The medicine ball is a great functional training tool for upper and lower body power as well as rotational power of the torso. As we know rotational power is a a key aspect to performance in many sports such as; baseball, ice hockey, rugby and golf.
The key to medicine ball training is velocity so therefore your main target when doing medicine ball training should be speed. Selecting the appropriate weight of the medicine ball is important so you get the most from your training. If you are struggling to throw the ball then the chances are its too heavy so you need to reduce the weight. Reduce the weight so that you can increase the speed at which you perform the exercise and you will benefit from this and develop your rotational power.
Some examples of rotational power training with a medicine ball are:
- Front twist throw
- Alternating front twist throw
- Side throw
- Side throw with step
- Back twist throw
- Single leg front twist throw
Start with the basic exercises before progressing onto more complex movements. Also build up the effort over a 3 week training period so by the end you are performing 100% efforts. This will not only develop your rotational power if performed correctly but also reduce the risk of injury in training and competition.
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Monday, 25 February 2013
HELP the less technically fortunate
I hate to see poor technique being used in the gym. Dead lifts with arched backs, cleans that are predominantly lifted with arms, bicep curls that don't involve full extension at the elbow, all of which as a gym going make my skin crawl, but as a conditioning coach fill me with an obligation to correct these woeful techniques. I don't feel big headed when I say "Hey buddy you might want to try and do A, B and C or you're going to hurt yourself and you'll benefit more from that exercise", and you shouldn't either! If you see someone who looks like their going to snap their back in half then do the right thing and give them some advise. More often than not people are willing to take all the good advise they can get and this is especially true for people who are new to the gym.
I also often see instances when a couple of guys coming to the gym together, both will be pretty new to lifting but one of the two will have his own set of dumbbells he got for Christmas and will think he's the master of techniques because he saw a video on youtube or something on a popular mens fitness magazine's website. The worrying thing about this is that that guy's own technique is incorrect and he's giving this poor soul advise on how to lift. In this situation I insist that if you have any sympathy for your fellow human-being then you don your Super Man cape and jump in to the rescue and attempt to help educate both the offender and poor victim.
Some of the key points to look out for:
- Bent backs
- Movements that don't actually have any extension at the joint which should be extended
- Feet agonisingly close together
- Swinging of weights
- Rotator cuff exercises that are clearly working anterior deltoid.
So remember, the gym is a place of learning as well as exercising! The majority of people are willing to take advise.
Some of the key points to look out for:
- Bent backs
- Movements that don't actually have any extension at the joint which should be extended
- Feet agonisingly close together
- Swinging of weights
- Rotator cuff exercises that are clearly working anterior deltoid.
So remember, the gym is a place of learning as well as exercising! The majority of people are willing to take advise.
Friday, 15 February 2013
Designing your training programme
When designing your training programme it is important to analyse the demands of your sport. Yes this may seem simple but its true and important when designing an effective training strategy. You need to consider what type of sport you take part in. Is performance based on endurance or power? The main fitness component of your sport creates the platform for your training programme. Who are the top performers in your sport and what qualities do they share? In terms of team sports the most successful players are generally the most powerful and who can efficiently apply that power to movement. For example; in ice hockey Alexander Ovechkin is undoubtedly one of the top performers. Ovechkin has tremendous power which he is very efficiently able to apply to movements such as skating, shooting and hitting.
So in this case the training programme for an ice hockey player it should focus on power and speed as that is the most important fitness component for performance. If your sport is sprint orientated like ice hockey and players are stopping and starting frequently while performing high intensity efforts you need to think about who long the players perform these bouts of exercise for and over what time scale, i.e. how long does the game last? This is important because the training programme needs to mirror the energy systems used during competition.
