Blueprint to rebuild Brett Lee

[Liz Ward]

Not if it is done correctly. Niggles appear as a result of technical malfunction or overuse.

I am no longer amazed at the number of guys who have total muscle imbalance; guys who overwork an agonist whilst totally neglecting the antagonist. As you can imagine, this leads to no end of injury.

I have known guys who have undergone shoulder reconstruction because they neglected their rotator cuff endurance, concentrating on the big weights.

I watch guys during sport or on the beach and can see instantly which exercises they are not doing correctly back in the gym and it can be a slight alignment or posture issue. For instance, the number of guys I see who leg press with incorrect technique is shameful; hypertrophy in the wrong muscle.

It is painful to see guys who have spent a lot of time on their quads but have neglected to stretch or work their hams. Guys who bench press until their pecs are really rocking but their lats and traps is loose.

This is what causes niggles

[breeno]

Thats why you train your whole body, largest muscle to smallest (Not all in one workout of course), as to get in proportion yes?

[Liz Ward]

Yes and compound movements. Too many sportspeople train their muscles in isolation e.g. bicep curl, which [apart from not being at all functional in mainstream sport] causes a lot of problems unless you really know what you are doing. I will only prescribe isolated muscle exercises in rehabilitation, and then under supervision.

Good technique is vital though. Take the leg press, the muscle imbalance comes from incorrect positioning of the feet. A small discrepancy at the distal end causes huge problems at the proximal end and the bigger the weight pumped, the bigger the problem. So much so that I can often see it walking towards me at 50 paces.

It takes me so much longer to correct a bad technique than to teach a good one to a novice so I would always advise a series of sessions with a certified personal trainer to get you off on the right foot. Don't copy your friends and don't fall for the guy who has been using the gym for years, it does not, necessarily, mean he knows what he is doing. Most of these people do not even know what the muscles are, let alone what they do or how they are used generally, let alone in your sport. It's a bit like learning to drive a car from a 14 year old joy rider.

It is a sad fact that I get more clients as a sports therapist than a personal trainer. If they had come to see me to start with, I could have saved them a lot of pain, loss of sport and more importantly, money.

[breeno]

Haha very true.

[micoach]

Originally Posted by big blue

If you lift a decent amount of weight you will get niggles.

Not on my or Liz's watch soldier

Seriously though, I have seen pain free guys deadlifting over 200kg and squatting over 120kg. That might not be world record standard but it's strong and without niggle.

[MV!]

Originally Posted by big blue

If you lift a decent amount of weight you will get niggles.

if by decent weight, you mean, a decent weight by competitive lifting/ nearing your genetic potential standard - i.e. powerlifters, strongmen, olympic lifters - then yes, lifting a decent weight will result in niggles. actually... forget niggles, you'll tear muscles clean off, have all sorts of hip and shoulder impingements and struggle to get moving for the first half of every day... but generally elite international cricketers don't have side careers in powerlifting (though graeme smith, matty hayden and andrew symonds should look into it.)

but falling back onto the shane watson example - if he was lifting with a properly designed program and using good form (esp. while deadlifting and squatting), then he shouldn't have had hamstrings and a lower back that would strain or tear at the drop of a coin. it's funny, since he has layed off of weights he's been fine - so the mainstream assumption is automatically that the issue was with strength training instead of how that training was conducted.

and the biggest issue i've seen with peoples leg press form is that they're leg pressing in the first place! squat, lunge, step up, box jump! anything but leg pressing!

ps: and i can count on one hand the number of personal trainers that i've met that know how to deadlift. it's far too easy to become an accredited trainer in Australia.

[Liz Ward]

Originally Posted by MV!

ps: and i can count on one hand the number of personal trainers that i've met that know how to deadlift. it's far too easy to become an accredited trainer in Australia.

Very sad but too true Actually, anybody can call themselves a 'personal trainer' and quite a few of the guys in gyms over here are L2 gym instructors. However, to certify as a personal trainer over here, you must be an advanced gym instructor and would have had to demonstrate the correct technique for all the exercises, machines as well as free weights. More importantly, you need to have advanced knowledge of anatomy and physiology. If anybody is in doubt, no certified personal trainer will be insulted if you ask to see their qualifications; they would be only too pleased to show you.

[big blue]

yeah i take your points im probably coming from more of a lifters perspective (i have niggles).

I find the strength training of athletes quite interesting especially regarding striking that balance of how strong that athlete has to be, after all your not gonna be a world class powerlifter and a world class cricketer - one will suffer because of the other.

With regards to personal trainers - iv always thought (apart from the obvious qualifications) that the most important thing is the guy/gal is a damn good athlete too- so if i was going to someone for strength they would be bloody strong.

[Liz Ward]

Originally Posted by big blue

I find the strength training of athletes quite interesting especially regarding striking that balance of how strong that athlete has to be, after all your not gonna be a world class powerlifter and a world class cricketer - one will suffer because of the other.

To maximise their potential, all athletes must be as strong as they can be; mentally, tactically and technically as well as physically. This is totally different to, and should not be confused with, bulk.

Originally Posted by big blue

With regards to personal trainers - iv always thought (apart from the obvious qualifications) that the most important thing is the guy/gal is a damn good athlete too- so if i was going to someone for strength they would be bloody strong.

All personal trainers are strong but if you are talking about superficial aesthetics [without getting too metaphysical] this is a sad, outdated view... however, I am not too worried about this; after all, it provides my bread and butter .

Weight lifters/body builders know how to lift weight and build body. It is unlikely that you will find one who is also a cricket coach so will have no idea about how to train functionally. As I say, as long as guys continue to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, my business flourishes.

[micoach]

Originally Posted by MV!

and the biggest issue i've seen with peoples leg press form is that they're leg pressing in the first place! squat, lunge, step up, box jump! anything but leg pressing!

Wise words, machines are the DEVIL. Leg press, leg extension and leg curl are not only useless but they may contribute to niggles.

Go free weights with good form or go home.

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