5 Don't of Agility Training

I coach agility on every day I work. I work with academy football and rugby players. I've also trained national squash players. Basically I know a thing or two about changing shape and direction. Unfortunately many coaches get it wrong. What makes matters worse is that these coaches can't even be bothered to read up on the subject. This is one of my main areas so read these "dont's" closely. 

1. Do not exceed 20 seconds per set. We're aiming to improve speed. If your agility protocols are lasting over 20 seconds it is not speed specific. It'll become an exhausting endurance task. 

2. Do not use agility ladder for agility training. Agility ladder may be used for coordination or fun proprioception work but these peices of kit have no relevance in real world situations where agility is needed (some people may not like me saying that)! 

3. Don't stay upright after making a sharp angle. You'll need to re-accelerate so plunge your boulders down. 

4. Do not work to exhaustion. Again our aim is speed. Skill related components of fitness development drills are based around persistent practice away from physical and mental fatigue. Keep the set range low. 

5. Do not use agility training as an afterthought in your routines. Proper agility training is often neglected as much as working the abs. Many football coaches place agility work in with a 5 minute warmup with very little coaching cues. 

For more information on Skill Related Components of Fitness see:

Improving your Reaction Time:

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/improve-your-reaction-time.html?m=1

Is Speed Only for te Gifted?

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/is-speed-only-for-gifted.html?m=1

Carbohydrate Pro's and Con's

I love food. It’s all I’d ever eat! I particularly like my carbohydrates. Rice, bread, pasta, cereal and just about anything you can make out of potatoes. Carbohydrates have been given a bad name and as such has seen people from across the globe resorting to fast acting bad diet habits. So let’s pro and con starchy goods.

Pros

• Carbohydrates are the main source of energy to the central nervous system. With a low carbohydrate intake our energy levels will surely slump.

• Glycogen is the simplest form of starchy carbohydrates and are stored in skeletal muscle fibres. They are the main energy source for anaerobic respiration.

• They rescue your hard earned gains! Honestly they do. If you train for more than an hour your body will resort to braking down the amino acids in your skeletal muscles to carry on working.

Cons

• Simple carbohydrates or heavily refined carbohydrates will spike your insulin level. This is a bad thing! You will have an energy high which will follow up with a crash.

• They are addictive. It’s mainly because of the sweetness starchy foods bring to the dinner plate. People over indulge all the time. If they ait a higher protein and vegetable content they will not feel so obliged to stuff their faces with pasta.

• Too many carbohydrates can lead to poor utilisation of triglycerides. Triglycerides are the simplified form of fat. Again this is a matter of over indulgence.

Don’t cut carbohydrates out all together. They are an important asset in a healthy functioning body. They are needed to improve your performance in physical performance and during cognitive demanding activities.  

See also:

Herbs for Heath Benefits and Tasty Cooking

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/herbs-for-health-benefits-and-tasty.html

Women Should Lift Weights

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/women-should-lift-weights.html

Get Rowing!

I don't like treadmill. I'd rather run outside. I don't like cross trainers. I struggle to raise my heart rate to an adequate intensity for HIiT training. I don't mind stationary bikes but many brands make the seat to wide. This leads to worse technique and a sore ass! 

As you may have gathered in "The Gym Divide" ( http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/the-gym-divide.html ) I don't believe that cardiovascular equipment has the same relevance that basic barbells and dumbbells have.

However I love the Concept 2 Rower. 

The strict technical application of technique keeps participants focused and the on and off pressure from the fan belt results in the task becoming much less tedious. The machines console provides information on variations in resistance, revolutions per minute and a very rough estimate on calorie burn (I wouldn't take the last one as gospel truth). 

Here are my ideas on the best way to blast yourself in a high intensity manner my a towering machine. 

50/50: the best entry level HIIT session. Take 30 seconds to smash through a rowing sprint and reward yourself with 30 seconds of well deserved rest. Repeat this cycle until you've pounded away at 10 minutes of ground solid work.

Tabata: a classic 20 seconds of flat out effort followed by 10 seconds of blessed rest. This one is popular with my clients as they appreciate being finished in 8 minutes. 

Time Pyramid: this one is an endurance based hammering that is not for the faint hearted. 

Here's a brake down of a time pyramid:

Sprint for 15 seconds, rest for 15 seconds

Sprint for 30 seconds, rest for 15 seconds

Sprint for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds

Reverse the protocol and collapse beside your machine! 

