 BASIC MOVEMENT PATTERNS
When I first started training, I used to think primarily in terms of what muscles groups I wanted to train – and like the majority of teenage males - that was 90% chest and biceps... Who am I kidding it was 100%. Thankfully somewhere along the way I realised two things 1) There were other parts of the body that existed 2) That there might be a better way of programming when trying to achieve an optimally functioning body. I started programming workouts with a primary focus being movement patterns not just muscles. Movement patterns are just a simple way of categorising different exercises based on their biomechanical profiles. They are usually described with the direction and action involved, or the joint experiencing the most relative force. Ensuring a gym-based program has the right balance of movement patterns for that clients/athletes’ specific needs is an integral part of programming. At best, our body might not perform as effectively as it could, at worst a constant reinforcement of one movement pattern and a neglect of another might lead to imbalance, compensation and injury. Below is a table detailing some of the movement patterns I like to utilise with my clients when building strength or size. Some movements such as the back squat, can fit into more than one category and really depend on the individual’s anatomy and technique. Remember, always start with less complex exercises, and focus on high quality movement and form. If you have any questions, just drop me a message!
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If you watch football regularly you will of likely seen this before, a player sprinting along the turf before pulling up quickly like he’s been shot by a mystery sniper in the back of the thigh. This is usually a result of a hamstring strain.
But what are the hamstrings, what do they do, why are they the most common soft tissue injury within football and how’s best to prevent them? The hamstrings are made up of 3 large muscles the Biceps Femoris, Semimembranosus & Semitendinosus. They predominantly stretch from the posterior side of the pelvis down to the top of the lower leg. They cross and act upon two joints the hip and the knee making them biarticular muscles. Their main roles are hip extension and knee flexion, however it’s their role in decelerating knee extension that is most interesting regarding injury. 57% of hamstring injuries in football occur during high speed running. Just before the foot strikes the ground the hamstrings are close to their maximally lengthened position while working eccentrically to slow down the extending leg. If the hamstring does not have the capacity to tolerate this load an injury can occur. There are several risk factors that research has shown are important in highlighting individuals at risk of hamstring injury including a lack of strength, poor range of motion and previous injury (22% chance of reoccurrence within first 2 months of return to play). Poor running mechanics, pelvic control and improper warmups/programming can also increase the likelihood. A longitudinal research study has shown an average annual increase year on year of 2.3% regarding total hamstring injury rate in elite men’s football! So how do we decrease our chances? Eccentric strengthening should form an integral part of any hamstring strengthening programme, RDL’s & Nordic Hamstring curls are great options with one being knee dominant and the other hip dominant. Including exercises with higher velocity contractions such as long lever hamstring switches are a great way to mimic the intense demands of maximal sprinting. Analysing running mechanics can be helpful to look for over striding or excessive anterior pelvic tilt during the sprint cycle. Improving range of motion of the hamstrings can also help, though be aware that if you have chronic tightness it may be down to protective tension due to a lack of pelvic control, and repetitively stretching can exacerbate the problem. Hope this helps you build some bullet proof hammies! Any questions, drop em below. Hamstring lnjuries in Sprinting - The Role of eccentric Exercise, Peter Stanton et al 1989 Ekstrand J, Waldén M, Hägglund M, Hamstring injuries have increased by 4% annually in men's professional football since 2001: a 13-year longitudinal analysis of the UEFA Elite Club injury study, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016. THE BOX JUMP
‘A jumping exercise in which an athlete projects themselves from the ground and lands with two feet on an elevated box.’ WHY? Partly so we can look majestic as hell effortlessly floating through the air as other gym goers clap in admiration. But mainly we coach plyometric exercises to make use of the Stretch Shortening cycle (SSC). This is where elastic energy is stored during the eccentric phase (lengthening) and used during the concentric phase (shortening) of a muscular contraction – in this case the lowering in the jump (eccentric) and the coming up (concentric). The aim is to increase an individual’s overall force production and rate of force production (the amount of force produced + the speed in which it’s produced). They’re also great for looking at jumping and landing mechanics while reducing forces upon impact. Training these qualities can make an athlete faster, stronger and more powerful on the field with direct carryover to skills such as sprinting, cutting and jumping. Usually the point of the box is to reduce a significant amount of the impact while learning to jump and land effectively. If you’re hammering up and down off the box this defeats the point of the exercise, explosively up, gently down. HOW? Jumping We want to start and land in the same position – the athletic stance. The athletic stance is the most effective position for us to be reactive to what’s going on around us within the game. Start with feet around shoulder width, this allows us to effectively push off in any direction. Chest should be over toes, hips pushed slightly back and weight sitting in the front 2/3rds of the feet allowing for quicker reaction times (Don’t get caught on your heels). From here we want to drop into a shallow squat swinging the arms back, before swinging them forward and exploding up as powerfully as possible. Landing Landing should be in the athletic stance we started in and should be soft, we want to be absorbing forces effectively. Programming Box jumps are not a conditioning tool that you should be hammering hundreds of reps of. Try 3 sets of 5 reps at the beginning of your next workout and let me know how you get on. DISCLAIMER The height of the box is not important, put your ego to the side. The height of your jump depends on your ability to apply force against the ground to move your centre of mass off the floor against gravity. If you can’t land in the same position you started in, it’s too high. I’m going to start this post off with some bad news.
