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outdoor

Outdoor Training for Power, Part 2

July 21, 2020 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment


Skipping for power training. All photos on this blog post by Ben Porter Photography.

Skipping for power training. All photos on this blog post by Ben Porter Photography.

When I started this series about outdoor training for power, this was a supplement to gym training. This was pre-corona, pre-masks and social distancing. Now, it’s a viable training option for when you can’t, or don’t want to go to the gym.

If you missed Part 1, a beginning/intermediate protocol, start there. If you haven’t been jogging on a regular basis for at least 3 weeks, start with the conservative version outlined in Part 1. Trust me, it’s worth the time to lay down some ground work.

Read this: Outdoor Training for Power, Part I

This protocol, Part 2, is a little more plyometric, a little more powerful. The same rules apply, so let’s begin there.

Training Session Overview

Do this session in the order that follows. Exercises are covered in detail below.

  • Warm up

  • bleachers or stair run

  • Bulgarian split squat

  • box jumps

  • pushups

  • cool down

Training Session – Warm up

Walk a lap.

Jog a lap.

Do a few stretches if you’d like, but save the aggressive stretching for post training.

Bleachers or Stairs

If you can find safe, sturdy bleachers or stairs to walk or run, begin there. Begin by walking a lap or two. From there, set a goal. The stairs I walk are approximately 40 steps, so I go up and down them about 30 times. Each lap takes less than a minute, so it’s fairly easy to gauge how many more I have left in me.

I recommend doing 5 – 10 laps depending on the length of the stairs, and noting both how long it took you and how tired you feel after. From there, you can make appropriate adjustments.

A true recommendation of how many to do would vary wildly from person to person. For the first session, do that 5 – 10 range and continue with the workout. Based on how you feel later in the day and how you recover tomorrow, you’ll have a better idea how many to do in the future.

Total reps: 5-10 to begin

Bulgarian Split Squat


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The Bulgarian split squat is also called the rear leg elevated split squat. Set up on solid footing on both legs, with the leg behind you elevated. Remember you are standing on railroad tracks, not a tight rope. That bit of lateral space between your right and left leg will give you stability. Do the first set without weight. You can hold a weight on the next sets if you would like.

Sets x reps: 2×10

If you’re repeating this workout, you can do a third and fourth set.

Box Jumps


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You can use a box, bleachers, or stairs to jump onto here; anything as long as it is stable. Start at a very low height to begin. Remember, you can develop power without even jumping onto anything, so don’t go crazy with the height just yet.

Stand about a half a step away from the box, with feet about hip width apart. To begin, move into a half squat position, with your arms behind you. Explosively jump up, pressing yourself away from the ground, as you throw your arms forward. Arms move in the direction you are going.

Your legs and feet should move and land together. Absorb the impact by bending at the knees and hips as you land.

STEP down. Don’t jump.

Do small sets of the box jump so you can retain crisp, powerful movements. NO slogging through sloppy reps!

Total reps: 15, done in small sets of 2 or 3.

Pushups


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Oh, how I love pushups! These are good for everybody and can be done almost anywhere! If you have bleachers, you can use them to modify pushups for more or less challenge. If pushups from your feet are too challenging right now, do pushups with your upper body elevated.

First, find your grip. If you are doing pushups from the bleachers, please do not stand far away from the bleachers and dive bomb forward to catch the bleachers! Place your hands a bit wider than shoulder width, and then step your feet back. Your hands should be straight forward from your chest, not your eyeballs. If you were doing pushups from the ground, this would mean your hands are at chest level, and not under your face.

From here, think about squeezing under your armpits. This will use your lats to stabilize your shoulders, and keep your shoulders from inching up toward your ears.

You can even think of pulling yourself to the bleachers or ground, so your back stays engaged as you do your pushups. Bend at the elbows, keep your chin tucked, and when your chest is bleacher or ground level, push back up.

You’ll find it helpful to squeeze your whole torso, glutes, and abs as you do pushups. Make your body a solid plank, not a wet noodle!

Sets x reps: 3 challenging sets. Save 2 in the tank. This means if you think you could do 10, do 8. If you’re rolling along and you could do 20, stop at 18.

Cool Down

Jog or walk two laps.

Stretch hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes and chest. This chest stretch can be done on flat ground without a foam roller (which the video shows).

Hold each stretch for 30 seconds and repeat.

Try this session out and let me know how it goes! Email me: kathryn@kathrynalexander.com

I can’t wait to hear!

Filed Under: Training Tagged With: jog, jump, outdoor, run, skip, track, track session, track training, training

Outdoor Training for Power

February 10, 2020 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment


Skipping for power training. All photos on this blog post by Ben Porter Photography.

Skipping for power training. All photos on this blog post by Ben Porter Photography.

Do you ever feel like your training needs a bump? Are you in a rut more than you are in a groove? Take your training outside! It’s becoming better weather by the day and it’s a great opportunity to challenge your body in a different way. 

Power movements and sprinting increase calories burned, increase conditioning and cardiovascular capacity and build muscle. Have you ever seen a skinny fat sprinter? Probably not. These are all reasons to take your training to the track. 

I’m going to give you to protocols here, and I want you to take the more conservative one if you haven’t been including jogging in your program in the last three weeks.

Training Session


running track training Austin

Walk a lap.

Jog a lap.

Build ups:

  • 100 meters. Start at 50% and build to 60%

  • 100 meters. Start at 50% and build to 70%.

  • 100 meters. Start at 50% and build to 80%.

A build up is where you begin the distance at a certain sub-max pace and accelerate into a harder run. It is not a sprint.

