Woke up early today. 6am ankles felt better. Not as sore or stiff. They probably need a good few weeks off but with a chance of winning the league I don't want to miss out. The things we do eh. Ha ha

Breakfast was 100g porridge oats and 8 scrambled eggs. Snack on nuts and protein shake mid morning. Lunch pasta tuna olive oil pepper. Chocolate milk post workout today. And pizza tonight. Chicken sweetcorn and pineapple.

Training wise:
Foam roll peroneals and hip flexors. Glute and scapular activation
rack pulls again I think work upto 85% triple. Followed by deep front squats with chains work upto 6 reps. Pullthroughs 3x20 and if weather is good ill pull the old sled for a few trips.

Not sure how you manage 8 eggs in one go Brian but well done!

As for ankles, peroneal tightness is unusual, do you find you are a little pronated? Out of curiosity, what do you do in the way of RDLs?

Hi Liz. eating eggs is hard. My PB is 8 eggs in 10 minutes. Will probably need to rotate to boiled as I seem to have hit a bit of a plateau...lol

With re to my ankles there are lots of hot spots down the side of my shins. i may have miss quoted myself by saying "tight" they are just knotted up (I believe). also the inside of my shins become inflamed only really in the last 4 weeks. it leaves a dull and sometimes sharp ache in my ankles to the point where they feel like they may give way? can you shed any light on this?

I perform RDL's occasionally with resistance. quite often as part of a dynamic warm up. but I also do stiff leg pullthroughs. why do you ask?

I find RDLs quite good for looking after the legs in general and would suggest them as part of your warm down.

As for your shins, it sounds like there are a couple of things going on. Out of curiosity, with respect to the myofascial trigger points [knots], what technique is your therapist using?

My immediate thought, in general, would be MTTP (medial tibial traction periostitis) and I wonder if you recently changed your workout; with respect to FITT.

Take a look at my friends below... is any of this relevant?

http://core-cambridge.com/2011/06/23/twitq-shin-splints-what-is-it-how-c...

Hi liz. Thanks for the info. I have been playing cricket 2-3 times as of late along with two resistance sessions (one upper one lower) although my lower sessions haven't been all that intense. Maybe the fact that I'm on my feet more with cricket could explain it? I do bowl and bat and run around in the field. Could it be due to all the impact of running and bowling?

Yes, most probably.

Usually my first thought would be technique in the weights room but I have total confidence in your knowledge in that area

My second thought would be your bowling mechanics but I would be less concerned if this was equally an issue with both legs.

This basically leaves running; again either mechanics but more likely overuse

OK... if it IS overuse, you really need to ease off a little and get on your massage therapist's table as much as possible as well as self treatment... and MICE after a good stretch, after a game or training session.

I understand the desire to play and train as much as possible in our 'extremely' short season but you can ill afford a stress fracture, which would take an age to rehabilitate.

Do keep us informed; I will enjoy reading your log! I would especially like to hear if your groin plays up again, in which case, it may be a good idea to have a look at your bowling action. I take it you are side-on, right-armed?

I appreciate your comments Liz. You sound like you know a thing or two in this department

Iam actually left arm bowler and batter. I'm gonna throw another spanner in the works here. About january time my hamstring on left side at the glute end caused pain due to an indoor cricket tournament. I managed to shake this off but then the groin pain kicked in. im not sure weather or not this is related or a coinsidence?

I have refrained from deep back squats but i can seem to get away with front squats with no pain (not too heavy though) probably about 90kg for 6 reps with no compensation or shifts to one side.

I am ver side on with my bowling action and have been described as having a "sling shot" action :S rather like Shaun Tait, but not as quick (or good looking) lol.

Any way i will proceed with getting these ankles/shins sorted and heed your advice. thanks again

Brian

Sorry Brian, I should have said, I am a:

Biomechanist, specialising in pace bowling;
Strength & Conditioning Practitioner;
Soft Tissue Specialist [L5 S&RMT]...
... amongst other things... many unrepeatable

If you are LH, I doubt your issues are caused by your action. I have no problem with 'sling shot' and you probably get away with it due to the strength of your serratus anterior and lower traps, however, I would not like to see you overly, laterally rotate your spine.

It sounds more possible that the groin pain was compensatory from the hamstring issue. In this case, low resistance RDLs at the end of your session will help enormously... I assume high resistance deadlifts are part of your lower body work?

Good to see your Brian. It will be interesting to see how you combine the sometimes competing demands of cricket and powerlifting

You could be a handy person to know.

With respect to deadlifting. I like to rotate my exercises as often as necessary. I have deadlifted for the past two weeks but will probably switch that up next week. I usually deadlift heavy (85%+) once a month, but I like to do a deadlift variation for Reps in the 6-15 range such as Rack pull or "dimmel Deadlift" 4 times per month (in season).

Hope this makes sense :-/

My core is great, I have never have a problem with my back or shoulders.

BTW I enjoyed the core Cambridge video demo on shin splints. Thanks.

Do you work with elite athletes?

I work mainly with professional/international rugby players; union and league but I also work with a few Olympians on the psychological side. Strangely, although cricket is my specialism, I do not work with cricketers

Your deadlifting sounds great, especially if you follow the action through to the shrug. The hip thrust is specifically helpful and translates well to pace bowling; engaging all the right muscles.

As David says, your combination of activities are extremely interesting. I hope you will continue to share with us.

Steady day in the gym today. worked on some rehab, then did some light shoulder work.

I have also uploaded a video of my deadlifting yesterday which can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VF2XMPCZJM&feature=channel_video_title

Only worked upto 6 reps, didn't fancy a triple.

playing crom park cc away tomorrow. will report back with results and details.

Bri

Played Crom park cc yesterday who were I think 8th (out of 12) in the league. We beat then at our place so we were confident of a victory at there's. Our skipper won the toss and elected to bat on a wet green wicket. We got off to a slow start reaching 22 after the first ten over. After losing two wicket I came in and had the pleasure of having to grind it out with our opening batter. It was a tough battle as the ball was popping up off a length and jagging around quite a bit. None the less we managed to get through ten overs or so until the pitch dried out a bit more so we could start to play our shots. Me and gary eventually got the team to 150 for two. With ten overs left so we thought we would have a go. I hit two sixes one lofted drive down the ground which had some tremendous hang time then a slog sweep which I picked off outside miiddle and off. Treskothick would have been proud. I thing tried playing a morgan esq pull shot to a right arm leg spin over the wicket which got onto me a bit quick, only to top edge it caught and bowled. I departed for a well faught 59 with the team eventually scoring 185 for 7.

