Category Archives: Exercise

Exercise, Rehabilitation, Sports

WHY TRAINERS LOVE THE LANDMINE

Personal training manager David Otey demonstrates the total-body prowess of this simple tool.

The benefits of this set-up go far beyond convenience. “The landmine utilizes torque,” says Otey. “Due to the space between your grip and the loaded plate, the intensity and muscular demand increases.” And as he explains, the design also ups the challenge on your core: “We often train our midsections to rotate, but the primary responsibility of the abs is resisting rotation; many of the exercises you can do with a landmine improve that skill.”

Otey proves his points with a challenging total-body workout (below). If it’s your first time using a landmine, he has one warning: “It’s deceptively difficult to keep the bar straight, so start conservatively.” (In other words, consider grabbing a lighter plate.)

For a strength-building session, perform 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps of each exercise in order, resting briefly between sets. To increase the calorie burn, complete the moves as a circuit.

 

 

(1) Front Squat: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold the end of the bar with both hands in front of your chest, fingers clasped and thumbs on tip of bar. Take a few steps back so your body is tilted forward slightly. Bend knees, squatting down low, then rise up to the starting position and repeat.

 

 


(2) Single-Leg Deadlift: Stand with feet together and hold the end of the bar with your right hand in front of your thigh, arm extended and palm facing left. Bend left knee slightly as you bend forward from your hips, extending right leg to hip height behind you as you lower bar toward the floor. Rise up to the starting position and repeat. Switch sides to complete set.

 


(3) Rear Lunge: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold the end of the bar with both hands in front of your chest, fingers clasped and thumbs on tip of bar. Take a few steps back so your body is tilted forward slightly. Take a big step back with your right foot and bend knees into a lunge. Step forward to starting position and repeat. Switch sides to complete set.

 


(4) Single-Arm Chest Press: Place the bar on the floor and lie to the left of it with right leg extended and left knee bent, foot on the floor. Grasp the end of the bar with right hand, palm facing left, and extend your left arm on the floor beside you, palm facing down. Extend right arm straight up, pushing bar toward the ceiling. Bend elbow to return to starting position and repeat. Switch sides to complete set.

 


(5) Kneeling Shoulder Press: Kneel on right knee with right foot on the floor in front of you. (Place a folded towel or yoga mat under your knee for comfort.) Hold the end of the bar with right hand in front of right shoulder, palm facing left. Extend right arm at a slight diagonal in front of you, then bend elbow and repeat. Switch sides to complete set.

 


(6) Landmine Anti-Rotation: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold the end of the bar with both hands, fingers clasped, at chest height in front of you. (Take a few steps back, if necessary, so arms are extended.) Keeping shoulders and hips squared forward, bring weight across your body to the right, then immediately bring it the left to complete 1 rep. Continue, rotating from side to side.

 


(7) Lunge to Standing Pivot Press: Stand facing the landmine with feet wide apart, toes pointing out, and hold the end of the bar with both hands in front of your chest, elbows bent. Bend knees and pivot right foot to the left as you rotate body and transfer bar to right hand; lunge to the left as you extend right arm. Reverse motion to return to starting position, then repeat sequence in the opposite direction (hold bar with left hand and lunge to the right) to complete 1 rep. Continue, pivoting from side to side.

 

For full article by Jeanine Detz please visit http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/11/landmine-workout?emmcid=emm-newsletter&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email%20member&utm_campaign=1111&emmcid=EMM-1111QWeekly11112015
Chiropractic, Exercise, Health Assessments, Personal Injury, Rehabilitation, Sports

IT DOES A BODY GOOD

Massage

New research finds that even a 10-minute massage soothes more than just the soul.

A dimly lit room. Calming, muted music. Sixty minutes of pure “me time” while stress melts away. There’s no question that a massage is the ultimate good-for-you indulgence; but according to a new study, attacking those knots may pay off even more than researchers initially thought.

The tension-relieving benefits of massage therapy are well-documented, but the new findings suggest that a mere 10-minute massage can also help reduce inflammation in muscles, an underlying factor in chronic diseases like arthritis. The research, which appeared in the journalScience Translational Medicine, showed that when muscles are stretched they receive a signal to build more mitochondria, which are vital for healing — making massages potentially helpful for injury recovery.

After assessing the fitness level of 11 men in their twenties, the study’s researchers at McManus University asked each participant to cycle to the point of exhaustion (more than 70 minutes). The subjects were then allowed to rest while a massage therapist performed a 10-minute massage on one leg. While the massage didn’t help clear lactic acid from the tired muscles — a widely spread exercise myth — noticeably reduced inflammation was observed in the massaged leg.

When muscles are stretched they receive a signal to build more mitochondria, which are vital for healing.

Why? “Anytime we stimulate the nerves we send messages to the brain about the area,” explains Equinox trainer and master therapist Susan Stanley, RKC, FMS, LMT, “the brain then responds in a variety of ways, including nervous and chemical.”

She adds that massage techniques have an effect on more than just muscle. “In fact,” says Stanley, “fascia, a layer of fibrous tissue that surrounds muscles, is probably the most affected tissue and it contains far more nervous tissue than muscle.”

The almost-immediate effects of massage found in the study don’t surprise Stanley. “The inflammation process begins at the moment of insult to the tissue, so the moment that tissue is given a different stimulus, the brain can change its response instantaneously, too,” she says. That said, she underscores that the study was conducted on a small, specialized group.

A typical relaxation massage triggers the parasympathetic nervous system — or relax response — in the body, which stimulates healing and immunity. Lymphatic Drainage massage, an example of very light work, is designed specifically to address inflammation and edema (potentially damaging fluid accumulation), and stimulate the lymph system, which is the body’s mechanism to rid the body of toxins and waste.

