This blog is devoted to physical health and performance for athletes. My primary interest is in athletic development, particularly the appropriate application of resistance training, weight training and weightlifting movements in athletes of all ages and levels of skill.
When USADA comes calling...
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
you must pee. See Mel's story about her latest drug test here.
Over the last few years I have become a fan of Ross Tucker, mostly through his "The Real Science of Sport Podcast." He brings a measured, thoughtful approach to sport and sport science. In the latest episode (Season 6, Episode 20, Oct 3 2024), he gives a 12 minute master class on what it is to do "high performance." The discussion starts around the 40 minute mark. As a physical therapist, I am most interested in how all of this relates to rehabilitation and the return to sport process. Here are my key take-aways: 1. Apply principles, not knowledge. With principles in place, you are better equipped to determine what knowledge to apply to your situation. 2. Performance science is implementing a "logical, systematic process" not just throwing technology, staff or money at performance questions. Process & Systems >>>> Stuff. Develop a "framework to understand your environment" that is free from bias and helps you systematically app...
Way back in 2002, I scanned these images by Howard Schatz from Sports Illustrated (October 14, 2002). A fascinating array of elite female athlete physiques, heights and weights, eh? These are some of the women featured in his book Athlete --a very cool pictorial essay that celebrates athletic form and function.
The sit and reach test stinks. Why? Well, it does not allow one to discriminate between hip and lumbar spine flexion. It tells you NOTHING. The initial testing position puts the hip/torso in 90 degrees of flexion to start; that is an end-range hip flexion position for many. For most, this is only a tortuous test of lumbar flexion. Ever had the pleasure of making a wrestling room full of 9th grade boys try to sit up against the wall while keeping their knees extended? I prefer to use the Waiter's Bow as a assessment tool, and as a warm up or cool down exercise. My goal is to create hip extensor mobility in the context of the neutral spine. The Waiter's Bow is a weight-bearing, AROM test of flexibility that allows you to discriminate hip flexion from lumbar spine flexion. The Waiter's Bow is, in my book, a basic movement comprehension skill everyone should learn. It lays a foundation for advanced training skills and the neutral-spine body awareness that is critica...
Comments