Here is an example of a great warm up/strength/mobility exercise. This series is performed in multiple planes of motion and uses the arms as a driver during each lunge. Any athlete should be able to perform this series without limited range of motion or pain. This is also a great body weight strength training exercise series for younger athletes.
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As an trainer who works with a large number of youth baseball players I know the story. Your son takes pitching lessons and now has amazing delivery on the mound. He is also apart of sports performance program to increase his relative strength and flexibility. Here’s the thing…it doesn’t matter your son still has to be on a strict pitch count. Because if he is not, he is increasing the risk of injury to his elbow or shoulder (scientifically proven!). Here are a few amazing stats from this article I’m recommending all parents and coaches should read. Here’s the article. Here’s the facts according to this article:
In a study by Andrews and Fleisig (1999) 476 youth pitchers between the ages of 9 and 14 were closely examined. “Over the course of the season, more than half of the pitchers experienced shoulder or elbow pain. For each increment of 25 pitches thrown after 50 pitches, the percentage of pitchers experiencing pain increased as fatigue set in. Those who threw curveballs were 52% more likely to feel shoulder pain. Those who threw sliders were 86% more likely to endure elbow pain.”
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I come across a ton of bogus training programs that only use modality, promise unrealistic results, or do not structure their program based on scientific principles. Be a smart consumer when choosing a fitness/sports performance program to be apart of. For example, if you’re an athlete looking to get stronger or improve your speed/quickness it wouldn’t logically make sense to use fancy equipment where you’re in seated, prone (on your stomach), or supine (on your back).
Here is an example of an expensive (I mean $10,000 expensive piece of equipment) machine that is suppose to improve your strength and power while not making you sore. This machine only does concentric movements – you pull then you push. I’m going to clue you in on a secret…athletes don’t function this way. Instead, their movements involve a loading (eccentric muscle action) phase followed by a powerful transformation movement (concentric phase). Therefore, you are training your body on this piece of equipment in a way that you wouldn’t perform during your sport. In addition, last time I checked most sports (besides cycling and rowing to name a few) are performed in upright stranding positions where your body has to react to gravity and move in multiple planes of motion. Again, this expensive, fancy piece of equipment does not allow you to do this.
Here is fitness example about evaluating a training program with some logic before you participate. Many females come into a training with similar goals such as working on their hips, butt and thighs (at least this is what I have seen over the past 9 years of training). Many trainers will cater their exercise by doing a variety of different leg lifts in every position – side lying leg lifts, on all fours kicking your butt up in the air with the small pink dumbbell between their knee, and standing cable leg raises, just to name a few. Want to know a more effective and functional approach to targeting the hips and butt…wait for it…it’s called squats and lunges. Squat and lunge variations are performed in an upright position (more functional) and recruit more muscles than isolate exercises (more effective). Anytime you see a trainer doing special isolated exercises or using a fancy piece of equipment that isolates those trouble spots just remember there is usually a more effective and functional approach.
“Hello lady, do some squats or lunges and stop wasting your time with this silly exercise!!”
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This is probably one of the most common questions I get from the average gym-goer. It seems like many individuals who work out at the gym and even do cardiovascular exercise outside get bored easily with their exercise program. I always explain to these individuals how they should be doing interval training to spice things up and the benefits associated with interval training. Many of them find this more exciting then their regular routine, but still look for alternatives for burning calories.
You do not have to do traditional cardiovascular exercises (run, bike, elliptical, stairs, swim) to get a great conditioning workout. You can get just as great of a conditioning/metabolic workout by alternating high intensity exercises. If you have access to kettlebells, medicine balls, agility ladders, TRXs, or other free weights you can easily put together a great high intensity circuit. This is great for athletes who are looking to improve their conditioning for sport or a housewives looking to shred fat.
Here is an example of a basic conditioning circuit:
This workout would take you about 15-20 minutes to complete. It’s a great alternative to typical cardio training.
If you are currently doing very little sprinting and then decide to begin a sprint routine on a regular basis you should improve you conditioning and work capacity but not necessarily your absolute speed. Running is a movement that requires a certain amount of skill if you wish to be great at it. Think about it…would you tell your kid to just go swing the bat in the cage to be a better hitter or throw the ball at the basket to be a better shooter. It would be much more beneficial to correct and perfect their technique with an expert coach before you have them do high volumes of repetitions. Perfect practice makes perfect! This concept holds true with movement training.
Most athletes I train have zero sprint training experience. It would be extremely beneficial to teach these athletes the correct sprinting technique before I tell them to go out there and run. Just like any other sports skill I implement remedial drills to emphasize form and technique. One drill that is great for demonstrating correct sprinting mechanics is the wall drill.
Once the athletes understand this body position and how the legs and arms move in space, then it is appropriate to say, “Go out there and run to get faster.”
You can teach kids to be faster – check out a previous post on this topic – http://blog.matthank.com/2008/10/03/mlb-leader-in-stolen-bases/
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This post is a continuation from the Front Bridge Core Exercises post from last week. It is important to train for lateral core stability, and this short video will guide you through the movements.
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Check out this article from the Mayo Clinic regarding youth strength training.
The main concept behind youth strength training is that they are doing movements and exercises to improve their motor abilities. You know when humans begin strength training….when they’re born.
Look at the core strength this kid has!
Think about, when you learn to crawl you’re simply doing a modified front bridge. Many middle-age obese individuals can’t even hold a modified front bridge with as much success as an infant can! Children need to learn how to control their bodies in all planes of motion (that’s strength training). Once the movements are mastered, resistance can be added to increase the level of difficulty and provide an added stimulus to the muscular-skeletal system. This is no different than training an elderly individual.
Check out a previous post on youth training – http://blog.matthank.com/2008/10/22/youth-training/
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Core stability is extremely important in sport and during daily activities. There is a misconception that the best way to develop the core is through sit ups and lower back extensions. First off, if you’re relying solely on flexion/extension based movements to train the core you need to get with the times and understand that those exercises are not very effective for improvement in sport or life. Also, those exercise can be more harmful to the lower back then you would believe. Second, sit ups and extension only work the body in one plane of motion – not very beneficial since we move in all directions (multiple planes of motion). Instead, the core works more as trunk stabilizer and as a way to transfer force during athletic movements. In previous posts I have discussed the benefits of standing rotational training. This time I would like to demonstrate a few core stabilization exercises that should be added to any fitness program.
Now some of the hard-core stregth coaches feel it is a waste of time to remedial exercises such as bridging. They claim that their athletes/clients recieve more than enough core trainng from all the squating, deadlifting, and Olympic lifting exercises in their program. I would agree and disagree at the same time. Any compoud movement where you are stadning on two feet will engage the core. However, I would agree with what Alwyn Crosgrove said in a recent article “You need to train the core for stability, and direct training activates the core more than indirect work.” Take time to develop the part of your body that works to stabilize the torso/hips and transfer force from one limb to another.
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Check out a recent article I put together about Olympic Lifting. Even those these lifts are commonly used by athletes, they are really great for anyone trying to achieve their fitness goals. Check out the article.
Here’s an example of the Power Snatch & Power Clean
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I got a great total body workout in yesterday morning at the park with the TRX. Check out some of the images.
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