Try This Core Exercise: Single Leg V-Ups

Are you looking for more challenging exercises to ramp up your athletic workout? If you are, then try this exercise: Single Leg V-Ups.




1. Lie on your back with both hands behind your head. Keep your elbow back and out of sight. Your head should be in a neutral (in line with the torso) position with a space between chin and chest.

2. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominals and raise your shoulders off the floor. Extend (straighten) your arms and also raise the straight leg up toward ceiling. Touch your leg with the ball.

3. Return to start position.

4. Remember to keep your head and back in a neutral position. Hyperextension or flexion may cause injury. To increase resistance, hold the medicine ball in your hands. To decrease resistance, position hands closer towards the body

You can do this exercise at a moderate tempo or full speed tempo.

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Sports Fitness Hut Endorses "The Rotator"

As a personal trainer, I'm always looking for ways to help my athletes improve performance in their sport. There are many gimmicks and gadgets out there that you shouldn't waste your money on---"The Rotator" (by Joint Mechanix) is not one of them!



"The Rotator" is designed to improve an athlete's shoulder performance (and any other person). I have personally used "The Rotator" and it is great for increasing shoulder flexibility, strength and range of motion.

It is critical for an athlete to have a full range of motion in the shoulder to facilitate strength and power (arm speed). It can also be used to rehabilitate range of motion and rotator cuffs. Any athlete who uses a throwing motion, swinging motion or any repetitive shoulder motion would be wise to use "The Rotator."

The most convenient thing about "The Rotator" is that it allows you to safely and correctly self-stretch your shoulder. You don't have to "figure out" what to do because it comes with complete, easy instructions.

Order "The Rotator" today! I will definitely recommend it to my athletes.

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Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

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Groin Flexibility Test

One of my worst injuries as an athlete was pulled muscles in the groin (groan!) area! It is impossible to sprint, cut and explode the way you need to during practice or games when the groin area is hurt. Prevention is best when it comes to injuries. Trust me, it can take a long time for your groin area to heal!

You need to keep the groin area flexible and you will help prevent painful, nagging injuries. The groin flexibility test will measure the flexibility in the adductors.





1. Sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and legs together.

2. Let your knees drop sideways as far as possible keeping your feet together. The soles of your feet should be together.

3. Grab your feet and pull your ankles as close to your body as possible. Measure the distance from your heels to your groin. Record the results.

Groin Flexibility Test Results

Poor - 25 cm
Fair - 20 cm
Good - 15 cm
Very good - 10 cm
Excellent - 5 cm

Good stretches for the groin area are lateral lunges, seated butterfly stretch, kneeling hip flexor/groin stretch and static standing adductor stretch.

Stretch that groin area every day and prevent the pain and injuries!

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Trunk Rotation Flexibility Test

Many people think about having flexible legs and arms when stretching the body. It is also important for your torso and shoulders to be flexible. Many injuries can be avoided when the core area is flexible.

The trunk rotation test measures trunk (torso) and shoulder flexibility.



1. Mark a vertical line on the wall. Stand with your back to the wall directly in front of the line. You should be about arms length away from the wall with your feet about shoulder width apart.

2. Extend your arms out in front of you (parallel to the floor). With your arms extended and parallel to the floor, twist your torso to your right and the touch the wall with your fingertips. You can turn your shoulders, hips and knees. Your feet should not move.

3. Have someone mark the position where your fingertips touches the wall. Measure the distance from the line. A touch before the line is a negative score and a touch after the line is a positive score.

4. Repeat for the left side and take the average of the 2 scores.

Compare your results with the numbers below:

Poor - 0 cm
Fair - 5 cm
Good - 10 cm
Very Good - 15 cm
Excellent - 20 cm

You can improve your trunk (torso) flexibility with seated torso twists and standing dynamic (with controlled movement) torso twists.

Improve shoulder flexibility with with anterior and posterior shoulder stretches and dynamic arm circles (take shoulders through full range of motion).

