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RN August Article – Squats and Deadlifts are similar but different

By Bob Kaehler MSPT, CSCS

Squats and deadlifts are common lifting techniques used to help improve rowing strength and power.   While they look similar in appearance, recent research has shown that back squats and the dead lift recruit muscles around the hips, knees and trunk in different ways.   The squat tends to be a synergistic or simultaneous movement of the hips, knees and trunk, whereas the deadlift is a sequential or segmented movement.   Using all three of these lifts may be a more inclusive way to develop complete rowing power; however certain physical conditions may exclude use of one or all of these techniques.

The back squat is a commonly used strength training technique to help improve rowing power and it helps develop strength in the glutes, quads and hamstrings and to a lesser extent in the low back and abdominal muscles.   A back squat is done by placing the bar behind the neck at the C7 vertebral level securing the bar with the hands.   The weight is lowered to the desired depth (hole) and returned to the starting position.  Hip and knee angles change equally, both working at similar rates, throughout the entire upward movement of the squat, with little change in trunk angle (body) during the entire lift.  The squat is an excellent simultaneous exercise and it develops quad, glute and hamstring strength with little strain placed on the low back.   This technique is used by athletes returning from, or those with previous back conditions because of the reduced force placed on the low back, it does however it does tend to have increased knee joint pressure because of the vertical trunk position.  Using a more vertical trunk position does make it more difficult to get the thighs below 90 degrees (parallel to the floor) without significant knee pressure.

There are two basic strategies for deadlifts (lifting weight off the ground), the leg-lift method and the back-lift method.  The leg-lift deadlift is done in a synergistic way where by the hips and knees are used together through the entire lift, like in the back squat.  This technique requires greater knee flexion (bend) which allows the lifter to keep the trunk in a relatively straight (vertical) position when performing the lift.  This technique does place more stress on the knees however there is a reduction in the force placed through the low back.   The back-lift is method is broken up into three segments based on dominant joint action; knee extension, hip extension, and knee/hip extension.   The first part of the lift is done by driving the hips upward  without any trunk movement and is done by extending the knees, then the hips begin to extend which forces the trunk to come upright, and then both the hips and knees come together to complete the movement which is  an upright standing position.   This technique places greater force on the low back and less strain on the knees.   When doing a deadlift with heavier loads (<80% 1RM) the back method appears to be the most commonly used technique.   Both methods are used to lift weight off the floor and each distributes forces to the low back and knees in different proportions.

Squats and deadlifts are excellent strength training techniques and they can help improve your rowing strength and power.   Deciding which areas of the body you want to strengthen will help you choose the best lift technique.   If you want to strengthen the quads, glutes and hamstrings but want to place minimal stress on the low back then use the leg- lift deadlift and the back squat.  For those who want to improve the strength of the low back while still working the quads, glutes and hamstrings then the back-lift deadlift is a good choice.   If you have a pre-existing low back or knee dysfunction choosing the appropriate lift will help you reduce the risk of re-injuring that area.  Make sure to consult with a medical professional if you are strength training especially if you have a current or pre-existing musculoskeletal injury, and ensure you are using the proper lifting technique by receiving instruction from a professional lifting coach.

Rowing News – July Issue: Stretch Yourself – When selecting a stretching routine, consider the work ahead of you.

Everyone knows that stretching is an essential part of training, but for many people, their knowledge of the subject ends there. Is it best to stretch before or after training? How long should a stretch be held? These are simple but fundamental questions that every athlete should be able to answer. Here’s a hint: It all depends on the type of stretching you’re doing and what you want to accomplish.
Athletes have two unassisted stretching methods to improve flexibility: static and ballistic. Static stretching is the most common method for improving muscle flexibility; ballistic stretching helps improve mobility. Selecting a technique depends on whether you are just warming up or are looking for more permanent changes in your flexibility. You also need to consider the intensity of the activity taking place immediately following your stretching routine.
To perform a static stretch, which is most commonly used as part of a warm-up routine, isolate a muscle group or groups and apply a passive hold with multiple repetitions. Typical holds last between three to five seconds and are repeated five to 10 times.  Longer-duration holds of 30 to 60 seconds are better performed away from training and are best suited to those looking to make permanent changes in joint flexibility. Long-duration stretching is done daily for five minutes or longer per extremity and performed on both sides of the body. Recent studies have found that long-duration stretching significantly reduces maximum strength. Because of this, it makes more sense to do short-duration stretches prior to hard training or racing to ensure that your peak muscle performance is not compromised. Save the longer stretches for less intense training sessions or another time altogether.
Ballistic stretching is another self-stretching method that athletes use prior to training and competition. It’s practiced by moving in and out of the hold position in 1:1-second cycles for one minute. The research has shown that while the ballistic method is not as effective as the static technique in increasing flexibility, it does not negatively affect maximum strength and is better before maximum-effort bouts of exercise. One potential drawback, however, is that it is more likely to produce muscle soreness than static stretching.
Stretching is used as a warm-up activity to help improve athletic performance, reduce the risk of injury, and help reduce post-exercise muscle soreness. It can also be used to create long-term adaptations in joint flexibility. Regardless of your stretching method of choice, though, be sure to increase your core temperature by performing a cardiovascular exercise such as running, biking, or erging five to 10 minutes beforehand. Daily sessions of long-duration stretching (30 to 60 seconds) have been shown to induce more permanent changes in flexibility and are done away from maximal-effort bouts, while short-duration (three to five seconds of up to 10 reps) or ballistic stretches are better suited as a warm up before aggressive training.
When you are looking to create permanent changes in joint range of motion, make sure you are stretching daily—several times per day if possible—and are willing to make it a part of your normal routine for months or even years.  Short-duration stretches are great for warming your body up, but keep in mind that the changes to your joint range of motion are temporary.

