Heard of a Kettlebell ??

I’ve recently been out the water for a few weeks after having a pterygium cut off my eye, which has resulted in more time spent in the gym keeping fit and in shape while I’m out the water, It been super interesting watching how other people train from the muscle junkies to the weight loss obsessed women.

Something new that has taken off in gyms country wide and is often featured in health and fitness magazines is the use of kettle bells so I decided to do a little research on these oddly shaped weights.

For those of you who do not know what a kettle bell is, it is those new weights in the gym that look like a cannon ball with a looped handle on the top, the weight of these kettle bells varies.

Surprisingly these pieces of equipment are not new but in fact been around for multiple years and are often used by MMA and other cross fit athletes.

So why the sudden movement towards the use of kettle bells in the common gym?

Unlike the traditional dumbbell which is used to train a single muscle group at a time, the kettle bell on the other hand offer full body conditioning, working multiple muscle groups and specifically the core during each exercise as the body both stabilizes and controls each movement.

Kettle bell exercises which are usually used in explosive time movements (swinging, snatching and jumping) combine cardio-vascular, flexibility, strength training all in one.

There are numerous different exercises that one can perform using a kettle bell, this training is great for leg and back strength as well as great for enhancing your core strength, perfect type of resistance training for surfers, working all the muscle groups essential to high performance surfing.

Watch this space for some kettle bell exercises as well as safety and technique tips.

Wade

(image courtesy of dragondoor.com)

Shin Splints

Shin splints, often a word thrown around by athletes, but what is it?

Until recently I had heard of these “shin splints” but wasn’t too clued up on the injury or knew how it was sustained, needless to say I learnt the hard way, during training for the half marathon I recently ran, I doubled my training time and distance which lead to shin splints, which put a bit of a dent in my training, so I decided I would research a little further and provide the readers with a little more insight into the overuse injury.

Medial tibial stress syndrome (M.T.S.S) is the scientific name given to shin splints, It is an overuse injury to the lower medial (inside) portion of the leg which results in inflammation due to excessive force placed on the connective tissue and bone, the area in which the pain is felt usually extends for approximately 15cm along the tibia. Shin splints are a form of compartment syndrome.

The causes of shin splints include:

· Increasing training intensity to rapidly, muscle and tendons can no longer absorb the shock.

· Training on un even terrain

· Foot wear is also a major factor, each athlete needs to assess their gate cycle and determine what shoe to use (e.g. whether they pronate or supernate), it is highly important to have sufficient support from your shoes.

· Persons who run flat footed are prone to shin splints.

The pain experienced is a result of the pressure and force exceeding the body’s ability to repair and restore the damage.

Muscles are covered fascia (connective tissue which covers and hold the muscle together), fascia is an inelastic tissue. When the muscle becomes inflamed due to an excessive work load this pressure exerted on the inelastic fascia results in the pain experienced from M.T.S.S.

In the initial stages of M.T.S.S, pain is felt at the beginning of exercise and the pain goes away after a couple of minutes of the activity and once the activity is stopped the pain returns.

So once you have shin splints, what can you do?

The initial treatment for shin splints involves the R.I.C.E (rest, ice, compress and elevate) principle, however the most effective way to recover from shin splints is rest, this is the only method which gives the muscle the adequate time to recover.

The amount of time to rest varies on the extent of the damage from a few weeks up to 3 months in the more severe cases.

There are other modalities of physical treatment, such as:

· Ultrasound

· Whirlpool Baths

· Phonophoresis

· Augumented soft tissue mobilization

· Electrical Simulation

· Unweighted ambulation

The aim of treatment is to restore strength to the tibialis anterior as well as the surrounding muscles which control inversion and eversion of the foot.

Finally correct shoes play a vital role in the treatment and prevent the condition from deteriorating further, sometimes a simple insole can prevent shin splints.

So before you purchase another pair of runners ask a staff member to check your old runners for pronation, supernation or flat foot ,to see whether a specific shoe of extra padding is required, It will save you hours spent rehabilitating injuries and a whole lot of pain.

