VB Alert Week 3?

Just after finishing week 2 of VB Alert, I sprained my big toe (Note: big toes are surprising important for jumping/running) so I had to take some time off. The toe still hurts some, but I've been able to play and resume working out. One of the week 1-2 exercises (square jumping) aggravates the toe and may be why I injured it to begin with. Luckily, there are several exercises to choose from, so I've avoided that one.

I started over with VB Alert, and yesterday finally got to move on to week 3 which has new exercises. For weeks 3 and 4, you continue doing 2 exercises from weeks 1 and 2, and you add 2 new exercises. Yesterday, Fox and I did jump rope and jump and reach from week 1-2 and added no arm jumps and laundry jumps. According to VB Alert, no arm jumps will make you puke, but we didn't find them to be that bad, I wonder if we're doing them wrong. The laundry jumps (jump back and forth over object, perhaps a laundry basket) hurt my toe a little, but overall the workout was not as bad as I feared, though my hams and calves are quite sore today. For the laundry jumps, VB Alert suggests using a "very collapsible" object to jump over. We didn't have a laundry basket, so we stacked up some of those blue yoga bricks. Fox completely wiped out on the first set and almost took me out with him (even though we set up about 6 feet apart). It was hilarious, I don't know how the 4 other random people in the room kept a straight face.

We've also gotten several other Rivalers doing VB Alert at the Saturday track workouts. The jumping rope is a big hit. One thing I like about the program is that it is very easy to do anywhere really, you just need a jump rope and enough room to jump up. That, and it doesn't take very long, so there is really no excuse for not doing it 3 times a week. Unless you have a bad toe. Seriously, it's debilitating, who da thunk?

Last thing, I re-measured my vertical prior to my second week 2. I've gained about 1-1.5 inches. However, I had done nothing for about a month before the first time I measured, so doing any workout probably would have shown some improvement.

Speed

I know several players have already talked to me about wanting to be faster. I followed a link from Lean and Hungry to this article about sprinting form. Strengthening is important, but improving your sprinting form will probably show more improvement in overall speed.

VB Alert Week 1

After hurting myself doing Air Alert, I decided to try the Volley Ball Alert (not it's real name). I started on Sunday doing the jumping rope and square jumping exercises. Jumping rope sucks, it's very hard, the square jumping was fairly easy, I wonder about doing it one-legged. I was a little sore the next day, mostly butt, groin, and hamstring. All Air Alert ever did was make my calves sore. Jumping rope and square jumping both seem pretty calf intensive, but the one-legged jumping rope definitely works the whole leg.

I did the same exercises on Tuesday, when Fox joined me, giving up on Air Alert as well. He looks like Vanilla Ice when he does the one legged jumping rope. On Thursday, we went to the gym and did the jump and reach and pool jumps. The jump and reaches are fairly tough, and I think they worked my abs. Weird. The pool jumps make you look like a complete idiot. They're fun though. For the first set of exercises, I would rank their difficulty from hardest to easiest as: Jumping rope, jump and reach, pool jumping, square jumping.

Again, I like that the total reps are lower, and that the intensity is higher (particularly for the one legged jumping rope). There is still a fair amount of endurance involved, 5x15 jump and reaches will make you tired.

Well, I Did It

And I did it in December, thanks, NOT January, so you can stop with your "let's see where you are in March" jokes right now, thanks.

I joined a gym. I actually used to be a member of a gym, but it was close to my house. After a while, I realized part of the reason I rarely went was because I felt most inclined to work out in the middle of the day. Thus, I need to join a gym close to work. As it turns out, LA Fitness (gah!) is close to work. AND close to home (you can go to multiple locations, yo!).

I'm actually excited about the one near me because it has a lap pool, so I've already been a-swimmin' in it. I'm not sure swimming is really going to improve my Ultimate game, but it sure does wear me out.

I also tried out the StairMaster Stair Mill (that's just an awful name, isn't it?) today. EQC and Wood were talking about this recently- it really is brutal! It's not the traditional StairMaster but the moving staircase one. HARD. I'm pretty psyched to try this out for intervals and possibly even for working on speed. Wood (or anyone else), what do you think? Could that be an adequate substitute for running stadiums/hills as fast as possible?

