About Crossfit Endurance

What is Crossfit Endurance?

CrossFit Endurance is an endurance sports training program dedicated to improving performance, fitness and endurance sports potential.  We inspire, coach and provide you and our community with the most aggressive and proven fundamentals of sports science, exercise physiology, nutrition and athletic training protocols.

We are the leaders in strength and conditioning for endurance athletes.  We have been guiding athletes, educating coaches and providing premier content to the endurance communities with tremendous success.  Our passion is endurance sports.  Our goal is to show a path that has not been illuminated.  Our training principles work.

We are not for everyone, only for those who want to have a home in which they can grow both mentally and physically as an athlete to realize their chosen potential.

The Innovation

Power and speed are critical components to success in the endurance world.  With careful planning, our strength and conditioning plan increases these two mainstays of performance while decreasing recovery time, reducing injury, promoting preservation of lean tissue and creating a more sustainable performance curve.

We focus on eliminating unnecessary volume of training while increasing intensity.  Our programming is structured, sport-specific and seamlessly integrated with Olympic lifts, powerlifting, gymnastics movements, explosive activity and mobility-based support. Everything we do focuses on midline stabilization and working from inside to out.

Our strength and conditioning approach for endurance athletes is unparalleled.  We incorporate the CrossFit fundamentals of being constantly varied.  Repetition is the enemy and results in a decreased ability to build fitness.

Make no doubt.  Our program is not easy.  But we believe the journey is part of making the results more rewarding.  Our design is to maximize you as an athlete and to elevate your fitness.

Our commitment to you is that we will coach, inspire, lead and educate with care, sincerity and a relentless motivation to finally get you where you want to go!

The Pledge

Be UnScared. If you are not getting the results you want or if you don’t perform, feel or look the way you want, allow us to provide the solution through our programming and community.  CrossFit Endurance has been created by experienced athletes and coaches.  We will provide only the best in proven methods.

Long slow duration results in athletes being less powerful, less lean and more prone to injury, low energy and abbreviated sports longevity.   We will make you faster.  We will make you leaner.  We will increase your power.

We will follow the CrossFit model while adding precise training protocols for endurance.  We will make you lift heavy.  We will make your lungs burn.  But we will make you happy!

Eat clean (lots of veggies, little fruit and starch, lean meats, essential fats, nuts, no grain, no dairy, no bread, no sugar, no GMO, no refined or processed foods), train like a freak and make every meter and every rep mean something.  We don’t have time to waste time; we do have time to accelerate ability.

We welcome you to explore our website, experience our programming, ask questions and attend one of our detailed seminars around the world.

We also encourage you to stop thinking and start doing.

We have revolutionized endurance training…

Brian MacKenzie (Founder) & Doug Katona

CrossFit Endurance/UnScared Inc.

World-Class Fitness in 100 Words:

I found this while doing research the other day and I believe it sums up my thoughts and feelings on my approach to fitness.

World-Class Fitness in 100 Words:

• Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.

• Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.

• Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense.

• Regularly learn and play new sports

 

Thanks to the “Crossfit Journal” for this info

Protein: What is it, how much do we need and how does it help with weight loss?

One of the biggest problems I find after doing an initial nutritional assessment on my clients is that a large majority of people do not have enough protein in their diets to satisfy the body’s nutritional requirements. Not only that it is very surprising as to how many of them don’t know what protein is or how important it is in achieving there required goals whether it be for weight loss, toning, general health or to improve strength, power or flexibility. In this article I will briefly explain the importance of Protein in your diet and explain how it can help you achieve your goals.

Protein is one of the 3 essential macronutrients that the body needs, the other two being carbohydrates and fats. Protein is needed to repair and maintain the body and is important in all cell function, development and repair.

Protein is one of the major components in all muscles, tissues and organs and makes up 75% of dry muscle weight and about 50% of our dry body weight. Protein is vital for almost every process that occurs within the body e.g metabolism, digestion and the transportation of nutrients and oxygen in the blood. It is also used for the production of antibodies, which help to build a strong immune system for fighting against infection and illness.

In its make up, Protein is made up of chains of amino acids of which there are 22 amino acids. Of these amino acids 14 are considered none essential and 8 are considered essential. A Protein can consist of anywhere between 50 to 10000+ of amino acids. Within the Protein the amino acids are linked together by peptide bond.

Its make up.

Essential:

Isoleucine (BCAA), Leucine (BCAA), Valine (BCAA), Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine and Trypotophan.

Non-Essential:

Alanine, Asparagine, Aspartic Acid, Cysteine, Glutamine, Glutamine Acid, Glycine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine and Arginine.

Proteins are broken down by gastric juices so as to release amino acids, which are then used to make new proteins. The amino acids aren’t just converted into proteins they can also be converted into hormones or used as an energy source.

To build new muscle a process called Protein synthesis must take place. If the body is not getting an adequate amount of protein this process cannot take place and you will not be able to build muscle.

So what is the right amount to take?

Protein is a very important part of our daily diet and it should be consumed, in some form, with every meal.

The amount of protein required by each individual is going be different and is going to depend on a number of factors.

