Functional Training

Training For Functionality
By
Tim LaVallee

Functional training is the latest buzzword in strength and conditioning circles these days and for good reason. It's about training to handle real-life situations in the sport(s) of choice. Functional training involves mainly weight bearing activities targeted at the core muscles of the abdomen and lower back. Most fitness facilities have a variety of weight training machines that target and isolate specific muscles. The standard resistance training machines found in the gym are of limited use for functional training. Their fixed movement patterns rarely mimic natural movements. They focus the effort on a single muscle group and usually do not ever engage the stabilizers and peripheral muscles which are always involved in real life sports performance. As a result the movements do not necessarily bear any relationship to the movements athletes use to perform their specific sports skills.

Functional training attempts to adapt or develop exercises which allow individuals to perform the skills of their sport more easily and without injuries. Functional training is not a new concept. We have known, for example, doing squats with body weight or free weights is far superior than using a leg press machine. Squatting with free weights incorporates the stabilizing muscles. An athlete may be able to get on a leg-press machine and press 500 pounds, but may not have the muscular control for a one-legged squat because he doesn’t have the stability or the muscles working together. Although it has changed, European ski racers have opted for years to do what they call training in the natural environment using logs to enhance strength, slack line for balance and up and down the mountains for energy system training and strength.

Functional training leads to better muscular balance and joint stability, possibly decreasing the number of injuries sustained in sport. The benefits may arise from the use of training that emphasizes the body's natural ability to move in three anatomical planes of motion (saggital, frontal, and transverse). In comparison, though machines can often be safer to use, they restrict movements to a single plane of motion which is an unnatural form of movement for the body and may potentially lead to faulty movement patterns or injury.

Video from: www. Sports-Drills.com

To be effective a functional training program should take into consideration a number of different elements:

Specific to the sport - Any program must be sport specific. The goal is to develop and maintain sport specific strength and the energy systems.

Integrated approach – It should include a variety of exercises that work on flexibility, core, balance, strength, power and the energy systems.

Core Stability – Core stability is crucial for any sport or activity. A stable core allows for more efficient transference of power to the lower or upper body. In skiing it increased ability to maintain correct athletic skiing posture over long periods of time and enhance technical abilities.

Multiple Planes – A properly designed program will incorporate training in all planes of movement (saggital, frontal, and transverse). Examples of multiplanners are lunges and step-ups. Side lunges and lateral step-ups are good variations.

4 Pillars - Inclusion of all four pillars is often overlooked in training programs. In skiing, the body moves in a complex interaction of all four of the pillars. The most often neglected in a training regime is rotation.
a. Standing or locomotion
b. Changes in level
c. Pushing or pulling
d. Rotation

Progressive – Progressive training steadily increases the demand from workout to workout. While most people are aware of the need for this in relation to traditional training programs, it is sometimes overlooked in functional training. For functional training it is important to vary the speed of movement to make it sport specific.

Periodized – For competitive athletes, functional training needs to fit into their competitive cycle of competition. In broad terms, this means that they will vary their program throughout the year to achieve optimal results, peaking for competitions or races, and building in recovery time.

Time Efficient – With the exception of athletes on the national team, most skiers are student/athletes. Their training time may be limited. A functional strength and conditioning program need not be time consuming. 45-60 minutes, 2-3 times per week is all it will take. Performing a functional strength and conditioning program incorporating various forms of circuit training will allow an athlete to get more done in less time.

Injury Prevention – Obviously, strength training helps build strength and conditioning will improve the energy systems. Improved strength, minimize the chance of injury, improves resistance to fatigue, and enhance endurance. The ability to resist fatigue will allow the athlete to take 6-12 quality training runs at speed on a given day during a two-hour training session. It has been clearly demonstrated that muscular imbalances especially between the quads and hamstrings can result in ACL injuries and those imbalances can be addressed and improved with a properly designed functional strength and conditioning program.

Individualized – An athlete’s program needs to be designed for them. A “cookie cutter” approach is just not functional in today’s world. The only way to do this is to work with a coach or trainer who understands how to custom design programs. A qualified coach or trainer can easily include functional training in their athletes’ exercise programs, whether they are recovering from an injury or preparing for competition.

