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The time now is Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:29 am
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Impaler
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 186
Location: Astley, Manchester
Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:51 pm
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sports performance
SPORTSPERFORMANCEBULLETIN PP 239 : Out Now!
The new issue of 239 is out now! Some of the topics you'll
find covered in this issue are.
Chronobiology – how timing could give you the edge
Cycling – foundation building for racing success
Emotional intelligence – why your head should rule
your heart
Find out more about these articles and the rest of PP239 here:
www.pponline.co.uk/prewp/awspb105-pp239.html
In This Issue of Sports Performance Bulletin
Test Of The Week: Core muscle strength test
Diet & injury prevention: how what you eat can stop you getting hurt.
Ask the expert - Coaching with Brian Mackenzie
Hot topics
Dear Sports Performance Bulletin Reader,
Welcome to this week's Sports Performance Bulletin! Each week, we try to give you exercises and training tips in order to be the best athlete you can be, you need to not only concentrate on your strength and endurance, but how to train and look after your body as a whole. This week's test therefore looks at the most important muscle group for an athlete - the core muscles, and how to train them properly giving you guidelines where you can assess yourself to know you're at your optimum fitness levels. We've also got expert input from top coaching guru Brian Mackenzie, which is tailored to getting the most from a netball team with different fitness abilities, but can be adapted to accommodate any team sport, and individual usage as well. We also have one of our most popular diet and nutrition articles from Sports Injury Bulletin on how to avoid injury by eating the right foods... the two are more related than you think.
Keep reading on to find out more....
Test Of The Week: Core muscle strength test
The aim of core stability training is to ensure the deep trunk muscles are working correctly to control the lumbar spine during dynamic movements, e.g. lifting a heavy box or running. If core strength is poor then the torso will move unnecessarily during motion and waste energy. Good core strength indicates that the athlete can move with high efficiency. The core muscle strength test can be used to monitor the development of the athlete’s core strength.
Required resources:
To undertake this test you will require a flat surface, an assistant, a mat and a watch.
How to conduct the test:
The assistant is responsible for instructing the athlete as to the position to assume at the appropriate time sequence. Throughout the test the back, neck and head should be maintained in the posture as per Figure 1. If the athlete is unable to hold this position then the test is to be
stopped.
The core muscle strength test is conducted as follows:
Stage 1
● Using the mat to support your elbows and arms assume the Chinese press-up position as in Figure 1 above.
● Once the correct position is assumed the assistant starts the watch.
● Hold this position for 60 seconds.
Stage 2
● Lift your right arm off the ground.
● Hold this position for 15 seconds.
Stage 3
● Return your right arm to the ground and lift the left arm off the ground.
● Hold this position for 15 seconds Stage 4
● Return your left arm to the ground and lift the right leg off the ground
● Hold this position for 15 seconds.
Stage 5
● Return your right leg to the ground and lift the left leg off the ground.
● Hold this position for 15 seconds.
Stage 6
● Lift your left leg and right arm off the ground.
● Hold this position for 15 seconds.
Stage 7
● Return your left leg and right arm to the ground.
● Lift your right leg and left arm off the ground.
● Hold this position for 15 seconds.
Stage 8
● Return to the basic Chinese pressup position – as in Figure 1 above.
● Hold this position for 30 seconds.
Stage 9
● End of test.
Record the stage at which the athlete is unable to maintain the correct body position or is unable to continue with the test.
Analysis
Analysis of the result is by comparing it with previous test results. It is expected that, with appropriate training between each test, the analysis would indicate an improvement. If the athlete is able to complete the test, up to and including stage 8, then it indicates they have good core strength.
This test comes to you from Brian Mackenzie, editor of the Your Personal Trainer e-newsletter. In each issue of Your Personal Trainer we will feature new tests and training tips for all serious athletes. This month's YPT includes the Yuhasz Skinfold Test as well as articles on speed, injury prevention, psychology and conditioning. Find out more about the latest issue and our US$1.97 exclusive online membership by following the link below:
Diet & injury prevention: how what you eat can stop you getting hurt.
Diet affects performance: this is such a well-researched and documented fact that nothing more need be said on it here. In contrast, there has been relatively little research on whether diet can be a factor in the prevention of sports injuries. Nevertheless, in recent years there has been enough discussion of theoretical links between nutrition and potential injury causes, along with a few empirical studies, for every athlete to realise that diet is as vital for injury prevention as it is for maximum competition and training results.
Carbohydrate and protein:
First of all, it's important to recognise that the correct carbohydrate intake is essential for avoiding injury just as it is for energy. Theoretically, the level of carbohydrate intake could influence injury-risk status. If glycogen levels are low, then muscle-protein breakdown may increase to compensate for the lack of the preferred fuel supply. Chronic glycogen depletion may lead to decreases in strength and possible soft-tissue damage.
