Cardiovascular Focus
Cardiovascular endurance, although at the bottom of the list of the ten objectives required in a rehabilitation program, is extremely vital when considering return to play. This objective should be built up to throughout the entire program, as able, as well as throughout the three phases of healing (inflammatory response, fibroblastic repair, and maturation/remodeling). When determining the level necessary for returning an athlete to play, baseline figures are the best tool to refer to. Below are some of the exercises, as well as equipment needed for measurement and recording.
Stationary Bike
The stationary bike will be much more comfortable for the athlete when beginning CV exercise during rehabilitation. This is because he will not be required to bear all of his weight. Regardless, it will be very effective when attempting to regain pre-injury CV endurance.
When setting up an athlete on a stationary bike it is important to be sure they are able to comfortably cycle through a full range of motion. With the athlete on the bike with feet in peddles, have him cycle so one foot is at the bottom of the rotation. The angle of that knee should be approximately 30 degrees extended. This can simply be judged by just an eye. Another important possible adjustment to make is the arm length when they are gripping the handle bars. These should be at an appropriate position that is comfortable for the athlete, and doesn't put them into too much of a hunched over position or doesn't leave them sitting too far upright.
To maintain sport specificity, incorporating intervals with cycling is necessary; just as with any other CV exercise the athlete may perform. Being that the stationary bike is less strenuous of an activity, it will more than likely require a higher intensity to increase the heart rate to reach the desired target heart rate. This being said, after a 5 minute warm up at a steady and slower pace, the athlete may perform intervals just as with any other exercise. To increase the intensity, the force required to cycle may be increased as well as the duration of the intervals. A 30 second moderately intense bout followed by a 10 second interval at maximum speed will be performed. This will be repeated for 5 minutes, followed by another 5 minute cool down period at a slow pace.
When setting up an athlete on a stationary bike it is important to be sure they are able to comfortably cycle through a full range of motion. With the athlete on the bike with feet in peddles, have him cycle so one foot is at the bottom of the rotation. The angle of that knee should be approximately 30 degrees extended. This can simply be judged by just an eye. Another important possible adjustment to make is the arm length when they are gripping the handle bars. These should be at an appropriate position that is comfortable for the athlete, and doesn't put them into too much of a hunched over position or doesn't leave them sitting too far upright.
To maintain sport specificity, incorporating intervals with cycling is necessary; just as with any other CV exercise the athlete may perform. Being that the stationary bike is less strenuous of an activity, it will more than likely require a higher intensity to increase the heart rate to reach the desired target heart rate. This being said, after a 5 minute warm up at a steady and slower pace, the athlete may perform intervals just as with any other exercise. To increase the intensity, the force required to cycle may be increased as well as the duration of the intervals. A 30 second moderately intense bout followed by a 10 second interval at maximum speed will be performed. This will be repeated for 5 minutes, followed by another 5 minute cool down period at a slow pace.
Treadmill
When recovering from spondylolysis, the treadmill will not be your first choice of exercise to regain cardiovascular endurance. Reasons for this include gravity's natural axial load in a full-weight bearing position. With every step, a ground compression force is created. This force, along with the downward pull of gravity, causes an axial load to run up/down the spinal column. This will want to be avoided in beginning stages of CV rehab. However, the further the athlete progresses, gradually initiating tread work is entirely appropriate.
Begin having the athlete warm up at a walking pace for no less than 5 minutes. Following warm up, he may begin using the speeds of the treadmill for interval training. Instruct the athlete to increase the speed to a jogging pace and remain at this pace for no more or no less than 20 seconds. Immediately following the jog, have the athlete increase the speed so they are able to sprint for 5 seconds. This may take a couple tries in order to gather the appropriate speeds. Have the athlete continue the jog/sprint combination for 5 minutes. Upon completion, the athlete will have a cool down period in which they will walk for 5 more minutes.
Communication is important with all exercises to be certain the athlete is comfortable with the speeds as well as any discomfort they may experience.
