gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

[Jim2109]

gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

im going to join the gym this week now that the season is over and il have more time on my hands. the first thing i need to do is ditch some fat and improve my general fitness so that i can sprint for a ball in the field or take a quick single without being out of breath lol.

but i also want to put some specific focus on strength for my bowling. my lower legs are a weak point so they need work, also i guess shoulders are an important area. anywhere else?

does anyone have any suggestions on gym exercises to specifically work on those areas, and also other areas that might be important? bearing in mind im looking more for explosive power given the nature of leg spin bowling.

im hoping the fitness instructors at the gym might know what they are talking about and be able to make useful suggestions, but previous experience suggests otherwise.

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

At the moment Jim, you need to 'just get fit'. Work on your cardiovascular; both aerobic and anaerobic. The PT should be able to sort that out .

General weights at the moment; working ALL muscle groups but concentrating on strengthening the serratus anterior and lower traps. The PT may not know what you need to work but if you tell them these are the muscles you need to concentrate on, they should be able to tell you how to work them .

Spend extra time on warm up and cool down, especially good stretches of the hamstrings and peroneals.

Let me know how things are going and if there is good progression, specificity should start in January.

 

[Jim2109]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

Thanks Liz.

A couple of questions. Firstly, is there some kind of "test" to gauge when I am ready to move onto more specific areas? Should I be able to run some distance in a certain time, or lift a certain amount of weight? How will I know whether I'm making progress? I guess I just want to be able to quantify things.

Secondly, what constitutes a good warm up in the gym? Getting on a running machine or a cross trainer and just gently increasing the intensity for 10 mins or so? Warm downs I'm more familiar with, but I'm generally quite bad for warming up at cricket. I just swing my arms round in circles, gently jog about, start bowling at low intensity and work up, and jump up and down a few times lol. If I'm about to bat then I do the bat exercises like across the shoulders and twist, and lifting it around.

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

...A couple of questions. Firstly, is there some kind of "test" to gauge when I am ready to move onto more specific areas? Should I be able to run some distance in a certain time, or lift a certain amount of weight? How will I know whether I'm making progress? I guess I just want to be able to quantify things.

If you have a half way decent gym, you will be given a programme. Each exercise/station will follow the FITT protocol. That is, you will know the frequency, intensity, time and type of each exercise. Every now and then, you will be tested, however, you will know if you are improving; each exercise will be easier to complete . At this point [probably 3 weeks in], if you are improving, the exercises/stations will be 'upped'.

...Secondly, what constitutes a good warm up in the gym? Getting on a running machine or a cross trainer and just gently increasing the intensity for 10 mins or so? Warm downs I'm more familiar with, but I'm generally quite bad for warming up at cricket. I just swing my arms round in circles, gently jog about, start bowling at low intensity and work up, and jump up and down a few times lol. If I'm about to bat then I do the bat exercises like across the shoulders and twist, and lifting it around.

Sorry Jim... tried to reply to this post so many times today but on call and keep getting called out . Back later!

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

...Secondly, what constitutes a good warm up in the gym? Getting on a running machine or a cross trainer and just gently increasing the intensity for 10 mins or so? Warm downs I'm more familiar with, but I'm generally quite bad for warming up at cricket. I just swing my arms round in circles, gently jog about, start bowling at low intensity and work up, and jump up and down a few times lol. If I'm about to bat then I do the bat exercises like across the shoulders and twist, and lifting it around.

OK... Warm up: My preference would be 5-8 minutes on a rowing machine (moderate), plus spine mobilisation [leaning from side to side and rotating from side to side, say, 5 times each side, each]. This more or less mobilises the whole body. Dynamic streches next but this would depend on the exercise.

I would then work on the cardio for 20-30 mins... again start moderate and work up to anaerobic threshhold. At this point, include some interval work. This can be on a treadmill or bike.

If using free weights, warm up with low resistance before increasing to your intensity [the PT should explain this]. Delorme-Watkins System would be ideal once you have established your 10 RepMx [again, the PT should help with this].

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask .

 

[Jim2109]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

Thanks for the advice Liz. I've got my induction tonight where I expect they will go through all the equipment, and apparently they also discuss what you want to achieve and come up with a plan for you, so I will go there armed with those specific areas that you have highlighted for me to work on. Hopefully the trainers will know what exercises I need to do.

