My Combine360 Review

I recently participated in the Combine360 Trainer Certification 4-day workshop here in San Francisco and it was amazing!

I would like to give a special shout-out to, Peter Twist, Brain Griffin, Brian Nunez, Lisa Herrington, Jen Miramontes, Stacey Daniels BJ Corey and Janice Hutton who inspired us all to go dig deep and “earn it!

Full Disclosure:  I have not and will not be receiving any compensation for this post.  Also, this review is my opinion only and not necessary the views of the people or companies mentioned.

Combine360

So, what is Combine 360?

Combine360 is a performance platform to help trainers and athletes (and I consider everyone as an athlete at some level) to achieve peak physical performance both on and off their chosen playing field.

There are several components that make up the Combine360 platform.

The first is the assessment phase.   The assessment measures three major aspects that make up the athletes performance.  These areas are assigned scores that when added together can add up to a total of 360, hence Combine360.

These three major aspects of Combin360 Assessment are:

• Athleticism(total available score 120)
  • Foundational Athleticism

• Movement(total available score 120)
  • Sport Specific Movement
  • Integrative Movement
  • Visual Ability

• Character(total available score 120)
  • An athlete’s attitude, mental toughness, ability to communicate effectively

Each aspect is dissected during the assessment to gain a deeper understanding of the individual along with their strengths and areas of improvement.

After the assessment phase is completed a program is developed to enhance the areas needing improvement and further developing the areas that are strong.

The developmental program addresses:

Performance Balance: All movement is dependent on great balance.  If there is an area of weakness that requires enhanced balance (and believe me, we can all use assistance in this area) then a process using ground-based, top-down and lever-loaded balance challenges are utilized.  They will focus on the neuromuscular feedback system that will in turn create intuitive, reactive body awareness and unified body control essential for more aggressive physical actions.

Athletic Movement: This element explores the progressive approach necessary to develop coordination, agility, deceleration, speed and quickness with a focus on movement precision and mechanical efficiency.

Combine Strength: This phase emphasizes maximizing strength and power by utilizing high metabolic, whole body integrated exercises along with methods that harness mental strength to ignite explosive force production in the muscles.

Within each of these areas (balance, athletic movement and combine strength) there is a specific progression to take each individual through.

This progression is:

1 – Train to Improve:

This portion focuses on developing the foundation of each athlete’s engine.  Here the athlete is able to develop the necessary total body balance, strength and foundational movement patterns to prepare them for the next phase of training.

2 – Train to Gain:

This next level focuses on improving body function so that the athlete is better prepared to engage in harder and more complex exercises and routines.  Here the individual must be able to demonstrate that all of their body can coordinate the intense actions cohesively.

3 – Train to Perform:

The final level takes the specific area being improved, i.e. balances, athletic movement or combine strength, and challenges the athlete so that there is an improved and seamless transfer to their sport specific action.

Let The Fun Begin

If you’re a novice personal trainer this may seem convoluted and once you grasp the logic behind this protocol you’ll see the power it has.

Then the fun part starts….the Combine360 Challenge!

This is where, after you have become proficient in the specific area(s), you get to demonstrate your competency in a challenge.

The Combine360 Challenge is SO cool and so much fun there isn’t enough adjectives for me to describe it.

Here’s a brief Youtube from the IDEA World Fitness Convention in Los Angeles on Aug 15, 2011 that goes over the Combine360 Challenge:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4IPWjwg3Js[/youtube]

So, that’s a VERY quick summary…which by the way does not come close to giving the Combine360 justice.

My Review

I’ve been involved in the fitness industry for over 15 years, been certified by ISSA and NESTA and have been member of NSCA. Let me tell you, I’ve never seen or been involved with a program that supports the complete and total development of an athlete like Combine360.

Before I go on I want to emphasize that Combine360 is for anyone and everyone who wants to improve and enhance their physical movement.  It’s not just for the elite athletes.

That’s one of the many great things about this program; it’s scalable to the person being trained.

If you’ve never trained before, you’ll go through the same process, just scaled to your level. If you’re a weekend warrior, fantastic!  The program can be scaled to your demands.

By looking at the total person (balance, movement and character) Combine360 can address any areas that need improvement.  No stone goes unturned.  This is a complete system to produce a fully physically functional person.

And one of my favorite parts of the Combine360 is that it looks at the mental strength side of the athlete.  No other program out there covers this…not one!

We Live In 3 Dimensions

The problem with most traditional personal and athletic training is that it has been, and still is, linear.  Training is done on machines or uses a single plan of motion.

News flash…

We don’t move and live in a linear world with have 3 dimensions in which we move and unless with train for ALL them and the combinations of them, we open ourselves up to injury and subpar performance.

Even for those more progressive trainers that are working in multi-planes Combine360 gives you new methods (based on scientific research), a process to track the progress of your clients and to push them to new levels.

I must emphasize that is not, nor is it similar to, CrossFit.  Combine360 is a much more organized and purposeful training methodology dedicated to enhancing the entire athletic engine.

Side Benefit

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you know I’m all about improving mental strength and cognitive ability.  Well here’s the really cool thing about Combine360 training…you improve them both!

Obviously participating in the challenges is going to stretch you and improve your mental strength.  But during your training, since you’ll be new exercises and pieces of equipment on a regular basis you brain is going to form new neuropathy ways.

I know…I can you here saying “Big deal, what does mean to me?”

In a word…everything!

You see, as you develop new neuropathy ways you create more mental resources.  More mental resources mean more creative problem solving ability as well as improved memory and the ability to think differently.

This in turns empowers you to be able to more purposefully and consciously in the creation of your reality.  Combine360 develops your ability to live a life of power, purpose, and passion with perseverance!

A Powerful Program

So with Combine360 you not only look good, feel good, move good but you think good as well!

Now that’s powerful!

OK…for the icing on the cake, Combine360 is supported by several awesome companies.

Who are they?

• Under Armour® – Their mission, make all athletes better.
• IMG (only the most powerful sports performance and management company in the word).
• Gatorade – The premier sports drink company.
• TRX® – The number one manufacture and educator of suspension training.

In addition, individuals like Todd Durkin and Peter Twist are involved.

As an athlete when playing is your sport (kids) or when training is your sport (adults) or when competing is your sport (competitive athletes) Combine360 training can give you the edge to go from good to elite.

Side note: I’m going to discuss in a separate post how Combine360 can assist the tactical athlete to meet their missions and return safely, that is injury free.

As a trainer, Combine360 gives you more tools and resources to help your clients meet and exceed their goals.  When this happens you have ecstatic clients and they tell others.  When they tell others they, you get new clients, when you get new clients your business grows.

You do want your business to grow…don’t you?

What’s the downside?

Only one…

There’s not enough certified Combine360 Trainers out there to spread love.

To find out how to become a certified Combine360 Trainer or to find the closest one to you, visit their site at: http://www.combine360.com/

Also, make sure you check out their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/combine360

Or you can contact me, and if I can’t help you I’ll direct you to someone who can.

The bottom line is that if you want to really improve and enhance your athletic engine or help others improve theirs Combine360 is a necessary set of tools to add to your tool box.