Albert Pujols has elbow surgery

[Honus Wagner Rules]

It's finally done. Hopefully, he'll be ready for spring training. :happy:


Pujols has elbow surgery

STLtoday.com
Monday, Oct. 13 2008

Cardinals first baseman and MVP candidate Albert Pujols had surgery on his troublesome right elbow Monday, the team announced late this afternoon. Pujols had surgery to decompress and relocate the ulnar nerve in his right elbow, a joint that has given him problems since he strained a ligament there early in
2003.

The surgery "did not require reconstruction of the medial collateral ligament," the release from the club states, underlining the words "did not".

The release states Pujols will begin his rehab this week and "make his recovery" by spring training.

A year ago, Pujols completed the 2007 season in such discomfort with his right elbow that the Cardinals and team medical officials explained three alternatives to Pujols. The tear in his elbow was worse than the one that sent Chris Carpenter for Tommy John surgery during 2007, and medical officials told Pujols that that procedure was the only sure way to correct the injury. The other choices Pujols had was a cleanup procedure or to skip surgery and attack the condition through treatment at rest.

Pujols opted then for non-surgical treatment.

At the end of this season, Pujols described the discomfort in his elbow as present but to a lesser degree than it was a year ago. He met with team doctor, George Paletta, and he visited with specialist Dr. James Andrews, to again discuss forms of treatment. Besides the chronic soreness in the joint, Pujols cannot fully extend his right arm. Among the treatment alternatives discussed was Monday's procedure -- to transpose the ulnar nerve to alleviate the discomfort.

Paletta performed the surgery, according to the team release.

Pujols hit .357, finishing second to Chipper Jones in the batting race and he led the Cardinals with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs. He has played with the torn ligament in his elbow for six seasons, including 2005 when he won the National League MVP and 2006 when he rewrote many of his career bests and won a World Series title.

[STLCards2]

If Albert ever gets his elbow okay, he might start to hit a little bit.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

If Albert ever gets his elbow okay, he might start to hit a little bit.

Yeah, he's been loafing way too much with that .357 BA in '08! The bum. :happy:

[Berkman#17]

Just like with Tiger, it makes one wonder what might really be possible with Pujols at 100%.

[The Splendid Splinter]

Just like with Tiger, it makes one wonder what might really be possible with Pujols at 100%.

Yeah I know. Seriously... it would not surprise me if Pujols goes like .380 with 50 HRs next year with a healthier elbow. In fact, I'm hoping he does do that and that's coming from a Cubs fan.

[NYMets523]

This is different from Tommy John surgery, correct?

[Berkman#17]

This is different from Tommy John surgery, correct?

Yes, this was a 25 minute procedure to basically clean up the nerves.


Yeah I know. Seriously... it would not surprise me if Pujols goes like .380 with 50 HRs next year with a healthier elbow. In fact, I'm hoping he does do that and that's coming from a Cubs fan.

Definately would be amazing to watch. "Hey Albert, you trying to make the rest of the league look bad?' 'Nope, I'm just gettin warmed up".

[STLCards2]

Yeah I know. Seriously... it would not surprise me if Pujols goes like .380 with 50 HRs next year with a healthier elbow. In fact, I'm hoping he does do that and that's coming from a Cubs fan.

That is a bit of a stretch, but if he is 100% next year- he could post a 200 or greater OPS+ season.

In 2007 Pujols was in major pain all year and had a 157 OPS+.

[The Splendid Splinter]

That is a bit of a stretch, but if he is 100% next year- he could post a 200 or greater OPS+ season.

In 2007 Pujols was in major pain all year and had a 157 OPS+.

It is probably a stretch but his career highs are .359 and 49 HRs and that's when he has been hurting so I wouldn't put it past him doing that though. If this surgery helps him out a little bit better, I could see him posting 200+ OPS+. I mean this year he posted a 190 OPS+... with a torn ligament and a nerve not in place!!!

[NYMets523]

It's definitely possible. He's the best hitter since Ted Williams and one of the the best, if not the best, right handed hitters of all time.

[STLCards2]

It's definitely possible. He's the best hitter since Ted Williams and one of the the best, if not the best, right handed hitters of all time.

No way is he better than Hornsby. Thomas and Pujols have very similar numbers through eight seasons (Thomas a little better OB - Pujols a little better Slug.) Hank Aaron was a pretty good hitter too.

[Otis Nixon's Bodyguard]

Just like with Tiger, it makes one wonder what might really be possible with Pujols at 100%.

If he's 100% in 2009, I'm scared of what he might do. It wouldn't surprise me if he came a few RBIs short of a Triple Crown.

