A: A child is never too young to begin training, under the supervision of a certified and experienced strength coach. In fact, it is often easier to program the motor skills of younger athletes than older athletes. Older athletes typically need reprogrammed in order to correct any faulty movements in technique. It has been shown through research that it takes at least 5000 repetitions to correct one poor motor habit (and poor technique). Also, by teaching a young athlete the correct ways to improve speed, agility, and quickness, as well as introduce them to the fundamentals and techniques for strength training, the athlete now has a foundation for healthy lifelong practices.

Studies have actually been done with athletes as young as 5 years old, and involved such complex tasks as Olympic Weightlifting. These studies revealed that no damage was done to growth plates and the athletes had significant improvements in cognition, attention, neurological control, power, speed, strength, and motor function.

Heavy weights do not need to be used for a younger athlete to benefit. Instead, a lighter object, such as a hockey stick, is all that is needed to teach proper (safe) technique. It is also important to never do less than 8-10 repetitions on any exercise using an implement such as free weights or machines. This could be classified as heavy and may be detrimental to the growth of the athlete. At Island Strength, we focus on using safe principles to ensure the progress of the athlete throughout the maturation process.

A: The strength and conditioning programs designed at Island Sports Center are innovative, effective, and unlike any others. The programs are written using percentages of an athletes maximum testing performance which eliminates the game of guessing what weight to use next. Each of the programs here are also designed for each athlete's specific needs. As no two athletes are alike, no two programs are exactly alike. Each sport is analyzed and the program is written to train the athlete in the sport specific movements.

The programs are also designed specific to the time of year relative to each sport. For example, it is important to a hockey athlete to maintain and improve peak strength and power throughout the season. Therefore, the programs should be designed to do exactly that. In the preseason, the hockey athlete should be preparing for the season by combining the elements of speed, strength, agility, stability, conditioning, and power. As you can see, it is essential to break down the seasons of each sport to better design a sport specific program.

Along with the great program each athlete receives, each athlete will get coaching from the areas most effective strength and conditioning coaches. The athlete will be taught to understand why each exercise is being done and how it will benefit him/her in the sport season. Each athlete will progress both mentally and physically.

A: Again, no two athletes are alike. So it wouldn't behoove anyone to do another person's program. To get the best results and see the greatest improvements, each athlete should have a specific program tailored to his/her needs. Professional athletes are more advanced with more training experience, so an athlete of a different level would not get the same results.

It is also important to recognize the significance of coaching for all athletes. It is not a good idea for any athlete to go off and do a program without first receiving proper guidance and instruction. Doing someone else's program, regardless of level of experience or age, would be like giving a 16 year old kid a drivers education manual and letting him/her go and drive by themselves, without ever receiving any supervision or hands on instruction.

A: Muscle magazines are written for those who are dedicated to the sport of bodybuilding. It is completely different than training athletes. A bodybuilder works muscles in isolation, with slow, controlled movements. If an athlete trained like this, it would slow the athlete down, and consequently make him/her less powerful. There is not one sport where an athlete uses muscles in isolation. Athletes use multiple muscles (groups) to produce movements to get specific results. Athletes train for speed and power and strength using specific movement, not specific body parts. By training movements, not parts, it enables the central nervous system to coordinate muscle groups to effectively perform athletic skills. Bodybuilders train for size, symmetry and definition, using isolated exercises, slow tempos, cheating techniques, and muscle failure. Athletes should not be trained like bodybuilders!