Soul-soothing properties aside, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the body-benefits of massage therapy are not to be taken lightly. Something to remember the next time you’re debating whether or not to hit the table.

For full article by Sharon Feiereisen please visit http://q.equinox.com/articles/2012/03/it-does-a-body-good?emmcid=emm-newsletter-1012&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email%20member&utm_campaign=1012&emmcid=EMM-1012QWeekly10122015
Exercise

Why advanced exercise and nutrition strategies usually backfire. Make faster progress with deliberate practice and SIT.

Most people who work out and try to eat well hope to graduate quickly to advanced exercise and nutrition strategies. But these usually backfire. Here’s why it happens. Plus two strategies (deliberate practice and stress inoculation training) for faster progress.

For ten years I thought I knew how to surf.

Okay, I wasn’t exactly Duke Kahanamoku. But I pursued my love of the sport, taking surf trips through Mexico, New Zealand, the US and Costa Rica.

The only problem was… I didn’t really know what I was doing.

I’d certainly received enough lessons over the years. But the advice—stuff like, “When you feel the wave, just stand up!” and “Try to balance better!”—never seemed to help much.

My progress over the years wasn’t great. I wasn’t even sure how to tell my bad habits from the good ones.

I had worked my way into surfing bigger waves, and falling a little less often, but I felt like I was just getting better at doing something poorly.

And then I went to surf school. (The world’s best surf school, mind you.)

In just one week of direct and purposeful instruction at the surf school, I transformed my surfing ability.

After ten years of muddling through, my surfing skills were transformed in a matter of days.

But that’s not all. I also learned some powerful lessons that can apply to almost anything—especially health and fitness.

My two greatest lessons:

  1. “Just do it” isn’t enough.
  2. In order to get better at something, you need a system. More specifically, you need something called deliberate practice.

These lessons can help anyone who is trying to improve their fitness, health or nutrition habits.

And they can help anyone who is trying to get better at being a coach.

Let’s dive in.

How to “learn” exercise and nutrition.

Trying to get into better shape, or eat healthier, is much like learning to surf.

There are waves of conflicting information hitting you from all sides. Other people seem to have “the secret” that you don’t. You fall down a lot.

You’re never sure what you should be focusing on or if you’re doing it wrong.

And most importantly: without expert guidance and a good system, you’re going to waste a lot of time and build bad habits.

A beginner falling off a surfboard doesn’t necessarily know why it happened. Or what to do differently next time.

An exerciser whose back hurts after several months of her workouts, or who hasn’t gotten any more fit from his last program, doesn’t necessarily know why that is either, nor what to do about it.

Someone trying to lose weight or “eat healthy” without a clear plan, feedback, or guidance may feel like they “fall down”, over and over and over, face first.

In all of these scenarios, just practicing “more” can actually do more harm than good.

But deliberate practice, whether in the gym, in the kitchen, or life in general, can dramatically improve your progress, faster.

What is deliberate practice? I’ll explain in a moment. But first, let’s understand the context around when and where you might need it.

The three stages of skill development.

Learning to do anything—whether it’s eat better, ride a motorcycle or do backflips—is really just a matter of developing the right skills.

And learning a skill happens along a continuum, loosely defined by three stages.

Stage 1: Slow and conscious

Think back to when you learned to type.

At first, you were in hunt-and-peck mode, going letter by letter. Learning was slow, conscious and took up almost all of your attention. You made big mistakes, often. You could only focus on one thing at a time, like finding the damn semicolon.

Stage 2: Getting a feel for it

After a while, you could start to tap out entire words and sentences at once, instead of thinking letter by letter. You got faster and more accurate. Your mistakes were fewer and smaller.

You didn’t have to think so much. Instead, you started to get a “feel” for things. When you hit the wrong letter, you could often sense it before you saw it on the screen.

Stage 3: Intuitive instinct

If you kept working on your typing, eventually you didn’t have to work at it, or even think about it. You could just do it.

Letters flowed from your fingers smoothly and you didn’t even have to look where they were. You could type while listening to music, or maybe even having a conversation.

You’re now at the place of “good enough”.

When “good enough”… isn’t.

Now let’s imagine you don’t need to be a typing master. You just need to be good enough.

You’re happy there, at “reasonably decent”. Things are relatively easy.

Here’s the important thing to know: Getting better from that stage forward will take active work.

You won’t become an awesome typist by accident.

You’ll just be… OK.

The research term for “good enough” is theory of par or tolerance. It’s the level of performance that most people are content to meet, but not exceed.

And it’s almost always less than they’re actually capable of.

Now, there’s nothing bad about “good enough”. Unless you do, in fact, want to get better.

This is where deliberate practice comes in.

Deliberate practice

If you do an activity over and over, you’ll get good at it, up to a point.

Past that point, simply adding more practice won’t help. (Consider how many people are lousy drivers, even if they’ve been driving for decades.)

To get better, your practice has to be deliberate. It has to have a goal and ongoing feedback.

In surfing, that’s the difference between “just getting out on the board”, and surfing while trying to refine a specific skill, like a carving turn.

In the gym, it’s the difference between knocking out the reps and moving on, and paying attention to something like how your spine is positioned during a squat.

As a coach, it’s the difference between telling someone to “suck less” or “just do it,” and giving them a specific, strategic action to focus on next.

Getting better means getting worse… briefly

There’s a catch to deliberate practice, though:

You have to allow yourself to suck for a while.

