It’s All About the Shoes.

Shoes are an integral and important part of an athletes playing career and training. However 99% of the time the importance of the shoes and how they are cared for are overlooked. Having the proper shoes and using them for there specific sports need are important. The life of a pair of athletic shoes are about 6 months or 500 miles. Externally after this time period the shoes might look good still but internally the cushioning has broken down and on the bottom of the shoe uneve wear and tear has taken place. Just the slightest uneven wear on the bottom of the shoes can put several thousan pounds of pressure on surrounding joints and tendons. Cleats are even a bit trickier to keep at top form. Try not to wear your cleats on hard surfaces, because not only do they wear the cleats unevenly over the life of the cleat they will begin to press on the bottom of the feet and bruise them which could lead to other injuries from over compensation. Other recommendations I have if it is at all possible. Have designated shoes for certain training. For example a basketball player should have a pair of shoes for practice, one for games, and another pair just to shoot around. Same thing here don’t wear your shoes outside of the gym. Put them on when you get in the gym. So this means designate another pair just to wear to the gym. It is the little things and paying attention to detail that can either keep you from injury or put you at risk to be injured. Some other important things I learned in regards to shoes and cleats is take out the insole that comes with the shoes and put a pair in that offers more support and doesn’t break down. Now your feet are just as important as the shoes you wear during athletic competition. Here are a couple of tips for your feet. Make sure your toenails are cut, otherwise they will cut into your toes over time and this will cause misteps and abnormal footplants which again can lead to serious injury. Finally make sure your socks don’t bunch up in your shoes. The reason behind this is that it causes blisters and again can affect foot strikes and running capabilities. Train hard and train smart and take care of your shoes and feet they are pivotal in an athletes performance and the outcome of the game can be decided by them.

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Explosive Workout for Beginning Athletes

Warm up 5 minutes choosing from three different types of exercises. They are all dynamic flexibility which is the most important to do before the workout. The reason being is you want to maintain the elasticity of the muscles. Doing static stretching would do the opposite and this type of pre workout stretching also increases the risk of injury for the athlete. Performing dynamic flexibility are continuous fluid movements.

Warm-up Exercises:
Jump rope 30-60 seconds
Slide Board (If accessible)
Isometric bridge-get up in pushup position, but instead of being on your hands rest on your elbows. Making sure your abdominal region is tight as well as your glutes. Depending on your performance level hold this for 15 seconds to 1 minute. Do this five times. This is a great exercise because it really heats up the core.
Jumping jacks-for 30 seconds
Butt kicks-almost like jogging in place, but yet different. The objective is to make the heels of your feet hit your butt. Do this movement for 30 seconds.

Beginner

In between each exercise rest for about 20 seconds. For each set performed there is little or no rest at all in between.

Progressions-These are 100 yards and done by jogging the full length of a football field. Do this exercise three times.

One leg jog-Begin by balancing yourself onto one leg and begin hopping on that leg for about 10 yards. Then turn on the same leg and come back to the start. Switch legs and repeat 3 times on each leg.

Bench step ups-Any type of solid bench will work for the exercise. Start by stepping up with one leg and explode up and switch legs in the air. After doing this come back down and repeat switching to the other leg. Perform one set of 20.

High Knees-Start jogging with each leg coming up as high as you can go. It is vital to maintain proper running form by keeping the arms at a 90% angle and hands loose. Go about 30 yards and repeat three times.

Side to sides-Start by getting yourself in a squat position with legs a little further than shoulder width apart and bent slightly. Begin by hopping side to side on each leg maintaining balance and proper form. Perform two sets of 15.

Down ups-A great exercise to build overall strength and explosiveness. Start by jogging in place and squat and drop into a push up position and thrust yourself back up to the starting position. Do two sets of 10 repetitions.

Sprints-Get yourself in a good starting position and sprint as fast as you can for 50 yards. After completing the 50 yards jog back to the start and go again. Perform this exercise 5 times.

Do a cool down for about 5 minutes that consists of relaxation stretching and a light jog in place. Make sure you are in top form before doing this workout, because safety is always the number one focus while beginning a new training program. The joints and tendons need time to strengthen before advancing. Do this workout for 4 weeks and then step up to the intermediate workout.

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The Art of the Warm Up

This part of the workout is the most important, because the purpose of the warm up is to get blood pumping into the muscles and heating up the core temperature. In turn this provides increased mobility and elasticity for all muscles groups. I will give you two ways to perform this action, first one being core exercises and the second dynamic flexibility. Never do static stretching (extended holds for 20 seconds or more) at the beginning of a workout or practice. The reason not to do these movements is because it decreases the elasticity of the muscle and increases the risk of injury by 200%. These types of movements and holds should always be saved for the end of a workout as a cool down phase.

