TRIGGER POINT THERAPY - SELF HELP FOR COMMON SHOULDER PAIN

 

Posted by Judith Winer on Oct 31, 2016

Whilst it's not usually a substitute for professional care, treating your own trigger points will often help to relieve painful symptoms

Treating your own trigger points isn't likely to provide the same outcome as you would get from treatment from a therapist, but it can be remarkably effective, and is something that we almost always prescribe for clients, between treatments.

Try first to use your fingers to apply pressure to the muscle, and to see if you can feel for a taut band or knot. Press with one finger on the exact spot and you should elicit pain (this can be local or referred).

Once you get used to the concept of treating trigger points, equipment such as hard balls and pressure tools can be used to amplify pressure and reduce stress on your fingers. 

Pressure Tools

Pressure tools can be used standing, sitting, lying, or side lying. It is easy to overstimulate an active trigger point, so pressure should be applied slowly and gently until it is "just right." 

You should hold the point until it softens or the pain yields. It is usually fine to use pressure tools up to six times a day, depending on the type and severity of the problem.

Follow these general instructions:

1. Identify the tender/trigger point you wish to work on. 

2. Place the host muscle in a comfortable position, where it is relaxed and can undergo full stretch. 

3. Apply gentle, gradually increasing pressure to the tender point until you feel resistance. This should be experienced more as discomfort and not as severe pain. 

4. Apply sustained pressure until you feel the tender point yield and soften. This can take from a few seconds to several minutes. 

5. Steps 3-4 can be repeated, gradually increasing the pressure on the tender/trigger point until it has fully yielded. 

6. To achieve a better result, you can try to change the direction of pressure during these repetitions.

Be sensible

There are many reasons why you might have trigger points, so it is important to consider your trigger point pain in the context of the rest of your body. It must be stressed that the techniques offered on this page are not a substitute for therapy from a qualified practitioner.

Although aches and pains from trigger points are common, there can sometimes be an underlying pathology. It is advisable to always seek a proper diagnosis from a qualified medical practitioner or experienced manual therapist.

Stretching

If you are receiving any form of trigger point therapy, either self-help or with a therapist, it is advisable to stretch on the hour, every hour, on the day of the treatment and then three times per day thereafter for a few weeks to several months.

Self Help for shoulders ...

Pectoralis Major

Trigger points in this muscle may often be associated with mid-scapular back pain, thoracic outlet syndrome, anterior shoulder pain, golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow.

Infraspinatus

Trigger points in this muscle are often associated with decreased range of motion in "Apley Scratch" test (behind back), rotator cuff tendinopathy, frozen shoulder syndrome, pain in back and front of shoulder, night-time shoulder pain, dead-arm sensations, and “mouse arm” from computer mouse overuse.

Deltoid

Trigger points in this muscle are often associated with decreased range of motion (especially in abduction), shoulder pain which worsens with motion and eases at rest, and some loss of strength above 90 degrees.

Biceps

Trigger points in the biceps are typically associated with anterior shoulder pain with decreased arm extension, biceps tendonitis, reduced extension of arms, reduced "Apley Scratch" test manoeuvre, and frozen shoulder syndrome.

Supraspinatus

Trigger points in supraspinatus are common, and are often associated with loss of power in abduction, painful arc syndrome, subacromial bursitis, rotator cuff tendinopathy, deep aching at night, and clicking/snapping sounds in shoulder joint.

MASSAGE THERAPY - TREATING WINGED SCAPULA

 

Posted by Judith Winer on Oct 29, 2016

Winged Scapula is a problem that affects a small, but wide-ranging, part of the population

The scapula, or shoulder blade, is the largest bone of the shoulder and has 17 different muscles attached to it. These muscles both stabilize the arm and allow it to move. The muscles move together like a well-oiled machine but when things go wrong it can be difficult to address and can lead to the scapula “winging,” so that the shoulder blade sticks out on the back, rather than lying flat against the back of the chest wall. This gives the scapula a wing-like appearance, hence its name. 

Some mild cases may produce no symptoms— there will be no loss of power or control and no pain. More severe cases may be very painful and there can be significant loss of movement and control over the shoulder.

The scapula, or shoulder blade, is the largest bone of the shoulder and has 17 different muscles attached to it.

Common Causes

The winging can be caused by poor control or imbalance in the muscles, or by injury or dysfunction of the muscles or the nerves that supply the muscles. It can also be symptomatic of muscle wasting, for example in people with muscular dystrophy. Poor posture can contribute to or trigger the problem, and overuse of specific muscles can be to blame, for example with weightlifters. It is a problem that affects a small, but wide-ranging, part of the population.

