I Am Still Here

Things have been rather crazy down here so I apologise for my lack of activity here.

Anyway 2 weeks I sent ago I sent out the inaugural edition of the Aussie Rules Training Monthly Newsletter which was FREE for the month of April.

If you want to get your copy then you'll need to email prior to April 24th as then it will be off the market as the May edition will be ready to go.

About 6 weeks ago when I posted about the initial release of the newsletter I had an asking price of $30 a month for it. I really had no idea what to charge for it so I just picked $30 and see how it would go. In the meantime I've had a number of people from my list ask for a reduced price based on what they could afford so it will now be available for $15 per month or $165 for a yearly subscription.

Here's the link to purchase it here:

Payment Options

Monthly Subscription : $15.00AUD - monthly Yearly Subscription : $165.00AUD - yearly

In the meantime here is what the first edition of the newsletter contains:

• Welcome Page
• Why Should We Training During the In Season?
• Strength and Fitness Components of Aussie Rules Football
• The Goal of In Season Training
• Maintaining The Gains You Made During the Season
• The Trainers Table - Glute Activation
• In The Kitchen - Body Composition
• April Training Program

The May edition will be a HHHUUUGGGEEE Injury Rehab and Corrective Exercise edition so if you want to avoid injuries or rehab one, then you simply can'y miss this. 

As always hit me up for some feedback, good or bad, on the site and let me know if there's anything you want to see on it that we haven't covered yet.

What Have I Been Up To?

Lots!

My frequency has fallen down again but with good reason.

The wife has been pretty ordinary healthwise, I've had to knock in 2 new trainers in the studio at the same time, I've had to get the early marketing plan in action for the studio, we've accompanying Archie to child care to break him in there for his start tomorrow, training myself and training with the mighty Yarra's!

Starting from today, we have our first competitive hit out tonight with an intraclub match which I generally hate but I'm very keen for it this year. We have a complete list turnover from last year to this year so we're all very interested how we'll look and who will step up for a senior birth.

Training wise I've a fair bit to do with what we've done so we've done most of our running in the drills save for some 200's in January, some short sprint work for accleration (Zachy also took some acceleration stuff which was great) and a fair bit of competitive stuff to replicate a real game situation.

For my individual training I've been road testing a little bit this last month. A mate got me onto Juggernaught Training by Chad Wesley Smith, who is a former shot putter, which is based on using sub maximal weights for maximal strength development. It is in the same vain as 531 by Jim Wendler which you can insert, and I have, into the existing Juggernaught template.

I have coupled that a day of performance complexes using force absorption, force output and maximum velocity and another day of just traditional exercises as well as some rate of development stuff on each.

Yes it;s a lot different then your everyday program but they obviously don't work work real well or we'd all be superstars.

From the end of last year until now I'm more about expressing what I have strength wise into actual on field performance. If my strength is going up in the gym then great, but is it making me better on the field by increasing my speed or otherwise? That is what I am, and you should be too, aiming for with every piece of training you do.

Here's what it looks like:

Day 1

A1 - 531 Deadlift
A2 - Deadlift Drop and Catch 4 x 3
A3 - Deadlift Jumps 4 x 3
A4 - Vertical Jumps 4 x 3
B1 - Seated Row x 35/40/45/50 reps
B2 - Clip Board Shoulder Glider 3 x 8/10/12/4 x 10

Day 2

A1 - 531 Bench Press
A2 - Bench Press Drop and Catch 4 x 3
A3 - Bench Press Throw from bottom position 4 x 3
A4 - Bench Press Drop, Catch and Throw 4 x 3
B1 - Semi Supinated Chin Ups x 25/30/35/40 reps
B2 - Cable Push Pulls 3 x 8/10/12/4 x 10

Day 3

A1 - Portable Power Jumper Depth Jumps 3 x 3
B1 - Sled Standing Long Jumps 3 x 3
C1 - Juggernaught Deadlifts
D1 - BB Chest Supported Row x 20/23/26/29 reps
D2 - Speed Lunge 3 x 5/6/7/8
D3 - L Core Walk 3 x 10/11/12/13

Day 4

A1 - Standing Power Pushes 4 x 3
A2 - Plyometric Push Ups 4 x 3
B1 - Juggernaught Bench Press
B2 - Pull Ups x 25/30/35/40 reps
B3 - Landmine 3 x 5/6/7/8

I am also doing a day of tempo sprints on the weekend until footy starts consisting of 8 x 60 step sprints on the start of each minute with each sprint taking about 18 - 20secs. The length is about 100m but I haven't measured it ad there are no footy lines on the ground so it's 60 steps. Same thing.

