10 Things To Do- Training

10 Things You Should Be Doing As A Serious Athlete-

Training

1. Never miss a training session- consistency is the key

2. Get better at something every day- add 5 more pounds, another rep, or take less rest between sets

3. Train with better, stronger, older and smarter athletes whenever possible

Part 2: Beginner Training- Form the Foundation

Post by Mark Ehnis

Progression begins with technique. An athlete should never progress until his technique is adequate. Notice I didn’t say perfect technique. You can always work on perfecting your technique and in most athletes, they’ll never be perfect- part of being a solid strength coach is knowing when to say “that’s good enough” and move on without risking injury. That being said, when working with beginners, be cautious when adding weight or making the exercise more difficult, until they have shown they can perform the exercise properly again and again.

Varsity PSTS athletes performing some handwalks at the end of their warm-up. Keep the basics in your program and continue to build the foundation even with "strong" athletes!

Part 1: Beginner Training- Form the Foundation

Post By Mark Ehnis

What is a beginner? 

When training athletes, a beginner constitutes a young, 12-15 year old kid- at least that’s what I’m going to refer to a beginner as anyways (Anyone new to training or lifting is a beginner regardless of actual age). I like to look at an athletes “training age”. I define training age as how long has the athlete been seriously training. A 16-year old might have a training age lower than a 14-year old because the 16-year old has never done any training, while the 14-year old has been doing bodyweight workouts and technique training since he was 12. The 16-year old has a training age of 0 and the 14-yeard old has a training age of 2. Get it?

Two 8th grade PSTS athletes performing general exercises of thick rope sled pulls and sled drags

How To Organize Your Strength Workouts

Post by Mark Ehnis

Organize your workouts properly or beware of losing a sleep fight

If you're reading this blog, I'm sure everyone is aware of the importance of including strength work (lifting weights- preferably free weights) in your workout routines. Whether you’re an athlete, or a just a regular gym goer, the structure of these strength sessions is an important factor that must be take into consideration for maximum results. Having a plan in the gym will take you a long ways. The first step to a solid training program is to have a goal and know what you're training for. The second is to have a plan. That plan begins with structure and order to your workouts. 

5 Reasons Athletes (and Everyone Else) Should Train in a Group

Post by Mark Ehnis

Every athlete has those days when the last place they want to be is in the gym. The motivation just isn’t there. They show up and just go through the motions, not really pushing themselves and probably skipping some sets or exercises altogether. This does nothing for their goals and they could’ve spent their time doing something else, anything else. Sound familiar? It happens to every regular gym-goer as well.

I’m not going to get into whether it’s okay to skip out on part of your workout when you’re not feeling up to it- sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. What I am going to touch on is the importance of athletes (and everyone else) training with a training partner or with other small groups of athletes.

If you’re serious about getting results and tearing it up in the gym, then a good training partner is hard to find. They need to have similar goals, not be a distraction to you, and preferably are stronger and in better condition.  You don’t want someone backing out every other day and not showing up- physically or mentally. Personally, I can’t stand training with someone who talks my ear off in between every set- I need to friggin’ catch my breath and recover for the next set and I can’t do that when I’m asked a million random questions. I like to train with somebody who is going to bust my balls if I slack off. Someone who helps you benefit in some way. Training partners aside- below you’ll find 5 Reasons everyone should train with a group (3-8 people).

Exercises That WORK

Post by Mark Ehnis

Calf raises, smith machine benching, pec deck flyes, inner/outer thigh machine…are these the types of exercises in your program? If so, you need to ask yourself why. Any exercise you add to your program must serve a purpose or it needs to go. There are thousands of exercises to choose from so it can get confusing on what to add and what to leave out. Beware of choosing exercises just because you saw the biggest guy in the gym doing it or you saw it in a magazine.

Now, where do we begin? You should always start your workout with at least one main strength movement. This a compound lift, training multiple muscle groups at the same time. In my programs it’s always a bench variation, squat variation, or deadlift variation- in essence, “the big 3” according to powerlifting and strength terms. These movements (I’d also add in overhead pressing movements) are the greatest movements you can do in the weight room for strength and mass gains. Add in some bodyweight and strongman exercises and you have yourself a nice little day at the gym.

Some Strength Training Guidelines for Guys

Post by Mark Ehnis

“Go workout 3 times per week, for 3 months then come talk to me. I don’t care what you do, just go to the weight room and do something for an hour.”

