Today's feature exercise- Ply - Med Ball Side Throw (kneeling) SR

This exercise is used for conditioning for many sports, and it greatly relies on the abs. More specifically the obliques. This is great way to simply make your core hard while enhancing the definition of the abdominals. This exercise once again can be found in many of the sports specific programs of the US Sports Strength and Conditioning System

Please consult a physician before attempting any exercise or exercise program.

Ply - Med Ball Side Throw (kneeling) SR	View Video
Exercise Description:
For this exercise you will need a partner and a medicine ball of a weight you can handle. Begin by kneeling with your knees a little wider than shoulder width with your side to your partner. Hold your arms out in front of you. Your partner will throw the ball about a foot in front of you. Catch the ball slowing it as you rotate away from your partner. Throw it back to your partner and follow through. When you throw the ball don't let your heels come off of the floor or pivot on your toes. Throw the ball using your abs. Get ready for the next throw. This video shows the exercise being performed from a standing position. However, you should do this from a kneeling position.

If it's time to get serious about your fitness, you need a structured program. I'll tailor a program specific to your goals and abilities, that will contain:
Fully customized workouts, listing: exercises, sets, reps and weights. Exercise videos and descriptions demonstrating proper technique for every exercise. A built in feedback system and email contact with me anytime.
Using the world's most powerful online training tool I can design and deliver a 12-week fitness program fully customized to your personal fitness goals, abilities, and schedule.
For more information about my background, fee structure and how to get started, go to: US Sports Online Strength and Conditioning System  Just fill out the brief contact form if you would like to get started. Contact Me: Nathan Lewis CSCS US Sports Online Strength and Conditioning System
US Sports Online Strength and Conditioning System

Your Nutritional Relationship

Nate Lewis CSCS
President,
US Sports Strength and Conditioning

First I want to give thanks to God and his planting of the Holy Spirit the source of all knowledge, for enlightening me in this subject. Believe me when I tell you, by myself I am not this brilliant! :)

Okay first a little back story as a Personal Trainer and now as a Strength and Conditioning Coach (I will explain the difference in another blog post on another day), I believe my biggest failing was to get my clients following and moving towards a solid, healthy meal plan.

I have all of the tools and especially the nutrition planner online at the US Sports Strength and Conditioning System, so why was it that only about 1% of my clients following their meal plans or even giving them a good look?

I could only point to myself and looking for what was wrong in how I was presenting the meal plan to them. So the first thing I did was pray asking God to give me the wisdom to help my clients better in this nutrition area which is at least 50% of your success in fitness regardless of your goal.

Well just a couple of days ago it hit me, or better yet God gave me the answer: "Why would anyone want to eat to lose weight?".  Does that not remove the fun out of eating, because lets face it good food is fun, taste good, feels good, to eat. Wouldn't the least bit of worry about whether this food or that food follows a regiment that is all of a sudden going to cause me to not lose the 30 lbs that has been plaguing me for lo' these many moons?

So I started to think: "What is food for? What is its main purpose?" Well simply put its fuel! Every function in you body needs energy and all foods, regardless of how nutritious they are provide some form of this energy.
Now I know for a fact with myself and many of the athletes that I train and consult with that the better quality foods you eat, the better you function on and off the field.  Now here is where it applies to all fitness warriors. The better fueled you are the easier it is to complete tasks associated with your workouts!

You see, food is fuel for your workouts and when you have the right balance of nutrients those high volume, high intensity workouts are a little easier to complete as you have that extra energy to complete them.

The better your workouts, the more energy you can put into them, the better your results. Weight/Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, and of course more energy.

In order to complete this it is foolish to eat less. In many cases you may have to take in more calories. And even if your eating habits are not the best add a variety of vegetables, fruits, lean meats to the so called: "crappy" foods that you may be eating now and watch your workouts get a little more doable as you have more energy and for lack of a better phrase "pop" in your muscles to complete workout related tasks.

Our clients work hard as I have most doing short burst, intense workouts where in 20-30 minutes, as any of them will tell you, we will do a workload that would otherwise take about 2 hours.  The best part about fueling for the workout as oppose to restricting what you are eating to lose weight is that you will essentially convince your body that is has the nutrients that it needs from foods so that it can use the excess body fat for fuel. Thus putting you in position to get leaner, more cut, ripped, etc., while taking the worry out about eating too much. Here is the almost 'magical' transformation that will take place. You are training your pallet to recognize where the best source of these energy nutrients come from so after some time you will actually crave the better foods without having to force yourself to restrict what you like to eat.

