Having been involved in the training of athletes for over 10 years I have witnessed some pretty amazing displays of incompetence. There seems to be be an overwhelming misconception by many coaches and trainers out there about training speed and agility skills and conditioning athletes. Now I am not posting this today to insult anyone, with all the misinformation out there it is extremely hard for even the best intentioned trainer or coach to not only decipher the best information and techniques to train speed and agility but to then apply them. This post today is intended to not only make an important point but to educate many of the coaches and trainers out there involved with the training, success and well being of our athletes about the most important aspect of training.
There are many ways to improve speed and agility. I am not saying that one way is necessarily better than another or that I have all the answers but certain mistakes for sure can lead to improper skill development, poor performance and injury!
The first mistake is speed sessions that consist of beating the ever loving crap out of your athletes until they are exhausted or puke. Now I'm not going to lie to you when I am in the stage of conditioning my athletes before the season and I work them hard enough to puke I do get an overwhelming devilish degree of joy inside but conditioning and skill training are two entirely separate entities! You must first teach your athletes to master the individual skills and then train these drills in proper fashion that relates to their specific sport.
The second biggest mistake is trying to train every aspect of speed and agility in every workout session. Doing drill upon drill upon drill just to do them is not going to improve your athletes! Especial when proper technique of each drill or skill, plyometrics and proper rest are not taken into consideration. Training athletes like this is the same as having a list of 10 projects to do but instead of completing them one at a time in order of importance you do a little bit of each every day. The problem with this approach is that instead of completing the projects you get 10 projects that are half ass ed and incomplete. This leads to piss poor results.
The last two paragraphs bring me to the most important point of this post. To further make this point I would like to make mention of one of my favorite quotes of all time "The devil is in the Details!" When training athletes or accomplishing anything else in life you must pay attention to the Details. The Details is what separates the champions and successful people from the rest of the pack. When learning a new skill it is vital that you are properly instructed on the little details that make that drill or skill effective. Then once the drill is mastered you can progress to harder drills and finally their specific application in sport and conditioning. To end this post I will leave you with another one of my favorite quotes from my client Tom Battle. "Always remember the 6 "P's" Proper Preparation leads to the Prevention of Piss Poor Performance!" CHEAHHHHHH
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Upper Body Warm-up Complex
In a previous post I showed you a great warm-up complex to use for your workouts. That warm-up will work well for both upper body and lower body workouts. However, if you have had shoulder problems, participate in throwing sports or just want to warm-up your shoulders better then the following complex is for you. Many of my baseball and softball players use this warm-up before their games or practice! Give it a try and let me know how it works for you?
The following video demonstrates the whole complex as it should be done. It only takes around a minute or so and will warm-up all of the muscle groups in your shoulder girdle.
Upper Body Warm-up Complex
1. Shrugs 6 Reps
2. Front Raise 6 Reps
3. Lateral/Side Raise 6 Reps
4. Bent Over Lateral Raise 6 Reps
5. Supermans 6 Reps
6. Upright Row To External Rotations 6 Reps
7. Overhead Press 6 Reps
8. Sideways External Rotations 9 reps
9. Forward Circles 3 Reps
10. Backward Circles 3 reps
Rest 2 minutes and begin first exercise warm-up sets!
The following video demonstrates the whole complex as it should be done. It only takes around a minute or so and will warm-up all of the muscle groups in your shoulder girdle.
Upper Body Warm-up Complex
1. Shrugs 6 Reps
2. Front Raise 6 Reps
3. Lateral/Side Raise 6 Reps
4. Bent Over Lateral Raise 6 Reps
5. Supermans 6 Reps
6. Upright Row To External Rotations 6 Reps
7. Overhead Press 6 Reps
8. Sideways External Rotations 9 reps
9. Forward Circles 3 Reps
10. Backward Circles 3 reps
Rest 2 minutes and begin first exercise warm-up sets!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Good Luck!
All of us here at K STRENGTH Sports Training and Overtime Sports Facility would like to wish all of our high school fall sports athletes the best of luck this year!
