This blog post will now focus on the mobilization and Potentiate phases of the RAMP method. My hope is you will have a better understanding as why mobilization is different from the activation phase and how the potentiation phase affects the following session if not performed.

Mobilization

As the name suggests, mobilization is focusing on the movement patterns required for the session. I have previously given an example for a lower body gym session, specifically beginning with a squat. I will now do the same for an upper body gym session, specifically the bench press.

So how do we warm up the muscles required for this movement? The following is a list of exercises, when performed correctly, will engage the muscles in the movement patterns that the bench press will need to follow. They are:

• Shoulder “dislocations” – for clarity on this exercise please watch my Instagram post on how to do this
• Pallof Press
• Cuban Press
• Inverted Row
• Push up

Optional exercises

• Landmine press
• Landmine row

These exercises will engage the muscle groups in movements relative to the pattern of the movement for the bench press and will lead into the potentiation phase of our warm up.

Potentiation Phase

The potentiation phase of any warm up, is a relatively easy phase to explain. This is where the intensity of the warm up builds to the point where intensity is close to matching the required intensity of the session. As we are focusing on the squat, we will look at the following versions of the squat:

• Dumbbell Bench Press
• Barbell Bench Press

The Dumbbell Bench Press can be used in the final part of the mobilization phase for the Barbell Bench Press if so desired but it is also an exercise which can be the main focus of a training session and programme depending on the emphasis for the training block, the sport in question or rehabbing an injury.

When doing the final phase of a warm up for the Dumbbell Bench Press, pick a weight which is 50% (or as close as possible) and perform 10 reps with this weight, controlling the weight on the eccentric (down phase) and concentric phases (up phase). Gradually progress up to the weight you will use for your working sets but remember the number of sets you perform will vary depending on the number of reps for your working sets.

When doing the final phase of a warm up for the Barbell Bench Press session, the easiest method is to perform 10 reps with only the bar as resistence and allowing enough rest, add 5 or 10 kg weight to this until you have reached your working sets weight. The number of reps you will perform will vary depending on the weight on the bar and the number of reps you are performing per set.

For example, if I were to perform 5 sets of 5 reps at 100kg, I would not attempt 10 reps at 90 kg as this could cause fatigue. I would perform 1 set of 8 reps at 90kg and 1 set of 5 at 95kg, focusing on bracing my core and engaging throughout the movement. If I was unable to do this, then I would have to adjust my session and focus on improving my technique with a weight from one of my warm up sets.

Potentiation phase can suffer from CNS (central nervous system) fatigue and as such sufficient rest should be included between sets as you build to working sets. If you do not do this your warm up will be somewhat compromised and will result in poor performance for the session.

I hope you found this blog post educational and if you would like to check out the above exercises, head over to my Instagram page (coach_mulvihill). If you have any questions regarding this topic or anything related this you can email me at coachmulvihill@outlook.ie

Happy Lifting

Adam

Hello and welcome back to the ASC blog. I want to start this post with a quick recap on the previous blog and what was talked about.

We spoke about performing a warm up is an essential part of all training sessions and competition events. The main reason for performing a warm up routine is to prevent injury, specifically muscular injury. When accounting for injuries in sport more than 30% of injuries were attributed to skeletal muscle injuries in sport medicine clinics (Woods, K; Bishop, P; & Jones, E; 2007).

Finally, I began to explain the RAMP method (see below) and the first two parts of the method (Raise body temperature and Activate the muscles)

The RAMP is a 4-stage protocol which can be used to warm up for any training session or bout of physical activity. RAMP stands for:

• Raise body temperature
• Activate the muscles which will be used in the session
• Mobilize the body for the movement patterns required in the session
• Potentiate the body – gradually increase the stress on the body so it is prepared for the intensity of the session

A link to the full blog can be found here how to perform a warm up part 1

Part 2

This blog post will now focus on the mobilization and Potentiate phases of the RAMP method. My hope is you will have a better understanding as why mobilization is different from the activation phase and how the potentiation phase affects the following session if not performed.

Mobilization

As the name suggests, mobilization is focusing on the movement patterns required for the session. The example I am going to use to explain this phase is a lower body gym session, specifically beginning with a squat. The movement of the squat is a complex movement and this blog will not go into finer points of the squat. If you need further refinement in your squat, I will speak about it in its own post in the future.

