Sports Conditioning Training: 4 Essential Elements

Sports conditioning training is complex, and requires athletes to understand many important elements. This is why athletes' conditioning routines are often times a topic of debate. The debate is the result of thousands of different viewpoints from athletic professionals who have their own separate ideas about which conditioning methods are most beneficial for athletes.

In order to understand sports conditioning, you need to learn about four important elements.

The first question is, what energy system is necessary for your individual sport?

What kind of movement does your sport require? Non-linear or linear?

Does your sport require short explosive movements or repetitive single-speed movement?

Do you train year-round?

All four of these questions are essential for developing a proper conditioning training routine.

Uncovering Energy Systems

Every athlete must understand what energy system his or her sport requires. In every sporting event, there are two energy systems that the body uses. The first is the anaerobic system. For something to identify as anaerobic, it must be a movement that last for less than two minutes.

Anaerobic exercises are typically used to increase explosiveness, increase lean muscle mass, eliminate fat storage, and increase overall conditioning levels. This is because most anaerobic routines are of high-intensity. Some popular anaerobic exercises include weightlifting, sprints, or plyometrics.

In sports, some anaerobic movements include hitting a golf ball, swinging a bat, rebounding a basketball, or scoring a touchdown to name only a few. On the contrary, the aerobic energy system is completely different. Typically, a movement is considered aerobic when it lasts longer than two minutes, maintains a singular pace, and is used for a long duration of time. While many aerobic exercises can decrease fat storage, they can also decrease muscle mass. Aerobic exercises are designed to increase slow twitch muscle fibers.

Some aerobic exercises including swimming, cycling, or long distance running.

Sports that rely primarily on the aerobic system include swimming, cross-country, and triathlon athletes.

What is Linear and Non-linear Movement?

Every athlete must determine what type of movements their particular sport requires. By doing so, it will be easier to structure a conditioning training regime that is sport-specific.

Players must understand that linear is any movement that is in a direct line, and non-linear is any movement with immediate change of direction. In reality, the majority of sports utilize non-linear movements. This is why it's important to include conditioning exercises that involve non-linear movements.

Some linear methods are effective like sprints or hills sprints, but for the most part, athletes should focus on gaining quicker change of direction. Cross-country and sprinting are both sports that can rely more on linear techniques since both sports are completely linear by nature. However, it's still important that these athletes utilize non-linear techniques as well.

Does your sport require explosive movements?

This is a pretty easy question to answer because it's obvious whether or not your sport is explosive. Do any of the movements in your sport require you to accelerate into motion or change direct?

If the answer is yes, then your sport is explosive. In this case, your conditioning training should always be structured to increase explosiveness. Avoid running long distance, and pretty much avoid all forms of aerobic conditioning.

Athletes Must Train Year-Round

Athletes must train year-round in order to maintain and increase conditioning capacity. Athletes must not lose their gains during the season, and need to focus on increase their conditioning ability during the off-season.

Don't let all your hard-work from the off-season be lost during the season! Now that you understand some important sports conditioning requirements, you know that your routine is depends on the nature of your sport.

If you have a grasp on the concepts above, then it will be a piece of cake developing your own unique conditioning training routine that will push your game to next level.

For more sports conditioning training, I highly recommend you visit the Conditioning Training Freak: http://www.conditioningtrainingfreak.com/

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How To Construct Full Body Workouts In Addition To Your Sport Specific Training

Regardless of what sport you happen to play, performing some full body workouts along with your sport specific training is a great way to improve your skills and make sure that you stay injury free for the long haul.

Having good muscular development is important for improving speed, power, and agility, all of which are great to have for just about any sport.

Understanding how to go about putting together full body workouts will be important to success, so let's take a closer look into this so that you know just what you need to be doing.

Focus On Compound Movements

The very first thing that you should be making sure you're doing is placing most of the focus on compound movements. These are the exercises that are going to work more than one muscle group at once, thus generating superior strength and conditioning in the body.

