The New York Times recently published an article previewing a book on the rewards and risks of practicing Yoga.  William J. Broad became significantly aware of the risks of Yoga through an injury and then used his curiosity to widen his perspectives on the practice of Yoga in modernity.  Reading this article was great for me.  As a student of exercise and human movement mechanics, it was an extreme relief to read this pertinent article(article).  His message is simply that there are many healing presumptions when it comes to yoga and maybe that one cannot heal the body and mind by walking into a yoga studio a handful of times because it’s not suited for the vast majority of people.  His research and experience give us several reasons to NOT “Just Do It”.  Rather, we should listen to the body, its protective mechanisms, and question its limitations.

Underneath the numerous severe or rare injuries mentioned in the article, I hope the readers gathered that yoga has potential benefits and potential risks.  This is true of all forms of exercise.  Broad mentioned a Yoga specific injury, “Yoga drop foot”.  As of now, the general public can put that diagnosis into the ‘things we should be careful of’ file.  This file also includes “Runners Knee”, “Jumpers Knee”, “Adult onset Scoliosis”, “Tight IT Band”, “Shin Splints”, and “Tennis Elbow” (I’m very sure that there are more injuries that athletes identify with).   What do all these injuries have in common?  They are negative adaptations to exercise or competitive training.

The onset of injuries that occur from misuse and overuse of the body is a production of your nervous system, immune system, and muscular system.  In fact, I think such a production is brilliant.  I say this because these injuries have given me a hands on education to joint mechanics and the nervous system, an education not provided by a talking head or book.  By the way, I’m not hinting to you that I have experienced every athletic chronic injury.  What I am saying is that the human body has an amazing capability to protect itself and that we cannot out smart those mechanisms with exercise or strenuous yoga poses or dynamic stretches or icing a tendon for 6 weeks or changing your shoes, and I can definitely expand this list to numerous quick fix remedies that people sell.  We have to ask the right questions of the body.

The omnipresent nervous system has a big job to do; make its operator/conductor (you the human) sensitive to danger and communicate that information to the brain.  If there is limited range of motion around a joint, aka muscle tightness, there is a message present from the nervous system for the operator.  The message could be communicated for many reasons, but biomechanically speaking the joint is simply protecting itself from vulnerability.  It is well accepted that when a person exercises there are periods of fatigue followed by periods of recovery.  Sometimes when there is too much mechanical stress and fatigue, the nervous system has to protect itself by communicating to the muscular system that there is too much stress present. This message is intended to protect very important tissues near the joints (tendons, ligaments, bone).  Every person has a different fatigue and stress tolerance level for their joints.  As a person who exercises you should learn to recognize these tolerances because if the tolerance level is exceeded time and time again your ability to recover from those loads of stress diminishes.  Eventually, you have an injury (pick from any of the above).  That injury might heal acutely with TLC and ice, but the biomechanical reason for vulnerability has to be addressed to truly heal.

I’ve learned through rigorous education from Muscle Activation Techniques™ that this view of the nervous system and injury is unique in it’s approach to treating injury.  What the message here and from Broad’s Yoga article is that there are limits to the body that do not have ‘one size fits all’ solutions.  Every single one of us has to be prepared for our daily lives and choice of recreation.  This type of preparation doesn’t have an expiration date or an end resolution.  The stresses on our body are ever changing so our approach in addressing the issues should not be concrete in a set of poses, or in a list of exercises, or in a certain amount of repetitions.  In order to achieve the optimal levels of performance, health, and avoid negative consequences we have to learn our stress tolerance levels and the best questions to ask of our body.

To learn more about how Muscle Activation Techniques™ questions the body click here.

Part of this process is muscle inflammation. If the amount of inflammation is not strategically monitored a person can become vulnerable to losses in training gains, overtraining syndrome, tissue injury, and excessive soreness. Strategically managing inflammation includes appropriate exercise program progression, nutrition management, and inflammation control. Over the counter use of NSAIDs (non steroid anti inflammatory drugs) like Advil involve more cost than benefit, in my opinion. Besides their ability to cause ulcers and kidney problems, i found an interesting piece of information from the journal, Spine that indicates they don’t help the body with tissue healing. Researchers looked at patients who had undergone spinal fusion treatment, where two or more vertebrae are fused together, and discovered that patients who had taken a conventional NSAID (Toradol) were five times less likely to achieve successful union of the vertebrae than those who had taken no NSAID. (Spine 1998;23(7):834-838).

