ELEMENT SPECIFIC TRAINING
PART 2 By: Kim Hartt
As with the first program, start with your 10 minute aerobic warm-up and stretching regime. I can't stress the importance of this enough!! This conditioning routine focuses primarily on high kicks and a variation of push-up strengthening exercises.
Wall Kicks - There are generally two types of high kicks. One is directly in front of you that comes up right beside your head, in front of your shoulder (that is the goal to shoot for), and the side kick which is only slightly off center and comes up on a diagonal, where the end point is just outside the shoulder up by the head.
While going through these kicking exercises, remember to always keep focused on your form. Make sure that your toes are pointed out and both the leg that you are standing on and the one doing the kick, are straight?avoid knee bend by contracting the quadriceps muscle isometrically through the entire kick.
These kicks will help pick up your general conditioning very quickly. Start with 4 sets of 10 reps both to the front and to the sides, with only a one minute rest between sets.
Speed Set - This set of kicks focuses on the "quick, fast twitch fiber response" where you lift your leg consecutively into the kick as quickly as you can. This demands a lot of control of the deceleration part of the kick as the leg is coming back down. You have to have the control to slow down the rate of deceleration at the bottom of the kick in order to change direction of the leg, and use power in the leg to quickly accelerate the leg back up into the kick. This will develop very toned, conditioned legs if the program is done consistently.
Don't be discouraged if you can only get your leg halfway up on the kick. Just keep trying to get it up as high as you can, and gradually it WILL get there!! Again, consistency, determination, and perseverance cannot be stressed enough with these programs and your success in attaining your fitness goals.
Walking Kicks - These kicks incorporate coordination with walking. With these kicks you want to keep control of the kicks, while moving forwards for 4 reps of both the front and side kicks for each leg. Then, jog back to the starting line and immediately begin the kicks again. Do 4 sets of these kicks to keep your heart rate up, which will increase your conditioning and burn body fat.
Fast Kicks - These kicks simulate kicks performed within a routine with that little bounce. Same as with the walking kicks, you will move them forwards and perform 4 reps for each leg of front and side kicks for 4 sets, with the jog back to the starting line as your rest. If you can complete these kicks in this routine?after all of those previous high kicks, you will be able to do the couple of kicks you have in your routine without feeling fatigued. Good conditioning allows you to do everything with good form and it will seem effortless.
Split Jumps - This exercise is important for all kinds of split jumps and leaps used within a fitness routine. You will have to stack up steps on either side of you to a level that you can push off, using a little bit of your triceps in standing. You can also stand between two treadmills and use the rails, or two stools if you are at home. You may just have to improvise on this.
For this exercise, it is important to concentrate on raising your back leg, by using your gluteus to pull it up strong and fast?while at the same time lifting the front leg with your hip flexor. Remember to point your toes and keep your legs tight (no knee bend) for good form. It is important to teach your body these good habits early, so that you are technically sound in all of your elements. First, do 2 sets of 10 reps on each leg and then do alternating split jumps in a row. This is helpful for an advanced element such as a "switch leap jump". Do 3 set of 5 of the alternating right and left splits.
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SPLIT JUMPS |
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This exercise is important for all kinds of split jumps and leaps used within a fitness routine. |
Try to push up through your arms minimally and really try to focus on the power coming from your legs. Your arms are used only as assistance to get the height and work on the form of the jump.
For all of the above exercises thus far, once you are doing them with ease, the progression again is to add ankle weights to the program. Use the first set as a warm up without weights, and then add 2 pounds at first for the next set, and then progress so that all of the sets are done with ankle weights. Once this becomes easy, of course you just add another 2 pounds to the ankle cuff. I would only recommend going as high as 5 - 6 pounds. Any more than this might effect the stretch reflex and cause the hamstring muscle to shorten instead of lengthen?which is of course the desired response for higher kicks/splits.
The last portion of this fitness conditioning routine is the push-up section for upper body/trunk strengthening.
Start by warming up the two major muscle groups you will be using in the push-up program:
Chest Push-ups with hands out front and wide. (2 sets of 10 reps)
Tricep Push-ups with hands close to body and beside chest. (2 sets of 10)
Now you are ready to increase the intensity and start some serious strengthening:
One Arm Push-up - To gain strength for this element, it must be broken down into two parts. There is the eccentric component (lowering yourself to the ground) and the concentric component (pushing yourself back up from the ground). At first you can spot yourself by using your other arm to help take some of your weight off. Try to lower yourself to the ground as much as you can with only one arm. Slow and controlled is best. You can rest at the bottom for a couple of seconds and then push through that one arm with power to the start position. It is actually going to be the eccentric/negative muscle work?where you are lowering yourself to the ground slowly, that will increase your strength tremendously.
