Simple Ways to Maintain Athleticism

Originally published at trainbsp.com

As we move further away in years from our athletic endeavors, we find that our ability to maintain that athleticism slowly goes by the wayside.  We may play tennis or pickleball or pick up basketball, but these are usually sporadic occurrences and do not always provide adequate stimulus to prevent the precipitous decline in our sporting capabilities.  As a result, what can be done to delay and maybe negate the diminishing of these abilities?  Here are three areas of training that can be emphasized to enhance your overall fitness and athleticism.

  1. Jump.  Power output greatly decreases as we age.  We lose the ability to tap into the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC).  The SSC is the rapid process of a muscle lengthening (eccentric phase) before quickly shortening (concentric phase).  An example of this is a simple box jump or countermovement jump.

If you are starting from scratch and need more of a regression, a good place to start would be some simple jump roping.  Most of us have done this at some point in our lives, so this would be a fantastic tool to implement to rebuild the muscle and connective tissue of the lower body.  Another exercise that could be utilized (similar to the movement in jump roping) would be to add in some bilateral in place pogos.

Once again, these are a great option to incorporate the stretch-shortening cycle so that the calves and achilles tendon can have the resiliency to withstand any activity thrown their way!

2. Throw/Toss Med Balls.  Following the theme of power output declining as we age, medicine ball throws are a great avenue for attacking this potential weakness.  This activity enables people to produce and absorb force as they typically toss a ball against a wall.  There are a ton of variations that can be utilized in this category.  You can do scoop or shot put tosses from all types of positions: half-kneeling, tall-kneeling, split-stance, staggered-stance.  If you are playing a sport, you can mimic that sport by the way you throw or toss the medicine ball.  People who play golf, tennis, or baseball/softball can focus more on the rotation aspect of a medicine ball toss and implement something as simple as a Rotational Med Ball Scoop Toss.

Soccer or volleyball players can do an Overhead Med Ball Throw.

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If you want to spruce up your med ball work even more, you can add in linear acceleration technique throws or frontal plane (lateral) momentum-based actions such as step aways or shuffles.

3. Cutting (Change of Direction/Agility).  The ability to cut or change direction declines as our participation in sport lessens.  Accordingly, ladders or cones are tools that can be utilized to minimize these losses.  The elasticity and resiliency of the lower body (ankles, feet, etc) can be strengthened from these drills in addition to proprioception and coordination.  Two simple movements that you can start with are the Ickey Shuffle and and Lateral / Sideways In-In Out-Out.

These exercises are more focused on the frontal plane since linear locomotion (forward and backward) is typically the default position as we age.  Cues for these drills are to keep your arms, shoulders and hands relaxed and to keep your weight on the balls of your feet.  In regard to cone drills, the Pro Agility and the Square are great for pre-planned change of direction and training the components associated with deceleration and (re)acceleration. Change of direction drills are viewed as the foundation to (improved) agility, which relies on the body’s ability to react and deal with external stimuli (i.e. opponent’s actions) in the area of play.  Nevertheless, by incorporating these movements, your athleticism can take a big step in the right direction.   

Your athleticism doesn’t have to retire after playing high school or college sports.  You can still maintain these qualities with simple training strategies easily implemented at the beginning of your traditional workout.  Overall, the stretch shortening cycle via jumps and throws and change of direction training with ladders and cones can pave the way to a robust and long-lasting playing career.  

Muscle Damage = Muscle Growth?

The common perception among many bodybuilders and lifters throughout the years is that muscle damage is necessary to stimulate muscle growth.  It is thought that the muscle fibers need to be temporarily broken down through resistance training in order for them to to be repaired and then grow back bigger and stronger.  The meathead in me definitely thought this made perfect sense.  I liked to scream to my clients, “We stimulate then we annihilate the muscle!!!”  Well, my intentions were robust in that I wanted my clients to succeed and push themselves, but my understanding of the mechanisms to get there were a little misguided.

Before we get any further, let’s nerd out in regard to what causes muscle growth.  Muscle growth occurs after long-term strength training in that the protein content of individual muscle fibers increases, therefore producing more volume.  This can occur because the individual muscle fibers increase in diameter or length.  If the diameter increases, this means the number of myofibrils, or rod-like structures found in muscle cells, increase in parallel.  Myofibrils are made up of thick and thin myofilaments.  Most well-known are the thin actin filaments and thick myosin filaments because they are responsible for forming cross-bridges which result in muscle force.  Further, when the length of a muscle fiber increases, it’s myofibrills also get longer due to the number of sarcomeres increasing in series.  Sarcomeres are the long, chain-like contractile units that make up myofibrils.

