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Anatomy of the Elbow & Shoulder for Baseball Players (Part 2 of 3)

In our previous article, we discussed the importance of stretching and strengthening the hand. (Didn’t see it? You can read it right here!) However, there is more to the upper extremity than just our hand and forearm; it is also important for baseball players to stretch and strengthen their elbow and shoulder joints.

Moving up the chain, we will discuss the muscles that cause flexion (bending) and extension (straightening) of the arm at the elbow joint. Baseball players tend to focus on the triceps (muscles located on the back of the arm) because it is involved in the extension of the elbow, which as we know happens when you throw a ball. The concept that most people forget is balance in the body. Every joint in the body has muscles that allow for movement to happen. If we have muscles which extend the arm, we have muscles to bend the arm as well. The biceps’ action is to flex the arm (think when someone says “make a muscle”). This muscle needs to be able to stretch very quickly when the ball is thrown and needs to be strong enough to handle the force that the triceps are putting on the elbow joint to help with elbow health. Strengthening both the triceps and biceps, as well as, stretching these muscles can contribute to increased velocity, distance, endurance, and overall health of elbow and shoulder.

The third portion of the upper extremity is the shoulder. Most baseball players know the importance of a proper warm up because it helps to loosen up the shoulder joint. But starting at the fingers and moving up the arm to the shoulder will allow for the muscles to warm up and strengthen in a functional way. (Remember our post about the hand from January 19?) Just like the other joints, you want to strengthen the opposing muscle groups; however, the shoulder joint is a little more complex. Since the shoulder has a larger range of motion than the elbow, it requires more muscles to create the movement. Strengthening the shoulder properly in all ranges is important for increased performance and joint health. Stretching the shoulder is vital because of how aggressive the movement of throwing is. Muscles are contacting and relaxing so quickly, that if not properly warmed up it is very easy for an injury to occur in any part of the chain if not moving properly.

 

 

By Corynne Pereira

Recipe of the Week: Moosewood’s Best Chili Recipe

This week’s recipe comes from Moosewood restaurant in Ithaca, NY. A hearty vegetarian chili packed with beans and vegetables.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 2 cups red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 1 fresh hot pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cumin seeds, ground
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
  • 1 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

  1. Warm the oil in a covered soup pot on low heat.
  2. Add the onions, garlic and salt and coo until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots and bell peppers, increase the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the hot peppers, cumin, coriander and oregano and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally so the spices won’t stick.
  3. Add the corn, tomatoes, kidney beans and black beans. Bring the chili to a boil;
    reduce heat, cove, and simmer, stirring often, for at least 30 minutes.

Transformation Tuesday: Debra’s Story

My name is Debra Scuderi and I have been struggling with my weight for a while. I have suffered from multiple injuries and have had many other trainers before who have exacerbated those injuries.  I used to be overweight and not happy with myself until I joined the 5 Week Weight Loss Program at Peak Performance. I started to train with my exercise physiologist, Sally, and have dropped 6 pounds in a month!

debra

I am now so much happier and confident with myself. I have already lost 6 lbs and am continuing to lose weight through healthy eating and regular exercise. I have learned so much from Peak Performance! I feel great and am very lucky to have met Sally and have her help me! Thank you Peak Performance and Sally!!

Recipe of the Week: Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Serving Size: 10

There is nothing better than a Crock Pot meal on a winter weekend and this one is a favorite. It’s easy to make and little prep is required!

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 16oz can black beans
  • 1 16oz can kidney beans
  • 1 8oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 10oz package corn kernels
  • 2 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes with chilies
  • 1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own taco seasoning recipe)
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 24oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • chili peppers (optional)

Directions:

Combine onion, beans, tomato sauce, corn, tomatoes, taco seasoning, cumin, chili powder and chili peppers in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.

Nutrition per Serving:

  • Calories: 204
  • Fat: 2g
  • Carbohydrates: 33g
  • Fiber: 10g
  • Protein: 17g

**For those with special dietary needs, a couple options are to remove the corn to reduce the carbohydrates by about 5g per serving or you can reduce the serving size and pair with spinach leaves for a taco salad.

Create the Perfect Pitch: Putting the Pieces Together (Part 3 of 3)

Your arm is not the only body part involved in throwing a ball- the whole body is involved! Proper strengthening, stretching, and mobility are important for the whole body. What makes it hard to simply give a preseason routine to a group of athletes to follow is because every person has strengths and weaknesses are all unique to each individual. A general routine will not do in addressing these individual needs. A screening may be necessary to specifically see what individuals need to work on. Some might need mobility, others strength, and most both.

