March 2014 issue

The Performance Training and Conditioning E-Magazine of Athletes, Coaches and Fitness Enthusiasts

PREVIEW ISSUE

March 2014

Cross Train for Great Workouts Athletes, injuries and alternative therapy How to use foam rolling to improve your training

Benefits of Olympic lifts for performance

in this issue:

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Editorial: The evolution of sports performance training ProPowerMag.com features: core training, weighted vests and sports nutrition practices Training Tech: the gadgets that make training fun Training Tidbits 1: agility ladder, rotating and change of direction 5 effect Sandbag Training exercises and how to perform them

Training Tidbits 2: the push press, benefits of Olympic lifting and cross training video tip  Athletes, injuries and alternative therapy  How to use foam rolling to improve your training 

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Use sports psychology for the development of mental toughness

Plyometrics for powering up your performance Training Video Session of the Week for Athletes: SAQ/Power

Train on One Leg to Maximize Sports Performance

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Pro Power Workout Should you participate in the tough murder or warrior dash?

The Tao of Belly Breathing

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Sport Teas for Athletes

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The evolution of Sports Performance Training From the Editor

I have a huge passion for sports performance training, fitness, conditioning——the whole nine.

When I was a teenager back in the late 80’s I remember working out for sports and always looking for the latest and greatest ways to train. This was before the advent of the internet, DVD’s, etc, so access to top training information was limited and you had to really DIG for it.

Sure there was Muscle and Fitness and Flex magazines for the body builders, but finding top quality training information for athletes was tough.

Then one day in a book store I ran across a book that changed everything in the training world for me—-Eric Dickersons Secrets of Pro Power. For those of you who may not remember Dickerson, he was one of the NFL’s best running back of all time, and in the 80’s he was the man. Explosive, fast, strong—-he was a human gazelle. These attributes helped him to become the first running back to ever eclipse 2,000 yards rushing in a season. And I was a HUGE fan.

But what impressed me more then his football prowess was the dedication he had towards training. Here was a professional athlete who was constantly in pursuit of a competitive edge by finding the most innovative ways to train. In his book, he detailed training techniques from explosive movements and quickness drills to strength and power exercises. This book became my foundation for sports performance training and started my pursuit of better and better ways of training and conditioning.

Fast forward to today; training methods have evolved for sure. With the internet there is now a vast highway of training information via videos, blogs, PDF’s, etc. And information is king.

There is a lot of good, a lot of bad and a lot of ugly when it comes to training information out there today. One mans innovative training technique/method is another mans fodder for his blog. Main stream non-competitive athletes have now jumped in the mix by scrapping the aerobic classes for intense workouts via cross fit or P90X. The evolution of training is ongoing and fascinating.

I created this Pro Power E-Mag as a way to put out information about sports performance training, fitness and conditioning for the masses. Not necessarily endorsing one form over another, one method over another, but rather a way to help to continue the conversation about training and how its not something that you have to DO, but more it becomes something that is part of WHAT you are.

I still have that copy of Eric Dickersons Secrets of Pro Power. It’s pages are yellowed and worn, it’s binding has considerable wear. It sits on my bookshelf next to Robert Dos Remedios’s fantastic book “Power Training” and Todd Durkins “The IMPACT! Body Plan”. And every now and then ill pick it up an revisit it’s pages and think about how the evolution of sports performance training and conditioning has moved forward. And I smile.

I hope you enjoy this premier issue of the Pro Power E-Mag and stay tuned for monthly issues to come. My goal is to help pass on some great training information, and help the evolution of training for all of us!

Enjoy!

Daimond Dixon Pro Power E-Mag

“Do or Do Not. There is no try.”

-Yoda

ProPowerMag.com Here are a few topics we are currently featuring on our website online: The Ultimate Core Training Exercise Enhancing core strength reduces posterior weakness, injuries and deficiencies.