Some of the things you need to take into consideration are:

-       The amount of times you train each week

-       Your training duration

-       Your training intensity and volume

-       The type of training you are doing (strength, endurance)

-       Are you male or female

-       Body weight

-       Your individual goals

-       Your metabolism

As we are all individual in our Protein requirements then to take a “one-size fits all” approach to Protein consumption would not work. Here is a basic guide I like to use.

For a none exercising individual:

Up to 70kg around 0.8g/kg of body weight (a little less for females)

Over 70kg around 1g/kg of body weight

For exercising individuals:

Your average exercising athlete should consume around 1.7g/kg of body weight (a little less for females)

Athletes/Bodybuilders should consume around 1.8g/kg (or higher) of body weight

Remember this is only a guide and everyone will be different so make sure you take into consideration the factors that make protein consumption different from person to person. It needs to be a case of trial and error so monitor your progress and pay attention to how you feel and how your body is responding to the demands placed on it. A good key indicator is muscle soreness and to be sore 72 hours (3 Days) after exercise could possibly mean you are not having enough.

The body cannot store Protein so it must be supplied on a daily basis from the foods we consume. Vegetarians place themselves at a high risk of Protein deficiency if they don’t consume animal products, as these are the main source for getting proteins in our diets. Some signs of protein deficiency include:

-       Wasting and shrinkage of muscle tissue

-       Oedema (build-up of fluids, particularly in the feet and ankles)

-       Anaemia (the blood’s inability to deliver sufficient oxygen to the cells, usually caused by dietary deficiencies such as lack of iron)

-       Slow growth in children.

Where do I get Protein?

The best sources of complete proteins are found in animal foods (sourced from anything that has eyes) such as meat, fish, shellfish, poultry and dairy produce. Eggs are the best source of protein as they contain the highest amount of essential amino acids. Fish is the next best source and followed by that would be meat. Other sources of Protein (from sources without eyes) are foods such as soya beans, oatmeal, rice, peas, lentils, kidney beans and whole meal bread.

How does Protein help with Weight Loss?

When more Protein is consumed in a meal it leaves the body feeling full and satisfied. It sends specific signals to the brain to stop you craving more food. The body feels full which in turn will help you to control your appetite. If you can control your appetite then you are going to be able to control your weight.

More Protein in your meals will also have a thermogenic effect on the body. What I mean by that is that Protein takes longer and requires more energy to be digested than carbohydrates and fats do. This means that you are burning more calories in the digestion process.

Another reason is that Protein is required to build and maintain muscle. This will help to keep our lean muscle mass up. If the lean muscle mass stays up then our metabolism will remain high also again helping us to burn more calories on a daily basis.

So in short if you have read this and find you have been having to little Protein in your diet then start consuming more today. It will seem hard at first but believe me in the long run you will be much healthier for it and your body will thank you for it to.

About C.H.E.K Training

The Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology Institute is an elite educational and corrective exercise centre based in Vista, California. It is recognised as the world leader in functional and rehabilitative exercise conditioning amongst exercise and health professionals. Clients, ranging from injured workers to professional athletes, see C.H.E.K practitioners for individual evaluations and corrective exercise programs.

What is a C.H.E.K. Practitioner?

C.H.E.K Practitioners look at the entire human being as a holistic entity. Through an understanding of how control systems integrate, producing our moment to moment and long term physical, emotional, mental and spiritual reality, the C.H.E.K Practitioner can more efficiently and effectively isolate the area(s) each client needs coaching.After a comprehensive assessment of structure, movement skills, nutrition and lifestyle factors, a customized program is developed.

The C.H.E.K system is multidisciplinary, therefore, we seek to prioritise your efforts according to your financial and time commitments; we seek to address the areas most likely to reap the greatest long term reward, even if they don’t include a C.H.E.K Practitioner initially! The C.H.E.K system is educationally based, yet each C.H.E.K Practitioner applies his/her specific skills to best suit your needs as an individual. C.H.E.K Practitioners are specialists in corrective exercise and high-performance conditioning.

Many therapists offer various forms of treatment regarding an injury or complaint but rarely get to the cause of the problem. C.H.E.K. Practitioners seek to address the cause, not the effect!

What makes the C.H.E.K. Practitioner’s approach so different compared to traditional medical practitioners or exercise professionals?

C.H.E.K. Practitioners are taught to recognize the signs and symptoms of disorders that may impede successful rehabilitation, and then to network with appropriate professionals to achieve the desired outcome.

C.H.E.K Practitioners are practical, efficient, highly committed to higher education and not afraid to think outside traditional circles. They are problem solvers of the highest calibre! Any Practitioner having completed Level III of the program will have demonstrated significant commitment in the form of completed prerequisites and both time and financial commitments to advancing their education. Most C.H.E.K practitioners are well recognized by their peers and other health care professional as one of the very best at what they do.

The Coaching Model for Successful Rehabilitation

The C.H.E.K. Practitioner is schooled in the use of a coaching model for successful rehabilitation. The traditional “treatment” model focuses on specific alleviation of pain and treatment by the practitioner to “fix the spot that hurts.”

