North Central Regional Conference

This session will be a hands on training session by one of the top minds in the United States in yoga.  This session will go over what, in the presenter’s mind, are the best stretching practices to be done for all for improved performance in sport as well as an enhanced quality of life.

The Game Changers film took the world by storm in late 2019. The film made really large claims regarding the performance enhancing effects of plant based diets, but do the claims stand up to the science?

The sport of Powerlifting has evolved greatly over the last decade. Athletes and coaches alike use time tested and researched strength training protocols, recovery methodology, as well as biomechanical analysis to gain a competitive advantage. Strength cures a lot of issues in sport. Powerlifting methods have long been associated with creating stronger athletes. Coach Brad Gillingham will go through what he has learned through his career as an athlete and a coach and apply those lessons to the strength development of all athletes.

This session will be a hand on practical going over progressions for teaching athletes to run in a biomechanically correct fashion, as well as drills/plyometrics for increasing the athlete's ability to maximize force, running efficiency, acceleration, and top end speed.

A trend in fitness, weight loss, as well as strength training has been the use of high protein diets. What do we know about the long term effects of using such nutritional methodologies? In this presentation, Dr. Antonio will discuss the current effects associated with high protein diets and what results individuals engaging in these nutritional plans can expect to see.

Research highlights the use of Olympic Weightlifting techniques for greater development of power and rate of force development in athletes. Coach Miller will cover his philosophies on the utilization of the Olympic Weightlifting movements as well as assistance exercises he deems appropriate for the development of all athletes.

NFL Combine preparation has become a big business for performance improvement specialists. No physical tests have been more analyzed and scrutinized for biomechanic efficiency and output than the drills used in the NFL Combine. What have we learned through the years of examination and exploration of these tests? This presentation will break down the most effective techniques for developing acceleration, deceleration, and change of direction and apply these concepts towards developing general athleticism.

The practice of sports nutrition is at a crossroads. Carbohydrate is an essential fuel for high intensity athletic training. Yet many of our clients are retreating from including the "staff of life" and one of our most convenient food sources of carbohydrate and other essential nutrients, the loaf of bread, in their diets. Concerns for the health of the public and our planet around commodity wheat and highly refined milling and processing is growing. While there are some unfounded fears, experts from the plant sciences, environmental sciences and nutritionalsciences can confirm the reality of other evidence-based claims. The answer is not to eliminate all grains from the diet, but to reach back to the whole and heritage grains and processing methods of old, bring them forward with the benefits of current plant breeding and engineering techniques, blending historic and modern knowledge to enhance both wellness, access and community. This presentation will introduce the participants to the visionary evidence-based work occurring in plant breeding and nutrition science, grain processing and sourdough baking of whole and heritage grains, with the purpose of enlightening and educating, tasting and bringing actionable recommendations to consult with clients and the sports nutrition industry.

This presentation will cover the many uses of the back squat. The squat is beneficial in a multitude of areas from postural correction to athlete strength and power development. Discussed will be the proper biomechanical approaches to teaching the back squat as well as current empirical evidence as to the benefits of implementing the squat into regular exercise routines.