Sports Fitness Hut Blog

Bodyweight Strength And Power Workout

2009-11-20T19:19:00.017-06:00

Bodyweight strength and power workouts are great for sculpting your body without your joints taking a pounding from lifting heavy weights!

To get your muscles to improve power (how fast your muscles can produce force), do some or all of the exercises full speed. Getting stronger and stronger won't help you much if your power doesn't improve. Also, you will really burn fat when doing exercises at full speed!

Bodyweight workout circuits are a tried and true method to burn more fat, increase strength/endurance and improve heart health.

Do each exercise (10 repetitions) one after the other with little or no rest between exercises. Rest 2-3 minutes and do the circuit 2 more times. Here is a good bodyweight workout:

--Bodyweight squats, moderate pace
--Pullups, moderate pace
--Pushups on medicine ball, moderate pace
--Squat jumps (pictured above), full speed
--Back extensions, moderate pace
--2-Handed medicine ball chest pass, full speed

Use correct form and get after it!

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Improve Lateral Sports Power

2009-11-18T17:44:00.005-06:00

Improve your lateral power (side-to-side power) and you will explode out of your cuts and side shuffles! You won't be a great athlete without lateral speed and power!

The medicine ball side lunge exercise works the often neglected frontal plane (lateral movement) of motion.

The medicine ball side lunge forces you to decelerate movement through one hip at a time, placing greater emphasis on the gluteals and hamstrings. It trains you to move correctly in the lateral direction. Many knee ACL injuries occur when athletes place too much stress on their knees and not enough stress on their hips during deceleration. In other words, the hips are often under-used during sports activities.

You will improve your lateral speed and power only if you have adequate strength in the frontal plane of motion. And, you will leave the defender eating your dust!

Get your Sports Fitness Hut "March Madness" Medicine Ball Power Workout today and get your "GAME ON!"

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sports Nutrition For Champions!

2009-11-17T16:52:00.006-06:00

Don't take sports nutrition lightly! All champions have the right sports nutrition! Fuel your body with the right foods to help you compete at a high level!

Sue Bird is an elite athlete by anyone's standard. She has been a champion at every level from high school to the UConn Huskies to the U.S. National Team to the WNBA's Seattle Storm! She has been a WNBA All-Star and All-WNBA in each of her four seasons! Sue is known as a fierce competitor. Following is an interview of Sue on the WNBA's website:

Q: What is your motivation when don't feel like working out, running that extra mile, or waking up early?

Sue: "My motivation is actually thinking about the feeling I get once working out is over. Working out can be hard sometimes. Especially if you're tired, your muscles are sore. But whenever you're done working out, there is always that relief that it's over, like ahhhhh, and you feel really good about yourself. And that helps me to get through it."

Q: Was there a time in your career or lifetime of playing basketball when you thought about giving up the game?

Sue: "No, never. I'm too young for that."

Q: How important is a healthy diet and good nutrition for your overall success?

Sue: "When I was in college, and even my first few years in the WNBA, I took nutrition for granted. I didn't pay attention. I ate McDonalds and stuff. But when I went to Russia this past offseason, I made a concerted effort to eat right. I made my own food, not just relying on fast food. Kamila actually helped me with that a lot. So when I came back, I was in the best shape of my life and I really felt the difference. So now I'm a big believer in watching what you eat."

Q: What are some snacks you like or favorite meals?

Sue: "As for snacks, I don't really snack as much as I used to. When I do, it's mostly things like cheese and crackers, fruit."

As I always tell my clients, YOU NEED TO EAT LIKE AN ATHLETE! Case closed!

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"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

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Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

How To Prevent Sports Injuries

2009-11-16T21:49:00.014-06:00

Prevent sports injuries! Injury prevention is always the best way! If you are an injured athlete, you can't compete! Its that simple! The purpose of your sports fitness training is to give your body the best chance at avoiding injuries while competing at a high level. Here are some tips:

Don't over-train. Over-training is a leading cause of sports injuries. Signs of over-training include slow foot movement, extreme exhaustion and sloppy execution of exercises.

Perform the exercises correctly. If you repeatedly do your exercises the wrong way, you will end up with injuries. Also, the exercises will train the wrong muscles the wrong way. For example, if an exercise hurts, that is a sign that you are injured or you are doing the exercise wrong. You might need the help of a professional trainer.

Don't do exercises before you are ready for them. For example, you shouldn't be doing high speed plyometric exercises before you have adequate core and body strength.