C.H.E.K Practitioners empower the patient/client with the knowledge that the problem for which they are seeking resolution belongs to them and therefore they must take full responsibility for achieving the goals determined by both the client and the practitioner as the prerequisites to full recovery. Those patients/clients who complete programs developed by a C.H.E.K Practitioner are frequently more informed and capable in the exercise arena than many Personal Trainers are today!

If you would like to try training with a C.H.E.K Practioner you can contact me here.

About Raynor Massage

Raynor Massage is a system of bodywork developed by Australian trained Naturopath Brandon Raynor. It covers not just the muscles of the body but also the skeletal system and the subtle energy systems of the body.

Raynor massage is not performed as a routine massage, although we do have particular techniques, stretches & adjustments that we have developed. Instead, the goal of Raynor massage is to find any residual tightness or blockage in the body & get rid of it. Whatever technique we plan to use, we must always evaluate it against this goal. “Is this move that I am doing helping to get rid of the person tension or not?” is a question that should always be asked.

Residual tension means tension that is in the person’s body when the body is resting, for example on a massage table. In other words if a person has muscle tightness in an area when they aren’t using that area this is what we can residual tension and our goal is to get rid of this tension.

Another important concept of Raynor massage is that the source of some of the residual tension in the body can be from emotional or stress related reasons. We believe in the well accepted Eastern medical theories that the physical body is a gross manifestation of a subtle body composed of life force and emotions and other subtle energies. We refer to this life force as chi or prana. A blockage or disruption in the flow of chi or prana will cause an area of the physical body to become tight, blocked or forced out of position in the case of the bones.

We also believe that the body is one holistic organism and we don’t believe that dealing with one part in isolation is as effective as dealing with the whole person. So, in this way we recognize that one part of the body may be tight but that area is being held tight by another area which could then also be held tight by another area again. We also recognize that the subtle body of emotions and the gross physical body are related and so we see that some tension may not be released in the body unless the corresponding emotion is also released. In this way we work holistically not just with our massage techniques but also with our rhythms. We encourage our clients to breathe deeply into their bellies during the treatment and to allow any emotions out that need to come out and to not hold them back.

Raynor massage has some of its origins in Eastern forms of massage like shiatsu, Ayurvedic massage, eastern chiropractic work, Lomi Lomi and yoga breathe work. However, we have integrated and evolved these techniques to fit in with our simple philosophy of finding every bit of tension in the body and getting rid of it.

We have emphasized certain extremely important parts of the body that are often neglected by traditional massage therapists, such as the abdomen, the sacrum, the hips and the feet, hands and head. These areas tend to hold a lot of stagnation and blockage of the life force and freeing them up will generally have a great benefit not just to the areas concerned but to the whole being.

Raynor massage is generally recognized as one of the most powerful and effective forms of massage therapy today. It goes well beyond the realm of what most people consider to be the confines of a massage treatment.

Although Raynor massage uses knowledge gained from traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Reflexology and Hawaiian medicine amongst others we don’t let one particular philosophy dictate how we should treat. We learn their techniques but then we rely on our own senses to diagnose a situation and a client’s condition.

For some people, good massage may be very uncomfortable if they aren’t used to it. Then as their healing crisis finishes their body should feel a lot better, have more mobility and a general feeling of being more relaxed should ensue. The word “relax” actually means to bring back to a state of looseness. “Re” means to bring back to and “lax” means loose. So Raynor massage is actually a form of deep relaxation massage.

If you are interested in experiencing a Raynor Massage you can contact me for an appointment.

Iron Deficiency: The most common nutritional deficiency worldwide.

Are you feeling fatigued, lethargic, short of breath, experiencing dizziness, getting sick easily, sleepiness, having problems remembering things or concentrating, finding that your performance at work has decreased or are you finding that you’re aerobic activities seem more difficult than they use to be?

If you have answered yes to any of these then you may be one of the many people who suffer from iron deficiency. It is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide. Iron is needed in the body and is essential in red blood cell production, in the immune system to help fight disease, healthy mental function, muscle strength and energy production. By having the right balance and the level of iron stores in the body you would feel a lot healthy and energetic.

Iron is responsible for the transportation of oxygen throughout the body. Its two major functions are as part of hemoglobin and also as part of myoglobin. Hemoglobin is the pigment that carries oxygen from the lunges and distributes it throughout the body’s tissues. Myoglobin is a pigment helps with the process of oxygen storage and transportation in muscles. The body needs oxygen more than anything else to survive and you only need to hold your breath for a few minutes to see how important it is.

By understanding that iron is primarily needed for oxygen transportation then you should understand why you experience the symptoms associated with iron deficiency, as they all require oxygen transportation to help the body and mind function correctly.

Iron deficiency occurs when the use more iron than you are absorbing into the body on a daily basis. As a result of this over time your iron stores run low causing an iron deficiency and you start to experience some of the symptoms mentioned above. On a more serious note continual iron depletion over a long period of time will result in the development of a more serious condition called iron-deficiency anemia.

Iron deficiency anemia is caused by insufficient iron intake. The body needs iron to make hemoglobin so if there isn’t enough iron available in the body’s stores then hemoglobin production is reduced, which in turn affects the production of red blood cells. When there is a decreased amount of hemoglobin and red blood cells in the blood stream then this is known as anaemia.

