First Day of Training

       I am about to embark on the first day of my summer-long  training regiment. Looking through many training techniques, manuals, blogs, etc. I have come come up with a schedule that I feel offers the best strength and conditioning out there. I am going to give you, my readers, first hand access to the routine because I have not done it before; this is a pretty exclusive offer so take advantage. This first day will consist of only lifting, a full body lift: squat, bench, power clean, bent-over row, DB military, calf raise, shrug, and lying-down face pulls. The main focus is on the squat, bench, clean, and row where I will be doing a technique used in 5/3/1 programs. You do 70% of your max for 5 reps, 80% of your max for 5 reps, and 90% of your max for as many as you can do. The percentages can be changed as long as you are keeping strict records of your lifting. The main goal is to beat your records every time you lift by only doing a short amount of reps with the lower weight and going all out on the last set. For the rest of the lifts I'll be doing 3 sets of increasing weight and fewer reps (8 6 4), except for the lying-down face pulls where I'll be trying for 3 sets of 20.
        I'll be doing the exact same workout on thursday, but with all different exercises: deadlift, military, front squat, pullups, DB bench,  DB row, close-grip bench, and barbell curls. The same concentrations apply with the first four lifts, and the same things apply with the last four as well, without the face pull routine. However, in this workout routine, I never do the same thing two weeks in a row. The following week I lift monday, tuesday, thursday, friday, but I split the upper and lower body apart. So now you have the main idea of my lifting routine for the summer. Soon, I will be explaining the other 3 parts two my weekly routine. Stay in tune.

GET FAST

       Many people think of speed training as simply running sprints, cone drills, or ladders; however, there are several additions to running that could greatly improve your speed in ways that running, by itself, cannot do. The best addition to running for speed is JUMPING; increasing your vertical and lateral jumping ability is a key factor in speed. It develops the explosive bursts that you need in any sport, especially contact sports. For volleyball, I tried several programs to increase my vertical, the most effective being Air Alert. However, that can only get you so far; after about 2 or 3 months of Air Alert, my gains stopped because the program only increased the repetitions of jumping exercises like chair rockets, stiff-legged jumping, and full squat jumps. This trained my jumping endurance and not jump explosion, so I began to look at other programs, and I came across one called Jump Manual. This program is the best designed jumping program and can be the most effective, although I only got to try it for two weeks before volleyball started. This program is more effective than Air Alert because it contains the other key element to developing speed...STRENGTH.

         Yes, you guessed it, LIFTING is necessary when trying to get wheels. Doing compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and benchpresses increase speed. However, you are not just trying to develop strength with these lifts; each lift you execute must be explosive and fast. You can descend the weight slow, but the press or lift must be done as fast as possible (obviously maintaing good form). The more weight you can move, the easier it is to move yourself; so lift, jump, and run yourself to new levels of speed and agility.  Show me a man who is strong, and you'll show me a man who can become fast. Show me a man who has hops, and you'll show me a man who is fast. Show me a man who has both strength and hops, and you'll show me a perfect contact athlete.

Tire Flipping

I have been waiting all semester to come home and get my own tractor tire so I could do some tire flips down my driveway, so yesterday I went to a big tire yard with a hundred bucks and told them to get me a 500 lb. tire. This guy rolls up in a tractor and pinches this humungous tire from a stack about 15 feet high and puts in right in the bed of my truck. I then asked how much the tire would cost and he said don't even worry about it. PERFECT!! I got my own tire for absolutely nothing in about fifteen minutes, and I encourage all of you to go to your local tire yard and do the exact same thing.

