Solar Power Training – What You Need to Know About Solar Power

Article by James Copper

Solar Power Training – What You Need to Know About Solar Power – Computers

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We’ve all been hearing about solar power and solar energy for the past few years. In an effort to help our environment, many are trying to use solar power in simple small ways they can afford. However, to really make a difference in our lives solar power should be used in homes as the main source of energy whenever possible. Solar power training courses are available in many places, offline and online, as a way to educate the public about the importance of using solar energy every chance we can.

Although it’s nice to think that everyone is fully informed and knowledgeable about solar energy, this is just not the case. Perhaps if solar power training was mandatory, more individuals would realize the importance of using solar power as well as the long term savings. Anyway you look at it, the advantages of using solar power fall outweigh the disadvantages. Here are some very important tips and facts about solar power.

– Solar panels save you money, pure and simple. The cost of fuel oil and propane has risen drastically the past few years and we never know from one month to the next how much we’ll be paying. Using solar panels will save you money long term. While the initial cost of buying and installing solar panels and solar systems is costly, your energy costs after that are zero. No longer will you have to worry about utility bills every month. As a way to save more money, many individuals are enrolling in solar power training so they can learn how to design and install the systems themselves, saving a bundle of money in the process. If you have many sunny days and produce and store more electricity than you’ll need, you may be able to sell it to your utility company.

– Solar Power training courses will educate you on more than just solar energy for your electricity needs. Solar hot water is a great money saver, saving around 60% off the cost of traditional hot water methods.

– Solar panels are non-polluting, renewable and clean, making them very environmentally friendly. The more ways we can help our environment, the healthier lives we’ll all live.

– Solar power systems run very quietly and efficiently and require almost no maintenance. They will also last for many years, continuing to save you money.

– Solar energy offers you the independence of not being forced to pay the high cost of electricity or fuel costs. If you happen to live in an area that’s secluded, electricity may be very expensive if not difficult to get. Solar energy is the perfect solution for this problem.

If learning all these interesting facts about solar energy and what a great idea it is hasn’t totally convinced you, consider checking out some solar power training courses and you’ll quickly want to learn all you can about solar power and ways to implement it into your home and daily lives.

About the Author

James Copper is a writer for http://www.newcareerskills.co.uk where you can find out how to become an electrician

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Power Golf Exercises That Are Proven To Add Distance

Article by Mike Pedersen, CPT

Power Golf Exercises That Are Proven To Add Distance – Sports

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Power golf exercises are a unique set of exercises that you do not do in a gym on machines, nor do you lift heavy weights. For that matter, you can do simple power golf exercises right in your home with minimal equipment.

You see…to improve the power in your golf swing, you need to look at the mechanics that create the power.

It’s not your arms swinging the club as hard as you can! It’s not your legs driving your body through the swing! And it’s not swinging some funky 50 inch shaft with a 600cc titanium head either.

It’s quite simple!

The power in your golf swing is your CORE!

Your core is the engine to your swing. If your core is weak or inflexible, you will never be able to hit a powerful tee shot. This is harsh…but very true!

The modern power golf swing is one of being “connected” with your upper body. Not letting your letting your arms get separated from your body. Rotating your upper body as a whole, over a somewhat stable lower body will produce maximum power at impact.

So the perfect power golf exercises involve rotational movements with resistance in your core area. The are many exercises you can do that will dramatically improve your driving distance and power…and no gym required!

A simple power golf exercise for your core is my Seated Twist w/Dumbbell:* Sit upright in your chair.* Hold single dumbbell straight out from chest with arms fully extended.* While keeping your head focused straight ahead, rotate your arms to the right, then to the left as far as you can go both ways.* Do this non-stop for 20 total rotations.* Pause for 15 seconds and repeat 2 more times.

At first you will feel very restricted in your midsection. That’s a sign of how limited your rotational flexibility really is. But do this exercise daily and you will see improvement quickly.

The next time you step out onto the course, you’ll blast your drives up to 20 yards further!

