Bye Bye 2014

It's the last day of the year and time to look back at what we learned in the fitness and nutrition industry and what we can take away from what we learned.  As a trainer, something new comes around very frequently, from fitness products to nutritional concepts.  Sometimes it's tough to always stay on top and ahead of the trends that may be out there.  But, sometimes you can go back to he basics...maybe a solid bench press or just eating eating clean.  Complicated doesn't mean better.  And fancy doesn't mean better.  Whether it's a periodized workout, with plyometric exercises, core, balance and stability exercises, or the latest diet, counting your calories, eating more carbs in the morning than at night and drinking nothing but water.  Has anything good come out of this past year?  I'd like to think so.  Let's take a look at some of the top issues that I dealt with in the performance, nutrition and training industry.

1.  In the sports world, I was the strength and conditioning coach for the Ohsweken Demons, of the Canadian Lacrosse League.  I have been the strength and conditioning coach for the team for three seasons leading up to this one, and all ended with a championship.  This season would be a little different.  While they made it to the final, they would end up losing.   It was something, when I look back on it, that could have been prevented.  The guys got too comfortable. They didn't show up for training. They didn't put in any extra work...and they lost.  Shows you what putting in the work can do!!

2.  Again in the sports world and again in the world of lacrosse, I found myself as the strength and conditioning coach of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Thunderhawks Junior B team.  Though they lost to the eventual Canadian Champions from Six Nations, it was really great to train them.  The average age for the team was about 18yrs old.  A total different mindset from the older Ohsweken Demons.  The boys always came to work and work hard.  It was very good to have trained both teams and see the comparisons in training effort between the two.

3.  Nutritionally, it was clear to see how eating well make such a difference in sports and in life.  In my experiences as a boxing coach I really see how nutrition can make the difference between winning and losing.  And my experiences with a few clients of mine, I see how simple nutrition changes can make such a differences in their lives.  When I was boxing, I never ate a big meal the day of a fight, rather small meals and snacks throughout the day.  I felt much better going into a fight not on a full stomach.

4.  The workouts this past year ranged all over the place.  From training young kids, to athletes, to adults just looking to get fit.  But I think I learned the most from my Learn to Train program.  It involved training a group of kids, ranging in age from about 4yrs old to 7yrs old (including my son).  The rage in abilities amazes me and so does what they can do.  Teaching them everything from proper balance to correct coordination.  And they played lots of games in the process.  You can learn a lot from how kids move and how they react to things.  It was a really good experience.

Christmas with a workout?

Well, Christmas is just a day away!! A time to together with family members, eat lots of food, drink a little wine, watch a little of the Canadian Juniors....and since many aren't working the next couple days, maybe even get a little training in, too.  So, now you have the time to actually fit in a good workout session, but you go to the gym and haven't got a clue what exercises you're going to do. Should you get some cardio in? How heavy are you going to lift today? Should you fit your exercises in a little circuit? And what about eating....did you just finish a nice turkey dinner about a half hour ago and are coming to the gym to burn the excess calories?  (maybe you should wait an hour or two)

As hard as it is sometimes, you must get a bit of a game plan before you head to the gym.  That is one reason why some people have trainers....they don't have to think of all that, the trainer does the thinking for them.  But it doesn't have to be that complicated.  You just need to think generally and not so specific.  Ok, so you want to fit in a good workout before Christmas dinner, so maybe a full-body workout will do you good.  Think of a few compound movements (i.e. squat to shoulder press, burpees, reverse lunge to row), so that you aren't wasting too much time when you get there and if something is being used, move onto the next exercise.  Then, think of your intensity, that is, how heavy will the weight be? And that will usually determine you're rep range or volume....as well as rest periods.  There you have it...a nice little worm-up, into your workout, combined with a  few minutes of cardio and you've got yourself a good gym session!!

Don't get me wrong, when you realize that there is a lot to think about when coming up with a good workout routine, it can be somewhat overwhelming.  But it is much better to think about it before you step foot in the gym, then thinking about it when you first go to grab a pair of dumbbells.  Having a gameplan before you go to the gym will set the stage for a much better and more efficient workout!!

Have a very Merry Christmas!!

Protein...is extra needed?

