Sports Fitness Hut Blog

Its Time to Play Baseball!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:18:00 +0000

Will you be a starter on your baseball team this season? More power, speed and strength would help you but you have to train right. Give yourself the best chance to succeed with hard, smart work.

If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position, you need my power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.

Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.

The physical demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability and acceleration should be emphasized during training.

Major League Baseball scouts use these drills/exercises/sprints (among others) to test a player's speed, agility, acceleration and power:

30 and 60 Yard Sprints - The bases are 90 feet apart (30 yards). Scouts routinely time a player's speed from home to first base during an at bat or from home to second base on a double.

Running from home to first base in under 4.0 seconds is exceptional (especially for a right-handed batter). Times of 4.1 - 4.4 are more common. A major league average time for the 60 yard dash is 7.0 seconds, 6.5 - 6.8 seconds is good and 6.2 - 6.4 are great times.

Vertical Jump - The height of your vertical jump shows the amount of power in your lower body. A high vertical jump is also an indicator of great speed. A vertical jump of 35 is good and any jump 40 or above is exceptional.

Medicine Ball Rotational Throw - This exercise is a good indicator of core strength---especially the critical rotational power needed for baseball (swinging, throwing, etc.).

20 Yard Shuttle - This drill tests agility, explosion, postural control and quickness at high speed. The best players cover the 20 yard shuttle in about 4 seconds or less.

Sports Fitness Hut's All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual will show you how to improve your performance in these drills and exercises. If you do this, it will improve your power game on the field.

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Agility and Quickness Fundamentals for Athletes

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:11:00 +0000

Master the fundamentals of your agility and quickness to become a better athlete in your sport.

In many instances, agility and quickness are more important than straight ahead speed. In many sports, maximum speed is rarely reached or needed, but explosive reaction is often necessary. You can improve reaction times by training to make the right choices (choice reaction).

Reaction time is the ability to respond quickly with proper posture and control to a stimulus such as sound or sight.

How many times have you seen a player with "not great speed" repeatedly make plays to help the team win. This is not an accident. You can improve your change-of-direction speed with proper training. Read my post that discusses change-of-direction speed in detail.

Improve your agility and quickness fundamentals these 3 ways:

1. As with any athletic move, core strength is critical. Overall body strength is also important.

Before you begin to train for speed and power, the foundation should be laid with sufficient core and body strength. Failure to lay this strength foundation will lead to certain injuries for you.

2. Body positioning is critical if you want to improve your change-of-direction speed. You will need dynamic balance. In many sports, it is not that easy to change direction and accelerate because the athlete is often off balance.

Some sports, such as football and basketball require running with or bouncing a ball. And, other sports, such as soccer require moving a ball with the feet. The best running backs, tennis players, basketball players, shortstops, etc. all have great dynamic balance.

Having great dynamic balance means that you are able to maintain your center of gravity over a constantly changing base of support. Thus, quickness and agility drills help you to improve dynamic balance and change-of-direction acceleration while not wasting motion.

3. To improve change-of-direction acceleration, you should have a shin angle of approximately 45 degrees for the first few steps. Your shoulders should also be slightly leaned forward.

The body lean should be at the ankles and not the hips. Having the feet just wider than shoulder-width apart will give you the most stable base of support. This is not always possible during athletic competition.

Therefore, stability needs to be added by lowering the center of gravity. Change-of-direction acceleration could be laterally, at an angle or forward (when back pedaling) and will catapult you to near maximal speed quickly.

The first step in the change-of-direction is important. If this step is too long, you will over-stride and bring the shin to a vertical angle instead of 45 degrees. This will slow you down. So, the first step should be under your hips. Again, the body lean should be at ankles and not the hips.

Improving your coordination will help improve your multi-directional speed and linear speed (straight-ahead speed). A player rarely reaches maximum speed during game competition.

Having great change-of-direction speed (agility with quickness) allows you to beat your opponent "to the spot" or recover from mistakes in positioning.

Improve your quickness and agility with these drills and then apply them during your movements in a game:

--jump rope (one foot, two feet, slalom, Ali shuffle, backpedal)

--speed ladder drills

--cariocas, tapiocas, back pedals, shuffles, toe taps

--hip turn and hip flexibility drills (like leg swings)

Work hard and expect success!

Go here now and get your Free Sports Power Workout Book and Speed Training Tips!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Hip Flexibility Improves Change-of-Direction Speed

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:49:00 +0000

You can improve your change-of-direction speed with strong, flexible hips. Body positioning is critical if you want to improve your change-of-direction speed.

Side Leg Swings

Front Leg Swings

Hip flexibility is crucial to your success in speed sports. Improve hip range of motion with daily leg swing exercises.

Leg swings are a great way to improve your dynamic flexibility, loosen your hips and make you a faster, more fluid athlete.

If your hip flexor muscles are not flexible, you will not even be a good athlete in your sport(s)! Tight hip flexors also lead to some painful injuries (like pulls and strains) that are hard to recover from.

In many sports, it is not that easy to change direction and accelerate because you are often off balance. Having great dynamic balance means that you are able to maintain your center of gravity over a constantly changing base of support.

How to do Leg Swings:

Just swing your legs back and forth at least as high as your waistline. As you become more flexible, your legs will swing higher and more fluid.

Front and side leg swings are perfect to do before your sprint workouts.

Be sure and download my Free Power Workout Book and Free book, "10 Must Know Speed Training Tips!"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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 Knee ACL Injuries

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:05:00 +0000

A knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is the most common injury affecting the knee joint. About 70% of all serious knee injuries involve damage to the knee ACL. And, about 80% of these injuries occur without any contact from another player.

There are some training techniques you can use to lessen the risk of this injury. The knee ACL is located within the capsule of the knee and connects the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia).

Most knee ACL injuries occur when you decelerate, come to a sudden stop or land with improper technique while placing too much stress on the knees. Athletes should dominate the hamstrings, hips and glutes during movement. The hips are often under-used during sports competition.

Lateral lunges and lateral bounding teaches you how to move correctly while dominating movement with the hips.

You should also learn proper landing techniques using exercises such as vertical jumps, broad jumps and depth jumps.

Another common mechanical breakdown is when the knees protrude far in front of the feet when decelerating, landing or squatting. This puts undue stress on the knees and often causes injury. Also, when the quadriceps are much stronger than the hamstrings, this can cause an ACL injury. Research has shown that the hamstrings play an important role in stabilizing the knee and protecting the ACL during deceleration.

Females injure their ACLs at six times the rate of males. Females demonstrate a lower hamstring to quadricep ratio. This means they typically have weaker hamstrings compared to males. They also demonstrate different muscle activation patterns compared to males.

