Optimal Performance & Football Combine Training

Every year around this time I usually get pretty busy with football athletes. After all it is off season and the offseason is a really important time not just for football players, but all athletes.

I must say that this year is a bit different however. Different because I am actually dealing with a descent amount of football guys who are prepping for football combines.

The fun thing is I got the whole spectrum of football athletes this year   - Two professional hopefuls in Shawn Harris(Southern CT)  & Chenry Lewis (Rutgers/ Abilene Christian University). Shawn Recently completed a private Pro-day where he hit an unheard of 42″ vertical jump, While Chenry participated in Rutgers Pro- day last week where he also threw up some descent numbers.

Hopefully the made enough noise and the pro scout opened their eyes…In the mean time Chenry and Shawn are training hard every day as they prep for the Elite Combine coming up in May.

On the other side of the spectrum I have a soon to be High school upper classman and an 8th grader prepping for the National Underclassmen Combines coming up this spring as well. You may now these two as The Porcelli brothers! Vin who had a standout year as a sophomore will participate in this combine for the 2nd year in a row, while Guido is stepping up for the 1st time this year. I am sure I will report back to you with great results as these two have been at OPTC training their butts off getting ready for this thing.

I will keep you posted with their results.

In addition I have a special announcement coming your way later this week, so be sure to check back the blog frequently.

I will leave you with this – My special announcement will pertain to Combine training so check back!!!

 JZ

PS – Did you know we offer specialized training to all football athletes participating in combines or just getting ready for thier upcoming season? Check out details of our Optimal Combine Trianing Program here

 

 

 

Bathing Suit Season Nightmares?

It’s getting to be that time of year. Before you know it summer will be here. Heck, it’s already Spring Break  for some folks. Seems like just yesterday it was January 1st and everyone was making their New Year’s Resolution. Well, hopefully YOU didn’t because you know a flimsy “resolution” doesn’t get you anywhere.

You know it takes much more than that. You know you need:

Written  goals

A solid exercise program

Social support

Discipline

Patience

Sacrifice

A burning desire to succeed

Changes in your lifestyle

Education

Proper nutrition

In other words, you know you need to GET REAL about fat loss. You know  it makes no sense to fall for the same old miracle promise or “easy” solution. Whether it’s January 1st or Bathing Suit season doesn’t matter. The proven approach to looking great on the beach is good old fashioned effort.

Look, in one way my life would be a LOT easier if I just lied to you and sold you a bunch of empty promises. Sure, it would make earning a living super easy. Most people are happy to spend their hard earned money on the latest miracle pill or potion. But I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in a mirror. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. And that’s why I’ll never be the one to lie to you about what it takes to transform your body.

Do the right thing this Bathing Suit Season. Use it as a catalyst to really change your life. I’d be thrilled to help you. I’d love it if you’d place your trust in me and let me show you the right way to do things.

If you arm yourself with the right knowledge and approach this with a great attitude you’ll NEVER have another Bathing Suit Season nightmare again.

JZ

PS – If you want to make the nutrition aspect of fat loss simple then you need to get on board with my friends at Prograde Nutrition & Advocare. They’re like me; they don’t sell miracles in a bottle. They sell real nutrition that supports your fitness and fat loss goals. The Best Part about both companies is – You can save a lot of loot!!!

Prograde offers great combo packs Check out Prograde Nutrition here.

Advoare offers a unique opportunity where you can not only save 20% – 40% off products – But you can also earn Big $$$ Too – Click here to check em out

Why Train At Optimal Performance?

So I was at the gym in Jersey (yes I’m a member at a health club by my house in NJ) this past weekend and ran into a trainer my wife used to work with.

We hadn’t seen him in a long time (before I opened up Optimal Performance).

anyway, we got into talking for a bit and he asked what I was up to…

So I went onto tell him about Optimal Performance and What it is we actually do in terms of Athletic Performance.

I then found myself thinking about a phone call I had with a parent and prospective student athlete. During that conversation he asked ,

” Why Should my son Train at Optimal Performance?”

I then went onto explain my top 4  reasons YOU should train with us at Optimal Performance.

