STS 4-29-08 & Lifting the dead

"From beginning to end, the deadlift hits everything, at one point or another."—Ronnie Coleman

Don't fear the Deadlift; embrace it. People avoid it because it's hard and requires perfect form. Of course doing it wrong can have a high-injury potential (what doesn't though really?) but doing it right will have you stronger than you've ever been in your life. Just think of it as a squat, except your also pulling the weight instead of already having it on your back. Keep that clean line of movement as close to the body as possible, and move from the glutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjBI9qxibTc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-O_MT72rck

An interesting article on the feet & proprioception ability. Kinda makes that whole Reebok pump phase seem even sillier, if that's even possible.

http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/index2.html

The sole of your foot has over 200,000 nerve endings in it, one of the
highest concentrations anywhere in the body. Our feet are designed to act as
earthward antennae, helping us balance and transmitting information to us
about the ground we’re walking on.

Another factor, she points out, is that when your foot can feel the ground, it sends
messages to the rest of your body. “Your body tells itself, My foot just hit the ground, I’m about to start walking, so let’s activate all these mechanisms to keep my joints safe. Your body’s natural neuromechanical-feedback mechanisms can work to protect the rest of your extremities. You have much more sensory input than when you’re insulated by a thick outsole.”

The same holds true with athletic shoes. In a 1997 study, researchers
Steven Robbins and Edward Waked at McGill University in Montreal found that the more padding a running shoe has, the more force the runner hits the ground with:
In effect, we instinctively plant our feet harder to cancel out the shock absorption of
the padding. (The study found the same thing holds true when gymnasts land on soft mats—they actually land harder.) We do this, apparently, because we need to feel the ground in order to feel balanced. And barefoot, we can feel the ground—and we can naturally absorb the impact of each step with our bodies. “Whereas humans wearing shoes underestimate plantar loads,” the study concluded, “when barefoot they sense it precisely.”

She explains that, when we don’t use our feet
properly, our muscles have to strain to compensate—not just in our feet but in our whole body

Epidemiologically speaking, it’s been estimated that, by
age 40, about 80 percent of the population has some muscular-skeletal foot
or ankle problem. By age 50 to 55, that number can go up to 90 or 95 percent.” Ninety-five percent of us will develop foot or ankle problems? Yeesh. Those are discouraging numbers—but wait. Are we talking about 95 percent of the world population, or of North America? “Those are American figures,” he says. Which makes me think, North Americans have the most advanced shoes in the world, yet 90 percent of us still develop problems? We’ve long assumed this means we need better shoes. Maybe it means we don’t need shoes at all.

Workout:

Movement Prep: usual suspects, see previous posts for a breakdown

Medicine Ball: 3-throw sequence with mini-band shuffles & skips in between. 3 sets.

Plyometric Training:

1A Sitting Box Jumps
1B Plyo Pushups

Twice through, resting after pushups

2A: Split-squat Jumps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qad7oHkdzE8
2B: Jumping tuck pullups

Same rest sequence as above

Functional Lifts:

Hang Cleans: 6,6,4, with increasing weight

Deadlifts: 8,8, 6, 6, 5, 4, 4 with increasing weight, heavy as I could go.

Push-Press: 6,6,4,4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQmtYO9-f1w

Circuit o' Death:

Finished with a Xfit inspired circuit that I set for 8 minutes straight, or until I couldn't go anymore. I made it the 8 minutes. Just. Barely.

-1 leg'd GHD's-TF (to failure)
-decline situps w/weight-TF
-standing twists w/weight- TF
-Dips w/weight (hold with feet) -TF
-Chinups w/weight(hold with feet)-TF
-1-leg'd squats-6 each leg

Rest only when necessary.

Last post for a week or so. Going out of town on business, then back to Vegas for Brian's Boglepalooza Bachelor Party. Just in time too, my liver was just starting to get healthy.

23 dudes from SF to CO + the panorama suite at PH= the best kind of crazy.

Like Kanye said "You know what this is...it's a celebration bitches"

#40

Medicine Men & the Truth of Strength

"Strength is the single greatest equalizer in sport and therefore strength training is the most important physical preparation quality" - Alwyn Cosgrove

Notice he didn't say a specific sport, but all sports.

