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785-623-5900 | Submit an Email
2500 Canterbury Drive
Hays, KS 67601 | Directions

Upcoming Sessions

Winter 2021-2022:
December 6th – February 19th
Mondays 6:30pm-8:00pm
Thursdays 6:30pm-8:00pm
Saturdays 10:00am-11:30am

Summer 2022:
June 6th – July 28th
Mondays thru Thursdays
(Times TBD)

Enroll Now!

Please call 785-623-5900 to complete enrollment!

Meet Shawn

Shawn Landers, MS, ATC

Shawn Landers, MS, ATC

Athletic Training, Personal Training, Sports Medicine

About Our Program

The Athletic Edge is a unique performance enhancement program designed for each athlete to increase his or her skills in a fun, positive environment.  Our certified professional trainers will determine your individual strengths and weaknesses and then guide you through an intense program.  Daily workouts designed to motivate and challenge athletes while providing age-level safe and appropriate techniques and corrections that set a foundation for good life-time habits.  We will also teach you how to decrease your chance of injury so that you’re able to stay in the game as long as you want.  Whatever your sport of choice is, we can help you turn small gains into big results.

Who is a candidate?

From athletes 10 years old all the way up through college, the Athletic Edge has allowed athletes to improve their athletic performance and develop a higher level of self-confidence.

Many experts view ages 10-18 as the most ideal time for developing speed, strength, and power.  Athletic Edge was created for all levels of athlete who aspire to work hard and improve their ability.  The program utilizes the most up-to-date training tactics to build a young athlete’s foundation and workouts are intense but all within a fun and friendly environment to ensure the young athlete is engaged and motivated to work hard.

If you are willing to dedicate time and energy to get faster, jump higher, or build strength, then the Athletic Edge is Western Kansas’ number one choice to get you there.

Program Focus

Athletic Edge uses a variety of fun equipment like medicine balls, resistance bands, body weight exercises, ladders, plyometric boxes, and weight sleds.  We incorporate our signature training methods with the great facilities of The Center for Health Improvement to make this program produce results and keep youth returning for more.  Athletic Edge focuses on a variety of areas to build a well-rounded athlete.  These areas include:  Speed, Agility, Power, Injury Prevention, Conditioning, and Self-Confidence.

Performance evaluations are also included in the program.  We test each athlete in a variety of areas including laser timing systems for accurate assessment of their overall abilities.  This helps to identify individual strength and weaknesses.  Tests include:  Seated shot put, pro agility, 10 yard dash, 40 yard dash, broad jump, and vertical jump.

Program Options:

Weights & Gym Workout –  Full 2 hours per session.    Cost:  $200
Signature workout program plus individualized weight training program.  Ideal for inexperienced lifters who need more guidance.  This option is also great for highly motivated athletes who want to supplement their school’s weight training with a more sport-specific or need-specific program.

Gym Workout only – 1 hour per session.   Cost:  $125
This option is ideal for athletes who are already involved with weight training at their school but want to supplement their program with our speed and agility workouts.  This option also works well for younger athletes who do not feel they are ready for weight training.

Weights Workout only – 1 hour per session.   Cost:  $125
This option is great for athletes who want an individualized weight training program that is sport specific.  For athletes who are busy with school workouts, open gyms and rec games, our weight program offers a great way to still improve strength and ability while avoiding burn out.  In addition, our certified strength and conditioning specialists focus on proper lifting techniques to avoid injury.

*** Special Discount.   A discount is offered for those families with multiple kids.  1st child is full price, all other kids $25 off each.

*** Athletic Edge also offers individual and small group training sessions.  If you’d like a 1 on 1 training program at a great price or a small group training program with friends, please contact us for more information on prices and dates/times available.

Performance Evaluation

Until an athlete knows his or her current level of ability, it is impossible to realistically create goals and monitor progress.

The performance evaluation is critical to every athlete in our program in order to:

Assess the current level of an athlete’s ability
Identify limitations or weaknesses that need developed
Allows proper exercise prescription based on individual needs
Establishes a record to determine progress in our program
During the evaluation, athletes will be taught our dynamic warm up, be examined during our functional movement screens, and tested in a variety of speed and strength tests. After the evaluation, every athlete and parent will get an individualized report to review the results.

