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                My grandfather taught me as youngster to always be sceptical of everything.  I may tend to take this a bit far, but for the most part he was right.  Believe it or not, there are people out there that are trying to sell you stuff you don’t need and feed you full of information that is not always truthful.   The point of this article is to preach common sense and accountability on individuals.   I will tie this in with a variety of my thoughts and how it may pertain to the fitness industry.  Many of the stories below come from the countless hours we spend with our client’s week in and week out.

Story # 1

This is from my session with one of my favourite Tuesday morning clients.  She is one of our fittest clients for her age range (15-83)!  Any who, in our morning conversation we talked about a doctor friend of hers that sits on a chair that is trying to make the major fast food chains be accountable for labelling nutritional values on all of their products.  The idea is wonderful, but I think they are getting a step ahead of themselves.  I’m pretty sure the people that eat at these types of restaurants are the same people that do not concern themselves with what labels say.  I go shopping 2-3 times per week and rarely see people paying attention to what they are purchasing.  Ultimately it is our responsibility as consumers to know what we are buying and putting into our bodies, then put a value on it.  Is this worth 500 calories, do I need this much salt, do I know what any of these ingredients are other than sugar etc.  I like to think someone wouldn’t buy a new car without researching it first, but I would be wrong, otherwise the YUGO would not have had a stellar 4 year run.  The same is said for nutritional values, we tend to believe what people tell us without doing the appropriate research.   Just because a label says “fat free” or “healthy choice” doesn’t necessarily make it so! 

                This group of doctors are doing tireless work and should be commended for it.  We need more people that are advocates for the consumer in this world.  My only criticism would be that if people don’t care to read labels, how will this help?  If you eat at a fast food chain, I am pretty sure you know that what you are consuming is not healthy.  My suggestion would be to educate people as to what the labels mean first.  How many of you are aware of how many calories you should consume?  How much fibre you should ingest daily and how to get it?  How much sodium you should ingest etc…    I like to think that if people knew that they were getting their daily caloric intake, double their recommended sodium and no fibre, in one super duper value meal, they may be a little more interested as to what they are putting into their bodies.

                I do not want to take anything away from this great idea, but I think it would be beneficial to make it mandatory that the daily recommended values be taught in school and published on a regular basis in newspapers, on the news, in ads and most importantly-above urinals (It’s a short read and at eye level!).  This will put the hones on the consumer and then we can point at them and tell them we told you so!  This is not without its problems as well.  The recommended values would need to come from unbiased sources, not doctors and scientists that receive funding from lobbyists. 

Story # 2

                This is from another one of my fittest clients that fall in the age range of 15-83.  There was talk of charging parents of fat kids with neglect.  This will tie into the above story regarding accountability.  If you are going to charge the parents, what about the schools, stores and fast food restaurants?   In the last few years, the schools have removed all “junk food” from their vending machines and replaced them with suitable healthy alternatives.  When is that last time someone thought “hmm, I feel like some carrot sticks, I’m just going to run to the vending machine”?  Joking aside, how do you put fruit in a vending machine and think that it will stay fresh?  Is putting foods full of nitrates and other chemicals healthy?  If kids want to eat junk, they will get it.  By taking junk food out of vending machines, we are just forcing the consumer to go to any store and get what they are looking for.  Many of these schools count on the vending machines for added revenue and with all the cutbacks to education I find it hard to fault them for it.  This is where my common sense kicks in! I would suggest putting in snacks that are healthier alternatives to candy bars, but not quite as healthy as carrot sticks or apple slices.  Granola bars, dried fruit and nuts, baked chips and pretzels and flavoured milks come to mind.  Sure, they are not the best alternative, but they are all products that may spark the kid’s interest over time and are healthier than the nitrate and sugar rich alternatives that are in there now.  

                I remember doing a workshop with one of the local highs schools when this first occurred.  The vending machines sat full of somewhat nutritious goodies while the cafeteria sold candy bars and other crap foods.  If the ultimate goal is to increase the health of these kids and schools, then the only way for it to work is to not allow anyone in the school to sell it.  As I mentioned, budget cuts are killing these schools, so it is tough to fault them for trying to raise funds.   

                There is a fairly simple solution to both topics I have touched on.  Awareness!  Make both parents and children aware of what they are putting into their bodies and explain the consequences in a cut and dry manner.   We do not need pie charts and research studies that no one can understand except the lab technicians that did them.  Make the literature easy enough to read for a 7 year old to understand and word it so it is not insulting to academics.  If this seems difficult, maybe researchers should spend less time researching and more time talking to the people that their study is going to affect to ensure that there is an actual benefit for it.

My Final Thoughts:

                Please don’t take this the wrong way; I am not trying to take anything away from these groups that are advocating healthier lifestyles.  I would just like to see us put more into education and awareness.  If people understood how to read the labels and were aware of how misleading they can be, we would all be accountable for our own actions.  For people that live a fairly healthy lifestyle, it is hard to understand why people are obese or overweight when we have so many healthy choices available to us.  I believe that if people had the slightest clue as to how many calories they were putting into their bodies with each snack, meal and drink-they might understand the benefit of just ordering a single patty burger as opposed to the triple patty they are used to.  Many people that eat poorly just need to understand the concept of calories in versus calories out.  Get off the crash diets and make small changes based off what you read on nutrition labels and you will see change over time.  For many North Americans this can be as simple as cutting back on or cutting out something as simple as drinking your calories (juice, pop, beer etc.). 

                Be accountable for yourselves and your families.  We all want to live a long healthy life and the pressure to do so is in our hands first.  We can blame fast food chains as much as we want, but at the end of the day it is up to us to decide whether we want to eat there or not.

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum

            I’m going to start this rant out with what is called the sandwich technique-Say something positive “Happy New Year”, followed by something negative “I’ve got bad news, new year’s resolutions rarely work” followed by something positive “I’ve also got good news, If you are realistic, you can follow through with your resolutions”.  Get it, it’s like the bread is the positive stuff and the meat is negative!  To be fair to sandwiches, the meat isn’t really negative (unless it’s bacon and hotdog meat); otherwise you just have two pieces of bread. 

