Baby 5 Mile Conditioning Workout
All ready to work you out Dad!
What you will need:
Heart Rate Monitor
Running Stroller
16 month old that doesn’t like to be in her car seat and stroller very long!
Sunday, September, 16th 2012
What a beautiful day Sunday was and I got to start it off with a workout with my fiery redheaded 16 month old daughter Madison.
So, my wife worked a later than scheduled bartending shift for a wedding last night and did not get home until after 2am. Needless to say she was wiped out at 5:30am when Madison woke up. But like a trooper she got up and fed her morning breakfast and got her things together. Due to my busy work schedule I rarely get to spend one-on-one quality time with Madison. So any chance to get her out with me to work out and see others working out I try to take full advantage of.
Now that it is getting cooler out I feel a lot better taking her out for extended periods of time as she doesn’t deal well with the heat and humidity. So I decided to take her to the Ridley Creek State Park to run the 5 mile loop. Well, I got that and so much more! Before I get into the details you should know this girl never sits still! She is always moving and so curious about the world.
We had to park about a half mile away from the main 5 mile loop gate. If you are from the area you know that the loop starts with a nice incline that builds up to the huge mile and a half hill. Started off with a nice jog up and got moving on the major hill. That is where Madison got squirmy. About a quarter of the way up she wanted out. Not down, just out. So now my jog turned into a lunge workout with 25lbs. weight with 1 hand on the stroller and one under Madison. I had to keep switching because all of you mom and dad’s know about that burn. Thighs are burning and biceps and shoulders are getting a nice isometric endurance workout. My HR was at 85% of max and still only little more than half way up the hill. Finally we make it to the top of the hill with the heart rate at 90% of max. At this point I had to squat down and put her back in. Back on the jog now as that the loop begins to flatten out a bit. So I get about mile and half in and she wants out again. I had to lean back to the squat down. She is walking along fine until my little trainer decides that it’s time to start the leg training portion of the workout. She wants to help push the stroller. So I tilt it back on 2 wheels, she grabs the handles and starts to push. For about 100 yards at a time over a mile and half I am in quarter squat walk to help balance and push the stroller. WOW what a burn. Thank God I have such a fun and cute distraction. Back in the stroller, squat and biceps and on the run. With a mile and half left we pull over to the water fountain another squat, biceps and hold. Madison gets a drink and I really need a drink and repeat that 3 times. Back in the stroller another squat and biceps hold. Then back to running again.
So knowing my daughter and the fact she will not want to sit in her car seat so back out of her stroll except this time she doesn’t want to walk anymore so I am walking down the hill switching arms side to side. Biceps and shoulders burning all the way down the hill and back to the car.
What a workout. We both need a good lunch, bath and nap. Cannot wait until round two next Sunday. I will post all the new workouts my new trainer (Madison) surprises me with and would love to hear what other moms and dads out there get out of their baby workouts. As always, please share and visit our website, friend us on facebook or follow us on twitter.
What a Great Week at Anthony Becht Football Camp
Elite Training LLC, had a great week as part of the Anthony Becht Football Camp at Bonner High School. The weather was great this year, the kids were excited to work hard and learn. With the talented Pro-Football Player Anthony Becht so involved, of course it was successful. I took this opportunity to teach and of course to learn new techniques from my fellow cliniciers, including Anthony Becht.
Elite Training was in charge of the Speed, Agility and Fitness Station. We concentrated on techniques to benefit youth football players. This was a great opportunity to meet new dynamic people to learn and grow from, all in order to be better for my clients.
It meant a lot for Elite to have the opportunity to participate and teach the kids who came out for a great session. We take it serious to act as good neighbors and contribute to future athletes, and this was such a great opportunity for that. We look forward to participating again next year.
Part 2: Why we don’t achieve our New Years Resolutions: Beginning Lead
Who is invested in you?