So what causes Iron Deficiency? Iron deficiency is a result of the body not having the right amount of iron needed for healthy function in the body. There are three common reasons for not having enough iron in the body and they are either through blood loss, not getting enough iron in your diet or the body having poor absorption of iron.

If your losing blood then you are losing iron and one of the most common forms of blood loss is through heavy menstrual periods. This is one of the reasons iron deficiency is common in women along side pregnancy. Other forms of blood loss can be through donations, operations or gastrointestinal conditions or disease.

If you are losing iron due to poor nutrition then you are going to have to look at a lifestyle change. The body needs a diet rich in iron to prevent its stores running low. There are two forms of iron that influence the absorption of iron into the body. These are Heme Iron, which is found in animal sources, and Non-Heme Iron, which is found in vegetable sources. Heme Iron has better absorption into the body than Non-Heme Iron so therefore are going to be a better option when it comes to normalizing iron levels.

Heme Iron

Best Sources

• Clams
• Pork Liver
• Oysters
• Chicken Liver
• Mussels
• Beef Liver

Good Sources

• Beef
• Kangaroo
• Shrimp
• Sardines
• Turkey

Non-Heme Iron

Best Sources

• Enriched Breakfast Cereals
• Cooked Beans and Lentils
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Blackstrap Molasses

Good Sources

• Canned Beans
• Baked Potatoes (with skin)
• Enriched Pasta
• Canned Asparagus

Iron absorption can be enhanced or inhibited to, so if you are getting a good source of iron but having with foods that inhibit the process then your fighting a losing battle. On the other hand if by adding curtain foods to your meal then non-heme iron absorption can be improved.

Enhancers

• Meat, Fish and Poultry
• Fruits: Orange, Orange Juice, Cantaloupe, Strawberries and Grapefruit
• Vegetables: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Tomato, Tomato Juice, Potato, Green and Red Peppers
• White Wine

Inhibitors

• Red Wine, Coffee and Tea
• Vegetables: Spinach, Beet Greens, Rhubarb and sweet Potato
• Whole Grains and Bran
• Soy Products

If you have Iron Deficiency Anemia then taking an iron supplement along with your diet is recommended. Talk to your doctor first before taking any supplements. There are 3 main kinds of iron supplements: Ferrous Sulphate, Ferrous Gluconate and Ferrous Fumerate. When purchasing iron supplements, look for the element iron content, not the total iron content.  It is suggested that you take Vitamin C-rich foods (fruits and fruit juices) to enhance absorption.

As a general guideline, men and non-menstruating women should receive about 10 mg of iron daily, menstruating or nursing women 15 mg, and pregnant women 30 mg daily.

Many people take dietary supplements containing iron as well, so it is possible for men and for non-menstruating women (postmenopausal, surgically menopausal, or women who don’t menstruate due to health conditions) to consume excess iron. Iron is one of the nutrients that the body cannot easily dispose of when intake is excessive, so excess iron is instead stored in vital organs and blood cells. Elevated iron levels have been linked to cardiovascular disease, inflammatory conditions like arthritis, and cancer.

While there is no distinct set of symptoms that indicate iron overload, early symptoms of iron overload or hemochromatosis are fatigue, weakness, weight loss, joint pain and abdominal pain.

It is possible that you body may not be absorbing the iron due to untreated celiac disease. If you do have iron deficiency the best thing to do is to be tested for this disease by your doctor so you can rule out the condition.

Iron deficiency is a much larger problem than we realize and if you feel you or your children may be one of the many who does have iron deficiency then talk to your doctor about getting a blood test. Remember it is easy to mistake the signs and symptoms with being generally run down. Iron deficiency is easy to correct so take the steps today towards correcting the problem and preventing it from reoccurring.

Sporting Injuries: What to do in the Event of a Soft Tissue Injury

Sports injuries are very common and as much as we work hard to put systems in place to try and prevent them they are always going to happen. Whether it be during the big game, at training or out having fun with friends it surprises me how many people know very little about what they need to do in the event of injury and how to treat it. This article is designed to help in the event of an injury so that you can get on the path to recovery sooner and back enjoying your sport in the fastest time possible.

In the event of a sporting injury the first thing we need to do is to make sure we minimize or prevent any further injury or damage. So you need to stop the activity and look for the cause of the injury and determine what is wrong, so you can start immediate treatment.

Some of the most common injuries you find are what we call acute soft tissue injuries, which are injuries such as bruises, strains and tears. In cases such as these the first thing we need to do is to prevent, stop and reduce swelling. This is because when we damage the soft tissue it usually swells or can possibly even bleed internally. The sooner we can reduce swelling and stop the pain the greater the chance we have of not losing range of motion over the effected joints due to excessive swelling.

The most effective primary treatment for soft tissue injuries is R.I.C.E.R, which stands for rest, ice, compression, elevation and referral.

How to apply R.I.C.E.R

R= Rest

It is important that the injured area be kept as still as possible to reduce the chance of any further injury. Support the injured area with a sling or brace if necessary. This will help to slow down blood flow to the injured area and help prevent any further damage.

I= Ice

This is the most important part. By applying ice to the effected area you will help to greatly reduce bleeding, swelling and pain. Apply ice as soon as possible after the injury has occurred.

