For what seems like forever, the fitness industry has been trying to come up with a "better" exercise for integrated core and upper body strength than the push-up.
With all the fancy-schmancy machines and exercise toys on the market, the bottom line remains the same.
The push-up is still king when it comes to developing core stabilization, strength and power! Every single athlete, regardless of sport, should master the push up and include it in their training program!
Now that's not saying that all you have to do to get killer core strength is your basic 2 arm, 2 leg, straight-up-and-down military style push-up.
But too many trainers think they can improve their athletes' strength and power by jumping right to the "cool" exercises, instead of mastering the basics and then progressing to more advanced techniques.
I know, you're saying "yeah, yeah, I know. I've heard you say it a million times!"
Really, then why do most athletes look like a seal begging for fish when they try even a straightforward push-up?
Here's a little video we put together about push-ups and some variations.
Watch closely. If you can't master the very first one, don't move on to any of the others. Well, except maybe the very last one, since it really requires NO athletic skill that I'm aware of.
As an aside, the athlete you'll see in the first segment was able to do about 6 of the push-ups you see early on with me. Within weeks, he could do 20-25 at a clip. Yeah, they're THAT effective! Enjoy!
After you watch, and you're ready to learn how to do the push-up and about 200 variations correctly, as well as get in the best athletic shape of your life, go here: http://www.allstarsportsacademynj.com/free-trial-membership
We'll see YOU at All-Star Sports Academy!
PS...If you're not using Prograde Workout Shake as a pre- or post-workout meal replacement, you might be eating garbage!
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Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Want better workouts (and results?)
Then you have to warm up and get flexible!
Today's post is short and sweet. In our Sports Performance Center everyone warms up and uses flexibility training to improve performance and results.
Now, there's a gulf of difference between stretching and flexibility training
Stretching is simply applying pressure against the muscle's natural response (called a myotatic stretch response) until the fibers of the muscle begin to lengthen. This may or may not always be a good idea.
Flexibility training is the process by which we develop the ability within a muscle, muscle group or around a joint to move within a full range of motion (ROM) with stability and without limitation, at varying speeds and in all planes of motion.
How do we do that? Good question! First, we need to get muscles warm. We can do this with some simple movement exercises, like skipping, light jogging and lunges for the lower body and push up rotations, rotational punching and light medicine ball work for the upper body.
Warm-up movements should be performed with 2 ends in mind: 1.) create blood flow to muscles and joints, and 2.) reinforce proper functional movement patterns.
Beginning with a solid functional warm-up will help create and reinforce the kind of functional ROM athletes (and everyone else!) need to improve sports performance.
We do recommend and program in some "stretches" in the warm-up phase. These, however, are usually integrated into the movements we're using, or directly related to them. More on those next week.
If you'd like more information on this topic, contact us through the website: http://www.allstarsportsacademynj.com
To get a complimentary one week trial in any of our breakthrough training programs, click here:
All-Star trial week
And don't forget! May 1st at 7:30 PM, we'll be hosting the kickoff session for Get a Swimsuit-ready Body by July 4th!!
Click here to reserve your seat: http://tinyurl.com/Swimsuitready
For a $10 registration, you'll walk away with over $60 in bonuses to help you look hot, hot, hot this summer!!
Today's post is short and sweet. In our Sports Performance Center everyone warms up and uses flexibility training to improve performance and results.
Now, there's a gulf of difference between stretching and flexibility training
Stretching is simply applying pressure against the muscle's natural response (called a myotatic stretch response) until the fibers of the muscle begin to lengthen. This may or may not always be a good idea.
Flexibility training is the process by which we develop the ability within a muscle, muscle group or around a joint to move within a full range of motion (ROM) with stability and without limitation, at varying speeds and in all planes of motion.
How do we do that? Good question! First, we need to get muscles warm. We can do this with some simple movement exercises, like skipping, light jogging and lunges for the lower body and push up rotations, rotational punching and light medicine ball work for the upper body.
Warm-up movements should be performed with 2 ends in mind: 1.) create blood flow to muscles and joints, and 2.) reinforce proper functional movement patterns.
