Basketball Plyometrics Exercises

Basketball Plyometrics Exercises

Another article by yours truely on Stack.com. This one focus' on getting your vertical up and getting some hops. Check it out and share if you like.
The important thing is to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we can become.

SPORTIQUE: Man Perfected Natural Body Care

"Cleanliness is next to godliness" This ancient proverb is said by many but followed by very few. Nowadays while companies are trying hard to "man up" most body sprays and shampoos, the lotion and creme market is still pretty bland. You either smell like a sore 90 old person if you use pain relief cream or throw on some lotion and smell like cucumber grapefruit before your night on the town. I don't know about you, but as a man and a top level athlete neither really works for me. I'm guessing it didn't work for the designers of SPORTIQUE either.

SPORTIQUE sells itself as "Man Perfected Natural Body Care" and for all intensive purposes they have defiantly set the bar high. After reaching out to them they were kind enough to send me a few samples. And by samples, as you can see in the picture, they sent enough for me to start a small boutique in the mall. Trust me though, I'm not complaining because from what I've used their products work. And work well at that. I have not had a chance to test them all but did manage to try a few hand creams and pre/post work ointments from the line. The hand cream is rich without being greasy. The Shea butter goes on smooth and rubs right in. I even used it on my new tattoo being that they are all natural ingredients. The shaving oil is great and a little goes a long way. It moisturizes the skin and since it's oil you don't have to keep reapplying like you do with foam creme. The Warming Up creme was actually very impressive. A client of mine had a ankle bruise from a soccer game. Real nice black and blue shiner. So figured I'd try it and just have her rub some on. She didn't know what it was but agreed. The very next day she text me asking what it was since the discoloration in her ankle was pretty much gone. She even went as far as asking if it was some miracle creme. Now while I wouldn't go THAT far, you can't argue with the results. Same goes for the Get Going Creme that you Use prior to intense physical activity to loosen up or, soothe and invigorate.
The SPORTIQUE line is very upscale products that men won't mind using and women will enjoy it when they do. The scents are relaxed without coming off too metro or over the top. Each one is loaded with clean botanicals such as lavender, aloe, almond and all kinds of other great skin promotions oils. Even the containers, while basic, have enough style for a man to feel comfortable using. My only complaint is some of the containers aren't flight size friendly with these new airport rules (I learned first hand) but that's more nit picking than anything. I'd recommend them to anyone looking to bring a new element to the hygiene table. Also if you are someone like me who likes the peace of mind that your skin care products are natural and organic while still doing what it was supposed to do, keeping your body looking and feeling good, then SPORTIQUE is the way to go. Just don't share it too much or your friends might fall in love and you'll never see it again. I recently learned that first hand too.
SUMMARY
GET IT! Chances are you care about your hygiene (if your over the age of 9 you better start) and probably spending money on body care products anyway. While the products may be alittle pricey, their well worth it in that "you get what you pay for" sense. I'd definitely recommend the Joint & Muscle Gel, Warm Up Cream, and the Century Riding Cream although all of the products seem to work equally well so if you can get, get them all.

FIRSTAR Compression Shirt: the next big thing.

FIRSTAR Sports Shirts
http://www.firstarsports.com/

As everyone knows, I'm a under amour guy. Tops, shorts, hoodies, even ones that haven't come out yet, I have. I literally have two draws of just UA workout tops.Well those tops might be making room soon because FIRSTAR may have stolen some of the spotlight.

I contacted FIRSTAR about the compression shirts after hearing through the grapevine about them but not knowing much detail. I assumed it would be another Kmart type compression shirt jumping on the trend. I couldn't have been more wrong. Putting the T3 on you notice it's a lighter material than most compression shirts which is always a plus as long as the material is durable. Being that FIRSTAR was originally made for hockey players (it's a Canadian company ah) you know the material is meant to last. Now some confusion came after getting the shirt on as it wasn't as "compressed" as I expected around my upper back giving me a weird bat man cape look. After pulling on the shirt a little and lining it up better, it was form fitting and had a nice feel to it. At first glance, it passes the looks test with nice colors and smooth seams that don't restrict any motion, a issue most compression shirts seem to overlook. Also the way that the seams are done around the shoulders, the fabric has give where most outfits would pull. If I shoot a jump shot or do a shoulder press FIRSTAR gives me free range while my lovely under armor pulls up the rest of the shirt making it uncomfortable and constantly needing to be pulled back down or worse changing my form . FIRSTAR 1 - UA 0..The next step was to see how it held up in a workout setting. Now I'm no hockey player but I assume they don't sweat a lot on the ice but me ( I was later corrected that their actually pretty sweaty guys), but I sweat like Shaq. This is where FIRSTAR really raises the bar. While my face was dripping with sweat, my body felt perfectly dry. Always a big concern of mine was how if you sweat in most compression shirts, the shirt shows the sweat. But not FIRSTAR. After a hour workout and basketball that had my face dripping, the shirt was almost dry to the touch and "cold dampness" at very worst. No huge wet sweat mark, no body clinging sweaty shirty. When I got home it was already basically good to wear again. You can tell they really put effort in how to handle moisture when designing these shirt.

