Why Athletes Should NOT Wear Weight Belts While Working Out
Athletes should not and I repeat….SHOULD NOT wear a weight belt while performing heavy lifts in the weight room. Here are some reasons why:
1. If you don’t wear a weight belt in competition, you should not wear one while performing lifts. Be functional not stupid.
2. By wearing a weight belt to perform heavy lifts you are actually weakening your core. By tightening a belt around your waist, you apply pressure to your abdomen region and your “core” takes a back seat to the demands and does not activate (contract/get stronger). All movement is generated from your core and if do not train properly then your core will not develop accordingly to the demands for your sport. Work the whole body not specific muscles…athletes are not body builders!
3. You back hurts performing the lifts because 1) your core is weak, or 2) you are not using proper technique, and/or you have muscle imbalances that need to be address so that the proper muscles can fire/contract/relax in order for you to perform that lift effectively and safely.
I always use the phrase “Work Hard to Win Easy” but please do it the right way!
EMG of Football Throw
Studies of the overhead throw are most commonly performed for the sport of baseball because every athlete in baseball must have the ability to throw well to participate in the sport. However, in the game of football the quarterback displays the same overhead throw techniques as in baseball. According to Kelly, Backus, Warren, & Williams (2002), state, “Although the football throw is similar in some respects to other overhead throwing motions, the increase weight of the football (0.42 kg versus 0.14 kg for the baseball) appears to affect shoulder position and stresses throughout the throwing motion”(837). The increase weight and shape of the football may allow for different firing patterns of the muscles that accompany the shoulder. In this study, an electromyographic (EMG) analysis was done on the overhead football throw to give quarterbacks, coaches, strength coaches, athletic trainers, and physical therapist a better understanding on how to strengthen, prevent injuries, and treat injuries of the overhead football throw.
For instance, in 2002 a study was performed using videos of quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL) and fourteen male participants who’s skilled levels ranged from recreational athletes to collegiate level athletes who all had experience of throwing a football. First, researchers analyzed the videos of the NFL quarterbacks to break down the phases of the football throw. The phases consisted of early cocking, late cocking, acceleration, and follow-through. According to Kelly et al. (2002) state,
Early cocking was initiated at rear foot plant and continued to maximal shoulder abduction and internal rotation. Late cocking started at maximal shoulder abduction and internal rotation and ended with maximal shoulder external rotation. The acceleration phase began with maximal shoulder external rotation and ended with ball release. Finally, the follow-through was defined as the phase from ball release to maximal horizontal adduction (838).
After the phase analysis was complete, an EMG was performed on the fourteen male participants using fine-wire and surface electrodes. Each participant was allowed a total of twenty throws into a net that was approximately ten yards away. After the data was collected from the EMG analysis, researchers separated the muscles into two groups. Group I muscles which consisted of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, anterior deltoid, and middle deltoid showed static levels of activity throughout the throwing motion. These muscles in group I stabilize the shoulder during the entire throwing motion. In addition, group II muscles consisted of the subscapularis, pectoralis major, and latisimus dorsi showed more activity during the acceleration and follow-through phases. The muscles in group II are responsible for throwing velocity and deceleration of the arm during the throw.
In my opinion, I believe that this study done on the overhead football throw was well done because it broke down the football throw into four simple phases which consisted of early cocking, late cocking, acceleration, and follow-through. From the each phase, you could easily break down the movements to understand what muscles are being active through that specific phase of the throw. However, the study itself was very simplistic because it only examined what went on in the glenohumeral joint and not any other joints such at the elbow, wrist, trunk and especially the legs. I believe that the legs are the most important factor for a quarterback because the legs generated the most power in the throw and also important for balance. Just with any total body moment, it must involve the whole kinetic chain the build-up of momentum and power. Another thing that I thought was odd was that the subjects only threw from ten yards into a net. During a football game, a quarterback must throw a variety of passes which might consist of different lengths and velocities.
