Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Not all protein comes from beef

Upon hearing you should include a source of protein in every meal, you might think this means you have to eat beef several times a day, but that's not the case. Here is a short list of plant and animal protein sources:

Animal Protein
■Fish (anchovies, calamari, cod, flounder, grouper, halibut, mackerel, mahi mahi, salmon, sardines, swordfish, tuna canned in water, tuna steak, sushi)
■Shellfish (clams/mussels, crab, lobster, oysters, shrimp/prawn)
■Poultry and other meat (chicken, turkey, buffalo, filet mignon, flank steak, lean ground beef, fat-free ham, London broil, lean pork loin, top and bottom round of beef, venison
■Dairy (milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese)
■Eggs
■Supplements (whey, casein)
Plant Protein
■Legumes (beans, peas, lentils, soybeans)
■Vegetables
■Grains
■Cereals
■Nuts & seeds
Supplements
Whey protein contains many essential amino acids that boost the immune system and promote overall good health. You can find it in food, but also as a supplement in powdered form or in premade post-workout recovery mixes. The flavored powder tastes great sprinkled on oatmeal or mixed with milk, water or juice.

Whey is quickly digested, which makes it great for eating around workouts. Many protein shakes combine whey protein with another type of slow-releasing protein, casein. This mixture provides a combination of fast and slow releasing proteins, which allows for complete coverage over two-and-a-half to three hour window between meals.

Protein shakes accelerate workout recovery. You can buy shakes in a ready-to-drink container, or easily make them yourself by mixing water with a scoop or packet of powder, so they’re a quick and easy snack that’s rich in lean protein but devoid of bad fats.

Whey vs Casein

Most protein supplements are made from either whey protein, casein protein, or a mixture of the two. The major difference between these two milk proteins is the rate of absorption:

■Whey protein is rapidly absorbed helping to induce muscle-protein synthesis following a training session.
■Casein protein is slowly absorbed providing a long steady flow of amino acids, helping to prevent muscle-protein degradation.
Post-training supplements containing a mixture of both fast and slow proteins are superior to their individual counterparts because they not only induce muscle-protein synthesis but they also help to prevent muscle-protein degradation.

Adaptations to Exercise

Every individual responds somewhat differently to exercise. The key factors in training adaptations are health, fitness, and performance. Health, fitness, and performance require varying levels of commitment to physical activity. However, the more physically active one becomes, the greater the increase in health, fitness, and performance. Although a de-conditioned individual can often achieve his or her peak potential health improvements in a relatively short period of time, it often takes much longer to achieve desired fitness and performance results. This is one of the reasons why individuals often drop out of exercise programs, because they do not see the visible fitness results as fast as they would like.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Baseball Spring Training Workout

Warm-Up 25 yards on grass

5-25yd jogs, side shuffles, carioca long, carioca tight, high knees, butt kicks, power skips, back pedal turn and jog,

Speed, Agility, Quickness and Plyometric Training

Ladder drills: Quick feet forward, quick feet lateral, in-in out-out forward/lateral, scissors lateral, icky shuffle, crossover front, crossover back, stack outs, two foot hopscotch, and alternate one foot hopscotch

Hurdle session: (6) 6 inch hurdles, forward two feet hops, forward R/L foot hops, lateral R/L foot hops start with leg closest to hurdle, *hurdle run through with lateral high knees back then sprint

Hurdle session: (6) 12 inch hurdles, repeat above drills


*Run through hurdles one foot between them at the last hurdle turn to your right or left place one foot outside last hurdle push off and return through hurdles laterally using two feet between each hurdle, return to the start and run through hurdles again at last hurdle change direction with other side and return laterally this time when you return to start place one foot out turn and sprint one foot between hurdle to the end and finish.

Plyometrics: Squat jumps 2x5, Tuck Jumps, 2x5, Scissors jump 2x5, Ice skaters 2x5

Rapid box jumps 2x6

Cone drills: 5-10-5, T-drill, box drill, star drill w/med ball, *shuffle with ball pick ups and fly ball catch


* Place two cones approx 5 to 10 yards apart. Stand in an athletic fielding position at one of the cones, have a player or coach roll you a baseball. Field the ball then toss ball off to the side and shuffle to the other cone to field another baseball, after fielding the last baseball change direction and run toward the outfield to catch a fly ball. You can field as many ball as desired before fielding the fly ball. Work on your crossover to shuffle or just your shuffle and get to the cone as fast as you can in a controlled manner, you can also have your coach roll you a ball toward the cone before you get there to work on your back hand and forehand.

Medicine ball training: Squat and chest throw, chest pass, one-arm put throw, backward throw, over head slams, side tosses, Russian twists, lunge with twist, wood chops

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Sam takes on "EX-60"

Check out these links and see what EX-60 is all about...Challenge Yourself !!!!!!!!!

https://www.facebook.com/easbrand?sk=app_57675755167

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wXyqAPMIuI

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Dynamic Flexibility

A dynamic warm-up should take place prior to the dynamic flexibility exercises. Dynamic flexibility takes the body through progressive functional movements that challenge joint stability, mobility, and balance. Focus on going through full range of motion, maintaining good posture and form during these dynamic movements. Examples of some dynamic stretches are: forward lunges, lateral lunges, crossover lunges, invert hamstring stretch, and sumo squats. Videos of the exercises coming soon. REMEMBER without flexibility you will have limited mobility!!!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Athletes and Knee Injuries

The knee is the largest joint in the body, and is subjected to an enormous workload during many sports. That is why the knee is the most frequently injured joint in the human body. The most commonly known knee injuries in sports are the ACL and Meniscus tears.
The main causes of these injuries are sports related, such as a violent twisting of the knee while the foot is fixed or excessive knee twisting. Most often ACL injuries occur when pivoting, cutting or landing from a jump. Majority of sports- related ACL injuries are non- contact injuries like soccer and basketball. Female athletes are known to have a higher risk of ACL injury while competing in competitive sports. Why woman are more prone to ACL injuries is unclear, some experts say it’s due to a combination of theories such as Anatomic differences between men and woman the Q-(quadriceps) Angle the angle at which the femur (upper leg bone) meets the tibia (lower leg bone) this angle is greater in woman then in men it is thought this increased angle places more stress on the knee joint. Muscular imbalances may be another cause, Hamstring/Quadriceps strength imbalances. Most athletes tend to have strong quadriceps and tight hamstrings. A good strength training program along with a stretching program will help to correct these hamstring/quadriceps strength imbalances. A proper training program on jumping and landing technique can reduce the likelihood of an ACL injury.
Meniscus tears. Again these tears occur with a twisting turning or violent bend of the knee while the foot is planted. Basketball, Football and Soccer have high rates of meniscal injuries. Injuries to the medial meniscus are about five times more likely then lateral meniscus tears. An athlete with a meniscus injury who wants to continue sports activities will have to undergo surgery. An injury to the meniscus will almost never heal by itself, due to lack of blood to that area. If you feel you have an ACL or Meniscus tear seek medical attention for further evaluation and treatment.

Posted by, Christopher Sarver NSCA-CPT