Females are typically quadricep dominant athletes which means they use their strong quadriceps muscles and do not use their weak hamstrings enough.Strength training for females should be adjusted to adequately strengthen the hamstrings.

There are few injuries as bothersome and harder to recover from than hamstring injuries. Prevention of hamstring injuries is the best solution.

The hamstring muscle group acts to protect the ACL and the opposing quadricep muscle group places stress on the ACL.

The best prevention for hamstring injuries and hamstring-related injuries are adequate flexibility and strength.

You are also at risk of a hamstring injury when the gluteus maximus doesn't fire properly. When the hip flexors are tight, they cause weakness in the gluteus maximus.

This often leads to the hamstrings doing the work that the gluteus maximus should be doing. And, since the hamstrings are not equipped to handle this type of workload, injury to the hamstrings is the result. Therefore, it is critical to have flexible hip flexors.

Try these flexibility and strength exercises for your hamstrings:

Hamstring Flexibility - walking lunges, resistance band eccentric stretch and static stretch (static stretch should be done after workout or game).

Hamstring Strength - lying or standing hamstring machine curl, deadlift, good morning exercise (with or without weights) and glute/ham raises.

Surgery will be necessary for a tear of the ACL. Usually, the tear is repaired by using a part of another healthy ligament to replace the damaged ACL. Rehabiliation for a torn ACL takes about 3-4 months and it takes 8 months or more before you can return to competition.

Be sure and download my Free Power Workout Book and Free book, "10 Must Know Speed Training Tips!"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Become a Stronger Athlete in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:15:00 +0000

Stronger athletes perform better and win more games. What type of strength do you as an athlete need to compete at a high level?

No, you don't need to win a strong man contest, but you do need a certain amount of strength to enhance your power and speed....so, here it is......

Optimum Strength – The ideal level of strength needed to perform in your sport. Continually getting stronger will not continually increase your power. Every athlete needs this level of strength.

Relative Strength – It is the maximum force that you can generate per unit of bodyweight regardless of the rate-of-force production. Wrestlers, football players (especially linemen) and rugby players need high levels of relative strength.

Maximal Strength – The maximum force that your muscles can produce in a single voluntary effort regardless of the rate-of-force production. Maximal strength is rarely needed during sports competition.

Limit Strength – The maximum force that your muscles can produce in a single contraction. A few elite athletes have this type of strength.

Endurance Strength – The ability to produce and maintain force over an extended period of time. This type of strength is critical for athletic success.

Stabilization Strength – The ability of your body’s stabilizing muscles to provide dynamic joint stabilization and maintain postural control during athletic movements.

Core strength would fall within this category. Many athletic injuries can be traced to inadequate core strength. No athlete will be successful without this type of strength.

Speed Strength – The ability of the neuromuscular system to produce the greatest possible force in the shortest period of time (power). Obviously, every athlete wants and needs this type of strength. While it is very important, other types of strength cannot be ignored.

Functional Strength – The athlete should train movements during strength training sessions. Producing dynamic, multi-planar eccentric, concentric and isometric contractions quickly and efficiently is the goal of training for functional strength.

Do your strength training in all 3 planes of motion.

Strength train your muscles with all contraction types (eccentric, isometric, concentric). All muscles function eccentrically (reduces force or deceleration), isometrically (stabilizes force) and concentrically (produces force).

Eccentric contractions are able to produce the most tension development followed by isometric contractions and lastly, concentric contractions. If eccentric contractions are able to produce the greatest tension development, then more time should be devoted during training for eccentric contractions to reduce the risk of injuries such as knee ACL tears.

Also, strong eccentric contractions are critical for athletes to produce maximal power since all force production (concentric) must be preceded by force reduction (eccentric).

So, where do you stack up when it comes to types of strength? You can't just show up at the gym and do any kind of workout! You need a professional program designed just for you.

Train hard and smart in 2012!

Happy New Year to you!

Be sure and download my Free Power Workout Book and Free book, "10 Must Know Speed Training Tips!"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

For Sore Muscles This Works Like Crazy

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:52:00 +0000

For Sore Muscles This Works Like Crazy

By: Marc David
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

As discussed in some previous articles, muscle soreness can be caused by three hypothesis( muscle damage, tissue damage, muscle spasms) resulting in cumulative micro trauma resulting in some type of cellular damage. At times, this can be the leading cause of overtraining and being uncomfortable for a few days after training.

Continual cellular damage over and over to the point where the body cannot recovery can result in overtraining.

Don't worry...

Here's a quick checklist for helping to reduce the amount of muscle soreness you may experience. You can use one or all of these the next time you feel a little too sore from your last workout.

Phase 1 - Pre Training Recovery

Leg Elevation: Many of us stand or sit for long periods of time before going to the gym and training. This is a less than optimal condition because your overall circulation is less than ideal. What you can do is 20-30 minutes before you train, lay down with your feel against a wall or other object and get the blood back to your upper body and heart.

You'll improve your circulation especially when you train legs or your lower back.

If you want, you can take this opportunity to listen to music or take a quick nap and begin the mental transition into training.

Phase 2 - Recovery During Training

Rest Intervals Between Sets:

A great way to boost the intensity of any workout without changing a single thing is to decrease the rest time between sets. You'll instantly get more work done in less time. If you feel that the intensity is too high, you can increase the time between sets and help reduce the build up of lactic acid as well. The time you take to rest between sets has a significant impact on your next set as well as future performance.

Movement Between Sets:

Just think about it. It's like a warm up and cool down all over again but between the sets. Most people understand the importance of warming up before lifting weights. They also know about a proper cool down after working out.

But did you know that you can use those sample principles on a minute level in between your sets?

This movement not only serves as a 'transition' between an all out effort and recovery but it aids in better circulation and helps reduce the swelling of muscular tissues.

Periodization:

Remember that soreness can be caused by a few hypothesis (tissue damage, muscle damage, spasms). But did you stop to think that if you keep on training "heavy" you just keep on damaging the muscle at a micro level over and over without a change to recover?

Incorporating a light day or week into your training can help flush the area with new blood, reduce the formation of scar tissue and flush waste from the area.

Planning these type of workouts in your training program will speed up the time needed to recover as well as add variety to your program which in turn provides overall recovery.

Phase 3 - Post Training Recovery

My strong hunch is that most people will be unable to avoid soreness at some point and seek treatment.

So that's why there's a few ways you can help reduce the severity of soreness during your training as well as aid in the recovery process after your training.

Contrast Showers:

Done on your lumbar area, this involves using short bursts of hot and cold water to improve the circulation. You can further stretch during this time to flush new blood to the area.

Post Workout Nutrition:

Needless to say...

After your workout your body is in a prime time to devour nutrients. This is an ideal time to give it the protein it needs with the carbohydrates for energy recovery.

