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Case Study: General Strength Improvement

Posted on 07.30.14

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This is a brief review of a general strength training case.

History

The trainee is an apparently healthy 20 year old male Kinesiology intern, with several years of strength-training experience.  His strength has been at a plateau for at least 12 months and he would like to improve general strength and gain body weight. He mentioned an uneven barbell path during the bench press and would like to correct this.

The trainee does not report any significant life stressors and does not anticipate high levels of stress or obstacles that would interfere with training over the next eight weeks. He will be able to train with a partner of somewhat comparable strength.

The trainee has high motivation to train and is confident using free weights. He has had success with pre-workout supplements (caffeine) in the past and is willing to get “adequate” sleep and eat a caloric surplus. Although he participates in intra-mural basketball, he does not care much if his performance or vertical jump improves. Basketball will not begin for another five to six weeks from the start of the program.

Examination

DL.MAtt2

Max Strength Testing  (Post)

Height/Weight
6’1″ 165 lbs.

Maximal Strength
Bench Press – 215 lbs. for a 1 repetition maximum (1RM)
Parallel Squat – 225 lbs. for a 3 RM / Estimated 1 RM 240 lbs.
Deadlift – 275lbs. for a 3 RM / Estimated 1 RM 290 lbs.

Uneven barbell path during the bench press noted.

Peak Power Estimated From Vertical Jump
Vertical Jump – 20.5″
Peak Power (PP) – 4,644.7 watts (W)
Peak Power estimate based on vertical jump and body weight (Amonette et al.)

Evaluation

The trainee’s strength levels are intermediate, with the bench press being his most dominant lift. We reviewed his previous training program and mutually agreed that the training volume was excessive and there was too much emphasis on accessory lifts.

Decreasing volume and emphasizing compound lifts such as the squat and deadlift will help contribute to improved maximal strength. Taking an evidence-based approach to his strength training will help maximize his gains. An evidence-based approach considers the trainees preferences and experience, my expertise, and the best available research evidence.

Prognosticating strength improvements can be challenging due to the many variables, and we agreed it was best he did not know my opinion.  If I had underestimated his potential, and he knew of my expectations, it might have had a negative effect on his outcome. I was confident he would have a good overall outcome, a sentiment I expressed.

Intervention

The program was to last seven weeks, but was completed over eight weeks, as he needed a week off after the first two weeks due to a vacation. The first four weeks was focused on hypertrophy, and leaned toward strength over the last three weeks. The principles used to structure the program are described in the hypertrophy and strength-training articles on this site.

Training primarily consisted of barbell and dumbbell workouts, which were performed five days a week (Monday through Friday), with weekends off.  Each bodypart was trained twice a week.  It was decided to include specific accessory exercises to help correct bar path deviations during the bench press.

We reviewed the nutrition and supplementation guidelines for strength athletes.  He decided to supplement his program with creatine and a pre-workout drink with caffeine as an active ingredient.  We said caution should be exercised in taking supplements, as an amphetamine analogue had recently been identified in a popular pre-workout supplement.

Outcome

Height/Weight
6’1″ 183 lbs.

bodyweight 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maximal Strength
Bench Press – 240# for a 1RM
Parallel Squat – 275# for a 3 RM / Estimated 1 RM 290#
Deadlift – 340# for a 3 RM / Estimated 1 RM 360#

Maximal Strength

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peak Power Estimated From Vertical Jump
Vertical Jump – 24″
Peak Power – 5,574.7 W

Peak Power

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Discussion

The trainee was pleased with the results. I was particularly impressed with the improvements in bodyweight, deadlift, vertical jump, and PP. The vertical jump was not specifically trained for, but there was a meaningful improvement, even with a significant body weight increase. I attribute much of the body weight improvement to potential water retention from the creatine supplementation and glycogen retention from surplus eating. It is reasonable to assume some increase in size was due to increased contractile tissue as well.  We did not assess body fat but it appeared he gained little, if any, fat mass relative to fat-free mass. I anticipate further improvement if he follows the same program or a similar one for another seven weeks after a week of recovery.

