Author Archive

Every Tuesday and Thursday evening for the next 5 weeks we will be meeting at St. John the Baptist High School to help you:

• IMPROVE ATHLETICISM
• INCREASE RUNNING SPEED
• REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY
• INCREASE KNOWLEDGE OF PERFORMANCE TRAINING
• GET IN GREAT SHAPE FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON

Check out this short educational video I posted especially for St. John’s Football to learn more about this upcoming program:

ENROLL NOW TO RESERVE A SPOT

Program Details:

• ·        5-week Speed, Agility, Strength, Power, and Conditioning Program.

  ·        Program Dates: July 15, 20, 22, 27, 29 and August 3, 5, 10, 12, 17

  ·        Sessions are Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at 7:00 PM (begins Thurs. July 15)

  ·        Cost is $100 per athlete

  ·        60 minute sessions at St. John the Baptist High School

  ·        Each Athlete will get a T-shirt

ENROLL NOW TO RESERVE A SPOT

Questions?

email me at coachfrankdolan@gmail.com

Since I work with all types of people, from Athletes to Fitness Boot Campers, it is interesting to listen to people’s perspective on what will get them the results they want.

In most cases people are thinking in terms of old school techniques that have more to do with training to be a body builder or a fitness model and less to do with getting themselves prepared for the demands of their sport or achieve their fat loss goals.

Here is a short video clip we recently posted on YouTube that I think you will enjoy and I urge you to check out.

Please leave me any comments or questions on the blog and I will be sure and answer them as soon as possible.

This past weekend I was out on the west coast teaching the Tier 4 trainers of Equinox Fitness Club. It truly was a great experience.

I started out in LA, arriving Friday and checking in to the Sunset Marquis Hotel. The Sunset Marquis is an upscale hotel with luxury villas frequented by movie stars and rock stars. It boasts a recording studio in the basement and is steps away from the Sunset Strip. I spent the day poolside preparing my presentation the next day on “Coaching and Programming for Speed and Power”. The staff at the Sunset and West Hollywood vibe pumped me up to deliver a great workshop for the next two days. On Saturday we started the first workshop at Century City nestled between a prosperous business district and Beverly Hills. The club was beautiful and as I met the 10 coaches I would be teaching for the next few days I knew we would have a blast. Everyone had a high level coaching background and were motivated to learn which made it easy to get through the material.

Sunday morning before teaching my last day at Century City I had the opportunity to attend the Early Bird Service at Agape Spiritual Center in Culver City. This is the spiritual community started by “The Secret” star, Michael Beckwith. Although Michael not there, Ishmail Tuttei led the congregation through a moving and uplifting sermon. It was only my second time there but I know Agape is one of my favorite places to be.

From there I had a few hours to kill before heading back to Century City so I swung over to another one of my favorite places… Santa Monica. When I arrived I grabbed a breakfast at a small café then walked about 20 blocks over to Core Performance Center. CP Center was founded by my mentor Mark Verstegen and I was very impressed with this new model. The technology was cutting edge and the staff was great, stopping their day to tour me excitedly through the facility. Then, after teaching that day I relaxed at the hotel to prepare for round two of “Coaching and Programming for Speed and Power”.

Monday morning I boarded a Virgin America flight up to San Fransisco grabbed my rental car and headed down Route 101 to Palo Alto. Chris the manager of the Palo Alto Equinox is a graduate and former Rugby player at Stanford so we had access to their field house most of the weekend. The beautiful campus was a great venue to teach the 6 young trainers of the Palo Alto club. There was a much different vibe in Palo Alto. It was a smaller group and in a much more intimate setting. I delivered the material over two days and even had the opportunity to catch the Giants beat the Nationals on Tuesday night. Before my flight home on Wednesday I headed up to the Fisherman’s Warf for lunch. It seemed to me that the area could have been its own foreign country! Tons of tourists lined the streets.

So, now I am home from my trip and it is back to work for me. Although I was teaching about 8 hours a day to other coaches it was a lot of downtime for me. Much more alone time than I am used to these days. It was a way to step out of myself for a few days while still being able to execute on my work…. huge confidence builder indeed.

Check out this short core training video clip to make sure you have been training your core correctly.