Don't base your exercise program on something you read in a magazine! Also, don't base your exercise program on another athlete's program. Every athlete is different and will have a unique training program. A professional trainer can design a program just for you!

Get a fitness and nutrition assessment done by a professional trainer! This is a very important step to take. Among other things, postural deficiencies, body fat percentage, muscle imbalances and flexibility problems are identified. Also, you need to know if you are eating like an athlete should!

What are you waiting for? Schedule your fitness and nutrition assessment today! It won't cost you anything but your time (about 45 minutes)! Call (512-289-8879) or email me at the bottom of this post! Don't put it off!

Train hard, smart and injury free!

Get your FREE 2 week sports fitness training membership!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

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Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Baseball Training Tips From Derek Jeter, World Champion

2009-11-13T20:01:00.006-06:00

You need baseball training tips from Derek Jeter, captain of the New York Yankees! He is a champion with 5 baseball world series titles, the latest being this November 2009! Jeter won 4 titles in his first 5 years in the major leagues (1996-2000)! Enough said!

Jeter is also my favorite baseball player so I will listen to what he has to say about baseball training tips. He is an admitted hard worker and plays the game hard every play, every day! Young players need to follow Jeter's example! If the King of New York plays the game "with all-out effort," you should too!

In the April 2008 issue of Men's Health, Jeter talks about his training regimen. He plays one of the most demanding positions in baseball (shortstop) so he must be in peak condition for the long season. He doesn't go into a lot of detail about his workouts but he does list some workout principles.

1. Do a thorough, dynamic warmup before each practice or game like jumping jacks, lunges, arm circles, pushups and bodyweight squats. Research has proven that a dynamic warmup will prepare your body best for competition.

2. Jeter does a balanced weight training workout in order to prevent injuries and muscle imbalances. Some examples are deadlifts, pullups, rows, squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bench presses and core training. Rotational core training is critical for baseball players.

3. For his explosive training, Jeter does sprints and jump training (plyometrics) to keep his fast twitch muscle fibers tuned and working at peak performance. Fast twitch muscle fibers are crucial for speed and power and also the ones you lose the quickest as you get older.

See this post that discusses other baseball training exercises.

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"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

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Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Speed Training For Football Players

2009-11-11T18:35:00.005-06:00

Speed training for football players is a little different because you have to play the game with pads on and you need bulkier muscles to compete...I know this for a fact because I played football at the major college level! It is a fast, violent game and you'd better be ready to run fast with a purpose!

The best football players (especially the skill position players) have great amounts of strength, speed, agility and quickness. Straight-ahead speed is not enough. This is the main reason that many world-class track athletes don't make a successful transition to the sport of football.

Playing speed in football is critical. Playing speed is a combination of the following: starting speed, acceleration speed, top-end speed, change-of-direction speed, stopping speed and closing speed. The football player must train for all of these types of speed. Quickness, which is reaction time without hesitation, facilitates great speed.

Some specific demands for being a successful football player on the field are: power (speed strength), starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

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Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Train Like A Champion!

2009-11-10T20:55:00.005-06:00

So, you want to train like a champion? Read this article about a true champion!

No training tips article would be complete without talking about the work ethic of legendary football player Jerry Rice! When you are the best, what else is there to do? If you're Jerry Rice, you just work even harder! That's almost not fair! Even his peers admit that Jerry worked harder than every one else. Here is an excerpt from a Men's Fitness interview:

MF: Your off-season training routine was the stuff of legend. What was the hardest thing about your workouts?

Rice: The hill sprints were about two-and-a-half miles up, and the last 800 meters were completely uphill. We ran it for time, and if you could get around that 15, 16 mark, that was excellent. A lot of guys came to train with me over the course of my career, and a lot of guys fell by the wayside.

You know your body is going to be sore, and you know there's going to be some days where you don't want to get out of bed, but still, you're obligated to do that, and that was my approach to the game. I enjoyed every second of it. A lot of guys dreaded going to training camp. I looked forward to it, because I had already prepared myself.

I was in top shape. Whenever I stepped into that stadium, I felt like I owed the people something. I wanted them to walk away with something special on that given day.

MF: How important was your weight while you played in the league?

Rice: One year I might come in weighing 189 or 190 pounds, so I really had to focus in on what I was putting in my body. Then, if I wanted to get a little bit heavier, I would start eating a little bit more protein to put me up in the 200-pound range.

