AE Articles
What’s Up With Albert and The 300 yard Shuttle Run?
In this day and age of technology (cell phones, ipods, laptops, aps, internet, google, etc) that makes gathering information very accessible it’s amazing that so much incorrect and ignorant information permeates the airwaves, internet, and newsprint spheres. And this comes from journalist or in this case sports journalists who we used to rely on for accurate information! Especially since correct and reliable information is only a phone call or keystroke away.
There are countless university exercise science professors and sports-performance-strength coaches, all eagerly ready to be interviewed by some famous sports journalist concerning Albert Haynesworth’s struggle in the 300-yard shuttle. Why can’t he pass it or how should he have prepared in order to pass the easy or hard, depending on the commentator, 300 yd-shuttle test. “He needs more cardio”, “why didn’t his trainer prepare him”, “why didn’t he lose weight”, oh yeah he did lose weight, about 35 lb, “so why didn’t he pass”, or “just because he lost weight doesn’t mean he’s in football shape”, right?
I know all of my former professors, strength coaches, and exercise specialist who have mentored me the past 30 years cringe every time they hear, read, or see the responses from all of the media experts.
The 300-yard shuttle run consists of sprinting 25-yards down and back six times touching the line with the foot in order to complete 300 yards total distance. The times may range from 56 seconds for football receivers and defensive backs to 73 seconds for offensive and defensive linemen. After completion the participant rests 3-5 minutes (3 & ½ for the NFL Washington Redskins) then repeats the test a second time. The times can then be averaged or compared to determine the athlete’s fitness level.
The purpose of the 300-yard shuttle run is to test maximal anaerobic-sprint endurance and/or conditioning. In order to attain a reliable score the participant must sprint at maximum effort and not pace themselves. The general testing populations are sports that involve anaerobic-sprint endurance like-.basketball, hockey, rugby, and soccer.
Now I must confess that when I had to take Testing and Measurement and Statistics decades ago I thought I’d never use any of it but I’ve consistently relied on and utilized the information over and over, especially administering performance assessments and analyzing training data.
All test must be valid, reliable, and objective, all interrelated values and that the measurement must measure the component that it supposed to measure; measure the component consistently; and result in similar scores regardless of the administer.
Let’s look at a quick review of those terms valid, reliable, and objective.
Test validity refers to the degree to which the test measures a specific component that it is intended to measure. The test should contain tasks that reflect those specific components to be measured or it’s content validity.
Test reliability refers to the degree to which the test yields consistent and stable scores over repeated trials and time. Reliability depends upon how strict the test is conducted and how motivated the participant is to perform the test.
Test objectivity refers to the degree to which the test can be measured repeatedly and reliably by various testers with minimum subjectivity.
So in spite of how you may feel about Albert and his conditioning it’s amazing that this test is used to test football players, yet alone a 300 lb lineman. Considering that the average play last between 4-5 seconds, why would you test something that last 50-70 seconds? Does this sound valid, reliable, or objective?
First of all, 4-5 seconds of maximal effort utilize absolute strength, power, and speed, all anaerobic bio-components that involve IIB fast-twitch muscle fibers and alactic-glycolytic energy systems.
Secondly, 56-73 seconds of maximal effort (actually slightly sub-maximal) utilize strength and speed endurance that involves IIA fast-twitch muscle fibers and lactic-glycolytic energy systems. The two are very different in their respective functions and actions.
Thirdly, there is another sub-maximal speed endurance IIA fiber that utilizes a glycolytic-oxidative energy system.
Fourthly, none of these are aerobic which starts to kick in after several minutes of continuous sub-maximal effort that involve slow–twitch IA muscle fibers and primarily an oxidative energy system.
In the exercise science community it really doesn’t make sense. So when these experts see test such as the 300-yard shuttle or parts of the NFL combine test they cringe, shake their heads, and wonder if any of them ever picks up an exercise science journal or text.
In summary the test is not a very good indicator of anaerobic alactic power required for football. It does not make sense to any knowledgeable exercise scientist. A better test for football conditioning would involve maximal efforts of 4-5 second that are repeated numerous times with 15-30 seconds of recovery to simulate the huddle. Watch the game, doesn’t that make more since?
Tags: Pro Football
Donavon Sawyer 4.41 40 yd Dash
Donavon Sawyer 4.41s 40 yd on YouTube
Tags: Pro Football, Professionals
How To Reduce Hamstring Strains and Pulls! By James Walker
Over the past few years I’ve seen a multitude of hamstring pulls and strains from elite professional athletes to very good scholastic athletes. In most instances there seems to be a common theme, structural imbalance, existing scar tissue, and a lack of strength in the hamstrings.
