Avoid These 5 Fat-Gaining Mistakes

by Kevin DiDonato, MS, CSCS, CES

America has a large problem.  The obesity epidemic is reaching epic proportions.  Compared to 20 years ago, more and more states have higher rates of obesity.   Lack of exercise, eating too many refined foods, and eating on the run top the list of trends which need to be broken to curb obesity around the world and in our own backyard!   For the majority of us, we fall for simple food traps that destroy our fat burning goals and most of the time we have no idea we’re doing it!

Here are the Top Five Fat-Gaining Mistakes we all make:

Mistake #1:   Limiting Fat-Burning Fiber In Our Diets

On average, Americans are not getting enough fiber.   People tend to stay away from whole-grain products and they don’t eat the proper servings of fruits and vegetables.  Fiber works and has many benefits. But there are two chart toppers.  First, when having both types of fiber in the diet, you feel fuller, helping to curb the snacking in between meals or after a meal.  Second, fiber is a great way to monitor blood sugar and control insulin levels.  Results: no low peaks and valleys where you lack energy and drive.

Advice: Eat more whole-wheat food products or sprouted-wheat products, get plenty of fruits and vegetables, and increase your fiber intake slowly.  This will help prevent extra bloating and gas associated with quick fiber increase.  Aim for 25-35 grams of fiber per day to destroy stubborn belly fat.

Mistake #2:   Our plates are just not colorful

Plain and simple, we are just not eating enough healthy fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables are filled with essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, plenty of fiber, and are low in calories, helping you trim the waistline while enjoying your favorite healthy snack.    Research shows that having an apple before a meal, made the participants eat less.

Advice:  Color your plate with plenty of reds, oranges, and yellows.  This provides plenty of fiber, nutrients, and low-calorie tidbits which curb your appetite and leave you less hungry, preventing you from overeating.

Mistake #3:  Eating only 1, 2, or 3 meals in a day - Can Lead To More FAT

Not eating frequently throughout the day will destroy your metabolism.  Eating more often helps regulate blood sugar and gives your metabolism the boost it needs to burn calories throughout the day.  The problem is that not everyone has the time or the healthiest food options to snack on.

Advice: Try eating 4-6 small meals throughout the day.  Incorporate fruit, whole foods, and lean proteins to help keep you satisfied while meeting your nutritional needs.  The meals should be around 200-400 calories, and have plenty of heart-healthy fiber and belly-fighting fruits and vegetables

Mistake #4:  Hidden Calorie Pitfalls

There are hidden calories no matter where you go.   The servings of food you get at fast food joints have increased in size and calories.  This results in an equal increase in our waistlines.  If you have to eat out, take the right steps to avoid hidden calories.  Get dressing on the side, package half of the meal to go, split your morning breakfast muffin or bagel, and get creamers, sugar, and other condiments on the side.

Advice:  Beware of hidden food traps.  Try to eat breakfast at home which will make you less apt to stop for a calorie-loaded bagel or muffin.   Get toppings on the side, giving you more control of the amount of calories going in your body.

Mistake #5:  Limiting muscle-building, fat-burning protein

Unfortunately, there are hundreds of diet plans on the market today, making it hard for people to understand how to feed their fat burning machine.  Incorporating adequate protein intake into your diet leaves you satisfied and feeling fuller for longer periods of time, which curbs your appetite.  Protein also provides essential amino acids which help to repair and stimulate growth of muscle tissue, keeping your fat burning machine active.

Advice:  Consume more lean proteins from sources such as eggs, lean grass-fed red meat, fish, and poultry

Avoiding these Five Fat-Loss Mistakes will help you lose weight and help keep your metabolism from going through the roof.  This will get and help KEEP the body of your dreams for years to come!

Exercise is beneficial for our bodies to lose weight and tone up

by Kinetica Sports

April is often the month where people are panicking to get their bodies in shape for the summer.  This is why magazines and tabloids feature non-stop columns of fad diets.  They are trying to get you to take the easy way out to get in shape. 

The real truth behind losing weight, toning up and leading a healthier lifestyle boils down to hard work and  dedication.  If it was so easy to stay slim and toned then everyone would be like that wouldn’t they?

Whenever you read publications about celebrities relating to their amazing figures, they always state what trainer they have or what exercise regime they follow to stay in shape.

Even the NHS has stated: “People who do regular activity have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers."

“Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease."