RPM Pyramid: nowhere near as long but by all means just as brutal when it is done correctly. Row on level 10 throughout the torturous routine. 

Sprint for 45 seconds at an RPM of 20. Yes 20 is low but each stroke should be powerful. After all this is am anaerobic drill. Rest for 15 seconds.

Sprint for 45 seconds at an RPM of 30. Rest for 15 seconds.

Sprint for 45 seconds at an RPM of 40. This one is going to burn! Rest for 15 seconds. 

Reverse the protocol and have someone at the ready to drag your collapsed body home! 

Check out:

Is Speed Only for the Gifted

 http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/is-speed-only-for-gifted.html

Consuming Iron

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/consuming-iron.html

The Relevance of Mass in Sport

Muscle mass is a desirable trait within athletic disciplines as well as physique competitors. Muscle mass can act as armour for your shoulder and spine or provide a weight advantage to over power a rival. It's important to know when a hypertrophy programme should be initiated and how to go about such a demanding intervention. 

Well off season periods would be preferable. After all it is not ideal to be wrecking through intense energy system training on a high calorie diet. That is a sure fire way to chuck the contents of your lunch back up in a hurry! The off season is a time to recover and therefore the vicious cardiovascular training would not be present at this stage through the training cycle. 

Some athletes are not privileged with such obvious training cycles. Some sports require an athlete to participate heavily all year round. In combat sports a fighter may fight through various points throughout the year. This means that it is essential to maintain velocity and power whilst putting on some extra pounds. 

I like pyramid sets. They simply involve lowering the repetition range whilst increasing the resistance on each conservative set. You can utilise lower repetitions to accommodate the strength demand. You can also use higher repetitions at a rapid tempo to improve speed. The middle repetition ranges are usually associated with mass. It should be pointed out that particular athletes have achieved hypertrophy with very high repetition ranges. 

Also see:

Is Speed Only for the Gifted

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/is-speed-only-for-gifted.html

Develop your Grip

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/develop-your-grip.html

The Gym Divide

The common leisure facility has been split into two distinct sections. They are of course  cardiovascular machinery and resistance. With this device of equipment comes a device of gym member types. I get aggravated by misconceptions, stereotypes and bro science.

Walk into your local gym between the hours of 5pm and 8pm. This is when the gym is at it's busiest. You will notice members who are in shape and members who are out of shape. By out of shape I mean high body fat or poor muscle tone. You will also notice that the out of shape members are saturated around the cardiovascular machines. I don't care where you are in the world. This is always the case. I've visited various gyms around Wales but have also traveled to gyms on the continents and the USA. 

New gym goers are tempted by cardiovascular machinery as cardiovascular exercise has been associated with weight loss. This assumption stems from the device in the gym. One section is for muscle, the other is for lowering body fat. In actuality your metabolism and heart rate is boosted with lifting some poundage and therefore will be more beneficial. You can be burning calories for several hours after exercise as oppose to 40 minutes in a steady state cardiovascular workout. 

There's also the concerns. People believe that training with weight is guaranteed to bulk up the muscles which isn't always desired. Saying that weight training will build muscle mass is like saying that all Range Rovers and white. It depends on how you tailor your diet. If you're eating 500 more calories than you are burning on a daily basis then yes you could very well be bulging those biceps. However if you're eating less you will find that muscle mass is impossible. 

Listen to people who are in shape and experienced. They'll show you the ropes as they've been there and done it. More importantly make sure that you are being mentored by a qualified fitness professional. This will iron out your chances of being coached by a fool who developed his biceps with steroids, growth hormone or other substances that WADA will slap your wrist for. 

Take athletes physiques into consideration. It's extremely rare that they fill their programme with cardiovascular machine based exercise but they're in better shape than the lot of us. Leaner and more toned. 

Feel free to read my other posts:

What's Up with Bread?

icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/what-up-with-bread.html

Herbs for Health Benefits and Healthy Cooking

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/herbs-for-health-benefits-and-tasty.html

Is Speed Only for the Gifted?

Speed is a genetic trait. Take a look at a chilled chicken at the local super market. The breast is white as it heavily consists of fast twitch muscle fibres. These are non-oxidative fibres which mean that they don't utilise oxygen for their main form of kinetic energy during intense activity. The wings are red which shows that they are predominantly built up of oxidative slow twitch muscle fibres. Slow twitch fibres require a consistent high level of oxygen whilst under stress. The human skeletal muscular structure is built up of many different muscle fibre types. Explosive sports men are gifted with a high percentage of non-oxidative or fast twitch muscle fibres. Sadly these muscle can convert to slow twitch muscle fibres if the training demand requires them to do so e.g. Training for a marathon. This does not happen the other way around. 

