What is our numbers ? Gaining Results With Knowing Our Actual 1 Rep Max

Feeling accomplished.

When looking at anything we all like to know if we are either doing good or improving. Nobody likes to feel like a

failure or feel unsuccessful. When looking at the gym and improving athletic performance we should have a measuring stick. Generally this measuring stick is an overall stigma of what your 40 yd dash is. We need

Don’t Give Up ,Continue to Improve

to discard the generall measuring stick and understand the underline reason why we are trying to become a better athlete or physically fit.

“Every day of my life, I’m trying to find a different way to become better”- Ray Lewis

How do we understand success when enhancing our potential?

Gaining success while trying to develop our overall athletic abilities is obtainable for everyone. So why is it that so many give up or have no progress in their training? It is two things, having un realistic goals and second unrealistic idea of what level you are in your athletic abilities.

Understanding what makes a dream and goal is, are very important in gaining your athletic potential. Goals you have are going to be divided into meso goals, micro goals, and macro goals. Dreams fall under legacy or lifetime attainment.

When looking at our physical or athletic abilities we need to know where your real levels are including what our 1 rep max is in our lifts. By knowing where we are physically is when we can see our real abilities. When putting any strength program together, it is very important to understand of where your level of strength is.

Gaining strength with an understanding of where we are.

What is our 1 rep max? This is our measuring stick, knowing what are real 1 rep max, will increase our effectiveness in the gym. To me, I like to put it this way: what is our rep scheme to what weight we are, our amount of lifting needs to match. Our body is limited on what we can do and we only have a limited amount glycogen storage. With a limited amount of energy we need to as efficient as possible during the session.

Once we know what our real 1 rep max is, then we can start a road of progress. Have you ever gone to the gym and said this is what I’m going to do and then come up short? You came up short because you either have a  lack of energy or are doing more than what you are capable of.

Starting on the road of progress

Once you we have started on the road we need  a good measuring stick that is only to for you to see what progress you have made. Here our a few rules you need to live by.

This is your measuring stick.

• 90% – 100% 3 to 1 reps per set
• 80% – 89% 5 to 3 reps per set
• 70% to 79% 10 to 5 reps per set

Once you can see and check what you are doing, with what you are capable of, you will grow with consistency. This is not a magic pill, but a start on the road of progress. Please, any questions go a head and leave them and remember to follow and listen to us on our podcast:  The Athletic Edge at blogtalkradio.com. Have a great day!

Protein Packed Parfait

Protein Packed Parfait

Ingredients

• 1 big pot (250 g) of 2% Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/4 cup raspberries (or strawberries, if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp flaked coconut
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp granulated Stevia (or your sweetener of choice)

1. Mix together the whey and yogurt using a whisk, fork, or food processor to ensure your mix is smooth and creamy.
2. In a nonstick pan, heat up the oats, coconut, Stevia, and cinnamon until they start dancing together and brown up a bit.
3. To assemble your parfait, just layer the yogurt and whey mixture with seasonal berries and the coconut mix.
4. Let your parfait chill in the fridge for an hour or overnight. Can’t wait to indulge? Enjoy it right away!

Is a lack of flexability careless?

RDL Stretching is a great Dynamic Stretching for sports

The past two weeks I have had to take my son to the doctor for stitches for being careless. He was showing dad how fast he was and tripped and hit his head on the wall. When he did this he cracked his head open and needed six stitches. How does this relate to flexibility?

Benefits we will gain with dynamic flexibility

Dynamic flexibility will have a lasting effect in increasing our range of motion in sport specific movements. With a greater range of motion we will allow the body to gain effective movement to enhance the power agility and reduce injury to increase overall performance.

Dynamic flexibility and Reducing Injury

Have you ever played a sport and received an injury from the sport? Was it painful? Injuries occur when a muscle/soft tissue or joints are asked to move in a way that it is not capable of. We will see one of two things that will cause the injury: self-inflicted or outside source. While playing football and a player runs into another players knee and injures it, is an outside source. This outside source is out of our control, but what is in our control? It is our self-inflicted injuries. A sprained ankle, if you increased it’s strength and the ability to have a wider range of motion you could have helped prevent a self-inflicted injury.

