Program Philosophy
“Advanced Athletics’ first class service
delivers results.”
Advanced Athletics Inc takes a scientific approach to its strength and conditioning philosophy based on exercise physiology, kinesiology, biomechanics, bioenergetics, and motor learning. It involves systematic integrated training to achieve maximal levels of physical and mental performance. This can best be accomplished when the body is starting from a state of homeostasis. In the Advanced Athletics system this result is supported through a holistic approach of strength & conditioning, stretching, and manual therapy designed to bring the body back to its correct posture and musculoskeletal alignment. While maintaining this objective, the system creates building blocks of success through gains in neuromuscular response, strength, power, and athleticism utilizing a progressive integration of exercise stimuli.
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The process involves a sequential pattern of fitness testing, strength and conditioning, mental training, and soft-tissue protocol to achieve peak performance.
- I. Discover each individual's physical and performance goals.
- A. Checklist of Standard Goals
- Improve Strength
- Improve Cardiovascular fitness
- Improve Flexibility
- Improve Muscle Tone & Shape
- Improve nutrition/eating habits
- Increase energy
- Reduce Stress
- Injury Prevention
- Rehabilitate injury
- Stop smoking/drinking
- Increase Lean muscle percentage & weight
- Decrease body fat percentage & weight
- B. Discover Personal Health/Fitness/Athletic Vision
- 1) Establish personal health/fitness/athletic mission.
- 2) Establish Long Term Vision and Goals.
- 3) With words paint a picture of what the look and feel of the results will be. Describe how will if feel emotionally when the vision is achieved.
- 4) List all of the components that it takes to achieve the vision.
- 5) Establish a rating system for each component on a scale from -10 to +10. Describe what a -10 rating, -5 rating, 0 rating, +5 rating, and what a +10 rating looks like.
- 6) Determine the current rating for each component to establish a base.
- 7) Establish short-term goals to achieve measurable results, and to ultimately reach the vision.
- A. Checklist of Standard Goals
- II. Fitness Testing
- Fitness Testing ensures a safe and effective approach is administered
from the very beginning. A comprehensive approach starts with the participants
health and medical history and is followed up with a series of measurable
data that informs the program coordinator any points of concern that
will immediately alter the course of the process. Advanced Athletics
has designed a protocol to meet most possible issues. We focus in on
the biomechanics, musculoskeletal structure, and the core as they most
effect our results in performance and prevention
"A biomechanical diagnosis requires analysis of function, mobility, and stability of the involved joints and their functional links. We now realize that understanding musculoskeletal problems requires knowledge of how loads are transferred through the body and how deficiencies in one part can influence the function of the entire system."
Andre Vleeming, 1998
In the interest of each participant's self-discovery, a results consultation will be given following the process below:- Health/Medical History
- Body Weight, Composition, Girth Measurements
- Postural Analysis
- Musculoskeletal Analysis
- Functional Weight Bearing Tests
- Isolated Range of Motion Testing
- Core Testing
- Muscle Strength/Endurance Testing
- Agility Testing
- This test includes movement pattern analysis which will determine whether or not there is an optimal range of motion (r.o.m.), and correct posture balance while maintaining optimal speed throughout the entire r.o.m.. From this analysis, we can determine which muscles or muscle groups need more strengthening and/or flexibility.
- Fitness Testing ensures a safe and effective approach is administered
from the very beginning. A comprehensive approach starts with the participants
health and medical history and is followed up with a series of measurable
data that informs the program coordinator any points of concern that
will immediately alter the course of the process. Advanced Athletics
has designed a protocol to meet most possible issues. We focus in on
the biomechanics, musculoskeletal structure, and the core as they most
effect our results in performance and prevention
- III. Nutrition & General Health
- Advanced Athletics realizes that nutrition is a key component to the overall success of the program. There are many philosophies on nutrition, and the one that has had the best results and the longest lasting is that of Advanced Athletics Nutrition developed by expert Mark MacDonald. We agree with Mark when he says “If you show someone how to make their health a priority, then their nutrition is no longer a “Diet”, it’s a Lifestyle.”
- IV. Individualized Strength & Conditioning Program Design
- We design each program based on the results of the analysis, and the
individual's specific goals. Every individual begins at square one, and
will not skip a step no matter if they are a professional athlete or
a business executive. The program consists of four progressive phases
of training, all of which seek to accomplish specific objectives in preparation
for the next step:
- Phase I - seeks to build a solid base physiologically and mentally
by the following:
- Rehabilitate any injuries which may exist
- Any pre-existing injuries are diagnosed by a physician, and rehab protocol is designed and possibly implemented by a physical therapist. This may include a variety of techniques and modalities. Techniques such as structural re-alignment, joint mobilizations, myofacial release, soft-tissue massage, stretching, and any other joint or muscle strength/stabilizing exercises may be implemented. Modalities may include electric stimulation, ultrasound, ice, hydrotherapy, foam rollers, and isokinetic machines.
- Enhance each individual's balance base
- In function, balance is our body's ability to go somewhere and get back without falling to the ground. The ultimate version is walking a tight rope forward, backward, sideways, and rotating. But to start we need to learn how to balance on one foot, or to sit on an unstable surface. Those two examples are exactly where our client's begin a level I balance.
