The Ultimate Health Shake!

This is a great tasting shake that contains all your daily values of Fruits and Vegetables and will provide you great energy!! Try it out and let us know what you think! All green supplements can be found on www.vitacost.com as well as a vanilla whey or soy protein. For this particular shake we usually use Soy Protein and consume early in the day.


4-5 Ice Cubes
1 Scoop of The Greens Supplement
1 Scoop Vanilla Soy Protein
1 cup of Blueberrys (Frozen or Fresh)
1 cup of Strawberrys (Frozen or Fresh)
1 Apple Sliced with Skin On
2 Tablespoons of Agave Sweetener or Natural Honey
2 Tablespoons of Natural Vanilla Extract
1 Yogurt (any flavor)
Fill Blender Half Way with Milk/ Coconut Water/ Water or Almond Milk (Its up to you depending on the flavor you want!

Mix all ingredients and blend... drink immediately after blending!!

Winning... Its an Art..and Takes Teamwork!

When it comes to winning, not everybody can do it. One team in each sport has the chance to bathe in the ultimate glory of holding up a championship trophy- and can celebrate in a positive outpour of emotion that is second to none.

The true reality of winning is that the best lesson learned from the experience is how to win- and why teams win. In order to capture the Grand Prize of a Championship Victory- teams must not just play together, believe in each other, and sacrafice themselves and their bodies- they must free their body of selfishness and do whatever it takes to put the team first, and their teammates first.

The glory of winning- and the marvels that go along with winning sometimes overshadow the lesson at hand- teams win in team sports- and this is a culmination of individual sacrafice to achieve greatness. In the game of baseball- those trying to hit a homerun to help the team often times help the team lose- where those that drop a sacrafice bunt to "make something happen" often times become unrecognized heroes in regards to media coverage- but in the mind of the team- that player has achieved respect and clout amongst teammates. To win time and time again- these characteristics have to become a part of who your are- be present everyday- not just when a player feels like it.

The lesson to recap is simple- to win for the team- play for the team- not for yourself- and you will be blessed with winning- which in turn leads to personal fufillment since you know your contributed to achieving the grand prize.

Supplementation....This Weeks Q AND A..

Q: Just wondering what your thoughts on supplementation are? Some of my high school kids I have suggested supplements. However, some of them just have poor eating habits.

Do you think we should focus on eating habits before we suggest a supplement?

A. Without a doubt! Eating habits are always the problem for kids and adults alike. It is imperative to stress good, natural type eating before promoting any type of supplements. The validity and success of supplement consuption is also debatable. In reality supplements are chemical compounds, where as natural non-processed food is much more well received by the body.

Focus on this saying: If it wasn't around 100 years ago, you shouldnt be eating it today. This will define what natural is!

Inspiring Article on Guts from a Major League Strength Buddy..

A player with guts that will do whatever it takes....




http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers-mientkiewicz2-2009aug02,0,131328.story

READ ARTICLE....

X is for EXcellent Shoulder Health....

The Cable X-Pattern is a favorite in the Major League Strength Exercise Protocol Sheet for keeping healthy shoulders. The ability to move the scapula in a downward path is crucial to enhancing posture, while at the same time decreasing shoulder injury.

If a thrower can maintain a neutral scapula or shoulder blade, that is the first step towards achieving arm health because it takes the thrower away from the postural distortion pattern of rounded shoulders, so common now in the computer age. Pull the Shoulders back... and keep shoulders healthy!

FIRE THOSE GLUTES!!

Healthy Hips are a product of properly firing glutes. Here is a simple exercise to keep those glutes firing!

Keep Throwing Crap Against The Wall..Eventually Some Will Stick!

The bottom line is this, there is way to much substanceless training going on throughout the country right now. Most is fad based, or based on the "how much to you sweat, how much to I yell to push you" model. This might seem cool while watching video, or watching people throw up, but what isn't cool is the breakdown that takes place in joints and structure as a result of this poor movement, yet "cool, trendy, faddy" training. So, with this being said, if you are a coach, evaluate what you are doing; do you have a system? are you athletes healthy? do you have structure and progression to your program? is everybody doing the same thing? is an athletes injury history/makeup/ coaching style taken into consideration?

