The start of summer is always a great checkpoint to revisit yearly goals, new year resolutions and do some personal assessments. 

In a similar exercise, someone recently challenged me to sum up my 2020 goal into one word to which I came up with GROWTH

Growth in…
Outreach/Availability
Content
Opportunities
Systems/Processes
Understanding and
Impact (most important)

While gains have been made in most of these areas (its always a work in progress, right?), I realize that many folks who are reading all the content or watching the videos are missing one of, if not, the biggest messages: How can I help you?


Training Strategies to Maximize Performance

One of the biggest lessons in the last 5-6 years is that what athletes do away from the gym or training field has just as much (if not more) of an impact on performance or readiness to train. Not enough sleep or eating the wrong food can halt any possible gains in strength, speed or endurance that one aims for in training. That truth is what highlighted the need for a way to help athletes maximize their nutrition, recover and mental preparedness for their training and competitive routines. Thus, the 12 High Performance Habits was created! 

Train with me ANYWHERE

TIME! The one thing we all wish we had more of. And, if we had more of it, we could train more, stay healthier throughout the season, maintain the progress we made in the off-season, and so many other things.

That's one of the biggest reasons I've started connecting with more and more athletes remotely. Because, chances are very likely you feel comfortable finding your way around the gym, but it's putting things in the right order or organizing the entire package is where you're losing progress. 

By working with athletes from a distance, they save time by having a better, fully inclusive plan that maximizes the current routine. In the last 4-5 years of coaching athletes remotely, they have noticed a difference in the day-to-day readiness, quality of movement and consistency of performance. 

Big road trip coming up? 

We (the athlete and I) discuss a game plan to minimize cramping/tension and maximize recovery while on the road. 

Stressful week with work or exams? 

We adjust the routine so that you stay active enough to minimize stress and maximize your mental focus/energy. 

Consistency is Key

Weekly "Strategy Sessions" and regular check in emails/texts keep us connected throughout the program. Even a quick heads up of "Hey, it's pouring down rain today." is enough to pivot the training focus for the day so it's not a missed opportunity. 

Too many athletes think it's simple enough to "use the same program I had in high school" or "follow this program my friend did with his _____ team." But that program was not built for YOU or your routine. Nor is it flexible enough to change or adapt to your current status (fatigued, slight injury, increased stress, etc). 

 So, I'd encourage you to reach out if you're looking for some guidance on how to bridge the gap between how you're training and how you're performing. Together, we can create a strategy that will increase your training efficiency while saving you time and money. 

Here are a few resources to share more information sharing some FAQ's benefits gained by other athletes and a few options outlining how we can work together. 

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How does that relate to performance goals? 
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Continuing on our previous example, our "200 feet" goals may look more like this: 

- Get 4 weight lifting workouts per week that provides increased volume
- Eat 3 solid meals (plus quality snacks) per day that includes XX grams of protein to ensure lean muscle mass is gained
- Set pre-bedtime routine so I can fall asleep quickly and get maximum recovery during sleep

Now the focus is hitting those marks on a day-to-day basis and collecting small wins on the path to achieving the ultimate goal. Plus, having a tiny setback (missing a day, eating out, etc) is much easier to rebound from and get back on track. Need help determining your "next 200 feet" goal? 

Send us an email at universalsportsstrength@gmail.com with "200 feet" in the subject line and let us know what you need.  


NEED MORE HELP???
When you're ready, here are a few ways to connect for a more personalized program or routine to fit your schedule, training and performance goals. 

1. Think you need to update your training environment? 

Check out the Fitness Scorecard to see what areas of your daily routine could improve to help boost your workouts, recovery and performance. 

We will send you the results AND offer 15-min conversation to share ideas and strategies on how to maximize your training. 

2. Want a visual reminder to help keep you on track? 

Email us with "12 HPH" in the subject line to receive printable copy of our 12 Habits of High Performance that makes a great bookmark, wall paper or screen saver. ​

Don’t let the title fool you. We’re not talking about your favorite pump up tunes. The volume we are referring to is the amount of work you do over the course of a training week. 

So what information do you use to measure just how much work you put in? Minutes trained/played? Number of reps or total weight lifted? 


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Everything you do (or don’t) regarding physical preparation needs to be factored into your build-up to competition. As an example, the following categories are just a few examples of what we factor in when creating training schedules and lifting programs for team environments:  

• minutes of engagement - film review, discussion, etc 
• time on feet - walking to/from training, standing around during practice
• Work and recovery - amount of time training versus amount of time for recovery (naps, treatments, etc) 
• GPS metrics - total meters, high speed meters, contacts, etc

“So when should I be doing the most work?” 

