Prism Fitness Group

Functional Fitness Equipment

Agility & Coordination Training: The Other Mind-Body Workout

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Yoga might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a mind-body workout, but agility training is a great way to connect your movements to your brain power. The ability to recruit the correct muscles in the right sequence all while maintaining proper form come from the ability to communicate between your mind and body quickly.

 

Agility training helps improve reaction time and coordination. This type of training is not just important for athletes, but for everyone, especially as we get older.

 

The more we can train our bodies to work in the three planes of movement (front to back, side to side, and up and down) the better our balance, reaction, and coordination time will be. Not only will it help you have greater range of motion for your everyday activities (climbing stairs, shoveling snow, playing with your kids), but it can be an injury prevention tool. Reaction time and coordination count big time if you take a slip on an icy sidewalk, or trip over a trail root.

 

TIP: Remember, agility is not just about being fast. Focusing on form trains your body to make sure the correct muscles are engaging and can strengthen the mind-body connection that leads to improved coordination and speed.

 

Integrate Agility Drills into Your Workout

One of the best ways to create quick movement in every direction, and improve your coordination and mind-body connection is with Agility Ladder Drills.

To get the most out of the drills, you must focus on getting the movements down, and then try to do them as fast as possible.

 

Try these:

 

The Heisman:

Alternate each foot in and out of the box, and then pause as you bring a knee up to your chest to meet the opposite elbow. Alternate knees as you move through the boxes.

 

The Squat Hop

Start by squatting with your legs wider than the ladder, then jump with both feet in between the rungs.

 

High Knee Linear Run

Run in a linear fashion through the ladder with one foot in between each rung. On the up position, bring your knee up toward your chest.

 

Take the Agility Ladder anywhere. In any weather!

Did you see our outdoor version of the High Knee Linear Run filmed in the crazy -60 below zero temperature Polar Vortex the Midwest experienced during January?

 

 

 

 

Trail Running Tips!

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Photo © Jamey Sotis

Improve your agility, speed, coordination, and balance for your next run.

 

Paved running surfaces, such as roads and sidewalks are flat, steady, and for the most part, predictable. Trails, by nature, are usually not.

With trail running, every step is different. You may have to jump over tree roots, run over a rock or slippery moss, and your body must stabilize itself on each type of terrain.

Trail running itself is like a miniature plyometric training session: you leap over a stream, change your footfalls to avoid obstacles, and learn to land on rocks by adding mini jumps into your run. While this provides an exciting twist to a typical run, it also presents a considerable challenge to your body. Even running downhill can be tough because it forces your body to absorb an immense amount of pounding.

That’s why adding cross training to your workout routine, specifically plyometric training, can be beneficial to trail runners.

It’s a great way to strengthen your muscles, ligaments, and tendons that help to keep you upright and handle the impact from all directions. It’s a perfect complement to the demands of trail running.

Try these cross-training exercises in the gym to improve your agility, speed, coordination, and balance. By integrating the right moves, you may overcome muscular imbalances that could lead to injury and still improve your overall coordination and control.

 

 

On the Plyo Box

 

 

 

Basic Box Jumps: Add explosive power to your trail runs. Focus on jumping onto the box in one quick, explosive movement. According to ACE Fitness, this is the correct way to execute a box jump.

  1. Begin in a deep squat position with a step or sturdy platform or box in front and arms bent next to the sides of the body.
  2. Swing the arms and jump as high as possible, landing quietly and with control in a squat position on the step. Both feet should land at the same time, and weight should stay in the heels.

 

Box Jump with 180 Rotational Jumps: Once you’ve mastered the basic box jump, you can practice advanced agility. Jump on the box, jump off the other side, do a 180 rotational jump and return.

 

Box Jump Burpees: This is the same as the 180 Rotational Jumps, with an added burpee.

 

Box Depth Jumps: This plyometric variation prepares the body to absorb force while you’re running downhill on your favorite trail. First, step on to the box or bench. Squat to transfer power into your legs, then power off the bench with the balls of your feet, landing even on the floor. Jog back around the bench, and repeat.

 

 

On the Floor

Broad Jump Shuffle: Add some coordination and agility to your footwork. Jump forward, landing with both feet at the same time in a slight squat. Stand upright, then shuffle backward to the start point and repeat. To work on your “rock to rock leaps,” add a side to side skater at the end of the sequence.

Be sure to check out the next #WORKOUTWEDNESDAY for some great visuals on how to execute these moves!