A lot of my teammates thought I was crazy because during the season, if I didn't weigh 188, 189 pounds—under that 190-pound range—right before the game, I would go to the stadium early and do the stairclimber for 45 minutes or an hour or ride the bike.

I had to be at the weight that I felt comfortable at, and I think that was very important because when I stepped on the football field, I felt good. I was ready to go, I was at the weight that I wanted to be at, and then I just had to go out there and perform.

MF: What kind of supplements do you take?

Rice: I think the thing that really helped me is that I started using Elations during the off-season, and it really took me to the next level. It's a product that's good for your joints. If I wanted to play football all over again, I think I could do that. You can check out elations.com for more info.

MF: What do you remember about setting the all-time TD record against the Oakland Raiders on MNF?

Rice: Yeah, you know, they threw it up, and we just went up and fought for it. You know, it's funny, Bill Walsh taught me that. He would always say, "Look, you always want to attack the football at its highest peak."

So when the ball's up in the air, everything slows down. It was unbelievable. The ball slowed down, and I started thinking about what Bill Walsh said, to go up and attack the football at its highest peak, and I was able to catch it. I came down with it, and I had guys trying to wrestle me for it, but I was able to hold onto it.

MF: As someone who's been highly motivated for his whole career, what kind of tips can you offer our readers as to how they can stay motivated?

Rice: You just have to want to do it because you know it's going to benefit you. I feel so much better when I go to the gym. Even those days where I feel like I don't want to go, I still push myself to go and I feel so much better after. It puts a very positive spin on your day. That's going to help you in the long run.

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Speed And Power Kills!

2009-11-09T17:32:00.007-06:00

Powerful athletes make more plays! Teams with speed and power usually equals winning teams---AT ANY AGE GROUP!

Getting stronger and stronger won't help you much if your power (how fast your muscles can produce force) doesn't improve......power improvement also improves your running speed.....

Here are 2 tips to improve your sports power:

1. Do your exercises in a standing position because most athletic movements are done standing and moving....you will also work all the trunk and hip stabilizer muscles and not just the abdominals.

Your core muscles are crucial for power movements like throwing, jumping and hitting. Many players lose power because of weak cores. For example, when throwing, power must transfer from the legs through the core to the arm. When your body is adequately strengthened and stabilized, do exercises full speed to develop maximum power!

2. Your training program needs to include exercises in all 3 planes of motion since sports movements happen in all 3 planes. This would include your sport specific training.

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"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

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My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Metabolic Training Improves Speed Endurance

2009-11-04T08:39:00.015-06:00

Use metabolic training to improve your speed endurance.

Interval training for speed endurance is different than regular speed training. Speed endurance sprint intervals last from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Also, recovery time is reduced to prevent complete recovery by the athlete. Here is an example of speed endurance training:

Shuttles - Place cones at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 yards. You would sprint to the 5 yard cone and sprint back to the start. You would then sprint to the 10 yard cone and sprint back to the start. The same would be done at the 15, 20 and 30 yard cones. That is one set. Rest for 2 minutes between sets. Do 5-6 sets.

Metabolic training can also be used to improve speed endurance. Metabolic training simulates actual game time activity. An example would be for an offense in football to simulate the entire game in practice (i.e., huddle, run a play, huddle, run a play).

Many sports such as football, basketball and soccer require different levels of strength, speed and power. For example, soccer requires constant running---jogging, half-effort sprints and maximum effort sprints. Football requires short bursts of power, sprints, jogs back to the huddle and endurance. Football also requires relative strength, which is the strength level per unit of bodyweight. Basketball requires repeated sprints, jumps and sub-maximal effort runs and cuts during the game.

No matter the sport, metabolic training can get you in peak condition for your sport.

Metabolic training means that you are being conditioned at the cellular level. You can make improvements in resting heart rate, cardiac output and blood volume. Your body fat will also decrease.

Metabolic training will make you a better conditioned athlete and will allow you to use your skills more efficiently for a longer period of time (speed endurance). The strongest and fittest players and teams at the end of the game usually end up as the winners.

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My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Improve Leg Power To Improve Speed

2009-11-03T23:02:00.009-06:00

Improve your leg power and your running speed WILL IMPROVE! To get your best time in the 40 or 60 yard dash, you need an explosive start to accelerate as quickly as possible.

