Plyometrics!

Plyometric exercises are a great way to develop explosive power and speed. A component of training which is necessary in many sports, but can also be helpful in everyday life.
Upper body as well as lower body plyometric drills can be done also to achieve power. In the video I'm performing some single leg jumps which will help improve power as well as strengthen the leg muscles. I then follow with some high box jumps and I finish with some side to side bounding which is especially good for developing speed as well as agility.

Training your body to be reactive with power and quickness is always a plus. It is always a component of training I keep in every clients workout program

Healthy Fats!

A few of the many healthy fats that I like to consume in my daily diet.
Healthy fats have some great benefits such as:
Better brain function,
Fat loss! - yes fat loss there is recent study's that show having a diet higher in healthy fats and lower in carbs helped to aid in fat loss as well as improving metabolism.
Better Skin and eye health,
Reduced cholesterol and heart disease,
More muscle - as fats help boost the hormone testosterone.

 

 

A Few Of My Favourite Warm Up Drills!

Side lying windmill - a great mobility exercise for your thoracic spine/ upper back as well as your shoulders.

Lateral lunge with overhead reach -combination of hip mobility and adductor/inner thigh flexibility as you work in a frontal/side plane of motion. Bringing the arms up overhead opens up the shoulder girdle, which can be very beneficial for individuals who sit at a desk all day.

Lateral high knee skip - dynamic side to side movement drill that will help fire up your Central Nervous System (CNS) and get your body ready for action.The CNS consists of your brain and spinal cord. Which acts as a processing unit for your body as it controls all the activities of all parts of the body. This is also an excellent drill to perform before a high intensity training session such as sprinting etc,

Eggplant!

I picked up nice bright purple colored Eggplant from the farmers market today. I enjoy eating them a lot at this time of the year.
I tend to bake my eggplants along with some everyday seasoning and garlic powder.
They are in season now so I make the most of it and grab some while I can.

Egg plants contain a good amount of fibre, minerals and vitamins. But also being high in antioxidants, eggplants can also help prevent cancer and lower cholesterol.
It's worth purchasing some now while in season if you if wanna try it!

Half Kneeling Position to Improve Core Stability!

Half kneeling is an effective position that I have been using with clients to improve on core stability and control.

Often I meet clients that present themselves with a posture in which their ribs are flared, back is excessively arched, and the pelvis tipped in a downward position (anterior tilt). This leaves the diaphragm and pelvic floor in a position where they are no longer in alignment with each other as they normally would. As a result, the client is no longer able to gain full stability of their core/trunk.

The goal is to get their ribs down and pelvis up in a neutral position. One effective way of doing that is by getting in a half kneeling position, which teaches a client to align the rib cage and pelvis more easily than it would if they were standing.

To accomplish this I will cue and position the clients front and back legs to a 90 degree angle. Then to get the ribs down I would get them to breathe in through their nose then exhale forcefully through their mouth. I normally would do 1 or 2 breaths like this just until the lower ribs get into a better position. After that I get the client to roll their pelvis underneath them just to a neutral position as well as engage their glutes. This is now the best position to stabilize your core and learn how to effectively engage your abs.

Clients will then perform exercises from this position to challenge stability and strength for example overhead pressing with the kettlebell/dumbbells which is what I'm demonstrating in the video. In addition to cable rows, cable chops, medicine ball throws and various others. While ensuring the client is keeping a strong firm position at their trunk and hips.

To make this position more challenging I instruct clients to bring their front leg closer to the mid line of their body, which will narrow the base of support. A client can also progress to a tall kneeling/both knees down position.

Core stability is a must, no matter what your goal is!

Two Functional Exercises For The Lower Body!

In this video you'll see one of my clients working on some lower body strength and power. Rear foot elevated split squat also known as a Bulgarian split squat, which is a excellent functional single leg strength exercise. It also, has some ...great benefits which include injury prevention as the stabilizer muscles are being developed.

Ice skaters also known as skater jumps/hops is a nice power and agility drill performed in a frontal plane/side to side motion. This is a movement pattern we don't regularly move in. Being able to jump and land on one foot requires a good level of balance and coordination, and is something we had already been working on prior to getting to this level. Training your muscles to stabilize in free open space and with movement can help you body create more balance and control. For example, if you were to ever fall, you would have the ability to catch your self.

Experimenting with our latest kitchen tool -Spiral Vegetable Slicer!

We recently purchased a spiral vegetable slicer after researching recipes showing healthy alternatives for pasta. A popular one is to replace it with zucchini. The good thing about zucchini noodles is that you won't get that bloated feeling... that you get from eating pasta, which I don't particularly like, its very low in carbohydrates, and it's gluten free! I was definitely keen to try this out as I had already purchased some fresh zucchini from the farmers market, so I was all set to put the new tool to the test!


3 medium size Zucchini
Half of each Red and green bell peppers
1 medium red onion
TJ's all natural chicken sweet Italian style chicken sausage
1 cup sliced bella mushrooms
Organic mushroom Marinara sauce(whole foods)
TJ's Everyday seasoning and black pepper
TJ's Olive oil
Avocado(optional)


I was very impressed with how the machine just sliced through the zucchini. After slicing it all, I placed the zucchini on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzled some olive oil and sprinkled some TJ's everyday seasoning on top, then baked it for around 20min or just until they were a bit tender.
To add to it I sautéed the chicken sausage with bell peppers, mushrooms, red onion and some everyday seasoning and black pepper. I then added the marinara sauce last. Finally, added half an avocado for some healthy fats.
Now you have a healthy balanced meal!