Weight Training - Overload Principle To Build Muscle & Strength
Each individual's capabilities are determined by their genetic makeup. Individuals with increased neuromuscular efficiency incorporate greater numbers of muscle fibers during contraction and therefore have the advantage in strength potentials. In general, men have more testosterone than women and therefore have a greater potential for accelerated growth.
Muscles have a tendency to adapt to repeated stimulus, thereby, requiring less energy and effort to execute the same task. This can inhibit muscle growth (hypertrophy) or fat loss that we are trying to achieve. There are two types of overload principles:
Increasing Weights - increases muscle size.
Increasing Repetitions - increases muscle strength with less growth in size.
If you over-stimulate the muscle, growth in strength and size will be inhibited. The levels of overstimulation are dependent on each individual. It would be unreasonable to double the amount of weights. Make sure that you can do at least 4 to 6 repetitions.
Why set goals? a. Establish a course of direction b. Provide visual for improvement c. Establish a benchmark for the evaluation of individual d. Provide an avenue for celebration, recognition & reward e. Establish action plan for practice and performance
Goals can be defined as long term and short term. The long-term goals serve as a basis of linkage between directional statements and short-term objectives and provide high expectations for which the individual can continually strive to reach. Short-term goals are the stepping-stones to support and reach long-term goals, they provide targets to meeting the improvement and growth of the individual and are a statement of what each athlete wants to achieve in the next 12 months
Kinds of goals: Long Term a. Statement what the individual wants to look like in 3-5 years b. Serve as a basis of linkage between directional statement and short-term objectives
Start your goal setting process by starting a journal (you need to write your goals down and share them with your coaches and support team (family, friends and teammates, service providers). Write down your ultimate goal for this season – what is the date, time, place that you want to achieve your ultimate performance this season. What does that performance look like – what are you going to invest your time and energy in working to achieve – be as descriptive as possible. Then you need to prioritize and sequence through the time period between now and then the following: • In areas of competing you want to improve • Establishing the technical / tactical, strength, speed, power, stamina goals • All goals must bridge and link together – must connect you to your ultimate goal • All goals must be challenging, achievable and measurable • Record your work out goals and achievements each day (in your journal) • Choose a day and time each week to review your goals with your coach /or some own who is involved in monitoring your development - assess what do you want to change and/or eliminate; keep and build on.
Down the line, we will look at developing a monitoring process – how to track your workouts and make sure you are getting everything you can out of each workout.
Football season is right around the corner and I personally can't wait. Within the Carlisle house alone, my 49er season will get underway, my oldest son starts football next month, and my 2 youngest start Pop Warner practice on August 1st. Needless to say, there will be lots of football kicking off very shortly.
If you are a youth football player, I hope you are using your remaining time wisely by conditioning, getting faster, and working on improving your skills. We have often heard that great athletes are made in the off-season which couldn't be further from the truth. I encourage you to make sure that you are putting quality work in prior to your season starting.
Once you are participating in double days, make sure you stay hydrated and focused. Sure, practice is hard this time of year, however, you must remember that the goal of most coaches this time of year is to install the playbook, prepare the team physically, and build mental toughness. It is an opportunity to express your physical readiness in establishing yourself as a force to be reckoned with. Preparation breeds confidence and confidence success.
In order to perform optimally during the most intense time of year, make sure that you are getting at least 8-10 hours of sleep, staying hydrated before and after practice, and keeping the muscles limber to minimize muscle tightness an soreness. If you are extremely sore, you may want to fill your bath tub up with ice and soak in it for 8-10 minutes. Trust me, it will help your legs recover after and intense practice and have you ready to go for the next one.
While you're at it, check out the new Under Armour cleats, they are super light and my kids love them. Don't count the practice sessions, make the practice sessions count!
Summer's here and the time's right for TRX fun in the sun. To help motivate you to get outside and get movin', we're having a 'Move Your Body' Summer Event.
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Offer Details: To redeem offer, add applicable products to your cart and use these coupon codes at checkout: 1. TRXMOVIN75 - on orders over $75 2. TRXMOVIN175 - on orders over $175 3. TRXMOVIN250 - on orders over $250 Not valid on previous orders.Only applicable for orders place ONLINE at fitnessanywhere.com. Free Ground Shipping applicable to order of $149.95 or more and only available to orders shipped to a U.S. address within the 48 contiguous states. Offer expires 11:59PM PST August 14, 2009.
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These are just a few of the many athletes and world champions that are avid consumers of PureSport Workout and Recovery. Click the athlete's name below to learn more about them and how they train with PureSport Nutritional Performance Sports Drinks.
