It is very easy to get caught up in training for your sport and day to day activities and not pay much attention to what you are putting into your body. As a former First Team All-Academic Pac-10 steeplechaser for the UCLA Track & Field Team, I often went through my days without planning meals or giving nutrition much thought at all. As an athlete, putting in countless hours of training with much at stake, it makes sense to maximize your chances of success in all ethical ways.

It is surprising how clear nutritional science is on the benefits of a core nutrition program in both protecting health and maximizing athletic performance, yet it is something that is so under the radar. I did not receive any training on nutrition at UCLA, and looking back, my running career suffered as a result. The good news is that it is relatively easy to take your health to the next level and some of the benefits that people experience are a stronger immune system, increased energy levels, quicker recover and improved brain function. To that point, when I implemented a core nutrition program a few years ago, I noticed it first in races, where I ran personal bests in the marathon and half marathon at age 31 (and then again as a 32 year old) and had better recovery time than when I was a student at UCLA.

Here are six nutritional tips you can utilize to give yourself the “slight edge” over your competition and feel increased strength and vitality along the way.

1. Establish the habit of drinking 10 oz purified water first thing in the morning and steadily throughout the day. Ideally you should shoot for half of your body weight in ounces daily (i.e. if you weigh 150lbs – 75 ounces daily is a great standard).

2. You’ve heard it your whole life and here it is, the #1 health habit you could ever develop; eat six serving of vegetables daily. Why? They are rich in antioxidants which help to prevent oxidative damage (aging) of your cells. You should also regularly include three low-sugar members from the fruit category; avocado, tomato and bell pepper.

3. Consume dark leafy greens, such as spinach, daily. Greens are made of chlorophyll and heal and cleanse your organs while destroying harmful substances. They also promote bodily homeostasis, give you lots of insoluble fiber that rids your body of toxins, and greens are alkaline which promotes healthy cells and improved recovery.

4. Processed carbohydrates are largely to blame for our countries health woes and MUST be minimized. Fast food, instant everything, enriched bleached flour, chips, bagels and baked goods are marketed to us incessantly and are convenient choices. The problem with these high-glycemic “foods” is that they spike your blood sugar levels, do not provide sustainable energy, and leave you hungry for more when your blood sugar rapidly drops back down. Focus on a balance of low-glycemic carbohydrates (such as – whole grains, pasta, greek yogurt, vegetables, fruits), lean sources of protein (organic chicken, grass fed beef, salmon, almonds, vegetables), and healthy fats (fish, avocado, olive oil, nuts) as a foundation of your diet and you will have more sustainable energy throughout your day.

5. Take a pharmaceutical grade, absorbable multi-vitamin, everyday, even if your diet is ideal. Quality supplements help to prevent sickness and disease, fill in the gaps in your diet, minimize oxidative (free radical) damage, and enable you to recover more quickly from workouts.

6. Educate yourself and keep updating your nutritional strategies. You will find it very empowering to know the benefits of your little bit of extra effort and attention. Some great books on the topic are “The pH Miracle,” “Healthy for Life,” and “The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements.” Two great DVD’s are “Food, Inc.” and “Super Size Me.”

Incorporating even one of these habits into your daily routine will have a tremendous benefit to you in your athletic endeavors and beyond. Incorporating all of them into your active and athletic lifestyle will put your health above and beyond your peers, enable you to maximize your athletic talents and most importantly, will drastically reduce your chances of developing chronic degenerative disease.

You will find that when your health and energy levels improve, your athletic performance and every other area of your life will improve simultaneously. Also, the positive influence that you will have for those in your peer group will have an impact greater than you know. So I challenge you, to give yourself the “slight edge” of optimal nutrition and you will reap the benefits immediately and for the rest of your life.

This post courtesy Rehab United and Justin Robinson, MA,RD,CSSD,CSCS

Introduction

Many athletes and coaches have a misconception of functional training – incorporating the latest and greatest equipment like BOSU balls, balance discs, and kettle bells does not automatically make a program functional. Such pieces of equipment are great tools to use in training, but the design of the workout, not the exercises, make a program functional. Functional training is purposeful training – it involves assessing current needs of an athlete (fitness level, injuries, muscle imbalances, etc) and creating specific strategies to address those needs.

