Power Fit – 2014

Here are the clips for the GPP – General Physical Preparation as well as the stretching and mobility circuits for the start of the year.

The other staple of many of the programs is the Matrix.

Have a great workout!

Cheers, G

No Comments on my Blog – Why??

Hi All,

I want to thank Nate Green for posting this idea on his site and I have used many of his ideas in this post.

I’m impulsive and I need to minimize the distractions that I have in my life.  A cell phone is enough on my plate and I leave it in my office when I am at work and check it only at lunch or when I am on my spare to allow me to focus and stay present.

Nate said it really well here and I quote, “If I know there’s something I need to check in on frequently — even something as potentially beneficial and community-building as comments — it will consume my brain and I’ll find it very difficult to focus on anything else.” (Nate Green)  I would also feel that I need to respond to every comment that is posted on my blog.

And since I have a full time job that I enjoy a great deal I want to use the blog as a space to talk about what I have learned about or found interesting lately and share it with people who are interested in reading about it.

By removing comments from my Blog it allows me more space to focus on what I love…learning, teaching, training, helping others, and coaching…

Cheers,

Coach G

PS – How well do you know yourself???

Artificial Sweeteners

Hi All,

I get asked a great deal is this a good protein powder and 9 times out of ten the product is sweetened with an artificial sweetener.  I would suggest that you do your best to go with a natural sweetener. There are so many more healthy options,  Maple Syrup, Honey and Stevia.  The nice thing about stevia is that it does not raise your blood sugar for those people with blood sugar concerns.

Dr. Mercola has written about this subject extensively over the years and here is a link to one of his recent articles.  Go natural if you can people. Mercola article

I personally use sugar over any of the artificial products on the market.

Cheers,

Coach G

Power Fit – The Evolution Continues

Grand RiverHi All,

Semester 2 is up and running for GRCI Power Fit and we have 7 sections this semester in only 4 periods.  We are only a week into the semester and the kids have learned 3 warm ups, self-myfascial release and 4 different days of lifts for the first month of their training which is general physical preparation.  This year, more than ever, several students have expressed a desire to create their own programs.  Historically,  less than 5% of the students attempt to do this as there are 5 pre-made 12 week templates that the students can choose from based on their training goals.  Making their own programs is something that I encourage as they will learn so much when they attempt to do this.  One of the requirements of being able to do this is that the students need to arrive on Monday with their program set up for the week.

I wonder if they have any idea of what is involved in making a good balanced training program…more than biceps and chest every day…I will wait and see.  One thing I do know is that the students that stick with it will gain a ton of knowledge in the planning process and I have noticed that the students that take the time to make their own programs often workout with more intensity that the students that have a pre-made program.

We did some of our initial assessments today in class and one of the tests is the standing long jump.  After one of the boys jumped he asked me if he would be marked on how far he could jump? I told him this is what I love about the course, and  that is the students get to work with themselves and set their own dreams for what they want to attain in the 5 months.

Regardless,  there are 175 students in Power Fit this semester and I am looking forward to seeing their progress.  Originally, I set the course up for the athletes to be able to train in and out of season.  Off the top of my head I would say that 90% of the success stories come from students that don’t like sports and want to be fit and feel better about themselves.  The increases in confidence in the kids is astounding and that affects all aspects of their lives.

I know that I am a bit biased on this and that’s ok as I believe that Power Fit is the most important course that kids can take in high school as it promotes total mind and body health and wellness.  As the students age and they have the tools to maintain good health and wellness that allow them to excel in all other aspects of their lives.  Life can be pretty challenging without your health.

Cheers,

Coach G

PS – Also a shout out to Nathan Millar who is doing a placement at another local high school right now.  He has borrowed many of the ideas that we use at GRCI and he has implemented them with a great deal of success and only a week ingot he semester he has received a great deal of positive feedback from the students.

Lateral Speed – Stay/Play in the tunnel – Lee Taft

Hi All,

Lee is a master teacher when it comes to multi-directional speed.  He has worked with 1000’s of kids as well as professional athletes.  His cues are straight forward and usable right away.  If you coach/play a sport where you need to move laterally take a look at this!

Cheers,

Coach G

Great message about the food you eat.

Hello  Everyone,

Here is a 5 minute video clip from Birke Baehr, an 11 year old who would rather be an organic farmer than an NFL Football Player.  He packs this clip with a ton a great information in a very short time.  It is amazing the talent that the young ones are bringing to the world.

I have not posted anything in quite a while.  This was a must for me to share.  I trust that you will enjoy it.

Cheers,

Coach G

Summer is here!!!

Hi All,

Track and field season is done and summer is here and I am ready to start sharing my findings in the health and fitness world with my readers.  Thanks for taking a look at what I have to share and please pass it along to anyone who you think might benefit from it.

In the last few months I also developed 5 different programs for the students in my classes so that they would have a variety of options to choose from in their training. This took a great deal of time and effort and I learned a great deal in the process.

The top program of choice, amongst the students, was a modified version of Joe DeFranco’s Built Like a Badass.  (Thanks Joe for letting me share this with the students.) The 2nd most popular was a Spring training program that I designed for athletes getting ready for their summer sports.

There have been many times in the last few months where I have been asked do you have a program for this sport or do you have a program for that sport and I would like to take this entry to address some of the things that I consider when I am asked that question.

  1. What is the age/fitness level of the person wanting the program?
  2. What has that person been doing recently in their training?
  3. Is the person coming off of an injury?
  4. Is there a previous injury that might limit what the person can do in their program?
  5. What facilities can they access for their training?
  6. Do they currently have any limiting factors in their flexibility/mobility/stability in their body?
  7. How many days a week do they want to train and how much time per workout.So, what might appear to be a simple question about training, actually leads me to many more questions that I ask myself.  Designing programs is an art and I would encourage you to know the source of your program if you are looking for a new one.  Take the time to look into it for your Self.  You are worth it.

Happy training!

Coach G

youbars.com – This is AMAZING!!

Hello  Everyone!!

I just came across this company (Thanks – Kenen Shadd) that puts whatever you want in your shakes, trail mix, protein bars, and cereal. They also use a lot of organic ingredients too!!

The BEST part is that they personalize the label on EVERYTHING!!  I am so psyched to order some.

Check out the video clip!

Cheers!!

Coach G

Spotting

Hi All,

This is a great DETAILED article about Spotting the bench press from Elite FTS.  This is a place where I see the most errors in spotting.  Good communication between the lifter and the spotter(s) is essential!

We chatted about this in class on Friday as some students are planning to branch out and design their own programs for the first week of March.

If you want to design your own program you need to plan the entire week and have it ready for the first class of the week.  You also need to show it to your teacher.  Otherwise, you will be following one of the set programs that will be offered to you.

Cheers,

Coach G