Using the FMS to Judge Performance and Durability
Powerful stuff on the FMS from the world of the NFL
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Chicago Park District Eliminates Junk Food in Vending Machines
Chicago Park District Eliminates Junk Food in Vending Machines
Somebody has to take the first step in sending the message. Bravo!
Somebody has to take the first step in sending the message. Bravo!
Strength and Conditioning Programs: Eliminate Distractions to Gain Muscle, Lose Fat, Get Strong, and Take Over the World | Eric Cressey
Strength and Conditioning Programs: Eliminate Distractions to Gain Muscle, Lose Fat, Get Strong, and Take Over the World | Eric Cressey
Good post by Cressey and pertinent to anyone.
Good post by Cressey and pertinent to anyone.
Act Your Age!
My wife might argue that I have a difficult time with this concept but at least at an unconscious level I get it!
Recently, I've been listening to/reading a lot by Dan John, the great strength coach philosopher and much of what he says resonates with me as it should with you.
For those of you who don't know, Dan John is a 50+ strength coach/teacher/lecturer who is also a Highlands games competitor and national class discus thrower. In fact, he has been a national class thrower since college.
But more importantly, perhaps, is that he is truly a philosopher as well (he has a Masters in theology, I believe). And this background, along with his long time teaching, imbues his presentations and writings with a reality that few others can match.
Sometimes he will posit a hypothetical question to people just to get them to think.
And one of those recent questions was should a Masters level athlete train like he did when he was 25/26?
Dan seems to be hinting at the fact that maybe he/she shouldn't and certainly not all of the time. His point isn't that you shouldn't train hard but that you have to look at the risk/reward ratio especially as you age because you simply can't recover like you once did. If you think you do recover like you did in your 20's you are either delusional or on something (if you know what I mean!).
So bear that in mind when you train. Can I accomplish the same ends with less liklihood of injury or prolonged recovery time? Something to ponder.
Train hard and train smart!
http://fitnesstogether.com/media for our website and all of links.
Recently, I've been listening to/reading a lot by Dan John, the great strength coach philosopher and much of what he says resonates with me as it should with you.
For those of you who don't know, Dan John is a 50+ strength coach/teacher/lecturer who is also a Highlands games competitor and national class discus thrower. In fact, he has been a national class thrower since college.
But more importantly, perhaps, is that he is truly a philosopher as well (he has a Masters in theology, I believe). And this background, along with his long time teaching, imbues his presentations and writings with a reality that few others can match.
Sometimes he will posit a hypothetical question to people just to get them to think.
And one of those recent questions was should a Masters level athlete train like he did when he was 25/26?
Dan seems to be hinting at the fact that maybe he/she shouldn't and certainly not all of the time. His point isn't that you shouldn't train hard but that you have to look at the risk/reward ratio especially as you age because you simply can't recover like you once did. If you think you do recover like you did in your 20's you are either delusional or on something (if you know what I mean!).
So bear that in mind when you train. Can I accomplish the same ends with less liklihood of injury or prolonged recovery time? Something to ponder.
Train hard and train smart!
http://fitnesstogether.com/media for our website and all of links.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Bolt disqualified in 100; Dix takes second - Arizona Sports News from USA Today
Bolt disqualified in 100; Dix takes second - Arizona Sports News from USA Today
That false start rule is stupid and even more so by the fact that TV/money are what dictated it happening.
That false start rule is stupid and even more so by the fact that TV/money are what dictated it happening.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Athletic Business Newswire - ACE Reinvents Personal Training Using Behavioral Science
Athletic Business Newswire - ACE Reinvents Personal Training Using Behavioral Science
I believe good trainers/coaches have known and done this for years.
I believe good trainers/coaches have known and done this for years.
Recovery: the Real Key to Progress
Though there has been tons of research in many areas of training and fitness one of the least researched and understood areas is recovery.