For instance, if I were to perform this study I would have the same idea but involve more passes of different varieties and not just throwing into a net from ten yards away. I would have the quarterback throw to an actual receive rather than a net because the study would come out to more of a realistic outcome. The receiver could run different patterns and have different displacements such as ten, twenty, and thirty yards away while the quarterback throws to him. I would also gather an EMG reading of the legs because and other joints in the body. Since, overhead throws are more associated with baseball; I believe that this study did a good job of opening up the doors to other researchers who want to explore more about the overhead football throw.
References
Kelly, B.T., Backus, S.I., Warren, R.F., & Williams, R.J. (2002). Electromyographic analysis and phase definition of the overhead football throw. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 30: 837-844. Retrieved November 9, 2008 from PubMed database.
Lit Review: ACL Injuries
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most important stabilizing ligaments in the knee and is composed of three fibrous bands twisted together. These bands are composed of anteromedial, intermediate, and posterolateral bands that prevent posterior movement of the femur and anterior movement of the tibia, as well as assisting with resisting internal rotation of the knee. The ACL receives the most attention out of the all the stabilizers in the lower leg because it is the most vulnerable to injury. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, “An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 anterior crucaite ligaments (ACL) injuries occur annually in the general U.S. population. Approximately 70% of these are noncontact of these are noncontact injuries” (Clark, Luccett, Corn, 2008, p. 5). In addition, females are more likely to suffer ACL injuries than males because of several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Researchers are exploring new surgical, nonsurgical, and rehabilitation techniques to help restore stability of the ACL, while preventing reoccurring injuries and help limit arthritis of the knee joint.
Injuries of the ACL are most likely to occur when the tibia is externally rotated and the knee is in a valgus or “knock knee” position. Injury of the ACL is mostly likely to happen in any sport or activity that involves cutting, jumping, running, and direct contact. Whether or not to perform surgery on an ACL injury depends on many factors. According to Prentice (2009), he states:
Therefore, a decision for or against surgery must be based on the patient’s age, the type of stress applied to the knee, and the amount of instability present, as well as the techniques available to the surgeon. A simple surgical repair of the ligament may not establish the desired joint stability (p.676).
Restoring knee stability and joint proprioception is the most important factor while maintaining a healthy kinetic chain for a patient suffering with an ACL injury. Since the ACL is the most vulnerable ligament of the knee, many studies have reported findings of new operative and non-operative treatments of the ACL injury.
For example, a study in 2007 compared an autograft and allograft of the hamstring tendon for an ACL reconstruction. Most ACL reconstructions are mostly performed using autograft tissue taken from the middle third of the patellar tendon. The disadvantages of the autografts are harvest-site morbidity, longer operative time, and nerve damage (Edgar, Zimmer, Kakar, Jones, Schepsis, 2007). Furthermore, using allograft tissue reduces operative time, lacks donor-site morbidity, and exhibits less pain and stiffness compared to the autograph. Eighty-four patients participated in the study and out of the eighty-four patients, thirty-seven had autografts and forty-seven were treated with allografts. According to Edgar et al. (2007) he states,
We asked whether (1) hamstring tendon allograft tissue stretches with time leading to increased laxity or an increased rate of failures, and (2) hamstring allograft constructs have similar clinical performance in primary ACL reconstruction based on accepted clinical outcome scores as compared with traditional hamstring autograft constructs (p. 2239).
The outcome of the study showed that an allograft hamstring construct showed similar scores to that of the autograft. There was no significant difference in the outcome of the Knee Documentation Committee scores, Lysholm scores, Tegner activity scales, and KT-1000 arthromeres measurements. Even though the autografts are more popular with surgeons, further studies must be done to determine what techniques work best for the reconstruction of the ACL.
Furthermore, another study explored the long-term results after primary repair and non-surgical treatment of the ACL. In this study, one-hundred patients participated in a 15 year follow up to explore the long term affects after primary repair or non-surgical treatment. The main focus of the study was to see if there was a presence of radiological osteoarthritis (OA). According to Meunier, Osdensten, & Good (2007) state, “Our hypothesis was that surgical repair of the ACL reduces the risk of OA and improves the subjective outcome and function compared with non-surgical treatment”(230). They found that a number of patients that undergone non-surgical treatment had more meniscus injuries and one-third of the non-surgical group underwent a second treatment because of instability problems. The condition of the menisci is found to be the most important factor of developing OA (Meunier, Osdensten, Good 2007). In conclusion, OA is more contributed to injuries of the menisci. Early surgical repair of the ACL can reduce secondary meniscus tears, while inhibiting OA from occurring.
