Tag: Workouts

5 weird pre- and post-workout drinks that some runners swear by

Fuel your run.

Every runner has their own routine. While tried-and-true training plans are a great starting place for beginners, every athlete is different and has unique methods that work best for them. This applies not only to workouts but also to the foods you choose to fuel your run.

As experienced runners probably know, there is a wide world of pre- and post-workout drinks out there. Typical components of these drinks include caffeine, creatine, electrolytes, vitamins, and protein. These beverages aim to power your runs, energize your workouts, and help you recoup afterward. Bottled brands may seem most popular when it comes to pre- and post-workout drinks, but they aren’t the only options. If you want to branch out and try wilder choices, check out this list of five weird drinks that some runners swear by.

Want to shake up your fitness routine? Try rucking.

Should you be rucking?

You can trust the fitness community to always find new ways to get active. One of the latest workouts they’ve been getting excited about? It’s called rucking. Here’s the lowdown on what rucking is and why people love it.

The whole craze started as a military training exercise called ruck marching. In fact, as Melanie Radzicki McManus wrote for CNN, “One of the tests the US Army gives recruits looking to earn an Expert Infantryman Badge is a 12-mile ruck, or foot march, which they must complete within three hours while carrying at least 35 pounds of gear.”

Sounds pretty intense. But is this strict military testing version of rucking what has gym buffs so excited? Not exactly.

A person in a yellow jacket with a black backpack on as they go rucking through a misty valley.

What is rucking?

Let’s define rucking as a fitness trend. As GORUCK, a company that hosts rucking events and sells rucking equipment, explains on its website, “Rucking is the action of walking with weight on your back.” Ruckers strap on a weighted rucking backpack (aka rucksack) and simply start walking.

There are a few reasons why this military training exercise has gained mainstream appeal. As writers for both GQ and Outside have discussed, rucking got a major boost after being mentioned in author Michael Easter’s 2021 book “The Comfort Crisis.” Since then, rucking has taken off on social media likely due in part to its accessibility. After all, you don’t need much to begin rucking. In theory, if you have a backpack and something heavy to put inside of it, you’re ready to go. Rucking is also low-impact, so it doesn’t stress your joints as much as activities like running do.

Rucking benefits

So, what benefits does rucking have as a workout? According to Healthline, people who ruck regularly can expect to improve their “strength, endurance, and general fitness.” The added weight a person carries while rucking also helps them burn more calories than they would by walking without the weight.

Further, rucking can offer meaningful benefits to older people. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that weighted exercises helped older women “significantly improve lower limb muscle power and functional ability.” As a weighted cardiovascular exercise, rucking may be a useful tool for retaining muscle strength as you age.

Optimize your workout with these 3 pre-run stretches

Stretch smarter.

Do you have a habit of skipping stretches? Do you regularly hit the track without warming up first? Look, we get it. When you’re in a rush, it’s easy to convince yourself that stretching isn’t important. But if you’re a health-conscious runner, pre-run stretches really should be a regular part of your routine. Here’s why.

“You need the right preparation to be a safe runner and avoid injuries,” Dr. Elizabeth Gardner, a Yale Medicine orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, explains. “Cross-training and stretching go a long way toward avoiding running injuries.”

So, what kind of pre-run stretches do experts recommend? Find out with this round-up of three running warm-ups.

Packers work out 6 players on Monday, including 2 RBs and 3 TEs

The Packers worked out 2 RBs, 3 TEs and a QB on Monday.

The Green Bay Packers had six players in for workouts on Monday, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky: RB Brenden Knox (Marshall), RB John Lovett (Penn State), TE Devin Asiasi (UCLA), TE Nick Eubanks (Michigan), TE Joel Wilson (Central Michigan), and QB Jarrett Guarantano (Washington State).

Here is what you need to know from the workouts.

Following the Packers decision to sign receiver Bo Melton and running back James Robinson from the practice squad to the active roster before last Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day matchup with Detroit, Green Bay now has two practice squad openings. Given the current situation at tight end, I would bet they make an addition at that position at some point in the not-so-distant future.

Luke Musgrave has to miss a minimum of three more games on IR, but even at that point, Matt LaFleur was unsure on Monday whether or not he would return this season. Josiah Deguara continues to battle a hip injury and missed Monday’s practice. Green Bay currently has only two healthy tight ends on the 53-man roster in Tucker Kraft and Ben Sims, with fullback Henry Pearson on the practice squad with two elevations remaining.

Asiasi was a former third-round pick by Cleveland in 2020. He has also spent time with New England and Cincinnati. Asiasi has played 424 career snaps on offense, 200 of which came last season with the Bengals. He has graded out okay as a blocker by PFF’s metrics, for what it’s worth, and has four career receptions on 11 targets for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Eubanks went undrafted in 2021, has no NFL snaps, and has bounced around with a number of teams. At Michigan, he was used both as an in-line blocker and in the passing game. In Lance Zierlein’s pre-draft scouting report, he said Eubanks could be a “developmental H-back” with his size and athleticism.