We also want to wish our last crew of college athletes Brandon Glyck (Princeton) Claire Reinhard (Manhattan College), Kate Reinhard (Loyola), Chris DiIenno (Bentley), Joe Ricciardi (Wesleyan) the best of luck in their upcoming seasons!
All of our athletes worked their butts off this summer and we are extremely proud of you all! Now go out there and Kick Some Ass!!!!!!! CHEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
We also want to wish our last crew of college athletes Brandon Glyck (Princeton) Claire Reinhard (Manhattan College), Kate Reinhard (Loyola), Chris DiIenno (Bentley), Joe Ricciardi (Wesleyan) the best of luck in their upcoming seasons!
All of our athletes worked their butts off this summer and we are extremely proud of you all! Now go out there and Kick Some Ass!!!!!!! CHEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Train The Body Part 2
The second part of my post "Train The Body as Well as The Skill" is for the majority of athletes out there that train on their own or at school without a program. These are two of the most important tips that will make HUGE improvements in your training!
First things first you need to have a plan! One of my favorite sayings is "If you fail to plan then you are planning to fail"! By far the most common problem I see with people of any age in gyms everywhere is that they don't have a set training plan. They go to the gym and ask each other (or themselves)"what should we train today?" or "wanna do some chest and tri's?" They then proceed to go about their workout doing only the exercises they like to do such as, bench press, curls, pull downs etc. and none of the exercises they need to do to really improve such as, squats, dips, deadlifts, chin-ups etc. Let me start by saying that if you are heading to a gym to train and you don't know what you are training for and don't have a plan to achieve it then why bother to go at all? Just randomly picking and choosing exercises every time you go to the gym will only get you zero or half ass results at best. When you decide to train for something you need to have a clear and concise goal of what you are trying to achieve. If you don't have a clear goal then how on earth are you going to achieve it? Simply saying that you want to get bigger or stronger is vague as hell and not a precise goal. First, find out what you need to train for. Then write it down. Lastly, develop a plan or hire someone who can prescribe the right program to reach your goal! Enough said.
The second problem that I see is that most people fail to keep records of their training. If you don't record your training stats then how will you know if your program is working? How do you know what weights and reps you completed in the previous workout? With hectic schedules and rampant ADD most of the athlete's I know can't remember what they lifted last set never mind last workout! Rule number 2 keep accurate logs of your workout programs!
These two things if implemented properly and consistently will dramatically improve your results and help you progress faster than you ever imagined. Give them a try. The only thing you have to lose is poor results!
First things first you need to have a plan! One of my favorite sayings is "If you fail to plan then you are planning to fail"! By far the most common problem I see with people of any age in gyms everywhere is that they don't have a set training plan. They go to the gym and ask each other (or themselves)"what should we train today?" or "wanna do some chest and tri's?" They then proceed to go about their workout doing only the exercises they like to do such as, bench press, curls, pull downs etc. and none of the exercises they need to do to really improve such as, squats, dips, deadlifts, chin-ups etc. Let me start by saying that if you are heading to a gym to train and you don't know what you are training for and don't have a plan to achieve it then why bother to go at all? Just randomly picking and choosing exercises every time you go to the gym will only get you zero or half ass results at best. When you decide to train for something you need to have a clear and concise goal of what you are trying to achieve. If you don't have a clear goal then how on earth are you going to achieve it? Simply saying that you want to get bigger or stronger is vague as hell and not a precise goal. First, find out what you need to train for. Then write it down. Lastly, develop a plan or hire someone who can prescribe the right program to reach your goal! Enough said.
The second problem that I see is that most people fail to keep records of their training. If you don't record your training stats then how will you know if your program is working? How do you know what weights and reps you completed in the previous workout? With hectic schedules and rampant ADD most of the athlete's I know can't remember what they lifted last set never mind last workout! Rule number 2 keep accurate logs of your workout programs!
