SST Monday Morning Athlete News

Another great weekend of sports and dominance by SST athletes!

Lets start off with high school football where Assumption and Nelson cruised to victories on Friday.

Nelson led by QB Justin Morgan and linemen Pat Spelman, Riley Littlejohn, Ben Cowman have the Lords looking for first place this Friday night

Assumptions ground game was in full force with Dom Mandalfino and Jack Miller gobbling up the yards.  Thru the air the talented trio of WR’s Wes Austin, Noah Griffith and Matt Orr were and will be tough to match up thru the year

Friday night under the lights! 7 pm start with these two powerhouse programs- Lords vs Crusaders

Iroquois Ridge was led by Nic Casola- Nic never comes off the field and is a talent that university should be looking for!

Congrats to JF Foxcroft as he committed to playing with the Marauders for the next 4 years

Will Finch – one of the most talented Qbs in the nation led his team to over 765 total yd and 4 tds at Westerns homecoming!

Talented Freshmen RB Jordan Lyons had a total of 107 yds and 2 tds at Mac’s big win over York!

Nate Hobbs- QB Canada member threw for his first 400 yard game and totalled 3tds in Queens win over U of T

www.qbcanada.com

SST’s first ever 7 on 7 skills camp launches this week…huge response so far- please call in to register asap!

7 on 7 SKILLS

Over the next few weeks we will be keeping a close eye on all of SST Hockey players and soccer players

Here are a few of SST Oakville’s talented crew

Click Here

Football Q and A with SST Laval owner Antoine Hamelin

J’aimerais savoir si il est toujours possible pour un athlète de 21 ans de prendre de la vitesse et comment?


R: Oui, il est possible de prendre de la vitesse pour un athlète de 21 ans ou plus. Je travaille en fait présentement avec des athlètes universitaires qui sont invités au combine de la LCF au mois de mars. Ces athlètes ont entre 24 et 25 ans et nous constatons des améliorations de leur vitesse à chaque fin de cycle d’entrainement, qu’ils soient de deux ou de quatres semaines.

Le corps humain a le potentiel d’être entrainé et d’améliorer ses qualités athlétiques à n’importe quel âge. Il faut bien comprendre que même le meilleur entraineur ne fera jamais courir un 40 verges en 4.40 secondes à un athlète qui, à l’âge, de 20 ans court son 40 verges en 5.5 secondes. Par contre, sans atteindre des vitesses dignes de la NFL, il pourra aider à améliorer la vitesse de cet athlète, en ligne droite et dans différentes directions.

L’amélioration de la vitesse passe par plusieurs facteurs. L’athlète doit devenir plus fort, surtout au niveau des muscles du bas du corps. Il doit par la suite apprendre à son corps comment exploser avec les muscles acquis. On doit travailler aussi à bien équilibrer les masses musculaires chez un athlète afin de rendre celui-ci plus rapide. En effet, si l’athlète possède des muscles qui sont trop dominants par rapport à d’autres au niveau des jambes, cela pourra l’empêcher de devenir plus rapide.

La majorité des athlètes avec lesquels je travaille sait déjà assez bien comment courir, mais on peut aller chercher quelques précieux centièmes de secondes en améliorant la technique de course. Aussi, si un athlète a un surplus de poids, le changement de composition corporelle (augmenter le ratio de muscles par rapport au gras) aidera à sa vitesse. Pensez-y, si vous courez durant 60 minutes de temps avec une veste lestée de 10 livres, votre vitesse et votre capacité à maintenir votre vitesse sera diminuée. Lorsqu’un athlète a 10 livres de gras corporel de trop, l’effet sur sa vitesse est le même qu’avec la veste lestée.

Pour terminer, la vitesse est l’une des capacités athlétiques les plus difficiles à travailler au niveau de la conception des programmes et cela requiert un travail intense sur la piste de course et dans le gym. Méfiez-vous des camps ‘spécialisés’ de course qui promettent des améliorations incroyables en peu de temps. Cela demande de l’effort, du temps et beaucoup plus que de courir avec des gadgets durant deux ou trois semaines.

Je vous invite à continuer à m’écrire vos questions à antoine_hamelin@hotmail.com. Bon entrainement!

SST Monday Morning Athlete Success!

