It was boxing that introduced me to weights in the first place. I shadowboxed a few rounds daily, holding a pair of 2 1/2-pound dumbbells, to strengthen my punch with either hand and to increase my ability to carry my fists high through a long bout. I honestly believe the weights helped me become the lightweight champion of Italy and increased my number of knockouts.
Karate employs much of the same footwork, moves, and muscles that boxing does; the blows are simply delivered differently, to different targets, and delivered with the feet as well. This program can help build your endurance and power for either sport.
Hockey
As with soccer, fully half of a sound weight training program for hockey should emphasize the legs. But this time there is a puck to be handled and shot with a stick. The following is an excellent hockey training program.
Running
In training for running, you should train the upper body first, to get some extra blood up there as early as you can. The blood will go to the legs once you actually begin running.
Why train the upper body at all when the legs do all the work? I know at least three reasons: 1) failure to do so will make your legs even more disproportionately strong than they already are; 2) upper body development will help you resist the tension which occurs naturally in running; and 3) more powerful arm thrusts will actually help you stride better.
Amateur and Professional Wrestling
In wrestling, you need to train for all the bulk and power you can use. The following routine includes all three powerlifting exercises, and I further suggest that you perform every exercise listed here with maximum weight. Bruno San Martino trains with very heavy weights and is extremely strong. Weight training has been a definite asset to his wrestling.
Tennis and Other Racquet Sports
Probably the first prominent tennis player to use weights to good advantage was Australia’s Frank Sedgman, back in the early 1950s. Even though Sedgman was quite dominant in his era, he didn’t exactly spawn legions of imitators when it came to using weights. Tennis players today generally come to bodybuilding for remedial purposes, such as rebuilding a knee. There isn’t a lot of muscle among today’s top players but their legs are usually hard and well-shaped.
Two exercises, which are frequently overlooked yet important to tennis, are the leg extension and reversed forearm curls. The former is the best single tennis exercise; not only does it add strength to your hitting foundation, but it helps you plant your weight more solidly prior to your stroke. Best of all, it helps prevent knee injuries. Forearm curls will strengthen your grip, add power to your stroke (off either side), and will help you prevent tennis elbow.
Skiing
Weight training, quite honestly, cannot do a great deal for your sense of balance or your skiing reflexes. Still, it is quite possible to train with weights sensibly for skiing, because better-developed muscles make better shock absorbers. The emphasis of this routine is on the legs, of course, but those exercises for increasing upper-body strength will help you push off better. This is very important for those who wish to cross-country ski. And, since you might as well face the possibility that you will fall — somehow, someday — you’ll be a lot better off falling with a well-muscled body than a frail one.
Weightlifting
It is very important to maintain both speed and strength during weightlifting training. Each individual is different; however, the body has to be kept limber. Training emphasis here is placed more on the extensor muscles. You should train three to four times per week. After each training session, hang for a few minutes from a chinning bar to decompress the spine.
Powerlifting
I have observed that the majority of powerlifters and weightlifters are overweight. This is not necessary, because being fat does not increase one’s strength. Strength and concentration are of prime concern in powerlifting. The following program has been designed for increasing both strength and total fitness. Please note that the weight increases with every set on the bench press, squat, and deadlift. Also remember that the body usually takes longer to recuperate between workouts in powerlifting because of the heavy poundages needed for training.
After each training session hang for a few minutes from the chinning bar to decompress the spine.
Chapter 7
SPORTS INJURIES — PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
More and more doctors are taking a holistic approach to health, accepting as fact that the body, mind, and spirit work together. To achieve your goals, you must work in all three areas. Because the body, to a great extent, is controlled by the mind, each of us has the power to create whatever it is that we want out of life including a champion body. A healthy body at its best incorporates a healthy, positive mental attitude.
There are hundreds of excellent bodybuilders who have not achieved champion status because their mental forces are scattered and their main focus of attention is on something else, such as what might happen if they don’t win at contest. I believe that concentration is the key to bodybuilding success. And such concentration applies to avoiding injuries as well as reaching your personal goals.
The body is controlled by the brain and spinal cord. From the spinal cord branch 31 pairs of spinal nerves that send nerve messages to all parts of the body. If there is an interference with the transmission of nerve messages to a particular muscle or body part, you are more susceptible to injuries because there will be a corresponding weakness in that area.
The most common injuries come from the muscles being strained and the ligaments being sprained. When this occurs, the vertebrae of the spine are moved out of position and a slight displacement of the bones takes place. These phenomena also can involve the extremities. The common term for this is “pinched nerve,” which means there is pressure on a particular nerve or group of nerves and the nerve supply from the brain and spinal cord to the organ or extremity is diminished.
