Active Sitting on the Ball

One of the best things about exercise balls, sometimes referred to as swiss balls or physio balls, is the fact that they are so accessible. The cost of these balls has come down dramatically, and you can buy them in most drug stores and supermarkets, so there really is no excuse for not having one around.

Another great thing about these balls is the fact that there are so many beneficial exercises you can do with them, from rehabilitation to elite athletic conditioning. When I’m working with athletes I’ll often challenge them by having them perform focused positional stability exercises on the ball, which can be very difficult and a far cry from the kind of training they’re used to.

This week I want to focus on using the balls for active sitting exercises. By active sitting I’m referring to a state where the exerciser is holding a strong, seated position, engaging the core and hip musculature to maintain neutral pelvis and spine. This simple, yet challenging, practice can be very physically taxing when performed on an exercise ball, which tends to wiggle and roll around. This instability often leads to weakness in the involved musculature and loss of control.

By learning to engage the right muscles and systems, it’s possible to establish stability and control, even in the least predictable environment. This is beneficial for anyone, no matter how active you are and can make the difference between success and failure in sport and between health and injury in life.

Although the following exercises aren’t high-intensity or dynamic, they still require the engagement of many muscles along your spine. Be sure to get your physician’s approval for any change in your exercise routine.

Active Sitting – Neutral

I’d like to start this series by reminding you that these kinds of exercises give back as much as you put into them. There’s no sense spending the time on an exercise without really trying to perform it properly. By putting anything less than full effort into the quality of your movements, or the control of your body, you’ll just be repeating faulty movement patterns and ensuring that you don’t really see any significant improvement. I don’t know about you, but a lack of improvement can be frustrating for most people I know.

For this active sitting series, find an exercise ball that is about as tall as your lower legs are long. For most shorter people this is a 45cm ball, while taller people can use 55cm or even 65cm balls. Ideally your legs are bent at approximately 90˚ when you’re perched on top of the ball with your feet flat on the floor. Keep your feet no more than a few inches apart the first few times you try this exercise.

Start by sitting tall with your body in the best neutral sitting position you can, with your knees at 90˚ and core engaged. Hold a small medicine ball at arms length in front of your body to engage your posterior core and spinal muscles, and be sure to maintain a deep core contraction as you hold this position. Think about using your hip and glute musculature to grab the ball and hold it still. If this basic starting position is easy, slowly extend one leg out in front of you while holding your alignment.

Active Sitting – Extension

This version of the active sitting exercise targets one of the most important areas that you need to control for good posture and structural support, as well as overall physical health. The muscles along the length of your upper spine help to hold you upright and balance against the forces of gravity (and desk work!). Start in the active sitting position describe earlier, either keeping both feet on the floor, or extending one leg forward while holding your balance. Keeping the medicine ball extended in your arms in front of your body, with your shoulders relaxed and not pinched up by your ears, slowly raise your arms overhead, focusing on extending your upper spine to a nice, tall position. Slowly lower the ball and then raise it again. As you develop better control, move the ball more quickly.

Active Sitting – Rotation

Anyone who plays rotational sports like tennis or golf will benefit greatly from this exercise. Begin in the active sitting position with the medicine ball held directly in front of you. Keeping your pelvis stable and square, rotate your ribcage, shoulders and arms to one side. Moving the medicine ball off-center in relation to the exercise ball raises the instability and level of difficulty, especially if you have one leg off the floor as shown. Rotate to one side, then the other, working for equal range of motion to both sides. Start slowly and gradually increase your speed, while maintaining strong core recruitment.
- Rob Williams is a kinesiologist, elite personal trainer and posture specialist. He has been practicing for 20 years and currently operates an exclusive private training studio Mixx Fitness Studio, with a team of 10 trainers, as well as a multi-disciplinary posture facility, Performance Posture Clinic. Rob’s parent company is Williams Health Group. Rob is an accomplished writer and speaker in the fields of fitness, posture and nutrition. He is a sought-after posture and performance coach for professional and amateur athletes and celebrities.

FAQ – What is the best way to burn excess fat?

