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Issue 47|
Mon: BYE BYE PLATEAU!! |
2 - Mixed Martial Arts – grrl Style
Here’s part of an interview with 3 of the top Mixed Martial Arts strength coaches in the world (Alwyn Cosgrove, Joe Dowdell, and Martin Rooney). We asked them how female fighters should train and if it is any different than training males. Here’s what all of you tough grrls should be doing in your training.
The full 2-part interview can be found on CBAthletics.com
Here: http://www.cbathletics.com/issues/122.htm
And here: http://www.cbathletics.com/issues/latest.htm
CB: What special considerations do you take into account when training females for MMA?
AC:
Females tend to have weaker posterior chains and in particular upper backs, and exhibit excessive thoracic curves and forward head posture (having breasts will offset COG and wearing high heels). So our corrective stage programs address this. They also tend to have short, tight hip flexors.
However, the training to correct these imbalances is the same as if they were male, and the other training remains the same. We also try to get a little more aggression out of females. Society has made this a negative trait for a woman but we try to encourage it.
JD:
Females tend to be more flexible than men, which often creates more instability around their joints. Also, because females have a greater “Q angle”, they tend to have a greater incidence of improper force distribution through their lower kinetic chain. Therefore, it is important to increase the strength and stability around their hip, knee and ankle joints.
Women tend to be weaker in their upper extremity due to a lack of loading which is usually the result of a fear of looking to muscular. As a result, they tend to have weak upper and lower backs as well, which once again can lead to lead to a greater incidence of injury due to improper force distribution through the Spine.
MR:
I just trained Celita Schutz for the last Olympics in judo, and I have to say that she changed the way that I thought about female combat athletes. Although she is a 3 time Olympian and one of the best judokas in the world, she proved that women can be incredibly strong, fast, technical and mentally tough with the proper training. I have also worked with jiu jitsu women that also used their flexibility to their advantage.
In terms of training, I often have to start more on the base because unlike many of their male counterparts, the females are not usually strength training. Common areas of weakness are the hips and low back. Once we have added this component though, I have been able to work a similar training regime with the girls. (Just less weight on certain activities, of course). Interestingly, Celita trained with many of the high level guys and topped them in a number of activities.
3 – How to Build a Great Body & Eat Great Food
Nutrition is pretty simple. Follow some basic rules and you’ll achieve your goals of lean muscle, less fat, and improved performance. But for some people, they feel that the rules are meant to be broken. Unfortunately, if you choose to break some of our nutrition rules then you can expect to struggle with your fat loss goals.
Among our list of rules are two of the simplest recommendations. First, always eat a good breakfast. Second, choose healthy foods that will help keep you full and reduce your appetite between mini-meals.
When we first review a client’s nutrition profile, we often have them start making changes to their breakfast. Research has shown that people that eat breakfast tend to eat fewer calories over the rest of the day, and that they are able to maintain weight loss better than those that skip breakfast. It’s important to get some lean protein and fiber at each meal, including breakfast, and to get a head start on your fruits and vegetable intake at this time. This will fill you up, help you control your blood sugar, and give you energy for your morning at work or school.
Some people think that “delicious” and “healthy” are two words that can’t be used to describe the same meal. If you are one of those people, then I promise you that your opinion is going to change.
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It also teaches you:
· What exactly you need in your kitchen, and what you must not have, if you're to succeed -- from foods, appliances and utensils, right down to the spices.
· A 6 step system for building your kitchen anew – even if it’s in need of the most dramatic of overhauls!
· 100 perfect meals, quick and easy meals as well as 5-star, impress-your-friends meals. How about healthy
· Meal categorization according to the best time of day to eat the meals. How about a post workout shake, followed an hour later by our healthy Hawaiian pizza. Then, later in the evening, sit down for our pecan-crusted salmon.
· 17 food preparation tips, making you a culinary dynamo in no time. No more fingertips in your vegetable medley!
· 25 food facts and strategies, tips that help you make sense of the nutritional recommendations you read about often (from us, even) but don’t quite understand fully
· The absolute best fruits, the best vegetables, the best grains, the best times to eat, and more!
Simply put, everyone should have this e-book. And the authors have completely removed the risk to you by giving you a 100% Money-Back Guarantee.
So if you're sick of eating healthy food that tastes like bark, check this e-book out. Since football season will soon be over, you’ll have no more excuses not to eat better. In fact, you could even start eating healthier on Superbowl Sunday with their healthy chili recipe about which one client raved, “Oh my God! That stuff is insanely good!!! I love it!”
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4 – Female Strength:
An Interview with Sarah Clarke, Canadian Powerlifting Champion - PART II
grrlAthlete.com: Sarah, can you explain the type of training you do and briefly outline the most effective programs you have used?
Sarah Clarke:
The type of training I do is very different to what is prescribed by most experts in the fitness industry. My workouts are long, tiring and frequent. It's not unusual to train 4-6 days a week squatting, benching and deadlifting every day. There are few light days, and even on "days off" I do sauna treatments that are exhausting.
