Training & Conditioning 13.6

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Circle No. 1

Be great.

C ONTENTS

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Training & Conditioning • September 2003 • Vol. XIII, No. 6

F E AT U R E S ◆ Nutrition ◆

The Protein Push..........11 From the hottest movie star to your next door neighbor, everyone seems to be losing weight on low-carb diets. But will they work for athletes?

By Laura Smith ◆ Optimum Performance ◆

Exploding with Bands..........18 Many strength coaches have been adding bands and chains to their lifting protocols to help improve their athletes’ rate of force development. This author explains the why and the how.

By Bryan Dermody ◆ Tr e a t i n g T h e A t h l e t e ◆

A Growing List..........24 As preparticipation physical exams grow in length and scope, athletic trainers are searching for new ways to fine tune the process.

By Laura Smith

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◆ N e w Te c h n o l o g y ◆

Storm Warning..........35 Detecting lightning before it reaches your athletic field is a must for sport safety. At the University of Florida, staff members have recently implemented a new system for knowing where and when the next flash may strike.

By Dr. Melvin Dace

D E PA R T M E N T S

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◆ Sideline ◆

Immune Function..........3 ◆ ATC Award ◆

This Issue’s Winner..........4 ◆ Student Corner ◆

Treating the Cause..........8

By Dr. Patrick Sexton ◆ Competitive Edge ◆

A Strong Hold..........41 Lehigh University uses a five-phase program to get its wrestlers ready for national competition.

By Pat Santoro & Tom Koch Advertising Directory ..........54 Nutritional Products..........46 Scouting Report: Leg Strengthening..........48 Catalog Showcase..........51 More New Products..........53 Web Connections..........59 Cover Photo: Matthew Engelbert

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Circle No. 2

Marjorie Albohm, MS, ATC/L Director of Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Research, Orthopaedics Indianapolis Jon Almquist, ATC Specialist, Fairfax County (Va.) Pub. Schools Athletic Training Program Brian Awbrey, MD Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Instructor in Orthopaedics, Harvard Medical School Jim Berry, MEd, ATC, SCAT/EMT-B Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer, Myrtle Beach (S.C.) High School Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD Director, Sports Medicine Nutrition Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Ctr. Health System Christine Bonci, MS, ATC Asst. A.D. for Sports Medicine, Women’s Athletics, University of Texas Cynthia “Sam” Booth, ATC, PhD Manager, Outpatient Therapy and Sportsmedicine, MeritCare Health System Debra Brooks, CNMT, LMT, PhD CEO, Iowa NeuroMuscular Therapy Center Cindy Chang, MD Head Team Physician, University of California-Berkeley Dan Cipriani, MEd, PT Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physical Therapy, Medical College of Ohio Gray Cook, MSPT, OCS, CSCS Clinic Director, Orthopedic & Sports Phys. Ther., Dunn, Cook, and Assoc.

Bernie DePalma, MEd, PT, ATC Head Athl. Trainer/Phys. Therapist, Cornell University Lori Dewald, EdD, ATC, CHES Athletic Training Program Director and Associate Professor of Health Education, University of Minnesota-Duluth Jeff Dilts Director, Business Development & Marketing, National Academy of Sports Medicine David Ellis, RD, LMNT, CSCS Sports Alliance, Inc. Boyd Epley, MEd, CSCS Asst. A.D. & Dir. of Athletic Perf., University of Nebraska Peter Friesen, ATC, NSCA-CPT, CSCS, CAT, Head Ath. Trainer/ Cond. Coach, Carolina Hurricanes Lance Fujiwara, MEd, ATC, EMT Director of Sports Medicine, Virginia Military Institute Vern Gambetta, MA President, Gambetta Sports Training Systems Joe Gieck, EdD, ATC, PT Director of Sports Medicine and Prof., Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia Brian Goodstein, MS, ATC, CSCS, Head Athletic Trainer, DC United

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Gary Gray, PT President, CEO, Functional Design Systems Maria Hutsick, MS, ATC/L, CSCS Head Athletic Trainer, Boston University Christopher Ingersoll, PhD, ATC, FACSM Director, Graduate Programs in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training University of Virginia Jeff Konin, MEd, ATC, MPT Assistant Professor of Athletic Training, James Madison University Tim McClellan, MS, CSCS Director of Perf. Enhancement, Makeplays.com Center for Human Performance Michael Merk, MEd, CSCS Director of Health & Fitness, YMCA of Greater Cleveland Jenny Moshak, MS, ATC, CSCS Asst. A.D. for Sports Medicine, University of Tennessee Steve Myrland, CSCS Owner, Manager, Perf. Coach, Myrland Sports Training, LLC Instructor and Consultant, University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine Mike Nitka, MS, CSCS Director of Human Performance, Muskego (Wisc.) High School Bruno Pauletto, MS, CSCS President, Power Systems, Inc. Stephen Perle, DC, CCSP Associate Prof. of Clin. Sciences, University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic Brian Roberts, MS, ATC Director, Sport Performance & Rehab. Ctr. Ellyn Robinson, DPE, CSCS, CPT Assistant Professor, Exercise Science Program, Bridgewater State College Kent Scriber, EdD, ATC, PT Professor/Supervisor of Athletic Training, Ithaca College

Publisher Mark Goldberg Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Circulation Director Mark Shea Associate & Assistant Editors Dennis Read Kenny Berkowitz David Hill Laura Smith Guillermo Metz Art Director Leslie Carrère Production Manager Kristin Ayers Assistant Production Manager Kristi Kempf Production Assistants Jonni Campbell Hildi Gerhart Prepress Manager Adam Berenstain IT Manager Mark Nye Business Manager Pennie Small Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter Administrative Assistants Sharon Barbell Amy Walton Daniela Reis Advertising Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend Advertising Sales Associates Diedra Harkenrider (607) 257-6970, ext. 24 Sheryl Shaffer (607) 257-6970, ext. 21 T&C editorial/business offices: 2488 N. Triphammer Road Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-6970 Fax: (607) 257-7328

Chip Sigmon, CSCS Strength and Conditioning Coach, Carolina Medical Center Bonnie J. Siple, MS, ATC Coordinator, Athletic Training Education Program & Services, Slippery Rock University Chad Starkey, PhD, ATC Associate Professor, Athletic Training Educ. Program, Northeastern University Ralph Stephens, LMT, NCTMB Sports Massage Therapist, Ralph Stephens Seminars Fred Tedeschi, ATC Head Athletic Trainer, Chicago Bulls Terrence Todd, PhD Co-Director, Todd-McLean Physical Culture Collection, Dept. of Kinesiology & Health Ed., University of Texas-Austin

Training & Conditioning (ISSN 10583548) is published monthly except in January and February, May and June, and July and August, which are bimonthly issues, for a total of nine times a year, by MAG, Inc., 2488 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850. T&C is distributed without charge to qualified professionals involved with competitive athletes. The subscription rate is $24 for one year and $48 for two years in the United States, and $30 for one year and $60 for two years in Canada. The single copy price is $5. Copyright© 2003 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Training & Conditioning, P.O. Box 4806, Ithaca, NY 14852-4806.

Printed in the U.S.A.

Can Exercise Keep You From Getting Sick?

Guidelines for Reducing Risk While training hard for competition must be part of the athletes’ experience, an increased risk for infection does not have to be. There are several practical recommendations athletes can follow to minimize the impact of stress on the immune system:

By David C. Nieman, Dr. P.H. The relationship between exercise and sickness, especially the common cold, evokes considerable interest among athletes, coaches and athletic trainers. Many are convinced that regular moderate training can protect against illness, while others feel that too much exercise will lower immune levels.

Q Q

Can Moderate Exercise Help Prevent Colds?

Research shows that several positive changes occur in the immune system as a result of regular exercise: Q

Q

Q

Moderate exercise lowers stress hormones; stress hormones can suppress immunity.

People who exercise report fewer colds than those who are sedentary.

Near daily exercise cuts the number of sick days in half during a 12 to 15 week period.

Although the immune system returns to pre-exercise levels very quickly after exercise, each workout represents a boost to the immune system that appears to reduce the risk of infection over the long term.

Q

Q Q

Q

Although the immune system returns to pre-exercise levels very quickly after exercise, each workout represents a boost to the immune system that appears to reduce the risk of infection over the long term.

Can Too Much Exercise Increase the Risk for Colds?

While studies show exercise may reduce the risk of colds, there may also be some validity to the common perception that heavy exertion lowers resistance to illness. Studies have also shown a steep drop in immune function lasting anywhere from six to 72 hours in athletes after they ran for two to three hours.1 Much of this immune suppression appears to be related to the elevation of stress hormones, which are secreted in high quantity during and following heavy exercise.

Q

Keep life stresses to a minimum.

Eat a well-balanced diet to keep vitamin and mineral pools at optimal levels. (Contrary to popular opinion, vitamin C and E supplements do not counter immune suppression.)

Avoid over-training and chronic fatigue (and get ample sleep on a regular schedule).

Avoid rapid weight loss.

Refrain from touching the eyes and nose.

Get a flu shot if competing in the winter.

Use carbohydrate beverages before, during and after endurance events or unusually heavy training bouts. Studies indicate that a carbohydrate beverage (about one quart per hour of heavy exercise) causes higher blood sugar levels, less suppression to the immune system and lowers stress hormone production when compared to drinking water alone.

David Nieman, Dr. P.H. is the director of the Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. He can be reached at niemandc@appstate.edu.

Reference: 1 Nieman D.C. Does exercise alter immune function and respiratory infections? President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Research Digest, Series 3, No. 13, June, 2001.

For more information on immune function, please visit the Sports Science Center at www.gssiweb.com.

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T&C’s Above The Call Award September 2003 Winner

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The Accidental ATC A former wrestling coach heeds the call to athletic training.

By Kenny Berkowitz

C

hris Albright never planned to become an athletic trainer. After graduating from Lock Haven University in 1983, Albright went to nearby Punxsutawney (Pa.) High School as a wrestling coach. But four years later, the school lost its athletic trainer, and Albright found himself with a new assignment.

“I actually got this job by default, simply because I knew how to tape an ankle,” says Albright, ATC, EMT, who recently finished his 20th year at Punxsutawney High School. “I thought you had to have more credentials than that, but at that time in Punxsutawney, you didn’t.

“The athletic director asked if I could tape an ankle, I said yes, and he appointed me athletic trainer,” continues Albright. “Then I started to learn more about the work, got really interested in it, and here I am—the first certified athletic trainer the school has ever had.”

Famous as the home of weatherpredicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney is a small town in western Pennsylvania, set in the middle of coal

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Knowing how to tape ankles gave Chris Albright his first step to becoming an athletic trainer.

“The school really needed an athletic trainer, so that’s the path I chose to take,” he says.

mines, rolling hills, and hardwood forests, with a 900-student high school that sends most of its graduates to college. It’s a town where one person can make a difference to the whole community, and Albright, who grew up about an hour away, is happy to raise his two children here, calling it a “small-town USA kind of place where people treat each other well.”

In 16 years working as the school’s athletic trainer, Albright has continually expanded his responsibilities. He now covers home games for 17 different teams at the high school, travels with teams for playoff games, and takes care of athletes from Punxsutawney Area Middle School. He’s created an academic class in sports medicine, which he teaches alongside a full course load in health and physical education, and spends his vacations running a training and conditioning program that’s open

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to all Punxsy athletes. At the same time, on his own initiative, he recognized the importance of certification, and balanced work, study, and family life to complete his ATC at Clarion University in 2002.

For consistently going beyond his required duties, Albright receives T&C’s Above the Call Award.

“We would be totally lost without him,” says Athletic Director Gary Juart.

“He spends countless hours at work. If there’s an event, he’s here, whether it’s after school, at night, or on weekends.

And the kids really appreciate all the work he does to keep them healthy.”

“Mr. Albright is one of the most respected teachers in our school,” says senior Justine Juart, an athletic training student aide who works with the volleyball team. “He knows how to be a Kenny Berkowitz is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning.

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Above The Call Award friend to the kids, and he knows how to be a good authority figure. He’s very understanding and very patient, even though he’s probably the busiest person in the school. He always treats students with respect, and in turn, they treat him with respect, too.”

In conversation, Albright is modest and soft-spoken, giving credit to Punxsy’s coaching staff, his student aides, and his own mentor, Clarion University Athletic Trainer Jim Thornton, ATC, MS, PES. Albright says he has grown quieter and more relaxed since he stopped coaching, and even though he misses that sense of competition, he’s glad he made the switch.

“I wrestled in high school and college, and I always enjoyed coaching it,” says Albright. “I would have been happy to keep doing it, but the school really needed an athletic trainer, so that’s the path I chose to take.

“I felt I could help more people in this position, so I decided to transfer my energies, and the more I studied, the more my priorities changed,” he continues. “If I’d kept on as a wrestling coach, I would have been busy for one season, and that’s it. Instead, I’m working the whole year.”

Albright’s daily schedule during the school year begins at 7 a.m., when he arrives in the training room, and ends as late as 9:30 p.m. if he’s working a home game. His summer schedule, which begins a few weeks after the end of classes, is centered on a free camp that’s open to all Punxsy athletes and runs every weekday morning from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Albright keeps the camp focus on functional strength training and balances work in the weight room with medicine ball drills, agility exercises, and plyometrics. Even though he does the work as a volunteer, having taken over when the previous strength coach retired, Albright sees it as part of his mission: working to prevent injuries.

“In the long run, this camp makes my job easier,” says Albright. “Of all the kids I worked with last summer, I had to treat only three during the school 6 ◆ T&C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

Award Winner

Chris Albright Punxsutawney (Pa.) High School

year, and they had minor injuries. So I’ve also started working with kids during the winter, and that’s helped a lot, too.”

Albright also treats students from the middle school down the road—even though that’s not officially a part of his job, either. Staying in regular radio communication with middle school staff, Albright is on call throughout the day, taking charge of athletic emergencies, treating athletes for overuse injuries, and preparing the middle school’s 10 varsity teams for home games. Essentially, he’s treating athletes from all six grades and both schools, and to do that, he’s created a strong core of athletic training student aides from Punxsy High.

“They’re absolutely invaluable to me,” says Albright. “My student trainers are my arms and legs, and there’s no way I could do all this work without them. They’re also my eyes and ears, looking out for potential injuries.

They’ll tell me, ‘This player isn’t walking the way he normally walks,’ or they’ll let me know when a player says, ‘I’m not telling Albright I’m hurt, because he’ll make me sit.’ They know

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the kids better than I do, and that makes them a huge asset to my program.”

“The kids all look up to him and try to be like him,” says senior Becky Morrison, an athletic training student aide who plans to go to college to become an athletic trainer. “He’s really made a difference—not just for me, but for the whole school. It’s funny, because when we have ‘reverse’ days at school, where the kids dress up like teachers, almost all the guys will dress like him.

“When I first moved here, I had a lot of problems getting adjusted to high school, and Mr. Albright was always there to offer support,” continues Morrison. “He supported me when my mother died, and when I was feeling depressed he would call and talk to me every night on the phone. He got the teachers together, and laid out a plan to help me graduate. He’s taught me that no matter how hard life gets, there’s always a way to work things out.”

Since gaining his ATC certification, Albright has worked on a handful of post-surgery rehabs and some sportspecific retraining after ACL injuries and fractures. His greatest emergency occurred when a visiting basketball player went into convulsions on the court after being hit on the head, which required a helicopter flight to the nearest hospital. But for Albright, the hardest part of the job is knowing how to relate to each individual athlete.

“The biggest challenge is in knowing how to motivate your athletes,” says Albright. “Some kids have to be held back to keep them from hurting themselves, and some kids have to be pushed a little to get them moving. It differs with each kid, and you have to figure out exactly what’s going to work for each of them. The hardest are the ones that don’t come to see you until you catch them limping through the hallway. Those are the kids you have to take aside and say, ‘You need to give this a little rest now, or you’re going to have to give this a lot of rest later.’”

After 10 years working as an athletic trainer, Albright decided it was time to get his certification, and he’s

Above The Call Award glad he did. “Before I went to Clarion for the ATC, I figured I knew a lot about the human body, and that the coursework wouldn’t be too hard,” says Albright. “But there was a lot more to it than I realized, and the classes really opened my eyes.”

The training has given Albright a new appreciation for the profession, and he’s taking seriously his responsibility to spread the word about what the job entails. “Most people still think of the job as a glorified Band-Aid distributor,” says Albright. “So I educate them by talking about what I actually do, and demonstrating what I’m capable of.”

"When I first moved here, I had a lot of problems getting adjusted to high school, and Mr. Albright was always there to offer support … He’s taught me that no matter how hard life gets, there’s always a way to work things out."

Obtaining the certification has made Albright an even better athletic trainer, adding objective knowledge to his natural ability to work with students. “He does a truly outstanding job,” says Gary Juart. “He’s very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and conscientious. When our students get hurt, he’s very careful to make sure that they’re fully healed before he’ll let them play again. And that’s made him a great asset for us.”

“I really enjoy working with the kids,” says Albright. “The best part is seeing them get back into the swing of things after you’ve done some work together. When they’re back to 100 percent, they get to feel really good about themselves, and that makes me feel good, too.” ◆

Nomination Criteria and Procedures

T

he “Above The Call” Awards Program serves to honor outstanding athletic trainers for work not otherwise recognized. This may include someone who has shown exemplary dedication and devotion to his or her job or outstanding work outside of the everyday ATC duties. The goal is to honor those athletic trainers who go above and beyond the already extraordinary demands placed on anyone in the profession.

Examples include: Someone who is doing something different and exciting in the profession. ◆ Someone who serves as a role model and mentor to others. ◆ Someone who has taken on ◆

◆

◆

additional significant duties in the field.

