Home Posts tagged "Off-Season" (Page 2)

The No Hitter

On Saturday night, my girlfriend and I finished setting up our new television – only to turn it on for the first time and see Clay Buchholz toss a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox against the Baltimore Orioles. Like everyone, I was very impressed with his ability to change speeds effectively with his pitches and get ahead in the counts all night. I’m more impressed, however, with the overall athleticism that has helped him get to where he is so quickly. In multiple telecasts, Red Sox commentators have noted that he’s the fastest guy in the organization. Yes, that’s even faster the stud center field prospect Jacoby Ellsbury (Had David Wells still been with the Sox, I’m sure he would have won that race, for the record). It’s speculated that while Buchholz was taken as a pitcher in the first round of the draft, he could have been selected in the fifth round as a hitter as well. Pitching and sprinting: two athletic endeavors that – to the casual observer to exercise physiology – are loosely related at best. I however, am of the belief that you need to become a better athlete before you become a better pitcher, basketball player, tennis player, or even a bowler. There are right and wrong ways to move – and if you have general dysfunction, it’s going to carry over to specific movements. If you are efficient in a general sense, on the other hand, that efficiency will carry over to sporting movements provided that you practice them (delayed transformation, as per Vladimir Zatsiorsky’s writings). Toss in a pitching coach, knowledge of the game, the right psychological profile, some favorable biomechanics, and get a catcher that calls a great game (kudos to Jason Varitek), and you must just have the youngest guy to throw a no-hitter in Red Sox history. Interestingly, in an interview at SoxProspects.com, when asked about his off-season training regime from last year, Buchholz responded: “First of all I lived in Dallas with a couple of other guys that also play ball, and we all worked out together. So we all had a little advice for each other. My main goal this off-season was to be in shape and have gained weight. I gained just about 12 lbs and I was in pretty good shape. I have lived in Dallas the last two off seasons and the clear focus was to get stronger and go to camp in great shape so I could show the front office I was committed to getting to the big leagues. The schedule I have been on has been very successful and I don't expect that to change. So I would say that the off-season was a success.” Buchholz also commented: “I think my athleticism shows up as a pitcher in my ability to change on the go, make adjustments quickly, and certainly in my ability to cover the bunt in both directions.” Get efficient, improve multiple strength qualities, and in the case of an absolute power sport position (i.e., pitcher), slap on some muscle mass. Not exactly rocket science, is it? Eric Cressey
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Off-Seasons: Year Round Sports

I have gone through your book and it is very good. I am however confused as to how I can apply the phases to year round sports like BJJ. Our tournaments are not to often and I do not find out about them until 2 months before. I love the static template as it is just what I need. Any help with organizing this into a yearly plan would be great. Thanks. A few options: 1. Give it up and take up checkers. :) 2. Plan several mini off-seasons. That is, go into off-season mode, and then just kick in the metabolic conditioning work 4-6 weeks out from your tournament. 3. Set aside 4-5 months out of the year when you won't compete; you'll just train. Eric Cressey Step-by-Step what it Takes to Become a Superior Athlete
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Basketball Ball Handling

Q: In light of the information in your Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual, i.e. minimizing sport specific training in the off season, how would you train a basketball player with a dire need to improve his ballhandling skills and jump shooting? A: You're actually in luck, as these are skills that aren't as hard on the system as actual gameplay. That is, you might get some accumulated fatigue from loads of jump shooting, but it really won't detract from your weight room work. We always just tried to get our guys to do the two in separate sessions - or even use the shooting in small sessions to help warm them up for lifting. Eric Cressey
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Speed and Deceleration Habits

