Resistance Training
Cardiovascular Training
Flexibility Training
Resistance Training
Dumbbell Split Squats
Dumbbell Overhead Press
Strength Training Without Equipment
Repetitions/Sets?
Pulldowns
Bench Press
Leg Extension
Dumbbell Split Squats
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Don't use dumbbells for the warm-up.
• Step forward with your right leg, taking a slightly larger than normal step.
• Press the front of your back foot (left foot) into the ground and use it to help keep your balance. The left knee should also be bent.
• Contract your glutes, brace your abs and keep your spine in a neutral position.
• Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Keep your upper body upright and your lower back flat.
• Push up to the upright position, but don.t step back. Stay in a split-squat stance.
• Perform all reps for one leg and then switch.
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Dumbbell Overhead Press
This is a great exercise to work your Deltoids, or shoulder muscles. The caveat being, if you do them incorrectly you will do more harm than good. The exercise can be performed sitting or standing. My advice is, if you have the choice of doing any exercise in the standing position then do it in the standing position. That will create an even distribution of body weight over your legs and remove a lot of stress from your lower back.
Yes, he's sitting, but hey, it's America. If you look closely you will also notice that he's going a little too far down with the weights. So now you know better!
You want to make sure that the dumbbells are out in front of your ears and when raising them keep them slightly out in front of the head in the top of the movement. NEVER bring the dumbbells behind the head or EVER perform behind-the-neck presses!!!! Again, the stress placed on the rotator cuff muscles is huge.
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Strength Training Without Equipment
You can work on your trapezius and neck muscles with shrugs. Arms at your sides, shrug your shoulders to an "I don't know" posture, then relax and let your shoulders drop. This is more effective with resistance, but you don't need to buy anything. Begin with food cans, held in your hands with your arms by your sides, and progress to buckets containing sand, soil, or anything you have handy that weighs a few pounds.
You can work on your calves (Gastrocnemius, Soleus) with toe raises on a stair. Stand up, touching a rail for balance, on one leg with your weight on the ball of your foot at the edge of the stair. Put the other foot behind your heel so that it is out of the way. Lower your heel until it is as far below the stair as you can manage. Now slowly raise your heel until it is as high above the stair as you can reach. Lower and raise your heel through the full range of motion of your ankle. A dozen of these on each leg give your calves and Achilles tendons a good workout, and are good for your ankles, too.
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I've been asked this question a lot. How many reps should I do and haw many sets. First off let me explain a rep and set. A repetition is the amount of times you lift the weight. If I do a bicep curl 10 times then I performed 10 reps. If I stop there then I did 1 set of 10 reps. If I do 10 more reps then I just performed 2 sets. With regard to how many reps you should there's a great starting point. Start with a very light weight first. Remember, form and techniques above all. If you can perform the exercise perfectly for more than 12 repetitions then the weight is too light. If you can't get to 8 repetitions with spot-on form then the weight is too heavy.
There are many different exercises you can do for each muscle. Keep a journal that has the exercise, weight, reps and sets. Start with one set for each exercise. Then gradually increase to 2 sets. Everyone will respond to the same workout differently. So 3 sets may work for you whereas 2 may work for me. The progress noted in your journal will determine what needs to be adjusted.
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Pulldowns
This exercise is done exactly like chin-ups, except the bar comes down instead of your body going up. It's great for developing your Latissimus Dorsi (Lats). Take a slightly wider-than-shoulder grip on the bar. Pull the bar down and concentrate on leading with your elbows not pulling with your biceps. Lower the bar towards your clavicle keeping your elbows pulled back for the entire movement.
Pulling the bar so far down that your forearms are not perpendicular to the floor, but instead almost parallel to the floor, involves the inward rotators of your upper arm (rotator cuff muscles). NEVER bring the bar behind the neck!!! Yes, you've seen it done everyday. So what?! It's wrong! The supraspinatus (one of the four rotator cuff muscles) is under strain. It doesn't like the arms to be back that far. You also run the risk of slamming into the 7th vertebrae of the cervical spine. Head up/chest up, retract---PULL!
