The View from Sports Center

Closing in on the Top Ten!

I'm now #11 in the Health Blogger Awards! Awesome!

Can you get me to #10?

Polls close tomorrow. Tell your friends.....vote here.

DK

New Post on the Push Up

New post on exercise:ology - the details on the push up. Click http://twurl.nl/y6niym

DK

Links in the Tennis Elbow Article

I am really interested in the tennis elbow links as I am suffering from this currently.  but every time I click on one of the links in The View (not just this one) it takes me to a Road Runner page that says the "http" cannot be found.  the rest of the page looks like advertising for various other links.  how can I find the articles Doug refers to in his View postings? 

thanks for your help,
S

______

I've had several people let me know about the links in this post. I've checked them and they all work now but you'll need to go to the blog (not in your email) to get the updated version.

So, here's another link for you to get to the article.

DK

Tennis Elbow

R

eader Adam points us to this article in Newsweek about Tennis Elbow. Two things to note:

1. The futile tone of the writer.
2. How he developed the problem.
3. The diagnosis of tendonitis.
4. The standard treatment options of rest, ice, and medications (and hope).

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons now considers Tennis Elbow to be a degenerative condition of the tendon and not a tendonitis.

An article you might enjoy:

• Put the Squeez on Tennis Elbow.

DK

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Do you have a copy of my new book, "The Little Book of Sparks"? It's a great thing to have around when you need a little emotional boost. You can read a sample and order it here.

Project Ski: Sessions for 1/27/09 & 1/28/09

T

uesday was a greater workload than usual. I had two sessions - one the am and one in the pm. I trained with Ross in the morning both designing the regimen and performing it and then again in the afternoon with Tim. Other than feeling a bit more tired than usual, I had no problems.

In the morning, here's what I did:

• 30 minutes of speed intervals.
• Three rounds of:
• • 2 min PowPow Killers
  • 1 min BOSU squats with a medicine ball
  • 15 Side Sliders
  • 15 Med Ball Twists
  • 15 BOSU hops
• 15 minutes of speed intervals

This took 80 minutes and 10 seconds.

In the afternoon, this was my session:

• 20 minutes speed intervals
• Three rounds of:
• • 10 minute speed intervals
  • 15 Squat Swings
  • 15 Sky Highs
  • 15 Med Ball Twists
  • 15 Suitcase Crunches

This took 59 minutes and 18 seconds.

The new drill in the list, that I haven't described before, is the PowPow Killers. Skiing in deep powder, we call that PowPow. A PowPow Killer is done on a BOSU with the soft side down. You stand on the BOSU holding a medicine ball and then tilt the BOSU forward about 10 or 20 degrees. Now, squat down keeping the lower legs fairly vertical while sitting back like you're going to sit down in a chair - a posture you often use in deep powder. Once in the squat position, you oscillate up and down a small amount. Very tiring to the quads and gluteals and feels quite similar to the real thing.

Today, the session was:

• 30 minutes of speed intervals
  • Three rounds of:
    
    • 1 min BOSU Squats-Gunners
    • 15 BOSU Shuffle
      
    • 15 BOSU Hops
    • 15 BOSU Push Ups
  • 15 minutes of speed intervals

This took 66 min 20 seconds.

The BOSU Push Up is a push performed on a BOSU with the soft side down. It's more difficult than a typical push up because the base on which you're pushing, moves.

Thursday is a rest day. I'll be ready.
DK

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Do you have a copy of my new book, "The Little Book of Sparks"? It's a great thing to have around when you need a little emotional boost. You can read a sample and order it here.

You Moved Me

Hey everyone -

You've moved me to position #12 in the Health Blogger Awards! Only two positions to go!

Thanks to everyone who voted...and for those of you who have requested about voting more than once, well, unfortunately, that's not an option.

If you have not voted, here's your chance. We have four days.

Be well.
DK

One more time....

Health Blogger Awards end Jan 31st. Can you get me in the Top 10?
Vote for me here.

Thanks!
DK

Project Ski: Session for 1/24 and 1/25/09

S

aturday was a compressed day with house cleaning and a party to go to that night but it was nice and chilly. So, I took my boys - Spencer and Cirque - for a run.

We jogged down to the park and then started the first of 20 running intervals: 15 second sprint followed by a 45 second jog or walk. All systems go. Felt great to run fast - well sort of fast. I ran in my Chung Shi shoes. They tend to force me onto the forefoot which recruits the "spring" system of running: gastrocnemius, quadriceps, and gluteals. This reduces the impact load into the joints.

When we got home, I set up a new training tool - TRX -  which is a suspension training device. This uses your body weight as resistance. It's a bit like using the gymnastic rings for exercise. I did three rounds of:

• 12 suspension push ups
• 12 suspension pull ups
• 12 suspension single leg squats
• 12 suspension clapper (you start in the push up position facing the ground, move to a cross position and then bring your hands together like you're clapping your hands)

The whole routine, including running, took 48 minutes and 20 seconds.

Push ups are more difficult on the TRX than on land because the handles want to move in three dimensions so you have to keep them still and use them as a base form which to push up. I felt more stress through my trunk than in the shoulders. Overall, I liked the device and have a lot of ideas on how to use it.

Today, 1/25/09, I met Ryan at Sports Center to help him get started on a training routine. Here's what we did:

• Three rounds of:
  • 10 minutes of speed intervals on a bike
  • 20 speed gunners
  • 20 pulley squats
  • 20 push ups

We took up to a minute of rest between rounds but kept our rest between drills to as little as possible.

