Gone are the days that “sports drink” was synonymous with isotonic or when a post-workout refreshment was a cold brew. For some, these definitions remain, but for a growing number of consumers, sports drinks are all about providing energy, improving performance and building lean muscle.
“As a result of the rapid evolution — if not revolution — of the sports drink market, both consumers and perhaps even marketers may appropriately wonder ‘what makes a sports drink a sports drink,’” said David Sprinkle, research director at market research firm Packaged Facts, Rockville, Md., which recently published the comprehensive report entitled “The sports nutritionals market in the U.S.: Sports drinks and nutrition bars.” “Sports drinks now are geared more broadly toward the nutritional needs of athletes and physically active consumers before, during and after demanding exercise, and they are formulated with ingredients that range far and wide beyond the salts and sugars found in the traditional versions of sports drinks.”
The U.S. sports drinks market is returning to form after some setbacks from the recession — and this return has caused an evolution in product formulation. Powered by 77 million users, the market increasingly is segmented by the user, with intensity of exercise, time of consumption, gender and age influencing the formulation.
“There is more individualization and fragmentation in sports beverages,” said Caroline Brons, senior marketing manager, DSM Nutritional Products, Parsippany, N.J.
Packaged Facts estimates that U.S. retail sales of sports drinks will reach $7.4 billion by the end of the year, reflecting 6% growth from 2012. An important trend affecting the market is that between 2007 and 2012 the population of high-volume sports drinks users (those consuming eight or more drinks in the last 30 days according to Simmons National Consumer Study data) fell from 14 million to 13 million, and the number of sports drinks consumed by the segment dropped 5.4%. On the other hand, a significant increase in usage occurred among casual users. The number of consumers who report drinking one or two sports drinks in the last 30 days increased 7.1% between 2007 and 2012.
“Such demographic developments create both challenges and opportunities for sports nutritional marketers,” Mr. Sprinkle said. “Continuous innovation and spirited competition will spark growth.”
Packaged Facts expects that between 2012 and 2017, dollar sales of sports drinks will grow to $9.3 billion from $6.9 billion. This represents cumulative growth of 34.1%.
Currently, PepsiCo, Inc., Purchase, N.Y., with 74% share of dollar sales of the sports drink market, and The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, with 24% share, control the category. Other marketers are responsible for the additional miniscule 2% share of dollar sales. But it is these companies that are getting creative with formulations and developing products that appeal to specific consumer needs.
“To maintain uninterrupted growth in this segment, it will be important to engage new consumers and invest in innovation,” said Elsie Jamin-Maguire, business manager-beverages, BASF Nutrition & Health, Florham Park, N.J. “By providing more features, brands can expand on consumption occasions.”
For example, The University of Wisconsin-Madison Athletic Department decided to collaborate with the Center for Dairy Research and a Wisconsin whey processor and cherry processor to develop its own signature sports drink for the university’s student-athletes. Red Whey is a 100% tart cherry juice and whey protein clear beverage designed to relieve muscle inflammation and build muscle tissue after a hard workout.
“An interesting new beverage format is that of the liquid water enhancers,” Ms. Brons said. “Some of these liquid concentrate products are now being positioned for sports, offering the consumer an opportunity to add electrolytes — with their flavor of choice — to water.”
Ontario, Canada-based NutriBev Corp. soon will be rolling out an omega-3 fatty acid-enhanced sports water, which also will be loaded with potassium and B vitamins. The beverage is designed to hydrate and nourish sports-playing tweens and teenagers.
Fruit processor R.W. Knudsen Family, Chico, Calif., is going after the all-natural consumer, most likely the Little League mom who does not want her slugger consuming artificial colors and flavors. Recharge is based on fruit juice and contains no added sugars or artificial colors or flavors. The company’s web site states: “You go the extra mile. You push your body to the limit. And you know that fluorescent green is a color, not a fruit. Shouldn’t you enjoy an all-natural sports drink?”
Hydration first, energy second
In addition to hydration, the second main function of sports beverages is to provide energy. But unlike true energy drinks that rely on caffeine and other stimulants, the energy delivered via sports beverages usually comes from carbohydrates.
“When we exercise, we rely on our body’s storage form of glucose, called glycogen, for energy,” said Eric Ciappio, manager of scientific affairs at DSM. “However, glycogen stores are depleted quickly and once they are gone, performance can suffer. Sports drinks provide glucose to help give you energy as you work, helping you to maintain peak performance.”
Betsy Jones, research food scientist, Cargill, Minneapolis, added, “When it comes to sports drinks, consumers want great taste, hydration and energy in one convenient product. They want the kind of fuel that will stick with them throughout athletic events or exercise. Sucromalt can help formulators create sports drinks to answer that demand.”
Sucromalt is a fully digestible carbohydrate that delivers the full energy, in terms of calories, of sugar, but is more slowly digested and has a lower glycemic index.
“Its functional properties are similar to other sweetener syrups, yet provides steadier energy delivery,” Ms. Jones said. “Sucromalt is comprised of approximately 50% simple sugars compared to the 100% simple sugar content found in other common nutritive sweeteners, such as sugar, crystalline fructose and high-fructose corn syrup. The other half is complex carbohydrates, which have less impact on blood glucose compared to simple sugars because they are digested and absorbed at a slower rate.”
Morris Plains, N.J.-based Beneo Inc., offers isolmaltulose, an ingredient that also provides a sustained source of energy.
“Isomaltulose is derived from sugar beets,” said Joseph O’Neill, president and general manager. “It is a fully digested carbohydrate, but it is digested more slowly than other sweeteners. Being low-glycemic, it releases energy the balanced way without sudden peaks and drops of the blood glucose level.”
Isomaltulose also has been shown to promote the body’s own fat oxidation. This means that it increases the ratio of energy derived from fat relative to the total amount of required energy while active, leaving carbohydrate stores available for longer.
Muscle building
Probably the greatest evolution in sports drinks has been the inclusion of protein. Formulators must consider the quality of protein, in particular, the presence of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine and valine, as well as overall amino acid absorption.
“Emerging research shows that whey proteins can provide an anabolic advantage over other proteins in promoting muscle protein synthesis,” said Bryan Helwig, director-nutrition research, Dairy Research Institute, Rosemont, Ill. “Whey protein’s advantage in building and maintaining muscle appears to be largely attributed to the high level of leucine in whey proteins. Of the nine essential amino acids, leucine is the key amino acid, or protein component, that initiates muscle protein synthesis.”
Shanna Smidt, business development manager-sports nutrition, Glanbia Nutritionals, Fitchburg, Wis., agreed that the benefits of increasing protein intake for sports performance are well known, especially for boosting muscle synthesis.
“We offer pre-acidified whey protein ingredients that allow manufacturers to fortify sports beverages with whey protein without the unpleasant astringent notes that are most common in high protein, low pH beverages,” she said.
The company also boasts a range of ingredients that contain high amounts of fast-absorbing BCAAs.
“Using advanced fractionation and separation technologies, we bind BCAAs to BCAA peptides isolated from fresh sweet whey to produce an ingredient with a 50% BCAA content in a 2:1:1 ratio of leucine, isoleucine and valine,” Ms. Smidt said. “This technology improves delivery of amino acids to muscle tissue, increasing utilization.”
Proteins used in sports beverages designed to support muscle regeneration need to be easily digestible and highly bioavailable to ensure efficient uptake, concurred Mai Nygaard, global product manager, Rousselot, Mukwonago, Wis. “Recent studies suggest the best approach is to blend different protein hydrolysates in order to achieve optimal timing of amino acid delivery to the tissues and support muscle anabolism.
“Collagen peptides are a high-purity protein source that naturally contains a high concentration of glycine, alanine, glutamic acid and arginine,” Ms. Nygaard said. “These amino acids are closely involved in the body’s energy supply and metabolism, and can therefore help boost athletic performance.
“The uniquely high levels of glycine and arginine found in collagen peptides can also encourage the synthesis of creatine, as well as stimulate the release of growth hormones from the pituitary gland, which may support performance gains. Further, an extensive body of scientific evidence has demonstrated collagen peptides’ ability to promote healthy and flexible joints and ligaments, as well as reduce pain.”
DSM offers a patented peptide formulation that has application in sports beverages.
“This protein hydrolysate has been proven to enhance exercise endurance, performance and recovery,” Ms. Brons said. “The ingredient contains all 20 amino acids in the same natural balance as in casein, but with virtually no lactose or fat. This ingredient delivers amino acids in the form of di- and tri-peptides, molecules so small they do not need further digestion in the body so they can be absorbed faster and delivered directly to the muscles.”
Mr. Ciappio added, “This efficient amino acid delivery is of specific importance during intense physical activity muscle breakdown, or catabolism, can occur, especially during prolonged exercise. Delivering these amino acids quickly protects the muscles during exercise and kick-starts the recovery process after exercise.”
Power partners
Sports drinks also are addressing other areas, such as joint health, visual acuity and antioxidant support, said Mr. Ciappio, all often with a clean, preferably natural label profile.
“We carry a broad portfolio of what we refer to as ‘power partners,’” Ms. Brons said. “This includes antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and coenzyme Q10. These antioxidants protect cells against oxidative damage from exercise.”
Good vision is essential in numerous sports, but many athletes are unaware that nutrition has an impact on this critical skill, explained Ms. Brons.
“Lutein and zeaxanthin have been shown in human studies to enhance contrast acuity, reduce glare disability and protect against damaging effects of short-wave light,” she said.
Mr. Ciappio added, “B-Vitamins participate in energy production and amino acid metabolism, while omega-3s are known to have beneficial effects on heart health, and proper heart function is critical for the athlete. Also, the anti-inflammatory actions of omega-3s are relevant to exercise.”
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) also is finding a place in sports drinks.
“CLA has been shown to reduce body fat, while building and maintaining lean muscle,” Ms. Jamin-Maguire said.
Eric Fan Chiang, global business director-active nutrition, DuPont Nutrition & Health, Madison, Wis., said that high-purity anhydrous betaine may improve physical performance, especially strength, power and muscle endurance.
“Derived from the molasses of sugar beets, betaine, also known as trimethylglycine, is inherent to many healthful foods, such as whole grains, spinach and beets,” he said. “DuPont’s natural betaine has been the subject of a range of studies indicating health and performance benefits.”
With so many power partners, as well as basic sports beverage building blocks, the category will continue to experience growth through formulation segmentation. Article Source : http://www.zwemza.com/?p=20297 Photo Source: www.shutterstock.com The sports drink evolution
Concerns about potential dangers from energy drink consumption by youth have been raised by health experts, whereas energy drink manufacturers claim these products are safe and suitable for marketing to teens. This review summarizes the evidence used to support both sides of the debate. Unlike most beverage categories, sales of energy drinks and other highly caffeinated products continue to grow, and marketing is often targeted to youth under the age of 18 years. These products pose a risk of caffeine toxicity when consumed by some young people, and there is evidence of other troubling physiological and behavioral effects associated with their consumption by youth. The US Food and Drug Administration has indicated it will reexamine the safety of caffeine in the food supply; however, more research is needed to better understand youth consumption of energy drinks and caffeine in general, as well as the long-term effects on health. Meanwhile, policymakers and physician groups have called on energy drink manufacturers to take voluntary action to reduce the potential harm of their products, including placing restrictions on marketing to youth under the age of 18 years. Additional regulatory and legislative options are also being discussed.
At least 74 good scientific studies have addressed caffeine’s effects on athletic performance, in both short-term high-intensity and endurance efforts. The overwhelming majority of them demonstrate a significant boost to performance with the use of caffeine.
There are three primary ways that caffeine has been found to enhance athletic performance: 1) by prompting the body to burn more fat and fewer carbohydrates, 2) by reducing fatigue and enhancing mental focus, and 3) by increasing the strength of muscular contractions.
More Fuel for the Final Push When we eat carbohydrates, our body breaks them down into glucose molecules. Glucose is a usable source of cellular fuel for the muscles and organs of our body.
Any glucose that our body doesn’t use immediately following a meal is converted by enzymes secreted by the liver to glycogen – which is essentially a long chain of glucose molecules (a polysaccharide) – and stored. When our body needs energy, it converts stored glycogen back into glucose so that our muscles have the fuel they need to work. This is why athletes ‘carb load’ before a competition.
Here’s were caffeine comes into the game. Caffeine enables our bodies to burn more fats and fewer carbohydrates during the initial phase of a period of exertion. As a result, it conserves glycogen for the final phases of a workout, athletic competition, or physical performance. In fact, in the first 15 minutes of exercise, caffeine can reduce glycogen utilization by up to 50%. And so by taking caffeine before an athletic performance, a significant amount of glycogen remains available for the push to the finish line.
No Bonking and Increased Alertness Caffeine also blocks adenosine receptors in the brain. When activated, these receptors signal a sense of tiredness, so blocking them with caffeine tends to make us less tired. Caffeine also directly stimulates the central nervous system (dopamine, norepinephrine, and adrenalin neural pathways) thereby increasing alertness. Both of these psychological effects of caffeine give an athlete an advantage.
Increased Muscle Strength Finally, caffeine in an appropriate amount (about 400 mgs) has been found to increase the strength of muscular contractions. The mechanism of action of this affect appears to be caffeine’s effect on the membrane permeability of the muscle cell to calcium, sodium, and potassium. Stronger muscular contraction can give athletes the edge they need to win.
For a recent comprehensive review of studies of caffeine and performance, we recommend “Caffeine for Sports Performance”, Burke, Desbrow, and Spriet. ____________________
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Athletic performance can vary over the course of the day by up to 26%, depending on the athlete’s circadian rhythm, according to research publishedin the journal Current Biology. The study illustrates how important it is for athletes to be aware of their sleep cycle and leave time to adjust when travelling to another country to compete.
Circadian rhythms are internal cycles of around 24 hours that regulate various behavioural and physiological systems in the body. Different systems peak at different times of day so some people naturally prefer to be active earlier, while others are happier being active later. Sleep scientists call this your circadian phenotype.
“The key finding from this paper is that your circadian phenotype is important in determining the best time of performance for you,” said Shantha Rajaratnam, professor in psychology and sleep researcher at Monash University.
Professor Rajaratnam added that circadian types were partly influenced by the way we’re genetically wired, and partly by lifestyle and behavioural habits. In particular, our light-dark exposure plays an important role.
In the study, 20 athletes of similar age and fitness levels were selected to take part in a cardiovascular endurance test at six different times of the day. The participants represented the population levels of early (28%), intermediate (48%) and late (24%) circadian types.
Early phenotypes performed best in the earlier tests, followed by intermediates, and the late types peaked in the evening. Early and intermediate types had a 7% to 10% variation in their physical performance over the course of the day, but late types varied by up to 26%. The study found the biggest factor in predicting performance was the time since when your body would naturally wake up.
Sports coaches seem to be realising the competitive edge that might be gained by working with athletes' circadian rhythm.
Professor Leon Lack from Flinders University worked with the Socceroos in the lead up to the 2006 World Cup. Flying in from their last game in South America, the team had only a few days to adjust for their evening qualifying match in Sydney in 2005. Dr Lack consulted with the team’s doctor to create a sleeping and light exposure plan for the players to expedite this process.
The Australian team went on to win in a memorable penalty shootout, with several saves made by Australian goalie, Mark Schwarzer.
“The team doctor discussed this with me afterwards and said that Mark Schwarzer was probably the most conscientious about keeping to the routine,” Professor Lack said.
Craig Duncan, senior lecturer at Australian Catholic University, is currently working with the national soccer team as the head of sport science for the Asian Cup.
“In every team I work with, we monitor sleep. It is very important and along with a balanced nutritional regime it is the foundation of recovery,” Dr Duncan said. “If players were having sleep issues, adjustments could be made to enhance the sleep quality and quantity.”
Disruptions to sleep affect the internal body clock. According to Professor Rajaratnam, the general consensus for adjusting to a new timezone is around one day per hour of time difference, although that can be achieved faster with increased light exposure at the appropriate times of day and light avoidance at other times.
For would-be athletes who struggle to make it to training in the morning, the key is adjusting activity and light exposure.
“If you are a definite evening type,” explained Professor Rajaratnam, “in theory you may be able to become more of a morning type by increasing the light exposure in the morning and minimising light exposure in the evening. This remains to be studied.”
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Static stretching is the most performed form of stretching. For most people it is the only form of stretching they know and its simply synonymous with stretching. Static stretching is performed by all sorts of athletes, from those just starting to run after years of inactivity to the most elite athletes in almost all sports. It is often recommended by (personal) trainers and coaches for several reasons, all of which have been dis proven by scientific research. Or in other words are plain nonsense. This article will tell you which supposed effects are static stretching fables.
This is the primary and most logical reason most people perform static stretching. To increase range of motion. And static stretching is indeed effective in increasing the range of motion of a muscle. However these effects can be short lived (30 minutes) when not done regularly. After several weeks of static stretching range of motion can be increased for longer periods. The increase in range of motion is not caused by longer muscles or tendons however, but due to adaptations in the nervous system. These adaptations lead to you feeling less pain when stretching and allow the muscle to reach a greater length than before. The total length of a muscle and it’s tendons is not altered and only changes when the muscle is completely immobilized.
Conclusion: Static stretching helps improve range of motion because a muscle lets itself stretch to longer lengths but not because the muscle itself grows longer.
Fable 2: Static stretching improves performance
If even elite athletes perform static stretching before starting their workout or match it should be good right? Studies how otherwise however. Static stretching reduces maximum strength in the stretched muscles. Sprinters that performed static ankle stretches before a sprint took significantly longer to perform that sprint than when they performed a general warm up. In a rare long term study to the effects of static stretching on strength development it was concluded that static stretching performed before or during training inhibits strength increases. Since strength is an essential component in many sports activities static stretching decreases performance. Static stretching decreases running performance in running events and lastly, static stretching decreases the ability to maintain balance and stability in for example the ankle joint.
Conclusion: Static stretching performed before or during exercise does not improve performance but in fact decreases it and inhibits strength training progression. Only when range of motion is too impaired to perform movements does it aid performance, but one ask yourself if this is wise when range of motion is impaired.
Fable 3: Static stretching helps prevent injuries
Injury prevention is also one of the main reasons to perform stretching. While it is true that a limited range of motion may increase the risk of injury during sports. This does not necessarily mean that stretching before an athletic activity is a good idea. Much research has been done on the effects of static stretching before exercise and no significant effect on the injury rate was found. It can even be argued that since static stretching reduces explosive strength, joint stability and increases range of motion to an extent the brain is not familiar with (and hence can’t control movements as well as in your ‘original’ state), injury risk can even increase when exercising after performing static stretching.
Conclusion: Static stretching performed before exercise does not decrease risk of injury and might even increase it.
Fable 4: Static stretching can be used as an effective warm up
Static stretching impairs performance in endurance activities, strength development and power (sprinting) activities and in addition is not effective in reducing injury risk. From this you can already gather that it is not useful to perform it before activities in which you train strength, power, endurance and/or balance. Furthermore, since static stretching is passive and no active muscle contractions are made, blood flow to these muscles does not increase and therefore static stretching does nothing to warm up the muscles.
Conclusion: Static stretching as a warm up should generally be avoided. It does not warm up the muscles and decreases performance.
Static stretching is also performed after a workout to prevent muscle soreness. Muscle soreness is quite a difficult phenomenon to study, however research does not indicate that static stretching decreases muscle soreness. A good warming up that actually warms up the muscles and gradually increasing exercise intensity when starting with a new exercise is far more effective to prevent or reduce the amount of muscle soreness.
Conclusion: Static stretching performed before during or after exercise does not help prevent or decrease muscle soreness.
What is static stretching good for?
Is it all bad to perform static stretching on a regular basis? No, as said before it can help achieve the range of motion that is necessary to perform everyday or sports activities. However static stretching should not be performed before or during a workout because it decreases strength, power and endurance performance and in addition decreases the ability to maintain balance and stabilize joints. Trainers and coaches alike should determine whether they should include static stretching in their training programs and if so, include a separate training session preferably on another day. When done separately from a regular workout, it can still be a useful method of increasing range of motion that can be useful for everyday activities and increasing sports performance. (But only when a decreased range of motion inhibits performance). Activities that focus on static stretching such as yoga or similar classes can be a good addition (with additional stress reducing benefits). However do not perform static stretching around more intensive workouts.
Exercise of the Week: Split-Stance Anti-Rotation Medicine Ball Scoop Toss
In this installment of "Exercise of the Week," I want to introduce you to one of my favorite "introduction" medicine ball exercises, the Split-Stance Anti-Rotation Medicine Ball Scoop Toss.
It's incredibly useful for two primary reasons:
First, it trains hip/trunk separation through good thoracic mobility (as opposed to excessive lower back motion). Effectively executing this "separation" is key for high-level performance in any rotational sport.
Second, it teaches athletes to have a firm front side for accepting force. One common problem both hitters and pitchers can encounter is that they lack sufficient appropriate timing and multi-directional strength to “stiffen up” on the front side lower extremity.
If they can’t get this right in a controlled environment like the weight room, they sure as heck won’t be able to do it in a chaotic, competitive environment when they’re trying to adjust to a 83mph slider right after a 95mph fastball. Compare the demonstration video from above (Andrew is not a rotational sport athlete) to the following video of one of our professional pitchers, and you'll appreciate how trainable (and beneficial) these proficiencies are.
One additional point about this exercise: because there isn't aggressive hip rotation taking place, it's one of the few medicine ball drills I'll actually continue to utilize during the season with some of our baseball players. That said, I think it's a fantastic exercise that can be used for athletes and general fitness clients alike. Who wouldn't want to be more powerful with better movement quality?
Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better – Installment 61
This installment of quick tips comes from Cressey Sports Performance coach, Miguel Aragoncillo.
1. Use “discovery learning” as a way to improve retention for movement patterns.
Going to continuing education courses consistently allows me to adjust my perspective based on the “latest” information available in the industry. However, one of the biggest things that allows me to shift my perspective further is to listen in and converse with other professionals during lunch breaks to further understand the topic at hand in a more productive way.
This first point divulges how to implement a sense of discovery about movement patterns and gives some very straight forward tips for coaching anything that is new to your clients or athletes.
Keep these points in mind when using this new technique of teaching.
• Use your athlete/client's words and language to help them learn a movement better.
Not every person will know where their glutes are, for example. Have the athlete just point to the part of their body where they feel it; you don’t need a PhD in Exercise Science to teach a basic movement pattern.
• Remove body parts.
If a hip hinge is too difficult, reduce the neuromuscular challenge by having them start on two knees instead of two feet. Now the movement is largely a singular hinging pattern when they start on their knees, instead of stabilizing on their feet.
2. Consider reducing the number of “corrective exercises” you perform.
I’m a big fan of Dan John and his easily quotable phrase, “Keep the goal the goal.” Maintain your perspective of the goal at hand. If your goal is to improve strength, lose fat, or improve at your sport, how many corrective exercises are you performing? How much time are you utilizing doing foam rolling? Minimize your time spent analyzing your own problems by seeking out the best coaches, therapists, or nutrition coaches, and get to work on that goal. Sometimes, you'll find that exercises can even be combined to improve efficiency without sacrificing the benefit.
Corrective exercises are supposed to correct something. By omitting these movements, will the athlete miss any crucial movement patterns? Play “Devil’s Advocate” and make sure to incorporate all that is necessary, but no more. If you aren't careful, your "correctives" can wind up becoming a cumbersome majority of your training sessions.
3. Learn the difference between blocked and random practice - and apply each appropriately.
On the topic of training youth athletes, I recently attended a seminar in which blocked vs. random practice was presented. For the purposes of this article, blocked practice is specific training of a singular skill with no changes in environmental surroundings (like swinging a bat against a pitching machine over and over). Conversely, random practice involves having an individual adapt to the surroundings and incorporate different (but similar) skills (like swinging a bat for different scenarios - with a live pitcher).
The biggest question of the day was, "Which athlete excelled when it came time for performance?"
When tested in the short-term, blocked practice performed better than random practice. This makes sense, because if you practice a singular skill over and over, you will get better at that skill.
However, when enough time passed for participants to “forget,” retention of skills was the name of the game. So when retaining skills for a longer term, blocked practice did not do as well, and practicing “randomly” prevailed.
From a logical point of view, this is similar to memorizing sentences when you’re cramming for a final exam. Sure, you’ll do great if the teacher just has the same exact sentences or questions as the book - but what happens if the teacher forces you to critically think, and asks questions that are different than the material presented during class?
This leads quite appropriately into the context of a long term athletic development model. By increasing skills and techniques in a broad sense, athletes will more easily acquire specific sport skills. Conversely, with early sports specialization, athletes are practicing (almost always) one skill over and over, and struggle when diverse, more unpredictable movement is required for success.
What are the actionable items you can take away from this?
If you coach youth athletes, or you yourself have a young son or daughter:
• Encourage them to try multiple sports. • Allow them to “figure it out” when it comes to decision making skills, especially as it applies to sports. • Provide feedback - but much, much later after the competition, game, or practice session. • This will allow for them to come up with their own unique thoughts, and allow them to be uninhibited when it comes to creating a solution to whatever problems occur during a game.
While this is a “Quick and Easy Way to Move and Feel Better” series, I imagine that we can help everyone of all ages move and even feel better by taking this information and acting on it.
4. Try this quick oatmeal snack.
I’ve been preparing for a powerlifting meet for the past few months, and an easy go to snack in the morning and/or at night is a quick oatmeal snack.
It’s fast, needs little ingredients, is a flexible snack, or even as a snack if your goal is to gain mass.
• 1/2 cup Oatmeal • 2 tbsp Chocolate Peanut Butter or Powdered Peanut Butter • 1 Scoop of Protein Powder • Handful of [Frozen] Blueberries • Honey for taste • 1 cup of almond or whole milk
Macros Fat: ~9g Carbs: ~54g Protein: ~42g
Prep time: Pour the oats in first, followed by milk, then heat to 90-120 seconds. Then, add everything in and mix it up. The easy clean-up makes this a go-to for the past few weeks/months with all the snow in Massachusetts!
5. Remember that band can increase resistance - or assist in cleaning up a movement pattern.
Whether your goal is maximal strength, increased hypertrophy, or even learning an exercise for the first time, bands are a useful tool.
Band placement is critical for learning how an exercise can increase resistance, or assist during a movement.
For example, you can improve strength by performing a band resisted push-up, or help the push-up by utilizing a band under the waist to elicit a “pop” out of the bottom of the push-up (where the exercise is most difficult).
At the same time, bands can help to improve reactive core engagement, or in other words, your body will have to reflexively react in a favorable way.
About the Author
Miguel Aragoncillo (@MiggsyBogues) is a strength and conditioning coach at the Hudson, MA location of Cressey Sports Performance. More of his writing can be found onwww.MiguelAragoncillo.com.
Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read:
Good morning, gang. I hope you all had a great weekend. We're going to kick off the week with some recommended strength and conditioning reading from around the 'net:
Settling the Great Grain Debate - My good friend and former Cressey Sports Performance coach Brian St. Pierre did a fantastic with this review for Precision Nutrition.
Is it time to turn our attention toward central mechanisms for post-exertional recovery strategies and performance? - This is a science-heavy but outstanding article that was recently published in Frontiers in Physiology. It'll be required reading (and discussion) for an upcoming in-service at our facility.
Want to Get Strong? Quit Switching Training Programs Every Week. - As the title implies, this old article of mine begs readers to stay on programs long enough to actually evaluate if they work.
How Much Protein Do You Really Need?
Today's guest post comes from the good folks at Examine.com, a great website to which I refer often for unbiased information on supplements and nutrition. Enjoy! - EC
Protein is everyone’s favorite macronutrient. Why?
1. The media doesn’t go crazy over it like it does over fats and carbs. 2. It’s been proven to help build muscle. 3. Protein shakes are as well-known (and used) as energy drinks.
Although there is the occasional study or media report that suggests too much protein can cause organ damage or increase cancer risks, these concerns are typically overblown. People with certain medical conditions may exacerbate their symptoms by eating too much protein, but the most likely damage that excessive protein will do to a health person is lighten their wallet.
The most frequent question posted online about protein consumption is a simple one: what’s the optimal daily protein intake?
Protein intake recommendations
The Examine.com page on recommended protein intake breaks down the existing research on protein intake. Recommended daily protein intake depends largely on health goals and activity level:
0.8 g/kg body weight (0.36 g/lb) if your weight is stable and you don’t exercise 1.0-1.5 g/kg (0.45-0.68 g/lb) if your goal is weight loss or you’re moderately active 1.5-2.2 g/kg (0.68-1 g/lb) if your goal is weight loss and you’re physically active
People who are obese should calculate their daily protein intake based on their goal weight, not existing body weight (in order to not ingest too many calories).
At least one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight a day is sufficient for an athlete. Studies show that there isn’t a significant practical difference between 1.5 to 2.2 g/kg(0.68 – 1g/lb) of daily protein intake. For a 180 lb athlete, this is 122 to 180 grams of protein (the difference being the equivalent of about two chicken breasts).
Protein intake and bulking
Bulking and weight gain doesn’t necessarily require increased protein intake. Muscle growth is affected by protein availability and protein elimination rates, or how fast protein is used up in metabolic reactions.
The more calories the body has to work with, the more efficiently it utilizes protein because fewer amino acids are converted into glucose. However, increasing protein intake may not be necessary during a bulk, because the added calories are contributing toward more efficient protein use. Ingesting protein also increases protein signaling, which is necessary for muscle growth. That being said, exercise has a similar effect, which means working hard in the gym could render the extra signaling effect from additional protein intake negligible during a bulk.
Excessive protein intake
There is enough evidence to support the safety of 0.8-1.2g/kg (about .5g/lb) of protein per day. Although there is little evidence to suggest excessive protein intake may be harmful, there are also not many studies on the topic.
People with kidney or liver damage should consult their doctor when determining how much protein to eat. Too much protein can overwork previously damaged organs and can exacerbate symptoms. Otherwise healthy people can eat an extra chicken breast or opt for another protein shake without worrying about their health.
Supplementing to replace protein intake
People who cannot eat enough protein due to finances, diet preferences, or motivation often turn to supplementation to avoid eating yet another can of tuna.
The two best supplementation options for conserving muscle mass during caloric restriction are leucine and β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate (HMB). Leucine is the primary amino acid in protein that’s primarily responsible for signaling muscle tissue to grow. HMB, leucine’s metabolite, also helps preserve lean mass and reduces the rate of catabolism. Leucine turns into HMB at a 5% rate, so one gram of HMB is equivalent to about 20 grams of leucine.
Supplementation should only be used if dietary changes cannot be made to meet your protein requirements. It is however, worth noting that consuming protein in the form of actual food can yield benefits that supplementation can’t. But if dietary changes are not practical, supplementation can help improve muscle growth and minimize muscle loss.
Ideal sources of protein
As long as the protein is coming from a bioavailable source (not pure gelatin) and contains all the essential amino acids, it doesn’t matter what food it’s coming from.
Protein sources do matter in the context of the overall diet. For example, eating fatty tuna means there will be less room in the diet for other calories, since the fat in the tuna means the protein source contains more calories overall. Prioritizing lean meats can help keep calorie count low, or free up some calories for treats.
Worrying about the differences between whey protein vs casein protein vs hemp protein (and other protein powders) is an exercise in futility. The primary distinction between them is how you find their taste, and potentially their consistency (as casein is gel-like, it’s usually more applicable in baking situations). The slight difference in micronutrients is literally not worth the headache.
The bottom line on protein
The media and supplement industry overcomplicate recommended protein intake because it generates clicks, creates dogma, and helps sell product. As long as you’re eating a balanced diet, get plenty of sleep, and exercise frequently, one gram of protein per kilogram to pound of body a day is plenty for your muscle and health-related goals. Yes, you read that correctly: 1 gram per kg to lb is likely sufficient. That means if you're 200lbs, targeting between 90 to 200g of protein is fine. People tend to overthink how much protein they need, and unless you are on a diet or an endurance athlete, you don't actually need as much protein as is often suggested. That said, having more is also likely not detrimental.
Let's get this week off on the right foot with some recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us - An incoming Cressey Sports Performance intern asked for some additional recommended reading on top of the normal material they have to cover before they start up, and this was the first book that came to mind. This Seth Godin work is a quick read, but a classic, in my opinion.
When Should Youth Pitchers Learn Curveballs? - Several people have asked me this question lately, and it seemed like a good time to bring this old post from Matt Blake back to the forefront.
Repetition vs. Randomness: Which Will Get You Fit Faster?
In his book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, author Nir Eyal goes to great lengths to discuss the various factors that make consumers fall in love with certain offerings. One factor he highlights in great depth is novelty - or randomness..
As an example, Eyal talks about how we never get tired of our email because we know that each time we check it, there are going to be 100% unique messages waiting for us. Each new email experience may bring noteworthy news, new challenges, different emotions, or just a quick break from the "real" world in which we live. Checking our emails - even if we do so hundreds of times per day - always brings novelty. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media websites and apps are all endlessly novel, too.
Conversely, think about the game Farmville (yes, that annoying Facebook game for which you always get invites). In spite of small variations to the user experience, the game is always the same - and that's why people play it for hours on end - but ultimately give it up after a few weeks. The novelty wears off.
We can find similar parallels all across our daily lives. There's a reason so many people tune in to watch a reality TV show about the Kardashians; they say dumb things, fight a lot, and spend money on extravagant crap...to create novelty. Sorry, but a reality TV show about an accountant who pretty much does the same thing every day really doesn't drive ratings through the roof; it's just not at all novel.
Maybe you have a favorite restaurant because they have different weekly specials, whereas other spots don't rotate the menu. You probably have that one friend you adore because he/she always overreacts to things, gets easily flustered, or says the most random things - all of which provide endless entertainment value. Maybe you read this website because I make it seem random by talking about everything from training, to corrective exercise, to nutrition, to sports performance, to business, to my kids and dog.
This randomness also has a place in fitness. Novelty is one factor that makes Crossfit popular; each workout is different, and that randomness can improve exercise adherence. Randomness also accounts for some of the success folks have working out with friends and training partners; your social experience for each training session is different when you have familiar faces with whom you interact (as opposed to working out by yourself in silence).
It goes without saying, however, that your entire program can't be random. Research has demonstrated time and time again that any periodization is better than no periodization at all with respect to improving a variety of fitness qualities. You need repetition to initially learn movement patterns, build strength and power on top of them, and - just as importantly - quantify these improvements. And, you need to plan to ensure that a training effect is achieved at an appropriate rate while reducing the risk of injury. It's an old adage, but failing to plan is planning to fail.
How, then, do we reconcile this need for repetition with our conscious and subconscious tendencies toward randomness, which likely actually improve exercise adherence? This reconciliation begins by recognizing the following:
All successful strength and conditioning outcomes are derived from a blend of repetition and randomness.
This is the classic discussion of strength and conditioning program design combining art (randomness/novelty) and science (repetition). It's important to note that there is an inverse relationship between randomness and motivation (but not necessarily training experience).
The lower the motivation of the exercising individual, the greater the need for randomness to keep exercise engaging. This is working out.
The higher the motivation of the exercising individual, the greater the need for repetition to deliver a specific physiological effect. This is training.
To somewhat arbitrarily assign percentages, lower motivation folks (who are generally - but not always - beginning exercisers) might need 80% randomness and 20% repetition. The best coaches can usually push that 20% up substantially by disguising repetition as "fun" that might seem random. This is particularly important in working with very young athletes; you want repetition, but with variety. Different drills might teach the same movement skills. As an example, are these two drills actually delivering dramatically different training outcomes (besides the fact that I don't have a cool beard in my video)? Probably not. Conversely, higher motivation folks - and athletes seeking out a specific training effect - can afford less deviation from the plan for randomness. Sorry, but if your goal is to throw a baseball 100mph, an off-season of cycling 100 miles per day isn't going to get you closer to that goal, even if you do enjoy it. Specificity matters.
However, we can't ignore the need for novelty in high-motivation trainees and athletes' program. There has to be some randomness included to avoid boredom in training programs. To me, there are five great ways to do this:
1. Incorporate another sport - Get your athletes out for some ultimate frisbee, or even just play tag instead of movement/sprint training. We worked this in with our pro baseball guys this off-season and it was a big hit. Just make sure the options you choose aren't high-risk for the athletes in question.
2. Add finishers - You never want to overuse finishers, but they can be awesome motivators and team builders, when done in groups. Perhaps most importantly, they take place after the primary training effect has already been accomplished. Just make sure not to overdo it and impose too much fatigue in a single session.
3. Implement new training equipment - You don't have to go out and buy an entire new gym of equipment; rather, simple changes can make a big difference. Draping chains over someone's back instead of using bands for loading push-ups is enough variety for some athletes. Throwing a Fat Gripz on a dumbbell provides a different training stimulus without overhauling your programs. These are just a few examples.
4. Get in a different training environment - This goes hand-in-hand with option #1 from above, but just getting outside of your "typical" gym setting can be a great change of pace. Some of my best training sessions ever have taken place when I've been on the road and lifted at either friends' gyms or even random commercial gyms. These new locations might offer different training equipment, or you might even find extra focus lifting in a place where you don't know anyone (this is especially true for me, as it's very easy to get distracted training in a gym that may be filled with your clients!). Heck, this 616-pound deadlift was in Slovenia after I'd delivered a full two-day seminar!
5. Different conditioning workouts - It's generally much easier to quickly quantify improvements in strength than it is to do so with conditioning. For that reason, the strength portion of your programs may be best suited for the "repetition" aspect of your training, whereas the conditioning (unless you're a competitive endurance athlete) is a good place to implement some randomness. As an example, I lift four days a week and do some form of "conditioning" on two other days. This conditioning might be rowing, sprinting, the Airdyne, the slideboard, barbell complexes, body weight circuits, kettlebell medleys, or any of a number of other options. It's where I find some randomness and can still use exercise to clear my head - and I actually find that I feel better when I get more variety in movements during my conditioning world.
Conditioning for Powerlifters (and Anyone Who Just Wants to Get Strong)
Today's guest post is an interview orchestrated by Jen Sinkler, the creator of the expansive new conditioning resource, Lift Weights Faster 2.0.Enjoy! -EC
Full disclosure: I didn’t actually expect to actually like powerlifting. I just wanted to experience it once, and to distract a training buddy who’s always trying to get the rest of us to enter triathlons. (No. Hey, look, something shiny and heavy!) Nonetheless, last August, I entered my first powerlifting meet, and to my surprise, I did like it. Very much. I liked it enough to enter a meet every two months for the past six months, bringing me to a total of four meets by February.
I followed lifting plans from fellow Movement Minneapolis coach Jennifer Blake, and during another training cycle I got coaching from big ole squatter Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Training Systems. Partly because I was so new to the specificity of powerlifting training and partly because my plans (which I adapted daily based on biofeedback) were on point, I saw dramatic improvement from meet to meet, regularly adding 25-35 pounds to my squat in the two months between competitions. It won’t always be like this, of course, but it sure is satisfying while it lasts. Also satisfying: I took home best overall female lifter in three of my four meets, and the trophies tend be exceedingly pointy and dangerous.
What I didn’t do a tremendous amount of in those first four months of my powerlifting-specific training was conditioning. I could say I was worried about my gains, I suppose, but it’s more accurate to say I just needed to wrap my training sessions up in the interest of time, so conditioning was what got axed. Until late December, that is, when I started finalizing the pieces of my conditioning manual, Lift Weights Faster 2. That put me in the mood to play with lighter weights: to do more kettlebell and barbell circuits, to do sprint workouts and calisthenics. So…that’s what I did. And I’m pleased to say that not a gain was lost (and in fact, I continued to see improvements in all three lifts).
That’s because, when wielded well, conditioning is extremely useful for powerlifters. I’ve tapped two experts in the field to explain how and why you can incorporate it into your maximum-strength plan.
Intros to the Experts
Julia Ladewski, CSCS, is a powerlifter and physique competitor who spent eight years as a Division I strength and conditioning coach and five in a private sports-performance facility. Julia now trains clients both online and at her husband's private training and powerlifting facility, The Region Barbell Club. She is a highly competitive and elite-level powerlifter, totaling 1102 at 132 pounds and 1085 at 123 pounds. She has been a member of Team EliteFTS since 2005, and regularly speaks at a number of conferences..
Alex Viada, CSCS, has over 12 years of experience coaching athletes, specializing in training powerlifters, triathletes, and military athletes. A graduate of Duke University (biochemistry) and a MS(c) in physiology, Alex spent eight years in clinical research and health-care consulting before transitioning to coaching full-time. His company, Complete Human Performance, has worked with nationally ranked and national-record-holding powerlifters and strongman competitors, Kona-qualifying triathletes, Boston qualifiers, and bodybuilders. He has attained (and maintained) an elite powerlifting total in the 220-pound class while competing in numerous endurance events -even ultramarathons and Ironman triathlons.
Sinkler: Is handling conditioning for powerlifters tricky? It seems a little like serving two masters — one that cares only about max strength, and one that cares more strength endurance.
Ladewski: Serving two masters is always difficult, but conditioning can be done year-round. Like any other sport that has in-seasons and off-seasons, you’ll vary your conditioning depending on where you are in your training and the importance of that conditioning to your goals.
Pounding some conditioning the day before a heavy squat session can definitely affect your training. But with careful planning, you can be well-conditioned, stay in your weight class, lose body fat, and still perform at a high level.
Viada: Handling conditioning for powerlifters is very tricky. Powerlifters fall on the extreme end of the pure strength spectrum, obviously. They view limit strength as the competition, or sport proficiency (and correctly so), with a far lesser emphasis on strength-endurance. Any sort of endurance or conditioning programming for them needs to be carefully introduced and needs to clearly show the lifter that the endurance training interferes minimally and has tangible benefits.
If there is one thing I would like to dispel, however, it’s the thought that endurance is a separate, unattainable dimension of athleticism for strength athletes. It’s just another dimension of athleticism that can exist together with strength. One doesn’t need to look much further than the NFL or Rugby League to see remarkably strong individuals with far-better-than-average conditioning. Athleticism needs to be viewed on a spectrum, not as a series of yes-or-no options.
Sinkler: Why is conditioning for powerlifters important? What purpose(s) does it serve?
Ladewski: Years ago, it was kind of a big joke for powerlifters to just get bigger and bigger to lift big weights. While there is some truth behind that, it's shifted a bit towards being strong, leaner and healthier. Aside from the health benefits that even the general population receives from conditioning (heart health, better bloodwork, and so on), powerlifters are finding that having a level of conditioning is beneficial for their training, as well.
To be strong, one needs to be able to do a lot of work. More work requires a level of conditioning. If I do two sets of pushups and I'm completely spent and ready to call it a day, then my training — even for strength — will suffer. Of course there’s also the benefits of staying closer to your weight class, having less overall body fat, and having fewer achy joints.
Viada: Conditioning is important not only for general health, but is also important to sport itself. So why would a powerlifter look to improve aerobic conditioning? Can it help sport performance? The answer is (provided that deleterious effects can be minimized) an absolute yes.
Though powerlifting competition is a pure ATP/CP sport, recovery even over the course of a workout taps into aerobic systems heavily (for substrate replenishment and recovery between higher volume sets).
Improved aerobic capacity can lead towards greater overall work capacity and training volume, as well as faster recovery between sets.
Improvement in muscle glycogen stores and increased mitochondrial density would also greatly improve training quality (by allowing higher workout volume), and though event-day sport performance will not be directly impacted, more (and longer) quality training sessions are a major benefit.
Is aerobic training necessary for the powerlifter? No. But all else being equal, these positive effects are decidedly worthwhile for the majority of lifters, and I’m of the opinion that a lifter with superior aerobic capacity will have more productive training sessions than one who is absolutely exhausted after walking to the monolift.
Sinkler: Very well said. What kinds of conditioning activities do you program for your powerlifting clients? How do you include said activities without detracting from their powerlifting performance?
Ladewski: For powerlifting, I like to do a variety of things. Much of it depends on the individual, but sled dragging (upper and lower body work), prowler pushes and interval circuits work well. Bodyweight, high-rep band work, even kettlebell stuff works really well. Planning it around their regular strength work is important. as well. Don't underestimate walking, either. Brisk walking is great for powerlifters.
Viada: For strength athletes, I will often prescribe fast-paced rucking with moderate loads at low to moderate intensities, steady-state cycling or Airdyne, rowing, and aqua jogging (swimming tends to be a poor choice, as strength athletes often sink like rocks, and the additional shoulder mobility that swimming requires and develops can hurt strength and stability in pressing movements).
I also program circuit training for them, but there’s a tendency among powerlifters to go too high intensity on it. Lots of powerlifters load up too much weight and miss the benefit. So, I steer them away from circuit until they learn how to go low intensity. Once they learn to use less weight, it goes back in.
Sinkler: That makes sense. You mentioned that people often miss out on the benefit of circuit training. Talk a little more about that. And, how can circuit training, in particular, be used to develop greater work capacity?
Viada: This is actually a huge pain point for me in training athletes. We train a huge number of military athletes, fighters, obstacle-course racing competitors, CrossFit athletes, and the like, and we heavily utilize circuit training, though we’re often loathe to call it that. Circuit training, if properly implemented, has tremendous value in developing specific work capacity in certain movements, training individuals to perform while fatigued, building and developing “pacing” ability, and yes, even eliciting several positive cardiovascular adaptations.
That said, for athletes, circuit training should be specific — durations should be selected that are comparable to the demands of their sport, modalities and exercises should closely track movements and muscle groups the athletes need to develop strength-endurance in, and overall the emphasis should be on movement quality, not simply throwing a hodgepodge of different exercises at them.
For the general population, there’s greater flexibility, but I always come back to one point: there’s sometimes the sense that I dislike circuit training, but nothing could be further from the truth. The issue is that many individuals do not like using appropriately submaximal weights. If a load is so heavy that it interrupts the flow of a circuit, changes pacing, forces the use of the Valsava maneuver (or otherwise occludes bloodflow), the point is being missed entirely.
During resistance training or HIIT, a combination of muscle occlusion and the Valsava maneuver actually increases blood pressure but occludes venous return; in other words, since everything is tensed during every repetition or short interval, no blood is flowing during muscular contraction, and less is flowing into the heart. When an individual is running or biking, this isn’t the case, venous return is actually increased. In essence, with weight training, though the heart rate is increasing, it’s not necessarily pumping more blood. With cardiovascular training, it is. This is why going too heavy on circuits can provide less of an aerobic benefit.
Whatever weight you want to pick, use less. If done properly, a circuit or complex intended to develop overall (general) work capacity should start taxing the heart and lungs around the same time as the muscles. Ego is the enemy here; people use 75 to 80 percent of their maximum loads when they should be using 25 to 30 percent!
The body itself is a load — moving a weight in a complex is no different than moving the body in a run, the difference is only when individuals decide that if they’re not groaning under the weight, they’re not working their muscles. If individuals can reign in that tendency, circuits can be extremely useful for conditioning, developing both general and specific work capacity, and otherwise building both strength and endurance in general populations.
Sinkler: That’s really useful, actionable advice, thank you. Generally speaking, how often do you include conditioning for your powerlifting clients? How long do these sessions last, and on what days do you do them?
Ladewski: During meet prep, I keep it to about two sessions a week. If there's not a meet on the horizon, I'll prescribe three to four days. Personally, I like short, intense sessions. Timewise, it works for busy schedules. Plus, I like using athletic movements, moving fast and pushing hard.
Circuit training is actually a great way for powerlifters to work in conditioning. It works really well after the main strength moves. If you take some of your accessory work and circuit that together at the end, you can get some really good conditioning work and not feel like you have to add in another session or detract from your heavy lifting.
A good, 30- to 45-minutes walk in the sun is also excellent for recovery, de-stressing, and conditioning.
Viada: It’s important to consolidate stressors as much as possible, and to approach strength and endurance as a single entity. One term used lately that I enjoy — and Chad Wesley Smith writes frequently on this concept — is “consolidation of stressors.” That term really represents the cornerstone of this method — high-intensity, low-volume work and high-volume, low-intensity work each requires its own sort of recovery, but most critically, an individual can train one extreme while recovering from another.
“Recovery” is systemic to an extent, but it is also structurally specific — a long, low-intensity bike ride taxes the athlete in very different ways than a heavy squat session, but fast sprint intervals may present similar challenges to the body as that same squat session. In the former case, it would make sense to place those two workouts at opposite ends of the training week, but in the latter case, it would make sense to do them most likely in the same session.
Any high-intensity work should be done concurrently with high-intensity strength training, and the majority of the low-intensity, high-volume work should be done after any sort of volume workouts. Important to remember: Sport practice takes priority. The lifter should only use remaining work capacity to work on conditioning.
Frequency does not have to be significant — two or three 20- to 30-minute sessions is often enough for the majority of pure powerlifters with whom I’ve worked. This is already enough to see some benefits without detracting from sport focus, and with rotating modalities, the workouts should flow seamlessly. Examples include 20 to 30 minutes of row intervals after deadlift work, steady-state cycling after volume squatting, or easy rucking on the first of two days off would be enough conditioning volume.
Sinkler: What other factors do you consider?
Ladewski: When starting conditioning, the main factor is the person's current conditioning level and how much they can handle at the moment. And what their current goals are: are they in meet prep? Off-season? Do they have body fat to lose? And also, what do they enjoy doing? If they hate running, I probably won't include a lot of running. If they aren't well-versed in kettlebells, then I probably won't include much of that kind of training until they learn it better. I want to find things that are challenging for them but that they also enjoy doing.
Sinkler: Anything else you want to say on the topic of conditioning for powerlifters?
Ladewski: When powerlifters hear the word conditioning, they automatically think "cardio,” and worry about long, boring, workouts, having to run, about losing muscle. But conditioning doesn't have to be like that.
Conditioning is typically what powerlifters would call general physical preparedness, or GPP. It amounts to preparing the body to handle more work as training gets more intense.
Start with some off-season conditioning and build up. Then maintain a level of conditioning during your meet prep, as well, and your body will thank you.
Looking for Circuit-Training Ideas?
If you’re looking to amp up your GPP in productive ways, I’ve put together a mammoth 180-workout pick-and-choose library called Lift Weights Faster 2. Complete with a full exercise glossary that includes written descriptions and photographic demonstrations of nearly 270 exercises (from classic moves to more unusual ones), a video library that includes coaching on 30 of the more technical lifts, 10 challenge-workout videos, plus a dynamic warm-up routine, I’ve combined my training and athletic experience with my long background in magazine publishing to create a clear-cut, easy-to-use resource that you’ll want to turn to all the time.
Every workout is organized by the equipment you have available and how much time you’ve got, with options that last anywhere from five up to 30 minutes. And, to sweeten the deal, it's on sale at a great introductory discount through this Friday at midnight.
Coaching Cues to Make Your Strength and Conditioning Programs More Effective – Installment 11
In today's post, I want to cover three more coaching cues you can use to clean up your training technique. These are ones I use all the time with athletes at Cressey Sports Performance:
1. "Create a gap."
I use this one all the time with both rowing and pressing variations. Athletes love to keep the elbow too close to the side, and it creates an environment of faulty scapular positioning during movement of the upper arm. You can check out examples on my Instagram page, if you're interested (FAULTY vs. CORRECTED).
The answer is very simple: create a gap between the upper arm and torso. I'll usually just put my hand between the two landmarks and wiggle my fingers side to side to create a gap, as depicted by the blue line here:
2. "Don't let this plate fall."
I've written in the past (here) about how much I love bear crawls as everything from a low-level core stability exercise to a great scapular control drill. That said, one thing you'll see as a common mistake from athletes is that they'll allow their lower back and hips drift side to side on each "step." While this is indicative of the need for rotary stability at the core, usually, the problem is still something that can be fixed up pretty quickly with some basic coaching cues, starting with "slow down."
To build on "slow down" with an external focus cue, I'll set a 2.5-pound plate on the athlete's lower back. The more the lumbopelvic shifts, the more likely it is to fall.
3. "Don't break the glass."
One of the biggest mistakes we see with quad dominant athlete who have poor hip hinge patterns is that they'll break the knee forward in lieu of shifting the hips back. You'll see this on everything from lateral lunges to the eccentric (lowering) portion of deadlifts.
Obviously, we can start to address this by coaching at the hip ("push your butt back to try to touch the wall behind you"), but you can also have a positive impact on the movement by coaching the knee with an external focus cue of an imaginary pane of glass running directly up to the ceiling from the toes. Check out this still frame I took from the lowering portion of a sumo deadlift. The knee shouldn't hit the blue line that signifies the imaginary pane of glass:
The image would be more powerful from the side angle, but the plates obscure the lower leg and foot from that perspective, unfortunately. Fortunately, the lateral lunge with overhead reach is a good second shot:
That wraps it up for this edition. Hopefully, you've found these cues useful and easy to apply in your strength and conditioning programs. If you're looking for direction with respect to both programming and coaching cues, be sure to check out The High Performance Handbook, which features more than 200 exercise coaching videos, comprising three hours of footage of the exact cues we use with our athletes.
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Written on March 4, 2015 at 11:33 am, by Eric Cressey
It's been a busy week, so I've gotten a late start to putting out new content. Fortunately, I came across some good reads from around the 'net. Check these out:
The Positivity Trap: How Upbeat Coaches Can Kill Client Results - I thought this was a very interesting perspective from Krista Scott-Dixon at Precision Nutrition.
Common Arm Care Mistakes: Installment 5 - I published this article last year right around this time, and I think it's a good reminder for athletes who are both pitchers and position players. Managing weekly scheduling can be tough, and this article provides some thoughts on how to best accomplish it.
Teaching Humility and Success - Todd Hamer is an old friend of mine in the strength and conditioning world, and I loved this post from him on building character in our athletes.
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It's been a while since I posted an "Exercise of the Week," but hopefully today's offering will atone for that, as this is one of my favorite exercises to program in the late off-season period for our athletes. Check out the video below to learn how to deadlift using a trap bar and bands.
For more deadlift technique insights - including a nine-minute instructional video and three-part follow-up series, sign-up today for our FREE!
