Gary Roberts High Performance Training - Toronto

June of 2011 saw the opening of the Gary Roberts High Performance Training Center, located in the Fitness Institute on Sheppard Ave in Toronto.

My relationship with Gary goes back to 1986 with the Ottawa 67's, when I was the 67's Conditioning Coach.  In those 25 years I have amazing experiences with one of the games most dedicated athletes to physical conditioning.  Gary used that drive and dedication to a very successful NHL career with over 1,200 games played and 900 points.

Since his retirement he always knew he wanted to be in the hockey training industry, and in developing the GRHPT he wanted to make sure that everything was created to be the best - training-nutrition-treatment-coaching.  It all started back in the spring of 2010 when Gary and I started training over 25 NHL and OHL players at his home gym in Uxbridge Ontario.  Word spread around pretty quick with names like Stamkos and Skinner having the success they achieved after a hard summer of training.  Skinner particularly when he gave thank you to Gary and I at the NHL player awards where he won the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year.

Jeff had worked with me in Ottawa at the ACC since he was 15 years old on my take away programs, training on his own at home with his brother Ben.  With Gary opening his training facility in his home and being located so close to Jeff in Markham, he was able to continue under our program design and the excellent coaching, motivation and nutrition advice by Gary.

The growth of Gary’s success working out of his home grew very quickly, and we were soon trying to find a new location that would accommodate the interest in his program.  Finding the Fitness Institute was the best location for us to be and working together with the FI President Steve Roest, the GRHPTC was created.  No expense was spared on this facility.  Top equipment from Magnum, Sorinex, Perform Better, Twist Conditioning, Fitness Depot, along with an amazing artificial turf area resulted in an amazing facility.

The players lifted 4 times per week, completed plyometric, speed and agility work twice per week with Tony Scott, and had their nutritional concerns taken care of by Nature’s Emporium and Biosteel.

Steven Stamkos pushing the hay roll

As you can see from some of the picture and video’s the athletes had an amazing summer and learned how important it is to be a good pro, and to do everything they can to be the very best.

Coach Goldenberg on CFRA

Here is a podcast of Coach Goldenberg from August 21, 2011 on CFRA's Outdoor show with Kevin Pidgeon and Dean Roberts.  Coach G talks about sport conditioning, and the ins and outs of fitness training.  Listen in as he shares his thoughts on circuit training, Mike Fisher, and what it takes to be the best in your game.

Roberts, Goldenberg & Nichol Lead Top Prospects at AllState All-Canadians Camp

I just returned from one of my most rewarding experiences in hockey.  Having finished up at the AllState All-Canadians Camp allowed me to work with Canada's top 42 fourteen year olds in the country.  The camp was meant to introduce them to an NHL style experience that covered everything from game preparation, nutrition, fitness, and mental skills.  Myself, Gary Roberts, and Matt Nichol delivered all of the off-ice training and nutrition information for these young athletes.  Additionally they got to work on the ice with the likes of Jeff Skinner, Luke and Braydon Schenn, Jason Spezza and many other of the NHL's top stars.

http://www.ctv.ca/canadaAMPlayer/index.html?video=513820 Note you will be taken away from this blog when you click on the video link.

The following is the media announcement along with some great pics in the trenches.

Canada’s Young Hockey Stars Sharpen their Skills at the Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp

TORONTO, ON (July 28, 2011) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) is pleased to welcome the 42 selected bantam-aged players who will participate in the first annual Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp. The intensive five-day camp, led by 21-year NHL veteran Gary Roberts, will give young athletes from across the country the exclusive opportunity to learn from NHL players – such as Luke Schenn, Jeff Skinner and Jason Spezza – about the importance of fitness, nutrition, mental conditioning and much more. The inaugural camp will be held from August 2 - 6, 2011 at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, ON, with the Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Cup being held on Saturday, August 6 at 1:00 PM.

Gary Roberts being interviewed & coaching

To view the list of the 42 players competing in the Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp, visit www.Allstate.All-Canadians.com. “I’m looking forward to sharing with these young players my knowledge of health and nutrition that helped me achieve success and longevity in my career,” said Gary Roberts. “Our on and off-ice training programs have been carefully developed to demonstrate how elements like nutrition, fitness and mental health can give these players an edge over their competition. Learning this early in their  development will provide them with infinite benefits throughout their careers.”

Coaches Goldenberg & Nichol

Coach Goldenberg & Jeff Skinner

Players attending the Mentorship Camp will have the opportunity to improve their skills both on and off the ice. Several NHL stars will work with the players during their daily skates to help sharpen their skills. The players will also learn from Dr. Paul Dennis, sport psychologist who formerly served as the Player Development Coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, on the importance of achieving a strong mental state to excel in the game. Other off-ice sessions will be led by Roberts who will teach the athletes about proper nutrition to ensure stamina throughout a game. Parents will also be invited to selected sessions designed to equip families with the information they need to improve both on and off the ice. Each day, players will learn optimal workouts with renowned strength and conditioning trainers, Lorne Goldenberg and Matt Nichol.   

