Research Review: Kettlebell Swings

It's been a while since we've posted an article on here, but it's been a very busy summer here with the opening of our new facility so that's our excuse and we're sticking to it.  Now that school is back in action, we'll be putting out content on a more regular basis, so hold on to your butts!

Our goal is to put out 2-articles each week, with one being a research breakdown and one being something a little more fun.  We've also gotten a few requests for article topics, which we will write about, so if you have a request, leave a comment or email us and we'll touch upon your request.

Research in Kettlebells

In our training we use kettlebell's quite a bit and it has slowly turned into one our favorite methods to teach the hip hinge and develop power.

In literature, the amount of quality research on kettlebell's is small.  There have been a few studies looking at the effect of KB's on strength and power (1-5) and the results of these studies have shown that KB training elicit similar results as traditional training and may have a stronger effect on the development on power over absolute strength.

When breaking down these research studies, it is clear there are some obvious drawbacks on the methods used.  In all the studies reviewed, you will only find one with the use of a KB over 16kg (6).  For anybody with experience in KB's knows this is a very light weight, and considering this light of a weight could stimulate such positive results, it makes you wonder what effects a heavier KB would have. 

Many of our youth athletes have the strength, control, and efficiency to use a 16kg KB, so for these studies to use this light of a weight with fully mature subjects is questionable.

I've seen seen athletes swing KB's of 70-100+lbs with no problem whatsoever.  This weight is 2-4 times more than the amount these studies use, and it would be very interesting to see the effects on strength and power with the use of these heavier bells.

Kettlebell Mechanics

We teach the KB swing as a hinge, not a squat.  We often explain it as a dynamic RDL rather than a dynamic squat.  When the swing is performed in this manner, high levels of posterior chain activation take place to control the rapid eccentric movement and greater emphasis on the stretch-shortening cycle takes place.

(photo credit: coreybeavinfitnessand.wordpress.com)

The mechanics of the swing also place greater emphasis on the medial hamstring group (semitendinosus) than the lateral group (bicep femoris) (7).  This is interesting because sprinting uses similar muscle patterns and places greater emphasis on the medial hamstrings (8).  This may give reason to the KB swing being a great exercise to train the medial hamstrings in a similar manner seen in sprinting.

The hip hinge swing also has a much higher proportion of horizontal forces compared to squats and jump squats (6).  This is a unique dimension of the KB Swing that can't be matched by traditional squats, deadlifts, or Olympic movements. The swing takes hip extension through a fuller range of motion and the path of the bell differs from traditional barbell movements.  This may also be interesting for athletes because recent research is showing the application of horizontal forces increases greater than vertical forces when accelerating to top-end speed (9).

Finally the impulses seen during the KB swing are huge (6).  Impulse is force x time, and this means the KB swing elicits of ton of force in a small amount of time.  This is important because the ultimate goal of athletic preparation is to produce higher forces is shorter times; this outcome is what leads to faster running speeds, higher jumping, increased power, quicker change of direction, and ultimately better performance.

There have been many who have claimed the benefit of KB swings on back pain and rehabilitation.  The exact reasons for these potential mechanisms are not known, but research by McGill et al (10) have shed some light onto some potential reasons.

The KB swing elicited compression forces peaking at 3195N and shear forces peaking at 461N, both seen at the bottom of the swing.  The low amount of shear forces is considered to be desirable and less strenuous on the spine.  The KB Swing also takes the spine through varying degrees of flexion and extension, and this movement is considered good for the spine.  As the saying goes, motion is lotion.

Recommendations

Everybody uses Kettlebell's differently and places different emphasis on them.  Like anything, they aren't an end all be all, but they can serve a purpose.

We at BBA do not program Olympic Lifts, for various reasons which we will touch upon in a future article, and KB Swings are part of our power development tool box we use instead of Olympic lifting.  I feel strongly as research continues to take place, we'll see the benefits of heavy KB swings being very similar to Olympic cleans and snatches, and in our opinion, with less the risk and learning curve.

We stick to mostly KB Swings at our facility, and we really like them because of how quickly our athletes tend to pick up on the technique and how well they work at teaching hip hinging.  It's very rare to have an athlete NOT pick up and learn the technique after just a few sets of practice and specific cueing and coaching assistance.  We can get groups of athletes up and running with KB Swings the very same day we implement them, while it may take weeks and tons of time to teach a group of athletes to perform a "simple" hang clean.  This is a major reason we like them so much. 

With our swings, we program them in a variety of different methods.  We use them for power development, which we will program heavier swings or band assisted swings.  We also use them help teach and cement the hip hinge pattern.  For this we use lighter weights and coach assistance to help push the correct path.  Finally we use them as conditioning or specific metabolic work.  We love to use them with specific work to rest ratio's and hammer away at them during GPP or hypertrophy phases.  The added bonus is the emphasis it places on the posterior chain compared to many other conditioning methods. 

Finally like we touched upon, we teach a hip hinge type of swing and have the bell only travel up to chin level.  The American Swing popularized by Crossfit, in which the bell travels above the head is something you will never see at our facility.  In all honesty, this methods serves no benefit and only brings with it potential consequences.

Take a look at these swings and you'll likely see large amounts of lumbar extension, rib expansion, forward head position, and the fact that many are not suited for this type of loaded shoulder flexion.  Not to mention the effect this position has on the downward movement.  It's not uncommon to have the bell come down and all herky jerky and put massive strain on the shoulder and spine.  All in all, avoid the American Swing and stick to chin level.

Go Get 'Em!


References 

1. Jay K, Frisch D, Hansen K, Zebis MK, Andersen CH, Mortensen OS, Andersen LL. Kettlebell training for musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health: A randomized controlled trial. Scand J Work, Environ Health 37: 196–203, 2011.

2. Jay K, Jakobsen MD, Sundstrup E, Skotte JH, Jørgensen MB, Andersen CH, Pedersen MT, Andersen LL. Effects of kettlebell training on postural coordination and jump performance: A randomized controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 27: 1202–1209, 2013.

3. Lake JP, Lauder MA. Kettlebell swing training improves maximal and explosive strength. J Strength Cond Res 26: 2228–2233, 2012.

4. Manocchia P, Spierer DK, Lufkin AK, Minichiello J, Castro J. Transference of kettlebell training to strength, power and endurance. J Strength Cond Res 27: 477–484, 2013.

5. Otto WH III, Coburn JW, Brown LE, Spiering BA. Effects of weightlifting vs. kettlebell training on vertical jump, strength, and body composition. J Strength Cond Res 26: 1199–1202, 2012.

6. Lake JP, Lauder MA. Mechanical demands of kettlebell swing exercise. J Strength Cond Res 26: 3209–3216, 2012.

7.  Zebis MK, Skotte J, Andersen CH, Mortensen P, Petersen HH, Viskær TC, Jensen TL, Bencke J, Andersen LL. Kettlebell swing targets semitendinosus and supine leg curl targets biceps femoris: An EMG study with rehabilitation implications. Br J Sports Med 2012.

8. Jönhagen S, Ericson MO, Nemeth G, Eriksson E. Amplitude and timing of electromyographic activity during sprinting. Scand J Med Sci Sports 6: 15–21, 2007.

9.  Randell AD, Cronin JB, Keogh JW, Gill ND. Transference of strength and power adaptation to sports performance-horizontal and vertical force production. Strength Conditioning J 32: 100–106, 2010.

10.  McGill SM, Marshall LW. Kettlebell swing, snatch, and bottoms-up carry: Back and hip muscle activation, motion, and low back loads. J Strength Cond Res 26: 16–27, 2012.

Talking Sports Nutrition With Sean Casey

Sign-Up for BBA Updates Right Over Here  ----------------------------------------------------->


1. Tell us yourself and background?

First off, I’m honored to be interviewed by BBA. You have a lot of great content on this site and appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts on it.