We did some flexibility work at the end focusing on hamstrings and the thoracic spine. We used the Total Gym to get a three dimensional hamstring stretch by standing next to the platform and placing one leg on it while standing on the other. Then, slide the board up the rails. Once you reach the end point of the stretch, turn your body right and left.

For the thoracic spine, we got on the floor with legs on a large Swiss ball. Tuck the ball up toward you far as you can and then slide your arms up toward your ears.

The routine, without the flexibility work, took 45 minutes. It was plenty of work. Just ask Ryan :-)

DK

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Do you have a copy of my new book, "The Little Book of Sparks"? It's a great thing to have around when you need a little emotional boost. You can read a sample and order it here.

Tweetle Dee...Tweetle Do...huh?

I

'm tweeting these days. And, if it's new to you, it's equally new to me.

Twitter. What can I possibly have to say in 144 characters that you'll care about?

Twitter is what I first thought about blogging. Who cares? Who will read it? Who wants to know what I think or know or do? I was really wrong about blogging so there's a good chance I'm wrong about tweeting.

I joined Twitter in May 2008. I squeezed out one tweet and then thought, "This is stupid. Who cares?"

Well, you and I might be surprised. I'm not sure if you care about knowing that I just finished brushing my teeth, but you might care about how coffee is good for your brain (my latest tweet). Then again, you might care about everything.

You can follow me on Twitter here.

DK

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New to the View? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates in the box at the top left hand corner of my blog and then share this blog with your friends.

**

Do you have a copy of my new book, "The Little Book of Sparks"? It's a great thing to have around when you need a little emotional boost. You can read a sample and order it here.

Project Ski: Session for 1/23/09

T

he last time I played catch with a baseball was a few months before I went skiing and then ended up with a nice disc herniation. So, today was a marker of sorts.

The deceiving thing about "playing catch" is that it sounds so simple; easy. And, it is if you're throwing a baseball, oh, 10 or 20 feet. It's something else entirely when the distance is 80 to 100 feet.

Ross and I started out at probably 20 feet just tossing the ball. We then gradually backed up over the next few minutes to roughly 80 feet; several throws were over 100 feet. We caught errant pop flies; fielded wandering grounders and chased down balls that flew overhead. We were throwing and on the move for 25 minutes. It was a blast.

I remember the last time I did this with Ross. I had a hard time getting down low enough to get a bouncing, skipping ground ball. My lower back was stiff, tight, sore. When I tried running after an errant throw, it was more lumbering than running. And, my shoulder hurt after a few minutes with throws that were slow and rarely accurate.  I felt overworked.

This time I had none of those issues. My throws were on the mark (mostly) and crisp; my movement felt fluid; I had no stiffness or soreness. My arm grew tired but did not hurt. I could tell I had worked but not overworked. I loved the feeling of moving easily across the grass snagging a ground ball and quickly firing it back. I loved the way I felt.

I believe I can say now that I am in better physical condition today than before I was injured skiing.

How 'bout them apples?

Believe me, I have no desire to have another disc herniation or anything else remotely like it but I am grateful for how things turned out. The injury forced me to alter my life, develop innovative exercise routines, work on my mental and emotional fitness, and be open to new approaches to healing. I learned how to use a journal and how to write more honestly.

A lot of good things came from a bad thing.

So, today was fun. I played catch with Ross for 25 minutes. We then did two rounds of the following (what I did is in parentheses):

• 15 BOSU squats with kettlebell swings
• 15 BOSU Shuffles
• 1 minute slideboard (side to side hops)
  
• 15 BOSU lean back squats
• 15 Reformer Hops (BOSU hops)

A BOSU is a training device that adds dynamic balance reactions. The name stands for Both Sides Utilized. A BOSU squat with a kettlebell swing is done by standing on the firm surface of the BOSU and then performing a kettlebell squat and swing. The mobile mass of the kettlebell causes the BOSU to shift which then cause your legs and trunk to react in order to stay balanced.

A BOSU shuffle is done with the soft side up. You stand with one foot on the ground, for example your left, and the right foot on the BOSU. You assume an athletic position - I call it a triple flex position because your hips, knees, and ankles are all flexed. Now, move quickly to the right placing your right foot on the floor and your left foot on the BOSU while staying in the triple flex position. Then, back to the left. Fast as you can.

The slideboard is a great tool for anaerobic training (which is what skiing demands). A slick surface with a wooden or rubber stop on each end, you slide back and forth in a triple flex position like a speed skater. 

A Lean Back squat is done with the flat surface of the BOSU up. You stand on it and tilt the BOSU forward while leaning your upper body back. Now, squat as far as you can (which won't be too far because the leaning) and stand back up keeping the forward tilt and the backward lean.

I did BOSU hops which is hopping on top of the soft surface of the BOSU. It feels a lot like hitting a bump on the snow and landing. You'll feel off balance and have to regain it quickly. Love that drill.

Tomorrow, I'm thinking of intervals with my boys. It'll be chilly and I love the cold weather.

DK

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New to the View? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates in the box at the top left hand corner of my blog and then share this blog with your friends.

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Do you have a copy of my new book, "The Little Book of Sparks"? It's a great thing to have around when you need a little emotional boost. You can read a sample and order it here.