Muscle hypertrophy can occur within these processes without any damage to the myofibrils being done.  The idea that a myofibril or its sarcromeres needs to be damaged in order for new ones to be built or added is invalid.  Damage to a muscle fiber happens when the outer wrapping layers of its internal structures are harmed.  The myofibrils and cytoskeleton can be most easily damaged, therefore potentially creating a scenario where the composition of a muscle fiber seeps out in the sarcoplasm and ultimately, the bloodstream.  This then can be validated by noticing an increase in creatine kinase levels.

To validate the claim that muscle hypertrophy can occur without or with very little muscle damage, let’s look at a study where researchers examined the difference between concentric-only and eccentric-only exercises.  Franchi et al. took 12 untrained male subjects and divided them into two groups of either concentric or eccentric resistance training for 10 weeks.  The subjects did 3 workouts per week in which they performed 4 sets of 8-10 reps on single leg leg press with 80% of eccentric-only 1RM or concentric-only 1RM.  Despite the greater loads used by the eccentric-only group, the resulting muscle volume increases were comparative between the eccentric and concentric lifters (+6% and +8%, respectively).  This was an unexpected outcome because eccentric training was well known for causing muscle damage and therefore, believed to be a mechanism for attaining greater muscle hypertrophy.  Surprisingly, this did not support that commonly accepted belief.

Isometric training is another area where muscle hypertrophy can occur with little or no muscle damage.  For example, Balshaw et al. (2016) did a study where they looked at sustained versus explosive isometric contractions.  Forty-eight untrained male subjects were told to work out three times per week for 12 weeks.  Each training session, they were required to perform 4 sets of 10 repetitions with unilateral isometric leg extensions.  The sustained contraction group performed the repetitions by ramping force to 75% of MVT (Maximum Voluntary Torque) for 1 second and then holding it stable for 3 seconds.  They would rest 2 seconds before completing another repetition.  The explosive contraction strength training group was directed to execute their repetitions up to greater than or equal to 80% of MVT for 1 second and then to rest 5 seconds before continuing with another one.  The results showed that sustained isometric contractions have value in regard to hypertrophy as this particular group increased their total quadriceps volume by 8.1%.  This outcome demonstrated, once again, that muscle damage is not necessary for hypertrophy.  Instead, the primary mechanism for growth is mechanical tension actively produced by the muscle fibers. 

Last, muscle damage does not always cause muscle hypertrophy in that muscle can experience contusions but not experience hypertrophy as a result.  Chris Beardsley (2021), in his research review on muscle damage, put it this way: 

If damaging a muscle fiber is what causes it to grow in size (by building the muscle fiber back bigger and stronger than it was before), then muscle damage must cause hypertrophy regardless of how that muscle damage was caused. In other words, hypertrophy should occur after transverse mechanical loading that leads to contusion injury, as well as after the longitudinal mechanical loading that is involved in producing eccentric contractions. Evidently, this does not happen.

The intriguing part of the muscle damage and contusion injury relationship is that an anabolic signaling response still occurs during this process.  The mTOR pathway is activated to regulate muscle protein synthesis    However, in the absence of mechanical tension, there is no muscle growth.  

Overall, the application related to the aspect of muscle damage and muscle growth is that the goal should never go to the gym looking to absolutely obliterate each muscle group with no rhyme or reason behind it.  The thinking of annihilating and damaging muscles to build them back bigger and stronger is ancient and outdated.  It is also inefficient and will do more harm than good.  There needs to be intentionality about what you are doing and have a purpose behind the organization of your training program.  If you want to know which exercises are most effective for each muscle group, you need to look for them to take you through their primary range of motion, particularly to their end range or lengthened position.  This criteria, coupled with sufficient stability of the exercise, can be a great foundation for adequate loading to fit your structure and ultimately, help you reach your muscle building goals.     

Sources: 

Balshaw, T.G., Massey, G.J., Maden-Wilkinson, T.M., Tillin, N.A., & Folland, J.P. (2016). 

“Training-specific functional, neural and hypertrophic adaptations to explosive-vs. 

sustained-contraction strength training.” Journal of Applied Physiology, 120(11), 

1364-1373.

