That mission is;

--- to encourage and enhance the general public's pursuit of personal growth, self-education, and life long learning

--- to change the paradigm of medical health, psychology, and parenting in our society

--- to contribute to the removal of large numbers of "customers" from the old medicine and mental health care systems by facilitating and encouraging "Competent Self-Care".

Achieving Goals --- Personal Power

Achieving Goals

If at first you don't succeed.....don't try, try again. Approach the achievement of goals as problem solving situations. If at first you don't succeed, figure it out and get it done.

Its best to avoid approaching the achievement of one's goals in a whilly-nilly fashion. Creating some degree of controlability is a good thing, and not something to be avoided. Much of human performance is not about finding out if you can do it, but about learning how to get it done.

Hopes and dreams are just hopes and dreams until you;

1 -- learn how to achieve them

2 -- grant yourself permission to aggressively implement what you've learned.

As you continue to acquire and apply more information, you continue to expand the area of what is possible for you to achieve.

There are no set backs or side treks, there are only experiences along the path to where you choose to go.

Goals are experiences that we would like to have. Focus on achieving the process that creates the desired experiences. Focus on task mastery, knowledge acquisition, personal improvement, and personal achievement of higher ability. Focus on improving oneself and one's processes of pursuing personal growth. Focus on process rather than outcome.

"Self-image congruence" and its more popular description known as the comfort zone, is a major issue in sport and sport psychology in this century. When the goals one sets and pursues are beyond the self-image, thus outside the upper boundary of the comfort zone, some sort of sabotage of goal achievement is inevitable.

Do the work within yourself. In the pursuit of your goals, remove all potential self-created limitations from your path. Be aggressive. Create an unstoppable juggernaut. Think bigger. Explore your ability level [and encourage others to do the same].

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Personal Power

The most powerful people in this world, are not those who have power over others, but those who have mastery over themselves. You are not your social status, your bank account, your grades, or your job title. You are, above all else.....Powerful. You are in this world;

--- to discover that

--- to grow into living it

--- to overcome the distractions from it

--- and to help others do the same.

Love is power. Self-love is the root of Personal Power. Show kindness and love to yourself and others by aggressively pursuing self-improvement as a way of life. Improving yourself provides more things about yourself for you to value and hold in high esteem.....producing a more powerful self-image and higher levels of mastery over self. Self-improvement is a process of improving one's thoughts, choices, behaviors, and actions. You can never say that you love yourself while you are unwilling or resistant to change and improve yourself.

The purpose of life is not to see how many personal problems we can choose to deny or do nothing about, or to see how many limitations we can set or accept for ourselves. The purpose of life is to grow into living your personal power. Fill your life, not with the distractions of substances, things, or shallow relationships, but with the shameless pursuit of self-change, improvement, and growth.

The true source of abundant happiness, is not outside yourself, but within. All of your possessions in this world are within you. What you....choose.....to do with them, is what life is all about. The instruction to "Preach to all nations the message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins", is an instruction of Self-Change through the conscious, intentional, and aggressive pursuit of self-improvement.

"The universal human journey is one of becoming conscious of our power, and how to use that power." Carolyn Myss....Anatomy of The Spirit "The personal power that comes from principle-centered living is the power of a self-aware, knowledgeable, proactive individual, unrestricted by the attitudes, behaviors, and actions of others or by many of the circumstances and environmental influences that limit other people." Stephen Covey [7 Habits Of Highly Effective People&page 123]

"Not that I have already obtained, or am already perfected, but I pursue." Apostle Paul [Phillipians 3:12]

Your 5 Outlets Of Power

--- What you are

--- What you do

--- What you say

--- What you give

--- What you pray

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"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things, because the innovator has for enemies, all those who have done well under the old conditions, and luke warm defenders in those who may do well under the new."

[Machiavelli]

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"Prosperity flows to those who can tap the genius within themselves."

[anon]

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"Nature to be commanded, must be obeyed."

[Francis Bacon]

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"As we learn to abide by the laws of this creation, we learn how to use those laws to our own good…. As we use these talents, we learn how to work with, and eventually understand, the laws and overcome the limitations of this life."

[Betty Eadie….Embraced By The Light]

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"I don't know that there is any magic level of interest in science that people ought to have. But the more they understand, the more they will be able to control their destiny and achieve their other aims."

[Stephen Hawking]

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"As you become involved in continuing education, you increase your knowledge base and you increase your options."

[Stephen Covey]

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"Society's future depends on a citizenry that can think and reason creatively and deliberately; develop sound judgments of information, and understand and contend effectively with rapid and constant change."

[1983 National Report On Education]

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"Nothing is given automatically. Neither knowledge, nor self-confidence, nor inner-serenity, nor the right way to use your mind. Every value you need or want has to be discovered, learned, and acquired."

[Ayn Rand]

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"...what people are seeking is not the answers to problems, but the reassurance that no answers are possible. A friend of mine once said that today's attitude, paraphrasing the Bible, is:'Forgive me, Father, for I know not what I'm doing, and please don't tell me'."

[Ayn Rand]

ETG Sport Nutritionist & Physical Therapist

The ETG encourages you to utilize the knowledge and "self-care" educational approach of our Sport Nutritionist and Physical Therapist.

