In the highest levels of sports and going all the way down to the pee wee leagues the one trait that separates the stand outs athletes from the also rans (pun intended) is speed.
As the cliche goes: "Speed kills." All things being equal (which they seldom are) in a given sporting event (except perhaps baseball) the faster athlete or team will usually prevail.
That being said, getting faster has become a billion dollar industry with camps, sports specific training centers, and trainers using their ability to improve speed as their calling card.
But oddly enough, and not surprising, is the fact that there are certain factors which contribute immensely to speed and can't be improved with any training method.
Obviously, your fast twitch muscle composition and coordination play a large role in your speed. Everyone knows and understands that. But recent research has shed some light on some other factors that also contribute to the ability to run fast.
Researchers at Penn State's kinesiology lab discovered that in studying 24 people, half sprinters and half not, the sprinters had big toes that were 9 millimeters longer, on average, than their slower friends.
Longer toes allow a sprinter, it is theorized, to maintain ground contact slightly longer in the initial stages of acceleration which is critical to overcoming inertia and running faster. These longer toes may not be an advantage for distance runners, it was noted, because acceleration isn't critical for them. That subject has yet to be studied.
The other thing the researchers discovered is the relationship of the distance between your Achilles tendon and the center of the ankle joint. Evidently, the shorter this distance the easier it is to generate more force more quickly as the leverage angle is shorter which enables the calf muscles to engage more quickly. At least that's their theory.
So until further evidence comes along we will have to assume that unless you have long big toes and a shorter distance between your Achilles tendon and the center of your ankle joint, you will be doomed to plod along with the rest of us! Food for thought anyway. But don't be totally discouraged because sprinting and being fast is comprised of many factors and those are just two of them.
Train hard and train smart.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
More Ammo for Using Intervals
As many of you know I am a huge advocate of the use of interval training for one's "cardio" as opposed to strictly slogging away on your favorite crosstrainer, treadmill, bike or whatever modern cardio toy you prefer.
Yet another study has bolstered the interval argument.
This study appeared in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Krustrup, etal, 2009) and had 36 healthy, untrained men divided into 3 groups: soccer group, running group and control group.
The soccer and the control group trained 2-3 times weekly for 60 minutes at a time for 12 weeks. Both groups avg. heart rate during training was 82% of HR Max.
During the 12 weeks the the soccer group improved maximal oxygen uptake ( a measure of aerobic fitness) 62% more than the running group. This shows that interval work has a dramatic impact on aerobic markers of fitness where the reverse isn't true.
The soccer group los 50% more fat than the running group and had an increase in lean body mass of 3.75 lbs., an increase in lower extremity bone mass, decrease in LDL and an increase in fat oxidation running at 9.5 km/hr. The running group showed none of those improvements.
In addition, the soccer group's number of capillaries per muscle fiber was almost 50% higher than the running group. Again, this capillarization was frequently thought the sole domain of steady state "cardio" training.
So what does this tell us? Soccer is really a form of interval training though chaotic and random in nature. It is multi-directional, multi-movement, and multi-planar, an additional bonus.
But for soccer I believe you could substitute other sports like basketball, squash, handball and racquetball, for example, and see similar results. I don't believe tennis and football would meet the criteria because in tennis the points don't last long enough and in football the breaks between plays are too long.
So the bottom line is that "open/chaotic" interval training/playing like soccer and the other sports mentioned is superior to steady state running for fat loss and muscle building. So if you're already fairly fit, substitute one of those sports for your energy system work several times a week and you will improve your fitness and health.
Train hard and smart!
Yet another study has bolstered the interval argument.
This study appeared in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Krustrup, etal, 2009) and had 36 healthy, untrained men divided into 3 groups: soccer group, running group and control group.
The soccer and the control group trained 2-3 times weekly for 60 minutes at a time for 12 weeks. Both groups avg. heart rate during training was 82% of HR Max.