And recovery is even more important for the Masters athlete as they can't afford to break down and quite frankly don't have the recuperative powers of athletes that are younger. That is just a fact no matter how much you delude yourself into thinking otherwise my friends!
Many anecdotal methods have been tried and used extensively but most of them have little to no research to validate their efficacy.
Now don't get me wrong about research. I am of the school of thought that the research, esp. in our field, validates what we have been using in the field and know to be effective. It is not the other way around.
That being said there are 3 cornerstones to good recovery that virtually no one can argue about:
sleep, good nutrition and hydration.
Many people are sleep deprived and the amount of sleep, though important, isn't a vital as the quality of sleep. Basically, a mature adult should be getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep daily. Masters athletes that means you!
Sleep is important for several reasons: it is when the body recovers, when a lot of tissue repair occurs from injury or training stresses, and when important hormones like HGH and testosterone are released. You can see how if any of those things are compromised how recovery/improvement would be very difficult if not impossible.
Nutrition is equally important in the recovery process and is starting to get the attention it deserves. You can't out-train poor nutrition no matter how spot on your training program...you are deluding yourself to think otherwise.
Good nutrition facilitates muscle/soft tissue and even bone repair and building, speeds recovery from training and even helps minimize things like inflammation. We are just beginning to understand the widespread impact of good nutrition and many are still well behind the latest information. Simple rule of thumb for good eating: if it doesn't have a Mother or come from the Earth, don't eat it!
Finally, hydration is critical to proper recovery as water esp. literally lubricates the whole recovery process. Proper hydration is critical to good central nervous system function (obviously important for an athlete) which is the key to good, powerful movement. For most people the fluid of choice for most of the time should be water. There has been little independent research backing up the claims of sports drink makers about the efficacy of these drinks in events lasting under 75-90 minutes. Water is easily available, cheap, and has no additives of dubious benefit.
So bottom line is your recovery program should be built around these 3 things: good sleep, good nutrition and adequate hydration. If those aren't in place then you are wasting your time on things like supplements and the like.
Train hard and train smart!
http://fitnesstogether.com/media for our website and all of our links
And recovery is even more important for the Masters athlete as they can't afford to break down and quite frankly don't have the recuperative powers of athletes that are younger. That is just a fact no matter how much you delude yourself into thinking otherwise my friends!
Many anecdotal methods have been tried and used extensively but most of them have little to no research to validate their efficacy.
Now don't get me wrong about research. I am of the school of thought that the research, esp. in our field, validates what we have been using in the field and know to be effective. It is not the other way around.
That being said there are 3 cornerstones to good recovery that virtually no one can argue about:
sleep, good nutrition and hydration.
Many people are sleep deprived and the amount of sleep, though important, isn't a vital as the quality of sleep. Basically, a mature adult should be getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep daily. Masters athletes that means you!
Sleep is important for several reasons: it is when the body recovers, when a lot of tissue repair occurs from injury or training stresses, and when important hormones like HGH and testosterone are released. You can see how if any of those things are compromised how recovery/improvement would be very difficult if not impossible.
Nutrition is equally important in the recovery process and is starting to get the attention it deserves. You can't out-train poor nutrition no matter how spot on your training program...you are deluding yourself to think otherwise.
Good nutrition facilitates muscle/soft tissue and even bone repair and building, speeds recovery from training and even helps minimize things like inflammation. We are just beginning to understand the widespread impact of good nutrition and many are still well behind the latest information. Simple rule of thumb for good eating: if it doesn't have a Mother or come from the Earth, don't eat it!
Finally, hydration is critical to proper recovery as water esp. literally lubricates the whole recovery process. Proper hydration is critical to good central nervous system function (obviously important for an athlete) which is the key to good, powerful movement. For most people the fluid of choice for most of the time should be water. There has been little independent research backing up the claims of sports drink makers about the efficacy of these drinks in events lasting under 75-90 minutes. Water is easily available, cheap, and has no additives of dubious benefit.
