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BioMechanix Blog

Read our Blog regularly for Jon Torerk’s and other BioMechanix staff members latest posts. Jon is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and looks forward to sharing his and his staffs insight into body building, conditioning and injury recovery.

 


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BioMechanix trainers are NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists and Certified Personal Trainers with the expertise to help you achieve your fitness goals. Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, increase flexibility or rehabilitate from a personal injury, we’ll design a custom training program to help you get there.

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Training Clients with Knee Injuries

Do you know how to train, and deal with a client that has a knee injury, or structural concern? Many trainers simply avoid the issue and work around the injury which needs to be addressed, and as a trainer, you will come across clients with previous and current musculoskeletal implications more often than not.

Some of the most common knee injuries or conditions that you will encounter are, patellar tendonitis, patellar tracking dysfunction, chondromalacia patellae, torn meniscus, ACL, LCL, PCL, repair or reconstruction, knee replacements, genu recurvatum, etc…

Typically during your initial assessment and musculoskeletal evaluation with a new client you want to get as much information on the injury or injuries, but for now, we are going to focus on the knees since this is the topic. Find out when and how it happened, and what was the exact procedure and protocol for taking care of the knee. Did it require surgery, and did they go to physical therapy and for how long? Find out if the knee is still symptomatic, or maybe it is asymptomatic at this point.

If the client had a surgical repair or physical therapy, find out their progression from then until now. Contact the surgeon or physical therapist that worked with this client, as you can find exactly what was done, and how far their progression in physical therapy was. If you get a client that is still in physical therapy, then you’re in good shape, as you can work in conjunction with the therapist. As a Strength and Conditioning Coach you want to take the client to the next level, beyond restoration. Your job is to strengthen and stabilize the knee, so it is more mechanically efficient and stronger than it was previously, and to minimize the likelihood of re-injury.

As the client steps down from physical therapy, and you take over, your job is to get the knee as stable as possible by focusing on strengthening all of the musculature of the hip girdle, core, and ankles. By this I mean that you need to strengthen all of the supporting musculature of the knee, not just the ones around the knee, but the musculature more proximal to the core, where the root of knee stability comes from. For example if I wanted to build a table with four legs, and each leg had a movable joint much like a knee, and I needed to attach the legs to the table top with nails and bolts. If I attached three of the legs with only one nail from the top, then attached the fourth leg with glue, a thick bolt from the top going down through the leg, and secured it with braces, the fourth leg would obviously be much more stable then the other three. Let’s just say that all of the joints on the table legs were equally as stable, still the fourth leg would be much more stable than the others. Makes sense right? Well let’s apply that concept to a client’s hip and knee. You need to strengthen the hip adductors, abductors, hip flexors, hip extensors, gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, and all core musculature as mentioned in an earlier article “The Lowdown on Abs”.

If these muscles are not strong then it is impossible for the knee to have good stability, even if the knee musculature is strong.

Typically seated machine leg extensions are contraindicated, because all of the pressure, and sheer force are directly on knee. Also any type of plyometric is as well, such as lunges and jump squats. As a note, utilizing knee wraps while training will only end up detraining stabilizing musculature. Some good choices of exercises to perform are hip flexion/ extension, hip abduction/adduction, standing TKE’s, and proprioception drills on one leg. Don’t forget about the ankle either. Perform soleus raises, calf raises, dorsi flexion, ankle inversion/eversion, and utilize a BAPS board.