Fat is burned by exercising at mid-range heart rate for a prolonged period of time (usually no less than one hour). Your target heart rate for this is 60-65% of your maximal heart rate (MHR) which is usually between 130-140 beats per minute (BPM). This type of exercise is typically done on a stationary bike, elyptical, or treadmill in the gym, or an equivalent exercise outdoors. My advice is to warm up for 5-10mins slowly increasing your speed and intensity. Immediately following your warm up, get into an intense interval cycle of about 2:1 work to rest ratio. For example, pedal as hard as you can on the bike for 1 min followed by 30 seconds rest at slow rpm. Continue this pattern for 10 mins. This will use up glycogen stores in the muscle which is used as the body first source of fuel. As the body depletes itself of glycogen stores, its next source of fuel to burn is fat. Continue your exercise at your targeted 60-65% MHR for 40-60 mins. Doing this, will result in fat being the only source of energy your body can burn as fuel for your workout.
- Scotty Marchant

Common Female Training Question – “Will I get bulky if I do weights?”

Ladies you can do the exact same exercises and routines as men and will not bulk up as you are lacking in testosterone (men generally have 10 times more than women) which is essential for bulk.

10 benefits of weight lifting for women include:
1. Increased metabolic rate (burning more calories during the day)
2. Tone and definition
3. Increases bone density (can delay, prevent and improve conditions of osteoporosis which is a major issue for women)
4. More muscle mass = more fat loss (for every 1lb of muscle added 35-50 extra calories burned a day)
5. Injury prevention (muscles and tendons are strengthened)
6. Reduced blood pressure
7. More muscle = less sag
8. Traditional strength exercises (squats, chin ups, deadlifts etc) increase core strength
9. Better reproductive health
10. The two leading predictors of lifespan are lean body mass and strength

- Brian O’Regan, kinesiologist and personal trainer at Mixx Fitness

Supine Olympic Bar Pull Up

The Supine Pull Up is a strength building exercise targeting the upper back, lats, traps, biceps, and core muscles.

Key points to remember when performing the movement:

Set up: Arrange the Olympic bar so that when you lie back into the squat rack and grasp the bar, your back does not touch the ground.

Execution: Engage your core prior to producing force. Your aim is to maintain neutral posture by staying strong and stable from your heels through to the top of the head and minimizing any movements through the hips.

Pull your chest up to the bar and then lower under control until elbows are almost straight.

Lead with your chest rather than with your head or stomach.

Supine Pull Up variations and considerations:
-The angle of your body dictates the amount of resistance.
-Begin with your heels on the ground and knees bent at 90 degrees. As your strength and form improve, progress by straightening your knees and eventually resting your feet on a bench and then a stability ball.
-Mix up the grip. Alternate between a pronated grip (palms facing away from the body) and an under hand grip (palms facing toward the body). By doing so, you will bring different muscle into the movement.

Loosen Hips with Simple Stretches

I love it when one of my columns stirs a real buzz of interest. Judging by the number of emails, phone calls and questions from people who’ve reached out to me in the last few days, last week’s installment about posture has to be one of the most popular I’ve written.

Many of the questions coming my way have been related to posture and lower back pain. Because many of the big muscles of the hips and upper legs affect the alignment of the pelvis and spine, I thought it might be a good idea to discuss some excellent stretching exercises for these muscles.

What we want to ensure is that your pelvis can rest and move around in a relatively neutral position most of the time, without being exposed to undue stress from muscles that are too tight or imbalanced. For example, the hip flexor muscles that run down the front of your hip joint and upper leg can become tight and short with too much time spent in a seated or flexed position. When these muscles get tight they pull forward on the front of the pelvis and lumbar spine, causing the pelvis to tilt forward and often increasing the curve in the lower back. Diligent stretching and proper movement strategies can usually correct this and help reduce problems.

When stretching in this area, it’s a good idea to remember to engage your core system to avoid putting too much stress through your lower back or sacroiliac joints of the pelvis. Always warm up before stretching, and maintain a comfortable breathing pattern as you stretch, holding the position for 30-45 seconds. Alternately you can use all three of the following moves as dynamic range of motion exercises by rocking in and out of the stretch position. Remember to consult your physician to get medical clearance before making any changes to your fitness program.

Hip flexor stretch

Most of the clients I’ve worked with throughout my career have been able to benefit from regular and effective stretching of their hip flexors. Because the lower abdominal muscles and hip flexors ‘struggle’ against each other with regards to the position of the pelvis, it’s a good idea to strive for functional balance between the two. Normally the short, tight hip flexors win the battle, and get progressively less flexible, while the abdominals provide less and less support.