[Berkman#17]

If he's 100% in 2009, I'm scared of what he might do. It wouldn't surprise me if he came a few RBIs short of a Triple Crown.

And if the Cards miss the playoffs, he'll find a way to get disrespected for the MVP, like this year when he didn't come in and close for the Cards.

[Berkman#17]

No way is he better than Hornsby.

Not yet anyways. Give it another 15 years after he's getting ready for his new jacket, and that argument is debateable. I've got a toss up for 1-2 with Hornsby and Foxx right now, but that is subject to change after Manny, Arod, and Pujols are retired.

[Captain Cold Nose]

And if the Cards miss the playoffs, he'll find a way to get disrespected for the MVP, like this year when he didn't come in and close for the Cards.

I'm waiting for the actual voting to be announced to see if I'll be disappointed. I think he'll win it, the ESPN effect isn't as powerful as some give it credit for.

[KCGHOST]

Hopefully we will see even bigger things from Albert in the future.

[Otis Nixon's Bodyguard]

I've got a toss up for 1-2 with Hornsby and Foxx right now, but that is subject to change after Manny, Arod, and Pujols are retired.

I'd give Hornsby a slight edge over Foxx, but it's close. As for the three modern guys, A-Rod isn't in the same class as the other two as a hitter. He may wind up with better counting stats, but he won't be able to touch them on peak value. Obviously positional adjustment evens the score, but I am under the impression we are strictly talking hitting right now.

As for Albert's MVP chances, I honestly think he'll win. ESPN is trying to make the race exciting, but I think the statistics are too clear-cut to keep Pujols from winning. He won't come close to winning unanimously, although he probably deserves it, but I think he'll win comfortably.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I recently read an article that reviewed Albert Pujol's weight training program. The author of the article basically said that Albert's weight program is 100% WRONG for a baseball player and it may have been a factor in his injuried elbow.


The Healthy Skeptic: A Critical Analysis of Albert Pujols' Training Program

Written by Sal Marinello
Published April 04, 2007
Part of The Healthy Skeptic


The May 2007 edition of Muscle & Fitness magazine, features a cover story article that details the training regimen of the best baseball player on the planet, Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.

This is the worst regimen on the planet, and is totally inappropriate for an elite athlete like Pujols.

For years the sports/fitness media has allowed this kind of nonsense to pass for performance training, be it Barry Bonds’ or Terrell Owens' program, but it is amazing that a new generation superstar is following a program that is so woefully unsuitable. The program that Pujols follows is wrong on every single point and violates every established principle for designing a performance-training program.

Chris Mihlfeld, described in the article as being Pujols’ “full-time personal trainer and training partner,” designed Pujols’ program, and these two have been together for 10 years. Mihlfeld coached Pujols at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, and he has worked with Albert ever since.

The article highlights the program that Pujols follows - a “high-volume, body builder style” program - and we’re told, “this high-intensity approach is designed to prepare Albert’s muscles and joints” for the season “while also adding some long-ball clout to this already flawless swing.” Um, no.

With the exception of the correct description of this program as being “high-volume” this statement is wrong on all points. Actually almost every statement made in support of this program is incorrect, and I’ll get to them in a bit.

“High-volume, body builder–style” programs cannot address the complex needs of athletes, regardless of the level of competition, and by definition a program cannot be both high-volume and high-intensity, as there is an inverse relationship between these two variables. As volume increases, intensity decreases and there is no way around this. A program isn’t “high-intensity” by virtue of a person’s subjective opinion that a program is by some definition “hard.”

Bodybuilding has nothing to do with athletics since there is nothing remotely related between this style of training and the demands of sport.

Baseball is a sport that requires that its players be able to move quickly and explosively. This training program runs counter to the nature of baseball and is counter productive to Pujols’ baseball training because this program is teaching Pujols to move slower and less-explosively.

It’s a good thing that Albert is blessed with natural ability.

Romano says, "As a former body builder (Romano competed professionally) I know that this kind of training is inappropriate for any athlete at any level. Not only am I surprised that this is being presented as Pujols’ workout, I can’t believe that he actually follows this program."

Every paragraph in this story contains a statement that is incorrect and can be refuted with evidence from the field of strength and conditioning.

In the first paragraph of the story we’re told that Pujols puts in “two-a-days at the gym, sometimes completing more than 36 sets worth of exercise in a single session.” For the uninitiated – or for readers of M&F – this might sound impressive, but when you look at the make-up of this routine all this means is that Pujols is wasting a lot of time in the gym.

To keep this item as brief as possible I will use the first day of this workout for examples, but every day – every workout - of this program contains faulty design elements and ignores the basic principles of program design.