If the client is still symptomatic and has a limited range of motion in the knee, less than 60 degrees, then you want to focus on strengthening all of the stabilizing muscles as mentioned above. As their range of motion increases, start incorporating compound multi joint exercises that include knee flexion. A good place to start is with a body weight ball squat, mini squats with adduction or abduction, light weight supine leg presses, and straight leg deadlifts. Another thing to keep in mind with compound lower body movements are to ensure that the clients feet are in the natural position in which they stand, and the feet stay flat on the surface you are working on. Make sure that the knees also follow a straight line in relation to the toes, and that they are not buckling in or outward. This is a good way to tear a meniscus. Take a look and evaluate their mechanics of how they initiate movement in the knee. Watch your client perform a ball or simple squat if they can do so and make sure they are initiating the movement from the hips, rather than the knees. You always want to place the greatest load on the bigger muscle groups first. Initiated from the hips and the knee follows. The knee can go slightly past the toe in flexion, as long as the heel is not lifting up off the floor. If you watch an athlete perform a front squat, the knees will most likely pass over the toe somewhat at the bottom range of the exercise. This is normal mechanics. If you try doing a squat below 90 degrees it is almost impossible not to do so, especially with individuals with long femurs. Try doing a single leg squat, and see what happens. If you want to believe otherwise about the toe not allowed to surpass the knee, then enjoy moving around like a robot.

You also need to ensure that the client has a proper quadriceps to hamstring strength ratio of 3:2, and testing the flexibility ranges of the lower extremities so they are within biomechanical norms. A good way to test lower body flexibility is to utilize the Thomas Test Position, and supine position on a treatment table. If you cannot make a good estimation of degrees, utilize a goniometer. Normal minimal ranges of motion are as follows, hamstring flexibility 90 degrees, glutes 135 degrees, abduction 45 degrees, dorsi flexion 20 degrees, quadriceps 135 degrees, knee extension should be at least 0 degrees or up to 10 degrees past 0, and internal/external rotation of knee is normally 10 degrees to each side. In a Thomas Test Position, hip flexors knee just below line of anterior illiac crest, quads 90 degrees ROM, and Iliotibial band where lateral side of knee is in line with hip.

As the client progresses in strength and flexibility, and can perform compound multi joint exercises with a full range of motion without pain, then it is a good time to teach them eccentric loading techniques. A good place to start is by doing step ups and enforcing good eccentric loading in the landing phase of exercise. Once mastered then they can move into lunges and entry-level plyometrics as discussed in “The Rules of Gravity: Plyometrics”.

In the end, tight or weak muscles will ultimately compromise knee stability, and most likely lead to some kind of injury, and as a final note, these are just basic guidelines for working with an injured knee. If you are not sure what to do, talk to a physical therapist and Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Jon Torerk, CSCS

Maximizing Your Positive and Negative Motions for Power

How fast are you performing your concentric, (positive) and eccentric (negative) motions during a particular exercise? Do you emphasize slow negatives, and forceful positive muscle contractions while lifting weights?
Regarding weight training for general power you should perform exactly that; slow negatives and forceful positive motions to maximize the effect of each repetition for increased power.

The most important factor prior to doing this is that the movement is done correctly, and the athlete maintains a Five Point Contact position, when appropriate with correct mechanics of the lift being performed. So, practicing the lift with good form should be a prerequisite. Once the athlete has the form mastered, then they may incorporate this technique.

Concentric contractions are when the muscle fibers shorten by either pushing or pulling weight against gravity, where the external forces act in the opposite direction of the motion. Eccentric contractions are when the muscle lengthens under tension, where external forces act in the same direction as the motion, lowering weight in the same direction of gravity.

There are several good reasons to perform slow negatives, typically 5-8 seconds in duration. Slow negatives help control the exercise being done by minimizing any unnecessary swinging or movement through good eccentric control. Slow negatives place less stress on the joints and prevent ballistic movements (bouncing), and muscles can handle higher weight loads during the eccentric contraction. For example, if an athlete were to perform the bench press at 225 lbs until muscle failure, the point to where they could no longer press the barbell back to the starting point. They would still be able to perform several negative repetitions, or lowering of the weight with control. Of course the athlete would need a spotter to help bring the weight back to starting position.

Performing fast positive motions innervates more type II muscle fibers, and increases the power output of the muscles involved. This allows for near maximal contractions in the muscles involved in the lift. I usually prefer to call the positives, forceful movements rather than fast, because as the athlete moves on to heavier weights for lower repetitions in the 6-10 range, the positive motions will not actually be fast. Although the effort is at maximal exertion, the weight may not move so rapidly causing the force capability of the muscle to decline, and with an increased speed of contraction, the muscle power increases.