Make no mistake. You can improve your speed. If you don't believe you can then you or the athlete you are working with will not make the desired improvements. So how do you go about it? 

Well first of all you need to consider the key physiological ingredients of speed. Although an athlete may contain a high percentage of slow twitch muscle fibres it is essential that resistance training is practiced at a fast speed. 

Plyometrics are important for promoting the stretch shortening cycle. People often forget that neural drive is an important factor in speed and focus too much in the skeletal muscles. Look after the nervous system and the muscles will develop in return. 

Lean mass is also associated with speed so a degree of hypertrophy is also important. Participants with slow twitch muscle fibres will develop more mass with higher repetitions. 

The technical application of a skill is important. If you have poor running mechanics then you are going to be slow. You won't have the mobility to relax your muscles which will create more tension to run agains, other muscles may be weaker as they are under used and your absorption of ground reaction force will slow you down as it won't propel you forward. 

Correct technique is important for injury prevention and speed in any skill. If you're a boxer with a poor technique on your jab, a football player who doesn't know how to move sideways or a tennis player who hasn't been taught how to back hand swing properly, you are going to be slower. Learn good technique. 

Improve your Reaction Time

Reaction time is defined as the time it takes for an athlete to react to a stimulus. In sport this could range from a sprinter reaction to the gun shot which signifies the start of the race or a goal keeper reacting to a strikers shoot.

The first of the examples can be categorised as audio reaction time. This simple means that the athlete must react to sound.

The second example is based on visual reaction time. This requires the athlete to use his/her vision to react to the stimulus. Visual reaction time is used far more than audio reaction time. This is because of its practicality in game scenarios in sports such as NFL, Soccer, Basketball and Rugby.

For example, if a player from the opposite position is approaching you in an NFL match and you have the ball, they are highly lightly tackle you. Their approach is very difficult to hear as the sound of the crowd can flood out footsteps. Therefore audio reaction time becomes far more important.

This post is being constructed because I was recently asked about various pieces of kit used to improve reaction time. There are athletes who are practicing responding to audio cues which is irrelevant.

There are also athletes who are not responding to the visual cues in the correct manner. I’ll explain myself further with two examples.

1. An athlete who practices reaction time by clapping his hands together whenever he sees a light flash.
2. An athlete who practices reaction time by performing a side dodge whenever he sees a light flash.

So the first example does not have any specificity to any sporting action. The second one may be used practically in any game situation or even in various combat sports. Therefore the second drill is better.

With this in mind it is actually worth having a variety of reaction drills lined up to simulate a series of scenarios. Pad work in boxing is a higher level of reaction time training as it requires the participant to react with different punches which are decided based on the angle at which the pad is being held by the coach.

Reaction time is often considered a genetic trait which cannot be improved. There may be some truth in this but an athlete should still practice by training the way they react. Practice reacting with sports specific movements so that your given reaction time can be used more practically and efficiently.

If you found this post useful I hope you enjoy:

Do you Think your Hamstrings are Strong

http://www.icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/do-you-think-youre-hamstrings-are-strong.html

Can Static Stretching be used Efficiently in a Warm Up

http://www.icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/can-static-stretching-be-used.html

Develop Your Grip

People place heavy emphasis on the core muscles. Well they try to...most people don't even know what the core muscles are. They are simply the entire skeletal musculature that supports your posture, pelvic and shoulder alignment. So even though people are attempting to strengthen their core people still don't meet lifting goals. On many occasions I have heard the grip named as the forgotten core.

We know we need to strengthen our grip when the bar begins to slip away during our dead lifts or when we struggle to perform specific tasks such as carrying heavy objects or supporting your body weight whilst rock climbing.

Your first option for strengthening your grip is to apply some form of overload to the task you wish to perform in. For example Fat Gripz provide a foam cylinder to wrap around a barbell. This adds an extra challenge for your grip whilst practicing a dead lift.

It's then worth considering changing the way you grip objects. Holding an object is second nature but to teach your fingers to work as a unit it's well worth practicing holding weighted plate in another way. Try holding a weighted plate between 2 fingers. It's tough! Practice this for 20 second bursts between each gap between your fingers.