 Keeping that in mind, the squat is a hip and knee dominant movement where the goal of the movement is to have the ankle, knee and hip joints in a 90 degree angle (this would show as hips in line or just below the knee) or a smaller angle if possible (the smaller angle is created when you are able to bring your hips closer to floor).

This requires a huge number of coaching and teaching points, which we will not discuss but the key points I want to highlight here would be a flat, neutral back, chest close to vertical as hips are lowered to the ground.

So how do we warm up the muscles required for this movement? The following is a list of exercises, when performed correctly, will engage the muscles in the movement patterns that the squat will need to follow. They are:

• Crab walks for hip abduction
• Curtsy lunge for hip adduction
• Goblet Squat or bodyweight squat

These exercises will engage the muscle groups in movements relative to the pattern of the movement for the squat and will lead into the potentiation phase of our warm up.

Potentiation Phase

The potentiation phase of any warm up, is a relatively easy phase to explain. This is where the intensity of the warm up builds to the point where intensity is close to matching the required intensity of the session. As we are focusing on the squat, we will look at the following versions of the squat:

• Front Squat
• Back squat

The front squat  can be used in the final part of the mobilization phase for the back squat if so desired but it is also an exercise which can be the main focus of a training session and programme depending on the emphasis for the training block, the sport in question or rehabbing an injury.

When doing the final phase of a warm up for a squat session, the easiest method is to perform 10 reps with only the bar as resistence and allowing enough rest, add 5 or 10 kg weight to this until you have reached your working sets weight. The number of reps you will perform will vary depending on the weight on the bar and the number of reps you are performing per set.

For example, if I were to perform 5 sets of 5 reps at 100kg, I would not attempt 10 reps at 90 kg as this could cause fatigue. I would perform 1 set of 8 reps at 90kg and 1 set of 5 at 95kg, focusing on bracing my core and engaging throughout the movement. If I was unable to do this, then I would have to adjust my session and focus on improving my technique with a weight from one of my warm up sets.

Potentiation phase can suffer from CNS (central nervous system) fatigue and as such sufficient rest should be included between sets as you build to working sets. If you do not do this your warm up will be somewhat compromised and will result in poor performance for the session.

I hope you found this blog post educational and if you would like to check out the above exercises, head over to my Instagram page (coach_mulvihill). If you have any questions regarding this topic or anything related this you can email me at coachmulvihill@outlook.ie

Happy Lifting

Adam

Warm ups: why we do them and how to do them

Performing a warm up is an essential part of all training sessions and competition events. There are many reasons and benefits to performing a warm up, both physiological and psychological. This short blog post will focus solely on the physiological benefits and reasons to perform a warm up.

The big one

The main reason to perform a warm up routine is to prevent injury, specifically muscular injury. When accounting for injuries in sport more than 30% of injuries were attributed to skeletal muscle injuries in sport medicine clinics (Woods, K; Bishop, P; & Jones, E; 2007).

So, if we know we must perform a warm up routine, what should it be? Currently you will find a huge amount of literature online for warm up routines, but how do you determine what is best for you?

In this article I am going to explain the RAMP protocol for performing a warm up routine and provide some exercises which can be done as a routine.

What is RAMP?

RAMP is a 4-stage protocol which can be used to warm up for any training session or bout of physical activity. RAMP stands for:

• Raise body temperature
• Activate the muscles which will be used in the session
• Mobilize the body for the movement patterns required in the session
• Potentiate the body – gradually increase the stress on the body so it is prepared for the intensity of the session

The main focus of this blog will focus on how to raise your body temperature and activate the muscles required in the session. We will discuss the other 2 points in a further blog.

How to raise your body temperature

This is probably the easiest step to complete but can be overlooked because of this. Raising your body temperature has a host of benefits for you prior to exercise. The main function of this is to increase blood flow and to indicate to the body to increase the production of synovial fluid in the joints of the body. These two factors are very important when preparing the body for physical activity or for the training session you are about to take part in.

The methods for increasing your body temp can vary depending on your setting. If in a gym environment, you can use a treadmill increasing the speed after every minute until you are beginning to perform a light jog. You could use a stationary bike, a rowing machine or elliptical machine depending on your personal preferences.