You see, if muscle soreness is caused by micro trauma resulting in cellular damage then obviously you want to give your body plenty of materials quickly to repair itself.

Proper post workout nutrition can reduce the amount of soreness you can experience.

Therapeutic Modulaities:

This can encompass such things as massage, sauna, whirlpool, chiropractic adjustments, acupressure and others are among the more popular therapeutic modalities. Make no mistake....

Recovery really begins when you leave the gym. Depending on factors such as your level of fitness, age, medical conditions, you may be wise to use some or all of these post workout recovery methods to speed up overall recovery.

There's no magic formula per se but anything you can do to help speed the recovery process will result in less muscular discomfort and quicker recovery for the next workout.

Have you heard that 90% gym-goers overtrain 90% of the time?

Could it be that simply "under-recovered" and could easily stand to train more if only they could recover quicker?

Sleep:

While there is not a set number of hours you need to sleep as that depends on the individuals schedule, personal preferences and level of stress it's still clear that sleep is vital to recovery.

This is the time your body repairs all that micro trauma.

If you aren't getting enough quality sleep, it can affect your overall recovery and body's ability to repair itself. That can lead to prolonged muscle soreness. The amount of sleep each person needs will vary.

Make no mistake about muscle soreness...

It's uncomfortable!

But using any or all of the above recovery methods you can significantly reduce the duration of muscle soreness.

More important than that...

Create a periodized program that helps to keep your body in a state of recovery and avoid overtraining.

About the Author

Marc David is an innovative fitness enthusiast and the creator of the "NoBull Bodybuilding System" method on
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

He can show you how to reduce your body fat thru diet, how to gain weight or create more muscle thru an abundance of workout tips by training LESS, not more!

Once a self-confessed skinny, "135-pound weakling." Today Marc is a 200 pound bodybuilder who teaches thousands of people to gain weight, build muscle and reduce body fat with a workout and nutrition system so simple that even a complete beginner can understand it!

Marc dispels many "bodybuilding myths", tells you what most people never realize about nutrition, and what the drug companies DON'T WANT YOU to know. Visit www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Bodyweight Power Training for Athletes

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:04:00 +0000

Athletic bodyweight workouts help you develop the strength and power needed to compete at a high level. Athletic bodyweight workouts allow you to develop strength that allows your body to stabilize itself. This way, you are less likely to injure yourself with heavy weights because your body is not ready for the loads.

You can also burn body fat with bodyweight workouts. Bodyweight workouts use natural body motions that don't limit your natural range of motion (like machine lifting does). Since no two people have the same exact motions, bodyweight exercises are ideal for beginners and veterans alike.

What you need before sport specific exercises is the foundation of strength, flexibility and sports nutrition....if you don't have this foundation, you won't be very good in your sport!

Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you.

I'm seeing more and more young athletes with weak bodies trying to start a program of intense plyometrics. Many of them come to me with injuries they have gotten from group training classes in plyometrics.

A proper sports training system would go something like this:

1. Overall strength training (including core training) to stabilize joints, build muscle, correct postural problems, improve flexibility and implementation of a nutrition program.

Some bodyweight strength exercises would include:

--pullups
--pushups of all variations
--inverted rows
--lunges of all types
--step ups of all types
--squats (two-legged, one-legged, split, lateral, Bulgarian)

2. Progress to power exercises, speed exercises, plyometric exercises and sport specific exercises when your body is ready.

Don't skip to step #2 without adequately doing step #1 or injuries will surely follow!

Train hard and smart!

Be sure and download my Free Power Workout Book and Free book, "10 Must Know Speed Training Tips!"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

10-Minute Power Workout Improves Explosiveness

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:09:00 +0000

Improve your power and it will improve your explosive speed. You don't have to be the fastest player on the field--just accelerate faster and beat your opponent to the spot.

Use my Free 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts to improve your explosive power. Short, effective workouts are better than long, tiring workouts. Its important to do these exercises at full speed when you are fresh.

If you have weak structures supporting your ankles, knees, low back, hips, elbows and shoulders, your power potential will suffer. And, you are headed for avoidable injuries.

Here are some general steps to take to improve your explosive power:

1. Bodyweight and dumbbell exercises are great for stabilizing your joint structures and core. For example, if your right leg is significantly stronger than your left leg, you cannot compensate for the weaker leg.

It will be forced to "catch up in strength" to the right leg.
These exercises will also prepare your body for heavier weights and intense plyometric and speed exercises.

2. Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you (to improve explosive power).

3. The core muscles are very important in preventing low back pain and stabilizing the shoulder girdle and hip structures. A strong and stable core will maximize your extremity strength (limbs) and explosive power. If your core is weak, you will not effectively transfer power from your legs to your upper body.

A core strengthening program involves using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating specific joints as in most weight lifting exercises, core stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

4. You can improve the ankle's joint proprioception (position sense) and dynamic joint stability with balance training. Doing one-legged balance exercises will accomplish this goal.

One-leg balancing on foam pads or disks for 4-5 minutes (each leg) is a great exercise. Other great exercises are lunges, single-leg squats, step ups and medicine ball rotations on one leg.

5. You will need to strengthen your knees and ligaments around them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump. The deep knee bend exercise is good for this purpose.

Work hard and smart to succeed in your sport!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Recovery After Workouts Needed for Young and Old

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:24:00 +0000

You can't workout like a beast every day....your body needs time to recover and get bigger, stronger and more powerful.

A study from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia found that recovery times from intense workouts are the same for old and young athletes. This is true even though muscles weaken with aging because of decreased muscle fibers (the remaining muscle fibers work as well as those for a younger athlete).

The tests were performed using two groups of experienced cyclists racing in 30-minute time trials on three consecutive days. The first group had an average age of 24 while the second group's average age was 45.

Both groups maintained their average power, had the same amount of muscle damage and had the same drop in their maximal heart rate during the third time trial.

Loss of muscle fibers may be part of the reason why older athletes must work harder to stay even with younger athletes.

I was listening to an interview of a professional football player and one question was this: "How do you keep your body prepared to meet the demands of your physical sport?" He said, "I get massages after every practice and game and I get as much rest as I can between workouts, games and practices."

This man performs at the elite level of the football profession---The National Football League! He is basically saying that recovery is just as important as the workouts or games. Recovery also includes getting the necessary nutrition for your body to rebuild itself stronger.

You can also do self massage with self myofascial release with foam rolls (SMFR). SMFR is like getting a massage.

The foam roller is one of the most effective techniques for releasing tension while improving mobility. Foam rolling exercises will release and organize your muscles, as well as release and align your skeletal system. Muscle injuries such as strains and tears and broken bones can be avoided with proper flexibility and skeletal alignment.

