In The Zone, Vol. 1, No. 4

November 10th, 2008

phitzone

——————-> IN THE ZONE <——————-

www.PhitZone.com

Phitness At Your Phingertips

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Vol. 1, No. 4 November, 2008

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In This Issue:

-From the Editors

-This Just In

-A Few Moments With: Mike Ekanem

-Gym Bag: Dancing

-Product Spotlight: Gold’s Gym Resistance Tube Kit

-On the Plate: Chicken Egg White Omelet

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FROM THE EDITORS

So, what set me off for this month’s rant? Simple, I

turned on the television. It does not matter the

channel, the radio station, or favorite periodical. On

just about every front we are bombarded to take a magic

pill. You know the ones; all you have to do is take

pill “X” and all of your problems will go away.

Although judging from the long list of side effects

listed at the end of the adversitement, OTHER problems

**may** arise

Granted, our society is all about taking a pill to fix

just about everything. Feel sad? Take a pill. Feel

fat? Take a pill. Got an itch? Apply this cream… and

take a pill. The drug companies know that there are

serious side affects with a great many of their

products, yet peddle them anyway. “Take this pill to

lose a lot of weight… but pay no attention to the

anal leakage.” Funny? Yes! Real? Yes!!! A good idea?

NO!!!

To put this in context with the subject matter of ITZ,

the number of pills on the market to “melt the fat

away” makes my head hurt. The Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) is not required to approve many

of these because they fall under the supplement

category. The average consumer has no idea what they

are putting in their bodies.

A pill, much like certain surgeries, are nothing more

than a bandage on the real problem. The only REAL way

to fix a fat body is by making good choices when it

comes to nutrition and exercise.

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THIS JUST IN:

Montreal, Canada – On Friday, October 17, 2008,

Bodybuilding icon, Ben Weider passed away.

Ben and his brother, Joe, founded the International

Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) in 1946 and helped

to legitimize bodybuilding as a sport. The Weiders

were also responsible for introducing Arnold

Schwarzenegger to the world in 1969.

Mr. Weider was a philanthropist, author and scholar

that specialized in Napoleonic history. He authored

the book “The Murder of Napoleon”, which challenged

the common belief that Napoleon Bonaparte died of

stomach cancer, and suggested that he was actually

poisoned by one of his generals.

Ben Weider served in the Canadian Army during World

War II, was awarded the Order of Canada, the Order of

Quebec, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and

was given the Legion of Honor Medal from France.

Ben Weider is survived by his wife Hoguette Derouin,

three sons, and his brother, Joe.

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A Few Moments With:

Mike Ekanem

Head Strength & Conditioning Coach –

San Antonio Silver Stars

This month our guest hails from Houston, TX, and

graduate of Texas Lutheran University, where he was

an all-conference guard on the basketball team. Mike

graduated with a BS in Athletic Training, and then

earned his Masters in Exercise Sciens and Health

Promotion from California University of Pennsylvania.

Mike has played professional basketball in Europe, and

spent the 2007 season as an Assistant strength coach

with the Silver Stars.

Mike is recognized as a performance enhancement

and corrective exercise specialist. He is also a

certified personal trainer with the National

college of Exercise Professionals, and Certified

Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National

Strenght and Conditioning Association.

ITZ: After attending TLU, you played professional

basketball in Europe. Tell

me about that experience?

ME: Being able to travel the world and get paid doing

something you love is always a tremendous experience.

I have played for teams in Germany, Ireland, France

and Romania which has given me the opportunity to

travel all over Europe. It was a great experience and

working in the WNBA gives me the luxury to still be

able to play. Where will I play this season? possibly

Finland, India or back to Germany.

ITZ: What brought you to coaching a WNBA team on

strength and conditioning?

ME: I have my Bachelors in Sports Medicine and Masters

in Exercise Science and Rehabilitation. Usually in my

off-season I would get a temporary job as a personal

trainer or physical therapy aid. I was actually

training a client one day and she told me that I

have way too much knowledge and a great resume and I

should send it to the Spurs. I did so and it somehow

got in the hands of the Silver Stars. I was invited to

come intern one summer and just fell in love with the

team, the organization, and strength and conditioning.

A couple months after the season, I was in Romania and

I got an email from Silver Stars Coach saying the old

strength coach accepted a full time position with the

Spurs and he asked if I was interested in the position

and here we are today.

ITZ: What types of training do you utilize with your

athletes?

ME: In the off-season I focus on performance

enhancement. Basically trying to get the athlete

stronger, quicker, faster, and address any individual

needs that will make them a better player next season.

This involves a lot of footwork and agility drills,

running with resistance to increase speed and semi-

heavy lifting.

