This instructional video on shoulder stability by Brandi Smith, PT will help your athlete attain the necessary shoulder stability to achieve peak amplitude, optimize peak performance, enhance shaping and prevent injury. Proper muscle balance and neuromuscular recruitment between all shoulder complex and rotator cuff muscles must be achieved to optimize shoulder complex mobility and stability. This video includes a step by step progression of shoulder mobility and stability exercises to retrain muscle firing patterns, functional movement patterns, and decrease muscle imbalances. Following this progression will help your athlete achieve their goals while staying healthy.
“A stable shoulder complex is imperative to transfer forces through the body to achieve peak performance…”
“Proper movement patterns and neuromuscular recruitment is the key to upper body power…”
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This video is great for gymnast, dancers, cheerleaders, crossfit athletes, and anyone looking to improve their core!
This instructional video on core recruitment by Brandi Smith, PT will help your athlete achieve proper core recruitment to optimize peak performance, enhance shaping, and prevent injury. Proper neuromuscular recruitment and motor sequencing of the abdominals is imperative to initiate the internal abdominal muscles which stabilize the low back. This video includes a step by step progression of abdominal exercises utilizing manual blood pressure cuff for biofeedback to retrain muscle firing patterns and decrease muscle imbalances. Following the progression will help your athlete achieve the shaping every judge is looking for and help keep their body healthy.
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Written by: Kristin Dugan, SPT
The goal of every athlete is to be the best competitor in their sport. Some may think you need fancy equipment, expensive clothing, or the latest and greatest trend to be the best you can be. Although these things can be very helpful when training for your sport, you must have basic nutrition taken care before any of these luxuries can be beneficial to you. So, for the next few weeks, we will be talking about the basic elements of nutrition and how they impact you as a competitive athlete. Last time we talked about carbohydrates. Read more
Written by: Kristin Dugan, SPT
The goal of every athlete is to be the best competitor in their sport. Some may think you need fancy equipment, expensive clothing, or the latest and greatest trend to be the best you can be. Although these things can be very helpful when training for your sport, you must have basic nutrition taken care before any of these luxuries can be beneficial to you. So, for the next few weeks, we will be talking about the basic elements of nutrition and how they impact you as a competitive athlete.
Today, let’s talk about….CARBOHYDRATES!
You have probably heard a lot about carbohydrates, but you may not have gotten the full picture or all the facts yet. There are a lot of opinions, as well as misconceptions, about carbohydrates, so it can be confusing as to what to believe. Most consider carbs to be “bad”, “fattening”, and something to be avoided, however carbohydrates are essential to your diet and can be very influential to your performance. The question should not be whether or not you should have carbs, but rather which TYPES of carbs you should consume and at what times.
What is a carbohydrate?
Carbohydrates are one of the three fuel sources the body uses to function. Carbohydrates, or sugars, are densely packed with energy, and can be consumed by food or beverage.
Why are carbohydrates important for athletes?
- Carbohydrates are needed for all activities—whether you are weight lifting, running a marathon, or sprinting toward a vault, you need carbs to fuel the activity. You need other nutrients as well, but without carbs, you would not be able to move longer than a few seconds.
- Fat burns in a carbohydrate flame—as weird as it sounds, you must have carbohydrates in order to burn fat. Fat cannot be broken down by the body without using carbohydrates to fuel the process.
- Carbohydrates are at the heart of brain function—brain cells have double the energy demand of any other cell in your body, and they can only be fueled by carbohydrates. The part of the brain that needs the most glucose (carbohydrate) is the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory.
Are all carbohydrates the same?
Carbohydrates are generally classified as simple or complex. Simple means the sugars are easy to break down by the body and enter the blood stream rapidly after you eat them. Complex means the body takes longer to break them down so the sugars enter the blood stream more gradually. Simple sugars should generally be avoided because the only give you a short burst of energy followed by an energy crash, leaving you feeling tired and distracted. Complex carbs are preferred because they give you energy more evenly after being eaten, so you do not “crash” afterward.
Click the following link for examples of simple vs. complex carbs: http://www.floridahealth.gov/chdcollier/smartgrowth/Documents/HealthTips/complexvssimplecarbohydrates.pdf
How many carbohydrates do I need each day in order to maintain a competitive edge?
Your body’s carbohydrate stores are depleted by the time you wake up in the morning, so a healthy breakfast is essential to starting your day off right. Follow the guidelines below to maximize your daily and physical activities.
