Archive for the ‘Injury Prevention’ Category

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Barefoot Running – Follow Up

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

A few things I have noticed since training with the Vibram Five Fingers for about a week and a half during workouts (strength training and running):

  1. After my workouts my feet feel like they actually participated in the workout.  I have been working out for a long time and have never had that same feeling after workouts (unless training barefoot in the sand).  It’s a weird feeling for your feet and lower leg to be just as a sore as your hamstrings and glutes.
    - The foot is free to move through the full range of motion and activate muscles during athletic movements.
  2. During jogging, running and sprinting I feel more aware of what part of foot is striking the ground and where in space (under or in front my center of gravity).
    - Increased proprioception is a major benefit to barefoot training.
  3. I have seen an increase in proprioception carry over even when I am wearing regular athletic shoes.
    - Training barefoot has a transfer to athletic performance in court shoes, cleats,  and turfs.
  4. There is a feeling of being more connected to the ground when doing strength training exercises such as deadlifts.  Athletic shoes with all the fancy cushing and arch support limit the feeling of gripping the ground with your feet.  We know grip strength during exercises is important for activation of the shoulder musculature.  The same is true for the foot and leg.  If the foot is activated and gripping the ground the signal will be sent through the rest of the muscles in the leg.
    - Barefoot training can enhance strength performance.

Deadlift

Train Hard – Train Smart
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Barefoot Running

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

One of the hottest trends in the fitness world is barefoot training.  This concept has blown up since the release of Born To Run by Christopher McDougall.  I just finished the book and thought it was an amazing read.  It really gave insight into the world of long distance running and how the body was designed to run great distances.  One part of the book that has really hit the fitness world is the idea of training barefoot or with Vibram Five Fingers.  The benefits of training barefoot or with the Five Fingers includes improved balance and stability, increased strength and power, improved range of motion at the foot and ankle, and improved athletic performance.

Here are my new Vibram Five Fingers:

I think we will begin to see more competitive athletes train barefoot or with shoes like the Five Fingers.  Athletes that first come to mind are volleyball and basketball players.  Most court athletes wear ankle braces and supportive athletic shoes when they compete.  Practicing and training braces and shoes weaken the muscles in the foot and ankle.  This increases the risk of injury not only to the foot and ankle but also up the chain – knees, hips, and low back.  Athletes need their foot and ankle to function properly to maximize athletic potential.

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Posted in Fitness Equipment, Injury Prevention, Program Design, Speed/Agility | No Comments »

First Post In A While – Front Squats

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

I finally have a free moment to make my first post in a couple weeks. I have been busy working as a strength coach at Pierce College and running ASAP Performance Training. I am training well over 100 athletes a day and hoping to start shooting videos of the workout sessions and upload them on the blog. I also have a lot to blog about at the end of the day after coaching various skill levels. Make sure to keep checking this blog for valuable information. Thanks for checking things out.

Lessons from the trenches

I came to Pierce College with a ton of good training ideas (so I thought). One thing I got a lot of rift about from the football players was front squatting and not barbell bench pressing (this will be another post). Here is my rationale on front squatting: I believe in programming front squats into a workout routine before I introduce back squats. The front squat is a great core dominate exercise that requires the athlete to maintain a rigid torso (emphasizing core stabilization). At Pierce, we front squatted for 6 weeks. We never did heavy singles, doubles or triples because we were still in the foundation phase of our program. Even with relatively low loads on the bar, many of the athletes said their legs had never been that strong. In fact, we tested the back squat (using this number as a baseline for the next training phase which did include back squats) after 6 weeks of front squatting and most of the athletes said they beat their PR on the back squat. We didn’t even back squat though! Now this didn’t take place with every athlete, but I think it does illustrate that the front squats helps to build a stronger chain between the lower half and the torso. With back squats I tend to see a lot of hip/lumbar flexion and extension. The athletes tend to have greater forward tilt with their torso. With the front squat you don’t have that option – if there is excessive forward tilt of the torso you will miss the lift.

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Hip Strength

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

The hips need to function properly to maximize athletic potential considering the role hip strength plays in sprint speed, explosiveness, and change of direction.  I recently demonstrate a series of exercises to help improve hip mobility.  The video associated with this post illustrates how incorporating a mini band into your routine can improve hip strength.  Many of the exercises are performed in multiple planes of motion.  This is important because many strength exercises  are primarily performed in the sagital plane which can lead to deficiencies in the other two planes (frontal and transverse).

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Posted in Exercise Demonstrations, Fitness Equipment, Injury Prevention, Strength Training | 1 Comment »

Hip Mobility

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

There are powerful muscles in the hip that work to produce many athletic movements.  The hips need to be strong and stable to transfer energy during sporting movements such as hitting, pitching, and kicking (soccer).  However, the hips can not do their job effectively if they are locked up or restricted in their range of motion.

Hip mobility is extrememly important to help protect the lower back and knees. There is a limited amount of motion that takes place at the lower back, so the hips actually need to be the area where the greatest range of motion comes from in the core.