Because to learn past “good enough”, you have to regress back down to levels where things become more conscious again. In other words, the level where you’re not good enough anymore.

A lot of our clients struggle with this. If they’ve got some knowledge about working out or “eating healthy”, it’s hard for them to regress.

“I’m already good enough,” they protest. “Give me something advanced.”

Nobody wants to feel like they’ve been knocked down to Remedial Vegetable Eating or Bench Press 101. But—apparently paradoxically—that’s where they have to go in order to truly graduate to truly advanced exercise and nutrition strategies.

Developing “instinct”

The “deliberate” part of “deliberate” practice is essential.

If we’re not paying attention to what we’re doing, don’t really know why we’re doing it, or we don’t know how well we did it, we don’t improve. Stuff is just random noise.

Conversely, when we purposely try something, observe how well it worked, adjust with awareness, and try again, we learn. We learn faster, and better.

With this conscious, goal-driven feedback loop, we get a deeper, more intuitive “feel for things” rather than thinking about them.

We’re able to see differently, like a carpenter who notices a doorframe is crooked without having to measure it. We make smarter decisions with less information, and ignore distractions.

In turn, this process of consciously developing a “feel for things” helps our brains get even better at learning new things.

Thus, experts’ instinct and ability to respond with seemingly superhuman speed and accuracy isn’t magical.

It’s simply the result of deliberate practice.

The Lego blocks of skill development

So how do we put deliberate practice into, well, practice?

Think about it as stacking a series of “Lego blocks.”

Learning is sequential. We build understanding and insight block by block, stacking one “Lego block” of learning on top of another, clicking them together to make connections.

In terms of movements, we build more complex movements out of “Lego blocks” of simpler movements, all stuck together.

When you learn a sport, you might drill each individual “Lego block”. Dribbling in basketball. Hip movement in grappling. Shuffling your feet in boxing. Serving in tennis.

In surfing, you’ll have to learn how to hold your board. How to lie on it as you paddle. Then, if you’re lucky, how to stand.

At first, it’s clumsy. The surfer’s mind is juggling foot, hip, hand, head and eye position, and learning what each of those pieces feel like.

With practice, those things become instinctive and happen more automatically.

This frees up the surfer’s mind so that they can add more pieces to the pattern, and start making the board actually do stuff.

How to vaccinate yourself from stress

Here’s another reason you need deliberate practice: stress.

Ever tried to do a familiar task when you were rushing and freaked out? You probably did it terribly.

Learning a skill can be challenging enough. Being able to recall it under stressful, real-world conditions (say, when getting knocked off a surfboard, or when your comfortable daily routine of exercise and nutrition habits gets disrupted) adds a whole new level of difficulty.

In general, stress tends to make us worse at things… unless we make stressful situations part of our deliberate practice.

We can do this with what’s called Stress Inoculation Training, or SIT.

You can think of SIT like a “stress vaccination”: a little bit of stress, released gradually and only in levels you can handle, eventually lets you deal with increasingly tough situations.

For instance, you might learn your first skills in a zero-stress environment, like sitting on the beach with your surfboard. You might practice holding the board, lying on it in the right spot, and even paddling on the sand.

Then, you add a little bit of stress: You go into the water. It might be a calm, waist-deep ocean. Or it might be a pool. Just a tiny bit of stress, to start with.

Then, you add a little more stress. Maybe you go out in chest-deep water. You get into bigger, faster waves.

Over and over, you add a little more stress, and a little more.

Eventually, of course, you’re ripping gnarly tubes during a solid swell. Or you’re staying true to your workout and nutrition habits even when your life is truly insane.

To make SIT work, you practice your skills deliberately, at a level that is just slightly challenging—you’re focused on the task at hand, but you’re almost always able to execute.

You want your mind and body to learn that a little stress is okay. All you do is change the definition of what “a little stress” is.

This is key: A vaccination is no good if it actually makes you violently ill. SIT is only effective when the student first masters their skills in a non-stressed environment. Every practice session should end in relative success.

Translation: don’t give yourself (or your clients) way more than you can handle at once. Assess your current positioning realistically. Decide what the next level of appropriate challenge (stress) would be, then go from there.

Resist the temptation to “level up”.

So, say we get “good enough” at the basics. This frees up our brain to try new stuff.

But that can actually be a problem.

If you’re “good enough” to just stand up on a surfboard, you’ll want to jump right away to trying other fancy things.

Remember, though, that standing up is the Lego block that controls all the other Lego blocks. If you never deliberately practice that basic skill of simply standing up—if you don’t get really, really good at it—you’ll never get really, really good at anything else.

Likewise, people who resist learning the basics because “basics are boring” often find that they “fall off the wagon” when their routine changes, or the normal stresses of life hit.

Their crucial “Lego block” of nutrition, exercise, and self-organization skills gets knocked out easily with even small challenges.

Ask yourself: how solid are your basics?

Can your “good enough” ability at the fundamentals be a lot better?

Say, continuing with your established nutrition habits but working on your consistency.

Or learning to incorporate rest and stress management practices into the mix, rather than loading up on more workouts.

Or helping a client perfect their pull-up form in exchange for fewer reps.

Your efforts might not seem as impressive to a layperson for example. (It feels more badass to bang out 20 so-so pull-ups than five good ones.)

But you know better.

You know that becoming an expert means not worrying about looking good, but instead, looking and feeling like a beginner.

By embracing being a beginner, you’re on your way to becoming a master.

What to do next

Clarify your purpose.

The best way to change a system is to alter its purpose. Are you exercising to punish yourself for yesterday’s ice cream? Or, are you exercising to improve something like physical performance or body composition? Workouts geared towards punishment become good at punishing. Workouts focused on improvement help make something better.

