Every movement contains 3 phases

A) Eccentric or muscle Lengthening B) Isometric or no length changed C) Concentric or muscle shortening. The over all ultimate goal is improving efficiency and power.

More then a business we are a family with dreams.

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.

Underground Fitness Athletes: Focusing on quality over quantity

Underground Fitness Athletes: Focusing on quality over quantity: Strength workouts should be brief, focusing on quality over quantity. A athlete does not have time (or energy) for marathon strength trainin...

Concentric / Reactive

Every activity we preform, weather on the playing field or during everyday activities, require individuals to react and generate force quickly to certain demands place on our structure. Concentric/reactive training can enhance one’s ability to dynamically stabilize, reduce and produce forces at speed that are functionally applicable to the task at hand. If we do not train the CNS to recruit muscles quickly, when met with a demand that requires one to react quickly. The nervous system will not be able to respond appropriately. This training is not just for athletes it’s for everybody because it is a important component to enhance function, performance and decrease the risk of injuries. Keeping your programming in micro and macro cycles never lets the body get acclimated. We are building better athletes one day at a time at Underground Fitness Athletes.

Box jumps

When doing box jumps make sure you are getting full hip extension on your jump and building sound landing mechanics is the most important thing, not height. Leave your ego at the door because there are no box-jump world championships. Without full hip extension, you'll limit the carryover to explosive lifts and athletic events, thus minimizing the training effect. The box jump is used to build power and explosiveness. We monitor how many jumps and implement them into our athletes programs. They are done at the first of the workout to make sure the athlete is warm ready and not tired. Underground Fitness Athletes are Building Better Athletes One day at a time. #manwejustgetshitdone 

Overcoming Isometric for Sticking Points

Overcoming Isometric is effective for busting through sticking points. 15% more force Isometrically than you can concentrically. Producing greater force during the weakest part of your lifts is the key to pushing past sticking points and busting plateaus. You’re not only overloading the weak region, but also programming your CNS to be aggressive. We use isometric movements because it’s a muscular contraction where the joint angle and muscle length don’t change. So if you want change and at the same time improvements we can provide that at Underground Fitness Athletes. #manwejustgetshitdone 

What do you do?

Did you realize it is only 16 weeks until swimsuit season?? With all this crazy cold weather this is probably the last thing you are thinking about, right?? 

So each year are you active on staying fit, toned or half way doing it or just wishing the pounds would melt off and you wake up looking good? Some feedback here would be helpful. 

I am asking because I do care. I do read your comments and would like to know what do you do? Do you do a crash course on fitness 12 weeks before? Since it takes about 12 weeks for results really start showing. For those of you that do this you are about 4 weeks from having to start. Do you have your vacations planned yet?? 

Here at Underground Fitness I do have to say my husband is more "active" in gym than I am. My main reason is the baby it is cold for her in there :) but I do work out at home and she is already copying me. It is so cute! She helps me by laying on me when I am doing push ups, sit up, crunches or anything else I do on the floor. She jumps now and tries to squat and is pretty good at a plank all at 19 months. Hey healthy lifestyle can never start to early. 

If you are wanting to lose weight the first 10 pounds are usually the make or break mark. 10 pounds has special meaning to most. It is a bench mark to either keep going since you lost that much and can see results. You can feel the results and it is a huge motivator!! Have you ever looked at 10 pounds? Besides a dumb bell.. I mean looked it up and saw how much came off you! It's gross but it is also kinda amazing to think yep I did that. Empowers you, gives you a little "sparkle" in your step! Haha!! Would you like to lose 10 pounds? Maybe just that or a little more? Know how? Starving oneself is not the way to do it either. Message me to talk about this :) 

Do you have certain products you use? Such as supplements? Protein drinks? Or do you just modify what you eat for a little bit? You can always join us group of moms/women and work out with us. I do make it fun and we have a great time. 

16 weeks people!! That's it. In 16 weeks we will be having beautiful weather, be more active outdoors, vacationing or just enjoying the longer day light hours! I can't wait!!! 

Please comment below and share what you do to prepare for spring/summer 

Power Endurance Connection

What I'm stating here is that limit strength and endurance are related. By increasing one you can either directly or indirectly increase the other. The more you increase your maximal power the more you simultaneously build your capacity for endurance. Conversely, the greater your endurance, especially when your endurance has a muscular and explosive element to it, the greater your physical base will be for increasing your maximal power.

Hip Flexors for Running

Collectively as a group, the thigh flexors are among the strongest muscle groups in
the body. They are responsible for performing such functions as controlling posture,
sitting, standing, walking, running, kicking, and jumping.
Ironically, in spite of their incredible inherent strength, they are still found to be
developed far below their full potential in most athletes. This is simply because man...y
people are unaware of their importance and function. For instance, when was the last
time you heard someone say they were going to train their “iliacus” muscle?
With weak thigh flexors, your running speed will be significantly affected. The faster
you can accelerate your thighs upwards into the flexed position, the faster you will be
able to run - it‟s as simple as that!  For this reason, your thigh flexor muscles are considered to be a primary muscle group involved in running.

Focusing on quality over quantity

Strength workouts should be brief, focusing on quality over quantity. A athlete does not have time (or energy) for marathon strength training sessions. In addition, when training for strength qualities such as max-strength and explosive strength, the athlete should avoid training to failure. An athlete who constantly trains to failure will struggle to recover between workouts. Remember, the goal of the strength workout is to enhance strength and power without burning the athlete out. If your strength program is wearing you out, thus interfering with your sport-specific training, it is NOT contributing to your improvement.