Here's the full article. Smart writings from an industry leader.

http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/2008/04/moments-of-clarity-part-iv.html

Here's a fantastic article on Medicine Balls that everyone should read.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3336435

"When you're talking about optimizing performance, from gladiators to the
French Open, this simple ball might have more power to unlock an athlete's
potential than any other tool ever invented."- Mark Verstegen, a trainer, author
and founder of Athletes' Performance Institute

While hoisting weights on a bar controlled by a machine is a user-friendly and efficient way to build muscle mass and fundamental strength, it also reduces the dynamic elements of balance, explosion and sport-specific movement that are gained from resistance training. In fact, the very idea of functional training got lost during the machine craze as performance took a backseat to looking good. With static, mass building training ascendant in the States, the Soviet Union and East Germany began to dominate Olympic-medal counts in the 1960s and 1970s. Heavy doses of illegal drugs aside, athletes in Eastern-bloc countries had developed faster contractions from dynamic methods kinesiologists call jump training or plyometrics—lighter weights and faster reps that produce more elastic, efficient and explosive muscle contractions.

While the ball itself is simple, the kinetic science behind it is anything but. The unpredictable path of a med ball as it flies through the air forces the exerciser to use entire muscle groups instead of, say, just the biceps or deltoids. After aeons of evolved movement, the body can still grow more kinetically efficient as it links dozens of its smaller muscles to adjust to the ball's flight. Adaptation is the key to athletic development, and no two med-ball reps are the same. "If the game you play is chaotic, you have to train chaotic," says Titans tight end Alge Crumpler. "How are you going to do that with a machine?"
Human power is determined by the level of contraction in the muscles. By lengthening the muscle just before contraction (more so than in static weight lifting), the med ball creates stored elastic energy that dramatically increases the speed and strength of the contraction. (The farther you stretch a rubber band, the more it stings your little brother when it snaps back.) It's the difference between standing flat-footed as you take an arms-only chop at a golf ball (static) and the violent entire uncoiling Tiger uses to explode off the tee (dynamic). "That's the foundation, the operating system that has developed all human movement," says Verstegen. "The med ball has always been smart. It just had to wait 3,000 years for athletes to catch up."

A simple medicine ball workout: (best done with a partner, but can be done against a wall)

-Chest pass- 15 reps
-Chest pass w/squat- 15 reps
-Overhead pass- 15
-Overhead pass in split/squat stance- 15
- Sideways twist toss-15 (both sides)
- Sumo-squat backwards toss w/jump - 20
- Overhead slam w/jump - 20
- Front-squat toss w/jump- 20

The medicine ball is whatever you make it. If you train boring, don't be suprised if you're bored. Create your own explosive movements. Incorporate throws-to-sprint, hop into explosive throws, lateral movement, 1 arm throws, hooverball, rotational jumping (180's etc), anything that involves explosive footwork and core control. etc, etc, etc. No limits.

The best medicine ball is the bouncy hard-rubber ones. Nike makes a great one, just make sure whichever one you get has the bounce-back ability.

Some youtube examples. Pay attention to how they move with an athletic base.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB4Seksx0zw (this one is great)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9STVOgSdO8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzGynV5TDRM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9SlDRkiRTI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPNRHV1CeCc

#40

STS 4-22-08

"Jumping rope toughens the body. It proves that quickness comes from staying relaxed in the extremities while keeping the spine erect and the abdominals drawn in. and reinforces this pattern in your body. Pulling in the abs does not require holding the breath or tightening the stomach as if anticipating a blow to the gut. However, the more the trunk is held in the appropriate position and the more the extremities are relaxed, the quicker and more powerful movements will become."- Gray Cook

The sky is the limit. Literally: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7QL2BT0ZJY

Smart article on benefits of jumping rope. Maybe the best $20 investment ever. I've said it before, nothing warms you up like a speed rope, and it couldn't be more posture specific if you tried.

