Fitness Ball Workout

Next Level prepares kids with training techniques

LAND O'LAKES — The South Pasco Predators are taking advantage of the summer break by partnering with Pasco Health and Fitness to provide kids with an organized approach to working on their athleticism.

Jonathan Fuentes is the owner of the Lutz-based gym, but these days he's looking to apply his knowledge of training techniques by coaching the football stars of Pasco County's future. Working with kids ages 6-15, Fuentes has targeted fundamentals as the key factor in building skill with his Next Level Performance camps.

"We work on things like flexibility, sprint mechanics and body control," Fuentes said. "Because the kids are often growing so fast, they lack body control. When they understand how to move better, they can make quicker cuts and turn up the speed. Most of the kids we have out here are football players, so we gear the drills toward football."

Fuentes, a former University of South Florida strength and conditioning coach with a master's degree in exercise science, has coordinated camps in the past and is finding that wherever he holds one, the reaction is positive.

"I just wish I could have participated in something like this when I was their age," Fuentes said. "The parents are really encouraged by the level of quality we expect from the kids. Many of the kids just make mental mistakes and we try to address that side of it, too. So much of the game is more than just throwing and catching a ball and we want them to understand that."

Predator players are being pushed during the workouts to find their next level, but that isn't the only reason more than a dozen kids turned out on a rainy Saturday morning last week. Some players consider the camp an opportunity to get to know and impress their South Pasco Predator coaches.

"This is my first season playing tackle football so I just wanted to come out and get to know the coaches," said Tim Blackwell, 11. "I've done a few other camps so I know how good they can be. I'm excited to play tackle football and my dad and I just thought this is a good way to meet the guys I'm going to be playing with."

From a parent's perspective, the camp is a good way to keep the kids busy during the summer while teaching them disciplines that will improve their overall athleticism. Mike Carver has been pleased with both the instruction and the intensity of the workouts thus far.

"It's a good workout for the kids," said Carver, whose 11-year-old son, Keegan, is just starting out in football. "This gives him a good look at what he has to do to be good at this sport. I feel like it's been really good for him. As a parent, you just want all the benefits you can give him and this is something I can afford.

Medicine Ball Ab Workout Exercises | Weight Loss Nutrition Fitness

CLICK HERE for a FREE WORKOUT!! www.TurbulenceTraining.com Youre about to discover an amazing medicine ball abdominal exercise circuit published in Men’s Health Medicine magazine from the December 2008 issue. If you’ve seen the magazine, then you will have seen there are a lot of crunches and even some sit-ups in there. But, if you’re not an advanced college athlete, then you probably don’t need to be doing those exercises. You especially want to avoid those types of exercises if you sit at a desk all day and have lower back problems. So, I’m going to take most of the exercises from that program and do them in this circuit, but replace the sit-ups and crunches with alternative versions that are still effective for your abs, but easier on your lower back. This is going to be a 10 exercise circuit, with 20 repetitions per exercise. If you’re advanced, then you can use a medicine ball; otherwise you can use a basketball, or a soccer ball. You will start the medicine ball abdominal circuit with the big circles exercise. So, place the ball above your head and then bring it down and around, and up the other side, and then around again. Continue this motion for 10 repetitions, and then switch directions for another 10 repetitions. The second abdominal exercise is the Woodchopper. To perform this exercise, place the ball out in front of you and swing the ball straight up and down, making sure to squat down while bringing the ball down. Repeat for 20 repetitions. Once you’ve …

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I want to buy a medicine ball but I zm curious about something rather simple: can’t you do some of the med ball exercise with weights? Regarding some exercises, exactly what makes a medicine ball a better buy than, say, a light pair of dumbbbells? Take something like twists with a med ball: what makes a med ball better than a pair of dumbbbells? Note that I am not attacking med balls, as I will probably buy one anyway; I just want to know why they are better than weights for certain exercises.

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