NEW WEBSITE AND BLOG

Check out our new website, which now includes the AI Blog!!!

www.accelerationiowa.com

No Excuses, Work Hard Everyday

Van Der Kamp shows his Acceleration!!!

Kirby Van Der Kamp, former Valley football and soccer standout, is congratulated by Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads after showing his speed last Saturday night against Texas Tech. Kirby, Iowa State's starting punter, executed a fake punt to perfection when he pulled the ball down and ran for 17 yards and a crucial first down. We aren't sure if it was a called fake or he ran it on his own, but either way it looks like his hard work at Acceleration Iowa this summer paid off big time!!!

Knott Named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week

Congratulations to Jake Knott, sophomore linebacker at Iowa State, who was named Big 12 defensive player of the week. He was part of the ISU defense that forced five turnovers to record Iowa State's first shutout since 2004 in its win over Northern Iowa. Knott registered a game-high 11 tackles while forcing a fumble and also made his third interception of the season. Knott is 4th in the Big 12 in both tackles (48) and interceptions (3). Jake worked out at AI as a senior at Waukee High School.

I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you're a musician, a writer, an athlete or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you'll win--if you don't, you won't.

-Bruce Jenner, Olympic Gold Medalist, Decathlon

Fuller Succeeding at Ohio State

Megan Fuller, a freshman soccer player at Ohio State, is having an outstanding season so far for the Buckeyes. After coming off the bench the first game of the season, Megan has started every game since. She leads the Buckeyes in minutes played and has helped lead her team to a 6-2-1 record. Megan went to high school at Bondurant-Farrar and worked out at Acceleration Iowa throughout her high school career. We wish Megan the best of luck the rest of the season!

Former AI Athletes Starting for UNI

Two former Acceleration Iowa athletes will be in the starting line-up for the UNI Panthers this weekend as they head into Jack Trice Stadium to play Iowa State. Austin Zlab (top picture), a senior from Urbandale who is the starting center for the Panthers, worked out at AI prior to his senior season of high school. Chris Jepsen (bottom picture), a freshman from Urbandale, is starting at defensive end. Chris worked out at AI for several years in preparing to play college football.

It is great to see their hard work paying off. We wish them luck Saturday against ISU!

Quote of the Week

If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning is not very exciting.

Dick Vermeil - Super Bowl winning head coach

New Little Hawkeye

Reggie Hoegh, the Waukee Director, is pictured here with his wife Laura and their new little boy Ryan Allen Hoegh. He was born August 31, 2010 and weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces. The Hoegh family rooted for the Hawkeyes this weekend and Ryan is asleep because the game was a blow out! Ryan is looking forward to starting his training at Acceleration so he can dominate the competition as soon as possible.

Agility Drills on the Turf

The video shown shows Calvin Dixon (7th grade Waukee), Kristin Riley (11th grade Johnston), and Parker Reed(9th grade Valley) performing some fun yet challenging agility drills. These drills are great for working on footwork and cordination in making cuts as well as starting and stopping. Great work!

Kid's got ups!

Geordan Hetherton (junior, Dowling Catholic) shows off his ups by doing a 48" box jump with ease!

Going the Distance

Unknown to most AI athletes is our distance club. To become a member, athletes must complete intervals of running and holding on the treadmill for at least 1 minutes and 30 seconds. Congrats to Niko Bakros (above), Grace Vander Weide, and Nick McLellan on becoming the newest members! Look for more AI athletes to break on to the distance scene here soon!

AI Athletes Lead Ankeny to Win

Ankeny High School dominated North High School 47-6 last Friday, led by many AI athletes. Cole Myers (#7 above) had 96 yards passing, including 1 TD, while his brother Cory had an interception for the Hawk defense. Carter Brandt led Ankeny with 118 yards. Several other AI athletes started for the Hawks, including Jordan Studer, Drew Doig (#69 above), Matt Andriano, and Zach Thompson.

