The best ways to treat a minor sports injury

In my childhood I have often had minor injuries while playing sometime or the other. And, getting hurt was just natural while playing a sport or otherwise with friends. My mother used to come up with home remedies in some cases where the injury was not too big. Mother’s remedies also helped my injuries to heal and recover quickly.

Treatments for a sports injury depends on how severe the injury is and which part of the body is affected. If your injury does not require medical treatment /Minor Sports injuries – for example, a mild sprain or strain – you can treat it at home using PRICE therapy.

PRICE stands for: protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Protection – protect the affected area from further injury – for example, by using a support.

Rest: Rest is vital to protect the injured muscle, tendon, ligament or other tissue from further injury. If injured, stop playing and protect the injured part from further damage. Avoid putting weight on the injured part, get help moving to a safe area off the field. Resting the injured part is important to promote effective healing.

Ice – Cold will reduce pain and swelling. Apply an ice or cold pack right away to provide short-term pain relief and also limits swelling by reducing blood flow to the injured area. When icing injuries, never apply ice directly to the skin (unless it is moving as in ice massage) and apply the ice or cold pack for 10 to 20 minutes, 3 or more times a day. After 48 to 72 hours, longer exposure can damage your skin and even result in frostbite.

Compression – Compression refers to the application of pressure to keep the swelling down. Compression helps limit and reduce swelling, which may delay healing. Some people also experience pain relief from compression. An easy way to compress the area of the injury is to wrap an ACE bandage around the swollen part. If you feel throbbing, or if the wrap just feels too tight, remove the bandage and re-wrap the area so the bandage is a little looser.

Elevation – Elevating an injury help control swelling. For example, if you injure an ankle, try lying on your bed with your foot propped on one or two pillows.

After 48 hours of PRICE therapy, stop compression and try moving the injured area. If, after this time, your symptoms are worse, visit your doctor. PRICE therapy can be useful for any sports injury, but some injuries may require additional treatment.

Once the healing process has begun, light massage may reduce the formation of scar tissue, and improve tissue healing.

Gentle stretching can be begun after all swelling has subsided. Try to work the entire range of motion of the injured joint or muscle, but be extremely careful not to force a stretch, or you risk re-injury to the area. Keep in mind that a stretch should never cause pain.

One of the best exercises : Stair climbing :

 

You can run a 5k but running up a couple of flights of stairs tires you out?  You can squat heavy and lunge with weights, yet walking up a couple of flights of steps makes it feel like a whole other workout? Here’s a workout that can actually challenge your body, endurance and actual strength and stamina.

Climbing stairs is one of the best exercises when it comes to pure FAT BURN, strengthening the lower body, toning the butt, thighs, calves, losing inches from those love handles and belly and building great abs. Along with these benefits, it is the immense good it does for your lungs and

CardioVascular System

1. It is totally free and just about all of us can get access to a set of stairs.
2. It leverages gravity and the heavier we are, the harder we’re forced to work and the more calories we burn.
3. It is a relatively intense exercise that quickly increases our heart rate and in doing so can greatly improve our cardiovascular    fitness.
4. It helps strengthen and shape our most common problem areas like calves, thighs, buttocks and tummy.
5. It is a very efficient way of burning maximum calories and is great for those of us with limited time to exercise.
6. It can easily be mixed with other exercises, like walking, skipping and weight training, to maximize results and stair climbing      workouts are easy to build progression into.
7. It can be done by almost anyone, regardless of fitness level.
8. Because it is weight bearing, it helps build bone strength.
9. It is low impact and safe for the knees (providing correct technique is used and a preexisting condition doesn’t exist).

The way forward with exercise is quality over quantity. Too many people fix a ‘one hour’ work out in their mind and if they can’t find time for that’ 1 hour’ they just don’t do it.

Aim for power workouts, 25 to 30 mins max, where you max out your reps, burn those muscles and really get your heart rate up. 35 to 40 minutes should include a great warm up and an extremely important cool down.

You can burn more calories walking/running up steps in 30 mins than a 1 hour run or walk, plus it challenges your body.

Start off with a couple of flights, Walk and run slowly. As you get better, run and then skip 2 steps at a time and run or walk.

In a nutshell – 

Burns more calories: Stair climbing engages your body’s largest muscle groups to repeatedly lift your body weight up, step after step.Thus, using your muscles to carry your own weight is far higher to running as compared.

Maximises your cardio efforts: It also raises your heart rate immediately thus maximizing your cardio benefits.

Increases core muscle strength: Climbing stairs is a great way to amp your core muscle strength.

Tones and sculpts your body: It also engages every major muscle in your lower body — glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abs and calves to exercise and thus tones your body better.

Low impact workout: You don’t have to ideally sweat it out while climbing stairs. Just a few stairs every day will give you a good workout

Safety first: Never run down the stairs, be confident while running up, take a break when needed.

Start doing this regularly and soon, you will be running up flights of stairs, feeling fitter, younger, stronger and leaner.

Why is Stretching Crucial?

How many out there stretch on a daily basis? How many think that stretching is not as important as regular exercise? Just as exercise is key to good health, stretching is equally important.

Stretching is very necessary to maintain good blood flow in the muscles, helps improve flexibility and to maintain good posture. It assists in correct posture by lengthening tight muscles that pull area of the body away from their intended position.

