So, I'm sure this has been talked about or written about a ton of times. But, I personally have never thought about it ‘out loud’. Now I’m not sure the ‘p.c’ name for this, because I don’t know if it’s a good thing, a bad thing, just a thing, or what. So please no one take offense, it is just a name.
Now, I like to call this ‘cave man and/or meat head syndrome’ . And it tends to occur a decent amount in the fitness world. The ‘cave man syndrome’ to me is when a person feels and/or believes that being a strength coach (esp) or a personal trainer, does not take too much brain power or scientific knowledge. I have heard time and again: (from strength coaches and personal trainers alike) “what we do is not rocket science”. Well no, obviously it is not, but it is still science. Exercise physiology, exercise SCIENCE?! It is not called that for a reason?
Sure I know there are different levels of education and experience in the fitness industry, and some people know or understand more than others but please, can we not all become “cave men”? There has to be a happy medium between Dr. Knows It All, and Mr. Meat Head.
A lot of coaches seem to support/stand by the 'mead head syndrome’. They believe that strength and conditioning is not rocket science and that strength coaches really can be 'just dumb meat heads'. Part of this I understand. “The meat head though process”: If you want to get stronger pick up something heavy 5 times, two days later pick up the same thing 8 times, or pick up something heavier 5 times. If you do that, you'll get stronger etc.” In some regards it is that simple. But, it isn’t always that easy. Sometimes that doesn’t work. Sometimes there are athletes or clients with ‘issues’ that arise and can interfere with the ‘easy/basic’ theory (pick something heavy up, to get stronger pick something heavier up next time). These athletes require our nerdy scientific data because of their body or their life. And thankfully with knowledge and research we are able to provide our clients and athletes with programs that fit their needs.
So, I guess what I wish would occur is that strength coaches (and personal trainers) can find a way to stand in the middle of this spectrum. Don't forget the simple (meathead) aspect of our career, sometimes it really is that simple to make an athletes better/strong. But, when it is not dont be afraid to open up a book, or watch a dvd and break out that nerdy 'exercise physiology'. If only we could all be the 'ideal' strength coach, a 'neardy meathead'.
Coach KIK
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Muscular System
oooo ahhh muscles! Body World! Movement, Exercise, Lifting heavy sh$$. So like I said I'd post something about the 'muscle system' since that is what we discussed in class this week. Lucky for me I have an awesome dad and awesome résumé and took AP Bio and independent study kinesiology in HS, so a lot of it is review. But, it’s always good to remember or review the muscles of the body etc.
I obviously do not think that we need to call the 'quads' the 'rectus femoris' or anything like that. But, we should still as coaches or trainers know the 'scientific' name for a muscle. Sometimes you do get those extra curious athletes or clients and they might ask more specifically what 'muscle' does this exercise/lift ‘work’. Usually an exercise works more than one muscle, or even better works every muscle. But, better be safe than sorry to know the answer to a curious minds question.
It's hard to say which is the coolest organ of the human body, but at times I like to think the muscles are. That is probably my bias opinion though, if I knew more about the heart / lunges I'd probably pick them. Anywho, it still amazes me how awesome one's muscles can be. And how we can train in certain ways to make our muscles look/feel/work in different ways. We have fast and slow twitch muscles and if we train in a certain way, over time, we can gain more of either type.
It is easy to say that "the quads extend the leg and the hamstrings flex the leg". But, that sounds pretty elementary to me. Unfortunatly I know there are a lot of people out there in the fitness world that are sticking to just that, 'the basics'. Which is understanding because we certainly do not want to go on a tangent in front of our clients dropping all of these scientific names / terms etc.
However, I do think at times that as 'fitness enthusiast' or 'experts' or 'professional' we do tend to neglect the beautiful and wonderful muscular sytem. I think that we should be sure to know and understand the muscular system down to the core, and not just keep simplifying it either because we are lazy, or simply do not know more than the 'basic' aspects.
Keep your muscular system working,
Coach KIK
I obviously do not think that we need to call the 'quads' the 'rectus femoris' or anything like that. But, we should still as coaches or trainers know the 'scientific' name for a muscle. Sometimes you do get those extra curious athletes or clients and they might ask more specifically what 'muscle' does this exercise/lift ‘work’. Usually an exercise works more than one muscle, or even better works every muscle. But, better be safe than sorry to know the answer to a curious minds question.
It's hard to say which is the coolest organ of the human body, but at times I like to think the muscles are. That is probably my bias opinion though, if I knew more about the heart / lunges I'd probably pick them. Anywho, it still amazes me how awesome one's muscles can be. And how we can train in certain ways to make our muscles look/feel/work in different ways. We have fast and slow twitch muscles and if we train in a certain way, over time, we can gain more of either type.
It is easy to say that "the quads extend the leg and the hamstrings flex the leg". But, that sounds pretty elementary to me. Unfortunatly I know there are a lot of people out there in the fitness world that are sticking to just that, 'the basics'. Which is understanding because we certainly do not want to go on a tangent in front of our clients dropping all of these scientific names / terms etc.
However, I do think at times that as 'fitness enthusiast' or 'experts' or 'professional' we do tend to neglect the beautiful and wonderful muscular sytem. I think that we should be sure to know and understand the muscular system down to the core, and not just keep simplifying it either because we are lazy, or simply do not know more than the 'basic' aspects.
