Thursday, July 17, 2008
training request
Someone on my team wanted to make a request. Suppose a player had a major tournament, we'll call it Worlds, in 3 weeks and wasn't in as good shape as he wanted to be. His remaining training time is limited and often comes a few minutes at a time. What would you recommend for him? What kind of exercises?
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21 comments:
12 oz arm curls.
This is masters right?
Sprint tabatas maybe? Of course warming up might take longer than the workout itself. I'd also do some pull ups and run some suicides, using short distance (5-5-sprint 10)and overemphasizing foot placement/change of direction.
Maximize your 10 second rest time between sprints by yelling "Switch!" and pointing fingers.
It'd be best if most of the exercises can be done without warmup. Lunges, maybe? Pushups? Isometric exercises?
I've been pushing the tabatas, but like you said, the warmup and cooldown and sitting around getting your breath take longer than the workout, so I've been recommending those for when you're already warmed up.
are you serious? you've got someone coming 'off the couch' for worlds?
Not "off the couch", but from reasonable shape. You could rephrase the question as coming from someone who was in shape before getting hurt and finally can begin going hard again 3 weeks before Nationals. What would you recommend?
I asked a "track guy" this years ago and he told me to focus on your core. I stressed over not being in shape for natties once due to an injury, tried sprinting and stuff for 3 weeks before, only to show up and have it be so windy it didn't matter. Ah, coed back in the day... Pray for wind?
well, maybe something like
week 1) 4 days
core circuit (pushups, situps, unweighted squats, chinups, whatever) run 5 min easy, repeat 3 times total, which each 5 minute run a bit harder.
Week 2) 4 days. day 1, 3, like week 1
day 2, 4, corecircuit,5min run, then core, then 2-3 x ( 5x 120) sprints (builderuppish types, depends on state of the injury) with jogging recovery. might skip the squats if it is stressful. shouldn't be.
week 3) 1 day of week 2, one day week 1, then a core/warmup/core shuttle run (x2)/core steady run.
or something. probably be good enough just to expect to get the legs going. maybe just go play hotbox a couple time, hoist a beer after, and talk about how much ass you're going to kick.
Kind of random, but here is what I did one year after deciding at last minute to play regionals and nationals:
btw, I agree with strengthen core muscles over trying to do lots of running.
200 situps and 100 pushups (sets of 50/30/20) every day (preferrably in early am), followed by motion exercises with light hand weights (kind of an isometric thing) to build strength in joints of wrist and shoulder.
Every other day runs in deep sand going from side to side in a downhill ski motion, planting hard on each turn.
Every other day run hills or stairs (up/down, short rest, repeat).
1-2x per week a 5mile + slow run.
Stretch every day.
Play decent quality pickup ultimate 1-2 x per week.
Do not play a lot of points consecutively in the first pool play game of each day once at nationals.
MJ
I'm surprised nobody mentioned Doc Brown and a DeLorean.
well, it's not like i've got 1.21 gigawatts kicking around... wait a minute.... we'll just get bill belichek's extra video camera batteries and...
As specified --- no more than a few minutes at a time, for three weeks --- it is impossible to even stay in reasonable shape, much less get into good shape. You have to relax the constraints.
A big risk for an old guy coming off the couch is hamstring pulls, and that is one area where very brief exercise periods can help. Lie on the floor, put your heels on a big exercise ball, and straighten out your body so only your shoulders are on the floor, the rest making a straight line to the ball, as if you had a board under you with one end on the ball. Now bend your knees so that the ball draws towards you, not letting your body sag downwards (in fact, your pelvis will have to go towards the sky). Repeat a bunch of times. Doesn't take much time, doesn't work up a sweat, does strengthen the hamstrings and the core.
But the guy is just going to have to get out there at least for some half-hour track workouts.
I think when you factor in travel and travel prep you're looking at more like two weeks. Maybe even less, if you consider that you won't want to do super-hard workouts in the 2-3 days leading up to competition. You don't get stronger from training, you get stronger from *recovering* from training.
I hate to be a voice of dissent, as core, lunges, pushups, etc. are all very valuable as part of a comprehensive fitness plan, but I personally don't think you can build any significant muscle in two weeks, certainly nothing that will make a difference on the field. I'd leave all that stuff aside for the short term.
I don't know what the nature of the injury is, but I'd run and throw as much as possible, given time and injury constraints. Two weeks IS enough time to start re-grooving the right neurological pathways, at least, and maybe even tack on a little aerobic/anaerobic capacity.
On the Tabata front, 12 minutes to run a mile or so and do some quick dynamic stretches. 4 minutes for the workout. 4 minutes walk to cool down. Done in 20 minutes. If even that is too much time, you've got a pretty tough row to hoe. And heck, if you go all out on the Tabatas, and you do them with sprints (as opposed to bike or row or whatever), the workout will be even shorter, as almost nobody can go all eight, all out. 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off is another good way to scale 'em. Or just do four sprints rather than all eight. Whatever is enough to really torch you.
