faster? higher? stronger? my critical look at current trends Aaron Schwenzfeier

Aaron Schwenzfeier Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning

Adjunct Instructor- Physical Education, Exercise Science, and Wellness University of North Dakota

… especially myself!!!

Logic and Reason

“Explosive as f*%#!”

“We did no Olympic lifting (many roads lead to

Rome) but we were explosive as f*** and

won alot of games in the 4th quarter.

Ask anyone we played, you better bring your

hard hat cause its gonna be a war!!! Now they're just plain soft !!!!!!”

“It was enough to get the big guys to reactively bound over hurdles but when we left they could all do it with minimal ground contact time

(strive for .15 secs on ground). Now they

do all this Olympic lifting and they are less explosive!!!!”

“Listen you are either a researcher, a data collector, a phoney, or a coach. I chose to coach.

All my energies went to making my athletes better! (name) and I only tested occasionally. We did not want to waste time

losing a training day. You'll see your athletes getting better.”

“Coaches who program speed on day 1 then agilities on day 2 are just plain stupid!!!!”

Functional Movement Screen Movement Screening

• With the Colts Injuries Piling up, It's Time for a new Strength and Conditioning Team – http://www.stampedeblue.com/2011/10/4/2468625/with-the-colts-injuries-piling-up-its-time-for-a-new-strength-

and

• Polian says Colts' trouble is worst he can remember – http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/sports/colts_and_nfl/polian-says-colts-trouble-is-worst-he-can-remember

“The Colts lead the NFL with 83 games missed due to injury. The Colts led the NFL in that department last year as well with 89 games missed. They were second in 2009… the Colts have only had one season when they had a season where the number of games missed due to injury was lower than the league average, 2005.”

– http://www.colts101.com/2011/12/06/indianapolis-colts-injury-problems-a-disturbing-pattern-under-bill-polian/

… medical screens of our athletes at each facility to uncover any potential medical red flags…

“Average screen score in 7 years at NFL combine: 12.8... Telling us, the athletes great

compensators…” http://www.functionalmovement.com/articles/Screening/2011-08-31_using_the_fms_to_judge_performance_and_durability

Compensator?

Corrective Exercise

Corrective Exercise Validity

Low volume and intensity?

Isolation (muscles not movements?)

Is general training corrective?

Walking?

Outside the rehab setting?

Foam rolling?

Sedentary lifestyles?

Anti-sedentary activities?

What causes DYSFUNCTION?!

“Don’t add fitness to dysfunction.”

“Fix” asymmetries.

What is dysfunctional? Contextual Dysfunction?

“The human body is built on and relies upon symmetry.” Hoogenboom, B. J., Voight, M. L., Cook, G., & Gill, L. (2009). Using rolling to develop neuromuscular control and coordination of the core and extremities of athletes. North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy: NAJSPT, 4(2), 70.

“The human body is not symmetrical.” Postural Restoration Institute http://posturalrestoration.com/about/

Wolff’s Law

Preece, S. J., Willan, P., Nester, C. J., Graham-Smith, P., Herrington, L., & Bowker, P. (2008). Variation in pelvic morphology may prevent the identification of anterior pelvic tilt. The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy, 16(2), 113. ÈUK, T., & Leben-Seljak, P. (2001). Lateral asymmetry of human long bones. Variability and Evolution, 9, 19-32.

Don’t add function to...

Skill-less?

Weakness?

Slow?

Unfit?

Fat?

“… this is why the injury rate in Major League baseball and the NBA is so high, they never train, they spend all their time in the training room correcting deficiencies… “

Coordination – Specificity

De Mey, K., Danneels, L., Cagnie, B., & Cools, A. M. (2012). Scapular Muscle Rehabilitation Exercises in Overhead Athletes With Impingement Symptoms Effect of a 6-Week Training Program on Muscle Recruitment and Functional Outcome. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(8), 1906-1915.

“If you’re not going to train explosively, and you’re training them for an explosive sport, you’re training them to get hurt, and you’re training them to have poor performance.”

