Summer time at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc means a number of things. It can mean the arrival of the hockey players we work with. It can mean the return of a summer intern. And it can mean school is in session. Not literally though as summer is the time students are off from school. But more in terms of the staff at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc going to school. This summer has been no different. Here's a quick recap of where we've been for learning. NSCA State Clinic - Spokane, WAHeading to Spokane for a conference is always fun as I 'm able to reconnect with some college buddies. If you're in the area go see Dan and his staff at the Laguna Cafe. Try the Irish Death beer. I hear it's good. In early June Jordy, Megan & I packed up and headed south to Spokane for the NSCA Washington State Clinic. We would have been four but one of the interns forgot his passport and had to stay home. Interns... A few years ago I had the opportunity to see Dr. Dale Canavan provide a review of the literature with respect to stretching. Knowing the quality of his own presentations I felt confident he would put on a great event this year. We weren't disappointed. Sessions included topics on dynamic warm-ups, sprint training and training the high school athlete. As this all took place at a training facility called U District it was nice to have access to some turf and room to move for the hands-on portion. U District is located in the Gonzaga University district and thus the name. Personally there were a couple of highlights of this clinic. First was Ryan Hite's presentation on speed training. He did a great job on defining the various energy systems...

Local Olympian to Open Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Kelowna, BC – June 19, 2012) Local Olympic medallist Chris Le Bihan will open the Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference and provide the welcoming address. Le Bihan, who won bronze in four man bobsled at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, will speak as to the impact top-level training methods and scientific research allowed for his success at the Olympics.Notes conference co-host Chris Collins, of Okanagan Peak Performance Inc.; “Typically we associate Olympic legacies with the facilities which remain after the Games. In this case with Le Bihan, we have a real life legacy that interacts with our clients and athletes on a daily basis. He exemplifies what an Olympic athlete should be and is a great mentor for those seeking elite athletic performance.”Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. will be hosting this inaugural event bringing to Kelowna some of the top experts in athletic strength & conditioning. Following Le Bihan’s welcoming address attendees will have the unique opportunity to learn from the best in the field of strength & conditioning.Presenters will include: Dr. Charlie Weingroff – Noted physical therapist, former NBA      strength coach, Nike Sparq Training Human Movement Expert Dr. Martin Gibala – Professor McMaster University, emphasis in high      intensity interval training Dr. Jeff Cubos – Chiropractic sports specialist, certified strength      coach, specialization in core stabilization Joel Jamieson – MMA trainer, specialist in managing athletic      training stress & recovery Sean Skahan – Strength & conditioning coach with the Anaheim      Ducks, 2007 Stanley Cup, 9 players in the 2010 OlympicsAttendees will range from personal trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, therapists, medical professionals, sports coaches and sports enthusiasts. In addition to the presentations attendees will have opportunities to meet Le Bihan and the presenters during meal...

Recently Alexandra and I drove down to Seattle with Jordy and Megan for a one day clinic put on by Perform Better. At this particular event we were lucky to catch the following four presenters: Rachel Cosgrove Charlie Weingroff Gray Cook Alwyn Cosgrove Mike Boyle was scheduled to present but I can imagine his new position with the Red Sox probably limits his time and availability to participate in these events. So Gray Cook filled in for him. Are you familiar with Gray Cook? If not it's like saying Crosby is not available for the shootout but Ovechkin can fill in for him. Kudos to Perform Better for providing a fill-in such as Gray. And lucky for all of us in attendance. But let's get to what they all talked about. 1. Rachel Cosgrove -  Designing Fat Loss Programs For Your Female Clients The big take aways from Rachel's presentation was the level of system development that exists at Results Fitness which she owns with her husband Alwyn. Better systems allows for better results. She went into detail showing the breakdown of what an hour session looks like at her gym and provided a number of examples of factors that are unique to training women. For example there should be consideration of prone exercises, jumping exercises, time of month (menstruation) and time of their life (menopause) when training women. 2. Charlie Weingroff  - Understanding Joint Centration If you've seen Charlie speak before you'll know what a treat it is to learn from him. And while he's great online and on podcasts etc he's such an energetic personality you really do need to see him in person. Click at the end of this sentence to see Charlie in Kelowna this summer www.strengthconference.comWhat is joint centration? Well I hope I'm doing Charlie justice by describing...