Air Alert done

Last Wednesday, I did my final Air Alert workout. I will no longer be doing Air Alert. On the very last jump of the day, the full jump on the last set of squat hops, I hurt my back. I think I was tired from all the reps, and my form slipped and for the next 3 days I was pretty much confined to bed. I'm much better now, though I'm taking this whole week off to try and get back to 100%. Next week, I plan on starting the volleyball program I talked about in the last post. It's a 3 day a week program, I'll keep doing my upper body workout, and I'll add in some cardio, probably just 15 min of running on days I'm not doing plyos.

I had added about an inch after just one week to my vertical, but I'm pretty sure that was just because I had done nothing for the previous month. I guess we'll see how Fox does with it. Has anyone started the volleyball workout yet?

Alternate vertical leap program

Week one of Air Alert is done. Not too bad, certainly not as bad as week one last year. I've had some people asking me about the other jump program I found. It's a volleyball program. It doesn't have near as many reps, and has a progression in intensity of exercise-type, which I think is a better way to approach a vertical leap program. It still doesn't have any lifting involved though. I hope to get some info on other vertical leap programs up here soon. As I said, I'm giving Air Alert six weeks to see how it does. If it's not showing me some improvement, I'm going to try the volleyball program. Even if I am happy with Air Alert and go all the way through, I may do the volleyball program after a bit of a break, I think they'll be complimentary.

Also, I moved the blog to the beta blogger. Not sure what that means yet...

Pre-Season Workouts

The off-season is over. The pre-season starts today. I'm asking Rivalers to post their workouts and questions here. I'll get the ball rolling.

Fox and I started Air Alert yesterday. I'm not really sold on Air Alert, too many reps if you ask me, but I'm going to give it 6 weeks. If I don't see any improvement in my vertical by then, I'm going to switch to a different program. Because Air Alert is so hard on the legs (3 days a week and literally hundreds to thousands of reps), Fox and I aren't doing any other leg work, or even any cardio (I may sneak in some light cardio now and then). To supplement, I'm doing some upper body work and core work.

Twice a week I do a core workout. It consists of:

• Bridges - Front (plank with elbows and toes only on the ground), side (forearm and side of foot), and back (on back, shoulders/head and heels). I do 3 sets of 30 seconds for the front, and 3 sets of 20 seconds for the (each)side and back.
• Upper abs - 2 sets of 15 of an upper ab exercise - swiss ball crunches, incline bench crunches, cable pulldown crunches.
• Lower abs - 2 sets of 15 of a lower ab exercise - leg lifts, hanging knee lifts
• Obliques - 2 sets of 15 of an oblique exercise - medicine ball twists (sit with knees bent, feet off the ground, hold the medicine ball above stomach then move it from side to side), side bends, various oblique machines.

Make sure when you are doing your ab work that you try to keep your belly button pulled in the whole time. This well help with your form, posture, and make it so that your muscular abs don't make you look fat. Note: Lots of ab work is not good if you are trying to get a thinner stomach/waist area.

For my upper body routine, I split it up into two days. I'm trying to develop strength to prevent injury (my shoulders are in bad shape). I also don't want to add much size (I'm so big already), so I do high weight and low reps. I also do some rotator cuff exercises twice a week.

Day 1

• 5x5 Pullups
• 4x5 Bent over rows
• 2x5 Dips
  
• 2x5 Bicep curls
• 3x10 external shoulder rotation
• 3x10 45 degree one straight-armed rows

Day 2

• 5x5 bench press
• 4x5 military press
• 2x5 wrist curls
• 2x5 reverse wrist curls
• 3x10 external shoulder rotation
• 3x10 45 degree one straight-armed rows

If anyone is interested in doing this workout, let me know, there are some details that I don't want to have to get into right now.

Other than that, get out and play. Try and throw at least once a week. Work on your weak throws. If possible, get a couple of people to join you so that you can throw against a mark. Once a week I plan on running and throwing (throw, run away 5 yards, cut back, catch, throw...).

Caffiene - Yes. Alcohol - No

Due to the recent conversations on the Rival mailing list concerning giving up caffiene (specifically soda) and alcohol, I wanted to pass along an article I read recently.

The article discusses caffiene and alcohol, specifically their diuretic effects and implications for atheletes. Interestingly, caffiene provides several ergogenic effects. It enhances endurance performance, and stimulates the release of adrenaline and dopamine. Adrenaline allows for stronger muscle contraction, and dopamine increases alertness.

