Athletic Lab

By popular demand, we are bringing back our Scholastic Select program for the fall. Athletes enrolled in our 8 week Scholastic Select summer program had unbelievable improvements in strength, speed, and power. The fall program will be a similar 8 week program where athletes follow a planned training system using best practices of strength and speed development. Our Scholastic Select program is designed for athletes who can commit to mandatory training sessions on a regular schedule for a duration of at least 6 weeks. By making a longer commitment and following a regular schedule, we are better able to plan training that progresses an athlete to their athletic peak.

The regular and more frequent attendance provides us an opportunity to train our high school athletes with the same exacting progressions that is typically reserved for professionals and collegiate athletes. If you feel like you can make the commitment and are interested in the absolute best in athletic development, here are the details…

Why: Because regular and frequent attendance allows us to do our job better because we can plan a long term training progression. Athletes benefit by getting stronger, faster and more fit at NO ADDITIONAL COST. There’s a reason that NFL Professionals, the Carolina Railhawks and over a dozen Olympic sport athletes train at Athletic Lab…this is your opportunity to receive the same training experience.
Who: Any athlete aged 12-18 looking for training without compromise to be faster, more powerful and better conditioned.
What: The ultimate in sport performance training from the best sport performance training center in NC.
Where: Athletic Lab’s new training center in Cary, NC. Our new location features an 11,000 square foot training hall, collegiate style weight room, and 50 yard sprint track.
Date / Time: August 29th through October 21st (8 weeks). Classes are offered at 5pm on Mon, Wed, and Fri. Athletes may also attend any of our 11 other non-Select Scholastic sessions.
How to Enroll: Sign up for either a Scholastic Monthly Unlimited training membership or a Seasonal Scholastic Unlimited training membership and contact us with your intent to enroll in the Select program. Athletes who are currently members can add the Select sessions at no additional cost if they can meet the attendance requirements.
Cost: There are no additional costs to participate in the Scholastic Select Sport Performance Training above our standard Scholastic Training costs. The only requirements for admission in to the program are attendance. Here are our regular Scholastic Sport Perfomance costs:

• $200 / Month if you lock in 3 months of monthly unlimited sessions at training
• $250 / Month if you purchase unlimited monthly sessions for the duration of the program
• Existing members can add Scholastic Select training at NO ADDITIONAL COST if they are able to make the time commitment
• Any additional time remaining on memberships will roll over for use in our standard Schoalstic program at the conclusion of the 8 week period. Pending demand, we may offer ongoing 2 to 3 month Scholastic Select training blocks.

Attendance Requirements: While there are no additional costs associated with participation in the program, athlete’s MUST be able to commit to the following attendance requirements:

• Attend at least 2 of the 3 weekly Scholastic training sessions per week for at least 6 of the 8 weeks
• Athletes will not be able to join the Scholastic Select training group after September 11th
• Athletes are encouraged to attend sessions outside of the Scholastic Select training sessions but these are not required
• Athletes not enrolled in the Scholastic Sport Performance sessions are not permitted to attend
• Athletes may be removed from the Scholastic Select program if they are unable to meet these requirements
• In the event that an athlete is removed from the Scholastic Select program, they will still be able to attend any of our 11 weekly regular Scholastic training sessions

This past weekend, Cate Young and Chris Hoina earned there USA Weightlifting sport performance coach certifications at a course hosted by Athletic Lab. USA Weightlifting is the national governing body for the sport of weightlifting and it’s certification course is one of the best certifications for Sport Performance specialists. Cate and Chris, joined fellow Athletic Lab staff, Dr. Mike Young, Chris Garrett, and Eric Broadbent as USAW certified Sport Performance Coaches. You can see pictures of the course HERE.

Due to unforeseen issues, the Tri-City Fitness Challenge has officially been rescheduled for the 27th of August. The announcement was made 10 days ago on the event’s Facebook page but we were still trying to resolve the conflicts before making an official announcement. We have contacted all registered participants and those who cannot attend will be issued a full refund. If you are unable to attend please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) using TFTC REFUND as your subject line and your registered name in the email body. We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused for those that can’t make it but know the event will still be great for those that can.

The Tri-City Fitness Challenge is a fitness challenge between gyms and other training centers in The Triangle area that is going to showcase and pit against one another, each centers best athletes who will push their bodies to their limits!
If anyone from your training center think they have what it takes to earn this summer’s title, “Fittest of the FIt” then BRING IT!

August 27, 2011
Time: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
The Lab
1823 NW Maynard Rd
Cary, NC 27513 US

Due to the USA Weightlifting Coaches school that we are hosting this weekend, all Saturday classes will be cancelled. There will be no 11am Scholastic or CrossFit / Performance Fitness training sessions this Saturday. We apologize for the inconvenience.

