Study Spotlight: Effect of Self-Myofascial Release-A narrative review

By: Joel Luedke

We very much believe in foam rolling and self myofascial release (SMFR) with any other type of modality that works.  There are endless options on what you can use (see some ideas below) to work on your tissues but check out this review to see exactly how SMFR can help.

What They Did:

Researchers in this article did a literature review of all the information that has been put out on self myofascial release (SMFR) since the start of the research.  They used PubMed, Google Scholar, and PEDro databases and didn't put any limitations on their search for the keywords related to self-myoascial release (the keywords were quite extensive).

What They Found: 

After all of the research and reading there were 42 publications included in the review.  Overall the results of review were very positive in the use of SMFR.  There was a significant increase in the joint range of motion after using the SMFR techniques but there was no decrease in muscle force or changes in performance after the use of a foam roller.  At this time there is no trial evaluating SFMR for myofascial pain even though it is commonly used.

What It All Means: 

We believe very much in the use of SMFR for the treatment of yourself and the pains and tightness you may have.  From a practical sense using a foam roller seems to make sense as and it works and when the science backs it up that is always helpful.  If you spend the time utilizing a foam roller, softball, baseball, tennis ball, or lacrosse ball and focus on what you're trying to accomplish (think getting a really good massage) you can achieve a lot of results on your own.

The evidence they found in this review for the ability to increase joint range of motion using SMFR without decreasing performance is very promising.  This gives you the ability to utilize a foam roller basically whenever you need to and not have to worry about the potential of adverse affects.  Now as with everything there needs to be some level of moderation.  Don't go beyond getting yourself loosened up and working about 2 minutes per body part not only appears to be enough to make changes but also not long enough to go overboard.

Source: Effect of self-myofascial release on myofascial pain, muscle flexibility, and strength: A narrative review.

Foam Roller Options
-Standard Foam Roller
-Trigger Point Roller
-Rumble Roller

On 'Being Busy'

By: Joel Luedke

Being 'busy' is something I've thought about a lot after hearing some very successful people's opinions on it.  I used to think I was a 'busy' person and constantly found myself running around trying to get one thing done while putting out a fire somewhere else.  Often when people would as "how are you?" my initial response was "I'm good, busy!"  After some deeper reflection and some advice from a couple smart people here are some of the thoughts I've come by.

Being 'busy' often means you may or may not have control of your time and that can happen for a variety of reasons.  In a world that is now connected at every step of the way and the flow of information is constant this can present a problem in trying to control your time.  Your job could very well be putting you in this position of 'busy' and that is where you have to figure out if you might have lost control.

Tim Ferriss's take on being busy.  "Lack of time is lack of priorities.  If I'm 'busy,' it is because I've made choices that put me in that position, so I've forbidden myself to reply to "How are you?" with "Busy."  I have no right to complain.  Instead, if I'm too busy, it's a cue to reexamine my systems and rules."

Thinking only this quote made me take a lot of things into consideration and how many things I put on my plate or how many irons I put into the fire.  It has made me take a look at what projects I agree to take on what which ones I think I can manage but at the same time delegate to a colleague or intern to take ownership of to put in most of the work (a win win in most areas).  I've learned that you can't really "make time" because time is finite.  It is one of the commodities that we can't control and you can't increase the amount no matter what you do.  

This comes to time management and a couple other ideas you can implement in order "to make more time".  First one is you can't make time, there just isn't such a thing but you can manage it better but that comes with some decisions.  In order to find more time you often have to remove something or get it onto someone else's plate in order to get it completed.  What really is important or needs to prioritized comes into play and decisions can be tough but they must be made.  If you don't make these decisions the feeling of being 'busy' may never subside.

Another great option I picked up from Derek Sivers (via Tim Ferriss Podcast).  He uses the 'Hell Yes' method.  Derek has a laser focused personality.  If he starts a projects he will spend 12-16 hours straight a day working on it until it gets completed and then he looks for the next one.  He doesn't take on just any project though.  Using his 'Hell Yes' method Derek looks at every project that way.  If it isn't a 'hell yes' then it is simply a no for him to take on.  This allows Derek to get really excited for the project if he wants to take it on and if he doesn't then he simply passes on it.