Crom park opted for the heavy roller which I don't believe was the right idea as it brought some moisture back to the surface. I opened the bowling with my left had medium pacers and was suprised to be. Getting some serious carry through to the keeper. I eventuallly tool my first wicket caught at mid. Off when he tried to drive me down the ground. There over rate was pretty good actually they we're going at about 5 an over after first ten. We managed to break up a partnership with a great catch In the gully by one of our stand in players who is more than capable of playing regular 1st team. Eventually crom park crumbled to 108 all out with all our wickets taken in catches. I finished with bowling figures of 7 overs 1 wicket for 22 runs.

So another good day at the office. Still second in the league. With only 13 points behind Leeds sikh who we play in two weeks. This could be the league decider!!

With regards to my ankles they held up great. I think partly due to the lovely soft spongy pitch we played on. Had a little bit of a sharp pain in my left but it has cleared up this morning. I just need to keep on foam rolling, resting and massaging it. They will get better .

Just a nice chill out today. Will meet the girlfriend for coffee and lunch.

Next game is New Farnley in 20/20 league. They are good and have two ex county players playing for them. Will have to be on top form

Really good video Brian. However, it clearly shows your pronation. This is something you really need to correct or, unfortunately, you will suffer with mobility issues in your older age

The main issue is clearly tibialis posterior dysfunction and if you were my client, this would be the muscle that I would be working with and strengthening.

These issues are often caused by overuse, but can also be caused by impact in this area.

Although it would not be my option for treatment, you could use more supportive shoes or orthotics.

Wow, thanks Liz. I've never really noticed. I guess everything does start from the ground up!

I will now look for tib post strengthening exercises

Much appreciated.

Bri

Todays training.

Bench press.
40x8 / 60x6 / 80x4 / 100x3 / 110x1 / 115x1 / 120x1
Close grip bench press
70x12x3
Bent over row
80x12x5
Rope triceps ext

Another steady day in the gym. Warm up sets on bench felt heavy but actual work sets felt good and strong. Funny how that works.

Worked more on technique today.

I'm interested in your warm up Brian, do you do a dynamic warm up before lifting or playing?

Hey David. My current warm ups are as follows..

For upper body training.
Foam roll lats, upper and lower back
T-spine extension.
Shoulder dislocators (with band)
Dynamic band pec stretch
Band scapular retrect/protract
ytwl (no resistance)
A few light sets of core movement and then good to go

Lower body warm ups.
Foam roll all lower body. Particular emphasis on peroneals, ant tib.
Ankle inversions (with band) (new addition)
Dynamic hip flexor stretch
Glute bridge circuit
Leg swings forward and side to side
Single leg rdl
Wideout drops
A few light sets of core movement and then good to go.

Pre game warm up.
Foam roll early morning everywhere. Not intense just 10 -15 rolls each body part.
light massage on calves
Pre batting:
Jus basic down and back dynamic movements. Walking chops (with bat)
Butt kickers
High knees
Hip flexor stretch
Touch toes etc
(No real formal plan)
Bowling and fielding warm up.
Similar but will throw in some scorpions, pikes, shoulder mobility etc

I like it, especially the foam rolling. Do you factor in any static stretching? I find it helps with sore spots when I stretch and roll just before bed.

I don't really static stretch prior to my workout. only hip flexors and calves maybe.

I will sometimes, static stretch my chest and lats on off days if they feel tight. I like to use a thick band to do this as you can vary the tension of the stretch

Stretching is one of those things, you want to do more but it's easy to forget.

True. its not so bad for me as sometimes i will hijack a clients warm up and do it along side them.

It was the last game of the 20/20 league last night and if we were to qualify for finals day we had to win BIG. It was a tough ask because our opponents were New Farnley who are somewhere near top of the central yorkshire premier league. None the less we batted first and I was to open again. I felt pretty good having connected nicely with a few until I was bowled middle peg to one that stayed low back of a length. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this was still the first over!! We plodded on and eventually reached 112 all out again falling victim to ian fishers left arm spin.

With no hopes of qualifying now we decided to go out an just try and defend a modest total. They batted well and knocked em off with 4 overs to spare.

Was a good game but the better side did win. So that's it for tuesday nights. Which on one hand I'm glad because it gives me a full week to nurse my injuries.

Not much in the gym today. Just some light stretching and mobility. I have walked for 40 minutes this morning which was good.

Got some programs to write this afternoon so that will keep me busy.

Till next time

Here is a video of my current lower body warm up routine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K898EIelMkQ

Todays training
Parallel box squat upto 180kg x 1
box squat reps 100kg x 35
pullthroughs 3x20
2 mile stationary bike. just over 4 minutes

180kg squat here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtM-1o1GLwQ&feature=channel_video_title

100kg reps here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5L8WMwGuKg&feature=channel_video_title

Mr Wardle

Are you a powerlifter who plays cricket or a cricketer who lifts weights to aid cricket? those poundages wouldn't keep Ed Coen or Scott Medelson awake at night but they sound very high for a cricketer, good effort. They are better than a lot of international rugby players would have been 15 years ago.

Out of curiosity what is expected of an international player? I'd imagine long limbs of some players (Broad, Tremlett) and the fact that strength reaches a point where excess ceases to be useful, make strength measurement a bit of a fringe topic for elite cricketers.

Hi hugh. A cricketer who powerlifts and is interested in the effects of powerlifting on my cricketing performance.

I agree maximum strength has a limit point but I believe strength training or powerlifting has a lot more to offer an athlete. Not only physically, but mentally. It takes courage to lift heavy weights and it takes discipline and and proper planning all of which can relate to top level cricketers. (Or club cricketers).

I am also believe that strength and power are synonymous.

Also traits of a good fast bowler are I agree more than just strength rewlated. Genetics, levers, rhythm and skill and technique are all contributing factors.