My subscribers know that I believe as much in deceleration training as I do in any sort of speed enhancing-based work… How do you improve speed and deceleration habits?
We’re definitely on the same page on this one. In a nutshell, I just slow everything down for the short-term – starting with isometric holds. Every change of direction has a deceleration, isometric action, and acceleration; I’ve found that if you teach the athlete how his/her body should be aligned in that mid-point, they’ll be golden. My progressions are as follows (keep in mind that you can span several of these progressions in one session if the athlete is proficient): Slow-speed, Full Stop, Hold > Slow Speed, Full Stop, Acceleration > Slow Speed, Quick Transition, Acceleration > Normal Speed, Full Stop, Hold > Normal Speed, Full Stop, Acceleration > Normal Speed, Quick Transition, Acceleration Open-loop > Closed-loop (predictable > unpredictable) With respect to reactive training methods (incorrectly termed plyometrics), we start with bilateral and unilateral jumps to boxes, as they don’t impose as much eccentric force (the athlete goes up, but doesn’t come down). From there, we move to altitude landings, and ultimately to bounce drop jump (depth jumps), repeated broad jumps, bounding, and other higher-impact tasks. Finally, one lost component of deceleration training is basic maximal strength. All other factors held constant, the stronger kid will learn to decelerate more easily than his weaker counterparts. So, enhancing a generally, foundational quality like maximal strength on a variety of tasks will indirectly lead to substantial improvements in deceleration ability – especially in untrained individuals. Eric Cressey Build A Sturdy Foundation. Build an Efficient Foundation.
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Combining Resources: The Proper Warm-Up

I was trying to put together a couple warm ups from The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual as well as the Magnificent Mobility and Inside-Out DVD. It looks like The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual has a lot of exercises from Magnificent Mobility, although it also has foam rolling.

I'm thinking of adding a little foam rolling before the mobility/activition drills, but also was wondering about the upper body days. I know there is a lot of difference in the Inside-Out recommnedations and what is in The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual. Should I lean more towards what is the Inside-Out DVD, or try to make a combination of what is in The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual and the Inside-Out DVD?

Go with a combination. Here's a taster of what I'm using with one of my athletes this month, as an example.

Lower Body Days
Foam Rolling:
-IT Band/Tensor Fasciae Latae
-Quads
-Hip Flexors
-Adductors
-Thoracic Extension
-Piriformis (tennis ball)
-Calves (tennis ball)
-Lats
-Infraspinatus (tennis ball)
Seated 90/90 Static Stretch 15s/side
Warrior Lunge Static Stretch 15s/side
Birddog 8/side
Wall Ankle Mobilizations 8/side
Hip Corrections 8/side
Pull-Back Butt Kick 5/side
Cradle Walk 5/side
Walking Spidermans 5/side
Bowler Squats 8/side
Overhead Lunge Walks 5/side
Quadruped Extension-Rotation 8/side
Split-Stance Broomstick Pec Mobilizations 8/side

Upper Body Days
Foam Rolling:
-IT Band/Tensor Fasciae Latae
-Quads
-Hip Flexors
-Adductors
-Thoracic Extension
-Piriformis (tennis ball)
-Calves (tennis ball)
-Pecs
-Infraspinatus (tennis ball)
Seated 90/90 Static Stretch 15s/side
Warrior Lunge Static Stretch 15s/side
Supine Bridge 1x12
X-band Walk 12/side
Windmills 10/side
Multiplanar Hamstrings Mobilizations 5/5/side
Reverse Lunge with Posterolateral Reach 5/side
Squat-to-Stand w/Diagonal Reach 5/side
Levator Scapulae/Upper Trap Stretch 15s/side
Side-Lying Internal-External Rotations 8/side
Scap Pushup 1x15
Scapular Wall Slides 1x12

All Warm-Ups Barefooted

Eric Cressey

Why Magnificent Mobility:

The principle problem with pure flexibility is that it does not imply stability nor readiness for dynamic tasks. We need to have mobile-stability at all our joints; there’s really no use in being able to attain a given range of motion if you can’t stabilize yourself in that position. Excessive passive flexibility without mobility (or dynamic flexibility, as it’s been called) will actually increase the risk of injury! Amazingly, it’s not uncommon at all to see individuals with circus-like passive flexibility fail miserably on dynamic tasks. Don't fall behind.
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Cricket: Training for Speed-Strength

Q: Cricket is essentially a “speed-strength” based game - hitting, throwing and running. However, it requires players to play for long periods - anything between 2-6 hours a day. How can players include these opposing factors in their training?


