Ron McKeefery’s Intern Class #31 has developed a video of intense med ball competitions that can be utilized in any program. This 28+ minute video demonstrates ten competitions that will challenge you and/or your athletes both mentally and physically. These competitive drills will enhance athletic ability and improve competitive character. All that is required is a med ball. This DVD can be yours for only $15.00 including shipping.

Coach McKeefery is the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Football at the University of Tennessee. He has mentored 31 intern classes over the course of his career. Ron’s former interns have gone on to be employed at the highest level (MLB, NBA and NCAA). Class #31 has high expectations set for them. This intern class includes Dan Gorman, Mike Grossman, Ryan Costello, Chris Gilman, Patrick O’Neal, Matt Hewitt and Devin Salley.

Med Ball Mayhem DVD

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Truth be told, I am not a fan of motivational sayings or T-shirt slogans, however, there are two quotes that I came across that I think ring true in today’s world. First, “Don’t wish for an easy life, work to be a strong per- son” and “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”
Anyone who has spent time discussing athletics, academics, or life with me knows I put a premium on strength of character, toughness and “getting the job done” regardless of the circumstances. Let’s face it, we live in uncertain times, there are difficult problems both locally and globally with no “cut and dry” answers. These tough problems require tough people to solve them, so as future leaders you will need to have strength of character and mental toughness in order to face 21st century challenges head on.

What is toughness?
Toughness, as it relates to life’s challenges, is being able to perform at your best when the situation is at its worst. Sure, even the strongest stumble from time to time, but exhibiting “grace under pressure” and remaining calm in the face of chaos is what truly separates the mentally tough for the herd. It’s not always easy to put your emotions aside and remain calm and collected when the world is closing in. Many times it would be easier to give up and say, “I will get ‘em next time.” Situations such as the last 4 minutes of a lacrosse game with your team losing, will you keep fighting and not give up? Or with 10 minutes to go in class with questions left unanswered on a major test, will you stay focused and not panic? Sometimes your “game plan” falls apart and you are left in uncomfortable, stress filled and sometimes foreign situations. Regardless of the situation, stay calm and remember, never quit, because only your best is good enough.

Developing toughness
You are not born with tough- ness, and no one can make you “tougher” by giving it to you. Toughness is a skill that needs to be learned, cultivated, and coached. Being tough is a mindset, its roots are in the idea of “I will make this happen” and “I will make it happen now.” Embracing challenges as opportunities, not obstacles, is essential to developing this mindset. Recognizing that you may get knocked down, you may lose a game or fail a test, but with focus and effort you will rise up again, this time, stronger. Toughness is developed in the weight room, track, turf field, pool or court. It’s developed anyplace where you can say to yourself “one more rep.” So, if you attempt that last “impossible repetition”, always believe in yourself and stick true to your core values, you already know the answer to the question “so you think you’re tough?”


Doug Scott believes that strength training is a “means to and end” and should be a part of every athlete’s lifestyle; and it’s the coaches job to facilitate learning and put the athlete in the best position to get the most out of themselves and ultimately succeed. Mr. Scott has also worked as a personal trainer and has written a number of fitness-related articles and chapters. Coach Scott is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and hold the title of Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. You can contact him at dscott@pingry.org.

The STT Contests continue. Your involvement always pushes STT to give more.

Hints can be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and on the weekly newsletter. Have you signed up for all four yet? You can ask the winner of the first contest and the answer would be “That is your best chance to WIN!”

Let’s get on with it. Here are the details. You have until May 29, 2012 to answer correctly. When you leave a comment below that includes all correct answers to the following missions, you will then have the opportunity to be selected at random to win your choice of gifts. If you have any questions about this STT Contest, please email me.

STT Contest #3:

You must correctly answer the following questions in your comment on this page below. Remember you have to have your correct answers posted by May 29, 2012. The winner will be selected at random and MUST have responded correctly to all questions.

For more information on STT event, click here!
Question #1 – Skeletal muscle burns how many mg’s of glucose each minute in continuous activity (such as when repetitively extending the human knee)?
Question #2 – Energy needed to perform short lasting, high intensity bursts of activity come from what source within muscle cells?
Question #3 – The Fick Equation best describes _________________?

The winner will be announced on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter on May 30 and on the weekly newsletter that week too. Please help to spread this contest to your friends, coaches, staff and colleagues. The more participants, the greater the prizes can become. Thank you in advance for sharing, RT-ing and emailing to help share this experience.

STT has to thank the following companies for being actively involved with this opportunity to give back to STT Nation. Without their help, this would not be possible. Please take time to view their pages on STT. Then send each and email to thank them for the gifts. A simple “THANK YOU” goes a long way! So THANK YOU for taking five minutes to send emails to these companies.

Obesity (2012) 20, 517–524.

