Nunn's Performance Training

Not Continuing Their Education

This past weekend, I attended the Midwest Performance Seminar Hosted by Mike Robertson.  It was right here in Indianapolis, so it made the decision to go a very easy one.  Friday, Pat Rigsby and AJ Roberts were kind enough to throw in an all day fitness business seminar.  I was very surprised that only about twenty of the seventy people registered for the seminar showed up for the fitness business seminar.  Apparently, these other 50 were already making so much money that they weren’t interested in making any more.  Somehow I doubt this is the case.  Anyway, I thought with this blog post, I would give out some tips that I got from Saturday’s event.

The Single Leg Solution – Mike Robertson

• The training continuum is not black and white.  It is a gray area.  Your training should not be solely unilateral nor should it be solely bilateral
• The Glute Medius is activated more in single leg activity than in bilateral activity
• Weak Hip Abductors = Back Pain
• Lower Leg Injuries = Weak Hips
• Bilateral movements better simulate the forces that are involved in sports.  He cited a NSCA source for this, but I couldn’t find it.

How to Load the System for Functional Speed – Lee Taft

• Note:  Most of Lee’s presentation was hands on, however I did pick up some things worth noting here.
• Don’t do everything neat and clean.  That’s not how it happens in sport.
• Don’t become one direction dominant.  Make sure your athletes can load in all directions.

Performance Strategies:  Beyond Common Hip Problems – Evan Oscar

• We have the most expensive health-care in the world, yet our life expectancy ranks 25th
• Primary job of the Psoas is to stabilize the lumbar spine in the sagittal plane
• The Psoas also has fascial connections to the diaphram and pelvic floor.
• Butt gripping (overactive glutes/weak core) causes the femur to shift anteriorly
• 1/3 of today’s children don’t develope well neurologically
• If breathing is not normalized, no other movement pattern will be
• People with low back pain will have a femoral internal rotation deficit

Energy System Training for Field Athletes – Bill Hartman

• Most coaches spend too much time worrying about glycolytic energy systems and not enough time spent on aerobic energy systems.  He actually did a 6 month case study on this one.  He spent spent the first month developing aerobic and slow twitch fibers and gradually switched to anaerobic as each four week block went by.  The results were pretty impressive.  The athlete got stronger AND had better endurance.
• Slow twitch hypertrophy is all about tempo 2/0/2
• Resisted breathing = increased cardiac output

Kettlebell Basics:  Integrating Kettlebells into Your Strength and Conditioning Program – Brett Jones

• Note:  Brett’s presentation was one of the best KB presentations I’ve attended.  The others were just demonstrations and didn’t tell me why I should actually use them.  He actually gave an explanation as to why this is a tool you should have in your tool box.
• Don’t stack fitness on top of dysfuntion.  If someone doesn’t move well, adding fitness could make the situation worse.
• I need to do more tall and 1/2 kneeling work with my clients
• Remove negative movement patterns, cement good ones
• Stability is about timing, not strength
• Teach single leg deadlifts before deadlifts or swings.

This only a fraction of the information that the presenters gave us.  I’ve got about 15 pages of handwritten notes to sift through and digest.  Overall, I had a great time, learned a bunch, and met a lot of good people.