Business is Boomin'

Things should seem simple enough for roller girls. Skate fast, turn left, hit hard and stay on your feet. Though this seems easy enough, anyone who has played can tell you there is a lot more involved. Pack awareness, strategy, and the finer points of not breaking the rules complicate things when there are nine other women on the track that are doing their best to make you lose your head. How can you help yourself out? Train the way you want to play. What I mean is that you should be training at 80% or above at least three days a week in order to prepare for game time. In the gym, get in and go hard. in practice, push as hard as you can as often as you can. Here is a workout for you . Enjoy!

J

5 min warm up
2 min of jumping rope
15 burpees
3x 10 pushups
3x 8 pull ups (lat pulls if you can't do pull ups)
2x 50 meters of lunges
2x 15 sec side plank (each side)
25 meter bear crawl 5 min cool down

This Is Important

When we are discussing workouts there are a few different aspects that need to be taken into consideration. One of the first things is how well prepared your body is for any and all movement. A few of the categories you may need to consider are strength, speed, agility, power, quickness, flexibility, and stability. Up to this point I have been designing primarily strength, stability, and low level agility and quickness workouts. Today we are going to change that up. Over the next few weeks we will be focusing on lifts that will dramatically increase your speed, quickness, power, and dynamic flexibility (flexibility through motion). One quick caveat; executing these lifts with perfect form is a must. While these motions can be the best for you, they can also injure you quickly if not done properly. Today we will start relatively basic by adding in the deadlift and the upright row. I have included links to videos with proper form and instruction for you. If there are any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers,

Jon


5 min warm up
Stretch
4x 8 push up
4x 8 upright rows   Upright Row Form
4x 8 back extensions
4x8 deadlifts    Dead lift form
2x 10 full sit ups
2x 10 reg crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

The Wrap Up ?

Championships are over and we have a top team in the land. Congratulations to the Gotham Girls on their win and to all of the others that skated their best. So now what? Tournament season is over and for many that means taking a break for awhile. I can't say that I blame them after an eleven month season.  A week or two of rest is probably in order for your body but can be detrimental to keeping good habits happening. If you are planning on taking a break, I would strongly recommend staying active during your break.

For others this time of year is the perfect time to start amping up your off skates workout so that you can come into next season in the best shape of your life. Just to clarify, being in the best shape of your life will mean that your body will be ready to perform it's best on skates as well. Whatever you decide remember that there are fans out there that are glad that you skated for us to watch this year and can't wait until the next bout.  That said, lets go to work.

Enjoy,

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 10 spiderman push ups
3x 10 meter bear crawls
3x 10 curl to overhead press
3x 10 bent flys
4x 15 sec planks
2x 10 jackknifes
5 min cool down
Stretch

Insert Cliche Here

Championships is upon us and with that every cliche in the book (not to mention a few that don't even exist yet) will be beaten like a dead horse. Some "clutch " players will be "in the zone" when it all comes "down to the wire". Some players will "psyche themselves out" by letting other skaters "knock them off there game" or will just get "stuck in their own head" and thus never make it out of "the pack".  That won't even begin to cover the cliche abuse but it's a start and, for that matter, the end for me (I hope).

So... to skip right ahead of all of the chatter i have three questions and then a brief workout that will not over stress you (after all it is either tournament time or off-season time depending on how things went for you this year) and then I'm out til next Monday.

1. Who do you think will win this years championships?
2. Who is your favorite skater of all time?
3. Are you doing these workouts and if so for how long have you been doing them?

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 10 pushups
3x 10 meters of lunges                                     
3x 10 curl to overhead presses
3x 15 sec planks
2x 10 jackknifes
5 min cooldown
Stretch

First and Last

It is the first day of the last week before the WFTDA Championships and we are kicking ass. Still plenty of time to gain some ground before the bell tolls on the season. If you are not playing this coming weekend, you should definitely get to the tournament because roller derby is still awesome and this is roller derby at it's best. Enough promotion. Let's get to work.

