What are you made of?

The only way to really know if you are gaining muscle and/or losing fat is to be tested for it.  Knowing your lean mass % versus fat mass %  not only gives you an inside look of exactly what you are made of but can help you become accountable for your actions going forward.  Remember the numbers do not lie, there are certain numbers coaches and scouts are looking for, are you there?

You have already shown you are serious about getting better by training with us now it’s time to take the next step towards your ultimate success!

Athletes know that having a lean and powerful body is of serious benefit.  The problem is getting athletes to be held accountable and consistent in positive adopting habits which will help them build the body they want.

If your body is not right you are seriously holding yourself back, but we are here to solve the problem…

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Merry Happy Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at the OAK AD team!

BULLETIN BOARD

Congratulations

Caitlyn Delong who signed her letter of intent to attend Goshen College next fall to play softball!

In the News

WELCOME ABOARD to the OAK AD team:  Carlee Wisniewski (Marian Catholic HS), Olivia Johnson (Bishop McNamara HS), Joe Mann (Wilmington HS), Austin & Ethan Regel (BBCHS).

WELCOME BACK:  Alex Franklin, Tim Brokop (BBCHS), Kristen Corral (Illiana Christian HS), Taylor Gilliam (Manteno Jr. High), Kevin O’Gorman (Liberty).

Calendar of Events

Closed Christmas Eve and closing at noon on New Year’s Eve.

January 12- High School Softball Defensive Clinic (2-3:30) Join Coach Laura Harms for 90 minutes of softball defensive instruction (Correct fielding form, soft-hands & short hops, driving though the ball, drop-steps).

January 19- High School Softball Defensive Clinic (2-3:30) Join Coach Laura Harms for 90 minutes of softball defensive instruction (Diving mechanics, situational flips, drop-step adjusting, cut-offs).     Spots limited.  1 for $25, both clinics for $40.

DECEMBER ATHLETE OF THE MONTH: Paige A. Lamore

School: Manteno High School class of 2014

Sport(s) & Position(s): Women’s Volleyball: UNO-South Volleyball Club- 17 Elite/ Middle Blocker & Outside Hitter

Best Athletic Moment: My best athletic moment is any time I can compete competitively and know I have done my best.  Also, when I have trained hard on a difficult drill/play and successfully nailed it during a game.

Favorite part about training at OAK AD: There are many things I like about OAK AD.  The first is the most obvious; the physical results.  I have definitely gained definition and muscle mass.  The customized workout plans are challenging and fun.  OAK AD is a friendly environment where I can seriously focus on my athletic goals.  The OAK team and I share the same vision: It takes hard work and careful planning to achieve success.

Favorite & Least Favorite Exercise: I can honestly say my least favorite exercise is my most exercise.  This is because all the exercises are tough.  I know working hard through them will only make me stronger.

Athletic Goals: My athletic goals are simply too keep improving each and every time I step on the court.  I have been focusing on proper technique an pushing myself to finish strong.  I will continue to build on my endurance, core strength and agility.  One day I would like to see my name on a college volleyball roster.

TRAINING TIPS: Understanding Joint Pain from a Strength Coach’s Perspective

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. –Albert Einstein

As human beings we are by definition dysfunctional.  We are constantly striving to maintain integrity, balance and, efficiency.  Before you accuse me of judging your character I am of course taking about dysfunctional movement and the fight to maintain joint integrity, movement balance and efficiency.

The body was built to perform a certain way; specifically each joint was designed to function in a particular way.  Problems arise when a given joint(s) begin to do the jobs of their neighboring joints, also known as movement compensation.  Compensation is defined as the attempts to offset ones shortcomings by the exaggerated exhibition of qualities regarded as desirable.

Where do you hurt?  Everyone has some type of tweak whether it is very minor or quite significant.  Think about it for a moment, where does your body first fatigue?  Is it your ankle, knee, back, shoulder, all of the above?  Now ask why?  Identifying pain is the easiest process there can be but identifying why we are in pain can be an adventure that often times will take you down a long fruitless path to more of the same. articular way.  Problems arise when a given joint(s) begin to do the jobs of their neighboring joints, also known as movement compensation.  Compensation is defined as the attempts to offset ones shortcomings by the exaggerated exhibition of qualities regarded as desirable.

