Peak Centre

Race Weekend Expo – 50% off Running Zone Checks

Ken Brunet — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:09:49 +0000

Are you due for a zone check?

Want to learn your individual Heart Rate, Speed, or Pace training zones?
Peak Centre will be offering HALF-PRICE zone checks at our Ottawa Race Weekend Expo booth! Contact Alex Stewart for more information/to reserve your spot! astewart@peakcentre.ca; 613 737-7325

Ottawa Jr. 67′s AAA coach to attend PEAK East End Camp

Ken Brunet — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:58:26 +0000

Just announced- Mathieu Bougie head coach of the 2012-13 Minor Bantam and newly named head coach of the 2013-14 Major Bantam Ottawa Jr. 67′s AAA team will be lending his expertise to our East-End Camp taking place August 5th-9th at the Bob MacQuarrie recreation complex.

Mathieu has been a well-known and a successful coach since 2000. He started coaching with the Eastern Ontario Cobras Major Bantam AA team in 2000 and, after just 2 years coaching at the AA level, was offered the position of Assistant Coach, Hawkesbury Hawks of the CCHL (2003-2006). During this time, he was the Assistant Coach of the very successful Eric Veilleux who recently won the Memorial Cup in 2012 as the Head Coach of the Shawinigan Cataractes.

As Assistant Coach to the Hawks for 3 years, Mathieu’s team won the Art Bogart Championship (Playoff Championship) twice, won the Fred Page Cup (Eastern Canada Championship) once and was a semi-finalist at the RBC Cup. Mathieu then went to coach with the Orleans Blues in the CJHL, followed by a coaching position for the Cumberland Grads Jr. A. Mathieu took a year off from coaching to pursue scouting at the Major Junior Level. Since he missed coaching, he returned to coaching minor hockey with the Eastern Ontario Wild AAA Major Bantam. During the 2011/2012 hockey season, he was Head Coach and GM of the Alexandria Glens Jr. B Hockey Team. For the past 3 years, Mathieu has operated a hockey school exclusively for Jr. Players. With 12 years of coaching experience and a passion for the game, Mathieu joins the Ottawa Jr67’s AAA Hockey Club as the Head Coach, Minor Bantam team. He’s looking forward to developing this group of young athletes and preparing them for the next level of hockey. In addition to coaching, Mathieu remains a Regional Scout for a Major Junior team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

PEAK Academy Grade 4,5,6 Open House

Ken Brunet — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:39:58 +0000

On Thursday April 25th, Peak Academy will be opening our doors for student athletes in grades 4,5,6 to live a day at PEAK! Come spend a day and experience the best of both academics and athletics! Learn first hand how top level teaching excellence on the ice, gym and in the classroom can help develop you into a top level student athlete!

Space is limited, so please RSVP directly to Alex Stewart, astewart@peakcentre.ca for more information and to reserve your spot.

Peak Testing with Canada Basketball

Ken Brunet — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:29:09 +0000

Over the long weekend PEAK was on the road in Toronto to perform testing on the Junior and Cadette eligible women. Testing went smoothly thanks to the cooperation and professionalism of the athletes and team officials. A great experience all-round!

http://www.basketball.ca/picture-blog-camp-at-a-glance-p153603

Bruins Spooner Speeds Up with PEAK

Ken Brunet — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:48:52 +0000

Spooner Speeds Up

2010 second-round pick Ryan Spooner continues on trajectory to Boston

Tuesday, 07.03.2012 / 2:39 PM / Features

By Joe Gallagher – BostonBruins.com

Wilmington, MA – Bruins management took a close look at their prospects throughout Development Camp, with Ryan Spooner stirring up much of the discussion.

Spooner

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli was quick to point out he’s not lacking in the talent department.

“You’ve seen him play – very skilled through the neutral zone, very highly skilled kid,” Chiarelli said of Spooner’s game.

Providence Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy ran the practices and was able to see Spooner’s skill at ice level.

“Very creative,” Cassidy said. “He made some no look passes that some of the other players in our club just don’t have the ability to make. And it’s one of his best gifts.”

Spooner had back to back goals in a scrimmage, displaying an element that can break games wide open.

Speed.

“You can never be too fast,” Spooner said.

As if military drills and power skating at Development Camp weren’t enough, Spooner’s been hard at work in his downtime.

“I’ve been working once a week back home with Pat Malloy [Peak Hockey Program Coordinator] just doing some footwork stuff doing a lot of things like that,” Spooner said. “Back home we’ve been doing a lot of like sprinting stuff and all that kinda work too so that should help.”

His speed made an impact in one of the team’s scrimmages when he burst up ice in transition and finished beautifully with a goal.

Chiarelli was also pleased with the off-ice aspect of Spooner’s development.

“You can see he’s maturing as a young man, so physically just by looking at him and his tests have shown that also…it’s about being mentally prepared for every game, every practice,” Chiarelli said. “So he has developed and progressed a lot in those – sort of the mental side of it and the physical side of it.”

