Jogging..... you probably will hate me after this

Awwwww running. Some swear by it, others worship it, and many won’t even think about it. This may offend you if you live by running but please remember this was written after doing my homework and working with athletes and clients. Running is a very vague term that has two categories it can be broken into.

Sprinting is a form of running at a constant speed and fluid motion. Sprinting is often very short, very hard and tiring work. It is a very powerful movement, used in every popular sport. Most all time great athletes tremendous speed and power through their legs.

Jogging (or yogging with a soft j) is what we think of when someone says “I’m a runner.” Jogging is the slow long distance that we see in a small number of Olympic events and also the weekend marathon that causes traffic jams and street closures. Even worse you DRIVE to the gym to workout on a freaking treadmill! Unless the weather is ridiculous, go outside!!!!

Since 1968 when Dr. Kenneth Cooper said long steady state aerobic work was best, we’ve seen triathlons explode, running groups turn into herds, and the physical therapy profession develop. Jogging has somehow become the go to exercise for everything and I DON’T KNOW WHY! Personally it is incredibly boring and time consuming. Now if you love to run because it is a passion I am not saying to stop. Anything that you love continue to do, but remember it does not cure the common cold or any cancers. OK maybe I’m being more negative towards jogging but here is why.

First think of your goal of your exercise. Common goals are fat loss, rehab, increased sport performance (strength gain, endurance, power, flexibility, etc), weight gain, and stress release. It also could be a combination of all of these. Now lets see what jogging can do for these goals.

Fat loss: As much as runners magazines will claim the number of calories it burns, long slow distance is actually one of the least efficient ways to burn fat. Countless studies have come out to show proper nutrition mixed with high intensity interval work and strength training are most efficient for fat loss. If you don’t believe me check out Alwyn Cosgrove’s Afterburn system, and see his before and afters. I don’t work with too many fat loss clients but seeing what he does and his ACTUAL results, I train fat loss clients the same way.

Ladies your choice of the ripped muscles guys vs Skeletor

Rehab: 70% of joggers are injured in an average year. Ok, yeah football players might get injured once a year, but how many people do you tackle when going for a jog? Unfortunately I may tell you your life story of the past 5 years right now if you jog. Jog for 2-5 months, get some sort on injuryà go to physical therapist (but still run secretly) and get treatmentà feel better one morning so make up for lost miles you go on a loooong runà hurt again…. Back to the physical therapist, and repeat.

Most become injured so often because they run to be fit instead of get fit to run. You need a base of strength and that comes from…. Dun Dun Dun…. Strength Training. It sounds ridiculous I know, but adding in some sprints and weights twice a week might help you be a better jogger if that’s what you desire. Thinking "I need to start running to get back in shape" should be, "I should get back in shape so i can go running."

Sport Performance: Many ball sport athletes think their endurance should come from a good 5-7 mile run. Ok now in all ball sports the average sprint is 3-5 (maybe 10 on a long play) seconds with walking in between. If you don’t think so watch one player throughout a soccer game. Yes a LITTLE bit of steady state endurance training might help but not running constantly. Your body adapts to what you do, so if you run slow long distance, you actual become slower. Train fast be fast, train slow be slow. Fast isn’t a 6 minute mile when your sport(s) require you to all out sprint for a fast break. If your sport is cross-country or long distance track, adding some strength will keep you healthy throughout your grueling season. Also if you love to compete in endurance competition, research the training regime of a guy named Emil Zátopek. It probably will make your head spin.

Stress Reliever: Ok you got me here. Jogging can be a great stress reliever for many people. This is the part where I say the cliche, “just do what you love.” It’s true though, but try punching a bag (or human), slamming a med ball, or competing in some athletic event. If the “runners high” is something you need though, please do so. The only other time I may see you is on the freeway.

My opinion is that going for a jog is for very few people. Like me, I feel many people enjoy fast games that are fun, hence why over time we invented games like tag, basketball, soccer, football. Instead of take 10 minutes to go fetch the sugar at the neighbors house and back. Even if you do love to jog, adding sprinting, strength training, and ball sports can be very beneficial. First ask yourself what is my goal for exercise? If running fits the bill by all means go ahead. If you love to jog, please continue, but first ask what you are trying to achieve and what’s the best way to do that.

Reduce Injuries or Increase Performance?????

If you’ve trained for a sport chances are a coach has said (and I’m guilty of this too) “This is going to save you from a ______ injury.” Saying this can lead to players, parents and coaches to believe the training program won’t set them apart from the next player, and that you're just “maintaining” (I hate that word). I know their first priority is to keep their athletes healthy. Which is 100% correct because if you get hurt because of a bad training program that might bump your bench up an extra 5 lbs, I’m pretty sure no one will care. The next goal after that is to improve your performance in your desired sport(s).
<<<<(Can't really prevent that no matter what program you do) But are they really different? If I can limit your injuries, essentially that means you now move more efficiently, you are stronger, and more powerful. If I make you a better athlete chances are that you move more efficiently, are stronger, and more powerful. Hmmmmm…… I think there’s a connection here.