Begin having the athlete warm up at a walking pace for no less than 5 minutes. Following warm up, he may begin using the speeds of the treadmill for interval training. Instruct the athlete to increase the speed to a jogging pace and remain at this pace for no more or no less than 20 seconds. Immediately following the jog, have the athlete increase the speed so they are able to sprint for 5 seconds. This may take a couple tries in order to gather the appropriate speeds. Have the athlete continue the jog/sprint combination for 5 minutes. Upon completion, the athlete will have a cool down period in which they will walk for 5 more minutes.
Communication is important with all exercises to be certain the athlete is comfortable with the speeds as well as any discomfort they may experience.
Upper-body Ergometer
The upper-body ergometer is a very useful piece of equipment to achieve cardiovascular endurance without the use of the lower extremities This cardiovascular exercise is useful to athletes or patients suffering from lower body injuries such as sponylolysis. This exercise is set up very similar to the stationary bike, as it uses the upper body instead of the legs. The athlete should be seated comfortably. They should then grab the handles and begin to cycle. When their arm is farthest from there body the elbow should be bent around 30 degrees. If this angle is to great move the seat forward, but if it is to little then move the seat backwards. There are two main settings that would be useful for a football athlete one being an interval work setting. Have the athlete being to cycle. Every 30 seconds they should begin to cycle faster. The heart rate should be around 60-70% of their heart rate max. This can be tested using a heart rate monitor. They should be able to sustain this level for about 10-15 seconds. This sequence should be repeated for no less then 5 minutes. Another setting that can be useful is a continues cycle. This is a good warm up technique before the athlete begins their daily work out or rehabilitation. The athlete should be set up the same way, but sustain a heart rate of about 50-60% of their heart rate max. This can be measured using a heart rate monitor. The athlete should be able to sustain this for 15-20 minutes.
Sport-specific
Interval Exercises
There are many exercises that may be used to increase cardiovascular endurance that are incorporated with football at the same time. Fartlek training is defined as exercises that use a combination of continuous as well as interval training to increase speed and improve cardiovascular endurance. Many refer to this type of exercise as circuit training. Some of the equipment needed may include cones, stop watch, sled, whistles, tackling dummies, and a football field (or large area) to perform these activities.
All of the exercises listed below, are classified as a type of fartlek training. These exercises all relate to the sport of football, and will be extremely beneficial when rehabbing the football player. The goal for these exercises is to increase the heart rate to approximately 85% of said athletes max. heart rate for a brief period (approximately 4-10 seconds or the length of a football play). Following this rapid increase in heart rate, will be a gradual decrease in heart rate to approximately 40-50% of the max. (for approximately 20-25 seconds or the length of time in between plays). The goal for these sport-related exercises is to further prepare the athlete to game speed and have them re-experience game-like conditions.
All of the exercises listed below, are classified as a type of fartlek training. These exercises all relate to the sport of football, and will be extremely beneficial when rehabbing the football player. The goal for these exercises is to increase the heart rate to approximately 85% of said athletes max. heart rate for a brief period (approximately 4-10 seconds or the length of a football play). Following this rapid increase in heart rate, will be a gradual decrease in heart rate to approximately 40-50% of the max. (for approximately 20-25 seconds or the length of time in between plays). The goal for these sport-related exercises is to further prepare the athlete to game speed and have them re-experience game-like conditions.
- Single-man sled pushing
- Interval ladder runs (using yard marks)
- Side shuffles with medicine ball throws
- Or any other repetitive activities that require using muscular power for a few seconds with a brief cool down period following (the options are endless)
Heart Rate Monitoring
This will prove to be an extremely useful, almost essential, tool when working on cardiovascular fitness. Being able to know and record the heart rate of the athlete will aide the athletic trainer (or other healthcare provider) in keeping track of progress through training, as well as knowing the proper intervals to set for each exercise. It will also help the athlete themselves know their HR at any given time to adjust accordingly to the specific training patterns they are working in.
References on Page (In Order)
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