A ski strength and conditioning program that is “functional” will mimic, as much as possible, the elements and movement patterns of those used in skiing:
Aerobic fitness
Anaerobic capacity
Strength
Power
Agility
Coordination
Balance
Specific motor skills

Putting It Together
The training modality will be the stadium steps. The goal will be to impact the athlete’s anaerobic capacity, strength, and force fatigue adaptation to balance. The athlete will do 11 interval sprints to the top of the stadium (anaerobic & concentric strength). Coming down, each step will be made with a slower eccentric lowering to the step below (very ski specific). Before the next rep up the stadium, the athlete will be asked to perform a balance skill. Total time for this interval routine, 20 minutes.

By incorporating a variety of exercises and utilizing minimal equipment, you can incorporate functional strength and conditioning training into the yearly training program.

Typical Equipment:
Dumbbells
Medicine balls
Kettlebells
Physioballs (also called Swiss balls or exercise balls)
Resistance bans
Rocker and wobble boards
Balance disks
Sandbags
Ladders
Cones
Plyo boxes

Functional strength and conditioning training goes beyond where some fitness programs fall short. Functional strength and conditioning training easily combines all the elements of a total program including aerobic and anaerobic conditioning along with development of joint mobility, flexibility, balance, speed agility, quickness, strength, and power. When combined with appropriate rest/sleep, good nutrition, and appropriate levels of stress, functional training will help the athlete achieve his goals.

References:
Spennewyn,K. 2009. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, January, Volume 22, Number 1.
Sports-Drills.com

Video Clips For Summer Training Ideas

"Champions are crowned at the end of a season
but are built during the off season."

Dryland Training
Work Hard & Have Fun!

Preparation for successfully competing in any athletic endeavor is, without question, the most important aspect relative to future success. It is what you do or don't do; today and tomorrow that will have a significant impact on your future success in ski racing. We often hear "he/she was just lucky." Well, I like to think of "luck" as nothing more than "preparation waiting to happen."

Today, sports are so competitive that it's virtually impossible to play yourself into shape. So it is with skiing, you can't ski yourself into condition. The preparation for competition isn't easy either. You know that! Getting yourself into good physical condition takes energy, commitment, dedication, perseverance and just plain old-fashioned hard work. However, I would like you to remember, although you have to work hard, you also have to work smart. For example, more isn't necessarily better. You have to have a plan of attack, learn to read your body and be willing to make adjustments to guarantee that you are always making progress. You have to learn when to work, how hard to work, when to rest and in all things try to remember that quality in your training should always supersede quantity. Even though physical training is tough work there are way to make it fun.

We’ll try to show you with some video movies some good things to incorporate into your summer workout that will be beneficial and can be fun to do.

So, don't be a woulda’, shoulda’, or coulda’. Don't be one who ends up saying if I would have done or I should have done? I could have been the champion.

"Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." Calvin Coolidge

Off-Season Training

Off Season Training

One of the most important attributes of the successful ski racer is a high degree explosive power and leg strength. Power or explosive strength is the product of force and speed. Research conducted at the Olympic Training Centers has shown that the ability to "explode" in athletically is closely related to sprinting and jumping ability. This relationship, in part, allows us to conclude that the techniques that create better sprinters - heavy and brief resistance exercises combined with speed development and plyometric workouts at the appropriate time - will also create better explosive sport performance.

Off-season training

Active rest
Following a long competitive season, it is appropriate for athletes to have an active recovery period lasting from one to two weeks up to one month. This time allows injuries to heal and the athlete to regain mental focus by engaging in structured and unstructured sports and activities different from the primary athletic endeavor.

Phase I (base training)
After the active rest period, athletes should begin conditioning for the next competitive season. Aerobic conditioning to create an endurance base and reduce body fat is one important component of this phase of training. Bicycling, jogging swimming and games such as basketball, soccer and racquetball can be used to build up this aerobic base and decrease percentage of body fat. For individuals with low levels of body fat, sprint intervals and hill running are good conditioning activities that should begin gradually and build in an incremental manner. However, is important to remember the emphasis during this first phase of training should be on development of an aerobic base and not anaerobic conditioning.