Weakness in your abdominals and hip flexors can contribute to these problems, and the one exercise that can target your entire core is the Plank. (click here to read in full)

Agility Drills combined with weighted vest Want to enhance your current agility or conditioning? Use a weighted vest for great results. Weighted vests adds an entirely new dimension to your workouts! See how this one vest can change the way your workouts produce results! (click here to see the video)

How to Practice Good Sports Nutrition Sports nutrition is defined as the study and practice of nutrition and dieting as it relates to athletes and their performance. Check out this great article on how to practice good sports nutrition for you body’s needs. (click here to read in full)

Training Tech Tech that adds variety to sports performance and fitness training Adidas MiCoach app

Nike BOOM syncs your music to your dynamic training workouts, with the world’s most elite athletes and coaches motivating you along the way. Choose your type of workout, length of training, best workout music and favorite Nike athletes—then get to work.

With this app you can turn your phone into a personal coach. Uses GPS and real-time voice coaching in your ear to pace you through workout zones as you run. You can choose a training plan tuned for your sport to build speed and endurance. Track and share your accomplishments with the app or at miCoach.com. Available for iphone or Android

Nike+ app With this app, in-run audio feedback lets you know metrics at every mile, so you can stay focused on your run. No sensor or additional products needed, just grab your phone and go. Tag the friends you ran with and share a map of your route with friends and family.

Set up “Power Songs” to give yourself a boost with the tap of a button.

Add a widget to your phone’s home screen to show when you ran last, display your total mileage, and for even quicker access into a run.

Available for iPhone or Android

My Fitness Pal App Lose weight with MyFitnessPal, the fastest and easiest to use calorie counter for Android. With the largest food database of any Android calorie counter (over 2,000,000 foods), and amazingly fast food and exercise entry, we’ll help you take those extra pounds off! Customized goals based on your specific diet profile – age, gender, activity level, etc. Enter your own goals if you’ve gotten specific recommendations from a doctor, nutritionist, etc. (also available for iPhone) ■ Track your weight, measurements and more ■ View charts of your progress over time for motivation ■ Daily nutritional summary with all major nutrients ■ View more detailed reports online at www.myfitnesspal.com

Using the Agility Ladder to increase foot speed Did you know that The agility ladder uses its rungs to step, hop using the agility ladder is one of the and jump through variClick here for ladder drill video best ways to increase an athletes speed, agility and quickness?

ous drills.

Grab a ladder today and create sport specific drills!

Don’t forget to rotate!

Training in one dimension is not enough to help gain that competitive edge! Training the body to be strong while pushing and pulling is one thing, but take it the extra step and make it stronger as you rotate as well!

throws and rotational cable movements helps the body learn to more balance in more than

one plane.

Click here for rotational video

Most sports and athletic activities involve moving in more then one plane; by using rotational drills such as medicine ball

COD (Change of Direction) Training For Sports Performance Most sports require changes of direction that have to happen in order to create great plays.

C.O.D. (change of direction) takes place best when you factor in a couple of things:

plant, get your head and eyes around to where you want to go. When creating your own C.O.D. drills, follows these simple tips:

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Foot Plant: Land on your power pad (forefoot)

and push off when changing directions, do not be FLAT FOOTED.

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Arm Action: Get your arms moving, pumping

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Keep distances short to emphasize explosive-

ness over endurance

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Combine moving forward with a plant then

going the opposite direction, or to the left or to the right

your elbows as you make the C.O.D. The more active

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your arms are, the more active your feet are!

ladder drills (ex: high knee or jump through agility

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ladder, then sprint to cone, plant and sprint back

Head Turn: Athletes go in the direction that

they can visually see FASTER. After your power pad

Combine the C.O.D. drills with plyometric and

towards ladder

S EE

TH E V ID E O

5 effect Sandbag Training exercises and how to perform them A sandbag is a highly versatile

training tool that can be used to get a full body workout in a short amount of time. With a few simple exercises, you can be guaranteed to get a highly effective, head to toe workout.

1. Sandbag SquatsExactly the same as a squat with a barbell, but using a sandbag. Lift the sandbag to one shoulder, or position on both shoulders behind the head.