[The following is a guest blog by Vanessa Williams. Vanessa is an Athletic Lab intern from ECU]
There are three muscle types and every person has them in varying degrees. They are Slow Oxidative (SO), Fast Oxidative Glycolytic (FOG, and Fast Glycolytic (FG). The best way to determine your fiber type ratios are by muscle biopsy. This is an inconvenient and painful procedure though which most people don’t have access to. Here is some helpful information that will help give you a better understanding of the three muscle types and perhaps allow you to take a guess as to your own fiber type ratio:

• The ratio of both types of muscle fiber varies in each individual and each muscle.
• Ratio is thought to be genetically determined.
• Both types of fibers can improve their metabolic capabilities through specific strength and endurance training.
• Athletes like sprinters and weight lifters have a large percentage of fast-twitch fibers.
• Endurance athletes like marathon runners generally have a higher percentage of slow twitch fibers.
• Muscles that primarily maintain posture against gravity require more endurance and generally have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers.
• Muscles that produce powerful, rapid, explosive strength movements tend to have a greater percentage of fast-twitch fibers.

Starting August 6th, Athletic Lab and West Cary Barbell will be offering Strongman classes.  The purpose of this class is to introduce newcomers to the strongman events and to provide experienced competitors an opportunity to train with the actual implements that will be used at the upcoming West Cary Barbell Fall Festival of Power, Strongman Edition.

• When: Friday 6:30-8:30 pm, Beginning August 6, 2011
• Where:  Athletic Lab, 1823 NW Maynard Rd, Cary, NC 27513
• How Much:  $10 per class or 4 classes for $28

Register HERE.

We’re proud to finally lift the veil on our upcoming fitness challenge: The Tri-City Fitness Challenge.

Athletic Lab is hosting the 1st Annual Tri-City Fitness Challenge!!

This is a fitness challenge between gyms and other training centers in The Triangle area that is going to showcase and pit against one another, each centers best athletes who will push their bodies to their limits!

If anyone from your training center think they have what it takes to earn this summer’s title, “Fittest of the FIt” then BRING IT!

August 27, 2011
Time: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
The Lab
1823 NW Maynard Rd
Cary, NC 27513 US

Event Prices:
$30.00 - Participant
$15.00 - Spectator

Register for the event HERE.

Yes, it’s a cliched and cheesy motto from an old Army marketing campaign but it also bears relevance to anyone not satisfied with the status quo. Does it matter that you’ll never be the Olympic Gold medalist if you can win a Master’s World Championship like our Jeff Souza just did? Does it matter that you won’t ever play collegiately if you can make your high school’s varsity team ahead of more talented classmates who aren’t willing to work? Does it matter that you might not be the strongest person on the planet if you’re now the strongest person in your office? Make the commitment to be all you can be and don’t look back.

The decathlon is a gruelling 10 event track and field competition that is used to determine the best all-around athlete. The event requires athletes to run fast, jump high and far, and throw long while having the stamina to still run a mile fast. Many consider the decathlon the truest test of athletic ability in all of sport. Indeed, following his dominating 1912 Olympic victories in the Pentathlon and Decathlon, Jim Thorpe was presented his medals by King Gustav V of Sweden and Czar Nicholas II of Russia. Upon awarding the medal, King Gustav apparently said, “You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world,” to which Thorpe replied, “Thanks, King.” Almost 80 years later, Olympic decathlete Dave Johnson won ABC’s Superstars competition two years in a row. And in 2009, two time Olympic decathlon champion, Bryan Clay, recorded the highest ever score on the Nike SPARQ test for athletic ability.

With an athletic pedigree like this, it’s only fitting that many of the nations best decathletes call Athletic Lab there training home. In the past 2 weeks, Athletic Lab-trained decathletes have shined on the national and international stage.

• Jefferson Souza, a masters decathlete competing in the 35-39 age group, became a WORLD CHAMPION by winning the World Master’s Association World Championships in Sacramento last week.
• Jeremy Willis, a masters decathlete competing in the 35-39 age group, contested individual events at the World Master’s Association World Championships in Sacramento last week and placed 5th in the shot put, 7th in the discus throw, 9th in the high jump and 8th in the javelin.
• Eric Broadbent, an Athletic Lab trained athlete and member of our coaching staff, placed 10th at the USA Track & Field National Championships in the decathlon
• Jose San Miguel, a high school athlete from Cardinal Gibbons, placed third in the decathlon at the USA Track & Field Youth National Championships in the decathlon.

We are proud of what our athletes have accomplished and are honored to be a part of their success. Even if you’re not a decathlete we can help you throw further, jump higher and longer, and sprint faster just like our champion decathletes.

Athletic Lab will be hosting 3 big fitness and strength events in the next 4 months. In order, we’ll have the following taking place at Athletic Lab:

• August 13-14th, 2011 - USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sports Performance Coach Courses Certification
• August 20th, 2011 - Tri-City Fitness Challenge….This is a fitness challenge between gyms and other training centers in The Triangle area that is going to showcase and pit against one another, each centers best athletes who will push their bodies to their limits! Tentatively slated for August 20th. Stay tuned for details.
• October 15th, 2011 - West Cary Barbell Fall Festival of Power