Underground Fitness: Soviet Athletes Picked

Underground Fitness: Soviet Athletes Picked: In the old Soviet countries, there were sport institutes that prepared the youth age 12 and above for sports but not by playing a certain sp...

Soviet Athletes Picked

In the old Soviet countries, there were sport institutes that prepared the youth age 12 and above for sports but not by playing a certain sport, but by a well-prepared process of GPP. This is general mobility, flexibility, dexterity, endurance, hand/eye coordination, balance, and strength. For example, pushups, pull-ups, rope climbing, medicine ball work, kettle bell work, and some running and short sprints are done. They produced the model athlete for their sports system. Children were chosen for the sport that suited their physical, mental, and emotional qualities. Neither the child nor the parents were able to pick the sport.

As a coach I never stop working.

Blood, sweat, and tears are stained on the wood plyo box. Rust covers the dumbbell's and free weights. You have 15 different DJ's trying to play music. Weights clinging against each other and also slamming against the floor with the sounds of grunts echoing off the wooden walls. Some people would turn up there nose I call this home and this is Underground Fitness Athletes. 

Keep Working

I've been let down, put down, and knocked down, hated on in the past, but here I am standing UP, Proud, Strong and ready to take Life's next Punch. Today isn't just another day, Its time create something amazing. Go after your goals, and never surrender!!!

Heavy but fast = GREAT ATHLTES

    One of the major benefits of training with heavier weights is the increased recruitment of Type II muscle fibers.  These muscle fibers are also known as fast twitch muscle fibers and play a huge role in athletic ability.  These muscle fibers are able to generate much more force than their counterpart Type I muscle fibers.
    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.

Change makes athletes

“When lifters repeatedly use the same simple method of training to raise their strength level, they will eventually stall. Like the scholar who must utilize many sources of information to achieve a higher level of knowledge, the lifter must incorporate new and more difficult exercises to raise their standards. Many have the theory that to squat, bench, or deadlift more, you simply have to do the three lifts. If it were that simple no one would need special exercises, machines, or systems of training. But we know this is not true.”
-Louie Simmons

Jump to explosive strength

    -shortening action by the use of kinetic energy. Many believe that plyometric’ s are dangerous, they can be without the proper knowledge of general weight and jump training before engaging in depth jumps. While depth jumps build explosive strength, they also build absolute strength by using different heights to achieve a certain goal. How many drops are done in one workout for the intermediate or advanced. You will note Olympic lifting is never mentioned when the goal is developing explosive power or strength. Why?

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

Hips in sports = total athlete

    Do you do specific exercises for your hips and knees? Do you work your hip through the entire range of motion and engage the abductors and adductor muscles? If not, maybe you should.
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.
 

Kids are the only thing in some coaches life they can control

What is wrong with a society that places so much importance on winning in sports that it blatantly neglects the needs and well being of the child-athletes that it’s charged with educating and protecting? Are we that out of touch that we’ve lost our perspective on what really matters in life? Are too many parents making a “deal with the devil” and turning their kids over to coaches with questionable methods just because these coaches supposedly produce “champions?”

As a coach, just how important is winning to you? When your team or athletes win, does that mean that you are doing your job better? Does it make you a more effective coach? Similarly, when your athletes fail, does that mean you are failing? Are your athletes’ and team’s losses concrete evidence of your incompetence?

If you were brutally honest with yourself, could you look in the mirror and answer this question? “Is winning and all that it means to me, more important than the mental health and happiness of my child/athletes?” If you’re a coach reading this, then I couldn’t blame you for responding to my question with horror and righteous indignation. Who the heck am I to even suggest that you, an adult and professional, would place your needs to be successful over the needs of your young athletes? Of course youknow that the sport is supposed to be “all about the kids.” Certainly, you’re fully aware that “it’s only a game.” You also know that coaching is all about being a good role model, enhancing self-esteem and building character. Furthermore, you know that your number one priority is the welfare and happiness of the kids you coach. A coach doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know all this stuff. But then again, who would ever answer “yes” to my question and admit to themselves and others that they regularly place their own needs as an adult and professional over those of the children their supposed to be guiding?

Here’s the problem the way I see it. Because winning has become so important to us as a culture, because being “numero uno” has been erroneously equated with coaching success and competence, some of our youth sport, club, high school and college coaches have forgotten what their real mission as a professional is. These coaches have come to mistakenly believe that the won-loss outcome of their season is far more important than the process of participation, character development and safety of their athletes. They believe that an athlete’s performance failure is reflective of a coaching failure. And why shouldn’t they feel this way when coaches at every level are regularly criticized and fired for not winning enough? When it comes right down to it though, isn’t the true essence of “good coaching,” winning? Isn’t that what NFL Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi used to say: Winning isn’t the most important thing. It’s the only thing?

Sports and kids is it still fun?

   Did you think that kids would say "winning is everything"? Think again. Most kids didn't think winning was all that important. Only 7% of girls said coaches should be most concerned with winning, whereas about 18% of boys said so. It sounds like kids think that too much importance is given to winning at all costs. And many adults are starting to think that changes are needed in youth sports. Why? Because as youth sports have become more intense and competitive, it has put a lot of pressure on kids.
   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!