I have seen this quote on two different occasions this week so maybe someone is trying to tell me something.

“Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are a lot of reasons to be consistent.  Consistency keeps us safe and protects us from the task of changing our mind and the pain of change.  It is also considered a way to reach your goals.  Consistently practicing and working on your skills is sure to get you to reach your goals.  Right?

But what if you have changed in the process of reaching those goals?  What if the things you are doing on a day to day basis are keeping up with the status quo and not congruent with what will really help you thrive.

I think with all the changes in the economy and the world in the last year it would be “small minded” to blindly continue doing what you have always done.

A new Fitness Boot Camp Strength and Power Phase begins on Monday, April 26th.  Here is a great testimonial from one of our current campers.

Go to http://all4sportsandfitness.com/fitness-center/fitness-boot-camp/ to register for the next camp.

A few months back I posted a review of Christopher McDougall’s book “Born to Run” about barefoot running. This morning I found another quick video that I think you might enjoy.

Title: Olympic Lifts for T4 Equinox Trainers
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Link out: Click here
Description: Coach Frank Dolan will be teaching the Olympic Lifts in this hands on workshop to the Tier 4 Trainers of Equinox Fitness Clubs.
Start Date: 2010-05-24
Start Time: 9:00
End Date: 2010-05-25
End Time: 17:00

Title: Olympic Lifts for T4 Equinox Trainers
Location: Los Angeles
Link out: Click here
Description: Coach Frank Dolan will be teaching the Olympic Lifts in this hands on workshop to the Tier 4 Trainers of Equinox Fitness Clubs.
Start Date: 2010-05-22
Start Time: 9:00
End Date: 2010-05-23
End Time: 17:00

Title: Olympic Lifts for T4 Equinox Trainers
Location: Equinox at 44th and Lex, NYC
Link out: Click here
Description: Coach Frank Dolan will be teaching the O-Lifts in this hands on two-day workshop for the Tier 4 trainers of Equinox Fitness Clubs.
Start Date: 2010-03-06
Start Time: 10:30
End Date: 2010-03-07
End Time: 17:00

This past weekend I attended a great workshop up in Providence, RI given by two of the fitness industry’s best….. Rachel and Alwyn Cosgrove.  The workshop was for fitness business owners and trainers to help get them from “Counting Reps, to Counting Revenue” as the workshop is titled.

This workshop was very beneficial in so many ways and their transparency was incredible.  I have never been to a seminar where the presenters actually show you their acutal numbers!!  This was not only tremendously helpful to use as a model but also to see that these guys are really doing what they teach.  Amazing…

I recommend this to all fitness professionals looking to make a difference…

http://performbetter.com/catalog/matriarch/OnePiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_356_A_PageName_E_CosgroveBusinessSeminars

Anyway… one thing that really stuck with me from the weekend was when Rachel said, “sometimes you need to jump and know that the net will appear”.

In our culture it can seem like taking risks is a dangerous thing to do.  But when I look back, I have never achieved anything playing it safe.  We can all have a tendency to wait for things to be perfect and operate with fall back plans.  What if the waiting, the familiar of being in your comfort zone, and the need for a safety net is the very reason why you are not getting where you want to go?

Right now I can think of about 5 things in my life right now that I am navigating without a “safety net”.  Is it scary?  You bet!!  But I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Last years post, “Milestone” was one of my most popular posts in the 3 years I have been blogging and probably 6 or 7 years I have been writing a newsletter!  So I figured I would follow it up with a new type of birthday address.  Last year it was all about reflection.  This year is all about moving forward.

This past year has been a year of transition for me and I think it has been for many people.  It seems in the current state of the world people are looking a lot closer at what is most important in life.   Myself included.  This post is about what is important to me.

Our purpose at All 4 Sports and Fitness is to generate and support healthy lifestyles in the surrounding community through sports and fitness programming, service, and education.  Whether it be an advertisement that goes out, a speed training program we run for a lacrosse team, or hiring a person to run the children’s fitness program… that has been the idea that drives any action we take.

The more I think about this lately the more I realize that we are not in the “gym” business any more.  The access model is long gone and although the low cost “big box” gyms will still attract people who want to pay for something and not use it…. I don’t think that is the long term strategy that people need right now.

Here is the problem.