It is a rare person or athlete that can go out everyday and motivate themselves to true athletic or fitness success. There is only one athlete that I can think of that came close to being able to do it all by himself (and he didn’t even do it all be himself). That is wrestling legend Dan Gable. He was undefeated in both High School and College wrestling…except for his last match, he did lose his last match of his college career. However, he then he went onto win the 1972 Olympics without one of his 7 opponents even scoring a point on him. Not a single point was scored by some of the worlds best! Everything that you read about Gable was how motivated he was. He ran alone, weight trained alone and had a limited amount of steady committed wrestling partners. That being said, you should know that his High School and College coaches are in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. Neither of these coaches are in the Hall of Fame just because of Dan. Clearly, they are in there because of their total body of work over many years leading and coaching different types of athletes and personalities. My point being that even the most motivated athlete on the Earth had great coaching and trainers to lead him.
One of the reasons that so many people fail to attain their fitness goals is that they do not have anyone leading, coaching or training them. You have witnessed this your self at the gym. How many people have you seen doing the same work out every time they come to gym and there are not any noticeable changes to their body? Or the guy you see that is a ball of fire for the 1st month on the treadmill and keeps stacking up the plates on the bar for a month then never to be seen again? Now think back and remember your HS or college days when you had that coach that you really liked and they really motivated you. What kind of shape where you in then? What did you do for him or her? Maybe you just had a friend that was really into going to the gym so you went with him and you just followed his LEAD! Having proper leadership is invaluable to your fitness or athletic success.
Being a busy adult with a life and responsibilities it is more important than ever to use your time wisely. You can’t afford to waste your time, energy or money. So seek out a good coach or trainer to make the most of your time and money. Join a masters swim team, hire a personal trainer, join a running club or hire a triathlon coach. This will help you immensely on many different levels. Assuming you did your homework and have good references on the coach or trainer and you think that you have a well qualified person. Go for it. Once you pay your money, now you are locked into a set schedule that you will be committed to and therefore make it a routine. Now you just show up ready to workout as the trainer has your progressive plan ready to go. Ultimately, you are not only committed to your self but now you have to be there for someone else.
So, if you want to stick with and achieve those New Years Resolutions find a good coach or trainer.
New approach: Functional Training and Football
Functional Training is a training system that we have used for a long time at Elite Training with our athletes. We have used it with our clients/athletes that we train with great results! Training should mirror competition to make valuable improvements in your speed, strength and conditioning in your sport. The NFL is now just starting to use this system vs. the old idea of “grip and rip it!” or “Bigger, Fast, Stronger”. The idea of JUST the bench press, squat and deadlift are falling to the way side for kettlebells, bands, flexibility and cross training as the core of your training plans in the off season. Please read the article that is linked to the picture above and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.
Last Tennis Camp Update!
This week marked the end to a fun summer at the DVTA
Villanova tennis summer camp! This was the last week for our summer training.
We were in the last phase of our training program, the sport specific
performance phase. We had the task of delivering a solid workout while keeping
it fun. It turned out to be a great last week of training for the players and a
perfect cap to great summer program, despite some bad weather on Thursday.
Tuesday: We started with our normal active dynamic warm-up to get the
player’s bodies ready for the work ahead. First up was our lateral tuck jump
into a turn and change of direction sprint. The players alternated facing the
net and facing away from the net for 3 times each direction. After performing
8-10 tuck jumps the players blasted into the sprints. They changed direction at
the center line of the service box, back to the starting doubles line, across
court to the far doubles line, and finally back to the starting doubles line.
They decelerated and held a low squat position for 5 seconds. After a couple
minute break for water it was time for our main drill. For this drill the
players worked on moving laterally through shuffles and ladders into a ball
feed. They moved to the left on the first ladder performing different footwork
drills. They then circled around a cone right into right side shuffles, around
a second cone into left side shuffles, and then back to the right with another
ladder. Finally, they sprinted up and across court for the ball feed. The feeds
were “bad.” I put quotations around bad because really the feeds help in
several good ways. Some feeds were high, some were low, some were fast, and
some were slow. By throwing the feeds out and away from the players, they had
to break into a full sprint in order to make it to the ball. Reacting to the
different feeds helps the players learn to adjust their bodies to hit the ball.
This is helpful in a match where the players can’t always perfectly predict
where the ball will make contact on their side of the court. It makes for
easier adjustments in crucial game situations. It also works on reaction time,
coordination, balance, and stability.
