www.MichaelReid.ca

Lower Body Training Program

Below I will outline a training program utilizing the exercises I taught during a training session with the Hørsholm 79ers Women's Basketball team.

I wrote a post about that training session here: Hørsholm 79ers Basketball - update

For a quick review, here are the main exercises that I covered in that training session.

- Split Squats

- Squats

- Single Leg Box Squats

- Single Leg Deadlift

- Sliding Leg Curls

The training program is simple (remember the KISS principle) but can be very effective.

There are two parts; a warm up program and a strength program.

The program is designed for the Hørsholm 79ers Women's Basketball team and after consulting with the head coach we have decided a 20 minute long program would be suitable for these athletes. Please remember that these athletes are already training multiple times/week plus games; resources at this time of the year are already taxed to a large degree hence a rather short program.

The program is also extremely knee and low back friendly.

The training program should be completed 3x/week and can be done before or after Basketball practice or as a separate training session.

If you are going to do the program before or after practice please read this first: When to Strength Train?

Of course you will do the entire program barefoot; no shoes, no socks!

WARM UP

- spend 5-8 minutes going through all the drills demonstrated in the below video.

- Perform 1-3 sets of 5-10 reps of each drill with short rests (~20-30s).

video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRjhDuak8Uw

STRENGTH PROGRAM

- 2 exercises will be used: Single Leg Box Squats (SLBSQ) & Sliding Leg Curls (SLC).

- Program length is no longer then 12 minutes.

- Perform the program 3x/week on non-consecutive days (e.g. M, W, F).

- Depending on your game schedule, sometimes only 2x/week will be realistic but this also depends on how many minutes you play. If you are a junior who rarely even gets in the game then I would recommend you do this program 3x/week regardless of game schedule. Conversely, if you are the "star" player and getting 30+ minutes then you may only be able to do 2x/week. When in doubt consult with your coach.

- There are 3 different programs to follow: Testing Day; Program A; Program B.

- Perform the "Testing Day" as your first training session and then every 4-5 weeks perform it again after having 3-4 days rest from strength training.

- The rest of the week you will alternate between Program A & B.

Testing Day

During this training session you test your max reps with the Single Leg Box Squat (SLBSq) and the Sliding Leg Curls (SLC).

For the SLBSq, set up a bench, chair or sturdy box that places your thighs at least parallel or slight lower to the ground. A standard weightlifting bench will probably be to high for many of you. The test is very simple, perform as many reps as you can with one leg then rest for 2-3 minutes and do the other leg. You want to use extremely strict form and not fall or bounce off of the box. If you can do 15+ reps then use a lower box or add load.

SLC you will do the same thing with both legs. Very important to keep your hips up at all times and do not let your hips flex. If you can do 20+ reps then do Single Leg SLC.

For both tests, record your results in the log provided (see the PDF download at the bottom of the page).

Program A

- This is an interval based program of 40s on/20s off so you will need a timer or stop watch of some kind. A free online timer is available and can be downloaded so you can use it offline (http://www.speedbagforum.com/timer.html)

- The program is very simple; do as many GOOD reps as you in the 40s of work. The reps do not have to be continuous and always record each set in the log provided.

- At the end of the session add up your total reps for each exercises. The next time you do this program, you want to try to beat that number by a few reps.

- Don't worry about going all out on the first set, it is actually best to pace yourself especially the 1st time through the program, come to a comfortable stop with each set. Then each time you perform this program beat your number.

The program will be performed in a circuit where you will do one set (i.e. 40s of work) of each exercises then repeat for a total of 4 cycles (12 minutes).

1. SLBSQ (L)

2. SLBSQ (R)

3. SLC

Program B

- This program you will do the same exercises but with a slightly different scheme. This different scheme is very slow eccentric phase with an extremely fast concentric phase. You will also perform straight sets x reps.

- Eccentric phase is the lowering portion of the exercise (SLBSQ is when you are going down to the bench; SLC is when you are straightening out your legs) while concentric is the opposite.

- Very slow down (5-10s) & very fast up (less then 1s).

- Perform 2 x 3-6 reps/exercise. Rest a good 60s between sets.

- Perform all the sets of SLBSQ first, then finishing off the session with 2 sets of SLC.

- You should be able to be complete this within 12 minutes.