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Marsha Beckermann [ETG Sport Nutritionist]

Marsha has been the ETG Sports Nutritionist since 1992. She had been a Registered Dietitian who served as the "Food Coach" for the University of Texas Athletics programs for about 15 years. Marsha has been a sport nutrition consultant for numerous professional and amateur athletes across many sports from NFL football players to world class track & field athletes. She is also a lecturer for sport sciences symposiums and local organizations. Marsha has the combination of being a dietitian --- who lives on a farm --- who managed one of the country's largest collegiate athletic dinning facilities for many years, providing her a unique perspective on issues related to food production, processing, preparation, and consumption.

email address: food.coach@sbcglobal.net

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Allan Besselink [ETG Physical Therapist]

Allan has been the ETG Physical Therapist since 1992 and is among the top Physical Therapists in the world. Born and raised in Brockville, Ontario, Canada, he moved to Austin, Texas in 1990 and is a U.S. resident. Allan has served as a team physical therapist with the United States Track and Field team at the World Cup Of Track & Field, World Championship for Half-Marathon, and the World Cup Race-Walk. He has also served on the event staff for the Olympic Games, U.S. Olympic Trials, USA Track and Field Championships, and the World Junior Track and Field Championships. Through the decade of the 1990's, for 8 of the 10 years, he traveled with ETG club owner Marshall Burt to the annual meeting of USA Track & Field [attending 2 - 3 days of committee meetings from early in the morning to late at night] and was an active participant on their Sports Medicine & Science committee.

Allan has the -Diploma- in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy from the McKenzie Institute International and is one of approximately 300 Physical Therapists, Doctors, and Chiropractors in the ---world--- to attain this high level of training.Allan has also worked as an instructor in the Physical Therapy program at Texas State University, and as an Assistant Professor in the Physical Therapy Aide program at Austin Community College.

Allan owns a sport science based Physical Therapy and coaching business called, Smart Life Institute [SLI]. The SLI offers services providing "Sports Science solutions for Training, Rehab, and Life". He is a runner and triathlete. He is also a coach to numerous runners and triathletes through his SLI programs, including having coached one of Canada's top professional triathletes to a finish in the top 20 at the Ironman World Championships.

He has focused his Physical Therapy practice on the principle of patient education, working towards the objective of "competent self-care". He educates runners to not only be able to resolve their current situation, but to deal with future situations, deleting the need for people to return to him or anybody else. The norm is for doctors--physical therapists to have you come in for patient visit after patient visit after patient visit, not till you get better, but until you reach the limit of what your insurance company will pay for. They help you believe that the norm is normal.

Usually, people with his background, status within the sport, and level of mastery over his area of expertise are pretty non-accessible to the average person in our sport either by design or financially by default. In contrast to that norm, Allan gives a regular series of $5 - $15 lectures in Austin. Put another way, runners in Austin Texas can meet with and acquire information from one of the world's top Physical Therapists for $5 to $15, providing a fairly decent opportunity for people with injuries and people who want to prevent injuries to go and see somebody who is -not- just anybody, and doing so on the cheap. Allan has intentionally made himself financially accessible for runners as patients as well. He has set-up a fee for service price structure. Somebody using their insurance to see somebody else for physical therapy will eventually pay out of their pocket, as much or more in co-pay and deductible than it will cost to see Allan and not use insurance. This is particularly the situation for people who go to a foolish number of visits given their specific injury, seeing somebody who is milking them and their insurance company. In short, Allan does everything he should do to do right by his patients and his athletes.

Allan has published a book titled "RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Pain Free Running"

email address: ab@smartsport.info

website: www.smartlifeinstitute.com

ETG Elite Coaching Support Group

[written by Marshall Burt] There are people out there who are more than just "helpful", in your knowledge acquisition. One major way to increase your access to information is to identify and locate some of those people. Around 1989, I began developing a support group for myself, which consists of several researchers and clinicians whose work I believed would be the most helpful to me in identifying the underlying physiological mechanisms of performance in running, injury prevention, etc. I chose people;

--- (1) whose names I had come across fairly often while reading research

--- (2) a few people who I knew personally and knew their knowledge would be necessary to acquire

--- (3) and I chose researchers whose work was well beyond the norm in the area of sport sciences.

Several members of the University of Texas Women's Athletics Performance Team [during 1980's/90's] formed by Randa Ryan Ph.D. are a part of the group. At University Of Texas; Larry Abraham Ph.D., Marsha Beckermann R.D., Ed Coyle Ph.D., John Ivy Ph.D., Randa Ryan Ph.D.

Others include;

Allan Besselink P.T. Dip.MDT, Austin Tx.--- Dave Martin Ph.D Georgia State University --- Ellen deJong P.T.,Seaside Physical Therapy, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina --- Melvin Williams Ph.D., Old Dominion University --- Jack Wilmore Ph.D., Texas A&M University

All members of our ETG Elite Coaching Support Group have contributed to the development and future success of the Elite Training Group. Access to information is the foundation upon which the club and all its training programs have been built.....These people have collectively provided that access!

Marsha Beckermann......University Of Texas at Austin Contributes as the club's Sport Nutritionist. Has provided information and evaluations that lead to the design of the club’s sport nutrition protocols, one of the foundations of our training system.

Melvin Williams..... Ph.D., Old Dominion University [prof. emeritus] Contributed through his published work in sport nutrition which was used as part of the development of our sport nutrition program, one of the foundations of our training system.

Allan Besselink....P.T. Dip.MDT, Smart Life Institute, Austin Texas Contributes as the club's Physical Therapist. Has provided information that lead to the design of the club’s injury prevention and rehab protocols.

Ellen deJong....P.T.,Seaside Physical Therapy, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Contributed extensively to our strength training, injury rehab and prevention areas of our training program by educating me in the area of sports physical therapy during an informal internship Marshall designed for himself at the Virginia Sportsmedicine Institute in Arlington, Virginia in the late 1980’s. Ellen was one of (9) physical therapists and (4) orthopedic surgeons at the clinic at that time. Marshall spent most of my educational time their, learning from her.

Randa Ryan....Ph.D. University Of Texas at Austin Contributed through her Masters degree thesis, which was perhaps the single greatest influence on the direction of the development of the ETG training program. Her work along with Ed Coyle’s influence, got Marshall focused on mitochondrial development, the recruitment duration portion of the major mechanisms of performance. She also answered questions during her PhD work which helped in the development of our Sport Psychology protocols.