Wade Botha

Bachelor of Sport Science HONS Exercise Science UKZN 2010

References:

· Galbraith, M, & Lavallee, M. (2009). Medial tibial stress syndrome: conservative treatment options. 2(3):127–133. Retrieved from Pubmed

· What Cause Shin Splints - Claude T. Moorman III

· Yates, B., White, S. (2004). The incidence and risk factors in the development of medial tibial stress syndrome among naval recruits. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 32(3), 772-780

· Craig, D. I. (2008). Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome: Evidence-Based Prevention. Journal of Athletic Training, 43(3), 316-318. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

El Salvador wrap up!

El Salvador, pretty much the best trip I have ever been on, things started out a bit on the rough side, where at one point I was ready to forfeit the entire trip and run home to my comfort zone, but I’m glad now that I didn’t, I would never have experienced such an amazing country, or made the new friends I now have or seen and experienced that things I did.

So in a way now I’m glad that thing went the way they did, travelling alone all the way to El Salvador, was what I needed, before this trip I was terrified to go through international non English airports but now it doesn’t seem half as intimidating as before.

One thing I would change if I could, would be the rain, torrential rain that came down from Friday until Monday evening, causing floods and devastation in La Liebertad, and turned the ocean into a muddy mess with debris everywhere, only delaying the event by one day.

The event ran in contestable clean 3 – 5 foot surf at Punta Roca from day 1 to 5, with sun shine and light winds, the standard of surfing for a masters event was top level with names like Tom Curran, Layne Beachley, Juan Ashton, Heather Clarke and Fabio Gouvier.

Punta Roca is a super fun waves, exactly like they say it’s like Super tubes in J Bay but it runs a bit slower so its super makeable, we got to surf at Punta Roca after the event most days it was super crowded but plenty of waves the local kids didn’t like us surfing out there that much so there was plenty of hustling and just getting plain down burnt if you thought you were on a set, even though you did wait your turn.

So on our earlier day we all decided to surf the point our front of the hotel, also a cobble stone point with super fun right which ran for meters on end, some of the funest waves I’ve surfed in a long time, so Playa Conchalio took up most of our day light free time, surfing till dark watching the raddest sunsets which were more awesome every day.

On Saturday night we ventured into San Salvador which is the capital of El Salvador, we went to a Japanese restaurant called Kamakura, apparently they served the best sushi which had all the boys frothing, even I ate a piece, wasn’t half bad, but I stuck to my Chicken teriyaki.

We were greeted with 2- 2.5 foot small rights for the final day, Team South Africa managed a finalist in all 5 divisions, and ended up with 2 Silver medals, 2 Bronze and a copper medal, as well as the bronze medal over all, great result for a great team, the gold medal went to USA and Brazil took silver, Australia finished 5^th ha ha.

El Salvador is such a unique country, and one thing I learnt is that simplicity is the key to happiness, I wouldn’t say the people of la Liebertad were hard done by the had the basic necessities, T.V and internet as well, but they lived simple and I’ve never seen a happier nation of people living in the conditions they live in, the kids play out in the streets till 8:30 each night, kicking balls, playing with the million of pebbles that litter the beaches, and just always wearing a smile, and to see their stoke for surfing despite their equipment ,was moving.

So with two flight down I’m sitting in Sao Paulo Airport, waiting out the longest layover of my life, thinking back on the past 11 days of my life and how lucky I am to have been afforded these opportunities, thinking of the waves, the people, the new friends I have made and the awesome sunset that the people of El Salvador will see tonight, I really hope I return back to la Liebertad sometime soon, but for now it’s just two more flights and i’m back to reality, and I will have that blog on Shin splints out by next week.

Wade

El Salvador adventures

I got my boards and luggage!!

After 2 days of postponed contest due to the to town of La Liebertad being declared in a state of emergency due to 7 days of heavy tropical rain, which left whole trees , horses and the odd dog floating around the line up, the ISA World Masters Surfing Championships was given the green light today.

Today kicked off with the opening ceremony at Punta Roca , behind the podium, the flag carriers and sand pourers from each of the competing nations each had a turn to walk up onto the stage and empty their containers into the glass tank on the stage, team South Africa's sand came from Warner Beach, my home town which was pretty cool, it was also mixed with sand from Vic Bay. El Salvador and Switzerland poured pebbles into the tank because their beaches don't have sand but pebbles instead.

So team by team the tank filled, the result was awesome (see picture)!

The sun decided to show face today and by noon it had burned away majority of the clouds and we were blessed with a scorcher of a day!

