Heartrate Monitor Product Review
I wanted to share with you a great piece of training equipment that I have used for years along with a little about how it works! It is my Timex IronMan Road Trainer Digital Grey Dial Watch. Talk about a great motivator for your training.
Heart rate monitors are great training tools when combined with other training tools such as; excel, beginnertriathlete.com and other apps. on the ipad or iphone. I have used excel sheets to track day/date, activity, kcals burned (when you reach 3,500 kcals burned you have burned a pound of fat off. What I prefer is beginnertriathlete. com, it’s a free site with some pay features. In the free part of the site you are able to log in a good amount of personal information from your heart rate monitor and workout. The site graphs your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly training workouts. This is great for the visual learner as you can see right away where you are lacking in your training plan or where you are over training.
Timex IronMan Road Trainer Digital Grey Dial Watch is a mid level heart rate monitor priced between $60 and $110. I bought mine about 2 or 3 years ago at REI (REI.com) and used both my REI membership dividend discount that pays me back 10% of my total purchases for the previous year and 20% off coupon. The retail price was $60 and with both of my discounts I think that I paid a total of $5.00 out of pocket! Something to look into!
The features that I use the most are, kcal count, low, median and high heart rate, heart rate % zones and chrono.
The kcal counter is my favorite feature. You can set a personal goal of how many kcals you want to burn before so that you can check through out your workout to get to 1, 000, 1, 500 or 2, 000..etc… per workout just by pushing harder or going longer. Many of my clients use their heart rate monitors during our personal trainings sessions and A.C.T classes and give me updates on where they are in their kcal count. You can see them really going for it by the end of their workouts to reach their goals. Its fun for them and a badge of honor for me to get their kcal count up by the end of a session!
You can also set your heart rate zones for high and low. The goal is to keep you heart rate in between the zones. so if your heart rate drops below your minimum it beeps. It is basically saying hurry up and I will stop beeping. If you are pushing too hard it will beep again and basically you need to back off your intensity. Staying in your pre described zones for your training plan will allow you to feel better in each workout and make sure that you are not over trained through the course of your training plan. The best part of the training zones is that it will tell you how long you were in your zone! This is great information for someone who is training hard and doesn’t want to over train. Heart rate training is really catching on and I hope to write about that in more detail in another post.
The chrono timing feature is a stop watch that counts time up so you know how long your workout is or when to stop your workout as you have reached the end of your timed workout.
I think that heart rate monitors are great for keeping my clients and myself motivated for those sometimes daunting cardio workouts. Just be sure to track your results from each workout in an excel sheet or on software that graphs your results to track your progress. As always, it is essential to use a good training plan and stick with it! I just bought a Garmin so look for a product review on that heart rate monitor in the future.
Last Tennis Camp Update!
This week marked the end to a fun summer at the DVTA
Villanova tennis summer camp! This was the last week for our summer training.
We were in the last phase of our training program, the sport specific
performance phase. We had the task of delivering a solid workout while keeping
it fun. It turned out to be a great last week of training for the players and a
perfect cap to great summer program, despite some bad weather on Thursday.
Tuesday: We started with our normal active dynamic warm-up to get the
player’s bodies ready for the work ahead. First up was our lateral tuck jump
into a turn and change of direction sprint. The players alternated facing the
net and facing away from the net for 3 times each direction. After performing
8-10 tuck jumps the players blasted into the sprints. They changed direction at
the center line of the service box, back to the starting doubles line, across
court to the far doubles line, and finally back to the starting doubles line.
They decelerated and held a low squat position for 5 seconds. After a couple
minute break for water it was time for our main drill. For this drill the
players worked on moving laterally through shuffles and ladders into a ball
feed. They moved to the left on the first ladder performing different footwork
drills. They then circled around a cone right into right side shuffles, around
a second cone into left side shuffles, and then back to the right with another
ladder. Finally, they sprinted up and across court for the ball feed. The feeds
were “bad.” I put quotations around bad because really the feeds help in
several good ways. Some feeds were high, some were low, some were fast, and
some were slow. By throwing the feeds out and away from the players, they had
to break into a full sprint in order to make it to the ball. Reacting to the
different feeds helps the players learn to adjust their bodies to hit the ball.