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 10 chest presses o stab ball
3x 10 burpees
2x 50 meters of lunges
3x 10 front squat to overhead press
3x 10 bent flys
2x 25 neg crunches
2x 25 reg crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy

 J

Learning To Adjust

Let me be candid here for a moment. This morning I woke up in a small house less than two blocks from a Target store. I made some coffee, took a shower, and tried to bring myself into the land of the living. I was already running late and there was someone waiting for me. As I pulled out of the driveway and turned around the corner of the sleepy street that is now my home I couldn't help but think of the difference the past year made in my life. Last year at this time I had nothing to do with sleepy streets in the burbs next to box stores. For that matter, I didn't have anything to do with a car as I had sold mine and was solely relying on a bicycle to get myself around. This was not an issue because I was living right in the heart of my city and everything was a few blocks away. A year ago I was pretty happy with the way things were going.

As I sipped my coffee and wound through the suburban streets, constantly on the lookout for lazy cops with nothing better to do than pull people over for speeding, I realized  that I am very happy today as well. There was a point in my I didn't think this would be possible; stuck in suburban hell with a family that is looking to you to be responsible and hold to your word. I found out How wrong I was as everything began to change around me. The only thing that has stayed the same in the past year is me and even that isn't entirely true. I am a much better version of myself today than I was a year ago. I can still have a nasty disposition and no reservations about telling you exactly what is on my mind (whether you are asking or not) but I have mellowed quite a bit in the process. I laugh more than I used to and it is a good thing.

This may seem like mindless rambling to you (as it kind of does to me) but there is a point here. The point is that no matter what's going on in your life you need to have two things. The first is a game plan. This doesn't have to have all of the answers to every possible question, but rather a general sense of where your headed and a few of the markers along the way.  The second thing you need is the ability to adjust, to be flexible, in order to achieve what you are truly after.  This is not very easy, especially when the things that you are doing feel very counter-intuitive to reaching your goals. Roller derby workouts that are not on skates can feel a little off, as though they are not honing the skills that you need on skates, but this is not the case. Having you body in the best possible shape will always yield the highest results. That said, let's go to work!

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 8 Straight leg deadlifts to bicep curls
3x 8 Chest press on stab ball
3x 8 overhead presses
3x 8 inverted rows
2x 10 speed skater jumps (each side)
2x 10 full sit ups
5min cooldown
Stretch

P.S. You may want to check out this site if you haven't already. Great free info for Derby Girls!
http://www.allderbydrills.com/

Here We Go Again

WFTDA Championships are around the corner and I believe everyone is excited. For one team this will mean being given The Hydra, as well as the title of Roller Derby Champion of the World. Best of luck to all teams competing and congratulations to whichever team ends up winning.

That being said, lets get back to the point today. I have been working with Roller Girls for almost 5 years now and along the way have experienced some amazing things. Like many of the skaters there have been times that I have hated roller derby; the politics, the difficulty in getting anything done, the conflicts of personality, and in my case the overwhelming resistance that I have experienced in convincing skaters in the need for cross training. However, like most skaters that I know, this is all far outweighed by my love for the sport, the competition, and the women who play. I personally have never met a skater that was not somehow pushing the envelope of women's sports to a better place. I believe that tearing away the stigma of women's sports being far less exciting than men's is vital and derby girls do that with style. A few years ago when I began writing this blog and posting highly effective workouts for skaters (along with some of my less than worthwhile opinions) to assist in the best way that I know how toward bringing Roller Derby to the mainstream. I feel that to further legitimize the sport in the eyes of the public a greater focus needs to be placed on athleticism in this game we hold so dearly.

Roller derby is no longer one dimensional. It has been constantly evolving into a much more strategic sport that requires it's players to be far more dynamic in their abilities. In short, being able to skate fast and turn left is not enough to truly excel anymore.

Now, to stop rambling and put a point on this, this blog will be proceeding from here(finally) to give tips that can be effective for all skaters in helping their game step up to the next level. Many of the previous workouts posted here have been focused on core stabilization, which is absolutely necessary. Moving forward, we will be focusing on building from that platform to increase strength, speed, agility, dynamic flexibility, and overall awesomeness. This will make you a better skater as well less prone to injury, which are awesome things to be. So without further adieu, lets get back to work with the task for the day!


