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Even if the calcium tablet is blended correctly, it may be difficult for the body to utilize or break down the calcium. One explanation may be that many calcium brands use calcium from eggshell or oyster shell. These may not be well absorbed by the body. Another reason calcium may not be absorbed from a tablet is because of DCP, which is a binding agent used to hold the tablet together. DCP does not break down in the body.
Many calcium supplements exist in the marketplace, but only nutraMetrix Isotonix Calcium Complete delivers a potent package of calcium and complementary nutrients through an isotonic system of delivery. This translates into a lower cost overall when compared to calcium supplements in pill form by making more of the active ingredients available to the body. Don’t be misled by ingredient amounts. What really counts is the amount of active ingredients that your body can ultimately use.
Benefits of Calcium
* Supports skeletal health
* Adequate calcium and vitamin D throughout life, as part of a well-balanced diet, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis (osteoporosis affects over one-third of postmenopausal women in this country)
* Supports healthy teeth and gums
* Helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels
* Supports healthy blood sugar levels
* Supports healthy body weight
Purchase a bottle of Calcium through Friday, August 21st and receive 10% off.
Worried about cancer, heart disease, or diabetes? Are you nervous about going to the doctor?
Be better informed about your health, learn what screening tests are important and why you should consider having them.
Join Dr. Cindy Gleit
Tuesday August 18th
7:15 pm - 8:00 pm
The seminar will be held upstairs at Train Boston. Drinks and light refreshments will be served. If you would like more information please call 781-263-9993.
Isotonix OPC-3 is a dietary supplement that bears some of the most powerful bioflavonoids currently known to research scientists. These bioflavonoids are scientifically termed oligomeric proanthocyanidins, commonly abbreviated OPCs. The purest and best-researched OPCs chosen for OPC-3 are prepared from grape seed, red wine, bilberries, Pycnogenol from pine bark and citrus fruit. This combination of potent OPCs is unique to OPC-3, as is the Isotonix delivery system, which enables rapid and highly efficient absorption of the OPCs. Isotonix OPC-3 has been shown to provide a variety of health benefits including but not limited to:
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Helps reduce mild menstrual cramping and abdominal pain
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Potent free radical scavenger
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1.Eat every 2-4 hours - Frequent eating of well-chosen meals stimulate the metabolism, regulates blood sugar and maintains your lean mass.
2.Eat a complete protein with every meal - Consuming adequate amounts of lean protein is necessary to maintain lean mass, aid in muscle recovery and reduce body fat.
3. Eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal - Fruits and vegetables contain large quantities of vitamins, minerals and phyto-chemicals that help to regulate blood alkalinity andoptimal function.
4. Eat starches only after exercise - Timing your nutrients allows your body to get the nutrition it needs, when it needs it most.
5.Eat healthy fats daily - Omega-three fatty acids have been shown to increase metabolism, decrease joint stiffness, and protect against heart disease.
6. Don’t drink beverages that have more than 0 calories - Sodas, juices and other sugary beverages contain high amounts of calories with little nutritional value.
7. Eat whole, unprocessed foods whenever possible -Highly processed foods contain additives, chemicals, fillers and stabilizers that are foreign to our bodies and often devoidof nutrition.
8. Address deficiencies in your eating with a high quality supplement - Supplementing with fish oil, protein powders, or Greens powders can be an alternative when time is an issue.
For more information or for an individual nutrition assessment please call 781-263-9993.
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING FOR THE MMA ATHLETE Written by: Mike Campanella
PART I - Mastering the Body
Ask any successful Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter how they achieved their level of success and more often than not they will mention their strength and conditioning program as being an integral part of their preparation. Simply realizing this fact, however, may do more to hurt an aspiring fighter than help him/her in preparing for a future in the sport. With all of the training information that exists on the internet today, many amateur athletes find it difficult to sift through all the different theories, exercises, techniques, etc., and eventually give up, succumbing to the perils of procrastination or “paralysis by analysis.” Aside from these individuals, there exists another group of athletes who remain stuck in the mire of “old-school” training methods where roadwork, thousands of push-ups and sit-ups, and/or bodybuilding dominates their training schedules, directly leading to decreased performance and unfulfilled potential. In light of all this, it is my aim to point all of these aforementioned athletes in the right direction when it comes to strength and conditioning for improving performance in MMA.
