Athletic Lab recently hosted a VTO Sports Combine. The event brought together 40 athletes from around the region to compete in a series of physical tests popularized by the NFL Combine. The 40 high school football players were assessed in the following tests: 40 yard dash Vertical Jump 5-10-5 (Pro Agility) 185 lb Bench Press L Drill Athletes assessed in the combine are eligible for a 20% discount on our Scholastic Sports Performance program.
We have so many great members doing such amazing things that sometimes it's hard to single out just one. That's why for the month of March we're selecting our entire NFL combine preparation group as our March Members of the Month. Representing the group for this feature will be Sheldon Saddler, Bryce Mcclain and Brian Smallwood Jr. All of the players will be attending at least one NFL Regional Combine. We're proud of our members and the amazing things they do on a daily basis. The feature will highlight one or more members each month. Click here to see previous members of the month. Name and Age: Sheldon Saddler (23); Bryce Mcclain (26); Brian Smallwood Jr. (22) What city were you born in Sheldon: Kannapolis, North Carolina Bryce: Phillipsburg, New Jersey Brian: Charlotte, NC What university did you play for Sheldon: Shaw University Bryce: Shaw University Brian: Shaw University What position do you play Sheldon: Offensive Linemen Bryce: Defensive Line Brian: Defensive End, Offensive Linemen What is your favorite exercise Sheldon: I like to sprint. Bryce: I like working on bench press. Brian: Sprint drills are my favorite. What is your least exercise favorite Sheldon: I don't like squats. Bryce: Squats. We gotta do it but I don't have to like it. Brian: I like it all! What are some of your favorite career highlights Sheldon: The highlight of my career was being named Football MVP, All-State, All-County, and All-conference. Bryce: The moment I'm most proud of is being a two time CIAA conference champion and being on the roster of teams in the NFL, CFL and AFL. Brian: Beating WSSU on their homecoming was the highlight of my football career.
The matches are over but we`d like to congratulate Patrick Kypson on competing at Wimbledon where he earned a spot in the main draw after breaking into the ATP Top 100 earlier this year and continuing his rise on the professional tour.
Patrick reached a major milestone, earning a Grand Slam main draw victory with an impressive four-set win over fellow American Mackenzie McDonald, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Patrick advanced to the second round before facing world No. 6 Taylor Fritz on Court 2 at the All England Club. While Fritz earned the victory, Patrick battled throughout the match and showcased the level of play that has made him one of the country`s top rising professionals.
Athletic Lab has had the privilege of being a part of Patrick`s performance journey, and we`re incredibly proud to see his hard work and dedication rewarded on one of the biggest stages in tennis. Reaching Wimbledon is a testament to years of disciplined training, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to improvement.
Congratulations, Patrick, on an outstanding achievement!
Congratulations to @tim_usaw on an outstanding performance at the @usa_weightlifting Junior National Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado earlier this month, where he earned a gold medal in one of the nation’s most competitive junior divisions. Tim is a long time member of the @athleticlab_weightlifting Team coached by USA Weightlifting National Coach @j.t.nobbe_
Weightlifting National Championships Week brings together the country’s top youth, junior, U25, and senior lifters, making every medal hard-earned. Tim rose to the challenge with a personal record in the clean & jerk to secure the top spot on the podium.
Congratulations, Tim on becoming a USA Weightlifting Junior National Champion! We are incredibly proud of your accomplishment and look forward to seeing what comes next as you continue to represent Athletic Lab on the national stage.
The ALWC 2026 Nationals Schedule!
(All times listed are MDT)
Get your stretch on! Our MoMo (Movement & Mobility) classes are offered Thursdays at 5pm. In our MoMo classes, we work on asymmetries, imbalances, and restrictions that may be limiting performance or increasing the likelihood for injuries. Paying attention to these seemingly little things allows you to keep your goals big.
#athleticlab #iloveal #cary #fitness #mobility
Happy Mother’s Day to all our strong moms. ⠀
⠀
#mothersday #strongasamutha #moms #gymlife #crossfit strongmoms fitmoms fitness strength
Most coaches stop sets based on how athletes look, rather than how they are actually moving. VBT allows you to set a simple cutoff by monitoring bar speed. A bar speed drop of more than 20% from the first rep is an indicator that no matter how the athlete looks or what percentage of 1RM they are supposed to be moving, that they are fatigued beyond the necessary output they need to reach the target stimulus. We shut down the set so that we don’t keep the athlete accumulating a bunch of junk reps.
