Re: Physical Preparation for Motor Sports

[Guest guest]

Driscoll wrote:

> " The drivers must contest with considerable g-forces for extended

periods although unlike pilots this RARELY occurs in the vertical

plane! …. Very regular G loading in the A/P plane is also a

consideration with frequent acceleration/braking….I would guess that

neck strength and endurance would be a prime consideration. "

Dear :

I don't have any experience with driver athletes but what you describe

is very intriguing. The studies below might give an idea of the type

of induced loading that might benefit your drivers. Their overall

postural stability would certainly be strengthened by maintaining and

integrating optimum pelvic, scapulo-humeral and neck-head geometry.

Since the forces these drivers are subjected to are perturbing and

stochastic, It seems that these are the type of training load(s) they

should be subjected to in addition to some of the more customary

approaches.

Perhaps even having them do side to side, front to back translations

on a trampoline. However you don't need a trampoline when you can

emulate the same type of responses with a rubber ball in an A-P,

oblique, lateral etc. etc. It also allows shorter coupling times and a

" closer packed " stimulation of the mechanoreceptors i.e. spindle

cells, are considered most important. Very much like plyometrics,

which I'm sure Supertraining and Mel could provide some ideas.

The following is a neck to whole-body loading methodology that should

simulate and stimulate resistance to the forces that you have

described. It is absolutely critical that optimal geometric postural

linkages are pre-activated and maintained. You will need to supply by

hand, any necessary kinesthetic cues to help maintain and bring about

postural integrity. This will also help tremendously as I have been

describing in my previous posts the finding of and correcting of weak

or inhibited links or zones contributing to less than optimal postural

stability which contribute to injury and pain.

The TUT Bounce

You need a 6 " to 8.5 " standard playground ball.

The individual will stand in front of a wall in an athletic ready

position. Place the ball between the forehead and lean on the wall or

door. Pre-activate or tension in the 5 areas below, which will serve

as equilibrium or centers of kinesthetic reference.

1) Short foot -tension the heel to the forefoot bilaterally.

2) Sphincter squeeze - tension the lower glutes. It should feel as if

your feet are being forced together. This is not a knee squeeze, the

knees are out of it, but you should feel tension being generated to

the plantar surfaces of the feet. You can add a foam softball up

between the ischial tuberosities to help with this activation.

3) Guard tighten the abdominals and low back (kidney area).- Its

important to develop counter balanced tension between the two areas.

Similar to the kinesthetic effect of a weight belt.

4) Downward chest expansion - This is a neutral downward depression of

the scapula. If done properly there should be minimal tension in the

scalenes and upper traps. (this is a great quick stress reliever by

the way) As most people have very poor motor control of this movement,

it helps to put 3 or 4 tennis balls each, in a couple of socks (tie

them off) and insert them up in the arm pits. This provides the

kinesthetic cues for proper firing of the areas in front and back of

the armpit.

5) Tut the neck back- (as in King Tut) translate the head and neck

back activating the deep muscles above the apple. You can use

your fingers on each side to help kinesthetically stimulate this

action. There should be no suboccipital tension if done properly.

A) Now waggle a bit to help sense and link all 5 areas and reposition

the body for better angular stability.

Lean in on the ball maintaining the links and exhale with a high

pitched " Hee " sound which you should feel at the back and top of the

hard palate of the mouth. This has both a timing and facilitating

effect (motor imagery)

C) Now start impulse bouncing against the ball while coactivating all

the areas together. This is kind of like rubbing your head and patting

your stomach. Uncoordinated at first but easy and invigorating once

you start synchronizing all the links.

D) On each pulsed bounce you add tension and coordination to all the

links, building up to a point of peak tension. It's important to peak

and not lose or go past it or you'll lose the post contraction

potentiation effect. Most people can get it in 5 or 6 pulses. Once you

develop the stability and coordination you can peak in 2 or 3.

E) The last and probably most important is to sense the change and

feel. If you feel discomfort you didn't maintain integrity in the

linkages, in other words you misfired and recruited un-coordinateley.

If you feel invigorated, more stable, but more relaxed, you " linked

good " . (sorry)

Some people find it easier to start with the ball at the back of the

head. As you start to develop the motor coordination you can start

rotating around and loading the neck in various areas and positions.

Then you can make it more continuous, rhythmically moving from one

position to another changing and mixing timing and translations.

