So I have had some questions recently about what I would call fitness fads. This is not a first for me. I used to train athletes in a fitness center and I would periodically get questions from all types of people on the latest fitness fad. So since I did not get an article out last week I thought that I would do this one in addition to the kettle bell article.
I will try to touch on several different fitness fads in this article and shine as much light as I can. I am sure that I will not answer all of the questions that you have but if you shoot me an e-mail I can follow up in another article. I kind of feel like I am on Mythbusters.
First let’s deal with all of the products out there that claim they are the greatest exercise for your abs. As a colleague of mine says, "anything claiming to give you a six pack should set off your B.S. detector." These products have a few major flaws: 1. there is no such thing as localized spot mobilization. So just because you are working your abs, doesn’t mean that you are burning fat from there. In fact you are burning the same fat that you would be if you were jumping up and down, which coincidently will burn a greater amount of calories and will actually give you a six pack faster than the AB BLASTER 2000. 2. Isolated movements only work one muscle group. This is a waste of time. Why work just one muscle group if you can work 5 or 10 at once? Besides working multiple muscles at the same time is the way that our body naturally functions. So why not exercise the same way? In addition you will be burning a heck of a lot more calories, and working close to the illusive "rock hard abs."
The next topic I really didn’t want to touch on. But since I have had a list of questions about it, here goes. This topic involves pills. Let me first say this, THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR DIET AND EXERCISE. That should be all I have to say, but I know that I will get e-mails that want me to explain so I will save you the time. Good old fashion exercise: you can not replicate the benefits of this, period. Exercise increases your resting metabolism, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, gives you higher energy levels, better sleep, and so on. The list is almost endless. Have any of you read or heard the myth that you can get a great workout in less than 10 minutes. That is just false. You really need to elevate your heart rate for at least 20 minutes, if not up to 60 minutes a day. Exercise is great for you and will have lasting benefits in your life. DO IT!!! As for the diet, you can not eat a bunch of junk, take a pill and expect to loose weight. This requires self discipline, which in today's culture is a four letter word. It is a simple equation that if the number of calories taken in is less than the number of calories that are burned, you will lose weight, and you do not need to spend a small fortune on gadgets to make this succeed.
Kcal in < Kcal out = weight loss
To stay on this topic, let me say that no matter what you take you will not change your resting metabolic rate, and the only way to change it is through exercise. Now there are things that temporarily raise it, but nothing that does it in a healthy way, and nothing that you will not eventually become used to and stop responding to, with the exception being exercise.
There is a lot more that I could cover on just these topics and an almost endless supply of crap out there, so if you want me to go over anything else let me know.
tkolb@northernmichigansportsmed.com
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Keepers and Throwbacks
Keepers and throwbacks, kind of a catchy name, well I have to admit I stole the title from an article written by, Glenn Buechlein, but the topics which I am proposing are different than that which Glenn talked about, and so I wanted to pass my thoughts on to you. I am going to start out with an analogy; imagine you are at a buffet, but the catch is you can only go up one time and take only one plate. Well what can you do? You only have one choice fill the plate up with the most important food and forget the rest until next time. Well the same is true in your training, you can only fit so much into one training workout or cycle. When you add something, there is inevitably something that is going to need to decrease. That is just the way it is, if you don’t you will end up overtrained, injured, or burnt-out, none of which are productive for a successful season.
“But Tanner you keep giving me exercises to do?” That’s right I do and the reason is that I want to offer new variety to your workouts. “If you always do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got.” Different people need different things, player A may need to work on his explosiveness so we will show him a new exercise to do that, while player B may need to work on his endurance and so we will add in some more GPP for him.
If you see an exercise here or anywhere else that you think will help then by all means add it in, but you will need to take something out. Over time you will find out what exercises work the best for you and which ones don’t do a thing, and you will be able to decide the most effective path for your training. Working smart is more important than working hard.
