Are sporting champions born or made?

Some will argue that sporting champions come from the womb and that the combination of natural ability and talent, destiny and a lesser emphasis on training will lead them to success.

Others will argue that hard work, determination and countless of hours of training can bridge the talent gap and will lead an athlete to elite competition.

History shows that world class champions of many sports have come from both extremes or have been a combination of both talent and hard work.

The example of John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl come to mind. Both of these tennis greats competed against each other through the eighties and battled for the number 1 ranking.
McEnroe was a naturally gifted genius, whereas Lendl was a hard working professional that got the best from his talent.
I remember seeing an interview where McEnroe said he possessed more talent in his little finger than Lendl had in his entire body, but that Lendl was prepared to work harder than he ever was. Both achieved sporting greatness following different paths and relying on different attributes.

On today’s competitive sporting fields a sportsperson that relies solely on natural talent is just not going to reach their full potential and risks been outdone by someone prepared to work harder.
Less talented opponents with limited ability that train hard on their athletic attributes and have competent skill levels will compete equally with those that are gifted and may be preferred by some coaches rather than the talented athlete that cruises through.

My message is simple:

– If you are talented at your chosen sport, work hard to master your skills and condition your body for peak performance. Do this and you will always be ahead of the game.
– If you are limited in you natural abilities work hard to bridge the gap. You may need to practice longer and work harder but persistence pays off. Whether it’s mental or physical strength – use them to your advantage.

The key is to refine and polish your strengths and place special priority on improving your weaknesses until they become your strengths!

Arnold Schwarzenegger took this approach to get his calves up to scratch. He cut the bottoms off all of his track pants so he had no way avoiding their lack of size and had no choice but to see them everyday in the gym!

Keep up the hard work no matter what your passion is….it always pays off!

In this news post I’ll discuss the importance of practicing skill work on an individual basis. This extra skill work is additional to organized club training and personal training sessions.

For those that have trained with me in Melbourne you will know the emphasis I place on carrying out your own training. I will go even further and say that if you don’t do this extra work you seriously reduce the chances of any improvement. If you are aspiring toward a professional career its and absolute must!

I also like to remind the younger ones that their parents are investing in a personal trainer for them to improve, so the best way to get something out of it is to practice!

With out practice and improvement their is no progression.

Club Training

Most players will train with their clubs twice per week for about 2 hours per session plus have a match on the weekend. This will equate to approximately 4 hours of structured training undertaken by a coach.
In club training coaches need to cover the following concepts:

- Passing
- Ball control
- Dribbling
- Heading
- Shooting
- Ball shielding
- Positional sense and tactical awareness
- Defensive and attacking principals
- Fitness and conditioning

Depending of the age of the players the time spent on these skills and concepts will vary.

As you can see it’s a lot to cover in only 4 hours of weekly practice!

Matches are the culmination of all the weekly training where all concepts of play unfold. The speed and intensity of training is never quite the same as a match and a player will find they have very few touches of the ball and little time to have the ball in their possession.

In the elite soccer countries kids are training at their clubs from 3 to 5 times per week. If you do the math it amounts to several hours of extra training per week. When you consider that it takes over 10 years to produce a player capable of playing pro soccer this will equate to countless hours of less ball time our developing players don’t get here in Australia.

Cultural factors also play a part (not as much as some make it out to be) with kids playing at school and in their spare time with friends.

Personal Training and Soccer Academies

Personal or individual soccer skills training with a specialist coach and private soccer academies are now common place in the soccer circles and are filling the void clubs leave in regards to player development. Clubs offer few training sessions and unfortunately the quality of the coaching is not always great.

I’ve been successful in improving many of my clients through my specialist individual skills coaching. But I do emphasize to my players the importance of carrying out the drills they learn with me on their own. Repetition is the key!

Practice with Friends or on your own

If you interviewed anyone who knew Maradona, Pele, Ronaldinho, Zidane or Messi as a kid, I’m sure they’d all say the same thing. “Yeah I remember that kid – every time I saw him he was kicking a ball around”.

The aim is to spend as much time with a ball as possible. Playing at school, meeting friends after school at a park or at a friends house.
It’s in all these hours of imaginative and free play that kids will improve their skills and become better players – and all under no pressure!

