Links

I am currently reading SST: A Manual For Coaches and it is one of the most awaited books that finally brings ideas from Yuri Verkhoshansky in clear and understanding style. There was a lot of mis-information due bad translations and devil-advocates and this book cleared a lot of issues, at least for me. I am going to do a review as soon as I finish it.

In the mean time I have seen couple of interesting links I want to share. So, here they are:


New Interval Training

Thanks to Lyle McDonald for posting this. It is a short read regarding 'new' intervals based on the newer (and more accurate) understanding of lactate metabolism (lactate shuttle). Basically, it is based on the importance of the recovery periods between intervals, since during this time the body learns how to utilize built-up lactates. This usually takes form of Fartlek running or variable running around LT. Anyway, nothing groundbreaking but very interesting read and a pretty good summary of physiology of lactates.


Training for advanced athletes

A series from famous cycling/triathlete coach Joe Friel regarding his implementation of Block Periodization. One interesting concept I am contemplating about that Joe mentioned is a stabilization in Output~Input ratio as a signal to enter another phase/block of Conjugate Sequence since training potential of utilized training means is 'spent'. This way, certain block doesn't have fixed duration, but are rather flexible based on how the athlete responds. The question is how to utilize this concept in means of different emphasis (speed, power, strength)? RPE instead of HR?


Science of Sport

I have been providing links to this blog recently, but I must admit that it is fantastic. Worth reading and checking out. Just my two cents. 

Going to read SST. Take care.

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Random Thoughts - June

A quick blog entry about things that are currently on my mind. Watch for harsh word because I am in da mood today.

General vs. Special Preparation.

Again example of either/or thinking in my opinion. We have certain training solutions and approaches where one is developing general physical preparedness in general preparatory period and special preparedness in special preparation period. The aim of GPP is then development of general athleticism.

 Do you mind if I ask what the f*ck is that? And where is the line between GPP/SPP? I don’t buy this distinction – this should be both~and instead of either/or.

The goal of any training mean and method should not be in developing general athleticism, but rather providing TRANSFER and TRAINING EFFECT on improvement in performance and injury prevention. We need to take into account potential training effects of every training mean based on the sport involved, taking into account the level of the athlete and his needs, along with developing overall training system.

Thus, in GPP we are not doing general strength exercises and steady-state aerobic run for the sake of doing it or developing GPP base or general athleticism, but rather to gain transfer and training effects of these means to competition activity and to other means to come in the training system.  

Take for example generalists and functionalists. For the functionalists the training mean has no training effect if it doesn’t imitate (dynamic correspondence) the competition activity.  On the flip side, for the generalists all you need is to do lift weights and do some running and everything will fall into place. You can probably see that there are problems from both camps. They are forgetting the relationship between specificity~overload. You can't provide overload if you are doing specific things (competition activity) all the time. We need to utilize more complex approach where every mean has a place in well-developed training system if it provides transfer and training effect to competition activity,  injury prevention (capacity and stability of sport results) or other means to come. Taking the example above, we are not doing steady-state running for the sake of doing it, but rather for providing training effects in terms of capilarization and local muscular endurance for more intensive training methods to come later.

One of the books that is discussing this very issue is Ultimate MMA Conditioning by Joel Jamieson. Make sure to get that one. 

Half-informed people

I was talking to one professor and researcher over phone and he told me that “Half informed people are more dangerous than un-informed people”. This is a true pearl of wisdom. I have dealt with people and coaches that read something or heard something, and then think that everything revolves around that thing. For example, someone heard about the unstable surfaces and how they are awesome and stuff and they judge everyone else by that belief, if he is utilizing it or not. Or, someone heard that there is a “lactate threshold concept” and then base all of his training on this concept, without expanding his views and realizing that more knowledgeable people are arguing in peer-reviewed scientific journals over this for years. These people are dangerous because they think they know something, yet they know jack sh*t.  It is hard to change their half-informed mind-sets and beliefs.  I think most of us are slaves to our short-sighted beliefs.  I probably am, since I have judged people who (1) did not do squats, (2) did the steady-state  aerobic training. The more I know the more I know I don’t know and the more humble I am.