In addition, whether or not surgery is administered to a patient with an ACL injury must rely on a good rehabilitation program. For instance, an athlete that has suffered from an ACL injury goes through a physical and psychological regression which might prolong the rehabilitation process. Recovery and getting back to play is absolutely the most important thing to an athlete who has suffered any injury. According to Prentice (2009) he states, “A detailed rehabilitation program for an ACL reconstruction is provided in the accompanying management plan. It has been suggested that it may take up to two years for a patient to regain normal quadriceps muscle function following ACL reconstruction”(676). Traditional ACL rehabilitation process is broken down into four phase that consist of acute, subacute, functional progression, and return to activity (Myer, Paterno, Ford, Hewett 2008). However, a recent study out of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research developed a new and improve progressive way to make the ACL rehabilitation process better for all athletes returning to sport. This new criteria is broken down into four phases that include core stabilization, functional strengthening, power development, and sports performance symmetry. According to Myer, Paterno, Ford, & Hewett (2008) each phase is designed to treat common deficits after ACL reconstruction and address any risk factors that the athlete might have been contributing to before the athlete’s injury.
In conclusion, I believe that there is not enough evidence out there to establish an actual protocol on how to treat ACL injuries. All of the studies, reports, and books that I have read, focus only on establishing knee stability after an ACL injury and rarely focusing on the importance of the kinetic chain. Whether or not surgery is required, proper functional movements of sports or activities of daily living should be the main concern for therapist, trainers, and doctors. The ACL is the most common knee ligament that is injured and I believe that the main problem is that professionals in the sports medicine field, need to practice a holistic approach to not only fixing and repairing ACL injuries but, fixing and repairing the kinetic chain and the body as a whole.
References
Clark, M.A., Corn, R.J., & Lucett, S.C. (2008). Nasm essentials of: Personal fitness training.
Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Edgar, C.M., Zimmer, S., Kakar, S., Jones, H., Schepsis, A.A. (2008). Clinical Orthopaedic
Related Research, 466, 230-237. Retrieved November 10, 2008, from Pubmed database.
Meunier, A., Odensten, M., Good, L. (2007). Long-term results after primary repair or non-
surgical treatment of anterior cruciate ligament rupture: a randomized study with a 15-
year follow-up. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 17, 230-237.
Retrieved November 10, 2008, from Pubmed database.
Myer, G.D., Paterno, M.V., Ford, K.R., & Hewett, T.E. (2008). Neuromuscular training
Techniques to target deficits before return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament
Reconstruction, 23(3), 987-1014. Retrieved November 15, 2008, NSCA database.
Prentice, W.E., (2009). Arnheim’s principles of athletic training: A competency-based approach.
Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill
Lit Review on Static Stretching and Speed Performance
Stretching is widely used by many people to improve flexibility, increase circulation to muscles, prevent injury, and to just loosen up a bit. There are different forms of stretching such as: ballistic, dynamic, self-myofascial release, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, and active isolating stretching just to name a few. All of these stretches are beneficial in their own way, but the stretch that is most widely use with athletes and non-athletes is static stretching. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, static stretching is “the process of passively taking a muscle to the point of tension and holding the stretch for a minimum of 20 seconds” (Clark, Luccett, Corn, 2008, p. 153). In the past, static stretching has been widely used as a warm-up by athletes to help them loosen up before a game or an event. What those athletes did not realize was their pre-game static stretch warm-up was inhibiting their ability to perform at their peak performance.
For instance, the ability to run faster than your than your opponent in a game or event is one of the most important keys to success in sport. Speed is the ability to move the body in one direction as fast as possible and it is the product of stride rate and stride length (Clark, Lucceet, Corn, 2008, p. 260). According to Baechle and Earle (1994), sprinting is broken down into three main goals:
1. Braking forces at ground contact should be should be minimized by planting the foot directly beneath the athlete’s center of gravity and by maximizing the backward velocity of the lower leg and foot at touchdown.