In terms of my background… As it relates to physical performance, my passion for physical performance was born out of countless hours spent watching Rocky IV. Growing up, I used to watch it almost daily on good ol’ VHS tape; I followed the viewing up with push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups/arm hangs in my basement. I marveled at the physiques of Stallone & Dolph Lundgren. Besides, if training hard allowed Rocky to beat the Soviet machine Ivan Drago, as well as almost single handedly end the Cold War, surely a few pushups, pull-ups, situps, etc would surely help me start on the 5th grade basketball team, right?!

Fast forward a bit, in high school I competed in both track (as a sprinter) as well as football (fullback). Following my high school sports career, in which I earned numerous all city and regional awards (OK, you caught me. I grew up in a city of ~ 2000 people. Being named “all city” simply meant you started vs. catching slivers on the bench ;-)) I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned degrees in Kinesiology- Exercise Physiology as well as Nutritional Science – Dietetics. Following studies at UW-Madison, I completed my 1200 hr dietetic internship through UW-Green Bay.

During college, I was an intern physical preparation coach with the UW-Badgers S&C department. I also spent time interning at the International Performance Institute (IMG Academies) in Bradenton, FL, where I had the opportunity to assist with the USA U-18 National Men's Soccer team and academy students. I also interned and later worked as a physical preparation specialist at Athletes' Performance (They recently renamed themselves as EXOS). While at these locations I had the opportunity to train football, soccer, baseball, golf and tennis athletes.

As a registered dietitian (RD), I’m also active in the field of sports nutrition and have consulted with the former nutritionist for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Anita Nall-Richesson various amateur athletes as well as individuals merely looking to get into better shape.

2.  You’ve worked with a number of high-level athletes that take every measure to reach peak performance. How much of a difference can proper nutrition have on improving performance?

Proper nutrition is huge with respect to maximizing physical performance.

Outside of sleep I can’t think of any other factor that will speed up post workout recovery more so than one’s diet. It’s amazing how much better athletes feel physically, mentally as well as emotionally, when they improve the quality of their diet.

It’s interesting though, before I had the opportunity to work at the aforementioned locations, I always thought that athletes at the elite level ate ‘spot on’ diets. I mean, how could someone reach the elite level if they weren’t crossing all their T’s and dotting all their I’s, right?  Couldn’t be further from the truth; a lot of their diets prior to nutrition counseling (and well, probably some still afterwards) were garbage - candy, soda & crap galore.  It really highlighted to me how genetically freaky some of these individuals are that they can get away with it to a certain degree.

Now, don’t get me wrong; including some “junk” in your diet is fine.  In truth, it can be dang near impossible to consume >>3000-3500 kcal of without including some 1-2 star foods, but when your diet looks like it was designed by an Oompa Loompa at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory we have issues.

3. Walk us through the steps you take when working with a client.

Nutrition is just like training – it all starts with a thorough assessment. There are three main forms I use to assist me in this process. First is a general background form that covers things like goals, medical conditions (including medications they’re on which may interact with various foods/supplements), previous experience with dietary plans, openness to trying new foods, supplements, etc, etc.

The second form is a 1-3 day dietary record that provides a quick snapshot of one’s diet both in terms of amounts and timing of food intake. I always leave it up the client with respect to how many days they want to fill out. The only thing I ask is if they do 2 or more days, to make sure that they’re non-consecutive days and preferably a training and non-training day. If a 3rd day is included, I like to have it on a weekend.

The third form I use is a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). This form differs from a 1-3 day food record in that it provides a global overview of one’s diet. Rather than looking at timing and amounts, it examines how often a given food is eaten. This is a great tool from a dietary analysis standpoint.

Once I have all three of these forms, I put together a pretty thorough write-up for the client. I consider this write-up to be a ‘rough draft’. With this in hand, I like to sit down and discuss it with them. Based off their input, I re-draft the original write-up to create a plan that best fits them. Some individuals also like to have personalized 3 day sample menu’s written up in order to get a visual of how to incorporate the recommendations into their lives. This is also something I can do as well.


4. Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine”. It often seems many are quick to disregard real food and look for magical supplements to reach their nutritional needs.   Is this approach short-sighted and do you think this can be maintained long-term?

Definitely short sighted; as exciting as it is to drink your entire diet via a straw that leads back to a never ending powdered shake and/or having your supplement pill box be more colorful than Crayola’s entire crayon inventory, I think there are much better options out there from both a health and performance standpoint. As Hippocrates alluded to, this means real food.

Think about this for a second – a given fruit or vegetable contains 100’s of phytochemicals in it, many of which science has never studied at an in-depth level. The idea that a single phytochemical or two within it are responsible for a majority of health benefits received from a given whole food compound is crazy; I believe the true magic lies within the synergism, not the isolation, of these of these phytochemicals. Heck sometimes the isolation and magnification of these individual ingredients may backfire on you. For example…

Early research indicated that consuming fruits and vegetables loaded with high concentrations of beta-carotene was protective against lung cancer. Thus, it was hypothesized that beta-carotene supplements would protect smokers from developing lung cancer. However, in a meta-analysis conducted by Druesne-Pecollo et al. researchers the opposite was found to be true; individuals who received any supplement containing beta-carotene actually had a 16% HIGHER risk of developing lung or stomach cancer than individuals receiving a placebo. If one was exposed to asbestos or smoked, this risk increased by 20%. Likewise, consuming supplements containing 20mg/day vs. placebo increased the risk of developing stomach cancer by 34%.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of supplements in both the short and long term. However, the idea that we must load up on a bazillion of supplements at the expense of real food is short sighted. As you can tell - I’m a fan of random poly-supplementation about as much as most people are of poly-pharmacy. Funny how one gets criticized while the other gets a free pass (from critical thought) and is assumed to be “healthy” & side effect free.

Bottom line – Develop a healthy relationship with food & let supplements fill in the cracks; which shouldn’t be too wide if you’re picking the right foods.



5.  Speaking of supplements, there is so much misinformation out there and very few actually having solid evidence of benefit. What supplements do you find have worth and have been shown to be worthwhile for athletes?

Despite kind of bashing supplements a bit in the last question, there is actually a fair amount that I like. I take a very individualized approach to supplement recommendations depending on the goals and needs of the individual. If I had to give a general rundown, focusing only on ergogenic based supplements…

1) Whey/Egg/Pea based protein powder.  I usually go with Whey unless someone has sensitivities to it or is vegan in which case I go with egg or pea protein respectfully. If some people are highly sensitive, rice protein is pretty hypoallergenic and I can’t say I’ve ever heard one having issues with it. BUYERS TIP – If looking at different whey proteins, go with a Whey Concentrate based one… They’re usually much cheaper than Whey Isolate and unless you’re lactose intolerant, there isn’t any significant benefit with taking the latter. ~25 grams will be enough to maximize muscle protein synthesis. The one exception is if you’re 50+ in which case higher doses (40g) may be needed to maximize the process.

2) Creatine – Tried and true through 100’s of studies & real world stories. BUYERS TIP – stick with basic creatine monohydrate (~5g). Don’t buy the more expensive forms that are promoted as being “superior”. I have yet to see any research indicating they’re superior … accept for those looking to profit off them! I use this primarily with anaerobic athletes.  (Check out our article on Creatine HERE)

3) Taurine 3-4g/day postworkout. This is a pretty cheap amino acid and although it won’t floor you, it does help with recovery as well as “behind the scenes” health benefits. I don’t believe it’s beneficial as a pre-workout/energy booster though. BUYERS TIP – go with the powder form; not the capsule form. Quite often, buying things in capsules adds expense without providing any extra benefit.

4) Caffeine in amounts of 3-6mg/kg can be effective. I use this on an acute basis.

After this are a lot of supplements (Sodium Bicarbonate/baking soda, beta-alanine, BCAA’s, etc, etc) that have some benefit. If you decide to use them or not comes down to A) How much money do you have to spend & B) What is your desired training goal? C) Are you a vegan/vegetarian where your protein sources need a “boost” w/ BCAA’s as well as a vitamin B12 supplements D) Also, how well do you tolerate it? For instance I’m a HUGE fan of consuming of sodium bicarbonate (up to 200-300mg/kg/d; usually spread over 3 doses; for reference – 1 tsp = 4.8g) but for many people, this causes GI distress. Getting enough Omega 3’s, etc in your diet is helpful as well.