http://www.coreperformance.com/article.php?p=3&s=2&id=770

An easy read on guidelines for sprint-training:

http://www.coreperformance.com/article.php?p=3&s=1&id=733

A great article on addressing weaknesses in your squat. The squat is too important to not do absolutely correct. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

http://www.straighttothebar.com/2008/03/addressing_weaknesses_in_the_s.html

And an easy read about one of the most important muscles in the core. Don't just view the core as this mysterious middle part of your body, recognize the different muscles and their roles in athletic movement.

http://www.straighttothebar.com/2007/11/specific_training_for_the_tran.html

Workout:

Movement Prep: Usual awesomeness with a extra side of jump-ropes. Did tons of split-stance jump-roping, one leg in front, one leg in back, switch as rope passes under. It's all about staying on your toes, landing with no noise, and only leaving the ground enough for the rope to pass under.

Plyo-Skills & landing mechanics:

This one is inspired by my captain Whit, who's always challenging me to more difficult sequences and pushing my creativity levels. Do this when you are fully warmed up and at the beginning of your workout.

Sitting box jumps to forward depth jump: Start with the medium plyo box behind you and the large plyo box directly in front of you. Sit on the medium box with just your ass touching and your feet in dorsiflexion. From there spring up to land backwards on the box in a 1/4 squat, landing with proper mechanics and no noise. From there do a depth jump forward to land on the large plyo box. That's 1, go for 8-10.
Advanced: Once you feel comfortable with the sequence it's time to land 1 foot'd and test your unilateral landing mechanics. Sit on medium box, spring up and land backwards with left foot. Drop into 2-foot'd depth jump and land on large plyo box with right foot. Alternate feet each time, and try landing on the same foot on both boxes if you can handle it. Break out of your comfort zone and push your ability.

4 sets:
1 set- 2 legs
2nd & 3rd set- alternating legs
4th set- same leg

Functional Lifts:

1A Split-squat Quick Drops: Same movement as this video except land in a split-squat (not a lunge) instead of a regular squat. 8-12 reps
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/QuickDrop.html
1B: Jumping tuck pull-ups
2x through sequence 1

Next I did 4 sets of the 3-step Squat sequence:

2A: OH squats- 10 reps. Put a box behind you if you can't maintain proper control & form.
2B: Squat-to-Superman pushup- 10 reps. From standing squat down and walk hands all the way out in front (inchworm style) till hands are completely out in front (like superman), perform pushup and walk hands back. That's 1. Concentrate on a locked core and initiating movement from it. So dirrrty.
2C: 1 leg squats (pistol squats) 10 reps each leg: put a box behind you and sit down n' up just like you were getting out of a chair.

3:Arm Swivels: Holding 1 or 2lb dumbells in each hand stand in athletic stance. With your arms in a 90 degree angle (bent at elbow) pump your arms as fast and as hard as you can like you're sprinting moving the hands from your hip-pocket to your eye-socket. Focus on a stable core and movement through the shoulders. Keep those 90-90's and focus on the hip-pocket to eye-socket. 3 rounds of 40 swings total.

Finished with core sequence of med ball twists, GHD's, GHD sit-ups and hanging leg raises. 3 x's through resting only when necessary.

Crazy weekend up ahead. Our flag football team finished as A-division champs in both Sat. & Sun. leagues, finishing the regular season 22-0. A crazy stat (even crazier considering we won two of those games trailing both by a score with 5 seconds and 22 seconds left on the clock. And we were penalized 6 points each in the semi's and finals because of mis-matched jerseys and still won each game by more than 12. Yeah, our league gives the other team points (2points per) if you don't all have the same jersey. Nonsense!), but one that doesn't mean anything unless we win the SoCal Shootout tournament this weekend in LA and grab that $800 1st prize. Can't wait until the majority of ultimate tournaments offer cash for the winners. 5 on 5 flag football is such a fun game, and the crossover effect has been awesome, my dump D has gotten way better from football as well as my toe-the-line ability, a skill that doesn't get enough respect or recognition till you really need it. I'm pretty fired up to win 2 tournaments in 2 different sports in a 2-month span.

This week:
Monday: Recovery
Tuesday: Field work
Wednesday: Workout above
Thursday: Field work
Friday: Recovery
Sat/Sun: SoCal Shootout.

click-clack,
#40

Sport-specific speed & STS 4-15-08

"The muscles don’t move because of cardiovascular demand. It’s the reverse. The cardio system is elevated because of muscular demand. We need to program the body based on the movements it’s going to perform – not based on the cardiovascular system.