These two things if implemented properly and consistently will dramatically improve your results and help you progress faster than you ever imagined. Give them a try. The only thing you have to lose is poor results!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Train The Body as Well as The Skill Part 1
In sports today everyone is in a race to get ahead. The competition is much more fierce then it was years ago. Working with athletes of different ages, sports and levels for so many years has allowed me to observe many phenomenon. One of the most notable trends is for athletes, parents and coaches to spend the majority of their time focusing predominantly on sport specific skill development. I acknowledge that this is vital for athletic success but this brings me to the point of this post and that is "what about the body?"
Today in order to get ahead many athletes hire professional instructors to teach them the specific skills of their prospective sport. This is extremely beneficial because back when I was growing up many years ago these types of coaches were hard to find and rarely existed in most areas of the country. Sure high level athletes had this luxury but for many of youth sports this wasn't the case. If you have access to great skill coaches and can afford it hiring one of these coaches is well worth it.
Now that I have acknowledged the benefits of skill training I will discuss the overall problems with placing too much emphasis on skill development. The main concern is that people fail to realize that to perform any athletic skill the body has to be capable of supporting and executing this task. The unfortunate fact is that far too many athletes, coaches and parents see the value of skill specific instruction but not in proper instruction in the physical aspect of training performed off the field. This leads to the body being ill prepared or incapable of properly executing specific skills optimally. To use an analogy it would be like a race car driver hiring a driving coach but having his Joe Schmoe neighbor who is good at helping to get his lawn mower started work on his car instead of a qualified high level mechanic! Sure his driving skills will improve but only to the extent that his car can perform. Weight room training has all too often been overlooked for its importance in producing a quality athlete. Far too often coaches, parents and kids train the way they were trained or worse yet put young athletes on programs they see on the internet or in magazine articles with no regards to the specific needs and abilities of the individual athlete. This hit or miss approach can often do more harm then good. Some possible negative effects are injuries from improper technique, developing faulty motor patterns and causing or increasing muscle imbalances to name a few. These problems all lead to decrease in performance and injuries. This is the exact opposite effect of why they trained to begin with!
The purpose of part 1 of this post is to create an awareness of the importance of training the physical side of the athlete. By realizing the value of training both the skill set and physical set athletes will optimally prepare themselves to perform at their best on the field! Stay tuned for part 2 when I will explain the two most important factors to optimally train athletes.
Today in order to get ahead many athletes hire professional instructors to teach them the specific skills of their prospective sport. This is extremely beneficial because back when I was growing up many years ago these types of coaches were hard to find and rarely existed in most areas of the country. Sure high level athletes had this luxury but for many of youth sports this wasn't the case. If you have access to great skill coaches and can afford it hiring one of these coaches is well worth it.
Now that I have acknowledged the benefits of skill training I will discuss the overall problems with placing too much emphasis on skill development. The main concern is that people fail to realize that to perform any athletic skill the body has to be capable of supporting and executing this task. The unfortunate fact is that far too many athletes, coaches and parents see the value of skill specific instruction but not in proper instruction in the physical aspect of training performed off the field. This leads to the body being ill prepared or incapable of properly executing specific skills optimally. To use an analogy it would be like a race car driver hiring a driving coach but having his Joe Schmoe neighbor who is good at helping to get his lawn mower started work on his car instead of a qualified high level mechanic! Sure his driving skills will improve but only to the extent that his car can perform. Weight room training has all too often been overlooked for its importance in producing a quality athlete. Far too often coaches, parents and kids train the way they were trained or worse yet put young athletes on programs they see on the internet or in magazine articles with no regards to the specific needs and abilities of the individual athlete. This hit or miss approach can often do more harm then good. Some possible negative effects are injuries from improper technique, developing faulty motor patterns and causing or increasing muscle imbalances to name a few. These problems all lead to decrease in performance and injuries. This is the exact opposite effect of why they trained to begin with!
The purpose of part 1 of this post is to create an awareness of the importance of training the physical side of the athlete. By realizing the value of training both the skill set and physical set athletes will optimally prepare themselves to perform at their best on the field! Stay tuned for part 2 when I will explain the two most important factors to optimally train athletes.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Hard Time Getting It Up
Are you having a hard time getting it up? Low energy, tired, and feeling a little bit out of it? Not able to perform your best? The weights you lifted one to two workouts ago seem heavy as hell and you can't perform your usual amount of reps? Well it is usually one of three things and it isn't the lack of Viagra! I am talking about your progress in the gym here and if this sounds like you or someone you know then read on.
