“I was extremely lucky to be able to train at Endeavor Fitness this summer.  Endeavor was recommended to me by a friend and it was everything that I was looking for.  I knew that I needed to get stronger and faster and without a doubt Kevin Neeld has done that for me.  I had a posterior shoulder dislocation several years ago, which is a pretty rare injury.  The surgery has significantly limited my range of motion and strength on that side.  Kevin was able to pinpoint my limitations and help modify my training program, which is something most trainers can’t do.  My shoulders are now stronger than ever.  I also lost over 5 lbs of fat, while still putting on some muscle mass.   Being able to train with professional hockey players every day really drove me to work as hard as possible.  With Kevin designing some amazing training programs I have developed the strength and speed I need to perform well in my first professional season.”

Mike Gershon, Port Huron IceHawks (IHL)


“Since Brianna has been training with Endeavor Fitness her overall strength, conditioning and endurance have dramatically improved.  As soon as the spring soccer season started we noticed significant improvement in her ability to move on the soccer field.  

One of the most noticeable improvements was in her confidence. She was not only physically  faster and stronger, but mentally she felt faster and stronger.  

I would personally recommend Endeavor Fitness to anyone looking to improved the overall physical and mental conditioning of any young athlete.  On top of that Endeavor Fitness has a first class training facility with some of the best trainers in the industry, not simply because they are certified, but because they care.”

Paul Donahue, Head Coach Harrison SC Charge


“We can’t say enough good things about Endeavor fitness and their training staff.   Kevin Neeld and his group have been training our son for only 3 months and we have noticed significant improvements in his strength, confidence and most importantly his performance.  I am very impressed with their attention to detail and the individual time they give to each athlete making sure they understand how to properly perform each exercise.  

Our son is very happy with the results so far and he looks forward to coming to the gym.  I would highly recommend Endeavor Fitness to any athlete looking to improve his performance and gain an edge on his/her competition!”

Ron Deysher, Delaware Ducks 12AA


“Endeavor Fitness is a top of the line facility and an incredible training environment. As a current Endeavor client, I look forward to training everyday alongside other elite athletes and under awesome coaches.  Whether you're looking to train for an upcoming sports season or just shred some pounds, Endeavor is the place you want to be!”

Kyle Smith, University of New Hampshire (NCAA D1)


"Endeavor has the best facility, programs, and coaches around. If you play hockey and aren't training there you're crazy."

James Van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)


"Our 11 year old son Dan has been training with Kevin Neeld at Endeavor for the past seven months.  He plays travel baseball and basketball and his athleticism and confidence has improved while training there.  The training methods at Endeavor are age appropriate which is imporant to the development of young athletes.

Our son is very happy with the results so far and really looks forward to going to the gym.  We have been very happy with Kevin and the staff at Endeavor and highly recommend them."

Lorraine and Joe Tracy, Washington Township, NJ


"I've been working out with Kevin Neeld and his staff at Endeavor Fitness on improving my golf game and the results have been phenomenal.  I've seen marked increases in strength, flexibility, and core stability that have enabled me to hit the golf ball farther, straighter and more consistently.

Futhermore, Kevin has designed a workout that has not only improved my golf game but also achieved my general health goals like losing weight, gaining strength and looking better.

Kevin and his staff create a positive culture that makes it fun to go to the gym.  They're knowledgable, motivating and are focused on helping you achieve your goals.

In the competitive market of strength & conditioning and sports performance training, Kevin Neeld and Endeavor Fitness are rising stars and I'd strongly recommend working with them- NOW!"

Jeff Swetland, Little Mill C.C. Member


“The Hockey Training led by Kevin Neeld at Endeavor Fitness has helped me reach goals throughout the summer that were beyond my expectations. Since Day 1 I have left the facility feeling stronger and more confident. The attention to detail and the workouts have made me stronger mentally and physically. After 3 months of training I can already feel drastic improvements in my quickness and speed on the ice. I have never felt results like this in 5 years of training! 

Endeavor is one of the only gyms in the world that has all the resources for me to improve every aspect of my game.  The synthetic ice and skating treadmill have helped me improve my shot as well as lengthen my stride and skate at speeds I couldn’t quite push myself to on the ice.

Kevin was great about changing my training program to accommodate my individual needs.  I went through a serious tendon surgery in April that I thought would delay my training drastically.  Following surgery, Kevin set up a specific program for me that would not cause any harm to my thumb and still allowed me to get stronger and train for the upcoming season.  In previous years I would train all summer and develop back pain that made it difficult to keep up with my program.  At Endeavor I haven’t had back pain all summer because of the extensive core work and strengthening of specific surrounding muscles.  After a summer of hockey-specific lifting and conditioning at Endeavor, I feel like I am prepared to compete against professional hockey players.

