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Q: I know
that you work a ton with baseball players and that medicine ball
workouts are an integral part of their training at Cressey
Performance. However, I’m not a baseball player – or a competitive
athlete in any discipline, for that matter – and I’m wondering if I
should still consider adding medicine ball workouts to my strength
and conditioning program. Are there benefits that I can’t get from a
traditional strength training program with comprehensive mobility
drills?
A: This is a great question – and I’ll start off by saying that we
actually have quite a few athletes at Cressey Performance who aren’t
baseball players. Plus, we firmly believe that everyone has an
athlete in them, so our training mandates a functional carryover to
the real world for everyone. Integrating some medicine ball workouts
– even if the volume and frequency aren’t as high as in our
rotational sport athletes – can definitely add some benefits to a
strength and conditioning program. Here are seven of those benefits:
1. Real World Transfer – Regardless of how effectively a strength
and conditioning program is designed, it’ll usually be very sagittal
plane dominant. Integrating some rotational medicine ball training
immediately increases the number of movements from which you can
choose in the transverse and frontal planes.
2. Low-Impact Fat Loss Medleys – Look at all of the fat loss
programs out there, and the overwhelming majority of them require a
lot of impact – whether it’s from sprinting/jogging, jumping rope,
or taking step aerobics. Performing medleys of various medicine ball
throws not only allows you to increase volume in a program while
minimizing stress on the lower extremity, but also affords some much
appreciated variety in a program that might otherwise be dominated
by a lot of boring cardio equipment.
3. Better Integration of the Core -With a correctly executed
rotational med ball throw, the power should come predominantly from
the lower half – which means that it should be transmitted through a
stable core so that the energy will be appropriately utilized with
thoracic rotation to get to the arms and, in turn, the ball. This
sequencing is no different than lifting a bag of groceries, swinging
a golf club, or going up on one’s tip-toes to grab something on the
top shelf. If you move in the wrong areas (lumbar spine), you’ll
eventually wind up with back pain – but if you’ve handled the
rotational challenges of medicine ball workouts with perfect
technique, you’ll be protected in the real world.
4. Improved Ankle, Hip, and Thoracic Spine Mobility – When performed
correctly, medicine ball exercises serve as an outstanding way to
“ingrain” the mobility you’ve established with a dynamic warm-up
prior to training. Additionally, we utilize mobility and activation
“fillers” between sets of medicine ball drills to not only slow
people down between sets, but also address issues they have that
might warrant extra attention.
5. A Way to Train Power Outside of the Sagittal Plane – Research has
demonstrated that the biggest problems with folks as they grow older
are not just the loss of strength, muscle mass, and bone density,
but the loss of power – or how quickly they can apply force. It’s
this reduction in power that makes elderly individuals more
susceptible to falls. We can’t always train power “optimally” in
some older adults because of ground reaction forces being too
stressful, but most can learn to apply a significant amount of force
to a medicine ball – whether it’s rotationally or with an overhead
stomp/throw variation. Everyone should obviously build a solid
foundation of strength and mobility before undertaking these options,
but when the time is right, they are great additions.
On a related note, here’s a video I filmed a while back that shows
how medicine ball workouts fit into our overall approach to
developing power in athletes.
6. Reduction of Asymmetry - Most of us are very one-side dominant,
and while I have no aspirations of ever expecting folks to be
completely symmetrical, I think that training with rotational
medicine ball drills can go a long way in ironing out prominent hip
and thoracic spine asymmetries. This has been one reason why they
comprise such an integral part of our off-season baseball training
programs; these players spend their entire lives in an asymmetrical
sport.
7. A Way to Blow off Some Steam – Lifting weights is great for
letting out some aggression after a bad day, but throwing a medicine
ball is on a whole different level. In most cases, I encourage folks
to try to break the medicine balls on every single throw. As you can
see, we’ve broken quite a few… |
Binnenkort meer info
.....
What is Medicine Ball Training?
Medicine Ball workouts are a throwback method of training that is
being rediscovered by athletes and fitness experts everywhere. In
this age of high tech equipment, the medicine ball is very
simplistic, yet incredibly effective in training the whole body
through a complete range of motion.
Why Train With A Medicine Ball?
Medicine balls build core trunk strength and joint integrity. You
may ask why is this important? Core trunk strength is the key to
most athletic moves (i.e. golf swing, throwing a baseball, martial
arts, blocking and tackling in football), the problem is the body is
a chain and is only as strong as it's weakest link. The trunk is
generally this weakest link. All sports trainers now recognize core
strength training as the logical starting point for an effective
training program. Joint integrity is the other vital benefit of
Medicine Balls training
Why Train with a Medicine Ball?
Courtesy of bodybuilding.com
1.There are three planes of motion.
With most of our weight training exercises we only train one.
However, we move in three in everyday life and in sport. So, with
medicine balls we are able to train the other two planes of motion,
which can result in a great reduction of risk of injuries such as
the low back.
2.Medicine balls utilize a high level of trunk activity.
Many theorize that all movement begins at the core (abdominal and
low back) and all forces are translated through this region. This
means that if your core is weak your ability to develop power or
force through the extremities will be reduced. Powerlifters can tell
you that if you don't have a strong core that one's deadlift or
squat will suffer tremendously. Now, even though there are a variety
of ways to train the trunk, medicine balls allow one to train these
muscles in an explosive manner as well. In sport, most movements are
very fast and powerful, so in the development of high school to
professional athletes this can be a very useful method.
3.Explosive power development
can have a positive effect for those that are looking for new levels
of strength in their weight training or increased sporting
performance. In sport there is no factor more important than rate of
force development. Meaning, being just strong is not adequate. Like
I mentioned in the above point, sporting activities will usually
contain very fast and powerful movements. If one can not produce
their strength in a minimal amount of time then they will not
perform at their full potential.
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MEDICINE BALL TRAINING;
Explosive Medicine Ball Training for
Speed and Power Development
By: John Cortese
http://CortesePerformance.com
Medicine ball throws are an excellent way to develop explosive power. I learned
of these throws a few years ago from the late, world-renown speed coach, Charlie
Francis; and world-famous Olympic sprint coach, Dan Pfaff.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP
Benefits:
■Great for teaching proper acceleration mechanics for novice and youth athletes.
■Can be done outdoors on grass or sand.
■Teaches triple extension of the foot, knee, and ankle in body positions
specific to horizontal/vertical jumping and sprint starts.
■Teaching time is minimal- just throw the ball as fast and far/high as possible!
■Activates CNS prior to speed/strength training.
When To Do Them:
Because of the intense nature of these throws, they should be done on days when
you plan to incorporate some sprints and heavy lifting. I like to do them in the
warm-up to make sure the throws are done with maximal effort. Doing them tired
would be pointless if you’re after speed and power development. Start with once
a week, 5-10 throws per session, then work your way up to twice a week with
10-20 throws per session.
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