Spring A Pain in the Neck

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April rains bring May pains, as we do typically treat more back and shoulder pain when yard work comes back in season. We also seem to see more neck pain this time of year. Why is that?

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE:

Everyone has heard about lifting mechanics. Say it with me now, "lift with the legs and not the back." Few actually do that and do it correctly. Sometimes other lifting strategies are more practical. For the sake of illustration, here's a quick video quiz on lifting.

And the correct answer is...

...

...

...let's pause for a commercial break.

[Waiting patiently, looking at the clock...]

What's the best way to lift? Final answer?

The answer is:

It depends.

Some lifting strategies are better than others.

None of them suit all situations.

All of them can easily be performed incorrectly.

Here's why:

A - The CLASSIC. You know rounding the spine is hard on the back. Lifting with the arms while flexed over may also cause a lot of compression on the lower neck. Yet The Classic may be needed when space is limited, if you have a sore knee, or when you need to reach over an electric fence.

B - The ROBOT is lifting with the legs to keep the spine in a strong neutral position. But do you have the strength and range of motion to get down there like that? I often see The Robot done in a manner that's killer on the knees when hip or ankle flexibility is lacking:

The Robot gone wrong causes a lot of strain on the knees and neck.

Even if you can do The Robot correctly, is it worth the effort; the sacrifice of time and efficiency? Anyone who performs repetitive lifting at work will tell you that The Robot is not always practical.

The Robot is essential when you have to perform heavy lifting. It's also a killer move to break out at your next 80's dance party.

C - THE SWAN causes minimal loading to the back and neck, but at what cost? Do you think grandma has the balance to pull this off while standing on a sloped yard full of tree roots? Is The Swan good for lifting a heavy rehab stick or a moving target, like, say, a toddler?

A bad idea.

The Swan can't handle heavy lifts. Here Kim demonstrates The Swan in the appropriate technique and setting:

D - The LUNGE distributes the lift over the entire body. I like the lunge. A little bend at the knee and hip and back allows for lots of leg loading without extreme postures at any one joint. While the lunge is likely your best bet for picking up sticks in the yard, it still requires balance, strength, and flexibility of the ankle, knee, hip, and trunk.

That's where the sore neck comes in. The point is that any of these lifts can result in neck irritation when there's weakness or inflexibility elsewhere in the body. The neck is sore, but it's not the necks "fault."

If you need some incentive to maintain your body, train for yard work as if you were an athlete. Work on your trunk and leg flexibility, strength, and balance. It takes a whole body to save a neck.

If you don't have a good rehab stick, while supplies last, they're available in my backyard for free.

Happy Spring!

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Spare the Arm III: Training

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Following Parts I HERE and II HERE, this concerns strength training and conditioning for pitchers. Traditional training may be worse than useless. These are strong words because I feel pretty strongly that training "like a pitcher" may in fact increase the chance of injury.

HERE'S WHY:

The traditional training of pitchers focuses an awfully lot on the arm, often to the exclusion of other critical elements in the total body effort of throwing. While certain precautions and modifications are needed to maximize benefit and minimize risk, pitchers are often treated far too gently in their training.

The conventional bodybuilding formula of training isolated body parts is not best for specific performance gains. Leave it to baseball guys to go ahead and do exactly that with their rotator cuff and core. The Throwers 10 is a series of shoulder and wrist exercises that are still referenced and used as the thing for getting and keeping a healthy arm. Traditional ab training is one or two steps removed from increased arm strain.

Lastly, what's with all the distance running? When close to 60% of pitchers suffer injury each season, should they be using their time running poles and shagging fly balls? Plodding along may even add to the typical imbalances that result from the repetitive asymmetrical forces involved in throwing. That's not even to speak of the peak power reductions that occur when endurance training is added to strength training (1).

Not hitting 90 m.p.h.

Baseball requires repeated doses of TNT, not a flow of kerosene; drag racers exploding on jet engines, not a Prius brigade. The very best thing we can do to spare the arm of a pitcher is to make the rest of the body more powerful, symmetrical, and athletic.

HERE'S HOW:

It happens by challenging the entire athlete with safe and effective ways to become rotational monsters.