Improving your leg power means that your leg muscles will produce more force in a shorter period of time (fire faster). Leg power helps your speed acceleration.

The standing long jump (or broad jump) is a test of your explosive leg power. The NFL Combine uses the standing long jump as one of its test for athletes.

Use a soft athletic surface such as grass, astro-play or rubber floor to perform the long jump.

1. Stand behind a marked line.

2. Swing your arms back and bend your knees to propel your take-off.

3. Use a 2-footed take-off and landing. Jump as far as you can and land without falling backwards.

Your jump is measured from the take-off line to the nearest point of contact which is the back of the heels.

Results of your long jump:

Excellent:

Male, 8.5 ft. and above
Female, 6.5 ft. and above

Average:

Male, 7.5 ft.
Female, 5.5 ft.

Poor:

Male, 6.5 ft. and below
Female, 4.5 ft. and below

Include standing long jumps in your training to improve your leg power and running speed.

Get your copy of my eBook "Sports Fitness Hut's Speed Training for Athletes" to see a full discussion on speed training!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Too Much Speed Training Leads To Injuries

2009-11-02T19:05:00.006-06:00

Have you been over-training with your speed drills? With speed training, less is many times better than too much! Avoid injuries by wisely planning your speed work.

"Quality speed training" work is better than just "quantity of speed trainig" work. Speed training for 5-6 days a week will break down your body and lead to injuries.

When you do quality speed training, like 3 days a week, you give your body the needed time to recover. If you've had a very intense speed workout, your body needs at least 48 hours to recover.

Speed training, unlike endurance running, will not benefit you more by doing more and more speed work. Choose quality speed work over quantity of speed work (less gives more benefit). So, doing sprint training every day will eventually give you mental and physical exhaustion.

Also, if your body is exhausted, you will not be able to give the "maximum effort" it takes to improve your running speed. You have to train fast to get faster.

Even during a quality speed training workout, you need adequate rest between sprints. So, if you are doing 80 yard sprints, rest about 8 minutes between sprints (about 1 minute of rest for every 10 yards sprinted).

Finally, speed training should be done at the beginning of your workout when you are fresh. Your body's neuromuscular system is highly fatigue-prone at high intensities.

Train smarter and not just harder!

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"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

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Her Fitness Hut Blog

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

PNF Stretching Improves Range Of Motion

2009-10-29T15:39:00.010-05:00

PNF stretching or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation will improve your range of motion. This type of stretching is commonly used to improve range of motion with the hamstring muscle group.

As an athlete, it is critical that you constantly strengthen and condition your hamstrings. Besides being part of your "power center," hamstring injuries are some of the most nagging injuries for athletes. Its best to prevent hamstring injuries.

PNF stretching should be used with great caution! Your partner should also be knowledgeable about PNF stretching techniques. This type of stretching is good for targeting specific muscle groups, increasing range of motion and improving strength. The hamstring stretch is good for applying this stretching technique.

While lying on your back, you would contract your hamstrings while your partner holds your leg in place during the stretch. The stretch would last for about 5 seconds. The hamstrings are relaxed, your partner then immediately and safely pushes the muscle group past its normal range of movement for 20-30 seconds. That would be one repetition. Rest for about 30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times.

Many athletes have trouble with nagging hamstring injuries. Reduce your risk of hamstring injuries by conditioning and strengthening your hamstrings!

Train hard and smart!

Get your FREE 2 week sports fitness training membership!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Athletes' Performance, Rest And Recovery

2009-10-28T17:27:00.009-05:00

Athletes' performance, rest and recovery are all important! You can't perform if you are hurt all the time! And, if you don't allow your body to rest and recover, you will get hurt! Prevent or reduce the risk of injuries with the proper sports training techniques so that you can perform at a high level!

Here are some training tips:

This might sound elementary but..... warm-up properly to avoid injuries.... walking for 2 minutes is not a good warm-up. A good dynamic warm-up prepares your body best for intense practices or games. A sample dynamic warm-up could be a 5-10 minute jog, prisoner squats, cone/ladder drills, lunges, etc. Static stretches would be done after your workout or game.

Don't underestimate the benefits of sports massages. The benefits include improved flexibility, tension release, relieving of swelling, alleviation of fatigue and prevention of injuries.

Along the same lines, self myofascial release with foam rolls (SMFR) is a type of self massage that you can do every day and prevent various muscle injuries, strains and tears.