A: One of the things you always have to concede with any sport is that you're always going to be riding a few horses with one saddle. Ironman competitors will never squat 500 with their aerobic training stimuli, and powerlifters won't compete in Ironman events because training to do so would interfere with their strength gains. All other sports fall somewhere in the middle between these extremes.??From a general standpoint, you train to become more efficient as an athlete. First, you have to do so biomechanically by ironing out muscle imbalances. You need to be a better athlete before you can be a better cricket player. So, mobility and activation work, soft-tissue quality initiatives, and appropriate resistance training is key to success on this front.??Next, you have to be efficient in the context of your sporting movements - and that's where tactical work comes in.??What you're referring to with this question is one-third of the efficiency equation: metabolic efficiency. The more aerobic a sport, the sooner you'll need to prioritize intensive metabolic conditioning in the off-season period. So, a soccer player would require it sooner than a football player. I go into great detail on this in The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual.??Cricket is a bit of middle-ground, though. From a duration standpoint, it's clearly a long event at times. However, it isn't necessarily continuous; it's more along the lines of what you see in baseball - which is basically a completely anaerobic sport. You sprint, stand around for an extended period, and sprint again - possibly even 30-60 minutes later! Just because the matches/games last 4-5 hours doesn't mean that they're aerobic - or that you need to train for them with repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise with INCOMPLETE rest.??My suggestion is to do what it takes to be fast and powerful - and let the duration of the matches just fall into place. Attend to nutrition/hydration and recovery protocols well, and the physical qualities you've built will sustain themselves in spite of the duration of the match. And, if you're crazy athletic, chances are that you'll win those matches a lot sooner.

Eric Cressey

Get your Questions Answered.

Don't Make The Same Mistakes as your Competition. Utilize Your Off-Season.
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Maximal Strength Yields Maximal Vert

With the tests, etc, what would you need to look for in a powerlifting exclusive athlete. Obviously they would focus on strength, but is the speed and rate of force development exercises (reactive training) beneficial as well?

I'm thinking making the SSC more efficient would be beneficial as long as strength is maintained and focused on as well.


Definitely - you're on the right track. There are quite a few lifters who use box jumps and the like in their training. The main interfering factor for a lot of guys is body weight; they just get too heavy for the pounding. If you're 242 or below, though, I think there is a lot of merit to using them. I've subbed in box jumps and broad jumps for DE squat days when I needed to deload or just get the bar off my back for a week.

Interesting little aside...

My buddy Greg Panora was in town back in December for the Christmas holiday, so we got a lift in together. For those who don't know Greg, he's the world record holder at 242 (broke Steve Goggins' old record a few months ago - 1000+ squat, 700 bench, and 800+ deadlift). He lifts at Westside.

Greg is box squatting 495 + greens and blues for speed, and he glances over and sees the Just Jump platform and asks what it is. I tell him we use it to check vertical jump, so he wants to try it. He gets on in beat-up old briefs, Chuck Taylors, and a belt - at a weight of 250 - and jumps 35". Probably could have gone 38" with a deload and proper attire.

Anyone who says maximal strength doesn't matter for jumping and athletic ability is absolutely full of crap. :)

Eric Cressey
www.UltimateOffSeason.com

Lift Heavier. Jump Higher.

Do You Have Similar Questions? Get Them Answered.
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Powerlifting Set Progression

I have been following your high, medium, super high and deload weeks concept that you outlined in your Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual (which is awesome btw) and I was wondering if the way i am implementing it for powerlifting is ok.

On the high weeks i usually do 4 sets of anywhere between 6-8 reps for my second exercise, on medium weeks i drop it down to 3 sets, on super high weeks i go up to 5 and then on deload weeks i go down to 2 sets.

would it be a better idea to say do 4 sets of 6-8 on high week, 3 on medium week and do something like 3 sets of 6-8 along with 1-2 sets of 15-20 either same exercise i am doing or different. Do you think that is to much volume?

Thanks for the kind words. You're on the right track with fluctuating the number of sets you do from week to week. I also like to vary the loading on the first assistance exercise depending on the day (we'll use lower body days in a Westside-influenced template as an example).

