Rip G’s

It is what every athlete on the offensive side of the ball wants to do in the sport of lacrosse.   Translation, score a goal. Offensive players are always looking for a way to improve shot velocity. Along with strengthening the muscles of the lower body and the midsection, improving stabilization of the shoulder will allow for greater shot velocity.  Shoulder stabilization is just as important for a lacrosse player as it is for a baseball pitcher (or any other throwing/striking athlete). Here are some exercises to add to your routine.

 

I-Y-T:

 Lay face down on a flat bench at a 45-degree angle.  Holding a weight (keep it light 3 – 8 pounds) with your thumbs extended, let your arms hang at each side of the bench.   Keeping your arms straight, raise them in front of you so your thumb is pointed toward the ceiling.   You will resemble an “I”, hold the position for a 2 second count.   Get a good squeeze of the muscles between the shoulder blades.  Return the dumbbells to the starting position and repeat the motion.

 

From the same position raise your arms at a 45-degree angle, forming a “Y”.  Lastly raise your arms out to the side, forming a “T”.

Sets:  2 sets for I, Y and T

Reps:  12 – 15

 

Scap Push-Up / External Rotation:

Start in a plank position.  Lower your body toward the ground (from this position your shoulders will move closer to your hands).  Squeeze your shoulder blades together.  Push yourself away from the ground and allow for a stretch of the muscles at the top of the movement.  Repeat this motion 12 – 15 times.

 

Immediately following the push-ups, stand up and perform the following motion.  Let you arms hang below your waist and rotate each one so your thumbs point toward your midsection.  Begin to raise your arms in front of you.  Simultaneously, rotate your arm so your thumbs begin to point up toward the ceiling.  Continue to raise your arms until they are above your head.  It will resemble the “Y” position mentioned in I-Y-T’s.  Keep your head in a neutral position throughout the movement; avoid pushing your head forward.

 

Scap Push-Up:  12-15 reps

External Rotation:  25 reps

Sets:  2

 

Crazy Driver:

Hold a plate or bumper plate at 9 and 3 o’clock.  Keeping your arms straight, hold the plate in front of you (chest height).   Turn the plate side to side (like a steering wheel) while keeping good posture (stand up straight, shoulders back).  Continue to turn the plate back and forth.

 

Duration:  30 seconds

Sets:  2

 

I’ve noticed over the last month, there is a new workout trend.  It is spreading like wildfire.  You don’t need to order the DVD or any special equipment.  As a matter of fact, I believe every gym has the equipment you need for this exercise.  It is called a pull-up bar.  The exercise is a “partial” pull-up and it is gaining quickly on the ¼ squat as the most popular exercise in the gym.
 
It is well known that pull-ups are a great exercise for developing strength.  Pull-ups are also a humbling exercise, which is why there is always a bar available at the gym.  The combination of these two points is what brings us to the “new trend”.  You no longer need to get your chin above the bar, let’s not get crazy, you don’t even need to get your chin to your knuckles.  This can be done at bodyweight or you can secure a 45 pound plate to a belt for greater partial gains.   This partial upward motion, combined with a lack of extension after each partial rep has transformed a dynamic exercise into an isometric contraction.
 
We all train to make ourselves better, so let’s stop cheating ourselves.  Be a trailblazer and reverse the trend.  This is supposed to be a challenging exercise, so stop taking it easy on yourself.  Lose the 45lb plate and see how many reps you can perform.  Start from a hang position (don’t count the first one if you jumped up to the bar and used the momentum to get you to the top) and pull yourself up to the bar.  Your chin should be above the bar (higher than your hands) and your elbows should be close to your ribs.   Return to your starting position and repeat.  You have taken a step towards improving yourself and your level of performance.