            Enough about sandwiches.  Every year I get an influx of people starting up with gym memberships and training packages so they can reach their goals of dropping the extra ten pounds of uncooked doughnut batter that has accumulated around their waists and butts over the Christmas holidays.  We have all made resolutions, some very small, some drastic, but the common bond no matter how big the goal is we tend to overdo it.   I am going to touch on some tips for goal setting that can be used for any resolution(s) you may have chosen.  I am taking these steps from information that I would use with any of my athletes as I believe that there is a very strong crossover. 

            There are 3 essential types of goals:

I will touch on the 3 types of goals, give examples of each and let you make your own decisions from there.

Outcome goals focus on the results of the activity and involve a sense of success or failure, in this context very few ultimately succeed.  You must be careful not to focus too much on the outcome as we do not have complete control over it (i.e. weather conditions, work or family commitments, Chuckee Cheese has a onetime all you can eat buffet etc).  It can undermine our sense of confidence and belief in our abilities.  We can only train to the best of our ability which may not always produce the desired result.

Outcome goals tend to be what most New Year’s resolutions are made of.  Keep in mind, I am adapting this from sport performance and I am being fairly surly.  

• “I’m going to go the gym 7 times a week and lose 50 pounds by June.”
• “I’m going to enter in a triathlon and finish in the top 20, even though I can’t swim”.
• “I’m never drinking again after I chundered chick peas on my girlfriends new leather jacket.”
• “I’m going to do 300 sit ups a day so I can get a six pack.”

In general, I find outcome goals set you up for failure.  They are not always a bad thing, but when we are gung ho about setting a goal and we don’t achieve it, there tends to be a meltdown that is attached with eating a tub of Cherry Garcia ice cream.  This is why most restrictive diets don’t work.  Either you lose the weight and make your goal and think that one extra beer or bag of cheetos won’t hurt, or you don’t get the desired result and say “screw it, I worked this hard to lose 3 pounds” and don’t care if you have ten more beers and 5 bags of cheetos.

Performance Goals relate to “how we train” and include the technical, physical and psychological aspects.  The importance of these goals is that they are under our control and are independent of the outcome. 

            Performance goals are a more realistic approach and tie in with the next goal type.

•  “I’m going to the gym at least 3 times per week and am going to walk to work at least once a week.  I am going to cut back 1-200 calories a day and try to lose 2-3 pounds per month.”
• “I am going to learn how to swim and sign up for a gym membership and find out about triathlon sprints and hope to compete in at least one this year.”
• “I’m not going to power drink 20 beers every weekend while eating hummus, but I will have a few if I can control it, or maybe consider switching to light beer or a lower calorie spirit.  I may even consider cutting back my alcohol consumption each day and on weekends where I tend to overdo it”
• “I’m going to do a mix of strength training and cardio so I can increase my life expectancy and learn why doing 300 sit ups a day will only make my hip flexors tight and low back sore.”

Process Goals relate to how we prepare to perform.  These goals can be under our control (sleep, nutrition, equipment, training behaviour, travel etc.). 

Process Goals coupled with performance goals are your best bet to meeting a new year’s resolution in my opinion.  They are both realistic and attainable and don’t set you up for failure.

• “I’m going to meet a training partner at the gym Mon, Wed and Fri at 6pm and am going to prepare my meal plan every Sunday and Wednesday for the entire week.  I will try to calculate my daily calorie intake on one of the many calorie counters I can find on the web.
• “I am going to sign up for swimming classes and look into hiring a Level 10 Fitness personal trainer or strength coach to help me periodize my training plan for one of the triathlon sprints I have researched.”
• “I’m going to sign up for AA.”
• “I’m going to watch my diet, exercise as much as possible including strength/resistance work and cardio and come to the realization that a 6 pack is mainly genetic and that my body fat % must be less than 12%.”

Here are a few ideas to help you achieve your 2010 New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Start small and think big.  When I’m helping clients or athletes with goal setting I believe it is important to start with very attainable goals.  It gives us a sense of self worth and pride as we have achieved something (regardless of size of goal).
2. Set goals and set them often.  After taking step one, we reset a new goal, once it is achieved continue the pattern.
3. Try to find someone that is interested in setting the same or similar goal.  By having a partner you will find motivation, healthy competition and someone that will hold you accountable for your actions.  Be careful not to force your goals on others!  Remember you are doing this for you and these goals must be intrinsically motivating. 
4. Don’t be afraid to fail.  We learn our biggest life lessons from our failures.  Learn from past mistakes, correct them and move on with the realization that you can’t change the past….unless you have a time machine.
5. Be positive.  We all feel like crap sometimes, but the power of the mind is much more than that of the body.  When you fall off (which you most likely will at some point), refocus and move forward and put in the past.
6. Keep a journal.  For most of us, this seems cheesy, but the fact is it is a great way to unwind before bed and can be used as a great reflection tool when and if things become stagnant.  Make notes of when you felt great or not so great and try to recreate the good moments based off what you were feeling at the time of your journal entry.

My final thoughts:

            Goal setting and resolutions are not for everyone, but if you are one of the millions that embark on these journeys-try a few of the steps I mentioned.  I don’t have a problem with starting the New Year with new goals so long as you are realistic and patient.  Success when starting and finishing a resolution comes from an internal motivation that can’t be forced onto you.  You must decide what you want to do first, and then take the appropriate steps to follow through with it.  Start small and work your way up to bigger goals with the thought process that this is actually a lifestyle change, not a get into my Speedos for my trip to Hawaii in 3 months goal.  Have fun with it, be creative and if you fall off, get back on as soon as possible and you will reap the rewards….at some point!   I am going to leave you with some of my favourite Homer Simpson Quotes with regards to trying and failure.  Don’t forget you need to laugh once in a while to.  As always, if you would like to comment or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at joe@level10fitness.ca.

“Trying is the first step towards failure.”

“If you really want something in life you have to work for it. Now quiet, they’re about to announce the lottery numbers.”

“Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.”

“Phfft! Facts. You can’t use them to prove anything.”

“You can’t keep blaming yourself. Just blame yourself once, and move on.”

                                                -Homer Simpson

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum

The Squat-A simple break down of a complex exercise

                As the director of high performance training at Level 10 Fitness inc., I deem the squat as one of the most important exercises for our athletes.   Before I go on, I want to re-iterate that there are numerous ways to execute this movement.  I will discuss the methods I use to teach our athletes and trainers and will touch on some of the corrections and cues that we use to enhance this exercise (keep in mind, these are just a few and that every person is different-use them as a rough guideline) at the end of the article.   Like all exercises, the squat and its variations do have an element of risk that comes along with it.  One of our key points when teaching any movement is following the correct progressions to ensure safety in conjunction with correct loading and periodization.  