This is helpful in a match where the players can’t always perfectly predict
where the ball will make contact on their side of the court. It makes for
easier adjustments in crucial game situations. It also works on reaction time,
coordination, balance, and stability.
Thursday: Strong storms Thursday morning made for wet courts and a
half hour delay. The pros and DVTA staff did a great job using the rollers to
dry the courts. The rain made the surface of the courts very slick so
unfortunately to avoid injuries we couldn’t do any drills or exercises
involving cuts and sprints. After a long active dynamic warm-up the players
went through a quick circuit 3 times, made up of pushups, davies taps, leg
lifts and mountain climbers. After the circuits it was time to have some fun
and end camp on a happy note. I broke the players into groups of 3-6 players to
play agility ball. The game is played with a reaction ball. It looks like
several small balls fused together. When the ball makes contact with the ground
it bounces in different directions forcing the players to quickly react to
catch the ball. The slick surface of the court actually added to the games. It was
slippery and harder to maneuver and forcefully push off of the court. The kids
all played great and had a fun time!
Working with these kids this summer has been nothing but a
pleasure for me. I have watched each player grow as an athlete, as a tennis player,
and as a person. The results have been undeniable. They are faster, stronger,
and more explosive then they were 3 months ago. I am extremely excited to work
with these athletes again in a few weeks at DVTA and take their game to another
level!
Got Milk? Your guide to dairy
Are you getting your necessary daily fix of dairy? Most
people neglect this part of their diet when really they should prioritize it. Milk
is a great way to fill the gaps in your diet when you are strapped on time and
need a quick meal. Dairy products like milk are filled with nutrients,
vitamins, and minerals that can have many health benefits and are essential to
human growth and development. This guide is to inform you of those benefits, to
teach you what products are considered dairy, to let you know how much dairy
you need personally, and to give you some helpful tips for healthier dairy
choices.
The benefits of dairy-
Dairy contains many nutrients including: Protein, Vitamins A & D, Potassium,
Phosphorus, Magnesium, and Calcium. Most of our calcium in the human diet comes
from dairy products. In fact, if you aren’t getting the appropriate amount of
dairy in your diet it is likely that you are calcium deficient. Calcium from
dairy products leads to stronger bones and teeth and decreases your risk for
osteoporosis. Along with stronger teeth, you are also less likely to develop
cavities. Dairy products also reduce your blood pressure, risk of hypertension,
type 2 diabetes and even certain cancers. Are you convinced that you need your
dairy yet? Research also indicates that dairy aids in weight loss and weight
management. Your parents were doing you a favor by making you drink a glass of
milk with dinner every night, as dairy aids in growth and development in
adolescence. As an adult, the protein found in dairy (casein) aids in muscle
repair and development as well as building stronger, denser bones.
How much dairy do you need?
Below
is list taken directly from the USDA. Find where you fit
in and see just how much dairy you need in your diet.
| Children | 2-3 years old | 2 cups | ||
| 4-8 years old | 2 ½ cups | |||
| Girls | 9-13 years old | 3 cups | ||
| 14-18 years old | 3 cups | |||
| Boys | 9-13 years old | 3 cups | ||
| 14-18 years old | 3 cups | |||
| Women | 19-30 years old | 3 cups | ||
| 31-50 years old | 3 cups | |||
| 51+ years old | 3 cups | |||
| Men | 19-30 years old | 3 cups | ||
| 31-50 years old | 3 cups | |||
| 51+ years old | 3 cups | |||
What counts as a cup?
Ingeneral one cup of dairy is equivalent to one cup of milk, soymilk, or yogurt,
1.5 ounces of natural cheese, or 2 ounces of processed cheese.
What are my dairy sources?
Milk, Skim milk, 1%, 2%, whole milk, chocolate milk,
strawberry milk, lactose-reduced milk, lactose free milk, and soymilk
Cheese American, Cheddar, Ricotta, Cottage, Swiss,
Parmesan, and Mozzarella
YogurT – fat-free, low-fat, reduced fat,
whole milk, and frozen
Milk-based desserts
-puddings, frozen yogurt, ice cream
**You want your dairy products to be either fat free or low
fat. The nutrient content is the same in reduced fat milk compared to whole
dairy, the only difference in the fat content leading to extra, empty calories.
