1.) Defining Athleticism
Make improvements this summer, and you’ll get an edge on opponents and help advance your team. Do nothing, and your athletic fate is out of your hands. But you knew this already, right?
The question then becomes, “What should you train?” The answer starts with knowing and understanding the many elements that make up a true athlete—and for that, we hit up Tom Shaw, owner of Tom Shaw Performance Enhancement and trainer to hundreds of NFL football players, including 80-plus first-round draft picks. One of just five SPARQ Master trainers in the country, Shaw is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts on athletic speed and power development. According to Shaw, athleticism can be broken down into the following components:
Speed: “Speed is a measurement of stride length and stride frequency. Stride length is how far you reach out with each step. Stride frequency is how many times your feet hit the ground. The faster you move your elbows, the faster your feet are going to go. And in a 40-yard dash, you’re trying to take the least amount of steps as possible.”
Power: “Power is [how explosive you are]. And the more explosive you are, the faster you’re going to run. So you’ve got to improve the vertical jump and the standing long jump. If your standing long jump is [currently] eight feet, then your goal for the end of the summer should be eight feet, six inches. And you can practice [improving your vertical and standing long jumps] at least four to five times a week.”
Agility/Quickness: “Agility is the ability to move your body through space. Can you move your body through the A gap, the B gap, in order to go get something?”
Reaction: “Reaction is when you see something, you can move to get there. A big part of reaction is your ability to bend your knees and act like an athlete. When your knees are bent, you can move on something quicker.”
While each element is distinct, all contribute to one thing: the ability to move from one place to another faster than any opponent. This is a skill every athlete needs and every coach wants. “The faster you are, the more explosive you are, the better [chance you have] to get a college scholarship or even get into the NFL,” Shaw says. Hard work is key to refining your ability to move. “There are no magic pills,” Shaw says. “The harder you work, the better you’re going to get. If you work hard and you dedicate to yourself to your sport and what you’re doing both physically and mentally, you’re going to be a better athlete.”
2.) Sport- Specific Sections
Different sports, different athletes, different seasons. Consequently, no one workout is perfect for every athlete. So, we found some very smart performance experts who know vast amounts about training athletes for specific sports at specific times of the year. STACK’s Summer Training Guide offers programs from six of these top experts, compiled to give you information and guidance, whatever sport you play.
Track: After a winter and spring of wins, PRs and collecting hardware, every tracklete needs a break. Bob Braman, FSU track’s head coach, who brought home the NCAA men’s title in ’06, details the rejuvenating summer recovery plan that helped the Seminoles repeat as champs in ’07.
Football: Say thanks to Tom Moffitt, strength coach to college football’s national champion LSU Tigers. He put together a comprehensive summer weight room plan, based on the preseason workout that made LSU the first two-time BCS National Champs.
Soccer: Covering the ground on the pitch for the duration of a game is among the most demanding athletic tasks. With their season right around the corner, soccer players must focus on conditioning—which is why we sought out Maryland strength coach Barry Kagan. He shares the conditioning plan that earned the Terps the ’05 NCAA title and tournament berths in ’06 and ’07.
Basketball: Playing in a travel league this summer is a great way to get exposure and play against better competition. It’s also a great way to fall out of your regular training routine. Fortunately, Erik Phillips, strength coach for the always-dominant Phoenix Suns, provides a training plan that’ll boost your game while you’re on the go.
Baseball: Start prepping for the spring season now, with a workout plan designed to boost your agility and lower body power. The program, developed by Detroit Tigers strength coach Javair Gillett, helped power pitcher Justin Verlander hype his fastball into the 100-mph stratosphere, take home the AL ROY in ’06 and earn 18 wins in ’07.
Volleyball: If you plan on living above the net for killer kills and bruising blocks this season, you need to focus on your vertical power. Penn State strength coach Chip Harrison details the strength and jump training routines that prepped the Nittany Lions for their National Championship run in ’07.
3.) World Wide Workout
We built the ultimate online tool for you to max out your summer workout. Having a training plan is one thing; knowing how to execute it by correctly performing the exercises and tracking your progress is another. To help you out, we built a special section at STACK.com to provide the tools you’ll need to get the most from your summer training. At summer.stack.com, you’ll find all the training plans from this issue, plus printable workout charts, printable log books to record your workouts and complete video libraries demonstrating every lift, exercise and drill for each workout.
Intro
