Biggest Lifting Mistakes

Keep in mind that my career is taking care of injuries.  Shoulders, knees, feet, ankles.  Hips, backs, necks, heads. 

For the record, I don't have any of those acronyms that designate that I am a strength coach or a personal trainer, like my colleague Tracy Martin, who in addition to being a physical therapist and an athletic trainer is also a CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) and a Titleist Performance Instructor. 

But I have spent my life around athletics and have been known to frequent the gym.  I even used to own a gym, Cherokee Health & Fitness. 

And if you ever visit the Total Rehabilitation office where I see patients (Cherokee), you might find my desk interesting-it consists of a countertop between the rehab side of the facility and the fitness side.  That way, I can do my work on the rehab side but also be available for "minute" consultations with members of the fitness center.  And those happen every single day.

So forgive me for having strongly held opinions about what is good and bad about strength training and fitness.  It's just that I get to see the complete spectrum from injury thru rehab.

Among those strongly held opinions:

●Unless you are preparing for a competition, there is no place for single repetitions in anything.  No "single rep max."  That is where injuries occur.

●About that competition:  that's where a lot of injuries occur.  CrossFit (of which I am a huge advocate) has been a bit maligned because of a rather high rate of injuries.  In my opinion, those injuries are the result of the competitive nature of CrossFit.

Let me explain that a bit.  In CrossFit, you are always in a competition with yourself, with the clock, and often with those you are working out with.  That makes you work harder, which is part of the good side of CrossFit.  Formal CrossFit competitions are also huge right now.

The problem is that when you exceed your limits, your risk of injury is increased.  The key is to know your limits and stay within them.

●There isn't a lot of value to a flat bench press.   It isn't really a functional activity so its value in sports performance is negligible.  It is also the one exercise that is overemphasized more than all others.

Particularly in younger lifters, the bench press is the gold standard for their perception of how they are doing in the weight room.  "How much can you bench" is a common question among that demographic. 

Yet the overdevelopment of the front of the chest that is the inevitable result of too much emphasis on the bench press yields injuries.  Among weight lifters, it is the single biggest source of shoulder injuries that I see in the clinic.

●Be careful with full squats.  A heavily weighted squat in which you go all the way down as far as you can go is really hard on the knee. I have seen lots of torn menisci from full squats.

Let me close with a few tidbits.  It is more important for the 50+ person to participate in regular strength training than it is the 20-something.  It is extremely important for those prone to osteoporosis (mostly female) to participate in strength training.  Many of the effects of aging can be reduced by good fitness and regular visits to the gym.

Ode to Offensive Linemen

I hate the term "skill players" in describing members of any given football team.  Maybe because I was never one of them but it still has implications that I will never like.

When I played football, I was one of those guys with his hand in the dirt.  Even though I wasn't that big, lack of speed made me a lineman from pee-wee football on.   In high school, I was a linebacker and offensive tackle.

Yep, 5'11" and 195 pounds at offensive tackle. 

My son was also an offensive tackle (and defensive tackle in high school) but at 6'5" and 290 pounds, he was a bit better suited to that position than I was.  He was a heck of a lot better than me at it too. 

His skills carried him to 1st team All-State in high school and a successful college career at Clemson University.  But always, always with his hand in the dirt (with the single exception of his first year in organized football when he was a pee-wee league quarterback).

Offensive linemen are the unsung heroes of any good football team.  Ask any running back how far they would get without a decent offensive line.  They know.

Offensive linemen are the ones down in the trenches where blood and guts prevail.  Where the game is won or lost.  Often injured, they learn to play through pain and emerge on the other side better men because of it. 

The myth of the big dumb lineman is all myth.  I think the collective GPA for the seniors on my son's high school offensive line was well over 4.0.  They became an oral surgeon, a nurse, a nuclear physicist, and a lawyer.

So much for that myth.

For the most part, offensive linemen are big and have always been big.  There was a study done several years ago of linemen in the NFL.  Offensive linemen had been big their whole lives.  Defensive linemen, for the most part, were pretty average sized for most of their growing up years but in high school or college, suddenly grew.  A lot.

The analysis of that was that a child that is always bigger than the other children must always be controlled, even passive.  Gentle giants, if you will.  If the big kid is ever aggressive, they quickly get the label of bully. 

My son fit that description.  Always a head taller than pretty much everybody in his class, he had to be gentle.   In middle school, we used to offer to pay him to foul out of a basketball game.  In pee-wee and midget football, he wouldn't so much tackle somebody as he would grab them and lay them on the ground. 