Cassidy emphasized the importance of Spooner’s hockey IQ maturing.

“The difference I noticed from last spring to the previous one was his attention to detail – away from the puck, he’s starting to become more of a student of the game,” Cassidy said.

Assistant General Manager Don Sweeney is also optimistic about Spooner’s trajectory.

“His time in Providence [Bruins] has certainly helped in that regard,” Sweeney said. “There’s a pro mentality that’s starting to seep in there.”

Spooner welcomed the opportunity to continue to improve his game down in Providence.

“If I don’t end up making the team I’m gonna go play for Providence hopefully and that’ll be a great experience too, I mean that’s a great league and I’m looking forward to that,” he said.

Whether it’s Boston or Providence, Sweeney is happy in the direction Spooner is going.

“I think we’re really happy about where he is today, and where he’s headed – most importantly, where he’s headed,” Sweeney said.

That said, Spooner made it no secret he’s targeting TD Garden ice.
Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli grew that carrot when at the end of camp he said he believed Spooner, fellow forward Jared Knight and defenseman Dougie Hamilton would all challenge for roster spots in September.
Certainly that’s additional motivation for Spooner, who simply said, “Obviously I want to make Boston.”

Team Canada at PEAK

Ken Brunet — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:24:19 +0000

With the IIHF Women’s World championships fast approaching, Team Canada has been practicing hard in preparation for some stiff competition. They have been coming in to use the PEAK Centre for warm-ups and cool-downs. Great to see the team working hard! Lets go for the gold Canada!

PEAK Centre to Work with Basketball Canada

Ken Brunet — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:49:40 +0000

PEAK Centre’s very own Ed McNeely & Ken Brunet will be taking on the role of official sport scientists for Basketball Canada! Very proud and excited to be given this opportunity to work with Canada’s top basketball players!

Welcome to our NEW Site!

Ken Brunet — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:56:32 +0000

PEAK Centre is proud to announce the launch of our new website! We hope that this new look and feel will help serve you better, giving you the information and services you need to take your training to the next level!

Intermittent Hypoxic Training

peakcentre — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:41:58 +0000

Even small improvements in performance often take hours of training, hours which for the recreationally competitive athlete are often difficult to find when they have to juggle family life, work and training. One of the most overlooked adjuncts to training that has continually shown performance benefits is intermittent hypoxic training. Intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) makes use of a machine that decreases the amount of oxygen that you breathe, simulating altitude. IHT training has been shown to increase power at both anaerobic threshold and VO2 max by 4-6% in as little as three weeks with daily use of IHT for an hour at a time. This is about the equivalent of six months or more of improvements from actual training for most age group athletes. The real advantage to IHT training is that it is a passive form of training, you sit there attached to the machine and breathe while reading, watching TV or responding to e-mail.

How Does it Work?

Hypoxia, a decrease in the oxygen content of the air you are breathing stimulates the release of erythropoietin, the hormone responsible for producing red blood cell. With repeated exposure you will gradually increase the total number of circulating red cells and the oxygen carrying capacity of your blood.

Many people mistakenly believe that the use of hematocrit, the cell component of blood, levels are a good indicator of whether the IHT is working or not. If you were to take hematocrit measures every day while using IHT you would likely see an increase in hematocrit for a short time and then a gradual decrease back to normal levels as blood volume increases. If you only take a hematocrit reading at the beginning, middle and end of the IHT program you are unlikely to see any changes.

The human body likes to maintain hematocrit within a relatively narrow range, normal variations in hematocrit are typically less than 4% over the course of a year. One of the primary adaptations to aerobic training is an increase in blood volume, resulting in a decrease in hematocrit levels, reducing blood viscosity and resistance to blood flow, and improving cardiac output. There is a strong positive correlation between blood volume and endurance performance but contrary to what many athletes believe there is a negative correlation between hematocrit and performance. In other words high hematocrit levels actually decrease aerobic capacity. A lower hematocrit keeps blood viscosity lower and improves blood flow rate which improves oxygen transportation and transfer of oxygen to the muscles.

Given the amount of time and effort that you put into your training, the investment in IHT training is well worth the possibility of doubling the amount of improvement most people typically see in a year.

References

Thirup, P. (2003). Hematocrit: Within subject and seasonal variation. Sports Medicine. 33(3) pp 231-243.

El syaed, M., Ali, N., and El sayed -Ali, Z. (2005). Haemorohlogy in exercise and training. Sports Medicine. 35(8) pp 649-670.

Canadian National Whitewater Kayak Team Testing at Peak Centre for Human Performance

astewart — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:24:34 +0000

Today, our Canadian National Whitewater Kayak team was in the lab to perform testing to help guide them in their off-season training. These young Canadian athletes gave it their all for the Max Power, VO2 and Lactate Threshold tests. It is great to see Canada’s young athletes so eager to take their training to the next level with Peak Performance!

Check out our photos and videos page to see the action!