Skips Improves Hip Extensor Mobility and Forward Speed

Plyometric Exercises

Skips – Improves hip extensor mobility and forward speed.

Take a few steps then skip – push off the ground on one leg while driving the opposite knee up at the same time. When you leave the ground, the push-off leg should be straight and the opposite leg’s thigh should be almost parallel to the ground; focus on getting as high as possible. Repeat on opposite leg.

Squat Jumps – Develops overall power and enhances the lower body’s ability to accelerate.

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your hands clasped behind your head. Keeping your weight on your heels, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and pause. Then, without the use of your arms, jump as high as possible. When landing, absorb the impact by pushing your hips back and flexing your knees. Repeat immediately.

Scissor Jumps – Develops overall explosiveness, as well as dynamic flexibility of the hip flexors and extensors.

Stand in a split squat position with your left foot forward and right foot a few feet back. Hold your right arm straight ahead of you at chest level and your left arm straight behind you. Keep your chest up as you jump and scissor the arms and legs at the same time so that the opposite arm comes forward with the opposite leg. Try to leap as high as possible with a full straightening of the legs, then bend your knees slightly before landing. Jump again and scissor your arms and legs back to your original starting position. Repeat quickly.

Frog Jumps – Increases overall power and strength.

Begin standing with feet hip-width apart. Drop into a low squat by bending at the knees and hips while pushing your arms behind your body. Rapidly accelerate your body up by extending hips, knees and ankles and aggressively swinging your arms overhead. Try to jump as far forward as you can. After landing, resume starting position and repeat.

Slalom Hops – Enhances body control and overall power, as well as your ability to change direction quickly. Stand with your knees slightly bent and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Flexing your knees to quickly drop your body 10 to 12 inches, swing your arms forcefully upward and jump diagonally forward and to the left. Upon landing, immediately repeat the jump, moving diagonally forward to the right. Keep moving forward as you repeat the jumps.

Single Leg Jump in Place – Improves balance.

Balance securely on your left leg. When ready, leap as high as possible by driving the right knee up as your arms drive up. Prepare to land by bending your left knee and focusing on absorbing the force of the ground on the ball of your foot. Repeat on the opposite leg.

Forward/Backward Hops – Increases power and strength.

Stand facing an agility cone (or any object 3 to 5 inches high), with your feet directly under your hips and your knees slightly bent – no more than 10 to 15 degrees. Hop over the cone, softly landing on the balls of your feet and bending the knees. Then hop backward over the cone using the same landing technique. Keep knees slightly bent throughout.

Link to a site with animated displays of other exercises: www.sport-fitness- advisor.com/ plyometricexercises .html

Secrets to Faster Running Discover the Speed Training Secrets Guaranteed to Make You Run Faster! On Monday morning, it had been 48 hours since my last anaerobic exercise. I wanted to do anaerobic exercise of moderate intensity using my leg muscles.

I didn’t have any pre-exercise protein or any post-exercise protein on Monday as I wanted to mix it up a bit and I was willing to sacrifice some muscle to become more slim; although I am already at a belt knotch which tells me I am at my slimmest in 15 years, I would like to become even more slim for the summer.

I began my exercise session by jogging and then doing 2 plyometric sets each of high knees, butt kickers, and wall gliders. I then did four 20 second running sprints separated by 100 seconds rest. Since I have been running sprints for over a year, I can run full speed with little concern of hurting myself; today I seemed to run faster than in previous weeks and this was verified by my stopwatch on a marked distance.

Then I did 3 sets of 10 lunge jumps (5 on each leg in which I jump in the air when coming up from the lunge) with rests of 30 seconds between sets. Then I jogged for a while before doing 3 sets of 20 skips in which I skipped as high as I could (10 each leg). I finished the session by doing a couple 20-second sets of suicides (in which I sprint 10 yards and then reverse direction). The entire session took 22 minutes.

My shower session today went like this: 4 minutes of hot water, 2 minutes of cold water, 2 minutes of hot water, 30 seconds of cold water. Now that I have been taking cold showers for 2 weeks, my body has accommodated to them somewhat. Today I was able to go directly to cold water instead of gradually although I did have some rather loud spontaneous vocalizations. Cold water apparently helps muscles heal faster and without pain from intense exercise; hot showers which raise body temperature probably increase the release of growth hormone; I have read some things about the effects of hot and cold exposure, but I am experimenting with how I respond; I wish there was more definitive research and instructions on how to benefit from hot and cold exposure.

About 2 hours after my exercise session, I had 25 grams of whey isolate. And then about 1 hour later, I had a smoothie with yogurt, eggs, blackberries, banana, cocoa powder, coconut, and pecans.

In the mid to late afternoon on Monday, I will begin a 2 meal carb-loading routine to replenish muscle glycogen and to reset thyroid functioning.