SecondSport.com, or Me & My Medicine Ball

Periodization is the relationship and the varying of volume and intensity within exercise. Volume includes "sets" or a block of similar movement, and "repetitions" are the number of similar movements within a set. Intensity relates to size, weight, load or training pace as a variable. Our friends in the photos show different levels of emotional concern over intensity. Periodization defines a RATIONAL pathway or a set of steps to physical conditioning, and also of sustaining those gains or the offering of new threshholds to ones fitness.
Today, our group, Bruce, Stephen & Paul, worked on the diaginal of the court. In the past, crossing the court afforded about 6 to 8 repetitions, but today on the diaginal we were able to get 10 or 12 repetitions. Within our exercise, The Daily Dozen, we have a well defined pace or intensity on each set. This higher VOLUME, 10 -12 reps, challenged our ability to sustain the assigned intensity, thereby, challenging a new threshold rationally.

Paul brought his new ball to the workout today. Black and Purple, Abilene Christian University, Bobby Morrow and our man Paul. Bruce stepped in and help brake it in. Great weather today, low 70s and a few light showers but no problem to the workout. This photo looks like there are two medicine balls joined at the laces, but actually this is a plyometric drill where one person, in this case it is Dr. Medball, holds a ball while seated and the other, DynaJim, tosses the ball in to be struck; this really loads the trunk.

I am no Penn State Football fan, but Coach Paterno got it right with this quote. In our book, "The Well Rounded Workout: An Introduction to Medicine Ball Training", we talk about general physical skill integration, and that is what preparing is all about.
Craig & Paul were the group today. I had a sick child that I took to the Dr. and Robert was due in court, he's a lawyer not a criminal, although...
http://www.medicineballs.com/train/preface.pdf; feel free to download it.

This blog has, for the last few months, been at YAHOO but it is my aim to make the blog more accessible here at Blogger. I will attempt to transfer the information over during the next few weeks.

I have a collection of old & modern medicine ball photos. The above is a 1914 postcard depicting "Passing the Medicine Ball, Camp Lee, Petersburg, VA". Can you find the medicine ball?

For the most part, this blog will cronical the progress of a group of Dads that use a medicine ball in an execise called The Daily Dozen. We meet every Tuesday & Thursday morning at 8:00am; just after we drop off our children at Zilker Elementory School, http://www.zilkerelem.org/, in Austin, TX. We have been meeting since around the 1st of October, 2005. We met at 7am T&Th throughout the summer. All are welcome.

A great start to the week is a great workout. Bruce still shies away from the Big Blue Ball (12 lbs. not 8 as shown), along with Paul and others. BBB requires a level of intensity found mainly in more enthusiastic peope. Robert still relishes the BBB, no one knows why but Stephen stood up repectfully to the test.

August 15 & 17, 2006
Comebacks are always great; The group started out with 2 really good workouts. The man with the invisable leg, Craig, made his return and seems to have maintained his conditioning thur the summer. Bruce finished the summer with a flurry of travel and golf. While Paul and Stephen prepared to profess from the altar of education. Robert, The Rock, just wants to go all-out all the time.

Entry for August 1, 3, 8 &10, 2006
Final stretch of the summer b/4 school starts. Robert was the man; he made all the workouts and keep the group intact all summer long. Just like the hard work of the Vancouver Canucks of NHL have to do on their off-season.