The old model only provides people with a place to work out but we all know that does not guarantee results.  A lot needs to happen for you to get what you want out of a membership.  While we are on this subject of results, lets define that for a moment because I think that is where most of us set ourselves up for failure.  I think most people define results as changing something about themselves that they don’t like.  Problem is that the entire time that they are working on changing it they are completely focused on what they don’t like.  When you focus on something with that kind of energy it makes it extremely difficult to change.

Can you start to see how this has been a problem?  We have the wrong motivation from the start and couple that with a “body building” focused gym environment… Maybe this is why only 16% of Americans have joined a health club and we are the fattest nation in the world!!

Down the road I have heard that the solution may be using technology to track the activity levels and intensity of people to give them a financial motivation (lower insurance premiums) to live a fit and active lifestyle…..  Or maybe even having the companies pay for everyone’s healthy costs like memberships and trainers…. But until that time people must be motivated for themselves.

My goal this year is to set up the optimal environment for that to happen.

Do I have any idea how I am going to do that?  Not a clue!!  But I do know it is going to be fun!!

Even though I grew up a Mets fan I have to say that I have been a closet Yankee fan for years now.

I think it all started after September 11th when they played some gutsy games against the D- backs but came up short.

Or maybe it was when Pedro threw Don Zimmer to the ground on that cold day in Boston.

I’m not sure….

Two years ago I had the opportunity to work with them in Spring Training, and that pretty much solidified my loyalty to the team.

My good buddy Dana Cavalea is their Strength and Conditioning Coach and I couldn’t be happier for him after the big win last night!!!

This year Dana will be hosting the 2nd Annual Major League Strength Coaches Clinic.

It will be held at St. John’s University on November 21st.

I am honored to be speaking at the event again and if you are a baseball coach or know a baseball coach this is an event that should not be missed.

Check out the lineup…

Periodization and Functional Progressions for Baseball (Jay Shiner, Strength Coach of the Baltimore Orioles)

Speed Development - Linear and Lateral Progressions (Frank Dolan, All 4 Sports and Fitness)

Injury Prevention and Recognition of the Shoulder and Elbow (Brian Becker, Excel Physical Therapy)

Pitching Mechanics, Warm- ups, and the Importance of Training (John Habyan, Fomer Major League Pitcher and Head Coach of St. John the Baptist D.H.S.)

Load to Explode Power Progressions (Jeff Cavaliere, Head Physical Therapist and Strength Coach of the New York Mets)

Trends of the Modern Day Ball Player (Dana Cavalea, Strength Coach of the New York Yankees

MLS COACHES CLINIC INFORMATION

St. John’s University, Saturday, November 21st

Early Bird Registration only $199

CLICK HERE to sign up

Train like a PRO at this 1-day event! You’ll learn how to become a better baseball and softball specific performance coach or trainer. This event is perfect for the coach that wants to understand strength and conditioning, or the trainer looking to enhance their knowledge of sports-specific movement based education and protocols.

Here’s your chance to learn from some of Major League Baseball’s top strength and conditioning coaches, and take your program to the next level.

Most baseball and softball coaches have very little background on strength and conditioning and do drill after drill, without knowing WHY! This clinic will answer all of your questions.

CLICK HERE to sign up

Please pass this information on to any baseball or softball coaches you know.

Title: Brockport Baseball Performance Program
Location: The College at Brockport, Brockport, NY
Link out: Click here
Description: Coach Frank will be at the College at Brockport to consult with the Baseball Team.
Date: 2009-10-22

On August 16, 2009 Steve Kaplan (Bethpage Tennis Club, NY) and I presented a Tennis Performance Workshop to the trainers of Equinox Fitness Clubs in NYC. Below you can view our introduction….

Coach Frank Dolan

Tennis Pro Steve Kaplan

First off, I would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement for our first presentation of Tennis Performance for Tennis Pros and Fitness Trainers….

Yesterday, Steve Kaplan (of Bethpage Tennis Club) and I presented it to the trainers of Equinox Fitness Clubs in NYC.

Here is a short highlight reel of the event.

Will Smith is one of my favorite actors.  And now I know why.

Watch this clip.  Think about what you want.  Then choose if it is possible or impossible.

Could it be as simple of making up your mind?

