This fortnight I have included an article titled ‘ACTIVITY OF SHOULDER STABILIZERS AND PRIME-MOVERS DURING AN UNSTABLE OVERHEAD PRESS’ from the National Strength and Conditioning Association which was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Click the link below to download and let me know what you think!

Exercise profile – Jefferson curl + rotation

I use this exercise most days to improve lumbar spine range of motion & reduce QL tightness.

Infographic – the relationship between agonist & antagonist activation relative to training age

This graphic shows that, regardless of training age, agonist activation is similar.

However, those with a greater training age tend to demonstrate a reduced activation of the antagonist muscle, indicating better neuromuscular coordination.

Sport-e-coach India tour – March 2020

I am bringing 3 of my courses to India in March 2020 for a series of 3 x 2-day workshops. 

Check out the brochure page with all the details at:

https://www.sportecoach.com.au/strength-conditioning-india-tour-2020/

This fortnight I have included an article titled ‘THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ASYMMETRY AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE: A CRITICAL REVIEW’ from the National Strength and Conditioning Association which was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Many coaches espouse that musculoskeletal asymmetry is a predictor for injury & will negatively impact performance. However, the authors of this study state that this proposition is not strongly supported by scientific evidence and the type of asymmetry is often not defined.

Sporting asymmetries, such as force output or jump height, are likely to be a function of limb dominance and magnified by an athletes’ long-standing participation within his or her sport. Sporting asymmetries do not seem to carry a clear influence on athletic performance measures given the current balance of the available literature

Click the link below to download and let me know what you think!

Exercise profile – hamstring pin & extend

In this clip, I fix the proximal hamstring whilst extending at the knee as a dynamic mobilisation drill.

If you are interested in learning more about muscle imbalances like this, click the button below to check out our Rehab Express course.

Infographic – the relationship between agonist & antagonist activation relative to training age

This graphic shows that, regardless of training age, agonist activation is similar.

However, those with a greater training age tend to demonstrate a reduced activation of the antagonist muscle, indicating better neuromuscular coordination.

New Sport-e-coach course

I am proud to announce that we have released our fourth short course titled ‘Developing your critical eye.’

In this course, I talk about my approach to conducting a static postural appraisal & how to transfer the findings to exercise program design.

To learn more click the button below.

This fortnight I have included an article titled ‘RESISTANCE TRAINING FOR OLDER ADULTS – Position Statement From the National Strength and Conditioning Association‘ which was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

In this study, the authors referenced over 600 papers to come up with a consensus on resistance training program variables, physiological adaptations, functional benefits of resistance exercise training and considerations for frailty, sarcopenia, or other chronic conditions.

There is far too much info to try & summarise here, so I encourage you to download & have a good read for yourself, before deciding how you will implement the info therein.

Click the link below to download and let me know what you think!

Exercise profile

In this clip, a client is performing a static hold whilst holding an uneven barbell. This requires him to engage his core musculature in order to maintain a bar position parallel to the ground.

If you are interested in learning more about muscle imbalances like this, click the button below to check out our Rehab Express course.

Infographic – reducing training volume can maintain size & strength

This graphic shows how reducing training volume by one-third allowed participants to maintain gains in size & strength after an 8-week block of training.

The authors found that the same maintenance effect occurred irrespective of whether the volume was distributed over one or two sessions in the week.

New Sport-e-coach course

I am proud to announce that we have released our fourth short course titled ‘Developing your critical eye.’

In this course, I talk about my approach to conducting a static postural appraisal & how to transfer the findings to exercise program design.

To learn more click the button below.

This fortnight I have included an article titled ‘USE OF LOADED CONDITIONING ACTIVITIES TO POTENTIATE MIDDLE- AND LONG-DISTANCE PERFORMANCE: A NARRATIVE REVIEW AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS‘ which was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

In this study, the authors looked at the use of a loaded conditioning activity (LCA), which elicits a post-activation potentiation (PAP) response to acutely enhance explosive power performance.

Despite the limited number of studies that have been conducted in this area, the tentative conclusion is that well-trained middle- and long-distance athletes are likely to obtain some benefit, particularly during the early stages of a performance, by including a loaded conditioning activity (LCA) in their warm-up routine.

Despite the limited number of studies that have been conducted in this area, the tentative conclusion is that well-trained middle- and long-distance athletes are likely to obtain some benefit, particularly during the early stages of a performance, by including a loaded conditioning activity (LCA) in their warm-up routine.

It is recommended that middle and long-distance athletes experiment with a warm-up protocol that involves a 5–10-minute self-paced warm-up at a low intensity (60% maximum heart rate) followed 5–10 minutes later by an LCA.

It is likely that a short bout of high-load resistance exercise (4–6 sets 3 5RM) or series of sprint efforts (4–6 sets x 10-secs), which include the addition of a light-moderate load will elicit a PAP response. A recovery of 5–10 minutes should be permitted after the LCA to ensure that fatigue has dissipated sufficiently to realize a benefit to performance.

Click the link below to download and let me know what you think!

Exercise profile

In this clip, a client is performing a static hold whilst holding an uneven barbell. This requires him to engage his core musculature in order to maintain a bar position parallel to the ground.

If you are interested in learning more about muscle imbalances like this, click the button below to check out our Rehab Express course.

Infographic – mental fatigue influences aerobic exercise more than anaerobic

This graphic shows how a cognitively demanding activity negatively influences subsequent aerobic performance moreso than max strength/power efforts.

The authors feel that this might be due to the increased perception of effort rather than any specific physiological phenomenon.

Coach resource

This fortnight’s training resource is titled ‘The Top Five Glute Exercises‘ by Bret Contreras and includes some nice progressions for these core exercises.

This fortnight I have included an article titled ‘EFFECT OF POSTACTIVATION POTENTIATION ON EXPLOSIVE VERTICAL JUMP: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS ‘ which was published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research July 2019.

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence surrounding post-activation potentiation (PAP) and it’s effect on explosive vertical power.

The authors examined 36 studies and concluded that indicate that “PAP does not improve vertical jump performance.”

However, the authors go on to note that rest intervals between 3 and 7 minutes provided favorable performance outcomes, whereas rest intervals less than 3 minutes or performing isometric contractions may be detrimental to performance.

The study then concluded that “when appropriate PAP guidelines are followed, an increase in vertical jump performance may be achieved.”

Click the link below to download and let me know what you think!

Exercise profile

In this clip, I demonstrate a simple resisted Waiter’s Bow drill to activate lumbar multifidus. I do this one for clients with low back pain before we start the session.

If you are interested in learning more about muscle imbalances like this, click the button below to check out our Rehab Express course.

Infographic – optomising motor-unit recruitment

This graphic notes the importance of activating high-threshold motor units & lifting to failure to facilitate hypertrophy.

Effort is the key determinant of the level of motor unit recruitment that is used in any muscular contraction. Thus, strength training with light loads can involve high levels of motor unit recruitment even without the presence of fatigue when bar speed is maximal.

However, the level of mechanical tension experienced by the muscle fibers of the high-threshold motor units during these fast contractions is too low to cause any hypertrophy, because of the force-velocity relationship.

Coach resource

This fortnight’s training resource is titled ‘The Ultimate Dynamic Warmup‘ and includes a nice little barefoot sequence that you can apply with your athletes as part of your warm-up.