Post Ski Nutrition

I have been noticing something as I am performing my daily foam rolling sessions out here.  What I have noticed is skiing requires certain muscles that are not normally used during my regular activities at home.  There are certain areas that have been particularly sore and knotty that usually are not when I foam roll at home.

In this article I will go over some of the areas that I think are important areas to work on if your getting ready for the ski season.  The areas I will cover will keep you body healthy to have fun on the slopes but more importantly keep your knees injury free.  By working on some of these areas it will keep the stress of your knee joint and allow to move efficiently on the slopes.

The primary areas people need to hit when hitting the slopes include the ankle, tensor fascia latae (TFL), iliotibial band (ITB), the quadriceps (vastus medialis (VMO) and vastus lateralis), and the calves.

Ankle Mobility

If you have ever skied before than you know that when you put on a ski boot your boot requires you to have a forward lean while in it.  The reason for this is because of the technique required for skiing is that of a forward lean down the hill.  In order to ski properly you should be leaning downhill and not back on your heals and on the back of the skis. This allows for smoother turning.  In order to have a forward lean in a ski boot your ankles must have the proper mobility in them.  Below is a great mobility drill to provide you with some much needed ankle mobility.

What you want to do here is place your front toe against the wall and keeping your front heel in contact with the ground bend the front knee into the wall.  If you can do this with ease than bring your front foot a inch or so away from the wall and repeat.  You should feel a nice stretch in the front leg calf and ankle area.  Perform 10-15 repetitions per leg.

The Calf Muscles

The areas of the calf that require some attention are the gastrocnemius, the soleus and the peroneal muscles.

The Gastroc is the bigger of the two main calf muscles and sits on the lateral and medial side of the lower leg.  This muscle will almost always be used during skiing so to allow it to move and generate the proper force and activation it should be foam rolled before and after your ski sessions.

The Soleus muscle is under the Gastrocnemius muscle and can be prone to tighten if its not stretched properly.

The peroneal muscle is made up of two muscles called the longus and brevis.  The are responsible for eversion and plantar flexion of the ankle.

This has been the area that I have noticed the most soreness and knots in while out here.  This area is responsible for the side to side movements which you will do a lot of while skiing.

Perform 10-15 passes on each area and if you feel an area that is tighter roll a bit more or even stop on the area until the tightness subsides.

Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL) & IT Band

As its name implies, it tightens the fascia lata, thereby enabling the thigh muscles to act with increased power. It also tightens the iliotibial tract, enabling the gluteus maximus muscle to keep the knee joint in the extended position. In addition, when in the standing position, it steadies the trunk on the thigh and counteracts the posterior pull of the gluteus maximus on the iliotibial tract.

The iliotibial band is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, moving from behind the femur to the front while walking.

Anytime the knee is involved in a movement or exercise you must always take a look at this area.   Many runners have tightness in this area and as I ski I am assuming many skiers have this tightness as well.

Perform 10-15 passes on each area and if you feel an area that is tighter roll a bit more or even stop on the area until the tightness subsides.

Vastus Lateralis

During ski sessions your legs are in a quarter to half squat more than they are in a standing position so the muscles that are contracted for the 3 to 6 hours of skiing are your quadriceps muscles of the upper leg.  This muscle runs along side the lateral side of the leg.  If you ski all day this muscle will be sore and have been contracted many many times during your sessions so it is a much needed area to foam roll if you plan to keep it skiing effectively.

Perform 10-15 passes on each area and if you feel an area that is tighter roll a bit more or even stop on the area until the tightness subsides.

Vastus Medialis

Much like the vastus lateralis, the vastus medialis is a muscles that is contracted during a ski session.  Like I said above in the sport of skiing you will be in a quarter to half squat position most of the time therefore the quadriceps muscles of the leg will be working pretty hard.   Another important job of the VMO is the stabilization of the knee joint and since skiing is a multi-directional movement there is a huge amount of torque on the knee joint.  The VMO is responsible for keeping the knee safe and not allowing it to twist beyond what it is capable of.   Because of this work required form the VMO it will need to be tended to with some regular foam rolling.

Perform 10-15 passes on each area and if you feel an area that is tighter roll a bit more or even stop on the area until the tightness subsides.

