Tag Archives: Weight lifting

strength training

Age Appropriate Strength and Performance Training

- Blog, Pediatrics, Sports and Fitness

In recent years there has been discussion on training for our adolescent athletes and what is appropriate, whether it be how much, how soon, how specialized? Here are some answers to common strength training questions we hear:

When Can My Athlete Start Lifting Weights?
The NSCA’s position statement states pre-adolescence (7-8 y/o) is a safe age to begin resistance training with graduated modalities and loads. Basically, if the athlete is ready for organized sports, they are ready for some kind of resistance training.

Why Can’t I Just Buy a Blu-Ray Workout for My Adolescent to Train By?
No athlete is the same, and doing a cookie-cutter workout without properly screening for potential injury risk would be negligent. The risk is too great to potentially hurt an athlete by trying to perform exercises their bodies cannot physically handle.

What Should I Look for with Overtraining?
Ongoing decreased performance on field. Often injured or sick. Disengagement from sport and school. Mood swings. Physically tired all the time. Sleep issues. Overreactive emotional response to failure. Depression. Nutrition issues.

A strength training and conditioning specialist can screen each athlete’s movements in order to determine a baseline level of movement and strength. They then develop exercises and drills that will enhance the good movement qualities while addressing any bad motor patterns that may exist. Main components that are often noticed by trained professionals are mobility(flexibility) and stability (strength) issues.

For more on strength & conditioning or to inquire about training with the Center for Physical Rehabilitation at the Academy for Sports & Wellness, please visit: www.pt-cpr.com/academy

PT News

- Blog, PT News

This Month in PT News. Featuring articles from PTandMe partnering clinics!

1. Simple Steps to Starting a Weight-Training Program
Written by the Therapy Team at The Jackson Clinics – Middleburg, VA

One of the challenges of weight training is determining how much effort to put in for the most benefits. Read more

2. Sit Up Straight! Avoid Sitting with Bad Posture
Written by Megan Russo, PTA at The Center for Physical Rehabilitation – CPR – Grand Rapids, MI

Do you ever find yourself sitting in a slumped position while at work or driving in the car? Read more

3. Minimizing the Risk of Ski Injury
Written by the Therapy Team at The Jackson Clinics – Middleburg, VA

If winter weather has you prepared to hit the slopes, be sure to take the necessary precautions to keep yourself injury-free this season. Read more

at the gym

At the Gym: Exercising Do’s and Dont’s

- Blog, Sports and Fitness

AtTheGym#2_FBsize

In the second installment of our “At The Gym” exercise series we examine the proper ways to exercise at the gym from start to finish. If you have any sudden significant increase in pain, swelling, or discoloration while performing or following exercise, discontinue immediately and contact your therapist at your next therapy session.

Plus Push Up 1

PLUS PUSH-UP

START POSITION
• Get on elbows and knees.
• Knees bent
• Straight or neutral back done by drawing the stomach in and the buttocks down.

ENDING POSITION
Push elbows into mat while trying to increase the space between the shoulder blades (round out your back between the shoulders).DON’T

DON’T
• Drop the head.
• Raise the buttocks or let the low back excessively curve inward.

Plus Push Up 2

PLUS PUSH-UP: STAGE 2

START POSITION
Push-up position

ENDING POSITION
• Push hands into mat while trying to increase the space between shoulder blades.
• Rounded upper back appearance.

DON’T
• Drop the head.
• Raise the buttocks or let the low back excessively curve inward.

Scapular Depression

SCAPULAR DEPRESSION

START POSITION
• Seated with shoulder blades drawn downward (don’t shrug shoulders).
• Hands hold just outside of the curvature of the bar to comfort.
• Knees bent underneath knee pad and feet on the floor.
• Keep your back straight with a slight posterior lean from the hips.

ENDING POSITION
Bring bar to chest with elbows bent.

DON’T
• Lift feet off the ground.
• Rock at the waist.
• Elevate or let shoulders pull forward.
• Hyperextend the low back as you pull in.

Empty Can 1

EMPTY CAN

START POSITION
Standing with hands at your side and thumbs pointing downward with feet shoulder width apart.

ENDING POSITION
Arms raised to about 60⁰ with thumbs facing down and slightly to your side.

DON’T
• Swing body back and forth.
• Shrug shoulders.
• Lift above 60⁰.

Full Can
FULL CAN

START POSITION
Standing with hands in front of you with thumbs pointing upward and feet shoulder width apart.

ENDING POSITION
Arms raised to 90 – 120⁰ with thumbs facing up.

