My experience at the CPSDA Conference

This blog entry is dedicated to outlining my experience at the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association Conference this past week in St. Louis, Missouri.  This was my first time to attend the event, and I must say I was anxiously anticipating the learning opportunities, the speakers, and the opportunity to speak with other professionals about nutrition and fueling.  I arrived Monday night after an all-day affair of travel, delayed flights, long car rides, and the like, however I was pleasantly greeted by the doorman and the lady at the front desk.  My roommates, whom I had never met before, made plans for me to pick up my key while they attended the opening social.  I met my roommates on the CPSDA forum after accepting their invitation for a fourth roommate at the conference to help with expenses.  They were three graduate students from the University of Utah.  My roommates were all extremely generous, and I felt very fortunate having the opportunity to experience the conference with them.  

The first two days were dedicated to speakers and learning opportunties, while the last half day of the conference centered around the business meeting and a special presentation about motivation and influencing behavior.  In this entry, I will discuss the first topic presented on Nutrient Timing as well as Low-Carbohydrate Fueling for Athletes.  The presentation on Nutrient Timing was given by Dr. Ivy from the University of Texas and Dr. Saunders from James Madison University.  Now we have all heard of nutrient timing and the benefits of fueling with simple carbohydrates before and after training sessions as well as protein consumption to expedite protein synthesis and aid in muscle repair and recovery.  So, in listening to this presentation, I hoped to hear some new information as to help the athletes I train have an advantage with regard to fueling type and timing.

 In essence, what I took away from this presentation was based on the duration of exercise - the time affects the quantity of carbohydrate needed in recovery.  Meaning, if the athlete endures a longer training bout - they need more carbohydrate in order to maintain their exertion level.  For the majority of those reading this blog, we work with strength/power athletes, and we teach them the art of acceleration and deceleration, how to utilize their power and how to recover in order to use it again.  Unfortunately, the speakers focused on endurance athletes, and the effects that carbohydrate supplementation had on their peformance over the course of 1.5-2 hours.  However, the presentation did reaffirm what the majority of us do know in that, carbohydrate and essential amino acid supplementation does improve cognitive brain function, protein synthesis, glucose storage, body composition, and performance.

In the closing portion of the presentation, the speakers presented their concerns for lower carbohydrate fueling.  I will share those concerns below as well as their recommendations for fueling athletes post-exercise. 

The following are practical concerns for low-carbohydrate fueling:

1. More difficult to train (RPE increases)

2. Alters electrolyte balance and limits glycogen storage

3. No clear benefit to performance

4. Side effects: bad breath, constipation, hair loss, dry mouth

5. Limitations on food choices to stay keto-adapted

6. Evidence of poor compliance to adhere to such rigid dietary guidelines

7. Lack of evidence to support dietary weight loss with CHO restriction

8. Increased risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, colon cancer

9. Increased loss of calcium and lowers bone mineral content

Recommendations for fueling

Optimal daily glycogen storage - 7g/kgBW/per day

Rapid post exercise replenishment of muscle glycogen 1.0-1.2 g/kbBW/repeated each hour

High Intensity (less than 1 hour) - small amounts

Moderate Intensity (greater than 1 hour) - 30-60g

Prolonged Exercise (2 hours or more) - 60g-90g

As stated before, these are the findings and the arguments for nutrient timing as presented by Dr. Saunders and Dr. Ivy.  These are not my opinions, but I do hope this stimulates conversation and discussion as to the benefits and timing of specific fueling practices following certain types of exercise. In the coming weeks I will follow up with the strategies of low-carbohydrate fueling for athletes as presented at the conference.

The Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group

Registration and informations

http://www.bsmpg.com/2013-summer-seminar-copy/

Midwest sports performance conference

Registration and information here

http://www.s412856981.onlinehome.us/events/midwest-sports-performance-conference

Basketball strength symposium- UNLV

Symposium Schedule

The cost for attending BOTH DAYS is $160.00 ($185 w/ Clinic DVD).

You may register by clicking here. http://www.specificstrength.com/Registration.html

The format will be presentations followed by court and weight room demonstrations.

Friday, May 17, 2013

9:00am - 9:30am Registration

9:30am - 9:45am Welcome and Introduction – Hammer Strength

9:45am - 11:15am Nick Winkelman, Athletes Performance – Reactive Agilities for Basketball – Sponsored by Perform Better

11:15am - 12:15pm Daniel Roose, Virginia Commonwealth University - Increasing Explosive Power and Work Capacity for Basketball Lunch Break

12:15pm - 1:00pm Lunch Break

1:00pm - 2:00pm Andrea Hudy, University of Kansas - Kansas Jayhawk Basketball Performance Program

2:00pm - 2:05pm Break

2:05 pm - 2:50pm Jason Kabo, University of Nevada Las Vegas

3:00pm - 5:00pm Hands on Instruction and Demonstrations

5:00pm - 6:30pm Roundtable Discussions


Saturday, May 18, 2013

9:00 am - 10:00am Lee Taft, Lee Taft Speed Academy – Teaching On Court Basketball Speed and Quickness, Sponsored by Perform Better

