Performance Edge – Page 7 – Performance Edge

Repost: Strength Training for Women- 7 Myths

Written on December 5, 2013 at 8:52 am, by SOHEE LEE, formerly of Cressey Performance

This much I know is true: I’ve been strength training for six years now. I can rock out chin-ups, pull heavy weight off the floor, and squat more than some guys I know. I drink protein shakes almost daily and sometimes take creatine as well.

This much is also true: I’m still small. I’m still petite. Still lean. My muscles aren’t big and, when fully dressed, no one has ever asked me, “How much do you bench?” And I’ve never been called “too bulky” in my life.

There are a myriad of myths regarding females and strength training – too many to count. Yet despite the growing number of women out there slowly converting to lovers of iron and ditching their cardio bunny ways, there are even more women who still believe that strength training is for men only, and that no proper lady would touch anything more than a pretty pink dumbbell.

I don’t blame them, really. We have certain celebrity trainers touting their 3lb dumbbell hour-long workouts to develop long, lean muscles – and others claiming that squatting with a barbell will make your thighs explode overnight. The celebrities themselves rave about these special methods – and we believe them, naturally.

My job today is to convince you amidst all the buzz that the grass is truly greener on the other (strength training) side. At best, I’ll talk you into getting under that barbell today. At worst, I hope to plant a single inkling of curiosity and that you will soon find yourself venturing over to the heavy weights.

Below I crush a number of the most common myths out there surrounding females and training.

Myth #1: You should steer clear of heavy weights because it will make you look like a man.

Ah, this is the King (or Queen) of all myths and is one that I am convinced will unfortunately never effectively die out.

There are a number of biological differences stacked against us as women. First and foremost, we only have approximately 5% of the of testosterone men possess. This means that the average male has twenty – twenty! – times as much testosterone than the average female. And given that testosterone is the hormone primarily responsible for muscle gain, we’re facing a major uphill battle if we are truly striving to look like The Hulk (1).

But, you claim, last time I lifted heavy for a month and I got thicker and looked gross! The culprit is very likely inadvertent increased caloric consumption that came along with the new change in exercise. What I mean is that typically, the culprit is increased bodyfat – not necessarily increased muscle mass – that is responsible for what many women call the “big and bulky” look. Often, increased bodyfat “coated” on top of muscle is mistaken for muscle mass, which turns many women away. Can you honestly tell me, though, that when you began lifting weights, your caloric consumption didn’t spike?

There’s this notion out there that after a tough workout, we need to fuel our muscles – which is true, but not to the tune of one large pizza and three protein shakes. It’s too easy to convince yourself that your body is all of a sudden devoid of nutrients and that you have to feed it at all times of the day. But when your body takes in more calories than is needed to maintain your current bodyweight, that’s when weight is gained in the form of fat mass and/or lean mass, depending on how you go about it.

If you can dial in your nutrition while simultaneously lifting hard in the gym, what will result is a leaner, tighter, stronger version of your former self.

Myth #2: Women can’t do pull-ups.

The word “can’t” implies that all females, regardless of how hard they try, are physically incapable of performing a single pull-up. But while it’s true that women tend to have less upper body strength relative to that of males, that doesn’t mean that all is lost. So what do you do when you have a weakness? You work on it to turn that weakness into a strength.

Simply put, the solution to weak(er) upper body strength is to improve it. In the gym, upper body pulling movements will help: think row variations (barbell rows, cable rows, inverted rows) as well as pullup variations (band-assisted, negatives, chin-ups). Working on your grip via farmer’s walks and the like will also help in this regard. In the remaining 23 hours of each day, work on nailing your nutrition, as decreasing bodyfat will help increase your strength proportionally.

Pretty soon, you’ll be banging out not just one rep, but possibly even double-digit reps, just like the First Lady of Cressey Performance does.

Myth #3: Protein powder is bad for women because it will make them huge.

There’s this idea floating around in mainstream society that protein powder is only for meathead bodybuilders who want to get yoked. So when a lady comes around and plops a five-pound tub of protein powder on the counter at Vitamin Shoppe or GNC, eyebrows are raised. She might as well be shooting steroids into her veins, huh?

As much as I wish this were the case (as it would make my job a whole lot easier), there’s nothing inherently magical about protein powder. It’s simply a portable, tasty way to get in some protein. Its biggest perk? Convenience. And perhaps taste.