They key to this is progression. Athletes must be put in a situation where they do not try to become a professional athlete in a day. This is the coach’s responsibility to make sure they go on the right path that will lead them to long-term success. The last time I remembered you have to go to pre-school, elementary school, middle/high school, college and grad school before you become a doctor. Now we see coaches trying to push kids through ridiculous workouts and they probably can’t even do 10 REAL push ups yet.

^Don't think this guy made it to any pro league.^

A great example that comes to mind is plyometric (jumping) progressions. I love single leg hops. There’s a great progression where for 3 weeks (twice a week), they will hop in place or onto a small box. This limits the distance they have to go down and all we do is focus on landing. They we progress to jumping over a line of cones (no more than 5) and every time they have to stick and hold the landing for a 1 count. Once they prove they can do this consistently, I will progress into a little bounce in between cones. Last they can continuously jump over each cone for max height and distance.

If I were to throw them into the continuous hops, I’m guessing a couple of the kids will experience knee pain or might roll and ankle. If you establish a base to get them strong, not only will those injuries go away, they will jump higher because they’ve gotten stronger and their brain can tell the muscles how to land and take off more efficiently. This will lead to faster cutting, higher jumping, and more speed.

In six weeks he gained 200 lbs of muscle because of 1 secret lift!

Injury prevention is just smart progressive training. Increasing sport performance is just smart, progressive training. Realize, not matter how badass your workouts are, if you're hurt and can't play.... NO ONE CARES! Don’t get caught up in programs that promise results in a ridiculous time period. If they do you might want to have your physical therapist and or doctor’s number put into speed dial.

Nutrition.....K.I.S.S. it Goodbye!

I haven't discussed nutrition as a major topic but now is always a good time. Nutrition is the major key when it comes to seeing results, and seeing them fast! However, for how important nutrition is, it's often over complicated. People worry about all the wrong things and it's time to change.

In a previous post I talked about getting healthy and not losing weight, and that is what proper nutrition is all about. The focus often goes onto quantity and not quality. Counting calories is about as useful as rinsing your apples when you smoke two packs a day. You can eat 2,000 calories per day but if it comes from Hot Pockets and Cheetos it doesn't really matter.

The main thing I've realized with nutrition is that people don't know what's healthy but whether or not someone has the self discipline to eat healthy every day. Cheap, fast, tasty food is at every corner tempting you and it's easy to give in "just this one time." That soon turns into daily and that habit spirals downward. Getting back to good nutrition takes a lot of self control and commitment. My suggestion is like everything else, if you have a goal write it down everyday and put it where you can see it. Some people write it on a note-card and keep it in their pocket, others put it on the refrigerator. Whatever works for you it's about daily commitment toward a goal that you want.

Once you get your mind right and priorities straight now its time for what to eat. Kelly Johnson coined the phrase, "Keep it simple stupid (KISS)!" Eating vegetables, lean protein, fruit, nuts, and other natural grown food is all you need to worry about. As a tip for grocery shopping, stick to the outside of the stores where the fruits, veggies, meat, whole grain breads, and dairy products are. Going in the isles only leads to processed muffin toppers. If you wonder what to check for on the labels, the main things I look to limit are saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, sodium, and high fructose corn syrup (which is in everything!). The more you keep those 5 out of you're body the better you will feel and look.

Another great way to stay lean and healthy is to drink zero calorie liquids. This pretty much means water and tea. I also like organic or raw milk even though it is 2-3 times more than the typical carton. Fruit juices often are from concentrate and contain TONS of sugar, so limit to one glass a day. If coffee is also apart of your daily routine, start to ween down to one MAYBE 2 cups a day. If you eat right, that energy you get from caffeine will come through your meals.

Some other nutrition essentials. EAT BREAKFAST! It is a sumo wrestler technique to skip breakfast so their metabolism slows down. That means increased fat and weight. EAT MULTIPLE MEALS! 3 big meals a day is in the past! Eating 3 moderate meals with snacks, increases metabolism and energy. For athletes, PRE AND POST WORK NUTRITION! Either keep a snack ready or invest in some whey protein for immediate kick start to recovery after your workouts will do wonders. All the hard work will mean nothing if you don't give your body what it needs to recover for the next day.

Whatever your goals are, in the end food quality will triumph over food quantity. Losing weight? Gaining weight? Increase sport performance? Increase energy? It all starts with eating better, then you can get into the details of how much. If you don't believe me, I challenge you to eat right for a week and see how you feel.

