Athletic HIIT Basketball drills and video

Here is the next video I promised.  If you are checking my blog for the first time, please scroll down and learn about this fun metabolic workout.  Big calorie burn in a short amount of time.  Today's video is on basketball drills.  You can use a non-weighted ball as shown in the video or for more fun, you can use a weighted ball or kettle bell.

 Basketball
1.  Shuffle side 4 times/Figure 8 with ball
2.   Figure 8 with ball doing flying lunges
3.  R/T Shuffles side to side on command
REPEAT 3 times

Thanks to Deb for helping me with this video.  We still have boxing, track and skating videos to come.

Athletic HIIT Volleyball drills and video

I promised that I would be posting more videos for you to see for our athletic high intensity interval training workout.  Below is the video for Volleyball.  If you have trouble viewing the video you can also find them on YouTube under (Sport name) Metcon, Lisa Mathews



Volleyball
1.  Lunge side for dig, come back and load for a block-go side to side
2.  Block down net 4 times each direction
3.  R/T Bounce on feet-Dig in direction pointed
REPEAT 3 times

Athletic HIIT Training Day

Bill Bowerman from Nike said, "If you have a body, you are an athlete."  That means that anyone can do this workout and you don't even need to have high school, college or  professional experience to do it.  All you need is a body and someone to push you.  I picked 6 sports but the possibilities are endless.  The outline for this high intensity interval workout is:

3 rounds per sport, 3 exercises per round, each exercise is 25 seconds long with a 5 second rest, repeat rounds 3 times.  Each round is 1.5 minutes long, 3 rounds makes each sport 4.5 minutes long. 30 seconds rest in between sports
RF = Rapid Fire (Perform Quickly)
R/T =  Reaction Training (You have to react to cues on demand)

Football  (See Video Below)
1.  Push 25-35 lb weight across floor
2.  Run High Knees in place
3.  R/T Quick feet-Hips turn over and back on cue
REPEAT 3 times

Boxing (Can be performed with bag if you have one)
1.  Jab/Cross
2.  Duck/Cross moving down floor
3.  RF Jabs in squat position
REPEAT 3 times

Volleyball
1.  Lunge side for dig, come back and load for a block-go side to side
2.  Block down net 4 times each direction
3.  R/T Bounce on feet-Dig in direction pointed
REPEAT 3 times

Basketball
1.  Shuffle side 4 times/Figure 8 with ball
2.   Figure 8 with ball doing flying lunges
3.  R/T Shuffles side to side on command
REPEAT 3 times

Track
1.  Carioca down and back
2.  Broad Jump forward
3.  R/T High knees or quick feet
REPEAT 3 times

Skating
1.  Skate 3 times then hold for a deep lunge
2.  RF skate down floor
3.  R/T Skate or freeze on command
REPEAT 3 times

 Thanks to Kat Morrill for demonstrating how to be an amazing athlete.  This is the video for the Football round.  More videos to come.

The Mummies can testify that you should take care of your body.

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I have mentioned before that I am an archaeology nerd.  For my birthday this year my mom bought me tickets to go see MUMMIES OF THE WORLD on exhibit at the Leonardo Museum in Salt Lake City, UT.  It was amazing.  Of course the Egyptian mummies were so cool but I was amazed at the Peruvian, Hungarian, and German mummies as well.

You  are probably asking yourself, what does my exercise blog have to do with mummies?  I'll tell you.  With  advanced technology such as CT scans, medical imaging and sterolithography we have today we can find out what kind of life style these people led and also what caused their death.  Many lived a very short and hard life.  Exercise was a matter of survival.  They had no choice as to "should I exercise or not today?" or "Where should I go out to eat?"  We do have choices and those choices have a great affect on our health and longevity.

I am so grateful that I have the ability and the opportunity to exercise.  I am grateful for modern science and medicine that enables me and others to live for longer lengths of time.  I am grateful that injuries haven't crippled me and doctors who know how to help fix and correct issues.  I glad to know how to rehab and correct problems.  I am also grateful for the opportunity to view these mummies and appreciate the life that I have and also the era I'm living in.

It is an amazing exhibit.  You should go.  You should also exercise.  I just had to get that in.

Michael Orlovits. His family was discovered with over 265 other mummies in a church crypt in Vac, Hungary.  Construction in 1994 led to the re-opening of the crypt, which had been sealed since 1838.  His son is next to him.  They all suffered from Tuberculosis. 

You can't compete with what you eat.

No matter how hard you exercise you can’t compensate for a poor diet.   You will constantly struggle with you weight but you will also endanger your total well-being.  Even if you are a very active person it is incredibly hard to make up for the garbage you may be putting into your body.  Even if your weight stays and you expend a great amount of calories, you can’t avoid the damage that may come from high sodium, artificial food, cholesterol, carcinogens and other things that people don’t even know the name of.  Poor diet can affect your mood, energy level or even your concentration. 

No one is going to convince me that exercise is bad.  It is proven to reduce the risks of several metabolic diseases and promote better health and longevity in those who consistently work out.  But exercise alone won’t do the trick if you are looking to lose weight.   “A health report by the World Health Organization listed  (in order) tobacco, high blood pressure, alcohol, cholesterol, overweight, low fruit and vegetable intake, and inadequate exercise as the biggest perils to the health of the world’s richest nations.”  Many of these risks are diet related. 

