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Resistance Training & Bone Health; What You Need T Know!!

One of the lesser known benefits of resistance training is the huge benefits it has for bone health. While the best way to set yourself or your child up for success is physical activity throughout the lifespan (especially in the bone growing years), resistance training can also play a tremendous role in strengthening our bones.

Our bones, much like the rest of our body respond to the stresses we place upon it. This is why when we lift heavy loads or resistance train our neuromuscular system responds to this stressor (resistance training) by building stronger musculature and supporting structures. This is the basis of all training, the body adapts to the demands we place upon it, and if we stop progressing the training stimulus, our body does not adapt and we plateau, or don’t further increase our strength.

Bone responds very similarly to resistance training and progressive overload (while the cycle is much longer), studies have shown improvements in bone mineral density (BMD) (a key marker in bone health) in as little as 16 weeks of a resistance training program in elderly adults.

As we know osteoporosis and osteopenia are huge issues that aging individuals experience (especially in post-menopausal women), where the risk of fractures can significantly impact an individual’s activities of daily living. While the best way to combat this is to build strong bones in our youth, a recent meta-analysis has also shown that resistance training in post-menopausal women is effective in increasing BMD in the femoral neck and lumbar spine (Zhao & Xu 2015), two common areas of fracture in elderly women.

While nutrition also plays a key role in setting us up for great bone health, resistance training in youth, but also as we age is extremely important to live a long, healthy and functional life!

Email Bskinner@sstcanada.com to get more information to work with one of our coaches to help you progress your training, maximize your functional abilities, and get SST strong!

Reference:

Zhao, R., Zhao, M. & Xu, Z. Osteoporos Int (2015) 26: 1605. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-015-3034-0

Female Athletes; No you wont look “Bulky”

We seem to always talk about how women need to look instead of how well they performed; its why I think a lot of women are still scared to lift weights because they don’t want to bulk up. The ideal feminine body is thin and while ‘flab’ is not desired anywhere; toned muscles are desirable in legs as opposed to a ‘bulky’ upper body. This pressure is unfortunately put into the minds of young female athletes that are already under pressure for many reasons (such as doing well academically, peer pressure to “fit in” and many pressures they put on themselves).

This is a problem because they need to do a specific training program that is designed to train them to be effective in their sport. A lot of people walking into our doors ask for programs for training speed and explosiveness. Often we find that the athlete first needs to work on muscular strength before we can ask their bodies to perform better in those explosive movements required in their sport. The reaction most women give is the looking bulky excuse.

We want our athlete’s attention on what their bodies are capable of doing, what they can accomplish rather than what their bodies look like. Aim to improve the function of overused muscles and joints by stretching and releasing them and strengthening the underused muscles this allows us to balance the different demands placed on an athlete’s body given their particular lifestyle. Not to mention, women (without the assistance of drugs) don’t have the hormone profile to look bulky.

Resistance training is not designed to change the looks of their bodies but to alleviate pain and improve mobility in whatever activity/sport they are interested in. This does not mean that we all will look the same—that is already predetermined by our genetic make-up. A young athlete that sits at a school desk during the day, might also be a competitive soccer player and thus, the bodily requirements for balancing both school life and training need to be considered. Many athletes also need considerable muscle strength and thus, should embrace visible musculature. We all need muscles to have enough strength to support our bones, but the amount of strength in specific muscles can vary greatly depending on each individual’s needs.

Instead of worrying about ‘bulking up,’ we could celebrate the muscles that enable us to do what we want to do. Be proud of the muscles that allow us to perform well in our sports and allow you to function in everyday life without pain and to move smoothly in a variety of situations. Muscles are necessary for poised movement, not for ‘the looks of body.’ They should, thus, be appreciated as important parts of anyone’s beautifully moving body!

Email Bskinner@sstcanada.com to schedule a free demo session to find out how we make our athletes stronger!

Are You Explosive Enough In Your Sport?

One of the most important aspects of training an athlete is plyometrics. It is crucial in making an athlete more explosive. Here is the key piece with Plyo’s with young kids. They are great but an athlete needs to be assessed before to correct all of their deficiencies. If an athlete is not strong it is very hard to make them explosive. It’s a very simple equation, you must be strong before you can be explosives. Here are my three favorite plyometric exercises!

