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Avoiding Injury and Strengthening Calve Muscles
Avoid Calf Muscle Strain
From coreperformance.com
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A strained or pulled calf muscle is one of sport’s most common injuries. The two large muscles in the back of the lower leg (the soleus and gastrocnemius) are called calf muscles and they are at risk every time you push off—even if you’re just walking. When the muscles are stretched beyond their normal capacity, the muscle fibers tear away from the tendon. In a grade 1 strain, only a few fibers are torn and the symptoms are relatively mild. A grade 2 strain involves even more tears and more serious symptoms, and a grade 3 strain means the tendon or muscle has been completely ruptured.
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Ultimate Calf Training
How to Develop Calve Muscles on a person with sprinters Legs
Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
How to Get Six Pack Abs
Edited by Tom Viren, Jack Herrick, Krystle C., Ben Rubenstein and 404 others
Rectus abdominis muscle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Strengthen your abdominal core muscles and lose your body fat. The concept may sound simple, but putting it into action can be quite challenging. It will take dedication, time and patience to get a six pack; but in the end, the effort is well worth it. To get six pack abs you need to do two things: lose fat and build muscle . You get this by dieting and exercising daily. You can have the most toned and muscular abs, but it will not show if there is a layer of fat over them. This article will discuss ways in which you can accomplish both of these goals.
Exercises to Increase Your Running Speed
Increasing your running speed requires more than just practicing running. Use targeted exercises at home to build your endurance and strength and help you avoid injury when running. Many of these exercises help you develop the fast-twitch fibers in your legs, allowing for a faster start off the running block.
Arm Swings
Moving your arms correctly while running helps propel your body forward. Train your arms in the proper movement by standing with your feet together and alternating your arms forward and backward as if you were running. Focus on proper positioning; hold your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Start with your right arm forward, swinging it forward until the biceps is nearly level with your shoulder and your relaxed fist about eye level. At the same time, swing your left arm back so that the biceps is almost parallel to the ground and your forearm points straight down. Try this exercise seated as well to add intensity and train your arms to move at the right level, making sure your hands don’t brush the floor as they move. Add light weights to work the shoulders.
Butt Kickers
Exercises that stretch your muscles and increase muscle tone simultaneously can help you run faster. Butt kickers are an excellent example. Start to jog inside your house or in the yard, then bring one knee to hip level in front of you. Continue jogging, alternating your knees by bringing them up high and forward. Practice this move until you’re able to touch your gluteus with your heels with each knee raise. You don’t need a large space to perform this exercise, just enough space to move back and forth at a jogging pace.
Sprint
In contrast to an endurance run, sprinting works nearly all of your leg muscles to help you move faster during a normal run. You can also practice sprinting at home; you may need a yard to give you adequate room to sprint. From a starting position, run at 95 percent speed to the edge of your yard. Ideally, you should sprint for at least one minute to begin with. Sprint back to the house, then walk around your yard for a few minutes. Work your way up to 10 full-speed sprints before taking a breather. For added intensity, use a sloped area of your yard. Sprinting uphill and downhill works different muscles than sprinting on flat ground, building your overall leg health and helping you run faster while reducing the chance of injuries.
Wall Drills
Wall drills help you focus on form and work your trunk and back as well as your legs. The more these muscles learn to work together, the faster you can run. Stand in front of a wall and place both hands flat on the wall. Lean forward so your body is at an angle. Run in place by lifting one knee up toward the wall, keeping the foot directly under the knee, then alternating quickly with your other knee. Your feet should return back to their starting position between knee lifts.
Ins and Outs
A classic speed-development technique, ins and outs requires you to set up cones or markers in your yard about 20 yards apart. Run at about 25 percent of your maximum speed from the first cone to the second, then sprint at full speed back to the first cone. Repeat the process twice, then walk between the cones for a breather. Build up to five sets.
Acceleration Runs
If you have an acceleration ladder, you can use it in a relatively small space in your home. If not, place flat sticks 18 inches apart on your floor for the same effect. In the first drill, run as fast as you can through the ladder, touching both feet between each stick. Focus on lifting your knees as high as you can and getting your feet off the ground as quickly as possible each time. For the second drill, place only one foot between each rung as you run as fast as you can down the length of the ladder. Keep your back upright and straight, and focus on moving your arms correctly to help keep you balanced.