Exercise is one of the largest factors contributing towards shedding the pounds, toning up and increasing life spans.  Some of the not so obvious benefits of exercise in addition to the ones stated by the NHS include:

• Improves memory
• Increases flexibility
• Increases bone strength and protects against fractures
• Improves our psychological health
• Boosts immune system
• Improves sleep

One of the epic traps that people fall into when exercising is they think they can eat whatever they want when this is very untrue. The whole point of exercising is to benefit your body but if you eat fatty and unhealthy foods, you will not see the benefits of exercise. You need to consume as many healthy foods to see the benefits of working out.

There are some supplements that you can take to help give you more energy in the form of sports supplements from Kinetica Sports containing Whey protein which is drug tested and 100% healthy. This works alongside a healthy diet and exercise plan to protect your muscles and joints and to ensure your body is constantly getting the nutrients that it needs.

Many people don’t realize that a slice of chunky chocolate cake will average about 600kcals, which is equivalent to about 70 minutes at a fast past on the cross trainer. Once you start to understand your diet, the easier it will become to work out as eating healthier foods provides you with more energy to be able to exercise for regular periods of time.


Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Training to Train Your Body for Sports Performance

"Training to train" for sports performance or preconditioning is critical in order to prevent or minimize injuries. Muscle areas such as the hamstrings need preconditioning because the hamstrings are prone to injury.


Preconditioning can be done all year to supplement your main training program.

Here are 4 tips on preconditioning your muscles:

1. Injury risks like torn anterior cruciate knee ligaments, achilles tendon strains/tears and hamstring pulls can be lessened with proper training.

Eccentric contraction training (force reduction) of muscles can significantly reduce your injury risks.

These exercises help build eccentric contraction strength:

a. Running downhill.

b. Depth jumps (emphasize the landing and hold only).

c. Eccentric muscle contraction weight training (i.e., the lowering phase of a lift). For example, you would lift the weight on a hamstring curl for one count and lower the weight for 3-4 counts.

d. Improving your muscular balance. For example, your quadricep muscles should not be significantly stronger than your hamstring muscles. Your frontside should not be significantly stronger than your backside. And, your left side should not be significantly stronger than your right side.

One-legged and one-armed exercises help you to maintain muscular balance.

e. Range of motion should not be restricted. Do exercises with a full range of motion unless you are in rehabilitation. Rehab exercises are done to restore your full range of motion.

2. Part of preconditioning is making sure your running mechanics are perfected. Bad running mechanics can cause injury when you start to run at full speed. For example, if you over-stride when running, it will cause a "braking effect" which will slow you down and possibly cause groin and hamstring injuries.

Another common running mechanics problem is a "lazy heel" when it leaves the ground. The faster the running speed, the higher the heel on the rear foot should kick up. When the foot leaves the ground, it should follow a path straight up to the buttocks. It should not flail from side to side or lag.

Part of preconditioning is TRAINING YOUR BODY WITH CORRECT BIOMECHANICS (movements) for weight training, speed training and power training.

3. Another big part of preconditioning is to improve muscle flexibility and joint range of motion. A good time to do this is after a workout when your body is warm and blood flow is good. Pre-workout dynamic flexibility exercises are also important.

You can also precondition your achilles tendons after a speed workout because of the increased blood flow to the tendons (this area normally doesn't get strong blood flow).

4. Certain weight training exercises are good preconditioning exercises. They include:

--Lunges (forward, reverse, lateral and transverse)
--Step ups (front, lateral and transverse)
--Shoulder exercises
--Trunk exercises like planks, bridges, cobras and medicine ball exercises
--Hamstring exercises like glute/hamstring drops and hamstring curls
--Pushups, Pullups and other back exercises like rows
--Bench Press
--Squats (including single leg and split)

Many of these exercises can be done as bodyweight exercises.

These exercises should also emphasize concentric (force production), eccentric (force reduction) and isometric (force stabilization) contractions.

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Sports Fitness Hut

Four Easy Exercises You Can Do on Your Lunch Break

Many jobs these days require long hours staring at a computer, while sitting down in a cramped cubicle. There’s no way around it; this has become a common setting for the American workplace. While this type of work isn’t necessarily “dangerous” it does come with health risks.

Part of making sure you remain healthy is getting outside during your lunch break and doing some simple exercises. Even just going for a brisk walk will mean get your blood flowing while you enjoy some fresh air. In addition to doing some easy exercises, you’ll want to make sure you’re taking supplements to maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you want to make sure you stay healthy, check out these exercises you can do while you step away from your work computer for a few minutes.