By following, a good stretching routine after a long tiring previous day, you can be rest assured that you don’t wake up with a pain or stiffness the next morning. It is widely debated whether or not stretching prevents injury. Let me tell you stretching has the potential to decrease injury by preparing the muscles for work before activity. Stretching has also been proven to increase blood circulation and supply of nutrients to muscles and cartilage. This reduces muscle soreness after working out. The less sore your muscles are, the less painful it will be to work the same muscles and to exercise in general, and the more comfortable your day-to-day life will be.

There are four main measures of overall fitness: aerobic, muscular, body composition and flexibility.

The main way to increase your flexibility is by stretching. As you age, your muscles gradually become shorter and tighter, reducing your overall flexibility. This makes you more susceptible to muscle, tendon and joint injuries. Stretching is primarily responsible for increasing flexibility, and reduces these risks.

Millions of people struggle with chronic lower back pain. Stretching is an excellent way to strengthen the lower back muscles, alleviating soreness and pain. Since many muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, lower back muscles and hip flexors) contribute to your posture, stretching these muscles has the ability to greatly reduce or eliminate lower back pain. For optimal results in your workout make sure you are following a proper stretching routine. Doing it under guidance always helps.

Here are the various types of stretching

Dynamic Stretching – Pre Workout:

Dynamic stretching is done before you start your workout and after a warm up. It involves putting your muscles through their full range of motion (such as wide arm circles) by way of mobilizing the joints to which the muscles are attached. Dynamic stretching helps to elevate the muscles’ temperature and ramps up the nervous system so that your body is feeling fine when your first set begins.

Static or Isometric Stretching – Mid and Post Workout:

The typical “stretch – and – hold” method is known as static stretching. In other words, static stretching is done when the body is at rest, by stretching to appoint and holding the stretch for a few seconds to few minutes. If we’re noticing a muscle getting too involved in an exercise when it’s not necessary (a good example would be the quads dominating a squat and not leaving room for the gluteus and hamstrings), we can static stretch our quads between sets to lower their nervous involvement and work more on the wanted muscles. Static stretches are used to improve flexibility and cool your body down after workouts.

Active Stretching: Active stretching involves stretching the muscle actively. In other words, you are holding the stretched position by opposing the muscle group. The muscles play an active role in holding the stretch position.

PNF Stretching: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is said to use receptors to improve the neuromuscular (related to nerves & muscles) response of the body. It is one of the effective forms of flexibility training for increasing range of motion. The flexibility gained can be maintained by doing PNF stretches of minimum one repetition for at least 2 times a week. There are different ways to do PNF: Contract relax, Contract-Hold relax and so on.

Stretching can be performed in various forms of exercises which vary in pace and structure. For example in yoga- stretching is performed slowly and breathing is prioritized. If you fail to stretch or work out for a long time, there’s a good chance that toxins will build up in your muscles. The only way to get the toxins out is to stretch. Stretching helps to release these toxins. And by drinking plenty of water, you can flush them out of your system.

Make sure to do stretches in proper supervision and professional guidance for optimal results and avoid serious injuries.

Do you know your Body Type?

I have always come across people who think that any diet can be used to lose weight/maintain weight/gain weight, which is not the case. There are different body types according to which a diet is made; of course individual health history is also important. In fact even gym workouts are based on this different body types.

The Three Body Types are:

Ectomorph - People with this body type are very thin in structure. They have small shoulders and light build.  Their metabolism is way too high thus; they find it hard to gain weight. In fact the metabolism is so high that the body burns fat for sure but even uses muscle as a source of energy, thus making them look so thin. These are people who despite eating a lot do not gain weight. Their tendency to lose weight is more than gaining.

Triats of Ectomorph:

• Small Shoulder
• Thin Body Frame
• Under weight/skinny appearance
• Long limbs
• Fast metabolism thus very low fat
• Hard to gain muscles

MESOMORPH - The most athletic body is this one, where in they have large body structure. They gain muscle and lose fat very easily. This body type has positives such as low body fat like ectomorph and large frame like endomorph. This is the kind of body everyone usually dreams of. But, again if not maintained well it’s no use having such a body type

Traits of a Mesomorph:

• Shoulders are wide
• Easily gain muscle
• Lean body
• Has less body fat
• Small waist
• Large frame

ENDOMORPH - This body type is the one which has more fat. People with this body type have short limbs and gain weight very easily. Appear large in size. They find it hard to lose weight in spite of working on their diet and workout.

Traits of Endomorph:

• Broad Shoulders
• Appear large
• Gain fat easily
• Metabolism is slow
• Short limbs

Every body type has its own advantage and disadvantages. According to an individual’s health goal, we work towards it.

It is not necessary for a person to be of any one specific body type only. There is even a combination of the above body types like Endo-Mesomorph or Ecto-Mesomorph.

With the above information, you can figure out your own body type easily. But, it is not necessary that Endomorph cannot become a Mesomorph, With dedication, efforts and hard work anything is possible.

Apa itu regangan atau stretching?

Regangan atau latihan fleksibiliti adalah salah satu komponen yang paling kurang dilakukan dalam aktiviti senaman biasanya. Di gym sendiri saya jarang lihat yang melakukannya. 

Fleksibiliti atau kelenturan adalah salah satu komponen yang dimasukkan dalam komponen kesihatan selain komposisi badan, daya tahan otot, kekuatan otot dan kardiovaskular.

Masih banyak debat yang mempersoalkan peranan fleksibiliti dalam pencegahan kecederaan. 

