Renegade

Protein

I get asked many times over and over the questions, what type of food is a protein and what is better organic vs. non-organic.  Many people make eating too complicated, when it is very easy.

My simple response to the question, what type of food is a protein, would be anything that has eyes provides a high quality protein.  These eyes proteins consist of beef, pork, fish(any kind), chicken, turkey, eggs, and milk.  Another great source of protein can come from plants.  These protein items consist of nuts and beans.  Eating a variety of protein from the eyes and plants is a great way to have balance.

As far as organic vs. non-organic, organic is the best if it is truly organic, but there is nothing wrong with non-organic foods.  People are finding that the restriction on organic foods are not closely monitored and that there are no nutritional differences between the two.  You can not go wrong eating organic or n0n-organic.

Lastly, do not make eating complex.  At every meal have a fist full of protein from the eye or plant source.  Remember KISS (Keep It Stupid Simple).  See my next post on how much protein to eat.

Ronald Lelko

Power 101

Over the years I have met some great mountain bikers in the state of Connecticut.  After the rides, many if not all of these fellow bikers ask me how I got so explosive on the bike.  They are amazed at my acceleration in flats, powering through technical sections and the power at which I climb.  My return question to them, “What kind of strength program do they perform?”  Many of the bikers did not work out with weights or the ones that did were performing the wrong exercises or protocol.

When taking a look at riding a bike you are pushing and pulling with each and every pedal stroke.  You are also perform this pushing and pulling with one leg doing the pushing while the other leg is doing the pulling.  With that being said, within your training program you should have a steady diet of single leg movements.

Check back for part 2, where I will show you how to do lunges for pedal power and destroy your competition.

The Beast

Ronald Lelko

Clients, athletes, society and nutrition experts make eating right to complex. KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid!  I try to convey this message to all of my clients and athletes.  Eating right is very simple!

The first thing you have to do is take all of the processed foods out of your diet.  A good rule of thumb to live by is anything that can be stored longer then a week or more without going bad can be considered a processed food.  When doing your grocery shopping stick to the outside of the food store, all of the processed foods are in the inside aisles.

Next time you go food shopping take a closer look at all of the food items on the outside of the store.  Many, if not all, of these foods are from the earth and will go bad after a week. Because of the short shelf life of these foods you should go grocery shopping one or more times per week.  These natural foods are the ones that you should be eating and come from an organic source if possible.

Look for Eating 101 part 2: Protein.

Ronald Lelko

by Ron Lelko

The Importance of Warming Up and Flexibility

The importance of warming up and flexibility are well known throughout the sporting community, but are poorly implemented. When both of these components are implemented correctly, the performance of the athlete will improve dramatically. In this article I will discuss the importance of and misconceptions about warming up, flexibility, static vs. dynamic stretching, and where in the training program they should be placed.
What are the benefits to warming up? An effective warm-up will prepare the athlete for physical activity. It accomplishes this by elevating the temperature of the core at least one to two degrees Celsius, increasing heart rate and blood flow, activating the central nervous system, and increasing the suppleness of connective tissue. All of these elements will get the body ready. You should always do 5 to 10 minutes of sport specific dynamic range of motion as your warm-up.

Examples: Lunges with Twist,
this dynamic range of motion mimics wide receivers getting into the break down of a hitch, curl or out route.

Now that we know the importance of warming up, we have to look at the wide receiver position and the type of training and physical activity that they will be performing. As a wide receiver many of the movements in training and competition will be done in a high intensity, ballistic manner. Now that we have established this, we must take a look at the type of warm up and stretching that we perform to get ready for physical activity. 
Many coaches and players know that warming up and stretching is essential to a good training program, but too often they fall short of implementing both aspects. One example of this is the typical start to a training session or competition, where the athlete or athletes jog a couple of laps and then go straight to static stretching. During the static stretching phase the body will cool down due to the lack of movement. The cooling down of the body can predispose to various injuries occurring at the start of training or competition. Therefore, static stretching does not effectively prepare the body for physical activity. It has also been proven that static stretching before a training session leads to tiredness and a decrease in speed, skill level, and coordination.