So in the end add more veggies and lean protein and avoid processed crap and you'll probably get better results. Most of your focus should be on your goals and what you want to achieve. Your mindset and attitude toward your goal will be the real way to achieve the results you want, not counting calories.

Any other nutrition questions feel free to drop a comment or email me at caseywheel@gmail.com

Observation of a Friend

This past weekend I had a chance to relax in Bellingham, Washington with a couple good friends, Kristin and Jake. I got a break from the city and it felt refreshing to jump in a river, go hiking, and be in the mountains for a couple days. Jake is a professional snowboarder and naturally I love talking to him about what he does for a training program, how he takes care of his body, and his overall mental attitude toward the sport and his career.

The snowboard world isn't known for there heavy training regimes and hitting the weights like football or baseball players do, but Jake has been very proactive in finding a good training program that will keep him healthy and improve his riding. While visiting, he was picking my brain for ways to stay healthy and also showing me what exercises he already does. Jake's business is his body, and he realizes that he has to take care out of it if he wants a long and productive career. Eating right, staying strong and in shape, and maintaining the right focus is all something that he improves day to day. He has committed to constantly getting himself better everyday instead of trying to find the newest fad that might be a quick fix. As Zig Ziglar said, "The elevator to success is out of order but the stairs are always open."

This commitment is also evident in his business success. He is always looking for something a little better and is committed to progressing his riding to the next level. This relentless mentality led him to get a small series on Fuel TV that will air this winter. He also has his own board, and outerwear series that will also come out this fall. This has come from years of hardwork and a passion and love for what he does. He sets goals and works until its his. I also have noticed he has put very good people around him and rides with guys that will push and improve his riding.

If you look at the really successful athletes, business men, or people in general, you will see a similar trend to Jake's mentality. They work at their craft everyday, and constantly progress. There are no shortcuts, no quick fixes, and no secret devices that made them what they are. It's a mentality that everyone can get into, but you need to be willing to put in the work. No excuses, write down your a goal and go get it!

Oh yeah, if you talk to Kristin (one of my best friends and his high school sweetheart) shes probably responsible for it all.










Heres a couple videos, 1. of jake doing a awesome gainer off a 25 ft cliff, and next is me trying to be acrobatic off a rope swing.

1st Grade Calculus

First of all..... HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!!! I hope all of you get to enjoy a couple cold beers, greasy cheeseburgers, and good friends and family. It is truly a great holiday, and there's nothing like it here in San Diego.

Recently I've been reading and listening a lot of Brian Grasso's work. Brian Grasso is a fantastic coach and leader who is leading a movement to create a more active and healthier lifestyle for our youth. He is all about developing are youth to have fun when exercising and to develop overall athletic skills rather than specialization. Last year I was fortunate enough to meet Brian briefly and also hear his presentation on youth athletics. One funny and insightful analogy has stuck with me since then that I will mention later in the post.

In today's world of highly competitive sports, people come enamored with the next prodigy. Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Sidney Crosby, and now Bryce Harper are all incredibly gifted athletes who started at a young age and put an unreal amount of practice hours honing their craft. Then it gets published in a book or Sports Illustrated and now every parent has their kid in golf lessons and on AAU teams at the age of 6 seeing if their kid is next. What these parents don't realize is that these guys are absolute genetic freaks and would probably be good at their sport no matter when they started. These guys are also fantastic overall athletes who can play multiple sports, you just only see one, and for one of them their are probably 100's if not 1,000's of players who burnt out trying to specialize that early.

Early specialization of athletes is killing overall athletics. Kids today often play one sport 3-4 seasons. The kid might love the sports but if you were like me one week you were a professional football player and the next week you were a fireman. Parents often have selective listening and hear their kid loves to play baseball, and now the rest of their life revolves around the sport. The problem is with this is that kids aren't small adults, they are KIDS! They want to play games with their friends and ride bikes.

Say your kid was very good at math and liked it as well. Would you take him out of english, history, science, and P.E. because he said he liked it? Oh and since he's good we can throw him into calculus in 1st grade because he's gifted and will pick it up. NO! Kids need to develop their whole body and mind and that young age when they are just sponges. Let them participate in multiple activities and keep it fun. This was the analogy that has stuck with me ever since. It is so basic yet so right on (chya brah!).

The analogy between parents trying to create the next Lebron and school is perfect. You get down the basics at young ages and let them develop everything at once. Then as they get older and find what they really love, they have all the tools in their tool box rather than just a hammer. I've had some of these crazed parents come in talking about all of the stuff their kid is doing and all I can think of is they will burn out and peak before they even turn 18 and resent the sport they should love playing.

By all means push your kids to be great and do active things, but think of it like school and teach multiple skills that could improve them in the long term. Sports like swimming, gymnastics, martial arts, soccer, basketball, etc. are fun and will develop overall athletic skills that they can use when they decide to narrow it down to their favorite game.