(Dancin with the balls)

What makes this coupling process more complete is to then move the

balls from zone to zone (the ones you sense are producing the least

tension) and rhythmically adding and linking areas which are serving

as weak links in the coupling process. As you get stronger you will

need to switch to a firmer ball like a mini or junior basket ball or

enduro ball. To keep the stimulation levels up as well as continuing

to take it up a notch.

I know what your thinking? Even my most " fit " patients and clients are

amazed and humbled when they realize they aren't as coordinated or

can't activate certain areas in relation to other areas. Many,

depending on vigor will break a sweat in a few minutes.

This can be done sitting or lying also or on a Swiss ball in a bridged

position with the head and lower neck on the ball and pulse bounce

while co-activating/co-tensioning and linking/coupling the 5 areas.

Once you start sensing where you are and aren't connecting (tight or

dead spots), you then move the balls to those areas and progressively

improve the kinesthetic awareness and motor programming.

The above 5 links are the basis for 100'ssss of possible coupling

patterns (it appears Infiniti) and postures I have found over the past

three years. It is a lot easier to show someone this than to explain

it on paper. Let me know if you felt a difference as you must have it

before you can teach it. I firmly believe that is was the years skiing

with merged action and awareness that allowed me this coupling

awareness. (see my flow posts). The mindset must be coupled movements

not muscles, very very important !!!

If you are interested I can e-mail you a picture or 2 of the basic

postures. Also if anyone has extra space in any of their training

camps or symposiums I would love to have an opportunity to share more

of the research and more patterns for different aspect of training and

rehabilitation.

I am hoping to possibly do weekend workshops but I would prefer to do

it in conjunction, anyone interested ?

Sincerely seeking flow

Dr. Zenker

Performance edge Dynamics

Santa Cruz. CA

831-462-3344

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Caranasos and Israel discussed gait problems in the elderly and

explained how cervical spine mechanoreceptors provide major input

regarding the position of the head in relation to the body. " With

aging, mild defects impair the function of these endings and their

fibers. " The result is decreased proprioception, the patient becomes

more dependent on visual input to maintain and monitor body position.

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Revel M, Minguet M, Gregoy P, Vaillant J, JL Neck

proprioception alteration in chronic neck pain Arch Phys Med Rehabil

1994 Aug;75(8):895-9

Changes in cervicocephalic kinesthesia after a proprioceptive

rehabilitation program in patients with neck pain: a randomized

controlled study. These data emphasize the role of a neck

proprioception alteration in chronic neck pain and suggest that a

rehabilitation program based on eye-head coupling should be included

in most management of cervicalgic patients.

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Revel M, Minguet M, Gregoy P, Vaillant J, JL Changes in

cervicocephalic kinesthesia after a proprioceptive rehabilitation

program in patients with neck pain: a randomized controlled study.Arch

Phys Med Rehabil 1994 Aug;75(8):895-9

Head repositioning accuracy (HRA) after full range active motion was

evaluated in 60 cervicalgic patients. These data emphasize the role of

a neck proprioception alteration in chronic neck pain and suggest that

a rehabilitation program based on eye-head coupling should be included

in most medical management of cervicalgic patients

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Bevan L, Cordo P, Carlton L, Carlton M, Proprioceptive coordination of

movement sequences: discrimination of joint angle versus angular

distance.J Neurophysiol 1994 May;71(5):1862-72

The purpose of these experiments was to determine the accuracy with

which human subjects could discriminate proprioceptive

(nonretinotopic) targets during movement. … It is concluded that, in

kinesthetic tasks of this type, the discrimination of angular distance

is more accurate than the discrimination of joint angle. We

hypothesize that the nervous system extracts kinematic information

related to both joint angle and angular distance from proprioceptors,

and that the encoding and or decoding of angular distance is more

accurate than that of absolute joint angle

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Cordo P, Carlton L, Bevan L, Carlton M, Kerr GK Proprioceptive

coordination of movement sequences: role of velocity and position

information. J Neurophysiol 1994 May;71(5):1848-61 S. Dow

Recent studies have shown that the CNS uses proprioceptive information

to coordinate multijoint movement sequences; This paper addresses how

the CNS uses proprioceptive information related to the velocity and

position of joints to coordinate multijoint movement sequences. The

results from experiments with unpredictable velocity trajectories

indicate that the CNS extracts proprioceptive information related to

both the velocity and the angular position of the joint to trigger the

hand movement in this movement sequence. 4. To determine the

generality of proprioceptive triggering in movement sequences, we

estimated the minimal movement duration with which proprioceptive

information can be used as well as the amount of learning required to

use proprioceptive input to perform the task. The temporal limits for

proprioceptive processing in this movement task were established by

determining the minimal movement time during which the task could be

performed.

