Sports Training

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ibnzmusician

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Hey all,

I'll keep this short and simple - I want to learn how to get into great shape for my sports. I play tennis, basketball, and some track & field (my events are high jump, disc, 400m dash, and I'd love to try pole vaulting).

I'm 15, female, about 5'8'' and about 135 lbs. Any tips?

Thanks,
ibnz

P.S. I'm not sure if this is the right forum for the thread, so I'm sorry if it's misplaced.
 
ibnzmusician-

Hello there! All the sports and event you listed require a training focus for explosive movement. I woudl say you would want to increase your maximal strength levels, while keeping the total volume relatively low, so you don't feel like you are gaining "mass" or "bulk" seeing as though some females percieve weight training as making them HUGE. It won't happen, females generate far less anabolic hormones than do males. So don't worry, you even tone up!

Perhaps try something along these lines to begin with.

Barbell Hack Squat (Squat down with a barbell behind your back, near your ankles, grab the bar, and lift using legs)- 3 x 5

Push Up Variant (If you can do a regular push up, great, if not, use a bench or box and push up on that or even a wall if you must, once those get difficult you can do them on medicine balls, on a swiss ball, etc.)- 3 x 5

Inverted Row (In a power rack or on a smith machine, fix the bar low enough for you to grab it with your back on the floor, pull your chest to the bar)- 3 x 5

Abdominal work- Some kind of rotational work, russian twists w/ weight- 3 x 5
I would go with this for 3-5 weeks, trying to add repetitions working my way up to 8-12, after that you can look for more advanced routines, but this will increase your work capacity and get your ready for more advanced training.

Hopefully that helps you out,

Andrew
 
How long have you been involved in the sports you listed? Do you lift with the team in a gym setting? Which ones are you playing now and what are your practices like (time length, intensity, days, etc)

Do you do any strength training at the momment?
 
Right now is pretty much off-season for everything, since I'm not playing basketball this year. I play tennis sporadically during the week, but I play regularly on Saturdays from 1 - 5 (not for the entire time... and this includes drill work and stuff like that)

No, I'm not doing any strength training right now... which is basically why I need this thread.
 
Do you have access to weights and if so...what days, what kind of equipment? Do you have a coach around that can show you proper form? If not, are you able to purchase some equipment (talking cheap dumbbells and stuff).
 
I have a membership at a Lifetime Fitness near my house, but no, I don't really have a coach. I guess Lifetime pretty much has all the equipment there is but I don't really want to do the lifts that I can get injured at, since I don't have a coach and I don't have anyone to go to the gym with me.
 
ibnzmusician said:
I have a membership at a Lifetime Fitness near my house, but no, I don't really have a coach. I guess Lifetime pretty much has all the equipment there is but I don't really want to do the lifts that I can get injured at, since I don't have a coach and I don't have anyone to go to the gym with me.
Click to expand...

Thats not a problem at all. Use DBs to squat, hence you can drop them if you cannot complete a rep and the push up and pull up variants I suggested take very little set up time and there is no real danger since you are not adding load. I would say, you want to stay away from machine based lifts, not because they are bad, but more so because sports function in multiple planes, where machines lock you into one movement pattern and thats it, it is not multi-dimensional.

Hope that helps, good luck!

-Andrew
 
Thanks a lot, Andrew, I'll work on that stuff. A question about the russian twists - how far back should I lean? (Heh, that's one of the few ab exercises I haven't done in XC)

Also, how do you guys feel about lunges?
 
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25-30 degrees, its not a big deal if it isn't dead on, as long as there is tension on the rectus abdominals.

Lunges are excellent exercises, as sport utilizes transfer of force between limbs. Regular lunges, side lunges, reverse lunges, dynamic, static, they are all excellent!

-Andrew
 
I think the lunges are a good idea. I would add instead of the db squats, to do overhead squats starting with just the bar.

In fact, you could very easily start with
Overhead squat, lunges, bent over row, incline db bench, and back extensions.
 
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