Wow great weekend of sports with NFL starting…Jays winning and SST Athletes kickin butt! NHL camps start this week and our SST athletes have been dominating their fitness testing

Start off with High school football on Friday night….Terrell Richards leads his ST Roch team to victory over Nelson with a pick 6 for a td!

Nelson SST Standouts Patrick Spelman, Ben Cowman, Riley Little John and Justin Morgan kept the game close but in the end St Roch had too much team speed for Nelson

At Assumptions scrimmage versus BCI- top running back recruit Dom Mandalfino showed why he will once again be the top back in high school football

CIS scouts were drooling over LB Jack Miller’s speed and football IQ!

Standout QB Canada Qb Nathan Rourke is shining in Alabama….in just 4 games Nathan has thrown for 15 tds!  Scouts are calling!

Running Back and 1st year player Jordan Lyons scores a td on his first ever CIS catch..we have a feeling this won’t be his last for this talented runner!

Speaking of talent- top CFL prospect Mercer Timmis is carrying the Dinos to victories…this past weekend Mercer ran for 267 yds and 3 tds!

Declan Cross another top running back at Mac had 59 total yards and a td in their big win over the Gee Gees….Cole Mundel led all D players in tackles!

Ryan DiRisio lead his Warriors in total yards in their loss to Queens

Johnny Augustine is guiding the Guelph Offence with 186 total yards and 3 tds in their victory!

QB Canada Members Nate Hobbs and Will Finch continue their mastery of defences in winning their weekend games

SST Athlete news is getting bigger and bigger!  Enjoy!

Why children should strength train?

Sports Specific Training

“Changing the Way You Train Forever!”

 

What age is the right time for my child to start lifting weights?

After completing my weekly fitness show on THE SCORE, here I am sitting in Starbucks, watching people eat up those yummy cookies that are only about 500 calories apiece; and get this, the Starbucks staff come by and provide everyone with a sample…the sample was a whole muffin! Am I in a bad Simpson’s episode right now, or what???!!!!

Getting back to the show; the funny thing about this morning was that Nikki Reyes, the host, asked me; “When should children start weight training?” For some reason, this week, I have been asked this question at least a dozen times. I think it’s high time we answered this question by debunking some of the myths surrounding the issue!

From soccer moms to hockey dads and everyone in between, the question of strength training being harmful for young children always remains at the top of the list. The answer, of course, is NO!! Strength training is, in fact, healthy and beneficial for your child. So much so, that studies conducted on the subject have been conclusive in finding that a properly constructed, structured and supervised program is a safe way to increase strength and endurance for sport, improve posture and reduce the chances of injury during gameplay.

Myth One: Will strength training stunt my growth?

I love this one….why? My dad is only 5’3” 130 pounds soaking wet,….mother 5’5”…and yet I’m 6’4”…before you get into the milkman jokes let me inform you of some interesting research that indicates the reasoning for this.

A study of Olympic lifters (the ones you see grunt and groan while jerking sometimes 2x their bodyweight over their head) showed that 74% of them were the tallest in their families! What does this mean…genetics…yes that has something to do with it but these athletes were strength training as young as 5 years old!!! Yes, you read it right…5 years old!

Myself, and some of my colleagues in the field were lifting some type of Joe Weider cement plates prior to the age of ten and are the tallest people in our families!

So the answer to this myth…is NO!

Strength training is proven to prevent osteoporosis in all types of people, young and old…so what does that tell you? Strength training not only strengthens muscle, tendons, and ligaments but has a profound effect on the skeletal system and aids in bone growth.

Myth Two: Will strength training ruin my growth plates?

Well, that has been answered with the height issue but this is still a major concern of parents; that their kid will break a growth plate during training. Myself, and some of my professional peers in the industry have been lifting weights for over 30 years now (I’m old!) and have yet to see this occur!

In fact, research has shown that kids who do not strength train get injured more in their sport than the ones who do. Micheli (1986) states that children were injured in youth sport activities and the obvious reason was that their bodies were not ready for the physical demands of the sport. Speaking of injuries, for a period of 7 years, we at SST did not have any sort of hockey groin injury when this was the most common injury heard about in the hockey industry. Now it seems like the high ankle sprain is the new thing…knock on wood…our athletes have avoided this as well. Is it good luck?…yeah, maybe…but a proper personalized program is the reason behind this, so called “luck”.

