Sweet and Good For You Desserts
As Bob Rivers so poignantly points out, it's the most fattening time of the year...
I love Christmas music parodies. We all know it's true; cookies, cakes, candies, and other c-starting foods that contain lots of calories. (See what I did there?) To combat the oh-so-sugary tempting treats, I have a couple of recipes that won’t send you into a glucose coma should you have an extra helping.
4 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are great because they’re pack with fruit (instead of refined, straight sugar) so you get some fiber in there to boot. The nut butter acts as the binder and 3 tablespoons of peanut butter is a LOT less calories (and crap) than two sticks of margarine found in traditional cookies.
The oat flour, again more fiber than refined flour, has a lot of soluble fiber in it which promotes heart health. Chocolate, well, that’s just tasty. If you're into dark chocolate, the Reed household is a regular purchaser of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips.
Recipe:
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup dried fruit (I used apricots)
- 3 Tbs nut butter (I used peanut butter but almond butter will have milder flavor)
- 1/2-2/3 cups oat flour (just grind up oats in a food processor)
- 1-2 handfuls of chocolate chips (we use the dark chocolate chips)
1. Preheat oven to 375-ish.
2. Pulse fruit, nut butter, and oat flour in a food processor until combined and rather sticky looking. Remove blade (this is a very important step) and toss in the chocolate chips and fold in using a spatula.
3. Scoop out dough with either a spoon or ice-cream scooper onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
4. Bake about 15-20 minutes.
5. Scarf down accordingly.
Coconut Luvers Cookies (I found it over at Healthful Pursuits, a fabulous food blog by Leanne Vogul found here)
I adapted this a bit because the first time I made them, Steve said they were a bit dry. Unsweetened coconut provides healthy fats (gotta keep those cell membranes healthy!) and fiber (see, all these desserts will keep you regular!) and the sugar content on these babies isn’t sky high as in a lot of other desserts.
- 2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 2 eggs
- 2 TBS of cocoa powder
- 1 small-ish handful of chocolate chips, melted
- 1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
1. Preheat oven to 350… as it is for seemingly every baked good.
2. Melt chocolate chips either in the microwave (my preferred method) or on the stove.
3. Combine the shredded coconut with the cocoa powder and eggs. Add in the melted chocolate and agave/honey. Stir vigorously until goopy and thoroughly mixed.
4. Plop batter into desired cookie size on a lightly greased baking sheet. Leanne Vogul recommends using your hands, as if you’re making mud pies, but I used a large serving spoon (I had a couple of cuts on my palms that I didn’t want goopy-goop getting into).
5. Bake about 17-20 minutes. Then, dig in!
p.s. Steve has found these to be fantastic pre-workout snacks.
Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Chickpeas
I know, it sounds weird, but these things are absolutely addictive (and better for you than say, M&Ms or Puppy Chow). Chickpeas come stocked with fiber (notice a theme? Besides keeping you regular, fiber helps blunt the blood sugar spike thus preventing crashes post-sugar intake), a cup of these little buggers contain roughly 14 grams of protein (better than M&Ms for sure), and they have phosphorus (good for bone development), potassium, and manganese (super important mineral for cellular functions and wound healing). These guys pack a punch!
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon (depending on how much you like cinnamon)
- 1-3 teaspoons raw sugar, stevia, or coconut sugar (pick you favorite)
1. Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with foil (trust me, this makes clean up a lot easier)
2. Place chickpeas in a mixing bowl. Combine the sweetener-o-choice with cinnamon and sprinkle over the chickpeas as you toss them to coat.
3. Spread out the chicky-peas on the baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes or until they look crispy.
4. Place in a bowl (after they’ve cooled a bit) and munch on during your next movie night.
p.s. you can, should you desire, to sprinkle some sea salt on them before baking to give a sweet-n-salty taste.
Enjoy your extra desserts today!
Book Review: Science and Practice of Strength Training
On a trip to Portland during the summer I stumbled into Powell’s City of Books, a 68,000 square foot bookstore (the largest bookstore in the world) and while browsing the selection came across “Science and Practice of Strength Training” by Vladimir Zatsiorsky. I had heard of the book before but not until I finished reading it did I understand how much of a gem this book can be to coaches, trainer, and athletes looking to get stronger for sports. The book is easy to read and uses plenty of pictures and illustrations to help readers understand the subject without getting too sciencey. Keep in mind this is NOT an exercise cookbook that will tell you what exercises to do, how many times to do it, and with what weight. Throughout the book Zatsiorsky shares basic and advanced training ideas from his experiences of training athletes around the world. This book is broken down into areas including:
Basic Concepts:
This section covers two theories of what happens following an exercise session. One theory, Supercompensation, is said to cause a decrease in performance following a training session followed by an overcompensation which allows the body to come back stronger. The second theory mentioned is the fatigue-fitness theory. With this theory the book proposes that fitness gains occur immediately but are masked by fatigue and may not appear until this fatigue subsides.
