Athletic Performance Toolbox

Muscle Protein Synthesis

by

graduated from Durham University with a Masters Degree in 2001.
He since contributed to the fields of sports science and sports medicine by working alongside researchers from Team GB boxing, the School of Sport and Recreation at Auckland University of Technology, the Faculty of Sport at the University of Ljubljana, the Department of Sport at Staffordshire University, and the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. He is also a Director at Strength and Conditioning Research Limited 

For more great information regarding strength and conditioning follow Chris on Twitter and Instagram

Hypertrophy arises because of a sustained excess of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) over-and-above muscle protein breakdown, usually because of performing strength training and/or eating protein.

When studying the effects of protein consumption, it has been found that:

1️⃣ Protein consumption produces dose-response effects on MPS up to around 20g of protein; and

2️⃣ Post-workout protein consumption only increases MPS rates for a couple of hours before returning to fasting levels, even when protein is continually supplied.

These observations have led to researchers referring to the “muscle-full” effect. This is the idea that when amino acid delivery reaches a certain level, which corresponds to around 20g of protein, muscle cells cease to use them as a substrate for MPS, but instead divert them toward oxidation.

This first study was done to confirm the results of previous investigations. And it did in fact show that after a workout involving only the leg muscles, 20g of post-workout protein was just as effective as 40g for increasing MPS in the 4 hours after exercise.

However, this study does not tell us what would happen after a whole body workout.

The question of what happens after a whole body workout was addressed in a follow-up study from the same group of researchers. As you can see from the infographic, the greater amount of muscle mass involved in whole body training led to an increased requirement for post-workout protein.

This suggests that a post-workout protein shake may need to be bigger when doing whole body workouts, compared to when doing split routines.

In contrast, the amount of lean body mass of each subject did not have an effect on the MPS response, which was surprising.

This may indicate that larger individuals require less protein on a pound-for-pound basis, but this seems to contradict the idea that whole body workouts lead to greater protein requirements than split routines, so this may need to be confirmed by future research.

Interestingly, other research indicates that MPS during an energy deficit (as when trying to achieve weight loss through a diet) is lower than when in energy balance. And strength training while in an energy deficit only increases MPS to the same resting level as in energy balance.

This suggests that post-workout protein may be more important for stimulating MPS while in an energy deficit, than during energy balance.

Taken together, these studies suggest that greater post-workout protein shakes may be helpful either when performing whole body training (compared to split training) and when in an energy deficit (compared to in energy balance).

Even so, given that these studies did not assess the effects of MPS over the course of the whole day in the context of matched daily protein intakes, the effect of post-workout protein in isolation from daily protein consumption is hard to assess.

Sports Nutrition: Recovery Window

by

This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

By Michelle Rockwell

Michelle Rockwell, MS, RD, CSSD, is a Sports Dietitian based in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and the former Coordinator of Sports Nutrition at the University of Florida. She offers sports nutrition consulting services in addition to educational products and workshops through RK Team Nutrition: www.rkteamnutrition.com.

It’s Friday night at 9:30 p.m. A basketball team begins its 90-minute bus ride home after an exciting double-overtime win, and the players are exhausted–eager to get some rest before they leave again at 7:00 a.m. for the second game of the weekend tournament.

Most players drain a couple of water bottles on the ride home, a few eat candy from their bags, and others snack on brownies baked by a player’s mom. Some wait until they get home to see if they’re hungry. Back at school, a few parents are waiting with fast food bags in hand. In all, only a handful of players eat a meal before going to sleep.

You might guess how the tournament’s second game turns out. The players are fatigued by halftime, their legs feel impossibly heavy, and they struggle to execute the precise motor movements needed for shooting. They also have trouble maintaining mental focus. One player misses the last quarter due to muscle cramping.

Afterward, players may blame the early morning wake-up or the strain of a long game the night before, or simply say they had an “off day.” They’ll probably never think about the real reason they did so poorly: They completely ignored recovery nutrition.

Most athletes know the value of a healthy breakfast and a balanced pre-game meal. But all too often, they don’t know about arguably the most important time to provide their bodies with fuel to replenish and reload. Post-activity eating and drinking is an essential component of athletic success, and improving recovery nutrition is one of the easiest ways athletes can measurably boost their performance.