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Poor form in the bench press exercise can cause major problems.
Using too wide a grip, going to deep or bringing the bar to close down to the clavicle can create problems with bench pressing. An excellent example of DOING IT WRONG is shown in the picture.
She is going too far down with the bar. Your upper arm should go no lower than parallel to the floor. Another way to put it is the elbow should not drop below the shoulder.
During a wide grip bench press, the stress is not increased just on the pectoralis but also increased on the shoulder joint itself. The longer lever increases the force necessary to hold up the load. The rotator cuff which acts to stabilize the humeral head in the glenoid cavity takes on the majority of the stress.
With regard to placement during the decent, the higher you drop the bar on the chest, the greater the stress on your shoulder. High placement may overstretch the joint capsule, the muscles, or the tendons.
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Leg Extension
This one is an easy one - DON'T DO THEM!!! For a complete explanation as to why visit the "Articles" page and take heed!!!
I'm telling you, these are awesome!!!!
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Cardiovascular Training
High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T)
Selecting A Running Shoe
Impact Force on Knees
"Fat Burning" Zone?
Karvonen Formula
RPE
High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T)
Okay, ready for something a little different in your cardio routine? Good! Long, drawn out treadmill sessions are beneficial - at least to the most novice beginner - but it's time to step it up a notch. Studies have shown (write me and I'll send them to you), that shorter, more intense bouts of cardio training is much, much more beneficial.
Interval training has been around for quite a while, we just didn't realize it. Remember running the bleachers or doing wind sprints? Both are versions of High Intensity Interval Training - HIIT. The true form of HIIT was developed by a Japaneses scientist named Tabata. His method of training has produced maximum cardiovascular benefits AND, at the same time, preserved lean muscle tissue as well as utilizing more bodyfat for energy, wait for it, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DAY!!!!! That's right, keep your metabolism reving all day long!
Here's the Tabata method of cardio training. Now this is best done on a piece of equipment that can speed up and slow down VERY rapidly. Obviously, the treadmill will not work for this. The bike, however, is great. First do a 5 minute warm-up. At the 5 minute mark pedal AS FAST AS YOU CAN for 20 seconds, yep, only 20 seconds. Then rest, pedaling very slow, for 10 seconds. Repeat 8 times. If you do the math that's only three minutes and 50 seconds!! Then cool down for a minimum of 5 minutes. Believe me, you will need it.
There are many versions of HIIT should you want to vary your routine. One version is pedaling fast for 1 minute at an intensity level of 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 - 1 being the same as sitting on your couch and 10 being an all out maximum effort, then resting for 2 minutes at a level of 3 out of 10. Repeat 3 more times for a total of 4 cycles of 1 minute on and 2 minutes off. Keep your RPM's between 80 and 100. This will most certainly mean you will have to increase the pedal tension. If you would like other variations, contact me.
So if you want to add a little spice to a bland cardio program shake a little Tabata on it!
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Selecting a Running Shoe
Running shoes should be selected carefully. Factors to weigh when looking for a new shoe include:
Past experience with shoes
Current Problems
Biomechanical Needs
Environmental Factors
Running and Racing Requirements
If you're having no problems in running or racing, it would be hard to recommend a change of shoe. It is difficult, if not impossible, to improve upon a situation in which all is going great. I would advise getting a few pairs of what seem to be your favorite shoes before the manufacturer changes the shoe. Historically unannounced changes are often made by manufacturers. This can vary from a subtle change in the cushioning around the heel to a major structural midsole change. Manufacturers have discontinued a model of shoe, only to resume production a few years later with a line of shoes boasting the same name, but with completely different characteristics.
One of the best means of finding out information about running shoes is to locate a good running shoe store that maintains an excellent reputation among your local running community. They can help you not only with fit but also review desired shoe characteristics with you. They can also alert you to changes that may occur in the manufacturing of your favorite shoe. If the soles of your shoes have been wearing too quickly they might recommend another model with better wearing shoes. More likely, however, you have probably been wearing your old shoe for too long. Failing to replace worn shoes is a major cause of running injuries. Estimates vary, as do individuals, as to when is the best time to replace your running shoes. The usual estimates place the mileage at somewhere between 350 and 550 miles. This means that many individuals should be replacing their shoes before they show major wear. In spite of the lack of wear the shoe will be gradually losing its shock absorption capacity as well as possibly starting to loose some of its stability.
