Earlier this week I had a discussion with one of the better, for sake of a better word let use, "athletes" at work.... He's early to mid 30's in really good shape and ran track in college, now he's part of a special campus security team. He asked me about "plyometric" workouts..... I knew it was going to be bad.... It was he had gotten a workout off of the interwebzzz that called for 3 sets of 3 exercises for sets of 10-12 each..... plyo's are NOT body building...nor should we use the DeLorme method. It just ain't right....plyometrics are about speed and power. So this is the basics of what I told him: First off 99% of what people call plyometric is … [Read more...]
Wired or Tired, why your nervous system is screwing you up……
January 12, 2012 by
Stress...everybody has it. Doesn't matter who you are and what you do, you have stress in your life. What is important is to manage stress as best as possible. The catch 22 is that ALL things are stressful...ie they cause a response through the nervous system. All inputs cause a reaction in the Central Nervous System or CNS. The nervous system is the main controlling and communicating system of the body. Every thing we do, feel and think consciously or unconsciously is directed by the nervous system. The communication between the nervous system and the body is through electrical and chemical signals that move rapidly and to specific areas allowing for … [Read more...]
Running…….It still sucks, but not as much I guess
January 12, 2012 by
Before I pontificate.. BIG hat tip to Women's Health Magazine (the .com version)....for the most part they post really good info on this site... Today on my internet perusal of information, yeah, you have to do that whole "learn EVERYDAY thing" to stay relevant in this business, I came across this article.. Out Run Your Genes participants who pounded more pavement than their siblings were more likely to have a lower BMI, having dropped by 58.8% for women and 29.6% for men.- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise Looks like running, at least on some level, can help fight that whole, "it's my fat genes".... It's pretty brilliant actually. [Tweet "You … [Read more...]
New Year, New (Jacked Up) You!
January 3, 2012 by
New Years resolutions gotta love em. They say number one is to lose weight and number two is to exercise more....they kinda go together but I digress... Lot's of new people in the gym today, the regulars are pissed and the newbies seem to be either A. Frustrated (they have no clue whats going on) or.... B. Here way too long doing waaaaaayyyy too much...somebody is going to be really sore tomorrow. and there was a guy doing "CrossFit" or so he said. It looked more like a 10 minute long spasm with a dumbbell in his hand. PEOPLE, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY? It's great people want to get in shape but seriously, do you really think it's good to go from zero … [Read more...]
Achievement, 10,000 hours, Grit and why you’re not a pro athlete…..
December 27, 2011 by
First things first: the best predictor of lifetime sporting achievement is your parents. Genetics matter, a lot. the talent pool at the truly world-class level is deep and wide. Those without the basic prerequisites, height, size, strength, speed etc. will not make the cut. [Tweet "Just trying hard doesn't get you a $120 million dollar contract."] That said, practice can go a long way to getting the most out of the abilities you do have. the old Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. has a lot of truth to it...but lets face it there are not too many 5'6 point guards in the NBA or 5.5 second 40yrd dash guys playing cornerback in the … [Read more...]
Heart beats like a rabbit? Yeah, that’s BAD
December 23, 2011 by
That super fast resting heart rate that you think is, "normal" or "genetic" or "the way it's always been"... yea, that sh@t's killing you..... No, seriously...it could be Increased heart rate may signal higher death risk- Serena Gordon, USA Today Compared to people whose heart rate was consistent at less than 70 beats per minute at both readings, those whose rates increased from less than 70 beats per minute to more than 85 beats per minute had a 90 percent higher risk of death from heart disease. In those whose heart rates started at between 70 and 85 beats per minute, an increase to more than 85 beats per minute at the follow-up reading signaled an 80 percent … [Read more...]
Beginners and Desk Jockey Syndrome
December 21, 2011 by
I've been doing this whole training thing for a while now and I can honestly say that 99% of all the people I train have the same problems when they first come to me. Mainly they sit toooooo much. This results in (from head to toe): Upper Cross Sydrome: Extended cervical spine (head pushed forward), tight pecs, weak underactive scapular retractors and tight upper traps Poor pelvic alignment: Usually to the anterior... Caused by weak glutes, hamstrings, tight hip flexors, tight spinal erectors and weak abs. Basically everyone gets "desk jockey syndrome". We sit in front of a computer hunched over waaaay too much and end up with like this... As a trainer we have … [Read more...]
