Tag Archives: conditioning

Deadlifts and Pull Ups Cont

Leave a reply
Agility Border Collie

Agility Border Collie (Photo credit: Cynthia Blue)

We continue May targeting new variations of the deadlift and pull up.

Agilities have introduced a few new agility patterns as well as ladder combinations.  This week we will combine a few of each to create a short agility course. Slightly less concentration on movement perfection and instead we will take a stab at performing them at speed and with a bit of exhaustion… Bring shoes appropriate for speed and cutting on the turf.  We’ll record times for the 3 cone drill as well.

May Week 2 Program Here

Enhanced by Zemanta

Off Season Intensifies

Leave a reply
Post Workout

Nutrition Sculpting

With Spring Break over, the off season changes gears and begins to intensify.  Programming for the SHS athlete will change to weekly updates and we’ve added a couple new wrinkles to directly hit and enhance targeted exercise movements.

Get this weeks program now!

Group/Team agility training will be organized weekly in addition to your resistance training.  You will definitely benefit as well by partnering up to keep motivation rolling and spotter on hand.

There is still room for flexibility so that you can hit your favorite lifts AFTER taring up the prime four movements slated for the day.  If you are only able to do full body workouts 2 or 3 times per week, no worries, the program card can still direct you as well… Check the video on the training program page for details.

English: an exercise of shoulders

I feel the rumblings of excitement with the football program changes starting to settle in.  From my seat I can tell you that I think you have good reason for some optimistic excitement… but, you must do your part and put in the time to continue to improve your physical self in the off season…. I’m excited to help you do that.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Sport Specific Conditioning – To Be or Not To Be

Leave a reply

Huge topic here and you can count on me to skip most of the in depth strength & conditioning arguments and cut to the chase for my high schoolers… (we’ll be leaving metabolic conditioning out of this for now as well as a comparison between hockey and gymnastics)

SVG drawing representing a number of sports ic...But, generally speaking…

The simple (or not so simple) answer is Yes and No… and for the most part No.

I have seen different coaches from different teams suggest some crazy Continue reading →

Laying The Foundations

Leave a reply

With about two weeks out since the end for most all Fall sports… for those who have not jumped right into a Winter sport, it’s time to get the body moving again.

We’ll be encouraging a series of circuit style programs throughout the holidays to build an awesome foundation that will be ready to enhance the students athlete’s Strength, Conditioning, and ultimately Performance come early 2013.

……LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!

Look to this site or the SHS S&C FaceBook Page or the table in the weight room for the programs updated week to week.  These will be general athlete programming for out of season athletes.

In season athletes should speak with their sport coach as well as the strength coach prior to taking these on.  Individuals coming up to their next seasons start and wanting more specific programming can reach your strength coach via either of these locations as well for personal tweaks.

Assessments will begin the first or second week of 2013.

Training Principles to Follow

1 Reply

We’re nearing the end of the school year and are only a few weeks out from Spring

PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 22, 2010) Joshua Burkhard,...

PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 22, 2010)

practices for football.  While many kids do their ‘own thing’ now rather than follow the off season training program, there may be even more of that when the summer break hits.

That’s why I try to impart a bit of learning on the why, how, progression, cycle, etc. of each program block.  Just maybe a few items will be learned and followed for when ‘coach’ is not around.

I’ve been working on condensing some of those learning points into 5 or so bullet points.  Not easy as there are so many elements the strength coach is actually evaluating when programming.

Lets start with Resistance Training’s first point.

General Exercise Movements vs. Specific Exercise Movements

General Movements – work movement patterns rather than exercises for certain muscles… Squat, Hinge, Pressing, Pulling, Rotating, Bracing are the general patterns we are targeting and are by far the most important to address through all periodized programming blocks.

Specific Movements – This work can be essential for certain sports, but can easily be screwed up and wreck an entire off season of preparation if done improperly.  The sport, position, assessed needs, time of year, and personal goals can all effect selections.  This is smaller portion of the overall program than general movements and if you are undertaking them without a strength coach to assist at least attempt to maintain a very near movement pattern to the activity you are attempting to replicate.  Less (resistance) is more in most cases!

When putting together your off season training program be sure to spend the greatest amount of time in the General Movement category.  The multi-joint movements will translate to most any sport and will enhance strength, power, hypertrophy or endurance depending upon the cycle goal.

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

Clean Training for Power

Leave a reply
Strongman exercise: Front Squat Lift. Polski: ...

Strongman exercise: Front Squat Lift. Polski: Konkurencja zawodów si?aczy: Przysiad ze sztang? z przodu. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As either a young athlete or a professional occupational athlete it always remains important to our physical progress to attend to all primary periodized goal sets.

For the adult it is far too often that we slow down and jump on a ‘cardio’ machine rather than doing the resistance training at all.  But, even those who do the resistance training, far to often they fail to address even briefly the primary goal of POWER TRAINING.

For the young athlete it’s generally not the repulsion of ballistic movements, but the attraction of the flashy magazines and the highlighted programs of bodybuilders that can get in the way.  Not that times concentrated on hypertrophy training are not important, but it does not carry over as well to most sport activities like power does and spending to much time targeting only one goal set can be counter productive.

