One of many very valuable lessons that I learned from my time at Cressey Performance was that if (or when) injury occurs there is always something that can be trained. Of course, don’t train an injured muscle if it’s internally sore (beyond muscle fatigue sore) yet keep in mind that the goal you have set out to achieve doesn’t care about injuries or excuses. So figure it out. Persist and succeed.

To use myself as an example, after a subluxation of my left shoulder I couldn’t do many strength and conditioning moves. It was (and still is) very annoying; however, I got myself in the gym days later to do my rehab and discover what I could do. Again, I won’t suggest storming into the gym and banging out loads of overhead presses – at that time it would have been flat out stupid and sore. What could I do? Can’t back squat but front squat is ok. Can’t overhead press or bench press but DB floor press is ok. Ultimately, there are no excuses. Focus on the positive and progress it, all the while making slow and steady gains in the weaker areas (I’m almost ready for back squats again…and overhead work). The path of progression is not linear and there is going to be more than one bump in the road, I mean just  last week I was doing some light judo and walked away with my thumb looking like this: 

A week later is it fully healed? Of course not. Will it stop me? Of course not.  In the grand scheme of things, it’s not my spine – it’s my thumb.  I’ll just tape it up, apply a thumb-less grip for a month or two and I’ll progress forward. Persist and succeed.

As I’ve alluded to, training smart is essential for continued progression. When I launched FMT I was on a mission to communicate to people about training smart (the use of a programme, periodization, deload weeks, sensible exercise selection and form etc) to maximise potential.  Though that message is still just as important, if you don’t train hard then it’s all a waste of time. Training hard should be the given. No matter what your knowledge base is. Training smart is the responsibility of coaches (myself included) to communicate, plan and implement. Persist and succeed.

Many different techniques exist due to the various populations that enjoy the benefits of regularly performing squats. Each population has ‘fine-tuned’ the movement to cater for their needs; for example, an Olympic weightlifter will generally have a narrower stance than a competitive power lifter. The topic of the squat and its variations may warrant a full article at FMT sometime in the future; however, the scope of this article is to uncover the benefits of box squats and when they can be used.

The Importance of the Stretch-Shortening Cycle
The stretch shortening cycle (SCC) is paramount in sport. This process refers to a stretching of an active muscle immediately followed by shortening action. In the squat this means stretching of the quadriceps and glutes followed by a contraction (or shortening) of the same muscles. Also known as the stretch reflex, it can be broken down into the myotatic stretch reflex and the inverse stretch reflex. The former essentially senses the speed of the stretch and is located in the muscle’s belly spindle cells, while the latter makes use of the golgi tendon organ whereby the muscle almost switches off to prevent tearing.  Plyometric training is a method associated with training the SSC in an attempt to improve explosive strength. Activities such as: med ball throws, clap press ups, bounding, jumping and lots of other exercises that involve a fast eccentric-concentric action can be used. That said, with the correct percentages, common movements that involve the SSC (squats and bench presses) can be programmed in a manner where the SSC is dominant.

So why box squat?
An important concept to understand is that the box squat involves a static-overcome-by-dynamic action meaning there is an element of overcoming inertia when performing the movement. Therefore, any athlete whose sport involves this process will benefit from the exercise. Consider a sprinter in the blocks, a rugby player at the edge of a scrum, an American football lineman, and a swimmer on the blocks. Keeping tight is important with box squats and a good way to visualise the process is to imagine a coiled spring. An athlete that has utilised box squats in their training will possess a strong start and explosive edge.The box squat can be performed by doing a squat to a box with a pause, or by using a ‘tap-and-go’ technique. In fact, fitness professionals like to distinguish between the variations because the technique used will impact on the loading selected and the SSC involvement. If further clarity is needed between the differences between box squats and squats to a box (interesting stuff) check out this video.

Why some coaches don’t use them
I’ve heard the argument that sitting on a box with load is unsafe due to the loading on the spine when overcoming the static position of the box squat. This case is not presented by physiotherapists or back specialists (I may reconsider my position on box squats if someone like Dr Stuart McGill ever publishes a paper that has uncovered the detrimental effects box squats have on spinal health), moreover, this argument is negated if a tight squatting posture is maintained. Further rational for the exclusion of box squats are based around the shin angle;  the traditional back squat creates a shin angle of ~45 degrees, which mimics the angle of the shins in most athletic endeavours, such as sprinting. In contrast, the box squat allows an athlete to ’sit back’ and coaches encourage an almost vertical (60-90degree) shin angle in order to fully engage the hamstrings during the movement (1). To go against the status-quo: the shin angle isn’t a bad thing, it’s a good thing! Yes, training with a shin angle of ~45degrees is important; however, if athletes always experience this in their chosen sport and are restricted to it in the gym all-year-round then quad dominant will be taken to a whole new level while the hamstrings wither away into the untrained and weak abyss. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel here, so checkout this article to understand the importance of the posterior chain.