MUST-HAVES
Recovery nutrition is best thought of as a window of opportunity. Research has found that in the approximately 30 minutes after intense exercise, the body optimizes its ability to replenish energy stores–particularly muscle and liver glycogen. This is also a critical time because the body instigates muscle protein synthesis for muscle tissue recovery and repair, replenishes fluids and electrolytes lost through sweat, and adapts to the stresses encountered in the workout.

The quantity and quality of nutrients and fluids consumed in the post-exercise period greatly affect recovery. And the longer and more intense a workout, the more important it is to kick-start the body’s recovery and replenishment mechanisms with adequate fueling. The three most important components of recovery nutrition are carbohydrates, protein, and fluids/electrolytes.

Carbohydrates. Hard exercise dramatically decreases the body’s carbohydrate stores. One recent estimate suggests that a 150-pound athlete may utilize 200 grams of muscle glycogen and 50 grams of liver glycogen in a typical rigorous training session or competition–that’s a total of 1,000 calories worth of carbs!

Athletes should consume .5 to .7 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight within the first 30 minutes after exercise. For someone weighing 150 pounds, that means roughly 75 to 100 grams. The foods and beverages in the “Carbs” box below each contain about 50 grams of carbohydrates–but you should encourage athletes to read product labels and broaden their horizons with a wide selection of carb-containing foods and drinks.

Beyond the 30-minute “immediate” recovery window, it’s also important for athletes to consume more carbs–at least another 50 grams–about two hours after exercise. This helps complete the restoration of glycogen levels and ensure that muscle tissue will be ready to perform again at the next workout, practice, or competition.

To make matters slightly more complicated, some carbohydrates are better for recovery than others. High-glycemic carb sources are absorbed more quickly by the body, helping restore glycogen levels more efficiently after workouts than low-glycemic sources.

High-glycemic foods are generally those with refined flours and added sugars, such as bagels, low-fiber/high-sugar cereals, granola bars or sports bars, pretzels, and flavored milks.

Protein. Protein consumed within the recovery window provides amino acid building blocks for muscle tissue synthesis and repair. It also helps ensure a net positive protein balance, which means protein synthesis exceeds protein degradation (breakdown) in muscle tissue. Protein degradation is elevated after exercise, so failing to consume protein can actually result in muscle loss.

Researchers generally suggest that athletes need 10 to 20 grams of protein in the 30-minute recovery window to provide adequate amino acids for synthesis and repair. The foods in the “Protein” box below each contain roughly 10 grams, but again athletes should be encouraged to use nutrition labels and make their own choices.

There is limited evidence to suggest that one protein source is superior to another for promoting muscle recovery. Some researchers have reported that whey protein is most favorable because of its unique amino acid composition and absorption rate, but most recommendations do not distinguish between protein sources. With so many protein-rich options, from meat, dairy, and eggs to nuts, seeds, and legumes, athletes should choose the ones they like best, and perhaps even experiment with different combinations to see if they notice a difference in recovery with certain foods as compared to others.

Fluids/electrolytes. The total amount of fluid and electrolytes needed after physical activity varies by individual based on body chemistry, sweat rate and salt content, and other factors. The simplest guide for replenishment is weight loss during workouts: Athletes should weigh themselves before and after activity, and consume 16 to 24 fluid ounces for every pound they lose. For example, someone who drops three pounds during practice needs 48 to 72 ounces of fluid during the recovery window.

Of course, athletes must also be encouraged to focus on hydration during activity, so ideally, their pre- and post-workout weight shouldn’t be much different. If the prospect of downing 72 ounces of fluid after a workout is unappealing, that’s one more reason to hit the water and sports drink bottles early and often while working out.

Because sweat contains electrolytes like sodium and potassium, the best recovery hydration options are sports drinks, fruit juice, and flavored milk as opposed to plain water. Chocolate milk in particular is an excellent choice, because it rehydrates and provides electrolytes while also supplying the body with carbs and protein.

Beyond those three key areas, fat is another component that athletes sometimes ask about regarding recovery nutrition. Conventional wisdom is that low-fat foods and beverages are the best options, because a high fat content slows digestion and thus delays nutrient absorption.

