The Best Time You'll Ever Have in 4 Minutes or Less

I saw Eddie Izzard live last year in NYC, best show ever. Unfortunately, he wasn't in drag, but was still hilarious. Enjoy!

Women and ACL Injuries

Every year, an increasing number of women are participating at sports and doing so at a younger age. Unfortunately, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Studies have demonstrated that women have four to ten times more ACL injuries than males.

The main purpose of the ACL is to prevent the tibia from moving too far forward and rotating inward under the femur.
There are numerous factors that contribute collectively to the increased risk in ACL injuries: bio-mechanical differences, ligament laxity due to hormonal fluctuations, and improper strength and conditioning. We'll review the bio-mechanical differences and strength and conditioning aspect of ACL injuries.

Q Angle
One of the most important bio-mechanical differences is that women have a wider pelvis than men, due to women needing additional space for child bearing. The angle at which the femur and tibia meet is known as the Q angle. This increased angle not only concentrates greater stress on the knee, but also exerts an outward pull on the patella. Of the four quadriceps muscles, only one, the vastus medialus oblique (VMO), pulls on the patella medially. To negate the effects of women's greater Q angle, exercises which strengthen the VMO, must be performed.

Strength and Conditioning
Just as reading medical textbooks doesn't automatically make you a doctor, performing a strength and conditioning program doesn't assure you of improved performance and reduced risk of injury. To maximize performance and reduce risk, the exercises which make up a strengthening program must be executed perfectly. Simply going through an exercise without regard to proper form is at best, worthless, and at worst, creates injuries.
One of the best exercises increasing lower body strength, is the squat. However, 93% of people fail to perform the exercise correctly.

Performing a squat with a shortened range of motion actually increases the risk of ACL injuries, as performing the upper part of a squat only strengthens the muscles which exert a lateral pull on the patella. This has the same effect as if you were to magically widen the hips, causing an increase in the Q angle.

A properly executed squat dips down below parallel, until the hamstrings and calf muscles make contact. Only a squat which dips below parallel recruits the VMO, strengthening it and thereby reducing the lateral pull exerted by a female's wider hips. Performing a proper squat is simple, but not always easy. It's even harder to teach properly, which is why the majority of trainers allow their clients to perform squats incorrectly. Which basically means you're paying someone to give you an injury. If you train alone, make sure you perform a full squat, as it's the only way you'll derive any benefit.

The VMO
The VMO is one of the most underrated muscles, which is unfortunate due to it's ability to increase sprinting speed, vertical jump, and decrease the risk of all knee injuries. Focusing on the VMO is best done in the early off season.

The split squat performed on a wobble board is one of the best exercises for developing and strengthening the VMO. The instability provided by the wobble board heavily recruits the VMO, as it is a knee stabilizer. The key to this exercise is performing it with a full range of motion, the further you descend, the great the VMO is recruited.

Aerobic Activity
Aerobic activity is becoming increasing popular with athletes, believing it's the most efficient means for improving cardiovascular performance. Unfortunately, this is not only false, but it actually increase the risk of ACL injuries.
Whether decelerating from a full sprint, quickly changing direction, or landing from a jump, high levels of forces must be absorbed, neutralized and re-directed by the body. In some instances, our body absorbs up to up six times our body weight. For optimum performance and reduced risk of injury, this requires a high level of strength. Performing long duration aerobic activity will cause you to lose strength and muscle mass, as it will cause a muscle fiber shift away from high force to low force endurance.
Numerous types of muscle fibers exists, forming a continuum of fiber types ranging from slowest to fastest. The slowest fibers have the greatest endurance, but lowest growth and strength potential. The fastest fibers, have the least endurance capabilities, but the highest strength and growth potential. Marathon runners possess a high number of endurance fiber and have a physique that doesn't exactly appear healthy. Sprinters possess a high number of the faster, more powerful muscle fibers, and possess a muscular physique.
It's been shown that as little as eight weeks of endurance training will cause the faster muscle fibers to behave like the slower, weaker muscle fibers. Here are some studies to back up me up:

Kraemer WJ, Patton JF, Gordon, et al. Compatibility of high-intensity strength and endurance training on hormonal and skeletal muscle adaptations. J Appl Physiol 1995; 78(3): 976-89

Liu Y, Lormes W, Reissnecker S, and Steinbacker JM. Effects of high-intensity and low-intensity endurance training on myosin heavy chain isoform expression in highly trained rowers. Int J Sports Med 2003; May:24(4); 264-70

Thayer, Collins, Noble, Taylor. A decade of aerobic endurance training: histological evidence for fibre type transformation. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2000; Dec:40(4); 284-9

Cliff note version: aerobic activity causes the stronger, powerful muscle fibers to atrophy and behave like the slower, weaker muscle fibers. This has vital implications, because when your daughter's body tries to decelerate and change direction on the field, or land from a jump, the slower and weaker muscle fibers will be absorbing those forces. Since these muscle fibers are slower to engage, the ligaments and tendons will take on these forces until the the fibers respond. But whether the muscle fibers are sufficiently strong enough to tolerate those forces is a different matter.

