This section of our blog is a forum for us to acknowledge the accomplishments
of our athletes inside the gym, as well as on the field of competition.
Apparently the NCAA frowns upon other entities citing the names of
participating collegiate athletes, so at times we will refrain from doing so.
More important than names, is showing those who are checking out
our site what can be accomplished with a sound program, as well as a
place for other Next Level athletes to keep updated on their training partners.
Having the luxury of working with an athlete, uninterrupted, for longer
than 12 weeks is very rare at our facility. In most cases, an athlete
will report to us with 9-11 weeks to prepare for their upcoming season.
Once they begin official practice and competition, their focus and obligations
are with their respective teams. Recently however, we had the opportunity
to break the mold a bit, as we had one of our collegiate football players
for a full 10 months.
Our client, referred to as “AL”, came to our facility to stay “game ready”
during the transfer process from one school to another. To say we made
the most out of this time would be an understatement, as this was easily
the best off-season I have been a part of. A lot of credit goes to AL, as
10 months of training without any type of competition is an eternity for
an athlete. In spite of this, Al was more than willing to pay the price.
And, as it is with most things in life, the more you are willing to pay,
the more you get in return.
Below are some of his training stats from start to finish:
Exercise Oct. 2011 Aug. 2012
Bench 255 345
Squat 325 490
High pull 215 315
20 yard sprint 2.81 seconds 2.53 seconds
Pro-agility 4.97 seconds 4.41 seconds
Vertical Jump 26” 31.5”
Achieving these types of gains don’t happen with training alone. AL made
a huge commitment to changing his lifestyle to compliment his efforts in
the gym. A complete overhaul was made to his eating habits, along with
a customized supplement plan. In addition to this, we put a lot a large
emphasis on recovery, including soft tissue & chiropractic treatments,
stretching, and especially quantity and quality of sleep.
Because of this, AL not only made tremendous improvements on the
field and in the weight room, but also added 19 lbs. of muscle to his
frame, as well as stripping off 10 lbs. of body fat. I think this, coupled with
the numbers listed above, reinforce some key points we have emphasized
with our athletes for years. “Compete at an optimal body composition,
while improving your relative body strength, and your athleticism with
improve dramatically.” In this case the 20 yard sprint, pro-agility,
and vertical jump.
Listed below is the basic training template we used for the majority
of AL’s time spent at our facility.
Mon: position specific agility / Upper body strength & hypertrophy
Tues: linear acceleration / Lower body strength & hypertrophy
Wed: recovery ( specific modalities were customized to match training volume
and individual needs)
Thurs: position specific agility / Upper body power & correctives
Fri: recovery ( specific modalities were customized to match training volume
and individual needs)
Sat: linear acceleration (loaded) / Lower body power & correctives
Sun: recovery ( specific modalities were customized to match training volume
and individual needs)
We would like to thank AL for his commitment to excellence and trusting
in our program. He has reset what was already a very high bar, in terms
of what athletes in our facility can strive for. The Next Level staff wishes
you the best of luck as you move forward with your athletic career.
