prowler programming

[tweakxc03]

hey Andy,

A friend of mine has taken up prowler training as the primary source of her conditioning work. She's pretty tiny, maybe 5'4, 125lbs. I had her start out with an unweighted sled (rogue dog sled, i believe, with 2 long handles and then a low handle on the other side). She's worked her way up to doing 9 sled pushes for roughly 40yards with 2min rest between. She does this 1-2x a week depending on schedule.

Today was her first day doing 9, and she saw spots at the end and felt like she was going to faint. So basically she's working way harder than anyone at the stupid globogym she goes to.

So what next? I told her to stick with 9 sled pushes until she's not seeing spots and then try to get to 10, then try to improve from there. I figured I'd check with you however in case something else is going on with the spots and all that.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

I see spots all the time - heavy presses, heavy squats, heavy deads, prowler, etc. No big deal. With Prowler you can increase weight, sprint distance, repetitions, or decrease rest time.

Just pick one and try to make improvements here and there. Unless I'm using the Prowler for an athlete with a time domain sport (like MMA), I don't strictly "program" Prowler work.

[iamsmuts]

40 yards is a very big yard. Where do you use the prowler? Do you have a giant yard, take it to a park, or just push it down the street?

I used to see spots at the top of a steep hill I used to run. It kind of scared me, that and it taking 4 minutes to catch my breath. I didn't realize it was normal.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

I guess growing up playing football in the state of Texas kind of blinded me to worries and concerns people have about pushing their body too hard.

Playing football from age 12-18 in the Texas summer got me used to getting dizzy/lightheaded, throwing up, heart rate getting out of control, etc. During my junior/senior years I'd say that throwing up was almost a daily occurrence for many/most of us during conditioning work. Fast forward to the USMC a few years later and it was more of the same.

I'm continually amazed here at the gym how some people (even young guys) almost go into a PANIC when they get dizzy or lightheaded, etc. Just relax, it's called hard work.

[iamsmuts]

I guess growing up playing football in the state of Texas kind of blinded me to worries and concerns people have about pushing their body too hard.

Playing football from age 12-18 in the Texas summer got me used to getting dizzy/lightheaded, throwing up, heart rate getting out of control, etc. During my junior/senior years I'd say that throwing up was almost a daily occurrence for many/most of us during conditioning work. Fast forward to the USMC a few years later and it was more of the same.

I'm continually amazed here at the gym how some people (even young guys) almost go into a PANIC when they get dizzy or lightheaded, etc. Just relax, it's called hard work.

I played freshman football in high school in Texas, but where the baseball team was far, far better than the football team. (A little city in the middle of Houston, just outside the loop.) I was small, hated being hit, had a helmet that was too small, and I didn't work hard. So I never saw stars. I had no business trying to play football anywhere. My fault mostly. But I was only 13 when I started. I grew 6+ inches the following year. Coach was always asking when I was going to be big like my father. It turns out never. He's 2 inches taller than me. . . .

[Bryan Dobson]

I guess growing up playing football in the state of Texas kind of blinded me to worries and concerns people have about pushing their body too hard.

Playing football from age 12-18 in the Texas summer got me used to getting dizzy/lightheaded, throwing up, heart rate getting out of control, etc. During my junior/senior years I'd say that throwing up was almost a daily occurrence for many/most of us during conditioning work. Fast forward to the USMC a few years later and it was more of the same.

I'm continually amazed here at the gym how some people (even young guys) almost go into a PANIC when they get dizzy or lightheaded, etc. Just relax, it's called hard work.

Love it, I concur and can collaborate that story. The worst thing that can happen is you vomit or lose a little consciousness. Once you have been there your inhibitions dissipate. This lady sounds like she is learning.
Texas football two a days should be starting in about two or three weeks btw.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Yep. I've been prepping a defensive lineman for the majority of the summer. He'll be taking off in a couple of weeks for Tennessee. As an incoming freshman he'll be hurting those first few months as they are basically used as cannon fodder for the upper classman. Kid started this summer doing 305x5x3 on his Squat. He'd squatted before but it was a high bar quarter squat. He was dismayed that a below parallel squat brought his squat down to 305. I've got him projected to finish his LP over 400 lbs however. And that's with 2-3 days per week of hard conditioning.

[cpa]

I played freshman football in high school in Texas, but where the baseball team was far, far better than the football team. (A little city in the middle of Houston, just outside the loop.) I was small, hated being hit, had a helmet that was too small, and I didn't work hard. So I never saw stars. I had no business trying to play football anywhere. My fault mostly. But I was only 13 when I started. I grew 6+ inches the following year. Coach was always asking when I was going to be big like my father. It turns out never. He's 2 inches taller than me. . . .

Bellaire?