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Performing squats requires normal mobility of the hips, knees and ankles. At all times attention to neutral lumbar positioning promotes proper squat mechanics that are essential to the addition of increased loading during your workout.
Assisted Squat Stretch
The Squat with Butt Lift
The Squat with Butt Lift provides a great dynamic warm-up to the hips, knees and ankles. The butt lift aspect promotes hamstring stretching in a dynamic lengthening stretch. Be sure to maintain neutral lumbar positioning by avoiding flexion, or rounding of the lumbar spine.
The Assisted Squat Stretch
An Assisted Squat Stretch provides controlled movement to emphasize joint mobility of the hips, knees, ankles. Attention is given to maintaining good spinal posture - maintaining a lordotic lumbar curve. Perform prior to squat training for a dynamic warm-up to your training program.
Stretching is a matter that requires understanding what limits body movement, and how mobility is required for the fitness or sports performance. There are many misconceptions of the benefits of stretching, and how much flexibility is required. The application of a stretching program must take into consideration the individual needs of the individual, and the sport specific demands of movement and how this maximizes the health and performance in this activity.
Stretching the Limits
You are not stretching to be the next gymnast, nor do you need to keep up with the person in front of you in your Yoga class. Stretching is about mobility. This allows muscles to move, and therefore, joints to move. You can be too flexible, or hypermobile, and if not balanced with stability of the joints, and muscle strength, injury can be sustained. I have encountered many individuals that can palm their hands to the floor, but also need spinal fusion.
An understanding of muscle anatomy, physiology and biomechanics is required to better provide an individualized program. For example, it is important to know if the muscle you are "stretching" crosses one joint, or two.
A muscle can be limited by overuse of some movement, or position of a muscle. This can create hypertonicity, or excitability, of that muscle that will then limit movement when this muscle is placed on stretch, or elongated. For example, muscles that are chronically shortened, such as the hamstrings during prolonged sitting, become tight. It should be noted that those muscles that are chronically lengthened, maybe due to postural positioning such the rounded shoulder blades in sitting, can become weak, or susceptible to fatigue. This can be the cause of back and neck pain.
If there are muscles groups that tight on one side of the body, you can count on having tightness on the other side of the body. You will often find that if the hip flexors are tight, the low back extensors will also be tight.
Stretching can reduce the risk of injury
Stretching has not been shown to be effective at reducing the incidence of overall injuries.(1) While there is some evidence of stretching reducing musculotendinous injuries,(1)more evidence is needed to determine if stretching programs alone can reduce muscular injuries.(2)
Stretching can increase joint extensibility where there is actual change in joint range of motion related to increased muscle length.
Stretching can also increase tolerance to stretch. In this case muscle length may actually stay the same, but a greater tolerance to muscle force is gained.
Stretching can create increased muscle length
Static, or sustained hold Stretching is most beneficial when held for 15-30 seconds.
Stretching must be performed daily to maximize the benefit
To increase the extensibility of a muscle a daily regimen of stretching must be used.
This statement is only generally true. It can be generally applied to runners and jumpers that engage the muscles in that require more force, and where overall endrange movement may not be required. Getting the muscles warm, and ready for activity is the goal.
In sports where flexibility, like gymnastics and dancing, the use of static stretching can have more of an impact on joint and muscle extensibility. These athletes will engage in daily stretching routines that prepare the joints and musculotendinous structures for endrange, body postures and positions vital to the sport.
Stretching alone does not prepare for the exercise, or activity
Warming the muscle with light movement of the joints(dynamic warm-up) or running prepares the body for exercise and sports activities.
Stretching statically requires prolonged holds with low level pain
Over stretching, or stretching to the point of increased pain beyond mild will cause the muscle to contract, protecting the muscle. This is counterproductive.
Stretching does not have to Hurt
Stretching muscles with rotation creates more elongation of the muscle
All muscles provide some rotational component of movement to the extremity. This is based on the orientation of origin and insertion of the muscle ends. When the muscle contracts it creates some multi-planar movement of the joint. For example, when the medial hamstrings contract creates medial rotation of lower leg. To stretch the medial hamstring there must be some lateral(external rotation) of the leg as the straight leg is pulled back.
There is a reason for pain. Work, Exercise and Athletic Performance requires being acquainted with, and a frequent Companion with Pain. You best be listening to it, and the message it is sending.
The continued work of a fatigued muscle can result in pain. You keep working any body on overtime, and you do not give them a break, they will soon complain - they may actually shout.
Some body parts are just more susceptible to pain. Tendons of the rotator cuff, extensor and flexor elbow, patellar and achilles tendon, are problem areas. Now you add the factor of age, no rest, and poor mechanics, and Houston, We Have a Problem. You must listen, and learn from your pain. This means paying attention to what causes pain, but what relieves your pain.
“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” – Khalil Gibran
Life is Movement and Rest. There must be a balance of work:rest.You exercise, and You Recover. If there is not a balance, the energy systems and connective tissues will begin to fail. This is where fatigue, injury, and the cascade of degenerative change occurs in the body.
The take home message is listen to your body. Pain has a purpose. It is the body's way of telling you that something is out of balance, needs rest, and healing. So give yourself a break, if not a holiday, from the routine.
