Category Archives: Exercise

Club Sports Good or Bad

Lots of parents put their children in club sports because the child likes to play—and if your children don’t play club sports, they will probably fall behind their peers. Is that a valid concern?

Because youngsters are starting earlier, they’re better at the age of 10 and 12 than they have ever been. Their skills are refined at an earlier age. But we also see them starting to leave sports at the ages of 12 and 13 because they’re burned out.

Early specialization, too, leads to earlier burnout—and to more injuries and tired joints by the time they get to college.

At the college level, we’re also seeing less of a competitive edge in our athletes. I think the reason is that teens used to play one or two games a week. Now, because of the club scenes, they’re playing two to three games a day. When you do that, losing isn’t a big deal because you still have two games scheduled later in the day. But when you play one game, you really pour yourself into it. As a result, today’s college athletes are more athletic and skilled but don’t have as much competitiveness and grit as college athletes used to.

For us, at a small college, the ideal student athlete has played two to three sports in high school and no—or very little—club sports. If they do that, they don’t have wear and tear on their body and are really just falling in love with their sport more and more as they go through high school.

I’m not the only one saying this. There are mountains of research proving that starting early is more likely to wreck than to jump-start a professional career or Division 1 scholarship.

Full article here

Navy Seal Work Out Manual

Several weeks ago I listed my Navy Seal Basic PT body weight exercise routine. I thought I should list where I got that from. So below is several links to publications that are online in pdf form.

I have never been a Navy Seal and don’t pretend to be one. Just amazed at their workouts and have ‘tried’ to do them. My Basic PT that I do is somewhat of a warm-up. You want a real work out try Rear Admiral Smith’s ‘burn out PT’ on page 260-263 of the first publication listed below. As the Admiral says, “Have Fun!”

The Navy Seal Physical Fitness Guide
1997 pamphlet

Naval Special Warfare Physical Training Guide 
2012 pamphlet a little more updated

Naval Special Warfare BUDS/Injury Prevention
2012 pamphlet on specific stretches to prevent injury during BUDS.

The Special Operations Forces Nutrition Guide
2012 pamphlet on eating (I have the 1994 model)

 

Navy Seal Workout PT

With schools being closed, I got to wondering about our athletes and being able to work out from now until football starts up again, if they can’t get to the weight room. So here is my workout that I used to do in my 40’s when I had no weights and didn’t want to join a club. I actually started doing this workout again recently, just to do a body weight workout. It was tough on my core when I first started back up again.

Basic Physical Training (PT) Activities for Warm-up, Flexibility, Strength

Jumping Jacks                                            25   Reps                           60 Seconds
½ Jumping Jacks (hands to shoulder)    25                                       60
Up-Back-Overs                                          5 each                                60
(swing arms, legs, rotate torso and head around and around)
Crunches (back 10 inches off deck)      40-80                                  60
(Do all variations of crunches)
Pushups (regular)                                      20                                       60
Flutter Kicks                                                15 each side                     30
Butterfly Stetch                                           2                                        30
ITB Stretch                                                   2 each side                      60
(lay on back, knee up & over body to the side)
3 Way Hurdlers Stretch                              2 each side                     180
(sit on floor, foot at crotch, not at butt)
Swimmers Stretch                                       2                                        30
(sit on floor cross legged, clasp hands behind back, thumbs down, bend over, raise arms)
Pushups (diamond)                                     20                                      60
Towel Situps                                                 20                                      60
(Rolled up towel under lower back)
Pushups (wide stance)                                20                                      60
One Legged Squats                                     10 each side                    60
Supine back Stretch                                    1                                        30
(lay on back, knees to chest, hold legs with arms tight)
Torso Prone Stretch                                    2                                        30
(lay on belly, push yourself up with arms, crotch flat on ground)
Prone Superman                                         10 each side                     60
(lay on belly, arms out in front, raise right arm and left leg, alternate)
Vee Ups                                                         30                                       60
(lay on back, legs in air, arms above head, now raise arms and body towards feet)
Donkey Kicks                                                 20 each side                    60
(on hands and knees, extend one leg straight back, alternate)
Hand to Knee Squat                                     10                                      30
(finger tips past your knees)
Posterior Shoulder Stretch                          2                                        30
(arms straight in front, palms outward, clasp fingers, stretch forward)
Tricep Stretch                                                 2 each side                      60
Illipsoas Stretch (Russian Dancer)               2 each side                      60
(forward lunge, both hands on forward knee, straight back)
Standing Quad Stretch                                  2 each side                      60
(hold ankle behind back with both hands if possible)
Standing Toe Pointers                                   30                                      60
(raise your heels off the deck high as can)
Gastroc/Soleus Stretch                                  2 each side                      60
(on stairs with knee straight and knee bent)
Pullups                                                              Max you can do              60
Dips                                                                   Max you can do              60
Rope Climb                                                      1                                         15
Repeat starting at crunches and do 2 or 3 times or when you can do the workout fast and easy, add numbers to everything, but the stretches.