Charlie writes:
Medicine ball work is used with the development of power and power endurance capabilities over a 15-30 second time period as the desired outcome…Athletes will sometimes do 6-10 exercises totalling up to 800-1,200 throws (legs and arms) in a given workout.
Q: Are these done in sets with a 15-30 second time period. If so how long of a rest are they given after each set?
I find that this might help the finish in the 100m is this true? Also on power days the reps would be kept low for explosive throws while on tempo days they would focus on more core exercise with higher reps? Could you go into further detail on this subject.
Ok here is my guess to this question. Charlie was referring to how med ball workouts help power ability over 15-30 time period. I would do 5-6 with maybe 150-200 throws in each set with a 5 minute break inbetween sets. If my aim was 1200 throws per session. Am I on the right track. As for power days. I would use explosive leg and arm exercises for 4x3 similiar to what I do with plyos. With 90 seconds between sets and 5 minutes between exercises.
To answer the questions, you want to build up to the optimal amount Charlie described. If you are not already incorporating med ball throws/ jumps in your current program, work into this gradually. As you described, you want the med ball work to match what you are doing on the track. Keep the explosive movements with near to complete recovery to work on power development and when doing tempo days, do less complex movements and shorten the rest time. There are a number of good books and videos on the market. Charlie’s videos from the Vancouver seminar have drills that are most effective.
The addition of total body med ball throws has been one of the best changes to my program this year. I believe it has contributed to the power capabilities of our athletes. What type of cues do you guys use for med ball throws like relax the arms, etc. since there is obviously a skill and learning curve to be taken on in the use of these throws. What technical problems do you see most often with the execution of med ball throws? I find it especially difficult to get across the proper action or technique of overhead backward throws. Any help would be appreciated.
The biggest problem I have run across in med ball throws is the athlete pulling with their lower back in these throws. I try to make the athletes realize it is just like an Oly. lift, with everything being driven with the legs. As you point out Pioneer, posture is everything. Good call on the arm relaxation. I also notice that if the arms are too stiff, the athlete will try and break at the elbow during the throw instead of getting optimal height.
Originally posted by nightmare4di also do them onto a lower box (less than half the height) holding 20lbs dumbells in each hand.
Wouldn’t a weighted vest be better? The arms have a big function in explosive jumping and holding 20lbs in each hand would have to really hold this back.
Since plyos are conducted everyday are there certain days geered towards more upper body…vs…lowerbody…ect? Or do most sesions combine upper/lower/and core. I gather you wouldnt want to go crazy with very explosive upperbody throws if you had to bench the next day. And so on and so on. I have come to the conclusion that core is done almost every day. And that almost all sessions are done to exhaustion…or at high volume ? Like circuit training…But how bout the other types of med ball throws. Including the most explosive…(once a week like plyos?) Im stuggling to find a balance of all the training conponents. :help:
There are two approaches to Med ball. Type 1 is the high vol / low intensity approach that covers all ab/ core work. This can be done every day.
Type 2 or Explosive med ball is very high intensity/ low vol work that must be done EOD.
So you combine the two types. If during the low intensity workouts your goal is to do 800-1000 throws in a workout. What would the goal be in a workout which is explosive in quality?
The number of low int MB throws is open-ended as it is totalled with other core body exercises (crunches etc). For power related throws the number can vary from 20 to 80 depending on the athlete, his lifting regime, and the sprint vol/time of year.
Have any of you ever used a sledgehammer as an alternate to medicine balls. It’s basically the exact opposite of an explosive medicine ball throw. I don’t know if its as effective, but its really fun to do and of course, variety is the spice of life. The main reason I use it though, is because you don’t need a partner to do it with you.
I mainly use it on tempo days as low-intensity work. I use a thirteen pound sledgehammer and slam it into an old matress that my parents were going to get rid of.
Hehe, just hammer it. That’s the thing, you don’t get to release it like a medicine ball, but then again I’m only using it for low-intensity purposes and you don’t have to really brake that much, like in the top of a lift because it will be absorbed by the matress or tire or whatever you use.
