At Underground Fitness Athletes, our goal is to provide the highest level of knowledge, character, and dedication to our athletes. By training movements, not muscles, your body learns to directly apply your strength and power gains to the movements made during your sports. Underground Fitness Athletes will impact, lead, and mentor athletes of all ages and abilities, through sport specific performance training.
Friday, November 22, 2013
As a coach I never stop working.
Keep Working
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Heavy but fast = GREAT ATHLTES
Any sporting event that involves speed, quickness, and explosion will rely heavily on these Type II muscle fibers. By training with heavier weights we are heavily recruiting and training these muscle fibers. We are also able to convert a small amount of non type II muscle to these fast twitch muscle fibers allowing us to become more powerful and explosive.
When lifting heavy weights you also have to keep in mind move them fast. That means to use loads that are 50 to 60 % of your 1 rep max (RPM), AND NEVER LIFT TO FALIURE that teaches slow and athletes don't need that at all. Speed training, as you can see, provides more than a training means to develop a fast rate of force development. On speed day for squatting, the percentage will jump roughly 5%, causing the bar speed to change slightly, which will also combat accommodation, sometimes called the speed barrier.
I look at weights as fast weights and slow weights, not by the old fashioned terms “light” to build muscle mass and then later on “heavy” to build strength. Dr. Hatfield said no one can lift a heavy weight slow. Well said!
In a 3-week wave, the total volume will go up somewhat, with adding weight or accommodating resistance with bands or chains.On max effort day remember that after 3 weeks of the same exercise your progress will be retarded, but by switching the core exercises each week, this can be eliminated and progress can continue. So the bar speed is constantly changed weekly, either becoming faster or slower. After all, at a meet the first, second, and third attempt will move at different rates of speed as well.
Volume can be waved as well through special exercises for smaller muscles such as triceps, lats, and hamstrings. When starting a 3-week pendulum wave with new exercises, the unfamiliarity of these exercises will keep the volume somewhat small. But week after week they become easier, and bigger weights and of course more volume are attained. Again, this helps fight against accommodation. Training is very complex; it is not as simple as you may think. It must be well thought out to obtain your true potential.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Change makes athletes
-Louie Simmons
Friday, November 15, 2013
Jump to explosive strength
Strength is not measured in heavy or light weights. What is a heavy 300lb squat for a female sprinter would be light for a world class shot putter. So how can one weight be heavy and light? It can’t, but rather fast or slow. Strength is measured in velocities.
Explosive = fast velocity
Speed Strength = intermediate velocity
Strength Speed = low velocity
Isometric = zero velocity
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Hips in sports = total athlete
The abductors and adductors are critical for providing integrity of the hip joint and create a strong, balanced link between the lower body and the torso. They also need to be exercised through an entire range of motion. If you work these muscles only in one direction (forward and back) by walking, running or using common cardio machines then you are not building structural integrity of the hip, or the entire lower body.
These muscles, along with the quads and hamstrings, play an important role in allowing the patella (kneecap) to track properly as the knee joint bends. If the abductor and adductor muscles are not strong, flexible, and balanced, knee pain such as patellofemoral syndrome, and injury is more likely.
Strengthening and balancing the muscles that surround the knee can take the pressure off the joint and decrease the amount of total weight absorbed by the ligaments, meniscus and cartilage in the knee. Because the knee is a hinge joint and only moves in one direction, it's important to maintain both strength and stability.
The hip joint, on the other hand, is a ball and socket joint that works best when it has mobility as well as strength. The hip is a much more complicated joint, and needs to be exercised in a variety of directions, including rotation, in order to increase overall stability. If the muscles that support the hip joint (quadriceps, hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, and even the core muscles) are strong and allow appropriate mobility, the amount of pressure and wear and tear on the hip joint, as well as the knee joint, decreases.
The soft tissues of the body (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.) help maintain proper alignment of the bones during movement. If bones aren't properly aligned when they move through a range of motion, there can be a great deal of friction, a lack of stability, decreased mobility and compromised function. This can set an athlete up for a variety of injuries.
