Category: Blog Post

Core and Instability Training – Circus Act, or Performance Fact?

It is becoming impossible to talk about strength and conditioning without someone mentioning “CORE” training. The notion that in order to have functional sports training you must train the core specifically is not only wrong, but is leading to many problems and imbalances in today’s poorly trained athletes.  Before we delve into this, let’s first examine the classical thinking behind “core” training. To many, the core consists of the muscles in the abdomen, lower back, some even include muscles of the pelvis, ribcage, and spine into the equation. You can begin to see where the problem with “core” training begins as it means many different things to different people. Some believe sit-ups and leg raises to be core training, others argue the core is trained with every movement.  So which is it? Well, although sit-ups and leg raises will isolate and train the muscles of the abdomen, they likely will not improve performance.  In fact they can lead to tight hip flexor muscles and decrease mobility; a hockey player’s worst nightmare.  In order for improved performance we must improve the body’s ability to transfer force between tissues.  In order to achieve the greatest amount of force transfer the body must develop the ability to remain stiff. This is where the core comes into play; for improved performance we must train the core’s ability to remain rigid in order to allow for force transfer between the upper and lower extremity. This is especially important in hockey during changing direction, taking a slap shot, and many other basic skills performed numerous times each game.

How do we train Stiffness?                 

To train the body to be able to stay stiff under different conditions we must put it in different situations and force it to remain stiff. Sounds simple? The devil is in the details – using single leg exercises, the body is forced to stabilize itself; also single arm weighted carries may be some of the best core exercises you can use.  In both cases, the body is given an uneven load that it is forced to balance in order to perform the exercise.  Other variations that are great for improving stability: plank variations and loaded squats; both encourage stiffness throughout the mid section in order to transfer force between the lower and upper body. Therefore, if training the body to balance is best then wouldn’t using unstable surface equipment be the most effective?

Although these types of training techniques are often utilized in an attempt to improve stability within the core during exercise, you may not be achieving these benefits from them.  Studies have shown that unstable surface training in trained athletes does not provide adequate stimulus in order to promote a training effect. As a result although it may look impressive to stand on a physio ball with a barbell over your head, or to balance a dumbbell on your head while squatting on a Bosu, in actual fact you are not receiving much more than a cool story to tell at the dinner table that night, and certainly not an increase in performance.  In reality, sports are played on stable surfaces and should be trained on stable surfaces. The inclusion of unstable surfaces during training can also potentially increase the risk of injury due to falling, rolled ankles etc. If the goal of training is to reduce injury and increase performance, then training in a fashion that best mimics the demands of the sport is your best option.

For more info regarding our summer camps please click here

In order for fat loss to occur, the body has to be in an energy deficit. This means that we must consume less energy everyday then we burn. It’s pretty straight forward, if we burn 2500cals/day and only consume 2000, there are 500 that we burned from a source other than food. In an attempt to preserve muscle, our body turns to fat metabolism to supply energy once blood sugar and glycogen stores have been used up.

However, there is one major problem in this equation. Our Western diet revolves around multiple energy dense meals per day, meaning we are almost always burning glucose from the previous meal by the time we eat again and therefore storing excess as fat.

This is where intermittent fasting comes into play. Intermittent fasting provides a window of time designated for feeding (4-12h), and another window designated for fasting (12-24h+). The most common types used and therefore studied are 16 hour fasts with 8 hours feeding, and alternate day fast/feed.

Prolonged periods without food almost certainly guarantee that our body switches to fat metabolism, since it takes several hours after a meal for the food to be digested and absorbed and insulin levels to return to baseline. Critics of IF will argue that it is too extreme and depriving yourself of nutrients will be harmful to the body, which couldn’t be further from the truth!