Occasionally, some of my clients run into the above problems when they come in for a workout. They get frustrated and angry. The truth of the matter is that more often than not the answer is simple. They are either not getting enough sleep, are already over trained because of a full schedule of practice, school and social life or most often not eating properly! One of the major problems I find with my clients from time to time and even myself is lack of proper nutrition. What most people fail to realize is that the training as important as it is, is just the stimulus. The other major player in improving performance and health is nutrition. The following is an example of a recent conversation I had with one of my athletes. This athlete was working out at 5pm.
Athlete: I can't believe I only got that weight for 3 reps. I got i for 6 last time and this is only my second set!
Me: How many hours of sleep did you get last night?
Athlete:Like 8
Me: OK. What about the past week. How many hours of sleep did you average per night?
Athlete: Probably 7-8. I don't have any problems sleeping.
Me: OK. When was the last time you ate today?
Athlete: Like 11 am at lunch.
Me: Six hours ago. Did you eat breakfast?
Athlete: No. I woke up late and didn't have time.
Me: What did you eat for lunch?
Athlete: A slice of pizza and some fries.
Me: So you didn't eat breakfast, ate crap food for lunch and haven't eaten anything else for six hours? I remember your diet outline stating that you must eat breakfast containing protein or if you are short on time drink a protein shake in an emergency. It also states that you should be eating every 3 hours or so. Lastly, there is no pizza and fries on your acceptable food list!
Athlete: I know. I'm sorry Kev I have kind of been slacking on my diet.
Me: Well you see how important it is now if you are serious about training and want to improve?
Athlete: Yes
Me: I want you to write down everything you eat and the times you eat each meal or shake for the next 5 days.
Athlete: OK. I will
Me: Cheahhhh!!!!
Well magically after a week all of this athlete's weights went up in the gym. In the next month this athlete gained another 5 pounds of muscle and got leaner!
The moral to the story is that if you are not fueling your body properly then you are wasting your time training. You can kiss your improvements goodbye. So next time you see your progress in the gym starting to regress take a step back and look at your eating and sleeping habits! You just might be sabotaging yourself. Eat well, sleep well and train hard and consistent and watch your progress soar!
Occasionally, some of my clients run into the above problems when they come in for a workout. They get frustrated and angry. The truth of the matter is that more often than not the answer is simple. They are either not getting enough sleep, are already over trained because of a full schedule of practice, school and social life or most often not eating properly! One of the major problems I find with my clients from time to time and even myself is lack of proper nutrition. What most people fail to realize is that the training as important as it is, is just the stimulus. The other major player in improving performance and health is nutrition. The following is an example of a recent conversation I had with one of my athletes. This athlete was working out at 5pm.
Athlete: I can't believe I only got that weight for 3 reps. I got i for 6 last time and this is only my second set!
Me: How many hours of sleep did you get last night?
Athlete:Like 8
Me: OK. What about the past week. How many hours of sleep did you average per night?
Athlete: Probably 7-8. I don't have any problems sleeping.
Me: OK. When was the last time you ate today?
Athlete: Like 11 am at lunch.
Me: Six hours ago. Did you eat breakfast?
Athlete: No. I woke up late and didn't have time.
Me: What did you eat for lunch?
Athlete: A slice of pizza and some fries.
Me: So you didn't eat breakfast, ate crap food for lunch and haven't eaten anything else for six hours? I remember your diet outline stating that you must eat breakfast containing protein or if you are short on time drink a protein shake in an emergency. It also states that you should be eating every 3 hours or so. Lastly, there is no pizza and fries on your acceptable food list!
Athlete: I know. I'm sorry Kev I have kind of been slacking on my diet.
Me: Well you see how important it is now if you are serious about training and want to improve?
Athlete: Yes
Me: I want you to write down everything you eat and the times you eat each meal or shake for the next 5 days.
Athlete: OK. I will
Me: Cheahhhh!!!!