Being muscle head.

I can’t get over the impression I give to people due my built ( for which I worked for hard for years plus some good genes). When someone first sees me, they often believe I am dumb muscle head who work at the doors as a bouncer. Sometimes that pisses me off. Just my two cents.

Special Strength Training

I  received a copy of Special Strength Training: A manual for coaches  by Natalia Verkhoshansky yesterday.  I wanted to thank her for sending me a copy. Natalia was familiar with me and my writings mostly from Charlie Francis forum (my nickname is duxx on the forums) and she told me that some parts of Appendix 4 were written after reading some of my posts. This was a true compliment for me.

Anyway, I am just starting reading the book and it looks really well edited and full of information. I will do the full review as soon as I read it. While you wait, I highly suggest you order it. 

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Interview with Vern Gambetta

I have known Vern for couple of years mostly from his writings and books, but luckily I was introduced to Vern last summer in Boston by Carl Valle. We had a small round table discussion on everything (mostly technology since Carl was thereJ). I have found common language in matter of seconds with Vern, mostly because we have read the same books. Our first discussion was constraints-led approach and ideas by professor Keith Davids (check the interview with professor Keith) while we were waiting for Carl, close to Harvard Football Field. 

Since Vern is really experienced coach and very knowledgeable guy, I decided to pick his brain with couple of questions. They say that common sense is not so common, but you will soon see how much common sense Vern possess. Vern was also kind enough to provide an extensive list of recommended reading at the end of the interview. Anyway, I hope I will have more opportunities to pick Vern’s brain, because I think this humble and very experienced coach has a lot to offer for up and coming young coaches. Enjoy the interview.

Vern Gambetta

Vern: Thanks for the opportunity I sincerely hope my answers will make people think and question the guruism and marketing that is so prevalent. I am not saying I am right, far from it, but please think and develop your own stem of training.

Mladen: Vern do you mind introducing yourself to the readers. You know, the basic stuff: who you are, what you do, and your short history/biography

Vern: I am currently the Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems. I have coached 42 years at all levels of competition. I have authored over 100 articles and nine books on various aspects of training. I received my BA from Fresno State University and my teaching credential with a coaching minor from University of California Santa Barbara. I attended Stanford University and obtained his MA in Education with an emphasis in physical education. My philosophy is quite simple: coach the best to be better. I have worked with a wide range of sports, but my foundation is Athletics, that is where I spent the first 16 years of my coaching career. You can’t get far away from the basics of running, jumping and throwing that is why my background as an Athletics coach is so important to me.

·         Track & Field: Coached at all levels. National Hurdle Coordinator. Editor of Track Technique, USA Track & Field Technical Journal. Editorial Advisory Board IAAF Technical Journal New Studies in Athletics. Division I Head Coach, Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field, University of California, Berkeley. Nike Oregon Project

·         Baseball: As Director of Conditioning for Chicago White Sox he pioneered conditioning for baseball with model program. Consultant to Cincinnati Reds, Director of Athletic development, New York Mets

·         Basketball: Assistant conditioning coach for Chicago Bulls. Conditioning coach for Canadian National men’s team and women’s team. Consultant to Milwaukee Bucks.

·         Soccer: Conditioning coach for Tampa Bay Mutiny. Consultant New England Revolution. Consultant to Chicago Fire  Consultant University of Virginia Women’s Soccer. Conditioning coach 1998 US men’s World Cup team. Consultant Chivas of Guadalajara. Consultant UNC Women’s Soccer.

·         Swimming: Consultant on dryland training to: Mission Viejo Natadores, Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins, University of Michigan Women’s Swimming, Harvard Women’s Swimming, Kenyon College Men’s and Women’s Swimming, Carmel Swim Club.