While glycogen is the main fuel for exercise, recent research has emphasised that muscle protein is definitely broken down in both strength and endurance training. To compensate, protein synthesis is increased post-exercise. Thus the athlete's diet must include an increased amount of protein to allow for this synthesis. As with a lack of glycogen, insufficient protein may lead to decreases in strength and possible muscle damage due to decreased muscle mass. Tarnopolsky et al measured the nitrogen balance of bodybuilders and endurance athletes who were training at a high level. Their findings led to recommendations of 1.2g of protein per kg of body weight per day for the bodybuilders and 1.6g/kg/day for the endurance athletes. Other research confirms these findings, recommending 1.4g/kg/day for regular training. This is significantly greater than the US RDA of 0.8g/kg/day.
The message here is that, with regular training and especially endurance training, you will be unable to support your muscle mass without sufficient carbohydrate and protein. This may lead to long-term strength loss, which is a potential injury cause.
Calcium and iron:
At the micronutrient level, the lack of certain vitamins and minerals has been linked with injuries. For instance, calcium intake is a factor contributing to bone density. Research with animals has shown that calcium deficiency can cause osteoporosis, which is reversed when calcium levels are restored. If calcium is essential for healthy bone density, then any deficiency may increase the risk of stress factors.
This theoretical link is supported by some empirical research by Myburgh and colleagues. They analysed 25 athletes suffering from lower-leg stress fractures and compared them with control subjects who had no shin pain. The controls were matched for weight, height and performance levels. The researchers found that the stress-fracture group had significantly lower bone-mineral densities than the control group. They also had significantly lower calcium intakes and fewer dairy products in their diets. Although the research suggested that some biomechanical factors were also implicated in the injury rates, it clearly showed that the athletes' diet, specifically their calcium status, was a potential cause of their stress fractures.
Iron deficiency can also be a potential cause of injury, Peter Brukner describes how low blood-iron levels will reduce the oxidative potential in the muscles. This will shift the energy production towards producing more lactate, which may contribute to muscle injuries. Frank Horwill, the BAF coach, cites a study involving 164 cross-country female runners which found that a quarter of the athletes had low serum ferritin level (blood iron count) and that this low-iron group was three times more likely to be injured during the rest of the season than the other runners.
The message here is that athletes who want to train regularly must ensure that their diets contain sufficient calcium and iron. This will help promote healthy bones and muscles with full oxidative function. Thus the bones will withstand repetitive stresses and the muscles won't fatigue too early.
Antioxidants:
There is strong evidence to suggest that vitamins C and E may have an important role to play in injury prevention, acting as antioxidants to combat the muscle damage caused by exercise.
When we exercise, the body uses oxygen to form ATP, which allows the muscles to contract. This is known as the aerobic energy pathway. However, the downside of this pathway is that the breakdown of oxygen is not 100 per cent clean. Inevitably, free radicals such as superoxides, hyperoxides and hydroxyls are produced. The more training an athletes does, the more oxygen is used and the more oxygen free radicals are formed. These free radicals are dirty and cause damage to the muscle cells via a process called lipid peroxidation. This then triggers off an inflammatory response in the muscle to mop up the damaged cells. It is this inflammatory response that is associated with muscle soreness after vigorous training. Dekkers and colleagues and Michael Colgan, the sports nutrition guru, both review conclusive research which shows that this lipid peroxidation process is increased post-exercise and is a cause of muscle-cell damage.
Fortunately, the body has a defence mechanism against the unwanted free radicals in the form of antioxidants. These neutralise the radicals, inhibiting the damaging lipid peroxidation process. The body has endogenous antioxidants, which it can form itself and which combat the formation of free radicals. In fact, with training the body is able to increase the endogenous antioxidant activity post-exercise. In addition, the body can also use nutrient antioxidants, such as vitamin E (tocopherol) and vitamin C to act against free radicals.
Michael Colgan describes how vitamin E is fat-soluble, and therefore it can absorb the radicals inside the fatty membranes, breaking down the lipid peroxidation reaction. This leaves behind tocopherol radicals which are then neutralised by vitamin C to regenerate vitamin E. Dekkers et al support this theory with reviews of various studies done with humans which show that vitamin E and vitamin C supplementation inhibits lipid peroxidation. This suggests that athletes in regular training who supplement their diet with these antioxidants will reduce their injury risk and enable them to train harder without suffering as much soreness.
To support this, Dekkers et al describe a study which examined the relationship between exhaustive stepping exercise and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The study compared two groups, one of which was given vitamin C and the other not. The vitamin C group showed significantly less DOMS than the control group. This suggests that extra antioxidants can reduce the muscle damage caused by exercise. Dekkers recommends antioxidant supplementation for anyone doing heavy, frequent exercise.
Michael Colgan argues that because of the extra antioxidant requirements due to the increased lipid peroxidation post-exercise, athletes will be unable to get sufficient vitamin E and vitamin C in their regular diet. Therefore, supplementation is crucial if an athlete wants to recover properly from heavy training and stay injury-free. He also recommends selenium and co-enzyme Q10 as two additional antioxidant supplements.
