Diane Vives, MS, CSCS is currently one of our TNP Trainers and has been an active member of the TNP Training Council since July 2008.  She is the owner of Fit4Austin, a personal training company that uses functional and performance training methodology to get the best possible results for all levels of athletes and fitness clients.  She currently lectures and provides high-energy, hands-on workshops internationally in the fields of strength and conditioning, fitness, and sport-specific training.  She is driven by the passion, knowledge and technical expertise that have blessed her with 12 years of success. During that time Diane has served athletes as a strength and conditioning coach, personal trainer, and co-founder and director of training at the Institute of Human Performance.

Her athletic background includes playing Division I Softball at University of Texas Arlington and has continued her competitive spirit by currently competing in women’s tennis, soccer and multiple endurance sport events. 


Diane also owns Vives Training Systems where she shares her passion for performance training and is the author of SMARTsets DVDs and Manuals, an integrated training system that fuses functional training with traditional science aimed at providing a proven plan of action for trainers and coaches to be more effective with their athletes and clients.  She is also the author of Training the Female Athlete DVD and Manual where she focuses on the specific strategies that can take all female athletes to new levels of performance and resist injury. She co-authored the Speed, Agility, and Quickness book published by Human Kinetics that provides coaches and trainers with a great practical field guide with over 200 exercises and drills.   

Diane currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, whose mission statement is “We are the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, we support and disseminate research-based knowledge and its practical application to improve athletic performance and fitness.” 

 

One of the newest members of Under Armour TNP Training is Jeff Friday. Jeff will be bringing his experience on the road at several of our Under Armour Combines and helping you get better everyday as an athlete through entries here on the blog.

Jeff is the former Head Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Baltimore Ravens, holding the position for nine years. With more than 18 years of experience in training and developing college and professional athletes, Jeff has implemented athletic development programs in several intercollegiate men’s and women’s sports that have allowed athletes to succeed at the highest levels. Friday has spent 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and has been associated with teams that have made the playoffs 7 times, including a Super Bowl Championship.  He has trained more than 27 NFL Pro Bowl players.

Jeff earned his bachelor’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and received his Master’s Degree in Exercise Science.  He also holds a certificate in Therapeutic massage.  In 2000, Friday was named Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by a vote of his peers in the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.

Jeff is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a Certified Level 1 Strength Coach by the United States Weightlifting Federation, a Functional Movement Screen (FMS) Certified Specialist, and a Certified Active Release (ART) Provider.

My name is Chris Mohr and I am proud to be the Performance Nutritionist for Under Armour’s TNP Training Council.  I am the owner of Mohr Results, Inc, a nutrition consulting company created to improve the performance of individuals from all walks of life; from elite athletes to soccer moms, and everyone in between. 

An athlete myself, I am a finisher of the 2008 Louisville Ironman – I talk the talk and walk the walk.  I am a nutrition consultant to the University of Louisville Athletic Department, was the sports nutritionist at the University of Massachusetts and work with a variety of nutrition companies throughout the country. 

The difference between good athletes and elite athletes is the right training,  dedication, and determination – all fueled by optimal performance foods to power through workouts and win games.  Knowing what it takes to create great athletes, Under Armour pulled together an elite team of coaches throughout the world, making sure to include performance nutrition as part of the unparalleled total package.  Our goal as a Council is to make you a better athlete!

I lecture extensively throughout the country, both to athletes and trainers and coaches working with athletes.  I am the author of a sports nutrition book, and have written over 500 articles for a variety of fitness publications, including Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Fitness, Self, and am a Nutrition Advisor for Men’s Fitness Magazine.  I also help spread the word about nutrition through the media outreach I do – I have appeared on the Montel Williams Show, worked with Chef Emeril Lagasse, was the nutrition consultant for a book with LL Cool J, and am working on a project with Fitness Celebrity Denise Austin.

As a lifelong student, I earned BS and MS degrees in Nutrition from The Pennsylvania State University and the University of Massachusetts, respectively.  I earned a PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Pittsburgh, am a registered dietitian, and a board certified specialist in sports dietetics.  I bridge the gap between academics and performance – where science meets reality – to provide you the absolute most critical information on performance nutrition. 
 

My name is Steve Hess. and I was the first full time strength and conditioning coach for the Denver Nuggets. I am now an assistant coach blessed enough to have been in Denver for 12 years, training some of the best athletes in the NBA.

I been featured in magazines and TV but my greatest achievement is the honor to share my knowledge with any athlete trying to attain their goals for sports and for life. Under Armour has the vision to allow competent performance specialists like myself to help every athlete on the planet get better. They have created a training dream team where we all have specialties to create a top-tier knowledge base and I am proud to represent basketball on the Under Armour TNP Training Council.

Together we are creating The New Prototype for performance training. Under Armour and the Training Council are about to revolutionize how athletes train!

My programs incorporate many concepts with one idea in mind: the need to make an athlete better on the basketball court.  Basketball is a running and jumping sport where the first three steps, changes in pace and overall cardiovascular levels have to be high. I will always be adaptive and creative because as training evolves so do I.