1) Three-Dimensional Training. Every time your foot hits the ground, the muscles in your body are either accelerating (increasing speed of movement) or decelerating (slowing movement) in all three planes of motion (sagittal, frontal, and transverse – see figure below). Training in only one plane (e.g. working on the leg extension machine) will not prepare you for the nature of sport. Keys of Functional Training

2) Training Movements, not the Muscles. Coaches often use the thought process that if running involves the quads, hamstrings, and calves, they should work those muscles to increase strength, thus improving running performance. Name any sport, though, in which you only move an isolated joint . . . darts is the only one that comes to mind and most people train for that by doing the 12-ounce can curl. Multi-joint movements are essential in training since the body moves that way in sport – it is more applicable to consider training movements, such as ankle, knee, and hip extension, rather than each muscle independently. The lunge reach matrix (below) is an example of an exercise that trains these movements in all three planes.

Rehab United Physical Therapy and Sports Performance Center (RU) specializes in a progressive approach to evaluation, rehabilitation, injury prevention and performance training. We also provide massage therapy, ART, orthotic fittings, and nutrition counseling to offer the most comprehensive fitness and wellness program in San Diego. Our licensed Physical Therapists and certified Strength & Conditioning Coaches ensure success by training the body the way it was intended to move and creating strategies that improve movement patterns, not just individual muscles.
Stay tuned for Part II including Transformation and Overload

The 7th Annual SoCal Hoop Review was held April 10th and 11th at Cal State University Dominguez Hills and Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA. The tournament was open to all high school grades including seniors. Both AAU teams and High School teams took the chance to compete.

The tournament showcased top talent from across the country and gave players a chance to show off their skills in highly competitive games in front of top college coaches, scouts, as well as media. Check out the highlight video below.

To visit the SportsForce Boys Basketball Home page click here.

The GAME has changed! The fact is, the college recruiting process has changed dramatically over the last 10 years and understanding how to play the game is important.

The college recruiting process is often misunderstood by many parents, student-athletes, coaches and fans. Are you a sports parent or a high school student-athlete who is asking yourself “How do I maximize my recruiting exposure to college coaches?” If so, you are not alone. This is a very common issue across the country that we often help student-athletes and families proactively address at SportsForce.

In this article you will learn more on how to introduce yourself to a college coach, what type of recruiting events to consider and gain an understanding of how video and the Internet are radically changing the recruiting process. At the end of this article you will have an opportunity to sign up for our complimentary SportsForce College Recruiting Guide to learn more keys to college recruiting success. See link at the end of the article.

Step 4: Get Evaluation in person: Target Key Recruiting Events

• Identify key recruiting tournaments that some of your target colleges will attend
• Email coaches your online profile link, team name, schedule and jersey # before the showcase to make sure you are evaluated
• Potentially attend a few college camps for specific exposure to that program

Step 5: Get quality video, online profile & share

• Video is key, college coaches don’t have the time to see every player
• Create a custom highlight video to showcase your skills (3 – 5 min. long)
• Create an online profile to add your athletic, academic and recruiting information

Some example SportsForce profiles below:

• Girls Lacrosse: http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/jmills
• Softball: http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/mbradvica
• Soccer: http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/kdick

Here is an example profile and highlight video of one of our senior clients Nick Melka that recently committed to Columbia University to play football. Nick and his family were proactive in the process and were able to maximize his exposure and generate significant interest from many of his top college choices.

Here’s a link to Nick’s profile –http:/www.sportsforceonlone.com/nmelka

To get more advanced recruiting tips, strategies and advice visit our website and sign up for our complimentary SportsForce College Recruiting Guide and updates below.