Beardsley, Chris. (2018, October 10). Does muscle damage cause hypertrophy? Medium. 

https://sandcresearch.medium.com/does-muscle-damage-cause-hypertrophy-bf99b652694b

Beardsley, Chris. (2021, August 2). Isometrics. Patreon. 

https://www.patreon.com/posts/isometrics-53255620

Beardsley, Chris. (2021, December 20). Muscle damage (hypertrophy). Patreon. 

https://www.patreon.com/posts/muscle-damage-48445047

Beardsley, Chris. (2018, June 6). What is muscle growth, and how does it happen? 

Medium. 

https://sandcresearch.medium.com/what-is-muscle-growth-and-how-does-it-happen-b7f7cd68ee34

Franchi, M.V., Atherton, P.J., Reeves, N.D., Flück, M., Williams, J., Mitchell, W.K., & Narici, M.V. 

(2014). Architectural, functional and molecular responses to concentric and eccentric 

loading in human skeletal muscle. Acta Physiologica, 210(3), 642-654.

Don’t Forget About RPE!

One component that many lifters overlook is the uitlization of RPE or Rate of Perceived Exertion in their training programs.  RPE has been around for years but it still doesn’t get the respect that it rightfully deserves.  I was a person that neglected this variable for a long time until I started using it and began to understand its superiority when compared to percentage-based training.  This really began to take shape for me as I became a more seasoned lifter.

However, before I get too ahead of myself, let me briefly explain what it is.  RPE is a subjective measurement from 1 to 10 that is used to describe the difficulty of a set.  The higher the number, the harder the set.  The lower the number, the easier the set.  Mike Tuchsherer was the forerunner for the concept of RPE in powerlifting as he trained world record holders utilizing this method.  He understood that lifters were subject to days of varying strength levels and that in order for progress to be made, it necessitated adjustments be made on how an individual was feeling that day.  This could also be referred to as auto-regulation, which is adjusting the load based on the athlete’s present performance.

The idea that your strength levels will vary from one workout to the next wasn’t on my radar when I was young but once I got married, had a kid and had to go to work on a regular basis did it finally click that RPE was clearly the way to go.  I had performed training programs that were based on percentages of my one repetition maximum and they were adequate for initially loading the bar with semi-accurate weight. However, once progress was made during the course of the program, it made the original one repetition maximum and the subsequent training percentages obsolete.   

Further, the beauty of RPE is that it connects you with how your body is feeling and doesn’t allow you to keep pushing unnecessarily to hit a certain number or reps.  As previously mentioned, the auto-regulation factor prevents overtraining in that it disallows the accumulation of too much stress from repeatedly executing near max RPEs without sufficient recuperation.  Personally, my body would never be able to recover if I relied on my own instincts and didn’t have some semblance of restraints to properly reign in my training.  I’m a high intensity person by nature, so using RPE was a vital tool to keep my progress rolling without crashing and burning too early in a training program.   

The RPE scale below is the one I mentioned earlier that Mike Tuchsherer has created.  It is the one I have been following during my training sessions.  The scale can be difficult to use at first as you get acclimated to it.  However, the more you practice it, the better you will become and the more helpful it will be in positively affecting your lifting trajectory.    

RPE also has benefits beyond the realm of powerlifting.  Building muscle is another area where RPE can come into play.  RPE is important with regard to building muscle because it necessitates that an individual train close to failure.  The real driver of muscle growth is mechanical tension.  In his article, “What determines mechanical tension during strength training?, Chris Beardsley describes mechanical tension as “the type of force that tries to stretch a material.  During strength training, muscles experience stretching forces when they try to shorten, but are resisted when they do so.”  In order for the action of a muscle or muscles to occur, they have to produce more force than the resistance they are experiencing.  They do this by one of two methods: recruit more muscle fibers or have each muscle fiber produce more force.  More muscle fibers are recruited in direct correlation to the number of motor units being recruited.  If you want more muscle fibers, you will need more motor units.  Nevertheless, we are going to focus on how each muscle fiber can produce more force.  The amount of force a muscle fiber can produce depends solely on the force-velocity curve.  When muscle fibers contract slowly, they produce high forces.  When they contract quickly, they produce low forces.  The reason this happens is because when muscles contract slowly, it gives more time for actin-myosin cross bridges to form and therefore, more force to be produced.  When there is a fast shortening of muscle fibers, it doesn’t allow for that to happen.  

