Posted by C.J. Easter in Sports performance on September 25th, 2014
Last month, I decided to change my training goals to become a competitive olympic weightlifter.
The thing that I love about weightlifting is attention to detail required to hit the perfect positions to maximize leverage and power.
Sprinting, like weightlifting, is a beautiful mix of fluidity and power.
Isometric holds are a common practice in weightlifting to achieve strength and stability in the key power positions.
However, isometric holds are often difficult to use in sprinting (particularly acceleration mechanics) because the center of gravity is not over the base when accelerating.
This week’s drill, Band Resisted Knee Drive Physioball Plank, builds core stability while the athlete is push/pulling against the band to create hip separation.
To perform this drill:
1. Wrap a mini-band around your knees
2. Perform a push-up plank on a physioball with the hands directly below the shoulders and hips extended (squeeze the abs, quads, and glutes).
3. Maintaining stability at the core, drive one knee up to the physioball and hold, resisting the band (pull with the lead leg, push into the ground with the base leg).
This advanced drill addresses a common issue with athletes of losing core stability while accelerating.
Imagine trying to throw a wet noodle vs a toothpick… Which one travels farther?
The same relationship between rigidity and purposeful direction of force applies to acceleration.
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