The push up is a staple in many resistance training plans, and for good reason. It is a large compound upper body exercise which also demands excellent trunk stability. It is also a very safe option for youth and inexperienced athletes – “failing” on a repetition just means you are left lying on the floor! The one downfall of this exercise is that the intensity (resistance) can not be as easily progressed/regressed as is the case with dumbbell or barbell exercises. But don’t let that put you off. Below, we’ve outlined 3 push up variations to keep athletes of all levels challenged!
3 Push-Up Progressions
by Darragh Finn | April 13, 2020 | TRAINING | 0 Comments
The push up is a staple in many resistance training plans, and for good reason. It is a large compound upper body exercise which also demands excellent trunk stability. It is also a very safe option for youth and inexperienced athletes – “failing” on a repetition just means you are left lying on the floor! The one downfall of this exercise is that the intensity (resistance) can not be as easily progressed/regressed as is the case with dumbbell or barbell exercises. But don’t let that put you off. Below, we’ve outlined 3 push up variations to keep athletes of all levels challenged!
Indoor Conditioning Session
by AXSOM Team | March 29, 2020 | SPORTS PERFORMANCE, TRAINING | 0 Comments
At the moment, thankfully, conditions are perfect for getting out for a steady run a few times each week. While this is great for helping to maintain aerobic capacity, it’s easy to miss out on the high intensity (anaerobic) conditioning that is so important in many sports. Below, we’ve outlined a session you can complete in a room of your house that requires just a few yards of paint tape to mark out a ladder on the floor!
10 Core Exercises to Add to your Training
by Darragh Finn | March 28, 2020 | TRAINING | 0 Comments
When many athletes think of anterior core training they think sit-ups or static planks. Of course both of these exercises can target the abdominal group effectively, but we think of core training a bit differently!
It’s important to understand that the primary function of the core is to stabilise the spine and pelvis, particularly while the limbs are in motion. However, neither of the above mentioned most common exercises replicate this function well. Find out some of our favourites..
Blood Flow Restriction Training
by Mark Gallagher | March 27, 2020 | TRAINING | 0 Comments
Restriction to blood flow first emerged as a form of exercise training with Japanese bodybuilders in 1995, but is now more commonly referred to as Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training. Over the past 3-4 years, BFR training has exploded in popularity amongst strength coaches and physiotherapists alike. Early research identified the capability of BFR to stimulate hypertrophy and strength gains when combined with low-load resistance training but there was a distinct lack of research on how this was happening.
Field Sport Conditioning
by AXSOM Team | March 14, 2020 | SPORTS PERFORMANCE, TRAINING | 0 Comments
As teams across the country are forced to suspend all collective training, we thought we would help out with a sample session that can be completed individually and modified to suit!
This session includes work in all energy systems to maximise transfer to your sport.
Give it a go and pass it along to your team mates if you think they would benefit. Feel free to get in touch with any questions!
Indoor Conditioning Session
by AXSOM Team | Mar 29, 2020
At the moment, thankfully, conditions are perfect for getting out for a steady run a few times each week. While this is great for helping to maintain aerobic capacity, it’s easy to miss out on the high intensity (anaerobic) conditioning that is so important in many sports. Below, we’ve outlined a session you can complete in a room of your house that requires just a few yards of paint tape to mark out a ladder on the floor!
10 Core Exercises to Add to your Training
by Darragh Finn | Mar 28, 2020
When many athletes think of anterior core training they think sit-ups or static planks. Of course both of these exercises can target the abdominal group effectively, but we think of core training a bit differently!
It’s important to understand that the primary function of the core is to stabilise the spine and pelvis, particularly while the limbs are in motion. However, neither of the above mentioned most common exercises replicate this function well. Find out some of our favourites..
Blood Flow Restriction Training
by Mark Gallagher | Mar 27, 2020
Restriction to blood flow first emerged as a form of exercise training with Japanese bodybuilders in 1995, but is now more commonly referred to as Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training. Over the past 3-4 years, BFR training has exploded in popularity amongst strength coaches and physiotherapists alike. Early research identified the capability of BFR to stimulate hypertrophy and strength gains when combined with low-load resistance training but there was a distinct lack of research on how this was happening.
Field Sport Conditioning
by AXSOM Team | Mar 14, 2020
As teams across the country are forced to suspend all collective training, we thought we would help out with a sample session that can be completed individually and modified to suit!
This session includes work in all energy systems to maximise transfer to your sport.
Give it a go and pass it along to your team mates if you think they would benefit. Feel free to get in touch with any questions!
Repetition Tempo
by AXSOM Team | Feb 24, 2020
Tempo is a training variable equal in importance to reps and sets. This programming tool allows coaches to target specific adaptations in an athletes programme and is a key component of a training plan. Essentially, in resistance training, tempo refers to the speed that an exercise is performed. The tempo that each rep is performed at will dictate the total time under tension (TUT) for any given set, and this component is one of the major keys to achieving the desired training response.
Maximal Aerobic Speed
by AXSOM Team | Feb 13, 2020
In recent years Maximal Aerobic Speed has become popular among team sports in particular, primarily because it presents a simple and effective method of testing aerobic power. However, the real value of this method is that the data from testing can be used directly in the prescription of conditioning loads. This article aims to provide detailed instructions on how to effectively administer an MAS test, in a team setting, and examples of how to effectively use this data.
Movement Skills – Acceleration
by AXSOM Team | Feb 4, 2020
There are many elements to enhancing speed, no one training method holds the key. Rather it is a combination of components that result in greatest improvements. For example, developing specific strength qualities, is one of the most effective ways to increase the power necessary for maximal sprinting. However unless an athlete first focuses on movement, and in turn movement skills, they may struggle to maximise the results from their efforts in other areas.
Movement Prep
by AXSOM Team | Jan 16, 2020
The purpose of any physical preparation routine should be to optimise performance in the upcoming session or competition, while decreasing the risk of injury.
Traditional warm-ups have typically included light aerobic movement followed by static stretching, and while this approach is successful in raising body temperature, it does not contribute significantly towards reducing injury risk, and certainly not towards optimising performance.
Training Variables – Part 3
by AXSOM Team | Apr 1, 2019
As is the case when determining the optimal reps and tempo, the training objective also dictates another important variable – the number of sets.
In general, the higher the number of repetitions, the less sets that are required to achieve the optimal volume. Conversely, the lower the number of repetitions being performed, the more sets that are needed. There are of course exceptions to this, but to illustrate how training objective will most typically influence the number of sets performed we will take two examples for comparison..