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Mixing Up Your Cardio Routine For Golf

by | Feb 3, 2017 | Training

Mixing Up Your Cardio Routine For Golf

Mixing Up Your Cardio Routine For Golf

Mixing up your cardio routine for golf can be beneficial. If you are a regular here at a gym there is a good chance that you have been doing the same cardio routine for a while. Why not mix up your cardio routine? What if I told you that you could get more out of your workout by putting in less time on the treadmill or elliptical. Recent research has shed light on the dark days of long steady state cardiovascular training. As you have probably read in fitness magazines by now, the recent trend towards HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) conditioning is beginning to replace the old school thought of spending long hours on the treadmill. Essentially HIIT means doing shorts bursts of higher intensity exercise followed by larger break periods. A usually work to rest ratio is about 3:1. An example of this would be sprinting on a treadmill for 15 seconds and then jumping off and resting for about 45 seconds before repeating again. This would typically last for about 8 rounds equaling 8 minutes of work. Of course for most of you sprinting is not an option but this type of training can be done on a stationary bike, the arc trainer or even walking on an incline. The key is to make sure the intensity for the 15 seconds is high. This means that the workout is going to be hard, harder than what you are used to, but it takes less than half the time.

Research has been done comparing long steady state cardiovascular training with HIIT and the results are surpising.

  1. In a case study done in Canada at McMaster University researchers compared the effects of 20 minutes of high intensity interval training (30 second sprints followed by 4 minute resting periods) with 90-120 minutes long steady state training in the heart rate zone. Subjects got the same results in oxygen utilization in both programs but the amazing thing is the interval training group actually only did 2 minutes and 30 seconds of actual work.
  2. In a more famous study known as the Tabata study, researchers found that by using an interval of 20 seconds of high intensity work and a rest period of 10 seconds for a total of 4 minutes participants were able to achieve higher V02max(aerobic capacity) and a faster heart rate recovery when compared to the group who did moderate intensity endurance training.

 

In summary HIIT has been shown to improve the following better than long steady state training:

  1. V02max
  2. Anaerobic Threshold
  3. Heart Rate Recovery
  4. Stroke Volume
  5. Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption (increases caloric burn at rest)
  6. Fat Loss

 

If you are a beginner to this type of training you may want to start with LIIT (Low Intensity Interval Training) or you may throw up…same idea just keep the intensity a little lower. 

 

HIIT Recommendations: 

  1. Make sure you drink plenty of water and eat about 1.5 hours before you do it.
  2. Perform the interval training after you do your strength training or you may be to tired to lift.
  3. Only do this type of training 2x’s a week as it can be strenuous.

 

Training Options:

  1. 2 min. warm-up
  2. 30 seconds on – hard
  3. 30 seconds off – very light
  4. 30 seconds on – hard
  5. 45 seconds off – very light
  6. 30 seconds on – hard
  7. 1 min. off – very light
  8. 30 seconds on – hard
  9. 1:15 seconds off – very light
  10. 30 seconds on – hard
  11. 1:30 off – very light
  12. 30 seconds on – hard
  13. 1:45 seconds off – very light
  14. 30 seconds on – hard
  15. 2:00 minutes – off

As you can see the rest intervals increase by 15 seconds as you progress through the rounds. Total of 3.5 minutes of hard work and 9 minutes of very light work equal 12.5 minutes of work. In the above example, the rest periods are determined based on the work time and the total time. For a more individualized program use a heart rate monitor. Figure out your heart rate max by subtracting your age by 220. Then calculate what your heart rate would be at 60% of your max heart rate. Do a 2 minute warm-up and then the 30 second high intensity interval. This time, instead of resting the allotted 30 seconds, wait until your heart rate lowers to the 60% number. When it returns to 60% go hard for another 30 seconds. After 30 seconds wait again until that number returns to 60%. Repeat this process for the duration of the program. As you do it you’ll notice it will take longer and longer to return to the 60% number. As you follow the program for a few weeks your recovery time will decrease meaning your heart is becoming more efficient at recovering from intensity of the intervals.

