STS 5-28-08

"If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball." - Phil Jackson

Check out this sick video on bounding. Bounding is the culmination of all your sprint training, the ability to move with maximum full-body impact with consistent pace & form. If a 180lb male can generate 370lbs of force with each footstrike during a sprint, think of how much force is generated through bounding and how that translates over to fast-twitch muscle development. (Hint: Kobe generates around 1200lbs of force when he jumps off 1 foot for a dunk. Yeah, 1200lbs. That's not a typo.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yZ3kp_IMk0

The full article

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2008/05/bounding.html

A great article on box squats. Box squats are absolutely the best tool for learning to overhead squat and 1-leg (pistol) squat correctly.

http://stronglifts.com/build-explosive-strength-how-to-perform-box-squats/

Speaking of squats, here's how to front squat properly. If I'm not overhead squatting it's my primary form of squat as it requires much more core control & stabilization than a traditional backsquat. Plus I can transition into a push-press, hang-clean, etc at any time. Try 1 set regular and 1 set front squat and see if you notice the functional difference.

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-front-squat-with-proper-technique/

A good article on anterior core training

http://www.t-nation.com/article/performance_training/anterior_core_training

and a couple videos for examples of isometric exercises and some other types. Good stuff to incorporate into your field workouts.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXD69lc1OTY

Workout:

I've gotten a good number of questions regarding my workouts and it's important to note that what I post are just my weightroom sessions, which make up only 25% of my training program. (sorry, can't give away all my secrets) I follow Jim Radcliffe's program, the strength coach at U of Oregon, and the father of plyometrics. I had the extremely fortunate opportunity to train with him in high school and he's forever left a distinct impact on my athletic career. My program follows as such:

This week I spent a lot of time analyzing the sportlab videos and concepts and figuring out how to incorporate it into my training, which exercises were pertinent, and how I could re-create some of the movements at my gym as they pretty much use what looks like a glorified calf-raise machine. It's important to realize that when it comes to exercise science new ideas don't necessarily negate old ones, but rather build upon them. I don't have all the answers to the questions (yet), but it sure is fun exploring these new movements and how they translate over to the field.

Movement Prep: Circuit consisting of:

Jump-rope (1 min)
Handstand pushups against wall (TF)
bodyweight squats (12)
Jump-rope (1 min)
Handstand pushups (TF)
Walking split-squats w/core twist forewards, then backwards no twist (8 each direction)
Jump-rope (1 min)
inchworms (10)
Side-lunges (8 each direction)
Jump-rope (1 min)
step-ups (8 each leg)
bodyweight squats (12)

Med-Ball

25 front-squat vertical tosses
25 Overhead slams
25 side-twist throws (in backhand position) each side
10 1-arm front-squat vertical tosses each arm(keep ball next to chest like shotput position, then explode upwards)

I mixed in mini-band shuffles between the different throws as well, switching between wearing the bands on both the ankles and just above the knee.

Plyo Skills & Drills

Each sequence performed 2x's resting only when necessary

1A: Box March with mini-band at knees http://www.exrx.net/Plyometrics/BoxMarchHigh.html
1B: plyo-pushups

2A: Split-squat jumps (not a lunge jump. There's just no lunging involved)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zLTDUFjbXA
2B: jumping pull-ups w/tuck

3A: Lateral shuffles w/mini bands and holding medicine ball overhead
http://www.exrx.net/Plyometrics/BoxLateralShuffle.html
3B: Ab wheel (To failure)

4A: Box jumps w/1 foot landings
4B: jumping pull-ups w/tuck

Functional Exercises:

For this portion I performed a number of the arm swivels/circles on top of the swiss medicine ball that I saw from the sportslab videos as well as a bunch of balancing stability exercises such as bulgarian split-squats with back leg on the swiss ball, glute bridges, etc. I really just explored new movements and what their respective areas of focus were. I finished with a cable machine that has a foot attachment and did a number of different hip swivels and leg extensions focusing on minimal but explosive ground contact time and moving with hip mobility & stability. Great stuff and I could really feel it in the pelvic girdle muscles.

