Help me out!

slydriver52 said:That’s exactly what I was thinking. Strengthen your lower back. Don't forget this part! I’ve already covered everything else, and honestly, you’re probably the best person to judge what can actually be done with these options.

Does this actually do anything? I mean, is there any real substance here, or is it just more noise? I guess it’s hard to tell without seeing some actual data. Maybe. I just finished watching this video on YouTube, and I have to say, I’m feeling a bit conflicted about the whole thing. It’s one of those pieces that tries to make a point, but I guess it misses some of the nuance required for a real discussion. Maybe I’m being too hard on it, but there seems to be a certain lack of depth in how the arguments are presented. The way they tackle the subject matter feels a little... unpolished. I mean, I don't want to sound like a critic for the sake of being a critic, but there were several moments where the logic felt thin. It’s almost as if they were rushing to get to a conclusion without actually laying the groundwork first. I suppose that's just how a lot of content is made these days—quick hits rather than deep dives. I wonder what others think. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like the central premise was a bit shaky? I’ll probably spend more time thinking about it later, but for now, my takeaway is mostly skepticism. It’s an interesting effort, I guess, but it definitely didn't blow me away.
If he doesn't manage to find me something to do, I guess I'll just have to figure it out myself. Maybe. 🙂

Hit the abs, back, and legs—but don't skip the stretching, especially those hamstrings. They’re absolutely vital if you want to keep your lower back from feeling like garbage. You can't just pick and choose which parts of your body to train; if you neglect one area, you're basically asking for an injury. Basically, if you're putting in work on your core, you need to match that effort with your back.

If you want explosive power and actual cardio, grab a jump rope and go at it until you're absolutely spent. Honestly, you can even do this while catching a show on Netflix. If there's a high-rise nearby, try sprinting up to the 20th floor. (Just take the elevator back down, don't be a hero). Keep doing that until your legs start feeling like jelly. 😁

Throw some single-leg squats into the mix.
And for the love of god, stretch. Stretch, stretch, and stretch again. Do it before you start and definitely do it when you're finished.

Personally, I wouldn't touch heavy weights right now either. You're still young and growing, and the odds of you messing up your form and causing permanent damage are way too high.

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 ???

Walter Miller45 said:Hey everyone!
I play handball and I'm 14. I'm looking for ways to boost my conditioning—specifically how to hold my sprints longer, since I play wing.
I'm also wondering how to increase my vertical jump by about 20 cm. Right now, my max jump at school is 3.90m, but I'd love to hit 4.10m 🙂 if anyone has some advice, please let me know. 😁 😉
Thanks in advance!

Maybe try some frog jumps and interval sprint training.

Andrew Wells58 said:frog jumps and sprint intervals.

sliced ???

Walter Miller45 said:Not interested???

You just run a few hundred meters at a steady pace, then hit a hundred-meter sprint, then go back to a light jog, then sprint again. Maybe toss in some 10 or 20-meter lunges or heavy carries in between, and just keep going until you're completely spent and can't even stand up. It’s definitely helpful to have a few buddies around to push you through 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.

Walter Miller45 said:What do you mean by 10–20 meter bounds? I don't think those are tied to belly fat or anything.
(During my workout, I sprint for 10 minutes straight, then take a 2-minute break, and I can pretty much do it again.) Is it better if I just run the distance at a normal pace and then do one sprint??
The distance is about 40m

Maybe bounding exercises have different names now than when I was younger. Basically, you do a long jump step, push off, and land on the other foot, repeating that until you hit your 10–20 meters. Honestly, I always hated that drill 😁. Regarding sprinting, the whole idea is to go so hard that you feel like you’re gasping for air before you actually slow down. Just adjust the intensity and the distance to fit what you can handle. If you want more technical details, maybe Google some info on HIIT, but definitely listen to your body and ramp things up gradually.

But you should definitely include bounds, and just slowly increase both the distance and the number of reps.

