There is NO OFF-Season

High School football playoffs are beginning all around the nation. That only means one thing: There will be only ONE state champion for each respective class in the state.

LET ME TELL YA A LITTLE SECRET…..

Championships are won in the off-season.

What Are You Going to Sacrifice?

What are you going to sacrifice in order to be great?

Are you willing to sacrifice Money? How about Fame, are you willing to sacrifice that? What about sacrificing a dream of playing in the NFL to fight for your country’s freedom? In honor of September 11th, today’s article is going to be dedicated to the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our country. Thank you to all the soldiers that have been, and still are fighting for our country.

7 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Workout

These 7 ways will help you get the most out of your workout. They may be common sense to some of you, but using them will definitely be beneficial for your success in the gym. It is important to have the exercise order correspond to your specific training goals.  The order of exercises will greatly affect the quality and focus of the workout.

I was in the gym today and someone told me that they were hitting a plateau, and they asked me if changing up their exercise order would help put them past that plateau. They wanted to train their smaller muscle groups first, then build up to their bigger, compound lifts. That question led me to want to help every one out and provide them with 7 ways to get the most out of your workout.

1. Train large muscle group before training your smaller muscle groups.
2. Multijoint exercises before single-joint exercises.
3. Alternate Push/Pull exercises when training total body sessions.
4. Alternate upper/lower body exercises when training total body.
5. Explosive/Power lifts such as Olympic lifts, plyometric exercises before basic strength and single-joint exercises.
6. Focus on improving weak areas before exercises focusing on stronger muscles. (Turn your weaknesses into your strengths.)
7. Most intense exercises before least intense. 

Follow these simple 7 steps when working out and you will definitely get the most out of you workout. You know what happens when you consistently get the most out of your workout?

You get RESULTS

The Big 3

Dead-lift, Squat, Bench Press.

The big three exercises that most everyone uses in their sports training. Are you training to get stronger, and more explosive? Or are you training to be a power-lifter or bodybuilder instead of preparing for your sport. People get it mixed up, it’s not the guy who has the highest bench or squat that is the best on the field.

Your not training to set World Records in the weight room, your training to put the ball in the endzone, your training to sack the Quarterback, your training to out jump your opponent, your training to outrun your opponent, your training to run over your opponent.

And by running over, I literally mean running over—->

Today’s Workout: Training With Intensity

Sick of your same old workout routine week after week?

 I feel like there’s times when I can predict everyone’s workout for the week at local gyms. Chest on Monday, Shoulders on Tuesday, Legs on Wednesday..blah blah blah you get the point. I got an idea for you, change it up! Keep your body guessing, it will spark results and muscle gain! Below, I have a mini circuit for you guys.

Give todays workout a try to let me know what you think.

REMEMBER…..GET AFTER IT. If you don’t do this with relentless intensity…Don’t even bother looking at the workout. Challenge YOURSELF.

Here ya go, knock your socks off!

1. Single Arm Dumbbell Clean x 4
2. Single Arm Snatch x 4
3. Pull ups x 10
4. Inverted Row x 10
5. Variation Push-Ups x 25

Repeat this circuit 3-5 times as tolerated. Time yourself and try to beat your time every time.

following your circuit…

1. Behind the Back Barbell Shrug 2 x 20
2. Regular Barbell Shrug 3 x 10
3. Dumbbell Holds 3 x 30 seconds (find the heaviest dumbbell and hold it, work on your grip strength)
4. 200 decline sit-ups
5. 50 hanging knee-ups

.HUSTLE HARD. 

Girls Guide to a Bigger Butt

Hello Ladies.. I’m sure at one point or another you’ve asked someone How do I build a bigger, firmer, butt?

First and foremost I am going to say that the principles that make up an effective muscle-building program are the same for men as they are for women. If you want a bigger butt, your goal should be to build muscle, and burn fat. Muscles don’t get toned or defined, they either get bigger, or they get smaller. When it comes to building a bigger butt, you have to build muscle.

Building Muscle=Lose Fat, Get Leaner, Increase Metabolism…oh, and you Look Better 

If I am trying to help a client reach her goal of losing fat and improving her back side, there is one exercise that I will incorporate into her training program…..

Squats.

Whether its:

• bodyweight squats
•  kettlebell squats
•  dumbbell squats
• barbell squats
•  box squats
• overhead squats
• single leg squats
• pistol squats
• front squats

Squats are the staple to anyone’s leg program, and will definitely get you closer to building that butt you want. It is important to stick to the basics. Sticking to the basics will get you results. I also would recommend using a variation of lunges, and step ups.

Don’t be afraid to lift heavy, don’t be afraid to get stronger.

When you lift heavy, you get stronger. When you get stronger, you build muscle. When you build muscle you get a bigger butt.

Simple as that, it’s like a chain reaction.

Lifting all those light weights workout after workout will not get you the results you want. Lifting heavy wont turn you into the HULK, so get that thought out of your head.

 Lifting heavy elevates your metabolism and forces you to burn more calories ALL day long, more calories than light weight, high repetition training will do for you.

Don’t be afraid of changing training poundage, either. Keep your body guessing and use progressive overload. I recommend heavy sets of 8-15 reps to failure to get lean, muscle.

 There is nothing better than a sexy and strong female, and after reading this article you’re well on your way to being both of those.

.Challenge Yourself to Get Better.

Winning Mentality

GOOD MORNING,

Yep, it’s Monday, but that doesn’t mean you have start your week off sluggish……What better way to start your week off with an extra motivational boost.