If kids are alone that’s ok – all they need is a ball, a park or patio and a wall – that’s it!!
It sounds too good to be true but I can assure you that’s all it takes for radical improvement. Watching the best players on TV and copying their tricks will keep you busy for hours.
Juggling the ball, running with it, left and right foot, shooting and passing it against a wall 1000 times.

Repeat these simple skills over and over again.

Remember this – Repetition is the Master of all Skill.

As I mentioned earlier – The best players in the world have superior skill because of the countless hours of individual skills training they did as developing players.

When the pressure is on and time and space is of a premium, the best players stand out because of the comfort and ease that they have to maneuver the ball around.

There are no easy paths to improving your game. That’s the honest truth.
Dedication, commitment and sacrifice are necessary, and if you have the self discipline and drive to practice I guarantee you will become a player of the future.

Good luck.

Stay tuned for my new upcoming web post – Why Repetition Training Works.
This article will explain the scientific and biological reasons that prove why repetition training is a successful development tool.

In this 2 part news post I will talk about the value of taking charge of your life challenges and the benefit of organizing the situations you face into an order of importance and dealing with them one by one – I call this The Priority Principle. It’s a self analysis tool I’ve used with my personal training clients and has delivered great outcomes for them.

In life, it’s unlikely that we approach all aspects of our lives with the same sence of urgency and any one time. Is it possible to put the same amount of energy and effort into everything we do? Probably not. This is where the importance of prioritizing our life objectives becomes important to our short and long term success. We need to put our efforts into what we consider needs the most attention at any given stage of our lives.

This Thing Called Life

Our modern day lives as human beings are full of complexities. We are confronted with situations that need resolving on a day to day basis – as a matter of fact this is a constant source of entertainment for our entire lives!

After we overcome a challenge something totally new will spring up and we instantly have a new project to focus on. Let’s use the word ‘challenge or situation’ and not problem, as a problem provokes negative thoughts and can lead to a counterproductive state of mind.
Looking at things in this way will change your perspective and give a much greater chance of a successful outcome – In fact, it will always guarantee a better outcome for you.
You will find that this is a key quality of any successful person and something that can be developed and simulated by anyone.

We are challenged both by internal and external situations.

The Intrinsic Challenge – Goal Setting

These challenges are internal and come from within us – they are the ones that we consciously set for ourselves. They form part the intrinsic nature of the human being. Humans operate best when there is a clear goal or objective to aspire to. Something worthwhile is never served up on platter, we need to go out and grab it! We need to get out of comfort zones and look within ourselves for answers and push the boundaries of our very person.

We all have standards and expectations regarding our personal growth relating to:

• Careers
• Finances
• Personal Development
• Spiritual Growth
• Friendships and Relationships
• Leisure Time

The quest for self development should never cease. Getting better at life and improving ourselves is a constant journey. We need to identify and confront our flaws and look for inspiration from those around us to better ourselves.
This process is eternal – When we achieve, we then strive for bigger and greater goals.

The Extrinsic Challenge – Matters Seemingly Beyond our Control

Our personal goals can also be greatly affected by situations that arise from people around us and the environment we surround ourselves in.

This includes friends, family, intimate relationships, our work colleagues and the environments in which we associate with these people. The right associations can be extremely helpful to us, while toxic scenarios will hold us back from achieving our objectives.

But ultimately we do control the outcomes of these situations through the decisions we make. We are empowered to make choices that will improve our seemingly hopeless situations. If we find ourselves in a situation that get in the way of our goals, we must be prepared to break these ties and pursue the situation that will bring us the outcome we desire. Sometimes that requires us to move away from certain personal and/or business relationships.

In these cases we also need to consider the impact our choices may have on others, but ultimately we need to do what is most beneficial to us.

We must sift through this myriad of situations and outline what we as individuals need to work on most, this is where exercising the priority principle can be of extreme value to us.

To read the rest of this news post click through to The Priority Principle – Part 2

This is the second part to the news post The Priority Principle – Part 1

Life is ever evolving and we as individuals must engage in a constant state of change to adapt to keep ourselves one step ahead of the game. It’s vital for us to step back, think, and make a logical analysis of where we are at, we want to go, and what course of action will get us there.

