Hey everyone, welcome to another week of athlete's planet! In this article, I'm going to cover how to strengthen your core and abdominal muscles. Nice abs aren't only to show off at the beach, having a strong core will help with almost every sport as well as everyday tasks. Here are some quick ab exercises using only your body weight that will give you the core strength you need to excel.
Start with a light dynamic warm up.
Next do these exercises:
Plank: Get in a plank position (body straight with elbows on the ground) and hold it for a set time. If you're a beginner start with 30 seconds, and add 15 seconds progressively as you get better. Advanced can do 1-2 minutes or more. Do 3 sets of your set time then move on to your next exercise.
For the next exercise, you're going to want to lay on the floor on your back, put your legs together and lift them just enough so that they are off the ground and you can feel your core working. Next, lift your legs all the way so your body forms a 90 degree angle, and then lower your legs again as low as you can without letting them touch the ground. Squeeze your core and hold for a few seconds, then go back up to a 90 and repeat. Do 2 sets of 8-15 reps.
Spider Crawl: This next one is another great side ab exercise for your obliques. I'll let this link explain how it's done. Do 2 sets of 15-25 reps. Spider Crawl
3/4 Sit up: I'm usually against sit ups and crunches, but this variation is one to add to the list. Again watch this video for explanation. Do 2 sets of 15-25 reps. 3/4 sit up
By now if you did it right your abs should be pretty burned out and tired. So finish off the workout with this.
Cocoons: Lay on your back and extend your arms up and your legs down while keeping both your arms and legs off the ground. Next bring your arms and legs to your stomach simultaneously and squeeze, then return to the starting position. Finish with 10-20 reps. Watch this video for a visual. Cocoons
Repeat this killer workout a few times a week and watch the abs appear in no time. Remember though, having visible abs starts in the kitchen, you'll need to keep your body fat low to make sure they are really visible.
I myself don't usually do ab specific exercises as I use my abs while working on many other exercises, but doing ab specific exercises are always a plus. My favorites are the plank and spider crawl, but they are all effective exercises.
That's it for this week, see you all next time!
Sources:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/spider-crawl
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/34-sit-up
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/cocoons
Monday, October 14, 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Top 5 tips for a higher vertical
Hello, and welcome to the second installment of the athlete's planet blog. This week we will be discussing an other big aspect of many sports: jumping. From being able to throw down ferocious dunks in basketball to delivering big spikes in volleyball, how high you jump can put you way above the competition and also helps with many other aspects in sports.
This week there will be no set workout, just 5 major things you need to remember to maximize your vertical and get the best gains.
1. Muscle Strength
Plain and simple, if overall your muscles are weak there's a good chance you're not going to get much air. There are several muscles involved when it comes to jumping and you must strengthen all of them to get the most out of your jump. But it's not just about training them, it's about training them right. Most people blindly train at the gym and do a million isolation exercises like bicep curls and leg extensions expecting to get stronger, but those exercises only shape the muscles not make YOU stronger as a unit. Jumping is a whole body movement, so you need exercises that train many muscle groups at once.This is where compound lifts come in. Exercises like the Barbell Squat, Dead lift, Bench Press and Power Clean are what's really going to have you flying like Mike (Jordan). Learn form and proper technique of these exercises (start the first few workouts with very light weight) and then do a workout with high weight and low reps (4-6). Add 5 lbs each workout and you'll see the results in no time. Throw in some chin ups and pull ups for extra upper body strength as well.
2. Plyometric training
The next most important thing to having the muscle to jump high, is to be able to apply that force quickly, very quickly. If you can't get the muscle to explode and react fast, all of your weight training would be a waste. Jumping is an explosive movement, so you need to train your muscles to fire rapidly. Doing a workout like the one featured in my Speed Blog (go to my "Introduction Blog" to find it) regularly will really help your muscle speed and movement. There are many jump exercises to help this like Box Jumps, Jump rope, Sprints, Power Jumps etc. The point is you need to train your fast twitch muscle fibers to be exactly that, fast. Again go for fewer quality reps, instead of several bad or lazy reps.