10am saw the first heats hit the water, Punta Roca produced, broken up swell at first but as the day progressed the waves straightened out and there were so great waves on offer, chocolate barrels for everyone.

All the Saffa's that surfed advanced directly into qualifier round 2.

After the event the judges decided it was our turn to surf, Punta Roca was crowded so the Peruvian , Nino insisted that we jump in the van and head "10 minutes" down the coast, 10 minutes i Peruvian is 25 minutes in South African time i'll have you know.

with time not on our side, with sunset just around the corner, Nino took us on a nerve wrecking drive along the windy roads of La Liebertad ( i'm still not quite used to this driving on the other side of the road), we finally arrived at El Zonte , a fun looking right hand cobble stone point break , the tide was a bit high but it was good to get in the water even if it was for only 30 minutes and a mission over 1 million stones in the dark afterwards.

All in all the trip that started off with a couple hiccups , is starting to look like it's going to be great one!!

So here is to the rest of the adventure, oh and don't trust Peruvians when it comes to post contest surfs.

Wade

El Salvador chaos

Well my trip to El Salvador to judge the ISA World Masters Surfing Championships has been anythig but a breeze,firstly my flight from Durban to O.R Thambo get cancelled and i get placed on a later flight which gets delayed so i arrive at O.R Thambo International with barley enough time to check in and bard my connecting flight to Sao Paulo , at the ticket counter there was an issue with my ticket and thanks to the incompetance of the SAA staff I missed my flight and had to spend the evening in Johannesburg, due to missing my connection to Brazil my other connection now would also be missed, so now i have one night to sort out all my other flights before getting on a plane to Brazil, oh did I mention the travel agent i needed to contact was in El Salvador!!

Any way I manage to get it sorted and now have a 16 hour overnight lay over in Sao Paulo , thank goodness SAA has arranged for me to stay in a hotel and not spend the night on the airport floor.

The rest of my flights go smooth and just when I think the worst is over and I have finally reached my destination, only to find out my luggage never made it , great.

So now it's day 2 in El Salvador, really cool place, waves look super fun but its been raining a heap so the water in brown and there are whole trees floating around, had a judges seminar with all the international judges (they come from everywhere, Australia, USA, Hawaii, Peurto Rico, Peru and Brazil), and we checked out the contest site and the tower which is sick!

Hoping my boards and clothes arrive by the start of the event on Monday, because being in a place littered with such good waves and not having a pair of board shorts or your boards is hardly ideal.

Tomorrow we have the parade of nations and the opening function which is always cool and on Monday the events kicks off so here's to hoping the rain stops and my luggage arrives .

Wade

Half marathon madness and the month ahead

So I finished my first half marathon today, the 21.2 km Goss & Balf South Coast Marathon, Starting at Ilfracombe on the KZN South Coast heading further south for a km before turning and heading north back to Amanzimtoti.

Being my first race of that distance I wasn't quite sure how to pace myself but still managed to finish well within my goal time finishing 44th overall in a time of 1hour 36minutes, I was super happy with that time and my performance, the weather was perfect for my first time, over cast and cool, all in all it was a great experience, i'll be back for another one some time soon and hopefully take on the full marathon next year, ask me tomorrow morning and my answer could be very different haha, but at least my shin splints didn't bother me today.

Tomorrow I'm off to New Pier on the Durban Beach Front for the rest of the week to judge the Hurley SA Junior Surfing Championships, Hurley have really put a lot into this event and it's set to be a great week of surfing, junior surfing is super exciting at the moment so i'm looking forward to this week.

Its also going to be interesting to see how the team I have been working with over the last month is going to do, so lots of exciting prospect lie ahead of me this week.

On the conclusion of the Hurley SA Junior Champs i'll have two days to sort my life out before I jet off to El Salvador in Central America, via Sao Paulo Brazil and Lima Peru to represent South Africa on the judging panel at the ISA World Masters Surfing Champs, I googled Punta Roca (pictured above), the break where the event is being held,really cool looking setup with perfect tropical warm rights that reel off down the point for hundred of meters, going to be so sick, i'll for sure be clocking up the hours surfing myself.

Super exciting month ahead for me, with all my lay overs I'll be able to start researching for my blog on shin splints.