The training programme needs to follow simple but effective principles. We must learn to walk before we can run and sprint. This is the same when designing a training programme. It is vital to master the basic movements before learning complex movements. Something as simple as a body weight squat must be performed correctly before progressing. Only once the basic movement patterns are mastered should players begin to perform complex exercises. I believe that it is important for even the most experienced trainers to go back to basics a number of times during a training programme. Players may be performing very complex exercises but it is possible to lose mastery of those basic movement patterns that form the base of complex movements. In my opinion basic movement patterns are great to apply during de-load phases of a training programme so athletes don't lose their muscle memory of those basic movement patterns.
Image: http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/tag/knubles-knights/ (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)
The training programme needs to follow simple but effective principles. We must learn to walk before we can run and sprint. This is the same when designing a training programme. It is vital to master the basic movements before learning complex movements. Something as simple as a body weight squat must be performed correctly before progressing. Only once the basic movement patterns are mastered should players begin to perform complex exercises. I believe that it is important for even the most experienced trainers to go back to basics a number of times during a training programme. Players may be performing very complex exercises but it is possible to lose mastery of those basic movement patterns that form the base of complex movements. In my opinion basic movement patterns are great to apply during de-load phases of a training programme so athletes don't lose their muscle memory of those basic movement patterns.
Image: http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/tag/knubles-knights/ (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Fitness or skill?
As a follow on from my earlier Tweet "It baffles me that some skills coaches out there still overlook the importance of S&C training. An unfit team will not succeed" heres my opinion on the whole matter.
Skills are clearly vital to a team winning but fitness is the key to success.
I have personally seen many athletes who are very talented and who's skill level is far above their peers but it was their fitness that let them down and caused them to not make the big time. The players who do make it are the all-rounder's who have a good skill set but who are also are well conditioned. As a coach I would always take a team of well conditioned players over a team of players who are highly skilful because when it really comes down to the last game of the play-offs or cup final it is the fit players who have the gas to go the whole game and execute the winning play at the very end.
The best example of fitness directly contributing to success is the USA men's ice hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics. In my personal opinion Herb Brooks is the greatest coach ever in the history of ice hockey and that is for a number of reasons but one key aspect was his appreciation for conditioning.
'He believed that talent could win a lot of games, but he also believed that there was no excuse for being out-conditioned’ (Gilbert, 2008).
Brooks wanted his players to be able to cope when things got ugly during games and still dominate games with their technical skills. Brooks not only applied this ethic to the 1980 team but throughout his coaching career. Brooks never built his teams on having the most talented players or the top scorers. He selected the players most willing to skate hard and fast, and those who fit together as a whole and showed the right attitude he was looking for. Brooks often linked effort with success, which is why he viewed conditioning as a vital part of the USA’s success in 1980. If the team hadn’t been so well conditioned and built upon a hard working ethos then it is unlikely they could have performed to the level they did against the USSR.
My favourite quote from Brooks and one that I have repeated a number of times to players has got to be; ‘think you can win on talent alone? Gentlemen, you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone’ (Do you believe in miracles?, 2001). I find that a lot of young players who are simply very talented need a serious wake up call because being able to dance round guys just doesn't cut it at the top level. I may be a little bias but I think conditioning should always come before individual skills training as evidence shows fitness and effort are directly linked to success. Skills may win games but it is fitness wins championships and is what makes a team successful.
References
Skills are clearly vital to a team winning but fitness is the key to success.
I have personally seen many athletes who are very talented and who's skill level is far above their peers but it was their fitness that let them down and caused them to not make the big time. The players who do make it are the all-rounder's who have a good skill set but who are also are well conditioned. As a coach I would always take a team of well conditioned players over a team of players who are highly skilful because when it really comes down to the last game of the play-offs or cup final it is the fit players who have the gas to go the whole game and execute the winning play at the very end.
The best example of fitness directly contributing to success is the USA men's ice hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics. In my personal opinion Herb Brooks is the greatest coach ever in the history of ice hockey and that is for a number of reasons but one key aspect was his appreciation for conditioning.
