Blog Roll
The Secret To Building Better Habits
May 15th, 2013
Some young athletes seem to be destined for greatness at early ages but never reach the heights that many thought they would achieve. Others start slow but continue to make progress year after year, until one day they have gone much farther than the so-called 'can't miss' kid from their earlier days. How does this happen? Habits, both good and bad. In his excellent and highly-acclaimed book 'The Power Of Habit', author Charles Duhigg gives a very well researched and informative look into how habits [...]
8 Ways To Get More From Your Team Training Sessions
March 27th, 2013
Having worked with dozens of coaches over the years, I know that every single one of them wants nothing but the best for their players. They are typically consumed by the desire to get an extra edge for their kids that will put them ahead of their peers. And it eats at them to see one of their kids go down with a serious injury, especially if they feel it could have been prevented. Today, the dream for many sports coaches is to give their kids [...]
3 Lessons Coaches & Parents Can Learn From The NFL Combine
February 19th, 2013
This upcoming weekend, most of the nation's top pro football prospects will gather in Indianapolis for the 2013 NFL Combine. It is what the league refers to as a '4 day job interview', where participants are subjected to a battery of physcial tests, position drills, interviews, and aptitude tests to determine how likely they are to succeed in the league. Millions of dollars can be earned by top performers, and jobs are on the line for the team's talent evaluators. Everyone has a huge[...]
Why We Do In-Season Training For High School Athletes
January 22nd, 2013
High school athletes who are in-season must budget their time extremely well. For most competitive athletes these days the time and energy commitment needed to succeed in their chosen sport is as intense as it has ever been. Add to that (hopefully) an equally strong focus on academics, and you have a generation of kids that couldn’t get much busier when their season rolls around. Often times, our athletes quickly assume they will not have the time to train even for a s[...]
20 Tips & Thoughts On Training
January 3rd, 2013
1. Knowing your resting heart rate and measuring it daily to see when it is well above normal is a simple and effective way to know when you, as a fitness enthusiast or an athlete, need to focus more on recovery strategies. 2. Having a 'fast metabolism' is something anyone can work towards, but to get there you need to understand how metabolisms work. They are raised by being active of course, but also through the amount of muscle tissue you[...]
3 Steps To Improving Rotational Power For Sports
November 15th, 2012
Power in sports is usually thought of and measured by tests like the vertical jump, but more often it is rotational power that actually translates to athletic achievement. If you compiled a list of every sport-specific movement that is best done powerfully, a great majority of them would have a rotational aspect to them. Here are just a few: Skating Baseball/Softball swing Baseball/Softball pitching Hockey slap shot Golf swing Soccer kicks Javelin throw Discus throw Shot Put Lacrosse shot Tennis serve This is no coincidence. Strength coaches and sports rehab specialists for years have identified a phenomenon they called the 'serape [...]
Let's Race! The Sumo Wrestler vs. The Ultra Marathoner
November 8th, 2012
It's a 40 yard dash! Our oversized and powerful sumo wrestler is up against the very lean and efficiently framed ultra marathoner.....which type of athlete is more likely to win? Or how about an NFL defensive lineman versus a world-class distance runner? If you play these general scenarios out in your mind, you'll likely begin getting to the heart of a critical balance required to maximize speed - getting lean vs. improving your explosive strength and power potential. Stronger and more powerful athletes, all else aside, are faster. Athletes like the[...]
Should High School Athletes Bench Press & Squat?
October 16th, 2012
Back in my football playing days a couple years (OK, decades) ago, our off-season lifting program revolved around improving our bench press and squat. Sure we did some other exercises, but our progress was almost solely measured by whether we could bench 300 pounds and squat 400 pounds. Everything else was secondary. Since then, the sports training world literally exploded with new ideas, information, and training concepts that really work. Systems have been created to develop the total athlete, which applies not jus[...]
Plyometrics: Are They Useful Or Dangerous For Young Athletes?
October 2nd, 2012
Plyometrics have been a part of American sports training programs for over two decades now, and have slowly filtered down from elite levels into many youth sports practices and team training sessions these days. They originally became popular because they were one of the hidden secrets of the old Soviet Union's training regimen that produced so many world-class athletes, and as the iron curtain began to fall the rest of the world became aware of how these drills could help their ow[...]
How To Reach Your Athletic Goals This Year
August 21st, 2012
Everyone has dreams and goals they wish to achieve at some point in their life. For athletes, having a sports-related dream is usually one of the most powerful driving forces in their earliest years. Some have visions of becoming a pro or college athlete, maybe even an Olympian. For others the dream is more tangible, like getting more playing time on their team or reaching the varsity at their school. Whatever it may be, having a dream and focusing your energy towards that single pur[...]