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It is impressive and shows good symmetrical strength when you can do this element in your routine with both right and left arms. |
To practice good form, you may want to ask a friend to put a towel around your waist and stand over you, pulling up on the towel to take some of your weight off?so that you can practice lowering yourself and pushing back up in one movement, and with the other arm straight against the side of your body. Do 3 sets of 5 reps on each arm. It is impressive and shows good symmetrical strength when you can do this element with both right and left arms. One side you will probably have to work on a little more as we are all generally a little bit stronger with our "dominant hand" side.
One Arm/One Leg Holds - This exercise is in preparation for the one arm/one leg push-up. You must first master the balance by using your trunk strength to hold the start position of this exercise perfectly still.
Again, you may need a spotter with a towel to take off some of your bodyweight at first?and use a stopwatch to time how long you can hold this position. It is important to keep the body square to the ground, abdominals tight and squeeze the glute muscle hard, to hold the leg off the ground and parallel to rest of your body. Your back muscles, both upper and lower diagonally, will be working hard as well to hold this isometric contraction. For perfect form, you must get in the habit of keeping your other arm straight against your side (no bend in your elbow).
Your goal is 2 sets of 30 seconds for each side. Record how many seconds you can hold this position and then try to beat it the next time you do this program.
One Arm/One Leg Push-Ups - This is the next step and you will most definitely need a spot when first attempting these. Just start in your hold position and lower yourself with control, keeping good form, and then "Explode" for the concentric, pushing yourself back up to the start position.
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ONE ARM/ONE LEG PUSH-UPS |
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Start in your hold position and lower yourself with control, keeping good form, and then "Explode" for the concentric, pushing yourself back up to the start position. |
If you don't have a spotter, use your other arm, as you did with the one arm push-up. You can break it down again into the eccentric and concentric components with a couple second rest at the bottom of the push-up. As long as you are working the muscles, and focusing on the skill, you are making progress.
Tricep Hinge Push-ups - This skill requires tremendous tricep strength and technique. Start in the same position that you would for a regular tricep push-up, but this time, only lower yourself down half way. It is at this point that you roll back to your elbows with your forearms flat on the floor, while at the same time you roll back on your feet with your calves stretched. Then, roll back to the halfway up position and push up to the start position using your triceps. You simultaneously use your feet to assist with the push up by pushing up through the balls of your feet.
This element takes a lot of practice to get the right technique and feel for the movement. It is best to do this one initially with a spotter, or break it into the 2 components, as you did initially with the previous push-ups. This particular element took me the longest to perfect. Also, being at the end of the push-up routine makes it even harder, which makes it that much easier when you only have to do one good one in your fitness routine.
The progression for the push up sequence would be to increase the intensity with the weight vest, adding 2 pounds at a time when you get stronger. When you take the weight vest off and do them they now become easy, even if you are fatigued.
Plyometric Push-up Drill - This is a very effective exercise for increasing power and quickness to the upper body. This is required for elements where you "catch yourself" from an elevated position. Such an element would be a "sushanova" or "plyo push-up jumps", where you propel yourself up and forward and catch yourself in a push-up position.
For this exercise you would use a step bench. With one hand on the narrow end of the bench and one on the floor in a push-up position you will lower yourself and then "Explode" into the air across to the other side. You will catch yourself with the other hand up on the bench in a push-up position.
Start with one bench, adding risers or stack the benches as you progress to help with the power and height of the plyo push-up?which will in turn increase your upper body strength. You can also use a weight vest to increase intensity and get that "spring-loading effect" for quick response of your chest muscles when catching you from dropping from a height (which will be high from working on your Plyo drills for your straddle jump).
Start with 3 sets of 5 reps on each side of bench (3 sets of 10 total), and increase this as another progression in intensity and muscular endurance.
These above conditioning programs are very intense and it is very important that you rest your body in between sessions. Be sure to stretch, and you may even have to take ice baths for the first couple of weeks. Your muscles may be inflamed due to not being accustomed to these kinds of demands put on them. But, like I have said many times throughout this article, it WILL get easier!! Don't give up and contact me at www.kimhartt.com if you need encouragement or have any questions with these programs.
I would start just doing these two fitness conditioning programs?each once a week with at least 48 hours (2 days) in between sessions. Then progress them up to two times a week each, with sufficient rest time in between. As your contest gets closer, you will be adding these elements into your routine and doing them with ease, because of this program. About 3 -4 weeks out, I go back to only doing each program once a week, alternating them with my fitness routine run through days. Then, I focus on my routine only in the last two weeks before the contest date.
I wish you the best of luck with these programs. I guarantee if you stick with it, you will be very successful and in the best shape of your life. I owe these fitness routines to my proper preparation to attaining my pro card this year. Anyone can do it... Remember my favorite motto:
The Key to Happiness is Having Dreams.... The Key to Success is Making those Dreams come True.
