Breaking the pattern

t's still old school out there.

There are new ways to train. Smarter ways. Limiting exposures to young joints. Keeping them happy, motivated AND progressing. It can be done.

We need more people to stand up to coaches who are still working the way they did in highschool. For example.

What I am talking about is limiting exposures. Developing joints need exposure to develop properly. Exposure to balance, power, and coordination moves.

They do, however, need to be protected from overexposure. Some coaches think that the young body can bounce back from anything so they push until there is nothing left. This is not good for anyone at any age.

Just in the little time that I have had working with young athletes in a professional capacity I have seen just this kind of attitude. Start young, work em hard.

Here is a little twist on that theme. Tiger Woods is often cited for this "start em early". Take a guess at what happened a few ago. He lost, for the first time, after leading after 54 holes, to a golfer who only started golfing at the age of 19. Tiger "started" when he was 3!

Obviously talent factors into this. But NOT age and NOT early specification.

I don't think there is a better example of taking the time to develop an athlete over time. Play everything, have fun, and don't train to break down.

Train to learn.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy your activity!

In health,

Todd

Shaken to the core

This one is going to be quick and painless with more to follow. It's just getting too late for me to get a full on rant going. I'd be up all night.

Well it has happened again. I have started working with another young athlete who is competing at a national level. And the condition, the stability of the core muscles, which determine power, speed and range, are lacking.

Are the coaches blind to this. This athlete suffered a back injury over a year ago and still needs a complete reno of the core stability technique. FROM SCRATCH!

I've seen this in every young athlete in a wide variety of sports I have worked with. Football, track and field, hockey, basketball, and raquetball. Local, provincial and national athletes were alike, all needed a core tune up.

I will put this out there before I drop off into sleep-world. DON'T do more situps. Dear lord, please no.

Core stability comes from stable core activities like planks.

So be on the lookout for your athlete. Have them or the team do lunges. If they can not keep there upper body upright you had better get to work ASAP. That is an injury waiting to happen. It could show up in the back, neck, hip, knee, or ankle. But it will show up.

Well, so much for keeping it short. I just don't want to see kids get hurt unnecessarily.

Have a wonderful week and weekend.

If you want any info on core training contact me!

In health,

Todd

sticktoitiveness

Begin early. Get out and play. There is nothing better than chasing friends, climbing stuff and playing as many sports as you desire to get your body in tune when you are growing up.

No, not all sports at once, but choose different sports in different seasons.

You end up stronger and less likely to get injured.

NO, playing one sport all the time is not a good solution for injury prevention. In fact it is quite the opposite. Weaknesses develop compensatory patterns (new, less healthy patterns). Injuries for hockey players, for instance, are very often hip and lower back related. Two guesses why!

Play 3 or 4 sports through out the year through the ages of 6 to 10. Wind that down to a couple through the teens with good solid, fundamental workouts. Not workouts professionals do! They have years of experience and a team of experts to coach them.

The younger you are the more broad and movement based activities will serve best to improve athleticism.

You will see improvements. You will have them much longer.

As Brian Grasso says, it's like school. If you cram for a test you do well for a short period (test time). But the long term effects are minimal because you will forget most of what was crammed.

Take the time to learn proper movement over time and it will stick with you for life!!!

There, that's my two cents. In case your wondering. I've got a whole lot more. Stay tuned.

Todd

This is for the smart ones!

Boost your recovery with sleep.

I have run into this thought many times. The thought more is better.

Distance runners running 5/6 days a week. Gym rat mentality that you have to be in the gym every day of the week.

Not only does it hinder recovery but it may even stunt progress, sometimes even sending people backwards when injuries occur.

You see, injuries don't just stop progress, they set you back.

This is why it is very important to be well rested.

Sleep is one very significant component to getting stronger, faster, leaner or bigger.

Here is the kicker. The more sleep you get, the clearer you think and more productive you become.

AND it helps you solve problems!!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8090730.stm

So, not only are you resting and recovering, you are thinking more clearly and setting yourself to be able to solve problems. This would reduce your stress levels, which are also counterproductive for your results!!!

So get yourself some deep sleep. Deeper the better, also known as REM sleep or the "dream stage".


So get make yourself comfy and have a good night rest. That's an order! :O)

In health,

Todd

it's not just you.

Partnering up is very important. There might 1, maybe 2% of people who are driven in a particular way that they succeed with no support.

Odds are, then, you and I are not one of those people.

It's not a bad thing. It just is.

Don't take it personal. Make plans knowing this.

So if you have a 5 or 10k road-race coming up, gaff someone (like minded) and make a plan to meet up and do your thing.

This, of course, applies to many other aspects. Making money. Running a business. Cooking or planning meals.

This is not gender or "anything" specific. But know it and take advantage of it.

So no surprises. Get healthy by partnering up. Succeed through partnerships. Take advantage of the knowledge.

This is an opportunity to meet friends you don't see often or invite others you would love to learn from to join you.

Now you know they are thinking the same thing about their goals. "Why can't I keep going?"

Have a great day!

In health,

Todd

Pop might not be good!

Who knew?

Pop is not good for you!

I know this first hand. I was on a bit of a roller coaster a while back. For some reason I had difficulty stopping. Being "off" pop has made a huge difference in my quality of life. Not to mention alertness. Of which I am a *huge* fan.

Recently and article popped up on the negative side effects of

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519075420.htm

Full disclosure: I can vouch for the soreness. Not proud of it either.

But sometimes you get caught up. The details get overlooked as to what we are *really* doing everyday.

It's part of the reason I ask my clients to do food trackers for the first two weeks. It's a real eye opener. We believe we are trying very hard, and often are, but what is actually happening may be quite different.

Chalk it up to being human. Nothing more.

So if you or someone you know is a big pop consumer, please check out the article. I hope I can get a few people to switch of the stuff.

Oh, couple things, get ready for a headache that *could last a few days* and be ready to start craving real food. REAL food. All that sugar has been a substitute up to this point. And not a good one either!

Have a great day all.

In health,

Todd

Lack of Dynamic Movement!

Here is what I think.
And it ain’t pretty…
Training these days has been reduced to isolation.

A hamstring curl, a leg extension, and a calf raise machine all wait for the next client.

And they should wait (and collect dust) because a squat is far superior for complete leg strength. Hands down.

It blows my mind… that’s not quite right… it bothers me, that I, at a ripe old age, can move better than teenagers I have had the opportunity to train. It bothers me that I am more flexible than every teenager that I have ever met… to this day. I know they are out there.

Full disclosure: I am not saying I am a better athlete! (Not by a long shot!) There are lots of things these athletes can do better than me. But moving smoothly, changing direction fluidly and flexibility are not those things.

Sure it’s my job to be in shape and to have pretty good flexibility. But I shouldn’t have such an upper hand on so many.

And that is my point: why so few?

Well here is a kettle of fish. It’s partly because there has never been a more sedate generation. When they do go to the gym they are most likely met with a trainer who’s idea of “leg training” is hitting the leg curl, leg extension and calf raise machines. (Scary!) A little bit because flexibility is quite undervalued.

So little time is spent on dynamic movement. And I don’t mean gymnastics. More like chasing, climbing, jumping, crawling.

When an adult joins my class it is immediately apparent whether or not they were active as a kid. I can even take a pretty good guess at what they played or martial art they took. Just by their ability to move, change direction and range of movement they still possess.

The good news: we are a pretty trainable bunch. With some time and attention a lot can be overcome.

This is from a complete thought but I just had to say this much. There is more to follow, you can be sure.

In the meantime, move and be healthy. And while you’re at it, have some fun!

Have a great day.

Todd