The main goal of any legitimate strength and conditioning program for the combat athlete is sport specificity. In other words, all workouts and exercises done in the weight room or training facility should mimic the skills and movements that are needed to be successful on the mats or in the ring. As a result, every MMA athlete should focus on the following parameters when developing a practical strength and conditioning program: strength, explosiveness, muscular endurance, anaerobic conditioning, and aerobic conditioning. Furthermore, these five facets of strength and conditioning should be trained by using and moving the body. To accomplish this, the majority of workouts should be total body in nature, the majority of exercises should be total body compound movements, and all movements should involve moving the body. In terms of which equipment should be used, every combat athlete should first be able to master and control their own body through bodyweight exercises before any external apparatus is used. Once proficiency in moving the body has been established, equipment such as kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, bands, weighted vests, etc., can be used for more effective training and greater improvement in the combat arena.
To train strength, the athlete should choose bodyweight exercises that limit the individual to doing 3-6 reps per exercise. Anything above 6 repetitions and maximal strength work is not being performed. For explosiveness, the athlete should choose an exercise that can be done at maximum speed without much strain. Termination of such an exercise should come when speed and form diminish. In terms of muscular endurance, the athlete can train utilizing several different methods, the most effective being high repetitions (15-25 reps) or static holds (15-60″ holds).
As far as conditioning goes, the combat athlete’s main focus should be anaerobic conditioning. Any exercise that allows that athlete to exert a maximum effort at top speed (a sprint, for instance) for 10-15″ will suffice. Allow recovery in a 1:2 work to rest ratio. Finally, aerobic conditioning should not be neglected. A powerful car with a lot of horsepower is great, but the same car with a bigger gas tank is even better. Aerobic conditioning, done 1-2 times a week at most, should focus on sport specific movements and last anywhere from 10-30 minutes. Examples of exercises demonstrating the five facets of combat training are shown below.
Muscle Endurance Negative chin-ups, chin up holds, front tuck lever, front lever
Strength Exercises Lunges, split squat, pistol off a bench, weighted pistol
Power Exercises Plyo push-up, clap push up, double clap push up, triple clap push up
Anaerobic Exercise Burpees
Aerobic Exercise Jump rope
For more information regarding program set-up, design, training, or any other such inquiry, please visit the Train Boston website at www.trainboston.com or contact Mike Campanella via email: mcampanella@trainboston.com. For more information regarding MMA technique training (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing), please visit the Connors MMA Academy website: www.dedhamjj.com, or contact him via email: info@dedhamjj.com.
Core Exercises
All movement begins at the core and emanates outward. People often think that the extremities perform most tasks and the core is simply along for the ride. In truth, the extremities rely on the core for stabilization and force production. You can think of your core as the necessary platform from which all other movements rely upon.
The exercises below are fundamental in building a strong, stable mid-section.
Prayer to Horse Saddle
a. This exercises is designed to help coordinate the movement of the hips with the lower back. It also helps to decrease viscosity in the spine and prepare the body for weight bearing motion.
b. From an “all fours” position sit your butt back onto your heels while reaching your hands forward and pressing your chest to the floor
c. Begin to rock forward, shifting your weight from the lower body to the arms
d. Let your spine extend toward the ground while you push your tailbone and chest up towards the ceiling.
Bird Dog
a. In almost no other exercises is more ground covered than this one. We this not only to challenge the spinal erectors and abdominals, but also to teach neutral spinal alignment and disassociation between the limbs and the spine.
b. Assume and “all fours” position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under hips.
c. Extend one arm forward and the opposite leg back without letting your spine change position or shape.
Front Plank
a. Great isometric exercise to begin linking the upper and lower body together through the abdominals and back.
b. Assume a push-up position on the floor, but use your forearms for support instead of your hands
c. Create tension in your body by contracting your abdominals, quadriceps and glutes while holding neutral spinal alignment Side Plank
a. Another important isometric exercise that challenges the obliques, external hip and lower back muscles to link and support the upper and lower body
b. Start laying on your side with your weight on one forearm
c. Raise your body off the ground with your top foot position slightly forward and your bottom foot positioned slightly back
d. Hold your body in a neutrally aligned position
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When it comes to moving our bodies, the hips are at the center of our universe. Their function affects the performance of both the upper and the lower body. Strong, stable, and well-functioning hips are key in preventing lower back pain, knee injuries, ankle sprains, and even shoulder problems.
The exercises below are designed to increase range of motion around the hip joint and activate stabilizing muscles.