Sunday, August 16th I will be at Equinox on 43rd and 5th for our first presentation of Improving Tennis Performance.

I have teamed up with Steve Kaplan of the Bethpage Tennis Center to create a workshop that merges the skill and mechanics of tennis with the physical training and injury considerations of the sport.

I am very excited about this new venture…

If you are a Tennis Player or Coach or know someone who is, please pass on this info to them….

IMPROVING TENNIS PERFORMANCE

with Sports Performance Expert, Frank Dolan, and Tennis Pro, Steve Kaplan

Learn how to design a comprehensive tennis performance program using the most up to date on- court and off-court training strategies.

DATE Sunday, August 16th
TIME 9:00AM - 4:00PM
PLACE Equinox 43rd St (at 5th Ave)
DETAILS $87 class fee
6 NSCA Contact Hours* (*pending)

In this one day lecture and hands-on workshop you will learn:

• Movement protocols for optimal tennis performance
• The nuances of the game from a pro’s perspective
• What players need physically to accomplish high levels of performance
• What the best players do to get the most of their bodies
• How to decrease injury potential with your players
• How to overcome hitting a “plateau of improvement”
• Off-court training methods to help players take full advantage of the new techniques
• How to evaluate players prior to training and at critical periods of development
• Strategies to set up daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly program periodization for unpredictable and demanding playing schedules
• Simple strategies for player maintenance while they are away from you

Register via the Equinox Corporate Box Office on PTontheNET or call All 4 Sports and Fitness at 631- 321-1900

It’s Friday night after a long work week and I am just finishing up with some emails before I catch up on some reading I have wanted to do.  Forget about going out tonight… Even though it is a holiday weekend I can’t even think about what tomorrow would be like if I were to stay up late tonight.

Each day I watch people struggle with trying to get fit and healthy.  How to balance work, family, kids, recreational activities, and surviving this economy….

And as if email wasn’t hard enough to keep up with… trying to stay up to date on the Facebook and Twitter front!  Forget about it!!

Our health and well being seems to take a back seat to the every day stress of life, but I intend to put an end to that.  Right now I am putting together a solution to make sure you can put yourself first… get in great shape and stay on top of this crazy day and age…

Things don’t seem to be slowing down so you might as well do something about it now!!

Check out my solution here.

At this point if you have been following my blog you may have an interest in attending an “RYL” course.  You may have had something specifically come to mind for you when you read my email, watched my video, or spoke to me about it.

I’d like to ask you to think of what it is you would like to get out of a self-improvement weekend course, such as “RYL”?

There really is nothing I can say to convince you that it is more important for you than doing what you are planning to do this weekend, or using the money for some bills you need to pay.

But what I will say is that whatever it is you would want to get out of a course like this, you will get.  The answer you are looking for will be found and the change you seek will be set in motion.

Sounds like hocus pocus… I know, but what if it were true?  What if you really could have exactly what you want?  It only takes you stepping out of your life for one weekend to be able to go back with a crystal clear perception.  It only takes you putting that money towards something like this that can make all the difference versus putting it towards another bill just like every month before.

What will need to change for you to give it a try?  How much longer do you want to wait to get what you want?  These are simple questions, but sometimes it is hard to take that leap if you are unsure about what is on the other side.

I believe there is no other option in life.  This weekend is an opportunity for you.  Don’t let it go by.  And not something you will want to miss out on in this lifetime.

That I can guarantee….

If you would like to speak with me further about this please email me at fdolan17@optonline.net

There will be an info night tonight, May 27th at 8:00 pm at All 4 Sports and Fitness if you would like to meet with Mel the course instructor and learn more about the weekend course.

The course begins Friday night.

How would you like your life to be different Monday morning?

The really cool thing about Facebook is that you can tap into help from others. A few hours ago I posted on my page that I was writing a newsletter, but was waiting for an idea to come to me. Sure enough one of our members and friend of mine Chuck Wilson wrote back, “write about what has inspired you to achieve the things you have in your life”.

Now that right there is what inspires me today. Being able to have the opportunity to help and inspire people.

I have to say that it was not always like that though.

When I was playing baseball in college and when my father and I opened All 4 Sports and Fitness back in 2001 it was all about me. I think I was so focused on myself and what other people thought of me that it did propel me in a way to do some pretty cool things.