My advice: supplement your recovery with natural anti inflammatory aides and pay your recovery process a lot of attention!

Fighting inflammation naturally

1. Omega-3 oils, especially EPA (fish oils)

2. Green tea

3. Ginger

4. Curcumin (tumeric)

5. Cat’s Claw

6. Anti-oxidants: Vitamin C and Vitamin E

Anti-Inflammatory Treatment of Muscular Injuries in Sport: An Update of Recent Studies, Sports Medicine, Volume 28, Number 6, 1 December 1999, pp. 383-388(6)

Peterson, Angela. Overtraining: proposition for Debate, Curtin University, Educational Exercise Physiology Resources, 2000.

*if you have ever heard me write or speak about ‘appropriate progression’ in exercise programming I am referring to micro progression and adaptation.

CRAVE Washington DC Edition 2010

CRAVE dc innovatively connects urban gals to the sassiest, gutsiest, most inspiring people they need to know in Washington DC.

The spread featured a Q&A with Impact Fitness DC’s creator Jennifer Simone Schwartz

People may be surprised to know:

How much their lives can be influenced by intentional controlled exercise.

What or who inspired you to start your business?

The rising number of preventable injuries and the irrefutable need for strength enhancement in female athletes and my clients.

Where is your favorite place to go with your girlfriends?

In the middle of a humid DC August, we go to Maine for some hiking, lobster, and white wine.

What do you CRAVE in business? and life?

Making an impact on women so that they can intentionally create healthy, happy lives for themselves.

Nuun Hydration Packs are simply tablets of electrolytes an athlete can add to their water. They are designed for quick absorption and optimal hydration. Each packet contains 12 tablets. The athlete simply drops 1 tablet into 16oz of water.  They can then use the water for before, during, and after competition/training.

http://www.nuun.com/shop2/All-Products/

“Ultimate Success Guides for Teens” is a planner based on Sean Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens”. A large part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is how one organizes their time and stress. This guide will help your teen do just that. The athlete receiving the gift might roll their eyes at first, but there is a big chance they will thank you in the future.

http://www.premier.us/tools-planning/products-students/programs-workshops/ultimate-success-guide-teens

Compression Socks will be a huge help in helping your athlete decrease post exercise soreness by increasing circulation in the lower legs. Using compression socks can help speed recovery for the next match or practice. I personally use the 2XU brand, a brand highly regarded by cyclists and triathletes. By increasing circulation one can decrease their likelihood of an overuse injury to the lower legs (tendonitis or stress fractures) because the area will be better recovered for the next match/training session.

http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/Compression+Recovery+Socks/part_number=UA1352e/1758.0.1.1.0.0.0.0.0?

Other great ideas can be found in a previous article about Nutrition for Recovery that cover snacks good for recovery

http://impactfitnessdc.com/faqs/parent-and-ath…-to-re-fueling/

Have a wonderful and healthy holiday!

Recovery is a challenge for athletes who are undertaking two or more sessions each day, training for prolonged periods, or competing in a program that involves multiple events.  Between each work-out, the body needs to adapt to the physiological stress.  In the training situation, with correct planning of the workload and the recovery time, adaptation allows the body to become fitter, stronger and faster.  In the competition scenario, however, there may be less control over the work-to-recovery ratio.  A simpler but more realistic goal may be to start all events in the best shape possible.
Recovery encompasses a complex range of processes that include;
• refueling the muscle and liver glycogen (carbohydrate) stores
• replacing the fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat
• manufacturing new muscle protein, red blood cells and other cellular components as part of the repair and adaptation process
• allowing the immune system to handle the damage and challenges caused by the exercise bout

This important information will serve our teams and daughters better during this time period of high activity and stress.