How many of you have claimed to have a bad (insert angry joint here)?  So the claim is that the painful joint is indeed the problem and therefore we must either change activities/exercises/adjust lifestyle to regulate for pain or get treatment of affected joint i.e. therapy of some type.  I am not here to refute the fact that you shouldn’t do things that cause pain or that therapy is not useful but could it be that we are completely overlooking something.

For years we have been overlooking the problem by being distracted by the site of the pain rather than source.  Unless a physician has specifically told you that you have a specific degenerative issue of a joint or some other medical diagnosis that surpasses the scope of this article this advice and approach applies to you!  Stop looking at the joint that hurts and instead look at the joint above and below the area of pain.

As I stated joints are designed for specified functions.  Some joints are designed to resist movement and aide in stability of the body and its associated limbs during movement while other joints are designed to provide with fluidity and full range of motion during movement otherwise known as mobility.  When joints lose track of their identity and attempt to pick up the slack of other joints they become over-stressed, overworked and angry!  Let’s examine the ever so common issue of low back pain.

If someone comes to me with back pain can you guess the first thing I take a look at?  Hint it’s not their low back.  I am after the cause of the pain not the source so I will first take a look at their hip function.  Do they have adequate flexibility and mobility through the hip joint? Or are they moving through their lower back giving the illusion of adequate mobility.  Are their hip muscles working in a way that controls and stabilizes the pelvis or are their lower back muscles always firing to try and do the job of the hip muscles?  What about the upper back (thoracic spine), are they locked up in a hunchback forward head posture which makes rotating and extending through the upper back impossible, leaving it once gain up to the low back to

do a job it wasn’t designed to do.  So instead of chasing pain let’s find the cause.  If you can identify the problem you can find a solution.

Here is your joint pain cheat sheet

Site of Pain                         Potential Source of Pain  

Ankle                                    Foot, hip

Knee                                     Foot, ankle, hip, core

Hip                                         Core, ankle, foot

Shoulder                              Upper back, neck, elbow, core, hips

This list certainly is not all inclusive and there can always be much much more going on but in most cases following this approach has the potential to change the way you think of living with pain.

NUTRITION NUGGETS: Super Body with Super Shakes

COACHES CORNER: All Show No Go Pat 1: Appearance versus Effect

I will be the first to admit that big shiny objects can steal my attention and send me into a Homer Simpson-esque state of mind.  Ooh shiny!!!  As Americans we are blessed with the latest and greatest, best and newest, shiniest and most attractive.  Our focus and attention span can be less than stellar at times.  We would rather make our judgments based on appearance and attractiveness rather than taking the time to consider something’s true merit based off of its actual effectiveness.

When it comes to exercise programs we often find ourselves judging the worthiness and value of the program by the intensity and amount of yelling, sweat/fatigue/soreness produced, fancy drills and equipment involved (the SHOW), rather than the long-term outcomes, objective improvements, results (the GO).  If the goal of physical activity is simply to get a “good workout,” then by all-means knock your-self out with whatever you think is hard, cool and will make you sore.  But if the goal is to actually get better at a specified performance skill (such as strength, speed, flexibility) then haphazardly “working out” will forever remain a fruitless effort.

You can make anything hard, if you do anything long-enough you will get sore and if you want fancy drills just combine a bunch of cones, ladders, bands, balls, hula hoops basketballs and circus monkeys.  Get the idea, what is the point here?  Is the point to fatigue and impress by the show or to actually legitimately improve upon a measurable quality or skill?

Look for next month’s addition as I expand on this idea and talk about the importance of having standards and a clear understanding of appropriateness in creating effective training programs and what it means to your results.

BETTER THAN I CAN SAY IT

“As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December’s bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same.”  –Donald E. Westlake

The post December Newsletter appeared first on Oak Athletic Development.

November 2012 OAK AD Newsletter

BULLETIN BOARD

In the News

CONGRATULATIONS to Alee Rashenskas who officially signed her letter of intent to attend the US Military Academy at West Point next fall to play softball and serve our country!

CONGRATULATIONS to Jaelen Hull who officially signed her letter of intent to attend Bradley University next fall to play softball!

WELCOME ABOARD to the OAK AD team:  Tommy Brannigan (Marian Catholic), Camryn Bedell, Jake Meents (BUGC), Chloe Walsh, Trent Stuart, Brendan Powell (Hersher), Megan O’Connor (Bishop McNamara), Tori Mills, Miranda & Mason Southall (Wilmington).

