Back by popular demand (drumroll)… Jake Rosener!
Earlier this year, I wrote an article on a few athletes’ lifting regimen. I was so fascinated by the various programs that I reached out to them for more. Kelly Reeves wrote about her four-hour gym sessions here. Jake doesn’t have the luxury of four free hours daily; he’s busy doing… well, whatever chemists do. What is the verb of chemistry? Chemising? Mixing chemicals? Bless. Anyway, he spends his days making sunscreen and other skincare products. But his office-worker specific workout below is perfect for all of the AVP fans and players that spend a large part of their days behind a desk (like me! So thanks, Jake).
Jake Rosener:
Sitting behind my desk on a Monday morning after my one-hour commute to work, wishing I was out on the beach, makes it tough on my AVP-volleyball player’s body. I can imagine a few of you out there are in a similar boat. Don’t we always want to be out on the beach? Hopefully, my style and workout design can inspire more players, both professional and amateur, to get out on the sand.
For me, volleyball started in my junior high gym class. Our teacher, Jim Ogden, came up to me and said “Hey kid, you are pretty tall. You should try out for the volleyball team. I’m the coach.” I tried out and fell in love with volleyball, and it is all thanks to Jim Ogden.
After I moved on to high school, Mr. Ogden was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease/ALS. I was stunned. I spent the next two years helping him coach the volleyball team after my classes and practice. He had an aggressive form of ALS and passed away in just over two years after being diagnosed. I owe so much to Jim Ogden – almost everything I know about health, fitness, and volleyball I learned from him. Not to mention the numerous life lessons he and volleyball have taught me. I hope I can pass on a few of his lessons onto others in my life. And I’ll start with you!
Photo via @thebodybyjake on Instagram
I was fortunate enough to play indoor volleyball for five years at the University of California at Santa Barbara and then for two years overseas. I played both the Opposite and Outside Hitter positions before finding beach volleyball in 2013. The first two years were for fun, and to find my sand legs. I began taking the AVP tour more seriously in 2015 and my training schedule has been evolving ever since.
My current strength and conditioning programs are, in a nutshell, designed for strength through muscle balance. I concentrate on complementary muscle groups for my core (abs and back) and shoulders. I focus on these two areas mainly due to the long periods of time I sit in an office chair (nearly eight hours) and in my car (over two hours) every day that create the forward rounded-shoulders look. Painful over time, not to mention makes me look like a hunchback.
All my workouts involve shoulder strengthening and core exercises as their central objective. To keep my workout varied and my overall body composition in good order, I add in additional exercises for strengthening other muscle groups.
Not having a trainer makes setting up a gym session tougher, but also have the benefit of doing exactly what I want to do. If I have sore or tired muscles from the previous workout or beach training, I can adjust my next session to assuage the pain and improve other muscles that are less fatigued. I like to combine two exercises without rest between circuit sets; it breaks up the workout and challenges different parts of my body.
For all of your 9 to 5-ers, I feel your pain and am here to offer a sample workout to try out! If you have any questions or want to chat volleyball, gym-related/healthy lifestyle, or honestly anything hit me up on Instagram @thebodybyjake.
Warm-Up:
Air Squats/Squat Bar (2x 15reps)
Shoulder Warmups (2x5reps)
Rotator Cuff Strength Exercise (2x5reps)
Circuits:
Circuit 1
Back Squat (Heavy Days-Lower Reps, Lighter Days-Higher Reps, 3×5 or 3×10)
Side Shoulder Raises (3x6each)
Circuit 2
Dead Lift (3x6reps)
Wood Chops (From High, Low, and Medium, 3x5each)
Circuit 3
Rotator Cuff Resistance Band (3×8, both arms)
Triceps Extension (3x10reps)
Circuit 4
Negative Rows (either with machine or dumbells, 3×8 each)
Arnold Press (3×6 reps)
Core (Abs and Lower Back)
These are just a few of the long list of options that I pick different ones each day to keep it interesting and different
Dead bugs (7-10 each, 5-second hold)
Plate Twists (15rep)
Oblique Heel Touches (10each)
Side Crunch (15each)
Side Plant with dip (10each)
Bicycles (15each)
Superman’s Lower back extensions (10reps)
Spine Rocking (10reps)
Always finish with stretching for 5-10 minutes after every workout!