However, some researchers note that significant depletion of fat stores within muscles (intramuscular triglycerides) occurs during training. As much as 900 calories worth of fat may be oxidized during a hard workout or competition. Some recent studies have also found that “healthy fats,” such as the omega-3 fatty acids found in foods such as avocados, nuts, and olive oil help regulate the inflammatory response after workouts. For those reasons, athletes shouldn’t be afraid to consume moderate amounts of fat in post-workout meals. However, the broader warnings against trans fats and foods high in saturated fat still apply.

MEAL OR SNACK?
Athletes crave simplicity in nutrition advice. One of their most frequently asked questions is whether they are better off consuming a meal or simply a snack after workouts and games. Some ask this question because they have so little appetite after hard work that a snack is all they can stomach.

In most cases, my answer is both–or more specifically, first one, then the other. It’s fine if they only consume a snack in the 30-minute window, as long as it meets the criteria outlined above. A large glass of chocolate milk and a few handfuls of pretzels may be all they need to get enough carbs, protein, and electrolytes to begin optimal recovery.

If they go that route, they should plan on consuming a full meal about two hours later, complete with at least 50 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein, and a larger quantity of whole food overall. This will ensure that muscle glycogen replacement continues and the body’s longer-term recovery processes receive adequate fuel. It will also allow replacement of the broader spectrum of micronutrients and amino acids that the snack didn’t provide.

For those who can eat a full meal within the 30-minute window, the advice basically flip-flops. They should consume a snack about two hours after their meal, again with at least 50 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein. The overall goal is to kick-start recovery with immediate refueling, and then to follow up with further nutritional support after a couple of hours.

MAKING IT HAPPEN
In my work with athletes, I develop individualized nutrition plans that cover daily intake before, during, and after exercise. With recommendations in hand, we work on realistic strategies to make sure the plan is followed.

For the struggling basketball players described at the beginning of this article (yes, they really existed), I worked with coaches, parents, and the team’s athletic trainer to institute team-wide recovery nutrition after every game. Team personnel started packing post-game snacks that were waiting for players on the bus. In addition, I created easy-to-follow late-night meal suggestions for the players’ parents to prepare at home.

Sometimes, we got creative to meet the players’ needs. An assistant coach worked with concessions stands at home and on the road to purchase salted soft pretzels with mustard at a group discount for the team to eat after games. A parent provided either individual servings of chocolate milk or low-fat milkshakes from a fast food restaurant, and the athletic trainer got into the habit of bringing bananas and a cooler of sports drinks. Simple steps like those meant that players had easy access to quality protein, carbohydrates, fluids, and electrolytes during the critical 30-minute recovery window.

Once I began working with the team, game and practice performance improved–particularly in settings where quick recovery was most important, like weekend tournaments. The incidence of muscle cramping decreased, and players had an easier time maintaining their body weight throughout the season.

Of course, there are many ways to improve players’ recovery nutrition habits. I asked professionals at several athletic programs for their tips, and here’s what they shared:

Practice makes perfect. Chris Morland, MS, CSCS, Strength and Conditioning Coordinator at North Carolina State University, has implemented post-workout recovery nutrition with his athletes and observed several benefits. “During the competition phase of the year, when intensity and energy expenditure are very high, I look to make quality calories directly available to athletes right after workouts,” he says. “We also provide athletes with an explanation of why recovery nutrition is important, so they connect recovery to personal choices.”

Morland offers NCAA-permissible nutritional bars and shakes along with sports drinks, nuts, and fruit to his athletes immediately after workouts. He believes that recovery nutrition habits acquired in the weightroom translate into better post-game and post-competition nutrition practices.

The women’s cross country and track and field teams at St. John’s University have enjoyed improved workout recovery through nutrition recommendations from Sports Dietitian Mary Ellen Bingham, MS, RD, CSSD. After noticing that the team traveled up to 45 minutes each way to run in Central Park or the New York Armory, Bingham recommended bringing fuel and fluids for the ride back to campus. Low-fat chocolate milk and trail mix are some of the athletes’ favorites, and they’ve carried the lessons from these practices to meet days and to other teams as well.

Change the culture. Some teams have a well-defined routine they follow religiously after practices and games. The athletes might get treatment in the training room, meet with coaches, hit the showers, hang out with friends, and talk to the media, and before they know it, an hour or two has passed and the immediate recovery window has closed.

For these teams, you must find ways to build recovery nutrition into their post-game culture. This can happen through simple steps, such as passing out recovery shakes for consumption as athletes wait for treatment in the training room, or making sure they have a sports drink in hand before they meet with family and friends after a game.