You need to apply ice to the injured area for 20 minutes, every two hours for the first 48-72 hours following the injury.

Some methods for applying ice are:

• Crushed or cubed ice in a wet towel or plastic bag
• Cold pack wrapped in a wet towel
• Frozen pea packet (or similar) in a wet towel

Note: Do not apply ice directly to the skin.

C= Compression

Compression helps to reduce both the bleeding and swelling around the injured area, and secondly, it provides added support to the injured area.  Use an elastic compression bandage to cover the injured part. You will need to bandage both above and below the injured area.

Note: You need to find a happy medium here as you want it tight enough to compress but not tight enough that there is numbness, tingling or the skin becoming pale or blue. If this does occur simply remove and reapply correctly.

E= Elevation

You will need to raise the injured area above the level of the heart. This will further help to reduce the bleeding, pain and swelling associated with the injury.

R= Referral

If the injury is severe enough you will need determine the extent of the injury. For this it is important that you consult a professional physiotherapist or a qualified sports doctor for an accurate diagnosis of the injury. With an accurate diagnosis, you can then start on working out what to do in the way of a rehabilitation program that is going to best help you reduce your injury time.

NO H.A.R.M

To ensure a successful recovery following the injury, ensure you have gone through the RICER steps and that you also apply the NO HARM factors.

How to apply NO HARM factors:

NO Heat

If you apply heat it will increase the bleeding, recover and healing time. So you need to avoid hot showers, baths, saunas, spas hot water bottles, heat creams or heat packs.

NO Alcohol

Alcohol increases bleeding and swelling which is also going to delay the healing process. Another danger is that it masks the pain which in turn can lead an increase in the severity of the injury.

NO Running

Running or exercise will increase blood flow. This again can make the injury more severe and delay the healing process.

NO Massage

Massage will increase swelling and bleeding. It can be very beneficial after the healing process, which is about 48-72 hours if its not to severe, but not before this time.

Speaking from experience I know that as a player nobody enjoys being on the sidelines as a result of an injury. If you follow these steps you will ensure a speedy recovery from any soft tissue injury. Using the RICER and NO HARM approach for injury management will mean you greatly reduce the risk of further injury and a faster return to your sport or activity.

Flexibility and Mobility Training

Flexibility and mobility are perhaps the most undervalued component of the body’s performance and conditioning. Athletes and everyone in general can gain much from using a good flexibility program. The flexibility of the body’s muscles and joints play an integral part in the body’s posture and biomechanics in many athletic and everyday movements.

Flexibility and mobility can been described as the range of motion about a joint and its surrounding muscles during any movement.

The Benefits of Flexibility Training

When you increase the joint range of motion, performance can be enhanced and the risk of injury greatly reduced. On the other hand over stretching can be detrimental to the body’s performance and can increase the chance of injury. We must find balance with our flexibility training.

The goal behind an effective flexibility program is to create balance and maintain biomechanical function. To do this you must stretch short tight muscles and create freedom through fascial lines. For the program to be effective you must also strengthen long weak muscles with an effective strength-training program so that the overstretched muscles become shorter and stronger and so you regain stability in the body.

A major factor in an effective flexibility program is finding the correct stretches for your goals. For example the reason for this is that static stretching just prior to an event may actually be detrimental to performance and offer no protection from injury. Before an event you would be better with dynamic or ballistic stretching to reduce muscle tightness and the risk of injury. For this reason many coaches now favour dynamic or ballistic stretches over static stretches as part of the warm up.

Competitive sport and repetitive everyday activities can have quite an unbalancing effect on the body. For example if one side of the body is placed under different levels of stress compared to the other, muscles can grow stronger and tighter on one side, creating imbalance. A flexibility-training program can help to correct these dysfunctions helping to prevent and correct chronic, over-use injuries.

Have a look at the types of stretches below to see what would be more suited to your goals:

Types of Stretching

1. Dynamic stretching

2. Ballistic stretching

3. Static stretching

4. Active Stretching

5. Passive Stretching

6. PNF stretching

Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretching is a form of stretching beneficial in sports utilizing momentum from form in an effort to propel the muscle into an extended range of motion not exceeding one’s static-passive stretching ability. Anything beyond this range of motion becomes ballistic stretching.

Ballistic Stretching

Ballistic stretching is a form of passive stretching or dynamic stretching in a bouncing motion. Ballistic stretches force the limb into an extended range of motion when the muscle has not relaxed enough to enter it. It involves fast, “jerky” movements where a double bounce is performed at the end range of movement. Ballistic stretching should only be used by elite athletes with supervision by their trainer.

Active Stretching

An active stretch is one where you assume a position and then hold it there with no assistance other than using the strength of your agonist(opposing) muscles. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there without any aid needed, apart from your leg muscles themselves, to keep the leg in that extended position. The tension of the agonists in an active stretch helps to relax the muscles being stretched. Active stretching is found in many forms of yoga.

Passive Stretching

Passive stretching is also referred to as relaxed stretching, and as static-passive stretching. A passive stretch is one where you assume a position and hold it with some other part of your body, or with the assistance of a partner or some other apparatus. For example, the splits is a form of a passive stretch (in this case the floor is the “apparatus” that you use to maintain your extended position).

