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Review: HoMedics Compact Percussion Massager

Strenua — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:07:55 +0000

One of my favourite things about working in America was that my health insurance allowed me to have 3 free sports massages a week. I would have one before a race to relax me, one after to help recovery and another after a hard training session to undo any knots. Now I’m back in the UK I do miss the deep tissue massages.

Rolling back massagers are OK for relaxing the whole back but I never find they reach my shoulder area. And handheld manual massagers such as the ones supposedly that treat cellulite don’t get deep enough. So I was happy to trial a new massager from HoMedics who identify themselves as ‘an innovative leader in self-care, wellness and personal health products.’

What is Percussion Massage?

The HoMedics Compact Percussion Massager is described as having ‘Percussion action for deep tissue massage’. As I thought percussion was term to describe musical instruments I wasn’t really sure what that means in terms of massage so I did a bit of research, apparently in massage percussion movements are known as tapotement.

The purpose being:

to vibrate tissues
trigger reflexes from the skin
cause widening of the blood vessels (vasodilation).
disperse fluid and inflammation from an injury
reduce swelling

Benefits of percussion movements include:

being very stimulating
particularly useful to athletes before an event.
strengthen muscles by stimulating the muscle to contract.
useful in reducing fatty deposits and flabby muscle areas

Sounded great, although in massage terms as it is described as a cupping action I presumed that this massager was going to work the vibration principle.

HoMedics Compact Percussion Massager is described as compact and light weight. I found that it weighs 850g, around 950g with the plug and cable, and is 33cm long. Not that compact for carrying around, but it is the perfect size for what it is designed for. It is solidly built and if it was lightweight I would feel it wouldn’t be massaging deep enough, just tickling the surface of the skin. It is however not too heavy that you can’t hold it with one hand over your shoulder to massage your trapezius muscle effectively, although after a few minutes held in that position you can feel your hand and arm vibrating on their own. In terms of the length of the handle (25cm) it is ideal for reaching all areas of your body with the appropriate pressure.

It comes with 4 customisable attachments including, soft, medium, firm, although I have to say that I didn’t notice much difference between the various options. Admittedly I didn’t require very deep tissue massage such as after a marathon but I found them effective in easing stiff muscles the following day after a 10k race. There is also a heated attachment, but this requires the vibrating action to be switched on whilst it was heating and I felt I needed a stand whilst it was heating as I didn’t want to just hold it for 5 minutes but if you but it on a table it vibrated off and I was worried about leaving it on a carpet incase it over heated. Luckily it doesn’t heat that much to worry about, just enough to be soothing and whilst it isn’t silent it is no louder than an electric toothbrush.

Whilst I tested the compact massager there is also a version with a width adjustable head. I however was happy with the width of the compact head, it was a perfect size for my arms and what I found most useful was for treating my tarsal tunnel syndrome. It was the exact width for massaging the base of my calves to relieve my symptoms and especially useful was to use one head with the heat attachment on the base of my heel.

Overall

HoMedics Compact Percussion Massager is easy to use alone, due to the long handle and the solid head allows massaging of deep tissues efficiently.

Has two different speeds offering variable intensity massages for strong and therapeutic relief. The different attachments did not provide obvious differences in massage intensities.

Not particularly lightweight but appropriate for massaging deep muscles effectively.

Soothing heat attachment provides warmth whilst massaging but needs a support whilst heating which takes a while.

HoMedics Compact Percussion Massager RRP £34.99, available from Amazon, Boots, Sainsbury’s, and Lloyds Pharmacy.

Review: Higher Nature’s Organic Cold Milled Hemp Protein

Strenua — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:40:10 +0000

As a non-egg eating vegetarian with a nut allergy, I find it difficult to find healthy sources of protein. It’s not only body builders that need to consume large quantities of protein athletes also need protein for muscle growth and repair. Current daily recommendations are around 45g protein for women and 56g for a man or about 0.75g-0.8g protein per kg body weight. Certainly it is suggested that athletes and more active people may need up to 1.2-1.4g per kg body weight. For a woman on a 2,000 calorie diet, this equates to 50-175g of protein daily and for a man on a 2,500 calorie diet, a day this equates to 62-220g.