Major Benefits of IF

1. Improves insulin sensitivity. The body becomes more sensitive to the effects of insulin… less insulin secretion per meal… lower blood glucose and insulin levels!
2. Promotes autophagy. Regular bodily process where damaged, old, and dysfunctional proteins are consumed by the body. Think of renovating your kitchen, you need to tear away all the old culverts before installing new ones!
3. Elevates Growth Hormone production. GH is very important hormone for body composition, because it releases stored fat and preserves muscle during fasting.
4. Reduced systemic inflammation. Inflammation occurs in the body after exposure to a variety of stimuli, including viruses, injury, certain foods, and even exercise. Chronic inflammation is a precursor to atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and other harmful diseases.

Not sold on IF yet?

Stay tuned because in my next blog I will be discussing how and why training while IF can be especially effective. In the meantime, come check out our Butts & Guts bootcamp just in time for a special June promotion… free body composition assessment! (limited number of spots)
Please contact us at sst@sstcanada.com to set up your appointment at a convenient location to you!

A quick Google search will uncover a seemingly infinite number of articles that promise to increase your vertical jump. They advise everything from jumping in sand or water to using a shoe that has a platform at the ball of the foot and no heel (that may look fantastic on Victoria Beckham but we wouldn’t suggest it as a great way to train vertical jump if you value your ankle health). They will tell you to train all the smaller muscles that contribute in relatively minor ways to the vertical jump, and even some that don’t, while virtually ignoring the major contributors. The long and the short of it all is – who can you trust?

We will discuss the vertical jump and offer some training advice as to how to increase your vertical jump. This series may be of interest to volleyball and basketball players who jump as part of their sport performance as well as football and hockey players who will be asked to perform vertical jump testing at combines and training camps. Testing the vertical jump and maximizing your opportunities for performance in that test are a whole different subject. This article will examine how to train to jump as high as you possibly can.

The first thing we should do is decide what muscles are contributing to our ability to vertical jump. The posterior chain is to the vertical jump as location is to real estate. That is to say the major contributors to an athlete’s ability to get into the air are behind them. The glutes contribute 40% of the force output in a vertical jump and the hamstrings produce another 25%. (Poliquin, 2006) If this is surprising to you, what comes next will completely shock you – the quadriceps contribute a mere 5% of the force output and the calves another measly 5% (those numbers are rounded up!). The shoulder flexors, on the other hand, contribute 15% of the vertical jump force. (Poliquin, 2008) A study by Fukashiro and Komi in 2005 suggests that the rank order of the muscles firing in a vertical jump is “hip greater than knee greater than ankle”. We can hear a collective “Huh?” What this means is that the greatest contribution to the vertical jump is made by the hip extensors, followed by the knee extensors, and then the ankle extensors. Still not very clear? Let’s relate these to muscle groups. Extensors of the hip … glutes, hamstrings and spinal erectors; of the knee … quadriceps; and of the ankle … calves. So, we’ve discovered that the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors) is the “prime mover” when it comes to the vertical jump. This knowledge will help us focus our training on the muscles that matter when it comes to increasing our vertical jump and enable us to train with a “most bang for the buck” approach.

Before we hit the gym to start our vertical jump strength training, we have to know a little bit about ourselves. I had a football coach many years ago whose favorite saying was “Athlete, know thyself!” He was a pretty smart guy and I think that saying applies just as well here. In order to put all of our power into the ground and jump as high as possible, we must start from a stable platform. You wouldn’t jump off a wobbleboard and expect to get a great result so why would you expect a great result if you have muscle or structural imbalances? The human body does a very impressive job of adapting to its environment. If we have a muscle that is weak, our bodies adapt to that weakness and work around it – our bodies will find a way to get the job done! The secret is to identify those weaknesses and correct them in order that we begin from a base of structural balance. SST’s assessment protocols are designed to identify those imbalances and help us to design a program to correct them. Book your assessment at any of SST’s locations today. There is strength in balance.