As always make sure to consult your doctor before undertaking any new exercise program.

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!

The “Core” Of The Matter – Part 2

by | Feb 3, 2017 | Training

The "Core" Of The Matter

The “Core” Of The Matter – Part 2

Last time I talked with you about the basics of core training, the areas of the body it involves and the purpose of the core stabilizing muscles.  The previous article served as an overview to relay to you an idea about how to safely isolate or focus on training the core.  I want to get back to a previous point I do not think I spent enough time talking about.  I had stated that the core muscles essentially transferred power from the legs to the extremities in athletic movements.  If there is extraneous movement in this area of the body then we most likely see leaks in power and force.

I would like to expand upon this not so much from an athletic standpoint but from an everyday way of life approach.  We need to think about how the body functions as a whole.  When we bend down to pick a dumbbell up with our hand its not just the bicep that is involved in lifting the item.   The lift requires a multi sensory response via the central nervous system to activate a multitude of muscles which ultimately function as a unit, not in isolation.  We need to stop thinking about muscles and need to think more about proper anatomical movement.  I remember reading a great description about how everything in the body is connected.  If we think of the muscles as the sausage then the fascia is the gut connecting the sausage links.  This interconnecting chain moves spirally and diagonally through the body and can explain why dysfunction in one area can cause pain in another.  The fascia is a web type tissue that envelopes the muscles and connects the soft tissues of the body together.  I think this description can help us understand that when we pick up that dumbbell off the floor, before the dumbbell is even in our hand, muscles in the trunk and core region are firing to stabilize our spine.  Through proper core training we are looking to enhance the speed at which these stabilizing muscles fire, the amount of muscles firing, and the synchronicity at which they fire.

When we train the body in isolated parts like using the leg extension, leg curl or chest press or any single joint machine, we ask the body to produce a movement that it doesn’t really recognize.  This type of training is generally referred to as body building.  If we are looking for a more “functional” way of working out then we need to begin to consider changing up our routine.  I have included a few substitute exercises for some common traditional exercises.  Give them a shot…I think you will find yourself sweating a little more than normal.  This is not always a bad thing!

Arm and Leg Cable Row
Arm Chest Press
Arm Chest Press
Valslide Squat
Valslide Squat

The “Core” Of The Matter – Part 1

by | Feb 3, 2017 | Training

The “Core” Of The Matter - Part 1

The “Core” Of The Matter – Part 1

So many times I hear the phrase “I need to work on my core” by new clients.  By and large it seems they believe that to mean they want their mid section to shrink.  This misconception is not their fault as they get fed this through the endless bombardment of infomercials, diet fads, and the latest greatest “ab-tastic” piece of equipment.  Unfortunately there are some truths existing out there proven by research that all to often get overlooked by the various companies and individuals looking to make a buck by preying off what listeners want to hear.  I think before we talk about some of the myths that exist out there involving the core, we should effectively define it and its role.  While there is some speculation as to exactly what muscles truly make up the core, I like to describe it as the area of deep intrinsic muscles between your hips and shoulders.  These tiny muscles act as a corset to stabilized the spine and prevent extraneous movement.  In athletics these muscles transfer the forces from the legs to the extremeties in the upper-body.  Weak core muscles have been associated with muscle pulls, back and shoulder pain.  To sum up, the core muscles primary purpose is to stabilize movement, not to create it.  Below, I discount some common myths that get regurgitated to me almost on a daily basis.

 

Number One

“If I do more crunches, I will lose my belly fat”:  You cannot spot reduce (lose fat) any areas of the body by solely focusing on them in your workout.  I apologize to all of you who were up at 3am purchasing the ab buster last night.  Sure, resistance training can help you build muscle, but you won’t see much of it until weight is lost by decreasing body fat.  This is only done through a proper diet.

Number Two

“My core is weak therefore more crunches and sit ups must be the answer”:  Crunches and situps are NOT core exercises.  Both exercises involve repeated spinal flexion.  Getting back to my previous point, the core muscles are meant to stabilize motion, not create it.  On top of this, the movement of the crunch and sit up is the same mechanism as that which causes disc herniations.