Practicing Safely In Hot Weather
August 14th, 2012
Heat illness is a very real concern for fall sports athletes, and it seems like this time of year there is always a story or two about health problems brought on by a youth sports practice in the heat. Coaches are, by and large, a very caring group who only want to see their players succeed. And to do that they know their kids need to be challenged from a conditioning standpoint in order to best prepare for the challenges of [...]
Player Of The Game Fundraiser For Youth Sports
August 5th, 2012
Youth Fitness Organization Looks to Gift $100,000 to Local Teams Athletic Revolution Leominster Rewards Sports Participants Many grown men look back fondly to their Little League days and remember when they received the “game ball” from their coach after a job well done. Receiving this honor was a big deal. Everyone on the team, parents too, gathered around the coach. The kids knew what was coming and eagerly anticipated hearing their name called. They wanted that game ball. The little gifts associated with the honor, suc[...]
Should Young Athletes Be Using Band Resistance Instead Of Weights?
May 24th, 2012
There are many middle school and high school athletes using weights to enhance their athletic performance, but there are also many others who feel they are unsafe and could potentially be damaging. Recently, band training has also become a popular form of resistance training for kids. Bands are less intimidating and do not have the stigma of creating bulk. which have made them a favorite with the crowd who dislikes weights. But are bands a better choice from an athletic development standpoint? Possibl[...]
Should Your Child Be Training Like A Pro Athlete?
April 30th, 2012
These days there is an endless supply of online video, not to mention TV footage and magazine articles, showing what professional athletes do in their workouts. Many times these are highlight reels of the coolest looking or most diffucult exercises they do. And as a parent of a young athlete, if you've ever seen something like this surely you wondered whether this is the type of training your child needs to achieve excellence in their sport. To understand what types of exercises ar[...]
Developing Lightning Fast 1st Step Quickness
April 17th, 2012
There is no team sport where being fast to the ball or puck is not critical to your success as an athlete. Sporting events are made up of hundreds of small moments throughout the game where players must react quicker than their opponent to win the one-on-one battles that ultimately separate wins from losses. And improving 1st step quickness is suprisingly one of the most trainable speed skills there are, meaning those who put in the time will give themselves a g[...]
Athletic/Fitness Revolution Leominster Launches 3 Month Drive for Youkâs Kids
April 12th, 2012
From April 16 to June 30, Athletic/Fitness Revolution Leominster will be hosting a fundraiser drive to benefit Youk’s Kids, as part of national fundraising campaign Revolution for a Cause. The local youth fitness and adult personal training business will be joining dozens of other Athletic/Fitness Revolution locations nationwide for the 3 month charity drive. Having helped numerous clients reach their health and fitness goals, AR/FR Leominster owner Jim Herrick has set his own goal to raise $1,000 in the next 75 days. Jim s[...]
5 Traits Of A Champion That Coaches Love To See
March 14th, 2012
Do you want to make the team, get more playing time, or win a championship this season? If you do, stop worrying about ability and start focusing on habit building. Athletic Revolution coaches around the country work hard to instill Champion habits into all the kids who work with us, whether they play sports or not. We do this because we see how important they are to a young athlete's long-term success on the field, in the classroom, and in life. Kids wh[...]
Spit On It And Suck It Up?
March 6th, 2012
Growing up I had a football coach who was not that big on players mentioning or showing they were in pain. It seemed like at least once per practice we'd hear him tell someone to 'Spit on it and suck it up!' Maybe some of you have had a simliar experience in your younger days. Acting tough when you are hurt is not always a good idea. Knowing when to push through vs. seeking immediate treatment is a key step in the growth and maturation process[...]
Preventing Knee (ACL) Injuries
February 22nd, 2012
The good news about knee injuries these days, and Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears in particular, is that medical science has turned what used to be a career-ending injury into something most athletes can recover from in time. The bad news is that ACL tears are occurring more often than ever. Anyone involved in youth sports likely knows at least one athlete who has had a severe knee injury in the past year. Why do these injuries occur? The ACL is a small ligament run[...]
5 Golden Rules Of Strength Training For Athletes
February 7th, 2012
It seems like most high schools in our area, and all around the country these days, now has some form of a weight training program in place. Contrast that to even just 10 years back, when any type of off-season program would have been cutting-edge for its time. Although this has been a very positive development, as strengthening is critical to success in all sports, there are certain guiding principles that these programs must follow if they are to produce the best r[...]