More and more pro and amateur golfers are turning to TRX Suspension Training to help them reach peak performance. With the completely portable TRX, you will simultaneously build strength, flexibility & core stability.
"After giving birth to my son, workouts using the TRX helped me get back to the LPGA Tour in just eight weeks. Not only are the work outs intense, which helped me to regain club head speed, the functionality allows me to get great workouts anywhere."
-Laura Diaz LPGA professional
"The TRX system is essential for those who focus on golf-specific functional fitness, stability training, and core development."
-Dr. Greg Rose Cofounder of the Titleist Performance Institute
TRX Suspension Training gives athletes, military personnel and fitness pros around the world a complete total-body training tool and the cutting-edge training programs they need to take their performance to the next level.
Versatile for All Athletes and Sports
What the Pros Say
"The TRX provides an effective convenient and endlessly functional tool to help you improve your strength, stability and flexibility anytime, anywhere."
-Jessi Stensland Professional Triathlete
"We have always been advocates of resistance training...the TRX saves time; a priceless commodity in the triathletes' universe!"-Paul Huddle & Roch Frey World Renowned Triathlon Coaches
The versatility of Suspension Training allows for hundreds of functional exercises to be combined to create unique and challenging training programs that meet the performance enhancement goals of all athletes and competitive events.
Improved Conditioning
The TRX is adjustable for any fitness level and because the mechanics of Suspension Training are based upon three planes of motion, muscles work together in groups to safely build strength, balance, flexibility and core stability in a more efficient manner.
Portable and Effective Workouts
The TRX Suspension Trainer™ is lightweight, portable and easy to set up, so athletes can get a total body workout in the gym, on the field or at home.
Exercise Question: I really need to lose weight and I don't know how. I don't know what to eat, how much and how to control my hunger. I also don't know what exercises to do. Can you help?
Exercise Answer: In terms of diet, your goal is to "fuel" your body with good, clean and nutritious foods that will prime your body to build muscle and burn fat. I would recommend focusing on lean protein sources (chicken breast, turkey breast, egg whites) and lean fibrous carbs (broccoli, mushrooms, squash, zucchini).
Eat several, small and nutritious meals throughout the day. You will gain several benefits from eating several small meals throughout the day. Your body's metabolism will be revved up throughout the day. You will also have something in your stomach every few hours and be grazing all day long. This is important because you will not feel deprived like someone who eats 1 meal in the morning and then waits until dinner time to eat again, which usually tends to create a mini-binge since the person is extremely hungry. Try to eat a small and nutritious meal every 3 hours and you will reap the rewards!
One of the best ways to deal with sugar cravings after a meal is to replace a typical dessert with a natural and sweet alternative. A great choice is to freeze fruit like grapes or cherries and enjoy them after your meal. Fruit contains the natural sugar fructose which is relatively lower on the glycemic index and also has less calories and fat than a typical dessert. If you don't like frozen fruit, then just use a basic fruit dish with several different types like cantaloupe, watermelon, oranges and apples.
I would highly recommend adding a resistance training program to your overall fitness plan. Begin a weight training routine 3 times a week and focus on basic free weight movements such as bench press, squats, barbell curls and triceps push downs. These core exercises will build quality muscle which will burn more calories and give your body a drastic change in composition.
Sometimes you just need a quick, two-minute snack before you head out the door. Well, here it is. This is a simple, great-tasting protein and calcium-rich snack that can be eaten quickly between meals or as a dessert. Nothing fancy here - just healthy berries, yogurt and protein.
Ingredients:
Plain low-fat yogurt 1/2 cup
Vanilla protein powder (equal to 25 g) 1 scoop
Blueberries (frozen) 2 tbsp
Instructions
Add the protein powder to the yogurt and stir until completely incorporated. Add the Blueberries, stir and serve. Serves 1 large or 2 small
Gather together some diners who are trying to lose weight, then sit back and listen to the debate.
Almost anyone who's on a diet -- or at least one that's working -- is convinced his or her plan is the best. One will swear by low-carb plans, such as Atkins; another will say low-fat is the way to go.
"People get tied in to a specific diet," said Lona Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition
at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "It's almost territorial. How dare you step on their diet?"
With nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults deemed overweight, the question about which diet is best won't disappear soon.
But Sandon and other weight-loss experts have some news for quibbling dieters: The right weight-loss plan for you is the one that works. And you can stay with it as long as it's nutritionally sound.
Many types of diets can work in terms of helping you shed pounds, said Dr. David Schteingart, associate director of the General Clinical Research Center at the University of Michigan Health System.
But there are benefits and drawbacks to the popular plans, he and Sandon agreed, depending on how each works. Knowing those pros and cons can help you decide your best weight-loss path.
