Velocity Based Training
Without overstating the obvious, as the load increases (with the intent to lift it as fast as possible) the speed decreases in a linear fashion. This is a fundamental tenet on which Velocity based training (VBT) principles operate – the load-velocity relationship. The relationship between load and velocity in simple strength exercises such as the squat and bench press is extremely stable and very strong. The relationship holds true regardless of strength level and after increases or decreases in strength. Irrespective of strength level or experience, the load-velocity relationship holds true and is at the core of VBT methods for maximal strength development
Velocity-Based Training in the Weight Room: Why I PUSH
How do you measure the bar velocity accurately? You could use linear regression equations to predict the bar velocity based on the percentage of the 1RM or you could tell your athlete to move the bar as fast as possible or you could measure it accurately with implementing linear position transducers (LPTs) .
Enter PUSH, a new wearable technology consisting of an accelerometer and gyroscope packed into a small armband. While this technology has been around and used in the weight room before, PUSH is the first device I have come across that address all five of my above-listed requirements.
Training Explosive Strength
There are many things to consider for improving sports performance. An athlete must become stronger and at the same time faster. The majority of this training is combining maximal effort exercises to increase the strength potential of the muscles, while training with light weights will lead to improving speed
Critical Review of The Pose® Running Technique
It is vital to appreciate the characteristics of an efficient and economical running gait to understand the context in which the results of the study have been discussed. An efficient running gait has been described in recent research as having an optimal stride frequency and vertical impulse amplitude relationship (Bramble & Lieberman, 2004; Williams & Cavanagh, 1987). Efficient runners display a longer stride with minimal vertical impulse, allowing enough vertical impulse to overcome gravity and reposition the limbs without excessive CoM oscillation.
Sled Work for Strength and GPP
One of the most functional and cost effective pieces of equipment a gym can have is a sled. When utilised correctly, the sled offers multiple ways to enhance your General Physical Preparation (GPP) levels and expand the base of your strength pyramid.
As an athlete, maintaining and exceeding the GPP level needed to compete in your sport is essential if you want to improve sport performance.
You want to be a Royal Marine Commando?
The thirty-two week Royal Marines (RM) training course is recognised as one of the most arduous military training programs in the world (1). The course is both mentally and physically challenging, with approximately 16% of recruits sustain an injury (2), and only 54% of candidates actually completing the course (3).
Other international military personal can attend the All Arms Commando Course (AACC). This is a 13 week course at Commando Training Centre Royal Marine (CTCRM), with the aim of preparing Navy, Army or Air Force personnel for service with 3 Cdo Bde RM by developing the temperament, mental resolve, physical robustness and core military skills necessary in the demanding environment of expeditionary and littoral operations.
Rebuilding The Core
When returning from a back injury, we must take a logical and planned approach. Selecting exercises that help facilitate the healing process without placing excessive load on the spine that re-create symptoms and fairs up the injury. Performing anti-rotation exercises before one can successfully squat with light weight can often have negative consequences. Exercises that create a rotational force on the body (such as: pallof press) can place upwards of four times as much compression on the spine compared to the same weight that attempts to create a flexion/extension force.
The following is a logical progression of stability exercises that stress the body first through a sagittal plane (flexion/extension torque), then a frontal plane (lateral torque) and finally through a transverse plane (torsional torque). While there is no such thing as an ideal set of exercises for any rehabilitation program, the following exercises can be a good starting point for creating a plan that best suits your body type and performance requirements.
Learn The Hip Hinge!
One of the most common reasons for developing lower back pain is the inability to properly move from the hips. From bending over to lift something off the ground to squatting. The majority of people who develop lower back pain have allowed their lower back to compensate for lack of mobility in the hips. This has progressively allowed the lumbar spine to move excessively and become unstable. Learning to move from the hips and keep the spine stable with core stiffness is fundamental in optimal movement patterns and rebuilding the correct movement pattern.
To perform a correct hip hinge, start in a standing position with your hands straight in front of you (zombie stance). Grip the ground with your feet (driving the big toe into the ground) and feel for your bodyweight spread evenly across your entire foot (tripod foot). Drive your knees out to the side to engage your lateral glutes (make sure to keep your foot firmly glued to the ground and your big toe in contact with the floor). Using a small resistance band loop across your knees can be great in the early learning process to teach your body how to create sufficient tension in these lateral hip muscles.
Back to Basics
Before we look at each of the recommended core stability exercises, it’s important to understand the difference between flexibility and mobility!
Flexibility is the ability of a muscle or muscle groups to lengthen passively through a range of motion
Mobility is the ability of a joint to move actively through a range of motion
It should be a priority to address any significant mobility restrictions at the hip and thoracic spine. If mobility in either of these areas is restricted it can lead to movement compensations at the low back. If hip mobility is limited during the squat the pelvis can be pulled under creating posterior pelvic tilt as the lumber spine will have to compensate for the lack of mobility at the hips. This will place flexion under load on the Lumber spine which will place excessive stress on the discs.
If you only performed isometric core stability work but neglect significant mobility restrictions in the joints above or below the lumbar spine, the core stiffness you created will be compromised.
Squat Myth: Can the knees go over the Toes?
Another common squat myth is: KNEES SHOULD NEVER GO OVER THE TOES!
Somehow in the fitness and within some the medical professions some people believe, ‘that the knees should never go past the toes while squatting’. No one knows where this myth started though! The instruction is even a part of the National Strength and Conditioning Associations (NSCA) guidelines for how to teach a proper squat (1). Is it really that dangerous?