Following a marathon or even just a hard training session I try to increase my protein intake but I find it difficult to consume enough. Whilst 1 chicken breast contains 39g, my vegetarian option is a high fat option of Cheddar cheese (10g protein in a 40g chunk) or a 150g pot of low fat yoghurt (6g), with sports protein bars really hard going to eat.

Now there is a new alternative product to animal, whey or soya protein from Higher Nature – Organic Milled Hemp Protein. Just one 30g scoop contains 15g protein – more than 2 boiled eggs! This protein powder is not only powerful enough for athletes and bodybuilders but is perfect for the whole family: from children to seniors. It is an excellent protein source for vegans, vegetarians, dieters and for travelling.

Organic Cold Milled Hemp Protein Nutritional Information Per 100g:

Energy: 440kcal
Protein: 50g
Carbohydrates: 19.24g
Total fat: 12g of which Saturates1.2g and Polyunsaturates 9g

Organic Cold Milled Hemp Protein is also:

High in omega 3 (2.4g/100g) and omega 6 (6.6g/100g) essential fatty acids (EFAs). These EFA’s cannot be produced by the body and are important for supporting numerous body processes, including brain health, cardiovascular function and immune health.
Cholesterol-free.
Easy to digest.
High in fibre, (15.54g/100g) which can help balance blood glucose levels, reduce fat absorption and manage appetite making hemp protein a popular choice with dieters too.
Cold milled ensuring that valuable enzymes are not destroyed and vitamins, minerals and nutrients remain intact.

The Taste Test

Higher Nature did send me some recipes to use with the hemp powder although most included coconut which I’m not a fan off so I decided to try it in some of my own meals. The label says you can ‘blend it into drinks, smoothies and yoghurt, or sprinkle over cereal and fruit.’ I am admitting I am a very fussy eater and don’t believe that vegetables belong in a dessert such as in carrot cake, nor will you see me choosing to drink wheatgrass juice. So maybe it was unsurprising that I didn’t enjoy my first attempt of mixing 15g of hemp protein to my bowl of strawberry, banana and cold custard. It did have a nutty taste but the combination on my taste buds reminded me of eating un-ripened strawberries or tasting like I had accidentally left the stalks or leaves on. It wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t finish the bowl, although the green colour of my food didn’t add to the appeal.

I decided then that I would try it on savoury food. The label also recommends ‘you add to salad dressings, sauces, soups and cooked dishes. But is not suitable for cooking or baking’. I like to cook my pasta, cover in tomato sauce straight from the jar then sprinkle with grated cheese before grilling to toast the cheese and heat the sauce. I decided to sprinkle about 10g of the hemp protein on top of the sauce before hiding the greenness with cheese. I found that the taste of the hemp protein actually complimented the tomato and I enjoyed the nutty flavor. I even tried it on pizza sprinkling it over like parmesan cheese and again I found it added something to the taste of the food.

Overall

Whether you’re looking to maximise energy levels, tone your body and build muscle or shed a few extra pounds Organic Hemp Protein is a great alternative product to animal, whey or soya protein.

As a source of supplementary protein to a savoury meal I found it was a tasty addition. The nutty flavour of 30g of hemp powder in one smoothie drink may be a little too much every day, but on occasions when I need a high intake of protein I would probably choose it over a sports protein bar.

Organic Protein is available from Higher Nature Current Price £9.20 for 250g (RRP £10.90)

Review: Zippo Hand Warmer

Strenua — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:20:38 +0000

As someone who has spent quite a few hours shivering on river banks after kayaking waiting for the support vehicles to arrive, after scuba diving waiting for the boat to take me to shore, or just in a field after running a muddy wet cross country cheering on the rest of my team mates, the thought of a reusable hand warmer is a great idea.

I was looking forward to try the warmer even though the press release sounded like it had been written by someone who had never experienced the need for one:

‘The Hand Warmer is a great accessory if you’re outdoors a lot of the time – we all know that even in the hottest summer it can get cold at night… This would be perfect keeping you warm in your caravan, as well as being an ideal accompaniment to take with you to the footballing terraces when the weather turns sour. It is also ideal for those taking part in outdoor sports and want to warm up/down’.

