Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Michael: the Inspiration
One
of the biggest issues with our culture here in the United States, is a lack of
deep understanding about health and wellness. We need to know the importance
of: consistent exercise, healthy nutritional options and ultimately how to go
about executing both. Without this knowledge: chronic illness, declining communal
health, and obesity well continue to plague all of us. The earlier we learn,
the more important it becomes and the easier it will be to implement it into
our daily lives. My name is Eric Sarra, I am a fitness professional based out
of Largo, FL. I recently took on the most inspiring young man who reminds us
never to have excuses, and how important fitness and wellness can be!
Michael
decided early in 2016 that he was going to play football for his local team:
The Clearwater Tornadoes. Talking with some of his friends at school who were
already on the team, he found out that to play youth football, there were
weight classes, and he didn’t quite fit the weight class where other kids his
own age would be playing. Michael confronted his family and told them that he
wanted to get fit, lose weight, and play football. Excited and intrigued - his
family was beyond proud of his will to get healthy and chase his dream. The
biggest problem, was that Michael was only 10 years old and hadn’t yet reached
an age where a gym would let him workout on his own, nor did Michael have the
first idea about health, wellness, nor fitness. Looking for some kind of
guidance and direction, his family began searching gyms, fitness centers, and
recreation centers all over the county to see what they could do for
Michael. They searched through 7 other
gyms before finally coming to my Anytime Fitness to find a personal trainer who
would take on a client who was under 14 years old.
Unfortunately
for Michael, there are a lot of fitness professionals who believe that
prepubescent weight training can cause epiphyseal fusion (early bone fusion),
ultimately stunting growth. Others go further and say, structurally and
hormonally, a prepubescent athlete’s body isn’t ready to weight-train. In my
practice, I have done research on the possibility of training school age children.
In my research I have found that many
weight-training institutions, including: the American College of Sports
Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), consider
resistance training to be a safe activity for prepubescent children, with
certain limitations. With proper supervision and an understanding of the
athlete and the limitations that are presented to younger clients, there is
truly no reason why fitness professionals should not work with a client under
the age of 14.
After
explaining all of this to Michael’s family, they were over-joyed to sign him up
with me. Michael and I began slow, getting Michael used to moving his body,
getting him used to resistance training, and getting him used to sweating! It
wasn’t easy, as Michael had often played sports with his friends, and had
attended physical education classes, but still wasn’t completely comfortable in
a gym, Michael often commented that, “weights sure are heavy”, and “this is hard”, but never did he give up. After a
few weeks, we were running footwork drills, and adding in football specific
exercises. In two
short months Michael has learned: how to properly use the gym, learned how to
make healthier nutrition choices and has officially lost almost 10lbs. He has gained
the confidence and mobility to try out (and earn a spot on) his football team!
After his first week of practice, Michael confessed to me that if it wasn’t for
the work we put in prior to practice; he would never have made it. The mastery
he has learned, he took to the gridiron and other aspects of his life - for the
better.
At
the ripe age of 10 years old Michael was able to embrace a healthier, more fit
way of life. We accepted that if he is going to achieve his goals: it will
be hard, he will be uncomfortable, but it will always be worth it. My hope is
that all children could learn what Michael has learned at 10 years old. I’m
confident that this experience has instilled in him the importance of health
and wellness in his day-to-day life. Michael has taught everyone around him, a
great lesson in never giving up, the importance of health, and the commitment
to our goals!
Instilling Health and Wellness Through Physical Fitness
Eric Sarra, CPT
In this explication is intended to
explain how a well crafted, and properly supervised weight-training program can
promote physical fitness in prepubescent athletes. Further discussed will be
the aspect of safety and main benefits of choosing a strength-training program
for your student athlete. Lastly is the program itself, for review.