How To Create Sport-Specific Workouts
January 30th, 2012
"How is this going to help for soccer?" "Is this program specific to field hockey?" "Will that exercise help me for football?" Since the phrase 'sport-specific' started popping up about 5-10 years ago, the idea that all workouts must be for one sport and one sport alone has become common wisdom in our part of the world. There certainly is a time to gear workouts towards the specific demands of a single sport, but when you make that switch and how you do it are ext[...]
3 Food Categories For Young Athletes (And The Rest Of Us) To Avoid
January 25th, 2012
Many young athletes these days seem to misunderstand how much their eating habits are tied into their sports performance. A diet made up of good, whole foods can increase a young player's energy levels, keep them from getting sick, improve their body composition, and even lessen the likelihood they get injured. A poor diet can do exactly the opposite. And this does not just apply to athletes, or even kids in general. We are all susceptible to falling into the Big 3 of f[...]
The Truth About Muscle Building Nutrition
January 18th, 2012
As a strength coach, the nutrition question you get asked most by your athletes is always some variation of, 'Should I be eating more protein to build muscle?' It really is an important question, and although it usually comes from our male athletes, females who are training to increase strength and power would help themselves immensely by understanding how muscle building nutrition works too. To help separate fact from fiction, here's a few straightforward answers to to common nutritional questions to help both athletes and parents better understand muscle-building nutrition[...]
7 Nutrition Tips To Help You Excel During Sports Tournaments
January 12th, 2012
For many of our athletes, and I'm sure most sports-playing kids everywhere these days, full weekend tournaments are part of their in-season schedule at some point. They are most common for AAU and elite travel teams, where regional events require many games to be played at one location and in a brief period of time. Very often, these tournaments present opportunites for young athletes to showcase their talents. A good showing can potentially open up new doors of opportunity. To play yo[...]
2 Things You Should Eat At Every Meal
January 9th, 2012
Product advertisement, fad diets and out-of-context nutrition guidance has clouded our current understanding of what it truly means to eat healthy. And this confusion has not been a positive influence on our country - obesity rates continue to climb nationwide, and are skyrocketing in our youth population. Really though, healthy eating really doesn't need to be so difficult. If you need to improve either your dietary habits or your child's, the way to start is to return to a foundation that has been [...]
Punch Cuts & Their Role In Developing Multi-Directional Speed
December 19th, 2011
Every parent, coach and athlete involved in team sports realizes the importance of having speed. It gives players a distinct advantage over slower opponents. Although it is not the easiest skill to improve, with persistence players can clearly get better over time. It takes a combination of technical skill training, improved strength and power, and a lower percentage of excess body mass to see noticeable changes. There are literally thousands of videos, books, and drills out there today that proclaim they can h[...]
Staying Hydrated - The Key To Your Winter Health
December 14th, 2011
Lost in the modern world of flu shots, over the counter medications and herbal remedies to fight cold and flu season, the best health supplement you can take this winter is plentiful, cheap, and available to everyone - water. Why? Humidity levels outside are often very low this time of year, and heating systems create an equally dry atmosphere in our homes and cars. In these conditions, the air you breathe in does not carry as much water vapor as it usually doe[...]
Youth Fitness and Athletic Development in Leominister
December 8th, 2011
Our Experience Guarantees Your Success... Founded by some of the most well-known and highly acclaimed Youth Fitness Specialists in the world, Athletic Revolution has the distinct advantage of being the international ‘name brand’ when it comes to sports performance and fitness training for participants ages 6 – 18. Our training system has been successfully field-tested on more than 20,000 young athletes and youth fitness participants throughout the world and is regarded as the most complete and comprehensive program available. “Your training program balances the pro[...]
How To Develop An Elite Athlete - In 10,000 Easy Steps
December 5th, 2011
We are not a facility that trains pro athletes by the truckload like Athletes Performance, Cressey Performance or some of the other more well known facilities around the country. But over the years we have been fortunate enough to work with a couple dozen or so players who went on to achieve elite success in their chosen sport. And as a performance coach, you naturally want to look for some common thread weaved through the approach each of them took to achieve th[...]
Free Trial
August 11th, 2011
How Would You Like to Be Given A Chance for Your Young Athletes to Become Faster, Stronger, More Injury-Free & DOMINATE In Their Sport… For Absolutely No Charge? Exclusive 2-Week Trial Offer Available to Young Athletes! Increase Speed, Agility, Strength & Flexibility Athletic Revolution is the most effective and success-proven training program for young athletes in the world… Our results are guaranteed! Decrease Risk of Injury Our training methods work to reduce the likelihood of i[...]