Monday, December 15, 2008

Reebok and AstroTurf Join Forces



Reebok and GeneralSports Venue/AstroTurf Join Forces for First-Ever R&D Effort Focused on Footwear-Surface Interaction

Industry Leaders Seek Performance and Safety Gains for All Athletes

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Reebok and GeneralSports Venue, the exclusive U.S. licensee of the AstroTurf® brand of synthetic sports turf products, announced today that they are joining forces to study the interaction between athletic footwear and field surfaces for athletes ranging from professionals to amateurs.

The goal of the research collaboration is to help improve athlete performance and help reduce injury risk through the development of better shoes and synthetic sports surfaces. Reebok will spearhead footwear product development while GSV/AstroTurf will focus on synthetic sports turf. The AstroTurf brand was selected based on the advantages of its vertically-integrated manufacturing assets, including the scientific research, design and engineering used to produce sports turf that is among the most technologically advanced in the world.

GSV/AstroTurf is clearly the leading innovator in synthetic turf, making them our first choice for this unique partnership, said Don Gibadlo, Vice President of Cleated Footwear at Reebok. Instead of studying the interface between the cleats and surfaces already in use, we will be the first to test these products in the conceptual phase, helping us produce innovations that will enhance performance and safety for athletes in field sports at all levels around the world.

The research effort will analyze footwear-surface interactions, on both synthetic turf and natural grass, for an evolving range of athletic dynamics and an array of athlete types, from NFL linebackers to NCAA soccer players and Little League outfielders.

As a global leader in performance athletic footwear and the official supplier to several of the world’s elite professional sports leagues, Reebok is the ideal R&D partner, said Chris Plunket, Senior Vice President of Operations for GSV/AstroTurf. As industry leaders, it is our shared responsibility to improve both performance and safety, the top priorities of athletes, coaches and management at every level, by leveraging our collective expertise to put the products of the future on a fast track to the marketplace.

The research will be conducted at various venues nationwide, including on a GameDay Grass 3D™ surface from AstroTurf recently installed at Reebok’s global headquarters in Canton, Mass., with state-of-the art equipment for mechanical and biomechanical testing. Until now, most shoe-surface interaction studies have used cleats and surfaces already on the market, focusing almost exclusively on the incidence of injuries as opposed to performance enhancement.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Stretch-Shortening Cycle

How does the stretch-shortening cycle work and how does it relate to exercise?

As a muscle lengthens, it contracts and produces elastic energy. The force applied to the muscle increases. When a muscle is stretched, it will attempt to rebound to its resting length. During the eccentric contraction, the muscle stores elastic energy. Muscular tension increases. The elastic energy that has been stored is available for powerful, explosive movements. By stretching the muscle before it contracts, the muscle contracts with greater force. When the muscles contract, the combined forces of muscle contraction and elastic recoil produce more force than either factor alone. The bench press is a good example of the coordination of stretch and muscle contraction. This movement uses the eccentric, elastic and concentric phases as a combination during the lifting and lowering of the weight.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Quote of The Day

Competitive toughness is an aquired skill and not an inhereted gift. - Chris Everet

Monday, December 8, 2008

History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part One

This is a six part series on the Eleiko site on the history of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training

by Dr. Ken Leistner

There are many fundamental differences among the participants of the various aspects of the iron related sports. The emotional response and make up of the athletes involved in strongman competition differs from those who compete in bodybuilding shows and powerlifters think and often behave very differently than those who do Olympic weightlifting as their primary sport. It wasn’t always like this. Powerlifting wasn’t organized as a sport until 1964 and yes, I was there for that. It wasn’t seen as a momentous occasion and few of its participants believed that the “odd lift” contests that had been held on a more or less regular basis for perhaps a four or five year period, would significantly change just because the activity now had a name and an official organization. We were obviously wrong in that belief for both positive and negative reasons.

Through the 1950’s and early 1960’s Olympic weightlifting was the dominant sport for those who lifted weights. Some, myself included, realized early and accepted the fact that they were not athletic enough, explosive enough, quick enough, or patient enough to excel as proponents of the two-hand press, snatch, and clean and jerk. Those were the three official lifts and if anyone on a New York City subway thought you lifted weights or noted that your physical development was above average, and of course had the gumption to approach you about it, the leading question would always be “How much can you press?” Even the lay person or “unathletic” knew that the press was the measuring stick for those who believed themselves strong. Weight training of any type was considered to be a cult activity until the late 1960’s. Even in the New York City Metropolitan area with its millions of inhabitants, it was a cult and most of us were acquainted with each other or recognized each other on sight. In discussion about the Weider sponsored national level “Mr.” contests that were usually held at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music, in part to lend the occasions an air of legitimacy and elegance, there was a casual closeness to the audience. My comment to a young enthusiast who has a strong interest in the history of the iron game, was that “if 5000 people attended the 1968 grouping of contests that included the Mr. American, Mr. Universe, and Mr. Olympia contests on the same evening, 3000 of us would either know each other or recognize one another from the various hole-in-the-wall gyms, garages, basements, or storefront facilities throughout the City and Long Island. The other 2000 would be gay guys who stood in the bathroom and watched the big bodybuilders taking a leak.” Don’t shoot the messenger, it was a different time and that’s how it was.

Astounding to the past two or three generations of trainees is the fact that most of the big time bodybuilders were very strong and most of the Olympic and powerlifters had very good, well developed physiques. This was the result of having limited equipment to train with and the use of the same basic exercises by almost everyone who trained in a serious manner. For example, Olympic weightlifters would do squats or front squats as their primary lower extremity movements and supplement that with deadlifts, cleans, snatches, and pulls. Doing full squat cleans or snatches and arising from the bottom, the equivalent of placing oneself at a severe disadvantage before doing a front squat, gave obvious work to the hips and thighs. As the Odd Lifts of the bench press, squat, deadlift, and barbell curl in varying order and with varying rules grew into the official sport of powerlifting, competitors performed squats, front squats, and deadlifts as their primary lower extremity work, and supplemented this with cleans or power cleans ala the typical regimen of Olympic lifters. Serious bodybuilders, those big and hard enough to consider competing, did squats and front squats, deadlifts and cleans, and prior to competition “cut up” with additional leg extensions and leg curls. Upper body work for all centered around the standing barbell press and heavy rows and shrugs. The Olympic lifters would include snatch work, the bodybuilders would include arms and some pulldowns or chins, and the powerlifters would incorporate almost any of the basic movements done by the other two groups. With the emphasis on basic multi-joint movements, almost everyone who lifted weights in a consistently serious manner, over time, became quite strong and looked darned good if their diet wasn’t totally out of order.

In an age of specialization where most lifters and bodybuilders don’t even train in the same facilities, I’m sure this seems quite strange and pointless. However, everyone believed they were “in it together” because the general public viewed anyone with developed muscles and anyone who devoted more than a passing moment to lifting weights as “odd,” “off,” “a narcissist,” or misguided. Until the post-World War II era, few could devote any time to weight training because economic conditions demanded that everyone, meaning every male, be gainfully employed and often with two jobs. The leisure time that sprung from the prosperity of post-War America allowed for time and energy to be placed upon developing one’s strength and physique if one wished and only then did any of the weight sports begin to grow beyond the bounds of cult-status and become part of the consciousness of the general public.

More Growth Hormones

Add a light set to the end of your strength workout. In a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Reasearch, Japanese researchers found that your body will pump out more growth hormone if you finish your heavy-weight-lifting session with a single, high- repetition set of an exercise using a lighter load. "This could be partially responsible for greater strength gains," says Kazushige Goto, Ph.D., the study's lead author. A typical strength workout might be four sets at 90 percent of your one-rep max, followed by 20 reps at 50 percent of your one-rep max.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Muscle Increases Brainpower

Listening to music while you exercise increases brainpower, say researchers at Ohio State University. People did twice as well on cognitive tests after exercising with a soundtrack than after sweating in silence. Exercise fights off decay in the area of the brain responsible for “executive function” tasks, such as reasoning and sequencing. Music may “enhance organization of cognitive material, which is also an executive-function task,” says lead author Charles Emery, Ph.D.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Baseball Winter Meetings


This year the Baseball Winter Meetings will be held in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center & The Las Vegas Hilton, December 8 - 11.

This is the 107th annual gathering of the baseball convention, a place where club owners, front office personnel, league officials, just about everyone from the business side of the game whether from the Major Leagues, the Minor Leagues or internationally, will gather in one spot.

This coming week leads to a lot of conversation regarding free agents, league meetings and policies.

Quote of The Day

“Weak Men Wait For Opportunities; Strong Men Make Them" Joe Paterno

The Architect

Maxboxing.com

For those who follow boxing and are excited about tomorrows fight between De La Hoya and Pacquiao here is an article you might like. Strength and Conditioning coaches have begun to work with boxers to improve strength, speed and power levels over the years.

On HBO's infomercial series '24/7', much has been made of the work being put in by Oscar De La Hoya and his long-time strength and conditioning coach, Rob Garcia, as he prepares for his first fight at the welterweight limit in seven years. Not much however, has been focused on the task at hand for Manny Pacquiao, who after winning his first title at 112 pounds, boxes for the first time on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as a full-fledged welterweight.

The responsibility of making sure Pacquiao keeps his speed and quickness while adding the requisite size is one Alex Ariza.