Finally, this revelation is no good unless you act on it. If you are like many that have fallen off your New Year's resolution, realizing that resolution thing is not the best way to change anything about your life, then I and the dedicated fitness professionals at US Sports Strength and Conditioning are here to help.

Whether you are an athlete getting ready for the upcoming season or a fitness warrior preparing to physically dominate the rest of your life, we have the plan, the tools, the knowledge and the desire to help you get on a lifetime of fitness success. All programs come with a free trial period so you have nothing to lose..well except a few excess pounds. I look forward to helping you!  

Pro Level Baseball and Softball Conditioning Programs Now Available For Download

From US Sports Strength and Conditioning:

Baseball

The Baseball Programs have everything needed to maximize the physical tools needed for playing baseball. Rotational power movements, shoulder and lower back injury prevention exercises, forearm strength, it's all here! Playing baseball places specific demands on the body and these programs will help meet these demands!

As will all the Baseball Programs, the sets, repetitions, exercise prescription, and actual weight of the programs are based off an initial fitness level and specific strength to bodyweight ratios. With simple feedback, the progression of the program will follow the body’s unique adaptation process to exercise.

Here's a sample of one of our 12 week programs:

Week 1 - Day 2 (Friday) 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	Theraband Rotators (all positions)	12 reps, 8 reps, 8 reps
	3	Video Back Extension	9 reps, 9 reps
	4	Video Kneeling Cross Body Extension	10 reps, 10 reps
	5	Video Cable Close Grip Row (Low Pulley)	15 reps @ 130 lbs, 12 reps @ 130 lbs
	6	Video Lat Pulldown Close Grip Front	15 reps @ 115 lbs, 10 reps @ 105 lbs
	7	Video Dumbbell Lateral Raise	15 reps @ 26 lbs, 10 reps @ 23 lbs
	8	Video Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise	15 reps @ 20 lbs, 10 reps @ 18 lbs
	9	Video Dumbbell Seated External Rotation	15 reps @ 17 lbs, 10 reps @ 15 lbs
	10	Video Dumbbell Seated Forearm Extension	15 reps @ 9 lbs, 10 reps @ 8 lbs
	11	Video Dumbbell Seated Forearm Flexion	15 reps @ 19 lbs, 10 reps @ 17 lbs
	12	Video Standing Toe Press	15 reps @ 185 lbs, 10 reps @ 170 lbs
	13	Seated Toe Press	15 reps @ 95 lbs, 10 reps @ 85 lbs
	14	Video Med Ball Side Throw (standing)	6 reps, 4 reps
	15	Video Cable High Pulley Torso Twists	20 reps @ 25 lbs, 15 reps @ 30 lbs

 Get The Complete 12 Week Program. Choose you position specific Program and fill out the contact form to get started today!

Competitive Baseball Program - Fielder

Competitive Baseball Program - Pitcher

Softball

The Softball Programs have everything needed to maximize the physical tools used for playing softball. Rotational power movements, shoulder and lower back injury prevention exercises, forearm strength, it's all here! Playing softball places specific demands on the body and these programs will help meet these demands!

In these Softball Programs, the sets, repetitions, exercise prescription, and actual weight of the programs are based off an initial fitness level and a specific strength to bodyweight ratio. With simple feedback, the progression of the program will follow the body’s unique adaptation process to exercise.

Work hard, play hard, and have fun!

Here's a sample of our 12 week program:

Week 1 - Day 3 (Monday) of Your Program	Week Difficulty: Medium
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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 Dumbbell Incline Bench Press (30 Degree)	15 reps @ 60 lbs, 12 reps @ 60 lbs
	3	Video Med Ball Overhead Throw (kneeling)	6 reps, 4 reps
	4	Video Front to Back Double Leg Line Hops	8 seconds, 6 seconds, 6 seconds
	5	Video Side to Side Double Leg Line Hops	8 seconds, 6 seconds, 6 seconds
	6	Video Dumbbell Side Lunge	15 reps @ 30 lbs, 12 reps @ 30 lbs
	7	Video Dumbbell Step Up	15 reps @ 40 lbs, 10 reps @ 40 lbs
	8	Video Machine Leg Extensions	15 reps @ 150 lbs, 10 reps @ 135 lbs
	9	Video Machine Leg Curl	15 reps @ 120 lbs, 10 reps @ 110 lbs
	10	Video Cable One Arm Row	15 reps @ 75 lbs, 10 reps @ 70 lbs

 Get The Complete 12 Week Program. Choose you position specific Program and fill out the contact form to get started today!

