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[adventure-sports-weekly-blog]

The Conditioning Genius

Max Testa is the head of the Human Performance Department at the athlete's Mecca: TOSH, the Orthapedic Specialty Hospital in Murray. To athletes who want to be stronger, faster, more competitive and more powerful, he is the answer to a prayer. They come to him, the speedskaters and cyclists, the runners, the Olympians; because Testa can make them better. His fame is growing, though the Italian with the endearing accent might blush to hear it. "I just call myself a sports doctor. In the United States, it's more about injuries, but in Europe, being a sports doctor is more about performance and training," he says. An interview with Testa is so full of information, it is hard to edit it down to one article; so this will be a two installment interview as part of Adventure Sports Weekly's new training feature. The first part: Getting back into training. If you've been off your workouts for a few months (or even longer), you can't just go back to the gym and pick up where you left off. You might not injure yourself with your first workout, but 'microtrauma,' minute injuries to tissue that is no longer in shape to accept the same forces, will set you up for a ligament tear or muscle injury that will keep you out of whatever game you like to play, whether it's biking or skiing. Testa advises, "When you begin again, follow a progression. When you first begin your training, target one muscle group for one set, then do three or four or five circuits. If you don't want to waste time, and you want to get the maximum benefit from your training, you'd better go in with a plan. Know every time you go to the gym, what you want to get from that training session." That means keeping a training journal with you as you work out. Write down the exercises, the sets and reps you intend to do before you get to the gym. That way, your workout will be planned and you will have less chance of getting distracted. Testa says to be aware of your goal. "Are you trying to lose weight? Then you design the session into an aerobic kind of workout. If you want to focus on getting stronger, then go in with the idea that the main part of the core workout is going to be resistance." He explains that knowing what you want from each particular workout will allow you to design it efficiently. "The design of your session will always have some common elements. For example, the warm up is something you need all the time. You need to warm up before starting the hard part of your workout," Testa says. He adds, "A good warm up would last 10-15 minutes to warm up your heart, lungs and joints. Work in a full range of motion so you prepare your joints. Warming up on the bike at a high cadence speeds up the blood flow, so it's a good way to prepare your heart and lungs. But you have to use your upper body, move your arms and shoulders (while on the bike) to warm up those joints. You should stretch twice, once after your warm up, and then after your workout during your cool down. If you only have time (or patience) to stretch once, do it after your workout." If you've been off for a few months, Testa says the first priority is to regain a range of motion. "Check your joints, find out how stiff they are. Start by doing your exercises with very light weight or no weight, so you can concentrate on the technique. Proper form is essential. When the weight is so light that it doesn't challenge, it is easier to control the technique. Then do some conditioning by working at 60-70 percent of your maximum, doing two sets of 12 to 15 reps." One other important piece of advice, Testa says, "Start increasing the effort gradually during the session. Don't do your heaviest weight at the beginning. You prepare, so if that day you are doing a strengthening workout focused on the legs, with five exercises for the legs, start with a preparatory set in the 12-15 rep range. Then start to increase the weight and decrease the reps. For strength, the final set should be three to four reps at your max weight." NEXT WEEK: Testa gives details about: Your most neglected muscle...How to prepare for a competition...Why having your body adapt can be a bad thing...The toughest workout you can do.

[adventure-sports-weekly-blog]

