New National Champs

Next Level has two new National Champs!

A big congratulations is in order for two of Next Level’s
hard working clients. Kelly Weatherman and Ally Mast
are both members of the National Champion Colorado
State Women’s Lacrosse Team. We have witnessed both
of them work extremely hard to develop their skills and
maximize their athletic potential over the years. They
certainly deserve this success and the whole Next Level
crew is very proud of their accomplishments.





CSU entered the WDIA National Championship tournament
as a No. 11 seed and wasn’t expected to make a lot of
noise as a huge underdog in the opening round. But as
Kelly put it “ we pulled it together as a team” and pulled
off a huge upset, defeating the defending national champs
Virginia Tech Club. CSU then proceeded to knock off the
No. 3 seed UCSB, and later No. 2 Lindenwood in the
semifinals.

This meant a showdown with Cal Poly for the right to
take home a national title. CSU fell behind 3-1 early
in the game but came roaring back to take a 4-3 lead
at half time. From that point on it was a defensive
battle on both sides with CSU getting the better of
Cal Poly. The girls from Colorado culminated their
Cinderella run with a 6-4 win and championship
trophy.

There really is not better feeling as a coach than to
watch your dedicated athletes achieve success.
We are proud of you ladies!

Next Level Formula for Speed

Next Levels Formula for speed.



Maximizing speed potential can make a mediocre player good,
and a good player great. This is one of the most highly sought
after athletic qualities and for good reason. Speed is one of
the most devastating weapons an athlete can posses on the
field, court, or ice. We have had tremendous success developing
speed in our athletes by implementing the following formula.

1. Develop relative body strength to a high level
2. Mastering the basics of proper running mechanics
3. Improving the body’s Rate of Force development
4. Attaining appropriate body composition levels
5. Structure your speed sessions appropriately

Now let’s take a closer look at each variable of our speed
formula.


Develop relative body strength to a high level
Being strong relative to your body weight is the foundation
for almost every athletic quality. This will improve every
aspect of your game, especially your first step and 10-15 yd
acceleration. The more force you are capable of putting into
the ground the faster you are going to move. A good starting
point for lower body relative strength is a squat or dead lift
between 1.5 to 2.0 x body weight for males, and 1.25 to 1.5 x
body weight for females. More often than not, we see a steady
improvement on speed tests as our athletes approach these numbers.

Mastering the basics of proper running mechanics
Weight training alone will not be enough for most athletes. Being
proficient in proper running mechanics will enable the athlete to
apply their strength in the most efficient manner as they put
force into the ground. The more proficient you become the more
your strength transfers to the field. That being said, most
team sport athletes don’t have to be a mirror image of Usain Bolt
to maximize their speed potential. I have never seen Usain change
directions, contact a competitor, or have a stick or ball in his
hand. Put the majority of your focus on mastering the basics and
you will be surprised how far it will take you.

Improving the body’s Rate of Force development
Once a foundation of relative strength and proper running mechanics
has been established, it is important to train the body to wake up
its sprinting muscles by recruiting the appropriate motor units
quickly. The faster you can recruit a group of muscles the faster
you will accelerate, jump, and change directions. This can be
accomplished with a variety of exercises and drills including:
Olympic lifts, box jumps, position specific plyometrics, and
exercises done in the “power range.”

Attaining appropriate body composition levels.
To be blunt, fat people are not fast people. By attaining the
appropriate body fat percentage you won’t waste the force you are
putting into the ground by dragging around any extra baggage.
If you take A 200 lb. athlete at 14% body fat and a 200 lb. athlete
at 9% body fat, who can both squat 2x their body weight, I will bet
on 9% every time. Most male athletes involved in speed and power
sports should be in the single digits regarding body fat percentage
to maximize their speed. Just be sure to attain this through
appropriate nutritional strategies and energy system work. One of
the worst things an athlete can do to improve speed is trying
to drop body fat by doing excessive cardio workouts.

Structure your speed sessions appropriately
One of the most common mistakes athletes make is confusing speed
work with conditioning work. When developing speed you are trying
to teach your body to run at 100% of its capability. This is not
possible if the athlete is not completely recovered between sprints.
At Next Level we generally stick to a 1:12 to 1:30 work to rest ratio
during speed workouts. So if your sprint takes 5 seconds to complete,
be sure to rest 60 to 150 seconds. Keep in mind that even though you
are giving 100% effort you may only be running at 90% of your
capability when not fully recovered. This is not speed training!

Another important consideration in program design is the total
volume of your speed session. At Next Level we use a general
rule of thumb of keeping our total training volume for speed
development under 500 yards for the session. This includes
all drills except the warm up. So, if you performed 10 sets
of 10 yard sprints your training volume would be 100 yards.
Remember, speed work should be about high quality reps,
proper running mechanics, and high speeds. These all break
down quickly when exceeding the 500 yard mark.


Hopefully these tips will help you maximize your speed
development. By implementing the formula above, Next Level
athletes routinely drop .02 seconds off their 40 time in one
off-season. (more for females!) How much better would your
game be if you improved from a 4.8 second 40 to a 4.6?
If you are a local athlete who is interested in participating
in one of our speed development programs, contact us
at 303-237-3390.

