Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Should I stay or Should I go?

Many college athletes go through a dilemma of whether or not they should transfer from the current school that they are at,or try to start over somewhere else? If they were to take the risk of leaving the school to play somewhere else, they would face the penalty of having to sit out a year of competition. If a student athlete were to stay at the current school, they run the risk of being unhappy or might quit the sport that they are playing for good. I ask this question because many players nowadays are moving across the country to play for other schools that promise them immediate playing time, but each student athlete runs the risk of not being able to play competitive sports for a full year. Why? Why do student athletes have to face the punishment of having to sit out one year of competition? A coach can leave at any time to take a job somewhere else and faces no penalty of his or her actions so why can’t this be the case for student athletes.

Derryck Thornton  

Derryck Thornton was a freshman point guard at Duke University that received some playing time during his freshman year of college. Now this player wants to transfer out of the Duke and continue his playing career somewhere else. His intentions of leaving Duke are to play basketball closer to his home state of California.1 This is a great reason to leave in my opinion, he is not leaving due to playing time or being upset with the coach, he is just home sick. So why punish a kid with a year off from competition because he is simply homesick? It is not right, he simply wants to move closer to his family and friends.

Chris Beard

Chris Beard has been in the news more this month than he has probably been in his whole life. Beard officially took a job at UNLV as the head basketball coach only to resign from that job after just TEN days of his official contract to leave for Texas Tech. When he was asked why he left UNLV he was quoted saying “when mama calls your home, you go home.”2 That might be one of the worst excuses of leaving a school to go to another school. If Beard were to stay at UNLV he would have the best recruiting advantage in the nation with his school being in Las Vegas, Nevada. Yet he leaves that school to now start recruiting to Lubbock, Texas which will be much harder to sell compared to recruiting to Las Vegas. He also won’t face any punishment for leaving early, in fact Texas Tech has to pay UNLV one million dollars buy out of his contract.  That is amazing to me!  

References

1 http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/duke-point-guard-derryck-thornton-intends-to-transfer-204257877.html;_ylt=AwrXnCUOMRZX2WoACuxNbK5_;_ylu=X3oDMTByNzdqbzZjBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--

2 http://sports.yahoo.com/news/chris-beard-says-bolted-unlv-come-home-texas-163532302--ncaab.html;_ylt=AwrXnCITNhZXITAAKMxNbK5_;_ylu=X3oDMTByNzdqbzZjBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--

My Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades

This month the NFL will hold its annual draft.  The draft is when each NFL team will select the collegiate players it wants for the next season.  The draft has become a multi day, multi-million dollar extravaganza.  It is no longer just about selecting players, the NFL draft is reality television at its highest.

But this hasn’t always been the case.  The draft began as a closed door meeting between the owners in 1936 to insure that each team had a fair chance to sign players out of college.  The first draft consisted of 90 players.1  It didn’t take long for the draft process to become more complex and involved.  In 1946 the Redskins hired the first scouts and in 1982 the NFL Scouting Combine was created, think beauty pageant for football players.1  The draft was changed forever when ESPN began to televise the proceedings in 1980 and put Mel Kiper, an independent talent evaluator, on television in 1984.1  Since that time, the draft process has only gained in popularity.  In 2014 32 million people watched the first round of the NFL draft.2  Why is the draft so popular, after all it’s just a bunch of guys reading the names of players?  

First, the NFL is the most popular professional sport in America.  It has become a year round sport even though it has the shortest season of all the major sports leagues.  ESPN should be given a lot of credit for seeing the value of televising the draft.  At the time ESPN was a young network on a new TV platform, cable,  they needed programming and were willing to show just about anything that was sports related.  Now 36 years later ESPN and the NFL network have made the time from the Scouting Combine through the Draft must see TV.  People can’t get enough football.

Second, even though on the outside the Draft process is fairly mundane and boring when you take a closer look it is very exciting.  Just consider the 1994 draft in which the 7th pick of the first round was traded three times.3  

http://tinyurl.com/h7hsbjq

How about the 1998 draft when there was a serious debate about who was the better QB:  Ryan Leaf or Peyton Manning.  Just this week the Tennessee Titans traded the number one overall pick to Los Angeles Rams.  From pre-draft trades to draft day trades to the unexpected picks the NFL Draft is very exciting.