The obesity rate continues to climb.  Portion sizes are 4 times the size they were in the 1950’s.  Adults, on average, are 26 pounds larger now.  There are several things we can do to be successful at controlling our weight

• ·         Eat smaller portions (fist size)
• ·         Don’t feel like you have to finish or clean your plate
• ·         Fill up with water or vegetables
• ·         Split a meal with a friend
• ·         Take part of your meal home
• ·         Choose healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil
• ·         Track your daily calories
• ·         Pick nutrient dense-dense foods

The equation to effective weight loss is simple.  More calories out than calories put in.  Regulating your weight by exercise alone will be tough.  The average calorie burn for a Zumba class is 400-500 calories depending on how much you shake and move.  The average burn for a Birkram Yoga class for a 135 lb woman is 750-900 calories for 90 minutes.  Now reflect on a common meal.  A 6 inch Subway  turkey sandwich on whole wheat, small bag of chips, a medium Coke and one cookie will cost you about  980 calories.  You can see how your workout may not be enough.  You have to burn off 3500 calories to equal 1 pound.  You should only lose 1-2 pounds a week if you want to effectively keep it off.   The exercise classes listed above didn't even cover one meal’s worth of calories.

The key to happiness is a good balance of smart nutrition and exercise.  The key to wellness is good nutrition.  Your good nutrition will supply your body with the calories and energy it needs to workout.  It is a wonderful marriage.  Don’t cheat on either one.

Your Warm Up Is An Essential Part Of Your Workout

A warm up is the body’s physical and mental way of preparing for some type of physical  activity or athletic event.  Prior to every workout or exercise session, your body should be prepared for the cardiovascular and muscular challenges that it will be engaging in. 

THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS FOR WARMING UP

• ·         Core temperature-The body in general and more specifically muscles work better when they are warm.  It improves muscle elasticity which in turn prevents injury and strain.  Gradual increases in core temperature adequately allow your body to regulate its temperature by sweating.
• ·         Increased heart rate-Warm up prepares your heart for an increase in activity and prevents a rapid increase in blood pressure.
• ·         Rehearsal affect-Your warm up should include movements that mirror a lighter or less intense version of what you will be doing for your workout or athletic activity.  Many warm up exercises will cross over and can be used no matter what event you are participating in but some require specific movement patterns.  Boxers should implement movements in the transverse plane to mimic the rotational efforts that are produced with all the upper body movements.  Dancers should focus on slowly lengthening levers and increasing range of motion.  Volleyball players could incorporate altitude changes gradually preparing for drills that will take them from an explosive jump to dropping down for a dig. 
• ·         Prepare muscles-To effectively prepare a muscle to lengthen and to contract, the intramuscular temperature should be increased which will improve productivity of muscle contraction and avoid the chance of injury.  Particular movement patterns allow you more muscle control as they are prepared for certain movements.  A prepared muscle can contract more forcefully as well as relax more quickly.
• ·         Improve range of motion-Movement around a joint is gradually increased as well as lever length. The warm up gently prepares for greater range and increases on the stresses and force demands placed on the joints.
• ·         Use multi-directional movements-Our body moves in multiple planes and our warm up should include all of them.  Start with linear and then progress to the sagittal and transverse planes.
• ·         Mental preparation-A warm up allows you to practice how you will move.  It allows you to safely practice what is to come and give you the confidence needed to push your skills when the time comes.  It psychologically prepares you to work out at higher intensities because you have mastered the base movements.

KEY COMPONENTS OF A WARM UP

• ·         Length-This should be dependent on the type and length of the exercise session.   The general guidelines for fitness class are 5-15 minutes.  Specific sporting events will be longer depending on the activity.  Collegiate or professional athletes can warm up to 2 hours before they perform.  Fitness level should also be an indicator of the length of warm up.
• ·         Type-There is a lot of scientific data on dynamic or active stretching versus static stretching in the beginning of a work out.  Strong evidence is lacking in regards to the benefits of using static stretches in a warm up.  Stopping to hold a stretch will drop core temperature  and heart rate and may also cause trauma to muscles that aren’t ready to stretch.  Warm ups are individual and need to be geared to what you are doing and by what your muscles are requiring to get ready.
• ·         Appropriateness-Your warm up should not only reflect your type of activity but also the climate you will be performing in.  Cooler temperatures require a longer warm up whereas warmer conditions should be watched so as not to produce premature overheating.

BENEFITS

• ·         Less injuries
• ·         Leads to efficient caloric expenditure by increasing core temperature
• ·         Leads to more effective and forceful muscle contractions
• ·         Your metabolic rate will be temporarily improved because of the increased oxygen demands of the muscle movement.
• ·         Improved neural  pathway messaging from muscles practicing certain movements
• ·         Increased blood flow though tissues making muscles more pliable and able to contract
• ·         Improved coordination, muscle control and reaction times.
• 
  

To fully enjoy the benefits of all the exercise you are doing, you must include a warm up.  If done correctly it will enhance your activity, your longevity as an exerciser and quality of your overall health.

April is National Autism wareness Month

I come across some amazing people at the gym and this week is no different.   One of the people helping me make a fitness video was proudly wearing an autism shirt.  Her son has autism and she such a great advocate for him. His name is Jack.

Autism statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify around 1 in 88 American children as on the autism spectrum-a ten-fold increase in prevalence in 40 years.  Careful research shows that this increase is only partly explained by improved diagnosis and awareness.  Studies also show that autism is four to five times more common among boys than girls.  An estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States.

ASD affects over 2 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide.  Moreover, government autism statistics suggest that prevalence rates have increased 10 to 17 percent annually in recent years.  There is no established explanation for this continuing increase, although improved diagnosis and environmental influences are two reasons often considered.

Please go to the Autism Speaks website for more information.  http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/facts-about-autism  Currently Washington allows every state to decide if they offer autism coverage.  Sadly Utah does not.  Thanks Deb for this information.  Your son is lucky to have such a great mom.