At Texas Christian University, Sport Dietitian Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, has made the “box meal” a post-competition staple. She typically provides a turkey or ham and cheese sub sandwich (two for athletes seeking weight gain) along with baked chips and fruit or a cookie. Because the athletes know a box will be waiting for them after every game, they’ve made it part of their routine and expect to swap game notes and observations over a shared meal.

“It’s a great mix of carbohydrate and protein, and almost everyone loves sandwiches,” Goodson says. “The box meals are easy to eat on a bus and very affordable to put together, making them a great choice for our athletes.”

Account for low appetites. Since exercise can suppress appetite, many athletes struggle with a lack of hunger after working out. As Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, tells her athletes, “You need it the most when you want it the least.”

Athletes who don’t feel hungry after workouts often do better with recovery beverages. Flavored milk, drinkable yogurts, and fruit smoothies can provide everything they need without requiring an appetite. Ice-cold sports drinks, fruit juice, and low-fat milkshakes can be especially appealing because of their cooling effect. Once athletes get in the habit of consuming something after workouts, even if it’s just liquid, they’ll usually end up looking forward to it.

Talk about the impact. There’s no doubt athletes will experience benefits from focusing on recovery nutrition if they’ve ignored it in the past. But if they aren’t paying attention, they might not realize where the boost in performance and delay in fatigue is coming from.

Rob Skinner, MS, RD, CSSD, Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Virginia, recently helped a cross country runner improve his race performances. The athlete was running daily, with runs progressing from harder to easier throughout the week. He also did strength and medicine ball workouts on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

When Skinner started him on recovery meals with the right mix of carbohydrates and protein, his race times got better and better. Because of the athlete’s intense training regimen, he might have attributed his improvement to tweaks in his running schedule or strength workouts. But when Skinner explained the mechanisms of muscle recovery and pointed out that the performance gains coincided with a new emphasis on post-exercise nutrition, the runner was sold on the value of recovery meals following each workout. As a result, he understood that sticking with his new nutrition strategy was a vital part of optimizing his race performance.

Don’t ignore weight goals. Athletes trying to lose weight often resist recovery nutrition because they feel it is a source of unnecessary calories. Some even feel that eating a meal after physical activity “cancels out” the benefits of their hard work by replacing calories they just burned.

Athletes looking to change their body weight require special attention. Even when they do eat, they often don’t make wise choices from a recovery standpoint.

Recently, Bonci worked with a University of Pittsburgh swimmer who had altered her diet to lose weight. The athlete had lost 16 pounds in a short time, but her performance had dropped off significantly. When Bonci asked about her recovery fueling habits, she reported that she was eating lunch or dinner within 30 minutes of finishing practices and meets, but the meal usually consisted of a grilled chicken salad–in other words, almost no carbohydrates.

Bonci recommended adding pasta, a roll, and some fruit juice, or switching to a grilled chicken wrap to provide enough carbohydrates for optimal recovery. She explained why carbs are so important and thus why an entrée salad wasn’t the best choice right after a workout. The athlete took this advice, and was pleased to see her performance improve. She was also happy to notice that she didn’t gain any weight in the process.

Many athletes who restrict calories for weight loss find that a post-competition or post-workout recovery snack or small meal takes the edge off their appetite, allowing them to better control their portions at subsequent meals. It’s essential to stress that the critical recovery window post-exercise is the worst time to shortchange the body’s fueling needs.

Every athlete interested in optimizing performance should understand the importance of recovery nutrition. If they haven’t been paying attention to their post-workout fueling and you can get them to change their habits, you won’t need to spend hours lecturing them and coaxing them to stick with it. They’ll soon notice the difference for themselves, and wonder why they didn’t start paying attention to recovery nutrition a lot sooner.

ON THE WEB
To download this author’s handout for athletes containing specific advice and recommendations on recovery nutrition, point a browser to:
www.training-conditioning.com/Recovery.pdf.

Sidebar: RECOVERY CARBS …
Each item listed below contains roughly 50 grams of carbohydrates. Athletes should consume .5 to .7 grams of carbs per pound of body weight within 30 minutes after exercise to promote optimal recovery.

