On Sunday sandwiched in between some awesome family time with the wife and kids I filmed the first 1/2 of my video “Secrets and Staples of Training the Tennis Shoulder”. My friends Meryl and Mal Lemeshow helped my with the process. They were both extremely helpful and patient. Thank you “M&M”!

One of the concepts that I touched on in the video was the Kinetic Chain. That our body (or movement system) is interconnected and only as strong as it’s weakest link. To minimize risk of injury, maximize power production and provide longevity in our sport of choice we must be able to effective transfer force from the lower extremity through the core into the upper extremity (or vice verse). If you take a look at this picture, Anna has an excessive arch in her low back. She is not able to transfer all of the force generated from her lower body to her upper body because her core is unstable and weak. If she “leaks” or wastes only 10% of that energy from her lower body, her shoulder must generate an additional 14% of energy/velocity to have the same effect on the racket and ball speed. that is a big waste of energy never mind a significant amount of stress on the shoulder joint.

So remember, when training the shoulder, sometimes the most important part is making sure that everything above and below the shoulder are working optimally first:)

Thanks for reading!

Eric Beard
Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist
Corrective Exercise Specialist
theericbeard.blogspot.com
www.ericbeard.com

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Core Training

“Core” training is pretty trendy, but very important. A good definition of the core is “the lumbo-pelvic-hip-complex (LPHC), thoracic and cervical spine. Basically, anything but the arms and legs.  The core is where movement initiates and where our center of gravity lies.  It is crucial for transmitting force from the lower extremity up through the rest of the body or from the upper extremity down through the rest of the body. If the musculature within the core does not provide appropriate stability, force production will be reduced and the passive system (ligaments, discs, bones) will be exposed to excessive forces.

The musculature in the core can be categorized into two systems.

The stabilization system musculature is comprised of mostly Type I muscle fibers. Compared to Type II muscle fibers, they are smaller in size, have better endurance and can produce less force. They attach close to the spine and provide what is called inter-segmental or inter-vertebral stabilization. They help to maintain alignment of the vertebrae. 

Due to poor posture, muscular imbalances, poor technical skill or past injury, the stabilization muscles are often weak and inhibited (unable to reduce, produce or dynamically stabilize force), hard to control and have poor endurance. This is often times a major limiting factor to optimal athletic and daily performance. 

This is a HUGE contributing factor to low back pain!

Challenge

Are you a chest breather or a diaphragmatic breather?

1) place your left thumb in your belly button and let the rest of your palm support your “pooch” or lower abdomen. If you do not have a pooch eat moreJ

2) place your right hand just under your collar bones, on top of your sternum right in the middle of your chest with the palm flat against your body

3) take 3 or 4 deep breathes, what hand moves first> top or bottom? Which hand move ore top or bottom?

Tune in next time for your results and to see if you passed the challenge!!!

•         By training the core properly, this will strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine which can help prevent back pain.

•         By training the core properly, this will create a strong foundation for the prime movers, allowing you to lift more weight.

•         By training the core properly, this will enhance you or your client’s, patient’s or athlete’s cosmetic appearance by emphasizing the drawn-in abdominal region.

Thanks for reading and remember core training is critical for everyone, especially my tennis players!

Eric Beard
Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist
Corrective Exercise Specialist
theericbeard.blogspot.com
www.ericbeard.com

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Here is another bit from my book on preparation, training and recovery for tennis players…

Static stretching is a time tested, classic technique that has performed very well in research and in the trenches when trying to lengthen a shortened muscle. Static stretching is the process of bringing a joint or joints through a specific range of motion until the first point of tension is experienced, then strictly holding this position for at least 20-30 seconds until the muscle relaxes and allows one to go through a greater range of motion. I have found that people who do not stretch statically on a regular basis and people who are really tight fair best when instructed to hold their stretches for 30-60 seconds. Each stretch should be performed for a minimum of 2-3 times. Static stretching should be performed after SMR (self Myofascial Release) and Joint Mobs prior to athletic activity and as the final part of the cool down and recovery process again after SMR.