SUMMARY
FIRSTAR impressed me. What I expected to be pretty much another basic compression shirt turned out to be my new go to shirt on intense workout days. With its free range of motion and amazing moisture control, I like it so much I might even get some for my training staff to wear as uniforms. So when you get a chance, head over to FIRSTAR and get your self a pair before other people find out and they start getting pricey.

Jay Wolf's Star Shooter

Jay Wolf's Shooting Star
http://www.starshooter.net/

Basketball fundamentals are commonly overlooked now days in order to sell flash and style. I can name about 10 NBA all star stars who can't even hit a jump shot on a regular basis (I'm looking at you Ben Wallace). Well shooting coach Jay Wolf took it into his own hands to make that easier to rectify.

Now let me start off by saying there's TONS of shooting aids on the market. All make the same claims they can turn any kid into Ray Allen. And while they help, few helped as fast as Jay Wolf’s SHOOTING STRAP did with me. As a college player and even when I trained with the NJ Nets, I always had good form on my shooting hand, so most aids didn't really effect me in a positive way. They became more of a hindrance that made my shot awkward. The SHOOTING STRAP though wraps on the off hand instead which made a immediate difference. First off the STRAP wraps around your off hands forearm and loops onto your thumb. This set up stops your thumbs from pushing the balls off center during your release, something most people do without realizing. Secondly by isolating your shooting hand to this extent, it makes it even easier for the shooter to realize their mistakes upon release. Only having one hand to worry about, you can correct your arm and stroke faster just by how the shot comes off your hand. I'll admit the first day it threw off my shot to where I couldn't hit anything but once getting past the learning curve it became a fluid motion even after I took the strap off.

SUMMARY
I've accepted I'll never be Ray Allen from the 3 point line, but the SHOOTING STRAP defiantly made me more confident in my shot. While you can do form shooting for hours right under the rim, it's harder to form shoot on jump shots and off the dribble. With the SHOOTING STRAP you can and instantly see results just by dissecting your own release. So like me even if your not Ray Allen, eventually people will learn not to leave you wide open anymore. Its a good investment for any player on any level.

A Bron Brief: Quick Fitness Tip #1

One of the fastest way to correct your diet is to notice its flaws. Everyone thinks they eat good until they really set aside time to see what goes into their body....So today's fitness tip is to...wait for it....invest in a FITNESS JOURNAL...

Diet and Starvation: Thin line

When most women talk diet, their first instinct is to stop eatting...EVERYTHING. Now some see results from this eventually but the news flash is, its actually kind of bad for you and pretty counter productive.

Portable Power Jumper: Short Cut to Hops?

LifelineUSA Portable Power Jumper

Now let's start this off with a disclaimer; I am not a beginner. I have played sports on literally every level minus NBA/NFL. I have been dunking since I was 14 and as of the last pro combine I went to, I had a legit 39 inch vertical. So this will not be some review about how power jumpers turned my vertical from 12 to 20 inches. But there in lies the beauty of the product, it works on everyone from soccer mom wanting to just do squats all the way up to advanced athletes. A kind of jumped ahead but had to point it out. You see most vertical leap programs and equipment work wonders for someone who has never touched a weight before but your gains fall into a plateau after your body adjusts to the new stress your putting it other. That's why 90% of testimonials follow the "omg I'm 16 and never dunked before now" template. It's rarely "hey this took my vertical from 35-45." A) Because improving an already astounding vertical is hard as anything. B) Beginners are almost guaranteed results by the simplest of workouts. Think of it fitness wise. Who will drop weight quicker, a obese person who has never worked out or someone who is already in elite shape and wants that last body fat percent drop?

Evidence Based Apparel: Is the the real deal?