Set Your Goal and Take Action

The first and most important step is to identify your goal and create a list of tasks that will help you achieve it. Make no mistake about it – changes will have to be made.
Your goal requires you identify where you are currently failing and what small steps you need to take to get the ball rolling. Immediate action is vital – giving your goal life and creating momentum will make it real.

Write down goals and tasks for need to complete in the short, medium and long term.
I guarantee that you will have to make sacrifices along the way. Some things you will need to do away with on a temporary basis, while other sacrifices will be of a more permanent nature. No matter what your goal is, it will force change for the better!

My Experience – The Mental and Physical Challenge

As a personal trainer in Melbourne, I help people make changes to their bodies.

In the case of the overwhelming majority of people wanting to get fit there is a much traveled path that usually ends in failure.

Statistics prove that 90% of new gym goers become non active members just 12 weeks into their memberships – They don’t have any clear direction with their exercise programs and simply give up in frustration.

The members that continue to frequent the gym have identified that they need help and seek the expertise of a personal trainer. A top level personal trainer will not only prescribe exercise, but help you with your diet and set you on the right path to a long term sustainable healthy lifestyle. If you’re not prepared to confront yourself a personal trainer should do it for you set out your path to success.

Only a dedicated few have the discipline to make all the necessary lifestyle changes with little or no professional guidance.

The Priority Principal

When a new client starts with me I establish this person’s goal, why they want to change, and what their weekly exercise and dietary habits are.

Let’s use the common goal of weight loss as an example.

When you find yourself in this type of scenario it’s obvious that the balance between nutrition and exercise isn’t right. My experience tells me that most people are reluctant to talk about their dietary habits and believe they don’t need to change much in this regard. If this was the case then there would be no weight issue to begin with!

Neglect your body for long enough and you will find yourself with extra weight and the possibility of contracting health problems.
When your priority is to lose weight new habits need to be formed. Here I need to make my clients understand that the status quo cannot remain. Certain things need to be given up and new habits need to be forged. Your new priorities need to take precedence over the destructive and less important lifestyle factors. A new lifestyle must be created and adhered to until your goal is conquered.

Common lifestyle factors that clients need to temporarily change are:

• Food preparation – Make your own meals and take them to work with you.
• Cut back alcohol – Moderation is the key.
• Cutting back take away dinners – Control your food intake
• Change the nature of your social outings – Create an environment that suits you and that will encourage you to rest properly
• Make time for your own exercise and book personal training sessions

These lifestyle modifications will not only lead you to achieve your goals but they will save you money! Getting yourself a personal trainer shouldn’t mean you to have to go out and earn more money. When you reshuffle you priorities I can guarantee that you will have the financial freedom to eat well and commit to at least 1 personal training session per week.

Fitness Goal Personal Training in Melbourne has experienced and successful personal trainers that can help you achieve your goals. We guarantee to meet and exceed your expectations and get the best out of you!

Thanks for reading.

This Fitness Goal Personal Training post discusses stress and its effects on the human body. We discuss how the body copes with stress detailing the hormonal responses and physiological changes it triggers off in the body. We’ll also look at both the positive and negative effects this has on our bodies and how exercise can help us to combat stress.

In today’s fast paced society we experience high levels of stress that have a negative result on our general health. These stresses can be brought on by mental and psychological factors as well as those when we are placed in situations of physical danger.

Flight or Flight

When we experience stress our body has an innate bodily reaction that is triggered off – this is referred to as our fight or flight response. It’s a primitive, automatic and instinctive response that prepares the body to either “fight” or “flee” from perceived attack, harm or threat to our survival.
When our fight or flight response is activated, sequences of nerve cell firing occur and chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are released into our bloodstream.
These patterns of nerve cell firing and chemical release cause our body to undergo a series of very dramatic changes.
In a fight or flight situation we experience the following:

• Increased respiratory rate
• Blood is channeled from our digestive tract and directed into our muscles and limbs, which require extra energy and fuel for running and fighting.
• Pupil dilation and heightened vision
• Our awareness intensifies and impulses and reflexes are sharpened
• Our pain threshold increases
• Our immune system mobilizes with increased activation