The best way to maintain biomechanical integrity during movement is with the proper balance of strength and flexibility around the joint. Muscles work in pairs (extensors and flexors) and maintaining the proper balance of strength in these muscle pairs can go a long way to prevent joint pain and injury.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Kids are the only thing in some coaches life they can control
Sports and kids is it still fun?
Wanting to be excellent at something is a great goal, but when coaches and parents push too hard, kids can get overly worried or push themselves too hard physically, leading to injuries. Some kids may even go on unhealthy diets to lose weight or gain weight to be better at their sport. With all this pressure in the air, there have been some awful incidents involving parents and coaches who have ended up yelling and fighting with each other. How uncomfortable for the players!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Little Steps are Big Results
Friday, September 27, 2013
Athletic Movement
Children and being prepared fo sports
Sunday, September 22, 2013
FREE, Wait Did You Say Free??
Friday, September 20, 2013
Power Is The Function Of Strength And Speed
You know the saying. Speed kills! In all sport skills speed of movement is a desirable commodity. Along with the "feel for the game" and "mental toughness" sport coaches are in search of athletes with great speed. It is the duty of the strength coach to develop all athletic qualities, especially speed of movement. As you can see in the above formula an increase in speed of movement (decrease in time) results in an increase in power. This is important for the athlete due to his/her own bodyweight, gravity, opponent's resistance and weighted implements and other resistances that athletes must deal with in competition. Increasing speed of movement with the same mass lifted improves power. Increasing mass lifted and maintaining the speed of movement will increase power. The less time it takes to move a mass a certain distance the higher the power output. By effectively using explosive lifts, squatting movements, medicine balls, agility drills, sled pulls, sled drives, bleacher sprints, kettlebells and speed drills you can greatly increase the potential for developing powerful athletes in sport. The power clean, hang clean, power snatch, hang snatch and jerk are the lifts with the highest potential for developing powerful athletes. No other lifts even come close. Olympic lifters, on average, have the highest vertical jumps of all other athletes (36"-42"), along with Olympic sprinters, and are the fastest of all athletes in a 25-meter sprint. The Olympic lifters perform predominately explosive lifts and deep front and back squats in their training.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
What's In Your Protein Powder?
I have recently started drinking more protein shakes because 1) I am a very busy momma 2) my company sell the protein powder and 3) it is convient. I could go on about health and the body but that will come later.
While researching for some other moms about proteins and their kids whom are athletes I came across some fairly startling research. I shouldn't be surprised but I was when I read this. Consumerlab.com bought, tested and analyzed the quality of 17 different protein based product. These 17 different types of proteins are what consumers buy for body building to weight management. Products we would buy from our local stores to feed ourselves and our children.
Here is what the "surprise" was some of these tested positive for lead (exceeded the recommended allowed amount we can consume daily). Some contained a lot more carbohydrates or cholestrol than advertised on the container or even less protein that they claimed was in it. Hello!! What is wrong with this picture? What happened to being responsible in our production and labeling of consumable products? A total of 5 out of 17 got a label from this lab as "Buyer Beware" or not approved due to what the label claims and actual ingredients were not matching up. Consumerlab then sent these 5 out to other independent labs for further analysis.
Why this would be a problem for us. Let's start with less protein listed if it's not protein in the powder then what it is? One product actually had 16 fewer grams of protein that's almost 70% less than they claimed on the label. This same product had 16 grams of carbohydrates including 3 extra grams of sugar. See it had to have something else in it.
Next is lead, heavy metals build up in our bodies and create a lot of health problems for us. Those metals do not come out naturally, they store up in our bodies unless you detox or cleanse them out safely. One of these 5 had a total of 12.7 micrograms of lead per scoop. Problem is when they call for 2 or more scoops a day this will exceed our safe consumable amount.
Another one of the 5 had claimed to have had 0, zero amount of cholestrol in it. Not the case, it has a whopping 10.2 mg of it in a scoop!!! Wow!!