I'm not quite sure how international level cricket players train. Can you shed any light on this?

Mr Wardle

How has powerlifting helped? would be fascinated to hear. I gave up cricket before I started powerlifting and Judo so personally have little idea but have become very curious (I am such a nerd) since I've strated watching cricket again.

I have little idea what top cricketers do for strength training, but the basics of most sports are the squat and power clean. I would personally also recommend core stability work and hamstring work to protect the back. A lot of cricketers, golfers etc do not understand that high performance by 'non athletes' does not mean athletic conditioning is not useful. Andy Flower's view is one that you can't do much about talent but you can about conditioning and if you are out of shape you are not giving 100% (hence samit patel)

I have heard Justin Langer say that opening the batting is like a martial art, and speaking from both experiences (I was roughly Langers skill level in martial arts, obviously much lower in cricket) he is right. It involves the use of technical skill, anticipation based on analysis of opponent, courage to face harm and ability to exzecute technique under pressure of instant defeat, as well as balance, reflexes, mental stamina etc etc

Another interesting aside, is some olympic lifters have complained that the squat is useful to a point but where squat strength lags technique it reaches a limit above which incremental strength is of little use.

I have the greatest respect for Andy Flower but his comment may be a little misleading. What is 'talent'? It is a question I am unable to answer! 'Potential' is another matter and we can make a huge difference in this area

I was very interested in your last paragraph Hugh, as Olympic Lifts are my bag, and thought you might like to see my post on a rugby forum:

"Squats are an extremely important component to any training programme, which should also include front squats and overhead squats but to build your strength around squats, would only result in pulled/torn hamstrings. Squats are quad dominant and lead to imbalance if not put in their respective relevance.

For instance, before teaching a full snatch, we would teach the overhead squat as a transition exercise. It is vitally important to drop the hips slightly, allowing the body to present correctly underneath the bar; without this movement, which is omitted more often than not, it is mechanically incorrect and will increase the likelihood of injury as it puts additional strain on the back and shoulders... more so when the weights are challenging. Its purpose is to groove this movement into the CNS, whilst increasing flexibility, balance and shoulder stability. We need to ensure that the bar is not lifted with the arms but allowing the hips to do the work... power through explosion.

As above, prior to teaching the clean, we would teach the front squat as a transitional movement to prevent the exercise from becoming a reverse curl, whereby the hips and gluteals are no longer the prime movers as the back is used to gain momentum at the onset of the lift."

Squats are good... but they are only a means to an end for some of us

RE Flower, I was paraphrasing and extrapolating greatly, take it to mean talent in the god given sense, and I take full blame if comment didn't come across the right way.

Interesting on squats, in short:
Transitional movements like snatch squats and front squats; agree, very important for even the most basic o-lifting
Squats quad dominant; partly disagree, depends a lot on an individual's leverages and other conditioning, for some its glute or hamstring dominant
Squats a means to an end- fully agree for all but competitive powerlifters. eg a 200 squat while able to run 3k in 12 mins is better for most people than a 240 squat when very aerobically unfit. The thing with squats is getting them to a very high poundage (250+) involves sacrificing other work with legs (DOMS if nothing else) so agility, speed and stamina suffer.

Re teaching O-lifts, I found dumbell cleans great to learn the 'launch' phase. Because they sit beside the body it is easier to develop the fast launch/jump phase of the lift. Its easy to do snatches and cleans as a fast deadlift kind of movement if you miss the point of the initual launch from the 'jump' (very guilty myself).

Further digression, the snatch pull an extremely underrated movement and much simpler technically than the regular snatch and less injury potential than the power clean. Also better for the grip (so great for a cricketer).

Can you please answer my question on effect of your p-lifting on cricket, was genuinely curious

Hugh.. Liz. Liz.. hugh

Hugh, the only difference I have made with respect to my powerlifting programming for cricket is reduced my workouts down to 2-3 as opposed to a typical 4 day split. I have also dropped the percentages of my core lifts. so I work around 80-85% on lower days and and as high as 90% on upper days. Weather I have a busy day batting and bowling on a Saturday will determine my intensity and workout schedule somewhat.

Also I tend to drop speed work for my lower body as i feel the activity of cricket itself covers that department.

My programming is a case of trial and improvement at the moment as i have only been back playing cricket for two years.

With regards to squating. there are lots of types of squatting. as you see i use a wide stance box squat which really emphasises hip power. whereas a typical olympic squat i guess would work more the quads. both are great for completely different reasons

Cycling a routine is normal anyway, not sure how long your season is but a few months off the heavy lifting is probably a good thing.

btw assume you already know that the eccentric phase of a lift takes far more recovery, O-lifters are able to train daily becaus ethey emphasize speed and only on the concentric phase.

If you do more o-lifts (and their derivatives) you might find you can recover better. Eg Heavy Squats and D-lifts took at least 3 nights for full recovery when I was 23, and take about 5 now, wheras O-lifts nowadays seem to take about 2 nights, and the feeling of being drained stiff and sore is much less severe.

When deprived of barbells for 4 months I managed to maintain my squat and deadlift just with 30kg dumbell cleans, and I found I recovered from those pretty well.

Nice information Hugh. its useful to know. thanks

where are you based?

Box squats [to me] are a totally different entity. Most people do not mean box squats when they refer to squats! I like box squats for many reasons; mostly because they maximise muscle and core engagement. I particularly like your box squats Bri and could watch you for hours; a good technique is like poetry in motion.

However, very few people, including trainers, do not perform 'squats' correctly. Some may engage their hamstrings... but they are never dominant. For balance in the quad/hams/glute area we need to look at the deadlift component.

As a soft tissue specialist, I cannot condone sacrifices in this area . As far as I am concerned, if an athlete needs to make a sacrifice to achieve their goals something is wrong. Not everything is possible for everybody but if it is possible for them, then they need to change an aspect of their training to make it so without sacrifice. It is not necessary to have the numbers on my table with hamstring injury that I have seen over the years due to this very imbalance.