I am really enjoying the program as it's short and it's not very tiring. It's all about quality and you should feel as fresh, or fresher, when you leave the gym then as you walked in. If not then you've probably gone a but overboard and I hope you're doing extra recovery to get over it.

I've also been busy with the newsletter preparation which has had a ridiculous response!! It is due out on the 26th of March so make sure you put your order in here.

We have a $5 opt in special for the first month and then you can decide if you want to continue with further editions after that.

It took me 2 weeks to compile my email address list, over 2000 contacts!!!

So get your club on board, or individually, and take your game to the next level in 2012.

4 hours til kick off!!

2 Years in the Making, But Now It's Here!!

You may have noticed that I haven't updated for a few weeks but I have a great reason why!

This site is taking the next step to world wide domination (slight exaggeration maybe...) and moving to a monthly subscription newsletter start Monday March 26th, 2012!!

I am very excited about this and I've tried for the last couple of years to do this but I could never get it off the ground but this year I'm throwing caution to the wind and off we go.

By clicking on the button at the bottom of the page you can have the Aussie Rules Training Monthly Newsletter delivered straight to your inbox with no hassles.

For just $30 per month you'll receive:

• a monthly training program ($140 value)
• nutrition and supplementation information
• exercises to use to avoid common football injuries
• strategies to rehabilitate common football injuries
• the latest strength and conditioning methods used to be more powerful, stronger and faster then you've ever been!
• Training to ace the combine tests
• Goal setting
• Team training idea’s
• and any suggestions that are sent my way

The newsletter has one purpose only, and that is to help you and your football team become better footballers.

For a short time only I will set the price for the first month at $5 and then a reoccurring payment of $30.00 for each successive edition. Alternatively you can purchase a 12 month subscription for $330. Purchase HERE.

The first newsletter will be available from Monday March 26th, 2012.

Do not miss this opportunity!!

      I will still be updating this site but spasmodically (so like normal I suppose!!) but the way I want this to work is for you to get your footy club to purchase the monthly subscription to a) ease the cost and b) to provide as many players as possible access to the wealth of information. Of course if you want all the secrets to yourself then go right ahead.

If you have any queries or ideas for subjects that you’d like covered in the newsletter please contact me at lange_troy@hotmail.com.

Payment Options

Monthly Subscription : $30.00AUD - monthly Yearly Subscription : $330.00AUD - yearly

THIS is How to Get Faster

I received this email the other day:

Hey Troy,

I am a 14 year old on-baller from Qld. I have great endurance but my 

sprinting needs much more work. Could you please send activities or 

a workout on how i can improve this? I am willing to do a lot of work.  
 
Thanks AJ

Speed is King.

Having great endurance is fine but if you can only go at 1 pace, you 

will seldom win the ball. I went into this in greater detail in my 

"You Must Train Like This In 2012" article.

What we'll focus on in this article is what you HAVE to do to 

improve sprinting speed.

Now really there are 2 things to do to get faster.

Thing 1 - Use the right muscles at the right time

Thing 2 -  Make the right muscles stronger.

Doing these 2 things alone will increase your sprinting speed above 

all else, even if you're fast already.

Speed is a product of how much force you can put into the ground 

with each step. The harder you can plant your foot down, the harder 

the rebound which translates into greater horizontal propulsion. 

Think of throwing a rubber ball into the ground as hard as you can 

and seeing how high it can rebound into  the air.

Now in order to be able to develop the ability to plant with great 

force, you need muscular strength, power and coordination.

The muscles you need to focus on initially are the glutes and 

hamstrings, the 2 most underdeveloped muscles in footballers all 

over the country. 

A lot of people will harp on about the quads for lower body which 

is true, but the posterior chain is where speed is developed.

As well as developing the muscles of the posteriour chain, you also 

need to develop the action of hip extension, which is the action of 

the leg going back behind the mid line of the body. I go into great 

detail on it here.

So here's what we need:

1 - Activation of the posteriour chain muscles and hip extension 

action (glutes and hamstrings).