Beyond the hamstrings: other reasons to box squat
Drawing on personal experience, I have had many situations where I have utilised box squats for teaching technique -especially on overhead squats. Sometimes I’ll use it for one set for a beginner to ‘get it’, or maybe they’ll need a couple of sets or even sessions to practice the pelvic control (I had such a session with a new client 3 hours prior to posting this). In contrast, I utilise the box squat throughout whole mesocycles with regular gym goers, amateur and elite athletes. Case in point: Gintaras (FMT grappler client) performed the back squat ‘ass-to-grass’ low with near perfect form. After two months of regular back squatting he could squat 1.45 of his body weight; however, I knew that to fully unlock his potential and get him STRONG he would have to engage the hamstrings more (sit back more) and so guess what the next two months of his program included? Yip, you got it: box squats.

Box squats are also used in research to ensure a rigorous investigation. Researchers use the movement to provide consistency in squat depth (2) and because of the value it has to specific sports (3).

Practical Applications
In summary, there are many situations where the box squats plays a valid role in a strength and conditioning program. From elite athletes that will throw around twice their body weight to complete beginners that must be (re)taught how to move properly. The list below outlines some situations where individuals would benefit from regular box squatting:

An individual has no pelvic control (can’t maintain neutral or achieve anterior tilt on descend of squat).

An athlete scores poorly on the static vertical jump (or seated vertical jump).

Slow sprint time from 0-40m.

Can’t achieve full depth in overhead squats, back squats or front squats.

Variation in a squat program to continue progress and adaptation.

When an athlete is quad dominant and needs some solid hamstring development.

References
(1)A, Christos., Gill, N., Keogh. J., Hopkins. W., & Beaven, M. 2010. Effects of a short-term pre-season training programme on the body composition and anaerobic performance of professional rugby union players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 28(6) p679–686.

(2)Crewther, B., Gill, N., Weatherby, R & Lowe, T. 2009. A comparison of ratio and allometric scaling methods for normalizing power and strength in elite rugby union players. Journal of sport sciences, 27 (14), p1575

(3)L, Simmons. 2005. Benefits of Box squatting. [Online]
Available from:
 http://www.westside-barbell.com/westside-articles/PDF.Files/05PDF/BOX%20SQUATTING%20BENEFITS.pdf
Accessed on 14^th Feb. 2012.

For those of you interested there will be a series which breaks down the science (and art) of training grapplers in future months, which will of course include profiling. For now, I thought I’d show you some of the things I’ve been doing with two new recruits; a wrestler and a judoka.

Before I discovered judo I was in the post-rugby era, where I was training four or five times per week which equated to around six hours. This was mainly based around lifting to increase relative strength and I’d throw in some form of anaerobic conditioning once a week. Then, in the 2011 summer I decided to go full throttle at judo (without worrying about my shoulder history as a limiting factor) and my training time per week doubled. Here’s what a typical week looked like:

The aim was (and still is) to fight my way to a  black belt while developing my own athleticism until I have reached my genetic potential. The above split was designed to help me achieve both of these goals and keep me in-shape for my weight class of -100kg.

WHITE – RED – YELLOW – ORANGE – GREEN – BLUE – BROWN- BLACK

By the end of summer time I made the grade of 5th Kyu (YELLOW belt) and was looking forward to sitting my orange belt grading sometime in the winter. Looking forward is a bit of an understatement actually, I admit it: I had the judo bug. I was obsessed and ambitious. My thinking was (and still is): if you want to be the best then you’ve got to put yourself in situations where you’re going to be challenged, where you’re going to learn, adapt and overcome. I wanted to fight. Most 5th Kyu’s don’t enter into ‘Open’ tournaments for good reasons; their movement isn’t necessarily fluent, they don’t always achieve kuzushi before a throw, they might not necessarily have ‘throw combos’ and they might not be able to read an opponent due to lack of experience. I was no different – but thought I’d give it a go anyway…

As you might have figured out, the results were not good. That said, I could not have performed any better than what I did. I used the skills that I had at the time and put in 100% effort.

Fight 1: Beaten by a ’second dan’ black belt after 1min 28secs due to ‘ippon’ throw.
Fight 2: Beaten by Jamie (see above).
Fight 3: Beaten by a black belt on points.
Before my fourth fight I was sick three times…Going five minutes with a black belt is one of the most physically demanding tasks I have ever done.
Fight 4: Beaten by pin hold down (unsure of the opponent’s grade).

