Glute Ham Raise

Google Magic

The GHR. One of the best tools in a gym, not enough posterior chain work gets done in our lives or workouts and everyone should invest some time working on the GHR. Among those that do utilize this fantastic machine so many people insist on performing the movement so rapidly and poorly that I am not sure if it is GHR or a dolphin being electrocuted as it leaves the water. We are going to breakdown the GHR into the important cues/ movements. We will start at the top and work our way down the body.


1.) Head /Neck
Pack your neck! Please. I asked politely when you are performing this movement, and all others, pack your neck. This means placing your head in a neutral position. Try this out: Stand up facing a wall and stare straight ahead. You should be looking at the wall at eye level. Now, look at the corner where the wall and ceiling intersect by moving your head not eyes. This will force you to tilt your head and is where most people lift from. The first is a packed neck (or closer to one) and it is the position that you should be working from. The second is the cervical spine in hyperextension, which is where most people do work from. The spine in neutral alignment creates core stability and strength. The same concepts that apply to the lumbar spine when lifting apply to the cervical spine. Not only for safety but also for maximal strength production.

This video shows the neck position I am talking about, although he is obviously deadlifting versus a GHR, but packing the neck is important.


2.) Shoulder /Upper Back

 
Squeeze the shoulder blades and put them into your back pockets. This point doesn't need much explanation, create a nice big chest with good upright posture. No Quasimodo movements folks.


3.) LB / Butt / Core


Low back is straight (following its natural curve) not moving from excessive flexion to extension. The movement comes from the hips. Squeeze the rear to get in a parallel position to the floor and brace the core. These actions will pull the pelvis into the proper alignment. Once you are in this position lock it in and don't let it move. This is the most important section of the movement and if you break here the rest will be ugly.** DO NOT** bounce out of the bottom and turn the lower back into a bow just to get up to the top. If you have to do that you are not stronger enough yet, sorry. 

This is bad posture

 

If that was bad <--- How can this be good?

4.) Knees / Toes

The placement of the knees will vary depending on your body type but find a comfortable angle that is challenging but you can perform the reps. The closer your knees are the longer the lever. An increase in lever length will cause an increase in difficulty. Also have your toes engaged versus a flat foot, it helps with stability and activation, try and "grip" the foot plate.


So the basic cues become: Chin Down, Shoulders Back, Back Straight, Butt and Tummy Tight, Active Toes, Movement from the knees.


If you are hitting up the gym later today rep a few GHR with proper form, I am willing to bet you get more out of it in fewer reps and your back won't hurt later.

Stuff to pass the time

Thought I would toss out a post about cool stuff to read/ watch while you are not doing your homework or real work or don't know how to fill your day without BBM.
The first one is a Jay Z short documentary from Oprah that is pretty inspirational as he talks about his life and success.

The second article is about Dan John, if you don't know who Dan John is look him up he is worth your time.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/40_years_of_insight_part_1

The last is a nutrition article that I was pointed to through Tony Gentilcore. Sadly, I know very little about optimal nutrition so I have been trying to read more. Plus my girlfriend is becoming an RD and I want to be able to have a conversation about the field with her.


http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/5-surprising-health-myths/

A.

23 Hour Rule

Make use of your 23 hours or else... A Twilight Character will get you.

I consistently find myself writing these during the times I should be studying but I guess some type of productivity is better than none. I was talking with a peer about one of his clients and how it can be frustrating to constantly have to correct the same issues because they seem to regress between the end of the last session to the start of the next. It got me thinking about the 23 Hour Rule. The 23 Hour Rule states that you are working with someone in a specific discipline you probably see them for 1 hour out of 24. You have one hour to try and correct or alter what they do in the other 23 that is causing the issue. I will use fitness as an example because it is relevant to what I do. If your client has shoulder issues and  spends the majority of their day in excessive internal rotation you have only 1 hour to try and promote the correct posture and retraction (pulling back) of the shoulder blades. If this client spends the next 23 hours in that poor position and does not try and make an effort to alter actions in their everyday life (alter desk height, do some mobility work during a commercial, etc.) chances are when they come see you again in a day the issue will not have improved. You are bailing the boat without patching the hole, if you move your arms really fast you may get all the water out but only for a short time before it floods back in. My challenge here is to utilize the other 23 hours, don't just address the issue in that isolated time block. It doesn't matter if your goal is to overhead squat better or learn Spanish.

Personally, when I need to grab something off the bottom shelf in the kitchen I drop into a deep squat and work from there to practice the movement pattern. If I go up an escalator I will  put my one leg up two steps and give the hamstrings a little loving. I try not to sit for an extended period of time without getting up for a stroll and stretch out. Is this enough to make a big noticeable difference? Probably not but it doesn't hurt and is certainly better than doing nothing.

Loving What You Do

Time for a little slow down, the last few posts have been loaded with technical jargon and I don't want to alienate anyone who has been reading my blog and isn't interested in all the technical reasons behind different ideas. I want to talk about something really basic. Loving what you do. This is the most important rule in life. I am constantly talking to friends that are at the same place in life as I am (Trying to figure out what career to pursue) and they say something along the lines of "I don't really like it but it pays well".

If it was okay to paddle people I might. I understand that you have to make a living but why pursue something you don't enjoy. If you work to 50% of your capabilities I would be surprised. You should never regret going to work or practice or school or whatever it is you have committed your time to. This idea came to me after a lecture I had to do on Wednesday. The assignment called for a 15 - 25 minute lecture on a fitness concept. My topic was about putting your body in an optimal position to build muscle. I had talked to the teacher ahead of time and asked if it was alright if I went a bit longer. She told me if I could stretch it into an hour she would let everyone go for the second half of class. I was a bit worried that I couldn't do that but I said I would try; I lectured for 80 minutes.

I loved everything I was talking about and as a result it was easy. I believed in what I was saying and feel it is important to everyone's lives. I heard a great quote a short while ago about knowing when you are in the right place and it went something like this (paraphrased) "You are where you are supposed to be if the pay checks stopped tomorrow and you would still show up". The message is simple, work for something you are passionate about and don't settle. Don't quit on what you are chasing. Chances are someone else is after the same thing and they are waiting for you to quit. You will never force them to compete and win the race if you take yourself out and sit on the sidelines.

