VH Sports Performance in finally on You Tube!!

Van Hook Sports Performance in finally on You Tube, I’m hoping to add videos weekly. I will try to include a lot of the stuff we do with our athletes.

http://www.youtube.com/user/VHSportsPerformance



Brian

Drills for Offensive Lineman

Drills for Offensive Lineman,!

Yes if your looking for Offensive Lineman drills, technique, workouts...etc. Please check out my blog about the big guys! http://www.offensivelinemanworkout.com/

Exercises of the week! Single leg bench squat

One leg bench squat (AKA rear foot elevated split squat, AKA Bulgarian lunge)

Brian Van Hook MS CSCS
VH Sports Performance

We have all heard of the infamous back squat: "The squat is the King of all exercises." The honest truth is you do not need barbell squats in your program to build strong muscular legs. Now I am not saying you should not squat, what I am saying is the squat is not the end all of all exercises. I am a huge fan of Mike Boyle, and I have learned a lot from this man, I believe he is one of the best in the business, but he is not a fan of squatting, if you have had the change to read some of his information he is almost dropping all back squats from his training programs. Now I have to say I am not totally sold on his idea, but I am not far off. I personally never like squats when I was playing football, I am a tall guy (6’7) and the squat is a killer exercises for tall guys like myself. It’s a killer on the lower back and every time I did them I felt like my Lumbar spine was about to snap. I have also worked with several athletes with similar concerns and nagging back pain. At this point in my training career I will not have any clients with even a little back pain or a history of pain, perform to the normal back squat (front squat yes) but not back squat!! So what other options do you have? Well a favorite of mine is the Single leg bench squat (AKA rear foot elevated split squat, AKA Bulgarian lunge)

Single leg squats are an excellent alternative to barbell squats. Talk about an exercise that builds strength and size along with stability! Single leg squats incorporate the need for balance more than any other leg exercise. The more unstable the environment the more the muscles have to work at performing the task. Because you have the added factor of balance, the single leg bench squat is much more difficult to perform than the normal barbell squat, just as the barbell squat is much more difficult than the leg press. I do not want to go into the numbers and percentages, but like the great Mike Boyle once said, why not get the same exercises at half off! You can load you barbell with less weight (I have my guys hold dumbbells in each hand, just seems a little safer to me).

The single leg bench squat is considered somewhat of an advanced exercise. And should only be used after a proper progression is built up and the athlete has the correct amount of single leg strength. You should not be loading up the weight on the first go at this lift. Every athlete I have will start out with bodyweight lunges then weighted (dumbbell) lunges, even with the strongest of kids I will have them start with holding 10-15 pound dumbbells in each hand. At his point it’s not about the weight, it’s about them getting used to this exercises.

I wanted to quote something Mike Boyle said on one of his articles because he says its best:

“Single leg supported exercises is a great introduction to single leg training and should always precede the dynamic variations. In other words split squats should precede lunges, lateral squats should precede lateral lunges, and rotational squats should precede rotational or transverse lunges. Failure to do this will result in exceptional soreness, possible disruption of the training program, and often a loss of confidence in the coach or trainer by the athlete or trainee”.

Bobby (6'3 205) is a local HS baseball player with tree trunks for legs! I expect great things from him this year!! With a GPA of 4.6 and athletic ability, coaches are starting to take notice. You can also see him here doing some “curls for the girls”....lol...told him I would post that pic:)

Preparation

Stand with dumbbells grasped at your side, facing away from bench. Extend leg back and place top of foot on bench.

Execution

Squat down by flexing knee and hip of front leg until knee of rear leg is almost in contact with floor. Return to original standing position by extending hip and knee of forward leg. Repeat. Continue with opposite leg. Keep torso upright during squat; flexible hip flexors are important. Forward knee should point same direction as foot throughout movement.

Muscles involved:

Target

• Gluteus Maximus

Synergists

• Quadriceps

• Adductor Magnus

• Soleus

Dynamic Stabilizers

• Hamstrings

• Gastrocnemius

Stabilizers

• Erector Spinae

• Trapezius, Upper

• Trapezius, Lower

• Levator Scapulae

• Gluteus Medius Gluteus Minimus

Cal Lutheran, Undisputed SCIAC Champions

I Just received an email from Michael's dad and wanted to give some props to Michael Marusa's football team. He is a great kid!!

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran earned its first ever outright conference title following Saturday's home victory over Redlands. The 30-21 win over the Bulldogs capped off an undefeated run through the conference and secured the program's first NCAA tournament appearance in school history

Read the full story here>>

Resistance training on a stability ball such a good idea?

mmm…is lifting weights on a stability ball such a good idea? I was just reading a blog post from Mike Boyle’s blog that talked about this potential hazard!


I have personally never used Dumbbell’s while lying or standing on a stability ball, I just see it as an accident waiting to happen. I understand why trainers are using this method (stabilizers, synergistic muscles…etc) I just think there are better ways of going about it! I understand why coaches/trainers that work with athletes like to perform several lifts while standing on a “Buso Ball” or laying on a “Swiss ball/stability ball” but THEY need to understand why they are doing it and the positional hazards that come along with such exercises. My main question for you: are you really making your athletes stronger? Are you working the prime movers, or just the stabilizers? How are you increasing force production?


Well that’s just my 2 cents!

The following is a quote from the article: Spurs alter workouts after Garcia injury

“The bizarre weightlifting accident that resulted in a fractured forearm for Sacramento Kings guard-forward Francisco Garcia has prompted a change in some of the Spurs' workout procedures.

Garcia suffered the injury when an inflatable exercise ball exploded. Garcia reportedly was lying on his back across a “physio ball” while lifting dumbbells. When the ball exploded, the player fell backwards, fracturing the radius in his right wrist. He also suffered ligament damage”

5-year-old bodybuilder from Romania

Guiliano Stroe, the 5-year-old bodybuilder from Romania.

Watch this Video! There has been much debate about resistance training at such a young age. No matter what you or I may think, this kid is doing some incredible feats of strength.

Exercises After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Open or Closed Kinetic Chain Exercises After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction


I wanted to post about a recent research paper I was reading titled “Open- or Closed-Kinetic Chain Exercises After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction”.

I was reading this research paper because from strength and conditioning/sports performance point of view I believe in Closed-Kinetic Chain exercises, but I also work with several client that have had past ACL injuries and I am open to anything that will make them a better athlete! The most interesting thing I found was that “OKC and CKC exercises for rehabilitation of the ACL-reconstructed was the load differences may not be clinically significant and that both exercise types, in combination, may be important for ACL rehabilitation. Additional prospective randomized clinical trials must be performed to determine the optimal time to introduce these exercises”

I would have to say that within the last year I have come across more athletes/ clients looking for guidance and training after coming out of physical therapy and wanting to get back into playing full speed. And more and more I am seeing major problems with the athlete being told they are “cleared to play at full speed”. Most of the athletes that have come to me from a port rehab setting have only performed minimal OKC exercises at the least. I have found that no balance or stability drills have been incorporated into the rehab program. I think this is where most athletes do not understand just because they are cleared from a PT that they are ready to go running full speed on the field! This is where a quality performance specialist should come into play! This is not to say all PT's are not adequately providing their clients with the necessary exercises for proper rehabilitation, but most rehab centers are not designed to develop the athletic ability needed to perform at a high level. The job of a PT is to get you back into normal everyday living.