FREE sign up for SportsForce College Recruiting Guide:

http://www.sportsforceonline.com/resources/resources_recruiting_recruiting_guide.html

Article courtesy of SportsForce, Home for professional College Sports Recruiting Profiles, Highlight Videos, Tips and Tools – www.sportsforceonline.com

We shared La Costa Canyon Lacrosse player, Alex Pardieu’s recruitment journey here. As part of catching up with Alex, SportsForce had a few questions for his coach, LCC boys varsity coach, Dallas Hartley. See what Dallas had to say about Alex, the FSU commit, below.

1. How would you describe Alex on the field (strengths, playing style, etc.)?

Alex hustles and his game translates well to full field situations. He can break down a defense and get his hands free for a shot or to get the offense moving. He plays great team defense on and off the ball. And he is great in transition where his speed really shows.
2. How would you describe Alex off the field (academics, leadership, etc.)?

Well mannered and easy going. Has a lot of friends and surrounds himself with good people who know their academics are the key to their future.

3. How do you think Alex will help a team at the college level (what should a college coach expect)?

Alex brings a strong work ethic, an infectious good attitude, and he wants to get better. He is very coachable.
4. How do you think Alex will develop over the next few years as a lacrosse player?

He has enormous potential. He will be one of the best players on his team and demand respect. Speed, team play, and the intangibles translate well to the next level.

5. Any final thoughts about Alex?
Pleasure to coach a kid who wants to be better every day.

See Alex’s Full SportsForce Profile at: http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/apardieu

Coach Brett Klika is the Director of Athletic Performance at Todd Durkin’s Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA. He specializes in youth fitness and athletic performance, overseeing a staff of 8 strength coaches developing programs for over 300 youth per week, both athletes and non-athletes. In addition to coaching, Brett currently authors for a variety of publications, produces DVD’s on fitness and athletic performance and presents around the world on topics in fitness, wellness, and sports performance. Brett can be reached at brett@fitnessquest10.com .

In my career I have the opportunity to interact with a vast array of parents, coaches, and other fitness professionals eager to improve youngsters’ physical adeptness. I attempt to navigate these professionals through the sea of misinformation and provide time tested, and practical strategies to improve youth fitness and athletic performance. This has turned into hundreds of pages of writing and endless hours of speaking and personal consultation. All of this time and effort has been spent answering a few common questions that I address on a near daily basis while working with youth. Below is a “one stop shop” for some of the most common questions I address, and short, concise answers.

1. Q. How old should my son/daughter be before beginning weight training?

A. Weight training is the introduction of overload to a movement. Overloading a movement with external weight of any kind is only safe and effective when that movement is done biomechanically correct. Furthermore, overload must be introduced in a progressive fashion, always allowing the movement to be executed properly. I recommend that all youth be involved in a movement training program with an experienced professional as young as possible (usually about age 6). The professional my chose to add overload to movement once an array of physical skills and biological capacities have been developed. The question of when to add this overload has more to do with a youngster’s physical fitness and biomechanical abilities than with age. While I am familiar with research on safe weight training with children as young as 6, I recommend consulting with an experienced professional who specializes in youth fitness and athletic development. In my experience unfortunately, I do not recommend the introduction of weight training to youth by parents or athletic coaches.

2. Q. Are supplements safe for kids?

A. The umbrella term “supplements” covers everything from Vitamin C tabs to pro- hormones. Most parents and coaches are asking about creatine, protein-based weight gainers, and NO2 products. In my reading, I have not found definitive research that would suggest that these are dangerous. However, “supplements” are only effective when they “supplement” a perfect diet and training program. I have never met a youth that has both, or either for that matter. The only traditional supplement I recommend for kids is some sort of meal replacement shake that they are willing to drink. These are NOT ideal nutritionally, however, they offer a reasonable nutrition profile and most kids are willing to drink them. Get your kids to eat multiple small meals made up of non-processed food while following a professionally designed training program. The results they will see from this regiment are far superior to any over the counter supplement. As a matter of fact, it is not even comparable.

