First of all, wanted to give a HUGE special thanks to my girl Dr. Aloiya Earl for taking time out of her busy schedule to guest post for my blog. Aloiya has had a great impact on my training philosophy and has also helped implement some of the actual training we do at FSQ such as our ACL Injury Risk Reduction Program.
She is a great follow on Twitter for all things related to sports performance so check her out!!! @aloiya_earl
Enjoy!
Bio: Dr. Aloiya Earl is a sports medicine physician at Premier Orthopedics in Dayton, Ohio. She studied her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina. She earned her medical degree from the University of Toledo College of Medicine. She went on to complete a 3-year residency program at The Ohio State University and a 1-year Sports Medicine fellowship specialty program at the University of Alabama. During her time with the Crimson Tide, she worked primarily with the football, gymnastics, and track programs. While in Alabama, she also worked in ringside medicine at various MMA, boxing, and kickboxing events. She enjoys working with athletes of all ages and sports to help prevent and treat injuries and to optimize performance through nutrition, sleep, mental health, and training.
Q1: With all of the training myths out there in our industry such as “lifting will stunt your growth,” how early is too early for kids to start training and what are some of the benefits?
This is a great question, because there is so much misinformation about youth strength training. There is no evidence that strength training stunts growth or injures growth plates when executed properly. The key to deciding when it’s time for a child to start strength training depends on their capacity to follow directions and control their body movements. Lifts should start fundamental (squats, deadlifts, presses), and progress to more complex movements once the basics are mastered. Lifts should always be supervised for form, and children/teens should use a weight that they can comfortably complete 15-20 reps with, even if that means only lifting a broomstick. The first movement I would recommend teaching to test the waters is a slow, controlled, bodyweight squat holding a broomstick at a low-bar squat position. Focus on keeping weight in the heels, avoiding valgus knee position, keeping gaze at a comfortable forward position where the neck is not hyperextended or flexed, and keeping wrists neutral.
Benefits to strength training early include learning safe movement patterns, practicing discipline and structure, increasing neuromuscular connections, and developing habits for a healthy future.
Q2: ACL Injuries are one of the most devastating injuries in all of sports. They also seem to be increasing in occurrence, especially in females. Why do you think this is and what is the best way to help reduce ones risk for an ACL injury?
There is an abundance of research on the topic of ACL injury demographics, and lots of great studies are still ongoing. Many factors could potentially contribute to the disproportionate amount of female ACL injuries. In my opinion, one of the primary factors is a relative imbalance between quad strength and glute/hip/core/posterior chain strength. Female athletes tend to be quad-dominant, and not as strong in the latter muscle groups; this can lead to movement patterns and jump-landing patterns that create a rotational valgus torque through the knee, tearing the ACL. To reduce risk for non-contact ACL injuries in females and all athletes, I always emphasize incorporating strength training for the posterior chain (especially eccentric movements), box drop squats to learn landing mechanics, using video as biofeedback to assess agility and landing mechanics, and performing a dynamic warmup before every practice.
Q3: We train a ton of really strong & fast female athletes. However, some women don’t want to train because they fear looking “bulky.” What are some of the benefits to women who lift weights and how do we continue to get rid of that stigma?
I’ve been so happy to see a trend towards more female athletes strength training in recent years, because the fear of “getting bulky” is so inconsequential. Even among the most dedicated female athletes who strength train regularly, it is tremendously difficult to put on muscle mass. Women who aim to have a more bulky, muscular appearance need to work extremely hard in the gym, usually powerlifting very heavy workloads, and eating a consistent caloric surplus within defined macronutrient ratios – often force-feeding! Without training and eating in this way, it’s nearly impossible to become bulky. Typical strength training has a myriad of benefits for females, both aesthetic and health-related. Aesthetically, consistent strength training creates more of a lean and toned appearance in females. It changes body composition, so even if weight stays the same, shape and the way clothes fit will change. Waist circumference decreases. From a health standpoint, strength training increases metabolism throughout the day, long after the workout is over. It improves blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and decreases risk of heart disease. It decreases depression and anxiety. Strength training also emphasizes good movement patterns which translate to athletic performance and injury risk reduction.
Q4: I feel we often find a disconnect exists in the process of athletes returning to play from injury. Ideally, the process should include doctor/surgeon, athletic trainer, physical therapist, strength & conditioning staff, and coaching staff. How do we continue to develop a holistic system so we are consistently on the same page?
I agree – the return-to-play process is multi-disciplinary, as each member of the sports medicine care team has a unique role and perspective. For example, my basic criteria to return an athlete to play includes full pain-free range-of-motion of the injured body part, full strength equal to the other side, ability to perform sport-specific movements without change in gait/body mechanics, and the athlete’s confidence in his/her ability to return to full play. However, if I’m not out at practice, and if I don’t know an athlete’s baseline movement patterns and technique, I’m not the best person to judge whether or not that athlete is ready to return; I would ideally need input from a coach or S&C staff. Another example is an athlete might tell me they feel ready to return, but they have expressed apprehension with their physical therapist who they see more often and have potentially developed a stronger rapport with. I think the key to comprehensive return-to-play decision making is open communication between members of the care team. Keeping an open, pressure-free dialogue is important. Each member of the team should be accessible and willing to listen and contribute for the shared goal of safely allowing an athlete to return with the best potential performance outcomes.
Q5: We talk a lot about speed & strength training to maximize performance for competition. One of the more overlooked aspects of training is RECOVERY. Developing great recovery habits is great for performance and can also help keep athletes off the injured list. What do you feel are the best ways for athletes to recover from training and competition?
Without adequate recovery, athletes will never get the most out of the hard work they put into training. I’ve seen examples of elite-level athletes who work incredibly hard in the gym, only to go home and eat fast food and Hot Cheetos all night and stay up until 3am. It always makes me wonder how much better they could be with better recovery strategies. When I discuss recovery, I am referring to nutrition, hydration, sleep, stress management, and time away from physical and psychological workloads. My three best tips for recovery: (1) Eat enough calories in real, whole foods to make up for training workload plus basal metabolic rate. Only supplement with shakes and powders if you truly can’t get enough in from real food. (2) Sleep 8-10 hours a night for adolescent and college-aged athletes. This is so underrated and crucially important. And (3) Invest in a meditation app like Calm or Headspace, or have a relaxing hobby that is completely unrelated to sports and training. Video games are a common outlet for athletes to completely disconnect from thinking about their sport, and I think this can be a great, accessible, enjoyable tool for mental recovery as long as it doesn’t interfere with sleep schedules. Other examples include listening to music, watching movies, and spending time with a positive support system.
Thank you guys for checking out this post! Hope you enjoyed it.
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