– Al Vermeil, only strength coach to earn championship rings in two sports: San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bulls (6 titles)

core stability it’s a myth? or

VS.

VS.

Stretching

Barefoot Running

Barefoot Running Vibram? Injury preventing? Logical framework? A lot of people run.

Who’s funding the research?

Who’s doing the research?

Confirmation Bias? Certifications? Books (even textbooks)? DVD’s? Equipment?

Known today as…

Fit for what?

World’s Fittest?

World’s Fittest?

What is Crossfit?

Who is it for?

What does it do?

Crossfit Games? Football? Golf?

Is it bad?

More with less

Izumi Tabata

Squatting

Klein, K. K. (1961). The deep squat exercise as utilized in weight training for athletes and its effect on the ligaments of the knee. Journal of the association for Physical and mental rehabilitation, 15(1), 6-11.

Knees beyond toes? Fry, A. C., Smith, J. C., & Schilling, B. K. (2003). Effect of knee position on hip and knee torques during the barbell squat. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 17(4), 629-633.

“Squat lifts likely cause of stress fractures in young athletes, study finds”

“The squat exercise significantly increases the sacral slope altering the sagittal alignment of the lumbar spine and pelvis, resulting in horizontalization of the sacrum. This was most noticeable during the back squat. The changes would be expected to increase the lumbar extension forces on the posterior elements of the lumbar spine and may play a role in adolescent pars fractures.”

The Effects of Two Different Types of Squat Exercises on Radiography of the Lumbar Spine (p41)

John McClellan, MD1, Nick Aberle, MD2, Kay Ryschon, MSN1, Travis Manners, PT, CSCS3; 1 Nebraska Spine Center, Omaha, NE, US, 2 University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, US, 3 Athletes' Training Center Physical Therapy, Omaha, NE, US

Bad for the back & sport is played on one leg

– Good logic? Evidence?

– Marketing?

– Truly bad?

Don’t tell North Dakota Volleyball

7 athletes

17 personal records

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Pre Post Diff

72 82 10

75 82 7

90 95 5

95 105 10

90 95 5

85 95 10

92 100 8

85.57 93.43 7.86

Overhead Pressing and Overhead Athletes

Bad?

“False” Step

Athlete No False False Difference

1 2.57 2.23 0.34

2 2.78 2.42 0.36

3 2.47 2.23 0.24

4 2.66 2.49 0.17

5 2.73 2.32 0.41

6 2.69 2.2 0.49

7 2.7 2.43 0.27

8 2.7 2.39 0.31

9 2.55 2.38 0.17

10 2.6 2.38 0.22

11 2.59 2.38 0.21

12 2.88 2.55 0.33

13 2.76 2.32 0.44

14 2.42 2.29 0.13

15 2.78 2.49 0.29

16 2.57 2.32 0.25

17 2.63 2.2 0.43

18 2.81 2.37 0.44

19 2.56 2.28 0.28

20 2.7 2.32 0.38

21 2.55 2.42 0.13

22 2.62 2.51 0.11

23 2.54 2.37 0.17

24 2.71 2.49 0.22

25 2.79 2.33 0.46

26 2.4 2.11 0.29

27 2.62 2.32 0.3

28 2.68 2.38 0.3

29 2.53 2.39 0.14

30 2.47 2.19 0.28

31 2.65 2.26 0.39

32 2.78 2.37 0.41

33 2.56 2.35 0.21

34 2.64 2.47 0.17

35 2.54 2.37 0.17

36 2.65 2.39 0.26

37 2.54 2.27 0.27

38 2.62 2.41 0.21

39 2.54 2.25 0.29

40 2.6 2.29 0.31

41 2.59 2.44 0.15

42 2.46 2.44 0.02

43 2.49 2.43 0.06

44 2.67 2.72 -0.05

45 2.58 2.31 0.27

Average 2.62 2.36 0.26

Series1

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45

Series1

Series2

False Step vs. No False Step

Quad to Hamstring: Cause or Effect? Myer, G. D., Ford, K. R., Foss, K. D. B., Liu, C., Nick, T. G., & Hewett, T. E. (2009). The relationship of hamstrings and quadriceps strength to anterior cruciate ligament injury in female athletes. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 19(1), 3-8.