Common Symptoms

Ultimately it can lead to an inability to lift, pull, or push heavy objects or to perform daily activities such as brushing teeth, combing hair, or carrying things around. While some people will experience little or no pain, for others the pain will be excruciating. 

Treatment

Treatment will vary depending on the underlying cause. The most common cause is weakness in the serratus anterior muscle or damage to the long thoracic nerve that supplies the serratus anterior muscle. The serratus anterior is the muscle underneath the shoulder blade, lying over the top of and between the ribcage at the outside of the body and attaching to the ribs, from the second to the ninth.

Massage

While severe cases of winged scapula may need surgery, a lot of cases will respond well to strengthening exercises and to massage. If the problem arises suddenly after a trauma or injury then the individual needs to be seen by a medical practitioner prior to any massage treatment being administered. 

Less common causes of a winged scapula include loss of trapezius muscle function, this is extremely rare and usually only occurs following radical surgery, for example in removal of a tumor. If this is the cause of a winged scapula then treatment should only be given by a professional trained therapist under the supervision of the patient’s medical practitioner or surgeon.

When the underlying cause of the winged scapular is overall muscle degeneration with a condition such as muscular dystrophy, then there will be a weakness in all the scapula stabilizers. In this instance it is important to treat the arms, shoulders, and back on both sides and not just one. The muscles are likely to be tight and smaller owing to the muscle degeneration.

Proceed with Caution

Be careful not to slip off the muscles onto bone as this would be painful, and you may need to alter the area of your own body used to massage to suit the needs of the recipient—so a thumb may be needed in place of an elbow, depending on the size of individual’s muscles. It is important to work all areas of the scapula so that tension in one area isn’t released at the expense of another.

Another cause of a winged scapular is dislocation of the acromioclavicular joint or a fracture of the outer third of the clavicle. This would normally follow a specific trauma or injury; it isn’t painful and mainly affects athletes or people whose work requires them to have their hands stretched above their head for a prolonged period of time. 

If you are treating an individual with this background it is important to liaise with his or her medical practitioner or physiotherapist before beginning treatment as this would normally involve severe ligament damage.

Dislocation

If there has been a repeated dislocation of the shoulder, for example with a football player, then the winged scapula is secondary to the shoulder dislocation and strengthening exercises under the supervision of a physiotherapist would normally be the treatment of choice; if this is not successful then surgery may be required.

There are other, more rare, conditions that can result in a winged scapula, but all would follow trauma or injury so clients would be under the supervision of a medical practitioner.

Specific Contraindications 

• If there has been a recent trauma to the area that has resulted in the winged scapula, this should be checked by a doctor prior to treatment. If the area is swollen or inflamed, wait until that has fully settled before treatment. 
• If there is significant muscle degeneration around the shoulder due to a long-term condition, take extra care not to slip onto the bones when massaging. 
• If there is a history of shoulder dislocation with a client, work with his or her physiotherapist.

The above is an edited extract from the NAT Master Course - Healing Massage which provides a detailed overview of more than 40 medical conditions including illustrated step by step massage treatment techniques.

Как правильно использовать foam roller?

 

Foam roller (для которого пока не устоялось адекватное русскоязычного названия) можно увидеть везде — в спортивном зале, в кабинете физиотерапевта, в вашей спортивной сумке. Зожник приводит текст о том, как правильно использовать foam roller.

Это очень удобный инструмент для миофасциального расслабления, самомассажа, который позволяет избавиться от напряжения в мышцах и соединительных тканях. Эти напряжения могут приводить к «образованию точек слабости и уязвимости в тканях», отмечает Крис Ховард (Chris Howard) из Cressey Performance. «Если мышечная ткань не сокращается равномерно от одного конца к другому, возникает риск получения травмы и болевых ощущений». Foam roller также помогает увеличить приток к крови в мышечную ткань и улучшает подвижность, ускоряет восстановление и повышает производительность.

Foam roller обладает огромным потенциалом для устранения болей и улучшения состояния мышц, если использовать его правильно. А вот если использовать его неправильно, можно только усугубить проблемы с мышцами.

Перед вами представлен список из 5 наиболее частых ошибок, которые совершают люди при работе с foam roller.

Ошибка № 1: Использование роллера прямо в том месте, где вы чувствуете боль

Когда человек чувствует боль, первое, что приходит в голову — начать массировать больное место. Однако это может стать очень большой ошибкой. «Больная область возникает вследствие неравноменого натяжение мышц в разных частях тела», утверждает Сью Хитцманн (Sue Hitzmann), мануальный терапевт, магистр наук, создатель и автор The MELT Method.