I wanted to be on the baseball team… Then be a starter… Then All- American… Then play at the next level.

After my baseball career I wanted to be a business person… Then a trainer and coach… Then a successful speaker…

I had an image of who I wanted to be and over time was able to get there. The only problem with that was that once I achieved a goal, the joy of it all quickly dissipated. I remember consistently feeling like “is this all there is”. It was almost like something was missing.

After lots of personal growth work (which was driven by me again wanting to be a certain type of person) I began to realize that my focus on what other people thought of me was exactly what held me back from enjoying my personal achievements. Until I was able to do what I really wanted to do without the influence of what others thought of me, I was unable to experience the joy of achievement.

Now I realize it is about contribution and I get to do that every day! That is why I bombard you with emails each week, post videos on my blog, and promote programs like the Fitness Boot Camp and the “RYL” Experience. Now I am driven by helping people and I am so lucky to be in a position to do so…

So I guess my message today is do what you really want to do. Don’t let the approval of others inspire you because you will get no real joy from that.

Find and take advantage of every opportunity to be better at being who YOU are.

I had a great interview with Virtual Assistance Industry Expert Denise Griffitts last week. Denise specifically asked me to address fitness issues that directly affect people who are largely sedentary because of their work or career choice. Denise had the following to say on one of her blogs:

“One thing Virtual Assistants, Web Developers, Online Business Coaches and other people who work largely in front of a computer screen all have in common is that we work largely in front of a computer screen ! This means that they can quickly become tired, experience eye strain and back aches, weight gain and just generally begin to feel run down and cranky if we don’t take control of our lives and incorporate physical activities into our work day.

One thing that we all share with the rest of the world right now is what I term “news driven economy stress”. No matter what your industry, whether you are self-employed or employed outside of the home, economy concerns seem to be driving stress levels to very high levels which can affect your health, your mental acuity, and your relationships.

Did you know that recent research indicates certain forms of exercise requiring a fairly consistent repetitive motion can alter one’s state of consciousness? Described by some as moving meditation, the physiological effects of regular participation in these activities is very similar to what happens when one practices meditation. Breathing and movement, act as a mantra and may in part be responsible for the feelings of calmness and tranquility claimed by some in response to exercise.

In this interview I will talk about easy and effective ways to manage stress with physical activity. I will talk about how working non-stop can actually hurt your productivity and why you should take regularly scheduled quick exercise breaks during the day. This call is your opportunity to ask questions that will help you positively impact your physical and mental well-being.

Listen to the interview here and view the videos that I reference in the interview here.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the commercials or received those spam emails stating that you can feel better and add years to your life if you buy such-and-such pill or extract. I’m here to tell you that you don’t need anything more than simple exercise to add years to your life.

I found this study which shows that physical activity improves longevity. It is possible to extend your life by exercising on a regular basis. It is also never too late to start. The study focused on the longevity of over 2000 men, all of whom were in their fifties when the study began. Not surprisingly, those who exercised on a regular basis lived longer. The part that is surprising is that even those men who had not been exercising prior to reaching their fifties actually significantly extended their lifespan. And we’re not talking about hitting the gym twice a day every day. Even working out only a few times a week on a regular basis can have tremendous benefits to your health and your life.

That being said, beginning a good exercise routine is not an activity you should put off. Though there are benefits to those who begin later, it is not a fix-all solution. The best solution is to start a good exercise routine while you are still healthy and young as your short-term benefits will be better health, better mental and emotional well-being, and you will begin to improve your overall physical appearance as well. And the long-term benefits are a longer and healthier life!

My brother Ryan and his wife Melissa have been telling me that I should see the “Legend of Baggar Vance” for quite some time now… So my girlfriend Lindsey and I sat down to watch it yesterday on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

The movie touches on the concept of forcing vs. allowing that I wrote about a few months back.  When it comes to sports performance, or any performance for that matter, the question is whether or not it is effective to try so hard all the time.  Do we need to grit it out or can we tap into something that we already have within us?

In my experience, trying hard and fighting it out has produced nothing more than frustration and fragmented results.  If this is true for you as well, why not try something different.  Start by watching this clip from the movie….