Have you wanted to improve your vertical jump or your explosiveness? I’m sure at one time in your athletic career you’ve done Stair Exercises. It can be a pain in the a$$ but it’s worth it and the conditioning is excellent.

A buddy of mine Virgil has created a Stair Exercise Program for all athletes. He has trained many professional players in the WNBA, MLB, Police Academy and many company SEO’s. Below is a video of some techiques he has.

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Virgil Aponte has many options if you would like to purchase his DVD, book or combo. He has a great program. It’s highly recommended.

Well what I eat every morning is my Got Game Cereal Forget Wheaties … Just kidding. But I found this neat website while searching for something. A Cereal freak you can add your own text and create your own box of cereal.

Got Game?? If not, eat this …

Here is a recipe I made for Thanksgiving!

Chicken Fins

Ingredients

100 ml chicken soup
5 g milled coriander
2 spoons of coriander leaves
8 chicken fins
2 garlics
1 paprika
black pepper
lemon juice
lemon peel
salt
pepper

Directions

1. Roast the chicken fins with salt and pepper in a pot until they get ruddy.
2. From those 2 garlics, preapare a garlic sauce.
3. Slice the paprika.
4. Roast the garlic, the paprika, the coriander and the black pepper for 1
minute.
5. Add the chicken fins on top, the chicken soup and the lemon juice.
6. Cover all and boil it for 20 minutes.
7. Decorate it with coriander leaves.

Per Serve: Calories 360; 8.9 g fat; 42.1 g protein.

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Immunity and the Athlete by Patricia Niland DIP.ION (MBANT)

SPORTS NUTRITION
© Patricia Niland 2005

To realise potential, it is vital that an athlete has the ability to train consistently. Successful training, over time, builds a stronger, faster, more efficient body which will hopefully go on to produce optimum athletic performances. Time lost due to ill health, is time that a competitive athlete cannot afford to lose. In the long term the athlete and his/her coach needs to be conscientious about their own ‘care’ and acknowledge that they have a responsibility for the training and nutrition factors within their control, both of which can influence success or failure.

Illness can have profound effects on an athletes mental perspective, causing loss of rythym and habit. Once recovered the athlete may need to mentally regain focus. Maintaining a healthy immune system is therefore a considerable factor in the athletes pursuit of success.

Moderate exercise has been demonstrated to have beneficial effects on the immune system, reducing the risk of colds and chest infections. However for the competitive athlete who trains at a greater intensity and for longer durations, intensive exercise has the potential to cause immune suppression, with a recognised window of lowered post exercise immunity existing where the athletes system is vulnerable to infection (Nieman 2003).

Post-exercise immune suppression is thought to be partly due to the increase in production of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Athletes training or competing in a carbohydrate-depleted state, will experience a greater increase in these hormones. It is therefore suggested that the ingestion of 30-60g carbohydrate per hour by athletes, during intensive exercise can create a reduction in stress and immune markers. (Gleeson et al 2004)

Reduction in immune status also occurs when an athlete has compromised glycogen and fat stores. This can be caused by the ineffective replacement of calories after exercise, or a conscious avoidance of fat. Calorific expenditure should therefore be balanced by an equivalent intake of calories, and the consumption of essential fats become more commonplace. When the diet shows signs of nutrient deficiencies, supplementation should be utilised to provide protection. However care should be taken not to overcompensate and the diet should always be viewed as the main provider of nutrients. (Venkatraman et al 2002)

Training alone is not responsible for the suppression of the immune system. Neiman identifies many factors that can contribute and should be considered

Diet
Training and competition
Family/relationships
Work
Travel
Rest

Boost immunity and train consistently
Optimum nutrition, should be the fundamental consistent factor for any athlete. When training schedules are planned, time should always be taken to plan an appropriate dietary programme. This should be specific to the individuals training and competition requirements. Revisions in training intensity, increases or decreases, should always merit revisions to the diet.

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Preventing basketball injuries depend on your preparation and awareness of your activity level. if you are training alone here are some guidelines to follow:

• Pace yourself; don’t do too much too soon when pre-conditioning for basketball season.

• A conditioning program with emphasis on aerobic and muscular fitness training should be
implemented prior to the beginning of basketball season.

• Begin gradually participating in activities specific to basketball, such as motor skill components of fitness: jumping (rope skipping) and agility/coordination/balance drills. This mode of training will strengthen the connective tissue (muscle, bones, ligaments, and tendons) which will assist the body inaccommodating to physical stress. These exercises will also assist with euromuscular coordination,the ability to integrate the senses – sight, sound, and proprioceptive (knowing the position of your body in space) – with motor function to produce smooth, accurate, and skilled movement.

• Add ankle, shin (anterior tibialis), and soleus strengthening exercises to the basic lower extremitymuscular fitness exercise program.

