Hey Cornell,  Hope all is well man. I was wondering if you could suggest a couple of training activities for my 9 yr old. I am looking to develop her quickness, "sprints" as well as overall strength, specifically leg strength for shots on goal. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks man -Jay  

We like to keep training for kids very basic. Kids beginning at around age 9 go through many extreme physical & physiological & hormonal changes. These are THE critical years for growth and development for all people but especially for athletes. Its during these years we want to impress upon these young bodies the importance of not only healthy living & proper nutrition but proper athletic balance & technique. Our bodies from a neurological standpoint absorb so much information constantly during these stages of life. It is here where you set the tone for athletic potential in the years to come.   With this understanding, its important for coaches to have a few things understood to ensure proper development of your athletes:

• Keep the training as simple as possible. - Complexity in training...

Question: Coach (Cornell), I need to get a dumbbell workout from you. I'm working out at Planet Fitness and the dumbbells only go up to 65lbs. How can I still get  a good workout in though? -JM

  Answer: Hey Jon, whats up. 1st of all if you're unfortunate enough to train in a gym where there are no barbells, no loud music & dumbbells that only go up to 65lbs....you probably should find a new gym. In the event that you cannot, here's a 3 day DB only program you can do.... *Side note. Since max effort training is out of the question, being as though we only have access to dumbbells, training volume and intensity have been turned up a bit.   Wait 60-90 seconds between exercises and repeat.  

Day 1 - Lower Push/Upper Pull

1a. DB Jump Squats - 8 sets of 3 1b. DB 2 hand Bent over Row - 8x8   2a. DB Monster Rep Squat 4x5  (1+1/2 rep = 1) 2b. 1 Arm Db Snatch 4x5 2c. DB Side Plank - Hold weight in top hand - 4x 30s each  

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Champion Life Lessons from a Spider....

 

After watching how the UFC Middle weight Champion Anderson "the Spider" Silva handled himself for over 2 years and 2 great fights with top contender Chael Sonnen, I was compelled to share with you some important champion lessons he taught me in the process...

      1. Every champion will meet his match at some point. The question is.....how will you respond when NOTHING goes your way? The true champions find a way even when there seems to be no possible way.   2. Are you man enough to STAND in the face of your biggest obstacle? Weak men look for ways out, but Champions stand and deliver.     3. Always be ready to seize the moment when it presents itself. Your life circumstances will present you an opportunity at some point to take back the control. Will you be ready to take it and are you prepared enough to handle it when you do?   4. If even your biggest supporters doubt you, will you doubt yourself? Champions are confident in their abilities and ready to stand alone to prove themselves if need be. 5. Can you look your GIANT in the...

20 MINUTE BEACH WORKOUT

This workout is meant to improve aerobic capacity and overall fitness.

Warm-up:

1. Jogging & Skipping - (2 minutes) - Use sand thats a bit closer to the shore water because its a bit more firm. As we get into the heart of the workout, we'll move into deeper sand.

Simply jog to one end & forward skip back to your start point & repeat for 2 minutes.

*Its a good idea to pick two land marks on the beach and use that as your guide. Jetties may be too far apart so use whatever you can. If you have no land marks use time {30s on 30s off example}*.

Move into softer sand now...

2. Hand Walk w/ Push-up - (4 min) - Walk the hands out while keeping the legs completely straight. When you've walked your hand out drop your hips into push up position. Complete 1-3 push reps & then walk your feet into your hands. Make sure you keep your legs completely straight taking ankle steps only...

THE 5 COMMON SPRINTING MISTAKES FOR ATHLETES

ACCELERATION

Here are common mistakes we see while evaluating athletes acceleration mechanics. Addressing these will help your sprint performance tremendously.

 

Mistake # 1: Anterior pelvic tilting.

 Many of the athletes we begin to evaluate show withing seconds an anterior pelvic tilt while they accelerate. This simply means that their pelvic bone (at the top) is slightly tilted forward. When this happens, the athletes rear will appear to push backward causing a slight arch in the lower back. This arch will effect the ability of the athlete to both produce and absorb force while running. After too long this tilt will begin to have a residual effect on muscle length and ultimately muscle activation. So it is absolutely critical that athletes address this issue before performing sprint mechanic work.

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TIME FLY'S........

I heard  my parents say it a hundred times growing up, " time fly's". It was always a reminder for me to take full advantage of each moment. You know, take as many chances during my busy days to appreciate the season of life that I was in. So many times we get caught up and forget that we should be appreciating the time we are in, both the good and the bad. Today as I watched 5 young men take their last stroll into our gym doors as high school seniors, the thoughts had never hit me so hard....

4 years ago...

...we began working with a group of 7 athletes from the local high school. I met with one of the parents one winter evening and talked about this special group of kids. After brainstorming for a few hours we put together a special package that suited everyone. This young group of freshman athletes was highly touted and was looked upon to make a big splash in the coming years. They were a tight group of kids who had played ball together since their Pop Warner days. My job was simple: prepare these young boys for life on the...

SAFETY JOSE GUMBS SIGNS WITH NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!

 

  For anyone who's been following Key 2 Sports Training for any length of time now, its no shock that we have been preparing Monmouth University Safety Jose Gumbs for life in the NFL. However, through all the preparation, Pro-days and NFL buzzzz, there are NO GARUNTEE'S any athlete will definitely make that step. So leading up to the NFL Draft this past weekend, everyone had their attention set on the young safety to see if he's actually take that next step! Tension was thick as Jose, myself and a host of other people waited through 7 rounds of the NFL Draft waiting to hear his name called. NFL Network came down this past weekend to spend time with Jose for an upcoming show airing this fall on NFL Network. The show's name is "Hey Rookie, welcome to the NFL"...and the cast members are various NFL rookies looking to stake claim on NFL life! Well the cameras were everywhere as we worked out here on Friday, day 2 of the NFL Draft. They took part in every aspect...

In "true" Strongman training, just about every exercise is MAX Effort or at least somewhere close to it. This is because the true nature of that sport is, in and of itself, STRENGTH. However, when using Strongman variations for fitness purposes, its not wise to train with extremely heavy loads as your purpose isn't just strength but also conditioning and overall fitness. And because Strongman training has the added benefit of cardiovascular development (unlike powerlifting or Olympic lifting variants) , the training can be used in a variety of different ways successfully. When we program Strongman lifts into our workouts we do it because of the sheer fun it brings! Its just down right fun to express your strengths through non traditional training. Pushing trucks, flipping tires, pulling sleds and carrying inordinate heavy objects presents a challenge while you strength train that is unmatched by any set/rep scheme. Its also a sneaky way to do a ton of work without thinking about set after set and rep after rep. Its feels like a bigger accomplishment to do heavy hand over hand rope pulls for sets over just doing single...

EXERCISE:

UP-SIDE-DOWN KETTLE BELL "ARNOLD " PRESS

This variation of the "Arnold Press" popularized by Arnold Schwarzenegger is great for anyone rehabbing their shoulders or just trying to increase stability. The range of motion allows a smooth natural flow of movement. This acts to protect the AC joint from stress normally incurred through traditional over pressing with a pronated grip. The "up-side-down" nature of the kettle bell places the weight at the top of the bell, forcing the lifter to have to balance the weight while performing the lift. Over all this lift can be used as both a great rehab tool or just a advanced variation to challenge and build better shoulder strength. Give them a try!

VIDEO HERE

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