In our chiropractic center, we have found pinched nerves to be especially common with powerlifters and bodybuilders. Heavy lifting, particularly squats, causes compression in the lower back. In many instances this compression results in problems with the legs such as sciatica or muscle weakness. Sometimes the legs even diminish in size; the muscles actually can atrophy. When the normal nerve function is restored, the symptoms usually become reversible and the body returns to normal. Sometimes certain exercises have to be eliminated, however, or the problem will continue because of the constant aggravation and stress on the weakened body part.
Another important aspect in injuries is blood circulation. Exercising keeps the blood circulating throughout the body, so the tissues and cells get the proper supply of nutrients. For example, the brain depends on the oxygen and carbohydrates carried in the blood for fuel. If either is lacking, brain functions are impaired. Exercise also slows down degeneration of cells because exercise forces you to do deep breathing. Think of your brain as a power plant that needs fuel. This is a good reason why high protein diets without carbohydrates should not be recommended.
Without glucose, the brain cannot function properly. The usual symptoms of a lack of glucose are irritability, fatigue, dizziness, and lack of concentration. Each of these symptoms can make a person more susceptible to injuries, particularly due to lack of concentration. When you go to the gym to train, concentrate on your training. If you go to socialize, then do so after training. You simply cannot concentrate on muscle growth and talking at the same time.
Causes of Injuries
The most common causes of injuries are: poor mental concentration; protein deficiencies; lack of proper nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals; overtraining and/or incorrect training; lack of stretching; and not warming up. Regardless of what you are doing, mental concentration is the key to success. Whatever you do, the results are realized in direct proportion to the amount of concentrated effort you exert. If you are trying to concentrate on two things at the same time, such as working out and talking, you are not putting all of your energy into your training. To progre
ss and move on to heavier weights and a more advanced workout, you have to put all of your energy into your form, style, sets, and reps. As soon as your mind wanders and you pick up a heavier weight and begin training without full concentration, you are setting up an injury.
Whenever your training program becomes too routine, the challenge is lost and it is time to revise the program or move onward to a more advanced program. By avoiding routinized training, you can sharpen your concentration, which is the key to successful bodybuilding.
The Need for Protein
During training, muscle fibers are microscopically broken down or torn. The body must then repair the torn tissue and does so by using amino acids as building blocks. This is one of the reasons why protein is valuable in your training diet. Lack of sufficient protein produces a slow rate of repair. If this happens, then you will not progress with your training. It is also important to rest between heavy training sessions because, during the resting phase, regeneration is taking place, provided there is a sufficient amount of protein to complete the repairs.
If minerals are lacking, the bones can become more brittle and the muscles and ligaments that attach to the bones can easily become separated. Minerals — particularly calcium and magnesium — are also needed for muscle movements. If calcium is lacking, the muscle will begin to contract and spasm. Vitamins and minerals are important; however, vitamins do not work without minerals and for muscles and bones, the minerals are of prime importance. Heavy training and a high protein diet will increase your body’s requirements for calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Overtraining and Incorrect Training
There is a fine line between adequate training and overtraining. Most everyone who comes to me for professional advice about a training program, has been overtraining. When this happens the body is more susceptible to injury. You cannot make gains if you overtrain. The most common signs of overtraining are: lack of a pump, fatigue, lowered resistance to infections or colds, lack of concentration, more than the usual aches and pains from training, less desire for training, and lack of motivation.
Incorrect training causes an imbalance in the body. This is why I recommend that you follow the training programs in the sequences given. Some muscle groups have to be trained more and some less, otherwise the entire structure is thrown out of balance and a weakness in certain areas of the body is created that can easily set up an injury.
Proper exercise form is another factor that will help you avoid injury. Look at yourself while you are training and be sure that your movements are smooth and flowing. Or have someone watch you exercise and check your form against the form shown in the Exercise Glossary. If your movements are jerky or if you throw your body around in completing a movement, you are injuring yourself.
Weight training causes the muscles to become more contracted. This exercise, combined with normal daily activities, contributes to muscle spasms. Therefore, before and after training, the muscles need to be stretched. The Dallas Cowboys have reduced their injury rate by 23 percent by adding stretching exercises to their training programs. Every patient that comes to the office for chiropractic care is given some corrective exercises to do; usually these exercises are designed to stretch and strengthen the muscles.
The most common problems with weight trained athletes are compression in the spine and tight hamstring muscles. To reduce spinal compression, I always recommend hanging from a chinning bar for a few minutes after each training session. Depending on your training program, you might also hang from the bar for a few minutes during training. Tight hamstring muscles contribute to lower back pain, so the hamstring muscles must be stretched daily.
Warming up, like stretching, is one of the best ways to prevent injuries. Synovial fluid acts as a lubricant for the joints and must be circulating around the joints prior to heavy training. Before training every body part, do each exercise with light weights for at least 20 repetitions.
In cooler weather it is important to warm up longer. I also recommend warming down after a training session. Take a few minutes and hang from a chinning bar and/or do some slow stretching so the body will begin to slow down prior to leaving the gym and rushing elsewhere.
