Creatine Needs HELP!

Everybody knows that creatine improves resistance training benefits or does it?
From recent and passed research it definite that you do get improved training results from using creatine as a supplement. But creatine can’t fight the good fight of trying to build muscle without some insiders help.

Here is a list of tips:
Adding creatine to a good 100g carbohydrate drink can increase absorption drastically. Dextrose increases insulin levels which increases carbohydrate absorption. Maltodextrin improves energy levels. Fructose improves liver glycogen.
Taurine improves cell and muscle volume. Improves drawing fluid into the muscle which can increase the muscle size.
Phosphate increases lactate buffering. Also increases ph stability within the stomach to increase absorption.
Vitamins’ C and E increase removal of waste products

The usage of the following can also aid in the absorption of creatine in the system:
1. Chromiam Picolinate
2. Vanadyl Sulphate
3. Alpha Lipoic Acid
4. D-Pinnitol

Also taking the creatine in a warmer form may also increase the absorption.

Regards
Chrysilla Stander

Whole Body Training Program for an Active Female:
Day 1:Exercise,Intensity,Sets of exercises)

1. Ball wall Squat Body Weight (BW)
12
60-75%
3

2. Dumbbell bench press
10
75%
3
3. Leg Press
12
60-75%
3
4. Bicep Curl Dumbbell
10
75%
3

5. Sumo Squat with the feet everted
(Superset 2)
12
60-75%
3
6. Front and lateral raises
10
75%
3
7. Sumo Squat with feet in the neutral position
12
60-75%
3




8. Modified Pull Ups (BW)
10
60-75%
3
9. Modified Push Ups(BW)
10
60-75%
3


Day 2:

1. ¼ Dead lift

12
60-75%
3

2. Shoulder press
10
75%
3
3. Bent Over row
10
75%
3
4. 1min cycle
1
75%
3




5. ¼ Squat
10
60%
3
6. Lateral Pull downs
10
60-75%
3
7. Bent over triceps kickback
10
60-75%
3




8. Hamstring Curl
12
60-75%
3
9. Hammer Curls
10
75%
3


Day 3:

1. Swinging leg raises
10-12 for all
All intensities should be set at 60-75%
3 Sets of all exercises
2. Bridge and curl on ball

3. Push up and curl on ball

4. Side and front crunches on Physio-ball

5. Ball wall Squat Body Weight (BW)

6. Dumbbell bench pre

7. Leg Press

8. Bicep Curl Dumbbell


Besides the training program a warm up should be done prior to training as well as an abdominal workout if desired. Don’t forget the cool down and always stretch before and after your training.

Regards
Chrysilla Stander

Off Season Vs In Season
The difference is drastic people but is there a difference. A senior student provided me with a very controversial statement recently “There is no such thing as sports specific training”.
The theory is that no exercise done during resistance training can mimic a dynamic movement as a movement done on the field or court. So the only way to improve your sport is by actually playing the sport.

So WHY have the proverbial Off-season?
Should Teko Modise, Pierre Spies, AB De Villiers not get a rest from crazy schedules? Because honestly neither of these 3 get a quality 4 to 5 month Off-season?
But what’s the definitive functional meaning of Off season and In-season. Off season is time spent away from your professional sport, correcting muscle imbalances, increasing strength and fitness for the future season ahead. In-season being the time where the professional season takes place, where all energy is spent on game strategy and improving game related skills i.e. set piece moves and rectifying mistakes from game situation.

During In-season, shouldn’t time be spent on maintaining fitness and brushing up skills not learning new skills and new strategies? Due to insufficient pre-season training structure new skill development is substituted rather than game specific training. This is where playing your professional sport in the off season on weekly or monthly basis can in long-term improve your ability to adapt and perfect in season performance.

Resistance training can only strengthen 1 or 2 planes of movement that will improve performance. Don’t get me wrong that resistance training does not improve sports specific performance; it does but only to a certain degree. Depending on what type of athlete (professional or social) you are, not what sport you play is the crucial decider how much resistance training will improve your skill levels for In-season performance.

There are many dynamic exercises specific to sport out there that have not been explored and the public has never seen before.

Relation to Training:

Seasonal training should be planned
Each aspect of the training and sport should be covered in the training
Each individual should adjust their training to their personal needs
Season Specific training and adjustments need to be accurate, this should be decided by the athlete and the coaching staff
All the training combined aids to the end product not just the training in one season. If the training was not properly executed then the athlete might lack in one department of fitness

Regards
Chrysilla Stander

Thank you to Tyrone Henry

Netball Agility Drills for An In-Season Training program.

Ladder Drills: (Quick feet for all)

1. 2 in 1 in
2. 2 out 2 in
3. 2 out 1 in
4. 1 out 2 in
5. Double step in 1 step off out

More ladder drills:

1. Single leg vertical bound
2. Single leg horizontal game
3. Single leg lateral bound

Agility Drills that you can set up:

1. T-Drill
2. Illinois Drills

Zig- Zag Drills:

1. Sprint –Sprint
2. Sprint-Backtrack
3. Sprint-Side Step
4. Side Step-Side Step
Cross Drill:

1. Sprint- Backtrack-Side Step- Side Step- Backtrack

Other Agility Exercises:

1. Skiers
2. Froggies
3. Skiers and External Rotation
4. Depth Jumps
5. Box Jumps

Bosu Ball Stability Drills Balancing on one leg and on both legs then close your eyes and repeat the same drills.