The majority of the body's muscle mass is not in the rotator cuff. Tugging on rubber tubing in a manner that isolates the infraspinatus does not help pitchers create a huge amount of force in the legs and core. It does not help them efficiently transfer that force through the core and into the throwing arm. The upper back, lower back, and lead leg quadriceps muscles relieve the puny rotator cuff muscles from the entire duty of decelerating the arm.

Just like isolated forearm training does nothing to increase bat speed (2), wrist curls do not help in the acceleration and immediate deceleration of the violent "whip" that just produced a 60, 70, 80, even 90 mph fastball. Thick forearms are simply an indication of a heat throwing or long ball hitting person. How many athletes can perform 20 chin-ups or 70-pound "lawn mower" rows with weak forearms?

Check the massive 1 rep-max wrist curl! Surely he can hit 90 m.p.h.
.

Pitchers should spend 10 minutes or working the tubing exercises that support balance and fine-tuning of the scapula and humerus. Then get down to business. The legs the legs the legs. The legs. Train the legs for increased force generation (strength training) and power (plyometrics).

Leg training ties nicely in with lower back and core training. As mentioned above, traditional core training may actually contribute to injuries of the shoulder (and low back and oblique strains, too). Do pitchers need more activities that influence the scapula and ribs slumped down and forward toward the pelvis? That's exactly what crunches promote.

Uh, okay. And your fastball?

Weight training and core stabilization exercises on a big ball look fun and imaginative. Too bad they don't help with performance in a healthy population (3). Placing the body in unstable "environments" does cause increased activation of core muscles because the body shifts into "get by and survive this" mode. Sometimes this is a desired effect in a rehabilitative setting, but it comes at the cost of coordinating efficiency for peak power.

Gravity and firm earth underfoot are the athletes greatest activity-specific allies for core training. Hit those single leg squats, deadlift variations, plank variations, medicine ball throws, and activities that cause the core to resist rotational forces.

Conditioning is another good example of how traditional methods may actually promote injury and decreased performance. The jogging and pole running that pitchers do to "flush" muscles and keep them "in shape" enough to last seven or nine innings may promote imbalance and "flat" legs. Where did this distance running for pitchers come from? I've attempted to trace the orginal rationale for pitchers doing long drawn out cardio (4, 5). [1985, people!]

In the 80's. And I don't mean 80 m.p.h.!

Another recent report found that only power performance tests (and not endurance tests) could identify elite from average basketball players (6). In other words, elite hoopers are no more or less aerobically fit than average players. But they are far more powerful. And if power is a primary factor in a sport like basketball, imagine how it applies to baseball?

Not hitting 90 m.p.h.

Do pitchers have in mind the torso of a Roger Clemens or a (marathon champion) Kipruto Kirwa? Keep in mind that the few elite athletes who can pull off high power and decent endurance are not the norm. Whatever our genetic potentials are, we can cause the one body that we're given to be maximally adapted for only one thing at a time. The guys who "make" their body best suited to bench press 800 pounds (huge force generation) or run 800 meters (anaerobic endurance) have intentionally left behind their own maximum genetic potential for throwing hard (rotational power).

Pitching demands sporadic short distance sprints and regular short duration, high velocity bursts of rotational movement. Weak, immobile bodies will break down the fastest. While honed athletes are not made from hot-dog eating between innings, no amount of cardio will make up for laziness and poor eating habits. Intense plyometrics, sprinting, sprint training, and power training will provide plenty enough physical conditioning to get the far majority of young men through the ninth inning.

For a relatively thin 17-year old, let's concern ourselves with not getting shelled (and therefore keeping the pitch count relatively lower) before we worry about his ability to endure seven innings of baseball.

Go hard with sprints and resistance training. Go slow; like with low intensity dynamic warm ups and corrective movements that provide mobility benefits. But all power athletes need to avoid that middle area where they don't go slow and don't go fast. They need to condition their bodies to explode with muscular and elastic energy.

Or for elastic energy, they could go the traditional route and strap on the big rubber band shaking machine (7).

- - - - - - - - - -

1. Effect of Concurrent Endurance and Circuit Resistance Training Sequence on Muscular Strength and Power Development. J Strength Cond Res 22:1037-1045, 2008

2. Effect of Wrist and Forearm Training on Linear Bat-end, Hand Velocities, And Time to Ball Contact of High School Baseball Players. J Strength Cond Res 20(1):231-240. 2006.