From a anatomical perspective the hamstrings are located on the back of the thigh and attach over the hips and over the knee joints. From a performance perspective, the hamstrings extend the hips and flex the knees.
First from a structural perspective the hamstrings have a synergistic relationship with the other muscle groups that are located near or adjacent or on the opposite side of the joint. So the muscles that attach over the front of the hip (hip flexors) have a relationship with those that attach over the back (hip extensors), the outside (hip abductors), and the inside (hip adductors).
This is important because those neighboring muscles act together to produce desired movement like sprinting, running, or jumping etc. When the hip flexors become tighter or stronger than it’s antagonistic neighbors the hip extensors, it will pull the hips forward and result in an alignment or imbalance issue. Like wise if the muscles that act to counter the excess forward tilt are usually weak or dysfunctional, which further contributes to misalignment or structural imbalance. These imbalances may then cause excess strain on several muscle groups including the hamstrings.
Second there is usually scar tissue or adhesions in the hamstrings and it’s neighbors like the hip adductors and/or hip flexors. In part due to those muscles having to over compensate by assisting the hamstrings from the repetitive use and stress over time. This excess scar tissue will interfere with the proper function and recruitment of these muscles, which in turn produces more scar tissue.
Third the hamstrings are usually weak in comparison to it’s neighbors. Since the hamstrings are part of the motor or engine, along with the hips, for those athlete’s who run, jump, throw, and sprint, they need to be strong. If you want to sprint you need a high performance engine aka, Corvette or Lamborghini or Top Fuel Dragster not a Civic or Smart car. In addition the hamstrings will help support the knee joint during planting, stopping, and changing direction, so they need to be dimensionally strong.
So if you want to reduce or minimize hamstring strains address the structural imbalance, scar tissue, and strength needs early on with a good pre-training assessment or evaluation to identify and optimize performance.
Bolt vs. Johnson- Absurd! By James Walker
NBC Sports.com Source: Bolt’s representatives have been pushing for Chris Johnson race
Posted by Mike Florio on March 26, 2010 9:05 In response to Thursday’s comments from Titans running back Chris Johnsonregarding an ongoing desire to race record-setting sprinter Usain Bolt, a source with knowledge of the situation tells us that Bolt’s representatives actively have been pushing the event.
Word of the race first emerged in early January, when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Bolt’s people and Johnson’s people were working toward setting up a race for charity. (We suggest calling it the “Usain Bolt Chris Johnson Dunder Mifflin Sabre Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race For the Cure.”) Within hours, however, Bolt’s agent said “[t]here is no truth to the story,” and that Bolt “doesn’t follow the NFL too closely.”
So it was odd that Johnson said Thursday that he plans to race Bolt next year. But, apparently, talks indeed have occurred and continue to occur, notwithstanding the denials of Bolt’s agent, whose word on the matter was accepted as Gospel truth, possibly because agents have an impeccable reputation for honesty.
Per our source, the two sides have not been able to agree on a distance. Johnson presumably wants a shorter race, and Bolt wants a longer distance. The folks at NBC Olympics previously have determined that Bolt’s 40-yard split from his world-record time in the 100-meter dash during the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing was “a hair slower” than Johnson’s 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine. (end of article).
James’ Response-
Okay, Wlit Chamberlain (basketball great) vs. Muhammad Ali (boxing great) in boxing or Larry Allen (NFL lineman great) vs. Hossein Rezazadeh (olympic weightlifting great) in the clean and jerk or Javier Gomez (triathlon great) vs Lance Armstrong (cycling great) in the Tour De France, come on! And I do do not mean any disrespect to any of these great athletes but each talent is specific, especially on a world class level. By the way neither would I reverse the likely hood of the underdog beating the favorite in their respective sports. It’s absurd!
Back in the 1971 their was talk and negotiations for Chamberlain to box Ali. Many athletes considered Chamberlain to be one of the strongest most versatile athletes in the world at that time (basketball, arm wrestling, volleyball, track, weightlifting, et) but getting in the ring with Ali would have been a foolish thing for Chamberlain, and he was fortunate to have someone like his dad and Jim Brown (NFL legend and great all around athlete) to talk him out of it, preventing him from going down in athletic history as the man who got beat up, knocked out, or made a fool of in the ring instead of being a basketball legend. Jim Brown knew since he dad challenged Ali himself. One morning Ali met Brown during his morning roadwork and Brown attempted to hit Ali with a flurry of punches and couldn’t , while Ali hit him at will, which convinced Brown how absurd it was!