Related articles
- How to Develop Hip Flexors for Sprints (pinoyathletics.com)
Hamstring Injuries
4 days after a pulled hamstring. Two images of the same leg. One of the pictures was shot through a mirror (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The NEXT DAY do it again, and add a small amount of weight, like 45 x 25 x 2 , 55 x 25. Next day, 45 x 25, 55 x 25, 65 x 25. Continue adding weight every day, increasing as much as you can tolerate each workout. It will hurt, and it’s supposed to hurt, but you should be able to tell the difference between rehab pain and re-injury. If you can’t, you will figure it out soon enough. This method works by flushing blood through the injury while forcing the tissue to reorganize in its normal pattern of contractile architecture.
After 10 days of 25s, go up in weight and down in reps to 15s, then to 10s, and finally to fives. During this time do NO OTHER HEAVY WORK, so that your resources can focus on the injury. You should be fixed in about 2 weeks, squatting more than you hurt yourself with.
This method has the advantage of preventing scar formation in the muscle belly, since the muscle is forced to heal in the context of work and normal contraction, using the movement pattern it normally uses. The important points are 1.) perfect form with 2.) light weights that can be handled for high reps, 3.) every day for two weeks, and 4.) no other heavy work that will interfere with the system-wide processes of healing the tear.
This may actually be the most useful post on this entire little forum of mine, and if you use this method exactly you can save yourself many weeks of lost training and long-term problems with muscle-belly scarring. Try it and see.
By doing this method you rebuild the muscle in an architectural sense allowing it to heal through contracting and relaxing. Do not get eager on this rehab protocol. Follow it to a T, once you are done begin to put weight on the bar again.
Related articles
- Massage Therapy Relaxes Muscles (massageenvy.com)
- How Massage Therapy Heals Pain (massageenvy.com)
How to Develop Hip Flexors for Sprints
English: Hip flexion 30 days after THA, with the ASIA technique Français : Flexion de hanche, 30 jours après PTH par technique ASIA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Your hip flexors consist of your iliacus and psoas major muscles. This muscle group is often referred to as the iliopsoas, and its main function is to flex your hip. You perform this motion when you move your thigh toward your stomach. Strengthening these muscles helps improve your sprinting power and technique. Weight training exercises that involve hip flexion can help you reach that goal.
Step 1
Hang from a pull-up bar to do leg raises. Grasp the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip and let your legs hang straight down. Keep your abdominal muscles tight and back straight as you lift your legs. Raise your legs until they are parallel to the floor and hold for a couple of seconds. Lower your legs slowly and repeat.
Step 2
Use a Roman chair to do sit-ups. Sit on the upper padded support and hook your feet under the lower padded support. Cross your arms on your chest and lower your torso backward by bending at the hips. Stop when your torso is about parallel to the floor, then steadily rise back up and repeat. Keep your abs tight and back straight throughout.
Step 3
Use a stability ball to do knee tucks. Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor and place your lower shins on top of the ball. Your body should be in a push-up position at this point. Keep your back straight and abs tight as you bend your knees and roll the ball toward your head. Tuck your knees into your chest, roll the ball back out and repeat.
Step 4
Stand behind an exercise platform or box to do knee drives. Step onto the platform with your left foot and press down to lift your body up. Move your right leg forward, bend your knee and lift it toward your chest in a forceful motion. Hold for a few seconds, step back down, repeat, then switch sides. Wear a pair of ankle weights to increase the resistance.
Step 5
Fasten an ankle strap to your lower right leg and set a cable machine on low to do leg raises. Lie flat on your back with your legs facing the weight stack and arms at your sides or hands on your hips. Keep your leg straight and raise it as high as possible. Try to get your foot parallel to the ceiling. Lower your leg until it is right above the floor, repeat, then switch sides.