5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 12 spiderman pushups
3x 12 front squat to overhead press
3x 12 inverted rows
3x 15 meters lunges with med ball twist to the outside
2x 25 ball crunches
2x 10 jackknifes
5 min cooldown
Stretch

Cheers,

J

For more about building up your speed, Click Here

Breaking The Rules

This morning I was training a few roller girls and was reminded of why I began working with these athletes (derby girls in general) to begin with. They were recounting the previous weekends bout and all the glory that it entailed. They talked about the scores, the penalties, the hits, and how in the end none of this mattered because they were having a good time. Fuck the rules, fuck the refs, just play. I appreciated this mentality because, while I can't say that I completely agree with discarding the rules (maybe the refs), that is why we started in the first place. Sports came about to replace war, not to start it. The bickering over who did or didn't cut track or back block seems a little dumb for a sport that started with people trying to race each other and knock them around a track for as long as they could. Sounds like the antithesis of structured and rule bound, but a hell of a lot of fun. Do with it what you will but I am just happy to say that I still know girls that are giddy every time they skate and love to hit and hit hard while skating as fast as they can, rules be damned.

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 15 burpees
3x 15 lame duck push ups
3x 15 box jumps
3x 15 inverted rows
3x 15 front squat to overhead presses
4x 15 med ball twists
5 min cool down
Stretch

Beating The Heat

It's hot outside for most of the country and, while I love the heat, it poses a few issues to your body. The most common of theseissues is dehydration. I can not stress enough the importance of being properly hydrated when it comes to anything involving your bodies performance. When you face enough fluids everything is better including your endurance, recovery time, muscle performance, and mental state. If you are not properly hydrated your risk of injury goes through the roof. The point is stay hydrated. How do you know if you are drinking enough? In this heat you should be taking in about a gallon and a half of water per day. This will ensure that even with excess sweating you are still appropriately hydrated. If you begin feeling light headed, stop sweating, or find that your skin is dry and bright red you need to stop immediately and get some fluids because these are signs of heat stroke and dehydration both and neither is pleasant. Other than that, have fun and good luck to all of those playing games tonight!

Enjoy,

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 25 meters lunging
3x 10 lame duck push ups
3x 10 inverted rows
3x 10 squat to overhead press
5 min. agility ladders
5 min. plyo drills
2x 30 plank
2x 25 neg. crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Off Skates Challenge Week 1

Great day today for first official week of the off skates challenge. The
workout went as follow:

400 meter jog for warm up
Stretch
2x 10 squat to over head swing with med ball
2x 10 inverted rows
2x 10 push ups
15 reps of agility ladders
50 meters skipping for distance
50 meters skipping for height
10 min. Team keep away
3x 25 sec planks
4x 15 sec iso crunches
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Behind

Every now and then we can have a tendency to find ourselves out of position. Sure we fo the best we can to prepare for any situation and try to read the play as it unfolds but even doing that is sometimes not enough. The trouble really comes in when we fail to re-engage immediately and lose a few steps in the process. If you can identify with this right now I am sure you are not alone. A little advice: now is not the time to start making cautious plays and holding back further. Remember your instincts, verify that they are still good, and take action. Truthfully there is no time for a rebuilding year in life so I highly recommend making adjustments on the fly which will improve your position and have you ready to go again at full steam. Lastly, and hopefully this goes without saying, never give up. quitting is the only way to turn a setback into a failure.

Enjoy!

