Sunday, January 27, 2013

Must Reads

Due to a recent change in my work environment I will have a significant decrease in my ability to post on a regular basis. I am going to be doing less blog reading and more reading from books such as Supertraining. I will continue to make an active effort to post my top three blog posts weekly, which will include a video of the week. Enjoy this weeks top posts, and go WOLVERINES!



Elbow Mechanics in Push-Ups - KStar
Olympic Lifting: 6 Clean and Jerk Technique Fixes - Eric Cressey
The Power and Capacity Continuum - Patrick Ward
Should We Train The Rectus Abdominus - Mike Robertson
Some Thoughts on The Lactate System - Patrick Ward
Why we need T-Spine Mobility!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

The Scoop on Energy Systems


                The cardiovascular system is responsible for delivering oxygen to the body’s tissues. It works in conjunction with the circulatory and respiratory systems and is comprised of three separate energy systems.  Each is designed to perform a specific task but are interwoven together to complete tasks such as sprinting, jogging and jumping.  There are two primary forms of energy, anaerobic and aerobic. These energy systems utilize a form of energy called adenosine triphosphate or ATP, which is produced by the body from food. ATP allows muscle function and in turn movement to take place.

                The anaerobic energy system can be broken into two sub categories, the creatine phosphate (CP) and anaerobic glycolysis. These energy systems function in the absence of oxygen which places the body’s tissues in an oxygen depleted state that must be repaid. These systems operate under very extreme intensities when the body is unable to keep up with its oxygen requirements placed upon it; this is called the anaerobic threshold or lactate threshold. This energy system relies primarily on glucose or glycogen as a fuel source (broken down carbohydrates) which is one of the reasons our diets must contain carbohydrates. When anaerobic metabolism takes place due to the lack of oxygen it produces several byproducts that conflict with body’s ability to function. When enough of these byproducts are produced muscle function is inhibited and eventually movement is impaired. Let’s take a closer look at the two energy sub systems that make up the anaerobic system.

                The CP system is responsible for immediate energy requirements such as short sprints and jumping. It can create ATP almost immediately but only for a limited time. It is the primary energy system during maximal effort activity for the first 10 seconds. It is extremely important for most ball sports, all types of resistance training and Olympic lifting. Unlike anaerobic glycolysis this system functions utilizing creatine phosphate. You might have heard of the supplement creatine which has been widely used as an ergogenic aid during weight lifting. The supplement creatine is a man made version of what your body uses during activation of the CP system. The basis behind creatine supplementation is increasing the creatine stores in the body which will result in the ability to utilize the CP system for maximal effort activity such as resistance training or jumping.


                Our next energy system, anaerobic glycolysis is the primary energy system during activities such as long and multiple sprints. It is much like the CP system producing energy at a very quick rate and also generating byproducts due to the absence of oxygen which eventually inhibits muscle function and movement. Anaerobic glycolysis creates ATP through the metabolism of glucose and glycogen and is the primary energy producing system between 30 seconds and three minutes of continuous maximal effort activity. It is also extremely important for most ball sports due to a number of variables (lack of rest, lack of intensity, etc.). It is also important for short to mid distance running.


                The aerobic system takes over after three minutes of continuous or non maximal activity. It is able to metabolize fats and carbohydrates for ATP creation. Unlike the prior two energy systems it utilizes oxygen to produce ATP which means it doesn’t create movement impairing byproducts. This is the energy system that is responsible for long distance runs. It is also important for most ball sports because it is responsible for breaking down the byproducts during recovery and rest. When most fitness professionals think of aerobic work they instantly confuse this with long slow distance runs that have been linked to causing decreases in power. Aerobic capacity or commonly referred to as work capacity is important for recovery both during activity and as a way to facilitate blood flow through tissues. Imagine a basketball player sprinting back and forth on a court for two and a half minutes. This athlete would be utilizing the CP system for maximal effort movements such as quick cuts and jumps and utilizing anaerobic glycolysis to get up and down the court. As discussed above this athlete’s body would be generating byproducts that are slowly decreasing his ability to produce force optimally and causing fatigue. The coach notices that the athlete has become sluggish and finally gives him some time to rest and recover, the aerobic system kicks in and begins breaking down the byproducts and returns the athlete back to an optimal performance level.  Let’s take the same athlete again, he has just completed a demanding away game against a rival opponent. Utilizing aerobic conditioning such as tempo runs can help facilitate blood flow through the muscles that were used in the event. This increased blood flow will help with the tissue rebuilding process (remember tissues must break down and rebuild to adapt to added and new stresses).

                Each and every energy system has a specific and secondary task, whether that be fueling the muscles for explosive powerful movements or helping the body recover from a task. These three energy systems are interwoven and must all be accounted for when training athletes to optimize performance. 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

What are YOU Supplementing?



