Whitney Workman warming up with Abs, AJ Clark of Pfeiffer busting back and reps, Mike Maness of Lenoir-Rhyne starting world-class back, BJ Bun from UNC-Penbrook pulling deads and hitting cleans
Question: The beach is only a few weeks away and I am nowhere close to being ready. The colder spring has curtailed my interest in training but with warmer weather seemingly here I realize how far I need to go in just a short time. What can I do to speed up my fat loss?
Answer: The cool spring sidetracked a lot of people it seems but this routine coupled with a sensible food plan will strip the excess weight you want in time for the beach trip. Intensity is the key to stimulating your metabolism.
Be consistent for the next few weeks and when you workout make it count.
Begin with a hip raise/reverse crunch combo. Lie on a bench and secure yourself by holding on to the bench just above your head. Elevate your legs until they are perpendicular to the bench and lift your hips off of the bench. Use a controlled motion, lower yourself back down until your buttocks touch the pad and do 5 reps. Keep your legs together and complete 10 reps of a reverse crunch extending your legs out parallel to the floor. That is only half the set so return to the hip raise for 5 reps and the reverse crunch for 10 reps.
After those, do a set of 10 pull-ups.
Follow the pull-ups with bodyweight squats for 15 reps, Using a moderate weight, grab a pair of dumbbells and do squat/press for 10 reps.
Finish the sequence with elevated push-ups for 15 reps.
The cardio portion of the sequence is preferably jumping rope for 2 minutes. You will repeat the entire five exercises and cardio completing 3 cycles.
Choose another exercise for each one in the first sequence and follow those with sprints for the cardio.
This style of exercise can be very challenging but very effective in a short period of time. Your metabolism is stimulated not only during the workout but also for hours after the workout is complete.
Question: I have begun to develop shin splints according to my doctor and his recommendation was to rest them for two weeks. I have a race I want to run in less than a month and need some advice about how I may be able to continue my training. Do you have any ideas?
Answer: Your doctor's advice was indeed the best advice for you to rid yourself of shin splints, tibial stress syndrome. They are an inflammation of the tendon that sits on top of your tibia in each of your legs. They are common with runners and even dancers. Changing the surface on which you run, increasing the speed, duration or intensity of your training or even your shoes can trigger them.
The common approach to recovery is rest. Ice therapy on your shins in the affected area for 12 to 20 minutes can improve your rate of recovery and exercises, as simple as lifting your toe upward while keeping your heel on the ground can strengthen them but don't try that until the pain has subsided. You can use a band or weight. like an ankle weight on top of your foot, for resistance.
A Chiropractic can treat shin splints, reducing the pain and inflammation, using cold laser therapy. It can significantly reduce the discomfort, especially when used in conjunction with the conventional treatment. There are also compression sleeves which can be found at sporting goods stores that assist while exercising.
You could try a combination of these treatments and training sleeves to combat your condition until you complete your race but in the and you will need rest to fully recover.
Explosive Track and Field Training. Lydia Laws running hurdles
Question: I am aware both your daughter, Lydia, and Alexis Dickerson, train with you. They have excelled this season My daughter runs track and trains at another gym and needs some guidance. What does she need to focus on to reach her potential?
Answer: Thank you for your kind compliments. Both of them have done very well and share the desire to continue to improve. In addition to them, Shanica Johnson, Natalia Dunlap and Tamilia Wright are also enjoying success this year and have all been with us as well. Besides that they all share another common denominator which is they compete with the Durham Striders in the summer under the guidance of Donny Davis. That was where they honed their skills on the track and field.
In the gym we used different approaches for these athletes depending on the event in which they compete. All follow explosive core building routines that include cleans, deadlifts, front squats and squats. Randy Hadley, who is a friend and trainer coaching Olympic athletes in Orlando, sent specific exercises as well that build unilateral strength in the hamstrings, quads and hip flexors.
Lydia utilized her extensive gymnastics background to use and teach ab routines to her training partners and they spend extensive time stretching.
Alexis's throwing strength is a result of building power in her core and working her upper body for the finish of her throw.
In the sprints and hurdles, especially the 300m and 400m hurdles, 400m sprints and 800m races they all train their upper body which assists them in making a strong finish.
