Stuff You Should Read: 6/22/10

Written on June 22, 2010 at 5:41 am, by Eric Cressey

Some recommended reading for the week:

Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball – Knowing I work with a lot of baseball guys, Jedd Johnson sent me a copy of his new e-book on forearm training the other day.  Just as I’ve come to expect from the Diesel Crew guys, I picked up some innovative new exercises that we’re going to incorporate with our athletes moving forward.  It’s definitely worth picking up.

Perform Better-Providence Review – This is a lengthy (and a bit all over the place) blog from Charlie Weingroff, but the bulletpointed information for each presentation he attended is excellent.

Strength Coaches Doing Heavy Lifting – This is a pretty cool ESPN article outlining how the role of the strength coach in the college setting has evolved, and what it means in some bigger D-1 football programs.

Please enter your email below to sign up for our FREE newsletter.

Random Friday Thoughts: 8/7/09

Written on August 7, 2009 at 6:49 am, by Eric Cressey

Back to the Friday randomness…

1.  A few weeks ago, Matt Fitzgerald (my co-author from Maximum Strength) and I filmed a series of “Monday Minute” segements for Competitor.com.  Basically, it’s a weekly one-minute exercise demonstration and description along with the rationale for that exercise.  Here’s this week’s:

Wasn’t that fun?

2. One of the resounding themes at this past weekend’s Perform Better Summit in Long Beach was “invest in yourself.”  It’s no coincidence that all the presenters at this year’s event agreed that devoting time, effort, and funds to continuing education was a huge part of their success.  In a dynamic field like fitness/strength and conditioning, if you’re not getting better, you’re falling behind.

Alwyn Cosgrove wrote a good blog the other day about how he and his wife Rachel have used this mindset to establish one of the best staffs of trainers in the country.  Likewise, Mike Reinold published an essential list of the best titles in physical therapy, athletic training, strength and conditioning, manual therapy, etc. here last week. Just being around guys like Alwyn and the rest of the presenters makes you want to get better and better, and reading stuff like this from Mike reaffirms that mindset.  Not coincidentally, this weekend preceded my twice-a-year book buying shopping spree.  I purchased ten books online last night and can’t wait to start devouring them.

So, I guess the question for the weekend is, “What are you doing to get better?”  Let’s hear what you are going to do in the next week to set yourself apart in your chosen field.  Are you going to read a book?  Attend a seminar?  Watch a colleague in practice or call him/her to talk shop?  If you’re not getting better, you’re falling behind.

3. This is the most flat-out atrocious piece of journalism I’ve seen in my entire life:

Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin

Talk about skewing research to tell the story to which you’re clearly biased  in order to generate some controversy!  There is no mention of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or the difference among different types of exercise (steady-state cardio, interval training, resistance training). There isn’t any discussion of visceral versus subcanteous fat loss.

And, it isn’t that exercise won’t make you thinner; it’s that exercise combined with increased calories may not make you thinner. In other words, exercise is good, but morons are bad.

This is a perfect example of a journalist who clearly knows NOTHING about exercise interviewing a bunch of experts and then presenting one side of a story without making some very important qualifying statements (trust me, I’ve seen this multiple times before when freelance writers have interviewed me for stories for mainstream magazines).  In this writer’s case, those qualifying statements should be:

a. “Research has shown that exercise in conjunction with a maintenance or reduction in calories does increase fat loss as compared to maintaining or reducing calories alone.”

b. “I really am in no way qualified to write this article.  In fact, I’m probably not even smart enough to turn on a treadmill, so they just put me on this hamster wheel in my cubicle to make me feel somewhat qualified to discuss exercise.”

Honestly, I could go on all day ranting and raving about this, but such rubbish journalism isn’t even worth my time.  Instead, I’d just encourage you to give up Time Magazine altogether for publishing such crap.  I know I will be doing so.

Have a good weekend.

Back from California…

Written on August 5, 2009 at 7:00 pm, by Eric Cressey

You probably noticed that there wasn’t a blog post on Tuesday, and I’m only now getting around to this at 9PM on Wednesday night.  It’s because my fiancee and I returned from California early this morning after five days of fun – including the Perform Better Summit in Long Beach, my staff in-service for Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove’s staff at their facility in Newhall, and a visit to my buddy Scot Prohaska and his place down in Huntington Beach.  Needless to say, it was a very busy trip – but that’s not to say that we didn’t have some fun.  Muscle Beach, anyone?

