M50 Off Season Training

[Mcleodjw]

Hello Masters,
I just finished my first outdoor season. For being 50, I think I did pretty good. In competition, I cleared 9'0". During my last practice, I nearly cleared 10'0". Started the season, at 3 lefts. (Yes, I cleared 8'8" with 3 lefts) I finished at 6 lefts.
The season began with a tender plantars and ended with a tender tender left ab and right shoulder.
I'm 195, holding 12' on a 14' pole. I have a lot of work ahead of me. I'm looking to lose 15-20 lbs before training again.
Living in Michigan, training during the cold season means indoor training.
Question?
How do most of you train between the outdoor and indoor seasons?

Thanks for all the advice,

John

[vaultmd]

Nice job, John!

Where in Michigan do you live?

[Mcleodjw]

I make home in the Saginaw Bay Area.

John

[vaultmd]

I was trying to locate a bodyworker who would be able to unravel your pattern of painful muscles, but was unsuccessful.

I'm sure those people exist in your area; but I don't know any of them. I also don't know who would know. Sorry.

[Mcleodjw]

Thanks for the concern.
I'm pretty sure I know the cause.
Being 50, has its challenges. I have to realize that the body needs to be in good shape to do this event, even at practice.
I do stretch before and after practice but I need to do more and different stretches.
I strained the ab on a jump that was probably out from my take off spot.
Once again thanks for the concern.
What's troubling is that I have no one to watch me during the jumps. Im thinking about telling my wife what to watch for and video taping my practices, then reviewing after practice.
I read something from Bubba Sparks web site, "... is that every year you have to come out and pretend you know nothing."
I've been coaching pole vault at the local high school and every year I change the way I look at coaching the event.

Once again, thanks,

John

[Todd Haire]

Start by letting your body heal up. A period of no training, just everyday activities is helpful at our age to rest the body and mind from pole vault. Wait for the pain to leave your shoulder. Catch up on your reading or work on another hobby.
Remember to listen to what your body is telling you.
I like swimming, lifting and gymnastic movements for off season training. At the track you can do sand drills and pole runs.
Get a book on the subject.
BTW my wife would rather be tarred and feathered than watch me do my thing, but I know what you mean. Your video camera becomes your best friend. You can enlist the help of a pal or one of your athletes.
Lastly, try to rember it's supposed to be fun. Pain and injuries aren't much fun.

[martyp]

I returned to vaulting 2 years ago at 50 and have also suffered from various strains and injuries. At our age, staying injury free is the biggest challenge we face in this sport. I agree with Todd that taking an off-season for healing is good. Here are some random things that I've learned in 2 years of masters vaulting:

COMMON INJURIES: Achilles and hamstring pulls seem to be common. I had a slight Achilles tear last year. It rehabbed nicely in about 8 week with PT. Doctor said too-tight calves put excess strain on Achilles. Be sure to include calf stretches and hamstring stretches and strengthening in your training.

STRETCHING: We grew up with static stretching, but current thinking based on research is that dynamic stretching is better and less likely to produce injury. As a coach you may already be on top of this. I could provide our club warmup/stretching routine if you're interested.

FOAM ROLLING: I use my foam roller almost every day. Most effective on loosening up back, glutes and T-bands (which helps prevent knee injury). Search on YouTube for more info.

MUSCLE ACTIVATION: I had never even heard of MA until I read about it in Tim Ferriss's The 4 Hour Body (a worthwhile read). Great way to make sure everything's firing as it should be. At our age it's unlikely that everything is.

SPRINTING: I could barely sprint at all when I started masters PV. I have a bad knee (23 years post-ACL) and will probably never be real strong in my run, but having worked hard, I've improved a lot. I suggest ankle weights and/or resistance training (or hill training). Work up to around 10 lefts, 10X, give or take. If you can do it carrying a pole, even better. This is something you could do during off season to come back with a stronger run next year.

