Live The Dream

Why did you decide to become a Personal Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Coach, or Group Exercise Instructor?

1. To make 6-figures? NOT

2. To be able to have a job with flexible hours? MAYBE

3. To help people? PROBABLY

Why can't the answer be all three? What is stopping you from becoming someone who earns 6-figures, helps a lot of people, and has flexible hours? I will tell you what is stopping you from this...YOU.

People in the fitness industry normally look at themselves as having a job, not a career. A job is something that you do for a certain amount of hours during the day or evening and a career is something that is going to lead you to the life that you have always wanted.

If you would like to take your job and turn it into a career, take some time out and think about what you really want in life. Think about how much money you would like to make, the house you would like to live in, or the financial burden that you would like to take off someone's shoulder...than write out where you would like to be in 1 year, 5 years, and than 10 years.

Once you have really narrowed down where you want to go, it is going to make figuring out how to get there so much easier

"It takes great challenges to do great things."
Alwyn Cosgrove

“MLB Power with the USB”

 (Rob Kaminsky-St. Louis Cardinals 1^st Round Draft Pick/Next Generation Training Center Athlete)

Let’s be honest, there is only two things that ALL baseball athletes must be concerned with:  Total Body Strength and Explosive Power.  Increasing these two areas will not only create a better baseball player, but will more importantly create a better athlete. 

Here are 6 exercises, with the Ultimate Sandbag, that are going to give you that MLB Power that you have been looking for:

1.     USB Rotational Lunge

The USB Rotational Lunge is a GAME CHANGER for us at Next Generation Training Center.  This move is a great way to develop flexibility in the hips, but also increase strength and mobility.  With the USB Rotational Lunge, we move in one plane and allow the weight to be moving in the other plane.

2.     USB Bear Hug Squat

Now this one is going to look easy and simple, but all I have to say is…WATCH OUT!!!  This exercise not only takes a lower body exercise and turns it into a total body exercise, but also puts the athlete in a perfect squat position, loads the right muscles, and builds flexibility.

3.     USB High Pull

The USB High Pull has become my replacement for Kettlebell Swings.  The USB High Pull is going to help us create power from our hips and is also the first step on teaching my athletes the Clean.

4.     USB Lateral Bag Drag

The USB Lateral Bag Drag is by far, my favorite exercise for training the Core.  This exercise will force you to stabilize the shoulder and integrate all segments of the body.  The key to this exercise is not to allow your hips rotate while you are bringing the USB across your body.

5.     USB Shouldering Lunge

The USB Shouldering position is one of the more challenging positions to perform a lunge with because of how unstable the USB is.  This position will not only challenge your legs, but also challenge your Core in a way that you never thought possible. 

6.     USB Shoveling

We use the USB Shoveling drill to teach our baseball athletes proper rotational patterns.  This is one drill that is guaranteed to get our baseball athletes hitting farther and throwing harder.

“Real World CORE Training”

What is your definition of core training?

The meathead bodybuilders will tell you that sit-ups while holding a 45lb plate and on a decline bench is a great core exercise….

Ahhhhhh OK????

The functional fitness trainers will tell you that a great core exercise is a plank on a stability ball with a super band wrapped around your waist and allowing the trainer to pull you in a certain direction…

Ahhhhhh OK????

Now I am not knocking anyone who does these exercises…well OK…I am knocking anyone who does these exercises, but before we can discuss what type of Core training that I suggest…We first must understand what my definition of Core actually is:

Core – Everything below the neck.

Simple isn’t it.  Now that we all understand what the true definition of core really is, here are 3 exercises that I use at Next Generation Training Center to challenge my clients core:

TRX Regressed Rollouts

TRX Rollouts are a great choice for training the anterior core, but this exercise is also very difficult for most people.  In order to have our clients all perform this exercise, we have decided to regress the movement by allowing the clients to start on their knees.

Trainers Tip:  When setting up for the exercise, make sure that you adjust the straps so that they handles are right below your waist.

Ultimate Sandbag (USB) Lateral Bag Drag

This is one of my favorite exercises, its not just about throwing the bag across your body.  It is about moving the USB across your body, in a controlled manner, while not having any change in your body position.

Trainer Tip:  Weight is not your only variable in this exercise…Try working with tempo and lets not forget about you base, or foot position.  The closer your base is, the harder you are going to make the movement.

TRX RIP Stack

This is one exercise that I have added to my programming last week after I attended a TRX RIP Training Course.  The TRX RIP Stack is a great exercise because it challenges the stability of the Core in a manner that really surprised me.

Trainer Tip:  Just like we talked about in the USB Lateral Bag Drag, weight is not your only variable.  Your hand position can be moved closer to create more of a challenge to this exercise.  Another way that I like to challenge my clients is by having them hold the Stack position for 10 seconds and than with the top of the RIP Trainer, have them write their name in the air.  This will really make them understand what the true definition of core training is.