Terdapat juga debat yang mengatakan bahawa aktiviti regangan sebelum latihan atau perlawanan boleh mengundang kecederaan. 

Walaupun begitu, terdapat kajian menunjukkan seseorang itu dapat meningkatkan pemulihan dan prestasi melalui latihan fleksibiliti. Latihan fleksibiliti meningkatkan jarak pergerakan atau Range of Motion (ROM). 

Regangan boleh dilakukan sebagai satu aktiviti sendiri dan bukannya wajib dilakukan sebelum atau selepas latihan.

Terdapat beberapa jenis teknik regangan:

(i) Regangan Dinamik

• Regangan dinamik menggunakan momentum yang sederhana dan jarak pergerakan hampir penuh. Regangan dinamik telah terbukti mengurangkan keketatan otot (muscle tightness) yang merupakan salah salah faktor peningkatan kecederaan musculotendinous. 
• Banyak kajian menyokong rengangan dinamik sebelum latihan jika dibandingkan regangan statik. Kajian juga menunjukkan penurunan 30% dalam kekuatan dan kuasa setelah melakukan regangan statik sbelum latihan. Regangan dinamik:

1. mengurangkan keketatan otot
2. mengurangkan rasa sakit otot
3. sebagai aktiviti memanaskan badan sebelum latihan
4. persediaan untuk pertandingan

• Tujuan dari regangan dinamik adalah untuk pemanasan ligamen, otot dan tendon yang sebahagian besar akan digunakan dalam latihan. 
• Contoh regangan dinamik adalah meniru gerakan yang digunakan dalam sukan tertentu, seperti menyepak bola, menghayun kayu pemukul dan pelbagai lagi sesuatu dengan aktiviti akan dilakukan. Pergerakan dilakukan dalam kadar yang sederhana.
• Regangan dinamik tidak boleh digunakan untuk meningkatkan jarak pergerakan otot (range of motion). Untuk meningkatkan jarak pergerakan otot perlu memilih regangan statik atau lebih baik menggunakan propriopseptif neuromuscular facilitation (PNF).

(ii) Regangan Balistik

• Regangan balistik memaksa meningkatkan jarak pergerakan otot dengan menggunakan momentum. Regangan balistik mempunyai tiga tahap utama:

1. Fasa awal – aksi konsentris
2. Fasa meluncur – bergantung pada momentum yang dihasilkan pada fasa awal
3. Fasa pengurangan – tindakan eksentrik bila otot melewati jarak pergerakan otot

• Untuk menggunakan regangan balistik, anda akan menggunakan kontraksi otot paksa dari otot antagonis dengan cara mendorong atau ayunan anggota badan untuk melampau jarak pergerakan otot. Jenis gerakan ini tidak membolehkan regangan otot berehat dan menyesuai. 
• Regangan balistik tidak sesuai digunakan kecuali untuk atlet elit yang dijaga oleh seorang jurulatih berkelayakan. 
• Antara sukan yang memerlukan regangan balistik seperti gymnastik, tarian ballet, sukan mempertahankan diri. Contoh regangan balistik adalah seperti membongkokkan badan dan mencecah tangan ke kaki dengan cara bouncing.

(iii) Regangan Statik

• Terdapat dua jenis regangan statik ialah regangan statik pasif dan regangan statik aktif. Regangan statik pasif tidak memerlukan bantuan sementara regangan statikaktif memerlukan kontraksi otot untuk menahan regangan. 
• Contoh regangan statik pasif adalah meregangkan hamstring di mana anda meletakkan kaki anda di kerusi. Tidak ada usaha lain yang diperlukan untuk menahan regangan tersebut.
• Contoh regangan statik aktif adalah di mana seseorang berada dalam keadaan lunge di mana otot agonis dan asas akan digunakan untuk menjaga badan supaya tegak dalam kedudukan yang dikehendaki.
• Ketegangan dari agonis dalam regangan statik aktif membantu mengendurkan otot-otot yang diregangkan melalui reciprocal inhibition. Dalam bahasa mudah, satu otot bekerja, satu otot tidak bekerja.
• Regangan statik biasa dilakukan dalam banyak latihan dan pergerakan. Ia digalakkan dilakukan selepas latihan bebanan untuk memastikan aliran darah dan nutrisi ke otot yang bekerja. 
• Adakah regangan statik sesuai dilakukan dalam latihan? Saya sering melihat ada orang melakukan regangan ketika sedang melakukan. 
• Menurut kajian, regangan statik yang dilakukan semasa latihan boleh mengurangkan kekuatan sehingga 30% atau lebih. Jadi bagi mereka yang melakukan regangan ketika latihan tidak mampu mengangkat bebanan maksima.

(iv) Regangan Isometrik

• Regangan isometrik hampir sama seperti regangan PNF. Satu kontraksi isometrik terjadi ketika regangan otot dibuat dalam kelompok otot tanpa perubahan panjang otot. Regangan ini dilakukan dengan permukaan tidak bergerak atau objek. 
• Regangan isometrik tidak digalakkan untuk mereka yang tulangnya masih membesar iaitu kanak-kanak dan remaja. 
• Regangan isometrik juga tidak boleh digunakan untuk otot yang cedera kecuali dengan pengawasan pakar. Regangan isometrik juga tidak sesuai ketika otot masih sejuk dan digalakkan selepas latihan. 
• Contoh mudah regangan isometrik ini adalah melakukan gerakan split.

