Hi Guys, this blog will be about sport in general but will have a focus on our speciality of muscular recovery. However we will discuss all sporting topics as we are sports enthusiasts and love debating about it!!!
Showing posts with label sports recovery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports recovery. Show all posts
In the sporting world there are many methods that can be used to help athletes recover faster post exercise. These can range from passive or active recovery through to electronic devices that massage parts of the body.
One method which has been made popular in the UK by the likes of Paula Radcliffe and Andy Murray (who swear by it) is ice bathing, scientifically known as Cold Water Immersion (CWI). The picture below shows Mo Farah using this method:
When you get an injury the first protocol is applying an ice pack on the injured area. Well an ice bath works on the same principles only for general recovery and not just in the case of an injury.
In simple terms an ice bath induces a flush like action that helps the muscles, tendons, bones, nerves and all the different tissues used in sport recover from their workout in the following way:
“Ice bath” narrows blood vessels and thus decreases blood flow
This reduces swelling and tissue breakdown thus relieving pain
Once out of the ice bath the underlying tissues warm up
This causes a surge of oxygen filled blood to flow back to the muscles
This helps return by products of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficientrecycling by the body
Main by product is lactic acid which can cause cramp, fatigue and a general feeling of tiredness in the muscles (delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS))
With ice bathing temperatures and durations are always discussed. There is no conclusive research as to optimal temperatures or durations but many believe for contact sports the temperature needs to be lower. Research suggests that ice baths need to be used straight after exercise however Andy Murray uses them daily even when not training but he has a hectic schedule to contend with. Temperature, duration and times will depend on the physicality of ones sport or training and also personal preferences.
Some people see it as a torturous method for recovery and even huge fans such as Paula Radcliffe admit they hate the thought of taking them. However the old cliche of no pain no gain is very much true in the instance. Ice baths are beneficial to athletes due to the hydrostatic pressure and cold temperature of the water.
Technology has allowed ice bathing to progress significantly. Instead of barbaric means, such as putting ice ice in a wheelie bin like below, athletes and coaches can now use more scientific and hygienic methods that actually require no ice at all (such as our F3 HydroPool products (http://www.f3hydropool.com/)). These products chill the water to a temperature that is controllable by the user.
Being able to control the temperature is a massive benefit as with traditional methods this was not possible as the ice would lay at the top of the water meaning the temperature was colder at the top than the bottom. Another problem was that the heat of bodies especially with teams cause the ice to melt and heats up the temperature meaning there is a constant need for the re-filling of ice. Therefore it was impossible to ensure that the athlete's whole body or specific area was recovering with the same temperatures. This may be one of the reasons that some studies have reported no benefits as they did not test accurately enough.
As these new products eliminate all the problems with traditional methods any future tests into ice baths should be carried out using them to find conclusive evidence. Overall ice baths as a recovery procedure following exercise is better than performing no recovery procedure.Ice baths should be implemented immediately post exercise to ensure maximum recovery benefits irrespective of the time of administration.
With the sad news that Smoking Joe Frazier had passed away this week I thought it would be fitting to do a blog on boxing greats as Smoking Joe was one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Firstly though to pay my respects to a true great both inside and outside the ring - RIP Smokin' Joe Frazier, you gave us some great memories.
Ironic as this sounds boxing is one of the most disciplined sports around and the phrase blood, sweat and tears fits no sport better than boxing. It is one of the most gruelling sports in terms of training and requires the up most courage, discipline bravery and a little showmanship making boxing so special and therefore the greats even greater.
When you discuss boxing the first name that comes to mind is Muhammed Ali. The man who called himself the greatest and to this day many would not disagree. Ali had it all; speed, power, flair and a showmanship that is still unrivalled in the sport to this day.
One of the most infamous pictures in sport not just boxing is the one above of Ali standing over Sonny Liston in their second fight. Ali went on to have titanic tussles with George Foreman and Joe Frazier that to this day are still talked about as if they happened yesterday. These are the notorious "Thrilla in Manilla" and "Rumble in the Jungle".
