Optimal health is a state in which your body is free of malfunction and unlikely to develop disease. It’s also synonymous with being full of vitality and energy. You achieve this state by living a lifestyle that promotes your body to function exactly as it’s designed to. While that may sound simple, modern society makes it very difficult by presenting us with many tempting opportunities to promote malfunction. Furthermore, the misinformation spread by the pharmaceutical and processed food industrites makes it difficult to uncover the truth and recognize the importance of a healthy lifestyle. read more »

Holiday Metabolism Special

Metabolism, Body Fat, and Weight are all related to each other. The slower your metabolism, the more likely you will be to carry excess weight and body fat.

Your Metabolic Rate is how many calories you are burning at rest. Endurance athletes have higher Metabolic Rates than sedentary people. This means at night, while they are sleeping, they are burning more calories than the average person.

Raising your Metabolic Rate is easy. You need to do a well designed exercise program that allows you to grow safely and consistently.

A good program will include, but not limited to, cardio exercise of 10 to 20 minutes, combined with strength and power training.

The combination of the two will rev up your engine, and get you chipping away at your existing body fat percentage and weight. It also makes you younger!

With the holidays approaching, consider Personal Training from Paul Pisani CPT, either on the internet with www.pegasustrainer.com, or in person!

New ATHLETIC DNA Van to hit the Junior Circuit

Pisani Training clothing sponsor, Athletic DNA will be hitting the road in the next couple of weeks to the Fustar Tennis Academy in Northern California.

Juniors will be able to relax, get proper nutrition, and play games when there is time away from the matches. In addition, ADNA plans on having training equipment and personal to help the ADNA sponsored juniors to get ready for their matches.

ADNA performance clothing is light weight and made specifically for the athlete and tennis player. www.athleticdna.com for more information.

Low Back - Exercises and Loading

There are many different core exercises that one can do. Based on your history, some may be better for you to do than others. But some exercises regardless of history, may be creating a future problem without you even knowing it. I happen to have witnessed many lower and mid back injuries while I have been involved with the sport of tennis, and I have to admit that there were times that I implemented the wrong exercises in some of my clients training periods.

Mike Boyle is known as one of the best Strength and Conditioning Coaches in the world. I have watched all of his DVD’s and have loved them. In one of the first episodes, he went over a reading list that he thought important for trainers and coaches to read. One of the books was’ “Lower Back Disorders” by Dr. Stuart McGill.

This book changed the way I looked and trained my clients because it answered many of the questions I had concerning strengthening, prehabing, and rehabing, the lower back area. Although the book is a heavy read, one noteworthy quote from it shows that some extension and flexion exercises exhibit more “loading” on the lower back than others. “Loading” is how much compression occurs in the spinal area that is being trained.

McGill states, “Because exercise is a crucial element of rehabilitation for low back problems, it is crucial that you understand the loads you are imposing on your client’s back when you prescribe an exercise. Otherwise what was intended to by therapeutic may become an exacerbating factor for her back troubles.”

Do you have to have back problems to avoid exercises that involve huge amounts of loading to the lower back? No of course not. Just like tapping your thumb with a hammer, over time, it will become sensitive and begin to hurt. Mark Verstegen in his book Core Performance has a whole section devoted to “Prehab”; Exercises that keep you off the injury list.

Loads on the Low Back During Flexion Exercises

“The Goal is to challenge muscle at appropriate levels but in a way that spares the spine. Too many exercises are prescribed that exceed the tolerance of their compromised tissues. In fact, I believe that many commonly prescribed flexion exercises result in so much spine compression that the client will remain at risk.

For example the commonly prescribed sit up imposes approximately 3300 N (about 730 lbs) of compression to the spine. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (1981) has set the action limit for low back compression at 3300 N repetitive loading above this level is linked with higher injury rates, yet this is imposed on the spine with each repetition of the sit up.”

BAD FOR LOWER BACK

In short, traditional “Superman” pose, where you are prone and your stomach is on the ground is another exercise that McGill says’ “even worse is the commonly prescribed back extension task in clinics, in which the patient lies prone and extends the legs and outstretched arms; this again activates all four extensor sections but imposes up to 6000 N (over 1300 pounds) on a hyperextended spine. Not justifiable for any patient or client.”

MUCH BETTER FOR LOWER BACK!

The Big Bozz Returns

After what seemed like an eternity, Amer Delic, aka The Big Bozz returned to action over the weekend in Portugal. This time, he was on a new team. A team that I am sure holds dearly to his heart, Bosnia.

Some people may think that this is an “Uncool” move on his part since the USTA provided Amer with some assistance early on, but those days are long gone, and Amer after all is a Tennis Player! In professional sports, trades happen all the time , and this is no exception.

Here is The Big Bozz getting ready for his eventual loss to Fredrico Gill of Portugal. 7-5, 6-4. 6-7. 4-6. 9-7 …. an epic battle that will certainly throw Amer right back into the mix…

ON COURT AGILITY WITH WHITE SHADOW

Here is a small clip from the US Open where Rob and I got ready for his doubles match with some agility at the end of practice.

Side to side movement is super important in tennis, and this is one of many drills to help increase speed and balance.