One of the biggest things about training using a program is having a well written program that has been objectively put together. It's usually an exercise in futility for a person to design their own program unless they've actually studied how to properly program. Progression and regression all need to be carefully considered. It's rare that I get someone who comes to train who has it sorted in terms of correct form or squats, lunges etc. There is a lot to consider and a worth-his-salt trainer will be honest and keep an eye out for things that need to be worked on. Examples... Are their heels raising during squats and why? Can the person go down into a deep squat? Are they driving through their heels? What's happening with their breathing and diaphragm as they hit the concentric portion? What is their temp during their eccentric? What is the goal of their squats? Lots of very basic questions - for something as seemingly simple as the basic back squat. Does the core start to collapse in during a lunge? Would the person be better off starting out with static lunges or walking lunges? Should they even be doing lunge walks with dumbells if they cant' do text book perfect lunges at bodyweight? Can they do a lunge and bring their forward leg back to a matched feet position without going all over the shot? Can they get their knee almost to ground without smashing their kneecap in? Can they do that with a 3-2-1 temp as the go into the eccentric portion of the movement? So again... lots of things a switched on trainer will be paying attention to when he's assessing your movement patterns and your strengths and/or weaknesses. And then from there once you've satisfactorily answered a lot of the questions you should have as a trainer regarding all of the above examples... you'll want to know what type of set/rep ratios as they relate to what the end goal for the client is. Hypertrophy? Strength? Endurance? You'll want to know how to progress or regress a client depending on their movements and ability. Just food for thought on the subject.
There are lots of exercises involving "pulling" in all directions and fashions. I chose not to assume.
In terms of pulling movement think of rows.... in all their glorious forms... so you could do: Chin ups (palms facing away) Pull ups (palms facing towards) or mixed grips for either you could go with lat pull downs you could go with bag drags where you're using a big rope pull a weighted rucksack across the floor towards you Most pulling motions are going to involve the lats, the rhomboids, a lot of scapular retraction (eg. shoulder blades moving) and will employ grip strength (you have to hang on right?) as well as the legs as a base to pull from... a sense of balance... you can't just topple over right? Here's a good one to work towards that has a lot more than just pulling going on. But pulling is the major component. It's not the place to start but gives you an idea of where you want to be going... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ILOOQRyNF4"]IGNITE SC - crossover chins.wmv - YouTube[/ame]
to add to slip's stuff - even things like gait drills like sprinting or running drills, even the warm up ground drills in bjj like spider walks and bear crawls, you ned to look out for when people are just going by momentum and praying their feet and hands catch up, it's not useful for the development of skill and learning to create speed and power they should be putting power into the ground with each stride and not just praying their legs will keep up also i guess pull ups and chin ups count a a vertical pull?
Hmm. Oddly enough my workout (which is very informal and disorganised) might cover this. It basically consists of an hour of running off road through a nearby woodland area, which includes a fair bit of jumping or climbing over ditches or fallen trees, dodging, twisting and ducking under low-hanging branches, and when I'm feeling particularly exuberant a bit of swinging on branches/climbing (I wear climbing gloves when I go running). I suspect that a carefully designed and planned out workout would benefit me more - but I don't really have the patience to do a proscribed workout each day. This thread has now made me think about it, and I'm going to have a think about other ways to add to it (maybe take my bow with me...or maybe not).
Yeah you have to mix it up. Not everyone is of the mindset that can handle a three day/four week set schedule and then change on the marked date. I hand out a lot of programs to my clients depending on their needs.... but I myself am guilty of trying to play around with every single movement known to man. Which isn't bad... but recently I've taken time to really focus on squats, deadlifts, push press and a few other classic movements. I've actually found they have been a big help in some recent adventure races I'd done. But your run sounds like a good way to get or keep active. With that type of run I'd say a legs day is uber important to keep your knees in check etc. But again... activity and staying motivated is the name of the game. I try to get outdoors as much as I can when I train - nothing worse than being stuck inside all day.
I've played tennis now for two day running and have probably done more transverse plane movements that I have for the rest of the month's workouts combined. I feel completely done in. Diagonal lunges a plenty. Small changes make such a difference.
A timely article on T-Nation with an interesting flow drill: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_30_second_mobility_cure
Was it this one? The Leicester guys train almost exclusively outside. They are very experienced, please don't try some of this stuff without supervision though... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjubvbeJXxI"]Outdoor Training - YouTube[/ame]
Yes. I like the idea of a run like that (basically an army assault course type thing) but in an urban environment (almost any environment really) they basically just looked like two crims running away from a crime. Even at a basic level if I saw two guys running like that across my path when driving there'd be some choice words about what the silly bleeders were thinking of running across a dual carriageway.