Keep your muscular system working,
Coach KIK
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The Skeletal System
So I'm taking an Intro to Anatomy and Physiology class this summer, and currently we are learning the Skeletal System. And of course reading the chapter and lecture on this subject manner lead me to think about the connections to Exercise Science / Strength and Conditioning. I believe it is important for people in athletics or fitness should make sure they are constantly remembering and reminding themselves of the skeletal system and how it works. No obviously I am sure every strength coach or personal trainer knows the 'basics' of the bones in the body. But, I think it would be safe to say that a lot of people have forgot the ins / outs of the skeletal system because they either learned it so long ago, or simply just havent been 'brushing' up on the subject.
Here are some points / ideas I have taken away from the chapter on the Skeletal System:
Types of Fractures: There is a short section describing different types of bone fractures a person can endure. Knowing about different types of fractures will be important should you ever have an athlete or client who is recovering from a recent fracture. One type of fracture that really stuck out to me was a "spiral fracture" which occures from excessive twisting of the bone. Should you be training a client or athlete who is recovering from a 'spiral fracture' you may want to consider eliminating twisting / rotating movements around that joint/bone. Or at least do twisting / rotating actions with caution.
Bones are Levers: Something all coaches and personal trainers should know, but some might forget. Levers have 4 different components. 1. rigid bar 2. folcrum/pivot point 3. object being moved 4. force moving the object. Best / most common example, would probably be the arm bones (humerus, ulnar, radius) performing either a curl, or extension. When performing a curl: ulnar and radius are the rigid rod, elbow is the folcrum/pivot point, object being moved would be the weight (whatever it maybe), and the force moving the object would come from the bicep. So, there is something to think about, how when it comes to movement, bones act as levers and folcrums to provide a movement.
Joints: Knowing the different joints of the body, what bones they consist of, and how they move / function. Is another important aspect of the skeletal system that I believe carries over to strength and conditioning. ESP with certain sports that place a lot of stress on certain joints. Swimming (shoulder), Baseball/Softball (shoulder/elbow), Soccer/Basketball (knee). It is important to know how much movement a certain joint has, as to not ask a certain joint to do more then it is meant to or prepared to do (synarthrotic, amphiarthrotic, diarthrotic). Also, what type of joint it is which will tell you what it is made of, how strong it is, and its ROM (fibrous, cartilaginous, synovial). The shape of the joint is also important to know, this will help you understand how the joint moves (ball and socket, saddle, pivot, hinge). Lastly, the different types of joint movements should be memorized and which joint a certain movement belongs to is also important to know.
Now all of this knowledge may seem trivial, or elementry, but I feel the basics of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology are the things we forget and/or ignore the most. I also think it is important to know and understand the basics because this is how we should explain things to our clients/athletes or teach them. We most continually learn and increase our knowledge, but we must try not to forget about the basics and continue to come back to the basics refresh of memory and find new ways to connect the basics to the more advanced.
That is all I have for now on the skeletal system, I might add more later this week. Next subject manner will be on the muscular system.
The Hip Bones Connected to the Thigh Bone...
KIK
Types of Fractures: There is a short section describing different types of bone fractures a person can endure. Knowing about different types of fractures will be important should you ever have an athlete or client who is recovering from a recent fracture. One type of fracture that really stuck out to me was a "spiral fracture" which occures from excessive twisting of the bone. Should you be training a client or athlete who is recovering from a 'spiral fracture' you may want to consider eliminating twisting / rotating movements around that joint/bone. Or at least do twisting / rotating actions with caution.
Bones are Levers: Something all coaches and personal trainers should know, but some might forget. Levers have 4 different components. 1. rigid bar 2. folcrum/pivot point 3. object being moved 4. force moving the object. Best / most common example, would probably be the arm bones (humerus, ulnar, radius) performing either a curl, or extension. When performing a curl: ulnar and radius are the rigid rod, elbow is the folcrum/pivot point, object being moved would be the weight (whatever it maybe), and the force moving the object would come from the bicep. So, there is something to think about, how when it comes to movement, bones act as levers and folcrums to provide a movement.
Joints: Knowing the different joints of the body, what bones they consist of, and how they move / function. Is another important aspect of the skeletal system that I believe carries over to strength and conditioning. ESP with certain sports that place a lot of stress on certain joints. Swimming (shoulder), Baseball/Softball (shoulder/elbow), Soccer/Basketball (knee). It is important to know how much movement a certain joint has, as to not ask a certain joint to do more then it is meant to or prepared to do (synarthrotic, amphiarthrotic, diarthrotic). Also, what type of joint it is which will tell you what it is made of, how strong it is, and its ROM (fibrous, cartilaginous, synovial). The shape of the joint is also important to know, this will help you understand how the joint moves (ball and socket, saddle, pivot, hinge). Lastly, the different types of joint movements should be memorized and which joint a certain movement belongs to is also important to know.
Now all of this knowledge may seem trivial, or elementry, but I feel the basics of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology are the things we forget and/or ignore the most. I also think it is important to know and understand the basics because this is how we should explain things to our clients/athletes or teach them. We most continually learn and increase our knowledge, but we must try not to forget about the basics and continue to come back to the basics refresh of memory and find new ways to connect the basics to the more advanced.
That is all I have for now on the skeletal system, I might add more later this week. Next subject manner will be on the muscular system.
The Hip Bones Connected to the Thigh Bone...
KIK
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