**OKC exercises as those in which the foot is not in contact with a solid surface (Leg extensions)

**CKC exercises as those in which the foot is in contact with a solid surface. (Squat, Lunge)


Brian Van Hook
VH Sports Performance – Las Vegas, NV


1. Braden C. Fleming, Heidi Oksendahl, Bruce D. Beynnon. Open or Closed Kinetic Chain Exercises After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev. 2005. Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 134–140

Exercises of the week: Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

Single Leg-Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

Muscles Used: Hamstrings, gluteals, adductors

Most people know about RDL (Romanian Deadlift), but have you ever tried them single leg? Not only does it strengthen the hamstrings to a high degree, but it works on dynamic balance, dynamic flexibility and strengthens your adductors as well. Just don’t get too crazy with the weight, because this exercise is way harder than it looks! Every time I show one of my athletes how to perform this exercise they always want to use a heaver weight, I tell them to keep it light and tell me how your butt feels tomorrow, every time they come in the day after they are complaining how they hurt every time they sit on the toilet! So remember to start out with light weights (5-10lbs BD in each hand to start) balance will be the hardest thing at first!

Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your body and raise one of your legs. The weight should be on the heel and the chest elevated. From this position, keep your free leg straight and swing it back while lowering the dumbbells down to the top of your opposite foot. Return to the top and repeat.

When you get good at these, try to keep your swing leg off the ground throughout the entire set.

Tips:

-Don't stand on a platform for this exercise in an effort to increase your range of motion. If you bend over too far or if the dumbbells hit the ground, you could alter your form.

-This exercises is very awkward at first. If you can't use heavy weight initially, just focus on form and the poundage will increase with time.

-Vary the amount of bend in your front leg. Varying the knee angle will place slightly different emphasis on certain areas of the legs and glutes. Just keep that bend consistent throughout the motion.

-Allow the front leg to "split the uprights" with your arms. The dumbbells should remain an inch or two away from the sides of the working leg. Your upper body will be slightly turned toward this leg.


***Single Leg exercises are a great addition to an athletic performance training program when done correctly. Being a past offensive lineman myself I can reassure you singe leg strength is key for lateral movement on the line of scrimmage!!

Brian Van Hook
Las Vegas Strength Training

Bosu ball, unbalanced surface training

I wanted to write about something that has been bothering me for a couple of weeks now, it’s kind of my little rant!

I see trainers around town doing squats, lunges, curls, and anything else you can manage while teetering hazardously on a stability (or Swiss) ball, balance disc, Bosu ball or wobble board. So why do they think this is a fabulous idea, the main being that such exercises add a balance component and not only engage the target muscles, but also engage lots and lots of small stabilizing muscles. Meaning, you get the extra benefit of improved proprioception (awareness of your body in space), so why not?

Yes the Bosu balls and balance discs do work for those of us who've suffered ankle sprains!

The most common type is a lateral/inversion sprain (shown below), in which your foot twists to the inside, stretching or tearing the ligaments on your outer shin. The telltale signs of an inversion sprain are pain, swelling, and eventually discoloration on the outside of the ankle.

Your peroneals, muscles on the outside of your shin, are in charge of preventing inversion. If they're working properly, they'll contract fast enough and powerfully enough to straighten the foot before the ankle rolls and your ligaments stretch or tear.

Once you've suffered an ankle sprain, you're going to have functional ankle instability unless you follow a good rehabilitation program. In this area, the research has shown over and over again that training on unstable surfaces, wobble boards, Bosu balls, balance discs can correct this proprioceptive delay and get rid of functional ankle instability. That's why unstable surface training is a great rehabilitation tool.

Yes, unstable surface training works for people in the rehab setting, BUT a lot of trainers assume they can apply the same techniques to healthy athletes and prevent ankle sprains, improve balance, and enhance performance. This makes perfect sense right?

The problem is the latest research shows that while doing such exercises are great for rehabbing ankle injuries, they can actually de-power healthy athletes. Now if you're healthy, and your goals have anything at all to do with getting stronger, faster and more powerful, you actually don't want to wobble. (That's not to say you should cut out abs and upper-body exercises like pushups on the ball -- I'm just talking about exercises that involve standing or kneeling on unstable surfaces (especially on the “Buso ball” with the dome facing up)

While researching the subject I came across a study that showed replacing 2 to 3 percent of overall training volume with unstable surface training didn't improve performance, and even more important: unstable surface training minimized improvements in jumping, sprinting, and agility tests. Put another way, the subjects who weren't doing unstable surface training made bigger gains in power, speed, and agility (1). The study explains that one existing criticism of unstable surface training is that such training does not allow for sufficient loading to induce strength gains; the results of this study not only verify that assertion but also demonstrate that unstable surface training actually reduces power (and presumably strength) gains derived from concurrent stable surface training. As such, trainers/coaches applying unstable surface training with a proprioceptive training effect in mind may in fact be impairing the development of important athletic qualities; this finding demonstrates that proprioception is likely best trained in a specific sense with stable surface initiatives.

So just because something works in rehab doesn't mean it's useful for healthy athletes. In fact, if it takes the place of something else in their training, the opportunity cost seems to make things worse.

I would like to note that the study did point out that there may be certain sports (e.g., surfing, snowboarding) for which unstable surface training may offer appreciable carryover to performance, the results of the present study suggest that for most athletes, instability should be applied to training in more sport-specific contexts. These contexts include the application of destabilizing torques applied further up the kinetic chain, just as athletes would encounter in sporting environments where they move on fixed contact surfaces (1).



VH Sports Performance Las Vegas, NV



Information on this article was taken from a study that was done by Eric Cressey for the NSCA Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Eric is full of great info; he is known for his work with baseball players and really is a go-to guy for all types of quality information.


