Ed Harrold’s Flexibility For Athletes Programs are fast becoming the premier way to train as an athlete.  These training techniques have been receiving rave reviews from coaches, sports scientists as well as the athlete.

Our Philosophy:
Most athletes are over trained by the time their big event arrives and are not at there best physically, emotionally or mentally.  The “no pain, no gain” theory is old news.  It doesn’t have to hurt to excel.  This training philosophy is outdated and stale but still too many of us follow these training regimes because it’s all we know.  And so, injuries and burnout continue to be the biggest obstacle for athletes.

Our bodies are a scientific miracle that are constantly evolving with the ability to perform at levels we haven’t yet tapped into.  And, the answer isn’t heavier weights, harder workouts or longer training hours. We need to go deep inside the body to tap into those levels. The training philosophy is so easy you can use it no matter what your age or level of fitness.  No matter when or at what level you begin, you will be surprised at your achievements.

Our Program:
Ed combines his programs with three major components in mind: proper breathing using ancient yogic techniques; stretching/yoga postures to help relax the muscles you use for your sport AND enhance the ones you don’t; and meditation. He will tailor a Flexibility for Athletes program to suit your specific needs. When the desired sport is chosen, Ed ascertains the aerobic and anaerobic scientific breakdown of what your body effort will be and designs a cross training experience that matches what your body will be doing in your primary sport, i.e. rowing 67% aerobic, 33% anaerobic.

The Breathing.  Yogic breathing has been used for 3000 years to unlock hidden energy in your body.  The breathing I’m describing is referred to as Pranayama in ancient yoga traditions.  It’s a Sanskrit word which translates as “prana” meaning energy and “yama” meaning master or control.  Together it’s a process of controlling or mastering your energy.  As an athlete, this is critical.  So, in the end, no matter how strong you are, no matter how flexible you are, no matter how fast you are, without the ability to harness specific energy flows, you have yet to perform at your bodies complete ability.  Instead, you are over training and experiencing burnout which creates undue stress and injury to your body.

Here in the West, a similar form of breathing has been developed called Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT).  However, you primarily mouth breath through the tube of a very expensive machine.  Since the cost of this machine is cost prohibitive to most people and we all don’t live in regions of the country with higher altitude, Ed has designed programs that simulate high altitude training at ground level.  So, the only machine you need is your own body!  

Ed has created more than 50 breathing sequences to be used in just about any sport. Picking the proper techniques for you is Ed’s gift to allow you to reach your goals.  These sequences will strengthen your cardiovascular and respiratory systems. As your diaphragm becomes stronger you access deeper levels of energy. Breathing exercises are also used to get out of your beta mind (the rational linear mind) to be in the alpha state (creative mind) brain pattern more often. Whenever you did well in your event, you most likely were in the “alpha state”.  As pressure builds in the body, the mind remains focused and relaxed and the brain patterns or thoughts seem to slow down. The relationship the athlete has with time and distance becomes blurry and the event unfolds the way you want it to.

The Stretching/Postures.  Yoga asana (or postures) tailored toward your sport or sports will improve your core strength and flexibility as you learn to work with gravity, not against it.  Learning to link breath with movement allows the athlete to achieve deeper degrees of flexibility and range of motion.  The awareness of the hip and shoulder girdles along with spinal rotations both internal and external will allow more breath to enter and more toxins to leave the body leaving you refreshed after a workout, not wiped out.

The Meditation.  Meditation/relaxation/concentration is a lost art form for today’s athlete. Every animal on the planet meditates daily except for the human. The mind needs to use the whole body, it can’t feel or see the whole body because we are moving faster than ever in our culture. To be at your best, we must get your mind on board. This will be easier than you think, your mind’s organic nature is to be relaxed and calm. This takes a short period of time for your mind to adjust, but your body will reap the rewards and you will excel beyond your wildest dreams!

These techniques are an invaluable training tool for every athlete.  We’ve gained our success from coaches and athletes who are consistently stimulated by the workouts and find themselves amazed by their results.  We are finding that athletes who stick to this program are experiencing significant changes in their athletic performance both in their workouts and their competitions.  They are extremely confident as they go into the racing season or big race day.  Their mind becomes far less sidetracked by small distractions.  They’re reporting natural “flow states” just about all the time by utilizing the techniques from Flexibility for Athletes.

Ed is partnered with Harvard Medical School to study the affects of these techniques.  If hired to work with your team or club, let us know if your group would be interested in participating in any of these studies.