My experiences of hot summers are that even in the evenings I’ve no need for a hand warmer as I’ve got a cold drink in my hand; caravans have heaters and if you are cold you have your hands round a mug of coffee or you have a hot water bottle; the people who would use one on a football terrace are the sort who bring a flask of tea with them anyway and for the rest of us can you imagine being with your mates and getting your hand warmer out? And finally if you take part in outdoor sports you warm up and down by moving you whole body and getting blood flowing though your muscles not holding a hand warmer.

In spite of this I was keen to try it as it is made by Zippo, a worldwide trusted and recognized brand, and unlike other types of heat packs that either only last for 40 minutes, require heating in a microwave, or can only be used once, this is a new liquid-fuel warmer. The Zippo Hand Warmer claims it can produce more than ten times the heat of traditional warmers and lasts up to 12 hours on just 0.4 ounces of Zippo’s Premium Lighter Fluid.

To see how easy it was to use the hand warmer watch the video below. The Zippo Hand Warmer also comes complete with a can of lighter fluid, and using the filling cup you can fill the warmer to work for either 6 or 12 hours. After lighting the platinum-catalyzed glass fiber burner, heat is produced without a flame. It recommends you put it straight away into the warming bag included and you really need to as quickly it felt as hot as a boiled kettle if you touched the warmer directly. After about 8 hours it had cooled so I could hold it without the bag but after giving it a shake it immediately reheated to the initial temperature and lasted for a further 4 hours.

After road testing the hand warmer I appreciated why the press release was a bit vague on where or when you could use it:

It is slimline, about the size of an iPhone or Blackberry, so fits easily into pockets but you probably want to buy two as it’s not something you would stand about wrapping you hands round.
If you are going to use it when you watch an outdoor sporting event or on a summer evening out then you can’t be spontaneous when you want to use it as you wouldn’t want to carry lighter fluid around with you so you have to fill it up before hand which also means you have to estimate how long you will need it for as once it’s lit you can’t turn it off.
After watersports would be when I would find it the most useful, but it’s not a very waterproof product as you wouldn’t want to get the glass fiber burner wet by taking it with you on the water.

I feel that the hand warmer is a really useful product. It is compact, it maintains a high constant heat for a long time, it’s virtually odourless and it’s reusable and at around £20 is affordable. I just don’t know exactly which outdoor activities it is most suitable for.

However, the best use for the warmer that I found though was not for using as a hand warmer but as a heat pack for muscles. Although heat should not be applied in the first 24 hours following an injury, heat application can increase blood flow and promote healing in an injured area.

Heat is also useful to increase muscle temperature and if it’s used before stretching exercises, can increase extensibility of connective tissue such as tendons, ligaments and muscles, significantly increasing flexibility.

Hot water bottles and microwaveable heat packs are great but they are large and quite inconvenient also they need to be regularly re-heated. This hand warmer though was the perfect size to hold against specific muscles or joints and slipping it down some tubigrip round my arm or leg kept it in place even when I was moving about.

Overall I can’t fault the Zippo Hand Warmer for the quality of the product and it performs exactly as it is described, my only problem is recommending when it could be of most use.

Can creatine supplements enhance muscle recovery?

Strenua — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:49:00 +0000

Creatine has become a popular nutritional supplement among athletes, often taken as supplement by people who want to gain muscle mass, but there is increasingly evidence that it may also help in recovering from exercise induced muscle damage. My previous article suggested there may be a beneficial effect of creatine supplements on inflammation and muscle soreness following prolonged running.

Now a study from Victoria University, Australia has set out to examine the effects of creatine supplementation on the recovery of muscle proteins and force after eccentrically induced muscle damage.

Eccentric contractions are used to decelerate a body part or object, such as when you lower an object gently rather than just letting it drop. Damage caused by eccentric exercise is known to lead to a reduction in muscle force, increased muscle soreness and impaired muscle function.

During the study 14 untrained male subjects consumed either creatine and carbohydrate (Cr-CHO) or only carbohydrate (CHO) for five days before a resistance exercise session. The Cr-CHO group consumed a daily supplement of creatine (0.3 g per kg of body weight) and glucose (1.2 g per kg of body weight); The CHO group took glucose only.