Also consider the width. Keep your fingers straight and pick up a narrow object such as a heavy chain or try lifting a wider object such as a brick. Altering the range of your grip will allow you to recruit muscles which are often inactive.

So there's a few thoughts on developing the grip. For better practicality it's worth practicing holding objects for a length of time as oppose to quickly squeezing and instantly letting go afterwards. You may wish to read these other posts from icankeepup.com:

Is Over Training a Myth?

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/is-over-training-myth.html

One Repetition Maximum Testing

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/one-repetition-maximum-testing.html

No Belts, No Straps and No Gloves: Why I Lift Raw

I personally like to lift raw! No belt, no straps and none of those sissy little fingerless gloves.

Your belt should be made up of the muscular structure of the stomach, waist and lower back. You don't need an external thick piece of leather wrapped around you like a constricting snake. How do you expect your mid-section to become stronger if you don't allow it to be fully loaded with weight?
If you have a back injury you may need to consider using a belt. That being said you shouldn't be lifting with your back. You lift with your hips and hold a neutral lumbar spine throughout any lift.

I believe that true strength is not assisted mechanically. I also believe that it involves every body part. The flexors in your hands are apart of your physiology and therefore should be apart of your lifting. Now and then straps are fun to use because it is nice to see how much your legs and back have developed but keep most of your sessions strap free. Develop your grip.

I hate the gloves. They often alter the way you grip so they are not practical. Above all else they look idiotic! Seriously if you wear the gloves you're only short of a gimp suit! I understand that the rough texture on your hands from lifting may be unpleasant so I've wrote a little prevention strategy for you.

1. Pin your ugly lifting gloves!!
2. Grab a nail file and a tub of moisturiser.
3. Spread your fingers wide and face your palm towards you.
4. Rub the nail file over the rough patches until they have smoothed out. Don't go too deep. Just make sure that they feel flat and smooth.
5. Place moisturiser over your rough patches. Use a generous amount.
6. Wear disposable latex gloves for an hour after applying the moisturiser. This will prevent the moisturiser from drying out too quickly.

I personally like the rough patches but if you're new to lifting they could get too rough and cut open. It's always good to have a prevention strategy in place.

Did you enjoy this post? Please feel free to look through our other articles.

Dead Lifts and Back Hyper Extensions

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/dead-lifts-and-back-hyper-extensions.html

The Laws of Leg Day

 http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/laws-of-leg-day.html

What's Up with Bread?

I'd be lying if I didn't say how much I love a sandwich. Since 1762, when the earl of sandwich requested meat between bread so that he could eat whilst gambling, around the world people have enjoyed their different fillings. More to the point they have enjoyed their choice of bread! So what's the harm in white bread? Also, is whole wheat any better? 

Sadly the starchy content of bread causes a spike in a persons insulin level. This is associated with weight gain and increased cravings. What's worse is that whole wheat is broken down to a fine powder which results in faster digestion. White or whole wheat bread digests too quickly. 

Bread also contains gluten. Gluten is a protein. It is present in various doughy products and provides that viscoelastic property. Many people can not tolerate gluten but they are unaware they it is gluten that causes them discomfort. In many cases it damages the wall of the digestion all track which results in poor nutritional intake and poor functioning of the stomach. Gluten may also cause issues with cerebral lobe of the brain. 

The commercial brands which are scattered across our supermarket shelves are the worse. Fructose corn syrup and sugar. These are addictive. Not many people can stop on one piece of toast. 

As far as I can see bread is no good for our physical or psychological well being but the main issue is present for people who are intolerant of gluten. It's worth paying a visit to your doctor if you experience poor digestion or low energy levels when eating any doughy product. For those lucky enough to be tolerant of gluten you should still cut down on your bread. This will be difficult for many people because so many people eat toast for breakfast or take a sandwich to work. If you teach yourself to treat bread as an unhealthy food such as fries, pizzas and deserts, you will improve your health. 

Why Arm Exercises are Functional

The Biceps Brachi is a simple skeletal muscle which originates at the shoulder and inserts at the forearm. It has three roles. It aids in shoulder abduction, flexes the elbow joint and primarily it supinates the Radius around the Ulna.

The Triceps Brachi goes about the opposite role. Therefore this muscle is responsible for extension of the elbow and pronation on the forearm.