Best of luck in your training endeavors.

Next Level Athlete update

It’s time once again to recognize the latest accomplishments
of a few Next Level athletes. Congratulations to the following
individuals. The staff at Next Level has witnessed your hard
work and dedication to excellence. You truly deserve all the
success that has come your way.


Alex Bresler: Alex was the Co-Captain of the 2009-10 Elmira
Women’s Hockey team this year. She played a huge role in
the success of her team as they earned the ECAC West Divisional
Championship and a 3rd place finish in the National Championships.
Alex led her team in goals with 19 on the year while also contributing
8 assists.



Tate Price: Tate has recently earned a spot on the Gatorade sponsored
box-lacrosse team “Megamen.” They will be participating in international
competition this month at the Ales Hrebesky Memorial tournament located
in Prague. This is the most prestigious box-lacrosse event in Europe with
teams from eight different countries participating.



Tae’lor Purdy: Tae’lor was the starting point guard for the Regis
Women’s Basketball team this year, leading them in scoring with
14.7 points per game. This effort breaks the Regis school record
for most points scored in a season by a Freshman. Purdy also was
awarded RMAC freshman of the year and 2nd team All-RMAC East
honors.



Jesse Cohen: On March 13th Jesse won the North American Grapplers
Championships in the blue belt / lightweight division. Cohen secured
an arm bar early in the championship match winning by submission
in the 1st 30 seconds.

Structuring your off-season strength training program for football

Structuring your off-season strength training Program
for football

There are many efficient and successful ways to structure
your off-season training programs. This article is designed to
give you a peak at how we lay things out at the Next Level
Performance training facility. Keep in mind we are aware that
other coaches will implement their strategies differently, and
are not saying that they are wrong. We are simply sharing
what has consistently produced outstanding results with the
athletes who have come through our doors. With that being
said, our average first year, 17 to 21 year old football player
puts on 12-15 lbs. of muscle, decreases their 40 time by .02
seconds, increases their vertical by 3-4”, and dramatically
improves their relative body strength in their first off-season
at our facility.

We basically lay out our training structure based on the amount
of time each client has in their particular off-season. If they
can devote more than 12 weeks of continuous training the
athlete will use an undulating periodization scheme. This is
simply the alternation of volume and intensity from one training
phase to the next. If the athlete has less than 12 weeks to
commit to a training program we tend to use a conjugate
periodization scheme, which enables clients to improve multiple
strength qualities within each training block. Descriptions of each
and how we lay them out are listed below.

Undulating periodization: Generally we alternate higher volume/
moderate load phases and lower volume/ higher load phases
every 3-4 weeks. The benefits are as follows:
* great for single sport athletes with long off-season
* allows for more time to correct structural imbalances
* better long term progress in strength / size development
* decreases chance of overtraining and plateaus


This is how a 15 week off-season might be laid out using an
undulating scheme.
Phase I: structural balance / hypertrophy, 8-10 rep average
Phase II: structural balance/ strength, 5-7 rep average
Phase III: functional hypertrophy, 6-8 rep average
Phase IV: strength/ power, 4-6 rep average
Phase V: maximal strength / power, 1-3 rep average

When using a conjugate system athletes work on multiple
strength qualities at the same time while staying with the
same basic layout for the duration of the off-season. The
benefits to this system are as follows.
* great for athletes with shorter off-seasons
* quick increases in multiple strength qualities
* allows for great variation within training scheme
* most athletes find it mentally stimulating

A sample 8 week conjugate scheme at our facility might be
set up as follows:
Mon: upper body (focus on strength)
Tues: lower body (focus on strength)
Thurs: upper body (focus on power or hypertrophy)
Sat: lower body (focus on power or hypertrophy)

Hopefully this will give you some ideas and options for setting
up your own programs. Keep checking the blog and website
www.nextlevelperformancecenter.com , as we plan to continue
to share tips that have been successful at our facility. If you are a
local athlete interested in joining one of our off-season football
training groups contact us at 303-237-3390.


Best of luck in your training endeavors.

Are your training efforts transferring to the lacrosse field?

Are your training efforts transferring to the
Lacrosse field?

Since the competitive lacrosse season has officially started it’s
probably time to post a little lax related info. Strength training
Is definitely going to play a role in the development of athletes in
most sports including lacrosse. It is probably also safe to say that
the higher the level you aspire to play at, the more important it will
become. The trick is making sure that your efforts in the gym
are not wasted and are transferring to the field. Anyone can
throw some iron around, but is it making you a better athlete?

We have been fortunate enough to work with both male and female
lacrosse athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional level
at the Next Level Performance training facility. Listed below are a
few tips that have consistently proven successful for our athletes.