You'll immediately feel the effectiveness of SMFR and its something you can do every day at home.

Train hard and smart (recover)!

Be sure and download my FREE Power Workout Book and "10 Must Know Speed Training Tips!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

The Deadlift Exercise is a Must-Do

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:25:00 +0000

The deadlift exercise should be a part of your training program.

Courtesy: www.howtoincreaseweight.com

1) The deadlift 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!

Be sure and download my FREE Power Workout Book and "10 Must Know Speed Training Tips!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Baseball Strength, Power and Speed Offseason Training

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:34:00 +0000

Baseball strength, power and speed training begins in the offseason---if you want to be a successful player on your team.

If you don't have foundational strength and stability then that's where your training would start. You should not progress to more risky sport specific training exercises until you build your foundation.

During the offseason, you have adequate time to strength train and recover. Maximal strength is not the goal here. The baseball player's objective is to achieve adequate core strength and limb strength to aid in training for sport-specific power.

So, forget about lifting as much weight as you can (i.e., one-rep max) and concentrate on building full body strength and conditioning.

Exercises such as dumbbell bench press, squats, step-ups, rows, shoulder press, lunges, etc. are used. Also, every baseball player needs a strong shoulder/rotator cuff of the throwing arm. There are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize this area.

As for muscle growth, you will need a certain amount of muscle growth but not so much as to inhibit playing the game with fluidity. Power is more important to achieve.

Rate-of-force production or power (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general.

Power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that you have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Long distance running for position players should be limited. Too much long distance running decreases speed. You must train fast in order to get faster. A better alternative would be to do high intensity interval cardio training.

This type of cardio training would consist of rotating sprints and walking/jogging. A good example would be to sprint for 30 seconds and walk or jog for 1 minute. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. This type of cardio training has been proven to produce superior heart health and fat burning results.

Train hard and smart!

Sports Fitness Hut's All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual will show you how to improve your strength, power and explosiveness!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

7 Tips to Run Faster

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 06:12:00 +0000

Running speed is critical in many sports....some are born with more speed than others...One fact is true: you can improve your running speed no matter who you are!

The running mechanics are important to improve straight-ahead speed. Practice these mechanics every day! Strengthening your body (core included) will also help make you faster.

Here are 7 Tips to help you Run Faster:

1. There is one running technique that is often overlooked. One way to run faster is to apply more force to the ground with your feet. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The more force you apply to the ground, the more the ground will "give you power."

When you run, don't lift your knee past your "thigh being parallel" to the ground. This way, you will use your "power center" (glutes and hamstrings) to apply force to the ground instead of the less powerful hip flexors. In other words, running "with high knees" is not the best way to run. Also, step over the opposite knee and drive the foot down into the ground to create maximum force.

2. There is another running technique that is often overlooked. MAKE SURE YOUR FEET LAND UNDER YOUR HIPS (your center of gravity)! And, when the foot leaves the ground, it should follow a path straight up to the buttocks. It should not flail from side to side.

One of the most common running mistakes is overstriding. When you overstride, your heel lands first with your foot well ahead of your body's center of gravity. This causes "braking" and slows you down. Its also a good way to get injured. The heel should never touch the ground when you run.

3. This may sound elementary (and it is) but pump your arms as fast as you can (with control) when you run. If I see 10 athletes run on a given day, chances are that all 10 will not be pumping their arms correctly. And, some will not be pumping their arms at all! Pumping your arms allows you to use your upper body to run faster with more power. And, when you get tired, pumping your arms can help you maintain your speed.

Use your shoulders (and not the elbows) to pump your arms as fast as possible. Your hands should be relaxed in unballed fists with the front hand rising up to about nose level and the back hand passing the buttocks.

Move each arm as one piece with the elbow bent at 90 degrees (drive elbows down and back). Arm action should be straight forward, up and down and never flailing side to side. Drive the lead arm (same as front leg) up as you begin your sprint (this helps acceleration).

4. This is a real tough technique to master when it comes to running faster: RELAX!! That's right, relax and you will run faster. Actually, you will do any activity better if you will just relax. Here are some pointers to help you relax your running style:

a. Do a dynamic warmup before your workout or game. A dynamic warmup will prepare your body best for practice or games. Do static stretches after your workout or game (when muscles are warm) to increase your range of motion.

b. Make sure your "power center" is flexible. An athlete's "power center" consists of the glutes, hips, quadriceps and hamstrings.

c. Your hip flexors need to flexible. Tight hip flexors cause many problems, including problems with your glutes and hamstrings.

Check out my eBook, "Sports Fitness Hut's Hips and Glutes Training Guide for Athletes!"

d. When you run, remember to relax your face, shoulders, arms and torso. You want your body to work like a "well oiled machine."

5. You have to train fast to get faster! This might sound simple but how many times have you seen coaches have their players run "sprints" after practice. That IS NOT speed training---that is general conditioning!

You can only run full speed when your body has recovered. That means you need adequate rest between sprints in order to run each one at full speed. About 1 minute of rest is needed for every 10 yards sprinted. Coaches, instead of having your players run sprints after practice, make sure that they practice at full speed during practice and drills.

And, a better tactic would be to run sprints before practice when your player are fresher (they would still need adequate recovery between sprints). Metabolic training and speed endurance training is also important for athletes.

The same holds true for plyometric exercises such as squat jumps. These drills need to be done at full speed with adequate recovery time between sets. Drills like squat jumps help improve speed and power.

6. You need enough lower body strength to enhance your speed and power. Here are a few tips:

Strengthen and condition your hips, glutes, thighs and hamstrings. These groups make up your athletic "power center."

"Powerize" your running with exercises like power step ups and squat jumps. Other single leg exercises like lunges are great because single leg exercises use the same pathways that it takes to run.

Make squats, deadlifts, good mornings, glute/ham drops and hang cleans regular exercises in your routine.

Strengthen your core every day. Exercises like planks, side planks and bridges can be done every day. A strong core is important for speed endurance.

How much lower body strength do you need to develop optimum power and speed? A male should be able to squat his body weight 8-10 times and a female should be able to squat about 75% of her body weight 8-10 times. If you are not able to squat, then you should be able to leg press about 1.5 times your body weight 8-10 times.

It doesn't help you to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports.

7. Core training is critical for improving your running speed. Here are the basics:

1. Slow to Fast
2. Known to Unknown
3. Stable to Controlled to Dynamic
4. Low Force to High Force
5. Correct Execution to Increased Intensity

You can start at the highest level of core stabilization training that you can control.