1. ERIC M. CRESSEY, CHRIS A. WEST, DAVID P. TIBERIO, WILLIAM J. KRAEMER, AND CARL M. MARESH. THE EFFECTS OF TEN WEEKS OF LOWER-BODY UNSTABLE SURFACE TRAINING ON MARKERS OF ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2007, 21(2), 561–567



2. CRAIG A. GOODMAn, ALAN J. PEARCE, CALEB J. NICHOLES, BRAD M. GATT, AND IAN H. FAIRWEATHER. NO DIFFERENCE IN 1RM STRENGTH AND MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING THE BARBELL CHEST PRESS ON A STABLE AND UNSTABLE SURFACE. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 22(1):88-94, January 2008

Flexibility

Among the different aspects of training, flexibility may be one of the most lacking in programs. Back when I went to High School, pulling your arm across your chest and bending over to touch your toes was considered a good way to warm up before training. Not because it was the best way, but because that’s how my coaches were taught to stretch so it’s the way they taught me. It seems like it is the same way today! When I go out to meet with new coaches/clients the first thing I like to show them is a proper warm up, it’s easy and takes little time. I always ask the coaches why they do their specific warm up, and the answer is always the same, “because that’s what I did when I was playing sports”. I try to explain that both cases, static and dynamic stretching, the purpose is to take the muscles though a greater than normal range of motion. Static means that the stretch is being held and the muscles are at a constant length. Dynamic stretching implies that the muscles and joints are moving as you stretch. During dynamic stretching, we are steadily loading and unloading the muscles across multiple joints. I want them to understand that his method assists with increase ROM of the joints while also warming up the neuromuscular system. When first starting with some teams the dynamic warm up will feel like a regular workout to them! I remember running a baseball team through a dynamic warm up and they were all complaining their legs where sore and felt like they just did a workout! I was in total shock of how tight and immobile this team was (they are a great baseball team too). If there is one bit if info I can share with you it is to perform a proper warm up. If you have questions about proper warm ups or dynamic stretching please take a look at our main website to see what we can offer you. Sports Performance Training

Caffeine's neural effects

Caffeine is one of the most extensively consumed stimulants in the world. (3) However, compared to short-term effects of caffeine, the long-term effects of caffeine consumption on learning and memory are poorly characterized. Several studies have shown the positive and negative effects of caffeine use. One study found that long-term consumption of low dose caffeine (0.3 g/L) slowed hippocampus-dependent learning and impaired long-term memory (1). The study concluded that long-term consumption of caffeine could inhibit hippocampus-dependent learning and memory partially through inhibition of hippocampal neurogenesis. On the other side of the coin a study done with US navy seals showed that in the most adverse circumstances, moderate doses of caffeine can improve cognitive function, including vigilance, learning, memory, and mood state. The study stated that at doses of 200 mg administration of caffeine may provide a significant advantage (2).

If you look at the science behind caffeine use you will find that Caffeine promotes wakefulness by opposing all of the actions of adenosine, by blocking the adenosine receptors (4). Adenosine acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain (technically a neuromodulator) (5) , the caffeine molecule is similar enough to adenine to fit into adenosine receptors, but is not similar enough to stimulate those receptors. So the main action of caffeine is to block adenosine receptors. What interested me the most was how caffeine affected the adenosine receptors; I believe I could write all day on just this subject, but I will stick to the question at hand. I would like to note that adenosine stimulates and caffeine blocks all classes of adenosine receptors non-selectively (6). The general effect of adenosine in the brain is to inhibit neural activity, and the general effect of caffeine is to increase neural activity. If you think about it, a general increase in neural activity is not always a good thing, in a worst case scenario, general stimulation may result in an epileptic spasm, rather than the controlled activity of thought & learning. Neurons need to rest to work effectively. Caffeine disrupts the time neurons work and rest. This is something I would enjoy learning/discussing more, if anyone has thoughts on the subject?

On another note regarding performance enhancement, there was a study done in regards to the effect of caffeine and aspirin done on college aged men that indicated ingesting caffeine before light exercise significantly increase the leg extension and arm curls exercises. However, the current evidence showed that these benefits are limited to a large relative dose of a caffeine supplement, and at this large dose of caffeine they did have some overall unfavorable effects such as increased stomach distress and increased tremors.

In the non athletic population there have been studies done in regards to caffeine use, as stated earlier caffeine can disrupt neural receptors as well as increased stomach distress and increased tremors. Several studies done on the effect of caffeine as a diuretic, of the studies I have found, there would appear to be no situations where fluid balance might be compromised with caffeine consumption (8,9). Caffeine consumption also appears to be a slight risk factor for chronic daily headaches (10).




1. Myoung-Eun Han, Kyu-Hyun Park, Sun-Yong Baek, et al. Inhibitory effects of caffeine on hippocampal neurogenesis and function. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications Volume 356, Issue 4, 18 May 2007, Pages 976-980
2. Harris R. Lieberman, William J. Tharion, Barbara Shukitt-Hale, et al. Effects of caffeine, sleep loss, and stress on cognitive performance and mood during U.S. Navy SEAL training. Psychopharmacology. (2002) 164:250-261
3. Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., and Carol A. Prescott, Ph.D. Caffeine Intake, Tolerance, and Withdrawal in Women: A Population-Based Twin Study. Am J Psychiatry 156:223-228, February 1999.
4. Nehlig A, Boyet S: Dose-response study of caffeine effects on cerebral functional activity with a specific focus on dependence. Brain Res 2000, 858:71-77
5. R. A. Cunha. Adenosine as a neuromodulator and as a homeostatic regulator in the nervous system: different roles, different sources and different receptors. Neurochemistry International Volume 38, Issue 2, February 2001, Pages 107-125
6. L. V. Lopes, R. A. Cunha, B. Kull, et al. Adenosine A2A receptor facilitation of hippocampal synaptic transmission is dependent on tonic A1 receptor inhibition. Neuroscience
Volume 112, Issue 2, 18 June 2002, Pages 319-329
7. Hudson, Geoffrey M., Matt J. Green, Phillip A. Bishop, and Mark T. Richardson. "Effects of Caffeine and Aspirin on Light Resistance Training Performance, Perceived Exertion, and Pain Perception." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 22 (6) (2008): 1950-1957
8. Maughan, R. J., Griffin, J. Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review. Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics. (2008) 16(6):411-420.
9. SARAH M. CREIGHTON, S. L. STANTON. Caffeine: Does it affect your Bladder? British Journal of Urology (2008) Volume 66 Issue 6, Pages 613 – 614
10. Ann I. Scher, PhD, Walter F. Stewart, PhD and Richard B. Lipton, M.D. Caffeine as a risk factor for chronic daily headache. NEUROLOGY 2004;63:2022-2027

The biggest loser!

I was reading a blog post by Coach Dos about the TV show “the biggest loser” and wanted to share it with all of you.


It was kind of funny to see he posted this, because I just had one of the girls I train ask me about the show this week. I basically told her I hate that show!!! The main reason is I am not a fan of trainers or coaches screaming and belittling athletes or people in general. And secondly the trainers are morons, having morbidly obese people clients performing plyos, pushing sleds and running ladders is not the way to go. It’s like they go from 0 to 60 on the first day of training?

Anyway if you are interested I believe Coach Dos’s blog post sums it up great.

Good post by Alwyn Cosgrove

I was reading Alwyn Cosgrove’s blog and I wanted to share one of his posts “September Q&A”, I really liked his comments to the “computer programmer” question.

Did you ever stop to think WHY you are doing a body part split?

New Guestbook

Hello everyone! Just wanted to post a quick note about the new Guestbook on my training website! If you have trained with me, received information or purchased the Long Snapping manual please feel free to post your comments!