If you have a proper, thorough assessment procedure (the best and the one we use at SST is the one learned from Charles Poliquin) your findings will aid in your program design. With a proper, SUPERVISED strength training program growth plate injuries are rare and almost nil.

What parents have to understand about strength training for their young children is that the weight training emphasized at S.S.T.and most other high performance centres is not “weight-lifting” (where the largest amounts of weight are pulled or pushed overhead in attempts at breaking records). The programs are, however, based on your child’s needs, with emphasis on bodyweight exercises, whether it’s jumping, bounding, calisthenics, etc. or lighter weights (the weights are raised and lowered in a slow and controlled manner) and it’s all properly supervised by our certified coaches. In life, everyone is different; thus, the need for personalized and supervised programs which, if done properly, will not hinder any growth plate development.

Myth Three: Strength training for a young child has no benefit

I am shocked typing this because it may be as idiotic as Britney Spears’ marriage, haircut…and music! Believe it, I have had many, so called “expert” parents and coaches state this to me…while stuffing themselves with a Tim Horton’s Boston Cream donut!

How about increased self esteem and increased self confidence for kids who strength train? (What more can someone ask for?) Strength training also leads to a significantly lesser chance of a child becoming depressed.

There are many other benefits to a properly supervised strength training program. The National Strength and Conditioning Association, the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the American Academy of Paediatrics suggest the following benefits of a supervised resistance training program for kids:

• Improved coordination, body awareness, and balance (especially before the age of puberty as this is a time that the body’s nervous system can be hardwired properly)
• Increased muscular strength; what person doesn’t want to be strong and look good?
• Increased performance; how can a coach not like this concept? Make an athlete faster, stronger, and more powerful…what coach wouldn’t want that? Oh… I know… a losing coach!
• Reduced injury by protecting joints – strength training has been proven to strengthen not only muscles but the ligaments and tendons that aid in joint protection

· As well, Ramsey, et al. 1990 states that scientific evidence points to the important role the nervous system plays in producing strength gains for children. This is especially true for prepubescent children. What does this really mean? It is safe for kids to strength train and the benefit is increased strength!!

· Decreased chance of osteoporosis; as many know, bone health is of utmost importance, especially in females. Osteoporosis is now being called a “PEDIATRIC” disease and young girls should participate in resistance exercise to improve the rate of bone deposition(Loucks,1988) Research has also shown that young weightlifters have greater bone densities than individuals who do not lift(Conroy, et al. 1990)

The health benefits of a properly supervised strength building program at S.S.T. are equally important:
• Improved heart and lung function
• Stronger bones- less chance of breaking and losing time on the playing field
• Healthy body composition (more muscle burns more fat calories) – for every one pound of muscle gained you burn an extra 50Kcal per day. I like to use the analogy of a stock market …put some money in and watch it grow while you sleep….unless you are in the subprime mortgage business…ouch!!

Studies have also shown that strength training increases self-esteem and confidence in children who actively take part, with a decrease in the possibility of a child becoming depressed.

So for the parents who still wish to ask the question “Is strength training harmful for my child?” my answer is simply “No, strength training is not harmful for your child”. So let’s get rid of the video games and snack foods and get our kids into a strength training program. Believe me; they will thank you for it someday!!

For more information please contact SST at http://sst.training/

Larry Jusdanis

SST Founder

The SKINNY ON STEVIA

THE SKINNY ON STEVIA

In our last article we talked about aspartame and the controversy surrounding it. However, in this instalment we would like to focus on aspartame’s alter ego (nemesis, brother from another mother, whatever you want to call it) Stevia.

For those who don’t know, or have never heard of it, Stevia is an herb that has a sweetening power unlike any other. The herb is native to Paraguay and is nothing new to the people in the region. It was in use well before the 1800’s to sweeten teas and also chewed simply for the sweet taste, kind of like our modern day Bazooka Joe bubble gum. (minus the bubble and elementary school comics).