Someone who gives 110 percent in all that he or she does.

Someone who has a special way with athletes.

TO NOMINATE AN ATHLETIC TRAINER: Please fill in the form below, and attach a 500- to 1,000-word description of the athletic trainer’s achievements, including: ◆ Why you think this athletic trainer stands out from the crowd. ◆ Where he or she is currently working and any pertinent academic or work history. ◆ Testimony and/or quotes from those he or she works with.

✁ Above The Call Award NOMINATION FORM Name of Athletic Trainer:___________________________ His or Her Phone No.:______________________________ Your Name:______________________________________ Your Affiliation:___________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

Your Phone No.:___________________________________ Your Address:_____________________________________ ________________________________________________ Send nominations to: Above The Call Award Training & Conditioning 2488 N. Triphammer Road Ithaca, NY 14850 If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (607) 257-6970, x. 18, or e-mail us at T&C@momentummedia.com.

A T H L E T I C B I D . C O M ◆ T&C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

7

A Special feature for your athletic training students

Student Corner . . . .

Treating the Cause Just easing symptoms won’t get athletes back in the game. Find the root cause of injuries, and correct them.

By Dr. Patrick Sexton

P

icture this: You are driving home one day, when, suddenly, you hear a loud clanking noise under the hood and your car begins to run poorly. This causes you great concern because you have a long trip planned to your best friend’s wedding, so you decide to bring your car to a mechanic. After a very brief check of the car, the mechanic adds a little oil and says you should be able to make it to the wedding, no problem.

How would you feel about jumping in the car and heading out on the highway? On the one hand, you might feel pretty good, since it didn’t take long or cost much! On the other hand, you may be concerned that the mechanic’s “fix” might not really work.

What should the mechanic have done? He should have performed a systematic assessment of the car in order to determine exactly what was causing the noise, then discussed the entire situation with you, including possible repair options. With that information, you could then decide whether or not to drive the car to the wedding.

What if the “car” was really an athlete’s low back, the “clanking” was really pain, the “wedding” was really a football game, and the “mechanic” was really a certified athletic trainer? Now how would you feel about this situation?

Sometimes, as athletic trainers, we get so caught up in trying to get our athletes ready for the next competition that we end up only treating the symptoms and not the cause of the symptoms. This is especially true with chronic injuries.

Treating the symptoms is certainly not wrong—we all want to help our patients feel better—but it is also imperative that we determine the cause, or causes, of the pain, and address those.

Otherwise, the injury will not get better and will probably just get worse.

The point is that even though just making the noise go away might make you feel better about going on the trip, it

Patrick Sexton, EdD, ATC/R, CSCS, is Program Director for Athletic Training Education at Minnesota State University-Mankato. He has also served as Head Athletic Trainer at the University of WisconsinLa Crosse.

8 ◆ T&C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

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does not fix the problem. It is crucial that you address the underlying problems that contributed to the athlete’s injury, and effectively communicate to the patient his or her treatment plan. The patient must understand why you are choosing specific modalities and exercises and limiting activity if he or she is going to comply with your plan and understand both the short- and long-term goals of the treatment regimen.

There are always a variety of factors that you must consider when making treatment and rehabilitation plans for your patients. Getting at the root of the problem can be truly difficult, but it is one of the most important parts. Chronic injuries occur for a reason. Something—usually more than one factor—has to cause them. As an athletic training student and future healthcare professional, it is up to you to perform a systematic and complete injury evaluation that identifies all possible contributing factors to the presenting injury. This involves communication with the athlete—wellthought-out questions will yield the most information about the athlete’s injury.

Next, develop an appropriate plan that will not only treat the pain, but also address all of the factors that may have contributed to the injury in the first place. A treatment plan that includes four basic components (modality selection, activity level, exercise selection, and pre- and post-activity treatment) should be designed. It should also be communicated to the athlete with time for questions.

The athletic trainer must first select the appropriate therapeutic modality or modalities based on the current stage of tissue healing. The appropriate parameters, also based on the current stage of tissue healing, should be used in the application of all modalities. And because soft-tissue healing is a continually changing process, modalities must also be changed in order to accommodate the changing physiologic environment of the tissue.

All activity, including practice, competition, weight training, leisure, and normal day-to-day functions should be evaluated and altered as necessary. This will allow the athlete to perform at his or her highest level without causing further injury or retardation of the healing process. Activity should be continually reassessed in order to keep the athlete as active, yet as safe, as possible.

If you are interested in submitting a column of advice for athletic training students, please send it to: T&C’s Student Corner, 2488 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850.

Submissions must be double-spaced, 800-1200 words long, and accompanied by the author’s resume or curriculum vita.

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Therapeutic exercise of some form should always follow the application of a therapeutic modality. Exercise plans can range from passive stretching to resistive exercise to tissue mobilization. Exercise will influence tissue healing and the development and maturation of scar tissue. In addition, exercise selection should address deficiencies or characteristics that may have contributed to the injury in the first place and should be used to correct those factors.

Finally, your treatment plan should recognize that preand post-activity treatment should be separate and distinct.

It’s great if the patient is participating in some sort of activity, but your job is to ensure that pre-activity treatment is designed to promote healing and prepare tissue for the allowable level of activity. Post-activity treatment is also designed to promote healing, but it should be used to minimize any damage or irritation that may have occurred due to the change in physiologic environment brought about by the activity.

By developing a well-rounded treatment and rehabilitation plan—one that addresses all of the causes of the injury and includes the athlete in every phase—your athletes will benefit in both the short term (because they will be able to play) and the long term (because they won’t be back with nagging injuries). They will feel better and perform better.

Now how do you feel about your mechanic? Don’t you wish he had learned, as a student mechanic, to always find the cause and fix it, rather than just putting a little oil on it? ◆

Circle No. 5

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The Protein Push From the hottest movie star to your next door neighbor, everyone seems to be losing weight on low-carb diets.

But will they work for athletes?

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or decades, sports nutritionists have been preaching the same message: To fuel working muscles, athletes need to get the majority of their calories from carbohydrates.

Lately, though, carbohydrates’ reputation has taken a hit as a new message has been gaining volume: Carbohydrates make you fat.

No one can blame student-athletes

for being confused, but what do they really need to know about finding the optimal balance between carbs and protein? And how can you help them separate out the messages that pose risks to their health and performance?

DEBUNKING MYTHS

Hords of American dieters are taking carb-bashing to heart, gobbling up 10

BY LAURA SMITH

million copies of low-carb guru Dr. Robert Atkins’ New Diet Revolution since its release in 1992. Models and celebrities continue to add themselves to the list of those attributing their million dollar-physiques to cutting carbs, and a dizzying array of “low-carb” products compete for space on supermarket shelves.

Laura Smith is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning.

Photos: © Getty Images A T H L E T I C B I D . C O M ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆ 11

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POWER SWITCHES hen trying to get athletes to improve the quality of the carbohydrates they’re eating, it’s important to give them actual substitutions. University of Arizona Nutrition Counselor Gale Begeman, RD, CSCS, offers her athletes a handout listing “power switches” to help them replace high-sugar snacks and meals with healthier carbohydrates and protein in every area from beverages to fast food. Here is a sample:

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BEVERAGES Instead of: soda, punch, lemonade, beer, Frappuccino Switch to: water, caffeine- and sugar-free soda, orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, vegetable juice, milk, chocolate milk SNACKS Instead of: chocolate bar, sandwich crackers, potato chips, tortilla chips, ice cream, buttered popcorn Switch to: fruits, vegetables, whole-grain crackers, light popcorn, pretzels, baked tortilla chips For more samples, go to www.health.arizona.edu, click on Online Library, click on Nutrition, and click on Sports Nutrition.

For some people, a diet that limits carbohydrate intake may be appropriate. “Very-low-carbohydrate diets were designed for people who are obese and have insulin resistance,” says University of Arizona Nutrition Counselor Gale Begeman, RD, CSCS. “They were not designed for a population of college athletes.”

Insulin resistance is a reduced sensitivity to insulin that causes difficulty transporting glucose from the blood into cells to be used as energy, and can eventually lead to Type II Diabetes.

“Student-athletes, even ones who want to lose five pounds, are incredibly unlikely to have insulin resistance,” Begeman explains. “Their glucose uptake is going to be fantastic, just by virtue of their high activity level … these diets were designed for people who are very overweight, which is also extremely unlikely for a studentathlete.”

But student-athletes are certainly not immune to the marketing. “Studentathletes see their peers losing weight fast on low-carb plans, and they want to try them too,” says University of Arizona Assistant Athletic Trainer Matt 12 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

Radelet, MS, ATC, CSCS. “Along with wanting to lose weight to perform at their best, there are powerful social pressures to look a certain way, especially for women in this age group, and that can add up to drastic dieting.

“Over the past year or so, it’s become tough to combat the messages they’re getting,” he continues, “but it’s critical that we educate athletes about the risks.”

Those risks can be both short and long term. A diet that severely shortchanges athletes on carbs saps their muscles of needed glycogen, compromises their performance, and can lead to health problems.

“Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel for working muscles,” Begeman explains. “Athletes trying to eat very-low-carb diets are taking away their primary fuel and making their bodies jump through additional hoops. They’re at greater risk for losing lean mass. I tell them, ‘Sure, you may lose some weight—you’ll lose some water and some muscle—weight you didn’t want to lose.’”

“A very-low-carb diet is not going to give them the energy they need, so

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they’re not going to make the strength gains they need to perform at their best,” agrees Susan Nelson Steen, ScD, RD, Director of Sports Nutrition for the University of Washington athletic department. “By limiting their carbohydrates, they’ll limit their glycogen stores, which will limit their ability to exercise at a high intensity. And if they can’t train at a high intensity, they won’t be able to perform at a high intensity. In addition, they’ll be more prone to injury because they’re fatigued.”

The long-term health consequences are just as damaging. “The biggest danger is that if you’re eating all protein, you’re cutting out foods like breads, bananas, and broccoli,” says Nancy Clark, MS, RD, nutrition counselor at SportsMedicine Associates in Brookline, Mass., and author of the best-selling Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. “This means you’re not getting enough fiber or cancer protective phytochemicals. Every major medical association recommends fruits and vegetables and whole grains as part of a healthy diet—and those contain carbs.

To eliminate them is counter to a plethora of health wisdom.”

Caroline Hodges, RD, Nutrition Counselor at the Elmira (N.Y.) Nutrition Clinic, who works with Cornell University student-athletes, finds that eating-disordered athletes can be particularly susceptible to the low-carb message. “Athletes with an underlying eating disorder are the most likely to want to severely restrict carbs, and that is a huge concern,” she says.

“Eating-disorder patients are typically very sensitive to serotonin level changes, and because serotonin is a byproduct of carbohydrate metabolism, a low-carbohydrate intake depletes the serotonin levels in the brain. With lower serotonin, these athletes become more depressed and more obsessed, and that makes their eating disorder worse.”

PERCENTAGE POINTS

While there’s near-universal agreement that severely restricting carbohydrates is a bad idea for athletes, exactly where to draw the line is less clear.

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HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS ne of the best ways to steer weight-conscious athletes away from diets dangerously low in carbohydrates is to offer tips for a healthy alternative plan. First, it’s important to encourage theme to restrict weight-loss efforts to the off-season.

“The first thing I tell them is, ‘Don’t try to lose weight during your season, or you will end up decreasing your performance,’” says University of Arizona Nutrition Counselor Gale Begeman, RD, CSCS. “It’s a difficult message to get across, because during their season is exactly when they are under pressure to improve, and they think that they can do that by losing weight. But to lose weight, they have to create an energy deficit, and that really risks decreasing their performance.”

Then, instead of restricting carbs, Begeman offers other suggestions. “I tell them to get very tight with the quality of the foods they’re eating, reduce their calories, and depending on their sport, consider increasing the aerobic work they’re doing,” she says. “Athletes in power sports who want to lose fat may think they’re getting a lot of exercise, but they may actually need to get more cardio output going.”

Begeman also cautions against trying to lose

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Most nutritionists believe that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The athlete’s sport, position, and the level of training intensity all have to be taken into consideration.

Sports nutritionists have traditionally advocated a diet that takes 65 percent of its calories from carbohydrates.

Some have revised their message to between 50 and 65 percent depending on the particular demands an athlete is placing on his or her body, and a handful are recommending 40 percent for specific athletes. Almost all agree that going lower than 40 percent is a recipe for trouble.

“I recommend 55 to 65 for most athletes,” Nelson Steen says. “But I can go as low as 50 percent, depending on their sport and what they’re doing.

It’s possible, for example, that a 300pound lineman who is working to decrease body fat could actually be insulin resistant. In that case, a diet that’s 65 percent carbs wouldn’t be a 14 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

weight too quickly. “If an athlete chronically overrestricts their calories, the body can over-ride it for a while and get the work done,” she explains. “But they will eventually fall apart, because they can never fully recover until they re-fuel themselves.”

Encouraging athletes to consider their body composition rather than their weight is another way to promote healthy eating. “Body comping is always my preference, instead of looking at a number on the scale,” says Caroline Hodges, RD, Nutrition Counselor at the Elmira (N.Y.) Nutrition Clinic. “It can be very helpful with athletes who think they need to lose weight, because it gives them accurate information about exactly where they are.”

Often, a closer look can reveal that an athlete’s weight is fine where it is. “If an athlete believes they should lose weight, I first ask them, ‘Okay, why do you need to do that?’” says University of Arizona Assistant Athletic Trainer Matt Radelet, MS, ATC, CSCS. “‘Are you saying that because your performance has dropped off and you think there is a connection? Or are you just saying that because you’ve gained a few pounds over the season?’ If we can’t make a connection between performance and the need for weight loss, we have to seriously ask why they think they need to lose weight.”

good idea.”

The higher the frequency and intensity of an athlete’s aerobic output, the better his or her ability to handle the insulin spikes that carbs trigger.

“That’s why it’s really important to look at each sport and each position within each sport individually,” Nelson Steen explains. “Certain positions on the football team do very little aerobic work, but others are actually more similar to the energy output you’d see in a basketball player,” she continues.

“Even the type of strategy a team has makes a difference. If you’ve got a running game and one individual you are constantly keying in on, that athlete is going to need a higher percentage of carbohydrate to replace the glycogen they’re sapping from their muscles.”

Begeman’s recommendations for her student-athletes range from 50 to 70 percent of calories coming from carbohydrates. “I can go a little bit below 50 percent in very special cases,

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but I’m more comfortable at 50,” she says. “They really need that carbohydrate to fuel whatever they’re doing, whether it’s strength or endurance.”

David Ellis, RD, LMNT, CSCS of Sports Alliance, Inc., suggests that athletes may need a range of carbohydrates, depending on their activity level on a given day. “An athlete may need anywhere from 40 to 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates depending on whether it’s an active or an inactive day,” he says. “They’ll have less potential to dispose of extra sugar and fat calories on inactive days.”

Nelson Steen also focuses on a solution that doesn’t get caught up in the numbers. “Deciding whether an individual has gone too low-carb by assigning specific numbers is tricky, because eating isn’t that exact and student-athletes run the gamut in terms of what they need,” Nelson Steen says.

“It’s best to evaluate how they’re feeling and how they’re performing. If

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they’re fatiguing really quickly and not performing well, they’ve crossed that line.

“Another red flag is if they say they’re not thinking as clearly,” she continues. “We tend to forget that carbohydrates have an effect on the brain and on how clearly we can think.

Glucose is the primary fuel for the brain, so an athlete who’s not taking in enough carbs will be irritable, tired all the time, sleeping more, and not as mentally focused. At that point, it’s time to up the carbs.”

SMART CARBS

But what can you do when an athlete is set on trying out a low-carb diet? The best approach is to ask them to first examine the type of carbohydrates they are consuming.

Many college-age students consume a lot of empty calories. If athletes can recognize which of their carbohydrates are coming from refined sugars and replace them with healthier carbs, both weight loss and increased energy

“Deciding whether an individual has gone too low-carb by assigning specific numbers is tricky, because eating isn’t that exact and student-athletes run the gamut in terms of what they need.” will follow.

“When we tell athletes ‘high carb,’ they tend to hear ‘high sugar,’” Nelson Steen says. “I think the best message is, ‘It’s important to eat sufficient carbohydrates, but you’ve got to think about the kinds of carbohydrates you’re eating.’”

“Student-athletes tend to get an overwhelming amount of sugar in their diets,” Clark agrees. “It’s important that we educate them about the fact that carbs come in many different cate-

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NUTRITION

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gories, and they aren’t all created equal. You have fruits and vegetables and whole grains, which are very health-promoting. Then you have Twizzlers and Big Gulp sodas, which is the logical category for an athlete to limit.”

Even foods that don’t appear sugar-laden can be replaced with more nutritious carbohydrates. “They may not be eating chips and cookies, but they may be living on white bread, bagels, and cereal,” says Begeman. “If that’s the case, they probably don’t realize how many calories they’re taking in, and that could be the source of the unwanted weight.

“Cutting back on simple sugars will facilitate weight loss without sacrificing energy, so I advise them to make some substitutions,” she continues. “Instead of two big bowls of cereal, how about whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a cup of yogurt or some scrambled eggs? The traditional bagel with cream cheese packs 500 calories. Instead, they can have a piece

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of fruit and yogurt, a slice of whole wheat bread, and a softboiled egg for fewer calories than that one bagel. They’re always amazed when I point that out.” (For more examples, see “Power Switches” on page 12.)

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It’s not only the quantity and quality of carbohydrates that matter for student-athletes. Timing is another key piece of the puzzle. In order to fuel themselves for their activity and then recover, athletes need to be eating carbohydrates throughout the day.