Injury Prevention
You can do a great deal to prevent problems, but you should not try to be your own physician or trainer. Anytime there is a group of people together in a gym, many new ideas are marketed. Some are excellent and some are not — you have to remember that each body is different and just because something works for your friend, it does not mean it will work for you. It may actually do you harm. If you feel uncomfortable on a certain piece of equipment, then don’t use it.
Gyms are full of people who have no background in body mechanics — or anything else, for that matter — who are constantly telling everybody what to do. Instead of listening to them, tune in to your own body and learn to distinguish what makes you feel better. Never force yourself to do something just because everybody else is doing it. You could cause a problem. If you are unsure as to what you should do, always seek professional advice. You could save yourself years of needless pain.
Before I go on to discuss injury prevention by body part and injury, I should add some qualifications regarding the “professional advice” you seek in regard to sports injuries. Your family doctor may be excellent for treating illnesses, but his knowledge about sports injuries may be limited. The worst thing you can do is let him or her prescribe a painkiller and advise you to take it easy for a while. I am in favor of your seeing a Doctor of Chiropractic for certain sports injuries, not because I’m interested in having you as a client, but because of the training I know such doctors have. The majority of their studies center around body mechanics (kinesiology) and nutrition, the two areas of medicine that most often play major roles in sports injuries. Chiropractors can help relieve nerve compression that naturally occurs when lifting heavy weights.
Having said that, let’s look at injury prevention.
Ankle. The most common cause of ankle injuries is having the ankle stiff and the calf muscles too tight during strenuous activity. The best way of preventing ankle injury is to stand with the ball of your foot on a block or on stairs and let the heels drop down off of the block or stairs. This is excellent for women. They usually have shorter calf muscles due to wearing high-heeled shoes.
Knee. The knee is one of the most complicated articulations of the body. The only natural movement for the knee is bending forward. Thus, squatting with your feet too far apart or with your toes pointed in or out too much can easily contribute to knee problems. Tight hamstring muscles is another contributing factor to knee problems, so stretching the hamstring muscles daily cannot be overemphasized. If you do injure your knee, it should be checked by a physician since knee injuries can easily progress into something serious.
Femur. The femur joint is usually very stable. However, squatting with the toes pointed in or out too much, or doing a split-type exercise to stretch the inner thigh muscles can cause femur problems. I do not recommend stretching the inner thigh muscles and believe that this should be avoided. This type of injury should be treated by a Doctor of Chiropractic because if the femur is slightly displaced, there is no other effective treatment except an adjustment with kinesiology. Only in this way can the muscles around the femur be strengthened.
Lower back. Approximately 90 million Americans suffer from lower back problems. In bodybuilding, the lower back problems are usually caused by straight leg sit-ups, roman chair sit-ups, squats, deadlifts, presses, and sleeping on your stomach. I designed the training programs in this book to avoid the above problems; however, I must emphasize using correct form while training, and refraining from any jerking movements.
The most important exercise for bodybuilders who have sustained a lower back injury is to stretch the hamstring muscles. Another exercise would be standing side bends; lying on your back and pulling one knee to your chest, then the other, or bending your knees and rocking back and forth on
the floor while holding them with your arms, also are effective exercises.
If you have sustained a lower back injury avoid all press exercises, sit-ups, squats, and deadlifts until complete recovery has taken place. Consult a Doctor of Chiropractic to determine when you should continue.
Middle Back. The middle back is easily affected by presses and T-bar rowing, because the ribs, which attach to the vertebral bodies, are stressed during these exercises. In many instances, the ribs are moved slightly out of position and the result can be a stabbing pain, particularly when you move in a certain direction, cough, or sneeze. One-arm rowing sometimes helps this area; however, the most effective treatment is chiropractic care.
Neck. Neck problems are common in bodybuilding because of some form of muscular imbalance. Usually the trapezius muscles are too strong and the anterior neck muscles are weak. Neck problems can be aggravated by presses and by holding the hands behind the neck while doing sit-ups. These exercises should be eliminated from your workout until the symptoms subside. When doing sit-ups, place your hands on your chest and you will exercise the anterior neck flexors by moving your head up and down.
Shoulder. The shoulder is the only joint in the body that is supported by muscles. I have emphasized bent-over lateral raises, because it is one of the best for preventing shoulder injuries. The most common exercise for causing shoulder injuries is the reverse curl and should be eliminated from your workouts along with presses until a shoulder injury has healed.
Elbows. The most common cause of elbow problems in bodybuilding is an imbalance between the biceps and the triceps muscles. Usually the biceps are stronger than the triceps. The triceps are long muscles and must be worked harder so that they are stronger than the biceps muscles. This tendency to underwork the triceps is why I have recommended more sets for them than for the biceps. If you should need to work harder to develop your biceps, be certain to increase your work on the triceps to keep them in balance.
Franco Columbu’s Complete Book of Bodybuilding Page 9