Knee Injury Epidemic - Part 2

In the first section we looked at the joint itself and the different reasons behind stress on the knee. Let's quickly recap the big 4 that we finished with.
1.) Poor Mobility in the Ankle and Hip
2.) Weak/ Undeveloped Muscles
3.) Tight Adductors
4.) Poor Proprioception

This post is essentially a prehab / rehab section. If an injury has not happened yet this does not mean that the body is in alignment or safe from a tear. Quite often people will be asymptomatic (no pain or discomfort)but score high for injury potential in screening and manual  muscle testing. I will offer a couple of different suggestions for each of the above issues.

1.) Poor Mobility- Ankle / Hip
This is section deserves special emphasis we (as a society) are fighting a losing battle on this front. As I write this and doing homework I am sitting down wearing my Nike Running Shoes. I have been up for 4 hours and spent 3 of them seated which I would estimate is pretty average. This creates tightness in the hips and ankles and limits both joints ROM. The body compensates in order to perform the movement especially if it is in a sport setting.

RX'n

Lacrosse Ball (softball works as well)
30 sec: Rolling Out ea. Hip Flexor Area

30 Sec: ea side of Warrior Lunge Stretch (add a slight lean back and twist to your closed side- this will stretch out the psoas)

Warrior Lunge

30 sec: Roll out the calves with the lax. ball
10X - Stand with your lead leg close to the wall, foot flat. Push your knee toward the wall trying to touch the wall with your knee, keeping the heel flat, then slowly back out. Progress further from the wall still trying to tough the knee. You are stretching the lead leg in this stretch, not the back.


2.) Weak / Underdeveloped Muscles
This is a muscular imbalance issue as much as it is an undeveloped muscle. As a quad dominant society we typically have strong quads but a really weak posterior chain. In the weight room emphasis needs to be put on these posterior chain muscles.


RX'N
Clam Shells -  Here is a great and simple exercise for glute training that you can coach yourself through. Laying on your side wrap a thera-band or mini-band around your knees. Knees bent at 90 degrees turn your hips in slightly. Keeping your heels together you should abduct your top leg focusing on firing your glute. It helps to put your fingers on our glutet to insure that it is causing the movement versus your TFL. Break the exercise down into steps, contract glute, open the knes slowly, return to start, and relax glute. The picture is an okay example but the movement should be smaller (knees should only be a hand length apart at the end of the movement)



Single Leg Squat (to bench) - When examining a  bilateral squat (2 feet) there is very little glute med/ max firing until the end ROM. (We mentioned earlier how weak glutes will cause the femur to adduct. and internally rotate) This is not the case in a single leg squat, where both are called on immediately to stabilize the movement and drive up. Wrap a thera-band or mini band around the legs at the knee to force you to push your knees out and eliminate the valgus action. Focus on keeping the knee straight and driving through the heel. Start with the bench as high as needed and slowly progress down toward 90 degrees.



3.) Tight Adductors
Go grab your foam roller (yes you should have one...shame on you if you don't) and roll out the last 10 inches above your knee on the inside of your leg. Now that you have done that it is likely that you are silently cursing (or loudly cursing) how much that hurt. The adductor magnus is chronically tight in most individuals(partially because it has the ability to act as both a hip flexor and extensor as well as its primary roll as an adductor. When this muscle gets extremely tight it pulls the femur into that "danger zone" that we discussed earlier.
Side note:
Although not mentioned earlier the TFL/IT band is another muscle that is chronically tight and is a culprit in
most lateral knee pains. It can be treated in the same fashion as the adductors although it does not stretch as well.

RX'N
Foam Roll!! Sometimes I feel like I am repeating myself but I cannot overstate the importance of soft tissue work in removing adhesion in the muscle. Roll out the muscle 20-30 times looking for those trigger points and really focusing in on them.

Stretch

One of the easiest ways to get a nice mild stretch for your adductors is the classic groin stretch with the soles of your feet together and elbows pushing down on your thighs.

4.) Poor Proprioception
 Understanding where your body is in space is key to preventing knee injuries. One of the big factors behind knee injuries in females is the lack of coaching they typically receive in comparison to males throughout their careers. However, just because males have received some coaching does not mean they are proficient. I advocated in an earlier post the positives on using a video camera and this is one area where I really feel it can help build understanding, especially in single leg work. Have a training partner record you performing the exercise and then review it after being critical for any valgus action during your lift. It is typically prevalent during squatting or lunging.

The other important area to address is proper jump mechanics. A common issue is loading from the knees and not hips. This typically causes the femur to IR and Add. When you are doing broad jumps or box jumps think hips back/ knees out. This movement can also be recorded and analyzed by a camera, but having a coach on hand to watch is probably your best bet.

I hope you learned something in this post. No it is not a full rehab program but I tried to touch on some of the key concepts that I think should be addressed in knee injury prevention and rehab. If you have any other questions about specifics shoot me an email at avilaca90@gmail.com

Knee Injury Epidemic - Part 1

This post was super easy to write for a couple of different reasons. Primarily because I was writing something very similar for a class presentation and have been gathering a bunch of resources on the topic already. The second reason is because I had a request that I cover it. This really is awesome because sometimes as I write this blog I wonder if there is any interest. The topic is the knee injury epidemic that is running rampant through the world of athletics. Part 1 will address the anatomy of the knee and some of the reasons behind knee injuries. I did not discuss female athletes and the plethora of additional factors that predispose them to knee injuries. There is enough content for a completely separate post and it has also been addressed already by quite a few coaches. I tried to keep this as basic and non-technical as possible but if you have any questions fire me an email.

Torn Ligament can really ruin your day

Joe Susi, one of my professors and good friends, sent me a few power point presentations (from different athletic trainers that had presented in his class) last week and one of them had some great statistics. First though a little background on the different types of injuries. In viewing knee injuries they can be classified into two categories. Contact- meaning the injury occurred as a direct result of external contact. This makes the cause of injury very easy to diagnose. The second category is: Non-contact - meaning just that. The injury occurred without any external force.This makes it much more difficult to pin point the exact cause of the injury.