“With their crazy schedules, that issue can become even more important than numbers and percentages,” Nelson Steen says. “I tell our student-athletes they need to be grazing. It’s really important to help them build frequent meals and snacks into their busy schedules because they’re constantly going through the cycle of getting fuel to exercise and then recovering from exercise.”

“Many of my student-athletes say, ‘I don’t have time to eat before I work out,’ or ‘I put it all off until 2 in the afternoon,’” Begeman says. “I tell them, ‘When in doubt, eat anything, but make sure it’s throughout the day. From there, we can talk about exactly what you’re eating.’”

Along with eating carbs throughout the day, nutritionists have suggestions for the time immediately surrounding practice. Pre-exercise, student-athletes need foods high in carbohydrates along with some protein, Begeman says, and during practice, she suggests a small amount of a high-carb food.

After practice, she urges athletes to eat a larger portion of a high-carb food. “It’s important for them to eat their postworkout carbs within 15 or 30 minutes, because there is an enzyme active in their bodies at that time that encourages glycogen repletion,” she says.

Nutritionists are also recommending that post-workout meals and snacks contain small amounts of protein. Studies show that the amount of protein required to boost recovery is about 6 grams, along with about 35 grams of carbohydrate, Nelson Steen says. However, beware of athletes taking the protein component to an extreme.

“The problem is, student-athletes tend to think, ‘If some is good, more must be better,’” Nelson Steen says. “They may end up having mostly protein and no carb after a workout, and then they’re losing the opportunity to restore their glycogen. Six grams of amino acid really isn’t much.”

A TEAM APPROACH

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In giving athletes the best advice about carbohydrates, it’s key that everyone is on the same page. That’s why it’s important to educate all athletic trainers on staff about the topic.

“Athletic trainers face two problems when it comes to this issue,” Begeman says. “One, they may not feel completely confident with the information, and two, they don’t usually have time to educate themselves and their athletes on it. Asking the nutritionist to do an in-service with the athletic training staff can go a long way toward getting rid of misinformation.”

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It’s important to get coaches on board as well. “A lot of coaches are susceptible to the low-carb marketing campaign that’s so prevalent in the popular media,” says Radelet. “We’ve got coaches telling athletes, ‘You need to go on the Atkins diet.’ Communication between athletic trainers, nutritionists, and coaches can prevent that from happening.”

Getting your athletes to understand the science can be done through workshops, handouts, and individual counseling. The key is making the information easy and convenient.

“I try to give them very practical strategies,” Nelson Steen says. “I give them recipes and quick, easy ways they can get fuel so they can feel better during practice and make the strength gains they need for their sport.”

Begeman posts handouts on her department’s Web site (www.health.

Arizona.edu) listing “one-minute snack ideas” broken down into three time periods: before practice, during practice, and after practice. She focus-

Begeman posts handouts on her department’s Web site listing “one-minute snack ideas” broken down into three time periods: before practice, during practice, and after practice. es on inexpensive, high-quality carbohydrates that student-athletes can keep nearby in their lockers or backpacks.

Knowing what’s in your school’s cafeteria can be another great way to help student-athletes choose healthy carbs throughout the day, says Nelson Steen. “I have listings of foods that are in every dining hall and eating area, so we can talk about what their actual choices are,” she says.

Begeman is taking things one step

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further this year. “Right now I’m writing a nutrition guidebook that’s specifically designed for student-athletes on the University of Arizona campus,” she says. “It’s meant to be a hands-on manual so athletes can flip it open and find out, ‘What kind of food do I need, and where can I get it here on campus?’”

University of Arizona student-athletes will each get a copy of the booklet at their preparticipation physicals this fall. “At other schools where this has been done, student-athletes have said they carry the books with them because the advice is so easy to use and it allows them to get the fuel they need on campus,” Begeman says.

Even if your educational efforts cannot include guidebooks, you can still inform your athletes with a simple message. “It’s all about balance,” Nelson Steen says. “The next extreme diet they come across may look attractive, but it’s up to us to arm them with the information to choose reasonable behaviors that are going to be best for their health and their performance.” ◆

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Circle No. 10 A T H L E T I C B I D . C O M ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆ 17

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Exploding with

Bands Many strength coaches have been adding bands and chains to their lifting protocols to help improve their athletes’ rate of force development. This author explains the why and the how.

BY BRYAN DERMODY Photos: Matthew Engelbert

trength and speed are among the most sought-after physical qualities in athletics. Many athletes and coaches have come to believe that strength and speed are independent athletic qualities and should thus be trained separate from each other. These two qualities, however, are intimately related.

Strength has been defined as the ability to produce force, or more accu-

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rately, the highest force attained at a given speed of movement. Another important basic point relating to strength is that, according to Newton’s second law of motion, for every action an action equal in force and opposite in direction will occur.

As a result, the amount of force that an athlete is able to apply to the ground will determine how fast he or she can run and how efficiently he or she can change direction (i.e., run laterally). Thus, speed is, in effect, determined by strength. So if one wants to

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become faster, one simply has to train to become stronger, correct?

While they are related, it is not quite that simple. Athletes do not have the luxury of an abundance of time to recruit what strength levels they do possess. It has been shown that 0.3-0.4 seconds or more are required to reach maximum force levels. Further, during maximum lifts in the traditional squat and deadlift movements, 0.6 seconds elapse before the movement is completed.

These may seem like relatively short periods of time. However, the time available to produce force in athBryan Dermody, CSCS, is an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for football at the University of Iowa. He is currently working toward his Master’s degree in kinesiology.

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letics is much less. For example, in explosive movements, such as running and jumping, force has to be produced in less than 0.3 seconds. In fact, it is usually closer to 0.1-0.2 seconds. It is critical to athletic success that athletes are able to recruit their strength in a very short period of time. This becomes more apparent the higher the level of play and the greater the speed of the game.

It soon becomes clear that strength is not the sole determinant of optimal force output. The rate of force development (RFD) is much more important than strength alone.

Several different types of strength have been distinguished, among them absolute strength. This type of strength can be defined as the ability to produce force without regard for one’s bodyweight (relative strength), how fast the force is being produced (explosive strength), how fast the external resistance is accelerated from a static position to initiate movement (starting strength), and how fast the external resistance is being accelerated during the beginning of the movement (acceleration strength). Most traditional resistance training programs address absolute strength.

It will seldom be argued that absolute strength cannot aid in the athletic success of the athlete. However, an athlete can possess great strength and still be deficient in the ability to generate force quickly. As the training

maturity of the athlete increases, it is RFD rather than absolute strength that becomes the limiting factor in the improvement of performance.

SOLVING THE PROBLEM

The strength and conditioning coach is thus left seeking an effective training method to improve RFD in the athlete.

A common solution is to simply move the external resistance as fast as possible. However, this is easier said than done.

The amount of strength that involved muscle(s) can generate during a certain movement is determined, to a large extent, by the joint angles throughout the movement. For example, during the traditional squat and bench press movements, much more force can be generated at the middle to end ranges of motion because of the mechanically advantageous joint angles created.

However, if an athlete were to attempt to accelerate a load through the entire range of motion with sub-maximal weights, injury to the involved joints and/or musculotendinous unit would likely occur. The load has to be decelerated, and we do this naturally when lifting any object.

On the other hand, if a much higher load was used in order to ensure that the motor units were stimulated maximally through the end ranges of motion, the movement would be of only partial range. The joint angles would be at a so-

called “mechanical disadvantage” in the early phases of the movement and would not be able to generate enough force to move the load.

A final area that needs to be clarified before a solution to our training dilemma is solved is that of training specificity. The goal of training specificity is not to simulate any sporting activity, but rather to adhere to the principle of “dynamic correspondence,” a term first used by Russian sport scientist Yuri Verkhoshansky. According to this principle, the aim of training specificity is to include in the training movement the same biomechanical and motor characteristics that are manifested in the sport task. The following are variables that should be included when considering the specificity of any training movement: type of muscle contraction, movement pattern, velocity and acceleration of movement, RFD, force of contraction, and muscle fiber recruitment. It should be noted that training specificity grows in importance as the training maturity of the athlete increases.

Thus, we are left with the task of finding a training means that will result in an increase in RFD, has a negligible deceleration phase, and meets our criterion of specificity. The answer: variable resistance.

By attaching chains and/or big rubber bands to the barbell during lifting, a situation can be created where the resistance actually increases as the athlete becomes biomechanically

Compensatory Acceleration red Hatfield, PhD, is credited with coining the term “compensatory acceleration” in the United States, also called variable resistance. He used this term to describe a method of training that he postulated would accomplish the goal of increasing the rate of force development of the athlete. According to Hatfield, the athlete must push against a sub-maximal external resistance as hard as possible through the entire range of motion. It sounds simple and effective.

In fact, the intent to move the load may be more important, or just as important, as the actual speed of the load being lifted. In other words, the contraction speed of the muscle(s) involved in the movement

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must be fast, but the load itself doesn’t necessarily have to move quickly in order to elicit an increase in rate of force development (RFD).

There is, however, a major shortcoming to this methodology. Empirical as well as laboratory findings have proven that when the compensatory acceleration training method is used, a large portion of the movement range is spent decelerating the resistance.

If the muscles involved are decelerating the load, the motor units of these muscles, in particular the fast twitch units, are not undergoing the proper training stimulus and thus will not adapt accordingly. The result is that the goal of recruiting strength faster is not accomplished most effectively.

â—†

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Recent Research ast year, a study by William Ebben, MS, MSSW, CSCS*D, and Randall Jensen, PhD, FACSM, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (Vol. 16, No. 4), evaluated characteristics such as rate of force development (RFD), muscle activation of the quadriceps and hamstrings, and peak force development while using bands and chains. The researchers concluded that squats with chains and bands offer no advantages over traditional barbell squats. However, I believe there were some serious flaws in the design of this study.

First, the amount of chain and band resistance that was used accounted for 10 percent of the total bar weight. As can be seen in Table Two (on page 23)

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stronger through the movement. To illustrate, imagine an athlete performing a back squat with 300 pounds on the bar plus an additional 40 pounds of chain hanging on each side. At the top of the lift the athlete has 380 pounds on his or her back. As the athlete descends, the chains gather onto the ground. Thus, at the bottom of the lift, the athlete has 300 pounds on the bar,

this is hardly enough resistance to negate the deceleration phase. The athlete would not be able to accelerate through the entire movement, and thus not receive the training benefit of increased RFD. Further, the intensity of the load was not listed in the article. It could have been too light or too heavy to achieve the desired training effect.

Finally, the length of the study was one training session. It is extremely unlikely one would see profound results from any method of training after only one training session. The overload from one training session would unlikely be high enough in magnitude to stimulate adaptation within the involved motor units.

and as he or she ascends, the chains will come off of the ground and the resistance will continue to increase as mechanically advantageous joint angles are created.

The same principle applies to bands. The tension in the bands is greatest at the top and least at the bottom of the movement.

As you can see, the problem we

faced earlier of dealing with large deceleration phases is solved. In addition, since the resistance increases throughout the movement, the athlete is forced to attempt to move the load fast. (If the athlete attempts to move the resistance without accelerating through the movement, it is likely that he or she will be unable to complete the movement explosively.) Since

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OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE

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Different types of bands can provide varying amounts of resistance, depending on the strength level and cycle of training.

movement speed is critical when training to increase RFD, our goal is accomplished.

Using bands has another advantage because of the tension they provide. As the athlete descends in a movement, this tension is stored as potential energy in the stretched muscles and tendons. This potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy during the ascent of the movement. Since

the bands force the tendons and muscles to store potential energy and quickly transform it to kinetic energy, they decrease the inhibitory mechanisms in the neuromuscular system and lead to increases in the magnitude and speed at which forces are achieved.

Many coaches will argue that plyometrics will accomplish the same goal as training with variable resistance. However, the resistance offered in plyometrics is only the athlete’s bodyweight, while the resistance when maximal power is achieved is much higher. Further, it has been shown that training with heavy resistance, as many athletes do, actually increases the athlete’s ability to achieve maximal power.

Many coaches will also argue that since running is largely a horizontal activity, a movement performed in the vertical plane is not specific to running. Research has demonstrated, however, that the forces that limit sprinting speed are vertical forces, not horizontal ones. As a result, our last training criterion of specificity is met.

HOW TO USE

Chains and bands can be used with a variety of movements. At the University of Iowa, we mainly use them with squats and bench presses, but they can also be used for incline presses, good mornings, and Romanian deadlifts.

In order to set up the chains prop-

Table One: Typical Protocol Cycle One: Base Resistance Sets Reps Intensity Rest

Week 1 8 2 50 45-60

Week 2 8 2 53 45-60

Week 3 7 2 56 45-60

Week 4 6 2 59 45-60

Cycle Two: Advanced Resistance Sets Reps Intensity Rest

Week 1 6 2 41 45-60

Week 2 6 2 44 45-60

Week 3 6 2 47 45-60

Week 4 6 2 50 45-60

Note: Intensity is percentage of one RM, rest is measured in seconds 22 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

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At the beginning of the lift, just two links of the larger chain should be touching the ground.

erly, you need two chain lengths six feet long and a quarter-inch thick, and two chain lengths five feet long and five-eighths-inch thick. The small chain is looped through the ends of the larger chains. Carabiner hooks are also needed to attach the two ends of the small chain and to be able to adjust the length of the entire chain unit. After this, the small chain is draped around the bar before the weight is put on so the large chain hangs toward the ground. When the athlete is standing upright at the beginning of the lift, just enough chain should be on the ground (about two links) so it does not swing as the athlete performs the movement.

(See photo, above right.) To set the chains up for the bench press, simply loop the small chain through both ends of the large chain so as to decrease the large chain length by one half.

In order to properly set up the bands, loop the bands under the very bottom of a power rack and put one end through the other one so the band is securely affixed to the power rack.

Loop the free end of the band around the bar before you put the weight on.

(See photo, above left.) There should always be slight tension in the bands at

Table Two: Resistance Guidelines Cycle One: Base Resistance 1RM # chains each side Resistance at top Band Resistance at top

200-300 301-400 1 2 40 80 Monster mini Light 40 80

401-500 >500 3 4 120 160 Average Strong 150 220

Cycle Two: Advanced Resistance 1RM # chains each side Resistance at top Band Resistance at top

200-300 1.5 60 Light 80

301-400 3 110 Average 150

401-500 4.5 160 Strong 220

>500 6 210 Strong+Light 300

Note: Resistance is measured in pounds the bottom of the movement. The bands we use are two inches wide by 20 inches long and offer 20-35 pounds of resistance at the top of the movement. (The band tensions will vary slightly with the height of the athlete.)

Typically, five to eight sets of two to three repetitions are performed with 45-60 seconds rest between sets. The reps are kept low because the nervous system component of the movement is so high when high speed is used. We do not want the neural drive of the fast twitch fibers to be affected by fatigue.

However, the rest periods are relatively short because the neuromuscular system recovers faster from movements aimed at increasing rate of force development as opposed to maximal strength movements. We want nervous system excitement to remain high throughout the five to eight sets in order to ensure that the greatest intent to move the bar fast is used with every repetition. See Table One (on page 22) for a typical cycle of variable resistance.

The chain and band resistance is not kept the same for all strength levels, nor is it kept the same for every cycle of variable resistance training.

Each strength level has a base resistance and an advanced resistance. If the strength level is such that 1.5 chains of resistance are required on each side of the bar, make sure half of one chain is on the ground in the start position. See Table Two (above) for chain and band

resistance guidelines. These guidelines are for the squat and the bench.

Certain prerequisites should be met before training with variable resistance. At the University of Iowa, athletes must complete 16 weeks of base strength training in a developmental program emphasizing ground-based, three-dimensional, multi-joint movements. Torso training, including torso stabilization, flexion, rotation, and hip extension, should be emphasized during this and all other phases.

The first eight to 10 weeks of variable resistance training should be done with chains only. The reason for this is that a high degree of torso strength is required to stabilize oneself when using bands. Further, when using chains only, the force of gravity is providing resistance. With bands, however, there is added resistance with the tension in the bands.

This form of training is not the only way to increase an athlete’s RFD. It does, however, have sound scientific backing, and we have found success with it at the University of Iowa. ◆ The author wishes to extend a special thanks to Chris Doyle, Head Football Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Iowa, for his valuable mentoring over the past four years.

References for this article can be found on our Web site. Please log onto: www.

AthleticSearch.com/bands.

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TREATING THE ATHLETE

A

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GR O W

I

As preparticipation physical exams grow in length and scope, athletic trainers

are searching for new ways to fine tune the process.

W

hen preparticipation physical exams started 30 years ago, they usually consisted of a few quick questions and a cursory examination.

The idea was simply to find out if an athlete had any obvious health problems that would keep him or her from participating safely.

In the three decades since, however, the goals for the PPE have expanded exponentially. Many schools now view the PPE not just as a qualifying exam, but as an opportunity to promote the overall well-being of their studentathletes.

“We believe we owe it to our student-athletes to look at their total health during their PPE, and that involves a lot more than it used to,” says Dale Rudd, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer at UCLA. “We just finished

24 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

one of our PPE days, and we had several student-athletes leave with referrals for psychological services—they discussed issues with the physician and decided they could benefit from some help. It’s amazing what you can learn during the PPE if you take enough time to ask the right questions.”

With these new goals for the PPE have come new questions, however.

How in-depth should the health history go? How do we best screen for cardiac problems? Can PPEs also help uncover musculoskeletal deficiencies? Is there any way to streamline the process? The following provides some answers, new ideas, and opinions on how to get the most from the preparticipation physical.

GOOD FORM

Perhaps the biggest change in the PPE over the increased emphasis athletes’ health history

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philosophical time has been placed on the questionnaire.