Bagel
3 slices of white bread
2 pancakes or 2 pieces of French toast
Large muffin
2 pieces of fresh fruit
1 cup of cold cereal (check labels)
1 sports bar or 2 small granola bars (check labels)
10 ounces of fruit juice
16 ounces of chocolate or strawberry milk

Sidebar: … AND PROTEIN
Each item on this list contains roughly 10 grams of protein. An optimal recovery meal consumed within 30 minutes after a workout should contain 10 to 20 grams of protein.

1 ounce of meat/poultry/fish/seafood
2 eggs or 2 egg whites
8 ounces of milk (dairy or soy)
1 cup of yogurt
1/2 cup of beans
1/2 cup of hummus
1 sports bar (check labels)
1/3 cup of nuts or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

Speed Development Drills

by

This article provided by Training and Conditioning

By Dan Hutchison, MS, ATC, CSCS

In the majority of athletic events, an athlete is attempting to beat their competition (opponent, ball, etc.) to a specific location.  Whether it is the finish line in a track and field event, the end-zone on a football field, or the base in a baseball game, one constantly needs to call on speed to achieve success.  The improvement of running speed is one of the three fundamental pillars of athletic improvement:  Strength, Skill, and Speed.  Much like the first two components, the improvement of running speed initially needs to be coached, followed by repetitive technical application, and continuously complimented by a strength/power program.  Although the speed component of any human endeavor involves some genetic predisposition, the applications of speed improvement can be mastered through the development of specific movement patterns.

Specific drills for speed development have been utilized by athletes for many years, most notably in track and field.  Other sports, understanding the need for a consistent stimulus for speed development, have incorporated these strategies with their athletes.  Typically, a series of progressive drills are performed at a high intensity to re-program the rate at which muscles respond to the ground and how quickly they can move in space.  Multiple movements generating power through the ankle, knee, and hip are performed when the athlete is not only properly warmed up, but also somewhat “fresh” prior to the start of the training or practice session (1).  These drills and exercises are still strongly encouraged prior to the start of training or practice session.  A truncated version of these drills can be supplemented to develop speed and eliminate some of the fatiguing effects of a long dynamic warm-up (1).

Detailed below are three specific drills to initiate the speed development process.  These drills cover detailed physiological and biomechanical components of speed development that include, but are not limited to, overload, force development, maximum velocity, neuromuscular learning, and progressive periodization.  If each of these areas is maximized, speed improvement in all sports can, and will, occur.

Speed Drill #1 – A-Run:  The A-Run, or A-Kick is a dynamic speed drill that mimics the proper movement pattern of a sprint.  The A-Run emphasizes the heel-to-butt concept that adequately places the shin as close to the hip as possible during the swing phase of running and places the hip in the proper parallel position with the ground which allows for sufficient stride length.  These main components are practiced repeatedly, and as time progresses the speed of the movement and the distance of the movement are increased.  Once the technical aspect is attained, the athlete will perform the drill as fast as possible in a 10 meter area for 3-4 sets.  If fatigue causes either a slowing frequency of leg movement, or a technical error, shorten the distance and reduce the sets.  The progression is to perform fast and technical A-Runs up to 50 meters and up to 5-6 sets.  Recovery is the walk back to the starting line.

  • Technique
  • Intense, fast movements
  • Increase sets before distance

Speed Drill #2 – Split Squat Jumps (SSJ):  The SSJ is utilized to improve power, strength, and acceleration in a running athlete (2).  The SSJ resembles some mechanical qualities of forward sprinting, with the goal of this drill to improve power, most notably during the acceleration phase of running.  The initial position of the SSJ forces the athlete to produce the maximum amount of power in the front leg.  This is followed by an explosive movement vertically while switching legs at the peak height of the jump and landing under control ready to perform the exact movement again.  Power is enhanced by spending as little time as possible on the ground and producing as much power and height on the vertical component (2).  Arm swing should mimic the sprinting movement.  Effort is maximized on each jump so repetitions should initially be low, 4-5 reps per leg for 3-4 sets, but not to exceed more than 10 reps per leg.  Ideally, once an athlete can perform 8-10 reps maximally per leg, dumbbells or preferably a weighted vest should be added for resistance; the more resistance added, the fewer the repetitions.  Recovery should be 1-2 minutes between sets.

