SNI: What are the top 3 myths regarding weight-training/conditioning that you deal with as a strength and conditioning professional?
Juan Carlos: WEIGHT TRAINING WILL STUNT GROWTH IN CHILDREN – all indications prove weight training is well tolerated by ALL populations assuming the programming is appropriate and progressive.
WEIGHT TRAINING WILL PUT ON EXCESSIVE MUSCLE ON WOMEN – Most women simply don’t have high enough testosterone to put on significant muscle (to the point where it becomes unattractive or cumbersome)
RUNNING IS THE BEST CARDIO TRAINING for any activity – Weight training and FT circuits can provide incredible and specific cardiovascular conditioning for activities that involve continuous muscular contraction of various muscle groups (e.g. Wrestling).
SNI: What is functional training and what is a common misconception regarding its use?
Juan Carlos: Training that trains the body consistent with its structural design and biomechanical requirements of the target activity being trained for! Just because it’s hard to do does not make it functional. Just because it requires high skill or coordination does not make it functional. Balance training should take a back seat to STABILITY TRAINING. Function for most activities is about transferring HIGH forces through the kinetic chain. A pure balanced position does NOT allow the transfer of high forces through the kinetic chain. Put your feet on the ground and move heavy loads in ALL directions!
SNI: When working with elite athletes such as MMA fighters, what sports supplements do you recommend?
Juan Carlos: Most popular Supps in MMA are as follows: Nutrient timing (whey and some carbs after each training session), Fish oils, Multi-vit/min, Beta –Alanine.
SNI: For the general ‘fitness enthusiast’ who is interested in improving strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness, list your top 3 weight training exercises that they should perform?
Juan Carlos: Deadlift, Pull-ups, Dips
SNI: What training, diet, and supplement regimen do YOU currently follow?
Juan Carlos: Traveling to over 20 countries per year it is difficult to eat and train optimally; I do basic bodybuilding for muscle maintenance. I do my functional training during my demonstrations and some light training at IHP with my fighters. I eat as clean as possible and take in a good amount of supps (Fish oils, Multi vit/min, and strong anti-ox mixture)
Juan Carlos Santana
Fitness maverick, founder of the Institute of Human Performance (IHP , dynamic speaker, sought-after consultant, prolific author. For over 30 years Juan Carlos “JC” Santana has been raising the bar in the fitness industry. Santana has been referred to as “the country’s leading practitioner of functional fitness” and personally trained and developed specific programs for all professional sports, youth fitness, fitness for the mature populations, and accelerated rehabilitation. His advanced understanding of bio-mechanics and conditioning have made him the go-to guy for those interested in reaching their optimal performance levels, from individuals, to professional sports teams, to fortune 500 companies. His consulting clients and endorsement hail from the full spectrum of government agencies, educational institutions, college and professional sports teams, equipment manufactures, and fitness facilities. For more information: http://www.ihpfit.com/home.html
