Weight classes modified for high school wrestling

 by Brad Bournival April 28th, 2011 in Sports.

The National Federation of State High School Associations announced sweeping changes to wrestling beginning in the 2011-12 season, as 10 of the 14 weight classes have been modified.
Starting in the fall, the new classes will be 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220 and 285.
The NFHS left 145, 152 and 160 alone and kept heavyweight at 285.
The most recent wholesale change came in 1988 when the lowest weight class, 98 pounds, was moved up to 103.
“They should have given coaches a vote,” Wadsworth coach John Gramuglia said. “I really think it will weaken high school wrestling. They essentially took a middleweight (140) out and added a 182. You’ll have a lot of forfeits. I like the 106, but it’s not fair overall. It’s not good.”
Dan Thoburn, a 2004 Highland graduate who finished runner-up his senior season at 215, likes the change, but wasn’t sure exactly why the powers that be made such big adjustments.
“I don’t dislike it,” said Thoburn, a volunteer coach for the Hornets. “I think it will make it a learning curve for the kids and coaches the next couple years. I wish they had (another weight) in college instead of going from 197 to 285.
“They needed a middle ground somewhere. I think it’s good, but I can see where it can hurt and help kids. They made the change, so now you have to change. I’d like to know the reasoning, though.”
The issue that hits to the heart of most area coaches is the fact most high school athletes, in their opinion, weigh between 125 and 150 pounds.
Losing a weight class in the middle could create more holes because of it.
“I would have liked them to add a weight rather than adding an upper weight and getting rid of a lower one,” Medina coach Chad Gilmore said. “I don’t like seeing the kids lose a weight where the majority of them weigh.
“I would have liked to see more of a bell curve. You see forfeits at the low and high end. To take out middleweight, it hurts the sport a little bit.”
The changes were made following results from a three-to-four year process utilizing data from the National Wrestling Coaches Association Optimal Performance Calculator, according to a story on NFHS.org.
The rules committee analyzed more than 200,000 wrestlers across the country and tried to create an atmosphere where 7 percent of wrestlers fall in each weight class.
The only other changes since 1988 were in 2002, when the number of classes went from 13 to 14 and the 215-pound weight class became mandatory, and 2006, when the 275-pound class was increased to 285 pounds.
Brad Squire, who won two state titles at Wadsworth before graduating in 2010, sees it as just a formality.
“A weight class is a weight class,” said Squire, who wrestled at 140 as a junior. “You’ll just have to go two pounds lighter or five pounds heavier. To me, you adapt and adjust. Things will happen. Just like the real world, you adjust to it.”

Athletic Talent vs. Hard Work

Athletic Talent vs. Hard Work

 What’s More Important for Sport Performance Success? 

What’s more important when it comes to sports performance and success – to have an athlete with tons of raw talent, or an athlete with average skills but an insatiable yearning to be the best? (AHPS) At every level of sports we see both if we look close enough – most teams have at least one athletically gifted player, and inevitably have at least one player with average skills but tons of “heart.” So, which player would you rather have on your team?

Before answering that question, I would like to bring up the even broader sports psychology question pertaining to the degree of athletic success that comes from sheer natural talent versus hard work and mental toughness? Ironically, this same question can be posed with academics as well – to what extent do “A” students get the grades due to genetics versus putting in the work? In both cases, people often make the fundamental attribution error where we overvalue dispositional (or genetic) traits while minimizing situational factors (the circumstances around the person/event).

The reality is that most successful people – be it athletes or students – achieve their success more from hard work than they do their natural talent. Of course, having good genes is never a bad thing in life, but what you do with your natural talents is the bigger question. In best-case scenarios, people use their natural abilities as a foundation for future success, and then put in the hard work in order to reach their full potential.