Keeping the toes pointed slightly forward, bend down until your knees are parallel to the ground, and return to the starting position. You may be able to squat lower; do what feels comfortable to you.

as if you were putting a box on a shelf. Press the sandbag overhead, back down to chest height, and back to the starting position. Repeat for as many repetitions as necessary.

sandbag on your shoulder, post the other hand on the ground as well as the opposite leg. Now get up! This is supposed to be difficult, and you will very off balanced as you try to stand.

Once you reach stating position, you have completed a sandbag get-up.

3. Sandbag RuckPick up the sandbag, place it on a shoulder, or behind the head on both shoulders. Now simply walk or jog.

This is a torturous exercise, depending on the weight or size of your sandbag. A treadmill can be used to monitor distance, or to increase the incline for added difficulty.

There are many more sandbag exercises that are very simple and highly effective. Fireman, military personnel, cross trainers, strongman, and combat athletes all use sandbag training as part of their exercise programs to achieve a high level of strength and fitness. For a free .pdf of many more exercises or information on sandbags, send an email to: keith@bruteforcesandbags.com

4. Sandbag Push-PressesPick the sandbag up to waist level, and maneuver the sandbag to chest height as in 2. Sandbag a sandbag Burpee burpee press.

PressesBend the knees Holding the and come back sandbag at up as if to do a waist height, small jump while drop down pressing the with the sandbag oversandbag with head and back your knees down to chest almost touchheight. The uping your elward momentum Caption describing picture or graphic. bows. Extend of your body will out to a assist in presspush-up poing the sandbag overhead. sition in one fluid motion, perRepeat for the desired form a push-up, and return to amount of repetitions. the crouching position. Carefully stand up while bringing 5. Sandbag Get-Ups- Place the sandbag back to waist the sandbag on one shoulder, level. Bend slightly while while carefully lowering yourthrusting the sandbag to self into a seated, then lying chest height, elbows down, position. While holding the

Keith, Brute Force Sandbags, bruteforcesandbags.com

Click here Find a sand bag for your training needs here at SKLZ!

Exercise Focus: The overhead push press Push presses are performed by holding a barbell at shoulder height, bending your knees slightly, then simultaneously straightening your legs, while forcefully pushing the bar overhead, until your arms are fully extended.

The push press involves the movement of more than one joint, and works multiple muscle groups. Push presses work your quads, glutes and hamstrings as well as shoulder and triceps. Your abdominals and lower back muscles also work to keep your torso stable.

Quick, explosive movements like push presses activates your central nervous system, and this primes your body to begin to physically training

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Grasp barbell with overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder width.

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Position bar chest high with torso tight. Retract head back.

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Dip body by bending knees, hips and ankles slightly.

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Explosively drive upward with legs, driving barbell up , vigorously extending arms overhead.

Benefits of Olympic lifts for performance Complete power output in the weight room is a prime example of what the Olympic lifts can do for increasing your athleticism. It has been noted that the power output of a power clean is triple that of the bench press, squat, or dead lift.

High resistance and high speed Olympic lifts rely pri-

marily upon power producing type II muscle fibers and improved activation of type II fibers improves power

output and continued exposure leads to power gains. Increase speed and strength with loads at high velocities, with movements such as the clean, snatch, and the jerk.

“Cross Training” for great workouts Today’s athlete trains very different than their contemporary’s did in the last decade.

The cross over appeal of different training modalities has opened up big avenues into the realm training possibilities. Gone is the old school “upper body/lower body”

split, and in are complexes and plyos. Take a look at the athlete in this video using different strength training exercises combined together to make a great workout!

Sport Teas for Athletes We all want to be healthy. We all want to be active. We all want to have energy. We want our kids be successful and achieve their goals in sport. As a parents we are trying our best to support our kids providing good sport equipment, nutritional food, caring environment... Considering all these factors we've moved further. We did research and find out that a lot of athletes in Europe and South Africa drink tea as a sport drink. We've worked closely with nutritionists, herbalists, sport professionals and as a result we've brought on the North America market healthy and natural alternative to commercial sport drinks - special blends of Sport Teas.