Additionally, post-pubescent athletes should use resistance training to build muscular endurance and mass for the upper and lower body. Two to three upper and lower body workouts per week can develop strength and increase muscle mass and endurance. Good exercises for strength development are the hang or power clean, squat, leg press, hamstring curl, shoulder shrug, bench press, lat pulldown, and rowing. Abdominal exercises should be included. During this early phase of conditioning, use lighter weights (60-70 percent of 1 Repetition maximums -1RM) for up to 15 repetitions with maximal rest periods under two to three minutes between sets.

After approximately four weeks of this type of training, the athlete can begin increasing the intensity of the training. For less fit athletes, activities such as running, biking and games should be continued at least three or more times per week for between 30 and 60 minutes per session. Athletes with better fitness levels need employ these types of aerobic conditioning two to three times per week, and begin engaging in sprint workouts lasting 20-30 minutes, one to two times per week.

After four weeks of base strength workouts, medium volume strength conditioning for the upper and lower body can be performed two to three time per week following sprint workouts; employ three to five sets of 8-12 reps per exercise of the previous exercises. Not more than two to three minutes rest should be allowed between sets. During this period, sports-specific training should be kept to a minimum so the athlete can focus on general conditioning.

Phase II (strength & speed development)
During this phase of training athletes should begin adding interval workouts to their strength and sprint conditioning. Up to two interval workouts per week, each lasting approximately one hour, with the emphasis on improving speed should be employed. Sprint intervals of 5-10 seconds with rest intervals of 30-60 seconds will develop better acceleration, agility and speed skills.

During this strength and speed development phase of training, the resistance training program should emphasize strength development. Multi-joint exercises such as the power clean, squat, front squat, bent leg dead lift push jerk, lunge, step-up, bench press, lat pulldown and abdominal exercises form the core movements for the workout. Arrange three strength training workouts per week to consist of a heavy (85% 1RM), medium and light (70% 1RM) workouts. Use three to five sets of each exercise with between 5 (heavy) 8 (medium) and 10 (light) repetitions adjusting the weight accordingly.

Phase III (power development)
Fully mature athletes, who also possess an adequate strength base, can progress on to the final phase of off-season training: power development and plyometric training. Prepubescent and athletes who cannot squat at least 1.5 times their body weight for five or more repetitions, should continue to work on their strength base by repeating the strength training program outlined previously.

During this power development phase, the volume of training decreases while the intensity increases. Sport-specific training increases focusing on technique and skill acquisition. Resistance workouts decrease from three to two per week. Similarly, the number of resistance exercises decreases so that only the most basic lifts are included: power clean, squat, push jerk and bench press for 3 to 5 sets of 2 to 6 repetitions at 75%-95% of the 1RM. Additional, torso exercises for the abdominal and lower back muscles should be supplemented as well.

Incorporate any plyometric exercises at the beginning of a sprint workout or before weight training twice a week. These workouts are short and intense, lasting not more than thirty minutes including all rest intervals. Because the goal of these workouts is to train the central nervous system to activate the muscles explosively these are not to be viewed as conditioning workouts. They should never be done if the athlete is fatigued from a previous workout. It is important that plyometric exercises mimic - a ski specific range of motion and technique if possible. These exercises should always be performed on soft surfaces such as grass or a cushioned floor.

The above model of a strength and conditioning program to enhance explosive power is a periodized plan that focuses on off-season training for post-pubescent athletes. The use of resistance training techniques requires planning and supervision, regardless of an athletes age. Resistance training for pre-pubescent athletes requires special attention. In its simplest form it should consist of body resistance type exercises: pull-ups, push-ups, dips, body weight squats, some etc. Under proper supervision, the pre-pubescent athlete can begin weight resistance training but the work should focus on only high volume low intensity (low weight, high repetition) work with a demanding proper technique.

We strongly suggest body weight strength training and free-weight movements. Free weights have the advantage over machine-oriented workouts because free weights employ more muscle groups, greater balance and improved coordination than do single-joint machines. Free weight movements, therefore, have greater transfer of strength gains to the multi-movement needs of the ski athlete.

