Tag: Kevin Neeld

Elite Training Mentorship

It’s finally here. As you’ve heard me mention over the last week, Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, BJ Gaddour, and Dave Schmitz have been working on a HUGE project over the last year known as the “Elite Training Mentorship“.

If you missed my previous two posts, you can check them out here:

If you’re in the fitness industry at all (strength coach, personal trainer, sports rehab professional, or general fitness enthusiast), you owe it to yourself to check this out. Each of these guys have unique specialties ranging from maximum strength training to sport specific training to bootcamp training, and with the Elite Training Mentorship, they share their “secrets” with you!

If you’re on the fence, I have good news. Until Friday (3/9) at midnight, they’re offering a pretty amazing $1 1-month trial. Eric has already added three staff in-services, one webinar, two exercise tutorials, and two articles, IN ADDITION to all of the stuff that Mike, BJ, and Dave have added. $1 for a ton of great information. Seems like a no-brainer!

Check out this link for more information >> Elite Training Mentorship

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

P.S. I made a promise when I first started this site to keep you in the loop about resources that can help you achieve your goals. This is one. I hate sales pitches as much as anyone (probably more). If it’s not for you, it’s not for you. But for a $1, you’d be crazy not to at least check it out! Elite Training Mentorship

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Metabolic Training (Free Video)

The other day I mentioned that Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, Dave Schmitz and BJ Gaddour have teamed up to create a special program known as the Elite Training Mentorship, where these guys pull back the curtain on how they deliver staff training, teach movements, design programs and get results for their
clients. The program strikes me as a unique opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants, a no-brainer for anyone that trains people for a living (and for the fitness enthusiasts).

Hopefully you had an opportunity to watch the free lower body assessment video that Eric put together. Assessing the hip and lower body is an area that I feel pretty confident in. Eric does an outstanding job in this video demonstrating a comprehensive assessment protocol. Given the proportion of sports injuries that directly affect and/or were driven or influenced by the hips and lower body, the information Eric provides is incredibly powerful, both in terms of maximizing performance by removing barriers, and augmenting injury resistance.

They’ll be releasing their Elite Training Mentorship program next week, but in the mean time, they just released another video that I wanted to share with you:

Watch the video here >> Metabolic Training

In this video, BJ Gaddour teaches you how to become the go-to metabolic training expert in a bootcamp style training session. I had an opportunity to meet BJ at last year’s Perform Better Summit in Chicago; he’s a great guy. I think “bootcamps” are easy to do wrong. It comes back to the “any idiot with a whistle can make a group of people tired, but that doesn’t mean it’s good training” thought process. Bad bootcamps still sell well because people equate tired with effective. BJ does it right. Whether you’re interested in running bootcamps or simply want to learn more about metabolic training, this is a great video to check out!

Watch the video here >> Bootcamp Training

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

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Elite Training Mentorship

Last week I received an email with some exciting news. A couple of my good friends in Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson, alongside two highly regarded strength and conditioning coaches in BJ Gaddour and Dave Schmitz, have created what will be known as the Elite Training Mentorship.

The Elite Training Mentorship provides a unique opportunity for strength and conditioning coaches, personal trainers, sports medicine professionals, and even motivated people that simply train themselves to get an inside look at how some of the top coaches in the industry:

Teach movements and exercises
Design programs to get incredible results for their clients/athletes
Deliver staff training sessions to create a world-class staff

The Elite Training Mentorship isn’t available to the public yet, but Eric Cressey just released a video from a staff in-service he did outlining his lower body assessment protocol. If you’ve been reading my work for any extended period of time, you know that Eric has had a profound impact on my career. I still credit interning with him as the smartest career decision I’ve ever made in my life, and he continues to be a great mentor and friend. He’s someone I always look to for innovative information, and this video doesn’t disappoint (this could easily be a stand alone product by itself!). Check out the video at the link below:

Watch Eric’s Lower Body Assessment here >> Elite Training Mentorship

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

P.S. People ask me all the time what assessments I do for our athletes. Eric covers a lot of them here. Check out the video (it’s completely free!): Elite Training Mentorship

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Athletic Development Things You Should Read

I hope you had a great weekend. Emily and I kept pretty busy. We hosted a game night for a few of her friends Saturday night; I discovered that I’m not very good at Pictionary. Oddly, the group wasn’t very receptive when I proposed a redemption challenge of a deadlift contest.

I thought we’d mix things up a bit to start the week off and I’d direct you to a few articles I think you’ll really enjoy.

Good Read # 1: 2012 Resolutions: A Healthier Plan Creates a Healthier Golfer

About a year ago I started doing some writing for the Golf Association of Philadelphia. In this article, they asked me for some tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of traditional new year’s resolutions. While this was written for a golf audience, almost everything in the article is applicable to anyone reading this. Give it a read and let me know what you think by posting your comments below!