Number Three

My core will get stronger if I stand on a bosu ball and do squats:  Really, about the only thing standing on the bosu ball will get you better prepared for is working out on a boat rocking in the sea with each passing wave.  I do not want to discount it entirely because if used properly, it can be an advanced method of training balance and stability.  Problem is, I see way too many people trying to stand on it to soon, and it does little to actually activate the muscles of the core.  Before we progress to bosu training, let’s make sure we can squat properly and we have mastered stability on our own two feet first!  

 

Below are some examples of core stability training exercises I use with my clients:

Core Muscles
Half Kneeling Chop
Half Kneeling Chop
Ken using exercise ball
Ken using exercise ball
Plank with Hip Extension
Read The "Core" Of The Matter - Part 2

Shoulder Training For Tennis Players

by | Feb 3, 2017 | Training

Shoulder Training For Tennis Players

Shoulder Training For Tennis Players

Shoulder training for tennis players is vital. Everyone who plays tennis at a high level knows the harmful effects the nature of the sport can have on their body.  The quick bursts of acceleration, split second changes of direction, violent overhead shots, and stopping on a dime can not only cause immediate injury, but can lead to chronic pain in the shoulder, knees, elbow, hip, and back.  This article will focus on one of the more common areas of injury associated with tennis: the shoulder.

Nature has given the shoulder a wonderful array of movement abilities.  We can essentially place our arm in any position our body isn’t.  This high degree of mobility comes with a price.  The most mobile joint in our body can create great amounts of force in all 3 dimensions of movement.   The resulting forces can also become the greatest contributor to injury.  The inherent stability of the shoulder is tested when serve velocities and ground strokes reach near maximum speeds.  Movement mechanics become altered through a slow steady dose of repetitive movement in one direction. 

The motion of the serve and groundstroke over time will stretch the anterior muscles of the shoulder creating more laxity at the shoulder joint.  While this will help to increase arm speed and power, it sets the shoulder up for possible future injury.  The shoulder’s braking mechanism also becomes stressed as something needs to be able to slow down all this forward speed and rotation.  The posterior capsule of the shoulder can become tight as a result.  The overall imbalances that are created in the ligaments, tendons and muscles of the shoulder can create a non-optimal resting length of these soft tissues. 

Common injuries of the shoulder associated with the tennis serve and ground strokes typically start out as internal impingement.  The rotator cuff tendons and soft tissue structures in the sub-acromial space of the shoulder continue to get squished between the bones of the humerus and acromion with every overhead service motion.  This eventually leads to tendonitis which is the precursor to rotator cuff tears.  This can become especially problematic with people who have sub optimal shoulder blade motion (the ability of the shoulder blade to rotate up when arm is lifted).  Training the shoulder to be able to withstand the repetitive forces and movements means a comprehensive approach that not only focuses on the rotator cuff, but also the functional stability of the shoulder blade (scapula).

The customary exercises we see for the rotator cuff are band resisted internal and external rotation.  While these types of exercises have their place and can be effective, we must note that the true function of the rotator cuff musculature is to stabilize motion of the arm, not to produce it.  Utilizing exercises that stress the rotator cuff to work hard on stabilizing motion for a period of time will go far in training the reflexive firing components of the muscles in line with their true function.

 Famed Physical Therapist, Shirley Sahrmann says, “clinically based observations suggest that most syndromes involving the shoulder arise from impairments in the timing and control of scapular motion.”  In addition to training the rotator cuff musculature, it is imperative that time is also spent training the scapula (shoulder blade).  The two work together and dysfunction in one will lead to dysfunction of the other.  

Advancing Lower Body Training For Tennis

by | Feb 3, 2017 | Training

Lower Body Training

Lower Body Training for Tennis

Interested in advancing lower body training for tennis? A few months ago I wrote about taking your shoulder training to the next level by advancing your exercise selections.  This time I am taking a similar approach, but rather focusing on progressing lower body exercise as it relates to change of direction, acceleration and most importantly deceleration.  Before going into the various exercise samples, it’s important to understand the movement requirements and physical demands during a typical match.