I have two exceptions to this rule of thumb. The first is for yogurt. With
yogurt I recommend low fat vs. fat free as fat is part of what yogurt actually
is. The second exception is for children and growing adolescents. For them I
recommend 2% or whole milk and dairy. As they are growing and developing they
can benefit from the additional fat and calories. However, if your child is overweight or at
risk of becoming overweight, then I would recommend the 1% or fat free
products. **
If you are lactose intolerant your best bet to replace your
dairy is to use soy milk or soy products.
For more information on dairy you can visit the USDA website
at http://www.choosemyplate.gov
Rugy Team Conditioning
For the 3rd year in a row Elite Training LLC. is the Speed, Strength and conditioning coaches for the Philadelphia Woman’s Rugby Team (http://www.pwrfc.org/index.php ). After we performed a team wide evaluation. We have began training the team to build up their weakness and make their strengths stronger for the upcoming season. After being rained out last week were able to get a tough conditioning workout at the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.
We met the team at the steps at 7pm and got things started off with our ADW.
Next, we began the main part of the workout with 2 mins. of arm swing drills. Then, we went into core work and our interval ladder sprint sets. The AB work consisted of 30 seconds goes, followed by 8 sprints up and down the Philadelphia Art Museum steps. The team was to focus proper arm swing, knee drive and skipping at every other step going up. On the way down they were to stay relaxed and have quick feet, hitting each step on the way. We continued the workout above but dropped 2 laps each set until we got to zero. The ladies only got to enjoy 1 min. of rest between sets.
After a 2 min. rest we started to work on balance by single leg hoping up each step with arm swing being vital to having enough power to climb the steps. After each set we went into 30 seconds of plank push ups. This continued for 3 sets with 2 mins rest before starting the next part of the workout.
Unfortunately, the weather was look pretty scary, but we were able to squeeze in a cool down with an AB set right before the skies opened up and cut our session short!
Check back in next week when we continue to train the team!
Tennis Camp Update-Week of 8/8-8/12
This week’s workouts continued in the final phase of our
training plan which is the Performance Phase. The storms early in the week
brought us some nicer, cooler weather. The players didn’t have to worry about
battling the heat and high humidity. They did, however, have to worry about
maintaining solid form in each of the exercises we did. We spent months perfecting
form so that the players were ready for this high pace heavy workload of the
last phase of our summer training.
In Tuesday’s workout the focus was power, plyometrics, and
cardio. After our active dynamic warm up we moved into our burpee sprints. The
players lined up on the doubles line along the outside of the court. They
stayed moving the entire time, bouncing on their toes until I cued them to
perform the burpees. After 5-10 burpees the players blasted right into their
change of direction sprints on the court. They full out sprinted to the service center line, back to the
doubles line, all the way across court to the opposite doubles line, and then
finally back to the doubles line where they started. They repeated for a total
of three repetitions before a nice two minute break. After the break we
repeated the process for a total of three sets. The long rest allowed the players
to perform at a high intensity level throughout all three sets. The players
looked very explosive as they changed direction, making for faster and stronger
gameplay. We then moved into single leg lateral plyometric hops on the agility
ladders. The players performed the assigned hop on the ladder and then broke
out into side shuffles. I was a little skeptical at the beginning of the
workout with everyone looking so tired, but I wouldn’t be let down. As always, the
players made me proud by exceeding my expectations and working harder than
ever.
After a tough workout on Tuesday, I wanted to combine
different skills that were taught and worked on throughout the summer. We
combined different hurdles, ladders, shuffles, and sprints in a drill that was
topped off with a ball feed for either a forehand or backhand. I was amazed at
the pace in which each of the groups performed. They flew through the drill and
finished with shots all kept within the singles court!
Working with these players over the course of the summer has
been nothing but a pleasure and any Sports Performance Coaches’ dream. I have
watched before my eyes, not only these kids become better players, but also
better athletes in general. The sky is the limit as these kids continue to make
solid gains.
Pre-Season Wrestling Strength and Conditioning Camp starts soon!
Once again we will be running our Pre-Season Strength and conditioning Camp for Wrestlers starting on September 7th. We have had a great response and only have a couple of spots open. We have a great crew coming in for this years camp so keep a look out for pictures, videos and training logs from the camp! Pictures above are from previous years camp…enjoy!