"The main thing here is that we didn't have to worry about moving up so much in weight," he says. "For the David Diaz fight we did focus in a little bit on strength. Our main focus was the speed. This fight here, for the first weeks we introduced Manny to a more ballistic, high-intensity, interval training system. And then the latter half of this camp, we focused on the speed."

Speed is the one clear advantage the 'Pac Man' has over De La Hoya, who has fought as a middleweight in the past. The challenge is to make sure that his blinding speed isn't held down by the extra poundage.

"It's a challenge for every conditioning coach out there. There's always that balance, trying to hold strength and have speed at the same time and the hope is that conditioning will piggy-back on those two things. Speed is such a key factor in this but, at the same time, we have to know that Manny has to be able to sting Oscar when he hits him," said Ariza.

He explains his general philosophy thusly, "High-intensity, interval training is what's out there right now. It's the most modern method of training. Long runs, those more antiquated techniques of conditioning, they just don't exist anymore with your top conditioners. We believe in taxing heart rates, recovering, and things like that which will improve and condition an athlete."

In the early morning a few weeks back, as he conducted the roadwork of one Amir Khan at a local park near Freddie Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, you see that Khan isn't just running several miles straight at a steady pace. Instead, a constellation of cones are set up over 100 yards and Khan, as he reaches each landmark, steps up his pace till he goes into a full blown sprint the last 20 yards. He is given a certain time to get back to the original starting point, where the process is repeated. As Khan begins to stride out, Ariza harps on the young fighter to pump his arms at his sides and to lift his knees. Each set of sprints is meticulously timed.

Afterwards, Khan worked on some 'ladder' drills, which are used by many athletes to improve their quick twitch muscles. In the past, many football teams would lay spare times side by side and have their players step through the tires as quickly as possible, pumping their knees as high as possible. Nowadays, instead of a garage full of Goodyears, trainers like Khan just carry rollaway materials that can be laid out to simulate the same process.

"It's all about plyometrics," Ariza explains of the drills that had Khan moving forward and laterally through the squares as if he were almost playing a game of hopscotch. But regardless of what they do, it's just as important to Ariza the pace at which they execute the workout.

"Conditioning right now is in its formative years still with boxing. So what we try to do is simulate a boxing round in everything we do when it comes to either the intensity of the plyometrics or the ballistic training or sprint training. It's always going to be interval, it's always going to be erratic heartbeats, high heart-rate with short recovery. And that's always going to be the focus.

"It's about taxing your heart rate, getting heart rate that's similar to what they experience in a boxing ring and then having that ability to recover and then do it again, recover and then taxing it again and recover. So it's gotta simulate what a boxing match is. Running a long distance, you can time your breathing, you can adjust your pace. When you're doing interval training, you can't do that."

And yes, Ariza did put Pacquiao through some resistance training - which is still considered taboo in many boxing circles.

"I do use weights, but in the sense that they're not for cosmetic reasons," says Ariza, who stays away from compound lifts such as the bench press and military press. He believes in high reps with movements that will benefit a boxer inside the ring. "They're more to develop a quicker, faster response, a faster twitch-muscle fiber. They're designed to target those things like that. So the idea behind using light weight is also for flexibility and to develop a faster reflex."

Pacquiao's work ethic, according to Ariza is, "Phenomenal. As a conditioning coach you are always trying to be a motivator, somebody who keeps athletes at a level of intensity. But with Manny, it's almost reverse. Motivating him isn't a problem. Getting him to work hard isn't a problem. It's keeping him from working too hard that's the problem."

But there is still the fear of the unknown, and Pacquiao and his long-time Filipino crew have balked at a few things and have been reluctant to make some changes. "Some of the stuff we cut out a little earlier than normal with Manny because Manny's just not used to it," said Roach. If it ain't broke, why fix it? That seems to be the philosophy at work here. But what helps his cause is that Ariza has the support of Roach, an old-school trainer, who is receptive to new ideas.

"I think there's room for it. Every sport in the world, we're getting bigger, stronger and technology is better," says the respected trainer. "I'm old-school, but if something makes sense to me, I'm going to go with it."

Roach harkens back to a time when he was fighting when he performed tried and true drills that, in retrospect, make no sense now."Like the medicine ball," he says with a laugh. "They used to pound the medicine ball into me so you got used to body shots and stuff like that."

So that didn't work?

"No."

Really?

"I think you get your body in shape to take punches by doing sit-ups and doing exercises. If I keep hitting you in the head, are you going to get used to it?"

Then there was the custom of doing your roadwork in heavy duty work boots to strengthen your legs.
"I used to run in boots," admits Roach. "I actually didn't believe in it back then and I still don't believe in it because it's just so bad for your legs, shin splits."

So why'd he do it, then?

"My dad made me. You did what you were told."

Perhaps all of these past missteps (whether in Red Wings or Nikes) has made Roach the ideal trainer to work under.

"Actually Freddie is an outside-the-box kind of trainer," Ariza states. "He's one of those guys who is more cutting edge, more modern. He thinks that conditioning and nutrition is an invaluable facet of a fighter’s training. His training is very intense, he's high-intensity, a lot of volume punching. So in order for his fighters to be able to maintain that kind of pace he keeps with the mitts, they have to incorporate this kind of conditioning."

Alcohol Slows Down Muscle Growth

Some of the great weight lifters and boxers from the early 1900s trained in the back saloons. Typically, they would drink beer, do a few reps or box a round, then drink some more. While this makes for a great story, it’s lousy way to train. Dr. C.H. Lang and colleagues from Penn State University found that even moderate drinking decreased the rate of protein synthesis by 20 percent. Alcohol interferes with the way amino acids are lined up to make specific proteins. It also blocks the action of the powerful anabolic hormone, insulin-like growth factor (IGF -1). This is important information for athletes and other weight trained athletes. Even a few drinks can erase all the work you did in the gym.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Performance News

Fruits and vegetables can be muscle foods. In a recent study, Australian researchers found that men who reduced their antioxidant intake by eating just one serving of fruit and two vegetables daily for 2 weeks felt as if they were exerting more effort than when exercising on a diet rich in antioxidants. Eating several servings of fruit and vegetables daily can make exercise seem easier and help you finish those last few reps.

Exercise will help you stay sharp as a tack. In a study conducted on mice at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, it was found that exercise rejuvenates the brain. Of 15 young mice and 18 old mice (equivalent to 70 human years), half were given exercise wheels. After one month all 33 mice underwent maze test. Both young and old mice who exercised performed equally well, but sedentary mice took twice as long to finish the maze.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Oregon Baseball And Nike Unveil New Uniforms


FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Oregon and Nike unveiled the 2009 Oregon baseball uniforms at a press conference today inside the Autzen Stadium Endzone Terrace Room.

The Ducks are returning to the diamond in 2009 for the first time in 28 years, led by head coach George Horton.

The new uniforms epitomize the tradition of Oregon baseball, but also reflect the innovation that Nike and the University of Oregon are known for. Like uniforms for other Oregon sports programs, the Ducks new baseball uniforms are designed for performance as well as style, with the ultimate goal to remove any distractions so an athlete can perform to its full potential.

“Nike is excited that baseball is back at the University of Oregon and honored to design these unique uniforms for the baseball team,” said Todd Van Horne, Nike Inc.’s Creative Director. “Nike is proud to continue supporting the University of Oregon and their athletics program.”

The weight of the new uniforms are 33% lighter than a traditional baseball uniform, feature customized tailoring specifically for baseball players and positions, and also the latest technology for warming, cooling and drying.

The baseball uniform is fitted and the stretch fabric eliminates bulk on the athlete. Also, to enhance mobility, Nike incorporated freedom of movement in both the shoulders and knees of the uniform.

“I would like to thank Nike for being able to create an incredible functional and aesthetically pleasing uniform,” Horton said. “Nike really hit a grand slam. We are very excited to wear these uniforms and represent this great University.”

The uniforms are now available at most retailers including The Duck Store and Nike retail stores.

A close look at the gray pinstripe reveals that the pinstripes are made with the words of the Oregon fight song.

The jerseys also use a unique “Ducks” script created by Nike for the Oregon baseball program.

Prior to the start of Saturday’s football game with Stanford, the Oregon baseball team will be available in the Moshofsky Center beginning at 10 .am., for a meet-and-greet and autograph session with fans. In addition, there will also be games for kids as fans get their first up-close look at the new uniforms.

The Oregon baseball team will also be introduced to the Autzen crowd during the football game on Saturday.

The University of Oregon reinstated baseball in July of 2007 and that fall hired College World Series championship skipper and two-time National Coach of the Year George Horton.

Recently the 2008-09 Oregon baseball recruiting class received two top-10 honors by collegiate baseball publications.

The Ducks received the No. 2 ranking in the nation by Collegiate Baseball’s annual evaluation in September, and were ranked 10th in the nation by Baseball America’s evaluation of NCAA Division I baseball classes in October.

The Ducks will play their first game in 28 years on Friday, Feb. 20 at Saint Mary’s. Oregon will then christen PK Park, hosting defending College World Series champion Fresno State on Friday, Feb. 27 in Eugene.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The BCS Question No One Is Asking


This post is from SportsBiz guest blogger Lake The Posts:

ESPN is reportedly the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) sweepstakes winner as FOX respectfully bowed out of the bidding process yesterday.

Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal reported the "Worldwide Leader" has offered the BCS $500 million for four years beginning in 2011. This trumps the existing $330 million four-year Fox deal by $40million per year. Most college football pundits are asking " how will ESPN change the BCS (while network CFOs must be asking "what economic downturn")? I'm asking why no one is asking why the NCAA let go of this cash cow franchise?

