markjpitcher.com

Stay Strong and Injury Free all Ski Season Long

2011-12-23T14:10:00.000-08:00

When thinking about exercises to improve lower extremity strength for skiing, quadriceps (quads), and dominant movements such as lunges and plyometrics, typically come to mind. While quad strength is important, you need to look beyond this if you want to stay strong and injury free all season long.

Many athletes, especially skiers, are quad dominant. This means their knee extensors are much stronger than their knee flexors. Also, these athletes will often have imbalances, including weak glutes and overactive or tight hip flexors. A frequent mistake in strength training is to over-emphasize the exercises targeting the most commonly used muscles. To create more balance and stability, we need to strengthen the muscles and movements that oppose those primary muscles to keep from making an established imbalance worse.

Exercises that target the posterior chain (muscles that include the back extensors, glutes and hamstrings) can help offset some of the common imbalances. The hamstrings have a direct effect on stabilizing the knee by decelerating knee extension and reducing the shearing forces on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). This results in more stable knees and hips, stronger skiing and decreased injury potential.

There are many exercises that address the posterior chain. Squats and lunges are exercises used in most ski conditioning classes, however depending on how they are performed, they are exercises that can be very quad dominant. Simply keeping a more erect posture and maintaining balance through the mid foot to heel will help shift the emphasis to the glutes and back extensor muscles. When performed correctly, other exercises such as dead lifts, glute-hamstring raises, hamstring curls and bridging can effectively target the muscles of the posterior chain.

Some exercises, like hamstring curls, body weight side lunges (with attention to weight distribution) and bridging can be done with little or no equipment and still yield excellent results. Hamstring curls done on hardwood flooring while wearing socks or having a towel under your feet is a great way to increase resistance with your own body weight. Bridges, specifically single leg, can address both flexibility of the hip flexor and end range extension of the hip.

To view these exercises and to learn more about how to address the posterior chain for keeping you skiing strong all season, visit www.vailhealth.com and click on the “Spine & Sport Health Tip” link.

Mark Pitcher is a chiropractor, exercise physiologist and TRX instructor with Vail Integrative Medical Group at Vail Vitality Center located at Vail Mountain Lodge and Spa. He specializes in rehabilitative medicine.

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20111219/AE/111219801/1078&ParentProfile=1062

Spine and Sport Health Tip - Foam Rolling

2011-12-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Spine and Sport Health Tip - Ski Conditioning

2011-12-09T22:41:00.001-08:00

Foam rolling a cost-effective alternative to massage

2011-07-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

If you have ever experienced soreness, trigger points, knots or adhesions in your muscles, you can appreciate the need and potential benefit of massage and soft tissue work.

As effective as massage or “Active Release Techniques” are at improving tissue quality, receiving a massage after every workout, race or day of gardening is not an option for most. A cost effective alternative is to use a foam roller. Although some patients still look at me quizzically when I suggest foam rolling as part of their self-care programs, foam rollers are becoming a popular part of many exercise programs. Foam rollers can now be found in almost every gym, training and rehab center.

Foam rollers come in many shapes, sizes and densities. The basic foam roller is a three-foot-long cylinder made of dense hard-celled foam. Think short, stocky pool noodle. Foam rolling involves using your bodyweight on the roller to roll over trigger points or adhesions in the muscles. Although there are no set rules regarding how long you should roll to improve tissue quality, a 5-10 minute rolling session is usually sufficient. As you roll, the tissue becomes more pliable and less tender. Once the tenderness decreases, you should move onto the next area.

A foam roller is best suited for work in the torso, spine and lower body regions. One of the most effective exercises on the foam roller is to roll through the thoracic spine (the middle back). Thoracic spine mobility is frequently overlooked and is often at the root of many postural and neck problems. These problems can be easily and effectively addressed with a minimal amount of rolling. Additional areas that are commonly addressed with foam rolling include the hamstrings (back of thigh), quadriceps (front of thigh), ilio-tibial band and tensor fascia lata (outer thigh). Less commonly addressed areas include the lattissmus dorsi (lats), hip adductors (groin), calves and glutes. To view some common foam rolling methods online, click the “for patients” tab at www.markjpitcher.com.

Some trainers suggest rolling before workouts. Some suggest rolling after. In a perfect world, you would do both. Given an option to do one or the other, I opt for using the roller prior to working out as part of a warm up. Using the foam roller prior to exercise improves range of motion and tissue quality, setting the stage for a more effective and efficient workout.