10:00am - 10:05am Break

10:05am - 11:05am Mike Curtis, University of Virginia – Systematic System of Training for Basketball

11:05am – 11:10pm Break

11:10pm - 12:15pm Technology Demonstrations – Heart Rate Monitors, 3D Cameras, Visual Feedback,

12:15pm – 12:45pm Lunch

12:45pm - 1:45pm Charlie Melton, Baylor University and Megan Young, Auburn University – Five Zones of Intensity

1:45pm - 3:15pm Using Tools of the Trade - TRX, Vertimax, Plyo Boxes, Agility Ladders, Resisted Bands, Keiser

3:15pm - 3:20pm Break

3:20pm - 5:00pm Roundtable Demonstrations

The cost for attending our TWO DAY Clinic is $160.00 ($185 w/ Clinic DVD).

You may register by clicking here
http://www.specificstrength.com/Registration.html

Valdosta

Valdosta state University
Strength & Conditioning Conference
April 13, 2013
Event Itinerary
Where:
VSU Athletic Fieldhouse 605 West Mary Street Valdosta, GA 31698
1 Participant : $75 2 or more participants (same school): $65 Military: $40 1 Student : $30
**After April 3rd: Additional $10 charge**
Register Online at www.valdostastate.org/strengthandconditioning/
Or fill out registration form
online and make payment out
to: VSU Foundation
for: Strength and Conditioning Conference
Mail to:
Valdosta State University 1500 N. Patterson Street Attn: Michael Doscher Valdosta, GA 31698
For more information contact:
Jenna Romanelli
Valdosta State University
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach 954-275-1373
jdromanelli@valdosta.edu


6:00-8:00am: Early Bird Workout
8:00-9:00am:Check in/Registration (breakfast provided)
9:00-10:00am: “Setting the Foundation by Building a Culture”
Andrew Althoff, MS, CSCS, SCCC, USAW, FMS Assistant Director of Olympic Sports
Baylor University
10:00-11:00am: “Programming Made Simple”
Bruce Seidman, MEd, CSCS, USWF, CES, PES Head Human Performance Coach
3rd Battalion 75th Ranger
11:00-12:00pm:“Principles of Networking” Round Table Discussion Megan Young Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Auburn University
12:00-1:00pm: Lunch (provided)
1:00-2:00pm:“Debatable Topics in Strength and Conditioning”
Jonathan Brinson, CSCS
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Valdosta State University
2:00-3:00pm: “Developing Expertise through Formal and Informal Mentoring”
Dr. Matt Grant, MEd, PhD
Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Physical Education Valdosta State University
3:00-4:00pm: “Strength and Conditioning Motivational Strategies”
Ron McKeefery, MA, CSCS, SCCC, USAW Former Director of Strength and Conditioning University of Tennessee
This conference will provide 0.6 CEU’s

Kim Jones.

Strength and Conditioning Blog

Last November I interviewed for a Strength & Conditioning position at El Camino College in Torrance, California. After a successful group interview with a hiring committee, I was offered the position and gladly accepted. Now if I were to show you a picture of our weight rooms on campus, you would be astonished, and possibly even appalled. I do not have much to work with, but I get the job done. Outside of my Athletic Performance internship at UCLA, I have not been afforded the opportunity to coach at schools with unlimited resources. Because of this I am able to adapt, think outside of the box and find innovative and efficient ways of holding training sessions.

When Megan asked me to write something for this blog I wondered what I would say. What could I share that we all haven’t heard before? Then I thought back to a comment a strength coach made to me during the last 2012 CSCCa convention. When I told her I was a strength coach at a Junior College her response was, “That’s great, but don’t you want something better?”

My thought was, “this IS better!” Heck, I’m programming for football, baseball, men’s basketball and men’s volleyball! I work 32 hours a week Monday through Thursday, but I get paid the same salary as a 40 hour a week employee. I have great benefits, and an awesome retirement plan. My hours allow me to train private clients before and after work for supplemental income. So when I hear experienced, dedicated and qualified female strength coaches talk about their struggles obtaining top tier teams, (at Division I Universities), I appreciate just how fortunate I am. Would I like more Division I Universities on my resume? Sure. But, does a bigger name signify how skilled I am? Is my experience as an Assistant Strength Coach at California State Northridge, (a Mid Major Division I), less significant than someone’s who has worked in the SEC, Pac 12, or Big 10? That is food for thought.

Now, here is the real scoop on the good, the bad, and the ugly of Strength & Conditioning at the Junior College Level. First, I am considered a classified employee, not a full time faculty member. This is relevant because the conditioning and lifting classes are technically not mine. Students register for classes under the full time, certificated faculty member’s name, not mine. Also, students that are not on a team can take these strength and conditioning classes. Therefore, when I train men’s volleyball, for instance, I train the student athletes, and the faculty member (the head coach or assistant coach) takes the other students. I execute my training philosophy freely, and carry out my own programming. I do not have ANY resistance whatsoever from coaches about how I implement training sessions.

