Emphasize Individual Pathways to Sport Expertise
Research on expertise, talent identification and development has tended to be mono-disciplinary, typically adopting genocentric or environmentalist positions, with an overriding focus on operational issues. In this paper, the validity of dualist positions on sport expertise is evaluated. It is argued that, to advance understanding of expertise and talent development, a shift towards a multidisciplinary and integrative science focus is necessary, along with the development of a comprehensive multidisciplinary theoretical rationale. Here we elucidate dynamical systems theory as a multidisciplinary theoretical rationale for capturing how multiple interacting constraints can shape the development of expert performers. This approach suggests that talent development programmes should eschew the notion of common optimal performance models, emphasize the individual nature of pathways to expertise, and identify the range of interacting constraints that impinge on performance potential of individual athletes, rather than evaluating current performance on physical tests referenced to group norms.
Did you grab the essence of that abstract? I'll wait while you read it once more and let everything sink in...
Fascinating. Often in team sport the coaches and, thus, the athletes become focused on everyone on the team achieving the same physical performance norms. For example: everyone on a soccer team must achieve or exceed 11-minutes on the Beep Test, every front row player on a women's volleyball team must touch at least 10'0", or every 100m sprinter must perform at least 75 continuous push-ups.
But what if EVERY athlete simply can not achieve these norms? As a coach, what is the message you send? Is it one of insistence upon achieving the norm at the detriment to development of more important skill sets? Or to the detriment of continuing to develop a well-rounded athlete that in the long-run may, in fact, exceed these norms?
The message in this abstract ("Expert performance in sport and the dynamics of talent development."
Sports Medicine
2010.) is the same message we send to parents, athletes, and coaches alike at SAPT. We constantly emphasize individual successes and performance over and above any comparative norms. And this is the ROOT of why we provide unique and individual programming for every single one of our clients. Why would you train exactly like someone else? You're unique, right? I know I am. My strengths are different than yours. And my weaknesses will be just as unique to me.
Do yourself or your kid a favor when looking for performance training options (be it physical preparation, technical skill development, or mental performance) and seek out the sources that provide an individually focused approach. Yes, it will cost a few dollars more than, say, an enormous "speed camp" cattle call, but in the end it will be well worth it to foster true performance development in your athlete.
Some Winter Hypertrophy Action....Your Next Leg Program?
Ryan recently approached me to inform me that he was seeking to take part in the Winter Swell, and asked if I had any hypertrophy programs that were fun and far away from your typical Flex magazineworkoutthatmakesmeslammyheadagainstthewallandpoopmypantscuzit'ssoasinine workouts. (Hypertrophy, by the way, is simply the strength coach way of referring to increases in muscle fiber size. The Jersey Shore bros in the crowd would know this as "gettin' jacked!")
Ryan has spent the past year preparing for and competing in powerlifting meets, and he wanted something to "change it up," so to speak, before he enters his next powerlifting cycle. I responded by giving him just the medicine he needed.
This is a really fun program I completed myself a couple years ago. Originally written by Cosgrove, it consists of one upper body workout and one lower body workout, performed twice each per week, albeit using a different set-rep scheme each time you come back to it.
Not a typical program I would do (or write for someone else for that matter), but can definitely be interspersed as a nice change of pace, at least for the masochists in the crowd.
Here's what Ryan did on Day 1:
Lower Body Day
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
(seconds)
A)
Squat
4
10
60
B)
Deadlift
4
10
60
C1)
C2)
Bulgarian Split Squat BB Step-Up
4 4
10/side 10/side
60 60
D)
Lie on Floor in Fetal Position
1
Infinity
n/a
He'll do this every Monday and Thursday, but he'll cycle through three different set-rep-rest schemes:
Day 1: 4x10 with :60 rest (as shown) Day 2: 5x5 with :90 rest Day 3: 3x15 with :30 rest (Note: Day 3 will take place on Monday of the following week) Day 4: Repeat cycle
As such, this program will last six full weeks, hitting each given set-rep scheme four times. It is sticking to the rest periods that make this program so brutal (the 3x15 days in particular make you hate life), and also allow you to get in and out of the gym in an hour tops.