Beginning with a solid functional warm-up will help create and reinforce the kind of functional ROM athletes (and everyone else!) need to improve sports performance.
We do recommend and program in some "stretches" in the warm-up phase. These, however, are usually integrated into the movements we're using, or directly related to them. More on those next week.
If you'd like more information on this topic, contact us through the website: http://www.allstarsportsacademynj.com
To get a complimentary one week trial in any of our breakthrough training programs, click here:
All-Star trial week
And don't forget! May 1st at 7:30 PM, we'll be hosting the kickoff session for Get a Swimsuit-ready Body by July 4th!!
Click here to reserve your seat: http://tinyurl.com/Swimsuitready
For a $10 registration, you'll walk away with over $60 in bonuses to help you look hot, hot, hot this summer!!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Big squats and crappy speed
Lots of athletes today, at all levels of competition, seem immensely "strong."
How do they define strong? Big bench, big squat. Maybe, just maybe by also measuring dead lift and power clean numbers.
The problem? All those "strong" athletes are getting left in the dust by the fast ones!
Let's face it, in sports, SPEED KILLS!
In truth, it's not even speed that matters so much in sports, it's acceleration!
So why are so many athletes who are "hitting the weight room" consistently STILL getting smoked by athletes putting in "less work"?
Listen closely...ready?
ABSOLUTE STRENGTH (the ability to move a lot of weight once) doesn't automatically translate to higher SPEED STRENGTH (the ability to produce the strength required to move the body or it's parts quickly in a sustained motion)!!
That's why all those hours "in the gym" don't create faster, more powerful athletes. Too often, traditional training programs focus too myopically on the "product" of weight training (moving weight) and not nearly enough on the real desired result (better athletic performance.)
Here's an excerpt from an article by a guy I deeply respect, Mike Boyle (Trainer to the BU Men's Hockey program, among others):
"Many athletes can squat large amounts of weight. Far fewer athletes seem able to run fast. Any student of speed will tell you that many of the strength exercises commonly recommended for speed development work hip extension but not HIP HYPEREXTENSION. In running speed all of the force production is from hip hyperextenison. The ability to apply force to the ground and create forward movement can only occur when the foot is placed under the center of mass and pushed back. Although squats, etc. will train the muscles involved, the training is not specific to the act of sprinting."
If you'd like to develop the kind of acceleration ability that will separate you from the rest of the athletic pack, contact us at http://www.allstarsportsacademynj.com/contact
We'll be happy to set you up with a free trial week, so you can actually feel the difference!
How do they define strong? Big bench, big squat. Maybe, just maybe by also measuring dead lift and power clean numbers.
The problem? All those "strong" athletes are getting left in the dust by the fast ones!
Let's face it, in sports, SPEED KILLS!
In truth, it's not even speed that matters so much in sports, it's acceleration!
So why are so many athletes who are "hitting the weight room" consistently STILL getting smoked by athletes putting in "less work"?
Listen closely...ready?
ABSOLUTE STRENGTH (the ability to move a lot of weight once) doesn't automatically translate to higher SPEED STRENGTH (the ability to produce the strength required to move the body or it's parts quickly in a sustained motion)!!
That's why all those hours "in the gym" don't create faster, more powerful athletes. Too often, traditional training programs focus too myopically on the "product" of weight training (moving weight) and not nearly enough on the real desired result (better athletic performance.)
Here's an excerpt from an article by a guy I deeply respect, Mike Boyle (Trainer to the BU Men's Hockey program, among others):
"Many athletes can squat large amounts of weight. Far fewer athletes seem able to run fast. Any student of speed will tell you that many of the strength exercises commonly recommended for speed development work hip extension but not HIP HYPEREXTENSION. In running speed all of the force production is from hip hyperextenison. The ability to apply force to the ground and create forward movement can only occur when the foot is placed under the center of mass and pushed back. Although squats, etc. will train the muscles involved, the training is not specific to the act of sprinting."
If you'd like to develop the kind of acceleration ability that will separate you from the rest of the athletic pack, contact us at http://www.allstarsportsacademynj.com/contact
We'll be happy to set you up with a free trial week, so you can actually feel the difference!
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