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Sit And Reach Flexibility Test

Many injuries can be avoided by athletes if they have adequate flexibility. The sit and reach test measures the flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings.



You will need a box about 12 inches (30 cm) high and a ruler:

1. Sit on the floor with your back and head against a wall. Your legs should be straight ahead and flat against the floor.

2. Place the box flat against your feet (no shoes). Keep your back and head against the wall and stretch your arms out towards the box.

3. Have someone place the ruler on the box and move the zero end towards your fingertips. The beginning measuring point is where the ruler touches your fingertips.

4. Lean forward slowly and smoothly (do not bounce) as far as possible keeping the fingertips level with each other and the legs flat.

5. Slowly reach along the length of the ruler 3 times. On the third attempt, reach as far as possible and hold for 2 seconds. Have someone record the score. Do the test 2 more times to see if you can improve your score.

The American College of Sports Medicine gives the following as good and sub-standard scores:

Men, Ages 20-29

99 Percentile - 23 in (58 cm)
80 Percentile - 20.5 in (52 cm)
50 Percentile - 17.5 in (44 cm)
10 Percentile - 12.25 in (31 cm)

Men, Ages 30-39

99 Percentile - 22 in (56 cm)
80 Percentile - 19.5 in (50 cm)
50 Percentile - 16.5 in (42 cm)
10 Percentile - 11 in (28 cm)

Women, Ages 20-29

99 Percentile - 24 in (61 cm)
80 Percentile - 22.5 in (57 cm)
50 Percentile - 20 in (51 cm)
10 Percentile - 15.5 in (39 cm)

Women, Ages 30-39

99 Percentile - 24 in (61 cm)
80 Percentile - 21.5 in (55 cm)
50 Percentile - 19 in (48 cm)
10 Percentile - 14.5 in (37 cm)

If you fall below the 80 percentile rank, you need to improve your hamstring and lower back flexibility to enhance your athletic ability.

Some good hamstring flexibility exercises are walking lunges, resistance band eccentric stretch, bodyweight deadlift and hamstring static stretch (static stretch should be done after workout or game). Good low back flexibility exercises are double knee-to-chest stretch, pelvic tilt, lower trunk rotation, trunk flexion and prone lumbar extension.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Program and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES

Master The Fundamental Skills Of Your Sport!

There are no quick fixes for achieving excellence in your sport! We see it in our sports culture today. Athletes are taking shortcuts with athletic training. When free throws are missed and balls are dropped by good players, it is usually because of poor fundamentals.

The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship last night because they played great fundamental defense against the L. A. Lakers (who played very little defense). Playing defense is hard work using proper footwork and body positioning to defend the opponent! It's not rocket science!

Here are some fundamentals that you need to master if you want to compete at a high level in your sport:

1) Practice proper running mechanics. This applies to any sport that requires running (or similar motions). "Efficiency of movement" (no wasted motion) is necessary in sports.

2) Improve your playing speed (quickness, agility, closing speed, acceleration, top-end speed, etc.). You may not be a track star but you can always improve your speed.

3) Improve your power (how fast your muscles produce force). This can be done with explosive training techniques.

4) Improve your dynamic balance (ability to maintain your center of gravity over a constantly changing base of support). The best athletes have this quality.

5) Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. Do the drills the right way in practice every time!

6) Study the game, study your opponent and be mentally sharp. Many games and matches have been lost due to mental errors. In fact, coaches hate mental errors more than physical errors (trust me on this one)!

Great practice habits lead to great fundamental players and teams!

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Athletes Need Excellent Vision Performance

I spend many hours training athletes to improve their physical skills (strength, power, speed).

And, there is no doubt that these physical traits are critical for the athlete to succeed. Mental preparation, mental focus and mental toughness are also very important skills needed for athletic success.

Athletes also need outstanding visual performance to be successful in their sports. The vision I'm talking about is much more than 20/20 vision. Anyone can get lasik surgery today to improve eyesight to 20/20 (or very close). To compete at a high level, athletes need excellent vision performance. And, visual skills can be taught, trained and improved.