Ed Coyle....Ph.D. University Of Texas at Austin Contributed by allowing Marshall to spend a massive number of hours over the span of several years with he and his students in the human performance laboratory. Answered a large number of questions, and provided huge volumes of information on training the development of mitochondria, training in the heat, fat metabolism, and muscle fiber recruitment. His information is responsible for the development of a large portion of our training program.

Jack Wilmore....Ph.D. Texas A&M University [prof. emeritus] Contributed immediately when Marshall moved to Austin, allowing me to spend several hours a day with he and his students in his laboratory. This dramatically accelerated Marshall’s learning the basic information and terminology required to begin the process of developing a science based training program. Answered a large number of questions and provided information on Vo2 max, lactate threshold, and heat acclimation Most importantly…..he answered a question early on, related to sprint performance and creatine phosphate that eventually also helped lead to Marshall’s focus on the 3 major mechanisms of performance [recruitment, recruitment rate, recruitment duration] which our training program is now based.

John Ivy....Ph.D. University Of Texas at Austin Contributed through his and his students massive volume of work during the 1990’s on glucose transporters and glycogen storage. The information Marshall gained from his work and his answers to questions, combined with info from David Martin, lead to our understanding of the physiological effect of "long runs" in a training program, which in turn lead to the development of significant portions of the ETG training program.

Dave Martin....Ph.D., Georgia State University [prof. emeritus] Contributed by providing answers to Marshall’s questions about glycogen storage that lead to a major breakthrough in the area of the "mileage" question in our program. His help lead to Marshall’s understanding of the physiological effect of "long runs" in a training program, which in turn lead to the development of significant portions of our training program.

Larry Abraham....Ph.D. University Of Texas at Austin Contributed through his research work with rehab patients. He also answered several questions Marshall had that lead directly to his understanding of the nervous system in a way that helped lead to my focusing on the 3 major, nervous system related, mechanisms of performance [recruitment, recruitment rate, recruitment duration] which our training program is now based.

ETG Human Performance Library

[written by Marshall Burt] The purpose of the ETG Human Performance Library is to gather research information in each major area of sport science.

In the late 1980's prior to moving to Austin, I started with just following 3 or 4 journals that were published quarterly [4 issues per year]. Reading these journals caused me to discover how far behind I was both in knowledge, and in my belief system on certain subject matters. After moving to Austin, I was able to dramatically expand the list journals I followed [moving from 4, up to 60], in having access to 4 libraries on the UT campus.

Around 1991, I started reading back issues of all the journals on my list, starting with 1987 issues. I did so because I wanted to get a 5 year review of the research, which would help me get caught up. Due to the number of journals on my list, this reading project took 2 years to complete, spending from 2 - 6 hours per day in the libraries on the UT campus. Today the ETG Human Performance library consists of approximately 60 research journals across 8-10 doctoral disciplines.

The ETG Human Performance Library;

Sport Science Of [Psychophysiology & Mind-Body Medicine] ----------

Brain Research ------ Brain Research Reviews ------ Brain Research Bulletin ------ Brain, Behavior, & Immunity ------ Nature Medicine ------ Psychosomatic Medicine ------Psycho-neuro Endocrinology ------ Immunology ------ The Lancet ------ Journal of the American Medical Association ------ New England Journal of Medicine ------ Journal of National Institutes of Health

Research Sport Science Of [Sport & Social Psychology] ----------

Journal of Applied Communication Research ------ International Journal of Sport Psychology ------ Journal of Sport Behavior ------ Journal of Sport & Social Issues ------ Journal of Exercise and Sport Psychology ------ Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy ------ Journal of Sex Research ------ Journal of Applied Sport Psychology ------ The Sport Psychologist ------ Journal of Non Verbal Behavior

Sport Science Of [Sport Business, Marketing, Promotions] ----------

Journal of Advertising ------ Journal of Advertising Research ------ Journal of Consumer Marketing ------ Journal of Services Marketing ------ Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media ------ Journal of Organizational Behavior ------ Journal of Sport Management ------ Sports Marketing ------ Sports Marketing Quarterly

Sport Science Of [Sport Law] ----------

Marquette Journal of Sport Law ------ Seton Hall Journal of Sport Law ------ Sports Lawyer Journal ------ University of Miami Entertainment & Sports Law Review ------ Villanova Sports & Entertainment Law Journal ------ Virginia Journal Of Sports And The Law ------ Texas Bar Journal ------ State Bar of Texas Entertainment and Sports Law Journal ------ Entertainment & Sports Lawyer

Sport Science Of [Sport Nutrtion] ----------

Nutrition Reviews ------ Journal of Applied Nutrition ------ Journal of American College of Nutrition ------ American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ------ Journal of Optimal Nutrition ------ International Journal of Sport Nutrition ------

Sport Science Of [Sports Medicine & Sports Physical Therapy] ----------

American Journal of Sports Medicine ------ Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy ------ Journal of Sport Rehabilitation

Sport Science Of [Running Biomechanics] ----------

Journal of Applied Biomechanics ------ Sports Biomechanics

Sport Science Of [Sport Physiology] ----------

American Journal of Physiology ------ Journal of Applied Physiology ------ European Journal of Applied Physiology & Occupational Therapy ------ Sports Medicine -----Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport ------ Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise ------ International Journal of Sports Medicine ------ Journal of Sports Medicine & Physical Fitness ------ Journal of Sport Sciences ------ Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research ------ Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology ------ British Journal of Sports Medicine ------ Exercise & Sport Sciences Reviews ------ Sport Science Exchange ------Scandinavian Journal of Sport Sciences ------ Australian Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport ------ European Journal Of Sport Science

ETG Book, Movie, Video List

----- ETG Book List -----

1-- Bradshaw On Homecoming ----- [John Bradshaw]

2-- What To Say When You Talk To Yourself ---- [Shad Helmstetter]

3-- Choices ----- [Shad Helmstetter]

4-- 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People ---- [Stephen Covey]

5-- Life Strategies ----- [Phil McGraw]

6-- Embraced By The Light ------ [Betty Eadie]

7-- The Seat Of The Soul ------ [Gary Zukav]

8-- Philosophy: Who Needs It ------- [Ayn Rand]

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----- ETG Movie List -----

1-- The Breakfast Club

2-- Dead Poets Society

3-- Good Will Hunting

4-- Phenomenon

5-- Powder

6-- The Secret

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----- ETG Video List -----

1-- Bradshaw On Homecoming ----- [1-800-6-BRADSHAW]

2-- Kung Fu (1960s) ----- [Columbia House Video Library&TV Greats section]

3-- Satsang With Gangaji ----- [Gangaji Foundation, www.gangaji.org]

4-- Dog Training ------ [store section&www.unclematty.com]

ETG Position Statements

[written by Marshall Burt]

ETG Position Statement:

Optimal Performance In Distance Running Events

Optimal running performance.......