Thursday: Strong storms Thursday morning made for wet courts and a
half hour delay. The pros and DVTA staff did a great job using the rollers to
dry the courts. The rain made the surface of the courts very slick so
unfortunately to avoid injuries we couldn’t do any drills or exercises
involving cuts and sprints. After a long active dynamic warm-up the players
went through a quick circuit 3 times, made up of pushups, davies taps, leg
lifts and mountain climbers. After the circuits it was time to have some fun
and end camp on a happy note. I broke the players into groups of 3-6 players to
play agility ball. The game is played with a reaction ball. It looks like
several small balls fused together. When the ball makes contact with the ground
it bounces in different directions forcing the players to quickly react to
catch the ball. The slick surface of the court actually added to the games. It was
slippery and harder to maneuver and forcefully push off of the court. The kids
all played great and had a fun time!
Working with these kids this summer has been nothing but a
pleasure for me. I have watched each player grow as an athlete, as a tennis player,
and as a person. The results have been undeniable. They are faster, stronger,
and more explosive then they were 3 months ago. I am extremely excited to work
with these athletes again in a few weeks at DVTA and take their game to another
level!
Tennis Camp Update-Week of 8/8-8/12
This week’s workouts continued in the final phase of our
training plan which is the Performance Phase. The storms early in the week
brought us some nicer, cooler weather. The players didn’t have to worry about
battling the heat and high humidity. They did, however, have to worry about
maintaining solid form in each of the exercises we did. We spent months perfecting
form so that the players were ready for this high pace heavy workload of the
last phase of our summer training.
In Tuesday’s workout the focus was power, plyometrics, and
cardio. After our active dynamic warm up we moved into our burpee sprints. The
players lined up on the doubles line along the outside of the court. They
stayed moving the entire time, bouncing on their toes until I cued them to
perform the burpees. After 5-10 burpees the players blasted right into their
change of direction sprints on the court. They full out sprinted to the service center line, back to the
doubles line, all the way across court to the opposite doubles line, and then
finally back to the doubles line where they started. They repeated for a total
of three repetitions before a nice two minute break. After the break we
repeated the process for a total of three sets. The long rest allowed the players
to perform at a high intensity level throughout all three sets. The players
looked very explosive as they changed direction, making for faster and stronger
gameplay. We then moved into single leg lateral plyometric hops on the agility
ladders. The players performed the assigned hop on the ladder and then broke
out into side shuffles. I was a little skeptical at the beginning of the
workout with everyone looking so tired, but I wouldn’t be let down. As always, the
players made me proud by exceeding my expectations and working harder than
ever.
After a tough workout on Tuesday, I wanted to combine
different skills that were taught and worked on throughout the summer. We
combined different hurdles, ladders, shuffles, and sprints in a drill that was
topped off with a ball feed for either a forehand or backhand. I was amazed at
the pace in which each of the groups performed. They flew through the drill and
finished with shots all kept within the singles court!
Working with these players over the course of the summer has
been nothing but a pleasure and any Sports Performance Coaches’ dream. I have
watched before my eyes, not only these kids become better players, but also
better athletes in general. The sky is the limit as these kids continue to make
solid gains.
Tennis Camp Update!
Elite Training is part of the DVTA Tennis Camp held at Villanova University for the 3rd year in a row. We work with the campers on speed, agility, strength and conditioning with 3 different grouped level of players (Elite, Intermediate, and Beginner). Each player that we work with has a Sports Performance evaluation and is then placed in the proper group so that they receive the appropriate level of coaching, teaching and intensity to reach their maximum athletic abilities for the individual.
Elite Group:
This group is composed of high school tournament level players that are looking to reach a new level of fitness and competitiveness. These players were selected not only based on their evaluation score but their level of participation on the tournament circuit.
This week’s workout is in the final phase of our training plan which is the Performance Phase. In the performance phase we work on more advanced techniques, high pace with short rest periods. We have built a solid base of body weight training, balance and core work that has prepared the group to train at this high level. As expected with this dedicated group the kids have responded great to the increased work load and pace.