But really, the average scoop of protein powder will yield 20 to 25 grams of protein.

I will say this, however: protein powder is typically ingested in liquid form. Since liquid calories are much easier to take in than solid food, the calories can quickly add up – so you need to alter the rest of the day’s nutrition to account for the calories you’ve already taken in with these shake(s). Just like any other food, if protein powder is consumed in excess, then yes, it can make you gain weight.

Myth #4: All the fitness models and fitness competitors are on steroids; the average woman could never achieve that look.

Before I go any further, I will qualify this point by emphasizing the fact that yes, there are very few people out there who are able to maintain a lean, stage- or photoshoot-ready physique year-round. I’ll also argue, however, that that’s not because it’s impossible. Rather, many choose to switch over into the offseason, during which time they likely intentionally put on some weight in an effort to make improvements to their physiques and dial even sharper than before come next season.

But all of that aside, here’s a cool fact: we all have abs. They’re there. That six-pack? Yes, you’ve been sporting it. The only thing separating them from showing themselves off to the world is a cozy coat of fat.

If you’re looking to achieve the look of a bikini competitor or fitness model, chances are good that you have most, of it not all, of the muscle mass necessary to start off. This is great, because all that means that is you have to lose bodyfat in order to unveil that coveted physique. Easier said than done, I’m aware, but think of it as an art. Over a period of several weeks and months, you’ll chip away at your body, slowly uncovering the sculpted arms and curvy legs you’ve been after.

Myth #5: When you work out, your fat will transform into muscle.

Oh.

Very creative.

Unfortunately, the body doesn’t quite work this way. What it can do, however, is shed and gain bodyfat, as well as strip away or pack on muscle. And while these two processes may be related, they are not one and the same.

Muscle is active soft tissue that is responsible for creating physical movement. Body fat, on the other hand, serves as an energy reserve for the body and helps cushion our joints and organs as well as maintain the integrity of healthy skin and nails.

So while it may seem as though fat magically turns into muscle when you begin training, the truth is likely more along the lines of, you’re losing bodyfat, or you’re putting on muscle (or both).

Myth #6: You should switch up your training routine every week to keep your muscles guessing.

I recommend a minimum of four to six weeks on any given training program before moving onto something different. By this I don’t necessarily mean utilizing the exact same exercises for the same reps and sets week after week. There are multiple ways to go about implementing progressive overload besides increasing the load on the bar: varying speed, shifting body position in relation to the load, changing stability, and so on.

With that said, sticking to the same program gives you time to become better at the prescribed exercises by providing more opportunities for repetition.

I know what you may be thinking. “But I need to confuse my muscles and keep them guessing!” Unfortunately, muscles do not get confused, nor do they participate in guessing games. And if you’re afraid you might get bored, then I ask you, what is so boring about making improvements from one workout to the next? What’s dull about going to the gym and lifting 10lbs more than the week prior or to mastering perfect technique?

Myth #7: To lose fat, you need to crank up the cardio.

Actually, doing more cardio is the best way to… do more cardio. Doing it for the calorie burn will ultimately leave you disappointed, cranky, and tired.

This may be a hard pill to swallow, but steady-state cardio burns surprisingly fewer calories than you’d think. One study found that it takes an average of 86 hours’ worth of aerobic exercise to lose 1 whopping kilogram (2), and a meta-analysis revealed that steady-state cardio in and of itself is not an effective weight loss therapy (3).

I don’t know about you, but I can think of about a thousand other more useful things I could be doing with those 86 hours than peddling away on a bike.

Rather than steady-state cardio, then, interval training is the way to go. Other names for this include metabolic conditioning, circuit training, or high-intensity training. These short bursts of high intensity activity alternated with periods of active have been found to produce equal, if not better, results as traditional steady-state cardio with just “a fraction of the time commitment” (namely, 0.75 hours versus 13.5 hours [4]). This is likely due to the increased excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), or energy expenditure in the time following the workout.

Where do we go from here?

I hope I’ve demonstrated to you that women can lift heavy weights and perform metabolic conditioning workouts with great success. And, as long as they dial in their nutrition, they can absolutely achieve a strong, lean look without bulking up.

About the Author

Sohee Lee graduated from Stanford University in June 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Human Biology. She now trains clients in New York City, and in an online context.

