Mid-November 2014 Issue

The Performance Training and

Conditioning E-Magazine of Athletes

and Fitness Enthusiasts

Track your training with

the Fitbit

Take the high altitude training

mask challenge

Training Zen: Be HERE

now during training

See the Training

Mask Here!

Elevation Training Mask is a patent pending "Resistance Training Device" that helps condi-tion the lungs by creating pulmonary re-sistance and strengthening the diaphragm.

Elevation Training Mask will help you regulate your breathing, increase lung stamina, oxygen efficiency and increase overall mental focus. Training Mask can help your over all performance in all sports and daily living.

in this mid-month issue:

Editorial: The Year Around Athlete

Training Tech: Track training and conditioning

sessions with the Fitbit

Book reviews: get your core right with Condition-

ing the Core; challenge your body with High In-

tensity 300; and get tougher with The Encyclope-

dia of Underground Strength.

Athlete Zen: Getting better at being “here” NOW

Athlete Fueling: Training Recovery Foods

Training Tips: Training with a ‘twist’; Front

Squat or Back Squat—Choose!

Workout of the Month: DB complex Series, non-

stop from exercise to exercise

Psychology and Motivation: Don’t wait for your

ship to come in Also:

Pur Motion Wish Bone press variations

for successful training applications

14” med ball snatch-slam-throw combo

for maximum explosiveness

It’s a process. Getting up in the morning,

grabbing that workout gear, putting one foot

in front of the other, and starting that

workout. Rep after rep, set after set, mile

after mile—-it takes a certain will power. A

will power fueled by desire and effort.

Training takes a dedication that is a commitment the entire year. There

really is no off season from training. Sure it changes throughout the

year, depending on your goals, event you’re training for, the weather,

what new training equipment you want to tryout, what new workout

you want to sample—training does change throughout the year.

But even though it changes, we still have become the “year around ath-

lete” training 12-months a year. We take time off for those short spac-

es of rest here and there, but throughout the year for the most part we

are grinding it out in the gym, on roadways, or wherever we find our

training bliss.

I like to look at year around training as a goal. When I looking back at

that calendar year in December of the previous fall, summer, spring

and winter it’s a cool way to count up the number of training days and

times I’ve had throughout the year. And then doing the math—taking

the 365 days that year and seeing how many of those days were spent

training. It feels like the best accomplishment.

So as we close in on the end of the year look back and count up those

training days. Quite an accomplishment being the year around athlete.

Daimond Dixon

Editor, Pro Power E-Mag

The Year around Athlete

From the Editor

The Mission

The Pro Power mission is to provide training

information to athletes and fitness enthusiasts

by sharing training and conditioning ideals

from various sources helping individuals to

reach their personal performance potential.

Publishing

Pro Power E-Magazine is published monthly

in an online viewing format along with an

accompanying online web site and blog.

Contact Information

Editor: Daimond Dixon

Web: ProPowerMag.com

Email: PerformanceSport21@gmail.com

Phone: (616) 633-1883

Tech that adds variety to sports performance and fitness training

Training Tech

Take your training sessions and life to the next level with the Fitbit.

This slim, stylish device can be worn all the time and gives you the mo-

tivation you need to become more active. It tracks steps, distance, and

calories burned and shows you how well you’re meeting your daily

goals. Even at night, it tracks your sleep cycle, helping you learn how

to sleep better, and even wakes you “quietly” in the morning. Your

stats can be accessed anytime on your computer, tablet or from

smartphones. The Fitbit is idea for your fitness tracking, and a perfect

gift for the holiday season!

The skinny on the Fitbit:

Tracks steps, distance, calories & active minutes

Monitors how long and well you sleep

Wakes you with a silent wake alarm

LED lights shows how your daily goals stack up

Slim, comfortable and easy to wear

Sold with both large and small wristbands included

Get your Fitbit here today!

“Our competitive cauldron is a player development tool. By making the player better, it makes the team better. We don’t use players’ rankings to determine starting positions or playing time. The rankings are for the players’ information. Those that are ambitious will want to climb and those that are content to be mediocre will also be content to remain in the middle to bottom of the rankings.”

Customize your own Categories. Filter by Categories and by Player position.

Create a cauldron from our templates for Soccer, Lacrosse, Basketball, Football, Volleyball or create your own person-alize cauldron.