A tennis match is characterized by intermittent bouts of high intensity point exchanges usually lasting from 4 – 10 seconds, and short recovery bouts between points, usually lasting 10 to 20 seconds.  Players are allowed 25 seconds between points and 90 seconds on a changeover.

Below are some additional statistics that should be considered when training for tennis.

  • The number of directional changes in an average point is four. The average distance run per stroke is 4 meters.
  • In the average point a player may run between 8 and 12 meters.
  • Players average 2 – 3 strokes per point depending on playing level, sex, court surface, playing style, etc.
  • 80% of all strokes are played within 2.5m of the player’s ready position.
  • A player moves laterally 48% of the time, forward 47% of the time and backward 5% of the time.

 

In sports, when we watch a slow motion replay of a great get in tennis, or a unbelievable run in football we marvel at how well the athlete changes direction and accelerates.  What we do not necessarily see or appreciate is the movement immediately before that burst of speed or that amazing cut.  The athlete’s ability to properly decelerate their body while reacting to their opponents shot in tennis requires a tremendous amount of force reduction and then instantaneous change of direction.  The stress on the joints and muscles is much higher when decelerating the body as opposed to accelerating.  Making sure the tennis athlete accounts for this in their training is pivotal in preparing for the demands of high level tennis.

Below is a progression and description of three exercises designed to enhance your body’s ability to decelerate.  If you have little training experience, begin with Exercise A.  If you are an advanced level gym rat, go ahead and try to perform Exercise C for 10 reps. 

Lunge
Lunge
Lateral Lunge
Lateral Lunge
 Exercise A: MB Lunge and Lateral Lunge – This is a great exercise to begin with if you do not have much experience training.  If you are more of an advanced lifter this can work as a great warm-up.  Both planes of motion are utilized in this movement and the medicine ball adds additional load that you will have to decelerate to do the exercise properly.  The key to performing these exercises effectively is to make sure the movement occurs in the hip and knees.  The spine should remain neutral with little to no movement occurring.  After you have completed the lunge, try to return to the starting position maintaining balance and control.
Cable Lunge
Cable Lung
Cable Lateral Lunge
Cable Lateral Lunge
Exercise B: Cable Resisted Lunge – This is a great progression from Exercise A in that it adds more load to the lunge.  In other words, slowing down your body weight and the weight from the cable machine demands a higher recruitment of muscle fibers.  The body will work harder eccentrically to control its center of mass as well as its joint alignment.  The recovery step is also more difficult in that you will be pushing back with more weight pulling you in the opposite direction.
Squat
Squat
Exercise C: Single Leg Squat – This is the crème de la crème of single leg exercises.  Being able to do a full range (thigh parallel to the floor) single leg squat requires great transverse plane stability as well as tremendous quad and glute strength.  There is no other exercise that emphasizes the eccentric action of the legs than this one here.  You will find that the biggest challenge with this exercise is maintaining your posture and knee alignment as you lower yourself down as opposed to pressing back up.  Holding a light weight (5-8lbs) will actually help you maintain your spine angle and sit back into the heel of your foot as you lower yourself down.  Completing ten will be a feat in itself.  If you want to take it to the next level, try it with a weighted vest, but make sure you can do 10 reps of body weight first. 

Variations In Lower Body Training For Tennis

by | Feb 3, 2017 | Training

tennis training

Variations In Lower Body Training For Tennis

Tennis training and these lower body exercises can help players excel. One of my favorite exercises to use with tennis players is the lateral lunge. Be it a recreational or competitive player, lateral movement on the court is of utmost importance. The exercise itself can be quite complex, but has a great carryover affect towards improving one’s ability to decelerate and then accelerate in the opposite direction.  The human body has evolved to be very efficient at moving. Whether it was trying to catch dinner or keep from becoming it, we are designed to move and act in diverse ways through multiple planes of motion. Unfortunately, modern life has created an environment where we move much less and in fewer directions. We live in a multi-planar world but have been groomed to exercise and move in a straight ahead manner.  In sport as well as in life, we need to be able to move laterally, be it jumping out of the way of a car, or getting to that 100 mph serve.