“If you ask me which is more important, the questionnaire or the exam, it’s the questionnaire, hands down,” says Brent Rich, MD, Team Physician at Arizona State University. “Most student-athletes are at the peak of their physical health, and that means we’re not likely to turn up anything on a physical exam. We get more and better information by focusing on their personal and family histories.”

“When you evaluate a school’s preparticipation physical exam procedure, the number one thing to look at is the history form they are using,” agrees Central Missouri State Team Physician David Glover, MD. “The questionnaire is the biggest factor determining the PPE’s effectiveness.”

How do you know if your PPE questionnaire is on target? The first resource to consult is a monograph Laura Smith is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning.

N G List

BY LAURA SMITH

Illustration: Adam Berenstain

called Preparticipation Physical Evaluation developed a decade ago through the cooperation of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, and American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. The monograph was updated in 1996 and will be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis to keep pace with research, according to Rich, an author on the 1996 version.

“The monograph contains a list of about 30 questions that ought to be on every PPE form,” he says. “It’s considered the gold standard—based on the research, these are the questions that are most likely to reveal underlying problems that pose risks.”

Areas addressed in the monograph include cardiac assessment, head injuries, heat illness, allergies, orthope-

dic issues, eating and weight issues, and the female athlete triad.

“Individual schools should see the monograph as a scaffold on which to build their own PPE form,” Rich explains.

“Get a copy of the monograph and compare it to the form you’re using,” Glover recommends. “Doing that will give you a good idea of the adequacy of your form, and a good form will carry your PPE procedure a long way.”

CARDIAC SREENING

Of all the key areas in the monograph, the one that has raised the most questions is cardiac screening. While the incidence of sudden cardiac death is low (estimates range from one in 100,000 to one in 200,000 athletes per year), the shock of an athlete in seemingly perfect health dying suddenly on the playing field keeps the issue at center stage.

Sudden death in young athletes is

most often caused by congenital cardiovascular abnormalities that can sometimes be identified during exams through electrocardiograms and echocardiograms. But there are problems: The tests are expensive, and often what they reveal are normal variants. Combined with the low incidence of sudden death, deciding what cardiac tests to do during a PPE poses one of the toughest decisions a head athletic trainer can face.

“We’ve questioned over the past 10 years whether we should be doing routine echocardiograms during the PPE,” says Richard Ray, EdD, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer at Hope College.

“But the bottom line is, most studentathletes are at the peak of their physical health, and mass screening tests are extremely unlikely to find anything.

You add that on top of the expense, and it’s frustrating.”

“A lot of schools have gone to the extreme of testing everyone and have

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TREATING THE ATHLETE

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THE LOGISTICS long with deciding what tests and questions to include on the PPE, simply organizing the exam can be a challenge. Here are some tips from those who have spent years setting up PPEs: Schedule Early. “The ideal time to do PPEs is six to eight weeks before the start of the student-athlete’s most intensive training for their sport,” says Richard Ray, EdD, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer at Hope College. “It helps you accommodate the coaches’ needs, and it gives you enough time to address any problems you uncover. If you are doing PPEs the day before the season starts and find a problem, it can be tough on the student-athlete. It may be only a temporary problem that time and treatment will take care of, but they aren’t going to be able to start the season with the team.”

Delegate Areas of Expertise. “Instead of trying to line up all the people needed to do the exam myself, I appoint a team leader for the athletic trainers, another for the nurses, and another for the physicians,” says JoHan Wang, ATC, Director of Athletic Training at Stanford University. “These are people who have been involved with our PPEs before and are familiar with our process. I ask them to go out and recruit all the people they need for their team, and then to tell me who they have.”

Hold an Orientation. “I think the best thing we

A

found two things,” says Eastern Kentucky University Head Athletic Trainer Bobby Barton, DA, ATC. “One, they weren’t identifying nearly as many problems as they had hoped they would be able to, and two, the athletes who did die of sudden cardiac death had such unique cardiovascular problems that the tests had not been able to identify the problem anyway.”

“When one in 100,000 athletes has a problem, and the chances of finding that one athlete are slim, we feel like the cost of doing echos on everyone probably outweighs the benefit,” says JoHan Wang, ATC, Director of Athletic Training at Stanford University. “But then you hear of an athlete who dies, and you wonder.”

In response, most athletic trainers and physicians use a thorough health history to identify student-athletes at 26 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

do to ensure there aren’t any major catastrophes is hold an orientation the day before the PPEs with all of the people who are going to help,” Wang says.

“We get the nurses, physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, nutritionist, and administrative staff all together in a room and discuss the game plan for the day. We answer any questions they have, and we always throw in a free meal to show our appreciation.”

Follow Up. “Don’t have a station unless you have a plan in place for how that information is going to be used,” Ray advises. For short-term issues, such as x-rays that need to be ordered, the key is immediate follow-up. For longer-term issues, like an athlete with an allergy or chronic illness, the key is making sure the information stays with the athlete throughout their season and is readily available to athletic trainers responsible for their care.

Divide and Conquer. “We’re discussing abandoning the idea of mass physicals and doing them by team instead,” Wang says. “We know that because of the time pressure and long hours, we’re missing things. In the new system, the athletic trainer responsible for each team would organize that team’s PPE and run the entire exam in our athletic training room.

We think it will be a lot easier to deal with fewer athletes on several different days than with everyone at once in a few concentrated days.”

risk and then conduct tests in individual cases. “A good cardiac history— personal and family—is the most important thing,” says Gerald Fletcher, MD, Mayo Clinic (Jacksonville, Fla.) cardiologist and national spokesperson for the American Heart Association.

The AHA has issued a list of recommended questions for a cardiac history, and those questions have been incorporated into the current PPE monograph.

AHA recommendations are updated every five years to reflect new data.

“Mass testing is expensive and impractical,” Fletcher says, “and even a physical exam presents challenges. A good physician will pick up on an enlarged heart—but athletes often have larger hearts than average people do.

You can pick up on a slower-than-normal pulse rate, but athletes often have that, too. An athlete may have a heart murmur, but as many as 50 percent of

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people have benign heart murmurs at some point in their childhood.

“But, if you know that an athlete’s father died suddenly at age 40 from heart disease, or that there is a history of arrhythmia in the family, then you know that the athlete is at greater risk, and you are going to have to monitor them very carefully,” he continues. “This has been found to be the most effective way of screening out problems.”

At Eastern Kentucky, Barton takes a comprehensive cardiac history, and then brings in a cardiologist to assist with the PPE. “The general practitioner reviews the history and if, on the basis of that and his exam, he feels there is a need for further evaluation, he sends the student-athlete down to the cardiologist,” Barton says. “Then the cardiologist decides if it’s necessary to order testing.”

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TREATING THE ATHLETE

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GOOD ANSWERS

With the increased importance of the health history questionnaire, the student-athlete’s ability to fill it out correctly is critical. Many athletic trainers

not always be willing to answer questions about their personal history. A 1999 study published in The Archives of Family Medicine found that the majority of student-athletes were

Rudd makes sure to talk with student-athletes before they fill out the form … “I remind them that they are signing their name to it, and our ability to provide them with good health care is going to depend on them being truthful,” he says. have taken steps to help athletes answer questions in a more deliberate manner.

“Getting good information is always a tough issue,” says Rudd.

“Some athletes just want to speed through it and circle all the no’s.”

“You have to remember that their objective is different from yours,” says Glover. “You want to make sure they are healthy, but their objective is to play, so they’ll tell you what you want to hear.”

Therefore, Rudd makes sure to talk with student-athletes before they fill out the form, stressing the importance of answering the questions completely and honestly. “I remind them that they are signing their name to it, and our ability to provide them with good health care is going to depend on them being truthful,” he says. “I also tell them that if they aren’t honest with us and something crops up later, it’s going to be a lot more difficult to deal with. I emphasize that we’re only here to help, and it’s going to be a lot easier to identify things and help them now than to have something happen in the middle of the season when they’re going to miss playing time.”

At Eastern Kentucky, Barton takes the quest for full answers a step further. “We actually have a nurse or a nurse practitioner ask each studentathlete the questions,” he says. “It’s time-consuming, but it’s worth it, because we get much better responses.”

However, athletic trainers should be aware that student-athletes might 28 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

uncomfortable with physicians raising questions during a PPE about personal issues not directly related to sports, such as alcohol and nicotine use or risky sexual behaviors.

“The key is always giving them the option of saying, ‘I’d rather not discuss that,’” Glover says. “It’s also important to realize that how you phrase your questions makes a big difference, and to take care with your timing. Staying away from more sensitive topics until later in the exam after you’ve built a rapport with the studentathlete is the best way to get them to be open with you.”

Since family history is as important as the athlete’s personal history, it’s critical to encourage student-athletes to ask their parents or other family members for help on questions when they’re unsure of the answers. “A student-athlete who doesn’t know the answer to a question may just circle ‘no’ rather than admitting that they don’t know,” Barton says. “It’s important to stress to them that this is a risky, unwise thing to do.” If they cannot access information at all because parts of their family history aren’t available to them, they should feel free to simply tell the physician.

Helping parents develop positive attitudes toward the PPE can help, too.

“Parents and student-athletes should complete this form together, at least for high school athletes and college freshmen,” says Jon Almquist, ATC, Specialist for the Athletic Training Program for the Fairfax (Va.) County Public School System. “It’s important

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to communicate to parents that this is something that could save their child’s life. Instead of telling them, ‘I know this is a major pain, but everybody’s got to do it, so just get it over with,’ we should be telling them that it’s a great opportunity to have a good physical done for their child and to have a physician discuss some issues that may affect them in the long term.”

For example, ensuring that parents understand the gravity of the cardiac history is vital. “A lot of parents will think, ‘Johnny is a healthy kid— there’s nothing we need to tell the doctor,’” Fletcher says. “The fact that Johnny’s grandfather died at age 40 doesn’t strike them as significant to Johnny’s health, so they don’t tell the physician doing the PPE.” “Coaches can also be very helpful getting the message across,” Rudd adds. “We ask them to emphasize with their players the importance of filling out the forms accurately and taking their time.”

ELECTRONIC EDGE

As more and more topics are added to the PPE questionnaire, time becomes a problem, both for the student-athlete answering the long list of questions and the athletic trainers reviewing the answers. Stanford University is attempting to solve the problem with an online form. Their student-athletes no longer put pencil to paper to answer health history questions, but instead log on to a secure Web site and fill out an interactive form that bases its questions on the athlete’s previous responses.

Stanford’s ePPE focuses on the same set of core areas that traditional forms do: past medical problems; heart and lung problems; heat-related problems; head, neck and spine injuries; orthopedic injuries; history of injury treatment; family history; current health; and nutrition. However, it’s the system’s ability to hone in on an individual’s risk areas and probe for more information that makes it unique.

“The form is ‘nested and branched,’” says Gordon Matheson, MD, PhD, Chief of Sports Medicine at Stanford, who helped to choose the

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◆

TREATING THE ATHLETE

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ePPE’s questions. “There can be as many as 3,500 separate data elements, but they’re nested in 75 questions.

“Take the nutrition section, for example,” he continues. “The form asks a handful of general questions like, ‘Do you want to weigh more or less than you do now?’ If the studentathlete answers ‘no’ to the general nutrition questions, they will move right on to the next section. But if they answer with some yes’s, another set of questions will drop down to explore that issue further.”

The same goes for sections like cardiac history: A student-athlete who answers yes to a question about a family history of sudden death will be asked a subset of more specific questions. The branching can even vary depending on an athlete’s gender.

“To get a traditional health history this comprehensive, the student-athlete would have to sit down and go through 40 pages of material, a lot of which wouldn’t apply to them,” Matheson says. “And then someone would have

With the ePPE, “I think we detect a lot of subtle issues that we used to miss. We identified a huge number of disordered eating cases last year, and I think many of those would have slipped through in the old system.” to read 40 pages of answers, taking notes on what was significant.”

Instead, when the student-athlete has completed the ePPE, the program generates a list of only the pertinent findings. Athletes take this summary with them to their physical exam, and the physician focuses the exam on those issues. “A sample of the type of data included in the summary would be, ‘Jane Doe had a concussion in July 1999, was treated by a doctor, missed

MIKE ALSTOTT

three practices, and has had no symptoms since,’” Matheson says.

“We get a lot more information than with the traditional form,” he continues. “It’s very, very sensitive. We pick up a lot of cardiovascular issues that we wouldn’t have before. It just doesn’t miss a thing.”

“I think we detect a lot of subtle issues that we used to miss,” Wang says. “We identified a huge number of disordered eating cases last year, and I think many of those would have slipped through in the old system.”

The time required to complete the questionnaire can vary greatly. “We had two student-athletes who took three hours to do it,” Wang says. “But for someone without a lot of pre-existing issues, it can take as short as 20 minutes.

“We had no problem getting the freshmen to accept the system, but our returning student-athlete’s complained a little bit about the time it took,” he continues. “We told them it’s more than worth the time.”

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TREATING THE ATHLETE

HIPAA CONCERNS he Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is raising questions for some athletic trainers regarding the way they collect and use information during the PPE. “Over the years, we’ve had upper-level athletic training students stay in the rooms with the physicians during the exam to take notes,” says Eastern Kentucky University Head Athletic Trainer Bobby Barton, DA, ATC. “They’re the ones who record information like, ‘This student-athlete will need a follow-up x-ray at the end of the season.’ With HIPAA, we’re not sure whether we can continue this practice.”

“The biggest area of concern for us is communication with coaches,” says Jon Almquist, ATC, Specialist for the Athletic Training Program for the Fairfax (Va.) County Public School System. “Physicians should be free to communicate with the athletic trainers about the PPE, because we are both medical professionals responsible for the student-athlete’s care.

But how much can we tell the coach about the reason a student-athlete might not be cleared to play?”

As with other aspects of HIPAA, the best protec-

T

tion is a good release form. “There needs to be a release signed up front,” says Matthew Mitton, JD, Counselor at the National Sports Law Institute in Milwaukee, Wis. “There should be a very clear understanding with the student-athlete about why the PPE is being done, to whom the findings will be disclosed, and why they will be disclosed—and that should be solely for the purpose of protecting their health and safety.”

But with more types of information being discussed during PPEs—drug testing, STDs, psychological issues—a blanket release for the entire exam may not be sufficient. “The student-athlete should have the right to say, ‘It’s okay with me if you disclose to my coach that I have asthma, but not information about psychological concerns,’” Mitton says.

In determining whether the release form and procedures you’re using for your PPE conform to HIPAA guidelines, it’s best not to make assumptions. “We’re going to consult with the director of our student health center and our legal counsel before we make any decisions,” says Barton.

For more details on HIPAA, log on to www.momentummedia.com/articles/tc/tc1302/hipaa.htm.

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Student-athletes receive a packet during the summer that explains the ePPE procedure and gives them the information they need to access and complete the form before coming back to school in the fall. They can log on and off as many times as they need to, pausing to track down answers to questions they are unsure of. However, no one else can view the forms while in progress or even once they’re completed. “The system is totally secure and HIPAA-compliant,” Wang says.

“The only thing anyone will ever see is the summary.”

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While more emphasis has been placed on health histories in PPEs, some sports teams have also expanded the exam to test for musculoskeletal problems. If any strength or agility deficits are found, the athletic trainer or strength coach can develop a program to help the athlete correct the problem.

Derek Steveson, PT, Physical Therapist for the Arizona Diamondbacks, has designed such tests for his major league baseball players and recommends a simpler test for athletes at lower levels.

With the Diamondbacks, Steveson has the luxury of using a variety of position-specific tests. “We have different tests for the pitchers, the catchers, and the position players,” he says.

“With the position players, for example, we have them do a rotational hop, because a ground ball or a fly ball is going to require them to turn and rotate off one leg.”

When time and resources for musculoskeletal evaluation are limited, Steveson recommends the balancereach test. “It’s a great place to start if you want to have one cursory test to evaluate all athletes,” he says.

For the balance-reach test, ask athletes to stand on one leg and perform a one-legged squat, counter-balancing with their other leg. Then ask them to extend their opposite arm and reach as far across their body as possible, either knee-height or floor-height.

To evaluate strength, they can perform the test repeatedly to exhaustion.

Steveson feels the balance-reach

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test reveals functional capability better than separate tests for different abilities. “If you do a separate strength test, a balance test, and a range of motion test, you can’t accurately extrapolate from that data the athlete’s ability to perform,” Steveson says. “With the balance-reach test, you get to assess full body motion.”

An athletic trainer, strength and conditioning coach, or physical therapist should be measuring athletes’ results on the balance-reach test.

“Having someone who understands functional testing administer the test is important,” Steveson says. “I dictate my results into a tape recorder as I go.

Another good option would be to have a standardized form where the tester could check off hip internal rotation, ankle dorsal flexion, generalized ability to control one-legged movements, general flexibility, and how many times the athlete could perform the test.”

From individual athlete’s results,

“The athletic trainer could look through the forms and say, ‘The biggest thing most of these athletes are lacking is a rotational component to their hip, so I’m going to design a program to address that.’” an athletic trainer can spot any deficiency and then work with the strength and conditioning coach to strengthen the weakness. For example, if the athlete is able to extend her reach quite far

TREATING THE ATHLETE

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but has trouble balancing on one leg, she may need more work on agility, but less flexibility work.

Steveson also suggests using the results to spot deficiencies throughout the entire team. “The athletic trainer could look through the forms and say, ‘The biggest thing most of these athletes are lacking is a rotational component to their hip, so I’m going to design a program to address that,’” he says.