2. Brief ground support times must be emphasized as a means of achieving rapid stride rate. This requires a high level of speed-strength.
3. Eccentric knee flexor strength is the most important determinant of recovery as the leg swings forward (p. 480).
Some factors that might prevent an athlete from achieving these goals maybe be from poor running mechanics, lack of fast-twitch muscle fibers, footwear, lack of recovery, and most importantly, incorporating static stretching into a warm-up. Recent studies have shown that static stretching impairs sprint performance and more of a dynamic or ballistic type of stretching is more beneficial to achieve maximum speed for athletes. Three separate studies that consisted of a track and field team, women’s soccer, and men’s rugby investigated the effects of static stretch warm-ups on the performance of sprinting. All three studies had different sprint distances that range from 20meters-40meters, concluded that static stretching reduced the stiffness of the musculotendious unit, which in turn decreased the sprint performance.
For example, a recent study was performed on the Louisiana State University track and field team. In this study, eleven males and eleven female athletes performed a dynamic warm-up followed by either a static stretch routine or a rest. The group of athletes then went on to perform three 40 m sprints to investigate the effects of static stretching on sprint performance when preceded by a dynamic warm-up (Winchester, Nelson, Landin, young, Schexnayder, 2008). There were four passive static stretches that were performed on the stretch group done by fellow teammates. Those stretches were supine hamstring, triceps surae (calf), gluteus, and prone quad. The stretch was maintained for 30 seconds. The cycle of stretches were done three times with a 20-30 second rest in between each cycle. After the stretch or rest period, the athletes then went on to run three 40 m sprints with a five minute minimum rest period (Winchester et al. 2008). The results showed that there was a 3% decrease in sprint performance for the athletes that incorporated the static stretch routine immediately after their dynamic warm-up. According to Winchester et al. (2008) he states, “Consequently, an acute bout of passive muscle stretching might compromise the effect of the stretch-shortening cycle by decreasing active musculotendinous stiffness, thereby reducing the amount of elastic energy that can be stored and re-utilized” (16). This shows that the power of the muscles was reduced because the elastic energy was too relaxed. Performing a dynamic warm-up keeps the musculotendinous unit at adequate stiffness.
Furthermore, a similar study showed that static stretching inhibits sprint performance in elite soccer players. In this study, twenty elite female soccer players were randomly assigned to a stretch or no stretch group. However, both groups performed the same standard warm-up protocol which consists of an 800m jog, forward skips (4 x 30m), side shuffles (4 x 30m), and backward skips (4 x 30m). After the standard warm up, the no-stretch group performed three 30m sprints while the stretch group performed their static stretches. The stretch group performed 30 second static stretches of the hamstrings, calf, and quadriceps. They repeated this cycle of static stretches for a total of three sets and then proceeded to run their sprints. The mean and standard deviations were the only numbers recorded in this study. The numbers showed that, the group that performed the static stretches before running a 30 m sprint, resulted in a significant increase in time to complete, compared to the group that did not perform static stretches. The surprising difference in overall sprint performance between the stretch and no-stretch group was 0.39 seconds, and the mean difference was 0.1 seconds.
In addition, in 2004 a study was performed to analyze different warm-up stretch protocols on a 20 meter sprint performance of rugby players. In this study, 97 male rugby players were separated into four groups: passive static stretch, active dynamic stretch, active static stretch, and static dynamic. All of the participants started off with a 10 minute jog and then ran two 20 meter sprints. Then, they separated into their assigned groups to perform their stretch protocols. The passive static stretch group stretched the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors, hip flexors, and calf for 20 second per muscle. The active dynamic stretch group performed exercises such as: high knees, butt kicks, hip rolls, running cycles, and straight leg skips. The active static stretch group performed the same stretches as the passive static stretch group but contracted the agonist muscle to its full inner range, while stretching the antagonist’s outer range. The static dynamic group did all the same exercises as the active dynamic group but in a stationary position for 20 reps per leg (Fletcher, Jones, 2004). After all participants completed their stretch routine, they ran two more 20 meter sprints. Fletcher and Jones took the mean sprint times pre- and post stretch, and the mean difference in sprint times for each group. They found out that the passive static stretch group and the active static stretch group increased in sprint time after they stretched. The active dynamic group showed a decrease in sprint time while the static dynamic group showed no significant difference in sprint time. The clearly showed that static stretching impairs sprint performance.