Rowing News April Article – Check Yourself

There are two ways to monitor how hard you’re working, and neither tells the whole story.

By Bob Kaehler

Looking for an effective way to measure proper intensity levels while training?  Coaches use two different methods to keep tabs on their athletes: heart rate monitors and a combination of speed, wattage, and split averages.  Both methods have certain inherent advantages and have been used to great effect by world-class coaches and athletes.  Regardless of the one you use, it is important that you consider additional external and internal factors which could affect actual intensity levels.

Heart-rate monitors are a popular method for tracking intensity levels during a training session.  But knowing your current maximum heart rate is essential if you want to train effectively.  Karvonen’s formula (220- age) is often used to establish maximum heart rate, but can be 15 beats or more per minute above or below your actual maximum heart rate.   A better way to establish  maximum heart rate is through a step test guided by a physiologist’s plan, or by rowing a 2,000-meter test.   After accurately measuring maximum heart rate, you can then set correct heart-rate training zones.  Many coaches and physiologists break training intensity into a minimum of three levels or zones: easy work (65-80 percent of max heart rate), threshold work (88-92 percent of max), and interval work (98-100 percent of max).  Before you begin training with heart-rate monitors and zone targets, however, you’ll need to consider a slew of other factors.

External environmental conditions such as air temperature, humidity, wind, and even the amount of clothes you wear can affect your heart rate.  Internal conditions such as how well hydrated you are before and during your workout can also play a role.  This is why it is so important to remain properly hydrated when training.  Cardiac drift, the natural tendency for one’s heart rate to creep upward as training progresses, must also be considered during training sessions lasting longer than 30 minutes.  The likelihood of cardiac drift occurring in shorter workouts can increase if the external and/or internal conditions are not ideal before or during your training session.  If this happens, you may need to reduce your training intensity to keep the heart rate within the desired zone.

Some athletes and coaches, meanwhile, prefer measuring speed, wattage, and average splits to determine workout intensity.  This method works particularly well when training indoors on rowing machines, where conditions remain consistent.  Power and speed measurements can be taken accurately, free of external factors such as wind speed, water current, and air and water temperatures.   When training outdoors, these external conditions can influence speed and therefore must be taken into proper consideration when assessing the intensity of a particular workout.  Periodic testing, such as a 2,000-meter-or 6000-meter test, is often used to set training speeds and average splits.  Using these benchmarking tools will allow you to find your appropriate pace and can be an effective way to monitor specific intensities for a given training session.

Heart-rate monitors may be a better choice for self-coached athletes versus the speed, wattage, and split average method, which is best conducted under the guidance of a coach who can continuously regulate intensity levels based on the changing conditions and external factors.  Regardless of which method you choose to determine intensity levels for training, pay attention to the conditions within your control by staying properly hydrated, using fans when indoors, and wearing the appropriate workout gear.

Look for Coach Kaehler’s up-coming fitness column in Rowing News

Coach Kaehler is excited to announce that he will begin writing a monthly fitness column for the “Rowing News” starting in January of 2010.   Also continue to enjoy new articles being posted on the Coach Kaehler web site as well.   Topics ideas are always welcome.

Does Strength Training Help Improve Your Flexibility?

Recent research has look at this question with interesting results.   Most often people use passive stretching as the main method to try and increase flexibility in particular muscle groups.  Passive stretching has been shown to improve flexibility if consistently done over a long period of time.  The question is can you combine your flexibility training into a strength program?  And if so what movements improve flexibility?

