FPT Week in Review - Thanksgiving Week

Sunday 

Sunday was a little busier between Coach Clarissa and myself than it has been in recent weeks. It is still not where we would like it to be but we are finally getting some scheduling stuff sorted out from the fall/winter sport changeover.  I am certain that we will have "mad house" Sunday before too long! In other news, FPT was honored to have Alyssa C. and Baylee S. back in the house. These young studs haven't trained in quite awhile but they put in their usual outstanding effort the other day. Great job ladies - I look forward to kicking your butts in the coming months. We also had our first member of the Fury Crush baseball team in his first training session. I hear this is a talented group so I am excited to get involved with them.

HOD: Hannah and TO are two of my b-ball clients that are friends but play on rival school teams. During their last session, I remember jokingly telling TO, who is a forward, that she needs to throw some mean elbows on Hannah, who is a guard, the next time she drives in the lane. So, what happened the first time they played this season? Hannah drove the lane and TO "bumped" her and Hannah got a minor concussion in the process. FPT clients take note: Coach Green is always joking when he says such things!

Monday

 I have been babbling on and on about the crew of Amazonian studs that Clarissa has on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4pm so I thought it was time to document this awesomeness. I will let the video do the talking for me. I have also included a video of resident intern beast, Bethany Cowart, hitting a new Personal Record of 210lbs on Deadlift. To frame this achievement some, Bethany had just performed 29 singles in 29 minutes at 90% of her old deadlift max prior to this lift. This is a pre-season lifting test that Wake Forest uses with some of its teams to gauge whether they have worked in the off season or not. In other words...get ready Grace softball opponents - don't throw her any fatties this season. Remember - I warned you!

HOD: Seeing the camaraderie between the VB girls in the 4pm group. This is what we strive for at FPT - a supportive but challenging group environment. Athletes will always make more progress when they push each other like this crew does - do work ladies!

Tuesday

We had a pretty solid day overall from our smaller Tuesday crew. Nothing too fancy really - just good 'ol fashioned hard work.

HOD: I have been known to have kids push other kids, myself, and even their parents on the Prowler in order to push the limits and build the atmosphere at FPT. Well, I decided to add a new twist to this theme - partner sled drags! Ryan and Addison were the first athletes at FPT to drag each other and then Fat Boy Green up and down the room on the crusty trusty old red sled. It was a good time and I look forward to having others do it soon!

Wednesday

The day before Thanksgiving was pretty slow as people started to get ready for the holidays but we still managed to have several good workouts. The day started off with a boisterous Hughes and Sawyer family lift, which has become somewhat of FPT tradition. Clarissa followed them up with a pretty big crew of volleyballers, none of whom seemed to be very awake when I left for a short break - I hope she roasted them! Bad jokes aside, the rest of the day featured several of my stud high school clients including Kasey, Lexie, Bethany, and EB getting in a great pre-feast workout. The day ended with 'Zee Johnson taking on Mean Green all by herself. Even though 'Zee is fairly young and working out solo with me can be a challenged, she rocked it and held her own!

 

HOD: 'Zee had to do the dreaded "Countdown" finisher at the end of her workout. This has become one of FPT's most dreaded finishers and I wasn't sure how she would do. I am happy to report that she persevered and made it through it.You go girl!

Thursday - Saturday


THANKSGIVING BREAK

By the numbers...

The Schmissrauter extraneous punctuation tally - 10
Most Deadlifts Performed Above 90% in One Workout by One Athlete at FPT -30!

Workout Song You Need on Your IPOD
Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up to Boston

FPT Newsletter - December 1st, 2010

November Featured Athlete - Erin Jackson

EJ - We need a gunshow!

Written by Coach Clarissa Ragsdale - Fury Performance Volleyball Specialist

Erin Jackson is named The Athlete of the Month for November!  Erin is on the Varsity volleyball team at Chattanooga Christian, as well as a member of Choo Choo City Volleyball Club.  There are several reasons why Erin has earned this honor, some of which can be measured and some that are 'intangibles'.