(v) Regangan Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)

• PNF merupakan regangan yang paling baik untuk meningkatkan jarak pergerakan otot. Regangan isometrik tidak menggunakan bantuan manakala PNF menggunakan bantuan seorang lagi. 
• Kebiasaanya PNF digunakan dalam terapi fizikal, rehabilitasi yang mana julat pergerakan menjadi limit disebabkan kecederaan. PNF juga mampu meningkatkan masa pemulihan selepas latihan bebanan.
• Untuk memulakan, regangan dilakukan untuk 6 saat dengan bantuan tolakan atau tarikan seorang lagi. Kemudian kumpulan otot yang diregangkan itu dibiarkan sekitar 30 saat. Proses diulang kembali. PNF dibahagi kepada dua iaitu pasif dan aktif. Bagaimana PNF bekerja?
• Organ tendon golgi (GTO) akan merehatkan otot selepas kontraksi dilakukan lebih dari 6 saat. Kontraksi isometrik dan kontraksi konsentris digunakan segera sebelum regangan pasif memudahkan autogenic inhibition. 
• Autogenic inhibition adalah relaksasi reflek yang berlaku pada otot yang sama di mana organ-organ tendon golgi dirangsang. Manakala otot bertentangan mencapai reciprocal inhibition. Reciprocal inhibition adalah relaksasi otot reflek yang berlaku pada otot bertentangan di mana tendon golgi dirangsang. Terdapat 4 teknik asas PNF:

1. Tahan-Rehat
2. Kontrak-Rehat
3. Kontrak-Rehat dengan Kontrak Antagonis
4. Dinamik/Balistik Tahan-Rehat

• Contoh mudah regangan PNF adalah seperti seorang pasangan menolak kaki ke hadapan dengan menggunakan teknik tahan-rehat dan tambahan kontrak-rehat iaitu berlawanan dengan arah pasangan menolak.

Top Protein-Packed Fruits and Vegetables

Protein, which is the basic building block of tissue, cells, and muscle in your body, are vital nutrients that you need in order to protect your health and the health of your cells.

Most people know that great protein sources come from fish, turkey, chicken, and grass-fed beef.

However, there are many other great sources of protein that you can include today, to increase your protein intake.

Protein and Your Body

See:  Pre- and Post-Workout Protein for Muscle Growth

• As previously mentioned, protein plays a very large role in tissue repair and growth.
• In fact, in order to build strong, lean muscle tissue, you need to make sure you are getting enough protein, depending on your size and activity level.
• Protein, which is a peptide chain of amino acids, is most commonly found in meat products.
• However, you may also be able to get adequate protein from fruits and vegetables, which may also boost weight loss plus increase antioxidant status.
• There are two types of proteins your body needs, and they are essential and nonessential amino acids.
• Essential amino acids are amino acids that you need to obtain through your diet, since they are not synthesized by your body like nonessential amino acids are.
• Meat is a complete protein source, which means it has the correct mix of essential and nonessential amino acids.
• Most fruits and vegetables contain incomplete proteins, so they need to be combined with other food sources in order to provide the proteins necessary for tissue repair and growth.
• Proteins are not only good for building lean muscle tissue, but they may also be an appetite suppressant, which could prevent you from overeating at your next meal.

Fruits and Vegetables Have Protein Too

See:  Fat Burning Tricks Using Protein

• There are many ways to include protein into your day.
• You can have a protein supplement shake to boost your protein intake, or you can include smaller meals spread throughout the day, that include some kind of protein source.
• However, there is one other way to include protein that you may not think about.
• When people think of fruits and vegetables, what often springs to mind are low calories, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
• But what about the protein? Besides water, most of the foods that you eat include some level of protein – even fruits and vegetables.
• However, the proteins found in fruits and vegetables often times are found to be incomplete, and need other food sources to supplement the protein they do not have.
• Here are some FRUITS that contain protein (a one cup serving):

1. Dried Apricots 5.0 grams
2. Avocado 4.5 grams
3. Cherries  3.0 grams
4. Bananas 2.5 grams
5. Coconuts 2.0 grams

• Fruits also contain plenty of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and water that are important for optimal health and hydration.
• Plus, fruit contains plenty of fiber, which has been linked to reduced cholesterol levels, decreased appetite, and a reduced risk for heart disease and some cancers.
• Here are some VEGETABLES that contain protein (a one cup serving):

1. Spinach  5.0 grams
2. Asparagus 4.2 grams
3. Cauliflower 3.8 grams
4. Broccoli  2.4 grams
5. Celery  1.5 grams

• Vegetable protein is both low in calories and fat, which could be great for people watching their calorie intake in order to lose weight.
• Plus, they are full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, for a complete all-around food source that could improve your health.

The Other Ways to Include Protein

• Most people already know that grass-fed red meat, chicken, fish, and turkey are all great sources of lean protein.
• However, if you are looking for alternative foods that contain healthy doses of protein, then look no further than your fruit and vegetable section.
• Fruits and vegetables are not only packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, but they can also be a low-calorie protein source, perfect for building lean, sexy muscle, without packing on the calories.
• This could boost fat loss, speed up your metabolism, and sculpt your abs, butt, and thighs in no time at all so you will be beach-body ready by next year!

Coaching types

In the last few weeks I have been reflecting a lot about the evolution of the coaching profession. When I started my career in Sport, I was more interested in coaching than sports science, later on I drifted to science, mainly because I am the kind of person mostly interested in evidence and numbers, in structures and processes and find difficult to get lost in philosophies and opinions which unfortunately still permeate part of the coaching community.

