The Importance of Controlled Hip Mobility.

In "The importance of controlled hip mobility", by Micheal Davis, discusses the issues of hip mobility.  The one thing that caught my attention the most was the fact he mentioned that our spine gradually becomes deformed as we sit for prolonged periods of time. Lower back pain is so prevalent these days due to many office jobs a majority of the population has.  Sitting all causes ligaments and muscles to shorten which leads to a decreased hip mobility. This lack of flexibility causes an anterior tilt at the pelvis and puts more stress on the lower back.  Hip mobility is an important trait to have for any individual to avoid disabilities in the long run of their lives. 

Reflections on Maximum Sprred Sprinting Technique

         Sprinting is seen as a simple natural activity, however, it is more technical and intricate than it really is.  This article talks about the propper techniques of sprinting and goes through step by step how the mechanics corielate to acceleration. It also metions some interesting facts such as taking up to ten years for an elite sprinter to fully reach their best based on their technique.
        I find it important to teach athletes at a young age the proper technique of sprinting, no matter what sport.  With the foundation of proper form and techniqe, athletes will have less to learn and will be more quick to adapt to their chosen sport.

"Speed Strength Training Basics" Summary

By Derek Hansen, CSCS SPS Athletic Group

Key points:

1.  Truth about getting faster

• Genetics are the most important determinant of sprinting potential.  It can take a world class sprinter five to ten years or even longer to reach his/her potential.
• Speed is an acquired skill- in order for an athlete to reach their full sprinting potential, they have to work hard to develop a number of key athletic qualities, including: Technique and Posture, Neuromuscular Recruitment, Maximal Strength, and Flexibility for Increased-Range-of-Motion

2.  Training for the Right kind of Speed

• Speed training should be sport specific since not all sports need their athlete to sprint "all out" in a 100 meter sprint. Athletes rarely sprint no more than 10-20m maximum on the field.  Only for specific situations such as a breakaway in soccer or a long pass in football will an athlete sprint come into play (no more than 30-40 meters).

3.  Technique and Posture

• The optimal body position for sprinting is a lean body position which is 45 degreews from the ground.  The athletes body will become more upright as the athlete accelerates throughout the sprint (happens beyond 15-20 meters) and the running stride begins to lengthen.\

4.  Drills for Acceleration and Speed

• Push up Start- can be performed slowly or in one quick motion.  Start off by having the athlete lay on the ground in a push up position and have them step forward with one foot under or behind the hip
• Med-Ball Push Start-  Used to develop starting strength and overall power.   Athlete hold a medicine ball under his/her chin in a crouch posture.  The athlete then falls forward and launches the ball forward. 
• Falling Start-  Allows the athlete to accelerate in a relaxed form.  This drill focuses on good technical execution.  In a semi-crouched position, both hands are in front of the athlete to ensure more weight is distributed forward.  The athlete then begins to fall forward and fires the hand on the same side of the front foot to help the body move forward. 

5.  Neuromuscular Recruitment-

• To become faster, you must train 95-100 percent effort to make advances in your sprinting speed.  You need to recruit your fast twitch muscle fibers to move your body quickly and by doing this you must train your brain to do so.
• Don't rush through a speed workout.  You must give yourself adequate rest time to recover from a sprint (90 seconds). Don't do two sprint workouts on consecutive days.  It takes 48 hours for your nervous central system to recover from a high intensity sprinting training. 
• Running against a teammate or chasing someone will is a good motivator to make yourself run faster.
• The total volume for individual sprint workouts should not exceed 300m because the neuromuscular system becomes very fatigued for the average team sport athlete.  The body can't consistently put out 100% effort and the technique becomes sloppy.

 6. Maximal Strength Development-

• In order to accelerate, you must be able to exert your own body weight Squatting, lunging, jumping develops leg strength while push-ups, pull-ups, and dips prepare the upper body for the rigours of sprinting.  Various abdominal exercises can be done to help the hip flexors develop the required hip  strength for driving the knees up for accelerating.
• squats, pulls, and press free weight exercises are also a good way to develop the strength and coordination required for sprinting.