It doesn't have to be Tabatas, certainly, but I'd definitely focus on running and throwing, one way or another. As much sport-specificity as possible, with such little time remaining. Grab a disc, hit a field, throw, sprint after it, throw, jog after it, throw, make a J-cut after it, etc. Vary the throws, vary the chase movement. Repeat until exhausted. Take a break, do it three or four more times. Very simple, and it gets you out there doing what you're going to be doing.
Above all, however you train, don't get reinjured.
Sorry, one clarification... When I talk about lots of running, I'm definitely talking sprints or intervals rather than long, low-intensity runs. Especially as you guys have so many subs.
and i think the big question for... who is it is?
1) at age 35, you should know yourself.
2) train to your game
3) don't get hurt
4) make sure you're throwing.
good luck.
and, you know, you're failure to invite me is a bad sign for the team.
luke.
acceleration work outs are the easiest of all sprint work-outs and where speed starts and it's where you are supposed to start anyway as far as speed conditioning. falling starts, jogging starts, starts out of push-up position, sitting position. you gotta be able to get out of the gate. if you are slow, the sooner you get to top speed the less slow you are. if you are a five star athlete, then those fisrt few steps are going to make you feel competent and allow for that muscle memory kick in be fore a wave of depression. foot work drills, side to sides, cone to cones, you don't want the body failing when you try to change direction.
close outs on the work out. 5 burpee, 5 five knee jump ups, 5 broad jumps, 5 to the second stair. by then this guy wll be warmed up and his body needs something rigorous to get ready.
Dither, ponder, blog, repeat.
-zaz
If available training time is only available in increments of a few minutes here and there:
Target cyclic muscular endurance, necessary in sports where the performance time 2 minutes or more (perhaps arguably longer than the average point in ultimate? Hmm.)
3-4 minutes total of the same movement:
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off of an exercise. Total of 3-8 "sets" of the exercise, with the # of reps depending on how fast you move in the 20 second "on" interval - 10-20 is likely).
Exercises: variations on squats (using body weight only), jumpies, russian twist, situps, pushups, etc. Squat variations are probably the most important, since a strong leg drive is a critical movement in most sports and is one of the things that good athletes have in common, regardless of specific sport.
Squats performed like bodybuilding or olympic style lifts should be avoided during a competitive phase of training. They do not necessarily translate into better performance for athletes in strength-endurance sports, unless you're talking about an athlete that is young, very untrained, or recovering from injury, in which case benefits of strength, balance, and proprioception do make a difference.
Cyclic strength-building is most beneficial if the movement is sport specific - make the motion involve three joints (ankle, knee and hip) and in a way that is typical of ultimate: instead of squat motion like one would do with a bar/weight in a gym, choose a dynamic movement that mimics as closely as possible the body movements typical of play and do not choose a load that prevents rapid rhythm of execution.
Summary: alternate phases of contraction and relaxation. Use body weight or a very light load, such that one can perform a total of 30-50 repetitions per minute, where the heart rate will probably be about 150-160.
I sure hope the injured player isn't Alec, cause he has to catch all your goals.
G
No one is hurt. I just wanted some last-minute but still useful exercises people could do. Things you could do a few minutes at a time on your own, because I know there will not be any group track workouts. Thanks everyone.
Red Bull + Icy Hot + Bong Hit
There are a few low-intensity, time saving stretches you can do with simply a resistance band, a medicine ball, and a wall preferably several feet taller than you. My favorite 10-15 minute exercises involve using the resistance band, tied to a pole or table leg, to stretch and strengthen the full range of motion in the shoulder. one motion is called I-T-Y, the positions of your arms being at your sides (I), out (T) and up (Y) facing both towards and away from where the band is anchored. also, standing 90 degrees to the anchor, try extended arm and elbow-in pulling with each hand and facing both directions.
With the medicine ball, i like to do situps a few feet from a wall and sit up to the wall, toss or roll the ball to the wall, situp again, and retrieve the ball on its way back. (every other situp with the medicine ball.) doing twists with the ball will help strengthen the core - but the "naysayers" are right, you can't do enough in two weeks for the core.
The ominous wall is my favorite place to work out. picking a light jump height on the wall, try to consistently beat it by 1, 2, and 3 inches, in sets of 20. i try 5 sets to make the ladder. this is a good way to get your heart moving, and while you may lightly sweat, the heart and lungs are where you will probably need the most help (not questioning your intensity - but the recovery time of your heart will determine how often you can cut). i've tried mixing in 180-degree spinning too (so you tap forwards and backwards) but be careful.
and on a side note - Thanks, Parinella, for your advice, specifically on cutting. You mentored for a day at Bentley, but the lessons stuck, and yours and Zaz' book provided a fledgling team with some fire. good luck!
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