'He believed that talent could win a lot of games, but he also believed that there was no excuse for being out-conditioned’ (Gilbert, 2008).
Brooks wanted his players to be able to cope when things got ugly during games and still dominate games with their technical skills. Brooks not only applied this ethic to the 1980 team but throughout his coaching career. Brooks never built his teams on having the most talented players or the top scorers. He selected the players most willing to skate hard and fast, and those who fit together as a whole and showed the right attitude he was looking for. Brooks often linked effort with success, which is why he viewed conditioning as a vital part of the USA’s success in 1980. If the team hadn’t been so well conditioned and built upon a hard working ethos then it is unlikely they could have performed to the level they did against the USSR.
My favourite quote from Brooks and one that I have repeated a number of times to players has got to be; ‘think you can win on talent alone? Gentlemen, you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone’ (Do you believe in miracles?, 2001). I find that a lot of young players who are simply very talented need a serious wake up call because being able to dance round guys just doesn't cut it at the top level. I may be a little bias but I think conditioning should always come before individual skills training as evidence shows fitness and effort are directly linked to success. Skills may win games but it is fitness wins championships and is what makes a team successful.
References
Do you believe in
miracles?: The story of the 1980 U.S. hockey team, 2001. [DVD]
USA: HBO.
Gilbert,
J. 2008. Herb Brooks: The inside story of a hockey mastermind.
Minnesota: MVP Books.
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Gym Dress-code
As I Tweeted today "The gym is no place for snap-back caps...".
The frustration caused by people dressing inappropriately for exercise is unbelievable. This got me thinking of a list of clothing items that should not be worn in the gym as you are there to exercise and sweat (if you train correctly). So here's a list of things that should be banned from the gym.
Snap-back caps (my dislike for these things is unrelenting and as the hockey camp guys know if I see you wearing one I'll take it off you).
T-shirts you would consider wearing when you go socialising.
Jeans.
Short jeans.
Chinos.
Short Chinos.
Vests with stupidly low arm holes.
Any T-shirt that has such a low neck your nipples are visible.
Anything from Hollister!
Converse.
Rigger boots.
Plimsoles.
Toms.
Any Sunderland FC items of clothing (thats just a personal one).
Fashion beanie hats.
Your work uniform (unless your work involves wearing sports clothing appropriate to train in).
Board shorts.
Baggy bottoms and an extremely tight top (you're clearly hiding the fact you don't train legs...so start training your legs!).
Thats just to name a few!
One last one which isn't clothing would be any hair products or fragrance.
1. You should be training hard enough so that you sweat and therefore the gel on your hair will run into your eyes.
2. Again you should be training hard enough so that you sweat...Armani Code isn't going to cover up that smell!
So please the next time you are getting ready for the gym think about what you wear. Its not a fashion parade. Wear comfortable clothes with plenty of movement in them that you are happy to get sweaty. Also wear appropriate footwear that are stable and suitable to train in.
The frustration caused by people dressing inappropriately for exercise is unbelievable. This got me thinking of a list of clothing items that should not be worn in the gym as you are there to exercise and sweat (if you train correctly). So here's a list of things that should be banned from the gym.
Snap-back caps (my dislike for these things is unrelenting and as the hockey camp guys know if I see you wearing one I'll take it off you).
T-shirts you would consider wearing when you go socialising.
Jeans.
Short jeans.
Chinos.
Short Chinos.
Vests with stupidly low arm holes.
Any T-shirt that has such a low neck your nipples are visible.
Anything from Hollister!
Converse.
Rigger boots.
Plimsoles.
Toms.
Any Sunderland FC items of clothing (thats just a personal one).
Fashion beanie hats.
Your work uniform (unless your work involves wearing sports clothing appropriate to train in).
Board shorts.
Baggy bottoms and an extremely tight top (you're clearly hiding the fact you don't train legs...so start training your legs!).
Thats just to name a few!