---Its not about "its genetic"

---Its not about out-dated coaching methods based on "years of experience"

---Its not about altitude, mileage, steroids, or red blood cells.

It is about training, and knowledge of how to train.

It is perhaps better to place oneself on the front-end of change, rather than on the wrong side of history.

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ETG Position Statement:

The Most Fit At Velocities Trained On Most

Your highest level of fitness will be at the paces upon which you do the most training. If you're following a mileage [volume] oriented training program, add up your "easy days", "recovery days", "morning runs", and long runs.

If most of your training is at 9:00 - 10:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 8:00 - 9:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 7:00 - 8:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 6:00 - 7:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 5:00 - 6:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 4:20 - 5:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 6:00 - 7:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 5:00 - 6:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 4:30 - 5:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 4:10 - 4:30 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 3:50 - 4:10 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

If most of your training is at 3:30 - 4:00 per mile pace, that is where you will be the most fit.

The Reality As Long As You Live In This World ------ If you abandon the mileage [volume] oriented training program, by deleting the workouts that produce most of the mileage, your "easy days", "recovery days", "morning runs", and long runs.....you can more easily train on faster paces without over-training.

Your highest level of fitness will be at those faster paces, because your highest level of fitness will be at the paces upon which you do the most training.

In a velocity oriented training program you can do this intentionally, on purpose. In a mileage oriented training program, this is often achieved by accident because.....

1. the runner trained faster on their "easy days", "recovery days", "morning runs", and long runs than he/she was supposed to, particularly runners who train in groups, and somebody "feels good" that day and takes off.

2. the runner trained in a group where the majority were much faster runners than he/she was [similar to what happens when one goes from middle school to high school, or from high school to college].

When The Training Gets Faster The Runner Gets Faster------ When the training gets faster, either intentionally--on purpose or by accident, the runner gets faster.

The easiest way to do it intentionally, on purpose, is via a velocity oriented training program.

The Reality ------ A training program that allows you to stay in an anabolic state [avoids the over-trained state] and train on paces that are fast relative to the performance levels in your segment of the sport [ie. high school, college, or age group] or in the sport as a whole......is a training program that will get you fit at those paces, because your highest level of fitness will be at the paces upon which you do the most training.

This is where the sport is headed!!!

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ETG Position Statement:

"Progressions" In Training Stimuli [ie. training velocity]

It would appear that the primary downfall, not of unsuccessful training programs, but of highly successful ones [a relative term in today's changing world], is the lack of the intentional inclusion of protocols for progressions in training stimuli. One can see this training principle [Progression] going poorly addressed not only in sport training, but in orthopedic rehab clinics, cardiac rehab, in preventive medicine, etc, etc.

Using track & field middle distances [ie. mile, 1500m] as a sport example, one can notice that as top athletes approach the world record, and particularly after they set one, they generally tend to stop training at higher velocities. After setting a record, each year afterward they announce their intentions of setting a new record. After a few years go by without a new record set, they state their intention to move up to a longer race distance and/or make a comment about their age or aging. Sometime later, they retire from the sport. How many times and how many athletes have we seen do this since the 1970's.

To be fair, some went down the path of......."if I ran this fast on 40 miles per week, 100 miles per week will do so much better". Their training programs failed to accurately account for and address the intensity vs. volume issue. The injury issues and lack of anabolic status in their ability to adapt to the training stalled or stopped their progress, and they eventually got frustrated and quit.

Having included that crowd, getting back to the main issue........they may be unaware that what got them to such a high level was the gradual increase in training stimuli, the increase in training velocity as their fitness level progressed. They didn't stop that. Not until they reached the world record, then suddenly the brakes were applied. The inching forward of records causes people to assume that the micro-increments in which world records move forward is an artifact of human physiology rather than a consequence of training program design [ie the lack of progressions of training stimuli].

No progressions in training stimuli produces no progression in fitness and performance level.

No increase in training velocity = no increase in racing velocity.

The principle of Progression in training stimuli [training velocity] can be seen pretty clearly by looking at the U.S. top 10 fastest athletes list for track & field events at the end of each year. Using the men's 800m event as an example, one can notice that the same or similar times are run from one year to the next at the number 10 position. Put another way, if you want to finish a track season among the 10 fastest Americans at 800m, then run about 1:46. If you run 1:46, chances are enormously high that you'll finish the season among the top 10.

In our sport, we tend to attribute this phenomena to something other than intentionally making "Progressions" in the training stimuli. Given where we are as a species in the knowledge of how our body's cells function relative to our prowess or lack thereof in developing that cell function via training.....I'd like to suggest that we look at the simple explanations first and stop with the excuses related to performance bell curves, normal distributions of performance levels, and "its genetic", at least until we do better collectively with the training stimulus issues.

