Another quick sessions this morning between clients and my interns.
Turned out to be shorter than I would have like as I spent more time on soft tissue (much needed today).
Throughout this journey of the last month and tracking my workouts it has reinforced a truth to me that I encourage my clients and students toward: consistency is key. Time and time again I realize that consistency trumps intensity or volume in my training. While both intensity and volume are important, it’s much more important for me to maintain consistency in order to sustain a training effect (in all facets: smr, mobility/flexibility, stability, power, strength). In short, getting in something is always better than nothing.
Physically exhausted still. Joints a bit achy. Another low volume day.
Noticing numbers are staying reasonably solid and not dropping off much as long as I can get some good soft tissue and warm up sets in.
Feeling pretty good on BB Bent Leg Hip Extensions. I think some of my early struggles with this lift is BB positioning and the first movement off the floor (feeling that I'm pressing through the correct arch). As long as I pay attention to those two things, the lift feels good and I find not lumbar shearing or stress.
Have you ever wondered how Chris "Eck" Ecklund gets his training sessions in despite his busy schedule? Below are his last eight sessions, complete with the rationale for each lift. Enjoy!
Today was another extremely busy day that I didn’t think I was going to be able to fit training into. Luckily an hour opened up.
Although it’s already Tuesday, I’m feeling physically exhausted. Definitely unloading and trying to peak this week if I feel well enough each day. Since I didn't feel great today, I kept my loads about 10-20% lighter and tried to minimize my tempo.
Threw in a couple different variations today simply because I trained at Prevail and this is a training day I've been doing at UCSB over the last 2 months.
Low Volume this week: similar plan as last week. Keeping my volume as low as I can (as long as I can get warmed up enough) and trying to hit the same or higher intensity in most lifts this week.
Why? I'm exhausted (which typically comes at this point in my mesocycle) and I want to peak within reason before I unload and change my program next week.
Trained at UCSB today. I must admit that is was humorous to watch people watch me do the BB Bent Leg Hip Extensions. Though I have tried to encourage my classes to begin working on this lift...next to NO ONE at UCSB performs it. Quite funny to watch their faces as it's a pretty conspicuous exercise. But...great glute/adductor exercise.
Had more time today, got more work done.
ESD and Core work still pathetic. Not getting either done on a regular basis. Painfully obvious that I need to do a better job with my consistency in these areas.
Early morning session as my schedule was supposed to brutal again today (turned out I had some cancelations so had more time than anticipated).
I hate working out in the morning. Takes me forever to get going...but...at least I get to do it, right?!
As such, I didn't get much done since I got to Prevail later than I wanted and it took me a while to warm up.
Energy System Development is below:
I jumped in with my Adult SPARQ group today since I'm having difficulty getting in any conditioning.
Great session. It always makes me work harder and pay attention to my movement patterns when I train with my clients. (thanks for letting me train with you Wolfy and Liam)
Nearly 25,000 people in the U.S. suffer an ankle sprain everyday and up to 70% of these individuals will go on to have recurrent sprains and other chronic symptoms. Recurrent ankle sprains can lead to joint laxity, weakness, diminished balance and impaired performance overall. A recent study published in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy identified four exercises that were proven to improve balance and performance and decrease one's risk for future ankle sprains. The exercises involve securing elastic band to one ankle and balancing on the injured leg while performing the four movements pictured below.
So, try these exercises to keep your ankles healthy and improve performance.
Reference: Han K, Ricard M, Fellingham G. Effect of a 4-Week Exercise Program on Balance Using Elastic Tubing as a Perturbation Force for Individuals with a History of Ankle Sprains. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009;39:246-255.
This week on Functional Fitness I interviewed Peter Aguilar, MA, CSCS. Peter is a lecturer/faculty member at UCSB and a seasoned strength and conditioning professional. Take a look at what his thoughts were on common mistakes and how to correct for them.
While standing, hold your arms out to your side, shift all of your body weight on to one leg, and lift the other leg off the ground. Can you balance without holding on to anything? Can you move your arms or leg and still stay balanced? How about can you close your eyes and stay balanced?
