In my previous post we looked at force absorption and the positive implications it can have on improving performance because after all, the more force you can absorb, the more force you can put out.
In this post you can see that not only do you need to be able to absorb great force, but you must also be able to absorb it quickly.
Introducing overspeed eccentrics.
I'll use basketball as an example here because it's more practical but if we're both going for a rebound and go into our jumps at the same time, if I can get down into the eccentric portion of my jump, stabilise and get off the ground quicker then you, then it doesn't matter if you can jump higher then me because while I have rebounded the ball you're still on the ground.
The video below shows how we can implement this using swings which it suits better then most exercises because it's already explosive in nature.
The first exercise just shows a regular swing which puts a hard stretch on the hamstrings already so until you've mastered these, don't move to the more overspeed methods as you won't be able to stabilise the weight properly.
The second exercise is a band assisted swing which is looped under my feet which pulls the weight down making the eccentric faster and harder to control.
The third exercise is a partner assisted swing where they push down on the weight at the top of the swing again increasing the eccentric descent of the weight.
You'd want to use about 40 - 50% of your swing 5 rep max weight for the weight and do 3 - 4 x 5 - 8 reps after your warm up but before your main exercise (squats, deadlifts etc).
Overspeed eccentrics can be used for the upper body but you'll need some weight releases which are really only in actual powerlifting gyms. I don't have one so I've left them out and might get post something about them later.
I've been light on posts lately from extreme busyness but I'll wrap up these last parts of this series by next week.
We should be aware from this post that there are 3 main contraction types during a given exercise:
Eccentric - muscle lengthens
Isometric - muscle stays the same length
Concentric - muscle shortens
So during a squat action lowering down is the eccentric, the bottom position is the isometric (regardless of how fast you go there is an always an isometric contraction) and the "lifting' part is the concentric.
From a performance standpoint which is also touched on in the link above it can also be regarded as this:
Force Absorption - eccentric
Force Output - concentric
Now when thinking in force absorption and output terms the easiest way to do so is to think of the muscles and tendons as a rubber band, a big thick rubber band. A bigger and thicker rubber band can store more force when it is pulled back which results in greater force being released once you let go of it.
99.9% of athletes will almost exclusively try to improve their concentric strength and/or output through concentric training means only, resulting in plateau after plateau.
The big mistake here is that your concentric strength relies greatly on your eccentric strength because the more you force you can absorb, the you'll far greater potential to put force out.
In the video I demonstrate a few ways you can go about improving your eccentric strength.
The first exercise is just your basic back squat performed with a slow eccentric contraction over 5 - 6 seconds. You shouldn't need anymore then 4 - 12 total reps of these per session using a load from anything from 60 - 90% of your max. Obviously the heavier you go up in load then less reps you'll need.
Eccentric squats were a big part of the Triphasic Training program I ran with from September 2012 to June 2013 and they really teach you to stay tight through the core which adds plenty of pounds to all of your lifts.
These are best programmed in an eccentric block like they are in Triphasic and don't worry, you won't get weaker from not doing traditional squats.
Make sure you set those pins up correctly too!!
The second exercise is a depth drop or altitude landing which is now transferring the eccentric squat into actual performance - in this case jumping. Stand on a bench and actually step off it, don't jump off it and try to stick the landing as 'fast" as you can. Sticking it fast means that if your initial landing has a knee bend of 25 degrees then it should stay that way. If you can't stick the landing with the knee bend you initially land with then the drop height is too high.
Starting at a 12 inch box height progress to a height that is equal or slightly higher then your tested vertical jump. These can be very demanding on the nervous system so again your best served to perform these in a specific power block for 3 to 4 weeks before taking them out for the next 6 - 8 weeks.
The third exercise is called a drop squat and looks similar to the depth drop but is a lot different. What you're aiming to do is to drop your hips into the squat but pull your thighs upwards and then push them into the ground. They can be done with some external load but you'll definitely need to master these before adding weight of any kind. These aren't as demanding as depth drops so they can used at anytime for either a nervous system neural charge exercise, or a plyometric type exercise.
The depth drop and drop squat exercises also train a bit of stiffness and forefoot action too!!
I'm feverishly putting together this years pre season training program with the possibility of running a training camp in the studio. If you're interested in either then let me know via the Facebook page.
