Those that join our sports performance summer program will practice strength exercises that build a strong foundation in the body and helps to prevent injuries in young athletes. There is nothing more frustrating than being injured and there are plenty of ways to prevent injuries such as working on both left and right mobility patterns, joint integrity, balance, and equalizing strength on both sides of the body. Examples of these strength exercises include: Single legged balance touches, hip circuits, rotator cuff strengthening, body planks, crab walks, lateral resistance training, monster walks, and much more.

The second most important training mechanisms taught at Burn 60’s sports performance summer camp are for speed, agility and quickness (SAQ’s). Young athletes must train the neuromuscular system to fire more quickly. Performing drills that improve SAQ’s include Ladder drills for coordination and quickness (i.e. ali Shuffle, quick step, foot fires, high knees, toe taps). Multidirectional foot drills will improve speed and agility (i.e. 4 Cone agility course, partner tag, mirror drill).

Every youth that participates in the summer program should bring water and a healthy post workout snack each day.
Post Workout Snack examples:
Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich
Turkey or Tuna fish sandwich
Yogurt with granola
Baked Yam or sweet potato
2 Hard boiled eggs and an apple
Banana and Mix Nuts

To register for any three sessions this summer call Burn 60 at 310-476-5656 or email Anna Renderer at anna@burn60.com.
Session 1: June 18th- 29th
Session 2: July 16th-27th
Session 3: August 13th-24th

Most strength training exercises such as squats will be repeated for up to 30 repetitions! Now, if you are not in proper alignment and don’t perform this movement correctly, then you have just worsened an already poor movement. The chain of events for a poorly performed squat include grinding of the knee, strain on the low back muscles and compression of the vertebrae. This can lead to serious injury or even worse, chronic pain.

It would be like spelling “movement” wrong 30 different times in this article. This article would look poorly written even if there were some good things written. So you may think “At least I’m in the gym and actually doing something”. Well, your wrong. If you aren’t doing it correctly then you’re doing more harm then good for your body. So pay attention to your form in the gym! Take 10 minutes a day to stretch and foam roll to help keep your body in the best alignment possible.

As one of my favorite mentors said to me a long time ago, “The way you do anything is the way you do everything”.

Anna Renderer, MS

Ever heard the phrase “Variety is the spice of life”? Well now you have. Every fitness professional, every nutritionist, every therapist will tell you…change it up or you will always stay the same.

Trying to lose weight and you can’t seem to drop that last 10lbs? Have you been doing the same workout routine with the same trainer and eating the same foods at every meal? CHANGE IT UP BURNERS! Even trying the yoga or pilates class once a week will give your body a feeling of change. Overtraining can be a reason why the body doesn’t let go of pounds! Try a new class with a different instructor to give the body variety and challenges that its’ not already used to! Routine is good but variety is necessary!

Same goes with your diet! If you eat healthy and can’t seem to shed those extra pounds then switch it up. Eat something different for breakfast every morning (an egg scramble one day, oat bran with raisins another day, toast and almond butter the next day, yogurt with blueberries, hard-boiled eggs and avocado with toast) Give your body variety and it will change for you!

Anna Renderer, MS
Fitness Director, Burn 60

Lactate threshold, around 85% Max Heart Rate is the best predictor of your running endurance. This physiological variable will tell your fastest sustainable aerobic speed. In other words, how long you can run without hitting that wall where your legs feel like led and just need to stop. Trial and error can get you in the appropriate training zone but if you want to start getting results right away your lactate threshold can be measured with VO2 Metabolic Testing. Staying within your lactate threshold will allow you to continue running for longer distances which is vital when training for a road race and important when trying to lose weight.

For runners that start a race/run off too fast (> 85% MHR), it is almost impossible to keep that same pace going the entire time and you will hit a wall shortly into it. Run a Negative Split: Begin at the pace you can maintain the entire race/run and then for the second half of the race/run try to run the same pace or faster.