Angelo Esposito on CJOH Sports @ the ACC

Summer 2011 Developing Strength, Power, Quickness, Mobility, & Core Strength At the ACC

This blog so far has provided much information that has dissected other exercises and training programs People have been wondering where are the functional safe exercises that the ACC athletes are using for to get better every day?  Well we are almost half way through the summer of 2011.   Everyone is working hard preparing for their hockey season and here are some of our higher profile athletes working hard to get ready, the ACC way.

Matt Bradley is a seasoned NHL pro with the Florida Panthers.  He is known as  punishing forechecker who sacrifices his body, and gives 110% on every shift.  In this video we see Matt using excellent technique in a hurdle lateral high step.  Notice his perfect posture, high knees, and very short ground contact time.  This drill demonstrates excellent lateral movement, change of direction ability, and mobility through the hips.

Zach and Aaron Bogosian are the beasts from Massena NY who have followed the ACC training principles for years.  Zach the first round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets and Aaron the former St. Lawrence Saints Captain now with the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Zach who set a number of records at the NHL combine a few years ago demonstrates some excellent strength and power with stop squats.  In this exercise the purpose is the lower the weight in control, hold for a second on the rack while maintaining core activation, and to power through the weight.   Zach is lifting just over 300 lbs here, and as you can see his great strength allows him to actually leave the ground.  Obviously this is a very advanced lift that should only be attempted after much preparation.

The sumo romainian deadlift is a lift that has not been seen very often and created here at the ACC. It is obviously a variation of the RDL, but with a wider stance and good hip movement this exercise not only works the hamstrings, glutes and lower back in a very functional manner, but it also brings in the all important adductor muscles.  Aaron is using a slow tempo to really emphasize tension on the muscle.

Mark Millar is another player from Massena NY who has seen the benefits of the ACC for fellow Americans and made the commitment this year to be the best he can by training in Ottawa.  Mark played this past year with Omaha Lanceers of the USHL and has a scholarship from RPI where he will attend after next season.  Mark is working the front position lateral squat.  This is an incredible exercise to work on spinal mobility, and lateral hip strength.  Notice his solid core, strong back, and range of motion through his hips.  Its work like this that will ensure Mark’s skating stride is long and strong this year.

In previous articles Coach Goldenberg has been very critical of examples of functional training that are anything but functional, mostly as a result of poor technique.  Here is a great example of  functional exercise.  Pat Kavanaugh has been an ACC athlete for many years.   The former Vancouver Canuck, Philadelphia Flyer, and Ottawa Senator, now plays in the German professional league.  Pat has been an extremely dedicated athlete to off ice training since he was 15 years old.  Here he is demonstrating a supine, single leg towel grip pullup.  This exercise is very difficult as his hamstring, glute, lower back, and obliques must work synergistically to stabilize his lower body, while the prime movers of his upper back and arms do all the work.  Pat’s core is solid here demonstrating great activation of the appropriate muscles to execute this movement.

The Jack Of All Trades Workout For Hockey - Does It Work?

Can you really work explosive speed, power, strength, and endurance all in one workout?  I get asked this question many times by my clients, whose friends might be training somewhere else, whereby they do this kind of ass kicking workout that leaves everyone dying by the end.

My short answer to this question is always "Jack of all trades master of nothing" Some coaches might think they are effectively working speed, strength, explosive power and endurance all in one tough workout.  But what they are actually doing is re-enforcing poor movement patterns.  This contributes to lower levels of performance in their sport as none of these physical qualities actually show improvement.  The scientific references to support this comment are many and a known fact in the world of professional strength and conditioning coaches.

This problem has been building for years.  With the proliferation of so many hockey conditioning coaches and boot camp leaders, the industry has become inundated with people who are great marketers, but lack the physiological know how to really create an effective and safe off ice program.  

At the ACC we take our athletes through and assessment whereby we evaluate the joints of the body, and determine if they are in acceptable ranges as it related to mobility and stabilization.  If they are not, this is taken into consideration when developing the program and corrective measures are taken.  For this reason most athletes at the ACC will have a different program for the first 6-8 weeks of off-season training.  As we reach the final 4-6 weeks of training, and if the athlete has had positive corrections, then there might be a time when a group is completing the same workout.

Here are some perfect examples of mis-use of exercise prescription taken off the internet.  The actual exercise clips are very short, but I have extended them using slow motion to illustrate what happens to the body during improper exercise.