Take the Stairs

When you get off work for your lunch break, take the stairs. Dropping the elevator for the stairs is the same thing as picking up a new work out, and if you do that everyday you’ll start to see some results. If you work on a high floor, even better! Start out slow, and increase the number of stairs you walk up and down each week for the best performance. If you have time on your lunch break, walk up and down the stairs a few times. It’s a great way to get some exercise in without looking like you’re exercising!

Yoga

Doing yoga on your lunch break not only is a great way to exercise, but it will also relax your nerves and calm you down for the rest of the work day. If you’ve got some time, grab your yoga mat and head to a nearby park, or even an empty parking lot.

Learn some yoga routines online, and spend twenty or thirty minutes practicing them. You’ll feel more stretched out, and ready for the rest of the day. Even better, grab a coworker who may be interested in doing some yoga during lunch, and work out together!

Walk

Sometimes all it takes for a solid workout during your lunch break is a good old-fashioned walk around the building. Try and walk as fast as you can without running, and if you feel up for it go for a short jog. Walking will get your blood flowing, and you’ll feel great when you go back to your desk. If you really want a challenge, keep some small weights in your car, and carry them on your walk. Once you feel up to it, start jogging with those weights, and you’ll feel fantastic.

Stretches

If it’s too cold outside or you simply don’t have enough time to get out of the office, doing some stretches in the break room is a great way to still get a good workout in during your break. Do toe touches, windmill swings, and lunges, and do three reps of ten each. You’ll get back to your desk feeling great!

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

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Tips to Make Sure You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

As the second half of January approaches, it’s a known fact that a majority of New Year’s resolutions are already on hold for next year. This is the bitter truth for a number of reasons. Maybe you don’t have enough time for the gym, or maybe you were so stressed that you thought you needed a cigarette.

Whatever the case is, you shouldn’t abandon your New Year’s goals so quickly. With hard work, dedication, and a ton of willpower, you can be on your way back to the path of a better you. If you’ve had trouble keeping your New Year’s resolutions so far this year, check out these tips on how to stay motivated to reach your goals and live a more enjoyable life in 2013.

Remind Yourself Each Day

Image credit: http://athleanx.com/

Many people fail at reaching their New Year’s goals simply because they forget about them. Don’t be this type of person! Remind yourself each day about what change you want to make. Make some motivational mugs from www.minespress.com so you’re reminded each morning that you need to hit your goals for the day.

That way, every morning when you have your cup of coffee, you’ll see what it is that you’re planning to accomplish and be reminded that you want to get there. It’s a cheap and fun way to keep yourself motivated to reach your goals, and with the site mentioned above you can create many different kinds of motivational mugs.


Slow Down

Another one of the more common reasons people fail at reaching their New Year’s goals is because they try and do too much, too fast. For example, going from hitting the gym zero times a week to five days is exhausting, and it may wear you out too quickly and you’ll lose that gym motivation.

Instead, start slow. Go to the gym twice a week, and as you start to feel stronger and weigh less, increase it to a third day. Taking things in moderation is key to success. If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t simply cut everything out of your diet on day one. Taking things slow is one of the biggest keys to successfully keeping your New Year’s resolutions, so if you’ve been moving too fast you should take another look at how you’re approaching things. Take everything one step at a time, and you’ll have a much better chance for success.

If You Falter, Keep on Going

New Year’s resolutions often end up as failures because people believe that one small slip up means everything is ruined. For example, if you’re trying to give up smoking cold turkey, and you broke down and smoked a cigarette, don’t instantly go out and buy a pack.

Just take yourself back to the beginning, and recognize that a step back is likely to happen. But just because a step back happens doesn’t mean that the entire plan is ruined. If you’re having trouble, reanalyze your approach, but don’t stop attempting to succeed.

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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3 Tips to do Functional Athletic Strength Training

Functional athletic strength training should be a huge part of your strength and conditioning program. Or, stated another way, you should be trained for the sport you will play (train movements, not just muscles). Some traditional strength training techniques have not focused on functional training. Bench pressing 500 pounds may not prepare you to play a sport.

One of the best physical predictors of success in sports is your "rate-of-force production" or how fast your muscles can produce force (power).

The number one reason that athlete's don't reach their power potential is a weak core area.

The saying "you are only as strong as your weakest link" is true in the case of the human body. The majority of powerful athletic movements are either initiated or transfer through the body's core area. Many sports injuries can also be linked to a weak core area.

Here are 3 tips to follow during functional athletic strength training:

1. Your body needs to be stabilized and strengthened before progressing to high-speed power exercise programs. If this is not done, you are headed for certain injury when more intense exercises are introduced.