During the 12 weeks the the soccer group improved maximal oxygen uptake ( a measure of aerobic fitness) 62% more than the running group. This shows that interval work has a dramatic impact on aerobic markers of fitness where the reverse isn't true.
The soccer group los 50% more fat than the running group and had an increase in lean body mass of 3.75 lbs., an increase in lower extremity bone mass, decrease in LDL and an increase in fat oxidation running at 9.5 km/hr. The running group showed none of those improvements.
In addition, the soccer group's number of capillaries per muscle fiber was almost 50% higher than the running group. Again, this capillarization was frequently thought the sole domain of steady state "cardio" training.
So what does this tell us? Soccer is really a form of interval training though chaotic and random in nature. It is multi-directional, multi-movement, and multi-planar, an additional bonus.
But for soccer I believe you could substitute other sports like basketball, squash, handball and racquetball, for example, and see similar results. I don't believe tennis and football would meet the criteria because in tennis the points don't last long enough and in football the breaks between plays are too long.
So the bottom line is that "open/chaotic" interval training/playing like soccer and the other sports mentioned is superior to steady state running for fat loss and muscle building. So if you're already fairly fit, substitute one of those sports for your energy system work several times a week and you will improve your fitness and health.
Train hard and smart!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Early Sports Specialization Leads to More Injuries
This is going to be somewhat different than many of my blog posts as this is going to report on some recent sports science news that you should find informative.
As all of my regular readers know I am a harsh critic of early childhood sports specialization. For every pro, there are 3 cons and I am not going to enumerate them all here. Let's just say there is scant, if any, evidence to support the idea that early sports specialization leads to greater success in any given sport.
Having said that, there was a recent study done at the Univ. of Loyola Health System to further bolster my argument. In this study, 519 junior tennis players participated and their injury rates were studied. Those who played tennis exclusively (no other sports participation) were 5.4 times as likely to withdraw from a tournament due to injury than those players who didn't specialize. It is just common sense: you are exposing a young, still growing athletes to repetitive stresses with nothing to counterbalance it so they are going to get hurt....plain and simple.
So parents beware: balance things out by encouraging your child to play a variety of sports for as long as possible ( I would say through at least middle school if not high school). If they are good at their chosen sport chances are they will excel anyway. And you are improving their global, all around athleticism which will benefit them in their "best sport"anyway. They will be better movers and athletes which is the difference at each successive level of any sport.
As all of my regular readers know I am a harsh critic of early childhood sports specialization. For every pro, there are 3 cons and I am not going to enumerate them all here. Let's just say there is scant, if any, evidence to support the idea that early sports specialization leads to greater success in any given sport.
Having said that, there was a recent study done at the Univ. of Loyola Health System to further bolster my argument. In this study, 519 junior tennis players participated and their injury rates were studied. Those who played tennis exclusively (no other sports participation) were 5.4 times as likely to withdraw from a tournament due to injury than those players who didn't specialize. It is just common sense: you are exposing a young, still growing athletes to repetitive stresses with nothing to counterbalance it so they are going to get hurt....plain and simple.
So parents beware: balance things out by encouraging your child to play a variety of sports for as long as possible ( I would say through at least middle school if not high school). If they are good at their chosen sport chances are they will excel anyway. And you are improving their global, all around athleticism which will benefit them in their "best sport"anyway. They will be better movers and athletes which is the difference at each successive level of any sport.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Healthy at Any Weight? Hmmm...
Recently, an avid reader of our blog and newsletter pointed me towards a column in the NY Times/on their website that was very interesting to say the least. I hope this column won't offend anyone and will encourage some reasoned debate on this subject.
The essence was that overweight people had essentially formed coalitions and were lobbying Washington to ensure they were included in any health care plan esp. a federally backed version.
The overweight people feel they are being unjustly discriminated against in this health care debate and they want their voice heard.