Unless you do this type of activity on a regular basis, you may feel a little unstable or just plain awkward. In any event, your body’s ability to recognize this feeling and respond to it is called proprioception, also known as balance. Balance is essentially your body’s way of knowing where your body position is relative to your surroundings. In unstable surroundings your brain sends signals throughout the body so that you can make the necessary adjustments to remain stable. Commonly overlooked in most general fitness workouts, balance training is a good way to help reduce chance of injury and pain. Having a good sense of balance is also very important when it comes to exercise progressions.
What are we doing when we train our bodies? Most of us are familiar with the phrase “muscle memory”. Muscle memory is essentially your central and peripheral nervous system communicating and telling your body what’s going on around you. In regards to balance training you are training your central nervous system to send signals throughout your body as quickly as possible so that you feel stable in an unstable situation. Essentially we are focusing our attention on a particular area of training so that when we need to focus on other external forces in our sport or everyday lives we can spend as little time as possible thinking about that particular area. A football player has enough to think about during a game than to have to focus on whether or not he feels balanced enough to run, jump, change directions, or tackle another player. So the idea is to train your body to do something so that you don’t have to think about it later. We're looking for balance to become like second nature.
Here's some simple progressions you can work on at home or in the gym:
1. Standing on one leg
2. Draw the alphabet in the air with your free leg
3. Keep your arms to your side
4. Add a weighted object that you can move from one hand to the other
5. Add an unstable surface to stand on with a bosu ball or air max pad
6. Close your eyes
Once you feel confident in your ability to maintain balance on one leg you could also incorporate balance training in other exercises as a progression in your workout to make them a little bit more difficult/challenging. Take a basic body weighted squat for example. Normally you would stand feet parallel, hip to shoulder width apart, and squat. Now try a single leg squat (split squat or stationary lunge). Feet are now in a split stance with trail leg relatively straight behind you, and feet positioning is still hip to shoulder width apart. Now, keeping majority of your body weight on the front leg continue with your squat. There are even ways to progress further with your squat variations. You can elevate the trail foot, do a walking lunge, do step-ups, or use an unstable surface such as a bosu ball or air max pads.
At Prevail Conditioning Performance Center, we work on balance and proprioception everyday with our clients.
William has been in the Santa Barbara area since 2002. Originally from Indianapolis, IN William received his B.A. in Mathematics from Earlham College in Richmond, IN. He played 4 years of football at the Div III collegiate level as a wide receiver and 2 years of Track and Field running the 400m, 200m, 4x400m relay, 4x100m relay and triple jump.
William began his path with personal fitness in 2007 when he earned his Personal Training Certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is currently striving to work more closely with athletes. He has worked with summer football camps and enjoys working with young athletes to help them direct their athletic development. As well as working with athletes, William also does private training for general fitness, and leads core conditioning group fitness classes.
For further question, contact Will: will@prevailconditioning.com
By Chris Ecklund, MA, CSCS, USAW written for The Independent (Santa Barbara)
Fads drive me insane…
Low Fat Diets
No Carb Diets
CrossFit
The 300 Workout
Juice Diets
The “Lose 12 pounds in 5 Days” Diet
Low rise jeans, baggy jeans, skinny jeans
Tattoos
Bent-billed hats, Flat-billed crooked hats
Mullets, Fohawks
The next infomercial…?
Now that I’ve probably offended all kinds of people out there, let’s move forward. Those that know me could have probably guessed it and are happy I’m admitting to it. I don’t know that there is anything I possess that would qualify as “trendy.” I just can’t do it. It kills me to buy stuff that I know will go out of style or be worthless in a year or less. My shorts aren’t too long, too short, too baggy, too tight… Call me cheap. Call me getting old. Whatever. It’s probably all true. I’ll accept all of the accusations.