When we exercise our body looses water through perspiration and with it salts. Salts are combinations of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate. They are critical for the functions of cells and a proper balance of electrolytes is necessary for proper performance of the heart, muscles and other organs. It is important to replace salts as well as water for healthy rehydration.

Sport drinks for athletes that are available on the market offer you electrolytes and carbohydrates.

Sport drinks commonly contain lots of sugar and sometimes more than necessary. Also there are lots of artificial flavors and dyes to provide color to colorless beverages, or to mask unpleasant colors. Many vitamins, minerals and electrolytes are added in synthetic form.

We believe that nature provides a better solution for athletes and the body responds best to nutrients obtained from natural food sources, and is well designed to respond to and utilize nutrients present in plants. We help athletes of all ages to RECOVER faster and have more ENERGY with our range of specially blended SPORT TEAS. Our carefully selected ingredients maintain ENDURANCE and HYDRATE adults and kids in a safe and natural way. Now we have the opportunity in North America to benefit from this product!

Why Sport Tea for Athletes?

Tea is very beneficial beverage for athletes of all ages due to the high content of antioxidants and potential to hydrate and support energy and endurance. Antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in teas help your body to protect itself from the damage during intense training and workout and recover more quickly after. Healthy Fluid and Electrolyte Replacement are necessary for all athletes during workouts. It is best to consume 3 - 4 cups of Sport Tea for Athletes a day to improve the endurance, keep up your energy, hydrate properly and increase the metabolism in your body.

For an athlete to really benefit from daily sport tea drinking, it is best to brew your own sport tea with real tea leaves. This way there are no additives that may hinder your performance, and you will know exactly what is in your cup. We offer special Sport Tea blends of high quality teas full of vitamins and minerals with most benefits for athletes. The best way to enjoy your sport tea is straight up, with no sweeteners. But if you must, using stevia or even honey will be your best bet.

Sport Tea for Athletes is a healthy, natural, gluten-free solution as a Sport Drink!

Get Kupa Tea HERE

Athletes, injuries and alternative therapy One of the most important lessons I can impart to you regarding the use of electromagnetic therapies, is to clearly understand the actions they have in the body. These actions happen in all bodies every time PEMFs are used. This is regardless of the underlying causes or conditions a person has. Most diseases or health conditions have very common components to them.

The body has a somewhat limited repertoire of reacting to damage, injury or illness. The most commonly described actions of PEMF's include: pain reduction, reduction of swelling, decreasing the irritability of nerves, relaxing muscles, improving circulation, various metabolic effects, detoxification, cell membrane charge balancing and stimulation of repair by stimulating RNA and DNA. PEMF's also have reflexology and acupuncture like actions in the body.

I always ask myself for any given condition what components of these actions of magnetic fields exist in that condition or body. Of course we don't always know completely what may be going on. But, you can bet that there are many of these components present. You can't tune the specific actions using the kinds of magnetic fields I usually recommend. There are research devices available that will create changes in some of these individual actions while providing less change to other actions. In the medical model, you would have a specific device for each specific action. This clearly becomes impractical and way too expensive. For this reason I prefer devices that have general responses in the body and let the body decide what he needs and how it will respond.

Using these concepts, you can begin to think about how athletes might benefit from PEMF's. At the very least athletes need to have their muscles working in an optimal fashion. This is important to maintain structural integrity and maximize performance of the body for their particular sport. Maximizing performance decreases the risk of injury, never mind winning a competition. The biggest health risk to the athlete is injury. So, PEMF's would be used by athletes to maximize function of the body and at the same time reduce the risk of injury and to help the body recover faster from any injuries. With these ideas, athletes should be using whole body magnetic stimulation before and after workouts, tryouts, and any level of competition. Using PEMFs before competition causes the body to be optimized in its function. This will produce better performance.