Competitive Softball - Pitcher

Competitive Softball - Fielder

All programs include speed, agility, and anaerobic conditioning workouts; with complete nutritional counseling, and are adjustable to any fitness level. Click Here, fill out the brief contact form and be ready to excel today!

When Working Out Makes Your Weight Increase

The Best Ways to Track Your Weight

(Prevention, September 1999)

QUESTION: I'm 39 years old and have noticed that my weight is going up, but my measurements are the same. I exercise -- walking and weight lifting -- an average of four to five hours a week. What's going on?

ANSWER: The scale is not always the best way to assess your weight, especially if you exercise. How much you weigh can vary greatly during a typical day, and for women, it can change depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle. Better ways to keep track of your weight are by how your clothes fit or by measuring your arms, chest, waist, hips and thighs -- as it sounds like you are doing. If your measurements are not increasing along with your weight, you probably have nothing to worry about.

The most likely reason for the increase in weight is that you're building muscle from your weight-lifting workouts. Compared to fat, muscle weighs about 22% more. But it's much more compact, so a pound of muscle takes up less space than a similar amount of fat -- and looks a heck of a lot better. Another bonus: Muscle burns about 15 to 25 times more calories than fat. So the more muscle you have, the more you can eat without gaining weight.

If the weight gain continues and you notice that your clothes are getting tighter, take a look at your diet. No matter how much you exercise, if you are eating too many calories, you'll gain weight. A packet of M&M's has more than 300 calories, which can quickly override the calories you'd burn during a typical walk. Keep it up and the scale will start to inch up. You don't have to be eating junk food for that to happen either. Even large portions of healthy foods can cause you to gain weight. If your eating is under control but you're still gaining, check with your doctor to rule out any medical conditions that may be contributing to the weight gain.

US Sports Conditioning Boot Camp Workout #25

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Welcome to another US Sports Online Conditioning Boot Camp! If this is your first time using the US Sports Conditioning Boot Camp, then please go at your own pace. You may lower the volume, to allow your body to become conditioned to these more challenging workouts. In other words: "Challenge by choice"

*Important Message:

 Only 3 workouts left. The Free US Sports Conditioning Boot Camps Will end August 2, 2012. To Continue Receiving the US Sports Conditioning Boot Camp Workouts After August 2, 2012  Click Here. Sign up now and lock in your price of $8 per month. After August 2, 2012 the price goes up to $10 per month.

Here it is Athletes! The  25th of your FREE* bi-weekly online Sports Conditioning Bootcamps.

Be sure to stay hydrated before, during, and after your workouts.

We continue the "Stretch Run" to your fall sports training camp. We are going to stay with this multifaceted strength and conditioning workout until the first of August. This workout was originally designed as a Boxing Conditioning program. This can be applied to conditioning for just about any sport*

The weights and intensities listed were originally programmed for a specific athlete. Adjust the weights as you see fit and have SAFETY FIRST in mind.

Equipment needed:  Power Gym, Machines, Jump Rope

Week 6 - Day 2 (Tuesday) of US Sports Conditioning Boot Camp's Program	Week Difficulty: Medium
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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 Close Grip Chin Ups	7 reps, 7 reps
	3	Video Wide Grip Pull Ups	7 reps, 7 reps
	4	Video Dumbbell Bent Over Row (elbows wide)	12 reps @ 55 lbs, 10 reps @ 45 lbs
	5	Video Med Ball Chest Pass (kneeling)	12 reps, 8 reps, 8 reps
	6	Video Dumbbell Lateral Raise	12 reps @ 38 lbs, 10 reps @ 32 lbs
	7	Video Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise	12 reps @ 30 lbs, 10 reps @ 25 lbs
	8	Video Jump Rope General	2 Minutes
	9	Video Dumbbell Hammer Curl	12 reps @ 65 lbs, 10 reps @ 55 lbs
	10	Video Med Ball Overhead Throw (standing)	12 reps, 8 reps, 8 reps
	11	Video Push Ups (regular position)	32 reps, 32 reps
	12	Video Jump Rope General	2 Minutes
	13	Video Plate Twists	12 reps @ 25 lbs, 10 reps @ 20 lbs
	14	Video Bent Leg Knee Ups from Bench	21 reps, 21 reps
	15	Video Cross Crunches	24 reps, 24 reps
	16	4-Way Manual Neck	8 reps, 6 reps

Great Job! See you Thursday!

Be sure to cool down and stretch after each workout.

To get your very own customized Strength and Conditioning program, Click Here

*Please consult a physician before engaging in any exercise program. US Sports Strength and Conditioning assumes no liability if injury or ailment should occur due to your engagement of this program or any of the US Sports Conditioning Bootcamp Workouts.