Check Out Your Old Shoes
Examine the soles of your shoes. Note where wear has occurred. Most people seem to be amazed that their shoes wear at the rear outer corner. Most rearfoot strikers will wear at this part of the shoe. The reason for this, which someday, somewhere a funded study will prove, is that for most heel strikers it is the point of first contact of the shoe with the ground. Most people walk and run with their feet slightly rotated from center. Runners, however, also have what is called a narrow base of gait. A narrow base of gait means that the feet contact close to the midline of your body. This creates additionalvarus (tilting in) of the limb. This results, for the rearfoot striker, in the first point hitting the ground being the outer corner of your shoe. Forefoot wear may point to an individual who is a sprinter, runs fast, contacts the ground with the forefoot first or all of the above. Uneven forefoot wear may show where one metatarsal is plantarflexed relative to the others or where one metatarsal may be longer than the others. In the presence of significant forefoot wear, you are at risk of stress fractures.
Next put your shoes on the table and look from the back of the shoe to the heel. If the counter of your shoe is tilted in or bulges over the inner part of your shoe, you might be one who excessively pronates. If this is so, you may want to look for a shoe with more stability or replace your shoe a bit sooner next time.
If your shoe tilts to the outside, you may have a high arched foot. This in some cases can lead to ankle sprains and also increased transmission of forces to the leg and back. Sometimes individuals with this type of foot may have lateral knee pain, low back pain and outer leg pain. It will probably be important to make sure that your shoe has a fair amount of shock absorption and is not excessively controlling.
Looking at the top of your shoe, you should note if you can see the outline of your toes in the upper or either your large or small toe on either side. If you do and have discomfort in these areas or have had "black toe" you should consider wider or longer shoes or both wider and longer.
If you have a flexible and pronated foot, you might do better with a board lasted shoe. But looking for a good counter and a sole that is rigid until the point where your toes attach is an easier empirical way to find a good shoe. This offers resistance to torsion and inhibits pronation. Slip lasted shoes are frequently good for high arched feet. Combination lasted shoes are supposed to offer the best of both worlds: stability in the rearfoot and flexibility in the forefoot.
Trying On The Shoe
Go to a running shoe store that has a good reputation. Make sure you try on both shoes. Most good stores will allow you to run up and down the block, outside a few times. This is the only way to experience what running will feel like. You should also keep the shoe on your foot for about 10 minutes to make sure that it remains comfortable. Make sure that nothing pinches and that you like the feel of the shoe and your stride.
Once you have purchased a new and comfortable shoe, don't put them to the test with a 12-mile-long run or decide it is time for 7 miles of speed work around a track. Probably an easy 3-mile run will be sufficient. Run easily in the shoe and for only a short distance during the first 100 miles you spend in the shoe. Do not ever wear a brand new shoe in a marathon. You'll be doomed to sore feet, blisters and perhaps worse. It is amazing how many people make this mistake every year, no matter how many times this simple fact is stated. Just don't do it!
After your careful and wise selection of your brand new running shoe. Bring it home, put it on and enjoy your run! Don't forgetto stop and change your shoe, before you've gone too far though.
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Impact Force on Knees
A person walking normally and weighing 63 kg. (140 pounds) will hit the ground with their body weight plus 20 percent or 75 kg. (168 pounds) per square inch of impact force. The same person running well, but not sprinting and not jogging will land with an impact force of about three times that of their walking force or in this case 225 kg. (504 pounds) per square inch of impact force. When a person jogs slowly they reduce the body's ability to handle impact and at the same time has increased the amount of weight bearing impact it has to handle. Jogging slowly has a loading force of about four times that of walking or in this case 300 kg. (672 pounds) per square inch of loading force.