Well magically after a week all of this athlete's weights went up in the gym. In the next month this athlete gained another 5 pounds of muscle and got leaner!
The moral to the story is that if you are not fueling your body properly then you are wasting your time training. You can kiss your improvements goodbye. So next time you see your progress in the gym starting to regress take a step back and look at your eating and sleeping habits! You just might be sabotaging yourself. Eat well, sleep well and train hard and consistent and watch your progress soar!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Warm-up Comlex
The following series of exercises is one of the basic warm-up complexes I effectively use with my athlete's before they begin a workout. I was first exposed to this type of pre-workout warm-up by a friend of mine and awesome strength coach Chad Ikei.
The circuit is done using just a basic 45lb Olympic bar. Perform each exercise one right after the other in a continuous circuit until all the exercises are completed. Each exercise is done for 7 reps. There is no real reason for specifically 7 reps aside from the fact that is my favorite number! If you prefer to do more go for it. It is only important that you do enough reps of each exercise to get blood flowing to each muscle group, prepare your nervous system for different exercises of the day and warm your body up! You may also repeat the circuit 2-3x if desired.
The Circuit:
1: Shrugs
2: Romanian Deadlift
3: Power clean
4: Military press
5: Back Squat
6: Alternate Lunge (7 reps each leg)
7: Good Mornings
8: Bent over Barbell Row
That's it! A quick and effective way to begin a workout. You can vary the exercises as you wish. The important thing is to involve compound movements to involve all the major muscle groups.
For other great ideas for warm-ups and workouts I recommend "Complex Conditioning" by Istvan Javorek.
The following video is a demonstration of the above workout:
The circuit is done using just a basic 45lb Olympic bar. Perform each exercise one right after the other in a continuous circuit until all the exercises are completed. Each exercise is done for 7 reps. There is no real reason for specifically 7 reps aside from the fact that is my favorite number! If you prefer to do more go for it. It is only important that you do enough reps of each exercise to get blood flowing to each muscle group, prepare your nervous system for different exercises of the day and warm your body up! You may also repeat the circuit 2-3x if desired.
The Circuit:
1: Shrugs
2: Romanian Deadlift
3: Power clean
4: Military press
5: Back Squat
6: Alternate Lunge (7 reps each leg)
7: Good Mornings
8: Bent over Barbell Row
That's it! A quick and effective way to begin a workout. You can vary the exercises as you wish. The important thing is to involve compound movements to involve all the major muscle groups.
For other great ideas for warm-ups and workouts I recommend "Complex Conditioning" by Istvan Javorek.
The following video is a demonstration of the above workout:
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Worlds Strongest Athlete Dinner
It is 12 pm. I have just gotten home from attending the Worlds Strongest Athlete Dinner. I have to say that it was an incredibly fun, emotional and eye opening experience. I must commend Joe DeFranco and Sean Thomas of Overtime Sports for all of the desire, hard work and dedication to put together such an event. The turnout was great and the food and atmoshphere at the Brownstone was awesome as always. If your the type of person that loves great food, great music, having a fun time and supporting a great cause I highly recommend attending the dinner next year! Remember this Saturday July 17th is the competition at Overtime Sports. It's going to be another stellar event you shouldn't miss!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Congratulations and Good Luck!
We just wanted to wish Michael Vitale the best of luck and a huge congratulations on being signed to the Seattle Mariners short season A team this past Tuesday! I have been training Mike for the past 6 years. Mike has been one of my most dedicated and hard working athletes and has never given up on his dream. Hard work and dedication will always pay off!
We would also like to wish Chris Burrell and T.C. Sweeney formerly of Don Bosco Prep the best of luck as they begin their college careers at Temple University and Towson University. Chris has been with me since his freshman year of high school and T.C for the past 4 months. Both worked their butts off to get ready for their college careers and we look forward to watching them play soon on Saturdays. Once again the best of luck fellas!
We would also like to wish Chris Burrell and T.C. Sweeney formerly of Don Bosco Prep the best of luck as they begin their college careers at Temple University and Towson University. Chris has been with me since his freshman year of high school and T.C for the past 4 months. Both worked their butts off to get ready for their college careers and we look forward to watching them play soon on Saturdays. Once again the best of luck fellas!