Don’t worry, though; I actually did get a bit of relaxation in.  Just give me a day to get back in the groove, dig myself out of the giant landfill that is my email inbox, and I’ll be kicking out new content in no time.

Random Friday Thoughts: 7/31/09

Written on July 31, 2009 at 6:44 am, by Eric Cressey

1. As you read this blog, I’ll be taking in (and presenting at) the Perform Better Summit in Long Beach, CA.  You, on the other hand, will be missing out on the fun.  Sorry, dude.

Actually, the next best thing for you would be to check out the Perform Better website, as they have their big end-of-summer sale going on right now.  You can get everything from massage tools, to med balls, to kettlebells at big discounts.

You can’t buy people to throw around as weights, but let’s be honest; that’s soooo British.

2. Cressey Performance athlete Danny O’Connor will be boxing tonight on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.  Danny is looking to run his professional record to 8-0.  I know I’ll be looking all over on Friday night to find a TV to check out our man in action, and I’d encourage you to do the same, too.

3. Congratulations to CP athlete Mitch Perez, who threw a no-hitter in the opening game of the Central Mass Senior Babe Ruth World Series.  Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, another CP athlete, Eric Reale, threw a one-hitter the same day, and Matt McGavick threw a complete game shutout to win the series.  Nice work, fellas!

4. Those of you who (like me) deal with young athletes on a daily basis have probably come across loads of parents who wonder whether resistance training is bad for kids who are still developing.  Obviously, we know that isn’t the case – but relating it to these parents isn’t always as easy as you might think.  Fortunately, the NSCA just updated its position statement on Youth Resistance Training.  You can check it out HERE.

5. In case you missed this week’s newsletter (and you should be subscribed!), here it is – complete with a look how to avoid shoulder pain during push-ups.

Have a great weekend!

Strength Training Programs: A Quick Fix for Painful Push-ups

Written on July 28, 2009 at 6:48 pm, by Eric Cressey

Q: I've read a lot from you, Robertson, and Hartman about including push-up variations in strength training programs is really important for shoulder health.  Unfortunately, whenever I do them, I have pain in my bum shoulder.  Any ideas what to do?

A: Well, obviously, there are two things we need to rule out:

1. You may simply have a really irritated shoulder, which (in most cases) means that any sort of approximation or protraction movement could get it angrier, even if it is a closed-chain movement like the push-up that is normally pretty shoulder-friendly.  Likewise, if you have a significant acromioclavicular joint injury, the extension range-of-motion at the bottom of a push-up could exacerbate your symptoms.  So, obviously, the first step is to rule out if something is structurally wrong with your shoulder, and if so, if the push-up even belongs in your strength training program.

2. Your technique might just be atrocious.  If the elbows are flared out, hips are sagging, and/or you're in a forward head posture, simply changing your technique may very well alleviate those symptoms.  In a good push-up, the elbows should be tucked to a 45-degree angle to the body, with the hips, torso, neck, and head in a straight line.  The muscles of the upper back should essentially "pull" you down into the bottom position:

Once you've ruled out those two issues and still have some annoying issues, there is one more thing you can try: simply elevate the feet.  Looking to the research, Lear and Gross found that performing push-ups with the feet elevated significantly increased activation of the serratus anterior (SA).

If we can get more SA recruitment and less pectoralis minor contribution, it keeps us out of a position of scapular anterior tilt, which mechanically decreases the subacromial space through which the rotator cuff tendons pass.  In the picture below, think of the area just below the word "acromion" being smaller, and then picture what would happen to the tendons that pass through that region; they get impinged.  Serratus anterior (along with lower trapezius) can help prevent that.

That said, I've seen quite a few folks with persistent shoulder pain with bench pressing variations (barbell and DBs) and regular push-ups who were able to do the feet-elevated versions completely pain free in their strength training programs.  Obviously, begin with just body weight and see how it goes, but over time, you can start to add resistance and use the single-leg version.

Related Posts
High Performance Training without the Equipment: 5 Pushup Variations
High Performance Training without the Equipment: 6 More Pushup Variations

Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a deadlift technique tutorial!

