Day 3 Carmichael Training Systems

Here we go, look a live! On day 3 of the trip to Colorado we went to the Carmichael Training Systems lab for testing. The center is owned by the Mr. Carmichael who is world-renowned for training endurance athletes, mostly cyclists and some triathletes. The one thing Carmichael is known for is training Lance Armstrong the 7-time Tour De France winner.

So before we left for Colorado, Katy offered to do a blood lactate test and a VO2 Max Test. Pretty much these tests allowed for endurance athletes to see how far their body can be pushed before it reaches exhaustion. I felt tired watching Katy go through about an hour and a half of tests. She was spent afterwards and during the testing we learned how they train athletes, what protocols were taken, and how they communicating with their athletes.

Surprisingly a lot of athletes talk to their coaches via email because they train all over the globe. They get athletes from all aspects of the endurance sports. They get mountain bikers, cyclists, marathon runners, triathletes, etc. and they are serious about their training. Lance Armstrong is currently training again for another Tour De France and our guide told us about the preparation that goes into Lance's training.

Overall we learned about a different variation of training but we still picked up some information. Even though endurance training may not be what I am interested in it is importance to have knowledge in all aspects of training. In my profession i want to teach people about fitness, if I only know about some aspects of fitness I would not be as successful if I would have common knowledge in all aspects of fitness. This was the shortest portion of the trip but we still learned a lot, next I will post about our trip to the Garden of the Gods. See you later!

Day 2 Olympic Training Center

OK so here is the next installment of the Colorado trip. Our first stop on the trip was the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The site we visited is one of three Olympic Centers across the country and they specialize in swimming, rifle, judo, wrestling, weightlifting, and a few other sports.

We ended up with four tour guides on the trip and the first guide took us on a tour of the facilities. He explained to us what went into planning the facilities and how to create an environment that your clients/athletes would be productive in. We were told that Michael Phelps was in the building but that he would not see any groups so we could not get a picture or anything with him.

The next step we made was in the athletic training facility. We first met with the director of the department and he explained the model that the AT's follow at the Olympic Training Center. In a "nut shell" their model is that that everyone involved in an athlete's development should be on the same page and know what each other aspect is doing. For example the Mr. Phelps will have a strength coach, a doctor, nutritionist, massage therapist, and a swimming doctor. Now if the physical therapist is working a problem in his back all the other involved in his training will know what is going on and will be contributing to getting him back to 100% as fast as possible. This was a good model to have and it was good to hear about the treatment that the athletes were receiving and to see the teamwork it takes to make an elite athlete "tick".

The next person we met with was the head AT and he showed us around their facility. The highlight of this mini tour was when they took us to a brand new complex that was built called the Recovery Center. In this building there were massage tables, recovery nutrition, cold/hot whirpool, aroma therapy, and any other method of healing that you could think of was available to the athletes. Any athlete would die for these services and this center will be crucial in the training and progression of the Olympic athletes.

The last tour we took at the OTC was the strength and conditioning center. Here we met with three of the strength coaches and talked to them about the facilities and there methods of training the athletes. Basically the coaches want to make the athletes better athletes. They all train primarily the same systems and one athlete does not have an advantage over the other. We also talked about supplementation and learned that at the OTC the athletes are strictly tested so they have to be extremely cautious with what they take. Overall the athletes respond well to the coaches and the coaches work hard to make sure that the athletes are in the best shape possible at all times.

Overall the experience at the Olympic Training Center was great. We learned a lot about the people behind the scenes and how hard they work. The one thing we took away from the OTC was that egos need to be checked at the door because everyone involved, coaches, ATs, and athletes are in this together and that is the only way they will succeed. Well that is all for now, stay tuned for more from Colorado

Velocity Trip

So I know I said I would post about a week ago, but I had outdoor nationals for track and field and getting my stuff packed for this trip left me with little time to post. So the trip for Velocity was a fun. Since I was leaving for nationals the next day I did not particpate in the workout. But the rest of our class did. I also work at Velocity part time so I knew all of the drills and practices that they went through. Here is a phot of the group before they started the workout.

