Within the blog post I am going to talk you through how I approach shoulder injuries and the best practice I have found to restore health and function of the shoulder joint. This is a step by step process which always begins with a thorough Initial Consultation.
Understanding training age:
A common thought process among lifters of all experience levels, is that heavy loaded barbell movements are the most bang for buck exercise choice available to a lifter. Now, whilst this in context can be true, we need to remember that a lot of barbell exercises produce a high strain on the body whilst eliciting a high force output. If a beginner is to last the journey within the weights room, they need to be prepared for training loads and strain levels. This is an adaptation that the body goes through over time, therefore giving merit to the term “training age”.
Busting myths:
For the purpose of this blog post, I am going to drop a bit of heat on some myths and fiction surrounding training. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding exercise, some are good and some are not so good; so without further adduce, I shall get right into a few of the biggest misconceptions I hear surrounding training.
Understanding true plyometrics:
Often programmed for just about anybody, plyometrics are considered by most people as jumping based movements. You’ll see these exercises incorporated into high intensity cardio classes or given at the end of a session as a burn out type drill, which goes against the science entirely. A true definition of a plyometric exercise is a rapid lengthening and then shortening of a muscle fibre which utilises the stretch shortening cycle in order to generate a greater force output. Within this blog, I am going to share some of the science as well as some practical examples of plyometric exercises, and how to train these movements for performance.
Improving critical positions:
In order to make long term progress with our strength goals, we need to do the basics better and better over time. Simply lifting more weight on the bar is not going to cut it, especially if there are underlying factors that are constantly holding you back. Mobility and pain are 2 key areas that need constant reassessment and without doing this, you are setting yourself up for failure. Whether it be through video analysis or through a watchful coaching eye, you need to care about how you lift as eagerly as how much you lift.
Concurrent training:
A topic that has always been of interest to me is concurrent training. By definition, concurrent training is a training cycle where by both strength as well as endurance exercise is performed within the same training cycle. This is inevitable within both individual as well as team sports, but also popular with the everyday punter who knows it is important to be both fit as well as strong. The question is though, as an athlete or as a coach, how do you get the most out of your training cycle and be the most prepared for your sport?
High reps versus low reps:
Within this blog post I am going to dive into the science behind a low repetition effort versus a high repetition effort, and give you an understanding as to what you will achieve by doing either. There is no right and wrong, but the question really should be “which repetition range is going to help me achieve my goals, whatever they may be?” If we can understand what we are trying to achieve, we can build a better pathway towards achieving those results long term.
Returning to the gym:
With the ease of the stage 3 Government enforced restrictions now resuming to stage 2, some small gym facilities have been given the green light to reopen. If you find yourself returning back to the gym this week, I feel as though there are a few key things which need to be touched upon in order to make the rest of your week a much smoother experience.
Overcoming chronic pain:
Chronic condition management is a large part of my role as an Exercise Physiologist and contains a wide scope of issues in which people may present to me with. A large portion of my practice involves musculoskeletal issues which are usually ongoing (chronic) in nature. A lot of the time people have been told to “work around it” or to “get a massage to rub it out”. I find that sort of advice quite tiresome as it gives the individual absolutely no guidance on how to fix their issues, and tends to make it seem like the problem is bigger than it actually might be. Within this blog, I am going to go through a step by step approach which will help you understand pain better, and to formulate an action plan to eventually getting better.