About Me

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Huntersville, NC, United States
I have been a fitness enthusiast and athletic competitor my entire life. Studying and practicing ways to improve athletic performance has been a life-long passion for me. I have trained with kettlebells for over 3 years and have completed multiple CrossFit kettlebell certifications. In addition to kettlebells, I use olympic weights, sleds, sandbags, TRX suspension, medicine balls, plyo boxes, pull up bars, rings, dip stations and various other tools to optimize training effectiveness. I am well qualified to share my knowledge and experience to help other people achieve their fitness and athletic performance goals.

April 19, 2011

Mark Long Wins Another Pro Golf Tournament

Congratulations Mark!


In addition to consistently working hard on all aspects of his golf game, Mark understands how vitally important it is to be in the best physical condition possible.  Mark currently trains 5 - 6 days per week.  He uses circuit training to efficiently improve strength and endurance.  Mark does a variety of movements involving kettlebells, sandbags, plyo boxes, TRX suspension system and his own body weight.  Mark will tell you that his conditioning regimen allows him to practice longer and with better focus while doing so.  In Mark's recent tournament win he birdied 15, 17 & 18.  Mark's conditioning allowed him to maintain focus without having to deal with fatigue. 



April 12, 2011

Strength Training Summit - Columbus, OH

The following represent some of my key takeaway's from the summit...
For optimum sports performance you must improve both physiological AND psychological
Focus on Dynamic Correspondence.  How well does the training effect performance on the court, field, etc.
Many top basketball dunkers never perform squats.  Their focus in on movement efficiency.
2 types of Jumpers.  Quad Dominant (rely on power) & Hip Extender (elastic reactive).  Optimize the jumpers preference first, then improve overall jumping efficiency.
Focus on Dampening Efficiency.  Minimize ground contact time.  How well we land determines how well we take off.
Sport Functional Strength is a culmination of biomechanical efficiency & neuromuscular efficiency
Power Continuum (very few sports fall into one category):
·         Speed: ability to achieve a very high velocity of an unloaded or lightly loaded limb (tennis, golf, kicking, punching, throwing a ball)
·         Speed – Strength: ability to accelerate the body and achieve a high velocity in a horizontal fashion unencumbered by opponents (sprinting, speed skating)
·         Explosive Power: ability to generate power in a vertical direction (jumping)
·         Strength – Speed: ability to move a heavier implement or opponent (wrestling, football line play, shot put)
·         Strength: movement against maximum or near maximum resistance (power lifting, Olympic lifting)

When testing vertical jump, test max and static.  Ideally, there will be greater than 15% difference in the two.  Less than 15% difference shows that eccentric strength is inadequate.

Plyometric Objectives:
·         Increase concentric power production capability
·         Develop eccentric strength needed to tolerate extreme power absorption
·         Develop reactive strength needed to rapidly recoil subsequent action
Most athletes train only the “taking off” or concentric movement.  You must improve your ability to absorb shock.  Without this training the athlete won’t be able to change direction quickly, because they can’t stabilize the negative forces.
·         Perform Depth Jumps
·         Perform Altitude Drops
Don’t use agility like cardio.  Agility should be treated like weight training reps.  Include adequate rest so max effort is able to be exerted.  Do plyo work before agility work
In Season training is important.  Use high intensity, but low volume.
Quickness is determined by reactive ability.  This takes strength & stability.
Speed / Power training should be done at 90% effort.  Rest between sets should be > 3 minutes.  Don’t succumb to parents who expect you to kick their kid’s butts.  Often times parents think that making kids sore and on the verge of puking every workout is what they are paying for.  Fact is, they should be paying you to improve athletic performance. 
Don’t mix metabolic training with speed & power.  You want to stimulate the athlete, not annihilate the athlete.  Ideally, training should not induce soreness.

WHY USE KETTLEBELLS?

Check Out This Video From Dragon Door

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyN-zhmJPik

Improves Physical Performance

Whether you are a middle age weekend warrior, play football, basketball, soccer or practice mixed martial arts, adding kettlebell movements will improve your performance.

Promotes Total Body Flexibility

When performing the ballistic movements, you will improve range of motion, movement patterns and flexibility of the hips, back and shoulders.

Improves Functional Strength

All of the core kettlebell movements; swing, clean, snatch, press, deadlift, squat, renegade row and Turkish get-up are compound movements that require the body to work as a unit. The key to functional exercise is integration. It's about teaching all the muscles to work together rather than isolating them to work independently.

Improves Endurance

Kettlebells are frequently used in circuit training, high intensity interval training and for single sets that may exceed 10 minutes in duration.

Reduces Body Fat

It’s a proven fact that resistance training using explosive full body movements and high intensity is the most efficient fat burning protocol. In a recent issue of Health Magazine Jillian Michaels called kettlebells the "Ultimate Fat-Burner" She went on to say..."This workout is metabolic, so it burns a ton of calories." "It incorporates explosive movements. It's core based, so it will make you stronger. And it forces your body to use multiple muscle groups simultaneously, which burns more calories."

Rehabilitates and / or Prevents Injury

The acceleration/deceleration of kettlebell movements strengthens connective tissue (tendons, ligaments, cartilage) and increases shoulder mobility strength and flexibility. Many people have made huge improvements in their back strength and resiliency as a result of using kettlebells.

Convenient & Portable

All you need is a very small space about 4’ x 6’ and about 8’ high ceilings. I typically train in my garage, but when the weather is too hot or cold I can get a great workout in my bedroom. I take my kettlebells with me while on business trips and family vacations. I have trained in hotel rooms, local parks, on the beach and pretty much anywhere I can find a small patch of grass. I even keep a Kettlebell in my car so whenever I have the urge I can catch a spontaneous workout.

Time Efficient

You can get an amazing strength and cardio workout in 30 minutes. If you don’t believe me, let’s schedule 30 minutes together sometime soon.

Anyone Can Use Them

Most people think kettlebells are only for elite military forces, college and professional athletic teams and mixed martial arts fighters. Sure these people use kettlebells because their livelihood demands them to be in peak physical condition. I have taken Kettlebell classes in many major US cities and find that most of the class attendees are women. I will anticipate the next question from the ladies… no kettlebells won’t make you bulky. They will give you a very lean, tone and athletic look.

Check out this YouTube Video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-97pH9eBfw

Inexpensive

If you are interested in purchasing kettlebells, I recommend checking out Muscle Driver. Their Grey Version 2 kettlebells are high quality and the lowest price I have found anywhere. I have a link to their web site on the top of my blog.

Fun

Most people find Kettlebell training fun. You can use them for strength and power training. You can use them for long endurance or fast paced interval training. You can use one or two bells at a time. Some people throw them. Some people like to practice juggling them. Of course there are about 12 core exercises, but there are many more if you let your imagination take over.