03Jan

Importance of Evaluating Youth Athletes Prior to Training

January 3, 2022 Jessica Bottesch 35

There are many considerations when working with developing youth athletes. All kids develop at different rates and have varying amounts of experience. Because of this, there is not a one-size-fits-all exercise program for all youth athletes. These children and adolescents require a detailed evaluation.

During our evaluation, we will measure your athletes:

Physical maturational age
Balance
Movement coordination
Strength

We will also collect vital information, such as:

Sports experience
Past medical history
Parent/athlete goals

Overall, the evaluation provides us an opportunity to get to know your athlete, set expectations, collect physical measurements, and develop goals. This helps athletes understand the “why” behind what we do and allows them to become more comfortable with our coaches and staff.
Learn more about the program and sign up for the eval.

Here:

Performance Training for Youth Athletes

15Dec

Youth Athlete Development

December 15, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 27

Youth Athlete
Performance Development Program
By Dr. Chris Bruscato in partnership with Empower Fitness

Empower is thrilled to be partnering with Dr. Chris Bruscato PT, DPT, LAT, ATC, XPS to bring this NEW and exciting program to the Empower community.

Chris is a physical therapist, athletic trainer, and performance coach with a special interest in sports medicine, performance, and the development of youth athletes. He has created this specialized program to help youth athletes (and those who would like to become more athletic):

Develop robust levels of athleticism
Reduce risk of injury
Enhance health & well-being

Based on the latest scientific research on long-term athletic development in youth athletes, this program is unique in that we perform a detailed evaluation to understand what stage of development your child is in. From there we provide the most appropriate exercises that have been proven to improve:

Strength
Coordination
Balance/stability
Fundamental movement skills (squatting, pushing, pulling)
Sports specific skills (speed, agility, jumping, landing, sprinting, cutting)

How Does It Work: The Process.

STEP ONE: Evaluation – $129
Comprehensive eval and consultation assessing maturational age, flexibility, balance, movement competency, strength. Email Chris to Schedule Eval.

STEP TWO: Assign to training group
Based on the findings from evaluation, we will place your athlete into the correct training group.

STEP THREE: 8-Week Training Blocks – $209 / $389
Choose to train 1 or 2 times per week. This is an ongoing and progressive program that runs in 8-week blocks. First training block starts Jan. 23rd (limited spots)

STEP FOUR: Reevaluate
Reevaluate every 16 weeks, and continue to monitor for changes in development and make advancements to exercise programming.

The Training Groups

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Youth Academy (FUNdementals)
The FUNdementals training group is our foundational training group. For younger athletes with a focus on improving a wide variety of fundamental movements and developing self-esteem. We work on coordination, balance, and light resistance training and create a fun environment through the utilization of games, structured play, competition, and positive encouragement.

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Varsity Performance (Learn to Train)
The Learn to Train group is our intermediate training group. Adolescent aged athletes we focus on improving both fundamental movements skills, sport specific movement skills, and developing self-worth and confidence. Specifically, working on balance, jumping/landing/running technique, and moderate resistance training with a focus on core strengthening.

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D1 Performance (Train to Perform)
The Learn to Perform group is our advanced training group, where we focus on improving both the movements and psychological skills required for success in sport. These teens will move through a systematic sport progression, encompassing mobility, stability, speed/agility, power, and strength.

The Schedule

Evaluation appointments available starting December 11th

Deadline to schedule your child’s eval is Jan. 9th
Spaces are limited in each group, scheduling your eval secures your spot
Email Chris to Schedule Eval.

First block of 8-Week Training Groups begins January 23rd:

Academy

Sunday 9:30am
Wednesday 6pm
Friday 5pm

Varsity
- Sunday 10:30am
- Wednesday 7pm
- Friday 6pm
D1
- Sunday 11:30am
- Wednesday 8pm
- Friday 7pm

Meet the Coaches

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This Dynamic Duo bring years of experience, expertise and a ton of fun!

Learn More about Chris Bruscato and Cierra Dunston on their bios

Spaces are limited. Schedule your eval to reserve your spot!

Email Chris to Schedule Eval.

