Chapter 4: Preventing Injuries Through Fitness Training

1. Chapter 4: Preventing Injuries Through Fitness Training

2. Fitness is critical for performance and injury prevention • Improper conditioning is a major cause in sports related injuries • Areas of concern: • Flexibility • Muscular strength, endurance, power • Cardiorespiratory endurance • Coaches need to develop program that focuses on injury prevention and performance enhancement

3. Periodization in Training and Conditioning • Traditional seasons no longer exist for serious athletes • Periodization • Achieve peak performance • Decrease injuries and overtraining • Program that spans various seasons • Modify program relative to athlete’s needs

4. Year Round Training Cycle • Complete training cycle • Seasonal approach based on preseason, in-season, and off-season • Changes in intensity, volume, specificity of training occur in order to achieve peak levels of fitness for competition • Broken into periods or phases (lasting weeks or months)

5. Periods or Phases • Transition period: • Follows last competition (early off-season) • Unstructured (escape rigors of training) • Preparatory period: • Off-season • Hypertropy/endurance phase (Low intensity with high volume) • Allows for development of endurance base • Lasts several weeks to 2 months • Strength Phase • Power Phase (High intensity/ pre-season)

6. Preparatory period (continued) • Strength Phase • Intensity and volume increase to moderate levels • Power Phase (High intensity/ pre-season) • Volume is decreased to allow adequate recovery • Competition period: • May last a < week or several months for seasonal sports • High intensity, low volume, skill training sessions • May incorporate weekly training cycles (1-7 days) • Designed to ensure peak on days of competition

7. Conditioning Seasons • Sports conditioning is a year around endeavor, encompassing 4 training seasons • POST-SEASON = a period usually used for physical restoration. Athletes are allowed to let their bodies rest, heal, or rehab. Injuries that occurred during the season • OFF-SEASON = athletes may participate in other sports, or stay in shape through mild maintenance programs. Athletes must take care not to become inactive during this time.

8. Conditioning Seasons • OFF-SEASON = athletes may participate in other sports, or stay in shape through mild maintenance programs. Athletes must take care not to become inactive during this time. • Athletes who don’t maintain, may gain weight and lose the conditioning they already have. Some type of off-season conditioning program should be established for athletes to follow in order to maintain their conditioning for the next season

9. Conditioning Seasons . • PRE-SEASON = during this period, athletes are prepared to play their sport. Should last 6-8 weeks, but often is limited b/c of rules. Flexibility, strength, & endurance should be emphasized. (Peaking 1/2 way through season)

10. Conditioning Seasons • IN-SEASON = during this period, athletes should go through regular maintenance conditioning in order to maintain conditioning accrued during the pre-season. If conditioning is not maintained, it will be lost.

11. 10 Cardinal Principles of Conditioning • The following principles should always be applied to prevent injuries: • warm-up • graduated increments • timing (don’t over do it) • intensity (over quantity) • capacity level (performing at or near limits)

12. 10 Cardinal Principles of Conditioning • strength (must be developed) • motivation (very important) • specialization (remember the SAID Principle) • relaxation (to allow for recovery from fatigue - physical and psychological) • routine (exercise must be done regularly and consistently)

13. Physical activities designed for injury prevention • Warming Up • serves to warm the body, increase body functions, allow more oxygen into body tissues • it takes approximately 15-30 minutes for the body to warm up • warm ups can be divided in 2 categories...

14. General Warm Up - easy running, gradual stretching, and general exercises • Specific Warm Up - should include activities that are specific to the sport. They should progress from a moderate pace to a pace just below competitive level • Warm ups should be completed so that no more than 15 minutes elapses between the end of the warm-up and the start of the activity.

15. Cooling Down • after exercise, the body should be allowed to cool down by slowly diminishing the level of intensity. This permits the body systems to return to pre-exercise levels gradually. • The cooling down period should last approximately 10 minutes and include a period of light jogging, followed by 3-5 minutes of walking, and ending with a short period of stretching.

16. Flexibility • Extremely important in preventing injury. ATCs need to be aware of the specific stretches that are beneficial to athletes who play specific sports

17. Weight training • Should be an integral part of the injury prevention program. Strong athletes tend not to get hurt as unconditioned athletes. Like flexibility, there are specific weight training regimes for specific sports and ATCs need to be aware of those.

18. Range of Motion(ROM) Active range of motion = dynamic flexibility • Ability to move a joint with little resistance • Passive range of motion = static flexibility • Motion of joint to end points without muscle contraction • Must be able to move through unrestricted range • Must have elasticity for additional stretch encountered during activity

19. Range of Motion(ROM) Active range of motion = dynamic flexibility • Ability to move a joint with little resistance • Passive range of motion = static flexibility • Motion of joint to end points without muscle contraction • Must be able to move through unrestricted range • Must have elasticity for additional stretch encountered during activity

20. Agonist vs. Antagonist Muscles • Joints are capable of multiple movements • Example: • Quadriceps will extend knee with contraction • Hamstrings will stretch during extension • Quads (muscle producing movement) referred to as agonist • Muscle undergoing stretch referred to as antagonist • Agonist and antagonist work together to produce smooth coordinated movements

21. Types of Flexibility Training • BALLISTIC STRETCHING • bouncing into the stretch. Dangerous to stretch this way, due to the risk of injury • STATIC STRETCHING • gradual lengthening (stretching) of the muscle, which is then held for a period of time (usually 20-30 seconds).