3. Trunk Muscle Activation During Dynamic Weight-Training Exercises and Isometric Instability Activities. J Strength Cond Res 21(4): 1108-112. 2007.

4. Recovery from short term intense exercise: it's relation to capillary supply and blood lactate concentration. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 52:98-103. 1983.

5. Programming and Organization of Training. Sportivny Press, 1988.

6. Physiological Testing of Basketball Players: Toward a Standard Evaluation of Anaerobic Fitness. J Strength Cond Res 22: 1066-1072, 2008.

7. Big rubber band shaking machine does not promote athleticism or loss of body flab. J of Fitness Gimmicks Bob Likes to Joke About, 2010.

A Curveball on Throwing Curveballs

Throwing curveballs puts Little League pitchers at risk for injury. And they’ll need that arm someday. Right?

Reputable sources have blamed pitching injuries on curveballs ever since I can remember. You would think that twisting the wrist while throwing amplifies strain to the elbow. You would think that pitchers who throw more curveballs are more likely to suffer injuries and undergo surgery. You would think that parents, coaches, and medical professionals have plenty of good evidence for their safety recommendations.


But that's not the case. While it's true that pitchers of all ages are at increased risk, evidence is mounting that the curveball is not guilty in the case for sore arms. When researchers measure the mechanical forces placed across the shoulder and elbow of pitchers, they find that curveballs are actually less stressful than fastballs.

If curveballs are not to blame, what's going on here?

While researchers do not really put it in these terms, the data clearly shows that the problem is...pitching. Imagine that! It looks like we finally have to admit that pitching may not be great from a health perspective. The number of pitches is the most significant predictor of injuries. Just like it hurts to be kicked in the shins, whether by a slide tackle or roundhouse kick, the type of pitch is of relatively little importance.

Science proves that kicks to the

shins are harmful to the shins.

Is it any surprise that an asymmetrical, maximal effort, high velocity activity like pitching is hard on the body when performed for ninety repetitions at a time?

Participating in baseball showcases, where young athletes overreach in order to light up a radar gun, has been identified as a contributing factor to arm injuries. Playing year-round with less than 3 months of rest from competitive baseball is also a predictor of injuries.

Little League Baseball has embraced these findings and revised the rules on pitch counts. The Little League Safety Advisory Committee further recommends that athletes rest from competitive baseball for three months out of the year; that parents and coaches watch for signs of fatigue before pain sets in; and that players with pain be evaluated by a sports medicine professional.


Will there be a time when rules dictate a hitting T until 18 years of age? Hopefully not. Beyond the above noted recommendations, it may be good to reconsider the traditional preparation and rehabilitation of serious pitchers.

Taking time develop overall athleticism is undoubtedly more beneficial than getting in another eight or twelve games. It may be good to go beyond vague notions of "pitching mechanics" that everyone speaks of. Throwing is a total body effort. In order to spare the arm as much as possible, the athlete must identify and correct underlying issues in strength, flexibility, and bad habits that only add to the strain.

"Should young athletes throw curveballs" is another question altogether. Implementing rules proves challenging. "No breaking pitches unless the game is tied and there are runners on base" does not sound reasonable. The point of this writing is not to encourage or discourage the curve, but to shift the emphasis of our attempts to serve young athletes.



Little League revised pitch count limits for 2010

League Age - Pitches Allowed Per Day

17-18 105
13 - 16 - 95
11-12 - 85
9 - 10 - 75
7 - 8 - 50


Details of many of these recommendations and scientific studies can be found at littleleague.org and the website of the American Sports Medicine Institute (amsi.org).

Move It While They're Little

Looks like I'll be doing a six month stint with the Patriot News, hopefully more. I've changed a few of the pieces below to be more newspaper appropriate (i.e. no links, etc.), but my first, uh, assignment, was to contribute something for their immediate upcoming focus on childhood obesity.

"mmkay."

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The recent introduction of the national health campaign "Lets Move" is exciting for physical therapists. The phrase "Move Forward" was branded by the American Physical Therapy Association over two years ago, and I hope the resemblance is not coincidental. As a professional, I'm well aware of the physiological effects of the Madagascar Move It - Move It theme song. But for now I remove that hat and write as an everyday parent.