Force production is reciprocally related to velocity of muscle fiber shortening during concentric contractions. During faster movements less force production is possible, and when lifting heavier loads, the slower the speed of movement becomes, even though the weight is being pulled or pushed as forcefully as possible. This phenomenon is different in the eccentric action. As the velocity of eccentric contractions increases, the force production increases in the muscle. Studies have shown that the eccentric force capabilities are 120% to 160% greater than compared to concentric contractions. Studies have also found that when only concentric actions were performed, twice the amount of work had to be performed to get the same effects when eccentric actions were included. Therefore when overloading muscles eccentrically an athlete would require a greater weight load than in a concentric action.

As a note, strength should not be associated with low speeds and power with high speeds. Strength is the maximal capacity that a given muscle group can exert force at any given speed or velocity, and power is the product of force and velocity at whatever the speed, or time rate of doing work. Force is defined as the difference between strength and power at given speeds, or it can be defined as an instantaneous measure of the interaction between two bodies. Force is characterized by magnitude, direction, and point of application.

This is not a replacement for power lifting, but this type of training is a good method of increasing overall power, by just adjusting the speed in which you perform exercises that you may already do. Power lifting may not always be an option for an athlete, due to space and equipment limitations. Prior to attempting any explosive power lifting or Olympic stlye lifts, one should be supervised by a strength and conditioning coach to learn proper power lifting techniques.

Jon Torerk, CSCS

Stretch-Flex-Stretch!

So what kind and type of stretching routine do you do? BioMechanix performs PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation), and Passive Stretching on their clients after their training session to improve flexibility. We also teach AIS (Active Isolative Stretching) routines for our clients to do on their own. Flexibility is defined as the range of possible movement in a joint, and it’s surrounding muscle groups. Although there are many forms of stretching, we are going to go over the three mentioned above.

Why is flexibility important? Your body’s range of motion (ROM) is inhibited by tight muscles, which in turn put your body at risk of tearing and pulling them. Being systematically tight overall will cause unnecessary stress on your joints and bones, causing you to place undue strain on them. This will result in poor body alignment and posture, and create inefficient mechanics. Likewise, being hyper-mobile can cause joint subluxion and dislocation, allowing the joint too much mobility. There are recommended flexibility ranges for your muscles in correlation with your joints. This can be measured by the use of a goniometer in exact degrees. For example, functional ranges of motion measured in a supine position for the hamstring muscle group is between 90 and 110 degrees (male, female), latissimus dorsi 180 degrees, hip adductors 45 degrees, and dorsi flexion of ankle should be 20 degrees ROM.

Stretching should be performed before an athletic event to help prevent injury, and afterward to help prevent muscle soreness. Post activity stretching helps facilitate a greater ROM due to increased muscle temperature. Here at BioMechanix, we refer to this as the “thawing out” stage. It is like taking a piece of frozen meat and letting it thaw out, therefore allowing it to have an increased potential for movement. A frozen piece of meat is very cold and stiff, and is pretty inflexible compared to the thawed out one.

PNF stretching is typically done with a partner that provides manual assistance. The athlete that is being stretched performs alternating contractions of the agonist or antagonist muscle groups. For example when stretching the hamstring muscle groups in a supine position, the athlete being stretched begins an isometric contraction of the quadriceps muscle group and a concentric contraction of the hip flexors. The assisting partner pushes against the leg for a 4-6 second duration, tells the athlete being stretched to relax the contracted muscle group, and then lets off the pressure. This is repeated for three to five times. This is also known as “Contraction-Relax” PNF stretching. Another variation of this is called the “Slow-Reversal –Hold-Relax” PNF stretch. This is when the stretch partner increases the range of motion in the area being stretched immediately after the relax stage of the agonist muscle group.

Passive stretching is similar to PNF, but does not include any muscular contractions. This can be performed with a partner or with the assistance of a rope, or towel. Passive and PNF stretching are great modalities of stretching because they provide assisted resistance against the muscle groups being stretched. They both aid in increased and greater flexibility. It offer’s more of a stretch, that the athlete may be able to attain on their own.