Tests Include:

Seated Shot Put
Vertical Jump
Standing Broad Jump
Pro Agility Test
10 Yard Dash
40 Yard Dash
Functional Movement Assessment
Running Mechanics Assessment

Sample Workouts

Each workout is designed with a variety of activities and equipment to keep athletes interested and challenge their ability levels. The items listed below are included in EACH action-packed session of Athletic Edge.
Active Dynamic Warm Up
10-15 minutes of exercises to warm up the muscles, improve flexibility, and reinforce proper postures/running mechanics.
Agility Ladder
Designed to improve footwork, coordination, and over-speed training for a quick first step and dynamic turnover when sprinting.
Explosive Upper Body Training
A combination of medicine ball, body weight, and plyometrics to train shoulder stability, strength, and power.
Lower Body Plyometrics
There is a close relationship between jumping and sprinting. Drills will include 2 leg and single leg jumps, repetitive jumping, and work on landing mechanics to decrease the risk of injury.
Core Stability & Balance
The midsection is often forgotten about in training. These exercises are designed to challenge the core muscles in more functional standing positions. In addition, balance exercises will challenge the stability of multiple joints including the ankle, knee, hip, and shoulder.
Speed and Agility
A variety of cutting, pivoting, and sprinting. Technique is a main focus in the beginning and can help reduce athlete’s risk of injury. Speed sessions begin with technique drills to improve leg and arm mechanics, progressing to longer sprinting.
Conditioning
Alternating days of sprinting, medium distance, and long distance runs with game days designed to enhance conditioning.

Participant Feedback

What did you like about the Athletic Edge?
“I liked everything because it made me a better athlete.”
“We got faster”
“Works you hard and improves my talents.”
“Pushes me to be my best.”
“I liked the personalized attention.”
“Helps me with my form and starts, which are two areas I need the most improvement.”
“It was always a challenge, yet was fun.”
“Jamie and Shawn were fun and I learned as well.”
“The competitions in the agility / running.”
“I saw improvement in my speed and strength.”
“Pretty much all of it, it makes me enjoy working out.”
“I liked the trainers and workout program; liked how they specifically made my workout for me.”
“The variety of different things we did and lifting weights.”
“I liked that we got to work on stuff that we aren’t good at.”
“I liked learning how to run the right way.”
“I liked working on the mechanics and getting better.”
“I learned a lot of things about sprinting that I didn’t know and I can use them in all sports.”
“It was very challenging. It focused me on what I needed to do to get better at my sport”
“The Athletic Edge challenges athletes in every way.”

Other comments, suggestions, and/or concerns
“I love Edge.”
“Thank you”
“Thank you for the summer.”
“Edge was a lot of fun.”
“Keep up the good work.”
“Thanks for the past 3 years, and everything.”
“Thanks for an awesome summer.”
“Thank you so much for working with me this summer, I had a great time; you guys made me look forward to working out.”

Parent feedback and comments
“I liked the feeling of accomplishment my son felt.”
“I felt the boys received more direction with appropriate weight lifting and running techniques. I know my son felt that you both took the time to answer questions he had.”

Youth Weight Training Information

Misconceptions about training Youth

There has been considerable debate among the public, educators, coaches, physicians, and scientists as to when it is appropriate to begin weight training in children and adolescents. click to learn more…..Misconceptions about training Youth

National Strength & Conditioning Association Position Statement

The National Strength and Conditioning Association is the world leader in delivering scientific, peer-reviewed research about strength and conditioning. click to learn more…..National Strength & Conditioning Association Position Statement

American Academy of Pediatrics “Strength Training by Children and Adolescents”

Pediatricians are often asked to give advice on the safety and efficacy of strength training programs for children and adolescents. click to learn more…..American Academy of Pediatrics “Strength Training by Children and Adolescents”

American College of Sports Medicine “Youth Strength Training”

Fitness training has traditionally emphasized aerobic exercise such as running and cycling. More recently, the importance of strength training for both younger and older populations has received increased attention, and a growing number of children and adolescents are experiencing the benefits of strength training. click to learn more…..American College of Sports Medicine “Youth Strength Training”

President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports “Youth Resistance Training”

Although boys and girls have traditionally been encouraged to participate in aerobic activities such as bicycling and swimming, they have not always been encouraged to participate in resistance training. In recent years a growing body of evidence has accumulated to indicate that resistance training can be a safe, effective, and beneficial method of conditioning for youth. click to learn more…..President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports “Youth Resistance Training”

Mayo Clinic “Strength Training: OK for kids?”

During childhood, kids improve their body awareness, control and balance through active play. As early as age 7 or 8, however, strength training can become a valuable part of an overall fitness plan. click to learn more…..Mayo Clinic “Strength Training: OK for kids?”

StrongKid

StrongKid.com supplies resources to enhance the health, fitness and sport performance of children and teenagers. click to learn more…..StrongKid