High school workouts

I remember being in high school. It was about 13 years ago that I was in the weight room. And honestly, I hated every second of it.

Why?

Because there was only guys who were heavy lifters. So imagine how self conscious you would be if you were only able to bench press 115 lbs (the bar + 35 lb plates on each side) once while everyone else is warming up with 135.

WASTE OF TIME.

Do you think I wanted to go back? 

What would have kept me more enthused and motivated? How about some direction? How about some variation? How about some of the more experienced guys helping the younger guys out? 

Then I would wander around looking for some piece of equipment that wasn't occupied and I would do that. Even if it meant doing wrist curls. I know what you're thinking - Wrist curls? What an absolute WASTE OF TIME! 

So now that I am the one running the show, designing the programs and overseeing the lifting, what am I doing differently? Everything.

The programs are setup in 4-week cycles. Everybody has a weight lifting record sheet. Absolute weight is not relevant. Instead we prioritize the following:

1. Technique - it's everything. If you can't lift cleanly, you can't lift.
2. Body weight - If you can't manage your own body weight, why the heck am I going to ADD more weight?
3. Compound lifts take priority. Squat variations, bench press, pullups, lunges and rotational power exercises.

BETTER USE OF TIME: Strength, Balance, Flexibility

You see everything is done with a purpose here. We stretch between working sets, we alternate speed and agility exercises with core training to maximize recovery without STANDING AROUND. Our kids are ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING. 

There is no wasted time here. We get more done in an hour than some high school programs get done in a week. And it shows. Our younger athletes are getting stronger, their technique is impeccable and they are LEARNING HOW TO LIFT. 

They are getting what you and I didn't get: guidance, motivation, encouragement and supervision. And as their parent, they'll like to hear that you struggled with this stuff too. That you wish you had this growing up. Because the kids that are coming in here? They love it.

Want more information on our speed and strength programs? Visit our website at www.pairmarotta.com/fitness or email me at aaron@pairmarotta.com

What's the key to improved QUICKNESS and AGILITY?

Balance.

No, not stand on a single leg, close your eyes and touch your nose balance. But balance between strength and power training.

What is the difference? Well if I asked you to describe strength training, how would you describe it? Most have the picture to the left in their mind. Lift as much weight as you can, regardless of speed. Actually the heavier you lift, the slower the movement.

Now what is power training? Power the same but has a time component. Power is the amount of weight lifted x distance divided by the time taken to lift it, or (force x distance)/time.

Some people claim that if you lift heavy, you lift slow and as a result you won't get any faster or more powerful. This group tends to stay away from heavy lifting and focuses strictly on plyometrics, agility training and reaction time training. These are all good attributes to have in a sports training program.

But by leaving the heavy lifting out, they are missing a very crucial component to their programs!!

Which component?? STRENGTH!

See strength (or in other terms work) is simply a force x distance. So it is in itself a component of power! If you have no strength, then this will directly influence your ability to move fast. After all, its not simply how fast you can move nothing, but instead its how fast can you move your body weight (most sports aren't played wearing a weighted vest).

If an athlete weighs 180 lbs, well he better be able to move and control not only his own weight, but also the added force from the momentum/inertia created by his 180 lbs moving quickly.

Heavy resistance training is a key component to being able to prevent injuries because most non-contact injuries occur during the eccentric or deceleration part of sports. Strength training improves the ability of muscle to control weight external to a players own body weight. 

Look at the video below, as quick as he is, he's also amazingly strong for his size!

Do you think he was able to change direction multiple time by working on speed and agility alone? No. Strength training plays a huge role!!

Then there are some who say that strength is all that matters. This can be countered with the principle of specificity. Specificity states that a person will adapt specifically to the demands placed on the body. So if you teach the muscle to contract with high amounts of force, but it contracts slowly, you'll see a person who is slow, but strong. So you really have to find the balance. 

In sports, especially baseball, we need to find the balance between the two.

At Pair & Marotta Peak Performance do just this! During our FAST Forward workouts, we spend the first 45 minutes of our workout on speed and agility training and the final 45 minutes on strength and flexibility training. And we see some amazing results! Want to come take a look?

Send me an email and let me know you'll be coming by! We would love to see you.