Identify the big skill you’re after.

Now that you know why you’re doing this thing, what is it? This could be a sport like surfing, or strength training, or eating healthy meals.

Break that skill down into its building blocks.

What are all the tiny components that make up this big skill? Look as deeply as you can here. Movement during exercise may start with the way you stand, walk and breathe (and those things are made up of other pieces). Healthy eating may start with your relationship with food, or something like eating slowly and mindfully.

Develop a system.

You can’t learn all these components at once, or even in a random order. You need a structure, a progression, and a source of feedback.

Practice, deliberately, in your zone of optimal challenge.

To develop a skill, you have to focus your attention on it and practice it deliberately, at a level of challenge that’s at the edge of your ability, but allows you to be generally successful while making and learning from small errors.

First, mastery. Then, stress.

Remember stress inoculation. Master the skill first in a non-stressed, low complexity environment, and then practice it with the heat turned up. Only add as much stress and complexity as you can while building on success.

Consider a coach.

Breaking a skill down into components, putting them into a system, assessing performance on each piece within that system and providing ongoing feedback and guidance is a big undertaking. It’s especially hard to do by yourself. This is why even great coaches hire other people to coach them.

To see full article by Craig Weller, please visit http://www.precisionnutrition.com/advanced-exercise-and-nutrition-strategies
Exercise

THE RAPID-RECOVERY DIET

nutrition, recovery, post-workout, healthy, rebuilding

Stock your kitchen with these science-supported protein-shake alternatives.

Intelligent exercisers already know that your workout is only as good as your recovery. Skimping on the necessary rebuilding efforts can stifle your progress and put you at risk of injury. But there’s only so much foam rolling you can (and are willing) to suffer through. Thankfully, you can combat aches with nutrition. These surprising finds are a welcome respite from the familiar favorites (looking at you, chocolate milk). Take a look:

1

Turmeric

Some health food stores and supermarkets sell the fresh rhizomes, or roots, which you can juice or add to smoothies. Or you can find the ground version in almost any spice aisle. Carolyn Brown, R.D., a nutritionist at Foodtrainers in New York City, recommends the Wakaya brand, which she says is nearly 6 percent curcumin—the active compound in turmeric that’s been shown to be as effective as ibuprofen at relieving pain—versus 1 percent in most bottles.

2

Ginger

A member of the same plant family as turmeric, ginger interferes with inflammatory enzymes and can reduce soreness by up to 25 percent 24 hours post-workout. Mince or grate the root and add it to stir-fries, or steep it in hot water to make tea.

3

Tart cherry juice

Research suggests that it may be more effective than aspirin, but because the juice is a concentrated source of sugar, Brown recommends drinking it only during the week before a big effort or race. Have one tablespoon in the morning, and one within the hour or two after your workout, or what Brown calls “the magic window for rebuilding muscle and reducing inflammation.”

4

Fatty fish

“It’s not sexy, but the omega-3s in salmon and anchovies can increase range of motion and blood flow to the muscles while decreasing soreness,” says Brown. The American Heart Association advises eating fish, particularly the fatty kind, at least two times a week, but if you’re not a big seafood fan, Brown recommends taking a daily supplement with 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of omega-3s.

5

Coffee

In one study, people who were given a pill with the same amount of caffeine found in about two and a half cups of coffee had significantly lower levels of pain during a cycling workout. And another study found that about that same amount of caffeine cut post-workout pain by nearly 50 percent.

For full article by Juno Demelo, visit:  http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/05/rapid-recovery?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_05_27&emmcid=EMM-0527QWeekly5272015
Exercise, Rehabilitation, Sports

THE PUSH-UPS YOU SHOULD BE DOING

These creative twists promise bigger calorie burn, a more stable core and a stronger upper body.

There’s a reason push-ups have stood the test of time—they work. “It’s a multi-joint exercise that targets your pecs, triceps, deltoids, abdominals and all of your key muscle stabilizers,” says Lucas Varella, a Tier 4 coach in Century City, California. “Plus, it doesn’t require any equipment, so you can perform push-ups anytime, anywhere.” The only catch is that in order to see results (and avoid injury), you have to do them correctly: Keep your head, neck and spine in a neutral position, your abs engaged and your lower body muscles (hips, glutes, etc.) activated throughout the movement.

How it works: Perform one traditional push-up using good form. Work your way up to 3 sets of 8. Once you can complete those without faltering, you’re ready to move on to these variations. “Mixing up your hand positioning and body movements will challenge different muscles, burn more calories and test your endurance,” says Varella. Tackle one of these exercises at a time. Do 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, using proper form, and then move on to the next one.

1. Plank-Ups
Start in push-up position (hands under shoulders, back flat, legs extended behind you, toes tucked under). Keeping upper body engaged, lower right forearm to floor, placing elbow under shoulder, then lower left forearm to floor. Hold plank for one count, and then rise back up to start, placing one palm on floor at a time.

 

2. Mountain Climber Push-Up
Start in push-up position, and bring right knee in toward chest; extend leg behind you, and then immediately bring left knee in toward chest; extend leg behind you. Perform a push-up, keeping elbows by sides. Repeat.

 

3. Bird-Dog Push-Up
Perform a push-up, keeping elbows by sides. Extend right arm in front of you and left leg behind you; hold balance for one count, then lower. Do another push-up, and repeat balance on other side (left arm; right leg). Repeat.