Explosive and Elastic Power

• Jump exercises and medicine ball throws are effective means of trainingstarting strength and explosiveness.  If using jumps (plyometrics), a gradual progression of workto ensure the athletes don't overuse or stress injuries particularly in the feet, ankles and knees.
• There are 3 phases of jumping workouts. Phase 1 (3-6 weeks) These jumping workouts are performed onto some form of box, platform or step. Have the athlete jump onto a box and step down onto a step. This works on their explosiveness.
• Phase 2 (3 to 5 weeks) Jumps in this phase are done for distance across the gym floor, rubberized surfaces or grass/turf field. They can consist of jumps over hurdles, cones oe other safe obstacles.
• Phase 3 (3 to 6 weeks) These jumps focus on elastic strength and rebounding off the ground after jumping down from a height. The athlete should be starting at very low heights (10-12 inches). The athlete should rebound off the ground quickly after jumping off from the box. 
• Medicine ball throws can be used as preparatory work for jump training.  medicine ball throws can be an effective way for developing starting and acceleration abilities. Overhead throws and push throws are two common explosive throws.

7.  Flexibility

• Maintaining a stretching and flexibility program is one of the less strenous ways of making yourself a faster sprinter.  There are two ways to run faster: increasing stride frequency, and increasing stride length.
• As your flexibility increases, you will be more accustomed to apply force over the increased range of motion and, generate more force over each sprinting stride.   

James Smith DVD

        James Smith is the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of   

Pittsburgh who claims himself to be a product of the things he was exposed to during his 

experience in the work field as well with his prior education.   It seems to be typical that 

strength and conditioning coaches tend to practice the strength and conditioning style of 

their mentors and seems to be that the best way to learn is to be around those who have 

been successful. This lecture is focused on the stages of the annual cycle of football 

strength and conditioning.

          James Smith addresses the energy systems and in football, the Phosphagen system is the main system used.  The athletes are mainly working in this system because football is a fast paced sport and plays only last for seconds.  This being a fact, Smith points out that an overall greater level of aerobic conditioning is crucial for recovery between plays.  This allows the athletes to maintain their level of intensity for the duration of the game.  Smith refers to bioenergetic sequencing, and describes how he has different focuses depending on the current stage in the annual cycle; he also describes strength training as a small fraction of sport training which I agree on because there is many other factors that goes into 

training athletes, while strength training is just a small part of it.  

            Smith addresses General Physical Preparation as being the foundation for all other training 

which i agree with because if an athlete doesn’t have that general base of strength, they will 

not be able to have optimal gains from specific training.  General physical preparation 

should always be incorporated in an athletes year long cycle of training.

            

            Overall I felt like there was plenty of information I retrieved from this lecture.  The hour and a 

half lecture was a bit arduous at times but I found many of his sayings to be informative and interesting, 

especially when he mentioned his incorporation of gymnastics into training athletes.  Being a previous 

gymnast, I became a strong individual from doing many gymnastic workouts such as planches and ring 

work.  I'm a believer of body weight exercises for improvement of overall strength and which is why I 

support Smith's view of incorporating gymnastics into his exercise regimes. 

Progressive Hang Clean

March 7-13 Exercise Log

Monday: Rested

Tuesday:  Rested

Wednesday:  Ran 2 miles/ abs

Thursday:  Rested

Friday:  Rested

Saturday:  Rested

Sunday:  Rested

Tapering/Recovery Adaptations

 Tapering is a technique where the training program is gradually reduced in a systematic non-linear fashion to promote peak in performance for a major competition.  "Tapering: The Critical Interaction of the Art and Science of Coaching" and the article by Greg Wells talks about the many routes of tapering in ones workout program.  Tapering has been shown to improve lab performance as well with competition results 2% - 4%  based on Well's findings.  Tapering allows recovery for the athlete and for their fitness level to be well maintained. Periodized training's main goal is for the athlete to be able to perform/compete at their best in a competition.   When periodization and tapering are mended in a balanced formula, the athlete will perform well in competition

            Tapering should last from 4 to 21 days and be around a 50-85% in training intensity. The recovery time is increased while the intensity training is amplified.  Incorporating tapering into athletes workout program will help ensure optimal performance.    

The article entitled “Recovery – Adaptation: Strength / Power Sports “, by Michael Stone, is about the importance of inputting recovery periods into an athlete periodized program which relates to the de-loading article I previously posted about.   Rest is the most crucial aspect of a workout program .  Stone defines recovery as “regaining what was lost”. He points out that athletes are interested in adaptation rather than recovery.  Cleverly planning and executing a recovery and adaptation regime requires a planned rest period and a period of de-load.  