What about the hydration issues though? Well, several studies have shown that caffienated beverages do not have a significant impact on hydration, particularly in atheletes. The one study that did suggest problems was when participants were required to not have caffiene for an extended period, then take caffiene. In this situation there was a mild diuretic effect. So, if you plan on drinking caffiene at Nationals, you might want to reconsider abstaining beforehand.

That said, soda is very sugary, and not good for you in general. As per my previous post on the glycemic index, you should avoid sugary drinks. So if you want to cut out sodas, it's a good thing.

As for alcohol, the news is bad. Alcohol can reduce the body's ability to recover from exercise for up to 22 hours. It does act as a diuretic (at least anything over 4% alcohol), and because it stays in your body for a while, you shouldn't drink alcohol for at least 48 hours before playing. So that's 48 hours before, and long enough after that you're able to rehydrate, say, 24 hours. Alcohol is also calorie high, so it has the same problems as sugary soda drinks.

Great Nutritional article

I came across a great nutritional article discussing glycemic index and load.

Enjoy.

Crazy Cores

Hey Everyone,

So I've always been a strong believer that if you core/abs are strong then your body benefits greatly!
So, because I have a fat tummy now, I have started doing my ab work-outs after track and in my limited free time...
This workout is what I used to do when I was swimming and sparing for martial arts.

I. Single Bikes-
*There are two very effective ways to do these. Hands on the floor and hands off. Both will create a different work out so I usually do both. (If you know about these, forgive me for the explanation)
1. With your hands on the floor (not elbows, but palms flat, usually a little bit behind you) pull your legs up with your knees bent to your chest. This is considered a starting position. With single bikes you are going to extend one leg at a time pointing your toes as straight as possible. Follow then with your other leg while pulling the other one back to your chest. Like riding a bike. To really get your sides involved with this, swing your shoulders, opposite shoulder to opposite knee. (Does this make sense? I'm bad at explanations sometimes)
2. Hands off the floor. Usually its good to cross your arms close to your chest. Again, swinging motion helps sides.
So the work out:
Single Bikes- Repeat two times
1. Hands on the floor: 40 seconds
2. Hands off: 20 seconds
3. Hands on floor: 30 seconds
4. Hands off: 15 seconds

(Obviously you can change the times needed for these...)

2. Double Bikes-
1. Same as single but your are keeping your legs together. Be careful because this one can hurt your back. If your back starts to hurt, stop =)
1. Hands on the floor - 30 seconds
2. Off the Floor- 20 seconds
3. Hands on the floor - 25 seconds
4. Off the floor-15 seconds
Repeat if desired

Crunches-
Its good to do crunches, but I usually do mine differently.
I do 90 degree crunches and pikes.
90 degree- While laying down, make yourself look like you are sitting in a chair. Your legs should be bent, but your knees should be at a 90 degree angle. Don't let your feet fall down, keep them straight, too. (Putting your feet on a living room table is usually good).
Then there is the pike position. All the divers make the pretty pike dives, where there legs are straight in the air. So in these crunches- your legs are together and straight in the air. Point your toes and you are going to try and push your body to make your finger tips go up past your knees. (Eventually, you want to be able to touch your toes. Crazy hard, but not impossible. I can't do it anymore, but it should be fun to try!) Be careful with these, they can hurt your back, too.
1. 90 degree- 2 x 40
2. Pikes - 2 x 15
3. 90 degree - 2 x 20
4. Pikes 2 x 10

Finally, the famous 6 inches! Or Leg Raises =)

Lay flat on your back and raise your legs 6 inches
Be sure to do these properly!
Hold for 40; 30; 25; 20; 10
between each, rest for 5-8 seconds


Feel free to change the times, but those are what Im going to really start doing as often as possible!!!

Hope this helps. If anyone wants to see exactly what they look like, find me at the fields or something!

Outtie!
Sam

Improving top speed

K.Russ writes,

"My workout buddy is looking for a program to work more on top speed and less on endurance. Any ideas?"

First, here is an article with some basics from bodybuilding.com.