Nick Wilson Joins Acceleration Iowa Staff

Nick Wilson, a recent graduate of Simpson College, joined the Acceleration Iowa staff in August. Nick was an intern this summer and is now working at the Urbandale facility full-time. Nick went to Saydel High School where he was a 3 year letter-winner in track and football. Nick was named to the All-District team as a senior in football and holds school records for most receiving yards in a season (683), receiving touchdowns (7), and yards per catch (22.5). As a track athlete Nick was a 5x state qualifier. Nick was a Drake Relays qualifier in 2006 in the 110 high hurdles, the first Saydel athlete to do so in almost 15 years. Nick is also the school record holder in the 4x400 meter relay. In college, Nick was a two year letter-winner in track and was also a conference place winner in the 110 high hurdles in 2010.

Quote of the Week

Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
-Vince Lombardi

"Ain't I" Footwork

Some slow motion of some of the footwork drills done for halftime at the Waukee location.

Born to Win

This video shows some athletes from the Waukee location using bands, performing footwork drills, and working at reaction time exercises. These are all drills done to allow the athlete to recover from the treadmill or plyo workout while still building valuable skills. Great work guys and keep making the most of your workouts. Working out might not always be fun but winning is!

Varner Named to First Team All-Arena

Acceleration Iowa's own Tanner Varner was recently named First Team All-Arena. The positions were voted on by coaches, media and fans, with several unanimous selections including Tulsa’s Gabe Nyenhuis and Arizona’s Rod Windsor.

Tanner trained at Acceleration Iowa in preparation for his best season as a professional athlete. Congratulations and keep up the great work, Tanner!

Athletes in the News

Congratulations to the following AI athletes who were named to the All-State baseball/softball teams:

Iowa Coaches Association All-State Softball

OF: Morgan Halverson, Sr., Martensdale-St. Marys
OF: Jenna Wolfe, Sr., Dallas Center-Grimes
P: Mandy DeMeulenaere, Jr., Pella
P: Paige Lowary, Eighth, Dallas Center-Grimes
OF: Ashley Prettyman, Jr., D.M. East


Iowa Newspaper Association All-State Baseball

1B: Bret Nyquist, Dallas Center-Grimes, Sr.
UT: Tyler Peyton, Dallas Center-Grimes, So.
OF: Dalton Parrott, Dowling Catholic, Jr.
C: Spencer Navin, Dowling Catholic, Sr.

New Training Hours

Acceleration Iowa will switch back to fall hours beginning on August 16th.

Urbandale and Waukee
Monday-Friday: 3:30-6:30
Friday: 3:30-5:30
Saturday: 9:30-11:30 (Urbandale only)

Ankeny
Monday-Friday: 4:00-7:00
Friday: 4:00-6:00
Saturday: 9:00-11:00

Sprint Cord Wall Ball in Waukee

This is Dynas Doud, a Junior from Dallas Center Grimes, and Austin Hinkle, a sixth grader from Valley. After a lot of hard runs on the treadmill they tried their hand at wall ball with sprint cords. Great job guys!

Circuit Training

This is Kelsy Shay Doing a Circuit for Part of her workout. She is getting ready for the upcoming fall soccer season which starts next week. She has been working hard and is sure to have a successful season.

Lanning's hot bat keeping Williamsport in 1st

Ankeny native and AI athlete Jeff Lanning has been on a tear for the Williamsport Crosscutters. The Crosscutters, a Short-Season A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, are currently in 1st place of the New York-Penn League.


In his last 5 games Jeff is hitting .385 with a pair of home runs and 6 RBI. He is leading the team with 7 HR and tied for the team lead with 22 RBI. Keep up the good work Jeff!!

Olejniczak signs with AIB

Above Tim Olejniczak showing off his Cheetah Club shirt after running 20.0 mph on the Super Treadmill. Later that day Tim signed a letter of intent to play basketball at AIB (picture below).
Tim was an all-state selection in football and in basketball during his junior year at Ankeny Christian Acadamy and has been pushing himself all summer preparing for his upcoming senior season. Congratulations on signing Tim and keep up the good work.