As I learned this week 70% of serious knee injuries are non-contact, meaning no opponent was touching them as the injury occurred. The average number of ACL surgeries each year is est. at 100 000.  So, 70 000 of these occurred without the athlete being touched. The two most important questions are: Why? and How can I prevent this?

Knee Anatomy 

 When studying then knee it is important to understand that the joint is designed for stability and not mobility. The knee is supported by a variety of muscles, ligaments, and passive tissue. They all act on the knee in different directions, creating tension but also protecting it from shearing forces.  Your knee is very similar to a ball with strings extending off in all different directions. If one string gets pulled tighter than the others the ball is rotated and taken out of optimal alignment. Once pulled out of this alignment the ball will no longer act as it should and one of the strings may snap during movement. It is the snapping of these "strings" that can sideline someone for months. (2 years for 100 percent performance recovery) As stated earlier it is very difficult to pinpoint the exact source behind non-contact injuries, there are multiple factors at play that influence the injury. Even if the injury is a contact injury and a specific cause can be identified it is likely that these factors still played a role. 

1.) Poor Mobility in the Ankle and Hip
     The knee is designed for stability, not mobility. The ankle and hip are designed to provide mobility and if these joints are excessively tight or lack full ROM the body may compensate by creating mobility at the knee. It is similar to trying to twist a long stick. You may get some rotation but it does not take much to cause the stick to splinter and break. The knee behaves in the same fashion, it has some mobility but if pushed something will break.

2.)Weak / underdeveloped Muscles
     The strength of your glutes can go a long way in avoiding knee injuries, the glutes acts directly on the femur which is obviously a major part of the knee joint. Most of us sit to much which leads to tight hip flexors and weak glutes and inhibits its actions on the femur. A weak glute will cause valgus forces (forces collapsing inward) and internal rotation of the femur which puts the knee in the "danger zone".

3.) Tight Adductors

Valgus Force

     The muscles that draw the femur inwards toward the mid-line of your body are the adductors. These muscles are typically VERY tight due to overuse through body compensations. This further compounds the issue with our glutes by further adducting and internally rotating our femur.

4.) Poor Proprioceptive Abilities
    Often people will not even realize that they are allowing their knees to collapse inward during their activities. The rate is even higher in untrained individuals. They may have not received the type of coaching that would educate them on knee heath.


These are by no means the only factors that influence knee injuries but they are 4 of the more important ones IMO. In Part 2 I will discuss ways to prevent these injuries and different movements that should be incorporated into a training program.

Making a Case for the Heel Lift

Well your Honour as you can clearly see my client was able to alleviate knee pain, allow the individual to drive through their heels and also obtain an acceptable depth. My previous argument stands, the Heel Lift is beneficial to poor / beginner squatters. Case Closed, Coach V Wins.



The Heel Lift discussion, sometimes I feel as if we are having the Pepsi/ Coke argument when this topic gets brought up. The two sides will never agree on which can of sugary tastiness is best. Personally, I like Coke... and blocking the heels. Why? Because they are better, and don't tell me that I need to support my argument.

 Seriously though, I do like utilizing a heel-lift for beginners or poor squatters for a couple reasons. Go grab your sick “kicks” out of the closet and look at them. More likely than not they have a pretty significant heel-lift, placing your foot in a constant state of plantar flexion. Now look at how often you wear those shoes, probably a large chunk of your day and what type of activities are performed while in them. If you are the majority chances are all of your recreational activities require very little dorsiflexion. For example: your  pick up basketball game or Thursday night hockey . Both will only increase the tightness of our calves, making squatting to depth very difficult, if not impossible. You have spent your entire life in this position so it is unrealistic that you are going to change everything in a day. If we give you a heel block and slowly decrease it while working on ankle mobility your squats will look much cleaner with more depth.

Reason two - The ability to drive through their heels. If you have poor dorsiflexion and to squat to full depth it is likely that the heels will come off the ground. As a society we are very quad dominant and need to look to correct this imbalance with more posterior chain work. Although squatting is a primarily a quad dominant exercise we can gain posterior chain work by driving hard through our heels and squeezing our glutes. If you are on your toes there is no way you can drive through your heels. If you look at Olympic lifting shoes they have a built in heel-lift that aids in front squatting your clean and overhead squatting your snatch from basement.



Expectations – Obviously we do not want to have to block our heels forever. It is more of a transition stage between our current poor squatting self to our future ATG squatting self. I would give 3 weeks for soft tissue work and mobility exercises to correct any ankle issues. So there are my thoughts on the heel-lift feel free to disagree but Coke is way better.

Lessons from Dad

I apologize once again for the delay I have this post and another for you on Wednesday. I got an opportunity to sit down and write this while I was out at Pancake Campground recharging the batteries. (I know I shouldn't have brought technology but I have been slacking on my posts) I have been working at the new Catalyst/ SCMMA facility with Josh and a few other guys and it is really coming together. The three classes I have made have been fantastic and it is a great place to come out and train. It is both very welcoming and open.

This week we have been renovating the new facility and it really has been a team effort. I have borrowed about 15 different things from my Dad and made 4 calls a day for advice on how to do certain things. This week inspired me to write this post. Although we have always been close but neither of us is really emotional (because as a man you write your feelings on a piece of paper and swallow them) so he may pretend he didn't read this.

As a kid we all have hero's, I never really had one. Instead, I liked a bunch of different people for different reasons. Mostly, I just wanted to be a ninja turtle or something like that. As we get older and begin to develop different philosophies I think our hero's begin to really take shape and define us. Within the last few years my Dad has become my hero, I think it took so long because I never understood all the things he had done for me and thought that that was just what Dad's do. Below is the top three reasons why my Dad is my hero.

1. Give Generously
   My Dad has spent the majority of my childhood coaching me. He took time out of his schedule every week to teach me and my teammates the sport of hockey. Was my Dad the best coach in the world, no probably not. But he was willing to give us all the time we needed to teach us what he knew and often times that is more important. His love for coaching is a huge influence on my career choice as a strength coach. Outside of the sports world his attitude remains the same I have watched him put together many a deck, garage or dock just because someone had asked for help.