Active Isolation Stretching (AIS) is a fantastic modality for athletes to perform on their own. It involves dynamic muscle and joint movement, an isometric contraction, and stretching of the given muscle group. This type of stretching is very therapeutic and serves as a great pre-activity warm up, and cool down due to increased blood flow to the muscles. Pioneered by Jim and Phil Wharton through the tutelage of Aaron Mattes, Jim and Phil published a book titled “ The Wharton’s Stretch Book- Featuring The Breakthrough Method of Active Isolated Stretching”. Published in 1996, this is a stretching book we recommend to all of our clients. AIS is based on elongating the particular muscle group by direct movement of the joint that corresponds to it, with the aid of a rope or band. Then contracting the immediate, opposing muscle group in an isometric manner. This position is held for a full two-second duration, then relaxing the muscle group, and returning the body part back to starting position. So the sequence is: start position, dynamic joint movement, contraction, increase joint angle by lightly pulling on rope, hold for two seconds, relaxation of muscle, return to start position. The reason for the two second hold is to avoid the onset of the myotatic response. It is an automatic protective mechanism that is triggered within a muscle when it is elongated for duration longer than two seconds, protecting it from tearing or being strained. The idea of a two second hold is to stretch the muscle within the time period before this occurrence takes place.

An example of AIS for the hamstring muscle group would to be in a supine hook lying position. This is done while lying on your back, with both knees bent, and both feet on ground, maintaining a neutral spine and five point contact position. Extending one leg out straight, with a rope around mid foot, slowly raise leg up straight by concentrically contracting hip flexor, not pulling on rope to raise leg. When leg is at furthest it can go, contract quadriceps isometric ally, and pull slightly on rope to get a deeper stretch.
Hold this position for a one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand count and then slowly lower leg to floor without aid of rope. This is repeated five to ten times on each side. The concentric muscle action coupled with the stretch makes this an active, dynamic, stretch routine, causing more blood flow to the surrounding muscle area. This allows the muscle to attain a greater ROM and can also serve as a great warm up. It is an ideal modality to perform prior to engaging in events such as long distance running, skiing, mountain biking, martial arts, and so on.

So how is your flexibility?

Jon Torerk, CSCS

Circuit Training, Super Setting, and Compound Sets.

Athletes often tell me that they are circuit training when they are actually super setting, or compound setting. Lets go over the difference between circuit training, super setting and compound setting. These three types of training programs are different from one another, although somewhat similar in format.

Circuit training is when an athlete performs a series of generally 8 to 12 resistance training movements, in succession, one right after another, then repeating it again for 2-3 more times. Typically they are full body routines and can be done in a relatively short time, within a half hour or so. The work intensity is low around 40-60% of 1RM and a high repetition range of 15-30 reps. Circuit training is targeted at increasing cardiovascular endurance, local muscular endurance, and strength, although the strength gains are moderate at most.

This type of training first became popular when selectorized weight machines, such as the Universal and Nautilus brands were introduced a few decades back. The idea behind circuit training was to incorporate cardiovascular conditioning, strength, and muscular endurance all in one workout. This is a good training routine for beginner athletes to improve overall fitness levels and those looking to improve local muscular endurance. Those who train who train in a non-linear periodization format typically incorporate this type of training into their program, along with other types of resistance training.

Super setting is when a series of 2 to 5 resistance training movements are performed consecutively, one immediately after the other, without rest. They are multiple sets exercises that work agonist muscle groups, then the antagonist group, such as bench press to seated row, or triceps pushdown to biceps curl, so it is a push-pull training format. The work intensity is typically greater than 60% 1RM, with a repetition range of 6-12 repetitions. This type of training is efficient for maximal strength training, allowing the athlete to move from one exercise and immediately to another. Since there is little to no rest between sets, less time is spent resting, allowing for maximal time efficiency.

Compound sets are basically the same as super sets. The difference being that the athlete performs multiple exercises that utilize the same muscle groups back to back. An example of this would be to perform two or three chest exercises in a row, or two to three quadriceps exercises in a row. This creates a greater amount of overload by training a muscle in a fatigued state. This type of training is generally used for muscle hypertrophy.