I've watched David Ellis, offensive line coach at Maryville High School, mold young men of all sizes into effective offensive linemen.  There may be no better coach around than Coach Ellis.

Most offensive linemen are quiet, unassuming young men that do their job and don't expect the accolades that come with being the one to cross the goal-line or throw the deep route.  They accept their lot and take great pride in doing their job well.

So today it's hats off to the offensive linemen of the world.  

It's My Job!

It's been over 5 years now since Blount Memorial Hospital acquired Appalachian Therapy Center, the local rehab center of which I was majority owner.

I've probably said it a million times but BMH bought my practice and then gave me a job doing what I was already doing.  I've been blessed in so many ways for a long, long time and I'm pretty sure that in the long run, this is going to be another one.

My job is technically Manager of Outpatient Rehabilitation.   We have six outpatient offices where we provide a variety of rehabilitation services.  Much of what we do is physical therapy but we also provide services in occupational therapy, speech therapy, athletic training, and massage therapy.

That doesn't even begin to describe what all we do.   When most people think of us, they think about orthopedics and sports.   But we do a lot more, most of which you probably don't know about.  Aquatics, lymphedema, stroke rehab, hand therapy, wound management, cancer rehab, balance and vertigo programs.  These days, lots of rehab following joint replacements.

I'm blessed in that I get to go to work every day and do exactly what I love to do.  See patients, work with sports teams and athletes, work with a great team of clinicians and support staff.  And weekly write this column.  I've been doing it for about 29 years now and it is definitely a labor of love.

I will likely work until it isn't fun anymore or until I can't do the job well anymore.  I've got some key people in my life that have promised to let me know when that latter one happens.  But that's not why I'm writing this. 

I first moved here in 1977.  My first job out of physical therapy school was at Blount Memorial Hospital.  So BMH was my first job after graduation.  I'm pretty sure it's going to be my last.

In 1979, I moved to Bluefield, West Virginia for what I've called a 2 year sabbatical.  I returned to Maryville in 1981 and opened what would later become Appalachian Therapy Center.  I've been here ever since.

I've raised my family here.  My grandchildren are now all here and in local schools.  Even though I'm not a native, I've never been made to feel like an outsider.  This community is in my blood and I'd like to think I am part of the local fabric.

The life that is available to all of our citizens is what brought me here in the first place.  It's the people, the history, the schools...everything.  It's why I've stayed.

A third of the county is in a national park.  How cool is that?

Lakes and rivers form most of the other side of the county.  Everything in between is rolling, pastoral, beautiful.

The people...oh my.  Smart.  Friendly.  Accepting. 

From a health care standpoint, it's amazing what is available here.   Great hospital.  Top flight physicians.  I know them better than almost anybody and I can tell you they are good and smart and worthy.   They take care of me and mine.  Always have.  Always will.   

So today, I ask that you stop and think about how blessed you are to live here...about what a wonderful place this truly is.  Thank you, Blount County, from me and mine.

No Regrets

The year that you've anticipated for years:   Senior season.  It seems like it would never get here.

Maybe it started years ago in youth leagues.  Maybe it was a different sport but it led you down a path to where you are today.  Football, volleyball, golf, soccer--those are the fall sports that are now in full swing.

Maybe you really didn't find this sport until you got to high school but you have spent many hours preparing for these games.  You've worked hard, put in the sweat and tears, and now it is time to put all that into a memorable senior season.

Right now, your dreams are vivid and robust and full of success.  My wish for you is that it is everything that you dreamed of.   You will remember these days for the rest of your life.

It's been a very long time but I remember those feelings and dreams.  Maybe it is because I get to be around a new set of high school seniors every single year so I'm reminded annually of what it is like.  What it feels like.  What it smells like.  The confidence of having prepared well yet the insecurity of was it enough.

If you have done all you can do and lay it all on the line come game time, you should have no regrets.  For most, it represents the end of your athletic career.  I would hope that you take the active lifestyle that you learned from sports and carry it on perpetually.

For others, maybe it is the platform for other things.  If it gets college paid for, great.  That is a wonderful thing.  For the infinitely small number that will become professional at their sport, that's OK too.

But right now, before the games actually begin, it seems like you have all the time in the world.  You do, but you don't.  So savor every moment.

Enjoy the practices.  Enjoy the pre-game meals.  Enjoy your coaches.  Savor the bus rides and the meetings and the time spent with teammates. 

