Category: Ektelo Sports

March 15, 2018

Why do runners, cyclists and endurance athletes need strength training?

Doesn’t strength training make runners and cyclists bulky and slow? Why should you do squats and deadlifts if your goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon or cycle a century race? Won’t weightlifting take away from my endurance training?

Guess what? Getting strong and “bulky” are two different things. Here’s why all endurance athletes need to spend at least one day/week in the gym. If you’re curious about what to do in the gym, I’ll be writing about that in a few short weeks. Or send us a note!

1. Improve relative strength

One of the biggest misconceptions about strength training is the difference between sports performance and the bodybuilding style of training that has risen to prevalence since Arnold was posing for Mr. Olympia. For 90% of our athletes, we focus on relative strength by improving motor unit recruitment. The definition of relative strength is the amount of force a person can generate at their body weight. In the simplest terms, there are two ways to get strong – making muscles bigger (and heavier) or making muscles work more efficiently. Most strength training for endurance athletes centers on 20 or more repetitions per set. We go the exact opposite and keep athletes under 5 repetitions per set, but make the exercise HEAVY for the athlete.

The effect of different repetitions/set, as per Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore’s Practical Programming

If you look at the chart above, it’s easier to see that low reps and high weight are a great supplement for endurance athletes. We train low reps for endurance athletes because it is the ONLY way to build relative strength, create a neural adaptation, improve power production and build bone density. Oh yeah, bone density… speaking of that, let’s look at injury prevention.

If you want to take the deep dive on learning why high weight and low rep will keep you from being big and bulky, I HIGHLY recommend putting Practical Programming on your nightstand and reading a few pages every night.

2. Injury prevention

Not many people are “built” for running. It’s hard on the body. But, if it’s your jam, who am I to tell you not to do it? What I can do is tell you that regardless of your body type, incorporating barbell squats once a week will do a lot to keep you injury free.

Let’s say that the root of most training injuries come from one of two things: bone microfractures (think shin splints), or soft tissue damage to tendons and ligaments. The good news is that bones, tendons, and ligaments can all grow stronger, and strength training is the best way to do it. High weight, low rep has been proven multiple times to stimulate bone density growth for years, even after muscular adaptations plateau. That’s just one of the reasons that women really need to be in the weight room.

In a 2015 study in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, Dr. Jason Brumitt linked tendon strengthening to heavy weight training. Tendons respond to chronic resistance training by increasing total number of collagen fibrils, increasing the diameter of collagen fibrils, and increasing in fibril packing density (2015, Brumitt). It is important to note that even though the tendons became stronger and more resilient, they also showed a tendency to stiffen. However, it is easy to prevent this lack of mobility in strength athletes with a good stretching routine or a weekly yoga class.

You can also cause injury to bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles by having poor mechanics… which brings us to the third point!

While the article 5 Things Cyclists Don’t Understand About Strength Training by Chris Carmichael is geared towards cyclists, it is well researched and applies to all endurance athletes. For a deeper dive on bone mineral density and strength training, give it a read.

3. Body mechanics

From my experience working with a variety of endurance athletes, they typically have muscular imbalances that they don’t know about. The glute muscles are primarily involved in extending the hip (think of when you’re pushing off from your foot, and the hip straightens most of the way). So if you’re not intentionally strengthening your glute muscles, then other muscles are having to compensate and work harder to accomplish this movement. Want a stronger stride? Work your butt!

How can you tell that your glutes are not engaged or are underdeveloped? Walk across a room looking at a mirror – do your knees knock in towards each other? Do a squat looking in the same mirror – with your feet flat on the ground, do your knees cave in towards each other? Do your arches collapse inward when walking or squatting? If you even answered maybe to any of those, it’s time to work on your butt.

How do you work your butt as an athlete? Squats, deadlifts, and multi-joint variations from these exercises. Remember, you have to increase the weights you are lifting incrementally to keep getting more from these muscles; keep the weights high and the reps low to not build size in the muscle, just strength.

This FloTrack article by Garrett Reim speaks at length about the benefits of strength training for elite endurance athletes.

4. Varied off-season for runners and cyclists

If I haven’t convinced you to spend some time in the gym, maybe -10 degree weather and icy running paths can. Incorporating a good strength training program can give you a well-rewarded alternative to just logging hours on the treadmill or stationary bike. A once/week program in the summer and a twice/week program in the winter can give you many of these benefits. If there was any question that the world’s best athletes spend a large chunk of time in the weight room, just follow Lindsey Vonn on Instagram or look at all the commercials during the Winter Olympics that featured athletes – of all sorts – training with barbells in their hands.

