Posts by Kimberly Mendoza77

The apocalypse is coming, but let’s be honest—nobody has a clue when it’s actually going to happen, and frankly, nobody can predict it either.The Bible says it quite clearly: stay vigilant, because you won't know the day or the hour.To me, the apocalypse means everything literally ceases to exist. We see disasters happening all the time, sure, or maybe a meteor hits some remote part of the country, but that isn't the end of the world. That’s just a localized catastrophe where a piece of the Earth gets damaged, not the entire planet. The true apocalypse will only occur when God decides it's time.div>

rustyowl4 said:And then there's the heavy lifting... if you haven't built up any aerobic base, you're basically hitting a wall. I guess you have to start small, maybe some light jogging—like two 20-minute sessions with a five-minute break in between. Do that a few times. Then maybe move to three 15-minute intervals with three minutes of rest, where you actually try to push the pace a bit. After a while, you could bump that up to three 20-minute blocks. Once that feels okay, you could try something like alternating five minutes at a faster clip with five minutes of easy jogging for about 40 minutes total. From there, as you improve, I suppose you just shift the ratio—add a minute to the fast part and take one away from the easy part...

I don't really know, honestly.
I can handle running at a decent pace for maybe 15 minutes straight without stopping...
With the Easter holidays coming up, I should have more time to get out there and run more often.🙂

rustyowl4 said:Sure, you can go about it that way... just map out your lines and call it a day. What actually matters is that you give it everything you've got while you're running those reps and making sure to take short breaks. You'll probably need a stopwatch or something to keep track.

Hmm... I suppose you could try a Monday/Friday split or maybe Wednesday/Friday. If you find it's absolutely killing you, then maybe just stick to Friday.

But look, when I run like this, I'm basically doing sprints. But what good are sprints if I can only manage three long bursts before my body just gives out?
I mean, I need to have at least some level of cardiovascular endurance. So, I'm wondering—with these specific workouts, am I just building sprint speed, or am I building stamina too? 😁

rustyowl4 said:Look, you have to train smart... you can't just go out and sprint every single day on top of things like handball practice... you have to leave some room for recovery...

Look, I already told you, just head down to the local high school track and run a pyramid workout there;
5x full length of the field
10x 3/4 distance (roughly from the line to about 9 yards past the opposite end)
15x half the field
20x 1/4 distance (from the line to just a few yards behind the 9-yard mark)
15x up to the 9-yard line

...this is just one example, I suppose. You could probably scale back by about 5 reps on each set if this is too much for you. As for breaks, take exactly as much time as it took you to complete the sprint (for instance, if the full field took you 10 seconds, take a 10-second break)
Second, make sure you warm up properly—that’s non-negotiable when you're doing work like this.
Third, grit your teeth and just get it done. Sprint workouts are always brutal, so don't quit just because you feel like you're dying. Give it everything you've got and finish the job.👍

If it feels like too much, maybe you could mix it up—like jogging up to the line, turning, sprinting back down, then jogging up again, and so on...

Hmm..
My driveway is maybe 40-50 meters long😁 but I have an adjacent lot that's about 100 meters, so I'll just mark out some lines there and push through.😁
I have team practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus a game on Sunday.
Which day would actually be best for me to run these drills?

So, you’re telling me if I just go all out with daily sprints and hit a hundred jumps every single day, I’ll actually get what I’m looking for??

And look, regarding all that arguing about dumbbells—please, just leave that out of it. I live out in the middle of nowhere, so having a gym isn't really an option for me...
I do have this one 4-pound weight I fashioned myself a while back; I move it around between my hands occasionally, and I suppose it helps somewhat with arm strength...

If you could just clarify which specific muscles drive the sprinting and jumping movements—you know, which ones I actually need to target to see improvement... 😁

rustyowl4 said:I don't know... you going to tell me or what?🙄

From what I’ve gathered, plyometrics basically boils down to a collection of different jumping techniques. It seems to be an training method that centers entirely around various types of explosive leaps. 😁

Paul Baker29 said:Which one comes first? Jumping or sprinting?
You can't have it all at once. If you want that bodybuilder physique, you have to train like a bodybuilder. If you're after athletic performance, then you need to actually train for that.

jumping and sprinting...
that's my main focus right now, though I'll probably pick up the other stuff along the way..
I've got this Leg Magic thing at home, does that actually do anything for building leg strength??

Paul Baker29 said:If you actually want to get "jacked," then go out there and lift. What's the real endgame here? You started this whole thing just wanting to improve your long jump and your sprinting, then somehow you pivoted to strengthening your back, and now suddenly you're chasing "bulky" back muscles. I guess you need to decide what your actual goal is.

That first part was my initial objective 😁
but I suppose you guys have managed to pull me toward this other thing in the process 😁

Paul Baker29 said:It won't happen.

I mean, he actually could have been pretty jacked.😁

Paul Baker29 said:Nothing in this life is certain, except for the fact that you’re going to die one day.

Helpful for what, exactly? It strengthens the back, improves flexibility, and teaches you how to manage force through the posterior chain, much like a deadlift.

I wonder if my back will end up looking like Stallone's😁

Paul Baker29 said:It really comes down to you and what you're actually trying to achieve. But, I guess if we're talking about aiming for a set of 10... you basically need to experiment. You have to find that specific threshold where you can push through enough reps to hit 10. It means you'll be dropping much less weight than if you were just testing your max for a single rep.