Functional is a term that has been thrown around ferociously within the fitness industry. It’s not well understood. The misconception is that an exercise is only functional if it mimics or overloads a movement that is performed on a daily basis. Here’s where it gets silly! Too many people standing on a medicine ball whilst holding a dumbbell and performing core rotations to mimic a hammer throw or a rugby pass. So first of all there is poor exercise selection and adaptation present. The second issue comes from neglect. E.g. do not bench press because we never lie on our back and push a heavy load off our chest in our daily lives.

It’s not the mimicry we are after but the practicality. Maybe we don’t need the exact bench press action in our daily lives but we may very well use that strength to help us pass a ball, lift a box over our head or move furniture.

Here’s where upper arm muscle isolation comes into play. If you deadlift 140kg but you’re developing aggravation in the elbow, arm isolation exercises my help to build a better supporting structure. Arm exercises will also help to improve your grip. This mean we have used the arm isolation exercises in a practical manner to aid in a complex movement and therefore has proven that they are in fact “functional”!

Lets make a rule. Try using the word “practical” as oppose to “functional” and you’ll soon understand what “functional” really means.

These posts may also interest you:

A quick explanation of muscle mass

http://www.icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/a-quick-explanation-of-muscle-mass.html

Can static stretching be used in a warm-up?

http://www.icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/can-static-stretching-be-used.html

You Must Stretch Your Butt!

I often come across people with low glute flexibility. Most of these people are runners but I also see this issue in people who do Tae kwon-do, personal trainers and the average Joe.

I ask why this issue comes about to myself on a regular basis. My conclusion is that people don't appriciate the long lasting effect of better glute flexibility. When you stretch your hamstrings on a daily basis you will see vast improvements in your movement. The runner can stride easy, the martial artist can kick  higher and the old man finds it much easyer to put his socks on! Buy what does better glute flexibility achieve. 

For a start short glutes is the number one cause for people walking like a duck! Short glutes causes a ridiculous external rotation of the thigh bone which leads to knees pointing out to the side.

Let's also consider that the glutes are a crucial part of hip movement and therefore undergo an incredible amount of work. Let them recuperate with an easy stretch so that they can do their job better. 

The glutes are important for correct hinge actions of the hip such as bending over. They are overlapping muscles to the hamstrings and can result in a much more poor sit and reach test result. Not to mention that you won't be able to pick something off the floor without rounding your back! 

Remember the complexity of the hip. Each muscle of the hip structure requires a considerable amount of stretching. 

Does Running Really Help Boxers?

Traditionally a boxer would run every morning that he trains on. The run may last up to 40 minutes. It's still common practice now. Let's weight up the good, the bad and the ugly! 

The Good

Running improves your endurance. This includes cardiac muscle growth, an increase in red blood cell amount, increased capillarization, Vasal dilation and an increase in muscular endurance.

Some athletes need to make weight. Running is a useful answers to maintaining a consistent  weight without cutting too many calories out of your diet. 

The Bad

Is running sport specific? Arguably but although running will help a fighter bust through a 12 round battle it does not involve explosive bursts of energy that is required for a dynamic punch. 

You build endurance orientated muscles by using endurance orientated exercise. Did you know that type 2 fast twitch muscle fibres can convert to slow twitch oxidative muscle fibres!  What makes this more annoying is that this is not the case for the opposite. Slow twitch muscle fibres will not convert to fast twitch muscle fibres. How annoying! 

The Ugly

It's time to look up the health risks. First of all repetitive stress on the ankles, knees or hips can put training to a brisk stop. Running can invite these types of injuries. 

Some research suggests that intense long distance endurance training causes scaring on the right ventricle of the heart. Cardiac scaring can lower life expectancy and increase the risk of heart disease. 

Practical Usage of this Information

Look at the good. Running is beneficial. I've been privileged to tran with various combat athletes from a variety of different disciplines and they all swear by their running.  The problems are seen when people opt for running as their main form of energy system training. Add explosive elements to your training such as HIIT training and rounds. I would recommend that athletes go about one explosive session for every long distance endurance session. 

Is Over Training a Myth?

I want to start this post with a small but relevant rant. My back is aching from all the lifting I've done this week, I can hardly lift my arm to type and my hamstrings feel although they're about to cramp bloody murder! Like many people who are involved in a lot of sporting activity I often hear people warm me about wearing myself out or "over training." Is there any relevance to this term? I am going to look into the daily habits of 3 elite athletes. Swimmer Michael Phelps, Football (soccer) player Michael Essien and Strong man Mariusz Pidzianowski.