Many young athletes are progressed too fast by coaches/trainers to "more glamourous" plyometric exercises! Along the same lines, you should perform an exercise correctly before progressing to power exercises.

2. Most athletic core exercises should be performed in a standing position since most athletic movements are on your feet. These exercises will also involve the important hip stabilizer muscles and not just the abdominals. A great full-body core exercise is the medicine ball chop.

3. The core exercises should be multi-planar, multi-dimensional and progressive. Many athletic movements involve twisting, rotating, turning, etc. The exercises should also constantly challenge and improve (progressive) your athletic ability. Finally, the athletic training should target endurance, strength and power.

Train hard and smart!

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Five Ways To Keep Your Toddler Active Day In and Day Out

It’s important to get your toddler active and moving at a very young age. This not only builds healthy habits that will hopefully last forever, but also stimulates development of the brain and other important body functions.

Use these 5 tips to make sure your child is healthy and on the road to choosing healthy habits.

Limit the screens, or use them to promote healthy activity

Children love watching television. Many parents let their children sit on the couch for hours and hours a day watching Spongebob or some other cartoon. You don’t want your kid’s first word to be “Krabby Patty!”

Limit your child’s television time to one hour a day, and try and get them to watch an engaging program that gets them up and moving rather than sitting on the couch. There are plenty of these kinds of programs out there, find one that your child will watch over and over!

Sign up for a class together


It’s so important that your child gets engaging activity that promotes healthy development every single day. Seriously, consider signing up for an activity that lets you and your child enjoy this stimulating activity together!

There are plenty of parent child programs available for a wide range of ages, whether for an infant or a toddler. Your child will love going to these classes with you and you may make some new friends. A great benefit: you’ll always be there to see every important milestone your child makes, and you will be surprised how quickly they develop.

Dance, just dance!

It’s that simple. Turn up your toddler’s favorite jam and start grooving! Children love dancing and when they see you doing it, they will absolutely want to join in. Better yet, start dancing around the house and wait for your toddler to follow you. Pause to walk up the stairs, and keep going at the top. Then repeat so you’re throwing in some stair activity, and you’ll really get good exercise for yourself and your child.

Make your kids an obstacle course 

It’s easy to get your child moving at home without the use of a television screen. Take your child to the backyard and set up a little obstacle course. You can create some “stepping stones” by cutting up some construction paper or even cardboard from old boxes.

Take all the cushions from the couch and make a giant pile for your child to climb up and over, they will absolutely love it and be so surprised! You can even make a simple balance board by using a shelf bought from a hardware store. Combine all these ideas and more to get your child up and moving.

Set a good example 

If you never exercise, how can you expect your child to? Make sure you’re a good example for your child. Even at such a young age, your child will be able to tell what’s healthy and what’s not. Do an exercise video at home so your child sees you working out and wants to be just like you.

Or, even better, get the whole family involved by holding family outings outdoors with fun activities like hiking or swimming.  Toddlers learn from experience, so make sure you’re giving them a really healthy experience to learn from!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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How to do Offseason Training of Movements

Offseason training is when you as an athlete can make the greatest strength, speed and power improvements. Just remember to train for the sport you will play (train movements, not just muscles). Some call this sport-specific training.

Some traditional training techniques have not focused on sport specific training. For instance, bench pressing 500 pounds may not prepare you to play a sport.

One of the best physical predictors of success in sports is your "rate-of-force production" or how fast your muscles can produce force (power).

The number one reason that athlete's don't reach their power potential is a weak core area.

The saying "you are only as strong as your weakest link" is true in the case of the human body. The majority of powerful athletic movements are either initiated with or transfer through the body's core area. Many sports injuries can also be linked to a weak core area.

Here are 3 Top Athlete's Offseason Training Tips:

1. Your body needs to be stabilized and strengthened before progressing to high-speed power exercise programs. If this is not done, you are headed for certain injury when more intense exercises are introduced.

Many young athletes are progressed too fast by coaches/trainers to "more glamourous" plyometric exercises! Along the same lines, you should perform an exercise correctly before progressing to power exercises.

2. Most athletic core exercises should be performed in a standing position since most athletic movements are on your feet.

These exercises will also involve the important hip stabilizer muscles and not just the abdominals. A great full-body core exercise is the medicine ball soccer throw (pictured above).

3. The core exercises should be multi-planar, multi-dimensional and progressive. Many athletic movements involve twisting, rotating, turning, etc.