So let me get on my soapbox here for a second please. Educate yourself!! Before you go buy! If you are intrested educate yourself then test the "experts" you know and see if they know what they are talking about. I'm not being biased here but I will give you a solution to your problem if you want clean, nutritious protein powder. I love our isagenix product, I give it to our kids and our one year old. That is how confident I am that it is pure they have a "no compromise" policy. IF our label states 24 grams of protein, goodness that's what is in there. OK enough of my soapbox....
I say it over and over when I learned how to eat right and fuel my body the pounds started falling off me and I have tons of energy. I think you might be surprised how many pesticides are allowed in our food. Not only on our fruit and vegetables but everything. Our food supply has changed and therefore how our bodies are reacting is changing. More health problems, more chronic illnesses, obesity, and even cancer.
Much love,
Nik
http://undergroundfitness.isagenix.com
Friday, July 26, 2013
Want the Most Out of Your Sports Performance
Why protein? Protein is a major building block to help repair and build your muscles. It is a power house, the fuel for your strength, power and endurance. This one little thing can bring a huge change to your playing abilities. Why? Our bodies don't store protein well so we need continual replacement for repairing our muscles breaking down and building the new muscle tissue up. I can assure you our meal replacements are high in protein, balanced with healthy amounts of carbohydrates and fats as well as vitamins and minerals.
One or two hours after a workout or training is when your muscles need protein the most. The body is acutally craving protein for muscle recovery. A protein that is high in branched amino acids (BCAA) is the highest on your body's list of wants. The amino acids in our blood plasma is what will support the muscle recovery and growth. Whey protein is rich in BCAA's, an excellent source to add to your post workout recovery.
In our athletes pack we offer IsaPro Whey Protein (one scoop) + Isalean Shake (one and half scoops) provides a whopping 35 grams of protein per serving. This extra protein along with the nutrients in our shake will pack a very powerful punch for our muscles. You can also add a little fruit or one of our other recipes and you will begin to look, feel and see a difference!!! Consistency is key with everything in life, stick with a routine and you get results.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Nutrition Plan for Football
2. Swallow fluids; don’t spit.
3. Drink, don’t pour on your head.
4. Do not over drink. Don’t come to a training session with a gallon jug of water. Consume fluid as the guidelines suggest: 20 oz one hour before; and during, consume based on your sweat rate (see below).
Maximum grams: 0.9 x body weight [pounds]
2. Keep track of the number of ounces of fluid you consume during exercise
3. Subtract your post-exercise weight from your preexercise weight, then convert it to ounces [16 ounces to a pound, so if you lose 2 pounds during exercise, you have lost 32 ounces.]
4. To get your hourly sweat rate, add the number of ounces of fluid lost to the number of ounces of fluid consumed. Divide the sum by the number of hours you exercised
Pre exercise weight = 190 pounds/ Post exercise weight = 187 pounds
Difference = 3 pounds [48 ounces]
Amount of fluid consumed during exercise = 20 ounces
Number of hours of practice = 2
• A few pieces of jerky and a handful of pretzels
• A peanut butter sandwich
• 2 large handfuls of trail mix
2 slices whole-grain toast with butter or margarine
1 slice ham
12 oz low fat milk or 8 oz yogurt
8 oz juice
12 oz water
5 slices lean meat [e.g., turkey, ham, lean roast beef or a packet of tuna]
1 slice cheese
1 piece fruit
Crackers, pretzels or baked chips [2 handfuls]
A granola bar or a low-fat muffin
12 oz water and 12 oz milk, juice or water
2C pasta, rice or potatoes, with some fat added
2C vegetables (cooked or in a salad) with some fat added
1C light ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, sorbet or pudding
12 oz milk or juice
20 oz water
Monday, July 15, 2013
Our Young Athletes Nutrition
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Do You Have A Mom Body?
What in the world is a mom body? I myself a mom of 3 kids and 2 step-children I often feel like I have a moms body. My definition of a mom body is you are just getting by day to day. There is no exercise other than what you can squeeze in (usually doing laundry, chasing after the kids, housework). There are no more hair appointments to get your highlights done and no nail appointments to treat yourself to something pretty. That added baby weight is something you want off now not nine more months down the road. You want to have a body more toned and healthier but what you see is a child or baby attached to yourself. Does this happen to you? You make an appointment and it interferes with baby sleeping or you have too much to get done? I don’t know about you but when I had a newborn it was a big accomplishment to get into the shower by 5pm some days.