On paper, Erin has improved drastically in both her block & approach jumps since first starting training in November 2009.  She used to jump 9 1/2 inches on her block - now she jumps 16 1/2 inches!!!!  And her approach jump has increased from 15 inches to 19 1/2 inches!!  Those are some of the most amazing improvements I've seen in a volleyball player!

But just as important as vertical improvements are the strides Erin has made outside of testing days.  She's faster, she's stronger, and she takes a great pride in what she puts into her workouts.  A year ago, Erin could barely do a one-legged squat or a pushup.  Now she's rocking those things.  I never have to correct Erin's form anymore; instead, I use her as an example for athletes who aren't doing something properly.  Now girls look to her for guidance, instead of the other way around.

I'm very proud of the way Erin has responded to the physical demands that these workouts put on her body.  Summer came along and instead of taking time off, Erin requested to increase her workout schedule.  She didn't take time off during high school season.  She is proof that when you put the time and effort in, you will be rewarded with success.

Congratulations, Erin for graduating from "Twinkie Status" to "Athlete of the Month"!

Editor's Note: "Twinkie" was Erin's nickname before she went into beast mode.

The "List"  

Kat Knarr - GSAC All Freshman Team, GSAC Freshman of the Year, Piedmont Sportsmanship Award
Bethany Cowart - New facility Broad Jump Champion (86.5 inches)
Brook Calhoun - Committed to play volleyball at Tusculum
Emily Boyd & Monica Vickery - 2010 Times Free Press Georgia Best of Preps

Gunshows of the Month

FURY MILLWOOD - MUNCHKIN POWER

FURY BOLES - MUNCHKIN POWER

Training Pic of the Month

Locke-ster with a the TRX 1 Leg Squat

Bonus Pic!

FPT's Latest Toy - (insert evil Coach Green laugh here)

Bonus Pic #2

MORE TOYS!

Video of the Month

Fury Web Soup

Fury Performance Training

Fury Academy

Fury Performance Training is on YouTube!

Fury Performance is on Facebook!

FPT Week in Review - Featuring Prowler Drives & Munchkin Power

Sunday 

Coach Clarissa was out talking at the Choo Choo club meeting and my parents were in town so it was an intentionally slow Sunday at FPT. However, I have heard that some old veteran clients will be making their triumphant return this coming Sunday so I hope to have more to report. Fury Parrot had another decent workout but everyone (including myself) was a little tired so hopefully we rebound with a better effort this weekend. 

HOD: Unfortunately, the day wasn't too memorable.

Monday

OH YEAH!

 We got a little crazy on Monday at FPT with tons of stud kids training all at the same time...i.e. Clarissa's rocking crew of older studs + my crew of older studs working out at the same time = kettle bell shortage! I think our kettlebells got more work in one day between calf raises and swings within these two groups than the previous month alone. We don't mind it though because that means that everyone is getting stronger when they are fighting over the big weights! Also, I got to play with my new fully adjustable hurdles with my 6:45pm crew of baseball players, which included an epic wipe out by Zach Dickson in the process (he was OK though).

HOD: Seeing all of my 6:45 crew get psyched out by the new hurdles and then having them all at least try them anyway. The mind can literally be your most powerful ally or your worst enemy - it's always a choice!

Tuesday

On Tuesday, Emily Boyd came to FPT for her first workout at FPT and I was pumped to say the least. A little back story...EB is one of the top pitching prospects in the Southeast Region and has been lighting up GA high school ball since her freshman year. I have been itching to work with her since the day she came into the dungeon one day and knocked out 6 chins up last year - COMPLETELY COLD! Ever since that moment, I have thought "I need to work with this beast!". Well, EB decided she wanted to take her training up a notch this off season and to FPT she came. It is well known that EB is a workhorse so I am particularly proud that she choose FPT to get right for the coming summer. BOO YAH!!!