The exercises should also constantly challenge and improve (progressive) your athletic ability. Finally, the athletic training should target endurance, strength and power.

Download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start burning offseason fat!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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7 Tips to Improve Speed Strength and Dynamic Balance

Speed strength and dynamic balance are the two best physical predictors of success in speed-based sports such as football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and baseball. If you want to be your best version of athlete, you need high levels of both.

Speed Strength

1. Speed strength, or how fast your muscles can produce force, is the key to improving your speed and power. Just getting stronger will not continually improve your speed and power. You must train your muscles to move faster with the correct motions.

There is a point at which increasing strength will not result in an increase in power.

2. There are five purposes for sports power training:

a. Improve the excitability, sensitivity and reactivity of the neuromuscular system.

b. Improve the rate-of-force production.

c. Increase motor-unit recruitment.

d. Increase motor-unit firing frequency.

e. Increase motor-unit synchronization.

Sports power training teaches you how to activate the right muscles (prime movers and synergists) at the right time. Sports power training also provides you with optimal neuromuscular efficiency.

3. Here are some ways to train your muscles to move faster:

a. Sprinting with maximum effort and with the correct running mechanics. You have to train fast to get faster.

b. Do plyometric exercises.

c. Do weight training exercises at full speed.

d. Build muscle mass, especially bulky fast twitch muscle fibers.

e. Improve your dynamic flexibility so your body can move efficiently.

Dynamic Balance

4. Improve your dynamic balance and proprioception (limb position sense) and you will be a better athlete.

Your ability to maintain your center of gravity over a constantly changing base of support is critical to success and is the essence of dynamic balance. Dynamic core strength and control is also necessary to achieve dynamic balance.

5. You should participate in exercises that progressively challenge your dynamic balance and postural control. Exercises that require use of different surfaces (firm to unstable) will work to accomplish this.

One-armed and one-legged exercises also work well. Experts don't always agree on the specific balance exercises to be performed, but research proves that changes in both sensory and motor systems influence balance performance.

6. Balance exercises should be specific to the sport in which you compete to increase the chances of success and minimize the risk of injury. For example, football and soccer players often compete with cleated shoes on grass surfaces or with flat shoes on artificial surfaces.

7. Here are some ways to improve your dynamic balance:

a. Incorporate one-legged exercises such as power step ups, single leg squats, single leg good mornings, single leg medicine ball exercises, etc.

b. Include exercises with your eyes closed to improve limb position sense.

c. Train your body in all 3 planes of motion to improve multi-planar balance. An example would be a grouping of walking lunges, side lunges and transverse lunges.

d. Train on different surfaces such as grass, sand, astro-play and soft surfaces. You will rarely play on a perfect surface anyway.

e. Quickness and agility drills will improve your dynamic balance.

f. Do combinations of one-arm and one-leg exercises such as single leg squat-to-single arm shoulder press.

g. Jump rope every day using different variations---two feet, one foot, shuffle, etc. Jumping rope is one of the best body coordination exercises out there. And, speed jump rope is even better.

h. Better muscular balance will give you better dynamic balance. For example, your quadriceps should not be significantly stronger than your hamstrings.

Train hard, smart and expect success!

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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How Athletes Improve Speed and Power

Athletic bodyweight training helps you develop the strength and power needed to compete at a high level. Athletic bodyweight exercises allow you to develop strength that allows your body to stabilize itself. This way, you are less likely to injure yourself with heavy free weights because your body is not ready for the loads.

Stabilization strength and power are critical for your athletic success on the field or court. As an athlete, you should be involved in a comprehensive training program to prevent injuries and burnout. The three building blocks of integrated training for the athlete are:

STABILIZATION (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to correct muscle imbalances, joint dysfunctions, postural distortion patterns, improve kinetic chain integrity and reconditioning/rehabilitation.

STRENGTH (3 Phases) – Primary goals are to improve stabilization strength/endurance and increase muscle hypertrophy (growth) and strength.

POWER (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to enhance neuromuscular efficiency, increase power production, increase speed strength and create neuromuscular adaptations throughout the entire range of motion.

All seven phases of training may not be necessary for all athletes. For example, some sports do not require optimum levels of muscle hypertrophy.

The training program is Multi-Planar (sagittal, frontal, transverse), Multi-Joint (exercises such as bench press, squats, lunges), Multi-Dimensional (stabilization, strength, power), Proprioceptively Enriched (high neural demand) and Sport-Specific.