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Bard C, Fleury M, Teasdale N, Paillard J, Nougier V Contribution of

proprioception for calibrating and updating the motor space. Can J

Physiol Pharmacol 1995 Feb;73(2):246-54

The absence of muscular proprioception, whether at a segmental or at a

central level, impairs performance in several ways. The contribution

of proprioception to movement control and learning is not easily

dissociated from that of other sources of sensory information (e.g.,

vision). Therefore, the rare clinical cases of extensive neuropathy,

depriving the brain massively and permanently of its presumed main

sources of dynamogenic information from skin and muscles, are of very

special interest.Overall, our results highlight the key role of

proprioceptive afferents for calibrating the spatial motor frame of

reference, and the powerful substitutive properties of the central

nervous system.

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Panjabi MM, Lydon C, Vasavada A, Grob D, Crisco JJ 3rd, 1: On the

understanding of clinical instability. Spine 1994 Dec 1;19(23):2642-50

Dvorak

The findings help explain the clinical instability of the spine and

support the hypothesis that the neutral zone is more closely

associated with the clinical instability than is the range of motion.

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Panjabi MM The stabilizing system of the spine. Part I. Function,

dysfunction, adaptation, and enhancement. J Spinal Disord 1992

Dec;5(4):383-9;

In situations where additional loads or complex postures are

anticipated, the neural control unit may alter the muscle recruitment

strategy, with the temporary goal of enhancing the spine stability

beyond the normal requirements.

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The stabilizing system of the spine. Part II. Neutral zone and

instability hypothesis.

Panjabi MM J Spinal Disord 1992 Dec;5(4):390-6; discussion

The neutral zone is a region of intervertebral motion around the

neutral posture where little resistance is offered by the passive

spinal column. Several studies--have shown that the neutral zone is a

parameter that correlates well with other parameters indicative of

instability of the spinal system. It has been found to increase with

injury, and possibly with degeneration, to decrease with muscle force

increase across the spanned level. The neutral zone appears to be a

clinically important measure of spinal stability function. It may

increase with injury to the spinal column or with weakness of the

muscles, which in turn may result in spinal instability or a low-back

problem.

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Kiefer A, Shirazi-Adl A, Parnianpour M Synergy of the human spine in

neutral postures. Eur Spine J 1998;7(6):471-9

The neutral position of the spine is the posture most commonly

sustained throughout daily activities. This report proposes a new

synergetic approach for analysis of the spine in neutral postures and

evaluates its performance. The results suggest that relatively small

muscle activations are sufficient to stabilize the spine in neutral

posture under the body weight. The results also indicate that muscles

attaching onto the rib cage are important for control of the overall

spinal posture and maintenance of equilibrium.

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Magnusson ML, Aleksiev A, Wilder DG, Pope MH, Spratt K, Lee SH, Goel

VK,Weinstein JN Unexpectedload and asymmetric posture as etiologic

factors in low back pain. Eur Spine J 1996;5(1):23-35

Unexpected loads, , can lead to high forces cause of low back

injury….functional restoration program ,,efficacy in reducing reaction

…Reaction time was longer and EMG amplitude lower in patients than in

their matched controls. …training of coordination and posture control.

…Chronic low back pain patients have less ability to protect

themselves from sudden loads, but they can be trained to improve their

response by means of an appropriate rehabilitation program.

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Krajcarski SR, Potvin JR, Chiang J The in vivo dynamic response of the

spine to perturbations causing rapidflexion: effects of pre-load and

step input magnitude.Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 1999 Jan;14(1):54-62

Co-contraction of the antagonistic and agonistic muscles of the trunk

are required to provide stability during normal physiological loading

conditions…co-contractions prior to unexpected or sudden loads.

Pre-activation of trunk extensor muscles can serve to reduce the

flexion displacements caused by rapid loading. The abdominal oblique

muscles, especially external oblique, will rapidly increase their

activation levels in response to rapid loading. These changes are more

pronounced when pre-activation levels are low, resulting in lower

initial trunk stiffness and spine compression force. It is proposed

that these factors will ultimately affect spine stability and the risk

of injury.

Injuries can be caused by unexpected and rapid loading of the spine.