2. If you do Something, do it Right.
   My Dad now paints for a living and I have been recruited out to help a time or two. I have also seen him work late hours multiple days in a row. I asked him once why he didn't hire help and he said that he didn't want to have to worry about another employees work. If he does it himself he knows that it is done right, and he can take pride in the work that is done. This is one lesson that I have really taken to heart. Don't half ass your work if you care about it. No I do not always give 110 percent on everything I do but I try to.

3. Find something you Love then find a way to make a living at it
   This is something that my Dad has always said to me. You have to look forward to each day, going to work should never be a chore. Some days it is going to suck, but on the whole you better love what you do. When I was in my second year of university I wanted to change my majors but wasn't sure. I drove to my Dad's job site and watched him paint for an hour while he listened. In the end he told me to make my own judgement but to do something I would love. That afternoon was one of the most influential in my life although nothing special marked the day but a can of paint and a drop sheet.

Ps. On a side note I also love my mom.

25 Things I Learned In O-town

1.) I learned that I know very little
2.) George Foreman cannot operate his own grilling line as well as I can...seriously I challenge him to the death.
3.) Time Management really is the key to success. You cannot thrive if you cannot get everything accomplished that needs done.
4.) Those Lebanese make damn good shwarma's.
5.) Mike Patone has been an awesome mentor this summer...Thanks Mike hopefully you clicked on the link in the email and read this.
6.) Starbucks really does have a good product, however if it takes more than 4 words to order your drink you are having a dessert and really should be in a separate line.
7.) Filling up your gas tank sucks when you make free.99/ hour. But it would still suck if I made 60.99 so...ya no real point complaining.
8.) Foam Rollers are one of the best inventions ever.
9.) Ronin MMA was a great home away from home, Thank you guys for everything.
10.) My BJJ is much better than when I left..unfortunately I didn't get to train much Thai...one of my bigger regrets.
11.) My parents really do love me, they sent me a car to drive. Mercifully ending my Tour de France.
12.) Mucho Burito is not overrated...place is gold folks.
13.) If you skip workouts/don't try/ don't listen I don't have time for you.
14.) I can read a 400 page textbook without skipping a page, thank you Stuart Mcgill.
15.) I will follow CIS football this year...at least Queens and Waterloo.
16.) I cannot wait to buy a dog, living in a house with one for 4 months has convinced me.
17.) Sit Up Bad - Plank Good...save the spine flexions for tying shoes.
18.) Game of Thrones is sick...read the books you sellouts.
19.) Grocery shopping at 11am is a horrible time...Cannot match the "Mom Intensity" in and out of the aisles.
20.) Really excited to bring a lot of what I have learned back to the Sault
21.) Steel City MMA is going to be awesome...I've learned this from a variety of text messages and facebook posts. I sense the force is strong with this venture.
22.) "If you are going to lift weights you might as well lift heavy ones?"- Line from my buddy S. Dawson 
23.) How many confused people there are in regards to proper names...it is a Camp kids not a Cottage.
24.) If cats had thumbs they would rule the world...legit there would be no stopping them.
25.) I now am sure of what I want to do for a career.

But It Takes Too Long

I have been exceptionally fortunate in my athletic career from an injury standpoint. The few different injuries I have all been acute situations where there was nothing I could have done from a preparation standpoint that would have prevented them, a helmet to the Ulna was giving me a broken arm regardless of what I did prior to stepping on the field. However, often we see injuries that occur because people skip the warm up. Why? Because it takes to long. I want you to pause here and due some quick mental math. You train 5 days a week. The warm before each session is say 15 minutes. So we have now spent 75 minutes warming up that week, or 300 minutes a month. Wow, you are saying that is so much time I just spent 5 hours on warm up? That so long. Not really if we contrast it with the length of time an injury costs you because you forced your muscles through a full range of motion without a warm up. So instead of 300 minutes we now lose closer to 1800 minutes a month or 30 lost hours. The 300 minutes looks pretty short now.

View your muscles as silly putty, when we first start moving we have just spent the night in that little peanut shell carrying case and we are incapable of forming any cool shapes other than a glob. Then after a few minutes of kneading we are flexible and strong and able to move into pretty much any form. That 15  minutes elevates your core temp, increases blood flow, draws in more 02 and a variety of other factors that get our body ready to go. I really want to stress the importance of a good warm up, start with something aerobic for 5 minutes, then move through a more dynamic flexibility section (high knees, butt kicks, spider man lunges) then progress to more sport specific. If you are playing football start running routes or light coverage. If the sport for the day is weight lifting get under the bar and practice that movement pattern before you starting with your working weight. Do not just set up the weight and rip it without feeling the movement pattern first. Swinging the arms across the chest twice before max benching is not enough folks. Take the extra 15 minutes and take care of your body as the number of overuse injuries in sports (even in younger populations) grows it is even more important that your muscles are fully ready for the demands that will be placed on them, otherwise you may end up like the guy in the video. He didn't warm up. 

Tough Time Challenge

August is officially on us and the overused "where has summer gone" is on everyone's lips already. Although I do not have the actually statistics I would guess that this is one of the low times for gym attendance. Most programs get downsized or dropped in the summer months. In an effort to staunch the flow I am throwing out a challenge. Do one thing well this month that you typically struggle with. If you don't warm up regularly start. If you usually skip your conditioning session, make a conscious effort to be there and dominate it. If you have horrible ankle mobility (this guy) work on it everyday. Pick one thing, only one, and do it all August.

There is a secret to getting really good at something. Ready for it? Do it when it is the absolute last thing in the world that you want to be doing right now. When you have a dozen real and false excuses for skipping it.  This month do it. No excuses. Just find a way to fit it in and do it. If you can force yourself to do something during a time when you don't want to, imagine what is possible when we feel like doing it.

Also HUGE shout out to Ted Fryia on his weekend, he is excused from this challenge he gets to be awesome for the month of August.