Coaching points from the top down.

Bar position for the Back Squat:

• The pins should be set so the athlete must step under the bar to lift it off (we do not want them on their toes when they are lifting off the weight).  If there is more than one athlete in the same rack, set the pins to the shorter athlete. 
• The athlete should be instructed to grip the bar outside shoulder width or slightly wider.
• Step under the bar and place it just below the upper traps and just above the superior aspect of the shoulder blades.  Make sure the bar is evenly placed and cue the athlete to squeeze the shoulder blades together to create “muscular shelf” for the bar to rest upon. 
• No athlete should be allowed to use a pad or towel wrapped around the bar.  This can cause slippage and throw off balance. 
• Bar placement too high or too low will generally result in excessive trunk flexion and/or pain due to the boney prominences of the neck and shoulder blades.

Bar Position for the Front Squat:

• The pins should be set to the same height as for the back squat. 
• The athlete should grip the bar with an overhand grip at approximately shoulder width.  As the athlete steps under the bar, they should be instructed to switch their grip to an underhand by shooting their elbows up and through (clean grip).  The finished bar placement should include the elbows facing the ceiling and the bar resting across the front delts.
• Most athletes have limited wrist flexibility, so if necessary, you may use straps to grip the bar.  Instruct the athlete to grip the straps as close to the bar as possible so they are working on flexibility.
• I prefer the use of straps for this movement to the hands crossed position for gripping the bar.  The front squat is a great precursor for your clean and jerk variations.  It is also much more stable!

 The Descent (Back Squat):

• Foot placement should be hip to shoulder width (slightly wider for larger athletes) with toes facing straight ahead to slightly outward.
• Head position should be neutral.  In general, have the athlete keep their eyes fixed about 12-18’’ from the base of the floor in front of the rack.  I know traditional technique has taught us to look up to maintain a “flat back”.  I understand the rationale for this and it is still a great tool for teaching young athletes that seem to struggle with simple motor patterning.  But the fact is, most elite athletes lack extension of their thoracic spine (postural issues).  This lack of mobility causes the athlete to make up for their lack of mobility in their T-Spine by arching their lower back (this becomes even more evident when a load is placed on their spine).  Forcing the head up can also cause neck strains! 
• Back Posture.  Traditionally, strength and conditioning coaches have told athletes to keep their backs “flat” while squatting.  I believe the athlete should maintain a neutral back posture and the strength coach should take note if there are any excessive kyphotic or lordotic curvatures occurring throughout the movement then prescribe corrections before considering loading the bar.  Kyphotic curve is generally treated with rolling of the T-Spine and pecs, pec stretching and low and mid trap work. Lordotic curve is generally treated with rolling and stretching of the hamstrings, hip flexors and TFL (tensor fascia latae) along with low ab strengthening and activation.  ***There are some strength coaches that encourage the excessive lordotic curve (low bar squats) with the excessive neck extension (looking up).  I can’t tell you how much I dislike this form.  As someone that no longer has any discs in their lower back, I can tell you this position puts unneeded stress on the discs (both upper and lower) and I strongly believe this compromising position makes it difficult to increase power.  I am not one to believe the movements in the weight room should mimic those of the field of play, but I have never seen a sport where this posture will exhibit success.
• Have the athlete take a deep breath; push their bum back with the weight on their heels (try to maintain somewhat vertical shin angle).  Push out on the knees as if you were splitting the earth and squat until your top of thigh is parallel to the ground (your knees should break your hips). 
• Keep in mind that some forward bending (flexion) at the hip is not only ok, but is necessary to maintain a neutral spine to a top of thigh parallel squat depth.   As a coaching guideline-in the bottom position the shoulders should roughly be in line with the knees and toes.  Generally we cue the athlete not to let their knees shoot out over the toes, but if the athlete is flexible enough and has proper knee tracking with the weight distributed over their heels, they should be fine (Olympic lifting style). 

The Descent (Front Squat):

• The same cues as a back squat for the most part.  The major difference is instructing the athlete to keep their elbows up throughout the movement. 
  • If you are working with taller/lean athletes (basketball and volleyball players with long torso’s) I recommend starting with the front squat instead of the back squat.

The Ascent (Back Squat):

• As the athlete switches from the eccentric action to concentric, have them let their breath out, drive through the heels, push out on the knees and return to the start position.

The Ascent (Front Squat):

• The same cues as a back squat for the most part.  Have the athlete drive their elbows up as they return to the start position to maintain posture.

The Squat:

With all the gimmicks and scientific review, I have yet to be convinced of a better exercise for developing athletes.   As of late, there are a few strength coaches that have abandoned the squat in its entirety because they believe (and there is scientific literature to support this) that it is primarily a low back movement as opposed to a leg movement.  These coaches have switched to a Bulgarian split squat (which is a great movement as well).  I am very open minded when it comes to program design and I utilize the split and single leg movements in my program as well.  But, if the concern is that it is a low back dominant exercise, we should also be concerned with the SI joint being compromised in the split variations.  A large population (not just athletes) suffer from some rotation of the hips and by being in a split position you inherently torque one hip flexor and one hamstring causing a pronounced rotation.  Just like any movement we do, the strength and conditioning coach must be weary of all these things before prescribing these exercises.  So if the low back does act as a prime mover, I keep it in consideration and do not follow my squats with a dead lift. If you have read any of my previous articles, you will know that I am not a big fan of the traditional dead lift.  Not because I dislike the movement, but because I find most athletes do not have the ability to perform it correctly and I deem the squat a more important exercise.  I would never shy away from a movement because I felt it was too hard to teach.  As I mentioned before, our situation does not give us enough contact hours with the athletes, so our time must be spent wisely.  I deem the squat and the Olympic lifts to be of more value for our athletes and if their technique in those is flawless, we look to use variations of the dead lifts that are much safer and easier to teach (keeping in mind how much lumbar spine load they are getting with their squats and Olympic lifts).