I spend most of my mornings before clients get here scouring the net for athletic equipment and new things to add to my training collection. Recently I came across a site called Evidence Based Apparel. Now EBA makes posture apparel to, well....help with your posture. They claim their posture shirts and S3 will improve posture, reduce:neck, back, and shoulder pain, increase shoulder function, improve range of motion and increase strength. Now this all sounds fine and great but rule number one ESPECIALLY in fitness and sports, anything that seems too good to be true usually is. So I searched left and right for some super small "results are not typical and may vary" hidden escape clause that pretty much means you just wasted money on their product but couldn't find one. I reached out to one of their representatives about trying one out and she responded the next day saying sure. Now anyone who has read my other reviews here or on other sites knows, when a company allows someone to review their product for free its usually a HUGE THUMBS UP because it means their confident in their product. No ones going to let you review something for free if they know with explode the second you open the box, well unless your a super hero but i digress. So after a few short days I get the box in the mail and now look to answer the ultimate question....does it work?

Foam Rollers: My Love Hate Relationship

Now when your a professional athlete you get all the perks; money, cars, fame, friends* etc...but another thing you get is the massages...Ooo the massages. Massages, Stim, Ice Baths, Vibration plates. All of these things before and after games speed up recovery so you can live to fight another day and prolong careers. Now for Average Joe weekend warrior, things like massage perks can be a tad bit expensive. So as personal trainers we find ways around that. In to play comes the FOAM ROLLER...

Stretching is one of the most overlooked components of weight training programs. Everyone wants to lift lift lift and stretching gets pushed to the back burner leading to muscle imbalances, poor form and injuries.

Foam Rollers are used for Self-Myofascial Release which may sound a little adult but pretty much just means self massage. When you workout or train your muscles get tight creating lactic acid and "knots'. The foam roller rolls out the knots until they release increasing your circulation, range of motion and promoting overall general healing. Think of it as a rubber, and then tying it into a knot. With that knot, the band cant stretch nearly as far and will break with too much force applied to it. Now by taking the knot out bingo bango, your back to full efficiency.

Now you can find foam rollers on sites like performbetter.com ranging from regular to dense. The denser the roller the deeper the massage it gives and the higher the price ($30+0. You can also save some money and just buy a 5 dollar pvc pipe at your local hardware store and it works great but only keep in mind, pvc pipe has NO give and will be pretty painful to use for someone new to foam rolling. If your really crafty or have a mom with tons of free time, you can bedazzle your own padded foam roller with pvc pipe, foam packaging wrap, and some kind of spandex or Lycra to cover it all in like those old fashion book skins you had in middle school.

Your body has tons of trigger points that you would need to focus on with a foam roller. Your Quads (Front upper area of your legs), Hamstrings (Back upper area of your legs), Calves (Lower back area of your legs), IT Bands (Outer sides of your thighs and VERY important in your known for having knee pains), Glutes and Hip Pockets (General Butt area), and Lats/Traps (Upper back and armpit areas). Theres tons of videos on how to properly work the roller on each area and I'll be posting one myself very soon but these descriptions are the general idea. Work each muscle slowly u if until you find a knot (a pins and needles kind of tingling sensation) and hold pressure on it for 5-10 seconds then roll it out some more. Find, rinse, repeat. Now if your body is built like Frankenstein as mine currently is, your going to find ALOT OF KNOTS. And these knots will be VERY painful but only at first. So suck it up and massage them out. The more often you do it, the less painful there become and the better your body feels.

For those nagging hard to reach places such as shoulder blades and hips, things like tennis balls, softballs, medicine balls work wonders but again, they are very dense and will hurt at first. But for the 20 minutes you fight through all this will pay off in the long run when your days are alot pain free later on during everyday activities.

Building A Foundation: Properly Progressing

Lets say you have a brand new car, new tires, new interior. Everything is perfect except...theres no spark plugs. Does that shiney new car serve its purpose? No, you pretty much have a giant paperweight. The same thing goes for your body. What do i mean you ask? Simple, working out your big show/mirror muscles is great but not at the expense of the smaller "spark plug" motor muscles. This is where knowning how to properly progress from exercise A to exercise B and eventually C comes in handy.

For example, I train a big 300+ linemen right now. In order to get his strength on part with his size, his former trainer just jumped straight to heavy lifting with the goal of him benching 225 easy and maxing at like 315.

Sleep Your Way To Muscles

Now I know a lot of people got excited reading this title thinking it will be a excuse for their Garfield the Cat type habits (eat, sleep, repeat) but sorry, not the case. Unless your like my gorgeous friend Jessica Gott whose voice completely changes to a hot Disney character when shes tired, some people don't realize their body telling them when its time to shut it down for the night.