Let the Kid Eat his Pop Tart

Yesterday one of our athletes that we rarely see came in to lift. He has been inconsistent at best, making the gym once a week maybe. Slightly alarming considering he needs to make the jump this season from Midget to Junior. Last week he made it in three times, which is a 200 percent increase in average attendance. He is on pace to match that number this week  provide he showed up today. Although not overly impressive it is a start and personally I am pretty happy with it. The flip side of him making it in is that has been coming in Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Really not the best split for muscle growth or recovery. When my boss saw him and heard the days he was coming in he started to launch into a lecture on spreading his workouts out for optimal recovery etc. At which point I felt obligated to back up Mr. Consistency. "Let the kid eat his Pop tart, at least he is having breakfast now"

I cannot remember exactly where I heard this line, I think it was Jon Torine, the Indianapolis Colts strength coach but the source is irrelevant for the story. When I heard it originally I tended to disagree, why put garbage fuel in your car if it is only going to go half speed. But, when this situation came up in my personal interactions I couldn't help but side with the author, at least the car is moving. It may not be going 60mph but 30mph is a lot better than 0.

The lesson I took from this? It is important to take steps, even if they are baby steps. Try and commit to one thing until you do it without thinking about it. After that becomes habit take it a step further and expand on the original adjustment. If the first three weeks are spent eating a pop tart for breakfast instead of skipping it all together that's fine. The next three weeks have toast. Then oatmeal. Then eggs, fruit and yogurt. You will get there eventually even if you have to start with the pop tart.

Overtrying

Everyone has been there, when you really want to crush a lift. You are staring at the bar like it's the third grade bully that stole your chocolate milk and hitting this lift is the knockout punch that leaves you free for the rest of your elementary school career to enjoy that chocolaty goodness with you PB&J sandwich. The gym quiets down and everyone turns in as you step up to the bar. You set yourself, take a deep breath and ... for the 47th day in a row the bully has your chocolate milk and you are left struggling through a sticky PB&J sandwich. What happened? You had attended 6 months of boxing lessons and had watched non-stop Tyson montages for the last 2 days in lead up for your Monday bout.

You Overtried. No that is not a word I realize but it should be. We could point to the bell curve for arousal and discuss how peak performance occurs at the apex between lack of arousal and excessive arousal. I think it is easier to state that you Overtried. Your technique was likely off because rather than carefully checking each system like a pilot you hoped in the simulator at the Galaxy Cinemas and tried to beat your friend to the first gold hoop in the sky. I see it most often in heavy Olympic lifts, rather than allow the hips to do the work and keeping the same body mechanics the arms and shoulders become the major mover and we try and beast mode the bar up.

The lesson here, relax a bit. Know exactly what you did to hit the 4 previous lifts before and do the same thing. Don't alter any section of your lift from set up to finish. if you always tap you heels three times and recite the alphabet then do that. Pick short mental cues for yourself as you set and then lift don't over think or over-hype the process. Don't Overtry and chances are you get to drink your chocolate milk.
 

The Camera Doesn't Lie

Hey guys, had a busy weekend with Steel City MMA making the big debut, Brent won in the 1st Round against a real tough opponent. Hoping to get this post out earlier but unfortunately got caught up doing other stuff. 
I want to talk about a great (and underutilized tool) that I have recently been incorporating into my coaching arsenal and personal lifting and it has made an immediate impact.

Real Cool

What is this mystery object that will add pounds to your clean, squat and dead lift? A camera. I believe that all athletes should have tape of their practices, especially if their competitions are spread apart. For weightroom purposes I am going to advocate the Flip Camera. I received one for my birthday and began implementing it immediately.The Flip is small, easy to carry/hold and I love the frame by frame option for breaking up the videos. It has really allowed me to help the athletes break down their lifts and view where they are going wrong.

From a pure weight room perspective (you are concerned only with your lifts) this is going to help you tighten up technique. I filmed a set of Deadlifts today and could have sworn I had a nice tight back through the full ROM but on camera saw that my shoulders were sagging and I was "reaching" for the ground on the last  3 or 4 reps. This pointed out an issue that I was unaware of and I will be adding some more upper back activation and strengthening work that I would not have otherwise.  From an on-field perspective we can use this to teach an athlete to recruit the correct muscle groups which will relate to a on-field power increase. Take for example a box jump, the athlete is bending at their knees and using their quads only to propel them onto the box. We tape this and show them how their hips need to push back and then extend. The athlete now performs the box jump but this time with glute (the bum muscles) recruitment. This ability transfers to speed and power in their respective sport and we were able to accelerate the athletes learning curve through the use of video.

Below is a video of one of our athletes learning to hang clean. Following there are some of the screen shots that I pulled out of the video to show him.

Now the screen shots...

Poor, poor, poor starting position

Elbow Fexion to early

Turn the bar over to early/Elbows back (which we can link to two previous images)

Catches the weight forward with low elbows

I am really not bashing on John Kyte, the athlete in this video. He is a real hard worker and since being shown this has corrected a lot of the issues seen here. I wish him all the best next year when he goes away to play hockey. The point I am emphasizing is that by using video technology you are able to break down the move and focus on a different area with each viewing, instead of trying to see everything once through in real time. It also gives the athlete a frame of reference to work from and to view the progress. If you are a trainer I would suggest spending the 130 dollars and investing in a camera. It is something that will only benefit you and you clients moving forward.

First Three Strides

I wrote an article about a week ago called Trust Your Coach, since then I talked with the player and he has been doing much better this week, hopefully it stays the same. I have elected to take a different tone in this post and talk about a kid that does everything you ask and more. Every coach has go to players...ones that stay later, work harder and raise up those around them. Players that everyday lay the brick perfectly on their way to creating the wall. If you had a team of these type of players I believe you would be close to unbeatable. They raise the energy and expectations, as Timo Cruz said from the movie Coach Carter, "And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."

We have one of these players at the ACC, well more than one, but the player I am currently referring to is Ben Sexton. It is unlikely that he will read this blog until I leave. At that point I will tell him to check it out, but Ben is one of those special players. He plays for Clarkson University and was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 7th round in the 2009 entry draft. Ben spent the last week at Bruins camp where by the sounds of it he tested well. However in a meeting with management Ben was told that he needed to increase the speed of his first three strides. The very first thing that Ben asked when he got into the gym today, how can I get faster in my first three strides? What can I do everyday that will make a difference?  I cannot speak to his on ice performance but off the ice Ben has a manic work ethic. The moment he was told he had a weakness he asked how to fix it. Not disregarding the comment out of egotistical reasons as many people do. He ate his humble pie and asked for seconds.

