November 2009
Whats Inside
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Intro
This week I wanted to look into the importance of active recovery for speed and power athletes and also look at the importance of circuit training. I know alot of you have ideas about circuit training and think its a waste of time and its associated with girly men smashing out a 1000 of reps on the pec deck or that you can only use light weights while doing circuits etc etc. Surprise, I have to agree with you, that is exactly what 'circuits' have become! At PowerSports club we want to put a big focus on training in groups and getting interpersonal competition going, but we do not want to run your average run of the (les)mil circuits that all those fitness professional 'girly man' gyms run
This week I will look into what I call a power circuit, I use this style of training alot with my junior athletes in the off-season 1. to help them with their strength and conditioning but 2. to help people grow as a team seeing as though when your in a fast paced, intense training session you will normally challenge each other which builds the team and drives the group as a whole much harder.
We have decided looking at the success that I have with juniors in doing different styles of power, conditioning and strongman circuits (using tyres, sleds, prowlers, keg carries, sledge hammers, exercises such as bench, power snatch, push jerk etc) that we will make them a part of the gym – we want to end up running a number of them every week because it builds that team environment and also makes you challenge yourself and the people around you to dig deeper and push harder!
Train hard, be relentless.
Joel Watson
Manager, PowerSports
We love feedback - website@powersportsclub.com.au
MemberTalk - Rates and Fees
We have alot of new subscribers to the newsletter this week so we are re-sending our member rates and Group Power sessions.
Open membership:
12 month $350 (everyone on the newsletter will pay $300) – No contracts, no joining or cancellation fees.
Group - Strength and Conditioning Sessions:
$10 per person
Coached group sessions are held each weekday, check website or whiteboard for sessions.
Sessions can be pre-paid in bulk but please be aware all pre-paid training sessions (both individual and group) are non-refundable with the exception of medical or health complications.
Sports Specific or Comp Prep - strength and conditioning sessions:
$30 each session – 1 hour
6 week prep - $250
12 week prep - $350
Includes all training programs, 24/7 contact with any questions, 1 face to face session a week.
Monthly Weekend Strongman Events:
$15 per person, Sessions generally run for an hour, or as long as you can last
On-site and Online training/nutrition advice:
Ask Coaches for prices
Nutrition - Flax
By Marnie Cannon Bsc.N
There's currently alot of discussion and debate around Flaxseed (linseed) oil going on today and for good reason. Consumption of flaxseed oil is associated with a decrease in inflammation around joints and organs, a decrease in abdominal fat deposits, improvement in cholesterol levels and heart health and a whole host of other physiological health benefits. So what does this mean for a weight trainer and/or athletes with a controlled caloric intake?
- Due to flaxseed oil's interaction with the immune system of the body it decreases the level of inflammation during trauma. Meaning recovery from training and/or injury occurs quicker so an athlete can train harder and perform better.
- For athletes trying to decrease the amount of bodily fat flaxseed oil is high in ALA-DAG one component shown to promote fat oxidation.
The effects of having flaxseed oil extends far beyond this to fighting various cancers, skin and neural disorders to name a few. Research in the area of flaxseed oil consumption and health benefits continues.
Consume
The daily dose required for flaxseed oil to take effect is:
- 1-2 tablespoons
- 14-30g
- 1-2 capsules
- 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil contains approximately 119 cal or 498 kJ.
Flaxseed oil contains many different lipids or fats, a high amount of omega 3 fats, and is one of the highest natural sources of alpha linolenic acid. It is this fatty acid that is responsible for many of the benefits listed above.
Consider
After deciding to try flaxseed oil, there a few things to consider.
- Other Medications
- Before regular use of oils high in omega 3 such as flaxseed oil, you may need to consult your medical practioner if you are taking medications that are blood thinning, blood glucose lowering, cholesterol lowering or antinflammatory.
- Safe Storage
- Flaxseed oil is a drying oil, which means it solidifies when exposed to air. It is also sensitive to light, so look for an opaque bottle. Flaxseed oil is also sensitive to heat, it is not to be used in cooking, yet eaten at room temperature and best stored in the fridge.
- Available Forms
- Flaxseed oil can be taken in liquid form, in capsules, or by eating the ground seeds (usually sold in Australia as linseeds).
- The oil can be used in salad dressing, in shakes, yoghurt, cottage cheese.
- The seeds can be sprinkled over salads, vegetables, oats, mixed into water to make a drink.
- Omega 3 fatty acids are more easily absorbed and used by the body if consumed with protein.
Training - Conditioning and Active Recovery
By Joel Watson.
Conditioning and active recovery for speed and power
From what I can see its very evident in Australia that junior athletes are specializing early in their career and we are seeing a drop in overall work capacity. This results in generally low levels of strength and conditioning. For example some athletes want to be doing speed work 100% of the time this will result in a lack of overall work capacity and power. The better your work capacity is the easier it will be to recover from your speed workouts and it will also help you handle the work load you are wanting to do. What some athletes need to understand is that you need to add conditioning and recovery days (tempo training) to become a better, faster and more powerful athlete.
Tempo Training (used on recovery days)
Tempo training is lower intensity then normal, between 50%-75% of what you normally do. I have found that it has great benefits for speed athletes and also power athletes. As I said this kind of training is really only used in recovery, general strength and conditioning. What we are looking for when we are doing these tempo days is to help with aerobic capacity, core strengthening, maintaining joint and soft tissue strength and also help in balance/coordination.
I find the real plus to doing these tempo/recovery days is the increased blood flow you get. We all know that increased blood flow provides heat to the muscles and helps to promote hormones and aid in recovery and flush out all debris in the muscle.