Classic compound movements include squats, bench press, deadlifts, shoulder press, and lunges. Perform one major compound lift for each muscle group every workout.

You can add a few isolation exercises to these if you wish such as bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises, and so on, but keep them to a minimum. They won't produce as fast of results as the compound ones will, so shouldn't make up a large component of your workouts.

Lift In The Right Rep Range

Next, when it comes to performing your exercises, it's important that you are lifting in the right rep range. Aim for 6-8 reps for compound movements as this will allow you to generate as much power and strength as possible. Some athletes may choose to go into the 8-12 rep range with compound movements, but just keep in mind that this will then become a more endurance focused workout if you do this.

On any isolation exercises you do complete in the session, you should aim for around 10-15 reps per set. As you will naturally be lifting less weight with these movements, you don't need to be taking the rep range quite so low.

Use The Right Frequency

Finally, the last thing to remember is to make sure that you use the perfect workout frequency. This means hitting each muscle group at least twice per week with your full body workouts. Working at this frequency will ensure that you make clear strength gains and that you are going to keep yourself from overtraining.

Make sure that you have at least one day off between sessions, if not two.

So keep these quick tips in mind as you go about generating full body workouts to compliment your training program and help you maintain a higher overall level of fitness.

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Learn to Fly - How Flight Training Made Me A Better Person

When I was younger I used to think about getting my private pilot's license all the time, but something or other would always come up, and after a while I forgot about this dream and went on with my life. Every once in a while I would start thinking about it again, and even though deep down I had this burning desire to have the freedom to fly an airplane by myself, the process seemed really daunting. As such I would continue to put it off, and the years passed by.

Finally in my late thirties, I started seriously thinking about the direction of my life. It is easy to dismiss your dreams when you are younger, after all it seems like you have an infinite amount of time left to accomplish things, it becomes very easy to put your dreams off. But now it was becoming increasingly apparent to me that time was not a luxury that I would have forever. If I wanted to get my pilot's license, and still have some time to enjoy it, the time to do it was now.

I looked at some local flight schools, and after trying a few instructors I finally settled on one and began training pretty regularly. Flying didn't come easily to me, and I frequently thought about quitting. And frankly if I had done this when I was younger I almost certainly would have quit. I was having trouble controlling the plane and maintaining my altitude, pretty basic stuff. But I kept at it, and soon I moved on to flying the traffic pattern around the airport and trying to nail my landings. This is where I hit another road block, I flew the traffic pattern what seemed like an endless number of times, and I just wasn't getting it. Again thoughts of giving up started creeping into my thinking, and this time they were more serious. It didn't seem like I was getting anywhere, maybe I just wasn't cut out for this.

My instructor gave me a pep talk, and told me that about 80% of students quit before their first solo flight. He told me that I was very close, that I was improving, and that I would be able to fly solo very soon. One day it just click for me, and I would wonder why I had so much trouble landing the plane. I was of course doubtful, but I told myself I was going to keep doing it until I got it, no matter how long it took.

Then one day I arrived at the airport, I had a determined attitude, instead of the defeatist attitude I normally had, and I could just feel that this would be the day. Sure enough I nailed about 5 landings in a row, and my instructor got out of the plane and told me to go fly it myself. It was truly a day I will never forget.

I went on to finish up the rest of the requirements for getting a pilot's license, and I still regard it as one of the best things I have ever done. It taught me an extremely valuable lesson that I still carry with me, and has allowed me to achieve much more than I would have otherwise. Before getting my private pilot's license I would quit almost any endeavor once the going got tough, and just assume it was something I could not do. Getting my pilot's license taught me the true value of believing in yourself and sticking with something relentlessly until you get it right. We are truly capable of more than we know, if we just have the courage to see things through we can do almost anything. It is unfortunately that 80% of people quit before the solo flight, they will never know the joy and freedom that comes with flying an airplane wherever you want whenever you want.

