Weights

One subject that there is a ton of stuff that I could talk about but it is either very specific to me or I don't want to give all my secrets away is of course weight lifting.

Stuff that Phil and I are doing in the weight room really is very specific to our weaknesses and what our schedule is like. I get a lot of people asking me for tips on how they should lift or what lifts they should do. Certainly I can give basic principles and lifts but what works for me may not work for you. I have weaknesses that need to be addressed and are done so in the weight room. If I told someone this is what I am doing, they might not be addressing what their weaknesses are and therefore will probably not get out of the workout what I am getting out of the workout. For reference, Phil and I do a similar workout but not the same. He does some exercises that I do not need to do and vice versa.

Also, we do some Olympic lifts and that need a platform to be able to drop the weights on. Most gyms do not have platforms to be able to do this. Also, the Olympic lifts need to be monitored by someone when you are first starting out. It is very easy to do them incorrectly and therefore hurt yourself. Lifts that we do like this are pulls and snatches. I would not suggest that anyone be doing these unless you have someone there to watch your form or have been doing them correctly for quite some time.

That being said, I think there are some lifts that anyone can do that will help your performance. Squatting is a great lift in general and very specific to volleyball. I won't say how much weight you should do because people have bad knees and backs and I don't want anyone to hurt themselves. Also realize that Phil and I are lifting heavier or lighter weights depending on the time of the season or offseason. It is constantly changing and that is specific to our beach volleyball schedule. Another thing that all volleyball players should be doing are shoulder exercises. Specifically rotator cuff exercises either with a band, free weights or cables. Maybe even all of the above. There are a lot of great exercises out there. If you are swinging at balls you need to make sure that the whole shoulder girdle is strong and won't give out on you.

Lastly, you need to be making sure your core is strong. This means lots of abdominal work. There are a lot of ab exercises you can do. We do stuff with med balls and free weights as well as no weight at all. We vary it over the course of the year in order to keep it fresh. Doing the same sit ups every day you workout can get stale. Not to mention that every exercise works the muscles a little differently.

Nothing really ground breaking here but then again I am all about the basics and Bob and Sandy, my trainers, are all about the basics as well. Essentially every volleyball player needs to work on 3 basic areas. Leg strength in order to jump higher and squats are great for that. Arm/Shoulder strength to hit the ball harder and protect your shoulder. And lastly your core area specifically your abdominals.