This webinar series is for coaches, trainers and athletes of any level who want to learn proven, research-based strategies for athletes to retrain, recondition and return to peak performance in a post-pandemic world. All while avoiding injury.
The entire series is available on-demand and features the talented faculty, students and alumni from three leading universities in exercise science: Concordia University Chicago, Concordia University St. Paul, and St. Francis College Brooklyn.
Our speakers represent some of the best and brightest minds in exercise science, athletic training and conditioning, tactical performance and nutrition, and elite sports in the United States.
You’ll learn about topics such as:
- base testing for body recomposition
- goal setting for retraining
- reconditioning for competition
- nutrition for injury prevention and recovery
- coaching challenges in recreational sports
- the importance of movement for aging populations
- common misconceptions that can lead to injury
- paying attention to your mental health as you get back in shape
How to Watch
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“Goal Setting for Retraining and Return to Competition”
Gerry Shaw, EdD
St. Francis College Brooklyn, Professor
Resuming practice and their competitive schedule after a significant time off due to the Covid pandemic, athletes are highly susceptible to injury and bitter disappointment. Many athletes, along with their coaches, expect to resume their workouts where they left off, a strategy that can result in disaster. Goal setting—a powerful behavioral intervention for performance enhancement—can be of immense practical value if appropriately applied during this period. This webinar will highlight the many advantages of goal setting and provide guidelines that athletes and coaches need to follow in establishing goals.
Dr. Shaw holds a doctorate in sports psychology and a master’s in exercise physiology. He is a fencing master and a licensed clinical therapist. Read more.
“Athlete Body Recomposition Through Base Training and Nutrition“
Victoria Burgess, PhD, CISSN
Tactical Athlete Nutrition, CEO
Concordia University Chicago,
Adjunct Faculty
In this webinar, Dr. Burgess will help coaches, trainers and athletes understand they can use base performance testing and body composition testing to understand you or your athletes or clients’ current state of conditioning. She’ll also discuss how you can develop a proper training and nutrition plan to bring your athletes, clients, or yourself back to the levels they were at pre-COVID while avoiding overtraining, undereating, and more.
Dr. Burgess is the founder of Tactical Athlete Nutrition + Performance, a boutique agency that develops performance and nutrition programming for athletes of various disciplines, including tactical athletes and the general population. Read more
“Coaching Recreational Sports in a Post-COVID World”
Todd Gober, MS, PhD (ABD)
Concordia University Chicago
As coaches, it is imperative that we assess our athletes’ overall impact from the pandemic as they enter or return to recreational sports. This presentation will explore those physical, mental, and lifestyle impacts during the pandemic which may increase their risks of injury. The importance of goal setting will be discussed as the coach and athlete must establish agreeable performance measures which reinforce slow progression focusing on injury prevention. Training plan development will be discussed primarily focusing on the importance of a “Return-to-Sports” phase before prescribing an annual periodized training plan. This presentation will conclude with a discussion on the importance of monitoring progression while reinforcing injury prevention.
Todd found his passion for health and fitness through triathlons, as he became dedicated to transforming his own health. Today he is completing his PhD in Health and Human Performance at Concordia University Chicago. Read more.
“No Pain, No Gain: Coaching Misconceptions That Lead to Injury”
John McNamara, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
St. Francis College Brooklyn,
Program Chair, Exercise Science
When it comes to coaching, there are many misconceptions regarding proper training that can lead athletes to injury, rather than to peak conditioning. This webinar will cover proper training techniques and common misunderstandings surrounding them, and will end with a Q&A with Dr. McNamara.
Dr. McNamara holds a doctorate in kinesiology. He is an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Level One Certified Olympic Weightlifting Coach with USAW. His areas of research include training theory, flexible nonlinear periodization, and exercise program design. Read more.
“Returning to Exercise Post-Pandemic”
Daniel Gaz, MSc
Mayo Clinic,
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Concordia University St. Paul,
Instructor, Dept of Exercise Science
In this talk, we will cover how to return to normal activity as the world returns to a “new normal.” Goals of this presentation include what you can do if you haven’t done any physical activity since the pandemic hit, how to set realistic goals to return to regular physical activity, resources for home or outdoor gyms and movement recommendations, and data to support exercise after a long delay.
Professor Gaz is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and program manager at the Mayo Clinic. He is a Certified Wellness Coach from the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist, and a Certified Rhythm Analysis Technician with Cardiovascular Credentialing International. Read more.
“Roundtable: Nutrition Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Facilitate Healing“
Tavis Piattoly, MS, RD, LDN
My Sports Dietician,
Co-founder and Director of Sports Nutrition Education
Concordia University Chicago, Faculty
Joanne Villaflor, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD
U.S. Department of Defense,
Performance Enhancement Dietician
Concordia University Chicago,
Adjunct Faculty
This roundtable discussion will feature sports nutrition experts Joanne Villaflor and Tavis Piattoly, as they cover nutrition strategies to facilitate healing and prevent injury, and improve health. This webinar will cover everything you need to know about how to assess nutritional needs of an athlete, the impact proper or poor nutrition can have on injury, proper nutrition strategies, and more.