3. Q. How long will it take for my son/daughter to improve their speed, vertical jump, etc?

A. The factors affecting a youngster’s physical performance are too lengthy to name. There is no piece of technology available that can maximize a youngster’s athletic performance more than a well-designed, longitudinal, progressive, consistent, all encompassing, athletic development program. To permanently improve true game performance and specific physical ability it may take months or years of consistent training. Research has demonstrated that in order to learn a skill, it must be practiced about 10,000 times. Most youngsters see an improvement in general performance merely from improving their physical fitness. This can be accomplished in a relatively short amount of time, usually about 6 weeks of consistent, frequent training. If they were to stop after 6 weeks however, the improvements in physical fitness would diminish, and in turn, their performance improvements. Athletic performance is a longitudinal process in youth that should be viewed as a multi-year commitment.

4. Q. How do I improve my son or daughter’s flexibility?

A. Improving flexibility in pubescent youngsters presents a significant challenge. The bones are growing at an accelerated rate. The places where the muscles originate and attach grow further apart. The muscle responds by contracting slightly to protect itself from the forced elongation. When the muscles are in a near constant state of slight contraction, a significant decrease in mobility (flexibility) is observed. In order to get the muscle to relax, it has to believe that it is not being over-stretched. In order to do this for youngsters, I recommend the following:

• Frequent massage or fascia work. Massage therapy can help break down tight fascia in order to help dampen the contraction. This can also be done using a foam roller or tennis ball.

• Dynamic Mobility Warm-Ups. Youngsters should warm-up with progressive range of motion based exercises. This helps improve the pliability of tissue, allowing for greater range of motion during exercise. For an example of these warm-ups, please see the video below.
  • Post work-out static stretching. This is the traditional stretching modality. It is ideal to do this when the muscles are warm and pliable. The helps convince the muscles that the elongation is OK, so they can dampen their contraction.

  As I mentioned, these are the most frequently asked questions. If you have a specific question you would like to see addressed, feel free to contact me at brett@fitnessquest10.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Hopefully I am able to navigate you through the sea of misinformation to create youngsters that become happy, healthy, pain-free adults!

  
  

Let’s get your game on! How you fuel and train your body should depend on your game, what you play and how you want to play it. In my last article we talked about the three different energy systems used in athletic performance: the phosphagen system, the anaerobic system, and the aerobic system. Today, we’ll talk about the energy systems used for short term energy use and how to optimize your fuel consumption for your energy needs.

A swimmer dives off the starting block; a batter hits the ball; a tennis player serves up the ace. These are all examples of energy expenditures in the phosphagen and anaerobic systems. An athlete’s body can access either of these systems for quick burst, intense activities.

The body uses the phosphagen system when you need quick power. Think explosive when you think of the fuel stored in our muscles called creatine phosphate. CP helps to create ATP very rapidly and thus burns it very rapidly as well. Foods that contain creatine include meats, poultry, and fish. The occasional protein bar or creatine shake won’t hurt you, but these simply can’t provide the nutritional support, the big bang, that a slab of real grilled salmon provides. When this energy becomes exhausted the anaerobic system then becomes active to provide support for more high intensity, short burst activities.

The term anaerobic refers to processes that do not require oxygen. The anaerobic energy system relies on glucose as it’s major source of ATP. Glucose is simply a form of sugar easily used by the body. Carbohydrates are the major source of glucose and are stored in the form of glycogen within our muscles and liver. This system is called into action when an athlete first begins activity and will continue to provide energy until oxygen is available to help meet the body’s demands for activity over three minutes in duration. When a football player catches the ball in the end zone and runs at lightning speed for the return, the athlete is using up glucose. High quality carbohydrates are crucial for an athlete, male or female of any age or weight. You can’t simply power down a powdered sugar donut for this fuel – the donut is burned up or turned to fat entirely too soon to improve performance. Instead, eat smaller portions of quality carbs more often, like whole grain pasta, brown rice, or whole wheat bread. If an athlete chooses the powdered sugar donut as their fuel of choice, glycogen stores will be low resulting in low production of ATP and lower energy levels which have a negative impact on athletic performance. During elevated levels of activity, the body will start to accumulate lactic acid at a rate that exceeds the liver’s ability to eliminate it if the athlete cuts the carbs too far back. So, if you get an intense side ache during practice, it is a reminder that powdered sugar donuts are poor fuel for the anaerobic system.

