US Sports Strength and Conditioning News

16 April, 2012

Free Online Sports Conditioning Camp Workouts Start May 7! Stay Tuned to this newsletter or US Sports Strength and Conditioning for Free Sports Conditioning Boot Camp Workouts Delivered right to your inbox! Strength, Power, Speed, Agility, workouts that you can do at home, on your favorite workout space or gym. Get this week's workouts Existing Members: Do you need a new batch of workouts? Never received your weekly update? Never received any workouts after signing up? Please contact me To Athletes, Weekend Warriors, and Fitness Enthusiasts of all Ages! Train with one of the top Strength and Conditioning Coaches in the D.C. Area! At one of our convenient Washington D.C. area locations or anywhere in the world online. Get started with your FREE Fitness Profile by Clicking Here. 5 Simple Steps for Achieving Any Goal If you're not happy with your body then your workouts have lost focus. What is your immediate goal? If you don't have a ready answer then chances are good that your motivation is low and it has resulted in a lack of results. I know from firsthand experience that operating without a goal will get you nowhere. Sure, you may still be exercising regularly and eating mindfully but without that concrete goal your efforts will yield little results. 1. Setting your goal  You want to be in "better shape" but that's so vague. Dig deeper. What specifically do you wish you had now that you don't? To drop 3 dress sizes. To lose 2 inches of arm fat jiggle. To melt 4 inches from your waist. To be able to run 3 miles without stopping. 2. Define your timeline  Now that you've determined exactly what part of your body isn't up to par, tie that goal in with a specific timeline. When you have a timeline to measure your progress against, you'll find that achieving your goal becomes an easier process. To drop 3 dress sizes by August 20th vacation. To lose 2 inches of arm fat jiggle by October 13th wedding. To melt 4 inches from your waist by July 7th pool party. To be able to run 3 miles without stopping by June 16th city 5k. 3. Name your prize  It's time to take your motivation to the next level. Now that your specific goal is set and your timeline is clearly defined, let's add a prize that you'll receive once you've accomplished your goal. This prize shouldn't be anything related to your unhealthy habits – so no junk food or extra large meals. Make the prize an item that will reinforce your slimmer body, like a nice piece of clothing. A couple new outfits for your August vacation. A sleeveless dress for the October wedding. A new swimsuit for your July pool party. A new pair of running shoes for your June 5k. 4. Picture it  You know what you want, when you want it by, and the reward you'll get by achieving it. Now spend time picturing your end goal. Find a comfortable, quiet corner, close your eyes and see a mental movie – starring yourself – enjoying your reward with your new and improved body. Play your mental success movie several times throughout the day. See yourself enjoying an afternoon of your vacation, wearing your new clothes with confidence. Imagine how you'll feel walking down the aisle baring your toned arms. See yourself lounging by the pool in your swimsuit, carefree and happy. Imagine the feeling of accomplishment you'll feel as you cross the finish line. 5. Recipe for success  The steps that you've taken above have prepared you to mentally take on the challenge of motivating yourself through this transformation process. All that remains is a solid exercise and nutrition plan to push you through to your new body. This is where I come in. I'm fanatical about propelling each and every one of my clients through their own personal body transformation. Call or email today and I'll get you started on a program that will make your goals a reality. Advanced Article on Slow vs. Fast Barbbell Squat Training By Morrissey MC, Harman EA, Frykman PN, Han KH (1998), Early phase differential effects of slow and fast barbell squat training. To examine the importance of resistance training movement speed, two groups of women (24 years old, +/- 4 years, 5 ft. 4 in. tall +/- 2 in., 130 lbs. weight +/- 15 lbs.) squatted repeatedly at 1) 2 seconds up, 2 seconds down (slow); or 2) 1 second up, 1 second down (fast), doing three warm-up sets and three eight-repetition maximum sets, three times per week for 7 weeks. Tests included force platform and video analysis of the vertical jump, long jump, and maximum squat, and isometric and isokinetic knee extensor testing at speeds from 25 to 