Check out some footage of pro football player, Bill Winters of the New Jersey Revolution, killing this lower body workout.
Think you have what it takes to be part of our tribe?
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
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Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Breaking Personal Records
Today was a great day. At 2 o’clock I trained my newest athlete, Billy Winters, and he didn’t disappoint. He trained his ass off and even was ballsy enough to come back for round 2 tonight for some crazy conditioning. From 4-8 I did some serious coaching and was able to get in a quick training session in as well. Since I have been in season I have been training full body lifts, 2-3 days per week. A lot of people say don’t train heavy in season. I say screw that. In order to maintain levels of maximal strength I think you need to train heavy in season. With that said, I hit a personal record on the trap bar deadlift tonight, 585lbs on the low handles. This is a great accomplishment for me because in the off season I hit 585 but on the high handles.
This just goes to show that strength is a skill. You must constantly work at it to get stronger. Since I am in season I have been deadlifting more than usual to give my knees a break. For those of you that don’t know, I am a catcher and while I never have had any knee problems, I don’t plan on getting any in the near future. Every time I deadlift, my technique improves and I get use to handling heavier loads. This is what everyone should strive for because the only way to get stronger is to add weight to the bar!
This brings me to my next point- you should always track your records and have goals in mind. Keep these goals realistic and small. If you deadlift 300 lbs, your goal should not be to deadlift 400 lbs. instead, it should be to hit 305 and so on. Constant progression is the key to success! Each week you should strive to hit some sort of personal record in your indicator lift. In addition to breaking records by pumping out a heavier weight, records can also be set by doing an extra rep or more volume. For example, if last week you benched 275 for 5 reps and this week you hit 275 for 6 or 7 reps, this is a new personal record. Keep in mind that you will not break records every week. It’s just the nature of the beast but do your best to constantly progress slowly.
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
This just goes to show that strength is a skill. You must constantly work at it to get stronger. Since I am in season I have been deadlifting more than usual to give my knees a break. For those of you that don’t know, I am a catcher and while I never have had any knee problems, I don’t plan on getting any in the near future. Every time I deadlift, my technique improves and I get use to handling heavier loads. This is what everyone should strive for because the only way to get stronger is to add weight to the bar!
This brings me to my next point- you should always track your records and have goals in mind. Keep these goals realistic and small. If you deadlift 300 lbs, your goal should not be to deadlift 400 lbs. instead, it should be to hit 305 and so on. Constant progression is the key to success! Each week you should strive to hit some sort of personal record in your indicator lift. In addition to breaking records by pumping out a heavier weight, records can also be set by doing an extra rep or more volume. For example, if last week you benched 275 for 5 reps and this week you hit 275 for 6 or 7 reps, this is a new personal record. Keep in mind that you will not break records every week. It’s just the nature of the beast but do your best to constantly progress slowly.
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Meet Our Newest Athlete: Bill Winters
Meglio Fitness would like to welcome its newest athlete, Bill Winters. I am very excited to have Bill join our team for many reasons. Aside from being a friend of mine for 3 years now, Bill is one of the hardest working athletes I know and represents the type of athlete I accept into my program. Bill was the four year starting quarterback for Fairleigh Dickinson University and is now playing professional football for the New Jersey Revolution in the AIFA (American Indoor Football Association).Bill owns every strength record for quarterbacks in school history. He has squatted 500 pounds and benched 385 pounds. He has also hit 24 reps on the 225 bench press test and has ran a 4.58 40 yard dash. As a quarterback he owns nearly every school record in history including rushing touchdowns in a season. He is the school's all-time leader in the following categories: all-time passing yards, all-time attempts, all-time completions, all-time completion percentage, and passing touchdowns. I am the single-season record holder for: passing attempts, passing completions, completion percentage ( 1 and 2 ), and rushing touchdowns. I also own single game records of passing touchdowns as well as rushing touchdowns (4). HE was The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) player of the week a handful of times throughout my career as well as ECAC Southeast Player of the Week. This past season he was also featured on d3football.com . This season he was an all conference selection as well as the team MVP for the second consecutive season (Offensive Player of the year 3 years in a row).