This first clip focuses on the low back.  This person is doing explosive pushups.  He is tired, sweaty and looks to be working hard.  Unfortunately as you will see, his lower back is being trashed in a very unsafe manner as he cannot stabilize his spine with his abdominals.  So although it appears to be an upper body exercise, the weak link is the core.  Have a look:

The spine is a major area of concern in any conditioning program.  Care must be taken in ensuring that stability and mobility are solid before loading explosively.  In this next example, we move to the thoracic spine.  Here the athlete is doing some kind of thrust with his legs to a jump and clean with a dumbbell.  This athlete has absolutely no ability to retract his scapula's and pull his chest up, which would provide a solid spine for this type of movement.  Another issue might be fatigue. If he was towards the end of his circuit he may have been very tired and not able to position his body in a safe manner.  This point again supports my comment in the first paragraph.  You cannot work explosive power and endurance in the same workout.  Again the clip is short, but errors very apparent when shown in slow motion.

The last clip takes a look at what might be called a functional exercise but I am really not sure what the purpose is, since it appears he is trying to do too many things and none of them quite right.   Have a look at his left shoulder blade during the movement in slow motion.  It is quite apparent that he has a winging scapula, as a result of a weak subscapularis or anterior serratus.  This type of loading could cause more harm to his shoulder.  Have a look at this last clip and decide for yourself

These are just a few examples of misuse of exercise prescription in the strength and conditioning world.  The next time you are thinking about what kind of program you need, remember there are no short cuts, only safe and progressive processes.

For those of you who feel that this is only my opinion with no foundation for my comments, please read the following.   These are some of the heavyweights in the strength and conditioning field.

"Lorne you are right on in your summary and examples. This poor form saps injury resilience, performance potential and tolerable training volume"

Stuart M. McGill, Ph.D.,
Professor of Spine Biomechanics,
Department of Kinesiology,
University of Waterloo,

"Whole body multi joint exercise under load must ensure excellent inter and intra segmental control to build a strong connected cohesive body from head to foot. Coach Goldenberg's critical eye for human function in movement demonstrates the importance of tutelage from an expert, experienced science based coach - training to perform versus training itself leading to dysfunction and injury"

Peter Twist, MSc, CSCS, Master Coach

President and CEO of Twist Conditioning, Inc

"Anyone can work hard...the real magic lies in finding the optimal ammout and type of exercise to elicit the desred response from training. This is particularly true in high skill sports like hockey, football and basketball. Proper posture and technique should never be compromised for the sake of a few extra pounds or reps."

Matt Nichol

Pro Strength & Conditioning Coach

http://mattnichol.com/

http://www.biosteel.com

Angelo Esposito Atlanta Thrashers - Moves To Ottawa For Summer Preparation

Angelo Esposito has had a tough 4 years since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round 20th overall in the 2001 draft.

After an amazing junior career, and a 2009 Gold medal for Canada, Angelo has been plagued by knee injuries.  As a 22 year old, he has already had 3 ACL knee surgeries, and a hip labrum problem that had bothered him most of the last year.

As a first year Atlanta Thrasher, Angelo became good friends with Zach Bogosian, and his brother Aaron.  The 2 Bogosian brothers are legends at the ACC in Ottawa for their commitment to physical conditioning and testing records that both brothers hold.  It was through this relationship, that I first met Angelo last summer in Montreal.  Angelo was just recovering from one of his mid season surgeries, when I had the chance to evaluate him and develop a take away program for him.

He made some good gains last year, but Angelo realized that he needed even more of a commitment if he is to crack the Thrashers lineup.  With that he decided to move to Ottawa to train with me and completely dedicate himself to being the best he can possibly be when training camp rolls around this September.

After his initial evaluation, I found that Angelo has a number of mobility issues in his hips, thoracic spine, and shoulders.  Additionally he had weakness in his ability to stabilize his spine, and hips.  With this kind of information, I was able to create the first phase of his program, that will focus on these areas as well as strengthening his overall body.  This is important for Angelo as he needs to correct these issue before progressing to the heavier lifting and explosive work that is necessary to play NHL hockey.

Many young hockey players are involved in 60 minutes circuit programs that focus on strength, speed, endurance and foot quickness.  Generally these types of programs are recipes for disaster, and the opposite actually happens.  The player gets slow, and does not recover well, and their strength levels are no where near necessary to play OHL hockey, let alone the NHL.   The program that Angelo is now on is geared to improve his structural integrity of his joints, spine, and teach proper technique, which will set him up for proper success.

Keep your browsers posted here as I document his progress over the summer.   I will post updates every 2-3 weeks.