I’ve been in the fitness and Strength & Conditioning industry long enough to see that fads and trends just keep making their way into mainstream thought. What’s more frustrating than that is the fact that most are just re-packaged trends from 10-30 years ago.
The latest? Barefoot running. Have you read about it? Or are you already doing it?
Recent pop literature hit the market and has initiated a tidal wave of change within the running community. Chris McDougal’s 2009 book entitled “Born to Run” (http://chrismcdougall.com/) as well as a review of literature and primary research from Dr. Daniel Lieberman (http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu) -- Harvard Professor of Evolutionary Biology—has flipped the running and shoe industry on its head…or foot, as it were. It’s not limited to the running culture, though. You’ll find that Strength and Conditioning professionals on all levels are implementing such practices as agility workout in bare feet (http://www.training-conditioning.com/2010/03/06/baring_their_soles/index.php).
So what’s all the uproar about? After sifting through the mounds of online, hard copy and research literature we can probably boil it down to two primary issues:
1. In ancient times, nobody ran in shoes. Or, if they did, they were extremely simply in construction. Throughout that time, humans were apparently able to do it with little to no injury. See the comparison of heel strike running with and without shoes below (less impact force with correct ball-of-foot ground strike).
2. Several people groups continue to run shoeless (Tarahumara Indian Tribe, Kenyans) and are showing minimal injuries associated with running as well high levels of performance and health.
Interesting, huh? Taking a quick look back at our recent history and you’ll find the modern running shoe was developed around the 1970’s. This is when the big “aerobics” kick spurred by Dr. Kenneth Cooper hit the American scene. Also of interest at that time (and ever since) has been the increase of injuries associated with running. Soles of shoes got thicker and thicker. Eventually we had plantar flexed shoes so we could “heel strike with less impact” and roll into the stride. A few years later we added the heel cups and supinated arch support to add “motion control” because too many people had pronated (flat) arches. Forty years later with exponential growth in technology and information, what do we see when we take another quick look at the shoe industry? Shoe companies designing shoes that marketed as being so minimal that it’s almost like running in bare feet (i.e. FiveFinger Vibram, Nike Free, etc.). Perfect. In 40 years we managed to come completely full circle and end up right back where we started.
Sound like I’m starting to buy in to the “fad” I despise? Bare with me (pun intended).
I watch people run, cut, jump, lift, lower, push, pull and stabilize everyday. The simple truth is this, we don’t move that well. I see it in adults. And, what’s more frightening is that I see it in kids. I have seen elementary aged kids that don’t even know how to skip anymore. Something is wrong there. Hear me on this: making the switch from shoes to shoeless is NOT going to fix this problem. It is not the cure. There’s no magic there. This is where the trendy running sole meets the road, so to speak. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in it for the right people in the right doses.
The research mentioned earlier, although inconclusive as of yet, is offering strong support that there may be value to this barefoot thing:
1. We have done it for much of history so why change now? Were we made for shoes or were shoes made for us (or neither)?
2. Good evidence that landing ground reaction forces differ between shod and barefoot athletes. Leiberman’s study shows increased ground impact in heel strike runners (heel contacts ground prior to ball of foot) and those in running shoes (who as a majority tend to heel strike). (see figures to left showing shod and barefoot heel strike force--greater with barefoot but poor for both groups)
3. Heel striking during running increases both the braking (deceleration) force as well as breaking (literally adding to possible trauma of soft tissue and stress fractures of bones). Neither of these are beneficial.
4. Running in bare feet will most likely rapidly alter running mechanics toward efficiency. Why? Ever try running in bare feet and landing on your heel? It hurts! Generally the transition to a flat foot or ball of foot ground strike is a rapid adaptation that you’ll learn quickly or suffer the consequences.
6. Cutting or changing directions in bare feet requires more muscular demand from the entire foot-ankle complex because there is no shoe to support or provide traction for it. Look back at basketball players in the 70’s and 80’s and notice how little support their shoes had. Anybody notice how ankle and ACL injuries have been on the rise ever since our shoes and playing surfaces got “better?” Makes sense, doesn’t it? Tape an ankle that isn’t injured to add support and what happens…the ankle gets weaker because the tape is doing the work.