What can I do to help my young kids want to move in five or fifty years? What practical steps can I take to exemplify and encourage an active lifestyle?

We should move nutrition and exercise way up on our list of priorities. We will surely benefit from greater access to healthy foods. But beyond the endeavors of Lets Move, we should also give attention to subtle but significant sneak attacks on the health of children and parents alike.

Yes parents need to move, all right. Some of the moves I'm trying to make are more painful than sweating at the park or gym.

Electronic Media

Last week I watched a teenager text her friend while doing a "side plank" core stability exercise in my clinic. It has been said that there are always gains and losses to innovations. The gains are obvious and the losses are far more subtle.

Lets move on limited use of these gadgets formally known as cell phones. If your child is too young to operate a TV or computer, now is the time to lay the foundation. Lets move TVs and computers out of their bedrooms to begin with.

Would you send your child to bed every night with ice cream and sprinkles? The teenage years will be challenging enough without the extra fatigue and irritability, not to mention the intellectual side effects of Cribs. Physical lethargy and being stuck to the couch by day is yet another cost of nightly Xbox binges.

If you already hear objections about the TV in your bedroom, then maybe now is the time for mom or dad to move by example.

Hovering

While shadowing a child's every move is definitely a workout for parents, is it beneficial to the child? Does hovering interfere with learning the consequences of gravity when the stakes are still low? Does it snuff out or wildly amplify their need to move and learn body control?

Lets move back a bit here. If you can't get outside, have a good couch jumping, cushion bashing session. Limits are needed, of course. If you prioritize nice furniture then make sure to have an old couch in the basement. Most couches will be out of style before the kids are grown, anyway.

Kids fall and get seriously injured all the time. You may know a story about a kid who fell horribly from a piece of furniture. I haven't heard that story, but I do not take it lightly. The issue here is relative risk. Our children could suffer a freak accident while doing just about anything. Don't the risks of a sedentary lifestyle far outweigh that of a little roughhousing?

What patterns would emerge if we dug into the upbringing of extreme athletes who flip and tumble at ridiculous heights? I doubt that mom said "cool, go ahead and go as big as you want." I imagine that she hovered and dad pushed baseball (or any traditional sport). Some children learned to shun physical activity while a few others became billboards for Red Bull.

Besides, how do you rebel against "wow that was awesome?"

Engaged

What my young children want more than anything is their dad fully engaged in movement with them. It's not long that being engaged in the living room or on the front lawn beats a trip to Hershey Park. Who can afford to miss this chance to move the body and imagination?

The first move is always a period of playful trash talk. Power is claimed, demands are made, and resistance is rallied. Leaves or pillows are hurled between factions. There is a great charge and collision.

When the hunt, carry, wrestle, tickle, and toss of one victim is through, the others are recovered and raring to go. Being fully engaged is absolutely a workout. Kids know too well when your heart rate drops below the "target zone."

When my children watch me lifting weights in the basement, I often wonder how seeing their dad intentionally suffer under a heavy load will affect their attitude toward structured exercise. For now, I always slow play the formal exercise.

"I don't know if you can hang up there then run around the circle in 10 seconds. You can try if you want."

Are these suggestions idealistic, realistic, or effective? My oldest child is only six, so those questions will be answered in time. I'm sure many lessons will be learned, especially by the parents. Until then, lets pay attention to those going before us and see how our childrens physical condition is one product of larger issues at hand.

You like to - move it!

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Supplements III: Introducing STRENGTHOGEN

[With such an overwhelming response to the writings on sports supplements, I've decided to introduce my very own line of performance enhancers! Well, not really, and not really. Read on.]

Do you want wildly radical results from sometimes lackluster effort? You can’t afford to compromise on sports nutrition. Fuel the machine, if you will.

Numerous studies have proven that post-workout nutrients are critical for recovery as well as enabling athletes to exercise at a higher intensity during subsequent workouts (1). More recently, researchers have defined the precise nutritional profile that’s optimal for refueling tired muscles (2**).

Introducing Strengthogen. This great tasting formula delivers 40 grams of Flexamoo, a powerful blend of quality whey and casein protein isolates, delivered with the precise carbohydrate complex recommended in clinical trials.

