Episode 9 – Dr. Stuart McGill – Part 2: Be an Athlete 24/7

In this Episode:

• Introduction
• Micromovements
• Corrective Exercise
• Myths for Cyclists
• Strength Training Approaches for Cyclists and Triathletes
• Coaching
• Key Points for Cyclists and Triathletes to Express Athleticism
• Conclusion

Show Notes:

0:43 –

Introduction

• Video on HV Training YouTube channel
  • You can see Dr. McGill’s models there
• Book recommendation for coaches: “How to Lie With Statistics”
  • Importance of reading research articles
• Most advanced and up to date programming on TrainingPeaks University
  • Cycling version: Strength Training for Cycling Success
  • Triathlon version: Strength Training for Triathlon Success
    • Two very different programs

4:34 –

Micromovements

• Typical issue with cyclists
• As soon as you damage an endplate or get a little bit of a disc bulge it changes the mechanics of the joint
• Very rarely do you find a cyclist whose primary concern and first injury is to the facet joints
  • It almost always starts out as a bad disc and then later on the facet joints ;22become the primary – which forms the cascade
• We try to stiffen the laxity – not mobilize it – and once it’s stiffened it responds to the joints above and below

7:34 –

Corrective Exercise

• Recreational cyclists typically have a kyphotic head position where they lose range of motion and the shoulder joint is out of position
• Cyclists need healthy range of motion and strength endurance for the upper back too
• “Corrective exercise is to combat chronic stresses caused by the sport”- Dr. McGill
• It would be beneficial to do some thoracic extension work for cyclists to restack the spine and fix posture

9:22 –

Myths for Cyclists

• Dr. McGill them the clipboard to write down what they need (in terms of athletic variables) to be the very best in their sport
• After he asks what the weakest part of their athletic game is
• “I think they’d be very wise to spend more time in self-analysis – what is the weakest part of my game?” – Dr. McGill
• “If an athlete struggles to answer that – they have nothing to guide their training – you have to know what you’re training!” – Dr. McGill
  • Cyclist culture doesn’t help with finding this answer
• Graded exposure – not in a crude way
  • Practice good spine hygiene throughout the day and get you back on the bike
  • Set up the bike to fit the athlete and minimize stress concentrations
  • Audit body response from limited bi-daily exposure
    • “Don’t get greedy” – Dr. McGill
    • Let your body adapt

16:50 –

Strength Training Approaches for Cyclists and Triathletes

• It depends!
• Stiffer core for cyclists
• Program in cycles – don’t overtrain
• Train the body to be a tuned machine
  • You want an interplay between strength, stiffness, mobility, elasticity, endurance, etc.
• Be an athlete 24/7
  • Eat well
  • Treat your body well and practice movement hygiene throughout the day
    • It will lead to a bigger training capacity
• Good technique in the weight room
  • Limit the volume

19:59 –

Coaching

• So much misinformation and people speaking in definites
• Decide what suits your personality (as a coach)
• “Coaches are innately very perceptive and they know how to treat athlete A differently from athlete B” – Dr. McGill
  • They also recognize the uniqueness and differences in anatomy, mechanics, architecture, physiology, etc. of each athlete
• Understand your strengths and weaknesses
• It’s very much an art and a science
• Look at the variance within a research paper, not just the average results
  • Variance = key
• “People choose science to make a point that is convenient rather than truthful – it always comes back to it depends and some people are uncomfortable with that answer” – Dr. McGill
• Nothing else matters except if the athlete can produce the force, tension, and stiffness at the right time to be able to execute the sport
• Combines
  • The record holder very rarely even make the teams
    • What’s the content validity of some of those tests?

30:37 –

Key Points for Cyclists and Triathletes to Express Athleticism

• Keep working on developing knowledge of how the body works
• “You must have proximal stability to unleash distal mobility” – Dr. McGill
  • You must generate force and transmit it through the linkage

32:58 –

Conclusion

• It depends!
• Formulate an idea of what’s going on and then slowly move in that direction
  • Micro-adjusting
• Where can you find Dr. McGill?
  • Backfitpro.com
  • Back Fit Pro on social media
  • Seminars