The most important aspect here is to increase the intensity gradually and progressively. Rush too soon and the body will be unprepared for the next phase of the warm up. Conversely, performing this phase of the warm up at a low intensity will also have a negative effect on the next phase.

Guidelines on this phase of the warm up:

• Take 5 to 10 minutes
• Start with a low intensity and gradually increase speed or difficulty of the movement
• Heart rate should be elevated and if tracking heart rate should be between 50% and 70% of max heart rate. Max heart rate can be found by using the following formula. (220- your age)
• Select the most appropriate method for warming up. If you are running then use the treadmill, use the bike for cycling and so on.
• If you are performing this warm up before swimming, then any method can be used to warm up. You can do skipping, jogging, cycling, or rowing depending on your preference and the equipment at your disposal.

Activate your Muscles

The next step is to “Activate” your muscles. In simple terms, your body’s muscles must now get ready to perform in the session. Depending on the type of session you are going to perform, you will only activate the muscles needed for the upcoming movements in the session.

For example, if you are performing an upper body session in the gym, you will focus on performing exercises relating to your chest, back and shoulders (push ups, scap pull ups and IYTW’s) while also working on trunk activation (flexing, extending and rotation of the body). Trunk activation is a key component of all sessions, be it gym, track, or pool sessions. Performing exercises such as cat/cow, deadbugs, supermans and side planks will activate the muscles in your trunk for any activity. Examples of these exercises can be found on my Instagram page (coach_mulvihill).

Guidelines for performing muscle activation

• Focus on the correct muscle groups and joints of the body based on your session
• Employ slow controlled movements for each muscle group with little to no weight
• Start with a short range of motion and progress the reps to full range of motion. (Full range of motion should not be painful, but muscles could be stiff.)
• Ensure muscles are being moved in all planes of motion (Sagittal, Frontal and Transverse planes)

Muscle activation should lead into the start of your session. In a gym setting, these exercises will be performed prior to you starting your first exercise. An example here would be leg swings (a sagittal plane movement), followed by crab walks (a frontal plane movement) and next the kneeling fire hydrant exercise
(transverse plane movement). These exercises would then lead into a lower body or squat session in a gym setting.

Again, this stage should not be rushed as rushing through this stage can lead to having impaired performance and potentially lead to injuries.

For other training sessions, muscle activation will be prior the start of the session. By this I mean the exercises are done for to warm up the body but may not relate specifically to the movements being performed in the session. For example when swimming, there is little transverse movement but multiple sagittal and frontal movements. The exercises done should encompass the whole body, as running, cycling, swimming, and rowing sessions will involve all muscle groups of the body. More emphasis can be placed on the lower body for running and cycling. Swimming and rowing sessions must incorporate the whole body as shoulders and hips share the workload in these sessions.

Potential Exercises that can be performed in this phase

• Lunge with Rotation
• Inchworm to Push up to Hip opener
• IYTW’s
• Cat/Cow
• Supermans
• Deadbugs

I hope you found this blog post educational and if you liked it, head over to my Instagram for the videos to the above exercises.

                                                                                                                                    Adam

What to do the week of, the night before and the morning of your race.

Hello and welcome back to ASC blog. This is the final blog in the series in relating to your first open water swim/triathlon. If you haven’t read the previous 2 blogs regarding how to plan your training or what to do after you’ve signed up for your first swim, I would advise a quick read of these first.

Now without any more delay, lets “dive” in again

1 week to go

At this point your training has been completed, you are starting to taper down at the start of the week. Tapering is very simply a reduction in training load to allow greater recovery and to prepare you for your event. Tapering should be done 10 days or a week out from your event. For most people this timeline will suffice to provide a significant taper which will result in an improved performance. The biggest mistake people make during the last week of training is to continue training as normal or to increase the intensity thinking this will help your performance. It will not…

Regarding your nutrition, there should be no change in your dietary intake during this taper period. People make the mistake of eating more, to “Carb load” or reduce their intake because they are doing less. Your normal diet and calorie intake will be sufficient to “Carb load” and all for a improved performance.

The night before

The most important thing to do the night before is to pack! Make sure you have packed your swim equipment (goggles, hat, wetsuit,) or your full triathlon equipment. Do this the night before so you are not worrying about it or have to attempt running repairs on any equipment the morning of your event, the first event is already stressful!