1:46.62 in 2007 was the time of the 10th fastest American

1:46.50 in 2006 was the time of the 10th fastest American

1:47.06 in 2005 was the time of the 10th fastest American

1:46.66 in 2004 was the time of the 10th fastest American

1:46.78 in 2003 was the time of the 10th fastest American

1:46.76 in 2002 was the time of the 10th fastest American

1:46.83 in 2001 was the time of the 10th fastest American

1:46.21 in 2000 was the time of the 10th fastest American

Outside of sport, in the orthopedic rehab area we see patients returning for an obscene number of visits to the rehab clinic, forever doing the same exercises with the same rubber tubing or with the same amount of weight [resistance]. People scratching their heads as to why their recovery is taking so long or why it doesn't seem to be happening at all. What we see in preventive medicine areas are things like the familiar TV commercials that tell us, not if, but when your exercise program fails to lower your cholesterol levels, "ask your doctor" about our magic pill. In the cardiac rehab areas we see patients forever on the treadmill walking at a snail's pace, while their bypass blood vessels, those put in to bypass the clogged ones, gradually clog up over time.

Gradual, standardized "Progressions" in training stimuli matter.

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ETG Position Statement:

Solutions For "Intensity Induced Over-training"

A lot of people claim that a velocity oriented training program will cause over-training leading to injury.

That claim is partially correct!!!

It will lead to an over-trained state if approached in a whilly--nilly fashion. Rather than giving up on it on the front end, it makes some degree of sense to work the problem with the objective of finding an adequate solution.

Injury occurs when the strength of one's tissues is insufficient to handle one's training loads, and when the rate of application of the training loads exceeds the rate of adaptation of the body. One can rather easily design protocols to address those 2 major mechanisms of injury.

That leaves us with only the more broad aspect of over-training to deal with, the one that primarily involves the movement of the body out of an anabolic [tissue and fitness building] state. Going into this type of over-trained state insures that movement in fitness level will stall, stop, or reverse. That is an incredibly easy situation to get into when following a velocity oriented training program. It may take one several weeks to a few months to notice that one's fitness level isn't moving at the rate that it should, or that it has stopped moving, or reversed.

But again, that doesn't mean that the solution is to abandon such a program. It means one should work the problem. Go into problem solving mode and stick with it until one can design a training program with the necessary protocols in place to get the benefits of a velocity oriented program without the over-training downside.

It is possible to do. It can be done by designing protocols that limit the training volume of each individual workout in the training program to something one's body can adapt to, and by providing sufficient rest time between one workout and the next to prevent the accumulation of fatigue. One can also place limits on the training velocity itself by setting it beyond one's current fitness level but not --well beyond-- it. And in an interval training approach, one can place limits on the progressions in duration of the intervals, keeping them short as to avoid adding too high of a training load too quickly, and one can limit the number of interval repetitions in a given workout, which also restricts the training load.

There are a number of ways of achieving this. One need only pursue them. It need not take 13 - 15 years to get things figured out as it did with the ETG training program. A road map of the pot holes and dead-end streets has been provided which can dramatically facilitate the problem solving process [see the article on the homepage of the ETG website titled "What Took You So Long"].

The pay off for investing oneself into the problem solving task stands to be rather substantial during this era of volume oriented training where the overwhelming majority of people are highly resistant to change. Any training program that produces greater and faster results than the norm will put one at a substantial advantage, as we'll all see over the next couple years.

Velocity oriented training is where the future of many sports are, particularly sports that involve running, swimming, cycling, and sprinting.

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ETG Position Statement:

Pulling Up The Plant To See How The Roots Are Doing

Common statement........"I tried velocity oriented training and I got faster at the shorter distances, but had trouble running my longer distances, so I went back to training slower and longer".

You get the most fit at the paces you train on most. But you also get the most fit at the distances you train on most.

If the furthest you've progressed in your half-marathon goal pace workout is 7 miles run successfully at goal pace, then you'll have a pretty good fitness level for the 7 miles - 7.5 mile distance. If after running 7 miles at your goal pace, you decide to jump into a half-marathon race and attempt to run at goal pace for the entire race, you may be disappointed. Instead of jumping into a race, if you suddenly decide to go for a 12 - 15 mile run at a relatively fast pace for you, you may be disappointed with that also. In short, if you pull up the plant to see how the roots are doing, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment.

You're the most fit at 7 miles because that's where your training has been. Your training has not been at the half-marathon distance, or at a 12 - 15 mile run.

If the furthest you've progressed in your 5k goal pace workout is 1.5 miles, then you'll have a pretty good fitness level for the 1.5 miles - 1.75 mile distance. If after running 1.5 mile repetitions at your goal pace, you decide to jump into a 5k race and attempt to run at goal pace for the entire race, you may be disappointed. You're the most fit at 1.5 miles because that's where your training has been. Your training has not been at the 5k distance.

A velocity oriented training program comes at your race distance from below it, working upward. Therefore, you won't be very fit at distances above where you've been in your training. Why? Because you haven't done that training yet. Once you make the training progressions to that level you'll have that fitness. You won't have that fitness before you've done the training.

A traditional mileage oriented training program comes at your race distance from above the race distance and progresses downward to the race distance by increasing the training velocity. Relatively little training is done at goal pace and thus, you'll have little fitness at goal pace. You'll have lots of fitness at slower paces for longer distances. Why? Because thats where your training happens to be.

Patience must rule the day in a velocity oriented training program.

Arguably, in the context of "jumping into races" or trying out long runs well before you've made the progressions to being in the ballpark of your race distance, a velocity oriented training program is not for those who fit the stereotype of the overly-competitive American who must race as often as possible, or for the curious who get excited after making quick progress and want to experiment to see what they can do with their new found fitness.

One cannot pull up the plant to see how the roots are doing.

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ETG Position Statement:

Going Forward In the 21rst Century--- Construction Sites & Electricity

Going forward in the modern era of this 21rst Century, there are now emerging 2 primary areas where all conceptual aspects of human performance in our sport are headed.

