Strength Work

Strength work is very important for athlete's muscles. Strength work helps to prevent injuries as well as improve muscle capabilities. Today at the Alliance International Fencing Camp after our massive bladework and long day of epee fencing, we took 15-20 minutes to work on muscle strengthening activities. Below I have listed the exercises we worked on and their descriptions.

1) Squat Forward Jumps  X 15 (reps)
Go into a squat and jump forward and land softly on the heels. Slowly go back into a squat and immediately continue to the next hop forward.

2) Squat Backward Jumps X 15
Go into a squat and jump backward and land softly on your toes. Slowly go back into the squat and immediately continue to the next hop.

*After these two exercises you should feel really sore in your legs*


3) Wall Jumps 1 minute
Find a spot on the wall that is challenging to jump to and reach with your fingers. Jump up continuously, landing on your toes, for 1 minute straight. This exercise works the calf muscles.

4) Forward Crawls X 5
Start from bending to reach your toes with feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Crawl out to the push up distance and crawl backward staying low to the ground. Keep your legs straight during this exercise.

5) Caterpillars X 5
Start from bending to reach the toes position with the feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Hop forward on the hands 4 times to push up length distance and then hop back 4 times.

6) Push up Hops X 5
Get into the push up position with arms extended and feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Hop on hands and toes to the right 3 times, then back to the left 3 times.

7) Push up Circles 1 clockwise, 1 counter clockwise
With feet together, get into the push up position with extended arms. Walk your body with your hands clockwise in a full circle with the back straight. Then do the same counter clockwise.

8) Kick Turns 1 minute
Start by picking the right leg up into the air and kick up with the left leg so that you are now balanced on your right leg. Hop turn counter clockwise so that you are now balanced on the left leg. Continue the hopping and switching of legs. Works balance and coordination.

Training...It's a Love/Hate Relationship

Training, every athlete does it, but not many actually love the cross training. It's work. At the same time, this work is what makes athletes great. Determination and perseverance drive athletes to work their hardest to be the best.

Personally I HATE running. Maybe hate is too strong of a word, but nonetheless running and myself are not friends. Unfortunately, to be a great athlete running is a necessary evil. It is probably the best form of cross training out their for athletes and especially fencers!

Although I dislike running, I feel that I have to do it in order to keep progressing in my fencing and hey, you gotta love the way you feel after a workout. Not the sweaty nasty feeling, but the accomplished and I can conquer the world feeling. My lungs just feel so much more open than before I went on the run!

Running is great for the body, but in order to keep pushing yourself as an athlete to the edge to improve, one needs to do more. Personally I love to hit the gym. Weight training is probably my favorite training outside of actually fencing more. I create my own playlists to jam out in the weight room and and a little pizazz to the routine.

I lift every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to improve my physical abilities, while allowing my muscles to rest and heal in between. After I complete my workouts I feel like the Incredible Hulk, like there is nothing that can stop me. It is such a great feeling and I hope you all are inspired to get up and try it after this post!

I mentioned above that I rest my muscles in between lifting days, and that is true to some extent. Tuesdays and Thursdays I do my footwork exercises. Footwork is vital in fencing. Without it you might as well be a padded dummy for all your opponent cares. It is the foundation of fencing and the true way to improve one's abilities. I created my own footwork workout that entails preforming exercises at normal speed for 45 seconds, fast speed for 30 seconds, and fastest speed for 15 seconds. (If anyone ever says they can do their fastest speed for more than 15 seconds then they aren't actually doing footwork as fast as they possibly could). I build my endurance, speed, and technique all at the same time with this workout.

On top of this I also go for a run every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays I either hit the standing bike or go for a run. In doing this I give my muscles time to heal from lifting by working other muscles. In this way my body is always working, except for on Sundays and I burn far more calories than I would otherwise. (Let me mention that I do not diet, I hate that word and its connotations-I eat healthily and I eat less calories than I burn off working out to destroy fat. My goal is always to build muscle, never to lose weight).

Let me end by saying that every person is different and my workout routine won't work for everyone. My coach's never did for me, that is way I created my own routine! Working out is hard, but it is fun too and the results are a plus too ;)

Happy training!

Courtney Dumas