Finally, it gives fans something to talk about.  The NFL draft is tailor made for the Internet era.  Social media makes it possible for fans to express their outrage or joy directly to the men responsible for drafting players.  It also allows fans an inside look into the process and makes every fan with an ESPN Insider account think he’s an expert in player personnel.  The Draft is the perfect storm of fan participation, social media shenanigans, and million dollar decision making.  It is now more compelling than ever.

Even with all of our technology the draft is still just a crap shoot.  Again, let’s look at the 1998 draft.  Indianapolis and San Diego had the first two picks, and at the time there was a real debate about who was the better QB:  Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf.  The rest as they say is history.  Manning is a first ballot Hall of Famer and Leaf can’t seem to stay out of trouble, but in 1998 some people felt Leaf was the better pro prospect.  The history of the Draft is full of big hits and even bigger misses.  

When you combine all these things together you get for an oddly fascinating and entertaining event.  The NFL Draft is this week and I encourage you to watch a little bit of it and try not to get hooked.

Refrences

Evolution of the NFL Draft. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2016, from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1077925-history-of-the-nfl-draft-how-has-the-process-evolved-over-time

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/05/09/32-million-fans-view-round-1-of-2014-nfl-draft/

1994 NFL Draft Pick Transactions. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2016, from http://www.prosportstransactions.com/football/DraftTrades/Years/1994.htm

BICEP CURLS

When performing a bicep curl we tend to think this exercise is very simple exercise, but there are several small components that help perfect this exercise.

1. Don’t Allow Your Shoulders And Elbows To Drift Forward- One of the biggest mistakes almost all trainees make when performing bicep curls of any kind is in allowing their shoulders and elbows to drift forward as they curl the weight up.1 When the shoulder and elbow drift forward, the stress is taken off of the biceps and is shifted onto the front delts instead. In order to keep the tension on your biceps at all times throughout your curling exercises, focus on keeping your shoulders and elbows moving the weights up using pure force from your biceps only.1
2. Keep Your Elbows Pinned At Your Sides- If you want to get the very best bicep building results from your curling movements, stop making the mistake of flaring your elbows out as you lift the weights up. For every curling movement that you perform, always make sure that your elbows are pinned to your sides at all times and that they remain stationary throughout the entire exercise.1
3. Contract Your Triceps At The Bottom Of Each Rep- At the very bottom of every repetition before you curl the weights back up, flex your triceps. This ensures that your biceps are being fully lengthened on every repetition and that they’re being trained through the largest range of motion possible.1
4. Keep Your Wrists Aligned In A Neutral Or Slightly Extended Position- First, it takes tension off of the biceps and places it onto the wrists and forearms instead. Second, the wrists are not intended to lift significantly heavy loads in this position, and the additional stress can very easily lead to wrist and forearm pain. Always make sure that your wrists remain either neutral, or even better, slightly extended whenever you execute your curling movements.
5. Keep Your Back Straight And Minimize The Use Of Momentum- Always select an amount of weight you can handle for at least 5 smooth and controlled repetition without leaning back excessively and with minimal to no “swing” in your arms while you curl the resistance up.

There are many possible variations for this movement. For instance, you can perform the exercise sitting down on a bench with or without back support and you can also perform it by alternating arms; first lift the right arm for one repetition, then the left, then the right, etc. You can also do the exercise starting with both palms of the hands facing the torso and then rotating forward as the movement is performed. At the top of the movement the palms should face forward and the small finger should be higher than the thumb for a peak contraction.2

References:
1HOW TO DO BICEP CURLS: 5 TIPS FOR PERFECT BICEP CURL FORM. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2016, from http://seannal.com/articles/training/how-to-do-bicep-curls.ph
2Dumbbell Bicep Curl Exercise Guide and Video. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2016, from http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/dumbbell-bicep-curl

Mental Preparation in Sport

Mental Preparation in Sport

In sport, we prepare our bodies physically for the battle of competition. Through daily practice and weight room sessions, we aim to prepare our bodies for the demands of our particular sport. We hope to build the correct muscles and tune or cardiac capability to handle the rigors of competition. Consciously or subconsciously, during our daily practice, we are mentally preparing ourselves for competition as well. Our daily preparense gives us a simulated preview of what we can expect when we enter into competition versus an opponent. We are building a virtual “bank” in our memory of partial scenarios that we can recall from in order to perform at a high level.