There are protein bars, energy bars, diet bars and food bars. Not that there are any industry standards on applying these labels to bars, but let’s start with the premise that a protein bar is high in protein, an energy bar is high in calories, a diet bar is lower in calories, and a food bar is one that serves as a meal replacement by containing a balance of the three macronutrients (protein, carbs and fats).

Beware of:

Cereal or protein bars that contain over 20% sugar (about 6-10g per bar)

These products should simply be in the confectionery aisle. KELLOGGS K-time Muffin Bars give you more than three teaspoons (15g) of sugar and CADBURY BrunchBars and Snickers Marathon Bars are 20% chocolate.

The use of polyunsaturated fats: canola, vegetable oil, and margarine

SOY- If soy is one of the first 6 ingredients I would advise not to consume the product because soy is toxic as it is chemically treated, the benefits soy boasts have only been proven for menopausal women, and soy is processed using high heat and pressure robbing it of nutrients that it may have had.

Good ideas:

Raw, unsalted nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts. You only need a small handful for your daily allowance on these, but they are high in fiber, protein, and “good” fats.  Bars that use nuts and nut butters as a main ingredient.

Easily digested protein for match recovery- whey protein or branch chain amino acids.

Product list

Protein supplementation

CLIF Shot Rocks (if you must take the processed food route, this is the only protein product I would buy off the shelf)

They are chewy little protein balls in a protective candy coating. There are about 9-10 gumball-sized pieces in each packet, combining for 20g of protein. The shell is slightly crunchy, and is supposed to be temperature-resistant in both extremes: they won’t freeze in the cold, and they won’t melt if they’ve been tucked in your pocket on a hot day. They’re designed as a portable protein source during activity or as a snack to speed muscle recovery after a hard workout.

Advantages: Contains easily digestible whey protein and taste yummy, lots of protein, ideal for an athlete who needs to make up some slack from their morning meal.

Disadvantages: One or two is efficient for one sitting, since there are ten in a pack and easy to pop in your mouth, one could easily consume too much. There is a lot of sugar packed into these little protein balls.

http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_shot_roks/

Liquid or smoothie with protein supplements

Dos

Branch Chained Amino Acids (BCAAs) and Whey protein are the best for absorption and recovery.

Bananas in the smoothie

Kefir smoothie (already packaged at Whole Foods in the yogurt aisle)

Electrolyte Replenishment

For extra sweaty days drink grape flavored Pedialyte, coconut water, or almost any other electrolyte product except traditional Gatorade and Powerade.

Cliff Bar Shot Blok

http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_shot_bloks/

I would describe these as gummy bears with electrolytes, antioxidants, and a small amount of caffeine. They have non caffeinated and caffeinated versions.

Natural or homemade snacks

Almond or cashew Butter on a whole grain (bread, rice cake, multi grain, pita, etc). This is the easiest and BEST option. Almonds and cashews are packed with magnesium and protein!

Yogurt or Kefir

Trail mix with banana

]]> http://impactfitnessdc.com/uncategorized/parent-and-athlete-guide-to-re-fueling/feed/ http://impactfitnessdc.com/featured-articles/quick-reference-for-nutrition-and-recovery/ http://impactfitnessdc.com/featured-articles/quick-reference-for-nutrition-and-recovery/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:45:27 +0000 admin http://impactfitnessdc.com/?p=501 As a parent or coach, you understand that we are at a vital time of year for our athletes’ development.   With 2 a day camps, try-outs, and the stress of the upcoming school year, a teenager’s life is quite a lot to manage. The objectives and goals for heavy loads of fitness training are meant to bring about change by challenging the athletey.  Nutrition and silent training play a huge role in a successful season because overuse injuries and fatigue can be avoided if an athlete is properly nourished.

Please reference an article from earlier this year if you are unfamiliar with silent training.

Nutrition and sleep should be viewed as healing aids during the athletic season because the immune system is working extra hard to repair and build muscles.  There are several different ways to help the muscles and the immune system recover.