In conclusion, to achieve top sprint performance, warm-ups should not incorporate any type static stretching. As clearly shown by the numbers static stretching inhibits sprint performance in athletes. I believe that static stretching makes the serial elastic component of the muscle too loose, which in turn decrease the power out-put of the muscles. According to Fletcher and Jones (2004) the reduction of the musculortendious unit stiffness leads to neural inhibition and a decrease in the neural drive to the muscles, resulting in a reduction of power. Research shows that, performing a general warm-up and a dynamic warm-up before any activity that requires power of the muscles should be implemented before competition and exercising. I think that static stretching should only be used in a cool down or rehab tool to help the athlete recover.
References
1. Clark, M. A., Corn, R. J., & Lucett, S.C. (2008). Nasm essentials of: Personal fitness training. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
2. Baechle, T.R., Earle, R.W. (1994). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
3. Winchester, J.B., Nelson, A.G., Landin, D., Young, & Schexnayder, I.C. (2008 January). Static stretching impairs sprint performance in collegiate track and field athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(1), 13-18. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from NSCA database.
4. Sayers, A.L., Farley, R.S., Fuller, D.K., Jubenville, C.B., & Caputo, J.L. (2008 September). The effect of static stretching on phases of sprint performance in elite soccer players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(5), 1416-1421. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from NSCA database.
5. Bethan, J., & Fletcher I.M. (2004). The effect of different warm-up stretch protocols on 20 meter sprint performance in trained rugby union players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 18(4), 885-888. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from NSCA database.
“GIVE ME 100%”
You hear this phrase ALL the time on the field and the courts but what does it exactly mean? To me, it means that an athlete should do everything in his power to make the right decisions through internal instinct to produce a positive external outcome. Going 100% doesn’t mean to push harder, it means GET YOUR HEAD RIGHT and FOCUS on what needs to be done to achieve success. The mind & spinal cord (CNS) controls everything. It controls how you feel, how you think, your emotions, and decision making. No one is going to give you 100% effort if they are not stimulated andcoaches need to get the idea out of their head that giving it your all or giving 100% is measured by physical exertions because no player/athlete is going to give 100% if their mind is not in a state of motivation. In addition, I think there is a magical equation to get athletes to move and think with 100% effort without them knowing that they are giving it their all.
Here are a few of my thoughts to that equation:
1. Young athletes will get board with repitition and this is because if you do the same drills over and over the mind will regress in excitation and the body will be “just going through the motions”. Do something out of the ordinary such as playing a game of Tag as a warm-up. Tag is a great game to play because kids will be into while moving at intense levels while also working on their agility. The kids will be working hard and not even know that they are moving so well becaus they are having fun and laughing. If you get the kids laughing and having a good time from time to time then they will be more intuned to what you are trying to teach them.
2. You must ask your athlete questions such as “Why do you do this” and “Why would he/she do that” Asking questions is another way to stimulate the CNS because it prevents the athlete from just going through the motions. It prevents them from becoming just a body moving.
3. If you put them down…you must bring them back up. There are time which I am in competition mode and I’m all fired up and I tend to yell at my athletes to get my point across that the way they are performing is not okay and I expect more. However, if I do yell and scream do to their poor performance I always make it a priority to bring their spirits back up through encouragement and motivation.
We shouldn’t train athletes to become better…we should stimulate the mind to allow athletes to want to become better and strive to be the best at what they do. If you find the answer to that magical equation, you will be very successful at making athletes and the people around you better and it will in turn benefit you as well.
