Looks like there is another round of frozen stuff coming in tonight. With the dropping temps & all the stuff on the ground, it's best to cancel tomorrow morning's appointments.
NO MORNING SPEED TRAINING APPOINTMENTS AT ASPC TOMORROW, SATURDAY, JANUARY 30.
We will have some limited slots in the afternoon, but these are already filled.
Call us at 501.539.FAST (3278) to set up your schedule.
Friday, January 29, 2010
CLOSED FRIDAY, JAN. 29
The forecast is calling for more ice & snow this afternoon, so all appointments & classes at Arkansas Sports Performance Center are canceled for Friday, January 29.
We will make a decision later today about all Saturday appointments.
Please call 501-539-FAST (3278) for appointment information.
Please be careful out there!
We will make a decision later today about all Saturday appointments.
Please call 501-539-FAST (3278) for appointment information.
Please be careful out there!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
AIM Workout Classes Friday Jan 29
There will be no 5:30-6:30am AIM Workout classes for Friday, Jan. 29, due to the impending weather situation.
Watch this space throughout the day for more information about when we will be open for AIM & regular sport-specific training appointments.
Call 501-539-FAST (3278) for appointment information.
Watch this space throughout the day for more information about when we will be open for AIM & regular sport-specific training appointments.
Call 501-539-FAST (3278) for appointment information.
Jan. 28, 2010 Weather Issues
January 28, 2010
As of now, we are open as scheduled for Friday Jan. 29. We will update this page as we see the weather develop.
Call us at 501-539-FAST (3278) for any questions.
As of now, we are open as scheduled for Friday Jan. 29. We will update this page as we see the weather develop.
Call us at 501-539-FAST (3278) for any questions.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Injuries Caused by "Other Side" Weaknesses
Weird blog title....I know.
I wanted to write this one on how one side of your body that is either recovering from an injury, has tight muscles, or has weak muscles.....if you have this, how it could increase your injury risk on the "non-affected" side. I was reminded of this when I read this article on NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin suffering a torn left ACL while playing pickup basketball....only 5 weeks from a right knee arthroscopy. Story here
DISCLAIMER: I am not privy to any details concerning Mr. Hamlin's injury or physical condition. I am merely guessing based on my experience, and what I write below may not apply to his specific situation.
If I had to guess, it seems logical to follow this train of thought: right knee still recovering, feeling better but maybe not 100% in strength, or maybe not trusting it fully, which may have put extra stress on the left knee, and then when he planted, his left ACL gave way.
Again, this may not have been the case with Mr. Hamlin. But I have seen countless athletes who have tried to come back too soon, without fully trusting the recovering & involved knee/leg/ankle/arm, etc., and they wind up hurting the other one. Why is that?
1. Muscles not strong enough: you may have done exercises to strengthen it, but not true functional strengthening exercises.
2. Poor neuromuscular control: not enough training the ways the muscles & nerves work together...leading to a lack of trust, which doesn't allow the limb to be used normally.
There are many other reasons, but I think this sums it up.
For an athlete, any recovery from injury has to involve a rehabilitation program that incorporates the transition from simple exercises to true return-to-play exercises: exercises designed to mimic the athlete's demands of their sport. We at Arkansas Sports Performance Center & Athletic Republic incorporate that into training programs called "Bridge Therapy" programs.....a combination of rehab & training. Athletes return to play at even a higher level than before injury.
I encourage anyone dealing with an injury to MAKE SURE you are ready to fully return to play....that you can TRUST the injured part again without thinking about it. If not, you may be setting yourself up for future injury!
BJ Maack, ATC, CSCS
I wanted to write this one on how one side of your body that is either recovering from an injury, has tight muscles, or has weak muscles.....if you have this, how it could increase your injury risk on the "non-affected" side. I was reminded of this when I read this article on NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin suffering a torn left ACL while playing pickup basketball....only 5 weeks from a right knee arthroscopy. Story here
DISCLAIMER: I am not privy to any details concerning Mr. Hamlin's injury or physical condition. I am merely guessing based on my experience, and what I write below may not apply to his specific situation.
If I had to guess, it seems logical to follow this train of thought: right knee still recovering, feeling better but maybe not 100% in strength, or maybe not trusting it fully, which may have put extra stress on the left knee, and then when he planted, his left ACL gave way.
Again, this may not have been the case with Mr. Hamlin. But I have seen countless athletes who have tried to come back too soon, without fully trusting the recovering & involved knee/leg/ankle/arm, etc., and they wind up hurting the other one. Why is that?
1. Muscles not strong enough: you may have done exercises to strengthen it, but not true functional strengthening exercises.
2. Poor neuromuscular control: not enough training the ways the muscles & nerves work together...leading to a lack of trust, which doesn't allow the limb to be used normally.
There are many other reasons, but I think this sums it up.
