Body Types and Fitness

Hey folks, Steve here with a new fitness blog. Hopefully I can provide some insight into some areas of getting fit and more than that, get you motivated to get in the gym, go out and run, or simply dust off those old workout tapes and get the body moving. An active,  fit body functions better than the sedentary one. The body was made to move, flex, and be challenged, and thus responds well to conditioning. Your metabolism is raised for up to eight hours after working out, elevating your fat burning capabilities as well as your mood! Who doesn’t want to look, feel, and actually be in better condition? I hope that, here, I can motivate you to develop good fitness habits and actually WANT to go and be active! To be a better, healthier tennis player, you need to put in some work off the court to combat the tremendous stresses that tennis can place on the body. Feel free to comment or shoot me a message if you have questions you would like answered! Thanks for reading.

I wanted to discuss in a series of articles the different body types and how they relate to physical fitness, and more specifically, tennis!  There are three main body types: the Ectomorph, the Endomorph, and the Mesomorph. Before we discuss how these relate to your specific training, let’s find out which one you are.

Ectomorphs

Ectomorphs are naturally thin with low percentages of bodyfat and muscle relative to their mass. The limbs are longer and the bones tend to be thinner than the other body types. They generally have higher metabolisms and can eat and eat without significant weight gain. The ectomorph has more slow-twitch muscle fibers than fast-twitch fibers. We’ll discuss this later, but for now think of the slow-twitch fiber like a loosely wound rubber band – the energy stored in this band is lower than that of one that is wound tight to the point of breaking, so the potential to produce power is lower in those muscle groups. They do have longer endurance than the fast-twitch muscles, making the ectomorph naturally suited for things like long distance running. In tennis, the need for quick directional changes and explosive movement puts the ectomorph at a disadvantage, but the good news is the fast-twitch fibers can be developed by physical training!

Endomorphs

Endomorphs are close to the opposite of Ectomprphs. the limbs and bones are shorter and thicker, and the Endomorph will carry a higher percentage of muscle and bodyfat relative to overall mass. A naturally high percentage of fast-twitch fibers mean that the Endomorph is geared toward better sports performance. While muscle may come easy, so will bodyfat, so the Endomorph needs more cardiovascular activity to maintain a good balance, offsetting their slower metabolism. In tennis, the naturally high body mass can be a two edged sword, increasing the mass behind their shots but decreasing movement.

Mesomorphs

Mesomorphs are what you would probably expect after reading the first two – somewhere in between. Naturally muscular with a good blend of fast and slow-twitch muscle fibers, the Mesomorph can easily lose and gain weight, and it is easy for them to put on muscle. The wider shoulders and narrower hips provide a good frame for muscle to hang on, and the metabolic level is perfect for those who are vigilant about working out. Care needs to be taken in properly balancing both diet and workout, as inattention to either can prohibit full body potential. Naturally good athletes, the Mesomorph is well suited to life on the tennis court. The blend of power and speed is perfect for moving about and producing power on the run.

These are not hard and fast rules and in fact many people have a blend of the attributes above. Whatever bodytype category you may have been born into, you can absolutely improve your performance and fitness levels through strength training and endurance exercises! Don’t think that because you are in a specific shell that you are stuck with it’s disadvantages, you just have to be aware of your body’s predispositions and cater your fitness regiment to better work with what you have. the great news is that ALL of these body types can achieve high levels of performance on the tennis court, and in following articles we’ll look at what you can do in the gym (or living room) to maximize the traits you were born with and harness your body’s potential to perform better on the court.

Breaks In The Chain!!

Paul Kolody, MS, ATC, CSCS

I recently spoke with one of the essential tennis disciples to see how things were going after his Functional Movement Screen. He was very frustrated due to the recurrent muscles strains in his legs over the past few months. Unfortunately, this is something I hear quite frequently with the athletes. Just looking through some of the recent posts in the forums to Dr. Jack, I can see the frustration mounting. With many of these issues, timing is the key factor. It is very difficult to make changes in muscle firing patterns, joint positioning, and sport mechanics during a competitive season, especially for some of us amateurs. Having a muscle strain when you are expecting to compete can be one of the most frustrating times for an athlete!
You may say, “But Paul, Tiger Woods makes changes all the time during the season, or professional tennis players work with their coach constantly to tweak their swing.” The difference is efficiency. They are professionals for a reason. Their muscles fire in a sequence that is consistent and efficient. Although all serve motions, forehand strokes or backhands do not look the same, I can bet you the farm that what is happening inside is almost identical, key word being almost. A great person to look up for swing kinematics is Dr. Greg Rose from the Titleist Performance Institute. His work with rotational athletes is very interesting, and explains just how the better players are just more efficient and consistent!!
This leads me back to the topic. The more efficient we are, the less compensation we develop. A decrease in compensatory movements = a decreased risk of injury. During the season, we tend to enhance our bad habits when we play. Corrections do not stick well when poor habits are constantly being reinforced. I am not saying that corrections cannot be made, but the challenge is much greater. Having a great warm-up, movement prep, training (strength training, SAQ) regiment, etc., is essential to good health on the court. So, enjoy the rest of the season. Work through some of the aches and pains that can be worked through. Address the aches and pains that hurt even when you are not playing tennis, and make it a point to work with a qualified Athletic Trainer or Strength Coach, in the off season, to have the best 2009/10 possible.