“Having a musculoskeletal testing protocol in your PPE may seem like a minor point compared to heart murmurs, diabetes, and previous ACL reconstructions,” he continues, “but it’s imperative. If you don’t, you’re much more likely to find yourself with a full athletic training room as the season goes on.” ◆

The monograph Preparticipation Physical Evaluation is available by contacting the American Academy of Family Physicians at (800) 274-2237, or by logging onto https://secure.aafp.org/cgibin/catalog.pl?op=view_ items&product_id =199&category_id=21.

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STORM

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NEW TECHNOLOGY

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WARNING Detecting lightning before it reaches your athletic field is a must for sport safety. At the University of Florida, staff members have recently implemented a new system for knowing where the next flash may strike.

BY DR. MELVIN DACE, CHIP HOWARD, GREG MCGARITY, ADRIAN MELENDEZ, CHRIS PATRICK, MATT WALSER, AND DR. MARTIN UMAN

A

t approximately 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 14, 2002, more than 84,000 football fans watched as the University of Florida played Ohio University at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. But one man inside the stadium, Keith Rambo, an electrical engineering professor who monitors severe weather during the Gators’ home football games, had his attention focused elsewhere.

Rambo was watching his computer screen. Doppler radar showed a Photo: Getty Image, © Harry How

band of thunderstorms approaching the stadium from the west, and Rambo was tracking their approach using resources on the Internet. Once the storms moved within 10 miles of the stadium, game operations personnel were notified and passed word to the officials. At 6:20 p.m., Rambo’s screen showed a lightning strike six miles from the stadium. As required by Southeastern Conference policy, the referee and head coaches were informed that a large cell of thunderstorms with lightning strikes was within six miles and heading northeast toward them.

At 6:21 p.m., the officials stopped the game and sent the teams to their locker rooms. Fans were informed that the game had been suspended due to Melvin Dace, MD, FACP, is Chief of Stadium Medical Operations, Chip Howard is Assistant Athletic Director for Auxiliary Services, Greg McGarity is an Associate Athletic Director, Adrian Melendez, ATC, is Head Football Athletic Trainer, Chris Patrick, ATC, is Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Health, Matt Walser, ATC, is Associate Head Football Athletic Trainer, and Martin Uman, PhD, is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida.

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Weather Words

H

ere’s a short explanation of some common weather bulletins for those covering sporting events.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH This is the kind of weather that can produce a severe thunderstorm, defined as having wind gusts of 58 miles per hour or higher, or hail at least 3/4-inch in diameter. These are usually issued for wide areas covering hundreds of miles and may last several hours. Even if the weather is fair, you should monitor the weather closely and be ready to react to severe storms, which may develop quickly.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING This means a severe thunderstorm has been spotted either by a weather spotter or strong evidence from radar. These are usually issued for small areas and last for up to an hour. During a severe thunderstorm warning, everyone should immediately seek shelter.

TORNADO WATCH When a tornado watch is issued, conditions are favorable for the development of storms that can produce tornadoes. Like severe thunderstorm watches, these usually cover wide areas and last for hours. It’s also important to know that areas under a tornado watch are at a higher risk for severe thunderstorms than those under a severe thunderstorm watch.

Even if the current weather is good, you should keep a close eye on the conditions and monitor local media or weather radio for any developments.

TORNADO WARNING This means a tornado has either been reported by a weather spotter or indicated by strong evidence from radar returns. These are usually issued for small areas and last for up to an hour. During a tornado warning, everyone should immediately seek shelter. ◆ For more information on severe weather safety, including details on safe shelters during storms, go to www.weather.gov/om/severeweather/index.shtml

severe weather in the area. They were also told that if they wanted to leave and seek shelter, they would be readmitted with their ticket stubs. After a 46-minute delay, the lightning had moved outside the six-mile radius and play resumed without any further delays. Thanks to the early and accurate warnings, participants and fans were protected and disruption was minimized.

Most athletic departments around the country are aware of the danger that lightning presents to both players and spectators. Lightning safety guidelines were added to the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook in 1997 and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement on Lightning Safety, issued in 2000, has also provid36 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

ed valuable guidance. But at the University of Florida, we feel that these guidelines may not go far enough in light of recent technological advances.

STORM READY

The traditional method of assessing the threat from lightning utilizes the flashto-bang method, where a person counts the time between the lightning and thunder. By dividing the elapsed time by five, an observer can estimate his or her distance from the lightning strike in miles. If the lightning and thunder are 30 seconds apart, for example, that means that lightning struck six miles away and everyone should seek shelter.

However, this method has several limitations. Flash-to-bang fails in

ATHLETICBID.COM

active thunderstorms because flashes occur so frequently they create overlapping thunder, making it impossible to determine which flash of lightning caused a particular clap of thunder.

Further, the observer may be located where lightning is hard to see or thunder is hard to hear, such as in the press box of a large football stadium or a practice field in a valley with limited sight lines.

Finally, even when the flash-tobang method does work, it provides information only on the distance between the observer and the lightning strike with no indication of the storm’s speed or direction. This creates difficulties in two ways. First, strong storms can move at 40 miles per hour or more and cover six miles in less than 10 minutes, leaving little time for large groups of people to take cover. Second, lightning may be seven or eight miles away, but moving away from the facility, meaning there is no reason to head for shelter.

Therefore, over the past year at the University of Florida, we have been using a real-time lightning detection system. We have found that it provides more safety and protection than other methods for detecting dangerous lightning situations. It is also relatively inexpensive and easy to operate, and we have had few, if any, false alarms with this system. Even the NCAA was impressed enough with our system, after seeing it in action during the 2002 baseball regionals in Gainesville, that it was recommended for use for all baseball playoff sites in 2003.

The system, from Vaisala GAI (lightningstorm.com), allows us to see, in real time, where lightning is striking and anticipate when it will reach us.

Built on data from the North American Lightning Detection Network (NALDN), the program tracks lightning strikes throughout the United States and Canada using a network of 106 lightning sensors that record about 90 percent of all cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. We access the data through two Vaisala systems, both of which we connect to through the Web. The first system shows lightning

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activity across the United States with the ability to zoom into regional maps or a personal map centered on a specific location. The maps are updated once a minute and provide very specific information. In addition, optional email notifications can be sent to pagers, cell phones, or computers whenever lightning enters or clears a predefined personal area.

Using the second program, we can watch a storm’s progress in real time, with lightning strikes usually showing up on the screen within seconds. Data from the previous six hours can be downloaded to examine a storm’s history, although we usually look at just an hour’s worth of data upon login to help determine the path of any dangerous storms.

Versions of this system have been used by government agencies and utility companies for more than 25 years.

It is the only system we know of that provides true reports of where lightning strikes in nearly real time.

The cost of the system varies depending on the features you choose.

We paid about $1,250 in subscription fees for the 2002-03 school year. There are monthly and daily fee options available on parts of the system.

Both our operations and athletic training staffs have been trained by experts in our university’s lightning research center on how to best use this system. The training lasted about half a day and provided information about lightning and its dangers, as well as hints for extrapolating future storm movements based on their history. We now train new staff members ourselves rather than sending them to lightning experts. Those without weather experts close at hand can also receive training from Vaisala.

Along with the Vaisala system, we also use the services of the National Weather Service. We regularly call the weather service in Jacksonville to get their interpretation of a storm and use their Web site (www.weather.gov), which includes a fairly current weather radar. Two other helpful Web sites are the Weather Channel (www.weather.com) and

NEW TECHNOLOGY

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main athletic offices, so someone can monitor the weather from the athletic training room and still be within a few hundred yards of the practice area. Our two remote facilities, for softball and soccer, have a training room with data hookups that the athletic trainers can use.

Once lightning is detected within a 20-mile radius of our facilities, operations and athletic training staff are automatically notified by e-mail. For teams out on the field, the athletic

Intellicast (www.intellicast.com).

WEATHER WATCHERS

We now use the Vaisala system on a daily basis. Our procedure calls for an athletic trainer to check the system before heading out to the practice fields. This usually takes less than five minutes and may include a quick phone call to the weather service office to check on the potential for severe weather to develop later.

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trainer will let the head coach know where the lightning is.

If the lightning comes within six miles, and is moving our way, the athletic trainer notifies the head coach of imminent severe weather and the need to seek shelter. The coaches will actually be the ones to halt practice, but they have all been very receptive to the new procedures—if they ask, we can show them on our computer screen exactly where the lightning is at any point in time.

The system has also helped cut down on false alarms since we can see both the location of the lightning and its movement. In the past, we may have called teams in because we heard thunder and saw dark clouds to the west, but now we can tell when those are going to stay safely in the distance and pass us by.

The process is a little different for games and varies depending on the sport. Beginning two hours before kickoff of all home football games, we have a member of our university’s lightning research team on site who is especially adept at reading and interpreting lightning data. Upon his arrival, he begins monitoring any severe weather from the press box. One hour prior to the game, inclement weather outlooks and procedures are discussed with game officials.

If lightning is detected within 10 miles, the game manager is notified, and in turn notifies the officials. If a lightning strike occurs within six miles of the field, the head referee is again alerted so he can follow the SEC’s inclement weather policy.

In other sports, the athletic department operations staff will monitor the Lightningstorm.com site and inform the officials about approaching severe weather, including lightning strikes within six miles. The officials will then determine when the game is suspended.

PLAN AHEAD

The best time to decide on a severe weather policy is when the sun is shining, not when a storm is brewing. We strongly recommend that every athletic department develop a written lightning safety policy. We also recommend the use of NALDN data.

Every game and practice has a different need and solution. These solutions should be determined in advance and put into writing as part of the overall emergency care plan for student-athletes. Similarly, each athletic department’s needs are different and your plan must reflect these differences. Smaller schools won’t have the luxury of dedicated lightning experts on hand to watch over a game. But simply using the program’s auto-notification system, which can call a coach’s cell phone when lightning is detected within a pre-set distance, will provide some protection. Having someone then monitor the real-time data will add another layer of protection. And once the plan has been established, it should be reviewed and revised regularly by the head athletic trainer and other responsible staff members.

At many schools, you as the athletic trainer already monitor weather conditions and can simply add this system to your weather tool box. If you do not perform this funcCircle No. 22 38 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

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â—†

tion as part of your job, the best solution may be to work with your athletic director to appoint one or two people to be department weather watchers.

IF LIGHTNING STRIKES

Unfortunately, lightning is quite unpredictable and there is no way to guarantee that you are completely immune to a lightning strike. Thus our lightning safety protocol also provides for the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the case of ventricular fibrillation from lightning.

Much is still unknown about the mechanisms of cardiac arrest in lightning injuries, but it is known that lightning can cause disruption to the heart similar to a heart attack. Ventricular fibrillation or asystole (cardiac standstill) in lightning injuries may be a direct result of lightning on the heart or an indirect result of respiratory arrest with anoxia (lack of oxygen). Either way, reviving the patient is almost impossible without an AED.

Spontaneous (without the use of a defibrillator) reversion of ventricular fibrillation to normal rhythm is essentially unheard of in adult cardiology.

Any spontaneous recovery from cardiac arrest through CPR is most likely due to the patient being in respiratory, not cardiac, arrest. The coronary blood flow necessary for return of spontaneous circulation is 20 milliliters mercury and in CPR the maximum obtained is 10 milliliters mercury. Thus CPR is only buying a little time to defibrillation.

As a result, we feel strongly that AEDs ought to be placed on all suspected cardiac arrest patients, including those with lightning injury. (By the way, there is no risk of shock from touching the victim of a lightning strike.) In cases of cardiac arrest, early defibrillation is one of the most important links to survival. Defibrillation at two minutes is better than six minutes and infinitely better than 10 minutes, where survival rates are practically nil.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

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The window of opportunity is small and essentially requires a defibrillator be in close proximity for success, so we have an AED at all practices and competitions here at the University of Florida.

COMMON SENSE

It’s important to remember that the lightning detection system helps you see what would otherwise be unseen, but it doesn’t replace the eyes and ears of people on the scene. The system does not report cloud-to-cloud lightning and some ground strokes (about 10-15 percent) may be missed. In addition, the first bolt of lightning from a storm is as dangerous as the last, but it can’t be as easily anticipated. If the skies above turn dark and threatening, use common sense in addition to the data.

There are no guarantees when it comes to lightning. But there are ways to tilt the odds in your favor, and we feel that ours is the best. â—†

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Circle No. 25

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A

Strong HOLD

BY PAT SANTORO & TOM KOCH

Lehigh University uses a five-phase program to get its wrestlers ready for national competition.

Photo: Courtesy Lehigh University

W

restlers are unique athletes. They require strength, endurance, and flexibility that must be maintained at a high percentage throughout a match.

Yet, they also need extremely lean body mass to keep their weight at a minimum.

Wrestling is one of the few sports in which every muscle is utilized during competition. Therefore, multigroup exercises are essential to maximize training efficiency in the weight room. We also require strict form during exercise execution to maximize strength and range of motion.

Although every muscle is important, our main focus is on legs/hips, back, and abs. Abs are one of the most ignored and improperly trained groups of muscles. Abdominal muscles are a

key component to power and therefore must be trained with explosive movements rather than as slow-twitch fibers.

We also believe that training must be individualized. For example, athletes who come to us with great leg strength but a weak upper body may do a lot of remedial core work. And new wrestlers to our program who have not weight-trained before will receive more instruction and sometimes remain longer in earlier phases.

We are very careful not to overload athletes with weights that are too heavy or give them exercises that they cannot execute properly.

Periodization is the key to any training program for optimum performance throughout the season.

Strength training that is not properly planned will retard the peaking

process and may cause injury. Our program is split into five different phases, which are detailed in the next sections.

Phase One: CIRCUIT TRAINING

This phase is designed as an adaptation phase for experienced lifters as well as beginners. It prepares the muscles for the heavier loads that will be applied in the advanced phases.

The program includes 2-3 sets with loads between 40 and 70 percent Pat Santoro is Assistant Wrestling Coach and Tom Koch, MA, CFT, is Volunteer Strength and Conditioning Coach for Lehigh University wrestling, which finished fourth at last year’s NCAA Division I championships. Santoro was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2002-03 season.

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▼ of 1RM, 6-9 exercises, and 8-10 reps.

The rest duration is 1-2 minutes between circuits. We do this routine 34 days a week for 3-8 weeks. Less experienced athletes will remain in this phase longer.

Here is a sample circuit: Leg press/squat Leg curl/straight-leg dead lift Bench press/DB incline Pull-ups/lat pull-downs Dips/cable flys Bent-over/seated cable row Shoulder press/lateral raise Back extension Incline sit-ups Phase Two: HYPERTROPHY

Hypertrophy is a very important phase in the progression of our program.

However, because hypertrophy increases muscle mass, we must be very careful when implementing it.

Wrestlers must master proper technique before moving to Phase Three.

Individual instruction and adequate spotters are important.

Weight management is an essential part of wrestling, and a bulked-up wrestler simply won’t make his weight. Therefore, we keep this phase as short as possible, usually 3-4 weeks.

The phase includes 3-4 sets with loads between 70 and 80 percent of 1RM, 8-12 exercises, 3-4 days/week.

Here is a sample: Hang cleans/box jumps/dead lifts Squats/leg press Leg curls/straight-leg dead lifts Incline bench Towel pull-ups

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Weighted dips Dumbbell row Shoulder press Rear shoulder raise Twisted abdominal/incline sit-ups Forearms-rice bucket It is important to mention here that Phases One and Two must be completed in their entirety before moving to Phase Three. Skipping any part of the first two phases could result in injury and body breakdown during the next part of the training cycle.

In addition, wrestlers must master proper technique before moving to Phase Three. Individual instruction and adequate spotters are important.

Phase Three MAXIMUM MUSCLE STRENGTH

During this part of the program our wrestlers develop significant gains in strength. This phase includes 4-5 sets with loads between 80 and 100 percent

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▼ of 1RM, 5-7 exercises, 2-5 reps, 2-3 days a week. Rest intervals during this phase are 2-4 minutes. The duration is 8-12 weeks.

Here is a sample of the exercises: Power cleans/dead lifts Squats/walking lunges Weighted pull-ups/seated lat pulldowns Dumbbell bench press/incline Squat shoulder push press Hanging V-Ups

1RM, 3-6 exercises, 5-10 reps, 2-3 days a week. Duration is 3-5 weeks.

Here is a sample: Squat jumps/box jumps Hang cleans Medicine-ball side throw/over head medicine-ball throw Shoulder push press/medicine-ball push press Two-handed chest throw with partner Hanging V-Ups

Phase Four

Phase Five

POWER

MAINTENANCE

At this point, we have added significant gains in strength, and it is time to transfer that into power on the mat.

Therefore, this phase deals with lighter weight and targets the neuromuscular system. The goal is to perform routines as quickly and explosively as possible.

This phase includes 3-5 sets with loads between 50 and 80 percent of

This phase is accomplished in-season.

We have found, with proper weight management, some of our wrestlers had slight increases in strength throughout the season. We train just two days a week in the weight room and vary our program from a moderate heavy day to a muscle endurance day.

These programs are very individual-

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ized and we are constantly playing with the numbers from week to week.

On our moderate heavy day, athletes do 2-3 sets with loads varying from 50-85 percent of 1RM, 5-7 exercises, 5-7 reps. Rest interval is 1-2 minutes. Here is a sample: Squat/leg press Straight-leg dead lift Weighted pull-ups Bench press Bent-over row Incline sit-ups On our muscle endurance day, we include 2-3 sets with loads varying from 50-85 percent of 1RM, 5-7 exercises, 5-10 reps. There is no rest interval, and all exercises are done very quickly, but in a controlled manner.

Here is a sample: Leg press Seated pull-downs Dips (max) Shoulder press

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▼ Pummel curls (exaggerated hammer curls) Hanging V-Ups AEROBIC WORK

Many wrestlers run long distances for weight management, but this can be very counterproductive when trying to keep up strength throughout the season. Doing too much aerobic work can hinder the explosiveness we work so hard to develop in the weightroom.

