February 2025 -Preseason Training Tips with Kolbi
As we approach the Rugby season athletes should be prepping for the preseason with a training focus on strength and power development. Strength, speed, agility, fitness, and body size have all been shown to be important aspects of rugby performance and shoulder therefore be included in training. Strength training is not only useful for performance but alsoo reduces risk of injury in play, including contact injuries. As the off-season is generally more focused on hypertrophy training, the pre-season should still include strength work but be more focused on power and velocity. Power is defined as the amount of force you can produce over a certain time, so the introduction of velocity in training is important to improve your power. This means introducing speed to your lifting and exercises rather than the slow, controlled exercises generally utilized to improve strength. As opposed to strength training in which heavy weights are used, velocity and power training should be done with lighter weights of 30-60% of your 1 rep max and be performed in sets of 6 repetitions maximum. Due to the demands of power training, these exercises should be performed early in your training so you are in a non-fatigued state. Olympic-style lifts that focus on velocity and power include the power clean, hang clean, power shrug, snatch, etc and can be useful exercises for athletes to train in the preseason.
As you prep for the season, it is also a good time to sort any injuries or niggles that may be starting to creep up with your training. Physiotherapy is well-suited to help you manage these injuries and adjust your training appropriately. Physiotherapists can provide advice, look at exercise form, release tight muscles, provide strapping and braces, etc. We can work with and provide advice to trainers on how to best adapt your training temporarily while you try to continue training without making your injury worse. It is best to catch these injuries early to fix them more quickly and maximize your performance and longevity through the season. We can also help you find the root of chronic and recurrent injuries and how to manage or resolve these issues going forward. At Darfield Physiotherapy all of our Physiotherapists are experienced working with Rugby players and are well placed to support athletes in any stage of their training.
Strength Training and Rehab by Kolbi
For many people going to the gym we get our set of exercises and continue to train similarly for years. In this article I’d like to highlight the importance of changing your exercises over time to continue to adapt and improve. When we do resistance training our body adapts and learns how to recruit muscles more efficiently and with better coordination. In the first few weeks of a new exercise, neural adaptation is the predominant mechanism by which we increase our force output or ‘strength’. Once that has been established, we then get into real strength training which is achieved by true strength gains rather than coordination improvements. It is important in this phase to consider the goals of your exercise, for example whether you would like to train endurance, strength, power, etc. as this will guide your repetitions, weight, frequency, and rest periods between sets of exercise. The guidelines of these parameters are outside the scope of this blog post but are important aspects to learn about if you are starting a resistance training program.
If we take a step back quickly and think about our daily tasks, although many might be similar day to day, there are often new movements, loads, speeds, etc of activities we do in our daily life. A common example of this is moving house. Although we may not do this often, we would hope that our fitness and training would prepare us for the ability to do these things without injury. If we are constantly training the same controlled exercise at the gym, the applicability of this to real life is quite limited. However, if we change our exercises in the gym to alter some parameters, we can optimize that coordination and efficiency of our movements to better prepare us for tasks that we may not do all the time outside of the gym. For example, if I change the variation of squats I do over the year, I am more likely to be able to cope with the awkward lifting sometimes required when moving house. My exposure to squats with different angles, muscles, speeds, and weights, would mean I have a larger repertoire of movement patterns to draw from to achieve the lifting I need to do. The comparison would be to a training program that always includes the same squats with the same weights over years. This program has not exposed me to variation, and I will be limited in my coordination and strength in any tasks that are outside of the parameters I trained in at the gym. By altering my training over time in the former example, I have more available motor patterns and better strength, both of which would reduce my risk of injury when approaching novel tasks such as moving house.
Further, as we get stronger and bigger muscles, exercises require less muscle recruitment to achieve the same task. Although we would continue to maintain our ability to lift or push that weight, our stimulus to recruit more muscles to improve power and strength for heavier loads diminishes over time. As you get stronger, it is important to progress your exercises to an intensity that sufficiently challenges your neuromuscular system over time. This concept is particularly important as we age and go through changes in our muscles leading to decreased power and strength over time. For women, it is particularly important to keep weights heavy after menopause as this period causes a cascade of changes in our muscles leading to decreased power and strength at an increased rate compared to pre- and peri-menopause.
Along with muscular changes, exercise can help us maintain bone density and keep us resilient against bone fractures and injuries. By introducing a variety of muscle pulls in different angles, and putting heavy weight on bone, we increase the density and slow the progression of bone density reduction and risk of osteoporosis.
Thanks,
Kolbi
Acute Knee Injuries
It all begins with an idea.
Knee injuries are a common problem that can happen to anyone, regardless of gender, age, or activity level. The injury can range from minor sprains and meniscal tears to more severe ligament tears or even fractures.
The knee is a complex structure that consists of bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles that all work together to provide stability and mobility to the lower body. Any injuries to these structures can result in swelling, pain, stiffness, catching, locking, and decreased range of motion.
Physiotherapists are healthcare professionals who specialize in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and conditions, this includes knee injuries. They can help people recover from knee injuries and improve their knee function through various treatment techniques. Physiotherapy treatment for knee injuries can include exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint, and manual therapy techniques to improve the range of motion and reduce pain and swelling.
Physiotherapists may recommend the use of knee braces or other supportive devices like crutches to help protect the knee joint during physical activity. In addition to treatment, physiotherapists can also provide education on injury prevention and how to properly care for the knee joint. This may include advice on proper footwear, warm-up and cool-down exercises, and modifications to physical activity to prevent further injury.
Overall, physiotherapy is a valuable resource for anyone experiencing knee pain. With the right treatment and guidance from a physiotherapist, people can recover from knee injuries and return to their normal activities with improved knee function and decreased risk of future injury.
Low back pain is a common condition that affects the lower portion of the spine. It can be caused by a variety of factors, such as poor posture, muscle strains, disc injuries, or degenerative changes in the spine. The pain can be dull, achy, or sharp, and it may be accompanied by stiffness, limited mobility, or tingling and numbness below the knee and ankle.
Physiotherapists are healthcare professionals who specialize in the treatment of musculoskeletal problems, including low back pain. We can use a range of techniques to help patients manage their pain, restore function, and prevent future episodes of low back pain.
One of the main approaches used by physiotherapists for low back pain is exercise therapy. We can prescribe specific exercises that target the affected muscles, improve flexibility and mobility, and strengthen the core muscles that support the spine. This can help alleviate pain and improve posture, which can reduce the risk of future episodes of low back pain.
In addition to exercise therapy, physiotherapists may also use manual therapy techniques such as massage, joint mobilization, and manipulation to relieve pain and improve joint mobility.