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"Fat Burning" Zone? (Pat Gamboa, BS, MSS, VP Educational Services, ISSA)
While low intensity work will burn a higher percentage of calories from fat, higher intensity work will burn MORE overall calories. The goal is to create a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories below your weekly caloric intake to facilitate a 1 pound reduction in bodyfat per week. Consider the following. If you walk at 3 MPH it will take you 20 minutes to complete a mile burning approximately 4 calories per minute or 80 overall calories (at an average weight of 150 lbs). At the same weight, if you trained at a higher intensity at 8 MPH you would complete the mile 7.5 minutes burning approximately 16 calories per minute or 120 calories.
During the same 20 minute period walking at 3 MPH where you would burn only 80 calories if you ran for 20 minutes at 8 MPH you would burn 320 calories during the same 20 minute period.
At the lower intensity (3 MPH) you would burn about 80% fat/20% carbohydrates in general or 64 calories from fat and 16 calories from carbohydrates at 3MPH for 20 minutes.
At the higher intensity (8 MPH) you would burn about 80% carbohydrates/20% fat in general or 256 calories from carbohydrates and 64 calories from fat.
As you can see you will burn an equal amount of calories from fat given the same 20 minute period.
If your goal is bodyfat reduction, then we recommend that you do your aerobics directly after your resistance training at less than 60% of your VO2 max. If you are doing cardiovascular work on your off days, then we recommend that you train at 75% to 85% of your VO2 max for the first 30 minutes and drop the intensity the remaining 20 to 30 minutes to less than 60% of your VO2 max. Always begin with a warm up. Warming up for five minutes is necessary because, during exercise, blood flow patterns change. Through the action of the sympathetic nervous system, blood is redirected away from areas where it is not essential to those areas that are active during exercise. Only 15 to 20% of resting cardiac output go to muscle, but during exhaustive exercise, the muscles receive 80 to 85% of the cardiac output. This shift is accomplished by reducing blood flow to the kidneys, liver, stomach and intestines. The warm-up allows for this transition to occur. Keep in mind that the major factor that determines the role of fat as a substrate during exercise is its availability to the muscle cell. In order to be metabolized, bodyfat (triglycerides) must be degraded into three molecules of free fatty acids and one molecule of glycerol. This splitting allows the free fatty acids to be converted to acetyl-CoA and enter the Krebs cycle. Hence, if fat is not available to the muscle cell then it can not be metabolized.
Fat can only be metabolized via Krebs cycle oxidation. It is essential to recognize that a reduction in Krebs cycle intermediates: whether it is the result of (1) low carbohydrate diets, (2) no carbohydrate diets, or (3) excessive prolonged aerobic sessions, resulting in a diminished rate of ATP production from fat metabolism. When carbohydrate stores are depleted in the body, the rate at which fat is metabolized is reduced. Therefore carbohydrates are essential in the ability to metabolize fat. It is only the free fatty acids that are metabolized via the Krebs cycle that are used in ATP production that go toward reducing bodyfat levels.
Therefore, when designing an exercise program to reduce bodyfat stores, it is vital to consider both (1) the total rate of energy expenditure and (2) the percentage of energy that is derived from fat metabolism. You must optimize the availability of fat to the muscle cells through selection of appropriate intensity and duration of exercise sessions.
Since it takes approximately 20 minutes for lipolysis to occur, the session should exceed 20 minutes in duration for fat to be made available to muscle cells. At approximately 70% of VO2 max the availability of fat to the muscle cells diminish due to an increase in lactate production, which inhibits fat metabolism.
Although engaging in activity at 20% of VO2 max will burn 60% of calories from fat as compared to working at 50% of VO2 max which would derive 40% of energy from fat, the total rate of energy expenditure is 2.5 times greater at 50% VO2 max. The absolute amount of fat metabolized is 33% higher during exercise at 50% of VO2 max. The ideal rate of work would be at 50% of VO2 max for duration of 60 minutes.
Unfortunately, this physiological actuality has led many individuals to mistakenly believe that because the body utilizes a greater percentage of fat as fuel during aerobic exercise at a relatively low level of intensity, such exercise is more effective for fat loss than high intensity exercise.
