Rochester Rhinos Feature
Thursday, March 28, 2012
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Training started a half-hour early for the Rochester Rhinos on Thursday, March 29th at Total Sports Experience, just like it does every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Instead of being put through their paces by head coach Jesse Myers and his assistant Billy Sedgewick, the Rhinos were running through a half-hour session with new strength and conditioning coach Adam Terry. A 6-foot-8 former NFL tackle, Terry was working the team through a series of exercises focusing on strengthening their legs and core.
“The biggest thing we’re after in training camp is injury prevention,” Terry said. “We’re looking at where guys are in training camp and preparing for the season, and trying to help them meet their goals. Jesse is a guy who gets it. He is a hard nose guy who understands what we’re trying to do here. He wants a specific professional environment for his players and we’re working with him to develop that.”
Adam Terry was a standout football player in college, and he went on to have a seven-year career in the NFL. At Syracuse University, Terry became an All-American tackle, and he was a semi-finalist for the Outland Trophy – awarded annually to the nation’s best lineman. The Baltimore Ravens traded up to select Terry in the second round (64th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. In Baltimore, Terry was tutored by future NFL Hall of Fame tackle Jonathan Ogden. He went on to play in more than 50 games in five years with the Ravens at both left and right tackle. He blocked for quarterbacks Steve McNair and Joe Flacco as well as running back Jamaal Lewis. In 2008 Terry played in the AFC Championship game where the Ravens lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After suffering from knee injuries that required three surgeries, Terry credits Steve Saunders, the Founder and President of Power Train Sports, with helping him recover from his injuries and play two more NFL seasons with the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans before retiring in 2012.
“Steve Saunders trained me when I was in the NFL. I had five years of security with Baltimore and then I was unfortunate and had a knee injury,” Terry said. “Power Train gave me two more years to my career. As I was going through the program this seemed like it was something that I could do in retirement. It’s just that my retirement came a little bit sooner than I would have liked.”
When Myers took over the Rochester Rhinos head coaching job last fall he wanted to develop a program in Rochester that was a top-notch professional experience for his players in every aspect of the game. One element he wanted to add to the program was a strength and conditioning coach who could work with the players during the year. Myers researched the Rochester market and met with several top trainers in the area before settling on Terry.
“When we were in the process of looking for a strength and conditioning coach, I happened to be out at TSE running a session for one of our youth teams,” Myers said. “I heard that a former NFL player was setting up shop there, and decided to sit down and meet with him. He has a vast knowledge of strength training and fitness that allows him to develop high caliber professional athletes. Throw in the fact that TSE is the state of the art facility in this area, and it seemed like a clear decision for me to make.”
While it took a while for Myers to get comfortable with the idea of a former NFL offensive lineman training a roster full of professional soccer players, he was sold on Terry and Power Train after watching Sedgewick run through a sample training session. One reason for Terry’s success in training athletes in so many different sports is his philosophy that although sports may be different, they are all played by athletes. It was a philosophy that he developed after watching a soccer match at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
“Everyone is an athlete. It doesn’t matter if they wear football cleats, skates, or boots,” Terry said. “I had the chance to watch Chelsea and AC Milan play once. I looked at a 6-9 ‘keeper and players who looked like they could play running back, wide receiver, or defensive back in the NFL and realized that sports really aren’t that different. We try to look at each athlete as an individual. Does the athlete need to put on weight or take off weight. Everyone is trying to get bigger, faster, and stronger.”
Rhinos second-year midfielder Michael Tanke came back to Rochester in the off-season and started training with Power Train in early February. After two months Tanke can see results that have carried over from the program to the training ground.
“This is the best program that I’ve ever been a part of,” Tanke said. “Adam walks in with instant credibility, but it’s more than that. You can tell he’s a guy who was a real pro when he played. He developed and learned as an athlete in the NFL, and now he’s passing on what he learned to us. Everything that he does has a purpose and he explains it all to us so it makes sense. I’m never going to be a huge guy like Adam, but I can feel the difference in my speed and power when I’m playing.”