Regular workout produces results.  Make it convenient to not miss workouts - take your workout with you - at home, the office, the field, the arena, a hotel room, the beach.  Real people get real performance results from consistently challenging the body to adapt to positive stimulus.  Use smart muscle methodology to create exciting workouts that resolve the time and space challenges athletes experience while they are busy living life.  Athletes are challenged to commit to workouts as they juggle school, work, sport practice... Read more

Smart Toner Core Slow Rotation Set Up:  Begin in athletic position with the smart toner anchored with tension on the toner. Execution:  Initiate with the legs, begin a weight shift from rear to front foot and slowly rotate through the core while pulling on the smart toner.  Finish with a long range of motion, pause hold and then control the recoil of the smart toner back to starting position.... Read more

Smart Toner / Smart Stick Squat to Overhead Press Set Up:  Begin in low athletic position, load the smart toner under the feet and the smart stick behind the head, core braced. Execution:  Slowly lower into a squat position (triple flex), then initiating with the legs, triple extend (ankle, knee, hip) while simultaneously performing an overhead shoulder press and finish on the toes.... Read more

Smart Toner Single Arm Drop Step to Press Set Up:  Begin in athletic position with the elbow up holding the smart toner grip at shoulder level. Execution:  Keep the elbow up, step laterally back 45º to load the rear leg (triple flexion), then initiating with the legs push off the back foot and press with the arm to finish extended with triple flexion at shoulder level.... Read more

Smart Toner Squat to Row Set Up:  Begin in athletic position with a smart toner handle in each hand, arms extended, core braced.Execution:  Slowly lower into a squat position with triple flexion at hip, knee and ankle, body tall, then transition into triple extension at hip, knee, ankle finishing on the toes while simultaneously forcefully drawing the elbows back into a row movement, hands finish at the rib cage.... Read more

Smart Toner / Smart Stick Split Lunge Set Up:  Place the feet in a split stance with weight evenly distributed, load the smart toner under the front foot and the smart stick loaded behind the head with hands in a wide grip, core braced.Execution:  Slowly lower the legs into a triple flex position of hips, knees and ankles under resistance, pause hold and then triple extend through the hips, knees and ankles to return to the starting position.... Read more

The key to a smart muscle workout is to choose exercises that challenge the whole body to work as a linked system moving in multiple planes and multiple ranges of motion.  Once the foundation exercises are executed with precision, sample progressions can include layering:  dynamic movement, balance challenge, more resistance (stronger smart toner), lift tempo and movement complexity.  The more variables that are progressed or layered, the more complex the exercise becomes creating a greater  demand on the mind to command the... Read more

Training Energetics Players’ Positions on the field dictates specific energetics training.  By looking at the position specific movement tempos and speeds it is easier to determine what training program should be implemented. Midfielders are constantly in motion throughout the game, helping to come back and defend but also helping to set up plays and attack in the opposing end.  In this position players rarely reach top end speed.   Midfielders are in motion for minutes at a time and therefore must train to develop a h... Read more

Rotary PowerRotation is occurring throughout the body during a match of Soccer. Tasks as simple as a player running down the field and changing directions by driving the arms across the body, to the player kicking a corner kick who initiates power by firing the hip forward so force can be sequentially transferred down the leg for the foot to contact the ball all require creation and management of rotation.Soccer players like other athletes must initially be taught to stabilize the core and stabilize against rotation. Once this base foundation h... Read more

Core Stability The core functions to stabilize the spine and provide a platform for the upper and lower limbs to move. Prior to a player receiving a pass and one touching the ball to a teammate, the player must engage the core which acts as a foundation from which the leg can produce force. This stability provides leverage from which the player can bring the leg through to make contact with the ball. During deceleration of movement, the core functions to control movement by controlling lateral flexion in unison with the ankle, knee and hip goin... Read more

Linked System StrengthThe nature of soccer necessitates that Agility should be trained in parallel with Strength.  Multi directional stopping and starting requires a foundation of strength and therefore a step away from a traditional linear based strength training model is required. Soccer players must be able to produce strength in multiple planes and various ranges of motion for sport success. While concentric strength is required to overcome inertia and accelerate into open space, eccentric strength is needed to absorb ground reaction f... Read more

Speed, Agility, Quickness and Reactivity Soccer is a fast sport that involves movement in various directions, requiring athletes to view the field, process the information and then react to opponents and team mates to achieve the desired outcome.  A purposeful teaching progression is required to develop Speed, Agility and Quickness so that mechanics and reactivity are optimized.  To maximize the potential for skill mastery, a player should:  1.    Be taught the skill with perfect mechanics.2.    Prac... Read more

