How do you train athletes without a gym?
Training athletes without a gym from one athlete to another
Right now is a very unusual time for the country. We are seeing lockdowns of entire cities, gyms are closed and for a lot of us the one thing that keeps us sane has been stripped away. We as a country love sports. From water cooler conversations to a lifestyle, every American can appreciate the power that sports have. Yet, it feels wrong to talk about it out loud. Here, I’ll dive into the heart of the issue while also providing tips on how to cope with this new reality.
First off, as a former athlete my heart breaks for every athlete who had their season cut short. My old high school coach had his team all the way to the state championship before the season ended abruptly. I couldn’t fathom how much that hurt as seniors who had worked so hard for a goal. Just know that your pain is warranted and valid. That being said, how do we translate something so bad into a good?
This is a chance to get better at your sport from both a physical and mental perspective. A chance to really get better at the most neglected aspects of human performance, especially for young athletes. Sure, you won’t have a traditional weight room setting, but you can still develop speed and explosiveness from home.
The following SandBell moves can help you truly own your own space. They provide explosiveness not only in the sagittal plane, but also the much-neglected frontal and transverse planes. The only tool you will need is a SandBell for this workout.
4 Rounds: Do one move, go on to the next then repeat 4 times.
SandBell Lunge Matrix with Varying Distances
Perform 2 sets for each side of the body every round
This first move is designed to challenge your body in various ranges of motion. All too often athletes find themselves great through one range, but terrible in another. So to combat this, try lunging at 3 different positions per plane of movement. Start with one short lunge, one medium, and one large forward lunge. Then, utilize this same concept for a lateral lunge and rotational lunge. Perform 2 sets per side of the body then advance.
SandBell Squat with forward Reach
Perform 12 Reps
In order to keep some of the strength from the weight room, we will utilize a squat pattern here. Instead of loading on our back however, we will instead focus on using the SandBell as a counter-balance to improve our quality of the movement. For this move, push the SandBell out in front of you as you lower your body into a squat position. This will help clean up form issues, while also providing a great workout.
SandBell Rotational Pivots
30 seconds per side (insert video of Jake Pivots)
Explosiveness is the name of the game and as promised this move will help you develop that athleticism. Start with the SandBell on the side of the hip and your foot opened up. Then, while bringing the SandBell to the opposite in a rainbow fashion, push through the ground and bring the leg toward the front of the room. This should feel like an aggressive basketball pivot. Be as explosive as you can on each movement. Give yourself about 20 seconds rests then repeat on the other side of the body.
SandBell Hamstring Activation
Perform 6 per leg
One of the biggest problems with injuries in sport is not taking the time to work on your weaknesses. For most athletes, that tends to be their hamstrings. Start lying on your stomach with your pelvis tucked forward. You should feel your abs pulling forward. Then, bring the foot up to 90 degrees. Place the SandBell on your foot and push up as high as you can control while keeping the pelvis tucked and the SandBell flat.
For more fitness and training knowledge checkout @mattyicetraining and @quadfather_77 on Instagram. Jake Tsuchiya JK TRAINING