John Schmon is a private pilot and FAA certified advanced ground instructor, he maintains a fascinating blog on aviation and travel.

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Learn To Fly - How To Save Money On Your Flight Training

The first thought anyone interested in flight training has is of course the obvious, "How much is this going to cost me?" It is unfortunately an extremely difficult question to answer, because there is one huge unknown question, "How long will it take you to learn everything you need to know to pass the practical test?" Without an answer to that question, there is no way to know, we can only give you an estimate based upon the minimum requirements and average time that it takes most students pass their practical test. We can also give you some great tips that will help you stretch your dollars as far as possible.

1. Take the Written Test As Soon As Possible. Ideally I would like to you take the written test even before you start flying, but since that isn't realistic, get it out of the way as soon as possible. I would even recommend that you delay some of your flights if possible. Why is this so important? First off the things you learn studying for the written test will save you time in the air. Learning in the air is expensive and difficult, learn as much as you can while you are on the ground. Also once you have the written test done you can just focus on flying, and not having the distraction of worrying about the written test will allow you to fly more efficiently.

2. Fly As Often As Possible. Once you have the written test out of the way, fly as often as you can. Your worst enemy once you get serious about flight training is large gaps between flights. When you are a new pilot it is very easy to get rusty, and you will find that you have to relearn things that you covered in earlier lessons. Constant repetition of movements will make flying second nature and allow you to progress quickly. Not getting that constant repetition will lead to stagnation and frustration. Two to three times a week is ideal, but worst case you should fly at least once a week.

3. Towered or Non-Towered Airport? This is another difficult question, as there are advantages to both. The big advantage of training at a towered airport is that you will get comfortable talking to ATC (Air Traffic Control). When I first started training I had a lot of anxiety about talking to ATC, but since I was forced to deal with it I learned to become very comfortable doing it. This helps a lot when you do your cross country flights, as you will likely be forced to talk to ATC even if you train at a non-towered airport. Also if you live in a medium to large size city odds are the most convenient airport for you train at will be towered. The downside of training at a towered airport is that it will often take longer for you to get off the ground, and you will have to fly out to uncontrolled airspace to practice your maneuvers, which will take even more time. At a non-towered airport you can typically take off very quickly, and since the airport is likely surrounded by uncontrolled airspace you can start practicing your maneuvers immediately. This will of course save you time and money. The ideal scenario would be to start your training at a towered airport, so that you get comfortable talking to ATC and dealing with a busier airport, and finish up at an non-towered airport so that you can quickly practice your maneuvers in preparation for the practical test. Ultimately I think it is best to just pick the airport that is most convenient for you, this will ensure that you fly as often as possible.

4. Don't Worry About How Long It Takes You To Solo. This was a huge mistake that I made, and it ultimately cost me a lot of time and money. You will read stories on the internet about people soloing in 10 hours or less, and start to compete with them. I got so hung up on minimizing my hours to solo that it really distracted from my training. I got so upset that I went over 20 hours before my solo that I actually switched instructors and the type of aircraft that I was training in, which added to my learning curve and further delayed my solo. I started to think that I wasn't cut out for flying and that I would never fly solo, and that negative attitude hurt me more and further delayed my big day of flying the plane by myself. My instructor would constantly say this, and I never believed him until it happened, but it's true, one day everything will just click. And one day it happened just like that, the day before I was practically hopeless on my landings, the next day I flew solo. Repetition forces your brain to absorb the right way to do things and get better, and one day you just do everything right. If I had just trusted that everything would click, kept a positive attitude, and stuck with it I could have saved myself 10-15 hours. Also remember if you train at a busy towered airport (which was the case with me), you will take longer to solo than someone who trains in rural non-towered airport.

5. Keep Training In The Same Type Of Airplane. This is another thing that cost me, I switched my training from a Diamond DA-20 to a Cessna 172. These are totally different aircraft, and the learning to fly a different plane cost me 5-10 hours. I would highly recommend training in a Cessna 172, simply because these are the most popular general aviation aircraft ever made, and you can find them anywhere. So after you get your license and you want to rent an airplane, you can be sure you can find a 172 and be right at home.

