Sports Specific Training

Olympic athletes are so fit they make everything look easy. It is one of the most amazing examples of athletic prowess to behold. Attempting these feats of athleticism could lead to injury without proper training and conditioning. However, you can draw inspiration from these incredible skills and commitment to reach your fitness goals. Individuals can emulate the Olympic athlete's discipline to get the most out of physical activity and workouts.

Olympic Athlete Discipline

This is not about the literal workout routines these athletes engage in but the mental state and discipline that keeps them motivated, especially when things get tough. This can help individuals get the most out of every workout. When momentum or motivation starts to dwindle, look to Olympic athletes and then apply that discipline to recharge motivation and achieve the goal.

Learn to Train Daily

Many can succumb to weekend warrior syndrome. After sitting on the couch after a long day of work all week, individuals try to make up for the inactivity by overexerting themselves with hours of exercise on the weekend. This is a perfect setup for injury.

• Instead, train, work out, exercise, and move around daily. Professional athletes know they won't get the top results in one shot.
• They approach it in incremental steps for a solid foundation and understanding of the final and optimal result.
• Daily physical activity and exercise maintain body conditioning, strength, and overall fitness.
• And makes the body more efficient at burning fat.

Maintain Goal Focus

• Olympic athletes have specific goals in their training. There has to be when competing against the best athletes in the world and winning.
• Individual health and fitness goals may be smaller, but they are just as important and should be treated as such for motivation to exercise each day.
• Keep goals simple, specific, and reachable/doable when setting them.
• SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-based.
• Use daily reminders of what the goal is and strategies to achieve it.

Utilize Specific Training

• Olympic athletes must have incredible endurance, strength, and skill sets to complete their event.
• They must incorporate specific training drills, exercises, stretches, nutrition, etc., to improve and advance.
• Whatever the goal, make sure the training is appropriate.
• If trying to build muscle, focus on heavy strength training and consuming quality calories.
• If the goal is to lose weight, break down the goal into achievable steps to get there, like.
• What type of workouts are needed?
• Consulting a nutritionist for recommendations.  

Fuel the Body for Top Performance

• Individuals can be concerned about food and whether it contains too much fat or calories.
• Olympic athletes worry about getting the right nutrients and calories to fuel their bodies for competition.
• Use a similar approach and ask what is the best thing I should eat right now for the workout and...
• What foods will maintain optimal body health?

Listen to The Body and Rest

• Olympic athletes have to learn to maintain the balance of maintaining top performance and not getting burnt out.
• This is when they know to listen to their bodies, extend recovery days, or take a mini-vacation.
• Overtraining can lead to injury, frustration, discouragement, and loss of motivation.
• Know the signs of overtraining and take a break.

Focus on Proper Form

• Whatever the activity, make sure proper form is followed.
• For example, distance runners hold their heads high, have relaxed faces and upper bodies, have a natural arm swing, and do not overstride.
• Apply the same form principles to stretches and exercises.

Stronger Body = Better Life

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, don't hesitate to get in touch with Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Casa, Douglas J et al. "Fluid Needs for Training, Competition, and Recovery in Track-and-Field Athletes." International Journal of sports nutrition and exercise metabolism vol. 29,2 (2019): 175-180. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0374

Bailey RR. Goal Setting and Action Planning for Health Behavior Change. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2019;13(6):615-618. doi:10.1177/1559827617729634

Hackett, Daniel, et al. "Olympic weightlifting training improves vertical jump height in sportspeople: a systematic review with meta-analysis." British Journal of sports medicine vol. 50,14 (2016): 865-72. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094951

Huebner, Marianne, et al. "The Masters' athlete in Olympic weightlifting: Training, lifestyle, health challenges, and gender differences." PloS one vol. 15,12 e0243652. 4 Dec. 2020, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0243652

Kreher JB, Schwartz JB. Overtraining Syndrome: A Practical Guide. Sports Health. 2012;4(2):128-138. doi:10.1177/1941738111434406

Swift DL, Johannsen NM, Lavie CJ, Earnest CP, Church TS. The Role of Exercise and Physical Activity in Weight Loss and Maintenance. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2014;56(4):441-447. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2013.09.012

Sports-specific performance training is an approach to develop an athlete's full potential in their sport. This involves three different factors: physical, technical, and experience. Physical ability is the exercise physiology that consists of strengthening and conditioning the body to handle the conditions of the sport. This includes:

• Strength
• Power
• Speed
• Endurance
• Mobility
• Stability
• Flexibility
• Balance

Technical ability involves the skill sets needed for the sport. This includes:

• Running
• Jumping
• Kicking
• Throwing
• Catching
• Hitting
• Sliding

And finally is the athlete's experience. This takes the knowledge, combined with the physical and technical abilities brought together to perform at optimum levels. However, it all begins with physical ability that needs to be developed. Even naturally gifted individuals need to develop their physical ability.