These fights were so great because they involved all time greats. Both Foreman and Frazier are legends in the Hall of Fame along with Ali. The "Thrilla in Manila" is considered by many to be the greatest fight of all time and who can argue. Both men gave everything and Ali admitted after that he was close to giving up before Fraziers trainer called it a day while he was on his stool. Frazier was not impressed with the decision and this fight and his character to continue alone with basically one eye proved how much of a great he was.
The "Rumble in the Jungle" is most famous for the "Rope a Dope" below which Ali performed to a tee.
Boxing is full of era's and in these days this was a special era which will never be forgotten. These fights will always be discussed and that is why despite Frazier's passing his name will always live on in the memory as will Ali, Foreman and other great heavyweights such as Liston, Holyfield, Tyson, Lewis and the Klitschko's today.
A fact that proves this is that when discussing the greatest boxer ever Ali doesn't actually pick himself but the first true great amongst most people: Sugar Ray Robinson. He put boxing on the map with seamless displays of flair, speed, power and fast feet. He was also a showman and to this day is considered the greatest ever boxer thanks to his infamous bouts with Jake LaMotta who is also a name that continues to be synonymous with the sport also.
One of the greatest era's of the sport was the Fab Four era. This included Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran. Leonard has the best versus record amongst the four but all four boxers have been in boxing folklore for years and will continue to do so as they will be remembered even when they have passed.
Nowadays there are some boxing greats who are still fighting but will also be added to this list when they retire. The most notable 2 being Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather. Despite them not fighting one another yet to decide who is the best pound for pound fighter at the minute they will go down as 2 of the best boxers in history and will always be discussed with the other greats. Other fighters such as Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Sergio Martinez and our own Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton will be the same but maybe to a lesser extent.
Boxing is a sport full of personal opinions as to who is the greatest of all time. Everyone will have justifiably reasons for the person they pick and because of the constant debating and the Hall of Fame where many of them end up boxing greats may pass on but they never truly die in the boxing or for that matter sporting world.
Normally I write a new post on a Wednesday but after Carlos Tevez's behaviour on Tuesday night I knew exactly what the topic for my post would be and therefore wanted to leave it another day to let all parties involved get their views across.
Going by Tevez's behaviour on Tuesday night, from the way it looked at the time in this video, you would not blame anyone for thinking he is a spoilt brat. Like a baby spitting its dummy,Tevez decided he didn't want to go on because he hadn't started the match.
Tevez denied refusing to play but as a result Man City have now suspended him from training and matches for 2 weeks and manager Roberto Mancini says he will never play for him again. There are many other recent examples too like Serena Williams outburst at the US Open below which resulted in a minor fine of $2,000 (minor to Serena anyway).
There are other examples from older times as well with John McEnroe and Paul Gascoigne being perfect examples.
One of the first points to come from this type of behaviour is the huge salaries these stars are getting. In society we are very quick to state that once a celebrity or sport star behaves out of line or incorrectly its because they have too much money and think they can do anything. We judge this behaviour so harshly because most of us will never see the type of money they get and in frustration we blame it on this.
Another reason people discuss is ego. Some of the players have a massive ego and are waited on hand and foot by sponsors, helpers, staff etc and as a result they think they are untouchable and behave in an inappropriate manner.
On the other side of the coin and sticking up for sports stars is human frailty. These people are not perfect and like everyone else will make mistakes especially due to the huge pressure they are under from fans, clubs and so forth. The only problem is that as they are in the spotlight all the time their mistakes are blown out of proportion and scrutinized in the media. I do believe the media does not help these situations at all and in fact just adds fuel to the fire.
Another reason they can't get away with it is because whether they want to be or not sports stars are role models and have a duty to act appropriately when conducting themselves on and off the field. They have a duty to their fans who in essence help pay their wages. We do not expect them to live like monks, as Arshavin put it, but they should not behave in anyway that fuels this argument despite the celebrity status pressure they face on a daily basis.
People also discuss that sports stars are just a reflection of the society we now live in. When you talk to older generation's they do highlight that young ones today are spoilt brats who do not know how good they get it (ain't that right Grandma!!!). So to a lesser extent we probably behave in ways that can be seen as spoilt brat behaviour by others and just don't realise it. I know and am ashamed to admit that some of my on the field conduct would be heavily scrutinized by the media as spoilt bratish as would my off the field behaviour (the less said about this the better!!!).