Also it will increase capillary density and the importance of that is you can maintain the heat that is within your muscles for a longer period of time. This will help any athlete and in particular speed/power athletes because they need/have long rest periods between intervals/sets on their intense training days i.e speed work, plyos and heavy compound days and this comes down to the stress put on the CNS (central nervous system). You don’t get faster from the speed work you get faster from what you do on your recovery days – of course that goes for all training in general!
As I have said Tempo training will improve your aerobic work capacity. Really as a speed/power athlete you don’t have to be running km after km on your recovery days – it will be far too much stress on the body (particularly the joints). Here I have put together a sample tempo running day for you guys to check out:
- Run 100 metres (all 100 metres performed at 65%)
- Walk along the goal line across the field
- Run back 100 metres
- Walk along the goal line across the field
- Repeat 3 more times
Rest for 3 minutes. Active rest, keep moving and do not sit down.
- Run 100 metres
- Walk along the goal line across the field
- Run back100 metres
- Walk along the goal line across the field
- Repeat 3 more times
Like all workouts you need to be as efficient as you can to get the most out of that particular workout. General strength circuits will help you do just that.
General Strength Circuits
Again I will use these sort of circuits after a speed or power workout with my athletes. As we all know after a intense/heavy speed/power workout your CNS (central nervous system) is spent and generally it will take at least 24-48 hours to recover – again depending on the workout. So of course this is why I can’t get my athletes to perform speed/power workouts every single day – I could but they would be on a good road to injury and never reaching any of their goals!
The General Strength Circuits are used to aid in recovery and help your body repair and prepare itself for another speed and/or power workout over the next couple of days.
General strength circuits are usually bodyweight exercises that involve little or no external loading. Again I have put together an example of a circuit that I will run my athletes through on a recovery day:
- Split squats – 10 each leg
- Jog 50 metres
- Rotational push-ups – 8 each way
- Jog 50 metres
- Bicycles – 1x30
- Jog 50 metres
- Burpees – 1x10
- Jog 50 metres
- Military push-ups – 1x10
- Jog 50 metres
- Russian twists – 1x25
- Jog 50 metres
- Backwards lunges – 10-each leg
- Jog 50 metres
- Lateral lunges – 10 each leg
- Jog 50 metres
- Reverse crunches – 1x20
- Jog 50 metres
- 1 Leg squats – 10 each leg
- Rest 3-5 minutes and repeat circuit
Generally the circuit will take around 45 mins and you would of improved strength, balance, aerobic conditioning, core, and help prevent yourself from future injuries while recovering from your intense/heavy speed or power workouts.
What I always stress to my athletes is that your training program needs to be complete, we can’t go and max out on your bench 3 days a week or do speed work 7 days a week – you will just set yourself up for injury and a fast track to going backwards in regards to training and never reaching your goals. So please if you are a athlete then have your active recovery days and see how much difference they really make.
Power Circuit – Group training:
What can you gain from doing a real circuit - Mental and physical toughness, anaerobic conditioning, improved speed, muscular endurance and strength.
As I said in my intro though circuit training is often seen by serious athletes and strength enthusiasts to be in the same box as les mils classes, maxing out on a bicep curl and smashing out some sweet deadlifts on the smith machine, if done right they do have there place in training.
Circuit training – or as I like to call it group training
Doesn’t need to associate its self with the things listed above, its only been since commercial gyms have been running “circuits” that they have become connected to those sorts of things i.e light weights, machines etc. This does not need to be the case though, circuit training (team/group training) can be one of the most productive sessions you will do and also due to the nature of it, with other like-minded trainers around you, you tend to push yourself more so than if your just training by yourself.
I’m not saying do circuits everyday but like I said they do have there place in training.
Here is an example of a couple of circuits we're putting together for the club:
The circuit is composed of six exercises; the rest period between each exercise is 60 seconds. I repeat it anywhere from 3-8 times.
|
Exercise |
Reps |
Load |
Rest |
| Romanian Deadlift | 6 | 70-80% | 60 s |
| Bench Press | 6 | 70-80% | 60 s |
| Power Snatch | 4 | 70-80% | 60 s |
| Push Jerk | 4 | 70-80% | 60 s |
| Jump Squat | 10 | 10-20% | 60 s |
| Plyo Pushup | 10 | BodyWeight, or Bands if to easy | 60 s |
The circuit is composed of five exercises; the rest period between each exercise is 60 seconds. I repeat it anywhere from 3-8 times.
|
Exercise |
Reps |
Rest |
| Keg Toss | 5 | 60 s |
| Tyre Flip | 5 | 60 s |
| Farmers Walk | 20-40M | 60 s |
| Sled Drag | 20-40M | 60 s |
| Prowler Push | 20-40 M | 60 s |
This circuit is focused around the prowler and sand bags – The way it works is you push the prowler 30 metres then have to pick up the sandbag sprint 30 metres back to the start and the sprint back with the sandbag to the prowler to push. Once they have reached max weight on prowler we start again - this one is a killer. I will normally just go till the guys are totally spent and every once of muscle has been ripped to shreds!
|
Exercise |
Reps |
Load |
Rest |
| Prowler Push | 30M |
10-20Kg | 60 s |
| Sandbag Run | 60M | 10-20Kg | 60 s |
| Prowler Push | 30M | 10-20Kg | 60 s |
| Sandbag Run | 60M | 10-20Kg | 60 s |
| Prowler Push | 30M | 10-20Kg | 60 s |
| Sandbag Run | 60M | 10-20Kg | 60 s |
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