            At each level of an athletes periodization, rest periods and de-loads are incorporated in their workout regime.  In an entire Macrocycle, rest and transition periods are incorporated as the athlete ends his/her season. A recovery regime is then incorporated at the meso and microcycle level.  There are periods of rest within each month as well within each week;  also, rest can be planned and manipulated within a single workout session within a single workout session to optimize an exercise.

            It takes creativity and a well thought out program to create a beneficial exercise regime.  Workload and recovery go hand in hand.  The greater the stimulus, the greater it is for the athlete to have to recover. “Stimulus-Fatigue-recovery-adaptation” explains how a stimulus results in fatigue which is then followed by recovery and adaptation. This results in supercompensation and improved performance. Both Rest and periods of de-load are essential in order for ones training program to fully maximize. 

Microcycle

          I am designing a microcycle for a Woman's Tennis Team that is currently in the off season.  The coach wants two days in the weight room and two days in the courts/field for a total of six hours in a week without weekend practices.
           To understand what a microcycle is, first a whole year's exercise program is called a macrocycle which is then broken down to mesocycles, then to microcycles.  This periodization focuses on the progression of the human body from off-season to in-season which usually starts off by working an athletes general physical preparedness, to hypertrophy/mobility/stability, maximal strength/endurance, conversion to power and eventually to maintenance.  As the preparatory period progresses, the program will eventually gear towards  strength and power which is the first transition phase. An increase in intensity and a decrease of volume occurs during the microcycle to test out power.
        
            I've designed the first microcycle to take place about two months (November/December) before the season starts (January) in pre-season.  I've got the team working out on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Monday and Fridays are high intensity lifting days with Monday's focusing on a total body exercise (emphasized on upper) and Friday's on lower body. Tuesdays and Thursdays are low intensity workouts primarily working on maintaining their endurance by low intensity plyometrics, stretching and light interval running.  I've done this to compensate for the body's recovery from Monday and to lead up into a tough leg day on Friday.

Microcycle Overview:


1 hour 15 minutes a day workout
Duration= 1 week
2x weight room 2x courts/field

Microcycle Detail:


Monday:

Target Body Exercise - Full Body Workout
Intensity - High
Volume - Low
Dynamic Warm Up
Clean Progression 3/3/3

Main Lifts:

Barbell Bench Press - 10/8/5/5/5+


Assistance Exercises:

Dumbbell Lunges, Pull Ups, Skull Crushers, Lateral Raises, Bent Over Rows, EZ Bar Bicep Curls,

Core: Planks, TRX Ab Crunches

Tuesday:


Target Body Exercise - Cardiovascular/Plyometrics
Intensity - Low/Moderate
Volume - medium
Dynamic Warm Up

Run -
1.5 mile run

Plyometrics -
AB Skips x 25 each leg,
C Skips x 25 each leg,
Split Lunge squats x 25
High Knees x 25

Prehab/Rehab -
TKE
Glute Med Band Walks
Good Mornings w/green bands
Stretching

Wednesday:

Off

Thursday:

Target Body Exercise - Cardiovascular/Plyometrics

Intensity - Low/Moderate

Volume - medium

Dynamic Warm Up

Run - Interval Running - 6 200 meter striders at moderate pace

Plyometrics - 

Karaoke x 25 each side

Butt Kicks x 25

Frog Jumps x 25

Squat Jumps x 25

Prehab/Rehab - 

Hurdle Duck Unders

Shoulder Band Work 

Band Snatch

Friday:

Target Body Exercise - Legs (some upper)

Intensity - High

Volume - Low

Dynamic Warm Up

Main Lifts:

Box Squats 10/8/5/5/5+

Deadlift 3/3/3/3+

Assisted Lifts:

Hamstring Curls, Leg Extensions, Hyper Extensions, Reverse Push ups, Shrugs, Dips

Core: Wall throws w medicine balls

Tennis is a combination of endurance and strength which is why muscular endurance is so critical for the tennis athlete.  After the pre-season, a maintenance regime will be followed to maintain the muscular endurance of the athletes needed to perform this sport.