These individuals ignore two very important facts. First, the absolute amount of fat calories burned during high intensity exercise tends to be equal to or greater than the number burned during low intensity exercise, even though the percentage of calories burned from fat is higher during low intensity exercise. Second, when you eat, you replenish both carbohydrates and fats. As soon as an excess of calories (from either fats or carbohydrates) exists, your body will begin to store them as fat. Once you eat after exercising (including those activities which burn more fat than carbohydrates), you will rapidly replenish any of your carbohydrate stores you may have used up. Once they are replenished, your body will begin to store the rest of your caloric intake as fat. The net result is that your body's fat stores will be virtually unchanged—if at all.
The critical point is that low-intensity aerobic exercise does not (by itself) cause you to alter your body's overall energy balance. Keep in mind that you lose weight and body fat when you expend more calories than you consume, not because you burn fat (or anything else) when you exercise. By the same token, all other factors considered, the most positive feature of low-intensity aerobic exercise is that it is relatively well-tolerated (orthopedically) by most individuals.
Larger mitochondria in greater numbers, increased levels of aerobic enzymes, coupled with increased blood flow all boosts the fat burning capabilities of the muscle fibers. Aerobics can lead to more routes for blood to reach working muscles and more oxygen, which is needed for oxidation of nutrients within the mitochondria. The more massive a bodybuilder becomes the more routes in the form of blood vessels are needed to supply these working muscles. From fat burning to improved cardiovascular health to improved recovery abilities, aerobic work should be an integral part of all training programs.
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How To Determine Your Rate Using The Karvonen Formula
First take your heart rate for three mornings in a row before you get out of bed. Take a complete 60 seconds to count your beats. Take the average of the sum of those readings:
Morning 1 HR + Morning 2 HR + Morning 3 HR = (X)
(X) divided by 3 = Morning Resting HR (MRHR)
Next use your resting heart rate in the following formula:
220 minus your age = estimated max hr (HRMx)
HRMx minus MRHR= (C)
Now you can find your personal target zones
(C) X .60 = (D) D + MRHR = ( ) 60% limit number
(C) X .70 = (E) E + MRHR = ( ) 70% limit number
Example for a 30 year old with a 60 resting heart rate:
220 - 30 = 190
190 - 60 = 130
130 X .60 = 78 + 60 = 138 (60% target heart rate)
130 X .70 = 91 + 60 = 151 (70% target heart rate)
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RPE: Rating Of Perceived Exertion (scale = 6-20)
Use this scale to determine how hard you are working. It is a self assessment scale used by you to determine how hard you are exercising. This scale rates symtons of breathlessness and fatigue during exercise. When determining what level you are at, evaluate how hard you feel your ENTIRE body is working. A rating of 6 would be comparable to getting up in the morning. A rating of 20 would be comparable to performing exercises that cause complete fatigue -- where you could not continue for another second.
| Level Number | How The Exercise Should Feel |
| 6-8 | Very, very light work |
| 9-10 | Very light work |
| 11-12 | Light |
| 13-14 | Somewhat hard |
| 15-16 | Hard |
| 17-18 | Very hard work |
| 19-20 | Very, very hard work |
Yes, if you work with me you're saying "wait Ernie, you use a 1-10 scale!" Okay, I'm busted. I do use a scale from 1 to 10. I just find it's easier to comunicate the process to my client which is greatly appreciated by him or her. Now get off my back!!
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Flexibility Training
Lying Hip And Glute Stretch
Golf Stretches and Flexibility Exercises
Shin Splints
Rotator Cuff Injury and Shoulder Tendinitis
Lying Hip And Glute Stretch
Here's a great stretch that flexes muscles often overlooked.
Starting Position
Lie on your back with your legs extended and your back straight. Keep your hips level and your lower back down on the floor. Bend your left knee, placing left foot flat on the floor (not pictured). Cross your right ankle at your left knee.
Action
Grab the back of your left thigh and hug your legs towards your chest. Place your right elbow on the inner portion of your right knee and push it slightly to the side.