All great advice as always Liz. love it!

as they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat

Brian, I'm London based which I'm sure helps my credibility in Yorkshire..will be dashing soon to sip some shandy (made with low calorie lemonade)

Liz, I presume you are a Physio, totally disagree on 'sacrifice' but we may have different meanings in mind. In context of my point... beyond a certain level, specialised conditioning does require sacrifice in other areas, eg if you are a 300kg squatter and want to run a sub 3 hr marathon, for a variety of reasons you will not keep your 300k squat. In practice its more likley to apply to athletes who enjoy posting big numbers in the weight room (especially male athletes, funnily enough) but need to be aware that they reach a point where they need to consider whether further lifting poundage gains may require or cause reduced overall performance.

One thing you seem to be touching on is the importance of training for protection as well as immediate gains in performance. Hence why I think hamstring and core stability training are so important. When my physion taught me to train the TA muscles the effect was amazing, I've been largely free of back injuries since.

No Hugh, not a physio... soft tissue specialist, as well as strength & conditioning practitioner, biomechanist/kinesiologist, sports psychologist... ... ... I'm a holistic trainer!

Where in London are you based? I have worked on a few cadavas in the City :s

I'm based in Soho (though obviously not nearly as cool as most people that are-being an accountant).

Cadavas? is that a term I don't know or a misspelling?

Brian, incidentally I have found a great exercise for Judo that is also applicale for cricket, I am now ridiculously time poor, so literally worked out a routine I can do while holding a baby. I do a kickboxing based routine (the kicks are obviously light as only hit air) and its fantastic for balance, as well as hip and hamstring flexibility. Its really taken the edge off the loss of conditioning I should be suffering from, as it also does a bit of cardio as well. Given that you are a personal trainer you must have a colleague who can show you how to kick safely and show you a basic kickboxing kicking routine.

Apologies Hugh, I thought you were in the industry.

Cadaver(s) in English... people who used to be!

No need to apologise, I'm rarely insulted when assumed to be a non accountant, I actually thought you were advertising your services.

I look forward to the next topic post on this board

Sadly, I do not need to advertise... as an injury pathologist, they all come to me at some point

btw Liz noting your strength coaching experience above, can you indulge me and brian some guilty pleasure by telling us what sort of numbers top cricketers are doing in the weight room (?)

Yes good question ugh. I would be interested to know too.

True, a very good question but you are asking me to tread on Rob Ahmun's [ http://www.pitchvision.com/cricket-coaching/course/strength-and-conditio... ] toes here

However, if I could tell you, it would not help... other than of interest.

With all elite athletes, we do not work on numbers... and with cricketers more so. The guys are first put through many analysis systems, assessing rotational range through to bone flexibility. Ipsil- and contralateral soft tissue is also assessed before programmes are written for each player. One thing I can tell you is that these players do not pump to the max but an optimising range.

..and maybe didn't want to tell tales out of school

I would imagine cricketers lack the limb leverage and basic functional need for hulking poundages. Glenn Turner accused some cricketers of training for the beach and magazine photo shoots (bet geoff Boycott would have agreed).

anyway look forward to both your contributions on future topics

I dont know why the big secret. Its so hard to find information on what pro cricketers actually do in the gym. I actually saw yorkshire cricket team in a local gym once early on a Saturday morning doing basic reahb work like single leg squats off a bench. Let me tell you it was painful to watch as the techniques were awful. not saying that is the case right across the board though.

I also witnessed Pakistan cricket team in another gym when they were playing Australia at Headingley last year and they were wondering round like lost chickens.

I would love to have the opportunity to transform a player into a big powerhouse that could smash balls out of the park for fun.

Imagine a team with the likes of Symonds, Gayle, Watson, aktah, etc. that would be a force to be reckoned with. imagine those turning up on a saturday morning. you would probably just turn around and go straight home. lol ha ha

Oh, not a secret at all Bri... just not at all helpful

TBH, I have no idea what the counties get up to... just the international team. I was at Warwick Uni a few years back with the ECB [when I was coaching] and was absolutely priviledged to watch the Academy in action.

However, your experiences are not uncommon. You only need to watch the county players on the field to see where their failures lie. Did you not wonder why I do not work with elite cricketers!!!

Now watch a rugby player in the weights room... sheer poetry in motion :D

Ha ha

I agree Liz. I reckon if they scheduled the cricket season better and rotated players more often, there would be less injuries, players would be more motivated, be able to train better and harder and performances would go up too. just look at Manchester united's set up. that's why they are one of the best teams in the world. in my opinion (iam not a fan by the way)

Brain, you are bringing up this point again 'injury prevention', and quite rightly So few people get it that intelligent 'gym' training prevents injury or can aid recovery in various ways. Lets say hypothetically that only net training made you bat and bowl better. If I was a serious cricketer I would still perform exercises that prevented injury because if I'm injured I can't play or prcatice and this affects my technique. Possibly worse, if I am protecing an injury it damages technique.

As another effect of conditioning on technique; I was explaining to a green belt on saturday that he needed to work on his cardio and general fitness because even if competitive matches were very short at his level, being fit would help him get more out of training sessions and therefore improve his technique.

I can see the logic in that hugh.

I read an article the other day about injury and pain and how its characterised. You may want to have quick look and tell me what you think.

http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/columns/under-the-bar-how-strong-i...

Interesting but simplistic, it is not clear enough about knowing 'bad pain'. It also focuses on simple physical pain. The real pain on the way to achievement is the sacrifices you make, the lack of understanding shown by various people, the humiliation or discouragament that can go with set backs etc etc

People dedicated to a particular sport also get the tunnel vision that is a 2 edged sword as awell as plain endorphin eaddiction, that causes them to ignore 'bad pain'. Throw in the peer pressure you get in some sports. Having injured my rotator cuff and torn a pectoral I can certainly say that sometimes it takes more strength to say 'I'm injured, I need to fix it before I move on'.

As a corrollory to my point above about leverage and limits of usefulness affecting gym poundages. I know a 90kg Judoka who barbell curls 100kg (not a mistype) and benches 180 for easy reps, and another who can only bench 120kg, yet both 'feel' as strong as each other (guess how I know, see 'pain' above) apart from technique and balance, one has extremely long arms so performance in bench press not a true indicator of his upper body strength in comparison to another athlete (though might show his own progress)

If Andy Flower had the mentality of some sports coaches he would test Bresnan and Broad on the bench press, then on the standing vertical jump and scratch his head at who to pick.

