Suns Strength & Conditioning Coach Fields Fan Questions

Mike Elliot will enter his third campaign as the Suns' head strength and conditioning coach/assistant athletic trainer and will also serve as the the lead strength and conditioning coach for the British Men’s National Team in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Besides having his Master's in performance enhancement and injury prevention, Elliott is certified as an athletic trainer, performance enhancement specialist (PES) and corrective exercise specialist (CES) by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Suns.com was able to sit down with Elliot and have him answer some fitness questions from fans.

G.Jones, Charlotte, NC: Is there much evidence to explain why lifting on game day would bring about extra energy? And what other methods does the Suns training staff use to keep players in such great shape? I have always heard PHX was so progressive in that area. Thanks!

Elliot: Game day lifting focuses on total body lifts for us. Its effect is probably akin to “knocking off the cobwebs”… Players really feel energized by the these lifts because they focus on core activation and muscle activation within the hips and glutes.

They have to control their bodies in multiple planes of motion with specific attention to range of motion and tempo. We complete these lifts in the morning to help prime the system for the night’s competition.

Junior, Elmont New York: Hey, I have a question on the best way to improve my vertical leap and strength. Do you have any workouts that I can possibly use? Just so I know I'm doing the correct ones?

Elliot: As for vertical leap, I can’t provide an actual workout, but here are some pointers. Start by finding an NASM Certified Trainer to assist you in your workout planning.

They will be able to take you through a comprehensive functional movement assessment to determine your strengths and weaknesses. This is important because anytime you are training for vertical leap improvements, you must make sure that all of you muscles are firing properly and you have the necessary ranges of motion in your joints.

Without a proper assessment and subsequent Corrective Exercise Routine, you are setting yourself up to be susceptible to injury. Once you have completed your Corrective Exercise Phase which can be derived by your NASM Certified Trainer from your assessment, you can move on to your Stability Phase.

Here the focus will be making sure that your joints can stabilize themselves using the proper muscles; research shows that you can’t effectively and safely gain strength without this. Often times you are standing one leg and using unstable surfaces in this phase.

The next phase is your Strength Phase. Here you are trying to gain strength in the hips and glutes while maintaining the stability that you laid as a foundation in the last phase.

Finally, you will reach the Power Phase where you are coupling power or plyometric work with the strength and stability that you already have. It is important to note that he key to the vertical leap are your glutes.

Often times people think the key are the calves, but that’s just not true. Also when working out, make sure that you are always training in multiple planes of motion, no matter what phase you are in.

Jordan, Texas: What if I run a mile and play at the gym with guys way older than me (I'm 14)? But I dont really work my arms and upper body out. Is that a bad thing? And I also stay at the gym from about 2 in the afternoon to 10 at night. Is that too much?

Elliot: 8 hours in the gym may be a bit much… And yes, you should incorporate upper and lower-body weight workouts into your routine. I would say that you should plan on arriving at the gym at 2 p.m. as usual. Get a good warm-up consisting of a 10-minute bike, foam roll and dynamic warm-up.

Then get your upper, lower or total-body lift in for the day. After this you can head to the court for some individual shooting around 3 p.m. Make game shots for about a half an hour and then get into your pickup games around 3:30 until 5 at the latest.

To end your day, get back on the foam roll and add a static self-stretch to help you recover for the next day. You can cut out the extra treadmill running because you get plenty during pickup games. Save that treadmill running for the days that you don’t play.

8 hours in the gym will have you hating hoops in no time! You can get just as good a workout in 3 hours (at most) if you work efficiently and with focus.

Andrea, Las Vegas, Nevada: I have been a die-hard suns fan ever since I was little and someday I would hope to be on the Suns medical staff. I just need to know, which classes and job requirements should prepare I for in college and high school? Thank you.

Elliot: If you want to be a part of a medical staff in the NBA, it’s a great idea to get started early. You can volunteer in your high school training room with the Certified Athletic Trainer there.

When it comes time for college, find a school that has an Athletic Training Program and pursue that. They will make sure that you take the necessary courses and get the necessary hands-on time to be eligible to sit for the NATA Examination.

Make sure during your time in college that you vary your experiences as much as you can. Working in different settings with different sports will provide you an enriching experience that will allow you to be well-rounded and ready for anything that you may face as a professional.

Applying for internships with professional teams is a great way to get yourself known and get a foot in the door. They aren’t easy to get, but if you have applied yourself in college and set yourself apart, you have a leg up on the competition.

It’s also a great idea to intern or ‘shadow’ at a reputable PT Clinic if you don’t have one at your University (you can even shadow in high school – I did). Much of what we do here with the Suns is “prehabilitation” and rehabilitation, so having a first-hand understanding of that is key.

Finally, check out NASM.org. The Suns and The National Academy of Sports Medicine have a great relationship.

NASM’s Optimal Performance Training Model is the basis of what we do on a daily basis to keep our players healthy, strong and fit. Once you have graduated from college, you can pursue your NASM advanced certifications such as the CPT (Certified Personal Trainer), PES (Performance Enhancement Specialist), and CES (Corrective Exercise Specialist).

It’s also a great idea to pursue a post graduate degree in something that you are interested in. I studied Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention, as did our Head Athletic Trainer Aaron Nelson. Tom Maystadt, our Assistant Athletic Trainer focused his post graduate studies on Rehabilitation.

The process may seem like a daunting task, but I enjoyed every step of it. If this is your ultimate goal, then I’m sure you will, too..

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