Regards
Chrysilla Stander

Is your diet your Friend or Foe?

Many people do not follow the right diet. They may believe that they are following the right eating plan but it MIGHT not be right.

Some combinations of food groups can aid in performance and others can make it more difficult for you to sustain energy.
For any athlete to be successful the diet needs to be as structured as your training program. Many athletes consult a dietician for this reason and rightfully so. They provide athletes with the knowledge to make the right choices when it comes to food and food selection.
Does every athlete always follow these programs? No unfortunately not.

So what can you do to make your diet structured and efficient for YOU?
1. Firstly you need to make the decision to be open to suggestions
2. Secondly you must be willing to experiment with the changes
3.And thirdly you must try and stick to your eating program once you have received it

Remember diets are often guidelines for you to follow. You can make changes as long as they are justified and appropriate for your lifestyle.

A book I read called the Plus Minus Eat plan by Mari Hudson (Health 24) indicates some food sources and dietary behavioral changes that can be made to make your diet your friend and not your foe.

Here are some guidelines to follow when constructing you eating plan:
1.Carbohydrates should form the basis for your eating plan and should constitute 55-60% of your food intake
2.Protein intake varies from person to person but a moderately active individual should consume about ±1- 1-2g of protein for every kilogram of BW this can increase up to 1.8g/kg if you do strength training extensively
3.Fat intake should be limited to 20-30% of your daily food intake

These are just basic guidelines, but if they are followed it can make planning your meal a simpler task.

If you become more active you should attempt to eat a bit more than you would normally eat in a day just to maintain energy levels and not to prolong your recovery time between training sessions.

Food adsorption also plays a role in the energy supply of the body. What you eat might be equally important when you eat it. Before, after and during your workout you should be consuming energy containing foods or drinks. Going without water or a sport drink during your training session can have more negative effects than not training at all. If you do not drink enough water during your training you might dehydrate or pass out. If this does happen you r body will need time to recover and your next session will be delayed and so will the next.
During your session you should drink 250-300ml of water for every 30min that your train. This is a lot to some individuals but consider your perspiration rate and than reconsider the previous statement. After an extensive training program you can lose up to 2kg in weight. For those who are getting excited about that please don’t, it can be dangerous and in the heat potentially life threatening.

If you want to maintain energy levels and delay fatigue you should take in a sports drink that has HIGH carbohydrate content as well as sugar content.

After training this should be repeated to increase the recovery time. Something as simple as fruit juice can aid in recovery.

As far as eating goes this is a bit more complex but nothing to difficult to prepare:
1. Have balanced meals with a high carbohydrate content an intermediate protein content and a low fat content
2. Eat before an event but eat selectively, chose foods that digests slowly but does not make you bloated such as a slice of toast with peanut butter
3. During your event eat a fruit that has a low acidic quality and high sugar content (Fructose) maybe an apple or banana
4. After you event have another balanced meal containing carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
5. Maintain hydration

Foods with a High GI index can be eaten after the game but avoid these types of foods in endurance events. Events that require quick energy release high GI foods can be taken. For endurance events eat Low GI foods to sustain energy levels.

Simple steps to make competition and training simpler!

Regards
Chrysilla Stander

References:

1.http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/food-pyramid.asp

2.Plus Minus Eat Plan ( Mari Hudson-Health24)

Sets, Reps and other Useful Knowledge

How many of us have asked the basic question of how many sets or reps should I be doing for the type of training we are doing. Baechle and Earle 2008 assign the following reps and training load to the mentioned types of training:

Training goal Load (% 1RM) Goal repetitions
Strength >85 < 6
Power 75-90 1-5
Hypertrophy 67-85 6-12
Muscular endurance <>12

According to Schuler and Mejia from The Men’s Health Home Workout Bible 2002, each muscle group should only be trained once per week to allow sufficient recovery time. They also suggest you always do weight training prior to cardio training as after depleting your carb reserves by lifting weights, you can still use fats for fuel during your cardio exercises.

These were just a few quick tips to help improve your training

Best regards
Shane Scott

References:
Baechle T.R. and Earle R.W. (2008). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 3rd Edition. Human Kinetics. USA, 400.
Schuler L. and Mejia M. (2002). The Men’s Health Home Workout Bible. Rodale Inc. USA, 338-346.

Barry Lewin

I managed to steal some time with Barry Lewin, semi-pro surf-ski racer, while he is in the middle of Coast to Coast for Cancer (C2C4C), to do an interview with him.

Barry was born 19-04-83, in Empangeni, but has grown up and currently still living in Durban. Barry participated in many different sports while at school but started to favour K1 paddling, after he had finished school he went on to take up Surf Ski racing. He then later became a semi-professional surf ski racer. Barry weighs 90 kg and is 6ft2. Mr Lewin has achieved so much in his personal and professional career. to read up about his life achievements and to follow his blog, go to http://www.barrylewin.co.za/ .

Health and Performance Unlimited: Hi Barry, thanks for using one of your rest days to spend some time with me. Your currently doing the C2C4C, tell us about that?