The workout consisted of three exercises: 1) leg press; 2) leg extension and 3) leg curl. For each exercise their concentric 1-RM (repetition maximum) was determined. This is the maximum weight that a single repetition could be performed of a muscle shortening exercise, such as a curl. The resistance exercise session involved 4 sets of 10 eccentric only repetitions at 120% of their maximum concentric 1-RM, lowering the weight by themselves through the entire range of motion over 4 seconds.

Every day for 14 days whilst recovering from the exercises the Cr-CHO group took 0.1 g per kg of body weight of creatine and 0.4 g per kg of body weight of glucose, again the CHO group took glucose only.

The study found isokinetic strength, (where the muscle contracts and shortens at a constant speed), was 10% greater during recovery in the Cr-CHO group compared to the placebo group of CHO alone.

During isometric knee extension (where the muscle length stays the same even though it contracts), it was also found that the creatine supplemented groups had significantly greater strength (21%) during recovery from exercise induced muscle damage.

The paper’s author Matthew Cooke concluded that there is a significant improvement in the rate of recovery of knee extensor muscle function after creatine supplementation following injury. Blood creatine kinase (CK) activity was significantly lower by an average of 84% after 48hrs recovery in the creatine supplement group and peaked at 96hrs. Levels had returned to baseline by 7 days in both groups.

Blood CK levels can be raised from damage of the muscle tissue as a result of intense training, but also due to a number of other factors:

Age – levels decline slightly with age
Gender – at rest CK levels are lower in females than males.
Race – black men usually have higher values than Caucasians.
Climate – standard exercise in cold weather induces higher blood CK levels than the same exercise in warm weather.
Muscle mass and physical activity – at rest CK levels in athletes are higher than in sedentary subjects, this may be due to persistent training which keeps the CK levels elevated.

However, if trained and untrained subjects do the same exercise the CK levels will still be lower in athletes than the untrained. This study published in the Journal of International Society Sports Nutrition did involve untrained subjects which may have resulted in the very high CK levels initially following the exercise.

The major finding of this study was the significantly higher muscle strength after creatine supplementation during recovery from a muscle damaging exercise session; this may be due in part to a faster muscle growth during the recovery period. The study did not report if the subjects gained weight before or after the exercise session as is often reported with taking creatine supplements.

It is not known how creatine may act to increase recovery although it may be that the reduced leakage of creatine kinase from the muscle is an indication of less initial damage to the muscle. There appears to be a large number of studies supporting the use of creatine supplements whether to increase muscle mass or aiding recovery to allow further training. Maybe now scientists need to discover just how creatine supplements work so they can advise athletes on the ideal duration and concentration to use to aid recovery, optimise weight gain and avoid side effects.

Should endurance athletes take creatine supplements?

Strenua — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:11:13 +0000

Creatine has become a popular nutritional supplement among athletes and is often taken as supplement by people who want to gain muscle mass, such as for body building, but there is increasingly evidence that it may also help in recovering from exercise induced muscle damage.

Creatine is a natural occurring substance that helps supply energy to muscles. Half of stored creatine comes from food, mainly fresh meat, so as a vegetarian I am likely to have lower levels of muscle creatine. The enzyme creatine kinase (CK) is responsible for the reversible reaction whereby creatine is converted along with ATP to create phosphocreatine and ADP to generate energy.

Whilst creatine has been shown to be beneficial for short high intensity exercises such as weight lifting, it has not shown to have any benefit to endurance activity performance. In fact as creatine is also responsible for weight gain of around 1kg when taking the ‘loading dose’ of 20g a day it may even slow an endurance athlete down without providing any benefit to performance. A study has however, looked at the benefits of creatine on muscle recovery following endurance running

In the study published in Life Sciences journal, subjects were given 4 doses a day of 5g of creatine and 15g of maltodextrine, while the control group received just maltodextrine for 5 days, before a 30km race. The runners were experienced marathon runners with personal best (PB) times of 2.5 -3 hours.

Blood CK levels can be raised from damage of the muscle tissue as a result of intense training and it is often used as a marker of muscle injury. In this study by the University of São Paulo, it was found that athletes from the control group had increased CK levels suggesting a high level of cell injury and inflammation while Creatine supplementation reduced these increases.

