Injury Prevention/Recovery Archives Page 5 of 5

Power Isometric Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 5, 2013

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Groin
Hamstring
Hips/Glutes
Back
Chest/Shoulders

WORKOUT
Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit. Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute between rounds and between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
30 sec – 1 min Toe Hold
20-30 Jump Rope Jumps for height

CIRCUIT #2:
30 sec – 1 min Squat Hold
15-20 Squat Jumps

CIRCUIT #3:
30 sec – 1 min High Plank Hold
10-20 Explosive Push Ups

CIRCUIT #4:
30 sec – 1 min Pull Up and Hold
10-15 Medball Soccer Throw

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Groin
Hamstring
Hips/Glutes
Back
Chest/Shoulders

NOTES:
Beginners may want to modify some of the jumping moves. For example, instead of jump squats, they may want to do simple BW squats. Also, if you don’t have a med ball or a wall to throw it against, you can do band pullovers. Move quickly to pull the band out, but really control letting the band go back. You can also do simple med ball slams if you just don’t have the wall.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Toe Hold – Stand with your feet only a few inches apart. Then lift up onto your toes. Do not rock to the outside of your feet. Try to get up onto your big toe as much as possible. Hold that position. To make this move harder, do a single leg balance, lifting up onto the ball of only one foot.
Jump Rope Jumps for height – Stand with your feet only a couple of inches apart. Do a slight knee bend, but nowhere near a full squat and jump up as high as you can. Then bend your knees slightly as you land and repeat. Beginners will want to do smaller hops.
Squat Hold – Place your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Sink down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. To make it easier, do not sink as low. Keep your core engaged and your chest up. Do not lean forward too much. Make sure to sit back on your heels when you squat. You should not be on your toes at all. Do not sink below 90 degrees with this move as that actually makes it easier. And do not let your knees collapse inward. If you want to make this move harder, you could hold a weight at chest height. Make sure to keep your core tight and back flat. Beginners may want to start with a wall sit if they can’t sink down very low without their chest falling forward. Sink down as low as you can, but not below having your knees bent to 90 degrees. Press your back into the wall. Drive back off your heels, pressing yourself firmly into the wall and hold.

Squat Jumps – Stand with your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Perform a shallow squat and explode as high off the ground as possible, reaching overhead and extending your body. Do not squat too low. If you drop too low in a squat, you will actually reduce your power. Beginners may need to rest between each rep; however, that doesn’t mean landing with your legs straight. You should never land with your legs completely locked. Bend your knees to help you absorb the impact of landing.To make the move harder, jump up and sink right back into the squat to repeat as quickly as possible. Really focus on a soft landing and then exploding quickly into as high a jump as you can.

High Plank Hold – Set up on your hands and toes (advanced) or hands and knees (beginner). Feet are together and hands are underneath your shoulders. Draw your belly button into your spine and squeeze your quads, glutes and adductors. Your shoulder blades should be down and back and your shoulders shouldn’t be up by your ears. Do not let your upper back round. Keep your head in line with your spine. If you really draw your belly button in and tilt your pelvic forward, your abs should almost instantly start shaking.

Explosive Push Ups – Set up on your hands and toes (advanced) or hands and knees (beginner). Beginners may even use an incline. Feet are together and hands are underneath your shoulders. Draw your belly button into your spine and squeeze your quads, glutes and adductors. Your shoulder blades should be down and back and your shoulders shouldn’t be up by your ears. Do not let your upper back round. Keep your head in line with your spine. Then drop your chest to the ground, keeping your body in a nice straight line. When you push back up, push hard enough that you come up off the ground. Your core should stay tight as you drive back up. Do not let your hips sink or your butt go up in the air. Land and go right back into a push up. Each time explode as high off the ground as you can.

Pull Up and Hold – You can do this as a chin up or pull up. You can do it off a bar, off a peg board and/or off of TRX straps. Whichever you use pull to the top of a pull up or chin up and HOLD. The less stable the appliance, the harder this move will be. Keep your legs straight down toward the ground and your chin above the bar. Keep your chest should be pressed out and your shoulder blades should be down and back. Squeeze your belly button in toward your spine and keep your glutes tight. Hold there until time is up.

Med Ball Soccer Throw – Hold a med ball in both hands, facing a wall. Step back away from the wall enough that you can catch the ball after it hits the wall. Extend your arms up overhead and back. Your elbows should be slightly bent. Then step forward with one foot and throw the ball into the wall, extending your arms forward and down toward the wall as you throw. Catch the ball and step back. Extend the arms back overhead. Then step forward with the other foot and throw again.