1. Construction Sites

2. Electricity Production

Conceptually, these are the 2 areas where human physiology, brain research, nutrition, psychology, training theory, etc, are all now merging and flowing into. These 2 concepts represent the collective work of the past 80 years of sport sciences in identifying how one should view and approach the training of runners in this century. Specifically, what has emerged is the viewing of the body of a runner as a construction site where the building of cell structures and tissues is to occur, and the viewing of the primary foundation of performance in our sport as being the production of electricity in the brain and transmitted to the muscles.

For Athletes, The Human Body Is A Construction Site

The body of a runner is a construction site. In cells and tissues, the objective is to build something magnificent, or at least to build something that can accomplish challenging goals in race events. Like any construction site, there a 3 things that must be present, that we must provide.

1. High Quality Building Materials [ie. nutrients]

2. Preventive Maintenance & High Quality Repair Capabilities [ie. physio-therapy (physical therapy)]

3. Instructions Of What To Build ]ie. training stimuli--workouts]

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1. High Quality Building Materials

Sport Nutrition has taught us what nutrients are the fundamental, essential building materials at a high level construction site. The final 30 years of the last century in sport sciences identified the role of the macro nutrients carbohydrates and proteins, there approximate required amounts, and the timing of the intake that can be used to optimize the construction process. We are now in an era where the focus is on micro nutrients...B-Vitamins, magnesium, zinc, calcium, phyto-chemicals, and pH altering foods [ie. alkaline foods] that play massive roles in optimizing the rate and magnitide of cellular and tissue construction processes at the level of the genes themselves.

2. Preventive Maintenance & High Quality Repair Capabilities

The last 150 - 300 years of the study of human tissue [ie. bone, tendon, cartilage, muscle] has taught us that nearly all running injuries are a matter of construction engineering. We have learned that human tissue adapts to the loads placed on them if given the necessary construction time and essential building materials to do so. We know that the tissue can tolerate a certain level of repetitive loads from the running stride. If the loads placed on them are greater than what the tissue can endure, the tissue will either gradually or suddenly degenerate. We know how to prevent that situation by strengthening the tissues ahead of time, and providing time for the tissues to repair themselves between workouts. In the event that we fail in those areas, we know how to use lesser loads to repair and regenerate damaged tissues without taking unreasonable amounts of time away from training [ie. an unnecessary 4 - 6 weeks, standard in our sport].

3. Instructions Of What To Build

Electricity Production: The Foundation Of Human Performance In Running

Unless you've got a cramp or spasm, muscles don't move without being told to do so. To be told to do so, they have to be sent an electrical signal. This signal tells them when to produce force and how much force to produce. The brain sends these signals down its transmission lines [ie. nerves] out to the muscles. The brain tells the muscles when to produce force, how much force to produce, and largely affects how long that level of force can be maintained. The mechanisms of performance in our sport are conceptually contained in the following questions;

1. How much force can you produce

2. How quickly can you produce a high level of force

3. How long can you maintain this high level of force production

To run a 10k in 50 minutes, you need to be able to produce enough force to run at that pace, you need to be able to produce that level of force while your foot is on the ground during the running stride, and you need to be able to maintain that level of force production for the length of the race. These same facts are apply to running that 10k in 40 minutes, 30 minutes, 26:20, and 25:50, etc, etc, etc. Same holds for other race distances in our sport [ie. marathon, mile, 1500 meters, 800 meters, 100 meters, etc].

How much force can you produce. The more force you can produce while your foot is on the ground during the running stride, the faster you can run. This is kind of important. If you consider yourself a "slow" runner, this may be due to a situation where you aren't able to produce much force. Your 10k performance level may be limited by your 100 meter dash time. You can't run a 10k faster than you can run 100 meters. Improving force production requires improvement in electricity production.

How quickly can you produce a high level of force. During the running stride, the foot is on the ground for only a short period of time. You need to be able to produce a high level of force during the short period of time that the foot is on the ground. The rate of force production is kind of important in our sport. The rate of force production increases with the rate of electrical signals from the brain, down the transmission lines [nerves], and to the muscles.

How long can you maintain this high level of force production. This is important for both sprinters and distance runners since the loss of force production and the rate of force production contribute to a lower performance level. This is the endurance component in our sport.

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ETG Position Statement: U.S. Health Care Collapse

Thankfully, our "health care" system here in the United States is about to collapse under its own gargantuan weight. Its taken a little over 100 years. In the late 1890's, doctors of what is now called traditional medicine got together and organized themselves into a fairly powerful group.

----- They successfully arranged for state legislators to essentially outlaw practitioners of homeopathic medicine, thus getting rid of the competition

----- Going even further, they got legislators to set them up as the --sole-- gate keeper to any and all medical services, providing themselves with monopoly power.

----- Then they created the pharmaceutical industry.

----- Lastly, in spite of having access to an endless supply of guaranteed customers, they contributed to the creation of the 3rd party payer system, the medical insurance industry......thus allowing them to price themselves out of their own market of guaranteed customers as to be able to pay for their 2nd or 3rd house and/or backyard pools, tennis courts, and multiple luxury cars.

Now at long last, over the next 3 - 5 years, those of us who have been waiting eagerly for this moment get to watch this 3-headed dragon complete the self-induced implosion that is currently well underway.

Lesson learned........Bad business and bad businesses are bad for business, and cannot remain in business for indefinite periods of time. About 100 - 110 years is the approximate limit before the proverbial poop starts to hit the fan and wheels start to come off.

People in the medical field who would like to avoid going down with the ship should likely consider shifting their business model.

-- fee for service..........Set flat fees for your services that the customer can afford and pay [out-of-pocket] at the end of the visit. At some point people are gonna want health care, not health insurance.

-- competent self-care............By the increase in costs, the insurance and pharmaceutical industries are making sure that many of your customers will be seeking alternatives to going to see you. Many people are and will be providing educational services that provide a competent self-care option for what might otherwise be --your-- customers. It would be wise to be proactive and get in on those services and design a revenue generating way of doing so.

