A Great Full-Body Core Exercise: The Figure 8

Some exercises can be used as a warm-up or explosive movement. The Figure 8 exercise is that type of exercise. It is primarily a core exercise. You can use the Figure 8 to improve your athletic power. Performing this exercise at full speed will improve your athletic power.

As the exercise's name suggest, you will be doing the Figure 8 motion.



1. Start Position: Hold medicine ball with your arms extended over your right shoulder. In one continuous motion, bring the ball down in front of you (just below the waist) and the ball should end towards your left foot (like a woodchop).

2. Stand back up and raise the ball straight up over your left shoulder and now bring the ball down towards your right foot.

3. You will have to bend at your knees to complete this exercise.

4. Return to starting position and repeat the required repetitions.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workout and start changing your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Athletes Training For Power Need High Intensity Cardio Exercise

Athletes training for speed and power should do a variation of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cardio exercise.

Doing too much distance running will not allow the athlete to reach her or his maximum speed and power potential. Also, HIIT is the best way to burn fat in the shortest amount of time as well as increase VO2 Max. All that's needed is 20 minutes per session.

Here is an example of how HIIT could work for an athlete:

After a proper dynamic warmup, sprint for 10-15 seconds and walk for 1 minute. The sprint has to be at maximum effort. Do this rotation for 20 minutes.

To continually challenge the athlete, progress this cardio exercise to surfaces such as inclines, hills and stadium steps. Weighted resistance, such as vest, could also be used. Its just that simple! And that tough!

Try it the next time you do your cardio training. It will help your athletic performance.

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Athletes Need A Comprehensive Flexibility Program

When someone says, "You need to stretch out before you workout," what does that mean? Well, you might get five different answers from five people. First, you need to know the different kinds of stretches available to you.

Then, depending on your athletic goals, choose the best flexibility program for you. You might need assistance from a fitness professional if you are rehabilitating an injury. Let's start by defining the different types of stretches:

Static Stretches - It is better to do static stretching after your game or workout (perform dynamic flexibility routines before a game or workout). Static stretches are performed without movement. The individual gets into and holds the stretched position for 20-30 seconds. The different types of static stretches are:



1. Passive - This type of stretch requires you to use another person or object to assist you. The person who assists you should be careful when applying the stretch and any object used should be stable. The advantage of this type of stretching technique is that it allows you to reach a greater range of motion. Passive stretching is often used to stretch the chest and shoulders.

2. Active - Active stretching uses opposing muscles (antagonists) to stretch the targeted muscles (agonists or prime movers). The opposing muscle is contracted and the targeted muscle is relaxed and stretched. Lifting your leg straight out and holding that position while standing is an example of an active stretch.

3. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation(PNF) - This type of stretching should be used with great caution. Your partner should also be knowledgeable about PNF stretching techniques. This type of stretching is good for targeting specific muscle groups, increasing range of motion and improving strength.

The hamstring stretch is good for applying this stretching technique. While lying on your back, you would contract your hamstrings while your partner holds your leg in place during the stretch. The stretch would last for about 5 seconds. The hamstrings are relaxed, the partner then immediately and safely pushes the muscle group past its normal range of movement for 20-30 seconds. That would be one repetition.

Rest for about 30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times. Many athletes have trouble with nagging hamstring injuries.



4. Isometric - This form of stretching is similar to passive and PNF stretching except that the contractions are held longer. Isometric stretching is very demanding and is not recommended for children or adolescents still growing.

Only one isometric stretch per muscle group should be performed. An example of an isometric stretch would be to contract the calf muscles for 10-15 seconds during the leaning calf stretch. Relax for 20 seconds and repeat 3-5 times.

Static stretches should be done after your workout to return your muscles to their normal length.

Dynamic Stretches - Dynamic stretches are performed with movement. The individual uses movement to increase range of motion and flexibility. The different types of dynamic stretches are:

1. Ballistic - I do not recommend this type of stretching because it uses rapid bouncing and swinging motions to force the body part past its range of motion. Other forms of stretching are available and less risky.

2. Dynamic - This type of stretching uses controlled movements to increase range of motion. Unlike ballistic stretching, the body part is never forced past the joints normal range of movement.

Shuffles, backpedals and running-in-place are exercises that can be used during a dynamic warm-up. Research shows that a dynamic warm-up prepares an athlete's body best for competition.