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Author: Christopher (C.J.) Eberley, PT, DPT
Board Certified Orthopedic Physical Therapist
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Disclaimer: The views discussed on this website are for educational purposes only. Should you have any questions please consult your physician or physical therapist. Copyright© Kinesis Physical Therapy. All Rights Reserved.
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Hypertrophy Expectations

Posted on 01.23.14

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Building muscle can help improve strength, reverse the effects of age-related muscle loss, and, in some cases, improve sport performance. Expectations of what levels of hypertrophy are attainable can be useful for long-term goal setting and may help encourage a realistic body image.

How Much Muscle?

HypertrophyWithout advanced equipment, determining fat free mass can help estimate how much muscle an individual carries.  Fat-free mass includes all of our body’s components, excepting fat.  It is assumed an individual with greater fat-free mass also possesses greater muscle mass.

In studies related to body composition, researchers sometimes use a calculation to determine how much fat-free mass participants have in relation to height.  This is a relatively simple calculation involving height, weight, and percentage of body-fat.  The link below makes the calculation process very easy.

Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI) Calculator

Fat-Free Mass Index of a Reference Population.

Once the FFMI has been determined, it may be useful to compare this number to a “normal” healthy population.  This comparison may help give a realistic perspective on how much fat-free mass people carry.

What does the fat-free mass index of a normal healthy population look like?  The following is data gathered by Schutz et al. (2002) and sampled from a healthy Caucasian population of over 1,000 people.

Percentile__________5th_____10th_____25th_____50th_____75th_____90th____95th
Men (FFMI kg/m2)
18-35 y/o                16.8        17.2        18.0        18.9         19.8        20.5        21.1
35-54 y/o                17.2        17.6        18.3        19.2         20.1        21.1        21.7

Percentile__________5th_____10th_____25th_____50th_____75th_____90th____95th
Women (FFMI kg/m2)
18-35 y/o                13.8        14.1        14.7        15.4         16.2        17.1        17.6
35-54 y/o                14.4        14.7        15.3        15.9         16.7        17.5        18.0

Notice that it is unusual for men in the average population to have a FFMI greater than 22 and women to have a FFMI greater than 18.

What do these numbers mean?

Gruber et al. (2000) proposed the following:

Men (FFMI)

  • 18 – slight build with low musculature
  • 20 – average musculature
  • 22 – distinctly muscular
  • >22 – not normally achieved without weight training
  • 25 – the upper limit of muscularity without pharmacological agents (e.g., anabolic steroids)

Women (FFMI)

  • 13 – low musculature
  • 15 – average musculature
  • 17 – distinctly muscular
  • 22 – not typically achieved without pharmacological agents (e.g., anabolic steroids)

Reasonable Expectations

The above information should help give the resistance trainer perspective on how muscular they currently are and what research suggests is the upper level of muscularity.  A FFMI greater than 25 for men and 22 for women may be achieved without pharmacological help but this does not seem to be common.

Genetics, environment and training play a crucial role in how muscular an individual can become.  In my experience, a FFMI of 22-25 is attainable for many men with reasonable levels of bodyfat after several years of weight training.  Keep in mind that the work by Kouri et al., which determined the upper level FFMI (25) for men did not include subjects with body fat greater than 20%.  Those with increased body fatness (>20%) may be able to exceed a FFMI of 25 through mechanisms such as increased organ size, visceral fat, intramuscular fat (Kouri et al. used calipers which do not directly account for visceral or intramuscular fat), or even increased musculature.

I believe a FFMI of 17-20 is attainable for many women after several years of weight training.  Gruber et al. (2000) believe that a FFMI of 22 is the upper limit for women.