Pre-Season Strength and Conditioning Camp for High School Wrestlers
“Champions are made in the Pre-Season!”
Date: September 7th, ending on November 13th (10 weeks)
Tuesday 6-7:30pm, Thursday 5:30-7pm and Saturday 1-2:30pm
Space is limited to the 1st 10 wrestlers that sign up.
At Elite Training LLC., we believe that
hard work during the pre-season is the foundation
for post-season achievement. In today’s ultra competitive wrestling environment,
success is the direct result of preparation. Any wrestler determined for a
successful season must begin preparation weeks if not months prior
to the start of the regular season. Waiting for the season to begin your
training will not put you on the road to success but will lead to failure on
the mats. Furthermore, simply wrestling and competing on the mats will not lead
to success. Off the mat training in wrestling specific strength and
conditioning greatly increases your edge over the competition!
What will be covered: Wrestling specific Strength and Conditioning Training Camp will
address the unique needs of wrestlers, such as footwork, hand speed,
explosive power, muscular strength, anaerobic endurance, cardiovascular
conditioning, core training and injury prevention. We offer skills and drills
that will get you to the next level. This will be a functional training camp
where we will use: kettlebells, bands, stability balls, balance pads and many
other pieces of equipment that are not the same old bench and squat lifts that
many programs consist of.
For questions and team/group rates email Wayne@EliteTrainingSports.com
If you have not included Kettlebells in your workouts …You SHOULD!
Great article on kettlbells. Click the picture.
Elite Athlete
We want to wish good luck to Elite Training Athlete Sean Quarterman as he leaves for his 1st college football camp tomorrow at Millersveille University. Sean will be a freshman QB this season and hopes to win the starting job as a freshman!
Sean has been an Elite Training client for over a year. He trained with us last spring/summer when we were hired to train the Monsignor Bonner High School Football Team in Drexel Hill, PA. After graduating this spring he signed up again to prep for his 1st college season. Sean trained with us 2-3 times per week for 1.5 hours each workout. We trained Speed/Agility and conditioning for 45 mins. followed by 45 mins. of strength each time.
After a successful high school career we wish him the best in is college career and have high expectations for him this season.
Tennis Camp Update!
Elite Training is part of the DVTA Tennis Camp held at Villanova University for the 3rd year in a row. We work with the campers on speed, agility, strength and conditioning with 3 different grouped level of players (Elite, Intermediate, and Beginner). Each player that we work with has a Sports Performance evaluation and is then placed in the proper group so that they receive the appropriate level of coaching, teaching and intensity to reach their maximum athletic abilities for the individual.
Elite Group:
This group is composed of high school tournament level players that are looking to reach a new level of fitness and competitiveness. These players were selected not only based on their evaluation score but their level of participation on the tournament circuit.
This week’s workout is in the final phase of our training plan which is the Performance Phase. In the performance phase we work on more advanced techniques, high pace with short rest periods. We have built a solid base of body weight training, balance and core work that has prepared the group to train at this high level. As expected with this dedicated group the kids have responded great to the increased work load and pace.
ADW
10 Interval Sprints on 7 seconds with 5 seconds rest.
4X of a Agility, Core, strength circuit with basic to advanced progression on each set. As always carefully attention was paid to proper technique throughout the workout.
Intermediate Group:
We worked on basic speed techniques that focused on proper starting, stopping and balance. In additioin, agility techniques were transitioned into linear speed sprints then into decelerations.
10 Interval Sprints on 8 seconds with 6 seconds rest.
Ladder drill: Single leg hops into sprint 3 each leg alternating each rep
Core as a cool down.
There are only a few more weeks left in the camp so be sure to check back in for more updates from Tennis camp!
Anthony’s Workout While on Vacation!
Summer is a great time for vacations and taking some time
off from work. There is nothing like taking a week or two off to relax. However, vacation doesn’t mean time off from
working out. There are so many fun ways to stay active during your time off, like
going for a run on the beach or a bike ride on the boardwalk. When I came to
the shore this week for vacation I knew there was no way I was going to go the
whole week without getting in some good workouts. I wanted to try something
different and new. As I was sitting on the beach laying around working on my
tan I found something new. My little brother asked if I wanted to try Stand up
paddle boarding with him. We were able to rent them for an hour for only $15
and then paddle right out into the ocean. The real question was if it would be
as good of a workout?