Below is another great article written by a journalist is Seattle that I think every parent should read.
Parents in Sports

Don't lose weight.... Get Healthy!

Everyone loves to ask the question, "How can I lose weight?", "I need to lose 10 pounds, can you make me a program?", or my favorite "How can I lose the fat right here in this section?" In my head countless sarcastic statements are flowing that I have learned to hold back but believe me I am laughing in my head.

After holding back for about 5 seconds and gaining my composure I have now learned to reverse the thought process from don't lose weight get healthy. A major reason to change this way of thinking is that if you think fat loss, you're putting negative thoughts in your head saying that you're fat. In my point of view it will be harder to stay disciplined to your goals because of the negative self image. If you think healthy, you think more positive thoughts and everything will revolve around an image you visualize in your head of you as a healthier person.

If you think that you need to lose weight, your goal revolves around losing weight and that's it. This is where Fad diets have come in to help you lose weight in the wrong, short term ways, while taking a lot for your money with it. If I'm ever need of money I think I might make one of these up and write a short book showing how on the water and cucumber diet you can lose 87 pounds in 16 hours. Back to the point. By just trying to lose weight, it's more likely that you will not create a habit of exercising and eating right but rather just achieve the goal then revert back to your old habits. Then it's a recurring cycle that really won't help you in the long run. If you end up going the "I need to lose weight" route, at least switch it to I need to lose fat. If you cut your calories down to 1500 per day but it's all from 2 donuts and coffee, thats like a cigarette smoker saying they'll stop smoking for 3 days but end up throwing in a couple dips and thinking its helping.

If you become healthy and have a desired look in mind, the fat loss will follow and the habit of eating right and exercising will be ingrained in your brain. You will more likely keep the weight off and have more energy everyday. You can still write down a desired weight you would like to be but keep in mind if you start eating right (vitamin enriched=bullsh*&T) and exercising consistently (walking around the block 3x a week doesn't count) your goals will follow.

The hardest part is holding yourself accountable and staying committed, but visualizing and writing down a goal for your self will get you there much faster than complaining to your friends you need to lose 10 pounds for beach season (it's already mid-June).

Any questions or comments email me or post below!

Less shoe support=More foot support

Ankle braces, ankle taping, and expensive shoes that are specifically designed to protect your foot from injuries are actually doing the opposite. These protective barriers are limiting your foot that has 26 bones and 20 muscles in each foot. That is over 1/4 of the bones in your body and a very high number of muscles for such a small area. That probably means it's pretty important.

The goal of these contraptions is to limit injuries, right? Putting a brace on is similar to putting on a flimsy cast. If you've ever had a cast removed after 6-8 weeks, that area it covers is often very weak and immobile. Why would you put a light cast on all year long unless there is an injury? It makes no sense to give your 10 year old daughter ankle braces and high tops for her first volleyball practice when she's never had an injury. Let your feet move and strengthen and there will be less injuries throughout one's career.

Lets look at some of the most elite athletes in the world, NBA players. NBA statistician Harvey Pollack found out that players missed 64% more games due to ankle and foot injuries than 20 years ago! The main difference between now and then has to be the stuff they put on their feet. Shoes today come out with more and more technology more for marketing reasons than functional purpose. Adidas claims to have a computer chip that conforms to the ground and your foot for $250 a pair. If you like wasting $250, give it to me and I'll gamble it in Vegas, chances are it's gone in 10 minutes. Why do these companies keep coming out with more technology? If Nike came out and said they were wrong and you actual need less technology and support to increase foot strength and support, how much money would they lose and what would it do to their rep?

This past year Kobe Bryant asked Nike to design a low top shoe because he felt he could have more stability and strength in his foot to get through the long season. People were shocked about this but it makes sense if you just think about how the body works and gets stronger, the more you ask the body to do by itself, the more it will adapt and get stronger.

Last I will give you a statistic comparing the number of injuries from soccer to basketball players. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System said in 2006 that there were an estimated 529,837 injuries in basketball with a majority being in the ankle and foot area. Soccer only had 186,544 injuries. Soccer players will often refuse braces and tape, and wear cleats that are as light and thin as possible. Yeah they might not jump as much but your telling me slide tackles don't cause ankle injuries? Their feet and ankles area strong because they actually use those muscles when they cut and move.

Now if you get injured (which does happen no matter how strong your feet and ankles are), wear a brace or tape to get you through games. What i'm saying is that if you are healthy please wear low top training shoes and no braces. I personally wear Nike Free's and some nuts like to go as far as wearing the Vibram 5 Fingers. If you can sneak some barefoot training in your warm-up or while squatting or lunging even better. The overall message I want to imprint in your brain is to set your foot free and allow it to do what it's made to do!