MRIs vs. Movement

Written on June 18, 2009 at 6:04 am, by Eric Cressey

As many of you know, earlier this week, I spent three days at a huge sports medicine conference organized by Mass General Hospital in conjunction with the Harvard University Medical School.  It was a great event geared toward sports orthopedists, radiologists, physical therapists, and athletic trainers; I was very humbled to have been invited to present alongside some of the brightest minds in the sports medicine world.  The discussions on surgical technique, physical examinations, etiology of injuries, biomechanics, rehabilitation, and return-to-play guidelines were absolutely fantastic.  The stuff that caught my attention the most, though, actually came in the discussion of imaging – MRIs, MRAs, and x-rays – by some of the best radiologists in the world.

Several of these brilliant radiologists made specific points of commenting on how not every abnormality you see on diagnostic imaging constitutes a symptom-causing issues.  A perfect example would be a SLAP 1 (superior labrum fraying) in a baseball pitcher, which is completely normal for 79% of major league pitchers.  Just because the labrum is fraying doesn’t mean that the pitcher is going to be in pain; it’s a passive stabilizer, and the active restraints (rotator cuff, scapular stabilizers) can get stronger to pick up the slack.  Likewise, just because a player is having shoulder pain and he has a SLAP 1 lesion on imaging doesn’t mean that the frayed labrum is the cause.  It could be coming from the biceps tendon or rotator cuff, for instance, and the labral issue is just “there.”

So what does that mean for strength and conditioning professionals?  Well, as I wrote in Inefficiency vs. Pathology, there isn’t a whole lot we can do to effect favorable changes in what diagnostic imaging looks like, but we can go out of our way to ensure that clients and athletes move efficiently and have adequate muscular strength, stability, and tissue quality.

This is actually my exact topic on the Perform Better tour (next stop is Long Beach at the end of July).  If you can’t make it to Long Beach, I’d highly encourage you to check out these previous writings of mine:

Inefficiency vs. Pathology (noted above)

To Squat or Not to Squat

An Interview with Dr. Jason Hodges

The Proactive Patient

Friday Night Journals

Written on June 2, 2009 at 5:11 am, by Eric Cressey

I usually write my blog posts a few days in advance – and that’s the case with today’s blog, which I’m actually writing on Friday night, May 29. It’s 10:31PM, and I’m not going to lie: I’m absolutely exhausted (and, I guess it technically should be called “tonight’s blog,” even if it’s published four days after I write it).

My fiancee had a pre-graduation party of sorts to attend with some classmates, and because I was covering the gym until 5:30PM (and Friday traffic in Boston is a pain in the butt), I wasn’t home in time to tag along.  Since I’m pretty beat and I missed out on my chance to have some fun tonight, I decided to make lemonade out of rotten lemons.

Sure, I wrote a few programs for athletes and answered a few emails, but the “excitement” for my night was a chance to get better as a coach.  You see, I delved into the folder I keep on my desktop entitled “Overhead Throwing Journal Articles.”  Essentially, this folder is full of PDFs of all sorts of studies relating to baseball – from injury prevention, to performance, to characteristics of successful athletes.  Call me a dork, but it’s a Friday night, and I’m psyched to be reading this stuff.

Why?  Well, I want to be the best in the world at developing baseball talent – for my sake, my family’s sake, and most importantly, for the athletes who trust their development to me.  Baseball players account for 74% of the Cressey Performance clientele, and I feel it’s my obligation to them to be as on-top of things as is humanly possible.

I don’t want this to come across as a “hooray for me” post, so I’m trying to choose my words wisely – but I can honestly say that I HATE not knowing something.  It’s a hatred that’s driven me to read everything I can get my hands on and make the most of the valuable experiences I’ve been afforded and relationships I’ve cultivated with bright minds in related fields of study.

A few weekends ago, during the Q&A section of the Perform Better Summit in Providence, Al Vermeil – quite possibly the best strength and conditioning coach of all time (has won multiple Super Bowl and NBA Championship rings) – came right out and said (paraphrased, as I recall it), “I’m tired of hearing about people in the fitness industry asking about how to make more money.  The only thing I ever focused on was becoming a better coach.  Get really good at what you do and then you’ll make enough money.”