The only reason that there is any demand on the cardiovascular system is because the muscular system places that demand – the muscles require oxygen in order to continue to work. In fact cardiovascular exercise is impossible without moving the muscle first."- Alwyn Cosgrove

Another excellent post by Alwyn Cosgrove. Really makes you think. Here it is in full:

Cardiovascular programming is an ass backward concept.
I don’t know when I first thought this – but it was confirmed to me when viewing
Lance Armstrong’s performance in the New York Marathon. I’d been taught through my college education and countless training certifications and seminars that
cardiovascular exercise was necessary to improve the cardio vascular system
and subsequently aerobic performance.

But there seemed an inherent flaw in that argument…. Let’s say I tested your aerobic fitness through a treadmill test. Then – for sixteen weeks – we developed a five-day per week aerobic training program that involved you running at various heart rates and for various lengths of times – progressively increasing in difficulty and duration – and this resulted in a very significant improvement in your aerobic fitness.At the end of this sixteen week period, how much do you expect your swimming times to have improved? Marginally, if at all.
Seems dumb to ask right? However – if we have one cardiovascular system – why doesn’t your cardiovascular system improve across the board regardless of the activity? Why didn’t Lance Armstrong – with perhaps the highest recorded VO2 max in history – win the New York Marathon? Or beat people with lesser aerobic levels than himself? The greatest endurance cyclist (and possibly endurance athlete) of all time – the seven time Tour De France winner – finished 868th and described the event as the “hardest physical thing” he had ever done. Runners World Magazine actually examined Lance's physiology (and VO2 max which was tested at 83) and compared them to the numbers of Paul Tergat (the World Record holder and defending NYC Marathon Champion at the time).
They concluded:
" This figure wouldn't mean much if it weren't for the pioneering research of famed running coach Jack Daniels, Ph.D., who first published his Oxygen Power tables in 1979-- According to Daniels, who's rarely off by more than a smidgen or two, a max VO2 of 83 is roughly equivalent to a 2:06 marathon" Based on his other physical qualities the magazine suggested that Lance was capable of running 2:01:11.
The world record at the time was 2:04:55 Lance ran 2:59:36 (and don't misinterpet me - that's still a great time). But it's clear that the physiology didn't transfer the way even the running community expected.
The flaw in this thinking was looking solely at aerobic capacity -- VO2 max - the "engine" as it were. And it's fair to say that Lance had a "Formula One" engine. But he didn't have the structural development for running. Lance was a cyclist - his body had adapted to the demands of cycling. But NOT to the specific demands of running (in fact Lance had only ran 16 miles at once EVER prior to running the marathon). Lance had developed strength, postural endurance and flexibility in the correct "cycling muscles” - but it didn't transfer to running the way his VO2 max did.
The muscles don’t move because of cardiovascular demand. It’s the
reverse. The cardio system is elevated because of muscular demand. We need to program the body based on the movements it’s going to perform – not based on the cardiovascular system.
Basically, if that muscular system cannot handle the
stress of thousands of repetitions (which is what running, cycling etc is) then we have to condition that muscular system first. And by doing so, we automatically improve cardiovascular conditioning. The only reason that there is any demand on the cardiovascular system is because the muscular system places that demand – the muscles require oxygen in order to continue to work. In fact cardiovascular exercise is impossible without moving the muscle first.
I’ve seen this across various sports. The cardio conditioning required
to run a 10K won’t transfer to motocross or jiu-jitsu.
Conclusion - If cardio training doesn’t transfer well from one activity to another – and it only ‘kicks’ in because of muscular demand – why don’t we program muscular activity first – in order to create a cardiovascular response.

And another solid one from Vern Gambetta on sport-specific speed training. The picture below is from it. It's from the perform better website which has a good number of entry-level articles.


http://www.performbetter.com/catalog/matriarch/OnePiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_34_A_PageName_E_Training3




And just cuz it's that awesome, the top 15 jukes of all time. Check out Barry Sanders in case you've forgotten what Reggie Bush is trying to look like. If the two main concepts in athletic movemement is: 1) An active, but stable core and 2) Arms & legs that move independently and explosively, then Barry is Text.Book.

http://theangryt.com/?p=539

Workout:

Movement Prep: Standard, see previous posts if you need detailed info.

