Back on the Exercise Band Wagon

After a disastrous month of April, I am back on my exercise program.  In April, I only lifted six times and walked ten times.  No other exercise.  To make up for the lack of exercise, I ate poorly all month.  Ughhhh….

Now, I’m back.  Yesterday Lisa and I lifted weights (she tortured me with Kettle weights – her latest fetish).  This morning, I got up at 5:30am (okay – actually Lisa got me up), and I rode the spin bike we now have in our downstairs family room.  It was an easy 30 minute ride with an average hr of 124 and a max of 148.  I just wanted to get my legs warmed up.

Here is what I learned from my month in exile.  If I’m not 100% intentional about exercising and healthy eating, I won’t do it.  I get too distracted by everything else in life.   I started the year exercising every day and counting calories.  I lost 13 pounds in the first six weeks. 

Then I tried a more zen approach.  I didn’t worry about it so much.  My motto became, “go with the flow”.   My exercise has since fallen off the table and my weight is back up 5 pounds.  Go with the flow is still a great motto in life, it just doesn’t happen to work for me with exercise and eating right.  I’m not making it mean anything more than that – I seem to be the kind of person who needs to have a plan and a schedule in order to make fitness a priority.  Other people are like Lisa, who doesn’t have to think about it so much.  For her, missing more than a day or two in a row is simply intolerable.  I seem to tolerate it just fine. 

So – I am going back to paying attention to what I eat and trying to get in some exercise EVERY DAY.  I’ll treat these things as “to do’s” that I fight to get checked off every day.  I know I’ll still need rest days periodically, and I know there are times when I will allow myself to splurge on food (ie birthday coming up).  No worries,  the next day I’ll get back to checking off the boxes.

One last thing.  There are always consequences to our actions.  Other than now having to re-lose the 5 pounds I just gained back, I also have a 62 mile bike ride scheduled for May 12th.  I asked Lisa what I should do to train for it.  Her reply – train however you want because basically you’re screwed and you are going to suffer…

It’s official – I’m leaving my job

After 7 years at my current company, I am going to be leaving.   My last day won’t be until July 30th – a long lead time so that we can have overlap between me and the new person (once they are hired).  I am giving up my status as the person in the company with the most longevity.  I started at my company a couple weeks after it was founded.  I ended up surviving all the founders and the 10 or so other people who had been hired before me. 

This decision, along with working it out with my company has preoccupied me the last six weeks or so.  I have been both stressed and distracted during this time (although I should just trust in God – he always takes care of me).  It has been a contributing factor in both my decreased blogging and my near non-existent exercising.  Excuses, I know, but that’s for another post (and yes, I will be getting back on the exercise wagon).

I am leaving to start a business with Brad (ie Zappoman) and Lisa, my wife.  Anyone who has been following Zappoman knows he has been working on something since around the beginning of the year.  Brad and I worked together at my current company (Brad left at the end of the year), and we have always been in synch in our beliefs as to how we would want to run a business.  In addition, we just like hanging out with each other.  We get along in all respects except for one – he cycles too fast for me to keep up (the jerk!).

Stay tuned.  We are close to being ready to announce our new venture.

Coaching Girls Volleyball 101 – Hitting

Over the weekend I spent 10 hours in a volleyball clinic -  a 3 hour session for coaches, and two 3.5 hour sessions for players (I went to the two sessions for 7th grade through High School players).  I decided I would do a brain dump of all the things I remember – both for myself and for any other  coaches who might benefit.  This information is free – take it for what it’s worth.

