Looking for ways to get your kids away from that TV? How about teaching them something else that is entertaining and rewarding to boot. With today’s busy lifestyles, families don’t always eat as healthfully as we would like. Get the youth of our country involved with meal time. Have them make several fruit and vegetable snacks that they can eat throughout the day. Schedule a snack time and stick to it. Space snacks at least two to three hours before a meal. Kids can do more than just set the table. Involve them in meal planning and preparation. Children often will eat foods they help plan and prepare. The most important part, find a place to sit down together for at least one meal. The dinner table has become the couch in far too many households. How about taking a dinner vacation to the backyard? The local park? Or to the library? Who knows maybe they’ll even learn a bit about you and their surroundings outside of what they saw on the Discovery channel.
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Coach Taylor featured on LaxLessons.com
The phone rings and a conversation begins. The call is to see what we do for some of our more advanced jump/landing drills. As the conversations goes on, we find out that the caller would like to use the drills in an upcoming part of their new website. Sounds like a great opportunity right? Well check out the featured clip that Ryan Rabidou posted on LaxLessons.com that started the collaborative effort. More exercise tips will be posted from STT’s founder, Robert Taylor, on LaxLessons.com soon. So keep in touch! Check out the post and clip today by going to:
Use these links to keep in touch with STT and to see what others have to say about their SMARTER Team Training experience: STT on the Web, STT on YouTube, STT on Facebook, STT on Twitter, and STT on LinkedIn.
STT’s tip of the month for November 2010
What’s the number to that great pizza joint around the corner? If you read that question and know the answer or worse yet have the number on speed dial, ask yourself this one next… What is your blood pressure? Better yet, what is your HDL/LDL count? If you have no idea what yours is then set up a schedule to check it regularly. Ideally your blood pressure should be below 115 over 75, LDL cholesterol under 100, and resting heart rate under 70. If your numbers aren’t close to these, ditch that list on speed dial today.
STT on YouTube – Core Training Series
Ab and low back exercises should be part of your routine every time you workout. From warm up to strength training to flexibility, the region of the body often called the “core” needs to be trained properly. The muscles of the abdomen and low back need to be warmed up, stretched, trained, and allowed to recover just like every other muscle of the body. Find time to fit each aspect into your program and to address flexion, extension, and rotation of this area of the body. Do not forget that this area of the body also inhibits the body from completing these motions too. Incorporate exercises that promote stability like planks and anti-flexion/rotation exercises is important also.
For more clips, check out STT on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and leave a comment for each of the clips. More are coming soon, so check back with STT often for tips, exercises, and drills to help your athletes.
STT’s workout of the month for October 2010
I’m sure we have all see the guy at the gym stuck on the bench press and the multiple variations of pressing movements. Often times you notice that when he racks the weight or drops the dumbbells as loud and as hard as possible, that he quickly grabs his shoulder and makes a circular motion with his arm. I’m sure that in his head he is thinking it is just “part of getting big”. But for the rest of us that would like to think otherwise, try these exercises out. These types of exercises are a must for throwing sports such as baseball and softball, hitting sports such as tennis and volleyball, and a definite must for swimmers. Using 2-5 pounds of resistance lie on a bench on your stomach. Start with your arm hanging straight down, pull shoulder blade back, extend arm away from body to shoulder height as if you were trying to make a “T”. This exercise can be performed with palm down or thumb up for variation. You can also do this in an “I” and “V”, but don’t limit yourself to just these three letters.
STT on YouTube – One and a Quarter
Working in various rep ranges, time under tension, and cadences is always fun. Another way to add creativity to your workout is to make each rep”s range of motion just a little longer. Try using the same weight as “usual” but add 25% more length to each rep and try to get your “normal” reps completed. This is also a good way to focus on what many consider may be a sticking point. Try this protocol with an entire workout. It is great for shoulder, back, and lower body exercises too.
For more clips, check out STT on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and leave a comment for each of the clips. More are coming soon, so check back with STT often for tips, exercises, and drills to help your athletes.
STT’s tip #2 of the month for October 2010
Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Finding it hard to justify taking “me” time? Some of us find sitting down and relaxing stressful. But it is necessary to do. If you need to schedule these moments with yourself then do it. Find time to truly savor the good things in your life; things others have done for you, things you’ve done for others and all those small acts of kindness that make you smile. While you are allowing your mind to relax, write an expression of thanks to a friend or loved one. It helps prohibit us from taking things for granted and helps make “me” time more rewarding.
STT’s tip of the month for October 2010
Lately I have been getting more and more questions regarding strength training. The MINIMUM amount of strength training recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine is eight to twelve repetitions of eight to ten exercises, at a moderate intensity, two days a week. Keep your strength program simple. Remember your keys to success: overload, recovery, and progression. As a general rule, each muscle that you train should be rested one to two days before being exercised further in order for super compensation to occur.
STT on YouTube – 2 Leg Balance Training
You will often see athletes working on their strength, speed, flexibility, and conditioning. Taking time to enhance your balance and proprioception is also a great way to help an athlete be successful throughout a long season. Try incorporating balance exercises when you are mentally and physically fresh. For example, during your warm up try standing on one foot and touching your toes without the opposite foot hitting the ground. It is also a great challenge as a finisher/team challenge as well. Try standing on one foot with the hip of the opposite leg at a right angle and hold that position for 30-60 seconds. If that is too easy, try closing your eyes.
For more clips, check out STT on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and leave a comment for each of the clips. More are coming soon, so check back with STT often for tips, exercises, and drills to help your athletes.
STT’s workout of the month for September 2010
What happened to tumbling in gym class, teaching the forward roll, or even how to fall and get up quickly? Incorporate drills that teach athletes how to jump, land, fall, and get up efficiently and safely. This agility drill is also hard on the cardiovascular system. Make sure you are ready for this challenge. This one isn’t for the weak at heart. How tough are you? Begin this drill on your belly six yards from an eight foot high object. Try a soccer crossbar and the six yard box for example. Get up as quickly as possible, touch the cross bar, and get back on your belly with your entire body behind the six yard line. This counts as one rep. If you aspire to be a pro, your goal is 12 or more, college level is 10+, and high school athletes should be able to complete more than 8 good touches in less than one minute. Begin by completing 4 sets. To increase the fitness component, rest two minutes between sets. If you can get more than the goal reps each set, back up to eight yards.
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