THEME OF THE WEEK: TODAY IS A NEW DAY

Mindset Monday, May 4th 2020
It’s easy to get down (depressed) and hard to stay positive all the time. It’s easy to get caught up in how many things are going wrong, and hard to focus on the things that are going right. I struggle with this a lot. I haven’t been working out a lot, I haven’t been eating right, I haven’t been very productive. These things are all true for me right now.

But, I have been connecting with my best friends and having a blast playing games together. I have been staying at home and am fortunate to be healthy and safe. I was able to find a job and can get by for now. These things are also true.

All of these things are true for me, and my point is you get to choose what you focus on. If I focus on all of the negative stuff, it usually makes me feel bad about myself and like I’m a loser. If I focus on the positive stuff, it makes me smile thinking about the good times I’ve had this past week and grateful for being healthy. When I focus on the negative stuff, it makes me not want to do anything. When I focus on the positive stuff, it makes me realize that I have an opportunity today to work on all of the things that I haven’t been doing, like working out and eating healthy consistently. I realize that today is a new day, and if I focus on one thing at a time, I can get all of my stickers today. I have time after work to workout. After I workout, I can stretch for 10 minutes. After I stretch, I can make and eat a healthy dinner. After I do that, I can clean my room and fold all of my clean laundry that I’ve been avoiding for a few days. After I do that, I can relax and play games with my friends. And after I do that, I can go to sleep at a decent hour and get 9 hours of sleep. Realizing that I can do all of those things today makes me feel a whole lot better.

So that’s today’s mindset monday. Don’t focus on what you haven’t been doing. Leave the past in the past. Today is a new day, and you have the opportunity and the choice to make it a good day. Take one thing at a time. Find the fun. Flip that switch and BE A FREAKING SHAAARRRRRRKKKK!

STICKER SHEETS
Week 3 Sticker Sheets are UP! It’s attached to the bottom of this post. Get those ducks!

WARMUP
Team dryland warm-up, about 10 each

• Calf stretch
• Knee hug
• Quad stretch
• Single leg RDL
• Frankensteins
• Open the gates
• Close the gates
• Lunge and reach
• Heel/toe stretch
• Arm circles
• Dynamic squat stretch
• Horizontal arm circles

It’s wonderful outside today! A great day for RUNNING! (Let’s be real, you knew it was gonna happen eventually…) Grab a parent or sibling for this workout to enjoy the weather together!

RUNNING
If you have been running already:
Run for 10 minutes at a challenging pace

If you have not been running:
5 rounds
Run for 1 minute at an easy to moderate pace
Rest for 0:30 – 1:00 depending on how much rest you need

If you have not been running, do NOT sprint or run hard! It’s the same as swimming: if we were back in the pool for the first time today, it would not be smart to do a hard sprint set. Doing sprints multiple times on the first day back when you have been “out of shape” is a really easy way to get injured.

CONDITIONING
3 rounds for time:
Run for 2 minutes at a moderate pace
5 squat jumps (as high as you can)
10 push-ups
15 air squats

After you finish the 3rd (last) round, do one final run for 2 minutes at a moderate pace to finish the workout.

For the push-ups, you can do knee push-ups if regular ones are too challenging, or you can do a smaller number of regular push-ups (5, etc) if your form is PERFECT and you are going all the way down (your chest should touch the ground). If regular push-ups are too easy, you can do military/tricep push-ups, hand-release push-ups, or diamond push-ups.

ACCESSORY
100 walking lunges (1,2)

(1,2) means do 100 total, or 50 on each leg. FORM IS VERY IMPORTANT (as always) so make sure you are doing these correctly! See the video below for guidance. If you are doing these on concrete or pavement, your knee does not have to touch the ground (because ouch), but try to get it close to it. If you have been working out consistently and 100 isn’t that bad, try 200!

COOLDOWN
Stretch for 10 minutes

HELPFUL LINKS
Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Push-Ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pkjOk0EiAk

Air Squats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMvwVtlqjTE

Walking Lunges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8fvypPrzzs

THEME OF THE WEEK: FIND THE FUN

Friday, May 1st 2020

STICKER SHEETS
Sticker sheets for this week (Week 2) are attached to Monday’s post. Today is a new day, focus on one thing at a time and get all of your stickers for today!

WARMUP
Team dryland warm-up, about 10 each

• Calf stretch
• Knee hug
• Quad stretch
• Single leg RDL
• Frankensteins
• Open the gates
• Close the gates
• Lunge and reach
• Heel/toe stretch
• Arm circles
• Dynamic squat stretch
• Horizontal arm circles

CONDITIONING
5 Rounds for Time:
3 wall walks
15 hand-release push-ups
20 burpees
30 sit-ups
20 jump squats

See the video below on how to scale wall walks (“scale” = make them easier).
You can do incline push-ups if hand-release ones are too difficult.
For this workout, go at a pace that allows you to work hard and stay moving, but not get out of breath. If you need to take short breaks that is ok, but try for 5-10 second breaks instead of longer ones. Breathe while you move, just like swimming.