·         Competitive Athletic Career: Played Football at Fresno State. Competed in decathlon as a post collegian.

I have had the opportunity to for 42 years to prepare teams and individuals for the highest levels of competition in amateur and professional sport. The key to success at any level is a five-step process:

Prepare for the demands of the sport & positions/events in the sport

Meet the needs of the individual player

Have a detailed plan

Have a system to implement the plan

Objectively evaluate the results and adjust accordingly

It is a simple paradigm, but if you study successful teams and nations all those elements are evident. Just to compete in 2011 and beyond, much less win, we must train the complete athlete.

Mladen: In the current information age, there is information overflow and abundance and it is harder and harder to filter the good from mediocre and even wrong. Who do you turn to for the right information regarding training/coaching and how do you decide and filter all the information out there?

Vern: Know the foundational principles of training, understand them and apply them. Look closely at those systems and coaches that have produced consistent results over time. Not a one off success or someone blessed with talent, but someone who does the most with what they have. Gary Winckler sprint and hurdle coach, Jack Blatherwick Phd condtioning coach for many US National Hockey teams, Jerry Clayton throws coach at Auburn University. Look at guys like Frans Bosch& Kelvin Giles who are outside the norm, who have the audacity to question conventional wisdom. Look beyond the self-promotion, hype and marketing that are so prevalent today. Is there any there really there? I am interested in and look for substance not style. I look for people who have had many experiences, who have made mistakes and admit their mistakes and learn from them. I am not interested in dogma and those who preach one way. Over the course of my career I have observed that those who are generalist have the most to offer, they seem to be able to connect the dots and make connections between seemingly unrelated areas. Simon Sinek said it quite well: “Knowledge is understanding based on what has been studied and learned. Wisdom is understanding based on what has been felt and experienced.” Look for people with wisdom and hang out with them. Some of it will rub off.

Mladen: Today, more than ever, coaches are available with the right information and usually for free (if they know where to look for). With all that quality knowledge out there, available to everyone, what do you think what is the thing that actually makes the difference between 1^st place and 2^nd place, elite and mediocre? Is it technology/equipment, training program, psychology, mindset, team culture, recovery, monitoring, injury prevention, gene pool? What is your opinion on this?

Vern: Coaching! A great coach trumps all else. Those other things you mention are factors but in the end it comes down to quality coaching and a systematic approach to training and athlete development. Look around today and look back in the history of sport performance. Great consistent success is never about facilities or science it is about coaching. Look at the former GDR, no one could be a national coach until they were forty years old! Why because it took that long to gain the experience necessary to work with international athletes. Growing and developing great teams is a process, it takes time and patience. It happens run-by-run, throw-by-throw; jump-by-jump that is guided by someone with knowledge and a vision that can communicate the knowledge and vision.

Mladen: What are the problems of planning strategies (and solutions to them) in modern sport games (football, soccer, basketball, rugby, etc) compared to more traditional individual sports? Most, if not all, training wisdom comes from traditional sports with 2-3 times longer preparatory period to competition period with strictly defined peaks, meets and competition dates. Some of the solution for these situations involve complex-parallel and block (sequential) training system organization, but how can someone approach problems in modern sport games where preparatory period is actually 2-4 times SHORTER than competition period, and where is the constant need for providing good quality of play over long period of time? How can one apply this traditional wisdom in those situations?

Vern: We are dealing with a new reality, that is for sure but that does not mean conventional wisdom cannot be of use. Use conventional wisdom as a starting point. Preparation periods are passé, most of the time in high level sport you will be lucky to have six weeks without competition. Training principles are training principles, the body has not changed, what has changed is the demands we are placing on the body.  Remember Roger Bannister prepared to run the first sub four-minute mile by training one hour a day due to demands of medical school. I think of it as dividing training into bite sized chunks, very digestible. It requires tremendous organization and laser like focus. It must be highly individualized based on the physical qualities of the athlete and their position/event and how they play the game. Training is cumulative, appropriate stress consistently applied will have profound training effects. We can complain about the problem or we can do something about it. I prefer to do something about it.