“The great thing about a comprehensive dynamic warm-up is that it doesn’t take any more time than the more traditional stretching method, but is much more focused, effective and productive. Since your warm-up sets the tone for the entire workout, these are just the qualities you should be looking for.”- by Alen Stein CCS CSCS

What is Dynamic Stretching.

Dynamic stretching works the athlete by gently propelling their muscles towards their maximum range of motion. It is very important to note that the athlete should not use jerky, forced movements to increase the range of motion beyond what is comfortable as it can easily cause injury. In general, the athlete wants to move (stretch) the muscle in a similar way that they are going to move them in a workout. As an example, a sprinter who wants to stretch a hamstring for a sprint may swing a straight leg forward to gradually increase the range of motion. Doing light kicks, with little explosive acceleration, while gradually increasing height, could also be considered a dynamic stretch.

Increasing Athletic Performance with Dynamic Stretching

When we look at developing the best athlete we look at many aspects in ensuring the athlete is at their greatest shape. To make any athlete better they need to be as efficient as possible with as little waisted energy. When we increase the athletes range of motion we will allow them to gain a more productive movement. A productive movement will increase the amount of power in this movement. Power can be divided into two specific areas that when joined is power. Our strength is one aspect, while speed is the other area that turned into power. With an increase of power, we will be more effective of an athlete. Since I spoke on having power to increase athletic performance we need to ensure each athlete has full range of motion in there sport specific movement. As an example, we can look at a sprinter who needs to have good flexibility in his hips and legs. The hips need to have a flexion range of motion between 0 to 130 degrees, their extension range of motion should be between 0 to 30 degrees. These two areas are important for the athlete to gain the needed amount power. Without gaining the needed range of motion we will reduce the amount of power we can put into that movement. So if you are wanting to improve athletic performance, increasing the range of motion in their sport specific field is necessary. Dynamic flexibility will allow each athlete to cut injury by helping to increase the athletes range of motion. Feel free to leave any comments and follow us on Athletic Health and nutrition.

Alan Stein CCS, CSCS, of Elite Athlete Training Systems Inc, is a leading US expert on strength training and conditioning for élite level basketball players

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Smith Machine Upright Row

Type: Strength
Main Muscle Worked: Traps 
Other Muscles: Biceps, Middle Back,Shoulders 
Equipment: Machine 
Mechanics Type: Compound
Level: Beginner
Sport: No
Force: Pull

1. To begin, set the bar on the smith machine to a height that is around the middle of your thighs. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, grasp the bar using a pronated (palms forward) grip that is shoulder width apart. You may need some wrist wraps if using a significant amount of weight.
2. Lift the barbell up and fully extend your arms with your back straight. There should be a slight bend at the elbows. This is the starting position.
3. Use your side shoulders to lift the bar as you exhale. The bar should be close to the body as you move it up. Continue to lift it until it nearly touches your chin. Tip: Your elbows should drive the motion. As you lift the bar, your elbows should always be higher than your forearms. Also, keep your torso stationary and pause for a second at the top of the movement.
4. Lower the bar back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: Be very careful with how much weight you use in this exercise. Too much weight leads to bad form, which in turn can cause shoulder injury. I’ve seen this too many times so please no jerking, swinging and cheating. Also, if you suffer from shoulder problems, you may want to stay away from upright rows and substitute by some form of lateral raises.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed using a barbell, E-Z bar, straight bar attached to a low pulley and it can also be performed using dumbbells, though this later exercise should be reserved by the most advanced people that are well familiarized with correct execution.

Same as the Upright Barbell Row but with a Smith Machine.

Snatch Shrug

Type: Olympic Weightlifting
Main Muscle Worked: Traps 
Other Muscles: Forearms, Shoulders 
Equipment: Barbell 
Mechanics Type: Compound
Level: Intermediate
Sport: No
Force: Pull

1. Begin with a wide grip, with the bar hanging at the mid thigh position. You can use a hook or overhand grip. Your back should be straight and inclined slightly forward.
2. Shrug your shoulders towards your ears. While this exercise can usually by loaded with heavier weight than a snatch, avoid overloading to the point that the execution slows down.