You can download a PDF of this entire program below:

Download - Lower Body Strength Training Program

Be Well and Enjoy,

Mike Reid

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Hørsholm 79ers Basketball - update

In my last post I mentioned that I was going to do a physical training session with the Hørsholm 79ers Women's Basketball team.

This is a quick recap of what I did with the team for the 45 minutes I had with them.

But first, please let me try to explain the a bit of the thought process that I go through when doing something like this. What I mean by "this" is that I am only going out for one 45 minute session; I am the guest coach for the day.

Now, "this" may turn into a regular training session with this team but for now it is only a one time thing.

One of the things I have learned as a coach is to keep it simple. I have seen to many high level professional athletes fail miserably at what many would call basic or simple exercises.

Strength Coach Dan John from Utah, USA calls this the KISS principle (keep it simple stupid).

You can watch a short clip of Dan John here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn1NUoLi0Hg

I have learned this lesson the hard way many times, but maybe just maybe I have it figured out now. The KISS principle ends up being the driving force behind this session. It is also important to keep it simple when not knowing anything about these players other then they play Basketball in the highest division in Denmark.

Here is a summary of the training session I did with the Hørsholm 79ers with some other bits of my thought process about coaching this kind of training session.

- I start by giving the girls a bit of a shocker as I tell them "no shoes, no socks". They all kind of give me a weird look but comply with my instructions. If you are wondering why no shoes, then you can read some of my earlier posts:

Barefoot Training

Olympic Weightlifting Barefoot

Barefoot Running Improves Running Performance

- Brief introduction of myself and some of the things we will be doing. After talking to the coach a few days before, we decided that I should focus on body weight exercises with a focus on the trunk and lower body. Considering these are basketball players, where the knee is one of the most injured joints this is certainly not a bad idea. Learning some proper movement mechanics of the lower body is always good and is usually lacking in many athletes.

- During the introduction I give them my 1st rule; "if hurts you must stop and let me know". I have no idea what the current medical history is of any of these players. The last thing I want to do is hurt someone by pushing them into a drill or exercise that is not appropriate for that individual at this time.

- With introduction over we get down on the floor on our stomachs, resting on our forearms for a minute or so then go directly into side-lying rotations which is thoracic spine mobility drill.

- Z-Health drills from R-Phase; lateral & medial ankle tilts, closed chain knee circles and hip pendulums.

- Split Squats (2 x 5 reps/side) & Body Weight Squats (3 x 5 reps) emphasizing movement quality.

- Now since I have had a chance to observe them move a bit we go into what I believe may very well be one of the best exercises, when performed properly, for knee health ... the single leg squat.

- I decided to teach them the Single Leg Box Squat, which is going up and down from a chair, box or bench.

- This is a much harder exercises then you think but these girls really pulled it off quite nicely.

- I also demonstrated the Single Leg Squat from standing on a bench. See video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdWX_In2A1U

- Next I coached them through 2 exercises that really focus on the back side, mainly Hamstrings & Glutes.

- Research has shown that in people with knee pain, the Hamstrings are relatively much weaker then the quadriceps (muscles on the front of the thigh). So, to prevent knee pain and also aid in performance doing lots of work on the back side is very important.

- The 2 exercises I taught were the Single Leg Deadlift and Sliding Leg Curls on the floor.

Single Leg Deadlift

Sliding Leg Curls video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmsTFCQ3Qig

- At this point I was out of time and we had to stop. I didn't get a chance to really talk about programming so I will include a sample program in my next post.

Be Well,

Michael Reid

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Placebo ... The Power of the Mind

The human mind is really amazing.

You must truly believe you can do something great in order to achieve it.

A research article by Hashish et al. (abstract at the bottom) demonstrates the power of the mind at the expense of ultrasound therapy which is commonly used in physical therapy clinics. This article is 20 years old and ultrasound therapy is still common place in  many physical therapy clinics.

What the researchers did was take a bunch of post-operative patients and give them ultrasound therapy to control pain and swelling.

With out the patients knowledge they did treatments with the machine on/off but also with/without massage. They also had patients self administer the ultrasound treatment.

24 hours later they did some tests to check which treatment option had the best outcome.

Do you know which one?

The treatment with the machine OFF, had the best outcome but it had to be administered by the therapist.

