Stay Fit Minute #5- Soccer Training

In this episode of my Stay Fit Minute videos I discuss athletic conditioning for soccer, because despite the sport's popularity the sport specific training programs for soccer are often out-dated.

I've produced an excellent training resource for soccer players, together with elite level soccer coach Clayton Rosario.

The DVD, Building the Complete Soccer Athlete: Train Like a Pro, covers a wide variety of technical drills with the ball to improve touch, speed, and moves to beat an opponent on any part of the field, as well as equally important, yet often neglected, speed, strength and conditioning exercises. The basics of sport psychology and nutrition are introduced as well.

Go to www.soccerathletics.com for more information.

Stay Fit!
Josh

Man Loses 50 Pounds of Fat!

My goal is to help my clients set and reach their fitness and performance goals with effective exercise and nutrition programs. I want to share a success story with you as an illustration of how simple (I didn't say EASY... I just mean it's not complicated!) it is to achieve great results at any age.

One of my clients, John Garbel, has recently lost over 50 pounds and 11% bodyfat and it took him around 6 months. Check out my site to see more info about his transformation. (John's Testimonial).

John is in his 40's and last year had decided to reclaim his health and fitness after finding himself weighing almost 300lbs, with bad knees and back problems. Now weighing under 250lbs he is half way to his goal of 200 lbs at under 20% bodyfat!


Here's EXACTLY what John does:
He works out with weights 3-4 days per week following my Top Form Fitness system, which is planned and structured well in advance, progressing incrementally with varied training stimulus to prevent plateauing.

He follows these workouts with 15-30 minutes ofcardiovascular exercise, performing intervals by alternating brief periods of high intensity with lower intensity periods of recovery.

He eats 5-6 meals or snacks per day, always trying to include visually equal portions of lean protein (e.g. fish, chicken, eggs), starchy carbs (e.g. oatmeal, brown rice, yams), and fibrous carbs (e.g. fruits and vegetables) in each meal. He uses protein shakes post workout for recovery or when he is not able to get acomplete meal. He allows himself one cheat day each week. He keeps a daily nutrition log, to maintain awareness of what he eats and how much he eats, to help stick to his nutrition plan.

He may not follow this program perfectly all of the time, but he is always striving to get better, which is how he lost 50 lbs in 6 months.

I don't think I could make it much clearer than that.

But if you ask John what the real "secret" to his success is (if there is one), it's the coaching. The experience, support, and accountability a good coach provides is irreplaceable. Nothing can help you get results faster, and maintain them.

Congratulations John!

Keep Fit,
Josh Hewett

Today's Workout

Today was a pulling workout, starting out with 6 sets of hang cleans, 6 reps each set, 65% 1RM. Then onto heavy rack pulls for 4 sets of 2 reps (after warmups). Finished with 3 Sets of Farmers Walk (200lbs / hand, 150 feet with turn) and some light log pressing for fun. Feels good to get back into the implement work again. Thanks to the "barbarians" for keeping me on track!
By summer my own training schedule should be back on full tilt!
-Josh

Favorite Strength Quotes

Here are a few of my favorite strength quotes:

"The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection."
-Thomas Paine

"The true test of any man lies in action."
-Pindar

"Greatness lies not only in being strong, but in the right use of strength".
— Henry Ward Beecher

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men!"
— Phillips Brooks

"The man who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the man who is doing it."
-Chinese Proverb

Family Day

Today is family day! In keeping with that theme we just picked up my mother-in-law from Russia this weekend, so that she can stay with us for a few months to help out with Baby K (Kaitlyn) and around the house. I'm actually really looking forward to this because I can now get alot more done with the many projects I'm working on, and can also get more sleep and increase the intensity of my training!

First step is to study for the new certifications I'm preparing for, then I need to finish the ebooks I've been working on. I think you guys will like what you see when it's ready! I've already prepared several newsletter entries in advance for my subscribers as well, and have been busy interviewing other experts in the field to get the good stuff out to you guys. If you haven't yet, you can subscribe on the left here on my blog.

If you live in Ontario, happy Family Day! If not, happy belated Valentines Day... and don't forget February is Heart Health Awareness month! Butt out the cigarettes, get off the couch, eat your greens, and take time to relax. (o:

Stay Fit,

Josh

Power Wheel Core Training

As a trainer I’m always looking for ways to improve the quality of the exercise routines for both my clients and myself. I’m also a strong believer in using highly productive, functional exercises, incorporating alot of compound movements and unique training accessories.

In addition to "getting leaner" or "getting stronger", one of the common goals I hear from many clients is that they want to develop their "abs". They want a six pack; a toned midsection; a solid core.

However, when it comes to developing a powerful core, most traditional "ab" exercises such as crunches and sit-ups are relatively ineffective. For a beginner, crunch variations are OK... but once you have been training for a short while you need to look for more productive options. So when I first heard about the Power Wheel I was interested.

This product is awesome for core strength, stability and balance. There are so many exercises you can do with it, using both your hands or your feet. I had used the basic ab wheel before (you've all seen it... sold in every Walmart and Canadian Tire), but the Power Wheel takes it to the next level by adding foot pedals which allows for several more training options.

After using it myself I introduced it to several of my clients… it was a hit! But because there aren't many Canadian distributors, and it's pricey to get one from the US, I decided to stock it myself. Check it out at http://www.strongestcore.com/ ... there's a few pics of exercises you can do with it there as well.

This is one training accessory I highly recommend. Let me know what you think of it.

Stay Fit!

Josh