One of the main overlooked aspects of training, other than diet is your sleep habits. Everyone wants to workout for 4 hours a day, but completely ignores the rest habits to go hang out or party in a tight affliction shirt. Biigggg mistake.

Ouch, my kneeee!!! Avoiding Injuries and Playin Strong

This summer I had the joy of training my teammate Ray Stever back from his knee injury that cost him a season. Since some people would like to complain like they have the most original revolutionary ideas for how to avoid knee problems and then just mention squats but don't correct form or things like that, I'm going to take it to a whole different level. Keep reading to learn how to stay stronger longer.

What is a Torn ACL?

An ACL tear most often occurs during sporting activities when an athlete suddenly pivots causing excessive rotational forces on the ligament. Other mechanisms that can cause an ACL tear include severe trauma and work injuries. Individuals who experience ACL tears usually describe a feeling of the joint giving out, or buckling--patients also often say they hear a "pop."

Most Common Signs of a torn ACL:

Sudden giving way of the knee
Hearing a 'pop' at the time of injury
Sudden swelling of the knee joint
Pain in the knee when walking
Ready to erase your pain and raise every area of your fitness?

Perception or Reality: Fat or Body Fat

Many people perceive overall weight as a general determining factor of just how “in shape” you are. Even things like BMI “body mass index” going off height and weight can really kill a person’s motivation (trust me, my WII fit character looks like a square with a head because of that). Sure being scale heavy sucks but more importantly, a high body fat REALLY SUCKS.

New Sports Performance Promo

P90x: Life Saver or Latest Fad

Each year, a handful of fitness fads explode onto the American scene. And, each year, an equal number fizzle out in far less spectacular fashion. But every so often, one sticks around, and for the last several years running it has been P90X—a wildly popular home-based fitness routine with a growing (and near fanatical) following among weekend warriors and A-list celebs alike (Ewan McGregor, Ashton Kutcher, and Donavan McNabb are among its devotees). It’s also one of the most popular search terms on MensHealth.com. But if you’re reading these words, you’ve found the only ones we’ve ever written about it. Why? Because while P90X might be able to accomplish what it claims for $120 (i.e., “transform you from regular to ripped in 90 days”), it’s likely not the total-body fitness solution that most people are looking for.

If you watch late night television, you’ve seen the infomercials: Fitness trainer Tony Horton and a handful of attractive models explain that by constantly introducing new exercises and workouts—which run the gambit from traditional strength sessions to Kenpo karate classes—you’ll achieve a constant state of “muscular confusion.” The less your muscles adapt, Horton explains, the faster they’ll grow.

The idea of “muscular confusion” isn’t new. And unfortunately for Horton and the folks at Beachbody—who also introduced the world to Hip Hop Abs and the Turbo Jam workout—it’s not based on science. “It’s a marketing term invented by Joe Weider [the creater of the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding contest] back in the 1980s,” says Bill Hartman, C.S.C.S, a strength coach in Indianapolis. “And it’s kind of counterproductive.”

More Ways to be Stronger.....and sore

As Trainers/Athletes talk so much about the many common ways to add intensity to your workouts - techniques like drop sets, forced reps, rest-pauses and holding peak contractions - that I sometimes forget the not-so-obvious ones. Recently, I went journals and figured I'd let you in on some extra ways to achieve that extra bit of intensity in a workout without having to go too crazy.

Partial Holds

This novel technique involves holding a relatively light weight steady at various points along the path of an exercise, which forces the muscle to maintain a constant contraction for extended periods.

Let’s use lateral raises as an example. After reaching failure on a straight set, I lifted the dumbbells out to my sides only 5 inches or so and held them there for 10 seconds. That may not sound like such a big deal, but believe me, it provides a painful end to a set. When I was seeking an even greater burn, I’d do this another time or two after resting for 15 seconds, almost like rest-pausing. Give it a try the next time you feel you’ve hit a plateau. This works similarly with pull-ups. At the end of a set, lift yourself only a few inches above the bottom of the rep and hold this position for as long as you can. What a way to force your lats to grow wider!

Multi-Exercise Sets

This one’s great, though you almost never see it done at the gym. Instead of performing, say, four sets of one exercise, do one set each of four different exercises for the same bodypart.

