CategoriesUncategorized

Beware of Cookie Cutter Training Programs

Today’s guest post comes from Liberty University undergrad student, Joe Amberlock. Joe’s a bright kid who’s writing has been featured on T-Nation.com as well as Elitefts.com.  It’s a slightly different flavor compared to the posts I normally write (or even include as a guest post), but for those who like to geek out on baseball, and more to the point, baseball mechanics, this one will be right up your alley.

Also, as a quick reminder, Bootcamp in a Box, an excellent collaboration between Mike Robertson, Jim Laird, and Molly Galbraith geared towards bootcamp owners is now available (and currently on sale throughout the rest of the week). 

Loaded with 6-months of tailor-made programming, as well as a plethora of progressions (and regressions), this product is a must have for anyone looking to separate themselves from the bootcamp masses.

Beware of Cookie Cutter Training Programs

Improving performance in sport is always the goal of an athlete’s training. However, in many ways the training community has begun to veer away from this goal of late. Progress is being placed on how much an athlete can squat, clean, or press rather than on the increase effectiveness in the actual sport.

This is true in all sports, not excluding baseball. An example would be a baseball player that increases his max back squat from 400 to 500 pounds over the course of an off-season. This is viewed as progress, the player has improved. He returns to spring training pleased with his improvements, tells his coach and everyone is happy. However, the athlete plays no better on the field and can’t figure out why his gains are not transferring to his sport.

Unfortunately this form of “progress” is a frequent occurrence. Common knowledge says increase the athletes power, speed, strength and they will improve. Hence athletes are given “cookie cutter” programs that only take into account the athlete’s current state of performance which is determined by a set of lifts and pre-determined speed and agility protocols. The athlete improves in these “cookie cutter” programs however their sport is not performing “cookie cutter” movements, it is baseball.

Power, speed, and strength of a movement are not the only contributors to an athlete’s success in a given movement (task) but also heavily weigh on the athlete’s skill to effectively use and execute the task with the potential power, speed, and strength developed.

Every sport consists of the body completing a series of small tasks to form what to the naked eye would seem like a simple movement.

However, a sport cannot be generalized or simplified as just a body in motion, but rather every sport presents its own complex motor patterns to complete a task as it is presented during the competition of that sport.

Every game a player will encounter numerous tasks and they must accomplish this task through a motor pattern (Sequence of movements arranged to succeed).

That motor pattern can involve several different tasks throughout competition such as in baseball. An athlete will be expected to complete tasks such as fielding a ground ball, throwing to another player, or hitting. Each task is different in its own unique way, and each athlete is unique in how he accomplishes each task. Hence why cookie cutter programs aren’t the most effective way to train.

Say an athlete swings on a fastball, makes enough contact to hit over the right field fence, home-run. Spectators marvel at the athletes’ power and strength, the pitcher had no chance. The athlete was able to hit the homerun because he overcame the external opposition he was facing; the pitcher. He studied the pitchers tendencies and knew what was coming.

Although the battle at the plate is often chalked up to the pitcher vs. the hitter there are many other oppositions the hitter must overcome in order to complete his task successfully.

When an athlete steps into the batter’s box to hit the focus is generally placed on the external opposition. In this case it is the pitcher. The pitcher will present resistance in the form pitch selection, pitch speed, and location.

An athlete’s preparation is usually catered to focus on the external opposition he is certain to face. However, the athlete will also encounter forces he cannot directly see.

Opposition comes in the form of gravity, balance, inertia, and reactive force. All of these come into play and must be overcome. Each of these forces can be analyzed and broken down on the effect of the swing just as pitchers tendencies can be analyzed.

Therefore increasing the effectiveness of a task requires improvement of specific skill to control body movement and to generate force to overcome external resistance.  Not just getting more powerful and stronger in a squat or deadlift. 

When an athlete is first taught the correct form, technique, mechanics on how to swing and hit a pitch generally it is not a pretty sight. Perhaps his technique shows progress as he takes each swing slowly and deliberately. You then ask him to perform that same technique but now swing as powerfully as possible, as I’m sure you can imagine the swing mechanics would almost entirely break down and the athlete looks as if he had never swung a bat in the first place; It looks as if there is no rhyme or reason to his technique.

Note from TG:  Sort of like CrossFit, but without all the blacking out, and puking on the floors and stuff.  Ohhhhhhhhhhh snap!

Okay, sorry Joe, I’ll let you finish.

As the athlete becomes more mechanically proficient inefficiencies in his mechanics become harder to realize.

Flaws in the swing are not as apparent as they were at the beginner stages. Although this does not imply that the inefficiencies, although smaller, are any less important. Every portion of the swing’s motor pattern must be analyzed.