 

4. Push-Up Row
Start in push-up position, gripping a kettlebell* in each hand, with palms facing each other. (*Note: The bigger the kettlebell, the more stable you will feel.) Bend elbows behind you, keeping them close to sides, lowering chest toward floor, and then press back up. Once up, pull left elbow behind you, bringing kettlebell up to ribs; lower. Repeat push-up and perform row on the opposite (right) side. Continue alternating sides with each rep.

 

5. Uneven Push-Up
Start in push-up position (hands under shoulders, abs engaged, back flat, legs extended behind you), with left hand on top of the ball part of a horizontal kettlebell. Without rotating your torso, keeping hips and shoulders square, bend elbows behind you, lowering chest toward floor, and press back up. Do 8 reps; switch sides and repeat.

 

6. Side Plank Push-Up
Start in push-up position (hands under shoulders, abs engaged, back flat, legs extended behind you). Lower chest toward floor, and then as you press back up, rotate torso to left and keep gaze on your left hand, as you lift your left arm and leg toward the ceiling, forming an X with your body. Hold for one count; rotate back to high plank and repeat.

 

7. Sliding Push-Up
Start in push-up position (hands under shoulders, abs engaged, back flat, legs extended behind you), with a towel under your left palm. Slowly slide left hand forward, as you bend right elbow behind you and lower chest toward floor. Without falling flat, extend left arm as far forward as possible, and then slowly slide back up to start, keeping arm straight throughout. Do 8 reps; switch sides and repeat.

 

8. Stability Ball Scissors
Start in push-up position (hands under shoulders, abs engaged, legs extended and together behind you), with tops of feet centered on a stability ball. Bring right knee in toward chest, then rotate torso slightly as you extend leg out, parallel to the ground. Perform a push-up, keeping body squared up as much as possible. Reverse motion back to start. Repeat on left side. Continue alternating sides with each rep.

 

9. Traveling Push-Up
Start in push-up position (hands under shoulders, abs engaged, legs extended behind you). Perform a push-up, and then step right leg under and to the left of your left leg and right hand under and to the side of left hand. Step left hand and leg over the right, moving back into push-up position. Perform a push-up, and then reverse motion (left hand/leg steps over right; right goes under left) back to the right (ending where you started.

 

10. Pike Push-Up
Start in a pike position (upside down “V”), with palms under shoulders, toes centered on top of a stability ball, legs together, hips raised toward ceiling. Keeping lower body still, bend elbows behind you, slowly lowering head toward floor; carefully press back up to start.

For full article by Lindsey Emery go to http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/06/10-pushup-variations?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_06_17&emmcid=EMM-0617QWeekly6172015
Exercise

6 TRAINING SECRETS OF PRO SOCCER PLAYERS

soccer, sports, athletic training, endurance, pro soccer, exercise

Get-fit tricks from soccer’s strongest athletes, just in time for the Women’s World Cup.

This month, the FIFA Women’s World Cup will land in Canada for a month’s worth of summer competition among some of the strongest sportswomen in the world. Pay close attention and you’ll notice that not only is soccer one of the most popular—if not beleaguered—sports on the planet, it’s also one of the most challenging.

Studies show that elite football players have brains more equipped to process visual scenes and perform high-level cognitive tasks. They also have better eye-muscle coordination than other athletes and non-athletes; hearts strong enough to run an average of 6 miles per game; and bodies tough enough to endure 90-minute matches.

But it’s not just the fittest of the fit who see perks: Research also suggests that soccer beats out other forms of cardiovascular exercise and can even help manage blood pressure and diabetes. We tapped the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s Fitness and Sport Science Coach, Dawn Scott, to find out how she trains the pros.

1

They choose HIIT over long steady cardio.

While soccer games may last 90 minutes, you’re not running at one pace for the duration of the game, says Scott. “It’s not like training for a half marathon.” You need an engine that can chug for that long, sure, but players are sprinting 5 or 10 yards, then walking or jogging. “Your successful players are the ones who can do a 5-yard sprint, then 20 seconds later do another,” says Dawn.

The type of training Scott does with the team reflects that: “distance without losing speed and recovering quickly.” One suggestion: “20 to 40-minute intervals that mimic the game: 4 to 5 sets of bouts of 4-minute high-intensity blasts, with 2 or 3 minutes of recovery.” Another favorite: “two sets of running from the edge of one penalty box to the other with 15 second breaks in between up to 16 times.”

2

They become sprinters by developing strong glutes.

When you think sprinting, you probably think legs. But Scott says that activating your glute muscles is an important element of a successful sprint. “We make sure that everyone engages their glutes in the right way by making them strong,” she says. Get there by mastering a Single Leg Russian Deadlift (RDL).

How to do it: Stand with both feet shoulder width apart, and soft knees. Pull up the toes of your left leg, and keeping that leg straight, take your left leg back, bending at your hips, and reach your hands straight down to the floor. Keep your right leg straight with knee soft until your left leg is parallel to the floor. Return your left leg to the floor. Repeat the movement with your right leg. Make sure you always hinge at the hips. Do 8 reps each leg. Rest for 2 minutes and do 3 sets total. Progression: Hold a soccer ball in your hands.

3

Planks help them shift gears on the field.

Says Scott: “If you’re not strong in the core, you can’t decelerate and accelerate appropriately.” Switching your core on in the right way is key — and one of the best ways to practice that is with a basic plank, says Scott.

How to do it: Lie prone on mat. Place forearms on mat, elbows under shoulders. Place legs together with forefeet on floor. Raise your body upward by straightening body in straight line. Hold position for 30 seconds, then rest and lower to the floor. Rest for 1 minute. Do 3 to 5 times total. Build up to holding for 60 seconds.

4

Balance-challenging moves make them stronger defenders.