11Oct

Mindful Movement & Meditation

October 11, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 27

Mindful Movement and Meditation:

4 Week Series – Sundays, 4:00 – 4:45 pm

Starting Oct. 17^th

If you are one of the majority who thinks you can’t meditate because you can’t sit still, we designed this class for you. By incorporating qigong and tai chi-inspired movements prior to meditation, you will release built up energy in the body allowing the mind to settle so you can receive the benefit of a guided meditation. This 4 week series of 45-minute classes is perfectly balanced with movement and meditation so you won’t get bored. No experience needed. All Welcome.

Blanket, Bolster, and blocks are recommended, but not required. Empower can provide for in-studio participants, but please bring your own.

In-Studio registration is limited. Click the sign-up button below to reserve your spot. You will choose In-Studio or Virtual.

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=8802&stype=-8&sTG=36&sView=day&sLoc=0&sTrn=100000057&date=10%2F17%2F21&fbclid=IwAR0dYCqH3qYhg8phbQTn922iBpqfSQ-b8kv16WHn7Vrk3DY9ywBGN4_FHyA&sessionChecked=true

04Sep

5 Exercises to Help Elevate Your Tennis Game

September 4, 2019 chuckbecomecox 23

Professionals may make it look easy running back and forth across the court, often for several hours at a time, but playing the sport of tennis requires a high degree of both strength and coordination. To perform at their best, a tennis player needs the right mix of endurance, speed and agility, as well as explosive strength and power.

To develop this, one cannot rely on playing tennis alone. Strength training is key. For club players, developing their level of overall of fitness can make all the difference in tennis performance. In a sport that relies on short, sharp sprints, and changing direction quickly and often, a player’s legs, core, shoulders, elbows and wrists must be strong, and limber.

With that in mind, here are five exercises to help elevate your tennis game.

Plyometric Lunge
Plyometric exercises help develop explosive strength and power, which is essential on the tennis court. This exercise involves taking the traditional lunge to a higher level of intensity. It will not only increase a your power, but will likewise develop muscular endurance through the hips and thighs.

Begin with feet shoulder width apart, then step forward with your right foot. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground and rear knee is nearly touching it. This is the lunge position. As you reach it, surge upward as high as you can alternating your legs before landing softly in with your left thigh parallel to the ground and rear knee nearly touching it. Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.

Torso Rotation
To hit a tennis ball as fast and hard as possible, the ability to rotate the upper body is paramount. The more power in your upper body the faster and harder an opponents shots can be returned.

Face the cable machine or exercise band anchor and grab the handle with both hands. Assume a tennis stance, legs shoulder width apart and bent at the knees. With your elbows slightly bent, swing the cable as if it were your racquet and you were performing a double handed forehand. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

Lateral Shuffles
This is a fantastic tennis-specific exercise designed to strengthen the hips and legs and enhance your balance, footwork and the ability to change direction quickly. While moving laterally, the hips, legs, calves, and shin muscles all work at an increased intensity. When performed in a half squat position the glutes are forced to work at a high level as well.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees bent, chest upright, and elbows bent at a 90-degree angle. Take a wide step to the left, then quickly bring your right foot to meet your left and repeat. Perform this exercise over a span of 10 to 15 feet each direction as quickly as you are able.

External Shoulder Rotation
Training your rotator cuff isn’t like training your biceps. Rather than maximal strength, the rotator cuff muscles need endurance, as they need to work every time you move your arm. Strengthening them is also a good way to prevent injury. The focus with this exercise should be high repetitions with a very low resistance. Elastic exercise bands are ideal for this.

Anchor the band at elbow height. Grasp the handle with the arm furthest from it. Keep your elbow tight against your side with the forearm against your stomach. Externally rotating the shoulder, pull the cable away from your body. Return to starting position and repeat.

Back Extensions
Lower back pain can be common among tennis players, making back extensions an important part of an off court fitness regimen. This exercise helps to strengthen your lower back, an essential element of a solid core. Performing it will increase your overall ability to coordinate the twisting, rotating and bending movements common during play. Injury prevention is also a benefit.

Lay flat on your stomach, arms at your sides palms up. In a smooth motion, lift your upper body up a few inches off the floor, using your lower back muscles, and then gradually lower it back to the floor. You shouldn’t try to crunch or jerk your lower back, but rather perform a slow, controlled movement up and then down. Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.

For more information or training advice on how to improve your fitness for the game of tennis or the game of life please contact us at Empower Personalized Fitness.

