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Stairs, The Other Plyo Box

Apparently taking the stairs would have drained all motivation for the workout....

Not a lot of text to sort through here.  Just a quick video demonstration of how, with an open mind, your everyday surroundings can become an effective training tool.  

 

No plyo boxes?  No problem.

The Roll Down on Recent Foam Rolling Research

The All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby team, using various  foam rolling tools to complete a SMR session

Self-myofascial release (SMR), or foam rolling as it is often called, has become increasingly popular over the course of the past 5 to 10 years.  Implements once unique to the local physical therapy or chiropractic office are now common place in most commercial gyms.  The use of SMR as a means to enhance tissue quality and muscle function has slowly undergone a shift from a primarily rehabilitative tool to that of a “pre-habilitative” one.  Personal trainers, strength coaches and the like have begun to utilize SMR with their clients and athletes seeking improved movement, function and reduced muscular pain. 

SMR works with the theory that through sustained posture, injury, or repetitive movement, adhesions within the myofascial network are created.  These adhesions are thought to inhibit normal movement and therefore negatively impact muscular performance.  The use of SMR brings about localized muscular stretching, pressure, friction and temperature change.  It is believed that these changes help “break up” adhesive scar tissue and improve muscle extensibility and function.

Enhanced image of myofascia

Unfortunately, despite the abundance of anecdotal evidence supporting the inclusion of SMR into a well rounded training regimen, to date, little actual peer reviewed research has examined the effectiveness of the modality.  A recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research is helping to change this.

Researchers at Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada) examined the effects of two, 1-minute bouts of SMR on knee joint range of motion (ROM) and Quadriceps force production.  ROM and force production measurements were taken at 2 and 10 min post SMR stimulus.  When compared to control findings, SMR demonstrated an ability to significantly enhance knee joint ROM without negatively impacting force production across both time conditions.  ROM improvements were found to be on par with those typically associated with conventional static stretching techniques.

In layman’s terms, two minutes of foam rolling on the Quadriceps improved their flexibility without diminishing performance.  Based on this particular study, and assuming its findings apply in a similar manner to other muscle groups about the body, foam rolling appears to represent a viable option for inclusion in a pre-training warm-up protocol.  While this view has already been promoted for quite some time, there simply has been little to no hard evidence to back it up.  Those claiming benefit from foam rolling (myself included) up until recently have essentially been sharing what equates to personal opinion only; and while one small scale study does not a consensus make, at least I now have something more credible than personal experience to point to when I direct someone to get their roll on.

References:

MacDonald, G. Z., Penney, M.D.H., Mullaley, M. E., Cuconato, A. L., Drake, C. D. J., Behm, D. G. & Button, D. C. (2013). An acute bout of self-myofascial release increases range of motion without a subsequent decrease in muscle activation or force. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(3), 812-821.