WELCOME BACK:  Cooper Egolf (Cissna Park), Jordan Walden (Reed Custer), Alexis Gilbert (Manteno), Jenna Lawler (Bishop McNamara), Tyler Stuart (Limestone), and Miranda Wehrle (Maternity).

Calendar of Events

January 12- High School Softball Defensive Clinic (2-3:30) Join Coach Laura Harms for 90 minutes of softball defensive instruction (Correct fielding form, soft-hands & short hops, driving though the ball, drop-steps).

January 19- High School Softball Defensive Clinic (2-3:30) Join Coach Laura Harms for 90 minutes of softball defensive instruction (Diving mechanics, situational flips, drop-step adjusting, cut-offs).     Spots limited.  1 for $25, both clinics for $40.

NOVEMBER ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Athlete: Eric Erickson

OAK AD Athlete Since: March 2011

Work: President  & Owner of E2i/ Electrical Engineering Company, Electrical System Design

Family: Three children Jesse (22), Shea (19) and Alyssa (16)

Training Goals: Increase strength, agility and flexibility so that I can be healthy but hopefully a better skier and backpacker.

Favorite part about training at OAK AD: Accountability, having an incredibly great group of coaches who have my best physical and mental health in mind.

Favorite Exercise: Squatting or anything working on flexibility

Least Favorite Exercise: Battling ropes

Eric has been an integral member of the OAK AD training family for well over a year and a half.  Since last March Eric has gone through a complete physique and strength overhaul.  Eric has shown us all that your potential is not dictated by your age as he continues to build off of his accomplishments and keeps pushing to better himself we are all proud to have Eric as a part of the team and call him a friend.

TRAINING TIPS: Muscle Toning: Brilliant or Bologna?

I don’t want to get bulky I just want to get more toned.

What are the best exercises to tone my arms?

The question is not whether or not you have heard those remarks but how many times over the years have you heard them or recited them yourself?  The term muscle toning and the desire to look or be toned has existed since well before I first heard it years ago and it seems the trend to obtain this magical form has not dissipated during those years.  First of all we need to understand what exactly those seeking that toned look actually mean, because it can be a little confusing.  I asked a few of our athletes here at OAK AD and here are their responses:

The term muscle toning is a myth which unfortunately has kept a number of people from actually making any progress for years on end.  An understanding of our anatomy, human physiology combined with research clearly shows us that this myth of muscle toning is unfounded.   Don’t believe me?  Consider this.  A muscle can only get stronger or weaker, bigger or smaller it cannot and does not become toned or untoned.  A muscle by nature is always toned it is simply the amount of tension a muscle retains while in a relaxed state.   So it is appropriate to say that a bodybuilder has higher muscle tone than a couch potato.  This tension or toned state is not a thing of its own but rather a byproduct of gaining muscle so improving the tone of the muscle or the tightness of a muscle is determined by the amount of muscle.  By nature a non-muscular fluffy fellow will not have a toned look.  A muscular lean individual with a low body fat will have a toned look.

Everybody still with me?

Ultimately it really doesn’t matter what we call something but rather that we are clear on what we are trying to achieve.  What we want is to get rid of that soft and flabby look and at the same time tighten everything up giving it a more firm and lean appearance.   This means if you tell me you want to get more toned your two training goals for the rest of your life are this: 1) Gain muscle, 2) Lose body fat.  Repeat after me Build muscle, lose fat.  If you feverishly work to adhere to these two rules of longevity, vitality and performance I promise you will be as toned as you have ever been!

3 Ways to Get Toned Lose Fat and Gain Muscle

1) Heavy Resistance Training, remember we need to build muscle here.  Sorry guys two pound pink dumbbells are not going to cut it.

2) Intense Interval Training, Say goodbye to the never ending hours on the elliptical, you need to turn it up a notch if you want to get that metabolic furnace burning hot.

3) Optimizing Nutrition, Bottom line if you want that lean look you better take this one very very seriously.  Remember you cannot out train a poor diet.  We eat poorly we look poor, funny how that works.

NUTRITION NUGGETS: 5 Ways to Control Calories during the Holiday Season

We all know our ability to resist temptation is very limited when the holiday season comes calling.  So many wonderful smells and tastes do we really stand a chance?  Believe it or not we can make through the season while not only enjoying the delicious foods that go with the season but actually maintain our waistline in the meantime.  Here are 5 very effective ways to control the amount of food you eat during the holiday season.