Create and enter your players stats for each training sessions online or via the app.

Printout/Email individual players stats or the entire Team. Allow players to login online to view only their stats and progress.

What is the Competitive Caul-

dron? A MUST use application

for any coach. See it here

Book Reviews: High Intensity 300, Conditioning to the Core,

Encyclopedia of Underground Strength

From Amazon:

If you’re tired of the same old workouts and less-than-spectacular results, you’ll be excited to know you’ve found the remedy to your situation. In fact, you’ve found 300 of them! High-Intensity 300 is the ultimate workout guide. Featuring 300 of the most effective and chal-lenging workouts, it’s packed with programs that push you to your limit and maximize results.

Each workout includes detailed instruction, photos, and training tips as well as variations for types of equipment and difficulty level. Best of all, each workout is designed to be completed in 30 minutes. Chal-lenge yourself with a different workout each day, or take a more fo-cused approach and target goals, such as increasing muscle mass, shedding fat, or maximizing performance.

From Amazon: Conditioning to the Core

Serious athletes train for results—results that make

them winners on the field, pitch, course, or court. And

the key to getting those results, to improving perfor-

mance in any sport and at any level, is no secret. A

strong, well-conditioned core is the lynchpin to athletic

success.

From Amazon:

Some of the world’s toughest—and most successful—men have endorsed Zach Even-

Esh’s Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning as a must-have, go-to

resource for developing the supreme athletic durability, multi-functional strength and

spiritual fortitude they most prize…Men like JOE DE SENA, founder of The Spartan

Race, the warrior-athlete CDR MARK DIVINE, founder of SEALFIT, and revered

strength coach and powerlifting world champion MARTY GALLAGHER.

The inspirational life lessons shared in this book along with these training methods are

what make this book powerful and timeless. If there’s a hardcore, super-functional

tool or tactic for maximizing strength, speed or muscle, it’s here—bodyweight, kettle-

bells, barbells, tires, ropes, sandbags, kegs and sleds. The bodyweight section alone is

worth more than the price of the book—it’s a ‘must read’ for calisthenics fans.

No book combines the old-school methods of strength training and muscle-building

with the new science of performance enhancement and athletic conditioning better

than The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning. And no author

delivers his knowledge with more heart and passion than Zach Even-Esh.

The books above are available in both print and

tablet versions in our Pro Power Bookstore

Get the book here

Get the book here

Get the book here

Have you ever been in the middle of a tough lifting set of DB walk-

ing lunges, or a grinding run and began thinking about how you

couldn't wait until it was over. Then all of a sudden it snow balls

mentally into you looking forward to the workout being over, and

not really enjoying the training session itself and treating it like

work, just wanting to just escape it.

How about just staying in that set of DB walking lunges and focusing on every set and rep? How about just

locking in during that tough run and focusing on each step that you take, one foot in front of the other?

Be here now. Stay in each moment, not looking forward or backwards. When the moment concludes. Move

on the next one, and so on.

The trick is not to spend so much time looking forward to moments into the future

or looking backward into the past. Why spend the moment your currently “in”

wasting it trying to be somewhere else? You life is more effective when you stay

where you are, giving your all out effort and attention to what you are doing

RIGHT NOW. When that moment is over, move on to the next. Your results will

be much better, not just in your training and fitness endeavors, but in your entire

life! BE HERE NOW

Athlete Zen Be here now for better results

HOW THEY WORK FOR ATHLETES Swivel Vision allows athletes to utilize their optimal field of vision in order to achieve maximum focus and bet-ter hand-eye coordination. Swivel Vision will help athletes train to increase reaction times and develop superi-or mechanics. With repetitive use, Swivel Vision seeks to strengthen the core muscle memory of the eyes and the mind to help athletes become more successful.

Check out Swivel Vision’s Official Site HERE and see them in action HERE

Swivel Vision is the ultimate vision trainer for

athletes constructed from the finest American

made rubber, premium elastic and high quali-

ty foam, with a total overall weight under 4

ounces to provide ultimate comfort while train-

ing. A perfect training device for athlete!

Training Recovery Foods by Trevis Trevino (A.T.C., C.P.T., C.S.C.S., L.N.)