There are tools in basketball that make you better. To be strong you have to get strong, to be fast you have to get fast, to be explosive you have to get explosive and the list goes on. We will break it down to your sport, your position, and through training and nutrition you will attain your goals.
I look forward to helping you get better everyday!

THE FUTURE IS OURS!

Steve

The New Prototype marks a new era in performance training. Bridging apparel and equipment with the ‘how’ and ‘why’ will take serious athletes closer to maximizing their potential.

Strength and conditioning has been a central part of my life since middle school; I discovered that as I got faster, stronger, and better conditioned, I became a better player.  As a college football player at the University of Maryland, I was exposed to the best training tactics and techniques in the field of strength and conditioning, while also being exposed to the best training gear, with the beginning of Under Armour during my senior year.

My career as a strength and conditioning professional began in 1997 at The Catholic University of America, where I started and directed the strength and conditioning program. In 1999 I left Catholic University to gain coaching experience at the major college level and worked as a graduate assistant at Arizona State University. I left ASU to become the assistant director of strength and conditioning at the University of Maryland, where I worked from 2000-2005 with fellow TNP coach Dwight Galt. At Maryland I directed the training for men’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, women’s volleyball, and wrestling, while I assisted the training for football.

In 2005 I accepted the position of Director of Strength and Conditioning at Harvard University. At Harvard I am in charge of the training for 41 NCAA teams, the largest Athletic Department in the country. The opportunity to work with such a diversity of athletes, coaches, and teams, ranging from football to fencing, expands one’s perspective and experience as a strength and conditioning coach.

Strength and conditioning professionals believe in the ‘process’ of training athletes. As a former athlete and now as a coach, I have always enjoyed the ‘process’ of performance enhancement.  Friday night lights and big-time games are only possible with thorough and diligent preparation.  Under Armour and The New Prototype is part of the team that is doing the work long before everyone else sees it.
 

It is a great honor for me to represent Under Armour as a member of the "The New Prototype" (TNP) Training Council.  The very fact that Under Armour has taken on this Performance Training initiative is great news to athletes worldwide. This partnership between an elite athletic apparel Brand and state of the art performance enhancement training will result in the achievement of a new standard in performance training.  I have been very fortunate that in my role as Director of Strength and Conditioning for the University of Maryland throughout Under Armour's history, I have had the opportunity to see first hand all that goes into their extensive product development process.  Maryland Football was among the first collegiate programs to get the competitive advantage that Under Armour's performance apparel provides. 

My career as a strength and conditioning professional began in 1984 at the University of Maryland when I accepted a position assisting in the performance enhancement training of the football program.  I'm now currently in my 17th year as the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Maryland and have had the good fortune during my tenure to actively work with all 27 sports in all facets of their physical preparation for elite competition.  In May, 2005, I received my Master Strength Coach Certification from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, and became one of only 48 professionals to receive this distinction. 

The field of performance enhancement training has progressed dramatically throughout my profession career and I have always strived to aggressively seek the most advanced training systems and techniques available to insure that our athletes were consistently at the cutting edge with their preparation.  I'm looking forward to continuing this approach with Under Armour's Performance Training athletes. Those that commit to the Under Armour TNP Training system can be assured of not only wearing the most advanced apparel available, but also to getting the most advanced training protocols from some of the best trainers in the business.

I look forward to speaking with you all again soon. Remember, THE FUTURE IS OURS!

-Dwight
 

My name is David Cruikshank and I am an NHL Skating & Performance Coach. I am also a four-time U.S. Olympic speed skater and co-owner of DC Hybrid Skating, a premier performance training center for hockey players in Milwaukee, WI. Athletes come to our training center to capitalize on the most cutting-edge training techniques that strengthen their skating and hockey skills. We’ve helped develop athletes from the youth level to the NHL and everything in between. I am excited to be part of the Under Armour TNP Performance Training Council, which brings specialized training information to athletes interested in getting better at their sport of choice.

We will give you fresh and new ways to look at your preparation for performance and how to get the most out of your workouts. We will teach you how to safely and effectively optimize your potential no matter where you play. So many people think that if you just work hard and show up to the gym every day, you will get results. If you want to reach your potential, you need so much more than that. It’s about educating yourself on how to do things right. With the Under Armour TNP Training site and this blog, you will have access to the most up-to-date and sport-specific methods available.

My specialty is skating and to become a great hockey player, skating is one of the key elements. Rule changes have forced players to have more speed today than ever. Speed, Power, Evade are universal for all sports, but in hockey they are extremely important in gaining separation and time. We will teach you how to train these elements, as well as attain more power out of each skating stroke with off-ice exercises.

Joining Under Armour and being part of a team that has the energy and drive to be the best is what it’s all about. Surrounding myself with quality people and people that are dedicated to providing the best gear and resources available was an easy choice for me. Under Armour changed the way athletes think about their gear, and now we’ll change the way you think about training.