It really rang true for me, as my mindset all along has always been to just keep getting smarter and smarter: something that’s easy for me to work toward, as I genuinely love what I do.  I often get asked how I have accomplished so much by age 28, and the answer is that I really love it, and work has never been about a paycheck.  It’s been about gathering, interpreting, utilizing, and disseminating information – to my athletes and reading/viewing audiences.

So, I guess you could say that a Friday night with a collection of journal articles isn’t such a bad thing.  I’m guessing Al Vermeil had plenty of “Journal Fridays” along the way to all those rings.  When was the last time you set aside a Friday night (or several of them) to get better in your chosen field?

Strength and Conditioning Programs: Rethinking Interval Training

Written on May 5, 2009 at 9:42 am, by Eric Cressey

Rethinking Interval Training

I love interval training, but one of the problems we commonly run into – particularly if someone isn’t prepared physically to sprint, or doesn’t have a place to do it because of weather restrictions – is that repetitive, low-amplitude motions are our only options.  In other words, it has to just be cycling, elliptical, or stairclimber.  While slideboard work, medicine ball medleys, barbell complexes, and sled pushing definitely help to work around these problems, when it comes down to it, many of them still don’t give certain folks the variety they need in their exercise programming.

In our Building the Efficient Athlete seminar, Mike Robertson and I spoke about the law of repetitive motion: I = NF/AR

In this equation, injury equals the number of repetitions multiplied by the frequency of those repetitions, divided by the amplitude of each repetition times the rest interval.  While you can attack each of these five factors differently (and I will in a future newsletter), the take-home point with respect to today’s discussion is that simply increasing the amplitude – or range-of-motion – in one’s daily life can reduce (or eliminate) the presence or severity of overuse conditions.

For that reason, I often substitute one or both of two different training modalities for client’s interval training.

The first is dynamic flexibility circuits with little to no rest between sets.  In this scenario, we program 2-3 different mobility/activation drills for each inefficiency the athlete displays, and then combine them in a series of drills.  Ideally, as many of these drills are done in the standing position as possible.  Let’s say a client has poor thoracic spine mobility, a horrific Thomas test, bad glute function, and poor hip external rotation.  Here’s what his circuit might look like:

a) 1-leg supine bridge

b) wall hip flexor mobilizations

c) 3-point extension-rotations

d) cradle walks

e) overhead lunge walks

f) walking spiderman with overhead reach

g) yoga push-ups

h) 1-leg SLDL walks

(you can find videos of many of these exercises in the Assess and Correct DVD set, and I’ll have more information on the rest down the road)

Is this circuit going to completely “gas” an athlete?  Absolutely not.  However, it is going to make him/her better in light of the inefficiencies I outlined above – and you don’t have to leave the gym exhausted to have improved.

The second option is to simply take a series of resistance training exercises with a corrective emphasis (sometimes integrates with the drills outlined above) and put them in a series of supersets.  For these exercises, the load utilized should only be about 30% of 1-rep max.  I outlined this option a while back in my article, Cardio Confusion. Here’s an example I used with an online consulting client recently:

A1) Overhead broomstick walking Lunges (3×10/side)

A2) Push-ups (3×12)

B1) Face pulls (3×15)

B2) Body weight only reverse lunges (3×10/side)

C1) 1-leg SLDL Walk (2×6/side)

C2) Band external rotations – arm adducted (2×15/side)

D1) Behind-the-neck band pullaparts (2×15)

D2) Bowler Squats (2×10/side)

This series is preceded by foam rolling and a dynamic flexibility warm-up, and can be followed by more “traditional” interval training.

Like I said earlier, I’m still all for both traditional and non-traditional interval training.  Initiative like I outlined above, though, can serve as a nice change of pace and work in corrective exercise while keeping the heart rate up.  Be as creative as you’d like and you’ll see great results; the sky is the limit in terms of the combinations you can use.

Enter your email below to subscribe to our FREE newsletter:

Interval Training: HIIT or Miss

Written on March 8, 2009 at 7:42 am, by Eric Cressey

Today, we’ve got a special guest post from Michael Boyle of StrengthCoach.com.  This is some fantastic stuff – definitely one of the most comprehensive articles I’ve seen on the topic of interval training

Interval Training- HIIT or Miss?