Barry: C2C4C is a expedition where five intrepid adventurers on jet ski’s will travel over 2800km’s of coastline in 3 Southern African countries in order to increase awareness and raise funds for the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) as part of the Coast 2 Coast 4 CANSA (C2C4C) campaign supported by SPAR and Acer.
The pilots, SA surfer Jason Ribbink (Durban North), ex-Protea cricketer Lance Klusener (Mount Edgecombe), marine conservationist Mark Addison (Widenham) and former Dolphins cricketer Russel Symcox (Scottburgh) and myself, will journey on our Yamaha WaveRunners from the Mozambique border to the Namibian border with the aim of creating awareness, educating and raising funds for CANSA.

Health and Performance Unlimited: I’m sure you have had to make many sacrifices to achieve what you have, tell us about that? What are your day to day challenges?

Barry: The biggest challenge is time management. In marginalized sport there is not much cash. We do it for the love and often the best pro athletes will have to work on the side to supplement their income to survive. It’s this balance between training, work, family and sleep (when you can get it) that makes or breaks you. The people who juggle these elements the best will succeed. In tough times the passion for what you show’s through. If you love what you do sacrifices easy!

Health and Performance Unlimited: What is a typical training day for you?

Barry: Morning Paddle of around an hour followed but gym, pilates or core
Afternoon Paddle including interval training
I do one run and a one swim a week.

Health and Performance Unlimited: Have you ever suffered injuries that took you out of your sport for a while? If so what did that do to you mentally and physically?

Barry: I had some shoulder problems last year. I never paddled for 2 months. It is very difficult mentally. We race so much that it was probably good physically for the body to give it some rest but when you are used to racing it kills you sitting on the bank watching. I love the racing and really miss it. I know I really doubted why I was trying to be an athlete last year when I got injured. I was really down with withdrawal from not paddling and dealing with pressures from sponsors to get training. The second I climbed back in the boat the love for the sport answered all those question.

Health and Performance Unlimited: If you weren’t a semi-professional athlete, what would you be doing?

Barry: I did a marketing degree at Varsity College so probably working in that field. Promoting sporting events or even athletes for a business angle. I have already started with some events and would love to get more into this industry in the future.

Health and Performance Unlimited: You have opened Varsity College Surfskischool, was that always a dream? How did you go about opening it? Was being a semi-professional surf ski racer a big help?

Barry: The school was actually opened by Dawid Mocke in Cape Town and he hired me to run the Durban Branch. I got involved to try give back to the sport that has given me so much joy and spread the stoke I feel when I paddle. Joy is so much sweeter when shared. I started slowly with a couple ski and have built it up to 4 level groups. Being a surfski pro was definitely a help. A perfect opportunity for me to share my knowledge and racing experience with new people and ultimately build the sport.

Health and Performance Unlimited: Thank you so much for your time, good luck with the rest of the C2C4C.

- Caron-lee

Don't be Resistant to Resistance

I recently ran a poll on the blog to find out whether people think woman should do resistance training or not, 87% of you thought they should. This would make one think that it is the case, however it’s not.

For years woman have been told to do a combination of cardio and low weight/ high rep gym program’s, but many recent journal articles and research articles suggest otherwise. Woman should be doing resistance training and yes that does suggest higher weights and lower reps, your training program should be more similar to a males training program than it should be different. It is common for woman to argue that, “I don’t want to get big and bulky”, this won’t however be the case. Woman are built differently to men, therefore when your muscles get stronger through strength training you wont end up looking like a man. Woman do not have high testosterone levels, so unless you are genetically special or taking a supplement or aid you are not going to get “big”, your body just wont allow you to. You will notice that men generally have poor form in a gym so that they can lift heavier weights, where as woman will lift light weights and have close to perfect form, so keep the form and increase your weights, you will see many positive results. Increased strength will improve your life in the long term; you will benefit dramatically when you are older from strength training now.

One thing women need to get out of their heads and a habit they need to break is that dreaded scale. Strength training might make you heavier on the scale, but if you look in the mirror you will see a different person, measure your circumferences rather that weigh yourself as this will show honest results. You might be heavier but you’ll be smaller, which is what you want. Strength training will increase muscle mass while decreasing adipose tissue (fat); because the more muscle you have the more fat you will burn. Strength training builds muscle so you will lose fat.

Don’t resist resistance, strength training is the way forward for woman who want to lose weight and have the body of their dreams. I recommend reading “The New Rules of Lifting for Woman” by Lou Schuler. If I haven’t been able to convince you, he will.

- Caron-lee

Interview with Waylon Murray

Full name: Waylon Michael Murray
Date of birth: April 27, 1986 (1986-04-27)
Place of birth: Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Height: 1.9 m

Weight: 105 kg
School: Westville Boys High School
University: University of Natal, B.Comm Marketing
Occupation(s): Professional rugby union footballer

Health and Performance Unlimited: Hi Waylon, thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to do an interview with us. You spent your high school career at Westville Boys High School, where you were head of the school and played first team rugby. Was it at Westville that your passion for rugby started or was rugby already a big part of your life beforehand?