It's been found that muscles work harder, longer and recover faster with magnetic stimulation. Also once used, muscles become sore and often tense or have spasm. A classic action of magnetic fields is to reduce muscle contraction. Athletes often have to compete and work out despite their injuries, large and small. This is why regular use of magnetic fields is so important to any high level, or even weekend, athletes.

I know of one athlete who is still functioning into his 40s at a world-class level because of his continuing use of PEMF's. I was also told a story by a physician friend who was a team doctor for a US Olympic team. He said it would typically Caption describing picture or take our athletes 2 to 3 days to recover from competitions. He noticed that the graphic. then East Germans and Russians would be back the next day like robots without showing any of the effects of wearing out. When he went past their camp he noticed that they were all using some sort of stimulation devices, most likely barrel type coils. These were not illegal and were not considered to be doping. Essentially they were therapeutic systems that help to wash the stress out of the body and reduce swelling and muscles and remove lactic acid.

I have personally experienced similar sorts of results whenever I've had to work hard in my yard. Usually the next day my muscles are sore and stiff. I have started using magnetic therapy right after I finish my yard work. Virtually every time, the next morning my muscles are not stiff or sore.

Research shows that PEMFs stimulate a process called myosin phosphorylation. This is the process of energy production in muscle. Phosphorylation produces ATP. ATP is essential for cell energy. Depleted ATP creates weak muscles. Workouts and a lot of strenuous muscle activity, deplete ATP. Rest restores ATP, assuming the body has the building blocks necessary to replenish it. PEMFs restore ATP by stimulating myosin phosphorylation.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

( c ontinued Next Page )

Elevation Training Mask is a patent pending "Resistance Training Device" that helps condition the lungs by creating pulmonary resistance and strengthening the diaphragm.

See the Training Mask Here!

Elevation Training Mask will help you regulate your breathing, increase lung stamina, oxygen efficiency and increase overall mental focus. Training Mask can help your over all performance in all sports and daily living.

(continued from previous page) Another aspect of muscle injury and tissue damage from exercise or athletics, is a protein called variably, heat stress or heat shock protein. Muscles that are very active are stressed and therefore need higher levels of heat stress protein. Heat stress protein is not just for heat. It was discovered that when you damage a cell by heating it, heat shock protein is produced. It was also discovered that if you induce heat shock proteins in advance of potential damage, using stimulation techniques that are very gentle, you will reduce tissue damage. There is now research going on to use magnetic devices to stimulate heat shock proteins in heart muscles prior to open-heart surgery. Open-heart surgery obviously causes heart muscle damage. Preliminary research indicates that stimulating heat shock proteins decreases muscle damage from open-heart surgery, improving results and postoperative recovery.

Pulsed electromagnetic fields can also increase the uptake of oxygen into muscle. Research I've done with the MagnoPro shows at least a 1% increase in local tissue oxygen uptake. A 1% increase in oxygen uptake can significantly enhance muscle performance and endurance. In competitive sports a 1% edge may be all that is needed to win.

With any injury, the body will take its usual time to repair. We know from the use of FDA approved devices, that fractures will heal in approximately half the time - so will open wounds, including surgical wounds. Even in massive trauma, animals exposed to PEMF's will often survive, versus those that don't get PEMF treatment. I have personally seen many times, that large bruises disappear rapidly with the use of pulsed magnetic fields. All injuries produce swelling in the tissues, as does exercise on its own. Swelling delays the ability of the tissues to be nourished with oxygen and nutrients. This is why you see athletes frequently being treated with ice packs. Ice packs reduce superficial swelling. Swelling or bruising deep in a quadriceps muscle will not respond as well to ice. To effectively ice tissues deep in muscle you would cause freezing of the muscle on the outside thus causing harm to those tissues. The risk versus benefit isn't acceptable . PEMFs on the other hand penetrate tissues deeply without risk to the superficial tissues to create their benefits. The PEMF's reduce swelling and speed removal of the blood in a bruise, leading to faster recovery and return to activity, competition or training. Obviously, if treatment is applied early in the injury, recovery will be much faster. Once a lot of the effects of damage are settled into the tissue it takes more energy and longer to heal the tissues.