I think every fat loss article we read espouses the value of interval training for fat loss. In fact the term HIIT (for High Intensity Interval Training) is thrown around so much that many people just assume they know what it is. However, among all the recommendations I see to perform HIIT, very few articles contain any practical information as to what to do or how to do it. I have to confess that I stumbled into this area somewhat accidentally. Two different processes converged to make me understand that I might be a fat loss expert and not know it. In my normal process of professional reading I read both Alwyn Cosgrove’s Afterburn and Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training. What struck me immediately was that what these experts were recommending for fat loss looked remarkably like the programs we used for conditioning.

At the time I was reading these programs, I was also training members of the U.S. Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey team. It seemed all of the female athletes I worked with attempted to use steady state cardio work as a weight loss or weight maintenance vehicle. I was diametrically opposed to this idea as I felt that steady state cardiovascular work undermined the strength and power work we were doing in the weight room. My policy became “intervals only” if you wanted to do extra work. I did not do this as a fat loss strategy but rather as a “slowness prevention” strategy. However, a funny thing happened. The female athletes that we prevented from doing steady state cardiovascular work also began to get remarkably leaner. I was not bright enough to put two and two together until I read the above-mentioned manuals and realized that I was doing exactly what the fat loss experts recommended. We were on a vigorous strength program and we were doing lots of intervals.

With that said, the focus of this article will be not “why,” as we have already heard the “why” over and over, but “how.” How do I actually perform HIIT? To begin, we need to understand exactly what interval training is? In the simplest sense, interval training is nothing more than a method of exercise that uses alternating periods of work and rest. The complicated part of interval training may be figuring out how to use it.  How much work do I do? How hard should I do it? How long should I rest before I do it again?

Interval training has been around for decades. However, only recently have fitness enthusiasts around the world been awakened to the value. The recent popularity of interval training has even given it a new name in the literature. Interval training is often referred to as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), and it is now the darling of the fat loss and conditioning worlds. Truth is, you can also do low intensity interval training. In fact most people should not start with HIIT but LIIT. HIIT may make you vomit if you don’t work into it.

Research Background

In case you have been in a cave for the last decade let’s quickly review some research. A recent study, done in Canada at McMaster University and often referenced as the Gibala Study after lead researcher Martin Gibala, compared 20 minutes of high intensity interval training, consisting of a 30 second sprint followed by a four minute rest, with 90 to 120 minutes in the target heart rate zone. The result was amazing. Subjects got the same improvement in oxygen utilization from both programs. What is more amazing is that the 20 minute program only requires about two minutes and 30 seconds of actual work.

A second study that has become known as the Tabata study again shows the extreme benefits of interval training. Tabata compared moderate intensity endurance training at about 70 percent of VO2 max to high intensity intervals done at 170 percent of VO2 max. Tabata used a unique protocol of 20 seconds work to 10 seconds rest done in seven to eight bouts. This was basically a series of 20 second intervals performed during a four-minute span. Again, the results were nothing short of amazing. The 20/10 protocol improved the VO2 max and the anaerobic capabilities more than the steady state program.

Further evidence for the superiority of higher intensity work can be found in the September/October 2006 issue of the ACSM Journal. Dr. David Swain stated “running burns twice as many calories as walking.” This is great news for those who want to lose body fat. I am not a running advocate, but we can put to rest another high intensity (running) versus low intensity (walking) debate.

Do the math. Swain states that a 136-pound person walking will burn 50 cal/mile and proportionally more as the subject’s weight increases. In other words, a 163-pound person would weigh 20 percent more and, as a result, burn 20 percent more calories. This means that expenditure goes from 50 to 60 calories, also a 20 percent increase. Swain goes on to state that running at seven mph burns twice as many calories as walking at four mph. This means a runner would burn 100 calories in roughly eight and one half minutes or about 11 calories a minute. The walker at four miles per hour would burn 50 calories in 15 minutes (the time it would take to walk a mile at four MPH). That’s less than four calories per minute of exercise. Please understand that this is less a testament for running and more a testament for high intensity work versus low intensity work. More intensity equals greater expenditure per minute.