22. Variables in flexibility • Flexibility varies among individuals and may be effected by: • joint problems • hereditary factors • elasticity of muscles, tendons, and ligaments • reciprocal muscle contraction • Hyperflexibility should be avoided b/c of increased injury risk

23. Muscular Relaxation & Readiness • Relaxation is essential in conditioning. The body must be allowed to rest & rejuvenate itself. • “Mindset” or “Attitude” of readiness is important, too. • Athletes who are not able to relax tend to be predisposed to injury & failure in athletics.

24. Endurance & Stamina • The ability to withstand fatigue is inherited • Two factors which can modify or improve an individual’s endurance are: • ability to endure pain and discomfort • body’s ability to make homeostatic adjustments during exercise

25. Endurance & Stamina • ENDURANCE • ability of the body to undergo prolonged activity or to resist stresses set up as a result of prolonged activity. • Training & conditioning build a given efficiency in the body, allowing individuals to perform activities at, or near, maximum levels over time.

26. Respiratory responses to training • Training increases the amount of oxygen your lungs take in and that is also transported by the blood throughout the body.

27. Cardiac & Circulatory responses • Heart size increases as a result of training • Increased size is the result of thickening of the heart muscle • Increased size leads to increased stroke volume. This means the heart does not have to beat as many times per minute. Why???

28. Major Principles of Training • INTENSITY • most important factor. The more intense an activity, the more positive physical change • SPECIFICITY • training must be specific to the sport/activity . Exercise is an individual thing.

29. Muscle Contractions • Isometric contraction • No length change occurs during contraction • Isotonic contraction • Concentric- shortening of muscle with contraction in an effort to overcome more resistance • Eccentric - lengthening of muscle with contraction because load is greater than force being produced • Both are considered dynamic movements

30. Fast-Twitch vs. Slow-Twitch Muscle Fibers • Motor units with distinct metabolic and contractile capability Individual make-up • Muscles contain both types of fibers • Muscle functioning impacts ratios (postural vs. powerful movement) • Genetically determined • Slow twitch (Type I): • Generally major constituent of postural muscles • Fast twitch (Type II) • High force in short amount of time • Produce powerful movements

31. What physiological changes occur to cause increased strength? • Multiple theories of muscle hypertrophy • Primary explanation of muscle hypertrophy: • Increase in protein myofilament number and size • Continued need for additional research

32. Core Stabilization Training • Core refers to the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex • 29 muscles in the lumbar spine, hip, abdomen and around the hip and pelvis • Will help to improve: • Postural control and muscular balance • Allow for expression of dynamic functional strength and dynamic stabilization of kinetic chain • Improve neuromuscular efficiency throughout the body

33. Core training is designed to help develop strength, neuromuscular control, power and endurance within the lumbo-pelvic complex • Exercises must elicit maximal training response • Should be safe, challenging, stress multiple planes, and incorporate a variety of resistance equipment • Begin with activities where you are able to maintain stability and optimal neuromuscular control

34. Open vs. Closed Kinetic Chain Exercises • Anatomical functional relationship for upper and lower extremities • OKC • When foot or hand are not in contact with the ground or supporting surface • CKC • Foot or hand are weight bearing • Widely used = more functional

35. Plyometric Exercise • Rapid stretch, eccentric contraction followed by a rapid concentric contraction to create a forceful explosive movement • Rate of stretch vs. magnitude • Jumps, bounds, medicine ball throws • Very technical training - skills must be learned with appropriate technique • Often develop muscle soreness as a result of extensive eccentric loading

36. Impact on Heart • Main pumping mechanism • Increase exercise = increased oxygen requirement=increase heart pumping • Heart able to adapt through increases in heart rate and stroke volume which will enhance overall cardiac output • Oxygenation of blood

37. What determines how efficiently the body is using oxygen? • Aerobic capacity = VO2max • More active = higher capacity • Average value = 45-60 ml O2/min/kg • Increases in intensity require higher levels of oxygen consumption • Inherit certain range of maximum aerobic capacity (genetics) • Dependent on activity levels • Also impacted by muscle fiber types

38. Other issues related to training • Muscle Soreness • has long been a problem for people engaging in conditioning programs • Two major types of soreness: • Acute soreness = occurs immediately after exercise and usually resolves quickly • Delayed soreness = more serious, usually occurs after acute soreness and increases in intensity for 2-3 days following exercise and then subsides gradually

39. Other issues related to training • Muscle stiffness • different from soreness because there is no pain. Usually results from a buildup of fluids and muscle metabolites that collect in the muscles after exercise. • Can occur in conjunction with, or as a precursor to, muscle soreness

40. Other issues related to training • Muscle cramps • caused by the depletion of essential electrolytes in the body • two types of muscle cramps • Tonic = the muscle contracts and stays contracted for a period of time • Clonic = involuntary muscle contraction marked by alternate contraction and relaxation of the muscle in rapid succession. • Both types of cramps are extremely painful