This was my response to people back in college when they would ask me to write them a workout. I developed this automated response from past experiences. One of my mentors in college also put this idea of consistency in my mind. I’d take the time to write a well-thought out, FREE program for the individual only to find out they gave up after a week. Despite the fact that this was a waste of my time, I still didn’t learn. I guess it helped me practice programming now that I think about it…

The Ageless Athlete

Post by Mark Ehnis

I recently attended a seminar in Indianapolis and heard some of the most intelligent minds in the strength and conditioning industry give presentations on various topics. Everything from new thoughts on core training, to nutrition and fat loss, to Olympic lifting for athletes, and energy system training of an MMA fighter. There were also a few other talks mixed in. I got some new information from these talks that I will apply immediately to training my athletes.

Mike Robertson of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (IFAST) hosted the seminar and also presented

However, one of my biggest take-a ways from this information-packed day wasn’t from a speaker, but from another attendee in the crowd.

Women and the Weights

Post by Mark Ehnis

It happened again. I wasn’t really surprised as it comes with the territory I guess. I was out on the town with some friends when I ran into an old female acquaintance.  “What are you up to?” is the first question that starts off the small talk. So I hesitantly tell them about just opening a gym and focus on training individuals who want fast results- primarily targeting serious athletes.

Why did I hesitate? Because I knew what was coming next. “Really? That’s awesome! I lift weights, but…I don’t want to look like you so I don’t do it very often,” she says. “I’m happy you don’t want to look like me, that would be an awkward goal to try to achieve,” I reply. I then try to change the conversation but she insists we still talk about lifting and kept asking questions. I didn’t want to, but she left me no choice but to go scientific meathead on her for the next 15 minutes.

Random Things I Learned- Part 2

Post by Mark Ehnis

Part 2

11. Love it or prepare for unhappiness. No, this does not mean that if you love what you do you will automatically be successful and happy. There is a ton of work involved for that to become true. What this means is that, in my own case, if I didn’t love what I did then it wouldn’t be worth the stress or the headaches. There are still days where loads of crap just keeps piling up and being in the gym is at the bottom of my list. I’m sure everyone has had this feeling before- and if you haven’t, you are either lying or unemployed. However, when you’re around good, quality people, your bad days can quickly turn into great days. I find this especially true being around middle and high school athletes. They give off a lot of energy and are with me to try and get better. How can I not step up my game on the bad days if a kid is counting on me? I love when a kid hits a PR or reaches a goal. Knowing you helped them, even in the smallest way, is rewarding and will keep you coming back day after day with a more positive attitude.

Random Things I Learned- Part 1

Post By Mark Ehnis

Below, is part 1 of a random list of things I learned this past summer as a new, young business owner. Some are brand new concepts that I learned, while some are things I was familiar with, but were brought to the forefront of my attention as the summer wore on. Basically, I picked up a notepad and started writing a list. The list literally, took me 5 minutes to write. I couldn’t write fast enough. You definitely learn a lot as you jump right into things. I thought I was pretty well prepared, as I had wanted to open my own gym for quite some time. Well folks, you can never be too prepared for anything. Try and take away something from the list below. All of these could be an entire blog topic on their own but we’ll keep them together for now. Enjoy!

Nutrition Quiz...not as complicated as you think

Below is an old article from EliteFTS by Jim Wendler. Wendler is known for keeping training and nutrition simple- while others try to complicate it. I read anything I can find written by Jim Wendler and attempt to apply it to my training and training of others. I've only heard him speak at a seminar once but will definitely make it a point to see him again. Check out the quick article below and you'll be surprised at how simple diet and nutrition can really be.

Front row seat to hear Jim Wendler speak at a seminar at Elite this past April...no B.S. and a very entertaining speaker

Updates and Things to Come

Post by Mark Ehnis

Football season is in full-swing which means all PSTS football athletes are in the middle of two-a-day practices applying their training and (hopefully) staying healthy. We still have a few area, in-season football players that stay with us for in-season training- something that is often neglected (blog post topic maybe?). We were very fortunate to have over 35 football players train with us during our first summer. They all were coachable and fun to train. I know their hard work will pay off in some form or another. I'm already looking forward to next off-season to get these guys back to continue to prepare them. I have an ongoing list of new ideas, exercises, and programs that will be implemented next off-season so I CAN'T WAIT! (Bart Scott anybody?)

Consistent Hard Work

Post by Mark Ehnis

Hard work and consistency are the two components of an athletes performance program that I stress the most. Of course exercises, intensity, sets, reps, etc. are all important, but none of that matters without the two aforementioned components. Truth be told, you can get results from just about any program if you’re consistent AND working hard every training session- the results might not last or you’ll plateau, you might get injured, or it might take awhile- but you will get some sort of result. Whatever it is your trying to get good at, put in some consistent hard work and watch what happens. You might do the wrong thing every now and again but at least you did something and can learn from the mistake.

Get Serious!