Mladen: There is a huge emphasis on high intensity conditioning these days. You know, shuttles, tabatas, suicide drills. What happened to aerobic training and low intensity? Do they really kill speed and make you slow and fat?

Vern: Aerobic training is necessary; it is just where in the program it is placed and the training means used to achieve it. Sustained “slow slogging” will dull speed; the research is irrefutable on this. In a properly designed program all systems of the body should be trained during all phases of the training year. We need to forget energy systems and think more holistically about how the systems of the body interact. I think we need to look closely at the work of Tim Noakes and his colleagues in regard to “Central Governor” concept. There are answers there. We need to get away from the antiquated concept of VO₂ max and realize and understand that the brain controls all. VO₂ max is convenient to measure but virtually meaningless. I have been privileged to coach world-class athletes in explosive events and also coach world-class 10K and marathon runners, it always comes down to speed. It is so important to train speed in, to preserve speed, don’t compromise speed. Work capacity will accumulate from year to year, it is a process that takes time.

Mladen: Back to sport games again. One of the aspects of success in sport games, besides being quick and powerful (from physical preparedness standpoint) one needs the ability to repeat the bursts of high power output. Researchers call this RSA – Repeat Sprint Ability. It is especially important to be able to deliver quality efforts in repeated manner in the last parts of a game. How do you train for this?

Vern: Simple train it by doing different variations of repeat sprint work. Don’t make this real complicated, because it is not. Some of the so called “small sided” games also address RSA depending on how you define the constraints and dimensions of the field. Don’t do all RSA work in a straight line. Run curves and S patterns and base it closely on the game demands and where they play on the field and how they play. I think we must be careful here not to add stress to stress. What are they doing in the actual sport practice will go a long way to determine how much RSA work we can and should do.

Mladen: Everyone is into screening and stuff these days, injury prevention, posture, etc. It seems that physical preparation coaches are more and more becoming physical therapists. I see a lot of people doing corrective and stabilization stuff and less and less I see ‘animals’ doing great quality squats, cleans, hill sprints, etc.  

Vern: We are really fucked up right now in this regard. We are doing “corrective exercises” based on flawed biased movement screens to the exclusion of actual training. My philosophy is that training=testing and testing=training. Coach’s coach and therapists do therapy. As a coach I need to understand what the physio does, what is their domain and their skill set. The physio needs to understand that the coach is the captain of the ship. It is the coach who is ultimately responsible for performance. The athletic body is incredibly adaptive, great athletes are great compensators. If we wait for everything to perfect and aligned we will never compete. Use common sense and coach.

Mladen: What is your point on recovery methods, EMS, OmegaWave, HRV?

Vern: Do you mean recovery of recovery modes and monitoring methods? A lot of this depends on your circumstances and the support staff you have available. Most of the time I have been the lone ranger with no help so I had to keep it very basic. I strongly believe the younger the training age the less external means of recovery should be used. Recovery methods need to individualized and periodized. Some respond to ice baths others do not. We cannot apply recovery methods universally. This area has become a dark hole. First train hard enough to warrant recovery.

The key to management of the recovery process is a sound system of monitoring training to accurately assess the stress of training. Monitoring is analogous a compass that keeps training on the correct path.  It occurs on several levels, all of which are important.  The simplest level is just recording the results of the workout.  This is a dual responsibility –for the coach and the athlete, it is not an option, it is essential.  Monitoring does not always provide immediate feedback; it takes time for patterns to emerge even if you use the sophisticated technology you mentioned in your question.

Mladen: What are the good resources (books/DVDs) you can recommend to the readers of my blog?