 

Buddy Morris Presentation Feedback

      "No one program is perfect nor will it work forever. You have to be able to change your program every year so that your program evolves".  My philosophy of training is a hybrid style, which is why I agree with what Buddy Morris emphasized in his video.  There are always new findings in the field of strength and conditioning.  It constantly changes and strength coaches need to be aware of what the new findings are in order to live up to their profession. It is a strength and conditioning coach's duty to provide the best program for their athletes in order to maintain their positions.  If the owner of a sports team isn't content with the performances of his team's athletes, it's the strength coach that gets the boot.  Working in this pyramid style career, the higher authority has the final say, which is why strength coaches shouldn't fall into a comfort zone of having their athletes do programs that they once did when they were athletes ten to twenty years ago or because of traditional exercises done for generations.  Learning from other strength coaches and combining different dynamics of strength training apart from their own is the best way to come up with new ideas and programs.  Buddy Morris emphasized this saying and I couldn't agree with him more because it takes more than a strength coach to being proactive in educating himself, but also being open minded and accepting other's knowledge and points of view which leads into progress and harmony within the field.  What's great about Buddy's philosophy of training is that it allows a coach to learn, evolve and change the dynamics of the field of strength and conditioning for the future.
        I like the fact that Buddy recognizes that there are different types of athletes and how he adjusts programs to how they feel.  He mentions that stress alone has more strain on the body than training alone.  I found it quite informative that training affects seven different systems which includes : the cardiac, cardiac pulmonary, hormonal, detoxification, neuromuscular, metabolical, and the central nervous system don't recover all at the same time.  "No one fits the optimal model", Buddy emphasizes that no athlete is ever perfect for their sport which is why I support his methods of individualizing athletes training.
        One method I find Buddy has evolved over other strength coaches is by the exclusion of Olympic style training.  He sees Olympic lifting as a sport rather than a form of strength and conditioning.  He sees it as "too demanding and technical" and football players don't need to focus on technique of an Olympic power lift to become an excellent athlete in their sport.  With the use of medicine balls and plyometrics, Buddy summons the necessary movements to build speed, power, and strength in a less injury prone manner than the Olympics lifts.
       An interesting comment he mentioned was that of the importance of hip mobility being directly related to shoulder health.  The health of an athlete is one of the most important aspects of their career.  Working with the athletic trainers knowledge to preventing injuries of athletes is another method I support that Buddy Morris does in his program.
        I'm a supporter of being a tough coach as well with being strict, but I disagree with Buddy's mindset of being hired to be an "asshole".  I think making a relationship by getting to know the athletes is an important aspect of motivating them.  Once a coach knows and understands the athlete through a personal level, motivating them comes easy.

2/21-2/27 Workouts

Monday, Chest/Shoulders:

Bench Press 5x 15, 10, 8, 8, 6
Incline Bench 4x10, 8, 8, 6
Decline Cable Flies 4x 10, 8, 8, 6
Seated Shoulder Barbell Press 5x10
Lateral Raises 5x10
Shrugs 4x15 (heavy)
Chest Flies 3x15
Rotator Cuffs 3x15
Bent Over Row 3x10
Abs Reverse Crunches 3x45

Tuesday, Legs/Tris

Machine Squats 5x10
Leg Press 4x10
Reverse Lunges 3x10
Dips 4x15 w weight
Hamstring Curls 3x 20, 15, 15
Dead Lifts 3x10
Leg Extensions 3x15
Skull Crushers 4x10

Wednesday, Back/Biceps:

Weighted Pull Ups 5x10
Seated Row 4x10
Reverse Cable Flies 4x10
Single Arm DB Bent Over Row 3x10
Back Extensions 3x15
DB Curls 3x10
Cable Curls 3x10
Abs TRX Pikes 3x25

Thursday, Rest

Friday, Biceps/Triceps

EZ Bar Curls w/negatives at last two sets  4x10, 8, 6, 6
Hammer Curls 4x10, 8, 6, 6
Overhead Tricep Cable Extension 4x10
Weighted Dips 4x10
Tricep Push Down 4x10
Rear Delt Raise with Cable 4x10
Abs 3x45 Crunches, Side to side, Bicycles

Saturday, Shoulders/Run

Standing Overhead Press 3x10
Seated DB Shoulder Press 4x10
Seated Lateral Raise 4x10
Pull Overs w/Lat Pull Down Machine 4x10
Barbell Up Right Rows 4x10
Shrugs 3x20
Run 1.5 Miles on Tredmill with 3% Incline

Sunday, Rest

Sumo Dead Lift

Exercise Sheet 2/14-2/20

Monday, Biceps/Triceps:

EZ Bar curls 4x10
Preacher Curls 4x10, 8, 8, 6
DB Hammer Curls 4x10, 8, 8, 6
Skull crushers 4x10
Triceps Push Down 4x15
Dips 3 x max

Tuesday, Rest

Wednesday, Chest/Abs:

Bench Press 5x15, 10, 8, 8, 6
Incline Bench Press 4x8
Decline Bench Press 4x8
DB Pull Over 3x10
TRX Pikes 3x25
TRX Side to Side to hands 3x25

Thursday, Rest

Friday, Shoulders/legs:

Standing Barbell Press 3x10
Seated DB Press 5x10
Lateral Raises 4x10
Front Raises 3x10
Cable Standing Row Pulls 4x10
Dead lifts 3x10
Hamstring Curls 3x20

Saturday, Back/Biceps:

Weighted Pull Ups 5x10 w/30 LBS
Seated Row 4x10
Barbell Curls 3x10
DB Curls 3x10
Cable Back Cross Overs 3x12
Bent Over DB Pull Overs 3x10
Back Extensions 3x15
Abs 3x45 Bicycles, Side to Side, Crunches w/feet elevated on bench

Sunday, Legs/cardio:

Squats 5x10, 8, 8, 6, 6 (heavy)
Backward Lunges 3x10
Leg Press 4x10, 8, 8, 6 (heavy)
Hamstring Curls 4x12
Leg Raises 4x12
Run 1.5 Miles
Abs 3x12 hanging Leg Raises

Leadership Development

Commanding an audience’s attention doesn’t come naturally for everyone.   Natural leaders possess charisma, which automatically leads them into a path of respect and authority. Some people are born with natural gifts and talents, which can’t be duplicated, however, that doesn’t mean that leadership qualities can’t be taught and developed with non-leaders. Almost anyone can be an effective leader given the proper instruction. What makes a great leader doesn’t only rely upon their great courage and success, but also with how they respect, show loyalty/trust and value in their teammates. These traits are great qualities for a leader to gain respect and can be developed through proper guidance and encouragement, but being a true leader requires a disciplined, responsible and focused individual.

There are three areas to consider in leadership development: the interplay between a thought process, communication and taking action. Athletes must be trained to think like a good leader. Honestly evaluating themselves with the positives and negatives is crucial for developing their independence. They have to have a fairly clear idea of where they are going and being able to channel their focus on finding ways to get the job done. They need to be able to consider multiple perspectives before making a decision, needing to be decisive when the time comes as well with being able to move onto the next task.

Communicating well must be a prominent trait for a leader. Being able to articulate what they think and feel in an understandable format is important. They have to posses an authoritative and respectable demeanor that makes people want to listen to and rally around them. They don't have to be overly loud or vocal but they do have to be able to assert themselves in a manner that inspires, encourages and challenges.

Leadership requires the ability to act in a way that is consistent with one's thought process and words. The actions make it real. For example, an athlete can think work ethic and talk work ethic, but failure to demonstrate work ethic alienates potential followers. The leader's actions let other athletes know they're in this thing together and he/she is willing to do his/her share of the work.

Having been around the athletes at FAU, especially the football team, we have been encouraging the development of leadership traits through the “Iron Owl Challenge”.  Enforcing the football players with proper attire, language, punctuality, and giving them the freedom to communicate to the coaches and each other their thought process is immensely targeted toward this task at hand. 

. 

Quiz 1- Training Cycles

1.  What is a microcycle?

A microcycle is a period of training which lasts approximately a week. It's the smallest unit of measurement in an annual training plan for strength training cycles. A macrocycle is an entire year's training plan, a mesocycle defines months of training, while a microcycle covers 1-4 weeks of training.  It is the most important part of one's workout plan because it is the building block for strength and power.

2. How many times does an athlete have to perform training lessons of similar objective during a microcycle before it has a training effect?


To have an affect on an athlete, training lessons of similar objectives should be performed two to three times during a microcycle to have an effect.

3.  Repetition is essential for what two elements? 


Repetition is essential for acquiring technicality of an exercise as well with developing biomotor ability.

4.  How often should one plan to work to an athlete's limit per week?


Twice a week is the recommended maximal exercise effort for an athlete.

5.  How many times should a microcycle of the same nature be repeated within a macrocycle?


A microcycle can be repeated 2-3 times within a macrocycle.  The nature of the microcycle will be the same, but the volume and intensity should increase each time it is repeated.