Thoracic Spine

The thoracic spine is an area that should have mobility in it.  This allows our body the freedom to move efficiently through specific movements without getting injured.  In the sport of skiing the body is moving in many different directions with each turn.  Your upper body should actually move differently than your lower body when making a turn.  Your upper body should always face downhill while your legs are making side-to-side turns and this can be hard to do if your thoracic spine is stiff and immobile.  This area of your body should go through some mobility work before your get out on the mountain.  Below you will find a mobility drill to help loosen up the thoracic spine to get you ready for the slopes.

Place the foam roller on the thoracic spine area.  With your arms crossed extend from your back and come back to start.  Roll up or down a few inches and repeat this.  Do this 5 times at each area throughout your thoracic area.  Make sure you are extending from your thoracic and not your neck.

So if you plan on getting out on the slopes this season do yourself a favor and take 5-10 minutes before and after your session and hit them with a foam roller.  It will keep your body healthy and keep you skiing longer.

In Part 2 I will cover some of the best exercises to keep you in top condition for the ski season.

Since Thanksgiving is the holiday for giving thanks for all the things we are grateful for I thought I would share some of the things I am thankful and grateful for in my life today.

1. My Career

I am truly blessed to have the ability to wake up and go to work helping others to change their lives.  I love my job and the people I have meet because of it.  It allows me the ability to learn from so many different people.  My members allow me to enter their lives and learn about how they tick and what they want out of their own life and what it means to them to be happy and healthy and successful.  It is an honor to me that these people trust me and allow me into their fears and concerns and feelings they have about themselves.  It is a great feeling to know that what I have had a passion for my entire life has given me the opportunity to meet and enter so many peoples lives to help them with an area of their lives that is my passion and it is pure joy to see the changes that I have witnessed in thousands of clients over the years doing what I do for a living.

I have been asked many times and holiday parties and events from people I have not seen in a while “How’s work?”  My answer always seems to be the same year in and year out and that is “I don’t know if I am working or playing”.  I am thankful for this.

2. My Health

So many times we can look in the mirror and find that one, two or ten areas of our body that we don’t like.  I am guilty of this too so don’t feel bad about it.  What we fail to realize is that the outside is not what truly matters.  Don’t get me wrong, it feels GOOD to look good and I am not saying that you should not want to look the way you want however it is a small part of the picture and there are some things that genetically we are born with.  I always wanted to be taller because had I been say my father’s height I would be playing ball on Sundays.  But I’m not  and that’s ok with me right now because I have so many other things to be grateful for when it comes to my body.  I am strong and healthy and can do things in daily life without feeling tired, worn out or hurt.  I can get up at 5am and go to sleep at 11pm and run around all day doing various things such as train clients, run errands, walk my dog, do laundry, go food shopping, train myself and sit down and read.  I am thankful for my eyesight while we are on the subject.  I am completely healthy and when I go to the doctor for a yearly check-up and he tells me my cholesterol, blood, heart, and every other organ and system in my body is working beautifully that feels GREAT.  I will be 37 years old in January and I feel like a kid with all the energy I have day in and day out.  I am also thankful for the ability to sleep good.  I know many people that struggle to sleep at night and I can say that I don’t have that problem.  Let’s exclude the last couple months on this one guys and you all know I haven’t had good sleeps lately.  Normally this has never been a problem and it feels great.

So the bottom line is stop looking at the outside and start being grateful for healthy check-ups, good sleeps and being able to live day in and day out and do the various things that you do everyday.  Be proud of yourself for getting up and having breakfast and sending the kids to school and running errands and doing homework with them after driving them to basketball, dance lessons and all the other things you do for your children.  This stuff is BIG and you have to say to yourself “Yes I am living a healthy life” even if you don’t fit into a size 2 pair of jeans.  That’s not as important as being here for your grandchildren and watching your own children get married.  So please take a moment and find 2 or 3 things that make you feel good about YOU and give yourself a high five RIGHT NOW!

Fun Fact: Because of my healthy lifestyle I have had the opportunity to be able to surf the north shore of Hawaii AND ski the mountains of Vail, Colorado on Thanksgiving Day.  This is an awesome feeling!