So, to conclude, I believe all athletes, professional, amateur or "weekend warriors" should be using daily whole body PEMF stimulation. In addition, the treatment of any injuries with PEMF's accelerates even subtle healing healing, allowing the athlete to be healthier, stronger and perform better.

Dr. Pawluk invites you to view his website, http://www.drpawluk.com to learn more about pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, as well as other holistic and alternative medicines. You can also research product reviews, schedule a phone consult with Dr. Pawluk himself, and purchase the PEMF system that will best serve your needs. Blog: http://www.drpawluk.com/category/blog/

For the more training info, articles and videos, check out our E-Mag website which is updated regularly!

Visit our official site at ProPowerMag.com

How to use foam rolling to improve your training A foam roller is an incredible tool for anyone who is engaging in intense training and workouts. Whether you are an avid runner, are involved in a regular strength training program, or a competitive athlete; foam rolling is a great technique to improve performance.

First let me describe how and why the foam roller works. Everyone has what is called superficial fascia, which is connective tissue located just below the skin. This is the stuff that connects muscles, blood vessels, bones and nerves in the body. Together with the muscles this creates the myofascia system.

When people are training hard, have had injuries, or do not stretch enough, the fascia can become tight and bundled together. What this means in the real world is that everything feels tight and restricted, usually causing some discomfort or even a reduction in overall training performance.

The work on a foam roller will actually release the tension and create space in the fascia, giving the area more movement.

The foam roller can be used on most major muscle areas including the quadriceps, hamstrings, IT band, upper and lower back, and the shoulder girdle. When using the foam roller, the individual will place the area they want to work on the roller and roll slowly, eventually moving through the entire muscle area, concentrating on the "tight" areas. When doing this, the individual will likely feel knots or a "pins and needles" type of a feeling. This is normal and regular foam rolling will reduce pain and discomfort.

This self myofascial release technique is important for anyone with any training background and will improve performance, reduce the risk of injury, reduce chronic and acute pain, improve joint mobility, and improve overall movement quality.

A foam roller is an incredible tool for anyone who is engaging in intense training and workouts. Whether you are an avid runner, are involved in a regular strength training program, or a competitive athlete; foam rolling is a great technique to improve performance.

First let me describe how and why the foam roller works. Everyone has what is called superficial fascia, which is connective tissue located just below the skin. This is the stuff that connects muscles, blood vessels, bones and nerves in the body. Together with the muscles this creates the myofascia system.

When people are training hard, have had injuries, or do not stretch enough, the fascia can become tight and bundled together. What this means in the real world is that everything feels tight and restricted, usually causing some discomfort or even a reduction in overall training performance.

The work on a foam roller will actually release the tension and create space in the fascia, giving the area more movement.

The foam roller can be used on most major muscle areas including the quadriceps, hamstrings, IT band, upper and lower back, and the shoulder girdle. When using the foam roller, the individual will place the area they want to work on the roller and roll slowly, eventually moving through the entire muscle area, concentrating on the "tight" areas. When doing this, the individual will likely feel knots or a "pins and needles" type of a feeling. This is normal and regular foam rolling will reduce pain and discomfort.

This self myofascial release technique is important for anyone with any training background and will improve performance, reduce the risk of injury, reduce chronic and acute pain, improve joint mobility, and improve overall movement quality.

Callie Durbrow is the owner of Durbrow Performance Personal Training in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her program provides fat loss training for busy women in Cambridge and Boston. Callie is a certified strength and conditioning specialist with distinction and a USAW Sports Performance Coach. Her personal interests include training, snowboarding, basketball and reading. Blog: http://www.ultimateathleticfitness.com. Personal: http://www.durbrowperformance.com

Elevation Training Mask is a patent pending "Resistance Training Device" that helps condition the lungs by creating pulmonary resistance and strengthening the diaphragm.

Elevation Training Mask will help you regulate your breathing, increase lung stamina, oxygen efficiency and increase overall mental focus. Training Mask can help your over all performance in all sports and daily living.