Training Intensity:
In this section Zatsiorsky explains many different methods of manipulating repetitions, resistance, percentages of 1RM, and density to produce a desired training effect.
Special Populations Training:
The author shares great insight on specific techniques for training women, youth athletes, and senior athletes. These sections cover the key differences that a relevant to getting members of these groups safely prepared for strength sports or sports requiring significant amounts of strength and power.
All and all I think this book is a great read and would make an excellent addition to anyone’s professional library as it covers many key aspects of training in a practical manner. This book can be found online for purchase here.
"My Hip Hurts!" Training Around Femoroacetabular Impingement
During Thanksgiving I contemplated the turkey legs before they were devoured and mulled over femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Yes, I know, I'm nerdy even on my vacations. What is FAI? In brief, it is an excess of friction within the ball-in-socket hip joint. The femoral head (the "ball") and the acetabulum ("socket") get a little too friendly with one another and can create damage within the joint. Damage can be incurred either on the articular cartilage -the smooth, white surface of the ball or socket; the cartilage helps the two glide well together- or to the labrum- a ring cartilage that deepens the socket to decrease the chances of the femur slipping out. It essentially acts as a suction cup for the femoral head.
Why does this friction happen? Can't the femoral head and acetabulum just get along?
Typically, FAI occurs when the femoral head glides too far forward within the socket. Often this happens when the hip is flexed and internally rotated- such as at the bottom of a squat or getting into a car (on the lead leg). Consequently, one of the tests replicates that motion. (pictured at left)
Another hip position that is an FAI aggravator is extreme extension, such as a gymnast sitting in the splits. The test that mimics that is called the Faber test.
Both tests can be a starting point to explore whether or not you or your athletes have FAI. REMEMBER, WITHOUT AN M.D. YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR, DO NOT DIAGNOSE. However, if there is pain with either test, it might be a good idea to mosey on over to an M.D. for further exploration. There are other symptoms such as pinching pain in the front of the hip with squatting motions, a history of groin strains/pulls, or, even if there's no pain present, a shifting of the hips towards one side during squatting.
Excessive friction occurs when the femoral head is allowed to roam wild and free within the socket. This happens when the glutes are not strong enough or are not firing properly to control that crazy femoral head. The glutes have enormous influence over the femur, due to its attachment points, and should keep the femoral head centered within the socket. When that doesn't happen, that's when the femur goes crazy.
Another factor is anterior pelvic tilt- the state that nearly every athlete lives in. If the pelvis is already tilted forward, it closes the space between the anterior borders of the acetabulum and the femoral heads, so at the onset of movement there's a predisposition for impingement.
FAI comes in three flavors (none of which include chocolate or vanilla)
CAM- bony overgrowth on the femoral head (ball)
Pincer- body overgrown on the acetabulum (on the socket on the pelvic bone)
Mixed- a lovely combination of both.
FAI can produce complications ranging from minor irritation in the front of the hip, at best, or tears of the labrum, at worst.
Who is at risk for FAI?
1. Athletes who play sports that require repetitive hip flexion and internal rotation- think football kickers, soccer players, powerlifters (especially if they sumo deadlift and squat deeply), baseball pitchers, hockey players
2. Hypermobile athletes, particularly if they're involved with sports that require extreme hip extension- gymnasts (including rhythmic gymnasts), baseball pitchers
3. Folks with anterior pelvic tilt, weak glutes, and a weak anterior core.
Now, let's say you are (or one of your athletes is) one of these at-risk people and/or you are already experiencing symptoms, what are you going to do?
Lucky for you, I've already gone through this! I have bilateral labral tears (both hips) and have had to adjust my training considerably. Do not lose hope! FAI (assuming there's no structural damage) can be reversed with intelligent training and patience.
First: stop doing what the activity that is aggravating FAI. It could be squatting, sprinting, kicking... whatever it is that's causing the pain stop it. The continual irritation to the hip joint will prevent the inflammation from dissipating, which only prolongs the process of recovery.