1) Reduce sugar:  Substituting an artificial sweetener such as Splenda or the better all natural option Steiva will provide your baked goods with all of the sweet flavor that real sugar does but without the addition of any calories.

2) Low-High-Low:  This is a great strategy I regularly use with great success.  It simply utilizes a little planning and foresight.  If I know on Christmas Day I am going to eat like a king then the day before Christmas and the day after I will eat like a peasant.   The two low calorie days I will significantly reduce how much I eat and limit carbohydrate intake.  This allows me to eat as much as I want on Christmas without any guilt.  Bring on the pecan pie!

 3) Graze free zone:  This strategy really holds true all of the time.  When we stand and eat we really do a poor job of controlling what we eat. This mindless eating can sabotage our efforts to control calories and the waistline.  So instead of grazing around the kitchen and living room moving from the giant assorted cookie tray to the chip bowl  take your one cookie of choice and sit down to eat it.  Guess what you will probably enjoy more too because you will actually realize you’re eating it.

4) Go Train:  If you are going to eat a mass of calories you might as well get some of those calories working for you.  This is a perfect time for strength training as you will prime the body to receive and USE the calories you have or are going to consume to build and repair muscle rather than store as fat.  I know we want to be lazy during the holidays but getting up and moving will do wonders for your sugar induced Christmas coma.

5) Portion Control:  Remember your eyes are always bigger than your stomach.  So go easy on your first time through the line or as the food is passed around.  You don’t have to completely cover your plate with food.  Take enough and if you want more after get some more.  I’m pretty sure Grandma made more than enough for everyone.

COACHES CORNER: Who Said Anything About Easy?

If there is one thing that ticks me off more than anything else in this world it has to be lack of effort combined with an uninspiring attitude.   Uninspired work equates to monotonous repetition and a loss of vision and purpose.  This is great advice for all of us as we so easily get sucked into the daily grind and let it spit us out as its will.  There is nothing else in this world that is at our control besides how hard we work and our attitude behind it.  The great thing is they seem to work hand in hand. The harder I work the more positive and relentless my attitude and the more tuned in my attitude becomes the more focused and fruitful my efforts become.

EFFORT & ATTITUDE these two words are taped to the wall above the entrance to my office door.  I strive to live them with all of my might everyday and am hopeful I can help the athletes I coach strive to do the same.

News flash!  Life is hard, unrelenting and does not care about what we want or think we need.  You either attack the day, your job, your training, your practice with uninhibited intensity and purpose or it attacks you.  This is my course and this is my call to action to you.

Like Jack Nicholson whispered in the original Batman movie “Wait till they get a load of me!”

BETTER THAN I CAN SAY IT:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” 
― Theodore Roosevelt

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October 2012 OAK AD Newsletter

Welcome to our first ever OAK AD Newsletter.  Our purpose for creating this newsletter is to provide all of you with quality content, helpful tips and maybe from time to time a little entertainment.  We love feedback so please tell us what you think.

Stay Strong,

The OAK AD Team

BULLETIN BOARD

In The News

-Welcome to the OAD AD team- Sam O’Connor (Maternity), Tyler Cavender, Spencer Rocknowski, Cameron Mullady (Bishop McNamara), Tyler Fisher, Bri Fisher, Maddie McCue (Hersher), Phillip Taborn (BBCHS), and Vickie Nichols (N. Newton)

-We are now open Saturday mornings.  Adult fitness 8-9, Junior High 9:10-10:10 and High School 10:20-11:20. Get out of bed and join us!!

-New member to the OAK AD coaching team.  This month we welcomed our newest Coach, Michael Cobb.  A graduate of ONU, Michael earned his degree in Exercise Science.  At ONU he played football and other intramural sports.  He brings with him a great coaching sense and ability to communicate well with our athletes.

Calendar of Events

October 24- 2-time Olympian & NCAA National Champion Matt Gentry begins 8-week wrestling skills clinic here at OAK AD.  Camp will be held every Wednesday from 5:00-6:15.

November 10- High School Softball Hitting Clinic (2-3:30) Join Coach Laura Harms for 90 minutes of softball hitting instruction, helpful tips, drills and lots of reps.  Space is limited and cost is only $20, call to register.

November 17- Junior High Softball Hitting Clinic (2-2:30) Join Coach Laura Harms for 90 minutes of softball hitting instruction, helpful tips, drills and lots of reps.  Space is limited and cost is only $20, call to register (815) 932-5492.