Your body will respond differently to different exercises, and not only that, it will respond differently to the same exercises at different training ages. I will give you an example of this; when I first started training I responded very well to hex bar dead lifts. It seemed that when ever I did these I just got stronger, great right? Well today if I want the same effect I need a new exercise, like good mornings. So as your training age increases what you need to do changes, so get with someone who can help you figure out the best thing for you at this time in your training.
“But Tanner you keep giving me exercises to do?” That’s right I do and the reason is that I want to offer new variety to your workouts. “If you always do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got.” Different people need different things, player A may need to work on his explosiveness so we will show him a new exercise to do that, while player B may need to work on his endurance and so we will add in some more GPP for him.
If you see an exercise here or anywhere else that you think will help then by all means add it in, but you will need to take something out. Over time you will find out what exercises work the best for you and which ones don’t do a thing, and you will be able to decide the most effective path for your training. Working smart is more important than working hard.
Your body will respond differently to different exercises, and not only that, it will respond differently to the same exercises at different training ages. I will give you an example of this; when I first started training I responded very well to hex bar dead lifts. It seemed that when ever I did these I just got stronger, great right? Well today if I want the same effect I need a new exercise, like good mornings. So as your training age increases what you need to do changes, so get with someone who can help you figure out the best thing for you at this time in your training.
GPP
A topic that I thought that I should touch on early, is that of GPP, which stands for general physical preparedness. In simple terms it means that you are able to accomplish those tasks that you choose to set for your self. For example if I need to be able to make it through 32 minutes of play but I am getting tired as I get into the 4th quarter then I need to increase my GPP work. This means that I am unable to accomplish a task that I set for myself, specifically playing through a basketball game.
Ok so now that I have defined it, what can we do to increase it? There are many options that you can use to help increase your GPP, but it is not as simple as just going for a run. By the way, I think this is a good thing, because who really likes to run? GPP training should incorporate variety, and not just from day to day, but even within a single training session. We need to incorporate as many muscles and movments as possible when we are training for GPP because "athletics is not isolation." This is why just going for a run doesn’t work, unless your sport is distance running.
Some examples of GPP are sled dragging, which is one of my favorite ways to increase GPP, due to the endless possibilities. Other options are box jumping, which can be done for time or reps, sand bag shouldering, again done for time or reps. Many other "calisthenics" exercises can be used also, such as squatting. When doing this I would work with the Tabata interval of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for a total of 8 sets lasting a mere 4 minutes. If running is your only option for your GPP training then do some type of interval sprinting.
There are other exercises but this should be good to get you rolling. Most of the advanced GPP exercises look like stuff you see on the Worlds Strongest Man, and are great for team competitions, or extra Saturday workouts. Again if you have any questions shoot me an email at tkolb@northernmichigansportsmed.com and I will address them as soon as possible.
Ok so now that I have defined it, what can we do to increase it? There are many options that you can use to help increase your GPP, but it is not as simple as just going for a run. By the way, I think this is a good thing, because who really likes to run? GPP training should incorporate variety, and not just from day to day, but even within a single training session. We need to incorporate as many muscles and movments as possible when we are training for GPP because "athletics is not isolation." This is why just going for a run doesn’t work, unless your sport is distance running.
Some examples of GPP are sled dragging, which is one of my favorite ways to increase GPP, due to the endless possibilities. Other options are box jumping, which can be done for time or reps, sand bag shouldering, again done for time or reps. Many other "calisthenics" exercises can be used also, such as squatting. When doing this I would work with the Tabata interval of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for a total of 8 sets lasting a mere 4 minutes. If running is your only option for your GPP training then do some type of interval sprinting.
There are other exercises but this should be good to get you rolling. Most of the advanced GPP exercises look like stuff you see on the Worlds Strongest Man, and are great for team competitions, or extra Saturday workouts. Again if you have any questions shoot me an email at tkolb@northernmichigansportsmed.com and I will address them as soon as possible.