Second, our track workouts are really geared more towards develloping speed and quickness than they are towards endurance. The intervals we'll end up doing, the 20/10s are much better than most endurance running for speed because the intervals are recruiting your fast twitch fibers as well as your slow twitch fibers, while most long distance endurance running just uses your slow twitch fibers. Because the intervals don't take very long, and work equally well (perhaps better) if you are a little fatigued, I'm scheduling speed and quickness drills in addition to the intervals.

As pointed out in the article above, speed is about form and strength. Form can be tough to work on by yourself (or without someone who knows how you should be running to begin with), but there are some things you can do. The falling starts we're doing work on form. For more info on falling starts and some discussion on form, check this post out. The swinging arm drills can be helpful, though they'll make you feel goofy. Also, running hills can help with form and strength, not big hills, just 15 degrees or so. And don't run down hill. The bodybuilding.com article talks about jogging down the hill to increase stride length, but I read recently (somewhere on this site) that downhill running can cause hamstring injuries.

The plyos we're doing will increase strength, you can do them 2-3 times a week. Running stadiums is a great way to increase strength and may help increase your stride length as well. If you're interested in lifting weights at all, that can obviously help with strength as well. The consensus seems to be that more weight, lower reps, lots of rest is better for develloping power. I go back and forth on what I think is good for ultimate. Currently I'm leaning towards 3 sets of 8 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets. I keep planning on posting my workout but I keep tweaking it. I also do a longer plyo routine, which I also keep tweaking.

If you'd like me to expand on a particular point, let me know.

Daddy D'z - A Good Reason To Do Your Track Workout At Phoenix Park

I don't have too much to report here, other than 1) Amy runs with her elbows out, 2) Fox looks better from the back when he's doing groin stretches, 3) Wood has excellently executed frog jumps, and 4) you should allow extra time when doing the "dot drill" using puddles of water to try to interpret the Rorschach-esque final product. Mine looked like North America with a giant tumor coming out of Canada!

Anyhow- falling starts were started, with extra attention paid to arms (90 degree angles people), plus the above mentioned drills. We finished off with intervals which have not gotten any easier thanks to my 5 week break. Ha!

And, yes, we did reward ourselves with a nice helping of Daddy D'z afterwards. Mmmm . . . BBQ.

Lactic Acid good for you? A non-story.

I read this a few weeks ago, and basically pushed it aside as a non-story. Then I came across another story about it, so I figured I'd post. Basically, scientists have realized that lactic acid isn't really bad for your muscles. Lactic acid is actually a very potent fuel for muscles. On the surface, it seems pretty crazy and very much a story. We thought lactic acid buildup is what made you hit the wall, now it turns out it's one of the most efficient fuel sources for muscles?

Here's why it doesn't matter. It won't change how we train. You still want to increase the lactic acid threshold, only it doesn't mean you aren't producing lactic acid, it means your muscles are better able to use lactic acid. Endurance training increases mitochondria in muscle cells. Mitochondria burn lactic acid to produce energy for your muscles.

The scientists don't seem to know yet why you hit the wall, and why it coincides with that burning sensation in your muscles. And why, if you increase your lactic acid threshold (by increasing mitochondria), your muscles take longer to burn and you hit the wall later. My suspicion is that lactic acid is good, so long as you've got the mitochondria to burn it. Once you get too much you start getting the negative side-effects. I've got nothing to back that up but a hunch though.

FYI, the first story, by way of Lean & Hungry Fitness does mention that interval training is a good way of building up mitochondria.

Track Sunday

Unfortunately, I won't be there Sunday for the workout probably. Nursing a sore left hamstring and going to Div III Nationals next weekend so I'm resting. For those that go, here is the plan, it's basically the same as last week.

Warmup
3x15 ankle hops
2x20 1 or 2 leg side-to-side jumps
10 falling starts (10 yards)
Stadiums
Intervals

For the stadiums - Last week we did 10 big, walking down, then 10 small, walking down. This was enough to wear us out so well that we decided to skip intervals. I'd suggest maybe 5 big and 5 small + intervals. Or, if you're more concerned with strengthening, you can do the 10/10 (or 2-3 sets of the 5/5s).

Good luck.

Laying Off the Quads

So the saying goes (Michael Wood, you are the stuff of LEGENDS, I tell you!): No one in Atlanta Ultimate is in danger of overtraining.