Interval Training Methods

There are two primary ways to performing interval training. The first is the conventional Work-to-Rest method. This is the tried and true method most people are familiar with. The Work-to-Rest method uses a set time interval for the work period and a set time interval for the rest period. Ratios are determined, and the athlete or client rests for generally one, two or three times the length of the work interval before repeating the next bout. The big drawback to the Work to Rest method is that time is arbitrary. We have no idea what is actually happening inside the body. We simply guess. In fact, for many years, we have always guessed, as we had no other “measuring stick.”

Heart Rate Method

With the mass production of low cost heart rate monitors, we are no longer required to guess. The future of interval training lies with accurate, low cost heart rate monitors. We are no longer looking at time as a measure of recovery, as we formerly did in our work-to-rest ratios. We are now looking at physiology. What is important to understand is that heart rate and intensity are closely related. Although heart rate is not a direct and flawless measure of either intensity or recovery status, it is far better than simply choosing a time interval to rest. To use the heart rate method, simply choose an appropriate recovery heart rate. In our case, we use 60 percent of theoretical max heart rate. After a work interval of a predetermined time or distance is completed, the recovery is simply set by the time it takes to return to the recovery heart rate. When using HR response, the whole picture changes. Initial recovery in well-conditioned athletes and clients is often rapid and shorter than initially thought. In fact, rest to work ratios may be less than 1-1 in the initial few intervals. An example of a sample workout using the heart rate method for a well-conditioned athlete or client is show below.

• Interval 1 – Work 60 sec rest 45 sec
• Interval 2 – Work 60 sec rest 60 sec
• Interval 3 – Work 60 sec rest 75 sec
• Interval 4 – Work 60 sec rest 90 sec

*In a conventional 2-1, time based program the rest period would have been too long for the first three intervals, rendering them potentially less effective. The reverse may be true in a de-conditioned athlete or client. I have seen young, de-conditioned athletes need rest up to eight times as long as the work interval. In fact, we have seen athletes who need two minutes rest after a 15 second interval. In the heartrate method the rest times gradually get longer. Th first interval is 1-.75 while the last interval is 1 to 1.5,

The Problem with Formulas

At least 70 percent of the population does not fit into our age-old theoretical formulas. The 220 minus age formula is flawed on two key points: it doesn’t fit a significant portion of the population, and it is not based on research. Even the developer of the now-famous formula admits that his thoughts were taken out of context. The more accurate method is called the Heart Rate Reserve Method or Karvonen formula.

Karvonen Formula
(Max HR- Resting HR) x %+ RHR= THR
Ex- (200-60) x.8 +60 = 172

The key to the Karvonen formula is that it looks at larger measures of fitness by incorporating the resting heart rate and is therefore less arbitrary. However, the two twenty minus age formula will suffice for establishing recovery heart rates.
Interval Training Basics

The longer the interval, the shorter the rest period as a percentage of the interval. In other words, short intervals have a high muscular demand and will require longer rests when viewed as a percentage of the interval. Fifteen second intervals will need at least a 2-1 rest to work ration. Three to one will work better for beginners.

Interval Rest Recommendations (Work-to-Rest Based)
- 15 sec. Beginners at least 45 sec (3-1), more advanced 30 sec (2-1)
- 30 sec. Rest 1:00 to 1:30 (3-1 or 2-1)
- 1:00. Rest 1:00- 2:00 (2-1 or 1-1)

Just remember, as the intervals get longer, the recovery time, as it relates to the interval, may not need to be as long. In other words, a fifteen second sprint may require 30-45 seconds rest but a two minute interval may only need to be followed by a two minute rest.

Aerobic Intervals?

The biggest benefit of interval training is that you can get a tremendous aerobic workout without the boredom of long steady state bouts of exercises. In fact as the Gibala study demonstrated, you can get superior benefits for both fitness and fat loss by incorporating interval training. If the heart rate is maintained above the theoretical 60 percent threshold proposed for aerobic training, then the entire session is both aerobic and anaerobic. This is why my athletes do almost no “conventional” aerobic training. All of our aerobic work is a by-product of our anaerobic work. My athletes or clients can get their heart rate in the recommended aerobic range for 15 to 20 minutes, yet in some cases, they do only three to five minutes of actual work.

