Football Strong Michigan Clinic 2013 Write Up

Posted on May 21, 2013 by admin

This past Saturday I traveled up to Wixom, Michigan to attend the Football Strong Clinic Ron McKeefery and Jim Kielbaso put on. It was a fantastic clinic with some good speakers that were willing to not only talk in-depth about their programs but stay after and “talk shop” with the attendees. In this post, I’ll give an outline of some of the takeaway messages I got from each presentation. Continue With The Awesomeness...

Aaron Wellman Head Football Strength and Conditioning Coach Michigan

Kids need at least 2 months off from a specific sport. Preferably 3 to 4. Specialization is bad.
Our job isn’t just to win games – it’s also to impact lives
There is just as much of an art to what we do as a science. Science is constantly changing. Learn to filter what works for your team/client.

Are You Training, Or Just Exercising?

Posted on May 5, 2013 by admin

To many fitness goers the terms training and exercising may seem interchangeable. The fact is they are fundamentally different ways to look at fitness. Let’s take a little look at what they are.

What Is Exercise?

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines exercise as an “activity requiring physical effort, carried out asp. to sustain or improve health and fitness.” Sounds pretty generic right? That’s because “exercise” is a general term. To me, exercise is synonymous with activity. Exercise is just something you to move or “get out of the house”. Things like attending an aerobics class at the gym, hiking, walking, going dancing, playing catch, or playing a pickup basketball game.

The only goal of exercise is the activity itself, nothing more.

There’s nothing wrong with exercising, but if you have a specific goal, you may need something a little more than just moving around. Continue With The Awesomeness...

What Separates Us From The Rest

Posted on April 30, 2013 by admin

”I have lost 47 pounds in the last year and dropped from a generous size 16 to generous size 12. I have been able to discontinue my blood pressure medication and I am stronger and more active.” – Susie

“Jp is very happy and excited of his gains and feels his play also has seen huge improvement. This is part of the fuel that keeps him fired up not to miss – his belief in the effect Jason has had on him for his improvement. I feel he loves the athletic atmosphere as well. Everyone is serious to help him achieve his goals.” – JP

“Dennis was taken in the 5th by the Eagles. You played a big part in that. Thanks for your help. I’ll get you a new one next year.” – NFL Agent Bill Parise Continue With The Awesomeness...

I’m Too (Insert Ailment Here) For Fitness

Posted on April 16, 2013 by admin

“I have a heart condition.”

“I have a knee problem.”

“I’m too old.”

These are all excuses I’ve been given as to why certain people cannot start a fitness program. Sure, there are some conditions where exercise is contraindicated, but for the most part, exercise is generally a good idea for most people.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the conditions I see on a daily basis:

Congestive heart failure
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) – A rare, cystic lung disease
Parkinson’s
Gastroparesis
Scoliosis
Osteoarthritis
Herniated Disks
Cushing’s Syndrome
Diabetes
Hypertension
Metabolic syndrome
High cholesterol
Cerebral Palsy
Carpal tunnel
Essential tremor
Depression
Osteoporosis

That’s not all. It’s just all I can think of right now. Currently, our youngest client is 10 years old and our oldest is almost 70 (although I’ve had a few clients well into their 80′s!). Continue With The Awesomeness...

Science Based Practice or Under The Bar Research For Fitness And Strength Coaches

Posted on April 10, 2013 by admin

“If a healing technique is demonstrated to have curative properties in properly controlled double-blind trials, it ceases to be alternative. It simply, as Diamond explains, becomes medicine.” – Richard Dawkins

Here lately, the fitness industry seems to be divided into two camps. In camp one, we have the guys and gals who rely solely on PubMed to provide them with the info necessary to train their clients (or lack thereof in most cases), and in camp two, we have the old veterans who have plenty of “Under The Bar” experience. The only downside is that many of these coaches also fall into the “this is what we do because this is what we’ve always done” trap.

“The most dangerous phrase in the language is, “We’ve always done it this way.” – Grace Hopper Continue With The Awesomeness...

