National Athlete of the Month | Brad Walker | March 2012

Event: Pole Vault

Born: 06/21/1981

College: Washington '03

Career Highlights: America Outdoor record holder; 2007 World Outdoor champion; 2006 World Indoor champion; 2008 World Indoor silver medalist; 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist; 3-time USA Outdoor Champion ('05, '07, '09); 3-time USA Indoor champion ('05, '06, '08); 2-time NCAA Indoor champion; 2-time Pac-10 champion

One of the best in the world for many years, Brad Walker currently holds the American outdoor record in the pole vault. He set that in 2008 at the Nike Prefontaine Classic with his clearance of 6.04m/19-9.75, which was also the top clearance in the world that year. The four-time World Championships medalist won 2006 USA Indoor men’s pole vault title, but faced a great deal of adversity at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow when he fell and hit his head outside the pit during a practice attempt prior to the qualifying round. He went on to qualify for the final and won it with a clutch seasonal best clearance of 5.80 meters/19-0.25 on his third attempt at that height. "I understated how fast I was moving on the runway during warm-ups and I rotated into the pit and went off to the side," said Walker of his mishap. "My feet and legs hit the pit and threw my back and head onto the track and I hit my head. The lights went out for a while and I got back up and qualified. I had a little bit of a whiplash.” He was a recipient of the Pac-10 Medal, awarded to the top male and female student-athletes at each Pac-10 institution. He captured the NCAA indoor pole vault title with a vault of 5.80m/19-0.25 that was nearly nine inches beyond his nearest competitor, and equaled the winning mark at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Walker became the first athlete in Pac-10 history to clear 19 feet, breaking by three inches the previous Pac-10 record of 5.72m/18-9.25 set by Stanford's Toby Stevenson in 2000. He finished the indoor season tied with American Derek Miles and France's Romain Mesnil for third in the 2003 IAAF World Rankings, and tied Miles for the best indoor vault by an American in 2003. In outdoor competition in 2003 he saw his bid for an NCAA Championships double dashed by broken hand just days prior to the NCAA West Regional meet. He is regarded as Washington's best vaulter since Brian Sternberg, who in 1963 broke the world record twice before injuring himself in a training accident. As a prep star he led University High to consecutive state track and field championships in 1998 and 1999. He was 1999 regional and district pole vault champion and finished second at the state meet. He also lettered in football and was a business administration major.

USA Championships

Three-time USA Outdoor champion – 2005 (5.75m/18-10.25); 2007 (5.70m/18-8.25); 2009 (5.75m/18-10.25)

Three-time USA Indoor champion – 2005 (5.65m/18-6.5); 2006 (5.75m/18-10.25); 2008 (5.70m/18-08.25)

International Championships

2007 World Outdoor Championships gold medalist (5.86m/19-2.75)

2006 World Indoor Championships gold medalist (5.80m/19-0.25)

2008 World Indoor Championships silver medalist (5.85m/19-2.50)

2005 World Outdoor Championships silver medalist (5.75m/18-10.25)

Collegiate Championships

Two-time NCAA Indoor champion – 2003 (5.80m/19-0.25); 2004 (5.70m/18-8.25)

Two-time PAC-10 champion – 2002, 2003 (5.55m/18-2.50)

Awards and Honors

American outdoor record holder (6.04m/19-9.74)

Source: http://www.usatf.org/

Exercise of the Month | National Athletic Training Month | March 2012

StrengthUSA.com is celebrating National Athletic Training Month. During March, athletic trainers across America are being recognized for their commitment to helping people prevent injuries, stay healthy and promote positive activity. Athletic trainers are healthcare professionals, highly educated and dedicated to the job at hand. Athletic trainers can be found in high schools, colleges, corporations, professional sports, the military, performing arts and physician offices.

Celebrate National Athletic Training Month this March by following these important sports injury-prevention tips:

•Before participating in athletics or exercise, see your physician for a physical exam.

•Always make sure you have an emergency plan in place in case of injury.

•Drink seven to 10 ounces of water or sports drink every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise.

•Ensure proper stretching and warm-up techniques prior to activity.

•Avoid tobacco, alcohol and other harmful drugs.

Are you sidelined with an injury? Make sure you consult a Certified Athletic Trainer, who specializes in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses. Avoid injury, stay active ... and in the game.