But first here are some scary statistics. Currently, 2/3 of Americans are either overweight or obese as defined by a BMI of 25+. In addition, four states (Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia) have over 30% of their adult population defined as obese, BMI of 30+.
Linda Bacon, a professor of nutrition at City College of San Francisco, and author of " Healthy at Every Size" did a study that discovered it was possible to be healthy and heavy. And while I don't dispute that contention it misses the point on several fronts.
One, it is probably possible to be healthy and heavy but you are decreasing your odds of being healthy by carrying around extra weight. Also, in the health care industry health is defined " as the absence of disease and the optimal interplay of the internal organs." It says nothing about the capacity to do " work" or simple everyday tasks like walking, getting in and out of chairs, climbing stairs, etc. The capacity to do work or a specific task is fitness. So being healthy does not mean your fit and true wellness is a combination of the two. So I believe Ms. Bacon is not looking at the whole picture.
Ms. Bacon is quoted as saying that it is now construed that there is" something wrong with being fat." While I believe what you decide to do is up to you, let's not make it a noble endeavor either.
We are at a fork in the road (pun intended!) here friends. We can either decide to keep making excuses and continue down the road we've been on for the last 30 years: continued erosion of our national health and wellness; lack of movement/exercise to the point of virtually nothing; the replacing of whole, real foods with nutritionally worthless fast foods and a total lack of will to do anything about it. I believe that path will lead to a health care cost driven financial crisis that we have no concept of it's enormity. You simply can not keep driving demand up without costs continuing to rise. It is economics 101. And that is our current path.
Or we can make the hard choices: put true, wellness driven health care in place; get Big Food in control and stop them from peddling disease wrapped in a bun/tortilla or in a cup; and create incentives and educate people to eat healthy and move more.
It won't be easy but it has to be done. The alternative will be ruinuous.
The essence was that overweight people had essentially formed coalitions and were lobbying Washington to ensure they were included in any health care plan esp. a federally backed version.
The overweight people feel they are being unjustly discriminated against in this health care debate and they want their voice heard.
But first here are some scary statistics. Currently, 2/3 of Americans are either overweight or obese as defined by a BMI of 25+. In addition, four states (Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia) have over 30% of their adult population defined as obese, BMI of 30+.
Linda Bacon, a professor of nutrition at City College of San Francisco, and author of " Healthy at Every Size" did a study that discovered it was possible to be healthy and heavy. And while I don't dispute that contention it misses the point on several fronts.
One, it is probably possible to be healthy and heavy but you are decreasing your odds of being healthy by carrying around extra weight. Also, in the health care industry health is defined " as the absence of disease and the optimal interplay of the internal organs." It says nothing about the capacity to do " work" or simple everyday tasks like walking, getting in and out of chairs, climbing stairs, etc. The capacity to do work or a specific task is fitness. So being healthy does not mean your fit and true wellness is a combination of the two. So I believe Ms. Bacon is not looking at the whole picture.
Ms. Bacon is quoted as saying that it is now construed that there is" something wrong with being fat." While I believe what you decide to do is up to you, let's not make it a noble endeavor either.
We are at a fork in the road (pun intended!) here friends. We can either decide to keep making excuses and continue down the road we've been on for the last 30 years: continued erosion of our national health and wellness; lack of movement/exercise to the point of virtually nothing; the replacing of whole, real foods with nutritionally worthless fast foods and a total lack of will to do anything about it. I believe that path will lead to a health care cost driven financial crisis that we have no concept of it's enormity. You simply can not keep driving demand up without costs continuing to rise. It is economics 101. And that is our current path.
Or we can make the hard choices: put true, wellness driven health care in place; get Big Food in control and stop them from peddling disease wrapped in a bun/tortilla or in a cup; and create incentives and educate people to eat healthy and move more.
It won't be easy but it has to be done. The alternative will be ruinuous.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Do You Have PDD? How About LPD?