In my opinion there are some sports stars who behave like spoilt brats either due to ego, money, temperament or situational factors at the time. Some of these are repeat offenders and get a bad boy/girl image in their sports which then as a result they have to keep up like John McEnroe. I do believe the punishments these stars get are not harsh enough hence why some of them become repeat offenders. A punishment is meant to deter people from behaving he same way but when it is a small fine or suspension these players don't mind incurring that.
However I think there are more examples of sports stars who are well behaved. One perfect example is Paul Scholes who was never in the media for the wrong reasons and just kept his head down and played away. Athletes like Jessica Ennis and Usain Bolt are other examples and there are loads more in all types of sports.
In conclusion I believe that like in society there are some sports stars who are spoilt brats and others who aren't. I think that there are more sports stars who aren't but because the media focuses on those who are we in society have a tendency to paint all sports stars with the one brush. If the media would highlight good behaviour more we may actually see a decline in this type of spoilt brat behaviour as good behaviour would become the norm for sports stars. So to the media - please change your focus and highlight the good not the bad and the ugly!!!
With recent figures published for what clubs in Europe have spent this summer the debate about buying success is topical again. This has been an on-going debate for years in many countries like Spain where Real Madrid have been known to accumulate huge debts to bring in the best players. In the premiership this craze started mainly thanks to the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea and now we have Man City spending extravagantly. Football is probably the best example of money trying to buy success in sport but we will also look at another perspective on money buying success in sport.
In 2009 Castrol (I know the fuel company!) brought out statistics to show that teams who spend money get success. Castrol believed that Man City’s £124 million spending spree in 2009 should have guaranteed them a top 3 finish, however they finished 5th. Even last year when they spent again they still only finished 3rd. They have again spent this year and have started well however Man Utd did beat them in the charity shield, which could be an omen for the rest of the year. So did Castrol get it completely wrong!
Well not entirely: Castrol do a strong case for spending money and getting success with their next points. In the four seasons previous to 2009 clubs in the European leagues who spent more improved on previous positions while those who spent less each year went backwards. In previous years Castrol also have facts to support that the team who spends the most wins the league especially in Spain and France. Is this all coincidental or is this theory true?
In my opinion successful clubs obviously have more money to spend, so the more they succeed the more they can spend to stay successful. Man Utd are the perfect example of this as they don’t spend as extravagantly as Man City but they do spend large enough amounts to ensure success each year. However Utd became successful through an ambitious and fearless manager who trusted his youth and changed the culture of the club.
These aspects are more important than money, as you need a team to gel and understand the overall objectives and aims of the club. Clubs like Man City can buy the best players but 11 individuals never win anything and that is why I think if Utd keep their values and buy smart (players who can fit into these) then they will remain successful (my money is on them this year again!!!).
To prove this Real Madrid have spent more than anyone else in the last decade but yet have not won much recently. Barcelona with their strong tradition and culture stand in their way and although they have spent money as well these last few seasons there starting team is full of players who came through the academy.
Looking at money buying success in a different way in terms of sport is those from wealthy backgrounds vs. those from poorer backgrounds. You see people would automatically assume those from wealthier backgrounds should do better as they are in the advantageous position of being able to afford good trainers, equipment and so forth. However boxing is one sport which disproves this assumption. Most legendary boxers have come from a poorer background. One of the reasons they are successful is that they want to become wealthier so money drives them on. However I think what holds them in good stead is that they learn how to fight for everything while growing up and obtain skills such as determination, hard work, courage and bravery through this. There are many sports where we come across Cinderella stories which prove that money is not needed for success but hard work, determination, natural ability, commitment and courage are.
I think these factors are more important than money and I think, going back to Man Utd, this is one of the reasons Sir Alex makes his players think they are working class.
There is the point that those clubs spending huge sums of money are destroying the tradition of the leagues and sports they are in and are in an unfair position. Well I will just say I’m glad there is no money in GAA as it keeps the value and tradition of the sport and leaves everyone on a level playing field. I do think also that those teams who don’t try to buy success would enjoy it more than those who do.
I will conclude by saying like in life money in sport can only buy you so much, but to be successful requires all the aforementioned attributes.
Do you use ice bathing as a recovery method after exercise and if so how long do you usually take an ice bath for? Do you follow this with a warm shower?