My final thoughts:

        SQUAT. (That means squat-period!)  It doesn’t matter your age or technical ability, there are many forms of the squat that can be utilized by all populations.  Use progressions and volume with light loads or bodyweight to work on technique.  Keep in mind, that most athletes will not really show any flaws in form until you fatigue them in a given movement (through volume) or add an external load (this is the same for most movements including exercises in the weight room or running mechanics).  Once the flaw(s) are identified, correct them and remember that good quality repetitions are the key for mastering any skill.  Athletes that are having difficulty with a movement (squat or any other) will start every workout with a brief technical session with little or no load to get extra reps in until they are up to speed along with their corrective exercises.  Good luck in the squat rack and don’t forget to take a look at some of the corrections we use for common flaws when squatting below.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at joe@level10fitness.ca.

Squat Corrections (Sorry, the table did not paste as well as I hoped):

Yours in Strength,

Joe Mccullum

Over the last decade, the face of sport performance has changed drastically.  The days of showing up to practice and games for increasing performance are all but gone.  For athletes from the development level up to the professional level and everything in between, requires the aid of strength and conditioning coaches, therapists, mental coaches and family/community support.  In this article I will explain the Level 10 Fitness philosophy for strength and conditioning and touch on some of the more popular methods of training athletes.  It is important to note, that there are many ways to skin a cat and all of them can be effective.  For the most part, there are thousands of strength and conditioning coaches out there and at the end of the day all clientele are seeking the same thing-RESULTS.  As a reader, it is important to understand that we may all have different training methods as strength coaches, yet we all yield positive results to varying degrees.  There are many strength and conditioning coaches using completely different methods than the ones we use and they still are having success.  We feel our methods are the best for the populations we work with, but it should be understood that we are very open minded in our approach because success should not be solely measured by data, but performance in your perspective sport.  We believe that an athlete should not get hurt in the weight room regardless of what phase they are in or what movement they are executing. 

In Canada, we do not have the luxury of having a team of doctors and therapists waiting to help our athletes.  We have to consider the safety of these athletes and understand that if we take them out of their sport because of something we incurred due to negligent programming, we are costing the athlete (in some cases millions of dollars) time away from training and competition.  I firmly believe that we can train athletes at high loads and intensities with minimal injuries if we are cautious of what we are prescribing them.  Too often, we get caught up in numbers (who can lift the most etc) and choosing exercises that we think or are told are the best without looking ahead to what the potential damage can be.  All of our athletes go through a comprehensive movement screen and physical testing regimen.  Our testing protocols are not necessarily designed to see who is the fittest and strongest or most powerful, but to see what type of deficiencies or imbalance we may need to correct along the way and what type of improvements they can yield from test date to test date.  We firmly believe that an athlete can be trained to increase power, strength, size, agility and conditioning while still working on deficiencies.   As strength and conditioning coaches, we must look at the bigger picture of long term success. 

There are 3 main methods that most strength coaches draw their periodization and program design from: Olympic lifting, Power Lifting and Bodybuilding.  With these, there are other subsections that include: core training, Pilates, yoga, physiotherapy, stretch therapy (there are others, but this will do for now) and with those there are some sports that utilize specialized methods such as track and field and gymnastics as a style of training.  At Level 10 Fitness Inc. We tend to use a combination of all of the above to fit the individual athlete or teams.  I will touch briefly on why some of these methods are chosen from other professionals in our industry along with why we tend to use the combination of all of them with our clientele.  It is important to note: As strength and conditioning coaches, it is our job to help build better athletes, not just better weight lifters or sprinters (unless they are weightlifters or sprinters).  We have to breakdown the movement of a given sport and identify the following: what is the athletes physical age and training age (how long have they trained for), physical capabilities, past injury concerns and common injuries of the given sport, sport position, physical and mental demands of sport etc.  Given every sport is different (although most athletes will have the same goals of becoming leaner, bigger, faster, more powerful, stronger etc) we cannot attempt to train them all the same.  Don’t get me wrong, for the most part I believe athletes in general need to do very similar movements, it is the intensities/loads and auxiliary exercises that may differ.  It is also important to note that we do not want to just target an athlete’s strengths and weakness’.  We need to keep the strengths strong and bring their weakness’ up to speed.

Olympic Lifting:

Olympic lifting is based off of the Olympic sport “weightlifting”.  In competitions athletes complete 2 lifts: the clean and jerk and the snatch (highest total for weight class wins).  Their style of training involves high speed, ballistic style movements with complimentary exercises such as deadlifts and squats.  Olympic lifting is thought to be the fastest sport in the world.  There are not many athletes that can move well over their bodyweight from the floor to overhead in a blink of an eye!  You Tube Reza Zadeh if you want to see power (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FwIDwBDcnA)!

All of our athletes use some form of Olympic lifting in their programs.  The difference from using it as a weight lifter vs. athlete (field, court, mat, track or other) is in the loads and the variance of the movements.  We tend to use variations of the traditional Olympic lifting variety with hang and dumbbell variations.  These movements are extremely complex and require attention to detail from both the strength coach and the athlete.   The benefits of these movements are that they are extremely athletic in nature and require the entire body (multi-joint) to be switched on (fast twitch fibres and CNS), they incorporate a rapid knee and hip extension similar to jumping and sprinting, they incorporate acceleration and deceleration similar to that in sport (the foundation of speed development and change of direction ability) along with the rapid change of elevation of the hips.  For me, one of the most important aspects is that it teaches the athlete the motor pattern of developing force through the ground.  There are many strength coaches that discredit the use of Olympic lifting because of the technical demands and the fear of injury.   I have used Olympic lifting as an athlete and as a coach for over 15 years and have not had an injury occur as a direct result of these lifts.  To be fair, I have had the luxury of working under some great strength and conditioning coaches that have helped me to become a better athlete and coach myself.  Although these lifts may be dangerous, if proper instruction, progressions and time is taken to learn them, I feel the risk of injury can be reduced greatly.