In my view, coaching is teaching. It is about making people better, and it is about "igniting" passion for something. Coaching is about facilitating the expression of talents as well as instilling a culture of hard and honest work and passion for the activity the athlete is doing.

So, when I was coaching, I aspired to be a great teacher, a great motivator, a man with a plan able to communicate clearly to my athletes what we were doing and why and I tried to measure and understand most of what I was doing in order to separate the good from the bad. In my view at the time, a great coach was also an excellent communicator, and was somebody able to facilitate creativity within a structure of play (I was a Handball coach after all). 

As a Strength and Conditioning coach I was clear about my role: I had to make my athletes stronger and faster and robust enough to endure training and competition. Over the years my career has taken different directions, from pure science to scientific support to managing holistic approaches to performance. In such roles I have met many coaches and practitioners with my daily interactions, but I also came across many individuals in coaching conferences, workshops and seminars and also on the Internet. I have to say that over the years I learnt to "box" coaches according to the way they work and would like to share this on my blog. This is not a critique to the people working in a coaching role, but is a tongue-in-cheek  blog which I hope it can be used for self reflection to understand where the coaching career is going and also be used as a guide for young sports scientists.

1. The multi-medal winner who is always right

This is challenging coach to work with. He/She has won everything there was to win, has been successful over the years and is grounded on his/her beliefs of what works and what does not work. In general, the multi medal winner is obsessed with (old) routines and thinks that his/her way is the ONLY way to improve performance and win. The only way to win his/her trust is learn about his work, collect evidence. Build and collect evidence and he/she will listen to you. With no evidence your philosophy and your beliefs count nothing. After all, he/she has won everything, not you, so why should the coach listen to you?

2. The motivator

The motivator gets incredible attention from staff and athletes. He/She can get anybody to climb mount Everest. He/She is capable of inspiring the most incredible performances. However most of the times he/she is completely disorganised. Cannot put together a structured plan with a sense, improvises and has no idea why certain things work and what does not work. If you work with a motivator coach you will always be in a great environment but unstructured and random. So what you will need as a sports scientist is organization and structure. The motivator suffers from ego-boosts periods when things go well and excessive rehearsals of Al Pacino's any given sunday speeches when things go pear shaped, so be ready for loads of pep talks and inspirational videos.

3. The Lecturer

This coach is going to lecture everybody, his/her athletes and hi/her staff. However, just like any university lecturer, few times athletes and staff will fall asleep...The lecturer coach is always prepared (to give a lecture) but most of the times what he lectures about is not what he/she coaches. He is too busy to put together cool quotes to self reflect and find out that what he thinks he/she is doing is not what is happening. Sports science support to a lecturer coach is challenging as it means many times falling into the trap of producing power point slides to get to your points. If you end up working with somebody like that, get ready for death by power point and numerous hours of meetings in which you will be lectured.

4. The pseudo-science guru

This one is fascinating. This is the guru. The one that also has sometimes cargo-cult science following. He/she is always right just like the first type, is a great motivator and a lecturer. Is the combination of all of the above. What makes this type more dangerous than others is that this coach reads stuff. Blogs, books, articles in Russian, philosophy theories, books nobody has read or can buy, and has a side interest in physics. This type comes up with new terms previously unknown to mankind and claims facts that were published in some obscure journals (or on the walls of a cave) which helped him/her develop the new theory of coaching. This one is lethal, because will challenge any sports scientists using collections of sciency words in random order and will confuse you so badly that at times you will think that what you learnt in your degrees was just a pile of nonsense. He/she has a following after all, and everyone wants to work with him/her. So if you question or refuse to accept the mumbo jumbo you will be quickly dismissed as an innominato, a non believer. Best way to work with this type? Get your facts right, über right! Make sure you translate the mumbo jumbo in something meaningful and take your time to understand how he/she works. Sometimes great gifts are given in ugly packages, so you might learn something new if you listen but this happens rarely. Many times you will shake your head in disbelief and will have to challenge the non sense using scientific facts. Be prepared, as the pseudo-science guru does not like to be contradicted, so unless you are really really good and absolutely correct, you might lose your job before you know it. 

5. The Artist

The artist creates. He/She is never prepared. There is no structure, no plan, no thinking forward, no idea of what happened last week. Nothing, nada de nada. The Artist coach will surprise you with curve balls coming from everywhere. His/Her plans (which reside only in his/her head) will be always changed at the last minute. Whatever you agreed to do will have to change. So if you work with this type, better learn how to sail and read the wind, as the working journey with this type will take you to places you have never been before...This type should come with a warning if you have OCD and/or love structured plans.

6. The Bully

The bully is a coaching type you can come across frequently. This type is very popular in team sports and combat sports (stereotyping...I know...). This type is loved by CEOs of team sports clubs and tends to get hired to replace another coach when the season is going badly. It is in fact popular belief with general managers and CEOs of sports club (should write something about them as well...) that when a team is not performing you need to hire a bully as many times the perception from the boardroom is that the athletes and staff are not "working hard enough". The bully comes in, shouts at everyone constantly and controls everything. The bully does not like freedom of expression nor alternative ideas. With the bully you execute and you have to be prepared to have a shouting match. With the bully heated discussions do not happen behind closed doors, they happen on the field, in front of anybody (that's why he/she is a bully!). The bully has a plan most of the times (in his head), and when shared with staff and players it is fixed. The bully does not grasp the concept of progressive overload (in fact, the word progressive does not belong to his/her vocabulary). The periodisation plan of the bully is affected by good and bad results. Bad results = massive increase in training volume and intensity, good results = constant high volume and intensity. 