I'm sure we could find a few exceptions, but this is probably true (assuming that we are doing exercises correctly and all that stuff).

However, I have heard and read a lot over the years about general over training of the quads. I'm not sure if this is primarily a female issue, but I think it has less to do with straining the quads and more with underdevelopment of other leg muscles.

In that spirit, I decided that while none of my muscles are currenlty being overused, I should probably take care to focus specifically on other muscle groups. Thus, I dipped back into the Ozone library for some hammy, glute, and posterior chain exercises.

The result? My quads still felt the most sore at the end of the day!

However, I do know that my glutes and hammies did get a workout cause I can feel it. But I think I must still be relying heavily on my quads to get through some of these exercises. Anyone else having this problem? Anyone have any ideas on how to really isolate these muscle groups- that don't involve machines not mentioned below (since that's about all I have!)?

For anyone who is interested, here's what I tried:

Hip Ab/Adductor machine - 3 x 12 each way

I love these, although the range of the machine in my condo workout room is awful. And somewhat off center. I have long legs, dammit!

Hamstring leg curl machine - 3 x 10 on each leg

This machine is also sort of craptacular and especially wobbly because it doubles as a leg extension machine as well, but hell- it gets the job done.

Romanian (stiff-legged) dead lifts - 1 x 10 (3 sec lower; 2 sec hold; 3 sec return)
This is performed with barbell in hand, legs greater than hip width apart. The first movement is initiation of anterior pelvic tilt. This is performed by thinking about ‘sticking your butt out’ and then sitting back. Keeping a straight back and the knees flexed to 10-30 degrees, the weight is lowered to knee level. The lifter will feel a sensation of the hamstrings stretching. The position is held and then the body position is returned to the start.

I did these incorrectly last time, so I'm looking forward to doing them again now that I understand the motion (it only took reading through it 8 times).

Reverse dumbbell lunge - 2 x 12 per leg
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms at sides, palms facing in. Step your right foot back 2 to 3 feet, keeping your weight on your left foot. Lower right knee until it’s just above the floor; press up with left leg to return to starting position.

I had a really hard time doing these without feeling like all of the work was being done by my quads. Anyone have any suggestions?

Ball leg curl - 2 x 10
Lie face up on the floor with heels centered on a stability ball, arms out to sides with palms down. Lift your pelvis up until your body forms a straight line from hells to shoulders. Use your heels to pull the ball toward you as you bend knees toward chest. When you can’t bring the ball any closer to your butt, return to starting position.

I have no idea how this is working lower rear muscles, at least the way I was doing it, but I may keep doing it just because it's so hard to stay balanced (maybe that's how it works? Hell if I know). I love a challenge!

Bi-planar lunge with overhead press - 2 x 6 per leg
Stand erect holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Lunge forward with your right leg, then curl the dumbbells to your shoulders. From there, flip your wrists and press the weights overhead. While still in the lunge position, lower the dumbbells down to your sides (reversing the press and curl along the same path). Push through your right leg to return to the start. Then perform a lateral lunge with your right leg and reach over to touch the dumbbells to the floor, one on either side of your foot. Return to the start position, then alternate legs.

These were awesome. But again- I feel like I'm doing too much work with my quads when I'm supposed to be working the stuff in the back.

Sprint Training

I came across an article in the NSCA's Perfromance Training Journal about taking the first few steps explosively. It's where I got the falling starts drill and a few other things we're going to be doing this year. It's on page 19 and has descriptions of the different drills.

Edelman Has Too Many Blogs

Someone else post- I'm starting to feel like I'm on the AFDC forum. :)

Edelman linked this article on his other blog, and although I guess most of it is pretty common sense, I found it very interesting. It's about the Glycogen Window and what and when to consume after a workout.

Sorry if this is posted somewhere on this site. Maybe it warrants reposting anyway!

Eileen's Abs Workout

Eileen posted this on the women's league forum a million years ago. It's quick and . . . well, quick. I don't know if this needs to be modified for men, so if you do it and it's too easy guys- increase the reps or something.

Also, for the push-ups, you can alternate in some tricep pushups (where your hands are closer together) or whatever sort of torture you prefer in the push-up family.