The dimensions of core stabilization training are:

Stabilization - The core exercises at this level involve little joint motion and are designed to provide optimum neuromuscular control. An example would be the plank on elbows:

Strength - At this level of core training, isometric exercises are replaced with dynamic, multi-planar and multi-dimensional exercises with the full range of motion. An example would be the ball back extension:

Power - At this level, sport-specific core exercises are used in all 3 planes of motion with the entire contraction velocity spectrum (different speeds). An example would be the medicine ball throw:

Many times, its practicing the "little things" that make you faster and better!

Be sure and download my FREE Power Workout Book and "10 Must Know Speed Training Tips!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Top 3 Tips to Improve Explosive Athletic Power

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:05:00 +0000

Its easy to notice how explosive athletes are in sports like football, basketball and baseball. You have to train explosively to improve your explosive power. Genetics plays a part but hard work also figures in the equation.

One of the best physical predictors of success in sports is your "rate-of-force production" or how fast your muscles can produce force (power).

Here are my Top 3 Tips to Improve Your Explosive Power:

1. The number one reason that you don't reach your explosive power potential is a weak core area. The saying "you are only as strong as your weakest link" is true in the case of the human body.

The majority of powerful athletic movements are either initiated or transfer through your body's core area. Many sports injuries can also be linked to a weak core area.

Most athletic core exercises should be performed in a standing position since most athletic movements are on your feet. These exercises will also involve the important hip stabilizer muscles and not just the abdominals. A great full-body core exercise is the medicine ball rotational throw (pictured below).

The core exercises should be multi-planar, multi-dimensional and progressive. Many athletic movements involve twisting, rotating, turning, etc.

2. Functional training should be a huge part of an athlete's strength and conditioning program. Or, stated another way, you should train for the sport(s) you will play (train movements, not just muscles). Some traditional training techniques have not focused on functional training.

Your body needs to be stabilized and strengthened before progressing to high-speed power exercise programs. If this is not done, you are headed for certain injury when more intense exercises are introduced.

Improve your total body strength, especially leg strength. Overall strength training (including core training) is needed to stabilize joints, build muscle, correct postural problems and improve flexibility.

A male should be able to squat his body weight 8-10 times and a female should be able to squat about 75% of her body weight 8-10 times. If you are not able to squat, then you should be able to leg press about 1.5 times your body weight 8-10 times.

Many young athletes are progressed too fast by coaches/trainers to "more glamourous" plyometric exercises! Along the same lines, athletes should perform an exercise correctly before progressing to power exercises.

The exercises should also constantly challenge and improve (progressive) your athletic ability.

3. Improve your explosive power. Often overlooked are team practices. It is important that you practice fast and explosively preparing for games.

Explosive weight lifting will improve your power and set you apart from your athletic competitors. Make your total body more explosive.

Just as you can do medicine ball exercises, plyometric exercises and light dumbbell exercises explosively, you can also lift heavier weights explosively.

Lifting weights explosively is an advanced form of exercise and shouldn't be done by beginners or youngsters. Your body should have the needed stabilization and strength before beginning explosive lifts.

It doesn't help you improve as an athlete to continually get stronger if power development is not there also.

Research has proven that only lifting heavy weights at a moderate or slow pace will not improve your explosive power.

Plyometrics, upper and lower body, help you to increase leg power and arm power.

Improving your quickness and agility will also enhance your explosive power.

In many instances, quickness is more important than straight ahead speed. In many sports, maximum speed is rarely reached or needed, but explosive reaction is often necessary. You can improve reaction times by training to make the right choices (choice reaction).

Reaction time is the ability to respond quickly with proper posture and control to a stimulus such as sound or sight.

How many times have you seen a player with "not great speed" repeatedly make plays to help the team win. This is not an accident. You can improve your change-of-direction speed with proper training. Read my post that discusses change-of-direction speed in detail.

Improve your quickness and agility in these ways:

a) As with any athletic move, core strength is critical. Overall body strength is also important.

Before you begin to train for speed and power, the foundation should be laid with sufficient core and body strength.

b) Body positioning is critical if you want to improve your change-of-direction speed. You will need dynamic balance. In many sports, it is not that easy to change direction and accelerate because the athlete is often off balance.

Some sports, such as football and basketball require running with or bouncing a ball. And, other sports, such as soccer require moving a ball with the feet. The best running backs, tennis players, basketball players, shortstops, etc. all have great dynamic balance.

Having great dynamic balance means that you are able to maintain your center of gravity over a constantly changing base of support. Thus, quickness and agility drills help you to improve dynamic balance and change-of-direction acceleration while not wasting motion.

c) To improve change-of-direction acceleration, you should have a shin angle of approximately 45 degrees for the first few steps. Your shoulders should also be slightly leaned forward.

The body lean should be at the ankles and not the hips. Having the feet just wider than shoulder-width apart will give you the most stable base of support. This is not always possible during athletic competition.

Therefore, stability needs to be added by lowering the center of gravity. Change-of-direction acceleration could be laterally, at an angle or forward (when back pedaling) and will catapult you to near maximal speed quickly.

The first step in the change-of-direction is important. If this step is too long, you will over-stride and bring the shin to a vertical angle instead of 45 degrees. This will slow you down. So, the first step should be under your hips. Again, the body lean should be at ankles and not the hips.

Improving your coordination will help improve your multi-directional speed and linear speed (straight-ahead speed). A player rarely reaches maximum speed during game competition.

Having great change-of-direction speed (agility with quickness) allows you to beat your opponent "to the spot" or recover from mistakes in positioning.

Improve your quickness and agility with these drills and then apply them during your movements in team practices:

---jump rope (one foot, two feet, slalom, Ali shuffle, backpedal)

---speed ladder drills

---cariocas, tapiocas, back pedals, shuffles, toe taps

---hip turn and hip flexibility drills (like leg swings)

Work hard to improve your explosive power! It will make you more successful!

Get your copy of "Sports Fitness Hut's Hips and Glutes Training Guide for Athletes"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Power Running Technique Improves Speed

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:40:00 +0000

Run faster by applying more force to the ground when you run. The more force you apply to the ground, the more the ground will "give you power."

You have to train correctly to improve your running speed. Its not magic tricks, its hard work done the right way--again and again and again.

You can improve your running speed no matter who you are! Fact is, you won't be your best until you can run as fast as you can.

First, you should practice the running mechanics every day to improve your running efficiency and straight-ahead speed.

Second, continually strengthen your body (core included). You can't reach your running speed potential with a weak body.

Apply more force to the ground with your feet. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Again, the more force you apply to the ground, the more the ground will "give you power."

When you run, don't lift your knee past your "thigh being parallel" to the ground. This way, you will use your "power center" (glutes and hamstrings) to apply force to the ground instead of the less powerful hip flexors.

In other words, running "with high knees" is not the best way to run. Also, step over the opposite knee and drive the foot down into the ground to create maximum force.

