March/April 2020 - 20

FROM HOSPITAL ADMIN TO SPEED COACH
Phil Campbell's sprint science journey
After a quarter century as a hospital administrator and
part-time speed coach, Phil Campbell jumped into full-time
coaching. Campbell has now trained thousands of athletes,
including well-known clients Super Bowl MVP Ray Lewis
and three-time Super Bowl winner Jerry Rice.
Campbell's athletic career as a decorated USA Track &
Field Masters sprinter and javelin thrower evidences his
understanding of how to perform as a high-level athlete. An
athlete through and through, he competed in the 40-yard
dash in his late forties, getting a 4.69s time and winning
the race. His experience lends well to training coaches in
protocols to maximize speed potential of athletes at all levels.
Campbell holds several master's degrees and his
certifications include ACSM-CPT
and FACHE from the American
College
of
CPT.
Sports
Exercise
physiologist
Medicine
by
education and speed trainer by
vocation, Campbell has shared
his
techniques with beginner athletes and professionals
alike. During his time as a part-time speed coach, his
weekend speed trainings became so popular that he was
asked about
them while doing personal workouts at
the
gym. It was then that Campbell decided to make coaching
his full-time focus.
His two-day speed camps are primarily held in California,
and athletes fly from all over North America to attend them.
His goal is to train athletes to reach their desired sprint
speed by conditioning their brains. He starts with the body's
innate abilities gained in childhood.
" The first question I ask is, 'Do you remember the first day
you learned how to run?' No one remembers because we
were so small. We learned to run upright with slow twitch
muscle because we weren't strong enough for fast twitch, "
Campbell said. " Your brain isn't wired to use fast twitch. It
wants to conserve. Your inner ear puts on the brakes. " To train
an athlete in speed, Campbell's technique works to combat
this innate response by forcing the body out of balance and
teaching the inner ear to accept that forward motion.
Speed camps with Campbell include Sprint 8, the
20-minute interval training Campbell developed from his
research on the natural release of human growth hormone.
Sprint 8 protocols increase muscle mass and energy by
helping the body tap into exercise-induced human growth
hormones. Studies show that following the Sprint 8 protocols
three times a week for eight weeks
can result in a 27% reduction
in body fat.1
this protocol via personal
He conceptualized
testing
in the gym, backed it up with
scientific research and partnered
with Matrix Fitness to include the Sprint 8 program on their
cardio machines.
Campbell's book, Sprint 8 Cardio Protocol, details his
research and the methodology of the sprint-intensity cardio
program. He's also recently released a new book, How
to Coach Speed Technique, as a valuable resource for
coaches to utilize when incorporating speed technique into
their regular trainings.
In an upcoming report from Matrix Fitness and Training &
Conditioning, Campbell's training protocols will be outlined
to give coaches the basics they need to get started
teaching the protocols to their athletes. Look for the report
in June 2020.
References:
1. Burt, D. (2012). " Targeting exercise-induced growth hormone release: A novel approach to fighting obesity by substantially increasing endogenous GH
serum levels naturally. " KDMC, Brookhaven, MS, http://www.readysetgofitness.com/obesity_research2.shtml
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March/April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March/April 2020