PREVENTING PATELLAR TENDINOPATHY BY

FEBRUARY 2016
LEADER IN ECCENTRIC EXERCISE TRAINING
FOLLOWING THE EVOLUTION OF ECCENTRIC RESISTANCE TRAINING
FROM THE
WORDS EDITOR
Dear reader and nHANCE follower,
This March Newsletter features pieces covering basic, applied and clinical research relevant to cutting edge training for the recreational or professional athlete.
Through history sportsmen with ability to see beyond the horizon and outside the squared box, and by innovating, have paved the way as champions. Thus,
appreciation of fundamentals of basic science and applying this knowledge in athletic training, made these individuals instrumental in bridging the gap between
science and athletics. American bodybuilding legend Larry Scott, and Czech national hero, distance runner Emil Zátopek are two such extraordinary athletes,
who will remain in the history books of their sports forever.
David Perez
Editor-in-Chief
PREVENTING PATELLAR TENDINOPATHY BY nHANCE YOYOTM SQUAT
Volley- and basketball players are
established eccentric training elicits
exercise might provoke such injury.
Islands, Palma, Spain and partners
weekly bout of Squats with nHANThus, the question was, will this
demanding training regimen,
enhance performance with no
Players who volunteered
greater Barcelona area.
(CG) group. All players
The IG, in addition, did 4
a s s e s s e d
jump, and
among athletes at very high risk to develop patellar tendinopathy. At this time, it is rather
therapeutic benefits to this injury. Yet, it is a paradox that excess or novel eccentric
With this background, Dr. Gabriel Guall, physiotherapist at the University of the Balearic
from Barcelona and Sweden, researched* the impact of just one, yes just one,
CETM driven YoYoTM on lower limb muscle power and patellar tendon complaints.
eccentric ”overload” exercise challenge, on top of an already intense and
provoke tendinitis injury while hampering performance progress, or would it
injury symptoms, to potentially help preventing future injuries.
were 81 men and women from eight basket- and volleyball teams of the
These players were assigned to either an intervention (IG) or a control
maintained their scheduled in-season training routines over 24 weeks.
sets of 8 reps using the YoYoTM Squat. Dr. Guall and his research fellows
patellar tendinopathy using a questionnaire, vertical countermovement
concentric and eccentric Squat
power before, during and after
the intervention. Neither group
suffered from patellar tendinopathy or increased subjective pain.
However, the IG showed
much better progress with regard to jumping and
concentric and eccentric
Squat power.
The research team concluded that adding a weekly eccentric overload squat training bout to a
regular basket- and volleyball exercise routine, is highly effective to enhance lower limb jump
and muscle power without causing patellar tendon complaints. In the future, Dr. Guall and
associates plan to carry out studies exploring the efficacy of the current exercise paradigm to
prevent or combat patellar tendinopathy in sports calling for frequent explosive jumps.
For more info: Contact Dr. Gabriel Guall at http://www.gabrielgual.com
* Effects of in-season inertial resistance training with eccentric overload in a sports population
at risk for patellar tendinopathy”. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Dec 11. [Epub ahead of print].
Dr Gabriel Guall instructing his volunteers good
form on the YoYoTM Squat
FEBRUARY 2016
WORLD NEWS
WORD FROM THE FOUNDER
No one argues today that resistance exercise – “once
we referred to strength training”- is vital to build and
optimize muscle health? More than 30 years ago my
laboratory carried out a series of muscle experiments
in highly trained bodybuilders to find out what energy
sources are actually used to fuel an intense leg
workout. The outcome of that research challenged
the idea, prevailing at that time, that strength training
could only build muscle and strength, and did not
even call for mobilization of fat or carbohydrates
Per Tesch, Professor
as energy sources. We were spurred by anecdoFounder
tal research by late Scandinavian legends and
nHANCE driven by
giants in the field of exercise metabolism, who
YoYoTM Technology
had reported significant use of glucose and
increased release of free fatty acids, as well, after
sprint exercise!
Our research studies* comprised nine bodybuilders who
performed 4 sets of 6-12 reps of four consecutive quad exercises (the
front and back squat, leg press and knee extension). Any set, about 30-s
to failure, were interspersed by 60-s rest periods; the entire work-out was
completed in about 30 min. Venous blood samples showed increased
plasma free fatty acid and glycerol concentrations during and after
exercise. In muscle biopsies, obtained from m. vastus lateralis, glycogen
content was reduced by more than a third, and triglyceride (fat stored in
the muscle fiber) decreased after exercise. At the same time, lactate in
muscle reached near maximal levels. No question, in addition to sugar, fat
provides energy during heavy-resistance exercise of even relatively short
duration.
This means, exercise at high power outputs AND concurrent eccentric
overload can serve the purpose of building and promoting metabolic
muscle health – not only muscle strength and size! Certainly underappreciated knowledge!
No wonder there is a current big push for high-intensity, interval and
cross-training, as it works to enhance muscle health for wellness and
fitness.
* Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1986;55(4):362-6; Eur J Appl Physiol Occup
Physiol. 1990;61(1-2):5-10
ANNOUNCING THE 3 Annual
“Global Hamstring Project”
rd
Coming up downtown Barcelona this September.
For daily and weekly updates about the 3rd
Annual International Global Hamstring Project,
please visit “NEWS & BLOG” at
www.nhance.se
QUOTE BY GREAT EMIL ZÁTOPEK
IN THE EARLY 50’s
“The athlete of
today is not an
athlete alone.
He's the center of a
team - doctors, scientists, coaches,
agents and so on”
EMIL ZÁTOPEK
Emil Zátopek, while training for long distances including the
marathon, did rely on high intense interval training. Zatopek was
far ahead of his opponents at the time. In the 1952 Helsinki
Olympics, Zatopek won the triple; the 5,000 and 10,000m races
and the Marathon. Since then, no runner has been able to repeat
such triumphal performance!
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Larry Scott, nicknamed the “Golden
Boy” or “The Legend”, and born in
1938 passed away about a year
ago. The “Golden Boy” became the
very first Mr. Olympia in 1965. He
defeated the title the following year,
and then unexpectedly, retired at age
28! Remembered as one of the first
men to develop +20 inch upper
arms, but also for the impressive
forearms and deltoids he developed.
Certainly, the “Golden Boy” was gifted with the best genes
for building and sculpturing muscles. But he was also a
true “Kinesiologist”, as he devoted much of his time to
study actions, movements and anatomy of muscles and
joints. Scott took all this information and designed exercise
equipment to maximize training outcome, and ultimately
perfect his physique.
nHANCE
YoYo Technology AB, Pryssgrand 10, SE 118 20 Stockholm | [email protected]
Traduzione del Prof. Andrea Lanfranco
LA PREVENZIONE DELLA TENDINOPATIA ROTULEA CON nHANCE™ YOYO™ SQUAT
I giocatori di pallavolo e pallacanestro sono comunemente gli atleti con il più alto rischio
di sviluppare una tendinopatia rotulea. Oggi è ormai piuttosto chiaro come l’esercizio
eccentrico sia utile nel trattamento di questa problematica. Tuttavia, è un paradosso che
proprio l’eccesso di questo tipo di sollecitazione o l’aggiunta di un particolare esercizio
eccentrico possa provocare tale tipo di infortunio. Di fronte a questa situazione il Dr.
Gabriel Guall, Fisioterapista dell’Università delle Isole Baleari - Palma, Spagna - con
collaboratori spagnoli e svedesi ha ricercato (1) gli effetti sulla forza muscolare e sul
tendine rotuleo prodotti da una sola seduta settimanale di YOYO Squat by nHANCE.
La domanda sperimentale è quindi stata questa: può un’esercitazione con sovraccarico
eccentrico, in aggiunta ad un regime di già intenso allenamento, causare la comparsa di
una tendinopatia rotulea e determinare un peggioramento della performance o, al
contrario, non provoca la comparsa di sintomi legati alla patologia, migliora la
performance e diventa un lavoro potenzialmente preventivo?
I giocatori che si sono offerti volontari sono stati 81 tra donne e uomini provenienti da
squadre di pallavolo e pallacanestro dell’area di Barcellona. Questi giocatori sono stati
divisi in un gruppo di intervento (IG) ed un gruppo di controllo (CG). Tutti i giocatori
hanno svolto regolarmente i loro programmi di allenamento per 24 settimane. Il gruppo
di intervento (IG) ha eseguito in aggiunta 4 serie da 8 ripetizioni di YOYO squat alla
settimana. Il Dr. Guall e i suoi ricercatori hanno valutato la tendinopatia rotulea tramite
un questionario, la capacità di salto e la potenza concentrica ed eccentrica sulla YOYO
squat prima, durante e dopo le 24 settimane di lavoro.
Non ci sono stati casi di tendinopatia rotulea o di un aumento della sensazione
soggettiva del dolore in entrambi i gruppi. Tuttavia il gruppo che ha svolto il lavoro
eccentrico aggiuntivo ha dimostrato un maggior miglioramento nel salto e
nell’espressione di forza concentrica ed eccentrica nello squat.
Il team di ricerca ha quindi concluso che nella pallacanestro e nella pallavolo
l’aggiunta di un’esercitazione eccentrica al normale programma di allenamento è
molto efficace nel migliorare la prestazione di salto e di forza degli arti inferiori,
senza causare sofferenze del tendine rotuleo.
Per il futuro il Dr. Guall ed i suoi collaboratori hanno pianificato di portare a termine altri
studi che dimostrino l’efficacia del protocollo da loro usato al fine di combattere e
prevenire l’insorgenza della tendinopatia rotulea in sport caratterizzati dalla presenza di
molti salti esplosivi.
(1) “Effects of in-season inertial resistence trainin with eccentric overload in a sport population with high risk for
patellar tendinopathy”. J Strenght Cond Res. 2015 dec 11.