Energy Systems and Work to Rest Ratios

Benefits of Resistance Training for Tennis

Benefits of Resistance Training for Tennis

Jayme Cilente, BS, ACSM

Sports Performance and Rehabilitation

For a tennis player to perform at their best they must have just the right mix of aerobic and anaerobic stamina, as well as explosive strength, power and agility. In fact, tennis requires a balanced combination of endurance, speed, fast reaction time, overhead strength, core body strength, strong arms and legs, and flexibility.

A tennis-training program must be based on solid aerobic endurance to sustain a high work rate for the duration of a game that may last several hours. Anaerobic endurance is also an essential component so that power over each rally, and in each shot within a rally can be maintained throughout each match. A balanced tennis-training program should help to prevent injury and over training. Tennis elbow, shoulder impingement, rotator cuff and calf tears are all injuries that can be reduced in frequency when proper form, training protocol and rest are implemented in an overall tennis-training program. If you are looking for a stronger serve, groundstroke or volley, specific training is necessary.

Tennis players who regularly perform resistance training in their regimes will find that they will benefit in prevention and remedy for over use injuries, increase the bodies overall strength and increase speed while decreasing movement time around the court.
Upper Body Exercises

The six exercises selected are all basic movements designed to improve all round general strength. Dumbells are utilized to ensure that each side is worked equally and muscular balance can be achieved. Reverse bicep curls are performed to engage more forearm extensors and help to balance the forearm flexors which when overworked often lead to the debilitating ‘Tennis Elbow’. The important abdominals are performed with a twist to fully engage those muscles responsible for trunk rotation.

1. Dumbell Shoulder Press
2. Dumbell Row
3. Dumbell Bench Press
4. Reverse Bicep Curl
5. Dumbell Tricep Extension
6. Twisting Sit-up

Lower Body Exercises

The aim here is to add strength and power to the lower body. Explosive Olympic movements are utilized, as they are when increased acceleration is required. The squat will form the base of the leg strength work while a side lunge has been included as a more sport specific movement because of the lateral motion component of the game.

1. Power Snatch
2. Power Clean
3. Squat
4. Side Lunge
5. Leg Curl

Bench Press – Starting Position

(Upper Body Example)

Bench Press – Finish Position

(Upper Body Example)

Lateral Lunge

(Lower Body Example)

The Importance of Agility Training

The Importance of Agility Training

Patra Krinis, MS, CSCS, NASM-PES
Sports Performance and Rehabilitation

Agility is the ability to decelerate, accelerate, and change direction while maintaining good body control and without losing time in the transition. It has been said that outside of sport-specific skills, agility is the primary determining factor for success in sport. In the game of tennis, no player is going to run longer than 40 feet without having to either stop, change direction, or change speed. The player that can do this in the most efficient manner will be the player that has the overall athletic advantage in the match. It is important to train agility in the same manner that any other skill would be trained. Using the proper progression is a necessity.

1. The first steps would be training the specific movement patterns and improving the quality of the movement. In order to be able to stop or cut properly, core control and hip mobility are a must.

When the legs stop, the core must be able to turn on and be strong enough to stop the rest of the body. You do not want the chest to drop, the shoulders to round, or the upper body to continue moving in any direction. Core strength can be accomplished by using neuromuscular activation, planks (front and side), bridging, and various abdominal exercises.

Also, when stopping or cutting, it is important that the hips have the ability to drop down and load up. This will protect the other joints in the legs, as well as make the athlete more efficient in their change of direction. If the athlete does not have the ability to drop their hips and stick them out, they will be putting a lot of force on their more vulnerable joints, such as their knees and ankles. Dropping their hips in the proper manner will also allow the athlete to push back in another direction using their glutes as the primary mover, and making their push a more powerful one. Hip mobility can be worked on by using overhead squats, deadlifts, and lateral lunges.