Each serving of Strengthogen provides highly bioavailable essential, non-essential, and sometimes non-essential amino acids - that's where you get the power. Strengthogen also contains electrolytes, monosaccharides for immediately refueling muscle glycogen, and complex carbs for sustained energy.

Strengthogen is made of all natural ingredients that have been rigorously tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (3). Strengthogen is sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, all professional sports organizations, and your mom. Strengthogen is caffeine free, low fat, and even safe for children and (especially) pregnant and nursing women.

And don’t miss Strengthogen Light; all the taste and nutrients of Strengthogen with 30% less calories (4).

For cutting edge sports nutrition on-the-go, try super convenient and specially formulated Strengthogen Bars ( 5).

IMPORTANT REFERENCES:

1. National Strength and Conditioning Association. Standards and Guidelines: Standard (9.1) Supplements, Ergogenic Aids, and Drugs

2. ** Barclay, L. Chocolate milk may improve recovery after exercise. International Journal of Sports Nutrition 16: 78-91, 2006.

3. Skim milk and chocolate syrup = IT'S CHOCOLATE MILK. The above study showed that chocolate milk was equally as good as high falutin "recovery drinks" for muscle recovery and function.

4. Strengthogen in a 30% smaller bottle.

5. PB&J cut into rectangles

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Supplements II

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Having put supplements on the correct shelf in part 1, here are five items for strength/power athletes that seem to have scientific merit beyond placebo. They're all safe, as far as anyone can tell so far. You should be invested in training and nutrition and be at least, say, 14 to call youself a serious athlete.

Please note what's absent. While Glucosamine/Chondroitin shows a modest benefit for helping mild to moderate osteoarthritis, it's not particularly used for performance. You don't see HMB, DHA, Yohimbe, Ginseng, NO2, Chromium, and an army of other pretty useless pills and powders here for a reason.

Personally, I usually use whey protein after workouts when I think of it. I've cycled creatine on an inconsistent basis. I would probably use these more consistently and add the items below if I mostly had my act together training and nutrition wise.


Although I train regularly and compete in rec sports, it's just not worth it to me. There are too many other variables that I know could be improved. I have no hopes of getting paid to perform athletically. Even if I did, it would be hard to justify the expense when I regularly eat the kids leftovers for dinner, neglect focused effort toward a specific goal, and often read/blog away anything close to 8 hours of rest.


Nonetheless, here are 5 good supplements if I haven't talked you out of the whole idea by now.

Creatine

According to the the position stand published by the International Journal of Sports Nutrition, creatine monohydrate is the single most effective supplement currently available to athletes in terms of increasing high-intensity exercise and lean body mass (2). Although we have few studies examining the long term (20+ years) effects of taking creatine, we're nearly certain that creatine does not cause muscle cramps, cardiac arrythmia, or any side effects other than increased lean body mass. Lightening your wallet is the only advantage of various forms of creatine (creatine ethylester, micronized creatine, effervescent creatine, etc.) over traditional creatine monohydrate (3).

If you have room, financially or otherwise, to try only one supplement, make it creatine monohydrate. Take it with something sugary sweet after your workout or competition.

Beta Alanine

Although pretty new on the scence, this amino acid (single protein molecule) is showing promise in terms of safety and effectiveness for power athletes. The body combines Beta Alanine with histidine in muscles to make carnosine. Carnosine functions to regulate muscle contraction and buffer pH levels against the build up of lactic acid (4). This, in turn, delays the onset of fatigue during repeated high intensity activity.

Increased power output during interval sprint tests, higher training volumes, and lower ratings of fatigue have been consistantly reported in the literature (5).

Protein Powder

It is well established that you need to get some protein and carbs around workouts (1). Muscles are most sensitive for glycogen and protein synthesis immediately after exercise, and research has shown the benefits of having a mix of carbs and protein (specefically at about a 2 to 1 ratio) immediately after and even before exercise (6).

Regular food comes first and all that, but who really wants to sit down to a big pot roast right before pitching 9 innings in the heat or after pushing yourself to new limits in the gym? Who has the time to make an omelet or chicken sandwich? Unless you want seconds on the same burger you finished 30 minutes ago, get yourself a good whey protein powder. Shake or blend it with some chocolate milk, Carnation instant breakfast, or something less calorie dense if you're primarily interested in fat loss.

