Try something new this January - Human Kinetics Blog

That’s it, the holidays are over, it’s time to get fit! Now the whole fitness industry is tired of the whole new year new you talk. However, here at Human Kinetics, we are here to inspire you, challenge you and teach you new things. So starting from the 2nd January (we will give you New Years Day off) we are going to give you a different challenge or a different sport to try.

Let us know how you get on, comment in the box below.

2nd January

As we reported in ‘The very best of 2017 for Human Kinetics Europe‘ our best-selling book of 2017 was Aurélien Broussal-Derval’s The Modern Art of High Intensity Training. Therefore it is only right the first exercise should come from this book.

Table for 12

No, don’t worry your family aren’t coming round for Christmas dinner again, this is even more tiring than that! It is a bodyweight conditioning killer, but it will sure help you burn off some of those extra calories.

Equipment – A bar for pull-ups.

12 rounds

12 push-ups (for the scaled version push-ups may be done on your knees)

12 complete burpees

12 pull-ups (for the scaled version a band may be used to assist if needed)

So in total, you will have done 144 push-ups, 144 burpees and 144 pull-ups

Record your total time and tell us how you got on.

If you are unsure about any of the techniques or correct form you can buy The Modern Art of High Intensity Training now.

3rd January

Working out is a great way to get fit but you must, of course, think about nutrition. Eaten too many mince pies and sugar lased treats over the holiday season? We have the smoothie for you. Taken from Heather Mangieri’s Fueling Young Athletes. But of course, this recipe is great for people of all ages.

Green Smoothie

Grab yourself:

1/2 cup fresh green grapes
1/3 cup Greek nonfat yoghurt
1 1/2 cups of fresh spinach
1/2 apple
1/3 cup of fresh pineapple chunks
1 tbsp (15 g) hemp seeds.

Put all the ingredients in a blender, throw a bit of ice and/or water in too if you like to make it a little thinner.

Check out the video of how to make this delicious smoothie. Buy Fueling Young Athletes now for many more recipes and learn more about the nutritional needs of young athletes and active children.

4th January

Get in the pool and try the Mermaid Dolphin Kick. It’s a great full body workout and you’ll have lots of fun learning this. It is basically a regression for the butterfly stroke but it will help you feel the complete body action of the butterfly. Nail this then try bringing the arms into play. This is taken from our new book titled The Swimming Drill Book 2nd Edition.

Mermaid Dolphin Kick

Procedure

Put on fins (if your local pool allows). Imagine yourself as a mermaid or merman in the sea.
Take a deep breath. Push off the wall on your front under the water. Keep your hands down by your side and look down at the bottom of the pool.
Push downward with your forehead to start the whiplike up and down action of the kick (a). Keep the head angle changing but primarily look down (b, c).

Focus Points

Do the surface dive slowly. feel your body slide into the deeper water.
Keep your head moving
Look down at the black line on the bottom of the pool. If you look forward your hips will not create enough power for a strong kick.

Tips

Have someone watch you under the water to verify you are not looking forward
Use a monofin to help you get the body action of the kick.

5th January

Assess your functional upper body strength. Michael Boyle states in his book New Functional Training for Sports that he has found three simple tests to be the most accurate and effective in the assessment of functional upper body strength. These are; the maximum number of chin-ups, the maximum number of suspension inverted rows and the maximum number of push-ups.

Chin-Ups

Chin-Up

Correct chin-up (palms toward the face) and pull-up (palms away from face) technique is essential for accurate assessment. Elbows must be extended after each rep is completed and the shoulder blades must abduct to produce visible movement (as shown in the image to the right). Don’t count any reps not done to full extension or any reps in which the chin does not get above the bar.

Kipping (using momentum to move the body) is not allowed. Most athletes who claim they can do large numbers of pull-ups or chin-ups actually perform half or three-quarter reps.

Athletes who cannot do a chin-up are not functionally strong and may be more likely to be injured, particularly in the shoulder. Most athletes will take up to one year to achieve even the high school level if they have not regularly performed chin-ups.

In order to improve at chin-ups, an athlete cannot follow a programme of pull-down exercises. Instead, exercises such as assisted chin-ups and or chin-ups with an eccentric emphasis (10- to 20-second lowerings from the bar) must be done.

6th January

Parkrun

Do a parkrun. There are now 491 parkruns available in the UK and many throughout Europe (in Ireland, Germany, Poland, France, Italy, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Russia and Sweden). In fact, parkrun is now truly global with events in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. You’ll get all the motivation you need from the excellent volunteers. If you are new to parkrun have a read of What is Parkrun?

7th January

Do some yoga. Many athletes swear by yoga, Ryan Giggs was a huge advocate of it. The All Blacks (New Zealand Rugby) have a yoga instructor on their books that help these big units relax and become more flexible. Talking of big units, the 7’1, 150kg basketball centre Shaquille O’Neal even took up yoga towards the end of his career to try and prolong his stay at the top, maybe yoga is the secret as to why he could still play regularly for the Boston Celtics when he was 39 years old.

