General Workout + Volleyball

[nmsvbteam]

Thanks for the luck on the test.

The reason you want to avoid Smith Machine if possible is that it allows you to exacerbate muscle imbalances and does not have the same effect of developing stabilizer muscles throughout your system as free weight squats do. It's too tough to get into all the possoible muscle imbalances that you may have and what might be the corrective measures to straighten them out first. A common one, especially amongst men, especially if you work in front of a computer is overactive hip flexors. Often, by giving those a good stretch, you can add inches to your vert. I'd say try and migrate over to free weight rear squats, the kind with the bar resting on the back of your shoulder area. Here is a great site with exercise animations and some key points to focus on: Weight Training, Exercise Instruction & Kinesiology
Follow the squat safety instructions and start lighter than you would. Technique is the most important thing. Once you have a good feel for it, then you can progress in weight. Always try and use free weights as much as possible, the exception being cables. You can mix in the machines once in a while, but know that they often focus development of prime mover muscles and can neglect to have the same effect on synergist/ stabilizer muscles.

It sounds like you are on track with the cardio. While I have reccomended limiting cardio to maximize strength gains, I think if you are working on lowering body fat and gearing up while in a competitive season, it is fine to do cardio- and do it often. Personally, I'd use eliptical machines before other cardio equipment in the gym, treadmills generate too much impact for me over time (plus I feel dizzy after I get off), but if it works for you, that is fine.

By split routine I mean splitting the days you work on different body parts. A good split (that I am currently using) is: Chest/ Shoulders; Legs; Back/ Arms. Every day includes core exercises as well as some balance and some reactive or SAQ (spead agility quickness - I use an agility ladder). I don't do cardio in the gym much. I play basketball during the week and that is all I can handle at 7,000 feet in addition to hiking and a couple days of volleyball (we're lucky to have indoor sand).

You can spend a day working on approach jumps. I'd reccomend just focusing on your last two steps, before takeoff. Get those down, the others are really about building momentum. Try and find at least a padded surface to do your takoffs and landings on.

One last word on sets and reps - these are critical. You don't want to spend more than 90 mins and ideally 60 mins for any workout. A few exercises for each body part and the number of sets and reps really depends on your goal. I vary it during the offseason for myself, because I know I am building up to the outdoor season which for me starts in late march. Early on, stabilization exercises are few reps (1-3) with high sets (15-20) most often on unstable surfaces (stability ball). Building muscular endurance brings in supersets which is a regular set followed by an unstable set (such as bench press followed by stability ball pushup) with moderate reps and sets. Power development is moderate sets (3-5) of low reps of an exercise (3-7) followed by a power exercise (8-12), such as Bench press followed by medicine ball chest pass. Pay attention to the variables you use, and make sure to mix things up every 3-4 weeks, otherwise your body will adapt and you can do more damage than good. Also, if you have gone through an intense period of workout (for example, a few years ago I did a 5x5 workout - 5 reps, 5 sets of near maximal weight working the same body part as much as 3 times a week for 4 weeks) make sure you give your body a week off or lighten the load dramatically so it can rest. Strength is actually built in the rest periods, not during the breakdown periods.

Hope that helps, good luck with building your game!

[Spike It Baby]

Wow....some great advice here!

Awesome stuff

What I highly recommend for overall functionality, muscle tone, energy system development, safety and most importantly fabulous results is a combination 'Full Body' routine that consists of resistance utilizing bands, flexbands, medicine balls, balance challenging devices (air discs, Airex pads, rolled up yoga mats, bosu ball etc) kettlebells, some dumbells and the best piece of equipment - YOU.

Body weight training performed in an unstable environment recruits so many muscles fibers. For example.....Performing push ups on a medicine ball (both hands on ball located direclty below your chest) on one-foot resting on an Airex challenges your core stabilizer muscles ss well as helps worls your chest, triceps and posterior and anterior deltoids. The 'shaking' that you feel while doing this is ALL GOOD

There are thousands of balance challenging exercises you can perform The above is just one of the many.....

As mentioned, REST is one of the absolute bet things you can do to reach your specific goals.

There is SO MUCH to talk about here. It is a great subject and an absolute love of mine..BIG TIME

Good luck with all your goals!

In Good Health,

Barry

[volleyballstud]

Personally, with your schedule... I'd make Monday and Fridays light cardio days. Maybe work on abs and calves as well on those days since those are two muscle groups that do not require as much rest and you can workout on them daily. Working out hard before playing will only cause injuries to muscles that are already fatigued. Doing light cardio on game days will properly warm up your muscles before playing.