For an athlete, any recovery from injury has to involve a rehabilitation program that incorporates the transition from simple exercises to true return-to-play exercises: exercises designed to mimic the athlete's demands of their sport. We at Arkansas Sports Performance Center & Athletic Republic incorporate that into training programs called "Bridge Therapy" programs.....a combination of rehab & training. Athletes return to play at even a higher level than before injury.
I encourage anyone dealing with an injury to MAKE SURE you are ready to fully return to play....that you can TRUST the injured part again without thinking about it. If not, you may be setting yourself up for future injury!
BJ Maack, ATC, CSCS
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Speed Training
A generic blog title, to be sure. "Speed training." Every athlete wants it...they want to be faster. So they do "speed training." They either go to an expert, or they Youtube some "speed training" drills to use on their own. Or they just participate in their school "speed training" program. But what is it exactly?
In the simplest terms, without trying to be too obvious, speed training is the pursuit of improvement in overall velocity & speed----i.e., getting faster. It can be generic, or it can be sport-specific. By "sport-specific" I mean that soccer speed is not necessarily the same as baseball speed in terms of overall physiological muscle use & oxygen consumption.
In this brief blog post, I want to focus on a very simple definition, with the goal of providing some take-home points for you the reader. Here we go:
Speed is:
1. IMPROVEMENT IN STRIDE LENGTH: if you are taking short baby steps, then you can't cover as much ground with each step when compared to bigger steps. Obvious, huh? But think about it, when you run, are you really getting everything you can out of each step? Are your knees not driving up as high as they could be driving? Do you have weak hip extensors (butt-area muscles) that prevent a solid push? These things can be contributors to a shorter stride length, which can cause you to take too many inefficient steps.
Have someone watch you run....or even LISTEN to you run. It doesn't take too long to the trained eye/ear to notice an inefficient stride length. Stretch out your hip flexors (above your quad muscles), which might allow you to drive your knee higher. Strengthen your hip & hamstring muscle group to allow you to obey Newton's 3rd Law (don't worry about looking it up---here it is. If you have more force driving into the ground (more strength) then you get more return in your stride.
Be careful not to overstride.....this can lead to too much "braking" force---slowing you down as you might tend to land with your heel. Good sprinters land on their toes/balls of feet.
2. IMPROVEMENT IN STRIDE FREQUENCY: You can teach speed. It's called improving motor engram patterns, or more simply, creating muscle memory. Think about this scenario: imagine being forced, due to an injury, to brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand. Try it. It is the craziest thing! Until, after a few days or weeks, it becomes just as normal as your dominant hand. That's called developing new muscle memory patterns. If you teach your sprinting muscles how to sprint properly, and teach them how to do it faster, then they will learn it. The body is truly amazing at what it adapts to.
Get someone to help you with your sprint mechanics....it may feel unnatural at first--just do it & get used to it. Video your running form & practice your arm mechanics in the mirror.
I hope this gives you some "take-home" points...I welcome any discussion & questions here!
In the simplest terms, without trying to be too obvious, speed training is the pursuit of improvement in overall velocity & speed----i.e., getting faster. It can be generic, or it can be sport-specific. By "sport-specific" I mean that soccer speed is not necessarily the same as baseball speed in terms of overall physiological muscle use & oxygen consumption.
In this brief blog post, I want to focus on a very simple definition, with the goal of providing some take-home points for you the reader. Here we go:
Speed is:
1. IMPROVEMENT IN STRIDE LENGTH: if you are taking short baby steps, then you can't cover as much ground with each step when compared to bigger steps. Obvious, huh? But think about it, when you run, are you really getting everything you can out of each step? Are your knees not driving up as high as they could be driving? Do you have weak hip extensors (butt-area muscles) that prevent a solid push? These things can be contributors to a shorter stride length, which can cause you to take too many inefficient steps.
Have someone watch you run....or even LISTEN to you run. It doesn't take too long to the trained eye/ear to notice an inefficient stride length. Stretch out your hip flexors (above your quad muscles), which might allow you to drive your knee higher. Strengthen your hip & hamstring muscle group to allow you to obey Newton's 3rd Law (don't worry about looking it up---here it is. If you have more force driving into the ground (more strength) then you get more return in your stride.
Be careful not to overstride.....this can lead to too much "braking" force---slowing you down as you might tend to land with your heel. Good sprinters land on their toes/balls of feet.
2. IMPROVEMENT IN STRIDE FREQUENCY: You can teach speed. It's called improving motor engram patterns, or more simply, creating muscle memory. Think about this scenario: imagine being forced, due to an injury, to brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand. Try it. It is the craziest thing! Until, after a few days or weeks, it becomes just as normal as your dominant hand. That's called developing new muscle memory patterns. If you teach your sprinting muscles how to sprint properly, and teach them how to do it faster, then they will learn it. The body is truly amazing at what it adapts to.
Get someone to help you with your sprint mechanics....it may feel unnatural at first--just do it & get used to it. Video your running form & practice your arm mechanics in the mirror.
I hope this gives you some "take-home" points...I welcome any discussion & questions here!
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