Monday, October 31, 2011

Getting the Food to Fight On

There are many diets out there in the world that claim they can do this amazing thing or provide that incredible result. Plus, consider that the diet industry is a multi-billion dollar a year business.

For fighters and athletes in general this means there is a mountain of confusion and disinformation. Accordingly, the nutrition plans that Burn with Kearns recommends are not diet centric, they involve a lifestyle shift.

If athletes are not eating enough food to meet their minimum diet requirements, nutritional inadequacies may start to occur. Symptoms include chronic tiredness, frequent illness, poor concentration, poor performance and poor recovery.

Highlights of the Burn with Kearns' Approach

Keep close to your optimal weight in the off season.

Our plans typically have an even amount of protein and carbohydrates with a low percentage of the good fats. For fighters the preferred ratio is 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 20% fat.

Recommended carbohydrates are mostly in the form of low gylcemic index foods that don't spike insulin levels. When you spike your insulin level that is the body's response to too much sugar in the blood stream, which can led to a "sugar crash". This disrupts your energy levels.

The protein we use in our programs is in the form of lean proteins, with eggs being the gold standard, followed by fish, and poultry. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that are found in fish, veggies, nuts and seeds are also recommended.

Water is a critical nutrient for athletes. Dehydration can cause muscle cramping and fatigue.

IDEA World 2011 - The Power of Kindness

In August, I was invited by IDEA Health & Fitness Association to present a workshop at their 2011 Fitness World Convention. In the fitness industry this is the equivalent of performing at the Oscars. IDEA has been around for 25 years, and is the leader in health and fitness. The association's mandate is to educate and inspire its 22,000 plus members beyond the status quo, and to enhance and elevate the health, fitness and wellness professions in general.

My session was called "Train Like An Ultimate MMA Fighter". It was the first time IDEA had explored MMA based conditioning at any of their conferences.

My right hand man and marketing manager, Ron Weinberg, was with me and he put in a lot of hours on this project. There was much riding on this event for me personally and my business. It was a pilot workshop by IDEA to see if MMA related programming could appeal to the general fitness community.

At 4:30 pm on August 14th over 100 trainers and group exercise instructors were present at my workshop held in the Los Angeles Convention Center. In addition, a production crew from IDEA was filming it for an upcoming educational DVD.

Although I was anxious to get into the practical portion of the workshop, I felt it important to explain what MMA Conditioning was all about as there were many unique aspects to introduce. As I finished the last of my PowerPoint slides, I was more than ready to lead my carefully planned class upon attendees.

Even though it was the end of the day, and many participants had attended hard charging workouts before mine, I knew that they loved to be challenged. Thus, I was determined to provide a level of energy, instruction and motivation that they would remember. As my session went on, I noticed more and more people coming in the room to watch. The energy was building throughout the space. It felt great!

Towards the last 45 minutes of the session, Douglas Brooks showed up. For those that are unfamiliar with Douglas, he is one of best known and highly regarded leaders in the fitness industry. Off to the side, he gave me a big thumbs up, which meant the world to me. I paused and introduced him to attendees and told the following quick story:

Twenty years ago, I wrote 3 letters to the top trainers in the industry. Only one responded. Douglas not only called me, he spent 2 hours on the phone with me! When I was filming my first DVD, I consulted him and he helped me tremendously. Over the years, he has become a good friend and mentor to me.

With that one simple act of kindness 20 years ago, this man helped shape my career. As one of my favorite authors, Wayne Dyer, would say "never underestimate the power of kindness".

I have a challenge for you: The next time you are at a favorite coffee shop, buy the next person behind you their cup of coffee. Don't let the person know you did and just walk away. This act will do more than you think.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

One of the Most Effective Leg Exercises

Years ago I was introduced to the kettle bell, which has become a very popular strength training tool. However, I never expected that it would be in my trainer's tool box for leg work and as a stability exercise.

The exercise I am discussing is a one legged dead lift. I absolutely love this exercise since everyone can gain a lot of benefit from it, no matter what sport you play. The one legged dead lift covers a lot of ground when done properly.

- Activates stability in the ankle, knee, and hip complex

- Ties the lower back and leg together as one unit

- Develops powerful legs

- Reduces the probability of injuries in the muscles its working

- Develops real world strength in legs

To perform this exercise pick a weight that you can handle for 8 to 12 reps on each leg. Stand on one leg with the weight in the opposite hand from the leg on the ground.

Fold forward from the hip and bend the ankle, knee, and hip all in one motion for a count of 4 as you breath in.

Reach the weight to inside of the foot that is one the ground as you fold from the hip.

Touch the weight to the inside of the foot of the standing leg.

Use your leg strength to straighten out your leg as you return to the standing position as you breath out for a count of 2.