Each portion of the swing interacts with another forming a specific pattern of sequential actions known as a biodynamic structure. A small mechanical error can affect the entire biodynamic structure and throw off an entire at bat just like an incorrect guess at an oncoming pitch can.

There are key elements and movements that must be broken down in each athletes swing and accompanying these elements are secondary-elements that assist them. A good example of this is the athlete’s bat speed would be a key-element and movement and the elastic energy stored in the muscles before the swing would be an example of secondary-elements because they assist in the key-elements success.

To improve these key elements there must be a specific analysis of the biodynamic structure of the swing. The analysis should consist of the following:

Identifying the key-movements in the swing

There must be an examination of where during the swing there is a shift or displacement of the athletes’ center of body mass.

In relation to this center of body mass how does this shift or displacement impact the force propulsion throughout the swing; a small inefficient shift could result in failure. Also the key displacement of the body’s limbs from the center of gravity during the swing must also be taken into account and the phase in which the ball makes first contact with the ball.

Finally there must also be a mechanical observation of the synchronization of these two (the center of body mass and displaced limbs upon contact) An athlete at a glance may have a smooth proficient swing, this appearance is due to the syncing of all these small aspects.

Increasing the key-movements abilities

Increasing the effectiveness key-movements in the swing is a multifaceted task.

However it is made easier if the principle of dynamic correspondence is implemented correctly. This principle assures that the athletes training will be applicable to the improvement of the swing. The muscle groups and their range of motion, along with direction of motion must be observed. It is also necessary to examine types of muscle contractions that are taking place throughout the movement.

All of these observations must be taken into account before planning out an athlete’s preparation. Key movements and elements must be analyzed and broken down to find inefficiencies. If these inefficiencies are not trained and improved than the athletes increases in power, speed, and strength will not be used or translated into the sport if mechanically there is something out of whack.

This takes time and patients however, with these observations progress can be correctly measured rather than with vague movements or drills that contribute little to actual on the field performance.

And That’s That

To summarize, a program designed to increase a player’s performance is not a one size fits all deal. Each athlete is different and therefore each approach to an athlete must be unique to them. What works for one athlete may only be detrimental to another. Be wary of cookie cutter programs and arbitrary methods and take the time to analyze and get to know what your athletes really need to improve.

Author’s Bio

 

Joe Amberlock(Orlandi) is an undergraduate student at Liberty University pursuing a degree in Kinesiology. Joe’s tutelage under master strength coaches Bill Gillespie and Dave Williams along with experience working with Division 1 collegiate athletics has allowed him to learn, apply, and share his methods to all levels of athletes. Find out more at AmberlockPerformance.com

 

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Half Kneeling Band Overhead Shrug

Sometimes as coaches and trainers we need to take a step back and really think about why we do things. Why do we prescribe “x” exercise? What purpose does it serve?  How will it help any given client become bigger, faster, stronger, or more sexifed?  Not only that, why for “x” number of sets and reps?  Why does it matter if it’s done as the first movement of the day rather than the third?  Is there a specific tempo involved?  What type of rest periods are we talking about? Are there any other intricate things to consider like foot stance, hand placement or grip variation?

I mean, these are all important questions, and the list could easily go on and on.

Shirt optional, right?

More to the point, as a coach or trainer, you should be able to explain, definitively, the rationale as to why you programmed what you programmed. What purpose does it serve?

In a like manner, you should also be objective about your programming and not be afraid to admit when you’re wrong or that you possibly overlooked something.

Unfortunately, we all like to think we’re perfect and infallible, but we’re not.  We all like to think we’re open minded and adaptable, but really, many of us our set in our ways.

ESPECIALLY, as coaches.

Take for example today’s exercise you should be doing.  If you happened to have a few ounces of plutonium on hand (and a Flux Capacitor), and decided for shits and giggles to go back in time two years to ask me whether or not I’d include any direct upper trap work into my programs, you’d more than likely find me laughing in your face.

Given most people are walking around with FUBAR’d shoulders as it is, and that recent research has shown that upper trapezius dominance plays a significant role in subacromial impingement, it makes sense.  It’s dumb.

The last thing you want to do with a muscle that’s already jacked up or overactive is to target it even more. This is almost always the case when you’re dealing with someone who spends the majority of their time sitting in front of a computer all day and then heads to the gym, grabs a barbell, and shrugs their face off.

In this instance, they’ll undoubtedly play into the dysfunction (upper cross syndrome, among others), and probably have a pissed off shoulder to boot.

Buuuuuuuut…………..

There are cases where some direct upper trap work is warranted.

See what I just did there?  I blew your mind.

With regards to shoulder function we all know that of “stuff” goes down in that area.