All of these training formats help improve overall muscular endurance. The main differences with these three types of training are that circuit training focuses more on training type I muscle fibers (low threshold, fatigue resistible motor units, more aerobic in nature), while super setting and compound sets focus on type II muscle fibers (High threshold, highly fatigable, more anaerobic in nature).

Going back to one of my earlier postings, “Ten Tips to a Great Workout” tip number 1, says to “Mix it Up”, start incorporating these three types of training in addition to your regular routine. Remember doing the same old workout time after time again leads to stagnation and plateaus.

Jon Torerk, CSCS

The Lowdown on Abs

I think that it’s pretty safe to say that almost everyone that works out on a regular basis, all have this one goal in common: To attain ripped, washboard like abdominal musculature.  The problem is that most people go about this in the wrong way.  They think that all they need to do is a ton of isolative abdominal exercises.  This is just the icing on the cake.   Consider all of the crunches, and crossovers to be the polishing up act on a good abdominal routine.

Abdominal musculature is part of the core muscle group consisting of the rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, external oblique, internal oblique, serratus anterior, serratus posterior, erector spinae, illiopsoas, coccygeus, Iliacus, psoas major and minor, quadratus lumborum, and the latissimus dorsi.  As you can see there are a lot of deep musculature included within the core.  A well-balanced abdominal routine must include training core musculature to attain that washboard appearance.   There is nothing wrong with doing a lot of isolative abdominal work as long as core training is the primary staple in your strength-training program.

There are many lifts that include core activation, compound ones being the most effective, such as barbell and dumbbell squats, dead lifts, standing shoulder press, power cleans, rotary torso twists, and the use of suspension training straps.

When you get down to doing the exercises that are targeted to just the abdominal musculature, there is a proper sequence in which to train them most effectively.

The primary muscles that compose the abdominal area are the rectus abdominis, which can be divided into the upper and lower abs, and the internal, and external obliques.  The function of the upper abs is to draw the ribcage towards the pelvis. The lower draws the pelvis towards the ribcage, and the obliques stabilize the rib cage allowing twisting or transverse movement.  In order for the lower abs to work, drawing the pelvis towards the rib cage, they must recruit upper abs as well.  So performing an exercise such as a reverse crunch you would recruit both lower and upper abs, and as a note, there technically is not an upper and lower abdominal muscle, but for discussion sake I am calling them as such, so this is easier to follow.

The obliques must also recruit the upper abs in order to perform any twisting movement.  The upper abs can work by themselves in a sense; they do not need the assistance of the obliques and lower abs in order to perform an exercise such as the abdominal crunch.  This then leads us into the order in which the abs should be trained for maximal efficiency.

The lower abs should be trained first, the obliques second, and the upper abs last, so essentially the abs are being worked from compound in nature to more isolative.  In order to use the lower abs and obliques, the upper abs must come into play as well.  If you pre exhaust the upper abs by working them first, the lower abs and obliques cannot be worked as intensely.  By training the lower abs, and obliques first, the upper abs will become pre-fatigued, and then the upper abs will not have to be trained as hard to get a good workout.

Form as always is another important factor to keep in mind.  Remember the five point contact principle comes into play in the start position of abdominal work.  Avoid movements that recruit the psoas allowing the low back to arch away from the floor going into excessive lordosis, or what is known as hyperextension.  If you have a back condition you should probably avoid abdominal exercises that recruit the iliopsoas, such as full sit ups, which pull the pelvis forward and puts unnecessary stress on the low back.  Fast jerky motions will only get you a hurt, and besides that never looks good anyway, unless your power lifting.

In conclusion, a good abdominal routine involves an athlete to perform firstly, compound strength training exercises that recruit core musculature.  This targets all of the deep core musculature.  Then work the abs by doing all of the more isolative abdominal specific exercises.  Overload your abdominal musculature, forcing them to do more work than they are used to.  Try using variations other than a set number of repetitions, try doing a specific exercise for specific time duration.  Use a wide variety of abdominal exercises so your routine is not always the same and to keep it more interesting, and remember to add in aerobic activity to keep a balanced routine and to help accentuate those abs you work so hard for.