2. Once a baseline of core strength and hip mobility are gained, the athlete can start practicing their stops. Stopping is a precursor to cutting, and it teaches the athlete the proper way to lower their hips and control their core. The three main stopping techniques that should be practiced are jump stops (stopping in athletic position), forward lunge stop, and lateral lunge stop. The jump stop allows them to efficiently get into athletic position, setting their feet and body up to react in any direction. This is best used when it is unknown what direction the athlete is going to cut. The forward lunge stop comes in handy when a cut in the forward direction, of any angle, is going to be needed. This requires the athlete to run forward and stop in a lunge stance, with their hips lowered to about 45 degrees. The lateral lunge stop is best when the athlete has to go back in the direction in which they came. This stop requires them to stop in almost a lateral lunge position, with the front leg loaded up, ready to push back in the direction they came. Learning to stop will prepare the body for the force that is required to cut and change direction. Start off going 50% of max intensity, and progressively increase to 100%. Make sure the athlete’s body is in control and their hips are lowered and ready to push in another direction.

3. After learning to stop, the athlete is ready to start cutting and changing direction. This is progressed in intensity just like the stops. Start off going 50% and gradually increase to 100%. Make sure the athlete’s body is under control and they are pushing themselves in the direction they need to go, not pulling themselves with their front leg. Start off rehearsed, meaning the athlete knows where and in what direction they will be making the cut. Then the athlete can be progressed to reactive cuts, where they do not know when or in what direction they will be cutting. This can be done by pointing, throwing a ball, or simply yelling to them where to go. It is important that there is a proper rest while practicing agility skills. While still learning the skill, it is important that the muscles are allowed to recover prior to performing the drills. Quality is more important than quantity.

4. The last step would be to incorporate metabolic conditioning. In a real game, the athlete has to be able to make these cuts while their muscles are fatigued. Once their form looks good from a low intensity to high intensity, rehearsed and reactive, then they can start working on cutting and changing direction while fatigued.

JUMP STOP (IN ATHLETIC POSITION)

FORWARD LUNGE STOP

LATERAL LUNGE STOP

Are You “Hip” Enough For Tennis?

Paul Kolody, MS, ATC, CSCS

Tennis is a game of rapid stops, starts, turns and jumps. Every one of these moves can be linked back to the part of your body just below your low back, The Hip. When it comes to your movement on the court, the hip musculature is one of the most important to have ready. If you remember the last blog about assessment, the hip is the low back and knees best friend. The more mobile the hips are, the more your low back and knees are spared the work. When it comes to pain free, high performance tennis, this is the scenario you want day after day.

Muscles that help control the hip joint are the Glutes, Hip Flexor Group, Hamstrings, Quadriceps and Groin Muscles. In order for the hip to work efficiently, there has to be a balance across the hip joint so that dominance does not occur. Let me explain that last sentence a little more. Because many of us either sit at a desk or behind a wheel for a good portion of our day, we have a tendency to have a shortened front side of our hips, hip flexors, quadriceps. With that short front side comes a lengthened back side, glutes, and hamstrings. If a muscle remains lengthened for a long period of time without working, we tend to lose some of the function of that muscle or movement that that muscle may produce. You may see where I am starting to go with this. As we turn off some of our muscles, others have to work harder to produce the movements we desire, such as sprinting to the net to volley a drop shot from our opponent, cutting hard to get back for that tough lob shot. The muscles that are now compensating for those movements get tired pretty fast and start to break down. Here is where the injuries begin.

As you can see, having a mobile, efficient hip complex can be one of the most important parts of your game. Having a game plan for your warm-up is beneficial for you practice or competition every day. For our athletes, we have found a great routine that not only prepares the individual muscles, but the entire movement systems for whatever you ask of your body at practice, during speed and agility drills, lifting weights or playing a game.
If you have any questions about the following routine, please visit our website listed below or ask your fitness professional for help.

Soft Tissue Mobilization:

Very simply, soft tissue mobilization is a self massage to try and alleviate any trigger points in your muscles, or any areas that may be resistant to stretching or movement. This can be accomplished with a couple of different tools. Two that we prefer are a Foam Roller, or The Stick. Both of these tools are great to find trigger points and releasing them so that the muscles can function efficiently. These items can be purchased at http://www.performbetter.com/ and can be used daily to ensure that your muscles and muscle fascia are ready to stretch and work. The technique is to roll on or over your muscle to find any, “Hot Spots”, or areas that are a little sore. The trick is to stay on that spot for 20-30 rolls, even though it may be a little uncomfortable, to try and reduce the trigger point. This will allow the muscle to get some length and turn on the way it is supposed to.