Bill has obviously accomplished a lot over his four year career at FDU. I look forward to working with him and turning him from an absolute beast into a mutant of an athlete. I will be sure to update you with his progress in the weight room and on the gridiron.
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
Friday, April 16, 2010
Breakfast for Athletes: Protein Oatmeal
Why Breakfast?
When I tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day I know it is something you have heard a million times. While we sleep our body is in a catabolic state and the only way to fight the effects of catabolism is to have a balanced breakfast. In addition to putting your body in an anabolic state, a balanced breakfast will also regulate your blood sugar levels, regulate energy levels and control your hunger throughout the day. Studies have shown that, people who do need eat a balanced breakfast tend to overeat throughout the rest of the day. For the record, sugary cerels or health food cerals do not cut it! They are refined and filled with sugar. Remember you want to eat like a caveman.
What to Eat?
You have very little time before school or work and the frosted flakes just aren’t cutting it. The solution? PROTEIN OATMEAL. Aside from tasting great, it can be prepared in just a few minutes and provides all the nutrients of a complete breakfast.
When I tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day I know it is something you have heard a million times. While we sleep our body is in a catabolic state and the only way to fight the effects of catabolism is to have a balanced breakfast. In addition to putting your body in an anabolic state, a balanced breakfast will also regulate your blood sugar levels, regulate energy levels and control your hunger throughout the day. Studies have shown that, people who do need eat a balanced breakfast tend to overeat throughout the rest of the day. For the record, sugary cerels or health food cerals do not cut it! They are refined and filled with sugar. Remember you want to eat like a caveman.
What to Eat?
You have very little time before school or work and the frosted flakes just aren’t cutting it. The solution? PROTEIN OATMEAL. Aside from tasting great, it can be prepared in just a few minutes and provides all the nutrients of a complete breakfast.
Ingredients:
- 1 Scoop of Advocare Muscle Gain
- 3/4 cup of Quaker Oats Quick 1 Minute-While old fashioned oats are better, these are a fine substitute
- Water
- 1 Banana
- ¼ cup of chopped almonds
Preparation:
- Place 1 scoop of Advocare Muscle Gain into a bowl
- Place 3/4 cup of oats into the same bowl
- Microwave water for 90 seconds on high power
- Stir up the protein an oatmeal blend with the boiled water until all powder and oats are mixed.
- Chop up 1 medium sized banana
- Add ¼ cup of chopped almonds.
- EAT UP!
*Please note that the amount of water you will use will depend on how you like your oatmeal. I recommend starting with a cup of water and add it as needed. Chances are you will have some left over water.
Nutrition Facts
635 Calories
20 grams of fat
1 gram of saturated fat
77 grams of carbs
13 grams of fiber
13 grams of fiber
40 grams of protein
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
Performance Enhancement Coach
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Low Fat Diets
I want to share a great post by one of my fellow coaches, coach Riz. Steve Rizzo is a strength coach at the Underground Strength Gym in Edison, NJ. After competing in his first bodybuilding competition at the end of April he will dedicate himself to getting as insanely strong as possible. In this article he talks about low-fat diet fads and also gives a great insight to health and nutrition.
Low Fat Diets
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
Low Fat Diets
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Heavy Deadlifting
Today was I performed an in season workout for baseball. I have been crazy busy this semester but I am doing my best to get in the gym 2-3 days a week to maintain my current strength levels. Oddly enough, my max effort deadlifts have increased over the past couple weeks. For the past four weeks I’ve been using the straight bar. During this time I also broke a personal record. While I have hit 530lbs with a belt, this was the first time I pulled 500lbs raw. This was the first time I used the trap bar in over a month. Today I hit 455 for 5 reps and still had a couple reps in the tank. Since I was feeling good I decided to hit another set at 495. I was pumped up because the last time I maxed out on the trap bar deadlift I hit 495 for 1 rep and today I destroyed my personal record; I hit 495 for 3 reps (these lifts were performed with low handles on the trap bar, my pr with the high handles is 585lbs).