11Jun

5 Secrets of the Pros

June 11, 2019 Chris Lathrop 21

Thinking back over the years, how many lessons have you had that made a long-term impact on your golf game? If I had to guess, I would say that the lessons early on in your golf career dramatically helped you improve, but since then you have probably only found a couple gems that you carry with you long term. As a Golf Fitness professional, I have heard from so many clients that they spend most of their time rehashing the same old swing issues over and over.

That’s when I decided I had to look a layer deeper than the typical swing drills or mechanical fixes that you find from online golf videos and TV instructors. If these changes were all that was needed, then why do so many golfers struggle with the same problems for years? Now let’s stop for a second and acknowledge that golf is a game of struggle. It’s really really hard! But if you practice for years and never improve your score maybe something besides your swing is the problem. Through my own study of sports science and my own practice with the game of golf I found that redirecting the focus away from the swing and toward other aspect of the mind and body, I could improve my own consistency without more hours on the driving range. The same is true for anyone else, because after all, we may have different swings but we all breathe, we all hopefully see, and we all have thoughts running through our minds. Armed with this knowledge, I created this unique golf-specific training program called 5 Secrets of the Pros. It’s not designed to change your swing or give you a new gimmick, but instead provide you with the tools to optimize the game you already have. Using the latest science, this program will show you how professionals across sports optimize their performance with training that goes beyond their sport.

So what is this new training and how does it work? Below is an explanation of each lesson to show you how each one will resolve a common error in your game. If you implement the skills learned in this program, I guarantee you’ll find some of those gems that improve your game for the long term.

Quiet Eyes Training-

If you play golf long enough you’ve experienced what happens when you take your eyes off of the ball. This may seem like too simple of a mistake to train away but research has shown that regardless of the sport, amateurs take their eyes off the target way more than professionals do. This problem is only exacerbated as the pressure of the situation mounts which might explain why you start making more mistakes when you really want to perform well. In this lesson I’ll show you how to prevent taking your eyes off the ball so you can benefit from all those practice sessions and play your best.

Breath Training-

Have you ever thought about where you don’t want to hit the ball only to immediately hit it there? We all have thoughts going through our mind on the golf course but it’s how we manage them that impacts the way we play the game. Trying to tune them out is rarely an effective strategy. Instead try, redirecting your focus to eliminate these silly errors. In this lesson I’ll show you how to use your breath to direct your focus from those things you don’t want to do so you can accomplish the ones you do.

Pulse Training-

Ever wonder why those pros can hit the ball so far? Yes, we know part of it is how talented and strong they are but part of it is getting out of their own way so the club can do the work. If you’ve ever found yourself trying to hit the ball farther but only to end up hitting it shorter then this lesson is for you. In this section of the program you’ll learn the importance of using muscles to drive your swing power and how to avoid tight muscles getting in your way.

Balance Training-

Whether you’re on the tee box or you have an awkward lie out of a bunker maintaining your balance is key to making good contact with the ball. If you’ve ever struggled to follow through with your swing or you can never seem to make good contact on an awkward lie help is on the way. The drills here will help you avoid those fall away shots and allow you to make solid contact on those awkward lies.

Rhythm Training-

No matter how many lessons you have working on the mechanics of your swing if you don’t have good rhythm you’ll never be able to consistently make the contact you want. If you’ve ever found yourself getting quick on the downswing or shortening your backswing because you were so eager to get back to the ball then you’ll find solutions here. In this lesson you’ll learn mental and physical drills that will help you move with the grace of the best in the world and avoid hacking at the ball.

Collectively the skills you will learn through this program stand to make a big impact on your consistency and will have you wondering why you didn’t think to make these simple changes sooner.

Sign-Up for 5 Secrets of the Pros Click HERE

13Mar

Yoga Blog: Breathing…It’s kind of important

March 13, 2014 fitnesssfa 22

Breathing…It’s kind of important … So, let’s take a look at how to do it right!

I remember sitting in my very first yoga class and being asked to find a comfortable seated position. I was then asked to become aware of my breath and my brain immediately went to thoughts of “…Huh?” “What is this yoga lady talking about?” “How do I become aware of my breath? Isn’t it just supposed to work?” All of a sudden I became aware of the fact that my chest was heaving, “My breath … why is it so fast? Is anyone else feeling like this?” My breath was so shallow I was very sure that I would have a panic attack!