Here is a brief clip of Ryan doing his first day on the program. As noted for the past year he has primarily been powerlifting, keeping most of his repetitions at 5 and below for the compound lifts and taking very long rest periods betwixt sets. As such, he was in for a rude awakening! This first day essentially provided him the chance for his body to adapt and for him to figure out a good starting point for weight selection:
This will also complement the upper body work he is doing on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Keep in mind, Ryan is a 375lb squatter and has been training for a few years now. I wouldn't recommend this program for someone who is just getting their feet wet in the lifting realm. However, for those of you who have been training for a while and want to enter the pain cave this Winter, I challenge you to give this a shot for a consistent six weeks. It may just be the perfect complement to all that holiday feasting.
Just be prepared to have your glutes on fire the following day. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Random Friday 12/9/11
Here are some various links and videos you can use to entertain yourself until you break free of the office this afternoon... 1. First, in case you missed them, here the posts from earlier this week:
Chinup PRs and Newton's 2nd Law --> Here I discuss why focusing on the acceleration of the movement might just be the piece missing in your quest for strength. Also, you get to see my wife hit a +45lb chinup personal best, along with why F=ma helped her get there.
Elbow Pain? I've Got Your Fix --> Sarah does a great job discussing some causes-->solutions of the oh-so-pervasive elbow pain in our society of office workers and athletes alike.
Is Exercise Selection Really the Most Important Programming Variable? --> An understanding (or lack thereof) of this concept is definitely something that separates the men from the boys (or women from the girls, so to speak) when it comes to writing effective strength and conditioning programs.
My Attempt at Poetry --> If you're looking for some light Dr. Seuss-ish reading material, coach Romo wrote a fairly lengthy poem on an athlete achieving her first bodyweight pullup.
2. The Contreras Files, Volume 1
Some great stuff in here. Bret Contreras does a fantastic job taking research re: glute activation, hip hinging, bench pressing, you name it...and translating it in a way that makes it easy to understand for coaches and lifters alike. Check it out HERE.
3. Here is my awesome cat, Oops. As you can see, she is part polar bear, part tiger. The perfect crossbreed.
4. Wow. And I thought I was decent at pullups....
6. The more I use them, the more clear it becomes that people need to be doing Bulgarian Goat Belly Swings before they progress to anything else in the weight room. More on this later though.
Have a great weekend everyone.
My attempt at poetry...
I wrote this a long time ago after being inspired by one of our female student-athletes completing her first pullup. "Pull-UP"
My strength coach said to me as I entered SAPT;
“Miss, can you do a pull-up?”
“HAHA, yea rite, NO,” said me.
He asked me “why;”
I told him that;
“Pull-ups are impossible; why even try.”
“That’s gonna’ change he said with a smirk;
You will do pull-up;
Are you afraid of hard-work?”
“When hell freezes over,” I thought in my head;
It’s been 7 years of gym class and still no luck;
Each test I fail; I should just put this one to bed.”
He chuckled and said, “The funny thing about pull-ups,
You’ve got to work at’um for weeks;
Pull for every inch until your head erupts.”
He said, “I’ll help you map the way;
Are you onboard?”
“Aye coach; I’ll have my day!”
Weeks went by, and work we did;
We ran the gambit;
Partials; Iso’s, Ecc’s; Band assisted.
Most of time I just wanted to cry;
“Charge on,” he said; “A quitting attitude won’t cut it;
It simply won’t fly.”
So I fought tooth and nail, through the arm numbing burn;
Pull-ups I will own you;
This I will earn.
Finally, the day came, it was time to test;
“I’m nervous,” I said;
“Don’t be,” he said, “just try your best.”
So I chalked-up my hands, and pulled with all my might;
My chin….CLEARED THE BAR;
OH, WHAT A FIGHT!”
I triumphantly dropped from the bar;
Pull-ups, I had defeated;
Coach said, “You should be proud, you’ve come so far.”
It wasn’t the pull-up that meant so much;
It was what I had learned;
all the planning, trying and such.