Clam
a. Probably the easiest and effective exercises that can be performed to isolate and activate the posterior hip
b. Start laying on your side with your top leg bent and foot resting on the inside of the bottom leg’s knee
c. Squeeze your top glute and rotate your knee as far back as possible, while keeping your hips stacked one on top of the other
Restrictions at the calf and ankle are extremely common, yet often overlooked problems. Specifically, the loss of dorsi-flexin in the ankle (pulling your foot up towards your shin) occurs in runners, cyclists, and in individuals above the age of fifty. Because it is such a small, and specific function it is often left out of exercise programs, but it shouldn’t be. Range of motion at the ankle is essential to the function of the foot, knee and hi during squatting, lunging, forward bending, and gait.
The exercises below are specifically designed to increase dorsi-flexion and improve lower body mechanics.
Ankle Glides
A. This exercise is the quintessential ankle mobilization to increase range of motion and decrease capsular restriction
B. Start at a wall with one foot three to four inches from the wall and the other foot positioned behind your body
C. With the front leg, push your knee towards the wall over the foot while keeping your heel flat to the ground
D. Keep moving your front foot away from the wall until it becomes just out of reach
Ankle Glides with Half-Foam Roller
A. The addition of the half-foam roller to the ankle glide puts the calf into a pre-stretched position and puts a slightly different mobilizing force through the ankle
B. Put a half-foam roller against a wall and assume the same body position as the Ankle Glide.
C. Place the ball’s of the front foot on the roller with the heel still on the ground
D. Push your knee towards the wall over the foot while keeping your heel flat.
Ankle Rocks with the Half-Foam Roller
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A. This drill is designed to increase range of motion of he ankle and calf
B. Stand on a half-foam roller with one foot while keep the other leg in a flexed position and both hands on the wall
C. Rock your ankle forward and backward alternating between a tip-toe position and heels-down position.
Leg Drive-Downs and Ankle Pumps with Stretch Band
“> A. Active stretching with the band is one of the best ways to open up the posterior chain and fascial pathways from the bottom of the foot back to the hip
B. Start laying on the ground with the stretch band around one foot
C. With a straight knee drive the leg down to the ground while holding the band tight to your chest for resistance 5-10 times
D. After the last repetition, hold the top position and pump the foot and ankle 10-15 times
The Train Boston Golf Training System is designed to improve the athletes flexibility, strength, and stability needs for all four components of the golf swing including the address, backswing, downswing and finish.
Each phase of the program focuses on the specific movement mechanics necessary to develop explosive club head speed, optimal stance position, and spare the lower back from excessive wear.
Below are two sample exercises from the Train Boston Training System.
Thanks for joining me again for part II. In the last section entitled, “Core Strength & Coordination Gym Fitness Tests: Part I” we covered push-up, rotary stability, and single leg bridge tests. If you missed part one, you can find it on the Train Boston website.
In this section I have laid out some corrective exercise progression that will help re-program your body’s reflex stability and clean up any asymmetries in your fundamental movement patterns.
Push-up corrections Incline Push-ups - This is the most basic way to build a solid push-up and can be used with even the most challenged pattern.
Assume a push-up position with the hands on a raised object, a table or the back of a chair will do. Keep the shoulders, hips, knees and ankles in a straight line and perform a push-up. Once you are able to achieve 6 or more repetitions, decrease the height of the support.
Incline Push Up Starting Position
Incline Push Up
Walkouts - I like this exercise because it challenges the anterior/posterior core stabilizers, and the movement of the extremities adds a rotary stability component.
From standing bring both hands to the ground. Begin to walk the hands out towards the top of a push-up. Hold the position for 3-5 seconds holding a neutral posture before walking the hands back towards to the feet. Repeat 5-7 reps. Bring the hands further in front of the body for more of a challenge.
Walk Out Position One
Walk Out Position Two
Walk Out Position Three
Eccentric Push-ups - The inclusion of eccentric exercises into strength programs has long been a favorite of coaches and trainers to overload particular pattern.
Have a spotter hold a towel or heavy tubing around your hips while you assume a push-up position. Lower your body to the ground for 3-5 seconds. Once you arrive at the bottom of the movement, your spotter should help pull you back to the top. Repeat for 6-8 reps.
Eccentric Push Up Starting Position
Eccentric Push Up
Rotary Stability Corrections Bilateral Ball Roll - This is the absolute basic in creating low level reflex stability and core recruitment. I credit this simple exercise with helping me to teach clients abdominal activation than any other technique I’ve every used.
Lay supine on the ground with a small Swiss ball resting on your stomach. Bring both elbows and knees to either side of the ball and squeeze to activate the abdominals. Keeping the hips and shoulders aligned, roll onto your side while maintaining the same position throughout. Look your head back, and roll from the side-lying position to back to supine. Try this for 8-10 reps.