OCTOBER ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Athlete: Daniel Hoekstra

School/Year: Bishop McNamara- Freshman

Sports/Positions: Basketball-Guard, Baseball- Pitcher, SS

Greatest Sports Accomplishment: Making it to the state championship last baseball season.

Favorite part of training at OAK AD: Getting stronger and faster at the same time.

Favorite Exercise: Goblet squat

Least Favorite Exercise: Single-leg hip thrust

During this past month Daniel has not only shown great effort and focus on the turf and in the weight room but has started to become a leader of his training group.  Daniel has done a great job thus far and we expect a ton of success headed his way as he begins his high school sports career this winter.

TRAINING TIPS:

4 Ways to Ensure You are Getting the Most out of Your Training

1) Be consistent.  We have to start with this one because if you don’t show-up nothing else matters.  Show-up!

2) Be accountable.  Telling yourself you are going to do something and telling a group of ten peers you are going to do something will yield significantly different results.  If you are truly serious about obtaining a fitness goal tell as many people as you can about it.  Watch how much easier it is to stay on track when you are now accountable to someone other than yourself.

3) Kick it up a notch.  Isn’t the point of training to improve?  If that is indeed the goal then we need to constantly be trying to challenge ourselves.  If we continually do the same reps and sets, same exercises and bring the same intensity we will continue to get the same minimal results.  Your body quickly adapts to a stress and once it does the things that were hard before suddenly become much easier.  So turn it up on the volume knob and get to work.

4) Have a plan.  Like the old adage goes; fail to plan, plan to fail. The best results come from those with an aimed plan of attack.   What are you going to do today, tomorrow, next week, next month?  Can you even answer what you are going to do today during your workout?  Remember there is a distinct difference between working out and training.  Working out is simply exercising without direction or a plan.  Training is specific and goal-oriented with a plan and purpose.  Call it what you want but have a plan!

NUTRITION NUGGETS:

A Window of Opportunity: Post-workout Nutrition

For years we have heard about how important it is for us to eat a well balanced breakfast and how this meal is the most important of the day.  While eating a quality breakfast is certainly important and cannot be overlooked there is a “window of opportunity” that exists immediately after training ends and lasts for about two hours which may actually be the most important time to eat for those who really want to get the most out of their training.  If you are not interested in recovering faster and building more muscle then I guess you do not need to read on.

During this short window your muscles are more primed to accept nutrients than they would be at any other part of the day.  The muscles remain their most sensitive to accepting nutrients for only about two hours after training has ended, so the window closes quite quickly.  Typically speaking there are three purposes for post training nutrition:

COACHES CORNER:

Putting the Cart Before the Horse

By: Coach Jeff Weber

So I must begin by saying my initial intentions were to release our first newsletter two months ago.    The trouble arose when I lost sight of the path and focused on the destination.  I became more interested in how the newsletter would look before I actually addressed what the content would include.  I began looking for flashy templates rather than spending any time on substance.  After putting the project on the backburner for far too long I realized no one would really care what the newsletter would look like if the content was missing.  So I decided to place all of my focus on adding quality content rather than worrying about if it looked pretty or not and in no time I had made serious progress!   It can be very easy to lose sight of the order of things when we know what the goal is, but lose our focus on the way to get there.

I see this way of thinking in the fitness industry every day.  Let us use a basketball player as an example.  After a mediocre season coach wants his senior power forward to be much more explosive and be able to out jump everyone else on the court so he can control the ball more.  So he prescribes an aggressive off-season jump training program utilizing bands, boxes, hurdles and every other bell and whistle available to him.  While there is nothing wrong with the usage of jump training; coach mixed up the order of things when creating the path to the goal, making is job a lot harder than it has to be.  Coach should have begun with an assessment and asking himself simpler questions like:  Does my player have adequate ankle mobility, knee stability and hip strength to even perform an efficient and safe jump?  Does he currently have the basic foundational components in place like mobility, stability, balance and body awareness to even move with fluidity and efficiency?  It could be that simply increasing his player’s ankle and hip mobility could lead to higher jumping.   So let us not get ahead of ourselves and remember the order of things and the rest will take care of itself.

So don’t put your cart before the horse.

BETTER THAN I CAN SAY IT:

 “If you believe you can accomplish everything by “cramming” at the eleventh hour, by all means, don’t lift a finger now. But you may think twice about beginning to build your ark once it has already started raining” –Max Brooks

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