Protect your feet....its amazing how many injuries can be avoided by wearing quality footwear (interpreted: don't wear cheap athletic shoes). If you have flat feet or high arches you definitely need the right footwear.

Avoid various tendonitis injuries (pain, swelling) caused by over-training and wear and tear. Rest and recovery is important. R.I.C.E.R. (REST, ICE, COMPRESSION, ELEVATION, REFERRAL FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE) should be followed immediately after a muscle or tendon injury.

Train to lessen the risk of a knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury....it is the most common injury affecting the knee joint. Do this by having adequate hamstring strength and practicing proper landing, jumping, stopping and cutting techniques.

Continuing on with hamstrings...prevention of hamstring injuries is the best solution. They are tough to recover from so adequate hamstring strength and flexibility is needed to lessen the risk of injury.

Strengthen and stretch your throwing shoulder muscles to avoid rotator cuff, shoulder and elbow injuries.

Strengthen and stabilize your core to prevent injuries such as low back pain, oblique strains/pulls, neck pain, ruptured disks and various other muscle and ligament strains.

Avoid shin splints by not over-training and wearing quality footwear.....also exercising on hard or uneven surfaces or excessive uphill or downhill running can cause shin splints. If you over-pronate (foot and ankle rolls excessively inward when running) you are at risk for shin splints (don't wear cheap shoes!).

Lessen the risk of a torn or injured Achilles tendon (the largest tendon in the body). It takes a full year to recover from a torn Achilles tendon. Stretch and stabilize the tendon with one-legged exercises, calf/peroneal stretches and Achilles tendon stretch.

You don't want Plantar Fasciitis (the long, flat ligament on the bottom of your foot stretches too much, small tears develop and the ligament inflames (ouch!!)! Folks, this is serious pain! Plantar Fasciitis usually develops over time so takes steps to correct the problem when it first occurs by keeping your foot and ankle area flexible. Also, don't wear (you guessed it!) cheap running shoes! Excessive running on steep hills or inclines can also cause Plantar Fasciitis.

The point is this: prepare your body to perform (stabilize, strength, flexibility, etc.) and maintain your body over time with rest and recovery. Don't ignore the warning signs---LIKE PAIN!

Train hard and smart!

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"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

In-Season Strength, Speed And Power Training

2009-10-27T19:08:00.010-05:00

You need to do in-season strength, speed and power training! If you don't, you will wear down and lose power and explosiveness during a long season!

During in-season speed and power training, increases in strength and speed may still be needed (as in track and field). In other sports, such as baseball, soccer, hockey, lacrosse or football, strength and power needs to be maintained during the season.

Simply put, you don't won't to lose any of the hard-earned strength, power and speed you improved in your offseason program! In general, a weekly training program that includes 1 strength, 1 speed and 1 plyometric workout during the season will maintain your strength and explosiveness for competition.

Your strength workout doesn't need to include "max out" lifting but should include full body strength training in the 8-10 repetition range for each exercise.

Your speed workout can also be as simple as running ten 60-yard sprints at maximum effort before practice. You should also perform all drills, scrimmages, plays, etc. at full speed. This way, you will continue sport specific speed training during the season.

Your plyometric workout should include exercises for your upper and lower body such as medicine ball throws, depth jumps, squat jumps, tuck jumps, etc. During the season, some coaches incorporate plyometric training into regular team practices.

Train like a champion during the season!

Get your FREE 2 week sports fitness training membership!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Build Muscles While Sleeping By Feeding Muscles

2009-10-26T18:55:00.005-05:00

Build your muscles while you sleep by feeding them! Stop your muscles from breaking down (catabolizing) while you sleep 7-8 hours. When your body is fasting, your muscles will take the hit.

Protein-based drinks are good for this purpose. A great slow-digesting protein powder to use is casein (fast-digesting whey protein is good for pre- and post-workout nutrition).

Casein protein powder drinks consumed before bedtime and between meals delivers a steady supply of amino acids needed to stop muscle breakdown. Casein is insoluble in liquid causing it to digest slowly.

Eat like an athlete!

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"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

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Her Fitness Hut Blog

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Dynamic Balance For Athletes

2009-10-24T00:55:00.004-05:00

Dynamic balance is critical for you to be a competitive, high-level athlete!

Improve your dynamic balance and you will be a better athlete.....some how-tos:

Incorporate many one-legged exercises such as power step ups, single leg squats, single leg good mornings, single leg medicine ball exercises, etc.

