PP42's Senior Year Training Blog

[AVC Coach]

I understand how you could read into that and not want to spend as much time on increasing your physical abilities. It's your Senior year and the hay's in the barn by now.

[powerplant42]

Not at all... I spend quite a bit of time on the high bar. Every chance I get I push out some excercises on a bar.

[rainbowgirl28]

I gotta disagree with Morry a bit... I have seen your videos. You're a pretty good vaulter technically. Yeah, there is always room for improvement, but your being hindered far more by the limitations of your physical abilities.

I think you wouldn't get injured so easily if you were stronger, and I think given that you have an outdoor season that ends in May or later, there is still a chance for you to get stronger.

I am not saying you should beat yourself up the day before a meet, but I think an important part of your training blog should include occasional (every few months) updates on things like your clean max, vertical jump, etc.

[powerplant42]

Will do.

[superpipe]

RainbowGirl said it best. Your technique is pretty damn good for high school, but your strength level needs alot of work. Again like RainbowGirl said, weight training helps prevent injuries a ton. I'm a huge supporter of that. I've personally experienced how strength training prevents injuries in my snowboarding career and with vaulting.

[powerplant42]

Your technique is pretty damn good for high school

Why thank you!

but your strength level needs alot of work.

Yes... I lost my legs to atrophy. It is both this and lack of confidence with a take-off length on a pole that I can bend.

[golfdane]

Yes... I lost my legs to atrophy. It is both this and lack of confidence with a take-off length on a pole that I can bend.

What is the cause of this atrophy?

I seriously agree with RG and others, that strength training is a must to build strength and increase the ability to withstand the strain from jumping/sprinting during training/competition, as well as improve your power/weight ratio. Bar work WILL not do it alone, especially when you know your legs are the weak points.

[powerplant42]

The cause is resting from injuries... I couldn't get out and run or lift or anything out of fear of worsening my injuries.

I have no objection to lifting in my scenario... it is atypical and I am closing in on the "threshold age" for lifting/technique anyway.

[golfdane]

The cause is resting from injuries... I couldn't get out and run or lift or anything out of fear of worsening my injuries.

I have no objection to lifting in my scenario... it is atypical and I am closing in on the "threshold age" for lifting/technique anyway.

There is no threshold age for lifting. It's just a matter of what you lift. Au contraire, the young years should indeed hold strength training with focus on lifting technique rather than putting on weight. 10 year olds can and should do squats with broomsticks and do pushup, rather than doing lots of aerobic work. Throw 1 kg medicine balls every way possible and stuff like that. The focus should be on correct execution at all times, and most of the time, their own bodyweight will suffice. That way, real strength training is easily incorporated when time comes.
Kids are way more resilient than what most people think. When I was young, every kid would jump down from the roof of playhouses (extreme plyometrics), and last time I saw kids at the local kinder garden, they still do.

Check Kraemer & Fleck, "Strength Training for Young Athletes", Human Kinetics.

[powerplant42]

I have the book.

There are other threads to talk about weight training in general... How about for me specifically? Thoughts on what I should be doing?

[golfdane]

I have the book.

There are other threads to talk about weight training in general... How about for me specifically? Thoughts on what I should be doing?

Start building a base. 3 sets with 10-15 reps, low intensity. Put in some (if not most of them, and vary over 2 sessions a week) of the exercises from Page 271-272 in the aforementioned book by Kraemer & Fleck (softcover 2nd edition).
When base is beginning to build, gradually build on the intensity (put on more weight).

If hamstrings are a weak point, lunges, straight leg deadlift and reverse leg curls should be in, and should probably be prioritized until there's a better balance in strength.

EDIT: Just to make sure: Consult your coach before starting anything I have suggested.

[rainbowgirl28]

What have you done in the past month besides pole runs/high bar work/pole vaulting? It's hard to give advice about what to do without knowing where you are at... Do you know how to/have you ever done properly:
Power clean?
Hang clear?
Jerk?
Deadlift?
Snatch?
Single leg squats?

It's better to admit you can't do something right than to injure yourself trying to do it.