Chair Stretches

Hold all stretches for 30-60 seconds.

CROSS-ARM STRETCH:
Place your right hand on
knee, and your left hand
right knee. Lean forward
arch your back like a cat.
outward pressure with your
while continuing to hold
You should feel this across
shoulders and back.

ARM ACROSS CHEST:
Place your right hand on
the back of your left elbow.
Push your arm across your
chest, as if you are hugging
yourself with one arm.
You should feel this across
the back of your shoulder.
Perform on both sides.

HANDCUFF:

Sit on the front half of your chair.
Place your hands together, behind
your back. Sit up straight, pull
your shoulders back and push
your chest forwards at the same
time. You should feel this in the
front of your shoulders and in your
chest muscles.

ROTATION:

Slowly twist your body to
one side while keeping your
feet flat on the floor and
your knees forward. You can
use the arms of the chair to
increase the stretch.
Perform on both sides.

HAMSTRING:

Sit on the edge of your chair
and extend your right leg (or
vice versa), with your toes
pointed up. Keep your back
straight and, while maintaining
good posture, push your chest
forward so you feel the stretch
in your hamstrings.

Spice Up Your Hockey Conditioning - Part 1

If you are a hockey player and looking to elevate your training program then be sure to join us on our two part series.   The first step in designing a sport-specific program is to identify the main components of a workout.

1.    Specialized warm-up and stretching routine specific to each joint
2.    Balanced strengthening routine focusing on each major muscle group
3.    Sport-specific power exercises- cleans, snatch, deadlifts…
4.    Cardio- Boxing, skipping, bike…
5.    Speed, outdoor running program
6.    Plyometrics, includes jumping and bounding movements
7.    Sport-specific drills (shooting drills, face off drills…)

Each workout needs to start with a specialized warm-up routine designed to prevent injuries.  The most common areas of injury for hockey players are the groin, knee, shoulder and lower back. Players need to focus on muscle balance, flexibility and joint stability in order to prevent wear and tear and overuse injuries.

A strengthening routine needs to be focused on increasing strength but also on being balanced.  If an athlete increases the strength in their quadriceps but not there hamstrings they will not benefit from full leg power and become susceptible to a knee injury.  Similarly, if an athlete develops a strong chest but has weaker back muscles they become susceptible to a shoulder injury and decreased performance due to poor body mechanics.

Power exercises such as hang cleans and deadlifts are good for hockey because they help to improve strength and speed.  It is best to choose two or three power exercises and to perform three to five sets of each.

When performing cardiovascular exercises it is effective to vary the exercise and monitor your heart rate.  Alternate between skipping, stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical machine, or stair climber.  It is also a good idea to perform time specific interval training when doing your cardio.  For instance, if you normally have 45-second shifts then perform 60-second intervals at a higher intensity every two minutes to simulate a shift.  Your heart rate can vary from 80%-90% of maximum.

Speed programs are beneficial not only for the development of speed but also for the strengthening of the tendons around the knee and ankle.  Plyometrics are most effective if they are performed six weeks before the start of the season.  They can be hard on your body so it is not recommended to perform them for long durations.  This includes jumping, bounding, and hopping type exercises.

Sport specific drills such as shooting drills and face-off drills are an effective way to improve coordination and overall performance.  Practice makes perfect.  Be sure to join us next time as we will go into more detail about scheduling and organizing your workouts.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Plyometrics Improve Power

Q. What are plyometrics? My hockey coach says they are good to improve power and explosiveness…

A. Your coach was correct, power is the name of the game, and plyometrics are a good way to develop it. Plyometric exercises have their roots in Europe where they were first know as “jump training”. Plyometric exercises are used by athletes and trainers to improve strength, power, speed, quickness, and jumping ability while also helping to develop better coordination and balance. However, plyometrics are not for the beginner, it is important to have a sufficient strength base before you start this advanced form of training.

