Eating Crow: Lebron Edition; Historical Context

So I have long been what you could call a Lebron hater. I reveled in his previous NBA Finals failures and his inability to hit a game-winning shot, or play well in the 4th quarter of important games. I used to see him as a threat to Michael Jordan's legacy, and selfishly, I wanted him to fail so he could never threaten that. I feel now, as I'm sure most people do, that Jordan's place as the game's greatest player is secure. I do not believe there is anything Lebron can do to supplant him, and I think the best anyone can do at this point is to be included in "the Jordan conversation". However, James was awesome in these playoffs. After his anemic performance (by his standards) last year against the Mavericks (17.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 6.8 apg), he had an outstanding 2012 Finals against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder (28.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 7.4 apg).

Enjoy. You earned it.

Lebron was deservedly named the NBA Finals MVP. Most importantly, at least to me, is that he played like the 6'8" 260 lbs. (at least) monster that he is. He only shot 18% from behind the 3-point line, a place he has often drifted to far too often in his career, while still managing to average nearly 30 points per game. He was outstanding in the paint, however. No one will ever confuse Lebron for Larry Bird as a jump shooter, and in previous big games he has settled far too often for jumpers, which clanked off of the rim. This year though he drive to the basket with reckless abandon, either finishing for himself or using his deft passing ability to hit the open man. Finally, James played like the amazing talent he is, and not like the player it appeared he wanted himself to be - an overgrown shooting guard. Scottie Pippen was often called a "point forward" for his ability to handle and distribute the ball. James has taken that mantra to a new level, and could rightfully be called a "power point" with his physical dominance and passing ability. Hopefully, he keeps this mindset and revolutionizes the game like Bird, Magic, Wilt and Jordan before him.

How Did Lebron's Performance Stack Up Historically?

Like many others before him, most recently Dirk Nowitzki in 2011, Lebron was able to overcome past failures in the NBA Finals (2007, 2011) to finally get one for himself. Clearly, his numbers in these NBA Finals were outstanding, but was it an all-time great performance? Here are some of the best performances of the past 20 years:

2009: Kobe Bryant won his 4th NBA title with a pretty outstanding display against the Orlando Magic, averaging 32.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 7.4 apg. In addition, he also averaged 1.4 blocked shots per game.

2006: Dwyane Wade, now Lebron's teammate in Miami, won his first NBA title by beating Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games after falling behind 0-2. Wade was named MVP after 34.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, and 2.7 steals per game.

2003, 1999: In 2003, Tim Duncan was named the NBA Finals MVP after posting 24.2 ppg, 17.0 rpg, 5.3 apg and a whopping 5.3 bpg against the New Jersey Nets. In 1999, while teaming with David Robinson, he averaged 27.4 ppg, 14.0 rpg, and 2.2 bpg.

2000, '01, '02: Shaquille O'Neal simply laid waste to anyone who dared guard him in the paint during the Lakers three-peat at the start of the new century, earning three consecutive Finals' MVPs along the way. In '00, O'Neal averaged 38 ppg, 16.7 rpg, 2.7 bpg while connecting on 61% of his shots from the field. The following season, he posted 33.0 ppg, 15.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, and 3.4 bpg. In 2002, he averaged 36.3 ppg, 12.3 rpg, and 2.8 bpg while once again shooting better than 60% from the field.

1995: Hakeem Olajuwon, who earned NBA Finals MVP, got the best of a young Shaquille O'Neal to the tune of 32.8 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.0 steals per game and 2.0 bpg. It must be noted as well that Olajuwon's Houston Rockets swept the Magic as well.

Then, of course, there was a player who never had a bad NBA Finals series....

You knew where this was heading....

Six trips to the Finals, six NBA championships and six Finals MVPs. Obviously, he was pretty special in each series. However, his performance in his first championship run was likely his most impressive. Jordan, known primarily as a scorer, did it all in beating Magic Johnson and the Lakers in five games. Jordan averaged 31.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 11.4 apg, 2.8 spg, 1.4 bpg while shooting over 50% from the field and three-point line.

In 1993, Jordan kept friend and fellow "Dream Team" teammate and future Hall of Famer Charles Barkley from winning a title by averaging 41.3 ppg, 8.5 apg, and 6.3 apg, while connecting on 50% of his field goals and 40% of his three-pointers.

Despite being the "second banana" on that team in '93, Scottie Pippen averaged 21.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 7.7 apg. In any other year, that would been a certain NBA Finals MVP.

Lastly, in 1997, Jordan knocked off Karl Malone and John Stockton in the first of two meetings between the Bulls and Jazz in the Finals. Jordan earned his 5th Finals MVP by scoring 32.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 6.0 apg.

1987: Magic Johnson lead the Lakers to the title over the Celtics, scoring 26.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 13.0 apg, 2.3 spg while shooting 54% from the field and 96% from the free throw line. He amazingly only committed 13 turnovers in six games compared to 78 assists.