Include exercises with your eyes closed to improve limb position sense (proprioception).

Train your body in all 3 planes of motion to improve multi-planar balance. An example would be a grouping of walking lunges, side lunges and transverse lunges.

Train on different surfaces such as grass, sand, astro-play and soft surfaces. You will rarely play on a perfect surface anyway.

Do combinations of one-arm and one-leg exercises such as single leg squat-to-single arm shoulder press.

Jump rope every day using different variations---two feet, one foot, shuffle, etc. Jumping rope is one of the best body coordination exercises out there. And, speed jump rope is even better.

Better muscular balance will give you better dynamic balance. For example, your quadriceps should not be significantly stronger than your hamstrings.

Quickness and agility drills will improve your dynamic balance.

Balance training also improves your core strength. Balance exercises should closely mimic those actions required by your sport.

Train hard and smart!

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"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

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Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Medicine Ball Squat Jumps Improve Speed and Power

2009-10-20T18:21:00.012-05:00

Use the medicine ball squat jump exercise to improve your speed and power. In sports competition, it is not always the fastest player who makes the play. You will rarely reach maximum speed during a play or sequence of plays because it takes 4-5 seconds to reach maximum speed. Many times, if you accelerate faster you will usually make the play.

You can train to improve your speed acceleration and power. One great exercise to do is medicine ball squat jumps (bodyweight squat jumps should be mastered first). Just descend into your squat, jump up explosively and repeat for the required repetitions.

While sport-specific plyometric training improves power, non-specific power training should not be ignored. Researchers from Canada found that athletes who performed better with weighted squat jumps were the best accelerators at 10 meters. Therefore, concentric force development (jumping power) is critical to improve sprint acceleration. The first step from a stand-still (or near stand-still) position requires concentric muscle power.

It is important to learn proper jumping and landing techniques before doing medicine ball squat jumps. Read this post about jumping and landing techniques.

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"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Power Step Up Exercise Improves Speed

2009-10-19T18:29:00.004-05:00

Improve your speed with power step ups. Do this exercise full speed with control.

Doing one-legged power step up exercises will improve your speed because you use the same pathways that it takes to run.

1. Face a bench or platform (knee high) and put your right foot on the bench. Your knee should be bent 90 degrees. Don't do this exercise with dumbbells until you have mastered the bodyweight version.

2. Alternate your feet on and off the bench or platform (you will be sprinting in place).

3. Explosively drive your knees up and pump your arms as fast as possible. Each set should be 20-30 seconds.

4. Do this exercise with correct running mechanics.

Challenge yourself to get better each day!

Get your FREE 2 week sports fitness training membership!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sport Specific Training

2009-10-13T22:03:00.011-05:00

Sport specific training receives the most attention through television, magazine and internet advertising. Sport specific training is important but can lead to injuries if your body is not ready for the intensity. Foundational strength and stability should come before sport specific training!

You should do a major part of your sport specific training during the offseason when you have more time to devote to improving your athletic skills, strength, power and speed. Offseason training also gives you time to recover from the full speed, intense exercises. YOU MUST TRAIN FAST TO GET FASTER AND MORE EXPLOSIVE.....IT IS HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD!

During sport specific training, the exercises mimic the actions made in your sport and strength is developed in the same range of motion used in your sport. Running exercises also duplicate what you need to compete. For instance, football players would need starting speed, acceleration speed, speed endurance and power. Both training volume and intensity is high during this phase.

Plyometric exercises are also a big part of sport specific training. This is a critical phase for the elite athlete. See this post for common plyometric exercises.

Here are examples of sport specific exercises of different sports:

Basketball - Crossover Lunge

Soccer - Lateral Footwork Drills

Football - Shuffles

Baseball, Softball, Hockey, Lacrosse (just about all sports require rotational power) Medicine Ball Rotational Throw

Start taking steps now to improve your athletic success on the field or court!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Need more sports training tips? Subscribe to my weekly Sports Performance Tips eNewsletter and get my Free NEW eBook, "10 'Must Know' Speed Training Tips!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sports Fitness Hut's Athletic Power Training System

2009-10-12T18:15:00.004-05:00

Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will improve your strength, build your muscle mass, improve your power, improve your speed and your dynamic balance!

As an athlete, you need the lean body type to compete at a high level.