You should follow a systematic approach with the following goals in mind: injury prevention, body fat reduction and increased lean muscle mass, strength, endurance, flexibility and performance. Rate-of-Force Production (muscles producing force in the shortest period of time) is one of the best physical indicators of the level of an athlete’s performance and future success.

Bodyweight workouts use natural body motions that don't limit your natural range of motion (like machine lifting does). Since no two people have the same exact motions, bodyweight exercises are ideal for beginners and veterans alike.

What you need before sport specific exercises is the foundation of strength, flexibility and sports nutrition....if you don't have this foundation, you won't be very good in your sport.

Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you.

I'm seeing more and more young athletes with weak bodies trying to start a program of intense plyometrics. Many of them come to me with injuries they have gotten from group training classes in plyometrics.

A proper sports training system would go something like this:

1. Overall strength training (including core training) to stabilize joints, build muscle, correct postural problems, improve flexibility and implementation of a nutrition program.

Some bodyweight strength exercises would include:

--pullups
--pushups of all variations
--inverted rows
--lunges of all types
--step ups of all types
--squats (two-legged, one-legged, split, lateral, Bulgarian)

2. Progress to power exercises, speed exercises, plyometric exercises and sport specific exercises when your body is ready.

Don't skip to step #2 without adequately doing step #1 or injuries will surely follow!

Train smarter, not harder.

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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A Stronger You Makes You a Better Player

Two players with equal ability will be separated in ability---by the stronger player. A stronger version of you makes you a better ball player.

Are you strong enough to play your sport? You should train for the type of strength you will need to compete at a high level. For example, you will not need maximal levels of strength to play baseball or tennis.

Even though you don't need to win a strong man contest, you do need a certain amount of strength to enhance your power and speed.

Here are 3 ways to improve your strength:

1. Optimum Strength – The ideal level of strength needed to perform in your sport. Continually getting stronger will not continually increase your power, or speed strength.

Speed strength is the ability of the neuromuscular system to produce the greatest possible force in the shortest period of time. Obviously, every athlete wants and needs this type of strength. You should know the levels of strength you need to play your specific position.

2. Stabilization Strength – The ability of your body’s stabilizing muscles to provide dynamic joint stabilization and maintain postural control during athletic movements. All athletes need this type of strength.

Core strength would fall within this category. Many athletic injuries can be traced to inadequate core strength. Core strength enhances your power.

3. Functional Strength – You should train movements (not just muscles) during strength training sessions. Producing dynamic, multi-planar eccentric, concentric and isometric contractions quickly and efficiently is the goal of training for functional strength.

Do your strength training in all 3 planes of motion.

Strength train your muscles with all contraction types (eccentric, isometric, concentric). All muscles function eccentrically (reduces force or deceleration), isometrically (stabilizes force) and concentrically (produces force).

Are you strong enough to compete? You can't just show up at the gym and do any kind of workout. Don't lose your position because you are physically weak!

Train hard and smart!

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

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
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Her Fitness Hut
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Inverted Rows Strengthen Core, Back, Shoulders and Arms

The inverted row is a must-do bodyweight strength exercise. Change up your exercise routine the next time you're in the gym by trying the inverted row. It is a good exercise for your core, back, shoulders and arms.





Inverted rows will also re-align your shoulder blades and help prevent slouched shoulder posture.

How to do Inverted Rows:

1. You can do this exercise on a Smith machine. Adjust the bar low to the ground, but not so low that you won't be able to fully extend your arms as you lower your body. Don't let your body touch the ground during the exercise.

2. With your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart and palms facing out, grab the bar from a lying position on the ground. Keep your heels on the ground. Keep your torso and legs straight throughout the exercise (brace your torso to keep your core tight). Also, keep your head in line with your torso.

3. Lift yourself up until your hands are even with your chest. Lower yourself until your arms are at a 90 degree angle at the elbows. Repeat.

Note: To make this exercise more difficult, put a weighted plate on your chest.

Train hard and smart.

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

10 Tips for Anyone to Get 6-Pack Abs

You can get 6-pack abs...if you eat right and exercise right for starters.......check out this short video:



Burn belly fat for your health. Burn belly fat to sculpt your six pack abs and a lean, ripped body.

You won't burn belly fat by chance even though you can surely gain it without trying.

Use these 10 tips on most days and you will have the abs and body you want:"

1. Get a healthy, managed meal plan and comply with it at least 90% of the time. If you are trying to burn fat and lose weight, nutrition is critical. Eat mainly whole, natural foods that have one ingredient--the food itself. For example, fruits and vegetables have one ingredient.