We intend to discuss more about achieving structural balance with reference to some common trends we see in testing at SST, some fantastic exercises for gaining strength in the posterior chain, as well as some excellent “bang for the buck” Olympic lifting exercises. We will delve into plyometrics and their application to the vertical jump in sport performance for volleyball and basketball players, reiterate some stretching tips for the hip flexors (and maybe even throw in some stuff that might be new to you!), and give away a few tips to increase performance in the vertical jump test on combine day!

BTW…. with this vertical jump training in mind – check out our Volleyball Camp starting shortly HERE

In part 1 CLICK HERE I discussed the top 3 ways to lower body fat in your belly and thighs.

I have implemented a new type of weight loss program with clients and the results have been outstanding.  A mother and daughter team tried it for two weeks…results- both lost 5lbs  – 2.1% and 1.5% in body fat…what you need to know about these two is that their body fats were below 15% already!

How did they do this- yes they followed my new regimen but they took a few key supplements.  My favorite one: FENUGREEK SEED…what does it do?

1. Attacks love handle fat
2. increase testosterone
3. improves digestion
4. Reduces inflammation!

If you like to come in for your complimentary NUTRITION consultation during the month of June please email me back “I want in Dawg!”

SST’s 8 Methods to Getting Bigger!

SST has worked with thousands of athletes; some needed to drop a few pounds while others would be considered “hardgainers”; those guys that say “no matter what I do I can’t gain weight.”  Here are the 8 methods we here at SST use:

1. Sleep – If you want to pack on muscle, your hormones need to be optimal. When you sleep, your body releases growth hormone.  If you are only getting 4-5 hours a night, or waking up every hour, that needs to change.  You will need to block at least 8 hours per night!  Plus take a nap every day!

 

2. Eat 6-8 times per day – If you want to get big you cannot skip meals. If you skip a meal you’ll never get it back!  Hardgainers generally have higher metabolisms and need to eat more calories.

 

3. Get enough protein – You will need to get 1.5 – 2 times your bodyweight in grams of protein daily. If you weigh 160lbs that would be 240g-320g daily.  Break that up into 6-8 meals and you should be in the range of 30-40g per meal.

 

4. Train at the same time – Studies show that if you are on a routine of getting to sleep, waking up, and training at the same time every day, then your results will be improved. Schedule your workouts like appointments!

 

5. Post workout shakes – We like to use a combination of Carbohydrates and Protein.  Timing is important, so try to have it as soon as you finish your last set.

 

6. Choose Compound movements as your base – Squats, Deadlifts, Dips, Military Press, Chin Ups and Bench Press. Do not be afraid to lift heavy weights, either.  When you are done your workout, go REST!

 

7. Working out is not a social event – When you are done a set, start your stopwatch. When it your specific rest period is over you’d better be lifting!  Do not be hanging around…..maintain your focus!

 

8. Train Hard …Then go Home – After your general warm up (approximately 10 min) your workout should be 45 minutes to 1 hour.   We like to use antagonist muscle pairings to get more work done in less time

Here is a sample program: Extended Giant Sets.

Day 1 – Upper

Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest
A1	Supinated Chin Ups	4	4-6	4010	15s
A2	Pronated Chin Ups	4	3-5	3010	15s
A3	Horizontal Rows – feet elevated	4	8-10	2012	3m
A4	45 Incline DB Bench Press – N to P	4	4-6	4010	15s
A5	DB Bench Press – Neutral Grip	4	6-8	3010	15s
A6	Decline DB Bench Press	4	8-10	3010	3m

 

Day 2 – Legs

Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest
A1	Back Squats	4	4-6	4010	15s
A2	Low Pulley Split Squats	4	8-10	3110	15s
A3	Backwards Sled Drag	4	40 yds	XXX	3m
A4	Lying Hamstring Curls	4	4-6	4010	15s
A5	Romanian Deadlifts	4	6-8	3010	15s
A6	Back Extensions	4	8-10	2011	3m

BTW…. Make sure to check out our Summer Football Camps HERE