The stand up paddle board also known as a “SUP” is a cool
new product hitting bodies of water everywhere. It is an oversized surfboard
that is thicker and more buoyant than a typical board. They can be used on
lakes, rivers, beaches, even small ponds or creeks. The water just needs to be
deep enough so that the fin of the board doesn’t scrap across the bottom (8-12
inches). There are three ways (that I am aware of) that you can ride a “SUP.”
You can ride it sitting down, on your knees, or standing up. I tried all three
so that I could give you guys a review of each and tell you exactly where I
felt my body working!
Sitting down:
–
Sitting down is the easiest position to paddle.
It is more like riding a kayak or canoe. Paddling in this position most
resembles a seated row exercise. Sitting down eliminates the balance aspect of
the exercise. While paddling I could feel the work being done in my back,
predominantly in my upper back, as well as my arms. The muscles worked are the
lats (latissimus dorsi), the traps (Trapezius), the rhomboids, and the biceps.
Kneeling:
–
As soon as I moved into the kneeling position I
could immediately feel my core engage. The motion remains the same, but the
work now stems from the muscles of the core, the abdominal (rectus and
transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques) muscles as well as the
erector spinae muscle of the back (lower back muscle that runs up along the
spinal cord). This position was very uncomfortable for me and my bad knees.
Anyone who has had knee problems or knee surgeries I would not recommend this
position. With the addition muscle recruitment I was producing more force and
was able to move a lot faster.
Standing:
–
Standing on your feet is obviously the hardest
position and requires an extraordinary amount of balance. Wayne and I are
always using our different balance equipment during our workouts with our
clients, but this was on another level! I am someone with a great deal of
balance from all the snowboarding and wakeboarding I do and even I took a while
to get used to it. I fell a few times, and my little brother fell a whole bunch
of times! I was honestly a little surprised at how hard it was. I recommend
standing up slowly and then rocking back and forth a little bit to get a feel
for the balance that is needed. Don’t get discouraged right away and don’t
expect to stay dry. I am thinking that a few falls are pretty unavoidable, but
hey it is a great way to cool off! In this position you can feel a full body
burn! All the muscles of the back and core used in the other two positions are
used, but now the legs are involved (quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors,
and calves). The stabilizer muscles of my lower leg and calves were burning up
from controlling the rocking of the board. The paddling motion was now like a
squat so that I could get nice and low to dig the paddle deeper into the water.
I was paddling two strokes on each side while also pumping with my legs
producing a full body workout! Switching the paddle over the board really gave
me a great core exercise!
Review:
–
Overall I think the SUP was an awesome
experience and workout! My brother and I paddled all the way out to the mile
mark in the ocean despite getting yelled at by the lifeguards. We were so far
out that we could barely see the beach, and our only company was the swarms of
jellyfish and sea creatures underneath our board. We were a little freaked out
since it happened to be “Shark Week!” A
lifeguard had to come out on a waverunner to tell us to head back in. In total
we covered close to 3 miles on the board (a mile out, a mile in, and we chased
each other around once we were out far away from the beach). The next day my
legs were tight mostly in the hamstring, and well as my lower back. My little
brother, who is younger and doesn’t train to the same level as me, said he was
sore head to toe as he struggled to get out of bed. Two days later is when DOMS
really kicked in. DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness and usually
peaks 48 hours after activity. My core, butt, and legs felt like I had been
through one of Wayne’s boot camps! Since this was something new that I have
never tried before my muscles were worked in a different way and really had me
feeling good. It is nice to be sore every once in awhile!
I can see the SUP becoming more and
more popular. I am not saying go out and buy one, as they are priced between
$500-$1500 dollars, but I definitely recommend giving it a try next time you’re
at the beach!
Boot Camp!
After Monday’s tough upper body focused we had a tough leg focused workout today!
ADW
10 laps lite jog
Interval Ladder 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, with Abs as actitive recovery on the :30
4 sets of :90 seconds of heaven ab training
Everything on :30 seconds goes 4 sets of leg circuit
single leg lunges on a speed box with 15lbs. kb
RDL’s with curl
Squat and up right row
4 sets of Double arm KB swings with plank series on the :30 to finish up!
Great job today gang! Have a great weekwend and see you Monday!
Elite Training LLC. 