The Back Squat
The back squat is considered by many to be the KING of lower body exercises. For the most part, I agree. There are many versions of the squat and I am not going to get into a stupid debate about which one is better than the other one. The simple fact is all different versions of squats can be effective and that it all depends on the desired effect, phase in a training cycle, the athlete’s ability level and proper execution. This post focuses on the last item I mentioned, proper execution!
The major problem I see with athlete’s and people who squat in general is that most of them do it wrong! I personally use the Olympic style of squatting as the staple of most of my athlete’s training programs. The main reasons for this are:
1. The Olympic Squat when properly done fully works the hip and knee joint through the full range of motion improving flexibility.
2. Performing a full Olympic squat recruits more muscles in the lower limbs such as, the vastus medialis, gluteals, and hamstrings.
3. These previously mentioned benefits also provide better structural balance between the muscles of the lower extremities improving performance and decreasing the risk of injury!
4. The body position while performing the Olympic squat is more closely related to the athletic stance of most major sports.
5. Lastly, proper Olympic squatting prevents excessive forward lean placing more stress on the working leg muscles and less stress on the lower back.
To perform the Olympic Squat:
1) First make sure the bar is even in the rack to assure proper placement on shoulders.
2) Place your and hands evenly on the bar to assure proper alignment.
3) Proceed under to step under the bar keeping your hands in place
4) Once under the bar rest bar evenly on the middle or upper back/shoulders
5) Keep feet shoulder width, arms tight next to the body and elbows under the bar.
6) Lift bar off rack and step back 1-2 steps to clear rack.
7) Keep head neutral or slightly up, elbows under the bar and chest up.
8) Feet should be shoulder width or slightly wider.
9) Take a deep breath and hold
10) Begin movement by letting the knees bend and shift slightly forward.
11) Now begin to squat down by “dropping” straight down until your hamstrings are touching your calves. Yes BELOW parallel! It is not bad for your knees contrary to popular belief. Your chest is up, elbows tight to the body and under the bar, feet flat on the ground.
12) Once in the bottom position do not bounce. Pause briefly and explode upward using your legs, and glutes. Push up against the bar with your hands. Exhale though the sticking point.
13) At the top take another deep breath and repeat for desired number of repetitions.
To further illustrate the proper technique please watch the following video of one of my athletes performing the Olympic squat in perfect technique! If you cannot get low enough or lean to far forward then you need to lower the weight and work on your flexibility! Also, if you have spent your training life only half squatting or box squatting, performing the squat like this will most likely be challenging. I have heard many fantastic stories of guys squatting 400, 500 plus pounds but were usually far above even parallel! I have seen many of these same athletes not even be able to perform 6 correct full squat reps with 225 pounds! So if you have never full squatted then give it a try. The benefit will not only help improve your other squats but your overall athletic performance.
For more great information about the squat check out this article by Charles Poliquin.
www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article.aspx?ID=388Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Beware of The Big " O"!
In a past post I wrote about the importance of hard work and consistency. These are two of the key fundamentals to success in all aspects of life. In our quest to become better it is not uncommon for some people to take this to the extreme and follow the philosophy that "if a little is good then a lot will be better". Unfortunately, this is not usually the case and in sports training this will certainly lead to the big "O" or Over Training!
Over training is the act of training harder and longer than the body's ability to recover. Due to the increased competitive nature of sports in our society today athletes of all ages have a tougher time managing training time, practice, game schedules, school, family and friends. This combined with the fact that most sports now play year round over many different leagues really puts today's athletes behind the eight ball. Realizing this problem is the first step to addressing it head on.
To better understand over training lets first look at the common signs of what over training is. The following list is most of the common signs athlete's will experience.
1) Chronic fatigue
2) Headaches
3) Chronic muscle and joint soreness
4) Loss of appetite
5) Irritability
6) Weight loss
7) Elevated resting heart rate
8) Weakened immune system (increased incidence of sickness, colds, infections, etc.)