With a low-carb diet, Schteingart said, "essentially what it does, and why it works, is that you are also reducing your calories. But because it is low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fat, you feel less hungry so compliance to the diet is much greater than to a high-carb diet."
Limiting carbohydrates can also reduce insulin production, Schteingart said. This can be important to people with weight problems who are prone to a condition called metabolic syndrome, which can lead to diabetes, he said.
"Low-carb diets tend to decrease insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity," which is good, Schteingart said.
But there are downsides to limiting carbohydrates, Schteingart said. People on such diets tend to feel tired because they lack the quick source of energy provided by carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread and pasta and fruits such as apples and bananas.
Low-fat diets, on the other hand, automatically limit calories because each gram of fat has 9 calories, compared to just 4 calories for each gram of protein or carbohydrate. But low-fat, high-carb plans tend to make you feel less satisfied, according to Schteingart, and dieters on these plans complain of hunger.
Following a low-fat plan does reduce cardiovascular disease risk, Schteingart said, because it can lower blood cholesterol levels.
But two studies, published in May 2003 in the New England Journal of Medicine, found the Atkins approach doesn't boost cholesterol levels, as you might expect.
For his overweight patients, Schteingart usually prescribes a diet somewhere between a high-carb and a high-fat, high-protein plan. He urges dieters to check with a physician, a dietitian or both, so an eating plan can be tailored to individual needs.
Sandon tells her dieters to focus less on the type of plan and more on the basics, such as calorie control.
"Anytime you have calorie reduction, now matter how small or large, you will see weight reduction," she said, although that weight loss may take some time. It's also a good idea to get more physical activity -- with your doctor's OK, she said.
Sandon tells dieters, whether they are high-carb or low-carb fans, to begin by cutting portion sizes. She also cautions against eliminating too many carbohydrates.
She advises eating 30 grams of carbs -- or about two servings of carb-rich foods -- at each meal. For lunch, that could be as simple as having two slices of bread, Sandon said. (On many low-carb plans, 60 grams of carbohydrates a day are suggested as the maximum allowed during the weight-loss phase.)
The bottom line, Sandon and Schteingart agree, is that people need to limit their consumption of calories.
"People have to change the way they eat," Schteingart said. "This has to be done on an ongoing basis."
Or, as most overweight Americans know, the weight will come right back.
I was talking to a soccer coach the other day. His team is consistently at the top of the ranks – losing only 1 game all season. But now he is trying to get them ready for a major tournament, where they’ll not have to play just 1 game each day, but 2.
40 minute halves, with a 5-7 minute halftime.
2 hour break.
And repeat.
This tournament will determine the state champion. They obviously have a lot on the line.
Here’s his question – what should my athletes be eating/drinking between play and also during the break?
This question comes up often – whether it’s a double header for baseball, a soccer tournament, or triples with football practice.
This doesn’t allow for much recovery time, like you’re used to. Therefore fueling your body properly – meaning what you eat and drink – can make or break your performance.
Let’s start with the most effect “warm up” -- Breakfast
It is recommended to consume a 200-500 calorie carbohydrate-rich breakfast two to four hours prior to an event. This will help you to have more energy to get through your practices or competition. • Whole wheat bagel or toast with peanut butter • Bowl of cereal with low-fat organic milk • Smoothie with frozen fruit and milk • Greek yogurt with fruit • Oatmeal and scrambled eggs
Halftime Ideas
Since there’s not much time for digestion, these foods need to be quick and easy – cut up fruit works wonders, as do sports drink to get some quick acting carbohydrates into your working muscles.
Between Game Meals/Snacks
Make sure that you have some quick, high energy snacks to eat between games to maintain your energy levels. Even when there is a concession stand, it is usually low-quality fuel for athletes so planning ahead and packing these snacks to have on hand is always a good idea! Try these ideas.
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich • Trail mix (for example: raw almonds with dried cranberries) • Energy bar like a Clif Nectar, Lara Bar, or Pure Bar • Fresh fruit
Whether the sun is sweltering down in the middle of an afternoon softball game or it is your second practice for the grueling three-a-days for football, hydration is a hugely important and often overlooked factor in these types of situations. Sports drinks are critical to replenish fluids and electrolytes lost through sweat. They also provide energy which can help maintain blood sugar levels between meals/snacks. Do not wait until you are thirsty since this means you are already dehydrated.
• Make sure you have a hydration plan and stick to it! • Drink 16 oz (2 cups) of fluid 2 hours before practice or game. • Drink 8 oz (1 cup) of fluid 10-20 minutes before practice or game. (In very hot or very cold weather you need 12-20 oz 10-20 minutes prior to practice or game). • Drink about1 cup every 10-20 minutes during exercise, or as often as possible (particularly during the hot summer months) • After practice or game drink 20 oz for every pound of weight lost. Ideally, complete rehydration within 2 hours of exercise.