In short term studies of less than two weeks there have not been reported side effects of taking creatine supplements. Dr Santos, the papers author reported that ‘the runners finished in times equivalent to their PB, without any side effects such as cramping, dehydration or diarrhoea whilst taking the supplements or during the race.’ However athletes who have taken it long term have reported muscle cramping and kidney damage.

In 2007 International Society of Sports Nutrition published its position on the use of creatine supplementation and exercise. Amongst some of their statements they concluded that ‘there is no scientific evidence that the short- or long-term use of creatine monohydrate has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals. Creatine monohydrate supplementation is not only safe, but possibly beneficial in regard to preventing injury and/or management of select medical conditions when taken within recommended guidelines.’

Recovering from endurance exercise is important for the long distance runner, but is it worth taking creatine supplements in the days leading up to a marathon to prevent damage and aid recovery. Is it worth possible muscle cramps and other side effects during the race after all you don’t know how your individual body will react?

What’s your view? Are you an endurance athlete who has tried creatine supplements, or do you think we shouldn’t use any type of ergogenic aids? Let us know you experiences or opinions.

Also read related post Can creatine supplements enhance muscle recovery?

Which strategies enhance recovery from post exercise muscle damage?

Strenua — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:54:04 +0000

After a hard training session or competition we want to our optimise recovery so we can quickly returning to back to training, whilst not leaving muscles open to more significant injury in the future, which can occur by not recovering sufficiently.

But the question is ‘What is the most effective way to improve muscle damage recovery after training or a competitive exercise?’ There are a number of theories about what you consume to improve recovery, but I am interested what you can actually do post exercise to enhance recovery.

A study in New Zealand followed 23 elite male rugby players to try to answer this question. Rugby is both an aerobic and anaerobic exercise, as well as involving direct impact. Compared with other sports, injuries from rugby are high so if a recovery technique does have an effect, there will be room for improvement following a professional rugby match. The players in the study were given four different post match strategies:

Passive Recovery - Sitting on a bench before carrying out normal post match routine of showering, rehydrating and snacking.
Contrast Water Therapy - Immersion to above the hips in two temperature controlled water baths, alternating between one minute in cold water (8-10^oC) and 2 minutes in hot water (40-42^oC) for approx 9 minutes then normal post match routine.
Low Intensity Active Exercise - 7 minutes on an exercycle (80-100rpm ¬150W) before normal post match routine.
Compression Garment - Normal post match routine before wearing a lower body compression garment (Skins®) until the following morning (approx 12 hrs).

The researchers measured creatine kinase (CK) to rate the muscle damage recovery, as strenuous exercise that damages skeletal muscle results in an increase in blood CK activity. They found that as a result of the match there were significant increases in CK activity. The matches produced significant increases in CK concentration from 1023 IU pre- and 2194 IU post- competition.

At 36 and 48hrs active exercise, contrast water therapy or compression garment enhanced CK clearance compared to passive recovery and the magnitude of recovery in the passive recovery group was significantly worse than the other interventions.

After 48 hours Low Intensity Active Exercise showed 88.2% recovery, Contrast Water Therapy 85% and wearing a Compression garment 84.4%. Worst recovery was following Passive Recovery, 39%.

The theories behind each recovery strategy are:

Low Intensity Active Exercise increases blood flow and change in distribution, maybe enhancing CK clearance.
Contrast Water Therapy is thought to reduce oedema though a pumping action created by alternating the vasoconstrictor and vasodilator responses of blood vessels to temperature changes. Is also thought to reduce muscle spasm and influence inflammatory response.
Compression Garments may work due to compression being often used as a therapeutic intervention following tissue injury as part of RICE, with ice and compression providing pain relief and reducing inflammatory responses and swelling.

Whilst the optimal duration and combination needs more study it does appear that doing something is better than nothing when it come to aiding recovery. Rugby is a physically demanding sport, but so is completing a triathlon or running a marathon. Introducing one or more of these strategies into your post exercise schedule and finding out which works better for you after different activities may allow you to train harder and more frequently whilst reducing the occurrence of muscle injuries.