"Ice Cream Paint Job" Acceleration Iowa Style

Darin Newell 22.5mph

Marcus Benton 21mph

Andrew Flaherty 20 mph

"Drop the World"

Here are some videos that have been posted from the Waukee location in a highlight real to the song "Drop the World" by Lil Wayne.

Obstacle Course

AI athletes in Ankeny going through an obstacle course outside the gym inside of Kingdom Hoops. In order: Cory Kunze, Spencer Shepherd, Holly Nuetzman, Jacob Prebeck, and Mallory Sturtz

Say Hello to "Kassi"

Workout Name: "Kassi"

Workout Outline:

15 Jumps Box Four
12 Double Unders with Jump Rope
9 Kettle Swings - 45 lbs.
6 Lawn Chair/Twists/Press - 25 lbs.
3 Push ups - 45 lbs - Five Counts Down/Five Counts Up
As Many Rounds as Possible in 15 minutes

Test your determination on this workout. When you first start out it might seem like a Breeze but wait until the third or fourth round and then you can talk.

Top 5 in Waukee:

Reggie Hoegh - 6-2/5
Dave Wonders - 6-1/5 Jake Fay - 5-4/5
Eric McEntee/Tyler Norwood/Brandon Kain - 5-3/5
Andrew Flaherty - 4-3/5


Post Comments With your Rounds

Siebert=Cheetah

Jimmy Siebert, a senior to be at Johnston, shows his running prowess as he joins the Cheetah Club. A very exclusive club, to join an athlete must run 20 mph for 6 seconds without a spot. It is a great benchmark of hard work and athletic ability.

Siebert has been working out at Acceleration Iowa for over four months to prepare for his upcoming golf season. He had a few things on his mind after accomplishing his feat.

"John Stapes can eat his heart out. He doubted me and I proved him and his whole family wrong. I am aiming for Super Cheetah Club (21.5 mph) next. Golf is the best sport so stick to it. And if you are a 4A athlete, quit football and go out for golf."

Putting in Extra Work

Dan Lang pushes himself on the backpedal Treadmill in Urbandale. Dan, who is preparing for his freshman football season at Dowling High School, attended Jim Williams O-Line Camp all day today. The sunburn proves that he was out working hard from 8:00-3:00. With a little water and determination, Dan came in for the 5:30 session.

While others are resting and relaxing, Dan is committed to becoming the best he can be and putting in the extra work.

Keep up the great work, Dan! It will pay off this fall!

Getting Things Done in Waukee

This video features a few of the ladder drills that the Athletes have been doing in Waukee. At the end of the video there is a great drill to work on pass coverage for football players. Nice work guys, keep it up!

Speed Tests

The video above shows AI athletes in Ankeny testing their maximum speed on the treadmill this past week. Each one of these athletes has worked really hard in the past couple months, pushing themselves to become faster. They especially put in a lot of effort this past week trying to improve on their individual top speeds. Great job guys!!

Think Fast

These clips show some athletes in the Waukee location working on reaction time for their halftime. Drills like this are great for athletes to work on essential skills while they catch their breath from the first half of the workout.

No Regrets

Working hard may not be fun all the time but being prepared for the season and feeling the results from all the sweat and pain is. Once the season starts there's no going back, now is the time to prepare! Keep working hard, you won't regret it.

"The Eliminator"

"El Eliminator"
You after "El Eliminator"

After a hard workout the Shays decided to try "El Eliminator", which is Spanish for "The.....Eliminator." They started out confident but as they worked their way through "El Eliminator" they found out it wasn't going to be easy. The picture on the top shows what the workout is and the bottom picture shows what happens to you after.

NO ATHLETES WERE HURT BEYOND REPAIR DURING THIS WORKOUT

Power Development

Seth Vande Voort, a recent Des Moines Christian graduate, works on his explosive power on the Plyo Press with Sports Performance Coach Matt Held. Seth is preparing for his freshman football season at Dordt College this August.

The Plyo Press is exclusive to Acceleration Iowa and other Athletic Republic franchises. It is a great piece of equipment to develop power at a variety of weights while minimizing the stress on the joints and back. Athletes are able to safely and effectively work to build strength and quickness to dominate the competition.