Good, great, grand! Here comes the same circle of dog you know what that we stepped in when aspartame came out. The same claims, low carb, non-caloric sweetener that will undoubtedly cause cancer or contains chemicals that researchers will find 15 years after we start using it. Trust me; I’m on your side. I’m very cautious when something “groundbreaking” is discovered. It’s much like the pill that can shed 10 pounds in 10 days, make you stronger, better in bed, more attractive and allows you to drive that new sports car.

Claims are made everyday. Claims mean nothing if the person doing the claiming is the same company doing the researching/marketing. That’s what intrigued me about Stevia. No company has the exclusive rights to it yet, as far as my knowledge. This, in my opinion makes the research unbiased.

So what’s the deal with stevia? Is it safe? What does research say? Can it replace my sugar packets? Not to sound like Mr. Miyagi, but slow down young grasshopper, one step at a time.

As with most studies, initial experiments began with testing on animals. Do we approve, not really, but it beats testing it on humans first (insert debate here). In 1991, a study was conducted in Thailand and daily ingestion of stevioside, the main sweetening agent in stevia, and its effects on two subsequent generations (think of passing on diabetes onto your children). The study was comprised of 4 groups of 20 hamsters (10 males and 10 females). 3 groups were fed 500mg/gk, 1000mg/kg and 2500mg/kg respectively and the fourth group was kept as a control. The dosages were high, as the estimation for human consumption in around 2 mg/kg.

The results – The study showed no significant difference in the average growth of the first generation of hamsters in the groups receiving stevioside — no matter what dosage they were given.  Even the third generation of hamsters, at 120 days of age, showed no significant differences in body weight — no matter which group they were in.

In summary, no growth or fertility abnormalities were found in hamsters of either sex. Mating was efficient and successful. 
     The researchers agreed, “The results of this study are astonishing.  Stevioside at a dose as high as 2,500 mg/kg did not do any harm to these animals.  We conclude that stevioside at a dose as high as 2.5 grams per kilogram of body weight affects neither the growth nor reproduction in hamsters.” (Sahelian, 1999).

Still skeptical?

“stevia is safe for human consumption as per intended usage, that is, as a sweetener
(Mauro Alvarez, Ph.D., Brazil)

“In this well-chronicled history of stevia, no author has ever reported any adverse human health consequences associated with consumption of stevia leaf”

(Supplement to GRAS affirmation petition no. 4G0406, 1995)

“stevia is a completely safe health-promoting herb”

(Juan Esteban Aguirre, Paraguayan Ambassador to the United States, in a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, September 23, 1993)

If there is nothing bad to be said about stevia, why did it take so long for it to enter our society and become widely accepted. After all, it has been in use for hundred’s of years and there is little to no publications or studies negating its beneficial use. If anyone has ever seen Fahrenheit 911 or Who Killed the Electric Car, you know that there are heavy political ties behind everything.

Big brother always has a selfish agenda. Mauro Alvarez has been studying stevia longer than anyone else. The FDA tried to prove that stevia is unsafe by mis-citing his study. Any publication can be interpreted to suit a particular agenda. In his 1998 response letter to the FDA Alvarez cited:

Even if they have reviewed these studies, the only possible way to report that the results showed detrimental effects is by taking information out of context.  If this is the case, one concludes that these FDA scientists are incompetent and irresponsible, or if not, they must belong to some sort of conspiracy group to carry on a sinister agenda against this plant with the objective to keep it away from American consumers by attributing to it safety issues that do not exist.”

In 1993, in a letter to FDA Commissioner David Kessler by Jon Kyl, was cited as reading:

“(The FDA action on stevia is) a restraint of trade to benefit the artificial sweetener industry.”

Sunrider International has been a premier manufacturer of high quality herbal products since 1982. In 1985, the FDA seized all of the Sunrider’s supply of stevia. During the seizure, Kerry Nielson (director of operations at the time) was told by an FDA agent (off the record):
“I had one guy from the FDA tell me ‘if we wanted to make carrots (be) against the law, we could do it.'”

We write articles to benefit and inform the general public as to the facts behind such topics as this. Only you can make your own decisions, we just try to inform you of the controversies and reasoning that most people don’t know about. As far as stevia goes, we have no problem. I’m not much for sweetening my coffee, but if I had a choice, stevia would definitely be my first choice before sugar or the Darth Vader of sweeteners….Aspartame. If you enjoy the taste of stevia, I say go ahead and indulge your sweet tooth.

