December 12, 2008

Mark Personal Trainer on Bird Dog.

After posting Ski Conditioning III, I was asked what the bird dog is. The bird dog is not just for athletes. Nor is it just a dance craze gone out of style. It’s also a great exercise for preventing back pain.

The bird dog is an excellent stabilization exercise for conditioning the core - the region that includes the abdominals, lower back, butt and thighs.

Here’s a video that can demonstrate how it’s done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1kranTPgxI

December 10, 2008

Mark Personal Trainer On Ski Conditioning IV.

Cardiorespiratory Conditioning.

Aerobic capacity is very important to skiers so they have the endurance to ski/snowboard for more than one or two runs, maximizing their enjoyment of skiing experience. As stated before, When you’re training for a specific sport or activity, you want your training to mimic that activity as closely as possible.

In-line skating uses many of these muscles and movements. You could also simulate these movements by running or walking up and down a hill. Lean into the hill on the way up and going down by walking backward with your buttocks sticking out.
 
More choices for cardiorespiratory conditioning include: bicycling, stair climbing, elliptical trainer, step/low-impact aerobics, slide board training, running a hilly course, rollerblading and rowing. Basketball, squash and racquetball are good off-season sports because their lateral/cutting action will train your muscles for the side-to-side agility involved in skiing.

Cardiovascular exercise should be done 3-4 times per week for at least 30 minutes at a vigorous pace. If you haven’t been working out, begin with a moderate pace for 10-15 minutes and add 1 or 2 minutes each week. After you’ve built up to a 30-minute workout, gradually increase the intensity of your exercise. Target heart rate is one way of monitoring your exercise intensity. Try to stay within 75-85% of your maximum heart rate (220 – age). If you are just starting out, shoot for 65-75% MHR and gradually work your way up. If you are in great shape, you can safely go up to 90% MHR. Warm-up and cool down at an easy pace for about 5-10 minutes at the beginning and end of your workout.

To improve your cardiorespiratory fitness, try one, or preferably a combination, of the following activities on three nonconsecutive days per week.

December 9, 2008

Mark Personal Trainer On Ski Conditioning III.

Resistance training for Muscular Endurance and Strength.

Your muscular strength and endurance training program should include exercises that improve knee stability and condition the muscles used in skiing. These muscles include your quads (front thigh), hamstrings (back thigh), glutei (buttocks), hip abductors and adductors (outer & inner hip), abdominals, back extensors and muscles on the inside and outside of your foot and ankle. Generally, strengthening exercises should be done 2-3 non-consecutive days per week, 1-3 sets, 8-20 (depending on fitness level) repetitions or to muscle fatigue. Exercises for the abs and back should have an endurance focus and be performed for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Consider integrating the following exercises into your training program:

• Squats with free weights, leg press machine or own body weight
• One-legged squats: 45 - 90 degrees knee flexion
• Standing Lunges (reverse, forward & diagonal)
• Balance on one leg with knee slightly bent and move the other leg out and in, back and forth. Or stand in ski position with knees flexed and shift your weight from side to side, balancing for a while on each leg.
• Side to side steps, hops or jumps (elastic band and waist belt increase resistance)
• Standing or lying leg lifts (out to the side and backwards)hip
• abductor/adductor machine
• Calf raises on a step
• knee raises sitting on a ball
• side plank
• bird dog
• Back extensions

December 8, 2008

Mark Personal Trainer On Ski Conditioning II.

Muscular Strength and Endurance.

Physical training of any kind should be approached in a progressive manner. Use an exercise regimen that’s appropriate for your present level of conditioning. Before starting a training program, it’s best to consult a trained professional to assess your current fitness level and ensure that you progress your training properly as to limit your risk of injury.

If you’re the average skier, you’ll typically ski for about 100 yards, then you stop, catch your breath, wait for your friends, take in the scenery, and head down another 100 yards. This makes for exercise that is more anaerobic than aerobic (especially if you fall along the way.) The cumulative effect is that you need muscular endurance as well as cardiorespiratory endurance.

Focus on developing legs, core and back that have the strength needed to resist your bodyweight in all the various positions coming down the mountain and it should also strongly focus on developing muscular endurance so that you can work these muscles all day long.

When you’re training for a specific sport or activity, you want your training to mimic that activity as closely as possible. I’ll recommend exercises that will do so for the skier.

December 5, 2008

Mark Personal Trainer On Ski Conditioning.

Here is some better late than never advice for ski conditioning. The ideal time to start training is 8-12 weeks before the season opens. Statistically, most ski injuries happen during the first day on the slopes.

So, if you plan on doing any skiing this season, you’d better get training.

Two main objectives in your conditioning are to:
1. Train your body into the best condition possible for the specific demands of the sport.
2. Prevent injuries before they happen by preparing your body for the inevitable impacts that come with sliding on snow.

This requires training for endurance, stability, balance, strength, power and flexibility. I’ll elaborate more on these later.

December 4, 2008

Mark - Personal Trainer Colorado

I’m currently looking for a couple of people for whom I can help to optimize their quality of life, training with me. I’m offering customized programs for you to learn more about nutrition and fitness, to participate in fun activities and to meet others like yourself. I will customize your training programs to meet your needs and goals, whether you are interested in conditioning for a specific sport, losing some extra weight, or improving your general health and well being. I’ll keep you motivated and on track! Contact me to discuss options and I’ll introduce you to the best training studio in the Denver west metro area.

Mark Mueller
720-366-5562
TrainerMarkM@aol.com

December 1, 2008

Mark - Personal Trainer in Colorado and Online.

Hello and thank you for visiting!

I am a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, located in west metro Denver, Colorado. I started my career in the fitness industry five years ago, and I’ve been studying fitness and nutrition for 18 years. I like to find out why people are motivated to work toward a better quality of life, and help them to focus on it to achieve their goals. I’m committed to helping my clients maximize their results to make their training a winning success. I also like to mix it up and have fun.

I have a varied, relative background. I served as a squad leader in the United States Marine Corps. I have also earned black belt rank in two martial arts systems and am studying three others. I like to volunteer as an instructor, teaching martial arts to children and adults.

People are my passion. The purpose of my blogging is to answer questions that I get from clients and the wonderful people in my social networks. There will be all kinds of information that is relevant to health and wellness that I will share here too. You are welcome to post questions to my blog and let me know how I can further assist you. I also welcome those who would like to guest blog here. Feel free to contact me directly as well.