Re-Start
During the 6 weeks that have passed since the last meet of the season I have done next-to-nothing in the way of training. I threw a few times, but not much more than that. It appears that my shoulder is feeling quite a bit better as a result of the rest, but my throwing has definitely suffered. Maybe the shoulder problem was nothing more that some tendonitis that benefited from the time off, or may it was a rotator cuff tear as diagnosed and has had enough time to mend (do they do that?). At any rate I think I’m finally able to get back into an off-season program now, and boy do I need it!
In Discus, my standing throw distances have dropped about 5’, down to about 115’ now, and my full throw distances are down by a like amount, to about 130’…max. I have to admit that it’s a little frustrating to have set some aggressive goals for next season knowing that it’s going to take some time just to get back to where I was at the end of this past season. Hammer performance hasn’t taken as big a “hit” as Discus, with my throwing being pretty much the same as it was during most of 2006. Presumably that is because my technique is so poor that there is nowhere else to go but “up”.
I’ve had about a week to play around in the weight room since starting back, which was intended just to get some initial soreness out of the way and to give my body a chance to prepare itself for what is about to face. And, some good weather over the weekend allowed me to get out and throw twice. That was when my eyes were really opened about how much my performances have fallen off. With any luck only about half of the decline is the result of muscle atrophy (slow to reverse), and the other half is due to lost rhythm in my throwing technique (easier to regain).
Before the end of the year I’ll be able to hit the weight room hard for a couple of weeks and I’ll have 5 or 6 opportunities to throw (weather permitting) during the Christmas holidays. So my goal is to be back pretty close to where I was at the end of the 2006 season by New Year’s Day. That will leave me with about 10 weeks left before the first tune-up meet of the 2007 season to show some actual improvement. It would be su-weet to open the season with 3 PRs!
In Discus, my standing throw distances have dropped about 5’, down to about 115’ now, and my full throw distances are down by a like amount, to about 130’…max. I have to admit that it’s a little frustrating to have set some aggressive goals for next season knowing that it’s going to take some time just to get back to where I was at the end of this past season. Hammer performance hasn’t taken as big a “hit” as Discus, with my throwing being pretty much the same as it was during most of 2006. Presumably that is because my technique is so poor that there is nowhere else to go but “up”.
I’ve had about a week to play around in the weight room since starting back, which was intended just to get some initial soreness out of the way and to give my body a chance to prepare itself for what is about to face. And, some good weather over the weekend allowed me to get out and throw twice. That was when my eyes were really opened about how much my performances have fallen off. With any luck only about half of the decline is the result of muscle atrophy (slow to reverse), and the other half is due to lost rhythm in my throwing technique (easier to regain).
Before the end of the year I’ll be able to hit the weight room hard for a couple of weeks and I’ll have 5 or 6 opportunities to throw (weather permitting) during the Christmas holidays. So my goal is to be back pretty close to where I was at the end of the 2006 season by New Year’s Day. That will leave me with about 10 weeks left before the first tune-up meet of the 2007 season to show some actual improvement. It would be su-weet to open the season with 3 PRs!
posted by Jake at 9:23 PM
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