My Thoughts about Crossfit
I have been doing Crossfit for about 1.5-2 years and still to this day I attend Crossfit classes and I still go on the website to check out what crazy workout they have posted on the main site on a daily basis. In fact I took a three day trip with fellow Crossfiters to drive up to Aromas California to witness the 2009 Crossfit Games. The reasons I enjoy Crossfit are as follows:
1. It is intense! The reason why people do not see results in their training program is because they lack intensity into their workout.
2. Exercises involve compound movements and every movement involves 2 or more joints being moved in full range of motion (ROM)
3. The workouts are like a game. You are trying to beat the clock or you’re trying to get bragging rights over friends and other Crossfiter’s.
4. There is no routine and workouts are very different from one another. One day you might have to run 5k and the next day you might be snatching 75lbs for 75 reps. You really don’t know what to expect.
5. The Crossfit program does make you strong but it also makes you tough…real tough. Not only does it make you physically strong but mentally it turns you into a warrior.
However, I have a lot of issues when it comes to Crossfit training about the functionality, frequency, nutrition, and preservation of the human body. For example:
1. ALL CROSSFIT EXERCISES ARE DONE IN THE SAGITTAL PLANE. Crossfit claims that the movements (exercises) are functional but in reality, they are not. For example, whether you are an athlete or not the body must twist and turn to be functional to sport and or daily movements you experience in everyday life. In addition, most injuries occur in the transverse plane and the #1 rule with training an athlete or non-athlete is to prevent them from injuries!
2. Crossfit recommends that you train hard for 3 days and then take 1 day off. When people ask me how many days of the week they should workout, my response is, “It depends”….It depends because it whatever works for you. However, you must find an optimal ratio between work and rest that is good for you and not what others say. If you work too hard, you will become over-trained and from my experience with Crossfit, the 3:1 is just a little too much for me. It feels good for a week or two and then you start feeling fatigue pysologically and psychologically.
3. Carbs are bad: Crossfit does not like processed carbs at all. They believe in lean protein combined with the standard fruits and veggies are the way to go, and that is not a bad way to go but it is a very difficult road to travel. Once again, it depends on you the individual and how food responds to your body and your schedule. I suggest you eat carbs for breakfast and after you workout. The reason for this is because your body needs to store energy called glycogen in the muscles to be used during activity.
4. Where does foam roll and stretching fit in? IT DOES NOT. The Crossfit cool-down is to re-rack your weights and get out of the gym to eat your gluten free apple or whatever. There is not enough information that is documented to the Crossfit public to educate them on optimal alignment of the muscles.
6. No research: Little to no research has been done on Crossfit. Crossfit has great theories but I need to see that if I do it for the rest of my life, I will not have any arthromakanical issues.
To be continued………….
The FITT Principle
To really get the most out of your fitness/strength & conditioning program, you are going to have to learn and live by the FITT principle. Applying the FITT principle to your program will allow you to progress through those frustrating plateaus that everyone faces from time to time. The reason why you are not achieving success in your program is because your body is getting used to the same routine day in and day out. ROUTINE IS THE ENEMY! However, implementing the FITT principle into your program will take you to the next level.
Frequency: Is the number of days you are working out in the week. You may have to increase your frequency or decrease your frequency depending on how your body is adapting to the program. Most hardcore athletes need to decrease their frequency due to overtraining because they are not getting enough rest for the body to repair itself. However, people who are trying to lose weight need to increase their frequency so they are achieving an overall calorie expenditure. This does not mean that you have to “workout” more but, you do have to increase your levels of physical activity which means…
- Walk or bike instead of drive
- Wash your own dam car
- Join a sports league
- Learn a new sport
- Just stop sitting on your ass
Intensity: Training intensity is defined as an individual’s level of effort compared with their maximum effort. This means different things for different goals. If you are trying to lose weight you must cut down your rest time to keep your heart rate up to burn the most calories. For example, circuit training, interval training, and Crossfit do a good job at keep you moving with little to no rest in between workout. However, if you are trying to pack on some muscle you must make sure that every set is to failure. Thus, increase weight = increase in intensity! And for athletes who are trying to make it to the next level, intensity means not to take plays off and practice hard day in and day out. Only the strong will survive in the world of sports and if you don’t work hard at your craft 24/7 you will be left in the dust.