6.  Should detailed microcycles be planned out months in advance?  


No, It would be too difficult to foresee the dynamics of improvement from an athlete.

7.  What should be included in the meeting with the athletes following the last training lesson of a microcycle? 


The athlete's progress in whether they have achieved their objective goals, discussing the positive and negative aspects of the athlete's training behavior and motivation, and outlining the considerable changes for future microcycles.

8.  What is the purpose of the shock microcycle?


The shock microcycle is designed to push an athlete to a higher homeostasis in order to break the ceiling of adaptation of a previously achieved phase.  This training cycle is of high intensity.

9.  What do regeneration microcycles prevent?  


Regeneration microcycles prevent overtraining of an athlete.  It helps restores energy and helps alleviate fatigue from the mind and body.

10.  Intensity and volume should increase, decrease, or maintain right before competition?


A decrease of intensity and volume should be done before a big competition in order for the athlete's body to be fresh and ready for action.

Conventional Dead Lift

Feb 7-13 Workout Schedule

Monday, Arms:

EZ bar curls 4x10, 8, 8, 6
DB Bicep Curls 4x 10, 8, 8, 6
Weighted Dips 4x 15, 12, 10, 8
Triceps Push Down 4x10
Skull Crushers 4x10
Abs 3x45 Bicycles, side to side, tow touches

Tuesday, Shoulders:

Standing Shoulder Press 4x10, 8, 8, 6
DB Shoulder Press 4x 10, 8, 8, 6
Lateral Raises 4x10
DB Front Raises 3x10
Pull Over 4x10
Barbell High Pull 4x0
Shrugs 3x20

Wednesday, Rest

Thursday, Legs:

Squats 5x10, 8, 8, 6 ,6
DB Reverse Lunges 3x10
Leg Press 4x10
Hamstring Curls 3x20
Quad Raises 3x15
Hanging Leg Raise 4x15

Friday, Chest/Tris:

Bench Press 4x 15, 10, 8, 8
Incline Bench Press 4x10, 8, 8, 8
Decline Cable Press 4x 10, 8, 8, 6
DB Flies 4x 10, 8, 8, 6
Single arm DB Tricep Pull 4x12, 10, 8, 6
Rear Deltoid Flies 4x 12, 10, 8, 6

Saturday, Back/Biceps:

Weighted Pull Ups 5x10
Single arm DB pull 3x10
Seated Row 4x10
Lat Pull Down 4x10
DB Bicep Curls 4x10
EZ Bar Curls (with negatives) 4x10
Cable Reverse Flies 4x10

Sunday, Run 1 mile.

bench

Week's Workout Log (Monday-Tuesday)

Monday, Back/Legs:

5x10 Weighted Pull Ups
4x10 Seated Rows
3x10 Bent Over Dumbbell Pull
3x15 Back Raises
3x10 Dead Lifts
3x10 RDL's

Tuesday, Chest:

Bench Press 5x10, 8, 8, 6, 4
Incline Bench Press 4x10
Decline Bench Press 4x10
Cable Press 3x10
Single arm Cable Arm Curls 4x10
Triceps Push Down 4x15
Dips 4x10
Leg Raises 4x25
Machine Ab Crunch 3x25

Wednesday, REST

Thursday, Legs:

Machine Squats 5x10
Single Leg Press 4x10
Reverse Lunge 3x10
Hamstring Curls 3x20
Leg Extensions 3x15
Run 1 mile
Abs 3x45 Bicycles, Crunches, Side to Side

Friday, Shoulders

Overhead Press 3x10
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4x10
Seated lateral Raise 4x10
Upright Rows 4x10
Front Raises 3x10
Shrugs 3x20
Rear Deltoid Cable Raise 4x10

Saturday, Arms/Legs

EX Bar Curls 4x10
Reverse Curls 4x10
Hammer Curls 3x10
Skull Crushers 4x10
Triceps Push Down 4x15
Squats 3x20
Calve Raises 4x15 (slow)
Hanging Leg Raise 3x12

Sunday, Cardio:

Run 2 Miles
Abs 3x45 Bicycles, Toe Touches, Side to Side
Stretch

High Intensity Training

As a certified personal trainer and a former collegiate athlete who's used to the tier system, I find the HIT system totally controversial from all that I have learned and been taught about building strength mass.  I find it hard to comprehend how the system allows it's athletes to train in high intensity every lifting session; especially how it work more than one muscle group a session.  Some individuals may be able to recover faster than others after a high intensity workout, but the Law of Individual Differences and the GAS Principle are the first two flaws that come to my mind when I think of the HIT system.  I know from experience as an athlete that my body responded well to a melody of a high and low intensity workout and at least 48 hours of rest to recover from a grueling workout.  I'm a firm believer of the GAS Principle.  I believe HIT's concentration of high intensity every workout will over-use the body and promotes a high percentage of injury of the athletes.