While this isn't always feasible in the day-to-day workings of your job it is something you can implement on multiple levels when it comes to trying to on potential tasks or projects.  If it isn't something you need todo but you feel like you might, see if it is a 'hell yes' or if it really fits into your  your priority risk.  While people do get busy and there are peaks and valleys when it comes to being busy be in control of how busy you are, don't let the outside world affect your ability to control what you are doing.  Not only will it feel like your life is slowing down but you will find you're more efficient in what you do when you are focusing on the things you want to be doing.

Friday Food: Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake

Bottom line is this looks fantastic and I can't wait to make it soon and then again just to make sure that I like it as much as I think I'm going to.  Great way to get some macros across the board with this recipe and while still being able to customize with the veggies (broccoli maybe?) of your choice.  

Enjoy.

Ingredients:
-1 (8oz) package small elbow macaroni
-Cooking Spray (or coconut oil)
-1 cup pre chopped onion
-1 cup pre shredded carrot
-2 tsp bottled minced garlic
-1 pound lean ground sirloin
-1 cup tomato sauce
-1 tsp kosher salt
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-1 cup fat-free milk
-2 tbsp all-purpose flour
-1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
-1 1/2 cups (6 oz) sharp cheddar cheese

The Game Plan:

1. Preheat oven to 350degF
2. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.  Coat pastas with cooking spray (coconut oil)
3. Heat Dutch oven over medium-high hat.  Coat pan with cooking spray (coconut oil).  Add onion and carrot, and saute 4 minutes.  Add garlic; saute 1 minute.  Add ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.  Add tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper.  Cook for 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.
4. Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine.  Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Place, milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended.  Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth.  Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir.  Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.  Back at 350degF for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand  5 minutes before serving.

Courtesy of: MyRecipes.com

Early Specialization and Multilateral Development

By: Joel Luedke

There has been a lot of information and articles posted out there on sport specialization and we think the trend is for good reason.  There might not be a whole lot that is new and ground breaking in this article but we thought it was important to cover the topic as being a well rounded and robust athlete is something we believe in at TAT.  Not only do we believe in being in a lot of sports when you are young but we also think you should continue to not over specialize your training as you may move into one sport or your own general training in life.

This idea to write this article came from reading through Bompa's latest release of their Periodization Book (keeping up on the skills).  Both AJ, Kyle and myself all played multiple sports when we were younger and while only one of us played college sports we all think it is very important for the development of the entire athlete.  Below are some highlights from the book and a list of ideas comparing early specialization vs. multilateral development and thoughts on them.

Early-Specialization

Quick performance improvement

-This happens too often it seems where someone excels early in age and people then extrapolate that out to the rest of their career but it never follows through.  Don't trade the potential of short term success early in a career with long term development.

Best performances achieved at 15 to 16 years of age because of quick adaptation

-Following what was stated above this seems to be where people max out and where the 'late bloomers' start catching up and even surpassing people who specialize and peak to soon.

Inconsistent performance in competition

-Along with the early achievement the maturity of the mind hasn't followed the potential physical maturity that started out sooner than later, in most cases.  This often leads to struggles and inconsistencies with performance.

High incidence of burnout and quitting sport by age 18

-Tying into the first and second points these 'gifted careers' start  too soon and end too soon as well.  

Increased risk of injury because of forced adaptation and lack of physiological development

-While weight training and training in general can be very safe early on in the development in an athlete it has to be done correctly and carefully with the understanding that "if some is good, more IS NOT always better".  Let the body develop as it should and make sure you never put strength and size on someone who doesn't have the proper movement patterns first.

Multilateral Development

Slower performance improvement

-This can be frustrating but the pay off in the end can be so much more.  Often these are the 'late bloomers' but injuries tend to be less

Best performances at age 18 or older when the athlete has reached physiological  and psychological maturation.

-This translates into better results for all the results mentioned in the main description.  Most of the time due to the length of time for this development to occur translates over to a longer career and can potentially put you into post high school sports.

