This is a quickie..I know I have to follow up with the Unstable Training thing...it will happen soon enough. But, I had to comment on a conversation that I had with a coach recently. He is a cycling coach...kind of an old school maverick. He advocates a machine based training approach for the legs....loves the leg press (disagree) 'cuz you can "push alot of weight". He wants his triathlete to get stronger (agree) because they really need to "ride the #@$%! out of the bike".
OK...gotcha coach. We both agree that the athlete needs to get stronger through resistance training. Why the leg press? Given the clients history of low back pain and the unilateral use of the legs with cycling, the leg press is what you don't want to use.
I can't in good conscience find any reason to use it for the following reasons: 1) Per Dr Stuart McGill it produces way too much spinal compression forces on the lumbar spine. 2) The leg press robs the key stabilizers of the hips, spine, knee and ankle of work. Getting these stabilizers to work functionally would be beneficial to this athlete during the run, bike and daily life activities. 3) The leg press is not a big bang for your buck exercise which is so important when strength training time is precious and brief...typical of a triathlete. I could go on and on but I said I would make it brief and it's getting longer:)
Solution? Master the use of your body weight in multiple planes of movement...via variations of lunges and squats. Once that occurs then add resistance...free weights, weight vest, bands, etc. I'll video some variations that most trainees have seen but you never know.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Value of Unstable Training?
It's very common place to see unstable training devices in the gym these days. BOSU's, Stability balls, dyna discs etc are examples of devices that are used with this method of training.
The rationale for using such devices is to provide an unstable surface for the upper and lower extremities so that there is an increase in stabilizing muscle activation and proprioceptive demand on the patient or client. Note...I wrote patient first. Unstable training originated in the physical therapy clinic as a way to rehabilitate an injured limb to meet the demands of everyday life. It soon found its way into the fitness arena where it is now the norm to see healthy people using these devices.
The question remains...does research back the assumption that more stabilizing muscles are activated during unstable surface training?
In an article that was published in the May 2007 edition of Manual Therapy, graduate students of Canadian Memorial Chiropractic looked at EMG activity of the scapulothoracic (shoulder blade) muscles when perfoming a pushup on a Swiss Ball with their feet on a bench. A pushup with a plus was also evaluated with hands on different support surfaces.
The results demonstrated that there was no statistically significant difference between placing the hands on an unstable vs stable surface. What was found to have a greater affect in activating the scapulothoracic muscles was foot position. Elevating the feet above the hands had a greater influence on the shoulder stabilizers vs the Swiss Ball.
What to draw from this? Often times we rely upon anecdotal information as a rationale for making exercise choices. This article is an example of what we have always thought to be true may not necessarily be the case. In my next post I will look at the differences between balance and stability training...does the research back up the prevailing philosophy found in the fitness setting?
The rationale for using such devices is to provide an unstable surface for the upper and lower extremities so that there is an increase in stabilizing muscle activation and proprioceptive demand on the patient or client. Note...I wrote patient first. Unstable training originated in the physical therapy clinic as a way to rehabilitate an injured limb to meet the demands of everyday life. It soon found its way into the fitness arena where it is now the norm to see healthy people using these devices.
The question remains...does research back the assumption that more stabilizing muscles are activated during unstable surface training?
In an article that was published in the May 2007 edition of Manual Therapy, graduate students of Canadian Memorial Chiropractic looked at EMG activity of the scapulothoracic (shoulder blade) muscles when perfoming a pushup on a Swiss Ball with their feet on a bench. A pushup with a plus was also evaluated with hands on different support surfaces.
The results demonstrated that there was no statistically significant difference between placing the hands on an unstable vs stable surface. What was found to have a greater affect in activating the scapulothoracic muscles was foot position. Elevating the feet above the hands had a greater influence on the shoulder stabilizers vs the Swiss Ball.
What to draw from this? Often times we rely upon anecdotal information as a rationale for making exercise choices. This article is an example of what we have always thought to be true may not necessarily be the case. In my next post I will look at the differences between balance and stability training...does the research back up the prevailing philosophy found in the fitness setting?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Athleticism
Pretty impressive, eh? Ken is a personal training client of mine at the Ultimate Gym in Charlotte, NC. He is down about 55 lbs since beginning in early August. He busts his tail every workout session. What is most impressive in my opinion is his athleticism. Athleticsm is hard to define but you know it when you see it...and Ken has got it!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Glutes and Knee Pain
Greetings. I just got off the phone with a happy client this AM. (always a good thing:) He ran a 10k race this past weekend with his girlfriend and didn't have any right knee pain. This was pretty significant since his right patellofemoral knee pain was keeping him from doing the things that he loves (competitive cycling and running) for the past year or so.