This post is about Hitting

There are four “A” keys to hitting:

1. Available
   • The player needs to make themselves available for the pass by creating a space between the themselves and the net so the setter can put the ball between the hitter and the net.
   • The front line players need to think of the ball as a magnet.  When the ball is on the opponents side of the net, the front line players should move up to the net.  When the ball comes to their side of the net, they should drop back so they are ready to hit.
2. Approach
   • For Right Handed Hitters, the approach is left-right-left
   • For Left Handed Hitters, the approach is right-left-right
   • The first step is a small adjustment step
   • The second step is a big step forward (to accelerate)
   • The third step is the gather/stopper step to send the hitter up rather than out (and into the net)
3. Arms
   • During the first step, the arms should be relaxed  – forward and down
   • During the second step, the arms should go back
   • During the third step, The arms come forward and up
4. Arm Swing
   • As the arms are coming up they should pull like a bow and arrow.
   • The non hitting arm should point toward where the ball will be hit
   • The hitting arm should have the elbow pointed toward the ball, the elbow should be above the ears, and the palm should be facing out
   • To generate power, bring the non-hitting arm down – this acts as a lever with the hitting arm
   • The hitting arm wrist should snap at the top to create top spin on the ball

Coaching Girls Volleyball 101 – Overhand Serve

Over the weekend I spent 10 hours in a volleyball clinic -  a 3 hour session for coaches, and two 3.5 hour sessions for players (I went to the two sessions for 7th grade through High School players).  I decided I would do a brain dump of all the things I remember – both for myself and for any other  coaches who might benefit.  This information is free – take it for what it’s worth.

This post is about Overhand Serving:

1. The Toss
   • The ball should go up about 1 ball width higher than the player can reach
2. The Step
   • The Step and the ball toss are connected
   • When the toss goes up, the foot should automatically come forward as if there is a string tied between the arm and the foot
   • If the ball were to drop to the floor after the toss, it should land on the inside next to the foot you stepped with
3. The Hit
   • The ball should be hit with your hand open
   • The hitting hand should be stiff from the middle finger to the elbow

For players who have good form, but the ball isn’t going over the net, there are two things to look at.  First, they need to increase the velocity of their hand speed.  The faster the hit, the farther the ball goes.  Second, they need to hit through the ball.  They need to aim for hitting the center of the ball rather than the outside of the ball.

Coaching Girls Volleyball 101 – Overhead Passing

Over the weekend I spent 10 hours in a volleyball clinic -  a 3 hour session for coaches, and two 3.5 hour sessions for players (I went to the two sessions for 7th grade through High School players).  I decided I would do a brain dump of all the things I remember – both for myself and for any other  coaches who might benefit.  This information is free – take it for what it’s worth.

This post is about Overhead Passing (aka setting):

There are four major keys for overhead passing:

1. Arrive (Hop to the Spot)
   • The player should arrive at the spot before the volleyball
   • The player should plant their feet as they arrive so that it gives them a solid base (this looks like a little hop)
   • Legs should be bent giving the player a lower center of gravity – hence more balance
2. Face the Target
   • The players “nose” and “toes” should point toward where they want to pass the ball.
   • This is different from forearm passing where the player faces the direction the ball came from.
3. Have ball shaped hands
   • The hands should be molded to fit the ball
   • Thumbs should be facing each other
   • Hands should be positioned at about the hairline
   • Hands should go up early – as soon as the player’s feet stop
4. Have a quick release
   • The quicker the release, the farther the ball will go
   • The power comes from hands, elbows, and shoulders – not the legs

A great drill for practicing overhead passing is to have the player sit on the floor and pass. 

Coaching Girls Volleyball 101 – Forearm Passing

Over the weekend I spent 10 hours in a volleyball clinic -  a 3 hour session for coaches, and two 3.5 hour sessions for players (I went to the two sessions for 7th grade through High School players).  I decided I would do a brain dump of all the things I remember – both for myself and for any other  coaches who might benefit.  This information is free – take it for what it’s worth.

