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Archives by Tag 'conditioning'

Offseason Workout: 4 Weight Room Exercises for the Fourth Quarter Lacrosse Player

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Professional fitness trainer Greg Howard has designed a proven training program aimed at conditioning athletes to be above game shape. “Fourth quarter” athletes control the tempo of the game and the game doesn’t control them. Come crunch time, they’re a step ahead of the competition and still playing at the top of their game.

In this week’s player development feature, Howard heads to the weight room to reveal several key weight training exercises to build strength and endurance. By supersetting workouts, athletes can really build their explosiveness and get in some great cardio as well.

Also, check out our previous fourth quarter athlete workouts highlighting multiple indoor and outdoor exercises perfect for offseason training.

Squats & Box Jumps

In our weight training series this week, we’re working specifically on supersetting our reps. In other words, go from one exercise directly to another and continue on with your workout.

Let’s start out with squats. While some trainers prefer three sets, aim for four. Start with 15 straight squats. Keep your head up and maintain good form. Don’t bend the back.

After racking that squat weight, you will move right into 15 reps with box jumps. With this exercise, you’ll be jumping up and down from a stool or chair. Maintain good form and make it easy coming off and on. Explode up and get to the top of the platform.

When finished, take a few deep breaths and go right back into your second round of squats. Drop it down to 10 reps this time. This is where your legs begin to feel fatigued and you need to push through. Now with the new round of box jumps, you will really feel fatigued. You must work hard at it. Go for 10 reps here. You can then finish with 8 and 5 reps before moving on.

When combined, you’re getting a 100 percent leg workout, increasing your explosiveness, and getting in a cardio workout by supersetting them together. These workouts really improve that first explosive step.

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Shoulder Press & Dumbbell Front Press

For the shoulder press and dumbbell front press combined, we like to go four sets total. Start with 10 shoulder press reps and then move into 20 dumbbell front presses. On the should press, make sure the bar gets no lower than the chin. Work on developing the front deltoids. Keep a strong back and your core tight.

Next, go right into a stationary front press. One arm at a time, press the dumbbells high into the air. When finished with your set, go right back into the shoulder press after a 5-10 second breather. Aim for another 10 reps on the second time. Shoot for 20-25 seconds of rest and be sure to keep up your breathing techniques learned from our first outdoor exercise feature.

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The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Training the Fourth Quarter Athlete” with Greg Howard. To check out additional training and performance enhancement videos, click here.

Filed in Lacrosse • Tags: conditioning, Greg Howard, Inside the Crease, speed agility & quickness, Strength Development

2 Effective Offseason Workouts to Improve Speed and Agility

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Renowned trainer Greg Howard has developed a proven training program to take athletes above game shape. This way, players control the tempo of the game and the game doesn’t control them. Once crunch time rolls around, they’re a step ahead of the competition and still playing at the top of their game.

In this week’s player development feature, Howard provides a pair of indoor workouts designed to give athletes that fourth quarter edge. With the winter season forcing many players indoors to practice or work out, these exercises are perfect for any school sports facility or gymnasium. Many of the workouts can also incorporate stick handling, passing, and other lacrosse fundamentals.

The T Drill

Set-Up: The T Drill has four cones involved. Three cones are placed out in front about 15 feet and played in the center, right and left — all about 15 yards apart. There’s also one cone at the start. The cones together form a T.

Drill Breakdown: Players will take off in a dead sprint, round the middle cone, cut left and around the far left cone, figure eight around the middle cone, sprint to the right cone, back to the middle cone, before cutting and then sprinting back to the beginning as fast as possible.

We do these in five-set formats. In this particular video segment, the player will run through a double set. We’ll also introduce a ball, but it doesn’t matter what sport you play. Lacrosse players can use their stick and a ball and work on cradling and stick handling. When implementing a ball or stick, it’s the perfect drill to work on hand-eye coordination.

Players should start again immediately after each repetition. Once complete, rest for about 30 seconds and really focus on your breathing Depending on your athletes and their ages, you can mix the sets up however you choose.

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Combo Drill

Overview: This highly-effective drill is a combination of quick feet, sprint work, and bleacher work. It really works on the conditioning of the legs, plus breathing. The workout is usually conducted in a 10-set format (so players go 10 straight times), but it may depend on the athletes you are working with. Meanwhile, sprints are at a 15-20 foot length.

Drill Breakdown: Player goes back and forth with “quick feet” between spaced out cones. Hands are always moving. Quick feet is followed by two sprints. Next, players immediately sprint up and down the bleachers four times before jogging back and getting ready to start workout again.