Tire Flipping is probably the best possible strength and conditioning exercise you can do. Starting in a clean-like position with your chest against the tire, you drive the tire up and forward until your legs are extended. Then, dropping under the tire, putting your elbows under it, and switching your hands to a overhand pressing position, you extend both legs and arms and push it over. It is a full-body lift, strengthening your entire body, especially your legs and back, and conditions as well if continued for an extended period. Depending on the weight, doing more than twenty should take almost all of your energy; combine this with farmers walks and you have your work cut out for you. After you finish a strongman-type workout like this I promise you will feel stronger than any time you've walked out of the gym, so go grab a tire and start flipping. You will definitely notice significant strength and stamina gains.

Forgotten Exercises

There are so many exercises to choose from in this day and age that it can almost be overwhelming, so many of my posts will be dedicated to helping you choose the proper ones for your field. Many young people forget the importance of bodyweight exercises when it comes to strength and conditioning. I know many of you still do your pull-ups and even push-ups, but many just focus on exercises with weights; however, thinking back on developing as a child athlete, what do you remember doing? I recall two upper body "exercises" that really increased strength and stamina.

One exercise that has helped me out enormously is the handstand. I know... sounds very childish, but I promise it helps. When you start you might be discouraged with your lack of balance and stamina, but you will quickly improve. After a week, I guarantee you will be able to maintain a handstand for at least a few seconds, and you will activate many stabilizing muscles in the shoulders and back that you have not used in a long time. Look at breakdancers, THEY ARE JACKED, all from manipulating their body weight. From doing this I noticed a ten pound jump in my military press in one week. TEN POUNDS. I know that sounds crazy but it is true. Hopefully, you will experience the same gains from trying this.

Another exercise that I am experimenting with is the classic midget football drill, the bearcrawl. This can develop your whole upper body very quickly. I have recently been studying the movements and posture of silver-back gorillas, noticing their enormous upper bodies. Although humans are much different, I believe bearcrawls can be a key tool in developing the upper body. I encourage you to start incorporating them into your routine; I have, so I will be posting on the effect they have on my strength gains.

Think the squat is bad for you knees? Think it's too hard? Think it's not necessary for a strong

body? Grow a sack and squat.

Favorite Training Advice Besides My Own

Lately, I have been researching alot and taking advice from several established trainers. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT listen to anything that is in any muscle-building magazine like "Muscle and Fitness" or "Ironman Magazine." Everything in there is meant for a roid-head, vein-popping, chicken-leg, unproportional idiot. Instead, look to people like Elliot Hulse. He runs a very established website called hulsestrength.com and has a youtube channel called strengthcamp. I recommend going through the videos on his youtube channel and reading his strength journals on his website. He is a competitive strongman and was a runningback at St. John's University, very educated in strength and conditioning. He believes in a hard-working approach with a heavy dose of functional, multi-muscle exercises that strengthen and coordinate athletic movement. Look through his posts and give some feedback

The First Post: Creating a New Base

Since it is the summer and off-season for most contact athletes, the next few months that introduce my blog will be dedicated to getting ready for the fall. I am a second-year college rugby player with my background in football, but I played pretty much every sport growing up. I have gained 25 pounds in a three months for football, lost 20 pounds in a month and a half for volleyball, increased my squat by one hundred pounds in 4 months, and done similar for others. I encourage you, my new fan base, to read and comment on my posts, give me your feedback, and never give up on achieving your goals whether on or off the field.

Being a player of a contact sport takes a different mindset than anything else on this earth, and that mindset is the most important key to your team's success. This mindset will bring you to your knees while training, bring you to your feet after failing, and bring you to victory when playing. This drive, this inner voice that compells you to conquer your fears, this motivation to defeat your opponent, to instill fear in his heart by overcoming the fear in yours, will lead you. Sacrificing your time and energy, your glory, and sometimes your safety creates this thrill and satisfaction that nothing else can give. Being able to look your teammate in the eye and think, "He and I both know that I give it my all both on and off the field." This is what I want to bring you, my reader. Starting your training with these things in mind is crucial to your ultimate success because this drive won't let you skip a day, drop a weight, or stop short. What I will be sharing with you over the next few months can give you the off-the-field preparation to be able to give it all in the fall.