Breathe deeply and hold for 10-30 seconds. Repeat on opposite side.
Special Instructions
Stretch to the point of "mild discomfort," not to the point of pain. Never bounce. Keep your hips down on the mat. To reduce the intensity of this stretch, don’t bring your legs towards your chest as much.
Muscles Stretched: Glutes, hips, inner thighs, lower back
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Golf Stretches and Flexibility Exercises
The golf swing has four components: the back swing, downswing, ball strike and follow-through. The back swing stretches the muscles in preparation for the powerful forward release, and is similar to the wind-up in baseball. The forward swing segment of the drive releases the full power of the swing and determines the distance the ball is hit. The follow-through completes the proper swing. The forward portion of the swing incorporates 22 separate muscles. Conditioning of these muscles permits better control and allows the player to increase the speed of the golf head.
Muscle groups involved in the golf swing include:
- Core muscles used in generating torque and increasing club head speed
- Hamstring muscles essential to maintaining proper posture and stabilizing the lower back
- Quadriceps used in flexing the knees
- Upper back muscles assisting in rotation during the backswing and maintaining an erect spine
- Shoulder muscles (particularly, the rotator cuffs), used to position the upper body and generate speed
- Forearm muscles for controlling the golf club and supporting the wrists
- Muscles of the wrists and fingers
Top Three Stretches
Stretching is one of the most under-utilized techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury
and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective.
Below are 3 of the most beneficial stretches for golf. Obviously there are a lot more, but these are a great place to start. Please make special note of the instructions beside each stretch.
Reaching Lateral Side Stretch: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, then slowly bend to the side and reach over the top of your head with your hand. Do not bend forward.
Reaching-down Triceps Stretch: Reach behind your head with both hands and your elbow pointing up. Then reach down your back with your hands.
Bent Arm Shoulder Stretch: Stand upright and place one arm across your body. Bend your arm at 90 degrees and pull your elbow towards your body.
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Shin Splints
Shin splints are a term commonly used to describe most lower leg pain. However, shin splints are only one of several conditions that affect the lower leg. The most common causes of lower leg pain are: general shin soreness; shin splints; and stress fractures. For the purpose of this article, I'll only be addressing the first two. I'll save the topic of stress fractures for another time.
What are Shin Splints?
Although the term shin splints is often used to describe a variety of lower leg problems, it actually refers specifically to a condition called Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS). To better understand shin splints, or MTSS, lets have a look at the muscles, tendons and bones involved.
As you can see from the diagram to the right, 
there are many muscles and tendons that make up the lower leg, or calf region. It's quite a complex formation of inter-weaving and over-crossing muscles and tendons.
The main components of the lower leg that are affected by the pain associated with shin splints are:
• The Tibia and Fibula. These are the two bones in the lower leg. The tibia is situated on the medial, or
inside of the lower leg. While the fibula is situated on the lateral, or outside of the lower leg.
• There are also a large number of the muscles that attach to the tibia and fibula. It's these muscles, when
overworked, that pull on the tibia and fibula and cause the pain associated with shin splints.
Specifically, the pain associated with shin splints is a result of fatigue and trauma to the muscle's tendons where they attach themselves to the tibia. In an effort to keep the foot, ankle and lower leg stable, the muscles exert a great force on the tibia. This excessive force can result in the tendons being partially torn away from the bone.
What Causes Shin Splints?
While there are many causes of shin splints, they can all be categorized into two main groups. Overload (or training errors), and Biomechanical Inefficiencies.
Overload (or training errors): Shin splints are commonly associated with sports that require a lot of running or weight bearing activity. However, it is not necessarily the added weight or force applied to the muscles and tendons of the
lower leg, but rather the impact force associated with running and weight bearing activities.
In other words, it's not the running itself, but the sudden shock force of repeated landings and change of direction that causes the problem. When the muscles and tendons become fatigued and overloaded, they lose their ability to adequately absorb the damaging shock force.