ADW
10 Interval Sprints on 7 seconds with 5 seconds rest.
4X of a Agility, Core, strength circuit with basic to advanced progression on each set. As always carefully attention was paid to proper technique throughout the workout.
Intermediate Group:
We worked on basic speed techniques that focused on proper starting, stopping and balance. In additioin, agility techniques were transitioned into linear speed sprints then into decelerations.
10 Interval Sprints on 8 seconds with 6 seconds rest.
Ladder drill: Single leg hops into sprint 3 each leg alternating each rep
Core as a cool down.
There are only a few more weeks left in the camp so be sure to check back in for more updates from Tennis camp!
Anthony’s Workout While on Vacation!
Summer is a great time for vacations and taking some time
off from work. There is nothing like taking a week or two off to relax. However, vacation doesn’t mean time off from
working out. There are so many fun ways to stay active during your time off, like
going for a run on the beach or a bike ride on the boardwalk. When I came to
the shore this week for vacation I knew there was no way I was going to go the
whole week without getting in some good workouts. I wanted to try something
different and new. As I was sitting on the beach laying around working on my
tan I found something new. My little brother asked if I wanted to try Stand up
paddle boarding with him. We were able to rent them for an hour for only $15
and then paddle right out into the ocean. The real question was if it would be
as good of a workout?
The stand up paddle board also known as a “SUP” is a cool
new product hitting bodies of water everywhere. It is an oversized surfboard
that is thicker and more buoyant than a typical board. They can be used on
lakes, rivers, beaches, even small ponds or creeks. The water just needs to be
deep enough so that the fin of the board doesn’t scrap across the bottom (8-12
inches). There are three ways (that I am aware of) that you can ride a “SUP.”
You can ride it sitting down, on your knees, or standing up. I tried all three
so that I could give you guys a review of each and tell you exactly where I
felt my body working!
Sitting down:
–
Sitting down is the easiest position to paddle.
It is more like riding a kayak or canoe. Paddling in this position most
resembles a seated row exercise. Sitting down eliminates the balance aspect of
the exercise. While paddling I could feel the work being done in my back,
predominantly in my upper back, as well as my arms. The muscles worked are the
lats (latissimus dorsi), the traps (Trapezius), the rhomboids, and the biceps.
Kneeling:
–
As soon as I moved into the kneeling position I
could immediately feel my core engage. The motion remains the same, but the
work now stems from the muscles of the core, the abdominal (rectus and
transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques) muscles as well as the
erector spinae muscle of the back (lower back muscle that runs up along the
spinal cord). This position was very uncomfortable for me and my bad knees.
Anyone who has had knee problems or knee surgeries I would not recommend this
position. With the addition muscle recruitment I was producing more force and
was able to move a lot faster.
Standing:
–
Standing on your feet is obviously the hardest
position and requires an extraordinary amount of balance. Wayne and I are
always using our different balance equipment during our workouts with our
clients, but this was on another level! I am someone with a great deal of
balance from all the snowboarding and wakeboarding I do and even I took a while
to get used to it. I fell a few times, and my little brother fell a whole bunch
of times! I was honestly a little surprised at how hard it was. I recommend
standing up slowly and then rocking back and forth a little bit to get a feel
for the balance that is needed. Don’t get discouraged right away and don’t
expect to stay dry. I am thinking that a few falls are pretty unavoidable, but
hey it is a great way to cool off! In this position you can feel a full body
burn! All the muscles of the back and core used in the other two positions are
used, but now the legs are involved (quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors,
and calves). The stabilizer muscles of my lower leg and calves were burning up
from controlling the rocking of the board. The paddling motion was now like a
squat so that I could get nice and low to dig the paddle deeper into the water.
I was paddling two strokes on each side while also pumping with my legs
producing a full body workout! Switching the paddle over the board really gave
me a great core exercise!