One quick note- from my limited pilates experience, I would say that it is probably a good idea to observe the following posture (someone can correct me if I'm wrong) when doing these:

a) When flat on your back, keep your neck long (out of the top of your head, as they say) and your shoulders on the ground. In other words, don't scrunch your shoulders up or sway from side to side.

b) When your abs are engaged (so, generally speaking, your head is off the ground), make sure that your lower back is pressing into the ground. Moreover, you want to "hollow out" so that you are holding your abs in, not pushing them out- so your shoulders are down, your rib cage is lifted, your tummy sucked in (I think my instructor always said to pull it "under your rib cage"), and again- long back and neck. You sort of want to be a C shape in your core.

c) Don't roll from one hip to the other when you're doing side to side exercises. This is really hard sometimes, too. I'm pretty sure it's ok and even necessary to shift weight a bit (especially on toe touches), but if you're rolling around, you're losing the benefit of the exercise. Thinking about keeping your lower back pressed down can help with this, though.

Ok, so this is the workout:


Lie on your back, knees bent. Raise your head off the floor until your trunk is at about a 45-degree angle. Twist from side to side rapidly 100 times. (KQ Note- arms crossed over chest is the way I've been doing these and seen them done)

Flip right over and do 5 push-ups.

Next, do 25 crunches.

6 push-ups.

Then do 30 toe-touches. Lift your legs in the air at a 90-degree angle to your body, raise your torso, and reach with one hand for the opposite leg. Do 15 each leg.

7 push-ups.

Do 50 “Rocky Balboas”, or twist crunches. One knee bent, other straight, hands behind your head. Reach one elbow towards the opposite knee. Alternate sides. (KQ Note- I prefer hands to ears so you don't pull on your neck. And really try to keep your shoulders down, away from your ears)

8 push-ups.

Next, do 50 high-speed bicycles. (KQ Note- on back, arms at side. Lift legs up at 90 degree angle, then lift pelvis up off the ground. Arms can help balance. Move legs in a bicycle-y way!)

9 push-ups.

50 crunches.

10 push-ups.

UPDATE: See some great additional notes on these exercises from Jim over on Lean and Hungry Fitness. Awesome!

Pre-Season, Voluntary Track Workouts

Don't worry Teddy, the workouts aren't mandatory...yet. I had just gotten a few requests from people who wanted to start getting in shape for the in-season track workouts. Some people are hoping to lose some weight, others just want to get their endurance up. We'll also be working on strengthening so that we've got a good base for the track workouts later and to avoid injury. I like the intervals for endurance, and they take very little time and can be done after other work, so we will be doing those all year probably (although we will probably shift towards speedwork as we get close to regionals). We'll be doing plyos and stadiums for strengthening. I also want to do a little speedwork, so that we can be working on our form all year long. It sounds like a lot but it moves pretty quickly, should keep you from getting bored, and doesn't take too long overall.

Here's the plan for Sunday at Grady at 3pm. Should take around 30-45 minutes I'd guess.

Warmup
3x15 ankle hops
2x20 1 or 2 leg side-to-side jumps
10 falling starts (10 yards)
Stadiums
Intervals

Stadiums

I ran stadiums this morning with Quistypants at Grady. The workout we did was specific to Grady since, as many of you know, the top steps are bigger than the bottom ones. We did four sets, intending to jog half the track in between each set so that we ended up doing two sets on the home side and two sets on the away side.

In the end, we ended up doing one set, jogging a 200 to the other side, doing the second set, jogging another 200 back to the other side, doing the third set, and then just resting for about 30-60 seconds before completing the 4th set (we were a little pressed for time).

Anyway, in case anyone is interested, this was the format for each set:

1 full stadium
walk all the way down
1 full stadium
walk halfway down to where the little steps end (that people would use to get down during an event)
1 half stadium on the little steps
walk halfway down to where the little steps end
1 half stadium on the little steps
walk all the way down

Quisty McCoker says you should walk down because it's bad for your knees. She also says when taking the big stairs at the bottom (and even on the little stairs at the top) down, you should switch feet. For optimal knee health.

We started with a 1/2 mile jog warmup, followed by some agility exercises (with the ladder dealie- Wood, is this what you're talking about with the "running form stuff" for the Rival track practices? If not, what are you talking about?). We finished off with Eileen's infamous ab/push-up workout. I can post that if people want, but I'd have to go back and find my list from a long time ago.