Critical Bench chats with Big Jim. He's an interesting guy.
Results matching “Bird”
20 snippets of wisdom from Mike Boyle. To get things rolling :
Often I would come to the gym, warm-up, do one heavy set of squats and leave. In the process, I got very strong. The process was simple. Have a goal for the day. Attain the goal. Go home.
Some great tips in there.
This week was cut slightly short by a failing hard drive (which is now eating with the fishes), but still packed a punch :
- Just another bloggy Sunday. More blog goodness from the world of strength.
- Strains and sprains - first in a collaborative series on injuries. Should be a good one.
- Video of Andy Bolton's 1,003 lb deadlift. That's quite a feat.
- Contrast baths for hands. A great way to finish up grip training days.
- The HFT Handbook - wise words from Chad Waterbury.
The Other Side of Strength's Ken Black takes a brief look at a bit of hydrotherapy - contrast baths for the hands. Not quite as painful as an ice bath.
As I work to sort out a rapidly failing hard drive, take a look at a few of these :
- Webber still in front at half-way point of Challenge
- The HFT Handbook - Chad Waterbury
- Swings and Snatches - a kettlebell blog from Japan
- Anthony DiLuglio has fun with a sledgehammer [video - .wmv, 3.3mb]
- Nutrition and well-being - Eric Talmant
Via Isaac Wilkins over at Got Strength? - video [streaming, 691kb .flv download via KeepVid] of Andy Bolton's incredible 1,003 lb deadlift. Yes, he finally got it.
This month kicks off a collaborative article series with Run to Win's Blaine Moore on injuries. This piece looks at strains and sprains; typical causes and treatments. First, however, a couple of definitions are in order.
Strain
A strain is a tear of a tendon (fibrous cords that attach muscle to bone); arising through twisting or pulling [1].
Sprain
A sprain is a tear of a ligament (connective tissue joining one bone to another); arising through stretching [1].
Although the terms strain and sprain are often used interchangeably, just remember that strain=tendon and sprain=ligament.
Common causes
Strains
Unlike their similarly-named cousin, strains often arise from things as mundane as poor posture or repetition of an activity. In sports such as mountain biking it is often the fingers which are the subjects of injury [2]. Regardless of the nature of the cause, the solution (once the injury itself has been repaired) is often a simple matter of muscle strengthening and flexibility.
Sprains
These are most commonly seen around the ankle joint, and are caused in this case by anything that forces the ankle to 'tip over' [4]. Usually this involves running or jumping and landing the foot on a unstable or uneven surface.
The chance of this action causing an injury is increased through :
- poor or incomplete rehabilitation of a previous injury to the same area
- poor proprioception (the knowledge of the spatial location of a body part)
- above average 'rolling of the foot' during normal walking or running
- weak muscles responsible for stabilising the joint
Symptoms
In order to identify whether a particular injury is a form of either strain or sprain - and not simply pain from the activity in question - the following symptoms are typical of the more severe injuries :
- muscle pain
- muscle spasm
- muscle weakness
- localised swelling
- muscle cramping
- partial loss of muscle function
Remedial action
There are several ways to deal with strains and sprains, and the method chosen is selected according to the severity of the injury. Regardless of the level of injury, treatment usually begins with RICE.
Whilst I'm the current owner of a Reebok CyberRider, I'm not sure that partnering exercise with video gaming is a great solution to anything. The latest offering to hit the market - this time targeted at children (or their unsuspecting parents) - is from Gymkids.
Gymkids produces a range of devices for the burgeoning market of young obese video gamers; including a miniature treadmill, stepper and stationary cycle. Unlike similar devices these function by controlling the video game controllers rather than the video games themselves; and so are compatible with a number of games and devices.
Of course, a much more effective way to keep your child in shape (not to mention spending time with them) is to teach them how to play basketball. Or ride a bike. Or run.
A few of this week's blog finds :
Serious Ultimate
The world of Ultimate is a strange one indeed. High on the list are Chicago-based competitors Mr Serious and Mr Ultimate, who manage to blend sports results with their unique humorous outporings.
Very odd.
Iron Club
Via Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker comes a great site from Juan Lancaster - Iron Club. Here you'll find articles, videos and plans for incredibly solid racks and bars (sample video [.avi, 3.3mb] of a 251kg farmers walk with the dead bar). Superb.
The Iron Pit
The Iron Pit is UK powerlifter and strongman Martin Smith's online training log. Replete with photos, routines and reviews; this is a great resource.
Dragons List
This collection of all things for the world of Martial Arts includes some very interesting blogs. To get you started, check out Hazmat's home-made Medicine Ball on a Rope. Looks like fun.
Incidentally, if you've just made one and you're wondering what to do with it, Paul Chek has a few suggestions.
The Exercise Police
The Exercise Police is a great blog, run by Iron Maven Tracey Fober. Tracy is a physical therapist and baseball enthusiast. A great read.
Why not grab all the feeds as a single juicy opml file.
Gymrat points to an interesting entry for the International Guinness World Record Day : a handcuffed swim in Cambodia. Canadian film-maker Matt Frame will attempt to dog-paddle his way to a slightly odd victory in the name of charity. A noble cause - the education of poverty-stricken Cambodian children.