Vern: Of course you should read my books (Shameless self promotion). Below is a list of reading that I recommend, of course there are many more, but this is a start. I read an average of two books a week and numerous research articles. That is something you must do as a professional. You must get off the Internet; just use that as a secondary resource and a guide. The Bosch DVD on Running is a must.

Bondarchuk, Anatoly P. Transfer of Training in Sports. Ultimate Athlete Concepts. Michigan, USA. 2007

Bosch, Frans., and Klomp, Ronald. Running – Biomechanics and exercise Physiology Applied in Practice. London. Elsevier Churchill Livingstone. 2005

Butler, David S. The Sensitive Nervous System. Adelaide, Australia: Noigroup Publications. 2000

Cardinale, Marco. Newton, Robert. And Nosaka, Kazunri. Strength and Conditioning – Biological Principles and Practical Application. Wiley-Blackwell. 2011

Davids, Keith. Button, Chris. Bennett, Simon. Dynamics of Skill Acquisition – A Constraints-Led Approach. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishing Company. 2008

Drabik, Jo'zef Ph.D., Children & Sports Training, Island Pond, Vermont: Stadion Publishing Company, Inc. 1996

Dominguez, Richard H. M.D., and Gajda, Robert S. Total Body Training. New York, N.Y: Warner Books,1982.

Enoka, Roger M. Neuromechanical Basis of Kinesiology Second Edition. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics Books, Inc.1994.

Garret, William E. and Kirkendall, Donald T. (Editors) Exercise and Sport Science, Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2000

Gambetta, Vernon A. Athletic Development – The Art & Science of Functional Sports Conditioning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishing Company. 2007

Gambetta, Vernon A. The Gambetta Method – A Common Sense Guide To Functional Training. Sarasota, Florida: Gambetta Sports Training Systems, Inc. 1998

Gabbard, Carl., Leblanc, Elizabeth., and Lowy, Susan. Physical Education for Children-Building the Foundation, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1987

Gustavsen R, Streeck R: Training Therapy; Prophylaxix and Rehabilitation. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers 1993

Issurin, Valdimir. Principles and Basics of Advanced Athletic Training. Ultimate Athlete Concepts. Michigan, USA. 2008

Kreighbaum, Ellen and Barthels, Katharine M. Biomechanics - A Qualitative Approach for Studying Human Movement. Fourth edition. Boston, Allyn and Bacon. 1996.

Komi, P. V., Editor,(Second Edition) Strength and Power In Sport, London: Blackwell Scientific Publications. 2003

Lederman, Eyal. Neuromuscular Rehabilitation in Manual and Physical Therapies – Principles to Practice, Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone – Elsevier. 2010

Logan, Gene A. and McKinney, Wayne C. Kinesiology.  Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers. 1970

McArdle, William D. Katch, Frank I. And Katch, Victor L. (2007) Sixth Edition. Exercise Physiology – Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance. Baltimore, MD. Williams & Wilkins.

Newton, Robert U. Expression and Development of Maximal Muscle Power. Doctoral Dissertation, Southern Cross University, 1997

Radcliffe, James C. and Faentinos, Robert C. (1999) High- Powered Plyometrics. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishing Company.

Renshaw, Ian. Davids, Keith. And Savelsbergh, Editors. Motor Learning in Practice – A Constraints –led approach.  London, England: Routledge Taylor & Francis group.  2010

Scholich, Manfred. (1986) Circuit Training. Berlin: Sportverlag

Schultz, R. Louis. And Feitis, Rosemary. The Endless Web – Fascial Anatomy and Physical Reality. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books. 1996

Starzynski, Tadeusz. And Sozanski, Henryk. (1999) Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for all Sports. Island Pond, VT: Stadion Publishing Company.