Most people reading that headline will go: "Kelly's really lost his marbles now." But let me explain further before condemning me to the men with the white coats.
Program Deficit Disorder is a term I heard Master RKC Brett Jones use and I feel it applies to many folks who train.
PDD is the inability of someone to consistently stay with a given training program for any meaningful length of time. PDD is the opposite of LPD or Lifetime Program Disorder wherein someone has been doing the same program for literally years with no changes and wonders why they haven't seen any progress in years. DUH!!!
But the PDD afflicted never get the results they want from their training either whether it is weight loss, body transformation, strength gains or power improvement. And they wonder why is that the case?
Even the most highly trained athletes take some time (several weeks to a month) to adapt to a given program before the parameters must be changed to continue to stimulate the organism/athlete/client. So for the rest of us that time frame of adaptation is closer to 6-8 weeks before it is time for a change.
So here are some clues as to whether you are afflicted with either PDD or LPD:
1. Do you constantly change programs according to the latest Internet craze or magazine you' ve just read? You have PDD.
2. Have you been doing the same program since the Clinton administration? You have LPD!
3. Do you buy the latest, greatest miracle exercise gadget on late night infomercials hoping that will be the solution to your problem? You have PDD!
4. Can you remember all the details of your program from memory without referring to anything? You have LPD.
5. If the guide/sheet that your program is on looks like parchment paper then you have LPD.
So I believe if you answer those questions honestly you will know whether you have one or the other.
So what to do if that is the case?
1. Determine what your training/fitness goals are and be specific. You can't design a good program without a goal (s) to strive for. Otherwise you are just working out.
2. Have a long range plan and break in down into manageable segments. Those shorter term segments could be intermediate goals on your way to your major goal.
3. Assess/evaluate to start. You can't know how to get to your goal(s) unless you know where you currently are whether that is strength-wise, your body comp., or your power. You must have some quantifiable starting point.
4. Tieing in with #3, you must periodically re-assess/test to see whether your program is heading in the right direction. If it's not then you have to change the parameters and tweak the program.
So those are the basics for first diagnosing whether you have PDD or LPD as well as some solutions for "curing" them. If you have determined that fitness/training is important to you then you must train in the most sound, efficient way to get the results you want. Otherwise, you are just spinning your wheels, you will probably get frustrated and quit and/or get injured from improperly applied programming.
Good luck with your training and train hard and smart!
Program Deficit Disorder is a term I heard Master RKC Brett Jones use and I feel it applies to many folks who train.
PDD is the inability of someone to consistently stay with a given training program for any meaningful length of time. PDD is the opposite of LPD or Lifetime Program Disorder wherein someone has been doing the same program for literally years with no changes and wonders why they haven't seen any progress in years. DUH!!!
But the PDD afflicted never get the results they want from their training either whether it is weight loss, body transformation, strength gains or power improvement. And they wonder why is that the case?
Even the most highly trained athletes take some time (several weeks to a month) to adapt to a given program before the parameters must be changed to continue to stimulate the organism/athlete/client. So for the rest of us that time frame of adaptation is closer to 6-8 weeks before it is time for a change.
So here are some clues as to whether you are afflicted with either PDD or LPD:
1. Do you constantly change programs according to the latest Internet craze or magazine you' ve just read? You have PDD.
2. Have you been doing the same program since the Clinton administration? You have LPD!
3. Do you buy the latest, greatest miracle exercise gadget on late night infomercials hoping that will be the solution to your problem? You have PDD!
4. Can you remember all the details of your program from memory without referring to anything? You have LPD.
5. If the guide/sheet that your program is on looks like parchment paper then you have LPD.
So I believe if you answer those questions honestly you will know whether you have one or the other.
So what to do if that is the case?
1. Determine what your training/fitness goals are and be specific. You can't design a good program without a goal (s) to strive for. Otherwise you are just working out.
