If you are a strength and conditioning coach, personal trainer, physical therapist, sports therapist, or other health professional then this is your last chance to apply for the Performance Training Mentorship Programme  that I’m running in September with my colleague Duncan French.

We can’t accept applications for the Spring programme after the 13th March and the next programme won’t run until September 2011, so check out what we are going to cover in March and get yourself up to Newcastle for 3 days of hands on learning, backed up with solid theories and principles.You may even get time to have a night oot on the toon!

Whether training high performance athletes, young athletes or weekend warriors, learning the training methodologies that we use will help you raise your level as an achiever in your profession. We guarantee a 3 day mentorship that will change the way you train yourself and your athletes/clients. We will improve your skills as a trainer and give you the confidence to work with anyone, from weekend warriors through to Olympic level athletes.

Here’s what James has to say about being mentored…

 "I have always been passionately fond of sport and chose to study sports science for my first degree. Here I developed an interest in strength and conditioning but was not sure how to progress in this field. As soon as I began working with Nick he gained my full interest and attention. His mentor programme was different from anything that I had previously encountered. He is able to combine academic knowledge and practical application making personal development easy and enjoyable. His mentoring technique bridges the gap between academic studies and the working environment. Nick has been an inspiration to me as I look forward to starting a career in strength and conditioning. I will always be grateful to him for the way in which he developed my professional and personal skills and for his unfailing help and encouragement."
James Hairsine 

Duncan and I sat down at the start of the year and put a programme together that covers all of the essential elements required by fitness professionals wanting to take their skills to the next level. Here’s what you can expect from the 3 days.

DAY 1 – Wednesday Performance Conditioning Framework

Module One – The Fundamental Principles

Training variables and tools may change but your training principles should remain constant. In the first module Nick and Duncan will walk you through fundamental training principles that are central to the development of high performance training programmes. You will learn the importance of transfer of training and why progressive overload underpins everything you do as a coach.

Module Two – Evaluations

Conducting an initial evaluation of your client, athlete or team is crucial. Learn how to develop an effective needs analysis, the key points to remember during evaluations, and the most effective movement screens and fitness tests currently being used by professionals in the industry.

Module Three – Programme Design

Nick and Duncan have written thousands of training programmes for professionals in sport and will share with you how to design the most effective programme for the athlete. You will discover how to choose suitable periodisation models, manipulate every training variable (not just sets and reps) and how to select and sequence exercises to develop fully integrated training programmes.

Module Four – Art and Science of Performance Coaching

Do you know how to get the best out of your athletes and clients? In this module Nick and Duncan will share with you decision training strategies that are far superior to traditional behavioural models. You will learn about the evolution of coaching and how to use language more effectively to establish triggers and coaching cues that will elevate your clients’ performances during training.

DAY 2 – Thursday – Advanced Conditioning Strategies

Module One – Movement Preparation

If your idea of preparing a client or athlete to perform is to send them off on a run around the pitch or to sit them on a bike for 10 minutes then you need to pay attention during this module. Nick and Duncan will show the importance of movement preparation and will explore a range of strategies including pre-activation drills, soft tissue techniques, flexibility and mobility and lifting complexes.

Module Two – Core stability and Strength

Physiotherapists have had a huge influence on current trends in core training. Whilst they know how to get injured people healthy they don’t always know how to prepare people for the demands of sport or life. Nick and Duncan will cut through the myths and pseudo science and show you fast and effective strategies to develop strong and stable core musculature using a range of simple yet highly effective training techniques.

Module Three – Energy Systems

Do your clients and athletes need the ability to tolerate and recover from high workloads? In this module Nick and Duncan will show you how to develop phenomenal work capacities in your clients and athletes using both traditional and contemporary training methods. Find out how reverse periodisation can develop the specific fitness needed to achieve optimal adaptive responses.

Module Four – Recovery and Regeneration

As coaches you need to develop programmes that optimise your clients and athletes physiological adaptations whilst reducing the risk of residual fatigue. Nick and Duncan will explore the multifactorial nature of fatigue, its impact on performance and how using the recovery pyramid you can establish recovery strategies that will significantly enhance your clients and athletes performances.

DAY 3 – Friday - Strength, Power and Speed

Module One – Strength and Power Development

Nick and Duncan have both spent more than a decade getting athletes stronger and more powerful. In this module they will discuss strength training for athletic performance, the importance of force development and the effective application of Olympic weightlifting techniques and plyometics. At the end of this module you will understand how to lift correctly and develop true athleticism with your athletes and clients.

Module Two – Multidimensional Speed and Agility

Top performers in any sport are typically those that are the most explosive and efficient movers. Discover how to develop absolute linear speed, improve your athletes ability to detect and react to a stimulus and accelerate, decelerate effectively. Armed with the fundamental training techniques you will learn how to develop game speed – multidimensional speed and agility using modern training strategies such as CHAOS training and decision training. 

The agenda provides a very brief overview of what this mentorship programme is all about. The information here has been developed from being in the trenches week in, week out, for over a decade; taking thousands of weight training sessions, speed sessions, field sessions, warm ups, rehabilitation sessions; finding out what works and more importantly what doesn’t!

The Performance Training Mentorship Programme will be offered during selected weeks throughout the year. The programme is limited to 16 people and is by application only. To register for the mentorship programme please e-mail your current CV and a brief paragraph (maximum 500 words) about why you should be accepted to info@nickgrantham.com

Full programme details, including accommodation and travel options will be provided to all mentorship participants once accepted onto the programme.

The mentorship program will be offered:

Spring Mentorship March 30th – April 1st 2011

Programme Cost

The cost of the mentorship programme is £1000 for three days of valuable learning experience.