Static Stretching

Static stretching is used to stretch muscles while the body is at rest. It is composed of various techniques that gradually lengthen a muscle to an elongated position (to the point of discomfort and pain should be no greater than a 3/10) and hold that position for 10-30 seconds (I prefer this to be done with breath). During this holding period or directly afterwards, participants may feel a mild discomfort or warm sensation in the muscles. Static stretching exercises involve specialized tension receptors in our muscles. When done properly, static stretching slightly lessens the sensitivity of tension receptors, which allows the muscle to relax and to be stretched to greater length. There is doubt over the effectiveness of static stretching, with some circles of sport strongly recommending against it.

PNF Stretching

PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching is often a combination of passive stretching and isometrics contractions. In the 1980s, components of PNF began to be used by sport therapists on healthy athletes. The most common PNF leg or arm positions encourage flexibility and coordination throughout the limb’s entire range of motion. PNF is used to supplement daily stretching and is employed to make quick gains in range of motion to help athletes improve performance. Good range of motion makes better biomechanics, reduces fatigue and helps prevent overuse injuries. PNF is practiced by physical therapists; massage therapists, personal trainers and others.

Breathing and synchronizing it with movement.

I have found that by using breath you can get far more effective results with your stretching. So instead of timing how long to hold a stretch for, you can get better results by synchronising your breath with movement. This can be done with any of the stretches listed above. Trying to synchronise your breathing with movement helps dramatically with controlling the nervous system and in turn helping your mental, emotional and physical states. Breathing correctly also directly influences your heart rate and blood pressure.

Four Key Areas

Aim to stretch the four key areas of tightness first. These areas are the glutes, hip flexors, QL and the lats. Most movement in sport comes from the hips and what I have found in my experience is that most of my clients have lost flexibility and have restricted movement around the hip and lower back area dramatically affecting there biomechanics. By loosening up the hip and lower back areas first you can take out tension and restore flexibility to other areas of the body without stretching them at all, greatly improving the body’s biomechanics.

Stretch the four key areas and once you have stretched these areas then work your way out targeting areas of tightness.

Traction

It has been shown that 50 percent of tightness is within the joint capsule and surrounding ligaments. With stretching you should be using traction to help achieve better results. Traction is when you create space between the joint before you go into the stretch. So before you move into a stretch try separating and pulling the surfaces of the joint apart and create as much space as possible in between.

Other Ways to Gain Flexibility and Mobility

Myofascial Release

Myofascial release is a form of soft tissue therapy intended for pain relief, increasing range of motion and balancing the body. I believe this to be one of the most important factors in regaining flexibility and mobility.

With myofascial release the fascia is manipulated, directly or indirectly, supposedly to allow the connective tissue fibers to reorganize themselves in a more flexible, functional fashion.

The fascia is a seamless web of connective tissue that covers and connects the muscles, organs, and skeletal structures, located between the skin and the underlying structure of muscle and bone. Muscle and fascia form the myofascia system.

The fascial system is totally one structure that is present from your head to foot without any interruption. Injuries, stress, inflammation, trauma, and poor posture can cause restriction to fascia. Since fascia is an interconnected web, the restriction or tightness to fascia at a place, can spread to other places in the body like a pull in a sweater. The goal of myofascial release is to release fascia restriction and restore its tissue health.

Here the term Myofascial Release refers to soft tissue manipulation techniques. It has been loosely used for different manual therapy, soft tissue manipulation work (connective tissue massage, soft tissue mobilization, Structural Integration, strain-counterstrain etc).

You can have this done by a professional for quick results or there are self-myofascial release techniques you can use also. Both will give you amazing results with your flexibility and mobility.

Strength Training to Gain Flexibility

One of the best ways to gain lasting flexibility and mobility is through strength training. The body is smart and will do what ever it has to avoid or reduce the stress of pain and injury on joints and to the system.

With flexibility and mobility, if the body senses that is going to damage a joint or cause injury then to protect itself it will lock up the muscles that cross the joint to stop excessive movement that may be detrimental to its function. An example of this would be that when you try to walk on an unstable surface like ice the body gets all tense and locks up because it has sensed instability and limits movement to reduce the chance of injury. As soon as you get onto a stable surface the body loosens up and range of movement is restored. It is the same as if the body senses weakness in muscles when it goes through movement or movement patterns. If a muscle is too weak to perform a movement and the body senses instability then it locks muscles up and reduces your mobility and flexibility for that movement. By strengthen the muscles up through that movement pattern it will in turn give you more flexibility, stability and mobility making it a longer lasting form of flexibility.

Take these tips and incorporate them into your training program and watch your results dramatically increase. Good luck and if you have any further you can contact me through the website.

Running: 9 Secret Tips

Whether your forefoot runner or a heel striker here are secret tips to help improve anyones run.

1.Build a solid foundation

Think about it when running you spend all of your time bouncing from one leg to the other. This means all your time is spent on one leg. For this reason attention should be paid to your strength and stability on one leg. It is a fundamental part of running.