Many people have lobbied against the use us static stretching prior to athletic activity. Typically this has come from bits and pieces of research studies that looked at someone using static stretching only one time, not regularly as this system supports. Also, one of the most notorious research study that people site when bashing static stretching has the participants stretch muscles that probably don’t need to be stretched. Please notice that static stretching is used as a single step in athletic preparation and recovery in this system, not a stand alone tool. 

For now, follow the advice in the book, if a muscle is short, it won’t be as strong as it could be if you returned it to it’s natural resting length. I am not suggestions that you put your foot behind your head, old a paint brush in between your toes and paint a masterpiece while on dancing on the Ellen Degeneres Show or while debating Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report. Excessive range of motion can create joint instability, which is even worse than tight muscles. Typically gymnasts and figure skaters need to be ware of joint instability due to over stretching, I have NEVER met or worked with a tennis player that has done too much static stretching and either hurt themselves or caused permanent trauma to their joint capsules. However, most of the tennis players I have met or worked with, even those competing at the highest level, report not stretching enough according to their own standards. How many people have you heard say that they did not stretch-out or warm-up properly and ended injuring themselves?

 Here are some common static stretches that I recommend to most of my clients based on the assessments that I have performed and the research I have done with physical therapists, athletic trainers, chiropractors, physicians, osteopaths and orthopedic surgeons…

Thanks for reading!

Eric Beard

Corrective Exercise Specialist

Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist

www.ericbeard.com

theericbeard.blogspot.com

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People frequently ask me how often they should perform SMR. My question back to them is “how many times a day are they supposed to brush their teeth”? Well here in the Northeast, dentists have been telling me three times a day for as long as I can remember. People seem surprised that I would recommend performing flexibility techniques three times per day. Well, you only get one set of teeth, you should take good care of them and unlike teeth, muscles, tendons and fascia can’t really be replaced. Even if you only get one bout of SMR in a day, fine, at least know that more is better in most cases.

SMR involves the use of external pressure from just about any object to relax tight and over-active muscles and to break up adhesions in the muscle and fascia. We know that muscles that are left in a shortened position for extended periods of time tend to become over-active (such as the hip flexors and pectorals). Relaxing these muscles is a cornerstone to athletic preparation and recovery.

We also know that muscles and fascia that are stressed repetitively through posture or activity may form adhesions or restrictions that can limit blood flow to and natural movement of muscle fibers. Blood carried rich nutrients such as oxygen to muscles and carries waste products such as lactic acid away from muscles. When blood flow is limited, muscles can become sore and irritated and even develop trigger points. Trigger points are sore areas within a muscle than may send or refer; pain, numbness, tingling or other sensations to other parts of the same muscle or to entirely different muscles. Examples of this are; anterior (front) shoulder pain caused by trigger points in the posterior (back) musculature of the rotator cuff (shoulder) or a headache in the temple caused by a muscle in the neck. Trigger points are often caused by poor posture or repetitive movements. SMR can help to improve blood flow and eliminate trigger points. When muscles or fascia are stressed in a prolonged manner, again you guess it, by poor posture or repetitive movements they body may lay down protective fibers to splint or mobilize an area. These areas are microscopic in nature, but when even a few muscle cells are restricted, the impact can be felt throughout the length of the muscle, nearby joints and muscles surrounding those joints. Releasing these restrictions is a keystone to athletic preparation and recovery.

Think about Spiderman’s costume. If you took the fabric from his costume and stitched or bunched up some of the material around his calve, that would actually pull on the material down by his ankle, up to his knee and more subtly throughout the rest of his costume. His costume would be more prone to ripping when he went swinging from building to building and may even prevent him from running as fast or jumping as high.

So care for your soft tissue on a daily basis, so you are ready to spring into action! 