So what can we do about this mom’s body? Small things everyday will lead to bigger changes down the road. I have heard many moms talk first about the baby weight they gained during the pregnancy. Well let’s see if we feel like we don’t have the time to exercise then the next easiest thing to do is look at what we are putting in our mouth still. Do we really need that ice cream, pizza, cheeseburger, candy we craved during the pregnancy still? When I got pregnant with my son I gained over 60 pounds, I ate everything and this tiny 5’7” frame could hold the majority of it but I looked different after he was born. I wasn’t the way I looked before I got pregnant and it bothered me like a knat at a picnic. I felt tired, I felt down on myself, and my thoughts should not have been on my weight but on my life as a whole. I began to look at my hand to mouth habits and found ways to cut out the extras to get rid of the extra on me. My biggest find was I was addicted to those yummy mochas (I still am by the way) but I was drinking 2 or 3 venti white mochas a day. Do you have any idea how much sugar is in those things? Sugar always turns to fat cells when we have too much for our body to process. I began getting grande’s instead of venti’s, non -fat instead of whole milk and NO whip cream. In a month I dropped 10 pounds just changing this habit!! Score! I remember being so excited to see results without even having to exercise. I began to cut out or back on even more, no fast food I convinced myself it made me sick every time I put it in my mouth. I cut back on my pizza intake and instead of every week we had it once a month. I drank more water, this is a huge key!! Not only did it improve my weight loss it improved my mood, I had more energy, I could think clearly, water was a huge lifesaver for me after pregnancy. I was never a big water drinker but that changed.
I also made a chart for myself, an accountability chart that worked wonders. I have always been driven at seeing results and it makes me work harder. Like when you get upset and you start to spring clean the house you are seeing results in front of you immediately so it gives you an improved feeling. On this chart I had basically the food pyramid broken down in categories. For example, I would have on one line veggies 3 servings today, fruit 3 servings today, and water 5 glasses today. I then had lines for exercise such as stretching 5 times a week, cardio 3 times a week, and some weights twice a week. This jump started my little mom body into action. I began to have more energy and began finding the time to make my appointments for my hair and nails. The baby and toddlers magically slept during them or were in pre-school so I had the time to do for myself.
As a mom we often put everyone in the household first and ourselves last. Then often we begin to feel bad about ourselves and let ourselves go. We no longer care if our hair is in a ponytail every day, or our roots begin to grow out or we wear sweats to cover us up. I suggest you start to put yourself first starting today. Do something small for yourself like stretch your muscles or drink an extra glass of water, this will lead you to more. The better you feel the more you will get done for yourself and others every day. Your family will see the benefits to a happy momma and they will benefit also. You teach your children by example and they will soon follow what you are doing. One of the biggest gifts you can give to yourself and your family is to take care of you. Morph into that sexy momma body and feel tons better every day!
Need a Reason to Exercise?