Yoga exercises

Here are some yoga exercises for you to try. Taken from the yoga book, Yoga for Athletes author Ryanne Cunningham has worked with many athletes from a variety of sports. Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Randall Cobb is a huge fan of Ryanne and states that Ryanne has helped with his recovery after games.

Revolved bound forward fold. Excellent for swimmers, stretching the hamstrings and back.

High lunge pose

8th January

Start Monday right with some heavy lifts.

Squat

Work your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps with a deep back squat.

Starting Position

Position the rack so that the bar is approximately at shoulder height.
Step under the bar to place it on the upper portion of the back and shoulders. The bar should not rest on your vertebrae.
Grip the bar at a comfortable position, about a thumb’s length from the knurling (the rough part of the bar) or slightly wider than shoulder width.
Lift the bar off the rack by extending the hips and knees, then step back, placing the feet about shoulder-width apart and the toes pointed slightly outward. Keep the bar parallel to the floor and the head in a forward facing, neutral position.

Action

Keeping the feet flat on the floor and weight distributed toward the heels, initiate a backward movement with the hips.
Allow the body to descend by bending at the hips and knees, keeping the knees in a path that aligns with the toes.
As the body descends, maintain an upright torso and a neutral spine.
Descend until the tops of the thighs are parallel to the floor or until thigh−calf contact (if performing a deep squat).
Return to the starting position using the same path used for the downward movement.

Tips

Squat only as deep as you can maintain proper form.
Avoid excessive forward lean of the torso.
Call for a spotter, if you require assistance.

Workout

Test yourself, squat your bodyweight and see how many reps you can do. So if you are 80kg, add 60kg to a 20kg Olympic bar and see how many reps you can do.

9th January

Test your upper body power.

The majority of tests and training protocols emphasise lower extremity muscular power. However, upper extremity power production and performance are also exceedingly important for most sports and activities.

Taken from NSCA’s Guide to Tests and Assessments we are going to take you through the ‘Medicine Ball Put’.

Medicine Ball Put

The widespread popularity of this test is due not only to the ease of administration, but also to the direct specificity of this movement to a functional task such as the chest pass in basketball, or even the rapid punching of combat athletes. Moreover, because this exercise is commonly used in training, test data may easily be extrapolated to training prescription. It is also quick and easy!

Equipment

45° incline bench
High-durability medicine ball: 6 kilograms (13.2 lb) for females, 9 kilograms (19.8 lb) for males.
Chalk (i.e., Gymnastics chalk carbonate of magnesium).
Measuring tape.
Room or gymnasium with at least 8 metres (26 feet) of clearance.

Procedure

1. The measuring tape is placed on the floor with the end positioned under the front frame of the bench, to anchor it.

2. The tip of the tape should be positioned so it is aligned with the outside of the medicine ball while it rests on the subject’s chest (i.e., in the ready position, prior to putting the ball) (Clemons, Campbell, and Jeansonne 2010; see figure 9.6).

3. The tape should be extended outward from the bench for at least 8 metres (26 feet) and secured to the floor.

4. Warm-up: After initial familiarisation with the bench orientation and ‘putting’ procedure, you should perform five minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, followed by several dynamic range of motion exercises for the shoulder and elbow joint (e.g., modified or regular push-ups or hand walk-outs). Have a few practice goes with the appropriate medicine ball.

5. For the test, get seated comfortably on the incline bench with feet flat on the floor and the medicine ball against the chest.

6. Grasp the medicine ball with both hands, one on each side.

7. Without any additional bodily movement (e.g., trunk or neck flexion, arm countermovement), propel (put) the medicine ball at an optimal trajectory of 45°, for maximal horizontal distance.

8. Every attempt should be made to propel the ball in a straight line.

9. Three to five attempts are permitted, with a minimum of two minutes of rest between attempts.

Outcome Measures

Each test attempt should be measured by the closest chalk mark (i.e., in the direction of the bench) and recorded to the nearest centimetre or inch.

Modifications

This test has been used extensively with various loading parameters and across populations. Further, many studies have reported the use of upright benches (i.e., seated upright at 90°) instead of 45° incline benches. To maintain test quality, use the same protocol each time.

10th January

Have a rest day, but on your rest day why not take a look at your intake of fruits and vegetables. Despite the catchy rhyme it takes more than an apple a day to keep the doctor away. Adults in Great Britain average less than four servings of fruit and vegetables a day, the recommended level is 5 a day in the UK. In some countries, the expectation is even higher. The Danes must aim for six, the French 10, and the Japanese government recommends up to 13 portions of vegetables plus four of fruit daily, an incredible 17 portions a day in total.

Check your fruit and vegetables

Take this test below, taken from Healthy Eating Every Day 2nd Edition. Find out if you are getting enough fruit and vegetables it might change the way you think about fruit and vegetables going forward.