 

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”  

John Muir

 

 

 

Three Benefits of Agility Training

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The definition of agility is “the ability to move quickly and change direction with ease.” As we get older, or ease into our daily routines, our mental and physical agility can take a back seat. Agility training can help us pivot more quickly in both the physical and mental realms. This type of training can be beneficial whether you are an athlete, weekend warrior, or anywhere in between.

 

Here are three reasons you should incorporate agility training into your fitness routine:

Improve body movement and awareness. While agility training is often used in conditioning for a variety of sport-specific skills, you do not need to be a competitive athlete to receive the benefits. Agility training improves dynamic balance, which is the ability to maintain control of a moving center of mass over a changing base of support. Dynamic balance is not only great for improving skills at things like trail running, it also helps elder adults to remain functionally independent well into their later years.

Coordination drills can enhance reactivity, helping you to move faster in almost everything you do. Agility training can help improve movement skill and coordination for adults (and children!) of all ages.

 

 

Increase the number of muscles engaged in your workout. Controlling the body’s ability to make multiple changes of direction and frequent changes of speed require many muscles to be involved. According to ACE fitness, “Agility training can burn more calories than linear running, which can help you burn more calories during your workout. When more muscles are involved during exercise, the body requires more oxygen, increasing the amount of energy that is expended.

 

Reduce the risk of certain types of injuries. Repetitive movements can lead to tissue fatigue and stress injuries. According to ACE fitness, “agility training can be effective for strengthening the contractile element of muscle, and improving the resiliency of the elastic fascia and connective tissue.” Agility training, over time, will help to minimize the risk of injuries related to rapid changes of speed or direction.

 

Check out our full line of AGILITY TRAINING products!

 

March Madness! Jump into some B-Ball Inspired Workouts!

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Lace up your high top sneakers and bring back those knee high socks.  Hear that sound in the distance? The echo of the basketball bouncing, the squeak of shoes sliding to the line, and slap from your hands hitting that wooden floor. Remember those practice drills? Killers? Defensive slides? Passing lines? Two ball dribble?

 

What do those all have in common…. Yes, you guessed it:
BURPEES, LUNGES, SQUAT PULSES + WALL SITS, and FAST FEET DRILLS!

Unleash your inner athlete and feel the burn; bring back the good old days of practice drills into your everyday fitness using this workout.  And, if you have never played basketball in your life- that’s okay too!  These moves will give you great agility and power for all sorts of summer activities: trailrunning, hiking, MTB biking and more.

This is a workout that will get anyone’s heart rate up!  Have fun!

THE WORKOUT:
HIGH INTENSITY B-BALL DRILLS:

45 SECONDS ON/ 15 SECONDS REST

Jump rope/ fast jumps

Wall sit (option weights or lifting arms over head)

Squat Slides- stay LOW

Fast feet (in and out)

Lunges, Lunge Jumps

Jump Squats (squat position to a jump shot)

Ladder drills

Burpee’s

Push-Ups

 

Jumpstart that heart!

Add some RUNNING WORKOUTS to your game.

“DOWN AND AROUND THE COURT”

At your favorite gymnasium, sprint the long ends and jog the short. Do this for 10 minutes straight, and build up
from there.  Mix up the jogs with high knee’s, butt kicks, grapevine. No gymnasium? Modify to a treadmill workout mixing in long and short runs with your agility moves.

 

A big thank you to Coach Katie Bruns for bringing some “March Madness” to our fitness routines this month!

4 Benefits of Adding Plyometric Training to your Fitness Routine

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As a kid, we never thought twice about running and jumping. Now, as an adult, our movements tend to be much less dynamic in everyday life.

Plyometrics, sometimes called “Jump Training,” has steadily increased in popularity and is being incorporated into many workouts. The purpose of plyometrics is to improve explosive power. Plyometrics includes more than just jumping though. While tuck jumps, box jumps, and lunge jumps are all part of this type of training, upper body exercises such as plank jumps, clap pushups and medicine ball throws are all great ways to train explosively from head to toe.

There are numerous benefits to incorporating “plyo” training into your fitness routine. However, due to the intensity, plyometric workouts should be geared towards those individuals with a solid fitness base. Beginners should start with progressive modifications to help them build toward full moves.

It’s easy to make the connection that plyometric training will help power athletes in sports such as basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics, but can it help everyday fitness enthusiasts “up their game” so to speak?

