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!