[volley_newbie]

Thank you for the valuable reply.

Volleyballstud - when you say light cardio. Can this be considered light cardio? During my lunch on Mondays I do 35 minutes HIIT cardio and play volleyball at 8pm Monday night.

nmsvbteam - How the exam go? I am sure you did very well.

I have a question on the approach. Since my volleyball experience is very limited. What is a best drills for the approach? I am not sure if this is a good drill but I hung a boxing speed ball on the garage ceiling about 96 inches from the ground. I take a 3-step approach and try to contact the bag in the air with proper arm technique. However during the actual game my footwork gets all messed up and end up making mistakes. Mostly to early to ball where I am reaching back or mostly too late and only getting fingers on my hits. Since this is a rec play at the local gym, i don't get consistent sets. For some reason the setters are always setting the ball very tight on top of the net. Is this common? All inputs will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for all the response.

[volleyballstud]

Do whatever you feel comfortable with. I didn't know that you were doing your cardio during lunch. I used to just work out and start doing cardio about an hour before until the time I needed to leave... right before I'd play. That way my muscles were warmed up before I started playing.

Since you'll have quite a few hours before your match, go ahead and go all out on cardio. Just be sure to properly rehydrate and stretch out afterwards. If possible, do a little warm up before playing as well. In my opinion, it would be better than a full work out anyday. Playing with fatigued muscles... sucks!


As for approach, most coaches teach outside hitters a 4-step approach.
Right... left... right-left ( for right handed players )

Middle hitters are generally taught a 2-step approach.
right-left ( for right handed players )

[NewEnglandRT]

Good info in this thread. Let's keep it going.

I've been back and forth with an actual routine. Right now I'm on again. Last time I was serious I did alot of total body circuit training probably twice a week while playing two nights and tournaments one or two weekends a month. This time I'm taking a more 'traditional' approach and doing different body segments on different days. I'm not sure how it's fitting into my schedule yet though. We'll see this weekend when I complete my first cycle.

With regards to playing rec ball.... take it for what it's worth... recreation. Try to work on something each time you're there. There's a good thread on having inconsistent setters here.

[BHitterDPasser]

Originally Posted by NewEnglandRT

I've been back and forth with an actual routine. Right now I'm on again. Last time I was serious I did alot of total body circuit training probably twice a week while playing two nights and tournaments one or two weekends a month. This time I'm taking a more 'traditional' approach and doing different body segments on different days. I'm not sure how it's fitting into my schedule yet though. We'll see this weekend when I complete my first cycle.

This is the exact reason that I do total body workouts Monday and Friday. Between everything that I am trying to fit in to my week and working out, splitting up routines and going to the gym more a week just doesn't work for me. Could I be getting better results? Sure. But I think I am doing pretty well all things considering.

How'd yer first cycle go, NERT?

[mycena]

I think I might start actually working out today! Wahoo! My approach is going to be to try to build some base level fitness first. Then I'll worry about training my body to do all the good things I want it to for volleyball. I'm sure people will disagree with this approach at least my specific choices but whatever! At this point anything will be an improvement over what I have been doing... nothing. Then once the weather gets a little nicer, I'll get serious.

[revjim27]

Fitness Challenge Winter/Spring '08 has begun.

I'm starting off with a focus on physical therapy type exercises to fix muscle imbanlances that have caused new and old pains to erupt. Basically neck, back, shoulder, & elbow/forearm stuff for a few weeks until the pain goes away. Adding in some leg & core work in between.

We'll see how that goes...

Aleve and Ice are going to become real good friends of mine. (more so than now)

[cheetah]

You guys are very lucky....I'm depressed

I can't play- my achillies tendonitis is flaring up
I have to go back to physical therapy for it.

nmsvbteam; let me get your opinion on something (or anyone else who wants to weight in) What do you think of the idea that a postural imbalance, namely, tight psoas/hip flexors, would lead to an achillies tendon injury? I'm in PT for the 2nd time since August, and this time they're telling me by fixing my postural imbalance, they're going to heal my achillies injury! Even though I went through the NASM PT certification course and I understand how important the kinetic chain is and having the body in alignment, I'm having a hard time understanding how just by fixing my tight musles and by incorporating stretching is going to heal the primary problem that is causing me not to be able to play volleyball.

By the way-congrats on passing the certification exam...that exam was tough!