S B Coaches College - Tip of the Month December 2004




		S B Coaches College Tip of the Month December 2004

The Dumbbell (db) Matrix was designed by Gary Gray as a quick and functional way to exercise the entire body through all 3 planes of motion, and through 4 different levels of movement. That's 12 exercises each done for a certain number of repetitions. The number of reps is arbitrary but we have found 6 (3 ea) reps to work very well for most athletes. This turns out to be 72 reps per set! We usually begin with 2 sets of the matrix at 10-15% of the athletes' lean mass. This will then progress to 3 sets and/or increasing the load.

An additional benefit of the DB Matrix is that it develops an athletes' work capacity and improves conditioning. Therefore it can be used in the early off-season to unload an athlete and also in the late off-season (period of time prior to pre-season) to maximize conditioning levels.

The Matrix can also be used as a warm-up prior to a workout. It can be performed with light db's or plates or even just an athletes' bodyweight to increase core temperature and move an athlete through a full range of motion through all 3 planes of movement.

We have listed two versions of the matrix below; The first is Gray's original, and the second is a version we have created. We hope you enjoy them and can use them in your athletes' workouts!

Gray's Matrix
1. Shoulder Press
2. Frontal Plane Press
3. Rotational Press
4. Bicep Curl
5. Frontal Plane Curl
6. Rotational Curl
7. Lunge
8. Lateral Lunge
9. Rotational Lunge
10. Lunge to Press
11. Lateral Lunge to Press
12. Rotational Lunge to Press

SBCC's Matrix
1. Shoulder Press
2. Frontal Plane Press
3. Rotational Press
4. Bicep Curl
5. Frontal Plane Curl
6. Rotational Curl
7. Upright Row
8. Upright Row w/ Side Bend
9. Rotational Upright Row w/ External Rotation
10. Lunge to Press
11. Lateral Lunge to Press
12. Rotational Lunge to Press