HOD: Watching EB's face when I got out the Prowler and hearing her say with an uncertain tone "Oh, I've heard about this thing". She then proceeded to rock it anyways. LOVE IT!

Wednesday

FPT was rocking again from 3:15-6:15 - I am pretty sure that it was crazier than last Wednesday! We had all of our young and old crews in full effect in tough, no-nonsense workouts. I will try to keep a better mental log of this Wednesday because I am sure I am leaving stuff of note out. BTW...EB did 7 chin ups to break her own record - BEAST!

HOD: Watching the looks of the various high school kids in FPT as the 3:15 young crew kept grinding through a grueling strong man circuit. I'm pretty sure they all felt sorry for them (and thought I was being mean to them - haha) but they persevered and got through it. Good job Wyatt, Christopher and Tyler.

Thursday

To start off the day, I traveled down to Lookout Valley for some speed consulting. It was a smaller crew than last year but we got alot accomplished with them. I think some of the rotational core drills we did that day will really help them once they get the hang of it. Clarissa doesn't have any groups scheduled on Thursdays so I had the floor to myself for afternoon at FPT. Katie Henderson, Logan Long, and Lacye Walker all had great workouts to finish their training weeks strong. You heard it hear first - all three of these athletes will have monster springs. Later in the evening, Gabby Hughes, who has been training at FPT for what seems like forever now, had one of her better workouts in recent memory. I think she is a good example of an athlete who has benefited greatly from a consistent and dogged approach in the weight room. She is not the fastest, strongest, or most powerful kid at FPT but she has never let that stop her from trying to get better. She is a blue collar kid and I respect her for it more than she knows (even if I get annoyed fussy at her from time to time).

HOD: The 6:45 crew of guys did 13 Prowler drives in a row. It pretty much sucked but they bowed it up and got it done. Good work gentlemen. Special shout out to Skylar Grimes, who keeps on trucking although he is the new guy in a group of veterans.

Friday

MUNCHKIN POWER #1

MUNCHKIN POWER #2

Friday ended up being unusually busy at FPT. I had the "Geriatric" crew (this came out of group member Mary Hughes' mouth just so you know) in the morning followed by the Averitt "crazies" in the early afternoon. Clarissa rocked out at East Ridge high for their volleyball team and then rocked out on "Meggie" Brown, Rachel Harper, and Hope Johnson in the early afternoon. I finished up the night with two crews of Fury munchkins back to back. I only survived to that crazy two hour stretch with the help of super intern Bethany Cowart - you are greatly appreciated. Bethany also did a 400+ lb fat boy Green push (sled + me + both vests + both belts) before working with the munchkins. Now that is hard core!

HOD: The Averitt "crazies" doing their first "fat boy Green" prowler push...when I sat on that sled the looks on their faces was priceless!

 Saturday

The Cherokee Fury baseball had their first official team workout with Mean Green. It was a pretty good effort all around by this young crew and they will make a ton of improvement in the coming months if they bring it like that consistently.

HOD: Corey from the Cherokee crew persevering through a tough workout and giving great effort throughout. He earned an FPT shirt for his effort and heart.

By the numbers...

The Blaes Schmissrauter honorary needless ! tally - 15
Most Prowler Drives Ever Done in 1 Workout Session at FPT-13

Workout Song You Need on Your IPOD
AC/DC - Rock and Roll Train

FPT Week in Review: Let the off season CRAZINESS begin!

And so it begins at FPT...THE OFFICIAL OFF SEASON!  This is an entirely subjective decision on my part - it really could start at any time. However, FPT has a distinctive rhythm because our clientele is made up of primarily softball and volleyball athletes. Basically, November is the first month in which both of these sports are done with high school, middle school, and travel ball seasons. This week saw the return of our "Amazon" crew and we heard quite a few comments that went something like this "Ohhhh my abs hurts" or "Those push ups killed me the other day" etc... Interpretation - Clarissa is "getting work done" on the VB crew!