1. Get Stronger, Get Faster, Get That advantage Only Training Here can give you!
   When you join Optimal Performance, YOU WILL get stronger and faster Guaranteed.  In fact, we are so confidant about your sports and fitness success that  if you are not completely satisfied, we will give you 100% of your money back within the first month of joining. A matter of fact we also offer a “try before You Buy” week membership, so you can see for your self!  
2. Fluff Free – Hard Core Training – Backed by Proven & Scientific Programming – That Get you the Result you want – The RESULTS that reward you in your Sport not just in the gym
3. High Performance & Corrective Exercise Specialists – The areas best Strength Coaches -
   Our coaches are the most qualified in the field of sports science, speed and strength development.  We are certified by the most stringent and prestigious organizations in the Strength & Conditioning field including NSCA/ CSCS, NASM and, The CHEK Institute.  We also pride ourselves on our ability to motivate and demand only the best efforts from our athletes.
4. College Scholarships & Professional Contracts
   Everyone knows that in order to get a scholarships (especially today), you have to be‘Cream of The Crop’. In your sport. At Optimal Performance it is our mission to give every athlete the tools they need in order to achieve all of their sports and life goals and purpose. “We Motivate – Inspire – & – Educate”  You to be the best you possibly can be!

 So if  you’re an athlete (or you have a child that’s an athlete) and  think;

You’re Strong enough

You’re Fast enough

You don’t think you need a competitive edge

You can do it yourself without EXPERT Coaching

Improving your sports performance won’t help you get that athletic Scholarship

OR if YOUR Gym has an atmosphere like this;

THEN OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE IS NOT FOR YOU!!!

If you would like a free week trial membership – click here!!!

Super Simple Fat Loss Tips

Optimal Fat loss isn’t rocket science. I know we love to make our problems seem much bigger than they really are, but when you really look at them they’re typically easy to solve. And that’s often the case with fat loss.

To prove it to you here are five super simple fat loss tips you can easily follow:

1) Stop guzzling liquid sugar. Yes, I mean soft drinks and juices and bottles of iced tea loaded with high fructose corn syrup. For the most part, a 12 oz can of cola is 150 calories of pure sugar. Have a couple of those a day…

2) I’ve written it a gazillion times and I will continue to – eat breakfast! If you want to make fat loss easy then make sure you start your metabolism off on the right foot.

3) Eat more fruit. Aim for at least 5 servings a day.

4) Eat more veggies. Again, aim for at least 5 servings a day.

5) Stop eating so many processed foods. If it comes in a box from your grocery store it’s most likely processed. The fresher the foods the better.

* Bonus tip*

You can make tips 3 and 4 a breeze by using a whole foods based multi. Personally, I love Prograde Nutrition’s VGF 25+ because it is made from 25 WHOLE veggies, greens and fruits.

Yours in health,

JZ

PS – You know I take my nutrition seriously. And it’s why I ONLY recommend high quality products like Prograde Nutrition’s Whole Foods based multi. They have both a men’s(http://optcfitness.getprograde.com/vgfmen) and women’s (http://optcfitness.getprograde.com/vgfwomen) formula.
Pick your up today!!

Rockland County’s # 1 Sports Performance Enhancement Training Expert Warns Sports Training Programs Are Dangerous

Youth Fitness & Sports Training is a growing trend in the fitness industry today for good reason. It has been reported that;
1. 30% of U.S. youth population is overweight… 30%. Even more alarming – 15.2% are considered obese. These numbers are on the rise and as parents, teachers and coaches we have a huge responsibility to change the tide of this sad epidemic.
2. The injury rate of our youth athletes that are involved in sports is unacceptable and becoming far too common.
• over 3.5 million children under the age of 15 are treated for sports related injuries every year
• children ages 5-14 account for 40% of all reported sport related injuries
• more than half of these injuries occur at practice
These numbers are rising each year but they don’t have to.

Done correctly, youth fitness, strength & conditioning, sports training, or whatever you want to call it can be extremely effective not just for the elite or gifted athletes, but for athletes of all ages and levels.

