It is the fashion,it is the world

Wednesday, 30 March 2011

Speedendurance.com

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 01:00 AM PDT

I first heard of Ian Jeffreys when I bought the book Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning – 3rd Edition years ago. I never met the chap personally, but afterwards I Googled his name (doesn't everybody do this?) only to find he wrote 3 other books! (More info on Ian Jeffreys can be found here)

For those who've heard of the term RAMP, Ian Jeffreys is also a household name when we discussed the whole dynamic warm-up controversy back in 2008!.

In his document, which you can download here, he quotes:

Given the opportunity to use warm-ups as part of the training process and the evidence questioning many current practices in warm-up, it may be prudent to develop a new classification of warm-up phases. This would help remove some of the key "grey areas" of current practice, and also provide a framework around which to build effective warm-ups. In this way the effectiveness of warm-up practices can be evaluated in terms of its effect on performance and its effectiveness as part of the training process. This would be similar to the approach taken by Verstegen* who has re-termed warm-up as movement preparation, which reflects the approach he takes to effective warm-up.

To this end the following "R.A.M.P." system may provide a method by which warm-up activities can be classified and constructed. This system identifies three key phases of effective warm-ups.

1. Raise
2. Activate and Mobilize
3. Potentiate

It’s a good read and I highly recommend you take a look at it. It will certainly change your methodology of the classic 4 lap warm-up followed by static stretching!

His other 3 books are:

Total Soccer Fitness ( UK readers, click here)
Gamespeed: Movement Training for Superior Sports Performance ( UK readers, click here)
Coaches’ Guide to Enhancing Recovery in Athletes: A Multidimensional Approach to Developing a "Performance Lifestyle" ( UK readers, click here)

. . .

Bud Winter Biography, San Jose State University 1940-1970, Part 4

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 01:00 AM PDT

This is Part 4 of a multi-part article. Click here for Part 1. Click here for Part 2. Click here for Part 3.

Along with the award nomination, this this biography was compiled by Urla Hill, M.A., Guest Curator at SJSU. Her website is Speed City: From Civil Rights to Black Power

The accomplishment of others who may or may not have been mentioned previously, but who benefited from Winter's guidance include:

Bill Campbell After suffering an ankle injury, Winter persuaded Campbell to take his course on track and field. Campbell, who had plans to become a dentist, would switch his major to physical education. He spent the bulk of his career at West Valley College, 34 illustrious years, in fact, where he garnered a 253-11 dual meet record; 27 conference championships (16 consecutive); seven Northern California Championships; and one state title for the men's cross country team. As head coach for the women's team, he cumulated 144-11 dual meet record; eight conference championships; and five NCC championships. He holds six "Coach of the Year" honors, and also has been inducted into the California Community Colleges Track & Field/Cross Country Hall of Fame. Olympian Monica Townsend, who competed in the steeple chase in 1996, is one of the many notable athletes he has coached.

Lee Evans: An Olympic gold medalist in the 400 meters in '68, Evans started his coaching career at SJSC in 1970. In his first season, he coached sprinter Elmo Dees, who, following in Evans' footsteps, completed the 400 in 45.5 seconds. While at the University of Washington Evans coached All-American Ja'Warren Hooker, the 1998 Pac-10 male track athlete of the year, and the first double-event winner (100- and 200- meter run) for the Huskies. During his stint at the University of South Alabama, Evans would coach a couple more All Americans, miler Vincent Rono and Tony Okello, a three-time NCAA All-American in the 5000 meters. The bulk of Evans' career has been spent overseas, beginning in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1975. Evans has coached Olympic teams for Nigeria, Cameroon, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He also has coached World Championship teams for Cameroon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia; and the United States' 2005 indoor championship team. He has coached a slew of Olympians from these various countries, including Sunday Uti, Rotimi Peters, Innocent Egbunike, Gabriel Tiacoh, Ibrahim Ismail and Falilot Ogunkoya, who he had coached for two years by mail and in person. Finally, Evans coached Saudi Arabia's semi-finalist team in the 1600- meter relay, the country's first. Evans noted that during his early years coaching overseas, Winter would give him tips and advice whenever he was in the area.

Jimmy Omagbemi: Nigerian Omagbemi had already competed in the 200 meters and on the 100-meter relay team at the Olympic Games in 1960 before heading to SJS. Omagbemi, who also competed on the Nigerian 100-meter relay in 1964, was 30 years old when he began competing for Winter. During the 1970s, he would serve as the Director of Sports for what was known as the Bendal state of Nigeria in the 1970s. His son, Victor Omagbemi, won the 100 and 200 meters at the African Championships in 1992. Victor's wife, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, is a five-time Olympian.