Neuromuscular Activation:

Rolling out the trigger points is the first step in you warm-up process. Now we have to turn on the muscles, in the correct order, so that they can do what they are supposed to do. This can be achieved by some simple exercises that target movement patterns, to develop efficiency on the court.
Planks, (face down and side), Mini-band Walks and Bridges, (1 & 2 leg), are all examples of how you can get a good balance across your hip joint. You can pick up a great DVD on Neuromuscular Activation, by Robb Rogers, at http://www.sbcoachescollege.com/.
Dynamic Flexibility:
Several years ago, the Dynamic Flexibility/Warm-up/Movement Prep revolution was born. This lead to a lot of controversy on whether it was still good to static stretch, or that the dynamic method was now the way to go. We still static stretch our athletes, but do not spend a big chunk of our time, pre-workout, on it. If an athlete has a big asymmetry in his hamstring length, meaning one side is much more flexible than the other, we may spend more time with that athlete to develop symmetry. For this, using traditional stretches is fine. The following are some of the dynamic stretches we use, with our athletes, to promote good hip mobility/flexibility/stability.

High Knee Pull:

Standing Figure 4:

Overhead Squat:

Split Squat:

Lateral Lunge:

Using the above warm-up exercises in any order, after the soft tissue mobilization, neuromuscular activation and stretching will have your hips prepared for whatever you have on tap for that day. These can be used on off days as well to keep your body balanced and efficient. As always, if you have any questions please e-mail or check out our website at www.somersetsportsperformance.com.

Assessing Your Movement Patterns to Enhance Performance

Paul Kolody, MS, ATC, CSCS

As the Spring season begins to get into full swing, I often wonder if the athletes we have trained in the past have prepared correctly for the rigors of their season. A rotational sport, such as tennis, requires the athlete to turn ballistically on a stable base, while keeping their eye on the ball and on their opponent. If you think closely about the swing, it requires rotation, nearly simultaneously, at the hips, mid back, shoulders, neck and forearms. That’s a lot of motion for just one volley. Multiply that by a couple hundred, add in the fact that one of those movement might need some help or compensation at some point, and you can see why many of the, “overuse injuries,” occur as we play.

Part of everyone’s pre-season routine should be a functional assessment, especially in the northeastern states where everyone has been closed in for the Winter. Looking at primitive movement patterns, identifying weak or asymmetrical areas and making the corrections, can make the difference between having a successful season and a painful one.

Two great assessments that you can have are the, Functional Movement Screen: www.functionalmovement.com, and the Body Map: National Academy of Sports Medicine, www.nasm.org. No matter which assessment you choose, you will be evaluated by a certified specialist in movement patterns and dysfunctions. Identifying these dysfunctions early can help keep your body efficient throughout the season. The word efficient is the most important because as the season goes on, you may start to develop tightness, weakness or mobility changes in your joints that may cause compensations in your movements. Not only will you lose power in your stroke or a step or two on the court, you may be setting yourself up for an injury. Below we will discuss the areas these two assessments focus on and how they’re important to you.

1. The Ankles
a. Should be very Mobile
b. First line of defense in force reduction
c. Need a good shin angle to produce force
2. The Knees
a. Need to be Stable for injury prevention
3. The Hips
a. Should be a Mobile area
b. Takes the pressure off the lumbar spine and knees
c. The body’s, “Engine,” for power development
d. The body’s main, “Brakes,” for force reduction
4. Lumbar Spine, (Low Back)
Needs to be Stable!
5. Thoracic Spine, (Mid Back)
Very Mobile!
Where your turn comes from
6. Shoulders
a. Mostly Stable and Slightly Mobile
i. Need our rotator cuff, back of the shoulder, to be strong in order to keep your shoulder in the socket, (golf ball on the tee).
ii. Need our front side, chest, to be mobile to allow the turn to happen.

As you look from the ground up, you can see a pattern developing as far as stability and mobility. If one of the areas either loses it’s mobility or stability, another area has to be sacrificed to get the movement done. This is where we run into trouble. Other areas the professional may look at are your grip strength, elbow range of motion and arches of your feet.
After the assessment, the evaluator will add exercises to your warm-up, flexibility routine, or your strength training to help eliminate the dysfunctions found in your movement patterns. For more information about movement screening, you can visit http://www.somersetsportsperformance.com/ and click on the FMS page.