Limitations:

 Although these movements are highly athletic, they must be coupled with other movements to compliment the specific sport.  The loads used in Olympic lifting can tend to be much higher for the weightlifter vs. athlete.  Many of our athletes are competing or training year round and the stress of both can lead to injury.  This doesn’t mean we will not take our athletes to a higher load, but we have to be cautious and pay close attention to where the athlete is with regards to their season/training loads.  The traditional movements involved in the sport require the athlete to move the bar from the ground to overhead (highly technical).  Many of the athletes we train are overseas or out of province and rely on programs being sent to them with unmonitored training sessions.  Most of our athletes do not have the flexibility or technique to safely execute these movements without supervision (this is why we use hang variations, deadlift variations, jerk variations).  For the “Jerk” (the lifting of weight over head from shoulders) we have to consider the sport.  Many of our athletes have pre-existing shoulder injuries or postural issues making this movement difficult to use.  We also need to consider the nature of their sport-High contact sports place a tremendous amount of stress on the shoulders.   We will still use this movement, but in variations and during the off-season.  All of the athletes we train do utilize at least one of these variations in all of their workout sessions (both in season and off season). 

Purists of the sport of weightlifting may disagree with some of the modified techniques and variations we use, but it must be realized that we are training better athletes, not better weightlifters.  Some movements are modified for reasons such as: learning to extend the hips explosively, using cue words that may not necessarily correspond with traditional techniques but do correspond with how athletes respond to audible and visual cues (jump, explode, drive etc), generate force through the ground, accelerate and decelerate quickly etc.

Power Lifting:

Power Lifting, takes the total of the athletes squat, deadlift and bench press.  For the most part, these athletes train with their big 3 lifts along with a myriad of auxiliary lifts that will help supplement the major movements.  It is also important to note, that in competition, these athletes train with knee wraps, squat and deadlift suits and bench press shirts-See Kirk Karwoski with a ridiculous 1000lb squat for 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo1tU1YqPp0).  Like Olympic lifters, the sole goal is to increase your total of all lifts.  Again, we use similar movements as power lifters only we tailor them to suit the athlete’s needs. 

Limitations:

As in weightlifting, we utilize all 3 or variations of all 3 power lifting movements with slight modifications.  As above, the ultimate goal is to prepare the athlete to reach the highest total possible, not to build an all around athlete.  In general, the power lifting program like the weightlifters will use auxiliary lifts to enhance the major 3 lifts.  Although much of what we draw (even with auxiliary lifts) from these two strength and power sports are great, there still must be a balance to suit the sport and athletes individual needs.   Deadlifts have always been one of the great strength and power exercises since the dawn of time.  Who can lift the most weight off the ground was usually touted as the strongest!  Although it is a great exercise, we have to consider the loads involved, flexibility concerns of the athlete, technique and supervision and functionality of the movement.  Just like the Olympic lifting movements, the athlete is required to pick up a heavy load off the floor.  I prefer to use a rack or box deadlift or a Romanian dead lift unless I am assured the athlete has flawless technique.

Bodybuilding:

They build their bodies.  Bodybuilders are judged on their posing routines, symmetry and size of muscle etc.  All though these athletes may physically look great, the training regimen does not support the athletic nature of sport.  Strength and conditioning coaches have utilized many of the exercises popularized by bodybuilders for years; we have just modified the intensities and tempo of movements to support a particular sport.  

Limitations:

I firmly believe that all athletes need to have lean mass on their bodies.  Fat serves little or no purpose for the elite athlete other than in some power sports (football, wrestling, rugby etc) and even then, it should be limited.  I heard a story of an NFL lineman that had a trainer that felt he was overweight and wanted to drop his bodyweight from 310lbs to 275lbs.  I don’t have a problem with this, so long as the athlete is increasing his conditioning, strength and power to make up for the 35lb deficit.  We have to consider that some positions require large athletes to move other large athletes.  Giving up that type of weight may result in a negative performance, and in this case it cost the athlete a renewal of his contract.  We are not in the business of building better bodies; our sole goal is to increase performance.  Watch an NFL game on any Sunday and you will see some chunky dudes doing the most athletic things you have ever seen.  I have trained many athletes that look like Greek gods and play like crap and I have also seen guys that look like crap but play like Greek gods!

It is also important to note that when training women, there is a stigma that if they weight train they will end up looking like Ronnie Coleman (8 Time Mr Olympia)!  Part of our role as strength coaches is explaining to them that we are in the business of increasing performance and that in all likely hood you will increase your lean mass.  It is also important to mention to them, that there is zero probability of them looking like a female bodybuilder unless they decide to embark on a similar chemical regimen. 

Track and Field:

Although track and field is an actual sport, much of their training is utilized by strength and conditioning coaches as a style of training (like the above 3).  For the most part, their weight training regimen is very similar to that of the Olympic Lifter.   One thing that all athletes benefit from with regards to their performance is SPEED and POWER (regardless of sport).  So, it seems natural that as strength coaches, we may draw from the experiences of the track and field coach.  Sprinters and jumpers are amongst the fastest and most powerful athletes in the world.  Track and field coaches tend to also act as the athletes sport coach as well as strength and conditioning coach (or are very involved in both) giving them a great deal of contact hours with the athletes both in the weight room and on the track. 

Limitations:

• Track and field events are all linear for the most part.  Most sports involve lateral and backward movement.
• Track athletes increase their performance in the weight room!  You do not get faster just by trying to run faster-the same can be said for jumping and throwing events (unless you are improving your technique.  I am touching more on the elite athlete).  You must increase your strength and power for you to decrease times on your event or increase your jumping or throwing ability.  Unlike other sports, track and field athletes generally compete in events that do not have many external factors such as: contact with other athletes or the ground, lateral or backward movement, fierce weather conditions, intermittent burst and the use of multiple energy systems, long durations (throwing, jumping and sprinting events are done in seconds).
• Track and field has a very defined in-season and off-season allowing for the use of traditional periodization models. 
• Track athletes are measure in 100’s/per second!  As strength and conditioning coaches, we have to determine if it is more valuable to have an athlete run as a track athlete and shave a 100^th of a second off their sprint or to have them run as they would in sport.  The technique of running on a track is quite different than running in sport.  It is rare that you will see an athlete run over 10 meters in a straight line before they either have to change direction or make contact with another player.

My final thoughts:

            I wanted to write this article after reading many programs and many hours of meetings, emails and phone calls with other strength and conditioning coaches.  The fact is, it is impossible to determine that there is only one way to train an athlete.  To this day, I disagree with many of our competitor’s methods for programming, but they still are having success with their athletes, just as we are.  So how can we determine what is best?  I feel we need to work together with sport coaches, athletes, therapists, mental coaches and high performance directors to ensure the athlete is the one that is benefitting the most-not the coach.  Too often coaches get caught up in data and results, but lose sight of the bigger picture.  We need to have a blend of practical and scientific knowledge married with common sense and a common goal of winning.  We must draw from previous experience and make educated conclusions to make sure the athlete is getting what is best for them.  At the elite level, everyone’s head is on the chopping block.  Everyone in the chain of command all the way down to the athlete needs to be held accountable for performance.