 

In tennis, there are on average 3 to 5 directional changes per point.  Players spend 80% of stokes played within 2.5 meters of their starting position and 48% of their movements are lateral (side to side). Yet, far too often I see people only training in the sagittal plane.    Before we go on we should discuss the three planes of motion, the first being the sagittal plane. The sagittal plane is an imaginary line running through the center of the body dividing it in half from right to left. Movements that run along this imaginary line consist of walking, reaching forward, squats, lunges, bench press, and so on.  Then there is the frontal plane, dividing the body from the front and back, movements in the frontal plane would consist of lateral movements and raising your arms out to the side.  Last you have the transverse plane that runs horizontally through the body separating the upper and lower body. Movements along the transverse plane would involve rotation of some sort.

Most people and almost all tennis players would benefit from incorporating more lateral and multi-directional exercises to their routine. Not only will it help explosiveness to the ball, but it will help to absorb the stress of trying to stop and cut on a dime, a move that is the cause of many lower body injuries. When we go to cut or plant while in motion, we are asking one leg to absorb a lot of force. The inability of the muscles around the hip, knee, and ankle to absorb that force and control these joints will put them at a high risk of injury. It’s best to develop the patterns for lateral movement in a controlled environment before trying to perform it at 100% effort on the court.  This is why I like to start with the lateral lunge and progress from there.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying throw out all your old exercises that have proven the test of time. I am still a fan of the basics, but I like to introduce these new laterally based exercises in the warm up, without resistance.  Once the movement is mastered we can progress the client with more advanced versions.  

Lateral Lunge:

Take approximately a four foot step out to the right side; when the foot hits the ground begin driving the hip back while also bending the right knee, do not let the knee move too far forward keeping it only slightly in front of the ankle and in line with the toes with out moving past the toes. Keep your torso flat and the left leg straight, keeping both feet flat on the ground. Drive through the right foot extending the hip and knee returning to the starting position. This is a great movement to add into your warm up as most will feel and stretch in the groin of the straight leg. Once you feel comfortable with this exercise the next step would be to add some weight. I prefer dumbbells in each hand or you can also hold one dumbbell in front just under your chin, also known as a goblet squat.

Just keep in mind you probably will not be able to handle as much weight in this direction as you would in a normal lunge.

Hint:

My favorite way to clean up someone’s lateral lunge is to have them place their right hand on their right glute (buttocks) and left fingers in to the front of the right hip. When you step out to your right think about pressing your fingers into your hip pushing your glute into your right hand as you sit back and to your right.

 

Band Resisted Lunges:

What I really like about these is that the band applies a lateral force pulling you outside your center of gravity. The challenge then becomes decelerating that force as you lunge in and then forcefully accelerating in the other direction which mimics the demands of cutting more realistically then that of loading vertically with traditional weights. To perform, take a lateral lunge as you normally would, stepping toward the direction of where the band is trying to pull you. Absorb the force with your inside leg then forcefully propel your self back in the other direction returning to the starting position.

Shuffling:

You can implement shuffling right into your warm up, before working out or playing a match. It’s pretty straight forward; assume an athletic position, as if you were going to receive a serve, then without letting your head raise, shuffle to one side then the other.

Keep your feet from crossing or coming too close to one another. Here are some more challenging ways to incorporate shuffling.

 

Box Shuffling:

Using a box 4-10 inches high, placing your right foot on the box, use your left foot to push yourself up and over to the right. Moving your right foot to the ground and the left to the box absorb the momentum with your right and quickly repeating back to the left.

 

Band Resisted Shuffling:

Using a band that you can loop around your waist and fix to a solid object or have some one hold, place a cone to a set distance, shuffle to the cone and with control shuffle back to the starting position keeping tension on the band. This offers similar sport specific similarities as the band resisted lunges.