As you can see above…the key is ROTATIONAL exercises with resistance, whether it be a single dumbbell, exercise tubing or even a weighted golf club.

Doesn’t matter what you use, as long as it is up to 5 pounds in weight and you can handle it easily in both hands. If you’re already in good shape go for 10-15 pounds and increase your rate of speed. This will both improve your “fast-twitch” core muscles and also your range of motion for a bigger backswing and a complete follow through.

So you see…I wasn’t fibbing! It doesn’t take a gym or fancy equipment to do effective and proven power golf exercises!

About the Author

Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf performance trainers in the country, author and founder of several cutting-edge online golf improvement sites. Take a look at his just released golf dvds and manual at his power golf swing site – Perform Better Golf.

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Mike Pedersen, CPT

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Push-up Power: Practicing Perfect Push-Ups For Massive Muscle Building Gains

Article by CK Clark

Push-up Power: Practicing Perfect Push-Ups For Massive Muscle Building Gains – Health

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So you’re stranded on a deserted island… How do you keep your muscles bulging and ripped?… Push-ups of course!

Push-ups along with a few other simple body exercises such as (body squats and sit-ups/crunches) could keep you looking buff in almost any situation (yes, even on a deserted island).

Here’s some basic push-up information to get you going:

Performing The Basic Push-Up:

Lie face down with your body parallel to the floor.Place your hands palm down slightly beyond shoulder-width apart. Make sure your arms are positioned next to your shoulders and not too low next to your belly button or too high next to your head.Look up and ahead rather than down to the ground.Slowly raise yourself up keeping your body straight from the back of your heels to your head.Exhale on the way up.Once your arms are very close to being fully extended pause just slightly, this constitutes 1 repetition.Begin lowering your body back to the floor while inhaling.Once your chin touches the floor (remember your head is looking ahead not down!) begin raising your body back up to repeat the process.

Key Points:

It’s very important to do the motion correctly for maximum benefit. Keeping your body straight is essential. Tighten your abs throughout the entire movement to prevent your butt from raising too high or lowering too low. If you have access to a ground level mirror (or even a reflection from a glass door) try watching your body position a few times until you get it right. Don’t waste your time doing push-ups the wrong way. Use slow, controlled movements. Going fast may allow you to do more push-ups in a set amount of time however, you will receive less benefit from each individual push up. Many times people who go really fast don’t work their muscles through their full range of motion. Remember the goal is to build muscle not your ego. 10 well-formed, controlled movement push-ups are better than doing 25 sloppy, incomplete push-ups.

When To Do Push-ups:

Push-ups can be used as one of your primary upper body exercises or as a replacement when you can’t do your regular workout routine.

Personally, I love to do push-up workouts when I’m traveling or don’t have access to a gym for a particular reason. I generally use a push-up routine to replace any missed Chest/Shoulder/Tricep weight-lifting workouts.

Push-Up Workouts:

There are probably thousands of push-up workouts out there to choose from. One of my favorites is what I refer to as “countdowns.”

The idea is to progressively lower the amount of reps performed for each set as your muscles become more fatigued. This allows you to achieve maximum benefit for each set with out sacrificing form and technique.

Here’s an example: We’ll start with 20 push-ups for our first set. Each set we will reduce the number of push-ups attempted by 2 until we get to 0. We’ll rest only moderately (15 seconds to 30 seconds) between sets.

So in this case it would look like this:

Set 01 – 20 repsSet 02 – 18 repsSet 03 – 16 repsSet 04 – 14 repsSet 05 – 12 repsSet 06 – 10 repsSet 07 – 08 repsSet 08 – 06 repsSet 09 – 04 repsSet 10 – 02 reps

Note: This workout can be adapted to suit your needs. If this seems too hard try starting at 10 reps and counting down 1 each set (10,9,8,7 etc).

If a 20 rep starting point is too easy you could always increase the starting count to 40 or 80 reps and count down 4 or 8 reps respectively (40, 36, 32 etc or 80, 72, 64 etc).