Our success has come from using a combination of the above mentioned methods, with some of our own to help increase the overall performance of the athlete or team.  Over the last ten years I have learned that most coaches are forced to validate their positions by results in the gym or on the track.  As strength and conditioning coaches, specifically in Canada-what is most important for us to win?   Making a 600lb squatter squat 610lbs, or keeping his/her strength and power as high as possible but look at reducing the chance of injury and increasing performance and the longevity of their career?  Through combining all of the above methods of training along with corrective exercises we can help build an elite athlete and keep them at the top of their competition for years to come.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at joe@level10fitness.ca.

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum

Over the last few months it seems as though there has been more angst than appreciation for the upcoming 2010 Olympics that will be gracing our beautiful city.  Much of which is probably deserved!  I am writing this because I would like to compare this Olympics to the Salt Lake City Olympics which I was lucky enough to be a part of.  It is not a positional piece by any means, but a comparison with a few little rant style points for your reading enjoyment.

At this time of year in 2001, Salt Lake City was buzzing!  People were ramping up for a great event that was going to highlight thousands of athletes and countries alike.  For the most part, everyone in the city seemed excited for the games.  At the time, I was a young, handsome strength and conditioning coach with the University of Utah where the opening and closing ceremonies were to be held.   As strength coaches we were excited that elite athletes from all over the world were going to come and use our facilities for their training.  Brand new dorms were being built for the Olympic village that would replace the old prison style, one toilet per 6 people, 70 square foot sauna in the summer and meat locker in the winter.  The brand new 48, 000 seat stadium that was built for football was going to be rocked by Gene Simmons and KISS for the closing ceremonies (OK, maybe not a good thing because KISS sucks).  Most of the facilities were already in place so construction was not nearly as big of an issue as it is here (to be honest.  I think we went overboard on this; Vancouver is better set up than Salt Lake).   The beauty of the Salt Lake games was most events were spread out over the city within a 1 hour drive of each other.  There was little or no congestion (mainly because they didn’t have to deal with only 2 or 3 bridges connecting the cities) to get to venues or events. 

I am going to try not to sound as though I lack compassion here when I deal with the negatives in the following paragraph.  The Salt Lake Games loomed over one of the most catastrophic and horrific terrorist attacks the country had ever seen.  Just 4 months prior to the games, the 911 terrorist attacks occurred in New York sparking the largest Olympic budgets to date including the summer games.    I believe Salt Lake budgeted 300 million for security which was almost triple that of Atlanta’s summer games.   To credit the Americans, we should also consider that they were probably more accepting of the games due to the tragedy that had occurred and may have thought of the games as a way to help reunite the country.   

I don’t want to blame 911 for the increased budget.  We also have to consider the ego of the organizers to outdo the previous games comes into play as well.   It is not my intention to knock the government, VANOC and other organizers of the games because I don’t care about them.  For the most part, it seems as though they care more about furthering their own careers and saying they were part of the Olympics than what the TRUE spirit of the games should be.    Many of these athletes have dedicated their lives to performing for their countries and have made huge sacrifices to be there and I hope that people will respect that.   As a hateful person, I am opening my heart to hate those that are in this to make a buck, but for the love of all that is holy, please don’t take your frustrations out on these athletes (especially not the Canadian ones). 

My final thoughts:

I am not the biggest Olympic supporter by any means.  I am a supporter of sport and what it can do for an individual, a city and a country.  If history teaches us anything about the Olympics, it is that the ego of the following host country will come into play and try to outdo the previous games.  I think I have an idea on how we can still outdo the previous games in the future (some people are going to get mad here).  In Salt Lake City, the average cost per athlete was a staggering $791,667 per athlete.   2409 (I believe) athletes competed in the games or almost 2 billion dollars worth.  We can cut that in half almost if we change the games so those that want to just be participants are no longer included?   The games do not necessarily highlight the greatest athletes in the world, in many sports only the top 1 or 2 performers from a given country are allowed to compete (I know we all love hearing about the Jamaican Bobsled team).  So if Canada had the top 6 performers in the world in a given sport, we would not be able to have them all compete in the games.  This hardly seems fair if you are a legitimate contender in a given sport and you are sidelined so another athlete from another country can get to say they went to the Olympics.  This may seem harsh, but the reality is-this is not a high school all-star team!  These are supposed to be the greatest athletes in the world.  Why should we pay for an athlete that has not been successful in their sport on the world stage, but has earned a spot on the Olympic team because we are allowed one or two spots because we are a host nation?   How about we let the up and coming nations compete in the world cups and world championships and make the Olympics about the best athletes in the world. 

I have been inspired to write this every time I see Maelle Ricker (one of the top snowboarders in the world) come in from Squamish to North Vancouver every day to train with us at Level 10 Fitness.  She has made sacrifices to be where she is, yet she receives the same funding as athletes in her sport and other potential winter Olympians that are nowhere near her calibre.  Is this fair?  I see the problems with this-If only the top performers are allowed to compete, countries that support their athletes will pour more funding into them raising them above the rest.   But wait, we already do that.  Do you think our ski jumpers get as much funding as our hockey players, or our cross country skiers get the same funding as our snowboarders?  All countries will pour the majority of their money into their most successful teams and athletes to ensure that they stay successful.  Having said that, individual sports should consider doing the same.  If you are the best in your organization funding should be trickled from the top down so that you can continue to compete at the highest level. 

I apologize if I have stepped on any toes here.  This does not mean I am not a supporter of these athletes or these games.  I just feel we could do so much better if we direct funding to the right people instead of following a bureaucratic process that does not help further our athletic performance. 

If you are a hater of the games, please don’t take it out on the athletes (whether they are the best or not).  They are dedicating more than many of us can ever fathom for their countries.  Next time you are in the gym and you see one of our Olympian hopefuls, give them a pat on the back! They are sweating for all of us!!!  Go Canada Go!!!  Regardless of what I have said, I still support any athlete that is trying to achieve their goal of getting to the Olympics; I would just like to shift that goal from being a participant to a winner.