I agree Hugh. Its hard to admit sometimes that you have an injury. You don't want to be known as the guy how always has a problem (or excuse) however you want to put it. But sometimes I agree with tate that the little things you learn to deal with. An interesting read none the less.

I know physical strength isn't the be all and end all and it doesn't single handedly make a player great. Form also has an important part to play.

Let me give you an example of myself. I think I have got a pretty good bowling action. Pretty nippy and generally bowl a good line and length. Yet I struggle to get wickets. Another guy in the team...shocking action. Slow, drops balls short regularly and physically unfit. He's got about 40 wickets so far. Now where is the sense in that. Is it luck?!...its certainly not technical or strength related! I'm sure there are other bowlers out there who know what I'm talking about

Brian, note the difference between 'strength' and weightlifting poundages. You can have strong muscles yet not lift much weight if you have long limbs (deadlift a half exception). Hence why long limbed streength athletes do throwing rather than lifting events where the principle is the opposite (won't elaborate, will be way off topic).

I do know of some supposedly ropey bowlers who get wickets because;
The batsmen relax after pressure seems to have come off, or find adjusting rythm difficult.
Technically poor practitioners of many sports (Ali an example, relatively) often make up for it with cunning (lateral thinking and technical thinking involve very different psyches)
Remember consistent line and length can make a bowler predictable, while if a boilwer is so erratic he doens't know where the ball is going the batsman certainly doesn't
Or maybe he is just a jammy git.

To cheer you up, Botham worked very hard on his fitness in early career (though he kept it quiet) and the young fit botham averaged 22 bowling and 38 batting, he was almost the other way round when you changed the 'i' in fit to an 'a'

and doh, my reference to throwing events also explains why top cricketers are unlikely to be great bench pressers....

to bowl (or field) well you want long arms, so that you can apply force to a fixed weight (150g) for a longer range of motion, if you train Michael Holding and Ed Coen clones the same way from childhood I'm pretty sure Coen will bench more and Holding bowl faster

I like your thinking Hugh. Its easy to get lost in this mine field of information.

I agree with the point about batters relaxing more when a not so good bowler comes on as they probably tend to get themselves out. I recall all his wickets are caught in and around cow corner...lol

So in your opinion would you say cricketers should build max strength upto a certain point and then emphasise rate of force production?

you or Liz probably know more than me on this (bearing in mind I last played serious cricket a long time ago). In my opinion based on reasonable knowledge of weight training and judo as well as memory (plus recent watching and non serious playing) of cricket;

Core stability, lower back, hamstring- balance and injury protection, the more conditioned the better. Will improve performance and reduce injury risk.

Grip strength- will surely aid batting

Explosive speed movements- I could see olympic type movements helping, with 'limit of usefulness' being the sort of level that you'd expect an 'average fit guy' to get to, say 100% bodyweight power clean.

Grunt brute power- I would say the same as explosive power

Muscular endurance- the more the better, especially that gained through high rep cleans, clean & jerks and squats,

Quick cricket and fitness update.

Rain abandoned last saturdays game which meant that everyone got 4 points. it was also a god send for me as it has give 2 whole weeks for the inflammation to go down on my shins. they've been feeling great. following some sound advice. foam rolling every day, massage 1-2x p/w and also strengthening work all paying off. will be giving them a run out tomorrow to see how they feel.

Playing top of the league tomorrow. This could be the league decider. should be a good match although they beat us at ours. if we win we go top. with third place a good 45 points behind (20 points for a win) we have a bit of a cushion.

Gym wise this week just a couple of "light-ish" resitance sessions. Did some accessory bench work consisting of close grip bench press 4x6 @ 90kg nice and steady. couple of back exercises.

legs went steady just did back squat upto 185kg. and a 5 mile bike ride.
no accessory work as didn't feel upto it.

still feeling pretty strong with squat i know i have a pb dying to get out but ill wait till end of the season. hoping to hit 227 by the end of the year (500lbs)

HI Liz. got a question for you. What is your opinion on doing a standing band crunch as an exercise to improve core strength and therefore improving throwing speed and bowling speed.

Here are a couple of videos to give you an idea of what im talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEGvMof2fGw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vef6xwpYQZw

just having a debate. I think it would help, as i can see how the movement would relate to on field performance.

i know a lot of people prefer resisting rotation movements or resisting flexion and extension. what is your opinion?

i would be interested to know

thanks

good luck with the 5 plate squat, that's getting serious and more than some mr olympia top 5 pacers could do.

re rotation, can't open youtube at work and I know you asked Liz, but rotation power is a common thing in combat sports.

If you know anything about Judo, practicing judo moves with a partner will help, as will kickboxing on a heavy bag (hook and upper cut punches, knee high shin kicks). Rotation power is a big reason combat athletes pick up new styles so much more effectively than the average person

cheers Hugh. I guess it was an open question really. when you get the chance to have a look i would be interested to hear your thoughts too.

Yeah 5 plates isn't too far away. you know when you can feel something good is going to happen. my short term goal is a 500lbs squat but i would eventually like to say i can squat 600lbs. I know Ben Johnson had a 600 lbs squat and he was explosive, lean and athletic right?! My weight is up at about 14st right now and i don't really want to go any heavier than 90kg to get these goals but sometimes needs must (in the off-season).

I recently read some stuff by Kelly Baggett. don't know if you've heard. if not google him. some interesting articles he has written on strength power and athletic performance.

Admirable aspiring to equal Ben Johnson but assesment of acheivement needs perspective, Johnson was abnormally gifted, completely fast twitch with no need for any slow twitch or cradio training and using a few supplements that you presumably aren't. On the other hand being a sprinter he was a classic mesomorph and they tend to have poor leverage for squatting.

Will have alook at your suggested reading when I get a chance

I think you may be asking the wrong person Bri .

I am not a fan of isolation exercises for pure sport, although if one of my guys would like a nice washboard, that's up to him . However, if you are training bodybuilders who play sport, that is a different matter.