So, the reason I mention this process is because when you train at a high RPE and subsequently, close to failure, there is an involuntary slowing of muscle fiber contraction velocities due to fatigue.  This, as a result, enables more force to be produced by the muscle fibers (and more mechanical tension for muscle growth) because of the large number of cross bridges being formed between actin and myosin.  

Anyway, I hope this article helps your strength development and muscle hypertrophy endeavors become more fruitful as you implement the concept of RPE into your training routines!   

Sources:

Beardsley, Chris. “What determines mechanical tension during strength training?” Medium, https://sandcresearch.medium.com/what-determines-mechanical-tension-during-strength-training-acdf31b93e18

@liftrunbang1. “What really causes muscle growth?” Instagram, 23 April 2021, https://www.instagram.com/p/COAyQ2PJ6kQ/.

Communicate to Dominate

I was training my client on the deadlift recently and I came across a flaw in my coaching technique (yikes!!).  My client was getting ready to do a set of band-resisted deadlifts and I was talking to her about a couple adjustments in her form.  My client is analytical, so after I was done talking she got down to perform the deadlift and immediately froze.  “What am I supposed to do again?,” she asked.  I knew right then that my plethora of cues were overwhelming her brain.  And one of my many coaching flaws was realized: I have the tendency to submerge my clients in directives without thinking about which ones are most efficient and effective for the particular client I’m working with.  This is especially detrimental to a client who tends to overthink things.  They need less cues, not more.  If too many are given at once, this can lead to paralysis by analysis.  It would be beneficial to pick 1-2 specific commands to focus on until those become second nature.  Then, after successful installation of those instructions, pick 1-2 more and proceed in the same manner.  I would surmise that you are bound to have much more progress keeping things simple then trying to overcomplicate and overwhelm your client with your vast knowledge of biomechanics!

And this instance of mine is a microcosm of a broader picture that I think is important to contemplate.  Coaches and Personal Trainers need to “know” their clients.  The “one size fits all” coaching and training is not a great recipe for success.  Rather, it is important to study your clients and find out how they learn and respond.  Are they a visual, auditory, verbal or physical learner?  What makes them tick and what drives and desires do they have?  What is their personality like?  Analytical?  Aggressive?  Laid back?  Self-Conscious?  You need to discover who you are working with by asking questions and doing more listening and observing than talking.  Once you ascertain information about who you are training, you will be able to refine your coaching style and subsequently, align your goals with theirs and find a common pathway to success.     

As an example, it could be as simple as changing a verbal command from internal cue to an external cue for better client performance and adherence.  Instead of using an internal cue such as “forcefully extend your knees” for a squat or deadlift, you could use an external cue such as “push the floor away from you” or “explode up toward the ceiling.”  Further, I found external cuing to work particularly well when teaching a Romanian Deadlift, where I typically have a client stand with their back to a wall and say, “push your butt back to touch the wall behind you.”   

Another circumstance might require that you demonstrate an exercise for someone who happens to be a visual learner.  They might not do well at listening to your instructions and might need you to actually demonstrate the exercise (a novel concept, I know:).  When showing a new exercise to a client and not being aware of their learning style, it is probably a good rule of thumb to verbally explain the exercise and also demonstrate it so that your client can be exposed to both methods.      

One more illustration could be working with a client who is especially uncomfortable in the gym setting.  They might feel intimidated or insecure or have the sense that everybody in the gym is watching them while they work out.  In these situations, I definitely try to put them at ease and make them relax as much as possible.  I usually make jokes at my own expense or be extra goofy (for those who know me this isn’t hard to believe).  Once I get the client settled, I try to be extra encouraging and offer them as much positive reinforcement as possible.  This makes them feel good and gives them an optimistic outlook in regard to the type of success they can have in the gym.            

In summary, this is something that I wanted to share about the importance of communication.  It cannot be overstated that communicating effectively with your clients will bring satisfying results.  I know I just scratched the surface in regards to this complex subject but recommend doing more reflecting on this area.  It will be time well spent and pay dividends in how your clients perform.       

Master the Basics!