Repost: Core Exercises: What is the Core and How do you Activate it?

by MATTHEW SZELOG, ATC, CSCS

Beyond the traditional sit-ups and crunches, learn about 4 valuable core strengthening exercises. From the NSCA’s Performance Training Journal.

The core is a key component in building an athletic base. Many common misconceptions of how to activate the core can lead to wasted time and possible injury. Targeting specific muscle groups effectively can build core endurance, increase strength, and reduce injury.

A majority of athletes describe core exercises as “doing crunches or sit-ups.” While these exercises do activate muscles in the core, they are not necessarily core exercises. The core can be considered the surrounding muscles that support your spine, provide stability, and help generate power during athletic movements. They consist of not just a specific muscle group, but a multitude of muscles that work together to provide optimal support and function. The primary muscles consist of the rectus abdominis, internal oblique, external oblique, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, transverse abdominis, iliocostalis, and multifidus. In order to activate these muscle groups, one must perform a variety of exercises that target the muscles efficiently. Athletes must also be aware that traditional “core” exercises (e.g., crunches) may increase injury risks. Following the exercises below may help reduce those risks.

There are four important exercises that can be integrated into any practice or workout that provide core activation. These exercises are the curl-up, alternating quadruped, lateral bridge, and plank. The curl-up (Figure 1) is a modified version of a traditional crunch. Electromyography studies have shown that the rectus abdominis, internal obliques, and external obliques are activated during a curl-up with limited hip flexor activation, which can overcompensate during a traditional crunch (1). Research has also found that the curl-up minimizes spinal loading when compared to a traditional crunch or sit-up (1,2). To begin a curl-up, lie supine with the hands supporting the low back. Bend the knees so that the feet are flat. Concentrate on contracting the abdominal wall and bending the thoracic spine without bringing the neck or chin forward. Leave the elbows on the floor and slowly lift the head and shoulders off the ground a few inches. Slowly return by eccentrically using the core muscles, which studies have shown is a great benefit to core strength (3).

Figure 1. Curl-Up

The alternating quadruped exercise (Figure 2) concentrates more on developing the back extensors while minimizing loads on the spine (1). The alternating quadruped exercise begins in the position of all fours. Begin the exercise by raising one arm straight and simultaneously extending the opposite leg until they are both parallel with the floor. Return to the starting position in a controlled manner and repeat on the opposite side. It is important to concentrate on controlling body position and not let the hips hike, rock anteriorly, or rock posteriorly. It is recommended that a coach be used the first few times to monitor any excess motion and help correct poor technique.

Figure 2. Alternating Quadruped 

The lateral bridge (Figure 3) is another important core exercise that targets the internal and external obliques (1). There is also a component of shoulder stabilization, but in certain athletes, this can cause discomfort. The starting position of the lateral bridge begins with the athlete on their side, forearm and elbow on the ground, and the feet slightly staggered. From this position, pick the hips and legs off the ground, keep the hips extended, and minimize rotation of the torso. If shoulder pain occurs, try the exercise with the knees bent, or add a soft pad under the forearm/elbow.

Figure 3. Lateral Bridge

The last important core exercise is the plank (Figure 4). The plank can target a variety of core musculature including the rectus abdominis, internal/external obliques, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, deltoids, and triceps. The plank position begins with the forearms on the ground beneath the shoulders. Athletes should be on their toes and lift the stomach, pelvis, and legs off the ground. The upper and lower body should be completely straight like a plank of wood. Again, it would be appropriate to have a coach present to help correct any problems such as lumbar extension or flexion of the torso or hips. Athletes can place padding under the forearms if there is irritation from the floor or ground.

Figure 4. Plank

Adding these four core exercises to any routine will help ensure that athletes are working the correct core muscle groups. It can also help prevent unwanted forces through the spine, which can cause pain or injury in the future. It is important to remember that endurance is an important factor for training the core (1,2). It is also important to remember that each individual is different and that these exercises may not be appropriate for every athlete.

Nine Reasons Women Should Strength Train

(Lift weights) at Least Two or Three Times per Week

1. Your metabolism will soar

As women age, they naturally lose muscle mass. This causes your metabolism to slow, which means you could start building a spare tire by the time you reach your 30s. “When you do weight-bearing exercises, you start revving up your metabolism—and it keeps burning for many hours after your workout,” says Wayne Westcott, PhD, director of fitness research at Quincy College and Prevention advisory board member.