They all include plyometrics in training for explosive starts and throws.
It is huge team effort that begins and ends with these athletes and their overwhelming desire and will to train to be the best.
Question: How can I put on weight? I want to play ball when I get to high school and truth be told I used to be fluffy. But in the last year I have grown almost 5 inches and it seems no matter how much I eat I can't put on weight.
Answer: Full blown puberty is a time that your body produces hormones at an unrelenting rate to reach the genetic potential you are programmed to attain. It's important to consume sufficient calories to provide your body with the nutrition it needs to fully recognize that growth. Don't run out the door eating a toaster pastry, wash down fries and pizza at lunch with Gatorade and finish the day with someone handing you food through a window in a wall and expect to be at your best. Your bones need calcium and one of the best sources, provided you're not lactose sensitive, is milk. It also contains protein which of vital importance for growth. If you like eggs and you can choose to eat them in variety of ways, they contain more protein and fat. The protein we already know is vital and the fat is needed for your body to produce more hormones which trigger more growth and physical maturity. Whole wheat toast or an English muffin contains carbohydrates which is a primary source of energy.
You should see a pattern of supplying nutritious foods to contribute to your body's hormonal efforts to grow. Water, not a processed " recovery " drink should be what you are drinking at lunch. Unless you have exercised all morning and have lost electrolytes through excessive sweating, you don't need a Gatorade at that time. The fats you consume from fries and pizza provide calories though they do not provide optimum nutrition for growth. Instead eat a 6-inch sub full of turkey with green leaf lettuce, tomatoes and whatever else you might enjoy on a sub. Make it and take it from home along with peanut butter crackers and an orange. Have a banana immediately after school and more water before you train. Hit the weights 2 or 3 days a week. After training, drink a protein drink using whey protein. When you get home have a good home-cooked meal.
Now this is a best case scenario and you won't always be able to do this. Give it your best shot to give you the best tools to realize the growth potential you have.
Question: I have been training all winter to be in better shape for golf which is my passion. I have cut back to only a couple of lifting days now that it is finally warmer. My trainer has continually pushed me to do heavier weights and I go pretty heavy now. I use 80 pound dumbbells on incline presses now. He thinks I need to continue to push to be stronger. I just wanted a second opinion considering i feel like I have attained my goals.
Answer: Tiger Woods was the guy who introduced weight training and physical preparation to the golf masses. He sculpted a good physique as he trained his body to better handle the physical difficulty of world class golf. As a golfer you can improve your long game tremendously by weight training. Simply making your body stronger will improve your club speed as you strike the ball. Specifically your training needs to work your abs as part of your core. Your lower back needs to be trained to balance your core along with your abs. Include training for your hip flexors since they are often overlooked but are part of the core routine. Glutes tie into your lower back muscles and are necessary for driving through the ball along with your hamstrings and quads. Chest, shoulders and upper back help complete your swing. Your triceps need to be strong to hold your arms in proper position as you finish your swing. A small but vital factor is to improve grip strength by working your forearms. When you work your abs, don't just focus on forward and backward movements but also include rotational exercises to improve hip mobility and torso rotation which mimics fairway and tee shots. Flexibility is as important as strength in building club speed. Stretch your Achilles tendons, hamstrings, lower back, shoulders and lats.
Include cardio training to counter the length of a golf game.
Your training actually has a ceiling since you are not trying to be a bodybuilder or strength athlete. There exists a point of diminishing return for your game. Do you actually need to press 100 pound dumbbells? Will being able to squat 400 pounds make you any better on the golf course than being able to squat 225 pounds? A combination of increased strength, core flexibility, muscle endurance and cardio-pulmonary endurance along with much improved flexibility and range of motion throughout your body combine to improve your game from the physical aspect. Justin Scott, a teaching pro at Precision Golf School trains very hard and has improved his game and eliminated lower back pain that resulted from over use and impaired posture. As muscles get stronger posture improves. Weight training has made his game better simply because his Increased strength allows him to practice longer. More consistent, repeated movement ingrains the motor skill neural pathways.
You have taken tremendous steps to be better by the time the weather allows you to return to your game. Maintain your body's gains by training with a maintenance routine but huge weights aren't necessary for productive golf training.