I'll keep you all updated, for additional info on my whereabouts you can follow me on twitter @WadeBotha88

Wade Botha

Bss Sport Science ; HONS Exercise Science, UKZN 2010

Recent Project

Over the last month I've been working closely with the KZN South Junior Surfing Team which consists of boy and girls surfers from u/13 to u/17.

This is the first provincial team I have worked with so it's as exciting for me as it is for them, unfortunately i'm going to be one of the judges at the National junior champs so I wont be able to be team coach, so that position has been allocated to local professional surfer Klee Strachan, so the team is no doubt in good hands, my job how ever is focused on the preparation leading up to the event and with two weeks to go I'm very happy with the teams progression through the program.

On our first meeting we ran through a basic fittest testing battery, we tested their:

• Aerobic fitness
• Anaerobic fitness
• Core strength
• Upper body muscular strength
• Muscular Endurance

From these test I managed to identify their weakness, and found the area's which required the most work.

After sending each of the team members a basic program, the juniors had 2 weeks to prepare for the Regional Champs.

Those who lived in close proximity to me (KZN South extends from Amanzimtoti all the way to Port Edward) meet with me 4 -5 times a week.

Their training consists of strength training, aerobic an d anaerobic fitness, core, stability and proprioception training and then the conventional contest surfing training heats ect.

It was great to see how this training payed off for the juniors when KZN South walked away with 2 golds, 2 silvers ,1 Bronze and two copper medals, we also had numerous semi and quarter finalists and they walked away with one of the team members being awarded the Most Outstanding Girl Surfer of the tournament.

So it was rewarding for me as a sport scientist to see how the hours spent had paid off.

In between all this I have been training to take part in my first half marathon on the 2nd of October, so all of this running has left me with shin splints so I will shortly be blogging on Shin Splints, treatment and rehabilitation.

Wade Botha

Sport Scientist

International Surf Judge

S.S.I.S.A

The Sport Science institute of South Africa, located in Newlands Cape Town, was everything I expected and more, it is like a full on hospital dedicated to sports medicine, high performance training and testing, rehabilitation and research.

I was invited by Surfing South Africa to sit in on the women's high performance camp at SSISA yesterday, such an incredible opportunity. The girls went through a series of surfing specific testing to determine fitness, strength and to ultimately design specialized programs for each of the invited surfers on the camps.

The testing included:

• Anthropometry ( height, weight, skin folds)
• A 10 second all out paddling sprint on the egrometer, to determine maximal power out put when paddling.
• Vertical jump and squat jumps to measure leg strength and explosiveness
• Balance tests
• Core strength testing (variations of Planks and superman's)
• Sub-max Vo2 testing on the paddle egrometer at intensities of 5% 10% 15% and 20% of their max power out puts.

The camp also had two work shops one on Mental Strength and sport psychology and a interesting presentation by Karline Smit on nutrition.

It was so good to see surfers being treated as real athletes and we seem to have finally broken away from the stonner /beach bum stereotype, and I finally feel as though sport science and surfing as a sport are linking up, and hopefully this will help prepare the South Africans more adequately to compete on the international level and furthermore excel.

Being a Sport Scientist this is an extremely exciting prospect and hopefully I will be able to assist this movement and be apart of the high performance training and research of the surfers.

Big up to Surfing South Africa and SRSA for putting on these camps and to SSISA for seeing our surfers as athletes and taking the time to work with them

The future is looking bright

Wade Botha

BSs Sport Science, HONS Exercise Science UKZN

Gap year gone great!!

Taking a gap year to pursue my judging career turned out to be anything but chilled,even my blog has been neglected, but its been one of the sickest years, traveled all around the country judging events, got asked by the ASP to judge two world tour events and will be heading overseas in October to judge.

And just when I thought things were quieting down and I could get back to the books and get some blogs done on common surfing injuries and the treatment and rehab of them, I find out that i'm just as busy as always.

Good news though as I will be down in Cape Town this weekend to judge the WP Open of Surfing and then on Monday i'm going to be sitting in on the Surfing SA high performance camp at the Sport Science Institute of South Africa, which is sick, i'v always wanted to go and see the institute and check out the possible career opportunities that are relative to my degree, so a huge learning curve, being employed by SSISA , or even doing my masters there would be a dream come true

After that I got a couple local events around the SA coast line and then i'm off to America to judge worlds.