College football is under the jurisdiction of the NCAA along with every other sanctioned varsity college sport. Yet, the Division I college football postseason is under the jurisdiction of 11 NCAA Division I conference commissioners, Notre Dame's athletic director and a presidential oversight committee (comprised of the likes of Notre Dame, Pitt, Penn State, and Oregon to name a few) simply known to the masses as the BCS. It must be all about the money, right? Why is it, then, Myles Brand's NCAA team is fit to run point for a March Madness that fetches approximately $400 Million per YEAR in CBS rights fees alone, more than the entire Fox BCS contract?

Perhaps President-elect and hoops junkie, Barack Obama can convene a special investigation. Oh yeah, he's already jokingly threatened to misuse taxpayer's dollars by doing so. In fairness, Republican Mike Simpson (Idaho) co-sponsored a bill to do just that; investigate the BCS and it garnered support from both sides of the aisle including Democrat Neil Abercrombie (Hawaii), before their constituents balked.

No doubt, the co-sponsors shared a common bond of BCS slights in the past, but it appears it will take a Boise State-esque miracle against the Oklahoma-esque incumbents to hit paydirt for a college football playoff. Even the ironically named Knight Commission (it is named for its founders John & James Knight, NOT Myles Brand's nemesis Bobby Knight), a non-profit panel of collegiate influencers, has recommended the only way to minimize the widening gap of profit "haves" versus "have nots" is to return jurisdiction to the NCAA.

The eye-popping offer by ESPN only exacerbates the power of the most enigmatic decision-making braintrust in major sports. They're so smart, they have created a brand that essentially has a target-less head as the point person is given a powerless title (BCS Coordinator) and rotated every two years (ACC Commissioner, John Swofford is the current coordinator).

If you're mad at the NFL you take it out on Roger Goodell, if you're ticked at the NBA, David Stern gets the darts, but if you want to gripe about the BCS, most fans don't even know where to target their angst. Have no fear college football fans, in just three years, when the ESPN cross-platform content machine starts cranking out BCS propaganda, we will have Bob Ley and "Outside the Lines" to serve the public and ask the question that no one is asking.

Lake The Posts is an anonymous site dedicated to die-hard Northwestern football fans. The name pays homage to the pre-Barnett era Cats, whose rare wins were marked by ripping down the goal posts, marching them down Central Street and tossing them into Lake Michigan (a feat known as "laking"). You can find the blog at www.laketheposts.com.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

How Astronauts Stay Fit, On and Off the Planet

By Elizabeth Landau
CNN.com/health

(CNN) -- Being in space is like being Superman every day, says Clay Anderson, a NASA astronaut from Omaha, Nebraska. At the international space station, where he spent five months last year, he flew to breakfast, work and the bathroom.

But floating around in zero-G can have some serious consequences for the human body, NASA's experts have learned, including the weakening of bones. In fact, studies have shown that space travelers can lose 1 to 2 percent of their bone mass each month on average, according to NASA.

One way that astronauts have been fighting bone loss is through strength training. And they're getting some help with a new machine delivered this week by the shuttle Endeavour, which docked with the international space station on Sunday.

The advanced Resistive Exercise Device, aRED for short, functions like a weight machine in a gym on Earth, except it has no conventional weights. Instead, it has vacuum cylinders -- canisters with air that have had a vacuum applied -- that provide concentric workloads up to 600 pounds, NASA says.

The device works somewhat like a bicycle pump, only in reverse, said Mark Guilliams, a NASA trainer. For example, if you are squatting, the vacuum gets pulled out as you stand up, and when you squat back down, the vacuum pulls the bar back to the normal position.

Between the vacuum cans and the bar, there are small flywheels that spin in opposite directions, creating an artificial gravity when someone lifts the bar.

Astronauts can do upper and lower-body exercises, such as squats, dead lift, heel raises, bicep curls and bench press on the device, NASA said.

"In the movie, the 'Transformers,' it looks like one of those things that unfolds into some kind of big monster," Anderson said. "It's huge."

The existing exercise device on the space station has a mechanism that more closely resembles a rubber band. The farther you pull the rubber band, the more force you generate, Guilliams said. The limitations of this device made it somewhat boring, Anderson said.

The new device will allow astronauts do many more kinds of exercises than the old one. The tradeoff is its larger size, Anderson said. It will be in use almost constantly during the day, assuming astronauts work out about two hours a day each, he said.

The international space station also is equipped with a treadmill and a bicycle, Guilliams said.

So what's the difference between exercising on Earth and working out on the international space station?

"When you run outside on Earth, you've got 195 pounds smacking against the pavement every time you take a step," said Anderson, who weighs 195 pounds on Earth. "In zero gravity, you're trying to use bungees to hold you down."

The treadmill has clip harnesses to hold an astronaut down, such that the fewer clips used, the more force acts around the legs, making running more difficult, he said.

Using the previous exercise device on the space station wasn't so different from a cable machine in a weight room on Earth, he said.

"Instead of lifting a big piece of iron, you're basically pulling against a gear or a can," he said. "I think they were very similar in terms of feel."

Both before and after space travel, astronauts go through the same kinds of exercises familiar to athletes and others who exercise on Earth, Guilliams said -- aerobic activity such as running, and weight training. Astronauts training for a flight have scheduled exercise time two or three times a week for two hours each session, but in unscheduled time, they'll go for a run, he said.

But people who want to leave the planet must be in really great shape, right?

Guilliams says that's not the case -- as long as a person is healthy and has no cardiovascular problems, he or she can, in theory, can become a NASA astronaut, even if out of shape.

For Anderson, who played football in college and has been athletic for much of his life, space travel was "physically easy." Space walks did get fatiguing because they required him to use his forearms, hands and upper body, which don't get much exercise on Earth.

"On Earth, you tend to use your big muscle group, and in space you tend to use your smaller muscle group, especially on a space walk when you use your forearms and your hands almost exclusively," he said.

Anderson lost only 4 percent of his body mass in his 152 days off the planet, compared with the expected 12 to 16 percent, he said. He also exercised for two-and-a-half hours a day for 151 out of the 152 days, he said.

Returning to Earth on the shuttle Discovery last November, Anderson walked off the orbiter with a little assistance, and it only took him about 24 hours to walk and stand normally again.

He credits this speedy recovery to his frequent use of the exercise equipment on the space station.

Combating bone loss is one of the challenges that the space program has, especially given the goal of a mission to Mars.

An ongoing study is measuring how much astronauts who stay on board the international space station eat and exercise, Anderson said. The experiment will determine what kinds of dietary supplements astronauts should take in addition to the food they eat, and also the appropriate level and type of exercise they should get, he said.

"I think they're making some good strides in figuring out how to keep people healthy on a six- to nine-month trip to Mars," he said, although experts are still a long way away from figuring out the bone loss issue for a round-trip journey of about two years.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Athletic Fuel

by Susan Kundrat, MS, RD, CSSD

Daily Training Recommendations:

· Eat a big breakfast, lean, high-carbohydrate lunch, and small snack after school to prepare for afternoon practices.

· Drink extra liquids during the day to “boost” fluid stores for workouts.

· Use salt and eat salty foods during the day to help prevent cramping and enhance hydration.

· Get in a high-carbohydrate snack with a little protein within 30 minutes of every workout to boost muscle recovery.

· Eat a high-carbohydrate dinner with at least 1 good serving of quality protein to refuel energy stores.

· Take in a good snack before bed to continue to boost recovery.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Baseball Off-Season Questions Part I

I want to gain size and strength this winter for the upcoming baseball season. What do you recommend?


There are two goals of an off-season weight training program:

1. Aid in the preventiopn of injury to the shoulder, elbow, hips, legs, and trunk.

2. Develop a stronger and more durable athlete by increasing overall strength.


Weight training is a small piece of the puzzle when talking about the development of an off-season program. Flexibility, speed, agility, power, conditioning, balance, stability, mobility and coordination are all important in the development of the total baseball player.


You should train the entire muscle structure of the body as safe as possible. Stronger muscles produce more force, which allows the player to play stronger. A comprehensive program concentrates on increasing overall strength with emphasis on the shoulder complex, torso, hips and legs. Do not concentrate on over developing the muscles of the chest with excessive pressing movements. The upper body lifts should concentrate on the muscles of the back and posterior areas of the shoulder. Remember that the majority of the injuries in baseball are shoulder (rotator cuff and labrum), elbow, core, and hip related. Concentrate on improving strength in these areas during your training.


Be consistent with your training, add weight progressively, and make sure that you incorporate post-workout stretching. Follow a good nutritional plan that will provide you the required number of calories to feed the muscles and help with recovery. Train hard, but smart.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Today's Quotes

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will"

"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.;

"They call it coaching but it is teaching. You do not just tell them... you show them the reasons."

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commtment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."

Vince Lombardi

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Study Finds Ballet Dancers Fitter than International Swimmers

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2008) — As Mark Foster swaps his swimming trunks for his dancing shoes on the BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing, results of a study from the University of Hertfordshire have just revealed that the overall fitness of ballet dancers is greater than that of international swimmers.

The work, led by Professor Tim Watson and Dr Andrew Garrett, involved comparing members of the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet School with a squad of British National and International Swimmers, including members of the Olympic squad.

The investigation looked at a range of ‘fitness’ testing including strength, endurance, balance, flexibility and psychological state amongst others, enabling an individual ‘fitness profile’ to be constructed.