Other overload causes include:
• Exercising on hard surfaces, like concrete;
• Exercising on uneven ground;
• Beginning an exercise program after a long lay-off period;
• Increasing exercise intensity or duration too quickly;
• Exercising in worn out or ill fitting shoes; and
• Excessive uphill or downhill running.
Biomechanical Inefficiencies: The major biomechanical inefficiency contributing to shin splints is that of flat feet. Flat feet lead to a second biomechanical inefficiency called over-pronation. Pronation occurs just after the heal strikes the ground. The foot flattens out, and then continues to roll inward.
Over-pronation occurs when the foot and ankle continue to roll excessively inward. This excessive inward rolling causes the tibia to twist, which in-turn, over stretches the muscles of the lower leg.
Other biomechanical causes include:
• Poor running mechanics;
• Tight, stiff muscles in the lower leg;
• Running with excessive forward lean;
• Running with excessive backwards lean;
• Landing on the balls of your foot; and
• Running with your toes pointed outwards.
How to Prevent Shin Splints!
Prevention, rather than cure, should always be your first aim. I was very surprised when researching this topic at the number of articles that totally neglected any mention of preventative measures. They all talked of treatment and cure, but only one out of twenty took the time to address the issue of prevention in any detail.
Even before any sign of shin soreness appears there are a number of simple preventative measures that can be easily implemented.
Since about half of all lower leg problems are caused by biomechanics inefficiencies, it makes sense to get the right advice on footwear. Your feet are the one area you should not "skimp" on. The best advice I can give you concerning footwear, is to go and see a qualified podiatrist for a complete foot-strike, or gait analysis. They will be able to tell you if there are any concerns regarding the way your foot-strike or gait is functioning.
After your foot-strike has been analysed, have your podiatrist, or competent sports footwear sales person recommend
a number of shoes that suit your requirements. Good quality footwear will go a long way in helping to prevent many lower leg problems.
Apart from good footwear, I believe the following three preventative measures are not only very effective, but crucial.
Firstly, a thorough and correct warm up will help to prepare the muscles and tendons for any activity to come.
Without a proper warm up the muscles and tendons will be tight and stiff. There will be limited blood flow to the lower legs, which will result in a lack of oxygen and nutrients for those muscles.
Before any activity be sure to thoroughly warm up all the muscles and tendons that will be used during your sport or activity.
Secondly, flexible muscles are extremely important in the prevention of most lower leg injuries. When muscles and tendons are flexible and supple, they are able to move and perform without being over stretched. If however, your muscles and tendons are tight and stiff, it is quite easy for those muscles and tendons to be pushed beyond their natural range of movement. To keep your muscles and tendons flexible and supple, it is important to undertake a structured stretching routine.
Stretching is one of the most under-utilized techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective.
And thirdly, strengthening and conditioning the muscles of the lower leg will also help to prevent shin splints. There are a number of specific strengthening exercises you can do for these muscles, but instead of me going into the details here, I have simply found another web site that has already done all the hard work. It explains a number of exercises you can do for preventing shin splints. You can find these strengthening exercises by going to http://www.watfxc.com/TF/TF%20Education/shin_splints.htm.
The above-mentioned article is the only other article I found that included a comprehensive section on shin splint prevention. If you're only interested in the strengthening exercises, you'll find them towards the end of the article. If however, you suffer from shin splints or you're looking for more information on shin splints, I recommend you read the entire article.
How to Treat Shin Splints!
Firstly, be sure to remove the cause of the problem. Whether is be a biomechanical problem, or an overload problem, make sure steps are taken to remove the cause.
The basic treatment for shin splints is no different to most other soft tissue injuries. Immediately following the onset of any shin pain, the R.I.C.E.R. regime should be applied. This involves Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, and Referral to an appropriate professional for an accurate diagnosis. It is critical that the R.I.C.E.R. regime be implemented for at least the first 48 to 72 hours. Doing this will give you the best possible chance of a complete and full recovery.
The next phase of treatment (after the first 48 to 72 hours) involves a number of physiotherapy techniques. The application of heat and massage is one of the most effective treatments for speeding up the healing process of the muscles and tendons.