But is there any actual proof that this exercise even works??

Paul Baker29 said:Basically, you face away from the wall—you’ll have to figure out the right distance as you go. Reach your arms up over your head. Then, start arching backward, kind of like you're dropping into a bridge position until your hands hit the wall. From there, you "walk" your hands down toward the floor as far as your strength and flexibility will allow. I guess it's okay to step your feet away from the wall (walking them out) if that helps. The main thing is that the movement should come from your lower back, not your shoulders. This means standing far enough away so your arms stay straight rather than bent, and keeping your knees as straight as possible. When you're moving back to the starting position, you can step back toward the wall. If you feel the strain in your shoulders, you're doing it wrong. Keep those arms straight, knees locked, and pull from the lower back.

Alright, let's see.
When I actually tried this just now, man... I felt so much tension I thought my muscles were going to pop right out of my skin. 🤣
How many reps am I supposed to do for this up-and-down thing???

Douglas Cook33 said:Honestly, you’re better off just finding a pro who can actually show you how to perform these moves properly. Everything you pick up from watching YouTube videos or reading random advice on forums? It's a one-way ticket to an injury... I'm pretty sure of it. Form is everything in every single exercise. Maybe you won't feel the consequences now since you're young, but once you get a little older, you're definitely going to pay for it.

Ha, a "professional" in this tiny rural town? Please. There isn't even a gym in my neck of the woods, though I guess they might finally put one in that new community center.😁

Paul Baker29 said:This is actually a solid way to build up some lower back strength and flexibility:

Look, I'm not an expert or anything, but I just don't get it. 😁

It’s not even about the English translation or whatever—it's more that I honestly can't visualize how you're even supposed to perform this exercise 😁 if you could maybe explain it a bit more.

wanderinghawk17 said:I can't get to YouTube right now, but seriously, don't do those back extensions where you hook your feet and just yank your torso up. That’s asking for trouble.

Maybe try lying on your stomach and lifting your arms, legs, and shoulders off the floor at the same time, then just hold it for a few seconds. There are plenty of ways to tweak it—you could keep one arm at your side while the other reaches out (sort of like 😁), or pull your arms back while lifting your shoulders, and so on.

Also, try doing bridges. You know, shoulder bridges, head bridges, maybe even hand bridges if you're feeling capable...

The guy in the video is doing his back extensions like this: he reaches his arms forward, then lifts the front part of his body and his legs together...
He lies on the floor but keeps his legs up in the air with the knees bent at 90°, moving them from side to side...
Then he lies on his stomach and lifts one arm diagonally toward the opposite hand, then switches to the other arm.😁

Just got back from my workout...
drank gallons of water 😁
and if anyone actually has a decent suggestion for what I should eat next 😁
there's some leftover chicken from lunch; I heard that's a solid choice since it's packed with protein

Andrew Wells58 said:Maybe those bounding exercises have different names now than they did when I was younger. Basically, you crouch down and then spring forward from that position, landing and immediately springing again. You just keep hopping like that until you've covered maybe 10 to 20 yards. Personally, I always hated 😁. As for sprinting, the whole idea is to run hard enough that you feel like your soul is leaving your body before you actually slow down, so I guess you just have to gauge the intensity and distance yourself. If you want a more technical or precise breakdown, maybe Google some stuff on HIIT, but even then, you should probably tailor everything to what your body can actually handle and just build up gradually.

Also, make sure you wear your leather gloves; and yeah, just take it slow when you start increasing the distance and the number of reps.

Thanks for the advice. 🙂 I might give this a shot for about two weeks, assuming I actually survive it.🙂

Andrew Wells58 said:You jog for a few hundred yards, then hit a hundred-meter sprint, then easy pace again, then another sprint. Then you throw in a 10 to 20-yard burst of tackling, followed by more jogging, and just keep going until you're completely winded and your legs feel like jelly from the contact drills. It helps if you have a few buddies to push you through it.

What do you mean, a 10 to 20-yard tackle burst? Are tackles somehow tied to your core strength or something?
(During my sessions, I'll sprint for about 10 minutes straight, take a 2-minute breather, and then I can go right back at it.) Would it be better to just run the distance at a steady pace and then do one single sprint?
The distance is roughly 40 yards.

Andrew Wells58 said:frog jumps and sprint intervals.

sliced ???

wanderinghawk17 said:Work on your abs, back, and legs—and don't you dare skip stretching, especially those hamstrings, because they’re absolutely vital for supporting your lower back. You can't just neglect one part of your body, or you're going to end up wrecking yourself. I mean, if you're putting in work on your core, you need to be doing the same for your back.

As for explosiveness and conditioning... grab a jump rope and keep at it until you feel like throwing up. Honestly, you could even do that while watching TV. If there's a skyscraper nearby, run up to the 20th floor. (Take the elevator back down). Just keep repeating that until your legs feel like jelly. 😁

Do single-leg squats.
And stretch, stretch, stretch. Before you train, after you train. It's non-negotiable.

Personally, I wouldn't suggest lifting heavy weights either. You're young, you're still developing, and the odds of you messing up your form and causing permanent damage are pretty high.

What kind of exercises should I do for my core?? Are these any good? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8TCglomNoo ???