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The Effect of Stress on your Training.

Stress and training go hand in hand. For some, training is a way to let go of their stress. For others, training and not hitting your weights for the current day increases your current stress levels. Which ever case you may be, you are ahead of the game by being in the gym and training! As life rolls on, you are guaranteed to have a bad day in the gym. To understand why days like this occur, you need to understand stress and the affect it can have on a workout. If you are like me and are still learning how different types of stress affect your training, it is a frustrating, yet exciting process.

Should softball pitchers have specific Strength & Conditioning programs to address the windmill pitch? Well, we all know that baseball pitchers are a very specialized position and should be trained in a very specific way. It's not uncommon for baseball pitchers to go to pitching coaches, physical therapists, chiropractors, message therapists, and strength coaches. There's 40+ years of research devoted to the mechanics of baseball pitching and there are lots of facilities devoted to just training baseball pitchers. Can you say high maintanence?? On the other hand, there are thousands of softball pitchers that aren't sharing in the love. Most competitive softball pitchers do have a pitching coach, but what about the other specialties? Let's look at why softball pitchers are getting injured so often and see how strength coaches can be a key element in their success.  

What are the benefits of a Bicep curl? Bicep Curls; The one exercise that has been loved and disliked by everyone thoughout their lifting careers. When you're young and just starting to lift, you do them mulitple times a week. From middle school PE classes to serious lifters in the gym, most people have included lots of traditional ab work and sets of 21's. (In case you didn't do 21's its a set of 7 reps at the bottom half of the range of motion, 7 at the top half, and 7 full reps). As you get older, you start to think that they are pointless and you get enough bicep activity when you train back. If you cringe when you see guys at the gym spending a large chunk or their time curling, then you know you fall into this category.

Then, you actually mature in your journey and realize no matter how much you dislike them, they will always be a part of your life. So you change your thinking and start seeing that a bicep curl is more then just a way to train your arms, it is a way to train rotary stabiity, train your rotator cuff, and after all, plays a bigger role in strength and conditioning then you once thought. 

When you have a group of 11-14 year-old kids together, there are a few different things that might happen. Number 1: pure chaos. Number 2: some disorder, but still getting some work done. And Number 3: competition madness. I can't lie and say #1 and #2 don't happen a lot, but I try to make #3 happen as often as possible.

Improving your bench press requires key bench press cues, and smart exercise programming. Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s nice to have a big bench. There are plenty of people who train in the gym to have a big bench, a big chest, and big arms, but never see any progress. They feel as if they are always at a “Plateau”. It is safe to say, if you fall into this category you are making these 5 fatal mistakes. But don’t worry, your not alone.

Choosing the right back exercise on a certain training is key to trainging your back properly. A big back is the difference between some pretty boy working out at the gym, training his chest and arms, and a man that has actually has spent time training hard in a gym, and is most likely stronger then you might think. This definitely doesn't sound like a typical 1RM Performace post, however, some of our readers have been asking for some tips for a bigger back, so here we go.

The Ultimate Protein Shake

Chocolate milk as a the ultimate protein shake on a budget? Every athlete I’ve ever worked with, every friend I’ve ever given nutritional advice to, and random people in the gym, have all asked me to recommend some type of recovery shake. Should I take this supplement or that supplement, eat carbohydrates, or avoid them, what should I do? All but one athlete, who happened to be a type one diabetic, has received the same response, and it’s definitely not what they expect. My recovery drink of choice is none other than…CHOCOLATE MILK!

Using a powerlifting belt is your best friend if you know how to use it properly. Notice how I said use a weightlifting belt, not wear. We all know the buckle should be in front (should it really?) and the belt should be relatively tight. However, the use of a belt seems to stop there for most people; when in reality it does so much more.