Yesterday I decided to do something a little bit different in my workout. As an experiment, I wanted to look at the effect lactic acid build up in the muscles had on my ability to throw rubber shuriken (ninja stars) and hit a target. The theory being that as fatigue in the muscles increased, throwing accuracy would decrease. Seems like a solid hypothosis, right? Well, here’s what happened…
The Dynamic Warm-up
- mobility work,
- jogging forward and backward,
- side shuffles,
- high knees,
- butt kickers,
- bear crawls,
- crab walks,
- walking lunges,
- bodyweight squats,
- push-ups,
- and leg raises
Strength in Motion Workout
The main body of the training was a fun study of strength throughout a 3 dimensional range of motion.
1) Suspension Trainer Push-ups: 5-7 reps
2) 15# Clubbell Mills: 10 reps each arm
3) 15# Clubbell Reverse Mills: 10 reps each arm
1-2 minutes active recovery between rounds:
- Light jog / vibration drills
- Throw rubber shuriken for target practice (hey, it’s a ninja thing!) – 9 throws each arm
Repeat 5 rounds
Both the Clubbell Mill and Reverse Mill work on rotational and angular strength at an extreme range of motion while the Suspension Training Push-ups work the hell out of the stabilizer muscles. The combined synergistic effect of these 2 exercises creates an awesome workout for strength in motion!
But what happened to the shuriken thows? As predicted, the lactic acid build up in my arms had an adverse effect on my ability to hit the target during my shuriken throws as the rounds increased.
However, the more I was able to shake out the residual tension and relax, the better my throw. But when I failed to do so my accuracy was horrible! This is a very important idea for all you shuriken throwing ninja out there!
The ability to control the balance of tension and relaxation in the body is essential for performance. Learn more about how to do it with these resources HERE!
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