Behind The Scenes Athlete Case Study

In this post I want to take you behind the scenes and show you a case study of an athlete I recently did a strength and conditioning program for. You will be able to see the process I used to assess the athlete and create their program including the assessments I used and the structure of their workout plan.

Athlete Profile

Mitchell Baillie is a young competitive state level surfer from Western Australia.  He had been doing quite a bit of fitness training already, but came to see me to get a program done that was more specific to his needs and could help enhance his surfing performance.

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Mitchell in action

The Assessment

The first thing I did with Mitchell was take him through a thorough functional fitness assessment so I could identify his strengths and weaknesses and test his fitness levels.

The assessment was broken into 2 stages, the first was a movement assessment looking for mobility/stability issues and and the second part was more performance based.

Functional Movement Screen

The initial part of the assessment involved doing a 7 stage test called a Functional Movement Screen (FMS) which is basically a screening test to help identify any major mobility or stability issues.

Each test the athlete is told to perform a certain movement, and I look at how well they can do the movement compared to optimum standards.

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For each test we score the athlete out of 3 based on how well they execute the test.

The tests included the following…

• Deep Squat
• Hurdle Step
• Inline Lunge
• Straight Leg Raise
• Shoulder Mobility
• Trunk Stability Push-up
• Rotary Core Stability

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I tested Mitchell and he actually moved quite well and scored 19/21 on the Functional Movement Screen. His only minor issues were the Deep Squat and Rotary Core Stability tests.

Following the FMS we did a few isolated muscle tests to see if I could pick up any specific muscle or joint issues (for example the Thomas test to look at hip flexor, TFL and quad length). Mitchell had no major issues with these tests.

Performance Fitness Tests

The next step was to get Mitchell to do a number of performance tests to measure some important fitness characteristics such as core strength, balance and total body strength and power. We also looked at some more dynamic movement mechanics to see how his body reacted.

The tests we did included the following…

• Core strength plank test
• Standing core stability pushes (on the ground and on a BOSU to see how his core engaged when outside forces were applied)
• Balance test using a balance board
• Jumping, Single leg hop and lateral bounds to see Mitchells lower body mechanics
• Medicine ball throws for upper body power
• Chin-up test for upper body strength

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Mitchells highlights included acing the core strength test, excellent balance and he knocked out 17 chin-ups.

There were a number of other test we could have done with more time such as lower body strength and power tests and some other upper body tests.

Overall Mitchell performed quite well on the performance tests. One noticeable issue was that his left knee collapsed somewhat on the jumping tests which was not surprising due to a previous knee injury.

The Training Plan

Mitchell’s training program was designed in order to improve the following:

• Improved efficiency of movement with less energy leaks
• Increased balance, core stability and rotational strength
• Better upper body strength and power for paddling improvements
• Enhanced lower body strength and mechanics to help riding performance and injury prevention
• Improved mobility and flexibility
• Increase in aerobic and anaerobic fitness

The workouts I designed for Mitchell were broken down into different segments. Each workout starts with several minutes of foam rolling to help massage the muscles and improve the tissue quality

After foam rolling, Mitchell has a dynamic warmup routine that focuses on improving his mobility, enhancing movement patterns and activating his muscles to be ready for the workout.

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Once his warmup is completed Mitchell will start on the functional strength exercises which are broken up into supersets. The exercises include squatting, lunging, lifting, pushing (vertical & horizontal), pulling (vertical & horizontal), as well as core stability and rotational stability. I also made sure I included both unilateral (eg. single arm or leg) and bilateral exercises (eg. double arm or leg) as well as exercises on an unstable surface (eg. BOSU) to improve Mitchells balance and activate his stabilizer muscles.

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Once Mitchell has completed the functional strength component he finishes with some static stretches to help promote flexibility and aid in recovery.

There is also a cardio component to the program which can be done after the functional strength exercises or on alternate days. This includes interval training workouts to enhance both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems which are important for surf and snow athletes as you need to be able to have shorter bursts of high energy within a longer period of sustained activity.

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Overall Mitchell’s program should help him become a stronger, more athletic surfer and also help to reduce his injury risk which is important for any competitive or recreational athlete.

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the process used to assess an athlete and create a functional strength and conditioning program designed to enhance performance and reduce injury risk.

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What Can You Do To Be Like Mitch…

If you want to be like Mitchell and take your fitness to the next level, then it is almost time to join the
Surf ‘n’ Snow High Performance Club.

Next week I am opening the doors on my brand new members area for the first time and here is what you will get when you join…

• Monthly Online High Performance Conditioning Camps – This is like joining a pre-season strength and conditioning camp for elite athletes, only you can do it at home or at your local gym!
• Functional Fitness Assessment – All the tests like Mitchell did to assess your strengths and weaknesses and to track your fitness improvements. Test yourself to see how you rate!
• Specialized Workout Programs – Extra workouts for added variety (eg. circuit workouts, TRX workouts, Kettlebell workouts, bodyweight workouts, etc)
• Functional Training Exercise Directory – Over 500 exercises to create your own workouts.
• Plus more bonus members content!
  

  

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To Win a FREE 12 Month membership to the Surf ‘n’ Snow Fitness High Performance Club, simply leave a comment below detailing how any of my workouts or training programs have helped you with your fitness and surf or snow performance…

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I will choose a winner over the weekend and announce it early next week just before we launch the new High Performance members area for the very first time!

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,
Clayton