Blog
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
NEW Blog Site
Twist Sport Conditioning would like to thank you for choosing to follow our blog- we have now moved our blog to a new website- to follow our blog and get posting updates please visit:
http://www.twistconditioning.com/blog
http://www.twistconditioning.com/blog
Thursday, November 19, 2009
NEW BOSU DVD Shoot
Wow! Recent BOSU DVD shoot was nothing but hi-octane with Twister, Durkin, Shiels, Mylrea, Roberts, me and the team...BOSU Balance Trainers, Ballast Balls, Slingshots, Smart Toners, lines of pull everywhere...rocked out 9 DVDs and NEW BOSU "mystery" accessory product for 2010...Twist Conditioning and BOSU...coming at you full speed...Are you ready?
Watch for the release of the new BOSU DVD's in 2010!
by: Douglas Brooks
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Balance Training for Female Athletes
Developing strong balance is an asset for all athletes as it creates smart muscles and an efficient mind to muscle link. With a lower center of gravity, women have an advantage in balance drills. Single leg exercises are a great way to decrease this stable base of support, create a greater balance challenge and strengthen the entire lower body. A simple, yet very important balance exercise for females is a single leg squat. The challenge is to perform the exercise correctly with proper knee tracking. As a coach, focus most of your athlete cues on knee alignment.
TRX Single Leg Squats:
Set up:
- Begin in a balanced athletic position on a single leg
- The TRX provides a second balance point and should be used to help spot the athlete through the squat
Execution:
- The athlete triple flexes through the ankle, knee and hip while lowering down into a tuck position
- Pause and hold the low position maintaining balance (without pulling on the TRX) and return sequentially through triple extension to the starting position.
Note: Before attempting this exercise on a more unstable surface - such as the BOSU® make sure the athlete can complete the full range of motion with proper knee tracking.
Extreme Balance Board Squats with Fit Ball Self Passes:
Set up:
- both feet are planted parallel and equal distance from the center of the balance board
- engage the core muscles and then lower into a tuck position with hips low and chest up
Execution:
- in the tuck position the athlete tosses a weighted fit ball back and forth between hands
- have the athlete progress to wider passes
Note: Coach’s cues should focus on alignment as it is not uncommon for the knees to start to fall into a knocked kneed position during this drill.
The Twist Team!
TRX Single Leg Squats:
Set up:
- Begin in a balanced athletic position on a single leg
- The TRX provides a second balance point and should be used to help spot the athlete through the squat
Execution:
- The athlete triple flexes through the ankle, knee and hip while lowering down into a tuck position
- Pause and hold the low position maintaining balance (without pulling on the TRX) and return sequentially through triple extension to the starting position.
Note: Before attempting this exercise on a more unstable surface - such as the BOSU® make sure the athlete can complete the full range of motion with proper knee tracking.
Extreme Balance Board Squats with Fit Ball Self Passes:
Set up:
- both feet are planted parallel and equal distance from the center of the balance board
- engage the core muscles and then lower into a tuck position with hips low and chest up
Execution:
- in the tuck position the athlete tosses a weighted fit ball back and forth between hands
- have the athlete progress to wider passes
Note: Coach’s cues should focus on alignment as it is not uncommon for the knees to start to fall into a knocked kneed position during this drill.
The Twist Team!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Injuries to Female Athletes and Practical Considerations
Over the last 20 years concern for athlete safety has increased as more females have become involved in sports. Females are statistically 4 times more likely to sustain a serious ACL knee injury compared to males. These injuries are most frequent in high risk sports that require jumping and cutting (i.e. Soccer or Basketball). Another interesting trend is that female athletes are most often injured in a supervised setting (64% of injuries) compared to males who are most often injured in an unsupervised setting (55%). This information prompts us to consider whether our traditionally male dominated training methods are appropriate for female athletes.
Practical Considerations
If women and men are so distinctly different, should they in fact be trained with these differences in mind? The research shows us that women are at a greater risk to sustain a significant knee injury. Are these injuries a result of training women too much like we train men or are they the result of training that does not consider the distinct needs of female athletes? Regardless of the cause, the fact is that female athletes need specific training to improve physical weaknesses. In future postings we will present some aspects of training that should be modified for female athletes.
The Twist Team!
Practical Considerations
If women and men are so distinctly different, should they in fact be trained with these differences in mind? The research shows us that women are at a greater risk to sustain a significant knee injury. Are these injuries a result of training women too much like we train men or are they the result of training that does not consider the distinct needs of female athletes? Regardless of the cause, the fact is that female athletes need specific training to improve physical weaknesses. In future postings we will present some aspects of training that should be modified for female athletes.