2.Incorporate Strength Training

When running due to our speed or velocity our bodyweight increases by up to four to six times. Running also breaks down muscle. For these reasons special attention should be paid to resistance/ weight training. Weight training results in muscle and tendon regrowth making your joints and muscles stronger. A 30-45min session 2-3 times a week will help combat some of the negative effects running has on your body.

3.The Three B’s

The Big Toe, The Belly and The Butt. In running their needs to be a connection between all three B’s or your running efficiency will be seriously compromised. Make sure all three are not just strong but are functionally strong and that they are communicating well with each other. If only one or two of these are not working well then running efficiency will be compromised, muscle strength and flexibility will be lost and injury is likely to occur.

4.Move your Shoulders

When you talk about running most of us think our legs are the only things moving us forward. This could not be further from the truth. In running our upper body also helps to move us forward. Our arms move also but if we do not have sufficient movement in our shoulder girdle then our running form and technique are dramatically compromised greatly reducing our body’s natural production of force generation and movement required for running. I believe this to be one of the major key factors in improving your gait or running technique. Our shoulders move from the back to the front moving with the opposing leg. When one shoulder is forward one is back. This helps to generate movement. It will alter your biomechanics making it more efficient. Once the muscles are strong and get use to the movement you will not have to think about it the body will naturally do it.

5.Stretching and Trigger Point Release

The goal with stretching and trigger point release is to increase the mobility over a joint so as to keep the biomechanics of the body functioning correctly, enhance performance, to help improve recovery time and reduce the risk of injury. For these reasons stretching and trigger point release are just as important as exercise itself. A flexibility program should be included as part of your training program. You can find more information on this in my articles section.

6.Hip Extension

The best way to explain hip extension in running without getting to complicated is by making sure that on each step your focus on your knee travelling behind the line of your hip. If this isn’t happening then that means you are pulling your leg through to the next stride as opposed to the body naturally letting it come through. If you are pulling it through then that means your hip flexors are being over worked setting you up with poor posture, decreased running efficiency and future injury.

7.Training your Slings

The body has natural slings, which help us move and stabilize during functional activities. They are highly important in making us efficient during running. Through linking the connective tissue via muscle groups and fascia they are responsible for force generation and movement production. There are four slings that are used:

The posterior oblique sling, the posterior longitudinal sling, the anterior sling and the lateral sling. All of these require different movements so as to target the body from all different angles and all planes of movement.

8.Use Multiple Planes of Movement

Running is what we call a tri plane exercise. This means that at all times we are challenging the body through all three planes of motion. These planes are the sagittal plane, the frontal plane and the transverse plane. Exercises such as Barbell Squats and Leg Press on a machine only challenge the body in the sagittal plane, which means they will make your legs stronger but won’t help with your functional strength. Therefore when choosing exercises to help improve your strength you must look at exercises that challenge you through all three planes of movement.

9.Be Quiet

With running to often I can hear people running. There foot lands with such impact on the treadmill or ground that it makes a loud thud. If this is you then I can tell you that with each thud you make you are creating a lot of stress on the joints and skeletal system, muscles, ligaments and connective tissue and you are also losing the body’s natural ability of force generation. Instead of the body using that force for energy it sends the force all over the body in the form of shock and vibration. This puts a lot of stress and strain on ligaments and connective tissue and also creates joint compression reducing the flow of synovial fluid in the joint. This means that the joint loses its natural form of lubrication. Try and impact with as little noise as possible, it will seem hard at first but once the body gets use to it then it will be easy. You will become much more efficient and your joints will thank you for it.

Weight Loss Secrets: The Important Stuff They Leave Out (Chapter One)

This is a preview of the first chapter of my E-Book titled “Weight Loss Secrets: The Important Stuff Leave Out”

Chapter 1: Attitude

The Right Attitude

I’m sure you have heard the saying “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink” well it is the same here. This E- book is the water. You have to decide whether now is the right time for you to drink and if it is the right time, how much do you drink. No one can make you do anything you don’t want to do. The fact that you have purchased the E-book is a positive step towards having those weight loss goals you desire. It shows me that you have made a commitment towards living a happier, healthier life.

Remember results don’t come easy. You need to work hard for them and the rewards are going to far outweigh the hard work it takes to get there. Be dedicated, committed and prepared to tackle and overcome any challenge that comes up along the way. Believe in yourself and you will achieve your desired weight loss goals.

Remember, too, that lifestyle changes can take a long time to become healthy habits.  A sudden switch from bad eating habits into healthy eating habits could lead to failure. Approach this with patience by making your changes gradual. If they are gradual then they are more likely to be permanent and you will have a better chance of being successful.

Make Weight Management a Top Priority

People resist change, it is in our nature. If you want to succeed at reaching your goals and maintaining your weight loss over the long term, you must make a firm decision to commit to changes in how you think, eat and move.

Weight loss must be one of your top priorities if you are to be successful.  You need to be dedicated and committed to your decision to lose weight and to keep it off for good.  Make the decision to have a better quality of life not just for yourself but also for those around you and make it a top priority.

What Is The Best Way To Lose Weight?