An article posted in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in May of 2008 titled “Influence of Strength Training on Adult Women’s Flexibility” (Monteiro, Simao, et.al) looked at how 10 weeks of strength training influenced flexibility in sedentary middle-aged women.  The exercises used in the study included bench press(free-weight), Smith squat machine, anterior wide grip lat pull-down, 45-degree leg press, 30-degree inclined bench press, hack squat machine, and abdominal crunches. The average age of the women in the study was 37 years + 1.7 years.   This particular study demonstrated that after training for 10 weeks and going through three (3) circuits of 8 to 12 repetitions of the seven (7) exercises listed above, that  significant improvements in range of motion occurred with the following movements;  hip flexion and extension, trunk flexion and extension and shoulder horizontal adduction.  The areas that did not improve range of motion where elbow and knee flexion.   While this study did show that strength training can improve flexibility in sedentary women, the next question is are there strength exercise movements that can improve flexibility in rowers?   To my knowledge there are no studies that have looked at rowers and how strength training would influence flexibility.  The above study did demonstrate increased hip flexion, which is critical in rowing, and so the use of the squat machines did increase hip flexion range of motion.  What the above study did not look at is how hamstring mobility was affected by the above strength training program.  This would have a lot of relevance to an effective rowing stroke.

From my own coaching experience I believe that there are several key lifting movements that will certainly increase flexibility in rowers in a positive way, if they are done properly.  These strength movements include the “overhead squat” and “straight-leg dead lift”.  Both of these lifts require a higher level of body control and awareness and people who attempt these positions should try and get a professional to look to make sure proper technique is being used.  In general these open movements are better than strength training machines used in the above study.  This is because the neural input needed from the athlete is greater with open movements, and the carry-over is probably better as well.

Straight Leg Dead Lift

Over Head Squat

“Other research on flexibility training has focused on developing effective strategies to increase the range of motion and identifying the factors that limit flexibility.  There has been some disagreement over whether one’s limitation’s in flexibility is really from the inability to completely relax the involved muscles.  Studies have shown that range of motion is much greater when a person is completely anesthetized, Walsh (1992) suggested that the inability to relax is a major limitation in the range of motion about a joint.” (Enoka, 2002).

Often we hear our coaches tell us how important it is to relax in the boat of no the erg which will help to produce a long and powerful stroke.  Relaxation allows for a more complete range of motion through all the joint movement in the rowing stroke.  Training movements repeatedly help to improve relaxation of a motion.  There are few sports that require as much flexibility as rowing (Olympic lifting and Gymnastics), so flexibility is a critical component to effective and powerful stroke rowing strokes.

**When strength training it is advised that you are under the supervision of a trained professional to assist with proper technique to reduce injury risk.

Have a Great Training Day!

Coach Kaehler

References;

Enoka, Roger M. Neuromechanics of Human Movement. New York: Human Kinetics, 2001.

“Influence of Strength Training on Adult Womens flexibility.”  Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22 (3), 2008: 672-77.

Optimum Performance and the Use of Caffeine

Do you grab a quick caffeinated beverage before racing, or chug a caffeinated sports drink during your workout?  Many athletes believe consuming a shot or two of caffeine is an ideal way to get that quick boost of energy in the quest for better performance.  However the effects of caffeine on your endurance training may not be giving you the results you are looking for.  Of course, many people use caffeine throughout their day to help stimulate them during daily activities and energize them during their workouts.  Understanding the effects that caffeine has on a body is important in deciding whether or not to use caffeine as part of your training program.

Caffeine is actually a toxic stimulant found in nature.  Although it revs the body up, it provides zero in terms of energy.  After ingesting caffeine, your body automatically begins the process of metabolizing (getting rid of) it.  This metabolic activity actually costs you energy and takes it from your storage of nutrients.  Therefore a stimulant like caffeine triggers an abnormal “speeding up” reaction to begin eliminating it.  This “speeding up” is the caffeine buzz you feel, but in actuality it is depleting your body of necessary energy and nutrients.

Not only does the process of metabolizing caffeine use up energy, it has diuretic effects (fluid loss) as the body tries to clear it from your system. This creates a negative water balance in your body, leading you to urinate more.  Coupled with the elevated heart rate usually caused by caffeine, the diuretic effect could lead to over-stimulation of your body, potentially leading to dehydration in people already pushed to their physical limits.  During this process of elimination we can be fooled into thinking that the stimulant is an energy value, when really it is an energy cost.

A recent article published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, titled “Caffeine and Endurance Performance”, by Matthew S. Ganio, et al., is a systematic review of 21 different studies which measured performance with a time-trial test.  They looked at endurance events that were at least five (5) minutes or longer, such as cycling, running, etc.  The authors of this study concluded that although the performance improvements were varied among the studies researched, they found that factors including timing, ingestion mode/vehicle, and subject habituation may have influenced study results.