When it comes to sport philosophy, at the end of the day the athlete (or student) who is high in the “x” factors (i.e. confidence, motivation, resiliency, etc.) may just be the better long-term pick when deciding between the naturally gifted athlete versus the hard working athlete.

www.drstankovich.com

Developmental Hierarchy Wrestler’s Edition

Written on April 21, 2011 by admin in Training Philosophy, Wrestling

Download PDF Version of this Article
INTRODUCTION
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend, particularly in the wrestling community, where coaches blend, blur or confuse sport and skill specific preparedness (SSP) with special physical preparedness (SPP).  This results in decisions to:

• Select movements to train based on how closely they “mimic” wrestling maneuvers (i.e., band resisted penetration shots)
• Eliminate otherwise beneficial movements because “there is no scientific evidence” that training said movement will have a positive impact on performance (i.e., the power clean)
• Eliminate otherwise beneficial movements because there is a belief that training said movement will have an ADVERSE effect on performance (i.e., the bench press)
• Eliminating special physical preparedness all together, because “the best way to get better at wrestling is to wrestle”

In my experience, these are all poor decisions.  After reading this article, you may not agree with me, but you should at least understand my supporting arguments and why I feel this way.  Here are my opening arguments, followed by a detailed discussion of the underlying principles and philosophies that support them:
1. The criteria for selecting movements for ANY sport should be based on the movement’s ability to cause physical adaptations in strength, speed, power, stamina, cardio-respiratory endurance, coordination, agility or whatever physical abilities are required by the sport.  The movements that are most effective at causing these adaptations will be DISSIMILAR from sport specific movements.  This is how we define “functional movement”.
2. Training is so specific, that adaptations earned in the weight room will not directly improve sport skills.  Practicing sport skills is the best way to improve sport skills.  However, all sport specific movements require certain fitness abilities in their execution.  Improvements in strength and fitness level will allow an athlete the opportunity to learn and execute sport specific movements better than through sports skill practice alone.
If you believe that a fitter athlete is a better athlete (hard to argue), then the BEST way to improve fitness is through strength and conditioning practices.  The BEST way for an athlete to know his or her potential in their sport, is to build a big base of general and special physical preparedness, COMBINED with hours upon hours of sport specific skills practice and mental preparedness techniques.  No high level athlete reaches his or her potential in their sport through sports practice alone.
3. Strong is strong.  There is no such thing as “strong for wrestling!”  Sport specific training programs are not what you think.  Sport specific training programs should be designed to improve the specific fitness abilities and energy system requirements of the sport.  They should not be designed to “mimic” or “closely resemble” sport specific movements.
You have already proven this to yourself by hanging climbing ropes in your wrestling room.  Not many coaches or wrestlers will argue that rope climbing is beneficial for a wrestler.  Why?  Because it improves a fitness ability that is specific to wrestling…grip strength!  In 20+ years of competing, coaching and spectating, I have yet to see a wrestling maneuver that looks anything like a rope climb!  So, put the bench press back in your training program.  It does a much better job at developing upper body pressing strength than rotating dumbbell presses on a swiss ball (these are fine too, but they should be considered as an assistance movement).

SUPPORTING ARGUMENTS:  TRAINING HIERARCHY PYRAMID

“A pyramid can only grow as tall as its base.” Louie Simmons, World Renowned Strength Coach
The goal of any athlete is to know his or her potential in their chosen sport.  As a young athlete moves through the competition ranks, the type and organization of training he or she engages in becomes increasingly important.  At the highest levels of athletic competition (college level and beyond), the athletes that perform best have not only the genetic predisposition to do so, but they are also better prepared physically and mentally than their competition.  This sounds like common sense; but it leads to many questions.  What is general physical preparedness (GPP) and why is it important?  What is special physical preparedness (SPP) and how does it differ from sport specific preparedness (SSP)?  How and why should my training program change throughout the year?  Does any of this matter?  Can’t I just wrestle and be done with it?  Not if you care about knowing your potential…
Training Hierarchy Pyramid
Have you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?  It is often portrayed as a pyramid, with the largest and most fundamental needs at the bottom and secondary or higher level needs at the top:
Maslow’s theory suggests that humans are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower level needs need to be fulfilled before higher level needs can be addressed.  It is a psychological model that many great companies and organizations use as a framework to help their employees or team members reach their performance potential.  Bear with me here, there is a point I’m getting to…
Failing to plan is the same as planning to fail.  How many athletes have a plan for improving, or more importantly, reaching their potential?  Wouldn’t it be great if there were a model similar to Maslow’s pyramid that would give purpose and direction to an athlete’s training?  Well, we’re in luck!  Coach Scott Sonnen (CST – Circular Strength Training) has created a theoretical training hierarchy pyramid (THP) that illustrates the developmental stages of athletic performance:

According to this model, any deficiencies in lower levels of the pyramid will adversely affect the ability to maximize potential in higher levels. But, before I dive into how wrestlers can use this framework to reach the highest levels of performance, allow me to define what constitutes each level:
1.  General Physical Preparedness (GPP):
“GPP is intended to provide balanced physical conditioning in endurance, strength, speed, flexibility and other basic factors in fitness.  GPP may include participation in a variety of different physical activities which provide low intensity, all-round conditioning, with little emphasis on specific sporting skills.”
Mel Siff, Supertraining
We cannot generalize which exercises or activities are considered GPP for all sports, since all sports are unique and require different physical skills and capacities.  GPP activities provide balance in fitness by filling in the gaps that are not trained through special physical training (see #2 below) or sport specific training (see #3 below).  There is no way to scientifically prove that training GPP works, but the best and most well-known strength coaches train their athletes this way.
Wrestling presents a unique sport.  To be a champion wrestler, you must be a fantastic general athlete.  Wrestling requires sufficient capacity in strength, speed, power, stamina, coordination, agility and flexibility, as well as, tremendous anaerobic and aerobic work capacity!  Because of these requirements, almost any training could be considered specific to wrestling.  However, in attempting to classify certain activities as “more general” and “more specific”, we can establish prioritization of training.  For example, consider the following running drills:

1. 100 meter sprint
2. 400 meter run
3. 1 mile run
4. 5k
5. 10k

An argument can be made that each of these drills has its place in the wrestler’s training program at some point in the year.  In consideration of the specific requirements of the sport, we find that the 100 meter sprint and the 400 meter run are more specific, the 5k and 10k runs are more general and the 1 mile run is somewhere in the middle.  We can apply the same thought process to other modes of training (strength training, etc.), and all of a sudden, a plan starts to unfold!
GPP exercises and activities for wrestling include, but are not limited to:

• Anything that provides low intensity, aerobic conditioning (jogging, hiking, biking, swimming, etc.) or

• Any other sport or activity that has a high skill component (tennis, golf, racquetball, basketball, etc.)

2.  Specific Physical Preparedness (SPP):

SPP concentrates on exercises and activities that train the fitness abilities and energy systems that are required by the sport.  SPP aims to improve special FITNESS, not “mimic” or “closely resemble” sport movements!  Together, GPP and SPP constitute “Base Level Physical Preparedness”.  It is extremely important to recognize the difference between base level preparedness and sport specific preparedness (see #3 below).
Although wrestling requires complete general athleticism, the most vital physical requirements are:

1. Maximal Strength, Maximal Power and their derivatives (explosive strength, strength endurance, power endurance, etc.) and
2. Immediate and Short-Term Anaerobic Work Capacity – capacity to perform work for periods of time lasting from a few seconds to 1-2 minutes.

SPP training and activities for wrestling include, but are not limited to:

• Strength Training – aimed to improve maximal strength, dynamic or speed strength and repetition strength mainly through training barbell core movements (squats, presses, deadlifts, cleans, snatches, etc.)
• Anaerobic Conditioning – aimed to improve work capacity in the immediate and short term energy systems (providing energy for activities lasting from a few seconds up to 1-2 minutes).  This may include barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell complex training or short bouts of intense interval training using other implements (medicine balls, battle ropes, sandbags, tractor tires,  bodyweight calisthenics, stair sprints, etc.)

3.  Sport/Skill Specific Preparedness (SSP):

Sport/skill specific preparedness refers to movements or skills that are specific to a particular sport.  This is called practice! This level includes all skills and drills that are trained or practiced during sports practice.  This level focuses on the specific sporting activity, and it is where athletes have the opportunity to use the fitness gained through GPP and SPP to improve sports performance!  It is true that fitness can and will be improved through practice and competition (think live drilling).  However, and this is very important, FITNESS IMPROVEMENTS FROM WRESTLING PRACTICE AND COMPETITION ARE LIMITED BY THE SIZE AND DEPTH OF YOUR BASE LEVEL PREPAREDNESS!
SSP activities for wrestling include any drill or skill that is specific to wrestling (penetration shots, turns, escapes, throws, pummeling…if you do it in practice…it is a sport specific skill!)
4.  Mental/Emotional Preparedness:

Mental and emotional preparedness is the highest level of the pyramid, and this is where athletes of all sports distance themselves from the competition (assuming same physical preparedness).  Mental training exercises include visualization, mental rehearsal, self-talk, rituals, deep breathing, meditation, etc.  Many of these exercises and activities can be practiced or performed before, during and after training, practice or competition.  Although mental preparedness sits on top of the developmental pyramid, it can and should innervate all types of training.
Read More About Mental Preparedness
THE PLAN
The following are general recommendations for putting the information presented in this article to use:
Post-Season:
Starting in the post-season, training should be comprised mostly of GPP exercises and activities.  This period should last between 4 and 8 weeks, depending on the degree in which an athlete needs to physically and mentally recover from the competition season.  Remember, GPP exercises and activities are low intensity and provide balance in your program.  These exercises should train physical abilities or energy systems that are NOT specifically required by the sport.  Recall that GPP exercises or activities for wrestling include anything that provides low intensity or aerobic conditioning or that requires a high skill component.
Off-Season:

The off-season for wrestling starts in April or May and continues through August or September.  Off-season training should increasingly become more special (SPP) and less general.  During the off-season, intensity of training should slowly and progressively increase, so that there is enough stress present to cause the body to adapt and become fitter.  Remember that SPP refers to training the physical abilities and energy systems required by the sport.  SPP training for wrestling should focus on developing and improving maximal strength and power and their derivatives, and in careful doses, anaerobic conditioning.  Wrestling practice and competition can be present, but you need an off-season, so keep it under control.
Pre-season:

During the pre-season, general and low intensity training should all but disappear, while special training should be highlighted.  Sport specific skill training should begin to ramp up during the pre-season, with an emphasis placed on refreshing and improving upon sport specific movement techniques.  It’s important to enter the competition season fresh, so I recommend a transitional period of one to two weeks of tapering or “de-loading” before the commencement of the competition season.
Competition Season:
During the competition season, sport specific skills and drills take the stage and should constitute the majority of all training.  Fitness gains (general and special) from the off-season should be maintained during the competition season, but only to the extent where it does not interfere with practice and competition performance.  Toward the end of competition season (tournament time!), mental and emotional preparedness should increasingly become part of an athletes training, while the intensity of sports practice tapers down.  This is how athletes peak mentally and physically at the most opportune times!
CONCLUSIONS:  SAND OR STONE?
This article was not intended to “down-sell” sports practice, competitions or technique camps, but rather to “up-sell” the importance of following a framework of development built upon a rock solid base of physical fitness.  Is your athletic “house” built on a base of sand or stone?  How big is your current base, and how tall can you grow your athletic pyramid?  What is your weak link in the Training Hierarchy Pyramid, and what can you do to strengthen it?
Please post questions or discussion to comments.

Personality Styles, Athletic Potential, and Mental Toughness – Sports Leadership for Success



One question that I have regularly been asked over the years pertains to personality “types” and how they relate to athletic sports performance (Mind of Steel). Do athletes need to be “mean and intense” in order to play their best? Some coaches and parents falsely believe that mental toughness only develops by having a tough personality, and they also believe the opposite is also true – that laid-back personalities actually prohibit young athletes from reaching their full potential.

While it is very difficult to establish the degree in which a person’s personality will impact their athletic performance, there are a few important points to think about when pondering this question:

• Successful athletes show a dramatic range with respect to their personalities – some athletes are more intense, while others seem to be very laid back. The reality is there isn’t much of a correlation between one “template” of a personality and future sport success

• While personality is a somewhat malleable trait, it is relatively stable. Delving deeper into personality, our temperament (which is generally assumed to be an innate quality) may be something we have much less control over, and therefore may not be something we can change even if we wanted to! What this means to coaches and parents is that young athletes may not have much they can do about “getting tougher” if it’s simply not in their genetic makeup

• The best mindset for athletes is to work toward always being confident and comfortable when it comes to athletic competition

The bottom line? Its pretty tough, if not impossible, to dramatically “change” a person’s personality. The better advice is to help athletes become confident in their athletic abilities, and more comfortable while on the field competing.
Confidence (also known loosely as a person’s level of self-efficacy), has been found to be positively correlated with peak athletic performances according to sports psychology studies. Rather than trying to change a young athlete’s personality, working on his or her self-confidence might actually pay greater future dividends.
In addition to confidence, the more control a person has over his or her surroundings, the more synchrony he or she will experience between mind and body. Social and behavioral research consistently shows that when people feel in control, they are less likely to allow stress and adversity to become catastrophic, enabling them to perform at an optimal level.
Athletic performance and mental toughness can be improved upon, and these things can happen without trying to fundamentally change the personality of someone! As the ancient Greek adage suggest, it may be more worthwhile to “know thyself” rather than trying to change thyself!

