Running a mile and half with no training and a very unhealthy year behind me in 9 minutes 29 seconds

2. If you could only do one sport for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Skateboarding

3. What is your favourite toy?

It’s 50/50 between my skateboard and my new dirt jump bike

4. What is your next big fitness challenge?

Passing my Army fitness tests

5. What is your favourite charity?

ROBS ARTTT

6. How would you distribute your lottery winnings?

Give some to family, some to friends, and of course a large percentage to Alex, go a bit crazy and invest the rest

7. Who do you most admire?

Eric Koston and Steve Berra, the creators of The Berrics

8. Describe your relationship with food?

Loving

9. Are you in a relationship?

No

10. What bores you?

Anything slow

11. What inspires you?

Seeing people achieve, it makes me want to go and achieve something new

12. What trainers do you wear?

Nike SB Stefan Janoski’s

13. Describe yourself in 3 words:

A tad insane

14. Favourite movie?

Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers

15. Favourite tipple?

Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum

16. Favourite famous sporting moment?

Travis Pastrana doing a double backflip in the X-Games freestyle motocross finals

17. What was your last formal qualification?

Getting Distinction/Merit in my Level 3 Public Services course

18. What has been your best overseas trip?

When I went to Canada (Vancouver Island especially)

19. Do you own a bicycle?

Yes a custom dirt jump bike

20. What question to you wish you’d been asked? Where would you like to live for the rest of your life?

Vancouver Island

By spending all our training time on the bike we will become a better cyclist by being more in tune with the bike, being more comfortable in a cycling position and hopefully (with correct guidance) create a more efficient and functional pedal stroke, whilst also increasing our cardiovascular fitness.

This said, I personally believe that S&C has a vital part to play in making you a better cyclist, whether it be for triathlon or for cycling alone. What we have to do is understand what we mean by S&C and that it doesn’t solely mean strength training and lifting or pushing heavy weights, it also takes into account core stability and flexibility.

Flexibility improves posture and increases the range of motion of the joints, so we don’t have any sticking points within the pedal stroke, It also is a great injury preventer.

GB cycling S&C coach has been quoted as saying “it’s like the difference between a door that has oiled hinges and one that grinds to and fro. The more freely you move, the more power you can put out.”

Core stability is vital in cyclists due to the position we spend the majority of the time in. A weak core will lead to postural problems and thus make this riding position very uncomfortable, especially the more aerodynamic we look to be. A strong core will not only allow us to be comfortable and aerodynamic but also allow a greater transfer of power through the legs.

Later, we will talk about specific areas that need flexibility attention.

More and more top athletes are making S&C a vital part of their training. Below I will talk about what will make up this part of their training:

Strength training:

Calves – Strong calves will contribute to a more powerful pedal stroke as illustrated by the diagram below.

Exercises: Calf raises

Hamstrings and Glutes – the forgotten muscle groups, the hamstrings and glutes are vital for an efficient pedal stroke, especially when clipped into pedals. If there is too much of a muscle imbalance between hamstrings/glutes and quadriceps, it will create a very uneven pedal stroke and put a huge emphasis on the quads. Strong hamstrings will allow you to pull up and over on the pedal stroke and not have to rely on the quadriceps.

Exercises: Lunges, Swiss ball hamstring curls, Romanian deadlifts, Glute-ham raises.

Quadriceps – You only need to take a look at Chris Hoy to see that strong quadriceps play a ‘big’ part in cycling! They often provide the power, this is not only important in sprint events on the track but also in endurance riding in the tour events.

Exercises: Squats (plus all the varieties of squats), Deadlifts, Leg extensions.

Upper body – Although, cycling is a predominantly lower body sport, upper body training will give you balance throughout the body and also help with your posture.

Exercises: Lat Pull down, Bent-over row, Chest press.

As you can see from this diagram, a huge number of lower body muscles play a part in the pedal stroke and that to have an efficient stroke you need to be strong in all the right areas.

Picture courtesy of lovingthebike.com

We talked about the importance of flexibility and core stability and now we need to discuss what we need to do in these disciplines.