Van Hook Training Guestbook


Thanks,

Brian Van Hook, CSCS

Hook's Reading List

One of the many things I have learned for some of the best in the business is that you should never stop learning! So over the years I have made it a point to read two new books a month. One on the subject of sports performance/ strength and conditioning/ fitness, or whatever you want to call it. And one on the business side of things. The following is a list of some of the books on the performance training side of things that I would recommend. Whether you as a trainer or coach agree with what you are reading you should keep an open mind about newly developed training methods and the science behind them! If you are interested in physical fitness, sports performance, athletic development or the human body this is a list of a few books I have found to be some of the best on the subject.


Science:

Basic Biomechanics: 5th Ed, you will need to have a solid understanding of Biomechanics to be a good coach.

Muscles: Testing and Function with Posture and Pain 5th Ed, Classic book that all trainers should have. On the Physical Therapy/Movement Impairment side of things, Very in-depth!

Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes: A good coach/trainer will need to spot musculoskeletal dysfunction.

Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System: Good book on the science of human movement.

Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance Solid book on Applied Physiology (the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of the human body)

ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription a reference for all allied health, fitness and clinical exercises professionals. Everything you want to know about exercise testing.


Mainstream application/training:

Essentials of Strength and Conditioning a solid book that every Strength and Conditioning coach must own. It’s literally the study guide (650 pages) for the NSCA-CSCS test.

Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities Mike Boyle, one of the best in the business, great overall book!

Vertical Jump Development Bible Kelly Baggett, another good read.

Trigger Point Therapy Workbook Self-healing with soft tissue work.

Starting Strength Great teaching resources for compound lifts.

Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness Lee Brown, President of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) from 2006-2009. Full of some good drills.

Jumping into Plyometrics Donald A. Chu, long time S & C coach, basically a list of some good drills.

Men's Health Power Training Coach Dos really knows his stuff! 2006 NSCA strength coach of the year.

Athletic Development: Art & Science of Functional Sports Conditioning Vern Gambetta, Very well know strength coach in many sports.

Core Performance Mark Verstegen, President of Athletes' Performance.

The Poliquin Principles: Successful Methods for Strength and Mass Development

Strength Training Anatomy very cool book about the inside view of the muscles in action during every exercise.

Athletic Body in Balance Gray Cook, fan of his Functional Movement Screen.

Functional Training for Sports Mike Boyle, enough said.

Total Training for Young Champions Dr. Tudor Bompa, great info on youth sports, I read whatever he puts out, very smart guy.

Periodization Training for Sports - 2nd Edition Dr. Tudor Bompa, easy read about program planning and periodization.

Warp Speed Fat Loss Alwyn Cosgrove, another very smart guy, I also read everything he puts out.

Precision Nutrition Dr. John M. Berardi, PhD, great nutrition book, really makes you think.

NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training, Big difference between Personal Trainers & Strength and Conditioning Specialists. I like to have a solid understanding of the general population as well, hence the PT book.

Children and Sports Training Dr. Jozef Drabik, one of the best youth fitness/sports training books.

A System of Multi Year Training in Weightlifting Translated Russian text, difficult read, but great info!

Fundamentals of Special Strength Training in Sport Translated Russian text, difficult read, but great info!

Program and Organization of Training Translated Russian text, difficult read, but great info!


Brian Van Hook, CSCS
Van Hook Sports Performance Training

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The Ten Most Common Biomechanical Weak Links in Athletes

Originally featured at charlespoliquin.com


Even the best athletes are limited by their most significant weaknesses. For some athletes, weaknesses may be mental barriers along the lines of fear of playing in front of large crowds, or getting too fired up before a big contest. Others may find that the chink in their armor rests with some sport-specific technique, such as shooting free throws. While these two realms can best be handled by the athletes’ head coaches and are therefore largely outside of the control of a strength and conditioning coach, there are several categories of weak links over which a strength and conditioning specialist can have profound impacts. These impacts can favorably influence athletes’ performance while reducing the risk of injury. With that in mind, what follows is far from an exhaustive list of the weaknesses that strength and conditioning professionals may observe, especially given the wide variety of sports one encounters and the fact that the list does not delve into neural, hormonal, or metabolic factors. Nonetheless, in my experience, these are the ten most common biomechanical weak links in athletes:


1. Poor Frontal Plane Stability at the Hips: Frontal plane stability in the lower body is dependent on the interaction of several muscle groups, most notably the three gluteals, tensor fascia latae (TFL), adductors, and quadratus lumborum (QL). This weakness is particularly evident when an athlete performs a single-leg excursion and the knee falls excessively inward or (less commonly) outward. Generally speaking, weakness of the hip abductors – most notably the gluteus medius and minimus – is the primary culprit when it comes to the knee falling medially, as the adductors, QL, and TFL tend to be overactive. However, lateral deviation of the femur and knee is quite common in skating athletes, as they tend to be very abductor dominant and more susceptible to adductor strains as a result. In both cases, closed-chain exercises to stress the hip abductors or adductors are warranted; in other words, keep your athletes off those sissy obstetrician machines, as they lead to a host of dysfunction that’s far worse that the weakness the athlete already demonstrates! For the abductors, I prefer mini-band sidesteps and body weight box squats with the mini-band wrapped around the knees. For the adductors, you’ll have a hard time topping lunges to different angles, sumo deadlifts, wide-stance pull-throughs, and Bulgarian squats.


2. Weak Posterior Chain: Big, fluffy bodybuilder quads might be all well and good if you’re into getting all oiled up and “competing” in posing trunks, but the fact of the matter is that the quadriceps take a back seat to the posterior chain (hip and lumbar extensors) when it comes to athletic performance. Compared to the quads, the glutes and hamstrings are more powerful muscles with a higher proportion of fast-twitch fibers. Nonetheless, I’m constantly amazed at how many coaches and athletes fail to tap into this strength and power potential; they seem perfectly content with just banging away with quad-dominant squats, all the while reinforcing muscular imbalances at both the knee and hip joints. The muscles of the posterior chain are not only capable of significantly improving an athlete’s performance, but also of decelerating knee and hip flexion. You mustn’t look any further than a coaches’ athletes’ history of hamstring and hip flexor strains, non-contact knee injuries, and chronic lower back pain to recognize that he probably doesn’t appreciate the value of posterior chain training. Or, he may appreciate it, but have no idea how to integrate it optimally. The best remedies for this problem are deadlift variations, Olympic lifts, good mornings, glute-ham raises, reverse hypers, back extensions, and hip-dominant lunges and step-ups. Some quad work is still important, as these muscles aren’t completely “all show and no go,” but considering most athletes are quad-dominant in the first place, you can usually devote at least 75% of your lower body training to the aforementioned exercises (including Olympic lifts and single-leg work, which have appreciable overlap). Regarding the optimal integration of posterior chain work, I’m referring to the fact that many athletes have altered firing patterns within the posterior chain due to lower crossed syndrome. In this scenario, the hip flexors are overactive and therefore reciprocally inhibit the gluteus maximus. Without contribution of the gluteus maximus to hip extension, the hamstrings and lumbar erector spinae muscles must work overtime (synergistic dominance). There is marked anterior tilt of the pelvis and an accentuated lordotic curve at the lumbar spine. Moreover, the rectus abdominus is inhibited by the overactive erector spinae. With the gluteus maximus and rectus abdominus both at a mechanical disadvantage, one cannot optimally posteriorly tilt the pelvis (important to the completion of hip extension), so there is lumbar extension to compensate for a lack of complete hip extension. You can see this quite commonly in those who hit sticking points in their deadlifts at lockout and simply lean back to lock out the weight instead of pushing the hips forward simultaneously. Rather than firing in the order hams-glutes- contralateral erectors-ipsilateral erectors, athletes will simply jump right over the glutes in cases of lower crossed syndrome. Corrective strategies should focus on glute activation, rectus abdominus strengthening, and flexibility work for the hip flexors, hamstrings, and lumbar erector spinae.