Other benefits of SMR are;

Contraindications for SMR are;

The following section shows common techniques for applying SMR to key areas of the body. The general approach is to (link to DVD on my site) roll slowly along the targeted area making note of any spots that are most tender. Then go back to the most tender spot and hold it for 30-60 seconds. The pressure and discomfort (yes there will be temporary discomfortJ) will then subside. Repeat this process for 2-3 spots per targeted area. You can then slowly roll across this area to flush out any toxins that may have been built up under that adhesion. You will find that some muscles or areas feel better to roll back and forth slowly and others you may have better luck holding statically as I have described. Either technique can work. I have had the best luck holding tender spots before athletic activities and rolling slowly afterwards as part of my recovery program. Research supports either technique, so experiment, as long as you roll SLOWLY! Only go about in an inch per second. The biggest mistake I see is people rolling back and forth like they are trying to light a fire between the roller and their leg. Not what we are after, that can actually tighten the muscle we are trying to relax and release.

SMR is the first step when beginning to prepare for an athletic activity, yes even before jogging or stretching. This technique will make the following techniques more effective. SMR should be used after athletic activity as part of the recovery process, ideally after a 5-10 minute bout of low intensity cardio and before static stretching.

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The largest environmental concern for people exercising out doors is probably humidity, but cold temperatures can hamper athletic fun too. I think of the poor “polar bear” swimmers who take a plunge into the Boston Harbor on January first every year and I have earnest concern for their safety.

Thermal conductivity of water is about 25 times greater than that of air. These nut job swimmers can be losing body heat 25 times faster than if they were not submerged in water. As heat production in the drops below heat loss, hypothermia can set in. In addition to heat loss do to submersion in cold water, hypothermia is also influenced by insulation of the human body, external temperature, vapor pressure, wind and energy production. Athletes who train out doors are susceptible to hypothermia in region like the Northeast. Wearing appropriate clothing that will wick water away from the body and covering the head are two measures in addition to using common sense about prolonged exposure to elements that can help prevent hypothermia. If an athlete were to contract hypothermia; get them out of the cold, remove wet clothing, provide warm; drinks, clothing and sleeping bag (perhaps even climbing in the sleeping bag with them for heat if their condition is severe enough) and find a source of heat.

So the next time you feel compelled to play some snow tennis during a Nor'Easter, keep these tips in mind and let me know how the ball bounces! I might just fire up some Wii Tennis now!

...and if you decide to exercise outside in the winter, remember to cover your head and wear clothes that will wick moisture way from your body!

Thanks for Reading.

Eric Beard

Corrective Exercise Specialist

Athletic performance Enhancement Specialist

theericbeard.blogspot.com

www.ericbeard.com

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I do know that low back injuries during shoveling are common. Eve if they are not full on injuries, the tightness and soreness that can accompany shoveling can knock someone off their pins for a few days. One of my best friends who I play hockey with is in decent enough shape tweaked his back and missed our game a week ago because of shoveling. Yes he jogs and plays hockey, but he does not do specific flexibility or specific core exercises to help keep his back stable and hips strong. The typical progression is to just buy a snow blower and not worry about the shoveling, but that just covers up a symptom. Most people have “tightness” in their low backs and weak core stabilizers because they sit all day and do not invest the time needed to undo the hours if poor posture. Therefore, their low back muscles get tired and fatigued and sore prematurely during activities like shoveling, playing tennis , gardening or lifting weights. We need to invest time and energy to putting ourselves back in alignment so we can enjoy physical activity. I guarantee I had more fun sledding with my kids than the parents who stood at the top of the hill and I probably shoveled more than them that morning b/c I don’t use a snow blower. I also stretch and do quality core training regularly.

If you want to learn more about keeping your low back healthy, check this out http://tinyurl.com/9xvy8f

Thanks for reading and enjoy the winter!

Eric Beard
Corrective Exercise Specialist
Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist
theericbeard.blogspot.com
www.ericbeard.com

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Here is another short 2 and 1/2 minute instructional video that shows you how to stretch it out to keep your low back healthy and maximize athletic performance.

Thanks for reading/watching!

Eric Beard
Corrective Exercise Specialist
Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist
theericbeard.blogspot.com
www.ericbeard.com

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Here is another short 2 and 1/2 minute instructional video that shows you how to stretch it out to keep your low back healthy and maximize athletic performance.

Thanks for reading/watching!

Eric Beard
Corrective Exercise Specialist
Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist
theericbeard.blogspot.com
www.ericbeard.com

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