Flexibility:

-   Hamstrings: These become tight because of the position we adopt when cycling. Tight hamstrings are also the number one cause for lower back pain in the general population so need particular attention. They are also needed when we run, so for triathletes, flexible and functional hamstrings will not only improve cycling but also the running element.

-   Hip flexors: As human beings, we are designed to be in an upright position, due to various reasons, we spend most of our time in a seated position and so exercising in an even more bent over position like we do when we cycle causes our hip flexors to be very tight

-   Gluteals: Unlike the hip flexors, the glutes are in an open position when we are in a riding position, however, as you can see from the diagram above they are used for a large portion of the pedal stroke (hopefully), thus the more you ride, the tighter they will become. This becomes more important for triathletes as like the hamstrings the glutes play a major role in running.

Core stability:

-   Plank: The plank makes the whole core work in an isometric contraction and thus makes us stronger in a fixed position, like we are when we ride. To make this more functional to cycling we can use a swiss ball and perform knee tucks as if we are pedalling.

-   Superman: This puts our body into a position of instability and so we learn to contract or brace the core in order for us to keep a strong rigid position.

-   Back extensions: The more time we spend on the bike, the more time the back is in a tight flexed position. Thus we want to be able to move dynamically in the opposite direction, so these muscles don’t switch off and become weak.

-    V-sits: These work both the upper and lower abdominals and give us the ‘six-pack’ for pure aesthetic reasons!!!

Hopefully this will go some way to helping people make their minds up about what they should be doing to make you a better cyclist. However, everybody is different and only you will know what works best for you, but until you have tried it, do not rule out the benefits of it.

If you are interested in some personal training for your cycling please call the clinic.

Factors that commonly predispose a runner to injury include:

• Sudden changes in training; a non-progressive change in the volume of training including running distances, frequency, intensity and type of training i.e. hill, interval, sprint or endurance will often overload the body exerting inefficient forces putting excessive pressure on the body that often manifest into injury.
• New equipment such as training shoes or running kit may also result in an altered running pattern leading to injury. Certain injury patterns may develop when an individual switches from running on a soft surface, i.e. sand or grass, to concrete or a treadmill.
• Previous injury and body conditioning have both been shown to have significant effects on running injuries whilst correct nutrition will also have a positive influence on injury prevention.
• Biomechanical abnormalities frequently predispose running injuries. For example, an excessively high arch generally results in reduced force dissipation on foot strike with greater force transferred to the shin. Excessive foot pronation on the other extreme increases the distance across which the shin muscles must act to drive the body forwards during the propulsive phase of gait.

At Drummond our experienced staff believe in addressing all factors that may influence injury prevention and management.

The scope of this article is to highlight a predominant running injury: Shin Pain.

• Do you feel ‘tightness’ that worsens with continued activity and eases rapidly on cessation, leaving an aching sensation?

You may be suffering from Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS). This occurs when the pressure within the calf compartment becomes elevated during exercise resulting in reduced blood flow and subsequently pain, a typical pattern of onset is after a certain set time or distance e.g my pain always comes on after 20mins running and eases rapidly when I stop, leaving an aching sensation .

• Do you feel  pain of gradual onset that is exacerbated by exercise and may be present at rest or at night. Have you recently increased your training intensity or duration?

You may be suffering from a Tibial stress. This occurs when large amounts of compressive forces are placed through the tibia beyond what it can withstand. When these forces are excessive, or too repetitive, and beyond what the bone can withstand, bony damage can gradually occur. This initially results in a bony stress reaction.

• Do you feel pain along the inner border of the shin that ‘warms up’ with initial exercise and worsens after exercise, with aching after prolonged rest or sleep?

You may be suffering from Medial Tibial Tenoperiostitis or ‘Shin Splints’  these occur when excessive traction forces are exerted upon the shin bone, commonly as a result of the repeated ankle movements during running, resulting in damage and inflammation of the connective tissue joining muscles to the inner shin bone. Runners more commonly develop this condition early in the running season following a period of reduced activity (deconditioning) and when running surfaces are generally harder.

What to do?

You: Initial management of running related shin pain requires an ice massage to reduce inflammation. An alteration of activity is advised, undertake low impact activity initially i.e. swimming, cycling, cross trainer. Eliminating hard surface running will reduce forces exerted up through the lower leg. Frequent calf stretches are also advised.