-- incompetence avoidance.............A major contribution to the collapse of our "health care" system is the belief that after you graduate from medical school, nursing school, or P.T. school, you not only know what you need to know in order to provide competent care, but that you know --all-- you need to know as well. It would be wise to abandon that belief system. Many people are leaving you behind in the knowledge area. It would be wise to behave as though such is the case. No business can survive competitively without R & D [research and development]. Keeping up with research and contributing to your own development should be viewed as the end all and be all of your professional existence.

Many of us on the outside are waiting patiently to place our foot on the necks of the 3-headed dragon when it finally collapses and falls to the ground. We'll be going out of our way to make sure it can never get back up.

Universal insurance for all won't prevent the collapse. Band-aids won't stop the bleeding.

A calamity is coming!

Will you be ready when [not if] it gets here.

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ETG Position Statement:

Repairing Degenerated Joints

One of the emerging theories as to a possible or likely mechanism of joint tissue degeneration has to do with a lack of blood flow. It suggests that Inflammation of tissue and/or the blood vessels that serve it, eventually lead to tissue degeneration. The immune response is perhaps an artifact of the degenerating tissue, rather than the cause of it.

Further, the theory suggests that nutrients such as glucosamine and chondroitin have joint tissue building effects, but cannot be delivered in sufficient amounts due to the inflammation of the tissue and/or the blood vessels.

Reversing the blood flow issue is believed to resolve the nutrient delivery problem, thus stopping and perhaps reversing the tissue degeneration process. Thus the product is purported to aide in the function of glucosamine and chondrotin supplements. Hyluronic Acid is converted to glucosamine, and since some therapies involve providing it to the joint, this treatment may also be enhanced by resolving the blood flow issue.

Along these lines, a company has produced a naturoceutical product called "FlexNow". It contains nutrients called "shea triterpenes" from botanicals that purportedly reduce inflammation.

The FlexNow product

In short, the theory is that if you resolve the vascular problem, you stop and/or reverse the tissue degeneration problem. Perhaps something to explore. We know that people with autoimmune issues tend to have low Vitamin D3 levels, and that correcting that situation seems to reduce their autoimmune problems to some degree. Maybe in the near future there will be some exploration of combining these types of naturo-pathic treatments along with adult stem cells, in a manner that truly reverses tissue degenerative problems.

Total knee replacement and total hip replacement by way of endogenous means.

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ETG Position Statement:

Nutrients As Basic, Foundational Medicine

Obviously the concept of using nutrients to reverse and/or prevent most of the major medical maladies that impact and/or kill most Americans isn't new. Most of the science as far as efficacy, dosage, etc isn't all that new either. The attention its getting as the American traditional medicine system collapses, is perhaps....new.

The food items and food supplements shown below used collectively [in combination with one another] and with things such as autogenic relaxation or meditation, as well as with high intensity low volume exercise and strength training, may prove to be a pathway to prevention and/or reversal of most of the major maladies that impact and/or kill most Americans. At the very least they provide a base or foundation from which your body can have the best chance to respond to other more formal treatments or therapies.

Its probably unnecessary as well as unwise to consume these food items and supplements on a daily basis. Consumption on a minimum of 3 each week may be best to provide a base or foundation for your body's cells to function.

The [10] big ticket items that address the mechanisms of the major maladies that impact and/or kill most Americans......

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1 --- Probiotics

[for intestinal function in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, and for reducing the burden on the immune system - a large part of which is in the intestines]

product suggestion.....Dr. Ohhira's Probiotics 12 Plus --- http://www.essentialformulas.com

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2 --- Alkaline foods

information suggestion..... www.energiseforlife.com/list_of_alkaline_foods.php www.energiseforlife.com/list_of_alkaline_foods.php

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3 --- Anti-oxidants

-- Vitamin A [as mixed carotenes including beta carotene]

-- Vitamin E [as mixed tocopherols including alpha-tocopherol]

-- Vitamin C [as live source]

-- Selenium [as selonomethionine]

[for both prevention of oxidant damage to cells and cell DNA in the prevention and/or treatment of heart disease, cancer, auto-immune diseases]

product suggestion.....[Vitamin A --- Food Carotene by Solaray] http://vitanetonline.com/description/4120/vitamins/Food-Carotene/

product suggestion.....[Vitamin E --- Natural E by Country life] http://www.healthsuperstore.com/p-country-life-vitamin-e-complex.htm

product suggestion.....[C Complex by Quantum Nutrition Labs] http://healthproductsusa.net/30_c_complex_health.htm

product suggestion.....[Selenium --- High Potency Selenium by Solaray] http://www.vitaminshoppe.com

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4 --- Zinc

product suggestion.....[Zinc Balance by Jarrow Formulas] http://www.vitaminshoppe.com

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5 --- Magnesium

product suggestion.....[Coral Complex --- by Quantum Nutrition Labs] http://www.healthproductsusa.net/30_coral_complex_health.htm

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6 --- Vitamin D3

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7 --- fish oils [EPA, DHA fatty acids]

product suggestion.....[Ulimate Omega by Nordic Naturals] http://www.nordicnaturals.com

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8 --- Iodine

product suggestion.....[Lugol's Iodine] http://www.naturodoc.com

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9 --- Nucleotides, Essential Amino Acids

product suggestion.....[IMPACT Advanced Recovery by Nestle Medical Nutrition] http://www.impactadvancedrecovery.com/

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10 --- Colostrum

product suggestion.....[PerCoBa Colostrum] http://percoba.com/quality.html

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ETG Position Statement:

Colostrum & Nutrition Medicine

In the interest of the broad effects of Preventive Medicine and Nutritional Medicine at a time in history when there is a rapid transition underway, headed away from Traditional Medicine and it's pharmaceuticals and toward Preventive Medicine and Nutritional Medicine and their foundational nutrients approach to human cellular function, the ETG would like to express its opposition to the World Anti-doping Agency [WADA] position [taken earlier this year] on Colostrum. Whether for athletes or the general public, a recommendation to avoid use of a product that benefits long term health is a WADA position that cannot be defended. The original purpose of a "banned list" was to protect the health of athletes, not to "catch the drug cheats", or level a playing field. Coming out against a non-drug product that protects health is nonsensical.