Core Circuit:

-GHD swandives (from sports lab video w/weights in each hand
- Standing core twists
- Side plank
- GHD situps

3x's through resting only when necessary.

This week:

Monday: Yoga/recovery
Tuesday: field work w/lateral agility emphasis
Wednesday: Workout above- plyometric/explosive emphasis
Thursday: Short but intense (always train as close to game speed as possible) sprint workout consisting of short-yardage sprints & speed transition work, followed by 4 rounds of heavybag work, punches & kicks. Kicks= the shit for making your legs strong.
Friday: Recovery
Saturday/Sunday: Cal States

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STS 5-22-08

“If you look at a track guy or a jumper, his foot is only in contact with the ground two-tenths of a second; it takes six- to eight-tenths of a second to create a maximum contraction in weight lifting. It looks good, but you can’t use it. Your foot can’t be on the ground that long. If you train slow, you’re going to be slow. You have to train explosively fast.” -Marv Marinovich

Crazy interesting article on Troy Polamalu's workout program and a style of training that truly increases athleticism. Reminds me a lot of the concepts of Fre Flo Do with more of a strength aspect. Damn it gives you lots to think about. Charlie Francis (Ben Johnson's old coach) says that "training is 5 years ahead of the science to back it up" and that qoute definitely fits here. I'm going to spend a good amount of time figuring out how to incorpate these principles into my workouts. Thanks to Robbie for showing it to me.

http://www.postgameheroes.com/?p=2338

Here's the website where he does his training

http://sportslab.net/

another cool video on them

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

and check out this pyramid of athleticism, really smart stuff.

http://sportslab.net/aboutus.html

Here's Victor Conte's (former head of BALCO) letter to Dwain Chambers about his doping regimine and how easy it was to circumvent the drug tests. Think about this the next time you hear someone hate on Barry, cuz he sure wasn't alone. Sports Sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards once wrote that "we've made no further progress in sports than we have in society" and that definitely applies here. Ethical/moral issues aside, this is one crazy-ass doping regimine with true science behind it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-566744/Victor-Contes-letter-Dwain-Chambers.html

Workout:

Movement Prep

Med-Ball-

1A: 3-throw sequence (sumo-squat overhead toss, overhead slam, front-squat vertical throw with jump)
1B: Mini-band shuffles

2x's through

Plyos

1A: split-squat jumps- switching legs in the air
1B: plyo-pushups

2A: box jumps alternating regular and 1 foot landings
2b: jumping tuck pullups

2x's through each one

Functional Lifts

1- Hang clean w/jerk- 3 sets of 4

2- Kettlebell swings- 50, used dumbbell instead of kettlebell

3- 1-arm snatches w/dumbbell- 2 sets of 10 each arm-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg77Os9mtXs

4- wide-grip hang snatches w/barbell- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht62GrOj5_Q
3 sets of 8

Finished with GHD's and a crazy-awesome 1-arm press exercise I got from Mark Twight's video I posted last time.

Beginner- grab a swiss ball and make a table-top with your body with just your upper back & neck on the swiss ball and a 90-degree bend at the knee (torso & upper legs horizontal) and grab a weight plate or dumbbell and do 1-arm bench press while squeezing the glutes & core and locking out in the tabletop. Same as this video but keep a tighter tabletop. I like to use a weight plate because it strengthens your hand/forearms in a different way than usual. Routine is the enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53GQNWHE1N4

Intermediate: same thing but alternate each arm while holding the other dumbbell up locked out with the other arm.

