ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT – CHRIS MERKLE GETTING HIS SHOT!

Long time Optimal Performance Training Center Sports Performance Training Client, and good friend Chris Merkle is getting his chance at the Pro’s for Football.

I can’t say enough good things about Chris. He’s all heart and puts in even more hard work in the gym than anyone can imagine. And to say his efforts off the field pay off is an under statement…

Since this past football season we have been getting him ready with our combine prep program as he’s been getting some Pro looks.

Here is Chris’s private workout he did with his agents a few weeks ago;

Chris also has had pro day’s or football combines at Yale University’s “Pro” day as well as few other in the Northeast, with a BIG Time Private workout at Giants Stadium with The NY Football Giants earlier today.

Like I said Chris has been a long time Athlete of ours here at Optimal Performance and has become a great friend.

With his heart mindset and work effort , combined with his football skills – if he gets a shot in the pro’s, I know he’ll make some heads turn!

Good Luck Chris

JZ

Spring Season Sports Specific Conditioning – Rotary Power

The Sun is shining the grass is getting greener and the birds are chirping… That means spring is here and so are spring sports!

Baseball, Lacrosse, Tennis, Softball, Golf, Track and Field… So many great sprig sports and they all have one thing in common (besides being played in the spring).

Read more

Optimal Performance Football Combine – A Success!!!

On Sunday, May 10th (Mothers day) I’m proud to say that OPTC hosted Rockland’s County’s First ever high school football combine (Optimal Football combine).  I just want to extend a BIG Thank you to all parents and athletes that made this day possible!!!

To say the day was a success would be an understatement. We lucked out with (although somewhat windy early on) good weather and the turnout was great! We had Rockland County Football athletes representing Clarkstown North, Clarkstown South, Suffern, Nyack, Nanuet, and North Rockland, ranging from current 8th graders to High school juniors.

I really think that all the participants now have a great opportunity on their hands! They now know where they stand in terms of performance numbers, and can now laser in and focus their time on improving their weakest links.

The only thing left to do is get out and do it!!! The season is just around the corner.

I’m pleased to say that the day ran very smooth from start to finish!

Again, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT TO SUPPORT SUPPORT OUR FIRST OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE FOOTBALL COMBINE!!!

JZ

Ps – I almost forgot… to view the results of the day please visit www.opfootballcombine.com

Optimal Perofmance Olympic weightlifting – Saturday mayham

Here is some quick footage of yours truly. Today I refined some technique on my cleans.

I hit some clean drops, then a nice muscle clean and Tall clean complex, followed by a 3 position clean. I then hit my only real work set of the day…

a Clean for a set of 6 at roughly 50% of my projected final lift for August.

check it out…

not bad for my first real week back.

FYI – all my O-lift training will be some what light as I’m nursinga slightly strained (was torn) bracial radialis. I strained it almost 7 weeks ago, but has been feeling pretty good just taking slow for the next 6 weeks. then it will be go time.

More to come next week

JZ

PS – a bonus clip of a couple of our BIG BOYS playing with the Axle…

Rockland County’s # 1 Sports Performance Training Center To host Rockland’s 1st High school Football Combine

PRESS RELEASE April, 20, 2009 For Immediate Release Contact: Jason Zaretzky 845.268.3494 Optimal Performance Training Center

Rockland County’s # 1 Sports Performance Training Center To host Rockland’s 1st High school Football Combine   Rockland County, 4/20/09: Jason Zaretzky, a local sports performance training expert and owner of Optimal Performance Training Center  located in Valley Cottage, NY will host Rockland County’s first and only high school football combine on the turf field at Clarkstown North High school.   The NFL Combine is a testing ground where top rated college players show off their strength and speed in a variety of tests, both physical and mental. Based on those tests, scouts and coaches from the NFL teams select who they think will best add to their team. It has become somewhat of a standard not just for NFL prospects, but now at the high school level as well. There are more and more high school football combines being run every year, and Zaretzky thought it was time for Rockland County and the surrounding areas high schools to get involved.   “Our football combine will be professionally run just the like the big show in Indianapolis. We will include all the big events like the 40 yard dash, Vertical jump, broad jump, 20 yard short shuttle, The 3 cone drill, bench press for reps test and the 60 yard long shuttle”, says Zaretzky.   Zaretzky states, We are hosting Rockland County’s first ever football combine for a couple of reasons;   1.)  To see what kind of results Rockland County football athletes off-season training has provided 2.)  To heighten the awareness of where football athletes compare to other football players in section 1   3.)  To give coaches a Benchmark of how their athletes are doing   4.)   Find Out the weak links athletes need to focus on this Summer in order to better prepare for the upcoming season   5.)  Provide a fun, competitive environment for your athletes   On Sunday May 10th, from 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Jason Zaretzky and the Optimal Performance Training Staff will conduct the “Optimal Football Combine”. The event will be held at Clarkstown North High School on the turf. The first 20 athletes to register by the  April 30th deadline will receive a FREE Optimal Football Combine t-shirt. The event is open to all incoming freshmen through seniors in high school. Cost is just $20 per athlete or $10 per athlete when 20 or more register together.   For more information or to register please contact Jason Zaretzky at 845.268.3494 or email him at jasonz@optcfitness.com   ###   Contact Info:   Email- jasonz@optcfitness.com Phone- 845-268-3494 Website- www.rocklandsportstraining.com

Optimal Football Combine

So I have been getting a lot of feedback on the upcoming highschool football combine We’ll be hosting.