Box Jump:

Everyone does this! It’s a great way to train jumping! Here is my biggest tips with regards to box jumps. The landing is the most important part. The landing needs to be soft and you shouldn’t hear it. If you can hear the landing make the box smaller and land soft. One way to spice up box jumps is too jump out of a seated position! My personal favorite way to take this drill to the nest level is to make the athlete jump on que, that’s the way sport is played; very rarely do you get to pick and choose when you want to react!

Depth Jump:

This is an awesome one for young athletes but also older athletes. This is so important on training not only plyometric strength and isometric strength. This exercise allows you not only to learn how to land which is so important, but it teaches your body how to take a load through the ground which is important. One cool way to do a depth jump is to add a box jump too it. Have a player jump off a box take the load thru the ground, then jump up into the air!

4 Dot Drill:

My personal favorite! This drill is basically 4 dots on a mat, and the athletes will jump in different directions from dot to dot. The best way to do this drill is in short bursts, 5-10 seconds. You can make this drill harder by changing the way the athletes faces during the drill, flipping his hips during the drill. My biggest tip for this drill is to make sure the athletes keeps his or her eyes up. You can make them focus on some sort of visual cue!

Plyo’s are so important to creating an all around great athlete. But like I previously stated, young athletes need to be “strong” before we worry about Plyo’s!

Email Bskinner@sstcanada.com to schedule a free demo session or to ask about out vertical jump program or our strength and conditioning programs.

SST Q&A- Short Hockey Stride

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

Stretch for Speed???? WHAT??

The Importance of Flexibility for Speed Development

When examining the critical factors that contribute to high level athletic performance, flexibility is one of the key items. It has been hypothesized that improving an athlete’s flexibility may allow them to be more successful in their chosen athletic endeavor. More specifically, speed, may be significantly improved by incorporating some form of flexibility enhancement into an athlete’s training program.

Recently, a scientific study was conducted to examine whether or not including a specific form of flexibility training in an athlete’s daily training routine would improve sprint performance. In this study, 30 men age 20-35, who exercised an average of 7.5 hours per week during the six months prior to the study served as subjects. Their preferred modes of training were free weights and cardiovascular machines (Stairmaster, stationary bicycle etc.). Fifteen individuals included twice daily, five minute flexibility sessions into their exercise routine, thereby acting as the treatment group. The second group served as the control and did not incorporate any additional flexibility training into their pre-existing training program. Flexibility was assessed by a sit and reach test, power through a vertical jump test and speed by a 40 meter sprint. The results, expressed as percent improvement from the pre test to the post test, are as follows:

Improvement from Pre Test to Post Test

	*Flexibility*	*Power*	*Speed*
Treatment group	64%	10%	5%
Control group	9%	0%	0%

These results indicate that supplementing an athlete’s daily training routine with flexibility training is an excellent way to increase athletic performance. In essence a flood of events is set into motion. Flexibility improves, which in turn positively affects power generation, thereby augmenting speed.

On top of this, flexibility leads to decreased injury. By not having to take time off to heal an injury we are able to spend more time gaining strength which will ultimately lead to enhanced levels of speed. So what are waiting for? Why not add this extra tool into your toolbox to bring your performance to the next level?

SST has been very fortunate to have trained thousands of hockey athletes throughout their 8 locations in Canada. We, at SST, wish everyone a great summer and remind you to concentrate on your off –ice training. Please check out our website www.sst.training for more info about SST’s High Performance Summer Camp!

Learn how to become faster by dragging a sled, tire flipping, fire hose dragging, car dragging and much more!

Our locations include:

Burlington http://sst.training/burlington.php

Hamilton ; http://sst.training/hamilton.php

Laval ; http://sst.training/laval.php

Milton ; http://sst.training/milton.php

Mississauga; http://sst.training/mississauga.php

Oakville ; http://oakville.sst.training/

Richmond Hill; http://sst.training/richmondhill.php

Waterloo; http://sst.training/waterloo.php

SST Monday Athlete News Sept 7 2015

One day late due to the Labour day Holiday but some outstanding athletic performances by some of SST athletes across the board

Congrats to the Hamilton Tiger Cats and players like Mike Filer and Big Pete D for their thumping of the Toronto Argos yesterday!