So, what’s your game? Do you need power? Do you need quick, short bursts of intense speed? Do you need to keep going and going and going? Can anybody play? Probably. But, if you want to play better, perform better, then think of food as fuel for your amazing energy systems. In part 4 of Eating to Win, we’ll talk about the role of our aerobic energy system!

Brandon Johnson came back from a major achilles injury to play a 5th year with the Toreros. In the process he has become USD’s all-time leading scorer, but a 9-18 season has put a sour edge to what should be a season of celebration. Brandon joined 619 Sports after USD practice at Jenny Craig Pavilion to reflect on his career and the challenges he has faced:

–Story and video courtesy 619Sports.net

The Gonzalez Sports Academy is celebrating its Grand Opening Wednesday, January 27^th. The facility which is owned and operated by the Gonzalez family and world class athletic trainer, Bob Foley boasts state of the art equipment and training tools for athletes of all sports and levels.

The Gonzalez Sports Academy (GSA) offers:

29,000 square foot indoor facility
Speed & Agility Area
Two (2) 180 ft long running track
Weight Training Area
Four (4) Batting Cages
Strength & Conditioning
Two (2) Pitching Mounds
Juice Bar
Three (3) Professional size Volley Ball Courts
Gift Shop
Five (5) acres of outdoor training space

The Grand Opening promised a chance to explore the facility and try out the training areas as well as a meet and greet with some pro-athletes including Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez, Tony Gwynn, Jr., Dave Roberts, Paul Molitor, Zeke Moreno and Nick Hundley. For more information on the GSA visit: http://gonzalezsportsacademy.com/

Are you really bringing your “A” game every day? How would you know? You see, it isn’t just about getting the workout done, it is about believing in your body and mind, and about knowing you’ve prepared yourself to achieve all you are truly capable of achieving. Athletes, both young and old, often treat nutrition as an afterthought to their workout. Showing up to a practice on an empty stomach or eating junk food prior to a grueling strength training session means you are showing up with a “C” game mentality and you’re sabotaging your body, your mind, your game.

In my previous article, I talked about the importance of eating five small meals a day to maintain proper blood sugar levels and to allow for optimal energy. The amounts and types of food that an athlete puts into their bodies directly influence the body’s ability to digest, absorb, and use nutrients. The energy needed for muscle repair, growth, development, and recovery during the season is not going to come from a one-time bar or protein shake; it can only come from consistent and optimized nutrition during pre-season, early season, in season and game day. You might get away with cheating for a while, but eventually, you will see the results from your lack of discipline in your athletic performance on game day. Likewise, when you give your body the right kinds and amounts of fuel, you are less likely to get injured, heal faster if you do get injured, and have more energy available for both the short burst energy expenditures and longer energy use.

Now for a lesson in nutrition and how the body gets energy from nutrition for exercise, otherwise known as metabolism. Another way to think of metabolism is as the chemical reactions that occur in an athlete’s body everyday at a cellular level where energy is being stored and released to allow muscles to do their work. All cells use ATP (adenosine triphosphate) as their major fuel source and when the bonds of this molecule are broken, the result is the release of large amounts of energy. The human body is such an amazing machine that it is constantly forming, breaking down, and then reforming these bonds as a continuous energy source used in muscle activity, repair, and growth. There are a total of three energy systems in the body that are capable of generating ATP and each of them are used in different types of sports activities: the phosphagen system, the anaerobic system, and the aerobic system. The length of the activity and type of activity the athlete is performing determines which of these systems the body uses.

The next article will expand on the foods that support these energy systems. Till then, eat well, train well, and bring your “A”game!

–To learn more about athlete nutrition and Optimal Nutrition visit: http://optimalnutritioninc.com/