Want to get hands-on? We’re hosting a Strength Training for Endurance Athletes clinic on April 15th, 2018 at The Body Architect in Portland, Maine. There are limited tickets available, so sign up soon!

March 10, 2018

Experiment: Ketogenic Diet for Strength Athletes – Week 1 of 12

If you missed the Week 0 introduction post, Lindsay and I are embarking on an experimental Ketogenic Diet for Strength Athletes. Clay is interested in body recomposition (decrease body fat) and Lindsay cares most about the reported increase in mental clarity.

I am writing a weekly journal to document our experiences in a quasi-scientific manner throughout the next 12 weeks. The intent of this 12-week journal is to share personal experience, resources, and observations for people looking to start a keto diet (and we will attempt to share the best academic articles along the way too).

Myths of a high-fat diet:

Since “coming out of the closet” and announcing our plans to both gym friends and social media friends, their response has been varied. In fact, it has ranged from “make sure you document everything, I’m really interested!” to “have fun pooping yourself… don’t trust a keto fart!”. So before going further into our plan, I wanted to share a few myths of a high-fat diet.

Myth: All those fats are going to raise your cholesterol and are bad for your heart!
Fact: “Foods have been condemned based on their cholesterol and saturated fat content, yet now, these two pillars of the diet-heart hypothesis have been questioned: dietary cholesterol is no longer thought to lead to adverse blood lipids, and the link between saturated fat and cardiovascular mortality has been challenged, in major review papers by top scientists in the field. If saturated fat and cholesterol do not cause disease, then there is no reason to avoid these foods. That doesn’t mean gorge on them. It just means: let them out of jail.” – Nina Teicholz, scientific journalist

Myth: How can eating 60% fat not make you fat?!
Fact: The human body is an amazing thing and it can adapt to a wide range of fuel sources. The challenge is optimizing those foods. Protein and fat are far more satiating than carbohydrates, so people eating animal foods are less likely to overeat. One of the possible explanations for the obesity epidemic is that when Americans shifted to eating more carbohydrates, these less-satiating foods left them hungry and more likely to overeat. The body can use fats as fuel and if calories are held in check and good fuel goes in, the body can run efficiently on a high fat diet. In fact, there is a direct correlation between the proliferation of the USDA food pyramid and the obesity and diebetes epedimic in the United States. And at the end of the day, it’s a surplus of calories that make you gain weight…not the fuel source.

Myth: You’re going to poop yourself!
Fact: Well… so far, everthing is ‘normal’.

Want to go deeper? Check out Nina Teicholz’s book The Big Fat Surprise. If you’re a podcast person (like me) listen to her interview on the Joe Rogan Experience. Finally, if you’re crunched for time, read some FAQs on her website.

Week 1 macronutrient ratios:

The breakdown of our macronutrient ratios is shown in the chart below. Our diet before was closer to 30% fats, 30% proteins, and 40% carbs. Obviously, this is a big change!

How did we figure out the ratios?

There were a couple factors that led to these macro ratios. Wanting to practice what we preach, we started with our own guidelines, as taught by Precision Nutrition.

Step 1: Daily protein intakes were fixed as it is a guideline we give to all athletes. Eat 1g/lbs bodyweight each day.
Step 2: Total daily calories were given by Precision Nutrition’s guideline ratios based on activity levels. We bumped Lindsay’s 10% because of her ridiculous metabolism (1400cal/day resting metabolic measured by InBody).
Step 3: Total carbs were set to 50g-75g as a recommendation for athletes from Ben Greenfield’s podcast. Because Lindsay’s somatotype (body type) is better suited for higher carbs, we gave her an additional 3% bump to start.
Step 4: Fats were the last thing to figure out since calories, protein and carbs were already calculated. I let Excel do it’s job and it gave us our daily fat intake.

After everything was calculated using our own approach, I wanted to balance it off an online resource. Ruled.me has a free Keto Calculator and it was very close to our numbers. If nothing else, that confirmed we are starting in the right direction.

