Neck Strength and Preventing Concussions

First of all, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy setting up 2 running coaching bases and working on my new website. I'd like to start back up with a post on strengthening the muscles surrounding the cervical vertebra. I'm no chiropractor or have any involvement in the medical profession for that matter. What I do know is that strengthening the neck is becoming much more common due to its impact on limiting concussions in contact sports. 

Here are some ideas I've been playing with. First of all I am very aware that excessive spinal flexion has been associated with a denaturing of spinal discs. Any injury to the neck may drastically lower the body's capability in performing simple tasks, let alone sports skills. 

This raises the question, should any dynamic movement be used at all? After all, it's difficult to move the neck without extension. 

Yesterday a good friend of mine was teaching me how to head stand. It is important to hold the neck long and strong to prevent movement. This isometric tension could be the key to preventing concussions. 

This is just a thought and I will be posting about the further research I do on the area.  

The Snow Warrior Workout

The gym is out of reach. It's a training nightmare or is it? The road is not safe to drive on, the gym is miles away or may even be closed due to a low number of staff. But you may use the snow to your advantage. 

Safety First! 

Wrap up warm and ensure you're wearing footwear that is suitable for the snow. You can place socks over trainers to avoid slipping. It is also advisable to use waterproof trousers as you're going to be playing in some deep snow. 

The Best Type of Training

Well lifting heavy weights is a no go with the slipping hazard. Also snow isn't that heavy. Smash out the HIIT. 

The snow is perfect for this function. Whilst in deep snow you can sprint, jump and hop to exhaustion. You can dig. You can dig whilst throwing the snow in front of you, you can dig whilst throwing it behind you or maybe to the side for a rotational benefit. Dig with two hands or dig with one. The faster the better. 

Top 10 Snow Day Exercises 

Sprints

Bounds

Single leg hop

Sprint on the spot

Star jumps

Squat jumps

Tuck jumps

Double heal flick

Ski hops 

Dig with a throw behind (like a dog burying a bone) 

Example circuit

Squat jumps 30 seconds

15 second rest 

Star jumps 40 seconds

15 second rest

Tuck jumps 50 seconds

1 minute rest 

                                  Repeat this 3 times

Accessories for Strength Training

If you visit your local gymnasium, you quite often find a member or two who have gone about brining in their own equipment to help them along with their fitness goals. You can pick up some very helpful kit for a very cheap price. Here are my top picks.

Fat Gripz

Grip is often an underestimated pinnacle in strength development. With poor grip we will be unable to excel in our training programmes. Fat Gripz are a product which can be used with any barbell exercise. These simple pieces of foam will fit perfectly around the bar and create a challenge for the muscles of your wrist and hands.

Gum Shield

A gum shield is a simple and useful piece of protective equipment. Especially during exercises where the shoulders are heavily loaded. By biting down on a gum shield a lifter will encourage the muscles of the neck to tense and stabilise.

Dipping Belt

A dipping belt is simply a means of progression on body weight favourites. Whilst one route is to take the repetition range of your dips into the 20’s, a more popular and more strength orientated modification is to attach weight to a dipping belt. This piece of kit may also be used for pull ups.  

Chalk

Lifting is hard work. This means you sweat. Sweat can lead to a slippery barbell. This inconvenience during a workout is usually easy to avoid by the simple application of chalk. Chalk will absorb the moisture and allow you to apply your usual grip.

Foam Roller

Myofacia release should go hand in hand with stretching. Practicing self massage on a foam roller will improve circulation, release toxins which are present within the muscle cells and allow you to increase the range of your stretch. Take up to a minute on any tight muscle.

Why I Don't Use Agility Ladders

Agility is the ability to change shape, speed or direction quickly. An athlete's agility is determined by genetic potential, strength, bio-mechanical application of movement and external factors.

With this in mind, where does foot speed come into sight. Foot speed drills are exercises which involve small, light and rapid action of the feet. These are the drills which are featured in agility ladder training. Honestly, fast foot drills are an absolute waste of time.

Although speed is specific to any sport involving gross motor, competitive activity, the practice of speed should have a degree of specificity. Small and light actions are not the way to go. 

Small? Do we take small steps in acceleration? How about sprinting at top end speed, cutting angles or lateral movements? No we don't. We use gross motor movements. Movements that challenge our reach and the speed at which we can achieve such a reach is essential for practical usage. 

Hitting the floor lightly is a poor way of producing ground reaction force. With low ground reaction force the distance covered on the field of play will be very limited. 