The Twist Team!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Building Physical Confidence- TRAINERS TIPS
As physically active individuals we all take mobility for granted when every day our mind commands our muscles and they easily comply with just the right type of movement and appropriate force production. At Twist Sport Conditioning this is called Smart Muscle®. With each repeated action, our mind to muscle communication pathways strengthen and like building muscle, each successful action that our mind commands, our physical confidence grows.
Physical confidence is the assurance that when your mind commands your body to move, your muscles comply. With physical confidence ice hockey players explosively battle on the boards knowing their opponent will never knock them off the puck or a snow boarder bravely jumps into a double black diamond run with exhilaration and speed knowing it’s fun not fear that makes their heart beat faster.
If an athlete trusts their body, and knows that it is compliant (does what it is told by the brain) they can move to a higher level of competitive drive and take more intelligent risks in sport. Confidence to try new strategies and tactics help elevate their game and definitely give them a competitive edge.
Physical confidence is not just for elite athletes. Kids, youth, young adults, adults and older adults all want a body they can trust and muscles they can depend on in an instant. Imagine slipping on ice and wondering if your core control will keep you in balance or are you smashing down hard with a fracture a great possibility. For the older adult, physical confidence means independent living, safety and mobility – all critical factors for everyday performance.
The question is – do you help your athletes build their physical confidence? Help them see that every type of physical success in every workout reinforces mind to muscle communication that fuels the ability to execute any movement desired – this empowers them! Building Smart Muscle® where the focus is not just on appearance gains, but on building a body that moves well and is responsive to the mind, gives your athletes the tools they need for success today and for all future activities. Life is a Sport – play hard!
Share your ideas or your athlete success stories related to building physical confidence.
Physical confidence is the assurance that when your mind commands your body to move, your muscles comply. With physical confidence ice hockey players explosively battle on the boards knowing their opponent will never knock them off the puck or a snow boarder bravely jumps into a double black diamond run with exhilaration and speed knowing it’s fun not fear that makes their heart beat faster.
If an athlete trusts their body, and knows that it is compliant (does what it is told by the brain) they can move to a higher level of competitive drive and take more intelligent risks in sport. Confidence to try new strategies and tactics help elevate their game and definitely give them a competitive edge.
Physical confidence is not just for elite athletes. Kids, youth, young adults, adults and older adults all want a body they can trust and muscles they can depend on in an instant. Imagine slipping on ice and wondering if your core control will keep you in balance or are you smashing down hard with a fracture a great possibility. For the older adult, physical confidence means independent living, safety and mobility – all critical factors for everyday performance.
The question is – do you help your athletes build their physical confidence? Help them see that every type of physical success in every workout reinforces mind to muscle communication that fuels the ability to execute any movement desired – this empowers them! Building Smart Muscle® where the focus is not just on appearance gains, but on building a body that moves well and is responsive to the mind, gives your athletes the tools they need for success today and for all future activities. Life is a Sport – play hard!
Share your ideas or your athlete success stories related to building physical confidence.
- Janice Hutton-
Education Manager
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sport Conditioning for Women
Introduction
The focus for training athletes at Twist Conditioning is to be progressive, innovative and creative. With each new day we learn more about how best to train athletes to achieve the desired results, improve performance and push our knowledge further ahead. The complexity of the human body should never be underestimated and when it comes to developing effective conditioning programs attention to details produces greater results.
Many conditioning coaches do not modify their training programs when coaching female athletes, but the body chemistry of a female athlete is significantly different than a male athlete. Understanding gender differences from the obvious to the subtle and applying this knowledge can have a significant impact on training results. Women and men are different – right down to the cellular level.
Physical Differences
Men and women are anatomically unique. The axial skeleton is defined as the principle supportive structure of the body and in males it is comprised of the skull, vertebrae, sternum and ribs. In females the axial skeleton includes the skull, vertebrae and the pelvis. This redrawing of the female axial skeleton helps us understand the basic physics involved in movement for males compared to females. The adult male has a proportionately larger upper body along with a narrow pelvis resulting in a high center of gravity above the pelvis. The design of the male anatomy results in reduced overall stability and the development of a dominant upper body. The female skeleton is smoother and more delicate with a smaller and more rounded thoracic cage. The female pelvis tilts to the anterior (greater lumbar curve), is lower and wider than a male which creates a lower center of gravity (located inside the pelvis) and results in improved overall body stability. The articulation of the female hip joint on the pelvis (the acetabulum where the femur rotates) is at a more lateral and downward angle than a male creating greater rotation at the hip and the production of more 3 dimensional movement. These structural differences have a significant impact on female biomechanics influencing the distribution of weight, forces and stresses during movement. Greater hip width in women creates a less vertical and more angled femur resulting in valgus legs (knock knees) along with a collapse of the arch of the foot. Together these mechanics translate into a vulnerable knee joint that is prone to injury.
