Optimising Assessment and Exercise Prescription with Force Plates
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Content Overview
Your force plates can provide you a myriad of information that can take your diagnostics and exercise prescription to the next level, which in term will optimise athlete or patient outcomes. However, the amount of information can also be overwhelming and overly complicated. These series of resources are designed as short courses that strip back the use of force plates to fundamentals, keeping it simple to understand and easy to implement. The journey begins with a refresher on muscle physiology and mechanics. You will then look inside a few variables that can guide assessment and exercise prescription for isometrics and concentrics. Thereafter some additional variables will be introduced that will guide your assessing and prescribing of eccentrics and stretch-shorten cycle movements. You will also be introduced to balance assessment and programming. Underlying all this will be how force plates can be used to restore or improve force capability from a muscle, tendon and/or connective tissue perspective. The resources are designed with all learning types in mind and are self-paced. Enjoy!
Module 1
Musculotendinous Fundamentals
Before talking about how you can use force plates to improve your diagnostics and exercise prescription, it might be beneficial for you to have a refresher on muscle physiology and mechanics. You will be introduced to the sites of active and passive tension via a three-component model framework, this model highlighting the tissues involved in force production and transmission. This tissue contribution is then explained in the context of contraction types – isometric, concentrics, eccentrics and stretch-shorten cycle. This fundamental knowledge will then be unpacked further with force plate examples in ensuing modules.
Module 2
Assessing and Improving Contractile Tissue
There’s no doubt that passive elastic tissues such as tendon and the mysial tissues are important in force production and transmission. However, do you think it’s possible to reduce their influence, and assess the contribution of the contractile component to force production? What about target training the contractile component? Check out this module to find out about, contraction and test types best suited for assessing and developing the contractile component, variables that are useful to look at when monitoring changes to force generation and some exercise principles that can help with targeting and improving the contractile component.
Module 3
Assessing and Improving Connective Tissue Function
In the previous module we focused on measuring and prescribing exercise to restore and improve contractile tissues. In this module, we focus on the connective tissue and building your knowledge around measuring and prescribing exercise to improve the contribution of the connective tissue to force transmission and production.
Module 4
Assessing and Improving Tendon Function
Previous modules focused on measuring and prescribing exercise to restore or improve contractile and connective tissues that contribute to force production and absorption. This module will take a similar approach with the tendon (series elastic component). This module will detail the physiology of the three-component model and explain fast and slow stretch-shorten cycle performance with an emphasis on the series elastic component. Jump assessments that assess tendon contribution will be introduced and assessment and programming used to target the series elastic component will be discussed.
Module 5
Assessing and Improving Tendon Function
This module will improve your knowledge around measuring and prescribing exercise to prepare the musculoskeletal system for the forces associated with landing. Before preparing the injured or non-injured for jumping, it is important to ensure they have the pre-requisite strength and technique to land safely, as the landing forces are typically the forces that cause injury. You will learn about the difference between propulsive and landing forces, landing diagnostics with force plates and be provided with ideas for exercises to progress a landing strengthening and skills program.
Module 6
Squat Jump
Do you know how you can use the squat jump to provide insights into muscle function and performance? This resource will take a dive into the squat jump assessment. Finds out what makes this jump unique, and how force plates can add value to your diagnosis and exercise prescription.
Module 7
Countermovement Jump
The countermovement jump (CMJ) is one of the most popular jumps used to unpack muscle function and quantify performance. In this module you will learn about the different phases of the CMJ and the many different variables that can be calculated during these phases. You will be provided with a case study of an ACL injured athlete, with a focus on the eccentric phase. Exercise prescription for each phase of the CMJ will also be detailed.
Module 8
Fast and Slow Stretch-Shorten Cycle
The countermovement jump (CMJ) and drop jump (DJ) can provide insight into different neuromuscular qualities. Find out how you can use force plates to add value to your diagnosis and exercise prescription using these jumps.
Founder of JC Online - PhD (Auckland), Bed, MA (Canada), Dip High Performance Coaching (Canada), Dip PE, Dip Tchng. Professor John Cronin
Hi, I am John Cronin, AKA JC and I am a Professor in Strength and Conditioning. I am primarily an educator, researcher, and mentor. I have two passions – one related to improving human movement, athleticism and sporting performance via strength and conditioning, and the other related to sharing this information with others.
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