Plyometric exercises are unique because they link strength with speed of movement to produce power. This may include bounding, box jumps, high stepping, skipping, hops, various jumps as well as medicine ball movements. These highly accelerated movements can improve maximal strength levels leading to rapid increases in strength. Because this type of training is extremely intense, it is too stressful for long-term training and is usually performed for 12-week cycles.

Side jumps are a great plyometric exercise to improve hockey performance. To perform this exercise, place a telephone book on the floor in the middle of a room. With your feet together jump sideways over the book landing as softly as possible. As soon as you land on the floor, jump back to the starting position. Repeat this movement 20 times, take a 30 to 60 second break, and repeat the exercise for two to three sets depending on your comfort level. To increase the difficulty jump over a taller object such as a milk crate.

Plyometric drills can be used for the upper and lower extremities and are good for all sports, however, a plyometric routine must be tailored for each individual and sport. For instance, a skiing plyometric routine should be designed to mimic the amount of energy that expended while making explosive turns down a mountain. On the other hand, a plyometric exercise program for a throwing athlete should be designed to prepare the shoulder muscles for the repetitive overload that is applied during overhead sport activities. This would include more of a focus on medicine ball throwing movements rather than jumping and bounding movements.

A plyometric program must consider the athletes’ age, skill level, injury history and a myriad of other variables that comprise his or her athletic development. If used correctly plyometrics can boost your athletic ability to new heights.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

TRX Installation

Anchoring Guidelines:
1. Your attachment point should be 7 ft. (2.13 m) - 9 ft.
(2.74 m) high and strong enough to support your full bodyweight.

2. Adjust the length of the Suspension Anchor so the main loop hangs 6 ft. (1.83 m) off the ground.

3. With the TRX fully extended, the bottom of the foot cradles should hang 2 in. (.05 m) - 3 in. (.07 m) off the ground. When performing exercises lying down (either prone or supine) adjust the TRX so foot cradles hang 8 in. (.2 m) - 12 in. (.3 m) above the ground.

! WARNING: NEVER clip the carabiner into
the main loop of the Suspension Anchor.

To shorten the TRX straps:

1. Hold one strap of the TRX. Depress the cam
buckle with your thumb and grasp the yellow
adjustment tab with the other hand.

2. Simultaneously draw backward on the buckle
and push the adjustment tab up along the
strap – just as if using a bow and arrow.
Repeat on other side.




To lengthen the TRX straps:

1. Simultaneously depress BOTH cam buckles
and pull downward, away from anchor point.

Prevent Groin Injuries

Question:  Why are we seeing so many injuries in the NHL this year?

Answer: Hockey is a high impact sport and the most common areas of injury for hockey players are the groin, knee, shoulder and lower back.  To prevent injuries, players need to put an increased focus on muscle balance and flexibility. Working out hard and being strong or fast is not enough. Elite athletes need individualized workouts that take their body type and athletic goals into consideration.  A player who is small and quick needs a different workout from a player who is big and strong. Goalies, defenseman and forwards need to do exercises specific to their position.  Most professional sports organizations are good at rehabilitating an injured player, but are lacking when it comes to injury prevention. Simply including mandatory flexibility and joint stability tests on a monthly basis would be the first step to stop injuries from happening in the first place.

Most hockey players work on their core muscles all year to prevent groin injuries. Stability balls, Bosu® balls, balance boards and medicine balls are more popular than ever. Yet, we are seeing more and more groin injuries. The problem with most of these exercises is that they isolate the upper and side abdominal muscles but are not that effective at isolating the lower abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. All athletes should be performing pelvic thrusts for their low abs, as this exercise is the foundation for targeting that area. However, such a basic exercise can seem too easy and monotonous and often gets left out of a program. This is when an imbalance starts to occur and an injury may follow. The athlete is then quickly entered into rehabilitation and starts with the basic exercises that could have prevented the injury in the first place. It is a basic philosophy that I call “prehabilitation”.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Prehabilitate To Prevent Injuries

Question:  Why are we seeing so many injuries in the NHL this year?