Without Jared Beach and Kevin Neeld’s passion for the game of hockey, education, and coaching experience I don’t believe I would be where I am today.  I can’t stress enough how incredible Endeavor has been for me.  I would highly recommend it to any athlete striving to play at an elite-level.”

Eric Tangradi, Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)


“My team started training at Endeavor 4 weeks ago and I already see a difference on the field. I run a pretty high tempo practice. Not only do my girls look faster at the beginning of the practice, but they’re still moving at the same speed at the end. In just 4 sessions, their athleticism AND confidence have grown tremendously.  The improvements in their speed and endurance have surpassed any of my expectations.

As a coach, it’s so great to go to the field knowing that my players’ speed and conditioning work is already taken care of. Now I can spend the entire practice developing skills and tactics. What more can a coach ask for?”

Rodney Reyes, Head Coach Glassboro Breeze


"After 6 weeks of training, I can honestly say my daughter is stronger than ever! When we first came to Endeavor, she was suffering from pretty significant pain in her knee from Osgood-Schlatter. Not only was she in pain, but it was affecting the way she ran. As a result of her training, the pain in her knees has disappeared and she’s running better than ever. We look forward to continuing the relationship with your facility in the months to come. To the entire Endeavor Staff, thank you for your diligence and unwavering commitment to helping your athletes succeed."

Mike Thompson, Philadelphdia Belles





NEWS & EVENTS
Blog

 Posted in Core Training on June 21st, 2010 at 2:38 PM


Every week I get questions about core training from athletes and parents. Core training is right there with conditioning as being one of the most MISunderstood aspects of athletic development.

Your core truly creates the foundation for EVERY movement. As such, it’s important that athletes train to have adequate core control, strength, and endurance.

In order to properly train the core, we need to know what it is. I still see so many young athletes doing crunches, sit-ups, leg throw downs, Russian twists and Supermans. This exemplifies that, as a whole, the athletic community still doesn’t understand the core’s composition and function. Most think of the core as the 6-pack muscles. Others are enlightened enough to include the obliques. In reality these muscles are only a drop in the bucket.

 Endeavor Sports Performance Core Muscles            

Cross Section of the Midsection

Endeavor Sports Performance Hip Muscles            

Medial and Lateral Hip Musculature

Endeavor Sports Performance Posterior Core Muscles

Dozens of Posterior Muscles Attaching to the Hips and Spine             

The core includes every muscle (several dozen) that attaches to the hips and spine. Collectively, these muscles serve to:

  1. Create a stable foundation for extremity (leg/arm) movement
  2. Transfer force between the lower and upper body


Individually, these muscles have a large variety of purposes, from decelerating powerful movements to stabilizing individual spinal segments, to sending information back to your brain about the velocity and force of stresses placed across them.

Core Training Pitfalls
Re-read the two primary purposes of the core and take a moment to examine how traditional core training exercises (e.g. crunches/sit-ups, leg throw downs, Russian twists, and Supermans) fit within that context. You’ll quickly realize that they don’t, at all. None of these exercises teach your body to create stability through the midsection or to transfer force. These exercises are meant to “isolate” certain core muscles in nonsense movement patterns.

These exercises teach and reinforce movement skills you don’t need and can be downright dangerous. Dr. Stuart McGill has shown that repetitive rounding of the lower back (especially when in conjunction with rotation, as in a Russian twist) is a great way to slip a disc and Supermans cause excessive stress to the facets of your lower spinal segments. There’s a reason why so many people get back pain from these exercises!

Training the Core for Athletic Prowess
In contrast, basic exercises like front planks, side planks and glute brdiges reinforce the linking between the hips and upper body, proper posture, and activate the core muscles to a greater extent than the more commonly used garbage exercises anyway!

At Endeavor, we progress these basic exercises to exercises that involve stabilization against linear (slideboard rollouts), lateral (2-way bunkie side planks), rotational (standing belly press), and diagonal forces (tall kneeling chop). When a solid foundation is built, athletes are better able to control hip movement (essential for quick direction changes), have an improved ability to transfer force between the lower and upper body (essential for sprinting, shooting, hitting, kicking, etc.) and have a substantially lower risk of hip, abdominal, lower back, and shoulder injuries.

Every time I see an athlete doing one of those “traditional” core exercises I cringe. The best case scenario is that they’re just wasting their time. Worst case scenario is that they hurt themselves and reinforce muscle imbalances and poor posture that will likely get them hurt in the future.

Train hard, but train smart. Start training your core to improve its true function. Your body will thank you in the long run.

To your continued success,

Kevin Neeld
 


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