The isolated amino acid leucine has been shown to be an important part of what gives muscles the chemical "trigger" to repair and build (7). Extra leucine may be even more beneficial for older athletes since "older" muscles begin to show defects in leucine and insulin signaling (8). One scoop of the average whey protein supplies about 2 grams of leucine. Taking extra leucine may be worthwhile because the maximal effect on muscles is thought to require about 3 to 9 grams of leucine (9).

A quick note here on the Holy Grail of fitness:

The minutia on particular amino acids for muscle building falls by the wayside when total calories are insufficient to support growth and repair, in general. Unless you are extremely overweight or completely untrained, it is nearly impossible to pull off simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain.

Fat loss and muscle gain require different total body hormonal situations, which is why a lot of suggestions for ‘gaining muscle while losing fat’ aren’t very effective. In fact, trying to simultaneously gain muscle and lose fat my be one of the best ways to spin your wheels, making no progress towards either goal. Calories are too high for fat loss and too low to support muscle gains.

Muscle gain is definitely harder to come by than fat loss. So in losing fat, the best you're probably going to do is hold on to what muscle you have. Lose weight slowly. You "tell" your body to maintain it's muscle by hitting the weights and getting plenty of protein as you cut calories.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Likewise, who wants to follow up a bike sprint with a nice big plate of fatty salmon? Although there are many health benefits attributed to omega 3 consumption, few studies have examined the effects on the typical inflammation and soreness induced by intense exercise. "Good fats" are thought to inhibit inflammation and aid healing in various tissues of the body, but do they effect this process in muscles enough to actually make a difference performance-wise?

Omega 3's fall more into the category of "stuff you should probably be taking just for health reasons." But there is preliminary support that their role in recovery from exercise may indirectly benefit performance (8).

Caffeine


If you don't think of caffeine as a sports performance supplement, you definitely should. If you like drastic immediate results, use caffeine as the drug that it is and save it for when it counts.

Caffeine plays several roles in sports performance, including improved logical reasoning, improved reaction time, improved recall and memory, increased time to exhaustion, decreased ratings of percieved exertion, and (surprise) improved physical performance during periods of sleep deprivation (9).


Caffeine has been shown to aid in weight loss by way of increased energy expenditure and increased efficiency in burning fat for feul. There is mounting evidence that caffeine reduces pain and inflammation following intense exercise (10). Yeah, we can add recovery to the Justify Our Habits list.

Some studies have shown that caffiene and energy drinks do not directly effect peak power tests like vertical jump and 1-rep max bench press (11). That's no surprise, given the fact that energy drinks are primarily used for alertness and that extra mental "push" for taking on challenges on the field or in the gym.

Peak power tests in a sports lab are probably not the right measuring stick for the effects of caffeine. Max bench or leg press tests are not exactly grueling events; you just give all you got for 1 rep. I imagine Red Bull does help athletes to concentrate and muster the courage to "go big" far more than it helps them to actually jump higher or further.

Caffeine is the primary active ingredient in energy drinks, but the combination of various other chemicals makes it difficult to draw conclusions. Beta-phenylethylamne HCL, evodiamine, B-vitamins, and taurine are ingredients commonly added to caffeine in energy drinks, but I'd need a case of energy drinks right now if I wanted to discuss the merit of these ingredients.

By far, the performance enhancers that I rely upon most are coffee and diet coke. Use common sense with caffeine and energy drinks. I don't call anxiety, nervousness, irritability, restlessness, headaches, and diarrhea "minor" side effects.

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1 Campbell B, Kreider RB, Ziegenfuss T, Roberts M, Burke D, Landis J, Lopez H, and Antonio J. International Society of Sports Nutrition position statment: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 4:8, 2007.

2 Buford TW, Kreider RB, Stout JR, Greenwood M, Campbell B, Spano M, Ziegenfuss T, Lopez H, Landis J, and Antonio J. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 4:6, 2007.

3 Greenwood M, Kreider R, Earnest C, Rassmussen C, and Almada A. Differences in creatine retention among three nutritiional formulations of oral creatine supplements. J Exer Physiol Online 6:37-43, 2003.

4 Harris RC, Hill CA, Kim HJ, Bobbis L, Sale C, Harris DB, and Wise JA. Beta-alanine supplementation for 10-weeks increased muscle carnosine levels. FASEB J 19: A 1125, 2005.