Strength Training

Strength Training Tips

by Dan Gable, World and Olympic Champion

"You can't ever get too strong"... as an athlete who is serious about meeting and exceeding your goals for your sport. To reach your personal goals you must be willing and able to train year round. Today in athlete competition you can not expect a championship performance after only a few months of training each year. It takes commitment and dedication.

There are two main goals of a strength development program, they are to enhance your athletic performance while also lessening the chance for injuries.

A rational athlete must understand that once they have established a goal, it is crucial that you successfully achieve that goal. To achieve a goal in athletics you must also seek out the most productive, or time-saving methods to achieve the goal. Your motivation is not to look like a "body builder," but to enhance your athletic performance with a solid strength training program.

It is a fact that anyone, no matter what your genetic endowment, can expect improvements in their existing physical condition. The key is to train specifically for your sport.

Warming Up
Before starting a workout, it is important that you spend some time warming up the muscles that are to be trained.

Warming up the muscles you are working is beneficial because it not only brings extra warmth, blood and oxygen to the area, but it also activates various enzyme systems, all of which contributes to the muscles being able to contract more intensely, and with less likelihood of injury.

The Intensity Factor
Properly defined, intensity refers to the percentage of possible momentary muscular effort being exerted. It is only on the last repetition of a set carried to a point of momentary muscular failure that an individual is forced to exert 100 percent of their momentary ability.

Executing that last, almost impossible rep causes the body to dip into its reserve abilities. Since the body has only a small amount of this reserve to draw upon before depletion occurs, the body protects itself from future assaults on its reserves by enlarging upon its existing ability through the compensatory buildup of more muscle tissue.

Only high-intensity training can force the body to resort to its reserve ability sufficiently to stimulate an adaptive response. Repeating tasks that are well within your existing capacity will do nothing to spur growth. Ending a set before failure, just because of an arbitrarily chosen number of repetitions have been completed will not cause you to develop strength.

Carry a set to the point where you are forced to utilize 100 percent of your momentary muscular ability is the single most important factor in increasing strength. Working to a point of momentary muscular failure, where another rep is impossible despite your greatest effort, ensures that you pass through the "break-over point," or that point in the set below which growth will not be stimulated, and above which growth and strength will be stimulated.

Brief, high-intensity training stimulates the body in a way that no amount of lesser intensity training even closely approximates.

Perfect Form - Perfect Results
Many athletes who strength train are in the habit of sacrificing form for weight.

Use slow, strict repetitions in both the lifting and lowering portion of each exercise

When you are moving too fast through exercises, inertia - and very little of your muscle power is doing the work. So, you are not really getting much from the exercise. Plus, fast lifting is very stressful on your connective tissue. Each repetition should be performed in a slow, controlled fashion throughout a full range of motion.

Slow movement during the eccentric phase can produce extra strength benefits.

Put mental effort into every repetition.

To accomplish all of the above and then some, you must exert tremendous mental effort. The degree to which you can push yourself physically depends on your power to concentrate - the more concentrated your efforts, the closer you can get to achieving your goals.

Training to Failure
To stimulate increases in muscular strength, it is imperative that you regularly attempt the momentary impossible. For example, if you can bench press 225 pounds for 10 reps, but never attempt the 11th, your body has no reason to enlarge upon its existing capacity. It is only by regularly attempting to go beyond your existing capacity that inroads are made into your body's reserve capacity, and since reserves are limited, the body compensates with increased size and strength of the muscle tissue, so that the same workout in the future will not use up the precious, limited reserves.

Proper Weight Selection
It is suggested that you select a weight for each exercise which allows for the performance of approximately 6-10 repetitions in the manner described above. Never terminate a set, just because a prescribed number of reps has been completed. The range 6-10 reps is offered as a guideline, because fewer than six reps will not tax your reserves sufficiently, and more than 12 reps could cause you to terminate the set due to cardio respiratory insufficiency before the muscular failure is reached.