2. Have a long range plan and break in down into manageable segments. Those shorter term segments could be intermediate goals on your way to your major goal.
3. Assess/evaluate to start. You can't know how to get to your goal(s) unless you know where you currently are whether that is strength-wise, your body comp., or your power. You must have some quantifiable starting point.
4. Tieing in with #3, you must periodically re-assess/test to see whether your program is heading in the right direction. If it's not then you have to change the parameters and tweak the program.
So those are the basics for first diagnosing whether you have PDD or LPD as well as some solutions for "curing" them. If you have determined that fitness/training is important to you then you must train in the most sound, efficient way to get the results you want. Otherwise, you are just spinning your wheels, you will probably get frustrated and quit and/or get injured from improperly applied programming.
Good luck with your training and train hard and smart!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Chase Utley Way
First, let me preface things by saying I am a huge baseball fan and Phillies fan and the World Series is the highest drama in sports as far as I'm concerned. The tension, the atmosphere, how a whole Series can change in 1 play make it the ultimate athletic stage, in my opinion.
This World Series showed to a national audience why we in Philly love Chase Utley. In this Series he essentially carried his team, though they lost, with his glove, his heart, his smart play and, of course, his bat. Without his presence they probably would have been swept, quite frankly. Instead it was a dramatic, tense Series that could have gone either way.
But even more impressive than his play, which is Hall of Fame caliber by the way, is the manner in which he plays. He just does his job at the highest level possible with no fanfare, no showboating...he is a Warrior! I believe he would play the same way whether it was just his family watching or 50,000 in the stands and millions more on TV. And this is not just a homer's ranting.
The new gold standard in offensive baseball metrics is something called OPS which is a combination of slugging percentage and on base percentage. These are statistics that mean a lot to baseball people as they are indicative of power as well as how often a player gets on base. In the history of baseball only 1 second baseman has a higher OPS than Utley: Honus Wagner who is obviously in the Hall of Fame.
But more than his performance on the field I believe the lesson we all can learn from Utley, no matter what we do, is how to go about your business. According to inside sources, Charley Manuel included, Utley is the best prepared athlete in the game, a true student of the game. He is constantly striving to get better though he is already one of the best all around players in the game.
And his deportment and how he carries himself is equally impressive. In this age where football players get up and celebrate after making a tackle while their team is getting killed, Utley simply does his job with no fanfare, no showboating, no me-me-me. In this crazy, media frenzy world many will say he is drab and a bad interview but to me they are substituting style for substance. And that is the real appeal of Utley....in the age of celebrities with no accomplishments, sound bites, etc. Utley is all substance and little style and couldn't care less.
So though generally I don't believe athletes should be role models, parents should be role models, Utley may be the exception. Because you can tell your kid, watch him play because that's the way you are supposed to play...hard, smart, support your teammates, study your craft and constantly strive to get better. It is a lesson we all can learn from Mr. Utley no matter what field we work in.
This World Series showed to a national audience why we in Philly love Chase Utley. In this Series he essentially carried his team, though they lost, with his glove, his heart, his smart play and, of course, his bat. Without his presence they probably would have been swept, quite frankly. Instead it was a dramatic, tense Series that could have gone either way.
But even more impressive than his play, which is Hall of Fame caliber by the way, is the manner in which he plays. He just does his job at the highest level possible with no fanfare, no showboating...he is a Warrior! I believe he would play the same way whether it was just his family watching or 50,000 in the stands and millions more on TV. And this is not just a homer's ranting.
The new gold standard in offensive baseball metrics is something called OPS which is a combination of slugging percentage and on base percentage. These are statistics that mean a lot to baseball people as they are indicative of power as well as how often a player gets on base. In the history of baseball only 1 second baseman has a higher OPS than Utley: Honus Wagner who is obviously in the Hall of Fame.