Using chest as an example, this might entail doing one set of barbell incline presses, resting a minute or so - this is not a superset, mind you - then doing a set of flat-bench dumbbell presses, resting, then a set of incline flyes, resting for another minute, and finishing with weighted (or bodyweight-only) dips. Think about it: By performing four different movements, you employ different angles and stresses on the same muscles each set. You can do this for your entire workout, which may require getting creative since you’ll do about 10 distinct exercises, or you can finish your routine the way you normally do, picking 2-3 more exercises for that muscle group and performing 3-4 sets of each.

“One-and-a-Half” Method

Finally, you have one-and-a-halves, which I think of as a less elaborate way of doing 21s (in which you perform the top half of a rep seven times, then the bottom half seven times, then finish with seven full reps).

With this method, you follow each full rep with a half rep. The goal, of course, is to experience a maximum burn in your target muscles. Let me explain how to do this for biceps. On a given set of standing barbell or dumbbell curls, follow every full rep with one in which you go only halfway up or halfway down. When I used this technique, I made sure that I performed every half rep very slowly and strictly. Toward the end of the set I often had to cheat the full reps up because my biceps were in such excruciating pain.

Add these three techniques to your current routine and I promise you’ll experience a new kind of soreness - and muscle growth!

Lose your keg..

"is that my left bicep? No! It's my abbbbbdominals!!" now if you don't know what I'm talkin about, YouTube Terry Crews old spice commercials. You may know Terry as the big ripped black guy in white chicks, or Damon from Friday after next or recently the dad on everybody hates Chris. One thing in all of those movies is that Terry crews is a big ripped guy. So anyway I was training a client and his commercial came on, prompting me to wonder why so many people have crappy abs. Most big meathead guys don't even know abs exist, just downing tons of bench and curls do they look cool in their Ed hardy shirts. Most women do 50 millions body weight crunches on the machines hoping to build some Jennifer aniston body. So to save you all the time, and me the emails, here are the AB RULES:

1) Train the abs like a muscle

‘The biggest mistake people make with the abs is that they forget it’s just like any other muscle,’ says strength and conditioning coach Nick Grantham. ‘They’ll go in and do 200 reps of an abs exercise every day and then wonder why they get a hernia.’ To build your abs, do ten to 15 reps and increase the intensity by adding more sets. Leave one day in between abs sessions to allow the muscles to recover.

2) Do static holds for core stability

‘Your muscles have slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibres but when you hold a weight in a static position you use both sets of fibres,’ says Lee Archer, director of Pro Fitness. This means you can improve the overall strength of all the muscles used to stabilise the lower back and hips in one exercise, such as the plank, as long as you remember to hold the position for at least five seconds.

3) Add resistance to crunches to build muscle

‘Use resistance you can handle, so start with a dumb-bell or medicine ball across your chest and keep the weight close to your body,’ says Grantham. ‘As you progress, you can extend your arms or raise them above your head to create a longer lever and make the exercise harder. If you get into trouble then you can bring the weight back towards you and all of a sudden it will seem lighter.’

4) Do more than crunch

Grantham trains athletes with an all-round course of exercise. ‘When I put together a core training programme I look at hitting all of the movement patterns. So I start with a flexion exercise such as a crunch, then I do something with extension like a superman. After that I introduce lateral flexion with a side bend, then I have a rotational exercise. Finally I do a static hold like a plank or a bridge.’

5) Use a Swiss ball

‘When you train in an unstable environment you recruit a lot more muscle tissue, putting microscopic tears into it and when it repairs itself this leads to muscle growth,’ says Sean Singleton, expertise coach at David Lloyd Leisure. You can also use a wobble board or Swiss ball to progress a core exercise and make it harder, preparing your muscles for adding resistance later on.

6) Target your lower abs

‘The lower section of the abs is the one that’s most difficult to hit and you will need some specific exercises,’ says Grantham. ‘Most people can reveal a four-pack at the top but it’s getting the six-pack that’s hard. My choice would be a reverse crunch with your legs up on a Swiss ball or just straight up into the air.’

7) Do core stretches

‘Flexibility training is important to recovery because if you stretch the muscle you lengthen its range of motion and open it up so that your blood can re-supply it fully,’ says Singleton. Lie face down on the floor with your hands just underneath your shoulders, then push up with your arms to bring your chest off the floor and push your hips into the floor. For your obliques, stand upright with feet apart and go over to one side. For your back, sit on your lower legs and bend forwards, stretching your arms across the floor.

8) Get your diet right

To build muscle you need to eat between 1.5g and 2g of lean protein per kilo of bodyweight every day. ‘Then you’ll get a six-pack by doing exercises – but you may not see it,’ says Grantham. ‘To see it, a man has to get down to ten per cent body fat, and to lose fat you’ve got to burn more calories than you take in. Increase the amount of exercise you do combined with a sensible diet.’