6.  Tell us the different ways improving nutritional strategies/diet can improve training, recovery, energy levels, mood, and sport performance. For instance, some of the basic changes and improvements one can expect to see… ie eating more protein will help xxx or increasing fruits and veggies will help with xxx.

Wow - this is like the magnum opus of questions – I’m not for sure if it can be fully answered without a book or two of words! Haha, Let me do my best in providing some general thoughts though…

Looking at things from a global perspective, the area that nutrition impacts the most is energy levels. Now, it’s important to realize that one’s energy level is impacted by all those other things you mentioned (recovery, mood, etc, etc). Thus, the most important thing one can do for an athlete is making sure their energy intake matches the demands of what they’re trying to accomplish. 

For many, this means consuming enough kcal. As I once heard Phil Stevens say, “Nothing is more anabolic than a kcal.”  If you don’t take in enough kcal, your mood will be shot, your recovery will be garbage and you’re well on your way to developing the Athlete Syndrome (It’s usually referred to as the “female athlete triad”, but men are affected too so I prefer the term … and in all reality it’s more than a triad of issues which is why I prefer the term “Athlete Syndrome”.).

Breaking things down a bit more, of the kcal you’re consuming, I recommend distributing them over a variety of minimally processed foods and following the 85/90 rule (Eating “healthy foods” 85-90% of the time). Make sure you’re getting enough protein (0.7-1g/lb) and fat (0.3-0.5g/lb) and whatever is left over can go to carbs. Some populations can go with a more ketogenic approach (ie – low carb/high fat) depending on intensity and volume of training as well as the obvious factor – how they feel while on it.


7.  Who are some people that have influenced your nutritional and training approach?

With regards to training of athletes…. I’ve had a lot of mentors directly influence me with Luke Richesson clearly being at the top of the list. Blaine Bott also deserves a shout out. Although I’ve never worked in a direct mentor-mentee relationship with him, I really like Ian King’s work and training philosophies.

With regards to nutrition, I grew up a big fan of Dr. Lonnie Lowery’s work and to a lesser degree, Dr. John Berardi. However, I can’t say I had anyone that directly mentored me with regards to sports nutrition. My approach was formed via a lot of trial & error as well as just general reading.


8.  Give us 3 books that helped your development and believe young coaches should read or go to?

This is a super tough question. Not necessarily books but if I had to limit it to just three resources look into….

1) With respect to physical preparation of athletes - Anything by Ian King.  Also like Dan John and Christian T Thibaudeau’s Theory and Application of Modern Strength & Power Methods.

2) With respect to supplements – Examine.com; if you’re comfortable reading research, I always recommend going straight to the research itself via searches on Pubmed. Although not purely a supplement resource, SuppVersity.com has daily updates on sports nutrition, supplements or an occasional exercise article or two worth checking out.

3) With respect to sports nutrition – I grew up reading Dr Lonnie Lowery & Dr. John Berardi’s stuff with respect to aneorobic athletes. Monique Ryan’s Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes is decent as well and for ultra-athletes, I recommend checking out some of Dr. Jeff Volek’s Art & Science of Low Carb Performance

OK… I realize I listed more than 1 resource on all of those categories. In all reality I could have listed a few more too! As time allows, I like to read thoughts of others… In doing so however, I keep another quote Phil Stevens passed my way in conversation “Keep your windows and doors open to new ideas; Just make sure they have tight screens.”

Speed Round

Squats or Deadlifts?

Deadlifts

Olympic Lifts or Other Means of Power Development?

Olympic Lifts (if form is solid) … although there is a lot you can gain w/ plyo movements not obtainable by Olympic lifts alone.

Coffee, Energy Drinks, or Soda?

Coffee… unless the alternative is Powerthirst! (I encourage you to youtube that one ;-)!)

Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, or Jennifer Hudson?

^ With that line-up you obviously know my affinity for brunettes!

Without question, Jennifer Aniston in her prime is pretty dang hard to beat.

Bulking on a Budget

Sign-Up for BBA updates right over here  ----------------------------------------------->


Gaining weight, it's a goal of many young athletes, and it really never gets any love.  It's all about weight loss and fat-loss; that's fine and dandy, but it doesn't help athletes.  Athletes often need to pack on pounds of muscle and add mass to their frame.

Bigger, stronger athletes are often the ones that are more successful.  Obviously speed, change of direction, and other qualities play a role, but often size is a big factor in playing time and success.

Many of the athletes we work with are in high school or college.  Both of the cases are usually not the greatest situation.

High school athletes benefit and also suffer from the fact their parents buy the grocery's.  They don't have to spend the money, but parents control what's in the cupboards and these youngsters need to communicate what foods to get, and communication among high school athletes is like talking to a brick wall.

College athletes on the other hand control what's on the shelves, but as we all know from college, money is tight and more likely to be spent on booze than quality foods.

So bulking up and adding size and strength on a budget is a must!  Luckily, to be honest it's relatively simple.  I didn't say it was easy, but the steps are simple.  The athletes still need to dedicate the time and effort to eat, even though they may be full.  Athletes still need to prep some time for planning and organizing so they have foods when they need them.

Below is an outline of 10 simple strategies and foods that are great for bulking on a budget.  Have these in the kitchen and watch your gains grow!

Enjoy!

1. Olive Oil

You want an easy way to add calories?

Add olive oil to anything and everything you can.

Not only does olive oil bring many different health benefits, but it's also a fat, so it adds easy calories.  Sprinkle it on pastas, salads, pizza, dip bread in it, and use it for all the cooking you can.

Just 1tbsp of olive oil adds around 120 calories.  Adding 100 calories here, 100 calories there can really add up.  Plus for many athletes today, this will be their best source of healthy fats.

Estimated Cost: Bottle of Olive Oil = $5.00-6.00

2. Trail Mix

Trail mix is the one of the easiest and cheapest ways to bulk up, especially homemade trail mix.

Throw in some almonds, semi-sweet chocolate chips, craisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, or whatever your heart desires and voila, you have a recipe for packing on muscle.

I tell all my athletes looking to gain weight, to make a batch on Sundays and put it in their locker on Monday morning.  Then between classes, they should grab a handful of the mix and chomp away.  This can easily add up to an additional 3,000 calories throughout the week.

Estimated Cost: Weeks worth of trail mix = $8.00-10.00

3. Fruit Dip

A favorite recipe we like to recommend is fruit dip.

At one point or another, everybody has slabbed some peanut butter onto apple slices; well we take that classic and jack it up!  Mix Greek yogurt with peanut butter and protein to get this souped up version.

From this bad boy you can expect to add an additional 550+ calories and about 50 grams of protein to this simple snack.  Plus you knock out a serving a fruit, tons of quality protein, healthy fats, and some solid calcium and probiotics.

Check out the recipe HERE

Estimated Cost: $1.75

4. Fajitas

Anything smothered in guacamole and salsa, then wrapped in a tortilla is delicious, and that's exactly what fajitas are.

You may think you're cooking impaired, but anybody, I mean anybody, can cook fajitas!

Literally the only skill it takes it to be able to cut meat and veggies.  From there just throw everything in a big pan and sauté it up.  Load up tortillas with guac, salsa, sour cream, cheese and you've got yourself a damn good muscle builder!  Down a couple of fajitas and you're looking at about 1,000 calories and 50-70 grams of protein.

Estimated Cost: $5.00-7.00

5. Snack Scramblers

Snack scramblers are a concoction for the creative souls.

I think we created this sucker while being broke college kids.  Hungry, we used to scour the kitchen for anything and everything, and then combine it all in a big bowl of good eatin'.

We've tweaked it over time, and everybody's tastes are different, but here's the jist.

Grab a big bowl

Throw in a big scoop of Greek yogurt

Follow it with a heaping scoop of protein (I prefer chocolate)

Next, a handful of granola

Then, some banana, apple, strawberry, blueberry, or melon slices

Chuck in a big scoop of peanut butter

Finally top with some sweet thangs... chocolate chips, oreos, nuts/seeds, candy bars, or are personal favorite chex mix (or even puppy chow for the mass gainers).