Here are some general guidelines for carbohydrates:
- For general nutrition needs, <1 hour of moderate intensity exercise: 5-7 g/kg (2-3 g/lb) daily (ex: 100 lb body weight requires 200-300 grams of carbohydrates in one day)
- For 5-6 hours of moderate intensity exercise: 10-12 g/kg (4.5-5.5 g/lb) daily (ex: 100 lb body weight requires 450-550 grams of carbohydrates in one day)
- Consume simple carbs combined with protein 20 minutes before and immediately after exercise
- Consume complex carbs throughout the day, evenly spaced at 2-3 hour intervals
Now that you know more about carbohydrates, are they your friend or your foe? THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
Written by: Kristin Dugan, SPT (Texas State Physical Therapy)
The goal of every athlete is to be the best competitor in their sport. Some may think you need fancy equipment, expensive clothing, or the latest and greatest trend to be the best you can be. Although these things can be very helpful when training for your sport, you must have basic nutrition taken care before any of these luxuries can be beneficial to you. So, for the next few weeks we will be talking about the basic elements of nutrition and how they impact you as a competitive athlete.
Today, let’s talk about….HYDRATION!
Why is hydration important for athletes?
- 60-65% of your body weight is made up of water, and 75% of muscle is water—good hydration is important to keep your body and muscles working properly, especially during practice and competition.
- Compared to adults, children and young teens have a decreased ability to release heat built up in their body during physical activity—water is the best and most efficient way to cool your body down.
- Good hydration helps prevent injury—drink water to spend more time in the gym training, and less time sitting out at practice when you could be perfecting your skills.
How much water do I need to drink each day in order to maintain a competitive edge?
You must drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated, NOT just before practice or events. Each person’s hydration needs depend on their size, the amount of physical activity performed that day, and the nature of the physical activity being performed.
Here are some general guidelines and helpful tips to meet your daily hydration:
- Consume at least half your body weight in ounces of water each day (ex: 100 lbs = 50 fl oz)
- Drink at least 16 ounces of fluids 2-3 hours before practice or events, then 8 ounces within 20 minutes of the start time
- Drink every 15-20 minutes during exercise
- Drink room temperature water during the day for faster absorption, but cool water during practice and competition to prevent overheating
- You are more likely to drink more water if you drink through a straw
- For every 1 mg of caffeine that you consume
What are some great things to know about water?
1. Some foods can help keep you hydrated due to their high water content:
- Oatmeal (84% water)
- Low-fat milk (90% water)
- Lettuce (99.5% water)
- Tomato (95% water)
- Broccoli (89% water)
- Low-fat yogurt (79% water)
2. Water is a natural appetite suppressant and helps speed up your metabolism
3. Water cleanses your body of toxins and reduces the stress and demand on your body to give you more energy.
4. Water helps build muscle tone, prevents muscle cramping, and helps your joints to move better
5. You are more likely to drink more water if you drink it through a straw
Now that you know the importance of hydration, WATER-you waiting for? GO DRINK SOME FLUIDS!
It can be hard as a parent, coach, or athlete to determine if you or your athlete is feeling pain verses normal muscle soreness. I would like to help define muscle soreness verses injury.
*What is the difference between muscle soreness and injury?
Muscle soreness: felt in the muscle belly, lasting 1-2 days post intense workout, felt upon stretch or contraction of the muscle, progressively decreasing in intensity.
Injury: pain felt without change in activity, lasting more than 3 days post workout, felt upon rest, outside the muscle belly such as joint lines, tendon and ligament insertions, consistent pain (ie. pain with specific skills such as handstands, backwalkovers, dismounts, and etc.), leading to disability, no change over time or progressively worsening, redness, swelling, or numbness and tingling are present.
*What are signs and symptoms my athlete is having pain which is related to injury but may not be telling me?
Icing or heating after practice. Taking NSAIDs (Ibprofen, Tylenol, alieve). Limping at home or after certain skills or events. Favoring one side on skills. Athlete not being as aggressive as normal. A lot of balking or not wanting to perform a skill. Excessively rubbing certain body parts. Wincing with impact or landings. May develop what appears to be a fear of a skill, but is actually avoidance of pain. Noticeable swelling or bruising
*What should I do if I suspect injury?
If you expect injury it is best to seek assistance from a medical provider sooner than later. Develop a relationship with a physical therapist or doctor who can assess the athlete to determine injury verses muscle soreness. Pain is an indicator that something is malfunctioning; it is your body asking for assistance. The longer you ignore the bodies cry for help the more break down will result. Therefore, when you feel these abnormal sensations, learn to recognize them, listen to your bodies cry for help and take action. Taking action sooner than later will result in decreased healing times, faster recovery time, less time loss from the gym, and faster return to full sport activities.
Blog written by: Alicia Shugart, Texas State Physical Therapy Student and Brandi Smith-Young, PT
Photo from Shannonmillerlifestyle.com
www.perfect10physicaltherapy.com