The short answer is yes. Here are four ways that adding plyometric training to your fitness routine can benefit your everyday life.

 

1. Increased Agility & Coordination

Runners and rock climbers rejoice! If your jam is to be active (running, skiing, hiking, or even ultimate frisbee), plyometrics training can help boost your performance in whatever sports or activities you like to do. Improved footwork is a great boost to a trail running routine, and an explosive jump will help you crush that weekend pick-up basketball game.

2. Increased Cardiovascular Health and Muscle Strength

Plyometrics training focuses on increasing strength and proficiency of fast twitch muscle fibers, which helps build speed and power. In addition, plyometric exercises, especially when done in succession, can really get your heart rate up! Keep in mind, though, form matters. Always.

3. Increased Spatial Awareness

Video games have nothing on hand-eye coordination when compared to plyo training. The fancy term for this is “proprioception,” and it relates to how we sense objects around us as related to our muscles, joints, and motor skills. Spatial perception is important in everyday movements and even more so in sports, where proper coordination is essential.

4. Increased Fun.

Life is short. Mix it up. Capture the fun that jumping brought you in your childhood play. Skip, hop, and jump to mix a little fun with your fitness.

 

 

Is Cross-Training Only for Athletes?

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Why incorporating functional fitness exercises may help with daily life.

 

Say you’ve gotten into a good fitness routine, and you’re getting pretty good at what you do. Maybe you are resolute about going on your morning run or getting in a long bike ride every evening after work. Then, a friend asks you to go ice skating or cross country skiing and it turns out to be a lot tougher than you imagined. It leaves you wondering, am I as fit as I thought?

Or, perhaps you’re a rock-star at the rower and faithfully log in 30-minute sessions on your lunch break. Then you playfully toss your 2-year old into the air and your back muscles are left feeling tweaked.

As stated in the article “Get Stronger and Leaner with Cross-Training”, all of these scenarios show what can happen when you think fitness means mastering a single sport or activity. According to Todd Schlifstein, DO, a sports medicine rehabilitation doctor at New York University Medical Center’s Rusk Institute, “When you only do one fitness activity, like running or weight-lifting, for example, and you only work on the muscles involved in one thing, you may discover that you are far less fit than you think. Using just one set of muscles repeatedly can also increase your risk of repetitive injury.”

When an athlete cross-trains, they are moving and strengthening the body in all planes of movement doing a variety of moves at different speeds. “Cross training takes into consideration the fact that many muscles in different parts of the body contribute to a single activity. So to get the most out of any activity, and to do it safely, you must pay attention to all the muscles in your body that are involved, not just the ones directly related to that activity.” says professional athletic trainer Jim Thornton, MA, ATC.

In addition, cross-training improves what is known as functional movement, or in other words, it can help us with the daily tasks of our lives and jobs. Functional fitness is defined as doing exercises that mimic the things you may do in real life or your sport.

James Herrera, MS, CSCS, director of coaching with Carmichael Training Systems and Trainright.com says “Climbing stairs, working around the house or yard, or taking the dogs for a walk takes much less effort when you’re functionally fit. It’s also easier to avoid injuries related to those everyday activities.”

The Mayo Clinic defines functional exercises, as those that “tend to use multiple joints and numerous muscles”. Instead of only moving the elbows, for example, a functional exercise might involve the elbows, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, and ankles. This type of training, properly applied, can make everyday activities easier, reduce your risk of injury and improve your quality of life.

At Prism Fitness Group we believe in the power of movement in the development of mind and body. We are committed to spreading greater understanding of the human body, and the safest and most effective ways to prepare the body for challenges ranging from everyday functional movements to amateur sporting events to a professional-level competition. We strive to create simple-yet-innovative training equipment that can be used to achieve transformative results.

Just like anything else in life, finding activities that bring you joy will increase the likelihood that you will do them consistently. So, run, bike, and swim if you enjoy it, and add a little cross-training into your routine.

 

Here are a few easy ways to incorporate some cross-training exercises into your routine that may improve your functional fitness.

 

1. Build leg and upper body strength:

Squats to overhead press with dumbells

2. Strengthen muscles of the back and shoulders:

Shoulder raises with resistance cables

3. Increase foot agility for trail-running (and children chasing):

Ladder-down shuffles with an agility ladder

 

 

 

 

Reference:

Bouchez, Colette “Get Stronger and Leaner with Cross-Training”, Using the technique favored by pro athletes can get you better results and fewer injuries. WebMD; 2008
 

 

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