Shown below are a few simple stretches that will definitely help improve flexibility of the muscles of the hip and enhance mobility of the entire joint.

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Posted in Exercise Demonstrations, Flexibility, Injury Prevention, Program Design | 1 Comment »

Recovery Methods

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

I have posted numerous blogs on how counterproductive low intensity/long duration cardio exercise is for athletes who compete at fast speeds and require explosive movements during competition.  This does not mean I never recommend low to moderate exercise for athletes though.  In fact, after an intense training session, hard competition, or tournament I encourage my athletes to speed up their recovery process.  One of the most effective means to speed up recovery is taking an active approach.  Active recovery includes easy to moderate cardio such as jogging, biking, using the elliptical machine, or swimming.  Lower intensity exercise actually helps with lactate removal (by product of high intensity training), muscle soreness, and cools down the core temperature a slower rate.  Most importantly, many researchers have shown that active recovery improves the next bout of performance more than taking a passive approach (no exercise or activity)  to recovery.

Other forms of recovery are just as important and beneficial.  Proactive recovery methods would also include stretching, massage, myofascial release (self-massage), hot or cold bath, and proper nutrition strategies.  These methods also help with lactate removal, muscle soreness, and improving future performance.

Passive recovery (no exercise) is important and worth discussing.  I am specifically speaking about quality and quantity of sleep.  Athletes require more sleep than the average person who sits around all day and does not push their body to their limits.  All other recovery strategies do not mean anything if an athlete is not getting enough quality sleep.

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www.asap-pt.com

Posted in Conditioning, Injury Prevention, Program Design, Research | No Comments »

Jump – Bound Matrix

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Athletes are always looking to develop their lower body explosiveness and power.  Improve your lower body strength (Lunge Matrix).  Convert strength into explosiveness with the Jump-Bound Matrix.  Check it out:

This video takes you through jump and then bound progressions in multiple planes of motion.  This series would benefit every athlete (it may not help a billards player – but every other athlete).

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www.asap-pt.com

Posted in Exercise Demonstrations, Flexibility, Injury Prevention, Strength Training | No Comments »

More on Myofascial Release

Monday, September 28th, 2009

After the previous post about Myofascial Release I had a couple general questions.  So I have decided to do an additional post to clear a few things up.

Here is some more information about this topic:

  • You do not have to buy and use a foam roller to perform myofascial release techniques.  You can use a tennis ball, baseball, softball, or golf ball as a way to release the tissue.  In fact these objects would be better suited for certian areas of the body such as the bottom of the feet or around the shoulder blade.
  • Muscle adhesions and trigger points alter the length and function of the muscle.  These altered movements patterns are what cause over-use injuries over time.  It is extrememly important to take care of you muscle and fascia (connect tissue).  A cheap and easy way is self myofascial release techniques.
  • Once you have done the mysofascial release technique, it is then recommended to stretch the effected muscle.  Desensitizing the trigger point and reducing/eliminating the adhesion will help restore the proper length and function to the muscle.  This would be the appropriate time to stretch – Increase the functional flexibility of the muscle and surrounding tissue.

tennis ball

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Posted in Exercise Demonstrations, Flexibility, Injury Prevention, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Myofascial Release with a Foam Roller

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

The objective when using  foam roller is to increase the quality of your myofascial tissue (muscle and connective tissue).  The foam roller helps to aid in breaking up trigger points and muscle adhesions.  Foam rolling also promotes blood flow to the area being worked on.  In simple terms, it is a way to do self message.  This is great for athletes to help prevent injuries who do repeated motions throughout the week.  For example, baseball pitchers can throw a lot during a typical practice week.  The muscles in a pitchers shoulders and upper back have to work to decelerate their arm.  Over time these muscles will begin to shorten and even trigger points or muscle adhesions may arise.  It would be beneficial for pitchers to foam roll their posterior shoulder and upper back muscles to help promote adequate muscle length and function.  I recommend all pitchers  lay their arm pit on the foam roller and follow the directions listed below at least a couple times a week.

How to perform self myofascial release with the foam roller:
You would start by identifying an area of muscle tension, tightness, or sensitivity.  Then you would lay on the foam roller so that particular muscle group is pressed against the foam.  The key is to find the area of sensitivity and hold that spot for 10-30 seconds.  After holding it, then you can roll back and forth in that area.  Once you release the tissue, then it would be recommended to perform range of motion exercises (stretches).  Repeat this on a daily basis until the muscle tightness or sensitivity begins to subside.

foam roller

Be sure to email with any specific questions regarding myofascial release techniques.

Train Hard-Train Smart
www.asap-pt.com

Posted in Flexibility, Injury Prevention, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Functional Movement

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Here is an example of a great warm up/strength/mobility exercise.  This series is performed in multiple planes of motion and uses the arms as a driver during each lunge.  Any athlete should be able to perform this series without limited range of motion or pain.  This is also a great body weight strength training exercise series for younger athletes.

Train Hard – Train Smart
www.asap-pt.com

Posted in Exercise Demonstrations, Flexibility, Injury Prevention, Strength Training | 2 Comments »

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