Jon Torerk, CSCS

The Rules of Gravity: Plyometrics

Are you or your clients ready for plyometrics?

First let’s define what plyometric exercises are.  Plyometrics are movements such as jumping or an exercise where the body leaves the ground in a forceful manner. They are exercises that enable a muscle to reach maximal force in the shortest amount of time. They are categorized under muscular power.  Therefore they are quick powerful movements involving a pre-stretch, or countermovement of the muscle group being used, known as the stretch shortening cycle.

The stretch shortening cycle happens when a musculotendinous unit is elongated in an eccentric manner and what is known as the series elastic component, (SEC) undergoes elongation acting much like a spring being stretched out and lengthened, which in turn causes elastic energy to be stored.  When this is immediately followed by a concentric contraction, this stored energy contributes to the total force production in which the muscles and tendons return to their natural unstretched state.  This transition period between the eccentric and concentric contractions is known as the amortization phase. If a concentric contraction does not take place immediately after the eccentric loading phase or the (SEC), then this stored energy is lost and it is dissipated as heat.

Therefore, when the elastic energy within the musculotendinous complex is increased by the SEC of a rapid eccentric action, and it is immediately followed by an instantaneous concentric contraction. The stored energy from the SEC is released, increasing total force production.

Now that we have a better understanding of what happens physiologically with plyometric activity, there are a battery of tests to identify if an athlete is ready for this type of training.  The following tests will determine if the athlete possess a sufficient baseline of speed, strength, and agility to perform plyometric work.  Prior to doing these tests the athlete must demonstrate proper form and mechanics for each exercise to reduce risk of injury and maximize the benefit of plyometrics within a strength training program.

For upper body strength an athlete who weighs less than 220 lbs, should be able to bench press 1.5 times their own body weight for a one repetition max (1RM).   Athletes over 220 lbs should be able to bench 1.0 times their body weight for a 1RM.  To test speed they should be able to perform 5 bench presses with 60% of their body weight in 5 seconds or less.  Both need to be done with perfect form.

Lower body strength requirements for athletes would to be able to barbell squat at least 1.5 times their body weight for a 1RM.  For speed they must be able to perform 5 repetitions of the squat at 60% of their 1RM in 5 seconds or less.  Both need to be done with proper form and no biomechanical breakdown.

Another important requirement is that the athlete must be able to demonstrate good eccentric loading techniques.  This is how well they can control the speed in an eccentric manner, letting the muscles absorb the impact of weight resistance to minimize joint damage.  Let’s take a step up for example.  The landing phase of a step up is when the foot comes in contact with the floor as they step back down from an elevated platform, returning to start position.  The athlete must demonstrate good control in the eccentric contraction to land in a controlled manner, rather than slamming down on the floor with very little control.  Step up’s are plyometric in nature and are considered to be a low intensity one.

These tests are a good method of testing your clients or athletes to see if they fulfill the minimal standards for performing high intensity plyometrics.

Start with low intensity, and work up to a higher intensity level.  This way you can monitor their mechanics and progression.

So the next time you perform plyometrics with a client or athlete, take them through these tests first to minimize any chance of injury.  You can’t just have someone do plyometrics if they don’t fulfill these speed, strength, and eccentric loading techniques.

Jon Torerk, CSCS

Forward Head Rounded Shoulders Posture, a Common Condition

Forward head rounded shoulders (FHRS) is a fairly common condition.  In fact most of the human population would be categorized under this. FHRS refers to the upper body pertaining to head and shoulder positioning.

Normal, or what we call desirable upper body positioning would be where, if you looked at a subject directly from the side facing either the right or left shoulder, the medial section of the deltoid would be facing directly at you.  The deltoid muscle is composed of three separate heads, the anterior head, medial head, and the posterior head. The medial head is the middle part of the deltoid between the anterior and posterior heads.

Desirable head positioning would be while looking straight ahead and your cheekbone, (zygomatic process) would be in a straight line directly superior of your clavicle, and just slightly anterior of it.