I think Larry Allen is a great and future Hall of Fame football player and exceptional power lifter but I don’t think that he could come close beating Hossein Rezazadeh in the clean and jerk at 263.5 kg. Like wise, Javier Gomez is a great world class triathlete but I am willing to bet that he wouldn’t beat Lance Armstrong in the Tour De France! It’s facinating to read and hear about sports writers and enthusiast who embellish such non-sense.
According to The IFFA’s biomechanical analysis of Bolt’s world record 100m sprint, the split times (st) are as follows: reaction time (rt)=.146, 20m st=2.89, 40m st=4.64, 60m st =6.31, 80m st=7.92, 100m=9.58 seconds. If Chris Johnson said he could beat Bolt then he needs to start running to beat these times. I think that Johnson’s best High school 100m time is 10.38s. I thnk that he’s faster now so he needs to enter a race to get accustomed to the blocks, spikes, track, pre race pressure, reaction time (rt), start phase, drive phase, maximal acceleration phase, etc. Chris needs to race against other top sprinters from that race such as, Tyson Gay (rt=.144, 20m st=2.92, 40m st=4.70, 60m st=6.39, 80m st=8.02, 100m=9.71s, now his best is 9.69s) or Asafa Powell (rt=.134, 20m st=2.91, 40m st=4.71, 60m st=6.42, 80m st=8.10 , 100m=9.84s ) and Richard Thompson who had the best reaction time in that race at .119 and ended up with a 100m=9.93s. Chris could start with the USA Indoor Track and Field Championship series with the 60m, since that would give him a credible time.
Consider this, only 40 or so various sprinters have run sub 10 second 100m at meets in recorded history, with some of them running sub 10’s several times during their careers, Chris Johnson has not yet broken the sub 10’s barrier, until then it’s an absurd discussion. It’s like Bolt saying that he could break Johnson’s NFL records, with out putting in the time to have football skills…it’s absurd!
Tags: Football, Professionals, Track & Field
Olympic Lifts In The Gym By James Walker
Olympic lifting! Olympic lifts and their variations such as the clean, clean and jerk, deadlift, jerk press, power pulls, snatch, etc are great exercises for athletics, fitness, and structural balance. When performed correctly they yield precise crossover results for jumping, power, speed, sports, and structural strength.
I see trainers and athletes performing them but with incorrect concept and technique that does something altogether different or that may lead to an injury.
You Tube has a few great instructional videos that explain the concept and correct technique. Please search these: Tommy Kono-former Olympic weightlifter, coach, and judge has a great instructional six part video and several others; Chad Ikei-former Olympic weightlifter and strength-performance coach has a two part series; and Cara Head-recently retired Olympic weightlifter has several training videos that shows great form and technique.
Lift safe, correct, and get results!
Speed Training with Nick Sorensen
Nick Sorensen has been training with AE since June of 2002. Initially we worked with him for five and a half weeks up to the pre-season camp with the Rams.
After the initial assessment we focused on improving his explosiveness, lean muscle mass, his lower core function, sprint technique, and reminding him of the correlation between all of those things and his speed. We simultaneously addressed scar tissue in his shoulders, rotator cuff, and lower legs, along with a few flexibility-imbalance issues. Nick never has had an issue with body-fat ratios or scores, in the off season his body-fat is 6% and in season 4%. That year Nick’s initial 40 time was 4.41 seconds, when he left it was 4.35 seconds.
By 2003 we wanted to make him completely healthy, muscular, and strong from the previous season’s injuries. By camp with the Jaguars Nick was performing 135 lb dips, 50 lb close grip pull-ups, and 225 jerk presses, all for 3 reps. Likewise his sprinting technique was superb, with excellent angles, tempos, power, and limb placement. His best 40-yard times were 4.28 and 4.23 seconds.
Since then we’ve worked with Nick through and around injuries to the elbow, shoulder, and lower leg, team off-season training restrictions, releases, transitions, and new team auditions. Through it all he has learned to be disciplined, consistent, knowledgeable, healthy, and prepared in all phases. Nick has been one of the fastest players on each of his teams.
Tags: Football, Professionals, Speed Training
Reflex Drills with Kato Serwanga
Profile: Kato Serwanga
Kato going through a series of reflex motor skills to enhance his fast twich muscles.