I've been reading up a bit and it isn't very clear as to how often it is advisable to go to the gym. I'm up for going 4-6 times a week, if I go at 6am every morning then I can get 1-2 hours in before work every day. I know that cardio work is generally not worth doing for more than 30-45 mins at a time, so I could do 45 mins of cardio and then spend about 45 mins on resistance work. I'm just wondering if there are any pitfalls to going every day (assuming I'm in any kind of position to go every day, I might find I ache so much I only go twice a week lol).

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

Not that simple ...

Cardiovascular:

F: 3 times a week
I: 55-90% HRM
T: 20-60 mins
T: Any but different modalities on different days.


Muscular Strength:

F: 2-3 times a week
I: 90-100% 1RM for each muscle
T: 1-3 sets per exercise with 1-6 reps
T: Variable but at least 2 exercises per target muscle group using dynamic moves and a combination of concentric and eccentric contractions.


Muscular Endurance:

F: 2-3 times a week
I: 40-50% 1RM for each muscle
T: 1-2 sets per exercise with 12-15 reps
T: Variable but at least 2 exercises per target muscle group using dynamic moves and a combination of concentric and eccentric contractions.


The PT will probably write you a programme but I would go 3 days cardio separated by 3 days muscular. Always have at least one day a week absolute rest and work different muscle groups on different days.

 

[Jim2109]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

I got my training program today. I've got a cold so I couldn't get my 1RM and HRM measured, I'll do that next week once I've recovered.

I asked for a general resistance program with a little emphasis on shoulders, and I've been given...

Chest press
Lunges (bodyweight to begin, then free weights)
Iso lateral rows
Hamstring curls
Vertical leg raise machine, with an exercise ball at the back

I'm supposed to do those in circuits with 8-10 reps on each in that order, then repeat it 3 times. Then before and after the circuits do a rotator cuff exercise using a barbell, lifting it so my arms are pointed downwards with my shoulders flat, then twisting the weight up and down at the shoulders.

Does that sound like a solid all-round strength workout? I will alternate the reps vs %RM on different days to take care of endurance and strength separately.

For my cardio I'm going to do 20 minutes at about 60% HRM, then 20-30 minutes of 1 minute intervals at 85/60% HRM. I don't like the treadmill so much, so I'll have a play with the other machines and see what I like. So long as my heart rate is up I'm guessing it isn't hugely important which machines I use? If I just use a mixture for working different areas of the body.

Once my general strength is up I'm guessing I can work more specific muscle areas and seperate the groups into seperate days. For now its pretty much an all-round workout. Do you think this workout will put enough emphasis on the lower traps and serratus anterior as you mentioned earlier Liz?

I'll probably do 2-4 days to start with, and then aim to get that up to 5-6 days once I've adjusted to it. I'm spending all this money so I might as well get the most out of it! If I do that until spring I should be in solid shape for the cricket season. I'm targeting the magical 50mph bowling speed, but have a feeling I'm setting myself up for disappointment lol.

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

...Does that sound like a solid all-round strength workout? I will alternate the reps vs %RM on different days to take care of endurance and strength separately.

I am not sure about 'all-round'... or 'solid' for that matter, but I guess it's a start .

...For my cardio I'm going to do 20 minutes at about 60% HRM, then 20-30 minutes of 1 minute intervals at 85/60% HRM.

Would love to hear how the latter pans out...

...Do you think this workout will put enough emphasis on the lower traps and serratus anterior as you mentioned earlier Liz?

Unfortunately, none of the exercises work these muscles .

It is good that you are working on the rotator cuffs, but this is no where near enough and you also need to work on the larger shoulder muscle.

Out of curiosity, did you see a personal trainer? Check... if you saw a L2 gym instructor, they are not qualified to write a programme. Eventually... pretty soon actually... you are going to need a proper programme.

 

[chippyben]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

Hi Liz,
Just replying on this thread to your advice about getting my bowling arm, wrist checked out. Im planning on going to see someone this week and I'll let you know how I get on. To be any good at leg spin I need to bowl a lot of overs so it makes a lot of sense to know if Im heading for trouble down the road.

 

[MV!]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

Liz is being pretty tame with her criticism of that program. Your strength standards will go precisely nowhere with that sort of plan. While program design isn't something you should really do for yourself, in the absence of somebody who actually knows their stuff, here are some general guidelines.