I have found, both from personal experience and from working with many clients, that this form of treatment is the most effective. The application of heat and deep tissue massage on the effected area seems to bring the best results. If you suffer from shin splints, be sure to spend at least a few minutes massaging the effected area both before and after you exercise.
Once most of the pain has been reduced, it is time to move onto the rehabilitation phase of your treatment. The main aim of this phase it to regain the strength, power, endurance and flexibility of the muscle and tendons that have been injured.
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Rotator Cuff Injury and Shoulder Tendinitis
Have you ever been working out at the gym, pushing a heavy weight and heard a popping sound in your shoulder. Or what about skiing down the slopes, and landing shoulder first in the snow at the bottom. Or maybe just having a friendly game of tennis, when all of a sudden there's a sharp pain in your shoulder.
These are all signs of the same thing; a shoulder injury.
The shoulder joint is a truly remarkable creation. It's quite a complex formation of bones, muscles and tendons and provides a great range of motion for your arm. The only downside to this extensive range of motion is a lack of stability, which can make the shoulder joint vulnerable to injury.
Lets have a quick look at the shoulder joint in a little more detail.
The shoulder is made up of three bones, and the tendons of four muscles. (Remember, tendons attach muscle to bone.) The bones are called the "Scapula", the "Humerus" and the "Clavicle." Or, in layman's terms, the shoulder blade, the upper arm bone and the collarbone, respectively.
The four muscles which make up the shoulder joint are called, the "Supraspinatus," the "Infraspinatus," the "Teres Minor" and the "Subscapularis." It is the tendons of these muscles, which connect to the bones, that help to move your arm.
In the picture to the right, three of the four muscles are visible, the supraspinatus, the infraspinatus and the teres minor. These are the muscles which are viewed from the rear, or posterior. The subscapularis is not visible because it can only be viewed from the front, or anterior and this particular view only shows the muscles from the rear, as if looking at someone's back. Anyway, enough of the technical stuff.
Causes
There are two major causes of most shoulder injuries. The first being degeneration, or general wear and tear. Unfortunately, the shoulder is a tendinous area that receives very little blood supply. The tendons of the rotator cuff muscles receive very little oxygen and nutrients from blood supply, and as a result are especially vulnerable to degeneration with aging. This is why shoulder problems in the elderly are common. This lack of blood supply is also the reason why a shoulder injury can take quite a lot of time to heal.
The second cause of most shoulder injuries is due to excessive force, or simply putting too much strain on the tendons of the shoulder muscles. This usually occurs when you try to lift something that is too heavy or when a force is applied to the arm while it's in an unusual or awkward position.
Prevention
Mark my words, "Prevention is much better than Cure." I've been through it!! Anything you can do to prevent an injury from occurring is worth it. The prevention of shoulder injuries comes down the conditioning of the shoulder muscles and tendons, which ultimately involves both stretching and strengthening of the shoulder joint.
Also, don't forget the common injury prevention techniques like, warming up properly and using a bit of old-fashioned common-sense. However, for the most part, stretching and strengthening are going to be your best defense against shoulder problems. Even if you don't have a shoulder problem now, the following stretching and strengthening exercises could save you from a major headache in the future.
Firstly, below you'll find two good stretches for the shoulder area. The first is quite a basic stretch, while the second is a more advanced stretch, specifically for the rotator cuff muscles and tendons. Please be careful, if you haven't been stretching your shoulder joint, the second stretch will put quite a lot of stress on the rotator cuff tendons. Warm-up first, then gently and slowly is the best way to proceed.
In the above stretch, simply stand upright and clasp you hands behind your back. Keep your arms straight and slowly lift your hands upwards. Hold this stretch for about 15 to 20 seconds, then repeat it 3 to 4 times.
In the below stretch, stand with your arm out and your forearm pointing upwards at 90 degrees. Place a broom stick or pole in your hand and let it fall behind your elbow. With your other hand, pull the bottom of the stick forward. Be especially careful with this stretch, it will put a large strain on the rotator cuff muscles and tendons. As above hold this stretch for about 15 to 20 seconds, then repeat it 3 to 4 times.
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