Tuesday, February 16, 2010

More Victims, Please!

We had another awesome Kettlebell Intro Workshop this weekend. Thanks to Gabby and all of the Newbies for helping make it such a great class. I really enjoy sharing this unique form of torture with people so thank you for allowing me to do that.  About half of you have already been back for more- I hope the rest of you are getting your bodies moving and stretching those tight muscles out. If you're too sore to walk, WALK and STRETCH! You'll feel much better afterward, I promise. =)
Keep up the great work and I'll see you in class!

Val

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

SC United Soccer- Conditioning Training- February Workout

Running is a huge part of soccer. The skills of the game are extremely important, but if the you're beating the other team to the ball at the end of a close match, you're much more likely to win!

I've been working with some of the San Clemente United Soccer Teams to help increase endurance and I wanted to post some running workouts for the kids to do on their own.  Just going out and running the beach trail while you're chatting with your friends isn't going to cut it.  So here's your workout of the month- do it once or twice a week and try to push the "intervals" harder every time.  Wear a watch for this workout!

We've been working on gears so I'll put all of the training in those terms. As a reminder...
Gear 1 = Just slightly faster than a walk; this is your recovery jog
Gear 2 = about a 30-40% effort; easy jog, faster than 1
Gear 3 = 50% effort; moderate jog- you could easily go for a mile at this pace
Gear 4 = 75-80% effort; you could run at this pace for about 2 or 3 minutes before your legs really start to burn
Gear 5 = all out sprint

5-Minute Warmup Jog at Gear 3
5 x 1 minute at Gear 4, 1 minute at Gear 2
5 x 30 seconds at Gear 5, 1 minute at Gear 2
5 x 1 minute at Gear 4, 1 minute at Gear 2
5-Minute Cool down Jog at Gear 3
Stretch

You should NEED the Gear 2 to recover after each interval at either Gear 4 or 5. If you don't feel like you need that active rest at Gear 2, then run Gears 4 and 5 faster!

If you're running with friends (and I recommend this), use the Gear 2 recovery to group back up. Everyone will be running the Gears 4 and 5 at their own pace. Encourage each other and get back into your groups during the Gear 2 recovery jogs.

No go out there and have some fun with your runs!