125 deg/sec. The groups improved similarly in many variables with training but also showed some differences. In the long jump, the fast group was superior in numerous variables including knee peak velocity and total-body vertical and absolute power. In the vertical jump, fast training affected the ankle and hip more (e.g., average power), and slow training mostly affected the knee (average torque). In isokinetic testing, the fast group improved strength most at the faster velocities, while the slow group strength changes were consistent across the velocities tested. Although both slow and fast training improved performance, faster training showed some advantages in quantity and magnitude of training effects. Write a Comment Super Soup Soup is a wonderful meal to enjoy when you're focused on losing weight – with a few guidelines. Never choose soups that have a cream base. These are filled with more calories and fat than you need. Avoid soups that have noodles or rice. Make sure that your soup has a lean source of protein, such as lean turkey or chicken breast. Try the Turkey & Veggie Soup recipe below. Military physical training is by far the toughest to master One of the reasons why the American Military Personell are some of the best conditioned in the world. Armed Forces PFT Programs These Armed Forces PFT Programs will get you prepared for the PFT test. There are also running programs for either the 2 mile test or the 3 mile test. Click on the links below to get the running program!  2 Mile Test Running Program  3 Mile Test Running Program  Throughout the length of these programs, the manipulation of the sets and repetitions for each exercise will be based on periodization concepts that involve changing the intensity and the volume of the workouts.  The starting point of the program is based on an initial fitness level. With feedback, the actual progression of the program will follow the body's unique adaptation process to exercise. Fine tune the program to include all the exercises that feel thebest!  If following both the strength training and the running programs, success will be guaranteed! Here is a sample of one of the 3 day a week workouts of the Armed forces PFT program: Week 1 - Day 1 (Monday) of your Program Week Difficulty: Medium   View Printer Friendly Version Click on an Exercise Name to view a description of that exercise Select Exercise Name Set and Rep Combinations 1   Warmup and Stretch 8 minutes  2    Video Squat 20 reps @ 240 lbs, 20 reps @ 240 lbs, 15 reps @ 240 lbs    3    Video Dumbbell Step Up 15 reps @ 40 lbs, 12 reps @ 40 lbs  4    Video Stretch Deadlifts 15 reps @ 150 lbs, 10 reps @ 135 lbs  5    Video Dumbbell Bench Press 15 reps @ 90 lbs, 12 reps @ 90 lbs  6    Video Push Ups (regular position) 34 reps, 34 reps  7    Video Push Ups (close position) 16 reps, 16 reps  Get ready to ace your PFT test  Now! Start your program online today or sign up for one-on-one training at one of our convenient Washington D.C. area facilities, by logging on to US Sports Strength and Conditioning. Turkey & Veggie Soup This soup has everything going for it. The base is broth, not cream. It doesn't have any added carbohydrates in the form of rice or noodles. And it's filled with lean ground turkey. Servings: 12 Here's what you need... 1 teaspoon olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 bunch of carrots, chopped 2 onions, chopped 1 bunch of celery 1 fennel bulb 1.3 lbs lean ground turkey 4 cups veggie broth 1 (14.5oz) can stewed tomatoes 1 (15oz) can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed 4 ears of corn, kernels sliced off 3 Tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons dried basil dash of salt and freshly ground pepper In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add garlic. Add chopped carrots, cover for 5 minutes. Add onions, celery and fennel. Sauté until soft. In another skillet cook the ground turkey over medium heat until fully cooked, stirring often. Drain off excess fat. Transfer the veggies to large soup pot and add the remaining ingredients, and the cooked turkey. Cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Add extra water as desired. Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 119 calories, 1 fat, 336mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 15g protein. Motivate your friends, family and co-workers! Use the "refer a friend" link below to forward this newsletter and subscribe your friends. Forward This Newsletter - Refer a Friend Click Here for a FREE Body Diagnostic Consultation US Sports Strength and Conditioning Partners