A FHRS posture would be when the posterior head of the deltoid is facing more anterior and the shoulder appears rounded forward.  As a result of this, the individuals head is pushed more forward than what would be considered normal, giving the appearance of a “turtle” like posture.

In most cases this is correctable.  If you or your client fall into this category then you want to perform a 2:1 or 3:1 pull / push ratio for back and chest exercises while weight training. In other words you want to do more back than chest exercises.  Focus on strengthening all the areas of the upper back, such as the scapular area, rhomboids, and posterior deltoid.  Generally overhand pulling motions recruit upper back musculature, such as front neck pull downs, and overhand seated rows.  Do scapular retraction exercises, and perform reciprocating movements, like tin soldiers, and quadrupeds to elongate the musculature of back and spine.

You will be surprised at how many people have difficulty with scapular retraction exercises.  They either can’t do it, or use too much of the trapezius to pull the weight.  For all pulling exercises you want to minimize the recruitment of trapezius muscle group.  While performing pulling exercises, keep the shoulders depressed as much as possible, and don’t push your neck forward as you pull.  With practice your pulling technique will get better.  When you understand how your scapular muscles work, then all upper body exercises will become more efficient.

In the end you should have about a 1:1 back to chest strength ratio. Too much chest work and volume will actually pull your shoulders forward.  Many athletes, especially men are guilty of doing more chest than back work while weight training.

One of the basic foundations of creating a strength based training program should be based off of your postural needs.  You certainly don’t want to make your posture worse as a result of a poorly designed program.  Maybe you are in need of a postural assessment, and an overhaul of your program design work ratios.

Jon Torerk, CSCS

Tools of the Trade, Lifting Straps, Wraps, and Weight Belts

Many professional power lifters, and body builders make use of lifting straps, wraps, and weight belts, because they offer extra support, or prolonged grip while working with heavy weight.

Wraps are generally used to provide greater support and protect joints from incurring injury while working with substantially heavier loads.  Straps help an athlete grip and hold on to a bar, or dumbbell for a longer duration than normal.  Weight belts help stabilize the spine and core by increasing inter-abdominal pressure, and aiding in supporting core musculature during many lifts, such as squats, dead lifts, and shoulder press.

The only time an athlete should utilize any of this equipment is when they are performing max lifts, such as power cleans, squats, or bent over rows.  This is only true when the athlete performs high intensity, low repetition sets, around a one to three repetition range. Then these tools are used as a safety precaution, to prevent injury.

Utilizing them while training during all lifting activities, in turn actually detrains the athlete.  As mentioned earlier, they should only be used during max lifts.  Using them while performing non-maximal lifts can promote the detraining of stabilizer muscle groups that are supposed to work during a particular lift.  For example while performing a dead lift, maintaining a neutral spine and tight abdominal musculature is an important component to the proper mechanics of this lift.  Wearing a belt can cause your core musculature to relax and can contribute to their weakness, which in turn can be detrimental to proper form.

When training my own clients, I do not allow them to use any of these items.  I teach them proper weight lifting mechanics without the aid of these tools.  The only time I utilize straps, wraps, or belts, are when they are performing low repetition, heavy power lifts, or max lifting.  These particular clients are also at an advanced level of training.  Lifting heavy requires immaculate form, and that takes some time to master, especially in regard to power lifting.

Weight training in general should be as functional as possible.  The use of straps, wraps, and belts are mostly tools for cheating the muscles of any work they should be doing.  Training without them will actually make you stronger, more functional, and overall a better athlete.  In other words, you should never use a weight belt when lifting less than maximal loads.

Keep training simple without all the gadgets.  Get rid of all of those straps, wraps, belts, gloves, and pads while your training. Get used to holding the weights with your bare hands.  Rid yourself of that pad on the barbell while squatting, and get used to that bare bar on your shoulders.  What happens if you forget your sissy pad, you’re not going to train that day?

Chances are if you unsuspectingly need to lift something heavy, you wont have any of these items with you anyway.  Get your body used to lifting in its purest form, without the use of these tools. They are what I refer to as “ crutches”. They will only end up debilitating you.