That is the power of the mind and really the power of your thoughts.

You can start to imagine how an athlete who may have everything going for them can really sabotage their own success by the wrong kind of thoughts.

Be Well,

Mike Reid

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Reduction of postoperative pain and swelling by ultrasound treatment: a placebo effect.

Hashish I, Hai HK, Harvey W, Feinmann C, Harris M., Pain. 1988 Jun;33(3):303-11. Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Eastman Dental Hospital, London, U.K.

Ultrasound (US) therapy is used to reduce pain and inflammation and to accelerate healing after soft tissue injury. However, there is little objective evidence of its effectiveness and the mechanisms which may cause these effects are unknown. In a placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial we examined the contribution of placebo and massage effects in ultrasound therapy following bilateral surgical extraction of lower third molars. Four to 6 h after surgery the patients (25 per group) received either no therapy, US (0.1 W/cm2), 'mock' US with massage, 'mock' US without massage, or 'self-massage' with a dummy applicator. Facial swelling, trismus, serum C-reactive protein, serum cortisol, pain and anxiety were measured 24 h postoperatively. The results showed that the beneficial analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of US therapy were placebomediated, with maximum effect in the placebo ('mock' US) group without circular massaging with the applicator). Self-massage by the patient produced no significant effect. This placebo action was independent of changes in serum cortisol or patient anxiety state. US therapy can significantly reduce postoperative morbidity, but by placebo-mediated mechanisms which are
unrelated to the US itself.

Screwing on the Floor

This is a really cool video.

I feel so inspired by watching the fluid movement this athlete displays. I thought to myself after watching it the first time, "hey, that doesn't look that hard". I was dead wrong, I could not get passed the first move where you squat down and drop one knee in-toward the floor.

I am going to practice this.

Be Well,

Michael Reid
www.michaelreid.ca

www.waterpolotraining.net

VIDEO LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO33I-Qbc9k

I am still here

I confess, I have been very sporadic with posts these last 4 months.

I find that I am still transitioning into being a stay at home Dad and doing all the other things that I want to do.

I certainly have a much greater appreciation for stay at home parents who get "stuff" done while also caring for their children.

As I write this, my 9 month old son is having his morning nap which should last about 90 minutes.

My plan during these morning naps is to get my training accomplished. Regarding training, I am currently using only body weight exercises and kettlebells.  I also have a spiral stair case in my apartment where I use one of the steps for pull ups.

You see by the pictures that we are still unpacking and getting things set up in our new apartment.  I have kind of stagnated since we first moved in almost a month ago.  The first week was very hectic with lots of things getting done but after we were initially settled I just needed a period of relaxation and a chance to reflect on what to do next.

As you can tell by the pics, I am still reflecting! Although I am very happy with the stair Pull Ups.

Be Well,
Michael Reid
www.michaelreid.ca
www.waterpolotraining.net

Kneeling Deadlift

OK, not really. 

This is my 9 month old son having some fun with my 24kg Kettlebell.

He sees his Dad and Mom training all the time so he wanted to see what these big things were all about.

It looks like he's having fun.

Be Well,
Michael Reid
www.michaelreid.ca
www.waterpolotraining.net

Z-Health

Last night I arrived into Minneapolis, MN to attend a continuing education course called "The Essential Secrets of Elite Performance"

It is a course put on by www.dragondoor.com and should be very interesting.

The course is taught by Dr. Cobb who founded a system called Z-Health.  I do not fully understand the system but am very intrigued by it and that is why I am taking this course.

You can listen to Dr. Cobb speak about what Z-Health on this free tele-seminar.  No sign up required just click the link.

Be Well,
Michael Reid
www.michaelreid.ca
www.waterpolotraining.net

PS  I have a new article up on waterpoloplanet.com called "Applying Mike's Top 10 Training Tips"

Why More Pulling Exercises? (www.WaterPoloTraining.net)

This is an article I wrote recently for www.WaterPoloTraining.net.

You can read it here:  Why More Pulling Exercises?

As you can probably guess it's about why I recommend more pulling exercise when compared to pushing exercises for Water Polo athletes.

Be Well,
Michael Reid
www.michaelreid.ca
www.waterpolotraining.ne

Water Polo Strength Training Program - Phase I

I put up a post on www.waterpolotraining.net yesterday outlining a strength program which could be used with a Water Polo player who is just starting weight training. 