Athletes can improve vision performance in these areas:

1. Dynamic Visual Acuity
2. Visual Recognition
3. Depth Perception
4. Visual Tracking or Focusing

Companies have even developed tinted contact lenses to be used at certain times of the day to improve visual focus, tracking and depth perception.

Kevin Gee, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, states "The biggest problem that athletes face is not knowing they can potentially see much better than 20/20 vision." Gee opened the Sports Vision Performance Center in January and uses tests to analyze what he calls the "visual system."

Gee continues, "The visual system is more than just 'what's the smallest line on the chart you can see.'" "The visual system consists of many things, but specifically for sports, depth perception, color, speed and accuracy of movements and contrast sensitivity -- or the ability to detect an object off a background." Gee and his staff can also test for visual skills such as timing, reaction time and peripheral awareness.

Add vision performance to the list of skills you will need to compete at a high level in your sport.

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Preparation, Hard Work and Athletic Success, II

Positive mental attitude is critical to succeed in sports. A big part of my physical training for athletes is talking to them about the "head games" involved in competing on a high level.

Here is an exerpt from part 1:

"There is no substitute for preparation and hard work when it comes to succeeding in your sport! All other things being equal, the athlete or team that has prepared and worked harder will win (9 out of 10 times)!

Preparation and hard work will also give an athlete or team one of the most important ingredients it takes to succeed---CONFIDENCE! Self confidence takes away much of the anxiety that comes with competing on a high level. Self confidence allows the athlete to enjoy the sport and compete to win."

If you have watched Tiger Woods this past weekend, you see mental toughness personified! His knee is not 100% healthy. Besides this fact, he is mentally tougher than his competitors! He knows it and his opponents know it! His attitude is this "I'm better than you in this sport of golf."

To top it off, he also works harder than his competitors. This doesn't guarantee a win for him every time out but he wins more often than any other golfer. And, non-golfers like me are intrigued enough to tune in and watch Tiger play. Let's see if he wins the playoff with Rocco Mediate today.

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Core Exercise Challenge: Ball Transfer Crunch

The Ball Transfer Crunch exercise is a challenging one that can be performed with a stability ball or medicine ball (for more weight).



1. Start by lying on your back with a medicine ball held between your legs and your arms directly above your head.

2. Simultaneously raise your legs with the ball and your shoulders up towards the ceiling.

3. At the top, grab the ball with your arms and return to the starting position with the ball in your hands.

4. Repeat this movement and transfer the ball back to your feet.

5. Repeat for the desired repetitions.

Add this exercise to your program to give your core training some variety.

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Preparation, Hard Work And Athletic Success Go Together

There is no substitute for preparation and hard work when it comes to succeeding in your sport! All other things being equal, the athlete or team that has prepared and worked harder will win (9 out of 10 times)!

Preparation and hard work will also give an athlete or team one of the most important ingredients it takes to succeed---CONFIDENCE! Self confidence takes away much of the anxiety that comes with competing on a high level.

Self confidence allows the athlete to enjoy the sport and compete to win. I was looking at an interview of Tiger Woods and the interviewer asked him how he handles the pressures of playing in a major golf tournament (like the Masters).

Tiger's response was something along these lines: that it was FUN to play golf when the pressure was the greatest! You see, because he works so hard and prepares himself (along with having crazy talent), he is able to relax and depend on his skills to win the tournament.

As you advance to the next level of competition, preparation and hard work becomes more critical. The margin for error decreases because all the athletes are so good.

I can remember my first scrimmage in college. What went through my mind was this: I'm not in high school anymore. My teammates are all so good and I had better work harder just to keep up!

Getting stronger and faster helped my self confidence. Being prepared for team meetings and studying the opponent also helped my self confidence.

There is no subsitute for preparation and hard work if you want to succeed in your sport!

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Athletic Periodization Training...What Is It?