To sum up - the next few months should be an exciting time at FPT with everyone wanting to train and get after it simultaneously along with the impending facility move. I am really looking forward to updating everyone on the craziness.


Sunday 

Sunday used to be a ridiculous day for FPT - where is everybody?!?! We will have to get Sundays sorted out soon - I'm getting kind of bored over there! However, we did have an awesome first team workout by Fury Parrot with a suitably awesome gunshow picture to end it.

HOD: The Fury Parrot gunshow was one of the best we've ever had at FPT - by rookies no less!

NASTY!

FPT el jefe special note: Don't worry Fury munchkins from Boles and Millwood - your gunshow day is coming soon. I haven't forgotten about ya!

Monday

 Monday featured the return of some of Chattanooga's top volleyball talent to FPT, including close to 1/2 of Choo Choo 17-1 squad that qualified for nationals last year. Talk about some star power! The 12-14 guys at 6:45 also had a great workout.

HOD: Seeing 8 VB studs on the floor - it's been awhile...we've missed you ladies!

Tuesday

Tuesday saw the return of Callie Hildebrand to FPT. If you didn't know already, she was the state championship game MVP for Signal Mountain this year. Ironically, she trained with Rachel Harper, who was the top gun for Boyd Buchanon, the runner up to Signal Mountain in the title game. This was one of the coolest moments I've seen at FPT in awhile - two top flight competitors (who had never met before) training hard and supporting each other throughout a tough workout. Another great moment from Tuesday was Logan Long smoking his first true deadlift workout ever. He has come a long way from last year and is just starting to see the benefits of being consistent with his strength work. Great job "Mop"!

HOD: Seeing Callie and Rachel pushing each other 3 weeks removed from playing each other for a state championship ring!

Wednesday

FPT was rocking from 3:15-6:15 - there were athletes training everywhere. It was so hectic that I can't even remember/describe all that was going on other than all of the various members of the Wednesday crew were getting after it. A special shout out to all of my young crews last night (I have three of them on Wed) - your effort was awesome last night.

HOD: Bethany Cowart became the new facility champion in the Broad Jump (86.5 inches) and won herself a snazzy dri-fit shirt in the process.

Thursday

Yet another solid day for FPT starting off with the boisterous Averitt sisters and finishing with Danzel, our lone football client. The Averitts are FPT's inaugural personal training clients and I am having a blast training them - they definitely provide a different energy to the dungeon! Danzel is finishing up his career at Red Bank and is look to play in college ball next year. We have been doing recovery workouts to keep this iron man healthy and playing at his best. Thus far,he hasn't missed a game yet. Keep up banging big D!

HOD: Zach Dean has been a Featured Athlete before and has been dominating our record boards ever since he walked in the door. We can now add another achievement to his list - the first documented busted med ball. BEAST!

Friday

Not much to report from FPT today. After the "Old Crew" aka "Dinosaurs" aka "Old Farts" got in their typically strong workout in the morning, I was done for the day.

HOD:

My awesome nap from 12-1:30pm...EPIC SUCCESS!

Saturday

FPT was inactive today...

By the numbers...

The Blaes Going Green gratuitous exclamation point usage tally - 13
Med Balls broken this year at FPT - 3

Workout Song You Need on Your IPOD
Linkin Park - Pushing Me Away

FPT: The Week in Review - (Insert Catchy Buzz Words Here)

I decided not too long ago that Fridays would be my main day to get cracking on my various "business" ventures instead of working in the afternoons at traffic-lite FPT (it has always been slow on Friday - I guess Chattanoogans don't roll like that on Fridays). My logic behind this decision was that my time would be better spent growing the 'biz rather than busting out HIT circuits with the few clients I normally get on Friday.

So, how would I rate my efforts on the first (long overdue) planned day of industriousness? Would I turn out to be beacon of productivity that starts thrashing the performance training market in the 'Noog with some new innovative idea or a slothful mullygruber (to quote UT coach Derek Dooley) that frittered away the day?