To learn more about the benefits of rolling and how to use the roller to address different body parts, join Vail Integrative Medical Group's physical therapists Lindsey Fitch, DPT and Jackie Plesha, MPT at the Vail Athletic Club (VAC) on Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., for a free foam rolling workshop.

Mark Pitcher, DC, MSc is a chiropractor exercise physiologist at Vail Integrative Medical Group in the Vitality Center at the Vail Athletic Club.

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20110704/AE/110709944/1024&parentprofile=1064

2011-07-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

Foam Rolling to Improve Tissue Quality

View more presentations from Mark Pitcher DC, MSc

2011-07-04T08:29:00.001-07:00

Did a workshop for Red Canyon High School. Such as blast!Exercise science

View more presentations from Mark Pitcher DC, MSc

2011-07-04T08:28:00.001-07:00

Town of vail presentation

View more presentations from Mark Pitcher DC, MSc

2011-05-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Article on the Vitality Center in the Denver post;

Vail Fitness: Functional training focuses on the fundamentals

2011-03-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

The term functional training, once an obscure idea, has become a buzzword in the fitness industry. However, much like the term “core exercise,” its definition often depends on who you ask. Some people equate doing exercises, like bicep curls or squats, while standing on gym balls with functional fitness. Unless you are a circus bear, these types of exercises are not overly functional or well suited to develop purposeful strength.

Functional training is not about fancy gadgets or gimmicks but about a philosophy of training. It is based on strengthening fundamental movement patterns, which have carryover into everyday activity or athletic endeavors.

It is a common myth that machine exercises are safer than free weights. In reality, exercises performed with more freedom of movement better engage the core musculature. This means the intensity of the exercise is determined by the weakest link. When you strengthen the body, beginning with the weakest link, you reduce the risk of injury. To borrow a quote from physical therapist Gray Cook, “Having strong arms or legs without a stable foundation or core is like shooting a cannon from a canoe.” When the foundational movement improves, all other movements that follow are stronger.

Any workout program can be modified to become more functional. Simply replace seated or supported single plane exercise with more full body multi-planar exercises. Here are three simple effective substitutions to make your workout more functional.

• Trade your seated biceps curl for a chin up, pull up or TRX curl.

• Knee extension, hamstring curls and hip abductor/adductor machines are all isolation exercises. Replace with exercises such as squats, dead lifts, lunges and side lunges. These require more neuromuscular activation, are better for your joints, burn more calories and have excellent carryover to your activities of daily living.

• Again, gadgets are not necessary for functional training but some do offer significant benefit. For example, the TRX suspension trainer exemplifies functional training. Almost every exercise performed on it can be multi-planar, multi-joint with high neuromuscular demand.

Functional versus traditional

Functional training differs from traditional strength training or bodybuilding exercise in several important ways:
1. Functional training is multi-planar.
Exercise equipment or isolated exercise (i.e. bicep curls) only work in one direction or plane of movement. Functional exercises are not confined by equipment and allow natural movement in more than one direction.
2. Functional training requires a high degree of neuromuscular control.
Functional exercises are performed in athletic stances instead of sitting on a weight bench or other equipment. Like real world activities, this requires more output from the nervous system to stabilize the torso and coordinate activity.
3. Functional training incorporates multi-joint or full-body movements.
Moving the body as a whole, using many muscles at once, is almost always preferable and more functional than isolated exercise. Full body movements require more core activation. Muscles are the metabolic engine. Engaging more muscles is not only more functional but also has the added benefit of burning more calories.
4. Functional training is well controlled.
Everyday activity and athletic endeavors require movements to be safe and well controlled. Exercise needs to fall within the individual's ability to control the motion. We need to be able to accelerate, decelerate and stabilize movements in the body.

Some of the best exercises for your body require proper technique to be performed safely. Movements like squats and dead lifts are exceptional foundational movements but often require some instruction to be performed properly and safely. If you wish to learn more about how to make your workout more functional or to reduce injury and improve performance, we would be happy to help.

Mark J. Pitcher is a chiropractor and exercise physiologist with the Vail Integrative Medical Group, located at The Vitality Center at Vail Mountain Lodge & Spa. He specializes in rehabilitative medicine. The Vitality Center at Vail Mountain Lodge offers individual diagnostics and guided, intensive regimens, tailored group retreat programs and workshop opportunities year-round. The center offers expert counsel in nutrition, preventative medicine, medical acupuncture, chiropractic, facial and body treatments, fitness and energy balancing. For more information visitwww.vailvitalitycenter.com or call 970-476-7721

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/2011110329806