Recently I was asked by a coach to look into a product called Body By Vi. I compared it to another company geared towards weight loss, Isagenix. Below are some facts that I discovered, I was quite surprised.
The WEIGHT LOSS PACKS
Visalus Total Weight loss Kit: - $249 with 60 meals (each meal is 90 cal)
-12 g Soy Protein Isolate
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Cardia Care has 75 mg of caffeine per serving
- Contains Gluten and Soy
-  Allergen warning
Isagenix 30 day Fat Burning and cleansing system: $269 with 68 meals (each meal is 240 cal)
- 24g undenatured/Low heat Whey
- No caffeine in the entire system, No Artificial Stimulants
- Contains Lactase for Lactose Intolerant individuals
- No allergen Warning
- Caseine Free
- Gluten Free
- Soy Free
- Barley Free
- Wheat Free
- No Artificial Flavors – Flavored with Stevia and Fructose, black strap mollasses on the energy drink.
Statistics can be verified at Isagenix and Visalus

Prior to my research I too was skeptical that corporations developing weight loss packs were different and considered the consumers best interest.  As you can see Isagenix is much more nutritionally sound and implementable for the average american. Isagenix is engineered organically without additives and has no allergens and has 24 g of whey protein with an additional 5 g of fat (which will increase satiety and act as an actual meal replacement). Visalus on the other hand has 12 g of soy protein and only 1 g of fat. I believe the choice is clear, Isagenix is a way better supplemental system. 

Must Reads!

It's that time of the week again. I wasn't able to get much blog reading done as I would have liked to being at the NSCA's Coaches Conference but here is my list. The feature read of this week is Patrick Ward's 4 part series on massage and acute injuries. It's a great post that ALL fitness/medical professionals should read.



5 Reasons You Have Tight Hamstrings - Cressey
Squat Stance and The Olympic Lifts - Greg Everett
The Comprehensive Guide to the Snatch - Wil Fleming
Installment 10 - Eric Cressey
Round Back Deadlifts - Mike Robertson
Crossfit Vs. MMA Conditioning - Joel Jamieson
Build a Bigger Back - Diesel Crew
Prepare to prepare - Glen Pendlay
Massage and Acute Injuries 4 Part Series - Patrick Ward

Friday, January 4, 2013

What I Learned at Vanderbilt

First and foremost I want to thank the Vanderbilt Strength and Conditioning staff for allowing the Webber International staff to visit. It's always exciting for me to go to a new facility and preview their philosophy, environment and system. It was a great experience to view what other coaches are implementing with the space and support they are given. The big take away message for me was the overall environment created through out their athletic department


The environment of a coaching staff and or athletic department is a huge dictator of repeatable success. Creating a winning culture is one of the most important tasks we as coaches must implement. This statement was posted on one of the walls inside of the weight room. It's a great depiction that shows the environment I felt while walking through Vanderbilt's athletic department. Not only do they have a great facility they really did a great job creating a culture that screamed success. 


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A Recipe for Success


I just recently read Personal Growth Plan by Jeff Higuera. You can read the article for yourself for the full benefit but I will outline it for you here briefly before I continue. Jeff discusses building a system to set yourself up for success. He includes goal setting and devoting time for spiritual and personal development. I agree with Jeff, in order to be successful you have to develop a plan. As a strength and conditioning coach I don’t just put athletes through a workout that I have developed five minutes prior – I have sat diligently planning to create the best possible program (in my opinion) to develop my athletes.  I look at development as development whether it’s self or athletically targeted. There must be a systemic approach and goal setting to truly create success. Just saying you will read tomorrow doesn't cut it, but viewing “X” books, podcasts and articles makes it concrete. Below is my plan for developing myself, my goal is currently to get into a Graduate Assistant position so all of my efforts is targeted currently at that.



Personal Development (Leadership/Teamwork/Business)
  • Read 20 minutes daily.
  • Read 1 Personal Development book every other month.
  • 1 piece of Audio content each month (a podcast, a audio book etc.).
  • Contact influential members of a Strength and Conditioning staff that I would like to do a GA at monthly. 
  • Receive feedback from multiple sources including mentors, peers and staff and implement it.
  • Journaling of thoughts and progress made during the year.

Professional Development (Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, Sports Nutrition, Etc.) 
  • Read 5 blog posts per day.
  • Read 1 Professional Development book every other month.
  • Watch/Listen to 1 type of audio or visual strength and conditioning content per week.
  • Build a relationship with a Professional Mentor to both learn from and network through every year.
  • Attend one conference per year.
  • Receive feedback from multiple sources including mentors, peers and staff and implement it.
  • Journaling of thoughts and progresses made during the year.

While I used Jeff’s skeleton to sculpt my development plan I omitted several things to cater towards what my goal is, preparing myself to apply for a Graduate Position. I hope this has been helpful in any shape way or form to help you develop your own system to success.