I have seen him about 4x with a focus on getting his glutes to fire. Nothing fancy...some soft tissue work to the ilitibial band, manual stretching to the same area and activation work for the glutes in non weight bearing and weight bearing positions. Next up on the menu will be single leg stability and strengthening exercises.
The glutes play such a large role in the stability of the knee and yet endurance athletes have a hard time using them functionally. The muscles of the hip assist in stearing the knee relative to the position of the foot. Imagine the energy leak that occurs in this area if it is weak to begin with and your training volume increases? You are setting yourself up for injury or a loss of performance.
In the past I would have done quad sets up the whazoo to make sure the patients VMO was firing so that the patella would track properly. I may have even used ultrasound on the painful area of the knee...aka boo boo therapy. Boo boo therapy is when you use various modalities over the painful area to make it feel better. Remember when you were a little kid and you fell, scraping your knee or elbow. You ran to your Mommie so that she would kiss the wounded area and make it feel all better. Boo boo therapy is akin to "painting over the wet spot on the ceiling instead of fixing the hole in the roof".
It has taken me a while to stop treating the symptoms and to focus on finding the dysfunction that is driving the pain. There is a saying from noted physical therapist Gary Gray.."the knee is stuck in the middle of the hip and ankle with nowhere to go". Pretty profound eh?
I have seen him about 4x with a focus on getting his glutes to fire. Nothing fancy...some soft tissue work to the ilitibial band, manual stretching to the same area and activation work for the glutes in non weight bearing and weight bearing positions. Next up on the menu will be single leg stability and strengthening exercises.
The glutes play such a large role in the stability of the knee and yet endurance athletes have a hard time using them functionally. The muscles of the hip assist in stearing the knee relative to the position of the foot. Imagine the energy leak that occurs in this area if it is weak to begin with and your training volume increases? You are setting yourself up for injury or a loss of performance.
In the past I would have done quad sets up the whazoo to make sure the patients VMO was firing so that the patella would track properly. I may have even used ultrasound on the painful area of the knee...aka boo boo therapy. Boo boo therapy is when you use various modalities over the painful area to make it feel better. Remember when you were a little kid and you fell, scraping your knee or elbow. You ran to your Mommie so that she would kiss the wounded area and make it feel all better. Boo boo therapy is akin to "painting over the wet spot on the ceiling instead of fixing the hole in the roof".
It has taken me a while to stop treating the symptoms and to focus on finding the dysfunction that is driving the pain. There is a saying from noted physical therapist Gary Gray.."the knee is stuck in the middle of the hip and ankle with nowhere to go". Pretty profound eh?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tabatas and Time Management
What is a Tabata and why are they becoming more popular amongst the performance enhancement community? A Tabata is a form of short, highly intense exercise that has been found to be very helpful for the conditioning of combat athletes. The workout is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest. This cycle continues without pause 8 times for a total of four minutes.
The name of the exercise was derived from its founder, Dr Izumi Tabata, a Japanese researcher from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports. It was found that this training method produced both anaerobic and aerobic benefits in only four minutes of time.
You can adapt most exercises to this training protocal. For example, a trainee could perform this workout using pushups, squats, medicine ball throws, and chin-ups to name a few. Or you could you could lengthen the workout by adding separate intervals of a different exercise.
For those fitness participants who are interested in fat loss, you may find Tabatas to be a time efficient metabolism booster and a fresh change of pace from the typical 30-60 minutes of mindless cardio. The intensity of the Tabata is what delivers more bang for your buck from a fat burning perspective. Your fat burning metabolism is revved up post exercise due to EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption) so that your body is burning calories around the clock versus traditional cardio.
So, if you find that you need a break from conventional aerobic exercise due to time constraints or you just want to mix up your training, then give Tabatas a try!