Instructional DVD’s will be available in the coming months.  They are in production now.  These are great to use as an individual OR with a sports team as part of a training curriculum.

TESTIMONIALS

“We have worked with Ed Harrold during our pre-season training to incorporate his breathing techniques, yoga postures and meditation into our curriculum.  His breathing techniques have conditioned our athletes how to excel in their cardiovascular and respiratory performance.  The yoga postures allow for more flexibility within the muscle groups getting over-trained and strengthen the secondary muscles for our sport.  The meditation and relaxation is always a treat at the end!”

Stan Bergman, Consultant. Stan has coached at the club, schoolboy and collegiate level for the past 40 years. Named 2006 Coach of the Year; a four-time Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) Coach of the Year. Stan had an illustrious 22-year career as head coach of men’s heavyweight rowing at University of Pennsylvania. At University of Pennsylvania, he guided The Quakers to Eastern Sprint Championships in 1986, 1991, 1996 and 1998 along with 2 IRA Championships in 1989 and 1992. In 1991, the University of Pennsylvania Varsity won the National Championship and his second varsity heavyweight boat went undefeated through the cup and championship season finishing the year by winning the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley. While at Holy Spirit High School, he coached crews that won many championships with 3 crews capturing the Princess Elizabeth Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. Stan was born and raised in Ventnor, NJ and continues to serve as Chief of Ventnor Beach Patrol during the summer months.

“Our yoga sessions with Ed Harrold were an integral part of our training program.  The sessions fit seamlessly into our training regimen.  Besides the obvious benefits in understanding our breathing and gaining more flexibility and balance, we grew more confident in what we were capable of as individuals and as a team.  Thanks for working with us over the past couple of years Ed.  The skills, information and experience that we took out of your sessions was invaluable to us and contributes greatly to our successes.  Thanks again.  We are looking forward to next year.”

Gerry Quinlan, Head Women’s Rowing Coach, Saint Joseph’s University, 2006 Dad Vail Champions, 2006 participant in Henley Royal Regatta

“Working with Eddy Harrold gave our team the extra edge over our competition.  We had the most successful crew season in Saint Joseph’s Women’s Rowing history!  Applying the breathing techniques and yoga stretches to each practice and before each competition, allowed my boat (Varsity 8) to stay calm, focused and relaxed before our races.  Eddy’s training with our boat contributed to a Gold Medal at the most prestigious races of the year, the Dad Vail Regatta.   And, allowed us to go on to compete in the Women’s Henley Regatta in Henley, England; both a 1^st in Saint Joseph’s University Women’s Rowing.  Personally, I have been able to apply all the techniques Eddy has taught me to my crew racing, lifeguard rowing competitions for Ventnor City Beach Patrol as well as my daily athletic workouts.  I highly recommend this program for anyone who wishes to strive and reach the highest level of excellence in their sport!”

Amanda Holland, Captain, Saint Joseph’s University Women’s Rowing, 2006 Dad Vail Champions – Women’s Varsity 8.

“In 2003, my twin brother, who was my rowing partner, and I started working with Ed Harrold on different ways to breathe, stretch and keep our minds clear during the race.  We met with him once a week during the season to work on these techniques.  Andrew and I felt immediate results before, during and after workouts and races.  That summer, we went on to win every race we entered except for one; we got second.  There is no question that what we worked on with Ed helped us to prepare both mentally and physically for any challenge we set.

Coming into 2006, I had set goals that I was looking to accomplish throughout the summer.  One of them being to win the South Jersey Lifeguard Championships; the “Super Bowl” of lifeguard racing.  I had a new rowing partner this summer and knew that the two of us had a very good shot at doing well in our races.  Having had success with Ed in the past, I called him up to get the ball rolling again for the summer season.

Ed introduced a new form of training to me called IMT or Inspiratory Muscle Training.  I had never heard of it before but was very anxious to try it out.  This form of training is unlike anything I have experienced.  The belly pumping, breath retention and yoga postures that we went through redefined for me how you can train at the highest level possible and not beat your body up in the process.  I really enjoyed the “body scan” we did at the end of each session.  Being a very competitive athlete and feeling like you have to be “on” all the time, laying down and falling into a deep relaxation allowed my body to take in all that I was asking of it, feeling energized and ready to go!  For an athlete, being able to have control of your mind and body for the entire time of your event is very difficult.  Through Ed’s IMT training, I don’t have to train as hard or for as long to obtain the desired result.  My body and mind work together as one and not against each other.  As far as my goal for the 2006 summer racing season, I went on to win the South Jersey Double’s and Single’s Races!”