These are very important questions that need answering or training for sport will never reach its full potential.

Do Kids Stretch?

Do kids stretch before they play? Do kids stretch before they run after each other? Do kids stretch ever besides in gym class and when they are forced to? The answer is a definite NO! So then why do adults and teens have to stretch? The answer to this question seems to be: LIFE MAKES YOU STRETCH. The bottom line is this, as we get older, often times we become less active, and with this reduced activity, comes more sitting. Sitting shortens muscles, which leads to altered tension on the musculo-skeletal system. This fact, along with increased muscle as a result of age, creates more tension on the body, fueling the sensation and need for stretch. So, should adults still stretch, absolutely, but if activity is increased, sitting is decreased, sports forcing multiple movements and planes of motion are performmed, and pool recovery, along with massage are instituted into your routine, you can certainly stretch less!

The Game Is Changing....

A game that was based on the long ball throughout the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's is changing to one of speed and athleticism. With that being said, has the training of this athlete changed to accomodate these new found needs in athletic development and performance? Is the baseball program being used strictly based on "how big" the athlete is, or "how much the player can bench?"

If the answer is yes, don't let the times pass you by. The focus on speed development, athleticism, strength, and power should be the focus of the modern day baseball program, with a major focus on quality of movement throughout the training program. Perfect movement will enhance speed. Perfect movement will enhance strength. Perfect movement will enhance performance.

Become Legendary..... Excuses

Routines = Consistency... You got one??

Baseball is a game of fundamentals. Games are played with an incredible frequency, and demand the same great focus day in and day out to achieve success. The greatest players in the game achieve success based upon these principles and are creatures of habit with their routines.

Routines come in many different shapes and sizes- some guys eat a certain meal, eat at a certain time, do their hair at a certain time, get dressed a certain way, workout certain days and times, etc.. you get the point. This is what the successful players do- its as if their day is pre-planned through 162 days, and for that matter, most of the time so are the outcomes.

Those players that follow a successful routine, along with having talent, can virtually predict their results and outcomes. A player in the league 8+ years, knows where he stands in regards to average, rbis, homeruns, and era if they are a pitcher due to past results. Searching through player stats will illustrate this, and you too will see consistency amongst play. Those players that bounce around, have inconsistent seasons, often times lack stability and their routines and daily schedules illustrate this.

So, find your routine, make sure you are prepared each day, and then all you need to do once the game starts is execute. Also in regards to routine, you must believe in your routine through thick and thin, making slight adjustments as needed. The great players stick with it through thick and thin, which creates a solid foundation for them of belief that they are prepared each time they take the field, even though at times slumps will try and knock you off your horse.

Staying consistent and believing in your routine will work to create positive results.

Become Legendary...... Whats Inside You...

The Hip Flexor Complex...and Anterior Pelvic Tilts..

This post will is meant to further discuss the Anterior Pelvic Tilt Posture, and show how this results from a tight hip flexor complex, as well as an intro to how this postural deficit will cause decreases in performance and increase risks for injury throughout the lower extremity, as well as through the low back and obliques.

As you see in the tilted pelvis, the lower back almost looks as if it is getting "jammed" as a result of the tilted pelvis. With that being said, we see must understand what is happening here, and also see the simplicity in functional anatomy.

If the pelvis is tilted, high in the back, low in the front, we will see that the hamstrings become long and "tight", while the hip flexors (which also include the quads) become short and "tight". With that being said, the common complaint of tight hamstrings, especially in the baseball world always has a cause, and 9 times out of 10, it is not the hamstrings that are directly tight, but the hip flexors which are causing what we will call perceptual sensation of tightness of the hamstrings.

So with this being said, event though this tightness is a sensationm, it is real, and could lead to continual hamstring strains. In our next post we will discuss how this postural issue can results in oblique strains and lower back tightness.

The All-Major League Strength Team..

Tiger..The Ultimate Competitor.. How the Best Became the Best..

To be the best.. you must watch the best... and follow the best..