5 Joffman J, Ratamess N, Kang J, Mangine G, Faigenbaum A, and Stout J. Effect of creatine and beta-alanine supplementation on performance and endocrine responses in strength/power athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exer Metab 16:430-446, 2006.

6 Campbell B, Wilborn C, La Bounty P. Supplements for strength-power athletes. Strength Cond Journal. 32(1): 93-100, 2010.

7 Kerksick CM, Rasmussen CJ, Lancaster SL, Mague B, Smith P, Melton C, et. al. The effects of protein and amno acid supplementation on performance adaptations during ten weeks of resistance training. J Strength Cond Res 20: 643-53, 2006.

8 Spano, M. Functional foods, beverages, and ingredients in athletics. Strength Cond Journal. 32(1): 93-100, 2010.

9 Doherty M and Smith P. Effects of caffeine ingestion on exercise testing: a meta-analysis. Int J Sport Nutr. 14:626-46, 2004.

10 Maridakis V, O'Conor P, Dudley GA, and McCully KK. Caffeine attenuates delayed onset muscle pain and force loss following eccentric exercise. J Pain 8:237-43, 2007.

11 Astorino T, Rohmann RL, and Firth K. The effect of caffeine ingestion on 1-repetition maximum strength. Eur J Appl Physiol 102:127-32, 2007.

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'Sup With Supplements - I

So you're a serious strength/power athlete looking to wring every drop of benefit from your training. You're seeking safe and legal means to gain the competitive edge, whether it's climbing a cliff, smashing an inside fastball, or dunking a basketball.

The big dis

If it's too good to be true, it is. Most of the items you see one store shelves have only a shred of unbiased scientific legitimacy at most. And none of it is nearly as great as supplement companies would like us to believe. Don't take my word for it; go ahead and do your homework and review the literature.

Supplement companies write in their products as a standard foundational element in any and every fitness effort, when in fact they should only be considered as an afterthought. But of course, treating supplements as...well, supplemental to the diet doesn't sale nearly as many precision engineered proprietary formulas.

Sound bitter? In the 90's I fully bought into the oil smooth, sincere sounding words of Bill Phillips. His revolutionary marketing ways have been totally exposed for what they were; details of the way he had us all thinking that HMB and MetRx (among other things) were magic tickets to awesomeville. And of course he had no self-interest in recommending those items.





Dude didn't get this big by taking "power butter" or any other much less stupid sounding supplement. Or by just doing tricep pressdowns.







Lure of the quick fix

Even still, what power athlete doesn't want bigger, faster, stronger output from the same amount of training input? Supplements get an awful lot of attention, but they never will take the place of the real "secrets" to peak performance. Sound nutrition and intense training require knowledge and loads of plain old fashion, disciplined effort. The details of intelligent nutrition and training are beyond the scope of this writing, but I can assure you that the answer is nothing (legal) you can take in a pill or find at GNC.

So we're going to assume that you have a sound nutrition program that includes the basics. You focus on unprocessed foods, at least most of the time. You take in adequate protein (athletes do require more than the "normal" population) and healthy fats. You take in the right amount of quality carbohydrates, depending on your particular energy needs and current goals. You have some fast digesting carbs and protein within thirty minutes after training and competition.

Do you have all that? The last paragraph is a huge assumption. Until those basic nutrition related factors along with proper training are given careful effort and attention, I rarely recommend supplements (or take them myself). Worrying about the "speck" of supplements is a waste of time and money when you carry a plank in your training and nutrition program.

If your a 120 lb. teen looking to gain some lean muscle, I can't comment on casein versus ionized whey protein while your eating Poptarts for breakfast and doing 12 sets of bicep curls. I don't want to debate minutia about the best rep speed for vertical jump height when you're regularly having wings and nachos for dinner.

What You Pay For...

You get what you pay for, in the truest sense. In fact, viewing this issue from another angle, you start to realize the notion that the benefit of supplements may actually be due to the cost and inconvenience. The big plastic can of powder stuff "works" because you don't want to waste your investment in it. Suddenly you start really delivering the goods on your training, nutrition, and rest/recovery.

So yeah, in the big picture, supplements can work extremely well.

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Part two will include some personal insight and five supplements that I do believe have merit for serious strength/power athletes.