What does it take to become a “whole new athlete” – to run faster, to become stronger, more agile, or self-confident? Kyle Taplin and Keith Carlisle, owners of Scientifically Oriented Athletic Regimen (SOAR), believe that “many kids have the talent inside them; they just need help unlocking their potential.” Taplin and Carlisle have made a habit of creating 'brand new athletes' by tapping into the inherent potential of young athletes, and after working through their programs, “many went from out of shape to the strongest in the room.”
Taplin and Carlisle founded SOAR in 2014 after graduating from the University of Northern Colorado with Sport and Exercise Science degrees and extensive experience playing and coaching youth and college athletics. They developed SOAR after noticing a gap in proper training for middle and high school athletes and built their business around what they feel like they would have benefited from as young athletes. “We live and breathe exercise, fitness, and how to properly progress athletes through a science-based exercise regimen,” Kyle said.
Keith and Kyle want athletes of all levels to feel welcome and motivated to reach their athletic goals in a safe and challenging atmosphere. Kyle says, “I want to impact athletes' lives not only by helping them succeed physically as an athlete but also by providing a place where athletes can learn life lessons of hard work, perseverance, and gain self-confidence.”
SOAR provides programs for younger athletes in middle school and high school and college athletes. The beginner athlete program is geared towards athletes that want to build a solid athletic base -- attention to strength, power, speed, agility, and endurance. It focuses heavily on proper form, mechanics, and coordination. The SOAR+ program is for advanced athletes looking for more individualized or sport-specific attention. This program is designed around the athlete’s goals or needs. Regardless of the program, “Virtually every athlete sees improvement in agility, vertical jump, top speed, muscular endurance and power, and mobility.”
To give our readers a small glimpse into a SOAR session, Keith and Kyle have provided four exercises they use to help create a “whole new athlete” through their training programs.
Rotational chest press
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This is a great upper body push exercise that challenges the chest, shoulders, and triceps and is a great functional exercise for athletes that perform rotational movements frequently. Lean into the move and rotate at your trunk. Extend your arm straight out and forward as you pivot on your feet for full rotation.
Depth jump
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The depth jump is a great exercise to work explosiveness through the lower body. This type of motion is important in any sport you play that requires sprinting or jumping. Jumping as high or as quickly as possibly is great for increasing jumping ability and explosiveness off the ground. Load at the hip and do not bend forward at your back.
Yoga Squat
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This is a great exercise for warming up and working on mobility through the hip and hamstrings. Many athletes lack mobility limiting their ability to squat and properly load at their hips. Keep your heels on the ground and chest up, squatting down as deep as possible with arms extended straight up. As you sit into the squat, make sure to look up and get your chest up and butt down with heels flat to the ground.
Dead bug
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Core stability is important for any sport. If your core is stable, it helps your body move properly and have strength from the center of your body. Keep your core stable and braced while moving your opposite arm and leg at the same time. The other arm and leg remain in place without movement. Your low back should remain flat to the ground.