The Maze

This video shows some young Acceleration Iowa athletes doing a wide range of exercises that we decided to call the "Maze". Each athlete completed the "Maze" twice for time. It might look fun but looks can be deceiving. Great work guys!

Putting in the Work

The clips shown are of the Jefferson Scranton High School football players who have been working out at the Waukee location. These guys wake up bright and early three times a week and car pool over an hour to arrive at 8:00 A.M. for their workouts. You would never guess by the effort they put into their workouts. These guys are determined to get in the best shape possible before the season. They show up, tie their shoes and get it done, no excuses!

Takin it to the next level

Above: Spencer Shepherd (WACO) and Cory Kunze (Bond-Far/Grand View) enjoying some handstand pushups.

Below: Kunze, Shepherd, and Klay Williams (Ank/Iowa Central) working their way through the hurdles with some burpees and finish with a jump on box 7.

Check out these muscles!!

Above: Ankeny athletes showing off their muscles after a tough workout.
Back Row: Molly Close, Max Martin, Will Martin
Front Row: Riley Close, Alek Martin
Below: Will Martin dominating some burpees and box jumps.

Ladder Drills

AI athletes in Ankeny show off their footwork through some ladder drills. Allie Marten leads the way followed by Sarah Leister and Michael Martin.

Zach, the Athlete, the Man, the Legend

This video shows Zach Eaton getting after it with some weighted push ups. Zach often impresses other AI athletes with his work ethics and willingness to take things to the next level. Keep up the great work Zach!

Gettin' After It

This video shows Acceleration Iowa athletes pushing themselves in a grueling halftime activity. Using the boxes helps develop leg strength, stamina, power, as well as improve foot speed and coordination.

Pictured in the video are Ryan Mells (aka Dwayne Wade), George Reis, Nolan Wengert, DaKarai Jackman, and Spencer Nyberg.

Great work, gentlemen!

AI Athlete Receives Co-MVP at Underclassmen Combine

Kenny Floyd (pictured above after a killer workout) performed well enough at the underclassmen combine, held recently in Johnston, to receive Co-MVP honors and an invite to the next level which will be held in Dallas, TX. This combine is considered the most reliable skills assessment program available right now and is a great accomplishment to be invited to the next stage.

Kenny puts in 110% effort every time he steps through our doors and it has been paying off for him. Congratulations Kenny and good luck at the next combine.

Pro Multi Hip

Grand View Freshman Cory Kunze rockin the Pro Multi Hip during one of his workouts in Ankeny. The multi hip is a great way to strengthen your hip extensors and hip flexors, which are key in speed development.

No Time to Waste

This video shows some Acceleration Iowa athletes in Waukee working hard at many different drills. The summer has just started but it will be over soon and the season will be here. Keep working because it will all pay off once the season begins.

Fab Four

These four young men have what it takes to become something great. Pictured from left to right is Skyler Crew, Devin Crew, Jacob Huseman, and Nate Groom. These gentlemen are always competing against each other to reach new levels of fitness and set records. Keep up the great work guys!

got abs?

This group of athletes has put in the time to develop them in order to increase their explosiveness and running power. These pictures show an entire session working hard to make themselves better in Urbandale. Keep up the hard work everyone!

The Eatons are "Go Getters"

This video shows the Eatons, who are very hard workers. They come everyday ready to kick some butt! Zach, who is 9 years old, is shown running 11 mph at a 25% grade for 8 seconds which is tough for most high school athletes. He is also shown running 18 mph and has his eye on 20 mph! He and his sister Ashlee always compete and push each other throughout the workout. Nice work guys and keep "brining it" everyday, it will pay off!

AI Athletes Lead Valley to Another State Title

Congratulations to the Valley girls soccer team who won the state championship this past weekend in Muscatine with a 1-0 win over Bettendorf. Amber Jardine, top picture, who was named captain of the All-Tournament team and Amanda Hudson, Rachel Friesth, Natalie Hall, and Bailey Conklin were five of the 15 Valley girls who trained at AI this winter in preparation of the soccer season. Their hard work definitely paid off with their fifth state title in the past six years!