An increasing number of athletes are using the services of a Sport Conditioning Coach to improve their personal performance.  An educated Sport Conditioning Coach (SCC), who understands the demands of the game as well as position specific requirements, can provide the individual athlete with a significant competitive edge in their sport.   Among other benefits, the SCC trains the athlete to improve their movement ability and efficiency, increase strength, become more powerful and durable, as well as give them more confidence in t... Read more

Midfielders: Movement:  Multi directional, various tempos and speed.  Great spatial and field awareness. Act as transition between both ends of fields Activity during the match- In motion more than any other position on the team. High Aerobic demand. Sustained movement interspersed with anaerobic bursts. Co-ordination under fatigue. Forwards: Movement:  More Linear movement than other midfield players.  Requires field awareness. Have to time run onto balls and adjust position to open up field.  Activity during th... Read more

Keepers: Movement:  Multi directional with great spatial awareness (know where body is relative to the net and other players) Activity during the match- Significant downtime combined with intense short bursts of activity. Keepers have to be powerful to jump for the ball and durable so as to challenge safely for the ball as contact is common. Defense: Movement:  Multi directional with ability to transition from backward to forward movement Great spatial and field awareness (know where body is relative to the net and other defens... Read more

SMART Muscle™ exercises are more stimulating and therefore gain much greater adherence than simple repetitious exercises.   Safe interesting whole body challenges at a pace adult athletes are comfortable attempting produce a powerful combination. This develops a strong yet responsive and skilled body for an adult athlete who enjoys the exercise experience and lives the results. Repeating movement patterns improves mind–muscle communication and creates SMART Muscles™ that comply quickly and accurately.   Lif... Read more

To instill positive physical change, the body must be challenged beyond the current comfort level.  Athletes and coaches must all commit to engage in this style of workout to maximize results and guarantee safety.  Coaches must be fully engaged using a critical eye that instantly identifies and corrects mechanical errors using well established cueing techniques.   We have carefully designed Smart Muscle™ exercises which are actually combinations of several lifts, some concurrently, some sequentially. For example, a lat... Read more

Stretch (5 to 10 min)Finish the workout with a mindful stretch that includes all the major muscle groups used in the workout.  A collection of sport yoga postures can also be used to energize the group.BOSU® Hip Flexor Stretch... Read more

Linked System™ Strength (25 min)Whole body, multi joint, multi planar powerful movements are emphasized in the strength training segment.  Exercises teach the muscles to fire sequentially from the ground in a standing “sport and real life” ready position. These enhance coordinated strength for complex activities like racing down a mountain, chasing children in tag, running down a tennis serve or driving a golf ball.Equipment:  Medicine Ball, Dumbbells, BOSU®, SMART Toner™Sample Exercises include:• ... Read more

Speed, Agility and Quickness (15 min)      Following a dynamic warm up, athletes engage in agility, quickness and reactivity training using ladders, hurdles, cones, and Slingshots.  Lightning footwork patterns are emphasized to turn on the system with ATP based efforts. Memories of play oriented childhood games provide enjoyment in these drills. Mastery creates the foundation for self esteem and the physical confidence to try new sports, activities and challenges at all ages.    Agility Ladder Sample... Read more

Dynamic Warm Up (10 min)Once activated, the workout shifts to developing mobility using exercises that systematically bring the athlete to their full natural range of motion.  The Dynamic Warm Up switches on the neuromuscular patterning by activating motor patterns building on familiar movements resulting in more responsive muscles and movements that are more efficient.Sample Exercises include:•    Cool Walk to Long Lunge•    Lateral Sumo Squats•    BOSU® Lateral Step or Bound... Read more

Balance (15 min) A balance challenge starts the workout to awaken the body and mind. Using the SMART Board™ requires precise equal strength between left and right sides of the body. Grading force in an athletic stance draws upon prime movers and stabilizers, postural muscles and primes the mind and neural connections to be on alert.  Physically activated, athletes are ready for greater challenges.  •    SMART Board™ Tuck and Hold (with intent of no touches of board to floor) 30 sec x 4•  ... Read more

Today’s active population pursues recreation year round with a continuum of outcomes in mind.  Many choose outdoor pursuits for sheer enjoyment whereas others seek a more competitive experience for a greater adrenaline rush.  Whether running a 10k, racing down a mountain, shooting a lower golf score, winning pick up hockey, having fun at women’s soccer or rejuvenating with a quiet hike in nature, each of these pursuits require an athletic body that is easily able to meet the demands of the activity.   Inside ever... Read more