My philosophy of strength and conditioning is that of a hybrid philosophy.  Though I see many flaws from the HIT system, I do believe in incorporating it's style of maxing in the last week and day of a tier system month; of course, without incorporating some suggested techniques such as "going slow and deliberate with a heavy weight is safer".  I'm a fan of a hybrid style of strength and conditioning because there are always new forms of exercises being studied. I believe in experimenting with new exercise regimes so that I can always be in the current of the ever evolving lifestyle of strength, health, and fitness.

The Box Squat

Workouts or the week

Monday.Legs:

Box Squats 5x10
Leg Press 4x10
Lunges 3x10
Hamstring Curls 3x20
Quad Extensions 3x15
Dumbbell Curls 4x10
Barbell Wide Grip Bent Over Row 4x10

Tuesday, Chest/Triceps:

Bench Press 5x 15, 10, 8 ,8 ,6
Incline Bench 4x8
Skull Crushers 4x10, 8, 8, 6
Decline Bench Press 4x8
Tricep Push Down 4x15, 15, 10 ,10
Dumbbell Pull Over 3x10
Cable Flies 4x10
Abs 3x45 (Crunches, bicycles, side to side)

Wednesday, Shoulders/Legs:

Barbell Shoulder Press 3x8
Dumbelle Shoulder Press 4x10
Seated Lateral Raises 5x10
Up-Right Rows 4x10
Dumbbell Front Raise 4x10
Barbell Shrugs 4x10
Box Squats 4x20
Dead Lifts 3x10
Calves 4x15

Thursday, Arms/Abs

EZ Bar Curls 4x10, 8, 8, 6
Reverse Curls with EZ Bar 3x10, 8, 6 (Slow)
Over Head Pull Overs 4x15, 15, 10, 10
Weighted Dips 4x10
Grip Machine 4x20
Hammer Curls 4x10 (slow)
Russian Twists 4x35
Hanging Leg Raise 3x15

Friday, Back/Legs:

Run 1 mile
RDLs 3x10
Front Squats 4x8
Lower Back Extensions 4x10
Weighted Pull Ups 5x10
Lat Pull Down
Seated Rowing Machine 4x10
Dumbbell One Arm Rows
Back Flies with Cables 4x10
Standing Lat Pull Downs 4x10

Saturday, Run/Abs

Run 1.5 miles
Cable Crunches 3x30
Leg Raises with Weight 3x25
Cable Swings (each side) 3x20

Sunday, Stretch/Rest

Basic Workout Program (Assignment 2)

1.) Exercise Bank (in addition to the current FAU exercise bank)

Dynamic Warm up

-Side Leg Swings

-Laying Toe Touches (laying on the ground while swinging leg to opposite arm)

Hurdle Complex

-One Leg Lateral Step Over (holding onto a fence or a stationary object, have one leg swing over the hurdle perpendicularly over the hurdle and repeat)

Horizontal Push

-Decline Push-Up

-Incline Push up

Lower Body Push

-Band Squats

-Calve Raises 

Triceps

-Bench Dips with Feet Elevated

Grip

-Thick Rope Pull-Ups

Core

-Burpees

-Bicycles

-Cable Crunches

Lower Body Template

Warming up the hips before a lower body workout is crucial in order to get the full effect of a lower body workout.  Strong legs needs a strong hip to go along with it in order for full power of explosiveness to occur, which is why the hips are just as important to exercise.  Exercising the gluteus medialis is crucial to prevent pulls of the hamstrings. It's purpose is to stabilize and support the weight of an individual. A strong gluteus medialis prevents other muscles of the lower body such as the hamstrings from supporting more than it needs to.  Lower body injuries usually occur because of a neglected gluteus medialis.  So, note to mind, the hips and the gluteus medialis should always be incorporated in a lower body workout.  Muscles are all correlated with each other, therefore, a evenly balanced anatomy will have few to no problems at all.