 

A great tool to determine what an athlete needs is a Functional Movement Screening (FMS). FMS is a test that a professional can administer to see areas that can be improved. Mobility is of the utmost importance, followed by stability, and then strength. Moving to quickly to strengthen without having the mobility and stability often leads to injuries. If you are not sure of your mobility, have a professional from Peak Performance put you through the Functional Movement Screen to find out what you can improve.

 

References
Gray Cook (FMS)
Arnold Tobin Specializing in grip strength
Hector Duprey, Baseball specialist

 

By Corynne Pereira

Hand Strengthening & Stretching for Baseball Players (or Anyone!)

In the baseball off-season, it is important for athletes (of any sport) to take care of any injuries that need to be rehabilitated and continue following a strength
training program. However, one thing most baseball players might neglect to work on is mobility. Not only shoulder mobility, but trunk, hip, wrist and finger mobility. Mobility and stability go hand and hand. By increasing mobility along with strength, you have the ability to increase the velocity of a throw, distance of a throw, and arm endurance for throwing. As your strength training continues, mobility exercises and stretches should be integrated on a daily basis. Strengthening distal (fingers) to proximal (shoulder) can enhance elbow and shoulder health.

Strengthening the whole body is important for all sports. When we say entire body, we mean even your fingers. As a baseball player your hands are doing work every time you catch, throw or hit a baseball. Grip strength and flexibility of each finger is important. By properly strengthening the hand muscles, research findings show that you can help prevent UCL injuries. Strengthening and stretching of the fingers, wrists and forearms is something that may seem insignificant, but it can give you that edge which might be missing. Our hands have muscles, tendons and ligaments just like every other part of our body, so why not take care of them?

Many people use hand grips to work on the strength of their hands, but every finger needs to be strengthened. Most of the times, when using the grips we tend to not use all of our fingers equally. Yes some fingers are stronger than others in certain positions, but it is important to focus on each one and the coordination of specific movements. By starting strength training at the hand (distal), it carries up the chair to strengthen the whole arm. Some of the movements we see in our hand come from muscles in our forearm. In fact, when you see your hand go from palm down to palm up (supination), the rotation is occurring from the elbow. Our muscles are overlapping all over our bodies and you might not realize how many muscles you are using to do movements every day. After working on the strength in your hands, wrists and forearms, and the muscles are warm we want to switch the focus to the flexibility of those muscles. Flexibility for split finger fast ball and fork ball are very important, as is finger strength for any pitch. Just s you would stretch the muscles out in your legs our arms, you need to stretch the muscles in your hands and forearms.

 

By Corynne Pereira

Recipe of the Week: Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • ½ cup brown rice flour (whole wheat would work also)
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tbs coconut oil
  • 2/3 cup hot sauce

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450*. Cut head of cauliflower into bite size pieces. Whisk flour and water together with the spices. Coat cauliflower evenly by placing into a bag or a sealed container and shake. Bake on greased sheet for 15 minutes.
  2. While the cauliflower is baking, heat up oil and hot sauce in a pot. Re-coat cauliflower evenly with the hot sauce/oil combo and place back into the oven for another 20 minutes, or your preferred done-ness.
  3. Enjoy! They are delicious when dipped in a hummus or greek yogurt dip.

 

 

 

Guidelines to Support Digestive Wellness

  • Eat in a calm, relaxed setting. This activates our parasympathetic nervous system, also known as our “resting and digesting” system, which facilitates digestion.
  • Eat slow. This allows your body time to produce digestive secretions in the mouth and stomach and also improves our ability to determine when we have been satiated.
  • Chew your food. The mechanical action of chewing is responsible for generating saliva and alerting the stomach to prepare for food entry. Starch digestion also begins in the mouth.
  • Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! Water provides the fluids that we need to complete digestion and absorption and to maintain homeostasis. In addition, people often mistake hunger for thirst, which can lead to overeating and exacerbate health conditions.
  • Boost your mineral intake. People are often deficient in minerals like magnesium, chromium, and zinc, which can lead to cravings and poor blood sugar regulation.
  • Include protein at each meal. Protein digests at a slow rate thus your blood sugar is more likely to remain in balance. Protein is broken down into amino acids and used to make neurotransmitters like serotonin and beta-endorphins. These neurotransmitters help to create energy, regulate moods, reduce physical and emotional pain, and encourage relaxation.
  • Include healthy fats. Fat has been associated with negative results but fat has many health benefits. Quality fats help to balance blood sugar and hormones, help absorb fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K and calcium, create cellular membranes, support brain health, and so much more. Some sources of healthy fats include avocado, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, olives, fish oil.
  • Eat with the seasons. Eating foods that are in harmony with nature help us to adapt to climate changes and remain healthy. During the winter, make sure you consume warming foods that include soups, broths, root vegetables, winter greens, squashes, mushrooms, and pears. Now is the perfect time to include those soups and stews made with immune supporting broth and vegetables.

 

By Pamela Geisel