@austronauts fun fact mitch could squat 375 lbs the year he got drafted and 400 lbs after his rookie year, when he was still only around 165-170 lbs himself
mitch's trainer dan noble on how mitch succeeded despite his size as a rookie, his potential, and when he knew mitch was a special athlete (article published july 26th, 2017)
"people underestimate how strong [mitch] is. he is probably, pound for pound, one of the strongest players in the nhl. I know people might argue with me about that and might think that's crazy, but the kid is 170 pounds bouncing back and forth and can back squat 400 pounds parallel and has incredible body control."
"I show him an exercise or a complex movement and he picks it up just by watching. he is by far one of the best athletes I've ever worked with, and he's been like that since he was in grade 8 ... I think that's what motivates him, is when little kids and younger athletes with a smaller stature look at him and see that the sport is changed. the sport is moving more towards a guy like mitch's favour."
"it didn't matter what we were playing, whether it was dodgeball in gym class or handball, he is just competitive as hell and hated to lose, and loved to compete and enjoyed it ... I think that's always been his mentality — to look above and beyond and try to compete with the best."
full transcript below the cut
"even now, when he comes in to train, I think people don't even recognize him. they see this kid walk off the street and into the gym and people are like, 'he looks familiar, but there's no way that guy plays in the nhl.' the one thing I tell people about mitch is people underestimate how strong he is. he is probably, pound for pound, one of the strongest players in the nhl. I know people might argue with me about that and might think that's crazy, but the kid is 170 pounds bouncing back and forth and can back squat 400 pounds parallel and has incredible body control."
"I'm not big on trying to turn mitch into a weight lifter and that's not what he is. I think it's important as a performance coach to recognize what your athlete is. mitch is an f1 race car and you need to treat him like that and understand what makes him unique — his speed and his explosiveness and his ability to control his body in tight situations and get in and out of corners without getting hit and put through the boards."
"in terms of our approach with him, it's all about maintaining that and just becoming the absolute best at being as fast and as quick with the change of direction and being strong on the puck and strong on his feet. from a single-leg perspective and power, he can use his abilities and the strength that he has, rather than just being ok and strong. mitch is never going to be 220 pounds and you don't want him to be."
"dan robson came in and did an interview with him and doug gilmour in our gym last week. it was interesting hearing them both talk about their first-year experiences and what they were like. doug gilmour said he was 150 pounds his first year in the nhl. I think for mitch it is all about understanding who he is as a player and not trying to be something he's not and continuing to focus on where his strengths lie."
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"from an athletic standpoint evaluating him, I show him an exercise or a complex movement and he picks it up just by watching. he is by far one of the best athletes I've ever worked with, and he's been like that since he was in grade 8. I was looking at his scores — I've got all of the test scores from when he was 12 — and he ran a 14.1 beep test in grade 8, which is crazy. if mitch can continue to master the process and understand how to take care of his body and continue to learn how to eat right and train and continue to do the right things every day, the sky is the limit. I think he has the ability to be a top-five player rather than just a guy that is there and contributes. we talk about that all of the time: 'what do you want to be? do you want to just be there and be good, or do you want to be someone who contributes to changing the game and changing the way people look at athletes of your body size?' I think that's what motivates him, is when little kids and younger athletes with a smaller stature look at him and see that the sport is changed. the sport is moving more towards a guy like mitch's favour."
...
"I don't think I really knew what he was going to be until he went into london his first year. I think that was a good thing for him. you see connor mcdavid and auston matthews who have been these chosen prodigies and everyone knew what they were going to be. mitch always had this kind of achilles heel; he's got great skill, but he's small. I think that's been something that he's always used as fuel for his ability to prove people wrong and his competitiveness."
"the one thing I tell people all the time — it didn't matter what we were playing, whether it was dodgeball in gym class or handball, he is just competitive as hell and hated to lose, and loved to compete and enjoyed it. I think that stuck out to me early on right away. he would be in grade 8 and hang around guys like nick ritchie and brett ritchie, right in their hip pockets challenging those guys and trying to compete and keep up with them. I think that's always been his mentality — to look above and beyond and try to compete with the best."
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bonus:
"much has been said about marner's slight frame, but watch him in the gym and strength doesn't seem to be an issue. at about six feet tall and 165 lb., he back-squats multiple reps at 375 lb. he worked with his performance coach, dan noble, from his eighth-grade year at the hill academy until the leafs took over supervision of his training this summer. noble likens marner's body type to that of a defensive back in football—tall, lean and fast. while marner needs to put on muscle mass, noble says, it needs to be done intelligently without loading up for the sake of appearances."
Hey guys ! To celebrate the end of 2017 my friend Anthony Rodriques and I have decided to create some avatars inspired by the POWER ANGERS. Have a look on the following link to see the power angers 2.0 : http://mene-strel.tumblr.com/post/169109072449/mene-strel-here-is-what-i-worked-on-lately-with. Happy new year yall !