Today something happened that really embodied Ben's attitude and work ethic. It was something that most in the gym probably didn't notice. While front squatting Ben had just increased the weight and dropped the bar on his second rep of 6. As we put the weight back on the rack I said drop the weight and finish the set. He looked at me angerly, said "F*** Off, I'll struggle" and proceeded to hit his last 4 reps. He then walked over to one of the other guys in the gym that was sittting exhausted on the bench, and placed more weight on the bar. The player looked up and said how he was already grinding to get through that weight. Ben's reply, "Your cracking the line up this season."

All this happened in about 2 minutes and it wasn't a show but rather Ben Sexton being himself. I was more than happy to have my comment of 'lower the weight' shoved back down my throat and could only smile at the character display. The funny thing about people with that work ethic is that it carries over into other aspects of life and those people typically find success because they are willing to out work other people. 

Take a lesson from Ben Sexton and go work on your first three strides.

Cool Stuff and Nine Year Old Kids

It is Saturday morning at the gym which means pure silence until about 10:30 at the earliest so to occupy my time I manufactured another blog masterpiece. Not really just my thoughts.

Stuff To Read 

Quick links to the articles I have been reading and think are important. The first one is pretty cool and I would really suggest taking a look at it. Helped influence the shoe purchase I am going to make today. The second one is more from a business/ marketing perspective but it transfers over to all areas not just a job in the fitness industry. 

http://impact-pt.com/2011/06/barefoot-training/

http://www.mikereinold.com/2011/05/what-we-can-all-learn-from-a-barbershop.html

Nine Year Old Kids

If you happen to read Mike Boyle's site you will know that he did an article on this a few weeks back, I really try not to cover a topic that I have read recently in another blog just for originality sake but I feel that this issue needs to be addressed. At the ACC we have a nine year old member, just one (maybe two now but I am not positive) the next youngest is 13. This is a 4 year age difference while the majority of our clients are between 16 and 19. Why is this relevant? I am trying to highlight that we do not train young kids here. The boy I am talking about comes in twice a week for an hour and it is a struggle to keep his focus for even half the time. His guardian came to me yesterday and said that he has been skating for 3 hours a day Monday - Friday, playing lacrosse and summer travel hockey starts next week, he is already active for somewhere between 18-21 hours a week. No kidding all he wants to do is sit around and play games. He has already been through 5 hours of structured practice that day. He then asked if we could shift him to more of a power/acceleration phase. I nodded my head while internally screaming, Are you ****ing kidding me? His power/acceleration phase should be off  the ice, running around at camp, throwing a football, kicking a soccer ball or playing with a dog.

Children are not miniature adults and need to be trained and coached differently, something that we do not do here. I will be the first to admit that I have a knowledge gap in reference to child development and appropriate training strategies. I hope to close that gap but at this moment my focus is elsewhere. I am in no way saying that kids do not belong at a gym, in fact I would encourage more parents to get their kids active based on the the growing obesity rates. However, find a place that tailors to your child and will give them the opportunity to run, jump, climb, crawl, and roll. The comparison I would use is that of a car mechanic. He deals with cars all day and his mindset when he arrives is car oriented. He knows how to approach each problem and improvise based on the results. Then you bring in your bicycle. The mechanic can probably figure out how to fix your bicycle and give it a tune up but it is unlikely that he will be in the correct mindset or be able to do the job half as well as a bicycle repair man.

One of our CIS football players said yesterday, "When I was nine I paid less for my babysitter" Perhaps it is a personal knock on my coaching but I couldn't help but agree. Find a gym that has program for teaching youth and where your child has coach, not a babysitter and it will be more rewarding for everyone involved.
V.

Want something awesome for your kid to do? See the video above and then call Mitch Fryia at Steel City MMA and Catalyst Fitness

General Ackbar

 

Press play on the video above you can spare the 14 seconds especially to watch the beautiful cinematography Lucas has created. Go watch it now. Although General Ackbar is referring to the evil plot by the Imperial Forces to catch the Rebel Alliance unaware and not the human muscle it does create a nice lead up to this post. The focus of this post is the trapezius muscle. Chris Cooper shared an article that Adam Ball (who I have not had the pleasure of meeting) posted on the the mid trap last month and its importance in maintaining a neutral spine and correct posture, something I talked about earlier in Death of a Situp. I would like to expand on this idea but highlight the importance for athletic performance. 

A classic body building style routine usually contains some sort of upper trap activation, shrugs being the most common exercise. As a result of poor knowledge the upper trap is often the only section being stimulated and will develop an over dominance. As a result the upper trap will fire almost automatically on all lifts, talking away from the actual exercise the athlete is trying to perform. Quick lesson here is avoid the shrug- the upper trap will get lots of work through other lifts, specifically Olympic lifting. 

When dealing with the shoulder the rotator cuff often gets the bulk of the emphasis in shoulder health. The RC is exceptionally important but if the scapula is not stabilized to begin with the muscles of the RC are going to have a really tough time doing their job.  I first came across the idea of mid-trap importance when working with LSSU volleyball team. I was doing research into shoulder health and came across an article by Mike Robertson. (who has an awesome blog btw) The article talked about the scapula needing proper support to allow for correct function through out the rest of the upper body. Since arriving in Ottawa I have had this idea reinforced and expanded upon by the trainers that I work with. 

This is where the Middle and Lower Traps. enter the physiological picture. Their role is to stabilize and manipulate the scapula. The mid/low trap. are the foundation upon which the house is built. You can create a beautiful three story home with balconies off every window and a pool on the roof but if you neglected to lay a solid foundation all of your work will come tumbling down sooner than later. As a strength coach or even just a weekend warrior it is important to select exercises that highlight this area and focus on strengthening the mid back muscles. If a pitcher is required to throw a ball at 85 mph he is going to put serious stress on his shoulder and if the scapula is not secure the potential for injury increases dramatically.