Good Morning
The Good Morning is in my opinion one of the best non-explosive exercises that an athlete can do. When it is performed correctly you will work essentially every muscle from you calves all of the way up into your traps. I would call that a full body exercise. In addition we are working the muscles that we use in sprinting and jumping, our glutes and hamstrings. Now to begin this exercise, un-rack a barbell just as you would for a squat, or simply place the bar on your upper back where it is comfortable. Due to the amount of hip flexion you will want a high bar placement. Set up your feet so they are slightly wider than shoulder width. Get into a tight position with your back arched and shoulder blades pulled together; I call this “bullet-proofing” your back. Knees should be straight or slightly bent and your abs contracted. If you choose to have some bend in your knees, make sure that the angle of the knee joint stays the same throughout the entire movement. From this starting position slowly bend forward at the waist until your back begins to round or hump, as soon as this happens reverse the movement to return to the starting position. Your goal is to have a straight or slightly scooped back throughout the entire movement. Never let your head drop and back round, as this can lead to injury.
The first time that you do this you will probably be a bit sore the next day so ease it into your workouts. Once or twice a week is sufficient to bring up the posterior chain. In the future I will add some other variations to the good morning to keep some variety in your workouts.
The first time that you do this you will probably be a bit sore the next day so ease it into your workouts. Once or twice a week is sufficient to bring up the posterior chain. In the future I will add some other variations to the good morning to keep some variety in your workouts.
Goals
I don’t know about you but I really need to have a reason to do something and stick with it. For example, how many people would go to work if they didn’t get paid? How many kids would go to high school if they could just be accepted into college and get a great job? I think the answer is, not many. People do things because they have a reason; in other words they have goals. The same should be true in your training, you need to have goals.
For me I love to get in the gym and work out, but there are days that it is just hard to walk through the door. On those hard days I really have to look at the goals that I have set for myself. If you are an athlete you should have goals that you set for yourself. It is helpful to have goals that you set for different timelines. Try asking yourself these questions: What do you want to accomplish in the next workout, the next month, or in this up coming season? When you have answers to these questions, then it is time to decide exactly what you have to do to accomplish those goals, and then go do it. Mike Hanley said, “if you walk into the weight room with no agenda except to workout, then you won’t achieve much.” This could not be more true! I don’t think that I have ever talked to a coach that went into a game saying, “Oh, we will just see what happens.” You need to have a game plan for your training also.
When you go in for a training session, whether it is in the weight room or on the court your goal should be to work harder, to lift more, to be more accurate, or whatever it is you need to work on. You need to have a goal and a plan, and then aim for that goal. Being successful in the weight room is directly correlated to how an athlete perceives himself on the court. There is no formula that says “if I squat 400 I will be a state champion,” but I can tell you that if you start the off season squatting 200 pounds and increase your squat to 300 pounds, you will be a better player. Not only a better player, but you will have gained self confidence and will have started the process of gaining a good work ethic.
For me I love to get in the gym and work out, but there are days that it is just hard to walk through the door. On those hard days I really have to look at the goals that I have set for myself. If you are an athlete you should have goals that you set for yourself. It is helpful to have goals that you set for different timelines. Try asking yourself these questions: What do you want to accomplish in the next workout, the next month, or in this up coming season? When you have answers to these questions, then it is time to decide exactly what you have to do to accomplish those goals, and then go do it. Mike Hanley said, “if you walk into the weight room with no agenda except to workout, then you won’t achieve much.” This could not be more true! I don’t think that I have ever talked to a coach that went into a game saying, “Oh, we will just see what happens.” You need to have a game plan for your training also.
When you go in for a training session, whether it is in the weight room or on the court your goal should be to work harder, to lift more, to be more accurate, or whatever it is you need to work on. You need to have a goal and a plan, and then aim for that goal. Being successful in the weight room is directly correlated to how an athlete perceives himself on the court. There is no formula that says “if I squat 400 I will be a state champion,” but I can tell you that if you start the off season squatting 200 pounds and increase your squat to 300 pounds, you will be a better player. Not only a better player, but you will have gained self confidence and will have started the process of gaining a good work ethic.