I’ve started training some high school athletes recently who are fairly new to strength training.  When I say fairly new, they haven’t been exposed to any formal training before.  This has given me the opportunity to start afresh with them and teach them proper technique.  I like this because when individuals are this young, they need a good foundation in the basics.  I was fortunate enough to be taught correct form when I started lifting and that definitely made an impression on me.  While exercise information is easier to come by these days and anyone can regurgitate it, it takes years of practice to be able to appropriately coach another individual in the movements.  As a result, I follow the K.I.S.S. principle when it comes to training beginners. We goblet squat, push, pull, hinge, split squat, plank, and carry.  These make up the core of my training sessions.   I don’t try anything advanced until these exercises have been mastered.  To be honest, this is hard to do.  I like to keep things fresh for my clients and feel that boredom starts to creep in if I don’t change things every few workouts.  However, this can be dangerous because moving too fast can be a recipe for disaster.  Injuries are the primary threat when it comes to moving too quickly because an individual might not have the exercise form down completely before adding weight, reps, or complexity.  They might have some cracks in their technique that won’t be transparent with lighter weights.  If they rush to add more weight to the bar without consistent and precise practice, it could turn into an avoidable injury.  Injuries are the arch enemy of progress, so take the necessary steps to make sure everything is in place before moving onto the next test.  

Furthermore, this requires that a gradual, linear progression model be used by the trainer.  Personally, I usually make changes to a client’s exercise routine every mesocycle, or every 4 weeks.  This could mean changing the actual exercises or staying with the same exercises and continuing to progress with heavier weights as long as the form stays intact.  This way you can move in a deliberate manner without rushing the process.  Of course, adjustments can be made sooner or later based on other feedback you receive from a client but this is a general recommendation as to how to proceed.  This will keep the client happy and safe as they progress towards their desired outcome(s).

Overall, each client that I train is different and needs their own individualized training program based on their goals, abilities, limitations, injury history, etc.  Nevertheless, the basic fundamental movements that I mentioned earlier (squat, push, pull, hinge, single leg, plank, carry) will be the cornerstones of the program.  They might be progressed or regressed differently, but they will need to be mastered by the client before advancements can be made and new challenges faced.  Mastery takes time, so patience will need to be preached to the coach and the athlete.  

Overall, these are just a few random thoughts to help you or your clients in their training regimens.  Please let me know if you have any reflections to add to this list.  Thanks for reading and as always, SETTLE DOWN SLACKERS!!!!!         

Supplements

Ever since I started lifting, I’ve been using supplements to enhance my health and performance.  I can remember buying protein powder at Wal-Mart back in the day and being so excited to take it because I thought it was going to propel me to some Arnold Schwarzenegger-level physique.  I would look through Muscle and Fitness magazines and see all the pro bodybuilders advertising their respective supplements and being so giddy to get to GNC so that I could blow through every penny I had for some supercharged placebo-pills.  I still recall my dad drinking some terrible chalk-infused Joe Weider protein powder and wondering if that would get me to be as strong as him.  Recurrently, he would tell me stories of how him and my uncle would drink this amino acid concoction called “Amino Cola” before they would lift and how it would cause all the symptoms you see in the fine print for accidentally drinking weed killer.    

Nevertheless, I would be a very wealthy man today if I didn’t spend as much money on supplements as I did.  I might have even been one of the richest people in the world.  Although, you wouldn’t have access to this totally awesome list of recommendations if I didn’t make the sacrifice for you;)  As a result, here is a checklist of supplements that I would highly suggest you look into if you are interested in further enhancing your health and fitness:         

Vitamin D – This vitamin has a variety of benefits but I mainly take it for immune system support, strong bones, and testosterone enhancement.  A mistake I made with this supplement was taking way too much of it, particularly in the summer when I was spending time in the sun.  At one point, I think I was taking about 20,000 IU per day along with being outside for at least 2 hours.  As a result, I ended up going to the emergency room with major heart palpitations.  So, take a lesson from me and don’t overdo it with vitamin D, especially in the summer if you are outside a lot.  According to Examine.com, 1,000-2,000 IU per day is typically a sufficient amount to meet the needs of most people.  However, this might be subject to change based on one’s body weight and overall sunlight accumulation. 

Vitamin C – This vitamin is most widely known for its ability to counteract the symptoms and duration of the common cold.  Personally, I try to get my vitamin C in by eating oranges and drinking orange juice, so this is not something I supplement heavily with most of the time.  However, it is a safe and convenient antioxidant that will protect your body from free radicals aimed at damaging your nervous system and overall function.  The Recommended Daily Intake is 100-200 mg.