 Let’s face it, everyone wants to be a winner. Everyone is competing, no matter what they do for a living. But the thing is HOW BAD DO YOU WANT TO BE A WINNER. HOW BAD DO YOU WANT TO MAKE IT? To be the best, you have to constantly want to improve, constantly strive for greatness, and you must have what I call the

“DERRICK ROSE MENTALITY”

You gotta have that mentality that is constantly striving to be the best. No matter what the circumstance your going through, you have to keep a level head and give it your all. Derrick Rose said it best, ” If you’re not trying to be the best, I might as well retire.” Take this quote and apply it to your life. If you’re not trying to be the best at what you do, you might as well not do it. If you don’t approach what you love with relentless passion and determination, you might as well not even do it. Someone is always coming for your job, so you always have to work harder and smarter to keep getting better.

“WHY NOT?”

You also gotta ask yourself, WHY NOT. Never doubt yourself, if you doubt yourself, EVERYONE ELSE WILL. You have to believe in yourself. Derrick Rose asked himself WHY NOT. He said ” Why not, Why can’t I be the MVP of the league, why can’t I be the best player in the league.” Exactly, he answered that question by becoming the best player in the league, by becoming the MVP of the league. Just a little proof that if you set a goal and pursue it with relentless passion, you can achieve it. He put every ounce of effort into getting that MVP trophy, and getting his team to succeed.

Are you willing to set your goals high and strive to achieve them?

Be your own MVP, strive for GREAT.

Train With Me

If you’re trying to take your training to the NEXT LEVEL and PUSH your mind and body past limits you’ve never reached, you’ve come to the right place.

I’m here to help  you reach your fitness training goals, whatever they may be.

-WEIGHT LOSS, TONING, SPORTS SPECIFIC TRAINING,CORE TRAINING,CARDIO AND STRENGTH TRAINING, FLEXIBILITY-

Jump Rope for Cardio

If your like me and really don’t like doing the same old cardio week after week, try incorporating Jump Roping into your training.

Benefits of Jumping Rope:

 

• Improves cardio
• Tones Muscle
• Burns Fat
• Burns Calories
• Improves Athletiscm
• Improves Quickness
• Improves Body Awareness

Try this Jump Rope Program:

Make a quadrant that is numbered as follows:

 

1. 50 Regular Jumps
2. 25 Side to Side (4 to 3 & back)
3. 25 Up & Back (4 to 1 & back)
4. 30 Boxer Shuffle (2 on Right & Left Foot)
5. 20 each  Up & Back Single Leg (4 to 1)
6. 20 each Side to Side (4 to 3)
7. 25 Alternate  Triangle (1-2-4)
8. Speed Rope As Many As Possible in 30 Seconds.

Yoga for Athletes

I was approached by Anne Costabile, a University of Iowa Sports reporter and an aspiring ESPN Broadcaster, to do an interview about Yoga for Football Players and to talk about my experience and the benefits that football players get from participating in Yoga. I decided to share the interview with all of you.

Anne: Explain your experience with yoga.

Anthony: I’ve had a great experience using Yoga as a supplement to my Football training regimine. During the season, I tried to do it at least once a week to stay as fresh as possible for upcoming games. I found that it benefitted me in more ways than one. My flexibility had increased dramatically. I felt my hips loosening up after each session and I was able to drop back into coverage and change direction more smoothly. I definitelty noticed a change in my performance on the field because I wasn’t as tired and my soreness had gone down. I feel my hip,knee, and shoulder mobility had improved greatly. I started doing Yoga when I tore my hamstring. During the end of my rehab I started doing it to get my strength and flexibility back. Being that I am not a really coordinated person as it is, another thing I really noticed that was improving was my balance. It also helped out that one of my favorite Linebackers, Ray Lewis recommended Yoga for all Linebackers. Coming from future hall of fame linebacker who has played in the NFL for 15+ years, I had to take his word on it. Yoga works on everything a good football player need, Mobility, Strength, Flexibility, and Injury Prevention. It is very beneficial for any football player looking to play a long successful career.

Anne: Were you required to participate in it by trainers or coaches?

Anthony: My coaches did not require it while I was playing, but they did notice a few of the players taking yoga classes at the rec center, so the following year the Running backs coach required it for all of his running backs and fullbacks. Also, while at my Internship in Atlanta, we used Wednesday as a recovery and rest day. We held a yoga and stretch session that everyone training for the NFL participated in. As the weeks progressed everyone saw improvements in their flexibility and mobility. When you see improvements in those two, you see improvements in your speed and quickness.

Anne: Most instructors have said the core body strength is what is benefited the most by taking classes, did you think this area was improved?

Anthony: Core is important when it comes to every aspect of training. Weak Core= Weak Squat. Weak Core=Weak Dead Lift Weak Core= Not Explosive. It all starts in your hips and your core. By taking Yoga, I definitely saw improvements in my core strength, because all of my PR’s had increased and I felt myself moving more smoothly.

A lot of people don’t consider yoga to be a proper method of training for athletes, do you agree?

Anthony: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but of course yoga alone is not a proper method to be training athletes. It should definitely be incorporated into a strength and conditioning training program to help an athlete become more mobile.

Would you recommend it to other athletes, especially football players?

There is no question I would recommend this to other athletes. Once or twice a week, along with a good strength and conditioning program and you will definitely see results on your respective playing field. Your strength, flexibility, and speed will all reap benefits from Yoga, and when you see results with those three, you see results on the field.