Just as I was about to get up and leave my mat behind, I heard a serene voice telling me to exhale to the count of four and inhale to the count of four. Inhale … 2 … 3 … 4 …; Exhale … 2 … 3 … 4 … Again, this time on the exhale bring the belly button to the spine. With the inhale, feel the belly fill, the spine lengthen, and the body calm.” As my breath slowed and I was able to steady my thoughts a bit, I began to feel better.

I distinctly remember thinking, “So, this is yoga.” As neive as this thought is, it isn’t completely off the mark.

Breath, also known as pranayama, is a part of the practice of yoga. It is one of the eight limbs of yoga, to be exact. (One day I’ll tell you all about all of the eight limbs of yoga, but for today, we’ll leave that thought there.)

Breathing all starts with the physical mechanics of the breath. Including every muscle from the base of the skull to diaphragm, you need a strong back, an expanding diaphragm, and an awareness of injury. For more information on exactly how this works, check out the following article by Julie Gudmestad, a licensed physical therapist and certified Iyengar Yoga teacher:http://www.yogajpurnal.com/practice/656 .

I will not pretend to tell you that I can teach you everything there is to know about the practice of pranayama in yoga, but I can give you some clues to help enhance the pose, asana, portion of your yoga practice.

Listen to the breath cues of the instructor and follow them to the best of your ability!

From the beginning of the class to the end, your instructor is providing you with the breath cues you need to practice with the optimal results. Meaning, when we come to the mat we have all likely encountered some sort of struggle or made some sort of scheduling sacrifice to get there and, while we feel a number of things, calm isn’t likely to be one of them. Your mind is racing, you are fumbling to turn off your cell phone, you are rushing to change your clothes and find a spot in an already packed room to roll out your mat …

Your yoga teacher knows this. And, in all likelihood had a similar set of experiences leading up to class. The difference between the serene voice weaving through the room and your pounding heart is the breath. From the first instruction you are offered in class to the last cue, you are being let in on the secret … settle into your mat and become aware of your breath.

Become aware of the breath

Once you learn to listen, your breath will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about yourself. When you focus on your breath you begin to become aware of the effect the breath has on the body.

Try this …

Remember how you felt when you were in your car and a driver cut you off forcing you to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting them. What did your breath do? How did this change the way you felt?

Now, think of a sunny spring Friday afternoon. What does your breath do when you imagine yourself opening the door to the outside of the building to head home early? How do you feel?

Tense breath versus relaxed breath is very different. And, the effects on the body and the mood are very different.

In class your instructor is providing you breath cues to help enhance your practice by using the breath. It is important to follow those cues because breath brings much needed oxygen to the bloodstream, which brings more energy into your body and muscles. Deep breath also cultivates a relaxation reaction by calming the nervous system, helping to reduce physical stress. Both breaths are needed in your practice to help you move through and sustain your practice.

Teacher tip: In case you get lost with the movement and the breath, it is good to remember as a general guide that you want to exhale as you move toward the floor and inhale as you move away from the floor.

Use your breath to find your flow

Now that you’re listening to the breath cues (and trusting them), and you have found your breath … use your breath to find the flow of your practice. When in a difficult pose I will often ask my classes if they are breathing. And, I rarely find a class where everyone responds in the positive. Without fail, a person or two will realize they are holding their breath. In yoga this is a classic sign that they are pushing too far into the pose. I remind them that if they can’t breath in a pose they are chasing the pose and they need to back off the stance until they can follow the breath cues with some ease.

I then remind them that to be in each pose as it is meant to be experienced they are following the breath into the pose, finding their flow. Don’t get what I mean? Come to a class at Empower Personalized Fitness and experience it … it really is the best way to truly catch your breath.

Empower Personalized Fitness offers yoga classes Monday through Saturday with meditation on Sunday. Go to our website www.becomepowerful.com to view our class schedules for Durham and Raleigh. The first class is FREE to all new clients to Empower!

See you on the mat!

RJ is a member of International Association of Yoga Therapists, Yoga Alliance and is CPR AED certified. RJ holds a 200-hour Prana Flow® teacher certification from Evolve Movement, Raleigh, NC and is working toward her 1000-hour certification in yoga therapy through a combination of intensive study with Joseph and Lillian LaPage at Kripalu and internships. Additionally, RJ holds a Bachelors of Arts in English with a minor in Creative Writing from West Virginia University.