Many of soccer’s finest moments involve just one leg: a kick, a deke, or a jump. But building strong balance is also an important aspect of defense. “I always like to incorporate upper body and balance exercises so players are able to shield the ball or withstand and hold off the force of other players during a game,” Scott says. In a recent physical game against Mexico, she says it was the girls’ ability to hold their ground and stay on their feet that helped them win. Get there with a single-leg balance, suggests Scott.

How to do it: Stand on your right leg, and with your left foot off the floor, pull a soccer ball with the sole of your left foot all the way round your body without putting that foot down. When the ball is back to the start switch legs. Do 6 to 8 reps each leg. Do 2 to 3 sets total.

5

Switching their speedwork cues improves reaction times.

“If you’re doing any kind of speed work, start with a different cue every time,” says Scott. Have someone stand behind you and sprint when they tap your back, wait for a ball to be dropped, or for someone to raise an arm. “In a game, you rarely ever react to someone calling something out or telling you to go — you have to react to the ball and the players. Training for that can help prepare you.”

6

They use buzzwords for motivation.

“In the first 5 or 10 minutes of a game it’s important to remain calm,” says Scott. But playing for a crowd of 30,000 isn’t just nerve-wracking — it’s loud. And that means that sometimes Scott can’t always communicate easily with the team. That could be why some of the girls write buzzwords that relate to their own performance or position on tape wrapped around their arms. It makes sense: Studies show that writing down goals or memos can up your chances of success.

For full article by Cassie Shortsleeve, please visit: http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/06/soccer-body cialis generika kaufen?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_06_03&emmcid=EMM-0603QWeekly632015
Exercise

RANKING SUGARS, FROM BEST TO WORST

We asked a fitness and nutrition coach to assess the situation.

As so-called “healthy” sweeteners flood the market, we’re left to wonder, which to choose? Is one really better than the other? 

“Honestly, whether you’re talking about coconut sugar or honey or table sugar, these sweeteners are all sugar delivery mechanisms with minor differences,” says Brian St. Pierre, R.D. a fitness and nutrition coach with Precision Nutrition. “Some are sucrose, some are fructose, so they affect the body slightly differently.” 

The basics: Sucrose is a disaccharide, whereas fructose is a category of sugar called a monosaccharide. “Sucrose gets broken down into glucose and fructose before going into the blood stream and raising your blood glucose levels. High levels of blood sugar can damage blood vessels and lead to cavities and gum disease,” says St. Pierre.

Fructose, on the other hand, doesn’t go into the bloodstream like glucose. “It has to go to the liver first to be processed into a useable form so it doesn’t raise blood glucose levels. But if you’re consuming excess calories and fructose that fructose can get converted to triglycerides, which makes it mildly worse than glucose in that regard. It is better at restoring liver glycogen, though, which is an important satiety signal for the brain,” he explains. Another plus: Fructose is less likely to cause cavities. 

Still, according to St. Pierre, one type of sugar isn’t necessarily better than another. “Too much sugar in the form of sucrose, glucose, or fructose can lead to all these problems. The health impact they have on you really depends on how much you eat of any of them,” he says.

Consider keeping sugars to 5-10% of your calorie intake a day. “It all depends on your size, your goals, and your activity level. If you want to be moderately fit—say 15% body fat for a man, 23 to 25% for a woman, then you can eat a little more sugar. If you want a six-pack, you’re going to need to eat less sugar,” advises St. Pierre. Eat the sugar you enjoy in moderation—and eat it slowly and until you’re satisfied. While one type doesn’t win hands down, St. Pierre has advised on this scale so you can see how your choices stack up.

1

Stevia

Type: Natural substitute
Pros: Sugar-free and non-caloric, made from the leaves of the stevia plant. “If you’re comparing caloric and non-caloric sweeteners, stevia comes out on top. It doesn’t raise blood sugar and it’s natural and beneficial in reasonable amounts. It’s bio-active, so it could have some anti-inflammatory compounds and can also help you cut calories,” says St. Pierre.
Cons: There’s a minor aftertaste that can take getting used to and overusing it could cause you to develop more of a taste for sweets.

2

Honey

Type: An even blend of fructose and glucose
Pros: “Honey’s calling card is that it has anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties, which is why it can also be used as a cough suppressant or sore throat soother. Manuka and other high-grade honeys often contain more beneficial properties—and overall honey is more of an actual food than sugar,” says St. Pierre.
Cons: It’s high in calories and carbs.

3

Coconut Sugar

Type: Mostly sucrose with some nutrients
Pros: This one gets positive marks. It’s made from the sap of coconut trees and is less processed because the sap is extracted and then placed in heat to dry, leaving it with a more natural brownish color like raw sugar. It can also contain trace amounts of minerals like magnesium, potassium, and inulin, a prebiotic fiber.
Cons: It’s still a high-calorie sweetener and causes advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which gradually lead to a break down in your collagen.

4

Raw Cane Sugar

Type: Sucrose
Pros: Extracted from the sugarcane plant and not refined. Also called turbinado sugar, it may come in the form of cane juice, which is often used to sweeten non-dairy milks like almond, hemp, and cashew and in many healthier baking options. This raw form of sugar is somewhat less processed than table sugar. It still retains some of the molasses and moisture from the plant so technically you’re consuming less sugar and calories per serving, making it healthier, St. Pierre says.
Cons: That’s mostly irrelevant in the big picture. It’s not like you’re eating the actual plant.

