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2006/04/04, 04:24 PM
ok, so i am in the middle of my softball season and i am completely unsatisfied with my power and performance. i feel like i need to switch up my routine to better focus on my goals on the field, but i need a little direction to get started. this is a post i found while searching...
Quoting from gatormade: (oct. 7, 2003 in "softball" thread)
Power cleans, squats, squats, and some sort of hamstring work are good for the lower legs. Don't ignore your calves. Stick to reps of 5, 3, and 2 on core(bench,squat, clean) exercises. Bench press, pull-ups, Seated rows, dumbbell incline, triceps extensions of some type. Rotator cuff work is extremely vital. Trunk work is also very important. Sprint conditioning will help with your explosiveness too.
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if i were to follow this plan, what would be the most effective split to use? should i isolate the core lifts and then do a back/biceps/triceps day, a chest/shoulders day, and a leg day? should i do more reps for the non-core lifts?
i have never lifted to improve my athletic performance so any advice will help. also, if anyone has a suggested read, i can always make a trip to the bookstore.
p.s. i'm not afraid of adding size.
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i have an anger management problem.
excuses are really good for making you fat.
margarine is a liar who announces, "i am butter!"
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2006/04/04, 06:13 PM
How often are you playing softball?
Honestly, total body may be the way to go in this instance. You can not "isolate the core lifts". The purpose of core lifts are to teach your body to work as a whole and build strength. I do very little isolation work with athletes.
Also, you are in season, so that is another reason to limit isolation work.
I agree with everything gator said right there. However, I would like to stress the importance of rotator cuff work. I realize that a softball is pitched underhand, but that does not change the fact that softball players have a tendency towards rotator cuff imbalances.
I would keep your reps under 8. For a male athlete, I would say under 5-6. This will also depend on your skill level. This is one of the only differences between training male and female athletes.
I can always suggest a good book, but it depends on your proficiency with how well you know what you are doing already. A good start may be "the new rules of lifting" by alwyn cosgrove and lou schuler. Not to intense, but still no nonsense. Haven't gotten through it yet, as I am still working on SPST, but it may be a good start for you.
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Iron and chalk.
Pain is only temporary, it is in your mind. If you can still walk, then you can still run.
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2006/04/04, 09:35 PM
Don't forget grip/hand strength!
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I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious.
--Vince Lombardi
"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work." H. L. Hunt
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2006/04/04, 09:44 PM
Good point.
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Iron and chalk.
Pain is only temporary, it is in your mind. If you can still walk, then you can still run.
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2006/04/07, 08:14 PM
sorry for not checking back sooner guys, i went out of town and left the power adapter for my computer where i was. i haven't been online until now.
wrestler, i'm playing 2 games a week but i am extremely competitive and i'm not willing to settle for anything less than my maximum potential, thus the reason i need to figure out a split that will let me get the most out of my body. i have never half-assed anything in my entire life.
when i said "isolate the core lifts" i didn't mean use them as isolation exercise. i know the difference between compound and isolation movements. i was asking if i should devote a day soley to core lifts.
as far as the proficiency of my knowledge, i have been lifting seriously for four years and have experimented with a variety of different programs. i'm asking for help because i've never done any sport-specific training. it has always been total body. thanks for the book recommendation though, i'll pick that up this weekend.
rotator cuff work is a huge thing for me because i tore mine to shreds pitching for my baseball team in high school. (i'm a shortstop now and stil have to make long throws from the hole.) there is a lot of scar tissue in my shoulder still, so i still do my rehab exercises.
aron, what do you recommend for grip? in the past, i've hung from a chin-up bar and done the hammer grip machine. i need to work on this for my deads too so i can get back up to where i was in july.
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i have an anger management problem.
excuses are really good for making you fat.
margarine is a liar who announces, "i am butter!"
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2006/04/07, 09:32 PM
Core lifts should be the basis of your program. Therefor, they should be done EVERYDAY. Everyday for me is a compound isolation day.
I would see an ART specialist as soon as you could if you have scar tissue build up. And I'm not just saying that because I can squat normally again.
As for grip, there is a really long thread with some of our best grip tips in this forum. It is one of my specialties, in case you can't tell by all my posts.