Zinc – This mineral is something that I’ve been supplementing with for a while and think it has positively impacted my immune system and testosterone levels.  Similar to Vitamin C, it has been shown to reduce the duration of the common cold.  Zinc supplementation has also demonstrated the ability to increase testosterone levels in those who are zinc deficient.  Zinc deficiency can be a problem for athletes, lifters and sweat monsters like myself because zinc is lost through perspiration.  As a result, it is recommended that those who are at risk for deficiency take 25-45 mg.  Lastly, I use zinc citrate as this form contains the highest content of zinc by weight compared to other types.

Magnesium – This is a mineral that has benefited me in two ways: reducing my blood pressure and improving sleep.  Supplementing with magnesium has shown to be effective at reducing blood pressure in those who are magnesium deficient or who have hypertension.  I have prehypertension, so this mineral keeps me from matriculating upward into the hypertension area.  Further, I have been using magnesium as a sleep aid for many years and it has been vital to my recovery.  The quality of my sleep definitely improved when I added this supplement before bedtime.  As for intake, 200-400 mg daily is recommended.  Magnesium citrate is a solid choice amongst all the options.   

Curcumin – This supplement has become more popular recently due to its ability to reduce inflammation and increase antioxidants.  Chronic inflammation is linked to a number of health issues.  “Asthma, several types of cancer, bone health, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, eczema, depression, and even obesity and stalled muscle growth can be tied directly to the wrong kind of inflammation, as can hundreds of other common ailments” (Luoma).  Besides reducing inflammation, curcumin has been shown to help with general pain management.  My joints have definitely taken a beating over the years from all the lifting I have done, so this supplement has been a vital component of my regimen due to its ability to fight against joint inflammation.  Overall, it is recommended that 1,500 mg of curcumin be taken daily with 60 mg of piperine to help with digestion.     

Fish/Krill Oil – I have been taking either fish oil or krill oil for a long time.  These supplements are similar in that they both contain the same two omega-3 fatty acids: DHA and EPA.  I recently switched over from fish oil to krill oil because the bioavailability with krill oil is much better and I was tired of taking 10+ fish oil pills a day.  The main benefit of fish oil and krill oil is their ability to reduce inflammation.  Since the typical Western diet is high in omega-6 fatty acids, which foster inflammation and a whole host of associated diseases, it is important that the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio be lowered through supplementation.  Personally, I love treating myself to some freakin’ delicious foods, so fish oil/krill oil are mainstays in my regimen.  

Creatine – It seems like creatine has been around forever.  I remember taking creatine in the late 1990’s / early 2000’s and my dad arguing with me about why I shouldn’t take it.  At the time, he had a co-worker print off like 50 pages of research articles and commentary to show me all the supposed health risks.  Well, creatine has been researched a lot more since those days and it has turned out to be completely safe (for healthy individuals) and highly effective.  The most well known benefit of this supplement is its ability to increase strength and power output.  For anyone who does resistance training, this is highly recommended to enhance performance and increase muscle mass.  Creatine monohydrate is a common form of creatine that is inexpensive but effective.  I take 10 mg every morning, but would recommend a smaller dosage at first to assess your tolerance and any side effects such as diarrhea or cramping.  

Superfood – This is a supplement that would be a good choice for those of us who struggle to get 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables in our daily food intake.  I don’t always get a sufficient amount of these nutrients, so I take a half scoop of a greens supplement in the morning with my protein shake.  I count it as my insurance policy, as my objective is to always get my servings of fruits and vegetables through food.  However, when my day doesn’t go as planned, I rely on it to “close the gap,” if you will, with regard to any nutritional deficiencies during that particular time frame.     

Overall, I hope this helps when it comes to your decision making for which supplements to use. Please let me know if you have any further questions, concerns, or comments about these recommendations. Again, thanks for reading and as always, SETTLE DOWN SLACKERS!!!!!                   

Sources:

Andrews, Ryan. “All About Greens Supplements.” precisionnutrition.com, https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-greens-supplements#:~:text=Supplementation%20with%20greens%20supplements%20can,product%20will%20likely%20be%20unnecessary.

Luoma, TC. “The Anti-Inflammatory Diet.” t-nation.com, 24 August 2016, https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/the-anti-inflammatory-diet.

Patel, Kamal. “Creatine.” Examine.com, https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/.

Patel, Kamal. “Curcumin.” Examine.com, https://examine.com/supplements/curcumin/#how-to-take.

Patel, Kamal. “Krill Oil.” Examine.com, https://examine.com/supplements/krill-oil/.

Patel, Kamal. “Magnesium.” Examine.com, https://examine.com/supplements/magnesium/.