Basic Overview of How Memory Works

Memory is composed of two segments, long-term and short-term memory. Just as the names imply, long-term memory is the storage of abstracts of experiences that the short-term (working memory) deem to be relevant.1 As you routinely practice a particular action, your brain stores segments of that action so later during competition, it can recall from the long-term stored memories, relevant reactions to properly carry out an appropriate response.2

Sport is generally all about speed, the speed of action and reaction. An athlete who reacts faster to an action is more likely to have a positive result. This is why having a large amount of stored abstracts from routine practice is highly beneficial to an athlete. Often we see the athlete who puts in extra work during or after practice, experience success in their sport more often.

References:

1 How Human Memory Works. (2007). HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 17 April 2016, from http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/human-memory2.htm

2 Types of Memory. (2015). BrainHQ from Posit Science. Retrieved 17 April 2016, from http://www.brainhq.com/brain-resources/memory/types-of-memory

What Type Of Cardio Burns More Fat

Any type of exercise will burn fat, as long as you’re not sitting on your couch at home then you are doing something right.  A vigorous cardio session everyday will show improvement faster than a brisk walk in the park, but nonetheless a brisk walk will always beat a couch potato.  There are many types of cardio routines one can do, but which is the best in order to burn fat?  There has been many talk about how a high intensity interval training is great for boosting your metabolism even way after you’re done because of how high it gets your heart rate by sprinting.1  Then there is a type of cardio where you keep your heart rate at a low steady rate which is used to just target your “fat burning” zone.2  Truth is, no matter what kind of routine best fits you, it all goes down to how many calories you burn.  Heart rate is important but at the end of the day, the only way you can lose weight is by consuming less calories and burning more.  There can be various ways to lose weight and get fit which all include eating right, working out, sleep, drinking water, and more but until you actually put it to practice, fat will stay on you.  

1http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-tips/10-minute-treadmill-blast

2http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-Your-Fat-Burning-Zone

 

Physical Therapy and Non-Common Injuries

Physical therapy has been an effective method of treatment for many athletes that are recovering from injuries.  When athletes are injured while playing sports, they usually injure their shoulders, knees, elbows, or other parts of the body.  Most of the time athletes can recover from their injury and successfully go on to return to the game they love. Even years after surgery, they can continue to live great and healthy lives long after their playing days are over.  Unfortunately there are things that happen on and off a playing field that can produce devastating injuries that can not only take an athlete away from the game they love, but also strip them of the ability to live a normal life.

Chad Jones

Chad Jones is a former two sport athlete at Louisiana State University (LSU).  Jones starred on the gridiron at safety for the LSU football team from 2007-2009.  As a reserve safety and special teams player in 2007, he helped the tigers win the National Championship; in 2009, his first full year as a starter, Jones became an all SEC player.  Jones enjoyed similar success on the baseball team as a pitcher and outfielder.  Jones helped lead the baseball team to a national title in 2009 and even got drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2010 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft just weeks after being selected to play for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL).26  Jones definitely proved to be an elite athlete with rare abilities that had the option of having a dream job on not one, but two professional sports teams, a feat that could have put him with the likes of a Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders, and Bo Jackson.

The Injury    

Unfortunately for Jones, his hopes and dreams of being a great professional athlete never came to fruition.  Jones got into a very deadly single-car crash when he drove his SUV into an electric pole.  “The pole cleaved through the front, snapping the front axle and shooting it through the floorboard like a spear. It scraped the flesh from Jones' left heel, shattered his lower leg and punctured his left thigh, gouging a large chunk of his quadriceps.”27  Jones’ “tibia and fibula were shattered in several places. Large sections of his skin were peeled from the leg, exposing muscles and ligaments. Veins and nerves were sliced, and a chunk of muscle hung from his fractured heel.”27  Jones nearly lost his leg and his life.  The surgeons worked on his leg for six consecutive hours and managed to prevent Jones from becoming an amputee.  