8. The friend coach

The friend coach is the nice guy. The one that sometimes even when results are bad can't be fired because "he is such a nice guy". The nice guy reads a lot of psychology and sociology. The nice guy does not shout and will refer any sign of DOMS to the medical team for an MRI (just in case). The friend coach cares about the health of the athletes, their families, the staff and the fans. He/She wants to make sure everyone is happy. The friend coach likes questionnaires, psychological profiling and likes to talk. His/her training approach has solid pedagogical foundations. It's the Montessori approach to training in fact! The friend coach has a plan, but this is discussed with the athletes and staff. Everyone has a say and in the end nobody has a plan as most of the times the friend coach facilitates an anarchic system where everybody does whatever he/she likes to do when they like to do it. As a sports scientist supporting the friend coach you will need to be firm and organised (but this is a trait you need anyway for every other coach) as otherwise you will not get much done. New iterations of the friend coach these days contain "new age" elements. Sometimes in fact training sessions can be performed barefoot and with soft music in the background (have you ever tried to lift weights with Mozart's music blasted in the gym?). He/she can take you to a camping trip so you can all bond and/or perform a training session in weird/remote places. When a friend coach is sacked there are lots of tears and teams might need weeks of therapy to recover from the loss. This is very different from the sacking of a bully coach where teams celebrate the release with fireworks displays.

9. The Statistician

The Statistician loves his/her numbers. Very common coaching type in CGS (centimetres,grams or seconds) sports. The statistician knows how fast Usain Bolt run when he was 11 and has learnt mnemonically the World ranking in his and other events for the last 30 years. The statistician make s use of numbers and loves numbers. His/her training sessions are detailed. You will know how much, how many times, how fast/slow, with what cadence and sometimes you might have add-ons like breathing rate! The statistician will get your brain going, so make sure you learn all key times and bring a calculator as sometimes you may fall into the trap of believing the numbers to find out later that they were utterly wrong (sometimes!). The statistician also loves predicting performances. He/she is able to tell you fast somebody will run/swim/cycle just by knowing how many push ups/medicine ball throws the athlete performs together with his body mass, speed in specific distances and age. How does he/she do that? Easy! The statistician uses secret formulas which were developed in East Germany in the 50s and were obtained from another coach after winning a drinking competition in a Bar in Budapest or exchanged for a box of cigars before the Berlin wall came down. The formula has also been "improved" by the statistician coach over the years adding a k he/she developed which improves the precision of the predictions. If you think you can go on PubMed and look for the formula you are a fool. There is no trace. Your best bet is to head to Budapest and try to find the Bar. Support to the statistician is relatively easy if you know your numbers and you provide evidence based reports. However, if you don't know or understand statistics, you are better off considering a career in another industry as this one takes no prisoners.

10. The SAS coach

One of my favourites and loved by everyone with OCD. The SAS coach applies military techniques to coaching and managing staff. Your morning meetings will be at 07 hundred hours (0700 am) and will start with a briefing. Anybody arriving late to anything will have to do 20 push ups. The SAS coach has a plan, everything is planned to detail with exact times and list of activities. Meetings are sharp and run on strict agendas and end with a series of actions. Athletes and staff know their roles and responsibilities. There is no place for complacency, no compromise means no compromise. When SAS coach asks you to do something, he/she is not asking. It's an order. Training sessions are built on solid routines. Everything is built on solid routines. The SAS coach is not a bully, but he/she can be at times. Definitively more organised than any other type, however sometimes lacks empathy. So some staff or athletes may get the "hairdryer" treatment at times, but the SAS coach means well. He/she demands excellence (and most of the times obtains it!). Not everybody can work with the SAS coach. The main aspect is to be incredibly well organised, have good routines and deliver consistent excellence.

So, my list is finished. Joking aside, in order to work with various coaches in a sports science role you need to:

• Understand how the coaches work, what is their experience/background and what their philosophy
• Learn about their approach/take notes/ask questions/observe/measure where possible
• Reinforce all the positive, anything that works
• Discuss what does not work when you have evidence and not when their philosophy does not match yours
• Be organised, have good plans, gather (relevant) data to improve the quality of service you can provide to the coach/athlete unit
• Remember you are part of the support team, not the main actor, your place is behind the scenes
• No one is indispensable
• If you get a chance, get some coaching qualifications and try to coach somebody in any sport, you will find out that putting the human performance puzzle together is not as easy as running an incremental test in a lab
• If you think you know everything it is time for you to move on, working with athletes of any level/age allows you to discover something new every day if you ask the right questions (or assess routinely certain aspects) and critically appraise what you do.
• Be prepared to have the difficult conversations (and many times you will be at the receiving end!)
• Never forget that when working with a team or an individual athlete everyone is trying to do the same thing (improving performance) but each member of the team might do it in a different way.
• Never lose sight of the big picture
  
  
  

How to Eat Carbs for Workouts and Recovery

Carbohydrates seem to be a very misunderstood macronutrient these days. There are some who believe consuming any carbohydrates will make you fat and unhealthy, while there are others who consume absolutely enormous amounts of carbohydrates, believing them to be the key to health. In reality the truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle.