The following
strength-training program developed for these student athletes is intended to
instill health and wellness through physical fitness. Built on the focus of
form, knowledge, and a respect for the weight-room. It instills, at a young
age, the notion that a fitness center can be beneficial so long as special
attention is given to detail. Children love to play, love to be challenged and
love to get better at their sport. As they get older, they will be encouraged
to use the weight-room to build size, strength and speed. From experience, I
can tell you that at 14-15 years old, walking into my high-school gym, I had no
idea about dumbbells or medicine balls. I have learned over the 2 years
professionally, and 12 years as a hobby the amazing capabilities a weight-room
can give to any individual. Although, it is not a walk in the park, it is most
important to be disciplined. For example: to hold good form throughout a lift
in order to avoid injury. One must respect that going for big weight before one
is ready, or lifting with bad form can result in injury. Additionally, one must
get past ego-driven questions, such as: “Who can bench more?” Finally one
should learn which lifts can benefit them, and which ones are unnecessary. If,
at a decisive age, the weight-room can be demonstrated as a tool for our
athletes, rather than as a competition ground, they will make further strides
with their sports than they may have without any knowledge at all. Ultimately,
all of this knowledge will show what an important and exciting force physical
fitness can be in their lives.
Some say
that prepubescent weight training can cause epiphyseal fusion (early bone
fusion), ultimately stunting growth. Others go further and say, structurally
and hormonally, a prepubescent athlete’s body isn’t ready to weight-train.
Although these might be true, in some applications, they only become true if
these young athletes are pushing themselves to the same degree as those involved
with bodybuilding and/or powerlifting. Strength-training or weight-training on
its own does not exist in the same category as weightlifting, bodybuilding or
powerlifting. The latter are considered sports: largely driven by competition,
with participants trying to lift heavier weights or build bigger muscles than
those of other athletes. So long as the two ideas are separate,
strength-training, especially sports specific strength-training, can be
beneficial for individuals at any age.
Many weight-training institutions, including: the
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and
Conditioning Association (NSCA), consider resistance training to be a safe
activity for prepubescent children, with certain limitations. A retrospective
review of injuries associated with weight training in pre-pubescent children
found that weight training is, in fact, safer than many other sports and
activities (Hamill, 1994). Other researchers also support pre-pubescent
weight-training. These researchers say the highly technical maneuvers and
lifting techniques associated with its practice make it almost impossible to use
too much weight too soon, so long as emphasis is placed upon the importance of
qualified supervision, in order to limit risk of injury (Faigenbaum &
Polakowski, 1999).
Safely
conducted strength-training, can offer many benefits to the younger athlete. It
must be remembered that these sessions should be supervised, and the training
context should be non-competitive. When these guidelines are in place, the following
benefits have been demonstrated:
increased muscle strength and endurance, sports performance improvement, improved
cardio respiratory function, protection of the child's muscles and joints from
injury associated with other activities, and stronger bones.
It is important to respect the
weight-room for the tool it can become for an individual, while keeping a
non-competitive, non-ego driven attitude while in a gym. It has also been
should that weight-training can be safe and beneficial for a student athlete
even prior to puberty as shown above.
The Workout:
Warm up: The kids and I
will begin by dynamic stretching, which is a light jog/bike/jumping jacks/high
knees.
·
Push ups – 2 sets of 25 (Bodyweight)
·
Overhead Press – 2 sets of 20 (3 or 6 lbs Medicine
ball)
·
Body Squats – 2 sets of 15 (Bodyweight)
·
Lunges – 2 sets of 15 (No Weight)
·
Bent over row – 2 sets of 15 (5 or 10 lbs plate)
·
Shallow Dips – 2 sets of 15 (Bodyweight)
Cool down: Another
Light jog/bike/jumping jacks/high knees. Full body stretch with Sport specific
stretches added!
Results
won't come overnight. Eventually, however, our athletes will notice a
difference in muscular strength and endurance. Having knowledge of what their
body is capable of and realizing the importance of physical fitness not only
for sports, but for life in general, will hopefully fuel a fitness habit that
lasts a lifetime.
Works
Cited/Researched:
Mayo
Clinic Staff et al. (Jan 2015) Strength Training: OK for Kids? Mayoclinic.org.
Hamill,
B., P.(1994). Relative safety of weightlifting and weight training. Journal of
Strength Conditioning Research. 8(1), 53-57.
Faigenbaum,
A,. D. Kraemer, W., J. & Cahill, B.(1996). Youth resistance training:
position statement paper and literature review. Strength Conditioning.18(6),
62-76.