Consistent and progressive performance in competition

-Tying back into maturity this leads to more consistent performance and a better longevity of the career.

Longer athletic career

-The body has been able to adapt to more stresses over the courses of many sports and seasons and this allows the body to adapt and be better able to handle the stresses put onto it.

Fewer injuries as a result of more progressive loading patterns and overall physiological development.

-Getting movement patterns set up correctly and then progressing in training makes a huge difference and this is not only in young (adolescent) training. This is important especially later into high school and even in training later in life.  Working to maintain mobility and movement is paramount and can lead to so many benefits later in life.

In summary it is extremely important to be multilateral when it comes to your (and anyone you coach) training.  It benefits you so much in the longer run and you can accomplish this by playing multiple sports and getting your body to adapt to the different stressors.  You also need to continue to apply this in your training and not just work in one plane of movement and continue to stress your body thru-out the training process.  Keep your training fresh and multi-faceted, it will be worth it in the long run.

LINK: Want to Play Football at Ohio State or Clemson-Trying Playing Other Sports Too

Mobility Monday: Lats Give You Overhead Mobility

We have posted about the lats before and how it can contribute to a lot of problems around the shoulder.  This one focuses on getting some overhead mobility back in your shoulders by addressing the lats.  The Lats are extremely important to help with posture and certain movements but mainly when we are working on getting them to engage throughout the entire muscle.  They can be detrimental if we get them too tight and they round our shoulders into internal rotation and start causing pain and problems.  Check this one out to see how your lats can affect everything.

Things It Helps:
-Increased shoulder ROM
-Decrease shoulder pain
-Less tightness in anterior shoulder when seated
-Help with rounded shoulder posture

LINK: Clean Up Your Lats

Friday Food: English Cottage Pie

This is going out there for us a little bit but if you check out the newsletter (or just Clinically Pressed) we think you will make the connection.  So with that this one has a lot of working pieces but it looks like it will be all worth it in the end.  Check it out and try something new this week when it comes to food.

Ingredients:
-1 tbsp all-purpose flour
-1 tbsp butter, softened
-Cooking Spray
-1 1/2 cups chopped onion
-1/2 cup chopped carrot
-1 (8oz) package cremini or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
-1 lb extra-lean ground beef
-2 tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste
-1 cup fat-free, lower sodium beef broth
-1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
-1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
-1/2 tsp salt
-3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
-3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp white cheddar cheese
-Parprika (optional)

The Game Plan:
-Preheat oven to 350deg
-Combine flour and butter; stir well.
-Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.
-Add onion and carrot; saute 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms; saute for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove vegetables from skillet.
-Add beef to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.
-Sitr in tomato paste, and cook 3 minutes.  Stir in broth and pepper.
-Return vegetables to pan and bring to a simmer.  Stir in parsley, thyme, and salt.
-Add flour mixture and cook for 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly.
-Spoon meat mixture into a 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray, spreading evenly.
-Combine the potatoes and half of cheese; spread the potato mixture evenly over meat mixture. Top with remaining cheese.  Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.
-Bake at 350deg for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!

Reference: www.myrecipes.com

Study Spotlight: Effect of High Protein Diet on Hyper Insulinemic People

By: Joel Luedke

'Diet' can become one of those four letter words for most people and it can be extremely frustrating.  What to eat, how much of it, and when are all questions you can come across and often it is hard to figure out what is the best bet.  When you talk to our resident nutritionist, Dr. Jagim and his course 'Weight Loss 101' he breaks a lot of it down and recommends looking at increasing protein in your diet for a variety of good reasons.  In this Study Spotlight we take a look at a research study that compared a high protein diet vs. a standard protein diet and how it affected the body.

What They Did:

Researchers ran a parallel design study which compared either a high protein diet of meat, poultry and air foods (HP diet: 27% protein, 44% CHO, 29% fat) against as standard-protein diet (SP diet: 16% protein, 57% CHO, 27% fat).  The study ran over 12 weeks of energy energy restriction and 4 weeks of energy balance.  Measurements in this study included weight loss, fat loss, blood pressure, calcium excretion, lean body mass, and serum triacylglycerol concentrations.