The take home message here is you need to continue to train in season. I don’t care if you can only get in the gym 1 or 2 days. That is more than enough to maintain strength. Don’t think you need to break records in season. The reason why I have been breaking records is because my technique improved drastically and I have been deadlifting more than usual. In the off season I primarily perform max effort squat variations but since my left knee has been bugging me lately, I have turned to the deadlift for my max effort work. This is not to say that all baseball players should deadlift in season. Instead, it means that you should listen to your body. This is the key to staying healthy and performing at your highest levels. Here is the workout I performed today. After soft tissue work and a complete dynamic warm up followed by rotator cuff work this is what I did:
1) Trap bar deadlift-Worked up to 495lbs for 3 reps
2A)Alternating dumbbell bench press- 4 X 8
2B)Double kettlebell row
3) Chin ups- 3 X Max reps
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
The take home message here is you need to continue to train in season. I don’t care if you can only get in the gym 1 or 2 days. That is more than enough to maintain strength. Don’t think you need to break records in season. The reason why I have been breaking records is because my technique improved drastically and I have been deadlifting more than usual. In the off season I primarily perform max effort squat variations but since my left knee has been bugging me lately, I have turned to the deadlift for my max effort work. This is not to say that all baseball players should deadlift in season. Instead, it means that you should listen to your body. This is the key to staying healthy and performing at your highest levels. Here is the workout I performed today. After soft tissue work and a complete dynamic warm up followed by rotator cuff work this is what I did:
1) Trap bar deadlift-Worked up to 495lbs for 3 reps
2A)Alternating dumbbell bench press- 4 X 8
2B)Double kettlebell row
3) Chin ups- 3 X Max reps
Joe Meglio
Performance Enhancement Coach
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Lower Body Training for Baseball Players
Baseball players are often viewed as the laziest of all athletes and such training for baseball is misunderstood. Most coaches believe that long distance running is the key to increasing a pitcher’s stamina and that position players and pitchers should not lift weights because they will get tight. These statements are completely FALSE! In fact, lifting weights can actually help increase mobility, power, explosiveness and speed. Aside from skill, lower body strength is one of the most important attributes a baseball player can have. The lower body and core generate the power and explosiveness needed to throw a ball and hit a ball with maximum force. A strong lower body will help decrease injuries, increase recovery, and bridge the gap between strength and power.
After 5-10 minutes of soft tissue work and a complete dynamic warm-up, our athletes will start with a Max Effort squat or deadlift variation. We work up to a 3-5 rep max above 85% of 1RM. Here are some examples of the variations we use:
• Back squat
• front squat
• Zercher squat
• Box squat
• Front squat grip +box squat
• Straight bar deadlift
• Trap bar deadlift (both low and high handles
After our Max Effort movement, we perform unilateral training. Unilateral training is critical to improving muscular imbalances and is used a preventative measure to keep the lower back, hips and knees healthy. We typically perform 3-5 sets of 7-12 reps (we aim between 36-50 total reps). Below is a snapshot into some of the movements we use:
•Step ups-performed with dumbbells or a barbell
• Walking lunges- performed with a sandbag, dumbbells or kettlebells
• Reverse Lunges-performed with a sandbag, dumbbells, barbell (on the back or with a front squat grip), kettlebells (goblet or rack position).