Faigenbaum,
A,. D. Polakowski, C.(1999). Olympic-style weightlifting, kid style. Journal of
Strength Conditioning Research. 21(3), 73-76.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Cycling stimulants
Like most fitness enthusiasts this day-and-age, I religiously use a pre-workout. I slam my shaker bottle 30 minutes before I hit a weight, trying to get a good pump, great focus, and a little extra energy to boost my training to another level. Most work relatively well, and we all have our “jam” when it comes to which pre-workout we like best.
But, as with all good things, there
IS a drawback to our N.O. boosting powders and pills. Many will notice that
regardless of how many times we use the same pre-, our bodies will get used to
it. Our bodies are fantastic at adapting, at finding equilibrium. So, most of
us add an extra scoop, or pick a pre- with a little more caffeine, or agmatine,
or whatever it is we think we need, to fight that pesky tolerance.
This could be detrimental to some.
Over stimulation of our adrenal glands could burn them out over time. The “too much of a good thing” principle
comes into effect. To fight my built-up tolerance, I decided to go a different
route. Instead of taking 4 scoops, a cup of coffee and a nitric oxide booster,
I took a month off.
Now before you stop reading and
deem my entry as blasphemous, please understand, I didn’t take a month off from
the gym but a month off from stimulus-based pre-workouts. Anything with: caffeine, yohimbe, rauwolfia, xanthine, dimethylamylamine, or anything
classified as a stimulant found on a lot of pre-workouts was avoided. This way
I could allow my body to reach equilibrium and adapt to not having stimulants
before my workout, and allow my body to produce its own energy - its own
stimulation.
It was a little difficult at
first; I wont lie to you. My more-often-than-I’d-like 6am workouts were almost
a chore, and pushing out those last few reps was not as easy as usual. But I
slept better, I ate better, and eventually my workouts returned to their usual
place in intensity.
And then – after 30 days off
– I went back. I swallowed my stimulant-laden bright red liquid about 30 minutes
before my lift and was AMPED out of my mind. I got energy, focus, determination
and drive that I hadn’t felt since my first trial pack of the original White
Flood by Controlled Labs. I raised my leg extensions by 25# and my hamstring
leg curl by 15# from the week before for the same rep/set combo. It was invigorating
which pushed me to rep out extra in my next two exercises. By the end of my lift: I was beat, which is
what we are always looking for.
It may not be for everyone, and I
don’t know if you will gain such numbers in poundage if you take a month off
too. But I think it’s important to cycle off of stimulants in your workout
supplement routine from time to time just to keep your body guessing, and as a
recharge for your sensory capacities.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Desire to Achieve Fitness
My name is Eric Sarra, I am a National Council for the Certification of
Personal Trainers (NCCPT) Certified Personal Trainer. Although I have come to consider myself a success, my greatest accomplishments are my clients reaching their goals. I have yet to have a
client who has left my care because they did not achieve their goals, even myself.
The photo pictured of the slightly older and wider
gentleman, is myself. I was 227lbs, overweight and a shell of my former self. I
decided to envelop myself in the gym and found that there was no greater place
for me. I slowly reinvented every aspect of myself by learning and understanding the ins and outs of weight training machines, free weights, and nutrition. After 6 months of this, I decided I would make my
passion a career, and became a Certified Personal Trainer. I continued to fight and
regimented myself to a strict diet and workout routine that I wrote for myself. In 7 months I lost 50
lbs and 20% body fat. I am a competitive NPC bodybuilder and have competed in two shows (May 2015) and also recently (June
2016) took 3rd in my weight-class.
Through my own personal transformation and countless
other transformations, I have learned to love the excitement that goes into not
just personal training, but personal success! I live and breathe for my clients
to grab their health by the horns and find their inner "want-to".
It's true that no one has ever left the gym regretting the decision to go - but
it's the desire to get there that is the hardest to build, and that is my
ultimate lifetime goal. I named my personal training business: Desire to
Achieve Fitness. Because, with me - clients don't just get results, they
get the desire to achieve whatever results they want.
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