2. You’ll burn fat

Muscle tissue is more “active” than fat tissue, with each pound burning about 30 calories a day just to sustain itself. So even if you’re sitting on the couch or are stuck at your desk for eight hours a day, the extra muscle mass you develop will burn more calories, helping you finally get rid of that spare tire—and keep it off for good.

3. Your body will get tighter

While cardio is important and will help melt fat, weights sculpt your body, creating curves and definition right where you want it. They also help fight the effects of gravity, making you much less likely to have arm jiggle in your upper arms.

4. You’ll fit in your skinny jeans

“One pound of fat takes up much more space than one pound of muscle,” says CrossFit athlete and certified level-1 trainer Cheryl Brost, a 41-year-old mother of two. “So even though muscle weighs more, what do you want all over your body? Something that’s bulky, like body fat, or something that’s lean, and takes up less space, like muscle?”

5. You’ll reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes

Curbing age-related muscles loss isn’t just good for your looks; it can protect your heart and help ward off type 2 diabetes, too. “Muscle helps remove glucose and triglycerides from the bloodstream, which reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as hardening of the arteries,” says Timothy Church, MD, PhD, a preventive medicine expert at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

6. Your blood pressure could drop

“Strength training lowers blood pressure for ten to twelve hours after each session, which gives your heart a break,” says William Haskell, PhD, professor emeritus of medicine at Stanford University. “How strength training does this is not completely understood, but it probably has subtle effects on everything from hormones to nervous system regulation.”

7. You can do it anytime, anywhere

You don’t need a lot of space or a lot of special equipment to get a great strength workout, says Westcott. Simply using your own bodyweight through the use of pushups, planks, chair dips, squats, and pull-ups is enough to tone and strengthen your entire body. Bonus: You can do it indoors, which means you don’t have to weather the cold, freezing temps of winter or the scorching heat of summer.

8. You’ll blast loads of calories

Plyometric strength moves (think squat jumps and burpees) and kettlebell workouts skyrocket your heart rate, which boosts the calorie burn of regular strength training routines. These types of workouts give you cardio, strength, and sculpting all in one, which is a great timesaver, says Freytag.

9. It’s good for your bones

Strength training is one of the 12 best ways to break-proof your bones. “Lifting weights can help counteract age-related bone loss,” says Ethel Siris, MD, director of the Toni Stabile Center for Osteoporosis at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. “Strengthening your muscles also improves balance and keeps you as strong as possible which lowers your chances of a fall-related fracture.

Kid's Fitness Programs

by Ryan Ketchum

The commonly held belief that strength training for kids is dangerous to the growth plates is simply not accurate provided that appropriate guidelines are followed with respect to, specifically, exercise execution. In fact, improved sport performance, increased muscular endurance and enhanced bone strength are all likely benefits of resistance training for children.

Moreover, an increased need for correct kids fitness programs due to the rigors of a typical soccer, football or baseball game place far more of a strain on the structures of kids than does a well-executed lift. In fact, Mel Siff in his book Facts & Fallacies of Fitness suggests that “stresses imposed on the body by common sporting activities such as running, jumping and hitting generally are far larger (by as much as 300%) than those imposed by Powerlifting or Olympic Lifting.”

The real crux of this issue stems from the argument of which type of resistance training is most safe or suitable. In North America, we tend to buy into the concept that fitness machines are most safe due to their static nature and fixed paths which remove our need to stabilize during a movement – which would be fine if the body actually worked like that, but it doesn’t! This is why I am so outspoken

against ‘youth sized’ strength training machines. To the uneducated eye, they certainly appear more safe and prudent than training with free weights, especially in dynamic movements such as Olympic lifts… but are they? Should kids stay away from dynamic strength training exercises like the Olympic lift?

Dangers of Lifting in Kids Fitness Programs?

If there is not a fully qualified an exceptionally experienced coach involved, then yes – without question. However, can the Olympic lifts actually be beneficial for younger athletes… let’s examine that.

While machine-based strength training for children has been shown clinically to be positive, it does not appear that the clinical evidence supports anything other than the fact that isolated strength has increased. Moreover, due to their static nature, it can certainly be concluded that machine-based strength training does not positively impact coordination or movement skill – something that is extremely crucial for young athletes.