J

5 min warm up

Stretch

10 burpees

30 push ups

30 lunges

15 inverted rows

20 jackknifes

5 min cooldown

Stretch

As fast as you can get through with perfect form

Timing

Have you ever heard the saying that timing is everything? I'm relatively sure that this is the truth and depending on where you a are at, it is either the best news or the worst. I remember as an athlete many situations that were made or broken by their timing and this is as true for roller derby. As a jammer, you have to be able to read a pack, time your strides, and make it through. Same for blockers who have to time their hits to coincide with the jammer coming through the pack. My issues with timing have always been somewhat extensive as it is not just how to execute your fundamentals, but when. If you come off the line with the rabidity of a pit bull only to find that you needed to allow the play to develop a little further you will no doubt meet frustration. The same goes for coming out lazy only to find the pack pulling away from you. One way to improve is to mentally prepare by visualizing different scenarios and how you will act appropriately. The key here is to have this done well in advance of game day so that you don't miss your opportunity by having to think about it while failing to act. Another way to prepare is to mix up the tempo of your workout so that your body is ready for whatever. Whatever you do make sure you remember the importance of timing.

Enjoy!

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 12 alt db chest press
3x 12 upright rows
3x 12 jump squats
3x 12 back flys
2x 25 jackknifes
2x 25 straight leg crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Something That Nobody Wants To Admit

Most of us spend a fair amount of our time trying to appear as though everything is going very well. we want to come off as confident, well capable people who can handle any number of situations. The truth behind this facade that we put forth is that we are scared to death more often than we can admit. Fear is something that we all deal with differently and for that matter often don't recognize for what it is in the moment. I would venture that in every situation there is a measure of fear that we experience; some of them very insignificant and others overwhelming. This is something that has occurred to me more vividly in the recent past than at any other time in my life and looking back I can see many times that I confused my fears with anger or covered them with bravado. Now, more often than not, I see them for what they are. Basically I have identified two types of fear: Fear of something tangible and fear of the unknown. The first of these is not always a bad thing as long as you can be certain that it is validated fear. I think of this being the typical fight or flight response like when you have a jammer that is about to be crushed by a blocker. She should have enough fear of the collision that is about about to take place to decide whether to get out of the way or stand up to the hit. The second type of fear is the tricky one though because it is strictly an emotion. These are the fears and worries that feel as though we have no control over, often because the situations we are worrying about have not occurred and for that matter may never come to fruition. Am I going to get injured? Will I make the next all-star team? Am I able to do my best? Are my circumstances right? Am I "lucky" enough to... ? There is no answer for most of these questions when we begin to ask them because there is not enough information about them if there is any situation at all. As I have said before, the opposite of fear is love and we can probably all agree that roller derby is something we all love. A close friend of mine told me today that "Love is blind". I have always looked at this semantically as a negative thing meaning that I was overlooking some flaw that should have been clear because I was so enamored by it. He explained this common turn of phrase a little differently by saying " Love is having the faith to move forward even when you are stepping into The blindness of the unknown". This made complete sense to me with the concept of fear of the unknown and it's paralyzing abilities if left unchecked. To put a point on this rambling, don't get caught by fear but rather move forward remembering your love for something and pursuing it! Now here is a workout for you to build up some strength for the journey...

Enjoy!

J


5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 12 wide push ups
3x 12 db front raises
3x 12 stab. ball squats
3x 12 inverted rows
2x 25 neg. crunches
2x 25 stab ball crunches
2x 10 full pike crunches
5 min cooldown
Stretch

Workout With A Playlist

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 15 single arm chest presses
2x 15 alternating overhead presses
2x 15 stationary backward lunges
2x 15 inverted rows
2x 15 box jumps
2x 60 sec planks
2x 25 reg crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch



Anna Sun- Walk The Moon
Cough Syrup- Young The Giant
Little Talks- Of Monsters and Men
It's Time- Imagine Dragons
Simple Math- Manchester Orchestra
Pure Morning- Placebo
Dancing On My Own- Robyn
A Million Miles Away- Plimsouls
Airplanes Part 2- B.O.B. feat Eminem
Punk Rock Girl- The Dead Milkmen
Call Me- Blondie
Runaway Baby- Bruno Mars

Enjoy!