Intrinsic factors such as bone mineral density must also be considered with shin pain, especially in women, so women should be aware of any menstrual disturbances.

Us: Recognition and correction of abnormal biomechanics that are preventing you from running efficiently is essential to injury prevention and management. This may include addressing instability and compensating running patterns and/or orthotic support.

Together: Training environment and program should be discussed and adjusted accordingly to eliminate those factors that are predisposing injury, such as training surface, inappropriate footwear, inadequate warm up etc. Areas of weakness e.g. core and/ lower limb de-conditioning should also be addressed via a specific individualised rehab program. Recognising our body weight in relation to the type and amount of activity we are doing is another important factor to be considered in relation to shin pain and running injuries.

Summary

Source: Adapted from Brukner and Khan. Clinical sports medicine (3rd edition) (2007) McGraw-Hill ISBN 007471520-8.

All of the above conditions can often co-exist and require a detailed management approach. At Drummond clinic we are experienced in and passionate about effective and efficient running, injury prevention and injury management to ensure you go all the distance!

There are 9 different sizes of bike in the Frog range, catering for children from age 2 (on the “Tadpole” balance bike) up to around 14 years.  Each size comes in a choice of colours: red, orange, purple, black – and our most popular – spotty.

Frog Bikes are lightweight, colourful, high quality kids’ bikes.  They are made by a small British company, set up by husband & wife team Jerry and Shelley Lawson, who realised from talking to families and to bike retailers that there was a gap in the cycle market for a lightweight and reasonably-priced bike for kids.

Frog bikes are all aluminium, so they are both lightweight and robust. All our bikes have high quality branded components: Tektro slim-grip brakes, Shimano easy-twist gears, and the frames and componentry have all been developed specifically for the proportions of smaller riders. This makes them both easier to handle and safer to ride.  The lighter the bike, the easier it is to balance, as well aspropel forwards.  Can you imagine trying to cycle a bike which ways half your own body weight?! Parents also appreciate this lightweight range – when carrying bikes or lifting them onto roof-racks, which can be a back-breaking exercise with a heavy steel bike.

The bikes are priced very competitively, aimed at the mass market. The little Tadpole retails at £120, and the prices rise gradually through the range, with the largest bike at £280.

Where can you buy them? We have a growing network of independent bike stores around the UK selling Frog Bikes, such as The Bike Company in Windsor.  Consumers can also go to our website www.frogbikes.com to buy the bikes as well as a range of kids’ helmets, bike lights and accessories.

We have a Gift List service online: you can select a bike for a child’s birthday for example, and ask friends to visit the site and make a contribution towards the bike fund. There is also an interactive part of the site: “World of Frog” with a blog, forum and space for customers to upload photos of their bikes with the chance to win prizes.

Customer Feedback

I saw your stand at the show yesterday and was impressed with what you had to offer. I intend to buy a Frog 55 for my son and probably a Frog 52 for my daughter. There really was a lack of decent kid’s bikes out there, so I am glad that I have the option of these. Thanks for your time and congratulations on the great bikes. Matthew Halliwell  Feb 2013

Frog Bikes may well quickly become a recognisable name in family cycling – they have great quality bikes at competitive prices and a very impressive set up Cycle Sprog reviewer, Feb 2013

The latest offering of children’s cycles from Frog Bikes gives us confidence that bike brands are finally doing it for the kids….making sizing much simpler, in a kiddy friendly range of colours Cycling Weekly 8 Feb 2013

“My 6 yr old boy is tall but has a very slight build and not a lot of strength. He tried two bikes with no success (and a lot of expense!) before we found Frog bikes. Now he can finally get his bike going without a push from mum or dad. Thank you Frog!    PS – so great that you are a homegrown British company!” Libby K – customer

Visit their Site to have a look at their amazing Kids range of bikes

]]> http://www.drummondclinic.co.uk/news/frog-bikes-the-lightweight-bike-for-kids/feed/ 0 http://www.drummondclinic.co.uk/articles/maintaining-pain-free-running-by-arran-nicholson/ http://www.drummondclinic.co.uk/articles/maintaining-pain-free-running-by-arran-nicholson/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:35:28 +0000 alex http://www.drummondclinic.co.uk/?p=5929 Once again, it’s getting to that time of year when we see a steady stream of marathon-related injuries through our clinic.  There are plenty of these conditions that could have been prevented, but part of the problem is knowing what to do yourself in order to maintain your pain free running and also when you should start implementing these recommendations.