Different ways to nourish the body to aid muscle recovery:

Protein intake for post workout is important.  Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and our body does not produce some of them.  This gives them the label; essential amino acids.  An athlete needs to consume protein post exercise to simply give the muscles nutrition.

There is little advantage in consuming more protein, but there is a HUGE advantage in consuming protein with a good balance of amino acids.

A teen aged female athlete should aim to eat 1-1.5grams per kilogram of her body weight in one single day.

125lb female athlete needs 57-85 grams of protein per day.  That’s a lot!!  This would be 3-6 ounces of protein per meal.  If supplementing is something that might be manageable for you, please email me.

Examples of food sources with the best ratios of amino acids:

Milk - 1 cup has between 8 and 10 grams of protein, 80% casein protein, 20% whey protein, Casein protein is unique to milk and is high quality because of its amino acid ratio.

In this order: red meat, white meat, and eggs: are the best quality proteins as far as amino acids are concerned.

In the 2009 James Madison University study, 13 male college soccer players trained over the course of several weeks and were given either chocolate milk or a carbohydrate recovery drink after the most intense sessions. The researchers conducted specific tests to evaluate muscle recovery and found that those who drank chocolate milk had lower levels of muscular damage than those who drank the carbohydrate drink.  This study suggests that chocolate milk is an effective post-workout recovery food.

Increase magnesium and zinc intake:

Inappropriate magnesium levels are prevalent in athletes.  Respected functional medicine researcher Dr. Mark Houston has found RDA doses to be far too low; instead, the best approach is a daily dosage of 1,200 mg for adult women and 2,000 mg for adult men.  This research was done on power athletes in their 20’s.  This would make the requirements for teen-aged female athletes a bit lower 500-700mg per day. I have had success myself and the teen age female athletes that I have worked closely with when supplementing with magnesium.

Magnesium is the fourth-most abundant mineral in the body, with approximately 66 percent of it found in bone and 33 percent in skeletal and cardiac muscle. It is absorbed in the small intestine and excreted through the kidneys. Magnesium is involved in 300 essential biochemical reactions in the body, ranging from energy (ATP) production to protein synthesis, so it is obviously important for optimal athletic performance and a high quality of life.

Good food sources of magnesium

90 mg: Halibut, cooked, 3 ounces
80 mg: Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce
75 mg: Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce
75 mg: Spinach, frozen, cooked, ½ cup
50 mg: Potato, baked w/skin, 1 medium
45 mg: Yogurt, plain, skim milk, 8 fluid ounces
40 mg: Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked, ½ cup
30 mg: Banana, raw, 1 medium
25 mg: Raisins, seedless, ½ cup packed
24 mg: Whole milk, 1 cup

Zinc is a mineral that helps cell growth and should be taken with magnesium.  Dr. Houston recommends 25mg-50mg per day.  Good food sources are oysters, wheat germ, sesame seeds, low roast beef, roasted pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and chocolate.

Electrolyte and fluid replenishment

Dehydration, including acute levels, will affect the athlete physiologically, mechanically, and mentally.  The symptoms of dehydration are not as obvious or dramatic as we may believe.

Drinking electrolyte guidelines (for more exact amounts for each athlete according to their body weight and position, see me)

1.  Drink electrolyte balanced liquid during, after, and before exercise.

2.  During activity: every 20 minutes played, drink 5- 7 ounces of liquid.

Antioxidants for strengthening the immune system

As mentioned before, the immune system is working overtime so that our athletes become stronger and better.  To help it along the way we should consider providing extra antioxidants in the diet.

The most widely researched concern is reducing the effects of free radicals (organic unstable molecules in the body) from oxidative stress (prolonged exercise).  Most of the free radicals in your body are made during metabolic processes. More are added from the food you eat and environmental pollution.

Free radical-induced oxidative stress is an inevitable consequence of prolonged exercise and results in tissue damage, excessive fatigue, delayed recovery and overtraining. On a microscopic level, oxidation generally entails molecules or atoms losing electrons. (Gaining electrons is called reduction.) The molecules or atoms that take these electrons are oxidizing agents. Free radicals are substances that can exist with missing electrons, making them readily able to donate or accept electrons and damage structures in cells. As such, they are highly reactive, binding with and destroying important cellular compounds.