Now, technically, if the teacher is not there I cannot train the team. They can’t step out for 30 minutes because they have a meeting with a studnet, or because a coach from a 4 year wants to meet with them about some of their athletes. The coach must be there, since it is their pre-season/off-season class. Nine times out of ten they are there, but it is a weird reality for me sometimes. I have no problem training the team in front of the coach, but I’m accustomed to doing my thing whether the coaches are there or not. There is definitely a feeling of restriction to a certain sense. Yes, I am the one responsible for training the athletes, but if budget cuts start to eliminate certain Physical Activities classes, I could lose out on the opportunity to train certain teams. There is currently a situation occurring where students will be unable to enroll in a Physical Activities class that they have already taken. Remember, pre-season and off-season trainings are only offered through classes (Physical Activities classes). What will happen to a sophomore who enrolls in a pre-season strength & conditioning class, when they’ve already taken the course as a freshman? Coaches are working around the rule, but you can see how being restricted to a class time can be…well….restricting!

Here is where things get hairy. If a sport is in the off-season, or pre-season the ONLY time they can lift or condition is during the schedule class time. So, if a student fails to register for a class on time and does not get it, he will miss the sessions. I also cannot meet with coaches and schedule lifts based on athletes’ class schedules, and the coaches availability (which is what I was accustomed to coming from a Division I system). Technically, athletes are NOT covered by the school’s insurance (pre and post season), if they are not enrolled in a class. Keep in mind; practices are also classes in which students must enroll. So sometimes students have jobs that conflict with practice or training, or another class takes precedence (because they need it for eligibility), so they aren’t available during my training time etc. Once teams are in-season I have full reign. Right now I train men’s basketball in our main weight room without any of the coaches there. This is legal, because they are in season. We can lift at any time during the day, and we have the freedom to re-schedule lifts on different days and times etc.

Ultimately, what is my goal as a strength coach at a Junior College? It is to become a full time faculty member, who offers strength and conditioning classes for the student athletes. The head strength coach at College of the Canyons, a school in our conference, has this type of position. Full time faculty members become tenured after 3 years, and automatically get a $2000 a year raise each year (despite the fact that California’s budget is in the crapper!) Also, most faculty members at El Camino College are making 6 figures, easy. With my previous teaching and coaching background, I can be earning that six figure salary in no time. Fortunately, Education has legitimate pay scales that can guarantee a specific salary. There is no guess work. There are steps that can be reached based on upper level degrees and years of experience. They won’t offer an arbitrary number, for a salary. There is a carefully calculated scale that dictates exactly what a teacher will make. What a novel idea. Our profession seriously needs to adopt a similar system. Faculty members at El Camino College are compensated handsomely for their schooling background and valid work experience. I don’t know about any of you coaches, but I want to get paid what I’m worth. I’m at a place that will afford me that opportunity. Hell, what is “better” than that?


Kimberly Jones
Notre Dame Academy: Assistant Women’s Varsity Basketball Coach ’03 – ‘04
Notre Dame Academy: Head Women’s Varsity Basketball Coach ‘04 – ‘08
Notre Dame Academy: Strength and Conditioning Coach:’06 – ’08 (basketball, volleyball)
UCLA: Athletic Performance Intern 2008
California State University, Northridge: Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach ’08 – ‘10
United States Tennis Association: Strength & Conditioning Specialist, 2011
El Camino College: Head Strength & Conditioning Coach/Exercise Fitness Specialst
​Teams: Football, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Volleyball, Softball, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Men’s Golf, Water Polo, and Swim

Week 6 of Prep Steps ™

Week 6 of Prep Steps ™
Days 27-BONUS

Day 27—As coaches, we definitely know that effective relaxation and breathing are valuable skills for everyone, especially high level athletes. Has anyone incorporated breathing exercises or yoga in your teams’ routines? If so, what results have you seen/experienced?

Day 28—In the “boiling waters” of stressful schedules, high expectations and pressure toward positive results, how are you changing those around you for the better? Are you coffee-like... exuding a rich aroma that makes others smile? (Maybe this one is a little more rhetorical, but hopefully is challenges us all to examine ourselves!)

Day 29-30—Will you make it a point to convey these Intangible extremes to your teams and to help them understand the character of a true TEAM player? Speaking for myself, many times I was selfish as player and did not even realize it! Maybe some of your athletes fight the same battles?

Day 31—None of us are born automatic winners, and none of us are born automatic losers. We are all born CHOOSERS! We all have choices, and our choices matter. Are your small, penny-sized choices moving you closer to where you would like to be, or further from your goals, dreams and aspirations? We are always moving in one direction or the other :)

BONUS—One of the biggest distractions for college athletes? Relationships… love! Love is more than feeling or emotion, but a choice. Our feelings and emotions are very strong and quite real, but they are not reliable… REAL but not RELIABLE. Can we find ways to validate our students’ feelings while challenging them to make choices based on something more reliable than emotion?

Thank you for following along on this Prep Steps™ journey. Hopefully many of you have benefitted, even if you have not had the time to post on this blog. Thank you for everything you do each day to instill positive work ethic and character in the athletes you train. There is no more honorable title than that of a “Coach”. From one coach to another, thank you for all you do!
--CB
@CharityButler (Twitter)
www.exceed-sports.com