Answer: Most professional sports organizations are good at rehabilitating an injured player, but are lacking when it comes to injury prevention.  Simply including mandatory flexibility and joint stability tests on a monthly basis would be the first step to reducing injuries.  Group stretches and exercises are not effective at taking into consideration the unique imbalances of each athlete.  Rather than adopting a proactive approach to preventing injuries, most sports teams follow the common reactive model that dominates our medical environment.

The most common areas of injury for hockey players are the groin, knee, shoulder and lower back.  To prevent injuries, players need to put an increased focus on muscle balance and flexibility. Further, elite athletes need individualized workouts that take their body type and athletic goals into consideration.  A player who is small and quick needs a different workout from a player who is big and strong. Goalies, defenseman and forwards need to do exercises specific to their position and body-type.  Working out hard and being strong and fast is not enough.

Most hockey players work on their core muscles all year to prevent groin injuries. Stability balls, Bosu® balls, balance boards and medicine balls are more popular than ever. Yet, we are seeing more and more groin injuries. The problem with most of these exercises is that they isolate the upper and side abdominal muscles but are not that effective at isolating the lower abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. All athletes should be performing pelvic thrusts for their low abs, as this exercise is the foundation for targeting that area. However, such a basic exercise can seem too easy and monotonous and often gets left out of a program. This is when an imbalance starts to occur and an injury may follow. The athlete is then quickly entered into rehabilitation and starts with the basic exercises that could have prevented the injury in the first place.

The key with preventing groin injuries and many other soft-tissue injuries is to keep the small muscles responsible for stabilizing a joint strong and ensuring that each joint is balanced and operating in a full and pain free range of motion.  It is essential to maintain proper body mechanics at each joint.  As soon as the joint loses stability is becomes susceptible to wear and tear and injury. This is the philosophy of “Prehabilitation”.

The goal of prehabilitation is to monitor and maintain joint stability to prevent injuries.  It takes an athlete between 15-20 minutes a day to perform a prehabilitation routine.  I am confident that sports teams are catching on and headed in this direction.  It will be great to see teams adopt this cutting edge pro-active approach, and perhaps one day the rest of the medical community will follow.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Athletes Require Specialized Conditioning Programs

Question:  With hockey I have one or two games each week and practices almost every day, should I still workout with weights?

Answer: It is important to workout all year to prevent injuries and to maximize your performance.  Being on the ice everyday can be tiring, but if you want to be the best athlete you can be you have to dig deep inside to find the energy to workout in order to keep your muscles strong and balanced.

Hockey is great for strengthening many of your muscles, but many still get left out.  The problem with this is that the muscles that don’t get worked end up losing strength while the other muscles keep getting stronger.  When this happens your joints become out of balance and then you are at a higher risk for getting an injury.  In hockey the most common injuries are to the groin, knee, lower back and shoulder and your workouts should reflect this.  Exercises for you hamstrings can help to prevent knee injuries, exercises for you lower abdominals and core can help to prevent groin and lower back injuries, and exercises for your postural muscles and rotator cuff can help to reduce shoulder injuries.

Working out during the season not only helps you prevent injuries it will improve your performance.  Many hockey players workout hard in the summer but stop working out during the season and as a result as the season progresses their strength declines. Of course you don’t have to workout as hard during the regular season compared to the off-season, you just shouldn’t go from one extreme to the other.  A good rule during the regular season is to make sure that your off-ice workout doesn’t make you sore where it affects your on-ice performance.  The simple goal of you season workout should be to keep your muscles strong and balanced.  You don’t need to set any personal strength records; you just don’t want to lose strength.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Functional Training Has Changed The Workout Scene

Functional training is fast becoming a popular alternative - and a fun addition - to traditional methods of weight training and exercise. Although it is open to wide interpretation, it general involves performing exercises that mimic a movement in a sport or daily activity or a multi-joint movement designed to improve performance in a sport or daily activity.  It is quite the opposite of bodybuilding, which generally involves isolated muscle fatigue. Whether you are a professional athlete, just beginning a workout regimen or simply looking for an interesting alternative to your regular routine, functional training offers many physical benefits, including improved neuromuscular coordination, speed, agility, endurance and balance.