Follow us on a ride where the FUTURE IS OURS!

David Cruikshank
NHL Skating & Performance Coach
Co-Owner DC Hybrid Skating
4-Time USA Olympian

DANA CAVALEA
Director of Strength and Conditioning, New York Yankees
CEO, Major League Strength

TNP Athletes,

My name is Dana Cavalea. I am the Director of Strength and Conditioning of the New York Yankees, as well as the CEO of Major League Strength, a training company designed to enhance the athletic ability and lifestyle of youth baseball and softball players. Working with some of the best athletes in the game has given me a unique coaching perspective, which I'll deliver to the Under Armour Community in a fun, easy-to-understand, results-driven way.

As you've read before, this is The New Prototype of Training...brought to you by Under Armour. Under Armour has taken the time to bring the best Sports Performance Training specialists together to create an elite Council on training that will deliver high octane programming, exercise selection, and most importantly increased ability on the playing field. If you're an athlete and you're serious about your sport(s), then the time to get better is NOW!

After being presented the opportunity to be a part of the Under Armour TNP Training Council, my answer was an obvious YES. I knew partnering with the Brand that has revolutionized the way athletes think about athletic apparel---and now footwear---would give me the chance to deliver quality content and outcomes to a hungry audience of the best athletes in the world.

Within this revolutionary program, athletes will have a chance to learn the same skills and drills that professional athletes use in order to dominate the game, and control the opposition utilizing Speed, Power, and Evade. This triple threat is what leads to greatness, and greatness is what all athletes should strive for.

Once again I am extremely excited to play an active part on this team, and look forward to posting entries about advances in training that will help take an athlete’s game to the next level both on and off the field. Performance is not a sometimes thing, it’s an all the time thing. We need to teach athletes how to perform on and off the field, both physically and mentally. TNP athletes dominate the mental to control the physical, so they train the mind and body together for a 1-2 punch. Dreams are meant to be reached, so lock it in and be ready to challenge your biggest dream. If you're into getting ahead, staying motivated, and breaking personal bests, keep reading the blog. And remember: The Future is Ours!
 

Hello, my name is Duane Carlisle and I am the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Francisco 49ers. I am excited to have the opportunity to provide cutting-edge Performance Training Information through Under Armour's TNP Performance Training Council. Partnering with the best performance athletic brand on the planet was a no brainer and now we will collectively change the way people think about training!

Under Armour is taking Performance Training to a whole new level as evidenced by their new line of Performance Training shoes. Imagine that, they have created shoes specifically designed for speed, power, and agility training! It is my goal to provide Performance Training tips and information to give you guidance on how to maximize your speed, explosive power, and the ability to evade an opponent.

Here is an abbreviated sample of some of the cutting-edge information you can expect to receive from me over the next several weeks:

For years, it was believed that athletes were inherently fast or slow. Consequently, the belief that speed was impossible to teach was widely accepted. Another widely held belief associated with speed is that in order to become faster an athlete must run, run, run. Even today, when asked about the definition of speed, the most common answer is "speed is how fast a person can run".

Speed training counteracts all of the above mentioned beliefs. With the help of modern science, we now know that every individual is born with a certain percentage of fast twitch (fast) and slow twitch (endurance) muscle fibers. Maximizing an athlete's fast twitch potential is the objective of speed development.

Speed development training focuses on maximizing three areas related to an athlete's movement: speed, quickness, and agility. Often, speed, quickness, and agility are thought of as being one in the same. However, they are really three distinct skills that require individual development. Keep coming back to learn how to properly develop each of these skills and become "The New Prototype"!

Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to helping take your game to the next level.

The Future is Ours!!

Editor's Note: The next member of the TNP Training Council to introduce themselves is Chip Smith. Chip is recognized as one of the foremost speed and strength experts in the U.S. Chip holds a BS in Physical Education from Liberty University, and he did post-graduate work in speed and strength at the world-renowned Soviet Sports Institute in Moscow. He holds a Masters of Sports Science certification from ISSA. Here is what he has to say:

Hello, athletes!
 
I'm Chip Smith, President and Founder of Competitive Edge Sports in Atlanta, GA. I've spent the past 30 years training professional athletes in all sports. Some of my notable clients are 2005 Defensive Player of the Year Brian Urlacher, 9-time Pro Bowler Champ Bailey, NFL Comeback Player of the Year Garrison Hearst, and over 300 current NFL players. I also train athletes outside of the NFL, including several NBA players and stars from the Majors, including Jeff Francoeur of the Braves and Michael Barrett of the Padres.
 
I'm excited to a part of the Under Armour TNP Training. Sharing information is a powerful tool, particularly for athletes who are looking for ways to improve. I look forward to interacting with athletes from various sports and from participants at all levels. Some of the topics that I hope to share in the coming weeks include: training aids, speed and strength training techniques, elite level training methodology, nutrition tips, and combine drill preparation. I would welcome questions about training and related topics from the readers.

Until next time...THE FUTURE IS OURS!

Chip