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Gandevia SC, McCloskey DI, Burke D Kinaesthetic signals and muscle

contraction. Trends Neurosci 1992 Feb;15(2):62-5

Signals generated both peripherally and centrally contribute to the

group of sensations termed kinaesthesia. …sensations of position and

movement under passive relaxed conditions without muscle contraction.,

kinaesthetic acuity is probably of greater functional value when

subjects are active rather than passive movement detection is markedly

improved by muscular contraction…enhancement is likely to involve

muscle spindle volleys…Activity in more than one muscle spindle

afferent may be required for kinaesthetic sensations, whereas some

single cutaneous and joint afferents may have a more 'secure' central

projection.

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Gandevia SC, Burke D Coupling between human muscle spindle endings and

motor units assessed using spike-triggered averaging. McKeon B

Neurosci Lett 1986 Nov 11;71(2):181-6

A single spindle afferent has only a weak reflex effect on an active

motoneurone pool and must be part of a synchronized volley to affect

motoneurone discharge significantly.

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Edgerton VR, Wolf SL, Levendowski DJ, Roy RR. Theoretical basis for

patterning EMG amplitudes to assess muscle dysfunction. Med Sci Sp

Exer 1996;28:744-751

Altered muscle activation ratios of synergist spinal muscles during a

variety of motor tasks differentiated from injured and uninjured

individuals. Underactivity of agonists and overactivity of synergists

was able to discriminate pain patients with 88% accuracy.

According to Edgerton et al., " The nervous system apparently can

detect a reduced capacity to generate force from a specific muscle or

group of muscles and compensate by recruiting more motoneurons. This

compensation can be made by recruiting motor units from an uninjured

area of the muscle or from other muscles capable of performing the

same tasks ... "

****I have a bunch more relative abstracts but I guess I'll stop

there, as this should give you a general mindset as were you should

also focus.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I used to race in go-karting 12 years ago, Fisichella raced in my

category, he then went on to become a Formula 1 driver.

Very shortly I would suggest to condition particularly well the

forearms, the shoulders and the neck, and get very good aerobic

fitness.

I remember talking to Dr. Paoli, strength coach of the Formula 1

driver Riccardo Patrese, and he told me that at the start of the race

the heart-beats were at their highest, and I can confirm that in my

experience, too.

I am sure there are differences between driving a go-kart and a

NASCAR car, so you might want to ask your drivers what muscles tend to

get more fatigued during the race. Each kind of car racing has

different conditining needs, as an example Rally drivers need to

spend more time on conditioning than Formula drivers as they have to

continuosly correct the car forcefully, their races last more than

twice as long and they have to perform for several days in a row.

Unless the practice session is very short I would weight train after

it. In the off-season many drivers do other motor-sports (from car to

bikes or viceversa, or from a kind of car to another, i.e. from

Formulas to Rally, etc.); I think that would be a good time to weight

train before (yet without leaving so much residual fatigue that

impairs the focus of the driver: life is always on the line).

I have a feeling that most drivers don't perceive themselves as

athletes but just as.. drivers, thus they don't pay attention to

details, such as the diet (call it a detail).

I worked with low-level motocross riders but I find their needs,

conditioning-wise, very different from the car drivers.

Hope that helps.

Carlo Buzzichelli

Siena, Italy / Brooklyn, NY

[Guest guest]

I don't have personal experience with auto racing, but I used to race motocross and I can tell you that it is a very physically demanding sport.

It causes me much consternation when I hear people saying that motocross can't require much physical conditioning because the bike is doing all the work. I just don't understand that, but I have heard it more than a few times. At any rate, a few thoughts on S & C for motocross racers:

1) Depending on the type of race (some outdoor races last nearly an hour) a very substantial aerobic capacity is needed. Mountain bike training is probably one of the best forms of aerobic conditioning for these athletes.

2) The entire body should be conditioned, but of particular concern are the forearms, legs, and low back. Deadlifts and different variations of such work nicely for these needs. Farmer's walks might be a useful addition.

3) Overall stability is important - I would recommend exercises such as overhead squats, one arm deadlifts, lunges in different planes, and different medicine ball drills to name a few.

4) Play time / technique training on the bike is also important. It is my opinion that racers should not ride at race pace every time they hop on their bike. Call it a sort of riding periodization, but I believe it is important to play around occasionally; i.e, spend some time practicing jump technique, or braking technique, or simply freeriding.

Writing this email makes me wish I was still racing. Unfortunately I can't live that lifestyle at the current time. I guess I'll be forced to play motocross games on the PlayStation 2 :-)

Gabe Rinaldi, CSCS

www.evolvetofitness.com