By Mississauga Volleyball Research Team
In the game of volleyball, you will find many different workout routines. Today, we are going to focus on ones that have to do with dumbbell training. Dumbbells mostly focus on your upper body, but also create some strain in your lower body (some of the exercises provided). This will be more of a jump training work-out and more strength focused since it is the foundation of many athletic movements. In volleyball for example, the vertical jump can improve by doing these exercises. Also, for doing bumps. This is because, getting your forearms in shape will make it so you have an easier time receiving balls.
There are many volleyball stances that can be learned. In this article, you will learn about warm-ups to do before the dumbbell training and dumbbell exercises. This is because, going into using dumbbells right away can cause injuries by causing strains in different parts of the body. After mastering these, you will have a simpler time acquiring different and more difficult exercises to improve your volleyball skills. If you want to learn more, continue reading.
Warm-ups
Going straight into dumbbell training can seriously injure your muscles. Therefore, it is important to first start off with some exercises or warmups to warm up your muscles. We are first going to go over six different warm ups to stretch out your muscles. They are the seal jump, twisting hops,
The first warm-up is known as the seal jack. Start by standing straight up. From there, let’s start with the footwork. You are going to want to jump in a way with your feet that make them crossways. For example, you start off with your left leg back and your right foot forward. After, you switch feet so you can feel a stretch. For your arms, you are going to want to start them off with being out and then coming in. They should be a little bit crossed. You are going to do said exercise for one set and thirty reps.
The second warm up is the twisting hops. Similarly to the last exercise, start by standing up. You are going to want to start with the footwork. Begin by hoping to the side in one spot. So, you are ultimately pivoting from left to right using your heel but hopping instead of standing still. For your arms, let them be loose and naturally swing side to side. You are going to do this exercise for one set and twenty reps.
The third exercise is known as the four direction hop. The arms have a very simple job of just staying still in a comfortable position. They shouldn’t be down though because they will just flail around. Therefore, you should keep them slightly up like in a jogging position. The foot work in this exercise is a little complicated so read carefully. Start off by jumping forward and then back. After, you should hop back to the middle and then hop to the right and then to the left. Then, you repeat this. Basically, jump forward, back, to the right and then to the left. Do this warm-up for one set and five to seven times.
Dumbbell Training
After warming up and getting your muscles loose, it is time to start training with the dumbbells. For the amount of weight they should be, they should be whatever you are comfortable with or, you could challenge yourself. You could start off with a ten pound weight and go up by one or two pound increments over time. Challenging yourself will not only help you achieve your goals faster, but also build up your muscle. The exercises with the dumbbells we are going to go over are the goblet squats, lunges, laying down stretch and “T” plus “W” exercise.
The first exercise is the goblet squats. To be able to do this, it is first important to know how to squat. Begin with your legs shoulder width apart. Then, clasp your hands or have your arms or have them out and go down with your back straight. You should feel tension in your thighs. Now, you should grab the weight, holding it vertically and go up and down. Holding it vertically means holding it from one of the two hexagonal heads. The amount of sets are four and reps are four to six
The second exercise is the weighted lunges. To do one, start with your left foot back and extend your right foot forward. Then, you are going to go down. After, you can use the weights (holding them horizontally this time so holding both heads) and switch feet. Though this may seem simple, after some time, it will become more and more difficult to go lower since the pressure of the weights affects your thighs. Try to do this for two sets and for one minute reps.
The third exercise is known as the laying down stretch. As it says in the name, begin by laying down and having your legs flat. You could also have your legs bent like in a squatting position, but that is optional. From there, take the weight and put it at your chest level. From there, raise it to your arm length extent and then go back down. Similarly to the last exercise, hold it horizontally so by both heads. If this is too simple, try going slower so you can feel more pressures in your arm. Usually you are told to go faster, but not in this case. Try to do this for two sets and for one minute reps.
The fourth exercise is called the “T” plus “W” exercise. This is because it is the shape you will make with your arms. Begin by standing up and bending your back forward. For this exercise, you will actually need two weights. It is recommended for them to be a bit lighter so they can add up to the total amount you are comfortable with. After you have bent your back forward, grab the two weights and bring them up in like a “W” position and then out so it looks like a “T.” This stretches out your biceps and stomach muscles. Like the last warm-up, try to do this for two sets and for one minute reps.
Thank you so much for reading this article. We hope that learning these dumbbell warm ups will help you improve in your volleyball journey. Remember that each part should feel right to you. Best of luck!