WEIGHT TRAINING: My view is you can never be too fast or too strong in this sport. And of course this will help with injury prevention. Spend the money on at least a session or two with a personal trainer if possible. Lots of core too. Free weights and Olympic lifts are preferred vs. machines. And keep changing up your routine.

COACHING: This is a sport where you MUST have someone who knows what they're talking about watching you and providing feedback. There's no way around it. If there's no way for you to get live coaching, video everything, post it to YouTube and get one or more online coaches to critique regularly. A much better approach would be to schedule a Skype session during practice for real-time feedback.

Good luck and let me know if you're ever in the Twin Cities.

[GasPasser]

Marty,
I'm right there in the boat with you, 50-54 YO group, first year back, many recurring injuries early on (Hamstrings, Achilles), and 10' in practice. Before I picked up a pole last Dec, I started getting in shape the prior summer. I wasn't truly a couch potato, but 30+ years of nothing but distance running (jogging really) - I knew I wasn't strong enough or ready to start vaulting.
I recommend P90X, you don't need the diet plan if you eat fairly healthy. I found that I was very hungry the first 60-days. Add extra protein to your diet. I started by picking up a used set of P90X DVD's from eBay, and bought some dumbbells on craigslist. I was horrible at first, but after 3-months, I had noticeable and meaningful results. Enough to inspire me to keep going with the program. After 90-days, without dieting or foregoing beer, I dropped 10lbs and was a lot stronger. I added sprint training this past spring. After 6-months of P90X, I've dropped nearly 20 lbs and am down to my college weight of nearly 30 yrs ago (when I last felt that I was in-shape). The ab workout is fantastic, the Plyo workout is killer, and don't skip the yoga or stretching workouts. It is total body strength training with very little equipment required (dumbbells and a pull-up bar is all you need – and something to play the DVDs).

I plan to do P90X again this fall, and add Olympic lifts. Another masters vaulter I met recommended Insanity. I haven't tried it, but if I can get a cheap copy, I will give it a try. My suggestion for P90X is to start slow, take frequent/longer breaks at first, don't try to keep up with the guys/gals on the DVD at first. At our age, it comes slower, and we don't add muscle as quickly. If you haven't heard much about it, check out this video that convinced me to give it a try. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=825HotL_cdM
It really does work - you get stronger, you lose weight. The downside is you need to dedicate about 60-90 mins a day. I didn't start out doing it every day, I eased into it by trying every workout and took a day or two off between workouts. After one trip around the package, I stepped up to 5-days a week. At first, I dreaded the workouts, but after a few months I eventually got over the hump and loved it. I'm looking forward to starting up again, but know it will be a tough but familiar road. Hopefully, I'll get to the “love it” phase quicker this time.

[Mcleodjw]

Hello Everyone,
I want to thank everyone that posted. Yes, the body isn't what it used to be.
Gaspasser, I do have the P90X disks. Like you said, I find it hard to set aside 60-90 minutes. But, I guess I'll have to find the time.
Body's healing good. Shoulder is all but pain free. So is the ab. I'm still going to rest for another couple weeks.
Walking the dogs after work is keeping me somewhat active. I seen a used Weider 8530 machine on Craigslist and it'll be better than nothing.

Once again thanks for the tips,

Vaulting along,
John

[vaultmd]

I would consider getting a Total Gym instead. More versatile, especially if you are a vaulter and/or married.

[Vaultingman]

I do lost of sprinting with and with out a pole. When practicing running with a pole i normally use a longer pole this exaggerates any weaknesses i may have.
Lots of sprints over 10 small cones placed close together to force me to get my feet down fast, about 4 shoe lengths between. Put a plant and take off action on the end trying to keep the pole tip off the track.
Run from 10meters into the cones gets you to quicken your stride nicely.
Weights twice a week, circuits once a week, 1 speed session, 1 technical vault session on the track, 1 indoor vault session every other week. Do as many indoor competitions as I can.
Soon be summer!!!!