Second: train the heck out of the glutes and anterior core. Why? As mentioned above, the glutes have tremendous influence over the femoral head, so those bad boys will keep the femur centered in the socket. Remember good ol' anterior pelvic tilt? Both a strong anterior core and strong glutes work in concert to bring the pelvis into a more neutral alignment, thus increasing the space in which the femoral head can move.
How? Below are several exercises that I've incorporated into my own training. Not only is my hip pain greatly reduced, in fact, unless I directly provoke FAI (for example, by squatting deeply under load) I don't even feel it any more.
Kettlebell swings
Deadlifts (or any other hip dominant bilateral lift)
Split Squats or Lunges*
I particulatly like a front-loaded stepback lunge (barbell or dumbbell) as it challenges the anterior core to resist excessive extension. Two birds, one stone.
*With FAI, you have to be cautious with lunge variations. I've found that forward lunges really bother my hip- I assume it's from the deceleration component as it can jam the femur into the socket. Bulgarian split squats are awesome, however, we must be careful how deeply the lunge goes: both for the sake of the front leg and the back leg (which can go into aggressive extension if the back leg is too high).
Glute Bridge Variations (on the floor or back elevated)
BB Back Elevated
Suspension Strap Glute bridge
Anterior Core Work (thinking beyond the plank)
Deadbugs or Single-Leg Lowerings
Or, if you want it all in one shot, my awesome husband made a video a while back on anterior core training progressions.
Last, but not least and my personal core training fave, loaded crawls.
I performed forward/backwards baby and bear crawls-respectively- but you're certainly not limited to those two.
By strengthening both the glutes and core, FAI can be reversed and, if damage already occurred, you can still get wicked strong focusing on the lifts and activities that you CAN do. FAI is something to be aware of and programmed for accordingly. Pay particular attention to your hips if you're in the "at-risk" category of folks, but honestly, the training advice -stronger glutes and anterior core- applies across the entire spectrum of trainees. Strong butts make strong athletes!
Athlete Spotlight: Conrad "The Man" Mann
Today's post is to highlight an athlete who has been frequenting SAPT for a number of years, Conrad Mann.
Conrad is the co-owner of David Mann Jewelers (in case you are looking for Christmas presents for that special someone)and has an extensive athletic background in soccer. In fact, he was actually the 2001 Boys' Coach of the Year for Virginia and served time as a Virginia Olympic Development Coach for the sport. Though he still loves soccer, Conrad has switched his focus to another passion in recent years, lifting heavy things.
Conrad has been training for powerlifting for a number of years now and we are psyched to have him as one of the lifters to represent SAPT in the upcoming 13th Annual USAPL American Open. Through these years, he has had to overcome several obstacles in his training and watching his determination to do so has been nothing short of inspiring. In August of 2011 Conrad went through a knee replacement, then in June 2012 he had the other one replaced. Now at 66 years young and with two fake knees, Conrad shows the meaning of, "no excuses."
Here you can see just how strong Conrad really is as he lifts 315 with plenty of speed(a new PR!). What you're not seeing is his 215 bench and 100 lb weighted chinup. We're proud of you Conrad and can't wait for the meet!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uoIP9KE--g&list=UU5TxLuwpeMisc6vJuPAmZ2w
Part 8: The Competition Period – In-Season Strength Training
The Triathlete Strength Training PrimerPart 8: The Competition Period – In-Season Strength Training
We’re back! I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving week, and enjoyed reading the fantastic blog posts written by our interns. If you haven’t read them yet, you can read them here, and here, and here. This week we’ll be discussing the competition season for triathletes, and going over the importance of maintaining a consistent strength training schedule. Most triathletes drop the weights as soon as spring rolls around, and suffer unwelcome drops in their total body strength and stability as a result. Don’t be one of these people! Keeping up with a consistent strength training plan is vital for maintaining these performance attributes, as well as fighting off injuries that can creep up from tens of thousands of foot strikes and hours hunched over your aerobars. Let’s get to it!
In-Season Training Goals
Maintenance
It’s very important to understand what our goals are when it comes to strength training during the triathlon season. We’re not looking to build muscle. We’re not looking to make huge gains in strength. We’re not looking to develop massive amounts of anaerobic power. These were the goals of the off-season. We then used the pre-season to focus more on muscular endurance and anaerobic capacity, effectively teaching our body to demonstrate strength over longer periods of time and exhibit high amounts of power consistently and continuously. Now that the in-season has rolled around, we want to maintain the fruits of our labor so that we can perform to the best of our abilities during competition.