Давайте в качестве примера рассмотрим илиотибиальный тракт. Foam roller очень часто прописывают для лечения синдрома илиотибиального тракта. Несмотря на то, что при использовании массажера для лечения илиотибиального тракта больной может почувствовать себя лучше, «неправильно думать, что с его помощью вы сможете расслабить илиотибиальный тракт», говорит Хицманн.

Фраза «массируйте илиотибиальный тракт» сама по себе звучит так, как будто у вас в распоряжении кусок мягкой ткани, однако, по правде говоря, илиотибиальный тракт не настолько податлив. Это очень плотный отдел соединительной ткани, и согласно исследованиям, его нельзя расслабить и восстановить с помощью ручных техник и таких инструментов как foam roller. «Если нагревать воспаленную область, можно только увеличить зону и степень воспаления. Если вы испытываете боль, ваш организм будет слишком напряжен, чтобы устранить проблему самостоятельно», — утверждает Хитцманн.

Массаж илиотибиального тракта с помощью фоам роллера

Решение проблемы: Избегайте прямого воздействия, используйте косвенное. Если обнаружить чувствительную точку, ее можно использовать в качестве ключа, переместив воздействие в сторону на несколько сантиметров. Выделите больше времени и поработайте над отдельными областями вокруг испытывающей болевые ощущения области, после чего перейдите к более широким движениям«, подсказывает Хитцманн. Для илиотибиального тракта необходимо поработать с основными мышцами, которые крепятся к тракту, особенно это касается большой ягодичной мышцы (самая большая мышца на ягодицах) и широкая фасция бедра (мышца, которая находится на внешней стороне бедра).

Ошибка № 2: Слишком быстрые движения

Несмотря на то, что выполнять быстрые движения туда-обратно на foam roller приятно и здорово, это вряд ли поможет вам устранить проблемы в мышцах. «Нужно дать мозгу время на то, чтобы отправить мышцам сигнал на расслабление», — пишет Моника Васкез (Monica Vasquez), сертифицированный личный тренер и тренер, готовящий бегунов в США.

Решение проблемы: Двигайтесь медленнее, так чтобы поверхностные ткани и мышцы имели время на адаптацию и смогли реагировать на давление. Определите болевые точки, и двигайтесь короткими медленными движениями над данными точками.

Ошибка № 3: Уделять слишком много времени отдельным проблемам

Очень часто мы слышим, что при болевых ощущениях необходимо провести достаточное количество времени на foam roller для устранения проблемы. Однако некоторые люди проводят 5-10 минут, работая с одной областью, переводя вес всего тела на foam roller. Если долгое время накладывать усилие на определенную часть тела, можно повредить нервы или ткани, что может вызвать синяки.

Решение проблемы: «Посвящайте массажу каждого участка по 20 секунд, после чего переходите к следующему участку», — рекомендует Васкез. Вы можете управлять давлением на поврежденный участок с помощью веса собственного тела. Например, работая над поврежденным илиотибиальный трактом, поместите ноги на пол, чтобы убрать часть нагрузки с роллера.

Ошибка № 4: Неправильная поза при работе с foam roller

«Необходимо принимать определенную позу при работе с foam roller», — говорит Ховард, «и для этого требуется определенная сила». «При массаже илиотибиального тракта нужно опираться на одну руку, перенося на нее вес верхней части тела». При массаже четырехглавой мышцы нужно принимать положение, похожее на положение при выполнении планки. Если не обращать внимание на позу, можно нажить много проблем, а не пользы.

Решение проблемы: Работайте с профессиональным тренером, физиотерапевтом или тренером, который обладает нужными знаниями. Либо вы можете использовать камеру смартфона, чтобы заснять свою работу с foam roller, а позже просмотреть видео и понять свои ошибки или показать его специалисту.

Ошибка № 5: Использование foam roller для массажа нижней части спины

«Я теряю самообладание, когда вижу, как люди используют foam roller для массажа нижней части спины. Никогда так не делайте!», — говорит Васкез. Хитцманн охотно с этим соглашается. «В результате этого спина окажется перенапряжена, и все спинные мышцы будут напряжены для поддержки спины».

Решение проблемы: По мнению Васкеза, использовать foam roller можно только для массажа верхней части спины, так как в этом случае лопатки и мышцы будут защищать спину. «Дойдя до нижнего ребра, остановитесь». Если вы хотите размять нижнюю часть спины, попробуйте принять позу эмбриона или используйте foam roller для расслабления мышц, которые сопряжены с нижней частью спины — грушевидная мышца (мышца, расположенная глубоко под ягодичными мышцами), сгибающая мышца бедра и прямая мышца бедра (одна из ключевых мышц бедра).