4th year player and Hec Creighton favourites Will Finch and Mercer Timmis dazzled over the weekend

Mercer led his Calgary team to a victory over his former coach 49-16

Mercer carried the rock for 150 yds and punched in for 2tds!

Will Finch- had the perfect QB rating!!!- 14-15 passing – 304 yards and 3 tds….and added another thru the ground in leading Western to a victory

Next week Will will take his Mustangs into Laurier where SST Athlete’s Mike Malanda, Jamie Lalonde and Brendan Carey await

SST Oakville has some talented players who are making some noise in MLB

Miles Gordon the 4th ranked baseball player in all of Canada was selected in the 4th round by the Cincinnati Reds

Here is a great article on Miles

Lots of great performances and with NHL, High School football and NCAA all starting up the news will be flowing in the the next month!

High Performance Hockey

SST’s High Performance Hockey program is all about Results!

2019 CAMP START DATES:

SST Burlington:

8 WEEKS (3 sessions per week) – WEEK OF JULY 2nd, 2019

SST Mississauga:

8 WEEKS (3 sessions per week) – WEEK OF JULY 2nd, 2019

SST’s develops athletes with these qualities in mind:

MAXIMUM SPEED TRAINING

One skill which will get a player noticed immediately is SPEED!.
Research has shown that maximum sprinting time off-ice is highly correlated to on-ice speed. The HPH program is designed to enhance a player’s maximum speed through sprinting drills and overspeed training.

ACCELERATION TRAINING

A player’s ability to develop first stride acceleration as well as improving separation from another player are two critical factors in their success. Acceleration is improved by increasing strength in the muscles that are specific to meet those demands. The HPH program utilizes techniques such as resisted running, basic strength training, farmer’s walks and sled training to improve on-ice acceleration.

POWER DEVELOPMENT

Power = Strength x Speed. The HPH program teaches athletes to develop this power in two ways through plyometrics and strength development. SST uses plyometrics to utilize the stretch shortening cycle improving maximum speed and we show athletes strength exercises such as “the sled”, “sandbags” and “super yolks” ultimately developing a more powerful hockey player.

From 8 year olds to NHL players, the HPH program develops your speed, acceleration and power so that you can exceed the demands of your game.

Here is what a few have to say about SST and the HPH program:

“SST is a great atmosphere for athletes of any age and sport. Over the previous summer they really focused on my speed and has really improved my explosiveness. Always a great team to work with to improve your game.” – Kyle Clifford, LA Kings Left Wing #13 – TWO TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPION!

“The one thing that impresses me most about this program is the unending search for new information and knowledge that ultimately gets transferred to the student or athlete in this case. Larry is the most knowledgeable trainer I have met and worked with to date and his philosophy is one that I find consistent with the needs of my athletes and my interests as a coach and developer of talent.” – Dan Poliziani, IHT Director, Burlington Eagles Mentor Coach

“SST put 18lbs of muscle on me in one summer while dropping my bodyfat 4% to below 9%! I highly recommend SST to all hockey players who are SERIOUS in taking their game to the next level. Thanks SST” – Andrew Campbell, Arizona Coyotes, Defensemen

WHAT EACH ATHLETE RECEIVES – 8 AND 12 WEEK ACADEMY

Low coach to instructor ratio to ensure SST type Results!
A complete Fitness Assessment – $100 value
Each athlete will receive their own Biosignature Protocol for their nutritional needs – one session per month – $300 Value!
7 one hour workouts per week- 4 strength, 1 speed, 1 stretch and 1 of SST’s functional training session – Over 80 workouts in total! – $1750 value!
And, most importantly – RESULTS!!!!

REGISTER EARLY AS WE WILL ONLY BE TAKING A LIMITED NUMBER OF ATHLETES FOR THIS CAMP!

TEAM DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR 10 OR MORE PLAYERS!!!

** There are no reimbursements on camps. When signing up for a camp you are committing to the days and times that are listed.**