Exercise  Selection

One of the best exercises....the push up. The push up is a great closed kinetic chain exercise for your upper body. Although you are performing a "push" type lift, if done correctly the push up yields considerable posterior activation. Be sure to place specific focus on the bottom of the movement by forcefully contracting your shoulder blades then driving up. (Picture pulling yourself to the ground rather than just falling.) Actually research how to do a push up properly, I had an athlete tell me yesterday that she always thought she at least knew how to do a push up, not so. I thought I knew how to paint a wall, brush up then brush down, until I went to work with my Dad. Do the research. 

Exercise 2 - Black Burns

Beside is a video from Defranco's place it is easier to watch the video than me explain each segment of the lift but keep in mind squeezing the shoulder blades and relaxing the upper trap. The girl on the right does a better job of staying face down and maintaining a neutral spine during the whole exercise. Plus the AC/DC that starts playing partway through the video is motivating in itself.

The overall message is that just because it is not the biggest muscle or the most visible does not  mean it is not equally important. As stated earlier a beautiful house on a shaky foundation will likely lead to a homeless family. Take the time in your workouts to emphasis your mid/low traps and all of your core lifts will increase as a result. Here is this article simplified in  7 words, "Squeeze the scaps, relax the upper trap"

-Our Strength grows out of our weakness. - Emerson

Trust your Coach...or find a new one

I am sorry for the delay I have three entries primed and waiting to be published but the old interweb was down at the house and quite frankly I was so annoyed at the router company that I was on my way to Pet Smart in search of a few carrier pigeons in order to spread the word out. I am now posting from the Toronto Airport on my way home to see my brothers graduate. I would like to quickly congratulate them on their accomplishment. I remember myself at my high school graduation, not realizing how big of a milestone it was. Bigger and better things are waiting for both of them as they move forward but ONLY if they work for it. As Abe Lincoln said, "Good things come to those who wait but only the things left over by those that hustle."  Without any further digression my post,

TRUST YOUR (STRENGTH) COACH

Trust your (strength) coach or get a new one. If you are trying to make a jump to the next level in a sport or in life you have to trust your coach one hundred and forty percent or else find a new one. You are wasting energy if you are constantly second guessing their decisions. No one has ever made it to the top without support and it is crucial that you trust your coach and their judgement. If they are the right coach for you they will have your best interests in mind and likely are able to perceive many of the things that you are unable to see. Let us be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that we have a pretty biased opinion in relation to our own performance. Our brains are biologically created to shelter our ego and protect it, which is sometimes a good thing, but other times it is merely a detriment.

This idea of highlighting trust came to me two days ago when we "caught" one of our players creating his own workout. The player's evaluation showed that he was super tight in his mid/upper back and hips as well as a exhibiting a pretty bad case of upper trap dominance (Spoiler Alert: upcoming post). The player was coming in 'on and off' but regardless I was a bit confused as to why he was not exhibiting any increased mobility in his lifts (a lot of mobility work was in his program). Two days ago after his workout he walked over to the YMCA that we share the building with for what I assumed was a bike ride or run on the treadmill after his lift. Walking over 15 minutes later I discovered our player in the corner supersetting barbells curls and shrugs. Two things that we had previously discussed NOT doing. In that one instant he had just make a bold statement that said, "I don't trust your opinion and think that I know better" 

The  relationship between a player and (strength) coach is deeply connected. The coaches ideals are often reflected in the player and the player's wants and desire are absorbed by the coach. If you come to me with the desire to make the starting line up on the football team that just became one of my goals too. I value your goal every bit as much as my own personal goals because it has become mine. On the flip side when you go out to tryouts and perform you are not only representing yourself but also me. The player repping curls is likely going to look back on his summer in 3 months and say that he didn't get stronger or faster on the ice and is just as tight as before. This means that we as strength coaches didn't do our job which is a pretty unfair assessment, but you and the player may be the only two people who truly know that. Results do not come easily or quickly, you have to work at it and TRUST in the program you are on, not for a week or two but 3, 4, 5, 6 months. If you can't make this commitment and place trust in your coach then don't start.

"You don't set out to build a wall, I am going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that has ever been built. You don't start there. You say, I am going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid and you do that every single day, and soon you have a wall." - Will Smith

BJJ Update

I considered creating a separate blog for BJJ but I lack enough quality information to sustain it so occasionally I will toss a quick post in amongst the various aspects of fitness. Even if you do not practice BJJ (and you should) this may entertain you.

Alphy has really been working his game, got himself a blue belt

I have been unable to make any Thai boxing classes since arriving in Ottawa (hoping to starting in July) and have dedicated my time solely to BJJ with a sprinkle of MMA practice. It has been awesome learning new things and different view points on the same issue whether it is a position, pass or style. Several of the guys got promoted last weekend and it was great to see their hard work pay off, even if I was only around for a small portion of it. I am starting to understand the game more and realizing that trying new moves and getting crushed really is healthy. I have had the opportunity to roll with 25 new guys of all shapes and sizes and am excited to be able to bring some of this new knowledge back to the new Steel City MMA. I really feel that BJJ is a sport for everyone, it is so dynamic that you mold your game to your body rather than try to force your body into a game.  I will try and upload a few videos of guys at Ronin rolling over the next few weeks.

Where you invest your love, you invest your life. - Mumford and Sons

Humble Pie

Growing up our parents always told us to drink our milk, eat our vegetables, and make a big Zero on our plate. At least mine did because I had to do all of those things to get desert, and if I was lucky desert was pie. Now that I am older my parent's lessons have stuck with me, drink my milk, eat my vegetables and make a big Zero. My desert of choice has changed of late to something that is much sweeter and more bitter at the same time...Humble Pie. You are all probably wondering where you can pick yourself up this tasty treat and if you are not, well, you should be. The beautiful thing about Humble Pie is that there are bakery's everywhere and they all have their own personal twist on a timeless classic. 

