Benefits of a bowl of cherries

US researchers have come up with practical and tasty way to
keep the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage at bay.
They found that volunteers who consumed up to 120 tart
cherries a day in the form of a juice blend suffered significantly
less strength loss and muscle pain after eccentric exercise than
those drinking a similar-tasting inactive juice (placebo).
Fourteen male college students drank 12 fl oz of either the
cherry juice blend or the placebo drink twice a day for eight
consecutive days. On the fourth day they performed a bout of
2×20 maximum eccentric elbow flexion contractions. Isometric
elbow flexion strength, pain, muscle tenderness and range of
motion were recorded before and for four days after the exercise.
The protocol was repeated two weeks later with subjects who
had had the placebo first time round now taking the cherry juice,
and vice versa.
After analysing both sets of results, the researchers found that:
● Strength loss over the four days after exercise averaged 22%
with the placebo but only 4% with the cherry juice;
● Pain in the elbow flexors peaked at 24 hours in the cherry juice
trial and then declined, whereas it continued to increase in the
placebo trial to peak at 48 hours;
● Loss of range of motion and muscle tenderness was similar in
both trials.
Numerous antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents have been found
in tart cherries, and eating them has been shown to reduce blood
concentrations of inflammatory markers in healthy men and women.
The researchers comment: ‘These results have important practical
applications for athletes, as performance after damaging exercise bouts
is primarily affected by strength loss and pain. In addition to being an
efficacious treatment for minimising symptoms of exercise induced
muscle damage, consumption of cherry juice is much more convenient
than many of the treatments that have been presented in the literature.’
Br J Sports Med 2006; 40:679-683

Effects of Sprint and Plyometric Training on Muscle Function and Athletic Performance

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via Effects of Sprint and Plyometric Training on Muscle Function and Athletic Performance.

Possessing the biggest muscles doesn’t make you the strongest athlete!

Keith Baar is a molecular biologist studying how the body responds to training. As he explains, the last 10 years have seen a number of discoveries that are changing the way we train for strength
The last ten years have seen a huge increase in our understanding of what makes a muscle bigger and reminded us that a bigger muscle isn’t always a stronger muscle. This research directly affects how and when we train and what and when we eat in relation to training.
Immune system and muscle growth
Over the years, we’ve learnt that in order for muscle to grow normally we need an intact immune system. Strength athletes that take anti-inflammatory drugs might do more than dull the pain after a hard workout. By decreasing inflammation, we might actually be preventing normal muscle growth in response to resistance exercise. Research shows that our immune system is needed to increase muscle mass, which means that strength athletes should stay away from anti-inflammatories during training.
Hormones and muscle mass
In the noughties, Dr Espen Spangenburg conducted research that showed neither insulin nor IGF-I is needed to increase muscle mass and strength. Together with other research in this area, these findings suggest that most hormones aren’t important in training-induced changes in muscle size and strength.
This statement is still quite controversial.
Obviously, hormones play an important role in how big and strong our muscles are and how big and strong they can get, but we are learning that hormones are not as important as we once believed.
For instance, we have known for 15 years that IGF-I can make muscles bigger. As a result, a number of high profile athletes have used insulin and IGF-I to try to increase their muscle mass and strength. However, what Dr Spangenburg showed was that even though IGF-I and insulin were important in determining the size of muscles before training, the amount of increase in muscle mass and strength was the same in mice who had no insulin and IGF-I present naturally as those who had these hormones present.
This is similar to testosterone. We know that testosterone determines that on average a man’s muscles will be bigger than a woman’s muscles. However, we also know that men and women increase their strength the same amount through training. This means that testosterone is not needed to increase muscle strength in response to training but instead sets the upper limit of muscle size.
Testosterone, IGF-I and similar hormones determine how big our muscles are before we start training. But it is now becoming clear that hormones don’t affect how much muscle mass we can add through training.
This should reassure strength athletes that hard training and proper nutrition are all that they need to gain muscle mass and strength!

courtesy of WWW.PPKONLINE.COM

Core Newsletter

Happy New Year, EVERYONE! We’re going to start the year off with with a bit of basic abdominal and core education. Last year I began writing a a few helpful newsletters to answer some of the most frequently asked question I come across. With your help and questions, I am looking forward to continuing this new and hopefully long-lasting tradition.
Enjoy,
Triston

What exactly is my core?
It’s easiest described as the group of muscles around and supporting your spine, trunk and pelvis. Every time you move, your body depends on certain “core” muscles to hold you steady while other muscles actually move your body. These muscles lie deep within the trunk of the body and attach to the spine, pelvis and muscles that support your scapula (shoulder blades). These muscles stabilize those areas to create a firm foundation for coordinated movement of our arms and legs. An interesting little fact about our core system is that the muscles kick in automatically sensing movement and resistance. The main muscles involved in core stabilization are not always obvious because they are buried beneath other muscles. These are sometimes referred to as the “inner-core”. Your transverse abdominis, for example, is hidden underneath your rectus abdominis ( “six-pack”) and encases the area beneath your belly button. The multifidus and erector spinae muscles lies along your spine and connects the vertebrae together. The pelvic floor muscles also aid in stabilizing your spine.
There are other muscles that are closer to the surface, and somewhat more noticeable, that also help with stabilization. The muscles in your back (latissimus dorsi) and buttocks (gluteus maximus), around your pelvis and hips (hip abductors and hip adductors), and your sides (external obliques) are all “outer-core” muscles that assist stabilization and help your body move.

Poor posture, inadequate flexibility, muscle imbalances, and or one-dimensional conditioning habits may negatively effect the way these muscles react and stabilize. If your core muscles are weak or fire incorrectly, your body doesn’t work as effectively, and other muscles have to pick up the slack. This can result in injuries such as a twisted knee or the common sore lower back. It’s said a weak core can make you old before your time. On the other hand, a strong core helps maintain good posture and gives us balance and strength with individual arm and leg movements. Athletic performances can benefit from improved core stability. A tennis player is able to transfer power more efficiently from his hips through his torso to the racquet. However, we cannot overlook everyday activities such as simply bending over to tie a shoe lace or stepping out of a wet shower while maintaining your balance. For a person who exercises at any level, core stabilization is essential for injury prevention and maximum fitness results.
When you work on contracting your core muscles:
Your posture improves;
Movements become more efficient and balanced;
You are less likely to have chronic back pain; and
You are able to transfer power in different planes motion more effectively.

As a general conditioning technique and way to reduce low back pain, it is critical to your fitness and athletic longevity to implement a core-specific program into your training regimens. Remember, initially, core training should not focus on strength. It’s about coordination and stability which is the act of controlling movement and/or force. Although the core can be a great source of strength, core training should focus on proper muscle recruitment and creating greater stability not the generation of force.
BASIC CORE STABILIZATION EXERCISES
Abdominal Draw-In
If you’re new to core stability training, the lying draw-in is the simplest exercise to learn how to co-contract the transverse abdominals and multifidus muscles effectively. Start by lying on your back with knees bent. Your lower back should neither be arched nor flat against the floor, but aligned naturally with a small gap between the floor and your back. Breathe in deeply and relax your stomach. As you breathe out, draw in your lower abs as if pulling your belly button through your spine. Hold the contraction for 10 seconds remaining relaxed, allowing yourself to breathe normally as you hold the tension in your lower stomach area. This may take some practice to perfect. Place your fingers on the sides of your stomach to feel the tension, reinforcing that you are doing it correctly. Repeat 5-10 times.
Quadruped alternating arm and leg
Quadruped exercises are frequently viewed as rehab exercises and largely ignored by many coaches and trainers outside of yoga and pilates. I’ve picked this particular quadruped to teach the athlete to stabilize the torso with the deep abdominal muscles and multifidus while recruiting the glutes and hamstrings. To perform, begin on all fours. Take a moment to hollow your abdominal region as learned above. Slowly extend a leg behind maintaining a level pelvis. Once that position can be maintained, extend the opposite hand keeping your head and spine in a neutral position. Hold for 10 seconds then alternate hand and foot. Repeat both sides 3-4 times each.
Plank
To perform an isometric plank exercise the athlete begins on their palms (shown above) or elbows and knees and then takes the knees off the ground while trying to maximally contract the abdominal musculature upwards. If any stress is felt on the lower back, this is an indication that the abdominal wall is not being totally contracted. This position should be held 15-60 seconds depending upon the condition of the athlete.
Side plank on elbow with flexion
The oblique plank can be effective simply by holding for 10 seconds in the neutral position as shown. To perform the oblique plank with flexion, simply lower your hips until they barely touch the ground, and then bring the hips up to a position above the neutral starting point. It’s critical that you keep the body in a straight line from head to toe and laterally flex without rotation. Begin with 3 sets of 10 reps each side.
Supine bridging on stability ball
The last exercise today is the bridge on the stability ball. If you do not own an exercise/stability ball-go get one! They are excellent for advancing your core training to the next level. Onto the bridge. Lying on your back, bring your knees to your chest and roll the ball beneath your legs. Slowly extend your legs while raising your body into a straight line. Remember, keep your inner abs contracted the entire time and BREATHE. Hold this position for 15 seconds then relax your hips back to the ground slowly. Repeat 3-4 times.
As you begin to get stronger and need a progression, add 5-10 seconds for the timed exercises or 2 reps per set for the others. For more sport specific core training exercises send an email to SPORTDX@LIVE.COM.

SportDynamics Performance Training – Los Angeles, California

What causes a side stitch?

If you’re a runner, chances are that you’ve experienced more than your share of injuries, including a very painful and uncomfortable side stitch. You know, that intense, stabbing pain beneath ribcage. Although it can occur on both sides of the abdomen, research has found that it occurs more frequently on the right side.

The pain is usually brought on by vigorous exercise and activity. Side stitches occur more frequently in sports that require a lot of up and down movement, like running, jumping and horse riding. They also occur more frequently in novice and amateur athletes than professionals.

What causes a side stitch?

The pain is caused by a spasm of the diaphragm muscle. The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that separates our lung cavity from the abdominal cavity and moves up and down when you inhale and exhale. As you inhale, your lungs fill with air and force your diaphragm downward. Conversely, as you exhale your lungs contract and your diaphragm rises. The rising and falling of the diaphragm occurs rapidly when you’re running. Studies have shown that most side stitches occur on the right hand side. As your right foot strikes the ground, gravity forces your internal organs downward. Some of these organs are attached to the diaphragm, which in turn pulls the diaphragm downward. This creates a stretching of the diaphragm muscle and the ligaments that are attached to your internal organs, which in turn causes the pain.

Treatments

The most effective treatment of a side stitch would be to halt whatever activity it was that created the muscle spasm. Let’s say you’re in mid-competition and stopping is out of the question. Well, I would then suggest that you alter your breathing pattern, relax and focus. Concentrate on taking full, deep breathes down to your diaphragm. A cue I normally give is to breathe past your stomach down to your diaphragm. Give your body the oxygen it requires.

Prevention

Here are a few tips to help prevent the dreaded side stitch:
• Improved your cardiovascular fitness;
• Concentrate on breathing deeply during exercise;
• Warm up properly before exercising;
• Gradually increase exercise intensity;
• Avoid eating heavy meals before exercising;
• Drink more fluids;
• Strengthen your core muscles (lower back, abdominal and oblique muscles)

Remember, to always warm-up properly, focus, and think breathe to your diaphragm-not your stomach.

SPDx Training Sesson: Dumbbell training – Tabata style!

In the past, dumbbell training had often been looked at as a primary way to strengthen the arms and shoulders. Even for the most experienced of gym rats, dumbbells offered no more than another way to do bicep curls and military presses. Dumbbell training can be an effective and an unassuming method to target muscles in the entire body. Using dumbbells with dynamic movements can add variety to your workouts and for those serious athletes, dumbbells are an excellent way to add unilateral training to your sport specific program.

Today’s SPDx training session focuses on using just two dumbbells and will be mimicking a protocol made popular by the Japanese speed skating team and researcher Dr. Tabata. Named ‘The Tabata Protocol’, his routine consists eight rounds of 20 second high intensity sprints broken up with 10 seconds of rest/recovery. Tabata’s interval routine is rare in that it’s been found to improve metabolic capacity for both endurance and power output simultaneously as opposed to training one over the other at a time. If you’ve seen the nationally popular CrossFit this is quite similar to the style of training they employ. What I’ve laid out for you is a SPDx version of the Tabata style of training using just two dumbbells. You will have 5 exercises to complete in 3 rounds at 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest with a full minute of recovery after the first round exercise. If you’re super gym guy/gal, try doing 5 rounds of each with a 75-90 second recovery between each round.

Equipment
Before we begin, grab a pair of dumbbells that are light to moderately challenging. You should be able to lift both dumbbells overhead at least 12-15 times. You will need a timer or stopwatch to keep track of the timed intervals. I’ve downloaded a mobile interval training timer for my phone to keep track of the work vs rest periods – and it words great. Lastly, a notepad will be needed if you’d like to note your scores for future comparisons and improvement.

Warm up
Take a light jog and then perform a dynamic stretching routine of your preferance (e.g.: knee hugs, leg swings, windmills, squats, etc.). Also, don’t forget to include stabilizing exercises as a part of your warm up! (e.g.: planks) Once you’ve broken a light sweat, you’re ready to begin!

20 seconds – Squat press – 10 second rest
20 seconds – Squat jump – 10 second rest
20 seconds – Push-up with dumbbell row – 10 second rest
20 seconds – Burpees w/ dumbbells – 10 second rest
20 seconds – Seated trunk rotation – 60 second recovery period
-Repeat 3 more times-

Cool down
Bring your heart rate down gradually and don’t forget your stretches!

Contact Triston @ SPORTDX@LIVE.COM