Therefore, we modify our aerobic training and structure it to complement our weight training.

All of our runs are low mileage, with the bulk of them being interval training. Early stages of our interval training will have a 1:3 ratio of output to rest (run for one minute, rest for three). As we approach our peaks, the ratio will lower to 1:2, then 1:1.

All workouts start with 10-15 minutes of warmup and a 220-meter sprint.

Many wrestlers run long distances for weight management, but this can be very counterproductive when trying to keep up strength throughout the season.

Here is a sample of our aerobic work: 4 x 800 2 x 400 2 x 220 6 x 400 8 x 200 4 x 100 2 x 60-second uphill sprints 4 x 45-second uphill sprints 4 x 30-second uphill sprints 4 x 20-second uphill sprints THE VARIABLES

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training program, which works toward peak performance at the end of the season, we have been able to achieve positive results. However, we also pay a lot of attention to the variables that arise, such as sickness, injury, and class schedules, and adjust the plan accordingly. For example, if an athlete is looking rundown or has a week of exams, we’ll eliminate one practice or do light lifting, usually at 50 percent.

While we have detailed some of our training methods we use throughout the year, it is important to realize that the best training for wrestling is wrestling. Much of our conditioning, plyometrics, and reaction time drills are done during our practices. Tactical intelligence is done through videotape scouting and match analysis with the athlete. Wrestling practices must be creative, challenging, and fun in order to have athletes achieve their best come match time. ◆

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

Rotary Inertia: The Future of Resistance Training.

by John Weatherly & Mark Verstegen Incorporating the best equipment and methods are paramount to superior training programs. Olympic-style pulls, squats, and presses are valuable for power, but they occur in the sagittal or frontal plane(s). Leading professionals recognize the value of rotational/diagonal movements in sports (2,3,4). This article is about an incredible new tool for multi-planar closed chain power training. It is used at Mark Verstegen’s Athletes’ Performance Institute in Tempe, AZ, and Juan Carlos Santana’s Institute of Human Performance in Boca Raton, FL, among other top facilities. This revolutionary device, a Hi-Low pulley configuration, functions on the principles of rotary inertia.

How it Works VersaPulley uses MV2 Technology (mass times velocity squared) rotary inertia for resistance. This inertial resistance, coupled with a cone shaped infinitely variable cam, produces 100% Responsive Resistance. It operates similar to a yo-yo (3). Adjust speed/force to train the force velocity curve, from high force-low velocity to high velocity-low force multi-joint, multi-planar movements with Maximum Rate of Force Development (MRFD). During the concentric contraction, the rotary mass accelerates at the athlete’s MRFD. It stores the energy during the concentric MRFD, and dishes it right back in the eccentric contraction. Sport specific concentric, eccentric, and plyometric stimulation is achieved on every repetition. Train athletes through the entire contractile continuum, from the earliest closed chain rehabilitation, to the most complex power and elastic development for every specific movement.

Acceleration/deceleration loading in integrated sport specific movements can increase performance and reduce injury potential (4).

Rotational/Diagonal Training VersaPulley performs almost any exercise. It has enormous value for rotational/diagonal training. It provides an unlimited responsive rotational inertia resistance. This new technology for rotational/diagonal movements is equivalent to vertical power movements like Olympic-style pulls/presses.

Photos 1-3 are a high power rotational/diagonal squat pull, to a press of the lower body, trunk, and upper body with MRFD acceleration and eccentric deceleration loading. These exercises should be classified “structural or core movements” like Olympic pulls, squats, and presses (4). The movement demands of sport drive the exercise selection. Watch an athlete plant and cut. Many hip and trunk muscles function as internal and external rotators, which are not developed in the typical squat (4).

Diverse Applications Perform complexes and/or contrasts for sport specific movements. Santana, owner/operator of the Institute of Human Performance, gives examples in his training manual (3). Juan says the VersaPulley can be great for hypertrophy due to “time under tension at high speeds” (3, p.215). VersaPulley can be used for high quality metabolic conditioning (1,3,4).

Athletes’ Performance Institute Athletes’ Performance Institute has used the VersaPulley with MV2 technology for four years, especially during the Major League Baseball PreSpring Training and NFL Combined Prep sessions. Mark Verstegen says “This is the most versatile and practical technology ever developed. It is used from beginner to elite performance training. This revolutionary new piece of equipment will change forever how we are able to train athletes, limited only by our knowledge and creativity.”

Call Heart Rate Inc. at 1.800.237.2271 or visit VersaPulley.com for more information.

John Weatherly holds degrees in exercise science, assisted with conditioning programs for professional baseball, basketball players and the Olympic Training Center. He currently consults with Athletes in Action Power and the exercise industry.

Mark Verstegen is Director of Athletes’ Performance Institute in Tempe, AZ. He and his staff work with world-class athletes in a variety of sports. Mark is Director of Performance for the NFL Players’ Association and former Founder and Director of the International Performance Institute in Bradenton, FL. References 1. Caruso, J.C. and D.A. Hernandez. Net caloric

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cost of a 3-set flywheel ergometer resistance exercise paradigm.. J. Strength Cond. Res 16: 567572, 2002.

2. Ives, J.C. and G.A. Shelley. Psychophysics in functional strength and power training: Review and implementation framework. J. Strength Cond. Res 17: 177-186, 2003.

3. Santana, J.C. The essence of band and pulley training companion guide. Optimum Performance Systems. Boca Raton, FL. 2002.

4. Verstegen, M. Rotary training. Presentation at the 2003 NSCA Sport Specific Conference. Jan. 910, 2003. New Orleans, LA.

Nutritional Products BODYQUICK DC (866) TRY-BODY (879-2639), www.bodyquicken.com Sold direct or through distributors: Call for both.

OBodyQuick DC Primary Ingredients: Components designed to increase reaction speed and muscle fiber recruitment—vinpocetine, huperzine-a, salisburia adiantifolia ... Quantity Discounts/Pricing: Retail $49.95, Wholesale $29.97 (866-532-7632) ... Primary Advantages: Featured on FOX Sports and tested by 19 world champions, BodyQUICK is the world's first athletic speed supplement, designed to improve muscle fiber recruitment and oxygen delivery within 60 minutes of the first dose.

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GATORADE (877) 3-PROPEL, www.propelwater.com Sold direct or through distributors: Grocery stores, convenience stores, club stores, and drug stores.

OPropel Fitness Water Primary Ingredients: Filtered water, natural flavors, sucrose syrup ... Calories Per Serving: 10 ... Protein/Carbohydrate/Fat Content: 0%/1%/0% ...

Vitamins and Minerals: B6, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, B12, C, E ...

Quantity Discounts/ Pricing: 700ml $1.19-$1.39 in grocery, 6-pack $4.49, C-store $1.39$1.49, 500ml $.99 ... Primary Advantages: Created by the hydration experts at The Gatorade Company, Propel Fitness Water is lightly flavored to encourage improved hydration over plain water. Propel also contains vitamins for an active lifestyle.

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OGatorade Nutrition Shake, New Improved Formula—Better Taste Calories Per Serving: 370 ...

Protein/Carbohydrate/Fat Content: 18g/62g/6g ... Vitamins and Minerals: C,

46 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

calcium, and iron ...

Quantity Discounts/ Pricing: N/A ... Primary Advantages: Gatorade Nutrition Shake is a balanced nutrition supplement that is ideal as a nutritious high-energy meal replacement, or a pre-event or betweenmeal snack. Gatorade Nutrition Shake is for athletes who want to perform at their best, and often need to supplement their diet with a convenient, balanced, and nutritious product. Gatorade Nutrition Shake is available in two flavors—chocolate and vanilla.

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HORMEL HEALTH (800) 866-7757, www.hormelhealthlabs.com Visit www.hormelhealthlabs.com or call Hormel Health for more information or to place an order.

OCalshake Calories Per Serving: 580 ... Protein: 12g when mixed with whole milk ... Flavors: Available in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ...

Primary Advantages: Calshake is a great tasting nutritional supplement designed to add additional calories to your diet.

Just mix with milk, stir, and serve.

Calshake is a great foundation for a weight gain diet.

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LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS (800) 638-3030, www.lww.com Visit www.lww.com or call Lippincott Williams & Wilkins for more information or to place an order.

OSports Supplements

by Jose Antonio, PhD, FACSM, CSCS and Jeffrey R. Stout, PhD, FASCMS, CSCS*D This comprehensive book provides an indepth treatment of the dynamic field of nutritional ergogenic aids. The book covers the entire spectrum of supplements and their effectiveness (or lack thereof), including proper dosages and applications to specific goals. The 14 chapters include discussions of cellular hydration, anti-cata-

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bolic agents, antioxidants, amino acids, protein, and nutrients that affect the immune system.

September 2001/350 pages/100 illustrations.

ISBN: 0-7817-22411/$34.95 Circle No. 46 on Reader Inquiry Card

POWERBAR® (800) 58-POWER, www.powerbar.com Sold direct or through distributors: Visit www.powerbar.com to locate a distributor or for more information on how to order directly.

OPowerBar® Performance Primary Ingredients: Simple and complex carbohydrates and milk protein (Lactose removed) ... Calories Per Serving: 230 ... Protein/Carbohydrate/Fat Content: 75/15/10 by calories ... Vitamins and Minerals: 100% of the US RDI of antioxidant vitamins C & E, 8 B-complex vitamins, and 30-35% of essential minerals such as Iron, Zinc, Calcium, and Magnesium ... Quantity Discounts/ Pricing: Discounts and pricing vary by retail location ... Primary Advantages: PowerBar® Performance, the number-one energy bar, is a low-fat, highly nutritious energy bar specially formulated to deliver long-lasting energy. Since 1986, PowerBar Performance has been dedicated to helping athletes and active people achieve peak performance and has become the “fuel of choice” for top athletes around the world.

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OPowerBar® PowerGel Primary Ingredients: Simple and complex carbohydrates, electrolytes, and amino acids ... Calories Per Serving: 110-120 ...

Protein/Carbohydrate/ Fat Content: 100/0/0% by calories ... Vitamins and Minerals: Antioxidant vitamins C & E, electrolytes, and the PowerBar® exclusive amino acid blend ...

Quantity Discounts/ Pricing: Discounts and

Nutritional Products pricing vary by retail location ... Primary Advantages: PowerBar® PowerGel is a concentrated carbohydrate gel that delivers immediate energy during intense athletic activity. It’s a high-energy fast fuel, loaded with carbohydrates (80% complex, 20% simple) that your body absorbs quickly for the energy you need in an instant.

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Q BLAST™ (630) 595-1142, www.QBlast.net Sold direct or through distributors: Available direct or through your local retail outlet, Q Blast is perfect for the individual or large groups. Call for team and institutional pricing.

OQ Blast™ Calories Per Serving: 40 ...

Protein/Carbohydrate/Fat Content: 0g/9g/0g ... Other Ingredients: 30g sodi-

um, 105g potassium ...

Primary Advantages: Q Blast™—the one and only. Thirstblaster is now available in convenient, easy to use, liquid concentrate. Q Blast brings to you the culmination of 20 years of research and intense, hard work by the only family-run beverage maker right out of Hobart, Indiana. By combining the key elements for high-performance hydration, including essential electrolytes and complex carbohydrates, but without sugar, Q Blast delivers the only diabetic-friendly beverage available for competitors of all sizes and ages; and because the levels of carbs are set at nine grams per serving, it falls within the guidelines of the Atkin's Program and nothing refreshes better after a hard workout than an ice-cold Q Blast.

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How

to

order

IN THE NEXT ISSUE:

HOT & COLD THERAPY MASSAGE THERAPY CATALOG SHOWCASE MORE NEW PRODUCTS

from...

Med-Fit Systems, Inc., manufactures, imports, and distributes a wide variety of Physical Medicine and Assisted Living products worldwide. virtually any size or shape pool, either above, below, or partially above ground. Resistance currents, plyometric cants, viewing windows, massage wands, and many other custom options allow the practitioner to realize his or her preferences in aquatic design.

Product lines now include many prominent brands, including: The Nautilus Group, featuring the complete line of Nautilus strength and cardiovascular products, StairMaster/Quinton treadmills, bikes and ellipticals, and Schwinn air products, including the Airdyne quadrilateral trainer and Windjammer upper body cycle.

HOIST Fitness Systems.. a twenty five year old manufacturing company that features the best selling multi-stack HOIST 6000, the ACCESStrainer wheelchair exercise machine, dual function devices and the new KL Line. The KL Line has been designed for children’s use, and features all compound/complex movements designed to strengthen growing bodies safely.

The new HUR compressed air resistance machines are ideal for high speed training. The compressed air resistance eliminates the ballistics inherent in weight training, and most machines feature functional bilateral action, allowing independent reciprocal movements.

Med-Fit also offers marketing, leasing, planning and consulting, and can provide drawings, break-even analysis, and financing options for projects large and small.

Med-Fit features a nearly 600 page web site, with free access to our A relatively new addition to the Med-Fit line is the K.A.T. balance assessment, training and fall prevention products and programming. The clinical consultants 24 hours a day @MEDFITSYSTEMS.com, and a CD new KAT fall prevention protocols are available on our web site, and we ROM catalogue, including video presentations of several products, free for the asking. offer a no obligation demonstration of the KAT to interested facilities.

GALAXY AQUA-FIT Aquatics are custom, all tile rehabilitation pools and spas. We feature over 50 installations on our web site, and can build

Med-Fit looks forward to serving the needs of our clients for many years to come.

Call us toll-free at 800.831.7665 Fax us at 760.723.5396 E-mail us at MEDFIT@aol.com

Visit us on the Web at

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ScoutingReport Leg Strengthening BIODEX MEDICAL SYSTEMS (800) 224-6339, www.biodex.com The Biodex Cyclocentric™ Semi-Recumbent Cycle (CSRC) can prepare non-weight-bearing patients for ambulation, serve as an adjunct to functional locomotor training, and challenge highlyconditioned athletes to further improve their performance. In addition to two traditional cycling resistance modes, the CSRC is equipped with an additional resistance system that can be employed to provide a selectable level of limb-loading (independent of the pedaling resistance) that is applied for the duration of any cycling routine.

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Biodex Medical Systems offers a series of products for neuromuscular evaluation and therapeutic exercise including the MultiJoint System 3 dynamometer, cycle ergometers, powerful treadmills, Balance and Unweighing Systems and an innovative Gait Trainer.

Call for Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Catalog and to learn more about Biodex products, programs, and protocols.

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CASTLE STRENGTH & FITNESS (816) 517-2872, www.thepowerstep.com Castle Strength & Fitness offers the PowerStep. Use the same platform that 28 professional sports teams and 32 major colleges are now using. The PowerStep is revolutionizing lower leg training, while providing a base/platform for several other exercises. Several coaches are now realizing the advantages of concentric motion lifts (step-ups) as opposed to eccentric motion lifts (squats).

The step-up is an in-season exercise that works the hips, thighs, and glutes without undue stress to joints and ligaments. Go to the company’s Web site for more information or call for a free instructional video.

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CREATIVE HEALTH PRODUCTS (800) 742-4478, www.chponline.com Creative Health Products, a leading discount 48 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

supplier of rehabilitation, fitness, exercise and athletic testing and measuring products, offers a unique testing device to measure the strength of the legs. Ideal also for measuring the strength of the thighs, chest, back, and upper torso. It is easy to use and is a great innovative way to measure your improving strength results and assess your overall fitness.

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EFI SPORTS MEDICINE (800) 541-4900, www.efisportsmedicine.com Total Gym 24000, from efi Sports Medicine, allows your clients to train, condition and rehabilitate in a functional environment working against gravity, lifting and moving a percentage of their body weight. Total Gym exercises use multi-plane motions and recruit stabilizers, simulating the body’s natural synergistic use of muscles during movements. Its low-impact, non-compressive nature allows patients to experience success quickly and safely while stretching and flexing to regain strength and enhance performance.

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The MFT® Multi-Function Disc (medium) is exclusively distributed in the United States by efi Sports Medicine. This premier sevenin-one package consists of a disc (19.67”) with pivot bearing, ball, standing/roller board (15.75”x 23.62”), two seesaw boards and exercise posters.

Because of its modular structure, the MultiFunction Disc can be configured for: spinning and heel-to-toe movements, a seesaw board, a balance board (fixed or rotating), a tilting seesaw board (with variable widths for foot placement), stable rotation without seesaw, and multi-function spinning. MFT’s Multi-Function Disc is ideal for sport-specific and proprioceptive training and increasing overall stability and coordination.

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FUNCTIONAL DESIGN (866) 230-8300, www.functionaldesign.com Functional Design offers 3D Walk/Jog by Gary Gray. This functional training video is an ideal program to facilitate rehabilitation, prevent injury, and condition the ath-

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lete’s biomechanical technique for performance enhancement. The comprehensive program provides a great proprioceptive warm-up regimen, balance training, and benefits overall cardiovascular health.

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HAMMER STRENGTH (800) 634-8637, www.hammerstrength.com Based on customer demand, Hammer Strength recently introduced a new plateloaded Linear Hack unit. The machine is a modern design of a traditional Hack Squat and eliminates spinal compression by loading the resistance through the hips. The footboard, which is positioned to remove unwanted forces in the knees, is ideal for calf training. The starting resistance is 60 pounds.

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JUMP STRETCH, INC. (800) 344-3539, www.jumpstretch.com Jump Stretch, Inc., offers six sizes of heavyduty continuous-loop rubberbands (Flex Bands®) for strength training, flexibility work, rehab, and even powerlifting. By combining the bands with the company’s customized pipe arrangements (for resisted walking/running and weighted abdominal exercises) and patented tubular steel bases (for squats and squat thrusts), Jump Stretch can help you make the most of any available space in your workout area.

