Articles by Cliffe Deacon
Pain and Gain
Richard das Neves and Cliffe Deacon used SACA’s Player Plus programme to maintain their medical professional status, and their cricketing backgrounds have given them an edge over some of their colleagues.
Body Warm Up
Warm up the body for a session, a game… a season!
The first weekend of domestic cricket has just come to an end and I read an interesting article in one of our national newspapers concerning cricket players getting injured
Tick the Right Boxes
We have entered the second week in February and cricket is going well. All the initial pains of the season has long gone disappeared and you are on top of your game.. except that when you get up in the morning it does tend to be a little more difficult every week as the season
Periodization
How many times have you seen people cramping, failing to go all the way, or be able to even start. How many times have you seen people perform great during the prelims and then not getting out the blocks at all during the semi’s or finals? Why is this?
Initial Injury Treatment
Initial treatment of any injury – how important is it?
A lot of people think that RICE is only something you eat!!! But, once you have read the testimonial below, I am sure you will agree that RICE is one of the most…
Recovery
Recovery during cricket is probably one of the most important factors when it comes to sustained performance during a cricket season.
To me, recovery starts during your pre-season training. A couple…
Ice Bathing
“Why in the world would you get into a bath filled with ice and freezing water, have you completely lost your mind.”
How many times have you heard people use these words? Is there method…
Compression Garments
What does Compression Garments do for you as a Professional Cricket Player?
We have often seen these sportsmen walking around with these funny looking pants… Some even looking as if they are wearing stockings!!! But what are these garments for…
My Case Study
During the season of 2004/2005 I was playing a Supersport game in Bloemfontein. For the previous three months I was struggling with a very stiff lower back every day. But, because a bit of manipulation before every game…
Meniscus Injury and Rehabilitation
In September of 2012, while we were preparing for the Champions League Cricket Tournament, we were warming up for a net session. The outfield was a little wet, but nothing to serious….I had to turn around quite quickly at one stage and felt a big “clunk” in my left knee.
A Basic Guideline to Cricket Player's Winter Program
During this winter, all cricket players in any squad representing the province will have to make sure that a very specific degree of fitness is maintained. This, as we all know, is the base of any good sportsman and for us to compete for higher honours; we have to be better than those whose places we want to take from them!
Hamstring Rehabilitation Excercises
- Always alternate an exercise from the first group with an exercise from the second
- Whenever exercises are done where legs need to be alternated, make sure the amount of repetitions are done on both the legs
- A session consists out of a total of twelve (12) exercises – six (6) per group
Stability Training
Progression process for stability training
Quadriceps Rehabilitation
It is always important to make sure that before you start with your rehabilitation exercises, you are certain of the following…
Classification of LBP
Specific Treatments Of Problems of the Spine (STOPS) trials
Basic Medical Protocols
Basic Medical Protocols
21 Questions for JB Morin on the Topic of Speed
Several weeks ago I wrote a post reviewing a study on Christophe Lemiatre and what makes him so darn fast. The study was conducted by French professor JB Morin; an incredible researcher in the field of sprint biomechanics and speed development. JB was kind enough to sit down and answer 21 questions I threw at him.
List of Lower Progressions For Squats and Deadlifts by Bret Contreras
It is of utmost importance that lifters, personal trainers, strength coaches and physical therapists know the optimum starting point and stairway to success in all the major lower body movement patterns. All lifters need to demonstrate proficiency at step one before moving onto step two. I can’t tell you how often I see lifters and coaches performing variations that are too challenging for them at the moment.
Learn How to Improve Glutes
The research shows that the glutes don’t fire much when doing easy tasks such as walking or standing up from a seated position. Research does show that the glutes fire very hard when sprinting, jumping, and lifting weights, but sadly, most individuals’ daily activity does not involve strenuous activity which requires the glute’s involvement.
Training For Maximum Muscle Growth Explained
We all want bigger muscles, and in order to build bigger muscles, we need to get stronger – much stronger. Gaining strength through progressive overload ensures that we continue to place more tension on the muscles over time, forcing them to adapt by growing larger. Heavier weights equals greater tension which equals bigger muscles. Got it? Great!
Which Type of Squats Maximize Glute Activation
Which type of squat maximizes glute activation? I get asked this question from time to time, and the answer might surprise you. The kneeling squat actually maximizes glute activation.
July Strength & Conditioning Research Questions
Hi fitness folks! Do you know the answer to the July strength & conditioning research review questions? If not, you ought to subscribe to our research review service. HERE is the link in case you’re not yet subscribed.
Pain Catastrophizing
Is pain catastrophizing a risk factor for chronic pain after total knee arthroplasty?
40 Steps to Functionality
There are indeed some credible and valuable functional movement experts out there – this article isn’t about them. Every year, the strength & conditioning and physical therapy industries see several new pseudoscientific movement gurus emerge onto the scene. I like to…
Interview With JB Morin - What makes athletes sprint faster!
