Hang Cleans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXsRyrddc3E

Hang cleans are the most important lift that all athletes should do for whatever sport.  It is one of the hardest lifts to do, but when do properly, it is the most fat burning and most cardiovascular lift there is out there.  It helps strengthen grip, legs, glutes, hips, hamstrings, arms, pretty much all major muscle groups. 

This is a video of me performing a set of 225 for 4 during the summer of 2009.  I have been doing hang cleans since I was a freshman in high school.  It took me a long time before i got the hang of it, but it is probably one of my favorite lifts to do.   

NFL Lockout?

If you haven't heard the news yet, let me be the first to inform you.

On Friday, March 11th, the NFL owners have locked out the players for the 2011-2012 season.  However, there maybe still some hope.

On that same day the NFLPA decertified from the league and they can now file antitrust lawsuits against the NFL and hopefully they can prevent the owners from locking out the players. 

This whole lockout issue is the owners fault hands down.  They opted out of the original collective bargaining agreement in 2008 and they don't want to split the revenue of 9 billion dollars 50/50.  i applaud the NFL players for trying to have a season.  It shows the fans that they truly aren't about the money or the glory.  They love playing the game just as much as we love watching the game. 

Lifting

Weightlifting plays a huge part in preparing for any type of sports season, but especially football.  There are four main core lifts that are performed by football teams all across the country; bench press, power clean, squat and deadlift.  In this photo, i am performing a set of deadlift for reps.  The deadlift help strengthen glutes, hamstrings, quad muscles, lower back, and it also helps your grip. 

NFL Lockout Looming

     As the collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League Player's Association(NFLPA) and the owners of the football teams come to an end on March 3rd, the potential of a lockout for the 2011 season becomes less of a doomsday scenario and more of a reality.  Fortunately, the NFLPA and the owners have agreed to meet everyday next week to see if they can get a new deal done before the deadline.

    Now for those of you who have not been following this potential crisis, let me fill you in on the whole thing.  The owners want an 18 game season instead of a 16 game season, a salary cap for the rookies, and increase in drug testing.  The players union want increased healthcare because more injuries are possible in an 18 game season.  In my opinion, 16 games is just the right amount in a normal season.  It also forces the players to give up something for each of the scenarios.

     I hope to God that a deal gets done ASAP.  With no football next year, I might cry.

My team to win Super Bowl 46 is.......

The New York Jets!  I'll admit, they are my team, and this is one of my favorite hoodies to wear for that reason.  They came close in back to back years, and I have a feeling that if there is a season next year, the Jets are going to take is all the way next year. 

The Super Bowl in Review

   Overall, this years Super Bowl didnt seem so special to me.  When I was younger the Super Bowl was one of my favorite days of the year (with the exception of Christmas and my birthday), but this year, it just seem like another football game.  Lets take a look at the events that went on before the Super Bowl, the commercials, the halftime show/Star Spangled Banner disappointment, and the actual game itself.
   The week before the Super Bowl is supposed to be any host city's dream.  Everyone from everyone comes from each part of the country to enjoy the festivities in the nice warm weather where the Super Bowl is often played.  This year in Dallas, the temperature averaged around between 25-40 degrees each day.  Not your typical football weather.  There were even a couple people injured due to a chunk of ice that fell from the roof of the stadium.  Not very exciting.  Overall, stuff like that shouldn't happen during Super Bowl week.
   The commercials I thought were clever this year.  Not too funny, but clever.  My favorite was with the beaver in the Bridgestone Tires commercial.  Here is the commercial down below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBUcG7xZB-g

  Now, lets talk about the entertainment with the National Anthem and the halftime show......HORRIBLE.  How could anyone think that Christina Aguilera was a good choice for the singing of our National Anthem?!  Even if she didn't screw that part up, the rest of it sounded horrible.  Next time NFL, get a true patriot who can sing the song right.

   The Black Eyed Peas halftime show sucked.  The only cool part was the guys in the light up suits and Usher coming out of nowhere.  As for that, it was below par.  Fergie, you can't sing for the life of you.  Just stick to background singing.

  As for the actual game, I thought it was a very good game.  Two teams that deserved to be in the worlds biggest game came to play I thought.  But in the end, the Green Bay Packers had a little more heart, and i felt like they had a little bit more to prove with all the injuries that they had to overcome. 
   As a Super Bowl experience, I'll give it a C.

AP Offensive player of the year

And the award goes to........Tom Brady, Quarterback of the New England Patriots.  What a shocker, huh?  I don't know how this guy does it, but every year he is always up in the ballots as the best offensive player in the NFL.  Let's take a look at his stats:
3900 Passing yards
36 Touchdowns
4 Interceptions
111.0 Passer Rating

The stat that pops out at me the most is the interception total.  Only four?!  To me, that's remarkable.  In every game it's the team that turns over the ball the least is the team that is most successful, and Brady's the reason why the team had the best regular season record at 14-2