Shameful as it may be, I have to admit to being a total mullygrubber so far (don't hate me Coach!). To rectify this sad situation, it ironically dawned on me that I should start being productive by being using a vehicle that makes most people unproductive...can anyone say BLOGPOST?!?! And thus "The Week in Review" was born. Tongue-in-cheek appreciated but not required...

Sunday 

Lamest day in recent memory at FPT! Not because the very few people that did show up didn't train hard but because of the very many that didn't survive their Halloween sugar comas to come over and workout. MULLYGRUBBERS! I actually had to look at my schedule book to see who did show up - LAME!

Monday

 The Monday crew is usually a stout bunch and they lived up to their reputation this week. All in attendance trained hard and busted their butts so it was a good start to the week. 

Highlight of the Day: Bethany Cowart knocking out a set of 4x185lbs on Trap Deadlifts. 185lbs used to be her 1 rep max three months ago - BEAST! No one outworks this kids - NO ONE.

Tuesday

This day is dominated by my more advanced kids and longer tenured clients. From looking at my log, I noted a 3 year client, 2 year client, and two other 1 year clients - AWESOME! It is not a common topic but being dedicated to a solid training program over the long term is one of the most under-rated training variables for the common athlete. Some athletes are simply gifted and don't have to do squat to be good but they are vastly outnumbered by athletes who have to build themselves 1 rep, 1 set, and 1 sprint at a time. 

HOD: Katie Henderson knocking out 10 reps of swings for the first time with one of our 60lb KB's. There is a reason she can throw 65mph heaters people.

Wednesday

Easily our most hectic day at FPT...I will typically have several groups of munchkins (anyone under 10 years old in FPT parlance) training right along side some of my high school kids (who are all on different programs). Clarissa alternates between some pretty impressive VB training groups and skill specialization sessions. You might get blasted in the head by an errant serve if you aren't careful. It may look like chaotic at times but that's how we do! 

HOD: Seeing a "herd" of our VB studs getting after it. They have been in-season for 3 months so it just hasn't been the same without them.

Awesome beard - this picture will more sense later - Promise!

Thursday

This day is not unlike Tuesday - mostly older and more advanced clients "doing work son" (as my illustrious fiance Blaes would say). Overall, it was another good blue collar day at FPT - not alot of talk but alot of work. 

HOD: The return of Monk to FPT - I can't wait to make her complain in coming workouts!

Friday

As noted above, this is my "work" day from here on out even though I will likely do some morning training and/or team training because it forces me to do my workouts as well. Can't be a mullygrubber all the time. Special shout out to Terri I. who took the FPT plunge this morning. It's been awhile for her but she did a great job and got through it. Sometimes the first step is the hardest but the most worthwhile because it gets you going somewhere.

HOD: Two unprompted texts in the span of 1 minute from two different people complaining about the extreme soreness they have from yesterday's workouts. LOVE IT!

Saturday

This weekend is our bi-annual Scenic 16's tournament. I am running a testing combine right in the middle of it. Did I mention running events like this are total buzz kill? Sunday clients - please be advised that Coach Green will be extremely crabby on Sunday.

By the numbers...

Gratuitous exclamation point usage - 11

Mullygrubber name drops in this blog (including this one) - 6

Workout Song You Need on Your IPOD

10 Years - "Shoot it out"

The Actual Definition of Mullygrubber

Facilty Update - Part 5

I have totally forgotten what week we are in on the "rehab" process at the new FPT but we are getting closer to completion! Due to a "please EPB-take your time on getting power to the building" delay, we are looking like an mid-December move in. All that is left to do is the final paint job, the turf/carpet job on the floor, and some odds and ends. Once that is done, we are ready to move all of our equipment over and start getting after it. BTW...any help on the equipment  move is always appreciated - this stuff is crazy awkward and really heavy. 

Without further ado - here are some pictures of FPT's new private shower.(I did have a picture of our awesome utility sink but I accidentally deleted it - hope you can forgive me)