Random Q & A
Q: Can you help me with a strength building routine that can be done at home (no gym nearby and no equipment at home).
I’m not looking for huge muscles, just some muscle/strength building and a generally healthier life.
I need some advice including exercises, diet changes, and/or supplements (though more cost is a factor).
A: You're willing to buy nutritional supplements, but not a gym membership or some basic home equipment? There's something wrong with those priorities. For the cost of about two month's worth of basic supplements, you can get a home gym setup that will last your lifetime, or longer.
You should be able to find a 300-pound barbell set for about $150 at places like Omni Fitness or Dick’s Sporting Goods. There are also stores like “Play-It Again Sports” that specialize in selling less expensive, used equipment. Don’t forget to check out Ebay.com or your local Craigslist.org to find cheaper used stuff.
But if you still want to train at home on the cheap, no worries. Grab a backpack or duffel bag; There's got to be one laying around your house somewhere. Now stuff it with everything that'll fit. Not sweaters and t-shirts, but heavier things like textbooks, phonebooks, boots, whatever you can cram in there. Congrats, you just built a weight.
Search the web for info on sandbag lifting, and you should be able to do most of the exercises with your new bag. Some of the easiest ones: Bearhug it and walk. Bearhug it and squat or lunge. Press it overhead with one or two arms. Press it overhead and squat. Bend over and row with one or two arms. Swing it to different heights (chest level, eye-level, straight overhead). Basically, take the weight, pick it up somehow or move it somewhere, and repeat for reps or time.
Another great at-home solution is to become very familiar with bodyweight exercises and their variations. Push-ups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, things like that. If you search around the web, you can find a few sites that explain the basics. Or shoot me another e-mail at chris@bodyfuelfitness.com for some more specifics.
- Chris.
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Q: I joined a buddy's softball team and it looks to be a pretty competitive league (multiple games per week). I’ve always had a fairly strong throwing arm, but it can’t hurt to get a little more zing in the wing, so to speak.
I have some resistance bands that I was thinking of using for going through the throwing motion. I am looking for your thoughts on improving my throwing arm.
A: Strength Coaches Alwyn Cosgrove, Eric Cressey, and Mike Robertson have all used a similar analogy for this situation; If a baseball player came to them, the first thing they would do is train the opposing throwing muscles (like the biceps and upper back), and the absolute last thing they would do is to mimic the actual throwing motion against resistance. This advice is 100% spot-on.
If you were to work these same muscles in the weight room, they'd quickly get overtrained, and it would only encourage muscle imbalances (which lead to injury). I dare you to keep track of how many "reps" of throws you do during your next practice or game. You'll lose count for sure. Anatomically, the muscles that are supposed to balance these throwing muscles need just as much attention, if not more.
So, unless your league is using an 8-pound softball, there's no point in training the band that way. Use the weight room for building a stronger and faster body, then use time on the field in practice to translate that strength and speed for the game.
Just as important as the rotator cuff/shoulder/scapula area is the hips, abs (core), and grip. A weak point in any of those three, and it doesn't matter if your shoulder is super-healthy.
I'd consider going on a primarily dumbbell routine for about four weeks, with limited barbell exercises, in conjunction with a basic rotator cuff/scapula pre-hab program. Big exercises like dumbbell snatches, the clean and press, step-ups, bent 2-dumbbell rows, and full contact twists (which requires a barbell, but it's awesome and well-worth including), will all be key players. Send me an e-mail at chris@bodyfuelfitness.com, and I can flesh out the details for you after I get some more information.
- Chris.
I’m not looking for huge muscles, just some muscle/strength building and a generally healthier life.
I need some advice including exercises, diet changes, and/or supplements (though more cost is a factor).
A: You're willing to buy nutritional supplements, but not a gym membership or some basic home equipment? There's something wrong with those priorities. For the cost of about two month's worth of basic supplements, you can get a home gym setup that will last your lifetime, or longer.
You should be able to find a 300-pound barbell set for about $150 at places like Omni Fitness or Dick’s Sporting Goods. There are also stores like “Play-It Again Sports” that specialize in selling less expensive, used equipment. Don’t forget to check out Ebay.com or your local Craigslist.org to find cheaper used stuff.
But if you still want to train at home on the cheap, no worries. Grab a backpack or duffel bag; There's got to be one laying around your house somewhere. Now stuff it with everything that'll fit. Not sweaters and t-shirts, but heavier things like textbooks, phonebooks, boots, whatever you can cram in there. Congrats, you just built a weight.
Search the web for info on sandbag lifting, and you should be able to do most of the exercises with your new bag. Some of the easiest ones: Bearhug it and walk. Bearhug it and squat or lunge. Press it overhead with one or two arms. Press it overhead and squat. Bend over and row with one or two arms. Swing it to different heights (chest level, eye-level, straight overhead). Basically, take the weight, pick it up somehow or move it somewhere, and repeat for reps or time.
Another great at-home solution is to become very familiar with bodyweight exercises and their variations. Push-ups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, things like that. If you search around the web, you can find a few sites that explain the basics. Or shoot me another e-mail at chris@bodyfuelfitness.com for some more specifics.
- Chris.
- - - - - - - -
Q: I joined a buddy's softball team and it looks to be a pretty competitive league (multiple games per week). I’ve always had a fairly strong throwing arm, but it can’t hurt to get a little more zing in the wing, so to speak.
I have some resistance bands that I was thinking of using for going through the throwing motion. I am looking for your thoughts on improving my throwing arm.
A: Strength Coaches Alwyn Cosgrove, Eric Cressey, and Mike Robertson have all used a similar analogy for this situation; If a baseball player came to them, the first thing they would do is train the opposing throwing muscles (like the biceps and upper back), and the absolute last thing they would do is to mimic the actual throwing motion against resistance. This advice is 100% spot-on.
If you were to work these same muscles in the weight room, they'd quickly get overtrained, and it would only encourage muscle imbalances (which lead to injury). I dare you to keep track of how many "reps" of throws you do during your next practice or game. You'll lose count for sure. Anatomically, the muscles that are supposed to balance these throwing muscles need just as much attention, if not more.
So, unless your league is using an 8-pound softball, there's no point in training the band that way. Use the weight room for building a stronger and faster body, then use time on the field in practice to translate that strength and speed for the game.
Just as important as the rotator cuff/shoulder/scapula area is the hips, abs (core), and grip. A weak point in any of those three, and it doesn't matter if your shoulder is super-healthy.
I'd consider going on a primarily dumbbell routine for about four weeks, with limited barbell exercises, in conjunction with a basic rotator cuff/scapula pre-hab program. Big exercises like dumbbell snatches, the clean and press, step-ups, bent 2-dumbbell rows, and full contact twists (which requires a barbell, but it's awesome and well-worth including), will all be key players. Send me an e-mail at chris@bodyfuelfitness.com, and I can flesh out the details for you after I get some more information.
- Chris.
posted by Chris Colucci at 6:24 PM
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