Important antioxidants and vitamins for exercise recovery

Vitamin E, Vitamin C, carotene, selenium, curcumin, resveratrol, and quercetin

Simple, eat green leafy vegetables and you shall be covered.  I recommend using this nutrition tool to determine the best way to cook vegetables as their nutrition qualities change as heat is applied to them.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

References

Bernardot D. Advanced Sports Nutrition, Human Kinetics

Ebel H. Gunther T. Magnesium metabolism: a review J. Clin. Chem. Biochem. 1980: 18:257-270.

Gilson SF, Saunder MJ; Effects of Chocolate Milk consumption on markers of muscle recovery during intensified soccer training., Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise; 2009

He K, Liu K, Daviglus ML, et al. Magnesium intake and incidence of metabolic syndrome among young adults. Circulation. 2006 Apr 4;113(13):1675-82.

Judelson, C. M. (2007). Hydration and Muscular Performance, Does Fluid Balance Affect Strength, Power and High-Intensity Endurance? Sports Medicine , 907-921.

Competitive soccer is a physically and mentally demanding sport. Unfortunately, injuries are all too common. While rules are designed to minimize physical contact, injuries still occur. Some are due to contact with another player, others are considered non-contact and some are due to overuse. Physical and mental fatigue associated with competition and training are thought to increase injury risk. Fatigue can occur within a match and occur over the course of several matches played with minimal recovery. Can this also increase the risk of injury? A new European study suggests that this is indeed the case. Playing matches with only 3-4 days of recovery greatly increases the rate of injuries. In some cases by as much five-fold compared to the first match.

This study originated at universities in France and Norway in conjunction with the Celtic Lab (Celtic FC). It focused on 32 players from a European professional team playing in the UEFA Champions League. Because the international soccer calendar is so congested, competing in the Champions League required the team to play their league matches on a Saturday or Sunday, and then play Champions League matches on Tuesday or Wednesday. This pattern results in a post match recovery period of 72-96 hours (3-4 days).

Players were assigned to two groups, those who had not played a match for six days (single-match) and those who played two matches within four days (multiple-match). During each match, movement analyses were performed using a computerized tracking system. Also, all injuries occurring in these matches were recorded.

Movement patterns did not differ between the groups. Players who played single or multiple matches covered 10-11 km (6-7 miles), sprinted about 250m and performed just over 11 sprints per match.

The major finding was a large difference in the rate of injuries between the two groups of players. The overall injury rate in the multiple-match group was approximately five times that of the single-match group. This was due to greater numbers of moderate and severe injuries while minor injuries were similar. Also, most of the injuries that occurred in the multiple-match group were linked to overuse.

As for specific injuries, the incidence of knee and ankle injuries was about three times greater in the multiple-match group compared to the single-match group. Ligament and meniscus damage was also markedly greater in the players who played multiple matches.

The main conclusion drawn from this study is that when professional teams play multiple matches within a week, the risk of injury is substantially increased. While 72-96 hours may be enough time to maintain physical performance, it is not long enough to maintain a low injury risk. The authors speculate that both mental and physical fatigue may have played an important role in the multiple-match group’s injury rate. Earlier studies show that such a short recovery period is not sufficient to restore muscle force, sprint speed and agility. It is possible that players competing with minimal recovery suffered from some form of fatigue even though movement patterns were not affected. Muscle strength and proprioception are key factors in stabilizing both the ankle and knee. If these are not fully recovered by the second match, both joints could be at risk of injury.

Based on their results, the researchers emphasized the need for adequate post-match recovery. Both physical and mental recovery is essential to being prepared for the next match. Nutritional recovery is also critically important. Without proper recovery, repeated matches can lead to physical fatigue, mental burnout, lack of concentration and reduced motivation, all risk factors for injury.

The investigators also emphasize the need to player rotation during competitions with a short recovery period. By limiting individual playing time, fatigue can be minimized, mental stress reduced and injury risk lowered.