9) Increased incidence of injuries
10) Depression
11) Decrease in performances
12) Loss of strength
13) Stomach upset
14) Insomnia
15) Poor performance
16) Inability to complete workouts
17) Loss of menstruation
18) Loss of motivation
19) Decreased aerobic and anaerobic capacity
20) Inability to concentrate and stay focused
21) Early onset of fatigue
As you can see there are many signs and symptoms an athlete may experience.
There are many possible mechanisms that may cause over training. One or a combination of multiple mechanisms is possible.
1) Decrease training volume. This can be done by shorter workouts, proper workout periodization, adding more days of rest, etc.
2) Improve nutrition
3) Improve quality and quantity of sleep
4) Supplementation
5) Massage, cryotherapy (ice), whirlpool bath, contrast therapy, etc.
6) Taking a break from training to allow time for recovery.
So as an athlete or coach it is very important to realize that quality of training is better than shear quantity of training. Remember training is only the stimulus for your body to adapt and become stronger or faster, etc. The true benefit comes through proper recovery allowing the body to super compensate for the training. It is only then that the true benefits of training can shine on the field!
Over training is the act of training harder and longer than the body's ability to recover. Due to the increased competitive nature of sports in our society today athletes of all ages have a tougher time managing training time, practice, game schedules, school, family and friends. This combined with the fact that most sports now play year round over many different leagues really puts today's athletes behind the eight ball. Realizing this problem is the first step to addressing it head on.
To better understand over training lets first look at the common signs of what over training is. The following list is most of the common signs athlete's will experience.
1) Chronic fatigue
2) Headaches
3) Chronic muscle and joint soreness
4) Loss of appetite
5) Irritability
6) Weight loss
7) Elevated resting heart rate
8) Weakened immune system (increased incidence of sickness, colds, infections, etc.)
9) Increased incidence of injuries
10) Depression
11) Decrease in performances
12) Loss of strength
13) Stomach upset
14) Insomnia
15) Poor performance
16) Inability to complete workouts
17) Loss of menstruation
18) Loss of motivation
19) Decreased aerobic and anaerobic capacity
20) Inability to concentrate and stay focused
21) Early onset of fatigue
As you can see there are many signs and symptoms an athlete may experience.
There are many possible mechanisms that may cause over training. One or a combination of multiple mechanisms is possible.
Among these mechanism are:
- Micro Trauma to muscle tissue is created faster than the body can heal or recover from it. This also leads to scar tissue development and overuse injuries!
- Protein or "amino acids" are used up faster than they are supplied causing loss of muscle tissue!
- Increased caloric deficit causing further muscle tissue breakdown!
- Increased production of cortisol that is elevated for long periods of time creating a catabolic state or state of "breakdown". Cortisol is a catabolic hormone created by increased stress on the body.
- Excessive strain and fatigue to the nervous system.
1) Decrease training volume. This can be done by shorter workouts, proper workout periodization, adding more days of rest, etc.
2) Improve nutrition
3) Improve quality and quantity of sleep
4) Supplementation
5) Massage, cryotherapy (ice), whirlpool bath, contrast therapy, etc.
6) Taking a break from training to allow time for recovery.
So as an athlete or coach it is very important to realize that quality of training is better than shear quantity of training. Remember training is only the stimulus for your body to adapt and become stronger or faster, etc. The true benefit comes through proper recovery allowing the body to super compensate for the training. It is only then that the true benefits of training can shine on the field!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Question and Anwer
Got a question about training, nutrition, supplementation or sports rehabilitation? Please post it here and I will do my best to answer in a timely fashion!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Key To Success
Over the past eleven years of training athletes I have had the opportunity to work with some of the hardest working and most dedicated athletes as well as, some of the laziest bunch of slackers you could ever imagine. Fortunately, the lazy slackers never lasted because of their laziness. The majority of athletes I work with however, tend to fall somewhere in the middle. The purpose of this post is to let all of you other athletes in on one of the most important keys to success. All of my most successful athlete's practice it on a daily basis. In fact, they would not be successful if they did not. This all important key to success is CONSISTENCY!
