Posted on

Floating Heels: A New Way To Load

Long story short, I came across this research paper (link here) and it highlighted the beneficial training effects of a “floating heel” while performing jumps. The idea of a floating heel is quite simple. The mid/forefoot is raised and the heel is no longer in contact with the ground, hence the name “floating heel”. Your mid/forefoot have to become quite active and force the arch the work a little harder than it might otherwise, as the weight and load is now place on the only spot that has contact with the ground, being the mid and forefoot.

The idea is that with the heel no longer in contact with the ground, the constraints based approach forces you to work the ankle complex in a way that might be more favorable and transferable to sport. The position of that of a floating heel and contact during a plyometric are quite similar, see image below.

Continue reading “Floating Heels: A New Way To Load”

Posted on

Post Activation Potentiation: Its about you

Post Activation Potentiation (PAP) is the concept that a specific type of stimulus imposed on the body can facilitate “potentiate” the performance of the following movement to be performed. In less scientific terminology, its the idea that doing one exercise, like a back squat, before another movement, like a jump will help increase the performance of the jump to a greater extent than simply performing the jump by itself.

Continue reading “Post Activation Potentiation: Its about you”

Posted on

Velocity based training – a new approach (load-distance)

Let me say this off the bat, velocity based training is an amazing tool! However, it has unfortunately been constrained to only being performed by coaches and individuals using bar speed measuring devices, such as a Tendo unit or a Gymaware. I myself have used both Tendos and Gymawares and couldn’t be happier with my experience…But, the concept of velocity based training is exactly that, a CONCEPT!

The definition of “Concept” is: A general notion; abstract idea. By definition, a concept doesn’t have constraints and therefore the concept of velocity based training should not be constrained by bar speed measuring devices.

Continue reading “Velocity based training – a new approach (load-distance)”

Posted on

Supramaximal Eccentric Training For Posterior Upper Body Strength

By: Drake Berberet, CSCS

 

By now we should all know what eccentric strength is. If you don’t, you should probably purchase Triphasic Training right here (I’ll even provide the link, no affiliation).

 

Eccentric movement in its most simplest form is the reverse muscle action to concentric movement. Concentric movement is what we all think of when we think of lifting weights. For example, during a bicep curl the concentric movement is the actual “curl” part. The eccentric movement is the lowering down of the weight down…pretty simple right?

Continue reading “Supramaximal Eccentric Training For Posterior Upper Body Strength”

Posted on

Assessing Energy Transfer in the Vertical Jump

Author: Drake Berberet

Social Media Page HERE

Transfer of Energy 

The ability to maximize transfer of energy in sport is typically what sets the elite athletes apart from the rest. Not only does it allow them to jump higher, run faster, and move more efficiently, it also allows them to save valuable energy so that they are not burnt out at the end of the game. In the long run, efficient transfer of energy may also prevent the risk of injury. It is well established that fatigue masks fitness, and injuries typically present themselves at the end of the game when the athletes are in a high state of fatigue. If transfer of energy is optimized, that athlete might never reach that level of fatigue that puts them at a risk for injury.

What are the two assessments?

The two assessments that can be used to assess energy and power transfer in jumping are the Eccentric Utilization Ratio (EUR) and Stretch-Shortening Cycle % difference (SSC%). Both assessments help find deficiencies in jumping performance and can help practitioners create a more “optimal” jumping profile going into competition (i.e. when all of your training matters most).

Continue reading “Assessing Energy Transfer in the Vertical Jump”

Posted on

Intra- and Intermuscular Coordination

Intramuscular coordination is the firing pattern of fibers within an individual muscle.

For example, prior to a ballistic action, there appears to be a silent period in electrical activity at the local muscle. The thought is that such a silent period is a form of neural inhibition that turns off all motor units to make sure that when the action is about to be performed, non are in a refractory state. Thus, allowing for maximal motor unit activation.

Intermuscular coordination has to do with how muscles fire in coordination with other muscles.

 

The green arrows suggest that all muscles have acted together in the most efficient way.

Continue reading “Intra- and Intermuscular Coordination”

Posted on

Creative Ways To Train Rotational Power

 Coach: Bill Miller

Baseball, golf, tennis, track & field…the list goes on and on of sports that rely heavily rotational power. It has been well-documented how important strength is for all athletic movement. After all, Power (Force/Time) requires Force in order to be displayed. The issue for many athletes and coaches may become the application of that strength through higher speed movements, especially in the right planes of motion. Rotational power (Transverse Plane) requires kinetic energy built up from the lower body and transferred to the upper body and through the hands.

Rotational movement pattern in most athletic scenarios:

  1. Static energy built up on rear leg
  2. Kinetic energy transfers through the front leg (front side bracing mechanic)
  3. Torque is created between the rotating pelvis and torso (hip/trunk separation)
  4. Energy is dispelled through the upper body as the torso and arms continue rotation

Continue reading “Creative Ways To Train Rotational Power”

Posted on

Integration of Velocity-Based Training and Heart Rate in Training

Using data to manage training takes out the guesswork that a coach may deal with when trying to determine optimal load or rest time for an athlete. There are different types of data to help manage a program: external metrics and internal metrics. Velocity-based training is an external metric that I use daily to track bar velocity via Gymaware, and an internal metric I use daily is a Polar heart rate monitor. I am going to talk about how to integrate these tools in a training session simultaneously to autoregulate programming for an athlete. This means that from set to set, from day to day, or one training block to the next, I can manage load and rest time correctly to try and give the athlete optimal amounts of both.

Why Use Velocity-Based Training?

Velocity based training allows us to see external outputs of the athlete on a given day. An athlete’s output can change daily based on sleep, diet, physiological and psychological stress, so working off a %1RM that was tested 3 weeks ago may not be the most accurate loading strategy. Instead, we can use the Gymaware to determine how fast the athlete can move a given load based on their current state. If I want the athlete to move the bar at 1.0 m/s for a back squat, the Gymaware allows intra-set feedback to the athlete so he or she can understand what 1.0 m/s actually feels like, not to mention the added motivation to beat the previous rep’s velocity.

Continue reading “Integration of Velocity-Based Training and Heart Rate in Training”

Posted on

Potential Versus Expression

 

Force potential is the maximal amount of force one could possibly express if all contractile properties were to act in an optimal fashion. It is dependent on the raw physiological properties of the body. Force expression is the amount of force one actually expresses in a movement. Force expression is much more complex. It involves the dynamic nature of skill (neuromuscular timing), which is what ultimately the limiting variable in force expression. Think about jumping to dunk versus performing a single arm, maximal arm flexion against an isokinetic device. Both movements require maximal force expression (in context) to get the best results, but the complexity of the jump compared to the single arm flexion is exponentially greater.

Continue reading “Potential Versus Expression”