3. My Family

Family.  What can I say about my family?  I could probably right an entire book on how thankful for the family I was blessed with.  My family is CRAZY.  Each and every one of us but that’s ok by me because we love each other unconditionally and that is the most valuable thing I have learned from my family.  I love my family so much I would die for each and every one of them.  I will go to war for them and they would do the same for me and through the years there has been many, many times that we have had tragedy and adversity enter our lives and not once has there been a time that I can think of that we did not have each others backs. Life is hard and can beat you down at times.  My family has taught me that it’s ok to cry and feel weak.  What my family has also taught me is to lean on them when things get rough and that is priceless.  As a man sometimes we feel we have to handle everything and be strong and hold it together however that is not always the case.  I have been through some trying times a few times in my life and every single time I have the love and support of my family right next to me holding my hand through it all.  It never fails, my family has my back.  Like I said life is HARD and when it is the best thing to do is to surround yourself with people that love you and care about your well-being.  My family is about love regardless of the good and the bad; we love each other and are there for each other NO MATTER WHAT.  People come and go in your life but family is forever.  Remember, “Without Love We Perish”

I love you Mom, Dad, Sean and Mara and THANK YOU for always being there.

4. My Friends

If you can count 5 people that you can honestly say are your friends through life than you have it good.  Well I can count on 5 hands people that I truly consider my friends.  I have it REALLY GOOD! I have had friends since 1^st grade or that I grew up with on the beaches of cape may as a kid that are still there for me through some of the worst times of my life.  This is BIG.  I have met so many good people in my life through school, growing up, traveling and my career that I have a huge amount of people that I call my friends.  Most of them I can consider my family.  These people have helped me through life in so many ways that I cannot help but be grateful to have each and every one of them in my corner.  My friends allow me to be me and I can tell them my deepest darkest secrets without every feeling judged.  They accept me for me and that speaks volumes of someone.

Think about the friends you have in your life and be grateful for them entering into your life and next time you see them thank them and give them a hug for being there for you.  Friendship is invaluable to your health and when you have good people in your life hold onto them.  It can be the difference between a healthy and happy existence or a miserable life.

So THANK YOU to all my friends out there…you know who you are.

5. My Harley Bear

Since this little bubba entered my life I can honestly say that I have been healthier.  A dog is a man’s best friend for a reason.  Harley is ALWAYS there for me.  He knows when I’m down and not feeling to good and all he has to do is lick my face or lay up next to me and I know he knows.  They know us. Harley is always happy to see me.  Harley makes my day brighter every single day.  I smile when he sleeps.  I smile when he runs for seashells.  I smile when he cries and moans for attention.  I smile when he wags his little tail.  I smile when he drinks his water.  The more I smile, the healthier I am.  It’s that simple when it comes to health.  Harley Bear is my little boy and I am grateful for waking up everyday and seeing his mushy face.  It makes life brighter.  I love my Harley Bear.

6. My Team

My team at the gym are some of the most important people in my life right now.  They have showed up for me when I could not show up for myself.  They drove the bus for me when I couldn’t.  I cannot describe how grateful I am for that.  My team has done things beyond the scope of what is asked of them just because that’s the type of people they are.  I like to think of them as my brothers and sisters and I love them for that.  We are a close-knit crew that work together, hang out with each other and help each other reach our own personal goals.  That is the type of team I want to be a part of.  If it were not for the people on my team I would not be where I am today.  If I did not have them in my corner my business may have folded in the last couple months and I cannot thank them enough.  So thank you Jon, Alex, Nicole, and Graham.  I appreciate everything you do for me.

7. My Members

The members of our gym have been invaluable to me.  I have had the pleasure of becoming a part of their lives in so many different ways.  Whether it be helping them feel better about themselves or helping there children get better at sports.  The members of our gym have allowed me into their lives and for that I am thankful.  They trust me and my team with their bodies and their children’s also.  I have been blessed with great people who come to our gym and they have become what I consider my extended family.  They are there for each other, they are there for me and they inspire me everyday because they show up week in and week out to be there for themselves.  Thank You for becoming part of my life.

8. My Gym

Since I was 12 years old working out in my garage with my father I have had an obsession with lifting weights and working out.  I would wake up before school and go running with my mother in grammar school.  My parents have planted a seed of living a healthy lifestyle.  I have always had a dream of opening my own gym and today that dream has become a reality.  For that I am extremely grateful.   When I walk into my gym sometimes I keep the lights off for a minute or two and just stop and look around my gym.  I look at the equipment, the cleanliness, the way the gym is laid out, and all that comes to mind is how grateful I am for having the ability to have something so beautiful as my gym.  What I also think of is all the blood, sweat and hard work that it has taken to get to this point of owning something as precious to me as the gym.  It is a priceless feeling to me.  It has been a symbol of dreaming big, hard work, education, perseverance, dedication and what my entire life is all about.  Hanley Strength is not just the name of my company but a mindset that I have had since I can remember of never giving up and striving for what I believe in and to open the gym each day is a affirmation of what I have accomplished not just in the last 3 years my gym has been open but in a lifetime of passion for something that is engrained in me through my parents.  Lifting weights and working out has given me more than just physical strength.  It has given me a mental toughness that has gotten me through so many difficult times in my life that I am truly blessed and grateful for my parents for instilling in me a way of life that will be with me until the day I die and that I can share with others.

