ISE promises increased speed
A three-credit class at Utah State University promises an increase in speed, strength, agility and endurance. If students are willing to put in the effort, the Institute of Sports Excellence (ISE) guarantees all that and more.
The ISE program taught at the Sports Academy on 1655 N. 200 East, opened last July in partnership with the university.
Students, the public and collegiate athletes needing specialized attention are welcome, said ISE Director Brad Brimhall.
“We feel the best thing we offer is that we can individualize the program for the particular team or athlete,” Brimhall, who helped put the program together, said. “That’s our niche.”
Brimhall has worked with athletes involved in rugby, soccer, baseball, football and other sports.
He insists that commitment and goals are high among the skills athletes need to succeed in the program.
“If you’re not going to be committed, you’re not going to have the same results as someone who is,” Brimhall said. “It seems that the athletes, who come in here with a particular goal in mind, are the ones that succeed.”
For senior Josh Bostwick, an art major, that goal is making USU’s men’s club soccer team. He played for a season but dropped out because of scheduling conflicts.
He enrolled in the ISE class to regain the condition he needs to make the team.
“I have a very high opinion of the program,” Bostwick said. “It helps with endurance, speed and agility; and those are very important in soccer.”
Students and athletes get the same conditioning and coaching from certified trainers on the same top-notch equipment that professional players use Brimhall said.
This includes a high-speed treadmill, a vibration platform, Free Motion strength equipment and sport specific cord workouts.
He said the equipment is a critical part of the program, which is geared toward individual needs or a specific sport.
USU senior, Sara Gilmore, who is majoring in exercise science, said the program ties in perfectly with what she needs on the rugby field.
She uses the ISE program along with the training she receives as a player on the university’s club rugby team.
“I would tell all my rugby teammates to come do it,” she said. “I think it’s such a good program for any athlete wanting to build their strength, power and speed especially. And Brad’s a really good instructor, he gives you a lot of one-on-one critique.”
Brimhall is a certified strength and conditioning coach who has been working with athletes for several years.
Before coaching various high schools sports, he played professional baseball.
He was a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles.
The head team physician for USU, Jonathan Finoff, also helped with the design of the program and has been with the operation from the beginning.
He too brings years of athletic experience both from his days as a professional mountain bicycle rider as well as currently practicing sports medicine here in Logan.
Students who enroll in the class are measured at the beginning of the course for strength, agility and speed. They are again tested at the end to determine how much they’ve improved.
On average, Brimhall said students can expect to add 2 inches to their vertical jump, 20 percent more muscle strength and cut .20 seconds off a 40-yard sprint.
The ISE program runs for a semester and like any other USU course, is academically graded.
-dsnoack@cc.usu.edu