This post is about Forearm Passing (aka bumping):

There are four major keys to the Forearm Pass:

1. Arrive (Hop to the Spot)
   • The player should arrive at the spot before the volleyball
   • The player should plant their feet as they arrive so that it gives them a solid base (this looks like a little hop)
   • Legs should be bent giving the player a lower center of gravity – hence more balance
2. Face the Incoming Ball
   • The player should line up their belly button to where the ball came from
3. Create a Platform
   • Wrists down to thumbs should be together
   • As long as wrists and thumbs are together, the rest of the hand position is personal choice.  The exception is no interlocking fingers – it leads to catching the pinky and dislocating the finger.
   • Point thumbs down to create a natural volleyball groove with the forearms.  This is where the ball should connect with the player.
   • The platform comes together after  the player arrives at the spot.  The player should not run with arms together.
4. Tilt to the Target
   • Legs should face where the ball came from
   • Tilt your platform to where you want the ball to go by dropping your shoulder.
   • Basically, you want to deflect the volleyball from the incoming path to the new path (ie where you want it to go).

The best drill to practive passing is to create triangles where the ball comes from one direction and gets passed to another direction.

Coaching Girls Volleyball 101 – Practices and Drills

Over the weekend I spent 10 hours in a volleyball clinic -  a 3 hour session for coaches, and two 3.5 hour sessions for players (I went to the two sessions for 7th grade through High School players).  I decided I would do a brain dump of all the things I remember – both for myself and for any other coaches who might benefit.  This information is free – take it for what it’s worth.

This post is about designing Practices and Drills.

• Every Practice should have an over all purpose.  There are a couple of ways a coach can choose what to practice that day.  The first is to rotate practices.  For our 7th graders, I am going to break out each practice by the major skills (forearm passing, overhead passing, hitting, serving, and defense).  The other way to choose a focus for the practice is by observing the team and seeing where they have weaknesses.
• Teach/Emphasize no more than 3 things a day.  These will usually be keys within the various skills.  For instance, hitting involves footwork, arm position, hitting technique, etc.  Although the girls will complete the entire hit during a drill, maybe you only emphasize their footwork that day and don’t try to coach for hitting technique.
• Identify the purpose of each drill.  Each drill should be designed to work on something specific – and it should be communicated to the players.
• Figure out whether you want a drill to be individual, grouped (more than one player but less than six), or team (all six players on a side).  Working each of these three aspects during drills is important.
• Have a way to measure the drill.  What is a good way to track if they are meeting the objectives of the drill?  How will the drill end?  The players will tend to stay more focused if they know someone is keeping track or they can “win”.  The measurement doesn’t have to be “scoring” in the traditional sense of volleyball- it could be number of times hit without hitting the floor, score a point for passing to the setter off of serve, or setting to a target.  There are many ways to measure the success of a drill.
• Measure in your team’s emotional currency.  If you have a highly competitive group of secure players, then have them keep score against each other with a clear winner and loser.  If they are not as motivated by individual competition, then have a team goal that ends the drill.  Each team will be different and the measurements have to work for your team.
• Have a lot of opportunities for contact.  This doesn’t mean only touching the ball – any movement counts.  The players should be doing something about every 8 seconds (even if it’s just moving forward in a line awaiting their turn).
• Have opportunity for feedback.  Let the players know when they are doing it well.  State everything in a positive manner – instead of telling them what they did wrong, tell them what they should do next time.
• Have a really cool name.  Nothing captures people’s imagination like a really cool name for the drills.  It also picks up the pace of practice, because the players will know what to do when they hear you call out a particular drill.

My New Role – Volleyball Coach

On Tuesday I take on a new role in life.  I am going to co-coach a volleyball team made up of twelve 7th grade girls (well, maybe a couple are 8th graders).  My 13 year old daughter will be on the team, of course. 

 I have no idea what to expect.  The other coach is another dad on the team.  Neither of us have coached volleyball before, but we were the one’s the girls on the team wanted.  I think both of us have played a lot of basketball, so we have good hand eye coordination skills, we just need to translate the basketball skills to volleyball (which I think use similar skills).