See the Training Mask Here!

Plyometrics for powering up your performance Plyometric training is designed to enable a muscle

effort, horizontal or vertical with recovery time

ping out from box and dropping to ground, then

to reach maximum strength in a short amount of

between each, and repeated

jumping back up to the height of the box

time. This in turn leads to muscles that propel

* Multiple Hops & Jumps---combination of the

athletes faster, higher and more explosive.

above, yet are done one after anoth-

siveness in all sports. Add the

er There are several types of plyometric training drills-or jumps-which are useful for developing athletic explosiveness. The following are some of the most widely used: * Jumps in place-a jump completed by landing in the same spot where the jump started. Low in intensity, yet it provides stimulus by requiring athletes to rebound quickly, jump after jump * Standing Jumps---stresses single maximum

Each type of jump is useful for developing explo-

* Bounding---exaggerated normal running, focusing on lifting and "floating" as you run * Box Drills-combines multiple hops and jumps with depth jumps using boxes to land on * Depth Jumps---uses athletes body

use of barriers such as cones and hurdles to increase training variety and intensity. Also, add a 5-10 yard sprint after each jump, or the use of a ball (catching, dribbling) to make it more sports specific.

weight and gravity to exert force against ground. Performed by step-

Training Video Session of the Week for Athletes: SAQ/Power

Train on One Leg to Maximize Sports Performance YES, two legs are better than one, but if you would like to increase the effectiveness of both of them performing together, train them with single leg drills!

Try these athletic drills and exercises below on one leg:

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Lifting Stand on one leg as you perform

any type of lifting such as curls, presses and pulls

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Ladder/Hurdle Drills Perform various

drills on one foot hoping forward, laterally and backwards

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Boxes/steps Use a

ing and tossing the ball from a single leg as

mini box (6") or step to

your body balances and stabilizes throughout

perform single leg hops

the entire motion

both sideways and forward



Jump rope This is

There a dozens more ways you can make

one of the best: put that

single leg training effective. The more innovat-

single foot in motion as you

ing and creative you are, the more efficient

spin the rope for quickness

your athletic movements become. Plus, throw

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Medicine

in the use of athletic actions such as throwing

Ball Perform standing

or catching a ball or other sport related item.

medicine balls drills throw-

Be creative and make it sport specific

Pro Power Workout Try this simple Total Body Trainer to add some variety to your training! Perform 4 sets of each with 8 reps per Plate Lunge Rotation

Drop your hips BUT only take the DB to eye level NOT overhead

DB/KB Swing

DB Step Up

Incline DB Bench

Drop your hips BUT only take the DB/KB to eye level NOT overhead

Keep foot on box and drive into box until your on top; drive up the knee of the opposite leg

Use the incline angle of the utility bench; keep feet flat into the ground as you drive up DB's over your chest

DB Squat ‘n Press

Quick dip your hips about 6 inches then stand up straight and press DB's over head; lower and repeat

DB Bench Row

Feet square, bent at waist with your back flat; good extension as you pull the DB to you side

Should you participate in the Tough Mudder or Warrior Dash?

While you will find conventional athletic challenges such as running a marathon that numerous competitive athletes take pleasure in, you might not find this very exciting. You may want to engage in a high energy and extreme challenge which involves multiple athletic capabilities. There tend to be this kind of challenges that you could be part of such as the Warrior Dash or even the Tough Mudder. These 2 activities are serious challenges that involve going long distances via challenging obstacles that really must be climbed over and pushed through in order to succeed. What's the difference between these events?

Challenges of Each Event: The Tough Mudder as well as the Warrior Dash are both tough to finish. The Tough Mudder is really a much longer race in terms of miles with relatively equivalent obstacles. If you want to try out one for the first time the Warrior Dash is smaller is length which makes it an easier challenge to accomplish.