9. My Work Ethic

Growing up our family was not made of money.  Both my parents came from poverty and rough areas.  We are a blue-collar hard working family.  I am grateful for this.  As I was growing up I would watch my mom take various jobs to have just a little bit more for her children.  She would do this so we had a few extra gifts during holidays or so we could eat chicken and eggs on a daily basis.  I would watch my father wake up at all hours of the night to work his shift on the docks or maybe I wouldn’t see him for a day because he would work a double shift or go run his taxis cab business at night just so his family had it better than he did.  Yet even working hours on end he would show up at half time of my games as a kid playing sports to show his support.  My mom would be up cooking us breakfast and shipping us off to school and then go to work.  After school she would pick us up, shuttle us to all the sport practices and games and would go non-stop until we were all in bed only to finish doing the laundry or making lunches for us for the next day.   This was work for both of them and they did that just so that me, my brother and sister had a better life than they did.  I cannot say enough about this kind of mindset and way of life.

The work ethic that I have learned from my parents is priceless to me.  It has given me the ability to work for things that are important to me.  We were important to my parents and they showed us that through there action.  They also taught me how to pay my way.  When something was important to me than I had to work for it.  I started working a paper route as a kid just so I could buy the hottest BMX bike out there or a new skateboard because I cracked my last one in half.  They taught me that life wasn’t fair and if I wanted something I had to work at it to get it no matter what it was.  If I wanted to excel in football than I had to put in the work on the field and in the weight room.  There was no off-season for me.  I worked my tail off to become a better athlete because I was not just talented like some of my friends.  I cannot tell you how valuable this stuff is to me today in life.  I often share this conversation with my sister because she feels the same way as I do.  My sister is a lawyer today as a result of her learned work ethic of my parents.  My brother owns a construction company in the Hollywood Hills and takes on BIG jobs because he knows how to work his ass off. If my coach wanted us in the weight room at 6:15 am I would be there because I wanted to win.  If my managers asked me to work a double shift at the restaurant I would do it because I wanted to make more money growing up.  If working a double meant hitting the weights at 9pm than that’s what I did.  I have been blessed with a work ethic that is machine like.  I can go from 6am to 11pm because my members, my health, and my life are important to me.  I cannot describe how thankful I am for this trait. Thanks Mom & Dad.

10. My Faith

In this day and age there are too many people that have no faith in anything.  It does not matter what you believe in just BELIEVE.  The reason I have been successful in life and especially in some of the worst times of my life is because I have faith that ANYTHING is possible.  This is something both of my parents have taught me in their very own way.  My faith has gotten stronger the older I have gotten.  The more adversity I go through the more I realize how much faith I have.  I believe that anything is possible so long as you believe it can happen.  There is no guarantee in anything in life but having faith that things will be ok will make the darkest times become just a little bit brighter.  I believe that I am not in charge and that there is someone guiding my life the way it is suppose to go.  Sometimes this can suck and it can be difficult to not know what the future holds for us but as I look back on my life and all the experiences I have had I have solid evidence that it usually works out and many times the way it works out is way better than I could ever have dreamed of.  This evidence throughout my life has proven some things to me and I have faith in that fact alone.  I am a firm believer in the fact God only gives us what we can handle.  I also know that when things feel bigger than what I think I can handle I have a family and a TON of friends that will help me believe that I CAN get through the roughest times.  I have faith that my family will be there.  I have faith that pain will pass and I am extremely grateful that I have faith.

Leave a comment below with some things you are grateful for in your life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I did my intervals on the beach.  It felt great.  It was a beautiful day and it felt great to get some exercise in outside.  What better place to run than alongside the ocean.  This is just one of many ways to get your workout outside during the nicer whether.