Of the ten most important measures of fitness employed, the ballet dancers had stronger scores in seven of them when taking into account body size. Ballet dancers were some 25% stronger when tested for grip strength for example.

"The results reveal the very different physical make-up of the two types of athletes" commented Professor Watson “and when it comes to training and recovery from injury, it is critical to know precisely the fitness profile needed by the participant in any physical activity.

“The individuals fitness training must cater for the varying demands of their ‘performance’ and should an injury occur, the treatment and rehabilitation that takes place must match the demands that they are going to put on their body when they return – or else further injury is highly likely.”

The full results were announced on October 23 during the University of Hertfordshire’s Health and Human Sciences Research Institute Showcase week which ran from 21-24 October at the University’s de Havilland campus.


University of Hertfordshire (2008, October 27). Ballet Dancers Are Fitter Than International Swimmers

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Bob Alejo back as A's Strength Coach

OAKLAND -- Bob Alejo, best known for his ties to former A's slugger and current free-agent first baseman Jason Giambi, was hired Tuesday for a second tour of duty as Oakland's strength and conditioning coach.

The A's last month announced that they would not be renewing the contract of Clarence Cockrell, who had been the club's strength coach for seven seasons. Cockrell had replaced Alejo, who held the same post with Oakland from 1993-2001.

In a statement released by the team's public relations staff, the A's said Alejo will be responsible for all aspects of the organization's year-round conditioning program at both the Major and Minor League levels.

Alejo spent the past four years as the director of strength and conditioning at UC Santa Barbara, and he was a member of the United States Olympic Team in 2008 as the strength and conditioning coach for the men's beach volleyball team of Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser, which won gold in Beijing.

Before joining the A's in 1993, Alejo was strength and conditioning coach for Chico State's football team and later moved to UCLA as an assistant conditioning coach for all sports except football.

When Giambi signed with the Yankees after the '01 season, he hired Alejo away from Oakland to serve as his personal trainer. Giambi admitted to investigators in the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs that he used steroids, but Alejo was never implicated in the case, and he's never been mentioned in connection with steroids.

The addition of Alejo surely will lead to speculation that the A's are interested in bringing back Giambi. Oakland's brass has a policy against publicly discussing free-agent pursuits. The Yankees announced Tuesday that they will not pick up Giambi's option for 2009.

Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Ninemillion.org

This is a UN Refugee Agency led campaign committed to raising awareness and funds for education and sports programs for refugee youth around the world. Nike is a founding partner.

Still Spooked by High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Tara Parker-Pope

By now most everyone has seen ads from the Corn Refiners Association, claiming that our fears about high-fructose corn syrup are misplaced. Since our kids will soon be loading up on Halloween treats laden with the substance, it’s a good time to consider why so many people find corn sweeteners so scary.

Just this month, researchers from Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago took a look at the link between kidney disease and high-fructose corn syrup. Using data from nearly 9,400 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2004, they tracked consumption of sugary soft drinks, a major source of high-fructose corn syrup in the United States, and protein in the urine, a sensitive marker for kidney disease. They found that overall, people who drank two or more sugary sodas a day were at 40 percent higher risk for kidney damage, while the risk for women soda drinkers nearly doubled.

In June, the Journal of Hepatology suggested a link between consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in sodas and fatty liver disease.

And this summer, a small study published in The Journal of Nutrition suggested that fructose may make people fatter by bypassing the body’s regulation of sugars, which means it gets more quickly converted to fat than do other sugars.

Many scientists hypothesize that high-fructose corn syrup has contributed to rising obesity rates, although others say there is no solid evidence to support the theory. The corn refiners agree, dedicating a Web site to the “sweet surprise” of high-fructose corn syrup.

But we do know that foods made with high-fructose corn syrup are heavily processed and typically lack any meaningful nutritional value. And while the jury is out on the real effect high-fructose corn syrup has on obesity, we do know it’s a threat to the health of the planet.

As writer Michael Pollan told The Washington Post earlier this year, high-fructose corn syrup “may be cheap in the supermarket, but in the environment it could not be more expensive.”

Most corn is grown as a monoculture, meaning that the land is used solely for corn, not rotated among crops. This maximizes yields, but at a price: It depletes soil nutrients, requiring more pesticides and fertilizer while weakening topsoil.

“The environmental footprint of high-fructose corn syrup is deep and wide,” writes Pollan, a prominent critic of industrial agriculture. “Look no farther than the dead zone in the Gulf [of Mexico], an area the size of New Jersey where virtually nothing will live because it has been starved of oxygen by the fertilizer runoff coming down the Mississippi from the Corn Belt. Then there is the atrazine in the water in farm country — a nasty herbicide that, at concentrations as little as 0.1 part per billion, has been shown to turn male frogs into hermaphrodites.”

This was an article written for the New York Times Health Section on October 30, 2008

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

High School Knee Injuries By Sport And Gender

Knee injuries, among the most economically costly sports injuries, are the leading cause of high school sports-related surgeries according to a study conducted at the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and published in the June issue of The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

The researchers utilized data from the High School RIOTM online injury surveillance system which collects injury reports for nine high school sports from certified athletic trainers at 100 U.S. high schools selected to achieve a nationally representative sample. Data are collected for boys' football, soccer, basketball, baseball and wrestling and girls' soccer, volleyball, basketball and softball.

The knee was the second most frequently injured body site overall, with boys' football and wrestling and girls' soccer and basketball recording the highest rates of knee injury. The most common knee injuries were incomplete ligament tears, contusions, complete ligament tears, torn cartilage, fractures/dislocations and muscle tears.

"Knee injuries in high school athletes are a significant area for concern," said Dawn Comstock, PhD, CIRP principal investigator, faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and one of the study authors. "Knee injuries accounted for nearly 45 percent of all sports injury-related surgeries in our study. Knee surgeries are often costly procedures that can require extensive and expensive post-surgery rehabilitation and can increase risk for early onset osteoarthritis. Without effective interventions, the burden of knee surgeries and rehabilitation will continue to escalate as the number of high school athletes continues to grow."

Researchers also found several interesting gender patterns. For example, while boys had a higher overall rate of knee injury, girls' knee injuries were more severe. Girls were more likely to miss > 3 weeks of sports activity (as opposed to <1 week for boys) and were twice as likely to require surgery. Girls were also found to be twice as likely to incur major knee injuries as a result of non-contact mechanisms, often involving landing, jumping or pivoting.

"Parents of young female athletes should not overreact to these findings however," warned Comstock. "The long term negative health effects of a sedentary lifestyle far outweigh those of the vast majority of sports injuries."

The study also identified illegal sports activity as a risk factor for major knee injury in high school sports. Although illegal play was identified as a contributing factor in only 5.7 percent of all knee injuries, 20 percent of knee injuries resulting from illegal play required surgery. This finding suggests the importance of making it clear to athletes, parents, coaches, and officials that illegal play has the potential to cause serious injury.

Study authors stressed that monitoring trends through continued surveillance of high school sports injuries is essential to fully understand the mechanisms behind major knee injury. "The study of knee injury patterns in high school athletics is crucial for the development of evidence-based targeted injury prevention measures," Comstock added. "We know that sports injury rates can be decreased through such efforts."

Nationwide Children's Hospital (2008, May 23). High School Knee Injuries By Sport And Gender.

Monday, October 6, 2008

SWOBAT Softball Clinic

This past weekend I had the chance of spending time with Crystl Bustos and Jenny Finch at the SWOBAT Softball Camp. These two athletes are at the peak of their game and for good reason. It was my first time meeting Crystl and I was totally impressed by her energy, knowledge of the game and her enthusiasm for teaching young athletes.

I have known Jenny since my days with the Cincinnati Reds. We did a special with This Week in Baseball, where she would pitch to MLB players to see who could hit her fastball. Sean Casey hit the ball about two feet in front of him. The funny thing was, he was the only player in MLB that year to make contact.

But the thing that impressed me the most about the weekend was the desire of athletes and parents to learn from some of the most successful softball players on the planet. The truth of the matter is that true success comes to those who truly want it. You could see both athletes and parents really interested in how Crystl and Jenny carried themselves, what kind of instruction was being taught, what could they take from this day and become better athletes and teammates.

It was a special two days and something that will help me better understand the athletes we work with and how to make our programs work better and more efficient for you.

I was invited to speak about the benefits of strength and conditioning for softball. Softball athletes tend to injure shoulders, low back and knees the most throughout the season. So strength and conditioning becomes an integral part of softball training.

When developing strength and conditioning programs it's critical to determine what are some of the most injury prone areas in your sport. By focusing on these areas early in your program, you strengthen the weak links, become more efficient and reduce the probability of getting injured.

One of the most important components of your program should be a comprehensive warm-up that will activate, mobilize and prepare the body for the game. Include various movements with the goal of increasing body temperature. You may want to start with joint rotations, gently twisting and bending movements usually followed by jogging, jumping rope or light calisthenics. Divide the routine into passive, active and dynamics movements.

If you would like to learn more about our warm-ups and speed-strength and conditioning programs, please visit
www.swobat.org

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

St. X Football Week 2

We start our second week of the season. We lost a tough game against Colerain in week 1, but we know its a long season ahead of us. Our goals still continue to be to win the GCL and head up north to the state title game in December.

