Improve Your Wallballs

Hello! This Wall Ball program is 3 times a week, for 6 weeks. The program is designed to develop stamina and strength. You will be receiving emails from us for the first bit - let us know how you’re doing, if you have any questions and how we can support you. Wall balls are a fundamental movement for the sport of fitness that requires an efficient transition between a squat and overhead throwing motion in a cyclical pattern and often in high-volume environments. Here is a breakdown of the movement standards required for a good wall ball repetition to be completed: 1) In the wall ball shot, the wall ball must start “dead” on the floor and then be taken from the bottom of a squat, hip crease below the knee, and thrown to hit the specified target. 2) The rep is credited when the centre of the ball hits the target at or above the specified target height. If the ball hits low or does not hit the wall, it is a ‘no-rep’. This is a basic but important detail: The rep starts with a squat and ends with the center of the ball hitting the target; not the opposite. Although fairly simple in theory, there are many points of performance required to meet the movement standards assigned to the wall ball: Repetition Sequence: a) Grab Wall Ball b) Squat with hip crease below the knee c) Extend hips, legs and arms to throw ball to target d) The center of the wall ball hits at or above the specified target height e) Catch the ball, squat and repeat 3) If the ball drops to the ground from the top, it cannot be caught off the bounce to begin the next rep. The ball must settle on the ground before being picked up for the next rep. 4) Wall Balls are most often completed with a 20lb ball to a 10′ target for men and a 14lb ball to a 9′ target for women. Mobility Requirements There are two key positions requiring mobility in the Wall Ball: 1) Front Rack Squatting: When squatting a wall ball we are in a similar position to a goblet squat or front squat. It is essential that we can hit the squat standards comfortably with an upright torso. This will increase your movement economy and decrease localized muscle fatigue that would hinder your ability to complete big sets of wall balls. 2) Overhead Position: Any limitation in overhead position will increase the impact of each rep of wall balls. Think about holding a barbell overhead as long as possible, the goal is to create a solid overhead position with the barbell stacked over the wrist, elbow, shoulder, hips and ankles. Hitting these key positions will allow you to “support” the bar overhead for a very long time. If you are limited and elbows are bent, you will experience accumulated fatigue through the shoulders and triceps that will limit your ability to hold the bar overhead for a long period of time. The same applies for wall balls. The better the overhead position, the more efficient our wall balls will be. Throwing the Ball The wall ball needs to be thrown “to” the wall in a soft arching pattern with zero spin. This will allow the ball to hit the target square and bounce back on the same path it came to the wall. This ensures the ball comes right back to your hands. If the ball is thrown “at” the wall it will skip and spin over your head. If the ball is thrown like a basketball with spin; it will hit the wall and slide right down the wall to the floor. Breathing Patterns Two great options for breathing through sets of wall balls are: 1) A 1:1 ratio: Exhale as you squat down, inhale while the ball is in the air, and repeat! This is a standard breathing pattern especially early in the set of wall balls. It is most efficient to breathe out on the way down as you are being compressed into the squat. It is most efficient to breathe in while the ball is in the air because your rib cage is open and there is more room to get air into the lungs. 2) A 1:2 ratio: Exhale as you squat, inhale as you stand to throw, exhale as the ball hits the target, inhale as the ball descends to your hands. This requires shorter and sharper breaths but may be a good option as you fatigue or if you find this to be a more natural respiratory rate. Movement TEMPO explained! There will be many movements throughout this program that have a specific tempo prescribed to assist in creating the desired dose response for the movement and training session. It will look similar to this: @3030 or @20X1 This means that the movement is meant to be done at a specific tempo or speed, instead of just as fast as possible. Tempo is always @ (eccentric)(point where direction changes)(concentric or 'the work' part of the lift)(other point where direction changes) X means as fast as possible Numbers mean seconds. Example: @3012 that’s 3 second eccentric (down), 0 second hold at bottom, 1 second concentric on the way up, 2-second hold at the top IMPORTANT: Throughout the program, including this section, you will find written cues and video examples under "TIPS" If you have any questions about this program or want video review help, email: support@trainyourweakness.com All billing issues to support@trainheroic.com Ready? Let's go! - TYW Team

2 Sets: 10 Goblet Squats @1111 Tempo 20 Second Elbow Plank Hold 2 Minutes: Bottom of goblet squat hold 2 Sets: 10 Med Ball Squats @3111 Tempo 10 Med Ball Overhead Press @1113 Tempo Coach's Note: We are focusing on getting comfortable in the bottom of a squat with a very upright torso position. Follow the tempos closely and create solid movement habits by being intentional while completing each rep. After warming up, we’ll have you test the benchmark workout “Karen”. This does not need to be a personal record attempt. Our goal is to create a baseline to build on throughout the program. BE SURE TO FILM THIS!