I wasn’t discouraged, in fact it was quite the opposite. My obsession grew: I was ready to sit my 4th Kyu grading. By the time the next tournament rolled around I wanted to be regularly throwing higher grades in ‘randori’ (sparing) and have an answer if I was to fight a black belt again. That’s when the Tonbridge Camp caught my eye: an international judo camp that was just for ‘randori’. After emailing the organizer to discover if someone of my grading could attend, I learned that the camp would be full of mainly black belts who compete internationally or have international ambitions, yet it was open to any grade that was willing (or stupid enough?) to’ randori’ for two hours per session. Though my ’sensi’ did warn me that I would be rag-dolled for the majority of the camp, my thinking was that I would become better from the experience. Don’t confuse this as naive or disrespectful – I was fully aware of my ability and the level of judokas that I would be facing; however, the aim of ‘randori’ is to throw a person, hone previously learned skills and think on your feet if the text book stuff doesn’t work. The aim is not to injury your opponent or cause harm. Needless to say, I wouldn’t have attended the camp if there was a situation where I had to fight.

Two hour sessions, three times a day. I may have been thrown over 200 times in the space of four days. That said, going to the camp was one of the best decisions I have made regarding judo and I definitely learned from the experience while having FUN. You read that correctly, thrown over 200 times…but it was fun! I managed to get in some throws on higher grades too, after all, that was the aim.

My next fight was going to be in February and I was feeling confident because my judo improved leaps and bounds since my last tournament. Unfortunately, I suffered a shoulder subluxation on my left side during a’ ne-waza randori’ with my regular training partner at Tayside Judo and I’m now out of action for a while. A subluxation is also known as a partial dislocation: the humerus slips out and is back in within seconds. My history of shoulder instability means I have to take this injury seriously and return to judo stronger/more stable than I was. That said, if my scan shows that I have excessive internal damage then I may need to stop the sport forever.

Of course this is a blow to my judo and athletic development; however, you’ve got to make hay while the sun shines which means I’ll be able to get infront of the keyboard and post some new training blogs that will help others develop. Just because I’m out of action doesn’t mean you readers are!

One great tasting Super Shake that I like to suggest to individuals that are trying to add some mass to their frame is:

Ice
Low Fat
Cottage Cheese
Organic Whole Milk
Oats
Flaxseed Powder
Vanilla Protein Powder
Splenda

This can be used as a snack, a meal replacement or as a post workout shake and will take less than five minutes to prepare.  Be warned - Super Shakes will lead to super physique changes!

As I alluded to in my original Super Shakes post, your imagination is the only limitation when it comes to these blended muscle building cocktails. Be creative.

The 21st century is a good time to be in the fitness industry because of the vast amount of information surrounding training and nutrition that is accessible to anyone and everyone. Generally, most of my clients have the right idea when it comes to improving their eating habits and I just need to ‘fine tune’ things…But ’sticking with it’ is a different matter. Time and time again I have had hard working clients that really push themselves in the gym, yet fail to conform to the eating habits that we (myself and the client) established in our first consultation.  Of course I have tried many different techniques in an attempt to increase nutrition adherence; punishment through exercises, positive reinforcement, food diary checking and other ineffective strategies. The result was maybe the client would ’stick with it’ for an extra week or two before returning to old habits.

Thankfully, in 2008 I discovered Dr John Berardi (pictured) and his Precision Nutrition system.

In fact, thankful is an understatement. I want to point out at this juncture that I am not professionally affiliated with the Precision Nutrition System and receive no reward or money for mentioning it; however I am a BIG advocate of it because of the system’s simplicity and the fact that it leads to great results! I won’t give you the full rundown on the Precision Nutrition System, instead you can’t check it out here; however, I am obligated to mention it because my technique for achieving nutritional adherence is the one that John outlines in his book.

A Game of Noughts and Crosses
What makes the difference when it comes to adherence is ownership and measurability. So here is what to do:

Set two or three healthy eating habits such as;  eat foods with less than 10g of fat per 100g, eat a piece of  fruit with each meal, or no starchy carbohydrates in the last meal of the day. Remember to make the habits specific to you and your needs/goals – the above are just an example.

On your phone, a piece of paper or computer put down either a ‘O’ or a ‘X’ for each meal that you eat. The ‘O’ represents you ’sticking with it’ and the ‘X’ represents you breaking the habit.