Final Thoughts

Push-ups are a tremendous tool for muscle building when done properly. They can be used as a primary workout or just to keep fit while on the road.

Practice perfect push-ups and you’ll find that they are one of the most useful tools in your fitness arsenal.

About the Author

CK Clark is a fitness author, fitness advocate, and founder of http://www.bestmuscleprograms.com which provides reviews of the top internet muscle building programs.

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CK Clark

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Perfect Pushup – Chest Workout
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Less is More with this Wintertime Power and Bulk Weight Training Program.

Article by Kevin Carbone

Less is More with this Wintertime Power and Bulk Weight Training Program. – Health – Fitness

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Less is More with this Wintertime Power and Bulk Weight Training Program.

by Kevin Carbone, FitnessSource1.com

Note: This is an advanced weight training program and should only be used by those with at least one year of consistent weighttraining behind them. You will be using heavy weight and a less strict form which could lead to injury if you don’t have a strongfoundation of previous weight training exercise to build upon.

Power and Bulk TrainingBack in the 1960’s it was quite common for bodybuilders to train during the winter months exclusively for size, strength, and mass. This was referred to as “power and bulk training” or a “bulking-up” bodybuilding routine which consisted of basic compound weight training exercises done with low reps and heavy weight. As far as diet was concerned, they ate everything and anything and in large quantities. Lots of whole eggs, whole milk,steaks, and potatoes were the order of the day. The idea was to gain as much weight, size and strength as possible during the winter and then trim down and lose the body fat for the summer months. Overall they would be bigger, stronger and would carry more muscle mass from their winter power and bulk weight training program.

When it came time to trim down for the summer, they usually allotted about 3 months for the task. This was done by cutting calories and changing their weight training routine to one of high reps and sets and adding isolation movements while using light to moderate weights. Workouts were also long which helped to burn calories. Cardio and aerobics were unheard of and generally frowned on because it was thought that this type of training broke the muscles down and would make you smaller and weaker.

Nowadays, the idea is to stay in relatively good shape all year round because this is a healthier thing to do for your body. The yo-yo effect of putting weight on and taking it off over and over again puts a strain on your system that in the long term is not good.

However, a modified power and bulk weight training program combined with current advances in diet and nutrition can be very beneficial to someone who is looking to bulk-up and add more muscle mass and strength. Follow this program for 3 months and then analyze your progress. You can continue for awhile longer if things are going well, or you can move on to a new routine if progress begins to slow or if you are putting on too much body fat.

Your workouts will be shorter with fewer exercises but they will be much more intense as you will be using heavy weights with compound power movements. That’s why I say that Less is More with this bodybuilding routine. As for diet, you will want to addat least 300-500 extra calories per day increasing your protein and carb intake while watching your fats. Make sure you consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Some trainers say to eat everything and anything and not to worry about how much or what kinds of fat you consume because fats produce testosterone and testosterone produces muscle. Although this is true, the wrong type of fat eaten in abundance over an extended period of time is bad for your health. You’ve heard it before – stuff like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure,and a host of other physical problems. The critics will say that you are only going to be on this bulk and power program for 3 or 4 months so go for the gusto and eat everything because you can trim the fat off later on to be ready for the Summer months.

Personally, my long term philosophy is to have moderation in everything and this is no exception. If I were you I would add some extra fat but make sure its the good stuff like the Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) that are found in fish, fish oil, olive oil and nuts of all types (go for the unsalted variety). Definitely eat more but be sensible and don’t go crazy and eat a ton of empty calorie junk foods like doughnuts, cake, and fast foods. These contain a large amount of saturated fat and trans fat which should be avoided for general good health. Remember to have a large meal of protein and carbohydrates within one hour after your workout to help speed the recovery process and feed hungry muscles.