Michael Phelps

According to michaelphelps.net this elite swimmer consumes a whooping 14,000 calories each day. As amazing as that sounds I'm sure you participate that consuming these calories is an absolute effort. It's also very difficult to complete this task on a clean meal plan but eating clean doesn't really concern the Olympic sensation. Here is an overview of his diet:

Breakfast

3 fried eggs, a tump of cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, fried onion and mayonnaise. (I'm not done yet!)

5 egg omelet, 2 pieces of French toast which has been powdered with sugar and 3 chocolate chip pancakes.

Ow yeah and a blow of grits! 

Lunch

A pound of pasta with tomato sauce, 2 large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise which has been made with white bread and an energy drink. 

Dinner

A pound of pasta and tomato sauce, a full pizza and another energy drink. 

This goes hand in hand with a grilling training regiment of 6, 5 hour long training periods within a space of a week.

Michael Essien

Here we have one of Chelsea's star players. A man who sleeps for 14 hours every 24 hours. That is 6 hours more than what is recommended. dailymail.co.uk have published a mention to Essien's sleep and it's effects on his focus. The article also went about noting the physical benefits of higher levels of sleep. 

Mariusz Pidzianowski

Let's talk about athletes diet again. After all it was fun learning about the extreme eating pattern of Phelps but how does a multiple Worlds Strongest Man Champion match up? Here is Pidzianowski's meal plan according to theironsamurai.com:

Breakfast

10 eggs and 2-3 pounds of bacon

Lunch

A double serving of Polish pork chop, sauerkraut and potatoes.

Dinner

Any meat he can grasp with more sauerkraut and potatoes. 

He also takes a series of performance supplements such as Creatine, magnesium and amino acids. He often has a protein shake after his evening session to. 

Now it doesn't sound that bad. I forgot to point out that he eats chocolate and candy in a stupidly high quantity! He says he needs to eat in this manner for energy.

Now as interested as I am in the man mountains eating plan I take more interest in the way he trains. He takes part in a split routine every morning. This is a popular form of weight training where you work a specific muscle group each session. This ensures that you don't train the same muscles back to back for adequate recovery. He then spends his evenings practicing his strong man events. He does this 6 days per week. 

Now he does resistance training twice a day 6 days per week. This completely goes against the standard 3-4 days per week! A rule developed to ensure that the muscles are not over trained. After all the muscles grow in recovery and not during the gym session itself.

What have we learnt from these athletes?

Well they're certainly not normal! But in all seriousness we can point out the the key to their success comes down the habits which support their intense training. 

A. You need adequate calorie intake to train hard

B. you need plenty of rest for your body's recuperation

I take more interest in Pidzianowski than anyone else. It's because of the anaerobic activity that he puts his muscles through and the fact that he only rests for one day per week. How can his muscles develop if he doesn't give them time to grow? 

I like to make a praise to one of the best books I've read on resistance training. It's called the Naked Warrior (I promise it is a book related to fitness!). The author Pavel Tsatsuline talks about the "grease the groove" methodology which simply suggests that we should practice our lifting, not train our lifting. Don't work to over fatigue yourself but lift heavy and influence your nervous system development. There's a lot more to the physiology than what was stated but in a nut shell you can lift multiple times per day and still develop strength and lean mass.

Basically I am a firm believer that correct nutrition and loads of rest aids in a much more relentless training plan. However the human body does have its limitations and you can't train like an elite athlete whilst working regular hours in your everyday profession. Here are signs to look out for:

Elivated or irregular heart rate

Just about any sleep related issue such as insomnia, drowsiness or restlessness

Frequent illness. This is particularly common for anyone on a low calorie diet

Do you have a good sense of humour? 

I'm a big fan of Saturday Night Live and they really put me in giggles with this sketch on Michael Phelps diet. Enjoy? 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E_rk0iRE59Q

 

A Quick Explanation of Muscle Mass

I hope this post is of interest to many people as well as the clients who have asked my this question and have therefore persuaded my to go about writing these paragraphs.

This post involves a question that is on the tip of many clients tongue:

How do we develop mass?

Hypertrophy is when a skeletal muscle grows. This is not to be confused with the increase in the number of muscle fibres which is called hyperplasia. There are two ways in which the diameter of skeletal muscles can safely increase. The first is called myofibrilla hypertrophy. Myofibrilla hypertrophy is the increase in myofibril (muscle fibre) size. The second way is known as sarcoplasmic hypertrophy which involves the increased storage of glycogen. Neither one of these forms of hypertrophy happens solo. This explains why people with similar dimensions can differ so vastly is strength. Myofibrilla hypertrophy is what correlates to strength development. 