Functional training has its roots in rehabilitation.  When a person is injured and off work registered therapists often use functional exercises to help prepare the injured patient so they can return to work without re-injury.  For instance, if a carpenter were off work they would perform exercises to simulate lifting, hammering and ladder climbing activities to prepare their bodies for a safe return to work.

A wood-chop using a medicine ball is a great functional exercise that simulates the movement involved in swinging an axe.  It incorporates upper body, lower body and core muscles and it also increases your heart rate and improves your flexibility and range of motion. Because this exercise uses so many different muscles it can make everyday activities such as grocery shopping, cleaning and lifting much easier. It can also be used with athletes, such as a boxer or hockey player who want to improve their agility, balance and coordination.  There are many great functional exercises that use a stability ball, wobble board, exercise tube or traditional dumbbells and pulley systems that can improve athletic performance.

Another benefit of this type of training is improved coordination between the muscular and nervous systems. When full-body coordinated movements are performed repeatedly, we are actually training our nervous system to send a signal to our brain before we even realize there is a need for a particular muscle contraction. For example, a snowboarder would benefit from engaging muscle groups in their entire body while balancing on an unstable environment, as their reflexes would naturally improve with increases in balance and stability; the body’s response to different physical environments becomes almost automatic as we subconsciously improve the communication between our nerves and muscles.

Functional training is also extremely beneficial to elderly people who experience difficulty with performing everyday activities, as it serves to strengthen core muscles while conditioning arms and legs, and translates improvements in functional strength to activities of daily living. As such, functional training improves quality of life and can be very liberating for individuals who have struggled with performing simple daily tasks.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Do Not Neglect Your Hamstring Muscles

Question:  I have been neglecting my hamstrings for years and now I have a serious muscle imbalance, what are a few good exercises for them?

Answer:  You are not alone; many people work very hard at strengthening their quadriceps and forget about their hamstrings.  Many of the common leg exercises including squats, lunges, and leg press work predominantly the quadriceps and gluteals with the hamstrings playing a much smaller role.  Similarly, most sport activities including hockey, soccer, cycling and running place much more stress on the quadriceps than the hamstrings.

To keep your leg muscles balanced it is important to strengthen your hamstrings to keep them in check with the front of your legs.  Failure to do so may result in knee injury and decreased performance for an athlete.  Below are a few good hamstring exercises and an important hamstring stretch.

D.B. Hamstring Deadlifts: This exercise is effective at isolating the hamstrings, gluteus and spinal erectors.  Start standing upright with your feet shoulder width apart with a dumbbell in each hand.  Keeping your back straight, slowly bend forward at the waist and lower the dumbbells down to your knees until you feel a gentle stretch in your hamstrings.  Reverse the procedure to return slowly to the starting position.  Most of the effort should be felt in your hamstrings and not your lower back.

Hamstring Ball Tucks: Lying on your back, place your feet on the ball with your hands on the floor by your side.  Lift your hips off of the floor so that your body is straight.  Keeping your hips lifted, bend your knees rolling the ball towards your buttocks and then return to the starting position. Perform two to three sets of 10-20 repetitions depending on your comfort level.  The effort should be felt in your hamstrings and your trunk stabilization muscles.

Hamstring Stretch: To stretch out your hamstrings stand facing a table or a similar object approximately the height of your waist.  Keep your left foot flat on the floor and place your right foot on the object.  Make sure both legs are straight but not in a locked position.  Lean forward towards your right foot while keeping your back flat and shoulders back.  The stretch should be felt in the hamstrings of the right leg.  Repeat the stretch with the opposite leg.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

TRX Core Exercises - Training Applications - Core

Oblique Tilt

Suspended Cycle

Prone Knee Tuck

Right and Left Knee tuck variations

Reverse Pike

Suspended Pike

Straight Arm Sit Up

Suspended Rollout

Suspended Side Plank

Suspended Pendulum (Alternate posture displayed in first frame.)

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