Sports | Going for the Gold

Need Good Sportswear? Try the Clothing Brands You Already Wear

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When you’re interested in working out or playing a sport, what to wear probably matters to you. As a woman, you want to look good while you exercise, so you don’t want to just throw on any old thing and head out to the gym or for a run around your neighborhood. When you look for workout clothing, you might not even have thought to consider the brands of clothing that you normally buy. You may assume that they don’t make any others styles of clothing apart from what you normally buy, but that’s often not the case. A lot of clothing lines offer sportswear, because they realize how much women want them and how they feel the need to look their best while they’re getting in shape.

If you like Baby Phat, for example, you can get plenty of sportswear from that clothing line. It looks great, it’s affordable, and it’s comfortable to work out in. That’s a winning combination when it comes to clothing for women. You don’t have to look frumpy and baggy just because you’re exercising. That’s an old wives’ tale that’s been handed down for a long time. Baggy sweat suits that give you no shape aren’t the only things you can wear. You also don’t have to wear something so tiny that you wonder why it costs so much when there’s no fabric to it. There are plenty of choices for things in between those two extremes.

Working out isn’t the only time that women need to have great clothing. They’re probably looking for options when they play sports, too. Whether you play a sport by yourself or you play on a team, you may have some great options for the clothing that you wear. Working around what you’re required to wear for the sport still gives you choices that you’re comfortable with and can feel good in.

Filed Under: Equipment, Sports Tagged With: Clothing, Nike, Shopping, Sport, Sportswear

Tips for Endurance Training

Athletes often spend hours in the gym, but neglect to train their cardiovascular system. While building and maintaining lean muscle mass is an essential component of the athlete’s physique, endurance training will help you play longer, harder, and stronger. Here are five tips to achieving greater endurance through cardiovascular training.

1.Hydration
Keeping hydrated is essential for optimal performance. Proper hydration maintains your essential body fluids and assists in muscle repair. You should sip small amounts of water throughout your workout, and if you are engaging in regular sessions of intense training, trainers recommend drinking one gallon of water per day.

2.Fuel Up With Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates provide your muscles with enough energy to power through long workouts. Slow digesting carbs, such as oatmeal or whey, consumed 60 minutes before a workout will provide a consistent release of nutrients into the body, keeping you energized.

3.Engage in Sport Specific Activities
Your choice of cardiovascular exercise should be closely related to your sport. If you play soccer, then running is the best choice for you. Boxers will find jump rope training increases stamina and footwork. Baseball players should incorporate sprints into their workouts to emulate base running.

4.Mix HIIT and Low Intensity Training
High intensity interval training increases the heart’s capacity to pump blood through the body, and the higher the capacity the higher your endurance level. Low intensity training allows you to go longer and get stronger. For runners, HIIT involves alternating running a lap at a normal pace for one minute, then sprinting for thirty seconds. Low intensity training involves running at a slower than normal pace for longer periods of time.

5.Recover
Digesting carbs and proteins after a strenuous workout will assist in muscle recovery and decrease muscle soreness. Recovery days with little to no activity are also essential for any athletes training program. With proper recovery, your body will perform with increased endurance and intensity.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Endurance training, Muscle, Physical exercise

Improve Power and Speed

If you want to work your fast twitch muscles and improve muscle memory, incorporating explosive sets into your weight training regimen will improve your power and speed. The goal of this program is quicker response time achieved through lifting lighter weights at a faster pace. Incorporate these techniques twice a week for optimal results.

Medicine Ball Crunch and Twist
Lie on the floor with feet flat on the floor and knees bent. Hold a medicine ball in both hands and curl your torso upwards. Quickly rotate your torso right then left, pushing the medicine ball past the side of each knee. Lower your torso back to the floor. Repeat the sequence quickly for reps as required. If you are looking for a challenge, this exercise may also be done on an incline bench.

Vertical Jumps
Building the muscle memory of your legs is essential for all athletes. Vertical jumps will help build overall leg muscle, while increasing strength and speed. To complete this exercise, stand with feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and lower your body into to a ninety degree angle, as if you were going to sit in a chair. Using your legs for propulsion, launch your body upwards, extend your hips, feet, and knees and reach your arms up towards the sky. Drop back to a stranding position, and repeat for reps. to increase the difficulty level, add ankle weights or wear a weighted vest.

Step-Ups
Stand in front of a step-up box designed for weight training or plyometrics. If you don’t have a step-up box you may substitute an aerobic step. Place one foot on the step, extend the working leg and bring yourself to a standing position on top of the box. Step off by bringing your non-working foot back down to the ground. As soon as your non-working foot touches the ground, extend your working leg and repeat the rep. Complete reps for each leg.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Medicine ball, Muscle, Weight training

Get Back to Business

You trained hard all year, working out in the weight room, enduring cardio sessions, and eating clean. Then the summer came and your carefully crafted regimen was temporarily forgotten while you enjoyed hot dogs at the beach, late nights with Grande lattes, and buttered popcorn at the movies. Now, it’s time to get ready for your season but you’re not sure what to do, where to start, or how to get going.