One last one which isn't clothing would be any hair products or fragrance.
1. You should be training hard enough so that you sweat and therefore the gel on your hair will run into your eyes.
2. Again you should be training hard enough so that you sweat...Armani Code isn't going to cover up that smell!
So please the next time you are getting ready for the gym think about what you wear. Its not a fashion parade. Wear comfortable clothes with plenty of movement in them that you are happy to get sweaty. Also wear appropriate footwear that are stable and suitable to train in.
Sunday, 10 February 2013
About JM Conditioning
Firstly a note about myself and JM Conditioning.
My name is Joe Mann and I am a Strength and Conditioning Coach. I studied at York St John University from 2009 - 2012 and completed a degree in Sports Performance Conditioning BSc. During my time at University I gained experience in conditioning initially with the Castleford Tigers RLFC under Head Conditioning Coach Kevin Till in 2009. The placement with Castleford sparked my ambition to pursue a career as a S&C coach. In that same year I secured a position with the Bradford Bulls RLFC working with the under 18's and under 20's squads under S&C coaches Tom Clough and Ben Nicholson. I spent two seasons with the Bulls and learnt a great deal in my time there.
In April 2012 I was fortunate enough to take up a role at the Best of British Ice Hockey Camp as the Head Off-Ice Conditioning Coach. The camps run at Easter and during the summer at a number of locations across the UK, I am based at the camp which is held at Ice Sheffield. The camp is one of the best of its kind in Europe and boasts professional coaches such as; Paul Heavey, Danny Stewart, Ben Bowns, Corey Neilson and Greg Wood to name a few. On the camp in terms of off-ice work the focus is not to improve the fitness of the players but to educate them on how to become fit and look after themselves so that they can compete at the highest possible level on the ice. On the summer camp I was joined by two other off-ice coaches Shaun Thompson and Mark Laws who each had exceptional experience in S&C and were great to work with.
Over the last few months I have been taking fitness sessions for the Thomas Rotherham College Rugby Union Academy. The team have links with the Rotherham Titans RUFC and are also coach by Titans assistant coach Ben Wade. The squad is very inexperienced in terms of fitness and conditioning which has made for a slow start to their training, as they are in season it has been important to work on their fitness as a whole while educating them in lifting techniques for gym based sessions. Many of the squad have a great determination to work hard and improve themselves as athletes.
My own personal experience in sport includes a variety of activities. From a young age I began playing roller hockey which I was fortunate to play on a number of successful teams and also captain two of them. I began playing competitive ice hockey at the age of 15 for the Manchester Phoenix at Under 18's. I was with the club for two seasons and in my last year there our team were league champions. I was lucky to have played with guys who have gone onto play professionally in British ice hockey.
From there I went to play two seasons at senior level with the Bradford Bulldogs but unfortunately had to stop due to University commitments.
I have been able to continue playing none competitive hockey while also doing some on ice coaching for recreational clubs in Sheffield.
Having always played rugby union throughout school and college I began playing rugby league in my second year at University. For me this transition was fairly simple and I adapted to the game very well, so much so that I played for the North East student squad at the regional tournament during my final year at York St John. After making the North East squad I was picked up by the York City Knights RLFC and was part of their reserves squad during the 2012 season. I was extremely fortunate to be coached by Chris Thorman at the Knights and train alongside players such as Jordan Tansey, John Davies, Paul King and Wayne Pryce.
I've also have experience in MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the EKBJJ Association Rotherham. EKBJJ is founded by Eddie Kone black Belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under world renowned BJJ and MMA fighter Royler Gracie.
So there you have an idea of my experience and work within S&C with some background information on myself. I will be posting anything and everything to do with Strength and Conditioning on this blog and will also post tips on fitness and well-being. I hope to be bringing some very exciting news and events so keep a look out for JM Conditioning.
Follow my on Twitter @JM_Conditioning https://twitter.com/JM_Conditioning
Thanks.
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