What They Found: 

Overall weight loss and total fat lost didn't change between the two groups.  For women there did see that total lean mass was better preserved with the HP diet.  Those that were in the HP group had significantly less glycemic response at 0 and 16 weeks.  After the weight loss the glycemic response decreased significantly.  There was also a reduction in triacylglycerol concentrations in the HP that was greater than the SP group.  There was no change in bone turner over or calcium excretion.

What It All Means:

On the initial look at what they found you might not see much difference or why it would matter what the composition of your diet looks like because the weight loss and fat loss were the same.  Then we dive a little deeper into the results and we look at all the metabolic effects that can happen when you up your protein levels in a diet.  Things like the reduction of the glycemic response which can help your body in its handling of sugar down the road.  Also reducing the amount of fats that are circulating throughout the blood is something that you definitely want to aim for as that can lead to some major problems down the line if it begins to accumulate in your vessels and potential start backing them up.

Another reason to potentially look at higher protein is a lot of people under eat this macronutrient over time and therefore start utilizing their own muscle and break it down to have protein available for their body.  When it comes to everyday life and weight loss this is not what you want.  We want to maintain a good level of lean body mass in order to keep our bodies strong and we need protein to do so.  Also protein can be highly thermogenic which makes our bodies work a little harder to break it down and utilize it so we can burn more calories in the process.

Again, check out your diet, know what you are eating and see if you think it might be time to adjust your macro ratios and see how it makes you feel.  If it works great, if not, get back to the drawing board and figure out what works for you.

"If you're going to overeat on anything, let it be protein." -Andrew Jagim PhD

Reference: Effect of a high protein, energy restricted diet on body composition, glycemic control, and lipid concentration in overweight and obese hyper insulinemic men and women.

How I Got My Blood Work to Look This Good (well how I think anyway)

By: Joel Luedke

*First off as we get into this article I want to be very clear; nothing in this article is meant to be medical advice and the ranges used for the blood levels and other measurements are based off of the recommendations from Quest Diagnostics.  I'm not a doctor and in the words of Tim Ferriss, I don't play one on the internet and am just sharing interesting data and how I got there.  Please see a medical professional for any questions or concerns about your own markers.  Now, how we got here.

Each year through my employer we have the option to do a health and wellness screening  Its a great way to see where some markers are at, get marginally good health advice and make a $150 back (who can argue with that?).  I've done these for several years and there are some themes.  I continue to be obese as the BMI takes no information into account other than height and weight. So if you have a little muscle, you're most likely overweight.  Don't let this stress you out there are better options (Check out this article by Dr. Jagim-'Why do we measure success with a Scale?). My lipid panel was never great but it was always within the ranges but this year it surprised me.

I don't have the best diet ever but I try to work within the 80/20 rule.  Do great 80% of the time and have some fun the other 20%, there is such thing as mental health.  Along with this I've really tried to dive into a modified intermittent fast (similar to the Bulletproof style) where I stop eating at 8:00pm the night before (earlier if it works out) and then not eat again or take in protein calories until after 12:00pm the next day.  My first meal typically comes in as a post workout protein shake.  I do however have my coffee (Caveman Coffee currently) with butter (Kerry Gold or Organic Valley) and MCT or coconut oil.  While I'm technically "breaking the fast" I am staying in a state working towards ketosis by only consuming fat calories in the morning.  This coffee also prevents the "hangries". (LINK: Intermittent Fasting)

The day of the testing was no different except the testing wasn't until 1:45pm so I really didn't get to eat until later but I still had my coffee with a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon (or more) of coconut oil.  Basically pure fat.  Here is what resulted:

Health & Wellness Screening Numbers

BMI: 31.7 (Goal: 18.5-24.9)

Waist Circumference: 40 inches

Blood Pressure: 128/88 (Goal: 119/79)

Total Cholesterol: 206 (Goal: 125-199)

HDL Cholesterol: 52 (Goal: >40)

Triglycerides: <45 (Goal: <149)