Common surfing injuries part 1 coming SOON!!!

Wade Botha

Sport Scientist (BSPS, HONS Exercise Science UKZN 2010)

International Surf Judge

Follow @wadebotha88 on twitter for updates of my whereabouts

Blogs coming soon!

Hi all, sorry for the quiet spell lately, I've been travelling with the international Judging panel for the ASP world tour so I have been out of touch, but watch this space for my new series of blogs which will be based on the most common injuries sustained from surfing, treatment and rehabilitation.

Wade Botha

Exercise Scientist (Honours), Bachelor of sport Science (UKZN)

International Surf Judge

Steroids , whats the BIG deal?

It seems that the youth of today have become increasingly interested in the use of steroids, not only in our community but nationwide the high schools are having problems with steroid usage amongst their learners.

Steroids are usually used amongst athletes as a performance enhancer to continue to compete at elite level although this is neither normal nor ethical, it still happens. However it’s not only elite athletes who use steroids, a large portion of steroid users are unsatisfied with their bodies and use these drugs, yes drugs, that’s what they are, for cosmetic purposes, other uses may be victims of manorexia (obsession with getting big) or individuals that are just plain lazy and couldn’t be bothered putting the time in at the gym to achieve the desired body.

The saddest part is that these drugs are readily available to youth who are completely oblivious to the many side effects and health hazards.

Anabolic steroids are defined as almost identical to the sex hormones found in males (testosterone), these steroids have anabolic properties, (anabolic meaning building), this leads to the acceleration of the development of muscles as well as maturation of the bone.

These drugs imitate the effect that the male sex hormones (testosterone and dihyrotestosterone) by promoting and enhancing protein synthesis in the cells which results in the build up of cellular tissue particularly within the muscles, leading to muscular hypertrophy (growth).

Anabolic steroids also have androgenic (masculinising) properties such as deepening of the voice and excessive hair growth.

Even though these substances are performance enhancers ,they are banned by multiple sports union worldwide, such as Sport and Recreation South Africa(SRSA) as well as the international Olympic committee , being caught for the use of these drugs carries heavy penalties even so far as life time bans.

Apart from the legal aspects involved with the use of these drugs, there are far more serious physiological effect these drugs have on the human body which in the worst case could result in death.

Despite the highly publicised negative side effects that these drugs have on the human body, many people still make use of these substances and believe that these negative effects are just “old wives tales”.

Side effects include:

Anabolic steroid use amongst individuals that are not physically mature can result in premature closing of the epiphyses (growth points) on the long bones, humerus and femur, this limits the potential growth of an individual.

The most commonly known side effect of steroid use is the reduced secretion of gonadotropin hormones, these are the hormones control both the functioning and development of the testes and ovaries.

· In males this leads the testicular atrophy (shrinking), lower sperm count and impotence, Steroid use also reduces natural testosterone production as it is supplied through drugs, this reduction in the primary male sex hormone may also result in breast tissue development.

· In females, the menstrual cycle is disturbed and may even stop due to high levels of male hormones in the body, ovulation does not take place, effecting a female ability to conceive. Altering the female hormone levels can result in masculinising effects such as , breast size reduction, deepening voice, unwanted hair growth and clitoris enlargement

In both males and females anabolic steroid use can result in abnormal growth of the heart or there may be a reduction in heart size. Anabolic steroid use may also predispose one to myocardial infarction (heart attack), abnormal heart rhythms and high blood pressure.

There are also psychological effects associated with anabolic steroid use, most common is anger management problems colloquially known as “roid rage”. Depression from steroid use has also been noted and in extreme cases leading to suicide.

A tell tale sign of steroid use is out of the blue acne break outs, this is due to elevate testosterone levels which results in excessive sebaceous gland secretion, clogging the pores promoting zit formation.

There are various different types of steroids on the market available in tablet and capsule or in the form of injections directly into the muscles, with all these substances on the market it’s easy to get caught up in the steroid buzz, especially if you not clued up on banned substances, so before putting something foreign into your body do a little research a full list of banned substances can be easily found on the internet, or even speak to you GP.