David Funk, Head Boy’s Crew Coach at Mainland High School.  He’s guided The Mustang’s to the New Jersey State Team Points Trophy.  Winner of the 2002 & 2003 South Jersey Doubles Championship and the “Triple Crown” AND 2006 winner of the South Jersey Doubles and Singles Championship being only the 2nd lifeguard to win both the Doubles and Single’s race in the same year since the race began in 1924; 1998 to 2006 Ventnor City Beach Patrol Doubles Champion; 2003 to 2006 Ventnor City Beach Patrol Single Champion; 1996 Gold Medalist Scholastic National High School Rowing Championship, 1998 Silver Medalist at Eastern Sprint for Rutgers University. 

“Ed has helped me tremendously in my flexibility and my breathing.  The first time I did yoga was with Ed in the summer of 2006.  I didn’t know what to expect from the class but I knew I had to keep and open mind and believe what Ed was teaching was going to help me in my training.  I noticed a difference in my lung capacity after a month of yoga.  My rib cage opened up more allowing a greater volume of O2 to be delivered to my lungs and into my bloodstream.  With more O2, I was able to train harder and recover faster.  What also helped me out of Ed’s class was the visualization at the end of each session.  It really helped me focus on the task at hand and not get sidetracked.  It was a great way to decompress oneself from the daily routine of life.  Now I am hooked on what Ed is teaching and continue to go to his classes.”

Mike Tripician, Firefighter/Lifeguard.  2000-2001 State Swimming Champion; Holds National High School Record for 200 Meter Free Relay; 8 time Ventnor City Beach Patrol Swim Champion; 2004 South Jersey Swim Champion; 2006 South Jersey Doubles Rowing Champion

“I am a 34-year old firefighter/lifeguard.  I have been active in athletics all my life.  I played anything from racquetball, basketball, baseball, crosscountry, football, soccer and crew.  Now I have started focusing on long distance racing from triathlons to 20-mile ocean row competitions.  I am always looking to make myself better from the last race or event.

During the past year and a half, I have been concentrating more on making myself a stronger and healthier person.  I have stopped taking any type of medications; over-the-counter or prescribed.  I use body cleansing to clean all the major organs and remove toxins from my body.  I tell you all this because it falls directly into what Ed is teaching.

It wasn’t until 8 months ago, I started learning these breathing techniques.  Not only did my endurance levels make an incredible leap, the recovery time is unbelievable.  Events prior to these techniques left me lying in the corner gasping for air.  Now following races I go right into my post breathing techniques and I feel great!”

Tom Sher, Ventnor City, NJ Lieutenant Lifeguard & Firefighter

“I am a 54-year old athlete who has been competing in various short sprint and long distance endurance events since my mid-teens.  As I have grown older, training for these events has become more difficult.  I would train under the philosophy  “where there is no pain, there is no gain”.  Longer and harder workouts meant more recovery time off between workouts.  As a competitor and an athlete, and also, a self-employed general contractor, I am always looking for ways to improve the quality of my workouts in the limited time available for these workouts.

I’ve known Ed for close to 30 years and have always respected him for his athletic abilities and more recently his understanding of Yoga and what makes the body tick.  In February of 2006, I took a Flexibility For Athletes class instructed by Ed where he introduced some breathing techniques along with yoga postures.  Ed also integrated these breathing techniques into our individual workout schedules.  Even though I have been able to train using these techniques, I was never sure how they would surface during the heat of battle in a real competitive event.  In mid-July, my rowing partner and I placed 3^rd out of 40 in a 1 hour and 20 minute open water lifeguard boat race.  And, in late August, we won a 2 hour and 25 minute lifeguard boat race.  To me the proof is in the outcome.  Never before have I been more relaxed in both mind and body during an event and more focused on the task at hand.  The breathing techniques I learned are now part of every workout I do.  The results are real.  I would recommend one of Ed’s programs to anyone who is interested in improving both the quality of their workouts and ultimately their quality of life.”

Dennis Funk, General Contractor, Ventnor City Beach Patrol Rowing Doubles, Singles and Swim Champion; 1^st place winner on numerous occasions of the Brigantine Bay Race, Longport Memorials, Margate Memorials and South Jersey Lifeguard Championships; Competitor in 3 Atlantic City Marathons, Liberty-to- Liberty Triathlon; 22 Around The Island Rows (21-mile ocean row – winner 4 times) and Upper Township Beach Patrol 6-mile Bay Race (one time winner).