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