Archive for August, 2008
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Tuesday, August 19th, 2008Improve Lateral Strength With Standing Hip Abductor Exercise
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008Athletes should take the necessary steps to improve lateral strength. Working out on exercise machines will primarily work your muscles in the sagittal plane of motion. That’s okay except that many athletic movements occur in the frontal and transverse planes of motion. So, your program needs to include exercises in all planes of motion.
The Standing Hip Abductor Exercise will improve your lateral strength (frontal plane) which will help develop your lateral power and speed. It is better to do this exercise on your feet since most athletic movements are done on your feet. Besides, the sit-down hip abductor machine doesn’t work the hip muscles near enough.
1) As you perform the movement, keep your leg straight and torso upright. Don’t drop your head.
2) Use enough weight so that the hip muscles are adequately trained.
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Improve Speed With Stride Length and Stride Frequency
Monday, August 18th, 2008Like you, I watched the Olympic games this weekend. I always try to watch the best athletes in the world to learn from them. So, I watched the 100 meter dash to learn from the fastest people in the world.
Correct running mechanics are critical in any race, especially at the Olympic level of competition. I learned these things from the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt (of lightning!):
1) When I watched the prelim races, I told a friend that Bolt would win the final race because he ran RELAXED. The best athletes play their sports with ease and efficiency. Many of the other sprinters were ran tense and seemed to be “fighting it.”
2) Bolt had great body lean while he was reaching maximum speed. Since he’s 6′5″ tall, that is important for him.
3) His stride length is unbelievable! He covers more ground with one stride than most sprinters. Consequently, his stride frequency doesn’t have to be as high as other sprinters. He was so dominant that he celebrated about 20 meters before reaching the finish line.
Read about other running mechanics in this post.
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Client Sports Fitness Question Of The Week, 7
Friday, August 15th, 2008Read this sports fitness question and answer carefully!
Client Q: I have been hearing alot about plyometrics. Should my son start training with plyometrics to improve his sports performance?
Mark’s A: Probably not right away! Most young athletes are not ready for this high-risk, high-reward type of training. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports. Plyometric exercises help the athlete to increase power. Traditional barbell and dumbbell strength exercises do not allow the athlete to move at the speeds necessary to improve power. Strength training gives the athlete the muscular and nervous system development needed to develop optimal power.
So how does plyometrics work? Primarily through the use of two components: 1) elasticity of the muscles and 2) the stretch shortening cycle. Muscles can produce three types of contractions: eccentric (muscle lengthens and reduces force), isometric (length of muscle doesn’t change and stabilizes force) and concentric (muscle shortens and produces force). The stretch shortening cycle produces more powerful concentric contractions.
Plyometric exercises always follow the same order: a landing phase, an amortization phase and the take off. The landing phase starts when the muscles start an eccentric contraction. The rapid eccentric contraction stretches the elastic component of the muscle and activates the stretch reflex. A high level of eccentric strength is needed during the landing phase. Inadequate strength will result in a slow rate of stretch and less activation of the stretch reflex. The amortization phase, the time on the ground, is the most important part of a plyometric exercise. It represents the time between the landing and the take off and is critical for power development. If the amortization phase is too long, the stretch reflex is lost and there is no plyometric effect. The take off is the concentric contraction that follows the landing. During this phase the stored elastic energy is used to increase jump height and explosive power.
Plyometrics represent high intensity training, placing great stress on the bones, joints, and connective tissue. While plyometrics can improve an athlete’s speed, power, and performance, they also place her or him at greater risk of injury than less intense training exercises. It is important to perform the exercises correctly before implementation of full-speed exercises. Jumping and landing techniques should be mastered by the athlete. Exercises should also be performed on safe surfaces such as rubber mats, sprung floors, grass or sand. Concrete or other similar hard surfaces expose the athlete to injury. And finally, the athlete should have good core and lower body strength to enhance the plyometric effect and reduce chances of injury.
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Client
Friday, August 15th, 2008Some Days It Is Harder To Get To The Starting Line Than The Finish Line
Thursday, August 14th, 2008Maintaining Strength and Power During The Season
Thursday, August 14th, 2008One of my clients said to me the other day that as his college sport’s season wore on, his performance began to decline. This was due to inadequate training during the season.
A big part of periodization training is designed to allow the athlete to peak (and maintain high performance) at the right time–during the season. Read my post about athletic periodization training.
Phase 3 - Training During The Season
During this phase of periodization training, increases in strength and speed may still be needed (as in track and field). In other sports, such as baseball or football, strength and power needs to be maintained during the season. This means that if you stop strength and power training during the season, your performance will begin to decline as the season wears on.
It is also critical that the athlete get adequate rest and proper nutrition during the season. Some sports, such as baseball and basketball, require you to play as many as 5-6 games per week. And, a sport such as football takes a physical toll on the body. The right balance of training, nutrition and rest is necessary to allow the athlete to maintain peak performance.
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Eat, Sleep, Swim - A Day with Michael Phelps
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008If you have been following the Olympics then you have probably been watching Michael Phelp’s incredible performances in all of his events. Last night was no different as he won another gold medal but what was also interesting was a short clip they showed during the broadcast that shared a little bit of what [...]
You Should Be Doing This Exercise: Single Leg Squat
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008There are many variations of the squat exercise. There is no doubt that the squat should be a part of your regular exercise program. But, you don’t have to “max out” on the squat exercise for it to be effective.
The single leg squat is one of the best exercises out there (and tougher to do than you think). It builds strength (including core strength) and stabilizes the legs and hips. It will also improve your balance. It is important to perform the exercise correctly. Single leg squats will also help improve your speed because it works the same muscles involved in running (quads, hamstrings, glutes, abductors/adductors). Single leg exercises forces each leg to develop at the same rate (one leg can’t compensate for the other).
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Young Athletes Should Beware of Group Training Programs
Monday, August 11th, 2008There has been an increase of offerings of group training and bootcamps by personal trainers. I don’t tell anyone how to run their businesses. A prospective client asked me last week if I did group training sessions for young athletes. My response was “no I don’t.”
Here’s the reason why I don’t do group training sessions of any kind: there is no way that I can give the individualized attention that’s needed to properly train a client. Try monitoring the exercise activities of 20-30 people at once. It can’t be effectively done by one person.
Young athletes need careful monitoring to make sure they are doing the exercises correctly. That’s why I only do 1-on-1 training for all clients. Core strength exercises should be emphasized first and not the highly glamourized plyometric training. Plyometrics should be introduced when the athlete has advanced to a level that allows she or he to handle this high level of training. I have seen more than one athlete with injuries because of inadequate core strength.
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