"Rest is when the efforts of your work manifest gain." - Randy Bauer
Keep Your Chin-Up if You are Unable to Chin a bar.
Keep Your Chin Up
The Chin-up exercise is a great indicator of overall upper body strength, and used extensively as a measure of upper body strength in a variety of Fitness Tests(Ex.). If you are trying to improve your upper body strength, using the chin-up, or pull-up exercise, is a valuable part of any strength training regimen. But, what if you cannot do a chin-up. Well, keep your chin-up and use this as a motivator to increase your upper body strength. After a while you will be able to test yourself by getting your chin over the bar, not just once, but repetitively.
What muscles do I have to work to get stronger at the chin-up/pull-up?
The upper body muscles used to perform the chin-up include large muscles of the back, shoulder and arms. There is also great emphasis of the abdominal muscles providing stability.
The chin-up exercise is performed with the hands facing you (supinated grip), and a pull-up is performed with the back of hands facing you (pronated grip).
Pull-Up Muscles
Primary Muscles Used:
Latissimus dorsi
Mid and Low trapezius
Pectoralis Major and Minor
Bicep brachii
Secondary Muscles Used:
Teres Major
Triceps
Rhomboids
Erector spinae
Rotator Cuff
Abdominals
The average muscle activation values were as follows: latissimus dorsi (117-130%), biceps brachii (78-96%), infraspinatus (71-79%), lower trapezius (45-56%), pectoralis major (44-57%), erector spinae (39-41%), and external oblique (31-35%). The pectoralis major and biceps brachii had a significantly higher EMG activation when performing the chin-up when compared to the pull-up, however the lower trapezius was more active during the pull-up. The general pattern of activation suggests that pull-ups and chin-ups were initiated by the lower trapezius and pectoralis major and completed with biceps brachii and latissimus dorsi recruitment. This study highlighted that the latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, lower trapezius, pectoralis major are the main muscles activated when performing pull-ups and chin-ups.
**Special Note: Mr. Youdas was an influential mentor of mine while a student of Physical Therapy at Mayo Clinic. He continues to be enthusiastic on the biomechanics of exercise.
How can I do 10 Chin-Ups if I can only do a few now.
Keep your chin-up. Consider, if anything is easy then you will only have to make it more challenging. Strength development is all about defining areas of you body that need work. Maybe there are areas of your body that are under developed due to lifestyle, or work and sport activities. Consider a Gymnast. The gymnastic athlete requires the constant ability to chin up to a bar or rings as a part of their routine. The ability to advance from a few reps of a chin-up to 10, or multiple sets, will take some dedicated hard work, sweat, and discipline to push yourself, or pull yourself if you will, focusing on each rep along the way.
Check out the video below on Tips to Improve Your Pull-Up Ability.
Once you are able to do 10 reps of a pull/chin up try to shoot for performing multiple set of 50% of your max repetitions.
Example: If you are able to do 12 reps max, then perform 6 reps of the exercise, rest 20-30 seconds and perform a second set. Continue this until you are unable to perform 6 reps. Once you are able to peform 5 sets of 6 reps(30 total reps) perform a new one set max(How many pull/chin ups can you perform without rest?).
This will establish your new max reps for pull/chin ups. You can then re-set your workout. You can also vary this test by seeing how many reps you can do in a time limit. This can be anywhere from 1 to 2 minutes.
This continued test-workout-retest will keep you moving forward, motivated and goal oriented.
What exercises will make performing a Chin-Up easier.
Exercises that compliment improvement of the chin-up, or pull-up, are isolating those muscles that are engaged during the movement. When performing the chin-up movement there are specific Actions, namely scapular adduction, shoulder extension and adduction, bicep flexion and flexion of the wrist and fingers to grasp the bar.
Performing machine-based and isotonic free weight exercise incorporating these specific muscle actions will support strength gains that will improve your chin/pull up.
Seated pulldowns with varied grip
Pectoral Strength
Bench Press and Flys at varied angles
Seated or standing mid rows
Kneeling pulldowns
Bent-over Flys
Performing high rows with towels for increased grip strength
Running a 5K is a great distance to set your sites on improving your fitness, and setting a goal. The training involved does not require the great distances of a marathon. Finishing a 5K(3.1 miles) can be completed in 20-30 minutes for the good to average runner. You can mix in some speed work at short distances with repeat bouts of running 30 to 90 secs, with equat rest bouts. Buiilding up to 10 reps. This is just one example. Most important. Start easy, and progress based on what your body is telling you.
Pre In the Lead
For more information on running economy and improving your 5K performance you can determine your velocity at which you run at your VO2. You can also try a few workouts that help you train efficiently, use your training time effectively, and maximize your running economy.
Developing the Mental Edge in your pursuits of athletics, education and work requires a sharp focus on what is important to you, and what will get you to where you want to be. Goal setting provides this framework, and focused energy to your actions. Committing yourself to reaching new levels of performance will require facing challenges, overcoming fears, and striving beyond what you thought possible. Establishing goals that are in alignment with a strong purpose make accomplishing these goals possible, and success a reality.
Discover Helpful Points to Consider as You Set Your Goals
Own Your Goals with Keys to Achieve
Ask These Questions that will Define and Move You Toward Your Goals
See the Personal Workshop and Define Your Action Plan (download this pdf)
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