Очень важно понимать источник боли перед началом работы. Вы должны четко понимать, что вы делаете и чего хотите добиться. И не забывайте о положении тела. «Чтобы добиться результата от массажа, важнейшим условием является периодичность воздействия», замечает Ховард. «Продолжайте работать, и все придет».

Пример разминки / заминки с фоам роллером:

Перевод: bodyboss.ru

Оригинал текста: dailyburn.com

Уменьшение боли и укрепление мышц нижней части спины: скамья для обратных разгибаний.

 

По статистике около 80% населения планеты хоть раз в своей жизни испытывала боли в пояснице. В этой огромной цифре особое место отводится на долю спортсменам из силовых видов спорта, которые выполняют различные виды колено- и тазо-доминантных упражнений. Если в пауэрлифтинге и тяжёлой атлетике нет привязки к времени выполнения, то в Кроссфите нужно сделать как можно больше раундов за отведённый промежуток времени, или максимальное количество повторений. А это при прочих равных условиях увеличивает вероятность получения травмы спины.  

Травмы в Кроссфите

В 2014 году в медицинском журнале для ортопедов научный коллектив из университета школы Рочестера опубликовал исследование «Доля травм и паттерны среди Кроссфит-атлетов». Авторы отобрали группу из 386 человек, тренирующихся в аффилиатах разных штатов (Пенсильвания, Калифорния,     Нью-Йорк, Иллинойс, Массачусетс).  Данные собирались посредством электронной формы и обратной связи от субъектов, их тренеров, и врачей. Регистрировались случаи только в том случае, если человек не мог проявлять нормальную для себя физическую активность больше 1 недели.  


Места травм по отношению к выполняемым типам движений.
Травмы нижней части спины от общей доли травм составляют 14%. Они на втором месте после травм плечевого пояса (25%). В упражнениях из пауэрлифтинга (становая тяга, жим стоя/лёжа, присед) их количество 47%. В других движениях (махи гирей, трастеры, «турецкие подъёмы», двойные прыжки на скакалке, прыжки на коробку) процентная доля составляла всего 7%. По 2-м случаям боли в пояснице не было полных данных. 


«Плечи и области нижней части спины были наиболее часто травмированными областями тела, и чаще всего повреждались во время гимнастических движений, и пауэрлифтинга. Большинство травм в Кроссфите носят острый характер без истории предыдущей травмы или симптомов в той же области тела» - заключают исследователи. 
  

Детище Луи Симмонса

Скамья для обратных разгибаний была придумана культовой личностью американского пауэрлифтинга. В начале 80-х годов прошлого столетия Луи Симмонс, основатель зала «Westide Barbell», разработал данное приспособление для восстановления после серьёзной травмы спины. В то время атлет дважды ломал себе позвоночник, и по его словам именно эта скамья принесла ему здоровую спину, а также помогла в преодолении новых рекордов. 

 «Я сломал мой 5-й позвонок в 1973 году во время выполнения "гудмонингов". Я имел только 304 кг становую тягу при весе 82 кг в феврале 1973. Я также защемил седалищный нерв, нанося ущерб моим ногам, которые не мог выпрямлять без серьёзной боли. После десяти месяцев на костылях мне не смогли помочь разнообразные медицинские эксперты. Я не мог выполнять любые упражнения. Один день я пытался делать разгибания спины, но чрезвычайно экстремальная боль нижней части спины не давала мне прикладывать усилия. Очень сильно болели ягодичные, нижняя часть спины, и ноги. Я не мог работать, и конечно же не заниматься пауэрлифтингом. Никто не мог помочь. Одним днём я подумал, а что если выполнять разгибания спины назад? Я построил платформу из моих силовых стоек, мой торс был закреплён, поддерживая мои ноги, в то время как они свисали вниз (лицом вниз). Держась за переднюю ручку, я поднимал ноги без боли. Первое время за год я прочувствовал как течёт кровь, и закачивается моя нижняя часть спины. На следующий день я повторил то же самое упражнение с теми же результатами. Я продолжал делать это упражнение несколько раз в неделю, и боль прошла. Как? Намного позже я узнал, я использовал декомпрессию, укрепляя мышцы, сухожилия и связки нижней части спины». 


К несчастью Луи Симмонс снова сломал межпозвоночный диск L5 в 1982 году. Как и ранее спортсмен начал делать обратные разгибания на скамье с отягощением. В течении 17-недель каждый день 4 подхода по 20-25 повторений. И вновь атлет возвратил был силу спины и поставил новые рекорды на соревнованиях по пауэрлифтингу. 
  