  • Maximum effort on each jump
  • Increase reps before adding resistance

Speed Drill #3 – Maximum Velocity Running (MVR):  Maximal velocity sprinting is a traditional approach to improving speed, especially in the day and age where implements are quickly applied sometimes before proper mechanics are learned at high velocities.  MVR is a simple approach to educating the athlete about body control at peak velocity.  This drill should be performed after the first two speed drills because it combines the phases of speed development:  acceleration, maximum velocity, and maintaining maximal velocity.  Once an athlete has attained maximum velocity during the drill, sustainability is encouraged for as long as possible, but as soon as velocity is lost the set is complete.  Distances should initially range from 20-40 meters and progress to no more than 100 meters, unless the event determines otherwise, performed for 4-6 sets.  Implements may be added for additional resistance (parachutes, sleds, bands, or pulley systems) without losing emphasis on proper body control and mechanics at high velocities.

  • Combination of the speed development drills
  • Body control and technique at high velocities
  • Maximum sustainable effort

These specific drills for speed improvement should be performed between 3-5 days during the week, even during the season with reduced repetitions performed at the same high intensity.  In addition, a strength/power program should be an ongoing practice in one’s endeavor for success.  Adequate and structured strength training allows individuals the stamina to meet the demands of the sport and the speed-specific training demands (4).  These tools for success are challenging, but may be the difference between scholarships, colleges, the varsity team, and of course, WINNING!

 

References:

1.  Gabbett, TJ, et al.  Influence of Closed Skill and Open Skill Warm-ups on the Performance of Speed, Change of Direction Speed, Vertical Jump, and Reactive Agility in Team Sport Athletes. J Strength Cond Res 22(5):  1413-1415.

2. Markovic, G, et al. Effects of Sprint and Plyometric Training on Muscle Function and Athletic Performance.  J Strength Cond Res 21(2):  543-549

3.  Aguilar, AJ, et al.  A dynamic warm-up model increases quadriceps strength and hamstring flexibility.  J Strength Cond Res 26(4):  1130-1141.

4.  Delecluse, C.  Influence of Strength Training on Sprint Running Performance: Current Findings and Implications for Training.  Sports Medicine 24(3):  147-220.

Summer Strength and Conditioning

by

This article was provided by Coaches Network

When Jeff Decker, MEd, CSCS, served as Strength and Conditioning Coach at Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, he developed a unique summer program with sports conditioning specialist Tim McClellan, author of the book Inner Strength Inner Peace as well as other books and videos, in 2009 to help turn around a football team that had a 2-8 record the previous season.

The program, called a “Strength and Conditioning Camp,” was a major part of new football coach Norris Vaughan’s rebuilding philosophy involved a renewed emphasis on strength and conditioning.  The program was constructed all athletes at the school and not just the football players.

Laying the Groundwork

The first step in building a successful summer program was getting the school’s sport coaches on board with the new vision. Decker and McClellan spent hours in intensive brainstorming sessions with the members of several sports’ coaching staffs, and feedback from these sessions was key to making the summer program as beneficial as possible for all types of athletes.

They also relied on the sport coaches to convince athletes to buy into summer workouts. The coaches communicated their expectations to their teams before the end of the school year, and stressed the importance of personal accountability during a time when many high school students choose to take it easy.

Another early step was consulting with MPHS Team Physician Rodger McCoy, MD, who had experience working with high-profile teams and programs including the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona State University. His knowledge of recent trends in injury prevention proved to be an invaluable resource to the program.

For example, Dr. McCoy told Decker and McClellan they would decrease the athletes’ injury risk if the summer program stressed lower-body multi-planar exercises, such as diagonal lunges and multi-planar single-leg Romanian deadlifts. He also provided advice on advanced rehab protocols for individual athletes who were struggling with injuries, and recommended some specific strengthening exercises for high-priority areas, such as the glutes and vastus medialis obliques (VMO). Having input from a trusted medical professional was a key step in making Mountain Pointe’s strength camp a success.

Seven Objectives

Many high school summer training programs have an “open gym” atmosphere–everyone doing their own thing, with little coordination or forethought. Decker and McClellan wanted to create a much different experience for our athletes. Working together with sport coaches, they formulated seven specific objectives around which the camp would be built.

Injury prevention: There are countless exercises and workout philosophies that promise injury prevention benefits, some more credibly than others. Decker and McClellan decided to identify a few specific areas in which high school athletes are most vulnerable to injury and dedicate time in each session to addressing them.

