4fitbodies.com

Core Strength and Sports Performance

David Hansey
NASM Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
NASM Certified Sports Fitness Specialist
NASM Certified Personal Trainer

I see many people at the gym on a daily basis that consider their abs solely as a visual item if they consider training them at all. And while that may be nice, the muscles that make up your abs, your core, are a whole lot more important than just as a source of beauty. Your core consists of 29 muscles that surround your middle like a girdle. Its function is not cosmetic. Its primary function is to provide support and protection for your spine and to hold your body upright and to protect many of your internal organs.

In everyday life, a strong core protects you from those injuries where you can’t believe you just got injured. Like the pinching pain in your back when you got out of the car. Or that constant ache from helping your friend move a sofa. It also protects you from much more serious pain such as a herniated disc or a hernia. And as you age, it also helps you prevent slips and falls which are major causes of life changing injuries for seniors.

In sports, a strong core is critical regardless of your sport. It offers basic protection for sudden move changes such as in tennis and soccer. It also offers stability protection from sudden stops such as a football tackle. It also protects you from twisting and forced twisting movements such as hard tennis serves and golf drives.

But it is not just for protection that you should consider core training for your sport. The body is a finely tuned machine and the core functions in almost every movement. Athletic performance with a weak core is like an automobile with a powerful engine and plugged fuel injectors. You don’t get the most efficient amount of power delivered to perform accurately and quickly. Speed is decreased in many sports when the core is weak. Swimming and sprinting are two examples where there is a significant speed difference when core training is done as part of a regular training routine.

Play a game where throwing is important? Like basketball, baseball, football? Well, a strong core with make you throw farther and more accurately. Play tennis? Have trouble going corner to corner and making sudden changes? Guess what, you can run and run and run for training and never make as much difference on those missed balls as you can make by adding core strength training to your routine. Play golf? Want a longer, more accurate drive? Well training your core is scientifically proven to add dozens of yards to the average golfer’s drive.

The examples of how core training can help your sport are endless and there are dramatic scientific studies regardless of sport. If you are training for a sport and ignore your core, you are setting yourself up for injury. So whether you want to prevent injury or increase performance, core training is really a no-brainer to add to your routine.

Tags: Chapel Hill News, Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training, Sports Fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Back pain is one of the largest medical problems in the United States today and yet most people do not know how to treat it or prevent it. First, go to your doctor — he knows – that is why he spent all those years in medical school. So when he tells you to lose weight, work out, stretch, stop slouching, etc — he knows this works.

One of the things that always works is exercise. Exercising gives you more flexibility and more strength. And stronger muscles, especially in your core, support your spine and prevent pain — that simple.

Now, if you are not sure where to start, it is critical like with ALL PAIN, that you visit your doctor. I cannot stress that enough. And I stress it because I have people ask me on a daily basis in the Douglasville gym where I am a personal trainer about this pain and that pain. And well, only your doctor should be diagnosing pain. So really, go there first and then look at the exercise and training options that are good for your back.

And if you are still unsure how to perform the exercises, then a few personal training sessions are a good place to start!!

Tags: Back Care, Douglasville, Personal Training, Wellness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Believe me, I know times can be tough at times. Or for some of us, all the time. There is nothing unique about wanting to save money. There is also nothing elitist about having a personal trainer. Yes, while some people see celebrities with personal trainers and think that could never be them, the reality is much different.

A personal trainer can be a necessity for many people. They just would not work out AT ALL if there was not someone to be accountable to. And for other people (and don’t be too proud to admit this) what to do to get in shape is a mystery. And for people who work out “all the time” and still are not where they want to be, this goes for you too. I see lots of “gym rats” just wasting their time with workouts that are not effective and many times not even safe for them.

So that said, how do you make personal training part of your life? Well, the first thing is to commit to being to every session. Any no-shows or late cancellations are lost sessions. And that is just flushing money away. Show up — ON TIME — and work out hard. A personal trainer cannot do the work for you. And I see people every day at the Douglasville Gym where I work, who are late, no-show and who do last minute cancellations. And trust me, I UNDERSTAND being busy. But plan your personal training and your workouts INTO your life. Do not put yourself last and blow it off. That does nothing for your body and nothing for your wallet.

So, once you have accepted that you need to make working out a priority and commit to showing up, that is a HUGE step. Now, I always suggest clients do their cardio on their own. The BEST WAY I have found to date to get this done is to show up 30-45 minutes early for your session and get your cardio done. It buffers you from being late for your paid time and it gets your cardio done and out of the way without another trip to the gym.

Now, if you are good at organizing your time and putting yourself first, then you can also drop your number of weekly sessions with your trainer. This will not work if you are blowing off sessions with your trainer and skipping cardio and not showing up. I mean this for people who are COMMITTED. Then for sure, drop your sessions with your trainer down to once a week. Some people even do fine with once or twice a month for a workout tuneup — but remember you have to be REALLY honest with yourself about your ability to do this alone.

So I hope that helps you find some ways to both reduce your expenses and increase your success!!!

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Ok, being a personal trainer means I get to see more details into people’s lives than someone who rings up your groceries in the local Douglasville grocery store. But it also means that I am able to see things from a safe distance. So I tend to see what is holding people back before they do.

So if your weight loss or fitness has stalled out, here are a few of the things I see:

- Restaurant Meals — Eating out a LOT is a challenge for a diet. Even grilled veggies are brushed with butter in most restaurants to make them more attractive so if you want to continue to eat out regularly and frequently, you will need to make a serious adjustment to what you eat and the portion. Try things like grilled salmon and a tossed salad or soup and 1/2 sandwich. Or chicken and vegetables (tell them to add no additional oils or butter). There are things you CAN eat on every menu – but trust me — it will be some work!

- Blowing off training and cardio sessions. Yes, everyone is busy and everyone has too much to do. But blowing off cardio sessions is not healthy and canceling strength training is not either. Commit to a set amount of time — I personally like 5-7 hours a week — but pick something you can do — and REFUSE to let yourself cancel that!

- Liquid Calories — Calories in drinks are hidden to many people. They don’t get that there are TONS of calories — sometimes 1/2 day’s worth of calories in one sugary drink. So read labels!! And drink water and plain coffee and unsweetened herbal teas and dilute things like juice and sports drinks if you cannot eliminate them completely.

- Cheating on your workout — If you are committed to doing 30 minutes of cardio – that is 30 REAL minutes. Not a 5 minute warm up, 5 minutes talking to your friend, 3 minutes stopped while you answer your cell phone — could you really not have left that in your locker and given yourself time to spend JUST on you — see where I am going here — when you think 30 minutes cardio, make it truly that!! And if you tend to cheat on the elliptical, then get off it and onto the treadmill.

These are just a few of the things that I see stall personal training clients of mine at the Douglasville Gym where I work — I hope you will take them to heart if you are struggling with a plateau or a stall in your fitness and weight loss goals.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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I have a lot of great success stories from my clients. They inspire me EVERY DAY to keep going. From J who looks 10 years younger with his much smaller face from his weight loss to L who came to me unable to walk and now walks and does so well — I am so proud!!

And now a new one, Miss T who stuck to her diet this week and lost 7 pounds IN A WEEK. I know it was an eye-opening experience for her and when she told me I was so proud like a father watching his little child learn to walk. She learned this week what her body needs and how to care for it. And while that amazing amount of weight loss will slow — yes, it will – it starts her on a path to her new healthier version of herself and that — MADE MY WEEK. That change right there makes personal training so rewarding. Congrats to her and to all my personal training clients who try and work!!!!!

Dave

Tags: Chapel Hill News, Douglasville, Fitness, fitness classes, Motivation, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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