Some questions about weight and strength..

[Zxcvtypo]

Hey guys, this is my first year vaulting, and i've only had 2 practices where i've actually got to do it with a pole. The second day i did it i cleared something like 9 feet, but we don't have anything to actually measure us seeing as we're a new school, so we just find someone tall to stand with a pole above their head on the mats and we guess. pretty bad

Anyways, I need to gain weight for football next year, which will probably slow me down a bit but make me a lot stronger. I'm 170 right now, bench ~265 and incline somewhere in the low 200's. I run around a 12.4 100, and a 4.7 40 (the time i usually go by). My goal is to get up to around 185-190lbs, which i'm sure would slow me down alot. Is it worth it to gain all the weight and muscle but slow myself down? Would the gain in muscle make up for the loss of speed? Basically what i'm asking is if my heights will lower due to the weight gain.

Just looking for some input on what will happen, or if anyone has been in the same situation as me.

[Robert schmitt]

excerpt from: http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/vie ... 52cfae0159

Robert schmitt wrote:
Personaly I don't think you should be lifting during the season at all period. You will get more benifit from imitative gymnastic exercises. It drives me nuts when kids lift in PE then have trouble practicing b/c they aren't as explosive lifting that day. Usually it isn't a lack of strenght it's a lack of technique and body control that limits your vault.


lonestar wrote:

Amen. My college guys are lifting more right now, and jumping worse. When they weren't doing weights, they were fresh for vaulting, and had good quality technique days, and were pr'ing regularly on short runs. Yesterday they maxed out on squat, and today was their jump day. Well you can imagine how well jumping went - it didn't. Unfortunately, I'm not their strength and conditioning coach and everything I suggest gets swept under the rug. How am I supposed to get them jumping higher when they can't even run b/c they're so sore? Frustrating!

Robert schmitt wrote:

I've told this story before. When I was in college I didn't improve for 2.5 years. Then we got a new coach. One of the first things he did was literaly ban me from the wieght room by taking my athletic pass away. Pr'd by 9" that year and an additional 3'3" the next. Now I'm not attributing this improvment all to stopping lifting. It does shows that strength or lack of wasn't what was holding me back.

vaultmd wrote:
Nice example of activity not equalling progress.

[rainbowgirl28]

It sounds like you might have to decide which is more important to you, football or track. Not that you can't do both, but if you choose football, you have to accept that you might not vault as high. If you choose track, your football coaches might be mad and not play you as much because you didn't gain the weight or whatever.

I would talk to your football coaches and tell them your dilemma, maybe you guys can work something out.

[souleman]

Key thing I guess to me is what are you doing from June through August and then November through February. I played football (wouldn't give it up for anything) and I pole vaulted in the spring during track (no way was I gonna give that up either). What I did give up was basketball or wrestling in the winter and baseball during the summer. For football I weighed in at 160 to 165 and for track I was 140 to 145. Winter and summer workouts and training were geared entirely towards the upcoming season. Concentrate totally on the season you're in. When it's track season, do track. When track is over, then it's football season. If you are in High School stay with both sports if you truly like doing both of them. Just my $.02. Later...............Mike

[John]

As a former football player and pole vualter I agree! Do both but give yourself a chance to be success with both. Football was my thing (played at a DI school), but loved vaulting too. During the Spring my lifting had to be toned back....less days, and less weight and less sets. During the Spring my lifting was to maintain the strength I had developed during Dec-March. March-June I was vaulting...yeah I would be in the weightroom a day or two a week to maintain my strength. June - August back at increasing strength.

I now am a high school football and pole vault coach and I would recommend the same thing to any of my guys (or girls) who do both.

The key is finding BALANCE! Talk with both your track coach and football coach....explain you want to do both and by doing both does not mean you are less committed to one or the other. (Just because a use a candle to light another candle it does not take anything away from the 1st candles flame)

[dj]

How tall are you…

Years ago I created a height (in inches) to body weight index.

My findings were this

Women 1.8 lbs to 2.0 lbs per inch in height.

(5’4â€Â

[Zxcvtypo]

Thanks for all the replys guys. One of my football coaches (the d-back coach) is also my track coach. I think i'll talk it over with him and see what he says.

I'm trying to use one of the two to get into college. I highly doubt I could get into a DI with football, DII at the highest. What are good heights that better DI schools look at? I'd commit myself until I got there.

[souleman]

Oh Boy! Here we go again. I'm not at all trying to deminish your intentions as to your path to college...................but...................If you're a pretty good football player with a 4.0 GPA,you're going to college FREE, if you're and adequate pole vaulter with a 4.0 GPA, you're going to school FREE. Do you see where this is going? For every one sports scholarship, there are at least 10 to 20 academic scholarships available. Have fun with the sports, get as good as you can get in both and make sure you crack the books and get the grades. Believe it or not some of the best scholarship packages come from the private schools, but they won't talk to you if you aren't a 3.0 at least. If you do happen to make it somewhere on a sports scholarship and you're dumber than a box of rocks because you didn't crack the books in high school, you aren't going to be around very long anyway to take full advantage of the sports scholarship. So, do the sports for the fun of it. Get as good as you possibly can be in each sport. Above all, DO NOT TAKE THESE SPORTS AND YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY. You kids already have too much pressure on you to perform. Don't compound it by placing an entire college career on the outcoming of your "hoped for" athletic performance and ability. Once you've got that part down then do the books for the "college" part of it. Later...............Mike

[Zxcvtypo]

I'm fine with grades, i have around a 3.8 weighted GPA, and i'm not only depending on sports to get into college. Just wondering what some heights are.

[souleman]

I just can't help but doing the "Dad" thing. You'll do fine. Who knows, you might be able to go to a good college and do both! And for FREE! Yippee! Keep in mind though, in order to do both sports and the school thing you'll really have to keep all your ducks in a row if you know what I mean. Later.............Mike

[CHC04Vault]

I agree with soulman, im an adequate pole vaulter, won states, all-metro, blah blah, but it wasn't national cailibar, but i had a 4.0 and my coach was able to "allocate some money for me" and im going to college for free. But i dont agree with NOT taking things seriously, if your in college to jump...take it seriously, the coach dosn't babysit like he does in high school, and outta respect i give 110% for my coach. Im not saying track is you life, but unfortunalty when ur in college ur an "adult." Just don't feel pressured, but don't underachieve, which is prolly what soulman was tryin to say.

[souleman]

CH04VAULT..............Bingo! Right on the mark and well said. Later..........Mike