www.drstankovich.com

Beat the Streets Featured on NBC New York

All Gazette Coach: Chad Gilmore builds Medina into a powerhouse

Medina’s wrestling program just needed to tear down its house, draw up a new blueprint and grab a ton of roofing nails.
That was the plan of Chad Gilmore nine years ago, when the now 32-year-old brought along assistant Wade Chapman to a school struggling to find respectability.
Flash forward to this season and the Bees aren’t only finding respectability, they’re turning into a power on the mat.
“When I got here, it was all about blowing things up and starting all over again,” said Gilmore, The Gazette’s 2010-11 Winter Coach of the Year. “Wade has been with me since the beginning. We were two young, energetic guys ready to mix things up.
“Those first few years we weren’t focused on technique. It was changing the mental attitude of the program. Once the attitude went from top to bottom, it could move forward. Then we could work on the wrestling and it has paid off.”
The dividends Medina has reaped because of Gilmore, who is quick to share the accolades with everyone in the program, came to a head this season.
While the Bees have made incredible strides the last four years, in 2010-11 the squad set the bar high for seasons to come.
Try a third straight Northeast Ohio Conference River Division championship.
Try the most state placers — Ryan Hornack, Mike Griffith, Mike Hammer and Teddy Hammer — in school history.
Try an individual (Griffith) setting a Medina record for wins and pins and another (Teddy Hammer) obliterating the Medina County record for near-falls in a season and career.
Add all that together and it ended with the team’s first top-10 finish at the state tournament, where the Bees placed seventh.
“It’s like him winning a state championship. I’m so proud of him,” said Wadsworth coach John Gramuglia, who mentored Gilmore on the mat in high school. “To know him on a coaching level is so unique. That’s what’s great. It’s seeing the legacy he’s started.
“What he has done over there, he’s got some tough kids. They’re the real deals. This isn’t a lucky thing. This isn’t the only year he’s had it. This is four years of consistently getting kids to state. He could have easily said forget it, but he loves the sport and helping kids.”
That’s the secret to Gilmore’s success. He’s brought his passion to the mat, but has also surrounded himself with a variety of assistants.
Not every wrestler responds the same way to a certain coaching style, so Gilmore brought in Chapman, Jeff Miller, Jim Hewitt, Greg Roche and Kipp Cullin to a room ready to succeed.
“He’ll bring in different people to help everyone,” Griffith said. “A lot of people trust Chad because he takes the pressure off them and focuses them on what they need to do the next match.
“He sticks with everybody and makes sure they’re together and we’re all thinking the same. He’s a both a coach and a friend. From the coaching aspect, he’s strict when he needs to be, but when you need a friend, he’s there to help you out as well.”
As much as Gilmore is a teacher, he’s also a student.
The team’s website not only has updates on how the Bees are doing, it has technique videos and articles on how to improve both in life and on the mat.
“This award is long overdue,” Chapman said. “Nobody outworks him. He’s 110 percent effort. From the attitude adjustment to the ability to the wrestling families in Medina coming around, he’s been huge.
“Chad’s constantly making himself a better coach. He’s been fully committed to this program for years. He gives up family time to get this program where it is. It’s not what he does inside the room, it’s what he does outside. It goes beyond the wrestling aspect of it.”
Now that the Bees are on top, don’t expect them to go away anytime soon. While Griffith and Teddy Hammer will graduate, Hornack, Matt Hammer and state alternate Zach Getto return. Those three, as well as a strong youth movement, have Medina dreaming even bigger.
“I don’t look at it as my program,” Gilmore said. “The kids are putting in the work. The kids are getting recognition in the paper, on video and in chat rooms. When that happens, that’s the best I can do.
“Once you get that foundation built and you get the wrestling community believing in itself, champions breed champions. It feeds off itself. The more they believe, the easier it is to keep that success going