Patel, Kamal. “Vitamin C.” Examine.com, https://examine.com/supplements/vitamin-c/#summary.

Patel, Kamal. “Vitamin D.” Examine.com, https://examine.com/supplements/vitamin-d/#summary.

Patel, Kamal. “Zinc.” Examine.com, https://examine.com/supplements/zinc/#effect-matrix.

Consistency

This whole Covid-19 mess has really given me insight into how important consistency is in regard to seeing results.  When quarantine happened and people were stuck at home without access to the gym, it definitely separated those who were committed to training and those who were not.  I know that some people had more obstacles to overcome than others, but the devoted ones found a way to get it done.  The discrepancy, after quarantine, was apparent between those who stayed consistent and those who were not.       

Merriam-Webster defines consistent as “marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity : free from variation or contradiction.”  I think of this definition as someone or something being unwavering and steadfast in their routine.  They don’t change, even in the midst of strong opposition.  A great demonstration in the sports world of consistency would have to be Cal Ripken’s consecutive games played streak.  The shortstop / third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles played an absolutely mind-boggling 2,632 games without taking a day off.  Properly nicknamed, “The Iron Man,” Ripken played 16 years without missing a game.  In regard to consistency, he said that he had to be stubborn sometimes about playing when he was struggling and people called him selfish as they thought he was putting himself before the team.  However, his convictions drove him to endure through the criticism.  He said, “I’d recommend you have that sense of conviction. Be stubborn about your athletic career, be stubborn about your work ethic, be stubborn about your position. Be a little territorial about that and protect your position. Those things really helped me go out on a daily basis.” 

I think Cal Ripken’s quote is highly applicable to those desiring to be consistent with their health and fitness endeavors.  It speaks volumes as to the conviction needed to stick with your plan even in the midst of opposition, whether it be from family, friends, resources or some other impediment.  Honestly, I think more people need to be stubborn when it comes to their wellness goals.  I know I’m biased because I’m in the profession, but you can’t put a price tag on your health.  If you need to spend more time and money to get the job done on a regular basis, I certainly think it would be agreeable to do so.  This doesn’t mean going to the extreme and blowing off important dates and holidays to get a workout in or destroying your budget to buy every supplement from Vitamin Shoppe.  Please be a responsible and discerning adult.  However, you do need to be protective of your health and be your own chief advocate.   

What, then, are some practical ways to help stay consistent in the pursuit of your health and fitness ambitions?  Here are some tips:

  1. Have a PLAN (plan what the next day will look like in advance)
  2. Settle for quick and efficient workouts when restrained for time
  3. Hire a personal trainer or tell a friend to help keep you accountable
  4. Do food prep or hire a meal service
  5. Prioritize sleep (finish that movie tomorrow!)
  6. Buy miscellaneous equipment to use at home when you can’t make it to the gym (Bands, balls, dumbbells, etc)
  7. Spend $ on recovery modalities (massage, chiropractor, cryotherapy, etc) especially if you are older 
  8. Set goals and revisit them daily in order to stay motivated

Overall, these are just a few ideas to help you stay consistent with your goals.  Please let me know if you have any more thoughts as to how to stay in constant pursuit of your goals.  Thanks for reading and as always, SETTLE DOWN SLACKERS!!!!!         

Sources:

“Cal Ripken Jr. emphasizes consistency and conviction at Northeast Wisconsin Sports Awards.” USA Today High School Sports, 15 May, 2016, https://usatodayhss.com/2016/cal-ripken-jr-emphasizes-consistency-and-conviction-to-northeast-wisconsin-sports-awards

CNS Priming for Prime Time Lifting

So, I’ve been reading through the book, Supertraining, by Yuri Verkhoshansky and Mel Siff recently and I have to say, it is loaded with high-quality information EVERYWHERE.  There are so many valuable insights that it is hard for my feeble brain to keep up without getting so overwhelmed that I forget my own name.  Accordingly, one of the topics that has caught my attention from reading this book is how the Central Nervous System plays a big role in controlling our body’s activities and performance output.  

The CNS is comprised of the brain and spinal cord.  The spinal cord has nerves that are able to receive and transmit signals within the body, including skin, joints, muscles, etc.  This is important because strength can be impacted one way or the other, depending on the ability of motor units to be recruited and muscles to maximally contract from the nerve impulses.  There could be major ramifications for the body to fully demonstrate its strength if there is an inefficient transmission of signals from the spinal cord to the working muscles.  I like how Josh Bryant in his book, “Bench Press: The Science,” discusses the importance of your CNS’s functioning.  He states, “Your CNS needs to be programmed to aggressively push through sticking points.  Program the CNS and the barbell and muscles follow.  The CNS is the general in the strength army, your muscles are troops” (p. 37).  