If I was to choose one of the exercises, it would be the first but I would use the cable; I would only use bands for rehab as they bypass instigators, such as the RCs. Having said that, I would much prefer the standing oblique crunch for cricket putting the accent on the obliques whilst the abs and psoas synergise... just watch the serratus anterior and lower traps are engaged or injury will occur on the field!

I'm with Liz. I think the core is about stabilising, resisting movement rather than generating it and transferring energy from the legs to the arms efficiently. Isolating it doesn't do that.

I think Gray Cook started that idea (or at least brought it to popularity).

A nice article here sums it up quite well.

I must read stuart mcgill Like Robertson said "I can't believe people are still arguing about this" Ha Ha )

Cheers guys.

PS. Hugh, I wasn't necessarily aspiring to Ben Johnson, I was just using him as an athletic example

Things like 'rotational' power and core stability remind me how often we get bodybuilders who are amazed at how unable they are to apply their strength when they try Judo. Rugby playesr akso use dto struggle until their weight training got more intelligent (they used to train more like body builders in the early 90s) Because cricket is more technical I imagine the equivelent is players who pump iron over winter and can't believe they get injured in the bowling and throwing muscles, is this so?

Wow. Lots to debate on training! I try just keep things simple personally as you can came up with reasons for and against everything. When training myself if I can see a logical reason why it might help me improve in an area I will give it a go even if it is against the grain. If I want to pump out some heavy sets of barbell curls or smash my abs with 100 reps then so be it. If it makes me feel good I'm happy. That being said.....lol I'm not advocating typical bodybuilding type routines for sports performance but tagging something on at the end suits me fine x )))

Yes, there are many players with shoulder internal rotation deficits which are just increased by a lot of straight bar bench pressing and shoulder pressing and very little rowing.

Plus more clued up guys spend a lot of time killing the rotator cuff and forget about upper traps and serratus anterior.

don't get me wrong we all like to look good, only athletic puritans completely refuse to take some account of aesthetics with a few curls and side raises

I don't see it as an either/or situation. How many elite sprinters look shabby with their tops off?

*CRICKET & TRAINING UPDATE*

Cricket

Lost to top of the league on saturday. we bowled pretty tight managing to restrict Leeds Sikhs to 185 for 5 after the 45 overs. I bowled 10 overs 2 for 26 with a drop catch from the wicket keeper

We got off to an awful start with the bat being reduced to 30 odd for 4. I came in to bat and didn't understand what all the fuss was about getting off to a flying start. I hit their opening bowler for 14 in one over. I got carried away trying to play a lofted drive straight down the ground only to play over the top of it bowled for 24.

We eventually made it to 115 all out with a last wicket stand of about 60.

So Leeds sikhs push ahead and are about 30 points ahead. we just need to focus on winning the remaining games and hope they slip up somewhere.

Training

Usually train upper body monday but was a bit stiff yesterday so I have trained today.

Bench Press + chains up to a moderately heavy set of 5:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEnn2951tMI&feature=channel_video_title

Close grip bench press for max reps 2 sets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qrPZtPwbsQ&feature=channel_video_title

DB Triceps ext 3x12

Barbell Bent over row 4x10

Single arm cable row 3x12 each arm.

David, remember elite sprinters are very mesomorphic, if you look at elite olympic lifters and power lifters many have very ordinary looking or unaesthetic physiques.

Just remembered the best exercise I have seen for rotational power, olympic wrestling drills in the 'par terre' position. But I can imagine cricketers may be unenthusiastic about that suggestion.

Oh I don't know, I would trade my upper body for Ivan Stoitsov's if I was heading for the beach.

or Vasily Alexeyev's

He's swole. haha.

Last weeks cricket and training.

Beat Hyde Park by 75 runs. we scored 220 with a cameo innings of 15 runs from me, getting bowled playing sweep shot to the first ball of this leg spinner (what an idiot!!)

Bowled well though. 7.3 over 24 for 4 - ill probably get a mention in the local paper...lol

Training wise felt good worked upto a single on squats and sumo deadlifts.

Sumo dl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMbvempInSc&NR=1
squats with 20kg chain weight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtcIwV-tfcU&feature=channel_video_title

worked more on some bench technique. just hit 5 reps on that.

also lots of back work, mobility and foam rolling as standard.

Brian

can you lift more with a sumo deadlift stance compared to a short stance?

Yup. I originally changed my stance from conventional to sumo a while back as my leverage is better suited to sumo. But I believe sumo works the hips a great deal more too. The difference is maybe about 20%

Ps I do still pull conventional although its usually with the bar elevated to just below knee height

Hot Topic! To crunch or not to crunch?

I'm not for or against crunches but this may shed some light to the "anti crunchers" out there.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/to_crunch_or_not...

I am neither for or against crunches either... live and let live

However, my research in spinal health is with live humans and human cadavers... nevertheless, the cited research is very interesting!

I should say, I do not prescribe crunches the way most S&Cs do. In the interest of research Bri, would you try the following for me and report?

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet parallel, flat on the floor, hip width apart. Make sure your knees are always facing up, do not let them fall apart.

Brace your core with neutral spine.

Elbows bent with fingers against your temples, not behind your head. At all times your elbows should form a straight line, from one tip all the way through to the other.

Raise yourself slowly [no more than 30 degrees] to the count of two, bending/hinging only at your hips. Your back and neck should remain in line at all times, that means no curve, as if there was a board behind you. Your elbows must not come forward.

Breathe out as you come up, in as you lower. You need to keep to a steady pace and not use momentum at any point.

Keep your feet on the ground at all times.

haha ha. thats impossible...right?

I posted it on another cricket forum a few years ago and had quite a few cricketers trying it. I think the most attempted was 8... finished him off mind!

It's actually a very good exercise

Hypertension is a contraindication though!

liz i will have to practice that because I can't do any. Im assuming i have followed all instructions correctly and using no momentum. how many can you do....lol

Now that's a question!