On the other hand, North American research has never sought out to prove whether or not Olympic Lifts are dangerous for young athletes; it has always just been assumed so. Furthermore, according to Mel Siff in Facts & Fallacies of Fitness, “Epidemiological studies using bone scans by orthopedists have not shown any greater incidence of epiphyseal damage among children who lift weights.

On the contrary, bone scans of children who have done regular competitive lifting reveal a significantly larger bone density than those who do not lift weights – In other words, controlled progressive competitive
lifting may be useful in improving the ability of youngsters to cope with the rigors of other sports and normal daily life”. In addition, because of their dynamic nature, Olympic Lifts are actually quite ideal for aiding in the development of coordination and movement skill.

I try whenever possible to make sure that physicians, parents and coaches here in North America don’t become too dogmatic with respect to their viewpoints on how children should exercise. Although North Americans view Olympic lifting as entirely unsafe for pre-adolescents, they have been adopted as part of a physical education curriculum in sections of Europe.

Strength Training Tips for Youngsters:

– The essence of systemic strength training is found in basic activities such as running, jumping and throwing. Be sure to have younger athletes use both sides of their bodies equally when learning unilateral skills.
– From a motor skills perspective, I have always found that children around the ages of 8 – 10 are best suited to start learning the form and function of basic lifts. Start with body weight positioning, but don’t be afraid to teach ‘bar skills’ and patterning with light pre-weighted bars (5 – 8 pounds) or brooms.
– Reps and sets are an interesting topic… as opposed to conventional theory (3 sets of 15 – 20 reps), I have always found more success in teaching appropriate lift functioning by making the sets high (8 – 10) and the reps low (3 – 5). In this set/rep range, kids are first taught the basics of set up and movement and then asked to re-produce the lift a minimal number of times per set. This aids in developing quality motor sequencing and doesn’t afford the opportunity of developing poor habits during the multiple reps set.

Repost: The Consequences of Specialization and Professionalism in Youth Sports

A Word From Dave

We share a common mission with Dr. James Andrews: “to keep them (athletes) on the playing field and out of the operating room”. Coaches and parents may mean well, but often don’t fully understand the consequences of playing a sport year-round. To find out more about the long-term effects of overuse, feel free to check out the blog in it’s entirety at:
http://www.cleveland.com/dman/index.ssf/2013/02/noted_surgeon_dr_james_andrews.html

The Consequences of Specialization and Professionalism in Youth Sports

BY DENNIS MANALOFF ON February 27, 2013 THE PLAIN DEALER

CLEVELAND, Ohio — James Andrews has seen enough.

Enough of coaches who mean well and try hard, but who really don’t know what they need to know.

Enough of parents who think their son or daughter is the next superstar athlete and must be pushed and pushed and pushed.

Enough of youngsters who are forced to visit him and his colleagues around the nation.

Andrews has become so alarmed that he is issuing written and verbal warnings to anyone willing to read or listen. Why should the public care what Andrews thinks? Because when the “Dr.” is placed in front of his name, he becomes a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon.

Andrews, who has practiced medicine for nearly 40 years, is most famous for his ability to put professional athletes back together. These athletes — notably, a who’s who of quarterbacks — have signed contracts for a combined total well north of $1 billion after his surgeries. In 2010, Andrews was the only doctor to be named among the top 40 most powerful people in the NFL by Sports Illustrated.

Andrews’ specialties are knees, elbows and shoulders. One of his recent patients was Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, who needed the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament repaired in his right knee.

“I want parents and coaches to realize the implications of putting a 12- or 13-year-old through the type of athletic work done by a 25-year-old”

The work on athletes, while important, isn’t the reason Andrews collaborated with Don Yaeger, a former associate editor at Sports Illustrated, to write, “Any Given Monday: Sports Injuries and How to Prevent Them, for Athletes, Parents and Coaches — Based on My Life in Sports Medicine.” He felt compelled to write the book, then talk about it, out of fear for the younger generation.

“I started seeing a sharp increase in youth sports injuries, particularly baseball, beginning around 2000,” Andrews told The Plain Dealer in a telephone interview. “I started tracking and researching, and what we’ve seen is a five- to sevenfold increase in injury rates in youth sports across the board. I’m trying to help these kids, given the epidemic of injuries that we’re seeing. That’s sort of my mission: to keep them on the playing field and out of the operating room.

“I hate to see the kids that we used to not see get hurt. … Now they’re coming in with adult, mature-type sports injuries. It’s a real mess. Maybe this book will help make a dent.”