Because I can tell you, before you know it, it will be over.   And then all you have are the memories. 

So build good memories.  Don't be afraid of taking center stage.  Never miss an opportunity to appreciate those around you, especially your family who is probably there every time you take the court or field. 

Don't get caught up in needless drama.  Discard those people from your life who interfere with your focus, with your goals, with your team.

Don't waste a minute worrying about "things."  If you've done the work, arrive ready to play, and give it 100%, you'll have nothing to worry about.

Finish what you start.  If things aren't going well for you, if the victories aren't piling up, find what it is that you can do better and dedicate yourself to those things.

Stay coachable.  I don't know of a single coach around here who doesn't have your best interest in mind all of the time.  All that they really want is for you to be the best that you can be.  They are never never never trying to get in the way of your athletic "career."

In the end, the effort, the preparation, the dedication, and the focus are what matters most.  All that other stuff will take care of itself.

And parents, give your child the room to make the best of this season.  Support them, love them, and for goodness sake, be there for every game.   It will most assuredly be over in the blink of an eye.

Heat Control

I saw 94 on the thermometer yesterday.  I'm afraid that is an indicator of things to come in the next few weeks.

And we've got teams practicing all over the area.  Football is a bit more difficult with regards to dealing with the heat because of the pads and the helmet that you have to wear.

By the way, those face shields that too many football players like to add to their helmet don't help at all with dealing with the heat.  They actually trap heat inside your helmet.  In my book, they're pretty worthless.

Kids wear them to look like the pro's.  They don't realize that the a player in the pro's plays fewer snaps than most high school players.  They NEVER go both ways (something that a lot of high school players do).   Starters never play special teams.

All that means that they get more rest time.  More time to cool off.  And in hot weather, pro teams have all kinds of cooling devices for their players, including individual air conditioner-type devices that they can hook up to on the bench.

It seems like most of the players that I see wearing these shields are receivers, which makes no sense.  The one legitimate reason for wearing the shield is to protect your eyes from gouging but the only place in football that happens is in the lineman scrum in the middle of the field.

Dealing with the heat is hard enough.   The two keys to successfully dealing with the heat are hydration and being smart.

Back in the day (you've heard that one before), we got salt pills before practice and one small cup of water during.    We had fewer problems dealing with the heat but we didn't have air conditioners everywhere.  My house wasn't air-conditioned and only my parents' vehicle had a rarely used AC (it burned up too much gas).

We worked outside all summer so were much more acclimatized to the heat. 

All of our high schools have student athletic trainers whose #1 job is to make sure that our players are hydrated.  There are no limits on how much they can drink.  Our coaches adjust practice to accommodate warmer weather and we are constantly monitoring the heat index.  TSSAA has clear rules on what is an acceptable heat index.

One piece of advice that I've given for years that has been almost universally ignored is that if you have an athlete who is going to be fighting the heat, turn off the air conditioner.  Not many families are willing to make that sacrifice.

This year, I have already dealt with athletes with terrible sunburn that I'm pretty sure wasn't a part of their heat acclimatization process, athletes that have avoided the heat of the day for their workouts all summer, and players that limit their fluid intake because they didn't want to become "waterlogged."

Reminds me of that old movie Dumb and Dumber.

Anyway...yes, it's hot but if you hydrate properly (both water and sports drinks) and are smart, you should be fine. 

If not, well then we've got that watering trough full of ice water (full immersion) waiting for you which is, by the way, the absolute best way to deal with it when the heat gets to be too much.

Your Average Joe

Write this one down:  The backbone of success is a solid work ethic.  In life, business, sports--you name it.

What is a "solid work ethic?"  A willingness to do the work.  All the time.  Someone with a solid work ethic is willing to keep going even when it is hard or it hurts and especially when they are tired. 

You sometimes can succeed on talent alone.  Some people are that good. 

I rehabbed a baseball pitcher several years ago that had that kind of talent.  He was recovering from surgery to his shoulder and had made it as high as AAA baseball. 

He had a golden arm and it had carried him to the brink of making The Big Show, Major League Baseball. 

He had never really had to work hard and most definitely did not know his way around the weight room. 

He was all arm.  The rest of his body was a mess.  Maybe the worst core strength I have seen on a professional athlete and that was probably a huge factor in his shoulder injury.

When that arm failed him, his entire professional career was in jeopardy.  It may be unnecessary to say but during the summer that he spent with me, he definitely learned his way around the weight room. 

