THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506170084
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 28 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
There is often a misconception by those not in the know that the life of a professional football player is all glitz and glamour.
Not!
In a sport where there is always some young buck waiting in the wings to snatch your job out from under you, athletes must be in tip-top form to protect their livelihoods.
Holding down a job means the athlete must perform better than anyone else on the team playing a particular position.
And that means work - hard work and plenty of it. Lots of it during the off-season.
Rick Reed, a Virginia Beach-based personal trainer, has developed a training regimen that will help athletes stay in game shape. Designed mostly with professional football players in mind, the workouts can also benefit anyone just trying to get in great shape.
But it's anything other than glamorous.
In fact, the two-hour sessions that are held three days a week are pure torture.
Especially when done in humid, 90-degree sunshine. But there are rewards.
``What's my reward for all of this?'' asked Buffalo Bills cornerback Thomas Smith. ``Try three million dollars next year.''
Yes, a pro football contract can be lucrative. But it has to be earned. Heading into his third season, Smith has had to prove himself.
The payoff from hard off-season work is right around the corner.
``You get out of it what you put into it and I'm looking to gain an edge,'' said Smith, a former University of North Carolina player. ``This is my third year coming up and it's crucial. This is where I'm supposed to make a difference.
``This stuff is good for your body and mind, and then there is the monetary success.''
Equally so for Reed, a 31-year-old former First Colonial High and Duke University tight end.
After all, this is a business for him.
But it's also his first love.
Reed is a regular at Warings Gym and trains about 30 individuals as their personal trainer.
In his third year of running these ``mini camps,'' he is working with about 10 individuals at a time.
The sessions are not for the weak of heart or body.
Known as pilometrics, or ballistic training, the sessions include mostly cardiovascular work using methods that build strength and balance. Many are based on reaction drills that train the fast, or powerful, muscle fibers.
``Football is fast and explosive,'' said Reed, who attended the National Academy of Sports Medicine to learn more. ``Our conditioning coach at Duke (Sonny Falcone) used to use many of these techniques. When I graduated, I was his assistant helping the freshmen. I really got to learn how all of this stuff works, and it's a good system.''
When the workout area - often taking place at an Oceanfront park - is first approached, it doesn't look too menacing.
But just a few minutes into the action tells a different story.
First, there's a light jog to warm up. Then athletes jump rope. From there, they leap over hurdles, run through them, around them, and jump over them some more.
Then there is the jumping board, where athletes are strapped in and have to leap and sprint against the tension of thick, rubber bands. The athletes then have to run sprints, strapped into a harness, and attached to another runner offering resistance.
In all, there are 10 stations. Reed mixes that action up to fight boredom. The action is quick, moving from station to station in bang, bang, bang fashion. There are sporadic water breaks in between, but they aren't long enough for the participants to cool down.
All the while, Reed and helper Larry Mailhes offer encouragement.
``Oh, no,'' Reed said with a smile, ``I don't do the workouts with them.''
Aside from Smith, Reed is also training Darren Perry of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Keith Goganious, formerly of the Buffalo Bills and now with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He trains several collegiate athletes and a women's tennis player.
He is also working with Smith's brother Greg, a former Winston-Salem University cornerback. The work has paid off, as Greg Smith just signed a free-agent contract with the Steelers.
``I think this is a pretty good system,'' Reed said. ``The guys lift weights and run on alternate days and it keeps them in great shape.''
And for the business of pro football, that's a must. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
Thomas Smith works on acceleration by working out with a sled
weighted down by Rich Reed, Greg Smith and Thomas Curren. Larry
Mailhes, left, watches the action.
Staff photos by DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
Thomas Smith, who plays for the Buffalo Bills, jumps straight up on
hurdles at Rich Reed's football camp.
Personal trainer Rich Reed operates an off-season camp for ``serious
football platyers. [players]''
by CNB