• Participate daily in a complete body stretching program.

• Remember to warm-up and stretch at least 5 – 10 minutes before participating in a basketball activity.

• A continued maintenance program throughout the season would also help prevent injuries.

Practice and Street basketball injury prevention

DO’S AND DON’TS

• Jewelry, i.e., rings, necklaces, etc. are not recommended during basketball activity participation.

• Clothing attire that contain pockets are not recommended due to the risk of fingers getting
caught/lodged in clothing.

• Protective eye goggles would help prevent ocular injury.

• Basketball playing shoes should be used. Shoes specific to other sports are not recommended.

• Basketball goal must be padded; allow space of at least 8-ft. clear area past goal. Ensure bumper guards are installed correctly on glass boards.

TRAINING / TECHNIQUE:

• The style of play by a basketball team may increase risk of injury; the more contact involved, thehigher the incidence for injury.

• Trained coaching staff can impact positively upon basketball injury prevention. Coaches should be able to provide safe information to players on the team regarding preparation, conditioning, and training proper playing techniques.
• Officiated games decrease the risk of injury occurrence. Enforcement of rules assists in decreasing the incidence of injury.

YOUR ENVIRONMENT:

• Be aware of the environment around you. Prior to participating in basketball, look for predisposing risk factors on the playing court such as foreign objects, towels, gym bags, water, etc.

• Alcohol consumption should be discouraged during any athletic participation.

• Proper hydration during activity is recommended.

Sports Nutrition Myths

Copyright: Gatorade Sports Science Institute
URL: http://www.gssiweb.com

Athletes are always looking for a secret edge against the competition and what an athlete chooses for fuel can help. Because sports nutrition is an evolving area of sports science, it is prone to myths and misconceptions. You’ve probably heard all of these myths, but do you know the real facts?

Sports Nutrition Myths
Myth # 1: Sugar should be avoided before training and competition

Sugar eaten before competition increases blood levels of glucose and insulin, which is not a bad thing. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate. Carbohydrate, whether in food or drink, taken before exercise can improve performance. An athlete who is not fueled is a tired athlete who can’t perform at his or her best.

Myth # 2: Sports drinks are only needed for exercise lasting more than an hour

Sports drinks can be beneficial in activities that last less than one hour, especially if the exercise is intense or occurs in hot, humid conditions. Professional athletes aren’t the only ones who benefit from sports drinks. Competitive athletes who play football, soccer, tennis, field hockey or basketball can benefit from the carbohydrate and electrolytes in sports drinks. Drinking sprots drinks encourages athletes to drink more, which is important sicne dehydration can occur in exercise lasting less than one hour. Using sports drinks is an easy way to improve performance and fight dehydration.

Myth # 3: Body image distortion is only a women’s issue

Men are increasingly exposed to super male images–from the bodies of professional wrestlers to the covers of men’s magazines. Men are increasingly dissatisfied with their body’s appearance. Body dysmorphic disorder, the preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect in one’s appearance, is recognized as a psychological disorder. Many coaches and athletes may be unaware that it occurs in both males and females.

Myth # 4: Vitamins and minerals give athletes extra energy

Vitamins and minerals act as co-factors to unlock the chemical energy stored in food, but by themselves they do not give an athlete extra energy. A meal plan rich in grains, vegetables, fruits, meat and dairy give athletes energy. This food is also a vehicle of entry for the vitamins and minerals the body needs to unlock food energy. A multi-vitamin mineral supplement might be necessary for some athletes, but by itself, it will not provide extra energy.

Myth # 5: The ideal ratio of nutrients is 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 30% fat

Some diet plans recommend that 40% of energy come from carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat. Diets with these ratios can be detrimental to performance because they are low in calories and carbohydrates. Research shows a better diet plan for athletes is one that provides roughly 55% to 58% energy from carbohydrate, 12% to 15% protein and 25% to 30% fat.

P.S. Get Fast Basketball Recipes at Athlete Recipes.com

“Joint Troubles”

By Will Brink, author of:

Muscle Building Nutrition
http://musclebuildingnutrition.com
A complete guide bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain lean muscle

Diet Supplements Revealed
http://aboutsupplements.com
A review of diet supplements and guide to eating for maximum fat loss

One of the most common problems faced by strength training athletes is joint pain. “Oh my shoulder is killing me” or “my knee has been bothering me for months” or “I have been living on pain killers to get rid of this ache in my elbow” are common complaints that can be heard in any gym at any time. Oddly enough however, this topic is not covered very often in most bodybuilding/fitness magazines. Maybe the topic is just not all that “sexy” or “cutting edge,” but if you’re one of the thousands of people whose gains in muscle are being side tracked by joint troubles, then you don’t give a damn about sexy or cutting edge-you just want relief!

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