Randall Cobb had that kind of talent.  I know of several other local football stars that might have had as much talent as Randall (maybe) but who didn't have his work ethic. 

After he finished a stellar career at Alcoa High School, Randall turned that work ethic and talent into a successful career at the University of Kentucky.  Then, when given the opportunity, when some might have doubted if he could make it or not, he turned it into a successful career with the NFL's Green Bay Packers.

Talent? For sure.  Solid work ethic?  Without a doubt. 

Brandon Waters remains one of the hardest working athletes that I have known.  His work ethic when he was a high school football player remains legendary.  He had talent but nobody had his work ethic. 

It carried him from state championships at Maryville High School to a solid career at Tennessee Tech.  I can think of no one better to train young athletes than Brandon and that's just what he's doing as an Assistant Football Coach and Head Strength Coach at his alma mater.

At 6'6" and 255 chiseled pounds, Dylan Jackson is the whole package. I would offer him a football scholarship just looking at him.  Throw in speed, quickness, and athleticism and you can see why schools like UT and Alabama want him on their football team. 

At this point, it would be easy for him just to coast through this year.    But that's not for Dylan.  He's working hard every day.  Coach Quarles told me that just last week, he arrived at school early only to find Dylan already there, already hard at work. I predict his work ethic will carry him far.

But you don't have to be that big or that fast to be successful.  There are a lot more kids out there that are average size and merely decent athletes that will have really great sports careers.  I would suggest that for them, it is also all about the work ethic. 

And like I said, that work ethic can serve you well not just in sports but in life and relationships and business.  Trust me...a solid work ethic can carry the average Joe a long way.  

Boys Growing Up

This column has been years in the making.  Maybe decades.  It might not have a lot to do with sports but for me it is a natural extension of a discussion about what we do growing up and how it influences the athletes and adults we eventually become. 

Bill, Ronnie, Teddy, Jerry, Tony,  Gary, Ricky.  We grew up together, at least until college age, when most of us drifted apart--some way apart.   It seems like we were always together doing something.  We either walked or took bikes everywhere we went.

Every summer, from an age that would seem insane in today's world, we would get up in the morning and meet somewhere on our bikes. Lunch would be at whoever's house we found ourselves at when we got hungry.  Nobody carried money so buying lunch was never even an option.

Usually it was PB&J and lemonade.   Granny Miller would offer us souse meat sandwiches but that may have been to get rid of us.  Since I lived out in the country, my house was rarely on the list.  The only rule was be home by supper.

Although it was a game way out of our socio-economic status, we played tennis all the time.  We had a deal with the owners of the only two tennis courts in town (there were no public courts) that we would keep the courts clean and in return got to play whenever we wanted to unless the owners wanted the courts. 

We played the only organized sport available to us (football), and spent weekends and summers playing everything you can imagine, usually on our own.

We knew where you could find a flat yard to play (the Andersons, the Harrisons).  We knew where there was a decent basketball goal (the Smiths, the Junior High).  We would also sometimes sneak into the old high school to play basketball.  We would swim in the Tennessee River or one of the local creeks although without permission (definitely without our parents' knowledge) because there was no public pool.

Gary had a football, Bill a basketball, but all of us had a baseball glove and a baseball.  I had a bat (only wood back then).  I remember crying when an older boy broke it. There was no Little League but there was a program called Summer Recreation and pick-up baseball games were part of the summer mornings there.

We made do with whatever we had.  Street football on Ferry Street.  Red Rover in anybody's yard.  Fishing with a cane pole and worms  we dug up in the garden. 

We used to have contests at anything and everything.    Who could hit the stop sign throwing a rock the most times out of 10? (Usually Gary.)  Who won the three-legged running race? (Usually Ronnie and Tony.)

Things didn't work out great for all of us.  Gary, who would likely be a famous musician today, was injured in a motorcycle wreck and never recovered.

Bill discovered some bad habits in high school and stayed in trouble most of his adult life, finally dying a couple of years ago in circumstances that might still be unclear.   Jerry, the Italian kid of the group, died in his 30's of a heart attack.

All the others are still alive and have lived abundant, responsible lives.  Different in many ways yet forever tied together by how and where we grew up. 

All of us were what we would call "athletic" today.  Once apart, our paths diverged, with there being serious golfers and bikers and tennis players and water skiers and hikers and snow skiers among us.  I believe that has everything to do with the diversity that we followed each and every summer. 

Quoting Dickens:  "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."  But isn't that what growing up is all about anyway?