Преимущества использования

Разница между большей частью упражнений на нижнюю часть спины и обратными разгибаниями на скамье является то, что выполняемое движение является "открытой цепью". Это означает, что ноги могут свободно перемещаться. В упражнениях на спину «замкнутой цепи» ноги стоят на земле, либо зажаты между колодками, как при обычных разгибаниях спины на GHD. Вся прелесть этого упражнения в том, что при работе на позвоночник не действуют силы компрессии. На самом деле обратные разгибания будут тянуть позвоночник. Создаваемое пространство между позвонками, будет освобождать место для сжатых, выпученных или дисков с грыжами. Таким образом вкачивается спинномозговая жидкость перед дисками.

И эта машина не только реабилитационный инструмент. Вы сможете сильно укрепить нижнюю части спины. Рекомендуется выполнять несколько подходов для разминки нижней части спины, а также 2-4 сета после тяжелой сессии в становой тяге. 

Для уменьшения болей в нижней части спины:

• 2-3 подхода из 15-25 повторений для разминки 
• 2-3 подхода из 15-25 повторений для заминки 

Начните с 0-10 кг, и увеличивайте вес на 5 кг каждую неделю. 

Для укрепления нижней части спины:

• 4 подхода из 10-15 повторений после тренировки (лучше всего делать после становой тяги, или после других тяжелых тренировок на «заднюю цепь», тоесть после махов гири тяжёлых приседаний).  

В дни с тяжёлыми нагрузками, используйте 50% от 1ПМ в приседе. В лёгкие тренировочные дни используйте 25%. 

Скамья для обратной экстензии

 

Источники: 
1. Benjamin M. Weisenthal,* BA, Christopher A. Beck,† MA, PhD, Michael D. Maloney,‡ MD, Kenneth E. DeHaven,‡ MD, and Brian D. Giordano,‡§ MD, "Injury Rate and Patterns Among CrossFit Athletes", Investigation performed at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA. 
2. Dr. Jerome Rerucha, "Professional Health Care Reverse Hyper™. Restore and Increase Back Health".  
3. http://crossfitcda.com/the-reverse-hyper-for-low-back-pain/

HOW TO BUILD BULLETPROOF SHOULDERS WITH THE LANDMINE ROW

 

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By John Rusin

If you want to be a big, strong functional athlete who looks as good as they perform, varying your training and incorporating both unilateral and bilateral training based movements need to be an integral aspect of any effective training program no matter the goal.

For lifters and athletes who predominantly train bilaterally, changing up the movement emphasis and requisites placed on key foundational movement patterns such as the horizontal pull can be a game changer to develop transferable strength and muscle, but also challenge the core and pillar (consisting of the shoulders, core and hips) alike.

That’s why I recommend single-arm barbell exercises in a landmine setup with a focus placed on the horizontal pulling pattern, aka the row. But hey, there are some amazing advantages that the landmine setup provides that makes bilateral training on this tool remarkable as well.

How Landmine Rows Work

These landmine row variations will  increase muscle recruitment, maximize tension around the shoulder and reduce poor movement patterns—all in a few foundational moves that will quickly become staples of your strength and hypertrophy programming.

While the landmine row variations are devastatingly effective for forging muscle and strength, they also reduce joint stress while maximizing the tension and stabilization patterns of the shoulder, which translates very well to optimal shoulder and spinal health along with improved athletic performance.

Due to the barbell’s angled position, constant force and tension is placed on the body at all times. Also, the exercises hit your muscles differently than standard barbell and dumbbell moves, recruiting more muscle fibers to stabilize the shoulder and produce greater strength.

Anytime you can maximize muscular recruitment in the shoulder complex and core while minimizing the stress placed on the joints during the movement itself, that’s an exercise you will use for life. Before we get into my favorite landmine row variations and how to use them in superset fashion, lets make sure we can master this setup.

How To Properly Use The Landmine Setup

Single-arm barbell exercises and movements can be done in a landmine machine or by placing one end of the barbell in a corner of a room, where it can be stabilized by the two walls forming a right angle and buttressed with a heavy dumbbell. Make sure the barbell is against the corner to minimize the risk of it shifting during training. Whatever method you choose, stay consistent and track your progress with strength and stability of these movements over time.

It’s important to note that the relative “weight” of the barbell placed in the landmine setup can be variable. This is the reason why I recommend tracking the weight used only from the weight placed on the end of the barbell. For example, if you are completing sets with a 25 pound plate on the end of the landmine setup, this would be recorded as a weight of 25 pounds. Keep tracking simple and consistent over time for objective strength gains over time.