By Brad Bournival

Time Management: Sports Play a Role in Life Success

04/02/2011 corewrestling Leave a comment Go to comments

This week I want to talk about time management, priorities, and life balance as I find myself in a predicament involving my health and fitness and finding the time/motivation to do what I need to do.  Over the last month, I’ve really had the excuses start to pile up.   First, I have an injury which affects my abdominals and limits my ability to exercise, then I found my two free mornings of my work week get consumed with work, I have a wedding getting closer by the second, and I need time to just relax, right?  These excuses are all legitimate, but the problem is, I can’t let them stand in the way of my personal health

and fitness.  One of the toughest things I find I have to get across to my clients and something I now have to remind myself is that these are all just excuses, and that’s all they are…excuses, and you know what they say about excuses, right?
Anyway,  what I need to do is make exercise a higher priority and it will happen, but the problem is that it’s just easier to give in to the excuses rather than try to come up with a creative solution to get everything done.  Now I know there are some out there reading who are saying to themselves, “Yeah, but my situation is different, I really don’t have any time to exercise!”  My answer to you is….”That’s BS”…If you really boil it down, it’s actually a matter of exercise not being “worth it” to you rather than a lack of time.  As an example, I’m going to have an argument with myself so you can see what I’m talking about.

• (Me – the Whiner):  ”I just don’t have any time to exercise right now”
• (Me – the Trainer): “Well why not?”
• (Whiner): “Work is too busy, I’m injured, and I spend all weekend working on getting ready for a wedding”
• (Trainer): “So you don’t have any free time? You don’t watch any television? Or anything?”
• (Whiner):  ”Well I do, but it’s at the end of a long day, and I don’t have the energy to exercise, plus you’re always telling me to recover and that sleep is important”
• (Trainer): “Ok, so you could work out at this time, but it’s just not worth it to you because you’re tired and want to relax”
• (Whiner): “I guess, but it’s after 9 PM anyway and if I work out that late, I won’t be able to fall asleep”
• (Trainer): “What time do you go to sleep? And how much sleep do you get?”
• (Whiner):  ”I usually go to sleep around 11:00 PM and get around 7 hours of sleep, but I feel like my body needs more, so I don’t want to sacrifice sleep”
• (Trainer): “Fair enough, do you get a lunch break?”
• (Whiner): “I do, but I just need to relax during this time and recharge for the rest of the day”
• (Trainer): “So what do you do with this time?”
• (Whiner): “I usually eat and talk with co-workers, or sometimes I just work through the break while I eat”
• (Trainer): “Eating is important, but the rest of the time could be used to get a workout in.  Exercise is probably a better stress reliever and will energize you more for the rest of the work day that sitting and talking, plus, do you have to work through your break?”
• (Whiner): “Well no, I don’t have to work through my break, but I have to get things done, and won’t be able to get them done otherwise.”
• (Trainer): “So what you’re telling me is that you are placing work as a higher priority than your own wellness and that making the time to workout just isn’t worth it to you.  Chances are you could probably find some way to be more efficient and get things done even if you took 30 minutes of your lunch break to exercise”
• (Whiner): “Well I guess, but I don’t really want to get all sweaty anyway, plus I still have this injury to deal with”
• (Trainer): “Well you can still walk right, and you have stretches and small strengthening exercises you’re supposed to do to help deal with your injury right?  Can’t this be your workout for now?”
• (Whiner):  ”I suppose you’re right, I could make time if I really wanted to, It’s just not very convenient for me right now”
• (Trainer):  ”The first step is to develop a plan, set aside some time on a regular basis and stick to it…schedule other things around this time at all costs”

The problem with this dialogue is that “Me-the Whiner” almost never comes to the conclusion this easily where the blame really lies, and the excuses just keep coming, and “Me-the Trainer” has to constantly show them that there are other options.  The bottom line is that if you really want it, you can make it happen.  It all comes down to priorities, time management, and keeping a healthy life balance.
Here are some truths:

1. Everyone is busy – in today’s world it’s impossible not to be.  Even if you aren’t busy things will fill your time and you will feel busy.
2. Everyone thinks they are an exception – “Yeah, but if you had my life, you wouldn’t be able to exercise” – you’re not an exception
3. There will never be a perfect time for exercise, so stop waiting for it and make the time

One of the reasons I bring this all up is that I feel that athletics play a large role in helping to develop the ability to set priorities, manage time and keep a balance.  I will talk more about this next week when I talk about how the sport of wrestling has taught me to better deal with managing a healthy lifestyle.