If I speak from a scientific standpoint, then consuming fewer calories than you burn is how you do it. The two key factors in achieving and then maintaining weight loss are nutrition and exercise. However it’s not that simple. Food is a big part of our lives and because of this we all eat for different reasons. You may use food as a response to tiredness, boredom or for emotional reasons. You may eat unhealthily due to poor habits or alternatively you may have good eating habits but be eating the wrong foods for your body type and nutrient requirements.

Our reasons for wanting to lose weight also play a part in achieving our weight loss goals. You may have decided to lose weight to look good at your wedding or a special event, or be doing it to improve your health, appearance and overall fitness levels. Whatever the reason, we will all have different goals and time frames in which to go about achieving our weight loss goals.

We are all different. What works for some may not work for others? This means that the best way to lose weight for one person will not necessarily be the best way for someone else.  Here are some questions you will need to ask yourself before you can find an answer to the question. “Are you ready to lose weight?”

Are You Ready To Lose Weight?

Start by being honest with yourself. Answer the questions below to help you in finding a much clearer path to achieving your goals.  Commit to the outcome and you will get the results. So ask yourself:

Are You Ready To Deal With The Obstacles?

When you are working towards achieving something as difficult as losing weight, you can expect things to get tough and some obstacles to pop up along the way. You just need to overcome them and not let it affect your desired outcome.

Are You After A Quick Fix or a Lifestyle Change?

If you’re expecting to diet, lose the weight and then return to your old eating habits once the weights off then your doing it for the wrong reasons. It needs to be a lifestyle change, because what you are doing currently isn’t working. You are setting yourself up for failure if you are going on a diet rather than making it a lifestyle change.

Who Are You Doing It For?

Who are you really doing it for? Is it your boyfriend or girlfriend or is it because of your parents? Chances are you haven’t really thought of your real reasons but I ask you to. Have you been pressured into it? If you are doing it for any other reason than because you truly want it, then you are setting yourself up for failure. You must do this for yourself and not because someone else wants you too. How about doing it for health, or a better quality of life or for the ability to stay around long enough to see your children and grandchildren grow up? Our reasons for wanting to lose weight are what will drive us to stay focused and on track – so make sure they are good ones.

Are You Ready To Make Sacrifices?

The problem is that you are probably hesitant to give up some of the things in life you love or some of your guilty pleasures. Remember it’s those guilty pleasures that got you there in the first place. If you aren’t prepared to make some sacrifices, then you don’t have what it takes to succeed in your weight loss goal.

Will You Be Happy With Small Successes?

You have a start point and an end point and in between you have a lot of hard work to do. You need to be happy with little successes along the way. There are going to be days where you don’t see the difference in your health or weight loss. Make the decision to be optimistic and treasure your small weight losses and understand some successes will be more obvious than others. Small successes will snow ball into big ones so you need to be prepared to be patient and trust the process. Be happy with small achievements and not unhappy that it’s taking you so long to get there or that the desired outcome seems so far away.

Think through all the possibilities that might be preventing you from achieving your goal. If you are feeling a little uncomfortable with some of these questions maybe you need to work on these a little more before you go any further.

5 Steps To Getting What You Want?

Desire

The first thing you need is strong desire. The desire is the starting point, because without the passion to achieve your goal you wont. You must really have the desire to want to achieve your weight loss goal, or anything you truly desire in life. If you truly have the desire, you will do what ever it takes, for as long as it takes to get it.

Set Goals

Now you need to set goals. Without goals your desire alone will get you nowhere.  A goal gives you direction, focus, a reason and a purpose. Your goal is your direction where your desire will take you. If you can visualize what you want you will have it. The clearer the details, the more concrete the image, the more likely you will get exactly what you long for. Goals generate the necessary activity to bring you towards the realization of your dream. A good goal is a statement of what you want, in a positive, clear, concrete way and with emotion. A goal should be written down, to give it more energy, and should be written in the present time. You should write your goal down as if you have it already.

Believe

You must believe in yourself. You must truly believe you are worthy.  That you have all the resources inside, everything you need to reach your dream. Maybe you do not know exactly how you will get there but trust that by following your true path that things you need to get there will start to magically appear in your life.  Trust and believe in the fact that you will learn step-by-step how to do it and that you will be guided on your way by coincidences and synchronicity.

Positive Thinking

You have the dream, you have the strong desire and you have the clearest goal, but if you have a negative belief system, I guarantee you still won’t get there. If you are someone that has negative beliefs like fearing the worst, expecting bad things to happen or a propensity to blame others or make excuses then you are likely to have a negative mindset. Life is a reflection of our thoughts and beliefs. We become that of which we think about the most.. A positive mindset lifts you up to achieve positive things and will work towards giving you what you long for in life.

Persistance

If you want results and you want to be successful with your weight loss goals then you need to do what ever it takes for as long as it takes to get your desired outcome. That is persistence. It takes persistence to stay on your path. Persistency is about moving forward even when you get knocked down or you feel like giving up.  Success is the reward of being persistent. Success in achieving your weight loss goals because you did what ever it took for as long as it took to get there. You applied your healthy lifestyle changes persistently until they became habits.

Now you know the 5 steps to success, you can have and achieve anything you want in life by applying these principles. Remember it’s not the knowledge that gets you results; it is applied knowledge, that gets you results.

Apply this knowledge to achieving your weight loss goals and I can guarantee you will achieve success.