You get a sweet mixture that may not sound all that great, but truly is wonderful.  Plus the added bonus is that it's basically a mixture of leftovers that are in almost every kitchen.  You don't really need to buy anything, just search the cupboards for things to add.

Pop in Shawshank Redemption, and enjoy a snack scrambler!  You'll be looking at 800+ calories, and you can make this snack as "clean" as you like and omit some of the simple sugars.

Estimated Cost: $2.50-5.00


6. Peanut Butter Protein Balls

These little bites are the perfect snack to have waiting around during the day.  You have to constantly be putting down calories, and these power balls are an easy and effective way to do just that.

Be warned, they are addicting!  It's pretty easy for 30 of these guys to quickly disappear, but that's ok, you're trying to pack on some beef!

Heck, just one of these little guys is around 100 calories and about 8 grams of protein!

Check out the recipe HERE

Estimated Cost: $4.00-5.00

7. Breakfast Scrambler

I always tell our athletes who are trying to gain weight, that the first thing they need to do is starting taking control of breakfast.  I find most skimp on this meal and might only grab a granola bar or a small bowl of cereal.  This isn't going to cut it.  This meal needs to kick of the day with a lot of protein and calories.  It's as easy as waking up 10-minutes earlier and actually preparing and planning this meal.

Just like our snack scrambler, the breakfast scrambler is a hodgepodge of anything in your kitchen - onions, hams, peppers, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, broccoli, cheese, avocado, salsa, potatoes... all mixed with eggs!  It's really quite delicious and the perfect way to start off the day.

Check out the recipe HERE

Estimated Cost: $2.00-4.00

8. Pizza

For some reason pizza gets a bad rap as being a junk food.  The truth is, pizza CAN be a very healthy food, and great for gaining weight.

Just think, a pizza with fresh tomato sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, onions, broccoli, chicken, green peppers, and olives.

Does this sound unhealthy?

Come on!

Sure some store bought pizza's can be a little greasy, have crappy dough, and lack some quality meat and veggies, but in terms of cost per calorie, pizza is dynamite!

Plus, more and more I get young athletes with very sensitive taste buds.  By sensitive I mean, THEY DON'T LIKE ANYTHING!

It's a battle to get them to try anything new, but I have yet to find a kid who doesn't like pizza.  So I'll recommend downing pizza whenever possible.

The only thing I recommend is to always add a veggie and to try different variations.  Also, whenever possible make homemade versions.  Plus if you tell parents how easy it is to make homemade pizza, their eyes light up!

All in all, don't fear the pizza!

Estimated Cost: $5.00-10.00

9. Protein Pancakes

Protein Pancakes should be a weekend staple for all trying to pack on muscle.

Without getting to in-depth, making protein pancakes is as easy as adding protein to the batter.

That's it!

Plus pancakes are one of the easiest foods to try different variations... banana, chocolate chip, blueberry, pumpkin, oatmeal, etc.

We recommend using whole wheat flour or even using a batter that it 1/4-1/2 oats.  The other recommendation we make is to slather peanut butter on top.

Now we're talking tasty!

Heck, 3-4 pancakes, topped with peanut butter will close in on 1,000 calories pretty fast and add over 50 grams of protein!

Estimated Cost: $2.00-4.00

10. Potatoes

The Idaho spuds should be called Ida-Grow, as in growing muscle!

Potatoes are dense with calories, not to mention one of the least expensive foods out there.

These suckers are great for pre or post workouts or to add to any meal for some extra calories.

Breakfast Scrambler... add some cooked potato wedges
Protein Pancakes... how about potato protein pancakes
Olive Oil... soak some cooked potatoes with olive oil
Having a big Steak?... add a side of sweet potatoes

What version is best?

To be honest, it's not a real big deal.

Sweet taters add some more nutritional benefits in terms of vitamin and mineral content, but white potatoes often get a bad rap.

So have a little of everything... sweet potatoes, russet spuds, red taters, purple taters, etc... they're all good.

Also try cooking them as many different ways as possible... twice baked, fries, hash browns, wedges, mashed, baked and loaded, chips... the possibilities are endless.

Estimated Cost: 1lb = $1.00-2.00


There you have it.  Now there is no reason you can't add weight, no matter your budget.  Take the time to plan and prepare.  Focus needs to be taken to gain muscle and make sure all the odds and ends are met.  Follow these 10 simples steps and foods, and you'll quickly be on your way to adding impressive muscle the opposite sex will notice!

Go Get 'Em!

Creatine: Why The Confusion?

Never miss great info like this again... Sign-Up for BBA Updates and get them emailed to you! --->

On just about a weekly basis I get questions about creatine, and it's usually along the lines of asking if it's safe to take or how they heard it's illegal, or if they take it won't they tear their muscles?

It's amazing this exists because creatine is arguably the most studied and well-researched supplement of all-time, and study after study shows how remarkably safe and effective creatine is.

It's dumbfounding, why to this day, it carries negative myths that just refuse to die. NO STUDY has shown any adverse side effects other than weight gain (hey that's why most people take it) and stomach cramping if taken in too large of doses.

It's often made out to be like some kind of steroid-like supplement only found on the black market. But creatine is actually a natural substance in the body and is very important in the creatine-phosphate (CP) energy system, which is our fast/short-term energy system that rapidly produces ATP.

Let's repeat that again, CREATINE IS A NATURAL SUBSTANCE in your body and it is VITAL for creating immediate energy.

But for those who still think it's bad, well you better not eat beef, or chicken, or eggs, or salmon because creatine is naturally in all those foods.

(Photo Credit - telegraph.co.uk)

It bears repeating that Creatine's main action in the body is storing high-energy phosphate groups to be used to create ATP - (ATP is the energy source used to fuel our body and without ATP we would cease to exist)

When you perform any kind of activity, but especially high intensity exercises like sprinting, lifting, jumping, your body produces ATP by transferring a phosphate, from creatine-phosphate, to ADP to create ATP. So the more creatine you have available, the more potential for creating energy you have in your tissues and the longer you can sustain intense activities.

Let's discuss some interesting tidbits that research has uncovered about creatine

• 95 percent of creatine in the body is held in muscle. The heart, brain, and testes hold the remaining 5 percent (Terrilion, K. 1997) 
• Improved muscular endurance (Willoughby, et al, 2001; Balsom P, et al, 1995; Englehart et ak, 1998; ) 
• Increased anaerobic power and performance (Countless Studies) 
• Increased hydration in hot conditions (Chwalbinska-Moneta J, 2003) 
• May Be An Effective Anti-Inflammatory Following Exercise (Vandenberghe K, et al, 1997) 
• May Improve Cognitive Function (Rae C, et al, 2003; Bentonand D, Donohoe R (2011) 
• Improves Adolescent Athletic Performance (Murphy AJ, Watsford ML, Coutts AJ, Richards DA, 2005) 

Anaerobic Power and Performance

This is the main reason most people take creatine and for good reason. There is tons of research showing the benefits of creatine combined with strength, power, and speed type of training. Volek et al (1999) stated "Creatine supplementation enhanced fat-free mass, physical performance, and muscle morphology in response with resistance training."

This is just an example of how creatine may benefit anaerobic athletes and here are some other benefits shown by research

• Improved Maximal Strength (Izquierdo et al, 2002; Pearson et al, 1999) 
• Improved Power (Chwalbinska-Moneta et al, 2003; Balsom et al, 1993; Greenhaff et al, 1993; Pearson et al, 1999) 
• Increase in Muscle Mass (Willoughby et al, 2001; Balsom et al, 1995; Vandenberghe et al, 1997; Sim et al, 1998; Volek et al, 1999) 
• Increase in Repeat Sprint Ability ((Izquierdo et al, 2002; Dawson et al, 1995) 

Endurance

Creatine isn't often thought of as a supplement for endurance athletes, but it does have some efficacy in improving these types of activities. In fact, Engelhardt et al 1998 conclude, "We conclude that creatine supplementation at doses of 6 g daily has positive effects on short-term exercise included into aerobic endurance exercise."  These researchers actually noted that the cardiovascular system, oxygen uptake, and blood lactate concentration were not affected by creatine, but interval power performance was significantly increased.