Less is more.  Sometimes, you need to step away from medicine balls, stretch bands, BOSU balls and other assorted toys.  If you are looking to challenge yourself, all you need is an Olympic bar and two plates.  You will need to be proficient in some complex movements like the deadlift, hang clean and front squat.  If you are unable to perform these exercises, hopefully the challenge being laid out will inspire you to learn.  The following workout is a circuit that will challenge you physically and mentally.  The exercises of the circuit are (in order)
 
Deadlift
Romanian Deadlift
Barbell Row
Hang Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
 
Start by completing six reps of each exercise (6 reps X deadlift, 6 reps X RDL, 6 reps X barbell row, 6 reps X hang clean, 6 reps X front squat, 6 reps X push press, 6 reps X back squat).  Do not put the bar down during the sequence.  Once you have finished the 6 reps, take 90 seconds rest.  Repeat the same sequence, performing 5 reps of each exercise.  After performing 5 reps of each exercise, take 90 seconds rest.  Repeat this process for 4 reps, 3 reps, 2 reps and 1 rep.  Good luck.
 

Lacrosse season is only a couple weeks away.  Here is a popular workout for the lacrosse players that train with me.  You will need a stop watch and a 30 - 40 yard space to run at your training facility.  It is preferred that you will have to change directions (accelerate and decelerate) throughout the running.
 
Start your watch and then perform 10 repetitions of the following movements (no weights needed):
 
Pull-ups
Squats
Push-Ups
Sit-Ups
Burpees

when finished run 200 yards.  Then perform 9 repetitions of each exercise and run 200 yards.
 
Continue this pattern down to 1 of each exercise.  When you finish your 200 yard run record your time on the stop watch.  A good starting time would be between 16 - 18 minutes.
 

Jay Dyer

It is time to incorporate elements of speed and change of direction training.  It is time to incorporate the quick foot or agility ladder to your training.  Perform a variety of lateral and forward movements to improve foot contact speed and coordination.
 
Agility drills incorporating sprinting, shuffling and backpedaling will prepare your body for the demands of lacrosse.  Here are some basic drills to start with:

Formation:  Place 4 cones (5 yards apart) in a square.
Movement:  Starting at the bottom left, shuffle to the bottom right cone.  Sprint forward to the top right.  Shuffle to the top left and backpedal to the bottom left, quickly reverse the pattern until you are back at the starting position.
Sets:  Perform 2 times starting at bottom left, 2 times starting at bottom right.
Rest:  30 – 45 seconds between sets.

Formation:  Place 4 cones (5 yards apart) in a square.
Movement:  Starting at bottom left, shuffle to bottom right and shuffle back to bottom left.  Sprint diagonal to the top right.  Sprint to top left.
Sets:  Perform 2 times starting at bottom left, 2 times starting at bottom right.
Rest:  30 seconds rest between sets.
 
Formation:  Place 4 cones (5 yards apart) in a square.
Movement:  Starting at bottom left, sprint to top left.  Sprint to top right. Turn and sprint back to top left and sprint back to starting position.
Sets:  Perform 2 times starting at bottom left, 2 times starting at bottom right.
Rest:  30 seconds rest between sets.
 

As the calendar turns to December it is time to ramp up your training for the spring season.  The fall showcase tournaments are over and now exams and the holidays are approaching (with that in mind, ask for an early holiday gift, a stopwatch).  Before you know it, it will be January 1st and that means 6 – 8 weeks until the start of the season.  Your first practice is rapidly approaching.

Make sure your body is prepared for training with some GPP (General Physical Preparation).  An extension your active warm-up, this involves a continuous bout of callisthenic exercises.  This includes jumping jacks, push-ups, speed-skaters, squat thrusts, etc.    Change the exercise every 15 – 30 seconds over a 4 minute period.  Most athletes will consider the activity challenging, you can add time as you adapt to the challenge. 

Lacrosse training will require sprint training (short and intermediate distances) and change of direction drills.  Focus on the intermediate distances early in the training while building a tolerance.  Combine shuttle runs and Fartlek runs to increase your work capacity, which will aid your recovery in later stages of higher intensity shorter duration sprints.  A Fartlek run can be done on a track, in your neighborhood, etc.  It is a change of pace run, combining jogging, striding and sprinting measured in time (sprint for 30 seconds) or distance (sprint for 60 yards, 6 houses, 2 light posts, etc).  Your run should cover 1.5 – 2 miles.  A common distance for shuttle runs is 300 yards.  This can be performed several different ways, 25 yard increments, 30 yard increments or 10-20-30-40-50 running each distance and returning to your starting position.  In the early stages of training the athlete’s goal is to finish each shuttle under 60 seconds.

Get to work, because unlike some sports, lacrosse championships are decided by players not computers.