The training programs I follow are a twist on Russian and Bulgarian Powerlifting programs. Through trial and error we have found which routines work for me and then customized the Russian/Bulgarian programs for maximal results. The workouts I do range anywhere from
The main idea behind these programs is high volume. To do 15 + sets of squats in one workout, then bench and deadlift and come back to another 10+ sets of squats, is not uncommon. By pushing the body to a level of exhaustion (but NEVER compromising form) an overcompensation effect occurs. It seems the more I beat up my body, the stronger I get.
I seem to have the best results on the Boris Sheiko program. This program is 6 days of grueling workouts with multiple squat/ deadlift sessions each workout. Percentages from 40-105% are used in the varying exercises. My body at the end of each workout is useless and sore, but the next day I'm, right back at it. This program I usually do for about 3 weeks maximum and then switch onto another program.
The Boris Sheiko routine is a great foundation routine. It prepares my joints and muscles for such programs as the Bulgarian wave (where percentages of 75-105% of my one rep max are used in a wave like fashion), as well as helps me wind down from such wearing programs.
Each workout program is usually only followed for 1-2 weeks and then is changed up. The whole idea behind the Russian training is to never let your body get stale. By always shocking the system with new and "out of the ordinary" training methods, my body adapts and gets stronger.
GA: Wow! Your training certainly is not the average program. What are some common mistakes younger lifters make when getting ready for a competition?
SC:
Not being prepared for the worst! Most new lifters only train hard on "good days", days where everything feels great, they feel strong, everything is going their way. On days that aren't going right, they skip a few sets, reduce intensity, and don't train as hard as they know they could. One of the most important lessons I have learned is to make every workout count, even on the days when I am tired, or not feeling 100%, I train even harder. Those are the days that matter- especially for competition.
On the day of a competition you never know what you are going to get, especially if you have to do any travelling to get to there. Things that throw people of a loop the day of a meet are things like jet lag, long car rides, lack of sleep, an unorganized meet, outside life stresses, etc. By training through the worst possible conditions, you are more likely to accept "not so perfect" situations and still be able to perform your best.
GA: Could you give us some tips on performing the squat, bench press and deadlift correctly, and some of the common errors you see in the gym?
SC:
Sure, I’ll start with tips on the best squat for powerlifting.
· Pick the correct stance
This is one of the most common mistakes in the gym. Most people pick the shoulder-width apart, toes forward stance. You see people then pitching forward with their upper body, bearing the weight on the toes instead of heels, and tend to be shaky in the movement because they are afraid to fall over. Pick a wider stance if you have long femurs, turn your feet out until your hips open up and feel comfortable in the squatting movement. You want to find the most comfortable stance that allows you to generate maximal power.
· Breathing
One common error seen in the gym is that people don't like to hold their breath. They tend to exhale at the bottom of the squat (“in the hole” as it's known to powerlifters) causing them to reduce abdominal pressure and collapse the core which is integral in the squat. Breath out on the hardest part of the squat (usually 2/3 of the way back up), as well as taking a full breath at the beginning of the squat to fill abdomen and increase stability.
Here are some tips on improving your Bench Press for powerlifting.
· Use your legs in the bench
You can’t let your legs dance around when things get tough, or tap your feet. This results in you losing so much power generation from the bench press. Instead, set a strong foundation with your legs. Press your upper back into bench and use this to aid in the pressing of the bar. Stability is key in a heavy bench press, so putting your feet on the bench isn't going to help you out one bit.
· Maintain tension in your upper back and lats
Even though you may know enough not to bounce the bar off the chest, you may neglect contracting your lats and upper back as your press the bar. Have someone watch you lower the bar. If you don’t contract your upper back and lats, your chest will collapse when you pause the bar for that brief second before starting the upward motion of the bench press. This usually happens because people don't maintain tension in the upper back and start to relax their lats. Once again by keeping this tension you have a stable, and solid foundation you can use to drive off. Tension throughout the entire body is mandatory in the bench press.
Finally, some tips on Deadlifting.
· Keep the bar as close to the shins/thighs as possible
A lot of people are afraid to scrape their legs so they keep the bar a few inches away from them. This causes unnecessary stress on the back and a loss of power. By letting the bar move away, the weight is also carried towards the toes instead of through the heels, thus making it harder to balance at times. Keep the bar as close to the body as possible. As the saying goes "if you are not bleeding, you are not doing it right"!
· Drive with the shoulders when moving the bar
When you reach your heaviest lift you see people raise their butts before their shoulders even start to move. Maintaining an upright rib cage, and driving hard with the shoulders and head not only avoids having the butt come up but also reduces the risk of injury. If the butt comes up, the first thing you see is the rounding of the upper/lower back thus loading the spine instead of the back muscles. By driving with your shoulders you maintain the arched back and reduce the risk of injury.
GA: Thanks for the wonderful and inspiring interview Sarah. Good luck in all of your future competitions.