Jumping back into a training program isn’t easy. But you did it once before, and you can do it again. Here are some tips on how to get back into training and prepare for another winning season.

Eat Clean
The first step towards regaining control of your fitness goals is to start eating clean. Take processed food out of your meals and try to eat as close to the natural source as possible. Instead of French fries eat a baked potato. Trade in fast food hamburgers for lean cuts of beef or chicken. And drink more water than soda.

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep
Late nights are fun for awhile, but when it’s time to start reshaping your body you are going to have to rest your body. To gain energy and build muscle, your body needs time to repair and recover. This happens during your sleep cycles, and if you are cutting sleep short then your body will not perform properly. Most people need six to eight hours of sleep a night. However, others need anywhere from eight to ten hours. Based on your own sleeping patterns, determine how much sleep you need and make sure you get it.

Get Back to the Gym
The only way to improve your fitness and endurance is to start your workout program. If you don’t have a regimen already in place, then ask a trainer or coach to help you develop a cardio and weight training routine. With a solid plan, you’ll achieve your fitness goals faster and efficiently.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Eating, Sleep disorder, Weight training

Undo the Damage

When a celebration, holiday, or vacation has derailed your training and fitness goals, the only thing to do is keep training. With a little planning and commitment, those caloric peaks and training dives will do minimum damage to your program and you physique.

1.Use Hit Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to burn up maximum calories and carbohydrates. Working out at maximum intensity for short bursts of time will cause your body to dip into its carbohydrate stores; using those extra carb calories before they are stored as fat.

2.Train your large muscle groups with compound exercises to burn more calories. Squats,flat bench presses, and lunges all use more than one muscle groups, which increases muscle mass and strength at a faster rate.

3.Circuit train to get your heart rate up, and keep it elevated to increase calorie burning. Moving quickly from station to station keeps your body in cardio mode longer than traditional reps and set training. However, circuit training with weights will give you’re the double benefits of increased endurance, and muscle mass.

4.Lift heavier, with smaller rest in between sets. Lifting heavier weights will burn more calories, and limiting your rest between sets will create a cardio effect, torching even more calories. The other benefit of lifting heavier is that your body will use more calories repairing your muscles, and you will burn calories while you sleep.

5.Increase your cardio. Lengthen your cardio time to increase calorie burning, and don’t forget to use HIIT for maximum results.

6.Remember, the best time to exercise is right before a big meal or soon after. A hard workout before or after a huge calorie meal will help your body use those excess calories to power your workout. This gives you the opportunity to stay on top of your workouts, while keeping calorie damage to a minimum.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: High-intensity interval training, Muscle, Physical exercise

Change Up Your Routine for Maximum Results

The key to an effective workout is to change things up to keep your muscles guessing. It’s difficult to give up a routine you are comfortable with. And it may be hard to recognize when your routine isn’t giving you the results that you’re used to. When you’ve noticed that your skills, strength, fitness and physique have hit a plateau, it’s time to revamp the workout. The important thing to remember is that small changes can lead to big results. So you don’t have to toss your whole training program out the window, just add a little something new.

Kettle ball training is a good alternative to traditional free weights, and can give you the same benefits of barbell or dumbbell training. Used extensively in Russian weight training programs, kettle balls are relatively new to United State athletes, but have gained popularity over recent years. With a kettle ball, it’s easy to incorporate a whole new routine or just a single exercise. Whatever you choose, kettle balls are good tools for every level of athlete, and will bring variety and results to your training program.
The following is a simple kettle ball routine that you can incorporate into your workouts.
Deadlift Squat, with a Kettle Ball

This exercise will work multiple muscle groups, and engage your glutes, abs, back, biceps, and triceps.

Choose an appropriate size kettle ball for your fitness level and place it slightly in front of you. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulders width apart. Squat down, keeping your back flat, and grab the kettle ball handle with two hands. Keep your arms extended, back flat, and straighten your legs. Push your hips forward, and bring the kettle ball up with you. Make sure to keep the kettle ball close to your body. Repeat for reps.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Muscle, Physical exercise, Russian language, Weight training

Coach to Win

When it’s time to put on a game, you might find your players are more interested in the excitement and the crowds than in concentrating on strategy and competition. But once the game gets started, your players will realize the importance of focus and concentration “and they will realize it fast. When it’s time to talk some sense to your players, or just plain motivate them into action here are some suggestions to keep their brain in the game and performing at their best.

Every Player Plays a Part

Remind your players that win or lose, it’s a team thing. Every team member has his/her own role to perform, from the manager to the players each individual must contribute 100%. And if any of those roles are neglected then the team will struggle.

Instill a Sense of Pride

Having pride in your team and believing they can be great are essential to creating a winning team. Encourage and acknowledge positive behavior. Give nods of recognition, pats on the back, and praise for a job well done. Let your players know when they have your approval and they will develop a sense of value and pride in themselves and the team. Remember, A team without pride is a team who has given up.

