[Rockets.com] Rockets strength coach has spent the summer pumping up the team

Summer of Macha

Rockets strength coach has spent the summer pumping up the team


Welcome sign? Not exaclty. The Rockets are greeted by the above sign every time they arrive in the weight room.


Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer

HOUSTON -- Chuck Hayes had just spent an entire afternoon sweating inside the Rockets' weight room when he was asked to discuss the man responsible for his pain.

He glanced across the room at the team's strength and conditioning coach -- David Macha -- and couldn't prevent a sly grin from stretching over his face.

"Macha, I just got asked what I think about you," Hayes shouted. "I'm going to tell the truth."

Macha shrugged off the playful threat with a friendly reminder to the second-year forward.

"I've got your workout schedule right here," Macha said.

Hayes wisely opted to play nice. Who could blame him? No one wearing a Rockets uniform wants to be in Macha's dog house.

Since the season ended in mid-April, the Rockets have belonged to Macha. The coach has spent the past five months behind the scenes, pumping up and conditioning the Rockets for the 2006-07 season.

Macha (pronounced Ma-ha) is entering his second season as the franchise's strength and conditioning coach and has been sculpting basketball players within the organization for the past five years.

The coach is responsible for the design and implementation of the players' individual strength, conditioning and nutritional programs on a year-round basis along with assistant Ryan Atchison. At least, that's what you'll read in the Rockets' media guide.

Life with Macha in the summer is actually a whole lot less enticing than that sounds.

Here's what it really is: Two to four days of lifting weights. Two days running the inclined ramps of the Toyota Tundra Parking Garage near Toyota Center, otherwise known as "The Beast." Two days running sprints in the sun at Rice University's track and field complex. And, of course, five days of having Macha in your ear to get it done.

Try picturing boot camp and you've almost got an idea how tough it is.

Macha spends most of the summer patrolling the weight room like a shark circling a tank. His work will be unveiled when the Rockets begin training camp on Oct. 3 and he fully expects the Rockets to be the best conditioned team in the NBA.

"We have a coach in Jeff Van Gundy who strongly believes in physical conditioning," Macha said. "He holds the players to such high standards that complying with us is mandatory. We want to out-work every team in the NBA."

Behind his office door in the team's weight room, Macha has an oversized dry erase board spelling out a check list of areas where he wants each individual to improve.

Everyone from Yao Ming to Rafer Alston to rookie Steve Novak have something scribbled next to their name to improve upon during the summer months. No one is left off the list.

Macha's focus' on five areas to improve each player: cardiovascular, flexibility, injury prevention, injury recory and strength.

He visits with every player individually during the off-season about their particular regimen, which means Macha makes a trip every summer across the globe to see Yao in China.

Macha also carries around a three-ring binder that is about the size of a copy of "War and Peace." Inside, the coach has a complete, detailed schedule of workout plans for the entire summer.

The coach helps the players come up with attainable goals for the off-season.

"We determine right after the season what we want to see the guys work on," Macha said. "The guys have consistently gained muscle, lost body fat and gained good weight."

So how does he do it?

During the off-season, Macha runs his summer program in phases.

The Rockets undergo a recovery phase immediately following the season to heal up from the grind of an 82-game schedule and he works with players dealing with nagging injuries. Nearly a month after that, Macha's fun begins. He has the team go through aerobic exercises, intense lifting sessions and running drills that eventually become full-out sprints.

He doesn't put his players on exercise equipment that can be purchased during Sunday afternoon infomercials. Just the traditional stuff.

"We're not a gimmick team," Atchison said. "We lift and we run."

Beside the Toyota Center on LaBranch St., the strength and conditioning staff has perhaps their most interesting piece of workout equipment.

The Toyota Tundra Parking Garage.

During any given afternoon, drivers parking inside the garage can occasionally catch a glimpse of a handful of seven-footers running up and down the ramps of the seven-story structure.

The parking garage has become known as "The Beast."

"It is a beast," Atchison said. "It's a great conditioning tool. It strengthens the hips, the abs and the lower back. It's a great workout."

No one gets to know "The Beast" better than the rookies and second-year players.

Since the majority of the Rockets' younger players are new to off-season conditioning in the NBA, Macha spends a hefty portion of his summer introducing them to the program.

He always sees surprised looks when rookies see how intense his programs are. However, those same rookies understand why after their first season.

Macha said most young players need a season in the NBA to discover how grueling an 82-game schedule is and where their body needs to be against other world-class athletes in the league. He points to the progress of Rockets second-year guard Luther Head as an example.

"Last year, he basically wanted to play basketball," Macha said. "He’s a basketball player and that's what he wanted to do. He did the lifting and everything we asked last year, but he’s really been a lot more consistent this summer. He can see now what it takes to be ready for an 82-game season."

Hayes, who is enduring his second summer with Macha, has also noticed the difference from the college game and Macha's program.

After arriving to Houston as an undrafted rookie, Hayes believed he would be coming into a more relaxed off-season program in the NBA than he had at Kentucky.

Not even close.

While the weight lifting was nearly identical, Hayes encountered more drills specifically aimed at proving his flexibility and conditioning. He has reduced his body fat and improved his stamina after having a chance to work with Macha for a full summer this year.

"We did a lot of lifting when I was at Kentucky," Hayes said. "Honestly, though, I was surprised about how much work you have to put in when you first get into the league. I thought the NBA was more get rest, take care of your body and eat properly. But we work harder in the NBA and the expectations are very high because they want us to be able to handle what a full season does to your body."

Besides making players stronger and more well-conditioned, Macha's goal is to limit his team's visits to the trainer's room this season.

Rockets stars Tracy McGrady and Yao missed a combined 60 games last season.

"We lost a lot of players to injuries last season," Macha said. "Some of that is a fluke in nature, but some of things you look back and wonder what else you could have done. There are a lot of variables that go into each player, but we're hoping that we're doing things so guys won't miss as many games this season. We're doing drills that will make hamstrings stronger and help the body handle the season. "

Macha plans on cutting back his program in the next few weeks as the team inches closer to training camp.

Until that day arrives, Hayes will be on his best behavior.

Sort of.

"We've got a fun relationship," he said. "I joke about his bald head and he makes fun of my ankles. We're very sarcastic with each other. But I realize that what he's doing will get me ready for the season. He does a great job with us. "

 

here's the link:

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_strength_coach_has_spe-189187-34.html

 

Almost all rookies are That's why they have this rookie wall. While Head hit it during the middle of the season, Hayes who didn't start with the Rockets last season was very inconsistent and played in spurts. Much as VG would like Hayes to stay in court longer because of his smart plays and energy, there were dips in his energy levels.