We have had the unique experience of training multiple populations at DSC.  Although hockey is our niche, we have had the opportunity to train a diverse number of field sport athletes, motor sport athletes, and most recently Olympic caliber freestyle wrestlers.  Our goal for all populations, regardless of sport, is to provide a safe working environment and deliver tangible RESULTS!  Bottom line, we are not “married” to one-way of doing things.  We are “married” to best practice. 

The adrenals are the glands of stress.  They are no larger than a walnut and sit on top of the kidneys just above the 12^th rib.  Under normal functioning conditions the adrenals secrete precise and balanced amounts of hormones (epinephrine and cortisol) that keep our bodies functioning in the ever-changing environment of stress and recovery.  However, when chronic stress outpaces the ability to recover, adrenal fatigue may ensue.  Think of overdrawing your bank account and leaving a negative balance.  When the adrenals are fatigued the account is compromised.  Here’s how it works:

The weight room is a demanding place.  Mechanical loading, physiological disturbance, and psychological stress are just a few of the cumulative stressors that can leave us feeling sore, tired, irritable, and just plain exhausted.  If we continue to pull from these “reserves” without giving back, various hormonal imbalances, overtraining syndromes and chronic musculoskeletal injuries may be the direct outcome.  Furthermore, if lean muscle mass is the goal, the importance of “working in” is your trump card.  We believe in this so much that at DSC we have a picture hanging from our gym walls (many thanks to Jeff Cubos) that serves as a constant reminder of the importance in the decisions made outside the confines of the gym.  Bottom line:  you can’t get the most out of your workout, unless you are taking the time to “work in”.  Below are three tips in keeping your glass full!

Outside of the weight room I have many passions, but none greater than my love for music.  I love listening to it, writing it, playing it and watching people perform.  I love all types of music, genres, bands and solos artists.  But no one, and I mean no one compares to Bruce Springsteen.  I recently had the opportunity to see him (it was actually my 5^th time), and to say he put on a show would be an understatement!  I have never seen an artist more passionate, with so much energy and a love for his craft.  He played on into the night for three and a half hours never taking a break then finally said: “Columbus, do you have anything left”, and proceeded to close the show with yet another song.  You might be wondering what this has to do with strength training, but the message is woven into every piece of fabric in our lives.  Here are three tips to perform like “The Boss” in the weight room, the classroom, the field, ice, in relationships and personal life.

A squat is not a squat to a qualified; well-versed, highly educated, detail oriented Strength Coach.  It’s a multi –joint, compound exercise that is a beautiful expression of movement!  Foot placement, mid –section stability (ribs down) and peripheral torque of the limbs (both hands and feet) are of utmost importance in eliminating strength leaks, maintaining mechanics not to mention bar position, racking, un-racking, hand placement etc.  A rotator cuff perturbation is more than just a shoulder going through the motions to a highly sought after physical therapist!  It’s an expression of dynamic stability being maintained while the humerus is being challenged during movement!  Both require expertise….both require COACHING! 

We all have a New Years Resolution.  A grand idea or lofty goal set to improve our lifestyle, career, relationships and personal life.  It may be to loose weight, train harder, have more balance, embrace relationships, learn something new, and set the gears high to begin an unknown journey.  Truth be told, each and every year when faced with this New Years challenge, I’m hard pressed to find one area of focus, one area of improvement, one key area that needs to be highlighted over all the rest!  The older I get, the more I realize how much I have to learn, how important relationships are, how right my parents have always been, that balance is important, that the first step is always the hardest, and showing emotion isn’t weakness, it’s courageous.  When faced with all of these important life goals, I have chosen to “hack” my New Years Resolution, to break it into tiny pieces and attempt to live it each day.  My objective: become 365 days better…”one day” at a time.

Another year is officially in the books.  This is always a great time for me to look back at how 2013 has shaped me as a Coach, business owner and leader.  From mistakes made, thought processes reinforced or altered, paradigms shifted, and progress made.  Here are 5 things I learned in 2013.

Some may choose to call it a box with old iron, rust, rubber, infused with the smell of sweat: a place where testosterone reigns free and emotions freer.  An atmosphere clouded in chalk and saturated in sweat.  I choose to call it a classroom: a classroom for both Coach and student.

Michelangelo once said: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”  This quote is relevant in multiple circumstances throughout the training process.  Many excellent programs are simple, yet affective, and many diets are simple yet results driven.  Why do we always have to make things so difficult?  Want an easy way to feel better, perform better, and move better?  Ignore the infomercial on TV, return the “supplement of the month” and turn on the tap!  That’s right, water is king!  Skip the sodas, energy drinks, coffee, tea, and other highly caffeinated beverages, and make sure you’re dinking plenty of water (Ok, I love coffee, but I make sure to drink plenty of water).  Here are some interesting facts on hydration from the book entitled “The Body’s Many Cries for Water”.

I just finished reading two fascinating books on the human brain and its neuroplastic ability to change based on the sensory information it ingests.  The external environment plays on the brain like a keyboard.  A healthy dose of sensory stimulation is crucial in building strong neuronal connections and increasing synaptic efficiency and function.  Bottom line: use it or loose it!  Whether in the classroom or on the field/ice, we have the unique ability to craft our brains into more efficient, well-oiled machines.  Here are a few excellent pieces of information from the books “The Brain That Changes Itself”, and “Inside The Brain”.