hurt your back if not done properly. Once you are in the proper position, use both of your hands to pull the barbell to your abdomen by retracting your shoulder blades. Make sure not to jerk the barbell up too quickly, as this could cause an injury. Instead try to use a slow and controlled movement when performing the exercise. You should feel the burn very quickly as a t-bar row will be targeting your lats, traps, quads, glutes, biceps, and abs all at once! What’s the best piece of advice for kids trying to make their high school football team? As someone who has played over nine seasons in the NFL, there may be a perception that playing football and making a high school football team was easy for me. Well the reality is that back in high school, this simply was not the case. My freshman year I was actually undersized at 5’8 and 108 pounds. So in order to stop from being the smallest kid on the team, I began to put in work in the weight room. However, the key for me, was makinglifting weights and conditioning my body not a commitment reserved just for football season, but a 365 day commitment year after year. I would recommend to any young kid trying to make their high school football team, to really dedicate themselves to their craft. This means not leaving training for only the summer and fall seasons, but making a commitment to working hard and improving every single day. I can personally attest that dreams do not work unless you do. And one of the most important things I want to stress is safe play. What’s the best way to make friends in the first days of a new school year? As I had previously mentioned in my column, I recently had the pleasure of getting to take my own children to their first day of school for the first time in their lives a few weeks ago. It was a really special moment for me because the first day of school and having to make new friends can be terrifying for a young child. I personally can identify with the feeling because when I wasin middle school, I was bullied. Making friends was difficult for me when I was younger, but I learned several different strategies that any kid can use to make friends on the first day of school. First and foremost, a little bit of kindness can go a long way. No one wants to be friends with a mean person, so treat everyone else around you with the same kindness and respect that you would want to be shown. Second, find things that you have in common with your classmates. For me, sports offered a great avenue in which I could connect with other boys my age when I was younger. It doesn’t really matter what it is, but finding common interest with other kids is the best way to make new friends in the first days of school. What’s your favorite new recipe that you have discovered? Anyone who knows me knows that I am always on the go and I am constantly refueling. Because of my fitness regiment, I like to make sure that I have a healthy meal with me wherever I am and I am always on thelookout for new healthy meals to fit into my busy schedule. I have to give a quick shout out to my good friend and founder of Elite Lifestyle Cuisine, Carlo Filippone, who I am now working with, to help create delicious, healthy meals that are synced to my workout. Carlo just sent me a meal the other day that not only tasted great, but was packed with 45 grams of protein. The meal was grilled chicken breast, topped with baby spinach, fire roasted peppers, and fat-free mozzarella. On top of being packed with protein, the meal only had 5 grams of total fat! And the best part of the meal was that it only took me six minutes to heat it up and eat, which is perfect for someone who is constantly on the move like myself. Speaking of that, some personal news: Carlo and I will team up at a special event in NYC to whip up some of the most delicious meals you’ve ever tasted on Monday night. We are launching a new chapter for the healthy meal subscription service Elite Lifestyle Cuisine. So I hadto trade in my helmet for a chef’s hat – what do you think?   Related: , , , 2.8k shares share tweet sms send email