It is absolutely essential that you do not select a weight which is so light that the last rep (one that is within or close to the suggested range) requires anything less than 100 percent of your momentary ability, nor so heavy that you are forced to sacrifice proper lifting form. Since all of your skeletal muscles have greater ability in holding a weights that they do in lifting them, you should be able to hold a weight that you lifted by the force of muscular contraction alone at any given point in the range of motion. If you cannot hold the weight you selected in the contracted position, then you did not lift it, you threw it.

Final Thoughts
Keep a training journal. Record the date of each workout, the amount of weight used for each exercise, and the number of repetitions performed. You should be getting stronger - as evidenced by an increase in repetitions, weight or both on a regular basis. As long as you are getting stronger you are on the right track. Even a one rep increase is significant.

Exercises can be changed periodically as long as you continue to adhere to the basic principles. No training program can guarantee how much strength can be developed, this is a matter of genetics. Utilizing the training principles above, however will help you ensure optimal progress and the actualization of your full physical potential.

The key to success in training is intensity. It is not about how much time you spend, but the quality of the time spent in training. Don't be fooled into thinking that more is better when it comes to strength training. Our goal is to become the best athlete you can be. You do not have to sacrifice hours of time each day from your life to become strong. You just need to be disciplined, committed, consistent while training efficiently and intelligently to get the job done.

More Strength Training Tips

by Coach Doug Reese, TTNL
Get the most out of your strength workout by training the right way.

Stretching and Warm up
Many athletes don't stretch before lifting. They think it is just something you do before practice or running. Stretching though is very important, especially when you are lifting heavy weights week after week and putting strain on your muscles and tendons. By stretching you get oxygen to your muscles, and wake them up for all the punishment they are about to get. When lifting heavy, stretching will help you prevent aching joints and other nuisances that can put an end to your heavy lifting.

Don't Over Train
The most common mistake made by strength trainers at all levels is overtraining. When you do not give the muscle time to recuperate you stunt your progress and can in fact lose strength. It is better to take an extra day off, than lift a day early. Remember it is not how long you lift, but rather how hard and intense you lift.

Train for Strength
As many of your probably know when you do sets with high reps, 12 and up are training to get cut up, or lean. Likewise when you are trying to gain size you do sets with lower reps. If you want to increase your max lift, low reps in the range of 4-6 are not going to cut it. To build strength you have to push your muscles past the limits. Your main sets will consist of reps between 1-3. Unless you increase the weight and expose your muscle fibers to this type of lifting your max will not increase as rapidly as you would like. Before you lift a weight you need to know what your goal is; is it to be buff, or do you want to be the best in your sport?

Variation
When you do the same thing over and over your body gets used to it and it stops responding. You have to surprise your body and muscles and keep them growing. I am sure that you have seen some athletes come into the weight room day after day doing the same thing with the same weight, and then wonder why they aren't getting stronger. You need to change the exercises you are doing and the order you are doing them. You also have to surprise of shock your body with different routines.

Fatigue
The order in which you perform exercises on a certain day can effect the results of the exercises you do later in the workout. You should always perform large muscle exercises at the beginning of your workout, because that is when you are the strongest. If however, you do them in the wrong order your muscles will already have begun to fatigue and you won't do as well as you had expected. For example, if you do bicep curls, and then you head for the bench press, your weight will drop.

Mindset and Preparation
Maxing out is a very mental exercise. Lifting can be very mental, there is no doubt to that! Visualize your success.

Strategies to help you get the most out of your strength workouts!

The Basics are Best
The first reason we fail to get back to basics is because the basics seem so basic. We are always looking for some exotic, theory or program. The best is the simple, easy approach to training.

The second reason we fail to get back to basics is because the basics are so darn hard! Most people go to the path of least resistance, rather than plugging away at the result producing programs.

Let's face it, squats are tough - real tough! But if you don't learn to love heavy, basic exercises like squats, you will never reach your true potential.

Choose Compound vs. Isolation Movements
First and foremost, "back to basics" means using compound, multi-joint exercises over isolation movements. Compound movements are those that involve the largest muscles groups as well as smaller, stabilizing muscles. Because they utilize a greater muscle mass, they allow you to lift the heaviest weights possible.