#BeTheStandard
#velocitybasedtraining #vbt #powertraining #strengthandconditioning
Top 5 Reasons to use VBT with your athletes: Reason #3: Objective load & zone prescription. Research over the years has mapped clear velocity zones for different strength qualities. Accelerative strength, strength speed, speed strength, and starting strength all live in different velocity zones. While percentage based training can target these qualities by prescribing an “ideal” load that can allow for different velocities, verifying the quality of the reps becomes a coaches visual interpretation and is subjective. Using VBT gives a clear picture of the athletes bar speed and verifies the quality of the bar speed and whether or not the target is hit on every rep. For the full series in more detail, follow @mikeyoungphd
#BeTheStandard
#velocitybasedtraining #vbt #morepower
We know there are weight room activities - squats, cleans, plyos, etc that contribute to speed development but we also know that these activities don’t come close enough to the intensity of forces and contraction speeds seen during a max velocity sprint. Therefore the best way to become faster is…..to sprint.
To reach a proper stimulus, sprinting must be done at 95%+ of the athletes max velocity. Do not confuse this with EFFORT. An athlete can be at an RPE of 10 yet not sprinting at 95%+ of their max velocity. So even if an athlete is running fast, even running as fast as they can, it doesn’t mean they are sprinting.
🔹 More in-depth speed training guidelines are found in our CHPC L1 online course #linkinbio
#BeTheStandard
#strengthcoach #sportsperformance #trainingsession personaltrainer fitnesscoach physicalpreparation coachingeducation alca highperformance ltad athleticdevelopment weightroom weightliftingcoach strengthandconditioning exercisescience kinesiology speedtraining sprinttraining
Athletic Lab
110 Competition Center Drive
Suite 150
Phone: 919.617.1472
Email: info@athleticlab.com
Web: athleticlab.com
The matches are over but we`d like to congratulate Patrick Kypson on competing at Wimbledon where he earned a spot in the main draw after breaking into the ATP Top 100 earlier this year and continuing his rise on the professional tour.
Patrick reached a major milestone, earning a Grand Slam main draw victory with an impressive four-set win over fellow American Mackenzie McDonald, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Patrick advanced to the second round before facing world No. 6 Taylor Fritz on Court 2 at the All England Club. While Fritz earned the victory, Patrick battled throughout the match and showcased the level of play that has made him one of the country`s top rising professionals.
Athletic Lab has had the privilege of being a part of Patrick`s performance journey, and we`re incredibly proud to see his hard work and dedication rewarded on one of the biggest stages in tennis. Reaching Wimbledon is a testament to years of disciplined training, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to improvement.
Congratulations, Patrick, on an outstanding achievement!
Congratulations to @tim_usaw on an outstanding performance at the @usa_weightlifting Junior National Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado earlier this month, where he earned a gold medal in one of the nation’s most competitive junior divisions. Tim is a long time member of the @athleticlab_weightlifting Team coached by USA Weightlifting National Coach @j.t.nobbe_
Weightlifting National Championships Week brings together the country’s top youth, junior, U25, and senior lifters, making every medal hard-earned. Tim rose to the challenge with a personal record in the clean & jerk to secure the top spot on the podium.
Congratulations, Tim on becoming a USA Weightlifting Junior National Champion! We are incredibly proud of your accomplishment and look forward to seeing what comes next as you continue to represent Athletic Lab on the national stage.
The ALWC 2026 Nationals Schedule!
(All times listed are MDT)
Get your stretch on! Our MoMo (Movement & Mobility) classes are offered Thursdays at 5pm. In our MoMo classes, we work on asymmetries, imbalances, and restrictions that may be limiting performance or increasing the likelihood for injuries. Paying attention to these seemingly little things allows you to keep your goals big.
#athleticlab #iloveal #cary #fitness #mobility
Happy Mother’s Day to all our strong moms. ⠀
⠀
#mothersday #strongasamutha #moms #gymlife #crossfit strongmoms fitmoms fitness strength
Athletic Lab
110 Competition Center Drive
Suite 150
Phone: 919.617.1472
Email: info@athleticlab.com
Web: athleticlab.com
Copyright 2026 Athletic Lab | All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2026 Athletic Lab | All Rights Reserved