I don’t ever encourage any diet that significantly omits one of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins). Your body’s metabolism needs all 3 macronutrients to operate properly. So, diets that are very low in carbs or fats will not help your body in the long-term. Fats, which is the most nutrient-dense of the macronutrients (9 calories per gram), can help you feel fuller for longer and thereby help you eat less. Just eat mainly heart-healthy fats like olive oil, salmon and avocado.

Eating fast-digesting carbs immediately before or after your workout will not spike your blood sugar levels. Your body uses carbs for intense weight training and interval cardio.

Set your daily calorie intake based on your basal metabolic rate, your activity level and your goals. This way, you won't eat too much or too little. Maintaining the right amount of calorie deficit on most days (burning more calories than you consume) is the key to burning fat and losing weight.

2. Eat more protein. Research has proven that protein keeps blood sugar levels more steady when you have a meal that includes carbohydrates. Protein helps you feel fuller for a longer period (slower digestion). Protein also keeps the hunger hormone (ghrelin) in check so your hunger doesn't spike so high. Just include protein foods with each meal.

Drinking a fast-digesting whey protein drink before and after your weight training workout helps your body repair and rebuild your muscles.

3. Eat more fiber for your overall health and belly fat reduction. Your body cannot digest fiber and there are two forms:

--Soluble fiber dissolves in water and produces a gel-like substance in your stomach. This substance helps digested food move slowly through the small intestine and slows down food absorption and release of nutrients into the bloodstream. Soluble fiber also limits the amount of cholesterol released into the blood. Oats are high in soluble fiber.

--Insoluble fiber cannot be broken down once entering the stomach and increases in size by absorbing water. This type of fiber speeds up foods absorption once it enters into the small intestine. Insoluble fiber cleans your system as it travels through your body.

Eat both types of fiber to help you feel fuller for longer and to help stabilize blood sugar levels. Eating 25-35 grams of daily fiber per day will help fight belly fat. Fruits and vegetables have both types of fiber.

4. Limit sugary drinks and other sugary foods. If you want a fat belly, load up consistently on sugars. Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard endocrinologist, who is widely cited by obesity researchers, says that sweetened drinks are the only specific food that clinical research has directly linked to weight gain. "Highly concentrated starches and sugars promote overeating, and the granddaddy of them all is sugar-sweetened beverages," said Ludwig, who runs the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children's Hospital in Boston.

And, avoid high-fructose corn syrup. Your body processes the fructose in high-fructose corn syrup differently than it does regular sugar. It also lowers the hormone leptin in your body. Leptin signals to your brain that you're full. It causes your liver to kick more fat out into the bloodstream (especially true with sugary drinks because they are processed so fast). So, your body wants more and stores more fat at the same time.

5. If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation. One gram of alcohol provides 7 calories. Only fat (9 cal/g) provides more calories than alcohol. So, when you are planning your food and drink consumption, don't forget the calories from alcohol. When you take a drink of alcohol, your body converts a small amount of it into fat and the rest is converted (by the liver) into a substance called acetate. This acetate is then quickly released into the bloodstream and used as the body's main source of energy.

So, your body is using the acetate for energy instead of the stored fat in your body. The more you drink, the more fat your body will store (many times belly fat).

Added to this problem is the fact that alcohol consumption can increase your appetite. Researchers from Denmark found that a group of men ate more when they were served beer or wine and they ate less when served a soft drink.

6. Drink plenty of water. This will help you limit sugary drinks that pack on belly fat. Your body is about two-thirds water. Drink water and unsweetened drinks (like tea) most of the time. It will help you eat less and help your body function better.

Drink about half your weight in water every day. So, if you weigh 140 pounds, drink 70 ounces of water each day.

Remember, certain foods contain large amounts of water. This counts toward your water intake. For instance watermelon is about 90% water and lettuce has about 95% water. Some meats contain as much as 70% water.

Water also helps your body flex muscles, remove wastes, cushion joints, carry nutrients and oxygen to your cells and helps convert food into energy (although water doesn't provide energy).

You may be experiencing dehydration if you have dry lips/mouth, dizziness, headache, nausea or muscle cramps. When you exercise, drink about a cup of water every 15 minutes.

7. Do regular full body strength training at least 3 days a week to burn total body fat. Spot reduction training won't work to burn your belly fat. Focus on compound exercises like squats, deadlift, lunges, pullups, chest press, shoulder press and rows because they work large muscle groups and help you burn more calories and fat.