I love the 100 meter sprints when the Olympics are on. I don't get up early for much but last year I got up everyday in the second week of the O's when the 100 and 200 meter sprints were on.
Every race has 5 replays but the relevant one in regards to this post is the view from the finish line looking straight down the track to the on coming sprinters.
It's during this particular view that can see each of the sprinters faces of which you'll see their cheeks wobbling all over the place, and in the case of Shirvo back in his day, other "bits" too!
The ability to relax when you are attempting to run at top speed is critical.
Try this out for size:
Sit on the floor with your torso fully upright, clench your fist as hard as you can so your arms all tense up (c'mon, you know how to do that part) and then pump your arms as fast as you can like your sprinting. Count your arm pumps.
After a quick breather assume the same position but this time extend and point each of your fingers not quite as hard as you can but about 75% and repeat the arm pumping action from before. Count your arm pumps again.
I bet you my left one you got more arm pumps on the 2nd set...well you should have.
When you clench up then all of your muscles go into state of isometric contraction which means there are no other contractions be performed which means you're not really going to get anywhere, let alone get there fast.
The secret your looking to unlock is to be able to contract and relax in a short as time as possible.
In my recent posts I have talked about forefoot dominance and stiffness and this ties in with each of them and somewhat overlap in how you'd train them.
In the video below I run through a few exercises to train relaxation.
The first exercises is times squats which are best performed with 25 - 55% of your 1 rep max for 3 - 10 seconds. The heavier the weight you use then the shorter timed sets you'd use. If the arm pumping example didn't work for you before then you'll definitely get what I mean about not being able to go as fast as you potentially can without the ability to relax during these. Full range of motion is necessary for these sets as you're focusing on speed so the range of motion used during footy is all you need which is somewhere between a 1/4 and 1/2 squat.
I then move into a russian sprint which trains the ability relax and then contract at the very end range of motion. You want to keep your hips level so don't turn this into a lunge jump where you aim to get up to give you room to switch your legs. By keeping your hips level of your starting position, you need to fully relax to generate the speed to get from end range to end range. 2 - 3 sets of 4 - 8 each leg is suitable here but stop each set once your speed and/or quality of movement decreases.
This type of training can also be used for the upper body through various movements with a drop and catch bench press being displayed by yours truly. So you're contracting somewhat holding the bar at lockout then when you drop the bar, you must relax in a millisecond to get under the bar to catch it where you then contract again very hard. As you catch the bar, stop it where you touch it, try not to catch it and have it lower a little bit in your hands. Again 2 - 3 sets of 4 - 8 can be used here again in the 25 - 50% range.
I actually have a bunch more of these I;'m using now that I'll post about later on when I've given them a good run through first.
Pop these in your warm up as you need to do these exercises in a fresh state to get the most out of them.
In honor of the retirement of the great 'Stiffy' Johncock or purely by coincidence, this week's post will focus on stiffness on why you actually WANT it.
Of course I couldn't be possibly talking about stiffness in the truest sense of the word as we know because stiffness in muscles and joints usually leads to extended time on the injury list so no, I am not referring to that.
What I am talking about is stiffness of the lower leg, especially the Achilles tendon.
Like all tendons, the Achilles stores energy, releasing it when you sprint or jump. Think of it as a giant rubber band.
When you pull the rubber band back (the storing energy part) you will back it back until it's as tight as you can get it without snapping and let it go all of a sudden in an attempt to get as much distance (the releasing energy part) as you can.
If you only pull it a little bit back then all the slack won't have been taken out of it and once you let it go it basically flops on the spot and drops right at your feet.
So as you can see stiffness in the lower leg area is a must to excel on the football field.
Combine this with some forefoot dominance described in my last post and you've really set yourself up to become a speed demon with a relatively low intensity and low volume meaning you can slot this into any type of program you;re doing without fear of tipping you into the overtraining box.
There is a video of some exercises you can use for stiffness below which again you'd pop into your warm up after your forefoot exercises for a couple of sets each. For toe jumps do 20 - 30 reps per set. For the line and lateral line jumps do 10 second sets counting the reps you can get in each set. For the split jumps do sets of 5 - 8 per leg.
There are plenty of exercises you can use for this and I might make a video of all of them in the future but any low level jump or hop will do hear with your main focus to keep foot deformity to a minimum like last week and also keep your knees as straight as you can so the lower leg has to do all the work.