DON’T
• Swing body back and forth.
• Shrug shoulders.
• Lift above 120⁰.

This information was written by STAR Therapy Services, an outpatient physical therapy group with six locations in Houston, Texas. At Star Houston Therapy Services, their number one priority is the patient. They strive to provide individualized treatment with hands-on, compassionate care. They perform comprehensive evaluations and encourage patient input for treatment planning and goal setting. For more information click here.

View the complete Exercising Do’s and Don’ts series below:

   

   

exercising do's and dont's

bone health

Exercise and Bone Health

- Aging, Blog, Sports and Fitness

ExerciseBoneHealth_FBsize

Bone is living tissue that is constantly undergoing a process called remodeling. In remodeling, cells called osteoclasts are breaking down old bone, as cells called osteoblasts are replacing it with new tissue. Many factors can affect the remodeling process and leave you with bones that are less dense and more fragile.

Some factors that interfere with bone health and remodeling are:
• Increased age
• Low vitamin D—The body makes vitamin D in response to sunlight. You can also get vitamin D by eating certain kinds of food or by taking a supplement.
• A diet low in calcium
• Smoking
• Lack of exercise—especially weight bearing and resistance exercise

Why Exercise Is Good for Bone Health
Regular weight-bearing and resistance exercise helps build muscle, as well as maintain and increase bone strength. Exercise causes the muscle to contract against the bone. This action stresses or stimulates the bone, and the bone becomes stronger and denser. The 3 main types of exercise are (some activities can be more than 1 type):

Aerobic (Cardiovascular) Exercises to Improve Bone Health
In aerobic exercise, you continually move large muscles in the legs, shoulders, and buttocks. This action causes you to breathe more deeply, and your heart to work harder pumping blood, thereby strengthening your heart and lungs. Examples include:
• Walking
• Jogging
• Running
• Aerobic dance
• Bicycling
• Swimming

Weight-Bearing Exercises to Improve Bone Health
In weight-bearing exercises, your bones and muscles work against gravity, and your feet and legs bear the weight. Your bones adapt to the weight and pull of the muscle during weight-bearing exercise. Examples of weight-bearing exercises include:
• Jogging
• Walking
• Stair climbing
• Dancing
• Soccer

Resistance Exercises to Improve Bone Health (Strength Training)
Resistance exercises use muscle strength to improve muscle mass and strengthen bone. Examples include:
• Weight lifting, using:
• Free weights
• Weight machines
• Elastic tubing

• Calisthenics such as push-ups and chin-ups

tennis guy

Tips for Beginning:
Aerobic or Weight-bearing Exercises to Improve Bone Health
• Warm up for 5 minutes before activity. This can consist of dynamic stretches that involve movement and a light walk.
• Start the activity slowly for the first 5 minutes.
• Slowly increase your intensity so that your heart rate increases. A person doing moderate-intensity aerobic activity can talk. A person doing vigorous-intensity activity cannot say more than a few words without stopping to take a breath.
• Gradually increase your workout until you are working out at least 150 minutes a week at moderate–intensity or 75 minutes a week at vigorous intensity.

Resistance Exercises to Improve Bone Health
• Begin each exercise with light weights and minimal repetitions.
• Slowly (over weeks) increase weight, never adding more than 10% in a given workout.
• Do these exercises 2-3 times a week. Allow for 1 day between each workout for your bones and muscles to rest and repair themselves.
• Gradually increase the number of repetitions to 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions with a rest period of 30-60 seconds between sets.
• Although stiffness the day after exercise is normal, if you are in pain, you did too much. Decrease the intensity or the duration of your exercise.

Before starting any type of exercise program, check with your doctor about any possible medical problems you may have that could limit your ability to exercise.

by Mary Calvagna, MS

RESOURCES:
National Osteoporosis Foundation
http://www.nof.org

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition
http://www.fitness.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
http://www.canorth.org

Public Health Agency of Canada
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca

REFERENCES:
2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. US Department of Health and Human Services website. Available at: http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx#toc. Published October 2008. Accessed January 21, 2016.

Bone remodeling. University of Washington website. Available at: http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/physremod.html. Updated March 30, 2007. Accessed January 21, 2016.

How much physical activity do adults need? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html. Updated June 4, 2015. Accessed January 21, 2016.

Osteoporosis. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated October 13, 2015. Accessed January 21, 2016.

Skeleton keys. Smithsonian Museum of Natural History website. Available at: http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/young_old.html. Accessed January 21, 2016.

Last reviewed January 2016 by Michael Woods, MD

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