You will be training 3 days per week with one day off in between training days. As an example, train Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And take Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday off. Recovery time is very important with this routine. Remember, you grow during your rest periods not in the gym. Put your aerobics on hold and do not play any strenuous sports while on this program. You must focus all of your energy on your workouts in order to progress as you should. Also, remember to get a least 8 hours of sleep with 9 or 10 hours being even better. Because yourmuscles grow when you sleep, have a whey and casein protein drinkbefore you hit the sack. The whey gets absorbed quickly but the casein get assimilated more slowly thus feeding your muscles moreconsistently through the night.

The whole premise of this routine is to handle as much weight as possible and to increase the poundages whenever you can. Use the pyramiding method where you gradually add weight to each set while doing less reps. You are to relax your strict form and “cheat” or use momentum and bounce to handle the heavier weights.

Your Power and Bulk Weight Training Schedule

Warmup

Always do a warmup before attempting any workout. Start with someall-over body movements to get the heart beating and the blood flowing such as treadmill work, jumping jacks, jumping rope, etc.Then do a few exercises with light weight and high reps that target the muscle groups that you will be working on that particular workout. This is also a good time to do your abdominalexercises such as the crunch, reverse crunch, leg raises, hanging leg raises, etc. This is a good way to warm your core body temperature and get your ab work done first thing. Remember not to forget your ab work while doing this power and bulk program. Train your abs at least 2 times per week.

DAY 1 – Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

1) Flat Bench Press

2) Seated Overhead Press

3) Upright Rowing(Vary your hand grip spacing. A somewhat wider grip hits the outer or side delts more.)

4) Dips (Lean forward to work the chest more and stay vertical to work the triceps more – do both versions and add extra weight when necessary.)

DAY 2 – Legs

1) Squat

2) Leg Press

3) Deadlift (Also works the lower back)

4) Calf Heel Raise (Calves respond better to higher reps. Try a rep range of 15, 12,10, 8 for 4 sets.)

DAY 3 – Back/Traps/Biceps

1) Barbell Rowing

2) Lat Pulldowns

3) Shrug

4) Cheat Curl

Start with about 4 sets per exercise with a rep range of 10, 8, 6, 4. Pyramid or add additional weight to each set when possible.You can experiment with adding additional sets but don’t over do it because you will be using heavy weights. Also, don’t do less than 3 reps on any exercise or you will be toying with possible injury. Because you are doing only 4 exercises per training session your workout time will be shorter but more intense as youwill be using heavy weight in each set. Remember to rest long enough between sets to fully recover from the previous set, but not too long or you’ll lose your edge. If you are consistent in your training and eat correctly during the next 3-4 months you will see that Less can equal More!

About the Author

Kevin Carbone is a bodybuilding & fitness enthusiast who has decades of training experience. To read more of his articles go to http://www.FitnessSource1.com. At this site you will also findinformation on Weight Loss, Dating Guides (Guys & Gals), How to Get Your Ex Back, and How to Find the Job You Love. Plus, many FREE articles and much more. Go to: http://www.FitnessSource1.com.

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Kevin Carbone

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www.weightgaindiary.com In this bodybuilding step by step workout guide you’re going to learn everything you need to know about setting up your own free weight training program. It isn’t as difficult as is it looks like. All you need to do is to apply the proven and working principles to your own bodybuilding regime and you’ll start to experience some serious muscle growth! I would like to apologize for my English, because it isn’t my first language and I’ve been talking in English for less than three years. In case I’ll say something wrong – please don’t kill me! www.armfatsecrets.com

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Why It’s Important to Have Solar Power Training

Article by James Copper

Electricity and utility costs have almost gotten the better of all of us. Each month it seems as though the rates are going higher and higher. If our satellite bill is too high, we can make adjustments to our package and get a smaller one that’s more affordable. If we’re using too much fuel in our car, we can car pool or consolidate our trips to save gas. Our utility bills can only be cut back so much, especially when they keep going up. A solution that’s been very helpful and economical for many is switching to solar power.