Unfortunately, there’s not some magical exercise or supplement that is going to instantly torch your belly fat. It’s not possible to ‘spot reduce’ and sadly it’s your genetic makeup that decides where your body stores fat. NO AMOUNT OF SIT UPS WILL CHANGE THIS. Sorry to be the bearer of that bad news. However, there are ways in which you can lower your body fat and eventually, with patience and consistency, the belly fat will decrease.
The good news is that all of these solutions are in your control, and though some of them are hard work, ultimately if you want to lose body fat, they’re worth it. P.S If you ever purchase a body wrap I’ll spit at you HOW TO EFFECTIVELY SET GOALS
Everyone has something they want to accomplish in life, whether it be something incredibly simple or maybe a grand plan yet to be started. But how many of those people are actually taking measured steps towards it by setting effective goals? Without setting goals it’s very easy to meander around, lacking any real direction, getting no closer to where you want to go. And a subpar goal might outline the right direction, but does it show you what you need to do to get there? This post should explain how to set concise, effective goals, that can help you on your way to achieving whatever your heart desires. Why? Have you ever actually sat down and thought deeply about what you wanted from your career, your relationship, your body? The majority of people haven’t, often bumbling their way through life, accepting whatever comes their way because they’re not clear on exactly what they want. Just the exercise of sitting down and deliberately thinking about what you want from different areas of your life can be liberating. It can also be hugely motivating mapping out in front of you what you want to achieve, and can give you a real sense of purpose going forward. Not to mention the self-confidence you acquire when you start to hit some of these goals. If you’re not familiar with the ‘Law of attraction’, it’s a belief that you can attract into your life whatever you focus on, setting goals will help you to direct that focus. HOW? Once you’ve thought about what you want, the first thing you need to do is map out the different stages you need to complete to achieve this goal. For example, if your goal was to lose 5kg, you might split this up into 1kg a month. If you’re a consultant and you want to become a Senior Manager, you might break it into Senior Consultant, Manager, Senior Manager. OUTCOME & PROCESS GOALS Once you’ve separated your goal into stages, it’s likely they’ll all still be OUTCOME goals, these are important as they show you the direction you’re going, but as I said before, they don’t actually map out how you get there. You need to set PROCESS goals – actions within your control that outline what you need to do on a daily/weekly basis. Using the general examples before, a process goal for losing 1kg a month, might be eating 1500 calories a day. Becoming a Senior Consultant might require you to make the company a certain amount of money monthly, so you might use a process goal like booking 10 meetings a month, with people that you have the capabilities to do business with. It’s important to have both OUTCOME and PROCESS goals. SMART GOALS Now you’ve got both your outcome and process goals, it’s time to make them SMART. The SMART acronym, of which there are a few variations, is a simple checklist to ensure your goals are as effective as possible. SPECIFIC – Make the goal is clear and specific to what you want to achieve MEASURABLE – The goal must be measurable to track progress ACHIEVABLE – Push yourself but make sure it’s ultimately attainable RELEVANT – All goals need to align and be relevant for what you want to achieve TIME BOUND – Every goal must have a deadline to work towards By using the SMART checklist, it should give your goals clarity and meaning by defining the aim, completion date and how success will be measured. Hopefully this post has given you the tools to go and set your own goals now, and I really urge you to, don’t underestimate the positive effect it can have. If anyone wants help with their own goals, or has any questions, feel free to drop me a message. In a world where amazon can deliver a packet of biscuits to your door in a matter of hours, people want things now, they don’t want to have to wait.