Advanced: perform 1-arm press while locked out on GHD machine with upper-body suspended in air. These rocked. You can see an example at 1:48 of the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=628qphA1-8M

#40

STS 5-15-08

Of all the people I evaluate, including the best athletes in the world, the No. 1 focus is hip function and stability, which is to say how we use our pelvis. If people better understood how to use the pelvis and hips, we could eradicate lower back pain, knee pain, foot ailments and a host of other aches that make us miserable. - Mark Verstegen

This article is one of the best I've read in a really, really long time. Read it, adopt it, & share it with everyone you know. There's not a single person who can't benefit from this.

http://www.coreperformance.com/article.php?p=1&s=1&id=794

We want to move from the hips in everything we do, while maintaining
perfect posture. The reason we see so many running-related injuries is
because people don't have the necessary hip stability. Runners have to
be able to effectively balance on a single leg and move from the hips. If the hips don't stabilize, the force created by the pounding of
running is stored in the body.But if you're stable in the hips, core and
shoulders, the energy transfers through the feet, legs, core and through the opposite arm, creating maximum energy. If you lack stability, the
energy is absorbed and stored in the muscles, tendons and joints, leading to overuse injuries. By creating a mobile and stabile hip joint, we will store and release energy efficiently, creating optimum movement. Muscles are our suspension system. Their job is to store and release energy efficiently.

Here's Mark Twight being his usual badass self. Check out the Overhead Squats to sled runs...just filthy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=628qphA1-8M

Here's a pretty decent website with video displays, great for any beginners.

http://askthetrainer.com/exercise-information.html

An article on an interesting concept. I remember my hurdle coach in High School yelling at us to sprint with a "soft face" over and over, really goes to show what kind of effect it can have. Also shows yet again how connected the muscles are to each other, tense facial muscles means tense neck muscles. Tense neck muscles means tense traps, which run down to the middle of the back, etc. Curious to see some further studies done on it, but good food for thought nonetheless. When you read about the increased rotational ability think about it in terms of your backhand huck.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/18914659.html?page=1&c=y

"There are so many gimmicks out there, but the other day I watched Michael
getting fitted, and they put the sensors on his face and looked at the large
muscles of his neck, and his facial muscles, and he had increased range of
motion," Castellano said. "Not an inch. Eight to 10 inches.

If you think my workouts are tough, check out JumpCoach's Monday session. Dirty, just dirrty. Then go back to your training and ask yourself if you can work harder.

http://jumpcoach.blogspot.com/2008/05/shortmedium-length-rant.html

Workout:

Movement Prep: standard movement prep

Med-ball:
50 overhead slams w/heavy ball mixed in w/mini band shuffles
25 side-tosses w/feet in backhand huck position (each side)

Plyo drills:

1A: box march w/mini bands on knees http://www.exrx.net/Plyometrics/BoxMarchHigh.html
1B: Plyo pushups

2x's through

2A: lateral shuffles w/medicine ball overhead http://www.exrx.net/Plyometrics/BoxLateralShuffle.html
2B: Jumping tuck pullups (10)

2x's through

Functional Lifts

1: Quick Drops http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/QuickDrop.html
3 sets

2: Split-squat Quick Drops- same as above except landing in split-squat instead of regular squat, alternating legs each time. 3 sets.

3: 1 Arm Snatches- 3 sets of 8 each arm.

4: Kettlebell Swings- 50 swings, used a dumbbell instead of kettlebell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI37d_1gZVU

F yeah Lakers,
#40

23/1 & STS 5-12-08

The best posture is the one that's constantly changing!- Eric Cressey

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Here's Nike with yet another awesome commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-EyRUgp9Mk

Here's a short article by Eric Cressey that I really like.

The 23/1 Rule

The 23/1 rule states that although you may do everything
perfectly from a technique standpoint while you're in the gym for ONE hour per
day, you have TWENTY-THREE hours to do everything incorrectly outside the gym.
This is especially applicable to the desks jockeys who spend 8-10 hours per day
at the computer using poor posture. Make a point of getting up and moving around
as often as you can. Reach up to the sky, walk around, and do some doorway
stretches for your pecs and lats. The best posture is the one that's constantly
changing!- Eric Cressey

He speaks to what I emphatically believe, that athleticism is truly a lifestyle. Athletes don't stop being athletic when they leave the gym/field. Athletes move always with a proper, athletic gait. Athletes sit, reach, twist, & bend with an athletic posture. Postural control isn't something you only have when you're playing sports, it's something you practice and perfect all throughout your day. Yoga practitioners seem to grasp this concept best, as a direct result of the emphasis that's placed upon correct posture during poses.