Injury Prevention
There’s a concept called the Speed-Strength Continuum, and, in this video, Eric Cressey does a fantastic job of explaining how it applies to training. Triathlon sport training (running, biking, and swimming) would fall on the far left under the “Speed” category. You’re not working against a significant external load during these movements, and the involved muscles are moving at relatively high velocities (even if you may feel like you’re being passed by every runner under the sun).
During the season, when our mileage is at its highest and you’re putting the most time into your sport training, you’ll inherently be working on the far left (high-speed) for the majority of your training. It’s important to balance out this “speed-work” with some strength work in the weight room. Spending the majority of your time training “speed” is going to cause a loss of stability at your ankle, knee, hip, and shoulder joints. Dedicating some quality time strength training is going to go a long way towards maintaining that stability that you’ve gained in the off-season, preventing injuries that result from unstable joints, and protecting your body from the rigors of the season. As an added bonus, being vigilant with your in-season training is going to put you ahead of the game once you enter the next off-season. You’ll need to dedicate much less time to fixing your problem spots, and have the luxury of jumping into a strength phase that much quicker.
Next time…
Now that we know the goals of our in-season training plan, we’ll take next week to go a little more in-depth and lay out an example of what an in-season strength training template should look like. Now get your butt off the couch and go lift some heavy weights! '
The Triathlete Strength Training Primer
Part 1: An Intro to Periodization - Seeing the Bigger Picture Part 2: The Repetition Maximum Continuum Part 3: The Preparatory Period a.ka. the Off-Season Part 4: Off-Season Periodization Part 5: Off-Season Periodization, cont. Part 6: The First Transition Period Part 7: The First Transition Period, cont. Part 8: The Competition Period - In-Season Strength Training Part 9: In-Season Template Part 10: Post- Season Training
Bench Press Prep for Combines
This week we are going to take a look at the bench press. The bench press is solid test of upper body strength and muscular endurance, depending upon the load. Bench pressing for reps is a common test in the football combine setting. Will the bench press make you a better footballer? I don’t see an obvious direct correlation to many of the sports’ activities but being weak sure won’t help your chances of getting on the team or field. Typically maximum strength is measured via a one repetition (1RM) max but in the combine setting a specific weight is applied to a barbell and pressed for as many full repetitions as possible. This saves time from having to find every athletes true 1RM. The athletes and coaches can then use the projected 1RM to calculate max strength. To sum things up according to the combine standards, whoever can complete the most reps is the “strongest”. Here are a few tips to squeak out more repetitions with heavier loads when combine time comes around.
Set Up and Technique
- Keep your feet flat on the floor with your hips, shoulders, and head on the bench
- Tuck your shoulder blades back into the bench and prevent your elbows from flaring out which can lead to shoulder injuries. Keeping your back tight throughout the lift and “pulling” the bar down to you will help in preventing this.
- Place your hands comfortably apart on the bar so that your forearms align in a vertical position
- Inhale as you lower the bar to your chest at a controlled tempo
- Exhale as you forcefully extend the arms back to the starting position
- Click here to check out solid bench press form from the front and side.
Regardless of the test weight, it is important to refrain from constantly training with that weight. Your performance in this assessment will not improve without increasing your overall strength in the bench press. Because of this it is important to spend time training strength with high weights for a lower number of repetitions. Due to the high-rep nature of this test (hopefully), another layer of complexity to training is athletes must also have high rep training days to become comfortable performing under fatigue and the onset of lactic acid.
Although this is an upper body pushing assessment, it is imperative to incorporate rows and pull ups into your training to help with muscle balance, posture, and injury prevention. A great tool to add some spice to these training days would be to use Fat Gripz or another grip strength tool so that when you return to a normal size bar you can crush it.
There are literally a ton of different bench press variations so try them all. The modifications with boards, bands, incline/decline angles, and grips widths open the door to many options. The bench press with some sort of incline is great for athletic performance as many pushing movements in competition will not be straight ahead but as long as the flat bench press is the standard for football and other sports testing it’s important we train for it as intelligently and efficiently as possible. In this throwback blog post (circa 2011) Sarah lists’ 40 bench press variations and 40 push up variations to add some strength to your life.