2 - Strengthening of the posteriour chain muscles and hip 

extension action (glutes and hamstrings again) 

To activating the posteriour chain muscles, perform the exercises 

from this video for 1 - 2 sets of 10 - 20 reps each 

To activating the hip extension action you have 2 options 

depending on what equipment you have access to. If you 

have access to a prowler, sled or a partner, then you can 

perform a push or drag exercise like this:

If you don't have a prowler or sled, than you can use a 

partner variation where you just try and push them 

backwards while they try and resist you. The aim is to 

push through complete hip extension each step and try 

and clench your arse cheeks with each step. Your 

partner should only apply minimal resistance as you 

actually want to do it, not just push against an 

immovable object. Also don't forget to raise your 

knees up as high and far as you can, such as when 

you're sprinting. Do this for 2 sets of 10 - 20 steps. 

If you can't do this as you train alone then you can 

stand with your arms on a bar about sternum height 

and just push your feet through the floor while 

squeezing your cheeks as hard as you can through 

the back leg:

To strengthen the posteriour chain muscles you can't 

go past deadlifts. Keep these to low reps per set, no 

higher then 6 but you won't need to go lower then 3

either. We're training to get faster, not for 

powerlifitng.

If you've never done deadlifts before then please get 

a qualified coach to show you (although my video 

does a pretty good job!) and start with bar at a mid 

shin height too, such as the rack pull showed in the 

video above at 2mins:50secs.

To strengthen the hip extension action in a sprinting 

motion, the prowler drag video is it. As most people 

don't have access to a prowler or sled, again you can 

go with the partner push or even a car push. This time 

your partner can now apply a lot more resistance but 

again you still want to be able to do it. 

Put these methods to the test but also continue to sprint!

Get your prowler from Underground Elite.

Hip Extension - Make It Your Dominant Action

As appeared at the sportsvault.com.au:

If one was to interview 100 athletes and asked them what would they like more of and what would they like less of, I bet that 2 of the most popular answers would be to increase speed and to have less lower back pain.

What if I told you that there’s 1 specific movement that you’re not training that could make both of these goals a reality?

Enter Hip Extension.

What Is It?

Hip Extension is where the leg goes back behind the midline of the body as demonstrated in this video at 16secs.

It us performed primarily by the glute maximus and secondary by the adductor magnus with the hamstrings providing some supplementary assistance.

Optimally you should be able to achieve 10 degrees range of motion without compensating through the lumbar spine or hamstrings.

What Hip Extension Will Do For You?

All sprinters know the importance of training hip extension to improve their sprinting times and providing that hip extension is the basic push off movement at the completion of each step, rightly so.

Specifically it gives you great propulsion out of the blocks by providing you with a long first step at the start of a sprint.

                                        

Maximum speed, which generally kicks in at 30m of any sprint, is also enhanced as the posterior chain (which produces hip extension) acts as the prime mover, taking over the quadriceps.

In a postural sense, a well developed hip extension movement and thus, well developed glute muscles will also bring your hips out of excessive anterior tilt, decreasing lower back stress.

Why Don’t I Have Adequate Hip Extension?

Like all body movements, hip extension has its agonist (glutes) and antagonist (quadriceps, hip flexors).

When one side is stronger than the other side then the tug of war is being pulled one way more than the other, in this case the hips (pelvis) are being pulled up and backwards by the erector spinae and down and forwards by the hip flexors and quadriceps.

The glutes are now in a constant lengthened and stretched position which in turn makes it a weak muscle (think of the elastic band in your pj’s that all worn and loose).

To add even more dysfunction onto the pile, as technology continues to take over the world, so does sitting which reinforces tight quadriceps and hip flexors.

So the main problems associated with a lack of hip extension range of motion and strength is:

• Inhibited glutes
• Tight hip flexors, quadriceps, adductors, illiotibial band/tensor fasciae latae
• All resulting in excessive pelvic tilt

What Do I Do Then?

Before each session you will need to inhibit and lengthen your tight muscles (itb/tfl, hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors). Myofascial release techniques are a great choice here such as manual massage, self massage, foam rolling, tennis balls along with any form of stretching you’d like to do but as static stretching has the greatest effect on decreasing muscle force production, it’s a pretty good choice.

Immediately after you’ve inhibited the tight muscles you need to activate the dormant/weak muscles (glutes). This can be done with single leg prone hip extensions, glute bridges from an elevated surface (to decrease hamstring involvement), bird dogs, wall marches etc. 

Now that you have those glutes ready to work, it’s time to strengthen them through deadlifts variations, squat variations, single leg lunge and step up variations as well as straight leg hip extensions, weighted hip thrust, pendulums, reverse hyperextensions and glute ham raises. 

