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Story of the New England Patriots Secret Strength Training By: Dr John Scherger D.C. Clinical Director, Athletic Spinal Fitness Institute Beginning in mid 1980's and through the 1990's, I lead a project to understand and develop the proper training and treatment for the spinal column. The lower back was the key area of interest. Others involved included: Jennifer Stone, A.T.C., 24 years Athletic Trainer Director, United States Olympic Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Bob Beeten, A.T.C., 26 years director of the United States Olympic Sports Medicine and Research Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dick Smith, 5 time U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Coach, York Barbell, York Pennsylvania. Ron O'Neil, A.T.C., 26 years in NFL as Athletic Trainer. Director New England Patriots Football team. It was common knowledge that professional football players, & olympic sprinters, with the big low back curve were the best athletes. The ones that possessed the big curves were the least injured, had the most endurance, flexibility, highest vertical jump, hit the hardest, and possessed the most speed. As season progressed, and players accumulated trauma, the lower back began to lose the curve, and consequently the athletes lower back became stiffer and weaker, and their leaping ability and speed decreased as well. Injury predisposition also became more relevant. As the grueling NFL season progressed, the players lower back would hurt more, and they would experience more readily apparent medical conditions. These typically included diagnosis such as spinal stenosis, bulged disc,and pinched nerve. The vertebrae moving out of place or partially dislocating typically always accompanied the above conditions. The world of hard reality in the N.F.L. called for training that would overcome the accumulated trauma, not only to enhance and preserve the global curve, but also restore and preserve the segmental posture of the individual vertebral joints, thereby correcting the bulged disc,pinched nerve, or spinal stenosis problem. By 2000, the sit up, and pelvic tilt exercise, and the Powercushion tm, were being used with success in the Patriots medical training. The sit-up exercise enhanced, restored and preserved the global posture, and the pelvic tilt the segmental posture. By 2002, the exercises were also used in the weight training room for strengthening and conditioning purposes. The Patriots have continued to use the exercises and Powercushion tm through 2008 season. In addition, a former assistant strength coach of the Patriots, Markus Paul, witnessed the effectiveness of the Powercushion, and how well the players responded to it. Now with the Giants, Markus Paul uses the Powercushion & it's technology, and the results speak for themselves. The Patriots since 2000 have won 3 Superbowls. In the second year of using the Powercushion, the Giants won the Superbowl last year. Our scientific evaluation has indicated the use of the Powercushion throughout the season gives these two teams a 5% physical advantage over other teams not using it. The 5% comes from the combination of increased low back and hamstring flexibility, decreased predisposition of hamstring injuries, and decreased pain in the lower back. During this time all our findings were consolidated into two home study courses and submitted to the National Strength and Conditioning Association for peer review for academic correctness. In 2003 the course work after over 1 year of open peer review finally received acceptance by the N.S.C.A. It took that long because the courses contained technology that the world had never seen and all theories were accepted only after proofs were demonstrated. Current technology, for instance, could not explain why when going head to head, as linemen do in football, why the individual with big curve would overpower and push back the individual with the flat back. The truth that had to be known, and demonstrated, was why did the curved back possess a better "mechanical advantage" over the flat lower back. The answer was found in comparing the two musculo-skeletal joint lever systems in the act of producing leverage. A comparison of two postures in the act of producing the physics musculo-skeletal leverage had never been attempted before and the technology had to be created. The courses contained all our relevant findings. For instance, why did the athlete with the proper lower back curve possess the greatest power, why did they run faster, jump higher, and possess more endurance? Answers were demonstrated in musculo-skeletal leverage terms and proofs. The best athletes used the least "energy expenditure" and possesed the most "effective momentum". You can read more about how the exercises work, and why the proper global, and segmental posture of lower back, is necessary to produce the superior athlete at spinalfitness.com. Dr. John Scherger Clincal Director Athletic Spinal Fitness Institute |