3. Shed the extra weight
If you're going to jump high, you'll have to lose any unwanted fat and keep your body fat percentage low, ideally under 10% and anything under 7% being great. There's a reason why you don't see many overweight great jumpers, it's a lot harder to jump as it really weighs you down. It's like trying to jump with a 20 lb backpack on you, you're not going to get very high. To do this you are going to have to clean up your diet, do some cardio and stay active until you lose the the excess fat. Once you do you'll not only jump higher but be in overall better health.
4. Work on your flexibility/mobility
Another part of jumping which is rarely talked about is your flexibility,mobility and stability. If you have tight muscles that aren't bendable you'll have a harder time getting your muscles to fire quickly. Daily stretching and foam rolling can easily help this, but things like yoga can surprise you at how much it helps you athletically. Guys, you may feel less manly doing it but i'm sure the toughness will come back when you dunk in somebody's face. Trust me, it helps.
5. Be consistent and be realistic
This last tip is more mental than it is physical. Really improving your vertical jump takes time. Unless you are a complete beginner you won't get major gains right away. All those advertisements/products that claim to get you 10 inches on your jump in 2 months are liars, unless you completely can't jump at all to begin with. Gaining real results will take a good amount of time and will be very tiring but you have to stay consistent, the results will come. Don't quit just because it didn't happen overnight, your future self will thank you. You must really have a "Rome wasn't built in a day" attitude to get the most of your potential vertical jump.
Don't give up, I've followed these tips myself and have went from not being able to touch a 10 foot rim, to touching it, to grabbing it and even dunking a small dodge ball. All while being only 5'6" tall. Of course it took lots of time and work, but it was without a doubt worth it.
Good Luck
Be back next week, go be the best you can be.
Sources: All me
This week there will be no set workout, just 5 major things you need to remember to maximize your vertical and get the best gains.
1. Muscle Strength
Plain and simple, if overall your muscles are weak there's a good chance you're not going to get much air. There are several muscles involved when it comes to jumping and you must strengthen all of them to get the most out of your jump. But it's not just about training them, it's about training them right. Most people blindly train at the gym and do a million isolation exercises like bicep curls and leg extensions expecting to get stronger, but those exercises only shape the muscles not make YOU stronger as a unit. Jumping is a whole body movement, so you need exercises that train many muscle groups at once.This is where compound lifts come in. Exercises like the Barbell Squat, Dead lift, Bench Press and Power Clean are what's really going to have you flying like Mike (Jordan). Learn form and proper technique of these exercises (start the first few workouts with very light weight) and then do a workout with high weight and low reps (4-6). Add 5 lbs each workout and you'll see the results in no time. Throw in some chin ups and pull ups for extra upper body strength as well.
2. Plyometric training
The next most important thing to having the muscle to jump high, is to be able to apply that force quickly, very quickly. If you can't get the muscle to explode and react fast, all of your weight training would be a waste. Jumping is an explosive movement, so you need to train your muscles to fire rapidly. Doing a workout like the one featured in my Speed Blog (go to my "Introduction Blog" to find it) regularly will really help your muscle speed and movement. There are many jump exercises to help this like Box Jumps, Jump rope, Sprints, Power Jumps etc. The point is you need to train your fast twitch muscle fibers to be exactly that, fast. Again go for fewer quality reps, instead of several bad or lazy reps.
3. Shed the extra weight
If you're going to jump high, you'll have to lose any unwanted fat and keep your body fat percentage low, ideally under 10% and anything under 7% being great. There's a reason why you don't see many overweight great jumpers, it's a lot harder to jump as it really weighs you down. It's like trying to jump with a 20 lb backpack on you, you're not going to get very high. To do this you are going to have to clean up your diet, do some cardio and stay active until you lose the the excess fat. Once you do you'll not only jump higher but be in overall better health.
4. Work on your flexibility/mobility
Another part of jumping which is rarely talked about is your flexibility,mobility and stability. If you have tight muscles that aren't bendable you'll have a harder time getting your muscles to fire quickly. Daily stretching and foam rolling can easily help this, but things like yoga can surprise you at how much it helps you athletically. Guys, you may feel less manly doing it but i'm sure the toughness will come back when you dunk in somebody's face. Trust me, it helps.
