Habits

So It has been a few days since I have written anything and I have to say it is a little strange. First off, I was never much of a writer before. Now I have found it very similar to exercise. In and of itself neither exercise nor writing are particularly difficult. Doing it well may be a different story but hey... I digress. The point I am getting at here is that it is a lot more difficult to get into a habit than it is to get out of. If you are finding yourself struggling to get a workout in twice a week (including practices), then I would venture that you will remain frustrated. It is easier to just commit and commit to each day of the week. This will establish good habits as well as build momentum toward getting into the best shape of your life and letting peoples heads snap around to stare at you as you walk away. I just saying. So let's get to work!!!

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 10 straight arm twist
4x 25 meters lunges
35 min. of moderate cardio
2x 25 ball crunches
2x 10 floor bridges
2x 25 bicycle crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Back in the Saddle

Today I'm already running way off schedule. Lets get straight to the workout!

5 min. warm up
Stretch
3x 15 push ups
3x 15 overhead presses
3x 15 speed skaters
3x 15 bent flys
4x 25 crunches of your choosing
5 min cooldown
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Hey, It's The Off Season

Posts will start back tomorrow. Hope you have enjoyed the break and get ready to get back to work.

J

Preemtive Strike

No secret, it's Thanksgiving week and many are already beginning to check out. Today we are going to check back in and get some cardio done.

5 min warm up
Stretch
4x 800 meters
4x 400 meters
4x 100 meters
10 min. Cool down
Stretch

Enjoy

Back in the Game

Hell of a weekend. Head is still spinning and ready to pick up speed. Let's hit the ground running this week!

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 15 tricep push ups
3x 15 lateral raises
3x 15 step ups (each side)
3x 15 wood chops
25 meters lunges
3x 15 bent flys
4x 25 crunches of your choosing
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Whatever

It's Friday and I have had enough. So today I am going to stress the importance of music that doesn't suck to help you survive your workout. Yesterday one of my clients turned me onto "The Tallest Man On Earth" and I have to say so far this doesn't suck. It has shades of an early Bob Dylan sound and simplicity. I still shamelessly listen to any Jimmy Eat World when I am in my own workout, and I have to admit, on Dementia's advice I have thrown in a little Madonna here and there and seen good results. I really can't believe that I am admitting that but there is something about "Like A Prayer". For me, hair bands are a waste of time when I am working out, with the exception of Guns N Roses. Fuck it, this was today's play list.

Camera One- Josh Joplin
Sweet Disposition- The Temper Trap
Get it Together- The Beastie Boys Feat Q -Tip
Lose You- Pete Yorn
Superman's Dead- Our Lady Peace
Cold Beverage- G. Love
Ruff Ryders Anthem- DMX
Plowed- Sponge
What's Left Of The Flag- Flogging Molly
Not An Addict- K's Choice
Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't- Brand New
Denouncing November Blue- The Avett Brothers
Welcome- Out House
Ana's Song- Silverchair
Amie- Pure Prairie League
Emerald City- Dramarama
Happy V-Day- Reggie & The Full Effect
Playing Dead- Reggie & The Full Effect

Feel free to try it out or leave me yours. Here is your workout!

5 min. warm up
Stretch
20 min. of cardio @ 10 min. mile pace
20 min. Interval training
4x 30 sec. planks
2x 25 crunches
2x 10 lateral leg lifts (each side)
5 min. cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Brick By Brick

Resistance training can be as complex or as simple as you want to make it. Today I am in a simple mood. Let's attack the workout from that perspective. Before we get right in however, I do want to take a moment and clarify why we are focused on resistance and what this means for you as athletes and people. First off, resistance type training is quite literal in it's definition. It is essentially an exertion of force against one or more opposing forces in order to resist, overcome, or bear said force. That should make it all as clear as mud. the most common use of resistance training is weight training but we are not limited to weights. Body weight, gravity, and other sources of resistance still qualify. So now it's defined but why is it important? The truth is that it is incredibly important, more so for women than men. For starters, resistance training builds lean muscle, assists in strengthening, and helps prevent injury or malaise. Strength training, rather than cardio only, helps prevent bone loss that can increase risk of osteoporosis, allows weight to be managed with much less effort, and will build support to keep everything in place and working properly. There are some reasons. I have begun to ramble and am going to stop short. Feel free to comment if you have questions and have a great day!!!