Stronger Legs For Running

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 3, 2013

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings

WORKOUT
Perform 3-5 rounds of the following circuits. For circuit 1, the lunge matrix, go right from one side to the other with little to no rest between sides and rounds. For the second and third circuits, rest 30 seconds to 1 minute between rounds. Rest 1-2 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
3 reps of each Lunge in the Lunge Matrix

CIRCUIT #2:
10-15 reps per side Skater Lunge
10-15 reps per side Skater Hops

CIRCUIT #3:
10-15 reps per side Single Leg Squats
5-10 reps 90 Degree Rotational Squat Jumps

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings

NOTES:
Focus on progressing the moves every time you do this. For the lunge matrix add arm drivers. For the skater lunges, add weight or slow down the tempo. For the plyometric moves, move more quickly. For single leg squats, use a lower box or TRX/XT straps.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Lunge Matrix – The easiest way to remember all the lunges is to think about lunging around a clock. Start facing “12” on the clock. Doing all the lunges first moving the left foot…

Front Lunge: Step the left foot forward and sink down into a front lunge. Bend both the front and back knees. Make sure you do not lean forward as you lunge forward. Also make sure you drive off your front heel to push back to standing.
Angled Front Lunge: After returning to standing after the front lunge, you will again lunge forward, but this time out at an angle. Lunge forward toward “11″ on the clock with your left foot. Bend both your back and front knees as you lunge forward, keeping both toes pointing straight ahead. Then drive off your left heel to come back to standing.
Side Lunge: Again lunging with the left foot, step the left foot out toward “9″ on the clock. As you lunge out to the side, you are going to bend the left knee and sit your butt back. Keep your right leg straight. Both toes should be pointing straight ahead. Keep your leftt heel down as you sink into the lunge. Push your butt back and keep your chest up. Then drive back up to standing.
Backward Rotational Lunge: Next you will lunge back toward “7″ on the clock with your left foot. Your left foot, when you step back, will be perpendicular to your right foot, which is pointing toward “12.” Push your butt back and sink into a lunge, bending the left knee while keeping the right leg straight. Do not let the left heel come up. Keep your chest up and sit your butt backward. Driving off your left heel, push back to standing. Make sure that your right toe doesn’t rotate but continues to point toward “12.” Also make sure your right leg does not bend.
Backward Hinge: Again moving the left foot, step your left foot back so that the toe is even with the heel of your right foot. Both toes will point toward “12.” After taking the little step back, you are going to hinge over at the hips, pushing your butt back toward the wall behind you. You will feel a stretch down your hamstrings. Then stand back up and step forward.
Curtsy Lunge: Take your left foot and step your left foot back behind your right leg. You will reach your left foot back to about “5″ on the clock. Make sure you step far enough back (do not keep your left foot too close to your right) that you can bend both knees and sink down into a deep lunge. Keep your right heel down on the ground and your chest up. Then come back to standing. Make sure that you feel this lunge in the outside of your right butt cheek when you lunge back with the left leg.
Forward Cross Lunge: Lunge forward and across toward about “2″ on the clock with your left foot. Pivot your left foot so that your feet are perpendicular. Sink down into a lunge, bending both knees. Make sure your left heel stays down as you lunge. Then drive off your left heel to come back to standing.
All seven lunges listed above completes the lunge sequence on one side.
One round on each side will be 3 reps of each of the seven lunges. You will complete 3 front lunges before moving on to the angled front lunge. You will complete 3 reps of the angled lunge before doing a side lunge.
One round is 21 total lunges. Advanced exercisers can add in arm drivers, reaching up toward the ceiling then down toward the ground on each lunge.

Skater Lunge – Start by standing on your right leg. Start to bend your right knee as you drive your left leg back. You are going to hinge forward as you also squat down on your right leg. Once you’ve gone as low as you can, keeping your chest up, you will come back to standing. Try not to touch your left toe down between reps. Move your arms as if running in slow motion. As your left leg goes back, your right arm will go back. As your left leg comes forward, your right arm will come forward. Slow down the tempo of this move to make it harder. Take 3-5 seconds to squat down and then quickly pop back up to standing.

Skater Hops – Start to one side of the space you have to use. You are going to jump lateral, hopping from one foot to the other while trying to move as quickly and cover as much distance as possible. If you start to the right, you are going to push off your right leg and push yourself laterally as far as you can. When you land, you will land on your left leg. Keep your chest facing straight ahead. As you land, sink into a variation of the skater lunge. Then push off your left leg and jump back right, landing on your right foot. Try not to touch the other foot down when you land. Only touch if you need to. Beginners may need to go slower and not jump as far. As you advance, do not pause on either side of the jump to balance. Also, make sure you are jumping as far as quickly as possible.

Single Leg Squats – Choose a variation of the single leg squat that is right for you. Beginners may use a box step while more advanced lifters may use a doorway, TRX or XT straps for balance. If you can do a full pistol squat or use a plate weight to counter balance you, do that variation. Choose as hard a variation as you can do. To perform the basic single leg squat to bench, you will start by standing on one leg. Hold the other leg straight out in front of you. Lower yourself down until you are sitting on the box or table. Then driving off the heel on the ground, stand back up. Do not lean way forward or touch your raised foot to the ground. If you use a box, the more you allow yourself to sit down, the easier the move will be. The more you just lightly touch the box and come right back up, the harder the move will be. Also the lower the box you use or the lower down you go on any variation, the harder the move will be.

90 Degree Rotational Squat Jumps – One rep of the 90 Degree Rotational Squat Jumps is actually four squat jumps. You will start facing forward with your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Squat down and then as you jump up, rotate to the right about 90 degrees. As you land go right back into a squat to load for the next jump. Do not land with your legs straight even if you are a beginner. Beginners may not be able to go right back into the squat, which is ok. Everyone will squat though before jumping back center. When you land back center, squat down and jump 90 degrees to the left. Then load again and jump back to the center. That is one rep. Repeat by jumping back to the right.