U.S. college and high school teams often play multiple matches within a week. Sometimes matches may be separated by as little as 48 hours. Also, youth teams often play multiple matches with less than 24 hours recovery. Are these players also at risk of injury? A key point to remember is that this study focused on a European professional team playing at the highest level not youth players. The effects of multiple matches on youth players may be different. However, the recommendations made by the authors to reduce injury risk should be taken to heart. First, player rotation should be used. Given that most U.S. matches allow free substitution and allow players to re-enter the match, liberal substitution could limit fatigue and reduce injury risk. This is especially true in the second match played. Second, a proper recovery strategy should be followed. A suitable cool down and appropriate post-match nutrition are both essential in preparing for the next match. Use high a carbohydrate diet to replenish muscle glycogen after the initial match. This can improve both mental and physical performance during the second match and reduce injury risk.

Unfortunately, post-match recovery is often overlooked by many players and coaches. The first few hours after a match is a critically important time. Preparing for a second match begins immediately after the first match ends. Neglecting recovery can lead to poor performance and may (according to this study) raise the risk of injury.

Reference:

Dupont G, Nedelec M, McCall A, McCormack D, Berthoin S, Wisloff U (2010) Effect of 2 soccer matches in a week on physical performance and injury rate. American Journal of Sports Medicine, doi: 10.1177/0363546510361236.

Hydration should be a concern in every athletic and fitness endeavor, but with spring sport season underway and summer right around the corner, hydrating our athletes becomes increasingly important

After reviewing several research articles and seeking the help of a colleague, Alex Rosenzweig a former trainer to the Chicago Bears, I have compiled guidelines concerning female teenage athletes and their hydration requirements.

Dehydration, including acute levels, will affect the athlete physiologically, mechanically, and mentally. (D.A. Judelson, 2007)  The symptoms of dehydration are not as obvious or dramatic as we may believe.

Therefore, communication is the key for preventing dehydration.

A quick practical way to test the athlete’s dehydration level after exercise is to ask her to lick her upper lip after a game/practice.  If it taste like she licked a plate of salt, it is safe to say she has hydration issues that need to be addressed.

The athlete taking responsibility for hydration falls into a category of “silent training”.  This type of training involves addressing issues that concern athletic endeavors but do not involve movement or playing the actual sport.  This needs to be addressed before, during, and after games/practices.  The actions necessary to fully recover from intense bouts of exercise are covered in this article.

Hydration- The Basics (R.J. Maughan, 2004)

• Thirst is not an indicator of fluid needs. By the time an athlete feels thirsty dehydration is already occurring. As a result, many athletes come to practice already dehydrated.
• Dehydration of greater than 3% of body weight increases an athlete’s risk of heat illness (heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke)
• Dehydration of just 1%-2% of body weight (only 1.5-3 lbs. For a 150 lb. athlete) can negatively affect performance.
• The need for replacing sodium, chloride, and potassium (electrolytes) is important. The need to replace sodium is greater. This is because both muscle tissue and neurons are considered electric tissues of the body. Muscles and neurons are activated by electrolyte activity.
• When an athlete is menstruating, the need for electrolyte intake is higher.(S.T. Sims, 2007)
• And of course..the reliable humidity of the mid-Atlantic is a dangerous mix for athletic competitions and dehydration.

Pedialyte- The new Gatorade?

It was safe enough for them during infancy.  Pedialyte is an oral electrolyte solution.  Gatorade is a “sports drink”.  Take a look at the ingredients on a Gatorade bottle.  You will find the second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup.  High fructose corn syrup is controversial among health professionals and the corn industry.  I do know for certain that HFCS is very inexpensive.  According to leading natural health industry leaders; tests that were done in 2005 confirmed that 1/3 of HFCS products contain some amount of mercury (Sanda, 2010).  When an excess of fructose is metabolized, HFCS, the liver cannot accommodate, causing higher insulin levels.  What does this mean for athletic activity?  Insulin is the anti-exercise hormone.  Insulin has an immense impact on metabolism by controlling the tissues to uptake glucose from the blood. Insulin levels decrease during exercise because the muscles are metabolizing glucose, so insulin has no role during exercise.  If insulin levels increase during and before exercise, the endurance and performance of the athlete is compromised.  The risk of dehydration increases as well.