8. Do regular short burst interval cardio workouts. Sprint intervals and bodyweight exercise cardio are top fat burners. Twenty minute cardio sessions (2-3 times a week) will get the job done.

9. Limit prolonged stress in your life. A certain amount of stress is good for us to live efficiently. Too much stress…well, you know the answer. In a Mayo Clinic article, “Stress Basics,” it states:

“When your brain perceives a threat, it signals your body to release a burst of hormones to fuel your capacity for a response. This has been labeled the "fight-or-flight" response.

Once the threat is gone, your body is meant to return to a normal relaxed state. Unfortunately, the nonstop stress of modern life means that your alarm system rarely shuts off. Without stress management, all too often your body is always on high alert. Over time, high levels of stress lead to serious health problems.”

10. Get enough sleep. In a Health.com article, "Why a Lack of Sleep Can Make You Fat, and How to Keep From Gaining Weight" it says the following:

"We have very substantial research that shows if you shorten or disturb sleep, you increase your appetite for high-calorie dense foods," says Charles Samuels, MD, medical director of the Centre for Sleep and Human Performance in Calgary, Alberta. "On a simplistic level, your appetite changes."

Two hormones in your body play an important role in controlling appetite and satiety. Ghrelin stimulates appetite, causing you to eat; leptin suppresses appetite—so you'll stop eating—and stimulates energy expenditure. In a properly functioning brain, the two hormones are released on and off to regulate normal feelings of hunger. But research has shown that sleep deprivation can alter ghrelin and leptin levels.

"When sleep is restricted to four hours a night, ghrelin levels go up and leptin levels go down," says National Sleep Foundation spokesperson William Orr, PhD, president and CEO of the Lynn Health Science Institute in Oklahoma City. "So you have a greater amount of appetite and a greater amount of intake."

I'll just add: you are less likely to workout when you don't sleep enough. Get your shut-eye.

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

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

Athletes Need Bodyweight and Free Weight Training

Athletic bodyweight training helps you develop the strength and power needed to compete at a high level. Athletic bodyweight exercises allow you to develop strength that allows your body to stabilize itself. This way, you are less likely to injure yourself with heavy free weights because your body is not ready for the loads.

Stabilization strength and power are critical for your athletic success on the field or court. As an athlete, you should be involved in a comprehensive training program to prevent injuries and burnout. The three building blocks of integrated training for the athlete are:

STABILIZATION (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to correct muscle imbalances, joint dysfunctions, postural distortion patterns, improve kinetic chain integrity and reconditioning/rehabilitation.

STRENGTH (3 Phases) – Primary goals are to improve stabilization strength/endurance and increase muscle hypertrophy (growth) and strength.

POWER (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to enhance neuromuscular efficiency, increase power production, increase speed strength and create neuromuscular adaptations throughout the entire range of motion.

All seven phases of training may not be necessary for all athletes. For example, some sports do not require optimum levels of muscle hypertrophy.

The training program is Multi-Planar (sagittal, frontal, transverse), Multi-Joint (exercises such as bench press, squats, lunges), Multi-Dimensional (stabilization, strength, power), Proprioceptively Enriched (high neural demand) and Sport-Specific.

You should follow a systematic approach with the following goals in mind: injury prevention, body fat reduction and increased lean muscle mass, strength, endurance, flexibility and performance. Rate-of-Force Production (muscles producing force in the shortest period of time) is one of the best physical indicators of the level of an athlete’s performance and future success.

Bodyweight workouts use natural body motions that don't limit your natural range of motion (like machine lifting does). Since no two people have the same exact motions, bodyweight exercises are ideal for beginners and veterans alike.

What you need before sport specific exercises is the foundation of strength, flexibility and sports nutrition....if you don't have this foundation, you won't be very good in your sport.

Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you.

I'm seeing more and more young athletes with weak bodies trying to start a program of intense plyometrics. Many of them come to me with injuries they have gotten from group training classes in plyometrics.

A proper sports training system would go something like this:

1. Overall strength training (including core training) to stabilize joints, build muscle, correct postural problems, improve flexibility and implementation of a nutrition program.

Some bodyweight strength exercises would include:

--pullups
--pushups of all variations
--inverted rows
--lunges of all types
--step ups of all types
--squats (two-legged, one-legged, split, lateral, Bulgarian)

2. Progress to power exercises, speed exercises, plyometric exercises and sport specific exercises when your body is ready.

Don't skip to step #2 without adequately doing step #1 or injuries will surely follow!

Train smarter, not harder.

Download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping 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