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.🙂

Walter Miller45 said:So, what kind of core work are we talking about here?? Are these exercises actually any good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8TCglomNoo ???

I can't pull up YouTube right now, but whatever you do, don't do those back extensions where you hook your feet under something and pull your torso up. That’s just asking for trouble.

Try lying on your stomach instead. Lift your arms, legs, and shoulders off the floor and hold it for a few seconds. You can switch it up by keeping one arm at your side while the other reaches out (sort of like 😁Superman), or reaching your arms back while lifting your shoulders, and so on.

Also, try doing bridges. Start with a shoulder bridge, then move to your head, then maybe your hands if you're feeling ambitious...

Walter Miller45 said:what even is a deadlift?? 😲

when you're pulling someone out of their grave...

anyway... why wouldn't a fourteen-year-old be doing deadlifts? obviously they shouldn't be maxing out immediately since they've got zero gym experience... but with lighter weights and actually focusing on decent form, they really ought to be learning the ropes...

wanderinghawk17 said:I wouldn't recommend weights either. You're young, you're still growing, and honestly, there's a pretty high chance you'll mess up your form and end up causing some permanent damage.

If someone is capable of doing single-leg squats, why on earth shouldn't they be lifting weights? Does a muscle actually care about what specifically triggered the contraction?
What a load of nonsense.

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

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.😁

If you're looking to dial in both lower back strength and flexibility, this is a fantastic move to try:

Bridge wall walks are great for building functional strength while increasing mobility all along your spine.

The mechanics of the movement are pretty straightforward. Start by facing away from a wall, standing about two or three feet out. Reach your arms overhead and hinge at the hips until your hands make contact with the wall. Once you're there, lean into your palms and begin walking your hands down the surface. You’ll want to step your feet outward as needed to make sure you aren't overextending beyond what your body can handle right now. Once you hit your limit in terms of strength or range of motion, just walk your hands back up the wall and bring your feet back toward the starting position until you're upright again.

With enough practice, you'll eventually be able to walk your hands all the way down to the floor. As you get stronger, you can rely less on your hands for stability, eventually reaching a point where you can lower yourself to the ground and back up without needing the wall at all.

Just as a little tip—pairing this exercise with weighted pike stretches works wonders.

Based on the thread title, I was under the impression the guy was looking for someone to pamper him up, and that he needed it urgently.

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.

Walter Miller45 said:Look, I'm not saying I don't get it, but I honestly can't 😁

I'm not even talking about the language barrier here. It's more that I just can't wrap my head around how you actually perform that move. 😁 Can you break it down?

Smartest move you could make is finding a pro who can actually show you how to do these exercises properly. Everything you see on YouTube or reading from random people on some internet forum is a one-way ticket to an injury... guaranteed. You have to do every single rep correctly. You might feel fine now because you're young, but trust me, once you hit middle age, you're going to pay for it.

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.😁

Walter Miller45 said:Look, I'm not saying I don't get it, but I just can't quite wrap my head around 😁

It’s not even about the English terminology or anything—it’s more that I honestly can't visualize how you actually perform this move 😁 if you could just explain it a bit more

Basically, you stand with your back to the wall, and you'll just have to gauge the distance as you go. Reach your arms straight up over your head. Then, start leaning backward, almost like you're lowering yourself into a bridge position until your hands reach the wall. From there, you essentially "walk" your hands down toward the floor as far as your strength and flexibility will allow. If it helps, you're allowed to step your feet away from the wall (like taking little steps) during the movement. The key thing to remember is that the movement should be driven by your lower back, not your shoulders. This means standing far enough away so that your arms stay fully extended rather than bent, and making sure you aren't bending your knees too much. As you return to the starting position, you can step your feet back toward the wall. If you start feeling the strain in your shoulders, you're probably doing it wrong. Keep those arms straight, keep your knees mostly locked, and pull from the lower back.