The shoulder complex can partake in:  flexion/extension, internal/external rotation, abduction/adduction, horizontal abduction/adduction, elevation/depression, and of course, (scapular) upward/downward rotation.

The latter (upward/downward rotation) is what will be highlighted here.

Sadly, due to any number of factors – namely, the ungodly number of hours people spend sitting playing Angry Birds, poor programming choices, flawed technique, etc – we don’t move very well as a society. Further still, we just get in our own way and end up hurting ourselves.

Using an easy example:  I remember watching Eric assess an older client once who came to the facility with a litany of shoulder issue.  To put it bluntly, the guy couldn’t even extend his arms straight over his head.  Yet, the very first question right out of the gate was, “so, when do you think I’ll be able to add snatches and shrugs into my program?”

See what I mean?  We get in our own way.

However, given we train a fair share of baseball players at Cressey Performance, and it’s kind of a big deal that they have the ability to throw a baseball (which entails going over the head) without compromising the shoulder, doing some upper trap work may indeed be a crucial component to overall shoulder performance and health.

Up until recently, we’ve done little (if any) upper trap work.  Again, as noted above, it’s readily apparent that the upper traps are overly dominant in most individuals (compared to the lower traps and serratus anterior), and haphazardly throwing in exercises like shrugs may only make the issue worse.

That said, we can’t neglect the fact that the upper traps DO play a role in scapular upward rotation, and that optimizing their function is worth some of our time.

Here’s what we noticed, which has been a paradigm shift for us – especially as it relates to our baseball guys (and even some of our general population clients):  we are constantly (like, all the time) telling athletes and clients to retract and depress their scapulae.  Normally this isn’t a bad thing, as it targets the lower traps more and will help offset upper trap dominance.  But sometimes, it can be to the detriment of the shoulder.

Take the following exercises and how we typically like to cue them:

Seated rows:  pull the shoulder blades together and down.

Chin-Ups:  keep the shoulder blades in your back pocket (depressed).

Deadlifts:  shoulder blades “locked” and set (and subsequently the upper traps are on stretch)

Farmer Carries:  don’t shrug, set the shoulders (again, upper traps are on stretch).

Those are just a few examples, but hopefully you get the idea. And just so we’re clear:  I am in no way saying that these are bad cues to use.  Just that, sometimes, we need to be objective.   Anyhoo……..

Soon you may notice a downwardly rotated scapula due to a lengthened upper trapezius.  In this scenario, the excessive length makes the upper trap weak and a less than effective upward rotator of the scapula.  And, I don’t think I need to reiterate that less than optimal upward rotation is a going to be a massive monkey wrench when it comes to shoulder health and performance.

Take me for example.  Other than that being the coolest t-shirt ever, what else do you notice about the picture to the right?

See those sloped shoulders? Definitely not ideal, and sets the shoulder girdle a little too low for optimal function.  Now, thankfully, my baseball career is long over, and I don’t suffer from any long-term shoulder issues.  But needless to say, some dedicated upper trap work would be in high order for someone like me.

Likewise, this is exactly the type of shoulder symmetry (or, more appropriately, asymmetry) we’re more cognizant of at the facility when dealing with overhead athletes.

The key, though, is to step away from the stupid and not hightail it for the barbell shrugs.  As both Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman have noted on numerous occasions:

A shrug with the arms at the sides will certainly activate the upper trapezius, however it also strongly recruits the levator scapulae and the rhomboids, the downward scapular rotators. This feeds the imbalance causing the downward scapular rotation dominance.

The key, then, is to perform a movement where the scapulae is already in an upwardly rotated position which places a larger activation of the upper traps, which in turn will help offset the pull of the downward rotators (rhomboids and levator).

Half Kneeling Band Overhead Shrugs

This was a video I took while I was down in Florida last week at the commercial gym I was training at (so you may see some exercises you SHOULDN’T be doing in the background).  In it, you’ll see how I use a regular ol’ exercise band and place it underneath my knee.

From there, with my arm fully extended, I shrug and hold for a 1-2 second count.  I reset my scapulae and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.  Ideally, I’d shoot for anywhere from 8-12 reps per side.

Key Coaching Cues: Squeeze the glute of the kneeling leg to gain more of an active stretch in the hip flexors.  Wrist should be neutral.  And, you may need to play around with the band tension.  I was pretty limited with what I had available at the time, but suffice it to say, you may need to finagle a bit with how much of the band you place underneath your knee.

Additionally, this isn’t the type of exercise where I’m looking to overload the traps, so don’t be too concerned with using a monster band or anything like that.  Rather, it’s more of an activation and it’s imperative that you focus on the QUALITY of reps (feeling the actual muscle do its job).

Try it out today, and let me know what you think!