We play the Pratville Lions from Alabama in Paul Brown Stadium, the home of the Cincinnati Bengals, Saturday at 8:00pm. This will be one of many games on Labor Day weekend at the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Challenge. Pratville comes in with a great team to Cincinnati. They are back to back state champs in Alabama and were the # 2 ranked team in the nation in 2007. We both lost 18 starters during the off-season, but that doesn't mean that they won't bring it. Teams with this kind of tradition don't rebuild, they usually reload. Tjhey have outstanding speed and very disciplined athletes.

On our part, we come in with a loss in week 1. Nothing has really changed in week 2. We still continue to prepare with the same intensity and discipline we do every week. The athletes and coaches have responded with their heads up high and focused intensity. Or conditioning and lifting on Saturday was high volume due to the extra day of recovery. We worked hard on our upper and lower body lifts and our conditioning included a lot of paced runs with adequate rest periods.

We had no injuries during the Colerain game, which is always nice after such a physical matchup. We continue to rehab and reconditioning our players that missed time due to tweaks and injured body parts from doubles in pre-season. We try not to give any of the injured players time off from training to maintain high conditioning levels. Our programs are geared towards training injured body parts without compromising strength levels around the entire body. This allows us to increase strength, flexibility and conditioning throughout rehab time.

We look forward to playing Pratville at the Herbstreit this weekend. For those of you who are close to Cincinnati this weekend, you should try to make some of the games either Saturday or Sunday. It's also the Cincinnati Bell - WEBN Fireworks on Sunday, so that will be about 400,000 people in downtown Cincy hanging out havin a good time . It's going to be great fun.

11 am - Elder (Cincinnati, OH) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

2 pm - Middletown (Middletown, OH) vs. Warren Central (Indianapolis, IN)

5 pm - Colerain (Cincinnati, OH) vs. McKeesport (McKeesport, PA)

8 pm - St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) vs. Prattville (Prattville, AL)

Sunday, Aug. 31st 2008

Noon - Moeller (OH) vs. Montgomery Bell (Nashville, TN)

3 pm - Wayne (Huber Heights, OH) vs. East St. Louis (East St. Louis, IL)

6 pm - Lakota West (West Chester, OH) vs. St. Rita (Chicago, IL)

Monday, August 18, 2008

St. X Football Week 1

We are only four days from our first game of the 2008 season. The Bombers will be playing city rival Colerain Cardinals. This is a repeat matchup from last years Regional 4 final. This matchup should provide both teams a good first game to see what pieces will continue to work throughout the season.

On our part, we have been preparing since the first week of January. From the very beginning we understood what the goals were; to get a group of juniors that had backed up some quality seniors for two years to beleive they are ready enough with themselves to compete in 2008. We began our training program with basic testing. The testing gave us ideas as to what we would implement in the off-season. Our emphasis from the very beginning was proper kinetics, hypertrophy and strength.

Any time you start a young group of athletes in a new training program, you are going to need a thorough orientation process. So we began educating our kids with the basics. Basic movements geared towards improving ankle, knee, hip and shoulder stability and movement efficiency. Once we were comfortable, we moved them into the hypertrophy and strength phases.

Summer training began the second week of June. This gave us nineteen (19) training sessions to get our guys into playing shape for camp. Our goal was to focus on total development. We took all the most important pieces from the off-season and tweaked them to focus on power, speed and quickness.

During the off-seson we got a chance to participate in the SPARQ Team Challenge. For those of you who don't know, The SPARQ Challege tests athletic teams from around the country in football specific tests. After we tested, our scores showed that we had placed in the elite level with a 90+ score. The funny thing about this was, we had never performed much speed and agility work. Our total focus up to that point in April was hypertrophy and strength. This proved a point that I had thought of months before. Would building hypertrophy and strength, the size and strength of the muscle, help us generate more power output, which in turn improve our scores with just some basic technique work? Well it did. This was good to know, because now we were on the right track.

Summer emphasis was on speed, agility and quickness. When working with competitive athletics its important to have your guys ready to perform from day one of camp. During summer workouts our guys worked hard and with good focus. Colerain as a first game matchup can keep your kids focused pretty good on its own.

We went through double sessions the first two weeks of August. As a strength and conditioning coach, this is the time of year when you have to keep your eyes open and your game plan ready for adjustment. Up to this point everyone of your players looks good. But guys are going to get dinged up and hurt once the hitting starts and you have to have a plan for everyone of those players.

Hamilton was our last scrimmage before Colerain. Next day films and conditioning went as planned. We got they guys introduced to the in-season program, loosened them up, stretched them out and finished our day.

Today is Monday, just four days away from our first game. We've been waiting a long time for this matchup and its finally upon us. On that fateful night August 22 at 8:15pm in Nippert Stadium, St. X and Colerain will meet again.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

ESPN Rise High School Pre-season Poll

ESPN has just come out with their yearly high school pre-season preview and rankings.

1. Trinity (Euless, Texas)
Last season's record: 15-1, Class 5A-I champion
Key players: QB Denarius McGhee (6-3, 180, Sr.); RB Dontrayevous Robinson (6-1, 205, Sr.); OL Cameron Graves (6-2, 265, Sr.); DB Eryon Barnett (6-2, 180, Sr.); LB Earnest Norman (6-0, 215, Sr.); DL Siosaia Tuipulotu (6-2, 280, Sr.)

Trinity is known for its participation in a 2007 Gatorade TV commercial, in which former NFL coach Bill Parcells asks the athletes if they have what it takes to pay the toll. This season, Trinity will find out if it has what it takes not only to pay the toll but also to sit atop the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national poll.

2. Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.)
Last season's record: 14-1, Class AAAAA champion
Key players: RB Greg Reid (5-9, 175, Sr.); DB Gerald Demps (6-1, 195, Sr.); QB Khary Franklin (5-6, 165, Jr.); WR Darius Howell (5-11, 190, Sr.); TE Jordan Black (6-4, 250, Jr.)

3. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
Last season's record: 13-0, CIF Division I state champion
Key players: RB Kylan Butler (5-8, 180, Sr.); QB Blake Wayne (5-10, 170, Sr.); WR-DB Noah Perio (5-11, 165, Sr.); WR-DB Blair Wishom (6-0, 190, Sr.); OL-LB Zach Stanley (5-11, 206, Sr.)

4. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Last season's record: 14-1, Class 5A state champion
Key players: WR Duron Carter (6-3, 205, Sr.); QB Ryan Becker (6-0, 185, Sr.); C Brandon Linder (6-5, 280, Jr.); LB Conor O'Neill (6-1, 185, Sr.); Giovanni Bernard (5-9, 200, Jr.)

5. Jenks (Jenks, Okla.)
Last season's record: 13-1, Class 6A state champion
Key players: DB Gabe Lynn (6-0, 180, Sr.); LB E.J. Colbert (5-9, 220, Sr.); WR Tramaine Thompson (5-9, 170, Sr.); OL Brian Mincher (6-2, 270, Sr.); DL Jason Bixler (6-2, 220, Sr.)

6. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)
Last season's record: 12-0, Non-Public Group IV champion
Key players: QB Brett Knief (6-0, 190, Sr.); RB Dillon Romain (5-11, 205, Sr.); RB Troy Jones (5-9, 185, Jr.); DB Trace McDermott (6-0, 190, Sr.); OL Jack Templeton (6-3, 260, Sr.)

The Ironmen, with eight offensive and five defensive returning starters, take to the road this season to face St. Xavier of Cincinnati and De La Salle of Concord, Calif., and are the only preseason ranked team in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 that is playing two others in the top 10.

7. Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.)
Last season's record: 11-2, WPIAL Class AAAA finalist
Key players: LB Dorian Bell (6-0, 225, Sr.); DB Corey Brown (6-0, 180, Sr.); DE B.J. Stevens (6-0, 235, Sr.); QB Robert Kalkstein (6-1, 180, Jr.); OL Colin Rodkey (6-4, 260)


8. Deerfield Beach (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
Last season's record: 11-3, Class 6A semifinalist
Key players: QB Denard Robinson (5-11, 180, Sr.); RB Cassius McDowell (5-9, 165, Jr.); DB Adrian Witty (6-1, 175, Sr.); DB Donte Dotson (5-9, 165, Jr.); DL Johnny Seays (6-1, 240, Sr.)

9. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Last season's record: 15-0, Division I champion
Key players: QB Luke Massey (6-5, 200, Jr.); OL Matthew James (6-7, 285, Sr.); LB Luke Kuedchly (6-3, 210, Sr.); DL Patrick Muldoon (6-4, 255, Sr.); RB Connor Earley (5-11, 190, Sr.)

Outlook: If the Bombers go unscathed and win their third state title in four years, they will be in contention once again for the final No. 1 ranking. Many thought last year's team should have been No. 1 instead of Miami Northwestern, based on strength of schedule, and that would again be a linchpin of any argument this team would have at the finish.

The schedule includes the top-ranked teams from New Jersey (Don Bosco Prep) and Alabama (Prattville) plus a defending Kentucky champ (Louisville Trinity) and an Indiana state runner-up (Indianapolis Cathedral). This doesn't even include the teams the Bombers will play or might play in their own state. Massey returns at QB after passing for 1,200 yards and seven TDs while starting the final seven games last season. Earley is expected to step up at RB after backing up All-American Darius Ashley last season. James leads the offensive line, while Kuedchly and Muldoon should make St. X rugged up front on defense. Kuedchly was the team's top tackle last year, while Muldoon was named to the all-state team.

10. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)
Last season's record: 15-0, Class 5A champion
Key players: RB Marcus Latti (5-11, 195, Jr.); QB Chas Dodd (6-2, 185, Jr.); WR Ricco Sanders (5-11, 180, Sr.); DB Justin Bright (6-1, 190, Sr.); OL Jamie Dunaway (6-3, 270, Sr.)

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Jump Rope Program

Why should you start a jump rope program? Because, 10 minutes of jumping rope can provide the same calorie burn as 30 minutes of running. Rope jumping uses all your muscles and joints and also requires some skill and practice. Here is a sample program: With the basic bounce or alternate step, start with 10 sets of 10 jumps. Increase the number of jumps by 10 per set until you reach 100 jumps nonstop. Gradually work towards 5 to 10 minutes of continuous jumping.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Beyond Over Training

The term "over training" is a misnomer. The physical and mental condition that prohibits athletes from training and performing to their capacities can be caused by a variety of factors other than simply training too hard or too long. The American College of Sports Medicine says that the primary cause of over training is still a poorly conceived training program. Athletes can be at risk when there is a rapid increase in training volume or intensity, as well as inadequate recovery time. Even if those variables are appropriately controlled for one athlete, they may result in over training for another. Beyond those obvious problems, the ACSM has identified seven factors that may also contribute to over training:

1. Frequent competition, especially if it involves quality effort 

2. Monotonous training without resting days 

3. Pre-existing medical conditions such as colds and allergies 

4. Poor diet, particularly when there is an inadequate intake of carbohydrates and fluids

5. Environmental stress factors (high altitude, high temperatures, high humidity) 

6. Psychological stress factors, including difficulty in adjusting to teammates, coaches, or work 

7. Heavy travel schedules 


Take these steps to reduce the risk of over training:

• Periodize your training program by scheduling heavy, moderate, and light exercise days. 

• Build rest days into your schedule, especially during heavy training periods. 

• Individualize your training program. 

• Keep records of practice/competition performance. 

• Recognize signs of over training (anxiety, decline in performance, anger, depression, fatigue, loss of appetite, insomnia) 

Don't confuse over training with what the ACSM calls "overreaching," which is limited to poor performance in training and competition. It can usually be treated by rest or reduced training combined with active recreation.

Monday, July 28, 2008

St. X on High School Playbook

It's coming!!! St. X will be highlighted throughout the season on the site www.highschoolplaybook.com every Wednesday starting this week. They will be All-Access Bombers style. They have covered our strength and conditioning sessions, practice and behind closed-door meetings throughout the summer. It should be interesting to see what kind of coverage they will be allowed to post on their site. They will cover us throughout the season. Hope you enjoy it.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Music for Increased Brainpower

Listening to music while you exercise increases brainpower, say researchers at Ohio State University. People did twice as well on cognitive tests after exercising with a soundtrack than after sweating in silence. Exercise fights off decay in the area of the brain responsible for “executive function” tasks, such as reasoning and sequencing. Music may “enhance organization of cognitive material, which is also an executive-function task,” says lead author Charles Emery, Ph.D.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Make Iron Your Appetizer

You already know your body has to burn calories to process and store food. But now researchers at the University of Nevada have found that lifting weights before you eat increases the thermic effect on food. And increasing your thermic effect can aid in weight loss. When the researchers studied the impact of completing a 30-minute workout before a high-carbohydrate meal, they found that it increased the calorie-burning effect by 73 percent. Here’s why: Working out lowers glycogen levels, which trigger your body to process more of your post-workout meal into new glycogen.

Mix It Up For More Muscle

Most lifters vary their workouts after a month because they know muscles adapt to stress. But two recent studies at Arizona State University show that when and how you vary your workouts is what determines whether you improve strength or endurance. In the first study, men who changed to fewer repetitions using more weight at every workout gained 50 percent more strength than those who made the same changes to their workout routine every 4 weeks. In the second study, men who increased repetitions while decreasing weight once a month, improved endurance. Improving endurance requires a gradual increase in volume, while strength responds to frequent changes.

Mickey Marotti Interview

Here is a 2007 interview from our good friends at Athletic Strength and Power with University of Florida Director of Strength and Conditioning Mickey Marotti.

Coach Marotti has been a mentor of mine since I first started in the field over 12 years ago. He was the guy that allowed me to come into his weightroom as a freshman in college at the University of Cincinnati and teach me the ropes of strength and conditioning at the college level, how to motivate and get the most of your players.

He has been part of great programs such as Ohio State, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and now the University of Florida.

Hope you enjoy the interview. If you want to check out some more podcasts, visit http://www.athleticstrengthandpower.com/


http://www.athleticstrengthandpower.com/2007/01/podcast_intervi.html

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Achieving Optimal Recovery

Optimal recovery means all body systems have returned to the state they were before exercise. The formula we promote is this: Work + Rest = Success. Recovery is a limiting factor. The better an athlete can recover, the sooner and better he can train. The process of recovery (regeneration) gets less attention than it should. Every athlete should have a systematic plan that includes recovery activities on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. The Gatorade Sports Science Exchange Roundtable offers recovery tips, which are laid out below. 

STRETCH
Overly aggressive stretching before exercise puts you at risk for damaging the very tissue you are trying to protect. Stretching after exercise will minimize muscle soreness and may even help prevent future soft tissue injuries. Before activity, more active type-stretching routines are recommended. After exercise, the emphasis should be on passive or static stretching.

CARBOHYDRATES
The muscles are primed for quick restoration of their carbohydrate fuel reserves (glycogen) immediately after exercise, so don’t wait to long to start eating foods and drinking beverages rich in carbohydrate. Pretzels, fruits, energy bars, and sports drinks all contain large amounts of carbohydrate.

PROTEIN
Some proteins are broken down during recovery after exercise. For a faster buildup of muscle proteins during recovery, include a small amount of protein in the foods you eat. Milk, cheese, eggs, nutrition shakes, sandwiches, and energy bars provide carbohydrate and protein. Look for easily digestible protein sources following strenuous exercise.

FLUIDS 
Replacing lost fluid is crucial. Top off your supply of fluids by drinking before exercise, continue to hydrate every 15 or 20 minutes during a workout, and replace any body weight lost during exercise by drinking while you recover.

SLEEP
There is plenty of evidence to show that a lack of sleep can have an adverse affect on training and competition. You might get by for a day or two with inadequate sleep, but it will catch up with you sooner or later. It’s not eight hours for everyone – could be less, could be more. Then try to establish a routine that will allow you to get what you need to perform well. Understand that sleep is divided into 1.5-hour cycles. If you can time sleep cycles in increments of an hour and a half (1.5 hours, 3.0 hours, 4.5 hours, 6.0 hours, 7.5 hours, 9.0 hours), you have a better chance of waking up refreshed. The idea is to awake at the top of the cycle instead of at the bottom. And don’t dismiss the power of a 20-30 minute nap during the day. 

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

West Virginia Hires Andy Kettler as Associate Strength and Conditioning Coach


I want to congratulate Andy Kettler for his new position as associate strength and conditioning coach for basketball at West Virginia. He just left his post as the head strength and conditioning coach at Winthrop in early July. Prior to joining Winthrop, Andy was with the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians and University of Toledo.



The Importance of Hydration

Your body is just like your car’s engine; if you can’t cool it off, it won’t perform. Overheat your body and you run the risk of breaking down entirely. That’s why it’s important to monitor your fluid intake during workouts and games to avoid dehydration and heat exhaustion. Be especially watchful on hot and/or humid days. To make sure that you stay hydrated, drink before and during practices/games and drink often. Remember, if your thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.

Your body is approximately 65% water. During games, drills and workouts, you lose body fluids through sweating. It’s not unusual for some athletes, especially pitchers and catchers, to lose four pounds of body weight (about two quarts of sweat) each hour. At this rate, you could lose 10-12 pounds in a 3-hour game. A 10-pound weight loss for a 200-pounder is a 5% loss in body weight. A 5% loss can be extremely detrimental to both your health and performance. Research indicates that even a 2% decrease in body weight due to dehydration can reduce performance by 8-10%. You’ll feel tired and drained. You won’t be able to train or compete at your best and you’ll significantly increase your risk of heat illness.

To determine dehydration status, towel off and weigh nude before and after practice and games. Replace each pound of weight lost with 24 ounces of fluid. Also monitor your urine. If it’s clear, you’re OK. If it’s dark and smells like ammonia, you’re approaching or have reached dehydration.

Coffee and alcohol are diuretics; they can cause you to lose water. Caffeine makes you feel more alert. Alcohol numbs the sense of fatigue and pain. Both cause you to lose body water. Drink each in moderation. Drinking 3-4 cups of coffee before and during a game contributes to dehydration. Beer also contains carbonation, which gives you a sense of fullness and tends to limit fluid consumption at a time when fluid consumption should be high. Downing a 6-pack after games will not allow you to completely rehydrate prior to tomorrow’s game.