Periodization training? What is that? Well, it is a method of athletic training that helps you avoid injuries, avoid over-training and allows you to peak at the right time---during the season. The program should be tailored to the individual and her or his sport.

Periodization is not a new concept. The proper use of periodization training techniques will allow you to compete at a high level during the season.

In periodization, annual training is divided into different phases to allow you to progress to the next phase of training. In each phase, you will train to achieve certain goals.

Each phase prepares you for the next phase of training. If you don't reach the goals of a phase, you cannot move on to the next phase of training.

The periodization plan is usually broken up into four phases. Each phase may last anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months. The annual training plan can be divided into 2 major periods known as macro-cycles.

This typically indicates that there are two major seasons in the sport such as baseball (summer leagues and winter leagues) and basketball (winter leagues and summer leagues). The macro-cycle is divided into the meso-cycle (one or more months) and the micro-cycle (weekly).

The weekly cycle is very important because it allows the trainer to make adjustments as needed.

Here is a brief discussion of each phase of periodization training:

Phase 1 - General Physical Preparation

This phase of training prepares you for the more intense phases to follow. General strength and conditioning is accomplished by strengthening the core and all other major muscle groups and joint structures. The cardiovascular and nervous systems are also developed.

This phase of training is also used to rehabilitate injuries and correct any postural dysfunctions. Strength training is high volume and low intensity.

This means training with lighter weights and higher repetitions. All athletes need this phase of training. Elite athletes won't need as much time in this phase as a beginning or low-level athlete.

Phase 2 - Sport-Specific Training

This phase of training begins as the first phase is ending. This phase of training is sport-specific. The exercises mimic the actions made in your sport and strength is developed in the same range of motion used in the sport.

Running exercises also duplicate what you need to compete. For instance, football players would need starting speed, acceleration speed, speed endurance and power. Both training volume and intensity is high during this phase. This is a critical phase for the elite athlete.

Phase 3 - Training During The Season

During this phase of training, increases in strength and speed may still be needed (as in track and field). In other sports, such as baseball or football, strength and power needs to be maintained during the season.

Phase 4 - Post-Season Training

After the season, you need to recuperate physically and mentally. Active rest is often used for this purpose. For instance, a football player might enjoy playing basketball in the off-season.

This allows you to stay in relatively good shape and begin the next phase of training fresh and healthy. You can also make greater physical gains and have a better season the next year.

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Improve Sports Performance With A Periodized Plan

The rule of the day in sports competition is bigger, faster and stronger. Every athlete wants these physical traits. Every athlete can improve strength, power and speed.

Every athlete needs a plan for athletic success! You can't just show up at the gym 3 or 4 times a week to "workout" and expect to get the results you need to improve your performance.

Listen to this true story! I know a kid who was a pretty good football player in high school. At the end of his junior season, his coach said to him, "if you want to play on the collegiate level, you need to work harder!" That cocky kid was me!

My coach had told me to my face that "you aren't as good as you think you are!" He said that I needed to join his workout club at night to learn how to really train like an athlete.

He was right! Before the beginning of my senior year in high school, I had improved my strength, power and speed to be able to have a great senior season and sign a full-paid football scholarship at the Division I level!

I didn't have a plan! Once I did get a plan, it led to athletic success for me!

The Sports Fitness Hut's "Sports Performance" Program is designed by me and it is a periodized training plan. A periodized plan will allow you the best chance to peak at the right time---during the season! From my athletic experience and training background, I know what it takes to make it to the next level of competition.

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Athletes Who Achieve Great Things Have This Quality In Common

We all see the great athletes on television achieving great feats on the field or court. It all looks so easy. Trust me, it is not easy to make those great plays during the heat of competition.

I played collegiate football and the level of play at the Division I level is incredible. The game is fast and violent. And, you won't be successful if you don't play at that level. Pick the sport and the same standard of excellence will hold true.

These athletes all have great speed, agility, quickness, balance, etc. or they wouldn't be at that level. But, there is one quality that separates athletes who consistently achieve great things during their games or matches. Work Ethic!