You should have the same meals the day/night before but do increase your water intake by a half a litre. Staying hydrated is really important as you will not be able to only do it the morning of the event.

Most importantly get a good night sleep. Get to bed early and give yourself a couple of hours to leave in the morning. This may mean going to bed earlier the night before, but it will be worth it. Avoid looking at any screen when you do go to bed but if you do need noise in the background to help you sleep than I would suggest music without lyrics or music which has a low number of beats per minute (bpm).

The morning of the event

And just like that it arrives! You will be nervous so get to the event with an 1 and a half hours to spare. This is enough time for your first one as you will need to unpack your car, locate the start point (and transition stages) and will allow you to slowly acclimatise to the environment. You will get to speak to the marshals and any questions you have can be answered on the morning. If you need to register on the day or know it is a popular event than go 2 hours before the event to find parking and do your registration.

Finally, it will be time for you to race and all your hard work will pay off. Always remember to stay safe and enjoy the experience.

I’ve really enjoyed writing these blogs and if you have found them helpful let me know by emailing me at coachmulvihill@outlook.ie

Chat soon,

A

Hello and welcome back! This is blog 2 in the short series on what to do for your open water/triathlon swim. In this blog we are going to go into detail in certain areas which have been proven to improve swim performance. If you have read the first blog in this series (Blog 1), this blog assumes you have completed your first open water/triathlon swim and are looking to improve your swim time.

 Let us “dive” back in!

You may have been swimming for the last few months and noticed that no matter how much effort you have put into your sessions, you are just unable to improve your swim time. I am going to talk to you about planning your swim sessions to prevent any plateaus in your training and to keep reducing that swim time.

If you have not read the first blog than we need to go back and look at the point of “Develop a Plan”. In this point I briefly mention 4 questions you should ask yourself when beginning your swim training. This post will expand these points with some scientific rationale thrown in.

Step 1 – Use the SMART principle to plan.

The SMART principle is a step by step guideline to help you with your goals. Each letter has a particular job which are as follows:

S- Specific. This point is to make your goal as specific as possible (for example I want my 1km swim time to be 12 minutes or I want to improve my Triathlon swim time by 1 minute for my next event). The more specific the better.

M- Measurable. This point is to make sure you can accurately measure your goal. This will be easy as you are comparing the distance you swim to the clock.

A- Attainable. This is potentially the most important point. If you have set an improvement of your swim time of 1 minute but have given yourself 4 weeks to do so, it is more than likely not going to happen. Make sure you have given yourself enough to achieve your goal.  

R- Realistic. After stating how many months you can train for, how many sessions a week you can do and an honest assessment of your current ability, is your goal a realistic one?

T- Time. Do you have enough time to do it? How many months do you have to get it done?

Now that you have used these steps to make your plan, how can we make sure you overcome a plateau in your training?

A plateau is very simply when improvements in your training no longer occur. It does not mean you will perform poorly just you no longer have improved performance. For example, if we assume your training is taking the pattern of swimming moderate distance for intervals (i.e. 10X200m) and your training time is not improving, you could use the following ways to continue your improvements:

• Using equipment such as fins and hand paddles during your swim sessions.
• Reducing the interval distance (150m instead of 200m)
• Increasing the amount of rest between intervals (2 minutes instead of 1)
• Reducing the overall volume of your training (instead of doing 10X200m do 5X200m instead)

These suggestions are an easy way of improving your swim times if you are tracking the distance swam each session, total distance swam each week and how many weeks you have been training for. If you know all of these, doing the above suggestions are small enough changes to overcome our “Training Plateau”.

However, if you do end up doing these things and there is still no improvement in your swim time, it would be a good idea for you to include a “rest week” into your training plan. A rest week does not mean you must take the full week off, However, you can do any 1 of the following to help you recover but also continue your swimming:

• Reduce the intensity of your training sessions for 1-2 weeks.
• Reduce the volume of your training sessions down for 1-2 weeks.
• Keep intensity of sessions the same but reduce the number of sessions for 1-2 weeks.
• Include Kick sets into your training week. These keep the intensity high but will fatigue your legs quickly but will only need a short recovery time.

