In this article I want to highlight a couple of workouts that we do with our team at the general stage of preparation for training. These workouts are great for athletes to work and get back into shape. They come from different sources and always develop, do not hesitate to take them and impose their own rotation on them.
A couple of years ago, Romona Pagel gave an excellent presentation at the NTCA Convention. She really has great ideas for learning. One of the workouts I removed from this session with her is now called Pagel Circuit. Pagel Circuit consists of all exercises in weight, so there is no need for specialized equipment or large space. Athletes complete 10 repetitions of each exercise without resting between exercises. We do the exercises in the following order:
-Burpees
-V windows
-Inch squats
-Push ups
-Split Squat Jump
-Latal jump
After completing all 6 exercises, we walk or run 200 meters to recover, and then repeat the scheme for three cycles. I track the time it takes to complete each cycle, and use this as one of my data to test the effectiveness of our teaching methods.
Another good workout at the beginning of the season is medicine. This exercise was presented to me by a former athlete in our system, Dan Chitinen. This is a fairly fast, but brutal training, which really includes athletes. We use heavy unresponsive medicine balls, and the athletes come together in groups of two. Men use a 25-pound ball, while women use a 16-pound ball. Working around a 200-meter covered walkway, the first partner takes the ball and the chest passes it in front of him, then runs toward it, continuing it for a full circle around the track. After crossing the line, the partner then makes a circle of the chest, passing along the track, while partner 1 is resting. In the second round, athletes throw the ball forward through their legs, lower their hips down and then push them up. In the final stage of the relay athletes run, holding the ball over his head. With this workout, you want to be careful that not too many athletes throw balls at the same time. I will limit it to only 3 athletes on the track at the moment, to reduce the risk that they will be hit by balls for medicine.
Each of these workouts can be completed in a fairly short time. They are great for returning athletes to the swing of things and improving performance with minimal chance of injury. I found them a good combination of volume and intensity for training at the beginning of the season.
