26 Feb Friendly Advice: Tips For The Athlete In Us All
As the year rolls on, I have already had countless questions about tips and tricks to help speed up weight loss and make the step to the next level on the field, and in my pondering, I have made some notes about what people need to hear. So I have taken these questions and compiled a list of tips and advice that everyone, myself included, needs to hear.
1. Drink more water: The adult human is roughly 60% water. By now, this one should go without saying, but water is the number one thing your body needs for survival, even above food (doctors estimate humans can survive as long as 8 weeks without food, but only three days without water) How can you possibly expect to perform at a high level if you’re not drinking enough? How much is enough? a gallon daily for women and 1 gallon daily for men. You?re not going to drown, just drink it. Trade your coffee and soda for water and do your body a big favor.
2. How you sit and stand is of the utmost importance: Yeah, posture. Can you hear your mom or grandma in your head? ?SIT UP STRAIGHT.? Besides looking unattractive, poor posture can adversely affect your breathing, your digestion and increase your injury risk by promoting widespread muscular imbalance, not to mention, slow your progress. (aren?t deep squats better for sculpting the body you want than shoulder mobility drills?never seen a girl in a bikini and said she must have great shoulder mobility?just saying) If the joints aren?t aligned properly, the muscles can?t work properly. Try to hunch over and flex the muscles in your back, the stand up straight and do it again?way better upright isn?t it. Try to stand and sit up a little bit straighter several times throughout the day. Work from your knees on occasion if you can (anything to get you out of hip flexion) Using just these couple tips you can help undo some of effects of all that constant texting, driving (hopefully not at the same time) and typing. (how many of you actually tried the flexing I talked about)
3. There?s a madness to the method! (or is it the other way around?): Nothing drives me up the wall more than watching motivated clients throw weights around with reckless abandon. I get that some of the younger athletes feel invincible. I also get that many of you will do whatever is physically necessary to realize your athletic goals. That said, slinging weights all over the place is neither necessary, nor intelligent. Take the time to learn the proper form forliftslike squats, deadlifts, Olympic lifts, and overhead presses. Once you have a solid foundation, then you can gradually start increasing the weight. The strict attention to form doesn?t stop with the athletes, every GT client needs to stay (or in some cases become) dedicated to proper form. Our goal for you is to live a pain free, healthy life. If you are patterning the movements incorrectly and loading them up without thought to form, bad things are sure to follow. (that means injury and pain if you didn?t get it)
4. Eat more vegetables: I can?t say enough good things about your veggies. Momma was right when we were little, EAT ALL YOUR VEGETABLES!!! This is another area where the average American’s diet falls woefully short. Vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber that are lacking in many of the other foods readily available and we tend to favor. (read: fast food) They’re also a great way to improve immune system function, lowering your risk for developing all sorts of diseases. Can lift if you?re sick?
5. Want to get faster? Jump higher? Get stronger!: Speed and agility drills and box jumps are not always the best way to get results. It has its time and place, but if you’re not also working to increase strength through the lower body and core, as well develop good ankle and hip mobility, they’ll be of limited value. Concentrate on imparting force into the ground through a full range of motion and you’ll get fast in a hurry, after all, more force production, the further and faster you will go.
My final thought?.There are no short cuts: That’s exactly why I’ve presented all of this to you in list fashion- so that you can chunk things down and make gradual, consistent efforts towards achieving your goals. I know all about the impatience of today?s world and I?m no different, I want what I want and I want it now too. Like it or not, though, if you really want these changes to stick, it’s going to take you some time. Make it happen, no one is going to do it for you, do for yourself.
