Concept: Sport Specific
One of the key things I try to incorporate into all my workouts is SPORT SPECIFIC exercises. These are exercises designsed to re-create actual movements of the particular sport I am training for. Take for example: punching with resistance bands. Resistance bands are extremely versatile and you can accomplish a lot with just one band. Now for myself, I am training for an upcoming fight and I want to improve not only my punching power, but my muscular endurance in my arms. So what I will do is attach my band to a hook placed roughly about ankle high. I use a timer and punch non-stop for the set duration of time. This is great for re-creating the act of punching with resistance to build better punching power but also, by utilizing a timer, I’m re-creating the constant “explosiveness” of a real fight.
When it comes to making your own sport specific exercises, it’s all about being creative. Another example: Using my agility drills set up,
Agility Drills Set-Up
after I go through the rope ladder, instead of just jogging back to the start, I have 7 wood “Hurdles” set up that, in my fighting stace, I weave in and out of. By doing so, I get to practice my actual footwork of moving forward and side-to-side as if it were an actual fight. Now say you are a soccer player, maybe you practice your footskills in and out of the hurdles, or a baseball player, you can practice side shuffling and pretending to catch a ground ball and throwing it back. It’s all about being creative! If you have any sport specific exercises you’ve found or come up with yourself, leave them in the comments!
“Intelligent Training”
This is a great video of an incredible Strength and Conditioning coach; Rafael Alejarra. He coaches fighters like Wanderlei Silva and Demian Maia. It’s a little long but the content is well worth it. Great video, you can take a lot from this.
“To Carry the Load”
“To Carry the Load” is an all out leg workout and the beauty of it is, you don’t need ANY equipment. All the exercises are body weight exercises. This workout consists of descending rep sets for each exercise and the entire workout is done for time.
“To Carry the Load” – Reps of 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3 of:
- Jump Knee Tucks
- Calf Raises
- Alternating Jump Lunges
- Squats
- Lateral Hops
Again, this is a great leg workout for someone who has NO equipment. You can do this anywhere; outside, in your basement, in your living room, ect. Enjoy.
“To Build a Mountain…”
This is a high intensity Chest and Back Circuit workout designed to keep the heart rate up and, in true “Crossfit” fashion, it is done for time.
Equipment needed: a pull-up bar or tree limb, free weights and/or a barbell. Whatever weight you can handle or have available.
“To Build a Mountain…” – Round 1: Reps of 15, Round 2: Reps of 12, Round 3: Reps of 10, 1 min rest between rounds.
- Clap Push-ups
- Wide Grip Pull-ups
- Diamond Push-ups
- Regular Grip Pull-ups
- Wide Push-ups
- Close Grip Pull-ups
- Chest Fly
- Back Fly
- Chest Press
- Back Row
After each exercise, perform a 40 yd run, i.e. “Diamond pushups, 40 yd run, regular grip pull ups…”
This is a great upper body workout; push-pull to the max. When I do it at home, I do my push-ups about 40 yds from a tree that I do my pull-ups on. Once I’m done with my push-up exercise, in order to get a good time, I have to really hustle to do my pull-ups. This again is a great home workout, the equipment needed is very minimal and I’m sure you can easily find substitutes for the free weights if absolutely necessary.
Homemade “TRX”
I’m not sure if you are aware, but there is a new trend going around of suspension training. Tons of people are getting into it….but here’s the thing, to buy the TRX suspension training bands, you’re going to spend $150, $200! I don’t know about you, but that’s a little out of my price range. Now don’t get me wrong, there are TONS of exercises you can do with these but is it really worth that much money? Not when you can make your own. Here’s what I did. I had an old bench style swing set that I removed the swing from so it is just four legs and the bar going across (which I use as a pullup bar as well!). Then I wen’t to a local pet store and checked out the clearance dog leashes. Luckily for me, I found two identical leashes that both had padded handles (I highly suggest this!). Just wrap the leashes around the crossbar of the swing set and let the handles swing down. Here’s an example of what mine looks like:
Thrifty "TRX"
Welcome to Blood and Iron 315
Welcome to Blood and Iron 315, a blog dedicated to living a healthy lifestyle. You can find several health related articles here from numerous reliable sources as well as many workouts from highly accredited personal trainers, coaches, and experts.
Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t just working out constantly; it’s eating right, making healthy choices in regards to drugs and alcohol, as well as the company you keep.
Along the way, I’ll also throw in my two cents on certain topics just to give a different perspective on things. Check back often for new blogs, articles, and ideas.
Stay Strong.
Colin