COOLDOWN
Stretch for 10 minutes

HELPFUL LINKS
Wall Walk Demo + How to make it easier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0yV_TbsY5c

Hand-Release Push-ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZSgRu7-sCk

Incline Push-ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slkvBqMN1AM

Burpees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU8QYVW0gDU

Sit-Ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HghGGudXuGM

Air Squats
To make it a jumping squat, jump after you squat. It doesn’t have to be as high as you can, your feet just need to leave the ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMvwVtlqjTE

THEME OF THE WEEK: FIND THE FUN

Thursday, April 30th 2020

STICKER SHEETS
Sticker sheets for this week (Week 2) are attached to Monday’s post. Today is a new day, focus on one thing at a time and get all of your stickers for today!

WARMUP
Team dryland warm-up, about 10 each

• Calf stretch
• Knee hug
• Quad stretch
• Single leg RDL
• Frankensteins
• Open the gates
• Close the gates
• Lunge and reach
• Heel/toe stretch
• Arm circles
• Dynamic squat stretch
• Horizontal arm circles

STRENGTH
3×15 backpack front raises
3×15 backpack side raises
3×20 backpack rows
3×15 backpack overhead press

Remember to focus on form and moving well. See videos below for form demonstrations. Adjust the weight in your backpack for each exercise so that it is challenging but doable. Think about what muscles you are using!

CONDITIONING
2 rounds, rest 1:00 between rounds

Every minute for 5 minutes
0:30 wall sit
5-10 squats

For this workout, you are basically doing 5 rounds, resting for 1 minute, and then 5 more round. For each round, you will hold a wall sit for 30 seconds, then do 5-10 squats, and then rest until the next minute. 5-10 squats mean do between 5 and 10 squats depending on what is challenging for you. If you start with 10, try to do that for all 10 rounds. You should be getting at least 10 seconds of rest at the each round: if you are not finishing a round before the next one starts, do less squats.

COOLDOWN
Stretch for 10 minutes

HELPFUL LINKS
Backpack Front Raise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLvCZve1DzQ

Backpack Side Raise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-iryCyTCrQ

Backpack Row
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbcCeguuv_4

Backpack Overhead Press
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjznPLR-mlY

Wall Sit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhu00IcM1Ek

Air Squats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMvwVtlqjTE

THEME OF THE WEEK: FIND THE FUN

Tuesday, April 28th 2020

STICKER SHEETS
Sticker sheets for this week (Week 2) are attached to yesterday’s post. Focus on one activity at a time and get that duck!

WARMUP
Team dryland warm-up, about 10 each

• Calf stretch
• Knee hug
• Quad stretch
• Single leg RDL
• Frankensteins
• Open the gates
• Close the gates
• Lunge and reach
• Heel/toe stretch
• Arm circles
• Dynamic squat stretch
• Horizontal arm circles

CONDITIONING 1
For Time:
30 burpees
100 knee-to-elbow crunches (1,2)
30 burpees

(1,2) knee-to-elbow crunches means do 50 on each side (alternating), or 100 total.

CONDITIONING 2
3 Rounds for Quality
50 flutter kicks (1,2)
25 jumping squats
50 flutter kicks (1,2)
25 glute bridges

“3 Rounds for Quality” means that you are focusing more on moving well and having good form than trying to go as fast as possible. Still try to stay moving and keep a good pace, but don’t worry about how long it takes you. Try to do each movement “unbroken”, or without stopping. If you need to rest, rest between movements or between rounds.

(1,2) for the flutter kicks means do 25 on each leg, or 50 total.

CORE
3 sets: 0:20 on, 0:10 off
Low plank hold
Side plank hold (L)
Hollow hold
Side plank hold®
High plank hold

Rest 1-2 minutes between sets

Do each movement for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Once you get through the whole thing, rest 1-2 minutes and then repeat 2 more times. It’s okay if you can’t hold for the entire 20 seconds: do as much as you can and remember to focus on form. Think about what muscles you are using (hint: core) during each exercise. Remember to BREATHE while you are doing each hold.

COOLDOWN
Stretch for 10 minutes

HELPFUL LINKS
Burpees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU8QYVW0gDU

Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_JdACWtFSc

Flutter Kick Demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlSyYb18ff8

Jumping Squats
It’s a squat with a jump: you don’t have to jump as high as possible for these, your feet just have to leave the ground.

Glute Bridges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcK9kYmceCg

High & Low Plank
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b-WLVaiFx8

Side Plank
Note: The video shows the guy lifting his leg up during the plank. If you can’t hold the side plank for 20 seconds, do not lift your leg up. If you can, you can try raising your leg during the hold to make it more challenging.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kosrhX1iYo

Hollow Hold
You can hold your arms above your head to make this more challenging
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_ojLqHNre8

THEME OF THE WEEK: FIND THE FUN

Mindset Monday, April 27th 2020
Earlier this season, we had a few practices where I asked you guys (swimmers) what you struggled with and/or things you wanted me to talk about, and you guys wrote them down on little pieces of paper. Several of you wrote that you struggle with “staying motivated” or “motivation for swim”, so today’s Mindset Monday is about motivation and how to find motivation when you are definitely not motivated.