1986: Finals MVP Larry Bird lead his Celtics over Olajuwon and the Rockets, and nearly averaged a triple double along the way - 24.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 9.5 apg, and 2.7 spg.

Greatest Baseball Card Ever

I saw this today after following a link on CNNSI.com and just had to share:

CUP CHECK!!

Single Leg Squats: Patellofemoral Implications

There has been a lot of intrigue/argument on the internet about the use of single-leg exercises versus bilateral exercises (i.e. standing on one foot vs. standing on both feet) and the development of lower body strength. Here is a video of both for you visual learners:

Bilateral Barbell Squat



Note: If you listen closely, you can hear Pantera's "Cowboys from Hell" playing in the background. I told you in the previous post that Pantera was good lifting music!

Unilateral Split Squat




That video shows a rear-foot elevated split squat (aka bulgarian split squat) using dumbbells. Of course, you can use a barbell with a variety of grips (across the shoulders behind the head, clean grip, overhead, etc.) when performing this variation. I am not sure which squat (uni vs. bi) is "better"; and I don't think there really is an answer to that. As I have learned in my two semesters of physical therapy school, the answer to which one is better than the other is "it depends". I am going to share some opinions of those smarter than myself, some research findings, and some anecdotal evidence from my own experiences.

What Do Strength Coaches Have to Say About It?

Ben Bruno posted a great anecdotal study he performed on himself about the use of rear-foot elevated splits squats and how it impacted his lower body strength. In case you didn't read the article, he found that once he was able to adequately adjust to the increased stability demands of having a much smaller base of support, he was able to progress from holding 40 lbs. dumbbells to supporting a 275 lbs. barbell on his back. He completed 5-6 sets of 6-8 reps of unilateral squatting, followed by a bilateral glute ham raise. Following 15-months of this routine he re-assessed his bilateral squat strength, and found that his maximum number of total repetitions of 225 lbs. increased from 21 reps to 35. His max barbell hack squat improved from 385 x 5 to 405 x 5 and his vertical jump increased by 2 inches.

Mike Boyle, a longtime strength coach for various college and professional athletes and teams, has been singing the praises of unilateral leg training since at least 2007. He has come under fire for some of his views regarding the back squat, but this isn't exactly the forum to discuss that as most of his points are regarding lower back issues. Nevertheless, he is not alone when discussing the merits of single leg training. Mike Robertson and Eric Cressey have both provided excellent exercises and talking points on the topic, as well. There seems to be a consensus opinion that single-leg training can be effective for building lower body strength, but no matter how strong you get on one leg you'll never be as strong as you are on two.

Specific to the knee and patella, however, is the need for reduced stress to the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints when squatting. The adage has always been to keep the "knees behind the toes" when squatting. While that does make sense, a 2003 study by researchers at the University of Memphis concluded that "restricting forward movement of the knees may minimize stress on the knees,it is likely that forces are inappropriately transferred to the hips and low-back region. Thus, appropriate joint loading during this exercise may require the knees to move slightly
past the toes (1)". I think the big picture, take home message when bilateral squatting is to initiate the movement by sitting back with the hips and not bending at the knees. This should result in the weight being on the heels as opposed to the toes and forefoot.

In an effort to keep the knees completely vertical and behind the toes, the low back often rounds resulting in a loss of natural curve (lordosis) and potential for increased disc pathology. Increasing the depth while maintaining the weight on the heels also requires sufficient flexibility of the calf muscles, as greater dorsiflexion is required to keep the weight on the heels.

In a split stance, the pelvis will be stabilized or move into anterior tilt. While anterior tilting is not ideal, it is much less likely for a disc to herniate anteriorly with anterior tilt/lumbar extension than with posterior tilt/lumbar flexion.

Personally, in either a split squat with the rear foot elevated or on the ground, I find it easier to "sit back" and maintain a vertical tibia in the leg supporting the weight. Mike Robertson refers to this as the "90/90 split squat" with a 90 degree angle at the knees and the hip of the rear leg (pictured below).

As you can see, the tibia of the leading/supporting leg is almost perfectly vertical. Patellofemoral compression increases when two things occur: an increase in the angle of knee flexion, and when the quadriceps generate force. In the picture, knee flexion is approximately 90 degrees, which generates high compressive forces. However, with the tibia vertical, this is minimized. Why? Because the patellar tendon and quadriceps tendon drive the patella into the trochlea (groove between the condyles of the femur) with increased knee flexion. If you go into a squat position on your toes, as a baseball catcher does, the quadriceps tendon (superiorly) and patellar tendon (inferiorly) both produce a large resultant force vector forcing the patella into the trochlea and creating high compressive forces. This is shown by the large red arrow in the picture below:

Source: http://www.mikereinold.com/2009/06/biomechanics-of-patellofemoral.html

In the image above, Fq is the quadriceps tendon force and Fp is the patellar tendon force. As you can see, if the Fp is maintained relatively vertical (i.e. weight on heels), it will contribute less to the total posteriorly directed, compressive force of the resultant red arrow (vector), and the compressive force will not be as great.