Recovery

Jones did most of his rehab at Southern Orthopedic Specialists in Louisiana under the supervision of a physical therapist by the name of John Moran.  Moran and his team helped Jones get his range of motion back in his leg and also helped him gain back his quad and hamstring strength.  After months of strenuous strength training and stability exercises, Jones began to work on his walking on a treadmill as well as in a pool.  As he continued to gain strength he eventually started jogging in an anti-gravity treadmill.28  Eventually Jones began to jog and run on land then began doing defensive back drills in hopes of being able to tryout for a spot on an NFL roster.

Conclusion

Physical therapy is a field that has helped numerous athletes return to the sport that they love.  Jones and many other athletes at all levels have benefitted greatly from seeing a therapist after suffering from an injury.  It has been a cornerstone in the world of athletics and will continue to be for a long time.  

References

26Chad Jones Bio. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2016, from http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=785341

27DeShazier The, J. (2011). Chad Jones' miraculous recovery on track to becoming even better. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2011/10/ex-tiger_jones_miracle_appears.html

28U. (2012). Always A Fire | Chad Jones Documentary. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4xsVaq2zSg

Inside the NBA- News around the National Basketball Association

This is a basketball fan’s favorite time of the year. With the end of the National Basketball Association regular season quickly approaching and the start of the playoffs right around the corner, as a fan, there is no greater feeling. It’s like I’m a little kid in a candy store. Basketball games every night. The top eight teams from both conferences. The playoffs is where legends are born and stars are made. Who will be next? Each series is a seven game format which means that there is plenty of basketball unlike a college tournament where you only have to beat your opponent once.  

Kobe Bryant is scheduled to play his final game this week which will complete his hall of fame career. He was literally the next best thing to his airness, Michael Jordan. We were all blessed to witness a career that consisted of 5 rings, 18X all-star, 2X finals MVP, 4X all-star MVP, MVP of the league, four 60 point games, an 81 point game, 4 straight 50+ point games, 62 points in 3 quarters, has a 40 point game against every team in the NBA and has played thru 2 generations of the NBA. Would there ever be another Kobe? All we can do is hope that there would be. “He was my Michael Jordan”- Kevin Durant

                                                        Via google images

Can LeBron James get Cavs out of an Eastern Conference that is more experience than the previous years? With LeBron dominance over the Eastern Conference for the last 8 years, some have joked about the East changing its name to “LeEast”. For six years straight, LeBron has took his team to the Eastern conference championship and finals.1 Two times with the Cleveland Cavaliers and four times with the Miami Heat. Would he be able to continue his dominance play and lead this Cavs team back to the finals?

All basketball fans around the world wait for this very moment. The wait is over! The NBA playoffs are finally here.

1Paine, N. (may 18, 2015). LeBron dominates the Eastern conference. Retrieved from http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/lebron-dominates-the-conference-finals/

Martin, J. (april 14, 2016). Kobe goes out in style with 60 points. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/13/sport/kobe-bryant-final-game/index.html

DO’s and DON’TS For Lunges

When performing different exercises, we learn how to perfect them to the best of our ability. One exercise that is very common is lunges. Lunges are a quintessential exercise. You can do them anywhere and the effects can be seen in no time, in the form of shapely, toned legs and backside (just in time for bikini season!). If you're planning on incorporating lunges into your routine, make sure you're not doing more harm than good.1 It's very important to perform lunges properly not only for form, but for safety.

• Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back and relaxed and chin up (pick a point to stare at in front of you so you don't keep looking down). Always engage your core.1
• Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, not pushed out too far, and make sure your other knee doesn't touch the floor. Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position.1

DO’s

• Knee of the forward leg is aligned with the ankle.2
• Heel of the rear leg is lifted off the floor.2
• Back knee bends enough to form a straight line from shoulder to hip to knee.2
• Back is neutral, and chin is parallel to the floor.2
• Shoulders and hips are even.2
• Abdominal muscles are pulled in.2

DON’TS

• Body is slouching forward, not upright.2
• Knee is not properly bent to form a straight line from shoulders to knees to hips.2
• Back is curved and head is lifted.2

References:

1Know Your Basics: How to Do a Lunge. (2012). Retrieved April 10, 2016, from http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/know-your-basics-how-do-lunge

2Strengthening your core: Right and wrong ways to do lunges, squats, and planks - Harvard Health Blog. (2011). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/strengthening-your-core-right-and-wrong-ways-to-do-lunges-squats-and-planks-201106292810