It is imperative to eat, drink, and rest correctly before and after running. This has the greatest effect on muscle fatigue and soreness. You’ve all heard the myth, “I’m sore because of the lactic acid in my muscles”. Lactic acid does not cause fatigue or soreness! Lactic Acid is simply a byproduct of muscle working in an anaerobic state (oxygen supply doesn’t meet the muscles oxygen demand). Soreness is causes by muscle tears and inflammation from exercise along with some important physiological changes such as dehydration, glycogen depletion, acidosis, and metabolic byproducts such as H, K, and ADP. The way you fuel and rest your body will influence many of these physiological changes. Remember: Adaptations to training occur during recovery not during training itself. After the workout your body is weaker, not stronger than it was coming in. The hours following exercise, your body adapts and physiologically overcompensates so that the same exercise intensity will not cause the same degree of muscle fatigue or soreness. In short, your fitness has improved.

Dehydration is among the most common nutritional cause of performance decline. Being hydrated will make a huge difference during your run and post recovery. It is most important to drink water when not working out because if you are dehydrated before your run it is impossible to reverse those effects during your workout. During exercise, the average athlete requires ½ – 1 liter of water and 200-1000 mg of sodium each hour of training or racing. Remember to drink at least ½ your body weight in fluid ounces per day.

Carbohydrate is your friend: Endurance exercise is strongly influenced by pre-glycogen stores in the muscle and liver. Intense exercise decreases these glycogen stores and is directly related to fatigue. Eating a balance of carbohydrates and protein will help give you a better workout and prevent you from losing energy during a run.

Between workouts, low glycemic foods are optimal. This yields a better recovery for the muscles and promotes fat burn during exercise. For information on glycemic index, visit www.glycemicindex.com. Deep color fruits and vegetables contain several phytonutrients that provide ani-inflammatory benefit to the muscles. Including these foods in your diet will help reduce soreness.

Long Distance Runners: Before a long run lasting over 2 hours, carbo-loading can be helpful. For the best results, increase carbohydrates to 55-60% of daily intake for the 2-3 weeks before a long run. Then increase carbohydrate concentration by 25% while maintaining a caloric balance for the final 3 days leading up to the race. Popular carbohydrate foods include pasta, potato, cereal, energy bars, bananas, fruit juice, pretzels, rice, and low-fat yogurt.
The pre-race meal is critical to prevent low blood sugars and early fatigue. A good balance is to include up to 25 grams of protein (2 eggs with toast), 20 grams of fat (2 Tbsp of nut butter) and at least 50-70 grams of carbohydrates about 2 hours leading up to the race.

The only way to be a better runner is to run more! The amount of blood pumped by your heart per minute (cardiac output) and the muscles capillary and mitochondrial densities are ultimately responsible for your endurance and both improve by running. Adding a well balanced diet and staying hydrated will help to improve your endurance and recovery but it is with training that you will ultimately become a stronger and faster runner.

Anna Renderer, MS
Fitness Director, Burn 60

References
Karp, Jason R. (2008). Physiological Secrets of Distance Running. VO2 Max Distance Running Clinic, San Diego. www.RunCoachJason.com.

Mueller, Kim. (2008). Optimal Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Top 10 Tips for Peak Performance. kim@Fuel-Factor.com.

Burn 60 clients are more susceptible to muscle pulls during class when they have chronically tight muscles. It can be several muscles or one in particular that can cause a pulled hamstring, quadriceps, calf, or back muscle. In addition, you can perform at higher levels when you are more flexible. To avoid a pulled muscle and maximize your performance in class it is essential to stretch and increase your flexibility post workout. It’s equally important to do a Dynamic Warm Up (mobility stretches) pre workout.

Take the extra 10 minutes after class to perform these few important stretches!
1. Downward Dog- Place the hands shoulder width apart and feet shoulder width apart. Lift hips towards the sky keeping the legs and back straight. Extend the heels towards the floor and lengthen the hamstrings, calves and low back.
2. Hip Flexor Stretch- Bring the left leg in a 90 degree position on the floor and right leg fully extended with just the toes on the floor. Pull belly button inward to avoid an anterior tilt of the pelvis and tighten the right glute for maximal stretch of the right hip flexor. Repeat on the other side.
3. Piriformis Stretch (figure 4 stretch, or pigeon pose)- In a seated position on the floor with the knees bent and feet flat on the floor, place your hands behind you to support your body. Bring your right ankle across your left thigh near the knee. You should feel the stretch in your hip and upper glute on the right side. Repeat on the left side.
4. Laying Trunk Rotation- Lying flat on your back, bring both knees up at 90 degrees and rotate them to the left, bringing them to the floor. Hold this stretch and repeat on the right side.

Best in Health,
Anna Renderer, MS
Fitness Director, Burn 60