Medicine Ball: 3-throw sequence mixed in with mini-band shuffles and skips

Plyometric training: Did 2 sets of box-jumps landing on 1 foot for landing mechanics & proprioception. 8 jumps landing with each foot, followed by 4 jumps on 1 foot landing with same foot. Landing should be with no noise and with proper balance, if you don't stick it becomes an exercise in reaction skills, land and bounce out safely.

Functional Lifts:

1: Jump Shrugs: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/JumpShrug.html

4 sets- 6,6,4,4

2A: Deadlifts: 3 sets of 8
2B: Jumping tuck pullups- 3 sets of 15

3: Overhead walks: Just like they sound, grab a barbell, put it overhead and lock the arms and walk. I was on the basketball court and set up a figure-8 scheme as well as some lateral movement.

4: Plyo arm-swings: 5lb weights in hand, swings arms like you're sprinting while keeping pillar strength in an athletic stance. 40 swings- 4 sets mixed with a core circuit.


This week:
Monday: Recovery
Tuesday: Field work w/lateral movement & agility emphasis
Wednesday: Workout Above
Thursday: Heavybag & hill runs
Friday: Weights
Saturday: Field work w/plyo emphasis
Sunday: Football

click-clack,
#40

STS 4-9-08

“But don't forget my ideas are only what's been written down in history by the great people of the world who've gone before. All I've done is condense the wisdom of the world into an attitude for athletics. Athletics aren't just running, it's a way of life” - Percy Cerutty

Another awesome video on Fre Flo Do redefining proprioception ability. Go ahead and marinate on this for a minute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhRngEcwwvE

A good entry-level article on swiss ball exercises:

http://www.chekinstitute.com/articles.cfm?select=35

And some advanced swiss-ball nonsense:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QR3BZGfchk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9dTtFCNHZs

And a great article on strengthening the ankles. After breaking my foot (twice) this article definitely hits close to home. As I'm sure some of you can relate, as foot/ankle injuries are such a pain in the ass. Better to be proactive about it now then deal with an injury later.

http://www.t-nation.com/article/performance_training/the_ankle_paradox_building_indestructible_ankles&cr=performanceTraining

Workout:

Movement Prep: Same as before, also added 50 jump-rope double unders at the end.

Medicine Ball: 3-throw sequence (sumo-squat toss w/catch, overhead slam, front squat toss w/catch) with mini-band shuffles in between. 3 sets of 5

Functional Lifts:

1A: Lateral Step-ups w/crossover: Stand on the left side of the medium plyo box with your right leg on the box in proper step-up position and bar w/weight on your back. Movement is the same as regular step-up except you step down to the side instead of backwards. Step up with right leg 3 times then at the top of step-up cross your left foot in front over to the right side of the top of the plyo box and step down with right foot so that you are now on the right side of the box with left foot on top of box in proper step-up position. Perform 3 with left-leg then cross-over back to original position. Shoot for 9-12 reps with each leg. Advanced Level: once you can lateral step-up with complete control crossover each time you step up instead of waiting until your 3rd rep.
1B: Jumping pull-ups w/tuck

2A: Hang Clean & Jerk:

set 1: 6 reps
set 2: 6 reps
set 3: 4 reps
set 4: 4 reps
set 5: 2 reps (clean only)
set 6: 2 reps (clean only)

2B: Push-press: finished it off with 2 sets of push-press, heavy as possible for 6 reps

3A: weighted pullups
3B: weighted dips

4: plyometric arm swings: 5lb dumbells in each hand TF. Maintain 90-90's with arms and swing through the shoulders, same motion as if you were sprinting.

Core Circuit: finished with circuit of GHD's, GHD situps, medicine ball twists, hanging leg raises. 3 times through no rest.

This week:

All the guys I train with were on different schedules this week so I dropped some weight days and mixed in extra field work.