5. Be consistent and be realistic
This last tip is more mental than it is physical. Really improving your vertical jump takes time. Unless you are a complete beginner you won't get major gains right away. All those advertisements/products that claim to get you 10 inches on your jump in 2 months are liars, unless you completely can't jump at all to begin with. Gaining real results will take a good amount of time and will be very tiring but you have to stay consistent, the results will come. Don't quit just because it didn't happen overnight, your future self will thank you. You must really have a "Rome wasn't built in a day" attitude to get the most of your potential vertical jump.
Don't give up, I've followed these tips myself and have went from not being able to touch a 10 foot rim, to touching it, to grabbing it and even dunking a small dodge ball. All while being only 5'6" tall. Of course it took lots of time and work, but it was without a doubt worth it.
Good Luck
Be back next week, go be the best you can be.
Sources: All me
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Introduction Blog: Speed
Hello athlete's from all over! Welcome to your new favorite blog, Athlete's Planet, where we offer you the best sports tips to improve your performance. Anything from speed and quickness to strength and muscle mass, this blog will help you crush the competition. You can find weekly updates on sports news and info along with help on how to be the best athlete you can be.
In this weeks blog, we will be covering a quick article on speed. Regardless of your sport, being quicker and faster than everyone else is always a plus. There are many useful ways to improve speed, but there are also many less effective exercises too.
Here is a quick basic list of ladder exercises to master that will make your footwork impeccable. Once you've got these down you can move on to more difficult ladder exercises.
Do at least 3-5 sets of each variation depending on your fitness/speed level. First go at your own pace, to get the footwork down, and then try and go as fast as possible once you feel comfortable.
Here's a great video that explains each movement, watch the whole thing to really understand proper technique. I will be putting time stamps for each exercise.
1. 1 foot in each ladder (1:17)
2. 2 feet in each ladder (1:42)
3. Lateral runs (1:59)
4.Cross Country skier (2:37)
5.Hop Scotch (3:05)
6.Icky Shuffle (5:44)
Tired? Good, but your still not done. Once you've finished that, grab a jump rope and finish with these exercises.
Do 2 sets of these to finish
Here's a video explaining how to do these exercises:
High knees jump as fast as you can for 45 seconds. Bring knees up to hip level. (1:35)
Two foot side to side (Hop wide from left to right landing on both feet) for 45 seconds. (0:17)
One foot circles (3:31) for 45 seconds
By doing this workout 2-3 times a week you'll have great foot speed and quickness in no time.
I have done these exercises myself and will vouch that jumping rope will definitely improve your quickness. By doing these types of movements I have significantly improved my speed so I can dominate in my sport. Give them a try!
That's all we have for today though, tune in next week for more tips and workouts.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_bbBglPGHA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX-NdILjBWY
In this weeks blog, we will be covering a quick article on speed. Regardless of your sport, being quicker and faster than everyone else is always a plus. There are many useful ways to improve speed, but there are also many less effective exercises too.
Here is a quick basic list of ladder exercises to master that will make your footwork impeccable. Once you've got these down you can move on to more difficult ladder exercises.
Do at least 3-5 sets of each variation depending on your fitness/speed level. First go at your own pace, to get the footwork down, and then try and go as fast as possible once you feel comfortable.
Here's a great video that explains each movement, watch the whole thing to really understand proper technique. I will be putting time stamps for each exercise.
2. 2 feet in each ladder (1:42)
3. Lateral runs (1:59)
4.Cross Country skier (2:37)
5.Hop Scotch (3:05)
6.Icky Shuffle (5:44)
Tired? Good, but your still not done. Once you've finished that, grab a jump rope and finish with these exercises.
Do 2 sets of these to finish
Here's a video explaining how to do these exercises:
High knees jump as fast as you can for 45 seconds. Bring knees up to hip level. (1:35)
Two foot side to side (Hop wide from left to right landing on both feet) for 45 seconds. (0:17)
One foot circles (3:31) for 45 seconds
By doing this workout 2-3 times a week you'll have great foot speed and quickness in no time.
I have done these exercises myself and will vouch that jumping rope will definitely improve your quickness. By doing these types of movements I have significantly improved my speed so I can dominate in my sport. Give them a try!
That's all we have for today though, tune in next week for more tips and workouts.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_bbBglPGHA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX-NdILjBWY
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