Related articles
- Low Back Pain Relief Exercises (answers.com)
- Understanding Hip Flexor Pain (everydayhealth.com)
Supplements for 400 Meter Runners
from bodybuilding.com forum
Ball-and-stick model of L -lactic acid (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
- AOR Zen Theanine
- Bodyoctance by Man Sports
- CEO Nutrabolics
- Cordyceps
- Citrulline Malate
- Creatine
- Dextrose
- ETS from AtLarge Nutrition
- IP6
- L-Arginine
- Piracatem
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Taurine
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- Citrulline Malate (less lactic acid; makes the Kreb’s Cycle more efficient. I would really bump the BodyOctane, since it provides CM and boosts muscle carnosine levels through the beta alanine/histadine combination. Higher muscle levels of carnosine are directly correlated to better sprint performance, and elite sprinters tend to display higher above-avg. muscle concentrations of the stuff (1))
- IP6 (insositol hexaphosphate) (silly-versatile phosphate donor; enhances oxygen binding)
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Creatine
Creatine (won’t improve full-out maximal performance, but will improve performance with repeat maximal bouts of exertion: should enable you to train better and be stronger on your later events if you’re running 2-4 at a meet)
Creatine should work well. I remember watching a program on Linford Christie who was using this brand new controversial supplement. Christie went on to break the 100m world record and grab gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 at a ripe old age, taking advantage of the little-known substance at that time… our bodybuilding celebrity… drum-roll please…. Creatine Monohydrate.
That was how the creatine craze began:
A nice read: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s98916.htm
Creatine seems to work best by allowing a sprinter to maintain maximal power for longer… basically you don’t die as fast.
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Why not to take Aspirin?
Ditch the aspirin.
It may interfere with protein synthesis and gains from workouts. Acetaminohen and Ibuprofen seem to do this as anti-inflammatories.
http://www.kinemed.com/files/Effect_…profen_and.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q…_uids=11832356
Also, aspirin may negate the arginine effect on NO.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q…t_uids=9281601
Warming up and Cooling Down for the Sprints
By Roy Stevenson
Jogger #1 (Photo credit: Ed Yourdon)
Warming up prepares the sprinter’s muscles by increasing the force of their muscle contractions and speeding up muscle contraction rate, giving the sprinter more power and speed. Warming up also helps nervous young athletes stabilize their adrenalin rush before competition, helping them better control their pre-event nervousness. Here’s how sprinters should go about warming up for races and training sessions.
Phase One: Start your sprinter’s warm up with 10-15 minutes jogging to increase body temperature–slow and easy.
Phase Two: This should follow on immediately after phase two and consists of 10-15 minutes of dynamic stretching exercises to reduce muscle stiffness. Dynamic (ballistic) stretches through a wide range of motion work best because they are closer to the athlete’s actual movements in competition; and research shows that static stretching exercises do not simulate rapid running movement and may actually cause a reduction in leg power.
Phase Three: The sprinter progresses to 10-15 minutes of general and event-specific drills. These specific drills put the finishing touches on the warm up and prepare the athlete for sprint training. The drills usually include leg speed exercises, and it is here that pre-race and pre-training warm ups diverge.
To read the full article click here
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- Cold Weather Warm-Ups (massageenvy.com)
- Plyometric Training for Sprinters (pinoyathletics.com)
- Flexibility in the Winter (motivationalfitnessmama.wordpress.com)
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Warm-up at Stretching: Alin ang tama?
Warm-up at Stretching: Alin ang tama? Isang review article
Airnel T. Abarra
MS Human Movement Science (Candidate)
University of the Philippines Diliman
pinoyathletics@gmail.com
Kung tatanungin ang isang ordinaryong atleta o recreational runner na wala masyadong background sa Sports Science, sasabihin nila na ang warm-up ay ang pag-stretching kasama at pag-ikot ng ilang beses sa track oval hanggang mapawisan. Sa artikulong ito hihimayin ng may-akda ang mga literaturang may kaugnayan sa konsepto ng tamang warm-up at kung alin ang mas angkop na uri ng stretching at mga dapat gawin ukol dito.