In the near future, we will be developing a sponsorship page on our website highlighting some of our athletes and their quest for gold.  If you or anyone you know is interested in sponsoring one of our athletes please don’t hesitate to contact me (this goes the same if you would like to send me some hate mail).

You may be asking yourself why anyone would write about the neck, unless it details how to get rid of the pack of hotdogs on the back of it, or the more attractive turkey gobbler in the front.  At Level 10 Fitness Inc. we work with a myriad of athletes and active rehab clients.  For the average person, neck strengthening is never really an issue unless they are coming off an injury and need to reactivate muscles that may have been shut down from the trauma.    For athletes, neck strengthening is always an issue specifically in contact sports.   The intent of this article is meant more to touch on athletes involved in MMA, wrestling, rugby and football where head to head, head to body and head to ground contact at high velocities may occur.  This does not mean athletes from other sports should stop reading.  Any sport where there is physical contact with other bodies, the ground or barriers at high speeds should be weary of neck injuries. 

As per any of my informative articles, I consult Andrea Engelmann (one of our physiotherapists and trainers) to ensure that my ranting is offset by some useful information!   Basically anything that sounds smart is from Andrea, and the rest of the nonsense is from me. 

The function of the neck:

1. Support the weight of the head.
2. Act as a mobile multi-directional platform for the head.
3. Protect the spinal cord and associated major nerves and blood vessels. 

Why would anyone strengthen the neck?

1. Contact sport conditioning and traumatic injury prevention/reduction.
2. Improve posture and prevent postural strain related injuries.
3. Decrease existing neck, headache or arm pain related to postural strain.

Traumatic Injury-the big concerns:

1. Spinal cord injury-often a force that causes a fracture, which allows a dislocation of the vertebrae and injury to the spinal cord inside.

• The magnitude of the forces involved make it unlikely that neck strengthening can be considered preventative.    To give you an idea of some of the collisions in these contact sports, I looked up some info from the show ‘Sport Science’ on the FSN network.
  • “Ultimate fighter Rampage Jackson registered a head injury criteria (HIC) number about four times as high as that of a 35mph head-on crash when he body-slammed a 180-lb crash test dummy”.
  • “A blind-side hit by NFL  linebacker Joey Porter generated 1.600 lb-f, about the same as that generated by a bull, kicking with its hind legs”.

1. Vertebral Fracture (without spinal cord injury)

• If fracture is unstable a shift can cause a spinal cord injury (i.e. that’s why you see the spine board come out with a big NFL hit).
• Flexion, Extension, Shearing and Compression forces can all cause fractures, with combined flexion and rotation (MMA, wrestling, Rugby) frequently yielding unstable fractures.

1. Vertebral Artery

• Extreme extension or extreme rotation-and especially the combination position the vertebrae such that they pinch down/kink the vertebral artery, decreasing blood flow to the brain and upper spinal cord.   If the movement is violent enough, the vertebral artery can be torn in this vulnerable position.

1. Cervical “Bulged” Disc

• Not as common as the lumbar disc injury, and occurs in younger persons (20-40).
• Most often caused by axial compression (force down head, compressing neck).
• Intense muscular effort (i.e. heavy lift) especially with strong recruitment of upper trap-Shrugging movements.    The common prescription for neck strengthening has been to incorporate “shrugs” into programs as a means to protect the neck.  The problem that we encounter with this is most of our athletes already have over-active/tight upper traps (see postural concerns #6) and can lead to shoulder injuries as well if not treated correctly.  The Upper trap inserts into the base of the skull so intense muscular contraction can cause enough compression to actually “blow” a disc in the neck.
• The above injuries are often associated with large forces and any amount of neck strength exercises cannot be presented as able to prevent these serious outcomes from contact sports-the risk of serious injury cannot be eliminated (as we saw in the sport science show). Although we are aware of the fact that we cannot reduce the chance of injury with major trauma, it still seems reasonable to try to reduce the day to day wear and tear injuries and chronic neck strains that occur in training and competition with conservative neck strengthening.    Some of the most common are listed below.

1. Neck Muscle Injury/inflammation

• Acute or chronic muscle strain.
• Acute decreased range of motion; “ropey” feeling (spasm); or “knots” aka trigger points in chronic strain.

1. Poor Posture (forward neck and shoulders) can lead to:

• Rotator cuff problems due to pinching tendons from poor joint positioning and mechanics created by poor posture.
• Weakness/numbness (thoracic outlet syndrome) due to pinching of nerves and/or blood vessels at neck or shoulder girdle secondary to poor posture.
• Tension Headaches, from tight neck muscles undergoing chronic traumatic or postural strain.
• In only the last 2 groups of injuries described can neck strengthening be appropriately termed preventative. 

This is clearly a large amount of information but it is important to understand these basic points before moving forward to the actions described below.    There are more advanced exercises than the ones described below, but these should act as a base first.  Any time we look to strengthen the neck, there is a risk of injury and the utmost caution should be taken.  More is not better!  Quality controlled reps must be the foundation for any of the following movements.

• Neutral, chin tuck position, and reinforce shoulder girdle retraction (shoulders down and back) with neutral spine throughout. 
• Isometrics in neutral.   Use your own hand and gently press and hold the head in a contracted position for 3-5 second holds to start.  In the past we have used partners to give the resistance, but have found that a partner may offer more resistance than needed.  It is important to note that only a small amount of pressure is needed.
• Building to neutral unsupported exercises. I.e. crunches in neutral, bench press with head off the bench etc.
• SB Neck bridge beginning with shoulders on stability ball.  Have the athlete gently press their head into the ball (extension) while keeping the space between the chin and superior aspect of the sternum constant.  As the chin begins to drop rest and repeat.  Make sure the athlete keeps their hips elevated and glutes squeezed throughout. 
• SB Neck Bridge with dumbbell press (advanced).  Same start position as above only have the athlete use a light dumbbell (5-15lbs) and press it from their chest then pass it to the other hand and repeat.  The goal is to keep the hips elevated and maintain the space between the chin and superior aspect of the sternum constant. 

This is just a few exercises to get you started.  As a wrestling, rugby and football coach we do use some more advanced movements in our routines, but it is important to monitor these with a close eye and make it clear that we are looking for a gradual build and any sign of pain or the symptoms noted above the athlete should stop immediately.