5 min. warm up
Stretch
2 min push ups( as many as possible)
2 min standing squats (as many as possible)
2 min bent rows (as many as possible)
2 min front raise (you get the idea)
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Phoning It In Again

It's the off season so we need to be serious but not too serious. I don't have anything enlightening beyond that other than I hope your enjoying some time off! Here is your Wednesday workout.

5 min warm up
Stretch
100 meters skipping for distance
50 meters skipping for height
2x 25 meters karaoke step
2x 25 meters bear crawl
2x 50 meter sprint
2x 25 straight leg crunch
2x 25 straight arm twists (each side)
2x 25 V sit twists
5 min. Cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Simple

No frills today. Keep in mind that simple and easy are not quite the same thing.

5 min warm up
Stretch
45 min. moderate cardio
2x 25 negative crunches
5 min. cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Manic Monday!

What better way to open a week than with a song. Monday is here and this week is coming with a vengeance. We have essentially one month to stabilize our bodies before we begin punishing them again with the beginning of another season. This week is the last real week before we have to start avoiding some physical landmines. Thanksgiving will mark the beginning of the holiday party season which generally means the binge eating season. Rather than wait until New Years to make resolutions that haven't been kept in years past, let's set ourselves up for success by being proactive and maintaining what should be an amazing body at this point. We are going to do this by getting to work today and not letting up. Without further adieu...

5 min. warm up
Stretch
3x 10 wide push ups
3x 10 overhead press
3x 10 inverted rows
3x 10 10 meter lunges
3x 10 straight arm twists (each side)
4x 30 sec. planks
4x 25 crunches of your choosing
5 min. cooldown
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

It's Friday!

Good news! I figured out that it is Friday and the week is coming to a close. For some of you this means the beginning of the shortest off-season known to mankind. It may be the first weekend in eleven months that you don't have to go to at least one practice. For others of you, this is the beginning of retirement. Let me say thank you for sharing your skill, intensity and larger than life personality with us while you did. This is a sport that will remember you and hopefully you will treasure the moments the sport and it's women have given to you. For the rest of us, it is simply another day of punching the clock. This is not our job but we will preform as though our lives depended on it. We are the few and maybe the sick that simply love to be getting better. It is our honor to play and we will pay the price to do it well. If you are just beginning, welcome, and don't let this intimidate you. One day, hopefully soon enough, you will have the opportunity to enter the arena, to be deafened by the music and the crowd screaming in your favor, to feel your pulse rate quicken as the first hit of the bout looms heavy in the air. You will hear your name read as a member of an elite league of women, you will look down the track and realize that you have paid the price to be hear. You will see the love and respect in the other players eyes as you prepare to take the track. You will feel the surge of emotion, love for the game, hate for the fear of loss, pain that has been inflicted and which you mean to inflict. This is being a roller girl and I have never met one that said it wasn't all worth it. Thank you to those that play, to those that ref, to those that coach, and to those who love the sport. To those that are leaving, you will be missed. To those who are staying, we love you all the more for it! Now go to work!


5 min. warm up
Stretch
40 min moderate cardio
4x 100 meter sprints (this means run as fast as you can)
2x 50 meter sprints
4x 15 sec. planks
2x 25 single leg crunch(one each side)
2x 25 straight leg crunches
2x 10 straight arm twists (each direction)
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

What Day Is It?

I've lost track of the week. When does it not all just blend together? We are going with just straight resistance training and if we are off, we'll try again next week.

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 15 push ups
3x 15 overhead press
3x 15 skier squats
3x 15 inverted rows
2x 25 reg crunches
2x 25 negative crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Deal With It?