Here's a great article on where to look while squatting, really good information for everyone, not just beginners. Remember, where your eyes go, your neck follows. And where your neck goes, your spine follows.

http://stronglifts.com/where-to-look-during-squats/

and another one on pushups:

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-perform-push-ups-correctly/

Workout:

Movement Prep: changed it up this morning and shot hoops at my gym for 15 minutes to warm up, just moving with the ball and shooting mid-range jumpers & finger-rolls. Basketball, such a fun game and a really effective way to warm the entire body up.

Med-ball:
20 sumo-squat tosses
20 front-squat tosses
15 side-twist tosses against wall each side (in backhand throw position)
20 sumo-squat backwards tosses against wall
10 front-squat 1 hand tosses (each hand)

Catch every throw with an emphasis on catching it with soft hands, accepting the energy of the ball, not fighting it.

Plyos:

1A: split-squat jumps
1B: plyo pushups

twice through, resting after pushups

2A: Box jumps w/1 foot'd landings
2B: Superman pushups

twice through, resting after pushups

Functional lifts:

1: Hang Clean w/jerk: 6,4,4

2. Lateral Step-ups w/crossover: 8,8 each leg

3. Deadlifts: 8,8,6,4,4,4.

Circuit:

Finished with a circuit of:

Dips
Pullups
GHD's
GHD situps
Side twists w/weight
Side plank raises-12 each side

Two times through, resting only if necessary.

This week:

Monday: Workout above
Tuesday: Field work w/lateral movement emphasis
Wednesday: Goaltimate w/short yardage sprints afterwards.
Thursday: Weights w/elastic & reactive strength emphasis
Friday: Recovery
Saturday/Sunday: Condor Tryouts

Fired up that the pre-season is just around the corner. Curious to see who has been working out in the off-season, and who is going to get exposed. Most of all just excited to see the boys all together again, working towards something all bigger than ourselves. Also really excited to see new faces and what talent they can potentially bring to the squad. This year's going to be a fun one!

#40

STS 5-7-08

"The secret of winning football games is working more as a team, less as individuals. I play not my 11 best, but my best 11." - Knute Rockne, American football coach

"It is possible that the number of accelerations and decelerations a player performs in a multi sprint sport (soccer/netball/basketball/hockey etc) is the most potent predictor of athletic performance" - Craig Duncan

Great qoutes that apply extremely well to Ultimate.

This is amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM-IndBayWA

Vern Gambetta has been posting some phenomenal stuff lately. Really does a good job of explaining the big picture and how to apply all facets of athleticism to your workouts.

Functional Path Training Rules

In order to travel effectively on the Functional Path there are some basic rules of travel that must be followed
Ø Have a Plan, Execute It, and Evaluate It
Ø Build the Complete Athlete
All systems work together
Train all components all the time - Use It or Lose It
Ø Always Train Fundamental Movement Skills Before Specific Sport Skills
Ø Train Sport Appropriate - You Are What You Train To Be
Ø Build the Athlete from the Ground Up
Ø Train the Core as the Center of the Action
Ø To Be Fast You Must Train Fast
Ø Build a Work Capacity Base Appropriate For Your Sport
Ø Train Toe Nails To Fingernails
Train Movements not Muscles
Train Multi Joint & Multi Plane Movements
Ø Training is Cumulative
Win the Workout

The characteristics of
Functional Path™ training are:

No system of the body is emphasized to
exclusion of another, all systems of the body work together synergistically to
produce smooth efficient movement. No one method or physical quality becomes an end unto itself. Each athlete is a case study of one; each athlete brings something unique to the table.

