Jump higher, move quicker - Beach Volleyball Performance Enhancement

Everybody wishes it was bigger.

And when it's time to use it, and it's smaller than everybody else's on the beach, it is most definitely a cause for embarrassment. In fact, it can be such a source of anxiety that it creates a psychological complex, inhibiting potential for future performance.

Your vertical is small, and ignoring that fact won't make the problem go away.

Your lack of ability to get it up and out of the sand may come down to one of, or a combination of the following 3 reasons:

1. Lack of power
2. Joint instability
3. Mechanical sequencing issues

Power Outage
While a greater strength-base offers potential for increased power output, you don't need to be able to deadlift a car to have a 40 inch leap; strength does not directly equate to power. My definition of strength and power (which is admittedly controversial) are as follows: strength is your ability to move objects around your body, and often includes added resistance incumbencies; power is that rate at which you can move your body through space, and the force per interval that your muscles generate. Rather than focusing on how much weight you can move through a power exercise, focus on the speed and efficiency with which you can move the weight. The greatest determinant in power output is muscle-contraction speed, and you would be wise to dedicate half of your power-based workouts to improving your rate of contraction.

Here are 2 exercises to include in your workout program that contribute to an accelerated muscle contraction rate and will almost certainly contribute to more speed in the sand and a higher vertical leap:

1. Knee Jump to Tuck Jumps

2. Resistance Band Hip Flexor & Shoulder Drivers

*You should never perform power exercises to fatigue if you are trying to build power. Once your rate of contraction slows, you are effectively de-training yourself!

Jellyfish Joints
You may have carefully periodized your workout routine over the year, tapering down from 15 reps, to 6, building from endurance to strength, and you have started you power phase...but you aren't jumping any higher...what gives? The problem may be that you neglected to strengthen the muscles that are in charge of joint stability. Your vertical is a product of a transfer of kinetic energy, from your feet through your neck, and is a direct measurement of the downward force you apply to the ground. Accepting the laws of physics, the ground exerts the force back on to your body, which propels you off the ground. Before this force can reach its maximum effect, it must pass through your ankle joints, knee joints, hip joints, and spinal column. Any force that is displaced laterally (anything that is not vertically linear) is wasted potential. In beach volleyball, the sand already creates instability, the last thing you need is to contribute to that instability with weak joints.

Add these 2 exercises to increase hip stability and knee stability:

1. Thera-band Hip Matrix, Forwards/Reverse

2. Lateral/Medial Resistance Band Lunge (front knee)

I Before E, Except at Your Knee
The last reason your vertical is impotent and your first step to dig a line shot is flaccid, is because your mechanics are horrendous. Ok, perhaps "horrendous" is a little aggressive, but improper muscle sequencing not only saps you of power, but actually contributes to chronic injuries like Patellofemoral Pain Syndrom (PFPS, aka. Jumper's Knee). To break it down to its most basic level, PFPS can be the result, in part, of the Vastus Lateralis (outer quad muscle) firing before the Vastus Medialis (inner quad muscle). Proper muscle sequencing, when jumping, is supposed to be medialis first, lateralis second. In addition, some of our strongest muscles, are our laziest. Our Gluteus Maximus (butt muscle) has the potential for great strength and power, but it is extremely lazy if we allow it to be, and it does not like to work when our Quadriceps are capable of taking the load.

Here are 2 extremely easy to do exercises, that will help create proper muscle sequencing within your body:

1. Vastus Medialis Obliques (VMO) activation

2. Gluteal firing sequence (independent of quads)

If you are a few weeks deep in to your power training or don't even do power training, are 3 months out of season or are mid season, you can add these 6 exercises in to any program to enhance your results. In addition to boosting your power and increasing your speed, agility, and vertical jump, they can help keep you from injury and will contribute to better all around body function. Don't find yourself on the beach this summer suffering from leap-ness envy, start these exercises today and watch your confidence grow!

@BrendanRolfe

Image/Video Credits
[1]http://sportfoto.ca/

Training for Aesthetics vs Training for Performance

Some of the best athletes in the world often do not resemble the chiseled stone from the fires that forged them.

The difference between training to look good and training for peak athletic performance illustrates a cataclysmic dichotomy in physical training. While many elite level athletes do display washboard abdominals and striated muscles, the shape, volume, and ratios of these muscles are varied; certain body types hold more potential for greater success in certain sports.

Let's look at the athletes who embody the big 4 sports in North America: American Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey. There are 3 industry agreed upon body types, and everyone's body falls somewhere on the scale: Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph.

[4]



[2]

[3]

You have probably already begun to place the athletes in the big 4 sports in to certain categories. But wait a minute...the Mesomorph is widely regarded as the optimal physique. You know the Mesomorph: the friend who eats what they want, when they want. They have abs all year long, and hit the gym once per month, where their muscles explode with growth. These are the people you both love and hate, all at the same time. And these are the people who make the best bodybuilders. They grow muscle easily, maintain a small waist and joints, and are irritatingly symmetrical.

You can't change your body-type, but you can maximize it's potential. The real point of interest, is that when you examine both the average body type for each sport, and the peak performers, you rarely find a true mesomorph. This is because the extremes, (Ecto- & Endo-) provide distinct advantages when maximally potentiated, while true mesomorphs...are nice to look at.

Football (M)/Rugby (W)
Football and rugby (women's equivalent, given there is no professional women's football league) are difficult to establish a prototypical athlete body type. Unlike the other sports, the demands of each position differ greatly. For instance a defensive lineman may be a 6'6, 290 lb Endomorph, a halfback might be a 6'2, 230 lb Meso-endo, and a quarterback may be a 6'4, 220 lb Meso-ecto. Conversely, a 5'5, 190 lb Endomorph prop, a 6'0, 160 lb Ecto-meso hooker, and a 5'8, 155 lb Meso-endo inside-centre are ideal for women's rugby. For our purposes, I will highlight the bodies of the 2 more athletic positions: Line-backer and Flanker.

[10]

Football

Average body:
Linebacker - 6'2, 240 lbs

Peak Performer's body:
Ray Lewis - 6'1, 240 lbs

Ray Lewis is a football legend.
Ray Lewis has a thick neck & waist and
broad muscle bellies.
Ray Lewis is most certainly an Endomorph.





[11]

Rugby

Average body:
Flanker - 5'5, 155 lbs

Peak Performer's body:
Marlie Packer - 5'5, 161 lbs

Marlie Packer is the starting Flank for England.
Marlie Packer has broad shoulders & joints
& also has broad muscle bellies.
Marlie Packer is an Endomorph.








In games like American Football and Rugby, speed and power are valued, but given that they are both games which revolve around physical contact, the athlete's body must be built to absorb punishment. Thus, thick joints and a robust torso are ideal, most closely reflected by the Endomorph body-type.

Baseball (M)/Softball (W)
Baseball and softball are also sports where position dictates stature. For instance, pitchers are generally taller and leaner (so their stride takes them closer to the plate, giving the batter less reaction time), middle infielders (SS & 2B) are smaller because they need to be agile, and catchers and first basemen are often the biggest. Outfielders, often present the best combination of power, speed and athleticism, and so we will examine the bodies of Centre-Fielder, Ken Griffey Jr. and Outfielder Jessica Mendoza.



[1]

Baseball

Average body:
Outfielder - 6'2, 220 lbs

Peak Performer's body:
Ken Griffey Jr. - 6'3, 215 lbs

Ken Griffey Jr is a baseball legend.
Ken Griffey Jr has a narrow waist, broad shoulders,
tall, and is lean.
Ken Griffey Jr is a Meso-ecto.









[5]

Softball

Average body:
Outfielder - 5'7, 145 lbs

Peak Performer's body:
Jessica Mendoza - 5'9, 146 lbs

Jessica Mendoza is a softball star.
Jessica Mendoza has broad shoulders, small joints, is tall, but
well muscled.
Jessica Mendoza is a Mesomorph.








Baseball and Softball are non-contact sports that require the ability to go from zero to maximal effort in the blink of an eye. They require speed and reflexes and cater more to the Mesomorphic body-type.

Basketball
In Basketball, height and quickness are king. While there have been those that have had successful careers, while maintaining mass (Shaquille O'Neal, at 7'0, 300lbs comes to mind), the majority of the All-Stars, Hall of Famers, and GOAT's are tall, lean, and quick. We can't examine basketball bodies without Michael Jordan and Tamika Catchings.



[6]

Basketball (M)

Average body:
Shooting Guard - 6'6, 211 lbs

Peak Performer's body:
Michael Jordan - 6'6, 200 lbs

Michael Jordan is the greatest
basketball player of all time.
OF ALL TIME.
Michael Jordan is tall, has long arms, lean muscle bellies & a rectangular frame.
Michael Jordan is an Ectomorph.

[7]

Basketball (W)

Average body:
Small Forward - 5'11, 165 lbs

Peak Performer's body:
Tamika Catchings - 6'1, 167 lbs

Tamika Catchings is widely regarded as one of the greatest female basketball players of all time.
Tamika Catchings is tall, has long arms, but exhibits more muscle tone that Jordan.
Tamika Catchings is an Ecto-meso







A basketball hoop measures 10 feet off the ground. The closer you are to the hoop, the easier it is to score (#becausescience). Basketball players need to be tall, and they need to be quick, while maintaining the endurance capacity to sprint the floor many times. Basketball players are, with very minor exceptions, Ectomorphs.

Hockey
Hockey requires lower body and trunk-related power, endurance, and the ability to deliver and endure contact. What makes it so unique from the other big 4 sports is that it does not require the primal motion of running, rather, the skating motion, and overall posture, requires development of muscles that are much different from field sports. For example, developing power from a "splay-foot" (toe turned out) position will tend to over develop external rotators like the glut med and vastus medialis while under-developing lateral hamstring muscles. While on the topic of "greatest of all time", we cannot ignore the body of work by Wayne Gretzky and Hayley Wickenheiser, however for relevance to today's audience (and for more access to body-revealing pictures (the old generation just doesn't do mirror selfies...), let us examine current greats, Sydney Crosby and Hailey Knight.



[8]

Hockey (M)

Average body:
Forward - 5'11, 180 lbs

Peak Performer's body:
Sydney Crosby - 5'11, 200lbs

Sydney Crosiby is widely regarded as one of the best players in the game, if not the best.
Sydney Crosby is not tall, but possesses strong legs and core.
Sydney Crosby is a Mesomorph.









[9]

Hockey (W)
Average body:
Forward - 5'7, 155 lbs

Peak Performer's body:
Hilary Knight - 5'11, 172 lbs

Hilary Knight the top forward
for the US women's Olympic
hockey team, and is a consensus top 5 player in the world.
Hilary Knight is tall but has muscle mass and muscle definition
Hilary Knight is a true Mesomorph.

Hockey is one of the sports where your body is trained to fit the sport. Not even in the sense that certain muscles grow more than others, but there is a posture that is typical of hockey players: feet turned out, big bum, rounded shoulders, head in forward position. In addition, due to the demands of the sport, the athlete's legs are usually more developed than their upper body, and visible abdominals and muscle striations are not as common-place, given a greater demand for energy stores (60 minute games in conjuncture with 3 or 4 games per week is common).

Across all sports, modern athletes are bigger, faster, and stronger than they once were. The average skill-level is higher, and because the athletes can now make a living playing their sport, they adapt their bodies specifically to its demands and train for maximal performance. However, one can also make the determination that certain body types are more likely to excel in certain sports, and that while our body can always be maximized for performance, in the end, you cannot escape the fact you are an Ectomorph, a Mesomorph, or an Endomorph.

*General Disclaimer: Steroids and Human Growth Hormone

@BrendanRolfe




Image credits
[1]http://cf067b.medialib.glogster.com/media/c4/c4517c3d1adb44bcbe989d8d6babeb81a70bb69bdac4eb1a3f70e563467ffa6e/ken-griffey-jr-mariners-jpg.jpg
[2]http://content.doyoueven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/tumblr_muoal3AQzJ1sl9vjho1_1280-461x600.jpg
[3]http://www.bodybuilding.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ava-cowan-2011-figure-olympia.jpg
[4]http://www.trainerjack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/body-types-male-and-female.jpg
[5]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/2b/80/08/2b800853d5af7860e04159662f8e34f5.jpg
[6]http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo/images/celeb-jordan_michael/jordan_large/jordan_001.jpg
[7]http://imavex.vo.llnwd.net/o18/clients/activelife/images/Cover_Models/Tamika_Catchings_pic1.jpg
[8]http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID14380/images/Sidney_Crosby_shirt_off_shirtless_pictures.jpg
[9]http://cdn.nextimpulsesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Screen-Shot-2014-07-08-at-10.14.10-AM.png
[10]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/50/35/3f/50353f8af27fc780ec2b04fa50268b8a.jpg
[11]http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Marlie+Packer+New+Zealand+v+England+Game+3+lvRalqMqjkkl.jpg

5 exercises no real athlete will touch

When I go to the gym, I can instantly separate athletes from exercisers, both in the quality of their movement, and by the exercises they choose to fill their programs with. Here are 5 exercises you won't catch any real athlete doing at the gym.

[1]

Seated Hamstring Curls - There are only 2 occasions that call for leg isolation exercises: 1) Recovering from an injury 2) Body building...and when was the last time you saw a body builder do something athletic?


[2]

INSTEAD
try Deadlifts




[3]

Pulldowns - Studies have shown that doing pull ups will increase the amount of weight you can use while performing a pulldown, conversely, increased pulldown capacity has not been shown to do the same for pullups. 'Nuff said.

[4]

INSTEAD try Eccentric Pullups

[5]

Tricep Kickbacks - The body positioning required by kickbacks cuts off potential range of motion and opens up more opportunities to cheat. 


[6]


INSTEAD try a Sphynx Pushup

[7]

Concentration Curls - Single arm isolation exercises are great...if you have 4 hours per day to spend at the gym. Not only do you get secondary bicep activation when you do real exercises like pullups and rows, but there are about a million more effective bicep exercises that don't make you look like a tool.



[8]

 INSTEAD try a Zottman Curl



[9]








Machine back extensions - I have tried this one at different stages of my fitness journey, and every time it feels awkward, uncomfortable and unnatural. That is because your lower back is not built to move independently of the rest of your posterior chain. Because it is easy to grip tight and cheat, people load up the weight on this exercise and risk injury for very little benefit.




[10]

 INSTEAD try Scorpion Extensions



@BrendanRolfe

Image Credits
[1]http://buffblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/VR1-Seated-Leg-Curl_13060.jpg
[2]http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/cms/uploads/1/barbell-deadlift_1.jpg
[3]http://www.carrienyden.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/lat-pulldown-start.jpg
[4]http://nicktumminello.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/pullup_negative.jpeg
[5]http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/exerciseImages/sequences/348/Female/m/348_2.jpg
[6]https://loseyoself.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/sphinx-pushup-garcia.jpg
[7]http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/exerciseImages/sequences/136/Male/l/136_1.jpg
[8]http://munfitnessblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Zottman-Curl-Workout-Woman.jpg
[9]http://www.fitsociety.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/back-extension1.jpg
[10]http://m.ufc.com/news/mma-power-training-cub-swanson

 

Dangerous gym exercises: Is the juice worth the squeeze?

[1]

                                                          

I am a firm believer that variety in the gym is the key to longevity. But I have been noticing, more and more, trainers and gym goers doing exercises that are extremely dangerous, and outside of a fun youtube video, offer little more than the opportunity for severe injury.

Any sport comes with an inherent level of risk. Anyone who has played contact sports knows that concussions at some point in their career are a virtual certainty. Even non-contact sports like basketball, soccer and baseball carry with them the possibility of a torn ligament from sudden change of direction, or joint risks, such as subluxation or torn labral tissues; from the application off-balance forces. Many athletes play the sports they love, accepting these risks for the chance to win a championship or graduate to the professional ranks.

But where does that leave exercisers who are trying to lose weight or add muscle tone (the two most common goals of the average personal training client)? What purpose does a stability ball, barbell, back-squat serve[3]? It is virtually impossible to spot and adds uneeded complexity to an exercise that a minutiae of the population actually does flawlessly (the squat) on solid ground. You risk your client's health and well-being for something that looks impressive, but actually serves little to no purpose. I would not give this exercise to any of my athletes or clients because it has no application in sport or the real world. I also question the wisdom of introducing Jill or Joe Average to the Olympic lifts (unless they request it from you or show interest of their own volition). The clean, the snatch, and the clean and jerk are beautiful lifts when done properly. But these lifts are restricted to power sport athletes for good reason: 1) The average exerciser doesn't really the NEED power that these offer, 2) Power training for Joe Blow can be done under less technical and more controlled circumstances (dumbbells, kettlebells, body-weight, etc.), 3) This usually involves a lot of weight if you are seriously training for power. If they haven't MASTERED perfect form in the foundational lifts (Squat and Deadlift), then there is no way I am going to risk their spine, shoulders and knees, on lifts that are super technical and not applicable to their goals. It just doesn't make sense.

[2]                                                                                                                                                 [3]

                         

                                                     

I am all for changing up a routine and touching on as many of the foundational pillars of fitness as possible...but not all in one exercise. Resistance training, cardio training, balance training, and flexibility training are all an essential and supplementary part of any training program, and proper periodization of a program is not to be taken lightly (ie. first time exercisers should NEVER jump in to power training before progressing through: foundational movement, endurance, hypertrophy and strength training first).

Let's be honest, an effective workout program is founded on variations of 4 basic movements meant to improve strength: squat, push, pull, (vertical) press; consider it to be like a compass with each direction representing the direction of force. It takes months, if not years, to master perfect form in each discipline. Balance and coordination can then be added to variations of the exercise in a supplementary manner, but by no means should balance be done under extreme weight as stabilizer muscles are small and fatigue quickly. Exercises that are designed for power or strength, should be respected for their purpose. Instability saps power potential and will change the focus of your lift, effectively detraining the power athlete.

So before you want to do a show-stopper exercise at the gym, give a thought to the purpose of it and take a moment to weigh the risk versus the reward. Are complex olympic lifts really what your weight-loss client's program is lacking? Have you actually mastered the foundational lifts and are ready to progress to instability training under load? Are you using the exercise for its intended purpose? These are all questions you should ask yourself before going in to your next workout. Train with as much purpose as you do passion.

- Brendan Rolfe
Personal Training Specialist, Nutrition & Wellness Specialist, BA, DipA

Photo credits

1 http://www.liftingrevolution.com/dangerous-exercises-for-women-beginners-and-why-not-to-do-these/
2 http://muscle.iuhu.org/2014/01/must-watch-videos-with-hilarious-but-dangerous-things-which-gym-          newbies-do-how-not-to-perform-gym-exercises-at-various-machines/
3 http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1c8z8t/what_is_the_funniest_workout_you_have_ever_seen/