Solar power comes from the power we get from the sun, which is used to give us energy. The energy that the entire world needs in an year is emitted from the sun in one day so you can see there’s definitely enough to go around. It’s just a matter of putting it to good use for you. If you’re unfamiliar with solar energy and how it works, you may know someone that has had some solar power training. You can also choose to take solar power training yourself so you can learn ways to implement it into your home to help save on energy costs.

Solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells, are used to product solar power from the sun. You put the solar cells some place where they’ll be underneath direct sunlight. Each time the sun’s rays hit the photovoltaic cells; there is a chemical reaction that causes an electric current, which is turned into electricity. If you have enough solar cells in your home and a lot of sunny days, you’ll have enough electricity stored up to get your through night time and cloudy days when there is not sunlight. Solar power training will teach you everything you need to know to properly install solar cells in your home as well as how to get the most benefits from them.

Solar power training will also teach you about the different types solar power; active solar and passive solar. The difference between the two methods is that only active solar involves the installation of solar panels or solar cells to convert the sun’s rays into electricity. When it’s first converted to electricity, it’s DC (direct current) and then it’s later transformed to AC (alternate current). Passive solar does not involve solar panels. Passive solar is obtained, for instance, by building a home with all the windows facing the direct sunlight or using tanks or other structures to capture the sunlight. Passive solar is often used to provide homes with heat and hot water.

Although the initial cost of switching to solar energy may be expensive, if you have solar power training, you may be able to install as much of the solar system as possible into your home and save on labor costs. The cost of the solar panels as well as the batteries is expensive; however, the savings you’ll see over time will make them more than pay for themselves. Consider checking into some solar power training courses in your area and learn all you can about this new method for our utilities.

This video shows a sample of the power training exercises that we use to help develop power in our athletes.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Pilates New York and Pilates power gym

Article by John Petersons

Joseph Pilates devised his own set of exercise routine that would certainly help people get into proper shape. This is Pilates New York. The genius had made many types of equipment that would help people in not just getting their posture right but would also make them physically strong. According to experts, there are many different forms of exercises to shape your physique but none of them would help you like the Pilate itself. It doesn’t enhance any particular muscle as such but gives your complete body all the power it requires. Many people are of the opinion that t6hey felt a lot stronger after having trained themselves with Pilates.Pilates Power Gym is nothing but the Pilates reformer but is obviously a modern version of it. The basic goal of the power gym is to experience a phenomenon never been experienced before. It helps in giving shape to your muscles throughout the body and also provides endurance. The machine has a close resemblance to a multi gym but is a miniature version of it. The various straps, strings and other props help in attaining the right figure. Apart from this you would be very happy to hear that there are a number of CD’s and DVD’s available in the market which can give you tips on the same making your workout all the more effective.

Joseph Pilates devised his own set of exercise routine that would certainly help people get into proper shape. This is Pilates New York. The genius had made many types of equipment that would help people in not just getting their posture right but would also make them physically strong. According to experts, there are many different forms of exercises to shape your physique but none of them would help you like the Pilate itself. It doesn’t enhance any particular muscle as such but gives your complete body all the power it requires. Many people are of the opinion that t6hey felt a lot stronger after having trained themselves with Pilates.Pilates Power Gym is nothing but the Pilates reformer but is obviously a modern version of it. The basic goal of the power gym is to experience a phenomenon never been experienced before. It helps in giving shape to your muscles throughout the body and also provides endurance. The machine has a close resemblance to a multi gym but is a miniature version of it. The various straps, strings and other props help in attaining the right figure. Apart from this you would be very happy to hear that there are a number of CD’s and DVD’s available in the market which can give you tips on the same making your workout all the more effective.