Waylon: going into high school I had a passion for a number of sports but while I was Westville I got a chance to mature and grow my love for rugby, by the time I neared the end of my schooling I was still undecided whether cricket was going to be my career or rugby, fortunately enough I was mentored and given a lot of solid advice and ultimately I chose rugby, my passion has since grown daily as I’m always learning more about the sport that has contributed so much positive in my life.

Health and Performance Unlimited: You made your debut for the Natal Sharks in 2006 and have continued playing with them in both Currie Cup and Super 14 competitions. It was while playing for the Sharks that you got your shot at Springbok level, which is a huge achievement. Did you ever think you would achieve the things you have at such a young age?

Waylon: not in a million years did I ever think I would be playing for the sharks straight out of high school; much of my first year of professional rugby was spent in awe and wonder because the guys I was now playing with were my heroes through high school. I had always planned my future with these many goals with the hope that I would achieve them through a process of years working my way to the top, but I never realized it would happen so spontaneously.

Health and Performance Unlimited: I’m sure hard work and sacrifices came into play to achieve what you have. Your schedule is very busy, what is a typical day for you?

Waylon: a typical day varies from what part of the season you are in, but usually we have a gym session in the morning around 7,followed by a pilots or core strengthening session after followed by a strategy meeting, we have breakfast then we back in the afternoon for team meeting then field session then individual extras.

Health and Performance Unlimited: Having played both inside and outside centre, what are the key elements and training tips you can give to others in your position and other aspiring rugby players in general?

Waylon: I think the most important advice I can give to any rugby players is make sure to work hard every opportunity you get, whether it be practice or game time. Give yourself every opportunity to succeed by always believing and continuously making sure to keep learning and pushing limits that you didn't even realise were there.

Health and Performance Unlimited: You suffered a 7 month absence from rugby due to injury in 2009 but have since recovered and have had game time again. What was it like both physically and mentally trying to get back into the game? What was your rehab and training schedule like?

Waylon: that was the toughest period of my life, emotionally taxing and mentally draining. I was blessed to be around such incredible people that made sure my state of mind was always positive. I learnt a lot about my character and it was a tough road to health but I made it. Rehab was an integral part of my healing and it was full day commitment that helped me grow as a person, I would spend 2 hours in the gym every morning and another 2 hours in the afternoon making sure my conditioning would not be compromised while I was on the side line, very grateful to have many amazing people around me through that difficult time in my life

Health and Performance Unlimited: Thank you so much for you time Waylon, it is much appreciated.

- Caron-Lee

Netball training program for males and females.

Netball is an explosive sport involving horizontal as well as vertical movements to progress an athlete forward to receive a pass, make a pass and score a goal. This game also allows the player to jump up to receive a ball as well as dodge another player to be available for a pass. The game is centered on the fact that players can outrun and out smart one another to score goals.

It is for this reason that I am going to draw up a training program with exercises and movements that can help the athlete to achieve all his or her goals.

As with many sports now both sexes are involved in previously male dominated sports, with netball it is males that for the last few years have evolved and expanded the game. To see males and females play the game is amazing!

However males and females have different needs when it comes to training. Females build lower body muscle mass more than they build upper body muscle mass partly due to the structure of the female body and the hormones that are in abundance in the female body. For this reason females should focus on upper body exercises to make the strength gains in the lower body equal to the strength gains in the lower body (Essentials of Strength and Conditioning)

Upper body exercises for females:
1. Shoulder press with dumbbells
2. One arm dumbbell bicep curl
3. One arm bent over triceps kick back
4. One arm bent over row
5. One arm front and lateral raises with dumbbell or medicine ball
6. Rotator cuff exercises

Lower body exercises for females:
1. Adduction on machine
2. Abduction on machine
3. Body weight wall squat on Physio- ball
4. Front and back lunges either body weight or with dumbbells at your side
5. Hamstring curls on Physio -ball
6. Sumo Dead lift or squat either body weight or with a dumbbell

Males would add more resistance to their upper body exercises and depending on the nature of their training perform the exercises more frequently, females would control the repetitions and perform the exercises with light weight until the body adapts then increase the weight at a steady pace.

Upper body exercise for males:
1. Rotator cuff exercises
2. Lateral pull downs
3. Bent over row
4. Shoulder press
5. Incline press
6. Forearm flexion and extension
7. Bicep curl ( eccentrically loading the muscle)
8. Triceps push down

These exercises can be performed on the Physic- ball.

Lower body exercises for males:
1. Squats
2. Lunges
3. Hamstring curls
4. One leg raises

For both males and females plyometrics can be done just make sure that you have adequate rest in between each plyometrics session.

Core and abdominal exercise should also be an important part of the training program here are a few exercise that you can do:

1. Russian rotation
2. Side crunches on a Physio-ball
3. Crunches on the Physio-ball
4. Sit-ups with a weight across your chest
5. Medicine ball toss to your chest

These exercises can help females and males reach their ultimate goal and succeed in their sport!

Regards
Chrysilla Stander

How to break a tackle without it breaking you!

Rugby injuries can be serious when players make movements without being conscious about their body and especially their neck and back. There are ways to prevent injuries from occurring, however movements happen spontaneously and unforeseen circumstances can cause an injury.

Strengthening your neck and back can aid in decreasing the effects of injury, as well as decrease the time players need to rehabilitate.