This I will remember for the rest of my time;
Nothing is owed to me; plan, fight, execute, then fight some more;
Extract from for this rhyme.
Failing to do the above only will mar;
Anything worth doing in life;
Lift your chin above the bar.
Hope everyone is having a great week,
Chris
A Little Sage Advice on Program Design: Is Exercise Selection Really the Most Important Programming Variable?
When most people think about designing training plans, they think of the process as nothing more than a matter of choosing which exercises they are going to do on a given day. This may work for a little while, but what happens when progress begins to slow, or if you"re working with an athlete or client that only has twelve weeks to maximize their physical preparation? Can you just slap a bunch of exercises down, hoping it will work?
Or, even if you"re just seeking to look better and move better, and you"re spending 3 hours a week in the gym, don"t you want to know that your time is being optimally invested, and not spent?
Treating exercise selection as the most important programming variable can be quite the imprudent approach, given that exercise selection is only ONE piece in the programming puzzle; and, in fact, is probably the last on the list.
Let"s look at the list of variables you have to "play with" when you sit down to create a program:
- Training Type. Examples of training type would be jumping exercises, running exercises, change-of-direction work, resistance training, and skill work (ex. practicing your sport-specific drills, such as hitting a baseball, or drilling hip escapes and passing an open guard in Jiu-Jitsu). This must be decided first.
- Intensity (neural, muscular, mental, and metabolic factors)
- Volume
- a. Number of Reps
- b. Number of Sets
- Tempo
- Rest Periods
- Exercise Selection
As you can see, exercise selection is last on the list! Not only that, but there are quite a number of critical factors before exercise selection.
Much more important than the exercises you choose is HOW you choose them to impose a specific demand to each of your body"s systems, creating the desired training effect.
To help make my point....what if I told you that the same exercise can be applied in completely different ways, thus developing diverse adaptations and ultimately leading to an entirely different result?
Take the squat, for example. By manipulating the loading, repetitions, sets, tempo, and rest periods for just that one exercise, we can create entirely different adaptations:
- Maximal Strength
- Alactic Power Output
- Aerobic Anaerobic Endurance
- Static Strength
- Explosive Endurance
- Aerobic Power Recovery Rate
- Lactic Capacity
And, because I"m cool like that and am feeling a tingling sensation within my "giving spirit" with the holiday season upon us, I"ve provided you a few video examples:
Maximal Strength
While there"s some wiggle room here, this method is used performing 1-5 reps with a heavy load; the purpose being to stimulate the nervous system to improve maximal muscle recruitment. Here is Ryan hitting a 375lb squat on Thanksgiving morning:
**Aerobic Anaerobic Endurance; Static Strength
With a tempo squat, you enhance the body"s ability to delay fatigue, maintain power output over an extended period of time, improve anaerobic endurance, and develop static strength. This would be important for endurance athletes, military personnel, fighters, and yes, even field athletes.
Here I am using a 2-0-2 tempo...two seconds down, no pause at the bottom, two seconds up, and no pause at the top (I am admittedly performing the concentric portion a bit too quickly in my demo). Constant tension and slow movement is key here:
**Aerobic Power
With a squat jump, and using the right work:rest ratio, you can augment the fast twitch fibers ability to produce maximal power over a longer period of time. You can also train them (the type II fibers) to recover casino online more quickly betwixt explosive bursts of high power output:
*Imperative Note: Do NOT even bother with squat jumps (let alone loaded squat jumps) until you can squat at least 1.5x your body weight with good form*
Lactic Capacity
With a static dynamic squat you you can help your body learn to delay fatigue by boosting the buffering mechanisms of the lactic energy system. Do two reps, then hold in the stretched position for ten seconds, then two more reps, then hold for ten seconds, etc. etc. etc. One set of these babies should last 3-5 minutes! (Hint: this equals MAJOR suckitude). Work your way up to 10 minutes with a light weight, then slightly increase the weight and go back to 3 minutes per set:
**With the tempo squats and squat jumps, it is of extreme importance you utilize the correct number of sets along with the proper work:rest ratio to elicit the correct adaptation. Don"t just go hog wild here. You must also be sure you place them in their proper context within the grand program design structure, and know how/when to use them; however, I"m not going to delve into that now.