JB Morin is a man on a mission – to unravel the science and discover the practices behind what best makes athletes sprint faster. He has amassed an incredible team of researchers who are equally as interested in advancing speed training science and methodology.
Devastating Power Production
Training to maximize power output becomes a very interesting topic when discussed among strength coaches. Some coaches swear by Olympic lifts and its variations, while others use a variety of approaches when seeking out maximal power development.
Should Women Squat
Should women squat if they don’t want big legs?
Sorting out an Imbalance
Glute Imbalances are much more common than most people assume. For Example, I’m currently training twelve different clients; ten women and two men. Out of these twelve lifters, four possess glute imbalances in varying degrees (all of them are women). Two of them seem…
VMO Research as a Teaching Tool
Using VMO Research as a Teaching Tool for Understanding Evidence-Based Decision Making.
Why Do People's Knees Cave Inward When They Squat?
Strength coaches and physical therapists tend to use fancy terminology to describe knee caving in a squat. For example, the terms knee valgus, valgus collapse and medial knee displacement are tossed quite frequently. Most strength…
Considerations in Athletic Performance Enhancement Training
Athlete Weight Room Preparation
Allocating Volume to Maximize Muscle Growth
I’ve spent 23 years analyzing program design. In the beginning, I would read Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding and peruse the muscle mags. Then I stumbled upon HIT Training…
Why is Christophe LeMaitre so damn fast?
Christophe LeMaitre is one fast sumbitch. As a matter of fact, he’s the fastest Caucasian in the history of track & field. At only 21 years of age, he’s the only Caucasian to officially run 100 meters in less than 10 seconds (he actually did so at age 20). To date, 80 sprinters have broken the 10-second barrier, but only one of them is Caucasian
Hip mobility and Acceleration Training
Activations
- Transvers Abdominus
- Glutes
- Multifidi
- Firing Patterns
Hip mobility and Acceleration Training - Version 2
Mobilisations
- Thoracic Spine
- Lumbar Spine
Why do I Anterior Pelvic Tilt
When performing hip extension exercises, an alarming number of lifters move their pelvises into excessive anterior tilt. This can occur during squats, deadlifts, good mornings, back extensions, reverse hypers, hip thrusts, and barbell glute bridges.
How much is too much?
Today’s blog post is a guest article by Coach John Grace. These days, higher workloads, higher volume, higher intensities, and higher frequencies are all the rage, but quite frankly, many athletes do better with a more moderate approach.
How Does Usain Bolt Train
Before a few days ago, I’d never heard of Statigram, but a colleague recently forwarded me a short video clip from Usain Bolt’s Statigram account, along with a note that said, “Usain uses anteroposterior hip extension exercises!
Ease Into Things By Bret Contreras
Looking back at my 21-year lifting career, I can tell you that most of my nagging pain, injuries, and setbacks were due to one simple thing – failing to ease into things. Having read plenty of bodybuilding magazines and books growing up, I mistakenly thought that I had to shock my body in order to see good results, whatever that means.
Machine vs Free Weights: More research is needed
The machines versus free weights debate has literally been going on for decades. Certain key figures that spearheaded this controversy, such as Arthur Jones, didn’t do a good job of representing this debate as his knowledge of sports science was insufficient.
A better way to teach Barbell Glute Bridges and Back Extensions
While weak addominals can be a culprit, when it comes to hip extension exercises, usually weak gluteals are to blame. I mentioned several exercises that can help improve pelvic posture during heavy resistance training, including the hip thrust, American deadlift, and RKC plank.
Thoracic Movement and Scapular Movement are not the same thing
Many seem to believe that the act of protracting the scapulae causes rounding of the thoracic spine. This assumption at its core, is erreneous. Are the actions often linked by movement habit? Yes. Are the two actions inextricably linked by anatomy? No!. A strong T-spine will hold an extension independently of scapular positions.
How I Broke a Stubborn Record
Today’s article is a guest post from Will Vatcher. I found it quite interesting as i’d never seen anyone specifically for a broad jump record. If you recall, Will interviewed Natalia Verkhoshansky several weeks ago
On "Creating Torque" by Screwing the feet into the Ground
Lately there have been many experts suggesting that for optimal squatting and conventional deadlifting performance, one should purposefully create torque by screwing one’s feet to the ground. Kelly Starrett and Mark Bell are two proponents of this.
Fitness is no Religion or Politics
Most lifters start working out to look and feel better. Along the way, they get sucked into one of the numerous fitness cults out there and turn into annoying fitness snobs. No matter what anyone tells you, many roads lead to Rome. There are many ways to see great results in the gym.
Functional Neuromuscular Anatomy
What is Functional Training?
- Any stimulus which prepares the body to more successfully perform the required activity.
- In the last decade a shift from machine based to functional training has occurred.
1. Muscle isolation or rigid multi-joint patterns do not effectively mimic the demands of triplaner movement, gravity and unexpected demands.
Rice Meat Police
There has been talk regarding the management of acute injuries especially from a physiotherapy perspective. Do we still follow the traditional RICE principle? Or do we move with the times and follow the MEAT or POLICE approach?