One thing that is said about Tiger Woods, Cal Ripken, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Derek Jeter and Tom Brady---they work harder than their competitors!

It doesn't matter what level you play at---elementary, middle school, high school, college or pro. You can always work harder than your competitor! I will venture to guess that the best player on your team is also the hardest worker.

And, if she or he is not a hard worker, the talent will only take them so far before they are passed up by the talented and hard-working players. You might not be a Michael Jordan. But, you will be YOUR BEST! Hard work can sometimes make up for a lack of talent.

Remember this, Michael Jordan was cut from his middle school basketball team. It just made him work harder to reach his goals! And, look where it got him!

Work hard, train smart, do your best----and see what happens for you in your sport!

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Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Running Won't Give You The Leg Strength Needed For Sports

Leg strength is important in sports. Duh! There is a myth about leg strength which is this: If I run enough, my legs will get stronger. Wrong! The average marathoner has the leg strength of the average Joe (if she or he doesn't strength train)!



You should strengthen your legs with exercises like squats, step ups and lunges because these exercises use the same pathways that it takes to run with speed.

Don't worry about leg extensions too much because the quadriceps will get plenty of work with other exercises. Instead, focus on strengthening the hamstrings with exercises like hamstring curls, straight-leg deadlifts and good mornings.

The quadriceps shouldn't be significantly stronger than the hamstrings. If so, you are headed for injuries such as knee ACL tears. And, don't forget about your calf muscles. The calf muscles provide at least 30% of the strength and power it takes to run fast. Use calf raises (seated or standing) to strengthen the calves.

Once you have strengthened your legs adequately, you can progress to plyometric exercises to provide the power it takes to play sports with explosion.

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Advanced Power Training For Athletes

When a football, baseball, soccer or basketball (pick any sport) scout looks at a potential recruit for the first time, there is a thing called "the eye-ball test."

Some recruits pass the "eye-ball test" because they look physically strong and impressive. The next step the scout takes is to see if the recruit can actually play the sport! Afterall, "players" win games, not bodybuilders!

It doesn't help an athlete to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports.

Plyometric exercises help the athlete to increase power. Traditional barbell and dumbbell strength exercises do not allow the athlete to move at the speeds necessary to improve power. Strength training gives the athlete the muscular and nervous system development needed to develop optimal power.

Advanced sports power training supersets a strength exercise with a biomechanically similar power exercise. An example would be barbell squats and repeating full-speed squat jumps. The squat jumps would be performed immediately following the barbell squats to get maximum neuromuscular adaptations.

The athlete would do a set of squats at 85% of 1 Rep Maximum (5 reps) followed immediately by a set of full-speed repeating squat jumps (8-10 reps). This is an advanced training method and should not be performed by athletes who do not have adequate stabilization strength and muscular strength.

Other plyometric exercises can also be superset this way. It is also advisable to choose exercises that mimic the athlete's movements in her or his sport (transfer-of-training-effect).

Advanced power training is designed to increase speed strength and create neuromuscular adaptations throughout the full range of motion.

You should want to be "a player" who passes "the eye-ball test!"

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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A Challenging Core Exercise: Hanging Hip Raise

A stronger core will maximize your extremity (limbs) strength, speed and power.

Ball crunches, reverse crunches and trunk rotations are great but maybe you need to "kick up your core exercise" to another level. Challenge yourself in the gym with this core exercise: Hanging Hip Raise.



1) Grab the bar a little wider than shoulder width. Hang from the bar with your arms straight.

2) Keep your head/back neutral (straight) and core tight (navel drawn in towards spine) throughout the entire movement. Lift your knees up with hips flexed at approximately 90°. DO NOT USE MOMENTUM TO SWING YOUR LEGS, LIFT YOUR LEGS!

3) Slowly lower legs. That's one repetition.

To further challenge yourself, place a medicine ball between your feet or try the Hanging Straight Leg Raise!

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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