3. Lack of Overall Core Development: If you think I’m referring to how many sit-ups an athlete can do, you should give up on the field of performance enhancement and take up Candyland. The “core” essentially consists of the interaction among all the muscles between your shoulders and your knees; if one muscle isn’t doing its job, force cannot be efficiently transferred from the lower to the upper body (and vice versa). In addition to “indirectly” hammering on the core musculature with the traditional compound, multi-joint lifts, it’s ideal to also include specific weighted movements for trunk rotation (e.g. Russian twists, cable woodchops, sledgehammer work), flexion (e.g. pulldown abs, Janda sit-ups, ab wheel/bar rollouts), lateral flexion (e.g. barbell and dumbbell side bends, overhead dumbbell side bends), stabilization (e.g. weighted prone and side bridges, heavy barbell walkouts), and hip flexion (e.g. hanging leg raises, dragon flags). Most athletes have deficiencies in strength and/or flexibility in one or more of these specific realms of core development; these deficiencies lead to compensation further up or down the kinetic chain, inefficient movement, and potentially injury.


4. Unilateral Discrepancies: These discrepancies are highly prevalent in sports where athletes are repetitively utilizing musculature on one side but not on the contralateral side; obvious examples include throwing and kicking sports, but you might even be surprised to find these issues in seemingly “symmetrical” sports such as swimming (breathing on one side only) and powerlifting (not varying the pronated/supinated positions when using an alternate grip on deadlifts). Obviously, excessive reliance on a single movement without any attention to the counter-movement is a significant predisposition to strength discrepancies and, in turn, injuries. While it’s not a great idea from an efficiency or motor learning standpoint to attempt to exactly oppose the movement in question (e.g. having a pitcher throw with his non-dominant arm), coaches can make specific programming adjustments based on their knowledge of sport-specific biomechanics. For instance, in the aforementioned baseball pitcher example, one would be wise to implement extra work for the non-throwing arm as well as additional volume on single-leg exercises where the regular plant-leg is the limb doing the excursion (i.e. right-handed pitchers who normally land on their left foot would be lunging onto their right foot). Obviously, these modifications are just the tip of the iceberg, but simply watching the motion and “thinking in reverse” with your programming can do wonders for athletes with unilateral discrepancies.


5. Weak Grip: – Grip strength encompasses pinch, crushing, and supportive grip and, to some extent, wrist strength; each sport will have its own unique gripping demands. It’s important to assess these needs before randomly prescribing grip-specific exercises, as there’s very little overlap among the three types of grip. For instance, as a powerlifter, I have significantly developed my crushing and supportive grip not only for deadlifts, but also for some favorable effects on my squat and bench press. Conversely, I rarely train my pinch grip, as it’s not all that important to the demands on my sport. A strong grip is the key to transferring power from the lower body, core, torso, and limbs to implements such as rackets and hockey sticks, as well as grappling maneuvers and holds in mixed martial arts. The beauty of grip training is that it allows you to improve performance while having a lot of fun; training the grip lends itself nicely to non-traditional, improvisational exercises. Score some raw materials from a Home Depot, construction site, junkyard, or quarry, and you’ve got dozens of exercises with hundreds of variations to improve the three realms of grip strength. Three outstanding resources for grip training information are Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield, Grip Training for Strength and Power Sports by accomplished Strongman John Sullivan, and www.DieselCrew.com.


6. Weak Vastus Medialis Oblique (VMO): The VMO is important not only in contributing to knee extension (specifically, terminal knee extension), but also enhancing stability via its role in preventing excessive lateral tracking of the patella. The vast majority of patellar tracking problems are related to tight iliotibial bands and lateral retinaculum and a weak VMO. While considerable research has been devoted to finding a good “isolation” exercise for the VMO (at the expense of the overactive vastus lateralis), there has been little success on this front. However, anecdotally, many performance enhancement coaches have found that performing squats through a full range of motion will enhance knee stability, potentially through contributions from the VMO related to the position of greater knee flexion and increased involvement of the adductor magnus, a hip extensor (you can read a more detailed analysis from me here. Increased activation of the posterior chain may also be a contributing factor to this reduction in knee pain, as stronger hip musculature can take some of the load off of the knee stabilizers. As such, I make a point of including a significant amount of full range of motion squats and single-leg closed chain exercises (e.g. lunges, step-ups) year-round, and prioritize these movements even more in the early off-season for athletes (e.g. runners, hockey players) who do not get a large amount of knee-flexion in the closed-chain position in their regular sport participation.


7 & 8. Weak Rotator Cuff and/or Scapular Stabilizers: I group these two together simply because they are intimately related in terms of shoulder health and performance. Although each of the four muscles of the rotator cuff contributes to humeral motion, their primary function is stabilization of the humeral head in the glenoid fossa of the scapula during this humeral motion. Ligaments provide the static restraints to excessive movement, while the rotator cuff provides the dynamic restraint. It’s important to note, however, that even if your rotator cuff is completely healthy and functioning optimally, you may experience scapular dyskinesis, shoulder, upper back, and neck problems because of inadequate strength and poor tonus of the muscles that stabilize the scapula. After all, how can the rotator cuff be effective at stabilizing the humeral head when its foundation (the scapula) isn’t stable itself? Therefore, if you’re looking to eliminate weak links at the shoulder girdle, your best bet is to perform both rotator cuff and scapular stabilizer specific work. In my experience, the ideal means of ensuring long-term rotator cuff health is to incorporate two external rotation movements per week to strengthen the infraspinatus and teres minor (and the posterior deltoid, another external rotator that isn’t a part of the rotator cuff). On one movement, the humerus should be abducted (e.g. elbow supported DB external rotations, Cuban presses) and on the other, the humerus should be adducted (e.g. low pulley external rotations, side-lying external rotations). Granted, these movements are quite basic, but they’ll do the job if injury prevention is all you seek. Then again, I like to integrate the movements into more complex schemes (some of which are based on PNF patterns) to keep things interesting and get a little more sport-specific by involving more of the kinetic chain (i.e. leg, hip, and trunk movement). On this front, reverse cable crossovers (single-arm, usually) and dumbbell swings are good choices. Lastly, for some individuals, direct internal rotation training for the subscapularis is warranted, as it’s a commonly injured muscle in bench press fanatics. Over time, the subscapularis will often become dormant – and therefore less effective as a stabilizer of the humeral head - due to all the abuse it takes.
For the scapular stabilizers, most individuals fall into the classic anteriorly tilted, winged scapulae posture (hunchback); this is commonly seen with the rounded shoulders that result from having tight internal rotators and weak external rotators. To correct the hunchback look, you need to do extra work for the scapular retractors and depressors; good choices include horizontal pulling variations (especially seated rows) and prone middle and lower trap raises. The serratus anterior is also a very important muscle in facilitating scapular posterior tilt, a must for healthy overhead humeral activity. Supine and standing single-arm dumbbell protractions are good bets for dynamically training this small yet important muscle; scap pushups, scap dips, and scap pullups in which the athlete is instructed to keep the scapulae tight to the rib cage are effective isometric challenges to the serratus anterior. Concurrently, athletes with the classic postural problems should focus on loosening up the levator scapulae, upper traps, pecs, lats, and anterior delts. One must also consider if these postural distortions are compensatory for kinetic chain dysfunction at the lumbar spine, pelvis, or lower extremities. My colleague Mike Robertson and I have written extensively on this topic here. Keep in mind that all of this advice won’t make a bit of difference if you have terrible posture throughout the day, so pay as much attention to what you do outside the weight room as you do to what goes on inside it.


