Scan trough various fitness forums on the net and you will see
people complaining about plateaus and feeling bored with their
current strength training routines.
As a coach I have found that clients thrive on challenge and
when that challenge presents a clear goal their performance will
elevate to reach that goal. For some the mere drive to get stronger,
faster or better at their sport will keep them motivated to do
just about anything in training. For others the task of getting
good at a new series of movements or a lift drives them to improve.
Regardless of their mindset all athletes can benefit from adding
stunts to their training.
A stunt in its simplest definition is a movement performed with
your body that requires strength, balance and coordination. I
consider all of the lifts and clistetics that people perform to
basically be stunts. They demonstrate the above attributes and
can be found in common movements like a bench press or a hand
stand.
By combining various movements you can turn simple stunts into
sophisticated movements that will build your body and keep your
training fresh and fun. In this article we will focus on two simple
stunts. The first stunt has several stages and is a good example
of how you can add sophistication to mastered moves in order to
keep them interesting and challenging. As you achieve your goals
throughout each stage you will add a different component and increase
the difficulty. Success breads success and as each component is
mastered you will be gaining greater strength, balance and coordination.
Shifting Crow to a Handstand
Crow
| You begin this stunt
by squatting down heels up and close together. With your heels
lined up with your tailbone and the crown of our head, you
slowly lean forward and place our hands on the floor. Your
hands should now be on the floor with arms slightly bent and
your elbows touching the inside of your knees. |
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From this position you will shift
your weight forward and allow your feet to come off of the
floor. Find the balance point and try to maintain a position
where only your hands are touching the floor. This position
is common to yoga and is called the Crow. |
(Note that this movement requires strong wrists. If you find
that your wrists are too weak to perform this movement you should
invest some time in developing your wrist strength.)
Shifting Crow
| With your balance
established in the crow position slowly shift your knees over
to one side and past your elbow. Maintain your balance and
keep your knees and feet off of the floor. You should be able
to comfortably hold this position for several |
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| seconds. The placement of your
knees may vary according to your skill level. Placing your
knees in the manner depicted in the photo (see right) is the
simplest variation and is a good place to start. As you become
more and more capable of holding this position you may try
raising both knees above your elbow. |
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Once you have shifted
to the side and have maintained your balance for a few seconds,
return to the center and then shift over to your other side.
Keep your movement slow and smooth as you shift from one side
to the other. With both sides completed return to the original
crow pose. (Note that your feet never touch the ground during
the above series of movements) |
Having completed a strong crow pose and shifting crow you are
now set to press up into a handstand. Slowly shift your weight
forward and stretch your legs towards the ceiling. Your arms should
lock out and your body should be tense without an arch in your
back. Maintain he handstand as long as you can.
By combining all of the above movements into one smooth routine
you will improve your balance, strength and coordination. Work
each individual element of this series one at a time and do not
progress to the next one until you are comfortable holding each
position for at least several seconds.
Pole Trick
A long time favorite stunt of mine, the "pole trick"
is a simple stunt that reinforces the ability to generate tension
with your core. Being able to recruit solid core tension is an
essential part of Kettlebell lifting and martial arts. This fun
stunt will force you to tighten up like never before.
Without proper structure you will find this stunt very difficult
if not impossible. Pay careful attention to hand and arm placement.
There are other ways to perform this stunt; however I have chosen
a structure that is easy to learn and use. As you become more
proficient at tensing your core and recruiting the necessary strength
from your hands and arms you may want to try using a grip that
requires more of a straight arm hold.
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Find a pole that you can comfortable grip. Stop
signs and other road signs will often work well. Reach for
the pole with your elbow up and hand down as illustrated in
the photo. With your other arm grab the pole and brace your
elbow against your body. This brace is very important and
will provide you with the necessary structure to make the
lift possible. |
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With your grip established, squeeze the pole and take a
quick breath in from your nose. Tighten your stomach and
lift your feet until they are parallel with the ground.
Tense your body; you should be as straight as a board. Now
pretend that you are blowing in the wind and crack a huge
smile!!!
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Are you bored or are you boring? Everyone at one point or another
will plateau and feel a little bored with their training regime.
What separates successful athletes from the rest of the pack is
their ability to be inspired and challenged by new things. Boring
people stay bored, successful people find new inspiration and
keep moving forward. Enjoy these stunts and keep pushing your
performance to the next level.
Shawn Mozen, ROSS IT, RKC is the owner of the Agatsu
Martial Arts Academy in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As a full time
coach Shawn offers training in a wide variety of areas of self-improvement
including, strength & conditioning, self defense training
and MMA. His clients range from LEO, and martial artists, to weekend
warriors who are trying to get in top shape. For training info
or customized Kettlebell programs contact: shawnm@agatsu.com
and www.agatsu.com.
