Archive for the ‘Strength Training’ Category

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Protect That Low Back

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Lower back pain occurs with most individuals at some point in their life. I see clients and gym-goers with this issue on a regular basis. There are number of variables that I try to integrate into my training programs including correcting muscle imbalances/deficiencies, improve core strength and develop proper flexibility in all 3 planes of motion to combat this problem. Many times individuals experiencing lower back pain have a weak core (specifically anterior core) and dysfunction of their glutes. However, I want to focus on another variable that affects lower back pain – lack of range of motion at specific areas of the body. The lower back (lumbar spine) is not designed to have excessive range of motion during activities. If an individual lacks range of motion in their hips and thoracic spine, then excessive stress could be placed on the lumbar spine. We need range of motion (in all 3 planes) to come from the hips and thoracic spine to help prevent lower back pain and dysfunction.

Strategies to protect the lower back

Make sure you are incorporating movements that require the hip to function in the sagital plane (hip extension – squats/deadlifts), frontal plane (adduction/abduction – lateral lunges/kettlebell windmill), and transverse plane (internal/external rotation – chops/transverse rotational lunges).

Develop thoracic spine extension (sagital plane) – try using a foam roller on the upper back to work on proper range of motion. Check out this clip for an example. To target the frontal and transverse plane I use dumbbell shoulder presses at different angles (lateral and rotational).

Integration is always better than isolation, so practice these exercises to develop all 3 planes of motion in the hip and thoracic spine at the same time. Click here.

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

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

Recommended Exercise – Weekly

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

Are you getting enough exercise in weekly?  You might want to check out this according the Center for Disease Control.  Everyone should be getting a minimum of two days a week of strength training.  If you do you strength training in a circuit set up you will also be getting a great cardio workout.  When it comes to cardio – I recommended 4 days a week of interval training for 15-20 minutes per session (it can also come in the form of a circuit with strength training exercises incorporated).  This corresponds directly with the CDC’s recommendations for healthy living.

Check out the website and then reevaluate your current workout routine.

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

Posted in Conditioning, Strength Training | No Comments »

Achieving Your Fitness Goals

Friday, May 29th, 2009

There are really only 3 variables you need to control to achieve any fitness or sports performance goal.

  1. Diet
  2. Exercise
  3. Mindset

I have trained a variety of different clientele and the only individuals that are successful at accomplishing their fitness goals are the individuals who master all 3 components. Look to improve all 3 variables and you will be successful.

Train Hard-Train Smart

www.asap-pt.com

Posted in Mindset, Nutrition, Strength Training | No Comments »

Quick Training Tip

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

For your next workout try only doing exercises where you are in an upright standing position.  It can be a squat position, lunge, or single leg stance.  I don’t care if you are doing a back and bi’s days.  Do pull ups, split stance 1 arm carble row and TRX rows.  If you are doing a chest/shoulder/tri day – incporporate standing shoulder presses (try single leg stance or a lunge position), standing cable chest press, and TRX push ups.  If you are doing legs eliminate the leg press, leg extentions, leg curls, and calf raises.

Be aware of how much more stability and control is needed during your upright workout.

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

Posted in Exercise Demonstrations, Program Design, Strength Training | 1 Comment »

Exercise Demonstrations

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

I put together a few short clips of some exercises I do on a regular basis.  Check out – let me know what you think.

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

Posted in Exercise Demonstrations, Strength Training | No Comments »

Mimicking Sports Movements in The Weight Room

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

You don’t see this often but once in a while I come across an athlete who tries to replicate their sport movement in the weight room using strength training equipment.  There a couple classic examples – replicating a baseball swing, golf swing, or tennis stroke with cables or free weights.  Once you add weight to your hands and perform the movement everything changes.  The kinematics and kinetics of swinging a baseball bat and replicating your swing with a cable machine are vastly different.

I always tell athletes (and design athletic programs) with rotational movements include in their routine.  However, I never ask an athlete to replicate a swing in the weight room.  It is very important to develop core strength – especially rotational strength but be smart about choosing your exercises.

Check out the following post about rotational training for sport – Here are some examples on video.