When I was an active combatant I used to be able to do quite a few... However, as an old lady I have not tried for a few years and just managed two! The problem is, the core does not brace as it used to

ddd

Brian
when doing bench press, i have seen powerlifters have big triceps and shoulder muscles.
how do javelin throwers avoid this problem? and how do their maintain their athletic figure and still be strong?

here is a clip of andreas thorkildsen currently the worlds best javelin thrower and is benching 180kg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJzJjIMna5E

Hi Glee. Nice question. When looking at poewrlifters bench press or let's say elite powerlifters bench press they have deliberately made there bodies huge in order to change their leverage, as the bigger they are the lesser range of motion the bar has to travel. That being said there are plenty of guys in the lower weight classes who look "wirey" but yet very strong, similar to the clip you posted. That being said I'm sure if Andreas was to achieve a 250kg bench then he would have to put more size on

I'm assuming Andreas works a lot on relative strength which is improving how much weight he can lift without putting on much bodyweight. He is obviously naturally very strong also and probably has a higher percentage of fast twitch fibres. I would also assume he works a lot on explosive type movements as the implement he is throwing is relatively light.

Just one last note. If you look at andreas bench press of 180kg and compare it to elite level RAWl heavyweight powerlifters there is probably over a 100kg difference.

Hope this has helped you understand.

You hit the nail on the head there Brian. Strength does not equal size. The two are related but you can get stronger without getting bigger if you train in the right way.

Brian

I have seen a powerlifter who weights 93kg and around is 5f 9 / 5f 10. But when I look at him, he doesn't look 93kg. However he is and he doesn't look massively big.

When he first started, he said he was 65kg and right now his best back squat is around 250kg/260kg from training.

Another person i train with is a current weightlifter who competed in European championship. Same weight, similar height and similar physique compared to the powerlifter, but again when i look at him he doesn't look 93kg.

I have the similar height compared to the other lifters however I am in a lighter weight class but i am strong in my weight catalogue.

A person from my gym is a powerlifter and is a natural 94kg with similar height like me. he says that i should be around 90kg as a weightlifter according to the Russians.

From lifting more, I should naturally gain weight and at the same time being more stronger but without looking massively big just like the other lifters?

Will a pace bowler bowl faster if he is naturally gaining weight from lifting more, compared to the guys i have described above? i know you need to be physical strong being a bowler but is it ok to be that weight compared to the other lifters i train with?

This what I have seen and heard from, from many different lifters.
i hope this makes sense of what i have written about.

Gaining quality weight in my eyes isn't an issue so long as it doesn't interfere with the skill you are looking to develop. In this case bowling faster.

If you are looking to put weight on then I would suggest starting with and extra 250-500 calories per day. This what I did and it took my bodyweight from 13st to 14st 2lbs in a year. And I am 5ft 7inch.

I couldn't tell you what an optimal strength to weight ratio is for bowling a cricket ball. Maybe someone else could chip in here.

My philosophy is not to be scared to try something. You live and learn by YOUR OWN experiences and science doesn't always provide the right answers.

Putting aside fat gain (which you don't want to do): it's important to distinguish between muscle size and tissue quality.

You can have more or less mass, but if the range of motion at the joint is good because you are flexible with well maintained tissue (through foam rolling and daily mobilising) you will not be far wrong.

The exception comes when the mass becomes so great that it starts to impinge ROM at the joint. I have seem fellas with guns so large the muscle is starting to creep into the shoulder and restricting movement!

*CRICKET & TRAINING UPDATE*

CRICKET

Last weekend saw us at home to mid table Baildon. With the weather looking dim and the possibility of rain our skipper decided to put them into bat after winning the toss. As our league works on a bonus points system it seemed the logical decision as it is easier to get a couple of wicket than 75 runs for your first BP.

The rain held off and we skittled em' out for 114 with me bowling 11 overs, 2 for 27.

We got off to a great start with our first loss coming for 45 runs. we lost a couple more and i came into bat needing another 40 runs. Need less to say we knocked em off with 4 down. it was quite funny looking at our batting score card because the scores went 23, 21, 23, 21, 23.

Even better news was that Leeds sikh (top of the league) LOST! which means we move closer with a 13 point difference and 5 games to go!

TRAINING

Its quite funny because I had a chat with David Hinchliffe recently about maintaining strength through the season and not really looking to break new gym records. BUT needless to say i felt really good in the gym the other day and thought i would shoot for a squat PR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsfKWRGbTBk&feature=channel_video_title

My previous best was 210kg and as you can see i obliterated that 230kg. so I'am a happy chappy. This was done on the Thursday and my legs were still a bit stiff still on the Saturday but I don't feel it hindered my performance too much. I have a back off week scheduled for this week so will be 100% fresh come saturday again.

Will keep you posted with more progress. I'm hoping to hire a batting coach over the winter so i will post vids of my batting practices soon too.

spk soon bri

Yesterday saw us play cookridge who are in a relegation battle and us fighting for the league title. Needless to say both teams wanted to win. Our skipper lost the toss and we were put in to bat on a wet track. We got off to a quick start (as usual) but then lost our first wicket for about 20 runs. Word from the middle was that the pitch was slow and wasn't quite coming on to the bat. (Same old story if you ask me). We lost another few wickets cheaply. And the state of play was 85 for 3. I came into bat and was seeing the ball well driving nicely straight down the ground. And lofting one over the cover infield. As always I got caried away and tried working one through the leg side only to get a leading edge to mid off. I departed for 15

As the game went on it was clear we weren't going to get maximum batting points but settled for 4 as we were all out for 160.

Even with our low score we were pretty confident we could roll them over. We managed to take a couple of early wickets getting them 30 for 2 but they then put up a good fight and managed to build a slow and steady partnership. It was due to a clever bowling change that brought about our breakthrough once again. We had them 50ish for 3 and again took another couple of quick wickets. The game was not yet over and they managed to build up another partnership which took the 30 runs short of our target. By which time I was called into action again. I got a beauty LBW which swung in and kept its line to hit him bang in line with middle. My second wicket came where I bowled one wide of off forcing him to swing at one which led to him outside edging it to gully.

We tookl their last wicket with them falling 15 runs short. A close game and a great battle between top and bottom of the league. Really enjoy these type of games but paying for it today.

My bolwing figures were 12 overs 2 for 39. Not my best performance but took wickets at crucial times which is important.

I'am Starting 5/3/1 for powerlifting in 4 weeks, will keep you posted on my progress. Quite excited about this

brian

what kind of powerlifting program do you follow?

