Pioneer Valley Youth Sports and Fitness Institute

the source for sound athletic advice

Pull Your Own Weight

I often speak with high school Athletic Directors, Coaches, youth sport organization presidents and representatives pertaining to workouts their athletes may want to consider. The obstacle many of them think they have is lack of facilities and equipment. Workouts, resistance training and energy system development, do not need the assistance of free-weights and cardiovascular machines, only creative minds and the know how to keep it safe and exciting.

As stated in the October 2008 issue of the WMSJ, I am not a big fan of kids using resistance stack machines. Although, depending on biological development, free-weights can be helpful and allow for greater variety, however they are not necessary for athletes of all ages and abilities to receive the benefits of a demanding workout. Understanding the basic movements our bodies produce everyday, the four pillars of movement as JC Santana terms it, push/pull, hip level change, rotation, and locomotive, one can use their own body weight resistance to produce an exhausting workout.

Let’s take these four pillars and put them to the test. Using body weight only and challenging work-to-rest intervals one can feel how difficult it can be to move ones own body weight.

Here are some basic movements for each pillar.

Push – Push-ups

Always start in the traditional push-up position, if you need to go to a modified position (knees on floor) do so when you can not complete a full range of motion push-up.

Pull – “W”

Lie on your stomach, extend your arms out to the left and right, bend your elbows to make a 90° angle, thus making a “W” if you think of your head as the center. While keeping your arms in this position, move your arms up and down, as if conducting a flying motion. Keep you toes on the ground.

Hip Level Change – Squats

Set your feet hip-width apart. Keep your weight on the outside of your feet, thus your in-steps are off the ground. Shift your hips back. Keep your eyes up and descend to a squat position as if trying to sit in a chair. Stand-up with pressure in the heels and repeat.

Rotations – Russian Twist

While seated on the ground, knees bend, feet off the ground, place hands together touching the ground next to your right hip. Rotate the trunk bringing your hands to the ground next to your left hip, and repeat for duration of work interval.

Locomotive – Jumping Jacks

Standing tall, feet together, arms by sides perform a jump and bring your arms above your head and feet to their respective outer side and land in this position. With minimal time on the ground jump again, bringing your feet together, arms by side land in this position, and repeat throughout the work interval.

Here is a work-to-rest interval based on fitness level.

Beginner – 10 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest

Intermediate – 15 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest

Expert – 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest

Elite – 30 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest

Perform these exercises in a circuit format. Start with push-ups followed by “W’s”, squats, Russian twist, and jumping jacks. Go through the circuit between 2-4 times depending on your fitness level. Follow proper form and technique, tempo of each movement should be fast enough to get as many repetitions performed in the amount of work interval set for, slow enough so form and technique is not lost. If in doubt go slower, safety is the number one concern. Always check with your physician before getting started in an exercise regime.

This sample workout shows that resistance training can be performed with limited amount of space and well, no equipment. There are numerous other body weight resistance exercises available, we are only limited by our creativity and safety concerns. These types of workouts can be sport performance specific for an entire high school football team or performed by an individual in the comforts of their own home.

To discuss resistance training and health/fitness programs please contact Len Haggerty at len@strideshpi.net.  Len Haggerty, MA, CSCS, YFS –Level 1 is a Sports Performance Coach operating STRIDES Performance & Wellness, Inc. in Northampton MA. They provide an experience for youths, athletes, and adults of all ages and abilities to discover their potential.