• Bulgarian Split Squats
After unilateral training, we perform posterior chain work. Posterior chain work is necessary to improving athletic performance and also decreasing hip, knee, and lower back pain. Additionally, posterior chain work will have a significant impact on increasing your max squat and deadlift. We typically perform 3-5 sets of 7-12 reps (we aim between 36-50 total reps). Here are some sample movements we use:
• Romanian deadlifts
• Kettlebell swings
• Back extension
• Glute ham raise
• Good mornings
After these 3 movements we end the session with conditioning. My favorite finishers are the sled, prowler, jumping rope or heavy farmer walks. Most baseball players need to build strength in the upper back so farmer walks are a great choice. We limit the conditioning to 10-15 minutes. While this is the template we use with most of our athletes, it is not written in stone. The exercise selection, load and volume, depends on training experience, goals, as well as other factors. Beginners usually cannot squat or deadlift with proper technique because they are often too weak to get into the proper position. With these athletes we focus on overcoming muscular imbalances and we will goblet squat and perform a ton of posterior chain work as well as unilateral movements. Below is a sample session my baseball players perform in the off season: Lower body day 1) M.E Front Squat- work up to a 3-5 rep max. 2) Sandbag Lunges- 3-5 sets of 7-12 reps 3) RDL’s-3-5 sets of 7-12 reps 4) Prowler push- 4 trips- 200 feet each trip 5) Grip/Abs- Circuit style for 5-10 minutes
The important thing to remember when training the lower body is to limit the amount of exercises to around 3 or 4. If you train these 3 or 4 lifts properly, anything more will just be overtraining. Also, avoid most leg machines like the leg extension and leg curl. These do little to nothing for increasing functional strength that can be used on the ball field. Instead, opt for compound movements that give you a great bang for your buck.
After 5-10 minutes of soft tissue work and a complete dynamic warm-up, our athletes will start with a Max Effort squat or deadlift variation. We work up to a 3-5 rep max above 85% of 1RM. Here are some examples of the variations we use:
• Back squat
• front squat
• Zercher squat
• Box squat
• Front squat grip +box squat
• Straight bar deadlift
• Trap bar deadlift (both low and high handles
After our Max Effort movement, we perform unilateral training. Unilateral training is critical to improving muscular imbalances and is used a preventative measure to keep the lower back, hips and knees healthy. We typically perform 3-5 sets of 7-12 reps (we aim between 36-50 total reps). Below is a snapshot into some of the movements we use:
•Step ups-performed with dumbbells or a barbell
• Walking lunges- performed with a sandbag, dumbbells or kettlebells
• Reverse Lunges-performed with a sandbag, dumbbells, barbell (on the back or with a front squat grip), kettlebells (goblet or rack position).
• Bulgarian Split Squats
After unilateral training, we perform posterior chain work. Posterior chain work is necessary to improving athletic performance and also decreasing hip, knee, and lower back pain. Additionally, posterior chain work will have a significant impact on increasing your max squat and deadlift. We typically perform 3-5 sets of 7-12 reps (we aim between 36-50 total reps). Here are some sample movements we use:
• Romanian deadlifts
• Kettlebell swings
• Back extension
• Glute ham raise
• Good mornings
After these 3 movements we end the session with conditioning. My favorite finishers are the sled, prowler, jumping rope or heavy farmer walks. Most baseball players need to build strength in the upper back so farmer walks are a great choice. We limit the conditioning to 10-15 minutes. While this is the template we use with most of our athletes, it is not written in stone. The exercise selection, load and volume, depends on training experience, goals, as well as other factors. Beginners usually cannot squat or deadlift with proper technique because they are often too weak to get into the proper position. With these athletes we focus on overcoming muscular imbalances and we will goblet squat and perform a ton of posterior chain work as well as unilateral movements. Below is a sample session my baseball players perform in the off season: Lower body day 1) M.E Front Squat- work up to a 3-5 rep max. 2) Sandbag Lunges- 3-5 sets of 7-12 reps 3) RDL’s-3-5 sets of 7-12 reps 4) Prowler push- 4 trips- 200 feet each trip 5) Grip/Abs- Circuit style for 5-10 minutes
The important thing to remember when training the lower body is to limit the amount of exercises to around 3 or 4. If you train these 3 or 4 lifts properly, anything more will just be overtraining. Also, avoid most leg machines like the leg extension and leg curl. These do little to nothing for increasing functional strength that can be used on the ball field. Instead, opt for compound movements that give you a great bang for your buck.
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