Because it makes you feel confident
Because it helps you get stronger
Because exercise helps combat depression
Because you’ll feel proud of yourself
Because you have goals you want to reach
Because you’ll feel bad if you don’t
Because you want to move forward, not backward
Because it burns more calories than not working out
Because it improves your heart health
Because you want a great butt
Because it prevents diabetes
Because you want to be a good example to your kids
Because you want to feel good in your clothes
Because it reduces your risk of cancer
Because your body was made to move
Because you want to be an athlete
Because you want to look better
Because it lifts your mood
Because you want to stand taller
Because it reduces back pain
Because it feels good
Because it makes you feel accomplished
Because you spend most of your day on your butt
Because swimsuit season is always coming
Because strong is the new skinny
Because dieting only works so much
Because it strengthens your bones, too
Because it helps you lose weight
Because it allows you to eat more food
Because it’s the best way to spend “me” time
Because it helps you de-stress
Because it’s cheaper than therapy
Because you want a strong core
Because you want to take care for yourself
Because you take pride in your body
Because it strengthens your legs
Because it helps your clothes fit better
Because you want to push yourself
Because you are capable of more than you ever imagined
Because moving your body feels good
Because it keeps your mind sharp
Because it helps you beat belly bloat
Because it helps you sleep better at night
Because it gives you energy
Because you want to stay healthy as you age
Because you want to look younger
Because you want toned arms
Because it improves your balance
Because it burns off last night’s dessert
Because it boosts your immune system
Because sweat is sexy
Because you want to live longer
Because you want to get better at your game
Because you want to catch someone’s eye
Because exercisers earn more money
Because you’re more likely to eat better when you exercise
Because you want to shave time off your running pace
Because you want to breathe easier
Because you want to see the scale drop
Because exercise improves your sex life
Because you are worth it
Because being fit makes everything in life better
Because you promised yourself that you would
Because you deserve a better life
Because it’ll help you drink more water
Because you want to do real push-ups
Because it reduces your health care costs
Because you’ll miss fewer days of work
Because you want to create a new future for yourself
Because it’ll help you like what you see in the mirror
Because it makes clothing shopping more fun
Because you want to look and feel incredible
Because exercising can be fun
Because it’ll give your skin a glow
Because it’s a good way to spend time with your friends
Because it’ll help you prevent the middle-age spread
Because it reduces your blood pressure
Because you don’t want to let yourself go
Because you don’t want to squeeze into an airplane or rollercoaster seat
Because it strengthens your spirit
Because it’s a cheap way to entertain yourself
Because you’ll be able to reward yourself
Because you need a reason to wear those new workout clothes
Because you’re tired of being tired
Because not working out is not going to get you very far
Because it’s a great way to spend time outside
Because you made a commitment to yourself
Because you’re tired of starting over
Because there will always be another wedding, vacation or reunion
Because you’re not a quitter
Because it improves your cholesterol
Because it boosts your metabolism
Because it prevents age-related muscle loss
Because if you can do this, you can do anything
Because a fit body is a healthy body
Because it beats sitting on the couch
Because everyone has at least 10 minutes to spare
Because you want to be stronger than your excuses
Because not working out isn’t working out for you
Because the only workout you ever regret is the one you skip
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Coaching Responsibilities
Sports Specific Training: Balanced Programs
Again, I think there needs to be a balance between sports specific training and athlete specific training. Each athlete should be training to get stronger and more explosive and this new strength and power needs to be trained to be applied to his/her sport. I don't think that heavy back squats, box squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are the end-all, nor do I think that totally functional bodyweight movements are the end-all. I think there needs to be a delicate balance specific to the sport, the individual, and the time of year. It doesn't matter if an athlete can squat 1000lbs if he can't use that strength to his advantage in his sport, or better yet, if he can't do 90 bodyweight squat in 90 seconds, or his vertical jump is less than 20". All strength and functionality needs to be relative to his/her sport.