During the season its more of a maintenance phase. I

focus on trying to maintain a players strength, keep

joints strong and active, and maintain the players

conditioning. Scheduling workouts is tough during the

season because of games and travel but sometimes we

have to be creative and figure out ways to get the

workout in. Another thing I changed when taking over

the program is implementing a rehab and injury

preventive focus. If a player has any nagging injuries

I will get with our athletic trainer and develop a

proper rehab program for that player. The difference

in my philosophy and others is these rehab exercises

will not be ceased when the athlete is healed from

injury. If you have any injury you are required to

continue rehabbing that injury/specific body part for

the remainder of the season.

ITZ: What led you down this path?

ME: I have always been an athlete and working in

sports, I will forever be an athlete. I will keep that

mentality and hopefully it will keep me forever young.

I am always driven by success. I love to help people

reach their goals and watch them succeed. That gives

me a sense of success as well

ITZ: Advice everyone should follow:

ME: Just be yourself. Strive for the best and whenever

you have doubters or someone tells you can’t do

it, that should be motivation to prove them wrong.

ITZ: What do you do to relax?

ME: Sleep; I love to sleep. I have actually picked up

a new past time though. I have never been a reader,

especially if it wasn’t mandatory but I have recently

started reading. It’s pretty relaxing to me. It

motivates me to read a persons success story or

different journeys people have been on to get to where

they are today. I also like to re-educate and further

educate myself in the field of strength and

conditioning and athletic training.

ITZ: Favorite book/movie:

ME: Book – Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy

Movie – Remember the Titans

I would like to take a moment to thank Mike for taking

the time to take a break from of his very busy

schedule in order to talk to me. At the time that this

interview took place, the Silver Stars were in the

midst of playing in the WNBA Championship Finals.

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GYM BAG:

Trip the Lights Fantastic

By T. Boyer

Variety is the spice of life. so Why just stare at a

television while on a treadmill or stationary bike?

These are both fantastic exercises, but tend to get a

tad monotonous when performed day in and day out.

There are great activities such as hiking, running,

playing sports, etc. that can round out, and sometimes

invigorate an exercise regimen. One such activity that

is often forgotten about is social dancing.

Cutting a rug can burn 200 to 400 calories per hour

depending on dance style, duration and exertion.

According to Mayo Clinic researchers there is a

reduction in stress, as well as an increase in energy

and strength. Since dance is a load baring activity

there is the also the benefit of improved bone

strength.

Another benefit of dancing socially is fitness of the

mind. When dancing with a partner, whether leading or

following, communication through touch and the

memorization of steps helps to simulate the brain. The

forming of social ties is very healthy to the psyche

as well.

Whether waltzing, square dancing, swing or salsa, when

added to a program of exercise and nutrition, dancing

is certainly a benefit on many fronts.

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Jim Datsoulis’

The Elite Body

Breakthrough strategies for a superior body

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Gold’s Gym Resistance Tubes

By T. Boyer

When it comes to traveling it can be a challenge to

get a good resistance workout in. Yes, there are a

number of body-weight exercises that can be done, and

I recommend doing so. Sometimes, however, you just

need to do some good ol’ curls or shoulder presses.

Resistance bands are a great way to add this element

to a hotel room training session, and for others it is

a great start to adding resistance training to a new

fitness routine.

This month we are looking at the Gold’s Gym Resistance

Tube Kit. This is being marketed by Wal*Mart for

approximately $14. It comes with a workout DVD, a mesh

travel bag and a workout chart. What really drew me to

this setup over others that I have seen around is the

three interchangeable tubes that vary in resistance.

You can use one, two or all three tubes to tailor fit

your training.

The workout DVD is hosted by 1996 IFBB Ms. Olympia

Fitness, Mia Finnegan, who has a very interesting

bloodline, including a great-grandfather that trained

the legendary strongman, Eugen Sandow. Mia does a fine

job leading a full body workout utilizing the

resistance tubes.

The kit and DVD fit very nicely in the mesh drawstring

bag, making it very easy to pack for a trip. When

traveling I pop the DVD in my laptop, and manage to

get a decent workout wherever I am staying.

Pros: Inexpensive, versatile and compact

Cons: If you have hairy legs, I recommend not wearing

shorts, as the rubber tubes have a tendency to grab

them.

Recommend: Yes

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ON THE PLATE:

Chicken Egg White Omelet

By R. Boyer

3 egg whites

2 ounces chicken breast

1 ounce non-fat cheddar cheese (You can substitue

low fat if desired)

1/4 cup chopped green onion

Beat egg whites in a bowl. Add eggs to preheated pan

on stove top. When eggs begin to solidify add chicken,

onion and cheese to one side of pan. With a spatula

fold over the other side of the eggs. Continue to cook

to desired consistency, then remove from pan and enjoy!

225 calories

2 grams fat

7.1 grams carbohydrate

41.1 grams protein

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Healthy Express Cookbook:

101 Fresh, Light & Quick Dinners

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult

or time consuming… or taste bland!

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www.phitzone.com Todd Boyer, Editor

Rebecca Boyer, Editor