Practice this technique to help you run faster!

Need more sports training tips? Subscribe to my Sports Performance Tips eNewsletter and get my:

--Free Report, "10 'Must Know' Speed Training Tips" and
--Free Power Workout Book!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Athletic Short Bursts and Strength Workouts

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:35:00 +0000

Short bursts of power and strength are critical for athletes in speed sports. Its not always how fast you are but how fast you can get to a spot. You will rarely reach maximum speed during a game.

Use my Free 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts to improve your explosive power. Short, effective workouts are better than long, tiring workouts. Its important to do these exercises at full speed when you are fresh.

If you have weak structures supporting your ankles, knees, low back, hips, elbows and shoulders, your power potential will suffer. And, you are headed for avoidable injuries.

Here are some general steps to take to improve your explosive power:

1. Bodyweight and dumbbell exercises are great for stabilizing your joint structures and core. For example, if your right leg is significantly stronger than your left leg, you cannot compensate for the weaker leg.

It will be forced to "catch up in strength" to the right leg. These exercises will also prepare your body for heavier weights and intense plyometric and speed exercises.

2. Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you (to improve explosive power).

3. The core muscles are very important in preventing low back pain and stabilizing the shoulder girdle and hip structures. A strong and stable core will maximize your extremity strength (limbs) and explosive power. If your core is weak, you will not effectively transfer power from your legs to your upper body.

A core strengthening program involves using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating specific joints as in most weight lifting exercises, core stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

4. You can improve the ankle's joint proprioception (position sense) and dynamic joint stability with balance training. Doing one-legged balance exercises will accomplish this goal.

One-leg balancing on foam pads or disks for 4-5 minutes (each leg) is a great exercise. Other great exercises are lunges, single-leg squats, step ups and medicine ball rotations on one leg.

5. You will need to strengthen your knees and ligaments around them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump. The deep knee bend exercise is good for this purpose.

Work hard and smart to succeed in your sport!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Why Glutes and Hamstrings Conditioning is Critical

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:05:00 +0000

There are few injuries as bothersome and harder to recover from than glutes and hamstring injuries. Prevention of these injuries is the best solution.

Weak glutes and hamstrings can lead to other serious injuries. For example, female athletes tend to have weaker hamstrings because they use their quadriceps muscles more while walking and running.

This means females use their strong quadriceps muscles and do not adequately activate their weak hamstrings. The hamstring muscle group acts to protect the anterior cruciate knee ligament (ACL) and the opposing quadricep muscle group places stress on the ACL. Therefore, quadricep dominant muscle work demonstrated by any athlete places excessive stress (and many times serious injury) on the ACL.

Every athlete runs a higher risk of serious knee injury when the quadriceps are significantly stronger than the hamstrings. The best prevention for hamstring injuries and hamstring-related injuries are adequate flexibility and strength.

You are also at risk of a hamstring injury when the gluteus maximus doesn't fire properly. When the hip flexors are tight, they cause weakness in the gluteus maximus.

This often leads to the hamstrings doing the work that the gluteus maximus should be doing. And, since the hamstrings are not equipped to handle this type of workload, injury to the hamstrings is the result. Therefore, it is critical to have flexible hip flexors. Below is a good hip flexor stretch:

Try these flexibility and strength exercises for your hamstrings:

Hamstring Flexibility - walking lunges, resistance band eccentric stretch and static stretch (static stretch should be done after workout or game).

Hamstring Strength - lying or standing hamstring machine curl, deadlift, good morning exercise (with or without weights) and glute/ham raises.

Great athletes dominate dynamic movements with the hips, glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings. Lateral speed is particularly created and maintained by the strength of the glutes and hips.

There are a host of injuries that arise when your hips are tight causing your glutes to not fire properly.

When your glutes (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus) don't fire properly, you can count on hamstring injuries. The hamstrings are left to do the work that your glutes (mainly gluteus maximus) should be doing.

The glutes don't fire properly when the hip flexors (psoas, iliacus, tensor fascia latae, etc.) are overactive or tight. This can happen due to poor flexibility or prolonged sitting. When the hip flexors don't work properly, its antagonist (mainly the gluteus maximus) becomes weak.

This is known as reciprocal inhibition (when muscles on one side of a joint become tight or overactive, it shuts down the muscles on the other side of the joint). When a prime mover (such as the gluteus maximus) becomes weak, other muscles (synergists) take over the function that the prime mover should be doing.

In this case, the synergists would be the hamstrings. Some other injuries that occur because of inactive glutes are piriformis syndrome, knee ACL tears and low back injuries.

Flexibility in all areas is crucial for your athletic success. The glutes/hips area cannot be left out of the flexibility puzzle. Jogging for 5 minutes is not enough. Specific flexibility and strength exercises for the glutes/hips area are needed.

The stretches are listed as follows (use self myofascial release with foam roller before doing these stretches):

1. Hip Flexor Stretch
2. Quadriceps Stretch
3. Bodyweight Lateral Lunges (for adductors)

Then, you need to activate (fire up) your glutes with these exercises:

1. Glute Bridge
2. Opposite Leg Opposite Arm Raise (Birddog)
3. Glute Kickbacks

Lastly, exercise the fired up glutes/hips with these exercises:

1. Bodyweight squats
2. Lateral tube walks
3. Dumbbell walking lunges and dumbbell lateral lunges
4. Step Ups on Knee High Platform

Don't undertrain or inadequately train your glutes and hamstrings!

Get your copy of "Sports Fitness Hut's Hips and Glutes Training Guide for Athletes"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Lateral Speed Improves Playing Speed

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:59:00 +0000

To improve your playing speed, you should focus on straight-ahead speed, lateral speed and agility (deceleration, stabilization, acceleration and change of direction with proper posture, strength and balance) and quickness (reaction time without hesitation).

Other important components of playing speed are speed strength, speed endurance and proper mechanics. Speed strength is a combination of starting speed, explosive speed (maximum velocity in the shortest time) and reactive speed.

Speed endurance is the ability to maintain maximum velocity or a percentage of maximum velocity for a prolonged period of time or in a fatigued state. Proper mechanics allows you to run with efficiency and is a product of posture, arm action and leg action.

Some sports, such as football require more power, explosion, reaction and lateral speed. A sport like soccer requires more endurance speed with the ability to mix in sprints during game action. You should emphasize your training for the types of speed needed in your sport.

Some important exercises to incorporate in your exercise programs are lateral lunges (with or without dumbbells), lateral bounding, lateral step ups (with or without dumbbells) and lateral shuffles (with or without resistance).

Straight-line speed is important but so is lateral speed and agility in sports. The athlete has to move quickly and efficiently from linear to lateral positions (and back again) many times during a practice or game.

