Wednesday: Links with thumbs up

Story of the day:

Summer conditioning: let the side aches begin [Idaho Statesman]

Success takes time off for nobody, which is too bad for the summer vacation plans of Boise State players.

The Broncos kicked off their eight-week summer training schedule that is equal parts preparation and muscle torture. Strength coach Tim Socha is in charge of the conditioning, and the Statesman reports that there is 100 percent participation from the team.

"This is a big deal for (the players)," Boise State strength and conditioning coach Tim Socha said. "This is to us - to me and to them - the start of their season. We come in in the summer and they know they've got eight weeks of hard work to get ready."

He wasn't kidding about hard work. Take a look at one of the more demanding exercises:

Former strength coach Jeff Pitman made the "decks" famous - a workout during which the players ran/walked/crawled to the top of Bronco Stadium. In 2005, the players did 20 decks in one workout by the end of the summer.

Socha, who replaced Pitman in May 2006, put his own twist on the decks. He staggers the players' starting spots based on body type, so linemen don't have to climb as far as running backs, and he times them - the goal is 10 seconds per climb.

Ten seconds per climb! We get tired just thinking about that.

The workouts will be four days a week for about two hours each session, and they'll involve equal parts weightlifting and running. Players also plan on holding their own player-led practices about three times a week, and those will involve lying around and trying to catch their breaths.

Other links:

Summer conditioning video [Idaho Press-Tribune]
Boise State voyeurism at its finest.

Hamdan speaks! [Idaho Press-Tribune]
The IPT's story about summer conditioning is rife with quotes from QB Bush Hamdan, a notorious media avoider.

Vlade Divac: humanitarian [Idaho Statesman]
A flop for every child.

Hawkins' tour across Colorado [Post Independent]
Why? Because it's Division I football! It's the Big XII!

Hawaii starts season early [Sporting News]
Like 6:30am Hawaii time early.

New beverage helps improve underdog-ness

ReddRox, a Boise-based energy drink company, is out to turn the Gatorade world on its ear...with the help of the Boise State football team.

Gary Craner, Boise State University head athletic trainer, says he has seen good results with athletes who have tried the drink. Craner said it's always a challenge to get athletes to drink enough water but that hasn't been the case with ReddRox.

"We started putting ReddRox in the water and the players started drinking a lot more," Craner says. "As a result the student athletes have experienced little cramping that normally takes place when athletes don't drink enough water."

For now, the energy supplement comes in powder form, intended to mix in with water or a Fun Dip; but in the future, the company plans to produce its own bottled beverages. Whatever it is, it must be working because Boise State athletes are often the best conditioned players on the field. Perhaps it's the active gardening ingredients.

(ReddRox) found the answer in a South African plant that natives refer to as "red bush" and that local athletes were using as a hydration drink. They developed a way to crystallize the African red bush into granules that are 100-percent water soluble.

ReddRox is naturally caffeine free, and contains no sugars, calories, additives, preservatives, oxalic acid or colorants and contains the antioxidants of green tea without the unpleasant diuretic effect. But the key is that it adds back the natural minerals and electrolytes needed for hydration.

One thing that it does not add back is taste.

We remember when coaches thought drinking pickle juice before a game and popping M&M's at halftime was a good idea. Man, we're old. And still a little sick to our stomachs.

The Big Water Cover-up [MarketWire]
RedRoxx Website [RedRoxx.com]