Random Thoughts

• If I get one more 16 year old kid asking me about protein powders I'm going to freak out. I've got kids asking me what brands they should be using and when to use it knowing that these same kids probably don't eat breakfast, have a Slurpy and a bag of Doritos for lunch and some macaroni and cheese for dinner with a 32 oz. bottle of Gatorade. No protein powders are going to help these kids. Getting nutrition basics in place is going to help these kids. Protein powders are a supplement and a supplement is only going to work if the basic principles are in place.
• What is jogging? The only thing I know about jogging is that it totally screws you up. When some one says they're going to go for a jog, do they mean, "I'm going for a shuffle down the road using an incomplete motor pattern so that just about every joint in my body hurts." Sprint, run or walk, but please don't jog.
• A good number of people tend to think hamstring strains are the result of tight hamstrings. Actually, a bigger cause of tight hamstrings are the muscles on the other side of the body that oppose the hamstrings, the hip flexors. If your hip flexors tend to be extremely tight, they're going to pull your pelvis into a forward tilt. This forward tilt can inhibit the glutes which work with the hamstrings to extend the hip. If the glutes are inhibited now the hamstrings have to do more work than they want thereby increasing the likelihood of a hamstring strain. Don't get caught in looking at the pain site as the source of the pain. It's usually the result of some dysfunction from the opposing muscle groups or a dysfunction of the joints above or below.
• With all this talk of the swine flu, H1N1, flu shots and what ever other pandemic is going to wipe away every human being on this planet, I never really hear about ways to protect yourself outside of the flu shot. You could do yourself a favor or two by cutting back on grains and processed foods, getting some regular exercise in, supplementing with Omega 3's and trying to get yourself some regular sunlight in order to get a boost of Vitamin D.
• I bought into the hype. I bought the TRX because that's all I had been hearing about in any newsletter or strength article I happened to be reading. The TRX was everywhere. I felt left out. I had another suspension trainer, the Jungle Gym, but I felt like I was missing out on something not having the TRX. Truth be told, the TRX is not that much greater than the Jungle Gym. Yes, it has footstraps that give it a bit more diversity. But the footstraps do not justify a difference in $60 in price between the TRX and the Jungle Gym. Now I feel like one of these people who gets sucked into buying the latest belly flab ridder.
• A friend and colleague of mine, Dave Gleason, opened up one of the first Athletic Revolution franchises in the country. I went down to check the facility out a couple of weeks ago and it is definitely a top notch facility. If you happen to know any one on the South Shore who is looking to get their kids involved in some type of athletic preparation type of program, this is the place to go.
• I'll end with a totally random thought. I need to start working some Turkish Get Ups back into my routines. I hate doing them which means I should be doing them.