My role is going to be running practice.  I have been working with my daughter on her volleyball skills, and she has made some solid improvements over the last few months.  Now I just have to transition to working with twelve instead of one.  I love thinking up creative and unique drills to help them improve.  I think of my role as a Mr Miyagi for volleyball (if you don’t know who that is then watch The Karate Kid). I also have watched a lot of Natasha’s practices at school, and I think I can be more efficient in how much we can get done during practice (yes, this is the accountant in me showing through).

My goals for the team are going to be:

• Get better (at volleyball) as the season progresses
• Work as a team
• Have fun

I’ll keep you posted on how it all turns out.  It should be fun.

Getting back to basics – Weight Lifting

I looked back in my calendar, and it’s been two months since I last lifted weights.  That is way too long.   So I am recommitting myself to lifting twice a week.  It started on Sunday.

Lisa and I were talking while we were in Hawaii, and she was looking for a way to be more consistent with her weight training.  I know how much better it is to lift with a partner, and I have struggled a bit (well, for two months) to get on the same page with my uncle, who is my usual lifting buddy.  So we agreed to lift together every Sunday.  In addition I still plan to lift with my uncle every Tuesday night.  In the winter I will probably add a third lifting session on Thursdays – but not during cycling season.

Lisa started us off with core training stuff.  I call them dead bug exercises, because you lay on the ground and move your arms and legs.  It never seems like I am doing much, but the next day I can barely move because my core is so sore.  This isn’t my favorite thing, so having Lisa to make me do it is good. 

I, on the other hand, love playing with the weights.  This is something that isn’t Lisa’s favorite thing to do.   On Sunday, we worked Lisa’s entire body, but I skipped working my legs because my calf is still bothering me.  I joined in for upper body.

The workout took about an hour.  I tried to not push it, but we ended up doing a lot.  I have been sore for two days.  Today I am lifting with my uncle, and it will be interesting.  My triceps in particular still ache every time I move them.  They always seem to get the most sore when I lift after a long period off.  But I know that in a couple more workouts the soreness will give way to a slight stiffness every time you lift.  And that feeling can be addictive.

In keeping with my “no need for speed” mantra, for lifting it will be no need for heavy weights.  It may not rhyme, but it is every bit at true.  I want to focus on lifting twice a week, not on becoming a powerlifter tomorrow.  The weight will go up when my muscles are ready.   Genetically I’m more of a natural as a weight lifter than as a cyclist anyway, so it never takes long for me to start seeing differences in my body from lifting.

First time running in three weeks – Same calf pain

I tried running today. It’s the first time I’ve ran since my calf started hurting three weeks ago. I made it 3 minutes into the run when my calf started hurting again. This time I stopped running immediately. It feels tight right now, but it doesn’t hurt as bad as it did last time (when I tried to run through it).

While I would prefer my calf not hurt when I run, I’m not bummed out about it. I’ve thought a lot over the last three weeks about what I would do if this happened, and I have alreay come up with backup plans. So for me, it’s on to plan B.

Plan B

– Shut down running for the rest of the summer. I am not willing to risk my cycling season for running by pushing it and hurting myself to the point I can’t cycle either.

– Walk Bloomsday. I know someone else who said they were going to walk it. If I can, I’ll walk it with them, otherwise I’ll walk it by myself. It will still be fun to be among 50,000 fitness minded people.

– Start walking in the morning (before work) during the week. I want to develop the life long habit of running, so keeping a set time makes sense to me. I’ll walk for now, then I’ll either add running in very small pain free increments during the summer, or I’ll simply walk until cycling season is over and start running then. I think my dog Bo has been secretly rooting for this scenario all along. What he doesn’t know is that when I do start to run again, he’s taking up the sport as well. In the meantime he has let me know he’s available for morning walks.

– Work with my coach and wife (who is a certified personal trainer) on stretching exercises and other possible causes. Lisa and I already decided we are going to start strenght training together once a week. I’ll help her with strenght training, she can help me with core training and stretching.

That’s my plan. I am nothing if not flexible (except, evidently in my right calf). If I need a plan C, I’ll come up with one