Groundhog Day

Like in the movie, on February 2nd, 2010, Punxsutawney Phil, prognosticator of prognosticators, saw his shadow and predicted 6 more weeks of winter.

This certainly has been true for most of the US – I hear you guys have been getting hammered! It has also been true for me. Emerging from my slumber post surgery, I also got given more weeks of “winter” – 4 of them strapped to the previously blogged-about CPM machine.

The comparison to the movie does not end there. Every day has been “Groundhog Day”. The same thing every time I woke, day after day – 6 hours has never felt so long.

Mike Stone - slide show on sport science

Mike Stone has spent some time to put together a nice slideshow presentation on sport science, check it out:

Center of Excellence for Sport Science & Coach Education

I am lucky to be working with him again.
An update on my rehab, etc. is coming tomorrow.
Take care folks.

Be wary...

Rant warning...

Below are some words and phrases that trainers and athletes alike should be wary of when browsing for products, books, DVDs, or trainers.

Secret
The no. 1 expert / trainer / coach
Miracle
The only resource you ever need
Buy now
Guru
Easy
Just "X" minutes a day
Amazing
All you need to know
Simple
What the pros do
What the celebrities do

Planning for athletic development - part II

If you have read part I of this article below, hopefully you realize that you need to put a long-term plan in place. 

The first thing to do is to work out what goals you have for the year or season ahead.  It could be to develop certain physical attributes.  Maybe the focus is on maximal performance for each match or meet.  Most likely, it is a combination of both of these two.

In team sports, you need to work closely with the coaches to discuss targets.  For example, is the ultimate goal just to make the playoffs and then go from there, or are you looking to peak for the final and win the championship?

Planning for athletic development - part I

I like to visit my friends who are spread all over the UK and the US. I have been stuck at home rehabbing for weeks now, so can't wait to get out of here as soon as my leg can operate a clutch.

If I wanted to go from my home near Exeter (south west England), all the way up to see a buddy in Newcastle, I might have a few options:

A snapshot or a movie (by Vern Gambetta)

Below is a post written by Vern Gambetta (www.functionalpathtrainingblog.com):

When people post video of an exercise or a description of a workout that is just a snapshot of a feature length movie. The snapshot has no context, Where? When? How? Who? Most importantly of all – Why? I notice when I do presentations and put a workout on the screen people will frantically scramble to write it down before I go to the next screen. The same with the video clips. Everyone wants copies of the clips because that it is a cool exercise. I can’t tell you how many “cool exercises” have blown up in my face. Why because I tried to use the “cool exercise” arbitrarily without taking the time to put it in the context of the system. 

Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance (book review)

 
Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance
Inigo Mujika (2009)

I have seen Inigo Mujika speak a few times on this topic, so thought it was about time I took a more in-depth look into his work.

Firstly, I really like how this book is organized.  It is logically laid out, and this means that it is easily read cover to cover, or used as a reference.

This book is not one that a coach or athlete is going to find revolutionary.  Instead, you should be able to take a few key points that will help you prepare your athletes for competitions.  It is likely to help you justify why you are doing what you do and what you have done in the past, something that can be important if your program is under question.
For a sport scientist or student, the book will give you lots of “food for thought”, and is well referenced so may assist you in researching tapering or other related areas.

I primarily work in team sports, and although the majority of the research and information is for individual endurance events, I still was able to take much from this text.

The ratings for this book below depend on the context of the reader:
Coach: 4/5
Athlete: 3/5
Sport Scientist: 5/5

Engagement

Engagement.  No, I am not talking about the romantic comedy you watched with your partner on Valentines Day, nor do I have any breaking news about my love life…

Engagement is something that you need from your athletes if you truly want them to progress.

Watching the FA Cup clash between Southampton and Portsmouth this past weekend, I was reminded of this concept by the committed play of 19 year old right winger, Michail Antonio (in red & white):

 

Rehab update

It has only been 10 days since I did the 1st measurements – but as I am now 2 weeks post-op I thought it would be a good time to post up the new figures:

The elusive 5%

Thank you for all the feedback via facebook and emails regarding the last two posts.  I had fun writing them.  Comments here are also welcome, and I promise I will try to keep my blogs down in length in future!

If you are reading this, then you are probably either an athlete, a coach, or someone looking to improve their health and/or appearance.  Chances are that you are searching for that "elusive" 5 %.  That little bit extra that will give you the edge on the opposition, or help you take an inch off your waist.  If so, let me ask you, what are you doing for the other 95%?