The mechanisms for improved endurance may be byproducts of the anaerobic improvements.  Despite most endurance events requiring very little anaerobic output, there are still benefits to be gained by improving anaerobic power as seen by the importance of intermediate and finishing spurts, which fall under anaerobic conditions.

Creatine can help endurance athletes with their intermittent aerobic power, strength, and economy which will all lead to improved endurance performance.  So while it may not directly improve aerobic markers, it affects total endurance through different mechanisms, mechanisms that many endurance athletes don't ever think about enhancing.   

Hydration

One of the biggest concerns regarding creatine intake is muscle cramping and having to drink boat loads of water. Every time I recommend creatine, I usually get "Won't I have to drink a ton of water?" First off, drinking a lot of water isn't a bad thing so I don't see it as a negative; most people could stand to drink water. Secondly, no you really don't have to do anything special in terms of hydration, but it's always a good idea to drink plenty of fluids with or without creatine supplementation.

Check out this study by Mike Greenwood et al (2003). (Check out all of Greenwood's work, he's done a lot of great research on creatine)

“During one season of NCAA Division IA football training and competition, it was discovered that creatine users had significantly less cramping; heat illness or dehydration; muscle tightness; muscle strains; and total injuries than nonusers. Thus, even for athletes who are well-trained, it is clear that regular creatine consumption does not cause harm, and in fact may have a protective effect against certain exercise- related maladies.”

Look at the chart below. Creatine users had lower incident of injury, dehydration, illness, muscle strains, and missed practices.

Creatine increases intracellular hydration which is a positive outcome for protein synthesis and cellular integrity. Here's a quote from some people much smarter than me, Dr. Schliess and Dr. Häussinger, “Alterations in cellular hydration not only contribute to metabolic regulation, but also critically determine the cellular response to different kinds of stress. Whereas cell swelling triggers anabolic pathways and protects cells from heat and oxidative challenge, cellular dehydration contributes to insulin resistance and catabolism and increases the cellular susceptibility to stress induced damage.”


Anti-Inflammatory

Creatine may have the ability to reduce inflammation after strenuous exercise. One study looked at inflammation markers and soreness after a 18.75 mile race (Life Science, 2004)

Specifically the researchers looked at the effect of creatine supplementation on inflammatory and muscle soreness markers such as...

• Creatine Kinase (CK) 
• Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) 
• Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) 
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-alpha) 

Runners were supplemented for 5 days prior to the race with 20g of creatine per day (loading). Pre-race blood samples were collected before running, immediately after the race, and 24 hours after the race.

The creatine group showed lower markers of cellular damage, soreness, and inflammation. In fact, they showed much lower levels of CK, PGE2, TNF-Alpha, and LDH, all of these are markers of inflammation and damage due to exercise.

Creatine Group                                                                                 Control Group
CK - 19% Increase                                                                              CK - Over 4-fold Increase
PGE2 - 70% Increase                                                                          PGE2 - Over 6-fold Increase
TNF-Alpha - 34% Increase                                                                 TNF-Alpha - 100% Increase
LDH - No difference                                                                           LDH - 43% Increase

The researchers concluded this, “These results indicate that creatine supplementation reduced cell damage and inflammation after an exhaustive intense race." This is reason for creatine supplementation for athletes under strenuous training conditions or in-season when the physical demands are high.

The other aspect of hydration that many talk about is it's effect on kidney function.  Many claim creatine supplementation puts added stress upon the kidneys, but this lacks any foundation.  There is no evidence that creatine in the short-term or long-term has detrimental effects on the kidney and this has been shown in studies lasting as long as 5-years.


Cognitive

I heard Brandon Marcello. Director of Sports Performance at Stanford, speak at a conference earlier this year and he spoke about training females.  He got into nutrition a little bit, and touched upon the benefits of creatine, not only for performance but for the brain.  He noted that one of the first things he started giving his young daughter was creatine, for the brain health benefits it provides.  I'd never heard of this, so I looked into it further and lone behold their are some strong benefits to this.

A study done way back in 2003 looked at the supplementation of creatine on brain performance (Rae, et al 2003).  What they found was that 6-weeks of 5g per day of creatine supplementation greatly improved brain function.  Here's a quote from the study,

"The results found agree with previous observations showing that brain creatine levels correlate with improved recognition memory and reduce mental fatigue.”

As Marcello pointed out in his presentation, research in creatine protecting and enhancing brain function is just as strong as the research on building muscle.  A growing number of studies have found that creatine can protect the brain from injury in many different ways but not limited to fighting Parkinson's, Huntington's, improving energy, protecting against and helping recover from strokes, and ALS.

Pretty amazing stuff going on in this research and be ready for more great work on the horizon.  Some other interesting studies to check out include...

The influence of creatine supplementation on the cognitive functioning of vegetarians and omnivores. David Benton and Rachel Donohoe. British Journal of Nutrition 2011; 105: 1100-1105

Creatine improves health and survival of mice.  Bender A et al. Neurobiol Aging 2008 Sep; 29(9):1404-1411

Youth

As Marcello touched upon, he gives his young daughter (<10 years old) creatine, and this guy has a PhD in Sports Nutrition and leads Stanford's Sport Performance...  I think it's safe to say creatine is perfectly fine for children.

In fact some of the first research on creatine was done to look at it's affects on infants and children that were weak or presented muscular dystrophy (Stockler et al, 1996; Tarnopolsky et al, 2004))

Not only are the brain benefits clear like we stated, but it also may enhance performance.  Studies have shown improvements in strength and performance in highly trained youth athletes (Juhasz et al, 2009).  Again there has been no literature showing any kind of side effects from chronic use and the benefits for the body and brain are very evident.

Photo Credit: IYCA.org

Final Word

I tell athletes and parents many these things, but many are still skeptical; old myths die hard I guess.  Many people smarter than myself have delved into this topic much deeper than I could ever imagine and the outcome is always the same... If you're trying to get stronger, bigger, faster, more powerful, then you should use creatine.  It can only help, it won't hurt; plus an added benefit is it's not-expensive! For about $10/month you can get a quality creatine, and you should be looking to take about 5g per day (honestly don't worry about a loading phase, just stick to 5g a day)

You don't have to take my word for it, but I'll leave you with a word from Jose Antonio, PhD and supplement specialist

“Creatine is perhaps the most studied ergogenic aid in history. Plus, the science clearly shows that there are no harmful side effects of creatine supplementation.  There is zero scientific evidence that creatine supplementation causes muscle cramps or tears, harms the kidneys, causes dehydration or a myriad of other silly myths promulgated by the mainstream press. If these side effects exist, show me the science!”

Go Get Em!

Getting Ready for the Golf Season

Sign-Up For BBA Updates Over Here and Never Miss a Beat  ------------------------------>

The weather is starting to get nicer and nicer, and for many this means it's time to dust off those golf clubs from the garage and start hitting the links.

If you haven't been doing anything all winter, well you're in luck because you still have some time to get ready before getting on the course.

You might be asking, get ready for what?

Well Golf of course.  One of the biggest mistakes seen with golfers is just stepping into the driver's box and going.  No preparation, no progression; just go from 0-60mph and hope for the best.

Training for golf is still a work in progress for many, but taking the time to get in golf shape will go a long ways in improving not only your golf game, but ensure health and safety.

Golf is notorious for low back, hip, and shoulder pain.

Why?  It's pretty obvious when you consider the massive speeds of joint motion and the demands this puts on stability and control.  Compound this with the majority of golfers being under prepared for these demands and you have a mixture for potential problems.

As we like to say,

Earn the Right to Rotate!

The golf swing is like driving a Lamborghini at 100mph - it's freakin' poetry in motion.

But before we can get behind the seat of that Lambo, you need to pass the required driving tests and master the car at lower speeds.