Core Warm up

TVA breathing-This is very important for athletic performance. A person should always be breathing through their stomach not their chest cavity. This can be performed standing up or lying down. Put one finger on your navel and create a vacuum by drawing the stomach in to touch your spine. After drawing in hold tight for 30 seconds and practice breathing through your stomach while the stomach is drawn in. This will take awhile to master but a strong core enhances everything that is done athletically. Practice this three times.

Supine Bridge-Ly on your back with knees bent and extend your hips up into a flat table position. Activate your gluteus by squeezing together and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat this action three times.

Superman-On your stomach extend your arms straight out in front of you and lift your legs and arms simultaneously. Really pretend like you are flying again hold for 30 seconds. Repeat three times.

Leg lowering-This is done on your back and you start with the legs at a 90% angle and begin to lower them slowly to the floor keeping the abdominal area tight. Perform three times.

Dynamic Warm up

Twists-In a standing position begin rotating the upper body back and forth with arms extended out about 15 times.

Squats-Put your hands out in front of you and begin to slowly go up and down performing this exercise 15 times.

Two leg hops-Try not to jump extremely high or fast remember this is just warm up. With legs and feet together begin hopping in place for about 30 seconds.

Jog-Where you are standing start to jog in place for about 30 seconds. Make sure to use proper running form. Keep your hands loose and opened, arms at a 90% angle and pump them back and forth with the legs.

All material copyrighted Athletic X Inc. ©2005-Present. All rights reserved.

Importance of Maintaining Proper Fluid Intake!

This is a very important and a vital part of an athlete’s performance. Lack of water intake can wreak havoc on the body. Remember thatabout 85% of the body is made up of water. Proper fluid intake helps lubricate and keep organs functioning at an optimal level. Water also helps with mental clarity, which is important while performing your sport or working out. If the mental clarity isn’t there the risk of injury shoots through the roof and in many cases something does happen. Two of the most important times to drink water are first thing in the morning when you wake up. This helps set up your metabolism for the day, cleans out excess waste in the throat from the nights sleep, and finally helps with proper bowel movement. Another essential time to drink water is of course during training. You can never drink to much water during training. Standard intake is about a gallon a day or 128 ounces. This is adjusted to a person’s activity level and there size. A recommendation to simplify the fluid intake process is fill up a gallon jug or half-gallon jug and bring it with you to practice or your training session. You might be thinking that you will look silly carrying around all that water. Well I say who gives a rip because you’re doing it for your benefit and well being not anyone else. I fill up a gallon jug myself and have it with me throughout the course of the day. An athlete who usually trains two to three times per day will drink much more than a regular person. The standard for an athlete is about 1.5 ounces per pound of bodyweight. For a regular person who is not as active will drink about 1 ounce per pound of bodyweight and in many cases .5 of an ounce. It is important to realize that you can over saturate the body as well. Drinking to much water is just as detrimental to your training and athletic success than not drinking enough. One other key point to mention is don’t substitute your fluid intake with sugar drinks. Such as soda, sports drinks, or juices. Nothing takes the place of water and its many benefits to training and quality of life. Below is a list of things that happen when the body doesn’t get enough fluid and when it maintains normal levels.

Insufficient water consumption:
Causes light headedness
Dehydration
Muscle spasms and cramps
Decreased mental clarity and lack of body control

Proper water intake:
Increased mental clarity and body control
Detoxifies the body
Keeps organs lubricated
Helps increase metabolism
Improve Vitality

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Super Tuna

An amazing protein filled blend of tuna. Also being that most college students are on a fixed budget this combination is pretty inexpensive over the duration of the school year. Try to get a can of low sodium albacore Tuna. A can of tuna usually runs about $1.10 and they are each 6oz. Daily protein intake should be close to one gram per pound of bodyweight. For athletes the intake is slightly higher, about 1.2 to 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight, because of the tremendous amount of wear and tear on their bodies. Use a fork to mix the contents and then serve.

Recipe:
One 6oz can of Tuna (14g of protein)
One tablespoon of Flax Oil (provides essential fatty acids aka EFA’s specifically Omega 3’s)
One tablespoon of Macadamia nut oil (provides about 12g of monounsaturated fat which is the good fat we need in our diet.)
One tablespoon of real mayonnaise (small amount of saturated fat which helps lower LDL the bad cholesterol in our diets.)
One tablespoon of spicy mustard (great for additional flavor)
Optional (cut up a pickle or if that isn’t accessible throw in some relish)
Crackers are a great alternative to bread they sit easier in the stomach and digest more effectively. If possible obtain wheat crackers to use they are tasty and more nutritionally dense. Other alternatives are celery sticks, and carrots.

This meal will give you a great boost of energy as well as providing a solid serving of protein. Enjoy this yummy easy to prepare meal and stay tuned for more nutritional and training tips.

All material copyrighted Athletic X Inc. ©2005-Present. All rights reserved.