SAQ Sports Conditioning

What is SAQ, you ask?
Speed
Agility
Quickness

SAQ workouts consist of short, intense drills that require you to accelerate or decelerate quickly, while moving backward, forward or side-to-side.  SAQ improves balance, power and neuromuscular firing patterns so that your movements become fast, dynamic and precise.  You’ll notice improvements in your response time and your ability to change direction lightning fast.  These workouts are great for athletes!

There are many other sports are explosive—and explosive sports must be trained explosively.

SAQ training helps protect you from injury when you are trying new sports or adding new challenges to your routine.  If you teach your muscles to fire contrary to what they are used to, you will prepare your tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints for the unexpected.

What happens to your muscles?
The central nervous system (CNS) sends messages to a muscle’s individual motor units to team up and recruit more muscle fiber –and that’s a good thing.  The only thing to be cautious about is too much CNS activity, because when you go 90% or faster, it puts a tremendous amount of stress on your CNS and muscles, which makes you stronger, but which also can cause deep fatigue in your body.  So make sure that you recover between SAQ workouts—it takes about 72-96 hours to recover.

Getting ready for SAQ drills:
For the first three weeks do multi-directional movement patterns into your routine. These are fundamental skills that move you up, down, forward, backward, laterally, and diagonally—on flats, hills and stairs.

Weeks four and beyond add SAQ drills 2-3 times per week.  You will want to begin 6-8 weeks before your sport.

Time / Reps

• Beginner/Intermediate:  30 seconds for each drill, with 30 second active recovery of walking  (1-3 sets)
• Intermediate/Advanced: 30-60 seconds for each drill, with 30-60 second active recovery of walking or light jogging. (5-10 sets)

For more on SAQ training, please contact me! 

Best Body Weight Exercises

1.  Squats
2.  Push ups
3.  Bridges
4.  Lunges
5.  Planks
6.  Tricep dips
7.  Single leg deadlifts
8.  Spinal balance
9.  Bicycles
10.  Leg hovers
11.  Side lunges
12.  Burpees
13.  Lunge jumps
14.  Pull ups
15.  Jumping jacks (squat jacks)
16.  Mountain climbers
17.  Tuck jumps
18.  Butt kicks
19.  Frog jumps
20.  Plie' squats

*Looking for more information on training using some of these exercises, contact me*

Are you obsessed with eating healthy foods?

As I was researching today, I ran across this article posted on the Livestrong website.  I found it very interesting, and thought I would share with you. 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/481891-health-food-passion-or-dangerous-obsession/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=110809

Post your comment, and let me know what you think.

TRX Suspension Training

Looking to improve strength, endurance and core strength?  TRX Suspension Training is the way to go!!  I have taken the all day course and am now able to bring this training into your home.  To find out more about training like the pros, check out the following websites:

http://www.trxtraining.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MJUYCwy4-g

Great Recipe! Enjoy!

Chicken Tacos with Charred Tomatoes

Charring tomatoes in a hot, dry skillet makes them smoky and flavorful; in combination with fresh herbs and spices, they elevate this dish from "everyday" to "ta-da!" Serve the tacos with reduced-fat sour cream.

Servings: 2 servings

Prep: 35 mins

Total: 35 mins

 

Ingredients

2   plum tomatoes, cored

8 ounces  boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat

1/4 teaspoon  salt

1/8 teaspoon  freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons  canola oil, divided

1/2 cup  finely chopped white onion

1 clove  garlic, minced

1   small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 teaspoons  lime juice, plus lime wedges for garnish

2 teaspoons  chopped fresh cilantro

2   scallions, chopped

6   small corn tortillas, heated (see Tip)

 

Directions

1. Heat a medium skillet over high heat until very hot. Add tomatoes and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until charred on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise; squeeze to discard seeds. Remove cores and chop the remaining pulp and skin.

2. Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan and heat over high heat until very hot. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add lime juice, the chicken and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and scallions. Divide the chicken mixture among tortillas. Serve with lime wedges.

 

 

Tip:
Tip: Wrap tortillas in barely damp paper towels and microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds.

 

 

Nutrition Facts

Calories 297, Total Fat 9 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 63 mg, Sodium 415 mg, Carbohydrate 27 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 27 g, Potassium 463 mg. Daily Values: Vitamin A 20%, Vitamin C 30%. Exchanges: Starch 2,Lean Meat 3,Fat 1.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Nutrition for Recovery

Everything we do is about how well we recover!!

Our athletic gains from training come from recovery. The time that is easiest to overlook is after our workouts, until we are exhausted, injured, or too cranky to function. By the time we get to that point, we often overlook that our food may be the cause of our problems.

After we exercise, we have a perfect window of opportunity; referred to as the glycogen window, this span of time exists between the minute our workout ends until about 30-45 minutes later. Glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrate. It is predominantly located in our muscles and liver and is utilized during all aerobic activities.

Our body is primed and ready to receive nutrition in the glycogen window. There is no better time to fuel up because your ability to make glycogen is two to three times higher than it will be half an hour later. We eventually will recover our depleted glycogen stores without taking advantage of this window, however, those who choose out of immediate refueling may need to wait an extra 48-72 hours for their bodies to get back to pre-workout fuel stores.

Our body is most likely to utilize the nourishment received for tissue repair and adaptation, maintaining the strength of the immune system, and furiously preparing the entire body to be able to handle another workout. This means that your recovery meal is unlikely to be converted to body fat.

Your recovery meal must contain easily digested carbohydrate, protein, and some antioxidants.  A good measurement is, 0.3-0.6 grams of carbohydrate for each pound of body weight.  The optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio for this effect is 4:1 (four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein).


Here are some suggestions:
-smoothies (include dark berries and protein)
-bananas
-chocolate milk
-yogurt
-protein packed sandwich
-egg sandwich

Yummy Grill Recipe

Grilled Pizza with Pesto, Tomatoes & Feta

Dazzle your guests, and keep the kitchen cool, by baking pizza on the backyard grill. For convenience, this recipe uses prepared pizza dough, found in most supermarkets, and pesto from a jar.

Servings: 4 servings

Prep: 30 mins

Total: 30 mins

Ingredients

1 pound  prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat

1/2 cup  prepared pesto

4   ripe plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup  crumbled feta cheese

  Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 cup  lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn

 

 

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium-high.

2. Meanwhile, place dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-inch round crust, about 1/4 inch thick. Place crusts on a floured baking sheet. Carry crusts and toppings out to the grill.

3. Lay crusts on grill (they won't stay perfectly round). Cover grill and cook until crusts are lightly puffed and undersides are lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

4. Using tongs, flip crusts. Immediately spread pesto over crusts. Top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with feta and pepper. Cover grill and cook until the undersides are lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Sprinkle with basil and serve immediately.

 

ENJOY!!