LDL Cholesterol: N/A (Goal: <129)

Non-HDL Cholesterol: 154 (Goal: <159)

Total Chol/HDL Ratio: 4.0 (Goal: <4.9)

Fasting Glucose: 80 (Goal: 65-99)

Fasting glucose was low-isa (80) which was good and to be expected with being "fasted" and not putting in any carbohydrates or protein.  Now we get into the interesting stuff.  Total cholesterol was a little high but more and more research is coming out and opinions are changing that total cholesterol in general isn't bad and that number alone isn't a good predictor of heart disease (Here is an article by Dr. Mercola who is an expert in these areas).  What you don't want is high triglycerides (TGs) and along with that high LDL cholesterol.  You'd like to see your HDL's be pretty high as this is the "good" type.

Back to the results.  TGs didn't even register on my test as anything below 45 isn't read by the machine and I was at least over 100 counts below the upper recommended limit.  Beyond that with the TGs not registering my LDLs didn't either.  This was great news along with the fact that my HDL was a good amount of the goal of over 40 (52).  Tie all this in together and the Total Chol/HDL Ratio I had was 4.0.  A highly respected 'anti-inflammation' doctors suggest 3.5 but being at 4.0 when high is 4.9 felt pretty good. (LINK: DeFlame Nutrition-Dr. Seaman)

So how did this all happen.  One thought was that to have the HDL spike and drive down the TGs and LDLs I upped my omega-3 intake.  Well I do eat fish once a week now (compared to zero before) and I do take fish oil but I actually take less than previous. Even though I think it is helping I ruled that one out as the main cause.  How could it be though that only consuming coffee and fat that morning that those number didn't even register?  This is where the "well how I think anyway" part comes in.  As we've seen in a lot of areas fat has a bad rap and that is slowly coming down and fat is no longer the enemy.  Even while consuming more of it than ever my results suggest it isn't a big deal and I think it has to do with the inflammation.  By modifying a longer fast and not introducing any carbohydrates or protein until later I can keep inflammation levels down and over the course of time that improves my blood count.

Again, I don't have the answer but I think the results give way to showing that there are ways to get healthy that aren't "common".  While I don't do regular lab work (I need to) this is the start of it for me and I look forward to checking it again soon and seeing what happens.  Don't diet, experiment with you food and figure out what works for you and measure that progress. You might be surprised.

If you have any questions or would just like to discuss, shoot me an email at joel.luedke@totalathletictherapy.com.

Mobility Monday: Simple Recipes for Low Back Pain

I won't lie this one is for me as much as it is for everyone else.  After a long but beautiful weekend of covering softball there was a lot of standing, sitting, moving 10 gallon coolers and driving Gators (not great suspension on those things).  From all of that my back is feeling it as well as my whole posterior chain (I have no idea why my hamstring are so sore).  

This is a collection of some simple yet highly effective movement you can get started on to get everything moving again in your low back and all the surrounding joints and musculature.  If you are at a desk all day or just got done doing yard work all weekend these are a great place to start to get moving again before getting back into your workouts.

Things It Helps:
-Low back pain (shocking I know)
-Better posterior chain movement/mobility/flexibility
-Improved hip movement

Friday Food: Caribbean Chicken Stir Fry

Add a little spice to your life with recipe and get some tropical fruit in there at the same time (get it fresh and not in the can for more health ;-)  ).  Stir fry is a great option for a healthy meal that offers you a lot of food and this is just an option to change it up and spice it up at the same time.

Enjoy it.

Ingredients

1 1/2 Lbs Chicken Breast, Cubed

2 Tbsp Sesame Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Scallion, Minced

1 Can (15.25 oz) Tropical Fruit Cocktail

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tsp Ginger

1/2 Tsp Paprika

1/4 Tsp Turmeric

1/4 Tsp Allspice

1/2 Cup Orange Juice

1 Tbsp Cornstarch

Salt And Pepper

3 Cups Cooked Jasmine Rice

Game Plan 

Drain tropical fruit, reserving juice; set aside. Combine 1/2 cup reserved juice with soy sauce, ginger, paprika, turmeric, and allspice in a small bowl; set aside. Mix orange juice and cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside. Salt and pepper chicken. Heat oil in wok or large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and scallion and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add chicken and stir fry until no longer pink (approximately 1 minute). Add orange juice and soy sauce mixtures to the wok. Stir gently for about 30 seconds. Add fruit salad, cover and cook 2 minutes. Add orange juice with cornstarch to the wok and stir until thickened. Serve on a platter over hot jasmine rice.