Sprint Cords

Cory Myers (Soph./Ank) working the sprint cords at AI in Ankeny. When using sprint cords your muscles must react with more power to handle the excess load. When the cords come off, you produce more power than you ever have before.

Hurdles

Josh Tucker (Above) and Claire Hill (Below) flying over the hurdles during a jumping exercise.
Video: Grand View freshman and Bondurant-Farrar graduate Cory Kunze jumping the hurdles during a circuit. Cory ran track and played football for Grand View this past year.

If You Fail to Prepare You Prepare to Fail

A group of Van Meter football players are shown pushing themselves on the Super Treadmill. All these athletes have been coming to workout since March to get ready for the 2010 football season.

Quote of the Week

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
-John Wooden (former UCLA basketball coach, 11 time national champion as player or coach)

Varner named AFL Player of Week!

Tanner Varner (above in blue), a defensive back for the Iowa Barnstormers, was named Arena Football League Defensive Player of the Week for his outstanding performance against Alabama. Varner had two huge interceptions and recorded 18 tackles. This was Varner's second Player of the Week honor in the first 9 weeks of the season. Varner is leading the AFL with 77 tackles and is second in the league with 5 interceptions. Tanner trained extremely hard over the off-season at Acceleration Iowa...it is great to see the hard work transfer to the football field!

Superman Pushups

AI athletes in Ankeny trying to perfect the superman pushup. From left to right Klay Williams, Zach Thompson, and Josh Tucker.

Be an Athlete

This video shows some of the variety of exercises performed at Acceleration Iowa.

Cheetah Club

Above: Josh Tucker dominates 20 mph on the Treadmill.
Below: Josh Tucker (left), Bryan Sumner (center), and Cale Gierhan all maxed out at 20 mph to get themselves into the cheetah club on Friday.


Below: Cale showing one of the many reasons he has earned his way into the cheetah club. Not only is he sprinting up a 30% incline but he's doing so with a 20lb weight vest around his shoulders. Keep up the hard work Cale!!

Girls Rule!

From the top, Lucy Montgomery (sr. Valley), Paige Stanton (fr. Roosevelt), and Kaitlin Blunck (so. Roosevelt) train on the Super Treadmill in Urbandale.

Drive the Knees!

Nolan Wengert and Matt McDermott give it all they have at a 40 degree incline on the Super Treadmill. The incline forces athletes to drive the knees and improve their turnover time, making them faster. It is a lot harder than it looks. But, if it was easy, everyone would want to do it!

Backpedal Work - Dowling Style!

Three Dowling Catholic Football athletes pushing the limits on the backpedal treadmill. From top are John Donovan, Brandon Mauro, and Sean Dugdale.

The backpedal treadmill is a great way to activate the leg muscles in a different way than running forward. Strengthening the quads is the key to an increased vertical jump.

The future of Dowling football looks bright, keep working hard guys!

Quote of the Week

"If what you did yesterday still looks impressive, you probably haven't done much today."

It Only Takes One Shot!

This video shows some of the work Tommy Ellingworth, a wide receiver for the Barnstormers, put in before the season. He has played for the Iowa Barnstormers for the past two years. After a backup role most of last season he got a few chances and played well when given the opportunity.

This year started off much the same for Tommy as many new names were added to the roster. Discouraged but not defeated, he knew he only needed one chance to show what he could do. He got that opportunity against Arizona and had a nice game, catching several passes including a touchdown.

It is great to see players who put in the time working hard finally get their shot and make the best of it. We are happy for Tommy and look forward to seeing him in the upcoming games for the Barnstormers!

A Whole New Way to Train!

This Video features Grand View University football Players working out with the sprint cords. Gavin Burns is shown in the first series of clips followed by Everett Peterson (EJ). Both started for the Vikings last season and have committed to taking their game to the next level. As a Grand View Alum, it is fun to see these guys putting in the extra effort to make improvements for the upcoming season. I know they will see and feel the difference in the fall as they have been working extremely hard!