Monday is chest, biceps and traps day. There’s no valid reason to ever break up the body into these small pieces, but this breakdown is particularly bizarre.

During Albert’s Monday morning workout he completes 6 sets of 6 exercises with a repetitions scheme of 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 8 for each. The 6 exercises are flat dumbbell bench press, incline dumbbell press, machine fly, EZ-bar curl, seated dumbbell curl and alternating hammer curl. There’s that “impressive” 36 sets.

After taking a break from this diet of iron to partake in a similarly inappropriate cardiovascular workout, Pujols is back in the gym for his second helping of iron. In the afternoon the Cardinals’ slugger does Smith machine shrugs and dumbbell shrugs in the same set/rep scheme as the morning session, and some medicine ball crunches and jump rope.

This is classic body builder junk and displays a complete lack of understanding of how an athlete’s body works and needs to work. From the program design standpoint there is never a reason to split a workout into 2 daily sessions, as anything that is truly worth accomplishing in the weight room can be accomplished in one session. When you consider that all Albert does in the second session is some shrugs, this split session is even that much more absurd.

Another classic body builder blunder is to break the body down into component movements rather that provide compound, ground-based exercises that allow the body to work in a manner similar to the conditions experienced in competition. There is no imaginable reason to perform the exact same amount of sets and reps for the chest and biceps, especially when you consider the differences in the relative size and function of these groups.

Almost one-third of the exercises in the entire program are for Pujols’ arms, which is counter-productive and a waste of time. It’s no wonder that Pujols’ has been battling a chronic elbow problem for the past 3 seasons.

Robert Stephens, CSCS and a Director of an NSCA Performance Center who has worked with Division 1 scholarship and Olympic athletes says that this program would have been fine for Pujols when he was an untrained kid. “Anything is better than nothing,” says the Atlanta-based Stephens.

But Stephens adds, “Eventually Albert will start to have adverse effects from this training such as loss of range of motion, joint problems from wear and tear, muscle imbalances, muscle pulls and tear, etc. There is no mention of explosive training, core training, ground based training, multi-joint and multi-dimension training.”

When you consider that Pujols missed almost a month of the 2006 season from an oblique pull and had a hamstring issue late in the season, as well as suffering from the cranky elbow, some of the adverse effects might already be rearing their ugly head.

There is certainly no reason to follow the descending rep scheme from 20 to 8 reps that is used in almost half the program. Different rep schemes require that different energy systems within the body are used to fuel muscles, and performing this wide range of reps in the same workout is counter-productive, and doesn’t address the needs of any energy requirements.

One of the major principles of designing an effective training program is to use ground-based, multiple-joint exercises. This means machines and isolation movements should be at a bare minimum. With the exception of the EZ-bar curls, every exercise in Albert’s Monday morning session is performed either sitting down or lying down.

This program consists of 3 ground-based, multi-joint exercises out of about 60 total weekly exercises. Pujols spends way too much time using machines and sitting and lying down during his workouts, especially for an athlete. The body can’t be prepared for activities that occur with feet on the ground, by lying and sitting.

David Githens, CSCS a strength coach with 17 years of experience says, “I find the number of exercises and the volume of sets performed to be excessive. If this program contained the proper exercises you would cut the workout in at least half and actually achieve more benefit.”

Which goes back to my initial comments about how a program can’t be both high-volume and high-intensity. To really train with high-intensity makes it impossible to complete anywhere near 36 sets in a single workout. A true high-intensity workout consists of no more than 12-16 total sets, including warm-ups, with exercises that incorporate large muscle groups and result in 100% maximal oxygen consumption.

There are more statements in this article that need to be addressed.

We’re told that “on a heavy leg day” Pujols and his trainer “were banging out sets of 10 on the leg press with nearly 1,200 pounds.” There is no good reason for any athlete to do leg presses, let alone do them with this much weight. To utilizing the leg press in a training program is to ignore the need for athletes to perform ground-based, multi-joint, explosive, three-dimensional movements. To have an elite athlete grind out sets with 1,200 pounds is pure folly.

Working in a leg press – or Smith machine - forces the body to move in a manner determined by the machine and puts unnatural forces on the muscular-skeletal system, especially the back, hips and knees. Adding this kind of crazy weight to the formula is a recipe for disaster.

Towards the end of the article we get this passage, which reveals just how little Pujols’ trainer understands the process of training an athlete for sport.

“Mihlfeld’s off-season boot camp is so intense that Albert sees the regular season as his only real ‘downtime,’ training-wise. ‘The baseball season is like an off-season for me because it seems easy compared to what Chris and I do to get me ready for 162 games or more.’ Adds Mihlfeld: ‘The philosophy is to maximize his performance by teaching his body how to perform while fatigued.’”