9. Weak Dorsiflexors: It’s extremely common for athletes to perform all their movements with externally rotated feet. This positioning is a means of compensating for a lack of dorsiflexion range of motion – usually due to tight plantarflexors - during closed-chain knee flexion movements. In addition to flexibility initiatives for the calves, one should incorporate specific work for the dorsiflexors; this work may include seated dumbbell dorsiflexions, DARD work, and single-leg standing barbell dorsiflexions. These exercises will improve dynamic postural stability at the ankle joint and reduce the risk of overuse conditions such as shin splints and plantar fasciitis.

10. Weak Neck Musculature: The neck is especially important in contact sports such as football and rugby, where neck strength in all planes is highly valuable in preventing injuries that may result from collisions and violent jerking of the neck. Neck harnesses, manual resistance, and even four-way neck machines are all good bets along these lines, as training the neck can be somewhat awkward. From a postural standpoint, specific work for the neck flexors is an effective means of correcting forward head posture when paired with stretches for the levator scapulae and upper traps as well as specific interventions to reduce postural abnormalities at the scapulae, humeri, and thoracic spine. In this regard, unweighted chin tucks for high reps throughout the day are all that one really needs. This is a small training price to pay when you consider that forward head posture has been linked with chronic headaches.


Closing Thoughts
A good coach recognizes that although the goals of improving performance and reducing the risk of injury are always the same, there are always different means to these ends. In my experience, one or more of the aforementioned ten biomechanical weak links is present in almost all athletes you encounter. Identifying biomechanical weak links is an important prerequisite to choosing one’s means to these ends. This information warrants consideration alongside neural, hormonal, and metabolic factors as one designs a comprehensive program that is suited to each athlete’s unique needs.

OVERTRAINING SYNDROME

Overtraining syndrome most often occurs in athletes who are training for competition or a specific event and train beyond the body's ability to recover.

Your sports season is starting in a few months and it’s time to start training. You want to be in the best condition possible when the first day of practice comes. Most student athletes often throw themselves head-first into their conditioning. After all, isn’t every athlete’s mantra “No pain, no gain”? If you’re not careful this could result in “overtraining syndrome” – more commonly known as “burnout” or “staleness”.



Without a sufficient recovery period after a hard workout the muscles, bones and joints can become too stressed. Of course, some tiredness and a decrease in athletic performance are to be expected after a particularly hard workout. But if, after a few days off or lighter workouts, you find that you’re still feeling fatigued and sore and your athletic ability seems to have “hit a wall”, you might be suffering from overtraining syndrome.

There are several symptoms of overtraining syndrome. The most common symptom is fatigue, accompanied by persistent soreness in the muscles and an increased number of injuries and viral illnesses.

You may also feel easily irritated, have trouble sleeping, become depressed, or even lose the desire to play and compete in your sport. It may be hard for you to distinguish between the average results of a hard workout and overtraining syndrome.
Treatment is fairly simple – rest. The longer you have over-trained, the more rest you will need to recover. That’s why it is important to recognize when you are pushing your body too hard. With early detection, or even prevention, you can avoid the need for a prolonged period of rest. Physicians recommend stopping training for 3-5 days if overtraining has only taken place for a few weeks. After the appropriate rest you may resume training every other day. You should maintain intensity, but workout less. You may increase your workouts until you have reached previously established volume. Severe cases should consult a physician.

The best thing, of course, is to prevent overtraining syndrome from occurring in the first place. Vary your routines so that your muscles have the chance to adapt to the demands. Even if you do find a program that seems particularly successful you need to carefully monitor the length of that program or overtraining could result.

Overtraining syndrome is a very real problem....but one that can easily be avoided if you listen to what your body is telling you and carefully monitor the demands that you place upon your body during conditioning.


Resources.

"The Rest of the Story" Training and Conditioning Magazine

Mark Jenkins MD, The Overtraining Syndrome, SportsMedWeb, Rice University

Test to pinpoint signs of overtraining

Physiology of sport and exercise


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Cocky vs. Confidence

I was thinking about my last post about Usain bolt, some say he is a little too cocky, and I might agree. As I stated in my last post, I was a little pissed when he turned to the crowd before the finish line. Sure he was ahead and still broke a world record, but imagine what his time would have been if he finished the race without turning?

Don’t get me wrong, Usain bolt is a great athlete!!

But, I would have to say there is a big difference between being cocky and having confidence.

Cocky is bold, brash, and brazen along with sassy and saucy. There is self-confidence well hidden under the behavior but it manifests itself rudely most of the time.

Self-confidence is confidence in oneself and in one’s powers and abilities. It’s being secure and having assurance in oneself. Self-confidence is classy.

Usain bolt is a beast

I was just thinking about how much of a beast Usain bolt really is.

A few picks of his starts:




Good extension, straight line from head to heel!





I must say he did piss me off by opening up his stride and turning to the crowd to celebrate before the finish line…..booooo






Well either way he is still a great runner!!

Social intelligence - a coaching necessity!!!

I was just reading a good blog post about social intelligence by Brian Tracy. It made me think about how personal trainers and coaches interact (at least the good ones). It’s more than just knowing the science behind Strength and Conditioning, it’s about how you are able to convey that information, how you interact with your clients/athletes that makes you a great coach/trainer. From experience, I have had some coaches in my past that may have been very knowledgeable about football or strength and conditioning, but really sucked at conveying the information!



In the article Brian Tracy says “85 percent of your success in life is going to be determined by your social skills, by your ability to interact positively and effectively with others and to get them to cooperate with you in helping you to achieve your goals.” wow 85 %, but now that I think about it, he is right on! If you have no personality, and people dont enjoy coming to train with you every week, will they keep coming back? If you’re a coach, will they go the extra mile for you?