StrengthUSA.com's normal Exercise of the Month feature will return in April.

Weekly Training Article | Non-Meat Substitutes of Protein | 3/26/12-4/1/12

By Gregg Hall

Although most vegetarians consume a considerable amount of protein, they often do not absorb as much as they would on a non-vegetarian diet. This is because plant proteins are considerably less digestible than animal proteins, which contain amino acid chains that are closer or identical to human amino acid chains.

Consuming animal proteins might yield close to a 1:1 absorption ratio, while consuming plant proteins, such as wheat, might only yield 50% of the amino acids needed to build a "complete protein" or a protein that can readily be assimilated into the human body.

In order for vegetarians to absorb a healthy amount of protein, they must consume a variety of plant proteins to form complete amino chains. By eating vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, fruits, and whole grains, vegetarians can increase the amount of complete proteins they create by combining a number of varieties of amino acid chains.

Vegetarians must also consume more foods that contain proteins because plant proteins are generally harder to digest. While a nutritional label may suggest that pasta has 5 grams of protein per serving; you may only be able to digest 2-3 grams of that protein, which means you must complement the pasta with other sources of protein.

In addition to natural sources of protein, vegetarians should also seek foods that are "protein-fortified" -- or artificially-infused with protein.

For example, many supermarkets offer a variety "protein-fortified" pasta and bread. I have seen pasta that contains as much as 12 grams of protein per serving.

Soy milk is also a good source of protein for vegetarians. Studies on isolated soy protein show that it can be absorbed nearly as well as animal proteins, yielding close to a 1:1 protein absorption ratio.

For non-vegan vegetarians, yogurt, milk, and eggs (which contain complete proteins) are all excellent sources of protein.

As a vegetarian you have a number of options to boost your protein intake - and you should consider taking advantage of all of them. You should diversify your food selections, drink more soy products, and eat "protein-fortified" breads and pasta.

Source: articlecircle.com

Weekly Training Article | Helping to Avoid Knee Injuries | 3/19/12-3/25/12

By Julian Hall

Knee injuries generally result in pain, and the following tips can help you reduce it. Specific situations may warrant a consultation with a physician or doctor.

For Athletes: Putting more pressure in a lesser amount of time results in knee injuries. Training should be increased gradually, especially in running sports. A weekly limit of a 10% increase in training schedules has been tested to be comfortable on the hind limbs, and it should be followed to prevent training-related knee injuries. A 10% increment in load, time or mileage is beneficial; anything above it maybe detrimental to the knees.

Strengthen Your Knees: A physician checks your knees in the event of a knee injury, for muscular weakness or muscle imbalance. These are the primary factors to be assessed in the event of a knee injury. Muscle imbalance can be a source of pain. Knee strengthening is useful to rectify imbalances and weaknesses of the knee. The training schedule should also include quad, hamstring and calf strengthening to give optimum and strong support to the knee. This also increases the stability and reduces the chances of a knee injury.

Conditioning: Conditioning exercises to the knee include improvement of flexibility and skills. Flexibility is very important for athletes and helps in reduction of the chances for any sports injury, including knee injury. Improving flexibility of the hamstrings and quadriceps would enhance knee health. Coordination exercises, coupled with proprioceptive training, helps keeps the knees in good health and prevents knee injury. Using correct and well-fitting footwear also reduces the risk of knee injury.

Concerns: The present and serious knee injury concerns relate to the anterior cruciate ligament. This kind of knee injury is mostly observed in the age group of 15 to 25 and is caused by rotating or pivotal motion in sports like football, handball, skiing or basketball. The incidence of this knee injury is more prevalent in women than in men, due to the relatively weaker anatomical structure and imbalance of a female human body compared to the male human body.

This injury is also attributed to the use of a new kind of footwear -- "Carving skis" and "stiff" ski boots. This knee injury, in particular, takes a very long time to heal and may result in abnormal joint movements and accelerates the onset of degenerative joint diseases. This knee injury can be caused by extrinsic -- as well as intrinsic -- factors related to a particular sport or movement and internal weaknesses. The only way to avoid this knee injury is to improve knee control and by following structured training programs focusing on neuro-muscular knee control.