Landmine Single-Arm Barbell Row

Coaching Notes:

• Start with your feet perpendicular to the bar in a shoulder-width stance with both knees bent.
• Position your trunk so your chest is just above parallel to the ground and your back is flat.
• Position the arm you use for the movement with the shoulder directly over the barbell.
• Use the arm outside of the barbell to deload your spine by placing your elbow on your outside knee and stabilizing your lower back and pelvis.
• Maintaining a flat spine, row the barbell up, driving your elbows up and controlling the movement back down into a stretched position at the bottom.
• To enhance range of motion, load smaller plates (10’s or 25’s) on the bar, since this will allow more room for a deep stretch in the bottom position.

Landmine Single Arm Pronated Row aka Meadows Row

Coaching Notes:

• This movement was originated by John Meadows of Mountain Dog Diet.
• The starting position is similar to the Single-Arm Barbell Row, except your feet are positioned parallel to the barbell.
• Position the foot closest to the top of the barbell so your shoulder on the side being trained is in line with the barbell.
• Brace your core and pelvis the same way as with the Single-Arm Barbell Row with your opposite side elbow placed on your knee.
• Focus on driving your elbow up and keeping it in perfect alignment with your shoulder and the barbell throughout the movement.

Landmine Bent Over Barbell Row

Coaching Notes:

• Step over the bar in the landmine setup and straddle the bar between your feet set in the power stance with hip width apart and toes forward.
• Using either your fingers interlaced around the bar, or an attachment at the base of the bar as shown in the video, slide your hand position as close to the collar as possible.
• After lifting the bar off the ground, ensure that you have a strong and stable isometric hip hinge position with your butt back and spine in neutral. This will provide a strong position to train the row from.
• During the pull phase of the movement, drive your hands back into the lower portion of your chest, or for some larger individuals your stomach and squeeze hard with tension at the top of the movement.
• Incorporate a full range of motion throughout each rep.

Pain-Free Pulling Landmine Supersets

These landmine barbell row superset combinations are staples in many of my strength and hypertrophy based programs, including FHT. Placing together these horizontal rowing based movements in a strategic way will challenge your muscles, alter the strength curve while also eliciting a huge pump. And of course, due to the intelligent landmine setup and proper body positioning, these tough supersets will also be inherently safer than their traditional barbell alternative movements.

Check out the videos below that were recorded in real time during my training and refer back to the coaching notes above to ensure perfect setup on the landmine along with pristine movement execution.

Superset 1 – Back Strength Emphasis

1A. Landmine Single Arm Barbell Row 3×8@15sec

1B. Landmine Bent Over Barbell Row 3×6@60sec

*Complete both the right and left side Single Arm Barbell Rows before moving onto the Landmine Bent Over Barbell row. Take 60 seconds of rest between supersets and repeat.

Superset 2 – Back Hypertrophy Emphasis

1A. Landmine Meadows Row 3×8@15

1B. Landmine Single Arm Barbell Row 3×8@60sec

* Complete ALL REPS of Meadows and Single Arm Barbell Rows on the same side before moving to the opposite side. So it should look like Meadows Row for 8 reps on the right, followed by Single Arm Barbell Row for 8 reps on the right, then switching over to the left to complete all reps on that side. After both sides are completed, take a 60 second rest period between these integrated supersets.

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About The Author

Meet Dr. John Rusin | The Strength Doc

Dr. John Rusin is an internationally recognized coach, physical therapist, speaker, and writer, whose published over 200 articles in some of the most widely regarded media outlets in the industry like Men’s Fitness, Testosterone Nation, Mountain Dog Diet, Bodybuilding.com, and Muscle and Strength, to name a few.

Along with an impressive laundry list of publications, Dr. John works with some of the world’s most elite athletes, including Gold Medalist Olympians, NFL All-Pro Quarterbacks, MLB All-Star Pitchers, Professional Bodybuilders and World Class IronMan Triathletes.

HOW TO USE BAND TRAINING TO BUILD RESILIENT MUSCLE & PREVENT INJURIES

 

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By John Rusin

The Most Undervalued Type of Resistance

The use of bands in training is nothing new in the fitness and sports performance industries. That being said, the popularization of band training has created one hell of a double-edged sword for producing results while staying healthy in the process.

Why? Coaches and athletes alike simply don’t know how to intelligently program band training to achieve the mass amounts of benefit that these tools are truly cable of.