I recommend you start spending a whole lot more active time in this particular forum.
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Iron and chalk.
Pain is only temporary, it is in your mind. If you can still walk, then you can still run.
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2006/04/07, 10:07 PM
i still don't think i'm coming across right on the "core lift" issue.
when i say "core lifts" i'm referring to the three (bench, squat and clean) gator suggested in the post i pulled. i know i need to be doing core lifts every day, but i'm specifically asking about the squat, bench and power clean. i should've made that more clear by saying "the core lifts that gator mentioned." (my bad.)
i have always based my workouts around the squat, bench and deadlift, but i have never done power cleans. one of those lifts is included in every one of my workouts. i guess what i'm asking is if it would be beneficial in any way to work out a split with a day that consists only of the squat, bench and power cleans.
i saw a specialist about my shoulder in 2001 and he said there is nothing that can really be done except cortisone shots. it's quite frustrating when at 14 you can hit 85 on the radar gun and at 24 you're wondering why you can't make an overhand motion without feeling things pop. i'm not a fan of the cortisone though, so i just keep doing my exercises.
i will check out the grip thread and checking out this board more. i used to do it frequently but fell off the site for about 8 months. i'll get back in the habit.
thanks for your help, wrestler.
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i have an anger management problem.
excuses are really good for making you fat.
margarine is a liar who announces, "i am butter!"
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2006/04/07, 10:10 PM
ok and now i feel dumb because i thought you were talking about something completely different on the specialist issue...
i have never looked into ART. how did you get referred?
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i have an anger management problem.
excuses are really good for making you fat.
margarine is a liar who announces, "i am butter!"
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2006/04/07, 10:22 PM
nice to have you back howdie.. how you been? been a while
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Get your bicep curling, cut off shirt, matching workout outfit wearing,flexing in mirror "toned" wanna-be ass , out of my squat rack!
People don't reach thier true potental, only those who seek it.
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2006/04/08, 08:54 AM
Kat have you tried any supplements for the shoulder?
Glucosomine/Chondroitin+Celedrine+FIsh Oil might be helpful
As a general suggestion I would have 2 Upper body days and 1 Lower body days....you can include an extra day for any additional work
Vertical Pulling/Pushing
Horizontal Pulling/Pushing
Lower Body(Squat or Deadlift...switch off every week)
Optional 4th day for unilateral work or light prehab day...
you can include different aspects of grip training after the big lifts each day or have them on the optional 4th day...
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2006/04/08, 11:27 AM
If your only playing twice a week, then an upper/lower split or movement pattern split may be the way to go. You can follow menaces movement pattern split, or go with upper/lower.
However, I would not make unilateral work an "optional" day. Unilateral work is by no means optional for an athlete required to sprint, or any other athlete for that matter. I would include it either after your main lower body exercise, be it squat or deadlift, or as a second lower body day without heavy spinal loading.
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Iron and chalk.
Pain is only temporary, it is in your mind. If you can still walk, then you can still run.
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2006/04/11, 10:19 PM
sorry again for the long delay guys, things have been hectic. responses, in order...
andrew, thank you, i'm glad to be back. things have been good, i just haven't had time to be around the boards much.
menace, i haven't tried any supplements, it hadn't ocurred to me. i have heard good things about glucosamine though. i will look into it (and wrestler, there's an ART place a mile from my house. i'm looking into it.)
i used to divide my split into upper body push/upper body pull/legs workout. i saw nice results with it, but i haven't used that split since i was 19. perhaps now is the time to resurrect it.
i typically do my deadlifts on back days, but should i follow your lead and alternate it with squats on my leg day?
wrestler, i occasionally do unilateral work but will make it a permanent fixture in my split. thanks for the advice.
i've got another great source helping me out so i think between his knowledge and everything we've discussed here i should be ok...that is after my groin recovers.
yes, i strained it this weekend and unwisely decided to try and play anyway. it became a full-fledged pull running out of the box in my first at-bat and i could barely walk until monday afternoon. sigh.
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i have an anger management problem.
excuses are really good for making you fat.
margarine is a liar who announces, "i am butter!"
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