Training Specificity: Metabolic Conditioning
Sad But True
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Girls And Gym Use Your Head
DON’T:
20 Minute Workout
2) Squats – max in 1:00
3) Pullups or pulldowns – 1:00
4) Bike or jog – 3:00
5) Military press* – 1:00
6) Lunges – 1:00 each leg
7) Bicep curls – 1:00
8) Bike or jog – 3:00
9) Tricep extensions.- 1:00
10) Leg ext – 1:00 (requires leg machines – or repeat squats with weights)
11) Leg curls – 1:00 (requires leg machines – or repeat lunges with weights)
12) Situps – 2:00
13) Crunches – 2:00
14) Stretch
Circuit Training Is Efficient
Quote of the day
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Lose Bodyfat By Going Gluten-Free
A groundbreaking new study confirms what we’ve thought for years: You can lose body fat by eliminating gluten from your diet. Going gluten-free is not just for people with celiac disease and wheat intolerances. It may benefit EVERYONE. This study was performed on mice, which means that naysaying dietitians and wheat industry lobbyists will be certain to discount the value for humans. Check out the results for yourself. Researchers fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet in order to induce fat gain, but one group was gluten-free and the other ate 4.5 percent gluten. Results showed that the gluten-free animals had lower body fat, less belly fat, less inflammation, and better insulin sensitivity and blood sugar tolerance. The study authors were struck that the gluten-eating mice didn't gain fat because they ate more calories than the gluten-free mice. Rather, the fat gain was due to the gluten having disrupted hormone function, leading to insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Simply eating gluten set the mice up to develop diabetes. They also had a severe inflammatory state in the gut. Researchers suggest that the data is applicable to humans and it supports the beneficial effect of gluten-free diets for fat loss and diabetes prevention. This study also shows that even if you don't have celiac disease, gluten can mess with your gut. It causes widespread digestive problems, and enhances production of something called zonulin, which can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause brain inflammation. Of course, if you're reading this you are probably well aware of the dangers of gluten. The general population is catching on: A new report by The NPD Group, a global information company, found that 30 percent of adults want to eat gluten free. However, many people take the suboptimal approach to a gluten-free lifestyle, adopting processed gluten-free foods that still contain grains, and in some cases, artificial chemicals. If you decide to eliminate gluten from your diet, get best results by eating whole foods (meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, seeds, eggs, organic yogurt). Avoid gluten-free baked goods like crackers, cookies, and breads, and consider going grain-free if your overall goal is optimal body composition.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Losing Pounds in Just Five Weeks
Week 1: Add real fruits and real vegetables to each meal. Now fruit chews, fruit roll ups and fruit or veg juice doesn’t count. You need the real deal here to get the natural fiber to grab the fat cells out of your body. Plus the natural vitamins and minerals in these foods does a body good.
Week 2: No more fast food! This includes pizza, favorite mochas and boxed processed food! Get back in the kitchen and learn to make delicious meals for yourself and your family.
Week 3: Give up white breads and grains. Switch out to whole wheat bread, brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Why? My mom use to give this example, would you buy a tube of white glue? Because once that white bread gets through your intestines it looks like white thick glue in there. Nothing nutritious is going through your body, it is just gunking your body up. Just some food for thought there.
Week 4: Use a fruit or veggie as the base of a snack. For example apples with a little peanut butter.
Week 5: No more soda or sugary drinks, cut back on candy eaten too. Sugar causes insulin spikes therefore not allowing your body to burn the sugar that has turned to fat stored. If you want to get rid of your stored fat in your body you have to keep your body on a plateau not a continuous state of peaks and valleys with sugar spikes.
You would be amazed how many pounds you can lose when you cut back on excess sugary products or processed foods. After the birth of my son I was trying to lose my baby weight. I sat down and looked at my diet. I realized if I cut out the fast food and pizza every week, along with only one Dr. Pepper a day I cut out a lot of calories, sugar and fat from my diet. In a month I dropped almost 10 pounds. I increased my water and vegetables. I had never counted calories before so I was still not doing that at this time. The next month I looked for even more ways due to some new found motivation and I figured out cutting my favorite mochas size from a venti to a grande and then replaced the milk with non-fat and no whip crème. I then lost almost another 10 pounds that month and that was huge for me! Simple easy steps that are do-able when starting out with weight loss; it is a lifestyle change not a temporary thing. These steps listed above are a great way to start seeing results to get you going on a good path.
Kids And Weight Training
The fact of the matter is that running, jumping and tackling can create loading on a child’s body which is up to ten times greater than most strength training exercises. In other words, the physical demands on a child’s body are far greater on the athletic field compared to the weightroom. Parents who don’t let their children participate in resistance training are actually increasing their children’s risk for injury on the athletic field.
There have even been position stands by such organizations as the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting that children can benefit from participation in a properly designed and supervised resistance training program. Position stands recommend that prepubescent children shouldn’t lift maximal weights; they should lift weights that can be lifted for at least six repetitions with proper form.
Strength training in this manner can be the most potent exercise stimulus for bone growth and development. In fact, research has shown that young weightlifters have greater bone densities than individuals who don’t lift. Thus, the positive benefits of resistance training for bone health, injury prevention and improved athletic performance are far greater than the risks