Setting up at the wall: 1) Grab a piece of chalk and a wall ball 2) Stand facing the wall with feet in a squat stance distance from each other. 3) Extend arms out so your palms are touching the wall. 3) Do 5 air squats in this place. grab chalk and stencil your feet on the floor. 4) Do 5 wall balls to confirm this is a good location to stand in. 5) Use chalk to mark your toes. This is your ideal wall ball set up. Foot Position: 1 Set: 5 Wall Facing Air Squats with your natural squat stance 5-10 Unbroken Wall Balls with your natural squat stance 1 Set: 5 Reps of Wall Facing Air Squats with a narrow squat stance (feet under hips) 5-10 Unbroken Reps of Wall Balls with a narrow squat stance 1 Set: 5 Reps of Wall Facing Air Squats with a wide squat stance (feet outside shoulders) 5-10 Unbroken Reps of Wall Balls with a wide squat stance Coach's Note: We are working on establishing the optimal positions for you to perform your wall balls. We will focus on creating awareness around foot position relative to the wall, how the ball is being held during reps, and the ideal wall ball technique for you!

Test- Karen (10min)

“Karen” 150 Wall Balls For Time Coach's Note: Scale to 100 reps if needed (10 minute time cap). Film the entire workout. We are looking to gain a collection of baseline data to use as a reference as well as a training tool as you progress through this program. Use what you learned in today's “drills” to dial in your wall ball set up and foot positions. Watch the film and write down how many reps you did each set and how many seconds you rested each time. Also watch to see if you were hitting below parallel and hitting above the target! Be honest in your notes. We will be using this valuable data moving forward in the program!

3 Minute Groiner Stretch per Side

2 Sets: 10 Banded Overhead Press @1112 Tempo 10 Empty Bar Front Squats @2221 Tempo 2 Sets: 10 Med Ball Chest Passes to Wall – throw HARD. Stand 8-10 Feet (10-14 Shoe Lengths) away from the wall. 10 Band Pull Aparts @1112 Tempo 10 Banded Pass Throughs @2121 Tempo Coach's Note: Day 2 will focus on building shoulder endurance for big sets of wall balls. This warm-up is focused on getting the shoulders warm and mobile in multiple planes of movement. When doing the “Med Ball Chest Passes to Wall” play around with different hand and elbow positions to try to find the most powerful throwing position for you. Focus on only using the arms, avoid stepping into the throw or leaning too far forward with the torso to assist the arms in the throw.

Wall Balls: Standing Arms Only Wall Balls

5 x 10

Wall Balls: Empty Bar Overhead Hold

5 x 20

Wall Balls: Overhead PVC Pipe Press

5 x 30

2 Sets: 1 Minute Scorpion Stretch per Side 1 Minute Thread The Needle per Side

1 set: 20 Knee Pushes per side 30sec Knee Push Hold per side 20 Sky Reaches per side 20sec Static Pause Sky Reaches per side 20 Buddha Prayers 20 Squat Bows 20sec Pause Squat Bows Coach's Note: The goal of day 3 is to build leg speed strength and leg endurance! The warm-up is a great flow of positions to open up the squat and keep you moving well. It is important to prioritize movement standards, points of performance, and using your full range of motion every rep of every set for the workout today. In most workouts and situations, the more we can use our legs while completing wall balls the more economical our movement is going to be. This will lead you to breaking out big unbroken sets of wall balls with confidence.

Wall Balls: Front Squat

3 x 12 @ 40 %

Wall Balls: Wall Ball Cleans

5 x 10

Wall Balls: Wall Ball Squat

5 x 10

Wall Balls: Prisoner Jump Squats

5 x 10

2 Minute Banded Assisted Hamstring Stretch per Side 2 Minute Couch Stretch per Side