Elite Athletes

We are a ‘term crazy’ industry.

I see it all the time in the way coaches and trainers deal with young athletes.

In past articles, I talked to you about how some coaches use the word ‘peaking’ with their young athletes, and try to get there teenagers ready to climax for one particular competition or meet at seasons end.

I also explained the many reasons why this isn’t possible.

Advanced scientific methodologies such as peaking is a term and system that is only applicable to more elite athletes and can introduced if, and only if, other tangible aspects of sport performance can be closely monitored and dynamically altered in accordance.

Nutrition, sleep/restorative factors, mental/emotional stress… these are critically important aspects to the peaking process.

But here’s the problem.

Most coaches and trainers:

A) Don’t know nearly enough about the intricate nuances of nutritional cycling, restoration strategies or mental/emotional stress relief to use them properly within a peaking system.

B) Don’t have the ability to coordinate a young athletes life or schedule nearly enough to legitimately organize all of these adjunct issues that are so crucial to the peaking process.

The actual physical training a young athlete receives then, is only one part of a greater and more complex puzzle.

Another term that we throw around in such a carefree manner is ‘elite’.

I get asked this question all the time.

"Brian, I like and appreciate your developmental strategies, but how do I get faster results with my young elite athletes".

Here’s my answer… and you better be ready to hear and receive this message.

Young athletes aren’t elite.

Without question this is the most understood issue to the whole young athlete enigma.

Just because a 14 or 15-year-old kid happens to excel at a given sport and play at a high level does not necessarily earn them the designation of ‘elite’.
The status of Elite Athlete is reserved, not for adult athletes only, but for those individuals whose life and purpose revolves around succeeding in a particular sport.

That cannot however, be confused with the desire to succeed – many young athletes have that. But when we apply the moniker of ‘elite’ to a young athletes name, we automatically change the way we train them – and this is a tremendous mistake.

We go from seeking skill development into pushing for strength and power gains immediately.

We transition from teaching movement economy into looking to elicit optimal speed enhancement.

We forget that the athlete in front of us is a young organism with nervous system and structural training necessities that are critical to their overall development.

Perhaps more importantly, we forget that an ‘elite athlete’ is one in which nutritional direction is critically monitored.

Restorative factors are part of the training protocol.

Mental and emotional stress levels are scrutinized and kept in check.

All of these multiple interactive concerns are factored into the analysis and programming for elite athletes. With kids, they are almost all but forgotten.

Here’s a look at a typical training day for elite athletes I have trained:

7am – wake and pre-workout meal
8am – training session 1
9am – restorative session
10am – post training meal
11am – nap
1pm – early afternoon meal
2pm – decompress with reading or video games
4pm – pre-workout meal
5pm – training session 2
7pm – post-training meal
9pm – bed

Now here’s a look at a typical day for the high school athletes I train:

6am – wake and shower
7am – quick take away breakfast
8am – classes
12pm – lunch
1pm – classes
3pm – practice or team training
5pm – dinner
7pm – homework
11pm – bed

This is not the life of an elite athlete… this is the life of a typical kid.

I don’t want you to think for a second that I don’t believe in solid training habits for young athletes. I don’t want to give you the impression that I don’t want you to train your young athletes hard and with a purpose.

But any individual who eats 2 – 4 meals per day (each typically involving poor nutrition), gets minimal sleep, no restoration and deals with the mental/emotional stress of school, girlfriends/boyfriends and an often intense-filled social life cannot legitimately be labeled as an elite athlete.

Moreover, you can’t train them like one.