Our most anticipated clinic of the year is back, and we are throwing a few more curveballs at you this year. Our Athletic Development Program is a clinic designed for everyone whilst accomplishing all the desired training characteristics every single person training should be after. They include:
- Getting leaner
- Becoming stronger
- Increasing power and functionality
- Improving fitness
- Enhancing anerobic capacity
- Then to test and compete with your friends to get the best out of each other
Whatever your specific goal is; we are improving all!
Athletes train in the weight room and on the field to enhance their talent and skill. Being the best lifter doesn’t necessarily make them a gold medallist, however, it increases their athletic potential which enhances skill acquisition. And while maintaining a certain aesthetic look isn’t an athlete’s top priority, it’s often a nice by-product of training with a purpose.
Townsville is about to experience its 3rd ever Athlete Development Program and Combine day. This type of training program would be familiar to sporting teams from semi-pros to professionals but never at a regular gym goer level. This program tests every aspect of strength and performance from fat %, power, strength, aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, metabolic capacity and agility.
You will participate in testing protocols most of which you have never experienced, whilst participating on a team with a coach as your team captain creating a serious competitive environment.
As the name suggests: ‘Athletic Development Program’ is exactly that; you participate in a program based on what athletes perform ‘in-season.’ Ultimately, you will work on getting faster, more powerful, leaner and more importantly, maintaining strength, through a combination of field-based training and individual training events.
While the ADP is catered to supplement and improve our performance over the year to date, it is developed with competitiveness in mind in order to provide a kick in the pants during the winter months. Like any of our specific programs, there will be a break-up at the end of the program where the winners will be announced.
It’s time for the bluff and bluster to be tested and with the coaches having a vested interest, never have the competitive fires been stoked so vigorously.
WHY SHOULD I DO THIS?
As you would have noticed, it is wintertime and like every winter here in North Queensland, it’s the only time where training isn’t associated with a trip the hospital for heat exhaustion.
Winter up North is like nowhere else, 15-degree minimums and 25 degree maximums hardly a reason for any of us to lose motivation if anything it’s time to double down and set us up for the warmer months where everyone is trying to get a summer body but we are already rocking it!
We cannot think of a better time for a Clinic to get us to the silly part of the year in a better state then we started the year.
We will execute a formidable exercise regime built around competition and having fun. So, enter our Athletic Development Program to fill the motivational vacuum.
WHAT IS IT? WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?
TEAM-BASED FORMAT
ADP will involve a team-based challenge format. Participants will be allocated to a coach’s team. Teams will be issued the week before the combine day. Teams will be chosen on a draft system mimicking the NBA/NFL and AFL competitions. Picks will be done in a lottery format and then teams will be formed once the order is established.
PROGRAMMING
- Resistance programs that mimic in-season regimes of professional teams (with due regard to competency);
- Power work – plyometrics (or jumping), hurdle work, repeated jumping work, landing mechanics work; and
- Conditioning – from repeated sprint work to agility (remarkably metabolically demanding), up and down movements and lateral movements, all coupled with complex task drills and games.
These training methods enable us to get faster, stronger, more efficient and most importantly, leaner. To increase any of these attributes, we are required to reduce our body fat, as it stands to reason that the more, we carry, the harder it is to perform. The high metabolic cost of these methods, coupled with the variety of new movement patterns, provides for an incredibly efficient reduction of body fat over a short period; however, this will not be without some element of discomfort, so prepare to be sore.
COMPETITION / ATHLETIC COMBINE
The aim of this program is to train for a ‘combine’ (a feature of the NFL Draft), which essentially is several measurable challenges. These challenges will cover every aspect on the energy system spectrum as well as power and strength and body composition.
The program will culminate on Saturday 24th of August, where from 6am till roughly 10am, the Final Challenge events will take place and the champions will be crowned (based on points scoring system weighted across the respective events). The combine (tests) will be revealed at the start of the clinic to all participants. There will be team-based and individual based events.
The scoring system will consist of the following: 3 points for the win, 1 point for second and 0 points for the loss. Obviously, the team with most points at the end will be crowned the ADP Champions with the customary team photo on display for all to see all year round until next year’s Combine.
A POST-COMBINE CELEBRATION
As additional motivation, we will be celebrating with drinks at a venue to be determined where the champions being shouted by their vanquished foes.
FINES AND PENALTIES
As is the custom each year, there will be a fine and penalty system, with the results of such placed into a kitty that will contribute to the break-up party. This doesn’t go into the Hammer coffers as some elaborate Ponzi scheme; in fact, Hammer will match the kitty to provide drinks during the breakup dinner.
For example some penalties and fines from previous years are the following:
- $1 fine, accumulated per minute of lateness, for anyone that attends late to a session (max $5);
- Non-attendance at a session without prior notice or adequate excuses – that’s a paddling. No wait, it’s a $10 penalty;
- The two losing teams will pay $20 each into the kitty in order for the winning team to eat and have drink for free at the Pub, post-competition.
THE IMPORTANT STUFF
THE PROGRAM RUNS FOR 6 WEEKS COMMENCING MONDAY 15th July 2024
- In order of equality, every participant will do the same program.
- Everyone will do 3 Group strength resistance sessions and then a minimum of 1 conditioning session per week
- Bonus outdoor sessions throughout the clinic will also be included
- So, a mandatory 4 sessions a week plus extra prescribed sessions given by the coaches to get every participant in the best possible condition to achieve greatness on combine day.
THE COMBINE WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY 24th August. YOU WILL RECEIVE:
- Three group strength sessions per week
- Inbody body fat scans before and after the program showing how much body fat, we have lost during the training cycle
- Nutrition information to help guide us to achieving better %fat results.
- 1 Group session each week of the program which will address all the rigors of what we will come up against come competition day.
- Plus, a weekly plan to help you periodise your week so that you get the most out of your body without breaking down or being burnt out.
- Don’t forget the combine day we put all our work together in fun filled anxiety driven day followed by some very well earned bevys and banter afterwards.
Cost $75 per week
Are you in? Let us know by filling out the form below: