One of the newer supplements on the market making claims to improve cognition, decrease muscle breakdown, promote muscle protein synthesis and improve exercise performance is branched-chain amino-acids (BCAAs).
But… what are they? BCAAs are essential amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine (ones we cannot synthesize ourselves and must consume) that can be oxidized within our muscles, especially during exercise. These amino acids are the most important amino acids for muscle protein synthesis, as leucine itself is a direct stimulator of muscle protein synthesis independent of exercise and it is important to make sure we are getting adequate amounts in our diet before considering supplementation.
While most of the research into BCAAs has been done in rodents, some interesting data has recently surfaced regarding their effect on exercise in humans. Mainly the ingestion of BCAAs before, during or after exercise has been shown to increase intracellular and arterial levels, and to prevent muscle protein breakdown, where some studies have even demonstrated less delayed-onset-muscle-soreness (DOMS) following exercise. BCAAs are also an important fuel for our muscle cells during exercise, and since levels decline with exercise, it makes sense to use them as a supplement during and/or after workouts.
When combined with a resistance training program and enough protein intake, BCAAs have been shown to help to increase lean muscle mass and lower body fat percentage. It should be noted that a lot of the research into BCAAs, is through one off studies and research is just starting to tease out the effectiveness of them but nevertheless there are some intriguing early results. Come into SST to find out how, when, and what BCAAs we use with our athletes and clients to help improve exercise performance and body composition!
References: All About BCAAs Precision Nutrition Andrews, Ryan (2018) Exercise Promotes BCAA Catabolism: Effects of BCAA Supplementation on Skeletal Muscle during Exercise Shimomura et al. (2004) The Journal of Nutrition
Email us at Bskinner@sstcanada.com to get email notifications on our upcoming nutrition and supplement clinics!
The term dynamic stretching comes down to movement based stretching. In other words, the individual uses a swinging or bouncing movement to extend their range of motion (ROM) and flexibility. The force of the bounce or swing is gradually increased but should never become uncontrolled.
What is Dynamic Flexibility?
The term dynamic flexibility refers to an individual’s absolute range of motion that can be achieved with movement. In other words, how far you can reach, bend or turn by using velocity and momentum to achieve maximum range of motion. As all sport involves movement of some kind, a degree of dynamic flexibility is essential!
The difference between Dynamic Stretching and Static Stretching?
Although there are many different ways to stretch, they can all be grouped into one of two categories; static or dynamic.The main difference between dynamic stretching and static stretching is that static stretches are performed without movement. In other words, the individual gets into the stretch position and holds the stretch for a specific amount of time. While dynamic stretches are performed with movement. There isn’t one way, nor one type of stretching is better than another. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the key to getting the most out of stretching lies in being able to match the right type of stretching to the purpose, or goal you are trying to achieve. For example; For warming up, dynamic stretching is the most effective, while for cooling down, static and passive are best.
The best time to use Dynamic Stretching
One of the main purposes of dynamic stretching is to prepare the body for activity or sport, which is why dynamic stretching is so effective as part of a warm up routine. Please note though, that dynamic stretching is not THE warm up, is it only PART OF a warm up. A proper warm up has a number of very important key elements. These elements, or parts, should all work together to prepare the individual for physical activity and minimize the likelihood of sports injury.
Improve your Dynamic Flexibility.
It’s important not to rely on just one type of stretching all the time. You need to know which type of stretching is best for the goal you’re trying to achieve or the individual you’re working with. When you can match the right type of stretching to the individual and their goals, you’ll always get a better outcome.
Come into SST to learn a safe and beneficial dynamic warm up routine.
Primarily
the focus was on how to effectively coach female athletes and the different
strategies that will keep them not only performing physically but also taking
care of the athletes on a psychological level to maximize performance.
It was a very productive and positive experience from beginning to end. It was great to listen to representatives from:
Although I think the highlight for me was listening to Jane Kirby-Addeo talk about how representation matters. We need more female athletes, coaches and board members to usher us into the next era of women’s sports. Hearing her speak about her journey only makes me more hopeful that we are heading in the right direction.
Jane Addeo (nee Kirby) President of the Fergus Highland Rugby Club
Another
positive for me was seeing the male coaches both speakers and attendees that
came to the event and to see how much passion and care each of them put into
training their female athletes! We are all responsible for ensuring out female
athletes are taken seriously and given an equitable chance in their sports as I
believe this is key not only to their early lives and sporting careers but also
to the confidence they develop off the field and will be taking with them into
the real world. Although I fully believe we need more female representation,
the men that stand with us are equally important.
Although I was approaching the conference as a strength and condition coach whereas most of the attendees are coaches of (mostly) female rugby teams, the information was very transferable to my needs as it was to everyone else. When we talk about injury prevention, psychology, coaching strategies and representation; each person was able to take away a new piece of valuable information. We are all learning and striving to be better each and every day; that is one of the core values here at SST and was so wonderful to see it in so many people over the course of the day!
The day was time well spent, THANKS CENTAURES RUGBY CLUB
The ankle joint and surrounding structures
is one of the most important joints in the human body for athletic performance.
Many athletic activities in sport require tremendous amounts of force being
applied and re-directed through this joint including sprinting, jumping,
cutting and the changing of direction.
While stiffness in the ankle joint is generally regarded as a negative, there is something to be said for having the right amount of stiffness in the ankle joint. The term stiffness generalized to a lack of mobility in the ankle, however in this sense when we are talking about stiffness, we mean the ability to absorb and re-apply force. You can think of this as jumping as high as you can and then asking the body to jump again with eh same effect. This requires a tremendous amount of stiffness in the ankle joint to absorb and re-apply force to create another maximal jump. Stiffness in the ankle joint allows for less energy to be lost and the ability to still produce a large jump.
However, a general amount of ankle mobility is required to produce maximal force and to achieve athletic angles and positions in sport. Additionally, in the weight room ankle mobility can be a major impediment to individuals being able to reach a desired range of motion exercises such as the squat (along with other exercises), which can cause issues in terms of technique and form breakdown. The inability to exercise in full ranges of motion with certain exercises can impede the improvements in athleticism we see with training.
Want To Know How Your
Ankle Mobility Stacks Up? Try This.
Get into a half kneeling
position with your shoes off.
Place your toes 3-5 inches away
from a wall.
Drive your knee over your 2nd
toe and see if you can touch your knee against the wall without lifting your
heel off of the ground.
Come in to SST to check out the different strategies we use with our
athletes to help improve ankle mobility and increase stiffness to help make our
athletes stronger and faster!
The girls I see coming into the facility always out train the boys; gone are the days where we will accept the phrase “—-like a girl” to mean something inherently wrong, especially when it comes to sports! Female Athletes need to be taken just as seriously as their male counterparts, that goes for every aspect of their chosen sport and will benefit from strength and conditioning programs. With the trend towards early sport specialization becoming more common in young athletes, it is important to ensure that female athletes are competent in a broad spectrum of movements from a young age so that they are well rounded and able to perform their sports activities in the safest manner possible. The following four points (Points 1 &2 in part one and Points 3&4 in part two) highlight how strength and conditioning can be useful for your female athlete.
1.
Preparation for the Future
In the past
10 years, long term athletic development (LTAD) and youth physical development
(YPD) have been the cornerstone models for development of young athletes. These
two distinct approaches use a holistic view to training so that age, growth,
maturity and training level are all taken into consideration when a program is
designed for an individual. Strength and conditioning training has a
significant role in ensuring that young athletes become more coordinated,
stable and strong as they advance through their athletic careers. It is important
that young athletes are proficient in movement basics so that their platform
for growth and development continues along an upward trend.
2.
Reduced Injury Risk
Despite
concerns in the past that strength training is harmful for young athletes, it
has been revealed that strength and conditioning can make a developing athlete
“more resistant to injury” (NSCA, 2008). A higher level of motor control and a
better understanding of how their body moves in space, allows an athlete to
take more control over their injury prevention. Strategies of how to correctly
stabilize the core, distribute bodyweight and resist force are all areas which
can lower the risk of injury.
A properly designed strength and conditioning program guards against over development of a specific set muscle group from playing a sport year round (specializing), by incorporating exercises to balance and provide joint stability for sport specific movement. The most balanced, strong and coordinate athletes are the athletes who are least likely to be injured.
If you are interested in learning more about your preparation and reducing injury risk please email us at bskinner@sstcanada.com
I have had the good fortune of working with a number of
figure skaters. Occasionally, parents of children who I do not coach will ask
me about the benefits of strength training for figure skaters. Below are the 6
reasons I cite for getting figure skaters involved in strength training.
1) Strength training will eliminate imbalances and correct
tracking issues which will decrease injury – for example, a weak vastus
medialis will cause the patella to track laterally due to a muscular imbalance
with another primary knee extensor, the vastus lateralis. The issue is that the lateralis is usually
tight due to daily active living and can cause the patella to track improperly without
a strong vastus medialis to act as a stabilizer in opposition. This can cause an imbalance and resultant tracking
problem which can, in turn, lead to pain
and possibly injury due to poor biomechanics from an improperly functioning knee
joint.
Sandring, S. (2005).
Grey’s Anatomy. Spain: Elsevier Churchill Livingston.
2) Strength training will aid the body in injury
prevention. It can prevent misalignments
of muscles and reinforce correct muscle patterning in biomechanics. Strong hamstrings aid in structural balance
of the posterior aspect of the knee. Due
to the hamstrings actions on the knee, the biceps femoris performs a lateral rotation
of the tibia when the knee is semi flexed and the semitendinosis performs a
medial rotation of the tibia when the knee is semi flexed, improving strength
within the hamstrings will reduce the possibility of shearing or twisting
injuries of the knee joint. Strong glutes are essential to help reinforce any
movement the hamstrings make and in addition help steady the femur on the tibia
which aids in landing, for figure skating in particular.
Function with Posture and
Pain. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
3) Strength training improves neurological control which
can improve both gross motor movements – jumping – and fine motor movements – the
subtle footwork that the judges are looking for. This control becomes more and
more important as a skater advances through the senior and elite levels given
the complexity of the tasks and skills they need to perform. Improved
proprioceptive awareness will also accompany these increases in neurological
abilities allowing a skater to develop their “ice sense”.
4) Strength training makes tasks that are difficult today
easier in the long run. By increasing strength and skill an athlete will be
able to progress to more difficult jumps because they are able to jump higher,
rotate faster and stick landings with more ease. If we take the 1 arm brace
press as an example (a standing 1 arm DB shoulder press where the free arm is
extended to the side and bracing the body) there are a number of ways this
strength movement can improve figure skating performance. For example, it will
improve core stability as there is an isometric contraction of the oblique
muscles to hold the body stable. It improves shoulder strength which has been
shown to improve vertical jumping and improve forward arm drive that is needed
to build momentum for starting rotations. While these things will improve
through skating alone, the rate of improvement will be increased though
progressive strength training.
5) Completing difficult endurance or strength sets will
improve mental toughness and can make skating feel easier. Anything that makes
a tough task seem easier will boost an athlete’s confidence which will improve
their on-ice performance and make skating more enjoyable. Knowing that they
have a strong, well balanced body will eliminate doubts of this nature from the
mind of a skater … and believing that they can is the first step in doing
something.
6) Being stronger will improve soccer, sprinting, athletics
(track and field), volleyball, etc…. performance. It will also make everyday activities
easier. The reason for this if very simple – strong muscles produce more force
when they contract so you will need to recruit fewer fibers to produce the same
force. This will translate into faster running, higher jumping, and easier
lifting.
For further details about our strength training program please email me at bskinner@sstcanada.com
For more information and access to great articles and videos please visit www.sst.training
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the tilapia with a pinch of salt, pepper and chili flakes and cook for 1-2 mins each side or until opaque.
In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice, honey, ginger, red pepper, ¼ cup olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the dressing over the leaves and gently toss in the mango, onion and place cooked tilapia fillets on top.
Sprinting has been described as consisting of a series of phases: an acceleration phase (typically the first 10 metres), a transition phase, and a maximum velocity phase. For sports such as soccer, rugby, football and basketball, maximum velocity is not always attained, and repeated short sprints are more common. Taking this into consideration, the ability to develop speed in as short a time as possible (acceleration) may be of high importance to many athletes. It has been proposed that acceleration and maximum velocity are relatively separate and specific qualities.
An athlete’s ability to accelerate his or her body during sprinting is dependent on several factors. These factors include technique and the force production capability of the body, in particular the leg muscles. It has been shown that the technical aspects may have less importance for the acceleration phase of performance than for a typical sprinting event. For example, in many sports the athletes have to accelerate from a lying or crouching position, from landing on 1 leg and pivoting, from catching a ball, and so on. Therefore, the force capability of the muscle may be more important in improving acceleration of the athlete. This point was supported by R. Mann in his publication titled “The Elite Athletes Project: Sprints and Hurdles.” which stated that the ability to perform well in sprints over short distances is dependent on the ability to produce large amounts of force at crucial times.
A variety of methods are used to enhance force output. These methods include resistance training, plyometric training, and assisted and resisted sprinting techniques. For this article we will focus on resisted sprinting which involves athletes sprinting with added load. This load can come in different forms: weighted vests, sled-sprints, uphill sprinting and limb loading. More specifically, this article will focus on the towing of weighted devices such as sleds which is the most common method of providing towing resistance for the enhancement of sprinting.
It has been shown that the use of towing as a form of resistance may increase the load on the athlete’s torso and therefore require more stabilization. This training stimulus may increase pelvic stabilization, leading to a positive effect on sprint performance. Increased torso loads also cause an increased upper-body lean and increased thigh angle at both the beginning and the end of the stance phase. This increased thigh angle reflects the increased need for force production during the prolonged stance phase.
It is important to note that sprinting speed should not be decreased by more than 10% when adding resistance; adding too much resistance may alter running kinematics in ways that are not desirable. It is also maintained that sled-sprinting should not be employed when the desired training effect is neural (i.e. maximal velocity). Sled-sprinting is an effective method for a metabolic training effect (i.e. acceleration). Due to evidence that only the first 10 metres of a sprint have been designated as the acceleration phase, it is suggested that sled-sprints should be performed for distances no longer than 10 metres.
S.S.T. holds that a well implemented speed program should include a variety of methods to achieve desirable results (i.e. resisted sprints, assisted sprints, unassisted sprints and resistance training). Also, methods such as resisted and assisted sprints should be used sparingly, such as in the final or next-to-final block of an athlete’s periodized program.
To find out more information regarding SST’s upcoming Lightning camp please visit our website at www.sstcanada.com
Question: My 14 year old son is a good hockey player, but as he is getting older, his skating strides are becoming short. Why would this be? And how can he improve his stride?
Answer: This is a good question. I have been around the rinks for about 20 years now, and that is something I notice a lot of in young hockey players. A short skating stride can come from a number of things.
First thing, take notes: What is the position of his upper body? Which way does he shoot? What does he do for warm up?
For Example:
If his upper body is bent over = tight hip flexors
If he shoots left = Tight right Hip (must be balanced) (and vice versa for a right shooter)
Warm up is Crucial for effective stride length so make sure you are including an effective dynamic warm-up before you get on the ice.
If you are still having issues with stride length look to tackle to following through myofacial release, proper stretching, and off-ice training:
Tight Hip Flexors– Comes from too much skating, riding the bicycle (amazes me how many pros I see still riding the bike after games!), not enough stretching, computers and TV etc. Look for warm-up exercises that extends the hip and lengthens the leg.
Tight Hamstrings: same as above.
Weak Glute Muscles: Glute Med, Glute Max, Piriformis muscles which extend and abduct the hip. These muscles are neglected off the ice. If these muscles are not strong, power can not be generated to get a full stride. Weak glutes often cause the common hockey groin injury as a direct result of the groin being overworked.
Tight IT Band – Abducts the hip. Tightness in the IT band causes knee tracking problems causing Patella Femoral syndrome. Use myofacial release to help reduce tightness.
Tight/Weak Adductors: Commonly neglected. Athletes tend to stretch this muscle a lot, however neglect to strengthen them. This affects the recovery phase of the skating stride. Due to the imbalances of the Glutes the groin is an overworked muscle.
Upper Body Posture: Tight anterior muscles can affect the stride length as well. When a player strides, the opposite arm cocks back as well. Being tight can cause the leg not to extend to its full potential. Most hockey players are tight in the Anterior Upper Body (chest region).
Weak Core Muscles: Especially Back Extensors. Weak low back causes a hunched position which decreases stride length. SST has found that strengthening the Lower Back will increase stride length.
These weak areas can be improved by:
Stretching the hip flexors and hamstrings, strengthening the glute muscles, strengthening the adductor muscles.
A mixture of dynamic stretching, static stretching, foam roll self myofacial release.
A proper warm up before training, practice and games is also very important.
EXERCISES PERFORMED AT SST
Split Squats, Lunges, Walking Lunges and other forms of Lunges, Glute Ham Raise, Reverse Hyper Extension, Deadlifts and all variations, Resisted Hip Adduction, Y,T,W,L Shoulder Circuit, Back Extension and a variety of speed, agility, quickness and power exercises.
A player with a long fluent skating stride will be more effective and efficient during a game. He/she will not use as much energy, will be stronger on his/her feet, and will be less likely to become injured.
To recap: Stretch hip flexors, IT band and chest muscles. Strengthen glutes, adductors, back extensors and upper back. SST recommends doing this 3 x a week and watching the difference in your stride and your game.
For more great articles and videos please visit www.sstcanada.com
This month’s Athlete Spotlight is about Soccer player, Luke Mellon.
Luke is a forward with Fortuna Düsseldorf Football Club in Germany. Luke started training at SST as a kid and has returned to Canada in his off-season to prepare for his upcoming season .Check out the video below to see what brought him to SST and how it has made a difference in his athletic career!