As always, make sure the foods you choose before, during, and after play are those your body is used to – the last thing you want to introduce are new foods, which you don’t know how your body will handle when trying to perform.
The pre-requisite exercise to a BIG SQUAT is a LITTLE SQUAT. A staple exercise in our program that we use at Major League Strength is the Single Leg Squat. This is such a great squat relative to sport and baseball/softball. Reason being; the single leg squat forces that athlete to control their body, requires incredible balance and coordination, and will work to ensure the joint stability in the knee, ankle, and hip necessary to move big weight in the front and back squat as the athlete progresses.
True strength is measured in an athletes ability to not only front squat and back squat big weight, but by the ability to single leg squat deep like the picture above, and eventually work to move weight, in the form of a vest or plate while executing the single leg squat. Consistent work on this exercise will not only allow for great strength, but better performance hitting, pitching, and while playing defense!
Waist Trimming Program (abs and lower back) 'Summer Sculpting'
Are you having trouble with that little bike tire around your middle? Maybe you just have a small pooch under your belly button you need to get rid of? Many women carry fat around the middle and wish they were the 'hourglass' body type who can gain weight yet still show a waist even with a spare tire! Well I hate to say 'you cannot change genetics' but I do love to say 'all is not lost'!
Draw near and listen closely because with some consistency and small changes to your diet you can succeed at trimming the waist down to an acceptable size!
First thing I want you to do is switch up your fruit bowl for a month and keep some grapefruits instead of other fruits and once per week you can have a banana or some strawberries. Have eggs and oatmeal for breakfast and eat every 2-3 hours from there on, with a next meal being 1 cup of chicken on 2 cups of greens. Meal 3 should be a protein drink and 2-3 hours later for meal 4 have a cup of quinoa, a cup of broccoli or green beans and 6 oz of fish. Use some olive or omega oil to top the food but try not to cook with these oils, steam and grill your food instead. Meal 5 can be turkey stew or mixed bean chili, turkey meatloaf or chicken kabobs. Keep the food simple with no sauces and use non sodium spices such as lemon pepper, basil or cracked pepper. As I mentioned above you can add a spoon of omega oil to top your meats, mix it with mustard if you like for some zing but most other sauces have sugars so avoid them. Balsamic vinegar is a great topping for veggies. Keep pasta and bread out of the house for the month and use brown rice or yams with dinner, no more than a cup.
Try to eat by 8pm and no more food after that point except a protein drink 1-3 hours pre bedtime. This is 80% of your success toward trimming your waist, the exercises only tighten, tone and shape, with some fat burning effects but diet will be the main key.
Training your lower back along with the abs is called core training and you cannot achieve your goal without a combo of both.
Work at a circuit training pace, with no rest until you complete 20 mins of exercises then 5 mins for a break and repeat. Reps should be kept between 50-100 with brief rests, only when needed and keeping lower back work between 20-100 reps.
Reverse Ab crunches and AB flutter kicks are a great lower AB burner although there is no real way to isolate it does somewhat but the whole abdominal area is stimulated. Crunches are still a charm and if you lay a weight plate on your chest you can really maximize this work. Double the crunch by bringing in the knees while you crunch or you can just lift the pelvis for an added flex.
For the sides you can try oblique crunches and oblique decline crunches. You have to really concentrate on these to make them tense in the right areas. Superset or triset your AB work with lower back exercises to complete the core training.
Hyper extensions and good mornings are 2 of my favorites outside of powerlift style deadlifts but care to watch your speed and do not bounce or these exercises can cause injury if not done correctly.
Lying back presses are perfect for those of you who train at home. As you get stronger you can add weight to your hands and ankles.
Additionally I suggest 5 days of cardio for 45 mins at a moderate pace, work up to that if you need and be persistent with this to really trim down some fat. Watch your speed and form to ensure a safe workout!
Exercise Question:
Exercise Answer:
Almost anyone who's on a 
But there are downsides to limiting carbohydrates, Schteingart said. People on such diets tend to feel tired because they lack the quick source of energy provided by carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread and pasta and fruits such as apples and bananas.
Are you having trouble with that little bike tire around your middle? Maybe you just have a small pooch under your belly button you need to get rid of? Many women carry fat around the middle and wish they were the 'hourglass' body type who can gain weight yet still show a waist even with a spare tire! Well I hate to say 'you cannot change genetics' but I do love to say 'all is not lost'!
