DO NOT FORGET THE LOWER LEGS

by SPORT AND FITNESS

By Rob Williams, For Canwest News Service


Tibialis toe raises - Adam and Eve time

Work all muscles regularly for great-looking pins.
Summer is the season for shorts, skirts, sandals and flip-flops. If you've got your legs on display, are you making sure they look their best? And what is this doing for your feet? Since many people are used to wearing supportive footwear for most of the year, the switch to less supportive shoes can cause problems with their foot function and overall alignment. This is because the muscles of the feet get deconditioned as a result of wearing shoes that constantly brace the foot.

Some exercisers might remember to do calf raises at the gym, but very few people make sure they work all of the muscles of the lower legs and feet regularly. To make sure that you have great looking legs, and functional feet that are stable and strong, it's important to challenge them with regular exercise, just like any other muscle group in the body. It doesn't have to take long, and it will pay off in terms of appearance, athleticism and comfort.

I find that if I do most of my lower-leg training with my shoes off I'm able to feel the exercises much more in the leg muscles. I also know that I'm improving the intrinsic support of the foot, as long as I pay attention to my alignment when doing the movements.

The exercises I've included this week are demonstrated by kinesiology student Heather Keep, and can be done outdoors with no equipment at all. Be certain to gradually warm up your body and stretch your calves before doing these exercises to prevent muscle strains. Always pay attention to your body alignment as you train and stop immediately if you feel pain or in any way unwell.

Rob Williams is a kinesiologist and posture specialist in downtown Vancouver. He welcomes questions at rob@williamshealthgroup.com

1. Tibialis toe raises



It's always important to avoid muscle imbalances across any joint in the body. Because your calf muscles are used all day to lift your body up and down, it's important to train the tibialis muscle that lies opposite the calf muscle, down the front of the lower leg. The action of this muscle is to pull the toes upward toward the shin. To work this muscle effectively, stand with your heels on the edge of a stair, while holding firmly to a handrail. Lower your toes downward, then pull them upward toward your shins, making sure that they come higher than a neutral position. This action should raise your body slightly upward. Be careful not to lean backward as you perform the movement. With 2 sets of 10-15 repetitions you should start to feel fatigue and burning in the front of your lower leg.

2. Hop-around-the-clock



Once you've warmed up your lower leg and foot muscles, it's time to challenge them with an athletic activity. Single-leg hops are great for developing power and stability in the lower leg and foot. From your starting position at the centre of an imaginary clock, hop to each 'hour' on the clock, then back to centre, working your way around the face of the clock. Perform 1-2 sets on each leg, with controlled movements, maintaining neutral athletic posture throughout the set. It's important to begin with small hops and pay attention to hip, knee and ankle position at all times. Advanced exercisers can attempt this exercise with their eyes closed.

3. Barefoot calf raise



If you've never tried it, it's surprisingly difficult to perform calf raises in bare feet on uneven ground. It's even more challenging to perform them while maintaining good neutral alignment of the ankle joint. To do this exercise, stand near a post or railing that you can use for support if necessary. Start using two legs while holding on to the support. Raise and lower your body weight onto your toes, being careful not to let your ankles roll inward or outward. If this is easy for you, try letting go of the support so that you have to balance on your own. Progress to using one leg with, and then without, the support. Whether on one leg or two, you should feel a good burning sensation in the calf muscle by the time you finish. Perform 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions with each leg.

WARM UP. SHORT BUT USEFUL TIPS

by DANIELA NAHAS, Yahoo Lifestyle



Warm up is a key component to a great workout. More often than not I see people at the gym starting their workout without warming up, either because they are pressed for time or simply can't be bothered. I cannot stress enough how important a proper warm up is to having not only an effective workout, but also to staying injury free.

What are the main reasons to warm up?

- Warming up will prepare the muscles and the nervous system for exercise

- It will raise your body temperature and increases blood flow to tendons, ligaments and muscle

- Having a warm body will give you the functional flexibility that you need to perform a given exercise during your workout.

Traditionally many people warm up by doing a light running or jumping jacks, which is fine for getting the blood flowing and the body moving, however if you are doing an upper body workout on that day that is simply not enough.

If you are working out your upper body you should be warming up your upper body specifically as well, the same rule applies if you are doing a strenuous lower body workout.