For more information and access to great articles and videos please visit www.sstcanada.com

Sports Specific Training

SST Monday Athlete News Sept 7 2015

One day late due to the Labour day Holiday but some outstanding athletic performances by some of SST athletes across the board

Congrats to the Hamilton Tiger Cats and players like Mike Filer and Big Pete D for their thumping of the Toronto Argos yesterday!

4th year player and Hec Creighton favourites Will Finch and Mercer Timmis dazzled over the weekend

Mercer led his Calgary team to a victory over his former coach 49-16

Mercer carried the rock for 150 yds and punched in for 2tds!

Will Finch- had the perfect QB rating!!!- 14-15 passing – 304 yards and 3 tds….and added another thru the ground in leading Western to a victory

Next week Will will take his Mustangs into Laurier where SST Athlete’s Mike Malanda, Jamie Lalonde and Brendan Carey await

SST Oakville has some talented players who are making some noise in MLB

Miles Gordon the 4th ranked baseball player in all of Canada was selected in the 4th round by the Cincinnati Reds

Here is a great article on Miles

Lots of great performances and with NHL, High School football and NCAA all starting up the news will be flowing in the the next month!

How to get big! – Our Top 10.

So……you wanna get big???

I have worked with hundreds of athletes, weekend warriors, and average Joe’s. Some needed to drop a few pounds while others would be considered “hardgainers”; those guys that say “no matter what I do I can’t gain weight.” Thankfully, I had the remedy and was able to change their ways.

1. Sleep – If you want to pack on muscle, your hormones need to be optimal. When you sleep, your body releases growth hormone. If you are only getting 4-5 hours a night, or waking up every hour, that needs to change. You will need to block at least 8 hours per night, preferably at the same time every night. If you find that you are waking up fairly often, then supplements such as zinc, magnesium, cordyceps, ashwaghanda, and 5-HTP may help you out.

2. Eat 6-8 times per day – If you want to get big you cannot skip meals. If you skip a meal you’ll never get it back! Hardgainers generally have higher metabolisms and need to eat more calories.

3. Get enough protein – You will need to get 1.5 – 2 times your bodyweight in grams of protein daily. If you weigh 160lbs that would be 240g-320g daily. Break that up into 6-8 meals and you should be in the range of 30-40g per meal. On workout days I like to be taking in a little more than on my off days.

4. Train at the same time – Studies show that if you are on a routine of getting to sleep, waking up, and training at the same time every day, then your results will be improved. Schedule your workouts like they are appointments that you will not miss.

5. During the workout – We recommend taking BCAA’s during your workout. We use Pro Circuit brand BCAA’s because they have the optimal ratio of Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. You need to take 15-20g during the workout, or don’t bother. This will help keep you in an anabolic state and give you the building blocks to repair your muscles after a grueling workout.

6. Post workout shake – We like to use a combination of Carbohydrates, Protein, and Glutamine. The amount works out to approximately 1g of Carbs per lb of bodyweight, 0.25g of protein per lb, and 0.10g of Glutamine per lb. Timing is important, so try to have it as soon as you finish your last set. Do not mix protein with liquids until right before you are going to ingest it.

7. Time under tension – If you want to put on muscle, you need to make sure that you are keeping your muscles working, or under tension, for 40 -70 seconds. We use tempo in our exercise prescriptions. Say you are performing a bench press at a tempo of 4010, 4 seconds down and 1 second up; that means every rep takes 5 seconds to complete. If you are doing 10 reps that’s 50 seconds that your muscle is under tension. That’s a huge difference from 10 reps at 1010. If you want your body to change, you need to push it to make it do so.

8. Choose Compound movements as your base – Squats, Deadlifts, Dips, Military Press, Chin Ups, Bench Press, Bent Rows. You can do some isolation exercises, but these compound movements need to be your major lifts. Do not be afraid to lift heavy weights, either. When you are done your workout, you should be dragging yourself out of the gym.

9. Working out is not a social event – On your program you need to have specific rest periods. When you are done a set, start your stopwatch. When it reaches the specific time you’d better be lifting! Do not be hanging around talking to everyone that walks by…..maintain your focus! You can pick up girls on the weekend!