For example, to prevent shoulder injuries, particularly those involving the rotator cuff, each day’s workout contained external rotation and scapular stabilization and mobilization work. Decker and McClellan used shoulder external rotations, Kelso rows with isometric shrug holding on an incline bench, and inverted rows using suspension straps.

To help prevent back injuries, Mountain Pointe’s athletes performed innovative Swiss ball and Bosu ball exercises for spinal stabilization. Some of our favorites were single-arm chest pressing using a rotational component, push-ups on a Bosu ball, and push-ups using Swiss balls under the hands and feet.

One of the most dreaded injuries among high school athletes is an ACL tear. To help protect this important ligament and strengthen the surrounding musculature, Decker and McClellan used exercises such as single-leg Romanian deadlifts, Nordic leg curls, glute/ham raises, and rotational lunges in different planes. For hip mobility and balance development, the athletes did rotational touches using 10-pound weights and RDLs on an unstable surface, such as a Dyna Disc or an Airex pad. To teach landing in an athletic and ACL-safe position, which is especially important for female athletes, Decker and McClellan employed low box depth jumps with a static hold in the landing position.

Rehabilitation: For athletes who were recovering from injuries, Decker and McClellan took a highly individualized approach in designing their workout regimens. When necessary, they consulted their personal physician or physical therapist, along with the school’s athletic training staff, to determine the best possible systematic progression. Rehabbing athletes are often very eager to dive back into normal training habits, particularly when working alongside healthy teammates, so it’s essential to structure their workouts to gradually increase the difficulty and account for any limitations they may have.

Lean body mass: Decker and McClellan wanted camp participants to get the boost in confidence that comes from visible muscle growth, so part of our strength training protocol involved bodybuilding exercises. But Decker and McClellan wanted hypertrophy that was much more than aesthetic—it needed to be as functional as possible, so it would translate into sport-specific force production when the athletes began their team seasons.

To achieve both those goals, Decker and McClellan placed a great emphasis on multi-joint, total-body strength and power exercises. They relied heavily on staples such as squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. Hang cleans and power shrugs were used to promote triple extension and explosiveness, and the push press was incorporated to develop upper-body and vertical explosiveness.

Power: Strength has limited value if it’s not accompanied by explosive power, so Decker and McClellan incorporated a variety of horizontal and vertical plyometric exercises in different planes. These included lateral hops with resistance and assistance cords, box jumps at differing heights, lateral and single-leg hops over agility bags, slide board exercises, and progression hops using a rope at varying heights. They also prioritized explosive lifts such as cleans, high pulls, power shrugs, and dumbbell squat jumps. These are excellent choices for increasing the rate of force production, which translates directly into improved performance in most sports.

Functional movement: While the major focus of our summer training was to build a foundation of strength, power, and fitness that athletes could further develop as their sport seasons approached, Decker and McClellan also included some sport-specific functional activities. Using resisted cord drills, assisted cord movements, slideboard work, and multi-planar movements, they attempted to mimic the joint angles, rotations, accelerations, decelerations, and other demands inherent in each athlete’s sport.

Mental training: An overall philosophy of challenging athletes to meet higher and higher expectations governed all camp activities. The coaches and strength personnel reinforced this message on a daily basis, establishing a set of guidelines for action and effort in each task and using different motivational strategies to reach individual athletes when necessary.

Cutting corners was never allowed—Decker and McClellan required the athletes to start all drills fully behind the starting lines and to finish past (not at) the finish lines. Rewards were given to the winners of competitive drills, which helped instill a “competitor’s heart” in our camp participants.

Fun: While our goals were serious, Decker and McClellan also wanted the athletes to enjoy themselves at our strength camp—this was, after all, their summer vacation. They scheduled many team-building drills, from competitive relay races to various forms of tag and other games. Activities like these are great motivators—especially when there are rewards for winning and consequences for losing.

Winners received things like first dibs on getting water, which is more valuable than gold on an Arizona summer day. None of the consequences for losers were severe—they’d do a few push-ups or extra reps of an exercise–but high school athletes almost always work harder when something is “on the line.” Plus, simple games like tag help develop important skills such as fast change of direction and reactive quickness in pursuit.

Finer Points

Before the first athlete set foot in our facility for the start of camp, Decker and McClellan had hammered out everything from the number of days per week each sport would train to the time each team would commit per workout. Attention to a few specific details helped us make sure the camp would be memorable for everyone involved.