So working on fast feet isn't necessary. There are bigger fish to fry! 

And what is the point of practicing foot placement within small squares? It may help you to skip stones but not much else. If foot placement is important within an activity, then it is best practices within that activity. That way you will benefit from the reactive demands of participating. Your skill will also become more specific in regards to your distancing and timing. 

The agility ladder may be useful as a fun warm up activity but I wouldn't bother. 

Sprinting for Endurance Athletes

There are similarities between a sprinters gait and a marathon runners gait. Sometimes the endurance athlete would add a slight pronation on their stride co create a smoother impact against the hard concrete surface. A sprinters gait is much more gross motor for very obvious reasons. I feel that during a short period of cross training, an endurance athlete can very well benefit from sprint training.

The principle of overload suggests that by achieving a fitness level which exceeds the desired task, the task in fact becomes more achievable. In this scenario, the increased stride will produce flexibility to create ease and prevent injury whilst running. The large movement will see us to more muscular activity and help us to improve lactate tolerance. 

Practice sprint intervals of 30 metres. 30 metres is a good distance to produce top end speed. Walk back to the beginning. Repeat this until you've completed 8 sprints. Then take a 2 minute rest and repeat the drill. 

4 Fitness Trends We Will See In 2016

2015 was a step up in the fitness industry. Truth be told things have been looking up since 2010. Minimalist shoes have proven that athletes are learning the benefit of utilising ground reaction force. More and more shoe specialist stores are offering footwear with a custom fit and phone apps are helping people track their efforts with ease. So what has 2016 got in store for us?

More people will hire a personal trainer

Literally thousands of personal trainers are certified every year. Although I disagree with the simplicity of the modern personal trainer certificate, I still believe that it's not the worse thing in the world. I would just ask that all personal trainers continue to educate themselves past their graduation. As a result of more personal trainers being put through the courses, the prices are cheaper than ever to hire a coach.

Crawling will become the norm 

Crawling patterns are the foundation of human movement. It's in our heritage and it's a skill we learn all by ourselves. Once the need to crawl deteriorates, the average person no longer practices crawling. This is a mistake. 

Crawling demonstrates that squat mechanics are achievable and are doable with a neutral spine alignment. 

Crawling also develops core-stability and activates the serratus. Activating the 

Fortunately many coaches are heavily re-enforcing crawling patterns for sports performance and corrective practices. 

Men will be back in tights

This isn't the prettiest image we can put in our noggin but we might as well face the facts. Tight sports wear are often more comfortable due to no baggy clothing interfering with our range of movement. According to leading sports manufacturers the base layer style of clothing allows for distributed muscle tension to reduce injury risk and promote blood flow. Tight fitted clothing was popular in the 90s. It's crazy how things find their way back! 

More women in combat

Recently I've observed a change in the way women see mixed martial arts. I assume Ronda Rousey has some involvement as she was heavily featured last year as one of the most exciting competitors to watch. I personally believe that the latest look on UFC is a positive one and will promote better self defence skills and confidence in women globally. 

A Note on Reaction Time

We're close to rounding up the first full week of January. I've decided to write about my favourite topic. Speed! More specifically I want to look into reaction time development.

Reaction time is the time taken to react to a stimulus. For a sprinter it's a gun shot, a boxer a variety of different punches and for a soccer goal keeper it's the ball.

My concern is with the manner in which reaction time is practiced. The participant who is suppose to react to a visual stimulus during a sporting scenario is being quite foolish if they are using audio cues. Where is the specificity? 

Visual cues can relate directly to the activity or indirectly. Goal keepers can practise saving goals or they can respond to measurable technology such as fit light. Never neglect practicing the actual activity in question but try to nail a variety of challenging reaction drills in the name of lightening reflexes

Common Box Jump Mistakes

The box jump is an excellent, practical exercise which is specific to a variety of sporting scenarios but can also be used to add fun into a general routine. Although I don't believe that the average population would benefit from completely mimicking the way an athlete eats and trains, there are certain perks to pinching a thing or 2 from their habits. The box jump is useful for building joint stability, advancing the squatting pattern and is a brilliant way of preparing for a set of heavy squats. Many mistakes are commonly made and are even coached by trainers who are naive to sports performance and sports injury's. Make sure you are not making any of these injury inducing mistakes. 