Post Written by Mark Ehnis

The back of our t-shirts here at PowerStrength reads “Get Serious”. Nothing more. Nothing less. We brainstormed for which saying we wanted to use but when “Get Serious” was said, it just made sense. Getting serious is what PSTS is all about. It’s what separates us from everyone else. Having the discipline to make training a top priority. Being determined to better yourself and put forth the effort to make sure goals are attained. This is what getting serious for an athlete really means.  

What better place to learn the necessary steps to getting serious about your training than from a professional football player?

T-Shirt Giveaway!

PSTS will be giving away a free PowerStrength Training Systems "Get Serious" T-Shirt just like the one Jared is wearing in the picture below. Entry is completely free. All you have to do is click on "www.facebook.com/JVsPowerStrength" and fill out the entry form. Hurry up because the sweepstakes ends Saturday July 26th at 1:30 PM. Good luck!

("Get Serious" on the back of T-Shirt)

(PowerStrength Training Systems on the front of T-Shirt)

PowerStrength's Radio Debut

Yesterday PSTS's Jared Veldheer was in the WBBL studio on the Bakita and Bentley Morning show. The Oakland Raider talked about life in the NFL, the lockout, and most importantly PowerStrength Training Systems! PowerStrength has now been featured in the Grand Rapids Press, FOX 17's News at 10, and most recently, 107.3 WBBL. If you missed the radio broadcast click on the link below for the full interview.

Click on the link below for the full WBBL radio interview with Jared.

Veldheer on Bakita and Bentley

Explosive Day at PowerStrength!

The day began bright and early with a training session with Marquette-bound volleyball player, Jalyn Smith. It was her last day with us as she has to report over the weekend to begin her college volleyball career. We know Jalyn will make us proud here at PSTS. Before she left she had to set a few more records for our record board- and leave us some of the best homemade cookies on the planet! Thanks Jalyn! Good luck and you will be missed!

The rest of the morning was filled with high school and college-bound football players. Vertical jumps, box jumps, farmers walks, sled drags, and prowler sprints made up the majority of the workouts on our Dynamic Lower Body/Strongman Day. July is going to be intense! It's fair to say that all PSTS football players will be ready to go come August!

PowerStrength in the news!

A lot has been been going on at PowerStrength the last two weeks. Tara Hernandez from Fox17 stopped by for a workout. See what she had to say about PowerStrength in the video below.The gym was also featured on the front page of the sports section in today’s edition of the Grand Rapids Press. You can also find the article at http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/06/raiders_lineman_jared_veldheer_1.html. PowerStrength continues to ascend into Grand Rapids premiere performance and strength facility!
 

Everything is Coming Together

During the past 4 weeks PowerStrength has turned an old auto glass shop into a hardcore sports performance facility. We started out with a handful of committed athletes and now our family has grown into the mid twenties and rising. We have worked with Professional athletes, NCAA division I and II athletes, and MHSAA athletes. As we continue to grow we plan to offer packages that will allow former athletes an opportunity to train with the same intensity and vigor that PowerStrength trains all our athletes with. From prowler relays to o-line skill work, and everything in between, PowerStrength is on the rise and looking to take all serious athletes to the next level.

Hillsdale Football Players at PowerStrength

It was a busy Monday for PowerStrength. Jalyn Smith was in again this morning for a rigorous workout to get her ready for her upcoming volleyball season at the University of Marquette. Filling up the rest of the morning and most the afternoon were multiple groups of West Michigan football players, most of them from Forest Hills Northern. To wrap up the day Cam White (Forest Hills Central), Joe Glendening (East Grand Rapids), Tyler Sandner (GR Catholic Central), and Dan Pittman (GR West Catholic) from Hillsdale College came in and got after it with great intensity as they went through a max effort lower body workout.

Summer Kickoff

PowerStrength kicked off the day with a 9am workout with Marquette University-bound volleyball player Jalyn Smith while Jared Veldheer and former teammate Tom Korte worked out with Hillsdale bound wide receiver John Haley. Today also marked the first day of summer for our high school football players and they kicked it off at PowerStrength. All of these guys are training 3-4x/week (some 5x/week!) and are getting better every session. Big Bryce Pennington from Lakewood High School made the drive to get his first session of lineman training with Jared. Two Mount Union College football players, Cullen Dame and Abe Ilithy, came in for a workout this afternoon. The day was rounded out with a crew of washed-up meathead lifting and PowerStrength was shut down for the weekend...except for the 11 a.m. speed session tomorrow morning for various PSTS athletes. We got after it this week!

Blog is up!

Today marks the official web launch of PowerStrength TS! It was also a big day inside the facility at PowerStength. First off, Jared Veldheer began his offensive skill training. Mark Ehnis put several football players through a grueling training regiment. Then to cap off the day former NFL steelers LB Tom Korte, who is back in the USA after playing for a professional team in Italy, worked out with owners Jared and Mark.