Get Good---The Genius Tells You How

by Wina Sturgeon

Max Testa is the head of the Human Performance Department at TOSH, the Orthapedic Specialty Hospital in Murray, Utah. To Olympians, week-end warriors, wanna-be athletes and trim executives looking to make their bodies stronger, faster, and more powerful, he is the go-to guy with the answers. This is part two of Adventure Sports Weekly's exclusive interview with this well known conditioning genius. "The most neglected muscle in most people are the abs," says Max Testa, a statement that would surprise the multitude of 'core' trainers who do hundreds of crunches at a time. He explains that making the abs strong is a lot more important than making them look good, because the abdomen is designed to help respiratory movement; the real core of everything that affects the body. "There are exercises that are far more beneficial than plain crunches for people," he says, detailing a technique variation that will boost the plain crunch into a stratosphere of efficiency. "When we try to strengthen the muscle that goes across the abdomen, we should suck the belly in while doing situps or crunches. Tensing the belly or sucking it in while you crunch will be very effective. focus on isolating the abdomen. You should feel it from the lower abs (just above the groin) to the diaphragm (between the ribs)," Testa explains. He adds, "You can strengthen your abs even if you aren't doing crunches by practicing that tensing and sucking in of the belly. You can do that anywhere, even while driving." Of course, your six pack of ab muscles may never show if there is a thick sheet of fat above them. Strong abs only show if the layer of fat over them is paper thin. There's no such thing as spot reducing, so all the crunches in the world will not make your torso look better if you're carrying an inch or two of fat over those ab muscles. Another greatly neglected muscle is the spinal erectors, the two thick columns of muscle on either side of the lower backbone. These muscles have two functions: they allow you to bend and flex your torso, and they help support the weight of your back and upper body. Well developed, strong spinal erectors also have another function, vitally important for anyone who is active and athletic: they help protect and cushion the spine in case of hard impact. A biker or skier who takes a hard crash will have much less chance of injury with strong spinal erectors. The best exercise for developing these muscles is the 'good morning.' This is done by bending over at the hips with a bar resting on the back of the neck and shoulders, or a weight held to the chest. Never bend at the waist, the bend should be where the legs meet the pelvis. There should be no curve or bend in the back; as the upper body bends over, the spine should be totally straight and flat. Start out with no weight until you have mastered proper technique, because good technique is essential when doing good mornings. (Those with any kind of back problems should check with a doctor or private trainer before doing this exercise.) Testa says that an athlete must keep a balance between the two components of any competitive effort: power and endurance. "If you are a cyclist, you want to train your heart and lungs a lot, but you can't forget muscles and joints. At the same time, if you are, say, a ski racer, you still need good cardiovascular fitness, because your heart and lungs pay the debt of any oxygen deficit that you generate with a one minute all-out effort, like in a race." In other words, if you are making a sprint effort such as a hockey shift, skateboard or BMX run, or a final pop in a foot race; you will be able to put out max effort for a longer time if your aerobic system is in good shape so you can keep getting oxygen to your muscles once the anaerobic oxygen that supplies your power is used up. Regardless of the sport, what is the optimum time needed to train for competition season? Testa says, "It requires 12 to 16 weeks. Longer is even better. The key is to have an idea, to be honest with ourselves about what it takes to be good in that sport, and be realistic about the starting point." For example, an Olympic hopeful bobsled athlete loved training on the running track. The problem was that bobsled requires being able to push an 800-pound sled quickly from a dead stop, and then the quick agility to jump into the moving sled. But this athlete just trained to be able to run fast for long distances, not for push power or quickness. when the test came, her Olympic aspirations were crushed because she didn't have the necessary skills. Another part of training, whether for athletes or those who just want to make their bodies better, is being aware of adaptation. Once you start using a regular workout routine, your body will quickly get used to it. That is the key to working out. You want to keep your body from adapting, from getting used to the stress of a workout, because that's the point at which all progress stops. If your biceps can lift that same old dumbell ten times with ease, why should they bother developing any more muscle? There's no need. Adaptation is the body's way of being lazy. "If you're lifting a certain weight, you will notice that lifting it the same amount of times is not as challenging as it was three weeks ago. That means your body has adapted to that workout, so it's time to make a change. Change to more reps, or a heavier weight. Which change to make depends on your final goal. If you want strength, increase the weight and decrease the reps. If you want increased endurance, go the other way around," Testa advises. Testa also describes the hardest, and most efficient workout anyone can do; but he cautions that before starting this way of working out, you must already be in good shape. You don't start off doing this if you are not already trained. It's the circuit set-jump rope, circuit set-jump rope workout. "Adding the jump rope to the weightlifting circuit will condition a little of everything. You do one set of resistance, then you jump rope for 15, 30 or 60 seconds, then do another and different resistance exercise set, then jump rope again. You keep moving so the heart rate never drops below 115-120," Testa says. He explains, "Two components make it a very effective way of training. One is the plyometric effort. You bounce on your legs, so you load your muscles in the eccentric mode, which means they contract while they are stretching out." (Note: Muscular development actually takes place mostly in eccentric positions.) "Also, this puts a stress on your bones, so that is a good way to increase bone density. And then there is the cardiovascular effect. If you jump for a minute between resistance sets, you train your heart and lungs too." At the beginning of this method of working out, you will hate it. You will be tired, irritable, and sore. But if you push past your body's resistance to going up to another level of fitness, you will be surprised and pleased with the result: the strength, endurance and agility that will make you better in every physical way, whether you are competing in a World Cup or just walking down the street.