CORE TEAM PHYSICAL TRAINING
TEAMS • GAMES
Team Evolutions
• Planks & Abs: Designate an ab acronym like FLASH: flutters, leg levers, atomics, sit-ups and Marvin Hagglers. Working in pairs, while one person does 20 of an exercise, their buddy is holding plank. When finished, yell go and their buddy does 20 and then yells go. Then do next letter in in acronym, repeat, until acronym is complete. Alternate: If you have groups of three, do 10 reps.
Alternate: Consider repeating as a pyramid. For example:
• Round 1: FLASH for 5 reps, front plank
• Round 2: CHAOS for 10 reps, alternating side planks
• Round 3: MANIC for 15 reps, back planks
• Round 4: CHAOS for 10 reps, alternating side planks
• Round 5: FLASH for 5 reps, front plank
Be sure to run a ways between each round to let abs rest.
• Silent Sergeant (aka Silent Drill Sergeant): Assign order to group (i.e. count off in youngest to oldest order); take turns in order silently leading group in exercises or thru obstacles; set a timer for about 5 minutes each; works best if each leader has an area with Out-In-The-World Equipment to work with like steps, benches, playground equipment, etc. If you have a large group, pick leaders to lead only 2-4 evolutions. Encourage members to enjoy the silence.
• Push-Up Caboose Run: Line up in push-up position, nose to toes. Designate the start & finish lines (maybe a tree or post). Last person runs to the front of the line, yells go and everyone except the runner does a push up. When the team reaches the designated finish line, claim your victory!
• Compound Interest: Assign order to group (i.e. count off in youngest to oldest order). Designate a starting location and a direction where you'd like to be heading. First person chooses an exercise with number of repetitions, preferably using elements in the environment (like a bench for dips or stairs for step-ups); Next person chooses an exercise (could be bear crawling to a tree) and then the whole group goes back to the start and starts over, repeating all the exercises and then adding a new one on each time. Great way to get a high number of repetitions. Encourage creativity, variety & interest when choosing exercises.
Game Evolutions
• Tree Chaos: Use trees (or light posts, etc) and establish an area. Must go to 5 trees. May not repeat tree, may not use a tree someone else is using. If waiting, do squats. Use CHAOS acronym for abs: Crunches, Half Sit Ups, Alternating knee crunches, Oblique Crunches and Superman (20 per tree).
• One Man Out: Whole group or large teams. Establish a series of exercises (possibly using an acronym), order of teammates (in a circle, just go around circle of people) and number per exercise. While team is completing evolution, one person is running to an obstacle (slide, swings, etc.) and going down slide or jumping through swing, then rejoins the circle do abs. Next person goes. No repeats so teammates have to pay attention and be creative.
• Pyramid: Reps increase (up the pyramid) and then reps decrease (back down the pyramid). A pyramid can be broken into two separate evolutions (one going up, one going back down) over course of workout. Pyramid examples:
- Sit-ups & Push-Ups (aka Dirty Dozen): 1 of each, then 2 of each, then 3 of each continuing up to 12. Later in the workout, start at 12 of each, then 11 of each continuing back down to 1 of each. Alternative: do Atomics & Tricep Push-ups
- As an individual race at pull up bars, teammates must do 2 of each then, 4, 6, 8 &10 reps of the following: 1) knee ups (encourage doing variations); 2) unassisted pull-ups at parallel bars (alternate forward and reverse grip); 3) Australians (alternate forward and reverse grip); 4) dips on jump box; 5) incline push-ups on jump box.
• Field of Numbers: Assign 4 on-the move exercises to a number, for example, 1- lunges, 2 - high-knee skip, 3 - grapevine & 4 - backward run. Leader yells out a number (or take turns yelling out number, if small group) to keep changing between exercises while advancing down field. First teammate to the end wins! Repeat heading back in the opposite direction.
• Where is Walter?: Assign someone to be "Walter" (if you have someone that is is nursing an injury, this would be a good role to keep them involved). Assign 2 or so exercises in a "Base Location" (i.e. Knee-Ups & Squats at pull-up bars). Meanwhile, Walter will have moved to a different location within sight of the Base Location but possibly slightly obscured. After members complete their assignment at the Base Location they must find Walter and he will assign an evolution (i.e. 20 sit-ups) and then they return to the Base Location to repeat the original assignment (i.e. Knee-Ups & Squats at pull-up bars). Then they will find Walter again, who has moved to another new location. Each member keeps track of how many times they find "Walter". Slower members may skip some of Walter's locations and, therefore, would not receive a point for that location. Whomever found Walter the most times wins!