So bottom line is your recovery program should be built around these 3 things: good sleep, good nutrition and adequate hydration. If those aren't in place then you are wasting your time on things like supplements and the like.
Train hard and train smart!
http://fitnesstogether.com/media for our website and all of our links
Sunday, August 7, 2011
12 Ways To Encourage Better Sleep
12 Ways To Encourage Better Sleep
Good tips though not sure how realistic #7 is in the real world.
Good tips though not sure how realistic #7 is in the real world.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Coop DeRenne: a Man Whose Message Goes Largely Unheeded
As a baseball athlete as well as a athletic development coach I can remember hearing Coop DeRenne speak nearly 20 years ago on the subject of weighted implement training as a tool for striking/hitting sports like baseball, tennis, golf and the like.
Though his research has been largely in baseball at the Univ. of Hawaii the principles apply to virtually all ball and stick sports as it were: hockey, golf, racquet sports, baseball, etc.
DeRenne's research has shown that there is a very finite window in which you can use a weighted implement similar to the one in your chosen sport without throwing off the finely honed coordination of that skill.
In baseball, for example, it is common for players in the on-deck circle to swing all manner of weighted objects some of which bear little to no resemblance to a bat: steel bars, re-rod, lead bats, etc.
DeRenne's research has indicated that this practice, steeped in baseball myth/superstition, has no basis in science. His studies have shown the invariably bat speed actually slows down when using these tools for warming up and does the opposite and what the player thinks they are doing for him/her.
The window for this type of training is very narrow, =/- 10% to be exact. So if you are swinging a 30 ounce bat, an average weight for many college and pro players, then your "practice" bat should weigh no more than 33 ounces or less than 30 ounces if you don't want to screw up your swing mechanics. The same principles apply to weighted baseballs as well.
These concepts would apply to golf swing mechanics which are also a finely tuned and precise pattern where the slightest variation can cause things to go awry.
So this is one of those situations where just because they done it that way for a long time doesn't mean it's right or helpful. In this case it's the opposite.
But baseball let's go of it's traditions very slowly, if at all, despite all the evidence to the contrary in many cases. Do don't expect major league on-deck circles do to without the usual warmup "tools": weighted donuts and sleeves, lead bats and the occasional random piece of steel!
Train hard and train smart!
http://fitnesstogether.com/media for our website and all of our links.
Though his research has been largely in baseball at the Univ. of Hawaii the principles apply to virtually all ball and stick sports as it were: hockey, golf, racquet sports, baseball, etc.
DeRenne's research has shown that there is a very finite window in which you can use a weighted implement similar to the one in your chosen sport without throwing off the finely honed coordination of that skill.
In baseball, for example, it is common for players in the on-deck circle to swing all manner of weighted objects some of which bear little to no resemblance to a bat: steel bars, re-rod, lead bats, etc.
DeRenne's research has indicated that this practice, steeped in baseball myth/superstition, has no basis in science. His studies have shown the invariably bat speed actually slows down when using these tools for warming up and does the opposite and what the player thinks they are doing for him/her.
The window for this type of training is very narrow, =/- 10% to be exact. So if you are swinging a 30 ounce bat, an average weight for many college and pro players, then your "practice" bat should weigh no more than 33 ounces or less than 30 ounces if you don't want to screw up your swing mechanics. The same principles apply to weighted baseballs as well.
These concepts would apply to golf swing mechanics which are also a finely tuned and precise pattern where the slightest variation can cause things to go awry.
So this is one of those situations where just because they done it that way for a long time doesn't mean it's right or helpful. In this case it's the opposite.
But baseball let's go of it's traditions very slowly, if at all, despite all the evidence to the contrary in many cases. Do don't expect major league on-deck circles do to without the usual warmup "tools": weighted donuts and sleeves, lead bats and the occasional random piece of steel!
Train hard and train smart!
http://fitnesstogether.com/media for our website and all of our links.
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