Super quick tips about programming 'lower body' days:
1) Stay away from machines. The human body has an amazing capacity to adapt to its surroundings - a lot of the time for the good, but sometimes for the bad. For the most part, we spend way to much time sitting down. Hamstrings, erectors, glutes, hip flexors, posture - they all suffer, get tight, and sometimes forget how to work. When you get to the gym, avoid anything that has you sitting down if you can. No leg presses, no seated leg curls, no seated leg extensions.
2a) Put an emphasis on single leg movements. Single leg movements are great for a variety of reasons and are brilliant "bang for your buck" exercises. Put simply, they are useful in recruiting muscles that might not be doing their jobs correctly, and are super useful core exercises. My favorite example is walking overhead lunges (single arm loaded) YouTube - Overhead Dumbbell Walking Lunge
2b) Balance hip and knee dominant exercises. Rather than doing leg raises and hamstring curls, start doing walking lunges, step ups, and bulgarian split squats (in fact, those three exercise are pretty much a perfect foundation for a lowerbody training day).

Super quick tips about programming 'upper body' days:
1) Do more pulling than pushing. This is pretty much the number one, nuts and bolts tip for shoulder health. For every pushing exercise you do (i.e. bench/ chess press, military/ shoulder presses), do at least two pulling exercises - chin and pull ups, row variations.
2) Just like with our lower body tips - single arm movements are fantastic. Single arm movements are fantastic for shoulder stability - forcing all of the little muscles in your upper back to do their jobs correctly. Also great at recruiting the 'core'. One of my favorite 'bang for your buck' exercises these days is standing single arm cable rows: YouTube - Standing 1-Arm Cable Row
3) Learn how to do a push up correctly. A well executed push up is pretty much the equivalent of winning the lottery in terms of pressing exercises, especially for somebody first starting in a gym and wanting an emphasis on shoulder strength and health. From my experience in gyms, only about 5% of males do them correctly though, and even fewer females (a whole different rant on the myths around female training and nutrition pending...)
4) ALWAYS find time in your warm ups and warm downs to work on your shoulder health (stability and mobility). Here are a collection of exercises that can be performed with a super light load that should find their way in to ALL of your gym visits:
No Money (can be performed standing): YouTube - tonygentilcore.com Band Supine No Money Drill off Foam Roller.mov
Wall Slides: YouTube - scapular wall slides.WMV
External rotations: YouTube - Cable External Rotation at 90 degrees
Face pulls (and variations): YouTube - DieselCrew.com - Shoulder Rehab - Face Pulls

Super quick tips for 'core' programming:
1) Stop doing sit-ups or crunches. You, along with just about everyone, probably aren't doing them correctly and you probably don't have access to someone who can teach them to you. Just stop. Your hips will thank you.
2) STOP doing exercises that require you to twist. Your lumbar spine isn't designed to do too much rotation, and us cricketers get enough of that when we're tired and our bowling actions lose there form. Start doing exercises that require you to resist rotation. i.e. Pallof presses: YouTube - Pallof Press

Lastly: Get smart in the gym. There are a hell of a lot of great strength and conditioning resources on the net... and about ten times as many bad ones. It's your job to start doing some reading. At the very least, you've got to learn how to distinguish between the sensible and the not so sensible advice that you will encounter.

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

O, Lovely MV!

James, MV has just said everything I would love to but unforunately my hands are tied by my professional code of conduct.

Without a consultation, I must warn you to ensure you are fit enough to perform MV's suggestions. If you are, strength and endurance wise, they will address all your issues .

I must also reiterate the importance of making sure your technique is correct.

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

Hi Liz,
Just replying on this thread to your advice about getting my bowling arm, wrist checked out. Im planning on going to see someone this week and I'll let you know how I get on. To be any good at leg spin I need to bowl a lot of overs so it makes a lot of sense to know if Im heading for trouble down the road.

That's great chippyben. Look forward to hearing how things go.