 A couple nights ago, I received a great question from one of the boxers at the boxing club.  He basically wanted to know if he should drink protein shakes? My answer...it depends. You need to look at what you're eating in the first place, as in your general diet.  Then look at what you are trying to accomplish, what your goals are.  Then, look at your activity level, are you a competing athlete? Is your sport controlled by weight categories? If you're not an athlete, are you looking to lose weight or gain weight?  These are basic questions, but all should help answer the question at hand, and answer more about your training.

And here are some basic facts regarding protein and the amount you consume daily:
- in a fed person, it contributes to around 5% of you expended energy
- daily requirements for protein is about .8g/kg of body weight per day
- if you're a strength/power athlete, that increases to about 1.6-1.8g//kg of body weight per   day
- if you're an endurance athlete, it is a little less than a strength/power athlete at                   1.2-1.4g/kg of body weight per day

Key roles of protein include, supporting growth, maintenance of body tissues, maintaining fluid/electrolyte balance, repairing exercise-related muscle damage and providing energy and glucose.  All very important within the body and how we feel. So, do you need extra? Well, like I said, it depends.  In general, I usually sway towards the "no" side, but in many cases, you might need extra.  First, protein is a nutrient that can make you feel full, longer. So, in many cases, people who are looking to lose weight, might want a diet with a little more protein.  And to the same point, if you are in that negative energy balance category (i.e. losing weight), having some extra protein will keep it from being used as energy (which, of course, you don't want).

The tricky part comes when you train hard as an athlete, are in negative energy balance because of training and need to keep the weight down because you're in a weight controlled sport.  A protein shake might do you good after you train....but don't go drinking a 300-500 calorie protein shake ONTOP of the meal you're going to have.  If you're eating/drinking an extra 500+ calories a day over and above what you normally intake, you won't be in the negative calories for very long!!

Mental Training, Just as Important as the Physical Training

This past week I came across a couple of different emails discussing the importance of mental training, mental preparation and mental focus.  And, coincidentally, a couple boxers had fights over the weekend and both could have used some mental exercises to help them get ready and overcome their nervousness.  You see, much of the training for today's athletes revolves around the physical aspect of sports...and in many cases too much focus is put on this.  When you get to a certain level, you can make the case that every athlete is in shape and trains pretty hard for his or her sport.  If athlete A trains hard and athlete B trains hard, but athlete A has a positive outlook and is prepared mentally, whereas athlete B is not, who has the edge? 

When it comes to mental training, being positive is a great start.  Positive self-talk is one part that can help athletes achieve great things.  Telling yourself that anything is possible, that your opponent isn't better than you, that you've trained for this and there's no way that anybody can stop you are just a few of the ways an athlete might self-talk his/her way to victory.  But self-talk is just one aspect of mental training and mental toughness.  In reading one article, I came across some of the pillars of mental toughness.  They include:

     1. Preparation - this can include things like whether you are aware of the expectations placed on you? Do you have a positive attitude? are you working to    

         become the best player you can be? Are you a good teammate? And there's more

     2. Focus - the three key ways improve focus are avoiding distractions, logging a journal and balancing your time.  Doing these will go a long way in improving   

         your focus

     3. Arousal Control - you've heard when an athlete gets "in the zone" during a game or competition.  This the ht e optimal state of arousal.  The key is finding a 

        balance between low and high arousal.  Getting yourself pumped up, when arousal is low, by listening to upbeat music or increasing the heart hate by doing a 

        good dynamic warm-up.  And in some cases you need to know how to calm yourself down when arousal is high, by using imagery too generate positive,    

        relaxing thoughts, or by using deep breathing techniques.

     4. Confidence - it is no doubt that a confident athlete plays better and the great elite athletes are the ones that always seems very confident, even to a level of 

         cockiness.  Getting your confidence level up and maintaining it will include positive self-talk, constant healthy training and goal setting.

     5. Resilience - as this is the ability to handle stress, adversity and failure, you need some resilience to overcome them.  There will be times when you are not 

         feeling your best or you don't perform your best.  It is the athletes who are able to deal with this that will succeed.  Sometimes it takes a good bounce back 

         technique to help deal with this and move on from what just happened...whether it's a bad play, or a bad match.

Athletes need mental training and should treat it as important as physical training.  It can separate you from your opponent and separate the winner from the loser.