Here are tips to prevent injury during a tackle situation:

1. Aim for the opponents middle, above the hips but below the rib cage
2. Go in with your shoulder towards the opponents middle and put your arms around his/her waist and drive the individual backward
3. During this stage your are moving forward trying to make your opponent lose his/her balance
4. When you are doing these movements remember to keep your back straight
5. Your fall should be cushioned by your opponents body
6. Your neck should be placed on the opponents body for safe keeping

Neck and back strengthening exercises:

Neck:
1. Theraband :

v Lateral flexion
v Anterior flexion
v Posterior flexion

2. Fury :
v Lateral flexion
v Anterior flexion
v Posterior flexion

Modified bridge extension and barbell plates can be added on to the Theraband for extra weight if the exercises progress.

Back:
v Seated rows
v Reverse flies
v Sumo dead lift
v Straight leg dead lift
v Good mornings
v Bent over rows
v Upright row
v Lateral pull downs
v Snatch
v Fury Row and Raise

These exercises will make your neck and back strong enough to break any tackle but not break YOU!

Regards

Chrysilla Stander

Reek of Alcohol? Your Performance will stink too!

Binge drinking as well as long term drinking has negative, detrimental effects on one’s athletic performance. You’ve always been told don’t drink before a game/event and always watched as many professional athletes chose water over alcohol, well here’s why.

Binge drinking has many physical and physiological effects on a person’s body. It had a massive impact on reaction time; one’s reaction time is slowed and can remain like this for up to several days. It also decreases one’s hand-eye co-ordination. The deterioration of these crucial skills will impact one’s performance massively in sports such as rugby and cricket and netball. Accuracy and balance are also negatively impacted by alcohol consumption, which will affect performance in sports such as gymnastics and baseball. These motor skills are vital in most sports and they are acutely affected by the utilization of alcohol.

It is indicated in various studies that alcohol also has a harmful effect on speed, strength and power. Alcohol often leads to dehydration and this leads to electrolyte imbalances. Dehydration affects one’s muscles in various ways, causing cramps, strains and tears. It can also lead to a decrease in muscle mass which ultimately leads to worsened performance. Alcohol has 7calories per gram and is stored similarly to fat, it can also destroy amino acids and store them as fat, therefore alcohol causes an increase in body fat percentage, which will not only impair certain energy systems which will decrease energy levels, but will also decrease recovery and increase muscle soreness.

Drinking alcohol continuously over longer periods as opposed to binge drinking can have permanent negative effects on athletic and everyday performance. It affects brain and nervous function, can cause blood clotting and liver failure and can cause fatty deposits. Long-term alcohol usage also leads to weakened heart muscles.

I have given many reasons to avoid alcohol as an athlete as your performance will undoubtedly be affected in a bad way, they say “don’t drink and drive”, I say “don’t drink and do exercise.”

- Caron-lee

How do I become game fit and still have fun?
For most people becoming game fit is problematic. I also have a problem staying on one training program long enough for it to work. I have now come up with an idea that in the last few weeks has changed the way I feel and train. For a training program to be effective it needs to be specific to the sport that you are playing. The principle of specificity comes into play when writing up your training program. What do I want to achieve, in how long do I want to achieve it and am I going to follow through my plans one I have started? All these questions should be running through your mind when you are thinking of starting your sport specific program.

So let us discuss the first point: What do I want to achieve?
Today I am going to discuss how you can become fit for court sports; such as tennis, basketball, netball, badminton and squash. All these above mentioned sports have one common aspect and that is the fact that you are constantly in motion, this might not always be in a physical context but it can be in a mental context as well. All these sports require the individual to think of the next move or plan. With this thought in mind the athlete needs to be very cautious about everything that they do. So how do I become mentally and physically fit? For these sports to be carried out successfully the individual needs to do the following:

1.Agility
2.Balance
3.Anaerobic endurance
4.Proprioception

I will now explain all these above mentioned and possible exercises:

1.Agility
2.Balance
3.Anaerobic endurance
4.Proprioception

Agility:
Can be defined as a person’s ability to change his/her body position, it requires a combination of balance, coordination, speed, endurance and muscular endurance.

Balance:
An awareness of where your body parts are with regards to your surroundings

Anaerobic endurance:
Is your body’s ability to function without “air”. What this means is that your are not dependant on the aerobic system solely but that your body uses other by products to produce energy or ATP

Proprioception:
Is your awareness of all your senses in relation to your surroundings and your body parts in that specific surrounding.

Exercises you can do to improve these abilities:
T-Drill (agility)
Stand on one leg (balance)
20 m sprints (Anaerobic endurance)

Illinois agility test Stand on one leg but bend the leg as if in a half squat (balance)
10m shuttle runs over 100m (Anaerobic endurance)

Hexagon agility test (agility)
Close your eyes and stand (balance)
20m shuffle then 10m sprint (Anaerobic endurance)

Side to side agility test (agility)
5m sprint, walk 5m then sprint 5m and walk the next 5m over 20 m (Anaerobic endurance)

5 Dot drill (agility)
Across court running, game specific activities (Anaerobic endurance)

The next question that should be asked is in how long do I want to achieve my goal?
You as the individual know how long you have before your competition starts. You must plan ahead to make sure that you have adequate time to get game ready. Therefore it is important to structure your training in such a manner that you can prepare for all facets of your game which can be the following;
Ø Aerobic fitness
Ø Anaerobic fitness
Ø Sport specific fitness
Ø Sport specific skill training
Ø Game preparation
In how long do I want to achieve my goals?
· When is your sporting event
· What is the sporting event
· What stage of your training program are you currently in
· Do you have any injury

You should start at the top and work your way down to the bottom to achieve optimal performance. Make use of timing and fit all of the above into your program.