At My Fitness Hut (includes Her Fitness Hut and Sports Fitness Hut), I have designed all of my exercise programs based on a Fat Blaster Athletic Training System. Why? Here are the reasons:

1) There is not a better or faster way to sculpt your body. You also get superior heart health. Research and my personal experience backs this up. Just look at an athlete's body.

There are varying degrees of athletic training---some techniques are more intense than others. I TAILOR THE PROGRAM TO YOUR SPORT AND FITNESS LEVEL.

2) I am a former NCAA Division I athlete, so I'm not playing a guessing game when it comes to this type of training. I use research, evidence and real-life experience to develop training programs.

3) Forget about weight loss/gain and concentrate on FAT LOSS. Building lean muscle mass will BURN THE FAT and permanently SPEED UP YOUR METABOLISM. The weight loss or gain will take care of itself. And you will be a better athlete. You could say Your Fitness Hut. It is about YOU and what YOU REALLY WANT! Don't let fear stop you from reaching your sports fitness goals!

4) It doesn't require marathon training sessions. We all have a tight schedule. No training session last longer than 1 hour and some sessions are as short as 30 minutes.

Start taking steps now to improve your athletic success on the field or court!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Need more sports training tips? Subscribe to my weekly Sports Performance Tips eNewsletter and get my Free NEW eBook, "10 'Must Know' Speed Training Tips!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sports Power, Speed Endurance And Core Strength

2009-10-08T18:13:00.007-05:00

Sports power, speed endurance and core strength will make you an explosive athlete in the first quarter of the game----and the last quarter! When your opponent gets tired at the end of the game, you will still be going strong!

One of the first signs of fatigue that I look for in an athlete is whether he or she can remain strong and upright towards the end of the game. If your core is weak, you will start to "bend over" and lose power and explosiveness when you run. Next, your arms will start to "flail" instead of pumping powerfully to fuel your running.

Adequate core strength helps your speed endurance, which is the ability to maintain maximum velocity or a percentage of maximum velocity for a prolonged period of time or in a fatigued state. The best players and teams have excellent overall body strength, core strength and speed endurance (and they win the most games).

If you are a serious athlete, you need a program that continually challenges and improves your core strength! You will lose power and speed during the game if you have a weak core area! Sports Fitness Hut's Athletic Abs Training System will give you the strong core that you need to compete!

This training system has 3 levels: basic, intermediate and advanced. So, you can progress at your own pace. This workout will also work perfectly with any Sports Fitness Hut full body strength workout program!

Get your Athletic Abs Training System now!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Fat Athletes Will Lose Out!

2009-10-07T18:32:00.005-05:00

Don't be a fat athlete! If you are too fat, you won't be the player you could be! Eat less food, burn fat and lose weight! While its true that you inherit a certain body type, don't blame genetics if you're overweight or fat. Ultimately, your body weight will depend on how much you eat and how much you workout, not your genetics.

If you consistently eat more calories than you burn (caloric surplus), you will consistently gain weight and add on body fat, no matter what your genetics may be. This can be a good thing if you are pumping iron and building muscle. But, if you are lazy, you will get fat!

You need to know how many calories you need each day. Start by learning your basal metabolic rate (how many calories you would burn if you did nothing all day). If you have a caloric surplus, you will gain weight.

Keep a food journal. Research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your meal plan and fat loss if you keep a food journal!

Take responsibility for your body and do the things necessary to change your body composition! It will make you a better player!

Get your FREE 2 week sports fitness training membership!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Deadlift To Strengthen Low Back Muscles

2009-10-06T17:15:00.006-05:00

The deadlift will add thickness and stability to your low back muscles (among many benefits). The deadlift is probably seen as a grunting, strongman contest-type exercise, but it should be a part of your sports fitness training program.....

1) It works many large muscle groups including the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, erector spinae, gluteals, hamstrings, quadriceps and hip flexors. Your forearms and trunk stabilizers are also recruited to a lesser degree.

2) The deadlift is a multi-joint exercise covering three joints with extension occuring at the hip, knee and ankle joints. Multi-joint exercises will give you greater strength gains and hypertrophy (muscle growth). The deadlift is also great for working the hamstrings which helps lessen the risk of knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

3) The deadlift is a great functional exercise. It mimics every day activity such as bending over and lifting objects.

4. The deadlift is one of the best exercises for growing thickness in your lower back muscles.

Here are the biomechanics of the conventional style deadlift.