If you have tried all of these and you have not noticed any improvement in your swim training, then I would advise you to find a Swim Coach as mentioned in the previous blog. At the very least they will look at how you have been swimming and I would advise you to give them as many details about your training sessions and training plan as possible. The more information the coach is able to have the more accurate the help they will be able to give you.

I hope this post helps and if you want any further information on training plateaus or information on training plans,

you can contact me at coachmulvihill@outlook.ie or through Instagram at coach_mulvihill

Thank you for reading this and I hope it was helpful.

A

Hello and welcome to the first of many blogs I hope to publish for you all! This is the first blog of three which will relate to open water swimming. It is my hope that the following blog will be of benefit to anyone looking to participate in your first open water swim, or if you are contemplating doing your first triathlon.

Are you ready? Then lets “dive in”.

So, you have filled in your entry form and now you need to get ready for your first open water/triathlon swim. Your next step is to grab your hat and goggles and hit the pool!

Or is it?

While dusting off your 5-year-old goggles and heading to your nearest pool seems like the next logical step in getting ready for your swim stage, it may not be the most efficient approach to take. Don’t get me wrong, jumping into your nearest pool and thrashing up and down the lane until near exhaustion will get you fitter but this will require a lot of effort for minimal returns in your swim performance. So, here are my 5 Top Tips to approach your first swim:

• Develop a plan
• Find a coach
• Practice in your wetsuit
• Join a group

Develop a plan

This may seem an obvious thing to do prior to your entry but from my experience, people seem to underestimate how difficult performing an open water /triathlon swim. This is a big issue as it could stop people from taking part or completing the event. This is where your plan comes in. To develop your plan, ask the following questions:

• How long do I have to train for this?
• How many times a week can I train?
• What is my starting point (Am I able to only do 1,2,3 lengths…)?
• What do I need to be able to do to finish this?

Once you have answers for all of these, your plan will take shape. My advice for anyone out of swimming for a long time should give themselves 4-5 months of training time of at least 2 sessions a week (3 would be optimal at this point for beginners). This will allow you to build up every aspect of your stroke (more on this in the next point) while ensuring you can handle the distance of your swim.

Find a coach

Ok, this point may not seem necessary especially as it will increase the cost of the event for you but hear me out. While you may not feel the need for a coach, getting in contact with an experienced swim coach can have very positive effects. A coach will be able to assess your swim stroke and provide valuable feedback on areas which may hinder your performance (the 3 main areas in need of improvement in my experience are body position, leg kick and breathing). (S)he will be able to provide corrective exercises and drills to help improve these areas while also being able to assess your training plan for the event.

But please check the credentials of the coach! There are many excellent swim coaches who have minimal experience with triathlon/open water swimming and will be unable to give specific strategies for the race itself but would still be able to improve your swimming technique. So, choose wisely, as you will most certainly have to pay for this service so make sure you are getting exactly what you want.

Practice in your wetsuit

This is a smaller one, but one people often forget to factor into their training. Unless you are swimming of the coast of Dubai or Hawaii, you will more than likely be forced to wear a wetsuit for your event. Therefore, we must practice swimming in it! Without any practice you will not know if a) the wetsuit is a good fit while in the water, b) do you need to adapt your swim stroke due to it and c) what issues you may have (chafed neck from turning your hear to breathe is one example) when its on. If you are doing a triathlon you need to know how difficult it is to get it off as well. These are simple things which can be overlooked and may make your first event an unpleasant experience

Join a group

So, this last one is not really necessary but who says swimming has to be a lonely sport??? I have always found training in a group far more enjoyable than by yourself. If you have gotten the bug of open water/triathlon swimming, I would actively encourage you to find and join a group/club. Group/club training tend to have a coach who has planned out the sessions and season plans for the groups which will help you peak for certain events. You will also find that you are meeting a lot of the same faces at these events, so getting to know some people may not be a bad thing in the long run! A great sense of camaraderie can be found between triathletes and open water swimmers and while the competitions are taken seriously, there is still an element of fun and enjoyment at these events.

My final piece of advice summed in one sentence: Make a realistic plan, find a coach if needed, and practice swimming in your wetsuit!

If you have any questions or you are based in Ireland and looking for a group/club to join, you may email me at coachmulvihill@outlook.ie

Thank you for reading this and I hope it was helpful. A