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Jump Stretch, Inc., offers the complete line of Flex-Band® exercise equipment, including six sizes of heavy-duty, continuousloop bands that provide 25200 lbs. of resistance per band. Its band techniques are guaranteed to improve flexibility, speed, and vertical jump, and even to reduce downtime from injuries. The bands come with a full oneyear warranty.

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www.AthleticBid.com

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www.AthleticBid.co Looking for companies and products via the INTERNET? AtleticBid.com gives you the tools to research products

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thleticBid.com is a free service to help buyers at schools and athletic organizations research and contact companies in the most efficient fashion. AthleticBid.com offers the following services.

Online Buyer’s Guide Using AthleticBid.com’s on-line Buyer’s Guide, you are able to: • View the complete product line of companies.

• View catalog pages or spec sheets from many of the top companies. Click on the “View Company Brochures” button for these companies, and you will find PDF

files titled by product or category. Print them out for easy reference.

• Read a profile or description of select companies by clicking on the “About the Company” button.

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Place an RFP

Dealer Locator •Locate your nearest dealer for many leading manufacturers and suppliers.

The Market Place • Purchase inventory closeouts, discontinued items and products on sale from national suppliers. The products featured in this section are being sold at significant savings.

The Product Connection • Products for your team or organization are highlighted through both descriptions and photos. You can request sales literature on products you’re interested in with just a click.

• You can use this service to request and receive information from numerous suppliers by providing your product specs only once and letting AthleticBid.com do the rest.

Jersey Field Products Park City, NJ 08832 Phone: (800) 275-8000;

(973) 222-3300 | Fax: (973) 222-3333 Contact Name: John Jame s Email address: Jersey@a ol.net Company Description: Your “One-Stop Source” for America’s Leading Spor Supplies! Special mixes t Surfaces and for infields, pitcher’s mou nds, home plate areas and by over 100 pro teams and warning tracks. Used 5000 colleges, with 200 products from more than and bulk plants across the 20 distribution centers country. Call 1-800-275-80 00 for more information.

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ScoutingReport Leg Strengthening KYTEC ATHLETIC SPEED EQUIPMENT (800) 732-4883, www.kytec.us Increase your speed by developing the hip flexors with the Hip Flexor Power Builder™ from Kytec Athletic Speed Equipment. It isolates the fasttwitch fibers and is used for strengthening your hip flexor muscles. Strap on the two padded thigh slings then snap on the four super-stretch cords. You can adjust the resistance in standing or lying down positions.

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Kytec is the manufacturer and distributor of the ultimate multi-sport Power Fitness Chute that was invented by Ky Michaelson. It has an innovative way of adjusting the resistance by sliding the patented cord lock up the shroud lines to change the shape of the chute. The Power Fitness Chute uses only four lines, compared to other chutes on the market that use eight lines that can easily become tangled. Another innovative addition to the Power Fitness Chute is the “parabolic cup” canopy. Most sports chutes rely on the wind to develop the shape of the chute. The “parabolic cup” design is sewn into the chute and gives the chute instant life and stability.

Because of its quick opening and stability characteristics, it is the ideal chute for sprinters’ speed development. The Power Fitness Chute comes with a quick-release belt and instructions.

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LIFE FITNESS (800) 634-8637, www.lifefitness.com Part of Life Fitness’ Cable Motion line, the Total Leg unit is ideal for training the lower body. By attaching the ankle strap and setting the weight pin, users are able to perform hip extension, flexion, abduction and adduction exercises. The unit features a 1:4 resistance ratio, which allows for a lower starting resistance for the user and permits exercisers to safely train high-speed 50 ◆ T & C S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

movements, such as sport-specific actions.

The system has side rails for stabilization.

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NASM (800) 460-NASM, www.nasm.org Learn to design, implement and progress plyometric training programs for enhanced power in sport and everyday life. The NASM Integrated Reactive Neuromuscular Training (RNT) course provides vital practical knowledge for developing optimum rate-of-force production and explosive power during functional activities. Home study (manual, video). Online exam. NATA, NSCA, ACE, and NASM CEUs are available. Call for more information.

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With overabundant information, how can the fitness professional differentiate between “gym science” and sound scientific principles? We function in multi-planar environments, involving acceleration, deceleration, and stabilization.

Thus, a training paradigm shift is needed to reach clients’ goals safely. The comprehensive solution is Integrated Strength Training, which aims for optimum performance through: integrated flexibility, core stabilization, balance, reactive, strength, and speed training.

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OPTP (800) 367-7393, www.optp.com OPTP has introduced the ROCK™ Ankle Exercise Board for the treatment and rehabilitation of ankle injuries. A professionally supervised exercise program using the ROCK Board can get patients back into form sooner, and help prevent painful injury recurrence.

Typical, achievable results from a properly applied conditioning and/or rehabilitation program using the ROCK Board include: strength conditioning to prevent excessive plantarflexion and supination under stress; main-

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taining or increasing range of motion in the ankle joint complex while protecting the injured structures; reduction of chronic and recurring ankle injuries; and strengthening of the musculature comprising the foot, ankle, and lower leg.

Circle No. 67 on Reader Inquiry Card Tone and strengthen your entire body with the new and improved REP Band™ from OPTP. It has a new formula that matches the stretch and resistance of latex with the safety and cleanliness of nonlatex products.

With the new formulation, REP Band products provide a smoother progressive resistance throughout the full range of motion. REP Band is the only source of latex-free tubing available.

Studies have indicated that the more one works with latex products, the higher the risk of exhibiting latex allergy reactions.

Typical latex allergic reactions range from skin rashes or hives to nasal, eye or sinus symptoms and even asthma. REP Band contains no latex, no messy powder and will not break down in sunlight or pool water. They are vibrantly color-coded in five resistance levels to challenge a variety of abilities. REP Band is 4” wide and available in 6 yard or 50 yard rolls. REP Band purchased in the 50 yard roll includes an instructional guide showing several exercises and practical tips. REP Tubing is available in 25 and 100 foot lengths. The cost of the latex-free products is comparable to those of the latex products.

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PERFORM BETTER (800) 556-7464, www.performbetter.com The Extreme Balance Board from Perform Better is a perfect tool for working on dynamic balance and proprioception. Use it for training or rehab to strengthen muscles, ligaments, and joints. Rolling side-to-side and forwardto-back movements of the board produces 360 degrees of movement.

Removing two plugs from under the board increases front-to-back movement and produces greater instability. This is one of the many unique training and rehab aids in the 2003 Perform Better Catalog.

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Catalog Showcase Power Systems, Inc. Use Perform Better’s Balance Steps in the clinic, gym, or on the field to improve dynamic balance and proprioception.

Place them in a pattern then walk, hop, or jump from one to another. Use flat side down at first, and then progress to rounded side down.

The Balance Steps are made of durable soft vinyl material, which you can fill with air or water to create an unstable surface. Each is 6” wide and 3” high and comes in a set of six. This is one of the many new training and rehab aids shown in the 2003 Perform Better Catalog.

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VERSACLIMBER (800) 237-2271, www.VersaPulley.com, www.VersaClimber.com Perform almost any strength exercise routine on a VersaPulley. It's ideal for rotational/diagonal training. VersaPulley is the only high-low pulley machine that provides non-traumatic, explosive reversal power— time under tension. It provides unlimited force with unlimited speed at any range of motion; allowing for true plyometric, stretch-shorten effect on every cycle.

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Rehab your patients with the SportsMed VersaClimber Tri-Level Rehab System.

Functional non-weightbearing, partialweightbearing, and fullweightbearing—all in one machine. Excellent for post op, amputees, obese patients, spinal cord injuries, stroke patients, cardio rehab (phase two and three), neurologically impaired, and it is easy for geriatric patients to use.

Features include: ROM limiters, lower limb isolators, adjustable seat, cross crawl pattern, heart rate control, and more.

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VERTIMAX (800) 699-5867, www.vertimax.com The VertiMax Low-Load,Velocity-Specific platform trainer is the unchallenged best device ever designed to increase lower

(800) 321-6975, www.power-systems.com Since 1986 Power Systems has made it a number one priority to become a leading supplier of sport training, health, and fitness products. Its new 2003 catalog is re-worked to provide the best possible resource for all your training needs. Included areas are core strength, medicine balls, speed, plyometrics, agility, strength equipment, strength accessories, and flooring. You’ll find the catalog full of new products as well as some products that have been improved. Not only will you find these changes, but you will also find that the company has lowered some prices enabling the customer to get premium products at great pricing. Go online or call Power Systems to request a free 2003 catalog today.

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Perform Better (800) 556-7464, www.performbetter.com Now increased to 60 pages, the 2003 edition of the Perform Better catalog includes a wide array of highquality products for training, coordination, and rehab.

The items selected focus on speed and agility, plyometric, strength, and weight training, as well as balance and stabilization application to both training and rehab of the individual. The focus of the entire presentation is on functional training and rehab.

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body reactive power. It provides unique kinetics and eliminates the shortcomings of all previous platform trainers. (1) An unlimited number of resistances can be set in seconds. (2) The athlete is fully loaded in the low squat position. (3) The resistance level set does not vary through the complete concentric and eccentric movement. (4) During lateral movement the applied overload maintains a true ”center of the earth” gravity vector. Stand by for huge gains in vertical jump and first-step-quickness.

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WOODWAY (800) 966-3929, www.woodway.com Woodway has introduced a way to train for sports specific speed and power.

“The Force” couples the low friction design of the Woodway treadmill with

a variable resistance braking system (0-150 lbs), for programmable “sport loading”.

Any athlete who emphasizes speed and power for optimal play will benefit from the training. The Force is destined to become a staple in the training centers of both professional and amateur athletes and teams.

Circle No. 74 on Reader Inquiry Card Woodway has introduced the Pro Lift 360 to its line of quality Performance Training products. Utilizing incremental body weight support (BWS) and the versatile and reliable Woodway Desmo model treadmill, this integrated system provides unweighting up to 360 lbs, with a full 360 degrees of rotation available to the user. BWS, or unweighting, is a proven modality for early rehabilitation by providing pain free exercise.

Additionally, high intensity training can be accomplished with less stress and impact on the athlete.

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How to Evaluate Supplements

By ELLEN COLEMAN, M.P.H., M.A., R.D. Nutrition consultant for the LA Lakers and The Sports Clinic (Riverside, CA)

Many athletes take dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs and others, to improve their performance and health. But caution is needed!

Unlike medications, dietary supplements do not have to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for safety or effectiveness.

Dietary supplements are not standardized, so there is no assurance of product potency (strength) or purity. Some manufacturers may have poor quality control where the amount of an active ingredient may differ from the amount listed. Some supplements have been shown to contain contaminants or dangerous levels of active ingredients leading to injury or death.

✓ Made by nationally known food and drug

Just because a product claims that it contains “natural” ingredients does not always mean that it is safe.

✓ Accurate and appropriate claims. If statements are

manufacturers. Reputable manufacturers follow strict quality control procedures. If the company does not answer questions or address complaints, do not use their product.

✓ Supported by research. Reputable companies should provide research from peer-reviewed journals to support claims.

unclear or the label makes preposterous claims, it is unlikely the company follows good quality control procedures. If the claims sound too good to be true, be wary.

Banned Substance Alert Some dietary supplements may contain ingredients, such as androstenedione and ephedrine, that can produce positive tests for banned substances. Athletes may not realize that a product contains a banned ingredient because an unfamiliar name for the ingredient is used or the ingredient is not declared on the supplement label.

At the very least, the unwitting use of banned products by an athlete may result in a doping suspension.

Choosing a Supplement Although there are no guarantees, select dietary supplements with the following:

✓ Carry USP (United States Pharmacopeia) on the

label. USP means that the supplement passes tests for dissolution (how well it dissolves), disintegration, potency and purity. The manufacturer should also be able to demonstrate that the product passes tests for content potency, purity and uniformity.

Talk with a doctor or pharmacist about dietary supplements. These products may interact with prescription and over-the-counter medications as well as other supplements and cause potentially serious adverse effects. Read the product label, follow all directions, and heed warnings. Report any harmful effect to a physician and the Food and Drug Administration MedWatch.

C USTOMER T ESTIMONIAL

“We receive the National Medical Alliance catalog through our local distributor, Advantage Medical. We buy all our clinical supplies from them because of the reasonable cost.

“My rep sent me a pamphlet on the Wall Crawler before it was in the catalog. As soon as I saw it, I said, ‘I need to have that.’ I had researched comparable products, but this was the best buy for the money.

“We purchased the Wall Crawler in December 2002. I have a small clinic so the mobility of the unit is great. I work with elderly or orthopedic patients who need their weight offloaded, something very important in early weight-bearing stages of rehabilitation. The Wall Crawler is safe, easy to use, and cost effective…well worth the investment. Its been a great addition to my practice!”

Paul Lonneman, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT Owner, Physical Therapy Works

More New Products

FUNCTIONAL DESIGN (866) 230-8300, www.functionaldesign.com Functional Design offers Lower Extremity Performance and Prevention with Vern Gambetta & Gary Gray. Therapists, trainers, coaches, physicians, and athletes are introduced to key concepts of functional chain reaction, the 3D planes of motion, integrated isolation and subcortical/proprioceptive performance.

These concepts are then applied and demonstrated beginning with active warm-up and progressing through exercises aimed at enhancement while preventing common injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, ankle sprains, stress fractures, muscle strains and tendonitis.

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DONOVAN INDUSTRIES, INC. (800) 345-3456, www.donovanindustries.com Donovan™ Fitness Balls help athletes develop core strength in their abdominal and back regions, which improves physical performance. Donovan Professional BurstResistant balls will not rapidly deflate like the cheaper balls and all Donovan Balls come with a pump and measuring device to assure proper inflation. Since experts strongly recommend using the correct size, Donovan offers eight sizes to cover all athletic needs.

LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS (800) 638-3030, www.lww.com This Second Edition, Fundamentals of Sports Injury Management, from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, provides a foundation for the prevention, recognition, assessment, management, disposition, and rehabilitation of sportsrelated injuries and illnesses. This book speaks to students and practitioners in coaching, exercise science, recreation and physical education, for learning what to do as the first on-site respondent to a sports-related injury.

Guidelines help identify common conditions initially cared-for on-site, and when to know to refer an individual to advanced care.

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National Medical Alliance 12415 Old Meridian Carmel, IN 64032

800.662.7283 www.nmadirect.com

performance in the industry. Donovan Bands and Tubing utilize an easily understood light-dark color-coding system offering up to eight levels of resistance including very heavy duty resistances.

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ATHLETIC TRAINER (512) 343-8811, www.assistantcoach.net Athletic Trainer, by AssistantCoach Systems, is an entirely web-based athlete health management software system that is revolutionizing the way industry professionals track and report on athlete health information. The software is more flexible and easier to use than comparable software products on the market.

Whether you are looking for a solution for one trainer, or trainers working at multiple locations, Athletic Trainer will improve your efficiency, save time and eliminate the endless paper trail of athlete profiles, treatment logs and injury reports. Compatible with both Windows and Mac, Athletic Trainer requires no installation and is accessible from home or work. The software also offers advanced Palm OS capabilities, and extensive reporting and exporting options. Athletic Trainer is secure, adhering to all privacy policies.

Donovan™ Latex Bands are manufactured to the highest standards using superior formulation and manufacturing processes resulting in superior strength, resistance and the most consistent

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PERFORMANCE HEALTH, INC. (800) 246-3733, www.biofreeze.com Performance Health, the makers of

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3-Point Products (Oval-8) . . . . . . . . . .27 . . . . . . . .43

Gebauer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 . . . . . . . .17

Power Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 . . . . . . . .40

Biodex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . .13

Hammer Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 . . . . . . . .30

PowerStep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 . . . . . . . .44

Biofreeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . 9

Hormel HealthLabs (Plus-2) . . . . . . .17 . . . . . . . .31

Power-Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . .10

BodyQUICK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 . . . . . . . .27

Jump Stretch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 . . . . . . . .42

PowerBar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . .IFC

Brace International (Fluk) . . . . . . . . .34 . . . . . . . .55

Kytec Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 . . . . . . . .32

PowerLung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 . . . . . . . .39

Brace International (MAX) . . . . . . . . .28 . . . . . . . .43

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins . . . . . .15 . . . . . . . .29

PROTEAM by Hausmann . . . . . . . . .24 . . . . . . . .39

Cho-Pat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . 2

NASM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 . . . . . . . .37

Rich-Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 . . . . . . . .19

Cool Draft Scientific . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 . . . . . . . .38

NSCA Certification Commission . . . . .37 . . . . . . . .IBC

Total Gym/efi Sports Medicine . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . 5

Creative Health Products . . . . . . . . .30 . . . . . . . .44

Oakworks (Adjustable Tables) . . . . . .38 . . . . . . . .BC

TurfCordz/NZ Manufacturing . . . . . .35 . . . . . . . .55

Donovan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 . . . . . . . .21

Oakworks (Portable Taping Table) . .20 . . . . . . . .34

VersaPulley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 . . . . . . . .45

Functional Design Systems . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . .10

OPTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 . . . . . . . .33

VertiMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 . . . . . . . .54

Game Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 . . . . . . . .23

Perform Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . .15

Woodway USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . .16

IF YOU WANT TO SEE SOME REAL EXCITEMENT IN THE TRAINING ROOM AND PRODUCE NEW PERSONAL BESTS FOR YOUR ATHLETES

IS THE ANSWER! Adding VertiMax to your arsenal will give you a whole new training dimension, expand your client base, and increase your revenue.

• NO trainer–anywhere, at any price, will increase an athlete’s vertical jump and first-step-quickness like VertiMax. Rapid, large gains are guaranteed! Your athletes will feel and see their improvements immediately!