Same for the golf swing - you can't just put the Driver in you hands and expect things to be peachy.  You need to master the lower ends of movement and exhibit proper range of motion and control before you start trying to get on the green in 2.

Let's go over how you can start to prepare yourself for the springs golf game.

Movement

The first objective we try to create is a quality base of movement.  If you can't move well, you can't perform well.

We want to be able to move in all directions and perform basic movements like squats, lunges, skips, shuffles, crawling, etc.

This movement will develop a good base in which a golfer can build specific skills on.  It's also an opportunity to build general conditioning and improve work capacity.  If we can build this base, all other skills will be optimized more fully and it will give you the ability to play strong for 18-holes.

Mobility

Mobility is HUGE in golf - just think about what the hip, spine, shoulder, and ankle go through on a typical swing.  These range of motion demands put a big burden on the body to safely reach these positions for optimal performance.  Here are typical areas of need...

Thoracic Rotation - During the back-swing the thoracic spine must rotate to create hip and shoulder dissociation in what is known as the X-Factor.  This X-Factor is what creates rotational power and if a golfer lacks thoracic rotation they'll lose out on power or will compensate somewhere else in the body.

The lumbar spine often compensates for this lack of thoracic rotation and we know the lumbar spine tends to favor stability.  The thoracic spine has greater range of motion potential than the lumbar spine and when we start "stealing" this range of motion from the lumbar spine, bad things often result.  Is it any question lower back pain is the #1 injury seen in golfers?

X-Factor From the World's Best

Hip Internal and External Rotation - During the back-swing, your rear hip needs internal rotation and the lead hip need external rotation.  As a golfer progresses down through their swing this rotation switches and during the follow through the lead leg needs internal rotation and rear leg need external rotation.  If the hip lacks this external/internal rotation during any of these phases, the swing mechanics will be altered, power will be lost, or again the body will compensate.

Of the two, lack of internal rotation is seen more often than external rotation.  It's no question why many golfers will turn their toes slightly outward, as this decreases the stress of internal rotation.  But this can only go so far.  If you can't reach maximal hip internal rotation, your back-swing and follow-through will be shortened and it's pretty easy to see how this can effect your swing detrimentally.

Shoulder - The shoulder may not seem like a vocal point of the golf swing, but it's importance can't be understated. In fact a study by Loook et al, 2013 showed how important the shoulder is during the golf swing. Here is a quote from their study

"while golf does not require an extremely demanding arm action, it does, however, entail highly synchronized rotator cuff muscle activity so as to protect the shoulder complex, especially during the downswing. These findings agree with research that also considered the activity of the scapular muscles in the upper back region (levator scapulae, rhomboid, trapezius, serratus anterior) throughout the golf swing. These data indicate that the upper, middle, and lower trapezius muscles work collectively, assisting in the retraction of the scapula throughout different sections of the swing"

The shoulder really is a neglected body part in golf, but it plays an important role in the power and consistency of a golf swing.  

Ankle - Another often forgotten joint during a golf swing is the ankle.  The ankle helps to transfer forces into the ground, and it also plays an important role during the many parts of the swing.  If the ankle lacks range of motion, often times the foot or knee will compensate and this can lead to many of the knee issues seen in golfing. 

Bretzel: The Best Golf Stretch Ever?!

We love the bretzel for all athletes, but especially golfers.  It targets just about all of the areas of need and mimics the demands of rotation needed for golf.  Give it a try and you'll why we love it!

Stability
 
After mobility it's vitally important to work on stability, specifically rotary stability.  Stability is the ability to control movements and resist unwanted movements.  If a golfer lacks stability, it reduces the ability to control the various positional demands seen during the golf swing.  This reduced control can potentially put specific joints in harms way.

If a golfer can't control the requirements during the back-swing, then this position may be causing harm.  Golfers need to be strong and stable in these large movements in order to ensure health and safety.  Some of our favorite methods include band/cable chops, lifts, and pallof presses.  Another easy movement is the side plank as this requires no equipment and can be done anywhere.

Pallof Press

1/2 Kneeling Chop

Strength

Golf is a lateral and rotational sport and thus it requires strength and power in these movements.  If you can train in these movements your golf game will improve.  A typical workout of bench press, bicep curls, and leg extensions does you no good for golf.  Your workout needs to improve your lateral and rotational abilities and this will help lead to maximal carryover and direct improvement on the course.  Here are some starting points that will help improve your strength for golf.

Lateral Lunges - This will help improve the drive and power created by your rear leg.

Turkish Get-Ups (TGU) - TGU's are an all encompassing exercise that really targets everything a golfer needs.  Kind of like the Bretzel, the TGU may be one of the best exercises a golfer can do.

Be warned though, it's a tough exercise and involves different steps, but once you master it, great things will happen to your golf game.  Check out THIS ARTICLE on the details of the TGU

Here's a great first progression to perfect before you start adding weight

Med Ball - Using med balls are a great way to develop the rotational power that is key during the golf swing.  This is also a great way to groove the golf sequence and perfect the sequence of hips, torso, shoulders, arms, to club.  HERE are some of favorite variations.



Single Arm Variations - Performing single-arm variations is a great way to challenge the body unilaterally and also apply some rotational forces in the body.  This will improve the bodies stability and control, but it will also improve the bodies ability to work unilaterally.

Single Leg Variations - Just as single-arm variations are important, so are single-leg variations.  Being able to control single-leg variations help to improve stability and control of the hip, knee, and ankle.  Plus single-leg variations are athletic and can help many golfers gain the strength needed for their game.

Learn More!

For even more info check out this Prezi

Movement Mastery with Shawn Myszka

Sign-Up for BBA Updates, All the Cool Kids are Doing It!  ------------------------------------->

Whooo weeeee, it's an exciting day as we have Shawn Myszka with us!  Shawn is a performance coach in Minneapolis and he works with many NFL athletes on improving their performance.

But even more cool than that sounds, he takes breath of fresh air (IMO) approach to training.  Less about weight room numbers and more about ON-FIELD performance. His approach is one of movement, efficiency, and on-field performance; not absolute strength, weight room numbers, or a meat head approach.

If you work with athletes, this approach is a must because your goal is to improve athletic performance, not solely on improving say a squat or bench.  These have a time and place, but the question has to be how do these improve or transfer to athletic performance?  This is the question Shawn asks and his answers bring light to some important aspects coaches need to take into consideration.

Let's take a look and be prepared to take notes.  So get you pen and paper out and enjoy!

1. Could you give us a little information about your background?

Though I don’t really like to talk about myself…oh wait, yes I do (everyone does at least a little right?). Haha. Anyway, I digress.

I am a former National-level bodybuilder who has always had a passion for taking others and myself to the brinks of human performance. I have a BS in Health Promotion and a MS in Sport Science & Performance Enhancement.

I have owned my own business in the Minneapolis, MN area since 2007 where my facility has overseen the physical preparation of athletes of all levels of qualification and mastery. This crop of athletes our staff trains ranges from developmental level athletes all the way up to professionals from all sports. Personally, at this point in my career, I am only responsible for exclusively working with and/or consulting for players from the National Football League and have done so now for about the last 5 years. I am humbled by some of the ‘names’ that have trusted me over the years as well as the impact that we have been able to make with each of them. Though I rarely mention those guys by that name, my present philosophy and the thoughts I hold currently regarding the optimal preparation for sport is a result of each of them and their trust in me. For that, I am forever grateful to each of them.  

 2. You talk about a movement first training approach.  Tell our readers what this means and what this means in terms of a training approach?

Well, like the name would dictate; everything, starts with the athlete’s movement behavior in-sport and stems from there. Though many in our industry have gotten sidetracked chasing different things (such as maximum strength numbers or speed, etc), I believe that as sports performance professionals our sole purpose should be the improving upon the athlete’s ability to perform within his/her respective sport. That’s why they come to us! Each and every athlete walking the planet dreams of having full realization of their sport-specific potential where it counts and this place is in the sporting arena.