6. Take Lot Of Discovery Flights And Find The Right Instructor. Before you start seriously training, take as many discovery flights as possible to make sure you find an instructor who is compatible with your personality. If you are excited about flying it is very likely that you will start training right away with the first instructor you meet, but this is a big mistake. Discovery flights are usually heavily discounted, so it is a cheap way to build flight time. Also you will expose yourself you many different instructors, allowing you to make sure that you find one who is a good fit for your personality. Once you start with an instructor you really do not want to switch if you can help it. There is nothing worse than getting half way through your training and finding out you just can't stand your instructor. Be upfront when you do your discovery flights, tell them you are trying to find the right instructor and that you are serious about getting your license. Listen to your gut, if your gut tells you the instructor is just OK and might not be right for you, keep looking. There is too much money at stake for you to settle.

7. Have Your Financing Lined Up, And Plan To Go Over Budget. You do not want to run out of money before you finish, and you do not want to stress about where the money will come from either. Make sure you have your loan lined up, have adequate savings or some other means of financing your flight training. The average time is 65-70 hours, plan for 80-90 hours to be on the safe side. And be mentally prepared for it take 80-90 hours, consider anything less to be an upside bonus. You want to focus primarily on flying, and just tell yourself it will take as long as it takes. This attitude will save you money in the long run, any mental distraction or stress will only hurt you.

8. Hate To Say It, But Training Won't Always Be Fun, Be Prepared. Although flying is generally a lot of fun, there are many times when you will be frustrated and think about quitting while you are training. In fact about 80% of students quit before their solo flight. I was almost one of those people. Quitting is a huge mistake, you have to understand that flight training is price you pay for the incredible amount of fun that is awaiting you once you have your Private Pilot certificate. If you have make the commitment that you will stick with it and do whatever it takes to get done, you will get there and enjoy the many rewards of being a pilot. Keep flying regularly, stay positive, and be prepared for some frustration.

Learning to fly will be the most rewarding thing that you ever do, and once you have your Private Pilot certificate it can never be taken away from you. Flying will never be cheap, but if you follow these tips you can at least keep the expense as low as possible.

John Schmon is a private pilot and FAA certified advanced ground instructor, he maintains a fascinating blog on aviation and travel.

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Setting Up Your Summer Training Program: Lacrosse

Around the country athletes are now taking part in their Lacrosse seasons. In some cases, they have looked ahead and planned out their summer tournament schedule and figured out how many games they will be able to play before the winter months. Yet perhaps the most important aspect of off-season training is neglected or in most cases poorly organized and improperly executed. Here is a check list of things that a Lacrosse player or team should focus on beginning at the end of a spring season.

Speed of Movement Training

· Lacrosse is a sport unlike many others in terms of overall movement. Change of direction is high, as is top speed and of course acceleration. Moving laterally is similar to basketball, the distance covered is similar to soccer and the physicality looks like a blend of hockey and football. Yet how often has your coach or team worked on the different dimensions of training? If you aren't focusing on improving your physical assets on the field you and your team will eventually be outmatched by a team that does.

Energy Systems

· Don't think about how well you are in shape as just aerobic training. Your body is a series of different energy systems that all take part in providing you with the energy and power needed to generate movement. If you wish to be explosive you will tap into your creatine-phosphate system, if you need to sprint the length of the field we tap into you anaerobic energy system, and if you are continually running we further tap our aerobic system. Have you taken the time to organize all of this training to maximize your performance on the field? Have you fit the proper energy system training to how often it is used in a game? If all your team does is distance runs or 300 yards shuttles, you aren't training optimally and you aren't improving your game to the greatest extent.