Take-home lessons
I've summarised some of what's been written on the nutrition-injury links which is supported by research using humans. While this is a new research area, and much more is needed, it should be clear that there are established relationships between nutrition and injury risks which athletes should be aware of. First, sufficient carbohydrate and protein is essential to maintain muscle strength with regular heavy exercise, especially endurance exercise. Second, sufficient calcium and iron are needed to ensure healthy bone density and full muscle oxidative function. Studies have shown that any calcium or iron depletion will increase injury risks significantly, since bones are weaker and muscles tire faster. Sufficient quantities of these minerals are especially important for women athletes. Finally, there is a specific biomechanical mechanism called lipid peroxidation which causes damage to muscles. Studies have shown that antioxidant supplementation, specifically vitamins E and C, will inhibit this process, thus allowing better recovery from hard training which in turn lowers injury risks.
This article was originally written by Raphael Brandon for Sports Injury Bulletin. We're offering you a chance to take out a 2 month trial to Sports Injury Bulletin for just $9.99 (approximately £5) by simply following this link. To read more about this trial and our latest issue number 65 go here:
www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/prewp/awspb105-sib65.html
Ask the expert: Coaching with Brian Mackenzie
Question: I have begun to coach an adult netball team and would like them to work out twice a week. I have a complete range of ages and abilities from one who runs marathons to one who does very little at all except the netball match! I have been giving them about half an hour before a match with simple basic arm up and netball exercises which seems fine; the second session I have started jog/walking with some strength exercises to build up stamina/strength but I would like to give them something for the third session to build up a bit more. Can you offer any suggestions on this (and either of the other sessions) please bearing in mind all the variables of age, ability, strengths etc
All of these sessions are outdoors as none of us belong to the same gym. We use free weights, skipping ropes and a few exercise stations that are available in our local park - monkey bars; step up blocks; press up bars at 3 levels and pull up bars.
Many thanks
Answer:Circuit training is an excellent way to simultaneously improve mobility, strength and stamina. The circuit training format utilizes a group of 6 to 10 strength exercises that are completed one exercise after another.
Each exercise is performed for a specified number of repetitions or for a prescribed time period before moving on to the next exercise. The exercises within each circuit are separated by brief, timed rest intervals, and each circuit is separated by a longer rest period. The total number of circuits performed during a training session may vary from two to six depending on your training level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), your period of training (preparation or
competition) and your training objective.
Planning
Identify the possible exercises that can be performed with the available equipment. Identify on paper 3 to 4 circuits of 6 to 10 exercise. In each circuit try to ensure that no two consecutive exercises exercise the same muscle group. e.g. do not have press ups followed by pull ups.
A circuit should be set up so that you work each body part as follows:
Total-body, Upper-body, Lower-body, Core & Trunk etc.
The following are examples of exercises that can be used in a circuit training session:
Upper-body: Press ups, Bench dips, Pull ups, Medicine ball chest pass, Bench lift, Inclined press up
Core & trunk
Sit ups (lower abdominals), Stomach crunch (upper abdominals), Back extension chest raise
Lower-body: Squat jumps, Compass jumps, Astride jumps, Step ups, Shuttle runs, Hopping shuttles, Bench squat
Total-body: Burpees, Treadmills, Squat thrusts, Skipping
Duration
- 20 to 30 seconds work on each exercise with a 30 second recovery between each exercise
- 3 to 5 sets with a 5 minute recovery between each set
The duration can be based on time (e.g. 30 seconds) or set to half the number of repetitions of the exercise the athlete can complete in 60 seconds of 100% effort.
If training is based on the number of repetitions then regular testing (e.g. every 4 weeks) will need to be carried out to determine the maximum number of repetitions that can be completed in 60 seconds for each exercise.
Circuit Training also requires an appropriate warm up and cool down.
The set of exercises in the circuit session should be appropriate to the sport/event.
Do you have a question for our panel?
As well as Brian we have experts in nutrition, injury, strength and fitness waiting to hear from you. Just drop us an email with your query in the subject line to: asktheexpert@electricwordplc.com and your question may be appearing in next week's issue of Sports Performance Bulletin!
Hot Topics
IN THE NEWS:
ATHLETICS: The International Association of Athletics Federations Evaluation Team completed the first part of its on-site tour of candidates for the 2011 and 2013 IAAF World Championships in Athletics. It has visited Moscow and Barcelona and the remaining two cities in the race to host these editions of the IAAF’s key event, Daegu (KOR) and Brisbane (AUS), will be visited next month. Read The full story here: www.sportbusiness.com/news/161153/evaluation-team-visits-moscow-and-barcelona
TENNIS: Roger Federer and Serena Williams have emerged triumphant in the singles competition of the Australian open. Williams made a stunning comeback after injury problems while Federer continues on his campaign to become the greatest player of all time, having now amassed a total of 10 grand slam titles, only 4 short of the record currently held by Pete Sampras. Read more about all the different aspects of tennis training, and what it takes to be top of the game by visiting www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/tennis.htm
That's it from this week's Sports Performance Bulletin. If you have anything you would like to see in here or any questions or comments please do not hesitate to let us know by emailing: sports-performance@electricwordplc.com
We hope to see you all again next week!
Sporting Regards,
The Sports Performance Bulletin Team.
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