While carbohydrates are neither evil nor perfect, they can be an excellent choice to help you train harder and longer, and recover faster. Consuming some carbohydrates before and after your training can have some incredibly powerful benefits, which will help to maximize the results of your efforts.

Carbohydrates Before You Train

Purposeful consumption of carbohydrates 30-90 minutes before you exercise has two main benefits: to fuel your training as well as to preserve your muscle and liver glycogen, the latter of which is an important and underappreciated factor in the recovery process. So if you don't eat a meal within 1-1.5 hours of your strength workout, it might be a good idea to consume a protein/carbohydrate shake prior to your workout. 

If you have recently eaten a meal within 1-1.5 hours of working out then all you would need is a good protein-only shake to provide the necessary protein and branched chain amino acids for your workout. 

There is also another misconception that carbohydrate consumption is only beneficial for endurance activity that exceeds two hours in duration. Challenging that idea is an appreciable amount of research that shows carbohydrate consumption enhances high-intensity training lasting only an hour.

Consuming carbohydrates before training also stimulates the release of insulin, which in this case is a good thing. Insulin stimulates protein synthesis and prevents protein breakdown (in the presence of amino acids in the bloodstream). Protein synthesis and prevention of protein breakdown is maximized when insulin is within the range of 15-30mU/l.

This is roughly 3 times higher than normal fasting levels, and is easily met with a moderate-sized balanced meal or shake. In addition, blood levels of carbohydrates and insulin (as well as amino acids) are elevated above normal fasting levels for 3-6 hours after a meal, meaning that your pre-training carbohydrate intake will keep your insulin elevated within that maximal range until you are ready to eat again after you finish training.

Simply consuming 30-60 grams carbohydrates within 30-90 minutes before training will help you train hard, maintain your glycogen levels, and stimulate insulin to help maximize protein synthesis and inhibit protein breakdown.

Carbohydrates After You Train

While it is clear that consuming carbohydrates before you train will improve training performance and recovery, how about consumption after you train? Well, carbohydrate consumption after exercise will replenish the glycogen that was used up, as well keeping insulin elevated to maximize protein synthesis and inhibit protein breakdown (as long as adequate protein is also consumed).

Research has very clearly shown that consuming carbohydrates of any type after training will rapidly replenish glycogen, stimulate insulin, and improve performance in repeat tests. In fact, delaying intake for two hours after training can delay glycogen resynthesis, so it is best to consume within an hour of training completion.

Aim to consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrates within 60 minutes after you complete your training session to maximize your results. The amounts needed depend on the size and needs of the individual, as well as the duration and intensity of the training.

In the end, make sure you are fueling yourself properly before and after a workout to reap the greatest rewards from your efforts. This will help to fuel your session, spare and replenish glycogen levels, and stimulate insulin to maximize muscle protein synthesis and inhibit muscle protein breakdown.

Penyakit Gout

Gout adalah keadaan dimana berlaku keradangan yang menyakitkan di tendon, sendi dan ianya membengkak. Sendimetatarsal-phalangeal di tapak kaki adalah tempat biasa terjadi. Ia mungkin gout biasa atau mungkin tanda-tanda penyakit lain seperti batu karang, urate nephropathy dan tophi. Ia disebabkan oleh tahap asid urik dalam darah yang menghablur dan disimpan di sendi tendon serta tisu sekeliling.

rawatan dilakukan dengan ubat anti-radang, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroid atau colchicine. Setelah kesakitan menurun, tahap asid urik biasanya menurun melalui perubahan gaya hidup. Meraka yang selalu kena gout biasanya diberi allopurinol atau probenecid untuk pencegahan.

Gout boleh berlaku disebabkan beberapa faktor termasuk pemakanan, genetik, dan masalah di buah pinggang. Majoriti kes daripada masalah buah pinggang manakala minoriti disebabkan pemakanan. Saya taknak bercerita pasal masalah buah pinggang, genetik dan sebagainya dahulu.

Ada orang kata, orang yang aktif bersenam dan ahli bina badan berisiko dapat gout disebabkan pengambilan protein yang tinggi. Betul ke? atau secara lebih tepat, gout disebabkan makanan yang tinggi kandungan purine. Secara amnya mereka yang aktif atau seorang atlet bina badan memerlukan protein yang tinggi dan secara kebetulan kebanyakan jenis protein tinggi purine.

Banyak makanan tinggi protein seperti makanan laut, kekacang, daging merah dan daging organik tinggi purine. Pemecahan purine dalam makanan ini akhirnya boleh menyebabkan gout. Purine ditukarkan ke bentuk asid urik semasa metabolisme tisu-tisu rosak dan koyak. Kajian yang dijalankan menunjukkan mereka yang banyak makan daging merah dan makanan laut meningkatkan risiko gout sebanyak 50%.

Apakah makanan yang tiada purine? Telur dan produk tenusu tinggi protein tetapi tiada purine bergantung pada campurannya. Produk susu seperti yogurt dan keju mengandungi purine disebabkan bakteria yang hadir semasa proses penapaian. Walaubagaimana pun, kandungan purine nya terlalu sedikit. Purine diperlukan badan tetapi dalam jumlah yang sedikit.