Sports Specific Performance Training

Strength & conditioning objectives are to develop the whole athlete. This involves:

• Health - Physical and Mental
• Athleticism
• Sports Skills

An athlete's health takes into consideration their body composition and current or past injuries. Along with injuries, the athlete's mobility, flexibility, and stability are examined to determine if these were among the contributors or conditions that caused or could lead to an injury. Strength & conditioning is used so an athlete can return to play and allow them to be more resilient to injuries. Maintaining the body's health means:

• Keeping track of nutrition by making healthy food choices.
• Maintaining proper hydration levels.
• Allowing the body to recover from training thoroughly.
• Keeping the body loose and flexible through chiropractic sports massage or a personal training therapist.

Mobility, Flexibility, and Stability

• Mobility is an athlete's ability to move through a specific range of motion actively.
• Flexibility is an athlete's ability to move through a range of motion passively.
• Stability is the coordination of muscle action that allows a joint to remain in the proper position during movement.

If an athlete is mobile and flexible but not stable, it increases the risk of sustaining an injury. The same can be said of an athlete with stability but limited mobility.

Athletic Mindset

An athlete's mindset can win or lose games.

• Athletes are encouraged to push themselves to see what they are capable of, which relies on mental strength.
• Athletes that doubt their ability become their own worst critics and hold themselves in low self-esteem tend to underperform or become overly cautious when competing.
• This is where a sports psychologist can help an athlete overcome any confidence issues.

Athleticism

Developing athleticism involves strength, power, speed. These physical attributes allow athletes to perform within their technical and strategical abilities.

• It is recommended to spend 10-15 minutes warming up with each sports-specific performance training session. The warm-up:
• Primes for the athlete's nervous system.
• Increases blood flow to the muscles.
• Prepares the joints for optimal function.

Warm-ups can consist of:

• Foam rolling
• Breathing drills
• Static stretching
• Corrective exercises
• Movement preparation
• Movement skills

Speed training addresses linear, lateral, and multi-directional speed. The objective is to keep athletes learning and developing better reaction skills while maintaining high-quality movement. Speed training can last 10 to 15-minutes with the number of repetitions.

Strength training follows an individualized system for each athlete based on an initial evaluation. The objective is to eliminate any weaknesses that an individual may have and develop functional strength, giving the athlete the ability to take that strength onto the field, court, mat, etc.

It is essential to understand how the body moves. Kinesiology and programming parameters involve - sets, repetitions, overall training volume, and the body's response to the stimulus.

Body Composition

Exercise and Blood Pressure

Blood pressure typically rises naturally as the body ages.  The American Heart Association recommends individuals get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intense aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week. This can be split up into 30 minutes per day on at least five days a week or in 10 minute short sessions throughout the day.  Aerobic exercise can include:

• Walking
• Dancing
• Running
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Swimming

Resistance Training

Research suggests that resistance training with bands or weights can supplement aerobic exercise to reduce blood pressure. It is recommended to complete 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for each major muscle group during workouts. It is recommended that resistance training be spaced out throughout the week to limit the potential muscle soreness that can lead to injury. Resistance training can include: 

• Weight machines like chest press, shoulder press, etc.
• Free weights like dumbbells, barbells, etc.
• Resistance band exercises

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Bahr, R, and T Krosshaug. "Understanding injury mechanisms: a key component of preventing injuries in sport." British journal of sports medicine vol. 39,6 (2005): 324-9. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2005.018341

Iaia, F Marcello et al. "High-intensity training in football." International journal of sports physiology and performance vol. 4,3 (2009): 291-306. doi:10.1123/ijspp.4.3.291

Jeukendrup, Asker E. "Periodized Nutrition for Athletes." Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 47,Suppl 1 (2017): 51-63. doi:10.1007/s40279-017-0694-2

Kraemer, William J, and Nicholas A Ratamess. "Fundamentals of resistance training: progression and exercise prescription." Medicine and science in sports and exercise vol. 36,4 (2004): 674-88. doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000121945.36635.61

Nagorsky, Eugen, and Josef Wiemeyer. "The structure of performance and training in esports." PloS one vol. 15,8 e0237584. 25 Aug. 2020, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0237584

Cheerleading and the physically intensive gymnastics and acrobatics put participants' body's/musculoskeletal systems at an increased risk of injury. A wrong move or falling at the wrong angle can cause permanent damage. Cheerleaders must follow a balanced diet and maintain physical fitness, strength, endurance, and flexibility to be successful cheerleaders. Cheerleading conditioning builds the musculature and spinal strength to decrease the risk and prevent injury.

Cheerleading Conditioning

Cheerleaders must have a solid musculoskeletal system to ensure their safety and the safety of their squads. Workouts include cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises.