When a resistance is applied the myofibrils will be placed under a high level of stress. This stress causes micro tears. With a correct training intervention these tears will not be substantial enough to cause an injury but your muscles will need to rest for at least a day. After all, they don't grow in the gym. Your muscles grow during recovery. They grow to manage the resistance that you have forced upon it. 

Here's a pic from Instagram. This is my brother Aled with physique competitor Sergio Constance. 

Dead Lifts and Back Hyper Extensions

If I had a penny for every time a new client came to me with a back injury I could probably retire! It's commonly believed that low flexibility is the key issue that is associated with pain. We must however look closer at the facts:

#1. The mid section has the primary role of preventing movement.

#2. Low hip mobility and low t-spine mobility will force unwanted mechanical demands on the lower back. These demands are over rotation or too much flexion/extension. 

#3. Rotating past 5 degrees may result in a cartilage tear.

So what can we learn from this? Well you don't want to over-stretch the lower back as it will result in more injuries. There are special circumstances such as rehabilitation and age related stiffness but more often then not you do not need to isolate your lumbar spine with stretches. You do however need to strengthen the lower back. Here are two exercises and their different demands:

Dead Lift

The dead lift is often viewed as a hamstring exercise but is more commonly placed into a back routine. The reason lies in how this intense compound movement recruits multiple back muscles from the quadlatus lumborum, the multifidus, the various extensors around the mid and upper back and of course the erector spinae. 

Pro's

This exercise is practical. It mimics various day to day movements. It also places a heavy amount of resistance on the back muscles which many people shy away from. A correct amount of heavy resistance is good practice against unwanted spinal flexion.

Con's

Dead lifts require good hip flexibility, good spinal control and correct lifting technique. If one of these three factors are gone then the lift will fail. The lift may even cause an injury. Make sure you have quality technique before racking on the plates. 

Back Hyper Extensions

I feel that this exercise is under used. Gym goers avoid isolating the back because of potential injury. Training the back reduces injury risk! I cannot stand naivity on the topic of injury prevention. 

Pro's

This beauty is an isolation exercise. If you have the key aim of strengthening your lower back this is the drill for you. If you wish to strengthen your lower back because of an injury you have gathered you must seek medical advice first.

Con's

The technical difficulty of this drill comes from setting up the machine. You should be able to comfortably hinge over the pads. The pads should provide a good cushion for your upper thighs. Injury will only come if your form is weak. Always maintain a neutral spinal alignment. 

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Laws of Leg Day

Leg day is the most dreaded day of the week. So dreaded that many people avoid it which leads to them looking like the dog Spike from the old Tom and Jerry cartoons! For those of us with common sense there are simple steps we can follow to ensure that our day of blasting our lower limbs will be worth its weight in gold.

Step 1: Train Legs on a Monday

I can’t speak for the rest of the world but in South Wales Monday seems to be international chest day. On days where you need a free squat rack, have no desperation to use the bench and have a desperate need to torch those weekend calories, you can but that Monday is the ultimate day to get in the pit.

Step 2: Don’t Train Your Traps Before Leg Day

So it’s time for quadriceps domination but 2 days ago you decided to show your trapezius muscles who’s boss. So fool you. If you’re trapezius muscles are sore then balancing the barbell on your upper back will feel like taking a pat on the back from Edward Scissor hands.

Step 3: Train Chest after Leg Day

Leg day does not interfere with chest day but chest day has no such forgiveness. If your chest is tight it can be painful to retract your arms into the correct position for a back squat. Your concentration whilst squatting should purely be on technical perfection, not on pectoral pain! I like to train chest the day after leg day because it’s my favourite workout of the week. Its pretty much a reward for my brutal effort on that grim day before.

One Repetition Maximum Testing

Strength is the ability to apply as much force as possible. This is not to be mistaken with power which is the multiplication of strength and speed. The easiest way to find out how strong you are is obviously to find out how much you can lift. 1 repetition maximum testing must be completed safely and efficiently and this is your guide on how to do it. Let's lift!

Why do we Perform 1 Repetition Maximum Tests?

First of all 1 repetition maximum testing will demonstrate the effectiveness of a training programme. Simply put if you're test results are improving you know that your training programme is well structured to your goals and physiology. It's worth repeating the test every couple of months. When you plateau at a particular weight you will need to alter your programme and possibly re-assess your nutrition plan. 