Hopefully, this will shed some light on the situation.

For starters, you can implement these recommendations at whatever level or distance you run at.  In fact, you should be implementing these at all levels of activity, but adjust them according to your training intensity or distance.

To put it into perspective, think of your car.

If you only drive short distances, you may get away with filling your petrol tank once a month and changing the tyres once every 2 years?  If you commute 70 miles a day and continue to fill the tank once a month or change the tyres once every 2 years, the chances are you are going to break down or crash!

Generally, we don’t consider any maintenance work for our body when we embark on our training programs and in most cases a 5 minute token gesture of stretching at the end of the session will not be adequate.

Stretching

“But I do stretch!” – we hear this regularly, but we have to consider that when your training schedule has increased your mileage from 10km per week to maybe 40km per week, have you increased your stretching significantly to counteract this?

When a muscle is repetitively used we create tiny tears in the muscle tissues which may last 2-3 days, leaving you slightly stiff.  In most cases some gentle stretching will help the muscle naturally recover.  In some cases, however, a prolonged exposure to this stress can cause areas of lasting restriction called trigger points.

Soft Tissue Work

This is where we have to consider how specific stretching really is for releasing muscle tension.  Stretching a muscle will apply stress throughout the tissue, but sometimes a more specific, localised treatment is needed in order to mobilise these trigger points.

This can be in the form of foam roller release work, or sports massage.

Strengthening

Compensatory movements during our running can also cause us problems, as the body tries to recruit muscles that are not ideally suited to the job.  In this case, the muscles will stiffen as a protective mechanism.  This can start to counteract all of the good work we are completing to maintain muscle mobility.

A strength program to complement running is possibly the most regularly neglected of all maintenance work, but has massive implications on your running efficiency.  Some relatively simple strength exercises to activate certain muscles and condition them for the stress of running can help to stave off any unwanted pains and injuries.

Summary

As you will appreciate, everyone is different.  It may be that some runners are much more flexible or stronger than others, so before embarking on any training program it is always worthwhile identifying your weak areas and what could help you to improve.

The Drummond Clinic Advanced Gait Assessment will provide you with an overview of everything you need to do in order to continue your activity injury-free.  It is designed to identify technique issues, strength deficits or areas of muscle restriction that could predispose you to injury, and give you the information and support you need to correct these and achieve what you want from your activity.

New and Improved

Drummond Clinic’s own ‘Optimal Running School’ and ‘Run Workshop’ programmes are for anyone interested in wanting to run more efficiently, reduce the potential for injury and increase individual performance.  By examining the modernistic concepts to running, our workshops deliver a combined fresh approach, allowing you to make significant changes to your running with ease and attain maximum reward for your efforts.

Our next workshop dates are:

Saturday 20th April

Sunday 16th June

GymCube is endorsed by both Drummond Clinic & Drummond Education.   Our technical team gives GymCube backup by writing articles, answering questions from members and giving a technical sounding board for the GymCube team.

WOW… live streaming classes everywhere you go.  With this exciting new online gym you can log in to do any classes you can think of from Pilates and Yoga to High Intensity Training… It’s the thing of the future.

At GymCube.com, you can watch an incredible selection of exercise classes and fitness workouts every single day, streamed straight to your internet enabled device, wherever you might be. With over 40 different LIVE exercise classes every week, ranging from low intensity beginner level routines to help you kick start your fitness regime, right up to elite athlete workouts for the seasoned pro.

GymCube.com is your new home for exercise and fitness.

With one simple monthly subscription, you will have access to over 40 LIVE and exclusive exercise classes every single week, streamed straight to your computer, TV, smart phone or tablet throughout the day, seven days a week.

Our top quality instructors will guide through a wide variety of exerise techniques and fitness routines to help you get in the best shape of life – and you’ll be able to all of it from the comforts of your own home. Or wherever you might be. From fun filled Latin, street and pop dance classes, to high intensity cardio circuits, weight training and everything in between, GymCube.com has something for everyone.