You don’t have to be gasping for water to be dried out. One of the earliest signs of dehydration is fatigue. Other signs include red skin, loss of appetite, dizziness, muscle cramps or spasms and urine that is dark yellow and has a strong odor.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

A 'Balanced Diet' Isn't So Balanced

I recently got an article written by John Berardi from Precision Nutrition. In this article he covers a variety of issues and research to explain what a true balanced diet is and what it's not. I was surprised by a recent study he mentions where over 70 diets were analyzed and evbery single one was deficient in 3 or more nutrients, as well as some diets being deficient in about 15 nutrients. Hope you enjoy the article.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Cincinnati St. Xavier out to claim third big school state title in four years

By Steve Helwagen, Editor in Chief
stevehelwagen@bucknuts.com
Posted Jul 7, 2008

It has been quite a four-year run at St. X for head coach Steve Specht. Since taking the Bombers’ head coaching job in 2004, his teams have combined to post a 51-3 record with two 15-0 state championship seasons. This year the Bombers will try to add another title although it won't be easy. Questions and a daunting schedule await.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

DE Pat Muldoon (6-4, 255, Sr.), ILB Luke Kuechly (6-3, 215, Sr.), QB Luke Massa (6-5, 200, Jr.), OL Matt James (6-7, 290, Jr.), RB Connor Earley (5-11, 195, Sr.)

SEASON OUTLOOK

2007 Record: 15-0, State champions

It has been quite a four-year run at St. X for head coach Steve Specht. Since taking the Bombers’ head coaching job in 2004, his teams have combined to post a 51-3 record with two 15-0 state championship seasons.

Specht is a 1986 graduate of St. X, where he was a team captain. He spent eight years as a St. X assistant before replacing longtime coach Steve Rasso in 2004.

Last year, St. X plowed through Greater Catholic League rival Cincinnati Elder (45-14), Centerville (31-6), Cincinnati Colerain (29-14), Dublin Coffman (10-7) and finally Mentor (27-0) in the playoffs to claim the title.

But winning a third title in four years could be difficult. St. X has just two starters back on each side of the ball.

“I don’t think the expectations ever change,” Specht said. “We go into every year with the same focus – we want to win in Week 1. Then, we want to win our league. We know if we win the GCL South we will get into the playoffs.

“We like our kids to be challenged. You never graduate tradition. We had a good senior class last year and we are usually a senior-dominated team.”

The Bombers have won four straight GCL South titles. Specht said the lack of experience does not bother him.

“On our 2005 team, we only brought back four starters on our whole team,” he said. “The year before we were 11-1. We are a senior-dominated team year in and year out. These kids challenge themselves to get better. We think we can win with seniors.”

One key senior is Muldoon, who had scholarship offers from Notre Dame and Ohio State. Muldoon is rated as Ohio’s No. 26 senior prospect, according to Ohio High magazine. He had 10 sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss in 2006 and 12 sacks and 16 tackles-for-loss in 2007.

“He’s explosive,” Specht said. “His first step is as explosive and as quick as anybody I have ever coached at this level. I know the college coaches like him because he is big enough to play inside and quick enough to play outside. He will be able to do a lot of different things depending on what team or college he selects.

“He can do a lot of things and he has a great motor. He’s a 4.0 GPA kid and he plays with high energy. He never stops. He’s just a great kid.”

Muldoon is not the only major college prospect at St. X. Specht noted that Kuechly, a nice sized inside linebacker, has also “been offered by just about everybody. He can really run.”

Another key senior is Earley, who sat behind standout Darius Ashley at tailback.

“He is track fast,” Specht said of Earley. “Unfortunately for him, he was playing behind four seniors last year. One of them is now at Louisville and another is at UC. He has been biding his time. We think he is going to open some eyes this year.”

Massa, a junior, got some spot duty at quarterback last year and threw for 375 yards and five touchdowns against just one interception.

“We think Luke is going to be a great one,” Specht said. “He started our last seven games after our senior starter suffered a broken knee. He has a chance to be a great, great quarterback here before he is done.”

St. X has a handful of receivers who could contribute, including Drew Grombala, Trevor Hoedker and Ian Cummins.

“Those kids are all going to be seniors,” Specht said. “Drew is a little guy at 5-9, 160, but he can run. He played a bunch last year. Those guys have an opportunity to step in and play for us.”

The schedule, as always for St. X, is a meat grinder. The Bombers open against their Cincinnati-area nemesis, Colerain. The teams combine for three of the last four state championships with Colerain’s 2004 title and St. X’s wins in 2005 and 2007.

St. X took two wins over Colerain en route to the state title in 2005. Colerain then reached the state final four with a regional final win in 2006. St. X returned that favor with its regional final win last November.

The teams will again meet on neutral ground at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium as the featured game in the Crosstown Showdown event on Aug. 22.

“My biggest issue with that game is that we are playing one of the top teams in Region 4 and we will each find out real fast where we are and what we need to work on,” Specht said. “That first game will expose some flaws and I think you make the most improvement from week 1 to week 2. To open with a team of that caliber, it shows you very quickly. I know the kids are excited about it. That’s what high school football is supposed to be about. It should be a great game for our city.”

The next four weeks will feature opponents from four different states as St. X meets Prattville, Ala., (a two-time state champion) in the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge before hosting Indianapolis Cathedral and Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep and visiting Louisville (Ky.) Trinity. Trinity, led by Ohio State verbal LB Jordan Whiting, won a state title last year.

“Our schedule covers five states,” Specht said. “Because of the (OHSAA playoff points system), we do not get to play a lot of local games. When was the last time a team played teams from five states?”

Of course, the focus of any season for St. X is the Greater Catholic League and the battles with rivals Elder, LaSalle and Moeller. Specht knows each of those tradition-rich schools will be looking to end the Bombers’ run at the top of the GCL South.

“Every year, we want to compete for a shot at the GCL South championship,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate the last few years to win the title. In any given year, any of the four schools can win the title.

“We know Elder, Moeller and LaSalle will be looking to knock us off. We are the reigning GCL champions. But the perspective never changes. We don’t want to rest on our laurels. Our goal is just to prepare every day and work on how we can get better.”
SCHEDULE

Aug. 22 vs. Cincinnati Colerain, 8 p.m. (Crosstown Showdown at University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium)
Aug. 30 vs. Prattville, Ala., 8 p.m. (Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium)
Sept. 5 Indianapolis Cathedral
Sept. 13 Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep, 2 p.m.
Sept. 19 at Louisville (Ky.) Trinity
Sept. 26 at Cincinnati Elder
Oct. 3 at Cincinnati LaSalle
Oct. 11 at Lakewood St. Edward, 2 p.m.
Oct. 18 Cleveland St. Ignatius, 2 p.m.
Oct. 24 Cincinnati Moeller

Monday, July 7, 2008

Speed Camps Session II

The Ethos Athletics Speed Development Camps are designed to give each athlete attending a solid foundation in the basic fundamentals of speed, agility, and quickness training. Speed training will improve speed, power, and quickness, helping athletes perform at higher levels. Understanding that movement transcends all sports, we have developed a comprehensive speed enhancement method designed to increase speed, quickness, power, optimal movement, core strength and functional flexibility.

While sports-skills are a vital part of success, coaches and scouts now consider attributes such as speed, power, and agility as vital components of the ideal athlete. The Ethos Athletics Speed Development Camps will help you take your game to the next level.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS INCLUDE:
  • Improved Motor Control
  • Proper Running Mechanics
  • Multi-directional Skills
  • Increase Speed and Explosiveness
  • Improve Balance and Coordination
  • Increase Flexibility and Mobility

This program is for athletes or teams in the Greater Cincinnati area who are serious about improving their game. The camp will be held at St. Xavier High School from 9-10am beginning on July 15th thru August 14th.

If you would like more information, please contact 513-761-7600 x.323 or email me at carlo@ethosathletics.com

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Are You Ready?

This morning I trained the football team at St. Xavier High School in preparation for the August 22nd game against Colerain High School. We have been at it three times a week since the first week of June. Today had to be harder work than Monday, because we are giving them July 4th off.

Here are my observations from the workout.

1. The accumulation of volume over an existing period of time will ultimately increase work capacity.

2. No matter how hard the athletes think they are working, they can always go harder.

3. 2 sets of 20 rep leg press at 600 pounds followed by wall sits is brutal and can only lead to tougher athletes.

4. Throwing up in the weightroom on your way to the water fountain can be humbling.

5. Cleaning up your own puke afterwards sucks bad.

6. You must sweat in peace to avoid bleeding in war.

7. There should never be any children present when the Bombers train.

8. Anyone that is not part of the football program when we are training, stay the *#@! out of the weightroom

9. Only once you become mentally strong, do you become physically strong!

10. There can only be one winner on the 22nd and the beatings will continue until that fateful night in August.

SPARQ Magazine

For those of you who have not seen the new SPARQ Magazine, I highly recommend that you take a look at it. The guys at SPARQ have done an outstanding job of putting some great articles together that encompass all levels, and practices of sports training.

Take a look at the link below and hope you enjoy the magazine. Great job to all the SPARQ guys.

www.sparqmagazine.com

Monday, June 16, 2008

Bullet Proof Abs

The biggest myth when looking to develop 6-pack abs is that you need to perform an unlimited number of crunches. The real truth is that you must work hard to reduce body fat through proper food intake, increasing activity, or a combination of both.

In this article, I will focus on six core exercises that will help you build stabilization and strength in different planes of motion, which in turn will help you build those 6-pack abs you have always wanted.

Your ab routine should last about 20 minutes two to three times per week, with two to four exercises for 2-3 sets of 10-25 reps per exercise. The program below will allow you to superset your exercises to save time. The letters and numbers before the exercises will help you to keep your exercises in order.

You can superset A1 and A2 for the total number of sets before progressing to the next set of exercises. Complete all sets and reps of A exercises before moving to the B exercises.

