The strength & conditioning lab at WheelHouse Academy is pretty mind-blowing. Based off popular HIIT programs, this club in West Virginia is taking a strategic approach to athlete development. Personally, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it.  They are using body composition to direct muscular development of players at key positions for optimal performance.

It’s been a game changer for us.  A kid will come in and say they are 195 (lbs). The Fit3D helps educate them on the lean mass capabilities. We can tell them that we need them at 40 lbs of fat, not 55.  It changes the entire conversation.

Working with some retired MLB players, the Wheelhouse created “the Lab” to help younger athletes train for what physique they need for college & pro ball.  They started with baseball, but they have expanded into basketball as well.  One thing that WheelHouse does is to use smarter equipment. Using equipment like ARX & Carol Bikes, they are helping students get maximum targeted workouts in a minimal amount of time.  Often, referencing 3D body scans in the process to monitor if members are doing the work for the desired results.

You can only be so good without being an athlete.

One of the most impressive parts of the program that I learned about was that they are using body composition values as goals for each position in baseball.

For Example:

• Pitcher: 17-18%
• Catcher: 17-19%
• Outfielder: 15-17.  

They explained to me that your body composition limits you to what you can actually achieve.  If a player is at 13% body fat, that’s where they run into problems into the 6th & 7th inning if they are a pitcher.  Outfielders, by comparison, are runners – so we need them to be designed to optimize for that type of play on the field.  Why hasn’t anyone else approached the sport in this way?

Needless to say, I was very impressed with their program.

I also asked the staff about training in times of Covid-19.  They had a great answer here as well.  And I think their setup speaks to how gyms are adapting in these times.  They stated that once people have registered, “they barely know they are there.” This speaks to more than how our system is autonomous, but their entire setup.  They stated that customers schedule their visits, they check-in electronically, they work less time on targeted personalized machines, and then scan on Fit3D every 2-3 weeks.   They are big on data. They are big on analytics. And integrating Fit3D into their entire business model is helping their members get the maximum results, with minimal effort AND staffing time.

To learn more about the WheelHouse Academy’s Lab for Baseball, check out their website.

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