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Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Training Like an Athlete-Part 1: The "Everyday" Athlete

By: Joel Luedke

Defining what an "athlete" is can be tough.  Most peoples initial reaction is what you see in professional and college sports.  They aren't the only ones that train like athletes though.  Whether you are training for something such as a race or another type of competition you also need to look at. your training from the eyes of an athlete.

We are going to highlight a few key areas we think everyone that treats themselves like an athlete should focus to make sure you maximizing your training.


Have a Plan (That Extends Beyond the Week)

This area is huge.  We've talked about it before that when it comes to a workout anyone can make you work hard and potentially make you sore the next day.  This can't and shouldn't be your goal each time you get a workout in, it can actually be very detrimental to your overall progress.

In the basics of setting up your training you have to find balance within the program.  You can (and should) balance your exercises in each workout.  That could take a lot of forms (see below).  In the slightly bigger picture you need to find balance across the entire week of your problem to have everything equal out to keep balanced and increase performance.

Upper Body Push/Pull
Lower Body Push/Pull
Rotational

As you get your work in order you'll extend that within your 'block'.  This typically consists of 3-4 weeks and then there and adjust or a progression in what your workouts consist of to proceed in your training.  This plan needs to be looked at from an annual basis and looking at your biggest events and making sure your training sets you up to be at peak form during those events.

Don't Forget the Conditioning
The conditioning piece is often missing in the phrase 'strength and conditioning'.  This piece of your training can vary substantially.  If you are training for a race of some sort your conditioning could be the bulk of your training and you'll have to work your strength training in with it.

If you are a strength/court/field athlete you will need to build your conditioning into your offseason or out of competition time of the year.  This can take many forms such as working on technique of speed, building aerobic capacity and on sport specific drills.  This area can't be overlooked and can be extremely beneficial to add outside of your sport specific practice and training.

The Other 22 Hours of the Day
Training typically occurs for only 1-2 hours a day and that is where you make your training adaptations and continue to build your body.  While that time is extremely important, how you treat your body and what you do in the other 22-ish hours of the day are extremely important.  Nutrition is going to make or break your training.  That includes not just putting in good calories but also putting in enough calories is extremely important.

The other major area is sleep.  You NEED it.  It is really hard to recovery without getting enough sleep.  It is hard to run on 6 hours or less and still perform at the highest level in your training.  Get Sleep!

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Mobility Monday: DNS HIp Extension


We truly believe in Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) and the power that the rehab principle contains.  This one specifically we think that it can help out with so many things.  By being able to get your glutes to get firing and activate you can help eliminate back pain and loosen up your anterior hips.


What It Helps: 
-Pelvic Faults
-Tight Anterior Hips
-Glute Activation


Thursday, June 21, 2018

Friday Food: Shrimp Panzanella

If you're a seafood lover (especially shrimp) this is a great episode for you.  Yes it has a salad but for anyone like me (JL) you could probably use more greens in your life.  And with that, I can always move up the amount of shrimp I add to the mix.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 portion pizza dough 
  • 1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1 medium English cucumber, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
  • 3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 12 oz. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 cups baby arugula
  • 1 cup torn basil leaves

The Game Plan: 

  1. Place wrapped dough in microwave.  Microwave at 30% power for 45 seconds.  Unwrap dough; pat into a disk.  Sprinkle with thyme; knead 1 minute to incorporate.  Let rest 10 minutes.  Pat dough into a 7 inch circle on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Brush with 1 1/2 tsp oil.  Place pan in oven.  Turn oven to 400degF; take 20 minutes (as oven preheats).  Remove form oven; cook (leave oven on).
  2. Cut great into 3/4 inch cubes; arrange on baking sheet, and coat with cooking spray.  bake at 400degF for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Cool 5 minutes.
  3. Combine 3 tbsp oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl.  Add cucumber, onion, and tomatoes; toss.  Let stand 10 minutes.
  4. Heat remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp; cook 3 minutes.  Add bread cubes, shrimp, arugula, and basil to cucumber mixture; toss.



Resource: My Recipes

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Study Spotlight: Back to Back Matches and Injury Prevention

By: Joel Luedke


It's hard to know how people will recovery from activity.  More technology is coming out to help

figure everything out as you practice and compete.  That technology doesn't come cheap though and that can make it hard but could there be other ways to figure out how someone is recovering?  This study takes a look at how younger footballers (soccer players) recovery after 2 matches in a 72 hour period.  They focus on a couple different markers that anyone could implement to look at measuring recovery.