The last question is how am I going to follow through with my plans and training once I have started?
Here are a few ideas on how to stick to your program and make it work;
1.Find yourself a motivational training partner
2.Train only if you are happy and feeling well, do not try and train if you are unwell
3.Make a play list that you can train to and that will motivate you
4.Diarize your training schedule so that you can have enough time to train and not rush your session because you have no other obligations, if something is hindering you, you might not train optimally
5.Record what you have done

For any athlete to train it is difficult, but with hard work and perseverance it can work, you can succeed.

Regards
Chrysilla Stander

ADVANCED TRAINING PRINCIPLES: Part 2

Pre-Exhaust training: Due to the fact that the triceps and the anterior deltoids are smaller than the pectoral (chest) muscles, they will fatigue first during a movement such as bench press. The pre-exhaust principle makes up for this, here you pre fatique a bigger muscle before beginning a movement such as bench press. So for the chest you would do a set of dumbbell fly’s to try and isolate and pre fatigue the pectoral muscles and then immediately go and do a set of bench press so that the larger pectoral muscles can fatigue at the same time as the smaller muscles thus working the pectorals harder.

Running the rack: This involves doing an exercise with a set of dumbbells, putting them down, picking up the next lighter weight, and doing another set without stopping and this carries on until exhaustion. This is a dumbbell variation of the stripping method.

I go/You go: You need a training partner for this or simply some one in the gym training the same muscle group as you. For example, you do a set of barbell bicep curls then hand the weight over to your partner who does a set immediately, he then hands it straight back to you and you do another set. This carries on until exhaustion. This increases intensity due to the short rest intervals between sets.

Flushing method: This involves using a lighter weight and holding the weight steady at various points along the path of the exercise, forcing the muscle to tense isometrically.
Partial reps: Continue to do partial reps when your to tired to complete full range of motion reps.

The Plantoon system (21’s): Do 7 half reps only in the lower range of the motion, 7 half reps only in the upper range of the motion and then 7 full/normal reps

Schwarzenegger A. (1985). Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding. Pelham Books,158-160.

Best Regards
Shane Scott

ADVANCED TRAINING PRINCIPLES: Part 1

Some of you might already be using supersets and tri-sets but there are a few more advanced training principles that you may not be aware of. Here are a few more to help spice up your training or help you overcome a plateau in your training.

Super set: Performing two exercises in a row with out rest

Tri set: Performing three exercises in a row with out rest

Negative repetitions: This is the eccentric part of the contraction, eg., lowering the weight during a bicep curl. For this principle you slowly and controlled lower the weight during the eccentric/negative part of the movement, and one can also do strictly negatives by getting some one to help you lift the weight and then you strictly control the lowering by yourself.

Shocking principle: The body is amazingly adaptable and thus you need to vary your exercises and training so that the body doesn’t become accustomed to the training, this variation will help keep your body adapting to the new exercises or training. You have to surprise the body with new workouts, unusual exercises or exercises performed in a different way or order.

Stripping method: This is a great technique that you can really feel working. This should be used only for the last few sets and not in the begging of a workout. Take triceps cable pressdowns for example, you start with the heaviest weight that will allow you to do 6 reps, then once you have done 6 reps you immediately make it two plates lighter and carry on for as many reps as possible without resting, then you immediately make it another one or two plates lighter and carry on until you reach the first/lightest weight plate. By the end your triceps are on fire even for the lightest weight.

Don’t try and go to heavy with these if you are a beginner and always focus on proper technique. This information was obtained from the reference below:
Schwarzenegger A. (1985). Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding. Pelham Books,158-160.

Best Regards
Shane Scott

Breaking a sweat and gettting back in the game

For many athletes breaking a sweat is as important as eating a balanced meal, but is it really true that if you are not breaking a sweat than you are not training properly?
Training should be regulated on a micro- meso- and macro cycle. This entire means is that your training program should be structured. Each day should have some form of variability. A Micro Cycle can be a four week training program. This is just one of the building blocks of a good training program. Each training day should in turn be different. It is also important to control the amount of exercises and the number of repetition and sets you perform within a training day. It is advised that you perform exercises of different nature within your training program for the best results. By changing the day to day exercises you are exercising different muscle groups and toning your whole body.

A Meso Cycle can be different training seasons, such as the off-, pre- and in-season. The training programs for these seasons will vary according to your specific sport and your personal preferences. In the off-season you will want to build muscle and therefore your repetitions will be less but the amount of weight you push can be heavier. This will also be a good time for YOU to get fit. An endurance activity 3 times a week can aid in accomplishing that goal. I recommend you vary this aspect of your training by doing the following:
Ø Running
Ø Rowing
Ø Boxing
Ø Swimming
Ø Aqua Aerobics
Ø Cycling
Ø Paddling
Ø Or a combination

These exercises will all give you the desired result. Try to do at least 30-60 min of aerobic exercise 3 times a week. If you so desire you may even do this training everyday but vary the intensity from one day to the next, go slow one day then increase your speed the next day. You can even do that on the same day, run fast for 15 min and than slow down for the next or do it vice-versa.