Review:
–
Overall I think the SUP was an awesome
experience and workout! My brother and I paddled all the way out to the mile
mark in the ocean despite getting yelled at by the lifeguards. We were so far
out that we could barely see the beach, and our only company was the swarms of
jellyfish and sea creatures underneath our board. We were a little freaked out
since it happened to be “Shark Week!” A
lifeguard had to come out on a waverunner to tell us to head back in. In total
we covered close to 3 miles on the board (a mile out, a mile in, and we chased
each other around once we were out far away from the beach). The next day my
legs were tight mostly in the hamstring, and well as my lower back. My little
brother, who is younger and doesn’t train to the same level as me, said he was
sore head to toe as he struggled to get out of bed. Two days later is when DOMS
really kicked in. DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness and usually
peaks 48 hours after activity. My core, butt, and legs felt like I had been
through one of Wayne’s boot camps! Since this was something new that I have
never tried before my muscles were worked in a different way and really had me
feeling good. It is nice to be sore every once in awhile!
I can see the SUP becoming more and
more popular. I am not saying go out and buy one, as they are priced between
$500-$1500 dollars, but I definitely recommend giving it a try next time you’re
at the beach!
Anthony’s Workout Report of the Week
It was another great week at the DVTA tennis summer camp at Villanova University! Our Elite tennis Group is really making some solid gains. We are literally watching them become stronger, faster, more explosive players right before our eyes! The improvements that they have made since our 1st testing day are impressive.
At Tuesday’s workout the main focus was lateral movement, lateral speed and change of direction. After our active dynamic warm up, form running drills we started the main part of our workout with a core and sprint circuit to improve but also, test their conditioning and metal toughness. First the kids performed one or two (depending on the skill level of the group) abdominal exercises for 30 seconds each followed by on court change of direction sprints, and then topped off with some plank variations for 30 seconds each as well. It was the perfect way to get the sweat flowing.
After a short (but many) water breaks we moved into the lateral movement work. Being quick and explosive laterally is key to being an elite tennis player on the court. By strengthening and stabilizing the muscles of the leg through balance and strength work, the player is able to recover faster between shots as wellas react more quickly to the ball. The players performed different lateral squat variations. When the form was performed to perfection as a group we moved into lateral squat jump drills (focus on good form and soft landings) on the agility ladders. We then finished off with lateral footwork drills and side shuffles.
I was really impressed with how hard the athletes worked. They showed great determination at the end of each set, making sure they gave it their all until the very last second. That mindset, acquiredthrough training, will get that match point at the end of the final game in a big tournament. Workouts like this will have their legs looking like pro player Jo-Wilfred (see below) Tsonga’s in no time! I wonder how many lateral squats he
does in his workouts?
Check back in next week to see how the Speed, strength and conditioning part of the camp is going with me!
Wrestler Strength!
From time to time we will feature a Personal Training client, athlete or class training sesssion that we believe was a good workout and we just feel that we have to share!
This week it is Anthony and Austin Petril. Twin wrestlers from Upper Darby High School. They trained with us last Fall in our Pre-Season Wrestler Strength and Conditioning Camp. After a good regular season they are back for some Off-season training this Summer. In addition to our training sesssions they are active club wrestlers and compete almost every weekend throughout the Summer. These guys are beasts and are always ready to workout!
Goals: Put on size, strength and power for the upcoming season.
They train 4 days a week for 1.5 hours each. They work opposing mucsle groups every other day. Core work is done at each workout.
Wednesdays workout: Chest, shoulders and tris.
Week #2 of 6
Warm up: ADW
Core: 3 sets of a minute and a half of heaven with 8lbs. med ball, 3 sets of the plank series
| Weight | |||||
| Austin | 110lbs. | ||||
| Anthony | 106lbs. | ||||
| Reps | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Power Clean | 65 | 65 | 75 | 75 | 65 |
| Bench Press | 85 | 95 | 105 | 115 | 85 |
| Reps | 10 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Incline Press | 55 | 65 | 75 | ||
| Flyes | 15 | 20 | 20 | ||
| reps | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Military Press | 55 | 65 | 75 | 75 | 55 |
| Reps | 10 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Upright Row | 65 | 65 | 75 | ||
| Deltoid Raises | 10 | 12 | 12 | ||
| reps | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | |
| Over Head Ext. | 15kb | 15kb | 20 | 20 |
Elite Training LLC. 