Coming to terms with disappointment is one of the difficulties we all face. Maybe all of us with the exception of Rocky Mountain this week. What is the best way to deal with disappointment? Who the hell knows. We all have our own forms of coping with disappointments. I am personally fond of burying myself in distraction until I have found something else to be disappointed by. Some prefer to ignore it, eat,sleep, or drink it away, or perhaps hold a dance party until the have gyrated themselves out of the funk. Like I said, we all deal with disappointment differently. One thing I can offer here is the obvious. It is better to avoid disappointment all together and this leaves only two options. Either do nothing at all in life or do your best to prepare so that you will not be disappointed. I am only going to talk about the latter because the first option is simply ridiculous. If you are dealing with disappointments I recommend taking them head on. Whatever happens, try your best to come out of any struggle better off than you were when you went in. Now enough with the ranting!

5 min. warm up
Stretch
25 meters bear crawls
25 meters skipping for height
50 meters skipping for distance
2x 10 squat thrusts (burpees)
2x 10 squat jumps
2x 10 frog kicks
2x 25 meters karaoke steps
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Let's Begin

It's time for us to get to work. I understand that for some of you this seems to be premature or undesirable. Many of you have been competing or preparing to compete for the past eleven months. To be very honest with you, I don't blame you for having those feelings. This is the longest season of any sport I know of but at the same time, this is roller derby. Upon reflecting on the past season and my involvement with the local girls I have come to a few conclusions. Most of you were derby girls long before they put on skates. For almost all of the women who I have counted it my pleasure to have worked with, derby is the best way that they express who they are. The sport in and of itself is unremarkable. The women who play the sport are quite the opposite. So what does any of this have to do with working out and why we are taking an extended break? You don't stop being strong, sassy women just because it is the off season do you? Of course not. This is a way of life as is your physical health. Derby girls don't quit and they never stop improving. There is evidence of this in every corner of the sport(except maybe the refs) (I'm kidding of course). So there will be no rest for the wicked and we are pressing on.

5 min. warm up
Stretch
20 min. light cardio
20 min. moderate cardio
2x 25 V twists
2x 25 hip ups
2x 25 pike crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Congratulations

All the best to Rocky Mountain, the national champs! Well done for Gotham as well! It has been a long season for all and today will be a much deserved break. Bask in the glory, wallow in the defeat, enjoy the moment because tomorrow we are back to work!

J

Round 2

Congratulations to Gotham, Rocky Mountain, Philly, and Oly in your second round victories. Looks like Oly and Rocky Mountain for the title. This will be a great west coast style play off! Good luck ladies. As for those who were eliminated today, I offer my condolences, not that they will be any help. You have all had a great season,put forth some great effort, and should remember that you were able to compete with the most elite in your sport. If not now, this will someday leave you with a great deal of satisfaction! Have a great Sunday and best of luck for those still playing today!

J

Round 1

Congratulations Oly, Texas, Philly, and Charm City! Tons of good derby today and more to come!!!

And It Begins

The beginning of the tournament is here! Rather than post workouts for the next three days I will be recommending that you watch the best in the land fight it out either in person or via the boutcast on DNN. The website is www.derbynewsnetwork.com and they will have the best coverage. May the best team win and may the rest have fun doing what they love in front of the largest gathering in the sport!

J

America's Girlfriend

Recently I was graced with the opportunity to shoot the breeze with one of the windy city's finest. I figured it only too appropriate since it is time to rest before the uproar on the lakeshore and we love to know what goes on in the mind of roller girls. Jackie Daniels of the Windy City Rollers is, by my estimation, the epitome of everything good about this sport. She is upbeat, articulate, and positive, not to mention at the top of her game. The only thing that seemed to outshine her confidence was her work ethic and team ego. Granted this is my opinion. You can read and decide for yourself.

J: So Jackie, what are the basic stats? Who do you play for? What position? How long have you been playing roller derby?

Jackie Daniels: I play for the Windy City Rollers All Stars as well as one of our home teams. I play both jammer and blocker and have been playing roller derby since May of 2005.

J: Have you always played for Windy City?

JD: No. I started playing in Grand Rapids. I have only been with Windy City since 2009.

J: So how did you get started in the first place?

JD: I actually read an article in the New York Times about the resurgence of roller derby as a sport. I was like, this is perfect for me. I had been athletic when I was growing up, I was a gymnast, and missed competition. Not to mention that I already had roller girl mentality. After reading the article I started looking for ways to get involved. A friend of mine told me that there were some other women in Grand Rapids who were just beginning a league and I was in!!! I met these girls and helped them put together the league.