Bilateral Ball Roll
Bilateral Ball Roll
Cross-body Ball Roll - Great exercise to help stabilize the hips for single-leg exercises like bird-dogs, lunges, or running.
Assume the same basic position as the previous exercise, except this time bring only the right elbow and left knee to the ball. Extend the left arm to an overhead position, and the right leg straight. Perform a roll maneuver as described in the previous exercise. Give it a solid 8-10 reps.
Cross-body Ball Roll
Cross-body Ball Roll Position Two
Single Leg Bridge Corrections Kneeling Psoas Stretch w/stick - When done correctly this “stretch” should produce an intense glute and abdominal contraction.
Kneel on your right knee, with the left foot positioned forward. Grab a dowel or foam roller and hold it in front of your with one end resting on the ground. Push down on the dowel to activate your abdominals, push your hips forward squeezing through the glute to stretch the down hip. Hold for 3-5 seconds. Repeat for 6-10 reps.
Kneeling Psoas Stretch w/stick Position One
Kneeling Psoas Stretch w/stick Position Two
Glute Bridge w/knee extension - I find this to be a great exercise to introduce hip extension into a walking/marching pattern and starting point for single leg work.
From a supine position, bend both legs while keeping your feet on the floor. Contract your glutes to raise your hips to the ceiling. Make sure to keep the pelvis level and begin to extend one knee at time in a marching pattern. Repeat for 12-20 reps before bringing the hips back to the ground.
The aim of any good exercise program should be first, to ensure proper movement quality in the athlete, and then to improve on movement quantity. It only makes sense - how well you move should proceed how much you move. Far too often this simple principle is overlooked in the strength and conditioning world. Muscle imbalance, joint restriction, and compensation are the unfortunate offsprings of fitness programs and dysfunctional movement.
Over the next two posts we will examine how to build quality movement into your workout programs. First, we take a look at how we learn to move during child development and what we can learn from it. Second, we look at some basic tests that will help identify deficiencies in basic movement patterns and offer corrective strategies for improving them.
At first it may be difficult to understand the parallel between exercise and child development, but when it comes to developing strength, stability, and coordination we can learn a lot from a baby. In the first 15-24 months of life we learn to roll, crawl, push ourselves off the ground, stand, walk and stabilize in different positions. Each developmental movement lays the foundations for more complex movements to occur.
Often times when babies are rushed through the stomach and dog crawling phases of development they don’t acquire the reflex stabilization necessary for proper movement. These clients often present as adults with very poor balance, mobility, coordination, or repetitive injury.
Reflex stabilization occurs when the abdominal musculature and joint stabilizers contract at the initiation of movement. The abdominals fire a split second before extremity motion to protect the spine, while specific stabilizing muscles hold the joint in a position of optimal rotation. When this process is disrupted the body must recruit other muscles to work both as prime movers and stabilizers. This leads to faulty mechanics, decreased performance and increased potential for injury.
In order to fix the problem, you have to go back to the source. Here are some basic tests of core strength and coordination that will help to test your fundamental movement skills. You can perform the tests yourself with a mirror, but I recommend having a trained exercise or rehabilitation profession help you to determine the results.
Push-up Test
Assume a push up position lying on the floor. Hands shoulder height, legs straight, neutral alignment of the spine. Do a push-up from ground without any lag between the hips and chest. Observe if there is any dipping of the hips and stomach, bending of the knees, or excessive movement of the spine.
Good Form
Bad Form
Rotary Stability Test Start from the “all four” position with hands aligned under the shoulders, knees under the hips. Lift the right arm forward and the left leg back. Repeat on the other side, noting any asymmetries.
Rotary Stability Test
For the more advanced athlete; assume the same start position, but this time lift the right arm and the right leg simultaneously, while balancing with the opposite arm and leg. Take note of symmetry.
Rotary Stability Test (Advanced)
Single Leg Bridge Test Lay face up on the ground with the right leg bent so the foot is flat on the floor. Hug the left knee into the chest. Lift both hips off the ground using the right leg. Note whether the knee, hip and shoulder come into alignment and any difference between the sides.
Single Leg Bridge Good Form
Single Leg Bridge Bad Form
In the next post we will cover corrective strategies for each of the tests to help restore reflex stabilization and improve movement.
Thanks for joining me again for Part Three. Remember you can read the first two postings on the Train Boston website.