My email box is pouring with some questions. Instead of answering them all individually I am posting them all up here.

Be sure to check back as I will be updating this page every day with more questions regarding the combine.

Guest Post By Kevin Gendron of Better Athletic Development – A-Rod – Steroids & Youth Sports

Here is my first guest blog from collegue, friend, and owner of Better Athletic Development (located in Shelton CT.) Kevin Gendron

 

It’s a Q & A he recently posted in his email newsletter. It’s about the whole steroid /A-Rod & Stroid problem we are seeing in youth, college, and pro sports sports

 

Guest Blog;

 

Hey Coach, did you hear about A-Rod?

 

The answer is yeah,unfortunately i did.

      On February 9, 2009, Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003.  As any baseball fan would know, that period marked the start of his signing with the Texas Rangers, starting the longest contract in baseball history.  For days, all anyone saw when flipping through news stations or watching ESPN was ‘A-FRAUD ADMITS TO USING PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS’.  But what does a statement like that tell us?  What should we think about this kind of scandal?  In the search for opinions for comparison, I found that most people were extremely disappointed to find more PED use in a sport they love, but when I asked folks what substance he used, no one knew anything about the drugs, not even the names.  Everyone hid behind the scariest word in baseball history – STEROIDS.
      After doing a little digging, I found this quote: “Rodriguez reportedly tested positive for the banned substances Primobolan and testosterone in 2003″ -ABC News.  Testosterone is the human male sex hormone, which is made naturally by both genders but only in extremely low amounts in females, and when supplemented into the body is called a steroid.  It is responsible for causing secondary sex characteristics in males, production of sperm, hair growth, and increased muscular development.  Primobolan is a drug touted to stimulate production of testosterone.  Now testosterone is an anabolic steroid, anabolic meaning it stimulates growth of living tissue, which is why A-Rod was using it.  But again, what do steroids mean to us, our society, and our young athletes who are aspiring to be like their heroes?

 

      Last year, a movie came out which asked these types of questions, a movie called Bigger, Stronger, and Faster.  This Documentary, directed by and starring Christopher Bell, explains three brother’s struggle to find heroes, shows their battles with steroid use controversies, and the searches for information to help us better understand steroid scandals.  Bell visited politicians, medical experts, athletic trainers, professional athletes, and even gym rats, to find out the truth about steroids, their positive side effects, their negative side effects, and most of all, why we as Americans might be culturally pushed into using them.  The movie also talks about the misleading images of the supplement industry, and helps us see through some of the before and after photos.

 

In light of the A-Rod controversy, and in the quest for an entertaining way to educate our young athletes about steroids, I would fully recommend all of our athletes and their parents watch this amazing documentary!

 

Its reviews:
Bell’s documentary is an absolute must see for anyone taking part in any kind of debate about steroids. – Film Threat
This movie is remarkable in that it seems to be interested only in facts. – Chicago Sun-Times
Raucously funny and surprisingly insightful.- Los Angeles Times
Super Size Me on steroids! - Variety

 

Movie trailer:

http://www.biggerstrongerfastermovie.com/

 
Rated PG-13 Thematic material involving drugs, language, some sexual content and violent images.

Optimal Performance & Football Combine Training

Every year around this time I usually get pretty busy with football athletes. After all it is off season and the offseason is a really important time not just for football players, but all athletes.

I must say that this year is a bit different however. Different because I am actually dealing with a descent amount of football guys who are prepping for football combines.

The fun thing is I got the whole spectrum of football athletes this year   - Two professional hopefuls in Shawn Harris(Southern CT)  & Chenry Lewis (Rutgers/ Abilene Christian University). Shawn Recently completed a private Pro-day where he hit an unheard of 42″ vertical jump, While Chenry participated in Rutgers Pro- day last week where he also threw up some descent numbers.

Hopefully the made enough noise and the pro scout opened their eyes…In the mean time Chenry and Shawn are training hard every day as they prep for the Elite Combine coming up in May.

On the other side of the spectrum I have a soon to be High school upper classman and an 8th grader prepping for the National Underclassmen Combines coming up this spring as well. You may now these two as The Porcelli brothers! Vin who had a standout year as a sophomore will participate in this combine for the 2nd year in a row, while Guido is stepping up for the 1st time this year. I am sure I will report back to you with great results as these two have been at OPTC training their butts off getting ready for this thing.

I will keep you posted with their results.

In addition I have a special announcement coming your way later this week, so be sure to check back the blog frequently.

I will leave you with this – My special announcement will pertain to Combine training so check back!!!

 JZ

PS – Did you know we offer specialized training to all football athletes participating in combines or just getting ready for thier upcoming season? Check out details of our Optimal Combine Trianing Program here