There is a direct correlation between the amount of weight lifted in an exercise and the size of the muscle. Therefore, it is logical that compound exercises like squats have greater potential for building strength and mass than isolation movements like leg extension, because squats allow the utilization of much heavier poundages, resulting in much greater growth.

The Best Mass/Strength Building Exercises
Here is a list of the best basic mass/strength building exercises for each body part:

Quads - Squats, Front Squats, and Leg Presses.

Hamstrings - Stiff-legged Deadlifts, Lying Leg Curl.

Back - Pull ups, Bent Over Row, One Arm Dumbbell Row.

Chest - Barbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, Weighted Wide Grip Dips.

Deltoids - Press behind Neck, Dumbbell Press, Military Press, Shrugs.

Triceps - Lying Tricep Extension, Close Grip Bench Press, Pushdowns, Seated Tricep Extensions.

Biceps - Standing Barbell Curl, Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curl, Preacher Curl.

Calves - Standing Calf Raise, Seated Calf Raise.

If You Don't Squat, You Ain't Squat
Why? Because barbell squats are positively the single most result producing exercise you can do. I am not suggesting that you ignore the advice of your doctor if you have an injury, but if you are physically capable of squatting and you are not doing them, you are compromising your STRENGTH, SPEED, and POWER potential. Leg presses are okay, but they just are not the same!

Do Yourself a Favor
Stop wasting your time searching for an easy way to train...it just doesn't exist. Work hard, be intense, do the basics lifts, and get plenty of rest and recuperation and you will reach your physical potential faster than you thought possible!

Train smarter, not harder

More is not better, more intense is.

Do what it takes to be the best you can possibly be as an athlete. Plug into these tips to give yourself the edge!

Rest and Recuperation
Muscles don't grow during a workout. They grow between the workouts - if you allow them to rest that is. All too often, the over enthusiast ice trainer works out longer and more often under the impression that more is better. Over training is the arch-nemesis of the strength trainer. Training by itself does not necessarily translate into growth; training plus recuperation does.

Proper recuperation includes two separate components; specific recuperation and systematic recuperation. Specific recuperation refers to how much time you allow between training a particular body part. The rage these days seems to be training every day and hitting each muscle group once per week. This is not a bad idea, but if you are training six or seven days per week, you are defeating the purpose of one body part a week training. Individual muscle groups need to rest between training sessions, but so does the entire body.

Systematic recuperation means allowing your entire body to recuperate by not training too many days in a row. If you train too frequently, this places excessive demands on your nervous system. Two or three days of weight training in a row is the most you should ever do. If you are a "hard-gainer" than every other day routine might be even better. A two on, one off schedule where you work each muscle every five to seven days is extremely effective. This allows individual muscles and your entire body sufficient recuperation for maximal growth.

Progressive Resistance the Key to Gaining Mass
There are many factors involved in building a muscular physique, but in the long run the only thing that really matters is that you progressively overload your muscles. There are many ways to overload a muscle such as:
• Decreasing rest intervals
• Increasing volume
• Slowing rep speed
• Increasing time under tension
• Doing more repetitions
• Using stricter form
• Adding more weight to the bar

The more weight you can lift with perfect form, the bigger the muscle will get, the stronger you will become, period. Constantly adding weight at every session can seem like an insurmountable task at times, but the best way to achieve this goal is to make tiny, incremental increases consistently over time. Don't attempt large jumps in weight loads too quickly. Aim for adding just 2.5 pounds to 5 pounds with every workout on the basic exercises.

You may not always be able to increase the weight, but you must make progress in some form at every single workout or you are wasting your time. Keep your workouts brief in duration and high in intensity.

The definition of intensity is the degree of momentary muscular effort that you exert during a set. In other words, intensity is how hard you workout. Most athletes simply do not train hard. Most likely this lack of intensity is due to the volume being too high.

The harder you train, the less sets you will be able to do - and need to do. As a general rule, it is most effective to keep your workouts brief and intense (under 60 minutes). More is not better, harder is better. Always train to the point of failure, or just short of failure.