Standing Dumbbell Upright Row

Type: Strength
Main Muscle Worked: Traps
Other Muscles: Biceps, Shoulders
Equipment: Dumbbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Level: Beginner
Sport: No
Force: Pull

1. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with a pronated (palms forward) grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The dumbbells should be resting on top of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position.
2. Use your side shoulders to lift the dumbbells as you exhale. The dumbbells should be close to the body as you move it up and the elbows should drive the motion. Continue to lift them until they nearly touch your chin. Tip: Your elbows should drive the motion. As you lift the dumbbells, your elbows should always be higher than your forearms. Also, keep your torso stationary and pause for a second at the top of the movement.
3. Lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: Be very careful with how much weight you use in this exercise. Too much weight leads to bad form, which in turn can cause shoulder injury. I’ve seen this too many times so please no jerking, swinging and cheating. Also, if you suffer from shoulder problems, you may want to stay away from upright rows and substitute by some form of lateral raises.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed using a straight bar attached to a low pulley and it can also be performed using an e-z bar.

Upright Cable Row

Type: Strength
Main Muscle Worked: Traps
Other Muscles: Shoulders
Equipment: Cable
Mechanics Type: Compound
Level: Intermediate
Force: Pull

1. Grasp a straight bar cable attachment that is attached to a low pulley with a pronated (palms facing your thighs) grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The bar should be resting on top of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position.
2. Use your side shoulders to lift the cable bar as you exhale. The bar should be close to the body as you move it up. Continue to lift it until it nearly touches your chin. Tip: Your elbows should drive the motion. As you lift the bar, your elbows should always be higher than your forearms. Also, keep your torso stationary and pause for a second at the top of the movement.
3. Lower the bar back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: Be very careful with how much weight you use in this exercise. Too much weight leads to bad form, which in turn can cause shoulder injury. I’ve seen this too many times so please no jerking, swinging and cheating. Also, if you suffer from shoulder problems, you may want to stay away from upright rows and substitute by some form of lateral raises.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed using a straight or e-z bar. Another variation is to use dumbbells, though this later exercise should be reserved by the most advanced people that are well familiarized with correct execution.

Chin To Chest Stretch

Type: Stretching
Main Muscle Worked: Neck 
Other Muscles: Traps 
Equipment: None 
Mechanics Type: N/A
Level: Beginner
Sport: No
Force: Static
Stretch Type: General

1. Get into a seated position on the floor.
2. Place both hands at the rear of your head, fingers interlocked, thumbs pointing down and elbows pointing straight ahead. Slowly pull your head down to your chest. Hold for 20-30 seconds.

Kneeling High Pulley Row

Function of Exercise:

Type: Strength
Main Muscle Worked: Lats 
Other Muscles: Biceps, Middle Back 
Equipment: Cable 
Mechanics Type: Compound
Level: Beginner
Sport: No
Force: Pull

Method:

1. Select the appropriate weight using a pulley that is above your head. Attach a rope to the cable and kneel a couple of feet away, holding the rope out in front of you with both arms extended. This will be your starting position.
2. Initiate the movement by flexing the elbows and fully retracting your shoulders, pulling the rope toward your upper chest with your elbows out.
3. After pausing briefly, slowly return to the starting position.

Band Good Morning (Pull Through)

Type: Powerlifting
Main Muscle Worked: Posterior Chain
Equipment: Bands 
Mechanics Type: Compound
Level: Beginner
Sport: No
Force: Pull

Method:

1. Loop the band around a post. Standing a little ways away, loop the opposite end around the neck. Your hands can help hold the band in place.
2. Begin by bending at the hips, getting your butt back as far as possible. Keep your back flat and bend forward to about 90 degrees. Your knees will be at a slight bend.
3. Return to the starting position be driving through with the hips to come back to a standing position.

Upright Row – With Bands

Type: Strength
Main Muscle Worked: Traps 
Other Muscles: Shoulders 
Equipment: Bands 
Mechanics Type: Compound
Level: Beginner
Sport: No
Force: Pull

1. To begin, stand on an exercise band so that tension begins at arm’s length. Grasp the handles using a pronated (palms facing your thighs) grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The handles should be resting on top of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position.
2. Use your side shoulders to lift the handles as you exhale. The handles should be close to the body as you move them up. Continue to lift the handles until they nearly touches your chin. Tip: Your elbows should drive the motion. As you lift the handles, your elbows should always be higher than your forearms. Also, keep your torso stationary and pause for a second at the top of the movement.
3. Lower the handles back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.