Some things that you can incorporate into your warm up routine:

Lower body days - do some light jogging to get the blood flowing, followed by some of the following exercises: forward lunges, lateral lunges, walking lunges, and half squats, hip swings.

Upper body days - do some light jogging to get the blood flowing, followed by shoulder rolls, a good neck stretch and arms circles.

Arm Circles - Begin by standing tall, feet about shoulder width apart, with a slight bend in the knees. Swing both arms up to an overhead position and then forward, down, and backwards, in a large circular motion. Repeat 10 times rolling the shoulders back and then reverse the movement.

Shoulder Rolls - Begin by standing tall, feet about shoulder width apart. Raise your shoulders up towards your ears (inhaling) then roll them backwards (exhaling), then up again to the ear in a smooth controlled action. Repeat 10 times rolling the shoulders back and then reverse the movement.

Have a safe workout!

SWIMMING TRAINING TIPS

by Sport and Fitness

This section of the site is dedicated to swimming training for both sprint and distance events.

There is an obvious relationship between swim distance (or more specifically, duration) and the intensity of effort from the swimmer. Assuming that mechanical efficiency in the water stays the same, the greater the intensity of effort, the greater the swimming velocity. At an elite level, swimmers perform the 200-m freestyle approximately 20-25% slower than the 50-m freestyle.

The point here is that the different durations of each event places different demands on the body's energy systems and will affect the swimmer's training program significantly.

A sprint swimmer typically has greater peak anaerobic power as measured by the Swimgate test compared to a distance swimmer for example. From a strength training perspective, explosive power and power endurance are more important than long term strength endurance. Conversely, the aerobic energy system predominates in events of 400m and above. For these distance swimmers long-term strength endurance becomes the training priority. Remember however, that distance swimmers usually take part in short-duration events during the competitive year so some of their training will mirror that of sprinters - just in different proportions.

The SWIMMERS BODY guide examines each of the components of fitness important in a swimming training plan, along with suggestions for exercise selection and training sessions.

TRIATHLON TRAINING TIPS

by Sport and Fitness

This section of the site covers triathlon training for beginners to advanced competitors over the various race distances.

Triathletes (or aspiring triathletes) at any level are typically serious trainers. Clocking up dozens, even hundreds of kilometres in the pool and on the road each week takes a hefty commitment. It makes sense that with such an outlay of time and energy that training should be as effective and as efficient as possible. And with a sport like this, it requires some careful, upfront planning...

Aside from the obvious intensity, frequency and duration of swimming, cycling and running training sessions, a triathlete must also consider:

• Movement economy and technique training

• The correct type of strength training

• Periodization of the annual plan

• Injury prevention and recovery strategies

• Tapering and race preparation

• Pre and post workout nutrition

Even novice triathletes can benefit from adopting some of the training techniques used by elite competitors. And on closer examination of the top performers it is clear that success consists of far more than just pounding out the miles.

It seems obvious that triathletes must posses extraordinary aerobic endurance. Despite this however, studies have found a poor relationship between VO2max and both long distance running and triathlon performance. While there is a definite correlation between aerobic power and elite endurance performance it seems that additional factors are important for success. Such as?

Variables measured at sub-maximal exercise intensity including - lactate threshold, velocity at lactate threshold, substrate or energy availability and particularly economy of motion may be more important during prolonged competition.

In terms of a triathlon training program this has important implications. Many endurance athletes favor heavy volume and relatively low intensity training (below lactate threshold). However, reducing volume and incorporating some shorter, more intense sessions at or above lactate threshold could improve endurance performance and help to prevent long-term injury.

Strength training, prescribed correctly, can also improve endurance performance. While traditionally any form of weight lifting was frowned upon by endurance coaches, low-weight, high-repetition routines have become generally accepted by triathletes in order to improve strength endurance and limit an increase in bodyweight. However, maximal and explosive type strength training has been shown to improve endurance performance and exercise economy and is not associated with a signifcant increase in muscle mass.

The articles below cover the elements and principles of conditioning important in a triathlon training plan. Amongst them, you will find plenty of sample training sessions and plans - all evidence-based and written by experienced triathlon coaches.

LACROSSE TRAINING TIPS

A lacrosse training program must carefully balance the rigours of one of the most strenuous team sports. The sport requires the physical and performance qualities of most other sports combined.