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

Posted in Exercise Demonstrations, Fitness Equipment, Program Design, Strength Training | 1 Comment »

Abmat Sit Ups

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

The gym I work at has just has been remodeled and many of the members are so stuck in there ways that they seem to complain about all the new changes.  One women was mad because we didn’t bring the Abmats into the new facility.  She said she does ab work on those every time she works out and I guess she felt her workout would be deprived without an Abmat exercise.

abmat

Here’s what went through my head while she was complaining:

  • If you’re doing supine (laying on your back) flexion (sit up) exercises, you’re setting yourself up for lower back pain.  Your spine is not designed to do high repetitions of sit ups.
  • She should incorporate bridging movements as well as standing rotational movements if she wants to target her core.
  • Train movements not individual muscles.
  • Take a look in the mirror and realize that your ab routine you’ve been doing for years isn’t working – change it up!
  • Obviously she does not read my blog – as I have discussed this topic numerous times.

Check out these previous posts on core workouts – Check this one out, or this one, or even this one, and here’s another.

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

Posted in Fitness Equipment, Program Design, Strength Training | No Comments »

Training with Rubber Band Resistance

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Strength coaches and trainers are always looking to get an edge with their athletes. Some coaches are trying to get creative in the weight room to enhance their athlete’s performance. One method that has been popular in weight rooms is to lift with bands attached to the weights (usually attached to the barbell). The idea behind this training method is that as an athlete goes through a lift (say the squat); the athlete is able to produce greater force and torque at the end range of the motion. This is only true for certain lifts such as squatting, deadlifting, and bench pressing to name a few. At the end range of motion, the weight becomes easier to lift. The band tries to counter-act that by providing greater resistance as the bands stretch further and further. Coaches are trying to account for the natural strength curve by adding resistance at the end of the lift.

Rubber resistance is also used for jumping exercises, such as the Vertimax. The device straps athletes to a platform with bungees connected to various parts of their body. The idea behind this is the same – as the athlete reaches full extension in their jump the resistance begins to increase. In addition, with the Vertimax it enhances the eccentric (downward) movement because the tubing is pulling the athlete down to the ground. This is thought to enhance the stretch load and thus create a more powerful vertical jump.

vertimax

Overall there is a lack of research and scientific evidence on this particular training method (training with any type of rubber band resistance). But it does appear to be beneficial when the band does not account for too large of the overall workload (around 20-30%).  Remember – This method of training is simply one tool within the tool box.  Within my personal tool box I store this tool, however it is used very sparingly.  

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

Posted in Exercise Demonstrations, Fitness Equipment, Program Design, Research, Speed/Agility, Strength Training | No Comments »

Images of a Few Training Sessions

Friday, April 24th, 2009

Uploaded a set of action shots for you to check out.  Valencia Girls Volleyball, Hart Girls Volleyball, and Hart Boys Volleyball.

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

Posted in ASAP Teams, Exercise Demonstrations, Speed/Agility, Strength Training | No Comments »

No Bicep Curls in This Workout

Friday, March 27th, 2009

If you talk to me about your training routine at the gym, more than likely I’m blogging it. So here’s another one. A person at the gym was asking me how often I lift arms (incorporate arm specific exercises into my routine – bicep curl and tricep press). I told him that less than 2-3% of my lifting routine comprises of arm isolation exercises. He thought I was crazy – Probably because he references all those body building magazines which tell you to do biceps and triceps a couple times a week. I told him that I do so much functional training that every part of my body is pushed to the limit by the end of the week. Every time I do a pulling movement (pull up variations or rowing variations) I work my biceps. Also, every time I do pressing movements (overhead pressing like shoulder press variations or horizontal pressing such as chest press variations) I exhaust my triceps. Rarely at the end of a workout I will add in a bicep or tricep isolation exercise. I believe in training movements and not specific muscles, so arm isolation exercises do not fit into my routine very often.

Coincidently the next day after speaking with this individual, I noticed my biceps were really sore. This is what I did the day before to make them sore:

· 1 Arm TRX Rows & Barbell Hang Snatch (Superset)

· Chin Ups & Jump Rope Variations (Superset)

· TRX Y’s (high and low) & Plate Chops (Superset)

Many traditional lifters may label this as a “Back” day. However, I call it a pulling day and always include functional movements on my pulling days. Notice how there was not one bicep curl in my program on that day, yet my biceps were fried the next day. In fact, my workout was a great metabolic workout (conditioning workout) at the same time. Now see how high your heart rate will get doing a bicep workout – nothing compared to functional movements.

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

Posted in Program Design, Strength Training | No Comments »

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