The discussion around the most effect training methods for improving exercise performance will be one that is always followed closely. The increasing demands on athletes and coaches time and the search for the most efficient and effective use of that time is one driving force behind training methods research.
Authors: Murley, G.S, Landorf, K.B., and Menz, H.B (2010).
Clinical Biomechanics, 25, 728-736.
Commentary by Allan Wrigley
The number one predictor of injury is previous injury. With this the ultimate goal of every therapist is to be able to screen an athlete and determine if they are at risk of a certain injury, develop an appropriate corrective exercise training program to address the identified risk factors and hopefully prevent the injury from occurring or rehabilitate the athlete to prevent the recurrence of future similar injuries.
This article is a review of the literature on the use of Agonist- Antagonist Pairing in resistance training. Agonist-antagonist pairing is the pairing of opposite muscle groups (e.g. elbow flexors/elbow extensors) or biomechanically dissimilar exercises (e.g. power cleans/incline bench press or bench press/pull-up) for the purpose of improving maximal strength and muscle power.
When working with high performance athletes, we need to remember that most of these individuals do not fit within the normal population bell curve. This distribution becomes a problem when developing a treatment plan for them, as the majority of evidence based research for therapy intervention is based on normal individuals using parametric statistics.
Muscle hypertrophy (increase in fiber size) is an important outcome of resistance training. Typical guidelines for developing muscle hypertrophy include repetitions in the range of 5-12 and loads in the range of 70-85% of 1 Repetition Maximum (RM). This type of loading mechanically stresses the muscle fiber and recruits the entire motor unit pool.
Understanding the hormonal response to training has led us to refine the design of a given workout and indeed the structure for the wider training program. While the body responds to a training stimulus with a milieu of different hormones two of the more commonly discussed by athletes, coaches and sport science staff are steroid hormones testosterone and cortisol.
This review discusses the parameters of power output and training with links to specific sport movement characteristics. The force-velocity relationship is the main topic and parameters we can manipulate to train power output are presented with evidence and practical examples. Training modalities are discussed in terms of motion pattern, velocity, and loading, regarding sport specificity. This paper helps in logically selecting training modalities.
Vitamin D has many known functions within the body and it is recognized that a high percentage of the population is deficient or maintains suboptimal levels of vitamin D. Research with an athletic population is limited but this review article highlights the importance of vitamin D screening and discusses the impact that suboptimal vitamin D status may have on bone health and sports performance.
I chose to highlight this article because all Integrated Support Team (IST) members more than likely have experienced some type of job related stress. Being conscious/ aware/proactive about stress is key to sustaining your professional career and flourishing instead of floundering.
