Chris spoke about the effects of concussions, both long and
short term, and how it is affecting athletes of all different sports.

As a strength and conditioning and sports skills coach, the effects
of concussions are something that I deal with often. I came out of it wanting
to do something over and above what I already do.

I finally did it. First, I made a workout for you
that’s simple and according to some of the best doctors, it can help lower your
risk of getting hurt. Second, I’m having a fundraiser this fall for SLI.

Lower Your Risk of Concussions With These Simple Exercises.

One of the keys to lowering your risk of concussions in
sports, or any high risk activity, is strengthening your neck muscles.

By strengthening and developing stability for your neck muscles
(the cervical spine), they can do a better job of absorbing the impact and funneling
the energy to the rest of your body.

Lower Your Risk of Concussions With These Simple Exercises.

On  November 13^th,
my MB Sports Tough Mudder Team and I will be entering the Tough Mudder
Challenge. This is a 10 mile obstacle course (we have to run 10 miles) that’s
supposed to be “the world’s toughest challenge.”

I’m really excited because of the physical challenge for me,
and being an advocate of SLI, I have agreed to do a fundraiser for the Sports
Legacy Institute.

I’ll let you know how the training is going!

To Your Best in Training!

MB

And to make the biggest gains in your strength training, and lower your risk of getting hurt, I’ve put together 5 Steps that no matter if you are an experienced lifter or just a novice, I guarantee will help you become better at lifting, get stronger faster, and break through any plateaus you may be experiencing.

It all starts with your thoughts…

Let’s face it, training correctly and training hard consistently takes discipline and can and even sometimes hurt. Yes, it hurts both mentally and physically to push yourself out of your comfort zone…not to mention the delayed onset soreness two days later. But keep your eyes in the prize…The harder you work, and the more consistent to your training, the bigger the future payoff!

So Here Are the 5 Steps To GET STRONGER FASTER!

STEP #1: Preparation

Everything starts with being prepared to go and get stronger! Have all your tools like sneaks, clothing, nutrition, and other stuff ready to go in a small gym bag. There’s nothing like being over hungry, or forgetting something when you need it!

Step #2: Warm Up Right!

Going for a light jog and doing your basic stretches just isn’t going to cut it. There’s a time and place for this…but not here. Your warm up has to be multi directional to get your body ready to perform. This is called a dynamic warm up and dynamic stretching. No good warm up = no good performance.

Step #3: Manage your weight room

Get your time and space under control for efficiency and effectiveness. Your workout shouldn’t be a “just kind of go with the flow.” Make sure you understand your time management (rest between sets), repetition plan, and all the tools you need in the space provided. This will help you be more consistent and keep you on track.

Step #4: Be a good lifter

• Prepare your own personal training equipment, and the training equipment you will use during the
  actual lift or movement.
• Lift your weights being used correctly.
• Approach each lift by getting into position safely and correctly
• Find a focus (somewhere to focus your eyes during the lift)
• Be aggressive (yes be aggressive)
• Have good technique
• Use the “proper” range of motion
• Manage your tempo (the speed of movement)
• FINISH YOUR LIFT!
• Do it again.

Step #5: FINISH IT OFF!

Finish your lifting movement from the pick- up to the put down. It drives me nuts when I see someone jump down from a pull up when there chin is still above the bar. Or when someone just throws the weight instead of placing it down. You lose such a big opportunity to get stronger on up to 50% of your movement. Put back all the weights, benches, and tools to their original location. Spray and wipe your benches with disinfectant (we don’t want to get anyone sick).

PS: Send this to your friends and teamates.