It actually could be used for the advanced athlete as well with a few small tweaks.

You can see it here:

http://michaelreid.typepad.com/waterpolotraining/2009/05/water-polo-strength-training-youth-program-1.html

I have included videos and PDF downloads of the entire program.

Enjoy.

Mike Reid
www.michaelereid.ca
www.waterpolotraining.net

RKC Victim Training

At the RKC last weekend one of the tasks you must pass in order to graduate from the course is to demonstrate your ability to coach.

Everyone in the class gets a volunteer from the local community or what the RKC calls a victim to train for 1 hour.

During this time you have ~45-50 minutes to evaluate and coach the victim on how to use kettlebells and then you must put them through a short 10 minute training program.

During this entire hour you are constantly being evaluated by several instructors, for some of the RKC candidates this is very stressful. 

The #1 thing to remember is be safe and DO NOT hurt the victim! 

This means sticking to the basics and at the most getting to the "program minimum" from Enter the Kettlebell.

This is what I did with my victim

1. Introduction - name, age, brief medical history, exercise experience, movement limitations, job, ... and a few other things.

• name: Jimmy
• age: 44
• firefighter, distance runner, very little strength training experience
• chronic low back pain caused worse with flexion and long periods of sitting (basic lumbar flexion disorder)
• no medications or other medical issues
• slim build
• estimate he is around 70kg
• total time = ~5 minutes

2. Quick Movement Screen - before I start adding external load I want to make sure he is moving pain free and also to get an idea what I have to work with with respect to flexibility, mobility and general quality of movements.  I do the following movements.

• From standing he bends back with arms overhead and then forward (toe touch) about 3x each way, then does same with side bending.
• Reach both arms overhead and check range of motion (ROM) in lock out position.
• Deep squat
• He is pain free in all movements and has good mobility.  At this stage I feel I have a wide open window for teaching either the Swing and/or Turkish Get Up.  Not sure if I will have time to do both but we will see what happens.
• total time = ~5 minutes

3. Begin coaching squat and deadlift pattern.

• Teach Split Squat and RDL (Romanian Deadlift)
• Goblet Squat: 1st with out load then with 12kg KB, work the bottom position by pushing the knees out and prying side to side, also perform crush curls at bottom of squat to further mobilize the hips.
• Deadlift with 16kg KB
• total time = 15-20 minutes

4. Teach 2 handed Kettlebell Swing

• demonstrate the swing
• have him try it with 12kg KB
• work on body position at start and finish
• use some of the corrective drills taught in the RKC course.
• 1st drill is towel swing (slight improvement)
• Prone Bridge to set and feel whole body tension (2 x ~15s)
• Standing whole body tension in the top position of swing with out load
• Loading the Hamstrings and Glutes with the partner towel drill (bottom position of swing)
• In between each of these corrective drills we try the swing again for 5-10 reps and at some point we move up to a 16kg KB.
• total time = 15-20 minutes

5. 10 minute training program - use common sense here, I have taught him the goblet squat, deadift, prone bridge and the 2 handed swing.  None of the movements are perfect BUT he is doing them safely.  The last thing I want to do is to hurt the victim, that is a big, big, big, no no.

Training program:  The victim is to complete 5 rounds of the following circuit.

1. KB Deadlift 32kg/5 reps
2. 2 Hand KB Swing 16kg/10 reps
3. Crush Curls at bottom of Goblet Squat 12kg/5 reps
4. Rest ~30-60s or as needed

Of course through out this whole training program I am continually coaching the victim on his technique.

At the end of 5 rounds and after he catches his breath, I have the victim lye in the prone position, resting on his forearms.  This is generally good for everyone but really important for the victim because he has a history of low back pain when in flexion so I want to do the opposite and do some passive extension.

Also, as I have written about before (Rehab Tip - do the opposite), when one movement hurts, then in many cases doing the opposite will give a therapeutic effect.

Hope this helps out all the future RKC's.  If you have any questions of what I did please leave a comment.

If you are a RKC, do you remember what you did with your victim?  Please leave a comment.

Be Well,

Mike Reid

www.michaelreid.ca

www.waterpolotraining.net