• Patented Hip Trackers move laterally with the

athlete to sustain a proper gravity vector and preserve balance and form during lunges and other sports specific exercises.

• Engineering under the platform applies a non varying level of resistance through the complete concentric and eccentric movements, optimizing the proprioceptive response.

• VertiMax has been featured in Sports Illustrated and seen on ESPN, HBO, and Fox Sports Networks.

• Individually tailored resistances

can be set in seconds!

1-800-699-5867

www.vertimax.com DON'T WAIT FOR YOUR CLIENTS TO ASK FOR IT. HAVE IT! Circle No. 33 54 ◆

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3-Point Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 . . . . . . . . .56

Jump Stretch (Flex-Band equipment) . . . .61 . . . . . . . . .48

Power Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 . . . . . . . . .51

AssistantCoach Systems . . . . . . . . . .77 . . . . . . . . .53

Jump Stretch (Flex-Bands) . . . . . . . . .60 . . . . . . . . .48

PowerBar (Performance) . . . . . . . . . . .47 . . . . . . . . .46

Biodex (catalog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 . . . . . . . . .48

Kytec Athletic (Hip Flexor) . . . . . . . . . .62 . . . . . . . . .50

PowerBar (PowerGel) . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 . . . . . . . . .46

Biodex (cycle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 . . . . . . . . .48

Kytec Athletic (Power Fitness Chute) . . . .63 . . . . . . . . .50

Premier Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 . . . . . . . . .56

Biofreeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 . . . . . . . . .53

Life Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 . . . . . . . . .50

PROTEAM by Hausmann . . . . . . . . .84 . . . . . . . . .56

BodyQUICK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 . . . . . . . . .46

LW&W (Sports Injury Management) . . . . . .81 . . . . . . . . .53

Q Blast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 . . . . . . . . .47

Creative Health Products . . . . . . . . .55 . . . . . . . . .48

LW&W (Sports Supplements) . . . . . . . . . .46 . . . . . . . . .46

Stromgren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 . . . . . . . . .56

Donovan (Fitness Balls) . . . . . . . . . . . .78 . . . . . . . . .53

NASM (Integrated RNT) . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 . . . . . . . . .50

Total Gym/efi Sports Medicine (24000) .56 . . . . . . . . .48

Donovan (Latex Bands) . . . . . . . . . . . .79 . . . . . . . . .53

NASM (Integrated Strength Training) . . . . .66 . . . . . . . . .50

Total Gym/efi Sports Medicine (MFT) .57 . . . . . . . . .48

Functional Design (3D Walk/Jog) . . . . .58 . . . . . . . . .48

OPTP (Ankle Exercise Board) . . . . . . . . . .67 . . . . . . . . .50

VersaClimber (Tri-Level Rehab System)

Functional Design (Lower Extremity) . . . .80 . . . . . . . . .53

OPTP (REP Band) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 . . . . . . . . .50

VersaClimber (VersaPulley) . . . . . . . . .71 . . . . . . . . .51

. . . . . . . . .44 . . . . . . . . .46

Perform Better (Balance Board) . . . . . .69 . . . . . . . . .50

VertiMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 . . . . . . . . .51

Gatorade (Propel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 . . . . . . . . .46

Perform Better (Balance Steps) . . . . . . .70 . . . . . . . . .51

Woodway (Pro Lift 360) . . . . . . . . . . . .75 . . . . . . . . .51

Hammer Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 . . . . . . . . .48

Perform Better (catalog) . . . . . . . . . .88 . . . . . . . . .51

Woodway (The Force) . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 . . . . . . . . .51

Hormel HealthLabs . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 . . . . . . . . .46

PowerStep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 . . . . . . . . .48

Gatorade

(Nutrition Shake)

. . . .72

. . . . . . . . .51

TurfCordz Super Bungie... Safe, Strong and Reliable Progressive Resistance Training!

• Created for the extreme demands of professional resistance training!

• Made from high strength large diameter bungie with strong steel snaps!

• Available in a variety of resistance levels, kits and interchangeable accessories, with the safety and security features leading professional athletes demand!

• To learn more about TurfCordz and all of our innovative products, see our 2003 Catalog!

Call us for a copy, or visit us online! © 2003 NZ MFG LLC, Tallmadge, OH

800-5886-6621 • www.nzmfg.com Circle No. 34

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More New Products Biofreeze Pain Relieving Products, is proud to announce Cheryl Jackson, MS, ATC, of the High Intensity Training Center in Charleton, WV, as the winner of the Biofreeze Annual Get You to the Green Pain Free Golf Putter Drawing which took place at the NATA Convention on June 24, 2003. “Everyone who attended the convention had a chance to win the always accurate golf putter from Biofreeze,” said Perry Isenberg, Vice President of Marketing for Performance Health. ATC’s could only win by filling out the coupon that was in this year’s registration bag and dropping it by the Biofreeze booth. This is an annual event at the NATA show and is an event that everyone looks forward to participating in.

Biofreeze received over 900 entries this year. Contact the company for more information about Biofreeze and to receive your no-charge trial package.

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PREMIER SOFTWARE, INC. (630) 906-6630, www.eSimtrak.com, www.eSimtrak.NET www.eSimtrak.NET is the Web-based injury tracking system that provides

mobile, worldwide access to training room information. This system offers the most advanced technology at affordable monthly access fees designed for low cost of ownership. Scanned documents and digital X-Rays are supported, bringing together the athletic training room and physician. Visit www.eSimtrak.com for more details and to register for demonstration access. Special pricing for customers using competitive products.

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PROTEAM BY HAUSMANN (888) 428-7626, www.proteamtables.com PROTEAM by Hausmann, a Specialty Division of Hausmann Industries, Inc., has introduced a new concept in Athletic Trainer’s tables and treatment furniture.

PROTEAM provides customized, modular taping stations to fit any space and any need. PROTEAM can provide you with split leg tables, exam and treatment

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tables, mat platforms, stools, benches, cabinets, and stadium lockers. School colors can be matched on contract sales.

PROTEAM’s products feature durable laminated dowel and glue wood construction in a choice of finishes.

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STROMGREN SUPPORTS, INC. (800) 527-1988, www.stromgren.com The Arveda LLC Group has purchased all assets of Stromgren Supports, Inc., a leading manufacturer of compression, medical, and heat management products. In making the announcement, Stromgren Supports President John Flynn said “the association of the Arveda Group allows the company to move up planned new product introduction dates and devote more resources to research and development.” The Arveda Group officers have over 70 years experience in the sporting goods team and retail industry.

Mr. Flynn also announced the promotion of Mr. Carl Wilhite to the position of Vice President of Sales. Mr. Wilhite has 25 years experience in sporting goods with companies related to sports medicine and support products.

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3-POINT PRODUCTS (888) 378-7763, www.3pointproducts.com Oval-8® finger splints from 3-Point Products® control the IP joints to stabilize acute injuries and protect healing fractures at rest or play. Thin and lightweight, Oval-8 finger splints can be worn under sports gloves and allow fast, safe return to the playing field. Each splint can be turned on the finger to treat Mallet fingers, Boutonniere deformities, hyperextension, and more.

They are sold individually and in a costsaving kit.

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ATHLETICBID.COM

C USTOMER T ESTIMONIAL

A breakthrough, non-prescription topical skin refrigerant, Gebauer’s Instant Ice™ comes in both mist and stream spray cans. Both are ideal for the temporary relief of minor pain and swelling from sprains, strains, bruising, contusions, and minor sports injuries.

Stream spray is also used for the temporary relief of muscle spasms.

Gebauer’s Instant Ice™ is nonflammable and non-ozone depleting.

Physical therapists, massage therapists, athletic trainers, chiropractors, coaches and other professionals will now be able to use this over-the-counter product like ice.

Jim Ramsay, head athletic trainer for the New York Rangers, has been using Gebauer skin refrigerant products for more than 13 years. “Instant Ice™ is a great product for on-the-scene care,” said Ramsay. “If a player gets hit on the wrist or takes a puck off the shin, I can easily anesthetize the area with Instant Ice™ to reduce the pain, allowing the player to get back in the game quickly.”

Added Ramsay, “In a clinical sense, Instant Ice™ is ideal for muscle spasms. It decreases the pain in the area you are working with and allows you to gain an increased range of motion while performing mobilization on joints.”

Gebauer Company 9410 St. Catherine Avenue Cleveland, OH 44104

800.321.9348 www.gebauerco.com

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL

From the beginning, Cho-Pat’s philosophy has been to provide the ultimate in support devices, and the patented Dual Action Knee Strap continues that tradition.

The Dual Action Knee Strap is built on the successful foundation of Cho-Pat’s Original Knee Strap. Introduced more than twenty years ago, the Original Knee Strap revolutionized the treatment of certain knee disorders and is now recommended by medical professionals, physical therapists, athletic trainers, sports professionals, and active individuals worldwide.

“I have osteoarthritis which is now affecting mobility in my knees. The Cho-Pat Dual Action strap has provided great support and relief of pain when walking and running. It is a great product, far superior to anything I have tried before.”

Dennis Kenney

“Several months ago, I purchased a pair of your Dual Action Knee Straps. I'm happy to report that they are the finest of several different kinds of straps; they offer just the kind of support I need. I’ll be looking forward to using them for hiking in the Canadian Rockies in a few weeks!”

Arthur Jensen

Cho-Pat designed the Original Knee Strap to alleviate the pain and discomfort caused by chondromalacia patella syndrome and patellar tendonitis. By applying pressure upon the patellar tendon below the kneecap, the strap tightens up the kneecap mechanism, which improves patellar tracking and assists in spreading pressure uniformly over the surface area. In addition, the strap slightly elevates the kneecap relieving harmful pressure to injured or degenerative knees.

The Dual Action Knee Strap incorporates the advantages of the Original Knee Strap and adds further strengthening to the kneecap mechanism by applying pressure on the tendon above the kneecap as well. This tends to reduce the forces of the quadriceps on the patella tendon and erosion of the undersurface of the kneecap due to a possible misalignment of the quadriceps.

The device’s design and construction allow it to apply constant dynamic forces to the surrounding areas of the knee reducing the likelihood of overuse syndromes. At the same time, the strap allows for full mobility while still providing maximum benefits.

“I have purchased one of these (Dual Action Knee Strap) for one knee and now I need one for the other. This product has helped me tremendously!”

Renee C. Lang

Cho-Pat, Inc. P.O. Box 293 Hainesport, NJ 08036 Phone: (800) 221-1601

www.cho-pat.com

Q&A

C O M PA N Y

Greg Bahnfleth is manager of training at Life Fitness and is responsible for providing comprehensive instruction on the company’s full line of cardiovascular and strength products to fitness professionals, commercial and retail dealers and Life Fitness employees. Bahnfleth shared his views on Life Fitness’ equipment with Training & Conditioning.

TC: Functional strength training seems to be one of the latest trends in training. What exactly is it?

GB: Originating from physical therapy and the need to rehabilitate people so they could return to their jobs or lives, functional training is strength and coordination training that can transfer from the fitness center to activities of work, sport and life. An integrated approach to strength training, functional training focuses on exercising multiple muscles and joints together instead of working muscles in isolation as with conventional strength training. This type of training can improve coordination, balance and stability.

TC: So this type of training can be beneficial to anyone regardless of fitness level, but how do athletes benefit from this type of training?

TC: What type of equipment is available for use in functional training programs?

GB: Yes, people of all ages can reap the benefits of functional strength training, and it is ideal to help athletes improve/enhance their performance.

Exercises should mimic the movements of the sport-specific activity while working against resistance. For optimal results, athletes should train with movements that follow and are equal to or greater than the current range of motion, and are at the same speed as the activity to be performed. For example a golfer who wants to maximize his or her power (and thereby lengthen the distance of his/her shots) should focus on the major muscles involved in the golf swing from the legs and hips to the torso and through the upper body— perhaps by using a high pulley with weights and simulating his/her swing all the way from the beginning of the stroke to the follow-through.

TC: What advice would you offer trainers who want to develop functional strength training programs?

GB: As new and exciting functional training equipment and exercises emerge, and as more instructors engage in functional

training, continuing with sound programming is very important for trainers.

Functional training should not be considered an end in itself, but part of an overall program that includes cardiovascular training, flexibility training, traditional strength training and proper nutrition and rest. The participants’ end goals should be the basis for all trainers’ programming. When designing a program, trainers should stay focused on the tasks and movement patterns needed to be developed and select the exercises most closely related to these tasks. Program development for functional training should focus on the four components of transfer coordination, range of motion, contraction types and speed of movement.

GB: One of the most versatile tools on the market is our Dual Adjustable Pulley System, which is an ideal unit for functional strength training programs as it requires exercisers to stabilize themselves on their own. The unit provides two weight stacks and two pulleys that can be moved from approximately eight inches to 84 inches. A unique feature is the ability to simply move a lever to provide lighter initial resistances (as little as 2.5 pounds) and resistances smaller than the actual weight plate load.

On the unit, exercisers can do an extensive variety of upper- and lower-body exercises for both muscle isolation work and functional strength training. The majority of exercises are performed in a standing position, and the pulleys allow exercisers to define their path of motion, which requires more balance and coordination because exercisers must use additional muscle groups, such as those in the abdominals and lower back, to stabilize themselves and control the motion. These core muscle

groups play an essential role in the body’s stability, so strengthening them is critical to developing better overall balance. In addition, trainers can add accessories such as stability balls, balance boards, dyna-disks and hip harnesses to challenge exercisers.

Additionally, we manufacture the Hammer Strength Ground Base in which exercisers train with their feet on the ground to encourage total body stabilization, better balance and greater functional workouts that maximize athletic performance. Athletes are able to do safe and controlled training environment for explosive sport-specific strengthening.

TC: Are there resources on the market for trainers to learn more about functional strength training?

GB: The Life Fitness Academy, the training and education department at Life Fitness, offers its 200-page "Work.Sport.Life" manual, which contains detailed functional strength training programs designed to help improve performance in work, athletics and daily activities. The programs provide fitness professionals with specific tools to develop and apply functional programming for their clients. All workouts are designed around the use of either four Life Fitness Pro Series Pulley System units or five Hammer Strength Ground Base machines. The manual is complimentary with purchase of the specific Life Fitness or Hammer Strength machines used in the programs or can be purchased on its own.

We also offer a Hammer Strength Ground Base CD, which includes experts discussing our unique line of plate-loaded equipment and how to properly and effectively train clients on the equipment.

Life Fitness

(800) 634-8637

10601 W. Belmont Ave. Franklin Park, IL 60131

www.lifefitness.com

WebConnections DM SYSTEMS, INC. WWW.DMSYSTEMS.COM Manufacturer of wound care and orthopedic rehab products, including the Cadlow™ Shoulder Stabilizer, a multi-sport shoulder stabilizing brace that provides glenohumeral stability while maintaining an athlete’s full range of motion, and AnkleTough® Resistance Exercise Straps.

FUNCTIONAL DESIGN SYSTEMS WWW.FUNCTIONALDESIGN.COM Functional Design Systems is an internationally recognized leader in providing functional knowledge through: our home study course (Functional Video Digest Series), individual videos (Quest Series), and functional training products. Please visit our Web site for additional information.

LIFE FITNESS WWW.LIFEFITNESS.COM/COMMERCIAL/HOME.ASP Life Fitness recently launched a dynamic new Web site that makes it easier for customers to locate product information about the Life Fitness and Hammer Strength brands.

LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS WWW.LWW.COM LWW.com is the official site of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a leading international

publisher of professional health information for physicians, health professionals, specialized clinicians and students. More than an online store, LWW.com contains valuable tools for faculty, students, librarians, and practitioners.

NATIONAL MEDICAL ALLIANCE WWW.NMADIRECT.COM The National Medical Alliance is a professional coalition of the best PT equipment and supply dealers in America. It consistently meets the highest industry standards for the best quality, service, and pricing. The NMA’s Web site features its catalog and highlights items such as the Wall Crawler.

PREMIER SOFTWARE, INC. WWW.ESIMTRAK.COM, WWW.ESIMTRAK.NET The future of injury tracking is here!

Provides mobile, worldwide access to training room information via the Web. Scanned documents and digital x-rays are supported, bringing together the physician and athletic trainer. Built on the most advanced technology at an affordable price.

PRO-TEC ATHLETICS WWW.INJURYBEGONE.COM Pro-Tec Athletics’ Web site offers extensive information on sports injuries. Medical professionals contribute information on symp-

toms and treatments, and recommend supports for such injuries as: plantar fasciitis, patello-femoral pain, iliotibial band syndrome, shin splints, achilles tendinitis, to name a few.

RICH-MAR WWW.RICHMARWEB.COM This site is full of detailed information on all Rich-Mar’s ultrasound, stimulation, and combination products complete with photos, descriptions, spec sheets, and contact information including a dealer locator. You can also download manuals, service information, and MSDS sheets.

SPORTS IMPORTS WWW.SPORTSIMPORTS.COM Sports Imports is the exclusive distributor of Senoh volleyball equipment. The company provides direct service with regard to court layout, new construction design, and equipment recommendations. Check out its new Web site.

THE HARD & THE SOFT ASTANGA YOGA INSTITUTE WWW.POWER-YOGA.COM Home of The Hard & The Soft Astanga Yoga Institute, offering Teacher Trainings, workshops, classes, and vacations. You will find class schedules, healthful tips, Yoga books, videos and music.

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Association Corner The following associations offer services of interest to our T&C readers.

ECA MIAMI 2003 SPORTS TRAINING & FITNESS CONVENTION! Nov 14-16 The Voice of the Doctors who care for the Pros The PTP provides resources and services for all sports medicine professionals.

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