A.I. Athletes Shine at the State Track Meet

The Iowa State Track and Field Championships were held last weekend at Drake Stadium. Acceleration Iowa athletes dominated the competition and had some of the best times of the meet. Congratulations to everyone that competed, it is great to see hard work pay off!


Earlham senior Kaly Adkins pulls away to win the 800 meters.


Jake Trerotola (left), a junior at Roosevelt, celebrates after his team won the 4x100 relay.


Dowling junior Dalton Parrott (right) anchors the 4x100 relay which placed sixth overall.


Indianola junior Brennan Davey had an outstanding meet. Brennan won the 800 meters, placed second in the 400 meter dash, and anchored the winning 4x400 relay.


Urbandale senior and ISU football recruit Jevoury Weddurburn takes to the air in the long jump.


Waukee's Kaci Schneiter takes the hand off in the 4x200 relay.


Southeast Polk senior Tevin Mincy finished second in the 100 meter dash.


Southeast Polk sophomore Tyler Donels competes in the high jump. Tyler cleared 6'6" to place third in the event

Getting Explosive

This video shows some athletes during the 4:30 hour working on being explosive horizontally. Looking great guys keeping working hard!

BOX 8!!!

This Video shows Joe Trent working hard at a backbedal circuit in Waukee. One of the clips shows Joe jumping on box 8 which is 4 feet off the ground! Pretty impressive keep up the good work Joe.

Go Hard or Go Home!

Some more Highlights from the spring in Waukee. Nice Work Guys!

Jacob Huseman - Man or Machine!?!

Jacob Huseman, 9 years old from Waukee, is shown in the video doing one arm push ups. He did a record 21 with his right arm later in the workout. The bottom picture shows Jacob with his arch rivals Nathan Groom (middle) and Marcus Chew (right). The guys always love to challenge each other when they work out together. Many older athletes resist the chance to challenge any of these monsters because of the fear of losing. It is very easy to see why.

Each of the three athletes are competitive and have bright futures ahead of them. Keep the great effort coming, guys!

Waukee Highlight Real

Here are the highlights of videos posted for Waukee during the spring. All the athletes have been working extremely hard these past few months and I wanted to showcase their efforts. Keep working hard guys!

Summer Hours at A.I.

School is almost out and the training hours at Acceleration Iowa will change.

Urbandale/Waukee
Mon-Thu: 8:30-12:30; 3:30-6:30
Fri: 8:30-12:30; 3:30-5:30
*Strength hours
Mon-Thu: 10:30 & 4:30

Ankeny:
Mon-Thu: 9:00-12:00; 4:00-7:00
Fri: 9:00-12:00; 3:00-5:00

We look forward to a great summer of training!

Cone Drill in Waukee

Calvin Dixon and his brother Izaak are shown in these videos doing a cone drill to work on cutting and turning the hips while at full speed. Athletes start out running backward at full speed and use the hips to turn around and sprint. The next set of cones the athlete uses a jump cut to make sharp, balance, and quick turns. From there they turn the hips and sprint to catch the frisby. A fun but tiring drill!

Cheetah Club

Kyle Howe (Ankeny) is Acceleration Iowa's newest Cheetah Club member. Kyle has been working hard this spring preparing for the upcoming football season and topped out at 20 mph on the treadmill this week. Keep up the good work Kyle!

Agility Drill in Waukee

This video shows Frankie Accurso, Nick Wessels, and Ross Vasquez working at an agility drill to improve their explosiveness in cutting and jumping. Notice how they make sharp cuts at the cones by staying low and balanced. These guys have been working extremely hard and keep improving everyday they come in. When asked if he felt he was getting better Frankie replied, "yah everything gets easier once I learn how to do it."

Getting that Competitive Edge in Waukee

This video shows 8 Van Meter football players getting after it on the ladders and box jumps. Working out together as a team has made these guy's workouts very intense and competitive. All these guys bring a great and attitude energy to the gym and will have a great season next fall thanks to all their efforts in training. Keep it up fellas!