Posts Tagged ‘extra innings bloomington normal’
March 17, 2011 | 
Author I don’t know why, exactly, but I felt great today. I had a really crappy night with a person very close to me but with a beautiful, warm day in my new hometown, things just melted back to being very, very good.
Having a long, cold winter really does change you, and it’s hard to step back and appreciate how the sun and some warmth can alter your perspective, or at least shine light (pardon the pun) on the good things you do have.
The bottom line is that I’ve been making a comfortable living in a new town filled with awesome people. I’ve met new people who have been receptive to me seemingly each week, and it turns out that they give me as much as I try to give to them via my training. Read the rest of this entry »
I crack myself up! What a lame rhyming title for this post! I laughed out loud when I thought it up and recited it to my girlfriend, so I figured I would just run with it.
Anyway, I’ve been leaning up since the end of the season (cutting some of the fat that I gained via late-night hot dog benders in visiting clubhouses), and one of the big difference makers is late-night eating. You simply cannot stuff yourself with carbs in the evening if you want to stay lean.
But, if you’re on a quality workout program, you still need to feed your muscles as the day wanes; fasting from 6pm on is NOT the answer.
So, you need to adjust what you’re eating, and I suggest some variation of the 4 Bs: Beef, Bacon, Broccoli and Brie – all low-carb foods that will fill you up and keep your body moving in the direction of muscle recovery and fat loss. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s time to get in shape, says I. I’ll go out and run…4, no 6. No, 8 is a good number. Yes! I’ll run 8 400 meter sprints. That’ll be a good start, says I.
God, I’m stupid.
Photo courtesy of the Bataan Province circa 1942.
As I walked through the Washington Nationals’ spring training complex this past March, (I was on a barnstorming team that played their minor league squads), I couldn’t help but notice a group of pitchers laying on the grass, doing crunches beneath the watchful eye of what I assumed was a strength coach. I shook my ahead in disgust and kept walking.
Why did I roll my eyes at such a scene? Isn’t core training crucial for baseball? Aren’t crunches a fundamental exercise in building a strong abdomen?
The short answer is that yes, core training is critical for increasing the performance of a baseball player. However, core exercises from the ground just don’t pass my standard for sport carryover, and they’re something I feel can be substituted for a much more effective, sport-specific exercise in almost every instance. Read the rest of this entry »