1) The grip of the bar (closed, alternate grip) is outside of the legs with the feet about shoulder width apart and slightly turned outward. Keep your head up and chest out.

2) The legs should be flexed (like the squat position) and the bar should be as close to the shins as possible. Your back posture should be straight. DO NOT ROUND YOUR BACK AT ANY POINT OF THE LIFT. Your feet should always be flat on the floor and pushing from the heels.

3) Pull the weight up by extending at the knees (exhale during the pulling phase). The hips and shoulders should move at the same pace. The shoulders should be above or slightly in front of the bar. At the end of the lift, thrust your hips forward and abduct your lats. The hip and knee joints should be fully extended. If your knees are moving from side to side (shaking), you are lifting too much weight.

4) To lower the weight to the floor, flex your hips and knee joints (you will end in the squat position). Inhale as you lower the weight. That is one repetition.

5) The deadlift will require more rest between sets because so many major muscles are engaged.

If you have lower back problems, you would need your doctor's clearance before exercising with the deadlift. There are also many variations of the deadlift. Dumbbells and other specialized bars can be used to perform the deadlift.

Work hard and train right to become a better player!

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"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Rehab Your Injured Knee Ligaments

2009-10-05T19:27:00.007-05:00

Rehab for an injured knee is a critical process for your complete recovery! If you rush the rehab process, you will reinjure yourself! One of the most devastating knee injuries is a knee ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury.

A knee ACL (anterior cruciate ligament tear) injury rehab is a process that can take 8-12 months. And, if you play a sport, it will probably take another year for you to regain your former speed and power (or as close as you can).

Your knee injury rehab will probably start with you and a physical therapist. The rehab process is a team approach---you, your physical therapist and your personal trainer (get My Fitness Hut's Bodyweight 200 Knee Rehab Workout Book!).

You should rehab the injured knee area as follows:

1. Restore the range of motion.
2. Restore flexibility and strength of the injured knee area.
3. Regain balance lost because of the knee injury.

Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain. Continuing an exercise in pain will only set your rehab back.

Restoring the range of motion is critical because it lays the groundwork for future training. Range of motion should be restored in all 3 planes. If you had a knee injury, you might have to begin your exercises with partial range of motion (working towards full range) in one plane. You would gradually work towards including exercises that required sideways, rotating, twisting or turning actions.

Once range of motion is restored, you can then begin to introduce light weight training exercises and stretching exercises to strengthen the injured muscles, tendons and ligaments. It is also important to stretch and strengthen the areas around the injured area. Use of machine weights, isometric exercises (the injured area contracts but doesn't move), resistance bands or bodyweight exercises are all good in the rehab process.

Balance and proprioception (limb position sense in 3D space) must be restored or the injury will probably reoccur. When a part of the body is injured, the nerve cells in that area are also damaged. This affects your control and the stability of the joint structures. Once you have regained some strength and flexibility, you should begin to do balance exercises. You could start with simple exercises like walking in a straight line and progress to one-legged or closed-eyed exercises. You would then gradually progress to stability ball exercises, foam cushion exercises, BOSU exercises, etc.

The rehab process should not be rushed. Trying to come back too fast from a serious knee ACL injury will almost certainly lead to reinjury.

Get your knee rehab workout today!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sprinters Should Limit Distance Running

2009-10-01T18:48:00.009-05:00

Sprinters should limit distance running during training. Sprinters need to activate and train the bulkier fast twitch muscles. If you do too much long distance running, your slow twitch muscle fibers will take over and make you slower and nonexplosive.

I was once asking a client about running exercises they were doing in school athletics to improve running speed......the answer was disappointing and typical....

Some of the running drills were:

1. mile runs
2. stadium steps for endurance
3. gasers for conditioning

"Did you run any sprints?" "No." Guess what? Those athletes aren't getting any faster....they are just basically running for conditioning.

Conditioning has its place.....but if you want to get faster, you have to train fast.....that means sprinting drills with enough recovery time to run each sprint full speed. About 1 minute of recovery time is needed for each 10 yards sprinted (50 yard sprints need about 5 minutes recovery time).

Running sprints after practice won't get the job done either....players are too tired at this point to give maximum effort. So, coaches, do your sprinting drills at the beginning of practice when your players are fresh.

Train hard and smart to get faster!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Need more sports training tips? Subscribe to my weekly Sports Performance Tips eNewsletter and get a FREE 4-week sports power workout book!