Kids & Family

Secrets of the Boston Celtics Trainers Revealed at Stony Brook

Bryan Doo and Joan Buchbinder of the Boston Celtics and Westford's ProSports Therapy were on hand to educate a diverse crowd on exercise topics as part of the "Let's Move Westford" series.

When Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce need advice on what to eat or how to train, they go to the pair of professionals that shared their secrets with a crowd at the on Tuesday night.

Co-sponsored by the Westford Health Department and the Westford Parent Connection as the latest installment of the “Let’s Move Westford” series, Boston Celtics strength and conditioning coach Bryan Doo and Boston Celtics nutritionist Joan Buchbinder were on hand to give their tips on improving health in a presentation called “How to Eat and Train like the Pros.”

Over two hours, the duo addressed a variety of topics dealing with how to exercise and how to fuel the body to optimize exercise.

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Although there appeared to be generally uniform sense of satisfaction among the audience toward the content of the presentation, the level of knowledge for those in attendance ranged from interested parents to seasoned athletes like Westford Academy girls’ tennis and soccer coach Tracy Capone.

For Capone, there wasn’t a tremendous amount of new information outside of small tidbits such as Doo’s note that trainers for English soccer club Manchester United no longer had their players run long distances after discovering that focusing on short bursts of running helped increase stamina better for their needs.

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“I didn’t learn anything that would blow me away, but I always like to come to these things and get reeducated, it always helps,” she said.

But the crowd also included those whose perceptions surrounding training were drastically changed after the talk, such as 14 year old Scotty Callahan.

Already well over six feet tall, Scott came to the talk with his brother and mother as his thoughts of training more seriously for basketball are beginning to come to fruition. But he left with a better understanding of what he’ll need to do to become a better athlete and surprises such as Buchbinder’s preference for chocolate milk as a post-workout drink due to its carbohydrate to protein ratio.

“I always drank chocolate milk after basketball before this,” he said. “I had no idea it was helpful.”

Although both experts noted that many of the things they tell the Celtics apply to anyone exercising, they also stressed repeatedly through the presentation that one of the most important things for anyone undergoing an exercise regimen is to work with the strengths and weaknesses of their own bodies.

“I think the specificity is key, not trying to put a square peg in a round hole,” said Buchbinder. “Figure out what your body needs and wants and have a professional like Brian or myself identify what your needs are and try to personalize them.”

In addition to their work with the Celtics, both Buchbinder and Doo also are part of ProSports Therapy on Littleton Road.

More information on the Let’s Move Westford program is available on the Westford Board of Health website.


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