Prepare Your Players for the Unexpected

Keep your players prepared for unexpected circumstances. If there is an injury on the field, or a player had been ejected from the game the remaining team members have to step in to fill the holes. Because you have instilled a sense of team, this will not be a difficult prospect.

Go for the Kill

When there is a weak link on the opposing team your player should feel no compunction in exploiting the weakness. On the baseball diamond, if you know a hitter on the opposing team struggles with the fastball, then give your pitcher the go for fastball pitches. There’s nothing wrong with teaching competitive strategies.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Baseball, Game, Players, Sport

Run and Train Safely

Running is an amazing cardiovascular workout and is the preferred form of cardio for many top athletes. Running is an internal competition, and because it can be an isolated activity, it can also become a dangerous activity. If a component of your training involves running, then it’s important to train safely to avoid injuries and other catastrophes.

Cars are King

When you are on the road, automobiles are your number one concern. The unfortunate truth is that many drivers are distracted drivers. Cell phones, iPods, kids, breakfast in the car — these are just a few distractions drivers deal with. So when you step on the sidewalk or street side, don’t expect to have the right of way. Instead, expect drivers to be oblivious.

Monitor Your Training Behaviors

It’s easy to get lost in the rhythm of a good run, but when you lose yourself in the sight and sounds of your environment you lose your awareness. To keep you focused and safe avoid wearing headphone or ear buds. If you can’t hear the traffic, then you won’t know when a car is screeching out of control and heading right towards you. Run against traffic. This will enable you to see danger before it runs you down.

Dress to be Seen

If you are like most athletes then you complete the majority of your training in the early mornings or evenings. Although these times are the best for peak performance, they are not the best for visibility. To increase your visual presence and safety, wear bright clothing and reflective clothing. Yes, black is fashionable, but on the road a driver may not realize that dark shadow darting across the road is a person. Fortunately, there are several athletic clothing companies creating fashionable workout wear in oranges, yellows, and reds- to keep you highly visible and hopefully out of harm’s way.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Automobile, Headphones, IPod

Keep a Healthy, Competitive Attitude

Athletes naturally have a healthy dose of self esteem and revel in competition. Proving your skills and showing you are the best is a normal component of an athletic lifestyle. However, there are times when your mind-set can work against you. When you find yourself slipping into a self destructive attitude, use these tips to keep you focused and positive.

Get Rid of Negative Thoughts

Learning to recognize your own negative thinking is difficult, especially if you are immersed in it. To stop these negative thoughts, take a moment to write down all the negative comments you make about yourself. Analyze your list and memorize it. This list will be your red light list. Every time you hear or think a negative comment from the list, stop yourself and say something like I will not sabotage my own success. Keep your list up to date and add or subtract phrases as your work through them.

Ask for Help

Look to your team mates, coaches, friends, and family for mental and emotional support. Inner strength is fantastic, but the old adage “no man’s (or woman’s) an island- is true. A strong support network will not only keep you focused on positive behaviors, it will keep you motivated and encouraged. And if you find that someone in your network does more negative harm than good- then it’s time to move that individual out of your inner circle.

Change your Goals

A change in schedule, training routine, or season goals may be just what you need to create some positive energy. Because athletes are always striving to be better and faster, it makes sense to update your goals when you reach them. Changing your goals is a self motivating process, and creating a new personal training objective will keep you focused and hungry for that next big milestone.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Health, Optimism, Self-esteem

Cross Train for Success

Regular training is an essential component of every athlete’s program, making muscles stronger, increasing endurance, and cardiovascular strength. But like all things, too much of a good thing is bad for your mind and your body. The easy fix for overtaxed muscles and a mind bogged down by monotony is cross training.

Cross training involves the incorporation of alternative exercises into your training program. If you are a cross country runner, then bicycling might be a good alternative. Football players might find the ease of an elliptical machine benefits their endurance. And softball players may find stairclimbing provides them with a great lower body workout. Whatever activity you chose, make sure it’s fun and that it doesn’t repeat the same movements your already perform on the field, court, or road.

Bicycling

Cycling is an amazing low to no-impact exercise that works well for athletes who run or walk. Cycling can be done on a stationary bike in your home or gym. It can also be an outdoor activity for those of you who enjoy a change of scenery and the challenge of navigating through the elements. The beauty of cycling is that you can work your cardiovascular system with little stress or impact on your joints.

Elliptical Training

The elliptical machine is perfect for any athlete seeking the benefits of running in a low impact activity. Elliptical training simulates the movement of running, without the jarring impact of road running. Elliptical machines are also adaptable, allowing you to train with forward or reverse movements to work opposing muscle groups.

Stairclimbing

Stairclimbing is an amazing way to get your heart rate up, while keeping injury and impact to your joints low. Gym or home stairclimbers are an easy and efficient way to get in your workout, monitor your heart rate, and track calorie burn. And for those athletes on the road, you can climb stairs at the stadium or in the hotel stairway.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Cross-training, Elliptical trainer, Physical exercise