Important: If running is new in your program, skip the hard runs and move right to skipping. (After you have done this program three times asymptomatically and pain-free, you can add the hard runs.)

If you are currently conditioned for running, then do two harder build ups:

Start at 70 and build to 90%. Repeat.

Skipping

Skip 50 meters, walk back, and repeat. These should be powerful! If you have to slog through these, your session is over! Moved to the cool down and stretch.

Broad Jumps

Want more? Still have some pep in you? Do 7 broad jumps.

Power! Fast! Commit! Big execution and stick the landing.  Knees as wide as feet, not caving in. Like skips, these jumps should be powerful. If you feel like this is a grind, stop there. Slogging through power exercises defeats the purpose. 


track training broad jump 3


track training broad jump 2


track training broad jump 1

Cool Down

Jog or walk two laps.

Stretch hamstrings, quads, and glutes.

Try It!

Try out this session and let me know how it goes! Once you’ve done this session a few times, try Part 2. It is similar but slightly advanced. As always, email me if you have questions! Happy training!

Filed Under: Training Tagged With: jog, jump, outdoor, run, skip, track, track session, track training, training

Push Pull Squat: An Effective, Full Body Workout With Minimal Equipment

October 1, 2018 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Weight lifting in a well equipped gym can drive huge changes in your body composition, tone, strength and athletic performance, more so than in most home gyms or boot camp situations.

This is because barbells, weight plates, and other specialized equipment give you much more opportunity to progress and improve over a period of time than improvised workouts with less equipment. 

However, someday you will likely find yourself in a position to need a quick and dirty full body workout with minimal equipment. Voila! Here you go. 

Weight Training with Minimal Equipment

This video was filmed at Hyde Park Gym in Austin, Texas, but can be done almost anywhere, including hotel and home gyms. Video by Becca Ewing.

Push, Pull, Squat

Pick an upper body push, upper body pull, and squat movement. I suggest the pushup, bent over row (if you have one dumbbell or kettle bell), and the squat. 

Do each exercise 10-20 times, then repeat the whole circuit 3-5 times. Obviously, if you are stronger and more conditioned, you will do more rounds. However, your reps will depend on the weight available to you in relation to your strength.

Pushups

Do these from your feet! No knees, no matter who you are! Pushups from your feet! 

  • Place hands shoulder width under chest, not neck/face

  • Brace your whole body! Squeeze lats (under your armpit), abs, glutes, and legs

Take a big breath and hold it. (Unless you have high blood pressure, in which case, continue reading.*) Bend at the elbow, and press back up. Exhale and inhale at the top. Do not reach with your neck or chin! Reach with your chest. 

Modification #1 – If Pushups are Hard (for Now)

If pushups are tough for you to start with, follow the above instructions for the descent, then lower your knees to the ground to press back up. Repeat. 

TRY one first though! You might be surprised that you can do a couple! 

Modification #2 – If You Need Extra Challenge

If you are knockin’ out the pushups from your feet and either don’t feel challenged by 10-20, or want a greater challenge for 10 reps, elevate your feet. All other instructions are the same. You can do this from a tire, park bench, stairs. Be creative!

Bent Over Row

Tripod yourself with staggered feet and one hand supporting yourself on a stable object about a foot in front of you. Grab your kettle bell or dumbbell, and row it by pulling your elbow toward the ceiling. 

  • Brace your back into a very flat, neutral position.

  • Keep a lot of space between your shoulder and your ear. No shrugging.

  • Imagine your elbow is being pulled toward the sky

  • Pull your wrist past your torso elbow level, not up by your chest. Think of your arm from the elbow down as just an attachment. Focus on your back rather than your biceps.

Your shoulder can move toward the ground and away, but never up toward your ears. Focus on a big squeeze around your shoulder blade as you row, and at the top. Push your chest toward the ground.

Squat

Do your first round of squats with no extra weight. Stand tall, take a deep breath in, and send your hips behind you. Remember: 

  • Pull your shoulders back and down. Tighten your midback but not to the point of flared ribs.

  • Stand with your weight heavy in your heels.

  • Break at the hips first, and send your hips behind you.

  • Keep heels flat and knees wide.

  • Do NOT dive bomb your squats! Even if you move fast, control the descent!

  • Powerfully drive up. Drive and finish with your hips.

Modification #1

To make your squats more challenging, hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest. Remember all of the above points while keeping your hands under the weight on your chest and the weight on your chest.

When you are holding weight while you squat, you’ll find it helpful to take a big deep breath, brace your core, squat, and then exhale and inhale at the top between reps.*

*Holding Your Breath

For most of your lifts, you will be stronger and more stable if you take a big deep breath before the lift, brace tightly, lift, then inhaled and exhale between reps. This is because holding your air in increases thoracic pressure and makes you more stable. When you are more stable, you can generate more pressure, and that means you can exert more pressure. 

Also, as in the case of pushups, if your body is like a tight plank, it will be easier to move than if it were like a wobbly noodle. 

The caveat is if you have high blood pressure. In this situation, you should breathe evenly throughout the lift to maintain safe pressure levels. 

Go and Lift!

Go try this workout! It is simple but effective, and can be quick and fun. Do a round, rest a minute or two, and do it again. Not done by 5? Do more! 

Email me – tell me what kind of equipment you used and how it was challenging. Have fun lifting! 

Filed Under: Training Tagged With: bent over rows, circuit, dumbbell, kettlebell, minimal equipment, outdoor, outdoor circuit, pushups, rows, squat, squats

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