Training Basics, Training for sports

My Favourite Training Tools #8 – Agility Ladder

I almost always use ladders with competitive athletes for agility training, to improve foot speed, to work on coordinated movements, as well as to get the heart rate up a bit. But it turns out, they are really fun. Like in a whole different league from the chops, lifts, squats and deadlifts kind of fun. I don’t know what it is about the ladder, but people love it. They seem to love it even when they are doing a movement that they are not very good at yet. That is the part of ladder drills that is fun for me. šŸ™‚

So why was I saving the ladders for the competitive athletes?

Training Basics

Workouts are more fun when you succeed

But here’s the secret that can hook even these weirdos who don’t love working out: Making progress is awesome. And when you work out for a while – usually it only takes a few weeks – you make progress. And hopefully you realize that you’re only on the first few steps of a long path filled with a lot of progress. And that means lots of feel good moments in your future.

Injury prevention, Training Basics, Training for sports

Am I Fit Enough to Play?

I believe there is a significant link between asymmetries and previous injury as risk factors. When people return to play from an injury it is usually after being told by their doctor or physical therapist that they are “as strong as they were before they got injured”. But unless the injury was a contact injury, that initial injury occurred because there was a weakness or asymmetry somewhere, so getting back to pre-injury level is not enough.

Low back, Training Basics

Shoveling as a workout?

For many, shoveling is the big frustration. It’s hard work if you have a big driveway. I’m not sure if this is a surprise to anyone, but emergency rooms fill up after big snow falls. Okay, Iā€™m sure that doesn’t surprise anyone. Many of the visits are from falling injuries – slippery sidewalks, ski or snowboard tumbles, and of course toboggan injuries. But did you know there is also an increase in cardiac incidents? It turns out that shoveling is both frustrating and dangerous.