting upon them while performing the proper technique with the required range of motion at the joint. 

The Importance of In Season Training in Hockey

The grind of a hockey season can take a toll on a player’s body. There can be upwards of 50-60 games plus two to three practices a week and private training during a season that can run from August until USA Hockey Nationals in April. This grind can break down the muscles in the body leading to decreased performance and possible acute or overuse injuries. A common oversight is to either stop “Dryland” training during the season or to train the wrong systems leading to more breakdowns in the body. 

The Importance of Core Strength

The look of an “eight-pack” is what most desire and expect when training their abdominal muscles. Except true core strength is not represented by the appearance of an eight-pack but provided by an overall stabilization and control during athletic and everyday activities. The three main core muscles are the rectus abdominis, which is the “eight pack”, the transverse