So where does that leave us?
“Are you saying do it or don’t do it at this point?!” Neither.
When I recently posed this question to local chiropractor Dr. Neal Barry (who is an avid runner), the response similar. Citing a few current studies he mentioned that the literature is simply inconclusive at this point. There is support on both sides of the fence.
As for me, you’ll rarely hear me say “always yes” or “always no” to fitness or athletic performance questions. The truth (frustrating as it is) is that it depends on you. You can’t box and sell answers. What are your goals? What is your exercise/fitness, health, and training history? Do you have any foot limitations or biomechanical/structural issues? All of these and more must be considered by qualified experts.
I’ll leave you with this: let’s bring back some logic to our thinking. First, can we agree that popular literature (including this article) should not be treated as God or gold?! Because it’s in writing does not mean it’s truth. Second, progression. Going from zero to 60 in anything is unwise. We know it so live by it. If you’re going to go down this road, use slow gradual progress and ease in to it. And finally, if it hurts…stop!
Stay tuned for Part 2 when we’ll address more specific biomechanics of running, cutting and landing as well as why I think 75% of people in Santa Barbara who are “running to get in shape” should stop running.
I was recently asked to write an article on the Best Postural Tips for Driving (a car...not a golf ball). Though I am no postural or ergonomic expert, there are certainly some basic postural rules I see broken all the time that feed the pain cycle. Here is a re-post of that article. Hope it's helpful...
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We sit too much.It’s just that simple.What’s more?...we sit incorrectly most of the time.The result?Pain, tingling, numbness, loss of muscular function.While our bodies were made with an incredible design and ability to handle mechanical loads and stress, if we load them inappropriately our bodies lose the ability to disseminate stress.Unfortunately, even if we maximize posture and minimize stress, if we load our bodies in the same patterns too often, we still get breakdown (anybody have carpal tunnel syndrome from typing, mousing or texting?).
The goal is to create an environment within the vehicle that will allow the body to maintain the most erect/neutral spine (all 4 curves that should be present are: cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral).Here are 5 tips to help create that environment:
1.Invest in a Lumbar Support Pillow:these can often be found at Back Health stores or even Bed, Bath & Beyond or Marshall's.
Why?Many back health issues occur in the lumbar (lower back) spine.Often the site of posterior disc bulges/herniations/ruptures, our seated posture only feeds the pain and problem.Since many of us sit at desks all day (with poor posture), adding a support to the lumbar spine that will help maintain an erect spine and limit posterior disc pressure while driving can be extremely helpful.
2.Elbow angle should be approximately 90-135˚:Set the steering wheel so that elbows are approximately at 90-135˚ angle with hands resting on steering wheel.While not possible with all steering wheels (may not have the anterior-posterior adjustment), you should do your best to use the height and seat back adjustments to create that angle.
Why?If the steering column is too close it can create an elevated (shrugged) shoulder posture that increase upper back and shoulder tension as well as neck tension.It can also require greater than normal movement patterns into internal and external shoulder rotation while making turns.If the steering wheel is too far away in often creates the common "slouched" or "slumped" forward posture most noted by a rounding of the shoulders.Even though the opposite extreme of the elevated shoulder, many of the repercussions are the same (upper back and neck tensions).
3.Hip angle should be set at 90-110˚:Set the seat bottom and back so that your hip angle is between 90-110˚.Due to different car makes and models as well as your individual hamstring flexibility (less flexible people should increase the hip angle), you will have to try various angles to find maximum comfort.
Why?You are looking for a fairly erect posture and spine (not leaning back excessively) without creating undue tension in your hamstrings or hip flexors.Either one can create more lower back pressure or pain.
4.Set your rearview mirror to encourage neutral spine:After you have set the rest of your seat and steering wheel positions you can adjust your rearview mirror.Sit in your seat with a tall neutral spine (be as tall as you comfortably can, but don’t strain or stretch).Once in this position, adjust your rearview mirror so that you can see appropriately out of it.