Good Read # 2: What’s Wrong With Keeping Your Chest Up?

David Lasnier wrote this post earlier in the year and I thought it was really well-written. David outlines why a common coaching cue needs to be put into perspective, and highlights the effect that extension at the thoraco-lumbar junction has on the ribs anteriorly. There are a number of powerful performance implications from the message David provides in this article; a definite must-read for anyone in the performance training field.

Good Read # 3: 24 Habits of 24-Hour Athletes

This is a simple, to the point article from my friend Kyle Bangen. Kyle is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Michigan Tech. I’ve had the pleasure of going to a few seminars with him, which affords some time to talk shop and pick his brain. In this article, he emphasizes that athletes can’t just be committed during their 2-hour practice or training time if they want to be successful; it has to be a lifestyle. I recommend retyping his 24 habits, printing them, and posting the list somewhere where you’ll see it frequently.

Good Read # 4: Core Values

This is another article from Kyle Bangen on the core values of his program at Michigan Tech. Along the same concept as the previous post, Kyle uses core values to describe his philosophy and expectations, both for himself and for his athletes. #9 is the key to success in hockey, as in life.

Bonus Read: Good Fitness Reads for the Week

Every week, Ben Bruno puts together an EXHAUSTIVE list of fitness articles, videos, and interviews that he enjoyed the previous week. I’ve been fortunate to be included in many of these; that may have even been how you first came across my site! If you’re looking to kill a few minutes…hours…or days, check out Ben’s list and click through some of the articles that pique your interest.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

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This Week in Hockey Strength and Conditioning

I hope you had a great week. We’ve had a good week at Endeavor. We’re wrapping up our in-season training for the youth program we work with. They’ve done a great job this year. One of our ’96s just committed to Penn State, and one of our U-18s has offers on the table from Yale and Princeton (not bad schools to choose from). I’m really proud of how hard these players (and their teammates) have worked this year and am happy to see that I’m not the only one noticing! I’m looking forward to watching some of the older teams compete in the playoffs over the next few weeks.

It’s been two weeks since my last hockey strength and conditioning update. In that time, I’ve added a ton of hockey training content that you’ll want to check out. Last week, I posted three videos on speed training for hockey, hockey conditioning, and designing comprehensive off-ice training programs. You can check those out here:

This week, I added two new articles, one on an incredibly important concept related to human (and therefore hockey) performance that is often only glossed over, if mentioned at all, in academic programs. I also added an article dissecting the “nature vs nurture” debate of athletic excellence. Check them out at the links below:

We’ve also added some great stuff at HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com over the last two weeks.

Darryl Nelson added a new youth hockey training program geared toward improving conditioning or what others may refer to as “work capacity”. These youth training features are meant to provide those in the trenches training youth hockey programs without much equipment some new ideas on things they can implement. Darryl’s players are holding light weight plates, but if you don’t have access to weights you can really use anything (water jug, puck bag, etc.). This circuit looks pretty brutal!

Watch the video here >> Metabolic Circuit #2

Mike Potenza added a pre-camp off-season work capacity program, which is similar on concept to what Darryl posted in his video. Mike’s program is really insightful because it shows how he structures the training week (not every day is a grind), and he provides some extra examples of work capacity circuits that players can use. Because Mike’s players, in general, have a relatively strong training background, he’s built quite a bit of diversity/variety into these circuits, attacking the same physical quality(or qualities) through different means.

Get the program here >> Off-Season Pre-Camp Work Capacity Circuits

Eric Renaghan, who I had the pleasure of meeting when I was out in San Jose last Fall, is Mike Potenza’s assistant with the Sharks this year. Eric is a really bright guy that has a unique combination of insight stemming from his experience as an elite soccer player, strength and conditioning coach, and manual therapist. He put together an interesting article on breaking the cycle of repeat groin strains. His thoughts are very much in-line with what I’ve been preaching for the last few years. An adductor (or “groin”) strain is a SYMPTOM of a larger problem. Avoiding these injuries certainly requires some soft-tissue work to the adductors themselves, but the most causative factors likely lie elsewhere, which is what Eric discusses in this article.

Read the article here >> Help…I’ve strained my groin, again

We also added a new “poll” feature. Log in to the site today to weigh in on what you think needs to be addressed most regarding the current concussion epidemic! This is a very controversial topic, so we’d love to have your opinion. This should spark some great conversations on the forum.

That’s a wrap for today. As always, if you aren’t a member yet, I encourage you to try out Hockey Strength and Conditioning for a week. It’ll only cost $1, and if it’s not the best buck you’ve ever spent, I’ll personally refund you!

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

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