They solicited the manager of a local nutritional supplement company and he offered to support the program by providing T-shirts for all the participants–his logo appeared on the back, and we designed a camp logo for the front. This allowed us to provide a nice perk for the athletes and a way they could proudly show off what they did over the summer, without adding any cost to the program.

In addition, through various connections Decker and McClellan reached out to a few pro athletes living in the area and enticed them to train at the facility and help out with coaching and motivational talks. Even if you don’t have access to pro athletes, special guests are a great way to add extra benefits to a summer strength camp. Decker and McClellan also invited Phoenix Police Sergeant Jim Cope, who also happens to be a former junior world champion power lifter and world record holder in the deadlift, to speak to the athletes about commitment, teamwork, selflessness, and character. The athletes were highly receptive and clearly inspired—Decker and McClellan could see a difference in their workout motivation after the talk.

As another added touch, to supplement the education athletes received at the camp itself, Decker and McClellan organized an evening presentation covering basic sports nutrition. It was open to all students at the school, and because nutrition is an important topic for parents to understand, they were invited as well. They charged two dollars for admission, and donated the proceeds to the school’s general athletic fund.

Snatch and Clean

by

This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

By Loren Z.F. Chiu and Brian K. Schilling

Loren Z.F. Chiu, MS, CSCS, is affiliated with University of Southern California, and Brian K. Schilling, PhD, CSCS, is affiliated with the University of Memphis.

Weight training has many benefits, from developing strength to improving coordination. But it’s critical that exercises are done correctly. Here’s a breakdown on how to teach athletes to perform a snatch and clean.

The snatch and clean can be broken into three components, which individually, have distinct adaptational benefits. These are

• the first pull
• the second pull (including the preceding double knee bend)
• receiving the bar

The first pull involves removing the barbell from its static position on the floor until the bar passes the knees. In this component, the angle of the torso relative to the floor is more horizontal than vertical. Thus, in addition to the primary movement produced by the knee and hip extensors, the spinal extensors, scapular retractors, and shoulder extensors are also involved.

The spinal extensors create posterior shearing forces to oppose anterior shear from gravitational forces, which, along with the compressional forces generated, increases spinal stability. The scapular retractors and shoulder extensors keep the barbell close to the body.

In this position, the lifter can apply large forces. However, heavy loads cannot be moved at high velocity. Pulling the bar from the floor thus contributes to the training of starting strength, where starting strength is the ability to generate high forces from the onset of muscle activation in a very short period of time. Starting strength relates to the initial defensive positions for sports such as football and volleyball.

As the barbell passes the knees, the knees shift forward and the barbell and hips move towards each other. This motion initiates a stretch-shortening cycle and repositions the lifter-barbell system so that the lifter is in joint positions with advantageous leverage to impart a large force to the barbell rapidly, resulting in a high power output.

As this large production of power is considered to be the primary benefit of the snatch and clean, strength and conditioning programs typically involve exercises that isolate this component of the lifts. These include lifting from the hang, lifting from boxes, and high pulls.

While it is indeed advantageous for athletes to utilize these exercises, the second pull is not the only important characteristic of the snatch and clean exercises. Perhaps the most overlooked characteristic of the snatch and clean is receiving the bar, whether overhead or on the shoulders. In weightlifting circles, this is performed by “meeting the bar,” or actively resisting the downward momentum of the barbell. This requires activation of the agonist muscles in an eccentric and isometric fashion.

The difference between eccentric actions during weightlifting as opposed to weight training (for example the negative phase of a squat) is that overcoming the downward barbell momentum requires a greater  opposing impulse during weightlifting. Thus, the rapid production of force in an eccentric manner is necessary, similar to plyometric movements, such as depth jumps. This is also called yielding strength and con- tributes to reactive strength, the ability to rapidly reverse eccentric to concentric motion.

While plyometric exercises are widely used in strength and conditioning, the landing phases of these exercises are associated with injuries, primarily at the knee and ankle joints. The snatch and clean exercises are a safer, and perhaps more effective, method of training yielding strength, whereas the jerk exercise can be used for training reactive strength. In properly trained individuals, the vertical ground reaction forces produced in receiving the bar are lower than those produced when landing from jumping and during depth jumps.

 

This article was originally published on the website of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is being used with permission from the organization.