The ETG currently has no plans to avoid use of Colostrum, and to the contrary, recently added it to it's "Supplements List", shown on the ETG Training Packet page of this website, in "The Food & Supplements" section of the packet.

Colostrum is a substance similar to milk that is produced in the breast by humans [women] and animals for use by newborns to aid their physiological development and growth. It contains a number of digestive tract, brain/nervous system, and immune system substances that are basic nutrients and proteins for these areas of function. It also contains a number of basic cell function substances as well as growth factors that are used in normal cellular adapations and recovery from major stressors and traumas.

When taken by adults as an extremely popular aspect of Preventive Medicine, Nutritional Medicine, and Naturo-pathic Medicine particularly for those who have nutrient deficits [ie. hospital patients, elderly nursing home residents, high level athletes], or by those who suffer from immune system related maladies or challenges [allergies, common cold, infection, high level athletes in heavy training] colostrum can be a major restorer of normal functioning. From heart disease and cancer, to fibromyalgia and infections, colostrum addresses many of the nutritional components of these maladies.

The major health triad.....digestive tract, brain/nervous system, and immune system, have become the 3 main targets in the modern day practice of Preventive Medicine, Nutritional Medicine, and Naturo-pathic Medicine. Colostrum is one substance that has the ability to address all 3.

Of concern to some [ie. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)] is that similar to human Colostrum, colostrum from cows contains Growth Hormone along with its best friend and side-kick, IGF-1. These substances are comprised of proteins. When consumed by mouth, these proteins enter the digestive tract, where they get broken down in the stomach [ie. Digested]. Thus they are no longer Growth Hormone or IGF-1.

When you correct nutritional and other deficits in humans, you see cell function return to normal, and thus if you measure things such as growth hormone levels and/or IGF-1 levels, you'll likely see an increase. The increase was due to restoring normal cell function, not Growth Hormone ingestion or IGF-1 ingestion. Obviously, this point added to the situation where we know that growth hormone is not a performance enhancing drug [see the ETG Training Packet section titled The Problem With Drug Use & The Problem With Drug Testing ], should remove any cause for concern in using Colostrum to aid ones health and/or cellular functioning. The original purpose of a banned drug list in sport was to protect the health of athletes. Colostrum is a super-star in ever expanding field of Nutrition Medicine.

Product suggestion&&.. PerCoBa Colostrum

[below are a few quotes].......

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"We investigated whether supplementation with 60 grams per day of bovine colostrum affects blood levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein-3 in relation to doping testing."

"Nine endurance-trained men ingested 60 g/d of bovine colostrum for 4 wk."

"After 4 wk urine and blood samples were taken...."

"Drug testing in a laboratory accredited by the International Olympic Committee did not show any forbidden substance before or after 4 wk of supplementation."

"Daily supplementation with 60 g of bovine colostrum for 4 wk does not change blood IGF-I or IGF binding protein-3 levels and does not elicit positive results on drug tests."

Nutrition.....Volume 18 # 7-8...July-August, 2002....page 566 - 567

H. Kuipers, et al....[Department of Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands] --- Effects of oral bovine colostrum supplementation on serum insulin-like growth factor-I levels

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"This study examined the effect of supplementation with concentrated bovine colostrum protein powder (intact) on plasma insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) concentrations..."

"We conclude that supplementation with intact powder did not increase plasma IGF-I concentrations....after 8 weeks of supplementation"

J.D. Buckley, et al [University of South Australia, Adelaide] -----Bovine colostrum supplementation during endurance running training improves recovery, but not performance

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"IGF-1 is present in breast milk."

Gut.....Volume 51.....2002.....page 748-754

A .G. Cummins, F. M. Thompson [Bazil Hetzel Research Institute and the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia] ----Effect of breast milk and weaning on epithelial growth of the small intestine in humans

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"Natural colostrum contains several substances, including IGF-1 which is listed as a prohibited substance (section S2 of the Prohibited List)."

"Taking into account the above elements and the fact that there is still scientific uncertainty on the ability for IGF-1 contained in colostrum to influence plasma levels of IGF-1, the WADA List Committee adopted a safe approach and recommends athletes not to take colostrum".

[World Anti-Doping Agency 2008]

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"WADA would like to take this opportunity to emphasize that colostrum contains Insulin Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) a substance prohibited under section S.2 of the 2008 WADA Prohibited List. Even if influence of oral intake of colostrum on plasma concentration of IGF-1 is still a matter of debate within the scientific community, WADA would like to alert that abnormal increase or level of blood circulating IGF-1 would be considered as potentially revealing doping practices (e.g hGH or IGF-1 intake) by athletes."

"WADA wishes to draw your utmost care in the use of colostrum by athletes."

[March 19, 2008.....Dr Olivier Rabin, Director, Science of the World Anti Doping Agency(WADA)]

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Creating The ETG Website

A note from ETG Club owner, Marshall Burt........

So whose idea was it to create this website? Over lunch with close friend Allan Besselink [a.k.a. ETG Physical Therapist] in the mid-summer of 2006, we had a debate about whether or not I should continue sending out ETG Training Packets for free by snail mail, or create a website.

I lost that debate, and eventually asked one of my older brothers [Byron, a web programmer] to create a website for me....who also, a couple years earlier, had suggested that I start a website for the packets, and had even offered to do it for me.

Ok, so I come around to some things slowly.

But thanks to them, the site went up in September 2006.

[Allan also did the art work on the original version of the ETG logo in the early 1990's]

Byron Burt put together the ETG website [a former High School All-American in the Triple Jump, and competed in collegiate track & field for the University Of Florida, and George Mason University]. If you'd like help with your website, contact Byron

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