Repeat for 8 to 12 reps on each leg.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

2012 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute

I will be presenting a workshop at the IDEA Personal Trainer Institute program, which will take take place in Alexandria, VA at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center on February 16-19, 2012. This conference has SOLD-OUT three years in a row: 2009, 2010 & 2011! The IDEA Personal Trainer Institute is the longest running exclusive Personal Training educational event. I am honored to be part of it. In my next newsletter I wrote a piece about my experience at the IDEA 2011 World Fitness Convention which was held this August in LA. You can subscribe to my newsletter here.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Getting Your Calcium Without Consuming Diary Products

Approximately 99% of the calcium currently in your body is stored in your teeth and bones. Calcium is also important for many other bodily functions, such as muscle contraction and exocytosis. Calcium is also essential for nerve conduction, the regulation of enzyme activity and the formation of cell membranes.

There are a number of Calcium options for those who do not consume dairy products. They include:

* Calcium fortified juices, cereals, breads, rice milk, or almond milk.
* Canned fish (sardines, salmon with bones) soybeans and other soy products (tofu made with calcium sulfate, soy yogurt, tempeh), some other beans, and some leafy greens (collard and turnip greens, kale, bok choy).

The amount of calcium that can be absorbed from these foods does vary.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Mediatation to Ground Yourself

Bruce Lee was quoted as saying "thoughts are things". Accordingly, mediation is an effective way to ground yourself and clear out the constant mindless chatter that goes on between our ears and negatively blocks our physical and mental functioning.

Anybody can mediate. Start with a few minutes a day and give it a try with these guidelines:

1. Sit or lie down comfortably

2. Find one word or phrase to focus on and say it as you breath

3. Breath in through your nose and out your mouth

4. Breath into your back and expand your kidneys

5. When a thought pops in your mind, recognize it and move on

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Olympic Training - Move and Shoot

Every two years you plop down in front of the boob tube to watch those bad ass Olympians do their thing. You may realize that paintball is smiliar to the biathlon because it’s fast paced, and requires a lot sprinting and focused concentration.

What you may not realize, however, is that these Olympic athletes have been busting their rear for the last 10 years doing drills and training just so they can smoke the competition. One of the best ways to train for this is to do agility drills with ladders, followed by sniping exercises.

DRILL ONE
Name: Two Feet in Two Feet Out on the Lateral
The Drill: While holding your marker, step two feet into each square and then quickly move both feet out. Then repeat in the next square.
Tip: Do it on grass so it’s uneven like the field.

DRILL TWO
Name: Drop and Shoot
The Drill: After two minutes of drill one, drop and shoot surrounding
targets from a kneeling position for 30 seconds. Repeat both one and two for the five-minute workout.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sports Conditioning - Save It for the Game

There has to be a purpose behind sports conditioning. It’s not about how much punishment you can dish out during the workout. It is about how much punishment you can have the athlete ready for come fight day. Equally a trainer doesn’t want his fighters to be injured during a training camp or after about. I know of two pro fighters that were instructed by their strength and conditioning coach to lift weights and run after their weigh-ins! Didn’t they ever hear the football coach’s mantra, ‘Save it for the game’?

Friday, February 4, 2011

MMA Strength and Conditioning Certification Weekend Spring Locations

With the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) rapidly growing, the strength and conditioning training programs these elite athletes use to train and prepare for their fights is receiving significant interest among those who train athletes and clients.

“The training strategies and techniques that MMA fighters employ can provide a competitive edge and or achieve dramatic results for a variety of populations, from recreational athletes, to college athletes, to anybody looking to get more functional value from their exercise program," says Coach Kevin Kearns, one of the acknowledged leaders in developing and managing strength and conditioning programs for MMA Fighters. His training clients include; Marcus Davis, Spencer Fisher, Kurt Pellegrino and Stephan Bonnar - to name a few.

Coach Kearns is now teaching his training methods at a weekend hands-on workshop that is recommended for personal trainers, coaches, and other fitness professionals. This spring, the Burn with Kearns’ MMA Strength and Conditioning Certification will be held in four locations in the United States and Canada. The locations include Ann Arbor, Michigan; Pasadena, Texas; Hudson, NH and Newmarket, Ontario.

“MMA strength and conditioning based training works well with personal training clients and in group exercise classes because it offers a never ending set of challenges and most importantly achieves functional results like no other method of training,” says Coach Kearns.

Steve Whittier, owner of Nexus Martial Arts in Wareham, Massachusetts, who has attended the Burn with Kearns workshop says, "the Burn with Kearns’ training program is a phenomenal tool for helping athletes and general fitness exercisers of all levels to get maximum results in minimal time while maintaining their motivation." He reports that his fitness and martial arts students love the Burn with Kearns' training methods.

For more information on the MMA Strength and Conditioning Weekend Workshop, please visit http://www.burnwithkearns.net or call 508.541.3281 for more information.