For the pre-season the training should be more sport specific but endurance training can still be done for the first part of the pre-season. Here the focus should be on developing your skills and starting on your anaerobic fitness as well. You can also now increase the number of repetitions you do and decrease the amount of weight used. This is so that you can develop lean muscle mass and decrease the amount of body fat that you may have. Your sport training would now be underway and you will most likely be training more frequently than in the off-season. Depending on what sport you do perform you must also incorporate that into your daily training program so that you can be ready when the time comes.

A Macro- Cycle is a whole planned year training program. It is all the seasons combined.

The benefits of training frequently are vast:
Ø Decrease in blood pressure
Ø Decrease in Resting heart rate
Ø Decrease in Body Fat
Ø Increase in Muscle definition and muscle strength
Ø Increase in general health
Ø Increase in energy
Ø Better sleep regulation
Ø Increase in Aerobic and anaerobic capabilities
Ø Better sporting performance
Ø Physical and Mental awareness
Ø Increase levels of LDL
Ø Decrease levels of HDL
Ø Better sugar regulation
Ø Appetite regulation
It is worth while breaking a sweat when you can as often as you can, your body WILL love you for it!

Regards Chrysilla Stander
Netball and Rugby Enthusiast
Netball and Rugby Player (Provincially)
Netball Coach and Referee

If you need any more information on this Blog do no hesitate to contact me, if you need information on Netball or Rugby I would love to answer your Questions.

Thank you for your time in reading this I really hope that you can take something from it! ☻

The Physiological Adaptations caused by Resistance and Endurance Training

So many of us train because we know it is good for us or because we enjoy it. But do you really know which changes are taking place inside your body besides your muscle just getting bigger or your body getting fitter. I will discuss some of the changes taking place in the body focusing on resistance (weight) training as well as cardiovascular training.

Resistance training

The major adaptations of resistance training is an increase in the cross sectional area of muscle (Brooks et al, 2005), this is when a muscle becomes bigger (hypertrophy) and an increase in strength. This muscle hypertrophy leads to an increase in maximum force generating capacity by these muscles. Another important adaptation is the thickening of bones due to resistance training. Bone tissue becomes stronger through increased deposition of mineral salts and production of collagen fibers (Tortora and Derrickson, 2006). There is also an increased neural function due to resistance training. This is to do with motor units. There is an increase in the electrical activity of the muscle and an increase rate of motor unit stimulation. This means the muscle is able to engage sooner and with more muscle fibers being activated sooner. Some other adaptations according to Brooks et al 2005 include:

1. ­ Increased contractile capacity of muscle
2. ­ Increased anaerobic power
3. Ligament and tendon strenght may increase ­
4. ­Increased capacity to use lipids (fats) as fuel
5. Increased capillary density = more blood and oxygen delivery to muscles
6. Increased stores of glycogen in muscle = more glucose can be produced for energy
7. ­ Increased intramuscular high energy compounds

Cardiovascular training

The major adaptations for cardiovascular training take place in the heart. With cardiovascular or endurance training the cardiac output (amount of blood pumped by heart in liters.min-1) of the heart will decrease. This is due to an incresed stroke volume which is the quantity of blood ejected out of the heart with each beat (Baechle and Earle, 2008). So if the quantity of blood being ejected from the heart each beat is increased cardiac output can then decrease. Due to an incresed amount of blood being pumped during each contraction (stroke volume) the heart will contract less frequently and thus there is a decreased heart rate with endurance training. Some other adaptations according to Baechle and Earle, 2008 include:

1. Increased muscular endurance and aerobic power
2. ­Increased capillary density
3. Increased mitochondrial density = more ATP = more energy
4. Increased metabolic energy stores
5. Increased ligament and tendon strength
6. Decreased % body fat

These are just a few changes that take place in the body following resistance and cardiovascular training and perhaps you can think about it next time you go training.

Best Regards
Shane Scott

References:

Baechle T.R. and Earle R.W. (2008). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 3rd Edition. Human Kinetics. USA, 120-130.

Brooks G.A., Fahey T.D. and Baldwin K.M. (2005). Exercise Physiology: Human Bioenergetics and Its Applications. 4th Edition. Mcgraw-Hill. New York, 431-473.

Tortora G.J. and Derrickson B. (2006). Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 11th Edition. John Wiley & Sons Inc. USA, 188.