Static vs. Dynamic

The National Strength and Conditioning Association defines static flexibility as, “the range of possible movement about a joint and its surrounding muscles during a passive movement” (sitting or standing). Basically static flexibility is considered a slow stretch, where speed of movement is not a factor and it is held for 20 to 30 seconds (example: standing hamstring stretch). This type of stretching will help improve joint range of motion, remove waste products from exercise, and promote recovery. It should be performed at the end of physical activity when the muscle and joint are completely warmed up and should not be a part of your warm up routine.
Dynamic flexibility is defined as, “the available range of motion during active movements, and therefore requires voluntary muscle actions. In simple terms, dynamic flexibility is using velocity to take your joints through a range of motion.

Example: High Kick,
you will kick your leg up contracting your quadriceps and hip flexor, while at the same time stretching the hamstring and gluteus. Then you will pull your leg back down contracting your hamstring and gluteus, while stretching your quadriceps and hip flexor.

To derive even more benefit, choose movements that are specific to the sport and position. Dynamic flexibility will prepare the muscle and connective tissues for physical activities and should be performed before your training session or competition.

Including a warm up which consists of sport specific dynamic range of motion movements for 5 to 10 minutes and a 5 to 10 minute minimum static stretch at the end of a training program or competition will only increase the performance of the athlete. Below you will find a partial example of dynamic range of motion program suitable for a basic wide receiver warm-up:

1. Rope Work – 2 to 4 minutes

2. Crows Twist – 10 x

3.Incline Twist – 10 x

4.Knee Hugs – 10 yards

5. Butt Kickers – 10 yards

6. High Kicks – 10 Yards

7. Lunges with Torso Twist – 10 yards

8. Inch Worm – 10 yards

This entire program should only take 8 minutes tops. For details on how to perform each movement and a more comprehensive program, please refer to my Wide Receiver Dynamic Range of Motion program.

Preparing yourself for training and competition in the proper fashion will not only reduce your risk of injury but will also improve your athletic performance. As you can see from the definition and benefits of both static and dynamic flexibility, the timing in the training program is important. Dynamic flexibility is placed at the start of competition and training programs to get the muscle and connective tissue ready for physical activity. Static flexibility should be placed at the end of competition or training to help with recovery, promote joint range of motion, and waste removal.

“Train smarter, not harder”

Ronald Lelko

RON LELKO | Lelko’s Personal Training, LLC | ronaldlelkopt@att.net

Ronald has had a successful career on the grid iron in high school and college. While at Phillipsburg High School, a football power in the state of New Jersey, he received All-State Honors, lead the conference in receiving, and broke the single season reception record. During his junior year at Bloomsburg University Ronald caught 99 balls for 1596 yards and 19 touchdowns all Bloomsburg single season and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference records. Along with posting big numbers he helped the Huskies to the National Playoffs for the first time since 1986. The Associated Press named him a first team All-American wide receiver. Prior to his senior year the team bestowed upon him the highest honor by naming him team captain. After college he was invited to the Saints training camp and received individual tryout with the Cardinals and Dolphins.

If you have been meaning to get back into training or if you have never trained and are planning to start – let me borrow an old phrase that got a ton of use out of…”Just Do It!”  If you keep putting it off until everything is in order – you will never start.  (That little nugget applies to everything in your life actually!)  Do something for 15 minutes one day and the next shoot for 20…  A great place to start would be with John Davies great DVD –  ”Pink” – http://www.renegadetraining.com/pink.html.   Or if you want to start with the kettlebells…try “Exit 18E” http://www.renegadetraining.com/kettlebell_dvd.html

You just have to make a decision to get up and get moving!  You will be glad you did!