In order to be considered functional, an
exercise or training method must meet all of the following criteria:

-Multiple Plane
-Multiple Joint
-High Proprioceptive Demand
-The Work Must Be Mindful

Full Article:

http://functionalpathtraining.typepad.com/functional_path_training/2008/05/a-functional-pa.html

The 20metre Rule: (really think about this)

http://athleticdevelopment.blogspot.com/2008/04/team-sports-and-20metre-rule.html

I believe that the maximum distance a multi sprint sport athlete needs to run
in one direction during conditioning training should be limited to 20metres.
Think about it for a while and try it as I have tried to follow my 20metre
rule for the majority of the training year. In the analysis of soccer we can
see that it is rare a player runs more than 20metres in one direction so I
ask why should we do anything differently in training. we want to
move away from players cruising during the game and move towards attacking the space at pace.

I've always said that at least 70% of Ultimate is played in under 30 yards (probably more if you're a handler-type) so at the very least 70% of your training should be in under 30 yards. Speed transition (start-stop-start speed) is always the difference-maker in so many types of cuts (and D) and should be a focal point of your training. It's also important to note that one of the other major benefits is that short-yardage training will have a substantial affect on your long game. The converse of that isn't true unfortunately. Remember, Ultimate is not a middle-distance activity (even though it has moments of jogging), it's a sprint-endurance sport. Train as such. Side note: If we really want to make sport analogies, Ultimate is a sprint-specific type of biathlon. Work at absolute max intensity, then stop, focus & make a precision throw while under time constraint, then immediately back to max intensity work. That's why this sport is the shit, it's a perfect balance of mentally and physically demanding work.

Speaking of Acceleration/deceleration:

Acceleration/deceleration Threshold

It is possible that the number of accelerations and decelerations a player
performs in a multi sprint sport (soccer/netball/basketball/hockey etc) is the
most potent predictor of athletic performance. There is a need to research this
further and with GPS equipment it is possible. I advocate that an
acceleration/deceleration threshold and training to increase this threshold
maybe a very important advancement in training for team sports. It all makes
sense to as straight line running in training involves only small if any
acceleration/deceleration and this is why a player wont be fit or match fit as
they maybe aerobically fit and their anaerobic threshold may improve but there
is no training or the acceleration/deceleration threshold. I am interested in
your views on this topic- Craig Duncan

Repeated sprint recovery:

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2008/04/repeated-sprintshow-to-recover.html

A nice Q & A with Alwyn Cosgrove where he explains the difference between
strength & metabolic conditioning. (2nd question down)

http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/2008/05/may-q-i.html


Workout:

Movement Prep: standard stuff

Med-Ball: 3-throw sequence with intermixed mini-band shuffles. 2x's through, 10 throws each throw.

Plyo Training:

1A: Sitting box jumps
1B: superman pushups (walk hands all the way out in front
of body, do pushup so forearms are touching ground, walk hands back up to
standing)
2x's 10 each

2A: split-squat jumps
2B: Knee-to-elbows (hang from bar, bring knees to elbow)
2x's 10 each

Functional Lifts:

Split-squat push-press: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/QuickDrop.html
same motion as this except bar is in front and land in a split-squat vs.
regular squat. Arms go up, legs go down, core stays active but stable.
-3 sets of 6 each leg alternating

1A:
Thrusters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOFegns0qwI
1B: Pullups
-3 sets of 10 thrusters and pullups TF

RDL's: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/RomanianDeadlift.html

2 sets

This week:

Monday: recovery
Tuesday: workout above
Wednesday: 15 min. high-intensity jump workout followed by tabata row machine intervals & 1:1 sprint/rest intervals on the elliptical
Thursday: Weights- metabolic conditioning
Friday: med-ball & sprint training
Saturday: Beach ultimate
Sunday: yoga and/or recovery

#40