We started out with a dynamic warm-up which was a little longer than usual. When athletes come to train at Velocity they train in one of three areas. Multi-Directional is practicing moving in different directions and being able to cut and pivot and other related movements. Acceleration is when the students work on building up from 0 to 100 % as fast possible. Maximum Velocity is the ability to maintain 100 % fro as long as possible. Each dynamic warm-up is tailored to it's individual discipline. Since we were there just for a sample we included parts of all three disciplines into the dynamic warm-up.

We then did specific drills that pertained to each discipline and this is a picture of the group doing an acceleration drill. After we did drills in each discipline we went into the weight room where the classes at Velocity focus on the Olympic movements (snatch, clean, jerk, etc). Our class went through a tutorial on how to do a hang clean and each person in the group demonstrated the movement. The next picture is one of the students performing the exercise.

We then ended the workout by stretching and the performance coach answered any questions that we had that could be used to for our conditioning programs. Overall the experience was a great one and the group seemed to benefit greatly from the session. We are leaving for Colorado today so I will have another post shortly about our first two days in Colorado. Until then talk to you later!

Week 1 in the classroom

So last week was a busy week for me and I forgot to post but there wasn't much to post about. Last week we spent a majority of time in the classroom discussing chapters and going over notes and other information that will be vital to our final project. Each day two of the students presented over a chapter from the text so our instructor did not have to give us lectures on each chapter. some of the lessons were made into hands-on learning and others were power points but we all appreciate the change of pace. This week we only have classes on Monday and Tuesday before we leave for the trip on the following Monday. I will post after tomorrow because I will have more information to post. We are going to Velocity Sports Performance in Naperville to do some sports testing and I will post about that experience and have some pictures from the trip. but until then that is all I have for now. Talk to you later!

Finals Week...Over (Yay)

So I tired posting earlier in the week but with finals, resident checkouts, and track practices/meets this week was a hectic one. I just got an email from the instructor what our course entails and it seems like this course is going to be fun. We have three main assignment thats I see. The first is a peer teaching assignment that we will probably teach the class a chapter from the textbook with our partner. The second assignment is our learning journal which will consist of our feelings about the experience and things we have picked up over the three week course. The last project is the one that is the real killer. We have to create a year-round conditioning program for the class. The good thing is that we get to pick what we are doing it on so that works out. Since my time is limited I will probably start working on that project net week. I talked to some friends who have already taken the course and they are letting me look at their plans so I have a template to go off of which will be nice. This way I won't be going through the assignment blind and have an idea of what is expected. I am excited for the class to begin because I think the information that I learn in this class will be invaluable. Well that is all I have for now. See you later!

Hello There

My name is Tom Sroka. I am a junior physical education major at Aurora University and this year I will be going on the May term trip to Colorado. i wanted to go on this trip last year but things didn't work out and when I talked to a couple of my friends that did go I was determined to make sure that I went this year. On top of the PE major I have a double minor in Health Education and Fitness and Health Promotion. The reason I wanted to go on this trip is because I want to expand my knowledge on the human body, how it works, and fitness in general. I love to workout and compete in shot put and hammer on the school's track team and I am always looking for more information. I eventually will be teaching and want to coach and I feel that the more I know the better.

On this trip we will visit the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs (which I am the most pumped about), Carmichael Training Center (where Lance Armstrong trains), the National Strength and Conditioning Association headquarters, various hiking and related activities, and we're also catching a Rockies game. We will be in the classroom for three weeks and then we are in Colorado the last week in May. Our class meets five days a week from 9am until 12pm. I look forward to the trip and to further contributing on this blog. For those who are reading I hope you enjoy. I have to go study for finals so I will catch you later.
Tom