This transcends to fat loss with people wanting instant results with minimum effort. If you start training with that mind set though, you’ll be quickly disappointed. Fat loss takes both time and effort and the quicker you want to lose it the more effort it takes. The sad situation is, that certain fitness companies make a lot of money from preying on this mindset. Juice cleanses, fat loss pills and fucking body wraps are advertised and endorsed by a host of social media stars with ripped bodies that have likely never touched the things. A small endorsement from a company, and all their progress is suddenly attributed to the latest Teatox. These instant remedies either don’t work, or are not remotely sustainable, resulting in yo-yo dieting or getting further away from yours goals all the while becoming disillusioned and frustrated at the lack of progress. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. Put simply, it’s about sustainably reducing your calorie intake and increasing the number of calories you burn ideally through weight training. Consistency and patience is key, because there’ll be times when progress stalls and life gets in the way. Embrace the journey, and keep striving to be better than you were last week, progress will be inevitable. The Mysterious Pelvic Floor. Generally known to be important, but where it is, what it does and how to train it, is usually misunderstood. Plus if I can’t see it flexing in the mirror, do I even need to?
Where? Double layered sling of muscles that span across the bottom of the pelvis Why? Provides stability of the pelvis Provides support for the pelvic organs (prevention of prolapse) Controls continence Reflex activity to counteract changes in abdominal pressure i.e. sneezing Who needs to train them? Both men and women can benefit from pelvic floor exercises, but it’s especially important for pregnant women and those planning for pregnancy, as the pelvic floor muscles can stretch considerably during childbirth. Research has shown that consistently exercising the pelvic floor can help reduce the chance of incontinence post pregnancy. How to train the pelvic floor muscles? The NHS suggest the easiest way to find your pelvic floor muscles are by trying to stop the flow of urine. Once you’ve worked out how to engage them, go and sit down, relax, and without engaging the surrounding muscles or holding your breath, squeeze 10-15 times in a row. Aim for around 3 sets, 2/3 times a day, alternating between shorter (2-3 seconds) and longer (10 second) holds. Added Bonus The NHS have made an app to remind you to do your pelvic floor exercises, and give you helpful tips as well. Its called Squeezy. Get Squeezing! HOLD THAT BLOODY STARBUCKS SUSAN.
From an Espresso to a Cappuccino, Latte to a Mocha, millions of coffees are consumed everyday around the world. But what makes the drink so popular and how does it affect our body? Increased Alertness & Energy
Personally, I'm not a huge drinker of the stuff. If I'm feeling knackered and need a pick me up for something important then I might have a cup. I don’t like the idea of it continually regulating my energy levels and mood. But each to their own. Why is protein intake so important when weight training?
Protein, the predominant ingredient in numerous diets and supplements but why is this molecule so highly regarded when it comes to training & fat loss? Protein is comprised of a long chain of amino acids, which have several extremely important functions within the body including cell structural integrity, chemical reactions, and the immune system. However, it’s specifically its role in Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) – the process where muscle mass is increased, that makes it so important when weight training. During strenuous exercise, micro tears are created within the muscle fibres, leading to pain or tenderness peaking between 24-72 hours post exercise. This initiates the bodies healing response, allowing the repair of the muscle through protein synthesis. One of the components needed for this repair and growth is protein. If you don’t have enough protein within your diet, your body doesn’t have the necessary building blocks, and will take them from its own protein stores, your existing muscle mass. That’s why it’s so essential to have a high protein diet when weight training. The national recommended daily amount of protein for an individual is 0.8g per kg of bodyweight. However, if you’re weight training, you will need significantly more than a sedentary individual and between 1.5g-2.2g per kg of bodyweight is often recommended*. There is no evidence to suggest that excessive amounts of protein are detrimental to kidney function in healthy individuals. Why is protein so important for fat loss? Protein isn’t just for the gym bro looking to get as big as possible. As previously mentioned it has a huge variety of roles within the body, and is often neglected by the general population. So why is protein so important when trying to lose body fat?
Any questions, drop me a message :) Sources [Fundamentals of anatomy and physiology – Donald Rizzo] [Practical programming for strength training – Mark Rippetoe & Andy Baker] |
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