On October 12th and 13th, we hosted our second to last Sportsmetrics certification course for the year. The course roster included 9 PT’s, 3 PTA’s and 1 coach traveling from as far as St. Thomas, VI (do I hear “on-site course”?)  We could not have picked a better weekend as temperatures stayed in the mid 70’s with clear skies.  As usual, on Saturday, after mentally and physically working up an appetite, the majority of the group headed to Montgomery Inn to experience their world famous bbq sauce. Back to work on Sunday, the group discussed ways to implement the program in their own communities before testing and heading home.  We look forward to working with our 13 new instructors and thank you all for dedicating your weekend to ACL injury prevention!  We welcome:

Erin Alverson, PTA:  Coshocton County Memorial Hospital, Coshocton, OH

Kim Bjork, PTA:  NorthStar Health System, Iron River, MI

Quang Bui, DPT: ATC: Inova Physical Therapy Center, Chantilly, VA

Ricky Bussey: DPT: Makovicka/Sylliaasen Physical Therapy, Valley, NE

Jessica Graziano, DPT, CSCS: Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY

Patricia Hollowell, Coach: Washington Christian Academy, Olney, MD

Benjamin Igwe, PT: Inova Physical Therapy Center, Vienna, VA

Allison Leisge, MSPT: Kaiser Permanente, Aurora, CO

Jennifer McCurdy, PTA: Coshocton County Memorial Hospital, Coshocton, OH

Beth Milligan, MSPT, CSCS: Therapy and Rehab Solutions, Conway, AR

Ashley Pittman, DPT: Active Physical Therapy, St. Thomas, VI

Turner Sibley, MSPT: Therapy and Rehab Solutions, Conway, AR

Brandon Wehenkel, PT: St. Mary’s Community Hospital, Auburn, NE

On July 20-21, we hosted a course in Cincinnati to 14 new Sportsmetrics Certified Instructors.  Our group included physical therapists, strength and conditioning specialists, athletic trainers and exercises specialists from all over the country.  We began the course with didactic lectures from Dr. Frank Noyes, Derek Kautzmann, PT, CSCS, and Stephanie Smith, MS.  After lunch, we got into the hands on portion of the program where the group was able to practice and demonstrate corrective technique of jump, land and deceleration movements.  Because of the great interaction our course offers among participants, the group quite often makes plans for dinner together as this group did at Cincinnati’s world famous Montgomery Inn.  Onto Sunday, Tommy Campbell, BA finished out the course with marketing and implementation options where participants are able to discuss individualized plans for implementing Sportsmetrics in their communities.

We welcome our 14 new instructors and thank you for your commitment to injury prevention!

Sportsmetrics was recently recognized in a major publication for its efforts in ACL injury prevention. In the April 3rd issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Postma and West reviewed ACL injury prevention programs..Read More

Dr. Noyes’ ACL Injury Prevention Program Taught Nationwide

On April 20th and 21st, the Sportsmetrics team packed their bags and headed south to Charlotte, NC where we certified 29 health care professionals from Carolinas Rehabilitation under Carolina HealthCare System.  Carolinas Rehab is one of the nations largest and most comprehensive rehab facilities.  Michael Agnone, Physical Therapist and Center Manager for Carolinas Rehab came to our course in Hilton Head in 2012.  He soon decided to get his entire staff certified and to implement Sportsmetrics in his clinics and community.

The course began on Saturday morning with Dr. Noyes giving his research and program background presentation via webcast.  This gave the course attendees opportunities to interact and ask him questions.  As we worked through the day with great conversation on injury prevention topics, we ended up outside for the hands-on jump training portion, giving the Cincinnati crew some much needed sun exposure.  The Carolinas staff made for one of our largest and most enthusiastic courses to date.

We want to thank Mike and his dedicated staff for spending their entire weekend with us and committing to injury prevention and education of athletes in their communities.

Many folks think training for a marathon is a green light to eat whatever they want, but this could not be further from the truth. Nutrition is a key component of any training regimen and especially for endurance training. In fact, it is just as important as getting in that interval workout, long run, or strength routine. If you are eating the wrong foods and not getting enough of the right ones, you won’t be 100% prepared come race day. And it could mean the difference between finishing the race and not.

Throughout your training, it’s important to make sure you are eating a balanced diet. This is not the time to try out that fad diet you’ve been hearing so much about. Low-Carb isn’t going to get it done when you’re pounding the pavement. Carbohydrate is your primary source of energy; too little carb will cause muscles to fatigue quicker. Protein and fat also play major roles in your training regimen. Protein helps build and maintain muscle and is needed for muscle recover.

Fat is another big source of energy especially in low intensity, long duration activities such as marathons. It’s best to balance your training diet with 50-60% of calories coming from carbohydrates, 10-20% from protein and no more than 30% from fat with most of your fat sources coming from unsaturated fats (think nuts, olive oil, avocados.)

The first step to an optimal training diet is limiting or eliminating the high-fat, processed and high sugar foods that we all love. Try eliminating trips to the drive-thru, fried food, processed foods (frozen, canned and processed meats) and low quality carbs (desserts, candies and bakery goods). These are going to make you feel sluggish and will not provide you with the greatest amount of energy for your workout. Second, you want to replace those foods with fresh fruits and vegetables,

whole grains, fresh lean meats and low fat dairy products. See list of healthy food sources.

Before a big workout or the race, you want to choose a meal low in fat and fiber for easy digestion about 3-4 hours before the event. It should consist of mainly carbohydrates with a small amount of protein to aid in recovery. The most important part about a pre-exercise meal is to go with what is familiar, something you have tried before that you know will not upset your stomach. Never try something new before the big race or even a long run. If it agrees with you, go with it. Click here for pre-exercise meal ideas from eatright.org.

Immediately following your workout or race, your body is depleted of glycogen and needs to be replenished. As hard as it may be, try to get some carbs and a small amount of protein into your body within 30 minutes of completing a workout. Many athletes find it easier to get a smoothie down rather than solids. Some athletes even swear by chocolate milk. Click here for post-exercise meal ideas from eatright.org.

And of course, do not forget to stay hydrated before, during and after a run or race. Hydration is just as important as eating the key nutrients and is the single largest contributor to fatigue. Click here for proper hydration guidelines from eatrigh.org .

Just think of nutrition as one of your essential workouts each week. If you want to ensure that you make it across that finish line, eat well, hydrate often, train hard, and of course… have fun!