Fact or Fiction: Utilizing a Hypertrophy Focused Program is Better than Strength for Muscle Size

By: Andrew Jagim

According to a lot of general strength training program design concepts put forth by various organizations, it is typically recommend to identify a primary training goal/outcome and design your strength training program around this goal.  For example, according to the NSCA (See tables below), your primary training goal (i.e. Maximal Strength vs. Muscle Hypertrophy) should dictate a specific load (% 1 Repetition Maximum) and training volume (sets x reps) in order to maximize the desired outcome.

Based upon this type of program recommendation it appears as the strength training program design and the potential of eliciting different physiological adaptations are mutually exclusive and there is little transference from one training style to the other.  Now don't get be wrong, there is pretty strong (pun intended) evidence to suggest that lifting heavy weights is the best way to get stronger (STR) while at the same time there does appear to be a dose-response relationship between training volume and increases in muscle hypertrophy (HYP) but you may be wondering if it's possible to increase muscle size while lifting heavy??

Recently a review paper was published that tackled this question.  The purpose of the review was to examine the acute anabolic responses and training-induced muscular adaptations between the two different training styles, and their corresponding program variables that are commonly used.  I decided to just copy and paste the authors conclusions directly in here as they worded it so eloquently. 

"Despite the classification of training paradigms,

HYP and STR resistance training routines appear to elicit similar magnitudes of muscle growth, although STR routines appear to be more conducive to increasing strength in resistance-trained individuals.

Current evidence suggests that the classification of HYP and STR is an oversimplification, and practitioners are advised to look beyond the classification of resistance exercise protocols when aiming to elicit specific physiological responses. "

 

What the authors found was rather interesting. A lot of the results confirmed a lot of we already know about strength training. The Hypertrophy focused training recommendations, regarding load and volume, appeared to maximize the acute anabolic response and provide an ample stimulus to elicit muscle hypertrophy over time. Makes sense right, if this was not the case, it wouldn't have been classified as a hypertrophy program.  These acute stimuli seem to include the perfect storm of mechanical tension, exercise induced muscle damage, increased blood flow and increased metabolic stress that appears to maximize muscle growth.  The typical recommendations for maximal strength development also appeared to be an effective strategy for increases strength; again really just confirming what we already know. However, interestingly, the authors also found that the conventional "strength" style of training also appears to provide acute anabolic signaling factors that can also increase muscle hypertrophy over time, even to the same extent as muscle hypertrophy training. So it appears as though you get the best of both worlds, the strength and the size! This has some profound implications for athletic performance as a lot of athletes focus on developing strength but also trying to maximize lean body mass as these adaptions can help enhance performance in a lot of sports.  So, it appears as though our traditional way of programming is not as black and white as it looks on paper and there may be a lot of overlap in terms of multiple physiological adaptations occurring simultaneously.

Click Here for Review Article

Mobility Monday: Plantarfasciitis (a novel way to treat it)

I've searched for and seen a lot of different ideas and things to try when it comes to plantar fascia pain and I can honestly say that this is one I've never seen before.  The idea of rolling the bottom

of your foot out isn't new but utilizing the handle is a good idea but the thought of using a super band to work the tissue back and forth with the tension and shear force across the tissue is new and I'm looking forward to seeing how the results play out.  Give this one a try as it is quick and easy and hopefully just as effective.

Things It Helps:
-Plantar fascia tightness/pain
-Sore Feet
-Achilles Tendon Soreness

Friday Food: Peloponnesian Shrimp

Personally I'm a huge fan of shrimp so anytime I can find a recipe to spice it up and enjoy I'm happy to share.  This one comes from the Paleo Diet for Athletes (great read by the way) so it is all good on the paleo front and at the same time a great source of protein and fat.  Simple, relatively quick and extremely tasty, enjoy.