One significant recommendation Ganio, et al., made from this review was that endurance athletes abstain from caffeine use at least seven (7) days before competition to maximize its ergogenic (boosting) effect. Also, it was noted by Ganio, et al. that if caffeine is used for an ergogenic effect, it should be ingested within 60 minutes or less of competition or training.  The amount of caffeine commonly shown to improve endurance performance is between 3 and 6 mg. per kg-1 body mass. The caffeine benefit was equally effective when consumed with a carbohydrate solution, gum, or water alone, however coffee was noted to not to be as effective a caffeine source.  When caffeine is used on a regular basis, the ergogenic effect is not as great, compared to using it sporadically or not at all.

Overall, chronic use of caffeine appears to have far less effective results in time-trial testing, and appears to cost the body energy and nutrients in elimination from the body on a daily basis.  However, should an athlete decide that caffeine use is beneficial, it would make sense to follow the guidelines for amounts ingested and limit use during time trials spaced seven days or more apart, prior to race day.  Determining the best use of caffeine, if any, is a personal decision best made with the advice of your physician and coach.

Before grabbing that caffeinated sports drink, consider the effects of caffeine on your body. Because of the generally negative effect that metabolizing caffeine has on a body, Coach Kaehler does not advocate the use of caffeine as a regular part of a training program.  Instead, he believes that a well balanced, specially designed training and nutrition program is much more effective for achieving the maximum performance results desired on race day.

Coach Kaehler has posted this for informational purposes only, and that the use of caffeine for performance enhancement is a personal preference.  It should be noted, however, that he does not recommend the use of caffeine for the clients he trains.

Individual Evaluation Services

Body Balance – Structural Evaluation – Contact for more details!!  ($379)

Gift Certificates are Available

The Coach Kaehler  Body Balance Evaluation

Whether you’re a junior or masters athlete, a novice or an elite rower, you need an ideal body balance of strength and flexibility to help you train toward your athletic goals.

In line with the Kaehler Approach to training, I have developed a structural evaluation that helps me determine imbalances in the strength and flexibility of your musculoskeletal system.  Reducing these imbalances will reduce your risk of injuries, and enable you to train harder and more efficiently.

My evaluation approach has been developed over a 18 year period in a clinical environment, and has been used successfully on hundreds of athletes, including rowers, runners, triathletes, as well as many non-endurance sports, regardless of age and level of experience.  Once I have thoroughly examined your body for muscular and flexibility-related imbalances, I will provide you with an individualized corrective program which includes detailed written instructions and pictures.

Musculoskeletal Assessment - Upper Body

Musculoskeletal Assessment - Lower Body

Benefits

• Corrective Exercises are put in PDF format with pictures and text
• Contact Coach Kaehler about your corrective exercises and/or training injuries
• Discount on other Coach Kaehler Services

Click Here for the US Rowing Spotlight Video Description

**This price is valid within 25 miles of Holland, Pennsylvania.  Special packages are available on my Structural Evaluations at all of my  Training Camps.

On the Water Coaching -.

• 40 0r 60 minute sessions -  please contact for more information on pricing.

Coaching will be done from a single to maximize technique and drill demonstration.  Emphasis of each session is to identify your individual style of power application and then make on the water adjustments to improve your power application. Effective on water drills will be taught, and if necessary supplemental land exercises will also be provided.

Rowing Technique:

Assessment of Body Position

A full biomechanical analysis will be done on the movement of interest from the video you provide.  A careful analysis of sequencing of your extremities in relation to your trunk will be done to assist in correcting your technique.  Suggested drills and exercises will then be given to address individual movement errors.  Video analysis can be done on the ergometer or on the water.

Lifting Technique:

(email for information)**

Video analysis can also be done on lifting technique for desired exercise movements.

Individual Racing Programs

Racing Program Development – (email for information) **

A comprehensive periodized training program will be developed for each athlete. These specialized programs are specifically designed to help you reach a MAXIMUM peak on race day.

The program design looks at your training and racing history, current training program, specific race goals, any current or previous injury history, as well as nutrition and diet among other things.

This includes:

• An individualized training schedule will be sent to you every several weeks. This plan is adjusted based on each athlete’s needs.
  • Plans include proper intensity and duration for each workout.
  • Strength training sessions integrated into your entire program
  • Corrective exercises will address imbalances if any are found during your structural evaluation.

• Strength training programs which has been designed to help endurance athletes reach maximum musculo-skeletal fitness. On-line athletes will follow our training program at their training location.

• Unlimited phone and email contact

• Proper nutrition guidelines to maximize your body’s post exercise recovery, as well as nutrition tips for daily training and race day events.

• Expert preventative training and rehabilitation advice to ensure you are training and racing efficiently.

• Race and training strategies to ensure your best performance.

**A three month minimum is required. Discounts apply for clients training six months or longer.

Endurance Sports Coaching

A couple of words about endurance sports coaching will go here.

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