You have been told countless times that your body is your vehicle and food is its primary fuel. However, not all

fuel is created the same. Certain foods can set you moving and going for hours while others will stop you from

moving in 15 minutes. So, what should we be eating to truly charge the body through its days of running, cycling,

swimming, skiing, dancing, or any type of sustained workout?

It's true that different things work for different people and eating a variety of foods is key. However, there are

still scientific facts that focus on the properties of certain foods, and their reactions inside the body when it's "off

the couch" for long periods of time.

I have experimented with several of these foods using hundreds of very active people—from olympic runners to

professional sports athletes, all the way down to your basic gym rat—and though the portion sizes differed de-

pending on activity and duration, these three nutrient-dense foods are things all active people shouldn't go with-

out.

Coconut Products

Around 20 - 25 percent of an athlete's diet should include fat, but just like any therapeutic diet, nailing the amount is only half the battle. We must

also pay attention to the types of fats we're consuming, and coconut oil stands out among the others.

Coconut oil contains MCT's (medium chain fats) that get absorbed in the bloodstream more like a carbohydrate than a fat—making it excellent for

endurance, recovery, and stamina especially when consumed in small amounts throughout the day. It can be added to smoothies or used for cook-

ing. It can even be thrown into baked goods instead of butter. It can be purchased at almost any grocery store, and stored at room temperature.

Another coconut product great for recovery is coconut water. Coconut water is perfect for electrolyte and carbohydrate replacement and can be

consumed before, during, and after any activity. If you're going to sweat for more than an hour, take a drink! Or mix it with one part water and

drink throughout the day.

Omega-3 Fats

Redness, pain, heat and swelling are the four symptoms of chronic inflammation, the root cause of disease. Over-exercising can take its toll on not

just the muscles and joints, but the organs of the immune system, and when combined with stress, illness and poor eating habits, you're left with a

large recipe for inflammation.

Because the typical American diet contains pro-inflammatory foods high in omega-6 fats, the body needs the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats to

maintain a balance. Because the body doesn't make them on its own, these fats are considered essential, which means we must get them on our

plate.

Fish like wild-caught salmon, sardines, black cod and herring are great sources for omega-3 fats. Algae and fish-oil supplements are also encour-

aged, since they contain the longer chain EPA/DHA fats. Also try ALA chain fats such as walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds.

Whey Protein

Yes, runners; it's for you, too! Just because you're not weight lifting doesn't mean the muscles don't need to be fed. Sometimes we focus way too

much on the carbohydrates, and we forget what's responsible for not only maintenance and repair, but nearly every chemical reaction that takes

place in the body.

Whey protein is one of my favorite forms of complete bio-available protein—meaning it contains all of the essential and non-essential amino acids.

These amino acids are in charge of preventing muscle tissue breakdown. They keep blood glucose steady when combined with a slow-releasing

carbohydrate creating the perfect balance of stamina and energy.

The best way to consume whey is in the form of a shake. One

scoop should contain approximately 20 to 30 grams of protein.

Feel free to add a small amount of fruit—1/2 to 1 cups—or one

tablespoon of a healthy fat—ground flaxseed, raw nut butter or

coconut oil.

Trevis Trevino (A.T.C., C.P.T., C.S.C.S., L.N.) is a sports medicine consultant

who specializes in Sports Nutrition and has worked with Professional and

Olympic athletes across the country.

Front Squat/Back Squat—choose!

Training—-with a twist!

Athletes and fitness enthusiasts

alike move and train in more than

one dimension. Performing exer-

cises and training drills forward,

backwards, and up/down is one

thing; now do it with a twist.

Twisting (or rotating) while per-

forming certain movements en-

hances the actual movements add-

ing stability and balance training

to the mix. It also increases the

work load placed on the core, as

you kill two birds with one stone.

Try adding rotational movements

with DB’s or medicine balls next

to time you train

The squat is considered to be the “king” of all

strength training exercises according to many

performance trainers, coaches and fitness enthu-

siasts. There are two ways to hold that load on

your body—front or back..

Front squats require more athleticism since the

bar must be placed on the front part of the body,

and staying in balance becomes a challenge as

well as lifting the actual load.

Back squats require less athleticism as the load sits on the upper back where

less balance is required. Although both have their advantages, athletes in-

volved in performance sports should for sure include the front squats into

their training since it will add another dimension (balance and stability) to

their training efforts.

