Hawkes Physiotherapy Blog

This is the next blog article in the series and will discuss muscle Power. If your sport involves elements that are explosive and fast then power training will be beneficial. Even if you think your sport doesn’t involve power it probably does at some point. As always how much you do will depend on the demands of your sport. What is Muscle Power? Muscle Power is the ability to exert maximum force at high explosive speeds. Muscle fibre type: Fast twitch so need to perform reps quickly. For example in a 100m sprint the foot contact time is less than 100ms but it takes 500ms to generate maximum force, so you need to train your body to lay down that force faster! How should I train? With Resistance or weights! ….but resistance slows down the movement So.. You need to choose a weight that is high enough to recruit the correct fibres and fatigues early enough but can be moved quickly but under full control. Stretch shortening cycle exercises are good: Plyometri...

This is the next blog article in the series and will discuss muscle strength. This is more relevant than most people realise. For example a distance runner needs to do strength training due to running loads on the knee being as great as 7 times body weight. It may not alter performance directly but it will minimise the risk of injury. It is also true that runners worry about muscle building due to the fact that muscle consumes a lot of energy and this will affect their endurance. However the small amount of strength training volume and frequency mean that this is insignificant. So you see even if you think your sport doesn't involve strength it probably does. How much you do will depend on the demands of your sport. What is Muscle strength? Muscle strength is the maximum force produced in a muscle or group of muscles during a single maximal contraction. Strength is influenced by Cross sectional area of a muscle (Larger the muscle the stronger it is!) Other Factors aff...

Training needs to be specific to the requirements of your sport You need to break down what the sport needs and train to the specific conditioning required For example you wouldn't train muscular endurance for a sprinter! So what is Muscular endurance? This is split into two types: Normal: This is a single muscle's ability to perform sustained work (Muscle fibre type: Type 1 slow twitch) Strength endurance: This is a muscle's ability to perform a maximum contraction time after time (Muscle fibre type: Type 1 and 2a (not 2b as anaerobic)) What are the elements of the fibre types utilised in Muscular endurance? Rich in Mitochondria to enable excellent aerobic respiration & they have a high lactate tolerance so that they can continue to work with higher lactate and resist fatigue. How should I train? If you are training for an event then start with high volume with low intensity and gradually progress with a reduction in volume but in...

What is DOMS? DOMS is a phenomenon of muscle pain, muscle soreness or muscle stiffness that usually occurs one to two days after exercise. Most commonly people get DOMS when they perform unaccustomed exercise like beginning a new exercise program, changing their exercise routine, or increasing the duration or intensity of their exercise routine. People also noticed DOMS more when they have performed a lot of eccentric muscle work, this is when you contract a muscle and are lengthening it at the same time, for example when throwing a ball, the muscles of the shoulder blade and the muscles that attach the shoulder blade to the spine are contracting to decelerate the arm/shoulder/shoulder blade, so they are working hard but lengthening. What causes DOMS? There have been several theories to explain what causes DOMS. Some have suggested a build up of lactate in the muscle causing chemically induced pain but more likely it is microscopic tearing of the muscle fibres. This ...