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1000 Ways to Train for Lacrosse

As lacrosse players, we love to stay in great shape and train ourselves in new ways that push our limits and help us stay competitive. In an effort to give you the upperhand, we’re working to supply you with a list of 1,000 training methods that will assist you in your quest to be the next Lacrosse All Star. Whether your goal is the Tewaaraton winner or Summer League MVP, add these workouts to your repertoire and prepare the best.

1000 Ways to Train: 31-40

Training for lacrosse is a little different than training for most sports as you can’t rely SOLELY on your strength or ONLY on your speed. To be an elite lacrosse player, it’s vital that you train hard in several areas: strength, power, speed, agility, and endurance.

The best players in the game move constantly while on the field, running from one point to another as each play progresses. Lacrosse is a very peculiar sport in that way because it requires players to have extreme levels of endurance and the strength to muscle through a check or body up on an opponent.

Simply put, you need to be able to run fast, run all day AND be a beast.

And so 1000 Ways To Train For Lacrosse continues…

31. DB Shoulder Press

What upper body area do we use A LOT of during lacrosse, obviously our shoulders! The dumbbell shoulder press is a great lift to add to your upper body routine to really build-up some strength in your shoulders. Much like a Military Press, this just allows your stabilizers to get some work in too.

DB Shoulder Press

32. Dead Lifts

I hear a lot of different opinions about dead lifts, some people love them, some people hate them. I’m a lover for sure. My back has never felt so strong since I started doing these and for anyone who has lower back pain, I would definitely consider trying out dead lifts to help give your back a little more strength.

As with most lifts, you really have to be careful about your form, but even more so when dealing with your back. It is important to use light weight until you can get the form down properly. This is a great read on proper dead lifting form and how to know if you aren’t doing it correctly. One thing I will say, try the alternating grip, it helps a lot.

33. Leg Press

Always a great lift to add to your leg days, it works your quads, hamstrings, partially your calves, and the ol’ gluteus maximus. It is important to remember though, it is more beneficial to do a little lighter weight and use the full range of motion, rather than adding so much weight you can’t lower it down to the recommended 90-degree angle, don’t be that guy.

The Leg Press is also another exercise you can use to tie in even more calves. Me personally, I throw in a set of calves immediately after each set of the Leg Press. Just push the weight back up, set your feet lower on the machine so it is just the balls of your feet touching and push the weight up with your feet and calves.

Leg Press
Notice the 90-degree angle of his legs.

34. Sit-ups

I don’t care what all those commercials say, sit-ups are great and that’s why people still do them. Even better, there are a million different variations you can add to make them harder and even more comfortable on your back, or you could just man-up and stop complaining.

Borrowed from FineArtAmerica.com
Good enough for the USNA, good enough for you.

35. Bicycle Kicks

No, not soccer, the ab workout. This one is a killer if you do it right. It isn’t so much about speed and air pedaling so fast you could be Lance Armstrong, but form and technique. Keep your kicks and movement in general very controlled. You’ll feel the workout a lot more and you’ll see results a lot faster.

Borrowed from SixPackAbTraining.com
Feel the burn!

36. Hop Scotch

Just like the game our sisters used to always play, just now there is a purpose for it other than throwing something down on the pavement and then hopping based off what happens – I have no idea how to play hop scotch.

Speed ladders are way sweet and really effective, you should know this by now. The hop scotch is another great footwork drill to help change things up while giving you great foot speed and training. Start by jumping both feet outside the ladder, then back in the middle of the next square, then back out and so on.

Hop Scotch

37. Cross Country Skier

This one is a teeny bit more complicated, but along the same lines as the last one. Start by simultaneously stepping your right foot into the ladder and your left foot outside the ladder. Then moving towards the right, step your right foot out the ladder, while your stepping your left foot into the ladder, like in the picture below.

As the name of the exercise indicates, you will move in sort of a cross country skier-type motion as you move down the ladder. The key to remember though, is that your feet are moving simultaneously, not one at a time like the Step In/Step Out exercise.

Cross Country Skier

38. Single Leg Dissociation (Tap-outs)

The hardest of the three today, is the Single Leg Dissociation or as I like to call them, Tap-outs. There are several single leg dissociation exercises you can do that simulate the jab you take on a dodge and help you develop the necessary steps it takes to break some ankles.

For this drill, your right foot will stay on the same side the whole entire time, simply taking short, quick steps forward as your left foot steps into and out of the speed ladder. Start slow, then speed up as you get the rhythm down. To spice these up a little, put on resistance bands around your ankles – you will really feel the burn then. Or! Check back next week and I’ll show you the harder version of this exercise.

Single Leg Dissociation

39. Fox & Hound / Figure-8 Chase

This one requires a friend, or friends. Most of us have done the traditional Fox & Hound conditioning around the restraining box on a lacrosse field. The two groups start on opposing corners and both groups race off in a clockwise direction, trying to catch the last guy in the other group. As long as you aren’t the last guy, the pressure is usually minimal.

What happens though when you take away all your other buddies and it’s just 1v1? Well then you have the Figure-8 Chase.

Skip ahead to 3:37 (“Shaw, this is the same video you always show us!” Well maybe it’s because ND knows how to train.)

40. Reader submission by Culz: The Box Run

Thanks to Culz for submitting this one, I will definitely be adding this in the next time I head out to the field for a little running and sprints. This one is somewhat similar to the 4-Cone Drill that Notre Dame does, just on a MUCH bigger scale – a lacrosse field!

For this one you will start on the top left corner of the restraining box. From the top left, you will shuffle down to the bottom left cone. When you reach that cone, sprint to the bottom right cone, drop-step and back pedal up to the top right cone. From here you will turn and sprint back to the top left cone. Take a short break and repeat 4-5 times.

Nicely done Culz!

1,000 is a big number. Please share your favorite lifts and exercises in the comments section (or email us at info@lacrosseallstars.com) so we can add them to our list and reach the big 1-0-0-0!

An important note about trainingYou should always consider your own goals and decide what you want to accomplish during training. Most importantly though, always learn how to properly do an exercise before you start doing it. As very few of us are experts in Sports Science or Medicine, we always recommend doing your own research and finding credible trainers to teach you how to train. Train smart, train safe, train hard, lax on.

Train Insane or Remain the Same.