Monday: Heavybag work/field work w/sprint mechanic emphasis
Tuesday: field work w/agility & lateral movement emphasis
Wednesday: weights- heavy day
Thursday: field work w/medicine ball and plyometric emphasis
Friday: recovery
Saturday/Sunday: One Love One Beach. I can almost taste the carbombs now. And it tastes good. Real good.

tic...tic...tic...BOOM!

#40

Field Work & Hamstring Pulls

"warm-up to stretch, do not stretch to warm-up"- Vern Gambetta

"Flexibility of the hamstring is basically a non factor in hamstring pulls, it is dynamic hip flexibility that is important. You don't get that wallowing around on the ground in pregame stretch."- Vern Gambetta

The article on hamstring pulls written by Vern on his website (link to the right) should be passed around to every athlete you know. Here it is in full:

We have just started hamstring pulling season (AKA Major League Baseball
Season) So far in first two days of the season there have bee two hamstring
pulls. Do you ever wonder why? Is it the cold weather? No I don’t think so
although can be a factor at times. Are they out of shape? I hope not they have
spent six weeks in spring training getting game fit. Based on my observations
over the years here is my take on the hamstring pull situation in baseball and
for that matter other sports. Too much emphasis on static stretching in
warm-up. Warm-up to stretch, do not stretch to warm-up. Flexibility of the hamstring is basically a non factor in hamstring pulls, it is dynamic hip flexibility that is important. You don't get that wallowing around on the ground in pregame stretch. Lack of sufficient warm-up. The current rage in warm-up does not involve enough movement, way too much at walking tempo, you need to build the warm-up in a crescendo to top speed sprints. Another reason is too much emphasis on linear running mechanics, very little on turns. The hamstring is a transverse plane muscle that is stressed when running a curve and on deceleration. There is too much strengthening using non functional exercises in prone and supine positions. The solutions are simple, but require understanding muscle function and compliance to a program. More lunges in all planes, step-ups both low and high, more emphasis on running turns and at least two days a week of all out sprinting outside the game. It takes time and preparation with attention to detail. - Vern Gambetta

Reality Check time: go re-read that part on running curves & deceleration and think about how much time you spend in your program on those areas. Probably not enough is it?

Here's a great video on rapid-reponse (quick feet) movements. These kids are just creating movements as they go along. We should all be so smart to apply this methodology. Don't just follow, invent. Think outside the athletic box; push the limits of your movement ability. You might just surprise yourself. (Also, take notice of their arm swing movements and how much force you can generate from the arms. Movement comes from the whole body, not just your legs).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfR4DP6w8e4

Field Work:

• 10 mins throwing
• 10 mins dynamic stretching/mini band movement
• 10 mins medicine ball pillar strength work- standing throws (all types) squat-to-throw, squat-to-toss, etc. Focus on postural control and explosive core/hip/ass initiated movement with your weight underneath you.
• 10 mins rapid-response drills- quick feet movement drills.
• 15 mins long-response lateral movement drills- full-body maximum impact drills moving lateral.
• 15 mins long-response forward movement drills- full-body max impact drills moving forward

Anytime we took a water break we would immediately throw 20 backhands and 20 forehands in to practice throwing while fatigued.

Finished with a 3-ball football receiver drill. This drill can easily (and effectively) be used with disc's instead of footballs for ultimate training. It trains turning, deceleration, field awareness, and acceleration to full-sprint with constant catch (and throws if done with a disc) movements. Keep it as anaerobic as possible.

3-ball Drill:

Line up on right side of the field with thrower to your left that has 3 footballs with them. The 1st Route is a 3 yard slant across the field catching the ball (disc) at 8-10 yards to the opposite side side of the field from where you started. Catch the ball, tuck it for a second and drop it (for a disc you would catch it, plant, and throw back to the thrower). Immediately explode into 2nd Route which is a 12-yard out back across the field to the opposite sideline (you should be at about 12 yards already) catch the second ball, tuck & drop (or plant and throw with a disc). Immediately explosively transition into 3rd route which is a streak up the right side of the field. Catch the deep ball (or huck) at full sprint. Your partner now comes and meets you down at the end of the field and it's their turn to run and your turn to throw heading back the other direction. 3 explosive sprints all finishing with a catch with turn & decleration transitions. Sick.