Warming Up

• Before any workout, the muscles need to be warmed up.
• Spend five minutes jumping rope, running in place, jogging on a treadmill, or doing any mild activity to raise the heart rate.
• After the muscles are warmed up, stretch all major muscle groups.

Cardio

• Spend 30 minutes on cardiovascular exercise. This can include:
• Run on a treadmill or elliptical machine, swim, do aerobics, do cardio kickboxing, and dance.
• This prevents fatigue, overtraining, sprains, strains, and other injuries.
• Working out with a goal of 50-75% of maximum heart rate is recommended.
• Use a heart monitor app to keep track of heart rate throughout the workout.

Strength Training

Performing partner lifts, pyramids, and basket tosses calls for strong muscles.

• Focus on the shoulders, arms, back, core, and legs.
• Strength training workouts can be done with exercise equipment or body weight.
• Bodyweight workouts include pushups, situps, partner leg lifts, squats, and lunges.
• Perform 10 to 12 repetitions each, working up to 75 - 100 reps.

Flexibility

• Cheerleading conditioning focuses on the hamstrings, quads, glutes, abdominals, chest, shoulders, back, and pectorals.
• Yoga, Pilates, or regular stretching at home will increase flexibility.
• Incorporate stretches that focus on the major muscle groups.
• Stretch at the end of the workout.

Balance Training

Balance is essential.

• This is where yoga can improve balance.
• Try tree pose by standing on the right foot, and the left leg bent on the right knee.
• The left thigh should be parallel to the ground.
• Raise arms overhead and make a V motion keeping the abdominal muscles tight.
• Balance for up to one minute.
• Switch to the other foot.
• Once balance is mastered on the ground, try balancing on a cushion to add instability.
• Repeat three to five times on each foot.

Common Injuries

Common injuries include:

• Hand and finger injuries.
• Ligament sprains in the knees and ankles.
• Muscle strains in the hip, low back, and legs.

Overuse injuries

• Cheerleading is becoming a year-round sport.
• Starting with tryouts during spring.
• Teams may hold or go to organized summer cheerleading camps to learn new skills, improve skill sets, and create routines for competition.
• Continuous training and competitions increase the chance of overuse injuries.
• The wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles can be injured by repetitive stress.

More severe injuries are:

• The repetitive tumbling places significant pressure on the spine and can cause stress fractures.
• Dislocation of the shoulder or elbow.

Injury Causes

• Lack of arm and shoulder, foot, and ankle strength.
• Little to no core and abdominal strength.
• Flexibility problems.
• Improper conditioning.
• Unhealthy diet.
• Performing skills that are advanced for the cheerleader's current level.

Chiropractic Enhancement

Chiropractic care can treat injuries and strengthen the body's musculoskeletal system to prevent injuries. Chiropractic's goal is optimal body performance by redistributing blood circulation, nerve energy flow, correct muscle positioning, and skeletal alignment. Many cheerleading teams are incorporating chiropractic. Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic also specializes in sports medicine rehabilitation, strength training, nutrition, and health coaching.

Cheerleading Strength Training Workout

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Boden, Barry P, and Christopher G Jarvis. "Spinal injuries in sports." Neurologic clinics vol. 26,1 (2008): 63-78; viii. doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2007.12.005

Miners, Andrew L. "Chiropractic treatment and the enhancement of sport performance: a narrative literature review." The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association vol. 54,4 (2010): 210-21.

Mueller, Frederick O. "Cheerleading injuries and safety." Journal of athletic training vol. 44,6 (2009): 565-6. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-44.6.565

Pang, Yanbin, et al. "Premature exhaustion of mesenchymal stromal cells from myelodysplastic syndrome patients." American journal of translational research vol. 9,7 3462-3468. 15 Jul. 2017

Wan, Jing-Jing, et al. "Muscle fatigue: general understanding and treatment." Experimental & molecular medicine vol. 49,10 e384. 6 Oct. 2017, doi:10.1038/emm.2017.194

The bodies of runners who put in a lot of mileage appear to be more efficient at running compared to those who run less, a new study finds. Jasper Verheul and colleagues at Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom compared two groups of runners. One group ran more than 27 miles a week, the other group ran fewer than nine miles a week.

The researchers examined the activity of muscle groups in the thigh and the motion of knee joints with a variety of tools as the participants ran at different speeds during the research study.
“Given the importance of the knee joint in running, it was hoped that by examining knee joint stiffness and muscle activation levels across a range of running speeds, the adaptations of neuromuscular factors due to running training could be closely explored for the first time,” the researchers wrote.

When their feet landed on the ground, the knees of the runners who put in the most miles had less muscle activity and more stiffness. The researchers also saw that the tendons in the high-mileage runners worked more efficiently at pushing the body forward.