What's all this stuff about dynamic warm up?
Well have you ever pulled a muscle standing still?
Hopefully the answer to the above question is no!
Think about it then, does running up and down the court a few times before performing a few (static) stretches represent what happens when you start playing?
If you said NO then you would be correct, so why do I see so many players doing exactly this before they play?
Why would you want to prepare your body in that way, what is the point?
These are the main reasons you need to warm up.
• Increase core temperature and suppleness of musculoskeletal tissue
• Increase heart rate and therefore blood (and fuel) flow
• Increase activation of the Central Nervous System (improve co-ordination, skill, reactions etc)
• Increase the speed, efficiency and force of muscle contraction
The main problem with the "typical warm up" is that it does not adequately prepare you for the demands of most sports.
Jogging in a straight line is not representative of any sport and normally has minimal effect on body temperature.
Static stretching is performed slowly either standing still or sitting and whilst it can be useful at the end of a session for increasing range of motion, before you start play research has shown that it reduces power output.
It also causes a drop in body temperature (negating any gains previously made from jogging) and bears no resemblance to the very active contraction - relaxation process that occurs between muscles when you play.
So what should you do?
Well basically you need to move dynamically which means doing things on the move!
Move as you would on the courts/ fields which means moving sideways, forwards, backwards etc.
Shuffle as you would on the court/ field and don't just run!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
ARE GRAINS GOOD FOR US?
Boy have I been so wrong!
I took the US Government food pyramid seriously. I made sure and eat lots of whole grains every day, sometimes every few hours. I proselytized on my soapbox for over the past three years on the glorious benefits of whole grains, low fat and small portions of meat in my food column and blog. I was a stellar health nut, by conventional standards. It has been a little un-nerving and a bit humbling to find out that I have been wrong.
You see, all the craziness of our modern diet started about 10,000 years ago when our burly ancestors, who had been on earth for 200,000 years as hunters and gathers, decided to start growing things. Everything went pretty well until they started growing grains. I know, I know, it is recommended by our very own government’s health pyramid to eat 6 – 11 serving a day. But I’m here to tell you, don’t believe it. GRAINS ARE BAD FOR US.
Why? You see, grains are digested like sugars. They are just long chains of glucose that the body has to use insulin to process. Our modern diet is filled with so many grains, sugars and processed foods that we are always in the state of insulin rush. Insulin is constantly running around in our digestive system, like tidy housecleaners trying to mop up the mess of sugary carbohydrate laden foods and storing the energy into fat cells.
Insulin is such a good housekeeper that when it tidies up all the glucose in our blood, our body goes into a crash. You know what I mean, we’ve all been there. Then our brain, who loves glucose SCREAMS at us, “EAT MORE SUGAR, I NEED GLUCOSE NOW!” So we do, usually more empty calories called grains. “Modern” humans are so busy eating empty calories that they are starving for nutrition. We crave something, so we eat more and get more insulin production making us fatter. Vicious circle, I tell you!!
To make a long story short, cause I could go on forever, changing our diet to that based on fruits, veggies, nuts, good fats and lean clean meats like our hunter and gatherer ancestors, has many great benefits. I have been off grains, for the most part, for 1 month now. I can attest, that beside being pain free in my knees, an back Some of the wonderful benefits that I have experiencing are higher energy, mental well being, mental clarity, (great side benny!) need less sleep, less cravings and a lot less garbage and recycling. Oh and I have gained 3 pounds of muscle effortlessly, without counting calories. (Yippee!)
I know this will be hard for some of you to grasp so just play around with it and cut out little things here and there and pay attention to how you are feeling.
LEAVE A COMMENT!
I took the US Government food pyramid seriously. I made sure and eat lots of whole grains every day, sometimes every few hours. I proselytized on my soapbox for over the past three years on the glorious benefits of whole grains, low fat and small portions of meat in my food column and blog. I was a stellar health nut, by conventional standards. It has been a little un-nerving and a bit humbling to find out that I have been wrong.
You see, all the craziness of our modern diet started about 10,000 years ago when our burly ancestors, who had been on earth for 200,000 years as hunters and gathers, decided to start growing things. Everything went pretty well until they started growing grains. I know, I know, it is recommended by our very own government’s health pyramid to eat 6 – 11 serving a day. But I’m here to tell you, don’t believe it. GRAINS ARE BAD FOR US.