Besides HFCS being the work of the devil, Pedialyte has more sodium and potassium than Gatorade.  Pedialyte also has the better balance of electrolytes.

The criticism for Pedialyte is that the product may not have enough carbohydrates to serve the working muscles.  Alex Rosenzweig, formerly on the training staff for professional baseball and football teams, responds, “The only activity that requires the replenishment of carbohydrate is endurance activity lasting 1.5 -2 plus hours.  Carbohydrate intake during high intensity has shown little evidence of being effective at improving performance in the literature.  It is hydration aspect that effects the neural transmission (also cramping) during intense activity.  But then again many people still see soccer as an endurance event.  Those would be the same people that say you should take in carbohydrates.”  I would like to add that since Gatorade has more carbohydrates than Pedialyte, insulin secretion will increase with the ingestion of Gatorade.  That is in addition to the reaction of the high fructose corn syrup.    As we established earlier, insulin is the anti-exercise hormone.  There are more in depth reasons an athlete does not want to secrete insulin during intense activity.

I’m not implying that athletes do not use carbohydrates for fuel during exercise.  The muscles do indeed use stored carbohydrates for exercise, but the need to replenish them during exercise is unnecessary.  Carbohydrates should be replenished within 2 hours of intense exercise not during. For more information:  Physiology Spark Notes

Drinking electrolyte guidelines (for more exact amounts for each athlete according to their body weight and position, see me)

1.  Drink electrolyte balanced liquid during, after, and before exercise.

2.  During activity: every 20 minutes played, drink 5- 7 ounces of liquid.

Gatorade is the least effective sports drink.  A study examining 4 different sports drinks from 2007, concluded that a mix of water and apple juice is more effective than Gatorade at re-hydrating and replenishing lost electrolytes. (Shirrifs, 2007)  Plain water is also less desirable.  Water with added electrolytes is a great choice.  G2, Vitamin Water, and Powerade are better choices.  Pedialyte or even diluted Pedialyte (I like grape and pineapple flavors, please stay away from plain yuck) is the best choice.

Works Cited

D.A. Judelson, C. M. (2007). Hydration and Muscular Performance, Does Fluid Balance Affect Strength, Power and High-Intensity Endurance? Sports Medicine , 907-921.

R.J. Maughan, S. M. (2004). Fluid and Electrolyte Intake and Loss. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism , 327-340.

S.T. Sims, N. R. (2007). Preexercise sodium loading aids fluid balance and endurance for women exercising in the heat. Journal of Applied Physiology , 534-541.

Sanda, B. (2010, April 12). The Double Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup. Retrieved from Weston A Price Foundation: http://www.westonaprice.org/The-Double-Danger-of-High-Fructose-Corn-Syrup.html

Shirrifs, M. V. (2007). Rehydration After Exercise in the Heat: A Comparision of 4 Commonly Used Drinks. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism , 244-258.

This document was created to be a guide for the athletes, coaches, and parents about improving their speed, and endurance while decreasing the girls’ risk of injury.

Speed by the Numbers

4.5
Number of steps per second (stride rate of world class female sprinters)

5.0
Number of steps per second (stride rate of world class male sprinters)

4.2 - 4.3
Number of seconds it takes for the average MLB player to get from home to first

6.7 - 6.8
Number of seconds it takes for the average MLB baseball player to run a 60-yard dash

4.5
Number of seconds it takes for the average college wide receiver to run 40 yards

4.3
Number of seconds it took for the fastest wide receiver to run 40 yards at the 2009 NFL combine

“Regardless of the sport, there are only five ways to improve playing speed over short distances,” says George Dintiman and Bob Ward in Sports Speed (Human Kinetics):

1. Improving starting ability and acceleration
2. Increasing stride length
3. Increasing the number of steps taken per second (stride rate)
4. Improving speed endurance
5. Improving sprinting form and technique.