Workout of the Month:

DB Complex Training

Last month we said that Complexes are a fantastic way to combine exercises

together for a great training effect.

Another way to Complex is by putting together a few ex-

ercises using the DB’s and then going from exercise to ex-

ercise non-stop WITHOUT PUTTING DOWN THE

WEIGHTS UNTIL THE SET IT OVER. The burn

is fantastic, it cuts down training time, and elicits a

great cardio strength training effect.

In the video below check out the following exercises complexed to-

gether for a great effect using DB’s: Lunge + Curl n Press/RDL/Bent

Row/DB Bench Press

Excel Training sell’s excel tem-

plates—-the #1 design program

for personal trainers, strength

coaches, weight loss specialists, as well as functional

movement specialists. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Don’t Wait for your Ship to come in by Brad McLeod SealGrinderPT.com

Are you where you want to be in life?

If you are comfortable – you are in decline. In nature it is a fact that you are either growing or dying. There is no in between.

You must always be seeking to improve yourself – make your game better.

If your satisfied with where you are in life then you are settled, you are comfortable.

Comfortable is not good. Anyone that tells you that you need to be comfortable or that you should look for security.. you need to run from them.

Never ever ever get comfortable.

Some of you are waiting for a chance but you don’t want to get uncomfortable to go after it.

You scared and don’t want to have to get in the cold water to face the sharks even though you know that you could possibly find treasure.

Cathy Hopkins said ‘Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it.’

What the %&#$ are you waiting on? Don’t watch your ship sail off into the hori-zon.

Tear your shirt off and jump in that cold water.

Swim against those strong currents.

Paddle hard around those hungry sharks and out into the deep water.

Keep going and flag your ship down like it is the last ship that will ever pass your island.

This is YOUR life we are talking about… why do you want to wait and stay com-fortable.

Do something…anything..other than what your doing right now.

Make a stand and swim out and take control of your life – now.

Brad McLeod knows first hand about mental toughness after being kicked out of a top tier Spec Ops training unit. He failed out of BUD/S the first time after failing a math test (made it through Hell Week and Dive Pool Comp). He came back a year later and gradu-ated and served as an operator on the Navy SEAL Teams.

Today he is one of the most sought after mental conditioning coaches in the world today having recently returned from Ireland, South-ern California, Pennsylvania and parts unknown in north Florida. SEALgrinderPT audios and Ebooks have been downloaded in 20

different countries around the globe. Contact Brad brad@sealgrinderpt.com

Check out SEALgrinderPT Coaching to help you step up and take hold of your dreams and realize your goals.

Pur Motion Clean and Jerk tool for

Press Variations

Pur Motion created

a new training tool

that is a game

changer for athletes!

The Clean and Jerk

device allows users

the opportunity to

create an explosive exercise like the clean

and jerk, but without risk to injury while

moving along more natural body lines.

Although the tradition-

al lifts for power such

as power cleans,

snatches and hang

cleans can’t be under-

stated, the use of this

new device allows for a faster learning

curve in developing extreme explosive ath-

letic power.

See the three videos to the right on the dif-

ferent press variations that can be used

with the Clean and Jerk device, then click

the right link to visit Pur Motion and view

their entire line of top notch training prod-

ucts.

Wish Bone Push Press

Wish Bone Split Press

Wish Bone Squat + Press

Med Ball Combo move:

‘Snatch’-Slam-Wall Pass

Medicine balls have such a wide variety of applications

and your choices on using it for core training, power

training, and strength training is almost limitless.

One favorite is to use the medicine ball (14” big ball) in

a combo explosive and push combination. In the video

below you can see the big ball being used in an exercise

first as an explosive tool (snatch and slam) and second

as an “explosive-push” tool (push press) towards a wall.

It’s a great way to create explosiveness “Up, Down and Forward”.

If you like the drill and ball, check out our friends at Rogue Fitness below and

grab a ball today!

Cardio Strength Circuit with the

Training Mask for killer results

See the Training

Mask Here!

As an advocate of Cardio Strength Training

(combining elements of cardio training with

elements of strength training) I wanted to see

how well the Training Mask would do it’s job

of high altitude training when combined with

a kettle bell, dumbbells, jump rope and battle

ropes.

The results don’t disappoint! Check out the

video below of this killer Cardio strength ses-

sion!