10. Train Hard …Then go Home – Your workouts should not keep you in the gym. After your general warm up (approximately 10 min) your workout should be 45 minutes to 1 hour. After that your testosterone levels start decreasing. You should be able to determine how long it takes by multiplying tempo x reps x sets and adding in the rest periods. We like to use antagonist muscle pairings to get more work done in less time. For example, Chest/Back. You perform a set of chest, rest, and then move on to the back. If you take 60s rest between sets it will be 2½ to 3 min between chest sets. You should be fully recovered and be able to handle more weight.

CLICK HERE NOW

Here is a sample program for hardgainers – Extended Giant Sets.

Day 1 – Chest/Back

Order

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Tempo

Rest

A1

Supinated Chin Ups

4

4-6

4010

15s

A2

Pronated Chin Ups

4

3-5

3010

15s

A3

Horizontal Rows – feet elevated

4

8-10

2012

3m

A4

45 Incline DB Bench Press – N to P

4

4-6

4010

15s

A5

DB Bench Press – Neutral Grip

4

6-8

3010

15s

A6

Decline DB Bench Press

4

8-10

3010

3m

B1

Bent Lateral Raise

3

8-10

2011

10s

B2

DB Flies

3

8-10

2110

60s

Day 2 – Legs

Order

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Tempo

Rest

A1

Back Squats

4

4-6

4010

15s

A2

Low Pulley Split Squats

4

8-10

3110

15s

A3

Backwards Sled Drag

4

40 yds

XXX

3m

A4

Lying Hamstring Curls

4

4-6

4010

15s

A5

Romanian Deadlifts

4

6-8

3010

15s

A6

Back Extensions

4

8-10

2011

3m

B1

Standing Calf Raises

3

8

1011

10s

B2

Seated Calf Raises

3

25

1011

60s

Day 3 – Shoulders/Arms

Order

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Tempo

Rest

A1

Dips

4

4-6

4010

15s

A2

Close Grip Bench Press

4

3-5

3010

15s

A3

Lying Tri Extensions –EZ Bar to head

4

8-10

2012

3m

A4

Thick Barbell Curls

4

4-6

4010

15s

A5

Reverse Preacher Curls – EZ Bar

4

6-8

3010

15s

A6

Incline Hammer Curls

4

8-10

3010

3m

B1

3 Way DB Lateral Raise

3

5ea

2011

10s

B2

Cobra External Rotations

3

8-10

2110

60s

 

Email me directly for tip 11- sure fire way to gain weight- the answer may surprise you…Top strength coach Antoine Hamelin from SST Laval has been using this method for years with great results

Please private message me if you want the sure fire trick!

Larry@sstcanada.com

 

For more information and access to great articles and videos please visit www.sstcanada.com

SST Canada Monday Morning Athlete Review

SST Monday Morning Athlete review

I know this is a few days late but every Monday thru the fall and winter season SST Canada will highlight some of our athlete’s action over the weekend!

Qb Alums from Qb Canada highlight a great weekend

Eric Morelli starting his first ever CIS game debuts in a big way! Eric had an impressive start to his CIS career by throwing for 258yds and 3 tds! In addition he added another 39 yards on the ground and another td!

To See Eric’s Highlights:

Click here

Will Finch touted as one of the best qbs in the country got his Western team off to a good start by going 20-27 –226 yds and 3 total tds

Nate Hobbs making his CIS debut after being the back up to another QB Canada Alum Billy McPhee beats up on Carleton- this game may have huge playoff implications by the end of the year

Nate threw for 338 yards and 2 tds!

#1 ranked Canadian QB Nathan Rourke who is at Edgewood Academy in Alabama led his team to its 2nd straight win by going 11-13 for 223 yards and 6 total tds

To see Nathan’s highlights

Click here

Some of our defensive stars from SST include

Luke Korol who lead his Guelph defence in tackles!

Cole Munden who is a workout monster led his Mac D with 8 tackles

Michael Moore who had a great off season of working out at SST Oakville had a total of 6 tackles in helping Queens upset Carleton

Josh Palmer one of Canada’s most highly recruited players will make his debut this weekend for the # 2 ranked St Thomas Aquinas high school in Florida

For highlights of last weeks game

Click Here