• Playground Map: Utilize a playground map to add variety. Such as:
On The Run
• Indian Run: Have between 4 - 8 teammates per team. To divide into groups, line up fastest to slowest and group speeds together. Run in a line, last person sprints to front and yells go, then the new last person sprints to the front and yells go. Repeat until reach destination. Consider assigning abs so teams stop along the way:
- Acronym of abs (ie FLASH: flutters, leg levers, atomics, sit ups, hagglers; 30 each)
- Assign large numbers of abs (ie 500 sit ups as a team of 6)
- Consider assigning higher number of abs to faster teams so everybody finishes about the same time
• Voo Doo Run: Line up in an easy to remember order, such as by age. The lead runner stops at sights of interest or an intersection for an exercise of their choice (the name VooDoo because the leader gets to "control" the other teammates by choosing the next stop and the exercise). After the exercise, the next person in order gets to lead and choose the next stop and exercise.
- Combine Indian Run & Voo Doo Run where, running in an Indian Run type line, the last person runs to the front and leads a new travelling forward exercise (grapevine, side shuffle, run on toes, lunge, etc), the last person does around 10 of the exercise and then sprints to the front to lead a new exercise. Keep cycling through participants until the team arrives at destination.
• Run n' Spell: Determine an order of teammates (for example, by age). First person chooses a letter and corresponding exercise. For example, letter C for Crunches. Do 25 per person and work as a team. Run for 50 to 100 yards and then next person chooses a letter & exercise but must not say what word they have in mind. Repeat with next teammate. Spell a word or series of words. For example, your evolution may end of spelling CREATIVE MUSTANGS: Crunches, 'Rm circles, back Extensions, Atomics, hand to Toe Touches, Incline push-ups, vall sit, leg Extensions, Marvin Hagglers, push Ups, Superman, Tricep push-ups, Arm circles, Narrow-stances squats, Grapevine and Sit Ups.
• Word Guess: An advanced version of Run n' Spell (above), once teammates have a good grasp of common COREteamPT exercises and their use with acronyms, take turns having one teammate lead a series of exercises that spell a word. Whoever guesses the work correctly first, gets a point. Guess wrong and you get push-ups! After the exercises, work as a team to figure out the word together. Then keep on running!
• Leap Frog Run: Visualize Teams (frogs) and Locations (lily pads); Divide into 3 Teams (designate order, such as 1, 2 & 3), the Team that arrives at a Location first chooses the exercise (designate a number for all lily pads/locations; maybe roughly 20 per person on a team so if you have 5 people per team designate teams must do 100 as a team and then multiply by 2 because two of the teams will be stopping at each location; so 200 per location), To start, 2 teams will start together but going forward when the two teams run to the forward-located team, one team will stop and help the forward located team finish and the other team will run to a new location (i.e. "leap-frogging" past the forward-located team) and becoming the forward-located team and choosing a new exercise. When the two teams finish, they will run to the forward-located team, one team will stop and help finish and the other team will run past (i.e. "leap frog") to a new location. Keep track of your teams order and continue-leap frogging teams to your destination. Exercises can be repeated.
• Trivia Tour: Have between 4 - 8 teammates per team. To divide into groups, line up fastest to slowest and group speeds together. Distribute about 5 trivia cards to all members. Designate order (such as oldest to youngest) of who chooses an exercise & asks their trivia question, taking turns until reaching destination. Keep score. Trivia card ideas include:
- Trivial Pursuit
Mindfulness
• Stretching: Take time to stretch during the last few minutes of your workout. Occasionally, ask teammates to stretch quietly and use their senses to be mindful of the things they feel in their body or in their environment. Afterwards, feel free to share observations.
• Stop and Smell the Roses: Find a location with lots of detail (like a public garden) and have teammates individually move quietly to 5 or so spots where they can observe the detail while doing an exercise (suggest doing Standing "S" exercises or Holding exercises). Afterwards, ask if anyone would like to share their observations.
• Eight Count Exercises: Works well on a run, stop occasionally for an eight-count exercise. For example, utilize a bench for eight-count push-ups (start in push up position; slowly count 1, 2, 3, 4 on the way down and 5, 6, 7, 8 on the way back up; repeat 10 times). Exercises conducive to slowing down to 8-count are: sit-ups (i.e. tuck your feet under a railing), push-ups, dips (i.e. use a picnic table), leg levers, step-ups, squats, side benders, side lunches, front lunges, open clam shells, calf raises, marvin hagglers, etc. To make the workout more mindful, encourage quiet and tuning into surroundings.