Peak Performance Fitness

Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

sports performance

Sports Injury Prevention Essentials

When playing a sport, training, or even performing everyday physical activities, you are unfortunately at risk of suffering an injury. Many times these injuries are accidents that can’t be predicted or prevented. But there are a couple things you can do to protect yourself from some common causes of injuries.

Warm-Up

  • A warm up is used to activate muscles groups before a bout of exercise, game, or activity.
    • Walk, jog, dynamic stretches (trunk twists, leg swings, shoulder circles etc)
  • “Cold” muscles are tight and have a great chance for being strained. Warm ups should increase your heart rate and increase blood flow to muscles (therefore warming them up).
  • Pre-activation exercises are a great way to target specific muscles groups in order to prepare them for a certain activity.
  • You either target the exact muscles that are going to be exercise or their antagonists (group of muscles that perform the opposite function).
    • Some examples of pre-activation exercises are:
      • Band resisted hip exercises before a leg work out
      • Band resisted ankle exercises before a run
      • Machine Rows (for your back muscles) before you do bench press

Stretching and Foam Rolling

  • Stretching and foam rolling can be performed either at the beginning or end of an exercise/activity
  • Both can relieve tension built up in muscles and decrease stress on joints
  • Foam rolling can be used to release trigger points in muscles to allow for better contractions and decrease the chance of any muscle damage during exercise.
    • Dynamic stretches before a workout, static stretches at the end
    • Foam roll your IT band and quads before a lower body exercise

During a Workout

  • It is very important to perform every exercise with the proper form and through the entire range of motion (as tolerated). The more strict and controlled you are with each movement, the less opportunity there is for injury.
  •  Completing the exercise through its full range of motion effectively strengthens entire muscles and leads to better mobility (ability to control muscle through entire range of motion).
    • Knees shouldn’t come over your toes and heels should stay down during a squat.
    • Bring your chest all the way to the ground before pressing all the way back up on a pushup in order to train through the full range of motion.

Don’t forget to finish with a cool down! A proper cool down should:

  • Bring your heart rate back down to normal levels
  • Prevent muscles from tightening up following an exercise
  • Better prepare you for your next workout!

 

By David McCalla, CSCS

Exercising with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory, autoimmune disorder that most commonly affects your joints. Based on recent data around 1.3 million adults across the United States suffer from RA. Along with prescription medications and therapy, properly prescribed exercise can also alleviate symptoms of RA and improve quality of life for those suffering with the disease.

A major symptom of RA is pain in joints, along with stiffness and loss of mobility. Developing a stretching routine can greatly improve mobility in affected and unaffected joints, decrease join stiffness, and could lead to less pain with certain movements. Doctors have recommended yoga and/or Tai Chi classes to help patients improve joint range of motion and to decrease stress.

Low-impact aerobic exercises are great for improving heart health and cardiovascular endurance while avoiding placing too much stress on your joints. Low impact dance classes, walking, or stationary bikes are some examples of aerobic exercises that are joint friendly. Swimming is also a phenomenal way to build endurance and strengthen muscle with almost no stress on joints.

It is also very important to include resistance training in your exercise programs. The goal being to relieve stress in affected joints by strengthening the muscles around them. Resistance bands, machines, free weights and body weight exercise can all be used/performed to achieve strength and mobility goals. Free weights may be better than some machines since they allow you to move in your body’s natural path of motion and do not force your joint into specific movement patterns. A physical therapist or exercise physiologist with proper experience can give guidance for appropriate exercise selection.

Final tips:

  • Don’t forget to stretch and strengthen smaller joints/muscles such as your ankles, wrists, and fingers.
  • Wear appropriate work out attire (for example proper footwear and insoles to avoid any slips or falls and to promote optimal joint alignment and stability).
  • Listen to your body! Learn the difference between soreness and pain and avoid anything that causes the latter.

 

By David McCalla, CSCS

 

 

“Best Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis.” Www.arthritis.org, www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/rheumatoid-arthritis/articles/best-exercises-for-ra-2.php.

Signs, Symptoms, and Exercise Considerations for Stroke Victims

Although exercise has many benefits, a high amount of stress on the body can trigger negative events that one should look out for.  It is of vital importance to understand the signs and symptoms of cardiac events, such as the occurrence of a stroke.  Strokes occur when a blood vessel that is connected to the brain becomes extremely blocked from plaque build-up, causing a lack of oxygenated, nutrient-filled blood being delivered to the brain.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in America today and can also cause long term changes leading to disability or lack of mobility/neuro-motor functioning.  This type of cardiac event can happen at any age but generally affects those ages 55 and older, and as we age our risk of having a stroke become greater.  Of all populations men, African Americans, and people with diabetes or heart disease are at the highest risk.