 

[Jim2109]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

so to summarise, ive been given a completely worthless plan. and free weights are the way forwards.

im not sure if my gym has a cable machine thing, i have literally been shown the equipment that i needed for the specific exercises ive been given. they probably do somewhere, there is tons of equipment. it seems like such a machine is fairly important based on the exercises youve listed above. theres a big free weights area in the corner that i havent even looked at yet lol. i imagine that if i want to learn a new exercise i just need to ask and someone will show me how to do it properly.

im almost certain that i didnt see a personal trainer (im not sure there are even any resident PT's), there are only apparently 2 that operate privately at the gym, and then loads of instructors. i think you have to pay to see the personal trainers, but il ask anyway.

so if im going to try and set my own program, are there any more suggestions for good exercises? so far weve got...

step ups, split squats and walking lunges for lower body. presumably there are lots of different configurations of these?

standing one arm cable row, pull ups, press ups for lower body. im thinking there needs to be more of these? or are good pull ups and press ups really that effective that they work everywhere?

then pallof presses for core (assuming there is a suitable machine for it). i also think the vertical leg raise exercise ive been given is a good one, it just felt like it was working. none of the other exercises i was shown felt like they were doing anything.

i very much appreciate the suggestions so far, and if youve got any more then keep them coming!! ive tried to read up on good exercises to do, but there are just too many. its impossible to know where to start. assuming that what ive been given at the gym so far is as good as its going to get without spending money (which i am reluctant to do having just spent a fair amount on membership), then im going to have to devise something for myself. and by myself, i mean i am going to have to beg Liz and MV! for their much appreciated assistance!!!

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

so to summarise, ive been given a completely worthless plan.

Not necessarily.... but probably .

Basically Jim, I cannot tell you what to do because I have not seen, tested and assessed you. I have a whole arsenal of exercises I could recommend but without knowing your condition, some could be contraindicated. Even if not, if you were to perform them with incorrect technique, it could be the end of your sport.

MV! said I was a little 'tame' but I guess I am just giving your gym the benefit of the doubt. They were not able to test you thoroughly due to your virus. This is not really a good time to bulldoze into a programme anyway. If you came to see me with a cold, I would ask you to come back when well.

I would like to see how they get on when you are well and would like to see if they have progressive plans. Your condition may be such that what they have given you is all that is realistically possible... at the moment.

...and free weights are the way forwards.

Well.... yes.

However, you really do need somebody to show you the correct technique... and I am not talking about other gym users. If you do not have anybody to show you, it is better to start with machines until you have a certain amount of strength in the muscles.

If you were one of my clients, I would bypass machines altogether unless you had a disability.

...im not sure if my gym has a cable machine...

If anybody [gym or private] can only afford one piece of gym equipment, this would be the one I would always recommend. You can do [almost] anything with this one apparatus.

...im almost certain that i didnt see a personal trainer (im not sure there are even any resident PT's), there are only apparently 2 that operate privately at the gym, and then loads of instructors. i think you have to pay to see the personal trainers, but il ask anyway.

If this is the case, in my opinion, you have been short changed. I believe every gym has a responsibility to provide a Certified PT to test, assess and give a good programme. If a member would like time with that PT on a one2one basis, then they should be charged.

...so if im going to try and set my own program, are there any more suggestions for good exercises?

I would only go down this route if there is no alternative.

However, if all else fails, remember, you are not a bodybuilder. There is a lot of bump and fluff on the internet, with far too much testosterone for anybody's own good, telling you that you just need to pump as high as you can... and then some more... and core and everything else will look after itself. Don't fall for it... firstly, you are a sportsman and need to move. Secondly, you are an individual, with individual needs. In all my years as a PT, I have not written two programmes the same... there is no such thing as an off the shelf programme, however, MV's suggestions are worth considering.

Let us know how you get on with the gym when you are over the cold. I am not too optimistic, but we should give them the benefit of the doubt. We really need to know what aims and goals they have worked out with you to really comment.