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Cross Fit: Does it really achieve the results it claims? Part III: Does cross fit lessen athletic performance: endurance with strength & power

Article by Mark Wine

Cross fit’s premise is simple, perform as many reps and designated exercises as fast as possible. Performing or viewing a cross fit workout will provide you with the idea that cross fit participants utilize endurance training, which is a correct observation. The emphasis of cross fit is on muscular endurance (buffering hydrogen ions) and an overall cardiovascular output. Athlete’s involved with sports that require a higher VO2 max and/or improved muscle buffering capacity (MBC) show great benefit when performing muscular endurance and aerobic training. However, aerobic and muscular endurance training must utilize certain protocols / variables to ensure optimal increases in VO2 max, MBC, maximal oxygen uptake, while still being capable of increasing strength and power, which lead to the greatest gains in athletic performance. Cross fit, simply put, often neglect numerous variables / protocols.

One style of training that is advantageous, that cross fit does perform is Circuit Training. Circuit training is a method of training that requires high volume coupled with short rest periods of 30 seconds or less [1]. This style of training has shown to increase relative VO2 max. This is vital for anaerobic athletes who require elevated aerobic-endurance levels. The most widely accepted measure of cardio respiratory vigor is Maximal Oxygen Uptake, which is the greatest amount of oxygen that the body can utilize at the cellular level. The goal of aerobic athletes, and cross energy athletes is often to increase these levels through circuit style training.Circuit training should utilize functional movement patterns that are similar to movements of the sport. It is not necessary, nor is it beneficial, to re-create exact anatomically based movements. An analysis of the muscles activated during the sport / activity is needed first and foremost. Following this analysis is a re-creation of competition speeds and muscular recruitment during training. Muscular recruitment and movement are most advantageous when re-created during training to be similar to the sport. On the other hand, there is a high degree of cross over between exercises and movements utilized for multiple sports. A common mis-conception is that movements must anatomically look the exact same as the sport itself, this is not Functional Training. The variables of the program make the difference, which are the sets, reps, rest time, structure, and placement of the exercises. Having a goal in mind will provide you with a solid structure leading to optimal athletic performance. A plan with random exercises, just to get a high amount of work done, is undesirable and not a plan. Cross fit takes that extreme.Cross fit does not utilize a sport or athletic analysis to individualize or customize a program that has similar recruitment patterns to that of the sport itself. Cross fit believes in “one size fits all.”

Cross fit coaches utilize nearly all of the same movements for their participants; clean to press, snatch, kipping pull ups, kettle bell swings, and others… Although some of these movements (never kipping pull ups) can often be advantageous, utilizing them with a plan based upon sets, reps, rest time, and placement in a workout are essential for creating optimal and superior results. Cross fit often places exercises into a workout resulting in weight reduction and improper technique, while still expecting performance increases. Not only does this not increase performance, it often decreases performance, especially with previous athletically trained athletes. Another negative aspect is that this style of training and program structure, or lack-there-of, can lead to injury and periods of detraining.Training with larger muscles, or recruiting more than one muscle in a movement, is done through compound movements / lifts. This is often advantageous because oxygen demand increases during an acute bout of aerobic exercise [1]. Cross fit takes advantage of this by utilizing total body movements throughout the entirety of its workouts. This increases its MET (metabolic equivalent of tasks) levels, which is common when assessing the level of intensity of an exercise / workout. Higher levels of MET’s are associated with increased metabolic rates, heart rates, and an overall energy output. MET workouts often lead to decreased fat levels and improved body composition, resulting in athletic performance. Incorporating large muscular movements during repeated bouts of exercise will deplete energy stores, such as ATP and creatine phosphate, which results in an inability to perform the movement correctly, efficiently, and with optimal strength and power. Exhaustion, due to energy store depletion, leads to injury, improper muscular recruitment (zero athletic performance), a reduction in weight, a loss in strength and power, and an overall slower movement pattern. The body becomes adapted quickly and atrophies even quicker. This reduction in weight, which is often required when performing numerous bouts of intense reps, leads to a slower athlete, a less powerful athlete, a weaker athlete, a more injury prone athlete, a less capable athlete, and a less coordinated athlete (Cross Fit: Does it really achieve the results it claims? Part I). Finding a balance between endurance and strength is needed for every athlete.