Jumping Backwards off the Box

This is not exactly a gymnasium sin but if done too often it can cause aggravation on the Achilles' tendon. The Achilles' tendon is an impressive structure which inserts the calf muscle to the heal in order to promote plants flexion of the ankle joint (such as in calf raises). This tendon is more dense than a strand of rope but may still be subject to repetitive stress injury's. In the long run the Achilles' tendon may even snap. Ouch! 

Opt for stepping off if your goal is speed and power orientated. If you want an Intense endurance exercise, jump off forwards and turn around.

Landing Too Low

This common error is often corrected with a lower box. If you touch down in a deep squatting position you will not be able to cushion your landing with a negative squat. The penalty is a crippling reaction force shooting up a poor posture. These type of box jumper may very well find themselves denaturing a vertebra disk. Some people even de-lodge a disk. Your knees also take a massive hit with this poor practice.

You should land in a half squat position to keep your joints safe. 

To Tired and Too High

This one is some what comical! I shouldn't say that but until you've seen a fellow gym member remain bolt straight as his shins hit the box as he continues to move forward and flip over, you have no idea! 

When you're exhausted technique goes out the window and so does your power. If technical failure has come to present, stop box jumping as it is not safe. 

Foot Wear For Lifting

Strength is often difficult to gain. You need adequate calorie consumption for energy along with good macronutrient balance (protein, carbohydrates and fats). A good gym helps. Upbeat tunes, heavy plates and most importantly an enthusiastic lifting culture. Surround your self with an environment that promotes success. It's also difficult to know what to wear. Especially when it comes to footwear.

Converse All Stars

These are probably my favourites. Converse All Stars are designed with a solid sole for good absorption of ground reaction force. The surrounding ankle support is also handy for promoting proper ankle alignment whilst squatting. 

Rock Climbing Shoes

This is one suggestion which is suitable for participants wishing to get involved in gait actions such as prowler pushes, sled pulls and tyre flips. Rock climbing shoes are the strong mans footwear of choice.

This is down to the minimalist design for absorption of ground reaction force and the rubber soles for better grip.

Weight Lifting Shoes

These are your most expensive option and not necessarily your best. The heal is often higher on lifting shoes which makes them suitable for people with poor ankle mobility. You must question if this helps or does a higher heal encourage poor ankle mobility. The typical lifting shoe is a huge expense for a non-competitive lifter. Especially when you consider that you will get the same benefit from Converse All Stars and other similar brands.  

Run in the Rain

It's difficult for a beginner to set themselves up with a running challenge. This time of year it tips down with rain. It's horrible when the puddles soak through your new  brand spanking new trainers and the rain water drips off every peace of clothing you're wearing. It's annoying when it blurs your vision and it's a pain in the backside when you finish your run because you'll need to change out of your cold, damp clothing immediately. 

It can be hard to motivate yourself to run in these conditions. It's easier to push the snooze button than it is to hop out of bed, get dressed, have a light bite to eat (I don't believe in fasting cardio) and hit the road. Especially after hearing the tip tapping of the rain against your bedroom window but don't forget what the rain does for a runner.

If you're going on a prolonged run and you're not a custom to the hard work of exercise, the rain can help to keep your body temperature down. It's important to go through a light hearted hip mobility and hamstring stretching routine first. This will lower the chance of straining yourself in the cold. 

The rain also helps to clear the air. Although the weather doesn't look brilliant the rain has a positive impact on pollution by cleaning harmful substances. This is useful if you live in a busy urban area.

When you come back from a run in the rain you must take a hot shower, dry, change into warm clothing and eat a well balanced meal.

Enjoy your run!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

This post is kind of last minute as I've had a busy day with clients (typical January). It's been a brilliant first day so anyway I just thought I'd leave you with a few last minute tips to help you in achieving your fitness New Years resolutions.

First of all, on average it takes 7 weeks to form a habit. So write down your goal and see that you push through trying to achieve it until the first of March. You should be in the swing of things by then.

Don't do it alone. Find a friend or family member with a similar goal. Work on your fitness together. You may do this as a friendly, social but highly productive manner or you can get competitive! For example; who will be the first to lose 1 inch from their waist? This motivates me. 

Find your trophy! When you hit your goal you can reward yourself. It's usually the best to do this with the mother of all blow outs but there are other means of giving yourself a pat on the back. If you're proud of your figure a new dress may be in order. If you've ran your very first marathon then you deserve to lie on the sofa, listening to chilled tunes with a brand spanking new pair of Dr. Dre Beats! 

Again, happy New Year!

Let's make it a good one.