Unfortunately, the typical sports training program we see today does have a downside. Many fitness instructors and personal trainers want to jump on the lucrative youth athlete training bandwagon without having any of the skills or experience to design custom workouts for the wide variety of youth athlete fitness levels typical in athletes all over today. Here are 10 tips on how to select a Sports training program that will get you results and keep you safe at the same time:

The Top 10 Sports Training Safety Checklist

1.) The Instructor(s) must Be Certified with Nationally Recognized Institutions such as the National Strength and Conditioning Association or the National Academy of Sports Medicine – Even better if they are certified through the CHEK institute or the International Youth Conditioning Association. There are many online pay-for-certifications where people can get a certificate with little or no knowledge of proper training methods (heck I can even get my dog certified through these agencies). This is a big part of what gets people hurt and gives fitness a bad name!

2.) The Instructor(s) Must Look The Part And Walk The Walk. Your trainer should be able to appropriately demonstrate every exercise they are teaching. Seriously, would you take advice from someone who couldn’t do what they were telling you to do? Or better yet, who wants to take advice from someone who is in worse shape than they are!

3.) The Instructor(s) Must be able to correctly progress (make harder) or regress (make easier) every exercise in order to cater towards the individual needs of the client. If you ask your trainer if he/she can show an exercise modification that better suits your particular situation and they give you a blank stare, leave the class on the spot!

4.) The Program must start with some sort of evaluation in most circumstances. Without putting an athlete through some sort of screen, there is no way the trainer can properly provide you with an effective individualized program.

5.) The Program must emphasize on movements patterns and not muscles – Movements such as squatting, Lunging, Bending, pushing, pulling & twisting. These movement patterns are the fundamental movements that are seen in sports and are actually what man was made to do. Furthermore, if we don’t get better at these movements, it’s not a matter of if you will get hurt… it’s a matter of when!

6.) The Training System must focus on all aspects of sports performance enhancement. Things like speed, agility, power, strength, flexibility, mobility, core training, conditioning, etc… The problem with most sports training programs is that the trainer will usually only focus on strength or speed (not to mention it is usually taught incorrectly).

7.) The Program Must Provide Nutritional Information. This is a biggie. Our Youth population is getting fatter by the day and those who play sports are getting injured because of this fact. Nutrition is just as important as your sports skills as well as your sports training. You are only as effective as the quality of fuel you run on. Poor eating habits are just like trying to drive a gas car with diesel fuel. It just doesn’t work! If you are in a sports training program that doesn’t at least teach you the basics on nutrition and eating for competition, you are joining an incomplete program and wasting your money since there is no amount of exercise that can compensate for poor dietary habits.

8.) The program must be fun, progressive, and have the main goal of decreasing the risk of injury first. Let’s face it, if the training program is not fun, it will be hard to stay consistent. If the program doesn’t progress, then you will not get better in your sport. And finally if the sports training program you are on doesn’t reduce the risk of you getting injured, then you will most likely suffer an injury. An injury you probably could have prevented

9.) The Program Must Have Social Proof And Raving Fans. If the program works, there should be proof in the form of client testimonials. Their previous clients should have results and be raving about all of the benefits that they have received from the program. Ask for before and after pictures, pre-test/post test stats, and written or video testimonials of their services before signing up

10.) The Program Must Offer A FREE Trial or Satisfaction Guarantee. If the program is confident about what they have to offer, then they will let you come in and try it for free or they will guarantee your satisfaction or your money back to completely eliminate the risk on your end. A results-based programs looks to minimize barriers of entry for prospects into their boot camps because they know that once the prospect experiences the benefits of the program firsthand they will surely buy!

Optimal Abs – The no crunch ab workout

Tired of doing endless hours of crunches and sit-ups? Well, these pointless exercises may not be the answer. Instead Learn the Optimal abs anticrunch ab workout for a ripped midsection.

I know you want it and just about everyone else wants it too!

What is it we all want?

A ripped 6 pack! A sexy 6 pack! Wash Board abs!

The Problem is I see so many people do absolutely ridiculous things in an attempt to get those washboard abs going. The most common thing people do to try to get these amazing abs is endless hours of crunches or sit ups.