1. Balanced program: Making sure you have a balanced routine may be
the most important aspect of your training program. If your training
consists mainly of bench press and biceps curls, listen up! I’m talking
to you. When structuring your workouts make sure you follow a couple
of simple rules listed below.
* perform at least one set of upper body pulling exercises (chin-up,
or row variation) for every set of upper body pushing exercises.
* include some form of single leg exercise in your routine (lunge or
step up variation)
* Don‘t neglect the posterior chain. (RDL, good morning,
glute/ham raise, and dead lift variations)
* incorporate exercises for the external rotators and mid-trap.
* perform a simple but comprehensive stretching program
regularly.

A balanced program is the first step to a balanced body. This means optimal
performance, fewer training plateaus, and less injuries.

2. Get good at pull ups: If you want more velocity on your shot this is a must.
You can and should use multiple grips and rep patterns to develop this
strength movement. What is considered good? If you are a male at a
reasonable body fat %, a good starting goal should be 6-8 reps with
an additional 45lbs of load. Females should strive to add weight as
well. We have had multiple ladies that could perform 6 strict reps
with an additional 25 lbs. Now get to pullin!

3. Improve relative body strength: Being strong relative to your body weight is
the foundation for almost every athletic quality. This will improve every
aspect of your game, especially your first step and 10-15 yd acceleration.
The more force you are capable of putting into the ground the faster you
are going to move. A good starting point for lower body relative strength
is a squat or dead lift between 1.5 to 2.0 x body weight for males, and
1.25 to 1.5 x body weight for females. More often than not, we see
a steady improvement on speed tests as our athletes approach these numbers.

4. Avoid training with machines: Most of the machines that you will find in
your gym will have very little transfer to the field. In fact, if abused they
may actually increase the likely hood of injury. By sticking with Barbells
and dumbbells your body will work in multiple planes, stabilizers are
forced to come into play, and considerably more balance is required.
The basics win out every time!

5. Recover: We don’t get better when we train, we get better when we recover
from training. This might sound simple but it is often the most challenging
aspect to get across to our lacrosse athletes training in the summer. The
athletes who get the most out of our off-season programs are always the
ones who have mastered proper nutrition and sound sleeping habits. Bottom
line is, to perform at your best you have to train at your best, and to train
at your best you have to be fully recovered. I believe this is one of those
things that is so simple people dismiss how effective it is. Put as much
effort into your recovery as the rest of your program and both your training
and performance will improve.

Consider these tips when structuring your own program and we are confident
that you will make the most out of your training efforts. If you are interested
in learning more about our off-season lacrosse training programs go to our
Website at www.nextlevelperformancecenter.com or call 303-237-3390.
Best of luck in your training endeavors.

Next Level has 5 new All-Americans

Next Level has 5 new All-Americans

Okay guys, I know updates on this blog are long
overdue. My apologies. Anyway, the blog is back
and is here to stay. Even though we are well into
2010, I feel that I need to go back and recognize
some of Next Level’s outstanding performers from
2009. We are proud to announce that 5 of our athletes
received All-American Honors for their outstanding
performances in their respective sports last year.
Congratulations to the following Next Level Athletes.

Mike Britt: University of Colorado Men’s Lacrosse
Kevin Moriarty: University of Colorado Men’s Lacrosse
James Blackburn: University of Colorado Men’s Lacrosse
Mike Geocaris: University of Colorado Men’s Lacrosse
Emily Hunsucker: Pomona High School Track & Field

This brings the total to 9 All-Americans that have come from
the Next Level Performance training systems. It would only be
fitting to recognize the athletes that reached this
accomplishment prior to the 09 crew. They are as follows:

Brian Gratz: Penn State Hockey
Chris Bluse: University of Colorado Men’s Lacrosse
Tate Price: University of Colorado Men’s Lacrosse
Kara Secora: Kent Denver High School Lacrosse

I would personally like to thank all of these athletes for their
hard work and dedication, as well as trusting us with an important
aspect of their athletic career. It is an honor to have worked with all
of you and truly a pleasure to have witnessed your success.

Next Level Athletes Finish Strong

Congratulations to the following Next Level Athletes for their outstanding performances in their respective events.


* Wheat Ridge High School Boy’s Lacrosse
- Advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. Best team showing in 12
years.
* Natalie Fedak and Emily Martin (Wheat Ridge High School Girl’s Soccer)
- Undefeated regular season 19-0
- 4A State Champions

* Emily Hunsucker (Pomona High School Girls track & field)
- 5A state Champion in shot put
- 3rd place state finish in discus
- Farthest discus throw in Colorado for the 2009 season
- Farthest shot put in Colorado for the 2009 season
- Pomona school record for discus and shot put
- Pomona female athlete of the year


* Gus Bridges and Tim Hinkle (University of Northern Colorado Men’s Lacrosse)
- Undefeated regular season
- RMLC Division II Champions
* Josh Secora (RPI Men’s Lacrosse)
- Leading goal scorer for team
- North-South Senior All Star selection

* University of Colorado Men’s Lacrosse
- Advanced to the semi-finals of RMLC Division I National Championship
- #5 National rank at season’s end
- 5-0 regular season Divisional Record
- 4 MCLA All-American Awards
- 9 RMLC All-Conference Awards
- RMLC Coach of the year