Who Is Jose Altuve?
Astros at Orioles 7/23/17
Jose Altuve might be a relatively small guy, but he has made a big mark in the world of major league baseball. Since signing with the Houston Astros in 2011, Altuve has continued to stand out as one of their best players. He holds the distinction of being the first MLB player to score 200 hits or more for four seasons in a row. He also garnered a post-season record for hitting three home runs in a single game against the Boston Red Sox in 2017. And of course, there is the fact that he helped the Astros win the 2017 world series.
As one of the premier heavy hitters in the sport today, Jose Altuve definitely makes a good example for other players to follow. That brings us to the main subject of today’s article. Mr. Altuve has made his workout public and has even explained his methods in several interviews. We would be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity to get some rare insight into a champion-level workout.
The Altuve Full-Body Workout:
The Altuve workout has been published in several places, but this is the main source from which we will be working. As this one is slightly incomplete, we filled in the gaps by using this source. This workout can be done anywhere from 1-3 days per week. Altuve says that he trains a little bit lighter during the off-season, and variates the number of days per week. Thus, you should change the intensity of your training frequently if you want to emulate his training method.
Warmup: Medicine Ball Throwing
Altuve apparently prefers to warm up with a medicine ball before starting his main workout. There are many ways to throw a medicine ball, and it doesn’t really matter which one you choose. Medicine ball throws are low-intensity exercises intended to activate your muscles and get you ready for a real workout.
Exercise 1: Sledgehammer Training
Several people have noted that Altuve can be seen hitting tires with a sledgehammer on his Instagram page. He appears to be using a standard sledgehammer and a very large tire. Anyone who has ever swung a sledgehammer can tell you that this will give your arms an excellent workout. Notice that Altuve uses a proper sliding grip and keeps his legs spread wide. There are several ways to do sledgehammer training. Usually, you will strike down either vertically or diagonally. Either way is fine, and each will work different sets of muscles. Rather than doing a certain number of reps, you should do as many swings as you can within 30 seconds (which counts as a set).
Exercise 2: Sled Pulling
This is just what it sounds like on the surface. You strap yourself to a weighted sled and pull it for as long as you can. A professional athlete like Altuve will have no problem setting up for something like this, but the rest of us may have to improvise. One thing you can do is take a very thick plastic tote and tie it to a thick belt. Fill the tote with earth until it reaches the desired weight, then start pulling.
Exercise 3: Barbell Squats
Altuve cites this as his favorite exercise because it works the entire body at once. The legs do a little more work than the rest of the body, but you still have to use many different muscles to do this exercise correctly. On light days, he will squat 200 pounds for three sets of 8. On heavier days, he will squat 350 pounds for three sets of 4.
Exercise 4: Dumbbell Lunges
This should be done between sets of barbell squats. Take a dumbbell in each hand and let them hang down at your sides. Take a big step forward as far as you can, going forward until your rear knee almost touches the ground. Stand back up and return to the starting position, then repeat. Do a set of 10 between each set of squats.
Exercise 5: Romanian Dumbbell Deadlifts
Take a dumbbell in each hand and hold them in front of you. The heels of your palms should be resting against the front of your quads. Now bend down, letting the dumbbells travel straight down your legs. You should use your legs as a guide, so as to make sure that your motion is straight down. When you get to the lower shins, Raise back up to the starting position. This exercise is primarily meant to strengthen the hamstrings.
Exercise 6: Dumbbell Bench Press
Just like a normal bench press, but using a set of dumbbells. Do four sets of 8 on light days and three sets of 4 with more weight during heavy days. Altuve prefers this exercise because it promotes flexibility, and says that it should be followed up with some elastic band pulling.
Exercise 7: Lat Pulldowns
We aren’t surprised to see this exercise on Altuve’s list. Strong lats have a lot to do with the ability to swing a baseball bat properly, and Altuve is known as a heavy hitter. He does three sets of 8 reps regardless of the time of year.
Exercise 8: Sprints
When it comes to sprints, Altuve does not recommend that you run at 100% intensity, or even 90% intensity. He says that you should keep it in the range of 70-80%. This should provide a good workout with minimal risk of injury. Do two 90-foot runs, then two 127-foot runs, followed by a 344-foot sprint.
Exercise 9: The Shuffle Drill
This one is supposed to be done with a partner. You stand parallel to one another and toss a ball back and forth. The trick is; you can only move by shuffling side to side. This is a clever variation of the classic side-shuffle drill.
Conclusion
Having presented you with the authentic Jose Altuve workout, we don’t have much more to say on this matter. After all, there’s only one authority on this subject, and he has already spoken. We do hope, however, that you have enjoyed this article and found it to be helpful and enlightening. Please follow us on Facebook using the button below and have a nice day.
The post Take A Swing At All-Star Jose Altuve’s Full Body Workout appeared first on Gaspari Nutrition.