What Does the Research Say?

Research by Rafael Escamilla, PT, PhD, CSCS, FACSM, a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at California State University - Sacramento has shown in several studies that patellofemoral forces are greater in bilateral than unilateral squats. Bilateral squatting was shown to produce slightly over 4,000 Newtons on the patellofemoral joint in the eccentric (lowering) portion of the squat at 90 degrees of knee flexion (2). To put that in perspective, 4,000 N is approximately 5 x bodyweight, which is similar to what a person experiences when going downstairs (3).

Escamilla, et al. also investigated the effects of a long step versus a short step while performing a lunge with and without a stride (4). For the purposes of this blog, I will only comment on the results of the lunges without a stride (meaning that both feet are stationary, as one would perform in a split squat). The differences in step length, which essentially means that a short step allows the tibia to be less vertical and increase the shear and quadriceps activity, whereas the longer step keeps the tibia vertical and involves more glute activity (i.e. "sitting back").

Forward lunge with short step

Forward lunge with long step (note the reduced dorsiflexion with a long vs. short step)

Not surprisingly, the longer step stationary lunge produced less maximum patellofemoral compression at 90 degrees of flexion than did the stationary lunge with a shorter step (~2000 N vs. ~3000 N) (4). This makes sense biomechanically, as the shorter step produces more of a posteriorly directed force on the patella as both the quadriceps tendon superiorly and the patella tendon posteriorly are pulling the patella deeper into the trochlea. With a longer step, the tibia is able to remain more vertical and the resultant vector from patellar tendon pull is reduced.

Interestingly, another study by Escamilla et al. also found that a one-legged squat produced less patellofemoral compressive forces than a bilateral squat with the participant's back supported by the wall with both a short and long step (5). This was counter to their hypothesis that the one-legged squat would have the highest compressive forces. It is worth noting though that in all studies with bilateral squatting a greater load was used in comparison to unilateral exercises.

So What?

Hopefully it appears that both exercises can generate increased strength in the lower extremity.
I have employed both unilateral and bilateral versions in my workouts since coming back to the gym after dislocating my knee cap in 2006 and undergoing surgery to realign the patella and clean out the torn pieces of articular cartilage and bone that was sheared off during the injury.

Not surprisingly, I am very cautious when it comes to my lower body workouts now, and I "listen" to my knees. I find that my knees translate anteriorly the most when I do bilateral, barbell back squats. Having the weight across the back forces the torso to lean forward, and I find that it is more difficult to "sit back" and lead with the hips in this set-up. Not surprisingly, I feel this variation the most in my left knee and rarely perform it. Front squats on the other hand, have offered me little pain and discomfort. With the weight positioned across my anterior deltoids and clavicle it is easier to "sit back" to counter the front-loaded position of the weight. Coincidentally, one study has shown that the front squat may be less stressful on the tibiofemoral joint than traditional back squats.

I also employ front grips when performing stationary split squats and rear foot elevated split squats. I have found the least discomfort with these exercises. I also makes sure that I use a long step so that the tibia remains vertical throughout the exercise and I can really 'sit back'. The trade off with a longer stride compared to a shorter stride is less more glute/hamstring activity than solely quadriceps. However, I feel a strong contraction in my quadriceps from using this method and always feel it there the next day. Ultimately anything involving knee flexion and extension will activate the quadriceps to some degree. Of course, to be less stressful to the knee and focus solely on the quadriceps while limiting glute involvement one can always reduce the ROM to a 45 - 60 degree angle of knee flexion. The final video below is of a rear foot elevated barbell split squat. I have been using these more and more lately and have really come to enjoy them. My knee has had no complaints, either.



References:

1.) Fry AC, Smith JC, Schilling BK. Effect of knee position on hip and knee torques
during the barbell squat. Journal of Strength and Conditioining Research. 2003;17(4):629-633.

2.) Escamilla RF, Fleisig GS, Zheng N, et al. Effects of technique variations on knee biomechanics during the squat and leg press. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2001:1552-1566.

3.) "Biomechanics of Patellofemoral Rehabilitation". MikeReinhold.org. http://www.mikereinold.com/2009/06/biomechanics-of-patellofemoral.html. Retrieved May 25, 2012.

4.) Escamilla RF, Zheng N, Macleod T.D., et al. Patellofemoral joint force and stress between a short and long-step forward lunge. Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy. 2008;38(11):681-690.

5.) Escamilla RF, Zheng N, Macleod TD, Edwards BW, Imamura R, Hreljac A, Fleisig GS, Wilk KE, Moorman CT, Andrews JR. Patellofemoral Joint Force and Stress during the Wall Squat and One-Leg Squat. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2009; 41 (4): 879-890.