J

Things To Remember

I have recently found myself very busy and letting some things fall through the cracks. Lack of time and increased stress has a tendency to diminish my ability to remember everything with perfect recall. For the most part, everything has remained intact but, ever the non-typical perfectionist, thats not gopd enough for me. Here are a few things I strongly recommend keeping in mind to help manage the rest:

Remember who you are.
Remember how you got here, where you came from, and where you are going.
Remember to let people know how much they mean to you.
Remember the fundamentals; the things that have made you what you are and continue to improve on them.
Remember to live the moment you are living.
Remember to have fun, to not be too serious, to laugh.
Remember that dancing is good for everyone whether they are good at it or not.
Remember to brush your teeth.
Remember the things that beneficially carry you through the day and don't neglect them.
Remember not to listen to much to the oona of others, even mine, but to find out for yourself.
Remember this is your life and it is all what you want to make it!

A new workout will be up Monday. Have a good weekend!

J

The Stigma

Who said that exercise has to be work? By nature there is exertion put forth, and it is commonly referred to as "working out", but does that make it work? Why can't exercise be looked at as fun? To answer the last question, it can and for that matter should be. If your idea of exercise is spending hours on end running on a hamster wheel in a gym that smells like sweat and cleaning products, then I get why this seems like work. It doesn't have to be that way though. For myself, my gym workouts rarely last more than twenty minutes these days. Sure there were years that I was there for two hours but that type of commitment is unnecessary for just staying healthy and looking great. The key to it all, especially cardio, is just to move. Studies have shown that you burn more calories cleaning a middle class home than you do jogging for an hour. The point is that as long as you are moving, your body will burn calories at an elevated rate, making it easier to build and maintain a body you desire. In actuality, most forms of cardio that don't involve a machine are far more beneficial for you. A few examples of this are anything that involves throwing, kicking, climbing, twisting, rowing, or jumping. Most activities involving the aforementioned activities resemble play rather than work. Try re-framing how you think about exercise and I will guess that it gets easier to want to do it. Just a few scattered thoughts...

J

Kicking It Up

So here we are, at the end of another month, 1/3 of the way through the calendar year and time doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. For me, the end of the month is a time where I evaluate my performance against my goals and then either re-adjust time frames for achieving them or set new ones because the objective has been reached. This is something that one of my favorite coaches had do a long time ago and it stuck. The reason that I bring this concept up is because at one point it was so foreign to me but has yielded great dividends through practice. Here are a few tips to think about:

1. Keep good records/ stats- There is no other way to objectively look at your performance than to do the math, whether you want to believe it or not
2. Write Things Down- There is something about writing things that makes them stick differently. I am not going to get into the science behind that today but it works
3. Don't be too hard on yourself- We are typically our own worst critics, at least those of us that are trying to improve. Derby will beat you up bad enough that you probably don't need to kick yourself.
4. Learn from your mistakes, but keep moving forward- It is very easy to get caught up in analyzing a situation that didn't go your way and forget that you are still living a different situation. Learn enough to not repeat it but don't bother looking back.
5. Do what you Love- Time is by far the most precious commodity that we possess. it is not worth wasting it on something that you are not passionate about. If anything you are doing is not in some way contributing to the passions of your life, cut that shit. You will be happier, trust me.

That said, let's work out!

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 20 burpee push ups
2x 20 squat to overhead press
2x 20 inverted rows
2x 25 meters of lunges
4x 45 sec planks
2x 20 single leg floor bridges(each leg)
2x 25 jackknifes
5 min cooldown
Stretch

Cheers!

J

Focus

Recently many of my daily conversations have been centered around the difficulty of executing actions that would be beneficial to my clients based on their inability to mentally stick with it. Lets face it, it is easy to lose your head from time to time. The trouble is that a head is much more difficult to find once it is lost than it is to lose in the first place. This phenomenon poses a very real problem for many people, including myself. The first word that comes to mind as a primary combatant against this problem is focus. How can we reduce such a complex problem as cranial chaos down to a single word answer? As is true more often than not, our best answers are the simplest. By definition, focus is a condition in which something can be clearly apprehended or perceived. What this suggests to me is that focus is a state of mind or being and does not allow chaos to coexist simultaneously. Now let's cut the cute bullshit of wordy language and break this down. I was speaking with a derby girl the other day who is having some very specific problems with her game and in the process has begun to question all of her other abilities. In our discussion it became clear that her focus was on what was not going well rather than where she was excelling and this was causing chaos like quicksand, rendering all of her best honed skills useless as well. Her lack of focus on what mattered; her strengths in skating, pack awareness, and overall concept of the game, were paralyzing her and causing her to make mistakes that she knew were wrong and would not normally make. The only solution that I could offer was to change her focus back to what she was capable of rather than the few, and for that matter sleight, weaknesses in her game. I recommended that she remember why she played in the first place, what drove her to want to excel, and then focus on those things and only on those things.

