sticktoitveness

Begin early. Get out and play. There is nothing better than chasing friends, climbing stuff and playing as many sports as you desire to get your body in tune when you are growing up.

No, not all sports at once, but choose different sports in different seasons.

You end up stronger and less likely to get injured.

NO, playing one sport all the time is not a good solution for injury prevention. In fact it is quite the opposite. Weaknesses develop compensatory patterns (new, less healthy patterns). Injuries for hockey players, for instance, are very often hip and lower back related. Two guesses why!

Play 3 or 4 sports through out the year through the ages of 6 to 10. Wind that down to a couple through the teens with good solid, fundamental workouts. Not workouts professionals do! They have years of experience and a team of experts to coach them.

The younger you are the more broad and movement based activities will serve best to improve athleticism.

You will see improvements. You will have them much longer.

As Brian Grasso says, it's like school. If you cram for a test you do well for a short period (test time). But the long term effects are minimal because you will forget most of what was crammed.

Take the time to learn proper movement over time and it will stick with you for life!!!

There, that's my two cents. In case your wondering. I've got a whole lot more. Stay tuned.


Todd

Lack of Dynamic Movement!

Here is what I think.
And it ain’t pretty…
Training these days has been reduced to isolation.

A hamstring curl, a leg extension, and a calf raise machine all wait for the next client.

And they should wait (and collect dust) because a squat is far superior for complete leg strength. Hands down.

It blows my mind… that’s not quite right… it bothers me, that I, at a ripe old age, can move better than teenagers I have had the opportunity to train. It bothers me that I am more flexible than every teenager that I have ever met… to this day. I know they are out there.

Full disclosure: I am not saying I am a better athlete! (Not by a long shot!) There are lots of things these athletes can do better than me. But moving smoothly, changing direction fluidly and flexibility are not those things.

Sure it’s my job to be in shape and to have pretty good flexibility. But I shouldn’t have such an upper hand on so many.

And that is my point: why so few?

Well here is a kettle of fish. It’s partly because there has never been a more sedate generation. When they do go to the gym they are most likely met with a trainer who’s idea of “leg training” is hitting the leg curl, leg extension and calf raise machines. (Scary!) A little bit because flexibility is quite undervalued.

So little time is spent on dynamic movement. And I don’t mean gymnastics. More like chasing, climbing, jumping, crawling.

When an adult joins my class it is immediately apparent whether or not they were active as a kid. I can even take a pretty good guess at what they played or martial art they took. Just by their ability to move, change direction and range of movement they still possess.

The good news: we are a pretty trainable bunch. With some time and attention a lot can be overcome.

This is from a complete thought but I just had to say this much. There is more to follow, you can be sure.

In the meantime, move and be healthy. And while you’re at it, have some fun!

Have a great day.

Todd

To sleep, perchance to dream.

First things first.

Two months down! Have you gotten 8 weeks of activity in? Are you
two months closer to your goals? Only 3 months before the
spring/summer clothes are out. So you are almost half way there.
Get started today if you haven't!

Now to the sleep!

I've been a huge nap advocate for a long time. Been a napper for
even longer.

Sleep relaxes you, mentally and physically. Corporations are
adapting this into their workdays to reap the benefits of more
productive, well rested employees!

So you have got to be serious about your rest, especially if
someone is willing to invest that much money into it.

Here is a recent snippet (with studies quoted) from the WIRED blog.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/nightshift.html

But not only does it effect productivity, it also influences the
midline. As a young athlete with so many demands on your time
it is important to establish a healthy routine now!

I used to consult at an eating disorders clinic and studies that
demonstrated this relationship were trotted out from time to time
to help people understand the relationship between good sleep and a
healthy weight.

Yes it is difficult. Especially for shift workers. But recognition
and strategies to combat the effects of reduced sleep must be used
if you are in a difficult situation such as this. I used to work
the back shift, for 6 years, actually. And I used some of these
strategies.

Be consistent. Get to sleep at the same time every day.

Don't break up your sleep. 5 hours in a row is better than getting
up 4 times during your 8 hour sleep. Much better.

Nap. 15 mintues is a nap, NOT 2 hours. Pick a quiet time, take some
big relaxing breaths, and doze off. Set your alarm to get you up in
15 minutes. Have some water ready for you.

Don't mess with your circadian rhythms. They will bite back.

So be consistent.

Have a good weekend everyone!

What would you do with the 3hrs 2min?

Do you have your motivation now?

Good cause you're gonna need it for this one.

As it turns out, short, intense sessions work the best for you.

The best part, my "intense" doesn't have to be yours. As long as you are pushing yourself to your limit, you are in the game. And with body-weight movements, for example, the bar is always moving when you change the speed of the movement or how many you do of something.

How great is that? Gym in a body!

And it impacts metabolism greater in the long term than long slow cardio. Note: I did not say how many calories burned DURING the activity. I said metabolism increase in the long term.

Study after study repeatedly shows the tremendous impact of interval training.

The other best part: it doesn't take nearly so long.

Get this (and I know some of you won't believe me but this is SCIENCE!):

A recent study out of the UK, with the help of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont, showed that the metabolic impact of 5 40 minute runs in a week can be replicated with 3(!) 6 minute(!) interval sessions. Each minute was 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds light.

Imagine, 3 hours and 20 minutes being replaced each week with 18 minutes of activity! And getting the same results!

That's a lot of exclamation points!

The only thing I ask, if you are just starting out, is that you get clearance from your doctor and get a fitness professional to help you get started.

Fitness professionals: we area handy bunch, put us to good use.

So chew on that for a while and try it. Ironically, start off slowly. Build up to a good pace when you are ready.

Have a great day!!!

In health,

Todd

Hiatus

Why do we fall off

There are many reasons why we fall off our routines. The point I am making today is that it is normal. It's not a control problem, impulse issues or a chemical imbalance. It's just what we, as humans, do. We get distracted.

Oh look, a shiny object...

Wait, what,... oh yeah

Getting back to it

What is important is why we are doing something. If it is highly motivational it is more likely that you are going to get back to it.

I am not going to get all preachy as to what the best motivation is. It's none of my business frankly. But you had better know what it is and be firm. It is the one (or three) thing(s) that will get you moving every time.

To quote "Fast Times at Ridgemount High" - Learn it, love it, live it.

3 days grace

So as it turns out 3 days grace is what you have. If the pause goes on longer than that it is much less likely that you will get back to it anytime soon.

That's the brain for you. It picks a number and that is that. So use this to your advantage. If you ever drop off for a moment be sure to resume activities within 3 days.

Sure there are good reasons for longer then accept it and prepare to get started again.

I stopped for about two weeks (and I am glad no one called me on it) but I have been itching to get back to it. I love to do this so it was a great motivator. So I am back. For better or worse. Ok, stop laughing...

What do you need to do today

So what have you been missing out on? What do you need to do today to get you back on track, or started for that matter? What is going to motivate you every day!?!

If I could do anything today, I hope it is to motivate someone to action. Get it done.

Get at it people. Time waits for no one!

In health,

Todd

Complete Athletic Development for Youths

Hi,

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With testimonials like this you can see why he is so widely respected:


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Neuro-Scientist & Motor Skill Development Expert

and


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World Class Speed Coach


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You can see why I back it up as well. I've been following Brian's work for over a year now and I can say I have never been led astray. The information and his motivation is fantastic.

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In health,

Todd

Complete Athlete Development Home