Strength is a common misunderstood term. Fitness enthusiasts and athletes think of strength as slow and power as explosive / fast. This cannot be further from the truth. Strength and power reflect the ability of a muscle to exert force at any given speed [1]. A stronger athlete is often more powerful and vice-versa. Training for strength and power is a critical component for all athletics. Soccer athletes train for strength and power in order to increase sprint speed, agility, and quickness. Swimming athletes train for strength and power in order to increase their concentric contraction during each pull of their stroke and to increase the push off from the wall. Athletes in sports like these, along with many others, require a higher oxygen uptake and MBC. They have been shown to enhance athletic performance through strength training. Anaerobic exercise has proven to increase cross-sectional areas, neurological coordination, flexibility, aerobic capacity, motor performance, local muscular endurance, lean muscle tissue, metabolic rates / efficiency, and power. All of these side effects are significant, resulting in a more developed / better athlete. Cross fit does not provide the same benefits because it does not practice safe and efficient strength training.

Type II muscle fibers are fast twitch and Type I are slow twitch. Type I are more oxidative (aerobic) and type II are associated with strength and power (anaerobic). However, the common claim is that aerobic endurance training will change type II to type I. There is little evidence to support this claim [1]. Continually performing strength and power training, even coupled with aerobic-endurance training, will not only maintain type II fibers, but it increases type II fibers. One side effect of aerobic endurance training is a gradual change from type IIx fibers to type IIa fibers. Type IIa fibers are more functional then type IIx fibers. Type IIa fibers posses a greater oxidative capacity and are more advantageous when performing repeated bouts of exercise. Repeated bouts of movements are required in nearly all sports. Therefore, one can theorize that coupling aerobic muscular endurance training with anaerobic strength training will result in superior athletic performance. One exception to the rule is Olympic Power lifters. Olympic lifting athletes are made up of mainly IIx fibers. This is advantageous for the sport of Olympic lifting, but it often leads to a poorly trained athlete as a whole.

It is essential to engage in a program that utilizes strength and power training and aerobic endurance or local muscular endurance training. “Acute aerobic exercise results in increased cardiac output, stroke volume, heart rate, oxygen uptake, systolic blood pressure (pressure exerted against arterial walls as blood is forcefully ejected during ventricular contraction and combined with heart rate measures work of heart), and blood flow to active muscles and a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (estimate pressure against arterial walls when no blood is being forcefully ejected through the vessels)” [1-125]. Cross fit can aid in the ability of select athletes, generally beginner to amateur athletes, with an increased ability of muscular endurance for increased performance. However, there is a trade off. With cross fit’s minute gain in endurance, one can expect a loss in absolute strength and power, which will result in poor athletic performance, a reduction in speed, improper technique, minimal injury prevention training, a reduction in agility, lower back pain, and many other non-desirable side effects.For athletes who are involved in a sport or activity that require a high aerobic output and/or MBC, utilizing a proper strength and conditioning program will ensure optimal gains in athletic performance. Develop a program that balances between strength and power and muscular endurance / aerobic training. Here is an example:Day 1: Strength & Power – Lower BodyDay 2: Endurance / Circuit – Upper BodyDay 4 or 5: Endurance / Circuit – Lower BodyDay 5 or 6: Strength & Power – Upper BodyThis is nothing more than a sample weekly regimen. Provided that you give 100% effort, follow the plan, perform proper technique during exercise, place equal emphasis on all the training days, and observe all program variables, you can expect to become a superior athlete. An athlete who can dominate both aerobically and anaerobically, an elite hybrid athlete.SOURCESwww.functionalmusclefitness.com1. The Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (3rd edition).By, National Strength and Conditioning AssociationEditors: Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle©2008, 2000, 1994[113, 123, 125, 129]2. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training (3rd edition)By, National Academy of Sports MedicineEditors: Michael A. Clark, Scott C. Lucett and Rodney J. Corn©20083. Strength Training Anatomy (3rd edition)By, Frederic Delavier©2010 by Editions Vigot

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