The lateral lunge forces the athlete to decelerate movement through one hip at a time, placing greater emphasis on the gluteals and hamstrings. It trains the athlete 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.

Lateral bounding is a progression from lateral lunges that requires the athlete to practice lateral movement at game-time speed.

Do not progress to full-speed lateral bounding until the proper mechanics are achieved with lateral lunges. One common mechanical breakdown is when the knees protrude far in front of the feet when decelerating, landing or squatting. This puts undue stress on the knees and often causes injury.

Lateral shuffles (with or without resistance) also work well to train correct lateral movement. Lateral shuffles without resistance can be practiced at game-time speed.

Lateral step ups emphasize development of the athlete's hips, quadriceps (especially outer) and glutes.

Any serious athletic exercise program would be incomplete without these exercises. They can be performed as strength or power (high speed) moves.

Get your copy of "Sports Fitness Hut's Hips and Glutes Training Guide for Athletes"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

8 Types of Strength for Sports Performance

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:00:00 +0000

What type of strength do you as an athlete need to perform at a high level? No, you don't need to win a strong man contest, but you do need a certain amount of strength to enhance your power and speed....so, here it is......

Here are 8 Types of Strength you may need for performance at a high level of competition:

1. Optimum Strength – The ideal level of strength needed to perform in your sport. Continually getting stronger will not continually increase your power. Every athlete needs this level of strength.

2. Relative Strength – It is the maximum force that you can generate per unit of bodyweight regardless of the rate-of-force production. Wrestlers, football players (especially linemen) and rugby players need high levels of relative strength.

3. Maximal Strength – The maximum force that your muscles can produce in a single voluntary effort regardless of the rate-of-force production. Maximal strength is rarely needed during sports competition.

4. Limit Strength – The maximum force that your muscles can produce in a single contraction. A few elite athletes have this type of strength.

5. Endurance Strength – The ability to produce and maintain force over an extended period of time. This type of strength is critical for athletic success.

6. Stabilization Strength – The ability of your body’s stabilizing muscles to provide dynamic joint stabilization and maintain postural control during athletic movements. Core strength would fall within this category. Many athletic injuries can be traced to inadequate core strength. No athlete will be successful without this type of strength.

7. Speed Strength – The ability of the neuromuscular system to produce the greatest possible force in the shortest period of time (power). Obviously, every athlete wants and needs this type of strength. While it is very important, other types of strength cannot be ignored.

8. Functional Strength – The athlete should train movements during strength training sessions. Producing dynamic, multi-planar eccentric, concentric and isometric contractions quickly and efficiently is the goal of training for functional strength.

Do your strength training in all 3 planes of motion.

Strength train your muscles with all contraction types (eccentric, isometric, concentric). All muscles function eccentrically (reduces force or deceleration), isometrically (stabilizes force) and concentrically (produces force). Eccentric contractions are able to produce the most tension development followed by isometric contractions and lastly, concentric contractions.

If eccentric contractions are able to produce the greatest tension development, then more time should be devoted during training for eccentric contractions to reduce the risk of injuries such as knee ACL tears. Also, strong eccentric contractions are critical for athletes to produce maximal power since all force production (concentric) must be preceded by force reduction (eccentric).

So, where do you stack up when it comes to types of strength? You can't just show up at the gym and do any kind of workout! Train for the types strength you will need to compete and win!

Train hard and smart!

Subscribe to my Sports Performance Tips eNewsletter and get my Free Power Workout Book and Free Book, "10 'Must Know' Speed Training Tips!"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

High-Powered Baseball Offseason Training

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:24:00 +0000

You need to make the most improvements to your baseball strength, power and speed in the offseason. If you wait until 2-3 weeks before the season starts, it is too late.

Many young baseball players are too busy playing year-round and don't get in needed strength, speed and power training (that's a hint to dads and select coaches)!

If you don't have foundational strength and stability then that's where your training would start. You should not progress to more risky sport specific training exercises until you build your foundation.

During the offseason, you have adequate time to strength train and recover. Maximal strength is not the goal here. The baseball player's objective is to achieve adequate core strength and limb strength to aid in training for sport-specific power.

So, forget about lifting as much weight as you can (i.e., one-rep max) and concentrate on building full body strength and conditioning.

Exercises such as dumbbell bench press, squats, step-ups, rows, shoulder press, lunges, etc. are used. Also, every baseball player needs a strong shoulder/rotator cuff of the throwing arm. There are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize this area.

As for muscle growth, you will need a certain amount of muscle growth but not so much as to inhibit playing the game with fluidity. Power is more important to achieve.

Rate-of-force production or power (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general.

Power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that you have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Long distance running for position players should be limited. Too much long distance running decreases speed. You must train fast in order to get faster. A better alternative would be to do high intensity interval cardio training.

This type of cardio training would consist of rotating sprints and walking/jogging. A good example would be to sprint for 30 seconds and walk or jog for 1 minute. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. This type of cardio training has been proven to produce superior heart health and fat burning results.

Train hard and smart!

Sports Fitness Hut's All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual will show you how to improve your strength, power and explosiveness!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

6 Speed Training Fundamentals for Athletes

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:09:00 +0000

You need more running speed to succeed? Master the basic speed training fundamentals before progressing to advanced speed training drills.

Here are 6 speed training fundamentals you need to work on:

1. Straight-ahead speed is important but there are other types of speed such as starting speed, acceleration speed, top-end speed, change-of-direction speed, stopping speed, closing speed and speed endurance.

You should train for all types of speed particular to your sport. Quickness, which is reacting explosively without hesitation should also be trained for and will enhance your overall speed.

2. Your body needs adequate strength (including core strength) and speed strength (power) for you to reach your running speed potential.

3. Master bodyweight speed drills before progressing to assisted or weight-bearing speed drills.

4. You need to master the basic running mechanics to become faster. Posture, arm action and leg action are keys to improving your speed.

5. Running alone will not give you the leg strength you will need to improve your running speed. You should strengthen your legs with exercises like squats, step ups and lunges because these exercises use the same pathways that it takes to run with speed.

Don't worry about leg extensions too much because the quadriceps will get plenty of work with other exercises. Instead, focus on strengthening the hamstrings with exercises like hamstring curls, straight-leg deadlifts and good mornings.

The quadriceps shouldn't be significantly stronger than the hamstrings. If so, you are headed for injuries such as knee ACL tears. And, don't forget about your calf muscles.

The calf muscles provide at least 30% of the strength and power it takes to run fast. Use calf raises (seated or standing) to strengthen the calves.

6. You have to train fast to get faster! Too much distance running will defeat your goal of improving your speed. When training for speed, distance running should be kept to a minimum because it reduces explosiveness.