J: So was this similar to your day job?

JD: No. During the day I am a project manager.

J:Is there any moment that stands out as your favorite in your derby career?

JD:Ohhh. There are sooo many. I guess I would have to say the Philly game at ECE. It was a fast, tough, hard-hitting bout. One of the best!

J:Any favorite music or playlist to workout to?

JD: None at all! I make up my own playlists of phrases of what I am going to do to the next team we play!

J: I guess whatever works. Along the lines of workouts, what is your practice schedule like. What type of practices/exercises are involved?

JD: Typically we have between 3-5 skating practices per week. This varies some depending on the time of year and where we are at in the season. Other than that there is usually at least one or two off skate workouts a week as well. Anything from a boot camp to a yoga class. We also offer post bout recovery workouts with stretching and yoga poses. I try to make as many as is humanly possible when I am not at a board meeting or something. I usually get between 5 and 7 days of work in a week.

J: Sounds like a very comprehensive plan! Is there anything you would like to leave us with? Words of wisdom, personal creed, or pre-nationals smack talking?

JD: No position to be talking smack. We'll just have to see. Personal creed? Continually push to get better. Oh, and enjoy the ride!

J: Jackie, thank you so much for taking the time to share a little insight into the mind of a roller girl. I have to say that I am a little impressed with you after our conversation. Best of luck to you and you team this coming weekend!

Today is Thursday and the work is finished. Get a good stretch and a great nights sleep. If you don't play until Saturday, some light cardio should be in order. just enough to warm up. Again Best of luck ladies!

J

Underdog

The bouts to decide the best in the land are upon us. I recently read derby news networks power rankings and I have to say that I don't agree. This is not a sleight to DNN, I rarely agree with anything that involves polls or ranking. Maybe I am just an idiot but this looks like another BCS debacle in my opinion. How you can rank a team with the best record in the country below someone else is beyond me. Many times I feel we forget that when it comes to athletic competition winners and losers are much simpler to determine than in any other arena of life. The results are the only thing that we can all measure equally. I am well aware of the methodology that goes into weighting opponents, point spreads, and overall quality of play in order to determine the rank of a team. At the end of the day though this is all mostly a bunch of bullshit. The way that we will determine the best team in the nation this year is to look at the scoreboard when the last bout is over. What is to say that in the early rounds we don't see some incredible desire and heart from an incredibly underrated team like Minnesota or Madison? Both of these teams are ranked below a team that didn't make the national tourney. The whole point that I am making here is simple. I believe that the best prepared team with the best teamwork in any given bout will be the winner. Only you as players can determine the results. This is the opportunity to touch glory and turn heads doing it. I offer only my best to the teams about to compete knowing the price that must be paid to get to this level. Now it is in your hands to determine the truth of who is best rather than listen to some blowhard such as myself (or DNN) choose who is the best. Enjoy the ride no matter what!!!

5 min. warm up
Stretch
50 meters karaoke steps
50 meters bear crawls
2x 25 meter sprints
2x 50 meter sprints
2x 100 meter long stride (jogging)
3x 5 dive bombs
3x 30 sec v sit
3x 30 sec. planks
5 min. cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Blood

Often rather foreboding, the idea of blood can bring many different thoughts to mind. For some of you, this past weekend had plenty of shock factor and gore with it being Halloween. For others, the bloodlust has been held back for a meeting in the windy city. Neither of these has anything to do with my point today. Sometimes I simply digress. Today is Tuesday, cardio day. The reason that this is important this week in particular is the fact that nothing will be able to heal injury and bring fresh legs like increased blood flow. Today we are going to get in just enough to move some blood but not tire you out.

5 min warm up
Stretch
20 min. light cardio( light jog, fast walk)
2x 25 reg. crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Four Days and Counting

The biggest bouts of the season are upon us! This week is going to be a little different from an exercise standpoint. The keys are going to be to take it relatively easy so that you will be as fresh as possible for the weekend. I will add any other tips as the week unfolds!

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 8 overhead press
3x 8 push ups
3x 8 skier squats
3x 8 front raises
4 planks to failure
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J