Source: articlecircle.com

Weekly Training Article | Stop Blaming Mom: Genetics & Bodybuilding | 3/12/12-3/18/12

By Tom Ambrozewicz

There's always going to be something about your body that you don't like and can't easily change. For average people, it’s things like eye color or shoe size, but for bodybuilders, it’s things like narrow shoulders. Instead of obsessing over these details, learn what you can do to optimize your workout to help fix the problem … and then learn to accept your body for what it is.

Of course, most people simply use genetics as an excuse. If your calves are a problem spot, for example, it's easy to say that this is your parent’s problem area, as well, and move on to bench presses or crunches. This is exactly what you should not do! If you calves are the problem, you should begin your workout training these muscles, and spend longer and more intense time working to improve this area. Studies show that people are simply giving up and moving on to muscle groups where they can easily get results. Stick it out -- by training your problem spots, you will see results in the end, even if the gains are smaller than in other areas. Ask for advice from professional bodybuilders and trainers to optimize your workout for the muscles that are troubling you, and be sure to know your limits; overtraining will only add to the problem.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, you have to live with the way your body was made. Men, for example, want to have broad shoulders, but you can't physically do a whole lot if your shoulders are narrow. Instead, you can create the illusion that you have broad shoulders. First, tone the area to define your muscles. Then, trick the mind into believing your shoulders are wider by proportioning your body accordingly. For example, lose extra weight in the abdominal area to give yourself the V shape of the traditional Greek modal. Another trait that you cannot change is height. Shorter bodybuilders will always be able to build bigger and better muscles, because their limbs are not as long. Tall guys -- you can still build muscle, just remember that you will have to put forth more effort to lift the same amount of weight.

Overall, don't blame genetics for too much. True, you may have a predisposition, but you can still tone and define muscles in your problem areas with a little extra work. In the end, learn to accept the things you cannot change and focus on keeping your body healthy, overall.

Source: articlecircle.com

Weekly Training Article | 7 Tips to Stretch Your Back, Hips and Legs | 3/5/12-3/11/12

By Raymond Lee

How much time should you spend stretching? This is up to you. To do all the repetitions of all exercises in the following would take at least 30 minutes. It is encouraged to try all the stretches and then decide what works best for you. You may choose to do only a few exercises that seem most helpful for your back condition. Or you may decide to do fewer repetitions of each exercise. Or you may do everything. You are the best person to decide what works for you. The exercises do not all have to be done at once. You can do a little here and there over the course of your day. Here are some of the tips that you can consider to adopt.

1. Trunk Rotation

Lie on your back with your arms out to your sides. Bend your knees and either place your feet flat on the floor or pull your knees up toward your chest. Roll your legs to one side and then the other. Experiment with leg positions to find the one that is most comfortable for you. Move from side to side 20 times. Hold the last stretch to each side for 20 seconds while you relax and breathe easily.

2. Knees To Chest

While lying on your back, pull one leg at a time up to your chest. Then raise your knees and pull both toward your chest at the same time. Do 20 repetitions of each motion, holding the last repetition for 20 seconds.

3. Hamstring Stretch

Lie flat on your back in the neutral position. Keeping your left leg straight, bend your right leg, at a 90-degree angle so that the lower right leg is parallel to the ground. Clasp your hands behind your right knee, and begin to straighten your right leg. Do a gradual stretch three to five times, holding it for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat the stretch with the opposite leg.

4. Hip Flexor Stretch

Kneel down on your right knee. Make sure that your upper body is straight and that your left leg is bent to a 90-degree angle. Keeping your hips square and your upper body perpendicular to the ground, drive your hips forward. As you move forward, you should feel the stretch in your right hip. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat three to five times. Repeat with the other leg.

5. Quadriceps Stretch

While standing, reach back and grab your right foot or ankle with your right hand. Pull your foot up toward your buttock to stretch the muscles on the front of your thigh. Keep your knee pointing down and next to the other knee. Be sure to stand up straight and avoid twisting. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat three to five times. Repeat with the opposite leg.

6. Calf Stretch

Stand with one foot in front of the other or with your feet together. Keep your toes pointing forward and your heels on the floor. Lean forward to feel a stretch at the back of your ankle and calf. Hold it for 20 to 30 seconds. Relax and repeat three to five times.

7. Gluteal Stretch

Lie on your back with both legs flat on the floor. Grab your knee and ankle with your hands and pull it toward the opposite shoulder. Hold it for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat three to five times. Repeat with the other leg.

Source: articlecircle.com