Very few studies have been carried out on lacrosse athletes and little scientific information is available. From research that has been completed, it is clear that players must posses size, strength, power, speed, agility and endurance. Players are almost constantly moving as they attempt to manoeuvre the ball into the goal.

On the whole, players have been shown to have average aerobic capacities, similar to basketball and football players but less than distance runners or swimmers. Midfield players on the other hand, have significantly greater endurance than attackers or defensive players and their aerobic endurance compares favorably to more traditional distance athletes. This makes sense as midfielders are the only group of players permitted to move up and down the entire length of the pitch.

Lacrosse players require a high bodyweight to cope with the aggressive physical contact in the game. However, a higher than average bodyweight must be coupled with a low body fat percentage as players are required to manoeuvre quickly around the field of play. Lacrosse players tend to have a lower body fat percentage compared to other athletes such as football, basketball and ice hockey players.

From a conditioning point of view then, lacrosse players are one of the few groups of athletes that will benefit from a phase of hypertrophy strength training to increase lean muscle mass. However, size is not the only objective. Maximal strength, explosive power and power endurance are also important outcomes of a strength training program. Not surprisingly attackers and defensive players tend to have greater need for strength and power compared to midfield players.

All positions will benefit from both aerobic and anaerobic endurance training, and while this may be more predominant for the midfielders, attacking and defensive players could also improve their performance over 60 minutes with greater stamina.

Speed and agility training is also an important element of a lacrosse training program - for all positions. As with soccer or rugby for example, one of the challenges of designing a suitable lacrosse conditioning plan is combining all the required elements of fitness without one negatively affecting the other...

Take a look through the articles below. They cover the different elements of fitness important to lacrosse players. You will also find sample programs, sessions and drills to help you become a fitter, more complete player.

Volleyball Training Tips

A well-structured volleyball training program can increase explosive power, vertical jump height, stamina and speed and agility around the court. Skill training alone, such as practising spikes, won't develop the physical traits necessary to play to the athlete's full potential.

Volleyball players have exceptional lower body power and perform well in the vertical jump test. Power in the legs is needed to jump explosively off the ground in order to spike, block, set and dive.

The repetitive nature of jumping movements makes power endurance an important outcome of training and the length of games and sets places a significant demand on strength endurance. Power and strength endurance are more important than aerobic endurance, although at elite levels, volleyball players have moderate to high values for aerobic power.

A well-designed volleyball training program will also help to reduce the incidence and severity of injury in volleyball players (6,7,8). Despite being a non-contact sport, a three study found that volleyball is the eighth most injury prone sport in the age group 14 to 20 years.

The articles below cover various volleyball training components useful to players at all levels. You will find sample programs for improving explosive power, your vertical jump and speed and agility - all specific to the game.

Wrestling Training Tips

Widely recognized as the world's oldest competitive sport, wrestling has featured in every Olympic games since its ancient conception.

The are two styles of wrestling at the modern Olympics - freestyle and Greco-Roman. While the rules are almost identical, Greco-Roman wrestlers must not use the legs to trip or lift an opponent or attack an opponents legs.

Successful wrestling training for both disciplines must develop a high level of anaerobic power in both the arms and the legs and excellent strength endurance (1). With bouts lasting up to a maximum of 5 minutes (depending on the age and level), high levels of blood lactate can accumulate in wrestlers from frequent intense bursts of activity and minimal rest periods.

Anaerobic endurance and capacity are more probably more important to the wrestler than pure aerobic endurance. Aerobic power is average in national wrestlers although values as high as 70mls/kg/min have been recorded in elite level wrestlers (2).

A major consideration for wrestlers is weight management. Rapid weight loss to make a weight category has profound adverse effects on the wrestler's physiology, particularly in relation to strength endurance (1). Both nutritional and training techniques can help to minimize any weight reduction required in the first place and also to minimize the negative effects of rapid weight loss.

Strength training will obviously play a significant role in a wrestler's overall training plan. A bodybuilding approach however is not the most effective use of training time and may result in significant weight gain. Maximal strength training is more sport-specific and is not associated with significant hypertrophy. It can also be converted into strength endurance and power endurance, two physical traits crucial to a high level of performance.

The articles below cover important wrestling training elements. Take a look through the articles covering strength and power training for wrestling, endurance training and planning an a periodized program.