Jon Torerk, CSCS

Working out with the perfect Trainer

(Magazine article taken from Kiplinger’s / November 2003 / Sean O’Neill)

At the University of Connecticut’s Human Performance Laboratory, you won’t hear the clank of free weights or the whine of a treadmill. Instead, the rooms hum with the sound of data-recording devices and smell less like a locker room than a library.  Here lab research director William Kraemer’s grad students biopsy muscle fiber, use x-rays to figure muscle mass and test how hormones affect muscle structure.

The data pouring from this lab and others like benefit more than just pro athletes and Olympians, says Kraemer, who holds a PhD in physiology and biochemistry.  A personal trainer schooled in the techniques that spring from this research can show you the best ways to become stronger faster, and less prone to injury, he says, In fact, given the advances in research, a book-smart trainer trumps over one who is merely buff.  Says Kraemer: “Would you let someone without a degree in accounting do your taxes just because he wears eyeglasses and looks smart?”

Good trainers can be well worth the $40-$95 an hour they typically charge.  Kraemer co-authored a study that found exercisers who used trainers could lift 46% more weight after three months than those who did not, even though both groups had performed the same number of bench presses.

TOP TRAINER TRAINERS

But how do to choose from among the more than 62,000 people who call themselves personal trainers, especially when there are scores of trainer certifications?  Kraemer says the best professionals are those certified as “Health/fitness instructors” by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) or “personal trainers” or “Strength and Conditioning Specialists” by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The organizations also provide training towards the certifications.  You can find trainers with these credentials at the ACSM’s website (www.acsm.org/certification) and the NSCA’s website (www.nsca-lift.org/cptreferrals).

To earn certification, trainers must pass a battery of tests, among them demonstrating exercises that train different muscle groups.  They must also prove that they can measure heart rate, blood pressure, body fat, and other data.  And each group requires that  its trainers keep up on the latest advances through continuing education.

A good trainer will develop an exercise program that customizes the intensity, order and frequency of exercises to your age, health, and goals, says Kraemer.  Your trainer should spend time measuring your current fitness levels.  Recording data such as your body fat percentage and how many leg presses you can do with a set weight. The trainer should also tell you how much these numbers should improve by a specific date, so you can measure your progress and the trainers effectiveness.  Be wary of signing up for an endless string of sessions.  Up to 20 sessions should be enough to master a set of conditioning routines and may be all the trainer time you need

Key to the success of such a training regimen, scientists now think, is variation. “Lifting more and more weight by itself doesn’t do enough,” says Kraemer.  You will get stronger faster by varying the number of repetitions, the heaviness of the weight you heft and the muscle groups you target, he says.  Studies show you should pump weights that vary in heaviness but average 60% of the maximal you can hoist with each muscle group.

Kraemer’s lab recently tested such a trainer-led routine in which participants did ten exercises three times a week.  One 32-year-old man increased his weight-lifting capacity from a squat position from 220 to 330 pounds and knocked ten percentage points off his body fat in six months.

MOTIVATIONAL TRICKS

Some people hire trainers for motivation, either because of the enthusiasm a trainer brings or because they feel guilty if they miss a session.  But don’t rely on a personal trainer for motivation, says Kraemer.  If you do, you might need a trainer for life, which could get expensive.

If the trip to the gym takes too much time and effort, Kraemer suggests that you ask your trainer to draw up a batch of exercises that you can do at home.  If you’re  exercising properly, you shouldn’t need a two hour session at a well equipped gym every day anyway, although some gym sessions will be necessary.  For example, one day you could do a half hour of dumbbell lifts at home, targeting a set of muscle groups and the next day do cardiovascular exercise, such as take a bike ride.

Don’t expect a personal trainer to be an expert on weight loss, says Kraemer. To scale down your body, find a dietitian (check with the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org/public). Let your trainer know your new diet so it can be coordinated with your workout regimen.

—-Reporter: Katy Marquardt

BioMechanix
Strength & Conditioning
Clinic

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Los Angeles, CA  90034
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