October/November 2020 - 31

Total Athlete Development
going to be offered. Whereas, before,
it never was an offered thing where
people got a choice.
" There's certainly going to be
components where, 'OK, we have inperson
options here, given parameters
of health and safety.' But certainly,
there are many people who are
reluctant to go back to a packed gym.
So, I do think what's going to be new
in the industry is that virtual sessions
or virtual training are just going to be
an offer that's going to be part of any
package. "
3. Proper Breathing
As simple as it can seem, breathing
the right way has become an
important focus within the industry.
Breathing the right way, or the
wrong way can have an impact on
progress in the weight room - which
then affects how athletes can perform
on the field or court.
" What we call 'chest-breathers'
tend to have some issues in upper
body thoracic mobility because of the
way they breathe, " Pullara said.
As Pullara alludes to and Gentilcore
points out, the emphasis on breathing
isn't about " oxygen exchange. "
Incorporating correctives focused on
breathing helps clients get into a more
stable position.
" It's about the position of the body
and how well the diaphragm plays
with the pelvic floor and position of
the rib cage and allowing people to
explore different positions, " Gentilcore
said. " (For example) when we go
deadlift and squat, you're going to be
a little bit more efficient.
" Many top coaches and trainers
understand the importance of
helping their athletes achieve a better
position. So it isn't just about, 'OK, go
stretch and do these dynamic drills
before you train.' No, we're going to
do a couple of these breathing drills
that take maybe a minute to get that
ribcage in a better position, get you in
a better position. Now we're going to
go train in a better position. "
4. Increased Emphasis on Recovery
There's no singular component that's
key to recovery. Refueling is important,
but athletes still need proper sleep.
Again, thanks to advancements in
technology, getting enough hours
isn't the sole focus when it comes to
sleep anymore.
" I think people are kind of
catching on that sleep, hydration
(and) adequate calorie is the key
to recovery, sleep in particular, "
Gentilcore said. " Now that we have
all these ways of measuring sleep
quality with an Apple Watch, I think it
definitely helps people understand the
importance of sleep quality. Because
they can feel the difference between
when their sleep quality is good and
how they're able to train. There's a
massive difference. "
At Purdue, Pullara's athletes have
even more help at their disposal.
They have pneumatic compression
boots that help reduce swelling and
improve the recovery process, among
other tools.
But Pullara has noticed a more
significant change in the college
setting over recent years.
" The big piece is the growth of
sports dietitians and the use of them
in the collegiate setting has grown
so much, " he said. " It's now common
to have a whole staff - three or
four dietitians to a department, if not
more. I think that's been a big piece
of the recovery and care for studentathletes.
Really focusing on the food
they're consuming, the timing of that.
" The NCAA rules have loosened
up in that area. The ability to feed
athletes has been significantly
elevated. " n
training-conditioning.com | 29
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October/November 2020

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