There are a couple different definitions for what motivation is, but the one we’ll use is “the general willingness or desire of someone to do something”. It’s that feeling you get that makes you want to do something. You might watch Cody Miller’s vlog and be motivated to swim, or you might be sitting around doing nothing and randomly become motivated to do something productive. These two examples show two different types of motivation: external motivation and internal motivation. There are actual definitions on what these are, but I’m gonna make up my own based on how I think of them.

External Motivation
To me, external motivation is anything outside of yourself that makes you want to do something. Cody Miller’s vlog is an example of external motivation because it makes you want to do something (swim) and it is outside of yourself (you are not Cody Miller, and he is not controlling your brain. Probably.). Another example of external motivation could be someone at practice who motivates you to work harder. It could be your friend that you are trying to beat, or someone who does something really well (has perfect dives etc) that makes you want to work on your own dives.

There are many other sources of external motivation! Some big ones for me are friends, movie characters, book characters, professional athletes, hardworking/caring people. A really big one for me is Rich Froning. He is arguably the fittest human ever. He has an incredible story and work ethic, and he likes to workout occasionally.

Internal Motivation
I think of internal motivation as motivation that you find within yourself. This can be thoughts, emotions, values, or goals. Values and goals can be extremely strong motivators, as they are more consistent than external sources of motivation. If you can’t find any external motivation, you can always fall back on your own personal values or goals. For me, sometimes I get down (depressed) and external motivation doesn’t work. When this happens, I rely on one of my main values: I’m highly competitive. I like to win, but I haaate losing. I pretend that if I stay depressed or sad, I lose and it wins. That immediately makes me smile and puts me in a better mood, because I’m definitely not going to lose. This might not work for everyone, but it works for me. You can also think about goals that you have and how bad you want it.

Another strategy that helps me stay internally motivated is to find the fun! I think a lot of you guys have probably picked up on this, but I like to keep things light and make lots of fantastic jokes. One of the examples I’ve used before was to imagine swim practice if myself and coach Emily never smiled or made jokes. Practice would probably not be very enjoyable! If you can find the fun in things and learn to enjoy them, it makes difficult or unpleasant tasks a little better. It takes practice, creativity, and a little bit of crazy, but it can get you some pretty tough situations.

SO, when you find yourself stuck and looking for motivation, remember that you can look both outside and inside yourself for motivation. Some people have a preference for one over the other, and sometimes one might not work for you but the other will. Keep an open mind and stay positive!

STICKER SHEETS
Sticker sheets for this week (Week 2) are out! You can find them attached to the bottom of this post. Print one out and keep track of your activities! Remember, do an activity for 6 days in a row and you get a duck! Start today! Get that duck!

WARMUP
Team dryland warm-up, about 10 each

• Calf stretch
• Knee hug
• Quad stretch
• Single leg RDL
• Frankensteins
• Open the gates
• Close the gates
• Lunge and reach
• Heel/toe stretch
• Arm circles
• Dynamic squat stretch
• Horizontal arm circles

STRENGTH
4×10 Single leg RDL

If you can do these controlled, you can increase the difficulty by holding a weight in your hand. Move slow and controlled, focus on your form. I would recommend building in weight across the sets, meaning you add a little bit more weight each set. If you get to a point where the exercise is too difficult to do while keeping good form, stop adding weight and focus on having good form.

CONDITIONING
Re-test!
3 rounds for time
20 forward lunges (1,2)
20 alt. v-ups (1,2)
20 reverse lunges (1,2)
20 sit-ups

This was the first workout I posted to the website a few weeks ago. If you did it and remember your time, try to beat it! If you haven’t done it yet, do your best!

Try to stay moving the whole time, don’t start out too fast but don’t save too much for the end. Find a pace that works for you and get the work done!

ACCESSORY
4×10 push-ups
Incline push-ups, regular push-ups, or explosive push-ups

If you are working towards doing regular push-ups on the ground, do incline push-ups (hands elevated on a chair or bed etc). You can lower the incline (hands closer to the ground) to make it more difficult. If you can do regular push-ups but are building endurance, do regular push-ups. If you are proficient at regular push-ups, try jumping push-ups. See video below for demonstration.

COOLDOWN
Stretch for 10 minutes

HELPFUL LINKS
Single Leg RDL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I3WJ2wGHcU

Forward/Reverse Lunges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwGPWeMGAYA

Alternating V-Ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOI3r8VWMTM

Sit-Ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HghGGudXuGM

Incline Push-ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slkvBqMN1AM

Push-Ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l3ySVKYVJ8

Explosive Push-Ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuLCoUZRUeg