New websites added

Just came across two new websites and added them to links. Looking for a different type of workout? Then go to Josh Henkins and his sandbag training site. Keep track of his blog and you will encounter many new ways to incorporate sandbags into your training. Want to increase your Vertical jump? Take a look at Jon Hinds (Madison, WI) website, go to articles and look for the vertical jump post. In this article there is a free E-Book download, which includes an 8 week program to increase vertical jump. As you look for info on these two websites, it is easy to access many other sites and articles for more information and some new ideas about training.

Testing begins for our morning weightlifting group on Monday. We have been using a 4 week foundation program and after the Christmas vacation, we start the next phase, GROWTH. We have also been using the BFS Dot Drill and are seeing good results. We used this drill many years ago with great results, but for some dumb reason forgot about it as time passed. As Vern Gambetta always mentions, sometimes you just have to revisit the past.

Have a great Holiday Season!

New Website added

Just updated the sidebar of websites and added a new one. XLathlete.com is full of all kind of information about lifting, running, plyometrics, quickness, speed ... etc. and has short video footage showing whatever you pick out to view. Also many articles to look at. All you have to do is sign up (free).

Update for October 15

Added another new website! Mike Robertson of IFAST has blogsite with great information. His weekly "Old School" stuff which is linked with T-Nation has some great tips. Also check out Workout muse site for Pumpkin Tabatas. They have added many more and they are great 4 minute workouts.

9th grade football is in it's last week with game against Kimberly tomorrow. We have been steadily progressing, now we just have to execute for 4 quarters and see what happens. It has been a trying but enjoying season with little successes along the way. Hopefully this group will be able to continue to progress as they go through their high school careers.

Looking forward to beginning the weight room sessions in November as this is when one can see the progress.

New websites added

Check out the new additions. I know ... it's been a long time since March but I have found some new sites for you to go to for workouts. Check out the Pumpkin tabatas on the WorkoutMuse site! These are only for 4 minutes but look to be killers. Also check out Coach Dos and his many sled workouts. Phy Ed people can check out the youtube film with younger kids flipping ropes for workouts. Something to add to Elementary level classes. Joe's training spot is also a great site to look into. Sometimes he gets a little technical but it's very enlightening.

Football season is in full swing and only 3 more games left for 9th graders. Cannot wait to start hitting the weightroom in November as I have tons of new workouts for our athletes. Until next time.... Peace out!

Testing Results

March 17 begins the next training session of weight room before we test again in May. Test results for Winter session have been posted on bulletin board by weight room (next to gatorade machine). Each of you who put in the time has improved vastly, others who put in some time had some areas of improvement. Team totals have shown improvement in all areas of testing. Even though it might not seem by much, improvement was gained. It becomes harder as our totals start to get higher/quicker/faster, so the challenge becomes for all of us to be on the same page and encourage each other to continue working at getting better. Keep up the hard work and get more people involved! Keep checking the links provided to see many of the drills we have been working on the way they should be done. More links will be added for you to look at.

New website links added

Just letting everyone know that I have posted 2 new website links. These have some exciting and very valuable items for coaches and athletes to visit. The Mark Verstegen link has daily drills that can be viewed and the Jeff Oliver site has great information provided by a great variety of world renowned trainers. Check them out!

Also a reminder to athletes taking part in morning workouts that testing dates are approaching ( Monday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 12). This will be a good chance to see how you have improved over the winter months and it will provide a starting point for others who have not particpated as of yet. Looking forward to seeing the results.

Spring sports are just around the corner! Remember to get your paperwork taken care of before you report to practice. Good Luck to the Girls / Boys BB teams and Hockey as they begin WIAA tournament series.

Nutrition Tips

Meeting Protein Requirements

Athletes who strength train can get their daily requirements of protein and other important food sources by simply adhering to a nutritionally sound diet. After all, a solid nutrition plan is just as important as a training plan when it comes to building lean muscle mass.

Unfortunately, some athletes believe that supplements are the best source for adding protein to their diets. Truth be told, many supplements contain less protein than athletes think - much less than what they can find in real food. Consider the following sources:

Brown Rice 1 cup cooked 5 protein grams
Whole wheat bread 2 slices 6 protein grams
Oatmeal 1 cup cooked 6 protein grams
Spaghetti noodles 1 cup cooked 7 protein grams
Pork and Beans 1/2 cup 7 protein grams
Cheese 1 oz. 7 protein grams
Milk 1 cup 8 protein grams
Peanut Butter 2 Tbsp. 8 protein grams
Tofu 1/2 cup 10 protein grams
Cottage cheese 1/2 cup 14 protein grams
Plain yogurt 1 cup 14 protein grams
Scrambled eggs 3 19 protein grams
Baked Cod 3 oz. 20 protein grams
Canned Salmon 1/2 cup 24 protein grams
Roast beef or lean meat 3 oz. 24 protein grams
Pork loin 3 oz. 24 protein grams
Canned tuna 1/2 cup 26 protein grams
Chicken breast 3 oz. 26 protein grams
Turkey breast 3 oz. 26 protein grams


Last week's lifting was once again a success by all that took part. Check out Joe DeFranco's site for more YouTube action showing an amazing 4.19 40 yard dash. Also check out the video explaining a little about the "jump back" starts that we incorporated into our routine last week. Upper body leans forward over starting line as you are jumping back. One leg (back) is lowered to about 45 degrees and a push off of both feet is needed. We will work on these this week. While you are at the site, look into Ask Joe ( 2-08-08 ) posting about wanting to get faster and what Joe recommends.