Click here to visit site

Click here to visit site

Levels of competition: The Warrior Dash is really a competitive occasion. You possess a monitor which you bring along with you which measures the amount time it will take you to finish the entire course. There are winners as well as those that lose. In the Tough Mudder, time just isn't extremely important. There is much more of a focus on getting the challenge completed as well as helping those who might be having difficulties. Group effort is encouraged and is a component of the overall viewpoint of the occasion. If you want an individual task, the Warrior Dash far better suits you.

Destinations: The Warrior Dash isn't quite as well-known so the majority of the events outside of just one in Australia take place in the united states. The Tough Mudder has a number of events all across numerous nations around the world although most are nevertheless in Canada And America.

Charities: Both events have a preferred charity that they aid; the Warrior Dash supports Green Sneakers, which gives organizations environmentally friendly fundraising opportunities, and the Tough Mudder supports the Wounded Warrior Project, which gives assistance to U.S. war veterans past what the federal government can provide.

Unique Qualities: While there might be some that do this at both events, you will observe many at the Warrior Dash that dress up in outfits for the race. This is not implemented to take it all less seriously but to include a bit of pizazz to the entire challenge. The Tough Mudder has a promise and mentality that you're to agree to before the race. This pledge and overall competition philosophy is something that you have to keep in mind the whole time.

Roderick Meadows is actually a first generation nerd that enjoys to read and is a student of all the things dealing with technology, business, blogging, lifestyle design, and minimalism. To discover more in regards to the Tough Mudder event and the Warrior Dash, pay a visit to RoderickMeadows.com.

The Tao of Belly Breathing We do it every day, all day and night and we do not even think about it, should we? Air is pulled into our lungs, effortlessly bonding to our blood and replenishing our muscles with oxygen. Better breathing could lead to better health. The big question is: How are you breathing?

Proper breathing can change how your body feels and can help prevent injury. There are two ways to breathe: belly breathing and chest breathing. Our bodies were made to belly breathe, as our diaphragm is the principle muscle for respiration and a secondary muscle for the core.

The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle and separates our upper and lower trunk cavities. When we inhale, the diaphragm ascends and pulls air into the lungs and forces our belly to expand. The diaphragm is also part of our core. The core activates with any movement as it stabilizes our trunk and upper body.

When our obliques (primary core muscles) are weak, we tend to use our diaphragm to force pressure into the abdominal cavity, pushing the abdominal walls out. This leads to shallow breathing and increased possibility of injury.

When we get in the habit of holding our breath to perform physical activity, the diaphragm is no longer acting as the main force of our core. The result is we unconsciously use our neck muscles for breathing which can cause them to be over worked and painful.

Bad habits can be corrected; the first step is to determine whether you are a belly or upper chest breather. This can be accomplished by sitting and placing one hand on your belly, and the other on your chest. Try to relax and breathe normally (not focusing on your diaphragm) and see which hand moves more. If your top hand is rising and falling more than your bottom hand, there is some work to be done.

Next, see if you hold your breath while physically exercising. This could be as simple as getting up from the couch. Do you have a forceful release of air when you stand? Do you bend over to pick something up and find that you are holding your breath until you are upright?

The key is to be conscious of this and after 3-4 days, you should be able to remind yourself to belly breathe before performing one of those activities. The trick is to take an easy, deep breath from your diaphragm and calmly exhale while you are getting up from the couch, lifting a heavy object and any other similar movements.

By being aware of how you breathe and remembering to use your diaphragm, you can prevent a potential imbalance in your neck and shoulders which will keep you pain free. If you are experiencing difficulty with the aforementioned tips, you may need additional assistance with lengthening your diaphragm to retrain your muscle potential.

Dave Asselin received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Grand Valley State University in 2007. Owner and licensed physical therapist, Dave has extensive post-graduate training in manual therapy and consults exclusively with the Grand Rapids Ballet. He was All Big Ten 1991-1994 Michigan State University Water Polo and 1990 All American at East Kentwood High School in Water Polo. Dave is a native of Grand Rapids and served two years in the Peace Corps in Tonga. He and his wife Jen reside in Grand Rapids and have a son, Luke.