Here is an example of what a good week will look like:

Monday -  OOOOO
Tuesday -  OOOOO
Wednesday – OOOOO
Thursday – OOOOO
Friday – OOOOX
Saturday – OOOOX
Sunday – OOOOO

From the above example we can see that the habits have not been adhered to twice during the week, giving a score of 94%. That kind of percentage will definitely allow desired results to be achieved quickly. Needless to say, the higher the percentage the better the transformation; however, if the percentage drops below 80% then there will be a real slow struggle.

Thanks to Dr John Berardi’s book, the ‘Noughts and Crosses’ is a technique I have used with the majority of my clients to great success. I discovered that my time spent discussing nutrition with my clients was dramatically reduced because at the start of each week they would tell me their percentage (from the previous week) and they would know what had to be improved or maintained. As I alluded to, this method provides individuals with a sense of ownership and is very easy to measure. If my clients have less than 80% then it’s a very short conversation; however, if they’re nailing the nutrition and have high adherence I’ll introduce one more ‘healthy habit’. Similar to training, progress is the aim.

Of course, I also use this method when making changes to my nutritional regime and I find it just as effective as my clients because I love that fact that there is an opportunity to increase my percentage each week (I’m aiming for 95% this week and have stuck with the same three habits for the past four weeks).

My advice to someone who has a history of ‘yo-yo’ dieting is to come up with two healthy habits and play ‘Noughts and Crosses’. If the adherence percentage goes above 85% then introduce a new habit, and so on.

For the readers out there that need; meal plans, preparation guides, support, a huge online community and a profound understanding of nutrition then look no further…

]]> http://www.fmtraining.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=384 0 http://www.fmtraining.co.uk/blog/?p=370 http://www.fmtraining.co.uk/blog/?p=370#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2011 22:04:55 +0000 Fraser Murray http://www.fmtraining.co.uk/blog/?p=370 Technology is great. Computers, internet, mobile phones and all the other cool gadgets that allow communication and information sharing has shaped the way we live today. The only problem is that when I say shaped, I mean it quite literally. Nowadays it is uncommon to see a desk without a computer and there is a large chunk of the population that spend the majority of their working day desk-bound. Beyond the  IT industry, many of us spend hours each night updating facebook, instant messaging, blogging, emailing, or that other thing that the internet is popular for…I’m not going to put forward the message that everyone should spend less time at their desks, instead you will find three movements below that I highly recommend to anyone who finds themselves at a desk (or indeed driving) for over an hour every day. These movements cover flexibility, mobility and strength.

Healthy movement is something quite close to my heart because I know the value of what good posture and technique can do for; strength, power, injury resistance and fat burning. Each year I feel it is my duty as a fitness and health professional to post an article with the theme of posture and improved movement. That’s why in 2009 and 2010 I posted articles that address the above issue from a different angle and I would encourage you to give them a brief read to gain additional knowledge in the area.

Practical Help For The Desk Jockey
First and foremost, in the seated position the hips are stuck in flexion. That is why the first movement I recommend is hip extension, or more specifically a hip flexors stretch.

Movement 1: A version of the hip flexors stretch

Flexibility isn’t the only issue when considering all the desk jockeys out there – strength is too! I’m not talking about deadlifting twice your bodyweight or banging out 20+ chin ups (though that would be impressive), I’m talking about the strength of the shoulder stabilizers. The image in my post “The Age of the Hunchback” shows exactly the kind of posture (an almighty hunch) that is likely to happen when exposed to long periods at a desk. To combat this there are a few things to consider which include; stretching the pec minor and the upper traps, strengthening the lower traps and strengthening the external rotators. SCAPULA WALL SLIDES! Using this movement will tick all the right boxes and is one way to combat the lack of shoulder strength (stability). Here’s the video again in case you missed it in the 2009 post:

Now that hip flexibility and shoulder mobility/stability has been addressed, can you think of another key to maintaining a preferable posture while you surf the world wide web? Yes! You guessed it – the “core”. This article outlines four great movements for building an effective core, but the main thing to remember is that the upright position is most desirable when in front of a desk. That means sit ups are ‘out’ and movements like rollouts are ‘in’.

Of course there are many different movements out there that can also help the desk-bound among us; however, the movements above are the most basic and essential movements that are very easy to implement into your routine.

Taking Out The Guesswork
Implement the movements above anyway you see fit or try a tri-set at the end of your regular workout:

Hip flexors stretch 2 x 30seconds e/side
Scap wall slides        2 x 15
Rollout variation    2 x 8
(Repeat until all sets are completed)

That said, don’t let these movements be restricted to the gym. I’ve been known to stretch while working and I would encourage you to do the same. Just ignore the inquisitive looks by your colleagues.

Point to Remember
The technology we are exposed to now is fantastic and has help shaped the world today – just don’t let it shape you!