9) Prioritise your training

If you want to get a six-pack you’ll need to devote separate sessions to train your abs so that you hit them when you’re still full of energy. Never try to do an abs session before a heavy lifting workout because you can exhaust the muscles in your core, which could be dangerous. However, it’s OK to do an abs session before a run if you need to.

10) Slow down your reps

‘Muscle will grow only if it spends time under tension,’ says Grantham. ‘If someone does 30 reps in 30 seconds he’s actually putting the muscles under tension for only 30 seconds. If you get someone else to do three sets of ten reps but each rep lasts ten seconds, they triple the time under tension and get the better strength gains.’ Try to count to three on the way up, hold for a count of two, then count to three again on the way down.

11) Train standing up

If you do all your abs and lower back workouts on an exercise mat, you are switching one side of your body off while you work the other. If you then try to use your core as a single unit during sport or hard cardio effort, it will not have been trained to do this and you risk injuring yourself. So do standing abs exercises that involve rotation using a medicine ball or cable machine, such as the woodchop.

12) Do short cardio intervals

Steady-state training will burn fat but only very slowly over a mammoth session. ‘If you want to get a good body by losing fat and keeping lean muscle mass then do intervals,’ says Grantham. By doing ten minute-long runs flat out with one minute’s rest in between, you work for less time at a higher intensity to burn more calories. You also boost your metabolic rate so that you’ll still be burning calories four hours later when you’re sitting watching TV.

Survive a Diet

3 Smart Ways to Survive a Diet

I don’t know that it’s entirely possible to stay sane while dieting, but here’s a few tricks that may work.

1. First and foremost: when you’re hurting focus on your goals. Remember why you undertook this crazy challenge in the first place and what it means to you. This is my most effective means of staying disciplined while on the diet.

2.  Cheat meals! These should be planned and normally no more than once per week early in the diet and then used only when needed to stave off catabolism in the final weeks. These not only prevent the body from breaking down too much, but also help the mind. The mental break can be very valuable and reduce stress levels. The most important part of these is to totally indulge what ever cravings you have. That is the entire point of the meal. However, it must be one single meal. This means all of the food should be eaten within approximately a 45 minute window. It also must be the last meal of the day, and if it can be the post training meal, that’s even better. So, if you want a whole large pizza and ice cream – go for it!

3.  If you have a sweet tooth, sugar-free Jell-O can be a savior. It tastes great and provides no calories so it can be a guilt-free pleasure when needed.

Are you a Point Guard or Shooting Guard?

Now the more and more I work with high school guys and some college guys I'm coming across one OBVIOUS THING....PEOPLE DONT KNOW HOW TO PLAY POINT GUARD ANYMORE! First off, being the shortest guy on the team does not automatically make you a point guard. If someone bigger can dribble better and distribute let them take it. Second, if your always looking for your shot...your not a point guard.

As a point guard, your job is to;

A) Be an extension of your coach while on the court. You should be the leader and guide your team the same way as if your coach was playing.

B) Set your teammates up for the MOST EFFICIENT scoring opportunity. Look at Steve Nash, can’t play a lick of defense but is probably the best in the game at setting up his teammates in the best position to score.

C) Keep your head up and know how to run a fast break. Nothing is more annoying than being WIDE open down court but the kid bringing the ball up decides to keep his head down and try to dribble through everyone. Not only does it risk a turn over, but you’re WIDE OPEN. And like B), you’re looking for the easiest, most efficient points. And what’s more efficient than 1 pass and a wide open lay-up. Almost every pee wee league practice the 3 man weave but no one seams to know what to do during a game.

3 Basic Tips

Now these are all super basic tips that every person/trainer should know but all the time at the gym I see people doing it wrong and it killlls me.

Here are three strength training safety tips:

1. When doing leg exercises, always keep your knees in alignment with your toes.
(Example: When doing squats, lunge variations, leg press etc...)

2. When using the barbell, always place your hands the same distance from the center of the bar.
(Example: Benching, rows etc...?

3. Never twist or bend your spine excessively; this can cause lower back problems. This one is REALLY important.
(Example: DEADlifts, back extensions, russian twists, good mornings, etc..)

Almost every exercises/program is safe, but you have to focus on form first. Benching 400lbs is pointless if you have bad form and rip up your rotator cuff. Deadlifting is great with good form,and with bad form you can give yourself a hernia.
Form is key