Warm Up Outline (10-20min)

Monday, September 6, 2010

On Labor Day 2010, the state of America’s workers is appalling.

Millions have lost their jobs. Millions have had their lives put on hold or thrown into reverse.

Granted, it’s a global recession. The state of the world’s workers — at least in the advanced democracies — should be equivalently appalling. But it’s not. The Great Recession has taken a far greater toll on our nation’s workers than on workers in similar countries, even those whose economies have dipped more steeply than ours.

Consider: As of this year, U.S. gross domestic product is about 1 percent beneath its 2008 peak, compared to a drop of roughly 2 percent in France and Germany and 5 percent in Britain and Japan. But U.S. unemployment has increased roughly 5 percentage points since 2007, compared to just 1 point in France and Japan and 2 in Britain. In Germany, unemployment has actually dropped a point since the recession began.

No wonder Christina Romer confessed bewilderment at the scope of American job losses in her valedictory speech as head of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers last week. American employers have responded to recession with far more layoffs than their counterparts in comparable or even worse situations in other nations.

Read more……

If you are training where there is a good Vibe your performance will improve!

by James Marshall

[MAM]I was training 3 athletes in the gym a couple of weeks ago, they were doing one of my usual warm ups, no music, no shouting, no distractions. The three were focussed and busy. Another coach walked in, and said “I wish I was training now, rather than earlier, there is a good Vibe.” The three athletes were all teenage boys, and were good examples of how young people can train.

What is a Vibe? Is it something we can create, or something we can enhance?

If you are training where there is a good Vibe, then you will probably find that time passes quickly, and you get better results and satisfaction from your training activity.

When on holiday recently I was going for a morning run on a footpath from the campsite, through some woods along a coastal path. The path was uneven, with tree roots, steps and other obstacles. I had to pay attention to every step that I was taking. The air was clear and fresh, the sun was sparkling on the sea, and I didn’t know what was around the corner. I was fully engaged in the run and was not thinking of anything else.

Compare that to walking into a commercial gym, stepping onto a treadmill and plugging in headphones and watching breakfast television, whilst trying not to listen to dance music or adverts in the gym itself. The gym is telling you that the run is something to be endured, and that watching tv is a more beneficial activity.

Which run is more likely to create a “Vibe”?

Here are some tips on creating a Vibe in your training sessions:

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Two new studies have added more reason for concern that high-fructose corn syrup causes significantly more harm to the body than its mere sugar content would suggest.

High-fructose corn syrup contains 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. In contrast, table sugar (also known as sucrose) contains a 50-50 split.

In the first study, published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, researchers from Princeton University found that rats consuming high fructose corn syrup gained more weight and developed more cardiovascular risk factors than rats consuming equivalent amounts of sucrose.

“Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn’t true, ” researcher Bart Hoebel said.

Read more…….

INCREASES LUNG CAPACITY
Improve the strength and durability of the muscles involved in breathing. An increased lung capacity will greatly enhance physical capabilities and efficiency of breathing. This will allow greater gas exchange, absorption and elimination to take place.
RESULTS ARE SIMILAR TO TRAINING AT ALTITUDE. As oxygen saturation is lowered during certain components of the training, chemoreceptor sites detect the lower amounts within blood and tissues. The kidneys in particular detect the lowered oxygen levels, increasing the production of erythropoietin and haemoglobin. More haemoglobin means more available oxygen vital to the enhancement of performance and recovery.

INCREASES THE STRENGTH AND FUNCTION OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Inefficient respiratory systems can attribute to ailments becoming noticeable at an early age. These may include: – Respiratory Disorders and disease; Migraine headaches; Colds and flu; Bronchitis; Digestive disorders; Heart disorders; High blood pressure; Fainting; Immune deficiencies etc. A majority of the time the symptoms of these ailments are treated by the use of drugs and with no focus placed on correct nutrition. Often this creates an even more toxic environment for the body to combat and then operate within. By addressing the cause of the problem (usually resulting from a form of stress) rather than the effect, we begin by allowing the body to return to the very basic and natural way in which it was designed to operate i.e. a constant state of health. Breathing effectively is the starting point, addressing the body from a cellular perspective.
Cells create tissues – tissues create organs – organs create the systems by which the body operates. Each cell needs a rich source of oxygen so that you can operate at your potential.

INCREASES ANAEROBIC THRESHOLDS
Athletic performance is largely governed by anaerobic threshold i.e. the ability to operate when the activity rate utilised more oxygen than the body can provide to the working muscles. This inefficiency does not allow enough Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP) production, the ‘energy currency’ of living systems. ATP is crucial to the life of all cells and has the essential function of providing energy for cellular activities. An insufficient uptake of oxygen also slows the removal of excess carbon dioxide, lactic acid is created and glycogen stores are depleted. As the trainees’ body adapts to the Breath Enhancement Training, their buffering effect against raised levels of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) within the blood plasma is enhanced, they become better able to deal with higher levels of CO2, lactic acid and their anaerobic threshold may be extended.

INCREASES TOLERANCE TO ELEVATED LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND LACTIC ACID
Increasing levels of toxic Carbon Dioxide in the body are brought about by either physical exertion and/or mental stress and they both have an immediate effect on breathing. It can create lactic acid build up within muscle and higher acidity within the blood. To improve our tolerance to this, components of the Breath Enhancement Training rapidly increase levels of carbon dioxide over short, safe periods of time, ensuring the body can adapt and a greater tolerance results. Ability to deal with stress whether physical or mental is greatly enhanced. B.E.T will improve the way in which Oxygen is released from haemoglobin as it is transported about the body and decreases the chances of excess Carbon Dioxide building up within the tissues, creating an acidic environment where oxygen will not be readily absorbed into the blood.

INCREASES BREATH HOLD ABILITY UP TO 400%
For those that surf, train in the surf or like to indulge in free diving, this training will have you feeling much calmer and more confident ‘under’ waves and in big, rough surf conditions. If you want to get better at something you have to practice that thing. Besides the physical changes that take place to allow an extended breath hold, mental strength and confidence dramatically improves which is a fantastic attribute when dealing with wipeouts, hold downs and scenarios which see you struggling for the surface. It will give you the advantage in sports where intermittent breath holding is necessary,for example when body surfing during surf swimming races. Components of the training activate a reflex within the body known as the ‘mammalian diving reflex’. This creates a physiological change that decreases oxygen consumption through reduced heart rate, a blood shift etc. Over time once this reflex has been activated you will find it a great asset to extending ones breath whenever the need arises.