Week of Feb 11 -15:

We will start off this week (Monday) with the favorite workout of the week. Yes, you guessed it, "the Prowler", sled pulls/sled drags and the Nebraska agility drill. Wednesday will be a new agility drill as well as some two foot plyos. Friday will be ladders and plyo ball throws against wall ( Bench press throws, hip throws, and 1 arm tosses). Looking forward to seeing everyone "attack" this week's workouts. Remember that in order to get better we must outwork our opponents.

Good Luck to the Boys BB team vs. Kaukauna. Hopefully East fans will show up in droves and cheer their Patriots on to Victory!!

Nutrition

Building Muscle: Is More Protein Better?

Researchers continue to examine protein needs for gaining muscle mass. It's true that athletes who strength train do require more protein than those who don't - 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or approximately .77 grams of protein per pound of body weight). See chart below:

Weight (lbs) Daily protein requirements (grams)

125 lbs. 96
150 lbs. 116
175 lbs. 135
200 lbs. 154
225 lbs. 173
250 lbs. 193

Next posting will examine foods that help meet these protein requirements.



Fridays workout (last week) was great. It was a total team effort from everyone present. Watching all of you working on agility, starts, plyo throws, sled pulls, and the "Prowler" was AWESOME! Many of you that have been taking part have been making tremendous gains and you should be congratulated for your dedication. The "4th Quarter" team drill was a test of your courage and stamina and all of you met it head on. There were no slackers, only attackers. Keep up the good work!


Just a reminder for all of you to take time to view some of the web site links I have posted. You can see a lot of our drills on video and see how the drills are suppose to look. Also I am looking for feedback from anyone as to what you think about the workouts we have done. Just go to the comments section and post your opinion (s).

New website links added

Just had to post this quick. I have added two new links. If you think that heavy lifting and functional training is not for the female gender, check out the eric cressey site and watch the footage of his girlfriend doing some training. It's awesome!

New Week

Nutrition - How to Get the Most from a Workout:

Athletes think hydration doesn't matter in the weight room. In fact, research shows that properly hydrated resistance-trained weight lifters can lift more than those who are dehydrated. Here's how to do it:

Remember fluids throughtout the day. This may be as simple as grabbing a sports drink first thing in the morning, then using fountains, coolers, and cafeteria beverages as triggers for drinking throughout the day.

Hydrate 2 to 3 hours before training. Athletes should aim for at least 16 ounces (2 cups) of fluid at this time and an additional 8 ounces (1 cup) 10 to 20 minutes prior to lifting.

Drink during and after training. Sports drinks, like Gatorade, can help ward off dehydration and muscle cramps because they help replenish both fluid and electrolytes (i.e., sodium and potassium) lost in sweat without drinking.



Weightroom News: Wednesday and Friday of last week were great! More people showed up and the work they put in was fantastic. Friday, we were joined by 2 brave female East athletes who went through some of the workout (agility and weight pushes/sled pulls, before they had to get to their scheduled soccer workout. Hopefully they will spread the word and more will show up. This week we're going to be working on starts, jumping/landing, ladders, agility (Illinois & Nebrask drills), 10 yd accelerations, and the new "Prowler sleds". Looking forward to seeing how we handle the "Prowler".

New Website

Fantastic website added for all you familiar with some track and field events. Website www.sihunt.co.uk shows a bunch of youtube type short videos detailing how famous world record holders train and drills they go through to get these records. The one that depicts World Record High Jumper Stefan Holm jumping over some hurdles for practice is awesome! Just click on the link provided and go to the drills section to locate the videos. Also if you want to see some intense weight room lifting videos. just click on Joe DeFranco and go to his youtube section. You will see some very intense workouts that will open your eyes.

Until next time, It's Time to Rock and Roll!

Nutrition Tip

Foods: Post -Workout Fuel (taken from Gatorade Sports Science Institute)

We all know that athletes burn up muscle energy stores during a workout. Their bodies' muscles lose the energy that's been stored for exercise. It's important that athletes:

Get energy back into the muscles within 30 minutes and again within 2 hours to help rebuild muscle energy stores for the next workout.

Have snacks like a carbohydrate / protein energy bar, chocolate milk, yougurt mixed with nuts, or a turkey or peanut butter sandwich handy to refuel fast.

Hence the reason that after our 6 - 7 am weightroom workout, Coach Schwanke has you drink chocolate milk and eat a protein bar. Way to go Coach!!


Ever wonder what you and LT ( San Diego Chargers RB) have in common?

Ladders - That's right! All the ladder drill work that you have been doing these past weeks is also part of LT's workout. Even the pro's have to work on their footwork skills. So keep on ickkyying, hop-skotching, buzz sawing along and feel a part of LT working with you as you proceed through that lon...ggg, lenggg...thy thing lying on the gym floor. : )


Looking forward to tomorrow's workout : )

New Drill for Fri. Jan 25 weightworkout

The agility drill for Friday, January 25 will be a fast feet, hip turn. Athletes will need to learn how to do a tapioca foot drill, drop step, accelerate to next cone and reverse direction again until thru the cones. You can view this drill by going to SparqTraining site and go to "Features". Under "Features" will be ten features and the drill is shown under the Jan. 23 "Drill of the Day". Oh, yeah, we will also be doing the push "45 lbs floor drill" and "Pull 150 lbs. drill", so come prepared. Looking for any input you might have about the workout.

Starting up!

Hey all you Appleton East Athletes wanting to improve your sports performance abilities! Take a look at this new blog spot for you to receive and react to information about weight training, nutrition ideas, plyometric training, agility, ladders, and just about anything else that will help you to improve in your quest to become a better athlete in whatever sport you participate in. Postings will be updated weekly and you will be able to comment on any of the information given out.