Consistency can work both ways. Most people are consistently lazy. They talk about wanting to be a better athlete, playing varsity or getting a college scholarship but they aren't willing to put forth the hard work! Now hard work and dedication are essential but if they are not done on a consistent basis then you are wasting your time and should reassess your goals because obviously becoming a great athlete isn't one of them.
If you are serious about becoming a great athlete and achieving your goals then the following four variables must be done on a consistent basis everyday!
1) Grades! If you are a student athlete you need to consistently get your school work done and maintain a good GPA! Over the years I have seen many phenomenal athletes lose out on scholarships, become ineligible to play and even the prospect of being drafted because they slacked with their school work. Hit the books.
2) Workouts! The only way to make gains in your training if you want to improve your performance is to consistently attend your workouts. Just as important as showing up is putting everything you have into each and every workout! Working out for four weeks straight and then missing a week and then working out another week followed by 2 more weeks off is USELESS! You will never improve. Get your ass to the gym 3-4 days per week and give it everything you have every time you go or don't bother.
3) Nutrition! Equally as important as your workouts is your eating habits. This is probably the hardest of all four variables to follow. For your body to run like a high performance machine you need to provide it with high performance fuel. If you are not willing to do this however, then you are sabotaging yourself and greatly if not totally inhibiting improvement.
4) Supplementation! If you do not take your supplements consistently and correctly then they are not going to work. Just like everything else I mentioned it is a waste of time and money if you don't take them diligently and exactly as prescribed.
There you have it. Take a look at your studying, training, nutrition and supplementation habits. Are your doing all you can to achieve your goals? Probably not. If this is the case stop being lazy and making excuses and do something about it! Your future is in your own hands.
Train hard and be consistent and you'll be amazed at the results not only in sports but in all aspects of life.
Consistency can work both ways. Most people are consistently lazy. They talk about wanting to be a better athlete, playing varsity or getting a college scholarship but they aren't willing to put forth the hard work! Now hard work and dedication are essential but if they are not done on a consistent basis then you are wasting your time and should reassess your goals because obviously becoming a great athlete isn't one of them.
If you are serious about becoming a great athlete and achieving your goals then the following four variables must be done on a consistent basis everyday!
1) Grades! If you are a student athlete you need to consistently get your school work done and maintain a good GPA! Over the years I have seen many phenomenal athletes lose out on scholarships, become ineligible to play and even the prospect of being drafted because they slacked with their school work. Hit the books.
2) Workouts! The only way to make gains in your training if you want to improve your performance is to consistently attend your workouts. Just as important as showing up is putting everything you have into each and every workout! Working out for four weeks straight and then missing a week and then working out another week followed by 2 more weeks off is USELESS! You will never improve. Get your ass to the gym 3-4 days per week and give it everything you have every time you go or don't bother.
3) Nutrition! Equally as important as your workouts is your eating habits. This is probably the hardest of all four variables to follow. For your body to run like a high performance machine you need to provide it with high performance fuel. If you are not willing to do this however, then you are sabotaging yourself and greatly if not totally inhibiting improvement.
4) Supplementation! If you do not take your supplements consistently and correctly then they are not going to work. Just like everything else I mentioned it is a waste of time and money if you don't take them diligently and exactly as prescribed.
There you have it. Take a look at your studying, training, nutrition and supplementation habits. Are your doing all you can to achieve your goals? Probably not. If this is the case stop being lazy and making excuses and do something about it! Your future is in your own hands.
Train hard and be consistent and you'll be amazed at the results not only in sports but in all aspects of life.
Welcome!
First and foremost welcome to my new blog. It's finally up and running and I would like to ask anyone visiting to please sign up and feel free to comment and ask any questions about training, nutrition, supplementation or articles posted on the site or our athletes in the news.
I will post numerous times per week and try to answer any questions you may have as timely as possible. If there is any topic you would like to discuss please feel free to ask?
In the mean time train hard, play hard and I look forward to hearing from you!
I will post numerous times per week and try to answer any questions you may have as timely as possible. If there is any topic you would like to discuss please feel free to ask?
In the mean time train hard, play hard and I look forward to hearing from you!
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