Maximal Strength

· All of the other physical qualities that you can develop are all just the liquid that fills your physical "cup". The quality that increases how much fluid you can put in the cup is maximal strength. Now, I am not strictly talking single maximal effort reps, but rather working with weights of at least 85% of your 1 rep max. If you aren't training these strength qualities you are stunting the development of your power, explosiveness, change of direction and even endurance. Maximal strength is the floor for which every other physical trait builds upon. If you don't have it, you're not making as much progress as you think.

Conclusion

Playing and practicing your sports is important, but if you aren't taking the time to build your body up to better participate in these sports you are missing out on possibly the biggest game changes available to any athlete. Take the time to find a program or coach who can guide you through this process, and watch your game get taken to another level.

Bill Rom is the owner and operator of Superior Athletics. He specializes in Performance Training for athletes, as well as advanced training for general populations. You can read more performance articles from Bill, and learn about Superior Athletics, by visiting http://superiorathleticsnewyork.com/

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Rowing to Music - A Fun New and Effective Fitness Training

Physical training in indoor rowing machines have been popular in many rowing clubs. A new and motivating training form is to use training programs with rowing adapted music. In this article we will look at how to:

Select music suitable for rowing trainingGet free tools for audio editingAdapt music to your rowing training programsMotivate and inspire your rowing club friends

The goal is to give you an understanding of how to make your very own rowing training programs with music of your personal taste. It is a fun and rewarding experience.

Energetic music with a clear and constant rhythm is perfect for your rowing program

Browse through your music library to find your favorite music that sounds energetic and motivating. Make a folder for the music on your computer and place copies of the music in it. A selection of slow, medium pace and fast music is needed. Ideally you should have about 10-20 songs of each pace.

We will only use music in 4/4 rhythm. To sort the songs pace you need to count the beats per minute (BPM) in the music rhythm. Music with a BPM within the range of 80 to 128 is suitable. On the internet you can find free software that can auto detect the BPM of your music. But the best and most accurate way is to count the BPM manually.

When training in a rowing machine we talk of rowing pace = strokes per minute. Therefore we divide the musics BPM by 4 to find which rowing pace (strokes per minute - SPM) the music rhythm equals. Add the SPM as a note to songs titles.

You can use a standard stopwatch to measure the BPM and divide it by 4 to get the SPM. There is a special stopwatch model called DIGI DT-320 which in a special mode can read out SPM directly, so you only need to push start and stop. Start the stopwatch when you start counting beats 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 and then stop the watch when reaching the following beat 1. Next step is to edit the music.

Audacity is a free software tool for editing your music

Audacity can freely be downloaded from the Internet. There are versions for both PC, Mac and Linux. There is documentation for the software. Another nice source for learning Audacity is to look for tutorials on YouTube. Audacity offers many advanced features, but we only need a few simple functions for our purpose.

You only need to learn how to:

Import your music into AudacityCut away unneeded parts of the songFadeout the last 2-3 seconds of the used part of the songConnect the songs on the timelineExport the edited songs as a new single music track (the final rowing music program)

The learning curve for using Audacity this way is reasonable short when using YouTube tutorials. Next step is to decide how you will build up your rowing program.

How to build your rowing training program with SPM and time intervals

A classic rowing program would consist of 24 SPM for 3 minutes then 26 SPM for 3 minutes and then 28 SPM for 2 minutes. This program equals approx. a standard 2,000 meter. You can mix the training music programs according to your personal training style and preference. The key to success is to use music that is easy to follow in rhythm. By counting the beats 1-2-3-4 you should end your rowing stroke at beat 1 and begin a new stroke at beat 3.

It is very important that the participating training partners rows synchronously according to the music beats. After a little practice you will find it easy, fun and very rewarding to exercise with music this way. Paces below 24 SPM and over 28 SPM are bit more demanding to follow for less experienced rowers. Remember to praise your training partners for their efforts. Training to rowing adapted music is growing very popular, because it is a lot more fun to train hard to good music. Have fun!

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