Warm up: 

-Double Leg/Single leg Hip Raises x15 (two feet, left leg raised, right leg raised)

-Forward/backward knee circles both legs x20

-Mountain climbers for 25 seconds

-Side leg raises x20 each leg

Prehab:

-Glute medial laying raise x 20

-Glue medial side walk (slow and tiny steps) for 25 yards

-Glute medial walk (slow) for 25 yards

Multi Joint Exercises:

-Box squats 4 x 10

Assistance Exercises

Posterior Chain:

-Romanian Dead Lifts 3 x 10

Single Leg:

-Assisted single leg band squat 3 x 10 each leg

Extra Assistance:

-Back extensions 3 x 10

Calves:

-Seated calve raises 3 x 15

Hip Mobility:

-Good Morning with green band

Flexibility:

-Foam Roll (quads, hamstrings)

-Toe Touches 2 x 20 Seconds (hamstring stretch)

-Groiners (each leg for 20 seconds with hips pushing down to ground)

Upper Body Template

I emphasize on stretching after each workout, especially the upper body after an upper body exercise because it's just as important as warming up and building it.  Avid stretching for maximum flexibility of the shoulders, back, triceps and biceps will allow growth of muscularity as well with the ability for full range of motion for optimum sport performance.  

Warm Up:

-Jumping Jacks x 20

-Seal Jacks x 20

-Push Ups x 10

Prehab:

-Band Pull-A-parts x 20

- Y-T-W's x 20

-Pull to Face 3x15

Muti Joint Exercises:

-Bench Press 4x10

Assisted Exercises

Upper Back:

-Pull Ups 4 sets of 10 (with weighted vest or assistance with green bands)

Triceps:

-Dips (with weighted vest/waist belt with weight or with someone's assistance holding legs)

Shoulders:

-Seated overhead Dumbbell Press 4x10

Biceps:

-EZ Bar Curls 4x10

Grip:

-Grip Machine 3x15

Flexibility:

-Triceps Overhead Stretch 2x20 seconds (each arm)

-Reverse Arm Stretch with partner (extend both arms to sides while partner pulls it back to stretch)

-Shoulder Barbell Stretch 2x20 seconds (hold onto a barbell resting on a rack while bringing elbows up as high as you can)

2.) Modifying and applying a workout to a group of athletes

A.)  Splitting a group of 50 baseball players into two groups of upper and lower body workouts is the most efficient way I can think of for an a smooth time management in the weight room.  With the eight Power Racks we have at the gym, four will be set up to box squats and the other half for bench press.  Each group will have 25 individuals. Each group from both exercise teams will have seven groups of three and one of four baseball players.  There will be exercise stations assigned to each mini groups of the upper and lower body groups.  Each team will rotate to their next station after finishing their assigned station.  For example, 4 mini groups of the lower body group will be at the power racks doing squats while 4 mini groups of the same body part group are doing "Good Mornings" with green bands on the band station.  After each mini groups are finished with their workouts, they will move to their next station.

B.)  If I were training a basketball and a cross country team on legs given the same time frame, I would put the basketball team into a moderate repetition (3 sets of 10) exercise regime using the squat racks with weights and put the cross country runners into a high repetition set of workout using bands.  Both sport incorporates endurance from the athletes.  Basketball requires more of an explosive action of movement, which targets fast twitch muscles therefore putting them on a regime of moderate repetition sets of weighted squats will target their necessary muscles as well with incorporating some endurance training along with it.  Cross country requires mostly slow twitch muscle from it's athletes.  Putting them on a light weight or band exercise regime with high repetition will target those muscles they need.  Splitting the two sports into two different muscle exercises will allow efficiency in the weight room along with having the two teams coincide harmoniously.

3.) First experience impression of internship

I knew very little about the time frame strength and conditioning coaches worked in a day,  I was exhausted after my first week of working almost 12 hour days for almost all of the first 5 of this internship.  I knew what to expect in the training aspect as well with the motivational, inspiration, and intensity that was required with coaching athletes, but it skipped my mind about the the work of maintaining the equipment and facility along with the tedious computer data entries were so prominent in the daily tasks of this career.  Luckily, there are interns for that duty.  So far I am enjoying my time at this internship.  I enjoy the time i spend with the people I work with as well with learning new information about exercise and training on the spot.  I'm looking forward to implementing my own training regimes to the sports teams I got assigned to.