Your speed potential lies in your genes.  All of us have a range of speed that is built in genetically.

Improvement in these areas should focus on improving technique and the underlying variables.

Variables to increase speed:

1. Strength- the amount of force your muscles can produce.

2. Power is the ability to exert maximum force in the shortest period of time. It is the coordinated combination of both strength and speed of movement.  You can’t be weak and fast.

3.  Braking ability- eccentric muscle control.  Eccentric loading (or eccentric exercises) are proven to increase fast twitch muscle fibers.  Your body will only accelerate as fast as it can control deceleration.

SPORT SPECIFIC NEEDS: SOCCER

1. Starting, accelerating, stopping, and cutting
2. Stride rate
3. Stride length
4. Speed endurance
5. Sprinting form

Soccer requires lots of starting and accelerating for distances of 15-25 yards. High-speed stopping is needed as a player approaches the ball or an opponent. Speed endurance prevents players from slowing down after multiple short sprints.

Alexandria Freedom’s plan for speed improvement:

1. Baseline testing!  According to the goal sheets of the team members, improving speed is important to most of the players on the team.

2.  Strength building! We will focus on building strength with concentric, eccentric, and isometric joint movements. Strength gains will transfer to more efficient deceleration, more power for acceleration, and strength for the repetitive movements of running.

This will be accomplished by circuit training with the team and on your own.

3.  Mechanics of speed improvement: agility training, arm mechanics, and landing technique.

These drills are fun!  I might be handing over my stop watch to participate.

4. Interval training for recovery.  Soccer is all about recovery!  Recovery has two meanings pertaining to soccer.  Recovery refers to your body resting and recovering after bouts of exercise or games.  It is a time period that the athlete is resting from training and sports so that their mind and body can restore from the stress that exercise puts onto the body.  In this sense, recovery is a process.  Check out the article about resting and recovery HERE

The second meaning refers to the body’s physiological adaptation after a period of intense work.  This type of recovery can be measured by how well a player adapts or doesn’t adapt after the intense work.   This adaptation occurs over seconds.

An example of this would be a defender playing one on one with her opponent, the opponent passes the ball, the opponent sprints to make herself open, the defender follows, and the result of this bout of intense work is the player’s recovery phase and preparation for the next intense bout of work.  The Freedom can train to improve their fitness with strength and conditioning with the goal in mind to recover better than their opponent.  If the girl that is being defended doesn’t recover as well as one of our teammates, then it doesn’t matter how much skill the opponent has, the next ball opportunity becomes a 60/40 in favor of us instead of a 50/50.

5.  Plyometric training for power development.  This type of training is intense and will be focused on comprehensively.

The connective tissues of the joints, ligaments and tendons will benefit greatly from plyometric training.  The benefits will only occur if the fitness program is designed with these specific adaptations in mind.  A great fallacy of fitness and sports conditioning is incorporating this type of training early in a program.  The athlete must be ready to endure a high amount of physical stress, which includes the type of training in their fitness programs and the sport itself.

NON PRACTICE RUNNING ASSIGNMENT

Interval training combines short burst of high intensity running (sprint speed) with recovery intervals that are longer in duration.  The ratio we will start with is 1 to 3 (minutes).

With a treadmill

Step by Step

• Choose a sprint speed. Remember your 40 second speed test? Imagine 80% of that intensity. The range on the treadmill equates to a range of 7.0 mph to 10.0 mph. This decision may require a trial and error process.
• Choose a recovery speed. This speed will be 50% of your speed test intensity. The range on the treadmill equates to a range of 5.0mph to 6.8mph
• Take time to get to know the treadmill before you begin and take the necessary safety precautions before you begin.
• Fill in your speed intervals and follow the table below for your 22 minute interval treadmill session

Since you are already at the gym, or in workout mode at home: continue with some strength training or an endurance run on the treadmill.

Without a treadmill

This workout can certainly be completed without a treadmill.  You will need a watch and a planned route for this workout.

Follow the directions above and be extra aware of your speed.

This workout should be done once a week until WAGS games begin in a few weeks.  This workout should be done twice a week if you miss any practices.