Seems like a pretty obvious action plan if you ask me. But is it really an effective way?

When I’m pressed with this issue and someone is complaining to me that they have yet to see 1 ab let alone a 6 pack from all their hard crunch and sit up training, I stare at them at let them know a dirty little secret…

But first I fill them in on the Guinness book of world record holder for doing the most sit-ups in a 24 hour period.

First guess how many it is?

Nope! Now I may be outdating as I haven’t checked this stat out for some time, but the record at some point was 24,000.

I’m serious! Now for the icing on the cake, the guy that did it was downright pudgy. No six pack, no 2 pack, PUDGY.

My point is not to knock on this guy; I actually think doing 24,000 sit-ups in a day a kind of funny.

My point is that crunches and sit-ups are not the answer.

So what is the dirty little secret to getting that sexy ripped set of wash board abs?

Here is a quick little cheat sheet of what you need to be doing for that sexy midsection;

1.) Supportive nutrition, proper diet, and super clean eating.

Hold onto your seats, this may be the only time I reference a bodybuilder when talking fitness. These guys and gals have a super shredded midsection right?

So do what they do right?

WRONG! I have actually been a body builder in the past and I actually didn’t train my abs directly. I pretty much relied on my diet and nutrition along with my heavy lifting. To make a long story short, I did have a six back, and a host of back problems to go with it.

So I guess you do need to eat very clean, and focus on getting your body fat levels as low as humanly possible. However, ignoring your core and midsection is a big mistake. Trust me I know from personal experience.

2.) Doing lots of abs will burn off belly fat

WRONG!

Spot reduction doesn’t work. You can’t just work the muscles of a certain area of your body and expect to have the fat in that region go away. Think about it: almost everyone does crunches but proportionately very few people perform total body workouts. So, with all of these crunches, we’d expect to see nothing but people with flat tummies and fat depots everywhere else on their body (arms, legs, etc.). But think of how many people you know and see on a regular basis that has more than a few inches to lose in their midsection. See what I mean- spot reduction doesn’t work!

See, your body loses fat in a genetically pre-determined way when there is the appropriate caloric deficit AND hormonal environment created by proper eating and training. So your best bet is to focus on burning as many calories during your workouts as possible by engaging your whole body each and every training session (not just your abs). Compound, multi-joint movements like squats, push-ups, lunge, etc. (or better yet, total body exercises like squat to presses) burn a lot more calories than isolation movements like crunches and sit-ups. So be sure to focus on these movements first and then if you have time, you can do some extra core work to please the abs training Gods.

Crunches and Sit-ups are the best exercises for your abs

3.) No need to doing endless hours of sit-ups and crunches

This is a big misnomer I chalk up to the BS the media shoots at us. For years now, we have been conditioned to think that the best way to work your abdominals is by doing endless crunches and sit-ups. It’s probably due to the fact that when you do these exercises you feel the “burn” and actually think your making a difference right then and there. However, the true function of your abdominals or rectus abdominis (to be politically correct) is to prevent hyperextension, not to flex forward over and over again, and to prevent twisting. Basically your abdominals are for stabilizing your body.

So, instead of doing pointless back aching crunches and neck wrenching sit-ups, we focus on stabilization exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital- front to back, frontal- side to side, and transverse- rotational) by using what I’m calling Optimal Abs training. This type of core training not only will aid in developing a super shredded 6 pack, but it will improve posture, function, total body strength, and of course prevent back pain.

4.) Do lots of long-duration cardio to burn the fat covering your abs

WRONG!

Both scientific research and real world case studies show that aerobic training for fat loss alone doesn’t work. Total body resistance training is the true foundation of any solid fat loss plan. In addition, interval training, where you alternate between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery, is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise. Please note that you can perform both resistance interval training and cardio interval training to combine the best of both worlds. More on this to come!

Ok, so maybe this isn’t a cheat sheet on what you need to do to get a cover models abs, but it should put some clarity into the whole “how do I get a shredded 6 pack” debate.

To give you a real live example of the New Optimal Abs training way

check this out;