To effectively stretch the hip flexors, while engaging and strengthening the abdominals, start in a kneeling position, with your left knee on the floor and right foot out in front of you. Keep your chest upright and body tall as you engage your core stabilizers and gently press your hips forward. This should be a small motion generated at the core rather then a forward lurching of the whole body. The stretch should be felt in the front of the left hip and upper thigh, and there should be no pressure in the lower back.

Hip rotation stretch

Another common characteristic I often find in people who struggle with posture-related lower back pain is tight hip joints; especially on internal rotation. Our bodies are designed to move in certain ways, and we require functional flexibility around our joints to be able to move optimally. If we lose internal rotation at our hip joints, this movement can become compromised. Start this stretch from the same position you performed the previous hip flexor stretch. Instead of pressing your pelvis forward, you’re going to engage your core and rotate your pelvis around the fixed rear thigh. If your left knee is on the ground as shown, your pelvis and the rest of your body will turn to the left, effectively rotating your left thigh internally in relation to your pelvis. Slowly progress this movement a little at a time as you hold the position and breathe. After 30-45 seconds repeat on the right leg.

Groin sprawl

The adductor muscles on the inner thighs play a large role in the lateral positioning and stability of your pelvis. Be sure you have a good matt or carpet under your knees for this stretch. Start on your hands and knees, and gradually spread your knees further apart while dropping your hips back toward your heels until you feel a good stretch in your big adductor or groin muscles on both legs. Try to maintain good spinal and pelvic alignment and be careful not to bounce or strain.
This is a particularly good exercise to use in a dynamic fashion, gently shifting your body forward and backward to change the angle and depth of the stretch in your hips. As you do this, and your adductor muscles loosen up, be sure to spread your knees wider.

- Rob Williams is a kinesiologist, elite personal trainer and posture specialist. He has been practicing for 16 years and currently operates an exclusive private training studio Mixx Fitness Studio, with a team of 10 trainers, as well as a multi-disciplinary posture facility, Performance Posture Clinic. Rob is an accomplished writer and speaker in the fields of fitness, posture and nutrition, and can be contacted at rob@williamshealthgroup.com

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10 Smart Calorie Swaps

1. 3 slices of fried bacon on english muffin with butter = 545 calories
vs. 2 slices of grilled bacon with tomato on 1 slice of dry wholegrain toast = 235 calories
2. Ham and cheese 3-egg omelet with homefries, toast and butter = 890 calories
vs. 2 egg white and veggie frittata sprinkled with shredded cheese = 209 calories
3. personal pepperoni pizza = 2100 calories
vs.Crispy Cheeseburger Pizza = 256 calories
4. Large French Fries = 610 calories
vs.Homemade Sweet Potato Fries = 89 calories
5. Slice of strawberry cheesecake = 275 calories
vs. 1 meringue nest with fresh strawberries and fat-free yogurt = 105 calories
6. Large cappucccino with whole milk = 155 calories
vs. Regular coffee with skim milk = 15 calories
7. Large latte = 265 calories vs. Small skim milk latte 120 calories
8. Pina colada = 593 calories vs. rum and pineapple juice = 102 calories
9. Pint of beer = 165 calories vs. glass of white or red wine = 80 calories
10. Bag of roasted peanuts = 300 calories
vs. Large handful of mixed dried fruit = 67 calories

Sport Specific Concussions

© copyright 2011 by Scott Marchant

Sport-related concussion has become a more carefully studied area of medicine in recent years, particularly in the last decade since the initiation of International Conferences on Concussion in Sport early in the millennium.  These conferences, held in Vienna, Austria (2001) Prague, Czech Republic (2004) and Zurich, Switzerland (2008) have gained worldwide recognition as cornerstones in head injury recognition and management.  The protocols designed at these symposiums are of increased interest when studying a sport such as hockey, where body contact at high velocity is abundant. This topic is of specific interest for reasons of public knowledge and injury prevention in the game of hockey.