John Powell: A four-time Olympian – capturing bronze medals in 1976 and '84 – in the discus, Powell has run his own camp, the John Powell Throwing Camp, for 25 years; and has coached at various other camps for 30 years. He has coached several All Americans from Stanford University, including Patty Purpur (shot/discus), Karen Nickerson (discus), and Pam Dukes (shot put); and Olympic discus thrower Carol Cady ('84, '88). Powell also has worked with several Olympians, including shot putter John Godina ('96, '00) and hammer thrower Kevin McMahon ('96, '00). A seven-time National Champion, Powell has been named to the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame, California Community College Track & Field/Cross Country Hall of Fame; and the American River College Sports Hall of Fame.

Willie Williams: This San José State College graduate spent 13 years at the University of Arizona, and was named the sprint coach of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team before his death that year. U of A's annual Willie Williams Classic is in its 29^th season.

Tuesday, 29 March 2011

About Today: Spring Cleaning for Lazy People

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Today

From Jen Hubley, your About Today Editor

My goal for this winter - the only one, really - was to learn how to pick up after myself like a normal grown-up person. To see socks that have escaped the hamper, to remove dust before it forms into snow-drift-like formations on the TV, to throw away the mail before it develops thoughts and feelings and kills us in our sleep.

Spring Cleaning: A Complete Checklist

And guess what? It worked. I'm not going to tell you the place is spotless now, but I can usually find stuff, which is a huge improvement.

See More About: spring cleaning seasonal chores cleaning a room

15-Minute Cleanups for Every Room

It turns out that if you spend a few minutes a day on picking up your house, you don't have to live in filth.

See More About: 15 minute cleanups speed cleaning cleaning a room

How to Declutter Your Home

Which is super, but of course I figured this out right in time for spring cleaning. Which is necessarily, picking-up skills notwithstanding.

See More About: declutter organizing tips closet organization

Spring Cleaning Is for Yards, Too

Because without a large-scale cleaning, we're going to spend all summer staring at our winter clothes. And that's just no way to start the warm weather season.

See More About: spring gardens yard maintenance tree care

Today Ads

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Ato Bolden’s Top 10 Advice from a Retired Track Athlete

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 01:00 AM PDT

From Ato Bolden's Twitter account, he tweeted 10 things retired track athletes know that active athletes might not. This isn't meant to be a Brian Tracy checklist (here's another), but it's a good read, and I have to admit, I agree with everything said here.

Back in May 2008, I remember Gary Reed and Ian Gillespie were guest speakers at our function and the topic of life (or, more specifically, WORK after Track) was clearly in the air. You can tell that Gary did the smart thing back then by planning a job or career after his 800 meters days were over. Gary Reed retired from Track 3 years later at the end of the 2010 season.

But the most important point is #1. Save enough for a rainy day, because those days will come faster than you think. If you get a nice shoe contract, for goodness sake, put most of it in the bank or buy some property to live in. Even Roger Federer's main residence is a flat (apartment/condo) and not a 12 bedroom 13 bathroom gated villa in Los Altos Hills.

Here are the 10 points, copied and pasted from Twitter:

#10: Save some of all that free gear you constantly give away. It’ll end.

#9: No-one ever remembers the pain, but medals are forever. PUSH. No pro track athlete ever died from a workout. POST CAREER regret sucks

#8: No 1 from that shoe company you love so much loves you. Romance with no finance is a nuisance. The more in love you are the less u make.

#7: The competitors you think you hate so much now will be your friends when you are retired. Don’t take it THAT seriously. Compete without hate.

#6: Figure out what job you will do next, in early or mid-career, not post career. FEW get to decide when they retire, most get forced out.

#5: One day you’ll awake and won’t be fast anymore. Does your career define your whole life/existence? IT SHOULDN’T. Have a life so you don’t have to go get one after.

#4: Make use of the best thing about being a track athlete – the travel. YEARS in exotic locales, but all you know is hotels and McDonald’s is pointless. Get outside, take pictures, learn something. Experience other lands.

#3: Your career is infinitely more fun with a good training group. CHOOSE YOUR training group wisely. Chances are if you hate your career after, it’s because you hated your training partners, bounced around to several, or had none.

#2: Europe can be wild and crazy and fun…and it can also shorten your career drastically if you are incapable of not acting a damn fool there. EURO "Wine and men/women" have prematurely ended many a promising career.

#1: Save your money like your life depends on it (it does) and make it earn more while you are earning a lot of it. And yes, get a pro to do this. "Your cousin who’s good with money" doesn’t count.

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