Justjump into it
byAlex Vasquez
Months,and years, ago I purchased all of the WGF DVD’s. These DVD’s coverproper core function, exercises to activate and ingrain proper coreand glute movement patterns, and finally the integration of themovement patterns into complex exercises like the squat and lunge. The material is quite complex and boring, no offense guys, but verywell put together.
Unfortunatelyintegrating proper core function requires a very intrinsicpersonality. There is a lot of feeling subtle movements in thepelvis, hips, and the muscles which stabilize the pelvis and controlhip extension. When examining which teams to attempt implementingthe activation exercises and proper exercise techniques I chose CrossCountry. First of all, they are very bright guys, they have atremendous work ethic, they listen and accept coaching, and most ofall they try their hardest to do exercises exactly as you had taughtthem.
Once Iselected my team I did pre testing. My masters project was ontraining to improve running economy. In my research I had noticedthat vertical jump and running economy were correlated. As a resultof this research I decided to only test their vertical jumps. Thepre intervention jumps ranged from 20”-25.5”. This groupincluded nine current runners and two seniors whose career’s had justended. During the course of the workouts all athletes lifted threetimes per week. I trained the current team and the seniors came inat the same time but did their own lifting with no coaching from me. The seniors and team all participated in practices together. Inother words the seniors acted like a control group.
Goals:
Ourgoals were simple. Teach the athletes to maintain neutral spine onall lifts and learn to use the glute to control the hip. Maintainingneutral was harder than you might think. Neutral means don’t archduring the bench press, no arching during squats or glute hams. Thistook some very serious instruction. For example on the glute ham theathlete needs to focus on pulling up with the low abs, driving theglutes to maintain hip extension, and keeping everything in astraight line as they perform a leg curl. On the way up don’t letthe hips kick out, don’t arch the back, and maintain that straightline. The details of proper technique on every exercise are far toocomplex to discuss in an article so I’ll refer you to the excellentDVD’s by WGF.
Our workouts looked like the following:
TrainM/W/F
WarmUp (Same all three days):
Mobility1×10:
WallSlide
AnkleRocker
ThreeWay Lunge (Front/Side/Cross over)
Core:
NonTripod x60
Chairx60
ProneGlute x60
PlankProgression: Plank, Rt arm up, Lt arm Up, Rt leg Up, Lt Leg up, Ltarm and Rt leg up, Rt arm and Lt Leg up Each held for 30-60 seconds
Walkouts: get in diamond push up position and walk your hands as far outas possible. Hold for 30-60 seconds
Day1:
ADASquat
FrontSquat
GluteHam Raise
LowSquat Jump
BenchPress
BodyRow
Day2:
ADASquat
Lunge
GluteHam Raise
LowSquat Jump
DBBench Press
PullUp
Periodization:
We kept the movements the same and just periodized the methods. Theplan looked like the following:
Weeks1-2: ISO 3-5 x 45-60 seconds
Weeks3-5: ISOMIO 3-5 x 4-6 with a 5 second ISO on every repetition
Week6: SE method, used the same weights as week 5 and performed PIMrepetitions for 4-6 x 6-8. We got no where near failure
Notes:
The weights used were much less than used during previous strengthcycles. On average poundages fell >50lbs. Had school not ended Iwould expect to see strength improve to much greater levels thanpreviously.
Results:
Thetwo seniors showed no change in results
Theexperimental group improved 2.5”-5”. Vertical jumps ranged from24” to 30”
Summary:
Athletes ran on average 35 miles a week during the six week training program. Despite the high volume of running, using much less weight, and avery simple training program, the athletes showed tremendousimprovement in vertical jump performance. The time spent on learningproper form, neutral spine, and glute control paid off in significantimprovements in vertical jump performance. I would highly recommendanyone interested in improving performance invest in the WGF DVD’sand, MOST IMPORTANTLY, take the time to properly perform andimplement the techniques presented. Check your ego at the door, liftlighter weights properly and watch your performance skyrocket.
Whatare you waiting for? Just jump into it!
Alex Vasquez BS, MA, CSCS