Core
Core
It is kind of ironic, since the title of this article is a word that I absolutely despise. The reason is this. I think that every "Joe Shmoe" out there who is trying to sell a fitness product will attach the word "core" or "functional" to it and “wa-la” you have a ground breaking apparatus that is really a piece of crap. In addition to that, having a strong core does not equate a six pack or visa-versa, nor does it mean that you are a great athlete. OK I know that I have digressed a bit, but I think you see where I am coming from. The only reason that I use the term, “Core”, here is so that way everyone can relate and know exactly what I am talking about.
First of all I think that it is important to talk about what exactly the core does, and what muscle groups it is made of. Generally speaking the core is where the power of the body is initiated for almost all athletic movements. In addition, this is where our support comes from as we carry out our athletic endeavors. Your core is also where the majority of your balance comes from. The muscles that make up the core are most notably the abdominals, but also include the lower back muscles, your hip flexors, hamstrings, and all of the glute musculature. It is easily seen in the diagram below; the most important muscles are those in the center, and as we work our way out the muscles become less important.
After identifying the musculature, the next step is to look at how it works, especially when we are in the midst of athletics. Obviously in basketball we use our hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes in jumping and sprinting. Some other musculature that I did not mention earlier would be that of our hip abductors and adductors, which are critical in all lateral movement. So for the most part all of these muscles do quick explosive movements, thus they should be trained using quick explosive movements. Some examples of these are Olympic lifts; clean, jerk, and snatch. Also plyometrics work very well for developing quickness in muscles.
Finally, I would like to touch on the muscles of the abs and low back. These muscles function quite a bit differently than those mentioned before. Their primary action is an isometric contraction otherwise known as a static hold. They do not need to lift vast amounts of weight, but do need to be able to support and stabilize your body all day long and while performing in athletics. In my opinion the best way to train these muscles is to do overhead lifting. Anytime you do a lift where you use your upper and lower body at the same time you are required to use you "core" in order to connect them together.
As for balance I will touch on that in a later article specifically about the topic, and how to improve it. Questions and comments always welcome, tkolb@northernmichigansportsmed.com.
It is kind of ironic, since the title of this article is a word that I absolutely despise. The reason is this. I think that every "Joe Shmoe" out there who is trying to sell a fitness product will attach the word "core" or "functional" to it and “wa-la” you have a ground breaking apparatus that is really a piece of crap. In addition to that, having a strong core does not equate a six pack or visa-versa, nor does it mean that you are a great athlete. OK I know that I have digressed a bit, but I think you see where I am coming from. The only reason that I use the term, “Core”, here is so that way everyone can relate and know exactly what I am talking about.
First of all I think that it is important to talk about what exactly the core does, and what muscle groups it is made of. Generally speaking the core is where the power of the body is initiated for almost all athletic movements. In addition, this is where our support comes from as we carry out our athletic endeavors. Your core is also where the majority of your balance comes from. The muscles that make up the core are most notably the abdominals, but also include the lower back muscles, your hip flexors, hamstrings, and all of the glute musculature. It is easily seen in the diagram below; the most important muscles are those in the center, and as we work our way out the muscles become less important.
After identifying the musculature, the next step is to look at how it works, especially when we are in the midst of athletics. Obviously in basketball we use our hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes in jumping and sprinting. Some other musculature that I did not mention earlier would be that of our hip abductors and adductors, which are critical in all lateral movement. So for the most part all of these muscles do quick explosive movements, thus they should be trained using quick explosive movements. Some examples of these are Olympic lifts; clean, jerk, and snatch. Also plyometrics work very well for developing quickness in muscles.
Finally, I would like to touch on the muscles of the abs and low back. These muscles function quite a bit differently than those mentioned before. Their primary action is an isometric contraction otherwise known as a static hold. They do not need to lift vast amounts of weight, but do need to be able to support and stabilize your body all day long and while performing in athletics. In my opinion the best way to train these muscles is to do overhead lifting. Anytime you do a lift where you use your upper and lower body at the same time you are required to use you "core" in order to connect them together.