Many teams and/or athletes put A LOT of emphasis on running or conditioning early in the season to “get in shape” for the first match. Then, as the season progresses, the amount of running and conditioning work decreases.This can leave some athletes feeling sore and tired at the end of the season. Sometimes individuals go into survival mode, just making it from one week to the next because they experienced the most amount of volume early on in the year. 

Our goal, when looking at full competition calendars, is for the athletes to feel fit and fresh going into the second half of the schedule and building into playoff time. One way to do that is to reduce the amount of work (load, sets/reps, etc) programmed in the weight room while progressively increasing the amount of high speed, intense running as the season continues. This avoids the athlete getting ‘shocked’ by a huge amount of volume up front and allows them to build up slowly. 

The help of GPS monitoring gives coaches and athletes an accurate read on just how much work is being done over the course of the season. Awesome features, like SPT’s player readiness (pictured below), make it easy to see how intense a session is in relation to a short or long term period. 

Not sure about how to schedule your Fall training? Need more than just a weight lifting program? We have only 5 spots remaining for our Kilograms to Kilometers Fall Training Program. Athletes who register will receive: 
* 12-week strength training and running/conditioning program 
* Weekly check-ins for advice or adjustments on workout routines 
* Weekly High Performance Habits to improve training, performance, recovery and mental focus/attitude 
* Digital copy of the Athlete Performance Manual 

For more info, send us an email at universalsportsstrength@gmail.com or direct message on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 

#KilogramstoKilometers #KGtoKM #knowyournumbers #stopguessingstartmeasuring #wintherecovery #multisportathletes #universalsportsstrength #universalsportsconditioning #universalsportstraining #universalsportsathlete #movebetterplaybetter #trainsmarter 

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I often use a race car team as an analogy for sports competitions. Sometimes, in the middle of a season, you only have time for a pit stop: to change the tires, re-fuel and get back onto the track. Other times, you can park in the garage, prop up the car on jacks and take a good, long look under the hood to see what is running good and what needs improving. With athletes, sometimes there are small injuries that they can tolerate (play with), with close management,  until the end of the season when they can dedicate more time to resolving the issue 100%. 

A concerning issue has come up recently around the amount of time (or lack thereof) that athletes allow themselves between sports and/or training periods. One athlete I spoke to recently had the following sports calendar:  Football (Aug-Nov) into Wrestling (Nov-Jan), then Rugby (Jan-Jun) and finally Rugby 7’s/All-stars (May-Aug), with other sports training and camps mixed in. 

​I’m a fan of multi-sport athletes for a number of reasons (eliminate overuse injuries, develop multiple skills, etc). But, in doing so, are you eliminating the opportunity to hit “Reset”, mentally and physically, between seasons or sports? Are you allowing time to overcome the small niggles that you carried throughout the second half of the season? Or enjoying a fun getaway with family/friends that does not involve hotels, tournaments or tight schedules? 

SO WHAT CAN I DO??? 

For starters, look at your calendar (Sunday to Saturday) to see how much activity (weight lifting, sports training, games, etc) you may engage with over the course of a week. An easy measurement is to use a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale of 1-10 to score each session based on difficulty, fatigue, etc (1 = no effort, 10 = maximal effort) 

Then, look at the entire week to see how much variation you have from one day to the next. Here is an example of how that may look using a simple spreadsheet: 
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Now, imagine looking at this over the course of a few months. A number of strength and conditioning(S&C) coaches will schedule a deload week (less total volume to allow for more recovery) every 3-4 weeks. Do you have a series of weeks that stay at high levels? Or does your schedule allow for a few days off, allowing you to recover fully and be ready to go 100% for the next session? 

To paraphrase what one coach said recently, the best ability an athlete can have is AVAILABILITY, referencing one's ability to stay healthy and fit to play rather than being unavailable due to injury or illness. Don’t let the fear of “getting out of shape” or "losing your spot" push you to the point of soreness or injury where you can’t participate. 

Want to get the most out of your training without overdoing it? Curious about how best you can schedule recovery into your routine? Send us an email at universalsportsstrength@gmail.com or direct message on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 

#kilograms2kilometers #kg2km #knowyournumbers #stopguessingstartmeasuring #wintherecovery #multisportathletes #universalsportsstrength #universalsportsconditioning #universalsportsathlete #movebetterplaybetter #trainsmarter