Todd, Mabel E. The Thinking Body. Princeton Book Company Publishers. Highston, NJ. 1937

Winters, Jack M. and Woo, Savio L-Y. Multiple Muscle Systems – Biomechanics and Movement Organization. New York, New York: Springer-Verlag. 1990

Recommended Historical Works – Game Changers

Bunn, John. (1955) Scientific Principles of Coaching

Dintiman, (1974) George B. What Research Tells The Coach About Sprinting AAHPER, Washington, D.C. 1974

Doherty, Ken. (1985) Track & Field Omnibook (Fourth Edition

Doherty, Ken. (1963) Modern Track & Field

Counsilman, James E. (1968) The Science of Swimming

Dyson,Geoffrey H.G. (1977) The Mechanics of Athletics

Hoffman, Bob. (1959) Better Athletes Trough Weight Training

Jesse, John (1977) Hidden causes of injury, prevention, and correction for running athletes. 

Knotts, Dorothy E. and Voss, Margaret. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation: Patterns and Techniques

O’ Shea, Patrick. (1976) Second Edition. Scientific Principles and Methods of Strength Fitness.

Wilt, Fred. (1964) Run Run Run

Recommended Readings on Coaching Excellence

Collins, Jim Good to Great Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t. New York: Harper Collins. 2001

Collins, Jim Why the Mighty Fail. New York: Harper Collins. 2009

Dweck, Carol. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.2006

Esquith, Rafe. Teach Like Your Hairs on Fire. New York: Penguin Books. 2007

Farr, Steven. Teaching as leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 2010

Gardner, Howard. Five Minds for the Future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 2006

Godin, Seth.  Linchpin. New York: The Penguin Group. 2007

Hargadon, Andrew. How Breakthroughs Happen: The Surprising Truth About How Companies Innovate. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 2003

Heath, Chip & Dan. Switch – How to Change Things When Change is Hard. New York. Braodway Book. 2010

Hsieh, Tony. Delivering Happiness – A Path To Profits, Passion, And Purpose. New York. Business Plus. 2010

Johansson, Frans. The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts, and Cultures.  Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 2003

Kelly, Tom. The Art of Innovation. New York: Doubleday. 2001

Leonard, George. Mastery – The Keys to Success and Long-term Fulfillment. New York: Penguin Books USA.1992

Leonard, George. The Way of Aikido: Life Lessons from an American Sensei. New York: Penguin Books USA. 2000

Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind – Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. New York: Riverhead Books. 2005

Pink, Daniel H. Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. New York: Riverhead Books. 2009

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Training for the „Broken“

So after writing down the Riding the Wave, a blog entry on cyclic nature of the training process, I decided to take a break from heavy lifting, grinding out and chasing PRs and obsessing with progressive overload. My SI (Sacro Iliac) joint started to nag me again, as well as my left shoulder. Nothing special, just a sign that I was overdoing something. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing too. 

In the recent years there seems to be a certain pattern emerging from my training. I start easy, build up, start chasing and grinding PRs and then I get injured or burned out. So, this time to prevent this from happening I decided to take a week or two from that type of work and mindset and get back to the basics, enjoy & play a little and work on imbalances, mobility, stability, technique and anatomic adaptation.

A discussion on Monkey Island made me think about utilizing ISO Holds (Isometric Holds) as a method of achieving my goals for this transition period.  

In that particular thread you can find links to the studies supporting to a degree my idea that ISO Holds can help rehabilitation, because scar and injured issues utilize lactate as a form of fuel for repair (and in blood occlusion happening in ISO Holds there is going to be plenty of it, and plenty of it in extreme stretches) .  Besides, ISO Holds can work wonders for technique in the extreme ranges (bottom) and they are not so taxing and also work wonders for flexibility. So, I decided to give it a try, again.

The workouts are fairly random, because I don’t want to fixate over the minutiae  (I am obsessed with the details and sometimes this make me burnout once in a while), but rather go in the gym and lift (or pose if you think more about it, since with ISO Holds you are not lifting). Workouts can be full body or upper/lower, but I love full body better for this purpose and period.