This is wrong on all counts. You don’t prepare the body for a sport like baseball by tearing it down in the off-season. There is no basis in science or common sense to make this assertion.

The concept of rest and recovery has been lost on these bodybuilding-style trainers and this is where the taint of drugs affects legit guys like Pujols. The modern philosophy of bodybuilding routines is predicated on the fact that the competitive bodybuilders who design, follow and reap the benefits from these high-volume programs are on drugs that help them to grow. Without drugs, professional bodybuilders and their programs would garner little attention.

However this misapplication of principles is leading countless athletes down a counter-productive path. Pujols asserts that this program has helped keep him from breaking down, but the reality is that last year he suffered a severe oblique injury and has had a recurring elbow problem. As performance coach Robert Stephens said above, over time this kind of program will give Albert problems with regard to wear and tear injuries.

The high-volume of this program, particularly all the arm work, can certainly be blamed for some of Pujols’ elbow woes. All of the wear and tear that comes from all the sets and reps will definitely put unneeded stress on joints and connective tissues. And it’s no wonder that Pujols had an oblique problem last season given the lack of explosive, multi-joint movements at the expense of machine-based machines that are included in this program.

Mihlfeld says that he’s trying to maximize Pujols’ performance by teaching his body how to perform while fatigued. This is another statement that runs counter to both science and common sense, and reveals how bodybuilders don’t understand the workings of an athlete’s body. There really isn’t any objective evidence that shows that training to fatigue will increase muscle size and maximum strength, and by extension improve performance.

In a paper titled Athletic Performance Development published in the NSCA's Strength and Conditioning Journal by Michael Stone, PhD, CSCS, Steven Plisk, MS, CSCS and others, in conjunction with Appalachian State University, Yale University Athletic Department and the USA Weightlifting Development Center, Stone writes “that training to failure offers no particular advantage,” and research suggests “that training to failure or beyond may lead to over training.”

Stone also writes that it is “obvious” from the data that training to fatigue is not an efficient way to increase muscle size and strength gains.

All the hyperbole surrounding how much weight a person can lift or how many sets that they do in a workout is meaningless, especially in the context of an elite professional athlete’s training program. Over the past 20 years there has been an incredible advance in the understanding of the workings of the body and how to best prepare for the demands of sport while improving performance, but unfortunately there are still athletes and trainers that haven’t been paying attention.

Hopefully, the worst that will come from these programs is that athletes will just have wasted a lot time. However, when you look at the kinds of injuries that have been experienced by baseball players over the past several years you have to wonder if these programs are hurting guys more than they are helping.

Sal Marinello is a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer, a U.S.A. Weightlifting Certified Coach, a full-time, private Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach, an assistant football coach and a Head Strength Coach for a suburban New Jersey High School.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/04/04/190527.php

[Berkman#17]

I'm waiting for the actual voting to be announced to see if I'll be disappointed. I think he'll win it, the ESPN effect isn't as powerful as some give it credit for.

I am too, but really the fact that I have seen some pimp Howard as hard as their favorite political canidate shows the he's being disrespected for the MVP this year, and the award hasn't even been given out yet. It should be a no brainer and the discussion should only be held for 2nd place.

I'd give Hornsby a slight edge over Foxx, but it's close. As for the three modern guys, A-Rod isn't in the same class as the other two as a hitter. He may wind up with better counting stats, but he won't be able to touch them on peak value. Obviously positional adjustment evens the score, but I am under the impression we are strictly talking hitting right now.

Oh, I completely agree. Manny and Pujols are far ahead of Arod as a "pure" hitter. But, with the numbers that Arod is going to put up over his entire career, you have to put him in the discussion. He has to get points for being so good for so long; I call it the "Hank Aaron Factor". Dig deep within the numbers and what you've seen from watching Manny and Pujols, and they'll get the nod as better hitters, but Arod's numbers are just going to be too great to totally knock him to the bottom of the top 10.

Bodybuilding has nothing to do with athletics since there is nothing remotely related between this style of training and the demands of sport.

This is too broad of a generalization. I do agree somewhat that Pujols' program is slightly misguided, but to say that bodybuilding isn't athletic lifting is too much of a sterotype. Pure high volume programs that aren't focused on compound lifts, yes they are bad for an athlete. But, the best program I've ever done was a BB program. It was a modified form of HIT training called DoggCrapp Training, and it blew away anything I had done lifting wise before, and that includes "baseball specific" and football based regiments. HIT is far closer to athletic based programs as it's all about the intensity and explosiveness. Go rest-pause 11 reps at 245 on BB Rows and tell me how that doesn't compare to an "athletic program".