1 repetition maximum testing is the best way to determine correct training load. If you wish to build raw strength you will aim to lift 80 to 90 percent of your max. To improve your muscle tone and mass you may look further to lift at 79 percent. Finally you may wish to improve your power. Lift 40 percent of your one repetition maximum with a fast and explosive tempo on each lift.

Warming Up

Whilst warming up you must consider the lift you are planning on testing. I'm going to use the squat as my example. 

First of all we must roll out any muscle which are tight. Muscle tightness is not the same as muscle shortness. Tightness is caused by the overuse of muscle fibres which causes them to knot. It is also important not to overdo foam rolling. 1 minute on each tight area will be fine.

A light heart raiser helps to improve circulation. Perform 4 minutes of light cardiovascular exercise. You should be breathing heavier than normal but still be able to hold a comfortable conversation with a training partner. 

The squat requires good mobility around the thoracic spine, hips and ankle. Therefore we must perform mobility exercises which accommodates for these demands. Never perform static stretching whilst warming up as this specific type of stretching method is associated with lowering the elastic properties of skeletal muscle fibres. 

A strong squat requires powerful activation of the trunk and gluteus muscles so 2 sets of a plyometric exercise will aid in the warm up. Attempt 2 sets of Kettlebell Swings (please remember than plyometrics are centred around utilisation of the stretch shortening cycle and not jumping for the sake of jumping!) 

Know it's Time for the Test!

You're headphones are in blaring out your favourite upbeat jam, you're warm, ready and across the way the barbell awaits you. 

You need a spotter. They are essential for safety and technical feedback so don't ever max out without a spotter! In some cases when you're starting to lift proper scary weight you may even need 2 bros manning the barbell as you lift.

Find a weight that you can lift for 15 repetitions. This is further stimulating the nervous system. 

It is now time to perform 1 repetition on each and every set until the test has concluded. Go up in small increments of 2 to 2.5 KGs. Take a brake of 3 to 4 minutes between each set. When you're at a resistance that you cannot lift you have found your 1 repetition max. 

It's not for Everyone

1 repetition testing is NOT safe for people with cardiovascular and respiritory issues. I found this fantastic chart so that you can test your strength with a higher repetition range.

Stretch out. You've worked hard!

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Do you Think you're Hamstrings are Strong?

Strong hamstrings are essential in sport. They improve your hinge pattern which is heavily featured in Olympic lifting and field based athletics. Strong hamstrings are also important for protecting the knee. ACL injuries seem to go hand in hand with weak hamstrings.

How do we determine the strength of the hamstrings?

Quadriceps to Hamstring Percentage

Everybody should look towards developing hamstring strength that matches 60%-80% of their quadriceps strength. This can be analysed by measuring their one repetition maximum on two machines. The leg extension machine measured quadriceps strength and the leg curl measures hamstring strength. If you divide your leg curl by your leg extension you can understand how your hamstrings measure up to your quadriceps. Here is a quick example:

A man measures his 1 repetition maximum on the leg extension and achieves a score of 70kg. He then tests his 1 repetition maximum on the leg curl and achieves a score of 55kg.

55 / 70 = 0.78

Take the 0. out of 0.78 and it leaves you with just 78. This indicates that your hamstrings are 78% the strength of your quadriceps. This, as you know is an expectable score. This means that your chances of developing a knee injury is low.

Body Weight to Deadlift Percentage

 From an athletic standpoint we can measure our hamstring strength along with other skeletal muscles in the form of a compound movement. The compound movement should be hinge orientated so deadlifts are the most popular exercise of choice. When concluding wherever the deadlift is strong or not completely depends on the individuals bodyweight. An who participates in a sport where strength is of massive importance such as rugby, national football league or 100m, should find that their deadlift is the equivalent of 200% of their body weight. This is measured as part of a one repetition maximum.

If you are unsure of how to measure a 1 repetition maximum, tomorrow we will cover the correct protocol on completing a 1 repetition maximum safely and efficiently. I also need to clarify that 1 repetition maximum testing is not suitable for everyone as this type of testing may aggravate the most smallest of injuries. 1 repetition maximum testing is definitely not advised for individuals who suffer from cardiovascular issues such as high blood pressure, morbid obesity or high cholesterol. Therefore we will provide an alternative method of measuring your strength.

Meanwhile you may wish to brows through these posts:

Lower Leg Development

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/lower-leg-development.html

Hamstring Development for Sprinting

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/hamstring-development-for-sprinting.html