Modes of Interval Training

Although most people visualize interval training as a track and field concept, our preferred method of interval training is the stationary bike. Although I think running is the theoretical “best” mode of training, the facts are clear. Most Americans are not fit enough to run. In fact, statistics estimate that 60 percent of those who begin a running program will be injured. In a fitness or personal training setting, that is entirely unacceptable. Females, based on the genetics of the female body (wider hips, narrower knees) are at potentially even greater risk. Physical therapist Diane Lee says it best in her statement, “You can’t run to get fit. You need to be fit to run.”

Interval training can be done on any piece of equipment. However, the most expeditious choice in my opinion will be a dual action bike like the Schwinn AirDyne. The bike allows, in the words of performance enhancement expert Alwyn Cosgrove, “maximum metabolic disturbance with minimal muscular disruption.” In other words, you can work really hard and not injure yourself on a stationary bike.

Fit individuals can choose any mode they like. However, the bike is the best and safest choice. In my mind, the worst choice might be the elliptical trainers. Charles Staley, another noted training expert, has a concept I believe he calls the 180 Principle. Staley advocates doing exactly the opposite of what you see everyone else in the gym doing. I’m in agreement. Walking on a treadmill and using an elliptical trainer seem to be the two most popular modes of training in a gym. My conclusion, supported by Staley’s 180 Principle, is that neither is of much use.

Interval Training Modes in Detail

Running

• Maybe the most effective method but also most likely to cause injury.
• Shuttle runs (running to a line and back repeatedly) have both high muscular demand (acceleration and deceleration) and high metabolic demand.
• Running is relative. Running straight ahead for 30 seconds is significantly easier than a 30 second shuttle.
• Shuttle runs produce more muscular discomfort due to the repeated acceleration and deceleration.
• Running for the average gym-goers is impractical as a fairly large area is needed.

Treadmill Running

• A close second to ground based running in both effectiveness and unfortunately injury potential.
• Getting on and off a moving treadmill is an athletic skill and can result in serious injury. Therefore, treadmill interval running is probably not for the average personal training client.
• Treadmill speeds are deceiving. For example, 10 MPH is only a six minute mile yet can feel very fast. However, 10 MPH is not a difficult pace for intervals for a well-conditioned athlete.
• High quality interval treadmills should be able to go to 15 MPH.
• For treadmill running, first practice the skill of getting on and off the moving treadmill (The author assumes no responsibility for those thrown on the floor attempting this. Do not try this in a normal health club, where the treadmills are packed in like sardines. You must have room to fall off without striking an immovable object).

Additional Treadmill Drawbacks

• Lack of true active hip extension may under train the hamstrings.
• In treadmill running, the belt moves, you just stay airborne. Treadmill times do not translate well to running on the ground. This may be due to lack of ground contact time.

Treadmill Recommendations

• Time based. Try 15 seconds on with 45 seconds off at 7 MPH and 5% incline. For safety, decrease speed and increase incline.
• Heart rate based (max HR of 200 used for example). Try a 15 second sprint at 7/5 and simply rest until the heart rate returns to 120 beats per minute. Rest is rest, don’t walk or jog or your heart rate will lower slowly.

Stationary Bike

• Dual action bikes like the Airdyne produce a higher HR. This is due to the combined action of the arms and legs. There is no better affordable option than the AirDyne. Although they require periodic maintenance they are the perfect interval tool as they do not need any adjustments to belts or knobs when interval training. The fan is an accommodating resistance device. This means that the harder you push the more resistance you get back. If you have large fan AirDyne, purchase and install windscreens. Most athletes and clients dislike the large fan AirDynes as they are unable to work up a sweat without a windscreen.
• This is probably the best “safe” tool.
• Requires limited skill.
• Limited potential for overuse injury.

Stationary Bike Recommendations

• Same time recommendations as for the treadmill. For the AirDyne, set the top display to Level. For a well-conditioned male a 15 second sprint should be level 12-15. Do not go all out as this will seriously undermine the ability to repeat additional intervals. Well-conditioned female athletes will be Level 8-10 for 15 seconds. Levels should be adjusted down for fitness level and up for body size. Larger athletes or clients will find the bike easier.  Large fan AirDynes (older models)  will have slightly different work levels than the newer smaller fan models.