Tags: Football, Professionals, Video
Consistency Equals Good Results
Profile on Mat White
Matt first came to us in 2002 at 32 years of age with an opportunity to try out for the Orioles. Matt had been a phenomenal athlete in college playing Football and Baseball but gave up his professional aspirations to get married, start a business, and family. Matt out performed all of his young contemporaries including running the fastest time but chose to return to his business.
Matt returned to AE in March of 06 having gotten out of shape at 210 lb with a body-fat of 15 %. During his assessment it was determined that he had several areas of scar tissue, structural imbalances, and muscle weaknesses. Along with feeling sluggish and periods of incapacitation due the lower back.
Matt was placed on a meal and supplement plan to reduce body-fat, reduce stress, and improve over all heath. His plan consisted of reducing carbs and sugars, taking a good multivitamin-mineral and omega three fatty acid product, and supplements to address the bodyfat storage around his stomach and his cortisol-stress levels. By 8 months his weight was stable at 195 lb with 8 % body-fat. His short distant sprint speed improved by 12.3 %, lower back-hip strength by 175%, core function by 100%, and upper body pulling strength by 366%.
In addition to being more energetic, alert, athletic, and needing less sleep, his lower back issues were also resolved. With Mat’s dedication, discipline, and consistency the result that he desired were measured and guaranteed.
Tags: Assessments, Strength, Testing
Peak Performance for Over 40 Athletes
Profile: Tami Lenox
Tami started training with us in December of 2002. She had a desire to improve her speed and explosive power but initially felt her age would not allow her to do so. She also had a women’s 40 and over national soccer tournament in August of 2002 and wanted to be well prepared to compete.
Over the years Tami remained extremely active and fit. She participated in three to four soccer leagues and also coached a women’s soccer team. However, she felt like she had lost several steps and found it difficult to keep up with her male counterparts on her co-ed team. Needless to say, Tami is a true soccer buff and has watched the sport develop and flourish locally and nationally over the last 30 plus years.
We did a comprehensive assessment to determine her strengths and weakness. Tami trained for almost eighteen weeks in 2002 – 2003. She only missed two scheduled appointments due to inclimate weather and averaged two workouts with us weekly.
When Tami started her training we planned a three-part plan to meet her goals. Her first six weeks emphasized flexibility, functional strength training, running drills, and introductory plyometrics. She was very sore in the beginning because the training emphasized developing fast twitch muscle fibers, which was something she had never done before.
The second phase continued to work from the previous plan but we added interval sprint training and also correcting her sprint mechanics. The last phase of the plan also continued building on the previous, however we started to do more sport specific training that was associated with her sport, to improve her mobility.
Tami made astonishing improvements to her athleticism over the eighteen weeks of training, which has even amazed herself! Tami found herself able to accelerate quickly, change direction, and compete with younger participants during her soccer games. Listed below are some of her stat’s she has recorded while training.
Test 1 (Jan 2003) Test 2 (April 2003) Test 3 (June 2003)
40 yard Sprint 6.13 sec 5.69 sec 5.01
Penta Jumps 7.65 meters 8.90 meters 9.88 meters (5 Double Leg Hops)
Body Fat 16.01% 14.20% 13.11%
Read more about Tami and our amateur athletes in the Washingtonian Article Faster, Stronger, Better
Tags: Over 40 Athletes, Soccer
Young Female Athletes & ACL Recovery
Student Athlete Profile: Patti H.
Patti was one of our first scholastic athletes at the ripe old age of fourteen years old. She trained with us in early 2002, prior to her competitive season. She participated in basketball, softball, and volleyball.
She came to us to help improve her speed but found out quickly that she needed to strengthen her right knee, which had a partial tear in the anterior crushier ligament. During her first four and half weeks of training Patti showed significant improvement in her overall strength, flexibility, and mobility. Unfortunately, early that spring Patti completely tore the ACL and went through her surgery and physical therapy for the next six months.
Once she received clearance from her physician, Patti came back and started her training in hopes to be ready for her spring sport. Everyone agreed that the first priority was to improve her strength levels significantly and then make a plan to re-introduce proper running/sprinting.
She had great improvement over a six week period improving her front squat from bodyweight to bodyweight plus 125 lbs and single leg curls from 10 lbs to 55 lbs. She had less than 50% lower abdominal function and improved to over 90% function. In addition, her hamstring flexibility improved from 55% to almost 100%.
Her favorite part of training was boxing and least favorite was any running! The staff admits, she remqains one of their sentimental favorites and an outstanding student to coach.