The engine is a good answer but what connects the engine with the road?
Ah yes, the wheels.
If your wheels can't support the engine then bad things happen. Bad expensive things. And no doubt you'd get onto that right away.
As this a blog on footy and the preparation of your body for it, lets go out of the speaking in metaphors.
You pump it all the way up in the gym getting bigger and stronger in the hope of getting faster and thus better (cos speed is king).
You'll squat. You'll deadlift. You'll lunge. A lot of you will leg extend which is a waste of time but hey, not everyone's perfect.
But let's go back a bit and think about the actual motion of running.
What's the only part of your body to touch the ground when you run?
What part of your body needs to be able to absorb and then release all the strength and power you've built up in your hips and legs to make sprinting faster an actual reality?
I bet you've never trained your feet and that's a huge mistake.
Specifically you want to focus on your big toe and your arch.
Addressing the big toe first If you have a stiff big toe then 3 major issues can arise.
1 - When you walk the entire body must advance over the foot and ankle but if your big toe is inhibited (just doesn't work like its meant to) then you'll fond another way around which alters your alignment and can cause problems at the foot, ankle, knee, hip, low back and even shoulder/neck issues.
2 - If you can't load your big toe then it can become arthritic pretty quickly.
3 - You won't be able to achieve triple extension or an adequate toe off position to achieve optimal sprinting mechanics and thus you won't be able to access the "engine room' you've worked long and hard to build up in the gym.
Addressing the arch, it's main role in sprinting is to be able to be strong enough to put as much force as you can generate into the ground with as little deformity as possible. If you bounce a flat footy on the ground it flattens out when it comes in contact with the ground and barely springs back if at all.
If you have a weak arch, and in a lot cases no arch at all, then you're leaking just as much power as you are generating.
To determine if it your big toe is an issue for you then record yourself doing some reverse lunges and look at your back foot. If your big toe is no good then you'll be loading your smaller toes on the outside of your foot and you won't be very stable either.
To determine if your arch is an issue then record your self performing a bodyweight squat and look for your foot to roll inwards as you descend into your deepest position.
Below is a video of some exercises that I've been using to train the forefoot.
For the squats onto toes focusing on pushing right through the big toe on every rep.
For the step ups again focusing on pushing through the big toe and limit foot deformity by maintaining the plantar flexed angle you start with.
For the depth drops focus on landing on your toes again limiting deformity of the foot upon landing and hold each landing for 1 - 2 seconds in an athletic stance.
The skipping basically puts all this together so stay on tour toes, push right through your big toe and keep foot deformity to a minimum where your heels should not touch the ground at all
Pop these in your warm up for 8 - 15 reps focusing on quality over quantity and aim for 3 - 4 times a week.
Last week I posted about diaphragmatic breathing and if your breathing patterns are not optimal, how they can cause joint and muscle tightness which WILL negatively affect your performance on a Saturday (if you're not already injured from them!)
To quickly recap when your breathing patterns, with the main culprit being a lack of diaphragmatic breathing, then 2 things can, and will happen.
1 - You'll tend to breath through your chest which will result in a lot of chest, neck and shoulder contractions every time you breath and with repeated contraction comes overactivity of all of these muscles which leads to chronic tightness. This will negatively affect your shoulder mobility. Massage or physio won't help here at all post 12 - 24 hours of treatment because you'll continue breath the way you do, and those muscles continue to work a very high rate.
and;
2 - Your diaphragm is one of the many muscles that is responsible for core stability. When this muscle is not being used to breath it's like any other muscle, and will become weak and unaccustomed to the roles that it's designed for. Again like any muscle, when it doesn't perform as optimally as it should then stress is shifted to other muscles to pick up the slack. In this case the muscles are hip, being closest in proximity to the lumbar spine, will become stabilisers and tighten up to provide that stability.
There's a fair chance that if you suffer from one then you'll be suffering from the other as well so both area's will need to be addressed.
Firstly you'll need to retrain your breathing patterns as described in last week's post linked above.
Secondly you'll need to integrate this diaphragmatic breathing pattern into stretches for the upper and lower body.
Over at my actual business website I have made up some home rehabilitation books with one each for knees, lower back and shoulders that has a step by step program for each. Head over to here to purchase through the Paypal link making payment to lange_troy@hotmail.com.