Warm-up- Ayon kay Alter (1990), ang warm-up ay pangkat ng mga ehersisyo nag ginagawa bago ang isang ensayo na may pangunahing layunin na mapataas ang temperature sa katawan sa gayon maiwasan ang injury. May dalawang uri ng warm-up: ang Passive warm-up kung saan ang pamamaraan upang mapainit ang katawan ay ang pananatili sa isang mainit na lugar gaya ng sauna o pag-shower sa mainit na tubig at General warm-up o ang pagsasagawa ng mga kilos ng katawan upang maging mainit ang pakiramdam. Kabilang sa General warm-up ay jogging, paglalakad at iba pa.
Stretching- ito ay isang proseso ng pagpapabanat. Ang mga ehersisyo na ukol dito ay isinasagawa upang tumaas ang antas ng flexibility upang makuha at angkop na full range of motion sa piniling isport. (Alter, 1990)
Batay sa kahulugan na nabanggit, malinaw na makikita na magkaiba ang warm-up at stretching. Kaya mali na sabihin na ang warm-up at stretching ay iisa. Ang susunod na katanungan ay alin ang dapat mauna, stretching o warm-up at vice versa?
Ayon sa artikulo ni Torres (3isgreaterthan1.com, 2012) dapat na mauna ang pag-warm-up kaysa stretching. Nakapagdudulot ito ng paghina ng muscle kung full range of motion ang pag-uusapan. Sinang-ayunan din ito ni Alter (1990) na dapat mauna ang warm-up bago ang stretching dahil magiging mas mabisa ang muscles kung mainit na ang temperatura nito (Young at Behm, 2002).
Susunod na katanungan ay anong uri ng stretching ang dapat gawin, Static ba o Dynamic?
Static stretching- ito ay isang uri ng stretching kung saan ay binabanat ang muscles at mananatili sa isang posisyon sa ilang segundo. Ayon kay Torres (3isgreaterthan1.com, 2012) at sa kanyang mga literaturang sinangguni na hindi mainam na magsagawa ng static stretching pagkatapos ng warm-up at nakapagdudulot din ito ng paghina ng lakas ng muscle kung gagawin ito (Young at Behm, 2002).
Dynamic stretching- mga uri ng ehersisyo kung saan ay ginagaya ang mga pangunahing kilos na kailangan sa isport na kinabibilangan. Sa pag-aaral na ginawa nina McMillan et al. (2006) kung saan pinaghambing nila ang Dynamic, static at walang warm-up natuklasan nila na mabisa ang dynamic na uri ng warm-up kung ihahambing sa static at walang warm-up. Pinatunayan din nina Soligard et al. (2008) sa kanilang mga ehersisyong ipinagawa sa mga babaeng atleta ng Football na ang mga dynamic na uri ng ehersisyo ay mas mas mabisa kung ihahambing sa static lalo na kung ginawa ito bilang warm-up.
Sa kabila ng mga patunay sa kabisaan ng Dynamic na uri ng warm-up o stretching at pagsasagawa ng warm-up bago ang mga ehersisyo, makabubuti pa rin na magsagawa ng pag-aaral ukol dito sa lokal na kalagayan. Sa gayon magkaroon ng paghahambig at mapalawak ang pananliksik ukol sa isports sa Pilipinas lalo sa larangan ng Athletics o Track and Field. *
Paala-ala: Kung may mungkahi o puna sa artikulo, mangyaring makipag-ugnayan gamit ang e-mail address sa itaas.
Sanggunian:
Alter, M (1990) Sports Stretch. Leisure Press IL
McMillan DJ et al. (2006) Dynamic vs. Static-Stretching Warm up: The Effect on Power and Agility Performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2006, 20(3), 492–499
Soligard T. et al. (2008) Comprehensive warm-up programme to prevent injuries in young female footballers: cluster randomized controlled trial. British Medical Journal BMJ 2008; 337:a2469
Torres M. (2012) To Stretch or Not to Stretch Before Training & Racing. 3 is greater than 1 website retrieved 05-July-2012 http://3isgreaterthan1.com/blog/to-stretch-or-not-to-stretch/
Young & Behm (2002) Should Static Stretching Be Used During a Warm-Up for Strength and Power Activities? National Strength & Conditioning Association Volume 24, Number 6, pages 33–37
A List of Foods That Burn Fat Fast
In other words, there are certain foods that if eaten, will actually burn more calories than they contain. God is truly amazing! Nearly everything we eat contains calories, i.e., if it’s real food. A bottle of Diet Pepsi contains ZERO calories because it’s not food, its poisonous Aspartame. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. It’s a basic principle of weight loss. So it’s actually healthy to snack on catabolic foods throughout the day when you get hungry, and you’ll be losing weight in the process. Pretty nifty huh?
