Jim Carpentier - Page 5

Jim Carpentier is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, New Jersey-licensed massage therapist and a health/fitness writer. He currently serves as associate health and wellness director at the Greater Morristown YMCA in Cedar Knolls, N.J.

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Natural Food and Beverage Choices for Athletes

January 29, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

In athletics, speed is key. But when it comes to nutrition, athletes who rely excessively on "quick" meals and beverages—e.g., fast food, energy bars and protein shakes—are way off key. Although they are fast and convenient, these options usually lack...

The Year-Round Core Workout

January 24, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

Is your conditioning program still only focusing on the big three: strength, size and speed? If so, you're missing an essential fourth "S" to complete your training package: stability—more specifically, core stability. Why is core stability so important for optimizing...

Off-Season Conditioning: Turn Weaknesses into Strengths

January 23, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

Just as a coach analyzes his or her team's needs during the off-season, athletes should focus on improving their strengths and curing their weaknesses. Conditioning deficiencies may have hurt your performance last season. Before heading to the weight room, catalog...

Any-Season Cone Drill Workout for Speed and Agility

January 20, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

It doesn't matter if it's off-season, pre-season or in-season: for sports performance, it's important to maintain and enhance your speed and agility on the court or on the field. The following intense cone drills will do just that, while also boosting...

Tips for Building Muscle and Staying Healthy During Cold and Flu Season

January 16, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

A nasty cold or flu can delay the progress of an off-season strength and conditioning program—or even worse, force you to miss valuable in-season practices and big games. A strong defense can make the difference between a win or a...

Complete Full-Body Weight Room Bench Workout

January 13, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

With a little creativity, a portable weight room bench can become a multi-functional piece of exercise equipment. Stop doing "ordinary" exercises on a plain old adjacent bench. Get "extraordinary" with this high-intensity, boot camp-style workout, and challenge your muscles and...

Eight "Steps" to Return to Action After a Sprained Ankle

January 10, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

It's a nightmare situation: a star player laid out during a game clutching his ankle. Debilitating ankle injuries are serious in sports, from the basic sprain to a major grade 3 sprain that causes joint instability, throbbing pain, swelling and...

Full Body Workout to Blast Away Holiday Weight Gain and Build Muscle

January 7, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

Unwanted weight gain during the holidays? The following high-intensity total body core routine is the perfect way to shed extra pounds and get into peak condition for spring sports. These four fast-paced compound sets will boost your metabolism to get...

Extreme Core Workout for Peak Sports Performance

January 7, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

Your daily activities constantly recruit your core muscles. From your abdominal, gluteal, lower and middle back muscles and groin to your inner and outer thighs, you are engaging these muscles whenever you twist, turn, lunge laterally, move forward, reach overhead,...

Tips to Speed Up Healing of an Injured Wrist

January 5, 2013 | Jim Carpentier

Currently sidelined by a painful wrist issue? From on-the-field work to weight room exercises, healthy wrists are crucial for athletes. (See Get Healthy Faster With Three Injury Recovery Tips.) Below are general wrist rehab guidelines to follow immediately after an injury to...