Hi glee. I have been trialling a few different methods over the years but I have recently been using the conjugate system. Which is similar to what louis simmons of westside barbell uses. I will be using 5/3/1 by jim wendler in a few weeks which I'm still reading about so will let you know how it goes.

Penny is starting to drop for India that fitness is important in cricket (Dravid apparently does work on his) and that it reveals character as well, hence importance placed on testing by Andy Flower.

My reccomended routine for Indian team;
10 minute tae kwon do/kickboxing kicking routine- hamstring flexibility and balance prevent injuries.
Swiss ball squats (start with the half ball)
Squats (because they deserve them)
Hang cleans (see below for importance)
Snatch pulls (explosiveness, batting, bowling and fielding)

It struck me the other day how crucual squatting is for cricket, shots like sweeps require you to get down quickly and get stable immediately. As a lot of shots require using the feet, a stable platform is vital for technique.

As I think I argued a while agoi, fitness is also vital in a technique oriented sport becaus eyou can practice longer and harder if you are fit

Some batting practice video's

Forward Defence and Off Drives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ1tj7PNUBc&feature=channel_video_title

Me Missing a lot of full deliveries :-/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9_Zjo9OsB8&feature=channel_video_title

Some Cleaner hitting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkp5GuSW-Mk&feature=channel_video_title

Back foot work at 80mph needs some work...lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkL8qsv40xI&feature=channel_video_title

More back foot work and the odd pull shot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrpt6EAjPfU&feature=channel_video_title

Brian

do you know what excerises does the england team do within the gym? would it be simliar to your training?

I really wish I knew glee. Like you I can't find any info anywhere about this. I doubt they would train like me. I'm definitely a rare breed when it comes to strength training and cricket.

Looks like you fall over a bit to the off side Brian. Could do with some work on in swing from right arm over the wicket to get your head right.

Shape up pretty well though, hell of a punch.

Cheers david. Thanks for the advice. I have another session wednesday will work on that I have never used a bowling machine before so it was a new experience. I liked it though

Work on hitting the ball to mid on's left hand. that will help a bunch.

More hitting.

Some footage from my last batting session

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPxDZTP4ucg&feature=channel_video_title

Brian

I need your advice on this powerlifting program. it is call Sheiko29. it does a lot of reps and working around 50% to 85% for 4 weeks. i want to convert it to weightlifting because it will train the nervous system neurally. in weightlifting we train no more than 3 reps because we get tired very quickly. should i adjust the program to 3 reps or just do what it says from doing more than 3 reps?
because the weight is light starting from 50% to 70%, should i start power hang clean or clean when doing the program?

see what you think about it and what advice should i do when doing the program for weightlifting
thanks
have a look at the workout.
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/Sheiko29.htm

Hi glee,

I know Brian will get on to this asap, but in the meantime, are you really sure you want to do this?

If so, I am afraid you cannot convert a powerlifting programme to a weightlifting programme.

Powerlifters work to measure how much they can lift in the bench, deadlift, and squat.

Weightlifters measure how much they can lift in the Snatch and Clean and Jerk.

I think you are trying to find a programme that combines both but I am not sure this is really the way to go.

Number 29 is for beginners, are you sure you would not rather take another number in this programme, especially if you have an accurate 1RM?

Hi Glee. It's not a program I have ever done myself and it has been a while since I last saw a sheiko program.

I agree with Liz on this. This is a PL program and not a weightlifters program.

There seems to be a lot of volume also, which has a potential for overtraining depending on your current level of preparedness.

Although I do like the fact that there is just one lift in the routine which gives you plenty of opportunity to perfect technique, especially as your training with sub max weights.

In my opinion PL lifts are easier to learn, so if you want to give it ago then follow the program as it is written. If you start changing it then your not doing the program, you will just wind up getting nowhere.

If you do do it then I would be interested to know how you get on.

Regards

BW

liz

i am going to do 29 for beginers and i know my 1rm in weightlifting

have bench as jerk
have deadlift as clean
have squating maybe snatch

then just follow the sets, reps and percents from the program

If I could stick my oar in here and ask this: why would you want to?

There are lots of specifically designed OL programmes, why convert a PL one?

david

I got alot more stronger by using some of the powerliftng techiques that we don't do use in weightlifting and then incoperating it into my excerise for e.g. using chains, using bands, doing more assistance work, trap bar, Deficit (metal plate) kneeling squats for hip drive, tempo for larger muscles( 5410) 5sec decenting, 3 sec pause, 1 to come up and 0 sec for again, german volume traing and etc.

my point is in we do the same thing over and over again e.g. we do the same front squat and we do back squat, then front squat and back squat and etc. by doing other things and mixing the excerise i feel have increase my strenght levels. just like louie simmons says the biological law of accommodation, that how you break the speed barrier.

all i was doing was trying to do was improve my strenght levels for weightlifting thats all.
whats why i thought sheiko29 could help me.

Hey Glee, Louis Simmons took the weighlifting methods from the old soviet union and adapted it for powerlifting so I wouldn't say it can't be done.

Just don't end up mixing too many training modalities and methods.

As the saying goes. jack of all trades, master of none.

Good luck

Bri

I guess what I'm saying is that it's far better to use a tried and tested route than to theorise and combine methods when you don't know if they work.

I'm all for innovation, but maybe find a couple of people who have done it to success first then try it?

This may be posted twice!! The comment I posted this morning went to the moderator for 'approval' and as yet, it has not made it on site. It went something like:

Well, I quite like innovators and adaptors; after all, that is how we progress.

I may have got this wrong glee, I don't wish to patronise as I know you have a good idea of what you are doing but it sounds like you have got yourself into a little rut... you sound a bit bored with what you are doing although know you need to be doing it.

Personally, as a variation, I say go for it. If you do, I wish you luck and hope you will come back and let us know how it goes.

However, I wonder if perhaps your problem is periodisation. I like to work with 12 week macro cycle programmes split into three, four week meso cycles compiled of weekly micro cycles. Different trainers work with different combinations. However, sometimes I find if we are not working towards an imminent competition, this needs to be changed to ensure overload, adaptation and buyin! Perhaps you could add a little spice by changing yours.

Which bit Pedro?