Why?This is a great reminder while you are driving…if you start to slouch, you can’t see out of your mirror!
5.Don’t sit still!One of the best postural tips I ever learned in a postural seminar is that the best posture is one that always changes.Makes sense if you think about it.Roll your shoulders, pinch your shoulder blades together, nod your head or slight tilt it from side to side, extend/curl/laterally bend your spine, turn your shoulders side to side, rotate your thighs in and out, etc.Find little ways to create subtle movements to give your body a break, restore blood flow and decompress your body’s tissue.
Why?The long you stay in exactly the same position, the longer the same tissues and structures have to manage all the same stress and loads.Spread the wealth…and the pressure.You’ll hurt a lot less.
Great addition to Dynamic Warm Ups or as a part of your torso training regimen for torso musculature, shoulder stabilizers and hip mobility/flexibility.
One of the biggest reasons I see clients lose gains or stagnate in their programs is this type of thinking. While it’s certainly a frustrating situation and nobody enjoys it, turns out that it’s actually a great time to train. Here’s four ways you can optimally use this time:
1. Do the Pre-Hab or Rehab you’ve been putting off Remember all those areas you know you’re supposed to be focusing on because your trainer/therapist/etc. told you you’re weak or need extra work in? Now is the time to do it since you always put it off in lieu of things you can’t do now anyway. Whether it be extra flexibility/mobility work in problematic areas, stability work, corrective imbalances, balance work, or even conditioning work if appropriate.
2. Maximize gains in areas that need more attention Perhaps there is an area of strength or hypertrophy that is simply more difficult for you to make progress in. This is an optimal time to dedicate more time to it. A word of warning, though…don’t get overzealous and overtrain.
3. Cross Training (but not the kind you're thinking of) Detraining is process of losing physiological improvements that have been made (be it atrophy, decreased strength or VO2, etc.). It occurs when the body is no longer has enough overload (or stimulus) to continue improving. One of the ways to avoid having to start from ground zero after you have recovered from the injury is to simply minimize losses that take place during your healing period. Cross Training (the type I’m talking about) is a method of training one side of the body for short periods of time in order to maintain gains that have been made on the injured side. This is is a great way to maintain. Research studies show, for example, if you have sustained an ankle injury on your right leg and can not put enough load on that leg to squat heavy or perform power-related movements, you can work the left leg using single leg squats and jumps and gain a neurological benefit even on the untrained right leg.
4. Try new modes/methods of training Again, this is another opportunity you have during this time. You may not often try other training methods, program, exercise variations or protocols, and for good reason. I’m not a fan of the currently popular “Variation for Variation’s sake” thinking. But, when you are restricted in what you can do it may be an optimal time to try things you normally don’t have time for, aren’t in your yearly program planning, etc. Use your time to experiment and find if there are other training methods that may be valuable for you that you have not yet explored.
Injury is a part of life. Everybody gets injured. I’m injured. One of my superstar clients is injured (perhaps that’s what prompted this article). Better to learn some strategies for working through these times and even coming out on the other end in better shape than before instead of having to start over…again.
Here's another great exercise for upper body pulling strength. If you're an athlete or advanced lifter and you can't do these through a full range of motion (handles touch lower pec) it may be an indicator that you either have anterior flexibility or mobility problems (shoulders) or posterior weakness in upper back (especially traps and rhomboids).
A good goal is to work toward 8-10 full range reps starting with your body parallel to the ground.
Here's a basic exercise that basically everyone performs poorly. I see it in the gym literally everyday. Usually it's as simple as:
Male use too much weight and can't stabilize the movment Females can't stabilize the movement and therefore can't use more weight
It's something that everyone should be able to do (regardless of gender, age, sport, etc.) as long as there are no joint or health limitations. If you can't do it, it may mean you've got some limitations to fix (joint mobility, joint flexibility, strength decrements, muscle imbalance, improper muscle firing patterns).