To really get hip extension to work for you in the sports arena it’s critical that you take it 1 step further using sled push drags then head off to the track and do some straight leg bounds, high knee skips and various sprint starts and traditional sprints.

Programming

To program hip extension simply choose 1 activation exercise, 1 strength exercise and 1 assistance exercise and do them 2 – 3 times a week. If you’re an athlete then you should hot the track 1 – 2 per week as well or incorporate them into your team training sessions.

Just make sure to finish each exercise with full extension of the ankle, knee and hip which is called triple extension. For additional hip extension work you can use a split stance on your upper body exercises, squeezing the trail leg, alternating legs each set. If you have a one side weaker than the other then it is critical that you do MORE for that side using an imbalanced training approach. The weak side won’t catch up doing the same amount of work as the other side.

Just make sure that whenever you are training hip extension that you don’t move yourself into lumbar spine hyperextension, which can actually cause facet damage to the spine.

I hope you enjoyed and get a lot out of this focus on hip extension and let me know any thoughts or questions you have to make you a better athlete.

January Blitz Phase 5 - Hypertrophy

So in the end we had enough time to do 6 days of hypertrophy work to finish off the January Blitz. No this isn't one of those "gain 5kgs in 4 days" programs as you can't gain anything in that time but it was more a trial run of the different method we've focused on for January.

I eventually split it up into 2 x 3 day "bits." (technical i know...)

Bit #1 we kept with the drop off method we used in the other phases. On day 1 we worked up to an 8 rep max and then did as many sets of 6 reps with the 8 rep max weight as we could, stopping at 5 sets regardless (mainly for time reasons). We did this for 3 days in a row. If we reached 6 reps for all 5 sets then you increase the weight for the next day's workout and if you didn't reach the full 30 reps then you decreased the weight for the next day's workout.

We did 6 exercises: lat pulldowns, bench press to the neck, trap bar shrugs, face pulls, single arm lean away lateral raises + chain and hammer curls + chain.

The choice of exercise was actually strategic in the sense that we were purely aiming to build the illusion of growth so as you can see we focused on lats, upper chest, shrugs, rear delts/upper back, side delts and the brachialis. When each of these muscles are developed, you look wide as a barn door, even if you're not!

Bit #2 I simply set a rep target of 25, 37 and 50 reps for each respective day using some of the same exercises but still focusing on the same muscles.

Day 1 - pull up, floor bench press, db shrug, rear delt raise with chains, seated lateral raise and reverse curls + chains

Day 2 - lat pulldowns, bench press to neck, db shrug, ring face pull, standing lateral raise and reverse curls

Day 3 - lat pulldowns, feet elevated ring push up, db shrug, pronated grip db chest supported row, db upright row and hammer curls

No sets were to failure but rather each set was focusing on completing as many explosive, quality reps as possible then the set was over. There's no room for building up excess fatigue in a high frequency training plan.

I have seen some results from this (I was the only one to complete all 6 days in a row) and I think something like this long term could work wonders so I might try it later in the year.

Starting next Tuesday we'll back to our normal workouts and footy training starts Wednesday night so we might need to adjust some of the volume we use but we will still focus on developing max acceleration and speed.

January Blitz Phase 4 - Max Velocity / Acceleration

We finally made it to phase 4, max velocity.

As it turned out we couldn't do exactly what I planned so it actually turned into max acceleration but that was no big deal.

The aim of this phase was to use our strength, force absorption and force output phases to transfer into actual speed, because what's strength if you can't express it? Pretty useless really.

So we did some sprinting for 3 days in a row with this set up:

1. Sled Sprints @ 22.5kgs
2. Sled Sprints @ 11.25kgs
3. Bodyweight Traditional Sprints

We timed the traditional sprints where Lachy clocked a 1.84sec 10m time and Troy got 1.81secs. I didn't get to time Nick unfortunately.

For bench presses we did basic throws from the bottom position so we were on our backs with our elbows resting on the floor and after a 2 - 3 second pause, just exploded up and threw the bar as high as we could. We also did this 3 days in a row.

To take us up to the Australia Day weekend we're now doing a "get big" week which the boys have been looking forward to for a while. We haven't focused a lot of hypertrophy in the off season  program yet but we're only doing 7 days so it's not like we'll explode to 100kgs or anything but if we can get some result in a week then the principles we are following will be a success and we can use it again with a more long term approach.

I'll detail this phase in a couple of days.