Ingredients:

            1 tsp garlic, finely chopped

            2 tbsp olive oil

            2 cups tomatoes, diced

            ½ cup dry white wine

            ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

            1 tsp dried oregano

            Black pepper

            1 ½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

            1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Game Plan:

-Briefly cook the garlic in 1 tbsp of the oil, stirring frequently.  

-Add the tomatoes and cook for about a minute.  

-Add the wine, basil, oregano, and black pepper to taste.  

-Cook over moderate heat for 8 to 10 minutes.  

-Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet and add the shrimp.  

-Cook rapidly, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.  

-Dust with the red pepper.  

-Pour the tomato sauce over the shrimp.  

-Serves 4.

Resource: The Paleo Diet for Athletes

Study Spotlight: Is Ice Right? Does Cryotherapy Improve Outcome for Acute Soft Tissue Injury?

By: Joel Luedke

What They Did:

These researchers did a review of the literature to see if there was any evidence to support the use of ice and if that resulted in an improved clinical outcome following an injury  The search entailed  looks at all trials using humans and animals pertaining to soft tissue trauma, ice or cryotherapy.  The clinically relevant outcomes they sought out were 1) a reduction in pain; 2) a reduction in swelling or edema 3) improved function or 4) return to participation in normal activity.

What They Found:

Only six relevant trials were found to be reviewed.  Overall they found that none were overly randomized or blinded (hard to do when something is cold like ice).  Overall they found that there was some support that moderate cooling could help in the control of edema.  They did find that excessive or prolonged cooling might actually be damaging and can hasten return to participation.

What It All Means:

The authors of the article summed it all up with this: "There is insufficient evident to suggest that cryotherapy improves clinical outcome in the management of soft tissue injuries."

First note: This review was done in 2007 and therefore can't account for any research that has been released since then so that is about 10 years of potential research that isn't accounted for.  (We will make sure to see if anything else is coming out and feature it soon).  I think it is telling though that more research needs to be done as only 6 trials were able to be used in this review.

Now on to more interpretation.  We aren't big fans of ice here and we think this review helps support that.  Cold can be damaging (think frostbite) and when you're cold all processes slow down. I can't imagine that our body wouldn't react the same way on a tissue and cellular level.  There are many ways to address injury and the one I personal most subscribe to is the need for muscle activation.  Swelling and edema need to removed and the clean up crew needs to come in and for the swelling to leave it needs to enter the lymphatic system.  This system is passive and the only way to get things to move is mechanically or through muscle activation.  The more we can contract muscle and move without causing pain (and hence more damage) the faster we can aid the process of repair. 

If ice is what you believe in and trust I can't argue with you but at least consider what another (potentially more effective) way to deal with injury could offer.

Resource: Is Ice Right?  Does Cryotherapy Improve Outcome for Acute Soft Tissue Injury?

Related Articles/Videos
CP: Gary Reinl-The Anti-Ice Guy
TAT: We've Got to Stop Icing...A Year Later

My Biggest Misconceptions Growing Up: Wellness

By: Joel Luedke

This is the final installment of the 'My Biggest Misconceptions Growing Up' series.  In the first one we talked about performance mistakes I made growing up and in the second round of the series we talked nutrition and a lot of the misconceptions I had in that area.  Both were areas would have presented huge opportunities to advance in athletic performance and health and this last category isn't any different.

In this article we are looking at Wellness and some of the areas that I thought I knew back then and what I was doing and then as I've gotten further into my career have realized I really had no idea what I was doing to myself and how naive I was in thinking I did.  Here we go.

Icing Injuries

I want to first start off by saying when I refer to icing that I am not including ice baths or whole body cryotherapy.  I am only referring to ice bags.  As I've gotten further into my career I've very much questioned if ice is really doing anything when we slap it on an injury.  Did we really help anything with a hamstring strain by putting a bag of ice on for 20 minutes.  Beyond that it got me thinking about if we could potentially be slowing down the healing process as a whole and that obviously is counter intuitive.