Some of the warning signs of having a stroke include sudden weakness of the face, arms or legs (especially on one side), sudden confusion or inability to speak, lack of vision, dizziness or coordination problems, and a sudden, severe headache.  If you have any of these signs, stop exercise immediately and get to the hospital or call 9-1-1.

The major goal of exercise after a stroke should be to improve the overall quality of life for the victim.  In addition to improving measures of quality of life, other measures such as functional capacity and mobility (i.e. increasing gait velocity), neurological impairment, and motor function (i.e. lowering the energy cost of a hemiparetic gait), will also benefit from regular exercise. The three major rehabilitation goals for the stroke patient are preventing complications of prolonged inactivity, decreasing recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events, and increasing aerobic fitness.

Before beginning an exercise program, the two most important things to consider are if the benefit outweighs the risk, as well as, the severity of the stroke.  A stroke victim should be evaluated by a medical professional before initiating a program—performing strength and aerobic training can lead to serious musculoskeletal injury.

To prevent muscle deterioration from prolonged inactivity, performing exercises that mimic movements of everyday life activities (i.e. standing from a seated position, squatting down, walking, reaching overhead) should performed regularly.  Moreover, moving the entire body throughout its full range of motion should also be considered.  In terms of aerobic fitness, stroke patients have been shown to achieve significantly lower maximal workloads and heart rate and blood pressure responses than control subjects during progressive exercise testing to volitional fatigue.

Setting reasonable goals to return to pre-stroke fitness levels as opposed to above baseline levels should be aimed for.  Exercising will be significantly harder post-stroke, but is of vital importance for the individual in order to improve their quality of life.

 

By Anthony Locast

 

Sources
Gordon, Neil F., et al. “Physical Activity and Exercise Recommendations for Stroke Survivors.”Circulation, American Heart Association, Inc., 27 Apr. 2004, circ.ahajournals.org/content/109/16/2031.

Recipe of the Week: BALSAMIC CHICKEN AND ROASTED VEGETABLES

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

  • 6 chicken thighs skin on, bone in
  • 24 oz baby gold potatoes halved
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme, remove the leaves
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 5 cup cherry tomatoes

Marinade

  • 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard

Instructions:

  1. Turn on your oven to 400° F
  2. Mix the marinade together and add the chicken, toss it around to coat it and put it in the fridge.
  3. Get out a half sheet pan. You can line it with parchment for easy clean up.
  4. Toss the halved potatoes and onions in a small amount of olive oil, and then place the potatoes only on the sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Put the onions to one side.
  5. After 15 minutes, remove the sheet pan and add the red onion and the chicken along with the marinade, then sprinkle on the chopped rosemary and thyme and a little salt and pepper, and put it back in the oven.
  6. Cook for a further 25 minutes, then take out the pan again to add the cherry tomatoes, and cook for 20 minutes more.
  7. After 45 minutes the chicken thighs should be fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F
  8. Plate and enjoy!

Note: You can use skinless boneless thighs, or skin on boneless variety too. The skinless boneless thighs will not take as long to cook as the bone in versions so you will need to adjust the cook time to compensate for that.

Nutrition:

Calories: 394 cal
Total Fat: 23g
Total Carbs: 22g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 22g

https://www.noshtastic.com/paleo-balsamic-chicken-roasted-potatoes-red-onion-tomatoes-herbs/

Exercise Considerations for Parkinson’s Disease

There are more than 200,000 new cases of Parkinson’s Disease seen in the United States per year. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a disorder of the central nervous system that usually presents itself in people over 60 years old. PD is typically a slow progressing disease that causes impaired movement and functional mobility. Keeping good range of motion is vital for maintaining strength and mobility. As an example, stretching the front of the hip, such as a hip flexor stretch, may help improve walking mechanics which will further help improve gait (see picture).

People with Parkinson’s often present with tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia (slow movement). These clients should try and improve their gait quality by focusing on taking proper strides and maintaining a heel-toe pattern to avoid shuffling their feet, which often leads to falls. An ideal exercise program for those with PD would be include stretching of the lower extremities, overall strengthening, postural awareness, and balance training.  For people with mild to moderate PD, targeted exercises address specific symptoms for example: aerobic exercise improves fitness, walking exercises assists in gait, resistance training strengthens muscles.

So when should you start exercising? Right now! Exercise to improve mobility, improve thinking, memory and reduce the risk of falls.  By avoiding complications from falls you can prevent further injury.  Consult with your physician and set up an appointment to meet with an exercise physiologist to get started today.

 

By Brandon Ayala, CSCS