Statistics reported in the Active Kids Canada Report Card (2007) show that 60-80% of Canadian children are engaged in sport.  The level of participation is directly related to family income with 79% of children from high income families being involved in organized sports.  The face of sport for children and youth is changing with the influence of training methodologies used by professional athletes that is promoted in the media and branded with innovative apparel and shoes.  The best trained and educated sport conditioning coache... Read more

Sport coaches focus on helping athletes develop sport specific skills (throwing and hitting in baseball, skating and shooting in hockey, tumbling in gymnastics, backstroke in swimming) along with the individual and team strategies and tactics required for success.  A sport conditioning coach focuses on the development of athleticism whereby they improve an athlete’s physical tools that support sport skill execution.  Enhancing athleticism comes from the development of the secondary characteristics of fitness including:  bal... Read more

Through the first 20 years of life, a child evolves and grows into an adult.  The changes that occur affect athlete physical, emotional, psychological and social development impacting every aspect of life and sport.  There are predictable phases of change that every child experiences, but the amount of time in each growth phase is diverse leading to a great deal of variability among children.  Grouping children by chronological age alone does not account for the rate and stage of growth, so other methods of categorizing children ... Read more

Sport conditioning is considered to be one of the 10 top trends in fitness as amateur and pro athletes, sport coaches, parents, weekend warriors and adult recreationalists all demand this new training style.  Traditional fitness training is great for helping people to look good and achieve basic fitness goals (lose weight, improve basic strength and cardiovascular endurance and be more mobile) but athletes of all levels and abilities need a more sport oriented training focus.  For health clubs and related businesses aiming to add spor... Read more

Twist Conditioning’s sport conditioning certifications have 3 primary pillars of training to reflect all of the secondary fitness characteristics. The athletic training style revolves around training sport movement (agility, quickness, speed, reaction skills, power, coordination, acceleration), sport strength (muscular strength, endurance, power and whole body strength) as well as sport balance (stability, kinesthetic awareness, proprioception, neuromuscular pathways, transitional balance and peak power).  Training all aspects of spo... Read more

We now understand that sport requires coordinated movement, full body strength, balance and overall enhanced mechanics to reduce the chance of injury and to improve athlete performance.  Children, youth and adults today do not get enough varied activity and even within the sport experience few venture outside of scheduled practice to play the game.  Where kids in the past would develop overall athleticism by participating in multiple sports throughout the year, many are specializing in one sport at an early age and lack the well round... Read more

Over the past decade there has been a considerable growth in the science and practical training in sport conditioning.  In the past, athlete training focused on the development of sport specific skill, strategies and tactics with most of the training coming from a sport coach during regularly scheduled team practices.  Many sports have been using extra training (strength, endurance and flexibility training) to compliment sport skill development especially as an athlete shows sports promise and excels to a higher competitive level.&nbs... Read more

The physical aspects of Sports Talent are physical size, speed, quickness, power, agility, coordination, flexibility, strength and endurance.  Physical skills are the raw materials needed for sports, but to be able to excel at the next level, athletes need a strong mental and emotional skill set as well.  Sports psychologists spend a lot of time profiling exceptional athletes to understand their mental and emotional make up.  The top 10 areas of commonality include the following characteristics:  drive, passion, emotional st... Read more

At a young age, physical development appears to expose good athletes, but as competition intensifies, other children develop and the demands of sport evolve, the sports success formula becomes more complex.  Athlete strengths may take on a greater emphasis or may no longer be an asset and athlete weaknesses will continue to be exposed as the sport environment changes.  It is valuable to assess all aspects of talent through the athlete development process so that as individual changes occur, both athlete strengths and weaknesses can be... Read more

The evaluation of physical attributes can provide tangible information that can be manipulated to achieve improvements.  Mental and emotional skills are harder to identify but improvements can be accomplished when weaknesses are challenged.  There still seems to be some level of mystery associated with sports excellence that can elude many athletes and coaches.  At the peak of the performance pyramid all athletes have amazing talent, but still there are some that stand out from the most elite crowd to be “exceptional”... Read more

Athletes that are blessed with the right combination of physical skills may still only reach a certain level of success when competition heats up and the ability to make decisions under pressure is required.  Physical skills are the raw materials needed for sports, but to be able to excel at the next level, athletes need a strong mental and emotional skill set as well.  Sports psychologists spend a lot of time profiling exceptional athletes to understand their mental and emotional make up.  The top 10 areas of commonality include... Read more