Do what it takes to be the best you can possibly be as an athlete. Plug into these tips to give yourself the edge!

• Always train until failure. Do as many reps as you can with the weight you are training with.

• Take from two to three minutes break between sets. Take the time to recover so that you are recharged before you do that next set!

• Inhale on the negative part of the lift (the lowering segment), and exhale on the positive part of the lift (the exertion).

• Drink plenty of water. During your break time between sets be sure to take plenty of fluids.

• Flexibility is key! As you are adding muscular strength or mass be sure to increase your flexibility as well. Strength lightly after each set and after every workout. Flexibility will help to prevent injury.

• Never sacrifice form for weight! It is more important to do the exercise properly than how much you can lift.

• Keep your workout fairly short - 60 minutes or less. You don't have to live in the weight room to have great results. You should be able to keep your total sets per body part at six or less. Remember you are not a bodybuilder, but an athlete training in a specific sport. Strength training is just part of your sport - spend more time in specific technique training.

• Change up your routine. Your body will learn to adapt to the stress of your weight program. Every so often use alternate exercises or change up the order of your lifts.

Workout & Safety Tips

WORKOUT AND SAFETY TIPS

1. Warm up at least 5-10 minutes. Stretch at least another 10 –15 minutes, cool down at the end of your workout for 10-15 minutes.

2. Never bounce at the bottom or lock joints out at the top of any movement. This can lead to flexion or hyperextension injuries as well as other soft tissue problems.

3. When movements are to be executed explosively, be careful to keep the weight under control through the entire range of motion. Generally, the weight should always be moved slowly through the eccentric (negative) phase and more explosively during concentric (positive) phase of a muscle contraction. Fast concentric movement is used for power development and only with selected exercises (consult with your coach).

4. Always use a partner as a spotter when working with heavy loads and to assist in working toward a maximal effort with each set. The goal is to completely exhaust the muscle(s).

5. BREATH – Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth with each repetition. The X’s go together – exert = exhale. Do not you’re your breath when pushing or pulling.

6. Always exercise using a full range of joint motion.

7. Emphasize technique. Proper technique is the best injury prevention measure. It is not how much you lift, but how much lift properly.

8. "MORE IS NOT BETTER." Do not work the same muscles or muscle groups more often than every other day. Lifting three times a week is plenty unless you’re on a special program like a split routine.

9. Play some of your favorite music in the weight room. This can provide great motivation.

10. Unload your bar and rack your weights when you are finished your sets. Please do not leave weights, bars or dumbbells on the floor.

Balance Skills

Advanced Balance Skills

With Exercise Balls

Cardiovascular conditioning, strength development and flexibility exercises are considered the foundations of an effective fitness program yet often overlooked is an important component in safe and effective workouts — balance training.

Everyone from the professional athlete to the fitness novice can benefit from practical balance training exercises. Balance training done on a regular and consistent basis can improve a person’s coordination, motor skills and body control. In addition, including this sort of functional stability training in an exercise program helps prevent unnecessary injuries during a workout and in day-to-day activities. Athletes are finding that balance training, while enhancing a person’s body control, is having positive effects that can be seen in several different ways: Athletes improve their posture as they learn to center their weight-bearing joints on top of each other; Centered posture improves the athlete’s muscle balance and leads to more efficient movement; Movement efficiency spares the joints from excessive wear and tear and saves energy; and perhaps most important, athletes develop kinesthetic awareness or the feeling of proper body positioning, something we call today proprioception. The ability to apply this increased body awareness to resistance training and endurance exercises makes for safe, effective workouts. Balance training is often done with inexpensive pieces of equipment that can include a beam, a wobble board, a gymnastic ball, a mini-trampoline and foam rollers. Everyday movements, postures and exercises are performed on this unstable equipment. By challenging their equilibrium, athletes will improve their control of balance, posture, stability and efficiency in functional movements.