The name of the exercise was derived from its founder, Dr Izumi Tabata, a Japanese researcher from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports. It was found that this training method produced both anaerobic and aerobic benefits in only four minutes of time.
You can adapt most exercises to this training protocal. For example, a trainee could perform this workout using pushups, squats, medicine ball throws, and chin-ups to name a few. Or you could you could lengthen the workout by adding separate intervals of a different exercise.
For those fitness participants who are interested in fat loss, you may find Tabatas to be a time efficient metabolism booster and a fresh change of pace from the typical 30-60 minutes of mindless cardio. The intensity of the Tabata is what delivers more bang for your buck from a fat burning perspective. Your fat burning metabolism is revved up post exercise due to EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption) so that your body is burning calories around the clock versus traditional cardio.
So, if you find that you need a break from conventional aerobic exercise due to time constraints or you just want to mix up your training, then give Tabatas a try!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Ryan Lee's Fitness Bootcamp 3
Hey everyone,
Just got back yesterday from Ryan Lee's Fitness Boot Camp 3 in Stamford, CT. What an experience!! A great host of speakers and an international crowd to boot. The major themes from the conference were as follows...1) Take action! 2) Develop your dream workday. 3) Look outside the fitness industry to learn. 4) Focus on your intrinsic values versus your extrinsic needs. 5) "You don't get paid until you get done!"
The last point came from a very successful British trainer by the name of Dax Moy. Basically he meant that you could be busy doing things but it doesn't matter until you get the job(s) done. This holds very true for me when I lose focus on projects and I leave alot of loose ends.
I promise to finish what I start...that is what mindmeister is for!
Just got back yesterday from Ryan Lee's Fitness Boot Camp 3 in Stamford, CT. What an experience!! A great host of speakers and an international crowd to boot. The major themes from the conference were as follows...1) Take action! 2) Develop your dream workday. 3) Look outside the fitness industry to learn. 4) Focus on your intrinsic values versus your extrinsic needs. 5) "You don't get paid until you get done!"
The last point came from a very successful British trainer by the name of Dax Moy. Basically he meant that you could be busy doing things but it doesn't matter until you get the job(s) done. This holds very true for me when I lose focus on projects and I leave alot of loose ends.
I promise to finish what I start...that is what mindmeister is for!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Welcome to My Blog
Greetings everyone. I'm excited to bring you the latest information in regards to rehabilitation, corrective exercise and fitness training. Learning is a passion of mine and I want to share my experiences as a physical therapist and trainer with the readers of this blog.
I most certainly don't know it all, so that is why I will gladly pay out of pocket to see some of the best educators in the country in the fields of rehabilitation and performance enhancement. I have had the opportunity to see presenters such as Gray Cook, JC Santana, Mike Boyle, Mark Verstegen, Alwyn Cosgrove, and Shirley Sahrmann to name a few. I also had the opportunity to train with Martin Langaas at the Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy in Burlington, MA. Martin is from Norway and is an amazing physical therapist who truly doesn't get the recognition that he deserves.
My focus on physical therapy and training changed in 2002 when I went to my first Perform Better seminar. I saw coaches such as Vern Gambetta and the aforementioned Mike Boyle and JC Santana. I realized that I didn't know a whole lot about functional exercise and that one seminar made a major impact on my training philosphy.
Hopefully, this blog will give me the opportunity to discuss the current state of what's going on in the fields of rehabilitation, fitness and performance enhancement.
I most certainly don't know it all, so that is why I will gladly pay out of pocket to see some of the best educators in the country in the fields of rehabilitation and performance enhancement. I have had the opportunity to see presenters such as Gray Cook, JC Santana, Mike Boyle, Mark Verstegen, Alwyn Cosgrove, and Shirley Sahrmann to name a few. I also had the opportunity to train with Martin Langaas at the Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy in Burlington, MA. Martin is from Norway and is an amazing physical therapist who truly doesn't get the recognition that he deserves.
My focus on physical therapy and training changed in 2002 when I went to my first Perform Better seminar. I saw coaches such as Vern Gambetta and the aforementioned Mike Boyle and JC Santana. I realized that I didn't know a whole lot about functional exercise and that one seminar made a major impact on my training philosphy.
Hopefully, this blog will give me the opportunity to discuss the current state of what's going on in the fields of rehabilitation, fitness and performance enhancement.
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