A concussion is defined as “a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanical forces” (McCrory et al, 2009).  As described by McCrory et al. at the International Conferences on Concussion in Sport, the identified forces are among, but not limited to, direct blows to the head, face and neck, the abrupt acceleration or deceleration of the head and neck (whiplash), or a sudden rotational force through the head and neck. These types of forces, often coupled with other traumatic impact throughout the body, can cause a jarring of the brain and surrounding tissue resulting in specific symptoms associated with head injury.  These symptoms include: headache, nausea/dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), blurred or starry vision, disorientation/confusion/memory loss, delayed response, altered emotional state (unprovoked crying), loss of balance/slurred speech, and loss of consciousness.  If any of these symptoms is present after a traumatic event to the head that encompasses any of the above mechanisms, immediate medical evaluation is required, and the athlete is not to be allowed to further participate in the game or practice.

Though there are many varying severities of head injury, there is no longer a grading system and an athlete should never be diagnosed with a grade of concussion.  Most head injuries will resolve without complication in a matter of days to weeks, and an athlete can safely return to their sport with little worry of recurring symptoms.  However some more severe injuries will require a prolonged period of recovery in which time an athlete is absolutely not to engage in any physical activity until deemed safe to do so by a medical professional with head injury knowledge and experience.

It is common practice these days for concussions to go unnoticed or undiagnosed during the course of play in a hockey game or practice.  Should a head injury be missed and that player is allowed to continue to play, they are at extremely high risk of increased or recurrent injury.  It is very important that each player’s medical history be thoroughly examined and that previous head injuries be identified.  Previous head injury may increase an athlete’s risk of subsequent injury depending on the severity and date the injury was initially sustained (Guskiewics et al, 2003).  Should an athlete get hit with multiple blows or mechanical forces in close timing proximity, the severity of the concussion may be exponentially increased (McCrory et al, 2009).  This phenomenon is known as Second Impact Syndrome.  These repeated injuries within a short period of time can be catastrophic or in some cases fatal (CDCP, 1997).  For this reason, it is extremely important, and in the athlete’s best interest, that if they are experiencing ANY symptoms of head injury, they be removed from play and examined by a medical professional before being allowed to further participate in the game or practice.  All suspected head trauma must be treated seriously and immediately.

Concussion management and treatment is different in every case, however, one staple in the process is immediate rest!  Immediately following any head injury, the athlete should be placed on complete physical and mental rest until directed otherwise by a medical practitioner.  This rest includes all physical activity, television, reading, video games, or anything that requires mental stimulus.  This rest offers the brain time to heal and will not predispose the athlete to further injury or delayed healing.  Based on the medical recommendation for each athlete’s specific injury, a progressive rehabilitation plan will be prescribed and the athlete is to adhere directly to medical recommendations and STOP at any stage of rehab if ANY symptoms recur.  Based on the rehab progression developed at the 3^rd International Conference on Concussion in Sport, McCrory et al. suggest a six-stage rehabilitation plan of increasing intensity, which requires a minimum of 24 hours between each phase.  This means that the least severe head injury requires a minimum of seven days before an athlete is able to return to competition or full team practice.  Before an athlete may return to full contact practice or games, they must show no symptoms at full exertion and must have medical clearance!

It is extremely important that coaches, parents, team officials and even the players be educated and understand the risks involved with playing a contact sport such as hockey. They must also recognize that head injuries are far more common than was once believed.  By recognizing the mechanisms and symptoms associated with concussions, we can take great steps toward improving our understanding of the injury. We can also take the appropriate steps to ensure that players are treated accordingly and limit the severity and occurrence of the detrimental effects of these ‘invisible’ injuries.

Ultimately, by becoming aware of the cause and effect of concussions, we can keep everyone more safe so they can focus on having fun, because in the end, that’s what hockey should be about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

J. Scott Marchant, CAT(C), B.A.H.Sc.

Certified Athletic Therapist

Williams Health Group

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  Sports-related recurrent brain injuries- United States.  MMWR Morb.Mortal.Wkly.Rep. 46: 10: 224-227, 1997

2. Guskiewicz KM, McCrea M, Marshall SW, Cantu RC, Randolph C, Barr W, Onate JA and Kelly JP.  Cumulative effects associated with recurrent concussion in collegiate football players: the NCAA concussion study.  JAMA 290: 19: 2549-2555, 2003.

3. McCrory P, Meeuwisse W, Johnston K, Dvorak J, Aubry M, Molloy M and Cantu R.  Consensu Statement of the  3^rd International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Zurich 2008.  Clin J Sport Med. 19: 3: 185-200, 2009