When strategically sprinkled into programming, bands provide an exponential upside to build muscle, get strong and explosive and stay healthy. But if you don’t have a plan and purpose for your band based training, this tool can be brutally tough on your joints and tendons and may even lead to injuries.

Here’s how to implement band work into each major area of training, from prehab to power development and everything in between. But be careful, as amazing as band training can be, it can bite you in the ass if you don’t stick to smart programming and execution. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!

Corrective Exercise & Prehabilitation

We quickly forget that band work was first popularized in physical therapy and rehabilitation clinics for a quick and easy way to start “strengthening” after coming off injury or surgery. But why were bands the original tool of choice for clinicians to load their patients?

Well, bands are about as simple and convenient as resistance training gets. But the fact is the type of accommodating resistance that the bands offer creates a novel training stimulus to musculature that can be highly advantageous for this population and type of training.

Band Training Creates A Novel Training Stimulus That Fit The Rehabilitation Population Perfectly….

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Muscles are accustomed to working against fixed loads, hence why the novelty of banded training is so effective. Simply put, bands have the ability to alter the strength curve as the resistance is increased as the band becomes more stretched. More resistance in ranges where you are more likely to have increased strength is a good thing for people who are not only coming off injury, but also trying to target musculature in a new way to rebuild strength, muscle and functionality.

Another key reason why bands have created a nice niche in rehabilitation based resistance training is due to the regulation the accommodating resistance provides each movement. For movements that are less than polished, or require a faster contraction, bands will decelerate the movement automatically at the tail end of the range of motion, protecting the joints and musculature from an unstable environment, which could potentially lead to re-injury.

While the list could go on and on of the uses and benefits of band training in rehab and corrective exercise, these are the staple points. To bring it all together, check out the quadruped banded hip extension video belowquick showcases the use of bands in this area of training.

Dynamic Warm Up

One of the most effective ways to incorporate banded training into your routine seamlessly is by adding some exercises directly into your dynamic warm up. Two specific areas that I emphasize with banded dynamic warm up training are the two most mobile ball and socket type joints in the body, the hips and shoulders.

Bands are amazing for eliciting stability at inherently unstable joints like the shoulders and hips. People like to refer to this as “postural activation” but in reality we are making sure all the stabilizing musculature around these joints are active and working synergistically around these joints to place them in a perfect position to perform and function from.

Bands Provide Enhanced Postural Activation, Creating Synergy and Stability From The Muscles…

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Though accommodating resistance via bands can be of course used in corrective exercise drills as mentioned above, they are also great for activation-based movements. Activation of the posterior-lateral hip group consisting of the gluteal complex through banded side steps and monster walks are one of the quickest and easiest ways to integrate band training into the warm up for the hips specifically.

As for the shoulders, the single best dynamic warm up sequence I continue to use with my athletes and clients is the banded shoulder tri-set consisting of band over and backs, banded face pulls and band pull aparts paired together in sequence. A few rounds of this with 8-12 reps per movement will have your shoulders ready to go for any type of overhead activity. Check it out in the video below.

Power Production

Maybe the most popular use of band training over the last decade has been in the power production side of sports performance training. We’ve all seen powerlifters band up their squat, bench and deadlift before, but why are some of the top athletes in the world, including physique athletes and bodybuilders, starting to gravitate towards this same training method?

When it comes to building muscle, there is a necessity for a base level of strength. And if you want to build a base level of strength, hitting powerful sets that recruit as many motor units as possible also enhance the strength development. You see where I’m getting at with this? Well-rounded strength athletes need to have an eclectic approach to programming, and bands are just another way to challenge the system.

Well-rounded Strength Athletes Need To Have An Eclectic Approach To Programming. -Dr. John Rusin

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Yes, as I mentioned before, bands can be added to pretty much every loaded movement in the gym, but some exercises are better equipped to handle accommodating resistances than others. By first placing a priority on compound multi-joint movements, you can start seeing the benefits of power and acceleration quickly.

But those results you know and love need to be taken with a grain of salt, as there is always a price to pay for getting too strong and too powerful.

Bands will exponentiate the resistance at the top of a movement, but remember bands also accelerate the lowering portion of a movement also known as the eccentric phase of a lift. By accelerating an eccentric phase, the part of the lift between raising and lowering, referred to as the amortization phase, is also accelerated, which can be tough on the joints and non-contractile tissues to due the increased stress and movement acceleration in a shorter period of time.

To ensure you stay healthy while also reaping the benefits of accommodating banded resistance in the big lifts, refrain for using banded variations of the big lifts for any more than 2-3 weeks in a row, and take a few weeks off of bands between these phases.