I believe that the above-mentioned purpose starts with optimizing movement patterns respective of that sport in congruence with the level of mastery & trainability that the athlete resides. This movement optimization process revolves around us all (coaches and sports performance professionals) deeply understanding what I refer to as the most optimal biodynamic structure of the movement important to success in the athlete’s respective sport. This biodynamic structure is our way to knowing and understanding the athlete’s kinetics, kinematics, and the true kinesiology involved in the sport so that we are able to develop that individual’s biomechanical and neuromuscular efficiency more fully to meet the demands of the sport. Does that all sound complicated? Well good…it should…because movement in sport IS complicated!

So more simply put, the movement mastery or movement first approach is really about how to determine what is optimal for that given athlete based on who he/she is. I have found that what is perfect for one is not perfect for another though this is contrary to popular belief. However, every athlete in every sport is going to have a very specific path towards optimizing his or her movement specific to the sport as well as who they are as an individual.

 

 3. You talk a lot about preparing athletes for the actual demands they see during competition.  How do you breakdown the demands athletes see during competition?  Do you breakdown film, time work: rest periods, talk to position coaches?

Great question. Well, I ALWAYS begin with breaking down the player’s film…LOTS & LOTS of film (more than I like to admit for my own social life’s behalf). This way I can see how the athlete is performing when & where it counts. This displayed movement outcome that is witnessed, occurring in its natural & organic environment, is my true screen for that which is to come in the athlete’s individualized physical preparation/movement optimization program specific to that which I see happening on Sundays (for the NFL player at least) for that position & level of qualification. I use this to guide everything I do as I can watch an athlete perform, see his comfort level (or discomfort) with certain movement patterns, and then attempt to speculate why that given movement behavior may be happening the way I am witnessing it.

As far as applying specificity to the demands of the training environment, it all depends on the time of the training year that we are in and what type of adaptation I desire for the particular athlete. Some are ready for the control of very specific factors & demands whereas others are not…but the movement is always something I am attempting to change at the forefront. Making appreciable change to that (the movement pattern) is my litmus test.

On your final point, unfortunately, many of the position coaches out there aren’t really great resources. They comprehensively understand strategic and tactical demands very well.  However, in my experience, even with many of those at the “top” levels they don’t truly understand the technical demands of the movements that their players must perform let alone how to optimize it based on the athlete playing in that role. This is weird to think of I know but it’s the norm.

Honestly, I don’t know how the role of the Movement Specialist/Movement Coach hasn’t been founded as of yet. At the NFL-level, there is someone in charge of everything…EXCEPT optimizing movement which is likely the very thing that could make the biggest differences on-field on Sunday (this is something I prove with each one of my athletes). Now, I won’t get too much onto this tangent because we will be here for a LONG time if I would but it’s crazy to me that we don’t have anyone who is working with players to help them specialize their movement patterns based on who they are.

4. Being able to absorb and reproduce force, often in unnatural positions is very important for athletic success.  How do you train these qualities and what progressions do you like to use?

With the level of athlete that I work with, they almost always possess the ability to exert tremendous amounts of force and usually this happens in a very rapid fashion (notice I said “almost always” and “usually). In fact, this really happens with most athletes of nearly every mastery level because of our profession’s overreliance on training methods which emphasize the concentric actions and display of movement. Now, I will still try to optimize that force exertion for that particular pattern because often times athletes haven’t worked on those specific strength qualities in a specialized developmental fashion but I find it’s not usually going to pay the biggest dividends at first. Instead, I find that the key determining factor for the desired movement outcome to occur is the fashion in which that athlete is able to absorb force.

I believe that my athletes and I work on force absorption more than any other facility across the country (that’s a challenge). Here’s the rub: you can never absorb too much force. It’s like having too fast of car or too hot of girlfriend….it just doesn’t happen! However, you can exert too much force if you don’t possess the capabilities to control and stabilize it. Thus, we address it over and over and over again…in some way, on a nearly daily basis. And as you mentioned in your question, this force absorption (and of course the redirection of the force after that) usually doesn’t happen in nice & neat positions in which we can often possess a high degree of control and stability. Thus, I feel it’s necessary to train the athlete (in a controlled setting such as in training or practice), to help his/her body to become accustomed to it. This way, he/she will be much more comfortable being able to do the right things at the wrong times.

That all said, to answer last piece of the question, I have to give you something more arbitrary that is likely to piss people off when I say, ‘it depends.’ My progressions, as well as the exact training means & methods we utilize have a wide range depending on the athlete’s particular level of trainability and exactly what displayed characteristics of the movements we see occurring. Of course, I always start more basic and establish a strong foundation for general movement preparation before moving on to more focus on specialized patterns. So for one athlete, this could attempting to remove lots and lots of compensation patterns before we can even begin to work on some more of the right ones…whereas, for another athlete, it may involve doing a lot of shock-type drops off of very high heights that would make some queasy. See…it all depends!   

 5. Great coach Charlie Francis used to say he could tell when an athlete was fatigued or lost their efficiency by the sound of their feet hitting the track.  How do you evaluate an athletes’ movement efficiency and ability to absorb force?  Are there things you look for?

It’s been said that fatigue makes cowards out of all of us. In fact, I notice that when fatigue (or pain is present), the display of movement as well as subsequent learning goes down the drain and the athlete resorts back to old, well-set-in-place movement behaviors. This is a sensitive process. Of course, only perfect practice makes perfect and practice makes permanent (I am sucker of clichéd quotes)…so, I must take the reins of this animal as much as humanly possible. With whatever movement pattern we are working on, I need to have that athlete’s specific deficiencies and compensations in mind, and then keep close watch as to what is occurring (I will often use quick video analysis for this too so I don’t have to rely on my own eyes to detect these quick changes).

If I start witnessing drastic changes to the displayed characteristics of the particular movement pattern then the workload has to be modified immediately or ceased completely. These characteristics I am referring pertain to the relationships between stability & mobility like force absorption & exertion, dampening efficiency, base of support and center of gravity control, etc. If the athlete lays down a suboptimal pattern for any reason, it is entirely my fault. 

Finally, I am constantly talking to the athlete regarding what he feels. I know…what a novel concept! But I want him or her to be so cognizant of what’s going on in their environment and how they are reacting to it that they can become very self-sufficient with knowing when they ‘hit the sweet spot’ of any movement behavior they display. In addition, I want him to be so sensitive to subtle changes in his own patterns that he knows when something can or cannot be done any further.

6. Training means that once worked for an athlete will lose the effectiveness as time carries on.  What are some ways you look to make training more specific and intensive to the game so you improve the athlete’s biomechanical and neuromuscular efficiency?  How do you make sure the training means are not losing their effect?  Do you change exercises, or very sets, reps, tempos?  Do you cycle training? 

First of all, I must give credit where credit is due with your acknowledgement of a concept that most people in this field seem to forget: just because something worked at one time, doesn’t mean that it will continue to work in the same way or to the same magnitude as you subsequently use it. I believe that if more in our field realized that I think we would all see a whole lot different battery of exercise & drill activities being selected & prescribed.

In fact, that training activity that the athlete is currently adapting to will never work like that again because the athlete is not the same as he/she once was when you used it before. This seems so intuitively obvious to me but I am dumbfounded by how many in our field seem to miss the boat with this concept and continue to beat their head on the wall because the athletes are progressing as we anticipated or promised. It’s really the athlete who should be doing that (beating their head against the wall) as well because they are the ones who are putting in tremendous amounts of time, effort, and energy with the damn methods!

When I am looking at prescribing the right exercise & drill combinations to elicit the most optimal training stress response at that given time, I believe that we must first be aware of that which we are expecting & anticipating from the training stimulus. Some means/methods will induce an almost immediate response and appreciable change to the movement (usually tweaks or adjustments to movement positioning/execution and motor learning responses). Other means/methods will have a delayed adaptation only after the body has been given sufficient time to positively adjust and recover from the stimulus (usually more about the motor potential & work capacity). No matter what anyone may tell you I find that both of these are really more of an art than a science especially when we acknowledge that every human being walking the earth will react differently from a particular blend of the exercise programming that we are prescribing. Thus, you have to trust yourself to a certain degree and always pay close attention to how the athlete is reacting at all times (of course I just made the most obvious statement of the day there).