But more than his performance on the field I believe the lesson we all can learn from Utley, no matter what we do, is how to go about your business. According to inside sources, Charley Manuel included, Utley is the best prepared athlete in the game, a true student of the game. He is constantly striving to get better though he is already one of the best all around players in the game.
And his deportment and how he carries himself is equally impressive. In this age where football players get up and celebrate after making a tackle while their team is getting killed, Utley simply does his job with no fanfare, no showboating, no me-me-me. In this crazy, media frenzy world many will say he is drab and a bad interview but to me they are substituting style for substance. And that is the real appeal of Utley....in the age of celebrities with no accomplishments, sound bites, etc. Utley is all substance and little style and couldn't care less.
So though generally I don't believe athletes should be role models, parents should be role models, Utley may be the exception. Because you can tell your kid, watch him play because that's the way you are supposed to play...hard, smart, support your teammates, study your craft and constantly strive to get better. It is a lesson we all can learn from Mr. Utley no matter what field we work in.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
More Reasons to Eliminate Soft Drinks
Not that people don't know about the detrimental effects of soft drinks but periodic reminders about how harmful and unhealthy they are can provide support to people who struggle with avoiding their allure.
First of all, notice I said soft drinks not just soda. I would put most of those sports drinks and similar drinks in the same category. Though they try to advertise them as performance enhancers or recovery drinks, the fact of the matter is they frequently have similar, if not the exact, ingredients as sodas though perhaps in lesser quantities.
Here are some more reasons to avoid soft drinks:
1. They have little or no vitamins or nutrients.
2. They do have: caffeine, carbonation, simple sugars, sometimes sugar substitutes, food additives and colorings, and preservatives. If you read the ingredients most of them are polysyllabic which means they aren't natural.
3. Many of them have more sugar in 1 can then the USDA recommends daily for the average American.
4. When sugar enters the body it causes an insulin spike which weakens your immune system. Not a good thing in this day of H1N1 !
5. The excess sugar, which is most of it, is stored in the body as fat which in turns elevates your risk for cancer and heart disease amongst other things.
6. Diet soda is not the answer as several studies have shown that 1 or more soft drinks per day, regular or diet, led to 30% greater chance of weight gain around the belly---the deadly belly fat.
7. Finally, think of the example you are setting for your kids: high soda consumption amongt kids leads to tooth decay, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and depletes their nutrition. Not a good legacy!
So if you are a soft drink consumer, try to wean yourself off gradually by giving up 1 can per day. Substitute water or green tea instead both of which you should be drinking more of anyway. It won't be easy but with some concerted effort you can do it.
First of all, notice I said soft drinks not just soda. I would put most of those sports drinks and similar drinks in the same category. Though they try to advertise them as performance enhancers or recovery drinks, the fact of the matter is they frequently have similar, if not the exact, ingredients as sodas though perhaps in lesser quantities.
Here are some more reasons to avoid soft drinks:
1. They have little or no vitamins or nutrients.
2. They do have: caffeine, carbonation, simple sugars, sometimes sugar substitutes, food additives and colorings, and preservatives. If you read the ingredients most of them are polysyllabic which means they aren't natural.
3. Many of them have more sugar in 1 can then the USDA recommends daily for the average American.
4. When sugar enters the body it causes an insulin spike which weakens your immune system. Not a good thing in this day of H1N1 !
5. The excess sugar, which is most of it, is stored in the body as fat which in turns elevates your risk for cancer and heart disease amongst other things.
6. Diet soda is not the answer as several studies have shown that 1 or more soft drinks per day, regular or diet, led to 30% greater chance of weight gain around the belly---the deadly belly fat.
7. Finally, think of the example you are setting for your kids: high soda consumption amongt kids leads to tooth decay, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and depletes their nutrition. Not a good legacy!
So if you are a soft drink consumer, try to wean yourself off gradually by giving up 1 can per day. Substitute water or green tea instead both of which you should be drinking more of anyway. It won't be easy but with some concerted effort you can do it.
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