3. Active Isolated - This type of stretching works by contracting the opposing muscle group which causes the stretched muscle group to relax. The stretch is held for 2 seconds. Repeat the stretch 5-10 times.

Stretch it out good!

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!  There are 3 levels:  beginner, intermediate and advanced.  Start at your level and progress.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut

High Speed Workouts Will Improve Your Power

It doesn't help you 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.

Traditional barbell and dumbbell strength exercises do not allow you 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.

At some point, you need to stop getting stronger and allow your strength to make you a more powerful and explosive athlete. To do this, you have to train fast (maximum effort).

High speed power training is for advanced athletes who have developed optimal strength (including core strength), dynamic balance and flexibility. Without this development, you will injure yourself.

And, young athletes should not start with this type of power training. Many group exercise programs emphasize plyometrics and power exercises because they are more glamorous than the needed foundational exercises.

These young athletes' bodies are not ready for this type of intensity. Parents, you need to let your young athletes develop in the right way (a progressive athletic strength program).

Many high speed athletic power training exercises involve the use of medicine balls and one-legged exercises. As stated earlier, each exercise should be done with maximum effort. Go Power up!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

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
Sports Fitness Hut

Too Much Distance Running Will Decrease Your Speed

You have to train fast to get faster! Too much distance running will defeat your goal of improving your speed. When training for speed, distance running should be kept to a minimum because it reduces explosiveness. You can condition for your sport by doing metabolic training, which is training that closely mimics your game-time competition.

So, how should athletes in sports that require speed best do their cardio exercise? Remember this: cardio exercise doesn't have to be aerobic! Aerobic exercise is an activity that is done continuously for more than 2 straight minutes (like treadmill and biking).

Athletes should perform the majority of their cardio exercise using sprint intervals.

Sprint intervals work this way:

Sprint with maximum effort for 1 minute and walk or jog for 1 minute. Do this for 20 minutes. You could start by running on a flat surface and progress to inclines and stadium steps. This type of training needs to done at least 2 days a week. Strength and power (plyometrics) training would be done on the other days of the week.

A lower level of cardio intervals for athletes could be done this way:

Run at 75% of your maximum heart rate for 1 minute and then jog for 1 minute to recover. Complete this cycle for 20 minutes increasing the intensity each time up to 90%.

Intensity can also be increased by using an incline on the treadmill or increasing the resistance on the bike. You should vary your intervals each workout to keep your body guessing. This type of cardio exercise should be done 1 day a week.

The point is this: athletes need maximum explosiveness, speed and power! Leave the long distance work to milers and marathoners.

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Challenge Yourself: Pushups With Knee Tucks

Are you looking for a challenging upper body/core exercise? Even if you aren't looking for an exercise like this, here it is! Try the Pushups with knee tuck exercise the next time you exercise (3 sets/15 reps).



1. Start by getting in a push up position with your feet on top of a ball.

2. Proceed to perform a push up balancing on top of the ball. Return to the starting position and then bring your knees in towards your chest.

3. Return to the parallel position and repeat.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workout and start changing your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Improve Athletic Performance By Correcting Your Posture

It is critical for athletes to correct body postural distortions. Failure to do so will lead to injuries and average athletic performance.
Common postural distortions are:

1. Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Postural Distortion - This distortion causes you to have increased lumbar lordosis and an anterior pelvic tilt as shown below.

Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip postural distortions are characterized by increased lumbar extension and decreased hip extension. Flexibility deficiencies for this distortion are tight calves, adductors, erector spinae, rectus femoris (quad), latissimus dorsi and iliopsoas.

Common injuries caused by this distortion are hamstring strains, groin strains and low back pain. Core stabilization exercises such as tube walking, bridges, planks and abdominal ball crunches are also very important.

2. Upper-Extremity Postural Distortion - This distortion is seen in a person with rounded shoulders or a forward head posture as shown below.

Flexibility deficiencies include tightness in the upper trapezius, neck muscles, latissimus dorsi and chest muscles (pectoralis major/minor). Common injuries include headaches, biceps tendonitis and shoulder injuries. Important core stabilization exercises for this distortion include prone cobras and cervical retraction.

3. Lower-Extremity Postural Distortion - A person with this distortion often has flat feet (pronation), feet pointed outward (slew-footed) and internal rotation of the knees (knock-kneed). During the squat exercise the knees will collapse and the heels will rise off the ground.

