NEWS, ARTICLES AND EVENTS:
NEWS
5/28/09: The Athletic Skills Development Camp by Matthew Creech -- The Afternoon Sports Skills Camp is reorganizing and changing its location. The name of the camp is now the Athletic Skills Development Camp and is seeking to expand its influence to more student athletes. Click on "Athletic Skills Camp" for more information.
5/9/09: Overtraining by Matthew Creech -- Training athletes, in many ways, is no different than training weight loss clients. Overtraining is one aspect that affects both. Symptoms of overtraining athletes is excessive tiredness, lack of strength, decreased performance, and many times, injury. Weight loss clients experience the same symptoms. In addition to this, overtraining weight loss clients can result in slowed weight loss or even weight gain. The reason for this is that the body shuts down and decides to hold on to calories rather than burn them, and the only way it can do this is to shut itself down, hence the lack of energy, tiredness, etc. The way to avoid this and to achieve maximum results is to train in mesocycles. Mesocycles differ from sport to sport both in duration and intensity. Mesocycling affects weights loss clients as well. Generally, a mesocycle is a five week period of training. The first two weeks build in intensity, and the third week is the hypertrophy and/or cardio max phase, the fourth week is a power phase with quick movements and lots of recovery, and the last week is the rest week (or for athletes, competition week). To continuously train the same intensity invites overtraining symptoms. Ask your trainer aboutt Mesocycling your routine and I guarantee the results will be well worth it.
4/30/09: SKILLS CAMP by Matthew Creech -- Due to bad weather we have cancelled the last three Skills Camp meetings. However, this Saturday looks more promising. We will be meeting at Ford Frick Park and will start our 4-week cycle. This cycle will focus on track and field. One more reminder for parents, especially homeschoolers: The Skills Camp is open to ALL children educated in the home as well public/private students. Also, the Skills camp seeks to present the gospel of Jesus to all children, as well as teach basic sports skills. The mission of the camp does not entail a separatist ideology which seeks to separate homeschooled children from the world. Rather, the mission of the Camp is to prepare future leaders to spread the gospel of Jesus. Trainingexcellence.org will not discriminate against any child's attendance. However, the Camp does have a code of conduct that all participants must adhere to. Failure to follow the rules and treat other participants with respect can result in expulsion from the camp, with no refunds given. Children with exemplary athletic ability AND Christian character will be awarded monthly.
4/30/09: Dietary WOES! by Matthew Creech -- There are myriads of diets out there, and some are dangerous. As a trainer I have found that many clients complain that they have tried diet "X" with no results. The fact is, some high protein diets can be dangerous, robbing the body of much needed nutrients that only carbohydrates can give. According to researcher Kathleen Doheny of WebMD who wrote an article entitled "Weight Loss Is Similar in Four Types of Diets" on Feb 25, 2009, there is no miracle diet; many diets that claim to be the ultimate weight loss phenomenons are no better than any others. Instead of following the latest fad, new research has developed that shows that each individual person needs a tailor made diet in order to accomplish the desired results. Now, WebMD has created a questionnaire that when completed can help weight loss clients plan their exercise and caloric routines. The website is: http://www.webmd.com/diet/diet-health-check/default.htm . After completing the questionnaire, click "Print Report" at the bottom. What you'll find is tremendously helpful.
Articles
4/30/09: Weight Loss, Women, and Health by Matthew Creech -- On a sunny afternoon a client comes in the gym with an anxious look on her face. Her persona of fear and anger transfer via invisible airwaves to my psyche, and I know what day it is. It's measurement day. Of all the rewards of being a trainer at a gym, this is a day that obscures all the positives. We have trained for months. Usually our sessions are fun and rewarding, but not on measurement day. On this day any positive outcomes are overruled by naive expectations.
What am I speaking of? Weight loss. Every trainer I know has experienced the frustration of telling a client something like: "Wow! You lost 4% body fat in less than two weeks! That's incredible!" Only to have the client look at you with a dejected, angry look, and say: "Yeah, but I haven't lost any weight." When I get such a response I am confused, frustrated, and annoyed. To lose body fat percentage is just as important as weight loss. Actually, it's more important. For example, a five-foot eight woman in her forties who weighs 135lbs. and is 20% body fat is light years healthier (and will probably live longer) than a woman of similar age and height, but weighs 112lbs with 33% body fat. Besides this, a heavier, leaner woman will appear to be the same size (and look better) than a lighter, fatty woman.
Yet for some reason, women especially get caught in the trap of believing that thinner is better. Culturally, it used to be trendy to be as thin as possible, bordering on halocaust-ish looking figures paraded on magazines and entertainment TV news mags. However, that trend is dissipating fast. More and more entertainers and models have chosen the more natural look. Curves are trumping bones. Most gentlemen will tell you that they are more attracted to a normally proportioned women who have normal feminine curves rather than the boyish, bony, stick figures touted in European magazines as the epitome of beauty. One woman told me that she was upset because she missed "being able to see her ribcage and hip bones" and another told me that she was upset because she used to be able " to see more collarbone." What in the world is wrong? A walking skeleton is not attractive to anyone except the Grim Reaper.
Instead, ladies, my suggestion is that unless you are incredibly overweight or obese don't worry so much about your weight. Rather concentrate on improving your health. Remember, the only way to lose more that 4lbs a week is to cheat or go on the "Biggest Loser" and train 8 hours and day, seven days a week. Can that be done without HARMING your health? Can it be done without bouncing back and regaining all the weight? Usually not. Often weight lost fast and easily comes back with a vengeance. Instead, focus on losing one pound a week if needed, and don't be worried if the weight doesn't come off as quick as you would like. Instead, try to get the body fat down to a healthy level for your age. You'll notice the lack of worry over the whole thing will make you feel better anyway. Then, the weight you lose will stay off and you'll have a more consistent, peaceful life.