The “What, Why, and How” of Nunn’s Performance Training

Posted on April 2, 2013 by admin

Why We Were Created

This business was created to empower individuals who are seeking a way to increase their abilities on the field, on the platform or in the game of life, but who have been unable to achieve this within the conventional constructs of a fitness or performance based facility.

Why We Feel Coaching Is The Key To Fitness Success

Move well, then move often.

Our philosophy on fitness and sports performance is that people should first focus on moving well, then focus on moving often. At Nunn’s Performance Training, we ensure that our clients are well coached on their individual fitness journey.

Our Motto of Fitness Success

Strength is the backbone of fitness, weight loss, and sports performance.

Our mission statement

We change lives.

This gym exists for one reason, to help people reach their fitness and performance based goals as quickly and safely as possible. Continue With The Awesomeness...

Losing Weight: Do You Have The Mental Toughness?

Posted on March 19, 2013 by admin

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
- Dr. Suess

Losing weight is probably one of the hardest things most people will do.

It’s a constant battle.

Every part of the body is hardwired for maintaining and/or gaining body weight Survival instincts are so ingrained in us from our days hunting the saber-tooth tiger that our body just does not want to lose weight. Weight loss is hard and therefore requires a substantial amount mental toughness.

Are you mentally tough enough for losing weight?

Losing weight requires good nutrition and proper training, with nutrition being the most important component. In today’s fast food, high stress, instant gratification society we’re constantly bombarded with commercials, quick fixes, and deadlines. Continue With The Awesomeness...

5 Lies The Fitness Industry Is Telling You

Posted on February 22, 2013 by admin

This year, I’ll be entering my 10th year working in the fitness industry. In that time, I’ve seen and heard many lies come from the mouths of various “celebrity trainers”. Given this, it’s no wonder the fitness industry is viewed by many as just a bunch of charlatans.

I thought this might be a good time to bring attention to some of the lies that are passed on to others on behalf of the fitness industry.

Strength Training Isn’t Important

I kid you not, I recently heard a woman ask another, “How did Mrs. Soandso get so strong without getting really bulky.” Listen up ladies, EATING TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE AND DRINKING TOO MUCH WINE WILL MAKE YOU WAAAAAY BULKIER THAN GETTING STRONGER.

Continue With The Awesomeness...

How To Pick The Right Coach

Posted on February 13, 2013 by admin

A few weeks ago, John Meadows and Dave Tate released what they referred to as the “4 Golden Rules Of Picking A Coach”. I wrote a post a while back called 10 Questions To Ask Your Personal Trainer and thought this scoring system would be a good addition to that.

Here are Dave and John’s 4 golden rules:

1. What is their education?
Do they have a degree? In a related field? BS, Masters, PHD? Certifications? Continuing Education? Internships? Work History? Mentors? Self Thought…? It’s very important that they understand how to translate education, studies, etc into actual client scenarios too. This is critical.

On a scale of 1-5 where do they rank? 5 would be advanced degree, internship and 2-3 very good mentors. Work back from there. If they are only self thought they get a 1 or 2. Continue With The Awesomeness...

All Pain, NO Gain – Does Your Program Work, Or Is It Just Making You Sore?

Posted on February 5, 2013 by admin

Is Soreness Important In Your Strength or Speed Training Program?

sorenessDOMS

The answer is no.

Here lately I’ve had several coaches and parents tell me they thought so and so’s speed training program was effective because it was “hard” and “made them sore”. The thought process is that if it makes you hurt, it must be effective. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth, especially for competitive athletes. For the athletes I work with, many of them are either playing sports year – round (like club soccer) or play multiple sports. Either way, there really is no “off-season” for most of my athletes. In these cases, any soreness caused by the strength and speed training program will negatively effect their practice. You shouldn’t be slower on the pitch because of what you did in the weightroom the previous day. Like Dan John says, “It’s important to keep the goal, the goal.” If the goal is to become better at soccer, then make sure everything you are doing is to get you better playing in soccer games, not just training for the sake of training. Continue With The Awesomeness...