 

[Jim2109]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

thats fair enough, i did have a pretty heavy cold. il probably go in one day during the week, my cold still hasnt fully cleared so it makes little sense to go back for a proper assessment until it has. i might just do some cardio work in the meantime because im well enough to exercise, just not at 100%.

on the one hand i see what you mean about giving them the benefit of the doubt. next time i am there il ask if there is a proper PT that can assess me fully. the guy i saw last week didnt even mention cardio, i had to make suggestions myself for that, which he just agreed with (even though you reckon they are probably well beyond my fitness levels, and youre probably right ).

but on the other hand, my "program" was already written down before i even arrived for my assessment. bearing in mind i had never met the guy who wrote it, and he had no prior knowledge of my fitness, build, goals, etc. the only customisation it has is how much weight i can lift lol. so its obviously just a generic program for your average joe who simply joined the gym to get a beach body.

but il see what happens when i next go in.

im going to see a local sports therapist in a week or 2 (hes on holiday at present) to get my shoulder and legs checked out, and the other issues ive had. is a gym program something that i should be able to work out with him? bearing in mind he may only be a sports therapist, whereas i get the impression youre a little more multi-talented than the average sports therapist Liz!

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

...the guy i saw last week didnt even mention cardio, i had to make suggestions myself for that, which he just agreed with (even though you reckon they are probably well beyond my fitness levels, and youre probably right ).

but on the other hand, my "program" was already written down before i even arrived for my assessment. bearing in mind i had never met the guy who wrote it, and he had no prior knowledge of my fitness, build, goals, etc. the only customisation it has is how much weight i can lift lol. so its obviously just a generic program for your average joe who simply joined the gym to get a beach body.

This worries me. However, your gym may have a policy of introducing all members to a 'beginners' programme. Don't approve of this myself but can understand why. I cannot imagine any PT missing out the cardio aspect of the programme so perhaps you saw a L2 instructor, who are basically only qualified for inductions.

Just checked my local gym and they offer 3 PT sessions included in the fee and at the moment, they are offering the first month free.

...im going to see a local sports therapist in a week or 2 (hes on holiday at present) to get my shoulder and legs checked out, and the other issues ive had. is a gym program something that i should be able to work out with him? bearing in mind he may only be a sports therapist, whereas i get the impression youre a little more multi-talented than the average sports therapist Liz!

I confess, I do confuse people .

Just to clarify... among other things, I am a:
Coach;
Certified Personal Trainer;
Soft Tissue Therapist;
Biomechanist; and
Psychologist.

Although I use all these together, all these qualifications are independent. When I studied for my Soft Tissue Diploma, there were a couple of PTs on the course, so it is possible that your Therapist is a PT, but not necessarily. Similarly, there were a few Physios on the course, so some physios may be soft tissue specialists, but not all. Hope that helps .

 

[Jim2109]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

they basically did a cardio induction one day, which took about 10 mins, basically to tell me which buttons adjusted the TV channel and volume on the machines then the other induction was for the resistance equipment, and also to devise a workout program. my sister and her husband use the same gym and they were really positive about their inductions, whereas mine was pretty much done as quickly as possible. but then i had a cold and so there was no real assessment aspect.

il be a bit disappointed if there is no PT session included in the price, but at the same time im paying about £25/month for a gym with a ridiculous amount of equipment (and its all brand new and hi-tech), and it also includes sauna, steam room, swimming and classes. unlimited use of everything. so its pretty cheap compared to the other gyms in the area (£10-15 cheaper than any of them, and the others are nowhere near as big, and dont include swimming). so i probably cant complain really.

i may end up just having to pay a PT to give me an assessment every few months.

 

[John Carlton]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

Thanks for all that info. Certinaly a lot to take in. I'm going to try incorporate some of the single leg work into my gym routine tonight.

 

[SteveyD]

Re: gym exercises for leg spin bowling?

Hola!
I was actually just about to post regarding my planning of winter routine.


Would I be correct in assuming you went to somethign like DW Jim?

Basically, i'm looking at making my plan for general fitness (I am a triathlete, however over winter I tend to have little time, so I work on maintaining as opposed to improving)) with a bit of strength in arms /shoulders.
Unfortunately, whilst I know how to plan my Tri Training, I have no idea on muscle groups etc for cricket!
Luckily, the Gym I'm signed up to (Its a posh hotel (crowne plaza cambridge(yay for john lewis staff offers)) ) is about 20 yards from work, so can go before/after.
Basically my reduced plan for winter : (in very reduced form)
3 Cardio ( 1x Run 1x Bike + 1 random (swim/bike/run/football/rowing etc) per week
3 Muscle (1 whilst in gym for cardio on rowing etc, 2 just strength sessions. Strength one day, the next session, motor/endurance on same muscle group, then one session without on that group)
The porblem is, planning the muscle groups.