English: lettuce (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Some foods, like a piece of chocolate cake baptized in chocolate icing, are high in calories, and take a while to burn off. Other foods, like lettuce, are low in calories, and can be burned off faster. Your body is always burning calories, even if you’re sitting still and doing nothing. Being physically active definitely helps to burn calories faster, but you don’t want to overdo it. Swimming is one of the best and safest exercises, i.e., unless you like to dive into the shallow end of the pool head first.
So, what are the foods that burn fat fast?
English: Apple. Polski: Jabłko. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Catabolic foods burn more calories than they contain. For example, an apple contains around 80 or 90 calories. But the energy your body uses to metabolize the apple burns about 180 calories. So, when you eat an apple, your body burns off up to 100 calories more than you consumed. So the saying still holds true… “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
Here is a list of high catabolic foods:
Apples
Asparagus
Blackberries
Blueberries
Broccoli
Cantaloupe
CarrotsCelery
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Lemons
Lettuce
LimesOranges
Pears
Peppers
Pineapple
Plums
Radishes
RaspberriesSweet Potatoes
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Watermelon
ZucchiniOf course, this doesn’t mean you can eat a greasy double-cheeseburger, and then eat five apples to make up for it. What it does mean is, if you are on a diet, eating certain foods will help you burn more calories and lose weight faster. These are foods you can snack on throughout the day, satisfying your hunger without ruining your diet.
Also, be sure to drink plenty of hexagonal water, i.e., pure water, every day.
source: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Health_Concerns/catabolic.htm
How to Get Flexible Fast
English: A woman in a stretch position. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
HOW TO GET FLEXIBLE FAST
It it is recommended to hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds. Less than 20 does not cause a significant lengthening and over 30 seconds can cause significant damage. It is also recommended to stretch at least two to three times a week although some studies have shown that stretching does not help increase atheltic performance.
Flexibilty is one of our greatest physical assets. The ability to move freely, over a wide range of motion, without pain or discomfort. It can mean the difference between superior athleticism and a body that’s ready for the scrap heap.
The thing is, if you’re like most people you’ll be about as flexible as a rubber band that’s just been pulled out of the freezer. And if you get carried away, something might snap.
Office workers are the worst. Their days are spent sitting in one position. Their muscles rarely move. They become short and tight in places, long and weak in others. And when they head out for a violent game of squash on the weekend… there goes the back!
So what’s the solution? How do you get flexible and prevent stupid injuries?
By Chris Peacock
1. Stretch daily. Taking 20-30 minutes in the evening to relax and stretch out tight spots will help to undo the damage of the day.
2. Take mobility breaks. After every 50 minutes of work, walk round the room and do some lunges, squats and leg swings.
3. Use PNF. Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation is a great way to improve flexibility. Enter the stretch position, flex the muscle hard for 15-30s, then release. You’ll notice an extra inch or two instantly.
4. Focus on tight spots. There’s no point in stretching a muscle that doesn’t need stretched. Focus on the tight areas such as the hamstrings, hip flexors, calfs and chest.
5. Get regular bodywork. Thai massage, Feldenkrais, Rolfing, and Myotherapy help to smooth out muscular knots and scar tissue. Once a month is good, once a week is better.
The more you stretch the more you will benefit. You will increase your flexibility and greatly reduce the chances of injury. Most people know this already but in the words of Bruce Lee, ‘Knowing is not enough, we must apply’.
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Why Sprinters should NOT do Double-Leg Squats
Musculation exercice squats 1.png (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By Jimson Lee, speedendurance.com
There’s an alarming trend of Coaches who do not like the conventional double leg squats with the bar behind your head.
But for those who like to do the double-legged squats, it is recommended to do “front squats” with the bar on your front shoulders and collar bone, because if you fail at a given weight, you can easily throw it in front of you and abort the squat safely. (of course, watch the mirror and people in front of you first!)
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