Wilson went undrafted this past spring and made the Buffalo practice squad out of training camp before being released a few weeks ago. Wilson was a big part of the Central Michigan passing game his final two seasons, totaling 105 targets while catching 73 percent of those passes. Nearly half of his snaps in 2022 came from the slot.

Along with three tight ends, the Packers brought in two running backs for workouts. After releasing James Robinson on Monday, Patrick Taylor is the only healthy running back on the active roster with both AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones missing Monday’s practice–although there doesn’t seem to be concern around Dillon’s status. Ellis Merriweather is the only running back on the practice squad at the moment.

Jones is still recovering from the MCL sprain he suffered against Los Angeles, and his availability for Week 13 against Kansas City is still very much an unknown and, right now, the Packers are still a ways off from that becoming a possibility.

“I think we’re a long way from that coming to fruition,” Matt LaFleur said on Monday about Jones playing this week.

If Jones can’t go on Sunday, whether it’s elevating Merriweather or bringing in an outside addition, Green Bay will need a third running back available, just in case.

Knox went undrafted in 2021 and spent time with Dallas and Kansas City. In college, Knox averaged 5.1 yards per carry over his career, and totaled nearly 1,400 rushing yards in 2019. He also had 27 receptions over three seasons.

Lovett – no, not that John Lovett from Princeton – has no NFL snaps after initially signing with Carolina as an undrafted rookie following the 2022 draft. He also spent time with Pittsburgh. After four seasons at Baylor, Lovett finished his college career at Penn State in 2021, averaging 3.4 yards per rush on 52 attempts. He was used sparingly throughout his career as a pass catcher but did have 351 career special teams snaps.

The final player brought in for a workout was quarerback Jarrett Guarantano, who was in for a workout with Green Bay back in August. My guess is that Guarantano was more so brought in to throw passes to the tight ends and to hand the ball off to the running backs. There hasn’t been anything to suggest that the Packers are looking to replace Alex McGough on the practice squad.

Colts worked out QB Jeff Driskel, four others

The Colts held a workout for five players, including QB Jeff Driskel.

The Indianapolis Colts held a workout for five players, according to the league’s transaction wire Monday.

Among those five players included quarterback Jeff Driskel, wide receiver John Brown, tight end Antony Auclair, defensive back Keidron Smith and wide receiver Makai Polk.

The Colts have Kellen Mond on the practice squad while Gardner Minshew and Sam Ehlinger are on the active roster so it’s interesting to see them work out Driskel, who was released from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad last week.

We’ll see if anything comes of these workouts in terms of a signing, or the Colts may just be keeping tabs on available options.

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Colts worked out pair of WRs, veteran DT

The Colts worked out a pair of WRs and a veteran DT on Tuesday.

The Indianapolis Colts held a workout for two wide receivers and a veteran defensive tackle, according to the league’s transaction wire Tuesday.

Among the players who worked out for the Colts included wide receivers Marquez Callaway and Bryan Edwards along with defensive tackle Marlon Davidson.

Considering the shoulder injury Alec Pierce is dealing with, it makes sense the Colts are seeing what is available on the market. They also signed Juwann Winfree to the active roster Tuesday so they may be preparing for Pierce to miss some time.

Working out Davidson likely coincides with the suspension that hit Grover Stewart for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Davidson, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Auburn by the Atlanta Falcons. He missed the 2022 season due to a knee injury and spent the offseason with the San Francisco 49ers. In 19 career games (one start), Davidson has 29 tackles (14 solo), one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, one sack and one interception.

Brandon Miller talks about working out with Michael Jordan ahead of the NBA draft

Brandon Miller shares hilarious story of trash talking Michael Jordan

The day of the NBA draft has finally arrived as [autotag]Brandon Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Noah Clowney[/autotag] attempt to become the first Alabama teammates since 1995 to both be selected in the first round. Both of the former Crimson Tide standouts will be in the draft’s green room this evening as they are two of only 20 players to have received that invite.

For Miller, he likely won’t be waiting around for long as it is widely expected that he will be taken with the No. 2 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets. Miller would tie Antonio McDyess of the 1995 team as the highest Alabama player ever drafted.

The Hornets are currently owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan, but earlier in the week he began the process of selling the franchise. Despite that, Jordan will still have the final say in who Charlotte selects, and it sounds as if he is a fan of Miller. He checks all of the boxes of the modern-day NBA, at 6’9 he can control the ball like a guard, he has the ability to be an elite defender at the NBA ranks and shoots just under 40% from three-point range.

During the draft process, Jordan hosted Miller for two one-on-one workouts where he trash-talked Miller and tested his mental resolve. Anyone who knows anything about Jordan knows he wants tough guys in his locker room and it seems like Miller was able to take it, and even dished a little out too.

At one of the workouts, Miller recalls Jordan saying, “I was just a shooter, just shooting threes, but I know my talents, my abilities. You can’t really let Jordan get in your head. I kinda talked some trash back to him. I witnessed him airball a free throw too.”

The interviewer immediately wanted to know what led up to air-balling a free throw to which Miller laughed and said it was just him being old.