I mentioned a couple blogs back how I have reevaluated a lot of my life choices/ opinions and the biggest lesson I have learned is eat your Humble Pie, often. I was quite guilty of narrow mindedness in regard to certain aspects of my life, school and my career path in particular, and was so comfortable in my surroundings that my servings of pie came infrequently and in small amounts. I was starving and didn't know it, I thought I was full. 
In the last month however, I have had slices served almost daily and feel that I am growing exponentially as a person/professional. A slice each day reminds me the importance of learning and listening to everyone's opinions and more importantly that I need to strive to be better tomorrow than I am today. It's a slow process and you cannot be discouraged by the seemingly vast amounts of pie left in the dish for the next day, just keep chewing. Eventually, you may even be able to bake your own pie and like any good baker you want to have the best ingredients and best recipe possible. If not, who will want to eat your pie?

Death of a... Sit Up

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Throughout this post you will not find Willy Loman, or Biff, Linda, Happy, or Bernard. This post will not discuss the destruction/ attack of the American dream but rather my personal destruction of one the most common exercises in most individual's exercise arsenal. The Sit Up. I realize that not everyone will agree with this post and that's fine. My foray into the world of training started much like everyone else. A solid 5 day split, culminating in the weekly Superbowl of days. Friday = Biceps/Triceps/Situps = Awesomeness...There I admitted it, as painful as it was to say. I would give a sizable sum of money for a DeLorean DMC-12 to enter my room right now...now...now. Guess not but my point is that it's okay if you have followed a similar routine before, or are still on this sort of program it's never too late to change.
The idea of discarding the sit up in any of my programs was something that first occurred to me while on a wrestling mat doing hundreds of sit ups during practice. As I mindlessly worked I kept thinking that this was so useless for wrestling. Not core strength, that is one of the most important aspects but repetitive sit ups. This sparked a Google search, and a cup of coffee later I was overwhelmed with industry leaders that shared my view point. I have had time to sift through the data and create my own opinion based on personal experience and research. It is as follows (sub categorized into a few easily accessible areas)

Anatomy

In order to explore any concept we must first have at least a basic understanding.For example, I know my car goes forward when in the proper gear and I push the pedal, so we can now discuss the mechanics behind that. The same philosophy applies for your body, in order to understand why Sit Ups are not the most intelligent form of core training we must first understand the spine's (main joint of movement during the sit up) general make up. The spine is made up of a 7 Cervical, 12 Thoracic, and 7 Lumbar vertebrae. The spine has a natural curve (kyphosis (outward) in the thoracic section and lordosis (inward) in the lumbar section. Each vertebrae is composed of both hard and soft bone and they are essentially barrels with process protruding off the back/side.  Separating each vertebrae is a gel like disc. The spine is made up of multiple joints all interacting with each other and the bodies muscles to stabilize the spine and take it through different ranges of motion (ROM), flexion, extension, rotation etc.

Sit ups, and any exercise that puts repetitive stress on the spine through flexion or extension is causing negative effects. The spine's role is to support the bodies movement, both athletically and in everyday life, in a neutral position. It is not designed for repetitive flexion or extension and the motion is only causing tissue damage as a result of the stress. The idea of lumbar mobility as an important training objective is extremely outdated, and as a professional and practitioner the emphasis needs to be placed on stability.

Sport Performance

The act of performing a sit up or other exercise with repetitive flexion does not transfer to on-field performance. I am tough pressed to think of  a sport that requires you to perform that repetitive motion. Nearly every sport will require spine flexion or extension at some point but it is not repetitive motion. The athlete has entered that flexion in order to make make a play and will be returning to a neutral spine as soon as possible. IE. Loose ball on the basketball court, the athlete bends over via the lumbar spine to pick up the ball, but their spine returns to neutral immediately to make the pass down court. I spent some time watching gymnastics ground routines today to view the different ranges of motion. Although the athletes enter extreme flexion and extension during various stages I noticed, at least with the ground routines that their high impact moves both begin and end with a neutral spine.
Other sports will require constant flexion for a prolonged period of time, cycling for example, and the body can handle these stresses as long as adaptation occurs at a constant rate or faster rate than tissue damage. I would liken it to a tiny hole in your bike tire. As long as you pump more air in then leaks out your bike will keep rolling. But, if the hole enlarges (Increased load, or more more repetitions) and you forget the the pump one day, best buy a bus pass.

Training

I promised at the start of this article that I would not destroy the American dream, just the sit up. We have now briefly covered the anatomy and the poor transfer to on-field performance so like Willy Loman you may be a little lost on what type of exercises to perform. We just acknowledged that the body is required to enter these ranges of motion during competition so how should we best train for this action. Train the core for resisting motion (flexion, extension, rotation). The core needs to be able to stay strong despite dynamic activity. Emphasis needs to be put on the entire core not just the muscles in isolation, no muscle works in isolation and quite frankly if you have a six pack but can't hold a plank for more than 30 seconds it might as well be a six pack of beer for all the functional strength it is providing.
The focus is most often centered on the spine flexors, the rectus abdominis (six pack)  for both aesthetic reasons and for "sport" training. Constant training in this manner will lead to a tight anterior core and will cause the back to round as a result. The complete opposite of that strong neutral spine that is desired. Instead, focus on stability exercises. Prone planks and side planks are both great examples of a equipment free exercises that will challenge the core to maintain its stable and neutral position. If you have access to a cable or keiser machine I would suggest kneeling and split axe chops and lifts. Exercise such as Russian or Landmine twists are also good with specific emphasis on keeping our hips facing forward and controlling the weight through the full range of motion. There are lots of great exercises that keep the spine in a neutral position and have more on-field relevance than the typical sit up and its variations, most of which are very basic but challenging.

Summary
I am not saying don't flex your spine ever, I am saying be careful in how you do. It is designed to remain neutral and resist motion especially in the lumbar section.When you are thinking about the spine think stability not mobility As stated early I do not expect everyone to agree, and very few of you might but that's my philosophy, if you have any questions or want to talk further shoot me an email at avilaca90@gmail.com.

Coach V.

"Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts" Gable

Works Cited
-Stuart McGill , "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance"
-Eric Cressey, "Low Back Savers"
-StrengthCoach.com