This may seem a little counter intuitive, focusing only on strengths and ignoring weaknesses, but it is my philosophy on performance when it comes to team sports. I believe that in assembling a team you want each member to focus on what they are the best at. It is then the coach or captains job to bring all of these incredible skills together in a way that all of the weaknesses are covered by overlapping skill sets without taking away from promoting individual strengths. This also allows for a very positive environment and a tightness of camaraderie amongst players. I digress... To put a point on it, if you are losing your head find your focus and put it on taking positive action towards what you want. It really is that simple*.
Now lets get to work!


Enjoy!

J

*simple and easy are not the same thing whatsoever.

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 12 alternating db chest press
3x 12 alternating front raises
3x 20 meters of lunges
2x 10 straight arm twists
2x 25 bicycle crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Hydrate

The weather is warming up and derby is in full swing. With practice schedules and games coming about it is important to remember to stay hydrated. Daily recommendation for adult females is at least 3/4 of a gallon not taking in to consideration exercise or extra stress on your body. As an athlete you need to be taking in more than average, say a gallon at least spread out throughout your day. This will ensure that your body is always ready to handle whatever stress you need to put it under and still thrive. That said, lets get some work done!

Enjoy,

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
3x 12 alternating db chest press/ on stab ball
3x 12 alternating side raises
3x 12 bent rows
3x 20 back squats
2x 10 straight arm twists
2x 25 bicycle crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Deal With It

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day who is going through a rough time and it got me thinking about a lot of different things. She made one statement that stuck out above the rest and it was this: "The opposite of love is not hate, but rather fear". To me, this was news. I much prefer the idea of being able to write things off as hate rather than deal with the fears that the hate stems from. With that said, let me bring it back toward the track. What are your greatest fears on the track and how do you deal with them? First off, to all of those of you that are like me and whose gut reaction was "I am not afraid of anything there because I am in my element", I am calling BULLSHIT! We all have fears and insecurities, whether our egos will show them outright or not. For myself, I was never very naturally athletically gifted and that was an issue for me that I would cover with the largest doses of bravado that I could muster which, for the record, was extensive. To compensate for this shortfall, I was reckless with my body and generally mad in every sense of the word. The truth is that I was afraid of losing my position to someone more talented so I tried harder and then I was afraid that my body wouldn't hold up so I began to subtly hold back. If I am to speak plainly, most of my career was riddled with fear that nearly destroyed me. In my case, it has taken me many years to come back to the love that I felt for the game that I once lived for and even watch it again. To put a point on it, deal with your fucking fears because the alternative is not pretty for anyone. How do you deal with your fears? Well we all have a slightly different method for this but, in short, the best way is to deal with them is to face them until they are beaten into submission. My friend mentioned that this is easier when you focus on the love you feel for something that you fear and apply your energy into growing that love until the fear seems small and manageable compared to your love. I find myself laughing, whether s a defense mechanism or a sign that I've rounded the bend, whenever fear shows up and that works for me. All I can tell you with any certainty is that living paralyzed with fear rather than relishing in your love is not worth it. Deal with it as soon as you are aware of it and if you have any advice on dealing with fear then share it.


Cheers,

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 12 pushups
2x 10 DB chest press
2x 12 inverted rows
2x 10 bent flys
2x 12 step up to over head presses
2x 10 single leg squats
2x 12 upright rows
2x 10 lateral raises
2x 25 reg crunches
2x 25 straight arm twists
5 min cool down
Stretch