Why? You see, grains are digested like sugars. They are just long chains of glucose that the body has to use insulin to process. Our modern diet is filled with so many grains, sugars and processed foods that we are always in the state of insulin rush. Insulin is constantly running around in our digestive system, like tidy housecleaners trying to mop up the mess of sugary carbohydrate laden foods and storing the energy into fat cells.
Insulin is such a good housekeeper that when it tidies up all the glucose in our blood, our body goes into a crash. You know what I mean, we’ve all been there. Then our brain, who loves glucose SCREAMS at us, “EAT MORE SUGAR, I NEED GLUCOSE NOW!” So we do, usually more empty calories called grains. “Modern” humans are so busy eating empty calories that they are starving for nutrition. We crave something, so we eat more and get more insulin production making us fatter. Vicious circle, I tell you!!
To make a long story short, cause I could go on forever, changing our diet to that based on fruits, veggies, nuts, good fats and lean clean meats like our hunter and gatherer ancestors, has many great benefits. I have been off grains, for the most part, for 1 month now. I can attest, that beside being pain free in my knees, an back Some of the wonderful benefits that I have experiencing are higher energy, mental well being, mental clarity, (great side benny!) need less sleep, less cravings and a lot less garbage and recycling. Oh and I have gained 3 pounds of muscle effortlessly, without counting calories. (Yippee!)
I know this will be hard for some of you to grasp so just play around with it and cut out little things here and there and pay attention to how you are feeling.
LEAVE A COMMENT!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
WHAT IS E.P.O.C AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
While on the quest for fat loss, many people place far too much focus on how many calories they are burning during their exercise sessions, while forgetting to account for the calories that will be burned because of that exercise session -- after all is said and done. If you train in the proper way, you can actually greatly enhance the total amount of fat burned with your exercise program by taking advantage of these additional calories lost after the training program is completed.
This will include a variety of different processes that are related to recovery, such as increasing the amount of muscle glycogen contained in the muscle that's been depleted during the workout, restoring the blood lactate levels to normal and bringing down the heart rate and body temperature.
The degree of EPOC you experience has a direct correlation to the intensity of your workout session. The harder you are able to work out, the more you will disrupt all the measures listed above and, therefore, the more energy your body will need to expend to bring them back down to normal once again.
Furthermore, there are certain variables within your workout that you can alter to get that "after burn" up even higher:
You don't want to take it so far that you sacrifice your ability to lift heavy weights, because that, as you will learn next, also increases EPOC.
You've probably already noticed that after a heavy set on the weights your heart rate is up a lot higher, particularly if it's a lower-body exercise. This increased heart rate is what helps generate EPOC, so the longer the period of time it is elevated, the greater the number of calories that will be burned.
what is epoc?
These calories are collectively known as Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). What this basically represents is how many additional calories your body will burn after the exercise session has been completed in order to return your body to the state it was in before the exercise took place.This will include a variety of different processes that are related to recovery, such as increasing the amount of muscle glycogen contained in the muscle that's been depleted during the workout, restoring the blood lactate levels to normal and bringing down the heart rate and body temperature.
what affects epoc?
If your goal is to achieve a maximum fat loss, you will want to optimize EPOC as best as you can, thereby increasing the total number of calories you burn that day.The degree of EPOC you experience has a direct correlation to the intensity of your workout session. The harder you are able to work out, the more you will disrupt all the measures listed above and, therefore, the more energy your body will need to expend to bring them back down to normal once again.
Furthermore, there are certain variables within your workout that you can alter to get that "after burn" up even higher:
Rest periods
When trying to maximize EPOC, taking slightly shorter rest periods will help. This forces your body to work harder without as much recovery between sets, so you will require more in-depth recovery after the session has been completed.You don't want to take it so far that you sacrifice your ability to lift heavy weights, because that, as you will learn next, also increases EPOC.
Heavy lifting
As you go about your weight-lifting session, trying to lift weights as heavy as possible will further enhance the energy your body needs to repair itself later.You've probably already noticed that after a heavy set on the weights your heart rate is up a lot higher, particularly if it's a lower-body exercise. This increased heart rate is what helps generate EPOC, so the longer the period of time it is elevated, the greater the number of calories that will be burned.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)