Overtraining - Implications and Signs

How often do you see people in the gym slugging away at the weights for crazy amounts of time, two hours or more some times. The saying too much of anything is bad for you applies to training also. Many people are unaware of the signs and implications of overtraining. According to Baechle and Earle 2008, overtraining can be defined as excessive frequency, volume or intensity of training that results in extreme fatigue, illness or injury. This overtraining is often due to a lack of sufficient rest, recovery and perhaps nutrient uptake. Short term overtraining (also called overreaching) is easily reversible with a few days of recovery. If this overtraining carries on beyond a reasonable amount of time (also known as burnout) the effects are much worse. The overtraining syndrome can last up to 6 months and in the worst case scenario overtraining can ruin an athletic career (Baechle and Earle 2008). During strength and power training the effects of overtraining can cause a reduction in performance for weeks or even months according to Baechle and Earle 2008. Overtraining may also suppress the immune system and according to Brooks et al 2005 overtraining is associated with increases in corticosteroid hormones which have a depressive effect on the immune system. Other symptoms of overtraining include:
¯ Desire to train and decreased joy from training
­ In acute epinephrine and norepinephrine
¯ Performance
Mood disturbances- decreased vigor, motivation and confidence, raised levels of tension, anger, fatigue, anxiety and irritability.
These are a few of the effects of overtraining so give these a think and remember to include adequet rest in your training. You only have one body.
Best regards
Shane Scott
References:
Baechle T.R. and Earle R.W. (2008). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 3rd Edition. Human Kinetics. USA, 114-117.
Brooks G.A., Fahey T.D. and Baldwin K.M. (2005). Exercise Physiology: Human Bioenergetics and Its Applications. 4th Edition. Mcgraw-Hill. New York, 664-665.

Is your cool-down really that "cool"?

As I said before, your warm up needs to be “the heat”, well likewise, your warm-down needs to be the “cool” thing to do. Both play a vital role in one’s training. You need to do a cool-down after your training session or event not because it’s the “cool thing” to do and because ‘everyone is doing it’, but to benefit yourself and your performance.
One’s cool-down should involve a short bout (5-10 minutes) of low intensity exercise, followed by a session of static stretching. The athlete will start his/her cool-down with the low intensity exercise, to reduce the muscular and body temperature, to bring one’s heart rate back to normal (by decreasing it) and to promote the removal of waste products. It is in the cool-down that static stretching is most effective. Static stretching will restore one’s normal range of motion, as opposed to dynamic stretching which will go beyond normal range of motion, it will help relax the muscle and re-establish homeostasis within the muscle.
An effective cool-down will hold many physiological benefits, one of which is the removal of waste products such as lactic acid which has built up during activity. The low intensity activity will decrease the chance of dizziness and so forth as there is no sudden halt in activity, it makes the close down of activity more gradual which prevents the pooling of blood in the extremities. This part of a training session is also vital in reducing the chance of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).
So it is important to do both and effective warm-up as well as a valuable cool-down.

-Caron-Lee

Is your warm-up the "heat" or should you give it the "cold shoulder"?

One’s warm up can have a significant impact on one’s performance. You are not doing a warm up because it is what you have always done or because it is what you have been told to do, you are doing it in order to benefit your performance. It has been shown that an effective warm-up program has both physical and psychological benefits.
If a warm-up session is done properly it will ultimately increase both muscle and core temperature (hence the name warm-up), this increase in temperature causes changes in the body. The increase in muscle temperature allows both the agonist (primary) and antagonist (secondary) muscles to contract and relax faster, this means an improvement in reaction time. There is also an improvement in muscular strength and power and in the rate in which the power is generated. The increased temperatures will also increase the oxygen release from hemoglobin into the active muscles (Bohr Effect). A well-designed warm-up program will also cause an increase in blood flow to active muscles, and this increased blood flow as well as the improved oxygen release means improved metabolic functions/reactions in the active muscles.
The debate as to whether or not stretching should be incorporated into the warm-up session or not is a very common one. As with all training the type of stretching should be specific to the sport. If an individual is participating in a sport that requires increased flexibility and range of motion (e.g.: ballet, gymnastics) then it has been recommended that one does static stretching. However, studies show that static stretching had a negative effect on higher intensity sports such as rugby, soccer, hockey, as it can decrease reaction time, power and force production, as well as running speed. Static stretching is by no means functional to these sports and it is for that reason we see these negative effects. Dynamic stretching is the preferred stretching technique to use in warm-ups according to research, as it has no performance reducing effects but rather performance enhancing effects. The dynamic stretches should work through the range of motion that will take place during the event that follows the warm-up.
One’s warm-up session should therefore incorporate some form of stretching as well as other low-intensity sport specific activities. Things such as jogging and skipping can be incorporated and as the session continues they can be turned into sport specific drills, such as dribbling a hockey/ soccer ball through cones while jogging. These activities are to increase heart rate, blood flow, and respiration rate and muscle temperature. Warm-up sessions should progress gradually to an ideal intensity, which will have the desired effects without causing fatigue and without causing energy stores to be reduced.
The thing to remember is functionality. Functionality is key in all area’s regarding exercise. So next time you consider “skipping” your warm-up session, think twice, it is the "heat".
- Caron-Lee

Welcome

Welcome to Health and Performance Unlimited. As three sports scientists, currently doing our honors year in exercise science, we have created this blog to benefit both ourselves and others. We are working together to do our thesis and now to write this blog. The blog is about current affairs in the sporting world, training techniques and habits, healthy lifestyles, supplementation and so forth. It will also be question and answer based, if there are any queries be it on your training and lifestyle, supplements that interest you or news in the sporting world feel free to ask and we will get back to you. We are here to help.