The panel chuckles and the interviewer responds by saying, “You better hope he sells the team or you might be on the bench there.” To which Miller only replied, “Lace ’em up.”

Roll Tide Wire will monitor Brandon Miller all NBA draft day.

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Report: Texans worked out former Steelers DT Carlos Davis

The Houston Texans have worked out former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Carlos Davis.

Although the Houston Texans have made moves to shore up their defensive tackle depth with Taylor Stallworth going on the reserve/injured list and the club signing former New England Patriots defensive tackle Byron Cowart, the team is conducting its due diligence.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans worked out former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Carlos Davis.

Pittsburgh originally drafted Davis in 2020 as a seventh-round choice. The former Nebraska product collected 12 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, and 1.0 sack through 12 games.

The 6-2, 320-pound defensive lineman also had a workout with the Jacksonville Jaguars during their rookie minicamp last week.

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Here’s how Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ Texas throwing sessions are different in 2023

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes says he has a better game plan for his throwing sessions down in Texas and we’re already seeing the results:

The first phase of the offseason workout program is underway for the Kansas City Chiefs.

As the first phase will take place virtually again, QB Patrick Mahomes and his offensive teammates have gathered in Texas for an offseason “throwing camp” of sorts. This is the second consecutive year that Mahomes has hosted this type of training session for his teammates. This time around things are different as the two-time league MVP says he feels like he’s better prepared to play host and meet the needs of his teammates.

“I think I had a better game plan for it just in general,” Mahomes explained. “Just having a place for those guys to stay. Getting the guys down here with several weeks but several different days that they can make it so they don’t have anything, they can be here for at least two to three weeks at a time and they don’t have to worry about having to fit it into their schedule. They have several opportunities.

“And I think that the biggest thing was I just had a better plan for what fields we can use – grass field options, turf field, indoor – and the timing so that we can get the guys in and out and they can still live their lives and be in virtual meetings and stuff like that. So I just had a better plan for myself of getting those guys down here and we’ve had a great turnout. And I’m excited for these guys, everybody looks hungry and ready to go.”

At work at this point in the offseason is entirely voluntary, so having multiple times when guys can come in and fit things into their own schedule is a very important piece of the puzzle. Players such as Travis Kelce, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Justyn Ross, Richie James, Jerrion Ealy, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Jody Fortson, Blake Bell, Noah Gray and Matt Bushman have already been spotted at TCU’s facilities working with Mahomes in Fort Worth. Quarterbacks Shane Buechele and Chris Oladokun have also been there working.

They were even joined by a pair of 2023 NFL draft prospects in projected first-round pick TCU WR Quentin Johnston and Utah State QB Logan Bonner. This is not an event organized by the team, so this is entirely sanctioned by the NFL. Any prospects can pop in to train and work with these players.

The team-building aspect of these sessions is one that the team and Mahomes see great value in. Mahomes gets an opportunity to lead and lay the foundation for the upcoming season, but it’s also impactful for some of the players who will take up leadership roles on offense. Mahomes specifically mentioned guys like Moore and Valdes-Scantling stepping up to the plate in that regard.

“I think there’s a value to me talking to the guys like that, especially when you get new guys in,” Mahomes explained. “I’m working with everybody that is kind of on the roster. So for me to explain how I think of the route and how I teach it and then them being able to go to virtual meetings now and hear how the coaches teach it, I think it gives them a better understanding coming from different perspectives. And I’m actually proud of guys like Skyy and Marquez (Valdes-Scantling) especially, I mean just how they’ve been able to teach these guys that are new to the team how we run routes and everything like that. And I think that helps them as well. And so, it just builds those relationships at the same time as those guys learning the offense as quickly as they can.”

This type of head-start to the work they’ll put in later this summer proved to be invaluable a season ago. The hope seems to be that it’ll have an even greater impact in 2023.

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LSU Tigers cornerback Mekhi Garner schedules private workout with the Saints

Former LSU Tigers cornerback Mekhi Garner schedules private workout with the Saints; he’s projected to be a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft

Former LSU Tigers cornerback Mekhi Garner scheduled a private workout with the New Orleans Saints, per The Draft Network’s Justin Melo. He’s projected to be a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft after playing 777 defensive snaps in 13 games for LSU last season, having transferred from Louisiana. He spent his first three years of college with the Ragin’ Cajuns, where he played really well.

Right now Garner is drawing attention for his up-and-down performance at the NFL Scouting Combine. He weighed in at 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds with 32.2-inch arms, making him one of the more physically imposing corners in attendance. And he did well in his jumps, too. But while his 4.55-second time in the 40-yard dash is good enough by NFL standards, it’s worth bringing him in to run positional drills and better evaluate his movement skills.

Garner has a solid resume. He didn’t miss many tackles in college (just 14 of them on over 1,800 career defensive snaps) and he competed well in coverage with a completion percentage of 42.5% and 19 career pass breakups. He was only fouled 9 times. He doesn’t have much experience covering the slot, but he could be a nice addition to the depth chart. The Saints like to stack depth in the secondary. If they can address bigger needs early in the draft, he’d make sense in the later rounds.

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