Clay’s Observations: Week 1

Not as hungry as I thought I would be from online research
No drop in strength, however, I get tired easier during the workout. I need a longer rest between sets, especially at the end of the lift.
On day 4 I started getting really thirsty and developed funny breath, a sign of ketosis
Troubles falling asleep but once asleep I sleep well, not sure if it’s environmental or not

Lindsay’s Observations: Week 1

No effect on workouts, numbers still strong, maybe even more energy
No noticeable brain frog this week (Yay!)
Lymphs a little swollen, not sure if I’m getting sick or if this is a response to diet
Overall, I’m satisfied with food quantities and type

The Measurements: Week 1

The biggest disappointment in Week 1 is that our blood testing has proved unreliable. As I mentioned in the previous week, we are using a blood testing device similar to a glucose monitor. Theoretically, it should tell us if we made it to ketosis after the first 5-10 days and, if so, whether or not we are in a light, moderate or deep ketosis.

Unfortunately, besides providing the quality entertainment above, the readings have been all over the place and I don’t trust them. For week 2, I plan on getting a urine test and recalibrating the test device.

In the Week 2 post we’ll go a little deeper with the recipes and any modifications we’ve made from the first 7-10 days.

March 5, 2018

5 Easy Stretches for Low-Back Pain

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series. Click to read Part 2 3 Easy Rehab Exercises for Low-Back Pain, or Part 3 Lifestyle Changes for Low-Back Pain (coming soon).

Here’s the thing: I’m not a D.O., physical therapist, rehab specialist, or athletic trainer. On the other hand, there are few people in those professions that are competitive strength athletes that manage a 600lbs+ deadlift with 3x herniated disks. I also haven’t touched ibuprofen, Vicodin, or any other pill in over a year for back pain. The goal of this post is to share a resource with fellow athletes, military members and anyone else that is plagued with chronic back pain.

Clay competing in the Highland Games (while learning how to manage 3 herniated disks and still compete)

My Story: From years of shitty lifting technique as a young athlete and routinely carrying 100lbs+ of kit in training and combat patrols, my back is beat up. I have degenerative disk disease, three herniations (L3/L4, L4/L5, L5/S1), and nerve impingement, causing chronic pain. To make it worse, I work primarily at a desk, weigh 230lbs and continue to compete in strength sports. After years of training with a lifting belt at heavy weights, I lost the ability to control my core and stabilize my hips using my own muscles. Even now, I continuously battle with anytime my hips shift out of the proper position which causes an instant, painful, nerve impingement. None of this was self-diagnosed; this has been the conclusion from many professionals including physical therapists and chiropractors. Yay.

The list below is a series of stretches that I learned from Physical Therapy and have used with several other clients to alleviate low back pain. I’m supposed to do them every day… which I don’t… I do try to make sure I’m doing these at least every-other-day.

1. Calf Stretch

I’d never done a calf stretch. Calves, what calves…why do I care about those? Well, apparently they can get tight enough to pull along the chain of muscles and joints all the way up to my back. After my first day of physical therapy, it made a noticeable difference with acute pain. Now it’s a staple in my stretching routine.

30 seconds per side x 2sets

2. Piriformis Stretch

The piriformis is a muscle deep in the glute/hip area that is chronically tight on me and the most prominent culprit of my low back pain. I foam roll and stretch this sucker every day, even if I skip the other stretches.

30 seconds per side x 2sets

3. Hamstring Stretch

A stretch that is a staple for most athletes, but, often done wrong. My hamstrings were both under-activated AND over-tight – a recipe for back pain!

30 seconds per side x 2sets

4. Child’s Pose Stretch

To be honest, I don’t get as much of a stretch from the Child’s Pose as a lot of people I coach. Just because it doesn’t work for me, doesn’t mean you won’t get a lot of relief from it though.

30 seconds down the center, 30 seconds on each side

5. Hip Flexor Stretch

My hip flexors were so tight that even after an adjustment they would pull my pelvis and hips out of alignment. For anyone that sits at a desk or behind the wheel most of the day, working on your tight hip flexors and tight piriformis should be at the top of your list.

30 seconds per side x 2sets

February 25, 2018

5 Problems with your High School Strength and Conditioning Program…(and solutions)

… and some ideas on how to solve those problems with your strength and conditioning program.

1. Lack of Equipment

Not all facilities are created equal, that’s a pretty obvious statement. Strength and Conditioning is often an afterthought for most coaches and therefore an afterthought for administrators. If only three teams are using the weight room, why should they invest already-limited funds into upgrading it? This creates a chicken-and-the-egg scenario where teams are not using the facilities because they are not updated, and resources are not spent on training facilities because they are not used.