Don't just work out...work out with a plan. If you're going to train put some thought into it. Focus on what you need to improve on and equal out imbalances. Your game will thank you for it.

#40

STS 4-1-2008

I don't have any tricky plays, I'd rather have tricky players.-- Abe Lemons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1aDz3lNMxc

Great video. You can really see the connective chain of movements. Can also be done with dumbbells as well. Also pay attention to the landing mechanics. How you land is just as important as how you jump.

A smart article by Alwyn Cosgrove:

http://www.t-nation.com/article/performance_training/cosgroves_five_ahha_moments&cr=performanceTraining

And another great one from Paul Chek. Check out the importance of the Anterior/Posterior Oblique System and how it translates over sports. Also pay attention to the image at the bottom of the article and the progression you should follow with your core training. If you don't know this name, you should.

http://www.chekinstitute.com/articles.cfm?select=12

Fre Flo Do. I call it: The Answer. How to take athleticism to truly it's greatest heights. Simply Brilliant, simply phenomenal.

http://www.freflodo.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKHcJ_X0Kig


Workout:

Today's focus was on split-squats and OH movement. Remember, it's a split-squat, not a lunge. You are pushing with power from the back leg, not pulling from the front leg. There's simply no lunging involved. Your back leg should maintain a 90 degree angle with a straight line running from the top of your head down to the bottom of the knee of the back leg. For most of you that means shortening up your stance and cognitively focusing on flexing the posterior chain of your back leg. In Yoga you lunge. In sprinting you split-squat. Recognize the difference.

Movement Prep: usual mixture. See previous posts if you need a full breakdown.

Jump Training:

-Sitting box jumps 1 set of 12. Focus on landing with no noise.
- Standing box jumps landing on 1 leg in a 1/4 squat, focus on landing mechanics. 1 set of 8 each leg
- Split-squat jumps 2 sets of 12

Functional Lifts:

Split-Squat Drops: 2 weeks into these and love them. Starting in athletic stance with bar in push-press position, explode into split-squat while arms explode the bar overhead. Lower body explodes downward, arms explode up, core stays active but stable. Land with weight completely underneath you on the back leg, and keep that scapular retraction. Pop back up into push-press position and repeat with opposite leg in front. Really focus on fluidity and control while moving explosively. 3 sets x 10

This next sequence is a killer and couldn't be more functional. Props to my boy Chris for designing it.

1A: OH squats- 10 reps. Put a box behind you if you can't maintain proper control & form.
1B: Squat-to-Superman pushup- 10 reps. From standing squat down and walk hands all the way out in front (inchworm style) till hands are completely out in front (like superman), perform pushup and walk hands back. That's 1. Concentrate on a locked core and initiating movement from it. So dirrrty.
1C: 1 leg squats (pistol squats) 10 reps each leg: put a box behind you and sit down n' up just like you were getting out of a chair.

3 sets all the way through.

Arm Swivels: Holding 1 or 2lb dumbells in each hand stand in athletic stance. With your arms in a 90 degree angle (bent at elbow) pump your arms as fast and as hard as you can like you're sprinting moving the hands from your hip-pocket to your eye-socket. Focus on a stable core and movement through the shoulders. Keep those 90-90's and focus on the hip-pocket to eye-socket. 3 rounds until failure.

Core Circuit: finished with quick circuit incorporating twisting movements from Paul Chek's article from above. Used cables, medicine balls, and also threw some GHD's in to hit those hammys one last time.

This week:

Monday: Recovery
Tuesday: Field work & throwing (agility/sprint mechanic emphasis)
Wednesday: weights
Thursday: Field work & throwing (plyometric emphasis)
Friday: football receiver drills & dynamic stretching. Light movement day, emphasis on football mechanics & skills.
Saturday: Flag Football Championships. Time to stay undefeated.
Sunday: Weights or pick-up ultimate.

Hopefully you had a chance to check out the Nike Sparq commercials and it piqued your interest into all the different types of training you can incorporate to be stronger, faster, & quicker. Keep your body guessing and your workouts fresh. Routine is the enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4TbxS_CdWE

Your agility owes my agility $20,
#40