In their book, Supertraining, Yuri Verkhoshansky and Mel Siff discuss the idea of strength deficit and how it is the difference between maximum strength (voluntary effort) and absolute strength (involuntary effort) in a given action.  This deficit is the maximum strength potential not achieved during a particular movement.  If the deficit between the two is large, then something needs to be done in order to spur the involuntary recruitment of muscle fibers.  Exercises that focus on increasing speed-strength, then, should be targeted.  Speed-strength is the ability to perform a movement quickly with no resistance or against light resistance.  Plyometrics and other explosive exercises are examples of this that can come in handy to excite the nervous system and simultaneously recruit as many fast twitch muscle fibers as possible.

The phenomenon that enables the nervous system (and subsequent muscle function) to be enhanced after a high/explosive-force activity is called Post-Activation Potentiation.  This after-effect phenomenon occurs because high-threshold motor units are recruited to assist in the muscle action.  I like to think of the higher-end motor units as the elitist snobs that won’t go to a party serving Natty Light and hot dogs but will go when Sam Adams Utopias and Grilled Quail with Mango and Arugula are served.  They don’t waste their time with small time affairs so they need to be enticed with a more lucrative offer.  The lucrative offer in this case of muscle recruitment is the high-force movement.  The explosive, dynamic activity sends out irresistible invitations to a plethora of motor neurons, therefore setting the scene to activate more muscle fibers in the muscle and subsequently, produce a strong and powerful contraction.

So, the question remains then: what should be done in terms of applying this knowledge?  First, all of this CNS priming needs to be specific to whatever movement or action that you are doing.  Doing a vertical jump before a maximum bench press test will not do anything but get you dumbfounded looks in the weight room.  As a result, here are three examples that make more sense:

  1. Dumbbell (or Barbell) Jump Squat (before Squat): Use dumbbells or a barbell that comprises 20-30% of your 1RM on back squat.  To perform the movement, hold the dumbbells at your sides (or barbell on your back), do a quarter squat descent, and then forcefully extend your legs and jump as high as possible.  Land softly and repeat 2-4 sets of 3-5 reps.  
  2. Plyo Push Ups (before Bench Press): Set up in the push up position.  This can be done on an incline bench or the floor.  Space your hands about the grip width you would use on a maximal bench press attempt.  Lower your body down to the ground to the point where your chest touches the floor (or bench).  Then, powerfully straighten your arms and explode in the air as high as possible.  Land on the floor (or bench) and do 2-4 sets of 3-6 reps.
  3. Kettlebell Swings (before Deadlift): Set up with the kettlebell on the ground in front of you.  Grab it with both hands and “hike” it between your legs like a football.  While hinging at your hips, drive the kettlebell upward by aggressively snapping your hips forward.  Repeat this motion for 3-4 sets for 8-10 reps.           

The one thing to remember about using high-force movements is not to go-overboard with them.  They are supposed to enhance your performance, so treat them as such.  Overdoing them will only bring harm to your nervous system and put you at risk for injury.

Finally, the idea of moving weights fast and explosively can be incorporated while doing your warm up for exercises outside the big 3 as well.  If you move the warm up weights with forceful intent, then this can be a wakeup call to your CNS to recruit more help in order to get the ensuing work done.  

Thanks again for reading!  I hope you enjoyed this excursion into the importance of the Central Nervous System and how it’s operation can really affect the outcome of one’s performance.  Keep this information in your mind going forward and I think it can pay dividends with your training.  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.  Take care and as always…SETTLE DOWN, SLACKERS!!! 

Sources:

Bryant, Josh. Bench Press: The Science. Monee, 2019.

Dewar, Mike. “Dumbbell Jump Squat – Benefits and Technique.” BarBend, December 19, 2018, https://barbend.com/dumbbell-jump-squat/

Peterson, Craig. “How to Prime Your Body for Strength – The Central Nervous System (CNS).” Graspp Fitness, https://grasppfitness.co.uk/how-to-prime-your-body-for-strength-the-central-nervous-system-cns

Verkhoshansky, Yuri, and Mel Siff. Supertraining. Sixth ed., Rome, Verkhoshansky.com, 2009.