I personally had a offensive line coach in Junior College (Mt. Sac) that worked us like DOG's, I mean at the time I think he was trying to kill us...lol. I have never worked that hard in my life! He was mean at times, but he was not disrespectful, he would give phrase when we deserved it, and screamed at us when we screwed up! He was REALLY hard, the hardest coach I ever had, but he was also the best coach I have ever had, I learned a lot! And I am still friends with him to this day.

In short, you can still be a hard SOB, and be a great coach; sure we hated going to practice because we worked like dogs! It was funny because we would MotherF him after practice because he worked us so hard, (he would always say “I know you guys sit at home and MF me”, and we always did!!), but we loved the guy, he was a great coach, we loved playing for him and we would always go the extra mile. We all trusted him that it would all pay off, because he had that way about him!


The point being you can work your players like dogs and they will still love you for it!! If you have great communication skills! If you treat your players with respect and convey your information in a positive way!!!

FYI: We ended up one of the best teams in the country! Our Offensive Line killed people, our RB (1,000 rushing, 1,000 receiving) went to USC and our QB went to K-State.


PS. I will never forget the day we walked into the weight room on the second day of 2-a-days (hell week) and we found a large dog bone on the desk, we all looked at each other like WTF, then coach came in a few minutes later and said "I have worked you all like dogs, so now I'm giving you a bone", we had the day off, the 12 of us Offensive lineman went to the beach for the day and the rest of the team never even said a word about us getting the day off durning 2 a days! (they all said its about time the big guys get a break) O the glory years!

Soccer Strength Training and Conditioning

Soccer is a game that is extremely demanding and is dependent upon many different athletic qualities. Speed, agility, power, quickness, flexibility, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic capacity are all qualities that must be trained to perform at a high level in the sport. A good soccer strength training and conditioning program is designed to address strength, power, mobility, coordination, balance, and reactive ability.


Soccer Strength Training and Conditioning

Strength training plays a huge role in increasing the ability to produce force and ultimately power but also in reducing the chance of injury. By improving an athletes' ability to produce force and capacity to do work, there is an increased potential for the athlete to carry over the force produced to the actual game which can translate into moving faster and at a higher rate, becoming more explosive and making movement much more efficient. Strength training should be balanced and focus on developing all areas of the body to reduce the chance of injury.

The number of days per week that a soccer player should strength train will vary depending on several factors. There are times of the year where volume and intensity must be decreased so that the risk of injury is not increased. Each soccer player will have their own specific needs, but as a rule I would say 2-3 days of strength training depending on the time of year (pre-season, in-season, post-season)

As an example I currently work with a few HS level soccer players 3 days a week, but now that school and regular practice is about to start I will need to adjust the program on a weekly or even a daily basis depending on the athletes needs.



The Program Any well designed program must contain the following:

-Dynamic Warm-up/Dynamic Flexibility
-Core
-Plyometrics (lower/upper)
-Movement Training
-Explosive Movement (jumps/Oly)
-Squat Movements (2 and 1 Leg)
-Upper Body Push (Horizontal and Vertical)
-Bend/Post Chain Movements (SL and BL)
-Upper Body Pull (Horizontal and Vertical)
-Scapulae Stabilization
-Rotator Cuff Endurance
-Glute Activation
-Calf/Anterior Tibialis Strength
-Conditioning
-Tissue Quality (Foam Rollers)
-Tissue Length (Stretching)


I must note that not everything listed will require the same amount of attention! Each athlete will have specific deficiencies that they will need to work on. Some athletes may need more flexibility work than others, while others may need more core work or more posterior chain exercises to enhance glute activation.

This is just a few things a Strength and Conditioning coach should take into considered before sitting down to write the actual training program. Remember, no one program will work for everyone, it might start out the same, but changes need to be made on a weekly or daily basis the individual athletes program.



Brian Van Hook is a Strength and Conditioning Specialist in Las Vegas, NV

I need your help

What kinds of things would you like to see me write about? Is there anything you need my help with or would like me to sound off on? Building muscle? Sports Performance Training? Football, Baseball? How I like my eggs? :)

Let me know in the comments or send me an email (email link on my profile page), and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks Brian

Van Hook Sports Performance Training

No person is 100% right 100% of the time

No person is 100% right 100% of the time

I was reading a post on Craig Ballantyne’s blog the other day and something stuck out in one of the comments a person made in his post “Daily mail plan & 7 day diet”. (FYI: CB is the author of “Turbulence Training”, a great fat loss workout manual full of good info!!) If you don’t know who he is check him out!!

Anyway, this is not really about CB, its more about a person’s comment on his post. Now first off I am all about eating healthy and taking care of my body. I try to eat organic foods, I stay away from junk food/ processed food, but I do enjoy eating desert once in a while, I just don’t go overboard. I do not eat red meat (almost 6 years now). And I stay away from most dairy (bad allergy) soy milk is my choice of milk, and my new drink is almond milk and I love it (really, why almond and not soy?)

Anyway back to my rant about the comment, It stated:

1. Do not microwave your food!

2. Do not eat chocolate!

3. Do not eat ANY dairy! (Cow cheese= bad, something about snot in the body?) But goat cheese is ok…personally I like them both.

4. Do not drink from a blue cup on Tuesdays? (Ok, I made this one up:)

To me it’s all crap!! It’s about living healthy and eating right! If you want to have a slice of cake at your friends B-Day, go for it! Have a glass of beer with the guys go for it! Most things in moderation are ok; it’s when you’re drinking a 12 pack of beer every night and a 3 slices of cake for desert that things are getting out of control.

In a perfect response to the post “The bottom line about longevity is this: Avoid smoking, avoid obesity, avoid addictions, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and stay active and at a healthy weight”

The point is cheating is not going to kill you, overall you need to live a healthy lifestyle, if you’re on a diet and you hate that diet, how long do you think you’re going to stay on that diet till you jump ship?

Just remember:
-Nothing in excess
-Eat your fruit and veggies
-Exercise regularly. Hit the gym, Walk you dog, play with your kids, just do something!
-Cut the Tobacco
-Have fun! Live life and laugh often!




Brian Van Hook, CSCS

I wanna run faster

Hey Hook, how do I run faster? When kids ask me that it’s like there is some magic drill that will make them run faster. Well there is no magic drill or exercises, just a few things you should understand.


Speed can be taught to any athlete who desires to excel in their particular sport. While there is a limitation to the amount of improvement that can be made to an athlete's speeds, all athletes can improve their current training in order to take advantage of abilities that are undeveloped due to improper training strategies.


In developing the speed of any athlete, your ultimate goal is to develop their overall athletic ability. The path we take in focusing on certain skills over others is going to be dependent on a number of factors, including, but not limited to sport, gender, training age, chronological age, etc.

Most of the time coaches and trainers will design a program that is overly complicated. Athletes, in general, have similar strengths and weaknesses. They just have never been taught the correct way to think and move when running, making significant gains to speed and technique is simply a matter of repetition and instruction.


An athlete must develop his/her overall athletic development in order to maximize speed. The following is a list and brief summery of the abilities needed in order to get a better understanding as to why these skills play a role in overall speed development.