You can condition for your sport by doing metabolic training, which is training that closely mimics your game-time competition.

Train hard, smart and expect success!

Go here now and get your Free Sports Power Workout Book and Speed Training Tips!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Top 5 Sports Power Training Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 06:09:00 +0000

Bigger, stronger with more Power! That's the combination you want....improving your speed strength will also make you faster.

Power and dynamic balance are the two best physical predictors of athletic success. Power is defined as the ability to exert maximum force in the shortest amount of time (rate-of-force production).

Sports power can be trained for and improved. There is a point at which increasing strength will not result in an increase in power.

Here are my Top 5 Sports Power Training Goals:

1. Improve the excitability, sensitivity and reactivity of the neuromuscular system.

2. Improve the rate-of-force production.

3. Increase motor-unit recruitment.

4. Increase motor-unit firing frequency.

5. Increase motor-unit synchronization.

Sports power training teaches you how to activate the right muscles (prime movers and synergists) at the right time. Sports power training also provides you with optimal neuromuscular efficiency.

It doesn't help you to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports.

Plyometric exercises help you to increase leg power and arm power. Traditional barbell and dumbbell strength exercises do not allow you to move at the speeds necessary to improve power. Strength training gives you the muscular and nervous system development needed to develop optimal power.

So how does plyometrics work (Integrated Performance Paradigm)? Primarily through the use of two components: 1) elasticity of the muscles and 2) the stretch shortening cycle.

Plyometric exercises always follow the same order: a landing phase, an amortization phase and the take off. The landing phase starts when the muscles start an eccentric contraction. The rapid eccentric contraction stretches the elastic component of the muscle and activates the stretch reflex.

A high level of eccentric strength is needed during the landing phase. Inadequate strength will result in a slow rate of stretch and less activation of the stretch reflex. The amortization phase, the time on the ground, is the most important part of a plyometric exercise.

It represents the time between the landing and the take off and is critical for power development. If the amortization phase is too long, the stretch reflex is lost and there is no plyometric effect. The take off is the concentric contraction that follows the landing. During this phase the stored elastic energy is used to increase jump height and explosive power.

Plyometrics represent high intensity training, placing great stress on the bones, joints, and connective tissue. While plyometrics can improve an athlete’s speed, power, and performance, they also place her or him at greater risk of injury than less intense training exercises.

It is important to perform the exercises correctly before implementation of full-speed exercises. Jumping and landing techniques should be mastered by the athlete. Exercises should also be performed on safe surfaces such as rubber mats, sprung floors, grass or sand. Concrete or other similar hard surfaces expose the athlete to injury.

The athlete should have good core strength and lower body strength to enhance the plyometric effect and reduce chances of injury.

The training exercises should mimic the movements in your sport (mechanical, physiological and metabolic similarity).

Training progressions should follow this path:

1. Simple to Complex
2. Stable to Unstable
3. Body Weight Exercises to Resistance Exercises
4. Low Loads to High Loads

Signs of over-training include:

1. Prolonged foot contact with the ground
2. Lack of control
3. Decreased vertical height or horizontal distance
4. Longer rest periods are needed by the athlete

Safety concerns during plyometric training are:

1. Proper footwear for the athlete
2. Proper training surfaces (hard surfaces should be avoided)
3. Program design and supervision by a fitness professional

There are literally dozens of plyometric drills and exercises that can be tailored to your sport and position played. Bigger, faster and stronger! Every athlete wants this to happen. Don't rush the strength and power building process!

Go here now and get your Free Sports Power Workout Book and Speed Training Tips!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

10 Minute Sports Fitness Workouts

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:39:00 +0000

Get more fit for the sport you are playing. You will enjoy the game more and perform better.....who wants to be out-of-shape, slow and cramped up?!

Use my Free 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts to improve your explosive power. Short, effective workouts are better than long, tiring workouts. Its important to do these exercises at full speed when you are fresh.

Football Lineman Squat Jumps Improves Speed and Power

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Football linemen need powerful legs to ignite a power surge. Squat jumps will help you improve your explosive power and speed. Football linemen usually play the game in a 5-15 yard area. So, explosive power in tight spaces is critical, especially for defensive linemen.

You can train to improve your power and speed acceleration. Squat jumps (bodyweight squat jumps should be mastered first) will start you on the right path to improve your power surge. Just descend into your squat, swing your arms back and forward, jump straight 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 squat jumps. Read this post about jumping and landing techniques.

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

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Football Lineman Long Jumps Improves Power

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:13:00 +0000

Football linemen should do the standing long jump to improve explosive leg power surges.

The NFL Combine uses the standing long jump as one of its test for athletes. Football linemen usually play the game in a 5-15 yard area. So, explosive power in tight spaces is critical, especially for defensive linemen.

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.

Need more sports training tips? Subscribe to my Sports Performance Tips eNewsletter and get my Free Sports Power Workout Book and "10 'Must Know' Speed Training Tips!"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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

Football Lineman Speed Acceleration

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dilworth, BA, PES) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:05:00 +0000

Football linemen need speed acceleration during short distance sprints. Football linemen typically run 5-15 yards during a play. So, the sprints must be explosive and powerful. And, the big fellas are often blocking and pushing against each other! Speed acceleration and leg power is critical.

Football linemen will often use blocking sleds to practice explosion against resistance. Short, unresisted sprints (10-20 meters) should also be used to train linemen. Training with towing sleds would come later.

Speed acceleration training with towing sleds is not the place to start when training for acceleration.....it is an advanced training method that can cause more harm than good if your body is not ready for it.

Speed acceleration is important because you rarely reach maximum running speed during a game. So, the lineman who can accelerate the quickest will make the plays or blocks that win games.

Greek researchers found that athletes training with towing methods (sleds, tires, etc.) improved their running velocity over the first 20 meters (i.e. acceleration) but that overall maximum speed did not improve. The researchers found that unresisted sprint training techniques improved maximum speed velocity more.

So, resisted and unresisted training has a place in the overall speed training program. Finally, the researchers found that towing sleds that were too heavy forced the athletes to use bad running mechanics.

So, for developing acceleration speed in the first 20 meters, towing methods teach you to drive force into the ground, use arm drive and overcome gravity and ground forces.

If you use a tow sled that is too heavy, it will affect your running mechanics. Start with a sled about 10% of your bodyweight. As you progress, you can use heavier sleds as long as your running mechanics are correct.

What's the take home lesson? Experienced athletes with enough strength and power should use speed acceleration training with towing sleds.

Need more sports training tips? Subscribe to my Sports Performance Tips eNewsletter and get my Free Sports Power Workout Book and "10 'Must Know' Speed Training Tips!"

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker 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! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

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