 7. You talk a lot about improving movement and making athletes better at what they are required to do on the field.  Does this mean strength work takes a back seat?  How does strength training fit into your program?

I have found that most traditional approaches focus on increasing maximum strength or other general motor abilities or what have you and then keep our fingers crossed that it is going to directly correlate to greater success in-sport when in many cases this is like playing the lottery. Instead, the movement mastery approach is about utilizing and increasing upon more specific motor abilities in the actual technical execution of particular movement patterns. When people initially hear about the movement mastery approach they think we neglect strength and the training of it. However, this is simply not true. Instead, we are attempting to develop strength in the exact same way that it is going to be used and displayed in movement so it is more functionally specific to those tasks that we wish to complete more efficiently.

At the end of the day I feel as though I have had to overcome these traditional mindsets to see something that everyone saw before but through a much different lens…this lens is one that is focused on truly investigating what is happening when an athlete moves and more importantly why this movement is occurring this way. From there, this new found understanding allowed me to get to the bottom of the athlete’s movement patterns and determine the most effective possible how-to way to make a drastic and immediate impact on the athlete’s performance because we are able to address the exact aspects of the athlete’s existing weakness that is detracting from his or her movement in the sport.

Thus, I utilize many training means & methods directed towards increasing strength but it is never at the expense of movement efficiency (like strength is so often developed by many). To combat this most of my inclusion of strength activities (at least with the level of mastery of athlete that I work with) is about teaching the athlete to more fully use their strength more closely to their potential. One of my favorite ways to do this which I often employ is the design of conjugate sequence complexes where I will have the athlete perform several (1-4) exercises of part/local motor structure which will be representative of a piece of a larger, global pattern. After the sequence of local activities is complete I then have the athlete perform the whole/global activity so he/she could put that strength to use in the technical execution of a sport movement pattern.  

HERE is a great article by Shawn talking about specific movements and example complexes he may employ for Running Backs. 

 8. Athletes are required to stop, absorb, change direction, and reaccelerate in many different body positions at many different angles.  How do you approach this during training?  Do you set athletes up in open-chained/reactive environments or how can you make the unnatural or unfamiliar, natural and familiar?

Well, this is a loaded question because the answer is quite complex. And when I said ‘it depends’ up above on the earlier question pertaining to a similar topic, it can probably apply here once again. That said though, as I attempt fully analyze and then further optimize movement, these angles and positions based on the athlete’s environment conditions are imperative to not only understand but attempt to then develop our movement around. At all times, I am we are trying to master that kinesiological pattern and display of the biomechanics based on any changes that occur in the conditions. 

We start by ‘flossing the motor pattern’ so the body can feel how it should be executed in a slower, controlled fashion before progressively overloading (through a change in the task demands in training) the execution & use of the pattern. Of course, if it then never translates to the in-sport, unconscious competence of the display of the movement then I haven’t done my job…so that is always our end result goal…where the athlete doesn’t need to think about it at all any longer and it occurs in a specialized, optimized, and efficient fashion in the sport. Because of this, it is imperative that I do progress it but not ever at the expense of the displayed outcome that we are deeming as optimal for that athlete at the respective time. Meaning; if the athlete can’t reproduce the pattern and its actions in the way we desire we must slow it down or back off on the stimuli we are requiring him/her to react to.

9. Who are some coaches that have had a big influence on your career?  What reading/books have helped shaped your career?  Can you remember an instance when BOOM, it hit you and it made you rethink training philosophy?

Like any coach or specialist in this field, there are a good number of coaches who have had a major influence on my career. And I can attribute much of my success (OK; most of it) to that influence they have had. I would be here all day if I listed each one so I will just list a few such as a few of the heavy hitters such as Verkhoshansky, Siff, & Bondarchuk. I do read anything and everything that I can get my hands on. Tried and true things that every sports performance professional should read authored by the individuals just mentioned would include Supertraining, Special Strength Training Manual for Coaches, and Transfer of Training in Sports. However, I would implore professionals to read a few other things that may appear to be outside the realm of training philosophy and prescription that can give a professional added perspective from a variety of angles. I believe we can learn way more from those in other fields that could allow us to do our jobs better…essentially; never stop learning and don’t limit who/where it is that you get information from.

If you haven't already these books are a MUST for performance coaches

Transfer of Training in Sports - Anatoliy Bondarchuk

Supertraining - Mel Siff and Yuri Verkhoshansky

Special Strength Training: Manual for Coaches - Yuri Verkhoshansky

Science and Practice of Strength Training - Vladimir Zatsiorsky

As far as that BOOM moment as you call it…yes, yes I did. My epiphany didn’t come from anything anyone said to me by someone else or something that someone sought out to teach me…instead, it occurred by accident or I should say as a by-product of my own sheer stupidity. But what I learned during this BOOM moment is what is responsible for my new focus on dissecting and training around the optimization of movement for sport. Thus, it’s important to share. Long story short…

Back in 2008, I had an NFL player come to me to direct his offseason physical preparation plan and at the time I was still utilizing what I would refer to as more traditional or conservative methods like we discussed just a bit ago. And the thing is, this athlete excelled and improved leaps and bounds.

By the end of a 12 week period this guy had made what I thought to be a total transformation. He had increased every physical quality imaginable. He gained 10lb while losing 4% body-fat. His maximum strength on his squat went up by 70lb. His 40 time went down by 0.25 seconds while he increased his vertical jump by 9 inches and his horizontal jump by 15 inches. All of these values got to the point where they easily exceeded his combine numbers that had dropped down considerably since he had been in the league.

When he left for training camp after our training was complete I thought he was going to absolutely revolutionize what was happening in the NFL and people were going to be blown away. However, I was the only one who would be blown away because when he stepped on field that preseason what everyone saw on the field did not look any different than the player that everyone saw 8 months prior when the guy had completed the previous season. And when this happened I was confused…I was shocked…I was dumb-founded…you fill in the blank. I just couldn’t believe how much I had let the guy down. 

Fortunately for me then I had my reality check which revolved around my conclusion that I MUST change my approach and truly began to investigate what it is that makes athletes tick where it counts; which is in their sport and more specifically while they are performing the actual movement tasks that are important for their success while in the sporting arena. I started to really deconstruct movement and get to the bottom of it to know how exactly I should build it back up in the most optimal fashion for the individual at hand. In the process this began to ensure that I was using methods for the athlete that was only going to equate to positive transfer on the field. 

After I had this reality check and changed my approaches towards athletic development I actually helped the athlete in the story to hone his craft and attain greater mastery in his sport demands, and ultimately reach much fuller levels of his potential and he actually still trains with me now to this day because of it. So much so that it was very noticeable the next time he stepped on the football field and continues to be every year that more mastery is solidified.

But the story is the one of the reasons that I felt that the Movement Mastery brand must be founded. I almost feel like we have all accepted the old way as the norm across all sports and at all levels. We have all at least witnessed an athlete who will make what appears to be stellar progress, and they knock it out on our cute little standardized tests, AND still then don’t seem to have it when it counts on the field…or court…or track. But this isn’t optimal in my mind.

Since then, I have helped not only NFL players perform at the heights of their potential through this approach change but really it extends much further than that. Numerous other professionals have started to learn some of these methods and ideas from me so they are impacting athletes of all sports and across all levels achieve more specific results for where their current level of mastery resides and where they want it to go. It’s because of this BOOM or ‘Ah-HA’ moment that I knew a paradigm shift was needed across our professions and why I started www.optimizemovement.com.

------------

Wow, that was awesome!  Be prepared to go back, as I did, and take notes and little pieces of gems!  Also check out some of Shawn's work here at Football Beyond the Stats.  This site is incredible, and being a footballer at heart, this topics discussed are especially of interest including NFL player movement breakdowns, the NFL Combine, and Play of the Week breakdowns.  Football fans take notice and check it out!

A big thanks again to Shawn and for his great analysis of our questions!

Go Get 'Em!