Starting running - part II

This is part II of the article. Part I is here.

Life with his new girlfriend started out pretty good. No arguments, no presents to buy her, and she didn’t complain about his personal hygiene. Things took a turn for the worst though when she started having health issues. Maybe he was being a little rough with her, so Frank tried to help her through. The final straw, however, was an ugly scene involving a leak, superglue, and a tender portion of Frank’s body. Once the ER had sorted out that little mess, it was time to move on…

Starting running - part I

.Disclaimer:  This is just a bit of fun, based on a few observations over the years, but after Part II, you should get the what I am on about :)

This is Frank Ricard, a 31 year old IT technician:

What am I doing?

What am I doing?  Sometimes I have to ask myself that, and thought you might be wondering how an Englishman is doing his PhD in Tennessee, while crippled and attached to a rehab machine in Devon, England?

The Concise Book of Muscles (book review)

The Concise Book of Muscles, Revised Edition
Chris Jarmey (2008)

The title of this book is spot on, and I am glad to have picked it up as it has been really useful to me in my work and studies. I needed a simple book for quick reference and this fits the bill precisely. Each two page spread has the diagram/drawing of the muscle on the left, and the basic information on the right. Having it all there without having to turn pages makes it very easy to use. If you are studying anatomy or medicine, then you will need a more detailed text, but for everything else I cannot recommend this enough.

The dog enforcer

This is my view for 6 hours a day, every day.

What really happened on deadline day

Below I have reposted monster thread from the www.holmesdale.net Crystal Palace FC supporters message board about the transfer deadline day shenanigans at the club. It is a spoof (of course) written by SpikeyMatt, but he seems to have real talent for this - and I am sure anyone that has been around an English football club will find it amusing (and scarily - not too far from the truth!).  Enjoy...

Re: athletic development of young soccer players

Below is a post of mine from the NSCA soccer & rugby forum regarding the athletic development of young soccer players that I feel is relevant here:

Some people take a look at the game at the top level and see the physical incompetence of some of the players and take that as a sign that a player doesn't need to be a good athlete to succeed in this sport. Now while this may be partly true at present, the game is changing and becoming more and more physical. If a player can't play the game, then he won't make it even if he is a physical specimen (which I think is your point Lorenzo), but it will certainly help an average soccer player if he can start, stop, jump, and run better than the competition.

I am rambling here, but part of the problem to why the players are like they are at the top level is the amount of games they play. A 9 month season plus preseason with a win every game attitude makes it hard to improve the athlete. This makes it even more crucial that we get the kids moving, lifting, eating, and training right while we have the chance to teach it to them.

The gym, Crystal Palace, and a little more JT...

I hit up Steve's Gym today for the first time on crutches. It was good to see the folks there again – it had been a while. The staff and fellow gym goers are always friendly and there is a nice mix of male and female, young and old, beginners and intermediate trainers, as well as some pretty knowledgeable and strong lifters. Check them out if you are in the Newton Abbot area www.stevesgym.co.uk.
Ok my scandalous plug out of the way... I had a go at a few kinds of upper body pulling exercises, and posterior lower body work on my right leg. At this stage I am just seeing what I can and can’t do without involving my left hip and its associated musculature. Tomorrow I will see what pushing movements and anterior leg exercises I can get done, and then will write up my program for the next 3 weeks. It is good to ease back into it. The temptation when starting a workout program is to go at it really hard from day one. However this brings about so much pain and soreness that it can be counter-productive. I need to practice what I preach!

Out of hospital & raring to go!!!

Ok I finally made it out. Four nights in there feels like four weeks, but that just makes me more motivated than ever to sort out my leg and my body. The picture and numbers are from today, and show the differences in size. The difference would have been even more considerable if I had been as active on my right leg as I normally am. Injuries make it hard to train your good leg as well as your bad leg!

Weight:                               101 kg
Hips:                                   110 cm
Left Thigh (midpoint):          58.5 cm
Right Thigh (midpoint):        63 cm    
Left Calf (thickest part):       41 cm
Right Calf (thickest part):     43 cm

John Terry, England captain...

For those of you who don’t know, John Terry is the captain of the England national football team. A dominating figure, he was given this responsibility by the equally uncompromising Fabio Capello, the manager of the team. Since Capello took over, England have had a very good couple of years, leading to qualification for the World Cup in South Africa this year.