What They Did:
Researchers followed a group of young elite footballers and tested a multitude of factors (see below) at baseline, after the first match and after the second match.  All within a 72 hour period.  They had formalized recovery after each match that consisted of contrast water therapy (3 hot, 4 cold, x2) immediately post match.  The day after the athletes did a recovery training sessions (5 min job, 5 min lower limb stretching, x2).  Training then resumed on day 2 post match.  The second match was 67 hours post the first match.
TESTED
  • Hamstring strength
  • Pain
  • Range of motion
  • RPE

What They Found:
As you would expect the researchers found decreased hamstring strength post match and increased pain.  There was only loss of range of motion when knee flexion was looked at, all others remained unchanged.  Researchers then found that all measures returned prior to the next match and that generally a >48 hour window might be needed for full return, especially when it comes to hamstring strength.

What It All Means?
The moral of this study is that you can recover and be at a high level of preparation for the next competition IF you make sure to set yourself up for quality recovery.  This needs to include physical recovery as they did in this study but could also include so many other things such as nutrition, meditation, and making sure proper sleep patterns are followed to allow the body take full advantage.  Be smart with your recovery and recovery "harder" to help prepare yourself for the next event.

This is also big in injury prevention.  It shows we can return to that high state again which is going to limit our potential for re-injury.

Limitations:
As we referenced in the "What It All Means?" we could look at so many variables this study wasn't able to in order to make a greater effect.  Time for a follow up study it looks like.

Resource: Wollin, M. Monitoring the effect of football match congestion on hamstring strength and lower limb flexibility: Potential for secondary injury prevention?

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Mobility Monday: Fixing Hip Pain w/ Weight Bearing Arm


We've discussed Total Motion Release (TMR) on the blog before and how you can fix issues around your body by using other body part motions.  This is an example of how you can address hip issues by applying force through your shoulder and working the good hip.  


It seems to be very far fetched but you will be surprised at how well it works out for you..  Give it a try if you're having a hip issue that won't resolve.

Things It Helps:
-General Hip Pain
-Hip Impingement Issues
-Increasing ROM

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Friday Food: Hawaiian Chicken (sheet pan)

After spending a good 10 days in Hawaii and having some amazing food we thought we would need to share as much on what we saw as we good.  This recipe caught our eye and looked like it would not only taste great but also be good for you.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp canola oil
  • 1 tbsp coconut palm sugar
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 tbsp lime juice

The Game Plan:

  1. Heat oven to 400degF
  2. Line a rimmed bacon sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
  3. Place chicken, pineapple, peppers, and potatoes onto prepared baking sheet.  Drizzle with sesame oil and canola oil; sprinkle with sugar and season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat ingredients.
  4. Roast in oven for 15 minutes; stir, and return to oven to an additional 10 minutes or until lightly browned and chicken is cooked through.
  5. Sprinkle with coconut and drizzle with lime juice just before serving.


Source: The Seasoned Mom

Monday, June 11, 2018

Mobility Monday: Hips & Psoas


We talk a lot about the hips and psoas on this blog and we do so for good reason.  With our lifestyles changing to become more sedentary and being stuck in a car or chair longer it has dramatic effects on our body.  One of the main ones is that fact that your hips (anterior) can get extremely tight due to being in a 'shortened' position throughout the day.


This video shows you how to address pain and tightness all around your hips to help get you moving and feeling better.  This could potentially lead to reductions in pain in other areas as well.  Check it out.

What It Helps:
-Anterior Hip Pain
-Low Back Pain (can feel very deep)
-Reversing Effects of Sitting all Day

Friday, June 8, 2018

Friday Food: Tuna Poke with Avocado


Spending some time in Hawaii and enjoying the local food (especially the seafood) we wanted to share back to everyone some of the thinks that we have been enjoying.  This one is extremely simple, very good for you.  You have to be into raw tuna and if you're not you could try searing it take away some fo that texture.  Give it a try.

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 4 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium serrano (or jalapeno) chile, seeds and veins removed, finely chopped
  • 1 lb. sashimi grade tuna, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 medium avocado, cut into cubes

The Game Plan:
  1. Combine soy sauce, oil, green onions, and Serrano in a medium bowl, whisk to blend.
  2. Add tuna to soy sauce mixture; blend until well coated.  Refrigerate, covered, for at least one hour.
  3. Add sesame seeds and avocado to tuna mixture; toss gently to blend.
  4. Divide tuna mixture evenly between four bowls; serve immediately.