Knees over Toes?
When an athlete squats with a poor technique, they often start by driving the knees forward to initiate the squat. As the ankles move it causes the centre of gravity weight to shifted forward onto the balls of the feet. This type of movement problem has been called the “knees first” approach. Squatting this way leads increases the shearing forces on the knee joint and contributes to increased risk of injury and potentially eventually to pain (2).
At first appearance this issue would appear to be a problem of the knee athletes who squat poorly by moving their knees forward often develop knee pain. Therefore limiting forward movement solves the problem? The originators of the cue were probably well-intentioned coaches or physiotherapist trying to rectify this issue. Limiting the knees from moving forward only addresses the symptoms of a bigger problem… BALANCE!
Core strength: Dynamic Core Strength v Core Stiffness
The body's core region is sometimes referred to as the torso or the trunk, (although there are some differences in the muscles identified as constituting them). The major muscles involved in core stability include the pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis. The erector muscles of the back such as erector spinae (sacrospinalis) especially the longissimus thoracis, the diaphragm, and the larger muscles that span multiple joints (like the lats and psoas muscles). The glutes are also an important part of the ‘core’. Each and every one of these muscles must coordinate together in order to enhance the stability of the spine
Are ‘Ass to Grass’ squats bad for your knees?
Is ‘Ass to Grass’ squats bad for your knees?
The squat is a corner stone exercise in almost every strength and conditioning program.
However a myth still lingers (deep within the physio world) that deep squats are dangerous to the knees and should never be performed.
There is a range of opinions when it comes to optimum depth of the squat. Some die hard lifts believe in the fable ‘Ass to Grass’ squat that, ‘this is the way.’ While others believe quarter squats are sufficient for functional training such as Dr Joel Seedman.
So what is the optimum depth for a squat?
What is the maximum muscular potential of drug-free athletes?
The bodybuilders and fitness models that appear on the cover of Mens health and bodybuilding magazines serves as poor role models for what’s possible without “assistance”. It’s vital to establish reasonable goals and limits for natural and athletes is important in order to put things into context.
BENCH PRESS GRIP: How Wide?
BENCH PRESS GRIP: How Wide?
Here's what you need to know...
Optimising your grip for a bench press will not only lead to a greater press, but it'll also keep you benching and out of rehab
Simply measure the distance from the outside edge of both acromial processes. Then multiply by 1.5. This is how far apart your hands should be on the bar.
At 1.5 times biacromial width, shoulders are placed at the ideal 45-degree angle of abduction.
Don’t Use Machines, Be the Machine!
Most commercial gyms install machines because they are considered to be ‘safer’ and allow gyms to employ personal trainers who have completed a weekend course and have no coaching experience or creditable strength and conditioning background. They can just about explain how to use the machine ‘safely’ and that just about covers the gyms insurance liability.
Increase Vertical Jump Height with High Box Jumps?
High box jumps get misused when the emphasis is on the height of the box instead of the height of the actual jump. Sounds weird, but here's why:
Start standing next to a high box platform that's the same height as your waist. Now pick up one leg off the ground and flex your hip as high as you possibly can. The distance between the bottom of your foot and the top of the box is the actual height you'd have to jump in order to get on top of that box. The rest comes from hip flexion. Now, if your goal when using high box jumps is to emphasise work on quick hip flexion, that’s ok. But most people are using high box jumps because they want to emphasise explosive jump height. This is where box jumps get misused.
10 Laws of Training: We Can All Learn From Louie Simmons At Westside Barbell
Louie Simmons has set the bar for strength—and strength and conditioning coaches from his invitation-only gym…..Westside Barbell in Columbus, Ohio. Simmons's style of training ties together ideas from scholars, athletes, and coaches from the former Soviet Union and Bulgaria, as well as years of training himself and others.
No matter what age you are or what your goals are we can all learn from Simmons, it doesn’t stop you applying the Westside philosophy and training principles to achieving your objectives.
Sweat is Just Fat Crying (some of it anyway).
Fat cells in humans develop primarily during childhood and puberty. After that, the number of fat cells in your body remains relatively stable. These cells make up adipose tissue, and they can send out hormones into the body to help regulate everything from metabolism to body weight.
Because we generally have a set number of these cells, gaining weight doesn't typically involve making more. Instead, individual cells expand as the digestive system breaks down and stores food for later use, then they shrink when the body turns to the fat cell in a moment of need
CrossFit: The Fast Food of Training
CrossFit is a system of exercise that has rapidly grown in popularity over the last decade, through films such as 300 and the Military using a workout name dedicated to a fallen US Personnel. Marketing itself as the ‘ideal’ training system for everyone from housewives to special forces operators, CrossFit aims to physically prepare people for whatever life may throw at them. It is not about following a particular routine, but about constantly varying workouts.
Understanding the risks involved in training in hot climates (25 °C+) and high humidity
Training in hot weather (over 25 °C) puts extra stress on your body. If you don't take care when exercising in the heat, you risk serious illness. When you training in the heat your body sends more blood to circulate through your skin. This leaves less blood for your muscles (reduction in oxygen), which in turn increases your heart rate. If the humidity also is high, your body faces added stress because sweat doesn't readily evaporate from your skin. That pushes your body temperature even higher. Both the exercise itself and the air temperature and humidity can increase your core body temperature.