Mereka dengan risiko gout disebabkan beberapa faktor masih boleh mengambil protein yang tinggi, cuma perlu kurangkan protein yang tinggi purine. Dalam masa yang sama, mereka perlu mengambil makanan tinggi vitamin C. Nenas berkesan untuk pesakit gout. Omega-3 dalam minyak ikan, minyak flaxseed boleh membantu mengurangkan kesakitan disebabkan keradangan. Bagaimana dengan produk makanan tambahan? Mereka boleh mengambil protein whey cuma perlu dielakkan kebanyakan produk weight gainer.

Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow adalah satu istilah biasa yang disebabkan oleh berlebihan menggunakan otot lengan dan akan membawa kepada kesakitan di siku. Anda tidak semestinya bermain tenis untuk mendapat sakit ini. Dahulu kebanyakan kes ini melibatkan mereka yang bermain tenis, jadi ia dinamakan tennis elbow. Ia menjadi masalah besar bagi sesetengah pemain tenis.

Pasti ramai yang pernah mengalaminya tetapi tidak mengetahui puncanya. Ia adalah disebabkan penggunaan otot lengan berlebihan. Biasanya disebabkan latih bisep berlebihan atau dada berlebihan. Bukan sahaja latih bisep, tetapi lengan digunakan dalam hampir semua pergerakan latihan bebanan bahagian atas badan samada secara langsung atau tidak. Kebanyakan kes melibatkan mereka yang tidak memberi rehat yang cukup pada otot lengan.

Tennis elbow adalah disebabkan kecederaan sama ada secara tiba-tiba pada otot atau tendon di kawasan sekitar luar siku. Tennis elbow melibatkan kawasan di mana otot dan tendon lengan berhubung, di bahagian lateral epicondyle di siku. 

Nama lain bagi tennis elbow adalah lateral epicondylitis. Satu lagi istilah adalah golfer elbow, keadaan yang melibatkan banyak pemain golf, yang dimana juga dikategorikan sebagai epicondylitis. Epicondylitisbukan sahaja boleh didapati daripada sukan tenis, golf dan latihan bebanan, tetapi juga mereka yang kerja di pejabat, menggunakan komputer, menaip atau mungkin melayari laman sosial untuk satu jangka masa yang lama. Kecederaan ini boleh memberi kesan kepada kedudukan siku yang mana seterusnya mungkin menyebabkan masalah-masalah lain.

Simptom Tennis Elbow:

• Sakit secara perlahan tetapi meningkat di sekeliling luar siku. Mungkin kurang, tetapi boleh tiba-tiba sakit.
• Kesakitan mungkin menjadi teruk apabila tangan bergerak.
• Kesakitan boleh jadi lebih teruk apabila daya digunakan, seperti latihan bebanan, membuka botol air yang ketat, dan pelbagai lagi.

Sakit di siku tidak semestinya disebabkan tennis elbow, tetapi kebanyakan sakit ini didiagnos sebagai tennis elbow. Kebanyakan kes di gim boleh terus didiagnos sebagai epicondylitis jika melihat pada cara senamannya yang melibatkan banyak penggunaan lengan.

Apakah rawatan yang sesuai?

Jenis rawatan yang ditetapkan bagi tennis elbow bergantung kepada beberapa faktor termasuk umur, jenis ubat lain yang diambil, kesihatan keseluruhan, sejarah perubatan dan tahap kesakitan. Rawatan bertujuaan mengurangkan kesakitan atau radang, menggalakkan penyembuhan, dan mengurangkan tekanan dan penderaan ke atas siku yang cedera.

Kesakitan untuk satu tempoh yang lama menandakan keradangan yang serius dan biasanya sukar sembuh begitu sahaja. Air batu boleh digunakan. Ada sesetengah kes memerlukan pengambilan nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) seperti ibuprofen. Kes yang lebih serius biasanya disuntik steroid jenis cortisone. Selepas kesakitan akibat keradangan hilang, baru terapi tertentu dibuat untuk meregangkan dan menguatkan otot dan tendon sekeliling. Tapi orang kita biasanya, sakit-sakit pergi urut dan akhirnya akan menyebabkan sakit bertambah teruk.

Dalam proses meregang dan menguatkan kembali otot dan tendon terlibat, aktiviti fizikal seperti latihan bebanan yang melibatkan penggunaan lengan patut dielakkan dahulu. Anda ingin sembuh dalam masa 2 minggu atau 2 bulan pun belum tentu sembuh? Penggunaan band yang mengikat bahagian siku hanya mampu menghilangkan kesakitan sementara tetapi akhirnya mungkin menyebabkannya menjadi lebih serius. Anda tentukan. Kebanyakan kes boleh dirawat dengan rawatan perubatan dan terapi tetapi ada kes mungkin memerlukan pembedahan.

Apakah latihan yang perlu dielak?

Rehat 2 minggu lebih baik tetapi ada sesetengah kes dimana atlet masih perlukan latihan atau kes degil, elakkan penggunaan dumbbell ketika melakukan bench press, inclined, declined atau rata. Dumbbell memerlukan anda untuk stabilkan tangan anda yang biasanya melibatkan tendon di siku. Barbell lebih selamat.

Bagaimana mengurangkan risiko kena tennis elbow di gim?

Kuatkan otot sekeliling dan jangan terlalu tumpu pada pergerakan yang melibatkan lengan seperti sesetengah orang yang hanya latih dada, tangan, dada, tangan, dada, tangan. Latih bahagian lain dan seimbangkan. Antara bahagian perlu dikuatkan termasuk otot scapular dan rotator cuff.