5

Agave

Type: More fructose than glucose (it can be up to 90% fructose)
Pros: Fans like the syrupy flavor. It mixes well with tequila, making it a mainstay in artisanal margaritas. Cons: It’s touted as having a lower glycemic index but this can be misleading. That may be beneficial if someone has diabetes, but not so much if you don’t, warns St. Pierre.

6

Brown Sugar

Type: Sucrose
Pros: Some of the molasses leftover from the refining process is added back into the sugar after processing, which provides a darker color and a minor amount of trace nutrients.
Cons: Not enough nutrients remain to be of benefit.

7

Granulated White Sugar

Type: Sucrose
Pros: Made from either sugar cane or sugar beets, it offers the mildest flavor, melts and blends easily into beverages, warm or cold, and is ideal for baking.
Cons: Best known as table sugar and the most common, it is also the most chemically processed and refined of the bunch.

8

Sweeteners (Aspartame, Splenda)

Type: Artificial substitute
Pros: Sugar-free and non-caloric
Cons: These sweeteners are chemical compounds and not real food. Splenda is sucralose (a sugar molecule mixed with chlorine molecules in a patented process). Maltodextrin, which is a corn product and can be genetically modified, is then added as a bulking agent. “Aspartame is on the EPA’s list of potential carcinogens. In animal models it’s linked to leukemia in very high doses. I’m most leery of it and will only drink a diet soda on a rare occasion and I won’t feed it to my kids,” says St. Pierre.

For full article from Wendy Schmid please visit:  http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/04/sugar?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_04_29&emmcid=EMM-0429QWeekly4292015
Chiropractic, Exercise, Personal Injury, Rehabilitation, Sports

GET IN THE GAME WITHOUT THE PAIN

One key to success on the golf course can’t be found at the pro shop. It’s the physical condition of the golfer. Pain shouldn’t be par for the course. Stay in the game by protecting your back.

When you consider the spinal rotation that goes into a golf swing and the fact that the speed of the club can reach 160 km/hour, it’s easy to understand that golf puts significant stress on your body.

Follow these tips to improve your game and prevent the pain.

1. Warm up and warm down

Take a few minutes to stretch before and after your game. Start with a brisk walk — 10 to 15 minutes should do it. Then do some light stretching.

2. Stay hydrated

Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after your game. Remember that once you are thirsty, you are already starting to dehydrate.

3. Push, don’t carry, your golf bag

Pushing or pulling your bag and taking turns riding in a cart can help you prevent back injury. If you prefer to carry your clubs, use a double-strap bag that evenly distributes the weight. If your bag gets too heavy, put it down and take a break.

4. Choose the right shoes

Wearing a golf shoe with good support and the proper fit can help prevent knee, hip and lower back pain.

5. Take lessons

The right swing technique can do more than improve your game. It can also spare you unnecessary pain. Working with a professional is a great way to learn the basics.

To view full article, visit: http://www.chiropractic.on.ca/get-in-the-game-without-the-pain-your-back-health
Exercise, Rehabilitation, Sports

Can exercise really defeat depression? How to find out if it can work for you.

Some say exercise can defeat depression. Sure, it’s worth a try — in theory. But when you’re depressed, it can be hard to muster the motivation. Here are some gentle incentives and strategies for giving it a go.

Ever dealt with depression? Then you’ve probably been told to find a physical outlet for your feelings.

Maybe a well-meaning friend told you to “just get outside and go for a jog.”

Or a doctor “prescribed” fitness to counter your symptoms.

Perhaps you read the book about dancing as a depression cure, or well-trafficked Reddit threads about the mental benefits of everything from gentle gardening to brutal obstacle courses.

Just get out there, folks say. It’ll take your mind off your problems.

But if you’ve ever lived under the scratchy, smothering gray blanket of this illness, you know:

It’s not that easy.

Depression can make your body feel dull. Heavy. Wooden. Listless.

When you’re depressed, the mere idea of picking up one foot and dragging it in front of the other can seem laughable. (If you can dig up a chuckle, that is.)

I know, because I’ve been there.

One day, while in the throes of a good old-fashioned dark-rain-cloud depression, I woke up and felt stuck. I’d been glued to my flat emotional landscape like a little moth on flypaper.

I knew I needed to do something different.

Without thinking, I got down on the floor. Started doing push-ups. Grabbed a couple of dusty old dumbbells. Did a few lifts. A few rows. A few squats.

At first, it was just a gaspy, desperate rush to experience something — anything— other than what I’d been feeling.

But once I was done, I wanted more.

I needed an emotional outlet. Moving my body felt good. (And to be honest, I wanted to hit things.) So I decided to take a boxing class. Ordinarily I might have talked myself out of it. But at that point, I felt I had nothing to lose.

Lucky for me, it was love at first punch.

Looking back, I wonder about the role exercise played in healing my depression.

Was it powerful medicine? Or just a placebo? Could movement have kept my depression away in the first place?

And if exercise does help with depression… how the heck do you find the energy for it when, you know, you’re depressed.

precision nutrition defeat depression exercise Can exercise really defeat depression? How to find out if it can work for you.

Lifestyle and mental health go hand-in-hand

Much like nutrition’s role in mental health, decades of research show a link between exercise — resistance training, aerobics, yoga… everything — and better mood.

And the relationship is solid: A 2014 meta-analysis of 24 studies, including hundreds of thousands of patients, confirmed: The more we sit, the sadder we are.

For example, one classic study from Columbia University found that sedentary people are depressed twice as often as active people.

But does an inactive lifestyle cause depression, or vice versa?

A recent study looking at adults over the course of three decades concluded that the relationship is bidirectional. In other words, maybe sitting around makes you depressed, and maybe that reduces your urge to move. And round and round we go.