Type: This corresponds to the types of exercises that you are performing in your training program. However, you must understand that the human body is a highly adaptable machine that can readily adjusts to the imposed demands of training. Therefore, exercise selection should be functional and specific to the individual’s intended goal. Make sure to implement variations to each exercise but keep the movements functional, move in all planes of motion, and stay away from isolated movements like bicep curls.
Time: is the time frame of a workout or the length of time (number of weeks) spent with a certain program. A general workout including warm-up and cool-down should take 60-90 minutes. A professor once told me, “If you’re in the gym for more than one hour…you are making more friends than muscles.” Furthermore, Workouts that exceed 90 minutes will lead to rapid declines in energy levels which can lead to discrepancies in hormonal and immune responses that can later have negative effects on your training program.
It takes the body approximately 3 weeks to adapt to a fitness program. However, if you apply the FITT principle to your program, you will be able to break through plateaus and reach your goals quicker. Good luck!
Speed Kills
There is saying that is always used in the game of football and I’m sure it can be used in all sport and it is “SPEED KILLS!” The ability to run faster than other athletes on the field or the court gives you a great advantage to becoming very successful as an athlete. However, training athletes to become faster is somewhat of an enigma to trainers and coaches who inspire to find a cure of making their athletes faster. To train athletes to run faster you must find a way to increase their stride length and stride frequency. Here are some of my thoughts and ideas on training for speed.
- Genetics: Speed comes from the genetically makeup of your muscle fiber type. The more type II/fast twitch muscle you have, the faster and more explosive you will be. However, you CANNOT train to increase type II fibers in your muscles (it’s impossible). You can train the remaining muscles that are not type II (type I/slow twitch) to have similar characteristics as the fast twitch fibers.
- If you don’t use it, you lose it: To play fast/run fast you must train fast. This means you must train the neuromuscular system to be more efficient at firing signals to the muscles so they can contract at a faster rate. You won’t get any faster if you are half assing it in practice or in your training. Every rep/second counts in the world of sports so go 100% every single time!
- Newton’s 3rd law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Everything in the body is connected which means that speed and power does not just come from the legs themselves. The faster you mover your arms in opposition to your legs…the faster your legs will go. The harder you push off the earth…the more acceleration you will gain and the faster you will become.
- Proper form: Form is the key for everything that you do in sport even with running. Most of the time I see young athletes really tense up when they are trying to run fast and this inhibits the open kinetics chain (proper firing sequences of the neuromuscular system). In addition, these athletes are running with “wasted movement” that won’t allow them to reach their peak speed.
- Ideas on training: Train fast and be functional. Train for the demands of your sport and involve plyometrics, speed training, and power training into your workouts. In addition, you must stretch the tight muscle to allow for full range of motion when you are running.
- Plyometrics: Exercise that enhances muscular power through quick, repetitive eccentric and concentric contractions of the muscles. Example: Box jumps
- Speed training: This involves resisting and assisting running. This will allow you to work on functional speed strength while also focusing on form. Resistant speed training can be as simple as sprinting hills and assistance training can be just the opposite…sprinting down hills
- Power training: Squat, bench, press, pull etc. at 30% of your 1RM and moving the weight as fast as you can. Speed squats are a great way to increase speed because it involves hip flexion and hip extension just like sprinting.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
Armstrong’s proposed model of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
1. High tension in muscle during eccentric muscle contraction results in structural damage to the muscle and its cell membrane. An eccentric contraction is the lengthening of muscle and happens when you are decending into a squat or lowering yourself down from a rope climb.
2. Cell membrane damage disturbs calcium homeostasis in the injured fiber, resulting in necrosis (death of cell) that peaks ~48 h post exercise. (Calcium is needed for a muscle contration to occur)
3. Products of macrophage activity and intracellular contents (i.e., histamines, kinins and K+) accumulate outside the cell and stimulate free nerve endings in the muscle.