Anyway, even if the workouts are basically full body, I will classify the exercises on upper/lower/core topology.    

LOWER BODY

Back Squat. You can keep it parallel or let the fatigue drift you ass to grass. Work on the strong arch, knee positions, upper body tightness  and weight balance (you can play and shift the weight from heel to forefoot and see how it feels). Also, a loop band can be used around the knees to help activate the glutes and hip rotators.

Good morning. Same as with back squats. Work on posture, arch and balance. Great for improving hamstring flexibility and low back awareness.

Split squats. I love these. You can do them regular, rear leg elevated, front leg elevated or both legs on the benches (to gain more ROM).

Glute Bridges.  Put a band around the knees, lift and hold. Great for the butt and hip rotatores.

The next exercises I found great to be included in this phase. They are done with slow tempo and maybe a short iso hold at the end position (1-3sec hold). These are small muscles often neglected when chasing the PRs.

Clams and hip abduction. Lie on the ground, put a band around your knees and do sets of 10-15reps.

Hip flexion. Can be done seated (Sahrman Hip Flexion) or with a band attached to a immobile object while lying down.

Hip PNF diagonals.  This stuff helped me when I had sport hernia symptoms. I do them lying down, with the core braced (flat back), then lifting one leg at a time in diagonal patter without moving my core. Great for abs too.

Calves. I love to do single leg eccentrics with slow lowering phase (around 5 secs). This helped me with my tendon issues every time I did them.

VMO. Can be done with the band wrapped around the knee, or like a Peterson Step Down. Maybe some controlled eccentrics if you had tendon issues in the knees in the history.

A lot of stretching.   A lot! Hip flexion, hip rotators, quads, hams, calves. A lot

UPPER BODY

Push up. Get into a perfect push up position (normal or leg elevated, later with weight vest), pull yourself to the ground and hold. Work on posture and arms/shoulder position.

Declined row. Get under the bar, pull yourself  up and squeeze the shoulder blades and hold.  You can also do chest supported DB row and hold. Also, barbell rows can be used here too.

Pull-up/chin-up  hold.  Touch the bar with the chest, squeeze and hold. This is tougher than you think.

Bench press.  Work on technique and thingness of the shoulder blades. Can be done with DBs too.

Chest Flys.  Great for stretching the pecs, especially if you combine with the rows.

The next exercises I found great to be included in this phase. They are done with slow tempo and maybe a short iso hold at the end position (1-3sec hold). These are small muscles often neglected when chasing the PRs.

External rotation. A lot of external rotations, and Ws for the lower trap.

YTWLs. A lot of this stuff.

Rowing. A lot of rowing variations.

Delt Flys. I plan doing some delt flys in scapular place or maybe L-flys. Progress to DB Overhead press. Maybe wall slides before all this if your shoulders are “broken”.

A lot of stretching.   A lot! Did I say a lot? I was playing with the jump stretch bands stretching. You can find some stuff by Dave Tate on this here.

CORE

Side bridges. Do them. Use weight west to progress or play with legs (lift the top leg for count of 5, lift the bottom leg for count of 5).

Pallof press.  Can done in squat position or even split squat position.

Hip flexion.  Hanging hip flexion or on the dip station. Lift above 90 degrees and hold.

Various exercises for the low back.  I use some exercises from corrective gymnastics as we call them here in Europe.

Each ISO hold is done for 30-60sec utilizing barbell or even bodyweight only and progressing from there. Work on the posture and relax. 3-5 sets can be utilized with short rest (around 1 min).

Before or after I will do some steady state or variable (fartlek) running or cycling. No brainer. Love to be outside because of nice weather and change in the environment (can’t stand to be inside the gym all the freaking time). Maybe I should do the stuff outside on grass barefoot like a real Paleo Man (this was a joke).

It’s Monday. The soccer season is over. I am giving my brain and body a little rest for a week. Going to train.

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