Below is a video clip of a conditioning workout I did the other day in my backyard.  It was beautiful out and I had limited time to get a workout in so I hit a 25 minute metabolic session in at home.  Not much equipment needed and it was a GREAT workout.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do you want to get ready for the summer!

Have you ever looked beach ready before?

Do you want to?

Are you ready to get SHREDDED?

Well than follow me on my journey to my wedding date in June and join me in the Summer Shred Program!

I will be posting my training log as well as my food log on my blog regularly. You will leave your logs in the comment section and we will Get Shredded TOGETHER!

Tomorrow I will start posting my food intake and my training along with tons of videos on metabolic conditioning, intervals, meal prepping tips, among various motivation tools to keep us on the path of victory.

Here is your first motivational video to get you ready for the ride, you must have a sense of humor for this one. It is a great abdominal bracing exercise that will make you laugh.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Come on,  you have to laugh……life is short:)

Stayed tuned,  tomorrow it will be rocking over here at Hanley Strength.

What I decided to do was create goals for the year so instead of having a new years resolution I will have a 2010 goal sheet.  Now on thsi goals sheet I break it down into a few different areas of my life.  Some of them are finances, relationships, business, training, travel, etc.  I think you get the idea.  And within those list I have certain goals for the upcoming year.  The goals range from shorts term easily attainable goals to long term hard to reach goals.  Some of them I may not complete in 2010 and that is totally cool with me.  See it should not be and all or nothing sort of thing just a like a nutrition plan or training program should not be an all or nothing thing.  It should be flexible to some degree all the while moving in the right direction.  If I had an all or nothing mindset to my training than when I missed a lift it would be the end of it right?  WRONG.  You dust yourself off, get back up on the horse and get after it again with more knowledge, experience and character than you did before you missed a lift or didn’t reach a goal.

The goal sheet that I make for myself will have a number of things I would like to improve on and like I said I may not reach the end goal in mind within this year.  The beauty of the sheet is it goes on my corkboard at home right in front of my desk where I can review it each week and chip away at it little by little.  The way i do this is take a piece of it every week and go to work on it.  This is how you lose bodyfat and this is how you get stronger.  Little by little, day in and day out, week in and week out, month in and month out, year in and year out…………

If it happened instantly everyone would be jacked, everyone would have a six pack and everyone would be rich.  Unfortunately it is not how it works and if you ask anyone who is remotely successful in the world they will tell you that it cam with hard work and sweat equity.   this is how champions are built and this is how I live my life.  Day by day with a plan and a whole lotta hard work.

So if you are thinking about the year to come and have some goals in mind, WRITE THEM DOWN!  Make a plan,  if you don’t know how ask someone to help you.  Finally work your tail off and I guarantee that you will achieve ANYTHING you put your mind too.

If you like POST YOUR 2010 GOALS HERE and I will be sure to keep tabs on ya throughout the year.

P.S. I just made a Brand New Gift for everyone that signs up for my newsletter.

GO HERE TO RECEIVE YOUR NEW YEARS GIFT

Have a Happy New Year and Be Safe

Yours in Strength,

Mike

Anyway I feel totally blessed for the life I have and could not be happier.  Of course if you asked me what I “want” as opposed to what I “need”  than I would easily write you a laundry list of techy stuff, more gym equipment, ski and surf gear and a house in Hawaii and Colorado.   There will always be things I want however when I really take a look at my life there is NOTHING I need.

Anyway I had a great workout today and figured I would share it with you.  I plan on writing a BOATLOAD more blogs this coming year.  Blogs that include exercise videos, video tutorials, book /product reviews, nutrition tips and much, much more.  I would love to hear what you would like me to write about.

Just drop a comment and tell me what you would like to learn about.

Okay onto the workout………..

1. Bench Press (thumbs form smooth) – 45×10, 95x5x2, 135x3x2, 185×1,225×1, 250×1, 270×1, 285×1, 255x1x4, 185×17

2a. CG Seated Rows – 4 sets of 10-12 reps
2b. NG DB Shoulder Press – 4 sets of 12-15 reps

3. TRX Triplex (4 Rounds)

• TRX Tricep Extensions – 15 reps
• TRX Bicep Curls – 15 reps
• TRX Scarecrows – 15 reps

Here is a video I made of the circuit a while back as well.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The TRX is a great way to add some bodyweight variety into your training program.  For more info check out Fitness Anywhere website.

Until next time………TRAIN HARD!