Resistance Circuit Training
This involves performing 3-5 different resistance training exercises consecutively with minimal rest between exercises. One set (or circuit) is completed each time you complete all the exercises. Depending on your training experience I recommend doing the circuit 2-5 times with 1-2 minutes rest between circuits.
Using compound (multi-joint) exercises will allow you to burn the maximum number of calories and stimulate the greatest number of muscle fibers in each session. Typically, I will choose one exercise from each of the following categories and make that my circuit for the day.
Quadriceps dominant exercises – front squat, lunge, step-up
Hip dominant – back squat, dead-lift, hang clean, kettle bell swing
Upper body pulling – pull-up, body row, bent row, lat-pull down
Sequencing your exercises in a similar manner will hit every muscle in your body each session, decrease your workout time, and increase your strength levels.
Workouts consist of short bursts of high intensity exercise, followed by longer periods of low intensity exercise.The bursts are referred to as sprints, and the low intensity periods as rest.Intensity for the sprint is gained by increasing resistance, speed or both.
This seems to work best on an arch trainer, stationary bike, or running outside.You can use a treadmill, but changing arm position to hit the buttons frequently can wreak havoc on your stride consistency.
I use three different sprint/rest time ratios of HIIT to keep things interesting. I also like to use at least two different pieces of equipment within each workout, spending 3-5 minutes on each.Depending on your fitness level you can repeat this for up to 20 minutes of sprint/rest cycles.
The below numbers are arranged in a rest/sprint ratio. I always start the set in a rest phase and progress to sprints.
40s/20s – start with 40 seconds of low intensity movement (active rest), followed by 20 seconds of high intensity bursts (sprints)
30s/60s– start with 60 seconds of active rest followed by 30 seconds of sprinting
25s/5s– start with 25 seconds of active rest followed by 5 seconds of sprinting
Don’t expect this to be easy, its not, but it works.
Hello again, I am back with Part Two on the best methods for losing body fat. If you missed my first installment, you can read it on the Train Boston website in the Blog section. Now let’s get started.
The storage of fat is the body’s natural response to excessive calories. In order to lose what we have gained, we must create a deficit where we use more calories than we consume. Aerobics have always been the default activity for this because it allows you to workout for long periods of time, and thus imposes a greater caloric cost. Sixty minutes of jogging burns about four times more calories then ten minutes of sprinting.
So why doesn’t it work?
The answer is your metabolism, known more precisely as your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). Your RMR is the rate at which your body uses calories to sustain its daily functions, and accounts by far, for the majority of calories expended during the day. It’s the caloric price tag for keeping you, being you. The two factors that impact your RMR the most are your body mass index (proportion of lean tissue cells to fat cells) and your physical activities.
The problem with aerobics is that it burns a lot of calories during exercise, but doesn’t do much for keeping your metabolism going once you stop.
One reason has to do with stress hormones released during aerobic exercise called glucocorticoids. These hormones are catabolic and will prevent you from maintaining muscle tissue. This is bad news if you’re trying to lose fat because muscle tissue requires your body to expend a lot of calories in its upkeep and therefore up-regulates your RMR. This is why adding three pounds of muscle can help you to loose four pounds of fat.
Another reason has to do with something called Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). EPOC measures increases in your RMR brought on by exercise. The longer and higher you can keep your RMR fired up, the greater the influence you will have on total calories burned each day. Aerobics has little effect on this, and thus has no impact on the most metabolically significant portion of your life, when you are not working out.
Enough talk about what doesn’t work, let’s talk about what does. I defer to science -
Remember the study where the people on the liquid diets where doing 30-50 minutes of aerobic exercise and lost only one additional pound? Well, the results of a third group, which performed 30 minutes of weight training in addition to their diet, were also tracked. The weight training group lost 35% more fat than the diet/aerobics group and 44% more than the diet only group. Huge difference! If I were 35% taller than I am right now I’d be seven foot five and playing for Celtics.
Another study compared the effects of aerobic training and weight training on EPOC (metabolic up-regulation). The study found that subjects performing weight training had heightened metabolic (EPOC) levels for 36-48 hours after their workout. That’s almost two days of increased fat burning potential while you eat, sleep, go to the mall, and just go about living.
Clearly weight training is a powerful tool for influencing fat loss, but don’t forget about interval training. Recall the study where sprint intervals were shown to have a nine-fold increase in fat loss over long distance running. The results of this one study were powerful enough to change how I used a treadmill forever.
These provide us with some powerful weapons in the fight against fat. In the last installment I cover how to use these instruments in your workouts to rid your body of its extra cushioning forever.
Benefits of Calcium