DE Squat: First assistance might be a deadlift variation - sets of 3-6
ME Squat: First assistance might be a heavy single-leg, rack pull, front squat, GHR, etc - sets of 6-10

Example of first assistance movements over the course of a month:

Week 1 (high):

DE Squat: 4x3
ME Squat: 4x6

Week 2 (medium):
DE Squat: 3x3
ME Squat: 3x6

Week 3 (very high):
DE Squat: 5x3
ME Squat: 5x6

Week 4 (deload):
DE Squat: 2x3 (with 5RM)
ME Squat: 3x6

Eric Cressey
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Monday Q&A with Eric

Q: The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual was fantastic; I just have one question about one of the jumping tests you utilize. In your opinion, should the heels touch the ground lightly during a bounce drop jump? I've heard “yes’ and I've heard “no” from several coaches and I'm trying to form my own opinion on the subject once and for all. A: I think it's a must. Very few athletes have the eccentric strength to land completely on the balls of the feet. You're also putting a lot of undue stress on the Achilles and patellar tendons and limiting your ability to cushion with the hip extensors. By eliminating that cushion (preactivation), you'll increase the amortization phase, therefore killing the very elastic response you're trying to train. A lot of people will argue that it's counterintuitive in light of the sprinting motion, but I don't see that argument as holding water. Vertical displacement is centimeters in sprinting, but meters in bounce drop jumps, so you're comparing apples and oranges in terms of ground reaction forces. I use different short-response tactics for using just the balls of the feet. www.UltimateOffSeason.com
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Lawn Chairs for Knees

Last week, sports fans witnessed arguably the most gruesome knee injury – both visually and medically – in recent history when the Clippers’ Shaun Livingston’s knee folded up like a lawn chair on a seemingly harmless play (be forewarned; this video is not for those with uneasy stomachs). Given Livingston’s age (21) and “fragile” 6-7 frame, many supporters of the NBA’s new age minimum restrictions are quick to assert that this injury would not have happened if Livingston had been forced to wait longer to enter the NBA. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports wrote a detailed piece on the topic. As a strength coach who has worked extensively with basketball players, I can say without wavering that this couldn’t be further from the truth; chronological age had nothing to do with Livingston’s injury. Physical maturity, training experience, and – presumably – ignorance of previous injuries and imbalances did. What seems to be lost in the details is that the Clippers guard also had a stress reaction in his lower back and pre-existing ankle problems; any of the best coaches and physical therapists in the business will all tell you that dysfunctions are almost never isolated. Stress reactions are commonly the result of repeated hyperextension of the lumbar spine secondary to poor core stability and hip mobility (not to mention that the typical NBA spine is a LOT longer than that of the Average Joe). As part of this dysfunction, the gluteal muscles fail to fire sufficiently, and they lack the strength and activation level to decelerate “knock-knee,” internal rotation forces in landing – just like the one that ended Livingston’s season. When you lack mobility at the hips and ankles (most basketball players have terrible ankle mobility due to high-top sneakers and ankle taping), the knee (a joint that should just be a stable hinge) develops instability to create mobility. He could easily have developed chronic hip or knee pain; a traumatic injury got him first. Put a 1983 Buick engine in a 2007 Ferrari body, and you’ve got the typical NBA athlete. When it comes to injuries, the basketball culture is reactive, not proactive. Unlike sports like football, hockey, and baseball that have embraced dedicated off-season conditioning programs (not to mention resistance-training from an early age), the basketball community – from the youth leagues right up to the NBA – has yet to appreciate how valuable a role strength and conditioning can play in preventing injuries like Livingston’s.

uotm

Rather than preventing the injuries by participating in dedicated off-court off-season training programs, most basketball players go right back to playing street ball, AAU hoops, or NBA summer leagues – all the while reinforcing the imbalances they’ve developed. Everyone wants to compete, but nobody wants to train or even rehab. Apparently, alley-oops and crossover dribbles are a lot more “sexy” than lifting weights and doing flexibility drills – at least until you rupture an ACL, MCL, PCL, patellar tendon, and lateral meniscus on a lay-up. Karl Malone was notorious for his rigorous off-season lifting regimen, and he was quite possibly the most durable player in the history of the league. Entering the NBA at a young age wasn’t a problem for Lebron James – and it should come as no coincidence that he was resistance training for years before his arrival to the NBA at age 18. I had a 15 year-old, 192-pound high school shortstop front squat 300 for an easy single on Friday, then vertical jump 28.5 inches and box squat 355 today with a bit left in the tank. Do you mean to tell me that he won’t be ready for professional sports physically in three years? Please! The NBA doesn’t need to institute age restrictions; it needs to take the initiative to develop a culture – independent of age – where players start training smart and taking care of their bodies. Want to learn more?  Check out The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual.
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