When we reach this “survival mode” it’s almost impossible to cultivate positive attitudes and beliefs. Our emotions are quelled and our conscious mind is focused on fear and disengages from the forebrain decision making processes we employ when relaxed. Making clear choices and recognizing the consequences of those choices is unfeasible and we rely on the subconscious mind for instinctive and pre-programmed actions. Depending on what we have stored in the subconscious mind through our conscious forebrain thoughts, we may have extremely negative responses and become unintelligent in our everyday lives. It’s evident to see how being in a constant state of stress can have an adverse effect on our day to day lives.
When overwhelmed with excessive stress we focus only on short-term survival and not the long-term consequences of our beliefs and choices. Our lives become a series of short-term emergencies and we lose the ability to relax and enjoy our existence.
Burnout is inevitable what usually provides the motivation to change our lifestyle. We are propelled to step back and look at the big picture of our lives – forcing us to examine our beliefs, our values and our goals.

Cortisol

During the fight or flight response we experience elevated cortisol secretion which causes fat, protein and carbohydrates to be rapidly mobilized in order for the body to take action in a stressful situation. It’s instrumental in producing excess glucose in the body by means of the glucocorticoid effect which leads the protein content within the body to release glucose.
Cortisol is secreted by the two adrenal glands that are located on each kidney.

Cortisol performs the following functions in the human body:

• Help the body to manage stress.
• Convert protein into glucose to boost flagging blood sugar levels.
• Work in tandem with the hormone insulin to maintain constant blood sugar levels.
• Inhibit inflammation.
• Contribute to the maintenance of constant blood pressure.
• Contribute to the workings of the immune system.

While cortisol in normal amounts is necessary for proper metabolic function, a chronic elevated cortisol level has adverse effects on health, mood, body composition and performance.

High cortisol levels for prolonged periods can have the following negative effects:

• Adrenal Fatigue
• Increased appetite
• Weight gain – excessive glycogen produced will be stored as fat
• Poor immune function
• Fatigue
• Disturbed sleeping patterns
• Mood swings
• Depression

How Exercise Can Help Manage Stress

Perhaps the simplest, best way to turn down the activity of our fight or flight response is by physical exercise. Remember that the natural conclusion of fight or flight is vigorous physical activity. When we exercise, we metabolize excessive stress hormones—restoring our body and mind to a calmer, more relaxed state.
For the purpose of stress reduction and counteracting the fight or flight response, we do not need to exercise for 30 to 40 minutes. Any form of activity where we “work up a sweat” for five minutes will effectively metabolize off—and prevent the excessive buildup of—stress hormones. Get down and do 50 pushups, 50 sit-ups, jumping jacks, jump rope, run in place, run up and down the stairs, whatever. By exercising to the point of sweating, we effectively counteract the ill effects of the fight of flight response, drawing it to its natural conclusion.
Exercise increases our natural endorphins, which help us to feel better. When we feel good, our thoughts are clearer, our positive beliefs are more accessible and our perceptions are more open. When we feel tired and physically run down, we tend to focus on what’s not working in our lives. It is difficult to be, feel or think positive when we are exhausted, sleep deprived or physically out of condition.

The benefits of exercise are proven once again! Get down to your local gym or just enjoy the outdoors and kick stress out of your life.

If you are concerned about your health and well being and are not sure where to begin, get in touch with us at Fitness Goal Personal Training and get started on a better existence today – Your loved ones will thank you for it!

References:
Thebodysoulconnection.com
Wellsphere.com

It’s time to get your team fit for the upcoming soccer season – So what have you planned for your running and fitness conditioning?
In this article I will cover the important points you need to consider when putting together your soccer team fitness conditioning program.

As a coach, you must have a fitness program that takes into account the different phases of the season and the appropriate work rate that is required for each stage of the season, this is commonly known as periodization training.

The main concept coaches don’t understand is that of aerobic fitness vs. anaerobic fitness. Below is a brief explanation:

An aerobic activity is classified as exercise that is performed at an intensity level where oxygen is used as the main source for energy production. It relates to activities that last for 3+ minutes that are performed at around 65 to 80% of our maximum output. A classic example of this would be middle to long distance runner.

An anaerobic activity is one where exercise is performed at a high intensity level lasting 5 – 10 seconds where energy (ATP) stored in the muscle and creatine phosphate (CP) are used as the main source of energy production. It relates to activities performed in short bursts at around 90- 100% of our output. It can take up to 3 minutes for this energy system to recover after a maximum effort.