OK, so moving your body might help you avoid becoming depressed in the first place. But could it also stop depression in its tracks?

Maybe.

For some people, exercise is as good as antidepressant medications. Or even better. And it seems that in general, the more people exercise, the better they feel.

How exercise makes us happier

Physical activity could improve your state of mind by:

  • curbing stress chemicals: A 2014 study demonstrated that PGC-1alpha — an enzyme produced in muscles during exercise — has the ability to break down kynurenine, a substance that accumulates in the bloodstream after stress and has been linked to depression.
  • supporting neurotransmitters: Exercise may boost the production of serotonin — a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and some cognitive function, and that may be low in depressed people. Physical activity may also stimulate neurogenesis, the growth of new neurons. That could improve cognition, and, in turn, your mental health.
  • boosting endorphins: Exercise can give you a short-term burst of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that block pain and produce a natural “high.”
  • reducing inflammation: Many types of exercise can lower inflammation, a potential cause of depression.
  • decreasing stress: There’s a reason that some athletes refer to their time at the gym as “therapy.” Exercise can be a great antidote to stress, which research has linked to depression, perhaps owing to the body’s inflammatory stress response.
  • encouraging happier thoughts and feelings: In 2009, one study explored depressed women’s use of long-distance running as a coping mechanism. Exercise can distract us from negative thoughts and feelings, while making us feel joyful and purposeful. It can also provide a sense of identity, which depression often steals from us.

I can imagine a lot of reasons why boxing helped me feel better

Boxing gave me an outlet — a way to express pent-up emotions, and a break from being “in my head.”

When I felt helpless, boxing empowered me. When I felt alone, boxing gave me a coach and a community.

When I felt frustrated, angry, or simply like beating the crap out of a heavy bag, well… boxing is just what the depression doctor ordered.

I left each class high on endorphins and a sense of satisfied accomplishment.

What to do next

I know it’s not easy to do stuff when you’re depressed. Just getting out of bed is a victory some days.

But here are some things you can try, if you’re ready.

If you can do any of these, even just a little bit, congratulate yourself. Each one is an accomplishment.

#1: Take it step by step

You almost can’t start too small. If a 30 minute jog feels impossible, try a walk around the block. If that feels too far, shrink the distance even further to whatever feels manageable. Walk from the couch to the bathroom a few times.

I got a lot out of an illustration called “The Truth About Motivation” from the workbook Exercise for Mood and Anxiety Disorders.

precision nutrition truth about motivation Can exercise really defeat depression? How to find out if it can work for you.

#2: Try something that used to bring you joy

Depression can bleach the colors out of your rainbow and strip the fun from things you used to love.

Give it a go anyway. Do whatever you love (or used to love), whether it’s taking the dog for a walk or playing touch football with friends.

You might not feel the magic. That’s OK. Just try whatever you can manage.

Because the opposite — living completely without your favorite activities — sucks worse.

#3: Try something new

As Janis Joplin famously sang, “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose.”

Depression can disintegrate you. But then, you don’t have any more rules to play by.

Sometimes, the benefit of feeling lost is that you can wander into new territory. I walked into a boxing gym when I felt so low I was willing to try anything.

If you can open yourself up to new experiences, you may find pleasure in things you never even considered before.

#4: Get support

Whether it’s therapists, doctors, family or friends, ask for help from the people around you. Tell them you want to try exercise.

They may be able to help you, inspire you, or even join you. If you can, seek out a community-focused gym or athletic group, an online support system, and/or a personal trainer. Assemble the “team” that works best for you.

#5: Get outside

Nature is powerful. Sunshine, fresh air, green space… even the friendly bacteria in soil may make you feel better.

Soak up as much nature as you can. If you live in the city, go to a park or spend time in a local garden. If leaving the house feels too daunting, start by opening a window and bringing some plants into your home. Try to work your way up to spending time outside.

#6: Mix it up

One you’re on a bit of a roll, consider mixing aerobic exercise (such as walking, cycling, running, or swimming), with anaerobic sets. While most studies on depression focus on aerobic activity, there’s a place for strength-based work, too — such as high intensity interval training (HIIT) — which can get those endorphins kicking.

#7: Be consistent

Whatever you can move, move it. The more you move, the better it works.

You might feel better right away after a single exercise session. Or it might take a little while. Either way, keep moving as often as you can, in any way you can.

Meanwhile, observe your symptoms. Consider logging your feelings in a journal, so you can look for benefits. If you’re not getting any better after a test period, consult your doctor.

#8: Be gentle and patient

Don’t beat yourself up if you skip a workout. This isn’t about achieving perfection or becoming a superstar athlete. It’s about doing something good for yourself.

On the flip side, don’t overdo it. Intense training can boost your endorphins, but it can also raise your cortisol, a stress hormone, tax the central nervous system, and cause inflammation — none of which will help depression.

++++

How do you put this all together? Think about designing your own personal prescription.

Therapy, medication, nutrition, social support, and any other creative methods of your choosing may all work together to help you get better, over time. Pick what works best for you.

Everyone experiences depression differently. You might find that exercise doesn’t do much.

But it might just become the best depression-fighter you’ll ever find. 

Eat, move, and live… better.

The health and fitness world can sometimes be a confusing place. But it doesn’t have to be.

Let us help you make sense of it all with this free special report.

In it you’ll learn the best eating, exercise, and lifestyle strategies — unique and personal — for you.

For full article by Camille DePutter please visit:  http://www.precisionnutrition.com/defeat-depression-with-exercise?utm_source=DefeatDepressionExercise&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DefeatDepressionExerciseEmail