- Establish a solid aerobic base
- Various modes of aerobic exercise may be introduced such as
walking, jogging, biking, stairs, elliptical, swimming, etc..
The focus is on keeping a moderate intensity (avg. 75% MHR) and
increasing the duration.
- Various modes of aerobic exercise may be introduced such as
walking, jogging, biking, stairs, elliptical, swimming, etc..
The focus is on keeping a moderate intensity (avg. 75% MHR) and
increasing the duration.
- Rehabilitate any injuries which may exist
- Phase II - seeks to build from the base that was previously
established in Phase I by the following:
- Increase Muscular Strength
- To accomplish this, a periodization is introduced in which controlled moderate speed movements are met with a progressive increase in weight and a decrease in the number of repetitions.
- Increase Muscular Power
- To accomplish this, a periodization is introduced in which explosive movement exercises that recruit fast twitch muscle fibers are performed. Without getting into the whole science of muscle fiber types (slow twitch, fast twitch A, fast twitch B), just know that it is essential to incorporate exercises to stimulate all of them. The fast twitch fibers offer the most relativity to sport specific explosive movement, and have huge benefits for lean muscle gains. Movements are introduced at slow speeds progressing to fast, and always controlled within the bodies capabilities. Examples: Plyometrics, and some Olympic weight-lifting techniques.
- Introduce Sport/Activity-specific Exercises
- To meet the demands of each individual's sport/activity of choice, exercises that mimic their movements will be integrated to ensure proper mechanics, range of motion, control, and power are present for all competitive opportunities. Examples: Sprinting, Jumping, Agility, Quickness
- Increase Intensity of Cardiovascular Conditioning
- To accomplish this, a periodization is introduced in which interval training involve specific bouts of low, medium, and high intensities to challenge, to a higher level, the bodies ability to efficiently deliver blood, and utilize oxygen. Therefore, recover faster and burn fat more efficiently through out the day. The duration and intensities are designed to mimic the demands of an individual's specific sport/activity.
- Increase Muscular Strength
- Phase III: Seeks to combine the anaerobic and aerobic capacities
into one a series of Circuit training workouts to reach peak levels
of conditioning.
- Introduces Combined Multiple Disciplines
- This is the most challenging aspect in that it challenges
the muscular system, the cardiovascular system, the nervous system,
and one's mental toughness all in one highly intense, fun, and
exhilarating workout. It is designed so that there are specific
work to rest ratios based upon the intensity of each exercise
and the objective of each circuit. There are four different circuits
with four different objectives.
-Endurance
-Power
-Speed
-Agility
- This is the most challenging aspect in that it challenges
the muscular system, the cardiovascular system, the nervous system,
and one's mental toughness all in one highly intense, fun, and
exhilarating workout. It is designed so that there are specific
work to rest ratios based upon the intensity of each exercise
and the objective of each circuit. There are four different circuits
with four different objectives.
- Introduces Combined Multiple Disciplines
- Phase IV seeks to ultimately peak an athlete's body for competition
- Pre-competition drills for both practice and game
This involves a set of exercises and movements designed to prepare the body for activity/competition by way of warming up before and cooling down after. The exercises incorporated here are designed for preventative maintenance for the body using active stretching, sport-specific footwork, and plyometric exercises.
- Pre-competition drills for both practice and game
- Each phase can last anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks based on an individual's
physiological and mental response to the progression. Factors include:
Pre-existing experience
Pre-existing conditioning level
Pre-existing injuries or restrictions
Pre-existing imbalance or dysfunctions
Neural Response - strength, coordination or motor learning
Mental toughness
Genetics
Competition Schedule
- We design each program based on the results of the analysis, and the
individual's specific goals. Every individual begins at square one, and
will not skip a step no matter if they are a professional athlete or
a business executive. The program consists of four progressive phases
of training, all of which seek to accomplish specific objectives in preparation
for the next step:
- V. Periodic retesting will be given for quantification purposes.
- Remember that it is clear that success is tightly linked to
progress, and progress is best assessed by detailed, periodic evaluations
of performance.
- Body Weight: Monthly or Bi-monthly weigh in
- Composition & Girth Measurements: Once every 1 to 3 months
- Postural Analysis: Subjective from daily, weekly or monthly.
- Musculo-skeletal analysis: Subjective from daily, weekly or monthly.
- Functional Weight Bearing Tests: Subjective to daily, weekly or monthly.
- Isolated Range of Motion testing: Subjective to weekly or monthly.
- Core Testing: Subjective to weekly or monthly.
- Muscle Strength/Endurance Testing: Subjective to weekly or monthly.
- Agility Testing: Subjective to weekly or monthly.
- Remember that it is clear that success is tightly linked to
progress, and progress is best assessed by detailed, periodic evaluations
of performance.
- VI. Reassessment and modification of the program is a constant
to maximize results.
- Orchestrated manipulations take place due to the observations and results from workout to workout, or re-testing. The program is in a constant state of flux to safely, efficiently, and optimally stimulate an individual's body and nervous system for peak performance. The modifications may be in exercise, resistance, sets, repetition, or recovery.