A1 Incline Hip Raise: Lie on an incline bench with your head at the top and your feet towards the lower side. Bring your knees towards your chest and curl your hips up towards your shoulders. Pause at the top for a count of 2 seconds before returning to the starting position.

A2 Weighted Swiss Ball Crunches: Sit in upright position on a Swiss ball with feet flat on the floor. Walk feet forward to roll underneath body until the ball’s positioned on lower mid-back. Grab a 6-8 lb. medicine ball and leading with the chin and chest, reach towards the ceiling. Contract the abdominals and raise shoulders up.

B1 V Ups: Lie back on the floor with legs straight and arms extended overhead. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominals and raise the shoulders off the floor. Also raise legs up towards ceiling and attempt to touch your hands to your feet.

B2 Front Planks: The goal of this exercise is to stabilize the muscles by holding a static position with your abs tight and braced. Lay flat on your chest. Elbows are placed on the floor at a 90 degree angle. By positioning the elbows right underneath the shoulder you maintain a stable position with support of the upper body. Lift hips and knees off the floor and maintain a straight spine with your head straight, back flat, and knees off the ground.

C1 Stability Ball Rollouts: Start on your knees with forearms on the Swill ball and your arms outstretched. Roll yourself forward towards the ball using the forearms to support your weight until your body is in a straight line, hips parallel with the rest of your body. Brace the abs and roll back and return to the starting position by pulling your arms back up the ball until you are in an upright position.

C2 Prone Jackknife: Place your hands on the floor and your feet on a Swiss ball in a push-up position. Maintain a natural curve in the upper and lower back. Begin drawing your knees towards your chest. Do not allow any spinal movement. Extend the legs back to the starting position.

Great abs are a product of a healthy diet, consistent abdominal training, calorie-burning exercises, and reducing body fat by stimulating your metabolism. Here are four nutrition tips that will help with your goal of 6-pack abs.

Drink plenty of water –divide your weight by 2.2 for total ounces of daily water. Spread your calories into 5 or 6 smaller meals instead of 2-3 big ones. Avoid refined, simple carbohydrates that contain white flour or white sugar. Eat a good source of complete, high-quality lean protein with each meal.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

ESPN Acquires Student Sports, Inc.

ESPN announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Student Sports, Inc., a premier high school-focused digital media and event production company based in Torrance, Calif.
Founded by grassroots sports marketing and media pioneer Andy Bark, the company’s president and CEO, Student Sports has been a leader in high school sports content for 22 years. Student Sports assets include StudentSports.com and DyeStat.com, and more than 160 events such as Elite 11, Area Code Baseball and Nike Combines/Nike SPARQ Mini Camps, all of which will be integrated into ESPN’s recently announced high school initiative ESPN RISE. In conjunction with the acquisition, ESPN will enter into a licensing and content sharing agreement with SPARQ, the dynamic athletic training and assessment company based in Portland, Ore.

“It is an exciting time for ESPN RISE,” said James Brown, senior vice president, ESPN RISE. “Adding Student Sports to our organization enhances our position in high school sports significantly. This acquisition is in lock step with our goal to celebrate high school athletics, utilizing the expertise across all of our assets - representing a collection of more than 40 years of experience in this space.”

ESPN RISE is a multimedia brand that will deliver high school sports content across all of ESPN’s platforms including programming and events, digital media and publishing.

“Andy Bark has been an innovator and leader in high school content for more than 20 years,” said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Digital Media. “Adding Andy and the Student Sports team will enable ESPNRISE.com to offer rich coverage to fans and athletes across high school sports — a great complement to the assets we have in Scouts, Inc., RISEMag.com and Hoopgurlz.com.”

Bark said: "We have served millions of students who play sports - as well as their parents, coaches and fans - for many years, and to continue to do so as a part of ESPN and its authentic and integrated platforms is a dream come true."

ESPN RISE represents ESPN’s commitment to providing its core fans, the high school athlete, and its fan base with content that examines and celebrates high school sports in a unique way – across all of ESPN’s platforms. ESPN has a 20-year-history of covering high school sports (1980s) including boys’ and girls’ basketball, football and lacrosse competitions.


This article appears courtesy of Bucknuts.com an independent Ohio sports site and ESPN affiliate. If you would like more information visit BUCKNUTS.com

Friday, June 13, 2008

Lactic Acid Not Athlete's Poison, But An Energy Source -- If You Know How To Use It

ScienceDaily (Apr. 21, 2006) — In the lore of marathoners and extreme athletes, lactic acid is poison, a waste product that builds up in the muscles and leads to muscle fatigue, reduced performance and pain.

Some 30 years of research at the University of California, Berkeley, however, tells a different story: Lactic acid can be your friend.

Coaches and athletes don't realize it, says exercise physiologist George Brooks, UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology, but endurance training teaches the body to efficiently use lactic acid as a source of fuel on par with the carbohydrates stored in muscle tissue and the sugar in blood. Efficient use of lactic acid, or lactate, not only prevents lactate build-up, but ekes out more energy from the body's fuel.

In a paper in press for the American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism, published online in January, Brooks and colleagues Takeshi Hashimoto and Rajaa Hussien in UC Berkeley's Exercise Physiology Laboratory add one of the last puzzle pieces to the lactate story and also link for the first time two metabolic cycles - oxygen-based aerobic metabolism and oxygen-free anaerobic metabolism - previously thought distinct. "This is a fundamental change in how people think about metabolism," Brooks said. "This shows us how lactate is the link between oxidative and glycolytic, or anaerobic, metabolism."

He and his UC Berkeley colleagues found that muscle cells use carbohydrates anaerobically for energy, producing lactate as a byproduct, but then burn the lactate with oxygen to create far more energy. The first process, called the glycolytic pathway, dominates during normal exertion, and the lactate seeps out of the muscle cells into the blood to be used elsewhere. During intense exercise, however, the second ramps up to oxidatively remove the rapidly accumulating lactate and create more energy.

Training helps people get rid of the lactic acid before it can build to the point where it causes muscle fatigue, and at the cellular level, Brooks said, training means growing the mitochondria in muscle cells. The mitochondria - often called the powerhouse of the cell - is where lactate is burned for energy.
"The world's best athletes stay competitive by interval training," Brooks said, referring to repeated short, but intense, bouts of exercise. "The intense exercise generates big lactate loads, and the body adapts by building up mitochondria to clear lactic acid quickly. If you use it up, it doesn't accumulate."

To move, muscles need energy in the form of ATP, adenosine triphosphate. Most people think glucose, a sugar, supplies this energy, but during intense exercise, it's too little and too slow as an energy source, forcing muscles to rely on glycogen, a carbohydrate stored inside muscle cells. For both fuels, the basic chemical reactions producing ATP and generating lactate comprise the glycolytic pathway, often called anaerobic metabolism because no oxygen is needed. This pathway was thought to be separate from the oxygen-based oxidative pathway, sometimes called aerobic metabolism, used to burn lactate and other fuels in the body's tissues.

Experiments with dead frogs in the 1920s seemed to show that lactate build-up eventually causes muscles to stop working. But Brooks in the 1980s and '90s showed that in living, breathing animals, the lactate moves out of muscle cells into the blood and travels to various organs, including the liver, where it is burned with oxygen to make ATP. The heart even prefers lactate as a fuel, Brooks found.

Brooks always suspected, however, that the muscle cell itself could reuse lactate, and in experiments over the past 10 years he found evidence that lactate is burned inside the mitochondria, an interconnected network of tubes, like a plumbing system, that reaches throughout the cell cytoplasm.

In 1999, for example, he showed that endurance training reduces blood levels of lactate, even while cells continue to produce the same amount of lactate. This implied that, somehow, cells adapt during training to put out less waste product. He postulated an "intracellular lactate shuttle" that transports lactate from the cytoplasm, where lactate is produced, through the mitochondrial membrane into the interior of the mitochondria, where lactate is burned. In 2000, he showed that endurance training increased the number of lactate transporter molecules in mitochondria, evidently to speed uptake of lactate from the cytoplasm into the mitochondria for burning.

The new paper and a second paper to appear soon finally provide direct evidence for the hypothesized connection between the transporter molecules - the lactate shuttle - and the enzymes that burn lactate. In fact, the cellular mitochondrial network, or reticulum, has a complex of proteins that allow the uptake and oxidation, or burning, of lactic acid.
"This experiment is the clincher, proving that lactate is the link between glycolytic metabolism, which breaks down carbohydrates, and oxidative metabolism, which uses oxygen to break down various fuels," Brooks said.

Post-doctoral researcher Takeshi Hashimoto and staff research associate Rajaa Hussien established this by labeling and showing colocalization of three critical pieces of the lactate pathway: the lactate transporter protein; the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the first step in the conversion of lactate into energy; and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase, the protein complex where oxygen is used. Peering at skeletal muscle cells through a confocal microscope, the two scientists saw these proteins sitting together inside the mitochondria, attached to the mitochondrial membrane, proving that the "intracellular lactate shuttle" is directly connected to the enzymes in the mitochondria that burn lactate with oxygen.

"Our findings can help athletes and trainers design training regimens and also avoid overtraining, which can kill muscle cells," Brooks said. "Athletes may instinctively train in a way that builds up mitochondria, but if you never know the mechanism, you never know whether what you do is the right thing. These discoveries reshape fundamental thinking on the organization, function and regulation of major pathways of metabolism."

Brooks' research is supported by the National Institutes of Health.