As a short case study I had a client who took a fall and developed a frozen shoulder about a week later because of it. He took a week off personal training from doctors orders then came back before he was meant to because he wanted to. His first session in he could only lift his hand off his hip about 10 - 15 degrees. In 10 - 14 days which would have accounted for 5 - 6 personal training sessions using the exact protocol from the shoulder book, we had him raising his arm all the way to the roof pain free but with a little discomfort.
These books works because it actually gets to the heart of the problem instead of treating a few symptoms and getting some very short term benefit only to fall back to your starting point in a day or 2.
If you have restriction anywhere then these books will go a long way to regaining that range of motion which will then set you up correctly to 'cement" that new and improved posture through strength training.
Last month I posted about my up coming series on "Training Idea's You've Never Heard Of", and now that I have finally filmed the videos I needed for them, let's get rolling.
First I'm going to teach you how to breath. Yep, you read that right.
Not having correct patterns can be hazardous in a shitload of ways. For the athlete the main one's is that your oxygen circulation will not be as good as it could be limiting endurance and it can lead to chronic muscle tightness.
As always the first thing to do is an assessment of your breathing so set up your camera phone, press record and take a video of you taking 3 big, deep breathes while lying on your back. Make these the biggest breathes you can take.
I'll wait for you to do that before I go on..................................................................................................
OK now have a look back at that video and see if your chest rises up more then anything when you take a breathe in. Am I correct? I probably am as I haven't seen anyone not breathe through their chest who I've tested this on which includes probably every client that has come through my studio in the last 6 months as well as friends and family I used as guinea pigs to put this into action.
So why is chest breathing so bad? Well it means that your not really using the muscle/s that are designed to actual perform your breathing with the biggest one being your diaphragm.
Being a chest breather is very uncool in 2 major ways.
The 1st way is that when you breath through your chest then you are contracting your pecs, front delts, upper traps and various neck muscles 20,000 times a day. Coincidentally it's these muscles that are chronically tight from sitting in front of a computer all day, driving and terrible programming with your gym program.
The 2nd way is when your diaphragm is not being used it becomes weak like any muscle. Being a member of the core muscle family, and a pretty damn important one at that, if it is weak than your core stability is not going to be as good as it could be either. What happens here is that because your core muscles are there to support the lumbar spine and pelvis above all else, when they can't because of weakness then the muscles in and around the hip will provide the stability instead which means they tighten up like North Melbourne in a 4th quarter.
That tight groin you have is probably not going to go away with some rest and massage because if you're still breathing, which is advantageous in regards to living, then those muscles are still being overworked.
Here's a video of yours truly with the first 2 breathes of each variation being purposefully bad ones, and the last 2 breathes being correctly demonstrated. Archie is also pretty good at it too but if you look at infants, they all are.
Notice how I breathe heavily through my chest on the first 2 breathes then strictly through the diaphragm on the last 2.
When practicing diaphragmatic breathing there are some rules to abide by.
1 - Breath in through your nose taking as much air in as you can in a controlled manner, we're not sniffing a mate's fart here.
2 - I instruct clients for the first half of the inhalation to fill the top part of your belly and then for the second half to push it down to your lower belly, essentially filling your entire belly.
3 - At the midpoint of the breathe your looking for 360 degree expansion of your core so you should feel pressure in the front, back and both sides of your belly. If you were a weight belt then that's what your aiming for.
4 - Hold that breath for about a second
5 - Through purst lips, exhale the breathe slowly and controlled. Again don't be in a hurry here.
6 - Each breath should take about 7 - 8 seconds to complete.
Perform a set of 10 breathes at the start of each gym session and actually the more you can practice this the better.
Going back to the video, I do breathing on my back (supine) and on my front (prone). I suggest starting off in a supine position and once you can do all 10 breathes without your chest moving at all, then roll onto your front and try the prone variation. The progression here is that you now are working against some resistance to get the 360 degree expansion in the form of your body pushing against the ground.
Have a crack at this and let me know how you go. Next week I'll post about using this diaphragmatic breathing to improve flexibility and mobility, a thing most of you can probably use.
Small group personal training done the right way. Train in a group - do YOUR OWN program. PT studio located in the heart of South Yarra on Surrey Road North, just off Toorak Road. 1on1 personal training also available. Don't do everyone else's program, get personal with your training.