Keep your athlete in mind. Got it? Now don’t get bogged down by the fact that he/she is a professional and has all day to train while you are stuck at a desk. Instead, have a glance at the three behaviours he/she does that you CAN implement into your life.

Athlete Behaviour #1: KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
It is ridiculously simple: have a goal. Athletes work hard, we all know that; however, what some individuals forget is that athletes work hard to achieve *insert goal* by *insert time*. It still amazes me how often I see people in the gym come and go because they have no focus. Granted, a bit of recreational exercises is never a bad thing and I could not discourage anyone form a ‘bounce session’. Nevertheless, if you want to progress, impress and work harder every time then behaviour #1 is a must.

Athlete Behaviour #2: HAVE A TRAINING PROGRAM
Now that you know where you want to be, you’ll want to start thinking about how you’re going to get there. This is another easy behaviour to implement, just choose a program that matches your goal and follow that program until you’ve achieved what you set out to achieve. Having a program in place allows athletes to track their progress and set targets. Nowadays there are ample programs available on the internet to cover just about any goal. Of course, I am bias and will direct you to here; however, feel free to google what you want and see what comes up.

Athlete Behaviour #3:  WEIGHT LIFTING, CARDIO AND CLEAN EATING
There are three key patterns that the majority of athletes do that you can do too. Lifting weights is something that is still misunderstood by the general population but it is definitely a form of training that every athlete will do or has done at some point.

Weight lifting = big muscles?

WRONG! Lifting weights will promote muscle adaptation; however, the speed and amount of adaptation depends on GENDER, age, genetics and calorie intake. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the athlete  you’re thinking of has been the benefactor of a good weightlifting program and so you must too. If everyone that lifted weights increased in size each time they lifted then most males would be walking around like Bill Kazmaier (pictured).

Cardiovascular training is another key in the behaviour that most athletes will do that is easy enough for you to copy. For the type of cardio you should be doing, ask yourself what kind of cardiovascular training does your sports star do? Simply try out the activity that your athlete competes in. Of course, there will be a significant difference between the performance of the man or woman you admire and your performance but that doesn’t mean you can’t train for the task. If you’re thinking of a sprinter – hit the track! A swimmer? Get in the pool!

Clean eating refers to having a nutritional regime that helps you get to your goals. Most people know what counts as good or bad foods but the truth is you’ve got to look past the labels. If you’re loading up on your supermarkets ‘healthy option’ readymade meal you might not be eating as ‘healthy’ as a dinner you made yourself…The rules outlined in Fat Loss Fever cover what clean eating habits are a good idea to follow.

Have you still got your favourite sporting hero in mind? Do you want to take a step closer to gaining a physique that is similar to theirs (or more of an upgraded version of yourself)?

Remember that all the above behaviours are things that you CAN mimic. You have control of the little decisions that make a big difference so when you’ve decided the what (behaviour #1), figure out the how (behaviour #2) and be sure to apply the three key steps (behaviour 3).

Raise
Through low intensity movements you should aim to raise core temperature and increase blood flow.
Activate
In day-to-day life our body prefers to overuse certain muscles and so this part of the warm up aims to ‘wake up’ the less dominant muscles.
Mobilise
Not dissimilar to the activate phase, the intensions here are to increase range of motion around key joints such as the hip joint.
Potentiate
This is where the intensity of the warm-up is shifted up a gear. This phase will consist of a movement that is specific to your workout and will be done at maximal speed with the aim that it will increase muscle fiber recruitment and training performance.

Including this method  in your regime will allow you to recruit a maximum amount of muscle fibers therefore eliciting improvements in strength and size!

Take a look at the video below – it shows a client going through the first three stages of a warm-up.

 The potentiate part of the warm-up should be specific to the main aim of your session and can literally be a couple of light/speed sets of your first exercise. The table below should give you a guide of the sort of movements work well together.

Get on board with what all the top athletes are doing for their warm up and you will start to notice the benifits. ‘RAMP’ it up!

Reference
Jeffreys, I. (2007). Warm-up revisited: The ramp method of optimizing warm-ups. Professional Strength and Conditioning. (6) 12-18

 Have a read through the articles and apply the basic template into your regime.

Athletic Development: The Posterior Chain
This article is all about the hamstrings, glutes and lower back.
Athletic Development: The Kinetic Chain
In the second post of the series the whole body, working as one (efficiently), is discussed.
Athletic Development: Muscle Armour
This article is all about muscle building.
Athletic Development: Conditioning
The final article of the series deals with the broad topic of conditioning.

The ‘Athletic Development’ series will give you a good base to work from so don’t be affraid to try something new.