AVOID:

• Neck harnesses.
• Weighted neck exercises
• Avoid reverse neck bridging in strength and conditioning settings-these exercises are meant for athletes for whom this is functional or directly sport related (wrestling, MMA etc).  In most cases many of these contact sport athletes are in neck bridging positions for much of their training and competition already, so it is already sufficiently incorporated into their mat work. 

My Final Thoughts:

My athletic career was cut short due to a neck injury.  Over my playing career I worked with and under many strength coaches, physiotherapists, chiropractors, doctors and specialists.  In this time I received mixed messages as to what would be the best way to fix the pain and nerve damage that was inflicted upon me.  Many of the therapists felt the neck was not meant to be strengthened and should be left alone, while others thought I needed to strengthen it.  As an athlete, you tend to trust that your rehab specialists have the same goal as you do, which is to get you back to competition as fast as possible.  In retrospect, I think I would have taken a little advice from everyone and 1) considered not using my head as a weapon and 2) done some specialized neck strengthening.  Too often we wait until an injury occurs to do the appropriate strengthening, and mine was a case of too little too late.  Whether or not therapists like the idea of strengthening the neck, it is my opinion that it should be done to help deal with the stress of contact sports.    I am quite certain that therapists will agree that the neck is not meant to be used as it is in sport either, but we have to work with whatever the situation is to help the athlete.  It is not the ideal solution considering the neck’s purpose, but if we can put off the general wear and tear and prepare for some of the forces that get placed on it in a safe manner, why not?    

In conjunction with the neck strengthening, it is important to not fall into the shrug pit.  As strength coaches we have always worked on the upper traps to help support the neck.  However in actuality, there is more benefit to incorporate mid and lower trap work over the upper trap work (I am not saying you shouldn’t work the upper traps, just balance it with mid and lower trap work) in conjunction with neck and pec/shoulder stretching. 

Realistically, if you are in one of these contact sports, you should be getting more than enough upper trap work through your Olympic lifting and variations. 

Keep in mind that this article is taking a conservative approach.  Elite athletes that have a long training history may be able to incorporate more advanced movements not listed in this article. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum

I get a lot of questions and comments regarding the use of agility ladders for training purposes.  Many physio therapists and strength and conditioning coaches believe that ladders actually de-train the athletes and serve no purpose in developing agility and speed, while others feel the complete opposite and can’t live without them.  I will try to break down the use of the agility ladder so that you can see both sides and make an informed decision for yourselves.

 As strength and conditioning coach I get a lot of questions regarding the efficacy of agility ladders as a tool for increasing foot speed, agility and reaction.  Before I go further I want to reiterate that there is no “magic” piece of equipment that will make our athletes faster and more agile, but there are movements and patterns that will help in conjunction with a structured strength and conditioning program.   One must not consider the ladder as the only tool to increase agility (the ability to stop and start in unpredictable situations) and speed.  I have written some pros and cons below along with some detail as to other functions for the ladders.

Cons:

• Although there are many different patterns that can be used while training with an agility ladder, the foot/hand placement patterns are all very similar.   After the athlete has used the ladder a few times, we are no longer really working on agility as much as change of direction (see above description).   
• If the athlete’s body position is poor during movements in the ladder, we are reinforcing negative patterns and bad body position (this is the same for any movement).
• Does not rely heavily on any reactive type components to fit the definition of “agility”. If you are mildly creative, you can add a reactive component to every drill.

Pros:

• They are easy to use for large groups or beginners.  One ladder can serve a fairly large group at a time when space and time are limited.    If I am on a field and have access to a large amount of cones and space, I may opt to do more reactive type agilities instead.   Considering a large amount of my training hours are confined to a gym space, this becomes tough.
• Safety!  The agility ladders are an easy low level quick foot drill that can be used by all ages and abilities.  This does not mean there is no chance of injury, but the chance is reduced due to the amount of space traveled by the athlete vs. using cones or agility poles/markers.
•  From a warm up standpoint the ladders allow us to raise the athlete’s heart rate fairly quickly and increase proprioception of the ankle, knee and hip joints or the wrist, shoulder and elbow if doing upper body movements.
• Can be used by all populations.  Ladders are great for gym classes, boot camps and injury rehabilitation.  Although the goals of the athlete vs. non athlete may differ, the benefit for the non-athlete population is still high even though the pace is usually greatly reduced.   I use the ladders with many of my older clients as well for balance and body awareness and have had great success.
• The ladders act as a progression and foundation to more advanced and unpredictable movements.   Most athletes will be able to master all movements in the ladder in a short period of time and then we can progress to more reactive type drills.  
• Competitions!  When in a group setting it is a great tool to use for sparking a competitive edge within your athletes.  Our athletes need to compete on a regular basis and these types of drills give us a safe and practical outlet for this.  Most ladders will come in two parts that can be separated easily and lined up side by side. 

My final thoughts:

The agility ladders may serve as a useful tool other than increasing agility.  It is easy to be sceptical with any movement or device in any strength and conditioning setting, but as teachers and coaches we need to look at the bigger picture.  Sure, for an elite athlete the ladders may not be the best tool for increasing agility, but there is still benefit to using them (as mentioned above).   There is no device or movement that is the be all to end all for any population with regards to strength and conditioning, however,  a  little variation and balance can go a long way.   Be creative when using the ladders, there are no set patterns that need to be followed and the options are endless.  Try a few of the following techniques next time you use them:

• Have the athletes do some of the same patterns they would do running in a bear crawl position.  This is a great warm up for building upper body strength and stability as well as promoting “fast” hand/arm movements. 
• Incorporate a ball.  This can be the ball used in their sport, or use tennis balls to incorporate hand eye coordination into the movement.
• Give audible cues to stop, start or change direction.  Acceleration and deceleration are the foundations of speed movement and agility.  Have the athlete run through the set pattern and tell them to stop mid way though without losing their foot pattern or change direction and go back the way they came.
• Incorporate backward and lateral movements.  Most movements done forward can be done backward.  

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact me at joe@level10fitness.ca

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum

                Check out the link yourself! 

http://www.theprovince.com/business/Your+dollars+work+free+zone/2041928/story.html

Yours in Strength,

Joe