The above video shows Doug Briggs, PhD CSCS-D, demonstrating the CLEAN and the JERK.  The low catch followed by a front squat is a little more advanced and make take some time for you to accomplish.  Until then begin by breaking this demonstration into pieces and perfect each individually.  This a great example from a workshop of Doug’s at the Fit Beach Conference 2011.

NOT a high pull or reverse curl to get the bar to the chest.  NOT a push press or military press to get the bar above the head…. It’s ballistic, it’s fast, it’s explosive, it’s POWER TRAINING.  I suggest you work with a trained strength coach while learning these moves.

Be sure to spend time concentrating your program on all primary goal sets.  A little muscular endurance, a little hypertrophy, a little strength, and don’t live out the often intimidating power training.

Greater gains, reduced incidence of plateau, and better physical functions await you.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Exercise physiology of the heart

Leave a reply

Cardiac Functionality

An article in issue 20 of the NSCA TSAC Report focuses on firefighters and their susceptibility to exercise-induced cardiac fatigue or a loss in cardiac function. For a heart to function properly during exercise it must pump out sufficient amounts of blood with each beat, known as the heart’s stroke volume (SV). The good news is that aerobic exercise can increase a person’s SV….

The heart has two ventricles, both comprised of muscles responsible for pumping blood out of the heart. The right ventricle only pumps blood to the lungs, whereas the left ventricle pumps blood to the rest of the body. The left ventricle can only pump the blood available after it is filled, known as end-diastolic volume. This volume of blood is heavily dictated by the amount of blood that returns to the heart by way of venous return, and aerobic exercise is directly responsible for strengthening this process. As a result, end-diastolic volume (volume of blood in the left ventricle) increases, causing stretching of the muscle fibers in the heart. These stretched fibers are able to produce a more forceful contraction, thus pumping out more blood volume with each beat. This principle is known as the Frank-Starling mechanism.

Firefighters need to focus on improving their own Frank-Starling mechanisms through aerobic exercise. Although any exercise prescription is dictated by the individual, a common starting ground for aerobic exercise is long-duration low- to medium-intensity activity like jogging, biking, or swimming. As your heart becomes more trained, shorter stints of higher intensity can become a regular part of your exercise program. When faced with the struggle of engaging in cardiovascular training, remember that a strong heart is a vital to maintaining adequate aerobic capacity for fighting fire successfully.

CLICK HERE to read the full text article on firefighter heart health.

 

Source Article: Hofman, J. Importance of Fitness and Firefighter Heart Health. NSCA TSAC Report 20: 1-2, 2012.

Jumping Rope for Exercise

Leave a reply

Jumping Rope Isn’t Just for Kids

Looking to raise the “fun quotient” in your exercise routine?  Go old school and incorporate the jump rope into your workout routine. Jumping rope is as good for your physical fitness as it is for your monthly budget.  All you need is a $10 jump rope and a flat, open space to get started. Jumping rope is a great cardio workout that improves balance, coordination, and agility.

Some jump rope tips from Marty Winkler, co-owner of RopeSport:

  • Use some wrist and forearm when turning the rope. Make small circles or a cranking motion. Keep your hands level with your hips—don’t move them higher or lower.
  • Jump only an inch or two off the ground. Don’t make big jumps, and try to land softly.
  • Push off from and land on the balls of the feet. Your heels should just tap the ground.
  • Relax your neck and shoulders and avoid hunching.
  • Keep your elbows bent, as if you were holding a curl bar. A rope that’s too long will pull your elbows away from your torso.
  • Breathe normally. You should be able to have a conversation with someone while you’re jumping.

Number of calories burned (for a person weighing 155 pounds*): Slow jumping burns 9.4 calories per minute and 281 calories per half hour. Moderate jumping burns 11.7 calories per minute and 352 calories per half hour. And if you really get cooking, fast jumping burns 14 calories per minute and 422 calories per half hour.

Caution: Be sure to consult your physician before starting any physical fitness routine.

Source: Diet Detective

Improved Cycling Efficiency

Leave a reply
Pictograms of Olympic sports - Cycling (road)....

Image via Wikipedia

You’ve probably invested a lot of money to get into the sport of cycling. From the bikes, to the clothing and accessories, when you add it all up, it’s not an inexpensive pastime.

So why not get the most out of the sport by investing a little into the engine that pushes that bike around!

Would you enjoy your riding even more if you: Continue reading →

Success in Soccer

1 Reply
Sport in childhood. Association football, show...

Sport in childhood. Association football, shown above, is a team sport which also provides opportunities to nurture social interaction skills. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are several elements that go into achieving success in soccer.  It is similar but different for gaining success in any sport.  All technical training being equal, three primary categories of these elements standout.

  1. Natural (God Given / Genetic)Physical Ability
  2. Success Driven Mindset
  3. Personally Enhanced Physical Fitness

Natural ability we can do little about besides choosing to utilize our gifts…. A success driven mindset is a large subject to be covered over several other articles…. Personally enhancing your own physical fitness to achieve success in soccer is something you can control.  Read on for optimizing this control.

We’ve all seen players that lack any real skill and technique but whose speed and power makes them deadly effective. Their physical abilities take them beyond the technical lacking they may have.

Most coaches agree that there is no substitute for technical ability. But when the stakes are raised and the standard is high enough, there is only ONE criteria a coach looks for in a player… Continue reading →