Flexibility deficiencies are tightness in the calves, peroneals, adductors, iliotibial band (IT), Iliopsoas and rectus femoris (quad). Common injuries for this distortion are plantar fascitis, shin splints and patellar tendonitis (jumper's knee). Core stabilization exercises that can be performed are tube walking, bridges, planks and abdominal ball crunches.



Stop me if you have heard this before---flexibility and core strength are critical! They are the main problems behind the postural distortions that we have. Now, get that posture corrected!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

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
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Want To Be A Better Athlete? Get Swivel Hips!

Listen to me carefully all want-to-be great athletes! If your hip muscles are not flexible, you will not even be a good athlete in your sport(s)! There's a reason that cornerbacks in the NFL make loads of cash: they have great speed/quickness and the best swivel hips around!

There are some good exercises to help get your hips on a swivel. Do these exercises before and after your workouts to help loosen those tight hip flexor muscles.

Kneeling and Lunging Hip Flexor Stretches






Hip Flexor (Psoas) Stretch




Front and Side Leg Swings






Lying Leg Raises



Some good hip exercises during your workouts are side shuffles, cariocas, tapiocas, back pedal turn and runs, lateral lunges and lateral step ups. Now get your hips on!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

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
Sports Fitness Hut

Athletes and Body Mass Index (BMI)

Many people are confused about what Body Mass Index (BMI) means as it relates to body fat. Keep in mind that it is just one tool to use when you are looking at your health.

Scientists use BMI as a research tool to make objective comparisons as to how fat a person is. A person with a BMI of 25 or above is considered overweight and a BMI over 30 is considered obese.

BMI uses a person's height and body weight to measure a person's fatness. This method has some limitations because it doesn't consider an athlete's body type (slim, muscular, etc.).

For example, athletes usually have high muscle mass and tend to have higher BMIs (suggesting the athlete is overfat). The athlete would actually be fit and healthy with low risk for fat-related diseases.

So, even though BMI could be used as a starting point, an athlete's level of fatness is best measured using a direct method. Two methods used are under-water weighing and skinfold measurements. Under-water weighing is not readily available to most people. Having a skinfold body fat test with calipers done by a fitness professional is convenient and reasonably accurate.

Regular sports training, low body fat and increased muscle mass are all factors that should outweigh any health risks suggested by a higher BMI.

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

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
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Good Posture Helps Athletes Perform At Elite Levels

The cumulative injury cycle and postural distortion patterns are real problems that every athlete has to deal with at some point. You must correct your postural imbalances and dysfunctions as much as possible to enable your body to reach optimal strength, flexibility, balance and power.

If one component of the kinetic chain (muscular, skeletal, neural) is out of alignment, patterns of tissue overload and dysfunction will develop. This misalignment, if left uncorrected, will decrease your neuromuscular control and the cumulative injury cycle will begin.

Patterns of postural dysfunction are commonly called postural distortion patterns. Distortion patterns occur because the structural integrity of the kinetic chain is compromised due to the misalignment of one or more of its components.

To avoid postural distortion patterns, you must maintain optimum static, transitional and dynamic postural control. Static posture is basically your standing/sitting posture. Transitional postural assessments include: overhead squat tests, single-leg squat tests and single-leg balance excursion tests. Dynamic postural assessments include: sport-specific movements, agility tests, gait assessments and reaction time tests.

The cumulative injury cycle, which occurs because one or more of the components of the kinetic chain are out of line, follows this pattern:

1. Tissue trauma
2. Inflammation
3. Muscle spasm
4. Muscle adhesions
5. Faulty neuromuscular control
6. Muscle imbalances (less than optimal length-tension relationships). Muscles can develop maximal tension when they maintain optimal length. Muscle imbalances are caused by postural stress, pattern overload, repetitive movement, lack of core stability and lack of neuromuscular control.

When this cycle is completed, the kinetic chain can not have functional efficiency. When the neuromuscular system performs functional activities (body movements) with the least amount of energy and stress on the kinetic chain, functional efficiency is achieved.

Common postural dysfunctions are:

1. Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Postural Distortion
2. Upper-Extremity Postural Distortion
3. Lower-Extremity Postural Distortion

If you are an athlete, have your posture examined as soon as possible by a fitness professional. Your performance will suffer if postural dysfunctions are not corrected.

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

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
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Athletes Should Do Self Myofascial Release

When the average person thinks about flexibility and stretching, self myofascial release with foam rolls (SMFR) is not what comes to mind. Basic static stretching will probably be thought of first by most people.