As for balance I will touch on that in a later article specifically about the topic, and how to improve it. Questions and comments always welcome, tkolb@northernmichigansportsmed.com.
Box Squat
Box Squat
The box squat is my absolute favorite way to squat; not only is it my favorite way, but it is probably the best way to learn to squat correctly too. When you perform a box squat correctly you must sit way back onto the box and this will teach you to load the hips, glutes, and hamstrings, which are all essential in quality athletic movements such as sprinting and jumping. In addition this will help you push your knees out and allow you to keep correct muscle alignment for all athletic movements.
To start you will want to select a box height, which can be very confusing for most people. I will typically have beginners use a parallel or slightly lower than parallel box. Parallel is where the crease of your hips is lower than the top of the knee. With advanced lifters I will cycle through different size boxes, from 12” boxes to taller boxes.
Now that you have the right height box you are ready to begin. To start the box squat you will want to unrack the bar from the squat rack; you can use either a high or low bar position, or just wherever the bar is comfortable. Once in a standing position with the bar on your back squeeze your shoulder blades together. The result of this is that you stick out your chest. I call this “bullet-proofing” your back and it is a position that should be used in many different lifts. From your “bullet-proofed” position fill your chest with air and harden your abs and then stick your butt back. You are now ready to descend. Sit down and back onto the box while pushing the knees out in order to recruit your hips. When on the box your knees should not be past your toes, and ideally your shins are perpendicular to the floor. While on the box keep your back arched and relax your hips. Now keeping your back arched and your knees pushed out “push the floor down” and stand up in a powerful movement. Squeeze your butt as you stand.
Typically when you first start you will have a tendency to drive the legs and not keep the back arched. This can cause you to go into a good morning position which is not ideal for this exercise. Also it is common to not sit back far enough on the box resulting in the knees being past the toes. So these are some things to watch out for. The box squat is a great exercise that trains the posterior chain and is key in all athletic activities.
E-mail me and let me know if you have any questions on form or technique and I will answer your questions. tkolb@northernmichigansportsmed.com
The box squat is my absolute favorite way to squat; not only is it my favorite way, but it is probably the best way to learn to squat correctly too. When you perform a box squat correctly you must sit way back onto the box and this will teach you to load the hips, glutes, and hamstrings, which are all essential in quality athletic movements such as sprinting and jumping. In addition this will help you push your knees out and allow you to keep correct muscle alignment for all athletic movements.
To start you will want to select a box height, which can be very confusing for most people. I will typically have beginners use a parallel or slightly lower than parallel box. Parallel is where the crease of your hips is lower than the top of the knee. With advanced lifters I will cycle through different size boxes, from 12” boxes to taller boxes.
Now that you have the right height box you are ready to begin. To start the box squat you will want to unrack the bar from the squat rack; you can use either a high or low bar position, or just wherever the bar is comfortable. Once in a standing position with the bar on your back squeeze your shoulder blades together. The result of this is that you stick out your chest. I call this “bullet-proofing” your back and it is a position that should be used in many different lifts. From your “bullet-proofed” position fill your chest with air and harden your abs and then stick your butt back. You are now ready to descend. Sit down and back onto the box while pushing the knees out in order to recruit your hips. When on the box your knees should not be past your toes, and ideally your shins are perpendicular to the floor. While on the box keep your back arched and relax your hips. Now keeping your back arched and your knees pushed out “push the floor down” and stand up in a powerful movement. Squeeze your butt as you stand.
Typically when you first start you will have a tendency to drive the legs and not keep the back arched. This can cause you to go into a good morning position which is not ideal for this exercise. Also it is common to not sit back far enough on the box resulting in the knees being past the toes. So these are some things to watch out for. The box squat is a great exercise that trains the posterior chain and is key in all athletic activities.
E-mail me and let me know if you have any questions on form or technique and I will answer your questions. tkolb@northernmichigansportsmed.com
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