Our simple monthly subscription option makes joining GymCube.com very easy. Your one off monthly payment gets you unlimited access to every single one of our LIVE classes, so you can workout with our instructors as often as you like. You will also get full access to our anytime video archive*, as well as being able to read all our fitness and nutrition articles, tips and reviews from our expert contributors.

You will be able to start a free trial with GymCube.com any time you wish, and this will give you full access to our whole website. Then you can watch any of our LIVE exercise classes wherever you have an internet connection, joining in with the very best fitness instructors in a unique new class every session.

With GymCube.com, you don’t need to worry about living near to a gym, or affording the gym, or even making time to get to the gym. You can work out in the comforts of your home, whenever you want.

click here to experience the hottest new thing in fitness

]]> http://www.drummondclinic.co.uk/news/gymcube-com/feed/ 0 http://www.drummondclinic.co.uk/news/aoifes-20-questions/ http://www.drummondclinic.co.uk/news/aoifes-20-questions/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:26:35 +0000 alex http://www.drummondclinic.co.uk/?p=5806 1. What is your biggest fitness achievement?

Captaining my University Gaelic Football Team to winning the All Ireland

2. If you could only do one sport for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Heptathlon: The more the merrier!

3. What is your favourite toy?

My Football…closely followed by my new i-phone 5

4. What is your next big fitness challenge?

My Fit for Anything class tonight :/

5. What is your favourite charity?

SVP: St.Vincent dePaul

6. How would you distribute your lottery winnings?

20% parents, 10% each brother, 10% charities, 10% treating friends, 40% Business initiative, 10% TRAVELLING and me

7. Who do you most admire?

People who get up and go , care free , travelling around the world doing charity work and/or fun jobs to get by and move on.

8. Describe your relationship with food?

You wont know until you try it. The fresher the better but indulgence is a must once a week (minimum).

9. Are you in a relationship?

Not according to my FaceBook status!

10. What bores you?

Monotonous voices

11. What inspires you?

Knowing the feeling of defeat and success.

12. What trainers do you wear?

Adidas

13. Describe yourself in 3 words

Determined, friendly….Irish!

14. Favourite movie?

Cool Runnings…you wanna kiss my lucky egg?

15. Favourite tipple?

Baileys mmmmmmmm

16. Favourite famous sporting moment

Dublin beat Kerry in the 2011 All Ireland Final. First Dublin All Ireland title since 1995. On my Birthday and the day before I left for the UK, celebrations!!

17. What was your last formal qualification?

Masters in Physiotherapy from University of Nottingham

18. What has been your best overseas trip?

6 month work placement in Massachusetts (included travel up the east coast, Chicago and Toronto.)

19. Do you own a bicycle?

I still have my first BMX from 4yrs old

20. What question do you wish you’d been asked?

Would you like a Coffee? When we really know that is the question she must ask – being a newbie

With Gaelic football being her passion, she brings a whole host of sporting experience to the clinical team. From physiotherapy cover to the Irish National Ice Hockey team, to clinical rehabilitation on a one to one level to a whole host of professional and amateur athletes.

Aoife will soon to be the pilates lead within the clinic, offering one to one pilates in both the fitness and clinical rehabilitation fields

What is it?

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training or High Intensity Intermittent Training. It is an interval type workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and periods of complete rest or recovery exercise. It is purported that 15 minutes can deliver the same physiological benefits as three hours of LSD (long slow distance) running. The benefits include a reduced risk of strokes, diabetes and heart attacks as well as improved endurance, but we will talk more about the benefits later on.

Who is it for?

Anyone can benefit from HIIT, right from beginners to elite athletes, however the form of exercise and the intensity will need to be varied depending on the individual or groups’ training age.

Benefits?

A number of studies have been done on the effectiveness of HIIT, and the following benefits are from a number of studies done on this type of training – see below for details of studies.