Macros Simplified

Macros Simplified

What are macros? Sometimes you will see an article about “macros” on a facebook post or in a health magazine. Well in reality most people have been eating macros but didn’t know they were or didn’t know they fell under the label of macros. There are 3 macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. See, most of you have heard of all 3 of those! The thing is with these 3 macros is that most people either don’t eat enough of one or eat way too much of the others. In most cases people who aren’t as knowledgeable about nutrition will eat too many carbohydrates and fats, and not enough protein. But before we get too far into breaking down macros let's breakdown what each macro actually is. Carbohydrates are essential macronutrients that provide the most desirable form of energy for your body in the form of glucose. When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose, which enters your bloodstream and provides energy to your cells. Eating adequate amounts of carbohydrates every day ensures that your body has access to enough glucose to function properly.1 Protein is a nutrient found in food (as meat, milk, eggs, and beans) that is made up of many amino acids joined together, is a necessary part of the diet, and is essential for normal cell structure and function.2 Dietary fat is fat consumed in the food that you eat. Fat is a major source of energy in the diet, providing nine calories per gram, more than twice the number provided by carbohydrates or protein. Dietary fat is different than body fat which is fat stored on your body. Due to its high calorie content, the chance of becoming overweight or obese increases with a high intake of dietary fat.3 So now that we have described what each macro is, we can talk about breaking down macros. Depending on what your nutritional goals are you should have each macro broken down into a percentage. How do you get this percentage? So the easiest way to figure your macros is to add up in grams how much of each macronutrient you are consuming. To get to the actual percentage of how much of each macro involves some basic math so if you’re not too savy with math there are many dietary apps out there that will do it for you!

1. http://www.livestrong.com/article/411367-what-is-the-meaning-of-carbohydrates/
2. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protein

http://weightloss.about.com/od/glossary/g/fat.htm

Outside the Box Abs

Building Abs on Horseback

Often times we measure our physical health with how our mid-section appears. We pay for expensive gym memberships, we put ourselves through strenuous workouts, and diet ourselves crazy. What if I were to tell you that you could get a better abdominal workout in a less strenuous way and look cool while doing it?

It’s a little known fact that horseback riding is one of the best exercises to strengthen and help stabilize the trunk. In the fitness world, one of the best exercise strategies is to utilize isometric exercises in order to build stabilizer muscles. While on horseback, your body is constantly adjusting and using different muscles in the trunk to maintain balance. According to Dr. Alison Stout, horseback riding is an isometric exercise, which means it uses specific muscles to stay in certain positions, in this case, keeping balanced on the horse, as a result, postural strength becomes very important in horseback riding.1

As a rider progresses in skill, they begin to add more speed to the ride beginning with a trot, then lope, then full speed. As a horse’s speed increases, the difficulty of maintaining balance increases.1 This increase in difficulty forces the rider to develop the core strength necessary to maintain balance during the ride. This exercise helps with good overall muscle tone and flexibility. In fact, Dr. Stout says this type of muscle strengthening can be as effective as a typical weight-bearing exercise. Proper posture ensures that the rider uses the correct muscles to stabilize the body while the horse is moving.2 When not using proper posture, just like in the gym, you can experience injury, typically in the lumbar region of the spine. Riding properly is paramount to strengthen the correct muscles and reduce strain on the rider’s spine.

To increase physical fitness, you have to work your muscles. However, you do not have to do so in the gym. There are a multitude of ways that you can increase your physical fitness and horseback riding is just one. Personally, as a form of spinal therapy, I have been using the horseback method to strengthen my core to help prevent further injury to my spine. The results that I have been experiencing are phenomenal and I have yet to step foot in a physical therapist’s office. If you have access to a place where you can ride, I urge you to give it a shot and see how you feel afterward.

Resources:

Stout, A. (2016). The Physical and Mental Rewards of Horseback Riding. evergreenhealth.com. Retrieved 12 April 2016, from https://www.evergreenhealth.com/the-physical-and-mental-rewards-of-horseback-riding

Warne, S. (2012). Rider Fitness: Finding that Pain Free Feeling | eurodressage. Eurodressage.com. Retrieved 12 April 2016, from http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2012/11/24/rider-fitness-finding-pain-free-feeling