At first glance, we may assume that having the physical prerequisites for sport is essential simply because sport success requires the manipulation of the physical body. Physical size seems to play a big part in children’s sport as greater size translates to more strength, longer levers, enhanced speed and in many cases sport specific skill advantages as well.  It is common to see this child who matures earlier than their peers have sport success at a young age, only to be left behind when others travel through puberty and beyond.&nb... Read more

Since the early Olympics, humans have valued athletic ability.  The strongest and most physically capable men were elevated in Roman society.  From a political perspective, the Olympics symbolize the strength of a country and in the not too distant past eastern block countries infused a phenomenal amount of money and effort into the identification and development of Olympians as a political statement on the world stage.  The best athletes are so skilled in their sport that they make success look easy to the untrained observer lea... Read more

Who will be the next generation Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan?  Ask any parent and they will tell you it could be their child with just the right amount of training, coaching and parental perseverance.  There is a certain mystique about talented athletes whether they are amateur Olympians or professionals because of their sports mastery and the skills that they display.  It is not an easy path to sports success and though many pursue the dream, few excel to the highest level.  Why focus on the identification o... Read more

4.  Try linking many phases of an exercise together to work in multiple ranges of motion in each movement execution.  This type of movement complexity requires excellent communication between the mind and the muscle with fast and efficient information pathways to drive multiple motor patterns in sequence. BOSU® Prone Knee Over / Knee UnderSet Up: Begin in prone position with hands on the flat side of the BOSU® Balance Trainer directly under the shoulders, neutral spine, core set Execution: Movement begins by externally rotat... Read more

3.  Consider adding exercises that require movement in multiple planes, demanding 3 dimensional motion in the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes at the same time.  These exercises are complex to execute, but challenge clients to control their bodies with powerful coordination, a strong mind to muscle connection, fueling movements similar to sport skills.Olympic Bar Single Arm Push with RotationSet Up:  Begin in athletic position, hand holding the Olympic bar at arms length, core set.Eccentric Phase:  Keep the elbow up, ... Read more

2.  Design exercises that link common movement patterns together to challenge the mind to command 2 motor patterns systematically.  This type of exercise increases the neural complexity requiring power production in a closed kinetic chain position. BOSU® Balance Trainer SMART Toner™ Lateral Lunge to Wood ChopSet Up:  Stand on back leg, holding SMART Toner™ in 2 hands, arms extended (slight bend in elbow), upper torso rotated towards partner, core set. Concentric Phase:  Initiate the movement by transferring w... Read more

" It's a dream until you write it down, and then it’s a goal and you can achieve it." -Anonymous     The first step in setting sporting goals is to decide your level of commitment to your sport. If you want nothing more than a bit of fun every now and again, then you should have different goals from someone who has decided to dedicate his or her life to achieving excellence in the sport. This decision about commitment will allow you to assess whether you 'own' the goals towards which you are currently working - do y... Read more

To transition your current exercise choices to a Linked System™ approach, gradually include these training concepts into your workout design.  1.    Take a traditional upper body pull exercise (seated row) and make it a standing whole body exercise.  Cue your client to initiate the movement from the legs, transfer through the core and express the power through the arms.Olympic Bar Bent Over Multi Joint Squat to Single Arm RowSet Up:  Begin in athletic position, 45 degree forward flexion at the hip, holding th... Read more

The body is built to move in 3 dimensions and to meet the demands of sport, strength training exercises should incorporate movement in multiple directions and not in single dimension linear movements.  Train with a Variable Range of MotionIn an ideal situation the athlete is able to be perfectly positioned to create optimal leverage to develop power through a full range of motion.  To be most transferable to sport or life, the athlete needs to be able to generate force through a variable range of motion instead of a predictable range.... Read more

The defining factor for sport conditioning coaches and personal trainers is their ability to help athletes and clients achieve their performance goals.  Results are the direct result of consistent training – the change or adaptation that is achieved by exposing your body to a new stimulus on a regular basis.  Every missed workout detracts from performance gains.   So how can you help your athletes, clients and yourself achieve a consistent training schedule?  Provide them with a completely portable workout that ma... Read more

The complex human body has one integrated kinetic chain that allows for whole body movement. Physiologically, it is represented by all the muscles, neurons and the joints linking the body from “toe to finger tip”.  Actions performed by one section of the chain directly affect how the next segment of the chain functions.  Any breakdown in muscle activation and order of firing affects performance throughout the body. With this in mind, it becomes clear that the human body was designed to produce force through the entire chai... Read more