Cause or effect?

Effective? &

In what way?

Breaking the Fast? "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.“ "Breakfast jump starts your metabolism.“ "Breakfast will help you feel not so hungry later in the day.“

Eating every 3 hours

If you don’t… ???

Intermittent Fasting

Vision Training

Contrary to the claims made by proponents of generalized visual training, we found no evidence that the visual training programmes led to improvements in either vision or motor performance above and beyond those resulting simply from test familiarity… (Abernethy et al. 2001.)

Heavy, 10%, or No Resistance?

What does that do?

FLaw of Averages?

What do we do?

Realization

Does it work? How (do I / we / you) know?

How much evidence is there?

… am I sure?!

What is working?...

64.3% are NOT obese!

“Elite athletes lose 19.3% upper and 28.1% lower body strength after 4 weeks of detraining.”

Faigenbaum, A. D., Westcott, W. L., Micheli, L. J., Outerbridge, A. R., Long, C. J., LaRosa-Loud, R., & Zaichkowsky, L. D. (1996). The effects of strength training and detraining on children. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 10(2), 109-114.

The effects of an 8-week strength training program followed by an 8-week detraining period were evaluated in 11 boys and 4 girls, ages 7 to 12 years. Three boys and 6 girls matched for age and level of maturity served as controls. Progressive strength training was performed twice a week on child-size equipment. Subjects were tested on the following measures: 6 repetition maximum (RIM) leg extension, 6-RM chest press, vertical jump, and flexibility. Strength training significantly (p < 0.05; ANOVA) increased 6-RM strength on the leg extension (53.5%) and chest press (41.1%), whereas control group gains averaged 7.9%. Strength training did not significantly affect other variables. Detraining resulted in a significant loss of upper (-19.3%) and lower body (-28.1%) strength in the experimental group. The results suggest that participation in a short-term strength training program will increase the strength of children; however, strength gains regress toward untrained control values during the detraining period.

“I go over there feeling good and come back feeling dead tired, like drenched in sweat like I was in a rainstorm tired…” “All those guys have improved since last year… I can definitely see the improvement.” “Really, I feel like doing that type of training, my abilities have improved tremendously…” "I'll get him in crazy shape. You see how he was huffing and puffing? I'll get him in shape so he can go 10 plays in a row without needing a break."

Coach, I feel faster! I feel more explosive!

How do you know?

Explosive as

Scientific Inquiry

What is “explosiveness”?

What is the evidence of “explosiveness”?

Baselines of explosiveness - Pre and Post Test

Analyzing and Interpret the results

However….

How is it being measured?

N=1 is better than N=none!

Observe!

Expert opinion

Empirical observation

Non-randomized control & observational studies

Randomized Control Trial studies

Squats make

you explosive

as…

Squats

do

not…

Facts or Opinions Olympic lifting is the best way to develop power. (Stated as a fact) I think Olympic lifting is the best way to develop power. I think Olympic lifting is one of the best ways to develop power. Olympic lifting might be one possibility for developing power.

Causation or Correlation We are more powerful because of our use of the Olympic lifts. (Stated as knowing causation)

We've become more powerful in the lower body from the Olympic lifts.

We've become more powerful in the lower body from the Olympic lifts, as our measurements by vertical jump indicate.

Olympic lifts are part of our program, which as a whole, has been successful in enhancing our vertical jump ability, indicating some changes in lower body power.

The challenge of determining causation

"Correlation is not causality but it sure is a hint.“

-Edward Tufte

It’s not the system, method, or tool… it’s the coach (teacher).

A good coach supersedes all else.

Coaching vs. Training vs. Exercising

• Coach (practice logic and reasoning)

• Be present (5 senses, along with COMMON sense)

• Practicality, because time and energy are finite.

• Observe and reflect (notes)

• Collect data (testing, attendance, self-reporting)

Thank You!