SPEED
In order to develop faster acceleration and top speeds, one must practice running at top speed. While this sounds straight forward and obvious, many athletes have never run true speed workouts. Speed work, for our purposes, is defined as 2 - 8 seconds of full intensity sprinting that is performed while an athlete in not in a state of fatigue. Generally speaking it takes approximately 3 minutes of rest to recover. You should not perform speed work in a state of fatigue.

STRENGTH
You cannot get significantly faster without improving the ability to apply greater levels of force to the ground. There are many ways to improve the strength of athletes, such as weight training, plyometrics, medicine ball throws, etc, though the use of certain multi-joint strength training exercises is ideal.

COORDINATION
Even talented young athletes often have a difficult time coordinating the movements required for getting the most out of their ability. The vast majority of coordinative ability is developed during pre-pubescence so developing this skill in younger athletes will have a significant impact on their later development. A primary problem with many athletes' running speed is their running mechanics.
If you have never been taught to run properly or think about running properly you must unlearn years of repeated mechanical errors and reprogram their neuromuscular systems to move in a way that is conducive to running faster.

MOBILITY
Also called 'flexibility', this is often the most overlooked component of speed and athletic development. Most athletes and coaches overuse “static stretching” as a warm up and a complete lack of emphasis on post workout flexibility and recovery. Athletes and coaches must incorporate dynamic movements, progressing from slow to fast, into their practice and competition warm-up in order to recruit maximal muscle fibers and motor units, as well as decrease the likelihood of suffering injury.

EDURANCE
"In shape" for the athletes of one sport may be wildly different from another. Simple proof of this is the differing levels of conditioning that athlete's have when they change sports between seasons. The endurance requirements for a soccer player and a sprinter are considerably different. One sport is almost entirely anaerobic; the other requires significant aerobic development. This won't affect pure speed in the way that the rest of the training program will, but it is of critical importance that an athletes and coach understand the energy system requirements of the particular sport that said athlete is training for. I have met many football coaches that still have their players running 2-3 mile as part of the workout, yet the aerobic requirements for the event don't dictate such training.


Van Hook Sports Performance Training

How would a dysfunction of the foot affect the rest of your body?

By, Brian Van Hook, CSCS
Van Hook Sports Performance Training, Las Vegas, NV


How would a simple impairment in you foot affect the rest of your body?...Really makes you think about the little things!! lets start with something called "Hallux Valgux", so what is that you may ask? well read on and find out!


The big toe of the foot is called the Hallux, and Valgux refers to the abnormal angulation. If the big toe starts to deviate inward in the direction of the fifth toe or “baby toe” the condition is called hallux valgus. As the big toe drifts over into valgus, a bump starts to develop on the big toe over the metatarsal bone. The condition can lead to painful motion of the joint or difficulty with wearing shoes.

Poor muscular integration of the distal segment of the foot such as left foot hallux valgus can result in the dysfunction or impairment of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, the cervical spine, or even resulting in shoulder or elbow pain. A person with hallux valgus changes the way they transfer weight in standing posture, and gait. People with hallux valgus avoid placing weight over the medial part of the foot, and instead place a greater proportion of weight on the lateral portion and posterior portion of the foot.

As we all know changes in normal weight bearing movements affects the entire kinetic chain, from the ankle, knee, hip, and spine to the upper extremities. Hallux valgus can create weak hip lateral rotators as a result of excessive hip medial rotation. This will impinge on the normal length-tension relationships of the lateral subsystem and the anterior subsystem (gluteus medius, abductors/adductors, and tensor fascia lata). The deep longitudinal subsystem (erector spinae, biceps femoris, sacrotuberous ligament, and thoracolumbar fascia) is also affected because the biceps femoris becomes the dominant synergist in push off phase of the gait cycle. This will also affect the erector spinae and sacrotuberous ligament in stabilization of the Sacroiliac joint. The posterior oblique subsystem (gluteus maximus, latissimus dorsi, thoracolumbar fascia) is also affected in creating stability of the Sacroiliac joint during gait. Overactive Sacroiliac joint stabilizers, affected by the force-couple relationships between the deep longitudinal subsystem and the posterior oblique subsystem may affect neuromuscular control resulting in instability during movement.

Changes in gait cycle due to changes in weight displacement may result in excessive lumbar lordosis or excessive thoracic kyphosis. Because the body will find ways to move and to balance despite the dysfunction, several compensatory postural shifts may occur. Anterior head positioning may result in cervical or thoracic misalignment, which may impinge the neural innervations of the shoulders, arms, elbow or hands. The impingements may cause pain and affect neuromuscular control. All subsystems are affected with altered synergistic dominance, force-couple relationships, length-tension relationships, and neuromuscular control. There are many potential dysfunctions in the body, especially when the problem begins at the base of support.


References:
1. Neumann, David A. Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System: Foundations for Physical Rehabilitation. Mosby. 2002.

2. Sahrmann, Shirley A. Diagnoses and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes. Mosby. 2002

4. Athletic training and sports medicine, By Chad Starkey, Glen Johnson, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

5. Hall, S. J. (1999). Basic Biomechanics (3rd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Poor sitting posture

Poor sitting posture is something that can lead to a variety of health problems and is a common cause for back and neck pain. One of the first indicators of poor posture is a slouching or forward head posture. (forward head positioning may also cause impingements to the cervical nerve roots, which may also lead to cervical headaches). Many causes of poor posture include injuries, car accidents, consistent use of computers, and loss of exercise. Something as simple as sitting on your wallet can cause imbalances and poor sitting posture by forcing you body to compensate to keep you head in line with your pelvis.

Depending on the amount of forward lean in the seated position, the lumbar spine can lose its natural curve and its position ranges from neutral alignment to large degrees of flexion. In a forward lean position the stabilizers and lumbar spine extensors are stretched and fatigued, altering their length tension relationship, ultimately affecting their ability to provide stability for normal movements of the lumbar spine, which may increases the risk of injury to this area.

As I am sitting at this computer typing I am trying to maintain a natural lordotic curve, in an effort to do this I may increase my posterior pelvic tilt and have a high degrees of flexion in the cervical spine because I am sitting at a table that is too small for me. Increased rotation of the pelvis/hip places the hip flexors in a shortened position for prolonged periods of time. This position can lead to weakness that affect the normal force coupling and length tension relationship, as a result of the combination of irregular length-tension relationships, improper kinetic chain alignment, and force couple imbalances of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, some people will compensate by using movements through the lumbar spine instead of the hip which greatly places the lumbar spine at risk of injury.

Rotator cuff impingement and an increased risk of potential injury can also be affected by poor sitting posture. Depending on how close you are sitting to your computer desk and how much of a forward lean you may have excessive thoracic kyphosis and anterior flexion positioning of the arms which may result in anterior tilt, protraction, and rotation of the scapula, along with potential slight internal rotation of the humeral head. Your position may lead to tight or weak internal rotators of the shoulder, and fatigued external rotators of the shoulder, increasing the risk of potential injury. The poor alignment may affect tendon attachments of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis.


Posture Confidence