Examples of balance drills
A.Use a 12’ or 16’ 2x4 placed on edge and supported
1.Walk forward and backward
2.Walk forward and back with your eyes shut
3.Walk and then turn 180 degrees
4.180’s then walk forward/backward
5.Hop landing on two feet (one foot in front of the other)
6.Hop on one foot
7.Tucks facing the length of the beam (one foot in front of the other
8.Tucks facing perpendicular to the length of the beam
9.Repeat #7 and #8 from standing to low tuck to high tuck and combinations of the movement
10.Repeat #7 on one leg only (switch using both legs)
11.Perform drills 1-10 with ski poles, helmet and goggles
B.Once you can do all the above on the beam. Erect a tight rope between two sturdy trees. The rope can be pulled tight enough by using a “Come-Along.”
1.Perform drills 1-10 above
Once you get pretty good on the tight rope loosen the “Come-Along” just a bit and continue to practice. Progressively allowing more slack in the rope will make accomplishing the skills more difficult.
C.Rollerblading
D.Skateboarding
E.Ice Skating
F.Stability Ball

Balance Skills On Physio Ball

Motor Skills Development

Motor Skills Development

MOTOR SKILL ACQUISITION
The development of a motor skill, from skiing a technical slalom course to playing the piano, will progress in levels of achievement. An individual will begin by struggling through attempts to perform the skill. In time, success and improved confidence will take place. With enough practice, a person can become an expert in the performance of the desired skill. It has been described that this progression occurs through four steps. From the raw beginning, through to mastery, a person will move from:

Unconsciously Incompetent
to
Consciously Incompetent
to
Consciously Competent
to
Unconsciously Competent

Described further, a person can begin the learning of a skill with no concept about it, and no ability to perform it. With some teaching and/or practice, the individual becomes aware of skill and its goal, but still cannot perform the skill with any significant success. With more teaching and practice, the skill is acquired and can be performed well, with high levels of concentration. More practice brings the person to the highest level of function in which the skill can be performed with great success and without the need to concentrate intently. At this point the skill has become very repetitious. There are a great number of examples to illustrate the point. A young child learning how to walk is an obvious case. At the earliest stages, the child will rise to their feet, soon to fall with the first attempt to move. They do not know how to perform the skill, and have no knowledge of what to do to improve. They are unconsciously incompetent. With more attempts, the child begins to realize to potential to walk or move, but is unable to perform the skill to any significant extent. With still more practice, the child can move about, but only with significant concentration. If they are distracted from their intent, they will quickly topple over. In time, the skill becomes second nature to them and can be performed without conscious intent. They have become unconsciously competent. New skills are added in progressions. The child will begin to run only to be met with a new series of challenges. Over the course of motor skill acquisition, the child will learn to run while catching and throwing, followed by more and more complex skills. At the highest level, very skilled athletes perform seemingly impossible tasks with relative ease. This same progression can be seen in ski racing and the advanced techniques an athlete will encounter. Remember, the dryland process is one that will prepare you in this progressive fashion allowing the athlete to mastery of the movements in that sport.

This entire phenomenon is coordinated by our nervous system. The potential to acquire extremely high levels of motor skill performance is contained within all of us. Aptitudes toward certain skills may be inherent in our biological make-up, and if we are lucky enough to stumble upon these aptitudes, extremely high levels of function can be achieved. Other people have the nervous system "hard-wiring" to be able to pick many, and various motor skills. This concept does not refer to genetic physiological tendencies such as size and strength. That is, big, strong people do not any advantage in learning motor skills. These skills are neurological in nature and in fact, may be very delicate. The motor skills involved in playing musical instruments are a good example of this concept. Playing the drums, for example, requires a significant amount of neuromuscular coordination, but not high levels of strength.

The following is a guideline to assist in accomplishing a higher level of motor skill development. However, don’t limit yourself to one or two of your favorite activities. The more you try and learn to develop skills, the better athlete you’re going to be.

Basketball
Soccer
Tennis
Racquet Ball
Volleyball
Tumbling
Gymnastics
Dance (Ballet)
Trampoline
Ice Skating
Rollerblading
Karate
Motor cross/Dirt Bike Riding
Water-Skiing
Wake Boarding
Wind Surfing
Rollerblade slalom/GS (highly specific)
Any of the Footwork, Agility, Speed & Quickness Drills (see section of Footwork Agility, Speed & Quickness)
Slide board