Home Workout for Police

Long shifts, overtime and family commitments make it tough to get to the gym consistently for many police.  But you have to stay fit.  Here's a simple fitness maintenance program that you can do at home.

Wall Sit

The Wall Sit is great for your quads.  Place your feet about 18 inches from the wall.  Put your back to the wall and slide down until your knees are at 90 degrees.  Hold it for 30 seconds.

Lunges

Stationary Lunges are great for quads and hamstrings.  Take a large step forward. Imagine just barely touching your back knee to the floor.  push back to your original position.  Do 12 on one side and then switch sides.

Calf Press on Stairs.

Place the balls of your feet on the edge of a stair tread.  Drop your heels and then press up onto your toes.  Do 2 sets of 25.  This will keep your calves in shape.

Push-ups

The push-up is the king of upper body exercises.  It works pecs, triceps and anterior delts.  Keep your body nice and straight.  Go deep and slow.  Do 2 sets of 20.

Bench Dips

Place the heels of your hands on a stable surface about 18 inches off the ground or floor.  Lower your buttocks as far as you can and then push yourself up using your hands.  Do 3 sets of 15.  This is a great tricep exercise.

Low Plank

This is a great ab workout.  Plant your toes.  Get on your elbows.  Using gut strength, raise your body off the floor and hold yourself as straight as possible (in a plank!).  Go up and down about 20 times.

Cardio - Mountain Climber

This is a wicked little cardio exercise that you can do anywhere.  Adopt the high plank position (top position of a push-up).  Bring one knee toward your face and then switch for the other one...really fast.  Aim for 30 the first time and try to add 5 more every day.

This post is dedicated to my friend and client, Hugo who keeps the streets safe so that we can sleep at night.

Tom

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Training for Box Lacrosse

Box Lacrosse is the redneck, uncouth cousin of field lacrosse.  Shockingly rough and fast, box lacrosse demands complete fitness from its participants.

Box Lacrosse Players Must Have Great Cardio.

Sprinting up and down the box is demanding on heart and lungs.  A great exercise to add variety to your training is called Mountain Climber.

Mountain Climber is simple and brutal.  Assume the high plank (push-up) position.  Then, drive one knee toward your chest.  Return that foot to its original position as you drive the other knee upward.  You're doing it right you'll feel like a cartoon character spinning his wheels.  Count each time a knee comes up.  Do 30.  Rest for 15 seconds and repeat...a few times.

Box Lacrosse Players Must Have Strong Upper Bodies.

There's a lot of pushing and shoving in box lacrosse.  You need strong chest and arm muscles.  Specifically, pectorals and triceps.  Here's a sweet exercise to develop explosive lacrosse power, the Plyo Push-up:

Plyo Push-up starts out like any other push-up, then it gets wierd.  Instead of just pushing up nice and easy, you shove yourself upward hard enough to launch yourself clear of the floor (except your toes).  Clap your hands once and then catch yourself as you land.  Repeat as many times as you can.

Box Lacrosse Players Must Have Powerful Core Muscles.

There's a lot of twisting and turning in box lacrosse.  When you launch the ball, you gotta get your whole body into it.  This demands strong core muscles.  One of the best core building exercise is the Barbell Pivot:

Grab a barbell.  Plant one end in the hole of a 45 lb plate laying flat on the floor (don't jam the bar into the corner of the gym).  Start with feet wide apart, arms straight.  Hold the end of the bar in front of your face.  Now, twist back and forth from one side to the other.  It looks easy.  Hah!  Try it.  Very, very tough on the whole core, especially obliques.  Do 20.

Good luck this season.  Go Wolfpack!

 



Tom

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Triceps Training

Triceps

Triceps are one of my favourite bodyparts to work.  Well-developed triceps are visible from any angle.  This muscle group is vital for almost all sports and any fitness test that includes push-ups.  Triceps derives its name from the fact that it is a three-headed muscle-group. 

Training Triceps

There are countless excellent exercises to work the triceps and there is never a reason to be bored when it comes to triceps.  Here are a few of my favourites:

Skull-Crusher

Decline Skull-Crusher

Skull-Crusher takes it name from the appearance that you're going to crush your melon with the bar.  Often done on a flat bench, this exercise can also be on a decline bench as pictured above.  You can use a normal barbell, an EZ bar or dumbbells.  To do the Skull-Crusher, lie back on the bench.  Hoist the iron straight up over your face.  Fix your elbows in place.  Slowly lower the bar toward your forehead, just bending the elbows (not shoulders).  Press the bar back up until the elbows are fully extended.  Repeat.

Dumbbell Kickback

Dumbbell Kickback

Dumbbell Kickback is a killer.  This hits the largest head of the triceps full-force.  Grab a lighter dumbbell (or a kettlebell).  Plant a knee and same-side hand on a bench.  Your back should be flat and parallel to the floor.  Lock your active elbow in place.  Let the dumbbell hang straight down.  Extending only your elbow, raise the dumbbell until the elbow is fully extended.  Slowly let the weight return to the starting position.  Repeat.  No swinging.

Close-Grip Bench Press


Close-Grip Bench Press

Close-Grip Bench Press is an advanced exercise that is great for building mass.  Load up a barbell on the rack.  You won't need much weight (try 50lbs for starters).  Lie down on the bench.  Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, thumbs about 6'' to 8'' apart.  Keep thumbs wrapped around the bar for safety.  Press the bar straight up until elbows are extended.  Lower to chest.  Repeat.

Program

Try this routine to jump-start your tricep development:

3 sets of ten repetitions - Close-Grip Bench Press;
3 sets of ten repetitions - Skull-Crusher;
3 sets of twelve repetitions - Dumbbell Kickback

Tom

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