While studying the effect of structure on satiety, effects of mode of consumption, additional water to drink, and thirst have been neglected. The objective was to assess effects of structure, mode of consumption of food, and additional drinking of water on fullness and thirst. In study 1, 20 subjects (BMI 22.5 ± 0.5 kg/m2; age 21.4 ± 3 years) underwent consumption conditions; SEW: solids to eat + 750 ml water to drink; LEW: liquefied soup to eat including 500 ml water + 250 ml water separately to drink; LDW: the same as LEW but served as drinks; SE, LE, and LD: the same as previous but without water to drink. In study 2, a subset of subjects underwent consumption conditions: solid carbohydrate, solid protein, solid fat: the same as SEW, but for each macronutrient separately; liquefied carbohydrate, liquefied protein, liquefied fat: the same as LEW, but for each macronutrient separately. Appetite, insulin concentration, glucose concentration, and ghrelin concentration were measured. Eating, independent of structure, suppressed desire to eat more than drinking (P < 0.01). Drinking water separately vs. water consumption in the food suppressed thirst more
(P < 0.001). Regarding protein, satiety was higher in the solid vs. liquefied condition, while blood parameters were not significantly different. Only after drinking a meal most subjects (80%) wanted to consume more of the same meal, in order to alleviate hunger (63%) or quench thirst (37%). We conclude that mode of consumption plays a role in alleviating hunger and thirst. Subjects required further consumption after drinking the meal, motivated by hunger or thirst, showing that drinking a meal causes confusion that may imply a risk of overconsumption.

Click here to read other Train The Brain articles that have been shared.

This week on iTunes, Stitcher and Spreaker, STT interviews a member of the strength game who has been there from the beginning. In 1968, Jim met Henry “Milo” Steinborn, world’s strongest man at the time and champion wrestler, and began strength training under Milo’s guidance. He continued training with Milo for years to come and along the way met Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus and known worldwide as the man who changed the face of fitness forever. Arthur was a fitness genius and true living legend. Jim purchased a full line of Nautilus equipment from Arthur in 1973 and proceeded to open Orlando, Florida’s first fitness center, Jim Flanagan’s Nautilus Fitness Center.

The SMARTER Team Training Audio Interview Series has been developed to share insights from some of the best in the industry. Stay tuned for more insights, tips, drills, and techniques to come from STT on iTunes, STT on Stitcher and STT on Spreaker. Be sure to share the STT Audio Interview Series with coaches, trainers, parents, and athletes too.

The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 40, No. 3

Background: The abdominal core muscles (internal and external oblique, rectus and transversus abdominis) play an important role in the baseball activities of pitching and hitting. Proper abdominal muscle activation during throwing and swinging is crucial for generating optimal ball velocity and bat speed. Abdominal muscle strains can result in substantial loss of playing time, and their incidence has never been reported in baseball.

Hypothesis: The incidence of abdominal muscle strains in Major League Baseball has been rising over the past 20 years. Injuries contralateral to the dominant arm or batting side are more common and require more time to recover.

Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods: Abdominal muscle strains in baseball players were determined by retrospective review of the Major League Baseball disabled list from 1991 to 2010. Player age, position, dominant hand, batting side, and recovery time were recorded.

Results: There were 393 abdominal muscle strains in Major League Baseball from 1991 to 2010, constituting 5% of all baseball injuries. At least 92% of these injuries were internal/external oblique or intercostal muscle strains, and 44% of injuries were sustained by pitchers. The reinjury rate was 12.1%. An upward trend was seen from 1991 to 2010, especially in early-season injuries, and the overall injury rate was 22% higher in the 2000s than in the 1990s. Pitchers averaged 35.4 days on the disabled list compared with 26.7 days for position players (P > .01); 78.1% of pitcher injuries were contralateral to their dominant arm, and 70.3% of position player injuries were contralateral to their dominant batting side (excluding switch hitters). Position players missed more time for contralateral than for ipsilateral injuries (28.9 vs 21.2 days, P = .03), whereas pitchers missed more time for ipsilateral injuries (44.5 vs 32.8 days, P = .04).

Conclusion: The incidence of abdominal muscle strains in baseball has been increasing over the past 20 years, especially early in the season, and there is a relatively high reinjury rate. This upward trend is in spite of new and more advanced diagnostic procedures, preventive core strengthening exercise programs, and rehabilitation techniques. Injuries contralateral to the dominant arm or batting side are more common.

Click here to read other Train The Brain articles that have been shared.

This contest has ended. Be sure to look for the most recent contest from STT.

The feedback from the first STT Contest inspired us to have a second. Your involvement always pushes STT to give more. This contest will be a test. An evaluation of your science knowledge.

Hints can be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and on the weekly newsletter. Have you signed up for all four yet? You can ask the winner of the first contest and the answer would be “That is your best chance to WIN!”

Let’s get on with it. Here are the details. You have until May 14, 2012 to answer correctly. When you leave a comment below that includes all correct answers to the following missions, you will then have the opportunity to be selected at random to win your choice of gifts. If you have any questions about this STT Contest, please email me.

STT Contest #2:

You must correctly answer the following questions in your comment on this page below. Remember you have to have your correct answers posted by May 14, 2012. The winner will be selected at random and MUST have responded correctly to all questions.

For more information on STT event, click here!
Question #1 – Proteins yield __________________ of energy per gram.
Question #2 – Enzymes are noticed by the suffix “__________________”
Question #3 – Compared to fat oxidation, carbohydrate oxidation_________________?

The winner will be announced on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter on May 16 and on the weekly newsletter that week too. Please help to spread this contest to your friends, coaches, staff and colleagues. The more participants, the greater the prizes can become. Thank you in advance for sharing, RT-ing and emailing to help share this experience.

STT has to thank the following companies for being actively involved with this opportunity to give back to STT Nation. Without their help, this would not be possible. Please take time to view their pages on STT. Then send each and email to thank them for the gifts. A simple “THANK YOU” goes a long way! So THANK YOU for taking five minutes to send emails to these companies.