 Bottom Line

  • Knowing the FFMI of a “normal” population may help encourage a realistic body image.
  • Understanding of what researchers believe to be the upper limit of muscularity without pharmacological assistance should give an idea of what can be achieved and what may not be easily attainable.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: Christopher (C.J.) Eberley, PT, DPT
Board Certified Orthopedic Physical Therapist
_______
Disclaimer: The views discussed on this website are for educational purposes only. Should you have any questions please consult your physician or physical therapist. Copyright© Kinesis Physical Therapy. All Rights Reserved.
_______

References

Schutz, Y., U. U. Kyle, and C. Pichard. “Fat-free mass index and fat mass index percentiles in Caucasians aged 18-98 y.” International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders: journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 26.7 (2002): 953-960.
Gruber A. J., Pope H. G., Borowiecki J. J. and  Cohane G. (2000) The development of the somatomorphic matrix: a biaxial instrument for measuring body image in men and women. (see Eston & Reilly Kinanthropometry)
Kouri, Elena M., et al. “Fat-free mass index in users and nonusers of anabolic-androgenic steroids.” Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 5.4 (1995): 223-228.

Weight training for the Athlete

Posted on 03.10.13

Imagine improving your ability to run, jump, sprint and throw while bridging the gap between an okay performance and optimal performance.  Weight training can help with all of the above. Through increases in strength and power the athlete improves their ability to move their body and other objects through space.  The more effectively we move the better we can compete in athletics and go about our daily lives.

In addition to improvements in strength and power the athlete can also increase muscle mass through weight training. This benefit may serve to be very useful in sports such as football where body size can be a factor.  Enlargement of the muscle cells or hypertrophy is the reason for increases in muscle size and also adds to the ability of the muscle to increase force.

A weight program is a necessity for optimizing performance in most athletes. Three ways that weight training may benefit the athlete include hypertrophy, strength and power.  I give below very basic examples of how the athlete can train for each one of these benefits.

Hypertrophy-  Hypertrophy is the enlargement of muscle fibers which leads to increased muscle size. If the athlete desires to effect a change in body composition with addition of fat free mass and subsequent decrease in body fat percentage, hypertrophy training is often recommended. A program aimed to encourage hypertrophy would typically consist of moderate loads, high volume and short to moderate rest periods.  Training in this fashion can also serve as a way to provide good general conditioning to the muscles of the body.

As an example, a football player may perform 3-6 sets of 6-12 repetitions of the front squat.  The sets performed would typically not include warm-ups. Rest periods between sets may be between 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes.  In the case of a football player, hypertrophy training may serve as preparation for the strength and power phase of the athlete’s sport performance program as well as increasing body mass.

Strength-  Strength is important for a variety of athletes from football linemen who must physically move other players to the cross country runner who may desire to maintain an increased stride length throughout the last 100 meters of a race.  If an athlete intends to increase strength, high loads, moderate to low volume and longer rest periods tend to be recommended.

An example may include 5 repetitions of the back squat performed for 3 sets by a cross country athlete.  A foundation of overall strength is important for a majority if not all athletes.

Power- If the athlete desires to increase power or explosiveness variable intensity and low volume exercise with longer rest periods are advocated.  This type of training aims to increase the amount of work which is performed under a smaller period of time.  For a shot putter this would equate to a shot being put with increased force more rapidly.

An example of power training for a shot putter may include performing 1-2 repetitions of the power clean for 1-3 sets.  The sets performed would typically not include warm-ups.  Rest periods between efforts are typically 2-3 minutes.

In addition to a foundation of weight training, the athlete should incorporate components of aerobic conditioning, agility and flexibility training.  The type of training should be tailored to meet the needs of each individual athlete.  Before beginning weight training the athlete should be cleared by a physician and ideally a coach or professional trained in strength and conditioning should oversee the program.  If an injury needs to be worked around the skill and knowledge of a physical therapist or athletic trainer may be of benefit.

Categories

  • Body Composition
  • Flexibility
  • Performance
  • Power
  • Self Assessment
  • Strength
  • Wellness

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