1)     Aerobic – There have been many studies reporting an increase in aerobic capacity. A study by Driller^[1] showed an 8.2 second improvement in 2000m rowing time following 4 weeks of HIIT in well-trained rowers. This equates to a significant 2% improvement after just 7 interval training sessions. However, on the flip side, one study ^[2] that tested sedentary, overweight subjects found traditional exercise to be more effective. Maybe, one of the reasons for this is that for HIIT to be effective it needs to be near enough maximal and trained individuals are more likely to be able to work out maximal intensity than sedentary individuals. Is it something for PTs to use with their clients – well that depends on the client and only the PT will know if they would be willing to go that hard, but in my opinion I would say YES!

2)     Metabolic – A study by King,^[3] found that HIIT increases the resting metabolic rate for the following 24 hours due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and likewise a stud by Trapp et al⁽⁴⁾ found HIIT three times per week for 15 weeks compared to the same frequency of steady state exercise(SSE) was associated with significant reductions in total body fat and subcutaneous leg and trunk fat.

These two benefits are brilliant however they are to be taken with caution. Although HIIT training has been shown to have aerobic benefits I am not so sure that by solely doing this type of training 3 times a week, it will make you a better runner or triathlete, but it certainly seems like it could be a good addition to a program.

The biggest benefit in my opinion is the time it takes to get an effective workout. Research has shown that only 15minutes of HIIT is required to get the benefits stated above. Various types of HIIT have come about and claim to be the most efficient and we will discuss these a bit later. So for all those people who claim they don’t have enough time in their day, 30 minutes – consisting of 5mins foam roll, 5 minutes warm-up, 15 minutes HIIT and 5 minutes cool down and stretch – is all they need to find!

As well as finding time the other barrier to exercise often cited is ‘I don’t have a gym membership’ or ‘I don’t have any equipment’. The beauty of this type of training is that your bodyweight, if used correctly, is enough. A circuit of squat jumps, gun drills, star jumps, press-ups, sit-ups completed at maximum intensity will certainly get your heart rate high. However if equipment is available, then equally as good are cardio machines such as the rowing ergo, the bike ergo etc.

The fact that equipment is not essential also means that this can be done anywhere – even on business trips!!!

And lastly there is a stigma attached to this type of exercise from a number of women – ‘I don’t want to bulk up or look like a Russian shot-putter’ – then the study by Stokes et al ⁽⁵⁾ found that HIIT stimulated the production of HGH (Human Growth Hormone) by up to 450% during the 24 hours post workout – this is the same HGH that slows down the ageing process!!!

This type of training is becoming more popular, with many examples out there using the various methods, such as Tabatta (20 secs exercise and 10 secs rest), however, most people are coming up with their own variances, such as Insanity – a very good, but hard, at home workout using this type of training.

One of the fastest growing trends across gyms in the UK is the 30 min intense workout class – this takes on board the principles of HIIT and varies it from gym to gym into an individual class format.

Overall I believe this is a great way to train, although I believe it should be a supplement to exercise and not the only form of exercise performed. It takes quite a toll on the body and can often take a few days to recover from, especially if done at the near maximum intensity stated. So in this case those days in between will need to be filled with other forms of exercise or pre-habilitation work in the form of stretching, foam rolling or massage.

For more information on this or any type of training, please give one of our clinical team a call.  HIIT can be for Rehabilitation, General Activity and Sports Performance – You choose.

References

1)     Driller Matthew, Fell James, Gregory John, Shing Cecilia, Williams Andrew (2009). “The effects of high-intensity interval training in well-trained rowers”. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 4: 1.

2)     Venables, Michelle. “Endurance Training and obesity: effect on substrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity”. Edgbaston, UK: School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, The University of Birmingham. PMID 18379212.

3)     King, Jeffrey W.. A Comparison of the Effects of Interval Training vs. Continuous Training on Weight Loss and Body Composition in Obese Pre-Menopausal Women (M.A. thesis). East Tennessee State University.

4)     Trapp EG, Chisholm DJ, Freund J, Boutcher SH (April 2008). “The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on fat loss and fasting insulin levels of young women”.International Journal of Obesity 32 (4): 684 – 91. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803781. PMID18197184.

5)     Stokes KA, Nevill ME, Hall GM, Lakomy HK. The time course of the human growth hormone response to a 6 s and a 30 s cycle ergometer sprint. Department of Physical Education, Sports Science and Recreation Management, Loughborough University, UK.