What could I have done better other than icing my knees after a game?  We will tie this inept the mobility work below but actually doing a cool down and creating muscle activation would have been a much better option for recovery.  It would have helped clear the congestion of the body and get it moving rather than sitting still and letting ice sit on my knees.  Looking back this didn't accomplish anything other than make my knees cold and red (and a little stiff to be honest).  Now how mobility work would have helped.

Mobility Work (Or Lack There Of)

There was always some focus on stretching.  We would sit around in the circle and go through our stretches.  Now, how much attention any of us were paying to that is questionable at best.  Again, getting more into my career and expanding my horizons on mobility work I figured out that just stretching was not the key and actually could be hard on your body and specifically your joints.

Using a foam roller didn't exist in my world in high school and now I won't do any type of stretching without getting on a foam roller or some sort of mobility tool first.  You have to be able get a muscle to loosen up, start moving and become supple before you can go and stretch it out to gain the range of motion.  Bottom line, don't stretch cold muscles.  Make sure you are doing it at the end of a workout or practice or get a great warm up in before starting your mobility work.

What's in a "Warm Up"

The mobility work ties right in the importance of a warm up.  At UWL we have gone away from 'warm up' as no one ever seems to take that seriously and have moved into Pillar Prep, Movement Prep and movement skill.   Your pre workout or practice ritual needs to be something that actually prepares you for the event your are about to partake in, it can't be half effort.  While personally I made it through an athletic career without many injuries it makes me wonder what I could have done performance wise if I had paid more attention to this area.

I personally haven't gotten a whole lot better with age when it comes to this area but am in my own personal journey to take it seriously as things are starting to ache more than they used to.  "Warm-up" doesn't just need to be light jogging followed by static stretching.  Find your weaknesses and areas you need to improve on and build those right into your prep.  This is a great time to work on hip mobility, core stability and rotator cuff strengthening and prevention.  It will be worth it in the long run to take this one seriously.

Sleep is for the Weak

This is an area I finally gave into and it only took me until I was 30.  I've always dreamed of the day I could run on 4-5 hours of sleep and not have it affect me.  Up all night working on something and building a business or a project.  Turns out missing sleep isn't all that beneficial to your production in that realm of your life and it is definitely not help to miss sleep when it comes to your health and performance.  Not only do you need the rest for you to feel good and not constantly be reaching for your coffee or source of caffeine but your body needs it to recovery.

This was never that easy after a game or competition because you are still on the alert from the competition.  You can aid in brining yourself back down with the use of a cold tub (Study Spotlight), a good cool down that helps down regulate your nervous system and making sure you aren't taking a stimulant to late in the night/competition that can set you up for poorer recovery after. (TAT Article on Caffeine Timing).  Give in to your body with sleep and get 7-8 (could be more) and it will result in greater benefits during your day and often more productivity in the quality of it all and not the quantity of hours staying awake.  Don't skimp on sleep.

As with the other parts of the article there are so many things you can do to improve your performance and health if you look a little deeper into it and also ask for advice and look for the leaders out there providing good information.  I hope this series of articles helped and gave some ideas of how to improve your life when it comes to performance, nutrition and wellness.

Resources:
-Clinically Pressed: Gary Reinl-Anti Ice Guy
-TAT: "Can I have a bag of ice?"
-TAT: Which comes first, Mobility or Stretching?

Mobility Monday: On the Spot MobRx for Tight Hips

Every time you go into the gym is not perfect.  Often you have an area that is sore and tight and can limit your ability to get the best workout in that you can.  Most people dread leg day to a degree anyway but if you add tight hips into the mix it just makes it that more of a challenge.

This Mobility Monday takes a look at how you can add mobility work your squat routine (or leg day) to try and get an instant return on your mobility and help free your hips up for a better day.  Not only can this help improve your range of motion for the movement but that extra range of motion can also help you get an improvement in performance by freeing up your ability to create more torque and generate force.

Things It Helps:
-Tight Anterior Hips
-Improving Squat Depth
-Relieving Low Back Pain