Different workouts

As the season progresses, I think it is important to vary your workouts from what you did in the beginning of the year. Doing only one type of workout and focusing on one or two types of skill is not beneficial to your team.

*I went to States for cross country in high school, was an all-state runner in track, placed second in my age division for a half marathon, and have played 4 years of Ultimate. These accomplishments have lead me to believe that I know a thing or two about training for speed. You, of course, can take this however you want

Types of workouts:
1. Long runs: These are good for getting back into the swing of things, aka in Nov or Dec. You can get some endurance back and feel your muscles working. I don't really like these as the season progresses because of the usual slow nature of these runs. If you are going to use long runs as a workout, you must be pushing yourself the entire time and not trying to stay together as a team. Running three 9:00 miles will not do a whole lot for you if you can run three 7:00 miles. Now, you can use these to encourage the teammates who are in the back of the pack to catch up to the leaders, but if they aren't pushing themselves to do so, then... (I don't want to say it is a waste of a workout, so rather I will say there could have been a better choice of workout)
2. Weight lifting: These are good for setting the stage for your muscle growth, aka in Dec-Feb. Having stronger muscles will allow for further development in speed or power because you have the basis of strength. Additionally by weight lifting, you are helping to prevent future injuries
3. Cross Fit: I am a very strong proponent of these workout. We have been doing this the past two years and I love the way it has helped us. Not only is it giving us muscle definition (shout out to the Florida men's team) but it is giving us power for jumps or power for exploding in sprints. Good for Jan-March
4. Track workouts: I don't think you should do these until you have a basis for your muscles (see above^), aka March-May (depending on if you make Natties). Track workouts can cause shin splints, pulled quads, and pulled hamstrings if not done correctly so you neeeeeeeeeed the strength there first. As much as I like 400 or 800 repeats (going back to my track days. Oh nostalgia...) I think it is better to do shorter distances. I think it is good to do this after weight lifting has ended so you can work on quickness and not just power.
5. Agility workouts: Agility can help you on offense and defense meaning I think you should incorporate them starting in at least Feb and continuing until the end of the season. Agility workouts such as speed ladders, quick transition between sprints, karaoke, and shuffling, etc etc

To be an good Ultimate player, you need to have the package of quickness, power, speed, and strength. Varying your workouts, especially through the duration of the season, will help you achieve these abilities. Of course, this is all according to 'Doctor' Amp.