Slideboard

• Slideboards provide the best “bang for the buck” after the AirDyne. However, in a fitness setting there is a skill requirement. Clients must be warned that they may fall and potentially be injured. This may sound stupid but be sure to inform the client that the board is slippery. I can’t tell you how many clients have stepped on a slideboard and remarked “this is slippery”. Remember what they say about assuming.
• The slideboard provides added the benefits of a standing position and getting hip ab and adductor work.
• Slideboards are also great for groups. No adjustment are needed, you just need extra booties. We order 4 pair for every board.
• Safe in spite of “experts.” Some so-called experts have questioned the effect of the slideboard on the knees; however, there is nothing more than the anecdotal evidence of a few writers to support this theory.

Climbers and Ellipticals

• The key to using any climbing device is to keep the hands and arms off of the equipment. This is critical. Just put a heart rate monitor on and keep the hands of and watch the heart rate skyrocket. If clients complain about lack of balance, slow down the machine and develop the balance, but don’t allow them to hold on.
• The StepMill is the least popular, and as Staley points out, the most effective. Think 180 again. If it’s popular, it’s probably not good.
• Conventional Stairclimbers are easier to abuse than the StepMill. Many users ramp up the speed while allowing the arms to do the majority of the work. As we mentioned before, keep your hands off the rails.
• The elliptical machine is most popular because it is easiest. This is nothing more than human nature at work. Discourage your clients from using an elliptical trainer. If they insist, let them do it on their off days.

Research continues to mount that interval training may improve fitness better than steady state work. The big key is not what to do any more but, how to do it. For maximum effect, get a heart rate monitor and go to work.

One warning. Deconditioned clients may need three weeks to a month of steady work to get ready to do intervals. This is OK. Don’t kill a beginner with interval training. Begin with a quality strength program and some steady state cardiovascular work. The only good use for steady state work in my mind is preparing an athlete or client for the intervals to come.

References:

1. Resistance Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle.” Simon Melov, Mark Tarnopolsky, Kenneth Beckman, Krysta Felkey and Alan Hubbard PLoS ONE 2(5): e465. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.
2. “Short Term Sprint Interval Versus Traditional Endurance Training: Similar Initial Adaptations in Human Skeletal Muscle and Exercise Performance Journal of Physiology Sept 2006, Vol 575 Issue 3.
3. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max. Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, Hirai Y, Ogita F, Miyachi M, Yamamoto K. Department of Physiology and Biomechanics, National Institute of Fitness and Sports, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
4. September/October ACSM Health and Fitness Journal. Dr. David Swain Moderate or Vigorous Intensity Exercise: What Should We Prescribe?

Michael is a Boston-based strength and conditioning coach and the editor of StrengthCoach.com. You can purchase Mike’s products through Perform Better. The above article is based on the best-selling Interval Training DVD filmed  in 2007.

Sign up for our FREE Newsletter today and and receive this deadlift technique video!

How The Rhomboids Really Work

Written on January 12, 2009 at 1:47 pm, by Eric Cressey

I got to talking with an athletic trainer at a recent seminar, and we were discussing how people really don’t understand how the rhomboids work.

You see, the rhomboids typically get lumped right in with the trapezius complex as scapular retractors – and that’s correct, but not exhaustive enough to illustrate my point.  What you want to observe is the line of pull of the rhomboids:

What you’ll see if that this line of pull is quite similar to that of the upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscles, both of which “hike” the scapula up.  In reality, the goal with any rowing exercise should be to get the lower trapezius firing as much as possible, as its line of pull depresses the scapula as it retracts – and the muscle is involved upward rotation, which is essential for safe overhead movements.

Note how the line of pull of the trapezius changes as you go superior (top) to inferior (bottom).

As such, you want to make sure that you get your shoulder blades back and down as you do your rowing movements.  Here’s an example of what a bad seated cable row, where the scapulae are retracted, but ride up, leading to upper trap, levator scapulae, and rhomboid recruitment.

Much of this comes because of the backward lean, but it’s also possible to have it when in the right torso position.

If you are someone with shoulder issues, you’ll be surprised at what some general massage work on the rhomboids will do to alleviate your discomfort.  We know that working on pectoralis minor and levator scapulae will quickly yield results, but rhomboids falls into the same category, as (like these two muscles) they’re involved in downwardly rotating the scapulae.

Click here to purchase the most comprehensive shoulder resource available today: Optimal Shoulder Performance – From Rehabilitation to High Performance.

Sign up Today for our FREE newsletter and receive a deadlift technique video!