We also have the lactate system which sits between the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems which peaks in its contribution to ATP production at around 90 seconds of activity.

So what type of fitness conditioning do soccer players need? If we analyze the information above we can agree that soccer is a combination of all 3 energy systems. It can be described as a series of high intensity activities (sprinting, jumping, tackling, etc.) performed over an extended period of time (2 x 45 minute halves).

Therefore, soccer players require anaerobic endurance and this should be the main focus of all fitness conditioning. An effective fitness program should aim to condition and improve the efficiency of the body to recover muscle ATP through improved phosphate and creatine phosphate production.

In the pre-season it is advisable to start off with lower intensity sessions that are longer in duration. This would be the only time to do long slow distance (LSD) running training of 2-3 kilometers to build an aerobic base for later high intensity training. Players should also be encouraged to perform their own off-season training.
The basic aim of your periodization training plan should be to begin with drills and sessions that are low in intensity and longer in duration. As the competitive season commences and progresses you should aim for the reverse – High in intensity and shorter in duration.

General protocols and guidelines to consider are:

Types of running

Avoid excessive straight line running. Make sure distances are mainly short (5m-10m-20m) and there are changes of direction for the players.
Players need to work on acceleration/deceleration, lateral and backward running and zig-zagging. Create drills that make the players run and move in all directions.

Work rest ratios

Set work to rest ratios for your drills. Initially it could be 1:3 (60 seconds work: 3 min rest) and you can progress through to 1:1 (30 sec work: 30 sec rest).
Keep in mind that you can run ball orientated drills and small sided games using the same principal.

Agility Conditioning

Work on jumping and footwork with agility circuits using hurdles agility ladders and poles.

Planning your season is extremely important and will take the guesswork out of your training sessions and make them more enjoyable for your players, and most importantly help to effectively physically prepare your team for a successful competitive campaign.

Fitness Goal Personal Training offers soccer coaching and fitness conditioning consulting for soccer teams and clubs in the Melbourne area.

So the question begs to be asked – Is there a need to have a personal trainer?
For the general population the simple answer is yes, and there are numerous reasons for this.

Fitness Goal Personal Training has uncovered 3 main factors that have assisted its varying client base get results with its personal training services in Melbourne.

Establishing your needs.

There is always an underlying reason and fitness goal that gets us exercising in the first place, such as, losing weight, getting stronger, sport specific training and rehabilitation. But with the endless amount of exercises and workouts – do you really know what you need to do to achieve your desired training outcome?
A personal trainer will save you time, cut out the guess work and have you performing a customized fitness routine to get you the results you want immediately.

Correct exercise execution.

Having the correct exercise technique is critical for both maximizing the outcome of a particular exercise and avoiding injury. Bad exercise and workout habits on the gym floor will have an adverse effect on your posture, co-ordination and general body mechanics and function. The human body is designed to move in 3 planes of motion and it’s important that it’s done safely and correctly.

Diet and Lifestyle

Nutrition is a vital ingredient to improving body shape and general health. A personal trainer will guide you toward positive eating options to best suit your training needs and goals. Basic understanding of what you eat and how you plan you daily meals is critical for success.

Adjustments to lifestlye is often overlooked and it’s important that it be analized and changes made where neccessary. Temporary lifestyle changes need to be implemented to our current habits to help us along to achieving our training goals.

Motivation and support.

Even if you know what you have to do to get results – will you do it? Making the decision to start getting fit and actually following through on your challenge are two different matters! Working out 3-4 times weekly and following a dietary plan for example is not easy and another reason a personal trainer can be of great benefit to you.
Going to a session with your trainer is like attending an appointment, it’s a commitment between you and your personal trainer that will keep you from skipping your workouts. Furthermore, the relationship between you and your trainer becomes vital with his/her motivation, encouragement and support a key to your success.

Fitness Goal Personal Training operates throughout Melbourne and has helped many of its clients with their fitness and exercise goals. Please feel free to navigate through our website and take a closer look at our expertise and services we offer.

Please contact us for more information about us.

Fitness Goal Personal Training in Melbourne is here to help you!

This is where we share the latest information with you and keep you up to date on any product specials, training pack promotions and upcoming events.

We post a couple of feature articles every month on a variety of fitness, lifestyle and sporting topics, and also welcome any relevant feedback you may have.

Enjoy!