Note: This workout is a great way for lacrosse players during the winter months to work in your high school gym and improve your speed, agility, conditioning, and legs. These exercises can be done in season and out of season, too.

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The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Training the Fourth Quarter Athlete” with Greg Howard. To check out more training and player development DVDs, be sure to visit our video library.

Filed in Lacrosse • Tags: conditioning, Greg Howard, indoor workouts, Inside the Crease, performance training

4 Outdoor Exercises to Train the Fourth Quarter Athlete

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Greg Howard has developed a proven training program to take an athlete above game shape. This way, athletes control the tempo of the game, and the game doesn’t control them. Come crunch time, they’re a step ahead of the competition and still playing at the top of their game.

In this week’s player development feature, Howard provides three easy-to-implement outdoor exercises designed to give athletes a fourth quarter edge. While Howard’s program is a bit more extensive, these exercises will provide lacrosse players with a great foundation towards becoming the ultimate fourth quarter athlete.

3 Components Needed to Become a Fourth Quarter Athlete

1) An athlete must dedicate themselves to offseason training and in-season maintenance

2) Proper Breathing. It’s about the proper amount of oxygen to take in so you can recover quickly.

3) Confidence in knowing you can outlast the competition. This is done through training, breathing, executing and listening to coaches to help maintain goals.

Outdoor Exercise Segment #1: Dynamic Warm-Up

Every training segment should have a dynamic warm-up. This enables you to warm up the joints, connective tissue, hamstrings, and other muscles so they can be warm and ready to go for the high-intensity workouts.

Your dynamic warm-up should be 10-15 minutes in length. Three examples of exercises perfect for a dynamic warm-up include:

– High Knees. Go for about 30 yards while jogging.

– High Knees with butt kickers.

– High Knees with commands. Commands could be side shuffles frontward, backward, sprints, etc.

Outdoor Exercise Segment #2: Crisscross

For the crisscross, set up cones in a zigzag pattern. Players will be cutting at the cone, sprinting off, and working on those first 2-3 steps. When finished, work on your breathing. Take one good deep breath in and one good deep breath out. Repeat. Then start the drill again.

Power off the cone and cruise into the next cone. On the third and fourth reps through, players will fatigue a bit. Coaches should constantly remind athletes to take big, deep breaths. This is part of a breathing technique designed to drop the heart rate so we can recover quicker.

Set-up: Have cones staggered at 8-10 yards apart. Set up at least four cones on each side.

Outdoor Exercise Segment #3: Squad Jumps with Crisscross

Here we are combining squat jumps with our previous crisscross exercise. Start in a squatted format. Your knees should be bent, your head and eyes should point straight ahead and your arms should be straight out in front of you. Then jump straight up and immediately back into your squat format. It’s all one movement. Now, do this with a combo of crisscrosses.

This drill really helps condition those hip flexors and thighs. You’re also fatiguing the legs and then going off into a sprint. It’s a difficult exercise, but the rewards are worth it.

First Set: 20 squat jumps with crisscross X 2.

Second Set: 15 squat jumps with crisscross X 2.

Third Set: 10 squat jumps with crisscross X 2.

Fourth Set: 5 squat jumps with crisscross X 2.

Outdoor Exercise Segment #4: Combo Exercises

Next, we are shortening the crisscross cones to about 5-6 yards apart. Out of this, athletes will move into a red cone section for “Quick Feet” to work on fast steps while fatigued. Then it’s to the black cone section to work on a step-over move. After that, it’s to the sideways hurdles.

These drills are done in five-set formats, with no breaks. It’s really key here to focus on breathing here. It helps the athlete calm down and recover quicker. Do 5-7 sets with no breaks and focus in on your breathing.

Filed in Lacrosse • Tags: conditioning, Inside the Crease, speed agility & quickness, Strength Development

New Cheerleading DVDs Featuring Jen Uselton!

By nate.landas - Last updated: Thursday, August 18, 2011

There has recently been two Cheerleading DVDs released featuring Jen Uselton. She is a 6x UCA Head Instructor of the Year. The titles of the two new Cheerleading DVDs are:

Stop the Drama! Managing Conflict in Cheerleading

End the drama on your team with these conflict resolution and team building techniques
Learn to diffuse emotionally charged situations and create positive results
10 cyber-bullying facts every coach and parent needs to know to protect teens

The Performance Challenge “All-in-One”Conditioning and Skill Workout

Save practice time with this unique all-in-one strength, conditioning and skill workout
Improve your team’s strength, flexibility, tumbling, jumps and more
Improve the quality of your routines, create confident athletes and get fit