Solution: You don’t need a high-end facility to still get the benefits of strength and conditioning. For about $1,500 a school could outfit themselves with everything they need – in fact, this is precisely what we did to prepare for a deployment to Afghanistan.

You don’t need an expensive facility to train. Coach Lindsay takes a sandbag for a walk.

$25/ea – military surplus duffel bags filled with wood pellets, rock salt or powder Quickrete can make weighted duffel bags from 40lbs to 200lbs.
$15/ea – a sheet of plywood and two 2x4s can build a standard plyo box (16″x20″x24″).
$200 – a few sets of bands can go a long way towards adding resistance training options to a Spartan weight room.
FREE – go to a farm or construction company in the area, I guarantee they have a collection of old tires they don’t need. Flip them, slam them with sledgehammers, carry them as a team across the field, get creative.
FREE – logs make a great team building training tool. Contact your local electric/powerline company and see if you can get free sections of broken wooden light poles.
$2/ea – PVC pipes make an excellent technique instruction, mobility, and stretching tool.

Now, the challenge is how to utilize this new equipment so that athletes see results.

Athletes of all sizes and abilities can use the same equipment!

2. Athlete Schedule Conflicts

Very few high school athletes are single-sport athletes, especially the more accomplished ones. It’s tough to balance their in-season commitments, a needed dose of downtime and an offseason strength and conditioning program for the season ahead. Young athletes need downtime to recover, both mentally and physically, and it’s unfair to take it from them. Athletics are supposed to be fun, after all!

Solution: Try to look at other sports your athletes participate in as complimenting your efforts. Our general rule of thumb is that 2 weeks before your first game, the focus should shift on specific drills and skill work related to the sport. The 2-week to 8-week window is the time to work on the “accessories” or the middle tier of the Ektelo Atheltic Performance Pyramid. Anything before 2 months from the first game of the season is when athletes are focusing on their foundation of strength. If you don’t have 2+ months between seasons, then focus on a foundation of strength in your off-season program. Squat, Deadlift and Overhead Press.

3. Lack of Time for Coaches

This is the toughest problem to see as an outsider. There are many well-intended coaches who just don’t have the time to research, create, and run a strength and conditioning program in addition to their other responsibilities. Most coaches are part-time or volunteers, and there just are not enough hours in a day.

Ektelo Athletics Performance Pyramid

Solution: Keep it simple. A strength and conditioning plan does not have to be flashy to be successful. Use a program that focuses on the basics to reduce complexity for both coaches and athletes. If possible, partner with a coach or gym that specializes in working with athletes. In fact, this is a major reason why we created Ektelo – a simple, plug-and-play system that coaches can use without needing a degree in exercise science and extra hours in the day to figure out.

4. Outdated Coaching Methods

In many clubs and schools, your coaches may be people who played 10, 20 or even 30 years ago. These are volunteers with great intentions, but a lot has changed since they laced up their cleats. Science is continually changing the landscape of strength and conditioning, and unfortunately, many legacy coaches are teaching what they learned as an athlete, which may be flawed. Equipment has changed, science has changed, and the industry has added an information dump to the ever-growing database of knowledge provided by Google.

Solution: This is a tough one, as there is no easy solution. Hopefully, legacy coaches are open to new ideas, like bringing in recent college graduates or interns for a season – or hiring Ektelo Athletics for a weekend Coach’s Workshop – and being open to learning from them. As a strength coach, I’ve encountered this before, and it’s why we at Ektelo approach things as a partner with a clear line of demarcation. I know very little about soccer formations so I shouldn’t teach them to a team. That is why I ask legacy coaches to take a leap of faith on a change to their strength and conditioning program, and I promise to stay away from coaching any technique or skills. I try to explain that I’m there to help them and add something new to their toolkit.

5. Athlete Buy-in

Maybe the only people more stubborn than the coach who has been running the team for the last 30 years are some of the athletes on that team. Change is hard and implementing a new strength and conditioning program is guaranteed to see resistance from some of the athletes. That resistance is a good thing because it shows they care about the program. The challenge is gaining their trust and not making them do something “just because you said so.”

Solution: Lean on your captains and hold them accountable. Your team captains are your most dedicated athletes, and their buy-in carries clout for the rest of the team. Get their input and buy-in before you implement any changes to your program, and have them advocate for it. Warm-ups, group workouts, or even controlling the attendance roster – empower your student-leaders and watch the team come together.