In any banded setup, to increase power production make sure that you are accelerating your movement and moving as explosively as possible against the bands to yield the best results. Check out this banded chest press that I love using as a primer before heavy bench press in the video below.

Strength Development

Who doesn’t want to get stronger, am I right? The novel uses of banded training above are all very useful to achieve a certain goal, but strength transcends all skills, specialties and focuses. If you aren’t strong, you’re leaving performance, muscle and resiliency on the table. And yes, bands can get you damn strong.

Strength Transcends All. If You Aren’t Strong, You’re Leaving Performance, Muscle & Resiliency…

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While the previous section on power development can be applied to strength as well, using the bands in a traditional manor to add accommodating resistance to compound movements focusing on speed and explosiveness of contractions, they can also be used in a similar fashion for strength and hypertrophy based set and rep schemes. The only thing that changes are the intention, and the challenge of hitting many more reps of banded resistance per set.

Since I think we have a good handle on this, I want to share one of my favorite methods to add some serious iron to the bar while training certain ranges of motion at a supra-maximal level. The technique is called reverse banding, and it’s pretty awesome, here’s why.

By strapping bands to the top of a power rack and essentially hanging the barbell off the bands before adding plates to the bar, we utilize the accommodating resistance strength curve in a different way. Now, instead of the using a lower standard load for a movement, we are able to use a heavier load as the band helps you more as you reach the bottom of a range of motion.

Lets take the bench press for example. Say you could bench 200 pounds for 5 reps. If you add pro-mini resistance bands to each side of the bar in a traditional banded setup, you may have to drop that standard load down to 185 pounds plus the bands to get 5 reps in. But for the reverse band setup, you may be able to use 225 pounds plus reverse bands and get again the same 5 reps. This allows us to go heavy, but protect the weakest link that is usually the bottom of a range of motion.

To see this technique in action, check out the video below of reverse band bench press. It’s important to note here that you want to use a bit thicker of a band, and also ensure that the bands are secured to the rack fore safety.

Eliciting Metabolic Stress

Eliciting a skin-tearing pump from high levels of metabolic stress may be the single most rewarding feeling you can achieve from bands. The problem with traditional pump based work is the ultra high volume that is needed to cause the pump effect itself. And as every veteran lifter knows, as the volume increases, so does your risk of injury over time.

Eliciting A Skin-Tearing Pump From Metabolic Stress Is One Hell of A Feeling. -Dr. John Rusin

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Once again using the physical properties of accommodating resistance, we can more safely expedite increased local blood flow into active tissues with lower levels of stress through the joints and non-contractile tissues of the body.

Intelligently chasing the pump is about crushing your musculature while minimizing any unwanted stress to the joint in the process. By contracting the muscle harder against the variable resistance that the band applies to the tissues, increased localized blood flow is shunted into the muscle.

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This is the reason why internal tension and mind muscle connection is so pivotal when it comes to muscular performance. And maybe even the reason there are new studies out there trying to de-emphasize the need for external loading for muscle strength and hypertrophy development. But c’mon now, who’s going to “lift” without the iron?

By decreasing the joint stress of each rep in a set of banded resistance based movement, we can essentially increase the amount of reps that can be performed in a single training set and break even on the overall amount of joint stress.

Simply put, by using bands in a smart way, we can target ultra high rep ranges, yeah I’m talking 30-50 here, with the same amount of joint stress that would otherwise be placed on these tissues with a lower rep set, somewhere between 15-20 reps. More muscular work with the same stress based joint repercussions sounds pretty damn good to me.

I do have to mention that these extended ultra high rep range sets targeting the metabolic pump effect are brutally painful. These strategies can be used for any muscular group of movement in the body, but the fan favorites are centered on shoulder training.

At the tail end of your next shoulder day, throw in a set of banded face pulls for a hundred reps or so, and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ll be in a world of pain during the set, but rest assured your shoulders won’t be pissed off the next day. You can see the agony on my face in the video below.

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About The Author

Meet Dr. John Rusin | Owner of DrJohnRusin.com

Dr. John Rusin is an internationally recognized coach, physical therapist, speaker, and writer, whose published over 300 articles in some of the most widely regarded media outlets in the industry like Men’s Fitness, Testosterone Nation, Mountain Dog Diet, Bodybuilding.com, and Muscle and Strength, to name a few.

Along with an impressive laundry list of publications, Dr. John works with some of the world’s most elite athletes, including Gold Medalist Olympians, NFL All-Pro Quarterbacks, MLB All-Star Pitchers, Professional Bodybuilders and World Class IronMan Triathletes.