Physiological Differences
The majority of the gender differences between males and females begin to surface at puberty when circulating hormones appear. The average man has about twice the muscle mass than the average woman primarily due to testosterone levels. Women have more body fat (18 to 20%) than men (10 to 15%) to provide nourishment during pregnancy. This translates into a lower percentage of lean body mass in women. Female have higher levels of the hormones relaxin and elastin that affect connective tissue making them more flexible than males at all ages. The hormonal fluctuations that occur in females during the menstrual cycle affects every cell influencing overall well being, brain function and physical adaptation. From a cardiovascular perspective boys have a higher VO2 max than girls at all ages but by age 16 they have a 50% greater aerobic capacity that continues through adulthood.
Psycho-social Differences
From an early age (as young as 10) girls choose activities based on the opportunity to network socially when boys are motivated by competition and dominance. Women are very social - emotional creatures with 4 times more neurological connections between the right (creative / emotional) and left (logical / analytical) brain. The female athlete is hard wired differently making the concepts of socialization, learning, skill building and self awareness equally valuable with winning in the sport experience.
The Twist Team!
The focus for training athletes at Twist Conditioning is to be progressive, innovative and creative. With each new day we learn more about how best to train athletes to achieve the desired results, improve performance and push our knowledge further ahead. The complexity of the human body should never be underestimated and when it comes to developing effective conditioning programs attention to details produces greater results.
Many conditioning coaches do not modify their training programs when coaching female athletes, but the body chemistry of a female athlete is significantly different than a male athlete. Understanding gender differences from the obvious to the subtle and applying this knowledge can have a significant impact on training results. Women and men are different – right down to the cellular level.
Physical Differences
Men and women are anatomically unique. The axial skeleton is defined as the principle supportive structure of the body and in males it is comprised of the skull, vertebrae, sternum and ribs. In females the axial skeleton includes the skull, vertebrae and the pelvis. This redrawing of the female axial skeleton helps us understand the basic physics involved in movement for males compared to females. The adult male has a proportionately larger upper body along with a narrow pelvis resulting in a high center of gravity above the pelvis. The design of the male anatomy results in reduced overall stability and the development of a dominant upper body. The female skeleton is smoother and more delicate with a smaller and more rounded thoracic cage. The female pelvis tilts to the anterior (greater lumbar curve), is lower and wider than a male which creates a lower center of gravity (located inside the pelvis) and results in improved overall body stability. The articulation of the female hip joint on the pelvis (the acetabulum where the femur rotates) is at a more lateral and downward angle than a male creating greater rotation at the hip and the production of more 3 dimensional movement. These structural differences have a significant impact on female biomechanics influencing the distribution of weight, forces and stresses during movement. Greater hip width in women creates a less vertical and more angled femur resulting in valgus legs (knock knees) along with a collapse of the arch of the foot. Together these mechanics translate into a vulnerable knee joint that is prone to injury.
Physiological Differences
The majority of the gender differences between males and females begin to surface at puberty when circulating hormones appear. The average man has about twice the muscle mass than the average woman primarily due to testosterone levels. Women have more body fat (18 to 20%) than men (10 to 15%) to provide nourishment during pregnancy. This translates into a lower percentage of lean body mass in women. Female have higher levels of the hormones relaxin and elastin that affect connective tissue making them more flexible than males at all ages. The hormonal fluctuations that occur in females during the menstrual cycle affects every cell influencing overall well being, brain function and physical adaptation. From a cardiovascular perspective boys have a higher VO2 max than girls at all ages but by age 16 they have a 50% greater aerobic capacity that continues through adulthood.
Psycho-social Differences
From an early age (as young as 10) girls choose activities based on the opportunity to network socially when boys are motivated by competition and dominance. Women are very social - emotional creatures with 4 times more neurological connections between the right (creative / emotional) and left (logical / analytical) brain. The female athlete is hard wired differently making the concepts of socialization, learning, skill building and self awareness equally valuable with winning in the sport experience.
The Twist Team!
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