As you can see, the basic squat can be used for a myriad training tools, and the demos I gave are just the tip of the iceberg. Nonetheless, I hope that this at least helped you understand that good program design is much more than slapping down exercises on paper. A squat performed with a particular load, tempo, number of reps, number of sets, tempo, and specific rest period will evoke an entirely different adaptation than doing a squat with a different all-of-those-things-I-just-listed.
When I write programs, the actual exercise is usually the LAST thing I put down on the paper; I decide how I"m going to manipulate the first five variables on the list above, THEN I put down the exercise I want to use to obtain the desired training effect; be it for someone training SAPT or in my own training.
Elbow Pain? I’ve Got Your Fix
Did you know that approximately 1/3 of all workday illnesses are the result of elbow/wrist/forearm injury? That’s 33.3% for those of you who prefer percentages. In fact, these injuries account for a greater loss in wages and productivity than ANY OTHER ANATOMIC REGION (i.e., the lower back that always gets so much attention)!
What’s the Function of the Elbow?
The true function of the elbow is to transfer energy from the shoulder to the hand. This transfer then allows for extremely precise and forceful movements to occur simultaneously. So, the elbow’s ability to function pain and restriction free is pretty darn important for daily living.
Risk Factors and Common Diagnoses
Most of the time there is some sort of tendon related issue causing the problem in the elbow, wrist, or forearm. The risk factors for all of these injuries are similar and include virtually any repetitive, hand-intensive, and forceful tasks. Some examples include electrical work (I know this first-hand as Ryan had an extremely painful bout with elbow pain about 7 years ago), barbell bench press, tennis, golf, rowing, baseball, softball, basketball, all throwing, construction work, gardening, etc, etc, etc.
The aim of injury prevention and treatment is to attempt to limit range of motion temporarily, limit the repetitive task causing the pain, to strengthen the area, and address muscle tissue and tendon quality in the immediate and surrounding areas.
Associated Muscles
Muscles about the elbow, forearm, and wrist can simply be divided into elbow flexors and extensors and wrist flexors and extensors. The key muscles involved are:
- Biceps brachii
- Triceps brachii
- Brachialis
- Brachioradialis
- Pronator quadratus
- Pronator teres
- Supinator
- Wrist flexors
- Wrist extensors
The Most Common Injuries
- Tennis Elbow: the lateral epicondylitis becomes strained and inflamed
- Golfers Elbow: the medial epicondyle becomes strained and inflamed
- De Quervain Syndrome: an inflammation or a tendinosis of the sheath that surrounds the two tendons that control thumb movement.
Solving the Problem
No doubt a comprehensive and focused corrective exercise program is in order to address issues of the elbow/forearm/wrist. But, to arrive at a solution, a number of assessments should be conducted to uncover the root of the problem. Several common assessments include: Brachialis Limitation Assessment, Long Head of the Biceps Limitation Assessment, Active Wrist ROM Assessment, and a simple Wrist Limitation Assessment.
Once you have an idea where the problem lies. The targeted solution can be constructed. Generally, this will involve:
- SMR to addres tender spots on the brachialis, biceps brachii, and wrist extensors or flexors
- Static stretching for the biceps brachii and wrist flexors or extensors
- Isolated strengthening for elbow flexion, elbow extension, wrist flexors or extensors, and wrist supination and pronation – these selected exercises should be heavy on tempo with great focus on the eccentric and isometric portions.
- Integrated dynamic movements – these are basically more complex movements that, depending on severity of pain, may need to be worked into after addressing steps 1-3 over the course of several weeks.
As with all other portions of the body, dysfunction at one joint is often linked to dysfunction at other joints. In the case of elbow/forearm/wrist dysfunction, one should always look up the kinetic chain to the shoulder and check to find out if there is any impingement syndrome or instability, as these will often be found in conjunction with lower arm problems.