Alternative to Aerobic Activity

If someone still feels they need to improve their aerobic capacity, then I prescribe the Tabata Protocol. It ensures they improve BOTH their anaerobic and aerobic capacities simultaneously, without losing strength. The Tabata protocol was developed for Japanese speed skaters and is extremely challenging.

Tabata et al. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2 max. Med Sci Sports Exer. 1992 Oct;28(10): 1327-30

As you now know, it's becoming clear that some of the increases in ACL injuries in both males and females is created by faulty strength and conditioning programs. Put these recommendations to use and you'll not only minimize your risk of ACL injuries, but you'll greatly improve your athletic performance as well.

By the way, I'll post the exact Tabata Protocol within the next few days.

Thanks to Mystic Muscle for allowing us to use their facility.

Masterpiece Theater

Best Movie Ever

After you watch this movie, you too can master the Buddhist Palm...just like me.

Best Actor Ever

If Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Segal, Bear Grylls and MacGyver were to have a baby...Rajini Kanth would be that child. Prepare to be mesmerized. To be fair, I might be biased, as I was Mr. Kanth's strength coach for the film.

Free iPhone App

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has consistently researched pesticides in the foods we eat. Their research has demonstrated that we can lower our pesticide exposure by almost 80% by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and instead, focus on eating the least contaminated produce.
The EWG has produced a guide, recommending which produce to buy organic or conventionally grown and is constantly updated. You can either print out a PDF version to take with you to the grocery store, or download the guide as a iPhone app.

Download Here

Guns!

Tired of women calling you "Linguine arms?" Have complete strangers come up to you and said "You have a string hanging out of your shirt sleeve," only to look down and realize they were talking about your arm? Then give this exercise a try: wrist curled back barbell curl.

To perform, grab the barbell with a slightly wider than shoulder width grip. Before lifting the barbell, curl your hands back and away from you, keeping them locked in this position. Keeping your wrist curled back, takes the forearms out of the motion, placing a greater demand on your biceps.

Key Points

• Keep wrist cocked back for the entire exercise
• Keep elbows by your sides
• Lift the barbell, do not swing it

One of the keys to developing huge arms is performing a variety of exercises. Take a break from the seated dumbbell curls and perform this exercise for the next few weeks. Perhaps then, you'll no longer be known as "Linguine arms."

Thanks to Mystic Muscle for allowing us to use their facility.

Blue Food Dye Treats Spine Injury in Rats

Researchers weren't intentionally studying the effects of blue dye on spine injuries...but it still happened.
Read Here

For Women Only

When it comes to training men and women, most coaches believe they should not be trained any differently. I happen to believe the situation is not that simple, as physiological differences between the sexes require different training strategies. The main concern is that of menstruation.

Most coaches fail to consider how a woman's body responds to resistance training during her 28 day hormonal cycle. To be fair, not all women are affected equally during menstruation. Take for instance, two of my clients, "Lisa" and "Mary." Both are Division 1 track and field athletes, and their response to their menstruation cycles are as different as night and day. During certain phases of her cycle, Lisa cannot resistance train due to the painful cramps she experiences. At times they can be severe that her doctor prescribes her a mild sedative to ease her discomfort. Mary however, can train throughout her 28 day cycle and rarely experiences any discomfort.

Here's a graphic I refer to when designing a training program for women:

Each phase of menstruation has unique physiological and psychological characteristics which require specific changes to a training program.
Days 1 to 5
Higher perceived exertion and fatigue
Increased risk of injury due to joint laxity and lack of focus
Increased low back pain

Days 6 to 13
Ideal phase for hard strength training sessions
Hardest training sessions of the month should be planned during this period

Day 14
Testosterone peaks, ideal time for a maximum effort training session

Days 15 to 21
Maintain the same high intensity and training volume

Days 22 to 28
Reduction in reaction time, dexterity and agility
Higher perceived exertion and fatigue
Increased risk of injury due to joint laxity and lack of focus

It's also important to note the changes that occur to body composition, such as water retention. It's not uncommon for women to gain an additional 5-10 lbs of water during her cycle. This fact is important to remember, as a trainer (male or female) without a solid understanding of female hormonal issues, may believe the weight gain is the client's fault.

The training programs I design for my elite female clients are dynamic and reflect what's occurring to their bodies hormonally. To do otherwise, would be denying them the ability to reach their goals safely and in a timely manner.