The South African Institution for Drug Free Sport has a very efficient system for testing athletes so chances are you will be caught, if you are doping and besides that it’s just plain unethical, will that win really feel like a win deep down if you know it was the performance enhancer that edged out the competition and not you!

Wade Botha

Sport Scientist

(HONS Exercise science - University of Kwa Zulu Natal)

Wings, Beasts and Rock star parties?

Energy drinks are fast becoming the most popular choice of beverage amongst sportsmen and women both young and old. Your average grocery store has at least six attractively- designed energy drink variants all displaying captivating slogans claiming to give you wings, wanting you to unleash the beast and telling you to party like a rock star.

Through media exposure of these energy drinks, whether it be seeing top athletes using these products in advertising campaigns or through the sponsorship of large sporting events, it has become trendy to be seen using these energy drinks be it on the sports field or even in the night clubs and malls, and what’s worse is how the many young individuals drink these drinks as if they were any ordinary cold drink.

Very little information is given about the possible side effects and adverse reactions these products may cause. Although manufacturers provide nutritional information a very small percentage of the general public are able to accurately interpret.

The most commonly found ingredients in these energy drinks include:

Taurine: A non-essential amino acid that is produced naturally by the human body and found in both meat and fish. In humans, taurine is synthesised in the liver and functions during periods of exercise. During intense physical exercise it is depleted and the body is not able to produce sufficient amounts to sustain physical activity. Energy drinks are beneficial in such circumstances, providing the body with a direct source of taurine.

Caffeine: is a stimulant that has been shown to have various effects on metabolism, stimulating the central nervous system giving you a boost of energy or improve mental alertness and functioning including reaction times. It also promotes the use of fat as a source of energy

B-group vitamins: This group of vitamins is responsible for mental and physical vitality. They play an important role in energy metabolism by aiding in the building-up and breaking-down of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, the latter process is responsible for energy release during exercise.

However, despite these energy enhancing ingredients, the majority of the “energy kick” is due to excessive amounts of sugar present.

The majority of commercial energy drinks state that consumption is not recommended for children under the age of 16. The primary health risk associated with these beverages is increased heart rate due to the large amounts of caffeine in these drinks. A normal can of cold drink may contain between 25-40 milligrams of caffeine, whilst energy drinks contain up to 80 milligrams per 250ml can. This high concentration of caffeine results in an accelerated heart rate far above normal levels. A child’s heart may not be able to cope with this increased rate and possible irregular rhythm which can result in cardiac arrest.

There are various other sports drinks on the market such as Energade (which even has a junior range now), Powerade and Game that are better suited to younger consumers. These are isotonic drinks which contain similar amounts of sugar and salt as the human body.

They are absorbed into the body at a similar rate as water and are able to replace electrolytes and rehydrate, which is a safer alternative for both children and adults.

The elevated sugar content in these energy drinks usually results in a sugar high. Unfortunately this high is often short lived and ‘coming-down’ may leave athletes feeling worse than before. In addition it is known that excess sugar not utilised by the body is converted to fat which may result in weight-gain.

The high concentrations of caffeine and sugar can also lead to dehydration. Individuals may not feel they are becoming dehydrated whilst on their energy buzz and will only become aware of this detrimental situation at a later stage. Caffeine is a known diuretic and will rapidly lead to dehydration, which is why many manufacturers recommended drinking water alongside the energy drinks.

The National Federation of State High Schools Association in the USA released the following with regard to the use of energy drinks amongst the youth:

1. Water and appropriate sports drinks should be used for rehydration to minimize the risk for Dehydration and Heat Illness.

2. Energy drinks should not be used for hydration. Nor should they be used for performance enhancement

3. Information about the absence of benefit and the presence of potential risk associated with energy drinks should be widely shared among all individuals who interact with young athletes.

4. Energy drinks should not be consumed by athletes who are dehydrated.

5. Energy drinks should not be consumed without prior medical approval, by athletes taking over the counter or prescription medications.

Science has proven that these drinks do provide increased mental and physical energy, however the negative side-effects of these quick-fixes cannot be ignored. These drinks should function purely as energy supplements at times of exertion and the RDA listed on the products should be followed.

So coaches, parents and sport clubs think twice before recommending these energy drinks to your athletes and specifically to junior athletes.

Wade Botha

Bachelor of Sport Science

(HONS- Exercise Science)