Static stretching has its part in a comprehensive flexibility program. Flexibility is important in order to maintain elasticity in our muscles to help prevent injuries. SMFR should be a part of your flexibility program.

You can increase your elasticity in the muscles by improving your flexibility. This will improve your performance. SMFR is like getting a massage. The foam roller is one of the most effective techniques for releasing tension while improving mobility.

Foam rolling exercises will release and organize your muscles, as well as release and align your skeletal system. Muscle injuries such as strains and tears and broken bones can be avoided with proper flexibility and skeletal alignment.

You'll immediately feel the effectiveness of SMFR and its something you can do every day at home. You will basically be your own massage therapist. Listed below is a summary of the benefits of SMFR:

1. SMFR releases tension in your muscles due to overuse, tightness and aging.
2. The SMFR process restructures and realigns your skeletal system.
3. The SMFR process improves balance and body awareness.
4. SMFR can be used in the rehabilitation process and massage therapy.
5. SMFR can be used for Pilates exercises.

Here is an example of a SMFR hamstring exercise:



1. Place hamstrings on the roll with your hips unsupported.
2. Crossed your feet to increase leverage.
3. Roll from knee toward posterior hip.
4. If a "tender point" is located, stop rolling, and rest on the tender point until pain decreases by 75%.

Keep a foam roll at home and "roll away" on your body's muscles everyday.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!  There are 3 levels:  beginner, intermediate and advanced.  Start at your level and progress.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut

Rehabilitative Flexibility

Rehabilitative flexibility is the initial recovery period from a serious injury. It begins with you working with a physical therapist. This article will primarily cover what you must do to regain the flexibility and strength of the injured area.

Keep in mind that the rehabilitation process is a team approach---you, your physical therapist and your personal trainer.

You should rehabilitate the injured area as follows:

1. Restore the range of motion.
2. Restore flexibility and strength of the injured area.
3. Regain balance lost because of the injury.

You should proceed with caution when you begin any exercise. Stop any exercise that causes pain. Continuing an exercise in pain will only set your rehabilitation back.

Restoring the range of motion is critical because it lays the groundwork for future training. Range of motion should be restored in all 3 planes.

For example, if you had a knee injury, you might have to begin your exercises with partial range of motion (working towards full range) in one plane. You would gradually work towards including exercises that required sideways, rotating, twisting or turning actions.

Once range of motion is restored, you can then begin to introduce light weight training exercises and stretching exercises to strengthen the injured muscles, tendons and ligaments.

It is also important to stretch and strengthen the areas around the injured area. Use of machine weights, isometric exercises (the injured area contracts but doesn't move), resistance bands or bodyweight exercises are all good in the rehabilitation process.

Balance and proprioception (limb position sense in 3D space) must be restored or the injury will probably reoccur. When a part of the body is injured, the nerve cells in that area are also damaged. This affects your control and the stability of the joint structures.

Once you have regained some strength and flexibility, you should begin to do balance exercises. You could start with simple exercises like walking in a straight line and progress to one-legged or closed-eyed exercises. You would then gradually progress to stability ball exercises, foam cushion exercises, BOSU exercises, etc.

The rehabilitation process can not be rushed. Trying to come back too fast from an injury will almost certainly lead to reinjury.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!  There are 3 levels:  beginner, intermediate and advanced.  Start at your level and progress.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut

Maximize Lateral Speed and Quickness With Your Hips

Lateral speed and change-of-direction quickness and explosiveness are critical components that all athletes need in order to be successful in their sport.

There are numerous drills and exercises that can be used to improve an athlete's lateral speed, quickness and agility. See my post dated 8/9/07 that discusses lateral speed development.

The positioning of the hips is critical when training for lateral speed and quickness. It is important for the athlete to keep the hips at a constant level during all change-of-direction movements.

If the hips go up and down (or yo-yo) during change-of-direction movements, it will slow the athlete down and the movements will not be efficient enough for the athlete to succeed at a high level of play. A good example would be the game-time actions of a cornerback in football.

The cornerback is one of the most skilled players on the field. He must have great straight-ahead speed, lateral speed, quickness, agility and explosion. On a single play, he may have to backpedal, shuffle, carioca and turn and run while attempting to cover a speedy wide receiver.

If this cornerback's hips are not kept at a constant level during all of these movements, he will not be successful (burnt toast would be an accurate description!)

The athlete must possess a strong and powerful core, upper body and lower body to be able to keep the hips level during all movements.

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs